Sparkle Shimmer Bang! Part 1: Upside Down Smiles

[cityship]

||Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck.

Doctor McNinja
Alastirra
Guru Clef
Miyako Inoue
Kanoe Zouichi
Jiraiya
Remus Lupin
Shoutarou Hidari
Sayaka Miki
Starfire ||

When the called crew members were assembled at the Observation Deck, they would find the usual mission information displayed on the screen.

Planet Designation: Sweetdream Paradise
Status: Terrestrial, H-class
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna
Semi-sentient life: Yes
Sentient life: Yes
Water: 70.2% of planet's surface
Climate: Earth-like
Landscape: Varies
Air: Normoxic concentration: 31% oxygen, 60% nitrogen, 2% xenon, 4% trace gases, such as hydrogen, krypton, and argon.
Air Pressure: 93.8 kPa (kilopascals) = 13.6 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Pink.
Sun: Class G yellow star
Warnings: None.
Mission: Check the stability of the capital city of Gummiring. Dispatch of any threats encountered.

It was a nice, fluffy planet with a nice, fluffy name. Bound to be as nice as Happy Happy Fun World, right?

Comments

[starbolts]

Starfire floated beside him, apparently unconcerned by the looks of wariness she received from the townspeople.

"Excuse me please, sir!" she called to one of the nearest officers. "What has happened at the café?"

[cityship]

The officer couldn't help but stare at the newcomers, particularly the floating one. Goodness, she looked like she'd spent some time in a vat of radioactive goo!

"Sad story," he said, scribbling some notes on a pad and looking over at the door blown off its hinges. "Some of the morning donuts were poisoned. Ten little girls were here at the time, they're all sick over at the Healing Hospital. Never seen anything like it before."

[thisclinchesit]

Shoutarou noted the door as well, then gave the officer a curious glance. "Food poisoning is bad, yeah, but that doesn't explain the damage to the building."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi frowned. "Are the girls all right? I hope no one else was injured."

[cityship]

"Not that we know of," he muttered, signing off on a paper. "And the damage is just life in Gummiring. The Pain Posse attacks every week. Lucky we've got the Melody Militia to fight them off. Those girls are pretty swell."

He tapped a hand to his badge in silent camaraderie with their magical girls.

[myboggartismoon.livejournal.com]

As completely unable to take such names seriously as he was, Lupin brushed them aside for more serious thoughts. "I apologize if this question seems extraordinarily strange, but your hospital does have a trained Healer capable of brewing the proper antidotes?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"The Pain Posse? The Melody Militia? I'm sorry, I'm... not familiar with those organizations."

[thisclinchesit]

If Shoutarou were more genre-savvy, he might recognize this as being similar to life in Fuuto, but unfortunately he is not.

"Plagued by criminals, eh..?"

[cityship]

"Right, right, I'll answer everything, hold on," Officer Joneson (as his badge read) tried to placate them, holding up his hands. "I'm not a trained rep, but I know what I know. Healing Hospital's right down the block. We've got the best docs and nurses on the case, but they're a little short-staffed."

He glanced in that direction and shook his head. They definitely needed help.

"The Pain Posse---well, you'll know 'em when you see them. Ugly things, black, big, spider-like. They slam their legs into all they see, hurts like a ton o' bricks. I've been in the hospital once or twice. And the Melody Militia are the only ones who can stop them. Ten girls, all with some magic power."

Sadly, he didn't make the connection between the ten girls of the Melody Militia and the ten sick girls at the hospital, or he might've realized that they were all in danger.

[swordstabmagica.livejournal.com]

Sayaka blinked, looking at the police officer and the damage as she heard that. "So... the Pain Posse are monsters then? Just what we needed."

That just figured. Monsters to fight, like the Witches back home. Or the Ohm. Or... well, anything else that they needed to fight.

... Hopefully they wouldn't be completely like the Witches though. That would just be really bad, to say the least.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Ten girls in the hospital, ten girls in the Militia. Coincidence?

"Er... what exactly does this Pain Posse want from you? Money? Concessions?"

[wantstobebatman.livejournal.com]

"And did they give themselves that horrible name or did the media?"

[perverttoadsage.livejournal.com]

Jiraiya could only agree with the 'horrible naming' opinion.

[cityship]

"Yup, monsters. They're out to cause pain, mostly. It's in the name. Some kook who calls herself Captain Ripades sends 'em out when she's bored. Seems it's every Tuesday." And today was Tuesday, lucky them!

"They don't talk. Ripades does the talking, and...once you hear her, you'll never want to hear it again. Trust me on that one. Ever heard a chalkboard screech? It's like that."