Fragmented Harmony

by Mares-a-Mares

Chapter 16 - There's No Way I'll Regret It

Students engaged themselves in various activities as the bell rang to signal that it was time for lunch. Getting out of her seat with a giggle towards her pink pigtailed best friend, Miki Sayaka relished in the break from long draining classes, her mind focused on her stomach and what she had packed for lunch just that morning. “Ahh, I’m so glad that it’s lunch time!” She whined in a boisterous manner, her loud voice filling the classroom as she gave a laid-back stretch in her seat.

Kaname Madoka closed her eyes with a grin. “Mmm, that last class felt longer than usual. Let’s head towards the rooftop to eat, ne?” Her pigtails bounced with slight movement, her posture full of energy. She couldn’t tell right off the bat, but something seemed a little different with Sayaka-chan…maybe they could talk about it?

“Mmm! That sounds great! Let’s get going then!” The blue-haired girl beamed as she picked up her bag, seeming quite eager to leave the classroom as she turned to head towards the glass filled hallway. It was strange how each and every classroom was separated by only a few sheets of glass. Students could see everything going on in other classrooms and in the hallways. Who came up with a building like that?

Well, who cares? It was lunch time and she was feeling hungry.

The pink-haired school girl nodded as she hurried after her friend. “M-Matte (Wait), Sayaka-chan…!”

Fluttershy kept silent as she watched the exchange just beside her. If she understood her Japanese right…it sounded like they said roof, so…maybe they were going to the rooftop to eat their lunch? With a sigh, the pink-haired Magical Girl stood up from her chair and looked towards her prismatic filly-hood friend.

…Should we follow them?

Rainbow Dash blinked with a start before quickly looking in her companion’s direction, her body a little tense.

D-Don’t do that without warning, Flutters! You almost gave me a heart attack!

O-oh, I’m sorry, Dashie!

Letting out a sigh, the rainbow-haired Magical Girl closed her eyes for a bit to calm down, before meeting Fluttershy’s gaze once more.

…But yeah. We should follow them. Home Run plans to talk to Sayaka and Mami during lunch, so we need to be there for that.

With a nod, the timid pegasus proceeded to pick up her bag and started to follow her companion out of the classroom without another word, her blue eyes taking note of Homura’s presence approaching them from behind as they started to climb the stairs. “…Does Miss Mami know about the meeting?” She asked softly, her voice barely carrying through the stairways.

Homura gave a small nod, her hair swaying as she walked with the other two. “Eh. I made sure to send her a message. She should be on her way. Now all that’s left to do is to intercept Miki Sayaka before we begin. The rooftop should be a suitable place…but we’d have to get Kaname Madoka out of the way.” Her tone grew cold as her eyes narrowed.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she put her arms behind her head. “Oh, come on. Lighten up already, Home Run! You’re acting like it’s a game of chess or something!”

The apathetic Magical Girl remained silent, giving no further comment on the matter.

Their footsteps echoed as they went up the stairs, eventually reaching the spacious rooftop with its elaborate fencing that bordered the entire area. Fluttershy let out a soft breath as she caught sight of the two school girls, eating lunch together as Madoka had a shocked expression. Surprisingly, QB was nowhere to be found.

“S-Sayaka-chan, you contracted?!” A feminine voice filled the air as the three walked closer, catching wind of their conversation. “…W-With your wish granted, you’ll be risking your life. You finally found something worth all of that responsibility?”

The blue-haired girl nodded, a distant smile on her face. “…When I think about it, the answer was clear from the start…but I went and dragged it on longer than it needed to be.” Her eyes grew clouded as visions of a boy, his dreams crushed and his eyes no longer full of life, stood at the edge of the hospital building…her tears as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pleading him not to jump… “…But!” She gave a grin, her voice full of spirit as she stood up and pumped a fist in the air. “That’s all in the past now! From here on out, Sayaka-chan, Savior of Justice, will do her best to protect the people of Mitakihara!”

Madoka parted her lips, hesitation in her voice. “…A-are you sure you’ll be okay? I mean, of course Mami-san will be there…but---”

“…I actually would like to speak with you, Miki Sayaka.” The two girls let out a gasp as Sayaka narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired Magical Girl, accompanied by the two colorful transfer students, which were relatives of her’s and Mami-san’s, according to the school at least. But they were directly associated with her?

“…What do you want, Transfer Student?” Her blue eyes glared deeply into royal blue orbs as she put a hand out between Homura and Madoka.

