Magic 17: ラチェシス
Friday afternoon, Apple Bloom brought Scootaloo over to Sweetie Belle's house. The girls each wore a headband with a patch in the middle depicting a bowl of ramen.
"Alright, girls," Apple Bloom said, "we're gonna need codenames for this mission. Ah'll be Miso, Scootaloo, you're Nori, an' Sweetie Belle can be—"
"Lady Sashimi," Sweetie Belle said, giggling.
"Hey, Lady Sashimi is from the Sushi Village!" Scootaloo protested.
"So? She's my favorite," Sweetie Belle said.
"It don't matter, Nori," she said. "Focus on th' mission."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Okay, Miso, what's the mission?"
"We're investigatin' Lady Sashimi's love interest, th' rogue ninja Spike from th' Village Hidden in the Panties."
Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Scootaloo frowned. "There's no Village Hidden in the Panties!"
Apple Bloom grinned. "You had t' be there," she said.
"If you say so," Scootaloo said, shrugging. "...wait, you mean we're just gonna be following around some guy Sweetie Belle has a crush on?"
"Pretty much, yeah," Apple Bloom said. "But we're gonna do it like ninjas."
"Oh." Scootaloo shrugged. "Sure, why not."
Magic 17: ラチェシス
When Fluttershy stepped through the doors of the pet shop, she knew immediately her grandmother was upset about something. "Obaasan? Are you alright?"
The older woman sighed, eyes full of worry. "There was a very strange young woman in here earlier. She, well...she was giving me the creeps."
"Did she do something, or say something?"
"No, not exactly, it's just...I got this weird feeling, like...like she was..." She shrugged. "I can't explain it. I was just relieved when she left."
The door opened, and Fluttershy's grandmother gasped. "She's back!"
Fluttershy turned. A girl roughly her age walked in. She was wearing a school uniform consisting of a black plaid skirt, a maroon blazer, knee-high black socks, and maroon boots. Her black hair was short in the back and long in the front, parted so that her bangs covered one eye; the visible eye was rose-hued and rimmed with far too much mascara for Fluttershy's liking. The girl looked around, frowning.
"I'll handle this," Fluttershy said. She walked over to the girl, bowing. "Irasshaimase. Can I help you with something?"
The girl looked her up and down, frowning. "You go to Umadakara? Like, ew." After a minute, she blew out an irritated breath. "I'm like, looking for my sister Brittany. I think she like, came here? Like, her phone tracking...thingie...said she came this way. I don't know why."
Fluttershy gave her grandmother a glance. When the older woman shrugged, Fluttershy asked, "Were you in here earlier looking for her?"
The girl looked offended. "Here? Me? Ew! As if! I would never set foot in this place twice."
Fluttershy frowned. "My grandmother says she saw you earlier today."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Hello? I just said I've never been in here before."
Fluttershy turned back to her grandmother. "Obaasan?"
The older woman frowned. "It's funny...I'm certain it was her." She rubbed her chin. "Although...now that I think about it...she couldn't have dyed her hair this quickly, could she?"
"Dyed her hair?"
"Yes...it was white when she came in here before. Pure white, if I remember correctly."
The girl perked up. "Duh! That was my sister, you kooky old lady!" She folded her arms and tossed her hair. "We're twins."
"Oh! Well that explains it."
Fluttershy sighed. "Your sister was here earlier, yes."
"Did you see which way she like, went?"
"I'm sorry dearie, I didn't."
Fluttershy frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name...?"
"I'm like, Whittany."
"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Fluttershy—"
"Whatever." Whittany turned to the door.
Fluttershy hesitated. Then...
"I'll help you find your sister."
Whittany turned. "Like...help me?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Fluttershy blinked. "Anou...I just want to help you find her, that's all."
Whittany frowned. "So you can like, get a reward from our super-rich daddy?"
"No," Fluttershy said. "I don't even know who you are, and I don't care about a reward. I just...can tell you must care about your sister an awful lot, and I want to help you find her."
Whittany rolled her eyes. "Like...whatever. Just, like, don't get in my way. And don't expect a reward."
"I'll be back afterwhile, Obaasan," Fluttershy said.
"Are...are you sure about this, dear?"
"No, but...I'm going to help her anyway." Fluttershy followed Whittany out of the shop.
* * * * *
"Any sign of the target?"
"Negative."
"Wait...I see him! He's buying taiyaki!"
