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Commission for AshKelling on Furaffinity.

", "writing": "``May our love be so bright, and so true...''\n\nAngelica looked out over the small, yet adoring crowd as she ran her fingers through her auburn hair. The dance floor was packed with people. The snow leopard could see some young things, probably just out of college, some older women festooned with phallic accessories(clearly on a bachelorette party), and more of the sort of eclectic people you'd expect in a club on a night out. Even the bar staff was staring. An ursine waiter had dropped a tray of drinks, and a puddle of sticky liquid mixed with shards of glass was pooled around his shoes. Every single person in the club was staring at her with an awe-struck expression, like they'd just seen the face of a god. Her voice, and the magic underlying it, had that effect on people. All of their eyes were a blank matte blue, giving off a soft electric glow. It was a pleasant colour. It matched the rosettes along Angelica's soft fur. \n\n``May our love be so brave, and so true...''\n\nThe accompaniment concluded, and the video projecting the lyrics vanished. The crowd did not applaud. They simply stared, easy loose smiles on their faces. They all had the look of first love. Thanks to her siren song. The snow leopard gave a little satisfied scoff. \n\nPerhaps singing ``Look Into My Eyes'' was a little bit on the nose. But it was one of her favourite songs, especially for a smaller venue like this. The power of her voice normally controlled bodies rather than minds, but the subject of this song was perfect for putting her listeners into a proper trance.\n\nAs much as she enjoyed having massive crowds under her sway, it was nice to have a more intimate, impromptu gig to practice her skills once in a while. Karaoke night at a small club was a great way to do that. \n\n``How're we all doing tonight?'' Angelica purred into the microphone, her lips barely a half centimetre away from the grille. Aside from the odd sigh and murmur of empty-headed bliss, the audience was silent. As to be expected.\n\n``Go on and clap,'' she said, her voice soft and gentle. The audience clapped, with a few whooped cheers from the gaggle of hens on their night out. There it was - a bit of their personalities were coming back out. That was how she liked it. She wasn't interested in having an army of minions in perfect lock-step. She was interested in having a crowd of fans, each of them bringing their own little quirks of their personality and mixing it into a melting-pot of adoration. \n\n``Thank you, thank you~'' Angelica said. The microphone was a wireless one, so in lieu of twirling the cord around her finger, she traced a claw along the bottom rim. ``As you can guess, I'm a trained singer. So I suppose I'd better plug my next gig. I don't know the venue yet, but it's gonna be a big one. It's two weeks from Friday... and it's gonna be free. Can I count on all of you to come along?''\n\n``Yes,'' came a murmured chorus of responses. They weren't in perfect sync.\n\n``One more time?''\n\n``Yes,'' they said, this time with the practised precision of a church congregation.\n\n``Much better,'' Angelica said, her smile widening. The more fans she had, the merrier. She had time to get a critical mass. It would ensure that her concert would shake the city to its foundations... and make it all hers.\n\n``Will I sing you all another song? Something with a bit more energy? Don't guess, say Yes!''\n\n``Yes!'' the enthusiasm nearly bowled her over. \n\n``That's what I like to hear!'' Angelica said, with a bit more pep in her voice. Her voice switched from a relaxing purr to the peppy tones of a pop star. ``Let's see...''\n\nShe was trying out a routine for tomorrow. She had a very important audition in the morning, after all. One that would secure her venue for her big concert. \n\nThe only place that would be able to hold her was, of course, the Coliseum. She would settle for no less than the best for her big coming-out party...\n\n-\n\nAsh was woken by the familiar, unwelcome buzz of his PHA. At first, he thought it was his normal phone, and that he forgot to turn off his alarm to allow himself a proper lie-in. But as the woozy leopard fumbled for it, his brain reminded him that his phone's vibration was a far harsher sound. His Personal Heroics Assistant was a bit more subtle. But it was still rattling against the wooden bed-side table. He picked it up. The screen's text flashed.\n\nINCOMING CALL\n\nDIAMOND TAIL\n\nURGENT\n\nHe tapped the device with his finger, and swiped it up, down, and to the side. The screen flickered, and a small holographic image emerged from it. It was the face of a brown-furred squirrel girl Her hair was pulled back, and her expression was stern and taut like a schoolmistress. No mean feat, considering she was basically the same age as him.\n\n``Jenny, what do you need?'' Ash croaked. ``Why're you calling me so early?''\n\n``It's 2 in the afternoon, Strings.'' Jenny replied. ``I thought you'd have been awake by now.''\n\n``It's my day off,'' the leopard said, rubbing a hand through his brown hair. ``I'm not on the clock, unless we've got an emergency...''\n\n``Well, it's not quite an emergency per se,'' Jenny said. ``But I just wanted to fill you in on something. I need your help, and wanted to fill you in as soon as possible.''\n\n``Fine, fine,'' Ash said. \n\n``So.'' behind Jenny's holographic head, Ash could see his PHA's screen change to an amber diagram of the city. ``Samael has picked up small pockets of magical residue throughout the city over the last twenty days.''\n\nAs she spoke, little blue pips appeared on the map. In the corner of the screen, he could see the date from a couple of weeks ago, slowly ticking towards the present. As it did so, more pips appeared, at fairly regular intervals, and never more than one at a time.\n\n``Most of the incidents seem to be focused on nightclubs or music venues,'' Jenny continued. ``Mostly small ones, but it seems as though it's slowly graduating from place to place.''\n\n``So what're your thoughts?'' Ash asked. ``Some kids doing rituals or something like that?''\n\n``Samael doesn't think so,'' she said. ``Whoever was doing this must have innate magical abilities. According to them, at least.''\n\n``Right, right.'' Ash said.\n\n``There are a few outliers too. A few corporate buildings here and there, some offices for music promoters. Think you could look into them? Have a peek around?''\n\n``Sure,'' Ash said. ``Shouldn't be too tough to find a way in to their files, or their CCTV...''\n\n``Great. That's all I need to tell you for now. I'll send you the rest of the relevant info. You can read it in bed, once you've finished your catnap.''\n\n``Thanks, Jenny.'' Ash scoffed, though he couldn't keep himself from smiling wryly.\n\n``Don't say I haven't done anything nice for you,'' Jenny replied, returning his grin. ``Chat to you.''\n\nWith that, she was gone. Jenny could be prickly, but she was probably the closest thing to a friend Ash had within the secretive guild of heroes they were part of. He appreciated her consideration. \n\nHis eyes no longer felt heavy, so he saw no reason why he shouldn't get down to work right away. He scrolled through the (mercifully short) list of the different locations. He focused in on the promotional agencies first. It didn't take long to plan his attack. He picked out Lumens Promotions and Syncretic Ltd. The first seemed to be one of the larger promoters in the city, the other one was a start-up that was flush with venture capital. He already had a hunch as to what might have happened there.