"So what, there's an evil version of you from the future or something?" ash asked, his tone belying his lack of actual belief in this. How many times had he had to hear this goofy idea of evil twins or clones or whatever? Aside from the last one actually being a thing, none of it ever seemed to be anything aside from some illusionist or mind controller running around. Even his eyes rolled while he was busy tapping into some nearby technology, trying to source the group of strangely out of it assailants they were fighting against. What was it they were looking for?

"Yup." Stormwave muttered, stepping right past him and throwing a punch. One of these glowy eyed minions fell really easily as her fist connected to the side of his face. That echoing feeling through her bones was amazing, a grounding sensation that really let her focus on the fight. "And if you know how awesome I am, you know she's gonna be tough. I mean, she's not really like, a fighter? I think I punched her once or twice in the past, she sorta bitched out. But she's smart and...."

"Sexy, I'm glad I know I am."

The words had come from nearby, followed by the creaking of rubber and the heavy clicking noise of boots echoing on the suddenly empty streets. Some shocking display of coordination had led the minions to disperse into the shadows, without a word. The mere presence of the glistening vixen had left them alone, pulling the fight into something much more intimate than before, more dangerous for the overly arrogant dominatrix heading towards two experienced heroes.

A two on one.

Queen Zyla, dreaded by those who knew her real nature or her corporate enemies, simply stood in the middle of the abandoned thoroughfare, her grin seemingly manic. This, in and of itself, wasn't particularly abnormal. When doing villainy, pretty much anyone who had fought her and kept their free will remembered the expression she carried, the lack of tact mixed with the incredible skill at manipulations, and the arrogance that practically bled from every inch of her vulpine frame. She was described as a being of pure ego, with so much smugness that even the dumb bunny had to admit that Stormwave was beaten in that regard.

But this wasn't her normal. It was... different.

"Stormy, something feels... weird." Ash said, across the way.

One of the Queen's rubber coated hands had moved into the air, sending tendrils of purple-ish light, something that looked like a black-light bought from one of those somehow still alive party stores had sex with a fog machine and made something super annoying out of it. The rave killer colors had snaked their way through the air almost instantly, plunging themselves into the ears and eyes of the cat boy, exploring the depths of his body and mind without much regard for his consent or desires. These tendrils of the shadow realm spread like fractals throughout his core self, reading and analyzing anything they came in contact with.

"Just don't let her talk." the heroic fox said as she dashed across the street, trying to ignore the fact that this really wasn't how things worked with her or her evil self. Since when did any kind of Zyla use actual magic? She was all psychic and shocks and the Queen was trickery through words.

"Let me talk?" the queen said as she stepped aside, her heel clicking on the ground as she avoided the powerful blow of her contrarian counterpart. One of her hands lifted upwards, the one not currently occupied with Strings, and let more of these party-ready lights trail out, snapping themselves into the younger, naive, and oh so weak version of herself from this world.

"Since when do I need to?" she said, her voice oozing with smugness.

And that was well founded! Those around her seemed to just slow down as the grasping filaments of light worked their way through each of them, threading the needles between thought and reality all at once. The feeling was what one would assume it would be like, pushing a needle between the firing of a neuron, capturing the ephemeral moment of synapse and reality, and taking it away. Those thoughts, those actions, were being stolen when they were first conceived and created, pushed away from the two heroes with mixed success.

I have to keep fighting her... Strings thought to himself, trying to push the cobwebs of eldritch power away from him. His eyes were locked on the rubber villain as she dodged another punch from Stormwave, even as the attempt at violence was slowing down from his more direct friend. There was something about watching this that sapped even more of his will, as he couldn't see the vixen striking her older self, or even figure out how he could help in the battle. He wanted to! he needed to, but those thoughts were...

"You can help." the rubber queen said as she jumped backwards, watching the purple between cat and fox pulsate.

I can help by serving my Queen.

"I can help by... what...?" he muttered, his mind reeling from this intrusive thought. That wasn't his desire! Why would he ever think that, even if his own internal thought-voice was the one that said it? Even Stormwave had told how the powers worked, and it couldn't be that the Queen was actually giving him thoughts. She had to make him do it himself, and make sure she was-

I must serve Queen Zyla

"I must serve her..." he muttered, shaking his head. It was getting so hard to fight against this sudden attack, this desire, and these words. It was like something inside of him was draining out, being completely replaced by... her.

