??? & Diamond Steele vs. Light in the Darkness (Amelia Blythe & La Pequena Luz)

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: A couple of things... first off, this was just about finished by the time EOTY was posted, but I have gone back and added a few things to acknowledge happenings on that show since I had the time to do so prior to deadline. Also, chronologically, this CD would follow my CD effort for Ivy Plume for the open invitational and acknowledge what happened in that piece, so it might be a necessary read to bridge a few gaps. On one final note... happy birthday to me.
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If Luz and Amelia could describe 2023 in one word, it would be chaotic.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, considering how much it had kept them on their toes both for better and for worse which helped them constantly adapt to ever-changing scenarios that were growing more difficult as time went on.

Their ultimate goal for 2023 after returning to SCW was to really put themselves on the map and prove that not only were they here to stay this time, but that they could rise to the challenge that SCW presented them and show the world that management was not misled about what they were capable of when they were first signed years ago before injuries and plummeting self-confidence derailed them. In hindsight, they could say they'd succeeded in that goal between their respective Television Title runs, especially with Luz's current reign still going strong, Amelia making the finals of a tournament for the then-vacant U.S. Championship that included eliminating the woman who currently held that title, and two World Tag Team Title opportunities that had both resulted in match of the year contenders, with the second attempt being the one where they'd finally broken through that glass ceiling together and could now rightfully say they stood atop that mountain. The fact that they had come out of the End of the Year Special earlier tonight being voted as the Tag Team of the Year was effectively the cherry on top of it all.

There had certainly been a few hiccups along the way, though. Both women had to contend once more with crises of self-confidence, Luz when it started to seem like Amelia was pulling away as the more successful singles star of the tandem while she was struggling to even notch a solo victory and Amelia after the accident with James Evans that had thoroughly rattled her and even played into her struggles throughout the remainder of that tournament. They also made the decision to practically exile themselves from Tag Title contention following their failed first attempt at winning the belts, wanting to prove they were ready in the eyes of the then-champions before feeling comfortable pursuing them once more, and that also said nothing of the bumps, bruises and minor injuries they'd sustained along the way.

Matters outside the ring had somehow been a more hectic affair then things inside the squared circle, and all the blame for that could be placed squarely on The Empire. What had started off as simply knowing the group existed as a wrestling stable back in the Britain area where they'd built part of their careers because they wanted a piece of the couple had ultimately spiraled into a twisted fight for survival that had cost them sleep, training time, a sense of safety... so much, in all honesty. How it went from being a wrestling matter that may have never been acknowledged or ended up resolved in fairly straightforward fashion to one giant game of lies, manipulation and even threats both on their lives and to upend them altogether still baffled the girls and everyone around them to this day, but they knew it all revolved around the cryptic and deranged zealot Caleb White... a man who had, unknowingly to Luz and Amelia, had a vital role to play in how they both developed into who they were today and felt entitled to some sense of control over their lives because of it. Gaslighting his followers into helping him spread that toxicity to the public by trying to tarnish Luz's reputation with an imposter or erase Amelia's sexuality with claims of a wedding that she wanted no part in, making deals with Amelia's parents to try and lay some sort of claim to her before she was even born, being responsible in some fashion for the loss of so many lives including Luz's father... there was no low that Caleb wouldn't sink to in his quest to be recognized as the 'savior of humanity' and get everything he felt should come with that belief.

In the face of all this adversity, however, Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz had powered through and made one hell of a statement: no matter how hard you may try to knock them down, they will not stay down and will keep coming back stronger than ever.

If that was what 2023 had thrown at them, they couldn't help but wonder what 2024 would have in store.

