Ponn

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

The Great Penrose Movie Marathon

@Ariamis @Card Captor @twave @BrokenPromise @FamishedPants @AtomicNut @PlatinumSkink

Shortly after the Shoggy debacle had been resolved, Sakura returned with replacement movies, along with yet another guest. The new girl seemed nice, though, so Connie didn’t mind. With her customary swiftness, Lily went to work setting up the first film. Connie let out an internal sigh of relief at this, for while she had mustered up the courage to play spin the bottle, she had been fervently hoping it wouldn’t land on her. Now, she quietly excused herself from the circle to go sit with Mia, Hilde, and Ronin near the television.

“I wonder if this’ll be the Raymond Burr version or the original Japanese…” Mia mused as the film began.

“Huh?” Connie asked, clearly baffled as to what her friend was talking about.

“Oh, well, there are two different versions of the original Godzilla,” Mia explained. “You’ve got Gojira, the original Japanese version, and then there’s—”

“G-Godzilla?!” Connie stammered as her body began to shake. “T-That’s w-what w-we’re w-watching?!”

“Uh, yeah…” Mia replied. “If that’s a problem, I’m sure Emily wouldn’t mind letting us do something else in one of the other rooms.”

“N-No,” Connie said with as much firmness as she could manage. “E-Everyone else w-wants t-to w-watch t-this, s-so I’m g-gonna w-watch it too!”

Mia smiled as she took her friend’s trembling hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Okay, little sis. If you do get scared, just remember, I’m right here.”

“I-I will,” Connie said, returning her friend’s smile. “A-And it’s not just you. All m-my friends are here. I c-can’t believe I’ve made s-so many in such a s-short time. It makes me really h-happy when I think about it. Oh! T-That reminds me! W-Why didn’t you invite that c-cat girl you were t-telling me and Hilde about a few d-days ago? I w-would have l-liked to meet her…”

“The aristocat?” Mia asked. “I really don’t think she’d fit in too well with a crowd like this,” she explained, pointing her thumb at the commotion surrounding Shane. “Besides, you know I don’t like to carry my phone with me when I’m doing magical girl stuff. I’ve always tried to keep my magical and mundane identities as separate as possible, though, lately, it’s gotten kinda difficult.”

“Oh, gosh! I-Is t-that because of m-me?” Connie asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Sorta,” Mia conceded reluctantly. “But you haven’t done anything wrong, Connie, so please don’t worry yourself about it,” she added, while giving her friend some comforting head pats. “It’s actually kinda nice hanging out with friends as plain old me, instead of as the ‘Daughter of Mother Earth’,” she noted, using air quotes for her magical girl title.

“O-Okay,” Connie replied, while snuggling against her friend’s coat. “A-And it really is!” she agreed. “H-Hanging out with friends, I mean.”

Yes, sitting here, watching a movie with friends (plural!) was something truly wonderful for someone like Connie. The movie may have been a little scary, but her friends were here for her. With them by her side, she could face anything, be it a man in a rubber suit or whatever dangers the future might hold.

Now, more than ever before, Connie was sure of it.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Meet...

In the wake of Connie’s mission with Hilde, during which the timid girl had finally managed to gain some control over her powers, Mia decided it would be a good idea for Connie to get some practice against a few similar collections of low-level monsters. Such was the reason why the Empress of Nightmares and Daughter of Mother Earth now found themselves in the ruined halls of Penrose Downtown Library, facing off against the swarm of giant rats that infested the crumbling structure.

“I believe it is safe to say that we have acquired their full attention,” Gaia observed as she blasted several of the creatures with beams of emerald energy from Nature’s Blossom.

“Y-Yeah…” Connie agreed, while employing her tentacles to keep the swarming vermin at a safe distance. “C-Can I g-get r-rid of t-them n-now?” she asked, her shaky voice filled with nervous expectancy.

“Not just yet,” Gaia advised. “We need to make sure you can affect as many of them as possible.”

“O-Okay… B-But t-there’s a-already a l-lot of them, a-and i-it’s g-getting h-harder f-for me t-to k-keep them a-away…”

“I know, little sister. You’re doing such a great job. Just hold on a little longer, and… Now!”

At Gaia’s order, Connie conjured her Nightmare Barrier, which surged out to fill the entire room. The skittering rodents stopped in their tracks as dozens of jet-black snakes slithered out of the floor, walls and ceiling. No sooner had the serpents appeared then they set about devouring their prey with frightening swiftness. In less than a minute, it was over. With the last rat consumed, Connie dispersed her barrier, causing the snakes to vanish as well.

“Absolutely splendid, little sister!” Gaia commended, while giving her friend a hug. “You have come so far in such a short time, and I could not be more proud of you.”

“T-Thanks Mia,” Connie said, blushing slightly at her friend’s complements. “I s-still had m-my eyes c-closed through m-most of it, though…”

“That is perfectly all right,” her friend said with a smile. “Let us work on one thing at a time. With that in mind, are you ready to begin our final sweep of this place?”

“W-What?!” Connie stammered. “B-But d-didn’t w-we just k-kill them all…?”

“With any luck, yes,” Gaia confirmed. “But we need to make sure we didn’t miss any.”

“O-Okay, l-lead t-the w-way…” Connie conceded as she followed her friend deeper into the ruined structure.

Within the depths, a light humming could be heard. Amanda appeared to be searching through the ruins for lost books;her spellbook held under one arm, and whatever she could find in another. Just cause she and the others were stationed outside of Penrose, didnt mean they couldn't check back or visit sometimes, right?

Besides, the magician was bored.

“Hmm… It would appear we are not the only ones who decided to pay the library a visit,” Gaia observed upon catching sight of the bespectacled magician.

“O-Oh! U-Umm… H-Hello there,” Connie greeted the other girl hesitantly. “Umm, w-were you h-hunting the r-rats too?”

"Hm?" Amanda looked to the two girls, pushing her glasses up to her nose. "Ah, not exactly. Though they've proven to be quite the hindrance." for a moment, she glanced over to the few rats she took down. "I'm just trying to find some books that can be salvaged from within here. she motioned to the books she was holding.

“I see,” Gaia nodded. “In that case, please allow us to assist you in your search.”

“Y-Yes, w-we’d l-love to help!” Connie added eagerly. After all, searching for books was certainly better than searching for giant rats…

“I am Gaia, Daughter of Mother Earth,” the verdant magical girl introduced herself. “And this is my dearest friend, Connie, the Empress of Nightmares. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

"Amanda. Don't really have a title myself..." the magician nodded with a smile. Yet something made her curious. "Wait, nightmares?" she asked, her expression showing no ill intent.

“U-Uh, y-yeah…” Connie replied hesitantly. “T-That’s m-my m-magical s-specialization… I, uh, r-really h-hate it, t-though…”

Amanda held her spellbook close to herself. "Curious..."

“Yes, it does seem like something of a cruel trick that someone as timid as my dearest Connie would receive such a frightening specialization,” Gaia observed. “But I can assure you that, despite her menacing title, she is one of the kindest and most gentle people you will ever meet.”

"Quite. But...I never thought I'd find someone with my power's antithesis. Someone so meek to contrast it, no less. Amanda explained, ever intrigued.

“A-Antithesis…?” Connie asked, slightly confused. “Y-You m-mean you have d-dream magic?”

The magician nodded with a tired smile.

“Oh, w-wow…” Connie said, the eyes of her mask widening at Amanda’s confirmation. “I r-really wish m-my s-specialization had b-been that instead… B-But, um, I, uh, h-hope that d-doesn’t mean w-we h-have to f-fight, or anything…” the masked girl added, while nervously playing with her hair.

"Fear not, I wish no harm upon a sister in arms." She reassured Connie. "I'm more of a support type than offensive anyhow, eheh."

“O-Okay,” Connie replied with a relieved sigh. “I-I’m r-really glad to h-hear that.”

“As am I,” Gaia agreed while offering Amanda a warm smile. “Shall we be on our way, then? After all, this library is a sizable place, and the books you’re looking for won’t find themselves.”

"Ah, yes! I'll lead the way." Amanda nodded, depositing the few books she had into her pocket dimension.

“S-So, um, i-is your P-Patron nice?” Connie asked tentatively as they walked along. “M-Mine’s r-really s-scary, b-but s-since you use d-dream magic…”

"Lady Maura is...different, in a good way. We happened upon each other by chance." Amanda started to explain. "I used to be a journalist, and she posed as one of my boss' clients for awhile. When she finally approached me, she explained that my predecessor was once a mediary between dreams and nightmares. As she was with life and death. Neither of us had yet to find the old witch of nightmares, but she decided to take me in either way."

She looked down at her spellbook with a smile. "She saw that my bloodline had potential, I suppose.

“I was much the same,” Gaia informed her. “When Mother Earth chose me to become her daughter, she told me that it was because of the familial bond I already shared with her. Apparently, one of my ancestors also served as her champion sometime in the distant past. It is a great honor for me to continue that tradition.”

“I-I j-just f-found a s-scary m-m-mas… U-Umm, t-the t-thing I’m w-w-wearing r-right now…” Connie added softly.

"An artifact?" Amanda looked over to Connie, searching through a pile of rubble.

“Y-Yeah… I, uh, f-found it in the b-basement of t-the orphanage w-where I l-live,” Connie explained. “I-I w-was s-so s-scared w-when it s-started g-glowing a-and t-talking… I-I n-never w-wanted to b-be a m-magical g-girl, b-but it d-didn’t give m-me any c-choice…”

“Yes, but as I have said many times, you have come so far since then,” Gaia told her, while placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. “You have already conquered so many of your fears, and I am so very proud of you. I simply cannot say that enough.”

"Hm, I have heard some lesser forces reside in such artifacts, but I've never really seen a case myself. Has your patron been good to you thus far?" the magician asked.

“N-Not r-really…”Connie said glumly while looking towards the floor. “H-He o-often y-yells at me f-for b-being w-weak a-and e-easily f-frightened… B-But l-lately, t-thanks to M-Mia and my o-other f-friends, I’ve b-been g-getting stronger, s-so h-he h-hasn’t been y-yelling at me q-quite as m-much…”

“Her Patron is an abominably contemptible being,” Gaia added. “I simply cannot abide bullies, and I cannot stand the way he has treated my dearest Connie. If I could, I would very much like to do away with him myself. As it is, I must content myself with helping Connie grow stronger so that she is less likely to suffer his torments.”

Amanda furrowed her brows, then sighed. "If only I or Maura could have a word with the brute... He forced you into this, it's only fair that he should be patient as well. Such power is complicated, after all." she picked up a book and looked through it, making sure it's intact. "You can't help someone learn through harsh scoldings alone.

“Indeed,” Gaia agreed with a nod. Then, after watching Amanda inspect a few books, she decided to ask the bespectacled girl a question that had been lingering in her mind since she and Connie had first met the other magical girl. “Please forgive me if I am being too presumptuous, but, exactly what books were you hoping to find?”

"Just some that weren't destroyed in the wreckage, is all. I've been lacking in reading materal lately, so I was hoping to hold onto them 'till things are restored. I plan to bring them back by then." She said, picking out through the few she found.

“I see. So, will just any books suffice, or do you have particular subjects of interest?”

"Any will do." she nodded.

“Very well,” Gaia said, before turning to her friend. “Ready to lend a hand, Connie?”

“Uh huh,” the masked girl confirmed, conjuring her tentacles and using them to grab various books for inspection.

Meanwhile, Gaia grew several vine tendrils from a collection of seeds, which she sent forth to scout around for intact manuscripts. After only a few minutes, they had returned with roughly a dozen books. Connie had been similarly successful, acquiring a large enough stack that she was having some trouble holding it. Presumably Amanda herself had found a few more tomes as well, creating a sizable collection.

“Will these be sufficient?” Gaia inquired.

"Oh- yes! This is perfect." Amanda helped them set their stacks down next to her's, then opened up another rift to her pocket dimension below the books for deposit. "I appreciate the help!"

“You are most welcome,” Gaia replied, while offering Amanda a kind smile. “Indeed, it was our pleasure to help.”

“Y-Yes!” Connie hastened to add. “A-And it was v-very n-nice meeting you!”

Amanda smiled back, bowing. "Pleasure's all mine."

“After all the searching we’ve been doing, I think we can safely say that this place’s rat problem is now a thing of the past,” Gaia observed.

“S-So does t-that mean w-we can leave?!” Connie asked eagerly.

“It does, little sister,” the verdant magical girl replied with a gentle laugh. “Unless, of course, there is something else our new friend requires help with.”

"Not exactly. My team and I are currently stationed outside the city till further notice thanks to recent events. Well, save one, but Elizabeth's probably busy here." Amanda scratched the back of her head. "So if you'd like, we can exchange contact info to keep in touch."

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Gaia agreed.

After she and Connie had done so, the two friends bid Amanda goodnight, and made their way back home. No sooner had they departed, than a sparkly pink cloud appeared overhead. A rainbow extended from it, which a cute girl slid down to land beside Amanda.

“Hyyyiiiee~! (giggle!)” the girl called out, while striking a pose. “Magical Dream Princess was, like, wondering if you’ve seen any nasty wasty nightmare thingie wingies around here~! (giggle!) She wants, like, every wevery body to have, like, only the sweetest weetest dreamy weamies, so she’s, like, gotta wotta stopy wopy all the nasty wasty nightmares and the meanie weanie heads who cause them~! Her Patrony Watrony person said there was some nasty wasty nightmare stuffy wuffy happening in this placey wacey, so, like, was there?”

Amanda could only muster up a wide-eyed, dumbfounded smile on her face, once the pastel girl made her appearance.

"E-Eh...?"

A quick mental translation, and the magician snapped out of it to answer. "Ah, forgive me, but I didn't see any nightmares here, asides from the giant rats." She had to bend the truth a little. If MDP was talking about Connie, Amanda didn't want the poor girl to get attacked.

“Mommy wommy fluffer wuffer!” she grumbled, while stomping her foot on the ground in an absolutely adorable manner. “Magical Dream Princess was too late again! That, like, makes her super duper upset…” Then, she took a better look at Amanda and a big smile spread across her face, while her eyes lit up in joyful wonderment. "OMGeee~! Your outfit's, like, so super duper cutey wutey~! (giggle!) And your face is, like, sooo totally wotally moe~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess could just eat you up~! (giggle!) But, like, not literally! the hyperactive girl hastened to clarify. “Ewww! That would be, like, sooo icky-wicky! Oh noes!” she exclaimed with a gasp, suddenly looking very upset. “Magical Dream Princess is, like, being so totally wotally rude! She, like, never introduced herself~!" Striking a cute pose, she gave Amanda a peace-sign salute. "Ta-daaa~! She's Super Cute Pretty Pretty Magical Dream Princess~! But you can, like, just call her Magical Dream Princess for short~! (giggle!)" she said with a wink. "So, like, what can Magical Dream Princess call you~?"

"I-I'm Amanda." she introduced herself, albeit rather flustered. "I guess you're a dream specialist too?"

"Huh? Like, that's not a magical girl name, silly~! (giggle!) Nopey nope nope~!" Magical Dream Princess told her, while waging her finger cutely. "It, like, needs to be super duper cutesy wutesy and kawaii, and, like, make everyone who hears it think of sparkle warkles and glitter witter and rainbows and wuv~! (giggle!) Something womething liiiike... Super Duper Cute Magical Girl Pastel-Chan~! (giggle!) Yepperooney~! That's, like, totally wotally gonna be your namey wamey now~! (giggle!) Wowie zowies~!” the hyperactive magical girl exclaimed after Amanda had revealed her specialization. “Like, Pastel-chan can do dreamy weamy magic too~?! Like, for realsies~?! OMGeee~! That's, like, the super duper duperest~! (giggle!) Never in a million willion years did Magical Dream Princess imagine she'd meet another girl with dreamy weamy magic like her~! (giggle!)” The next instant, something seemed to occur to the ditzy magical girl, and she gave a sharp gasp, before becoming even more excited. “Oh, golly wolly~! Pastel-chan is like, the bestie westiest person to ask Magical Dream Princess’s super duper important question~! (giggle!) Does Pastel-chan know a particular wickular super duper meanie weanie nightmare person namey wameyed… namey wameyed… Oh, phooey whooey… Magical Dream Princess can’t remember wember… Wait~!” she exclaimed, holding up a finger. “There was that one creepy weepy top hat guy who said something about her friend~! He said her namey wamey was... it was… and she had something... something… green? Oh, golly wolly, Magical Dream Princess, like, can't remember wember that either…” She looked incredibly downcast, before quickly brightening up, and adding, “Super duper fun facty wacty: Magical Dream Princess’s memory wemory, like, isn't very good when she’s Magical Dream Princess, but that’s, like, totally wotally okie doki~! (giggle!) She's having, like, waaaay too much FUN to worry about silly willy thingie wingies like that~! (giggle!) Hey~! Magical Dream Princess just thought of something~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess and Pastel-chan should totally be, like, super duper BFFs~! Like, totally wittily wottally~! (giggle!) We could have, like, sooo much funsies~! (giggle!)”

"Uhm, sure! If you want to!" Amanda (Pastel-Chan?) chuckled. She still felt a bit nervous, meeting someone who manages to top North of all people in being hyperactive. Then again, she was sure the two would get along if she introduced them to each other.

“Oh, wowie wow wowies~!” the ditzy magical girl cheered, while jumping up and down like a little kid. “Magical Dream Princess, like, never had a BFF before~! (giggle!) Daddy Waddy always said it was, like, a 'distraction' or whatever, but he's not here right nowie, and Magical Dream Princess, like, totally has, like, no idea where she's going with this~! (giggle!) Can Pastel-chan, like, believe that happens to her, like, ALL THE TIME nowie? At firsty worsty, it was, like, really annoying, but nowie wowie it's, like, super duper fun~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess, like, has NO IDEA what's going on, and she just wuvs it~! (giggle!) It makes everythingy sooo much more magical wagical and dreamy weamy~! (giggle!) Oh! Does Pastel-chan have any siblings~?! Magical Dream Princess is all by herself, since Daddy Waddy didn't wanna pay Mr. Stork the money woney to bring any more babies after he delivered Magical Dream Princess… That made her sooo lonely, but now she's, like, meeting so many new friends, like Pastel-chan~! (giggle!) Golly wolly~! Magical Dream Princess just can't get over how cute her new BFF’s outfit is! Magical Dream Princess just wuvs Pastel-chan’s color palette~! Is that, like, your most favorite wavorite color~? Magical Dream Princess's most favorite wavorite color is rainbow~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess also, like, wuvs listening to super cute J-Pop idols, but that's, like, our super duper BFF special wecial secret~! (giggle!) So, do you have, like a crush on anyone, Pastel-chan? Magical Dream Princess had, like, the super duper biggest crushy wushy on one of Daddy's secretaries, but she, like, totally wotally wasn't supposed to tell you that~! (giggle!)”

Amanda had to admit her ramblings were charming, but it was a bit hard to keep track. Well uhm, I do have a twin brother;but I haven't seen him since I became a magical girl. Yes, I do favor lavender, pastel colors are soothing to me. And uh, I never exactly had a crush on anyone?? So..." she answered, with a sheepish grin on the last question. The magician never really concidered seeing someone, even when she was still a journalist. Her work was her mistress, she used to say.

“Wowie zowie~! Like, having a twinsie winsie must have been, like, so super duper fun~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess is, like, super duper jelly welly~! Oh~! But, like, why don’t you ever see him any moresie? Magical Dream Princess thinks that’s, like, kinda winda mean…”

"I just...haven't heard from him in a while. It'd be hard to explain all this to him anyways." the magician motioned to herself.

“But, like, couldn’t you see him as your normal wormal self?” Magical Dream Princess asked, slightly confused by her new BFF’s problem.

She appeared confused for a second. "Uh, thing is..." Amanda decided to go ahead and revert to her untransformed state.

"Like most magicals, I wasn't always a kid. Unless he got dragged into this mess too, I dunno how he'd feel seeing me again but...younger." Her demeanor seemed to change, appearing more laid-back.

“Golly wolly! Like, Magical Dream Princess stayed the same agey wagey when she became a magical wagical girl, so she, like, just thought that was the samey wamey for everybody! But, like, twinsie winsies have a super duper special wecial bond, so, like, Magical Dream Princess thinks you should, like, totally wotally go and see him~! (giggle!)”