Homura kept silent, running a hand through her hair before directly meeting her gaze. “As you’re now officially a Magical Girl, we need to make some adjustments about how things will operate in this city. In short, we need a city-wide strategy meeting.” Her eyes glanced towards Madoka, causing the shorter girl to flinch from behind Sayaka’s protection. “…Those who aren’t contracted mustn’t get involved so deeply.”

Madoka’s eyes widened as she glanced towards the colorful duo, slowly standing up. “…W-Wait, then…that means that all of you are…You two are also Magical Girls…?” They seemed friendly yet distant in the classroom…but she never expected so many new Magical Girls to surface all at once! How many WERE there in the city?

“Eh?!” Sayaka glanced between her best friend and the two newer transfer students. “W-Wait, I never heard about this! …Why would I wanna associate with you anyway, Transfer Student!? You don’t decide what I do!”

The prismatic girl frowned as she twisted her tongue, all of her practice bearing fruit. “…Just listen to her. Mami’s also okay with this.”

The blue haired Magical Girl gulped, her body still tense in the presence of the apathetic Magical Girl. “…Mami-san’s okay with this….?” Her lips curled into a frown. “Where is she, then?”

Fluttershy stepped forward slowly, hoping she could help calm her. “…Mami-san is on her way. Homura-san called her to meet us all.”

The pink-pigtailed girl glanced at the group, her posture uneasy as she reached to pick up her belongings. Clearly Homura-chan didn’t want her there for whatever they needed to discuss…and she’d rather not be a burden with so many who could help Sayaka-chan with her fight. Maybe through this, she and Homura-chan could try to get along…it sounded like Mami-san was okay with her now. “...You should stay for the meeting, Sayaka-chan. If Mami-san’s going to be here…it must be something important, so…I’ll see you later, Sayaka-chan!” She didn’t waste any time running from the area and down the stairs, passing the blonde pigtailed veteran.

Sayaka reached out a hand. “O-Oi, Madoka…!” The blue-haired girl looked towards the doorway for a moment, noticing a glimpse of gold as Tomoe Mami was in fact making her way over to the group. “…Mami-san.”

Mami glanced back towards the stairs before facing the apathetic Magical Girl, but not before giving a nod towards Sayaka. “…I saw Kaname-san pass by me just now…is everything alright?”

Homura closed her eyes for a moment. “…Everything’s fine. I simply told her not to get involved. What we’re going to discuss today isn’t meant for her ears…we already have enough inexperienced Magical Girls to train in order to prepare for Walpurgisnacht.”

“…Walpurgisnacht?” The blue-haired Magical Girl blinked. What the heck was that? Some alien language?

The golden-locked Magical Girl nodded. “…Yes. Walpurgisnacht, you see, is a super-colossal Witch known from Magical Girl rumors over the ages…but Akemi-san has predicted that it will appear in this city at the end of this month, providing me with concrete evidence. With how powerful it is, it has no barrier…so the city of Mitakihara will be threatened on a large scale. In order to prevent it from destroying everything, I have joined forces with Akemi-san, Fluttershy-san, and Dash-san, as well as another, in order to fight it together. Now that you have contracted, Miki-san…we need your strength.”

Sayaka gulped. The whole city could be destroyed…?! That also meant the hospital, and Madoka and Hitomi..! Blue eyes narrowed as she clenched her fists, a fire in her eyes. “…Count me in. If there’s something coming…I wanna do what it takes to protect everyone!”

Fluttershy gave a soft smile. “…Arigatou, Sayaka-san. Let’s all work together…to protect the ones we love.”

As lovely as their passion for protecting the city was, it was about time they got down to business. Homura let out a sigh before addressing the group. “…With Miki Sayaka on board, we should now discuss the important matter at hand: how should we divide ourselves into groups? With six Magical Girls here, we need to rationalize when we hunt and how much energy we spend.”

The blue-haired girl raised an eyebrow as she made a mental count of the group. “Oi, I think you’re confused or something, Transfer Student. There’s only five of us here on the rooftop!”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, but we have a friend outside of school who’s also with us.” Thinking about it, how was Applejack’s search going anyway? Hopefully she managed to find some trace of them…they were certainly out there somewhere… “…So that makes six.”

Homura nodded. “…Right. Now, with no further interruptions...we should team up in groups of two each, a pair that would complement each other’s abilities and weapons. I can be either a short or long-ranger, I have the ability to stop time for a short moment, but a shortcoming that I have is that I lack strong healing or defense abilities. Someone who could compliment me should have strong healing, but also have decent abilities regarding defense. I believe the person who is most suitable for these necessities is Fluttershy-san.”