The three young girls watched as Spike paid a vendor for taiyaki, then unwrapped it and bit into it as he walked up the street. They trailed him as he walked up the street. Five blocks later, he turned a corner.
They hurried to follow...
"Ah don't see him," Apple Bloom said.
"Where'd he go?" Scootaloo asked.
"He did go this way, right?" Sweetie Belle wondered.
"Man, you girls suck at following somebody."
The girls turned to see Spike standing behind them.
"Gah!"
"Eep!"
"You uh...how'd you know?"
Spike snorted. "You're too obvious. Especially since you're wearing those dorky headbands. What are you doing, playing ninja?"
"Uhh..."
"Well..."
"...hai..."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Why were you even following me, anyway?"
"Oh...um..." Sweetie Belle poked the sidewalk with her foot, looking down and blushing.
"That's..." Apple Bloom said, looking away.
"Sweetie Belle likes you," Scootaloo said bluntly.
Spike blinked.
"Eep!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Apple Bloom slapped Scootaloo upside the head. "Don't just blurt it out like that!"
"So...that's why you two were in my closet?" Spike asked.
"Umm...yes," Sweetie Belle said meekly.
Spike tilted his head, studying Sweetie Belle curiously. "You're Rarity-sama's sister, right?"
"Hai."
Spike seemed to be appraising Sweetie Belle like an uncut diamond. She flushed under his scrutiny, ducking her head.
A slip of paper appeared in Spike's hand, and he pressed it into Sweetie Belle's hand. He wadded up the wrapper from his taiyaki and tossed it into a nearby recycling bin. "I gotta go. Maybe I'll teach you girls how not to suck at following somebody later." He waved and walked across the street. When the Don't Walk light lit up and cars began moving through the intersection, they lost sight of him completely.
Sweetie Belle looked down at the piece of paper in her hand. "This is...!"
"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked. She looked over Sweetie Belle's shoulder. "His phone number?" She grinned. "Way to go, Sweetie Belle!"
* * * * *
"This is taking like, forever," Whittany whined.
Fluttershy and Whittany had canvassed an area three blocks from the pet shop. Several shop owners had seen Brittany, and a few knew what general direction she'd headed off in, but so far they had not actually found her.
"I can't get the tracking thingie to work!" Whittany complained, waving her phone around in disgust.
Fluttershy's patience with Whittany's constant whining was wearing thin. She was about to suggest Whittany go home and wait for her sister there when the very girl they were looking for emerged from the most expensive pastry shop in the district. She saw them, and her one visible eye widened.
"BRITTANY!" Whittany cried, shoving Fluttershy away and rushing over to her sister.
Brittany turned and ran.
Confused, Fluttershy gave chase.
Brittany ran for several minutes, turning corners. She wasn't running very quickly; obviously, she wasn't used to exercise. Curiously, Whittany didn't seem to be fazed by the exertion.
Finally, Brittany stopped to catch her breath, and Whittany and Fluttershy caught up to her.
"Like, why are you running away, Brit?" Whittany asked. "Like, I'm your sister. We're always together."
Fluttershy took a step closer. "Brittany-san, yes? Are you alright? You seem upset about something. Your sister's been awfully worried...she's been looking for you all over town..."
"That's...like...not my sister," Brittany said.
Whittany gasped in shock. "What? Uh! Hello? Like, Earth to Brittany! I'm totally your—"
"Look. I don't know who you are, or like, why you look like Whittany, but you are NOT Whittany!" Britanny screamed, stomping a foot. "You think I don't like, know?"
Fluttershy took a step back, eyes wide.
Whittany shook her head. "Tsk, tsk...oh, Brit. You've been like, out in the sun too long. Or like, haven't bought enough clothes today. Or something. Come on, let's just like, go home...or to the mall..."
"Like, go away, you...not-Whittany! I'm not going anywhere with you, even if I really do want to go to the mall! I only want to go to the mall with my sister, and THAT'S! NOT! YOU!" Tears streamed from Brittany's eyes as she stamped her feet; her mascara ran down her cheeks.
Whittany sighed. "Like...fine. I didn't like, want to have to do this the hard way? But if you like...insist..." She looked at Fluttershy. "Like...you can go away now."
Fluttershy frowned. "I...I'm worried about your sister," she said. "Maybe I should stay...she might need some help..."