At the very top of the list for things they hoped for in the new year was an end to all this madness regarding Caleb and his Empire. If they were to be honest, Amelia and Luz would fully admit that it was constantly taking a Herculean amount of inner strength to continue wrestling at their absolute best without any obvious signs of the wear and tear they were still enduring because of all of Caleb's plots and schemes to get them in his clutches by any means necessary. They were used to blocking out the mental toll of outside problems while in the ring given how little time they had to rest at one point in their careers through regularly competing in both Europe and Mexico, sometimes with the bookings within mere days of each other, but that didn't mean they were infallible. Luz's consistent booking so long as she was Television Champion meant there truly was no rest for the weary, but the couple wanted to hope that Caleb had severely underestimated the sheer willpower that always kept them moving forward if he was hoping he could burn them out to create the opening he needed to strike. The fact that, either through their own planning or the assistance of everyone around them who had become a sort of found family in the past year, they had managed to outwit The Empire at every turn had created a safety net they hoped would ultimately drive home the fact that Caleb just wasn't destined to get anything he wanted at the end of it all.

The only thing he truly deserved was to rot in a prison cell for the rest of his days.

As the remaining time in 2023 ticked away, Luz and Amelia had resolved to simply enjoy this holiday with their loved ones and celebrate all the highs of the past year while trying to remain optimistic about the next one. With the End of the Year Special now in the books, that meant using the time to happily reflect on all they'd accomplished in this past year and celebrate the strong showing Ivy had in the open invitational match, making it clear to their friend that this was concrete proof she was ready for the next level. Part of them hoped SCW would recognize that and sign her to a contract, but even if that didn't end up happening quite yet there was a firm belief that so many more doors would open for her now to companies just like SCW who would give anything to have an athlete of Ivy's caliber on their roster.

Regardless, it was a night to celebrate and step into the new year together, ready to embrace all that 2024 would have to offer them. That meant a rare moment where everyone could simply relax and enjoy themselves without the looming threat of The Empire hanging over their heads, especially now that they'd lost one of their key members in Aleister Blythe and knew that both the FBI and the NCA were trying to take them down. That alone had been a huge blow to their recruitment efforts once that had gone public, and it had been a little over two weeks since they'd dealt with the cult in any way, allowing them to embrace the serenity of this moment and just spend time with the people who mattered to them on this night in Toronto before it was back to work.

“Oh, come on!” Marilyn whined as she held out the bottle, looking a little wobbly on her feet before Camila grabbed her so she didn't fall over. “One drink's not going to kill you. We're ringing in the new year! You can let go of the 'good girl' act for one night!”

“We're no strangers to drinking, Marilyn,” Luz scoffed from her seat at the table in this little room they had managed to rent from the hotel to accommodate everyone to ring in the new year. “Amelia and I just don't want to risk anything since we're defending our Tag Titles later this week.”

“Better safe than sorry since we asked for this and want to start the new year off strong,” Amelia added with a nod.

“A responsible decision, if you ask me,” Camila chimed in, ignoring Marilyn's annoyed glare. “Besides, better that my bebé and her fiancée not be involved if I'm going to drink you under the table, Miss Clauson.”

“Is that so?” Marilyn countered, and it wasn't long before the two of them moved to a nearby table to start slamming down shots... Marilyn had originally offered up the bottle of wine she'd been trying to offer Luz and Amelia, but Camila raised the stakes to tequila and Luz could only watch in shock as her mom proved to be a woman of her word.

“I didn't know mom could hold her alcohol so well...” Valentina mumbled in surprise.

“Truth be told... she ended up drinking a fair bit after dad died,” Luz sadly admitted. “I can't really blame her... she at least never drank enough that it affected her job or turned her into some sort of alcoholic monster, but I guess one good thing that came out of it was a ridiculous tolerance to tequila especially.”

“So no challenging your mom to a drinking contest,” Edward chirped as he raised a glass of wine. “Got it.”

“Edward,” Amelia hissed, shooting her brother a glare before Luz placed a comforting hand on her shoulder to let her know it was alright. It took a moment, but Amelia eventually took a deep breath and let it go. “So, Luz... who do you think we can expect to see standing by Diamond's side on Breakdown this week?”

“Crystal wouldn't surprise me,” Luz admitted, and there were a few nods of approval from their friends.

“They do seem pretty tight,” Gage noted. “Especially with whatever they're doing with that Enigma freak. I think that might be her best bet to try and knock you ladies off.”