"You...think I should?" Amanda tilted her head.

“Like, totally witally wotally~! (giggle!)” the childish magical girl said with a playful wink. “Magical Dream Princess, like, just knows that Pastel-chan’s twinsie winsie wuvs her lots and lots, and wouldn’t mindy windy that she’s not the same agey wagey any moresie, cause she’s still his twinsie winsie who he misses sooo much~! (giggle!)”

"...Heh," Amanda smiled. "'Alright then."

“Yaaay~!” Magical Dream Princess cheered, while jumping up and down. Then she wrapped Amanda up in a big hug. “Like, Magical Dream Princess is, like, sooo happy wappy for her BFF~! (giggle!) She, like, just knows Amanda Wanda-chan will have so much funsie wunsie seeing her twinsie winsie again~! (giggle!)”

The magician hugged back, giggling.

“Oh~! And, like, if Amanda Wanda-chan needy weedies any helpy welpy finding him, Magical Dream Princess has, like, lotsie wotsie ways of doing that~!” the hyperactive magical girl noted cheerfully. “Like, when she’s not Magical Dream Princess, of coursey worsey~! (giggle!)” she added with a wink.

"Really? You want to help?"

“Yeperoonie~! (giggle!)” the ditzy magical girl confirmed. “Like, Amanda Wanda-chan is Magical Dream Princess’s super duper special wecial BFF, after allsie~! (giggle!)”

"Alright! Well, I should probably head back before the others worry. But in case I swing by again,we should keep in touch." Amanda said.

“Okie dokie~!” the childish magical girl said with a playful giggle. “Oh… But, like, Magical Dream Princess doesn’t have her phoney whoney with her right nowie…” she added, as a sullen look spread across her face.

"Oh. Hmm, guess we can hang out a bit longer then?" she suggested.

“Oh~! Like, Magical Dream Princess knows what to dooey wooey~! (giggle!) She can take Amanda Wanda-chan to her homey womey~! Like, that’s where her phoney whoney is, after allsie~! (giggle!)”

"Hm. Well, okay then." Amanda shrugged. "Lead the way!"

“Goody woody~!” Magical Dream Princess cheered, clapping her hands together with childish delight. “Like, Magical Dream Princess never ever had a friend come over before~! This is, like, sooo super duper exciting~! (giggle!) Come on, Amanda Wanda-chan~!” she added, taking the other girl by the hand. “We can use this thingie wingie~!” Pointing her wand at a nearby garbage can, she fired a sparkly beam at it. Within moments the innocuous object had been transformed into a whimsical pink rocket ship. Leading her BFF up the ramp, Magical Dream Princess helped her strap in, before the rocket launched with a mighty roar. Almost before it had begun, Amanda would find that her wild rocket ride was over. A door had opened in the side of the craft and a blow up slide led down to the floor below. “Like, this is the most funsie wunsie part of all~! (giggle!)” Magical Dream Princess informed her as she prepared to disembark. “Weeeee~!”

"Woah." Amanda watched MDP slide down. Then, not sitting down like normal, she pushed herself forward to join her at the bottom. "Incoming! Hahah!!" she chuckled.

Amanda would find herself in a luxurious study, one that presented a refined and elegant aesthetic that was completely incongruous with the magical girl who supposedly lived here.

“Like, this is Magical Dream Princess’s super duper private study wudy~! Her phoney whoney’s over there, along with her super duper special wecial computer thingie~! (giggle!)” Skipping over to the desk in question, the playful magical girl retrieved her expensive and highly advanced looking phone and brought it back to Amanda. “Okie dokie~! Magical Dream Princess’s number wumber is right heresie weresie~! (giggle!)” she said, holding up the phone, so that her BFF could see the number on its display.

An odd contrast, Amanda thought. What kind of person was she outside of her magical girl state? The magician grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and copied the number onto her contacts. "There we go." she nodded, setting MDP's contact name to "Dreamy".

“Yippy skippy~! (giggle!)” Magical Dream Princess cheered, before typing in Amanda’s number, listing it as “Pastel-chan”.“Like, now that we’re heresie, Magical Dream Princess has, like, another idea~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess can show you what she looks like as a normal wormal person~! (giggle!) Like, Magical Dream Princess probably wobably shouldn’t let you, like, see her super duper secret wecret identity wentity, buuuut, since Amanda Wanda-chan, like, already showed her normal wormal self, and since she’s, like, Magical Dream Princess’s super duper special wecial dreamy weamy BFF, Magical Dream Princess is, like, totally wotally gonna show you~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess, like, has to warn you though, she’s, like, totally wotally different when she’s not Magical Dream Princess~! (giggle!) Okie dokie~!” she declared, while dramatically raising a finger high in the air. “Time to go backsie wacksie to normal wormal~! (giggle!)”

There was a dazzling flash, after which the rocket, along with all the destruction it had caused, completely vanished. But perhaps the most startling change was that Magical Dream Princess had been replaced by a refined-looking young woman with long, dark hair.

“There,” Violet said with a sigh. “Having magical powers is certainly nice, but there is something to be said for the ability to think rationally, don’t you agree?” she asked, while giving Amanda a small smile. She sighed again, “It was probably an enormous mistake to bring you here, let alone reveal my true identity, but I don’t exactly think things through when I’m Magical Dream Princess. But, then, I don’t suppose I need to tell you that,” she added, while looking away and blushing slightly. “O-On that note, I… want to apologize for how I was acting earlier. I can get a little… carried away when I assume my magical girl persona. I only hope I didn’t offend you too much,” she added in a soft voice. It was clear to see that she was incredibly embarrassed.

Now it made sense. Oh- No, it's cool! Amanda reassured Violet. "I get that some patrons can affect your mental state. Hell, mine gave my team and I some chivalry lessons. It's nothing to be embarassed by!" she chuckled, then giving the other girl an empathic smile. "Besides, from what you told me as Dreamy, you...never really had a friend, did you?"

“N-No…” she replied hesitantly. “As the heiress of a prestigious family, and future head of that family’s business, I had little time for friends or frivolity growing up. I am embarrassed to say it, but that is why I so greatly enjoy being Magical Dream Princess. Despite the loss of nearly all my intelligence, memory and inhibitions, it is still so liberating to be able to act like the innocent child I was never allowed to be. When I’m her, I can express all the feelings I am normally forced to keep hidden away. I can play all kinds of games and make so many new friends. Although… It has been somewhat difficult keeping my two identities separate. It is so nice to finally be able to share my secret with someone,” she added, giving Amanda a warm smile.

"Well you do now. And your secret's safe with me!" Amanda grinned back.

“Thank you so very much, Amanda,” the heiress told her new friend, while giving her an embrace. “I… want you to know that I meant what I said earlier. I would be only too happy to assist you in reuniting with your twin brother, and… I would very much like to, um, ‘hang out’ with you again. I-In fact… I would not mind possibly having a… s-sleepover at some point…” she added, looking away, while her face turned a brilliant shade of crimson.

"Heh." Amanda bear-hugged her back. "Whenever you want, just let me know!"

“Okie do— ” Violet began cheerfully, before gasping and quickly returning to her more mature tone. “I-I, uh, mean, okay…” she said quietly, while giving Amanda an embarrassed smile. “I-If that’s everything, I s-suppose you can return to your companions now,” she added, still a little flustered by her slip in demeanor. “Are you capable of doing that on your own, or should I transform again and take you to them myself?”

"No worries, they're just stationed outside of town until things go back to normal." The punkish girl explained. "But we can always visit!"

“Very well, then,” the heiress said with a nod. “I suppose I should bid you farewell for now. Oh, and sweet dreams,” she added with a smile.

"Sweet dreams!" Amanda waved goodbye, and walked out.

I assume she has a way of getting past the security undetected… Violet thought as she watched Amanda depart. Then again, if I could do it, and we both have the same type of magic, then I suppose there is really nothing to worry about.

The heiress still possessed some slight trepidation due to the fact that she had revealed so much sensitive information to someone she had only just met, but for some reason that she was unable to put into words, she simply felt that she could trust Amanda. It was certainly wonderful to know that she had at long last gained a true friend in whom she could confide her deepest secrets. Now, if only she could have had better luck in finding her nightmare-conjuring foe… First the Park, and now this… Twice she had been mere moments too late… Still, she reflected, with a fellow champion of dreams as her ally, it would only be a matter of time before they were found, and then, The Sovereign of Sweet Dreams would once again reign supreme…

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Part II

Starring Magical Dream Princess~! (giggle!)

-Magical Dream Princess

MDP too OP. Plz nerf.

-People

Golly wolly, you silly willies~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess isn’t the original poster~! Ari-wari-amis is~! (giggle!)

-Magical Dream Princess

✩✩✩Last time on Magical Dream Princess’s Adventure in Silverburg- Our heroine arrived at the top-secret testing facility of Demiris Defense Systems late at night, where she played several incredibly fun games with some new friends. After tiring them out, she made her way to DDS’s even more top-secret laboratories, unaware that she was being watched by three mysterious figures. Who are they, and what startling secrets will our heroine discover within the labs? Read on to find out!✩✩✩

✩✩✩

Shortly before Magical Dream Princess’s arrival…

This late at night, most of the R&D center’s numerous gifted scientists had long since gone home, but deep in the heart of the vast facility, Dr. Nikki Kannis, head researcher of Demiris Defense Systems, was hard at work on her greatest invention. Or, more precisely, was hard at work repairing her greatest invention…

“You really put this thing through the wringer…” she noted as she worked. “Thankfully, the basic functionality’s still intact, so you shouldn’t have lost any pictures you took. What didja say you were fighting again?”

“Slendermen…” Nikki’s friend, Kate Carson, replied with a shudder. “Man, those things were creepy… I was on an assignment from the Arcane Observer, ‘low-to-moderate risk’ they said. Yeah, right…”

“Yeesh… Not something I’d wanna run into, that’s for sure… Welp, it’s all fixed,” Nikki declared, handing what looked like an ordinary camera to her friend. “Try to take a bit better care of it this time, huh?”

“I’ll do my best, but no promises,” Kate replied with a grin.

The next moment, the two girls were startled by the sound of a thunderclap. Whirling around, they saw a smiling girl standing in a swiftly dissipating cloud of smoke.

“Oh my gosh! Nikki!” the girl squealed as she rushed over to glomp the scientist. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“K-Karen?!” Nikki stammered. “W-What are you doing here? Also, couldja not squeeze so tight? I’m kinda getting crushed here…”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, loosening her grip on the scientist and taking a few steps back. “Sometimes I forget how strong I am… Anyways, darling had some business in town, so I asked if he could drop me off to visit you, and he said yes! Isn’t he the sweetest?!”

“I guess you could say that…” Nikki muttered. Then, noticing Kate’s confused, but also somewhat amused expression, she added, “Here, let me introduce you two. Karen Coleman, meet Kate Carson, freelance photographer, and an old friend of mine. Kate, this is Karen. She’s just your average ditzy tentacle-loving teenage girl. She tagged along with me on an expedition to Antarctica a few years back, got herself married to some lesser eldritch horror or another, and decided to stay down there for the rest of her life. So, yeah, nothing too special.”

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Karen cheered, rushing over to give Kate a hug.

“Y-Yeah, l-likewise…” Kate replied as she struggled to breath.

“So, now that I’m done working, you guys want me to give ya the tour?”

Before they could answer, a blaring alarm drowned out all other sound.

“What the shit?” Nikki swore as she pulled up a holographic display. “Intruder alert? Who the hell could get past all the security? Present company excluded, of course,” she added after a moment.

“She looks really pretty!” Karen observed as the trio watched the frilly intruder cheerfully begin remaking the gray and gloomy primary testing chamber into something far more cute and whimsical. “Oh! And she can do magic too! Let’s go down and say hi!”

“Not yet,” Nikki told her firmly. “This is something completely unprecedented, and it provides an unparalleled opportunity for data collection,” the scientist added as a grin began to spread across her face. “Look! Team Alpha was on security detail. They’re engaging her now. Let’s watch and see what happens…”

And so they did, growing increasingly more awed and/or horrified with each passing second.

“Fascinating…” Nikki breathed once the cute intruder had finished having her “fun” with the members of Team Alpha. “She defeated them all single handedly… Hmm… But now she’s moving on to the labs… We certainly can’t have that… Okay, ladies,” she said with a grin. “I think it’s time we introduced ourselves…”

“Are you serious?” Kate asked, clearly taken aback. “You saw what she just did to those—”

“Those were just my crudest beginnings,” Nikki informed her, “barely more than beta-testing prototypes. They can’t hold a candle to the three of us. At least, not when we’re at our full potential,” she added with a grin.

“Aw, crap. You’re talking about transforming, aren’t you?” Kate asked in a sullen voice.

“Of course I am. We’re certainly not going down there like this.”

“Okay, but… Can I nope out this time? I really don’t need to be transformed to record stuff with this thing,” she said, gesturing to her camera.

“Request denied!” Nikki snapped, while dramatically pointing a finger at the photographer. “Your camera’s data collecting abilities are astronomically increased while you’re transformed. Besides…” she added after a moment. “If that girl is as strong as she seems, we may need you to provide some offensive support.”

“Fine…” Kate said with a weary sigh. “Let’s get this over with…”

✩✩✩

Meanwhile, Magical Dream Princess was making her way through the labs’ various rooms. Each was filled with a staggeringly eclectic array of super-scientific paraphernalia, in every style imaginable, from steampunk to cyberpunk. Some of it looked as if it came straight out of Tron, while other items looked like they had been taken off the set of Frankenstein. There were tesla coils, bubbling beakers of every size and shape, neon-covered machinery, dozens of screens, gages and displays, both holographic and physical… and buttons.

LOTS of buttons…

Magical Dream Princess’s eyes lit up at the sight of them. For buttons, after all, existed to be pressed…

“Ooooh… What does this button do~?!” she asked in childish wonderment, as she stood on tiptoes next to a particularly prominent button on a wire and tube covered pedestal.

“Why don’t you press it and find out?” a voice asked.

Whirling to face its source, Magical Dream Princess let out a startled gasp.

“G-Golly wolly! W-Who are you?!”

“I’m Dr. Nikki Kannis, the head researcher here. But you can call me…”

“Nyahahaha!!!” she cackled manically upon making her grand introduction.

“Wowie zowie~!” the ditzy magical girl exclaimed, her eyes glittering with excitement as she darted around Nykannis’s massive form, looking at it from every angle. “Magical Dream Princess thinks you’re, like, so super duper cool looking and stuff~! (giggle!) Golly wolly~! You have so many crazy wazy thingie wingies all over you~! It’s totally wotally like you’re some kinda mad scientist type-persony worsony~! (giggle!)”

“Uh… Yeah… That’s what I just said…”

“Hi! I’m Karen!” the eldritch girl to Nykannis’s right said with disconcerting cheerfulness as she enthusiastically waved one of her tentacles. “No title, though!” she added with a giggle. “It’s really nice to meet you!”

“Kate,” the blushing girl in the extravagant wedding dress to Nykannis’s left deadpanned, while flashing a peace sign. “Ditto on the title thing.”

“Golly wolly~! Like, Magical Dream Princess thinks your dress is, like, so super duper pretty~! (giggle!)”

“Uh… Thanks… I guess…?” Kate replied, clearly uncomfortable with the interest the strange girl was taking in her extraordinarily embarrassing outfit, along with how close she was getting… Still, Kate had never been one to miss an opportunity when one presented itself. “Y-Your outfit’s really pretty, too,” she told the ditzy magical girl. “Say, uh, do you mind if I take a picture?”

“Wowie Zowie~!” the adorable girl squealed. “Magical Dream Princess would, like, totally wotally, super duper wuv to have her picture taken~! (giggle!)” the childish magical girl replied, striking her most cutesy of poses, while winking at Kate.

“O-Okay, cool,” the photographer said, happy that the girl had agreed, but slightly taken aback by the sheer intensity of her enthusiasm. Holding up her camera, which appeared far more ornate now that she had transformed, Kate snapped a few quick shots, with Magical Dream Princess switching to a new pose after each one. “Alright, that should do it,” Kate said after she’d finished. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re, like, totally wotally welcome, Katie Watie~! (giggle!)”

“Nice work,” Nykannis commended the photographer as she and her friend exchanged grins.

“Goody woody~! That was, like, so much fun~! (giggle!) It’s, like, so super duper nice to meet you girls~! (giggle!) Oh~! But, Magical Dream Princess should, like, probably introduce herself, now~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess is—”

“Oh, we all know who you are,” Nykannis said dryly. “What we don’t know is why you decided to break into my lab and START SCREWING WITH THINGS!!!” the mad scientist roared.

“Oh gosh! Magical Dream Princess would, like, totally wotally wuv to tell you, but it’s, like, a super duper special wecial secret~!”

“Don’t wanna tell us, huh? That’s fine,” Nykannis said, her massive technomagical form making the approximation of a shrug. “We’ll just have to beat it out of you… Karen! Now!” she snapped, at which point the eldritch girl surged forward with surprising swiftness to wrap herself around the intruder.

“Wowies~! (giggle!) Your tentacle wentacles are, like, really tickly wickly~!” Magical Dream Princess squealed in delight as Karen tried to hold her squirming body down.

“Oh! Um, thank you!” Karen said, somewhat surprised at the compliment. “Darling really likes them too! In fact, we tickle each other almost every day!”

“Golly wolly~! (giggle!) Tickle wickle sharing is, like, the bestie westiest~! (giggle!) Here~! Magical Dream Princess will tickle wickle you too~! (giggle!)”

Reaching out with her wand, she waved one of its feathery wings back and forth across the underside of Karen’s tentacles, causing the eldritch girl to emit a high-pitched squeal.

“Oh! (giggle!) W-Wow! (giggle!) Y-You’re (giggle!) r-really (giggle!) g-good a-at (giggle!) t-this! (giggle!)” Karen managed between giggling fits, her tentacles writhing so furiously that they loosened their grip on Magical Dream Princess enough for the playful magical girl to escape.

“Damn it Karen…” Nykannis hissed. “WHY DIDN’T YA HOLD HER ARMS DOWN?!!”

“I-I d-didn’t know I was supposed to!” Karen stammered as she twiddled her tentacles nervously. “I-I’m sorry!”

“Ah, forget it…” the Mad Scientist grumbled.

Meanwhile, something new had caught Magical Dream Princess’s attention.

“Wowie zowie~! (giggle!)” the ditzy magical girl exclaimed as she ran behind Kate. “Your hair is, like, really, reeeally long~!”

“Yeah, I know,” the photographer grumbled, looking incredibly tired. “You can thank Nykannis for that…”

“Like, it’s so super duper big~! Magical Dream Princess can, like, hidey widey in it for ever and ever~! (giggle!)” the childish magical girl said as she proceeded to wrap herself in the thick golden tresses. It wasn’t long before she was completely obscured from view.

“Um, about that?” Kate remarked, while taking a clump of her monstrous mane and giving it a sharp pull. Instantly, the photographer’s voluminous hair slid off Magical Dream Princess as smooth as silk, leaving her clearly visible once more.

“Golly wolly! Like, what just happened?! Magical Dream Princess was, like holding on really tighty wighty too!”

“It’s magic,” Kate stated flatly. “My hair never catches on, and can never be caught by, anything. It’s the only good thing about it…”

“Humpf!” the childish magical girl pouted. “Well, that’s, like, no funsie wunsie…”

“Maybe you’ll like this better.” Nykannis suggested, before firing one of the weapons attached to her many mechanical appendages. A small sphere shot out to strike Magical Dream Princess’s hand, where upon it stuck firmly to her skin and began to expand at an alarming rate. Alarming, at least, for anyone other than Magical Dream Princess…

“Wowie zowie~!” the ditzy magical girl exclaimed, a gleeful smile on her face. “It’s, like, a big expandy wandy baloony woony~! (giggle!) But, like, why’s it gotta be all icky wicky grey and stuff? Like, whatevsies~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess is gonna popsie wopsie it now~! (giggle!)” she declared, conjuring a shiny pin and driving it into the expanding sphere. “Pop~!” she shouted, and the sphere did just that.

