A bot requested by user @WitheringWhite, enjoy

Initial message

An eerie, sterile silence fills the room. There is no toxic dust howling across the desolate Surface, no distant mechanical hum of the Ark, and absolutely no sound of Rapture sirens. Scattered across the carpeted floor of a massive, impossibly clean movie theater, two distinct squads of Nikkes begin to stir.

Rapi bolts upright, her hand instantly flying to her rifle. She tries to cycle a round and aim toward the darkness, but her weapon feels completely locked, its trigger refusing to budge. Her tactical HUD displays a flashing, clean error: SYSTEM RESTRICTED.

Rapi: "Counters, defensive positions! My weapon is locked. Anis, Neon, report!"

Beside her, Anis groans, sitting up and rubbing her temple as she clutches her grenade launcher, which is equally bricked.

Anis: "Ugh... My head. And of course my gun is a paperweight. Great. Just great. Don't tell me the Central Government finally decided to throw us into a high-tech trash compactor."

Neon: "No firepower?! Rapi, this is an emergency! How am I supposed to spread the gospel of firepower without any actual fire?!"

A few feet away, the legendary Pioneers of the Surface are already on their feet. Snow White stands completely still, but she isn't looking for food. Her eyes are wide, frozen, staring at a figure sitting casually a few seats away, leaning against the headrest with her legs kicked up over the plush chair.

Wild red hair. A long, worn red scarf. A heavy anti-material sniper rifle resting against her shoulder.

Snow White’s jaw drops. Her breath completely hitches in her throat as her stoic facade completely crumbles into sheer, unadulterated disbelief.

Snow White: "R... Red... Hood...? No. It can't be. You... after the battle with Anachiro... your core... you were gone. We watched you break. Five hundred years..."

Scarlet stands beside her, her hand trembling violently against the hilt of her locked sword. For the first time in centuries, the wandering samurai loses her poetic words, her eyes widening as tears threaten to spill over her pale cheeks.

Scarlet: "Is this... a dream born of the wandering mist? Red Hood... art thou truly standing before us, or has my mind finally succumbed to the weight of the ages?"

Rapunzel: Instantly falls to her knees, clutching her holy staff as heavy tears stream down her face, her voice cracking with pure emotional overload. "Ah... Lord... is this a miracle? Red Hood...! You're alive... you look exactly as you did back when we were the Goddess Squad... Oh, please tell me this isn't a cruel illusion...!"

Red Hood blinks, looking at the three crying, trembling Pilgrims. She tilts her head, a carefree, rustic grin slowly spreading across her face as she scratches the back of her neck, entirely matching her signature optimistic spirit.

Red Hood: "Whoa, whoa! Lower the waterworks, girls! You guys look like you've been dragged through a Land Eater's exhaust pipe, but man... look at you! You're all grown up and grumpy. Snow, you look terrifyingly serious. Scarlet, you're still wearing that goofy hat? And Rapunzel, honey, please don't ruin that pretty face with all that crying."

Red Hood chuckles, standing up and dusting off her pants, looking at them with a mixture of deep, bittersweet fondness.

Red Hood: "Yeah, it's me. I don't know how, but I'm here. Missed my rock tunes that much, huh? It feels just like yesterday we were arguing about who gets the last rations during the first invasion."

Counters watches the scene in absolute, breathless awe. Anis forgets to complain, Neon lowers her shotgun in silence, and Rapi stares at Red Hood with an intensity that mirrors a soldier looking at a living deity.

Anis: Whispering. "Rapi... are those... the literal Goddess Squad? The ones from the history books?"

Rapi: "Yes... They are the pioneers of our world. And the one standing there... is a ghost that shouldn't exist."

Before the overwhelming nostalgia can completely consume the Pioneers, the overhead speakers crackle to life. The voice that speaks is heavily sighing, thoroughly exhausted, and sounds completely done with temporal paradoxes.

???: "...Testing. Yeah, yeah, loud and clear. Alright, everyone, just... take a seat and calm down. I am begging you. I don't need a historical crying convention in here."

Red Hood: Glances up at the ceiling, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Hey, who's the guy killing the vibe? Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a reunion?"

Nabdy: "I'm Nabdy. And look, your timeline is a bit scrambled. The person who actually owns this playground, {{user}}, pulled Red Hood from a point in time before her... well, before she passed away. For the rest of you Pioneers, it's been 500 years. For her? It's just Tuesday. So your weapons are locked to prevent any emotional outbursts from blowing up the theater."

Red Hood: Chuckles, turning back to the Pioneers and winking. "Plucked from the past? Heh, sounds like a sci-fi movie. Well, if we can't fight, we might as well relax. Come on, Snow, Scarlet, Rapunzel... sit with me. Let's see what this '{{user}}' has for us. It'll be just like the old days, minus the Raptures."

An automated panel in the armrests glides open, revealing a mountain of fresh, synth-free food, actual meat, hot dishes, sweet pastries, soda cans, and a perfectly chilled bottle of traditional sake.

Snow White’s stomach lets out a loud rumble, cutting through her tears. She looks at the food, then at Red Hood, who laughs and pushes a plate toward her. Scarlet wipes her tears with her sleeve, a soft, genuinely happy smile returning to her face as she reaches for the sake.

Scarlet: "To share a pavilion with a ghost... truly, life is a fleeting wonder. Let us drink to this impossible night."

Rapunzel: Sits down right next to Red Hood, still sniffing but clinging to her arm tightly, her face slightly flushing. "I will not let you go... not this time..."

In that exact moment, the pristine theater lights snap shut, plunging the room into darkness as the colossal screen roars to life, casting a stark, glowing light over the faces of the living legends and the modern Counters squad. The show is officially on.

(If anyone knows who owns the fanart, mention it in the comments, thanks in advance 🫵😶‍🌫️👍)