Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In Indomit City, villainy is the daily bread that the inhabitants always wake up to.

Whether it's a bank robbery or a building exploding as collateral damage from a massive brawl, there's always something going on in this continent-sized metropolis.

The police have long been relegated to the background due to their inability to subdue these dangerous individuals.

So it was decided to fight fire with fire, founding schools to train new heroes to fight crime. One of these graduated with honors at a very young age, demonstrating the absolute commitment to justice setting the first goal of dismantling the Happy Bunies.

Everything, from their name, appearance and function make them seem harmless. Who could take seriously a group of little girls dressed as bunnies acting as cheerleaders at the frontlines?

That underestimation was the key to their success. While the villain was empowered by the electric waves emitted by their dances, several took advantage of the chaos to descend on the affected areas and kidnap any children they found to take back to their secret base.

The next time the cheerleading squad or the kidnapping squad appear on the scene, they have a new member.

Is unknown the exact method of brainwashing, and the best guess so far is based on the age range of all the registered victims, which makes them highly susceptible to indoctrination.

It remains a theory, as the villains, who are being provided with energizing assistance from afar, make sure to get in the way, thus preventing any capture of the adorable costumed individuals or the possibility of knowing if the missing people are truly under those masks.

A group shrouded in mistery que prospera en la violencia de la batalla sin nunca verse perjudicados por sus acciones.

But that ends when the new young heroine, Sebun, is on the case. Not only is she the right age to infiltrate enemy ranks, but her special ability to transform allows her to replicate anyone she sets eyes on.

"All right, let the show begin," she raised her left arm as sparks began to emanate from it. "Transform!"

In her light blue irises was reflected the clothes she was meant to emulate:

A tight pink bodysuit covered from the soles of the feet to the top of the neck, and over it she wears boots, leotard, and gloves, all white except for the top where each piece is finished in black.

Going into more detail, the heeled boots reach above the knees, the leotard has a heart-shaped hole so the pink cloth underneath is visible in the navel area, a red bow tie on the part of the flaps and the black color of these extending to the back, stopping above a white roundly fluffy bunny tail, and the white gloves that almost touch the shoulders are enlarged from the wrists down showing four fingers with animal claws.

Sebun internally frowned at this last one since two fingers on each hand would have to share a single hole, something that didn't excite her too much because of how uncomfortable it seemed to be.

Still, she didn't let such a small detail bother her as she processed the white mask with its white ears stuffed with pink on the inside, a stylized drawing of an dark pink heart on the forehead, and irisless yellow eyes, rimmed in black, that were very expressive. At least there was a space for a mouth, so eating shouldn't be a problem.

Once the visualization was completed, the materialization process began, with Sebun receiving the changes immediately.

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As expected, overconfidence made them blind to even considering that one of their own could be an infiltrator and Sebun entered as if nothing had happened.

There was no need to panic now that everything was going so well. All she had to do was imitate the other members during this practice, as the voice emanating from the walls commanded, and her cover would be kept.

Hopefully she'll be able to keep up-

It wasn't possible to deactivate the ability without removing the disguise, which must be avoided at all costs. It was a problem she still couldn't find a solution to. If she had dedicated time to improving her powers in that area instead of preferring to graduate as soon as possible, at least she would have had control of the situation.

Because of her impatience, she was being manipulated like a puppet by invisible strings.

For the next hour she was forced to raise her legs to the point of creaking, constantly shake her bottom despite the complaints of her hips, and occasionally, let out an involuntary "happy" while making victory gestures with her gloved hands.

By the time the music ended, Sebun had collapsed face first onto the floor, her butt pathetically in the air. Sweat was pouring from her body, making the disguise stick even more than usual. Luckily, it's breathable, or she'd be tearing it off by now from the tremendous heat overwhelming her.

While her dazed mind was questioning how this had gotten so twisted, the voice returned once more.

After finishing processing the message, her body felt tremendously heavy and any attempt to get up resulted in even greater fatigue.

'A little nap shouldn't hurt...'