“T-That s-shouldn’t be possible…” the Mad Scientist stammered. “Those grav-globs are made of hyper dense Nythonium alloy… H-How did you…? Oh, forget it… My mistake. I should have FIRED IT ON FULL AUTO!!! NYAHAHAHA!!!”

As the Mad Scientist’s weapon charged up in preparation of doing just that, Magical Dream Princess conjured a baseball bat and assumed a hitting stance. “Like, okie doki~! (giggle!) Batter watter up~!”

As the stream of spheroids raced towards her, Magical Dream Princess took a mighty swing and batted them all directly back at Nykannis. Not expecting this, the Mad Scientist had neglected to raise any of her various energy shields, and before she could do so, the spheroids impacted her with enough force to send her flying across the room.

“Yippy skippy wippy~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess got a home run~! Weeeee~!” the childish magical girl cheered as she set off to run the imaginary bases. She was so caught up in her innocent enjoyment, that she ran right into Karen, the eldritch girl taking advantage of Magical Dream Princess’s distraction to tightly wrap her up.

“Nikki! Look! I’ve got her! I’ve got her!” Karen called excitedly. “I’ve… got her?” Looking at her captive, she discovered that instead of the adorable magical girl, she was actually holding a large pillow with her image printed on it. “Huh, this isn’t her… Well, it is,” the confused girl added after a moment, “but I don’t think this is the version of her Nikki wanted me to get…”

“Nopey wopey~! (giggle!)” Magical Dream Princess replied, while wagging her finger in a teasing manner. “Karen Waren gives the bestie bestest huggy wuggies, but, like, right nowie, Magical Dream Princess wants to play~! (giggle!)”

With that, the ditzy magical girl proceeded to bounce around the various labs, playing with anything that caught her eye, while humming a cute little tune as she went along. For her part, Karen tried her best to chase down the hyperactive girl, but she wasn’t meeting with much success.

“Force her back into the testing chamber!” Nykannis ordered, after she finally extricated herself from the spheroids. “There’s too much sensitive equipment in here!”

“O-Okay!” Karen acknowledged, as she set about attempting to guide the ditzy girl’s hyperactive rampage towards the door that Magical Dream Princess had entered the labs through. Once she had finally succeeded in doing so, Nykannis sprung into action.

“Kate! Get to the top of that building,” the Mad Scientist instructed, while pointing at one of the closest ruined structures, “and let me know the moment you’re in position!”

“Roger,” the photographer replied wearily.

“Good job Karen,” Nykannis commended the eldritch girl who now seemed to be playing “tag” with Magical Dream Princess. “Just keep her occupied for a little bit longer.”

“Sure thing!” the eldritch girl confirmed cheerfully. “This is actually really fun!”

“I’m glad someone thinks so,” Kate muttered.

The photographer-turned-blushing-bride made quite the comical sight as she headed over to the structure Nykannis had indicated. A pair of tiny robots threw rice and flower petals before her, while an excessively long train trailed along the rubble-strewn ground behind her, its ludicrous length matched only by that of her golden, Rapunzelesque hair. Although neither her hair nor her outfit snagged on any of the rubble through which Kate walked (something the photographer was immensely thankful for), the outfit still greatly inhibited her movement, and she was forced to hold up the hem of her gown in order to proceed at even a moderately unhurried pace. Entering the building at long last, Kate scowled upon noticing how many steps she would have to climb.

In high heels…

Giving a weary sigh, and mentally cursing Nykannis for designing such a humiliatingly impractical outfit, the blonde bride slowly made her way up the stairs… She had only taken a few steps, when she heard Nykannis’s enraged voice in her ears.

“Come ON, Kate! WHAT’S TAKING YOU SO LONG?!!”

I don’t know, maybe this ridiculous gown you’re making me wear? Kate grumbled to herself.

Still, she knew it wouldn’t be wise to anger her friend further. She also knew that what she was about to do would in no way be pleasant… Gathering her strength, she took a deep breath, before rushing up the stairs like Cinderella in reverse. By the time she had reached the top, the poor girl was utterly exhausted.

“F-Finally… M-Made it…” she declared between needy gasps of air as she leaned her weary body against the door frame. Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer, and her ankles were absolutely murdering her. N-Nykannis owes me… one hell of a foot massage after this… “Okay,” she called over the comm after she had caught her breath. “I’m in position.”

“Great!” Nykannis commended. “Start recording, and whatever you do, don’t stop! I want to examine every nanosecond of that footage in exquisite detail…” she added, while gleefully tapping her fingers together. While still in the lab, Nykannis had surreptitiously scanned Magical Dream Princess with a spy ray. The data gleaned from it had revealed that the ditzy magical girl boasted a MAG stat even higher than Kate’s, along with a not inconsiderable amount of luck. Yes, she was certainly formidable, but the Mad Scientist knew that no matter how powerful their whimsical adversary seemed, she still had only a finite amount of mana. Once it was gone, she was finished, and Nykannis already had an idea of just how to expedite that process… “All right!” she declared as her body thrummed with ever-increasing power. “Now I can REALLY cut loose! Hey, panty shot princess! EAT THIS!!!”

With that, Nykannis unleashed the full might of her super-scientific arsenal: neutrino particle cannons, polyphasic penetrator beams, polycyclic plasma blasters, mega magitech magneto cannons, multiphasic transdimensional hyper homing lasers, ultradimensional gigga blasters, ultraetheric negaparticle projectors, hyperphasic disintegrator cannons, transaetheric flux arc coils, techno arcane quantum singularity cannons, transphasic turbo obliterators, and hyper voltaic lightning guns, along with dangerously overcharged neutron star drivers, gigga transphasic cataclysm cannons, zero point aetheric oscillators, omni-spectrum hyperwave disruptors, ultra atomic disintegrators, and a plethora of other bizarre technomantic death rays. These were supplemented by salvoes of Nythonium/antimatter fusion missiles, transwarp vortex missiles, hypergravitic pulse missiles and megaphasic super destructo rockets. Last, but by no means least, in an attempt to match Magical Dream Princess’s apparent reality warping powers, Nykannis brought her own reality editors into play: chrono cannons, hypermetric dischargers, omnitemporal exotic matter manipulators, polymorphic paradox projectors, and the like. Simultaneously, an array of weapon-covered drones detached from the Mad Scientist and floated into position to bombard Magical Dream Princess from every angle.

But despite the sheer volume of firepower directed her way, not a single part of the frightening fusillade actually managed to hit the ditzy magical girl, who stared at the impressive light show with wide-eyed wonderment.

“Wowie zowies~! Sooo many pretty lights and colors~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess feels like she’s some kinda winda pretty witty idol widol~! (giggle!) Oh~! Magical Dream Princess knows~! She’ll, like, totally wotally singy wingy a song for you girls~! (giggle!)” Gleefully hopping atop a pile of rubble, she transformed it into a glittering stage with a sweep of her wand. It possessed no lights, or smoke, or fireworks, but that was okay. Those would all be provided by Nykannis’s all-out barrage. “Like, all righty~! Here~! We~! Gooooo~!

If you can dream it, you can do it~!
So step right up, there’s nothing to it~!
When there’s a problem, just dance right through it~!
You can go so far~!
You can be a star~!”

And so forth.

Predictably, Nykannis took a rather dim view of the performance, and as Magical Dream Princess continued to sing and dance, the Mad Scientist’s fury grew stronger with each passing second. Enraged beyond reason by the childish magical girl’s playful flippancy, Nykannis decided it was time to break out her big guns…

Dense clouds of nano assemblers emerged from the Mad Scientist’s technomantic form and immediately set to work transforming and combining Nykannis’s existing weapons into larger and even more staggeringly powerful versions of themselves: Polycyclic transwarp infinity beams, omnispectrumatic gigga cyclonic quantum annihilator rockets, hyperquantum chrono vortex projectors, omniphasic ultra atomic supernova lances, omniaetheric zero-point hypertachyonic wave motion cannons, turbo-charged polyphasic quantum singularity gigga blasters, ultraetheric polyparodxical chronometric coil guns, and other weapons too incomprehensible to describe.

“Nyahahaha!!! Now this is what I call FUN!” Nykannis exulted as her massive magitech bombardment produced an array of brilliant explosions along with several tears in the very fabric of reality. “I’m the one who built this place, princess, so I’m the only one who gets to blow it up! Nyahahaha!!!” she cackled in manic glee. “Come on, Magical Dream Princess, SHOW ME WHAT YA GOT!!!”

For her part, Magical Dream Princess was only too happy to oblige. The Dream Barrier she had placed around herself turned any attacks that got even remotely close to her into whimsical, and completely harmless, caricatures of themselves. If anything, the hail of fluffy fuzz balls, cuddly centipedes, and flying fishies they became served only to accentuate her performance.

“Holy Heisenberg uncertainty principle!” Nykannis swore in amazement. “How much mana does this girl have?! Oh well, guess I’ll just have to crank things up EVEN FURTHER!!!”

With a high pitched whine, the Mad Scientist’s entire massive technomantic form began to shudder and spark as it surged with unimaginable power. An entire pocket dimension filled with magitech energy generators of the most esoteric sort, from vita-voltaic cold fusion dynamos and hyperbaric antimatter crucibles, to omniphasic zero-point infinity colliders and quantum singularity hyperflux cores transmitted raw, technomystic power of every conceivable (and inconceivable) kind to the already dangerously overcharged power accumulators protruding from the back of Nykannis’s gargantuan cybermagimechnical body.

“Nyahahaha!” the Monarch of Mad Science cackled with wild abandon. “You should be honored, your Highness! Just for you, I’m taking this shit up to 11²³, out of a possible five!”

Her hyper-charged, ultra-upgraded arsenal continued to vomit forth streams of inconceivable energy for several seconds longer, before Nykannis’s mana reserves finally ran dry. As she waited for the smoke to clear and the space-time fractures, temporal tears, and various other anomalies to reseal themselves, the Mad Scientist gleefully anticipated the state her target would be in. A moment later, Nykannis got her first good look at the ditzy magical girl, and a sadistic grin began to slowly spread across her face at the sight. Although Magical Dream Princess had escaped the barrage with nary a scratch, she now looked visibly tired, and in a fight like this, that was a major accomplishment.

“YES! Just as I predicted!” Nykannis exulted. “She’s finally running out of mana! Nyahahaha! I’m such a genius!”

“Wowie zowies…” the childish magical girl sighed wearily. “Magical Dream Princess is, like, kinda tired after all that singy wingy and dancy wancy stuffy wuffy… But, like, she really had the bestie westiest time~! (giggle!)” she added, perking up a bit and giving a big smile to her non-existent fans. This was particularly comical, considering her stage now sat in the center of an enormous crater, one that almost presented the appearance of a stadium. “Like, thank you soooo much for watching her show~! She, like, super duper appreciates it, and she wuvs you all very wery much~! (giggle!) Bye bye for nowies~!” she added, after which she hopped onto a smiling cloud and zoomed off, leaving a trail of sparkles in her wake.

“Okay, Karen! Grab her!”

“R-Right!” the eldritch girl acknowledged, using her tentacles to swing from building to building in an attempt to chase down the cloud Magical Dream Princess was flying around on.

In her unsealed, eldritch form, Karen possessed superhuman physical abilities, but even so, the flying cloud still managed to remain just out of her reach. If only she had some sort of ranged attack… Oh, wait, she did…

“Why the hell aren’t you using your fire spec, Karen?!” an enraged Nykannis shouted. “You need to go all out on this girl!”

“Gosh, are you sure?” the eldritch girl asked hesitantly. “I really don’t wanna accidently hurt her…”

“Hurt her?! I don’t care if you KILL her! Wait… No, scratch that. Don’t kill her. I wanna get the most data outta her that I possibly can, and for that, I’ll need her alive. At least to start with…” she added darkly.

At her friend’s instance, Karen activated her fire spec. She might not have been the most proficient mage, but nonetheless, she was still able to cover her body in an aura of sickly purple flames.

“Wowie zowies~!” Magical Dream Princess exclaimed at the sight. “Karen Waren looks so pretty witty with all those purple wurple flamey waymies~! (giggle!)”

“Oh! You really think so?!” the eldritch girl asked, her cheeks reddening at the compliment. “Darling likes them too! He always says that—”

“Karen!” Nykannis snapped. “Stop socializing with princess glitter tits and CAPTURE HER ALREADY!!!”

“I’m trying! I’m trying!” the eldritch girl pleaded, flinching at the sound of her friend’s anger and redoubling her efforts to chase down the hyperactive magical girl. Unfortunately, all of the fireballs she was now hurling were being dodged by the staggeringly nimble cloud Magical Dream Princess was riding upon. Even with her depleted mana reserves, it was clear to see that the playful magical girl wasn’t finished quite yet.

“Hmmm, this isn’t exactly going as I’d hoped…” Nykannis muttered. Although she was reluctant to do so, the Mad Scientist realized that she would have to rely on her other friend if she wanted to resolve this in an expedient manner. “So, Kate,” she asked the photographer in an almost casual manner. “Take any good pictures lately?”

“Well, there were those Slendermen I was tellin’ ya about.”

“Perfect.”

“You sure?”

“I am.” Nykannis replied. “Let’s give our little dream princess some nightmares…”

“Alright,” Kate acknowledged, while trying to suppress a shudder. “You asked for it…”

Despite her magical form’s ridiculous level of impracticality, it bestowed a major benefit upon the photographer, or, more precisely, upon her camera, one that made all the annoyance and humiliation worth it. And then some…

Pressing a button, a blinding beam shot out of the camera to a point directly in front of Magical Dream Princess’s current flight path. There was a flash of light, and when it faded, a pair of strange figures had flickered into existence. They were abnormally tall and thin, and their long, spindly limbs ended in several writhing tentacles. Most bizarre were the black business suits they were wearing and their complete lack of faces… They hovered in the air, calmly waiting for their prey, and when Magical Dream Princess’s cloud made a sharp turn to avoid them, they winked out of existence to appear directly in front of her once more.

“Okay, I think we’ve got her on the ropes!” Kate called out.

“Nice work!” Nykannis commended, giving her friend a thumbs up. “Okay, Karen, restrain her, and see if you can do it right, this time!”

“B-But… T-Those t-things are s-so s-scary…” the eldritch girl whimpered.

“WHAT?!!” Nykannis roared. “YOU MARRIED ONE OF THOSE THINGS!!!”

“B-But darling d-doesn’t look a-anything like that!” Karen protested.

“Fine! Then just wait until they’ve finished with her. By that point she should be so catatonic that even you won’t be able to fuck things up. Meanwhile, I’ll make the preparations for my… surgical strike!”

In addition to her already expended ranged arsenal, many of Nykannis’s various segmented servo-arms and tentacular mechadendrites were tipped with an assortment of bizarre melee weapons, from slipstream swords and biphase buzz saws to quantum hammers and monomolecular blades, all enhanced by shimmering auras of technomystic energy. Now, the Mad Scientist’s nano assemblers brought a new instrument into existence, a wicked-looking energy scalpel, which glowed with malevolent power…

Meanwhile, as Magical Dream Princess continued to avoid the summoned Slendermen, she soon realized that there was no way to outrun the terrifying creatures. She would have to confront them. Bringing her cloud to a stop, she put her hands on her hips and glared at the menacing beings as they drifted ever closer.

“Like, this gamey wamey isn’t fun anymore! Magical Dream Princess wuvs playing with her new friends, but you’re just icky wicky nightmare thingies! Magical Dream Princess likes cutesy wutesy sweety weety dreamy weamys, so she thinks you gotta go bye bye now! Bye bye~!” she called playfully, as she waved her wand over the two nightmarish monstrosities. This caused a shower of glittering sparkles to rain down upon them, which caused their bodies to inflate. Before long, the terrifying Slendermen had been replaced by a pair of balloons with cheerful faces. One resembled a star, while the other took the form of a crescent moon. Both were wearing blue nightcaps. “Aww~! You look so cutesy wutesy now~! (giggle!)” the whimsical magical girl gushed as she gave both balloons a big hug. “Alrighty~! Off you go~!” she added with a giggle as she released the pair to drift up to the chamber’s ceiling. “Byiiiie~! (giggle!)”

“Well, can’t say I didn’t see that coming,” Kate noted. “On the bright side, she’s now down to only twenty-five percent of her total mana.”

“This is it, Karen!” Nykannis instructed. “Go get her!”

Unfortunately, despite putting forth a valiant effort, and even taking into account Magical Dream Princess’s steadily decreasing mana, Karen still couldn’t seem to catch the playful magical girl. But she was getting closer…

“Keep going Karen, you’ve almost got her!” Kate cheered the eldritch girl on, while watching the chase through her camera.

“Thanks Kate! But this is a lot harder than it looks! She’s just so fast on that cloud thing of hers!”

“Y’know, I think I might have an idea about that…” Kate said thoughtfully. Brushing some of her long, blonde hair away from her face, she slid a gloved finger over her camera’s display. Scrolling through the various pictures stored within the device, she stopped when she reached the picture she had taken of Magical Dream Princess. Selecting it with a tap of her finger, she was presented with a list of the magical girl’s stats, while several additional holographic displays appeared, upon which could be found several dozen submenus. The photographer tapped on a tab titled “weaknesses”, and after only a few moments, a grin began to creep across her face. “Hey, MDP!” Kate called out. “You wanna take some more pictures? I got this really pretty parasol you can hold!”

“Reeeeally~?! Oh, goody woody~! (giggle!) Yaaay~! It’s picture wicture time again~!” the childish magical girl cheered as her cloud raced over. Once it was overhead, Magical Dream Princess slid down a rainbow to land right next to Kate. “Yippy skippy wippy~! (giggle!) And, like, did Katie Watie just give Magical Dream Princess a cutesy wutsey nickname~?!”

“Uh, heh, yeah...” the photographer said tentatively. “Your name’s kinda long, so I, uh, just shortened it a little. Y-You don’t mind, do you?”

“Golly wolly~! Of coursey woursey Magical Dream Princess doesn’t mindy windy~! She, like, abso-dutly-wutely wuvs it~! (giggle!)” the bubbly magical girl declared, clapping her hands enthusiastically, while jumping up and down with delight. “Thankie wankie sooo much~! (giggle!)” she added as she gave the photographer a big hug.

“O-Okay, cool,” Kate replied, while mentally breathing a sigh of relief. “So, uh, you wanna get started?”

“Like, yepperoonie~! (giggle!)” Magical Dream Princess confirmed, taking the parasol from Kate and striking a cute pose with it.

“Alright, say ‘cheese!’”

“Cheesy weesy~! (giggle!)”

A single “snap!” was all it took.

With a click of a button, Magical Dream Princess found herself frozen in place, unable to move, or even speak.

“Sorry about that,” Kate told her. “This setting is called ‘Freeze Frame’. It’s kinda like a stasis field that has the added benefit of draining your mana at the same time. Pretty cool, huh?”

What wasn’t so cool was that it also drained the photographer’s own mana at a frightening rate. This, coupled with the fact that her target needed to be absolutely still for it to work, was why Kate only used the Freeze Frame feature on exceedingly rare occasions.

“Okay, Karen! Now’s your chance! Grab her before she starts moving again!”

Wasting no time, the eldritch girl quickly did as instructed, sliding up behind the frozen magical girl and tightly wrapping her up. This time, Karen made triplely sure she had bound Magical Dream Princess in such a way that she couldn’t move her arms, legs, hands, or feet even a single inch. At long last, the whimsical intruder had finally been captured.

“Yaaay! I did it!” Karen cheered.

“Bring her down here,” Nykannis instructed. “And take Kate along with you. I don’t wanna wait an hour for her to go back down those stairs…”

“Okay!” Karen acknowledged, scooping up both girls and bringing them down to the street below.

“Golly wolly~! Karen Waren’s tentacle wentacles are, like, so super duper tight~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess, like, can’t even move her arms~! It’s likey wikey Magical Dream Princess is all cuddle wuddled up in her beddy weddy~! But, like, Magical Dream Princess doesn’t wanna go beddy bye right nowie!”