The prismatic girl frowned, her mind trying to translate important pieces of the conversation. “…Wait, are you saying for Fluttershy to be your partner?! I thought we already decided Fluttershy was with me!”

The apathetic Magical Girl shook her head. “…I said it before, didn’t I? Until we started the meeting, that nothing was set in stone? It’s actually better in the long run if you two weren’t on the same team. If you always stayed with Fluttershy-san, how would you know how to work with anyone else, or trust anyone else? The biggest obstacle right now is your need to stick to your own kind.”

Rainbow lowered her head, her fists to her forehead. “Gah, I don’t get it! What the heck are you saying!?” Something about being together wasn’t okay…but they Pinkie Promised to protect each other, didn’t they?! “…Why can’t Fluttershy be my partner?!”

Mami let out a deep sigh.

…Because otherwise you wouldn’t be able to truly fit into this world if you stayed with your own kind. I understand you two are friends, Dash-san...but Akemi-san is right in this regard. You wouldn’t be able to trust us if you always stayed with what you understand.

B-But…we promised…!

Please, this is for the sake of all of you...I can’t understand how hard this world must be for you…but you HAVE to be willing to let us in. It’s the only way you can start to accept our world.

Fluttershy glanced towards her filly-hood friend, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Unfortunately, Miss Mami and Homura were right. They couldn’t keep sticking to each other like this…no matter how much she felt reassured with Rainbow by her side. It hurt, but…

…Rainbow? It’s…it’s okay. We’ll always be friends, and we’re still living with Miss Homura…but we still don’t understand much about this world. Maybe by making more friends here…we’ll start feeling more at home here. After all, we…we can’t go back to Equestria, so…this…this is our home now.

Rainbow frowned, magenta eyes wavering as she looked up at her best friend.

…But, I…I…

A deep sigh escaped the prismatic girl’s lips.

…I get it, Flutters. Just…do your best, okay? I know things will be rough and all…so just stay awesome and kick some flank, huh?

Sayaka blinked as she watched the exchange, taking in the mental link shared between them all. The transfer students sounded a lot less hesitant in the mind...it was actually kinda nice. Was there something between Dash-san and Fluttershy-san, though? What was ‘flank’ about? What was Equestria?

Homura nodded. “…Now that the mess has been figured out, Fluttershy-san will be partnered with me. Tomoe-san, who do you think would better compliment your fighting style?”

Mami put a hand to her chin in thought. “Mmm, sou ne (Let’s see)…Applejack-san needs a mentor to teach her how to use her pistol…and with my knowledge of the musket, I may be able to help her out. My healing is decent enough, and my defense is strong. My ribbons give me an advantage of entrapping my opponents…for Applejack-san, I might be able to offer her the best support to compliment her teleportation magic, compared to Dash-san and Fluttershy-san.”

Rainbow Dash let out a heavy sigh, her magenta eyes falling onto the blue-haired Magical Girl, causing the other to flinch.

…I guess that means you’re my partner. I’m super-fast with my wings, I provide a lot of power and reflex with the sword, and my defense is super great with my shield. In exchange…I can heal, but I don’t regenerate from wounds fast.

Sayaka slowly nodded.

M-Mmm…My wish was based around healing, so my healing’s good and I regenerate quickly and pretty easily, which…kind of makes up for the fact that…

The blue-haired girl let out a sigh. It was actually embarrassing, saying your shortcomings…especially to someone she didn’t know as more than a transfer student…

…Judging how my first Witch battle was, I guess I... rush into things without thinking, and I get hurt a lot?

Her voice grew meek as she felt ashamed to admit to such a thing…but if it helped the people of Mitakihara…at this point she really had no choice. “…So, I guess…eeto (Um)...take care of me.” She gave a brisk nod, her head lowered to the prismatic girl. She didn’t seem untrustworthy, at least…

“…Yeah.” Rainbow nodded back, an uneasy feeling causing her to feel hesitant on the matter. For the first time since she came to this strange world…she was going to fight with someone that wasn’t Fluttershy. In terms of teamwork, she had everything down pat – Rainbow Danger Dash wasn’t afraid of anything! Just try and test her skills! Years on the Ponyville Weather Team taught her plenty!

…But this wasn’t about the weather – this was a merciless battlefield, and everyday she’d be risking her life, while Fluttershy would be fighting her own battles where she wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her to make sure she’d be safe. She’d have to focus on ensuring Miki Sayaka’s safety instead, and expect she’d have her back in case things went south. To top it all off, she’d have to trust Home Run to keep Fluttershy alive and well! With how many secrets she was keeping from them while focusing on her own agenda, how could she possibly be okay with this arrangement?!

