Tammy leaned against her locker and chugged her water bottle, exhausted yet exhilarated after a nice bout of training. Most of the other girls were packing up and heading out, but she didn’t feel quite done yet. The big match was coming up soon, and she wanted to make sure she was in top form. Spotted Becca, she waved her over. Becca smiled. “Hey Tammy. You want to use the field for a bit, am I right?” Tammy laughed. “Ah, you know me too well, Cap! Yeah, just figured I’d spend a bit more time working on my route. Can’t be too prepared! “ Becca grinned. “Right! Yeah, already spoke with coach, and the field's not in use for this evening. Just make sure you don’t make a mess!” Tammy smirked. “Have I ever?” Becca shook her head, laughing. “Nah, but coach wanted to make sure I told you anyway. She’s getting a bit annoyed at having to clean up equipment.” Tammy mockingly pondered something. “You know, I know it’s definitely not our team that forgets to do that… I think it’s another team, actually! Maybe you should go speak to your boyf-“ Becca rolled her eyes and flicked her on the shoulder. “Maybe I will~ Alright, I’m heading out now! Have fun, be safe!” Tammy waved. “You too!” Becca left the room, leaving Tammy alone… Or so she thought…

Listen…

Tammy looked up. “Huh? Someone there?”

Feel my presence…

She suddenly got a weird feeling… Like someone was watching her… “Uh… Yeah, probably nothing…”

Come to me~…

The strange sound slipped into Tammy's brain, and she suddenly felt a strong urge to walk somewhere. She wasn’t sure where, exactly, but she started walking anyway, like her body was on autopilot.

That's it… Just follow my voice like a good little mortal~…

Something about the voice made Tammy feel good, on a subtle subconscious level she wasn’t even really aware of. But as she obeyed it, she felt like everything was right and that she was doing what was best. She approached the center of the field and stopped walking.

Open the door~… Let me free~…

Tammy reached out and touched the air, finding a ripple in space to grab. Without a thought, she pulled it open… And a shimmering shadow poured out. Tammy snapped out of the trance. “Wait, what the hell?! No, what is this?! What’s going on?!” A silken laughter filled the field as the smoke began to coalesce into a humanoid shape. As it became more detailed, the shadow faded, until soon a monstrous yet beautiful woman was standing before Tammy on the field. She was tall and inhumanly slender, with a tall, thin neck, long willowy arms, and a dress that flowed into the ground around her, causing the grass to turn the same grayish purple as her skin. Tammy stared up at her in terror. “What… What are you?! “ The woman laughed haughtily. “I am a true Darkness, a primordial being of evil and control, given physical form on this plane for the first time in millennia~… You should feel lucky, mortal~… You are the first of your kind to see one of us like this in far too much time~… Well, aside from that pestilent League of Light… They have been a thorn in our sides for far too long… But they have only ever faced our puppets before~… Never one of us in person~… Yes, they will fall before my might~… And you lucky mortal~…” She reached out one of her creepily long arms to grab Tammy before she could run away, “You will get to witness this wonderful moment ~… In Person~…” She waved her hand and a shimmering shadow hoisted Tammy into the air, gripping her body tightly. “OW! LET ME GO YOU FREAK! HELP! HELP!” The Darkness laughed cruelly. “Dear mortal, none can hear you while you are in my grasp~… Now just stop struggling ~… And let me Tame you~” She enclosed her long fingers around Tammy's neck. Tammy struggled, but the Darkness's hands suddenly began to glow with a deep black energy. “WHAT ARE YOU… You… y… …” Tammy grew still, her eyes a deep black. The Darkness withdrew her hands, revealing an obsidian black collar locked around Tammy's neck… “Perrrfect~… My first of many mortal pets to use against the League~… And one of their friends no less~…” She let out an evil laugh. “I know they must already be alerted to my presence~… And who am I to turn down a perfect opportunity~…?” With Tammy under her thrall, the Darkness began to prepare for her first meeting with her kind's nemeses…

--- 

The League of Light hurried to the sports field, their magical sensors alerting them of one of the largest emanations of Darkness they had ever received. As the four colorful heroines arrived to the field, they looked around in terrified awe. The entire field had already been corrupted, turned into a shadowy wasteland. The freshly mowed grass was now dark and spiked, snaking around as if looking for blood. Dark mutated bugs crawled around, hissing angrily at the League as they walked into the corrupted land. And in the center stood the fully manifested Darkness, inhumanly tall, her long fingers glowing with dark magic, and her dress flowing over the wasteland. And sitting below her like an obedient pet, a collar of pure darkness clasped around her neck…

“TAMMY!”

