#mlpmagicami

[magicamicitia]

WARNING: Mentions of suicidal/intrusive thoughts.

Volume One, Chapter Two

“You’re not alone anymore.”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Click!

Sunset Shimmer once again woke up to the sound of her alarm clock, and carried on with her morning routine as normal. However, the memories of the previous afternoon refused to leave her thoughts.

She was aware of the existence of magic in other worlds, but… This one wasn’t supposed to be one of them. So what’s up with all of this? Magical girls? Witches? A talking cat-with-bunny-ears freak? It was weirder than anything she’d ever seen in any other world. Apparently, humans like her weren’t supposed to be able to see witches like she did. Sunset figured her background as a magic interdimensional traveller could explain that abnormality.

Whatever this all meant, she hoped Twilight knew what she was doing.

“I have no idea what I’m doing!” Twilight Sparkle skipped nervously around her room.

“Don’t worry!” the small white creature, who referred to itself as ‘Kyubey’, carefully groomed its fur in a corner. “If you ever need any help, you can always ask me.”

Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s real reassuring. The last time I asked for your help, You-“

Her train of thought was crudely interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Sweetie?” Her mother’s voice called. “Are you okay in there? You’re gonna be late if you don’t come out soon!”

“Shoot! I’d better get going!”

She left her home in a hurry as to avoid being late, despite her family’s attempts to tell her she still had twenty minutes until her usual time of departure. With a half-eaten sandwich in her hands and a trusty Kyubey over her shoulders, she was surely ready for another day as a high school student AND magical girl!

Huh?

Twilight Sparkle suddenly felt a strange weight on her chest. looking down at the soul gem ring on her finger, she noticed it emitted a strange glow.

“What’s all this now?”

“Your soul gem is reacting to magic,” kyubey answered. “There must be a witch nearby! We have to go after it!”

“NOW?! I can’t go after a witch NOW! I couldn’t even finish off the last one, and if I take too long fighting it… I’ll be…”

She gulped, terrified.

“…TARDY!!!”

“Twilight! You’re a magical girl now, the future of humanity relies on you battling witches!”

“I know, I know… But… Like, can’t you do it or something?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about witches in their physicial form. But once you defeat the witch, I can collect its grief seed and make sure it never comes back!”

“Ughhhh!!! Fine, I’ll do it, I’ll do it…”

Her soul gem’s magic led her to a beautiful hedge maze just outside an ancient history museum.

“Wow… this place looks so peaceful. Odd spot for a witch to make its lair.”

“You’re right, Twilight. Usually, witches will try to hatch in locations where they can collect the despair of nearby victims. But this maze is a total ghost town…”

“Well, then that must mean this one doesn’t feel like it needs any extra power, huh?”

“Yes. We’d better get ready; we’re about to enter the labyrinth, quite literally.”

As Twilight moved towards the center of the maze, she could feel reality around her become more and more distorted. But she noticed a strange consistency among the chaos.

“These patterns… these creatures… This is the same witch from yesterday!”

Kyubey backed up against Twilight’s legs, looking for refuge. “Looks like we got real lucky then. If we had decided to fight it then, with a human tagging along, things would have gotten real dangerous.”

Twilight spared no time - casting her magical power, she transformed into her magical girl self and barged through the horde of familiars with her shield. The familiars, however, laughed at her futile attempts. Their torn bodies sewed themselves back together to take on another form.

“P…Principal Celestia…?” Twilight felt an enourmous weight fall onto her shoulders.

“Twilight Sparkle,” said the mirage. “What are you doing here, when you should be at school? You used to be such a good student…”

“U-Used to be? No, no, I still am! In fact, I was on my way back-“

“It’s too late for that now. You’ve already been expelled from Crystal Prep, do you want me to expel you from Canterlot High as well? That won’t look good on your records.”

“No! I wasn’t expelled! Candace just thought it would be better for me if…”

Her legs were shaking.

“I… I’m… You’re not supposed to be here!”

Mustering up her strength, Twilight attacked the illusion of Celestia with everything she had. The familiars, however, simply dissolved themselves while laughing, leaving Twilight to fall to the ground, crying and defeated.

“What’s happening�� Why am I… So weak…?”

The laughter around her turned to chants.

“End it!”

“What good is a magical girl who can’t fight a witch?”

“End it!”

“Give up your soul gem and feed us!”

“End it!”

“End it!”

“End it!”

Her vision was starting to get blurry. Why did she accept this awful offer in the first place?! She didn’t have what it took to be a magical girl at all!

Oh,

That’s right…

The reason was…

“Hold on tight, sugarcube!”

From the skies, a mysterious sillhouette came down to Twilight’s aid. Once it landed, she was surprised to see another magical girl, just like her!

Well, maybe her clothes were a little different. Very country. And instead of a shield, this girl took out five mint-condition flintlock muskets from her stylish cowboy hat. With the aim and confidence of a professional, she took down the monsters without missing a single shot. Then, she whipped her hair around, adjusted her hat, and turned to a baffled Twilight on the ground.

She smiled and reached out her hand.

“You alright over there?”

Before she could even say anything, four other girls made their way to Twilight and the mysterious magical girl.

“AJ, no fair! You said this one was mine!” A feisty girl with rainbow-colored hair rushed in first, clearly very upset.

“Oh, darling, please, that was clearly not the witch. You’re making a scene for no reason.” Added a purple-haired girl dressed in gorgeous modern-victorian couture.

“Wait,” said the multicolor girl. “Who’s that one over there?”

“I-I’m… Twilight… Twilight Sparkle…” She clumsily adjusted her glasses and got up.

“Pleasure to meet ya, Twilight.” The girl with the muskets smiled. “Name’s applejack.”

“I’m Rainbow Dash!” the spunky girl added.

“My name is Rarity, but you may call me Miss Rarity if you’re a fan.”

“Oh, I’ve heard your name before! You’re like, a prodigy star of the design world, right?”

“You’re quite right, darling! And those two over there are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.”

“W…Woah… So, you’re all magical girls…?”

“ALMOST all of us. Flutter can’t seem to come up with a wish, so we just drag her along as moral support.” Rainbow Dash cut in with a sarcastic tone.

“Rainbow, don’t say that!” Applejack reprimanded. “Don’t you worry, sugarcube. I know how scary it is to fight them mean witches all by yourself, but you’re not alone in this no more. We got your back!”

[magicamicitia]

Volume One, Chapter One

“I’m a magical girl!”

The clock striked at four.

Sunset Shimmer stared into the distance, and she saw nothing but darkness. Tightening the grasp on her sword, she swallowed the anxiety inside her.

The clock striked at five.

Her vision was blurry, and she could feel tears falling onto her face. Who was crying? She felt like she wanted to cry too.

The clock striked at six.

Sunset could feel herself being carried away by someone. Away from the darkness. But she felt like they were going the wrong way. She catches a glimpse of a crystal school before it disappeared into the night.

The clock striked at seven.

An alarm rang;

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Sunset Shimmer opens her eyes, trying to understand her surroundings.

“Huh…? A dream?”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Alright, I get it! Geez, can a girl not have a nightmare in peace anymore?!” She shouts while angrily pressing the off switch on the alarm clock.

She stops for a moment, trying to recall what she saw in her slumber. But the memory of it has already faded away. She shakes her head to free herself from the trance, and gets out of bed.

Today is the start of her second semester at Canterlot High.

After a long shower, Sunset heads to her kitchen to make some breakfast before going to school. She decides to turn on the news while cooking, a habit she grew living alone in this strange world for so long.

“Breaking News; yesterday, and around four-thirty in the morning, the prestigious Crystal Prep Academy suffered a mysterious terrorist attack that killed twenty-seven employees and injured thirty more while on their night shift. Authorities urge civilians to stay away from the building, as smoke clouds are still present. The police has not yet found a culprit, and specialists have so far failed to identify what caused the explosion that destroyed the entire building.”

