//------------------------------// // Magic 6: パラスプライト // Story: 友達は魔法少女 ~FRIENDSHIP IS MAGICAL GIRLS~ // by MythrilMoth //------------------------------// "You wanted to see us noso?" Sunset Shimmer sat in her usual chair, but the room was darker than usual; Snips and Snails couldn't see her at all. "I need the two of you to keep Twilight Sparkle and her little friends busy," she said. The boys looked at one another. "Uhh...you want us to kidnap their families choki?" "We can't go after Twilight Velvet again noso. We used up all the Chaos Mist we stole—" "No more attacks on their families," Sunset said. "Using Twilight Velvet as bait was the most direct way to draw out Twilight Sparkle, but it's better to keep a low profile for now. The less attention we attract, the better." She sighed. "Celestia knows I'm in this city now. No doubt she'll send hunters." "But...you're immortal noso," Snails said. "You're one of the most notorious criminals in the history of Sun Island! You're seriously worried about—" A fireball slammed into Snails, knocking him across the room. "I can't afford any pointless battles with Celestia's soldiers!" Sunset roared. "Twilight Sparkle and her friends...weakened me somehow. My regeneration magic is..." She sighed and snapped her fingers. The lights came up. Snips and Snails stared at the scarred, battered form of Sunset Shimmer. "Holy shit noso." "You look like hell choki." "No, really? I hadn't noticed," Sunset said venomously. "Until I'm able to recover from my battle with those girls...I'm not taking any chances. Until I'm back at full strength, with my beauty restored, I'd rather not have any unwelcome visits." The boys looked at one another. "So...what do you want us to do noso?" Sunset's hand glowed, and a jagged black crystal appeared. She tossed it to Snips, who caught it easily. "You two washouts should have enough magic between you to keep summoning low-level Changelings using this. Just...keep that little bitch and her friends worn out." She smirked. "If you can, try to kill at least one of them." Snips grinned. "You can count on us choki." Sunset snorted. "Count on you? Please. You two are pathetic. But you're all I've got to work with. Now get out of here." The room plunged into darkness again. Magic 6: パラスプライト To the relief of the three exhausted mahoushoujo, Saturday was a half-day of school. "Man, I tellya," Rainbow said, arms crossed behind her head as she left the building with Twilight and Pinkie, "a boring Classical Lit lecture after what we went through last night? Not my idea of fun." "Is a Classical Lit lecture ever your idea of fun?" Pinkie asked. Rainbow made a show of thinking about it. "Nah." "Me neither," Pinkie said. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Twilight said. "I found it rather fascinating! In fact, most of the literary works referenced in the text are books I've never read! I'm sure they're in stock at the bookstore..." She adjusted her glasses. "Maybe I'll spend some time reading this weekend." "Shouldn't you be on, like, patrol or somethin'?" Rainbow asked. Twilight waved a hand dismissively. "Something tells me we won't be hearing from Sunset Shimmer for a while. You saw what happened to her after the fight. That impossibly fast healing of hers...broke somehow." "Yeah, she did look...kinda like somebody who shouldn't be walking around half-naked," Pinkie said, shuddering. "Unless I miss my guess, she's going to need time to recover, and probably isn't going to come after us again until then." Twilight smiled. "So I'm going to spend this weekend relaxing. Of course, if something does come up...we'll be ready. Right?" "Yeah we will!" Rainbow cheered. "We're awesome!" "We could be more awesome," Pinkie said. "My Pinkie Sense is telling me we got really lucky last night." She frowned. "Funny, it's also telling me Twilight-chan should hide right now—" "Sparkle-san!" a voice called out. A long, silky-smooth arm with perfectly manicured fingernails coiled itself around Twilight's neck. "Could I have a moment of your time, please?" "—and I was right," Pinkie said. Twilight jerked free from the arm, spun around...and saw Rarity. She straightened, smoothed her skirt, and cleared her throat. "Senpai," she greeted cordially. "I didn't see you after school yesterday," Rarity said in a lightly scolding, singsong tone. "Trust me, you really do want my assistance in improving your performing costume..." Twilight blanched. "Anou..." "She'll have to pass," Rainbow said. "Our, uh, manager's pretty strict about wardrobe." "Yeah," Pinkie said, nodding rapidly. "Twilight-chan has a very specific role in our group." "She does?" Rarity asked, arching an eyebrow. "Well yeah! Can't you tell?