Fairy Tail: Fairies vs Bandits (part 4)

In the attic at the top of the tower, weapons clashed again.

Lydia grinned over her blade, “One of your friends is in trouble, Titania…”

Erza, now in full plate armor of a canary yellow, shoved the villainess back with the tremendous strength the armor gave her, then used the distance to swing a massive war-maul. There was anger in the swing, not quite as disciplined as the warrior girl’s usual strikes, and Lydia dodged out of the way, then tried to counterattack.

However, Erza was prepared. The hammer of the maul would have been to slow to defend in time, so she turned the blade away with the shaft, then struck Lydia in the face with the back of the handle, snapping the green knight’s head back.

Lydia darted back before she caught the business end of the hammer in the side of her head.

“I should have known not to try that,” she grinned, wiping blood from her mouth, “But still, your friend IS in trouble. They both are, but one of them is just about to fall to one of my lieutenants.”

Erza was filled with the golden light of her Requip magic and her armor vanished, replaced with strips of cloth to protect her breasts, a red hakama fitted to her hips and legs. Her scarlet hair tied in samurai top knot, a katana in her hands, the warrior woman narrowed her eyes at her opponent.

“You won’t distract me so easily.” She said, “I have faith in the abilities of my friends.”

Lydia held her hands out to her sides, an eerie movement mimicking wings, and the sword in one hand shrank while a dagger grew in the other, until she had two short swords of the same length. Her armor had received numerous gouges and cuts from their battle, making the green knight look wilder, a bit more savage. Yet despite the damage she’d taken, her confidence didn’t wane.

“Steel and battle tell me their secrets and their stories,” Lydia said, “Even those happening as we speak. They never lie.”

Erza lunged, her blade a blur, but Lydia moved as well. The bandit commander caught the strike with one of her swords, planning to attack with the other while her opponent’s weapon was entangled, but that plan disintegrated when she heard the shriek of sliced metal. Eyes widening, realizing Erza’s katana had bitten deep into the metal of her own sword, Lydia stopped her attack in mid-step and stumbled back. She had an instant to blink at the deep gouge in her weapon before she had to throw herself away from Erza’s next attack.

“Even if what you say is true,” the stern, scarlet-haired warrior replied, “It only redoubles my determination to defeat you.”

“I know,” Lydia grinned back, allowing her damaged sword to shrink into her gauntlet, “I don’t want to distract you. I want all your focus on me, all your power and skill.”

Sending the metal from her damaged sword to the other, she enlarged the remaining blade, making it both broader and longer, like that of a very hefty saber.

“That is how I want to defeat you,” the green knight guided the sword into a ready position, “When you’re at your best, giving it everything you have. Knowing it all came down to the two of us and I was the greater warrior.”

Not letting herself be goaded by the taunt, Erza matched Lydia’s wicked grin with a cold stare.

“That will not happen.” She simply said.

With those words, she burst through the distance between them and her blade Benizakura struck, sparks flying from Lydia’s sword as she managed a block. Another stroke cleaved into the green saber and Lydia retreated, but Erza didn’t relent.

“I have the strength of my friends within me,” Erza said as she slashed again, “Of my guild. I will never let them down, no matter what foe I face.”

Another stroke cut halfway through Lydia’s saber and managed to nick the bandit across the eyebrow before it stopped. Lydia gasped and ripped her sword away, retreating quickly.

“You speak with steel, but my friends guide my steel,” the scarlet knight glared, “For them I will give everything. That is my power.”

Her opponent backed away until she bumped into a stack of books, finding herself cornered. Her weapon had been hacked nearly to pieces, cut into by Benizakura like it was made of soft wood. Another heavy blow would cleave right through it and into her.

Lydia’s eyes widened. Her time had run out.

Erza advanced, bringing the katana over her head.

“That is the power of Fairy Tail!” she roared, striking downwards with all her might.

“Blade of Darkness!” Lydia cried quickly.

Benizakura whistled downwards but was stopped, clashing with a chime of metal and a strange, electric crackle.

