Abnormal Norman 48: The Winter War (Part Four)
________________________________________________
 
Be Gilda
Carrying a human mantis hybrid.
 
>You ran ahead, carrying a mantis in your arms.
>Your other comrades went running as well.
>Viri Scientia's current base of operations is falling apart.
>Derpy's dodging falling debris.
>Nolan is nowhere to be found.
>One thing's for sure.
>There is something crawling out of the hole in the ground.
>Something sinister.
>Something foul.
>>"*/NOOOOOOOLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANN/*
 
THIRTY MINUTES AGO
 
>You, Derpy and Lyra looks at Cherry from above the railing.
>You moved in, planning to grab what is rightfully yours, and Lyra's.
>>"There's Lyra's locket!" Derpy enthusiastically whispered.
"And my phone!"
>"You know, you could just call Nolan from the guards' phone."
"I don't remember his number."
>>"Some Nolan fangirl you are."
"Don't make me use you as punching bag once this is all over."
>"Psshh, fine. Derpy. What do your pony eyes see?"
>>"Not much. Just some containment tanks with a bunch of...I don't know, dead animals?"
"Wow. What is she planning?"
>>"Forget that. There's a monitor she's looking at. She's looking for Nolan!"
"Has she found him yet?"
>>"Umm...no."
"Thank Faust."
>>"So, you think we can take her on?"
"Hell yeah."
>"Wait. We should plan this. Do it stealthy!"
"Screw that. HUMPH!"
>"Gilda, wait!"
>>"Lyra, wrong direction."
>"Gilda, wait!"
>>"Too late, she jumped."
>>"Dammit."
>You jumped down and landed on your feet.
>Derpy flies down with Lyra on her back.
>Cherry looks behind.
>>>"Gilda!?"
"Damn right. GRAAAAAHH!"
>You ran towards her and tried to kick her in the stomach.
>She reacts fast enough and pokes your eyes.
"OW! SHIT!"
>She then follows that up with a swift knee to the stomach.
"OOOFF!"
>Cherry then runs to the small desk nearby.
>>>"GUAAAARDS!"
>Cherry activates a small button from under her desk.
>The guards immediately run in to the room.
>One of them tackles you to the ground.
"ARGH!"
>>"GILDA!"
>Derpy swoops in and hoofs them to submission.
*POW!*
>Due to her pony state, she's more flexible, allowing for hard hitting action.
>Derpy then helps you up as the remaining guards head in to attack you both.
>"The locket...where's the locket!?" Lyra says.
>>"LYRA! GET BACK!"
>A guard runs to subdue Lyra.
>Lyra grabs a chair and blindly throws it behind her.
*BRAALSH*
>>"Whoa!"
"Nice throw, girl!"
>"Locket...locket..."
>>"THERE!" Derpy shouts
>You see Derpy pointing to Cherry, grabbing the locket and your phone.
>You struggled to get to her table, but one of the guards throws a flashbang over.
"SHIT!"
 
*PHSIIIIING*
 
>You and everyone else is blinded.
>Cherry accidentally drops the phone, but runs off with her papers and Lyra's locket.
>"THE LOCKET! WHERE IS IT?"
"Lyra!?"
>You punched your way out of the guards.
>Cherry takes her stuff and Lyra's locket and heads to another room.
>The look on her face suggests that she knows there's almost no way out if you all survive the ordeal.
>You and Derpy proceeds to kick everyone's butts.
*POW!*
*WHAPACK*
*HOOF*
*SOUNDEFFECTS*
>Six men down for the count.
"Hagh! This is exhausting."
>Lyra's on the ground, looking for her locket like a woman who's looking for her contacts.
"Lyra ! Be more careful around here!"
>"Where's my locket? WHERE'S MY LOCKET?"
>>"Cherry has it."
>"DAMMIT!"
>>"At least we got the phone."
>"Cherry...Locket..."
>>"G-Gilda? Lyra's freaking me out."
>"Trust me. If I leave you alone with her, she'll start getting freakier."
>>"Err..."
"Look, just give me the phone."
>>"Are you going to call Nolan, Gilda?"
"Yeah. Backup and what-not."
>>"Hope they arrive in time."
 