“There has been those rumors about The Enigma wanting to be her partner instead, though,” Emily noted, and Amelia noted her sister's concern right away.

“If that does end up being the case, we'll face that challenge head-on all the same,” she confidently stated. “We're making Diamond actually earn this victory the right way this time if that's how this all plays out, regardless of whoever her partner is.”

“And even if she does team with The Enigma and there's some legit supernatural stuff going on,” Luz tacked on, “which would be really cool, just saying—I doubt whatever he can do would compare to half the stuff we've already had to endure because of that lunatic Caleb.”

“That actually reminds me!” Ivy chimed in before Luz and Amelia could take the idea of an actual supernatural phenomenon and fall into a tangent like she knew they might given how much that topic seemed to deeply interest both of them, drawing all eyes to her. “I... might have bumped into Henry a few days ago while I was working out...”

“WHAT!?” the rest of the group collectively shouted.

“You didn't think to fill us in on that!?” Luz yelled.

“Did he try anything? Did he bring any goons?” Amelia quickly asked, but those were the only two questions she got out before Ivy cut her off with a raise of her hand that simply asked for a moment to organize her thoughts.

“He was alone,” she started off with, “and he just wanted to talk.”

From there, Ivy recounted the entirety of the brief encounter she'd had with The Empire's Golden Prodigy, revealing that Caleb had somehow been keeping their group under constant surveillance to track their movements when trying to plan his next moves, a thought that unnerved everybody and led to a group mental note to double check all their electronics before they left Toronto tomorrow. She also told them of how Henry had been doing his own quiet investigation into what they'd revealed to him and confirmed that they'd been telling the truth, along with the expectation that she would actually need to hurt him just to keep up the illusion that he was 'actually' there to abduct her which deeply concerned all of them even though she made it clear she didn't have to or even wanted to do that. The fact that Caleb was currently preoccupied with trying to weed out any traitors and double agents within his own ranks gave them hope that his justified paranoia would keep him busy for a while and they could all continue enjoying this period of peace.

“So he's going to try playing double agent himself and feed us information?” Luz finally asked once Ivy had finished, getting a nod in response.

“Even though he knows how risky that is, especially considering who he is to Caleb?” Amelia also asked.

“I tried to talk him out of it,” Ivy admitted, “but he seemed hellbent on doing this. He honestly believes  he's safer having Caleb think he's still in line than willingly coming with us and giving his uncle a greater reason to come after us.”

“I really hate to say it, but I can understand his logic,” Valentina nervously admitted as everyone turned their attention to her. “I think you guys took the right approach in treating his situation like you did mine and showed him a kindness I don't think he's ever known before. Thing is... he knows Caleb even better than I ever did, and he's definitely been through so much more at his hands. I think the only reason I got out relatively unscathed was because of all the work Luz and Amelia put into snapping my chains... that and me not really having a use to him anymore...”

“Henry would definitely still have use to him though,” Gage growled, “considering he's family and all... even though we all know what Caleb did.”

“I really don't like the idea of him trying to martyr himself for us just to keep Caleb from making things worse than they already are,” Ivy lamented. “That said... he also mentioned that Caleb has some 'big plans' for 2024. Apparently Caleb's kept the details all to himself, especially if he now knows he's got some moles in The Empire, but whatever he's planning, Henry knows it's something huge and will supposedly get him everything he's been after.”

“Well that doesn't sound ominous,” Edward lightly joked.

“Then we should enjoy this peace while we can and hope the help we've got is enough to buy us time,” Amelia stated.

“Agreed,” Luz joined in. “We definitely need to pass this along to that Darius guy and Marilyn's FBI contact. Maybe even see if Ryan's willing to help us out again and dig up whatever Caleb's planning?”

There were nods of agreement as a plan slowly started to form, especially if they knew Henry was willing to help them from the inside—as uncomfortable as that thought made all of them given the implications of what Caleb was capable of to even his own followers. Things at least seemed to settle down regarding fears of The Empire for the night as midnight drew closer and a more relaxing atmosphere seemed to settle in, everyone but Luz and Amelia (who continued to abstain) and Marilyn (who'd gotten absolutely smashed) getting comfortably buzzed as the prospect of a new year and hopes that maybe, just maybe, they could cut this Empire cancer out of their lives once and for all.