Erza froze, blinking in surprise.

At Lydia’s nearly panicked cry, her green steel had been replaced with a sword made of glowing, violet energy. It was transparent, like the ghost of a blade, its length curved with a Japanese style handle. In fact, it wasn’t just similar to Benizakura, it was an exact replica of Erza’s sword made of Lydia’s dark power.

The bandit queen shoved back her scarlet opponent and the two faced each other once more.

Erza brought her sword to the low ready, glaring at Lydia with renewed wariness. To her surprise, Lydia mirrored her stance exactly, sinking low, katana held level with her thigh.

The green knight laughed softly, eyes twinkling.

“Oh, you do have power, Erza Scarlet,” Lydia grinned, “And heart. But those things alone won’t give you victory…”

The two warriors leapt forward and this time they went blow for blow. Benizakura clashed against the Blade of Darkness in a series of attacks and reposts, moving so fast they could barely be seen. Erza moved with a finesse of a master swordswoman, no wasted effort in her strokes, no telegraphing of her movements, but Lydia matched her in exactly the same way. Their movements were like that of two students from the same master, sharing the same strategies and techniques.

Even so, it was Lydia who ended on top of the exchange, kicking Erza in her bare stomach and knocking the scarlet-haired girl into an ancient grandfather clock. Girl and clock fell to the floor with a crash, Fairy Tail’s strongest woman grunting in pain, then rolling off of the shattered wood, coming back to her feet.

Lydia was waiting for her, sword and smug smile at the ready.

“Steel speaks to me, queen of fairies,” she said with deceptive gentleness, “I’ve been listening to yours for our whole battle. Learning its secrets, the way it moves, the way it dances.”

Erza lunged with lightning speed, but Lydia turned the blade aside with ease and counterattacked, putting the scarlet knight on the back foot. In only a few strokes the girl known as Titania was retreating, struggling to defend herself with growing shock at her opponent’s sudden dominance.

“I wanted more time to listen,” Lydia said even as she struck, “To learn all your moves and tricks, but you’re too dangerous, Erza. I can’t wait any more.”

Erza threw herself back, but not fast enough to avoid a slash across the shoulder. The wound seared and she cried out, clasping it with one hand.

“Still, I think it should be more than enough,” Lydia laughed, “And no amount of spirit can save you.”

Tottering backwards, her shoulder throbbing, Erza removed her hand and checked the cut, intending to gauge the damage by the amount and color of the blood. But there was no blood.

Still cringing in pain, the scarlet-haired warrioress looked at her clean hand, then at the place on her shoulder where the sword had struck. It burned like fire, but though there was a glowing, violet line in the shape of a cut, her flesh was unmarred, her skin soft and untouched.

“My Sword of Darkness will slice the spirit from you,” the green knight’s eyes widened with mad delight, “And what’s left of the great Titania will be greatest my trophy.”

----

Dozens of floors below that battle, Wendy and Alice darted about and traded blows, each trying to knock the other out of the air. Inevitably, in one exchange their fists collided, dark energy meeting high powered winds. The resulting explosion threw the girls away from each other with cries of surprise, but quickly the tiny titans arrested their falls and faced each other once more.

Hoping to strike before the other girl could recover, Alice thrust out her hands and fired a barrage of violet blasts. They peppered the bookcases on the far wall, blasting apart tomes and artifacts en masse, but Wendy darted out of the way, staying just ahead of the destruction.

“Hold still!” the small, wicked blonde cried out in frustration, forming a beach ball-sized destructive orb above her head.

In the course of the battle, a few facts had become clear. Alice’s projectiles were more than a match for Wendy’s winds, allowing her to block them while Wendy couldn’t reciprocate. It took a great deal of effort for the Fairy Tail girl to deflect one of the dark blasts, but on the other hand she was far faster and more nimble, not to mention physically stronger, tapped in as she was to the power of a dragon. Alice could match her somewhat in close quarters by charging her fists with dark energy, but Wendy had the advantage.

