[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7FwwXfi.png[/img][/center] [center][h3]* * *[/h3][/center] [center][h1][i][b]Chapter Three- I'm Still Standing[/b][/i][/h1][/center] [center][h3]* * *[/h3][/center] [color=DarkMagenta]“Leave it to Oros to fuck everything up…”[/color] Nykannis was muttering as Violet slowly regained consciousness. [color=BlueViolet]“Well, [i]that[/i] was certainly an interesting experience…”[/color] the heiress remarked, blinking her eyes a few times to clear her vision. [color=BlueViolet]“And it’s nice to know you despise her as much as I do,”[/color] she added with a wry smirk. Upon noticing her captive was now awake, Nykannis turned to face Violet with an annoyed scowl. [color=DarkMagenta]“Gotta admit, that was actually kinda impressive, Princess,”[/color] she conceded. [color=DarkMagenta]“I never would have imagined you’d be able to overcome all that nightmare energy, [i]especially[/i] not in your current state…”[/color] the mad scientist added as she examined the various diagrams and schematics depicted on an array of holodisplays. [color=DarkMagenta]“But that’s fine. It still provides me with valuable data for future projects, so I’m not [i]too[/i] bothered by it.”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“That is rather unfortunate,”[/color] Violet replied with a frown. [color=BlueViolet]“And here I was hoping that you’d have a fit after seeing how your little attempt to break me failed so completely.”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Sorry to disappoint you, Princess,”[/color] the mad scientist sneered. [color=DarkMagenta]“But I’m not an infantile crybaby like [i]you.[/i]”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“Yes, I suppose I [i]can[/i] get rather emotional in my other form…”[/color] Violet conceded. [color=BlueViolet]“In fact, thanks to you, I’ve just had the opportunity to learn quite a lot about myself, and I’d like to think I’ve grown stronger as a result.”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Y’know, I’m having a hard time deciding which version of you I hate the most,”[/color] Nykannis muttered. [color=DarkMagenta]“On the one hand, there’s the hyperactive ditz on a sugar rush, and on the other, there’s the snooty bitch who thinks she’s sooo impressive ‘cause she never looses her ice cold demeanor, even when she’s about to be [i]dissected alive.[/i]”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“I apologize for not providing you with the show you were so clearly hoping to see,”[/color] Violet replied, doing her best to maintain her “aloof dark-haired girl” persona in spite of being presented with a host of wicked-looking surgical implements. [color=BlueViolet]“I simply cannot help the fact that I do not find you in any way threatening.”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Yeah… As much as I hate to admit it, I’m gonna have to go with happy clappy manic pixy dream girl,”[/color] Nykannis said with a sigh of resignation. [color=DarkMagenta]“At least you were actually [i]pretending[/i] to be friendly when you were like that…”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“I wasn’t pretending,”[/color] Violet replied. [color=BlueViolet]“But… is [i]that[/i] persona what you would truly prefer?”[/color] the heiress asked, sounding somewhat surprised. [color=DarkMagenta]“That’s what I said wasn’t it?!”[/color] Nykannis snapped. [color=BlueViolet]“In that case, I believe I can facilitate that for you.”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“[i]What…?[/i]”[/color] the mad scientist asked, momentarily taken aback, and not quite comprehending what, exactly, her captive meant. [color=BlueViolet]“Just because I am untransformed does not mean I cannot act like my magical self,”[/color] Violet explained. [color=BlueViolet]“Granted, it may not come as naturally to me, but it is still something I am fully capable of doing.[/color] [color=DeepPink]Like, Violet Wiolet and Magical Dream Princess [i]are[/i] the same person worson, after allsie~”[/color] she continued. [color=DeepPink]“And, like, just because she doesn’t normally wormally talky walky like this doesn’t mean she doesn’t super duper wuv being able wable to~! (giggle!)”