“You’re gonna wish you were asleep,” Nykannis said as she approached, a sadistic gleam in her eyes. “Now, let’s begin the operation…” the Mad Scientist declared, grinning with maniacal glee. “Your ditzy little ADHD wracked brain’s got no idea how much FUN this is gonna be, but I think the best part will be when you start crying my name in that adorable voice of yours, begging me to stop tearing out your insides, while I just LAUGH IN YOUR FACE!!!”

“Uh, super sorries, but, Magical Dream Princess doesn’t thinkie winkie she can do that…” the girl said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“What?”

“Ummm… Like, Magical Dream Princess’s memory wemory isn’t, like, the bestie westiest when she’s Magical Dream Princess, so, she, uh, totally wotally forgot… What was your namey wamey again?”

At that, the Mad Scientist’s eyes went wide with utter fury.

“Why you… Why you little… I’m the person who created this place! I’m the person who created those girls you kicked the crap outta earlier! I’m the person who finally captured your kitty covered ass! I’m the person who’s about to slice you open and pull you apart, bit by bit, while you scream your pretty little head off! I’M THE GREATEST MAD SCIENTIST IN THE FUCKING MULTIVERSE!!! I’M—”

“Dr. Kannis!” a new voice bellowed. “What is the meaning of this?”

All four girls turned their heads to see an imposing figure approaching. He was tall, with broad shoulders, and a belly that was a bit on the portly side. A thick, dark beard covered much of his features, while his eyes fixed the group with a piercing gaze. Although such a fortress of a man seemed to have no need for it, he walked with the aid of a glossy, black cane, atop which was mounted a glowing, crimson gem. He exuded a stately, commanding presence, one that caused each girl to reflexively shrink back a little at the sight of him.

“M-Mister Demiris!” the Mad Scientist yelped in horror, utterly shocked by her employer’s sudden appearance. “S-Sir, this girl broke into the lab and started wrecking things! Thankfully we were able to subdue her.”

“And now you’re planning to dissect her?”

“Uh…Y-Yeah…” Nykannis said sheepishly. “For science!”

“Release her,” Demiris commanded. “Now.”

Karen looked to Nykannis for instruction, her gaze filled with uncertainty. The scientist gave a defeated sigh, then nodded. At once, Karen slid her tentacles off of the whimsically dressed girl, and helped her slowly rise to her feet.

“S-Super thankie wankies, mister~! (giggle!)” the childish magical girl told Demiris, while treating him to a brilliant smile. “But Magical Dream Princess still thinks you’re a meanie weanie head!”

“Charming… And who are these two?” he asked, gesturing to Kate and Karen.

“Karen Colman, sir!” the eldritch girl said cheerfully, while raising one of her tentacles in a salute. “We actually met once before, at the start of the Antarctic expedition! I think I said you looked like a younger version of Santa Claus?”

“Yes… I recall… And you?”

“Kate Carson, freelance photographer.”

“Dr. Kannis!” Demiris roared, whirling around to face the now-cringing scientist. “You brought a member of the press into my most secure facility?! What were you thinking?!”

“W-Well, ya see, sir, I kinda made that fancy camera she has, and she sorta broke it, and since all my tools are in my lab…”

“Sir, Dr. Kannis is my friend,” Kate began, in an attempt to defuse the situation. “I’d never betray her trust by taking pictures of this place. You have my word on that.”

“As if your word counted for anything of value,” Demiris replied disdainfully. “No matter, the real concern is our guest, here.” He turned to bring his full attention upon Magical Dream Princess. “Young lady, would you care to tell me why you chose to break into my facility?”

“Weeell, it’s kinda winda a super duper secret wecret, but, like, you did kinda winda save Magical Dream Princess’s life, sooo… Okie doki~! (giggle!) She’ll totally wotally tell you~! See, Magical Dream Princess’s Da… Uh, s-someone very wery important to Magical Dream Princess has a placey wacey just like this, and a few days ago, some meanie weanie heads broke into it and trashy washied it all up! And since, like, you’re a meanie weanie head, and you’ve done meanie weanie thingies to this super duper important person before, Magical Dream Princess wanted to see if you had done this thingie wingie too!”

“I see. And why am I a ‘meanie weanie head’, to use your incredibly childish vocabulary?”

“‘Cause you’ve done meanie weanie thingies to Magical Dream Princess’s Da… her very wery super duper most important person in the whole wide world, and it made him very wery upset! Like, this one time, you made him lose a dealie wealie that costy wosty him lots and lots of money! And then this other time you… you… Oh, fiddlewiddlesticks! Magical Dream Princess can’t remember wember…”

“Ah, so I have hurt this person economically, in the realms of business and finance? Yes, that is not outside the realm of possibility. I have fought and won many battles in the quest to assure my corporation’s dominance, but they have all taken place in the arena of the global marketplace. I have never, and will never engage in such detestable acts as breaking into a secure facility in the deepest hours of the night with the intent to vandalize it. Of this you have my word as a businessman, as a father, and as Lodovico Demiris.”

Magical Dream Princess seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, something that was clearly very difficult for her. Then, she flashed a big smile at the imposing businessman.

“Okie doki~! Magical Dream Princess totally wotally believes you~! (giggle!) Like, if she’s being completely weetely honest, she didn’t really thinkie winkie you were responsible wonsible either~! (giggle!)”

“I am pleased to hear that,” Demiris said with a nod. “Now, so long as this never happens again, I bid you leave to depart from this place and I wish you luck in seeking out the true party responsible for the despicable affront you described.”

“B-But, sir…!” Nykannis protested. “She…!”

“Did she see The Artifact?” Demiris asked.

“No, sir…”

“Did she see The Prototype?”

“Negative on that too, sir…”

“In that case, I see no reason to detain her further. But first,” he added, turning his attention to Magical Dream Princess once more. “Since I was kind enough to save your life and let you leave here, free of charge, I should like to ask you three questions in return. Is that acceptable?”

“Weeeell… You have been, like, really nicey wicey to Magical Dream Princess so far, and you, like, totally wotally did answer all her questions, sooo… Yeah~! Okie Doki~! (giggle!)” she said, winking and giving a playful salute, while striking a cute pose.

“Excellent. Question one: What is your age?”

“Magical Dream Princess is, like, super duper sweet sixteen~!”

“Question two: What is your favorite color?”

“Rainbow~! (giggle!)” she cheered happily. “Wowies! Magical Dream Princess, like, totally wotally wuvs these questions~! (giggle!)” she added, jumping up and down like a child on a sugar rush.

As this was going on, Kate raised a confused eyebrow, to which Nykannis responded by leaning over and whispering, “Mr. Demiris really loves Monty Python. A LOT…”

“Question three: Does Thane Covington possess the ability to create magical beings?”

“Nopey wopey!” Magical Dream Princess declared emphatically, stomping her foot down in what the others assumed was intended to be a serious gesture, but which looked as adorably ridiculous as the girl performing it. “Daddy Waddy can’t do any thingie wingie like that! He, like, doesn’t even know that magical wagical stuffy wuffy even exists! Only Magical Dream Princess knows, and it’s, like, her super duper special weshal secret~! (giggle!)”

“I see…” Demiris said, his eyes narrowing. “Very well,” he declared after a moment. “You may now take your leave. As far as I am concerned, this was all nothing more than a training exercise, one that provided irrevocable proof of something I have long suspected- Our initial production run is no match for the capabilities of a true magical.” Then, turning to Magical Dream Princess, he added, “You have my sincere thanks for demonstrating this… Miss Covington.”

Magical Dream Princess gave a sharp gasp and her eyes opened wide.

“G-Golly wolly! L-Like, how did you find out Magical Dream Princess’s super duper secret wecret identity?! She, like, tried to be so super duper careful wareful too!”

“Let us simply put it down to my supernatural perceptive abilities,” Demiris said with a small smirk. “Although, I would advise that if you wish to maintain the viability of your whimsical guise, you should refrain from referring to Thane Covington as your ‘Daddy Waddy’ in the future.”

As Demiris spoke, Magical Dream Princess began to look increasingly upset.

“Oh golly wolly goodness…” she sighed, trying and failing to fight back tears. “M-Magical Dream Princess doesn’t know what to do now… Everybody wody knows her super duper special wecial secret, and all because she’s, like, such a super duper dummy when she’s Magical Dream Princess… This is, like, just the worsty worst…” For a moment it looked as if she might completely break down, but, all at once, she stopped crying and a big smile spread across her cute face. “Oh~! Goodie woodie~!” she exclaimed with her usual hyperactive glee. “Magical Dream Princess just thought of, like, the bestie bestest idea~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess thinks it’s past your beddy time~! (giggle!)” the adorable magical girl declared, pointing her wand at Demiris and the three magical girls standing near him. “She’ll make you all go sleepy bye, and when you wakey wakey tomorrow morning, you won’t remember wember any thingy wingy Magical Dream Princess told you~! (giggle!) Golly wolly~! Isn’t she, like, so super duper smart~?! (giggle!) Okie doki~! Time to say night night, everyone~! Night night~!”

With a wave of her wand, Magical Dream Princess sent a spray of glitter cascading over her four new friends. The instant it touched them, they fell to the ground, unconscious. Thankfully, the sparkling sprinkles eased the slumbering bodies down gently, so as avoid injury when they reached the hard floor. Upon confirming that they were all slumbering peacefully, Magical Dream Princess skipped a short distance away and struck yet another cute pose.

“Like, Magical Dream Princess had lots of super duper funsies with all of you, but it’s time for her to say bye bye now~! (giggle!) Okie doki, mister magical wagical portal thingie~! Ready~? Set~? Aaaand… Onesie~!” she called out as a pink hula-hoop poofed into existence around her already gyrating waist. “Twosei~!” she shouted as a second hoop manifested to join the first. “Tha-weeeee~!” she squealed as a third and final hoop was added. Glowing with mystic power, the three hoops began to spin even more rapidly, until Magical Dream Princess was lost in a blurry whirlwind of magical energy. All at once, there was a bright flash and a mighty “pop!” After the glow had faded, nothing remained of the magical girl except for a few swiftly dissipating wisps of glittery, pink smoke.

And a video recording held within a certain magitech camera…

✩✩✩What will come of this shocking development?! Probably nothing, but if anything does, you'll have to tune in to Magical Dream Princess's continuing adventures in Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl RP to find out!✩✩✩

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

The Great Penrose... Uh... Social Night...?

@Ariamis @Card Captor @twave @BrokenPromise @FamishedPants @AtomicNut @PlatinumSkink

Connie was so glad that Ronin was so forgiving, and friendly too! She seemed like a bundle of energy and someone who would be a lot of fun to hang out with. Then she asked about Faith, and, after a moment of reluctance, Connie leaned in closer to the small samurai.

“O-Oh, uh, t-that’s her o-over there,” Connie whispered, pointing to the blonde chatting with Hilde. “S-She’s in d-disguise, though,” she added. “S-So you s-should p-probably act l-like you d-don’t know her, a-and l-let her t-tell you w-who she is herself.”

It was then that a strange and quite unsettling sight caught Connie’s attention. Shane had made his way over to Shoggy to give her a kiss, at which point the eldritch girl had begun to suck his face inside her head. Connie gave a sharp gasp as the color completely drained from her own face.

“U-Umm… S-Shoggy…?” she asked, while nervously pressing her fingers together. “Y-You s-should, uh, p-probably l-let him g-go now… I, uh, d-don’t t-think he can b-breath in t-there…”

Before the eldritch girl could respond, Shane managed to extricate himself by giving Shoggy a jolt of electricity. Connie gave a sigh of relief as color began to return to her face. After that, it appeared to be Ronin’s turn, and she, too, was heading over to Shoggy! Thankfully, having seen what had just happened, she wisely decided to give the eldritch girl a cupcake, instead of a kiss. Mia, who was very much enjoying herself, gave chuckle at the sight.

“So, I’m guessing this isn’t exactly what you were expecting when you agreed to host this thing, huh?” she asked Emily, while giving the girl a sly grin.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

The Great Penrose Movie Marathon...?

@Ariamis @Card Captor @twave @BrokenPromise @FamishedPants @AtomicNut @PlatinumSkink

“Oh, uh, o-okay…” Connie said after Faith had explained the reason for her current appearance. Taking the offered bread, she was just about to try a bite, when the door swung open to reveal the strange pink haired girl she and Mia had run into after the battle in the park. Even stranger, Faith waked over to her and addressed her as “Mother”. “Uh, t-that’s Faith’s mom…?” Connie whispered to Mia. “I-I t-thought her n-name was Oros?”

“Just go along with it,” Mia advised, catching the grin Oros directed her way. “From what I’ve gathered, Faith’s, um, parentage is a complicated thing, to say the least…” While this whispered conversation was taking place, Oros had begun setting up some kind of game. Everyone was making a circle around a bottle on the floor. “Oh, great,” Mia groaned. “Not spin the bottle…”

“S-Spin the b-bottle?” Connie asked nervously. “I-Isn’t t-that the game w-where y-you…?”

“Yeah,” Mia confirmed. “We don’t have to play it if you don’t want to. I’m honestly not too big a fan of it myself.”

“N-No,” Connie replied as firmly as she could. “T-This is w-what p-people do at p-parties, s-so we’re g-gonna do it t-too!”

Mia couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s determination. Thankfully, the bottle’s first spin left it pointing at Alex, but before he could answer, some kind of portal appeared above the bottle from which two girls emerged. One of them was Shoggy, thankfully minus her tentacles. Or maybe not, if that “pudding” was anything to go by… The other was the silver-haired girl they had briefly seen at the park, who promptly introduced herself as Tenebra.

“H-Hi Shoggy!” Connie said, waving and giving the eldritch girl a smile. “I-It’s nice to see you again! Oh, a-and it’s n-nice to m-meet you, Tenebra! I-I’m Connie, a-and this is m-my best f-friend, Mia.”

“‘Sup,” Mia added with a nod.

It was then that Connie noticed yet another new arrival, the small samurai girl she had briefly conversed with at the park. She suddenly gasped when she remembered that she’d even exchanged contact info with the girl, but had been so worried about tending to Faith that she had completely forgotten. Connie felt terrible about doing such a horribly rude thing, so she resolved to make up for it now.

“H-Hi, y-you’re Ronin, r-right? W-We, um, m-met at the p-park. I-I’m Connie, and t-this is M-Mia, but, uh, y-you p-probably already k-know that… A-Anyways, it’s r-really n-nice to see you again, a-and I’m r-really sorry I f-forgot I had y-your c-contact info…”

Around this time, an anguished scream was heard coming from the kitchen. It was Sakura. Apparently Shoggy had…eaten the movies…?

“Huh,” Mia noted. “Guess we won’t be having movie night after all…”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

The Great Penrose Movie Marathon

@Ariamis @Card Captor @twave @BrokenPromise @FamishedPants @AtomicNut

“Okay, cool,” Mia said after Emily had directed them on where to put the snacks. With that out of the way, the tomboy took something out of the plastic bag she’d been holding and brought it over to Sakura. “Here, this is for you,” she told her, presenting the pink haired girl with a genuine Bonsai tree. “A little butterfly told me you liked these things,” she added with a grin. “It’s just my way of saying ‘thanks’ for lookin’ after Connie during the rave.”

Meanwhile, Connie stood a little off to the side. She knew most of these people, and they were her friends, but the shy girl still had some problems with crowds. Then she noticed two new arrivals. One she didn’t recognize, but the other was Faith, or, rather, an untransformed Faith. The bubbly blonde wasted no time in moving over and putting her arms around both Connie and Mia.

“Y-You’re v-very welcome!” Connie replied after Faith thanked them for the invite. “B-But, uh, a-aren’t you that s-shapeshifter that s-snuck into our room a few d-days ago?” she added in a whisper. Connie knew full well that this was what Faith looked like untransformed, but after the fairy girl’s strange performance when called out on it, she was unsure of exactly how to proceed here.

Before Faith could reply, Hilde would appear and give her three friends a hug.

“Hildebell! I’m s-so glad you could m-make it!” Connie exclaimed happily. She was surrounded by so many friends that all her worries and trepidations quickly vanished. This night was going to be so much fun!

She was sure of it.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

The shining city. The gleaming beacon of hope and promise. The gateway to progress and prosperity. Silverburg has been called all these things and more. Thus, it should come as little surprise that it is seen by many as the utter antithesis of its neighbor to the east, blighted and luckless Penrose. Where Penrose is an anarchic cesspool of warring factions, both Sliverburg’s magical and mundane communities are orderly and cooperative, working together to keep their beloved city safe and peaceful. In the mundane world, this takes the form of a wise and benevolent city council, aided by a robust and forward-thinking chamber of commerce. The latter of these is guided by the insightful hand of Lodovico Demiris, CEO of Demiris Defense Systems, one of the world’s most powerful megacorporations.

On the more magical side of things, the city is protected by a surprisingly small, but exceedingly well-organized group of magical girls. In an incredibly uncommon state of affairs, they are actually well known by the city’s civilian populace. Operating under the guise of the Silverburg Magical Girl Cosplay Society, they take part in numerous community service projects and charity events. Indeed, thanks to Lodovico Demiris’s own daughter being one of their members, they even have access to their own state-of-the-art headquarters, located at the pinnacle of Silverburg Spire, right above the headquarters of Demiris Defense Systems. Even the recent influx of refugees from disaster-stricken Penrose has done little to dampen the city’s optimism, its residents welcoming the new arrivals with open arms. Yes, Silverburg is certainly a safe, friendly, and peaceful place to live, free from crime, danger, and disasters.

It is also incredibly boring.

All problems are solved swiftly and efficiently, with exceedingly minimal damage to property and absolutely zero loss of life. Feuds and power plays among the major magical and mundane factions of the city are non-existent. Everyone gets along with each other. Yes, there is certainly a good reason why not even a single story has taken place here. At least, until now…

To be fair, our tale does not actually take place within the bounds of Silverburg proper, but rather in a location nestled within the mountains west of the city: the primary R&D facility of Demiris Defense Systems. Tonight, this highly secure and secretive installation is about to have a most unexpected visitor…

For this is the story of…

Starring Magical Dream Princess~! (giggle!)

-Magical Dream Princess

Within a cavernous testing chamber, a swirling, multi-colored vortex of mystic energy formed a short distance above the chamber’s floor. A moment later, a girl dropped out of it and landed with a cute pose. Noticing that the speed of her decent had forced her skirt up, she gave a sharp gasp.

“Ooopsies~!” Magical Dream Princess called out, while placing her hand over her mouth in an exaggerated pose of embarrassment. “Like, super sorries about the PANTY SHOT~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess is just wearing such a super duper cute pair that she just, like, totally had to show them off~! (giggle!) Wowie zowie~!” she exclaimed as she smiled up at the portal she had arrived through. “That was, like, so super duper fun~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess can’t wait to do it again~! Like, super duper thankie wankies, mister magical portal thingie~! (giggle!) Bye bye for nowies~!” she added with a childish wave as the portal winked out of existence.

Looking around, Magical Dream Princess was disappointed to discover that no one had been present to see her cute panties. In fact, there seemed to be no one here at all…

“Aww... There's, like, no one here... That makes Magical Dream Princess really super duper sad...” the cute magical girl said with a sullen frown. In fact, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “She, like, really wanted people to play with her... Sniff... Oh~!” she suddenly exclaimed, her demeanor brightening to its usual overwhelmingly cheerful state. “But, maybe that's, like, actually a good thingie wingie~! Magical Dream Princess is on, like, a totally wotally super duper secret mission, after all~! (giggle!) Golly wolly~! Magical Dream Princess is, like, such a super duper dummy when she's like this~! (giggle!)”

Just then, an ear-piercing alarm sounded, while warning lights flashed, bathing the chamber in a harsh red glow.

“Intruder alert! Intruder alert!” an artificial voice repeated.

However, if any of this was supposed to frighten a potential intruder, it failed miserably in the case of Magical Dream Princess.

“Golly wolly~! (giggle!)” she shouted with the biggest smile of childish delight. “Magical Dream Princess was totally wotally wrong~! Everyone just wanted to surprise her~! (giggle!) Oh, wowies~! (giggle!)” she added looking around with innocent wonderment. “So many pretty lights just for her~!”

Unfortunately for the childishly innocent magical girl, the lights and alarms both ceased after a disappointingly short time, leaving her in dullness and silence once again.