Intent on closing the distance, Wendy charged at her opponent and Alice hurled her energy orb. The pink-haired dragon slayer darted around the projectile and resumed her trajectory with barely a pause. Before the bandit girl could launch another attack, Wendy buried a fist into her stomach.

“UNF!” Alice grunted, before she was struck by a follow-up punch to the jaw.

Without anything holding her in place, the force of the punch knocked her back farther than if she’d been on the ground but did less physical damage. Alice quickly shot back with a glowing violet fist, hitting Wendy in the cheek. The Fairy Tail girl was likewise knocked back by the blow and returned, but landed two blows to Alice’s one.

“You are so annoying!” the bandit girl shrieked, hitting the other girl back, “Give up, already!”

Wendy launched herself at Alice, but the self-proclaimed Bandit Princess raised a shield of dark energy, letting the other girl pound it instead of her.

Unstymied, Wendy beat at the violet disc with both little fists, teeth bared and showing her pointed canines.

“No!” the little dragon slayer cried, “YOU give up!”

As the beating continued, Alice began to wince under the assault, struggling to keep the shield in place. It began to shimmer in the spots Wendy struck the hardest, losing cohesion and starting to break apart.

Gritting her teeth, the young bandit put more energy into the shield, but the instant she did so Wendy gave it one last teeth-rattling blow then zipped around it, behind her.

“Tenryu no hoko!”

Before Alice could turn, she was blasted by a Sky Dragon roar, that sent her hurtling into the far wall’s bookcases, already in shambles from her own blasts. She struck with a crash and the sound of splintering wood, sending a fine dust cloud into the air.

Wendy floated just outside the dust cloud, then blew it away with a swipe of her hand, revealing a dazed Alice picking herself out of the rubble. The bandit girl was a bit slow in getting up, pushing herself upright but staying hunched over for a moment, before lurching up in an ungainly manner and stumbling on a piece of loose wood in the process. Her red dress showed more holes and the girl herself was painted with dust, several of her curls having come free and dangling limp.

Her opponent, on the other hand, glowed and glared, her small face hard. In the winds that kept her aloft, her pigtails lashed about like living tendrils, her pink eyes bright and fiery. She hovered above the bandit girl like an avenging angel, powerful and stern despite her small size and tattered clothing, hands held out to her sides and ready to strike.

“Had enough?” Wendy called down, more than ready to continue the fight if she had to.

Alice shook her head, tousling her hair, then stared up at the other girl with a furrow in her brow. The dragon girl was proving tougher than she thought, more powerful too. For the first time in a while, she considered that she might not get what she wanted. That she might actually lose.

But slowly her brow lowered and her glare returned.

“NO!” she shrieked, stomping her foot, “No, I want your power, I want your clothes, and I’m going to have them! I WANT MY DRAGON!”

With an explosion of dark energy, Alice launched herself at Wendy, who swept her hands together, sledgehammer winds striking the bandit from either side in a pincer. Alice managed to throw out two shields to protect herself, but the effort stopped her forward motion cold and left her a sitting duck for the other girl’s next attack.

Not waiting, and not about to give the wicked girl another chance, Wendy shot between the two shields and slammed her fist into Alice’s face, sending the girl spinning away with a cry of pain. Before the bandit princess could stop herself, Wendy then darted around behind her and struck her from the other side, sending her flying back the way she came.

Wide-eyed, starting to panic, Alice shot a wild blast at her attacker, but Wendy dodged around it and clotheslined her, flying past and whirling the wicked blonde around.

Wendy knew by the mean girl’s anguished cries that it was almost over. Pouring on the speed, she did a quick U-turn and hit Alice again, not giving the girl a chance to orient herself. With the bandit girl not knowing which way was up, battered and flailing, Wendy brought her hands together, her wings and hair glowing brighter as she called on the power of the dragon.

“Tenryu… no…” she prepared the spell, winds gathering around her.