Sunset quickly turned around at the sound of those words.

“Crystal prep? Isn’t that the school Twilight was transferred from? I wonder if she’s doing okay… I should send her a text.”

She reached for her phone, but before she could unlock it, the numbers on the screen caused her to stop.

“SEVEN FORTY?! Dang it, I’m gonna be late!”

Picking up her things in a rush, Sunset quickly tumbled out of the house, silently scolding herself for not paying attention to the time.

At the front doors of Canterlot High, a young girl nervously adjusted her glasses, staring at the floor.

“Twilight!” Someone called out.

The girl looked up, recognizing the familiar voice.

“Sunset!”

The two friends ran to each other enthusiastically.

“Wow, I haven’t seen you all summer break! You look tired, have you been partying a lot?” Sunset said with a sarcastic tone.

Twilight seemed startled by that comment.

“Huh? Ah, no… I was just… Studying, is all.”

“Hah! Of course you were, ya big nerd. Oh, on another note, um… have you heard? About, you know…”

The smile on Twilight Sparkle’s face vanished.

“I have.”

“Is your brother… Okay?”

“He’s... Healthy. He was at home when it happened, but we heard Cadance was in the hospital today, and he hasn’t taken it well. None of us have.”

“Ah, that’s gotta be rough. I know how important she is to all of you.”

“Yeah, well… we’re managing. I’m sure she’ll be okay.”

They both stared at the ground in awkward silence for a few seconds, until Twilight shook her head and began,

“Never mind that. Sulking too much is gonna affect our studies on our first day! You- We’re okay and that’s what matters. Let’s head in, right?”

“Oh,” Sunset relaxed a bit. “Yeah yeah, let’s go.”

As they walked in, she couldn’t help but notice Twilight seemed to be acting off. Sunset knows her friend has a tendency to bottle things up to not worry other people, and all this stress must have been getting to her. A thought crossed her mind.

I should buy Twi a snack later to cheer her up.

As the bell rang at the end of the day, Sunset Shimmer sent her friend a message to meet her in front of the Sugarcube Corner Bakery, confident that some cupcakes and coffee could help her back to her old self. She had to be careful though, as one of her classmates, Pinkie Pie, was often seen around there, and Sunset wouldn’t want other people seeing this side of her…

“Huh?”

Why did she have a ‘side’ in the first place?

Why push others away like that?

There was a reason. An important reason. What was it again? Her head hurt thinking about it…

“Wait, where am I?”

Sunset looked around, realizing she had taken a wrong turn in the midst of her thoughts. Now in an old empty street instead of the colorful commercial disctrict.

“Well, this place is creepy. I should go back… What the-!”

Turning around, the scenery around her changed again. And wherever she went, it kept morphing… and twisting… and turning into something even more bizarre and nonsensical. A sense of dread overwhelmed her.

“I gotta get out of here NOW!”

But no matter how much she tried, Sunset felt like she was stuck running in place. Odd figures seemed to laugh at her struggle, and she cursed everyone and everything she could think of until she tripped and fell down onto the ground.

The figures slowly approached her in her weakened state, like predators carefully preparing an attack on their prey. Sunset, despite her confusion, shakingly got up and entered a fighting stance, even though she knew she had no way of fighting those things. Suddenly, a streak of light cut through the air, dismembering the monsters.

The girl searched puzzled for the source of her salvation, and her eyes laid on a familiar figure.

“Twilight?!”

The awkward nerdy schoolgirl she knew had a determined look in her eyes, with a dazzling outfit and a bladed shield which she yielded with an uncanny familiarity. Upon hearing her friend’s call, she turned around and her expression changed into the smile she was much more acquainted with.

“Sunset! Are you alright?”

“I am physically, but… What the hell is going on here? What are you wearing? Since when do you fight?! What are these things?!?!”

“I-I’ll explain everything, I swear! But we have to run, now!” She took her puzzled friend’s hand and guided her away from the mysterious labyrinth.

Once they reached an open and non-weirded-out area, Sunset took a few seconds to catch her breath before asking;

“What the hell was that?!”

Twilight panted.

“That was… Well…”

“A witch’s labyrinth!” A third voice added.

Sunset looked down. Her eyes widened to the size of a tea saucer.

“Is that. A talking cat.”

The nerdy girl smiled awkwardly.

“Um… Ahaha…”

“Twilight.”

“…Yeah?”

“What exactly… Are you?”

“Well…” she scratched her chin. “I’m a magical girl!”

[magicamicitia]

Volume One Masterpost

started: March 25 2024

last update: April 15 2024

Volume One, Chapter One

Volume One, Chapter Two

Volume One, Chapter Three

Volume One, Chapter Four

[magicamicitia]

I hope this isn’t too big a spoiler or anything but will the characters get doppels like in Magia record or with it be more like the main show?

since doppels only exist because of the magius, i don’t think it would make sense for them to be a thing in this au. Perhaps in some kind of spin-off the cutie mark crusaders could take the roles of the magius or something and create doppels XD now that’s something to think about…

[magicamicitia]

Volume Two Masterpost

Volume Two, Chapter One

Volume Two, Chapter Two

Volume Two, Chapter Three

Volume Two, Chapter Four

[magicamicitia]

hey guys, small update! i need to get some school stuff sorted out so i’ll be putting the chapters on hiatus for a while! updates will be back on monday, july 15th, and we’ll be back to the original weekly updates instead of the current 14 day ones, along with the volume 2 and 3 covers :) thank you for understanding!

[magicamicitia]

Volume 3, Chapter One

“You can always trust yourself.”

The rain kept rentlessly pouring the entire afternoon. However, through the cramped hospital windows, it made for a somewhat relaxing scenery.

A young woman laid in her hospital bed. She had almost completely recovered, but her hair was unkept and her eyes were tired. A gentle knock on the door startled her fixated gaze away the windows.

“Who’s there?”

A slow creak opened the door revealing the face of a young student. Her glasses were slightly tilted.

“Excuse me, miss Cadance…”

The woman smiled.

“Oh, Twilight. You don’t have to call me that.”

She gestured with her hand.

“Come in.”

Twilight awkwardly stumbled across the room and sat down next to the hospital bed.

“…How are you feeling?”

The room went quiet. Cadance turned to look at the window again, her face was painted with distress. Perhaps that wasn’t the right question to ask right now.

“Y-Your arm, I mean…”

“Oh!” She held the cast close to her chest. “I’m getting better. The doctors said I’d be discharged in a few days.”

“That’s good…” the student sighed with relief. She looked up to notice a strange mark on Cadance’s neck.

“A tattoo…?” she whispered.

The woman looked at her, puzzled.

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh, it’s nothi-”

Before she could finish her sentence, a familiar shadow peeked from the outside. As their eyes met, the startled Twilight jumped from her chair.

“Are you alright, Twi?” Cadance was clearly worried about her behavior.

“Oh, I’m fine, I just…” She locked her gaze on Kyubey’s face. “I thought I saw something…”

“Can you talk? It’s important.” The animal messaged telepathically.

They locked eyes for some time. She couldn’t trust him. Kyubey was her only source of information regarding the mess she’d gotten herself into, but even then he wasn’t a reliable one. It was all up to her now. She couldn’t let her guard down, no matter what he said.

Twilight took a deep breath and turned to the woman in the bed.

“I’m going to use the bathroom, Okay? I’ll be right back.”

Outside the hospital building, Kyubey patiently waited under the portico, protecting its fur from the pouring rain.

“So…” the creature began.

“What do you want now?” Twilight inquired.

“Well, I hope you’re not still mad about what happened earlier. I did try to warn you.”