>>>"Gilda!?"
"Nolan! God, how are you?"
>>>"I'm fine. Cherry will die tonight for what she did to Amy."
"Are you sure y-  HEY! THIS IS MY PHON- SHUT UP, I'M TAKING THIS ONE."
>>>"Gilda?"
>"Nolan. It's Lyra. Remember me? You tortured me in that factory of yours, but now's not the time for nostalgia and flashbacks. Right now, the place is LOADED with guards. Where are you now!?"
>>>"And by 'this place', you mean Cherry Hills Industries, right?"
>"Yeah. you there?"
>>>"We haven't found an entrance yet."
>"Crap-a-doodle-doo. Where exactly are you now? Are you hidden or fighting with the Viri forces?"
>>>"Hidden. I managed to sneak by the city. It's infested with hybrid monsters! Why hasn't Cherry called them off yet?"
>"That's because Cherry's probably looking for you now, so listen up!"
>>>"Huh?"
>"Assuming you're really nearby, there's a dumpster by the alleyway facing the hardware store. Get it out of your way and find the hidden entrance."
>>>"Hidden entrance got it."
>"Also, there's one more thing. I assume you already know that Cherry's using the police now, right?"
>>>"So I've noticed. I've ordered my men from the factory to remove their helmets, but they all died, or are presumed dead. I tried contacti-"
>"DON'T. The helmets are apparently connected to their nerves or whatever. Forced removal could result in  a brain-damaging effect."
>>>"So what? We shoot them, then?"
>"No. You know how these bastards have those test tubes that turns them into animals?"
>>>"Yeah...?"
>"Take them and pour them on the police. Once they're transformed, they're safely converted into animals, breaking the parasite or some shit. Gilda's girlfriend broke out of it and told us all of this. It's what she heard Cherry say."
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" You  yell from the background.
>>>"I got it."
*beep*
 
"GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!" You say as you tried to grab your phone back from Lyra."
>You and Derpy looked around the room.
>It was another test chamber.
>Animals inside their containment tanks.
>They're all braindead. Used for Viri Scientia's experiments.
"Look, as much as I feel bad for these guys, we have to move."
>In a few seconds, you hear muffled bulletfire from a distance.
>"I can hear something. What the hell was that?"
"It's Nolan. He's here."
>>>>"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Cherry yelled from the other room.
>"I hear Cherry! Where is she?"
"Other room. It's locked."
>"Couldn't we burst through?"
"It's a metal door. Locked from the inside."
"Oh man, I wonder how the Saints are doing..."
>"Forget about them for a second. I need to find Cherry!"
"Hmmm..."
>You looked up and saw some vents connected to the room.
"Up there! Fly us there, Derpy!"
>>"Got it!"
>Derpy carries you and Lyra up to the vents.
>Lyra went in head first. You and Derpy follows through.
"I can't believe we're following a blind girl."
>"Shut up and follow me."
"I am following you and you large ass."
>>"Lyra...where are we going?"
>"Cherry's room. If the vents can lead us there, we can have a chance against her."
"Psshh. We already have a chance! I'm a fighting woman, she's a brainiac who's never lifted a fist to fight!"
>>"No offense, but she DID kick your butt a few mi-"
"SHHH!"
>"You know what they say. Don't underestimate the smart ones. Remember, she has inventions by Adam. I'm not too sure that Cherry's unarmed.
*RUMBLEGRUMBLE*
"Whoa!"
>>"Shh! Hear that?"
"Hear wha-"
 