Her power came together, everything still and quiet for an instant, the silence before a storm. Then it exploded and Wendy shot towards the evil bandit princess, leg coming around in a thunderous kick.

“KAGIZUME!”

Alice’s eyes widened and she threw out her hands, “Dark energy sphere!”

Wendy rocketed towards her opponent with all the power to knock the other girl through the wall and end this fight. The blow never connected. Instead, she found herself drowning in a sea of violet agony.

Both girls had been swallowed up by one of Alice’s energy balls, as big as a mid-sized pool.

Alice cringed, the action causing herself no small amount of pain. Similar to how she’d protected herself from Wendy’s earlier attacks, but on a larger scale, she had only done this out of desperation. The dark energy burned and made the body clench in a rictus, not to mention how difficult it was to keep the giant sphere in place while suffering such pain in the process.

However, though it hurt Alice, she was somewhat resistant to the dark energy she created as well as used to the pain that came with it. To Wendy, it felt like she was being electrocuted and boiled alive at the same time.

“AAAA-AAAAA-AAAAAAGH!” the little dragon slayer screamed in pain, her fingers forming claws and her body bowing backwards like she was trying to break her own spine. It caused no physical damage to her body, but the pain itself was real enough, as was the damage it did to her magic reserves. Her little figure trapped and contorting, unable to finish the spell that would have been her coup de grace, she could only clench her eyes closed and cry out.

The sight of Wendy in agony brought a fierce grin to Alice’s face, despite her own twitches and shooting pains. She narrowed her eyes and the violet ball glowed brighter, increasing the desperation in the Fairy Tail girl’s cries.

“Dumb… dragon girl…” Alice forced out between gritted teeth, “Give me… what I… WANT!”

With that, the sphere vanished and the power that was causing Wendy such agony vanished as well. Stunned by both the sudden appearance and disappearance of the unbearable pain, the little dragon slayer began to fall, leaving motes of pink energy trailing behind her.

Flushed, blinking away stars in her eyes, Wendy realized she was hurtling towards the ground. Her eyes flashed and she called on the winds to catch her, carry her to safety.

It was another spell she didn’t get to finish. Just as the winds began to slow her fall, Alice filled her vision, hands raised overhead, glowing with dark power.

“Fall down!” the young bandit glared.

Alice swung her arms down and connected like a sledgehammer. Enhanced by her dark power, the blow less made Wendy fall than shot her towards the ground like a rocket.

Guards and raiders fighting below saw a glowing pink meteor hurtling towards them from above. They cried out and scattered, but several were still thrown off their feet by the object’s impact, an explosion that sent floorboards and chunks of foundation-rock flying.

Smoke rose from the crash’s crater, wood burned and rock smoldered by Alice’s dark energy. Out of that deep impression in the library’s foundation, Wendy groaned and began to rise, splinters and pebbles falling off her as she struggled to all fours. Her ears were ringing, head spinning, limbs weak and trembling. Without the dragon force, the blow and its impact would have surely killed her, and even with it reinforcing her body she still quaked. Pink eyes unfocused, their light somewhat dimmed, the young dragon slayer managed to stand, though she wobbled and swayed.

Two dark orbs slammed into her from either side, a taunting mimicry of the pincer blow she’d struck Alice with earlier. Further separated from her wits by the crushing blows, Wendy swayed for a moment, her eyes crossed, then abruptly fell to her knees. Her head bounced on her neck, her eyes wide and her mouth ajar, as if surprised to find herself there.

Framed by an aura of violet energy, Alice descended, smirking down on her helpless foe with the utmost satisfaction. Pointing her toes, she touched down with feathery ease, holding her arms over her head like a ballerina.

“Had enough?” she leered, echoing Wendy’s offer of mercy.

Seeing three of the blonde girl and not understanding any of them, Wendy gaped and blinked, struggling to stay upright. Her eyes were still a bit too wide and pointed inwards at her nose, her expression silly and confused.