\n\nHe only needed a quick trip to his closet to grab his gear, and stretch his legs a bit. Then he plopped right back in to bed, and nestled his legs under his still-toasty comforter. He placed his mobile phone in his lap, and raised his gloved fingers over it. His eyes took on a slight glassy sheen as little thin nanocables slipped from the tips and plugged into his device. It would have looked, to anyone else, like he was staring into space. But inside his eyes, Ash could see the whole vast digital tapestry of the internet.\n\nUsing his phone as an ingress was not necessarily the most clandestine method of hacking into any internet-connected system. At least, not for a normal run of the mill hacker. \n\nAsh - or rather, Strings - never left a trace.\n\nGetting into Syncretic turned out to be child's play. Much of their info (emails and the like) was kept in cloud servers with ``unbreakable'' encryption. As he broke in within minutes, Ash idly wondered how much this company had paid the grifters who set this up for them.\n\nHe didn't even need to get into their internal network. Along with emails and memos, there was a calendar of events. There was a ``Team-Building'' concert on the day of the magical spike in this building. An after-work one, on a Friday. Ash winced at that. \n\nAnd there was video of it too. Exhausted people in a carpeted conference room with a cheap raised marquee stage. For the sake of the poor workers, Ash only skimmed through it with the sound off. \n\nSomething caught his eye. A snow-leopard girl in a simple black dress had taken the stage at one point, and even though he had the sound off, he could notice a remarkable shift in the body language of the people watching. Plates and glasses slipped out of suddenly slack hands. At a certain point, one of them approached the stage. Judging from the blazer and jeans, Ash surmised this fox was the youthful CEO. He slowed down the video and turned on the sound.\n\n-feel your mind slow, your muscles freeze, your body obeys, down on its knees...\n\nEven through the low quality audio, her voice was bewitchingly beautiful. As she sang what appeared to be an improvised melody, the fox's knees buckled and he collapsed down onto the stage. \n\nNothing to say, you little boy? Try to speak. You can't. No joy...\n\nThe fox's eyes were wide with confusion and terror. He looked as though he was choking. Ash felt his heart race faster. Magic did not tend to get picked up by cameras - it was better perceived by the naked eye. But even here, Ash could tell that this snow leopard was the source. Her voice was the source, more accurately. It would have been almost irresistible in its own right. \n\nNow, we're all having fun, aren't we? You've all had a long week, you deserve some entertainment. I'd like your boss here to sponsor my next show. And you'll all get front row seats to the show of your lifetimes! Doesn't that sound fantastic?\n\nAsh stopped the video. The camera had been zoomed in on her face. He blinked once, and the frame was extracted. A little wiggle of his pinky finger sent the image off to every other hero's PHA. Now they had a face to put to these magical spikes.\n\nStill, Ash had a sinking feeling that this was not the full extent of her powers.\n\nHe turned his attention to Lumens. It was only marginally more difficult to break into this one. It didn't take long though. \n\nThe sight he saw made his stomach drop. \n\nThe company office was in a skyscraper; somewhere in the middle, around the 15th floor to be precise.\n\nIt was the snow leopard again, but this time she was standing close to a large window in the promoter's office. She held a microphone in her hand, a wireless one by the looks of it. Someone was walking slowly, stiffly towards the open window.\n\nIt was a lion with a halo of bleached blond frost on the outer rim of his mane, dressed in a shiny, open shirt and tight pants. A cursory check of the files told him this was the owner. There was no audio in the video feed. But he could see she was singing, or crooning, and the lion was walking closer to the open window. He placed a hand on the handle of the window, and opened it. The movements were slow and laboured, as though he was trying his best to resist. But he couldn't.\n\nHe saw the lion start to lift one of his legs. The lion threw his head back and screamed. Ash could see tears pouring down his terrified face. The snow leopard lowered the microphone from her lips. She smiled all the while. But even from here, there was a chilly calculated look in her eye. If there was any doubt that this was someone with nothing but ill intent, that was dispelled here. \n\nThe lion staggered back from the window and fell to his knees, his whole body shaking as though it might fall apart. \n\nThe snow leopard walked away from him, towards the desk - and towards the camera. She was close enough to the image for Ash's lip-reading software to kick in.\n\n``So, you'll help me book a few larger shows before the big event. I think that's a fair repayment for the way you treated me before. Don't you?''\n\nAsh was curious about that. A quick search for news on Lumens answered a question that he probably could have guessed the answer to.\n\nPOPULAR PROMOTER WRACKED BY RUMOURS \n\nKnowing this lion was a slimy piece of shit didn't necessarily make him feel better about what she was doing to him. No one deserved that kind of torture. If her magic could compel people to put their own lives in danger... \n\nHe shifted his attention to the girl. Breaking into systems was fine, but using facial recognition software to track someone down always made Strings feel a little queasy. He pushed that feeling down. He had to. It was part of the job.\n\nAngelica Parsons \n\nShe didn't seem to have much of an online presence - aside from a resume that suggested she primarily worked little temp jobs here and there, about the only thing he got was some brief references to small gigs she had as a singer in a few bands he'd never heard of. That, and that she briefly tried changing her hair colour to blue. That didn't seem relevant though.\n\nWhat he could glean was that this girl probably stumbled across her magical abilities at some point in the recent past, and was already setting her sights high. He included that opinion in his report to Jenny, along with hypotheses on potential weaknesses, what her goals might be, and the like. From there, she would plan the manoeuvres. Judging from everything he'd gleaned, it was quite clear where this big gig she had planned would take place.\n\nAsh always wondered what a fight in the Coliseum would be like. A little part of him was giddy for that. What kind of mad stuff could he do with the Jumbotron, he wondered?\n\nHis fantasising about the fight ahead, as exciting as it was, helped him drift back to sleep. \n\n-\n\nThe big day was tomorrow. Angelica's debut was so close she could practically taste it. There were only a few little orders of business left here and there, and most of them could be handled by her adoring fans anyway. The Coliseum was already hers; now it was just a matter of getting the stage set up. She was prepared for that, of course. She had hypnotized a small army of technicians and stage managers, and she was able to sit back, relax, and watch them gradually build her stage. She was sitting in the bleachers. The plastic seats weren't comfortable, but it was a good opportunity to get a sense of what it would look like for the audience as they slipped under her spell. The size of the stage, the size of the screen that would project her image, and the way the sound would wash over them. \n\n``One, two, one, two,'' a deep voice echoed through the speakers around the stadium. ``How's that, ma'am?''