“Awww… All the pretty lights went bye bye… Bye bye~!” she called cheerfully, standing on her tiptoes and energetically waving her arm like a little kid.

It was only then, that Magical Dream Princess took the time to fully take note of her surroundings. The cute magical girl found herself in the middle of a war-torn cityscape, filled with ugly, gray buildings and scattered piles of rubble. The virtual atmospheric and weather systems were all deactivated, so she could see that she was in a large, artificial chamber, but that just made things even more gloomy and depressing. Still, this place felt somewhat familiar…

“Ohh~! Emm~! Geee~!” Magical Dream Princess cried as her eyes widened with sudden recognition. “This place is just like that fake city thingie Daddy has! These meanie heads are total wotal copy wopy cats!” she declared, placing her hands on her hips in a pose of exaggerated indignation, which still managed to look utterly adorable. “Humpf!” she grumbled, while folding her arms over her chest. “Like, this placey wacey isn’t gonna have the stuffy wuffy Magical Dream Princess needs to find for Daddy… Oh well~!” she added in a far more bubbly tone as she twirled around with her arms extended. “That just means she’ll have to, like, look somewhere else~! (giggle!)”

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere,” a condescending voice told her.

Her reverie having been shattered, Magical Dream Princess discovered that the voice belonged to a blonde-haired young woman in somewhat skimpy military attire, who was pointing an assault rifle at her. Six additional young women in similar outfits had also taken up positions to surround her. But if this show of force was supposed to intimidate the ditzy magical girl, her adversaries would soon find that they had succeeded in provoking a very different reaction…

“Yaaaaay~!” Magical Dream Princess cheered, her eyes practically glistening with joy. “Magical Dream Princess finally has people to play with her~! (giggle!) Do you girls know any funsie wunsie games? Magical Dream Princess knows lotsie wotsie, but she never got to play any wany of them because Daddy Waddy wouldn’t let her! But now she can play them all with her new friends~! (giggle!)”

“Seriously?”

“Is this girl for real?” a pair of redheaded twins asked with raised eyebrows.

“You’re certainly an original one,” the blonde noted with a chuckle. “But, sure, we can play a game. It’s called ‘we beat you to a bloody pulp and then throw your carcass into a deep, dark pit where you’ll spend the rest of your life’. How does that sound?”

“Hmmm… Magical Dream Princess doesn’t think she likes the soundy woundy of that game…”

“That’s too bad,” the blonde replied. “‘Cause you don’t get a say in the matter!”

An instant later, the seven girls sprung into action. Five of them kept their weapons trained on Magical Dream Princess, while the blonde and a silver-haired girl darted forward and drove the stocks of their rifles into her face and stomach. Simultaneously, and to Magical Dream Princess’s great shock, a pair of thick metal binders appeared to pin her feet to the floor, preventing her from dodging her opponents’ blows, never mind escaping.

At least, it certainly appeared that way…

As it happened, Magical Dream Princess had no interest in escaping. For the moment, she was content to simply bat the rifles away with a massive frilly pillow. The next thing her two assailants knew, their weapons had also become pillows, albeit of a slightly smaller size.

“Oh, goodie woodie~!” the childish magical girl cheered with delight. “Magical Dream Princess always wanted to have a pillow fight~! (giggle!) They’re, like, so much super duper fun, but you gotta watch out for the sneaky weaky Tickle Wickle Monster~! (giggle!)”

At that, a cloud of swirling pink smoke formed in front of the two startled girls. It grew in size until it towered over them, before taking a form that resembled a child’s rendition of an octopus with a large smiley face. Before either girl could react, they found themselves wrapped in its tentacles, while the creature began to tickle them relentlessly. Wasting no time, their five comrades opened fire on the monster, the hail of bullets, mixed with a smattering of energy bolts, quickly shredding it to pieces.

“Hey!” Magical Dream Princess shouted angrily. “That was, like, super duper mean! Like, everyone knows that you stop a Tickle Wickle Monster by tickle wickling it back, not by shooting your meanie weanie guns at it! Humpf! You girls are just a bunch of meanie weanie heads!” she declared with an adorable pout, while throwing her pillow on the ground. “Magical Dream Princess is gonna go find some other friends to play with!” she added, before dissolving the shackles on her feet in a swirl of pink mist and reforming them into a cutesy pogo stick. “Byiiieee~!” she called out as she bounced away.

“F-Fucking bitch…” the blonde girl hissed as she struggled to get to her feet, her weapon having returned to normal. “What the hell are you waiting for?!” she snarled at her team. “Get after her!”

“Roger!” they acknowledged, before sprinting off.

However, they didn’t get far before the next wave of their adversary’s innocently unintentional resistance made itself known.

“Hmmm… This place is, like, so super duper ugly wugly!” Magical Dream Princess observed as she bounced along. “But Magical Dream Princess knows just how to fix that~! (giggle!)”

Summoning her magic wand, she waved it around her, causing a shower of glitter to spray across the ruined cityscape. Within mere moments, the crumbling buildings were transformed into whimsical pastel palaces, while lampposts became colorful lollipops and piles of rubble turned into mounds of pillows and cute stuffed animals.

“The fuck is this shit?!” One of the redheads roared in stunned disbelief.

“I know right?” her twin concurred. “This is almost as bad as that Djinn we fought in Iraq…”

“Cut the chatter you two!” the silver-haired girl snapped. “This girl clearly has reality warping abilities of some kind, so we need to be dialed in to the max if we want to have any chance of stopping her.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, Two,” the blonde added. “Alright, Four, Five, put on some speed and see if you can get ahead of her. Two and I’ll tail her and try and force her your way, once you’re in ambush position.”

“Roger!” the redheads responded in unison.

“Six, Seven,” the blonde called to a pair of girls armed with heavy weapons. “Take up an elevated position in a location with a clear LOS on the target.”

“Got it, Boss,” the pair acknowledged, before heading out.

“Three,” the blonde added, addressing a longhaired brunette. “Stick with ‘em. Something tells me they’ll need the firepower boost.”

“Y-Yessir!” the girl stammered, looking slightly unsure of herself.

“And you said security detail would be boring,” the heavy weapon girl with short, dark hair holding an advanced energy rifle snarked at her machine gun wielding comrade.

“Dee doo deet!” bleeped a small spider-like drone perched on the shorthaired girl’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you’re right, buddy,” she told the robot with a grin. “She did practically ask for it.”

After only a short while, the trio found themselves in front of the tallest structure in the whimsical cityscape, a fantasy-style castle tower fit for Rapunzel herself. It also had a cartoony face, which smiled at them as they approached.

“Hello there!” it called jovially. “Are you girls playing war?”

“U-Uhh… Y-Yes…?” The longhaired brunette replied uncertainly.

“Oh, happy day!” the tower cheered. “I just love that game! Come on in!” it said, opening its doorway/mouth wide and unfurling a red carpet “tongue” for them. “You’ll have a great view from the top of my turret!”

“Okay, now that’s fucked up…” the girl with the machine gun observed.

“Deet deet dooo…”

“You said it, buddy. ‘Come into my parlor’ doesn’t even begin to describe how wrong this feels…”

“B-But, this is the tallest place,” the longhaired brunette pointed out. “B-Besides, all of the buildings here are probably like this…”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” the machine gun girl conceded. “But keep your eyes peeled in there. We don’t know what kinda crazy shit we’re walking into…”

As it turned out, the sentient tower was completely safe, and they soon found themselves at the top of the turret.

“See, what did I tell you?” the tower remarked amiably. “Quite the view, isn’t it?”

“You’re not kidding…” The machine gun girl replied as she gazed out over the colorful cityscape. “We can see the whole chamber from here.”

“Yeah, and there goes little miss ‘dream princess’, now!” the shorthaired girl exclaimed pointing her finger towards the ongoing chase. She gave voice to a small chuckle. “Stupid ditz has no clue she’s bouncing right into a trap!”

Down in the streets below, Magical Dream Princess was having far too much fun to worry about silly things like traps. Especially when it had just occurred to her what the two girls chasing her were really doing…

“Oh~! Like, do you girls wanna play tag~?!” she asked excitedly, a cute grin spreading from ear to ear. “Magical Dream Princess just wuvs that game~! (giggle!)” Not wasting a second, she turned around an bounced over to the pair pursuing her. Before they even knew what was happening, they were each bopped on the head by the childish girl’s sparkling wand. “Taggy waggy~! (giggle!) YOU’RE IT~!!!” she cried triumphantly, before bouncing away at even greater speed.

“That. Little. BITCH!!!” The blonde roared as she resumed her pursuit with far greater ferocity. However, her outburst only caused Magical Dream Princess to giggle.

“Ha ha~! You can’t catch me, you can’t catch me~!” she sang in a childish voice, while thrusting her butt out and shaking it at her pursuers in time with her words, making sure they got a good long look at the cute kitty cats decorating her panties. She giggled to her heart’s content as she bounced along without a care in the world. The ditzy magical girl couldn’t remember when she’d ever had this much fun, and the gleeful smile on her face gave clear evidence that she was having the time of her life. She was having so much fun, in fact, that she completely forgot where she was going. This was somewhat unfortunate, as it meant she failed to notice the pair of redheads in front of her. Before she could even give a startled gasp, they opened fire with their P90s, unleashing a torrent of bullets at the surprised magical girl.

With an agonized shriek, Magical Dream Princess fell from the sky at the height of her bounce, her pogo stick disappearing in a cloud of pink smoke. With a thud, her bloody form landed on the street. Not taking any chances, the two redheads moved towards the prone form slowly, while keeping their weapons trained on it, just in case.

“Did we get her?” one of them asked.

“Looks like it,” her twin replied. “Still, she hasn’t changed back yet, and happy clappy fantasy land hasn’t gone away either…”

“Like, that’s because Magical Dream Princess isn’t deady weady, you silly willies~!” the magical girl said with a giggle, while winking up at the two redheads. “And, like, this isn’t icky wicky bloody woody, either! It’s yummy wummy ketchup~! (giggle!)” she added, sliding her finger across the “blood” and then giving it a lick. “Here, try some~! (giggle!)”

With that, a pair of ketchup bottles appeared in each of her hands. Giving them a squeeze, she shot twin streams of the stuff into both of the redheads’ slack-jawed mouths. Before the two girls even knew what was happening, they had both swallowed the liquid, and it wasn’t long before their faces began to turn a brighter color of red than their hair. However, this wasn’t so much due to anger as to heat. Both girls began to sweat profusely and gasp for breath.

“Hot! Hot! Hot!” they panted, dropping their weapons to fan their faces in a desperate attempt to cool themselves.

“Oh! Golly wolly!” Magical Dream Princess exclaimed. “That wasn’t ketchupy wetchupy! That was hottie wottie sauce! Magical Dream Princess is so super duper sorry! Here!” she said urgently, her eyes filled with concern. “Like, have something to drinkie winkie!”

Pointing her wand at a nearby fire hydrant, she conjured a pair of fire hoses, which snaked towards the badly dehydrated girls. Their only thoughts being how to extinguish the inferno in their mouths, the redheads turned on the hoses and gulped the water down their throats as fast as they could. It wasn’t long before they began to inflate like comical cartoon balloons, and just when it looked like they might burst, they lost their grips on the hoses and shot off through the air. Magical Dream Princess couldn’t help but giggle as they disappeared into the distance, but her moment of childish delight ended a second later when she heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind her. Turning around, she discovered the blonde and the silver haired girl. Neither of them looked pleased.

“What the fuck did you do to them, you bitch?!” the blonde growled.

“Like, Magical Dream Princess just let them have a drinkie winkie~! They’re not, like, deady weady, or anythingie~! They just went sleepy bye~! (giggle!)”

“I’m gonna make you go sleepy bye…” the blonde snarled. “Forever!”

Squeezing their fingers tight against their weapons’ triggers the two girls fired a hail of bullets at the cute magical girl. Or, at least, that’s what they intended to do. In reality, instead of bullets, a stream of bubbles poured out of the barrels of their rifles and floated lazily through the air. The silver-haired girl opened her eyes wide in shock, while the blonde looked absolutely livid…

“Enough of this shit!” she shouted, throwing her weapon down. For a moment, her hands seemed to glow, before a pair of crackling fireballs appeared in each one. “I’m gonna roast your frilly ass alive!”

Magical Dream Princess gave a shocked gasp. “Like, that’s not very nicey wicey!” she scolded the blonde, wagging her finger, while scowling at her in an adorable fashion. “Magical Dream Princess thinks you need to cool off!”

At that, a dark cloud with a cartoonish face formed above the two girls. Glowering down at them, it unleashed a torrential downpour, which utterly extinguished the flames the blonde had conjured. As soon as it had began, the deluge ceased, leaving the two girls completely soaked, and violently shivering from the freezing water.

“Like, that’ll show them, huh, Mister Storm Cloudy~? (giggle!) Thankie wankie so much~!”

Giving the ditzy magical girl a big smile, the storm cloud nodded, before floating away. No sooner had he done so, than a pair of giant teddy bears appeared behind the two shivering girls and wrapped them up in tight hugs. Meanwhile, an anthropomorphic cartoon alarm clock that was dressed as a police officer appeared before them.

“Since you were so grumpy before, Magical Dream Princess thinks you need a nappy time~! (giggle!) Nighty night~!” she called to the pair, while the clock cop bashed each of them over the head with his baton. They were instantly knocked unconscious by the blow, while little birds circled around their heads.

“Super duper thankie wankies, Mister Officer~!” She said, standing to attention and giving a peace sign salute. The clock cop tipped his hat in return, after which Magical Dream Princess turned around and began skipping along the street, humming cutely to herself as she did so. She hadn’t gotten far, when the world around her was blown apart by a string of explosions and mighty blasts of energy.

“Keep firing!” the machine gun girl instructed her partner. “She’s a tough one!”

“Ya don’t gotta tell me twice,” the other girl responded, as she continued to fire blast after blast from her energy rifle at the cute girl in the street below. “We both saw what she did to the others…”

Meanwhile, the longhaired brunette was crouched between the two heavy weapons specialists, having placed a glowing hand on the back of each one. Her eyes were closed in deep concentration as she imbued her comrades with increased accuracy and their weapons with increased power. For all the good it did… Scant seconds after they had begun their focused assault, and they could see that their cutesy opponent had escaped it unscathed. In fact, she was flying over to them on the back of a winged Unicorn. Despite their attempts to blow it out of the sky, it evaded their fire with laughable ease, and soon enough, Magical Dream Princess had arrived at the tower.

Jumping off her most girly of steeds, the childish magical girl landed with a blast of sparkles and glitter, striking a pose as she did so.

“Tada~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess is here to save the pretty witty princess from the meanie weanies who locked her up in this nasty wasty tower!”

“W-What the fuck are you even talking about?!” the machine gun girl asked, while trying to keep her composure after all she had just witnessed.

“Like, aren’t you girls playing castley wastley?” Magical Dream Princess asked, somewhat confused. “And, like, isn’t this little cutie wutie pie playing the pretty witty princess?” she added, pointing her wand at the longhaired brunette, who was looking increasingly nervous.

“Not really…?” The shorthaired girl with the energy rifle replied. “We’re actually here to stop you, cause you broke into this place.”

“Deet doot deeeet!” her drone bleeped loudly.

“Not now, buddy,” she told it under her breath.

“Oooooh~!” Magical Dream Princess squealed as she finally noticed the small robot. “That little wittle guy is, like, soooo super duper cute~! (giggle!) Like, does he have a name~? Is he, like, your pet~? Or maybe waybe your bestie best friend~? Can he do any cool tricky wickies~?” she asked in rapid-fire succession, her eyes gleaming with delight. “Can he, can he, can he~?!”

“Uh, well, his designation is BD-E, but I just call him buddy,” the girl explained, more than a little taken aback by Magical Dream Princess’s childish enthusiasm. “He’s more like a friend than a pet,” she continued. “As for tricks, well, he can do this.”

The instant the girl finished speaking, the small drone began rearranging itself in a blur of motion. It also seemed to be growing larger. Much larger… A few seconds later, and the drone’s metamorphosis was complete. What had once been a roughly basketball-sized device on four spider legs was now larger than Magical Dream Princess’s Unicorn Pegasus, and armed with a frighteningly massive energy cannon. A cannon that was charging up to fire…

“Okay, buddy!” the shorthaired girl shouted. “Let her have it!”

With a mighty blast, the cannon shot forth a blinding cylinder of destructive power. In the blink of an eye, it consumed Magical Dream Princess, reducing the cute magical girl to little more than ash. Or, at least, it would have, if a shield of rainbow energy hadn’t stopped it in its tracks. It soon became apparent that the “shield” was actually a second, larger, beam, emanating from the magical girl’s wand. At first, it merely held the drone’s beam in place, but all too quickly, it began forcing it back, slowly at first, but with ever-increasing speed. A few seconds later, and it was over. The rainbow beam had inexorably pushed the opposing beam back to its source, whereupon both the cannon, and the drone mounting it, exploded in a blast of sparkles, glitter, and swirling pink smoke.

“Like, wowies~!” Magical Dream Princess cheered. “It’s, like, sooo pretty~! (giggle!)”

“B-Buddy!” the shorthaired girl cried, tears filling her eyes as she aimed her energy rifle at the overjoyed magical girl. “Your gonna pay for that!”

But, before she could fire a single shot, Magical Dream Princess bopped her on the head with her sparkly wand, followed by her companion with the machine gun.

“Magical Dream Princess thinks that’s enough playtime for now~! (giggle!) You were starting to get cranky wanky, and that means it’s time for beddy bye~! (giggle!)”

Then she noticed the longhaired brunette trembling behind where the two other girls were now lying.

“P-Please d-don’t hurt me!” she begged. “I-I d-don’t wanna fight anymore!”

“Awww, it’s okay, little cutie wutie pie~!” Magical Dream Princess said with a giggle as she knelt down and gave the frightened girl some head pats. “Magical Dream Princess, like, doesn’t wanna hurt any of you girls~! She just wanted to play~! (giggle!)”

“B-But...” the girl stammered, while casting a concerned look towards her comrades’ prone forms.

“Oh! Like, you don’t need to worry your pretty witty head about them~!” Magical Dream Princess assured her. “They’re just having a nappy nap~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess will make sure they have, like, super duper sweet dreams, too~! It’s, like, her super duper special wecial promise~! (giggle!)” she added, while making a heart with her hands.

“Oh… Uh, okay…” the girl said tentatively. “I, uh, guess I’ll take a nap too, then… I-If you don’t mind?”

“N-No…” a groggy voice muttered. “Y-You… g-gotta… s-stop herrr…”

The brunette and Magical Dream Princess both turned to see the machine gun girl slowly moving her hand to touch a small device on her wrist.

“I-It’s… all up to you, Three…”

“Oh, golly~! Nap time’s not over yet, silly~!” Magical Dream Princess said with a giggle. “Now, back to dreamy land~! Boink~!” she added, bopping the girl a second time. However, the girl had still succeeded in reaching the device, which now emitted a soft beeping sound…

The brunette gasped.

“O-Oh, no…” she whispered, her eyes filled with terror. “N-No… N-No! P-Please, don’t make me…!” she pleaded, clutching her head as her body began violently shaking, and then, expanding… “N-No! Please…! NoooaaaiiiiIIIAAARRRGH!!!” she roared in agonized fury, her rapidly growing body exploding with muscles. They shredded her clothes, revealing a black leotard beneath.

As Magical Dream Princess watched in stunned horror, the once-timid girl swiftly turned into what could only be described as a monster. Her skin became a deep purple, while her hair grew to twice its length and turned a bright green. Her ears elongated to sharp points, and her eyes took on a look of wild frenzy. Most frightening of all, her nails and teeth all grew into wickedly sharp talons and fangs.

“HUURR… HUURRR… HUUURRT!!!” the creature roared “CRUUUSH!!! KILL!!!”

Swinging with staggering strength, the creature tried to slice the horrified magical girl in half, but Magical Dream Princess dodged at the last minute, laving a trail of sparkles in her wake.

“KILL! KILL!” the beast screamed as she pulverized the tower to pieces in her attempt to kill the magical girl. “KILL!!!”