“You…”

“In any case,” Kyubey Interrupted. “I assume you noticed the Witch’s Kiss that was imprinted onto Miss Cadance?”

“…What are you talking about?”

He shook his head.

“If a magical girl’s power comes from wishes, then a witch’s power comes from curses. You know that, right? In order to accumulate those curses, witches sap energy from unsuspecting humans, enhancing feelings of grief and depression in order to turn them into suicidal zombies and in turn harvest their life force as nutrients.”

Chills ran through her body like sparks.

“N…No way…”

“I’m quite surprised you didn’t know that.”

Twilight thought back on the other witches she’d fought.

“People nearby… they did have those marks, but… I didn’t understand any of this back then.”

Kyubey snapped its head in an almost horror-like manner.

“Back then?”

Twilight quickly recomposed herself. It was clear that she wasn’t the one asking the questions here. Kyubey just wanted her to slip up.

“What exactly are you hiding from me? It’s not time magic, so what…”

“Thank you for the information, Kyubey.” She cut him off expecting to cloud his judgement. “In order to break the curse on Cadance, I just have to kill the witch, correct?”

Kyubey seemed almost annoyed at the brash interruption, but after a short pause, he warned;

“This witch is not like the others. And Cadance is not the only one under its control.”

“H-Huh…?”

“Just know that… Even when you can trust no one, you can always trust yourself. A magical girl must know how to fight alone.”

“Big talk…” She growled. “Any burden that you can take by yourself is much easier with the help of your friends. It’s not like you would understand… But I do now.”

Twilight walked away under her umbrella, as Kyubey watched immobile from a distance.

“And I didn’t even say anything about friends… Twilight Sparkle, how can you simply forget about your own family like that?”

[magicamicitia]

Volume 4, Chapter Three

“Proserpina”, Part II

Sunset had long lost count of the time that had passed since they began looking for the lost soul gem. It probably hadn’t been that long, but the stress of the situation made it difficult to be sure.

Furthermore, the confusing and repetitive patterns covering the labyrinth made the girls wonder where they had already checked.

“We’re walking in circles, dammit!” Rainbow Dash snarled. “This place is huge! Even with my speed, it’s gonna take forever!”

“If we take down the witch, would the soul gem disappear along with the labyrinth?” Sunset questioned. “It might be easier to find it if we don’t have to worry about fighting.”

“I can’t risk it.” Rainbow crouched down to keep searching.

At that moment, a thought crossed Sunset Shimmer’s mind.

A thought..?

“No, this is… A memory? Instinct?”

Her head hurt terribly, causing her to lose her balance. Rainbow caught her before she hit the ground.

“Hey, you okay?”

“There’s no soul gem.”

“Huh?”

Her usually tanned face was colorless.

“There is no soul gem.”

“Wha…” Rainbow Dash stuttered. “What are you talking about..?”

“We need to go back to the others. Quickly. I’ll explain there.”

Sunset could feel her friend’s arms shaking. She gripped them as firmly as she could, hoping to reassure her. Deep down, she knew Rainbow had already figured it out as well.

When they reached the others, Rarity was the first one to speak up, holding back the monster with her whip.

“Did you find it?!”

Sunset shook her head, and from the distance, she yelled as loud as she possibly could;

“The witch IS Fluttershy!!!”

In a moment of mixed shock and confusion, Rarity’s grip on the witch loosened, releasing it almost immediately. Now, it was its turn to counterattack.

The witch’s noodle-like limbs wrapped tightly around her waist, causing her to spit out the blood from her crushed organs.

“Rarity!!” Applejack got ready to shoot, but Pinkie stopped her.

“Wait!!” Her face was unusually terrified, a gutting expression no one never seen from her before. “Didn’t you hear her?! That’s Fluttershy! We can’t kill her!!”

“That’s a loada bull!” Applejack shrieked. “That doesn’t even make sense! If we don’t do something, Rarity’s gonna-“

“She’s right.” Twilight whispered.

All heads turned to face her.

“Back then…” Her words struggled to come out. “When we first fought… You were deciding on who should keep the grief seed. Why do you think that’s so important?”

“Huh?” Applejack lowered her weapon. “Cuz without ‘em, we can’t use magic! Our gems get all musty and it gets hard to transform.”

Twilight stood up, still looking at the floor.

“What do you think happens… If your soul gem were to turn completely dark?”

The other girl didn’t respond.

“You knew?” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“Somewhat.” She answered. “But I… had no idea Fluttershy would…”

She finally lifted her face back up.

“I mean, you gave her the grief seed, right? Why wouldn’t she use it?”

“Forget that!” Rainbow yelled. “Why didn’t YOU say anything?!”

“I was GOING to!” She rebutted. “But how was I supposed to do that after…” she stopped, unable to finish her sentence.

“After you tricked us?”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh right.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You didn’t know. But somehow you knew about this? Who… no, what are you, Twilight?”

The heavy silence was abruptly broken by the Witch’s screams.

“Crap.” Applejack had her gun in hand, but now, she wasn’t sure if she should shoot.

“Rarity!” Pinkie stepped in. “Can you try to talk to her?! Try to make her remember who she is!”

Rarity coughed. It was hard to breathe. She knew if she moved too much, she would die. But as long as her soul gem stayed intact, that was just fine.

She was doing this for Fluttershy.

Reaching out her hand, she managed to barely touch the witch’s face.

“Fluttershy…” she coughed up a little more blood. “Please, it’s me…”

The witch’s grip loosened ever so slightly. Or maybe her bones had broken.

“Do you remember… me..? I’m your… Best friend…”

The surface of the skull was cold. In that moment, she realized her friend was long gone.

Attempting to negotiate with a witch was like negotiating with a corpse.

Rarity was not allowed much time to think, as the witch raised her limbs up high before smashing them back onto the ground with a loud thud.

“RARITY!!!!!”

They all rushed to her, as the witch flew up to the limits of the labyrinth.

Applejack turned Rarity’s body over. the soul gem in her neck was completely shattered.

“You’re joking…” Sunset trembled.

With a wail, the monster prepared for another dive, its mouth wide open.

Applejack swallowed her tears, and raised her rifle once more. Right then, it didn’t matter if that was her friend or just a brainless monster.

She aimed right for the throat.

“G’night, Flutters.”

A shot echoed through the labyrinth, right before it crumbled.

After a few minutes in silence, she spoke again.

“Everyone alright?”

Now in her everyday clothes, Applejack looked like just a normal girl. But she knew she wasn’t. none of them were.

Twilight held Rarity close to her, while Raimbow Dash carried Fluttershy.

“How…” Pinkie sobbed, tears streaming down into every orifice of her face. “How did we lose two people in one day…? In one fight..? We were… We were supposed to throw a party together…!”

No one said another word. Pinkie’s pained cries were the only noise they could hear in that cold, dark night.

[magicamicitia]

Volume Two, Chapter 3

"We're supposed to be a team!"

Almost as if everyone had gotten altitude sickness, the air in the gymnasium felt desperately heavy. 

"What do you mean…?" Fluttershy’s voice trembled.

"It means," Kyubey enthusiastically shook its tail. "If your soul gem is shattered during a fight or lost in your daily life, I can't do much to assist you, but otherwise, no matter how deadly the injury, your physical bodies can be reconstructed eternally with magic!" 

"What in tarnation…" Applejack spoke up. "So you turned us into your personal scarecrows or somethin'?" 

"I suppose scare-witches would be more appropriate." He continued. "And speaking of them, I assume you now understand why collecting grief seeds is so important. It would be truly a shame if your bodies were damaged and you had no magic to spare. Besides, deadly situations like that rarely happen when you have enough power, so there's really no need to worry!"

"No need to worry?! You killed us! You killed us and then turned us into some kind of freakish reanimated magical corpses!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "I never agreed to any of this!"

"Well, maybe you should have asked." Kyubey rebutted.