\n\n``Perfect!'' she called, giving a thumbs up before relaxing back. She had her paws up on the seats ahead of her. And that prick Simon was lavishing them with his thick lion tongue. He was kneeling on the hard chairs, and was unmoving like a statue. He was still whimpering, even now.\n\n``What's the matter, Simon?'' she asked. ``You had no problem putting your hands wherever you wanted on me before. You're just getting what you wished for!''\n\n``Tongue...'' he groaned. ``Hurthhh...''\n\n``Oh, you're getting sore? Come on, it's only been, what, forty minutes?'' Angelica sneered as she closed her eyes. ``You can go for longer. Fight through the fatigue.''\n\nMost of the people under her thrall were living in a sort of anaesthetised bliss, and she was much kinder to them. This guy, though. He deserved to suffer more, locked inside his body. The sensation of satisfaction she felt would pale in comparison to what was to come, though. Then she would really get to show everyone who ignored and doubted her. Her name would be on everyone's lips. All eyes would be on her. And she'd be happy at last.\n\n``One two, one two, is this volume better?''\n\nThe snow leopard opened one eye, and mashed her foot harder into the lion's unmoving face.\n\n``No!'' Angelica called out. ``Pump it up again. I want the whole city to hear this.''\n\n-\n\nBy the time the flyers for the event had appeared around the city in earnest, Diamond Tail had already figured out a proper plan of attack. Strings' report had came in far quicker than she expected. He could be a little bit of a slacker at times, but he was always reliable when it really counted. \n\nThe squirrel and the leopard were in their plain clothes, blended into the throngs of people hurrying inside the entrances to the massive stadium. It was... significantly more packed than expected. It made Diamond Tail wonder just how long the snow leopard had been planning this, and gathering thralls.\n\nHer PHA, hidden in her pocket, was projecting a slight sheen over her eyes, invisible to everyone but herself. As she examined the holographic floor plan for the Coliseum, she made a note of the likely locations this Angelica girl would be in pre-show. Allowing her to get her concert started was a clear recipe for disaster. That was always the way with mind-controlling villains. \n\nThe pair noticed a maintenance door on one side of the large corridor. They hurried towards it and made their way through. None of the crowd seemed to pay any mind. They were camouflaged by the stream of bodies making their way to their seats.\n\nAs soon as they were through, Strings set to work on an alarm box close by - his quickest ingress into the security cameras and everything else. He had seemed nervous and jumpy almost the whole time since this evening began.\n\n``Penny for your thoughts?'' Diamond Tail asked.\n\n``N-no, I'm okay,'' Strings said, still looking at nothing in particular. ``Just looking to get this over with... okay, found her.''\n\n``Great,'' Diamond Tail said. ``Where is she now?''\n\n``The dressing room in the VIP Lounge.''\n\n``All the way up top, huh...'' the squirrel nibbled on her lip. ``I suppose she's planning a grand entrance. No way to escape, though. I think we can ambush her there easily enough.''\n\n``I almost feel bad for her,'' Strings said as he dipped away from the little box. ``All this planning, and we're gonna ruin it in a few minutes.''\n\n``Almost?'' the squirrel noted.\n\n``Almost.''\n\n-\n\nAngelica felt giddy. Her heart was flittering inside her chest in a way that took her back to an old memory. A memory of a little kitten, in a little hall on a creaky wooden stage, clutching a microphone with both hands and preparing to sing her first song in front of an audience. She hadn't felt that way in years. She noticed she was holding her own microphone the same way. The pinky finger of her right hand was stroking along the blue gemstone on the underside of it, feeling the slight pulse and warmth that came from it.\n\nShe stared out through the massive glass panes of the window, remaining still as the loyal stage manager behind her secured the harness on her back. She had never abseiled or bungee jumped in her life, but what better time to try it than in front of an adoring audience? Nothing would go wrong. She kept assuring herself of that. \n\n``All set, Miss,'' the bull said, his voice gentle and reassuring. \n\n``Thank you,'' she said, the relief and excitement evident in her voice. ``Okay... I think we're ready-''\n\nAll of a sudden, the lights went out. First in the stadium, in a rolling blackout. Then the same happened inside the suite.\n\n``What's... what's going on?'' She whispered.\n\n``Don't worry, Miss,'' the bull said. He turned away from her, and moved towards the thick double doors of the suite, along with her other bodyguards.\n\nThey didn't reach the door. Angelica shrieked when she heard the sound of the doors breaking in. The massive slabs of wood demolished the glass tables, and all the drinks set on top of them. The guards on either side of those doors lay prone, unconscious. A squirrel rushed in to the room, her tail lustrous and shining. Angelica didn't even have time to bring the microphone to her lips to start her song. The squirrel danced amongst the brawny bodyguards with a dancer-like precision. Her tail crashed into them like a wrecking ball, effortlessly sending them flying across the room. Angelica felt an adrenaline rush of panic course through her, along with a fearful sense that she'd fucked up. She'd bitten off more than she could chew. One of her hands grasped for the clasps of her harness, but she was locked in tight. As the squirrel walked towards her with the confidence of a predator, Angelica's fear only grew. \n\n``Give up,'' the squirrel said, her voice firm and clear. ``The concert's been called off.''\n\n``No... not yet!'' Angelica got a sudden burst of bravery. She was so hung up on the idea of saving her big transformation for her audience... but that ship had sailed. She had no choice.\n\nShe raised her microphone up into the air, the head angled down towards her lips. She pressed her thumb down into the sapphire. She said the magic words.\n\n``SPIRITS OF SYMPHONY, LEND ME YOUR MAJESTY!''\n\n-\n\nThe burst of multicoloured light blew out the windows of the suite. The shards of glass twinkled through the air, refracting nova of blue and white. All eyes were drawn to it, and to a heavenly chorus of music that accompanied what was to come next.\n\nThe snow leopard's clothes had vanished, as had her fur, her face, her hair. She became a silhouette of pure, sparkling. But not for long. Ribbons of blue light radiated from the shining microphone. They wrapped around her torso, before shrinking and wrapping tightly around her to form a brilliant white dress. A golden clasp appeared just at her navel, in the shape of a musical note. More of the coiling ribbons of light slipped around her arms and legs, creating long armlets on her forearms and thick wedge boots on her feet. Finally, the magic coalesced around her face. A little blue sapphire made the centrepiece of a choker around her throat. A shimmering, multicoloured butterfly appeared just over her eyes, then snapped into place - a brilliant mask that completed her look. Her costume was like a fusion of a pop star and the lead soprano in an opera. \n\nEveryone in the stadium could see her with crystal clarity. Her arms were now outstretched, and she still held the magic mic in her paw. All the fear was gone. The fear of performing, the fear of this so-called ``Hero'' who just showed up... why was she even worried? She was Symphony, the Goddess of Music.\n\n``Everyone, thank you for coming!'' she called out. ``Just a moment, and I'll be joining you on the stage! I just have to warm up a little.''