"Like, OH! MY GOD!" Whittany screeched. Her eyes began to glow green. "Just freaking GO AWAY ALREADY! Shyah!"
Fluttershy gasped. "You're...you're NOT her sister, are you?"
Whittany's skin, hair, and clothes began to peel away. Huge, speckled moth wings erupted from her back; they were mostly a pale orange-white with patterns of reddish-brown. As her body—that of a striped, segmented humanoid moth—was revealed, her false face melted away, revealing a grinning human skull with a sickly green glow burning in the eye sockets.
Brittany screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Sorry, Brit," the moth monster said in a voice that was a warped parody of Whittany's voice. "I was going to feed off you slowly and enjoy living in your cushy little mansion, but..." She rose off the ground, her wings fluttering. "Looks like I'm just going to have to kill both of you and find new prey."
Fluttershy frowned. "You killed this girl's twin sister?"
"Their bond was so close, I thought I'd be able to feed off her for a long time," the Changeling said. "I don't know HOW she knew I was an impostor..."
"Because they were twins," Fluttershy whispered. "Twins...twins are a special thing." Her voice grew stronger. "You've destroyed one of the most special sibling bonds known to humankind, and...and..." She clutched the silver locket around her neck. "And there is no way I can forgive you!"
"Who cares?" the Changeling sneered. "Nobody asked your opinion! Now DIE!"
Fluttershy's Element of Harmony appeared in her other hand. "Element of Harmony..."
The Changeling drew back slightly. "It can't be...!"
"KINDNESS!"
The Changeling hissed, flying a meter back. "You...! You're one of those...!"
"That's right," Fluttershy said softly. She turned to Brittany, kneeling beside her. "Are you alright?"
Brittany stared at her. "Uhh...like, why are you dressed as a bunny girl? In, like, public? That's like, so trashy..."
Fluttershy sighed. "Yeah, you're alright. For now." She turned to face the Changeling again. "You will pay for what you've done."
"Actually, I think I'll kill you!" the Changeling said. She lunged forward, her serrated claws poised to tear into Fluttershy.
Fluttershy unpinned the badge from her outfit, expanding it into her shield. She took off into the air, her feathery wings beating powerfully as she rose up above the rooftops. The Changeling pursued her, spraying sticky strands of silk from her skeletal maw. A few of the strings caught Fluttershy's legs, which affected her flight path; she dropped to intercept her opponent and slammed her shield into the Changeling's head.
The giant moth-creature roared and swung, clubbing Fluttershy in the side of the head with a claw. Fluttershy screamed and fell, rolling as she landed. She sat up, clutching her head.
The Changeling hovered over her, eyes burning malevolently. "I...am going to kill you slowly...and then take my...heheh...'sister' somewhere where I can enjoy finishing her off..."
Fluttershy shakily rose to her feet. "No...you're not going to hurt her any more...you've hurt her enough..."
The Changeling laughed. "FOOL! Do you even know what I am?!"
"Do you?" Fluttershy whispered. "Let me show you." She raised her shield, gripping it by the edges with both hands, and thrust it at the Changeling.
"ANGEL MIRROR!"
The shield glowed brightly, a swarm of butterflies made of pink, yellow, and blue light swarming around the Changeling. She screamed as her very soul was drawn into the vortex of butterflies, sucked down into the blinding light of the shield...
"Like, check out this dress, Whittany!"
"Bleah. Like, uncheck. Totes last season, Brittany."
"Like, you know what I like most about you, Whittany?"
"Like, that I always know what you're going to like, say?"
"Like, OMG! That's like, totes what I was about to say!"
"WE'RE SISTERS!"
"We are, like, the bestest sisters on the whole like, planet."
"In the whole universe!"
"And like, the cutest twins in like, the history of ever."
"I like, so wouldn't know what to do if anything like, happened to you..."
"Like, Whit? What's like, wrong with you? You're...you're not..."
"Like...you're scaring me...it's like...you're not even Whittany..."
"You...you're not my sister...what happened to Whittany?"
"Daddy, I'm telling you, that's not Whittany! Why don't you like, believe me? Don't you like, even care?"
"Like, stay away from me, you...not-Whittany...whoever!"
"They're not perfect," Fluttershy's soft, angelic voice echoed in the Changeling's mind. "They're self-absorbed spoiled brats. But in their own conceited way, they loved each other. You took that love and perverted it for your own ends. This is the pain you've caused this poor girl by replacing her sister. And this is only the beginning of her pain. Now, let me show you the pain she's going to feel when she finds out her sister is dead...gone forever..."