"Why, you little…"

"No, we couldn’t." Twilight interrupted, finally speaking up. "I… can’t speak for the others, but when you offered me a contract, I was in no position to ask you about the specifics. You knew that, and you took advantage of it."

Her words sparked some kind of dreadful feeling in Sunset Shimmer.

One day, Twilight Sparkle was living her normal life… and the next, saving her from witches as a magical girl. It was so sudden, Sunset almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing now. 

What happened to Twilight that night that was so dangerous and so abrupt?

If she was at risk, why didn’t she ask her for help?

Did Twilight herself not fully trust Sunset yet?

That didn’t make sense. All this time, Sunset had been the one protecting her, so why…

Huh?

…What was she protecting her from, anyway?

Her head started to ache terribly, and she couldn’t help but let out a groan. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. "Are we bothering Miss Shimmer with all our screaming? You got a headache? This must all be so hard on you."

"N-No, I…"

"Rainbow, stop it. This isn’t her fault." Twilight responded. 

"Isn’t her fault? She almost killed Fluttershy!" Rainbow screamed.

"I almost killed Fluttershy." She gestured at her own chest as she spoke. "Just like you, I didn’t know about any of this, and neither did Sunset. Nobody here had ill intentions. I just wanted you all to give her a chance.." 

"Why exactly would we give her a chance after stealing our things?" Rarity questioned.

"That’s what I said!" Sunset added. "Listen, Twi. They don’t like me, and they don’t have to. It’s not like I’ve done anything to deserve it."

"But you have!" She held Sunset’s hands within her own, and she could feel Twilight was trembling. "You’ve changed, I know that better than anyone! If you just had a chance to prove it… We’re supposed to be a team!"

Sunset let go of her friend. 

"No, Twi. You’re supposed to be a team. I’m not a magical girl." 

Twilight didn’t say anything, and didn’t move. She just stood there, staring wide-eyed at nothing.

This time, Pinkie spoke.

"Yeah. You aren’t a magical girl. So… maybe you should leave."

Sunset didn’t reply. As her footsteps faded away into the halls, Applejack turned to Twilight.

"You know, I just can’t understand why you insist so hard on defending that awful girl."

"She’s not awful." She replied quietly.

"She’s a bully, Twilight."

"She saved my life!" 

Her shout echoed throughout the room.

"I know… She doesn’t act the nicest, she pushed me away at first, too. But… She had her reasons! If you just try and…" 

"Reasons?!" Applejack scoffed. "I don’t give a darn tootin’ heck about her reasons, she hurt me and my friends! You know, If you're gonna keep this up, maybe…"

"I gave my life for her." professed Twilight. "When I made my wish, I gave up my soul. And I did it for her. Are you saying I died for someone I shouldn’t have?"

"I…" She started to say something, but her words failed her.

"You wished for something, too. If I told you that what you chose to die for was awful, how would you feel?"

The room went silent for a moment, until a frail voice stuttered,

"Twilight… We understand how you feel. But… We need time to forgive Sunset Shimmer."

"Fluttershy…" Twilight didn’t finish. She just gulped in her words and nodded.

Then, she mumbled another sentence.

"I’ll leave."

Nobody had told her to do so, but as she walked away, nobody asked her to stay. 

She headed to the nurse’s office. The school day was only halfway through, and even though a part of her felt tortured that she was essentially bailing on her studies, she just wanted to go home, because her heart felt heavy every second she spent in that place.

Like it poisoned her very soul.

That thought caused Twilight to jolt back to reality, and she quickly took out the soul gem in her bag.

It was much more tainted than the last time she’d checked.

Which meant she would have to go witch hunting soon.

Kyubey had left out another crucial detail about soul gems. A detail that the others didn’t seem to know, but she did.

She knew it all too well. 

What happens when your soul gem turns completely dark…

Earlier, Twilight said that she died for Sunset when she made her wish. But now, thinking about it again, that day…

If she hadn’t wished, who’s to say Sunset would have spared her, or even recognized her at all?

[magicamicitia]

Volume 4, Chapter Two

“Proserpina”, Part I.

The girls had not even arrived at the park yet when their soul gems started picking up on traces of witch magic.

“That ain’t good.” Whispered Applejack.

“We’re almost there.” Twilight reassured her. “Once we’re all together, no witch will stand a chance, no matter how strong it is.”

Although she was just as worried as anyone else, Sunset’s words of encouragement did get through to her. With her friends by her side, Twilight knew she had no reason to be afraid anymore.

There was no sign of Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash anywhere at the park. However, the magic trail was stronger than ever.

“They’re probably already inside!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, and with a swing of her ring, the door to the labyrinth appeared before them.

Twilight took a deep breath, then turned to Sunset Shimmer.

“Sunset, it’s probably better if you stay here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The other girl protested.

“Who says I’m going to get hurt? I’m not a magical girl, but I still know how to fight!”

“But-“

“She’s right, Twilight.” A high-pitched voice emerged from the bushes, revealing itself to be none other than Kyubey. “Besides, Sunset Shimmer has not made a wish. If things go south, she could be a valuable trump card.”

“Oh, please.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “I think six fighters are more than enough, darling. With all due respect, stay in your lane, would you?”

Kyubey shook its head.

“You’re all underestimating the manpower you really have to fight this witch.”

Before any of them could ask any questions, the incubator vanished just as suddenly as it appeared. Sunset firmly gripped Twilight’s hand.

“I’m going with you.”

Twilight wanted to complain, but she knew Sunset better than anyone, and once she’d made up her mind about something, there was really no talking her out of it, no matter how stupid an idea it was.

“Fine,” She sighed. “Do any of you have something Sunset could use as a weapon?”

Pinkie Pie quickly transformed and took out a candy-shaped grenade, gently throwing it towards Sunset Shimmer, who confidently caught it in her hands.

“That’s the only one I got,” She warned. “So make sure you use it wisely! Oh, it’ll be a surprise for sure!”

The girls exchanged glances, and once they were all equipped with their magical girl gear, they stepped inside the labyrinth.

What was once one door became thousands as they fell through the fabric of reality into the madness of the witch’s distortion. Once the spinning had stopped and they managed to stabilize themselves, they looked around to find that the labyrinth was somewhat similar to something like a garden or a forest.

“Makes sense why’d it appear in a park.” Sunset grumbled.

“Still,” Twilight pondered. “Isn’t this a bit of an… isolated place for a witch?”

“What do you mean?”

“Witches usually show up somewhere with lotsa’ people.” Applejack covered her face with her hat, gritting her teeth. “They feed on human souls, after all. It’s almost like this one doesn’t wanna be bothered.”

“Well, that’s too bad!” Pinkie cheered. “If you mess with our friends, we’re not gonna let you off that easy!”

They walked deeper into the labyrinth, and a few familiars appeared to block their way. But the team’s united efforts took care of the situation easily.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack shouted. “Can ya hear us?”

“Over here!!!” Rainbow screamed at the top of her lungs from a little farther away.

The girls sprinted towards the noise, finding Rainbow Dash holding an unconscious Fluttershy in her arms.

“Thank goodness!” She exhaled in relief. “I need your help, like, right now. Flutters isn’t breathing, and I can’t find her soul gem. It’s gotta be in here somewhere, but I can’t keep running with her while looking for it.”

“Running?” Rarity felt the cold pulse of Fluttershy’s body, trying not to worry too much as she remembered the last time this happened. “Running from what?”

A loud roar answered her question quite clearly.

“Dammit! It’s that thing again!”

Rainbow Dash pointed towards a large blur in the distance. As it got closer and closer, Its figure became clear as an enormous tentacled moth. Instead of a face, it bore a skull that wailed with its mouth wide open, dashing towards the group at lightning speed.