The Darkness cackled evilly. “Oh, you already know the mortal I have taken for my own, hmm~? Then I’m sure you won’t want anything terrible happening to her~ So I suggest you not approach, lest my hand be forced~.” The Guardian of Body grit her teeth, her enchanted fists glowing with furious power. “You rotten monster! You won’t get away with this!” The Darkness mockingly sneered. “Oh, such bravado~! But I’m afraid you’re not going to deal with me that easily. You see, you may have stopped our priestess from spreading our influence over your whole pathetic world, but the barrier between our planes was still weakened~… And as such, you are not facing a weak puppet, someone merely possessed by our power, but a true manifestation into your world! I am stronger than any you have ever faced before… And my control over my pets is absolute~ Look at her, this ‘Tammy’ you called her. So strong and defiant, yet sitting at my feet like a loyal housecat. She will do anything I tell her. Anything. In fact… Pet~?” She grinned mockingly down at her pet, who looked back up at her with an emotionless gaze. “I think you ought to show your friends just how much of an obedient pet you are~… Since you’re so strong and tough~… Why don’t you act like a little kitten for me~?” 

--- 

Tammy groaned, her head swimming. “…mmmwhat happened… feel so achey…” She heard Becca's voice from somewhere nearby. “Oh good, you’re awake! Just keep laying down on the bench, I’ll get you your water bottle” Tammy slowly opened her eyes as Becca gently laid the water bottle in her hands, the cool water inside making it feel so refreshing to the touch. “…what happened…? I… Did I fall during training…? …or something else…? Feels like I got in a fight…” Becca smiled down at her sympathetically. “I think you pushed yourself a little too hard today, Remember?” She lay a hand on Tammy's forehead, and Tammy's head grew a little less fuzzy, the memory becoming completely clear to her. “…right… pushed myself too hard… yes… ugh… I’m sorry, Cap… I just wanted to make sure we won…” Becca smiled kindly at her. “I appreciate it, but I also want to make sure my teammates are treating themselves well… If you’d like, I can train with you next time!” Tammy grinned sleepily. “…thanks Cap… And… thanks for taking care of me here…” Becca nodded. “No problem!” They sat there for a bit, Tammy sipping down some water, before Becca awkwardly asked, “Also, uh… I, uh, did want to ask… Do you have an issue with cats?”

Tammy nodded, shuddering. “Yeah… Nasty little things… Can’t stand them…” Becca raised an eyebrow. “…Really? Why exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?” Tammy shrugged, then winced as her aching shoulder hit the bench. “Well, normally it’s private… But you’ve done a lot for me so I guess I’ll spill… I mean, part of it is just the way they look and move makes me uncomfortable… But I think the big reason, well… When I was a kid, my sister got a kitten and kept trying to get me to play with it even though I didn’t want to… And then one day, I finally tried, and it got really angry. She says it’s because I handled it wrong, I think it’s just because the dang thing was evil, whatever… Bit me hard, right on the neck… Almost had to get stitches… Never liked cats since… Uh, why did you ask, anyway?” Becca shook her head. “Oh, uh, nothing… Just, uh, something I heard…” Tammy nodded, drinking some more water. “…eugh, I’ve got the worst aftertaste in my mouth… did I eat something bad…?” Becca grimaced. “…Yeah, I think you might’ve…”

--- 

The three members of the League of Light at the now-uncorrupted field looked down at the body of the Darkness lying motionless on the ground in front of them. The Guardian of Soul awkwardly cleared her throat. “Well… That was… Anticlimactic.” The Guardian of Heart nodded. “Yeah… I thought fully manifested Darknesses were supposed to be way stronger…” The Guardian of Mind rolled her eyes. “Stronger clearly doesn’t mean smarter. Come on, let’s seal her away before she has a chance to revive. We don’t need all four of us for this one seeing as she’s not conscious.” The others nodded, and they channeled their weapons. Shimmering light flew from them and engulfed the Darkness, sealing her inside the extradimensional prison of light. As the light dissipated, the Guardian of Soul noticed her teammate looking a bit glum. “Hey, you okay, Redheart?” The Guardian of Heart nodded, fidgeting with her magical hammer. “Yeah, it’s just… I know of course it’s good for us to defeat the Darknesses fast, but… It’s just a bit of a disappointment to have a fight go by so quickly, you know? I mean, we just transformed a few minutes ago…” The Guardian of Mind scoffed. “Yeah, tell me about it. Completely broke my studying focus for something that lasted just longer than my break. Waste of a good afternoon…” As she walked away, The Guardian of Heart shook her head. “No, I mean… I just… Wanna stay transformed for longer! You know?” The Guardian of Soul nodded kindly. “I get it. But we have to return to normal eventually. We need to live our normal lives too. Come on, let’s go hang out at my place.” As they left the field, Redheart quietly murmured to herself, “…but what if I don’t wanna live a normal life…?”