"NO! STOP!" the Changeling howled. "I can't...! I can't take this!"
"Then why would you inflict this kind of suffering on another?"
The Changeling dropped to the ground, the green fire in her eye sockets dimming. She blurred, and reverted to the appearance of Whittany. Tears fell from her false human eyes. "I..."
Fluttershy stood over her, her shield no longer glowing. Her blue-green eyes shimmered with sadness. "You understand now, don't you?"
"Y-yes," the Changeling sniffled.
"Then do what you know is right."
The Changeling nodded, standing and walking over to Brittany. Brittany stared up at her with wide eyes.
The Changeling smiled, wiping her eyes. "H-hey," she said. "Like...I...I'm sorry, okay? I...I killed Whittany. And I was going to like...kill you too. But...I like...can't do that now." She swallowed heavily. "Umm...like...she really loved you, you know? She never said it, but...she totes did...love you." She reached out and touched Brittany's cheek. "I...I have to die now. It's, like...what I deserve. If I could stay, if I could replace Whittany and be your sister for like, ever...I totes would, but...I can't. I'd never be her. And...I so don't deserve the sister she had."
She stood, smoothed her skirt, and turned to face Fluttershy. "Okay. I'm, like...ready now."
Tears spilled from Fluttershy's eyes, but she nodded and drew back her shield, which began to glow. With one swipe, the false Whittany was cleaved in half from head to groin. The Changeling smiled. "Thank you," she said as her illusion faded away, revealing her true form...which dissolved into shimmering dust and scattered on a sudden breeze.
Fluttershy's shield shrank back to its badge size, and she pinned it to her outfit. She then knelt beside Britanny and took her into her arms.
"Th-that...that th-thing...it killed Whittany?"
"Hai," Fluttershy whispered. "I'm sorry."
Brittany cried silently, and Fluttershy held her until the sun began to set.
* * * * *
Over the next two days, Fluttershy had helped take care of the distraught Brittany, who couldn't even feed herself. It seemed as though the loss of her twin sister had taken away so much of her that she was virtually an empty shell.
Fluttershy, wearing a black kimono, stood beside Brittany and her father, a stern, white-haired older man. Nobody else was present for Whittany's funeral. Brittany leaned heavily against Fluttershy, staring with glassy eyes at the grave marker. Whittany's remains had been found and delivered to the crematorium; the urn containing her ashes was in a safe at the family's mansion.
After the funeral, Fluttershy helped Brittany back to the limo. As she sat beside her, the twins' father cleared his throat. "Fluttershy-san," he said, "I'm going to enroll Brittany in Umadakara and have her placed in your class." He looked drawn and ashen; Fluttershy had a feeling that only a sense of duty was keeping him going right now. "She...she only seems to respond to you right now...I can't leave her alone in that private school. She..." He looked at Brittany. "She just...she can't be alone."
"Of course," Fluttershy said. "Brittany-chan? Would you like to go to school with me?"
Brittany looked at Fluttershy. She sniffled and nodded. "Don't...don't leave me alone..."
"I won't," Fluttershy said soothingly, stroking Brittany's hair gently.
* * * * *
Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity stood watching Spike and the three girls "play ninja" in the park. "Fluttershy-san says the girl whose sister was murdered is transferring to our school," Twilight said. "The poor girl's a complete wreck."
"Can't you...help her with your magic?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight shook her head. "No," she said. "This...this goes too deep for my magic to work. I can't make her forget her sister. I wouldn't even if I could. This..." She grimaced. "This is a pain she's going to have to live with. This is a pain...only Fluttershy-san can help heal."
"That poor girl," Rarity said. "I can't even begin to imagine..."
"So...takin' out this Sunset Shimmer gal...that's gonna stop crap like this from happenin', right?"
Twilight sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "Killing Sunset Shimmer won't automatically make all the Changelings she summoned go away, and we don't really know for sure how many there are..."
The girls watched the four younger kids laugh and play in silence.
"But we'll find them," Twilight said with conviction. "We'll find all the Changelings, and...and we won't let them take anybody else's family away."
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Is there really a reason why this chapter is preferred in a the dark format? Does it help set the mood for those tragic chapters?