Crossing her arms loosely, Mami glanced at the group before looking towards Homura. “With our groups decided, how should we divide when each of us will hunt for Witches?” Going all at once would be too risky for the city average of Witches available to hunt…so how were they going to balance six girls in one city?

Homura raised an index finger in the air. “…We each do a one-day rotation. That means that Fluttershy-san and I would hunt one day, Tomoe-san and Applejack-san would get one day, and so on. There are of course exceptions in case one group is lacking in Grief Seed supply to properly maintain their Soul Gems, but that is what I propose we do in order to divide amongst six Magical Girls in one city. Each Magical Girl must try to conserve as much magic as necessary.”

Sayaka nodded slowly, keeping a wary eye on the dark-haired Magical Girl. As much as she was willing to trust Mami-san, it was still hard to believe that she was now working with that cold-eyed transfer student…but the circumstances were easy to believe with the whole city at risk. “…Jya (So), who’s going to start first with this…rotation thingy?” She frowned.

“Ara (Oh), I suppose your group is volunteering, Miki Sayaka?” The apathetic Magical Girl’s lips curled into a small smile. At this point, she wasn’t too sure of the risks of leaving the two to their own business without supervision, but she needed to start training with Fluttershy-san if they were going to work together.

The blue-haired girl puffed her cheeks in frustration before letting out a sigh. “…Fine! I’ll start off the rotation, and your group can go the next day! And I suppose Mami-san would go right after you, then. In that case…” She rose her arms up as she stretched, stepping a few feet away from the group before facing them. “…Dash-san, let’s find a good place to meet up after school today!”

Rainbow blinked. “Eh? Ah, hai (Yes)!” Something about meeting up after school? Probably in order to hunt, so they were going to start off the…rotation. At least she thought that’s what was going on? It was a little hard to translate… “…Doko desuka? (Where?)”

Sayaka put a hand to her chin. “Mmm…let’s meet in front of my apartment. I’ll write you an address real quick!” She reached into a school bag before pulling out a small notepad and tore a small piece of paper out, scratching a pen on the surface before holding it out to the prismatic girl. “Hai, kore! (This!) I’ll be heading back down, now.”

The rainbow-haired Magical Girl raised a brow as she slowly took the piece of paper, glancing at the foreign characters scribbled in the blue-haired girl’s handwriting. “…Hai…” She gave a small nod as she watched her make her way from the rest of group and down the stairs off of the school roof, already out of sight.

…What the hay did she just give me?

---

The golden light of the sun poured down as it began to set, prismatic locks shifting with each movement as she took a glance at the piece of paper she was given, which now had additional notes added to it in order to translate, thanks to Home Run and Mami. Turns out it was an address to her apartment, if she understood them right. As she approached what looked like a tall multi-story building, she stopped short, her neck raised to take in the structure. “W-Whoa…” Rainbow breathed, noticing a large glass door that seemed to open as soon as someone approached it. This world was truly different from Equestria.

Blue eyes blinked as Sayaka stepped through the automatic doors, noticing the rainbow-haired Magical Girl. “…Osoi~! (You’re late!)” She started in a dash away from the entrance, stopping just in front of her new battle partner as she put her hands on her hips. “I thought we were meeting directly after school!”

Rainbow Dash winced. The blue-haired girl seemed to be upset at her. Something about being late? “…Gomen, gomen (Sorry, sorry)!” She spoke in Japanese, before switching to her native language. “…Your note was hard to understand…Home Run and Mami helped me translate it…”

Sayaka stopped short. She caught translate, note, hard, and something about Mami-san and the Transfer Student… “…Ahahaha, my bad!” She scratched the back of her head, giving a sheepish grin. “You couldn’t read my note, huh? This language barrier thing is hard…” She let out a sigh before her lips curled into a small smile. “…Jya, Ikou (Shall we go)?”

The blue pegasus nodded. “…Yeah, let’s go get a Witch.” She followed the energetic short-haired girl as they left the front of the apartment, her magenta eyes filled with more uncertainty as they continued on. How hard would it be to take down the Witch? There was no connection here. She didn’t know if she could honestly entrust her life to this human…but maybe that was exactly what Home Run and Mami were talking about…’letting them in’ or something like that.

The blue-haired Magical Girl held her hand out as her blue Soul Gem glowed, magic dancing along her hand as it materialized into the egg form, a crescent on the top of its gold-framed crown. Watching it intently, she walked down the street away from the apartment, turning the corner as they entered a more crowded area filled with throngs of people speaking Japanese, all of them trying to get somewhere.