“Everyone! You need to see this!”

Everyone's attention turned to the doors to the room as Lily burst in, looking frantic as she pointed to her phone with mere minutes to go until 2023 was over.

“Lily, we all know the ball's gonna drop shortly,” Marilyn mumbled as she almost looked ready to pass out after Camila had finally made her stop before she caused herself any harm from drinking too much.

“Is that the sound of Marilyn Clauson drunk beyond all rational comprehension? Truly a sad sight that I wish I could say surprised me.”

It was almost as if a chill had settled into the room at the sound of a familiar voice that immediately sucked all the life out of the final moments of the year. That disturbing voice and its hauntingly calm tone almost immediately sobered Marilyn up as she snapped her head in her sister's direction, with everyone else quickly getting out of their seats and crowding around Lily as she tilted her phone to reveal a video call with none other than Caleb White. There was a split screen that also showed Darius and some of his men as part of this call as well, but Caleb was the only one who looked eerily composed at the moment, almost as though he was feeding on the tension from the stares he was receiving from the other ends of this call.

“How the hell...?” Camila started to ask.

“I was on a video call with Darius discussing something before I joined you all,” Lily explained.

“And then our video call got an unexpected visitor,” Darius growled. “You do know we can-”

“Trace this conversation to find me?” Caleb chuckled. “You can certainly try, Darius. Very clever of you to infiltrate my Empire the way you did, by the way. It certainly made for a rather messy affair of making sure everyone is truly dedicated to my cause now.”

“What do you want?” Amelia angrily cut in, which didn't do anything to wipe the smirk from Caleb's lips.

“Amelia... a shame that you are so insistent on this sinful way of life that you not only missed your own wedding but also saw fit to have your own father arrested.” Caleb responded, unnerving everyone with how little he seemed fazed by any of it. “No matter... all will be made right in the world in the new year.”

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Luz warned him.

“Oh, I expect you two, in particular, to have plenty to say about that.” Caleb's grin widened. “I'm actually looking forward to what the new year brings for us in terms of our little game.”

“No more games,” Darius warned the zealot.

“I wasn't talking to you,” Caleb scoffed. “Although, I did want to discuss something with the NCA, and I suppose now is as good a time as any. I was hoping to discuss a little deal-”

“Not happening,” Darius immediately cut him off.

“How rude,” Caleb shrugged it off immediately. “Especially when you seem to have no consideration for the life you're putting at risk.”

That got everyone's attention as they watched Caleb walk off to the side a bit, whoever was filming his end of the call carefully following him until they watched him step behind a body that was tied to a chair and had his mouth taped shut. As Caleb grabbed a fistful of the man's hair and lifted his head up, there were audible gasps from the group as they took in the familiar face of Ryan Lumis, who's eyes widened in panic as he tried to say something, only for it to be muffled by the tape.

“Poor Mr. Lumis here.” Caleb slowly shook his head. “Once upon a time, I had hired him to help me with a little project. I'm sure you remember that project quite well, don't you Valentina?”

The former adopted daughter of this madman just growled in response as Luz put a comforting hand on her shoulder, though she and Amelia still held the strongest death glare out of everyone watching Caleb right now.

“It's a shame that he suddenly began to believe his sense of morality was wrong while working for me,” he continued. “He could have truly done some good in this world...”

“What do you want?” Darius snapped, which only drew more chuckles out of Caleb.

“Finally willing to listen?” he asked. “Fair enough... I'm willing to make a little trade. If this lost cause of an investigator is so valuable to you, then I will give him back, safe and sound, in exchange for the release of Aleister Blythe.”

“Are you crazy!?” Amelia screamed. “After he took some of your goons and held us at gunpoint!?”

“Careful Amelia,” Caleb warned. “He is your father after all, and you really should respect your elders... especially since I know than Mr. Lumis here has been such a valuable asset to this false case you've been trying to build against me.”

