Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Code Red!” White Lilly’s voice ringed in his ears over the comms, making him freeze. “I repeat, Code Red!” Her voice was panicked, and she was panting.

Pure Vanilla- or rather, Truthful Orchid’s eyebrows raised in concern as he lifted his hand up to his comms device behind his left ear. “Is everything alright Lill- er Guardian?” Vanilla asked, worry seeping in as he checked his surroundings.

He was out of sight, coffee in hand with his regular civilian attire, with his hero outfit underneath of course. Tucked away in an alley, he was alone- except for the few pigeons checking out the bins.

“NOTHING IS ALRIGHT-!!!” The Guardian’s voice boomed over the comm, making Orchid wince. There was a pause before his director, and closest friend spoke again. “I’m sorry about that Truthful Orchid…I’m just stressed.” She apologised.

“It’s alright, I understand.” Pure Vanilla offered assurance. “Is there another attack?” He asked, frown deepening. “Unfortunately, yes.” He heard White Lilly sigh over the comms. “In Silver Town…at the Elder Tree.” Oh.

Pure Vanilla let out a quiet sigh as he realised the source of his friend’s turmoil. There was an attack at Elder Faerie’s resting place. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as his mind wandered. “There’s only one group who is brave enough to try Silver Town…” He muttered.

“The Beasts.” White Lilly confirmed his concern, making him groan in response. The Beasts were a notorious gang of super-powered Villains who made his job of protecting civilians extremely difficult. While they usually solo-ed robbery and destruction, they banded together usually for bigger problems. They had five members:

Angel- A lazy pink-haired woman with two unusually large wings- and a dangerous hallucination power. She wears large pink heart-shaped sunglasses that cover her eyes.

Gladiator- A buff, black-haired man with two red antennae on his forehead. He was destructive and unpredictable- and had super strength. He wears a gas mask that covers the bottom half of his face.

Dust- A nimble white-haired woman with the ability to turn invisible- and a dangerous opponent with her two katanas. She wears long robes and a large blindfold over her eyes- how she’s able to see in battle is unknown to this day.

Knight- the one Beast we have the least information on- all we know is he wears full-body armour, has long purple hair and typically avoids fighting. If he has a power, he’s never used it.

And last but certainly not least, the ringmaster, the leader and mastermind behind the Beasts:

Blue Jay- Do not be deceived by this innocent-sounding name, as Blue Jay, just like his namesake- is a fabulous liar and on the battlefield- a dangerous opponent. While the full extent of this villain’s power is unknown, he has shown displays of minor shapeshifting. He normally has blue hair that fades into black and a comedic half-mask that covers the left side of his face.

Pure Vanilla groaned and took one last sip of his coffee before tossing it into the nearest dumpster. Using his power, he slipped out of his citizen attire, tossing it with the coffee, and revealing his Hero costume. A light enveloped him as he revealed his wings and let his hair grow down to his waist- magical-girl transformation style. Finally, he conjured up his staff and slipped on his visor- the only thing obscuring his identity from the outside world.

Taking a moment to look up at the sky, soaking in the sunlight for what he knows could be the last time, he sighs. “Ok Lilly, I’m on my way.” He spoke into the comm, before raising his golden wings and pushing himself upwards, towards the sky as he flapped his wings. Citizens below pointed and flashed cameras as he soared past- normally he would stop and greet fans- however this time he was on a mission.

As the Silver Tree building came into sight, Orchid slowed down before gliding gracefully onto the roof. The Silver Tree, the tallest building in the Silver Town was known for the 1000+-year-old tree that sat at its roof, protected from the pollution of the city. The Silver Tree has been protected by a line of Heroes for hundreds of years, all earning the title and power of the Guardian.

At the bottom of the tree lay many graves- some older than others- but most notably- the newest addition, cased in shimmering silver casing. “Here lies Elder Faerie – the 1139th Guardian of The Silver Tree.” Orchid let himself fall to his knees as he silently let tears drip down his face.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Orchid jumped as he heard a voice behind him- and startled as he saw who it was. Wiping his tears away, he held his staff out in front of him in a defensive position. “Knight- what a pleasure to see you here.” He said, eyeing the armoured villain.

The man let out a sigh, dropping his sword and raising his hands as he walked towards the tree. “I’m not here for you, Truthful Orchid.” He says, voice gruff from disuse. Now that Orchid thinks about it- he hasn’t heard Knight say anything more than a single word- and now he’s speaking full sentences!

Kneeling where Orchid once stood, Knight let his hand rest on top of Elder Faerie’s grave. There was a long silence before Orchid finally broke it. “So, why are you here?” He cautiously stepped forward, kicking Knight’s sword away from him while he’s at it.