Rainbow Dash took glances at her own Soul Gem, keeping it in its ring form. It was more convenient that way, to be honest. Less things to fill up your hooves…hands. Letting out a sigh, the rainbow-haired Magical Girl glanced towards the sky. It was nearly sunset, the evening lights of the city giving the area a faint glow as they crossed a bridge, heading down the stairs. “…Mmm, nothing showing on my Soul Gem…Getting anything, Sayaka?” It was a little weird to say on the tongue. Sa-ya-ka.

Sayaka glanced behind her. “Hm? Ah, not yet. Mami-san told me it takes time, so…I guess we keep on walking, ne?” She gave a reassuring smile before facing her Soul Gem again, continuing on down the sidewalk away from the bridge.

Eventually, it came. Magenta and blue eyes widened at the same time as they both suddenly looked at their Soul Gems, the lights pulsating as it picked up energies. With a nod, Sayaka grinned. “Kokoda! (It’s here)!” Following the blue-haired Magical Girl down towards a less-populated area and stopping at what looked like a desolate alleyway, Rainbow could see her Soul Gem was pulsating faster. The source was in that alleyway…but it felt too weak to be a Witch.

As the Soul Gem reached the source, the entire area of the alley grew distorted, taking them into a world covered in green solid walls, crayons raining down as they descended down the flight of stairs as the barrier’s aura revealed its malicious nature to them.

…The source seems to be here…but it feels a little too weak to be a full-fledged Witch.

Sayaka blinked, her eyes glancing towards her prismatic battle partner.

You think so? In that case, it might just be a really strong familiar…but either way we’ve gotta take care of it! It’ll kill people, after all!

Rainbow frowned a bit, narrowing her eyes as she gave a sharp nod.

…You got it! I’ve got your back.

“Okay!” The blue-haired Magical Girl grinned, magic surrounding her as she was surrounded by a watery aura, bubbles rising up as her body was bathed in a light-blue light, her Mitakihara school uniform being replaced by a strapless frilled blue and white bodice with gold lining, her legs being dressed in white stockings with blue belt buckles as her cream-colored sleeves were replaced with separate dark blue sleeves, her fingers covered by white gloves with blue bands. Her skirt was replaced with a blue angled skirt with a lighter blue layer draped over, a shimmering blue crescent forming on her belly. Reaching a hand to her hair, fortissimo-shaped hairpins decorated the side of her head, her neck covered by a white cape lined with gold as she pulled a blue and silver cutlass out of her chest, swinging it around as she completed her transformation, jumping out of the covers of her cape.

Rainbow allowed her rainbow-hued magic to completely envelop her, her creamy uniform being replaced by her black with rainbow lining armored dress with the gold necklace resembling the Element of Loyalty appearing around her neck forming her Soul Gem, her arms and legs being decorated by red-guard armor over black boots and half-gloves as a pair of cyan-blue pegasus wings sprout from her back, a sense of peace before rainbow lightning crackles, forming her cutie-mark on her shield, a sword appearing in her other hand as she reappeared in the crayon-filled barrier. “…Alright, let’s take it down!”

Sayaka formed several cutlass swords in front of her as she took notice of a small scribbled creature with its tongue sticking out, sitting on a rocket as it hovered over them. “BEH~! UGHFFG UGGG!” The familiar cried out as she twitched. Okay, that thing was REALLY annoying. “Take this!” Blue eyes narrowed as she threw several cutlass swords towards the creature, the familiar gliding along as it attempted to avoid her attacks, until suddenly, a gold chain-whip with a silver and red blade struck at the swords, preventing them from hitting the familiar as it let out a screech, quickly moving away from the threat.

“Hold on, just WHAT do you THINK you’re doing?” A strange foreign voice filled the air in Japanese as Rainbow blinked in surprise, a red-ponytailed girl in a red and white-frilled coat landing on top of one of Sayaka’s swords that was pushed away, before it dispersed in a blue light, the barrier around them folding into itself instead of collapsing, the alley reverting back to normal as the familiar flew away.

“Ah, it’s getting away!” Sayaka called out, starting into a pursuit after it before she suddenly tilted her head upwards, a long golden pole with a silver spear blade pressed right at her neck, causing her to flinch as she stayed in one spot a fair distance from the other strange girl, letting out a shaky breath.

“Sayaka!” Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth at the sight of the red stranger. “HEY! What do you think YOU’RE doing, huh?!” She spat out in English, her anger rising as her wings flared.