\n\nShe looked back towards her attacker. The squirrel, dressed in her blue and white costume, seemed to be a little stunned by her transformation. She was blinded. Perfect opportunity to strike. \n\nShe started with a long, sustained sighed note, to test the timbre of her voice. Now that she was powered up, her voice dripped with enchanting power. Just that note was enough to make every spectator sigh with adulation. She could see it was having an effect on this squirrel too. The hero was primed already. And she had just the song in mind to get her eating out of her paw. \n\n``Who wants to hear an old classic?'' The audience cheered as the familiar, peppy backing arrived, as if from nowhere.\n\nAgain, a little on the nose, and some lyrics would need to be adapted. But she leapt right into the chorus.\n\n``Hey, I just met you... and this is crazy... but you're my fan now! So serve me, maybe~! It's hard to look right at me, baby... but you're all mine now... so just obey me!''\n\nAs she sang, she swayed and danced along. And she could see that in spite of herself, the squirrel was starting to dance along. By the end of the second repetition, she was dancing along too. Able to see again, and unable to take her shining blue gaze off of her. \n\n``It's just too easy, making you haaaazy, so give your fight up... and just obey me!''\n\nThe squirrel was grinning from ear to ear as she danced with wilder abandon. Angelica continued the song - she didn't feel like improvising the verses, so she kept it simple. To her delight, she saw someone else slink into view, already bopping along with a bright blue glow in his eyes. Another leopard! Though he lacked her snowy complexion. He was cute in his skintight blue suit and his goggles. But she noticed he was resisting...\n\n-\n\nThe waves of blue sound washed over Ash. It was taking all of his willpower to slow himself down. Even though he had hacked into the sound system and the lights from what he thought would be a safe distance, he could hear the siren song as clearly as he would have if the snow leopard was right up close to him. \n\nAnd that voice...\n\nA pretentious audiophile friend of Ash's once told him how music is a `transcendent' experience, that it expresses visceral things that words never could. Ash tacitly agreed, even if he never had experienced it himself.\n\nNow he understood it. It felt like his soul was expanding past the bounds of his body, or leaving it entirely. It was euphoric. Every vibration, every rippling wave of magical sound made every atom of his being shudder with pleasure. The rest of his consciousness and focus vanished, and all that he could perceive was that beautiful voice.\n\nTranscendent was the right word for it.\n\nEven so, he tried to resist, knowing the danger he was in. But the voice made his whole body sing, and he could not resist dancing. Or at least, his body couldn't. His mind was still fighting, trying not to be swept along. Trying to seek a way out of this, a way to keep from losing himself. As he got closer, and the snow leopard got to her second go at the chorus, he could hear the crowd down below. Roaring and cheering and singing along. Even if he couldn't see any of the other revellers (aside from Jenny, already a slave to the rhythm), he could feel them. Their energy. Their presence. Their sheer joy. \n\nTheir joy was centred around, and unified by, one thing and one thing only.\n\nSymphony. And Her beautiful voice.\n\nResisting Her seemed less and less possible, or plausible. He loved the sound of Her voice, the music that accompanied Her as She filled his soul with her song. He forgot why he even was resisting. He raised his arms over his head, shook his hips from side to side, and let loose. And he lost himself in Symphony's voice. In Her.\n\n-\n\nThe cheers of the crowd shook Angelica to her core. The wall of sound vibrated through her bones. \n\n``Thank you! THANK YOU!'' She crowed into the magic microphone, her sound filling the ears and each and every fan. ``If this is how much you're gonna cheer already, then we're REALLY gonna have some fun tonight, aren't we? Just give me a moment, and I'll come down to see you all!''\n\nThe applause and cheers continued. This included her bodyguards, who had only just started to come to. As well as these two newcomers, the heroes who'd come so close to stopping her. She felt lucky that she'd managed to transform in time. \n\nShe looked to the leopard and the squirrel. They were clapping along too, panting slightly from the exertion of their dancing. No hint of malice was left in their bright blue eyes. It was hard to tell what the deal was with them.\n\n``As for you two,'' she said, softly into the microphone. This was just for the two of them. It was like she was next to them, whispering into their ear as though they were cuddled together in bed. She could see how it made their fur stand on end and their bodies quiver. ``I forgive you both for trying to stop my big debut. You feel silly about it now, don't ya?''\n\n``Yes, Miss...'' they murmured breathlessly. \n\n``C'mon. I've got a long walk to get down to the stadium, thanks to you both.''\n\n``Sorry,'' they mumbled, and the faintest hint of sadness crossed their faces.\n\n``Awwwh, don't be!'' Angelica said, stepping between them. ``It just means I get some time to get to know my new backup dancers.''\n\nShe tapped the gemstone on the boy's forehead first, followed by the girl's. With a soft chime, the magic wand blanched their outfits to a pale blue, to match Angelica's palette. They leaned against her and draped their arms over her body. She could feel the squirrel's tail brush against her back, the leopard's thinner one curl around hers. She suppressed her girlish joy and snuggled in with them as they walked. \n\nIt'd take a good ten minutes or so to get down there. Time enough for her to get their routines figured out. The boy could probably do some fun stuff with those gloves of his, make some light shows... and the girl was clearly an excellent mover. She could sweep Angelica off her feet. Maybe this show wouldn't be her true big debut. Maybe she had an opportunity to try out even more new material.\n\nEither way, it was a concert that would shake the whole city, and then some, to its core. After that... a world tour.\n\n-\n\nThe leopard and the squirrel were in perfect sync, as always. They danced with almost robotic precision. They expected no less of themselves. Even though their Star told them she was happy with whatever her obedient backup dancers did, they never wanted to even come close to disappointing her. The throb of the music matched the throb in their hearts. Their minds were blank of everything except for step step spin, arm out, revolve wrist, spread wide, front flip, back flip - their bodies flowing to their Mistress' melody. Each venue they performed was bigger than the last, and they had more dancers joining in behind them. But Ash and Jenny were always front and centre. They were the ones who stood still as their Star draped herself over them and sang. No one else received her touch quite like this. No one else got her favour. Every time she did so, they both felt so full of happiness they could burst. But they wouldn't show it until after the show, and their just reward - helping Mistress cool down after the show, and burying themselves in her paws while she planned her next performance. \n\nMillions were already in the palm of her paw. Soon it would be more than a billion. But Ash and Jenny would remain the most special of her inner circle. They always would be.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "``May our love be so bright, and so true...''