They all managed to barely avoid the witch’s dive, who quickly recovered and turned to wail again.

Twilight couldn’t help but notice that unlike other witches, who seemed to scream out of anger, this one screamed almost as if it was in terrible pain.

Her thoughts were almost immediately drowned out by the sound of Applejack’s rifles.

“Rarity!” She yelled. “Hold it down for me!”

“Copy that!” The fashionista launched at the damaged witch with her trusty whip, trapping it like a dog with a collar.

Applejack reloaded her rifle.

“Rainbow! Sunset! You two go look for the soul gem! Twilight! Take care of Fluttershy wit yer shield! Pinkie, ya stay here in case I need backup! This one’s feisty!”

“Aye aye, captain!” Pinkie pie aimed her hand cannon at the witch, who flailed around in agony.

Once the creature realized it could not rid itself of the whip tying down its neck, it let out another roar and soared flight, taking Rarity up with it, who barely had time to react.

“Ya bastard!” Applejack tried to lock her gun onto the witch, but it’s quick movements made it hard to land a precise shot. “I’ll shot ya down!”

“Don’t shoot me along with it!!” Rarity yelped, holding tight onto the monster’s back.

The witch, however, seemed completely uninterested in attacking either of the girls pointing their weapons at it. It kept screaming in the sky, as if it were calling out to someone. Once the witch’s gaze met Twilight holding Fluttershy’s body, The witch opened its mouth wide and prepared to dive once more.

Twilight took note of this change in behavior, and parried the witch’s teeth with her shield.

“It’s after Fluttershy!” She screamed. “I don’t know why, but it wants to swallow her!”

Although the body was lifeless, it was still far from decomposing or letting out any kind of smell. Twilight wondered what else could be attracting the witch if not the scent of rotting flesh, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

“Rainbow… Sunset…” She grunted quietly. “Please, find that soul gem quickly…”

[magicamicitia]

Volume Two, Chapter One

“I have the perfect plan!”

After finishing her homework, Twilight Sparkle stared at the bulletin board on her wall as she tried to brainstorm her friendship plan.

She’d gathered information from other students at Canterlot High, and as it would seem, the hatred - or fear - of Sunset Shimmer was a universal feeling.

Twilight recalled her first meeting with Sunset.

It wasn’t the most pleasant either, but… on that same day, she had the privilege of discovering a different side to the seemingly mean girl.

“Are you really trying to get them to team up with Shimmer?”

Twilight turned around. The white fairy with dead red eyes stared at her from her bed.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“You’re wasting your time, you know? Magical girls don’t trust others that easily. Besides, Sunset Shimmer doesn’t have a contract with me, so she’ll just be a liability to them.”

“Sunset saved my life.” Twilight murmured. “She’s a good person, I just need find a way to show them that!”

Kyubey seemed to have caught onto something.

“How could a human like her save your life?”

She remained silent.

“Unless…”

“Listen, Kyubey,” She stopped him before he could say anything else. “I really appreciate your… constructive criticism, But I need to be alone to think right now.”

The little creature stood still for a moment, analyzing the human. Then, he simply nodded and leaped out the window.

Back to the bulletin board, Twilight thought to herself,

“Sunset and I became friends because I had the opportunity to see a different side of her when she saved my life.

She walked in circles, pondering.

“So all I have to do is make that happen another five times over again! Twilight Sparkle, you’re a genius!”

However, amidst her flash of inspiration, Twilight remembered something.

“Oh, right. How’s Sunset supposed to save everyone else if she’s a regular human and they’re magical girls? Agh! I didn’t think about that!” She lightly hit her own head. “Stupid! Stupid!”

At the corner of her room, her dog Spike barked softly. She turned around to see him sniffing a pink orb surrounded by a gold encagement. Her soul gem.

“That’s right!” She picked it up and held it over her head. “I’m also a magical girl! I can just create magical problems and help Sunset magically solve them!”

Spike whimpered.

“Shut up, it’s a great idea! I’ve got it totally under control.”

The next morning, Twilight Sparkle woke up earlier than usual and stopped by Sunset Shimmer’s house on her way to school.

Ding

Dong!

The doorbell rang. Sunset opened the door, to find her friend standing with a bright spark of determination in her eyes.

“Oh, hey Twi…”

“Sunset!” She enthusiastically interrupted. “I have the perfect plan to get everyone to totally like you!”

“Huh? You’re still on about that?”

“Still on? Hah!” She snorted. “I spent all night coming up with it!”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just listen. Here, see, this is a soul gem.” She took out the tiny fabergé egg out of her pocket. “Magical girls need these things to transform and use their magic. If we lost them, It would be pretty bad.” Twilight said with a tone that almost made it seem like she was trying to tell a joke.

“I-I guess it would be?” Sunset wasn’t really following her friend’s train of thought.

“So,” She put the soul gem back inside her pocket. “Here’s the plan; I’m gonna use magic to summon a fake witch. Then, I’m gonna call everyone to fight it. But, while nobody’s looking, I’ll steal Fluftershy’s soul gem!”

“You’re gonna WHAT?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give it to you! And then, when she realizes she’s lost it and starts totally panicking, you can give it back to her and save the day!”

“Twilight!”

“What?”

“She’s just gonna think I stole it in the first place!”

“No way! Fluttershy loses stuff all the time. Just say you found it on the ground or something. Trust me, it’s the perfect plan.”

Sunset slapped her own face in distress.

“Twilight, I really appreciate you doing this for me, but…”

“You do? I’m glad! Let’s go then! We have a long day ahead of us!” She took her by the hand, not listening to anything else Sunset Shimmer had to say.

“We sure do…”

Lunch. The perfect hour of the school day when Twilight Sparkle knew all five of the magical girls would be together. They sat at a table in the corner of the cafeteria with no one else. Twilight reached out the hand with a magical silver ring on it towards Fluttershy’s school bag. She didn’t know how it worked, but she knew she had magic flowing through her soul. And magic can do anything. Repeating those thoughts to herself, slowly but surely, the Peach-colored soul gem fell out of Fluttershy’s bag, and dragged itself towards Twilight’s hands.

“Got it!” She yelled thriumpantly. A couple of students turned around and stared at her for a few moments. “Sorry…”

The commotion warned the magical girls.

“Twilight?” Applejack said. “What’re you doin’ on the ground?”

Alarmed, Twilight quickly hid the gem behind her back. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go, but whatever.

“Oh! Um, I-I came to get you guys, because…. There’s a witch! In the Gymnasium!”

“There’s a witch in the gym?!” They all shouted in unison.

Rainbow Dash jumped on top of the table, propelling herself forward.

“This one’s mine!”

“Rainbow, Be careful!” Applejack ran after her.

“Come on, girls!” Rarity stood up. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nodded.

As they were leaving the cafeteria, the fashionista turned back for a moment. “Twilight, we could use your help.”

“Oh!” Twilight suddenly remembered that she, too, was a magical girl. “Yeah. I’ll be right behind you.” She lied.

Once they all had left, She quickly strutted towards the rooftop, where she knew Sunset always ate lunch alone.

“Sunset!! I got it!!” She waved the soul gem in her hand.

The red haired girl nearly choked on her food.

“Twilight! You actually went through with that crazy plan?!”

“Yeah! And it worked! Here, hold this and be at the gymnasium in about, like, five minutes.” She handed over the soul gem. “I have a witch to conjure!”

Twilight left as quickly as she arrived. Sunset, however, was left standing shocked in place. She looked at the soul gem in her hands. It let out a strange glow, almost as if it were in pain.

“This can’t be good…”

Before entering the gym, Twilight quickly transformed into her magical girl attire. Breathing in deeply, she gently opened the door.

And she found

Four

Girls

Standing there

And

On the ground,

A corpse.

[magicamicitia]

Volume Two, Chapter 2

“We can’t die.”

