Story Quest 17 - Surprise! Attacked by a friend?!

Celeste looked up from her book, shading her eyes from the intense sunshine. Studying outdoors was infinitely better than studying indoors, and on a sunny day like this, the park was a perfect study-buddy. Off in the distance, she heard her nemesis, Jacob, with his friends walking thru the park just on the other side. "If he comes over here, I'm leaving," she thought to herself.

A different sort of sound caught her attention next though. Heels clacking on the ground and what can only be described as wicked laughter from behind her. She turned, causally, to look only to see Zircon Mammoth and Sapphire Swan, in full fuku, walking towards where she sat. Sitting a little more upright, she scanned the area not sure what was going on and trying to make sure no one saw the senshi come up to her, "You two are gonna blow my cover! What are you doing here?!" Celeste almost coughed out the last few words as she stared at the smiling faces of her two friends.

But her friends just continued to smile at her... it got weird really fast with their brows furrowing as their smiles only deepened... "Sapphire Rain..." Sapphire Swan almost whispered her attack as she flew aloft and dozens of sharp crystals rained down onto Celeste....

Celeste barrel-rolled out of the way, losing grip of her book and grabbing for her necklace. She wasn't sure what was happening, "Flight of Heaven's Starling, Make-Up!" Celeste leapt into the air as she transformed and immediately took flight. From her vantage point, she could see people watching now, Jacob among them...

"What is wrong with you Swan?" Starling hollered at her friend. Sapphire Swan and Zircon Mammoth just continued to smile and then erupted into laughter. Zircon Mammoth jumped into the air and made a quick grab for Starling's wings, managing to grab a few feathers in the process as she almost got a wing. Starling faltered in the air and almost had to land, instead catching herself close to the ground.

From behind her, she felt Jacob, her knight, tearing up the pavement to get to her. He was almost screaming in her head, "WHAT'S WRONG?!" She didn't know what to tell him... hell, she didn't even know what was going on.

As Starling caught herself near the ground, Zircon Mammoth let loose a kick with her left leg, high enough to just graze Starling as she leapt backwards, "Under the Wings of Heaven, Descend and Protect your Flock..." The Taaffeite Knight slides in beneath Starling and calls forth their protective barrier. Zircon Mammoth's massive foot bounces off the barrier just as Sapphire Swan hollers out, "Sapphire RAIN!"

Sapphire Swan spreads her wings and again rains down shards of blue gems onto the earth, this time funneling them with her arms into the barrier. The Taaffeite Knight manages to hold the barrier up, keeping himself and Starling from harm, but the task isn't easy... and he is breathing hard by the time the shards of gems stop raining down from above.

Starling lands next to Jacob and thinks, "Let's blast them with our most powerful shriek!" The Taaffeite Knight stands with Starling and cupping both hands around their mouths, they direct their shrieks of a dying star at both Zircon Mammoth and Sapphire Swan.

It is like a dust storm rolled in from the power of their dual shrieks moving the earth beneath them. As Starling and her knight stand there, out of breath and out of power, they look only to see nothing as the dust clears. No Zircon Mammoth. No Sapphire Swan.

"Okay, what was that?!" Jacob blurts out.

"I have NO idea," mutters Starling, "but I don't think those two senshi were who they pretended to be. And they smiled wicked weird too."

Jacob, catching his breath, "Well I'm glad they are gone. I'm going to find my friends again. I'm sure my sudden disappearance hasn't gone unnoticed..."

De-transforming, Celeste looked around her, noticing her mangled book on the dented and splintered bench she was previously sitting on, "I think I'm going to go home. Or better yet, I'm going to go find my friends and test my 'not them' theory..."

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FEATURING My Senshi

Taaffeite Starling: toyhou.se/2311925.taaffeite-st…

The Taaffeite Knight: toyhou.se/18726043.the-taaffei…

FEATURING IMPOSTER SENSHI

Sapphire Swan by @Diluculi 

Zircon Mammoth by @AlexLyre 

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 Story and Art by MamaLantiis 

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PREVIOUS STORY QUEST

Story Quest 16: Hot Tips and Hotter Clues