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, look at her!" She seized Twilight's arms, waving them up and down, then pulled a lock of her hair out to the side, and finally pointed to her glasses. "She's the shy, withdrawn bookworm who doesn't say much and spends all her time studying, but she's secretly a sexy closet dominatrix!" Pinkie nodded frantically, arms folded. "She's very important fanservice for people who like sexy nerd girls." Twilight blushed furiously. "Pinkie-san! Mou...!" "I see," Rarity said with a small, mildly disapproving frown. "Well then. If you should ever change your mind...my door is always open, as it were..." She marched stiffly past the three girls, tossing her hair. "Yikes," Rainbow said. Twilight grabbed Pinkie's hair and tugged on it. "I'm what now?" she hissed. "Calm down, Twilight-chan!" Pinkie said. "It was just to get rid of nosy Rarity!" "But did you have to take it that far? That was humiliating!" Pinkie giggled and stuck out her tongue. "There's nothing wrong with being fanservice! I do it for a living!" She bounced on her heels to emphasize her statement (as well as her impressive bust). Twilight facepalmed. "Just...no," she said. Rainbow snickered. "Well, I'm off. You girls wanna do something later?" "I have to do a podcast this afternoon, but I'm free tomorrow," Pinkie said. "Maybe we could do karaoke?" "Pass," Rainbow said. "I'm not a big fan of singing." Pinkie shrugged. "Well, if you think of something, just call me." She waved and walked off. "Seeya later Twi," Rainbow said, walking in a different direction. Once they were gone, Twilight giggled and walked lightly home. "Okay, they're weird, but I'm glad I met them...my friends." With a warm, sunny smile, Twilight returned to the bookstore. * * * * * Snips looked down at the tiny, pathetic creature that sat in the middle of the summoning circle. "What the choki?!" Snails picked up a black book engraved with archaic blood-red runes and skimmed through it. "Hmm...it's..." His eyes widened. He peered at the creature they'd summoned, then back at the book. An evil grin split his face. "Hey Snips...check this out noso." Snips snatched the book and skimmed the passage Snails had been reading. His bushy eyebrows drew together. He let out a sinister chuckle. "This is perfect choki!" "Yeah, just wait until Sunset Shimmer sees what's about to happen to Pony City noso..." The boys chuckled darkly as the creature in the circle looked back and forth between them, a politely puzzled expression on its face, its tiny wings buzzing. * * * * * Twilight had just finished changing clothes and headed down to the bookstore to look for something new to read when Spike walked in through the front door. "Hey Spike, have a good day?" "Eh, I guess," Spike said with a shrug. "So, are we doing anything with titless and the cute pink girl this weekend?" "Spike! Stop calling Rainbow-san that!" Twilight chided. "And we might be doing something tomorrow...I don't really know yet." "Cool. I wanna come with. I haven't really had much of a chance to talk to that pink girl yet, and she's really cute. I hope you make more friends with boobs as awesome as hers." Twilight sighed. "You know, if you ever actually want to get anywhere with a girl, you've got to stop being so...you," she said. "Get anywhere?" Spike said, frowning. "I'm not looking to get anywhere with a girl, I just want to ogle. And maybe cop a feel." "If you feel up Pinkie-san, I will erase your hands from existence. And possibly something else," Twilight threatened. "Yeah, yeah," Spike said dismissively. "So have you made any more new friends?" "I was too tired to think about making friends today," Twilight said. "Besides, it was a half day. The only girl I even talked to other than Rainbow-san and Pinkie-san was..." "Yes?" Spike asked, leaning forward with interest. "A ridiculously prissy girl obsessed with clothes who