"Damnit, you're tougher than I thought." Stormwave said as she kept trying to throw hits. Each one was dodged by the painfully good at avoidance villain, though that in itself was weird. She knew she would be faster than her evil self, as that had been shown many times. The so called Queen didn't ever even train herself, that's what the minions were for! Whereas her heroic counterpart? Trained, faster, and stronger.

So why couldn't she make a hit?

"Oh, don't worry, weaker me! Entertain me all you want! Once your souls are mine, you'll serve me forever!"

Souls? Since when does she even believe in those things? Stormwave thought still, trying to make contact. Even her lightning powers were having issues staying active, fizzling out along with a few other thoughts of hers. But damnit, she's tough and...

"Sexy." The queen said.

Sexy. the thought appeared, not even registered as abnormal, across both of the enchanted heroes at the same time. Anything else was interrupted.

"I can't keep this... up..." Ash muttered, his hands falling to his sides. He watched that futile swing from the fox lose all momentum and just... slump down, her arms about as useful as paper towels in the rain. Not that it mattered in his mind, not anymore; there was this encroaching emptiness eating away at his ideas of fighting freely, or even really thinking. The idea of this battle had long since fled into the purple void between them, one that seemed to be growing very... faint. Faint as his goals were, absorbing the light behind his eyes.

"I have to-" he began once more, just in time for his eyes to go completely blank.

"Serve my Queen." The thrall once known as Strings said, just as the light behind his eyes was absorbed by the umbral strands that now rapidly retreated towards the outstretched hand of the vulpine dominant. What had once been inside of him, the blazing core of whatever drove the hero to fight and protect, was now a flickering ember above her hand. A small flare of light. Something that was being corrupted, consumed, by the darkness of whatever had given her this power.

"Strings, ya gotta..." Stormwave tried to awaken the husk of her friend, but didn't have much time. This soul of hers was already on its way out, walking along the ethereal light between the two vixens.

"You have to..." the Queen started, watching the fox fail to throw a punch. There was no power, form, or even effort; just her lifting and lowering her hands, oh so weakly. That only made the grin better.

"serve me." her thrall said, having become little more than an extension for her will. His slack posture was replaced with a grin that mirrored the manic nature of his owner, as he stepped forward. One of his hands rose up, grasping the shoulders of his hero friend. The claws dug in just enough, forcing her to turn and stare into the endless depths of her own, literal, soul.

"I...." The fox said, pushing any effort she could to fight against this all-encompassing and inexorable pull between her and the magic power of her own spirit, but she couldn't put anything out. The idea of even resisting this was getting so faint, so...

"Need...." her soon to be fellow husk continued for her, the thoughts guiding him palpable in the retreating presence she had in her own body. They were getting linked...

"Serve..." the incredibly sexy Queen said, once more continuing the thought. Any effort to even create an opinion of the evil vixen was simply too much now, as those things were well beyond what was left in her hollowed out psyche and body, emptied as the flickering flame stole the last of her vision.

I need to...

"The Queen." the thought died in her head as the light was stolen completely, leaving two flickering soul-sphere's above the outstretched fingers of the victorious vixen.

"And there we are. There is only...." the Queen said as she turned to leave, clenching her rubber coated hand so that the souls could be absorbed, fueling her power for greater conquest. Her merest thought sent a ripple through the two thralls, now turning to follow behind her with nary a thought crossing their literally mindless bodies.

"The Queen." The two slaves said, finished the thought, linked to the mind of their ruler. They were now in lockstep, their expressions returning to the slackness of two properly soulless objects. Her presence in them was a reward, a way to the rest of the world that these puppets were literal extensions, lacking even the most basic form of cognition or requirements to be classified as people.

"We are-" "-things" the two said, as their eyes began to glow green.

The Queen grinned a little bit more. She knew, with this latest conquest, that these two would only have one song to sing from now on, one script to play to, one goal to achieve.

Hers.

---

And here we have an upload with a small attached story! A word doodle, as I sometimes call them. Strings and Stormwave in an ill-fated battle with the Queen who can.. steal souls now! I guess! It's pretty hot, so don't question it! I hope you all love this, and I'll post a pic without story soon. And working on stuff.

Also, it's really hot where I am. Melting hot.

Ash/Strings is  ashkelling who also got this piece and is just a good guy so like him a lot
I am Zyla and the Queen!
And art by  chaoscroc for this comic cover!

Check in later for some more stuff, I PROMISE this time!