“Hardly false when all the evidence lines up against you,” Marilyn spat.

“In the eyes of the Lord, I have done no wrong,” Caleb preached without a hint of irony or sarcasm. “He is the one true judge of us all, and no court of tainted mortals could ever truly understand His divine will.”

“Is that why you wanted to talk?” Luz asked. “Looking to make a deal for Amelia's dad's release and trying to act like you've finally gotten one over on us?”

“I was simply taking advantage of an opportunity while it just so happened to present itself,” Caleb replied. “The real reason I reached out, despite all the attempts from my former follower who sadly never found her way to begin with, was to wish you all a happy new year. After all... it will be a year of unity, and the two of you will be a proud part of the cleansing of not only the wrestling business, but all of mankind as well. And before you consider telling me otherwise, ask yourself this: are you willing to risk the life of another human being by continuing to defy me? For the sake of the holidays, I will give the authorities one week to consider my deal. After that... well... Ryan's fate may be up to Luz and Amelia. Consider all of that as we bid 2023 goodbye.”

Caleb's end of the video call cut out before anyone could respond, just in time with the clock striking midnight and 2024 officially beginning. As everyone outside began to celebrate the coming of a new year, Luz and Amelia along with their found family exchanged looks of concern and disgust, knowing that Caleb had unfortunately succeeded in both ruining the celebratory moment and giving them a lot to be concerned about for the new year that was upon them.

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One of the many beautiful places to visit in Toledo, Ohio is the Toledo Museum of Art, an incredible spectacle known throughout the world for the creative works it houses. We happen to see tons of people touring through the building in awe of the art all around them, the atmosphere of the building a welcoming one full of so much life and passion. After a moment, we find ourselves in one very specific section of the museum, dubbed the Glass Pavilion both because of its world-renowned glass art collection and the curbed glass walls that blur the lines between interior and exterior spaces. It's here that we find the familiar faces of our 2023 Tag Team of the Year, Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz, both dressed in very nice but still casual attire that gives off the implication that they may be out on a date together. This is further cemented as we see Amelia lean her head onto Luz's shoulder after the two exchange a soft kiss as they take in the beautiful sight in front of them. After a moment, though, Luz subtly nods her head in our direction and Amelia follows her gaze before the two of them exchange smiles and turn to assume a more professional demeanor in front of us, the sight of their World Tag Team Championship belts around their waists revealing that they may have been expecting us and don't seem to mind the interruption. Luz's Television Championship is notably nowhere to be seen, potentially to put any doubts to rest about her being able to shift her focus with a week off from that title to focus on her other one.

“¡Feliz año nuevo! Amelia and I hope all of you had a merry Christmas and rang in the new year with high hopes of whatever the future may hold. We also hope you all enjoyed SCW's End of the Year Special, and we'd like to publicly shout out our best friend Ivy Plume for her performance in the open invitational. I'm willing to say this publicly so the whole world knows: Ivy, you kicked butt, girl, and hopefully that helps prove to both you and anyone who still doubts you what kind of force of nature you truly are and that you're definitely more than ready to step up to the big leagues if SCW or anyone else is willing to draw up the contract.”

“Maybe you guys think we should be focusing on other matters, but just like all the glass surrounding us right now in this pavilion, we've always preferred to be completely transparent with our feelings and believe it's only right to praise our best friend for her efforts and help remind her of what she's capable of so she can keep pushing forward and becoming the kind of wrestler she wants to be. On the subject of transparency though... we know full well that there's a couple of people who aren't very happy with us right now, and we understand why. I mean, the European Fiery Nation apparently didn't like that we weren't about to let them brutalize a man who'd just gone through a fight with mi amor for her Television Championship—even if we weren't too keen on how he carries himself either—and saw fit to attack us as well, perhaps hoping that Dakon and Ludvig might be able to insert their names into the Tag Title discussion that way. Beyond that, we know the likes of Dark Fantasy and Twisted & Sadistic weren't too keen on the little Christmas gift we decided to hand out last Breakdown, but I can promise both of those teams this isn't a slight against them.”