The red-haired girl narrowed her eyes at the prismatic Magical Girl. “Hnn…Eego (English), ka?” She mused, before her lips curled into a smirk, her tongue twisting with an accent. “…Are you a fool? That’s a Familiar, not a Witch. You won’t get a Grief Seed from it.”

The rainbow-haired girl frowned, glaring at the girl. Her English was surprisingly good…but that wasn’t the point! “…Grief Seed or not, it’s going to kill people if left alone! Now release my friend, or you’ll have to deal with me!” She aimed her sword towards the redhead. It was strange she was calling Sayaka a friend so soon…but she was entrusted to protect her, and have her back. She wasn’t going to leave her hanging!

A black-cuffed hand reached into a side pocket, pulling out a taiyaki as the redhead took a bite, chewing a bit. “…So?” Red eyes shifted towards them like a predator eyeing her prey. “…Let it kill people. Eventually if you wait for it to eat…hmm…five to ten people, it’ll become a Witch with its own Grief Seed. Then you can hunt for it without wasting magic.” She took another bite. “If you nip it in the bud, you’re hurting the economy, you know? …The Food Chain? Didn’t you learn it at school?”

Sayaka gulped, catching bits and pieces of the conversation. “…Food chain…? …What does THAT have to do with anything!?” Her lips pursed shut, still nervous about the sharp blade just an inch from her neck.

The mysterious girl barked out a laugh. “…Wow, you two have got this ALL wrong.” She pulled her spear back as the pole shrank to a smaller size, releasing the blue-haired Magical Girl. “…Allow me to educate you, then.” Sayaka found no relief as the redhead licked her lips before walking closer, a hungry look in her eyes as she moved closer to the blue-haired girl, her red boots clacking against the hard alleyway surface. “…Weak humans get eaten by Familiars. Familiars become Witches, and then we, the superior Magical Girls, EAT the Witches.” She took another hearty bite of her treat before she eyed the prismatic Magical Girl behind Sayaka. “…Circle of Life, you know?”

Magenta eyes slowly widened, bile rising in her throat. “…You’re…you’re just…sick…!” How could anyone even LIVE with themselves if they had THAT mindset…?! She glared at her. “So what, you’ll just leave people to suffer just so you can get another Grief Seed?!”

“It’s SURVIVAL, sister.” Her ponytail shifted as she put a hand on her hip, a mocking tone in her voice. “…What, you didn’t expect this gig to be all about saving people, DID you? …Love and justice or some kind of CRAP like that?”

Sayaka clenched her teeth. She understood enough. “…You…!” She swung her sword at the redhead, a clanging sound ringing through the air as her attack was blocked by the redhead’s spear, her composure rather calm as she closed her eyes.

“…Hey. Why don’t you quit it?” She spoke in a softer tone, showing a fair amount of patience as the blue-haired girl strained against her weapon, grunting the entire time.

The prismatic Magical Girl felt a chill run down her spine. This strange girl was barely even trying, and Sayaka couldn’t make a dent on her, no matter how much force she was putting in. Just who WAS this girl…?! “…Well, why don’t YOU cut it out?! You’re the one who pounced on us, talking about the food chain!” Rainbow growled at her, gripping her sword tighter.

The mysterious Magical Girl held out a hand into a shrug, keeping her spear in place with one hand. “I’m just stating the facts here, Colors. Hunting familiars wastes SO much energy that could be spent hunting for more Grief Seeds. Why waste a perfectly good Witch?” She took another bite of her taiyaki, stuffing the rest of it in her mouth.

Rainbow’s anger bubbled until it boiled. “Alright, you ASKED for it!” She rushed forward, getting ready to strike. Nobody treated her companions like that and got away with it!

She swallowed. “…This is getting annoying.” All of a sudden, red diamond barriers formed in multiple layers in front of the prismatic Magical Girl as the redhead pushed her spear forward, knocking Sayaka off balance as she twisted her body, the golden pole collapsing into a chain-whip spear as she swung it into the blue-haired girl, causing her to fly backwards, straight into the red diamond barriers and making Rainbow crash into her, red diamonds falling all around the two.

“Agh!” Sayaka winced at the pain as she quickly glanced over at her battle partner. “G-guh…D-Daijoubu (Are you okay)…?” She asked the prismatic Magical Girl, struggling to slowly get up, her regenerative abilities starting to kick in.