*PHSSSSSSSWWWIIIIIIIIING!*
 
"HOLY SHIT!"
>A laser beam cuts the vent in front of Lyra.
>"WHOA! I FEEL HEAT!"
"GET BACK!" You say as you pull Lyra back.
>You pulls her at the last second before Lyra could become laser-fodder.
*CReAeAAAK*
>Vent's collapsing.
"SHIT! VENT'S GOING D-AAAAAAAAAHH!"
>You, Derpy and Lyra fall to the ground.
>Cherry holds in her hand an experimental laser canon.
>>>"So many prototypes to test, so little time."
"CHERRY!"
>You rushed towards her in anger.
>Cherry throws her empty laser canon away and fires the soundblaster pistol.
*SWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNGGGGGGG*
"ACH!"
>The soundblaster emits a soundwave that blasts you to the wall.
>>>"YOU WILL NOT DESTROY MY PLANS!"
*BAGH!*
>>"Gilda!"
>Derpy circles around and kicks Cherry's legs from behind.
>>>"ACH! IMPUTENT HORSE!"
>Cherry back-slaps Derpy in retaliation.
>"DERPY! GRAB THE LOCKET!"
>>>"HAH! NOT TODAY!" Cherry says as she grabs a test tube and pours it on her arm.
>Her arm transforms into a scaled dragon arm and grabs Derpy by the ear.
>>>"STAY DOWN!"
>Cherry crushes Derpy's head on the floor.
"DERPY!"
>You got down from the wall and grabbed a small pipe on the ground.
"GET BACK HERE AND DIE!"
>>>"NO!"
>You swinged the pipe to her face, but she catches the pipe with her dragon hand.
>She then grabs it from you and hits you with it.
*BONK!*
"ACH!"
>You fall to the ground, bleeding.
>>>"I think you would be a great test subject for my Kaiju experiment!" She says as she forces your mouth open.
"MMaAAAaAMPH!"
>>>"Open wide."
>"GILDA!"
>Lyra heads towards the sound of Cherry's voice and tackles her.
>>>"NO!"
>The testtube for her so called 'Kaiju' experiment rolls away.
>"MY LOCKET! WHERE IS IT!"
>>>"FOOLISH GIRL!"
>Cherry begins to choke Lyra by her throat with her dragon arm.
>>>"And here I was planning to use you as a test subject for human banana hybrids..."
>Lyra's at her last breath.
>"A...AGH..."
>She's slowly dying in Cherry's hand, slowly crushing her neck.
>>>"It's over, g-"
 
*BOOM*
 
>>>"What in the wo- AAAAAAHHHH!"
>The whole floor collapses from a controlled explosion.
>You, Cherry, Derpy and Lyra falls from 20 feet.
"AAAAAHH!"
>"WHAT'S GOING OOAAAAAAAN!"
>>"YIIKES!"
 
*CRAAASH*
>The smoke and debris fills the floor you and the others landed on.
>Bodies and dismembered limbs can be found under the rubble.
>In the first floor of the facility, you hear gunfire and explosion.
>Emerging from the smoke is Nolan and Timothy, carrying loads of weaponry and bombs.
>"HOLD THE LINES, SAINTS. WATCH YOUR FIRE!" Nolan yelled, commanding his troops.
>At the background, some of the saints tend to the saved guards.
>They try to convert them as temporary allies against the forces of Viri.
>Funny. One of them is a raccoon squirrel.
>Other police men were not so fortunate. Their bodies lay down, filled with gunshot wounds.
>Others had their helmets accidentally destroyed.
>Despite that, none of them were Norman's father.
>A blessing and a curse, you suppose.
>"Gilda! If I knew you were at that exact floor, I would've thought twice before telling them to launch the rockets."
>Nolan helps you up.
"Nolan! You made it!"
>"We were just outside, anyway."
"Oh man, you're beating them all!"
>"Not everyone." Nolan says.
>The main prize is still out of sight.
"Where's Cherry? Where's the bastard?"
"She's j-"
>You looked back and Cherry was nowhere to be found.
>Lyra and Derpy are missing as well.
"Where the hell...?"
>Timothy looks back, and then goes to Nolan.
>>"Nolan, we have a situation."
>"Huh?"
>From beyond the hole they went out of, hundreds of Viri Scientia loyalists come out to destroy anyone who isn't serving their cause.
>The Saints helps the surviving cops up.
>Nolan goes to them and hands them some old pistols.
>"Help us, or die."
>They reluctantly take the guns. Some can't even hold guns due to their transformed state.
>Holes from the walls and the ground slowly shake.
>Then, hybrids crawl out to attack the saints.
>"OPEN FIRE ON THOSE THINGS!"
*BANG* BANG* BANG*
>"STAY CLOSE AND KEEP FIRING!"
*RATATATATATATATTATATATATAT BANG BANG BOOOLLLSSHHH*
 