“We have our reasons for doing exactly what we did, and we'll elaborate on them shortly. Simply put, we know Ravyn's made no secret of Dark Fantasy wanting a rematch for these titles, and we do acknowledge all the effort that Glory and Brittany have been putting in to get that shot. We're not playing games, we're not ducking anybody... we want to face both teams, no matter what form that takes. We want to face Dakon and Ludvig at some point if that's what it takes to teach them a lesson. The one thing that matters to us above all else as SCW's World Tag Team Champions is doing our part to further elevate the level of competition that these titles deserve, whether it be our willingness to face anyone and everyone who wants a shot or encouraging others to step up and take that shot no matter what form that takes. Maybe we could encourage new teams to be formed, rivals to set aside their differences and find common ground in the pursuit of something greater, give teams already in the hunt that extra motivation to push harder so that way when they get that title match with us we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we're getting their absolute best. Not only is that how we're going to do our part, no matter how long this title reign lasts, to help keep tag team wrestling at the forefront of everyone's minds heading into this new year, but it's also how we're going to keep pushing ourselves to get better and rise to that challenge so we can make this reign a long and prosperous one for ourselves and for SCW.”

At this point, Amelia takes a step forward, stopping to look at Luz in reassurance that whatever she's about to do is alright with her partner. Luz simply smiles and nods, quietly saying something that we pick up on but recognize as Spanish before she takes a step back, allowing Amelia to be front and center and have the focus all to herself for the moment. Considering how things got to this point in the first place and thinking back to something Luz said the last time she stood before us, it's easy to understand why Amelia may be about to get quite a lot off her chest.

“Diamond Steele... during Fatal Fortunes, you got what could arguably be considered an extremely lucky draw. You got the chance to team with the reigning U.S. Champion, a woman I've gladly gone to war with and someone I know will always push me to my limits and vice versa, but more importantly, you were essentially handed a handicap match because my drawn partner didn't show up due to what we now know as miscommunication and confusion on management's end. You could've done the fair thing and allowed Luz to step up and team with me in her place, which she gladly would've done even with the foresight of knowing her TV Title defense was the very next match and a non-title win over both Tag Team Champions would certainly look much better on your resume. You could've even respected the wishes of your own partner and simply let the two of us face off which could've still resulted in you technically earning a win. You did neither of those things, deciding instead to not only refuse both options but even jump me while we were still trying to figure out what was going on and even getting in the cheap shot that led to me being pinned... an act that you proceeded to celebrate like you'd just won the World Championship. I get it, being on a losing streak sucks and the longer it goes the more desperate you become to right the ship.

One important thing you need to know about Luz and I, though, is that we've never been one to take losses like that lying down.

We're two people who operate under the mindset of resolving wrestling problems in a wrestling ring, and you gave us a wrestling problem to resolve because we've both been through this song and dance before. You view this as a major win over a reigning champion, and the bragging rights and endless claims of what you've 'accomplished' are never far behind. We both know full well that the resulting ego isn't warranted, but if you're going to insist that you 'beat' me, then it's only fair I give you a chance to truly put your money where your mouth is. If Diamond Steele is truly better than Amelia Blythe, then here's an opportunity to actually earn it. No tricks, no cheap shots, just you giving me your absolute best to prove that this win you want to brag about was truly no fluke... or the result of fate being extremely kind to you on that night at my expense.

If I'm going to keep being completely transparent here, then I suppose it's only fair to let you know that Luz and I were fully willing to put these titles that mean so much to us on the line as bait, in a sense. I know how someone in your position operates Diamond. If I'd have simply walked up to you and challenged you to a one-on-one match, I know you would've turned it down because you've 'already proven' something we both know isn't fully accurate. So, we approached CHBK and pitched this match to him, offering you and a partner of your choosing this opportunity under the premise of you earning it with that big win over me, which isn't entirely a lie. Maybe it's a bit... petty of us to have done that, but it still plays into what we want to do as World Tag Team Champions because these titles are going to be defended against a team that hasn't had that opportunity before, and we've given you all the incentive in the world to truly step up and show us everything that you've got because if there's any truth to the claims you want to make, then now is the perfect time to prove it and shake up the landscape of SCW right out of the gate in this new year. Show me the Diamond Steele who is supposedly able to beat Amelia Blythe at the top of her game and looking to only get better with each passing match. Show the world that if you can beat one-half of the World Tag Team Champions, then surely you and your chosen partner have what it takes to overcome both of us.”