thinks my mahoushoujo outfit looks trashy," Twilight said. "Trashy?" Spike asked incredulously. "Heck no! You look so incredibly hot in that." He started to drool slightly. "UGH!" Twilight groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Must you constantly creep me out?!" Spike grinned. "Making you squirm is my favorite hobby," he said. "You're just so cute when you're all flustered, I can't help myself!" Twilight blushed. "Will you just...be somewhere else? Anywhere else?" Spike chuckled. "Yeah yeah. I'm gonna grab a snack, I'm starving." He headed into the back and upstairs. Twilight groaned. "One of these days, I'm gonna kill that little pervert," she muttered. A light laugh made her turn around. Her mother smiled at her, eyes twinkling. "He wouldn't go out of his way to annoy you if he didn't care. You're his most important person in the world." She patted Twilight on the shoulder. "You may not be his sister by birth, but not even blood could make you closer. And you know you love him like a little brother." Twilight sighed. "Yeah, I know," she said. "It's the only reason I put up with his obnoxious perverted habits." She clenched her fists and bowed her head. "WHY did he have to pick such a stupid vice to power his magic?" Velvet smirked. "You mean you don't know? He picked it because of you." Twilight's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" Velvet chuckled. "Spike's always looked up to you as a big sister, but...he's also always had a crush on you. And once you began to blossom into the beautiful young woman you are now, well...he noticed." She smiled. "His feelings for you are what made him choose the vice of lust. You make him strong in many ways. With your love and support as a sister, with the way you work together as a team, and even with your beautiful body to give him the strength to protect you." Twilight stared at her mother, mouth slightly open. "Are you serious?" At her mother's nod, she looked down. "I...don't know how to feel about that." "Feel loved," Velvet said, hugging her daughter. "Just feel loved." She paused, tilted her head, and added, "And I guess a little creeped out. I mean, he does sniff your underwear an awful lot." Twilight turned green. "Gaaaaaah." * * * * * A tall, willowy girl with blue-green eyes and a long, lush wave of cherry blossom pink hair walked through the door of a small shop. The bell above the door jingled merrily. "Irasshaimase, welcome to Li—oh, hello Fluttershy dear!" "Good afternoon, Obaasama." Fluttershy tugged at the hem of her oversized yellow sweater. "Do you need any help today?" The silver-haired woman behind the counter smiled. "Not especially, but it's so kind of you to always ask." "Oh. Well, in that case, I'll just pick up Angel and be on my way." As Fluttershy headed into the day camp area of the shop, her grandmother smirked. She knew Fluttershy would be in there until closing time. Almost an hour later, Fluttershy left the day camp area, her pet white rabbit perched on her shoulder. Halfway between the pet store and her house, she spotted a tiny creature lying on the sidewalk. "Oh? Hello?" She knelt down and examined the creature. It was a powder blue puffball with gossamer wings, roughly the size of a chicken egg. It had no discernible legs. As she leaned close, it opened a pair of bright green eyes and peered at her curiously. "Maa, kawaii!" Fluttershy squealed, gently scooping it up in her hands. "I've never seen anything like you before. Are you lost? Oh, are you hurt or hungry?" The creature let out a tiny 'meep', and Fluttershy giggled. "I'll take you to my house and take care of you," she said. Angel began hissing at the puffball. It shook and shuddered. "Angel! Stop scaring the poor thing!" Fluttershy chided. As she walked the rest of the way home, the little puffball cupped protectively in her hands, Angel glared at it hatefully from his perch. * * * * * As she walked home, Rainbow Dash thought about everything that had happened recently. In just a few days' time, she'd found out magic was real, had her boyfriend taken from her by a monster, become a mahoushoujo, and befriended a transfer student and a Net Idol. "Strangest week ever," she muttered to herself as she walked. Without warning, she was knocked flat on her face. She looked wildly around, hand