“I came to visit an old…” Knight paused, sounding slightly conflicted. “…friend.” He glanced at Elder Faerie’s grave almost longingly. Orchid lowered his staff slightly, confused. “What do you-” He was cut off by a loud explosion- coming from one of the floors below. When he looked back up, Knight was standing up, sword in hand and shoulders drooped- as if in defeat, or perhaps despair.

“I know you probably won’t believe me, especially not now.” The Knight spoke, voice still steady and strong over the distant sounds of explosions and screaming. “But still I must say-” He paused.

…

“I’m sorry, Pure Vanilla.”

Chapter Text

Before Truthful Orchid could process Knight’s words- yet alone the implications of a villain knowing his civilian name- he felt nausea overwhelm him as he dropped down to his knees, before finally falling to the ground, unconscious.

…

Three Weeks Earlier…

…

Shadow Milk- or rather Blue Jay’s house was in ruins. The remains of last night’s fire had been put out, with only the charred rubble remaining of his beloved home. Blue held a handful of ash in his hands, watching it slowly be blown away by the wind. “You said it was safe.” He muttered. Tears threatened to spring into his eyes as he whipped around to see his brother- Silent Salt- or rather The Knight staring back at him.

The Knight stared back at him with heavy eyes. “I have no regrets.” He spoke in his gravely voice, eyes gleaming with finality. Blue Jay felt his blood boil as he clenched his fists, staring defiantly at the man clad in black. “You let me bring a live bomb into my home.” He growled.

His brother simply shook his head. “I saved your life.” He said, voice strong and final. Blue Jay knew that voice too well, it was one of a stubborn man. A voice he himself used occasionally. Digging his nails into his palms, he grimaced and looked at the Knight with blazing eyes.

“Prove to me you are worthy of your place in the Beasts.” He declared, making the purple-haired man freeze. After a moment of silence, the Knight responded. “And how might I do that?” He grunted.

Blue Jay grinned. “Bring me Truthful Orchid.”

…

After two days of planning- with the distraction of the other Beasts- Silent Salt had gotten what he was looking for. Truthful Orchid was tied to a chair, in the middle of the room, facing the one-way glass where Knight stood. By kidnapping this hero, he had ensured his place within the Beast crew- but at what cost?

Silent Salt had to have a way out of this. Surely. However his hopes were crushed when Orchid awoke. Salt had already hidden his ability- mind reading- from the Beasts, but he knew that his place in the crew would not last forever- after all, they all had powers.

“Fuck it.” Sighing, Salt brought out his sword and made his way towards Orchid. The hero very obviously blanched and panicked as he approached, and squeaked as he raised his sword high and-!

Cut the rope binding the hero. Truthful Orchid looked down as the ropes binding him slipped away- before looking up in confusion. “Stab me.” Knight grunted. Orchid startled- paling once again. “What-! No!” He squawked. The villain rolled his eyes and repeated. “Stab me.” His eyes darted towards the entranceway. “Quick- before they arrive.” He handed the confused hero his sword.

The hero trembled slightly as he raised the sword and dug it into Knight’s shoulder blade, making him let out a pained groan. “Sorry!” Orchid exclaimed- although he was looking around nervously.

 Suddenly, the door slammed open and Blue Jay came rushing through, with a wide grin on his face. “Salty~ I heard you found-” He paused as the smile slid off his face, confronted by the scene that unfolded before him. His brother was kneeling on the ground, his own sword half-embedded in his shoulder blade, and none other than Truthful Orchid. Blue Jay let out a furious roar. “YOU-!!!”

He lunged forward- but Orchid was too fast- flying out of the nearest window with a panicked squawk. “Shit.” Blue Jay swore, before coming to his brother's side. “You good Salty?” While he had a teasing grin on his face, Silent Salt could hear the concern hidden under the charade. “I’ll live.” He assured his brother.

After an awkward silence he turned and asked. “Am I in?” He tried to not let his inner desperation and turmoil creep into his voice. Blue let out a low chuckle before saying. “Yeah sure, whatever.”

The door slammed open once again as Gladiator, Angel and Dust rushed in. “Ohhh Salty we were soooo worried about youuuu!” Angel- or Eternal Sugar cooed, looking all over him and gasping when she saw the stab wound. “It’s alright Sugar, I got this.” Dust- Mystic Flour- pulled Sugar out of the way as she got to healing their brother’s wound.

“How about you Shadow Milk? Are you crashing at someone’s place tonight?” Sugar asked, lazily hovering in the air. Surprisingly Shadow Milk shook his head. “I got a roommate now.” He declared. Sugar giggled while Flour rolled her eyes. “You met him yet?” Gladiator- or rather Burning Spice elbowed Shadow Milk, who groaned. “No, not yet. I meet him tonight, when I move in.”

All Salt could really do was nod his head in acknowledgment as he stared out the window.

…

He really hope he didn’t make a mistake by releasing the Hero.