Rainbow Dash had been in crashes all her life, at all kinds of velocities…but Tartarus did her body HURT...! “Mmgh…I’ll be okay, I’ve got good defense…!” She winced before her eyes narrowed into a glare towards the mysterious Magical Girl. Seriously, using her friend as a weapon against her? NOT. COOL.

“Tch…” The redhead frowned as she watched the two slowly recover from the blow they dealt, a blue healing light with music notes surrounding Rainbow Dash as her pain slowly eased, glaring daggers at her. “An attack like THAT should’ve put you two out of commission for two or three weeks, at least.” She shifted her posture to a firmer stance. Things were going to heat up from here.

The rainbow-haired girl readied her sword, her eyes more focused as she took a glance towards her battle partner who gave a nod in return, her cutlass at the ready. “…Too bad…” Rainbow looked back at the ponytailed girl. “We’re too awesome for that.” They both charged at the redhead, fury in their eyes.

The mysterious Magical Girl gave a sneer. “…Aww, two little kitties wanna play in the lion’s den.” A couple of fast reckless idiots…one had wings…but wings weren’t exactly useful in an alleyway. Making a high jump into the air and over the two in mid-run, she threw her chain-whip towards the prismatic Magical Girl, causing her to yelp as she was suddenly wrapped up in chains, boots clacking against the ground as the redhead swung her prey into the blue-haired Magical Girl.

Rainbow felt another blow of searing pain as she once again found herself on the alleyway floor. This girl was tough…but SHE could be tougher…! Striking with speed alone wasn’t going to cut it, though…so what could she do…!? The alleyway limited her movements, so she couldn’t get much momentum with her wings…unless she dived from above?

Sayaka let out a growl as she started to regenerate again, jumping straight into the battle as sword and spear clashed, the ponytailed girl blocking each advance the blue-haired girl blindly made. Out of the corner of her eye, the redhead noticed the rainbow-haired girl struggling for a moment to get up before she flapped her cyan-blue wings, lifting into the air.

‘Gaining momentum, I see…this rookie idiot isn’t tough at all, but DANG is she persistent…! And I’ve also got Colors to worry about…best make quick work of the blueberry.’ The mysterious Magical Girl threw a kick in between their blows, knocking Sayaka across the room as her cutlass flew out of her hand, crashing to the floor with a clanging sound.

“Sayaka!” Rainbow clenched her sword tightly, rainbow lightning crackling through it as she dive-bombed towards the ponytailed girl with high momentum, slashing at her with electric energies. “Take THAT!”

The redhead gasped as she quickly jumped back, wincing as while she just barely managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, the lightning cut deep into her arm, her white and black cuffed sleeve ripped in a few spots where there were now gashes. “Kch…! …This is a game-changer…” She muttered, keeping an eye on the speedy Magical Girl.

Sayaka let out a groan, slowly getting up as her regenerative abilities proceeded to help her once more…but her body was still hurting everywhere. “Kuu…!” She summoned another sword into her hand, getting ready to strike again.

Rainbow flew back into the air, charging up more energy as she gave a smug smirk. “HA! Not so tough now, ARE you?!” This was good. If she kept on using momentum and lightning, they could get another dent in her!

“…Oh, I’m just getting warmed UP!” The redhead used her good arm as she slammed her fist into the ground, several large spears shooting up high from the ground all in succession.

The prismatic Magical Girl’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa!” She quickly weaved her way through the spears, wincing as one cut deep into her left wing. “AGH…!” She cried out, flapping limply.

“…Rainbow!” The blue-haired Magical Girl dashed, surrounded by blue energy as her speed increased, her eyes filled with rage as she struck at the redhead. “YOU…!” She cried out.

Red eyes narrowed as the ponytailed girl quickly reformed her spear, inwardly biting her lip as cutlass clashed into the spear again with great force, a sharp pain running through her injured arm as she struggled but managed to maintain her stance. She’d been through way worse…but BOY were these idiots putting up a good fight. Glancing back at the rainbow-haired Magical Girl as she continued to deflect the blueberry’s moves, she could see she was slowly lowering to the ground. Couldn’t exactly fly with only one wing in great shape, after all…

So that took care of her momentum…but she still had that rainbow lightning to worry about.

Rainbow clenched her teeth as she landed, panting as the pain in her wing stung. It was fine though. She was used to pain. Plus, she could also be pretty fast on the ground. Blinking for a bit, magenta eyes widened as she noticed the redhead’s stance as the two fought…wasn’t as firm as it WAS. Giving a confident grin as a plan formed in her mind, she rushed with high speeds towards the two as she allowed herself to lean backwards, her hands reaching to touch the floor as she curved around Sayaka, black boots scrapping against the alleyway as she threw the strength of her entire legs towards the redhead’s ankles.