It's at this point that Luz steps up and places a hand on Amelia's shoulder, comforting her and offering the chance to calm down and collect her thoughts after relieving herself of that burden that's been weighing on her shoulder for weeks now. She even leans over and kisses Amelia on the cheek, earning a grateful and relieved smile in response as Amelia takes a deep breath while Luz takes over.

“We could've handled this in a number of ways Diamond, but we decided to be nice and offer you this huge opportunity because we truly want to see if you can back up all this newfound confidence of yours that was earned through tainted means. We've given you everything you could ever ask for: a chance to choose the best possible partner, an opportunity to start 2024 by walking out of Toledo as a champion... the double-edge to this sword, however, is that we've also given you no room for excuses if you don't make the most of this opportunity. This is your chance to truly prove that you are better than Amelia, better than me, better than a team that scratched and clawed and fought tooth and nail for an entire year to get to where we are now. When those lights are the brightest and the stakes are so high, you have to ask yourself Diamond: is the best of you and whoever you've been preparing for this match with truly good enough to snuff out The Light In The Darkness? Do you have what it takes to stop us when we've honestly been on one of the biggest rolls we've ever been on throughout our entire careers? I ask this sincerely because this time Diamond... there will be no jumping us right out of the gate, there will be no unfair advantage to exploit, there is nothing but the skills of you and your partner that is going to win you this match, and we have to wonder...”

“Realizing the situation we've welcomed you into and the fact that we're only going to come out of this match even better for the next challenge that awaits us, regardless of the outcome... was it worth it to desperately grab that tainted win and act like the end of this long losing streak of yours was worth the few weeks you got to stand on top of the world? I hate to say it Diamond, but the harsh reality that Luz and I have learned time and time again in this business is that one win doesn't make your career or truly change your destiny... it's only the beginning of a long and winding road to get to where you truly want to be. We were kind enough to give you this title shot, but don't mistake our kindness for weakness, because this is where your real challenge begins.”

“Especially when we see this match as just another challenge to adapt to so the rest of SCW, especially the tag division, knows what kind of champions they're hunting. We won these titles after going through a war with arguably the greatest tag team in SCW history, we survived the unpredictability of Fatal Fortunes even with the added challenge of knowing we'd be booked multiple times over the course of those two weeks... now we knowingly face the unknown once again because you've kept your partner a secret and likely will continue to do so right up until the bell rings, but even knowing we gave you that advantage, that's the only advantage we've offered you this time around. Choose whoever you want, from a trusted ally you know you can work well with in someone like Crystal Zdunich, to any of the other champions in SCW or simply someone who would love to help you just to watch us fall... maybe you even embrace the request of this figure known as The Enigma wanting to be your partner instead of your enemy, hoping that all his talk of endless darkness will be enough to prove our namesake wrong.”

“Whoever you decide to go with, we simply ask that you and that partner give us nothing less than your absolute best. Give us a fight worthy of backing up all that celebrating you've done in the wake of your 'win' over me Diamond... perhaps, if you watch us leave Toledo, Ohio with these titles still around our waist after weathering this storm, you'll finally realize that you can only go so far relying on what got you that Fatal Fortunes victory, and maybe then there will be hope for the self-reflection that finally turns everything around for you.

It just won't be at our expense again.”

At that, both women nod as Luz reaches her arm over to rub her partner's back, trying to ease some of the tension as they begin to walk away and resume their date, wanting to ensure they're in a truly healthy mindset when Breakdown begins and they have the opportunity to kick off 2024 on the right foot. As we fade out, we're left with the knowledge of just how determined these two women are to be the kind of flag bearers worthy of leading SCW's tag team division, no matter what challenge is thrown their way or they welcome of their own accord.