halfway to her locket. An orange blur bounced away from her, landing on the sidewalk a meter in front of her. Her attacker was a ten-year-old girl with purple eyes and short, messy fuschia hair. She wore a dark orange track suit and a black headband. She had a mop handle strapped to her back, and held a pair of oversized rubber kunai as she smirked at Rainbow. "I've got you now, Rainbowmaru!" Rainbow picked herself up with a groan. "Really, Scootaloo? You're playing Ramen Ninja now?" "I'm not playing!" Scootaloo insisted. "I'm an elite ninja from the Village Hidden in the Ramen!" She ran at Rainbow, her toy weapons flailing wildly. Rainbow yawned, took a step to the side, and caught Scootaloo in the gut with a foot as she passed. Scootaloo yelped, dropping her kunai as she crashed to the ground. "I win," Rainbow said cheerfully. Scootaloo picked herself up, groaning. "Your skills are impressive, Rainbowmaru! I see I'll need to use my secret technique to defeat you." "Secret technique?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head. Scootaloo pressed her hands together, index fingers extended. She pelted forward, feinting to the right and skidding past Rainbow. She spun on one toe, fingers aimed at Rainbow's rear. "If you even try to kancho me, I'll beat the crap out of you for real, squirt," Rainbow warned without bothering to turn around. Scootaloo froze, fingers trembling. Rainbow turned around, smirked, and thumped Scootaloo in the forehead. "I win." Scootaloo flailed around comically before taking a deliberate pratfall. "C-curse you...Rainbowmaru..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You've got to find some friends your own age," she said, reaching out a hand to help Scootaloo up. Scootaloo sighed as she took Rainbow's hand. "Yeah, I know," she said. "It's just...really hard. They laugh at me for being such a tomboy." Rainbow snorted. "Hey, I'm a tomboy, and nobody laughs at me. Just don't let it get to you and they'll stop." "I guess..." Scootaloo said. "But even if I did have friends my own age...I still like playing with you! You're like, the coolest person I know!" Rainbow chuckled. "Darn right I am!" She mussed Scootaloo's hair. "I gotta get home now. I've got homework. Later, Scootaloo!" * * * * * Fluttershy expertly flipped a hot cake, humming idly to herself. Once it was finished, she lifted it onto a small plate and sat down at the breakfast nook. She drizzled a bit of syrup onto it. Ever since she had been a little girl, Fluttershy had enjoyed having a hot cake as a late evening snack. She whistled as she divided it into small bits with her fork, then took a bite. On the table next to her, the puffball gave her a pleading, watery look. "Oh, goodness," she said. "Did...did you want a bite?" She frowned. "But...I don't even know if it's safe to give you this. Or what you eat." The creature meeped plaintively. "Oh...alright," Fluttershy said, cutting one of her pre-measured bites in half and placing it on her napkin. The creatured meeped cheerfully and devoured the morsel. Fluttershy giggled. "Maa...you were hungry, weren't you?" After her snack, Fluttershy went about her evening routine. She checked to make sure Angel had eaten his dinner; he often neglected to eat when he was irritated, and his jealousy of the puffball was obvious. She washed her plate, then changed into her pajamas. She made a small nest out of a pillowcase and placed it on her nightstand, then set the puffball on it. It chirruped and closed its eyes. With a smile, Fluttershy picked Angel up from her desk and got into bed, cuddling him. "Don't worry, Angel. Our new little friend isn't going to take your place. I have plenty of love for both of you!" She turned off her bedside lamp; soon, she was fast asleep. In the dim starlight from the window, the tiny creature's luminous green eyes glittered. A second, then a third puffball split away from its body and flew out the open window. * * * * * Tuesday morning, Pinkie walked into Class 2-C and headed for Twilight's desk, atop which Rainbow was sitting. Her appearance caused a stir, but she ignored the excited murmuring. "Hey, girls? I think something weird's going on." "What's up, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked. "It's just...have you noticed anybody carrying around