[/color] Nykannis's eyes widened at the unnervingly incongruous sight of the formerly refined heiress speaking like her carefree magical persona, and soon, one of them began to twitch. [color=DarkMagenta]“What. The. [i]Fuck.[/i]”[/color] [color=DeepPink]“And, like, if Nykannis Wannis really, [i]really[/i] wants her to, Violet Wiolet can, like, totally wotally do this aaaall day~! (giggle!)”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Okay, stop,”[/color] a shell-shocked Nykannis deadpanned. [color=DarkMagenta]“You are [i]seriously[/i] creeping me the fuck out…”[/color] [color=DeepPink]“Awww…”[/color] the heiress pouted. [color=DeepPink]“Violet Wiolet was having, like, sooo much funsie wunsie… But, like, wait one moment woment~!”[/color] she exclaimed as something seemed to occur to her. [color=DeepPink]“Nykannis Wannis is being, like, a super duper meanie weanie head, keeping Violet Wiolet locked up in heresie, [i]soooo[/i], like, maybe [i]waybe[/i] Violet Wiolet should [i]keep[/i] acting wacting this way~! (giggle!)”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Whatever!”[/color] Nykannis snarled. [color=DarkMagenta]“I’m actually kinda curious if you can keep that up when I start CUTTING YOU INTO BLOODY LITTLE PIECES!!! NYAHAHAHA!!!”[/color] With that, several buzzsaw, scalpel, and scissor-equipped mechadendrites descended upon the captive heiress, while Nykannis grinned a particularly sadistic smirk. Violet knew this was bad. Her captor’s patience had clearly run out, and even as she braced herself for the impending agony, her mind raced to find a way to stop it. Why was this happening? Why was she [i]really[/i] here? As the whirring and snapping implements drew ever-closer, Violet’s eyes widened, not in terror, but in [i]understanding.[/i] Nykannis had said it herself, this was all just revenge for when the transformed heiress had broken into her R&D facility. This was all because of a simple mistake. In a way, this really [i]was[/i] all her fault, which meant there was only one thing to do… [color=BlueViolet]“I’m sorry,”[/color] Violet told the mad scientist, her voice little more than whisper. [color=DarkMagenta]“[i]What?![/i]”[/color] Nykannis asked incredulously, her various surgical implements stopping mere inches from her captive’s body. [color=BlueViolet]“I’m sorry for mocking you, and I’m sorry for breaking into your lab,”[/color] Violet clarified. [color=BlueViolet]“I obviously offended you a great deal, and I realized that I never actually apologized for it, so I wanted to do so now.”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Yeah, I’ll bet!”[/color] Nykannis spat. [color=DarkMagenta]“At this point, you’d probably say [i]anything[/i] to save your skin!”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“Believe what you want, but I promise I’m telling you the truth,”[/color] Violet stated firmly. [color=BlueViolet]“I never hated you, Nykannis. In fact, I didn’t bear you any ill-will whatsoever. I was honestly fascinated by you, and by everything you had created, although I admit I didn’t exactly express that in the best way at the time,”[/color] the heiress conceded with a sigh. [color=BlueViolet]“As I am sure you’re aware, I don’t have a great deal of control over myself when I’m transformed, and our first meeting was my first time in that state, so I had even [i]less[/i] control than usual. It was my initial intent simply to gather information, but I was so caught up in the wonder and joy of being Magical Dream Princess that I quickly lost sight of that goal. All I wanted to do was just have fun and make friends with everyone I encountered,”[/color] she continued. [color=BlueViolet]“The members of Team Alpha, Karen, Kate, and yes, even [i]you[/i].”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“[i]Friends[/i], huh?”[/color] Nykannis asked with a dubious scowl. [color=DarkMagenta]“You seriously expect me to [i]believe[/i] that bullshit?! Hell, for someone so ‘fascinated by my work’, you’ve done nothing but insult me this whole time!”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“What did you expect?”