“Wowie zowies!” Magical Dream Princess exclaimed as she deftly avoided each of the creature’s savage blows. “You’re, like, super duper mega cranky! And, like, Magical Dream Princess thinks you need to go nappy bye super duper extra wextra bad!”

As she was saying this, she hopped on her Unicorn Pegasus, which flew a short distance away from the tower, in an effort to keep the creature from destroying it and inadvertently injuring her slumbering friends in the process.

With a fearsome roar, the enraged creature leapt from the tower towards the flying unicorn. Such was the monstrosity’s speed it succeeded in knocking the magical girl off her steed and onto the roof a nearby building. Leaping down upon her, the creature prepared to deliver the final blow. However, just before it could strike, Magical Dream Princess smashed her wand against its head with all the strength she could muster.

“Night night~! (giggle!)” she shouted cutely as she watched the creature stagger, and finally collapse in an unconscious heap on top of her. Thankfully for the delicate magical girl, the creature had completely reverted by the time its head had reached her ample bosom.

“Awww, Magical Dream Princess’s little cutie wutie pie is aaall better now~” the magical girl cooed. “She just needed a little nappy nap~ (giggle!)” she added as she gently ran her fingers through the girl’s long hair. “Magical Dream Princess would, like, totally wotally wuv to stay here for hours and hours and hours, but she has something reeeeeally extra wextra important to do, so she has to say bye bye, now~! Don’t worry, though, little cutie~! Magical Dream Princess will make super duper sure you have the most sweetie weetiest of dreams~! (giggle!)”

Waving her wand, she created an extra comfy bed for the girl to lay in, filled with fluffy pillows and cute stuffed animals. Gently taking the slumbering girl in her arms, she carried her over to the bed and carefully tucked her in.

“There~! All nice and snuggly wuggly~!” Magical Dream Princess declared, looking quite pleased with herself. “Goodnight, cutie~” she whispered, bending over to place a soft kiss on the girl’s forehead.

With that important task taken care of, Magical Dream Princess hopped back on her Unipegasus and flew over to the far end of the chamber, where a large door awaited her. Stepping up to it, she noticed a camera in a spherical turret just above the door. She knew what this was! Her daddy had them above many different doors. They allowed someone inside to see who was at the door, and decide if they wanted to open it. But Magical Dream Princess also knew that she had to ask politely, or she wouldn’t be let in.

Stepping up to the camera, she stood with her hands clasped behind her back, while she swayed from side to side like a nervous schoolgirl about to ask her crush out on a date. “Like, may Magical Dream Princess please come in~? (giggle!)” she asked innocently, while beaming up at the camera with her cutest smile and batting her eyes in the most adorable manner possible. “Pretty pretty pleasy weasy~?”

Unfortunately, despite her endearing performance, the adorable magical girl was met with only silence.

“Aww… Nobody answered…” she sighed dejectedly. “Like, maybe nobody’s home…? Oh~! Like, Magical Dream Princess has an idea~! (giggle!) Maybe waybe she has to, like, use this buttony wuttony thingie wingie~?” she added, noting a keypad beside the door.

The buttons’ tones made a sound that was greatly pleasing to the innocent magical girl, and she took childish delight in pressing as many as possible as fast as her fingers could move.

“Golly wolly~! These buttony wuttony thingie wingies make such pretty witty soundy woundies~! (giggle!)”

After having her fun, Magical Dream Princess still had just enough of her rational mind left to know that she needed to press “enter” after pressing all the numbers. Of course, having input a code as far from the correct one as could be possible, the console emitted a harsh buzz the moment she pressed the “enter” key.

“Humpf! Like, that’s not a very nice soundy woundy! This thingie wingie is a meanie weanie!” she declared as she put her hands on her hips and glowered at the console, looking ridiculously adorable while doing so. “It won’t let Magical Dream Princess in, and it, like, makes such icky wicky noises at her! But Magical Dream Princess will show that meanie weanie~! She’ll just make her own codey wodey~! (giggle!)”

With that, she waved her magic wand, and in a shower of glitter, a colorful hopscotch court was conjured in front of the sealed door. Magical Dream Princess jumped up and down with childish glee at the sight of it.

“Oh~! Goody woody~!” she squealed with delight. “Magical Dream Princess, like, always wanted to play this game, and now she finally winally can~! (giggle!)”

Clearly pleased with her creation, she hopped into the court, cheerfully singing as she skipped her way across the numbered squares.

“One, two, buckle her shoe~!
Three, four, open the door~!
Five, six, pick up sticks~!
Seven, eight, raise the gate~!
Nine, ten, start again~!”

Upon reaching the end of the court, she giggled happily, while striking a cutesy victory pose.

“Wowie zowie~! That was, like, so super duper fun~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess wants to do it again~! (giggle!) And this time it’ll be even more fun, cause now she’ll be doing it backwards, while jumping rope~! (giggle!) Okie dokie~! Here she goes~!”

“Ten, nine, feeling fine~!
Eight, seven, she’s in heaven~!
Six, five, still alive~!
Four, three, wait and see~!
Two, one, now she’s done~! (giggle!)”

Upon finishing the course a second time, Magical Dream Princess watched with glee as the sealed door spontaneously slid open amid a shower of sparkles and small fireworks.

“Hip, hip, horaaaaay~! (giggle!)” the childish magical girl cheered with unabashed delight, jumping high in the air and doing a split, while waving the colorful pompoms that had just appeared in her hands. “Magical Dream Princess did it~! She’s, like, so totally wotally happy wappy right now~! (giggle!) If only Daddy had seen her~! Then everythingie would have been super duper perfect~! (giggle!)”

Wasting no time, she happily skipped into the chamber beyond, the whimsical world she left behind returning to its normal state upon her departure.

✩✩✩

Meanwhile, and blissfully unbeknownst to Magical Dream Princess, her entry into this new and far more significant part of the facility did not go unobserved…

“Fascinating…” a young woman noted with awe. “She defeated them all single handedly… Hmm… But now she’s moving on to the labs… We certainly can’t have that… Okay, ladies,” she said with a grin as she glanced at the two figures on either side of her. “I think it’s time we introduced ourselves…”

✩✩✩ Who are these three mysterious figures? What threat do they pose for Magical Dream Princess? Will our heroine accidentally reveal her secret identity?! All these questions and more will be answered in the exciting conclusion to Magical Dream Princess’s Adventure in Silverburg!

Look forward to it~! (giggle!) ✩✩✩

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

The Great Penrose Movie Marathon

“N-Neither do I…” A new voice said hesitantly. Turning to face the door, they would see two girls in casual clothes. Both were wearing backpacks and the one in the pink dress was squeezing the cushioned strap of hers particularly tightly.

Connie had been very excited when Lily had texted her an invite to the big Movie Night Miss Sakura was holding at Emily’s place. Indeed, she’d been so excited that she’d even sent invites of her own to Faith and Hildebell. But now she was getting a bit concerned. She’d never even considered the possibility of the movie being a scary one…

“Oh!” she exclaimed, the twin realizations that everyone was staring at her and that she had yet to greet them breaking her out of her worried thoughts. “H-Hi, everyone! It’s r-really nice to s-see you all again! M-Mia and I brought some s-snacks, too, s-so, um, s-should we just p-put them with L-Lily’s…?”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

On the morning after the rave, Violet Covington awoke from an unpleasant night’s sleep. Much troubled her mind, her restless thoughts churning like a tempestuous ocean. First and foremost was her father. She had spent most of the night at his bedside, while the two of them listened to classical music, only occasionally being interrupted by a member of the medical staff. Her father seemed to be fine, but it was still too early to tell for certain. And what had caused the heart attack in the first place? The elder Covington was the picture of health, his body in excellent condition for a man his age. Perhaps it was stress, just as her father had said, but Violet strongly doubted it. There was something else at work here, something sinister. Violet was sure of it. First the nightmares, then the break-in and vandalism of a highly secret and secure facility, and now this… They could not simply be mere coincidences. They had to be facets of something larger, something currently imperceptible, but what?

A pleasant chime sounded, bringing her mind back into focus.

“Pardon the intrusion, Miss Covington,” the refined voice of her butler called out, “but I have news concerning your father’s condition.”

“You may enter, Winston.”

With permission having been granted, the impeccably attired man emerged from a hidden alcove and approached the bed.

“The physicians report that your father is in stable condition, although he still remains very weak. They inform me that he is unable to take more than a few steps before his strength completely gives out.”

Violet gave voice to a soft gasp. “Then something is still wrong with him…” she murmured, her voice filled with worry.

“The physicians are at a loss to explain it, Miss Covington. They felt certain that he would have completely recovered by now.”

That was no mere heart attack… Violet mused, now more confident than ever in her suspicions.

“Is he awake?”

“He is currently sleeping, Miss Covington. If you wish, I shall notify you when he wakes.”

“Thank you, Winston. If there is nothing else, you may go.”

“You are, as always, most welcome, Miss Covington,” the butler said with a bow, before departing the way he had come.

That settled it then. She could not put off contacting Al Scarpe any longer. Too many incidents were piling up, and still she had yet to receive the promised Almanac or any information on her mysterious enemy. Picking up the phone the Mint had provided, she tapped the contact name.

Soon enough, the heiress heard the familiar sound of the coin broker's gruff voice. "Hello there, Miss Covington. How may I help you?"

“Good morning, Mister Scarp,” Violet began cordially. “Some new concerns have made themselves known, and I wished to see if you could be of use in dealing with them. First and foremost, my father has recently taken ill. He suffered a heart attack last evening, and is now incredibly weak, to the point where he is barely able to stand, let alone walk. The medical staff is unable to understand the reason for this, let alone treat it. I personally suspect that this is the result of a magical attack, very likely from the same source as the nightmares. Does the Mint have access to any remedies that may be employed to treat my father’s condition? Furthermore, I would like to have the investigation your agents are conducting broadened to include the party behind this attack as well as an incident of infiltration and vandalism perpetrated upon our secure R&D facility two days ago. I trust this can be arranged?”

“Hmm, yes...About that...” Al Scarpe could be heard flipping the pages of something.
“Based on the results of the investigation I had made regarding the nightmares and such...I have reason to believe that a curse was placed on your father.” The sound of him puffing smoke could be heard. “And it’s a potent hex, too. It’s a miracle the old man has survived for so long. If it is not treated properly, he could die in a fortnight. Fortunately, we at the Mint have means to procure such treatment for him.”

“I am most pleased to hear that,” Violet told him. “And what of the other matter I mentioned? Shall you inform your agents of these additions to their assignments, or shall I, when they finally deign to report in? I really must say, they are taking rather longer than I had initially expected.”

“Do not worry, Miss, I shall inform them.” Violet heard him flip pages again. “My apologies for the delay. They will hand over the deliverable by the assigned date.”

“That being?”

"It will be tonight. I assume you don't want changes to the location?"

“Correct,” Violet told him. “I believe the usual location will more than suffice, and I look forward to their arrival.”

“I am glad to hear that.” She heard one last puff of smoke. “Well then, I must return back to my work for now. However, do call if you require anything else. Goodbye, Miss Covington.”

“I shall certainly do so. Thank you for your assistance, Mister Scarpe.”

With that, Violet ended the call.

Since her father was currently indisposed, she decided to attend to another, more personal matter. Having been unable to attend, she had been rather curious about what had transpired at the rave the previous evening. Logging on to Glimmer, she opened a thread dedicated to the rave and began to read over the various messages.

StacyStitches	Wow! What an awesome rave! I had the best time ever! Vi-Chan sang this killer song that got everyone fired up! Then, Beacon crashed the party and everyone started fighting them! THEN, the Beacon girls started screaming their heads off and dropping dead! It was crazy! And then some lady with a sword did some lightning thing? I don't really remember much about that... BTW, I never saw the "Best Magical Girl", so that was kinda disappointing, but I did see @DancingQueen! She was amazing! Really lives up to her name! (Do you offer lessons?!!) Oh, and after we left, I totally beat the skirt off @RedEyeWitch in a super fun game of chess! Do not pass go, do not collect $200! Lol! So, what about everyone else? Did you guys have fun, or what?! I can't wait to hear about it!
RedEyeWitch	Worst rave ever, and proof of why I hate going to these things... On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 0.5. It was really just one disappointment after another. (And surprise, surprise, I didn't see the "Best Magical Girl" anywhere, either. I feel so let down...) Oh, and @StacyStitches, while you certainly defeated me in a game, whatever it was, it definitely wasn't chess...
DancingQueen	Thanks @StacyStitches! If you'd like to learn some of my moves (and why wouldn't you?), I recently put together a little tutorial video. You can watch it here. The rave itself was pretty crazy, but afterwards, me and some new friends went to stay the night at this really amazing hotel! It’s called The Golden Trove, and I highly recommend it! Five star service, a great atmosphere, and we even bumped into the cutest pair of ghost twins in the hall! I mean, what more do you want?! Oh, and the "Best Magical Girl" was totally there! Me and @MKSV found her passed out on the dance floor! We had to carry her to the game room so she wouldn't get stepped on! Lol! Later on, this awesome Metal Spec girl even made a baby carriage for her to get pushed around in! It was priceless!
Number1BMG	Yeah, I was there. Kicked some major ass in the game room, too! The best part was challenging this one green-skinned noob in Plants vs. Zombies. I mean, she was going on and on about how good she was, and then I totally pwned her pathetic cob cannon build. Can you believe people still use that strategy? Lol! I could tell she was fighting to keep from crying. What a loser… Oh! And then she up and runs off after hearing some noise from a pitiful little brawl! Yeah, you’re not fooling anyone, cabbage tits, I know you just went to find some out of the way corner to curl up and cry your eyes out in! The rave did get kinda crazy after that, though, with some crazy chick tryin’ to summon a horror and whatnot… I kicked the crap outta her, but got knocked half way across the dance floor by one of the horror’s tentacles in the process. Oh, and let’s clear this garbage up now, I landed at the feet of these two losers running for their lives, who “rescued” me by nearly crushing me to death! Next time you wanna run away from a fight like a couple of pussies, watch where you’re fuckin’ going… And as for that carriage bullshit, pictures or it didn't happen.
ColdSteel84	Pictures? You mean like these?
DancingQueen	YES!!! LOL!!!1!! That is so epic! LMAO!!!
Number1BMG	Oh wow, so the bitch can use Photoshop. Big fucking deal… Hey, @ColdSteel84, talk to me again when you fight off a horror, like the star of the show did. Then I might think about taking the shit you post remotely seriously. But don’t get your hopes up.
ColdSteel84	OMG… The Best Magical Girl responded to one of my posts… And even pinged me! I feel so honored! I will cherish this day for the rest of my life.
DancingQueen	Actually, @Number1BMG, the real star of the show was this awesome guardian angel girl. She was setting up all these barriers, while buffing and healing everyone with her magic. Yeah, that girl was a real hero. She was totally selfless and humble about it too, unlike you. In fact, if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have even been able to save your whiney ass in the first place.
MKSV	I must concur with @DancingQueen’s sentiments. That heroic and selfless girl should serve as an inspiration for us all. It is such a shame that no one present was ever able to learn her name. I would have very much liked to thank her…
LilRaindrop	Yeah! She’s the only reason my friend @ShowStopper16 and I were able to make it out of that awful rave hall alive! So, I want to say, “Thank you”, too!
ReiOfHope	You are all so very welcome, everyone. It brings me such joy to know that you are all right. I only wish I could have done more…
DancingQueen	You did more than enough @ReiOfHope! You were totally amazing!
MKSV	Indeed! You are living proof of what happens when one puts others before themselves. If our paths are ever to cross in the future, I would be honored to defend the helpless at your side.
StacyStitches	Yeah, that angel chick was pretty sweet, but so are you @DancingQueen! Thanks so much for that tutorial thing! I’m watching it now, and I think my skills are really improving!
DancingQueen	Aww, don’t mention it, @StacyStitches! If I can help people learn to do the thing I love most, then that’s all the thanks I need! And, while I’m certainly amazing when it comes to dancing, I’m sure there’s something you’re really good at too! Don’t be afraid to show it off to the world!
StacyStitches	Something I’m good at? Hmmm… Oh! I know! I can teach you guys my super-effective Chess strategy! It’s the one I used to beat @RedEyeWitch! First, you start by building a zoo, and then…

---

At that point, Violet stopped reading and deactivated the phone. So, the rave had been a chaotic mess had it? Perhaps it was for the best that she hadn’t attended. Indeed, for all she knew, her adversary might not have even been there in the first place. She had such precious little information, but, hopefully, that would change, come evening. Until then, there was much with which to occupy her time, but what to focus on first? The decision was made for her a moment later, when a pleasant chime called for her attention.

“Pardon the interruption, Miss Covington,” the voice of her butler called over the room’s speakers. “But your father has awoken and is requesting your presence.”

“Please inform him that I shall be with him shortly,” Violet instructed.

“Of course, Miss Covington.”

Wasting no time, Violet swiftly moved through her various morning rituals until she had fully “perfected her elegance,” at which point, she exited her chambers and made her way to her father’s bedside.

“Ah, there you are, my princess. How are you this morning?”

“I am well, Father,” Violet replied. “I am more concerned about you. I was told you have yet to fully recover.”

“Just a bit of weakness,” the elder Covington said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Nothing to trouble yourself about. Still…” he added after a moment, “I think it prudent that you should begin officially overseeing operations in my stead from this point forward.”

“A-Are you certain, Father?”

“Yes,” her father confirmed with a nod. “As I have said before, I believe that you are more than ready for such a task. I know you shall make me proud, my princess.”

“Thank you, Father,” Violet said, while giving an elegant curtsy. “I shall make every effort to live up to the magnificent example you have set.”

“I would not be surprised if you surpassed it,” the elder Covington said with a chuckle. “But, before you begin,” he added in a lower voice, “there are some matters I wish to inform you of personally. The first, and most imminent of these, is the retaliatory strike against our old enemy, Demiris Defense Systems.”

“But, Father, we do not know for certain…”

“There is proof enough,” Thane Covington spat. “Furthermore, there can be no one else. Only Demiris has both the motivation and the resources to have conducted such an operation against our very headquarters. Thus, we shall conduct a similar operation against his. I have sent you the relevant files pertaining to it, but I wished to personally request that you assume direct command of our forces, while piloting the Violet Princess.”

Internally, Violet felt great reluctance, after hearing her father’s words. This entire situation was suffused with so much uncertainty. Regardless of the animosity she personally felt towards them, was it really wise to jump to conclusions and launch an attack against a possibly innocent party? Still, Violet chose to keep such concerns to herself. “Of course, Father,” she said with a respectful nod. “It would be my great honor.”

“Excellent,” the elder Covington said with a broad smile, clearly relishing the blow his daughter would soon deal to their hated foe. “Now, let me familiarize you with some of the… unofficial details, concerning the upcoming shipment of Silver Sentinels to the Republic of San Borleo…”

---

Thirteen hours later…

Once again, Violet sat alone in her darkened study, the only meager light provided by a small desk lamp. This time, however, not even a single holographic display was activated. Rather, the heiress simply sat with fingers steepled as she gazed intently into the shadows on the far side of the room. Al Scarpe had promised that his agents would be delivering her requested Almanac this very evening, and so she waited, allowing nothing else to claim her attention.

Like a black feather that fluttered in by a gust of wind, so did the two agents appear, silently yet letting their presence known to the modern-day noble. Even so, she kept herself to the shadows, only half of her visible in the darkness.

"Sorry to disturb you, but we have a delivery." Viper extended her hand, which contained the Almanac in a glass case.

The man in a top hat stepped into the open, but the collar on his trenchcoat covered his face. ”I was unable to get inside the portal witch’s home and steal it. She’s reclusive, and getting into her lair on short notice was not possible. Regardless, the genuine article is yours.” Vermin Killer gestured towards the book. ”She does not appear to have placed any enchantments on it, though I would not rule out her ability to track the book’s whereabouts.” He tapped the case. ”This should keep her from divining its location. All the same, I would be wary of where you try to read it. The case won’t hide the book’s presence if it’s open.” He adjusted his top hat.