these really strange pets?" Twilight shrugged. "Not really, why?" "Yeah, what's strange about that?" Pinkie reached down her blouse and fished out a tiny orange puffball with huge green eyes and tiny fairy wings. She held it by one wing and waved it around. "These things just creep me out." Rainbow blinked. "And yet, you're carrying one around in your bra," she said slowly. "Not the point," Pinkie said dismissively. "I've never seen an animal like this before. Something about it just gives me a really unsmile feeling." Twilight adjusted her glasses, studying the struggling puffball. "Hmm..." "Ah! Smile-chan! Where'd you get that cute little thing!" "Don't hold it like that! You're hurting it!" "Yeah, be gentle with little animals, Smile-chan!" Pinkie twitched, but released the creature's wing, letting it fall into Rainbow's lap. It nuzzled her leg and looked up at her pleadingly. Rainbow shuddered. "Yech. I don't do fuzzy little critters. Shoo!" "Well if you don't want him, I'll take him," Lyra said, plucking the puffball off Rainbow's lap and cradling it. "Is it okay if I hold it, Smile-chan?" Pinkie waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah yeah, do whatever you want with it." She looked at Twilight. "I think this is something we should look into," she said quietly. "Pinkie, I don't think that's the kind of thing we're needed for," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. Cheerilee walked up to them. "Excuse me, Smile-san...could you please return to your own classroom? I won't be able to start homeroom with you here. Ah! Not that I don't want you here! It's just you should only be in here...at lunch, maybe?" "Ah! Sorry. I should get to class. Later, girls!" Throughout homeroom, Twilight pondered Pinkie's concerns about the puffball. The spread of a new fad pet seemed harmless enough to her. *Still...maybe I should ask around about those animals, just in case...* * * * * * Fluttershy yawned and laid her head down on her desk. For some reason, the morning's classes had been very tiring, and she wanted nothing more than a nice long nap. As she dozed off, the puffball she carried in her school bag wiggled its way out, landing on her desk. It spat out a mint green duplicate of itself, which flew unnoticed out the classroom window. The tiny creature flew up to the roof, where it observed three girls eating lunch. Its sparkling green eyes burned red for a moment, returning to normal as it flew closer. "I'm just saying they're not normal," Pinkie said. "I mean, have you ever seen anything like that?" "Well...no...but that doesn't necessarily mean—" Twilight sighed as her friends argued. She ate a strip of grilled chicken from her bento, then looked up. "Hey...girls...look." The others stopped arguing and joined her in staring at the puffball that was watching them. Pinkie shuddered. "Why's that thing looking at us?" The puffball's eyes began to glow. It vibrated as green lightning crackled around its body. "What the hell?" Rainbow wondered. The puffball doubled in size, its wings turning black and leathery as it flew directly at Twilight. Twilight's eyes widened. She cupped her hands together and pointed them at the creature. A shaft of magical energy lanced forth, slicing through the creature, which exploded into greenish-black smoke. "What the hell WAS that thing?" Rainbow asked, eyes wide. "You can do magic without transforming?" Pinkie asked, gasping. "Only because I was born a mage," Twilight replied. "More importantly, we've got a problem. Those little fuzzball animals? They're Changelings." She frowned. "Not very powerful ones, though. Still...they could be dangerous." "Yeah, but we can't exactly just go around killing peoples' pets," Rainbow said. "Rainbow-chan is right. No matter how unsmile these things are, we can't really do anything until—" "Until it's too late," Twilight said, sighing. "Yeah. This could be a problem." * * * * * Over the next few days, Twilight and her friends were randomly attacked by several more of the small Changelings. They were weak and easy to defeat; Twilight used magic, but Pinkie and Rainbow had found that a good whack with a solid object would kill them. Friday morning, as Twilight was walking to school, she heard nearby students gossiping. "Hey...did you hear about that pet shop