>"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWLL* Screeched a pterodactyl as it swoops down the firing squad.
>"DUCK!"
>Nolan and his team managed to save themselves from the pterodactyl.
>"Gilda, Timothy and ten of you. With me.  We're going after Cherry."
"I don't know where she's gone!"
>"Follow the bread crumbs." Nolan says.
"Follow the wha-"
>Nolan points to the ground.
>Footprints and some of Derpy's hair leads them to where Cherry's hiding.
"Right..."
>"Let's do this."
>You, Nolan and some of his men went in further into the facility.
>Lyra and Derpy on the other hand, are busy tracking her down too, albeit in their own path.
"Nolan..."
>"..."
"How...How are you, really?"
>"..."
>Nolan refuses to speak.
>He dare not question his own sanity.
>He's calm, focused on the outside.
>On the inside, his heart raged on, hungry for blood.
>He's mad, and he wants Cherry to suffer.
>>>"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!"
"Huh!?"
>A devilish laughter is heard.
>Cherry's losing her mind faster than you thought.
>Nolan and Cherry...
>"Though here!" Nolan says, pointing to a hole on the wall.
>Going inside, a surprise was waiting for you and Nolan.
>The remaining policemen fires on at you.
"SHIT!"
*RATATATATATATTATATATATATATT*
>>>"HahAHHAHAHHAHAhAHahhahahHAHAH! K-KEEP THEM BUSY...BUSY...HEH!" Cherry says.
>She limps towards a door. She's running out of places to hide.
>She's at her final stand.
>Cherry backs to another room.
>You, Nolan and his guards head on to find cover.
"I have an idea Nolan!"
>"What!?"
"We'll keep them busy! You go on and defeat Cherry!"
>"But..."
>>"Boss. We're here for you. Just make sure you get her. For our men!"
>Nolan nods and readies himself to dash towards the door.
>You then jumped out of cover and began shooting in the policemen's general direction.
*BANG* *BANG*
"NOLAN, NOW!"
>"RIGHT!"
>Nolan then dashes through, entering the door and leaving you and his guards to fend for yourselves.
"The shit we put up with..."
>>"For the good of the city." Timothy adds.
"SAINTS, ATTACK!"
>The saints went on to tackle and contain the innocent guards.
>>"HUUUURGHH!"
"HAYAHH!"
>You and Timothy back to back, kicking ass for the greater good.
>You rolled, dodged and punched every policeman in sight.
>After they were dealt with, more of the Viri Scientia guards swoop in to kill you and the saints.
"Goddammit, they're everywhere!"
>>"SAINTS, OPEN FIRE ON THOSE FLY-AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"TIMOTHY!"
>Timothy and the other Saints are dragged up to the sky by the flyers.
>The flyers laugh as they desperately struggle.
>Fortunately, there was one flyer on your side.
>>>"HANG ON!" Derpy yelled as she flew across the sky, kicking all of the flyers in their respective faces.
*KA-POOW!*
>>>>"BLAECH!"
>>"AAAAAAAAHH!"
"TIMOTHY! SAINTS! ROLL WHEN YOU LAND! IT WILL BREAK THE-"
*Pomf!*
"...fall.."
>The saints have been released, but most of your team have sprained and broken their legs in the process.
"Goddammit. I already trained you people for this."
>>"Ahh, my leg..."
>>>"GYAAAH!" Derpy yelled.
"DERPY!"
>Derpy's beeing harrassed on the air by the flyers.
>You then tried to help her, but you're stopped by launched grenade to the sky.
"What the ... DERPY, WATCH OUT!"
 
*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!*
 
>The grenade hits a Viri flyer and incidentally explodes midair.
>The carcass of the flyer and other near flyers drop from the sky.
"*COUGH*, DERPY!?"
>Derpy [spoiler]falls to the ground, safe and sound.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]"Oh thank god."[/spoiler]
>Your team groans from the explosion. Timothy isn't feeling too good from the smoke.
>Second in command, and he's still got it.
"H-Hang on, *cough*"
>You stood up and limped on to help your comrades and Derpy, when all of a sudden, you hear a gun cocking from behind.
*KS-TCH*
"HuH!?"
>From behind, you see the police officer who took away your chances to kill Cherry.
>Norman's father.
>You raised your SMG on him as he dropped the empty grenade launcher with one hand, while the other has a pistol aimed at you.
 