Twilight nearly lost her balance for a moment.

Staring down at the cold hardwood floor of the gym, she looked into Fluttershy’s eyes.

But they didn’t look back.

Rainbow Dash was hunched over the body, aggressively shaking Fluttershy while screaming at her to wake up. Applejack was trying to hold her back, but to no avail. Pinkie Pie was frozen in shock, covering her mouth with her hands trying to not throw up. Rarity was on her phone, probably calling an ambulance? Twilight couldn’t tell. Her ears rang, drowning out the sounds of panic around her.

For a second, a terrible thought consumed her mind.

Had the fake witch she’d summoned done this?

Then, she remembered she never even conjured the witch in the first place.

She had so many questions.

“How… What happened?” Was all she could muster out through her shaky lips.

“We don’t know,” said Applejack. “She just suddenly gave out an’ fainted.”

She looked a little more than fainted.

“Kyubey.” Twilight suddenly remembered.

The other girls looked up at her.

“Where’s… Kyubey?”

He had to fix that. He had to fix that somehow. He just had to.

Didn’t he?

“I’m right here.” A high pitched voice emerged from behind the potted plastic plants. “You know, I knew this wouldn’t end well.”

Rainbow Dash raised her head at him, there were tears streaming down her face now.

“What do you mean? What do you know?” Twilight had never seen her sobbing like this before. “What did you do to Fluttershy? Fix her!”

“I’m not the one who has Fluttershy right now.” The little creature shook his head. “Maybe you should ask Sunset Shimmer for help.”

“Sunset…?” Applejack began,but before she could finish her train of thought, Rainbow Dash was screaming again.

“That girl…! She did this?! How?!”

Something clicked in Twilight’s brain.

“Soul gem.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash turned to her.

Twilight placed her shaking hand on top of the gemstone hairpin, as if trying to feel for something.

“Soul… gem.”

Kyubey shook his head in disapproval.

“Looks like you figured it out, Twilight Sparkle. I tried to tell you this was a bad idea, you know?”

Rainbow’s eyes were filled with something between confusion and wrath.

“You…”

She carefully dropped Fluttershy on the ground, and stomped towards Twilight.

“You were working with her, weren’t you? You did this! You little-!”

Applejack held Rainbow Dash back from grabbing Twilight by the neck.

“Calm down, Rainbow. Twilight wouldn’t do somethin’ like this. I don’t reckon she can. Right, Twilight?”

The guilt in her face must’ve been obvious.

“Oh brother.” Was all Applejack said.

At that moment, footsteps were heard coming from the hallway.

No.

Please, no.

Had it been five minutes already?

Out of all the times…

Please, not now.

The door burst open, and Sunset Shimmer appeared, holding Fluttershy’s soul gem.

“Twilight, I’m sorry, but I can’t- GW-OCK!” She choked on her own words seeing the corpse on the floor. Her face was almost blue with disgust.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes laid on the gem on Sunset’s hand.

“Give it back…” She pushed Twilight away.

“Give it BACK!!!” Rainbow was bolting towards Sunset now.

All she could say in response was a “Hah-!” before she was being choked onto the wall.

“Did you do this to Fluttershy?! I should’ve known! Give it back to her before I mush your face so hard you start looking like a dried peach!”

“Wait… I can…. Explain…! Twilight!” She cried out.

“Twilight?” Applejack looked at her with worried eyes. “You’ve gotta explain what’s goin’ on!”

Twilight was sitting on the cold ground, breathing heavily. She could feel her heart accelerating by the second.

Sunset’s gasping for air brought her back to the harsh reality.

She stood up, wobbling, and raised a finger in Rainbow’s direction.

Bang.

A beam of magic shot out of her hands, and landed straight through Rainbow Dash’s head. The girl fell over on the floor, releasing Sunset.

“What in tarnation are you doin’?!”

“She’ll be fine.” Twilight coldly interrupted.

“Fine?! You blew her brains out!! What the heck is wrong with you?!”

Twilight walked over towards Sunset.

“Gem.” She reached out a hand.

Sunset placed the soul gem on Twilight’s palm. There was blood all over her face now.

She turned back around, this time looking at Kyubey.

She stared into his eyes for a while, and he stared back.

“Fix Rainbow.” She ordered. “Or do you need her soul gem to do that, too?”

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked at the white creature. But he didn’t waver, his glance dead set on Twilight.

There were a few moments of silence before kyubey leaped towards Rainbow Dash’s body on the ground. He lightly pressed the ring on her finger, and suddenly, she gasped.

“What the…” Rainbow quickly got up and looked around confused, as if she had just registered the attack against her.

“How’d you know?” Kyubey asked.

“I took a gamble.” Twilight responded.

She walked over to Fluttershy, still lying on the floor, and carefully placed the muddy soul gem on her limp palm.

It started glowing again as soon as it made contact with the girl’s skin, and she inhaled quickly like she had just broken out of a trance.

“Fluttershy!” the others exclaimed.

“Wha… Where am I? Where’s the witch?”

“Yes, Twilight.” Rarity inquired. “Where is the witch?”

“And what on Earth did you two do to Fluttershy?!” Applejack added.

Twilight sighed, gathering her energy.

“I’m sorry, everyone. There really was no witch all along. I guess I was mistaken.” she eyed to her side as she said that, like looking into her friends’ eyes was unbearable at that moment. “As for Fluttershy…”

Kyubey flinched, as if he knew what Twilight would say next.

“Why don’t you explain it to us, Kyubey? I’m also a bit confused.”

“Kyubey? What’s he got to do with this?” Pinkie asked.

As the girls all stared down at him, the little white fairy simply shook his head in disappointment, and after a long sigh, began to talk.

“You know, most of the time, when it comes to this conversation, things never end well. It’s ideal if you never even have to find out about this in the first place, but now that we’re here…”

“The soul gems.” Twilight interrupted “What are they?”

“I’ll get to it, you know.” Kyubey said in a disapproving tone. “You see, humans are very fragile beings. Even with a most minor injury, they become easily incapacitated in combat. When a magical girl makes a contract, we do you the kind favor of placing your souls in this compact and handy form known by you all as ‘soul gems’.”

“You WHAT?” Rainbow yelled.

“See, that’s the reaction you usually have when we tell you this.” He continued. “I honestly don’t get it. Did you really expect to fight witches and win while carrying so many weak spots? Isn’t it much easier to only protect one spot of your body? Frankly, it’s an almost flawless system. The only downside is that you can’t separate yourselves from your bodies for a distance of 100 meters.”

“S…Separate…?” Fluttershy placed her hand over her soul gem, holding it close to her chest.

“I knew it. Just like I thought…” Twilight adjusted her glasses. “As long as our soul gems are intact, I guess we can’t die.”

[magicamicitia]

Volume 4, Chapter Two: Prologue

“I’m such a coward.”

The sound of the rain was almost as deafening as the thoughts brimming inside Fluttershy’s mind, as she sat down on a park bench and reminisced about the talk she had with her friend at the school gates.

Rainbow Dash has feelings for Applejack, and she wants to confess.

“Even though…” she stared at the cold hard ground as the tears became camouflaged with the rainwater streaming down her face. “…I became a magical girl for your sake…”

Fluttershy suddenly felt her body go cold, realizing it had stopped pouring down on her. Looking up, an old man held a scarlet umbrella above her.

“You’re going to catch a cold like that, dear.”

Unable to say anything, she simply stared dumbfounded and slowly came to the realization that she should at least nod.

The man sat down next to her, still holding out the umbrella.

“Is everything alright?”

Fluttershy caressed the ring in her hand.

“I’m such a coward…”

The man didn’t say anything. After a while, she added,

“I should have… told her how I felt… back then, shouldn’t I?”

“You should have.”

“…But I didn’t.”

“Do you know why?”