Alice grabbed one of the pink pigtails and pulled, causing the dazed girl to groan but not eliciting any attempt to defend herself.

“No?” the blonde bent down to look into her eyes, “You want more? Okay!”

Grinning wickedly, the young bandit clenched a glowing fist, then drove it into Wendy’s belly button. With the little girl unprepared for the blow, the punch sank deep into her tender stomach, mashing everything soft into her spine.

Wendy retched all the breath from her lungs, eyes gaining some focus from the sudden agony but wide and shocked, still not entirely lucid. She folded around the belly blow, trying to crumple, but help upright by the grip on her hair.

Seeing the horrified expression on her opponent’s face, Alice couldn’t help but let out a shrill giggle.

“Toldya!” she cried, “Toldya so!”

With a yank on the pigtail, she pulled Wendy up to her feet, the girl’s knees knocking and legs unable to support her.

“Toldya you this would happen!” Alice crowed, “Toldya you should have given up! And now, I’m going to punish you!”

Wheezing, clasping her aching stomach, Wendy managed to look at the other girl with a face clenched in pain. She saw the bandit princess winding up, pulling back her fist as a basketball-sized energy orb formed around it.

“Dumb dragon girl!” Alice sneered.

The energy-enhanced punch knocked Wendy off her feet and sent her sailing across the library. She skipped off the floor like a stone on a pond, once, twice, three times, then collided with the far wall with a wood-splintering crash. The little dragon slayer connected with the wall chest first, arms and legs splayed out like a bear-skin rug, except upright rather than stretched out on the floor. The impression her body made in the wood held her there for a moment, but gradually gravity had its way, the little girl pealing away from the wall then flopping onto her back with a grunt.

The library spun wildly around Wendy’s head and at the same time she felt like she was sinking into the floor. Small chest heaving, she stared glaze-eyed at the far away ceiling, watching it whirl and juke in her vision. She couldn’t move yet, could only dimly remember what was happening. What HAD happened? She’d been winning, had the other girl on her last legs, and then… what happened?

It would have been nice to lay there, just for a little while. Let herself sink into the floor, her body to relax, mind to drift away from the pain she felt. She ached everywhere and was bitterly tired, her magic pushed to its limits and beyond. Almost too tired to think, any other young girl would have simply fainted away right there, but something else drove Wendy, something that wouldn’t let her lie still and surrender until it was finished.

Slowly, with a whine of effort and a painful cringe, she managed to curl her fingers into fists, fighting through the malaise that wanted her to close her eyes and rest.

Footsteps skipped towards her, crunching on broken wood and stone with a playful staccato.

Wendy didn’t bother to see who it was. Entirely focused, she grunted and lifted her head, trying to sit up.

The approaching figure skipped beside her and stopped, putting their hands on their hips.

“Ha ha!” Alice sing-songed down at her, “I win!”

“Nhh…” grunting, trying to ignore the other girl, Wendy shakily propped herself on her elbows and paused to catch her breath, eyes lidded and heavy.

Apparently not getting the reaction she wanted, Alice planted her foot on Wendy’s heaving chest and pushed her right back down to the floor. The little dragon slayer groaned in misery as her enemy posed over her, foot planted on her breasts.

“I win and you lose!” Alice sang again, “Nyah nyah! Toldya toldya toldya!”

Gritting her teeth, Wendy glared, “N-no… get… off…”

“I beat your itsy-bitsy dragon bottom!” the bandit sneered down at her, “Bandits are better than fairies and demons are better than dragons!”

With that she threw her leg across the downed dragon slayer and plonked down, dropping her rump into Wendy’s stomach.

Wendy grunted and arched, trying to buck the other girl off, but Alice settled herself with a grin, straddling with her knees, finding a secure seat.

“Get… off me!” Wendy protested, managing to squirm and kick her feet.

“Say you lost!” the bandit girl sneered down at her, “Say you lost and you give up!”

“N-never!”