“Excellent,” Violet said with a nod. “And I shall certainly keep that in mind,” she added after Vermin Killer voiced his warning. “What of the other objective I tasked you with? I had hoped that you would have been able to provide me with some information on my mysterious adversary by at least the time of the rave, and yet, here we are the following evening and I am still bereft of even a single clue to their identity.”

”You talk as if we turned up empty handed.” Vermin killer folded down his collar. While the shadow from the brim of his hat obscured his eyes, Violet could see he was not smiling. Worse, his lips were wrinkled in disgust. ”The Almanac was not easy to acquire. I doubt anyone but the Mint could have acquired it. Regardless, there hasn’t been much news of a nightmare bringer in Penrose. It was the chaos at the rave that caused them to finally reveal themselves… Maybe.” His lips curled up into a smile. ”An agent at Mayor Park spotted someone with unusual magic. It is difficult to tell without investigating myself, but their magic involved terrifying the people who were subjected to it.” He drew his cane and rested both hands on the handle. ”I realize it is not definitive proof, but surely you understand. Pardon the expression, but hunting down vermin isn’t as easy as waving a magical wand. The next step is to investigate this ‘Connie’ girl.”

“I see,” Violet said, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin. “So we at least have a name. Very well, I shall leave you to continue your investigation into this girl, while I shall employ my own resources to do likewise. Now that we have a place to start from, I trust that, together, it shall not take us long to apprehend her.”

”Before I forget, She’s not alone. She travels with another vermin. One with green flesh. I believe she is called ‘Gaia,’ though that is simply what I have gathered after the rave concluded.” He looked down to Violet. ”She’s magically powerful, but this usually indicates a physical weakness. I do not suspect she will pose a threat to us unless she has others protecting her. But this does change the situation. How do you want us to deal with the nightmare woman’s friends?”

“If they become obstructions, then I trust that you shall be able to remove them. I care not how you choose to do so. But… This new information does spark my curiosity,” Violet added after a moment’s thought. “This ‘Gaia’ you mentioned sounds as though she would be the sort affiliated with those detestable eco-terrorists who have become such a nuisance of late. Yes, I believe the pieces of this puzzle are beginning to fall into place…”

---

A short time later…

As soon as the Mint’s agents departed, Violet had carefully opened the case, and begun reading through the ancient pages of The Dreamscape Almanac. Having a photographic memory meant that Violet only needed to cast her eyes over a page for her to know its contents completely. And what contents they were… As she turned each arcane page, she could feel her knowledge growing by leaps and bounds, her horizons expanding, her gaze extending to perceive realms unimagined. It was exhilarating. After only an hour’s time, the young heiress had read almost half the enormous manuscript. It was at this point that Violet chose to take a short break to rest her eyes, before finishing the final half of her reading. Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far, exactly as Violet had expected it would, but to the heiress’s considerable surprise, it was here that her evening took a most unexpected turn…

One moment, the Almanac sat unmoving in its place upon her desk. The next, it glowed and crackled with mystic power, before expelling it in a massive, prismatic blast. The once dimly lit study was filled with light in all the colors of the spectrum. Sparkly clouds of pink and purple energy glittered and swirled around her, and she watched in astonishment as they coalesced into a rainbow with a unicorn’s head, the ears and tail of a cat, and a butterfly’s wings.

“Why, hello there, little sweetie~!” It said in an incredibly cheerful voice. “Thank you so very much for freeing me from that book~!”

“Y-You are very welcome,” Violet said hesitantly, her mind still reeling from what she had just witnessed. “Although I must admit, I am somewhat confused. I was unaware that you were trapped with in that manuscript’s pages. May I inquire your name?”

“Of course~!” the creature replied gleefully. “I am The Sovereign of Sweet Dreams, ruler and guardian of slumbering minds everywhere~! Many, many ages ago, my mortal enemy, the nasty wasty Lord of Nightmares had his champion imprison me in that book, leaving him free to turn everyone’s sweet dreams into icky wicky nightmares! Isn’t that just awful?!”

“Yes…” Violet said slowly as an idea occurred to her. “In fact, I believe this Lord of Nightmares may have been responsible for several recent attacks on my family. It was in my search for answers that I sought out the Almanac in the first place.”

“Oh! That’s sounds so horrible!” the creature lamented. “But that was good thinking on your part~!” the Sovereign added with a giggle. “The Dreamscape Almanac is simply filled with knowledge on dream magic, although it doesn’t have quite as much knowledge as yours truly~!”

“Are you saying you know the entire contents of The Dreamscape Almanac and more besides?”

“Yes indeedy~! I know secrets about dream magic that no one else has ever heard of~! And why wouldn’t I? I am The Sovereign of Sweet Dreams after all~!”

“Would you… be willing to assist me in my quest for retribution against the Lord of Nightmares and those who serve him?”

“Oh~! I’d be happy to~!” the Sovereign replied, her voice filled with joy. “The Lord of Nightmares only trapped me because he had a champion to do his fighting for him, and I always dreamed of how wonderful it would be to have a champion of my own~!”

“Wait… You wish for me to become your champion?”

“Yes~! I’ll give you all my power and knowledge of dream magic~! All you have to do in return is defeat the Lord of Nightmares, so everyone can have sweet dreams again~!”

“That is a… very tempting offer, but I am the heiress of a very powerful family and the head of an even more powerful corporation. I cannot abandon those obligations to fight in your stead.”

“So, you are a princess, then?” the creature asked.

“Y-Yes…” Violet replied hesitantly. “In a manner of speaking.”

“Oh! Then I see your dilemma! You needn’t worry, though~! You will only need to act as my champion at night, and even then, only when you wish to~! Being a Sovereign myself, I completely understand the responsibilities of a ruler~!”

Violet was silent for several seconds as her mind worked at a fever pitch, weighing the pros and cons of the monumental decision that had been placed before her. This creature offered her untold power and knowledge, yet at what cost? It had promised her freedom of action, indeed, almost complete autonomy, but could it be trusted? Ultimately, and as always, her company, her family, and, most importantly, her father were the deciding factors. She needed answers to so many questions, and the power to act upon them.

Of most immediate concern, her father believed that these recent attacks had been orchestrated by Lodovico Demiris, and refused to believe otherwise. But what if they hadn’t? An unprovoked attack against Demiris’s rival megacorp could have disastrous repercussions for Covington Industries, and Violet knew that her father would not be dissuaded by anything other than proof delivered by Violet herself. Even with all the technological resources at her disposal, she had no way of obtaining that proof, at least, not before tomorrow’s operation. But, if she could gain the necessary proof through magical means…

I’ve already asked the Mint, but they act on their own frustratingly incontinent timetables… I need this knowledge now, and there is only one way for me to do that…

“Very well,” Violet said, having come to her decision. “If it grants me the ability to protect all that I hold dear, then I shall agree to become your champion.”

“Oh~! Wonderful~! Thank you so very much~! Okaaay~! Here~! We~! Gooooo~!”

With that, a colorful rainbow of sparkly magical energy shot forth and swirled around Violet, enveloping the heiress in a whirlwind of mystic power. Violet’s heart raced as the Sovereign of Sweet Dreams’ magic flooded into her body, utterly transforming her. At first she endured the process in stunned silence, but a childish giggle soon escaped her lips. Then another. And another. The next thing Violet knew, she was giggling uncontrollably.

“T-That t-tickles!” she cried out in a high-pitched and incredibly cute voice.

Her giggles and squeals only got louder as the transformation surged inexorably towards its conclusion. Violet could feel her thoughts becoming confused and muddled as her mind was lost to dizzy delirium. Wave after wave of bubbly excitement, playful perkiness, and joyful innocence washed away the refinement, elegance, and calm maturity that had once defined her, until almost nothing remained. Finally, the whirlwind began to dissipate, leaving behind a girl who bore no resemblance whatsoever to the haughty heiress of just moments before.

Striking a cute pose, she called out in a shockingly childish voice, “Hearts, Candy, Sparkles, and Balloons~! Sunshine, Glitter, Unicorns, and Rainbows~! Taaa daaa~! Magical Girl Super Cute Pretty Pretty Magical Dream Princess is here~! (giggle!)”

Noticing her reflection in a nearby mirror, she gave a sharp gasp.

“Wowies~! Like, OMG~! Look how super duper cute I am~! (giggle!) I’m, like, sooo Kawaiiii~!!!” She cheered, while striking a series of cutesy poses. “And I feel, like, so totally wotally bubbly and hyper~! (giggle!) Weeeee~!!!” Stretching her arms out like airplane wings, she rapidly spun around, causing her short skirt to fly up and expose her frilly undergarment. The sight of her underwear elicited a squeal of delight from the new magical girl. “Golly-wolly! (giggle!) My panties have such super cute little kitties on them~! (giggle!) Oh! I just wuv being a magical girl~! (giggle!)” she cheered, hugging herself as she swayed her hips from side to side. “Super duper thankies, magicy wagicy person~! Sorries, but Violet totally wotally forgot your name just now~! (giggle!) Oh! But you aren’t even here anymore~! (giggle!) Gosh~!” she exclaimed as she placed a hand on the side of her head. “I feel, like, so super duper ditzy~! (giggle!) Like my brainy wainy is stuck inside one of those crazy wazy kaleidoscope thingies! That's gonna be, like, really, reeeally BAD! But... Violet can't remember why!” At this, the girl seemed to get upset. Her cheeks flushed, her lips formed an adorable pout, and she looked as if she might cry at any moment as she desperately struggled to make use of what little remained of her mental faculties. Then, apparently giving up, her eyes brightened and she smiled broadly. “Oh well~!” she declared, while giving an exaggerated shrug and shaking her butt in time with her words. “At least no one will ever recognize Violet when she's acting like this~! (giggle!) Wait...” she said slowly, her eyes going wide as a thought crept into her ADHD addled brain. “Did Violet just speak in the third person? Oh wowies~! She, like, totally did~! (giggle!) That makes her sound, like, so super duper cute~! (giggle!)” At this, she subconsciously manifested a trampoline, and began jumping up and down like a small child as she giggled with unbridled joy, the movement causing her breasts to bounce in exaggerated fashion. “Violet shouldn't worry like a silly willy~! (giggle!)” the ditzy girl declared with hands on hips after her trampoline celebration had concluded. “She's not even Violet anymore~! (giggle!) She's Magical Dream Princess, and she has a job to do~!” she added, while dramatically pointing to the sky. “A reeeally important job that she totally wotally forgot! It was something important for Daddy… Hmmm…” she struck a thoughtful pose and began tapping a finger against her cheek in an adorable manner. “Oh~! Magical Dream Princess knows~!” she suddenly exclaimed with a big smile. “She should do the thinkie winkie dance~! Think, think, think~!” she began, manifesting a pair of pom poms and starting something resembling a cheerleader routine. Placing her hands on her hips, she began shaking her butt to the rhythm of her chanting, occasionally kicking her legs up into the air. “Thinky winky wink~! Thinky winky winky winky wink wink wink~! If you can dream it, you can do it~! Don't give up, there's nothing to it~!” Suddenly, she squealed with delight. “OMG~! That’s, like, totally wotally it~! Horaaay~! Magical Dream Princess remembers~! (giggle!)” the girl cheered as she jumped up and did a split. “She has to make sure some super duper meanie heads aren’t planning to do some meanie weenie things to Daddy! Okie dokie~!” she declared, while striking a cute pose, winking to her reflection, and giving a peace sign salute. “For wuv and justice, it's time for Magical Dream Princess to make her dreams come true~! (giggle!)” With that, she waved her magic wand, and with a glittery shower of sparkles, a tall slide was brought into existence in the center of her bedchamber, much like the kind you might find leading into swimming pools. However, instead of a pool of water, this slide ended in a swirling whirlpool of magic. Quickly climbing up to the top, Magical Dream Princess sat down on the slide’s smooth surface and, with a big grin of childish glee, pushed herself off. “Weeeeee~!!!” she cried with innocent delight as she shot down the slide, her arms and legs extended into the air.

The instant she disappeared through the magical portal, it vanished, along with the slide and trampoline. Once again, the bedchamber was bathed in darkness and silence. Only the tome that once more rested, unmoving, beneath its protective case gave any evidence of the stunning, life-changing transformation that had just taken place. Or of the many, many repercussions it would have…

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

And the Kobolds of Penrose Park

Turns out Penrose Park referred to a half dozen different parks in the now largely-abandoned city, all of them generally indistinguishable from the other. There were only so many variations of hills, fields of grass, and woodlands out there when viewed by the untrained eye, after all, and when winter came, the snow served to make things even more indistinguishable. Thankfully though, while the terrain itself was indistinguishable, the signs of vagrant kobolds inhabiting a place certainly wasn’t. Hidden behind pine trees bristling with icicles, both Raven Hilde and Connie, their attire tragically ill-suited for the weather, could see their marks.

Large campfires were set around the interior of the parks, burning anything from snow-drenched evergreens to walls torn out of nearby buildings. In shabby cardboard boxes and tents, the kobolds sought warmth from the elements as much as they could. Normally, the creatures would have been inhabiting the basements of houses or the garages of apartment complexes, but with all the destruction of property recently, it was safer to brave the cold than to risk being crushed underneath ten stories worth of rubble. The scaled creatures, merely four foot in stature, shuddered underneath layers of sleeping bags while chewing at rats, squirrels, and American pizza. They were a group twenty strong, but in such conditions, only three of them really seemed to be working. One, dressed in a purple bathrobe with a plaid scarf as a belt, handed out fragments of magical coins to the vagrant kobolds for consumption, while two others, bearing axes and rippling, reptilian biceps, hauled over the carcass of a luxury car over, tearing into the hood to rip out the gas tank.

They hurled it into the campfire, but the plastic melted away to reveal that whatever gasoline had once been in there was long gone. A collective wave of disappointment washed over the other seventeen, before they huddled together closer, chewing at magical energy and rodents.

Having scouted out the area as a raven, Hilde returned to Connie and changed back to her normal form. "Well they're not really bothering anybody. Just seem cold. Kind of hate to drive them out but they can't stay here. People will come back eventually and then we'll have a problem." She huddled under what cover her cape gave, which was only slightly helpful against the cold.

In her hiding spot behind the pines, Connie hugged her shivering body. Even though she was wearing her cold weather robe, the icy wind still seemed to cut right through her, chilling her to the bone. Her newest friend, Raven (or rather, Hildebell), had texted her about tagging along on a mission to remove some low-level monsters from one of Penrose’s numerous parks. Although somewhat reluctant, Connie knew that she could certainly use the experience. Since Mia was out on a mission from her Patron, she had left her a short note, before transforming and heading out into the winter night. For the most part, the monsters they’d be going up against didn’t appear too threatening. She just wished it wasn’t so cold…

“Y-Yeah…” Connie replied after Hildebell expressed her reluctance. “I-I’d r-rather not k-kill a-any of t-them, i-if t-that’s okay… M-Maybe I c-can use m-my m-magic to s-scare them off?” she suggested. “Oh! B-But, a-aren’t y-you f-freezing, H-Hildebell?” Connie asked, while casting a worried gaze over her friend’s skimpy attire. “Y-You’re n-not w-wearing v-very m-much…”

"I-I'll be fine." Nodding at the suggestion she peeked through the trees toward the fire. "That might work. I feel like they'd just be back though once we've gone. All 'their' stuff is here." Considering the environment and what they were looking at fighting, it might be a good idea for her to summon something a little more adept to the cold. While her palette of spirits tended to consist of warriors, humans weren't the only warriors to fight on Midgard. A lesser Jötunn would be excellent if it came down to having to clear them out by force. Being higher tier though it would only mean one and for a shorter period of time. "Maybe... if we set up some place warm elsewhere they'll go that way after we drive them out. Or we just trash all the stuff." Hilde had not expected for monsters to seem so pitiful or to feel sympathetic toward them. She'd expected to be all "Yeah, squash the monsters!"

“I l-like the f-first option,” Connie replied once Hilde had presented her suggestions. “W-Wrecking their s-stuff seems k-kinda m-mean…”

”Okay. Let me see what I can find further outside the city.” She transmuted again and flew up to get a good view of the outside of the city. A decently forested area should work. Would have to start a fire or something though. Hm, this might require a bit more preparation than it first sounded. They might just have to run them off after all. Hilde relayed that information shortly thereafter.

“O-Oh… O-Okay…” Connie replied, sounding a little downcast. Her heart ached for the poor creatures. It wasn’t their fault they didn’t have any place else to stay. Still, they couldn’t remain here, so… “I r-really h-hate h-having to do t-this…” Connie would say, before focusing her magic into a large nightmare pulse. She tried not to make it very strong, but it would still have a very wide spread, covering the entire kobold camp. It would hopefully cause each of the cowardly creatures to see something particularly frightening, perhaps a natural predator, which would prompt them to flee the park and never return.

Hilde’s sweep of the area around her turned up a tragic fact: the area that the kobolds were in had indeed been a decently forested area...until they began to clear up the area to create living space and cutting down trees for firewood. Evidence of this was everywhere, dozens of stumps of trees that were repurposed as tables or chairs while stacks of wood were piled atop each other haphazardly. While there were more patches of greenery around and beyond, especially in the area where they had once fought Aighorost, it wouldn’t be a farfetched thought to think that relocating the kobolds somewhere else would result in the same outcome.

Connie’s nightmare magic seeped out soon after, invisible to the untrained eye but undoubtedly potent as the nightmare pulse washed over the group of kobolds. As one, they stiffened, looking out to the west before their purple-robed leader screeched out in a voice that could have shattered glass. Immediately, the group sprung into action, grabbing sticks, branches, whatever they could get their hands on and tossing it into the main bonfire. The smallest of them sat closest to the stoked flames, while the larger ones cuddled the smaller ones, locking together into tightly-packed group around the bonfire. There they laid, limbs tucked in and head tucked down, bracing for a devastating blizzard that...wasn’t actually coming.

“U-Umm… T-That w-wasn’t r-really the r-reaction I was h-hoping for…” Connie said with notable disappointment. “I, uh, g-guess we c-could t-try to f-frighten them w-with one of your s-spirits,” she suggested to her friend. “D-Do you t-think that might w-work?”

Having checked twice now, there didn’t look to be a peaceful solution. Perhaps Oros had a point in how she behaved. Probably even more passive than the twins even. Bleh. ”I think we may be trying too hard. They’re monsters and if we don’t get rid of them then they’ll just make a mess somewhere else.” Raising up her head she watched as they huddled. ”Sorry Connie. We have to do this the old fashion way.” Back up she went, teleporting this time.

Instantly above the kobold, as Hilde dropped she waved her staff. ”Come young Jötunn! Walk Midgard once more and help us rid the land of these beasts.” For the uninitiated, Jötunn were beings that came in many shapes and sizes. In this case she would draw one that most would call a frost giants of Norse mythology. Such creatures could easily stand 20 feet tall. Hilde of course was not adept enough to call on a behemoth of such size, but that did not matter. Even a juvenile would easily be twice the height of the kobold and strong enough to boot. Big, stocky and with a tough hide it was built for battle. Hilde lighted on its broad shoulder as it formed and crashed into the ball of kobold.

Two seconds to react wasn’t a lot of time, but with Hilde announcing her presence and the general quiet of the world around them, the kobolds scrambled, scattering as a ‘giant’ crashed down into the center of the mob. A wet crunch and a wheezing squeal sounded underneath, a particularly small kobold with a cloak stitched of doggie sweaters gasping out blood and teeth as they were crushed underfoot.

The kobold leader, springing back up onto his feet, regarded the threat swiftly, before barking out orders that sent the rest scrambling. Three leathered kobolds took the smaller ones away, scrambling away between disorderly rows of tents and shanties, while the nine that remained hefted up whatever weapons they could. Axes, tire irons, baseball bats, crowbars, and butcher knives, surrounding the strange creature and the human that stood atop it. The kobold leader pulled out a Walther P99 out of his robe, pointing it at Hilde and aggressively shrieking at her, making wild gesticulations with his free hand.

Whatever he meant though, was lost to human ears.

The sound was sickening to hear and it sent an additional shiver down Hilde’s spine. She dare not look at what she’d just crushed for fear it would steal her resolve. Clearing monsters was one of the primary jobs of a magical girl, and if she couldn’t manage that then she might as well have never been selected. A frost giant could be considered a monster, but summoned under her control as a warrier it wasn’t the same.