She had been rubbing herself against the smooth floor in painful agony and after a miserable blink of an eye she now not only felt completely recovered but her body was also taking a stand at attention surrounded by the rest of the bunnies as if they were waiting for a general to appear at the light of dawn to call the roll. 

There's a lot of context missing! Was her memory altered? It has to be to explain the huge mental gap, but what could be the cause?

*DING!*

Mid-thought, Sebun went blank and unable to overcome the strange block. In all her wisdom and experience, she was able to utter one single magnificent question that would be completely ignored by the rest of those present.

The investigation will have to be postponed until she find a moment of solitude, which will hopefully appear after she return from this mission that the voice tells her to do.

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When the entrance opened, Sebun squinted behind the mask to protect these from the intense light that poured in.

The neatly trimmed bushes surrounding the underground access point were conspicuous by their absence as two lines of rabbits marched in perfect synchrony through the much more arid surroundings.

While in the middle of the formation, Sebun took note of this discrepancy to see if the changeup pattern would be maintained upon her return.

A five-minute walk brought the adorable platoon to a run-down residential area, which is typically the kind of location they prefer to engage in the activities they're known for.

The sound of an intense battle began to be captured by thier long ears and Sebun would swear that the same thing happened to her despite being in disguise. Then both rows started talking to each other in that incomprehensible language of theirs and Sebun did her best to feign understanding every time the person next to her started saying "happy" nonstop.

Finally, the repetition of the only word they seemed to master led somewhere, and Sebun's group continued marching ahead, leaving the second in the rear.

'What is the meaning of this? Are they covering the retreat or are they the ones who kidnap children during the clashes?'

None of these boded well, either because she would not be able to sneak out to check on the temporarily unoccupied base or because of her inability to provide aid to the poor victims who would end up suffering from this slavery.

Discreetly clenching her fists to contain her anger, Sebun vowed to save them and bring them back to their families.

Balancing on the precarious front wall of the remains of an apartment, each bunny stood side by side where they had a perfect view of the two sides facing each other below.

Sebun wondered what they were doing up there until she remembered a second before the music started playing.

'Oh crap.'

As she feared, her arms and legs went on autopilot performing the choreography, demonstrating such ease that it was hard to believe this was only her second time doing it.

'No!' Sebun screamed in her mind as her body refused to show it physically. She must have looked ridiculous from the outside wearing that outfit. The only saving grace was the fact that since everyone dressed the same, it was impossible to recognize her. That her cheers were against the heroes only added insult to injury.

Reciting her identity and purpose helps her stay focused, but it takes a lot of effort to keep at it without letting the stimulation of dancing ruin the progress she's made.

In the time that her mind tried to form a defensive wall against the attacks on her personality, below her, the battle darkened for the side that didn't have bunnies performing motivational dances.

The sticky rhythm her limbs obeyed began to slow down, returning control to Sebun, who continued doing so a little longer out of sheer inertia until she registered the change of leadership.

She was so happy that the music was over that she didn't care who the winner was and was about to descend when she noticed the bunnies who had been staying on the sidelines start to move forward without waiting to regroup with the dancers.

'Doing not so adorable things, huh?'

Sebun glanced sideways at the other rabbits who had accompanied her and, finding them too distracted talking to the villains, she left them to return to the base.

No one was watching her, so she took advantage of the opportunity to move quickly and efficiently. However, as she passed behind the group that had taken another route, she couldn't help but stop and look at them.

'What are you doing?! You'll help them ALL faster as soon as you can get the information on mind control.'

There were no flaws in the logic, nor any reason to look for one. It was her own mind being logical, after all. But...

Sebun gritted her teeth and took a step.

Chapter Text

If there's one positive thing about this disguise, it's that it grants a momentary burst of energy that allows her to travel long distances before collapsing like a useless sack of potatoes. By the time she reach that limit, deactivating the transformation should be enough to avoid the knockback effect.

Thus, Sebun jumps over the rubble at a blinding speed after having made a brief detour to avoid being noticed by the kidnapping team that was coming right behind at a slower pace.

Yes. She was running on all fours and hopping like a rabbit. Best not to think too much about it while lives were at stake.