“I…” The storm grew louder and louder, even though the rain had stayed the same. “Thought it would be selfish… I couldn’t…”

“When you made your wish,” the old man interrupted. “You failed to consider the consequences. When you use magic to get people to like each other, it’s only natural that those feelings would grow disproportionately until they became love. Because they’re not real feelings, in the end.”

“I…” her voice trembled.

“If you just wanted that girl to love you, you could have asked for it. Instead, you were reckless.”

“I was… wasn’t I…?” She sobbed. “I’m such garbage…”

The scarlet umbrella had become an eyesore as the environment around them slowly turned monochrome. Fluttershy could no longer tell if that deafening noise was the sound of rain or screams. She opened her hands and stared at her muddy soul gem. It almost felt like it was pulsating.

“Hey…” She turned to look at the old man. His face had gone completely dark, and nothing but his silhouette remained. “What’s going to happen to me now…?”

“You’re going to become a witch.”

“…What..?” The panic set in as Fluttershy suddenly processed their conversation about her wish, which she had never told anyone about. She blinked a few times, and the man’s eyes turned redder and rounder each time.

As she desperately tried to make out a human’s face, the only thing that stared back at her was Kyubey.

The noise became louder, and now, it was clear. That horrifying, tortuous sound was of laughter. They were all laughing at her. For being so weak, so helpless, so stupid.

“No!!” She reached out to grab the old man’s arm, falling over and meeting with the headfirst with the floor.

A loud ‘crack’ came from her right hand, and as she opened it once more, the shards that were once a soul gem pierced her skin and covered her palms with blood.

[magicamicitia]

Volume One, Chapter 3

“I know what I have to do.”

The Labyrinth seemed to have extended itself throughout the entire maze, twisting its formerly logical and patterned architecture into an incomprehensible display of chaos. The six girls and Kyubey stuck together as they dived deeper into the madness surrounding them. A sudden noise from the bushes startled Twilight.

“Ah-!”

The others followed her gaze. Applejack reloaded her musket, ready to attack.

“Stay back, y’all. I got this.”

“No way!” Rainbow Dash quickly shoved the other girl aside, almost causing her to misfire. “You had the last one, this one’s all mine!”

“Rainbow, don’t you dare-!”

Before she could finish giving her words of advice, Rainbow Dash was already advancing towards the unknown creature. With a pirouette in the air and a landing kick, she tore down the leaves to find a small winged monster biting her leg, as if it had been waiting for her to attack.

“Ack! What the what? Get off me!” She violently shook it around, but the creature only tightened its grip.

Applejack regained her composure.

“Don’t move, I’ll handle it!”

“DON’T MOVE?! Easy for you to say! Do you want this thing to gobble me up?!” Rainbow whined as she kept stumbling around, fighting off the familiar.

“If you keep hoppin’ like that, I’ll end up shooting your leg off!”

“I didn’t ask for your help!”

Retaining balance for a split second, Rainbow Dash slit through the monster with her blade. It let out a tiny shriek as it dissolved onto the ground.

“There, see? Easy as pie!” She dusted off her hands in a confident manner, But Fluttershy couldn’t help but point out;

“Rainbow… the bite mark…”

“Huh?”

She looked down at her legs, but it was too late. Small vines had sprouted from the injury, lifting her upside down.

“Woah!”

“Rainbow!” Yelled Twilight.

“I’m fine, I’ll handle it!” She looked at the nervous newbie. “Go on without me!”

“Are you sure…?”

“Yeah!”

“I’ll stay here and help you…” Fluttershy offered. “It’s probably safer if I don’t go close to the witch anyway.”

Applejack nodded and turned to the rest of the group.

“Let’s get goin’!”

The remaining four girls wandered deeper into the Labyrinth, Kyubey strutting close after them. The presence of magic became stronger and stronger…

A loud cackle echoed through the surroundings.

“The witch!” shouted Rarity.

“It knows we’re here!” Kyubey warned.

Descending from the skies, a snake-like monster plunged directly towards them.

“Look out!”

Applejack shot the witch’s head, diverging it’s route and causing it to crash. The monster groaned horrifically as it tried to get back up.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

With the snap of a finger, Rarity chained the monster down with silk threads.

“Pinkie!”

“You got it!” She giggled, raising her weapon towards the witch.

“It’s… PARTY TIME!”

A loud cannon shot followed by a loud explosion fired onto the head of the monster. But when the smoke cleared…

“That thing…” Rarity murmured.

Twilight readjusted her glasses to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

“It’s still… alive?”

Almost as if it were mocking them, the witch let out an even louder laughter, and proceeded to dive towards the girls.

“Stay back!”

Twilight brought out her shield, and with her magic, summoned a barrier to block the enemy’s path. Moving too fast to stop now, it crashed like a bird against a glass window, disorientedly shaking on the ground.

At that moment, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walked in.

“Are you guys okaaay?!” shouted the magical girl.

Her voice brought the witch back to its senses, and as it laid eyes on easy human prey, the creature advanced towards the poor girl, trapping her with its tail before she could react.

“Aaaahhh!!!!” she wailed.

“Fluttershy!”

The witch shook her around with a mocking chortle. Rainbow Dash, furious, leaped into the air.

“Give me back my friend!”

She slashed the witch’s tail, causing Fluttershy to fall. Rainbow quickly caught her and safely landed back on ground. The witch, however, howled in pain, now directing its attention to the offender. Once again, Applejack threw it off it’s balance with a gunshot to the head.

“That thing’s skull’s as tough as a darn boulder! We oughta get it from somewhere else!”

“Maybe you’re just not very good at aiming!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she ran back and forth dodging the witch’s attacks.

“What’d you say?!” She shot again as if trying to prove a point.

“Stop it, you two.” Rarity intervened. “Can’t you see you’re falling under its influence? Keep it together!”

As each one of them launched attacks from their side of the battlefield, Fluttershy desperately attempted to crawl away from the fight, sobbing.

“Fluttershy! Are you okay?” Kyubey ran to her aid.

“Please… Make it stop… I’m so… scared…”

“It’s no use.” The small fairy shook its head. “With the way they are now, these five can never hope to defeat Unausgeglichenheit.”

“Unaus… What?”

“The witch of Discord thrives on the disharmony of others. If they keep fighting each other, they’ll just die. You’d better leave if you don’t want to end up like that too.”

“What? No! I can’t just let them die!” She quickly sat up. “Kyubey… How do I help them?”

The Incubator stared deeply into her eyes.

“If you’re ready… I know there’s something you truly wish for, isn’t there? You haven’t had the courage to say it yet, but deep within your heart… You know what you have to do.”

A cold drop of sweat slid down her cheek.

Fluttershy remembered all of those days when Rianbow Dash angrily came to her about another fight with Applejack. All the conflicts she had to fix for her. All the arguments, all the yelling… It made her friend miserable, and it made her miserable. She always wanted to help, but never knew how.

But now, not only could she relieve that pain, but she could also save her best friend’s life.

As a child, Rainbow Dash was the one who stood up and saved her.

Now, it was her turn.

The spark of determination ignited within her very soul.

“Kyubey… I wish… I wish my friends would stop fighting all the time.”

In the battlefield, Unausgeglichenheit spun and dived in for another attack. The magical girls were already exhausted, having used up a considerable amount of their power. Twilight struggled to lift her shield again, but a flying spark emerged within the darkness and knocked the witch back against a wall, wailing in agony.

The girls looked for the source of their saving grace, and were shocked to lay eyes on none other than…

“Fluttershy!” They all exclaimed.

But Fluttershy wasn’t looking at them. Her eyes dead set on the witch, who, despite struggling, picked herself up again.

She moved her sights to Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow! Please, stop being so stubborn! I know you want to prove yourself, but this a deadly battle, not a sports competition! Please, let us protect you!”