[/color] Violet replied. [color=BlueViolet]“Your minions assaulted me, I was brought here against my will, and you made it very clear that you intend to torture me at length. In light of that, I wasn’t about to give you the added satisfaction of seeing me grovel and plead for my life, so I simply employed the persona I use whenever I am in public. That said, I now see that was a mistake,”[/color] the heiress conceded. [color=BlueViolet]“Keep in mind, I am in no way condoning your actions against me,”[/color] she added pointedly. [color=BlueViolet]“In fact, I think they are the very definition of disproportionate retribution, but I would be foolish not to admit that my [i]own[/i] actions, however well-intentioned, were the catalyst for them. I may not have intended to cause any harm, but I clearly did, and for [i]that[/i], you have my most sincere apology. As for your doubts about my sincerity, do you not have some form of lie detector you could employ to verify my claims?”[/color] A few moments of silence elapsed as Nykannis’s goggles glowed brightly, and then… [color=DarkMagenta]“Okay, [i]fine[/i],”[/color] the mad scientist grumbled. [color=DarkMagenta]“So you really [i]are[/i] telling the truth… So, what? Do you [i]honestly[/i] expect me to just say ‘apology accepted’ and let you go on your merry way?! And here I thought [i]this[/i] side of you was the intelligent one…”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“Honestly? While I’d like for that to be the case, I don’t really expect that anything I say will make much of a difference in what you decide to do to me. I just wanted to let you know that I really [i]am[/i] sorry for any pain I may have caused, and while I’m absolutely terrified of what you’re planning to do, if you truly think it’s a suitable punishment, then I shall willingly accept it.”[/color] For several long seconds, the various blades and buzzsaws hung poised to plunge into the young heiress, only to rapidly withdraw a moment later as Nykannis gave voice to a defeated sigh. [color=DarkMagenta]“Fuck it… This is becoming [i]considerably[/i] less appealing by the second, so I suppose I’ll grant you a reprieve…”[/color] Tapping a holodisplay, she deactivated her captive’s restraints. [color=DarkMagenta]“But don’t think you’re free to run amok,”[/color] the mad scientist added, raising a finger for emphasis. [color=DarkMagenta]“I’m still not letting you transform or use your magic, and if you try anything, those restraints will automatically reengage.”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“Thank you,”[/color] Violet replied, mentally breathing a sigh of relief as she tentatively flexed the fingers of her regrown hand. [color=BlueViolet]“I know I’ve already been through a lot of unpleasant situations, but I [i]really[/i] didn’t want to add ‘getting dissected’ to the list.”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“Sorry to burst your metaphorical bubble, Princess, but you [i]did[/i] get dissected,”[/color] Nykannis informed her. [color=DarkMagenta]“Half a nanosecond before I released you,”[/color] she added with a smirk. [color=DarkMagenta]“Completely taken apart, analyzed by every type of scanner imaginable, and put back together, good as new. I never said it [i]had[/i] to be long, [i]or[/i] painful. That was simply going to be for my own [i]personal[/i] enjoyment.”[/color] [color=BlueViolet]“That’s… incredible…”[/color] Violet breathed, more than a little stunned by her captor’s revelation. [color=BlueViolet]“And somewhat terrifying…”[/color] she added. [color=BlueViolet]“So, does this mean that I am free to go?”[/color] [color=DarkMagenta]“I suppose…”[/color] Nykannis conceded. [color=DarkMagenta]“Although… If you really [i]were[/i] serious about being fascinated by my work, how would you like to take a little tour?”[/color] At first, Violet was slightly taken aback by the mad scientist’s offer, but then she realized that it only made sense for someone with Nykannis’s massive ego to want to show off her accomplishments. And Violet knew she would be lying if she said she wasn’t [i]highly[/i] interested in seeing them… [color=BlueViolet]“I think I’d like that very much,”[/color] the heiress replied. [color=DarkMagenta]“Well, then, what are we standing around [i]here[/i] for?!”[/color] Nykannis demanded, her mouth forming a maniacal grin. [color=DarkMagenta]“LET’S GET STARTED!!!”[/color]