It lives! Awesome update and Ultra Dark is pretty cool
Damn... those feels dude.
Though "Whittany" is kind of a mouthful. Wouldn't have been better have "Whitney and Britney"?
5356015 Because of the yellow text in that one part. Also because the Magical Girl Power Text (TM) in general shows up better against a dark background.
5356036 That's how their names are spelled, dood.
5356050
Okay... 1, they look better the way I pictured than the actual design. 2, still a mouthful. But oh well, what can I do, right?
5356142 It's still PRONOUNCED the same, so it's less a mouthful and more an eyeful.
>Three weeks for a new chapter
>Biskit Twins
I know I said this earlier today, but it bears repeating:
FUCK YOUR HOUSE, MOTH!
Ahem.
On a serious note, Their inclusion is outta left field to me, but it somehow still works given the situation they end up in. I can only hope things work out for the better. And that they don't become too critical to the story, because I don't know how you'd make that work.
Also, it's nice to see that Fluttershy has her own version of the Penance Stare.
5356291 From this point on, Brittany will be a satellite character to Fluttershy, as she helps her cope with the death of Whittany. Magical girls need friends who aren't other magical girls. Hell, Sailor Moon had Naru.
So terrible! Losing a twn sister like that. I do not have twins but I have siblings and I would be devastated if something happened to them.
Huh. There's a crossover I wasn't expecting. Also, incredible spell for Fluttershy. It won't work every time, but when it does, it's a doozy.
Still, real-world consequences rearing their heads. Poor Brittany... At least the Crusaders and Spike provided a bit of levity.
Looking forward to more, especially since we're nearing the end of the arc.
5356411 Yep. One more filler chapter, then shit gets real.
5356152
An eyeful in more ways than one
I'm trying to figure out the chapter name. RA-CHE-SHI-SU?
5357074 Lachesis. There IS a blog post linked in the story description where all the chapter titles are in English.
Admittedly though, "Lachesis" is a hard one to figure out...brief explanation: The Changeling in this chapter is based on the Acherontia lachesis moth.
5357153
Looking at the moth itself, the design of Lachesis seems very fitting now
5358627 Yep. It's one of three species of moth collectively known as "death's head moths" because of the creepy skull-shaped markings.
Aren't Brittany and Whittany those mean twins from the Littlest Pet Shop show?
Did you base the twins off of those two? Oh yeah, and the dad but then again he isn't really important.
5359756 Yeah, I've imported them from LPS. Which technically kindasorta adds a crossover element to this, but they're not important enough to merit the Crossover tag. They're just guest stars.
So, think Spike's interested in an apprentice of sorts, impressed by the spirit with which they tailed him, or is using this as an angle to get closer to Rarity? I didn't think Fluttershy would have that in her. It's kinda scary.
5363141 Spike's playing the jailbait wait with Sweetie Belle...he's wondering if she's going to have a body like Rarity's in a few years.
And yeah...when trying to figure out what kind of special abilities Fluttershy would have, I just got inspired to give her the Penance Stare.
5363768 Jailbait wait? *snickers* I should be righteously indignant that Spike would do that to the little sister I never had, but that's just too funny.
5373853 XXXXD
5356050 Hey, dood! Are you a Disgaea fan or is that dood unrelated, dood?
5374392 Don't ask me, ask the prinny with the horse wiener, dood.
5374790 YOU GAVE A PRINNY A HORSE WIENER!? ARE YOU INSANE!?
The Prince has a point. Prinnies aren't exactly the most reli-
*BOOM*
-able.
5374811 Actually, I usually either equip it on Laharl or a female Warrior class unit.
Cool a LPS crossover chapter.
Man, that was dark. For a second, I though she mind-whammied it hard enough it though it was its victim. But still, Flutters has perhaps the most dangerous weapon of any "Witch Girl" I've ever heard of!
Aren't those like, the Biskit Twins, from that LPS thingie? That reminds me, we haven't like, seen, the ponies local mean rich girl, and one of them sounds like, the Biskits
Fair enough.
And who are you?
Ah, the Biskit twins.
No kidding.
Changeling. Calling it now.
I swear you're like Imperfect Cell Abridged, you make everything sound creepy.
Wow, this, is, this is DARK, that was basically the Penance Stare. Fluttershy is best Ghost Rider.
You're a good man, Mr Biskit.
No, physical wounds can heal, and scar, but, wounds of the heart never truly do.