Puella Magi Maredoka Magica

by pinkamcna

Listen to Reason

Twilight stood, frozen still, staring at Dash in absolute shock. "Why the hell're ya starin' at me like that? Whatever," Rainbow rolled her eyes and transformed into a breathtaking cyan dress that draped out into a poofy rainbow skirt. A golden lightning bolt materialized in her hair, accented by a dazzling cyan. That must be her soul gem. Her outfit was completed with golden boots that stopped just below the kneecap.

A black spear with magenta accents, matching her eyes, appeared in her right hand. In a perfectly executed movement, she pointed it at Twilight, who was still so frozen from shock that she didn't so much as flinch. "Twilight, transform!"

Kyubey's voice was what ultimately snapped her out of her dazed state. She raised a hand toward the necklace containing her soul gem and rested her index finger on it. Suddenly, her body was engulfed in a navy blue light. Her body began to feel numb, as if she wasn't really in it, but merely an observer from the outside. The world she saw as this transformation took place was a combination of dizzy blurs and blinding light, and she was forced to shut her eyes.

When she again opened them, she found that her appearance had completely altered, not leaving so much as a trace to what she was wearing earlier. The only thing still the same besides her hair was the soul gem necklace that still rested comfortably on her neck. She took a moment to inspect her new appearance, not seeming to care that there was a spear pointed directly at her heart a mere few feet away.

She was in a strapless silk navy blue dress that cut off just above the knee, with a pink bow tied around her waist that seemed to compliment the pink streak in her hair. Her shoes were navy blue heels with matching bows to the one on her dress, although a lot smaller. To her surprise, a bow materialized in her hands, with... "Only one arrow?"

"They regenerate with magic," Kyubey replied, leaping up from its spot next to Twilight to the porch, where it could be out of harm's way. Most of harm, anyway. "I'm interested to see how you, a long-range fighter, will deal with Dash, who's more close-range."

As Twilight examined the rather obvious disadvantage she had, she too wondered. I'll be surprised if I can get a single word in to her before I'm dead. She gripped the bow tightly, the weapon itself resting at her side. She turned her gaze and her attention to Rainbow Dash, who had at some point lowered the spear to hold it with her left hand. They stared at each other for a while in silence, not even Kyubey getting a word in edgewise. Of course, that didn't last long.

Dash predictably made the first move. Slamming her spear against the ground, she used the momentum to propel herself up into the air. The spear which was now laying on the concrete where she'd slammed it disappeared in a flash of magenta light and reappeared in her hand.

Okay, that's a trick I didn't think was possible, Twilight mentally ridiculed herself. Now wasn't the time for simple observations. If she didn't act fast, that spear would come right down on her head, unless Dash all of a sudden had a miraculous change of heart.

Twilight wasn't that stupid. If weapons could immaterialize and rematerialize whenever commanded, her plan wouldn't all be for naught. Just before the spear reached her, she dropped her bow and leaped out of the way, leaving Dash's spear to instead connect with the concrete.

"You little..." She had to take a moment to recover from that, and Twilight knew that it was now or never. She positioned her hand at her side and closed her eyes, picturing the bow in her hand. In a small and quick glow of navy blue light, sure enough, the bow appeared. She mentally sighed and opened her eyes. Hopefully I'll eventually be able to do that without having to close my eyes. No, Twilight, focus! That won't matter if you're dead... She shook her head, the conflicting thoughts doing nothing besides confusing her.

She readied the bow, luckily knowing the proper way to hold and release thanks to the books she had read. Aim and trajectory patterns raced through her mind, trying to figure out exactly how to fire the arrow before she did. Her eyes briefly glimpsed at the arrow itself, engulfed in a fire the color of her soul gem. She knew she had to wait for just the right moment.

Think about what you've seen of Dash's fighting style so far. She'll probably jump up for an attack, seeing the arrow aimed directly at her, and I'll be able to angle up and fire. I can't go for any vital points. I want to stun her just enough to get a few words in, not kill her...

Her calculations proved to be correct in the end. Dash picked up her spear again and leaped, most likely thinking that if she charged head-on, Twilight would shoot. She held back a smirk as she traced Dash's neck, took a deep breath, and fired.

Since she'd been holding the spear behind her head, she hadn't accounted for the fact she wouldn't be able to block as effectively. She couldn't air strafe either, due to the precise way she'd launched herself in the air. She tried to swing the spear forward to hit the arrow out of the air, but to no avail. The arrow hit its mark on a non-vital spot on her neck. Dash gasped in pain and Twilight sidestepped to allow her to crash.

Her spear vanished in the same magenta light, but to Twi's surprise, she didn't make it reappear. She scoffed and yanked the arrow out of her neck, her face twisting in pain. "Why didn't you hit a more vital spot? You had to have known... with the way you aimed," Dash started, having to stop every few seconds to gasp from the sensation she felt, almost numbing her neck, "so why ain't ya finishin' me off? That's why you didn't vitally strike, right?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head, her bow vanishing in a navy blue light. "I didn't want to engage in a fight with you in the first place. I'm not going to finish you off, and I won't follow after you if you flee."

"Me? Flee?" Her voice was both astounded and appalled as she rose to her feet. "This is my territory. Like hell I'd flee and give in because of one arrow from some rookie like you."

Oh, no, she didn't even listen to what I said about not wanting to fight. Twilight took a step back, the bow in her hand once again. "Dash. Er, what's your full name?"

Dash rolled her eyes. "Rainbow Dash."

"Rainbow Dash, I don't want to fight you. In fact, it would be easier if we were to work together." By Dash's eyebrow raise, she knew that she didn't believe her. "The bow's only if you choose to continue with this pointless fight. I'm Twilight Sparkle, so you know."

She could see the conflict in Dash's magenta eyes, wanting to reach out and strangle the rookie in front of her for being so bold, but also wanting to not cause any harm to her and actually hear her out. "...I won't work with you. I take pride in what I do, and I'd die before you got the grief seeds from any of my kills." She took a step toward Twilight, causing the girl to raise her bow. "...But I won't kill you, for now. If I run into you again, I'll ignore you. After all, you can pick up the wimpy familiars I don't handle myself."

"However, if I see ya killin' witches in my territory if I'm goin' after it, I'll reap the spoils and then kill you without hesitation. Got it?"

Twilight sighed in response, allowing her bow to vanish. It wasn't exactly the 'sure let's team up' response she was hoping for, but it definitely wasn't a spear to her throat. "All right, I'll agree to that."

With that, Dash took off.

She stood there, staring at Kyubey with a look of both confusion and shock. "I'm just glad that worked out, I guess."

"You'll just have to be careful, unless you want to die before your wish is fulfilled."

She gulped at that. "We'll all live... me, Dash, and the other four I saw." Her voice was wavering, unsure if even she believed in herself, but she had to.

If she didn't have faith in herself, who would?

Author's Note:

I need to start working on making longer chapters. *sighs* I'll get there.

Also I managed to get grounded, so updates might not be as frequent. We'll see.