"..."
>A headshot is all it needs...It was easy before, but now....
>He was already a dead man when he had that parasite helmet on.
>But...
>He's also Norman's dad.
>Norman has done so much for you and for your cause over the past few weeks.
>He's also grown on to you, like a friend. Maybe an inspirational hero, despite his childish behaviour.
>Norman saved your life many times, so why not return the favour.
"Nor-"
[spoiler]*BANG*
"ACK!"
>You thought to yourself for too long.[/spoiler]
>Officer Normal shoots you in the stomach [spoiler]non-lethally.[/spoiler]
"ACH, SHIT!"
>You retaliate by shooting his wrist.
*BANG*
>>>>"..."
>Normal's wrist is shot. He drops the pistol in accordance to his body's regular reaction.
>His lack of emotion is noticed.
>He tries to pick the pistol up, but you then limped and tackled him to the ground.
"ARGGHH!"
>Grabbing the cuffs from his belt, you cuff his arms and limped away.
>>"Gilda! What are you doing?"
"Saving this man's life." you say galliantly.
>You went towards one of the fallen flyers and grabbed one of the test tubes.
"Ahh..."
>Grabbing one vile, you inspected it if it was cracked.
>It's in good condition. You limped back to him.
>You looked at him one last time.
"Can't say I didn't try to save you." You tell yourself *
[spoiler] Viri Scientia grunts carries a certain amount of test tubes, but most of them are poisonous acid. Only two of what they carry is legit. See Issue # 26 for more information [/spoiler]
>You then poured the chemical on him.
>After that, you waited.
>Because whether or not he lives or dies is fine by you.
>Derpy comes to your side.
>>"Gilda..."
"..."
>The potion causes the helmet to remove on its own, showing that Gilda had used the right potion.
"Damn...I mean...hurray!"
>Office Normal slowly transforms into a mantis with gorilla arms.
>The rest of the Saints Bro looks on. Derpy pats your back as you sat on the ground, holding your wound.
>>>"You did good, Gilda."
"Y-Yeah...I just need some-
 
>Before you could finish your sentence, a large roar is heard from the room Nolan just entered.
>>>/*GROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRR!*/
>This was then followed by an explosion from inside that was so powerful it reached your end.
"WHA-"
 
*KAAAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!*
 
>>"THE WHOLE BUILDING IS COMING DOWN!"
"SHIT!"
>You carry Officer Normal's body out of the area while Derpy helps the other Saints evacuate.
>As you ran off, you looked back one last time.
>Checking if Nolan got out alive.
>But what you saw was something not even you thought would see the light of day.
>The one thing that Viri Scientia had always dreamed of transforming into.
"By the gods..."
>A loud voice laughs through the vicinity.
>A devilish tone accompanies this as the smoke slowly clears out.
>Because what you just saw maybe the last thing your eyes will see.
 
>>>/*HAHAHHAHAHAHAH! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHH!*/
 
Be Nolan
Fifteen Minutes in the Past
 
"CHERRY!" You yell as you entered the door.
>Footsteps were heard over the metal railings.
>Inside the room was darkness. Only a small lightbulb lit a small part of the room.
"CHERRY!"
>"Nolan, Nolan, Nolan..."
>You aimed your rifle to where you heard her talk.
>She taunts you as the seconds go by.
>Armed only with a Carbine and a flashlight, you walked around the room searching for the woman you believed was indirectly responsible for Amy's death.
>"Oh Nolan. I'm surprised you're pretty straightforward now. Back then, you wouldn't even lift a finger if it meant attracting the authorities."
"I only have one thing in mind right now, and that's putting your head on a spike."
>"Is that so? You know, I've heard news that your little girlfriend is dead."
"You should've just stayed down, Cherry!"
>"Why would I pass an opportunity to bring down your cause? We've always been on the opposite sides of a coin. I wanted freedom. You wanted control."
"My father worked hard to make his dream a reality. A dream that will benefit the city!"
>"No use promoting your belief. You and I both know you're nothing like your father. Your father was stern. He knew what he believed in. You're just a puppet for your old man. You never even want to be in thi-"
*RAATTATTATATATTA*
>You fire off at the dark, believing Cherry is close by.
>You pulled your finger away from the trigger.
"I may not be as great as my father when it comes to leading, but he and I both believe in a future of order and tranquillity."
>"If that's so, then why are you here? Why do you persist in hunting me down, when the city is in dire need of your 'order'."
"Justice."
*RATATATATTTATATTAT*
>>"Don't make me laugh, Nolan. You're nothing but a punk living under his father's shadow.
>The lights are turned on. One by one, they reveal what the room really is.
>A chrome-plated master-lab, built for the purpose of high-maintenance self experiments.
>Most of the items there are nigh unbreakable.
>"Oh Nolan. If I only knew that having your girlfriend killed was the fastest way to end this gangwar of ours..."
>Cherry bursts from the ground as her limbs have slowly been modified by her animorphing potions.
>"...I would've prioritized it years ago..."
>Both her arms have transformed into ones that resembles dragon limbs.
>Her legs have also transformed into griffin legs coated in crystal.
>Her body remains unchanged, but her eyes are slowly transforming into that of a feral cat's pupils.
>Cherry chokes you and punches you in the gut.
>"THE SUPERIOR KIND WILL WIN."
"EAT THIS!"
*RATATATATATATATATATTATATATA*
>Cherry blocks off your carbine's bullets with her other arm.
>You then activated the carbine's customized self destruct button and stabbed her with the carbine's flash suppressor on her throat.
>"GARGLEGRAACKH!"
>Cherry lets go of you and pulls the carbine off her throat.
>You roll on the ground trying to catch your breath.
"*COUGH*"
>As Cherry pulls off the gun, the bomb inside the gun detonated, resulting in a small contained explosion in front of her very eyes.
*BOOM!*
>"AAAHHRGH! MY FACE!"
>Cherry stumbles back, holding her smoky face.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
>You then took out your twin pistols and began firing away at her body.
*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG
>Cherry shields herself with her concealed dinosaur tail as she holds her wound.
>She then grabs some test tubes from her master-computer's desk and pours it over herself, even gulping down a few.
>"URGH...HUIUUURGH..."
>Her wound slowly regenerates.
>But she then slowly transforms into a hybrid dragon-dino lizard lamia.
>"GRR...GRAAAARGHH....N-NOOOLAAAAN!"
>Cherry looks back as you shoot her.
>With her armor, she's nigh impenetrable.
>"DIE! DIE!"
"DAMMIT!"
>"YOU WILL DIE FOR BURNING DOWN MY HARD WORK BACK AT THE ABANDONED FACTORY!"
>Cherry leaps towards you and punches the ground.
>You dodged out of the way and began hiding by the pillars.
>"NO USE HIDING! YOU AND YOUR PETTY SAINTS WERE ALWAYS THE INFERIOR ONES IN THIS CITY!"
>Looking for a way to fight, you found some barrels of truth serum by her experimentation desk.
>Cherry chops the pillar you were leaning on.
>"HAHAH!"
"Hnng..."
>You jumped for the barrels and began firing your pistols at her once more.
 