Angelica looked out over the small, yet adoring crowd as she ran her fingers through her auburn hair. The dance floor was packed with people. The snow leopard could see some young things, probably just out of college, some older women festooned with phallic accessories(clearly on a bachelorette party), and more of the sort of eclectic people you'd expect in a club on a night out. Even the bar staff was staring. An ursine waiter had dropped a tray of drinks, and a puddle of sticky liquid mixed with shards of glass was pooled around his shoes. Every single person in the club was staring at her with an awe-struck expression, like they'd just seen the face of a god. Her voice, and the magic underlying it,  had that effect on people. All of their eyes were a blank matte blue, giving off a soft electric glow. It was a pleasant colour. It matched the rosettes along Angelica's soft fur.

``May our love be so brave, and so true...''

The accompaniment concluded, and the video projecting the lyrics vanished. The crowd did not applaud. They simply stared, easy loose smiles on their faces. They all had the look of first love. Thanks to her siren song. The snow leopard gave a little satisfied scoff.

Perhaps singing ``Look Into My Eyes'' was a little bit on the nose. But it was one of her favourite songs, especially for a smaller venue like this. The power of her voice normally controlled bodies rather than minds, but the subject of this song was perfect for putting her listeners into a proper trance.

As much as she enjoyed having massive crowds under her sway, it was nice to have a more intimate, impromptu gig to practice her skills once in a while. Karaoke night at a small club was a great way to do that.

``How're we all doing tonight?'' Angelica purred into the microphone, her lips barely a half centimetre away from the grille. Aside from the odd sigh and murmur of empty-headed bliss, the audience was silent. As to be expected.

``Go on and clap,'' she said, her voice soft and gentle. The audience clapped, with a few whooped cheers from the gaggle of hens on their night out. There it was - a bit of their personalities were coming back out. That was how she liked it. She wasn't interested in having an army of minions in perfect lock-step. She was interested in having a crowd of fans, each of them bringing their own little quirks of their personality and mixing it into a melting-pot of adoration.

``Thank you, thank you~'' Angelica said. The microphone was a wireless one, so in lieu of twirling the cord around her finger, she traced a claw along the bottom rim. ``As you can guess, I'm a trained singer. So I suppose I'd better plug my next gig. I don't know the venue yet, but it's gonna be a big one. It's two weeks from Friday... and it's gonna be free. Can I count on all of you to come along?''

``Yes,'' came a murmured chorus of responses. They weren't in perfect sync.

``One more time?''

``Yes,'' they said, this time with the practised precision of a church congregation.

``Much better,'' Angelica said, her smile widening. The more fans she had, the merrier. She had time to get a critical mass. It would ensure that her concert would shake the city to its foundations... and make it all hers.

``Will I sing you all another song? Something with a bit more energy? Don't guess, say Yes!''

``Yes!'' the enthusiasm nearly bowled her over.

``That's what I like to hear!'' Angelica said, with a bit more pep in her voice. Her voice switched from a relaxing purr to the peppy tones of a pop star. ``Let's see...''

She was trying out a routine for tomorrow. She had a very important audition in the morning, after all. One that would secure her venue for her big concert.

The only place that would be able to hold her was, of course, the Coliseum. She would settle for no less than the best for her big coming-out party...

-

Ash was woken by the familiar, unwelcome buzz of his PHA. At first, he thought it was his normal phone, and that he forgot to turn off his alarm to allow himself a proper lie-in. But as the woozy leopard fumbled for it, his brain reminded him that his phone's vibration was a far harsher sound. His Personal Heroics Assistant was a bit more subtle. But it was still rattling against the wooden bed-side table. He picked it up. The screen's text flashed.

INCOMING CALL

DIAMOND TAIL

URGENT

He tapped the device with his finger, and swiped it up, down, and to the side. The screen flickered, and a small holographic image emerged from it. It was the face of a brown-furred squirrel girl Her hair was pulled back, and her expression was stern and taut like a schoolmistress. No mean feat, considering she was basically the same age as him.

``Jenny, what do you need?'' Ash croaked. ``Why're you calling me so early?''

``It's 2 in the afternoon, Strings.'' Jenny replied. ``I thought you'd have been awake by now.''

``It's my day off,'' the leopard said, rubbing a hand through his brown hair. ``I'm not on the clock, unless we've got an emergency...''

``Well, it's not quite an emergency per se,'' Jenny said. ``But I just wanted to fill you in on something. I need your help, and wanted to fill you in as soon as possible.''

``Fine, fine,'' Ash said.

``So.'' behind Jenny's holographic head, Ash could see his PHA's screen change to an amber diagram of the city. ``Samael has picked up small pockets of magical residue throughout the city over the last twenty days.''

As she spoke, little blue pips appeared on the map. In the corner of the screen, he could see the date from a couple of weeks ago, slowly ticking towards the present. As it did so, more pips appeared, at fairly regular intervals, and never more than one at a time.

``Most of the incidents seem to be focused on nightclubs or music venues,'' Jenny continued. ``Mostly small ones, but it seems as though it's slowly graduating from place to place.''

``So what're your thoughts?'' Ash asked. ``Some kids doing rituals or something like that?''

``Samael doesn't think so,'' she said. ``Whoever was doing this must have innate magical abilities. According to them, at least.''

``Right, right.'' Ash said.

``There are a few outliers too. A few corporate buildings here and there, some offices for music promoters. Think you could look into them? Have a peek around?''

``Sure,'' Ash said. ``Shouldn't be too tough to find a way in to their files, or their CCTV...''

``Great. That's all I need to tell you for now. I'll send you the rest of the relevant info. You can read it in bed, once you've finished your catnap.''

``Thanks, Jenny.'' Ash scoffed, though he couldn't keep himself from smiling wryly.

``Don't say I haven't done anything nice for you,'' Jenny replied, returning his grin. ``Chat to you.''