girl?" "You mean the girl in 2-B?" "Yeah. I hear she had to go to the hospital." "Really?!" "Yeah. She's gone anemic or something." "That's too bad. I was hoping I could find out where she got that cute little puffball pet from..." "I thought maybe she got it at the pet shop, but...it turns out they don't actually sell pets." After school, Twilight met up with Rainbow and Pinkie. "A girl in class 2-B has been hospitalized," she said. "Fluttershy-san?" Pinkie said. "I heard about that. Anemia or something, wasn't it?" "I don't think it's anemia," Twilight said. "From what I hear, she's somehow connected to those Changelings we've been dealing with." "Connected as in she's summoning them?" Rainbow asked. "I don't think so," Twilight replied. "It sounds more like she's the one they're feeding off of to reproduce." "Reproduce?" Pinkie asked. "That's right," Twilight said. "I think we're dealing with one parent Changeling that can reproduce. We've been fighting its children while it stays safely hidden away and feeds off that girl." "What makes you think that?" Pinkie asked. "Well, the things we've been fighting have been too easy to kill," Twilight said. "If they had any real power of their own, they'd be more dangerous." Rainbow pounded a fist into an open palm. "They're like soup clones!" "Soup clones?" Twilight asked, blinking. "Yeah, you know, from that Ramen Ninja anime!" At Twilight's blank look, she explained, "It's a silly shounen anime. A couple kids in my neighborhood are really into it. The Ramen Ninjas make soup clones to distract enemies. They look like the real thing, but if you hit them, they turn into a big splash of ramen broth." "Hmmm," Twilight mused. "Well...as...silly as that sounds...it really does sound like what we're dealing with here. Except for the soup part." She frowned. "Which means we need to find the parent creature." "Well, if that girl's in the hospital, it's gonna need to find another food source, right?" Rainbow asked. "Probably," Twilight said. "The first thing we should do is check out...what was her name again?" "Fluttershy." "We should check out Fluttershy-san's place." She frowned. "Do either of you know where she lives?" "We could ask her granny," Pinkie said. "She runs a pet shop a few blocks from here." The girls headed to the pet shop, where they were greeted by a haggard-looking silver-haired woman. "Excuse me," Twilight said as she approached the counter. "You're Fluttershy-san's grandmother, right?" "Yes." The old woman sighed. "Are you friends of hers?" "Actually, we don't really know her," Twilight said. "But we were wondering about a strange pet she acquired recently." The old woman frowned. "Oh, you're here about that. I'm sorry, dears. We don't sell pets here, and I have no idea where she got that thing." "That's not why we're here," Twilight said. "We're here because we think that animal may be the reason she's sick." "It could be carrying a rare disease," Pinkie supplied. The old woman gasped. "A rare disease?" She frowned. "Come to think of it, she only got sick after she found that thing..." "Where is the animal now?" Twilight asked. "It's at our house," the old woman answered. "I tried keeping it here at the day camp, but the other pets...didn't seem to like it very much." "If you want, we can take it to the hospital for you," Twilight offered. "The doctors may need it to help figure out what's wrong with your granddaughter." The old woman smiled. "That's very kind of you," she said. She dug a key out of her pocket and wrote an address down on a memo pad. "Remember to lock up!" she said, handing the key and the top sheet of the memo pad to Twilight. "We will," Twilight said. Then, her eyes glowed a soft lavender. "Forget," she whispered. The girls quickly left. * * * * * "Was that really necessary?" Rainbow asked. "It's better if she doesn't remember we were ever there," Twilight said. Rainbow snorted. "Yeah right, because your little memory spell worked so well on me." Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're a special case," she said. "That spell is usually foolproof." "So it doesn't work on special fools?" Pinkie asked. Twilight grinned. "Exactly!" "HEY!" Rainbow cried indignantly. They soon reached the modest house that matched the address. They unlocked the front door, taking their shoes off at the genkan before entering. "Something smells really funky in here," Rainbow said. They searched the house, finding a closed bedroom door at the end of the hall. Twilight looked at her friends, who nodded resolutely at her. Bracing herself, she opened the door. Ten seconds later, the three girls charged back out into the street. A veritable torrent of chittering puffballs exploded out of the house behind them. "Holy CRAP!" Rainbow shouted, staggering as she hop-skipped her way into her shoes. "UNSMILE! UN! SMILE!" Pinkie cried. The swarm chased the girls for several blocks; all around them, people stopped and stared in confusion and horror. As they reached the shopping district, Twilight led them through a random door. They collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath; the swarm pressed in against the glass, eyes glowing red. "That thing had a LOT of babies," Pinkie wheezed. "If that Changeling has been feeding off this Fluttershy girl, I'm surprised there's anything left of her!" Rainbow said. "Changelings feed on emotional energy, not flesh," Twilight said. She frowned. "She must have shown it a lot of love and kindness." "Ahem," a frosty voice said. The girls looked up to see Rarity, wearing an elegant white silk blouse and flowing black skirt which still had tags attached to them, glaring down at them. "This is a clothing store. If you want to put on one of your silly little stage shows, kindly take it someplace else." Behind her, a store clerk looked confused and upset. The girls picked themselves up. "Does THAT look like a stage show to you?" Rainbow demanded hotly, pointing at the multicolored swarm pressing against the shop windows. Rarity seemed taken aback. "Are...are those...those odd little pets people have been collecting lately?" "Hai," Twilight said. "Only they're very dangerous creatures." "And they're after us," Pinkie said. Rarity blinked. "They're...after you?" she asked. "What, did you disturb their nest or something?" "Something like that," Twilight said. The shop windows began to creak and groan. "Oh crap...they're gonna break through!" Rainbow said, eyes wide. "You can go out the back," the clerk said, pointing through the 'Employees Only' door behind her. "Just get out of here!" "Thank you," Twilight said, bowing. The girls beat a hasty exit. The swarm peeled away from the front of the shop. Rarity stood still for a moment, staring at the swinging door the three girls had gone through. Finally, she nodded solemnly. She ducked into the changing room, returning with her school uniform and bag. She took a roll of cash from her bag and peeled off several bills, which she slapped on the counter. "That should be enough," she said to the clerk, before dashing out the back entrance after the three girls. The clerk stared stupidly at the back entrance. "But...those were on sale..." * * * * * Rarity quickly caught sight of the swarm and sprinted after it, thankful for her excellent physical condition. She hated to get brand new clothes sweaty, but whatever was happening was too strange for her to simply ignore. The chase soon led to Hoshigusa Park. People who had been enjoying an afternoon in the park screamed and ran as soon as they saw the swarm, which spread out to surround the three girls. Rarity dove through an opening in the swarm and crouched behind a bush. In the center of the park, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie stood resolutely. "We make our stand here," Twilight said. "Do you think the parent is somewhere in the middle of all this?" Rainbow asked. "I don't think so, but I texted Spike. He's searching for it." She withdrew a silver locket from her uniform blouse; beside her, the others did the same thing. The girls nodded at one another, and a brightly-colored gem appeared in each girl's other hand. "Element of Harmony...MAGIC!" "Element of Harmony...LOYALTY!" "Element of Harmony...LAUGHTER!" Rarity watched, eyes wide, as the three girls' school uniforms exploded away from their bodies, which glowed with bright pastel light. The strange costumes she'd seen them wearing on television formed on their bodies out of nothing, and weapons appeared in their hands. *Wh-what is going on here...?