“…GAH!” The ponytailed girl felt the force of the prismatic girl’s attack as she lost her balance, a sharp searing pain traveling up her legs as she crashed to the ground, the blue-haired girl’s blind attack cutting deep into her shoulder as she fell, face first.

The rainbow-haired Magical Girl got up from the attack, feeling a bit of pain from her drastic yet awesome move. “Ha! Got her!” She breathed out, glancing towards her battle companion. “…Daijoubu, Sayaka?”

Sayaka nodded slowly as she panted, the blind fury slowly fading. “…Su…Sugoi…(Amazing)!” She grinned towards Rainbow, pumping a fist. “Sugoi, Rainbow! Kakoi~! (Cool!)”

The redhead let out a groan, quickly alerting them as she attempted to get up, pushing herself up with her good arm…but her knees weren’t responding… “…Kuu…not bad…rookies…” She panted, holding her torso up with her one arm. Oh, fantastic…she...she couldn’t get up…!

Rainbow gave a smirk as she walked closer to the downed predator. “…Sounds like it’s YOU who’s gonna be out of commission, Redhead.” Her lips curled into a frown. “…Who ARE you, anyway?”

“…Kyouko!” A velvety voice filled with concern caught their attention as another strange girl stood from the rooftop above the alley, long lusciously curled purple hair swaying in the wind as she jumped down, her maroon with white frill dress flowing with her every movement as she clenched her own spear, a silver pole with decorative engravings while the blade was a sharp light blue crystal. Narrowing her sapphire blue eyes dangerously, she glared at the two standing as she wore a necklace similar to the Element of Generosity, adorning her purple diamond Soul Gem. “…What did you DO to her, you RUFFIANS?!” She spat out in English.

No. It was in Equestrian. Magenta eyes slowly widened to pinpricks as the world around her came to a halt. No. No, it couldn’t be.

Sayaka frowned, translating everything but ruffian. What was a ruffian? “What did WE do?! She was the one who attacked us FIRST! Who are you, anyway?!”

The purple-haired girl ignored the two as she quickly bent down, reaching to help pick up her friend. “…Kyouko, are you alright!? We can get you healed as soon as we go back…!”

It had to be a joke.

The redhead, now known as Kyouko, let out a painful grunt as she was hoisted up. “…You idiot…I thought I told you to stay back in Kasamino, Rarity…!” She let out a cough.

Rarity shook her head. “…I couldn’t, darling! I had a bad feeling you were going to get hurt. Let’s return to Kasamino for now. Those injuries are quite serious!” She lifted the red-haired Magical Girl, leaping up to the roof before jumping out of sight.

The blue-haired Magical Girl reached out a hand. “H-Hey! Wait!” She clenched her teeth, putting her hand down as she couldn’t see them anymore, clenching her fists. “…Who the heck WERE those two?! Acting like WE were in the wrong!”

“…Rarity.” Blue eyes blinked at the sound of her companion’s voice, softer than she ever heard it before. “…Eh? Did you say something, Rainbow?” She turned around to face her.

The prismatic Magical Girl looked up at where the purple-haired girl once stood, the events that just occurred replaying over and over in her head. The redhead named Kyouko. The necklace that looked like the Element of Generosity…and her voice. “…What…what should I do, Sayaka…?” Magenta eyes wavered. She felt small…and weak, her legs losing strength. “…That was…Rarity…!”

Sayaka blinked again. “Eh? Y-yeah…didn’t she say that…?” Her head tilted to the side.

Rainbow Dash swallowed a heavy lump in her throat.

“…M-my friend.”

Author's Note:

I had the previous chapter mostly figure out, but I had a lot of trouble with how I wanted to execute this one. So, Kyouko and Rarity are in the mix now. What'll happen from here?

Also, Kyouko is actually very good with English, evident in Drama CDs, but more explanation will be given later in the story why that is the case. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy.

As always, please comment and give me your input. ^^

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

5002446 I like it. Can I see more of your work?

[jardex22]

I like it so far. I'm guessing at some point we'll see Rarity and Kyoko's first meeting. Or at the very least, they'll explain it later. I'm just wondering why Rarity didn't recognize Rainbow. Or if she did, she didn't acknowledge her.

Keep up the good work!

EDIT: I'm also wondering why Kyoko is in town in the first place. In the Anime, she arrived to take Mami's territory after she died. Since they're working in shifts, that means Mami shouldn't be dead yet.

[stardreams1263]

Hope theres more