With that, she was gone. Jenny could be prickly, but she was probably the closest thing to a friend Ash had within the secretive guild of heroes they were part of. He appreciated her consideration.

His eyes no longer felt heavy, so he saw no reason why he shouldn't get down to work right away. He scrolled through the (mercifully short) list of the different locations. He focused in on the promotional agencies first. It didn't take long to plan his attack. He picked out Lumens Promotions and Syncretic Ltd. The first seemed to be one of the larger promoters in the city, the other one was a start-up that was flush with venture capital. He already had a hunch as to what might have happened there.

He only needed a quick trip to his closet to grab his gear, and stretch his legs a bit. Then he plopped right back in to bed, and nestled his legs under his still-toasty comforter. He placed his mobile phone in his lap, and raised his gloved fingers over it. His eyes took on a slight glassy sheen as little thin nanocables slipped from the tips and plugged into his device. It would have looked, to anyone else, like he was staring into space. But inside his eyes, Ash could see the whole vast digital tapestry of the internet.

Using his phone as an ingress was not necessarily the most clandestine method of hacking into any internet-connected system. At least, not for a normal run of the mill hacker.

Ash - or rather, Strings - never left a trace.

Getting into Syncretic turned out to be child's play. Much of their info (emails and the like) was kept in cloud servers with ``unbreakable'' encryption. As he broke in within minutes, Ash idly wondered how much this company had paid the grifters who set this up for them.

He didn't even need to get into their internal network. Along with emails and memos, there was a calendar of events. There was a ``Team-Building'' concert on the day of the magical spike in this building. An after-work one, on a Friday. Ash winced at that.

And there was video of it too. Exhausted people in a carpeted conference room with a cheap raised marquee stage. For the sake of the poor workers, Ash only skimmed through it with the sound off.

Something caught his eye. A snow-leopard girl in a simple black dress had taken the stage at one point, and even though he had the sound off, he could notice a remarkable shift in the body language of the people watching. Plates and glasses slipped out of suddenly slack hands. At a certain point, one of them approached the stage. Judging from the blazer and jeans, Ash surmised this fox was the youthful CEO. He slowed down the video and turned on the sound.

-feel your mind slow, your muscles freeze, your body obeys, down on its knees...

Even through the low quality audio, her voice was bewitchingly beautiful. As she sang what appeared to be an improvised melody, the fox's knees buckled and he collapsed down onto the stage.

Nothing to say, you little boy? Try to speak. You can't. No joy...

The fox's eyes were wide with confusion and terror. He looked as though he was choking. Ash felt his heart race faster. Magic did not tend to get picked up by cameras - it was better perceived by the naked eye. But even here, Ash could tell that this snow leopard was the source.  Her voice was the source, more accurately. It would have been almost irresistible in its own right.

Now, we're all having fun, aren't we? You've all had a long week, you deserve some entertainment. I'd like your boss here to sponsor my next show. And you'll all get front row seats to the show of your lifetimes! Doesn't that sound fantastic?

Ash stopped the video. The camera had been zoomed in on her face. He blinked once, and the frame was extracted. A little wiggle of his pinky finger sent the image off to every other hero's PHA. Now they had a face to put to these magical spikes.

Still, Ash had a sinking feeling that this was not the full extent of her powers.

He turned his attention to Lumens. It was only marginally more difficult to break into this one. It didn't take long though.

The sight he saw made his stomach drop.

The company office was in a skyscraper; somewhere in the middle, around the 15th floor to be precise.

It was the snow leopard again, but this time she was standing close to a large window in the promoter's office. She held a microphone in her hand, a wireless one by the looks of it. Someone was walking slowly, stiffly towards the open window.

It was a lion with a halo of bleached blond frost on the outer rim of his mane, dressed in a shiny, open shirt and tight pants. A cursory check of the files told him this was the owner. There was no audio in the video feed. But he could see she was singing, or crooning, and the lion was walking closer to the open window. He placed a hand on the handle of the window, and opened it. The movements were slow and laboured, as though he was trying his best to resist. But he couldn't.

He saw the lion start to lift one of his legs. The lion threw his head back and screamed. Ash could see tears pouring down his terrified face. The snow leopard lowered the microphone from her lips. She smiled all the while. But even from here, there was a chilly calculated look in her eye. If there was any doubt that this was someone with nothing but ill intent, that was dispelled here.

The lion staggered back from the window and fell to his knees, his whole body shaking as though it might fall apart.

The snow leopard walked away from him, towards the desk - and towards the camera. She was close enough to the image for Ash's lip-reading software to kick in.

``So, you'll help me book a few larger shows before the big event. I think that's a fair repayment for the way you treated me before. Don't you?''

Ash was curious about that. A quick search for news on Lumens answered a question that he probably could have guessed the answer to.

POPULAR PROMOTER WRACKED BY RUMOURS

Knowing this lion was a slimy piece of shit didn't necessarily make him feel better about what she was doing to him. No one deserved that kind of torture. If her magic could compel people to put their own lives in danger...

He shifted his attention to the girl. Breaking into systems was fine, but using facial recognition software to track someone down always made Strings feel a little queasy. He pushed that feeling down. He had to. It was part of the job.

Angelica Parsons

She didn't seem to have much of an online presence - aside from a resume that suggested she primarily worked little temp jobs here and there, about the only thing he got was some brief references to small gigs she had as a singer in a few bands he'd never heard of. That, and that she briefly tried changing her hair colour to blue. That didn't seem relevant though.

What he could glean was that this girl probably stumbled across her magical abilities at some point in the recent past, and was already setting her sights high. He included that opinion in his report to Jenny, along with hypotheses on potential weaknesses, what her goals might be, and the like. From there, she would plan the manoeuvres. Judging from everything he'd gleaned, it was quite clear where this big gig she had planned would take place.

Ash always wondered what a fight in the Coliseum would be like. A little part of him was giddy for that. What kind of mad stuff could he do with the Jumbotron, he wondered?

His fantasising about the fight ahead, as exciting as it was, helped him drift back to sleep.

-

The big day was tomorrow. Angelica's debut was so close she could practically taste it. There were only a few little orders of business left here and there, and most of them could be handled by her adoring fans anyway. The Coliseum was already hers; now it was just a matter of getting the stage set up. She was prepared for that, of course. She had hypnotized a small army of technicians and stage managers, and she was able to sit back, relax, and watch them gradually build her stage. She was sitting in the bleachers. The plastic seats weren't comfortable, but it was a good opportunity to get a sense of what it would look like for the audience as they slipped under her spell. The size of the stage, the size of the screen that would project her image, and the way the sound would wash over them.