Eyes still twinkling with cruel mirth, Alice clicked her tongue against her teeth, shaking her head like a disappointed teacher. The other girl’s struggles were too weak to buck her, arms still too clumsy to push her off, so she just leaned over her helpless opponent and grinned, enjoying herself.

“You are being a very naughty dragon!” the young bandit chided, “You are going to have to learn to mind me if you’re going to be my pet!”

She drew back her palm and it lit up with violet energy.

“Now stay still and be quiet!”

Crack! She slapped Wendy across the face.

The blow jerked the Fairy Tail girl’s head to the side and rattled the thoughts in her head, drawing a startled grunt. It wasn’t a stinging slap, but a hard blow with the meat of the palm, with plenty of power behind it. Nevertheless, she continued struggling.

“I said,” Alice drew back her palm again, “Stay still!”

The second slap swung Wendy’s head the other way and left her seeing stars. She blinked, her squirming growing a bit preoccupied as her senses fled for a moment. Before she could fully recover, Alice slapped her again.

“Stay still,” the girl told her, “And be quiet!”

Alice didn’t stop. The next slap left Wendy’s ears ringing and the next one made her forget where she was. By the slap after that one she’d stopped struggling, but Alice was enjoying the beating and continued to smack Wendy’s head back and forward.

“Silly,” smack, “Little,” smack, “dragon dummy!”

After that last blow, she stopped to grin, looking over the inert dragon slayer.

Wendy’s arms lay still on either side of her, her face turned towards her shoulder, chest rising and falling heavily. Alice cupped her cheek and turned the girl’s face to look up at her. The cheeks were flushed from the slaps, lips pouting in a curious O, eyes rolling in her head. With the daylights almost literally smacked out of her, she was quiet and she was still, just like the bandit girl had asked.

Alice brightened, “There! That’s much better! Good dragon!”

She patted Wendy’s cheek then smoothed her palm over the girl’s head, like petting a puppy.

“I knew you could behave,” the blonde’s grin turned wicked, “You just needed someone to teach you.” She pinched Wendy’s nose and gave it a wiggle, “And now you’ve learned your lesson!”

Wendy blinked and groaned faintly, her wits eluding her.

“I’m going to have to punish you more for not behaving sooner,” Alice continued, “But first I’m going to take your clothes, your jewelry, and your dragon powers. Okay?”

While the other girl spoke, Wendy tried t decipher the muddled information her senses delivered to her. Her ears were still ringing and the voice speaking to her was muffled, her vision was blurry and spun, while it felt like she was falling and at the same time lying flat on her back. Her pupils were dilated wide, still wearing a silly expression as she stared at the cloudy form looming over her.

“Because you lost and you admit it, right?” Alice said, “You give up and let me have that stuff?”

Placing her hand on the top of Wendy’s head, she made the dazed dragon slayer nod.

“Good!” Alice giggled at the silly expression, “And you admit fairies aren’t as good as bandits?”

Wendy was made to nod again, still staring dumbly.

“Good!” Alice giggled again, “You’re a more agreeable dragon now! That’s much better! I think you deserve a little kiss!”

Still grinning, she leaned down to give Wendy a playful peck on the cheek.

“Mwwah!” she said before righting herself and smiling down affectionately, “You’ll be a good pet.”

Her smile warm, even loving, she smoothed her thumb over Wendy’s bottom lip. It was soft and plush, fun to touch. Fascinated, she slipped her thumb and forefinger deeper to play with the moist inside and pluck at her tongue. She giggled at how wet and soft the little tongue was, not to mention how naughty and invasive she was being.

At first the play seemed innocent, Alice tittering to herself and seeing what she could make the bottom lip do, strumming it, pulling on the tongue a little bit, enjoying the fact that she could do whatever she wanted with Wendy’s mouth. However, gradually the playful expression faded and her eyes narrowed, the placement of her fingers in the dragon slayer’s mouth becoming more purposeful, expression focused.

“I can feel the dragon thing inside you,” the girl whispered, “And it shouldn’t be there. It’s mine.”