*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*BANG*clik*clik*clik*clik*
 
>Running out, Cherry then takes the opportunity to ram you to the wall.
"Easy like a rodeo..." You tell yourself.
>As Cherry charged towards you, you took out a molotov and lit it.
>Then you jumped out of the way as Cherry crashes onto the barrels of truth serum.
>She's covered in white chemicals as she shakes her head in confusion.
"Burn in hell, bastard."
*CRAAASH*
>The molotov engulfs her body in flames.
>Cherry screams as she hastily went around the room trying to put out the fire that burns her body.
>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEE!"
>You then took out the last weapons you have from your belt. A small luger and a machete.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHRRGH!"
>You then sliced her tail with all your might.
>Blood spills to your face as you continue to chop her abomination of a body.
"PAY FOR YOUR SINS, WOMAN!"
>"FOOOL!"
>Cherry backhand slaps you back.
>You're launched to the wall as Cherry grabs every test tube she could get her hands on and pours it on her body.
>"HRRRGGHH...GRRRRHHHG...GRAAAAHHH..."
>Cherry's going all in. She's worthless as a human without her guards, but with her own experiments on herself...
>"I'LL...GRRR...KILL...YOU...GRR *snarl*"
>Her voice deepens, like hearing a drunk bear.
>She regrows her limbs while growing in size.
>The chemicals transforms her body. Her clothes are ripped off.
>She's now a hybrid monster. An abomination that looks like a combination of a lamia, a dragon, a lizard, a spider, an octopus and a shark.
"Look at you, Cherry. Look at what your so called freedom. You're an abomination, like the cause you believe in."
>"My cause believes in the good of the people! If our citizens were oppressed, then what innovation will they achieve? Your plan is flawed from the beginning, Nolan! I will tear off your limbs!"
"Filthy degenerate."
>"I'LL KILLL YOU, and THEN I'LL KILL NORMAN, AND EVERYONE ELSE!
>Cherry slowly mutates to a more hideous size.
>"/*HUURGHHR...*/"
 