``One, two, one, two,'' a deep voice echoed through the speakers around the stadium. ``How's that, ma'am?''

``Perfect!'' she called, giving a thumbs up before relaxing back. She had her paws up on the seats ahead of her. And that prick Simon was lavishing them with his thick lion tongue. He was kneeling on the hard chairs, and was unmoving like a statue.  He was still whimpering, even now.

``What's the matter, Simon?'' she asked. ``You had no problem putting your hands wherever you wanted on me before. You're just getting what you wished for!''

``Tongue...'' he groaned. ``Hurthhh...''

``Oh, you're getting sore? Come on, it's only been, what, forty minutes?'' Angelica sneered as she closed her eyes. ``You can go for longer. Fight through the fatigue.''

Most of the people under her thrall were living in a sort of anaesthetised bliss, and she was much kinder to them. This guy, though. He deserved to suffer more, locked inside his body. The sensation of satisfaction she felt would pale in comparison to what was to come, though. Then she would really get to show everyone who ignored and doubted her. Her name would be on everyone's lips. All eyes would be on her. And she'd be happy at last.

``One two, one two, is this volume better?''

The snow leopard opened one eye, and mashed her foot harder into the lion's unmoving face.

``No!'' Angelica called out. ``Pump it up again. I want the whole city to hear this.''

-

By the time the flyers for the event had appeared around the city in earnest, Diamond Tail had already figured out a proper plan of attack. Strings' report had came in far quicker than she expected. He could be a little bit of a slacker at times, but he was always reliable when it really counted.

The squirrel and the leopard were in their plain clothes, blended into the throngs of people hurrying inside the entrances to the massive stadium. It was... significantly more packed than expected. It made Diamond Tail wonder just how long the snow leopard had been planning this, and gathering thralls.

Her PHA, hidden in her pocket, was projecting a slight sheen over her eyes, invisible to everyone but herself. As she examined the holographic floor plan for the Coliseum, she made a note of the likely locations this Angelica girl would be in pre-show. Allowing her to get her concert started was a clear recipe for disaster. That was always the way with mind-controlling villains.

The pair noticed a maintenance door on one side of the large corridor. They hurried towards it and made their way through. None of the crowd seemed to pay any mind. They were camouflaged by the stream of bodies making their way to their seats.

As soon as they were through, Strings set to work on an alarm box close by - his quickest ingress into the security cameras and everything else. He had seemed nervous and jumpy almost the whole time since this evening began.

``Penny for your thoughts?'' Diamond Tail asked.

``N-no, I'm okay,'' Strings said, still looking at nothing in particular. ``Just looking to get this over with... okay, found her.''

``Great,'' Diamond Tail said. ``Where is she now?''

``The dressing room in the VIP Lounge.''

``All the way up top, huh...'' the squirrel nibbled on her lip. ``I suppose she's planning a grand entrance. No way to escape, though. I think we can ambush her there easily enough.''

``I almost feel bad for her,'' Strings said as he dipped away from the little box. ``All this planning, and we're gonna ruin it in a few minutes.''

``Almost?'' the squirrel noted.

``Almost.''

-

Angelica felt giddy. Her heart was flittering inside her chest in a way that took her back to an old memory. A memory of a little kitten, in a little hall on a creaky wooden stage, clutching a microphone with both hands and preparing to sing her first song in front of an audience. She hadn't felt that way in years. She noticed she was holding her own microphone the same way. The pinky finger of her right hand was stroking along the blue gemstone on the underside of it, feeling the slight pulse and warmth that came from it.

She stared out through the massive glass panes of the window, remaining still as the loyal stage manager behind her secured the harness on her back. She had never abseiled or bungee jumped in her life, but what better time to try it than in front of an adoring audience? Nothing would go wrong. She kept assuring herself of that.

``All set, Miss,'' the bull said, his voice gentle and reassuring.

``Thank you,'' she said, the relief and excitement evident in her voice. ``Okay... I think we're ready-''

All of a sudden, the lights went out. First in the stadium, in a rolling blackout. Then the same happened inside the suite.

``What's... what's going on?'' She whispered.

``Don't worry, Miss,'' the bull said. He turned away from her, and moved towards the thick double doors of the suite, along with her other bodyguards.

They didn't reach the door.  Angelica shrieked when she heard the sound of the doors breaking in. The massive slabs of wood demolished the glass tables, and all the drinks set on top of them. The guards on either side of those doors lay prone, unconscious. A squirrel rushed in to the room, her tail lustrous and shining. Angelica didn't even have time to bring the microphone to her lips to start her song. The squirrel danced amongst the brawny bodyguards with a dancer-like precision. Her tail crashed into them like a wrecking ball, effortlessly sending them flying across the room. Angelica felt an adrenaline rush of panic course through her, along with a fearful sense that she'd fucked up. She'd bitten off more than she could chew. One of her hands grasped for the clasps of her harness, but she was locked in tight. As the squirrel walked towards her with the confidence of a predator, Angelica's fear only grew.

``Give up,'' the squirrel said, her voice firm and clear. ``The concert's been called off.''

``No... not yet!'' Angelica got a sudden burst of bravery. She was so hung up on the idea of saving her big transformation for her audience... but that ship had sailed. She had no choice.

She raised her microphone up into the air, the head angled down towards her lips. She pressed her thumb down into the sapphire. She said the magic words.

``SPIRITS OF SYMPHONY, LEND ME YOUR MAJESTY!''

-

The burst of multicoloured light blew out the windows of the suite. The shards of glass twinkled through the air, refracting nova of blue and white. All eyes were drawn to it, and to a heavenly chorus of music that accompanied what was to come next.

The snow leopard's clothes had vanished, as had her fur, her face, her hair. She became a silhouette of pure, sparkling. But not for long. Ribbons of blue light radiated from the shining microphone. They wrapped around her torso, before shrinking and wrapping tightly around her to form a brilliant white dress. A golden clasp appeared just at her navel, in the shape of a musical note. More of the coiling ribbons of light slipped around her arms and legs, creating long armlets on her forearms and thick wedge boots on her feet. Finally, the magic coalesced around her face. A little blue sapphire made the centrepiece of a choker around her throat. A shimmering, multicoloured butterfly appeared just over her eyes, then snapped into place - a brilliant mask that completed her look. Her costume was like a fusion of a pop star and the lead soprano in an opera.