The fingers that snuck past Wendy’s lips began to glow with that same dark energy. They lit up her mouth almost like she was a jack-o-lantern, some of the light shining out from between her lips.

“Dark energy,” Alice said, “Pull.”

As the bandit princess intoned the spell, Wendy’s eyes widened. She felt something strange inside her, like something inside her tummy was being tugged at. She couldn’t name what it was, but she knew it was a part of her, something that had been there for as long as she could remember. Now it was being drawn out and that fact filled her with fear.

“A-ack…” Wendy stiffened, unable to intelligently defend herself, but her body instinctively reacting to the attack.

The little tugs were gentle, almost coaxing the little kernel of warmth inside her, but she knew what was happening was wrong. She pulled back at the seed with her own power, but her magic was so weak the force pulling against her didn’t seem to notice. The little bundle of dragon force rose from her tummy up to her chest, moving past her heart.

Wendy’s eyes and hair flared brightly as she clenched her fists, making small gagging sounds around the invasive fingers. She began to arch her back, toes curling, eyes wide with something like shock.

“There we go,” Alice smiled as she worked, “Come on… come on, little dragon power… come to mama…”

The ball of energy slipped from Wendy’s chest to her throat, rising up towards the coaxing fingers. More light began to shine from the girl’s mouth as it drew closer, the dragon slayer’s hair now glowing so brightly it made her tormenter squint. It was the last sputters of the dragon seed within her, the violent flickering of a candle before it went out. Alice knew this and her grin broadened.

“A… aaah…” Wendy mewled haltingly, unable to even cry out.

A pink light filled the girl’s mouth, outshining the violet from Alice’s fingers. It grew brighter as it came closer, drawn to the bandit girl’s hand by her evil power. Then, just when it was brightest, Alice closed her fingers around it, stifling the light.

“AA-AAH!” Wendy yelped, feeling like someone had squeezed her heart.

“Ooh,” Alice grinned, “It’s warm!”

A swift yank severed the dragon energy’s last connection to its former owner.

Wendy gasped, eyes shooting wide. Like a switch had been flicked, the pink glow in her eyes vanished. Her wild hair, almost seeming to have a life of its own, went limp. The glowing wings crumbled away, breaking apart and turning to dust, as did the feathers on her wrists and ankles. Bit by bit she transformed back from a dragon-powered force of nature to a cute, worried little girl, her body relaxing as her struggles ceased.

“Nnnnhhh…” she moaned softly.

The last thing to change back was her hair, the pink fading away to be replaced with blue, pigtails lying flat. Her eyes grew heavy, suddenly very tired. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to keep her eyes open, but they inexorably closed. The little face relaxed, expression smoothing out but for a troubled warping of her eyebrows, like she was having bad dreams.

There was still something inside Wendy that wouldn’t surrender until it was all over, but it WAS all over. The last of her consciousness faded away with a final groan and she lay still, but for the troubled heaving of her chest.

While her makeshift seat fainted away, Alice held up the dragon spark on her palm, eyeing it with a broad grin.

“Pretty!” she cheered, “This is almost better than jewelry!”

Staring thoughtfully at the glowing orb, the little bandit sorceress craned her neck side to side, examining it from every angle. It had a bright pink skin with a slightly darker inside, glittering like scales when she turned her head in the right direction. She looked it over for a few moments, then stuffed it in the pocket of her dress, giving it a pat before grinning down at her unconscious opponent.

“Thanks for your powers, dragon girl!” Alice giggled tauntingly, patting the girl’s cheek, “I’ll have a lot of fun with them. Isn’t that nice?”

Wendy, unconscious, her face turned slightly away from her tormentor, didn’t flinch.

“I thought so,” the bandit girl grinned at the Wendy’s fretful sleeping expression, “Now let’s see what else you have…”

Scooching a bit closer to sit on the other girl’s chest, Alice started by working at the girl’s bow tie.

Happy, humming a bouncy tune she made up right then, the bandit princess began stripping Wendy of everything she had left.