>She's lost it. She wants nothing more than to see you and Noir-Man dead.
>"/*FIRSTH, I WILL HAVE YOU. THEN, WILL HAVSH NORMANSH!*/"
>Cherry lashes out her razor sharp tentacles at you.
>They dethatch your right leg as she webs up your arms to the ceiling.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
>The pain of losing a leg causes you to scream in pain, but not so much as you would.
>After all, you've been through worse.
"I'm...coming...Amy..."
>"/*AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA*/" Cherry says.
>The woman that was once a respectable woman of high intelligence.
>Broken down in a day.
>She spins her webs around the room as she crawled to your bleeding body.
>Hands attached to the ceiling, she grabs your body and brings it closer to her.
>"/*It's over, Nolansh.....we may both have lost our incognito status to this city, butsh it's easy to start anew in another...*/"
"AAAAAARRRGHH!"
>You began shooting her face with your luger, but even you know that wouldn't work on her plated head.
*BANG*BANG*
>She takes away the luger with her tentacle. You took it as an opportunity to land one last stab at her.
*CRCH*
>"/*It's goingsh to takesh a lot morsh than that, Nolansh...*/"
>Cherry then grabs your arm and pulls it off clean.
"G...GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
>"/*AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. YOUR PAIN PLEASES ME. Now telssh me, Nolanshh... any last words before I devour you?*/"
"G-Go on...pull my limbs. We're both hard t-to look at anyway."
>One leg gone. One arm gone.
"Look at u-us...we're both monsters...both worked up with criminals...all for the power...and...we lost so many..."
>"*/HurrrRGGHHH*/"
"Amy...I'm...coming..."
>"/*YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ANY LONGER...*/"
"Heh...Heh...."
>Cherry made one mistake.
>It was bringing you close to her.
"We live as m-monsters...we d-die as one. Amy, I'm coming."
>You clenched your fist. A tear poured down your eye.
>One phrase was all you needed.
"TOT ALLGEMEINEN IST TOT"
>"/*Aheh..err...whatsh?*/"
*BeeP /Passphrase Confirmed. Activating Body Armor Self Destruct/ BeeP*
>"/*Oh you little shit...*/"
>With a wink, you bid your goodbye.
 
*KAAAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!*
 
Be Norman
Infirmary Halls
 
>You looked around the city as if it was your burden to bear.
 
>Three months ago, you were a regular normal student with friends and a sort-of girlfriend.
>Yeah. Normal old Norman. The only thing I had to survive that time was math and chemistry.
>Now, I'm wearing a cheap costume fighting two crazy gangs. All because of this stupid ring.
 
>You took out your ring and looked at it closely.
>The one thing that changed your life forever. Though to say that it changed your life by itself would be unfair.
>Brad told you that being a hero would be cool. Ended up working for two gangs. Funny how life shits with you.
>You put the ring back to your finger, and then put your glove back.
>It's almost midnight. You just helped the police with rounding up the cops.
>The technicians are doing their best to safely dethatch the helmets.
>They're doing a good job of it too. You suppose that the helmets were a rushed product.
>Out of the six, they managed to cure two.
>You walked around the infirmary, mask off.
>Your identity's been out since you revealed yourself to the Chief and Cadenza.
>Most of the cityfolk knows who you are, but they don't know your story.
>In one of the rooms, you see Bonbon, treating her wounds after she kicked 28 hybrid 'male cis scums'.
>She saved three families because of that.
>Axel Jones the hall monitor sharpens his axe in another room after a day's worth of protecting the school from gangmembers.
>Since the school's literally the cleanest building in the city, he's it's obvious he's done his job well.
>And the others. The regular normal students who went in to help the civilians.
>The chief says that you were their inspiration.
>All the good you've done inspired them.
>You're like a celebrity. A mini one at that.
>But when the war officially started, you knew that this will not end well for you.
>Your family has suffered because of your vigilantism, and you knew that once this is over, your whole life is over.
>You took a map from one of the bulletin boards and kept it in your small backpack.
>You've planned your future, and you know what must be done.
 