Everyone in the stadium could see her with crystal clarity. Her arms were now outstretched, and she still held the magic mic in her paw. All the fear was gone. The fear of performing, the fear of this so-called ``Hero'' who just showed up... why was she even worried? She was Symphony, the Goddess of Music.

``Everyone, thank you for coming!'' she called out. ``Just a moment, and I'll be joining you on the stage! I just have to warm up a little.''

She looked back towards her attacker. The squirrel, dressed in her blue and white costume, seemed to be a little stunned by her transformation. She was blinded. Perfect opportunity to strike.

She started with a long, sustained sighed note, to test the timbre of her voice. Now that she was powered up, her voice dripped with enchanting power. Just that note was enough to make every spectator sigh with adulation. She could see it was having an effect on this squirrel too. The hero was primed already. And she had just the song in mind to get her eating out of her paw.

``Who wants to hear an old classic?'' The audience cheered as the familiar, peppy backing arrived, as if from nowhere.

Again, a little on the nose, and some lyrics would need to be adapted. But she leapt right into the chorus.

``Hey, I just met you... and this is crazy... but you're my fan now! So serve me, maybe~! It's hard to look right at me, baby... but you're all mine now... so just obey me!''

As she sang, she swayed and danced along. And she could see that in spite of herself, the squirrel was starting to dance along. By the end of the second repetition, she was dancing along too. Able to see again, and unable to take her shining blue gaze off of her.

``It's just too easy, making you haaaazy, so give your fight up... and just obey me!''

The squirrel was grinning from ear to ear as she danced with wilder abandon. Angelica continued the song - she didn't feel like improvising the verses, so she kept it simple. To her delight, she saw someone else slink into view, already bopping along with a bright blue glow in his eyes. Another leopard! Though he lacked her snowy complexion. He was cute in his skintight blue suit and his goggles. But she noticed he was resisting...

-

The waves of blue sound washed over Ash. It was taking all of his willpower to slow himself down. Even though he had hacked into the sound system and the lights from what he thought would be a safe distance, he could hear the siren song as clearly as he would have if the snow leopard was right up close to him.

And that voice...

A pretentious audiophile friend of Ash's once told him how music is a `transcendent' experience, that it expresses visceral things that words never could. Ash tacitly agreed, even if he never had experienced it himself.

Now he understood it. It felt like his soul was expanding past the bounds of his body, or leaving it entirely. It was euphoric. Every vibration, every rippling wave of magical sound made every atom of his being shudder with pleasure. The rest of his consciousness and focus vanished, and all that he could perceive was that beautiful voice.

Transcendent was the right word for it.

Even so, he tried to resist, knowing the danger he was in. But the voice made his whole body sing, and he could not resist dancing. Or at least, his body couldn't. His mind was still fighting, trying not to be swept along. Trying to seek a way out of this, a way to keep from losing himself. As he got closer, and the snow leopard got to her second go at the chorus, he could hear the crowd down below. Roaring and cheering and singing along. Even if he couldn't see any of the other revellers (aside from Jenny, already a slave to the rhythm), he could feel them. Their energy. Their presence. Their sheer joy.

Their joy was centred around, and unified by, one thing and one thing only.

Symphony. And Her beautiful voice.

Resisting Her seemed less and less possible, or plausible. He loved the sound of Her voice, the music that accompanied Her as She filled his soul with her song. He forgot why he even was resisting. He raised his arms over his head, shook his hips from side to side, and let loose. And he lost himself in Symphony's voice. In Her.

-

The cheers of the crowd shook Angelica to her core. The wall of sound vibrated through her bones.

``Thank you! THANK YOU!'' She crowed into the magic microphone, her sound filling the ears and each and every fan. ``If this is how much you're gonna cheer already, then we're REALLY gonna have some fun tonight, aren't we? Just give me a moment, and I'll come down to see you all!''

The applause and cheers continued. This included her bodyguards, who had only just started to come to. As well as these two newcomers, the heroes who'd come so close to stopping her. She felt lucky that she'd managed to transform in time.

She looked to the leopard and the squirrel. They were clapping along too, panting slightly from the exertion of their dancing. No hint of malice was left in their bright blue eyes. It was hard to tell what the deal was with them.

``As for you two,'' she said, softly into the microphone. This was just for the two of them. It was like she was next to them, whispering into their ear as though they were cuddled together in bed. She could see how it made their fur stand on end and their bodies quiver. ``I forgive you both for trying to stop my big debut. You feel silly about it now, don't ya?''

``Yes, Miss...'' they murmured breathlessly.

``C'mon. I've got a long walk to get down to the stadium, thanks to you both.''

``Sorry,'' they mumbled, and the faintest hint of sadness crossed their faces.

``Awwwh, don't be!'' Angelica said, stepping between them. ``It just means I get some time to get to know my new backup dancers.''

She tapped the gemstone on the boy's forehead first, followed by the girl's. With a soft chime, the magic wand blanched their outfits to a pale blue, to match Angelica's palette. They leaned against her and draped their arms over her body. She could feel the squirrel's tail brush against her back, the leopard's thinner one curl around hers. She suppressed her girlish joy and snuggled in with them as they walked.

It'd take a good ten minutes or so to get down there. Time enough for her to get their routines figured out. The boy could probably do some fun stuff with those gloves of his, make some light shows... and the girl was clearly an excellent mover. She could sweep Angelica off her feet. Maybe this show wouldn't be her true big debut. Maybe she had an opportunity to try out even more new material.

Either way, it was a concert that would shake the whole city, and then some, to its core. After that... a world tour.

-

The leopard and the squirrel were in perfect sync, as always. They danced with almost robotic precision. They expected no less of themselves. Even though their Star told them she was happy with whatever her obedient backup dancers did, they never wanted to even come close to disappointing her. The throb of the music matched the throb in their hearts. Their minds were blank of everything except for step step spin, arm out, revolve wrist, spread wide, front flip, back flip - their bodies flowing to their Mistress' melody. Each venue they performed was bigger than the last, and they had more dancers joining in behind them. But Ash and Jenny were always front and centre. They were the ones who stood still as their Star draped herself over them and sang. No one else received her touch quite like this. No one else got her favour. Every time she did so, they both felt so full of happiness they could burst. But they wouldn't show it until after the show, and their just reward - helping Mistress cool down after the show, and burying themselves in her paws while she planned her next performance.

Millions were already in the palm of her paw. Soon it would be more than a billion. But Ash and Jenny would remain the most special of her inner circle. They always would be.

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