* A buzzing sound ripped through the swarm. The colorful little creatures suddenly turned into a mass of hideous black bat-like things with burning red eyes. Twilight twirled her baton in front of her, then pointed the unicorn head at the swarm. "Bearing the Element of Magic, I will destroy you in the name of the Sun!" Rainbow landed beside Twilight, feet planted in a wide stance, and held her lance upright in front of her. "Bearing the Element of Loyalty, I've got a storm with your name on it!" Pinkie posed beside Twilight, holding her bazooka at an angle. "Bearing the Element of Laughter, I'm Magical Idol Smile-chan! I came here to chew bubblegum and kick evil butt! I've got lots of bubblegum, and you've got lots of evil butt!" She blew a huge pink bubble and popped it. Twilight fell over. "Pinkie-san..." Rarity's eye twitched. "Okay, let's do this thing," Rainbow said. She beat her wings and rose into the air, then began spinning her lance rapidly. "TORNADO!" A funnel of glowing wind ripped through the swarm, destroying dozens of the creatures. "Twilight, you might wanna get down," Pinkie said. She hoisted her bazooka onto her shoulder, stood on the toes of one foot, and began to spin. "SMILE BURNING VAGINA!" Pink flames billowed from the barrel of the bazooka, torching creatures in a wide, sweeping arc. Piles of black ash fell to the ground. "Uh...good one, Pinkie. I think," Twilight said. As the pink flames died down, less than half the swarm remained. Twilight raised her baton over her head. "PULSE!" The unicorn head of the baton glowed, and with a high, ringing chime, a violet energy wave spread out around her. The rest of the swarm was destroyed. As Twilight sighed and relaxed, a young boy with green hair appeared out of nowhere, holding a squirming, struggling powder blue puffball in one hand. "I found it, Neechan!" he said. "You're sure that's the original?" Twilight asked. "Yeah. It was looking for a new host," the boy said. "It was using so much power to send that swarm after you I could've found it from the moon." "Good work, Spike," Twilight said. Her baton glowed and changed into a golden rapier. "Can you pin it down for me?" "Sure thing," the boy, who was apparently named Spike, said. He pulled a disgusting green glob of goo from...somewhere, and planted the little blue puffball into it, then dropped it on the grass and backed away. Twilight pointed her rapier at it. "ERASE MAGIC!" A wave of dazzling golden light studded with violet sparkles poured forth from the blade, enveloping the creature. It screamed and writhed in agony, before it and the goo glob ceased to exist. "Well, that's the end of that," Rainbow said as she landed next to Twilight. In a blue flash, she was an ordinary schoolgirl again. A moment later, Twilight and Pinkie flashed lavender and pink, respectively, and their outlandish costumes were replaced by their school uniforms. Twilight took her glasses out of her skirt pocket and put them on. "Come on, Spike. Let's go home. See you at school tomorrow, girls," she said. As Spike and Twilight left in one direction, and Pinkie and Rainbow left in different directions, Rarity emerged from her hiding place, smoothing out her brand new skirt and picking leaves from her blouse and hair. The fact that she'd just ruined a brand new outfit didn't even register in the face of what she'd just seen. Twilight Sparkle and her friends weren't stage performers. They were real live mahoushoujo. Rarity smiled. "My, this is certainly interesting..." * * * * * "A Parasprite? THAT was your plan?" "Uhh...give us a break, noso!" "Yeah, it was our first try choki!" "Well it was PATHETIC!" Sunset Shimmer roared. A cold, feminine laugh echoed from all around them. "It would seem you could use a little help," a haughty voice said. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Sunset demanded, snapping her fingers to turn on all the lights. A cloud of glittery blue smoke exploded in the middle of the room. A teenage girl appeared, wearing a midnight blue tunic over shimmery light blue tights that showed off her lithe figure. Midnight blue tabi and gloves and a midnight blue mask that covered the lower half of her face completed her ensemble. She brushed an errant strand of long platinum hair from her face and bowed mockingly. "The Legendary Kunoichi Trixie can take care of your mahoushoujo problem...for the right price."