A pink thread appeared connecting their hearts.

“And, Applejack… You don’t have to fight for all of us! We’re your friends, you can rely on us as much as we can rely on you!”

Another thread sprung to life.

“Twilight,” This time, she reached out her hand. “I know you’re scared. Believe me, I am too. But when you have friends fighting by your side, I promise you’ll feel invincible!”

Fluttershy’s words consumed her entire body. As she took her hand, Twilight felt like they were one. Her other hand was grabbed by Rarity, and Pinkie joined in on the other side.

All together, the six magical girls united to deal a final blow.

Fluttershy held onto Twilight’s hand, as the two of them floated forward. With a magical synergy flowing through them, they knew exactly what they had to do.

“Connect!”

Their intertwined hands shaped a fusion of their weapons - A giant slingshot. The remaining girls channeled their own magic to help them increase their power.

“March Equinox!” The two of them said in sync, as if an instinct long dormant had finally awoken inside them.

A beam of light traveled directly towards the witch, who shrieked and crawled desperately, but to no avail.

In a blinding ignition, the witch eroded into nothingness. The labyrinth around them began to crumble, and soon, nothing was left but a small, black egg.

A magical girl’s most prized possession.

A Grief Seed.

[magicamicitia]

Volume One, Chapter 4

“You just have to prove it to them!”

The distortion of reality around them slowly began to turn back into the beautiful hedge maze it once was, and the only remaining proof that a witch ever haunted the place stood perfectly still on the ground.

Fluttershy picked it up, looking somewhat disappointed.

“Only one…”

“You should have it, darling.” said Rarity, with a gentle yet sincere exprsssion on her face.

Applejack nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! You busted that thing down good! We’d have turned into witch food without ya.”

“Oh…” She nervously fidgeted with the seed in her hands. “I… I couldn’t…”

“FLUTTERS!”

“Ah-!”

Rainbow Dash tackled down her friend, laughing and crying at the same time.

“You were AWESOME out there! I can’t believe you finally made your wish! That stupid witch never stood a chance against you at all!”

“Oh… Um… T-Thank you, I didn’t really do all that much….”

Before she could finish her sentence, reality crudely downed upon her.

“No, Aj… You should have it. You used a lot of magic back there… I’d feel bad taking it from you…”

The cowgirl smiled.

“Don’t worry about it, sugarcube. If I do end up needin’ one, I can always go on a night patrol.”

“Ooh! Ooh! I’ll help!” Rainbow Dash let go of Fluttershy, excitedly skipping towards Applejack.

“What..?” Fluttershy seemed shocked.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow turned around.

“Oh, nothing, it’s just…” She looked down at the grief seed in her hands. Her wish had really come true. “I’m so glad you two are getting along like this.”

She couldn’t help but let a relieved tear stream down her cheek.

“Flutters… Are you… Are you crying…?”

She quickly wiped her face.

“Oh, don’t mind me. That was just… A really scary battle. I think i’m still a little shocked.”

“This calls for a celebratory Make-Fluttershy-Feel-Better PARTY!!!!!” Pinkie jumped out from behind them.

Amidst all the laughter, Twilight couldn’t help but feel like she was forgetting something.

“WE’RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!!!”

Meanwhile, In Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer sat alone in her chemistry class. It’s not like her attitude had earned her many friends, so usually she just sat with Twilight.

As she quietly resented her friend for not telling her she wouldn’t come in today, the door opened with a loud bang.

“I’M SO SORRY I’M LATE!!!!!”

“Twilight!”

“Ah, Ms. Sparkle! We thought you wouldn’t be able to join us today. Please, take your seat.” Despite the young student’s evident stress, the teacher smiled calmly as she said that. Still, Twilight couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as she stumbled toward the table where Sunset was.

“Where were you?” she whispered. “I was worried!”

“I, um… I had ebola.” Twilight blurted out.

“What?!”

“S-Sorry. That’s the excuse I came up with in case someone asked. I found a witch on my way here.”

“Oh, that thing we saw the other day?”

“Yeah, but…” Looking over at the soul gem ring on her right hand, she felt a pleasant warmth flow through her body. “I found… others.”

“Others?”

“Magical girls. Like me!”

“Huh?”

“They actually study here at Canterlot as well! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Sunset felt like her stomach had jumped out of a 12 story building.

She’d always known that, despite her special treatment of Twilight, she still wasn’t exactly the bestest friend ever. She’d tease her a lot, and occasionally her own anger would get the best of her. It wasn’t a surprise that Twilight would want to replace her eventually.

“Yeah, that’s…. great.”

Sunset had always been better off alone. Friends will only make you vulnerable and bring you along when they go down. But now that she had come face to face with this ultimatum, she…

“Sunset? Are you okay?”

She looked up at Twilight’s worried face. Her hand was gently placed on top of her own. Sunset cursed herself for letting her guard down so easily, but now that she had experienced true friendship, it was just too hard to let go of.

“C…” Her pride made her words heavy. “Can… I… Come along… With you… guys… Next time…?”

Twilight’s expression of worry quickly turned into one of excitement.

“Of course! I’ll introduce you to everyone!”

Oh boy.

Somehow, Sunset felt like introductions wouldn’t be needed.

When the last bell rang, Sunset was impatiently waiting at the front doors of the school. When they opened, Twilight appeared accompanied by five other girls.

“Alright everybody, as I was saying, this is my best friend…”

Uh oh.

“Sunset Shimmer?!” The five of them exclaimed in an unpleased tone.

“Hey… guys.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her head, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

“Oh? You already know each other?” Twilight excitedly said, oblivious to the situation.

“Do we?!” Applejack crossed her arms.

“It’d be hard not to.” Rainbow Dash added in an agressive tone.

Hidden behind her, Fluttershy asked.

“Twilight, are you really friends with…. That girl?”

“Huh?” She looked around, confused. “Wait, am I missing something?”

“Listen, guys, I…” Sunset tried to explain herself.

“Frankly,” Rarity cut her off. “We don’t need to listen to anything you have to say!”

“Yeah! Twilight, don’t you know Sunset is the biggest, most meanest meanie of all meanies?” Pinkie backed up the rest of her friends.

“What? But I…” Twilight couldn’t understand what was happening.

“I’ve changed, okay, gosh dang it !”

Sunset Shimmer’s voice echoed through the campus.

When she realized what she’d done, she quickly covered her mouth with her own hands in embarrassment.

“I-I mean…”

The looks on the other girl’s faces were of the disgust she already knew. But Twilight’s eyes, covered in tears, almost made her lose balance for a second.

“Frankly, If this is all you had to show us, I think we’d best take our leave.” Rarity picked her bag up and turned around, with the others following behind her.

Soon, they had all left, but Twilight stayed.

Sunset tried to swallow her own embarrassment.

“Aren’t you going with them…?”

“No way! Sunset, listen…”

She held her hands up, looking closely into her eyes.

“If anyone knows you’ve changed, it’s me. You’re a wonderful person, and an amazing friend. You just have to prove it to them!”

“Prove…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you. I’ll always be with you, all the way. Cause that’s what friends are for!”

Sunset let go of Twilight’s hands, wiping her face.

“Yeah… Thanks, Twi.”

“Alright! Then, for today, I’ll go back to my own house and create the best, most foolproof friendship plan ever! Just you wait, soon, everyone will be happily hunting witches together!”

Twilight clumsily skipped away, and Sunset was left alone in the campus.

She couldn’t help but wonder if someone like her could truly make friends.

She had already failed once before.

[magicamicitia]

Ran here from tiktok 😂 I was so happy to see you were going to use tumblr 💖😍

hello, welcome!!! yeah, i feel like tumblr is more text-friendly than tiktok, so i’ll post written stuff here and visual stuff there to help keep things more organized :)