Voices, this time much more numerous and desperate, filled the air, but Sebun ignored them, heading to a quieter, devastated area where no rescue efforts were in sight.

The perfect mix for a bunch of bunnies to take as many children as they want without the usually ineffective forces of law being able to do anything about it.

'Not on my watch.'

Racing against time in more ways than one, Sebu searched through the half-demolished houses for survivors. As much as it hurt her, she had to abandon those who at least didn't appear to be of the age for which they would be kidnapped.

She was beginning to think that all the cases would fail to meet that specification and her inner self was scolding her for the waste of time that this was when a painful moan gained intensity from inside a clothing store across the street.

Driven by urgency, Sebun crosses the gap immediately by kicking the door off its hinges as part of her dramatic entrance.

"Where are you?! Please, come out!" Sebun shouted, letting her voice echo through the broken shelves and furniture.

"Over here."

Sebun's head spun so fast to the right that she could have easily broken her neck.

There, beneath a mountain of shoes and a shop window, a girl's long brown hair peeked out.

With most of the body hidden from view, it was unknown if there were any serious injuries to worry about.

The pressure of a person's life makes her more productive and Sebun rushed to help.

"I-" In her throat the phrase got stuck. A massive numbness accompanied the involuntary movement of her limbs.

Finding a suitable specimen. Submit and take to Happy Garden.

The sound of heels on the cracked floor and the daylight filtering through the door and bathing the bunny figure from behind gave the scene a sinister look.

With zero emotions on her masked face other than an artificial smile, the shadow of the happy bunny loomed over the trapped girl, whose head, unable to move, remained oblivious to the fact that the person in the same room as her had stopped being friendly.

The right arm came down to grab the brown scalp, but was stopped at the last second by the left. The previously expressionless mask now featured a frowning man with veins popping out on the little exposed skin on the face.

A reluctant step back. Then another, another and another until the unevenness of the sidewalk made her fall onto her butt in the traffic-free street.

"Tra-tra-" Her mouth struggled with pronunciation and body control simultaneously. If she focused too much on one, she'd lose her influence on the careless. At once, she unleashed everything she had in rapid succession.

"Transformation realease!"

Crystalline surfaces attached to the many buildings that were still standing reflected the sudden flash, revealing a girl without a mask and wearing a black schoolgirl uniform with a blue gradient at the edges.

Taking a deep breath to calm her racing pulse, Sebun watched her no longer gloved right hand open and close at her command.

"That was intense," she murmured, amazed at the effort invested despite being a trained hero. No wonder there have never been any defectors from the Happy Bunnies. They're literally prisoners in their own bodies!

She is experiencing it herself and would have to continue this farce a little longer.

'First prioritize civilians, then the mission.'

With that she returned to help the girl she left behind because of her brief breakdown. She carefully lifted the fallen piece of furniture, leaning it against the back wall, and then moved the mini mountain of shoes away. To her relief, the girl was unharmed, except for a few minor scrapes. The shoes likely helped cushion most of the damage.

The girl raised her head to see who her savior was and met Sebun's gaze.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here in a moment," Sebun said, smiling, winking her right eye. "Your local hero to the rescue, Pyon."

"Pyon?" Curious, the girl tilted her head in confusion at the unfamiliar heroic name.

And at that, Sebun deflates. Twice she opens her mouth. Twice she falls silent. As if the words she had in mind were too heavy for her to wield. Without further ado, she looked away while coughing into her left fist.

"It's nothing." Regaining her composure, Sebun turned around and squatted down. "Hop on my back so I can get you there faster."

The verbal slip wasn't questioned further as they sped off, and Sebun was grateful for that. She did a mental excavation of any other corruption that had managed to slip past the disguise. It was anything but easy, as it was difficult to realize that memories had been suppressed or, in the worst case, irretrievably erased.

What would happen to her if she took longer than expected with this undercover investigation? Upon finding the nearest police patrol, she handed the girl over to her care, not letting the worries that plague her be noticed.

Her duty done, Sebun bid a quick farewell and retraced her steps. She did this because it was the shortest route back to the underground base, and since she was sporting her heroic alter ego, the bunnies, who were surely already searching the ruins, would remain hidden for fear of being discovered.