>"Brooding to yourself, Norman?" Celestia asks.
>You're standing by the balcony on the 8th floor, Celestia tries to talk to you.
"Chief..."
>"Bad news is, we haven't found your father yet."
"He's probably out there, being controlled by Viri Scientia."
>"I can't believe Cherry was the top dog of that gang. I mean, we've been suspecting her for so long..."
"Hurm..."
>"Look, I know vigilantism is bad, and I'm sorry I had to give out your na-"
"It's alright, chief. If not you, Cadence would've done it out of 'justice' for her husband."
>"Cadenza was just in a bad mood hours ago. She needed someone to take her frustration on."
"How is she, then?"
>"Mourning, but she stopped cursing your name. She knows it's the gangs fault. She just misunderstood what you were saying before."
"Huh?"
>"The part where your people were hostages for the gangs."
"..."
>"What's on your mind?"
>You took out the pistol Gilda gave you.
>A shiny Desert Eagle. Well maintained, carrying a few bullets.
>You stared at it for six seconds, and then put it back to your holster.
>"Norman?"
"Chief...I know we aren't as well acquainted, but I suppose even guys like me needs an adult to talk to."
>"...okay...?"
"Would a man be guilty if he did the wrong things for the right reason, or will he be a selfish man to do the wrong things for the reasons he believes is just?"
>"That depends on how grave the matter is."
"The truth is, Chief. I'm a coward."
>"Norman. You're no-"
"I've done things. I've manipulated events. Manipulated people. All for the sake of causing this war. You wanna know why?"
>"..."
"I've done bad things because of the wrong things I've done. All this? It wasn't just because my family and friends were being threatened. Deep in my heart, I wanted to come out of this a hero. My plan was that they kill each other in a gang war, and then come in  the middle to save lives. That way, I'm still the hero the city has, and that both of the gangs are killed by their own war. There was an easier way, of course. I could've killed them. Self defense in my family's saftey. I couldn't. I was weak."
>Chief Celestia remained silent. Her smile slowly fading away...
"Yeah. I'm a vigilante. An attention whore with the strength of a gorilla. I never wanted any of this. I used to fight crime because of peer pressure, but by then, I just fight crime just for the feel of the people cheering for me. Shouting for me. I was loved. None of this would've happened if I had just surrendered myself to you and the police, giving information on both of the gangs, and letting the police do their thing."
>"..."
"I was afraid. When they found out my identity...I could've prevented all this..."
>Celestia has heard enough.
>She walked out of the door, speechless and mildly disgusted.
>You looked on the city as fire spreads across the streets.
>The hybrids were still there. So were the other Saints.
>It's past midnight.
>Nolan's missing. You haven't heard from Lyra or Gilda.
>Brad's still...meh.
>Brad's in the army, but you don't know if he's dead or alive.
>Although his disappearance wasn't technically your fault.
>Still, anything that involves vigilantism indirectly fills you with guilt.
>A burden you bear.
 
>>"NORMAN!"
"Huh?"
>You looked behind to see Rainbow Dash and Amaranthine storming to the balcony.
>Pinkie follows too, but slowly since she's bringing a huge bag of candies for the patients of the infirmary.
>Rainbow hugs you tightly in her arms, crying.
>>"Oh Norman, I'm glad you're alright."
"Rainbow. What's with the waterworks? You know I'm always fine."
>>"*Sniff* Y-Yeah. It's just that, we haven't heard from you, and I w-was worried."
"Worried for me?"
>>>"She's in love with you!" Amaranthine blurts out in a sarcastic manner, referencing Scootaloo's remark from the bakery. *
[spoiler] Before you say forced love interest, let me remind y'all that it was hinted several times.[/spoiler]
>>"S-SHUT UP, KID!"
"Well, I'll admit, you're a real sight for sore eyes, Dash."
>>"Norman..."
>>>>"Oh my gosh, you two are so cute together." Pinkie says.
>>>"Yeah well, the cuteness stops NOW! We're here for official business!"
>You let go of Rainbow Dash to talk to the little girl.
"Hey. Haven't I seen you-"
>>>"Amaranthine. Ex-Viri Scientia grunt!"
"Oh right. Burgerphile...What do you want?"
>>>"Brad! Your partner! I know where he is!"
"So do I."
>>"Yeah, a-...wait, you...YOU KNEW?"
"Not directly. I just know he's Pinkie's dad."
>>"P-Pinkie...about that...She...she knows, Norman. She knows you're Noir-Man."
"...I don't care." you say in a monotonous tone.
>>"YOu...YOU DON'T CARE? Norman! We've been working day and night just to keep this secret out of Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie's hands!"
"and now it's worthless to keep it a secret any further."
>>"What are you saying?"
"It's out. Everyone knows."
>>"WHAT?"
"I won't go in with the details. Just know that once this war is over, I'm finished. Through. Done."
>>"D-Done with what?"
"Everything."
>>>"AheM! Not to barge in on the dramatic moment, but Amaranthine needs her boyfriend saved..."
"Kid, we have a war going on here, and I can't -"
 
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
 
>>"WHOA!"
"What the hell?"
>>>"Amaranthine must be seeing things!"
>>>>"Oh my gosh IT'S GOODZIIILAAAA!" Pinkie yells.
>From beyond the city, a large monster emerges from a building.
>Tentacles and pincers are seen flailing around the monster.
>It stands several stories tall.
>>>>>"/*GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR*/"
"This day just keeps getting worse."
 
End of Chapter 48