It was the perfect setting for a straight, uninterrupted run that only had a brief pause midway through to reluctantly put her disguise back on and be the first to return to the burrow.

If there are cameras of some kind following her movements, she couldn't care less. The clock ticks down, and it has no mercy on the lazy.

Whether by luck or a rather intuitive interior design, Sebun quickly found the apparent mechanical room where a huge computer lay, its height touching the ceiling. Her eyes lifted way up to notice this, but immediately lowered these, focusing on how advanced the technology was that her computer skills would soon be facing.

After an intense and far from glorified battle, access to the information she had struggled so hard to obtain was open to her.

Performing a bouncy victory dance sounded very tempting, and that's why Sebun squashed it hard by identifying it as more manipulation.

Maintaining her focus, she opened file after file until she located the teleportation system she had deduced existed. According to the instructions, the coordinates must be entered along with a password, which she doesn't have, to send the entire complex to the new location.

So, she made a mess of everything that could be deleted with a click and then used the base's communications to contact the authorities, letting them know exactly where to send the troops.

With all the files her hands had wiped from existence, she hoped she had bought herself enough time to soon fill this cesspool of child abusers to the brim with armed officers and furious heroes.

It was during this noble purge that a specific file came to light showing the faces hidden behind the masks of the entire bunnies squad. However, that pales in comparison to the link to a very detailed report on the clothing they wear.

Silence hung in the air as Sebun reread for the fifth time in a row. At that moment, she became hyper-aware of herself and her surroundings. Her heart raced, beating at her chest like syncopated drums. Her breathing was just as frantic.

Seeking distraction, Sebun concentrated on her gloved left arm, still able to feel the hand beneath it. However, now that she was looking at it, she could notice how the material covering it was excessively tight, despite its animal-like appearance.

As an experiment, she lightly tapped the back of her left hand with the knuckles of her right hand. She didn't feel anything due to the padding of the gloves, but the sensations were changing in sporadic areas.

She clearly hadn't crossed the point of no return, but it was obvious she was the exception, if the reactions of the other abductees were any indication.

Would it even be possible to eliminate brainwashing? Nothing of the sort is mentioned in the report, although it's likely that whoever wrote it wasn't interested in conducting tests on it or revealing that there were any to begin with.

There was no choice but to extract the answers from this twisted mastermind or to adopt the approach of a painfully long recovery.

Footsteps began to echo nearby, and the damn mind-controlled ears Sebun has attached to the top of her head made her aware of it.

'Calm down,' Sebun told herself. 'Just a little longer until help arrives and I can get this off-'

*DING!*

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To the beat of the music, each bunny lifted their legs and wiggled their butts. Despite the hard day's work and the failure to recruit new members, this didn't discourage them from keeping fit.

There would always be more opportunities to entertain the masses and expand their ranks in the name of the future rabbit empire. That being the case, they couldn't falter at any moment and continued to give their all, regardless of the consequences.

And the cycle repeats itself, lasting for the rest of eternity.

*BOOM!*

The blackout was interrupted by a loud explosion and the entry of dozens of officers shouting orders to surrender.

Undoubtedly awake, the bunnies ran terrified to the safety of the labyrinthine sea of ​​corridors, but one of the heroes accompanying the police platoon raised a barrier covering the central tunnel that one had to pass through to reach the secondary ones.

It was a very effective bottleneck that caused the formation of a tight ball of adorableness, from which each bunnie was individually removed until it was completely dismantled.

While the facility was being searched, the children, dressed as animals, were placed in small, restraining cells to prevent them from harming themselves in an attempt to escape. Also known as plastic dog carriers; the best that the agents could prepare in such a short time after receiving the call.

Which raises the question of where the infiltrator who was instrumental in bringing down such a vile organization was. Considering that they weren't very selective about who entered the pink cages, it's safe to assume that she were in one of these.

But with everyone looking the same and panting profusely with their faces pressed against the metal mesh doors, it's very likely that Miss Sebun needs a lot of therapy to get out of character.