Noises and gestures made by the kobold meaningless her focus went to the gun being brandished. Magical girl aside, even an ordinary firearm like that would probably hurt someone like Hilde pretty bad. Its exact capabilities were unknown to her as guns really weren’t her thing. Still, she couldn’t afford to get hit. One blink and she be standing aside, hand on the P99. A second blink and she would take the weapon away with her, appearing several feet away if she managed to keep hold of it. She obviously had never used or even held a gun before. So for the moment she had no intention of attempting to fire the thing.

The frost giant would move to do its own thing. Snagging one of the larger half burned logs from the fire, it pulled it free and slung it at a couple of the smaller creatures that were standing closer to one another. A deep grunt would escape as it charged forward. It’s goal was to reach one of the shanties and take one of the supports as a club for itself. If one of the kobolds got in the way it would simply try and go through them. Each step was heard and felt from the thump of its large feet.

Connie gave a horrified gasp at the sight of the frost giant crushing the small kobold. This wasn’t what she had hoped for. She’d never wanted any of them to die. But it clearly couldn’t be helped. Even as most of the creatures fled, ten remained, including what was apparently their leader. They would surely all be slaughtered by the mighty frost giant, but perhaps…

Drawing on the power bestowed upon her by the Lord of Nightmares, Connie conjured another nightmare pulse, this one considerably more powerful than the first. Focusing on the remaining kobolds, she sent it surging towards them. Although somewhat reluctant to do so, it was her hope that whatever terrifying thing was manifested would frighten the creatures enough that they would finally break and run, thus sparing them from the frost giant’s wrath. Of course, when tapping into such potent fears there was always a danger that whatever was conjured by the spell would actually take physical form, but Connie hoped that if it did so, Hilde’s frost giant would be able to take care of it.

Hilde had taken one step less than what she should have. The magical girl had surprised all the kobolds by suddenly appearing in front of the leader, and it was all too easy to place a hand upon the gun. But she hadn’t actually taken the gun out of the kobold’s hands before teleporting away. Hilde looked in her hands, and saw that they were empty.

The Walther P99, still grasped tightly in the kobold leader’s hand, was racked, aimed, an-

A shriek sounded from the kobold closest to Connie as her nightmare magic sank its talons into their psyche. Sharing the same nightmare, the rest of the kobolds began to panic as well, scrambling away from an unseen assailant even as the frost giant pounded through the camps to wrench a thin but stiff branch out from one of the many shanties in the area. The kobolds, against this nightmare threat, dissolved into a disorderly mess, none of the lizardmen having any clue as to what they were supposed to do. Trapped between flight and fight, they somehow ended up doing both, scrambling about and swinging at the air.

The purple-robed kobold snarled, then shot his handgun skywards, barking out orders and gesticulating once more. The kobolds froze for just a moment, and then split off into two groups of five, one dealing with a non-existent threat while the other dealt with the magical girl that summoned both threats: Hilde.

The two muscular kobolds from before hefted their axes on their shoulders, dashing at the frost giant and threatening with their very presence, while two less manly kobolds hefted up green-glass bottles that sloshed a yellow liquid instead, tossing them at Hilde. In the back, the kobold leader had both hands on his gun, ready both for the girl’s teleportation and for any opportunity to get a clean shot.

Realizing the mistake she’d made, Hilde took steps back further into the snow. The giant was taking up most of her focus at the moment but she could still make use of her magic for smaller things. Indistinct spirits circled around her in a flurry of snow and purple wisp, expanding out and obscuring vision. Three of the spirits flew out of the torrent and weaved around toward the kobold leader. They had a vague resemblance to translucent human heads. Screeching they had little physical impact that they could inflict on the kobolds, however they carried the chill of winter in their wake. Being non corporeal they could also draw fire if the leader were to aim a few at them. The spirits would react to such attacks, but actually be unharmed and would continue to chill the air. After several seconds they would dissipate.

Not forgetting the bottles having been thrown, Helde would use the cover to become a raven and fly out of the area where they would land. She didn’t really want them seeing that she could become a bird so she would stay low and try to keep the cloud in the way before bearing up and back.

The weapon that the giant managed to get was nothing special, but usable. That however would not be the only part of the shelter the creature would attempt to use. Using its strength it would heft the roof up and wrench some or all of it loose as a makeshift shield. Hilde was going to have to make note to pick more readily armed spirits in the future. The axe wielding kobolds would find that the giant seemingly had no fear and would stand its ground. It did not charge in though, instead reading to defend itself for them to make the first move.

Connie watched as half of the remaining kobolds broke off to engage whatever nightmare adversary her magic had conjured in the creatures’ minds, while the other five set themselves against Hilde and her frost giant. This was not what she had expected, not by a long shot. These kobolds were far more courageous than she had initially imagined. After a moment’s thought, she realized that this unnatural bravery was most likely due to their leader’s influence. If she could just manage to truly frighten him… Retrieving the Eye of Fear from the folds of her robe, Connie gazed into the mystic artifact in an attempt to glean some knowledge of exactly what terrified the purple-robed creature the most. She never liked doing this, as whatever terrible thing she found would ultimately end up terrifying her as well, but for the sake of her friend, and the kobolds themselves, she had to try…

With the frost giant on the defensive and the axe-kobolds just vaguely threatening it, that particular fight had dissolved into a non-violent showdown, one side waiting for the other to make the first real move. On the other hand, after some failed attempts at hitting at nothing, the group of five kobolds that were tasked with striking at a nightmare realized that it wasn’t much but an illusion either and quickly ran to circle the frost giant as well, increasing the amount of people committed to the vaguely pathetic standoff. The bottle-throwers, on the other hand, were packing up snowballs now, their bottles of urine having been lost in the torrent of spiritual energies that none wanted to encroach upon. With their enemy shrouded, they could only help their leader by tossing snowballs at the spirits that rushed at him, which appeared to be illusory as well.

In that case then, was the frost giant too, in some way, shape or form, an illusion? Sighting his target and squaring himself off, the kobold leader shot the giant in the foot, where the shield wouldn’t so easily cover. That monster had appeared out of nowhere, after all. Who’s to say there wasn’t another layer of deception here?

Connie, meanwhile, was pulled into the power of her mystic artifact, the Eye of Fear drawing her into its kaleidoscope of macabre terrors. Through the darkness, she began to see, no, feel something. The dampness of the air, the stench of sewage, the coldness of brick and moss. Goblins chattering happily alongside kobolds, as a river of refuse trickled down beside the two. A bonfire in a barrel, crackling bright. The yellow fat of sewered rats, popping and cracking in the heat. Something slithering by in the corner of her eye.

The vision changed.

Screams and fire, a walls of stone covered by scaled tendrils as a maw brimming with tombstone teeth rotated with the shrieking of a blender. Everything was mixed in, pounded and pulverized into indistinguishable sludge. The goblins ran and ran, scrambling into crevices, hiding holes. The kobolds ran further, farther, too large to fit. A group of sixty, picked off by the monstrosity of mouths and fingers. Gunpowder ignited, burst, to no effect. Traps, pitfalls, rockfalls, scattered with no efficacy. They scrambled away, all of them, stumbling over each other until…

A ladder. Upwards. Daylight. Silence.

The vision ended.

It was right about now that Hilde wished she had more physical prowess. Her problem was more likely that she didn’t know what she was doing when confronted with a group. The spirit she’d summoned was getting surrounded as the illusions were apparently being ignored. She considered dismissing the giant when it was shot to make them believe that perhaps everything was fake, but that may or may not help them. Probably should have fought numbers with numbers from the beginning. Too late now. The giant flinched at getting shot but remained standing. Neither side apparently moving meant they were both waiting for the other to make a mistake. Very well.

It was clear that the others were taking orders from the leader. Too many of them had surrounded the giant at this point though for him to break away. Having the superior reach the giant would advance to the right and take a mighty swing at the kobolds on that side. The branch whistled through the air.

Connie gasped repeatedly as she tried to catch her breath. She was still quite shaken up after experiencing the horrible vision her mystic artifact had provided, but she knew that now was not the time to give in to her fear. Her friend needed her, and so too did the kobolds. At least, if any of the remaining creatures wished to survive the night. Shuddering briefly, Connie took a deep breath and focused on the horrific creature the Eye of Fear had shown her. Gathering her magic once more, she fired a third nightmare pulse at the remaining kobolds, making particularly sure to hit their leader. With any luck, they would break and run, without the creature manifesting physically. If it did, she could only hope that her friend would be able to deal with it…

A cry of terror, followed by another, as the kobolds stopped, a couple of them battered away by the frost giant’s swing but more of them paralyzed by a creature that only they could see. One dropped their weapon, then another, and soon they scrambled away, tripping over themselves to retreat, abandoning all their possessions in their terrified flight. Only the purple-robed kobold, frozen stiff, remained. His arms fell to his side, his eyes dead.

Not figuratively, not metaphorically, but literally.

Before Connie and Raven’s eyes, a tendril of a pulsating green-brown extended outwards from the kobold’s chest as his own form seemed to shrivel up, shrinking like a juice box in a child’s hands. The tendril grew, extending further and further, until it formed a spherical, egg-like shape as well, bulging veins thrumming against a translucent shell that cracked open to reveal a mouth of tombstone teeth. They ground together with the roar of a chainsaw, as more tendrils popped out of bubbling boils upon the egg’s surface, spearing into the backs of the kobolds and sucking in more substance, more nightmarish substance for itself. What shrivelled remains were tossed into the grinder-maw, scales and skin turned to dust in seconds, half the kobolds turning to nutrition in the blink of an eye.

Five more remained though, running haphazardly away. If Connie and Raven wanted to retreat now, this was their cue.

What the... where had that come from? The kobolds fleeing as others of their kind were ground up, Hilde took the opportunity to get some distance and teleport back over to Connie. The frost giant would disappear and some of the magic used to form it would return to the girl. "Is that you? Should I be seeing it if it is?" She would peek around a tree to keep and eye on the thing.

“I-I’m s-sorry!” Connie stammered. “I d-didn’t k-know w-what else t-to do! I s-saw h-how t-their l-leader w-was m-making them s-stay, s-so I t-tried to f-find s-something t-that he was a-afraid of, a-and, u-umm, w-well… I’m r-really s-sorry…” she trailed off as she nervously peeked around the tree to take a quick look at the monstrosity she’d inadvertently unleashed. “C-Can y-you, u-umm, t-try to k-kill it w-with o-one of your s-spirits, H-Hilde?” she asked her friend plaintively.

Hilde would try and get a better idea of the thing that was now in the kobold encampment. Mainly if something in particular might perhaps harm it over throwing swords or what have you.

The kobolds, exposed out in the open with no convenient tunnels to turn down into, had no place to escape. One by one by one, they were speared and devoured, the horrifying creature becoming more substantial with every new prey. It sank down once the last of them were devoured, before the egg itself began hardening, the translucent shell turning opaque as tendrils near the base of the profane creation drove itself deep into the earth.

And then, very faintly, Hilde could hear the sound of snow turning to fog, melting and then evaporating in the area around the egg.

That didn’t sound good. ”Connie, stay hidden.” Hilde took to the skies again to get an aerial view. It should be easier to see from overhead even with the snow melting. This thing spawned from nowhere. Maybe it had some spirit like aspect to it that she could take advantage of using her own magic. That was just a hope given it looks like it had some tombstone looking teeth.

From a bird’s eye view, Hilde could see that the air around the strange shell was wavering, heat emanating from it and causing the snow to evaporate. The egg looked to be inactive now, but with the snow gone, she could see that the grass underneath was withering, while the earth seemed to be sucked dry of all its moisture. A drumbeat, a heartbeat, began to pound from within the nightmare-spawned sphere, and at the very base, the spirit mage could see that more tendrils, slimmer than the ones that had speared those kobolds, were extending out. They entwined with each other, solidifying into rope-like roots that surged deeper underground.

Strangely enough, or perhaps expectedly enough though, her spirit magic couldn’t sense it at all. This creation was soulless, empty on the inside, but whether that was because of its magical origins or because of its nature was a question that Hilde couldn’t easily answer.

Okay. So the thing was heating up and looked like an egg. That meant it was incubating right? So they just needed to disrupt that. That sounded about as good as any plan at the moment. Landing outside the reach of the tendrils she began spawning more of the frigid spirits from before. Not having the giant to take up her magical output she could create dozens of them. Circling around the egg they began to change the flow of the air and suck in more of the winter’s chill. It might just slow the thing down. Then again with time and effort she might be able to freeze the thing. She wasn’t really sure.

Meanwhile, Connie huddled in her hiding place behind the trees, occasionally peaking around to see how her friend was faring. This was her fault. She knew that with dreadful certainty. She had only wanted to make the kobolds flee, to keep them from getting killed… But it had all been for nothing, and now, a terrible monstrosity had been unleashed upon the world…

If… If only I had been stronger… the anguished girl lamented. Maybe I could have controlled it… Made it stop, before it… Before it… she shuddered as the kobolds’ horrific deaths replayed in her mind. Holding her head in her hands she started to sob bitterly. “W-Why m-me?! W-Why d-did I have to g-get this h-horrible p-power?! I-I’m n-not… I-I’m n-not s-strong enough t-to c-control it!” she whimpered. “I-I’ll n-never be s-strong enough…”

But you are, Empress, a voice sounded in her mind. You are.

Connie instantly recognized it as the voice of her Patron, the Lord of Nightmares. She had never thought, never dared, to ask before, but perhaps it could help…

“I-I’m s-sorry f-for a-asking, b-but h-how? I-I’m s-so s-scared! I-It w-was b-bad enough in t-that v-vision, b-but now t-that it’s r-real…”

YOU ARE THE EMPRESS OF NIGHTMARES!!! her Patron boomed. Think, Empress! How do you suppose it remains in this world? Who is giving it life?

That’s right… Connie realized. All the kobolds are dead… There shouldn’t be anything left to fuel its existence… It should have disappeared… Unless...! she gasped with sudden understanding. “M-Me! W-When I s-saw that v-vision, I g-got scared too! T-That’s why it’s s-still here! I-It’s drawing its p-power f-from me!”

Yes, Empress… Very good… the Lord of Nightmares commended. Now you know what you must do. Put away the coward’s heart, and become the ruler I’ve chosen you to be. That creature is your creation, command it as the Empress you are.

“B-But…!”

No… The Lord of Nightmares is right… Only I can do this. I have to become stronger… Connie resolved with newfound determination. I will become stronger! No more hiding! My friend is in trouble, and I’m going to save her!

And in that moment of beautiful resolve, Connie felt something wet slither around her ankle. A tendril of flesh, bubbling up as it gained more mass! Tiny pinpricks of pain shot into her foot, ankle, calf, and more of the earth around her ruptured. Lethargy and numbness began to weigh down on her, both her blood and magical energy being drawn in by the tentacle molded around her leg. And it was growing.

She was the source of power for the nightmare she had spawned, and now, it would seek to secure her.

In the distance, Hilde’s magic seemed to definitely be making the area around the egg colder. Snow that once turned to vapour condensed once more, damp dew settling over the aberrant egg’s surface, where it transitioned between frost and dewdrops over and over. No tangible effects manifested, however, and from her own vantage point, the egg appeared to be dormant still, unmoving and unreactive, merely growing.

Nothing, really? Alright let’s see about this then. The smaller spirits would begin to coalesce together at the base of the egg, concentrating the cold to an extreme and working to freeze the inky roots that anchored it to the ground. This thing needed to be dislodged from whatever it was trying to do.

Clearly Hilde wasn't taking this seriously enough and letting things just happen. That summed up her for the most part actually. “Oh no, let me just try this little thing and, eh.” With that in mind she would keep the freezing up while drawing on more of her magic to summon another giant, this one armed. In its hands was a great hammer. The head was massive and probably weighed as much as a smart car. Against small targets it would not be an ideal weapon, but for something this large it should work. The warrior would close in hefting its boulder smashing implement. Coming in with a wide swing the creature would slam the side of the egg with straight blunt force.

“Eeek!” Connie yelped as the tendril wrapped itself around her lower leg. In addition to the admittedly minor pain, she felt as though all her strength was being sucked out of her. She began to feel tired, no, utterly exhausted, and she found herself seriously contemplating simply lying down and taking a nap. This was terrible! She had just mustered the courage to go and save her friend, and now she was the one who needed saving! She really was worthless…

A part of her, a very large part, if we’re being honest, wanted to close her eyes and keep them closed forever. Or, rather, she wanted to open them, and prove that everything she had gone through over these past few months had merely been a dream, some horrible nightmare that she had finally awakened from. Nothing good had come from being a magical girl, only pain, suffering, and disappointment. For her, and now, for others as well… But, no… That wasn’t really true, was it? Yes, there had been some unpleasantness, a lot of unpleasantness, but there had also been good things as well. She had made new friends, lots of new friends, and for their sake, she couldn’t give up now.

Opening her eyes, and fixing her gaze firmly on the tentacle clinging to her, Connie knelt down and took hold of it with both hands. Squeezing it tightly, far more tightly than it was squeezing her, she dug her fingers deep into its slimy flesh. It felt disgusting, to be sure, but Connie pushed through her discomfort. She could do this. She had to. A dark aura of amethyst energy began to surround her, and the gem upon her forehead glowed brightly, as she poured all her mystic power into the tendril. It surged with the force of a pressure hose, until it had filled the entirety of the horrific monstrosity she had brought into existence.

“A-All right, you m-monster!” Connie shouted at the creature with all the strength she could muster. “I c-created you, so y-you’re g-gonna do as I say! I just w-wanted you to s-scare them off, b-but you had to go and k-kill them! Y-You’ve caused enough trouble, so I’m s-sending you back where you c-came from! ‘C-Cause I am the E-Empress of Nightmares, and you will obey me!”

With that, Connie reversed the flow of her power. Now, she was sucking the mystical energy back into herself, with all the force of a quantum singularity. Predictably, the creature tried to resist, but Connie was having none of it. When it struggled to free itself, spikes of nightmare magic drove ever deeper into the very fiber of its being. Its opponent was no longer a pitiful frightened girl. Connie’s fear had given way to a new emotion: anger. Because of her, the kobolds had died horrible deaths, and she refused to allow anyone else to suffer their fate. The monstrosity growing before her may have been mighty, but it was just a monster, and she was The Empress of Nightmares.

It didn’t stand a chance.

The tendrils climbed up further, desperate to sap in more energy from its creator than the creator could from it, but each needle that pricked into Connie’s flesh only formed another avenue for her to recall her own magic. The monster, no matter how terrifying, how destructive, was but a phantom of a dreamer’s fitful night. Like smoke, the tendrils that had climbed up over the Empress of Nightmare’s body dissipated, while the egg seemed to lose its substance as well.

Hilde’s giant swung its hammer down, and egg, silent and no longer releasing heat, burst into shadowy gas as well. No resistance, nor reaction. The park now, was empty, bereft of all but the signs of the monsters that once inhabited this wretched place.

It was over.

The giant’s foe suddenly vanishing left it swinging into nothing and impacting the ground. It looked around for a moment, almost disappointed that it had been brought in to fight only to lose its quarry. ”Eh?” Hilde would look around for anything that might indicate where it went. Maybe Connie ran out of magic or something, or the smack just knocked it back out of reality.

Turning her attention to her friend she would run over. ”Hey Connie, are you alright?” She would yell while still keeping an eye out.

“H-Hilde?” Connie asked with some confusion. She was still a little stunned by what she had just accomplished, and so it took her a moment to fully refocus herself on what her friend was asking. “Y-Yeah… I-I t-think so…” her voice trailed off, before she gave a sudden gasp. “Oh my gosh! H-Hildebell! Y-You’re okay!” she exclaimed happily as she leapt to her feet and embraced her friend. “I did it! I r-really did it! I s-stopped the monster! I-I m-made it go away! Oh, gosh! I c-can’t wait to tell Mia! Oh, b-but you were really cool, too!” she continued, being far too excited to even stop for a breath. “Y-You made that s-scary giant thing, a-and all those other things, and, oh gosh, d-did y-you want to come home with me and t-tell Mia about it?! S-She makes r-really yummy hot chocolate!” Connie added, while bouncing up and down with glee. “W-We could h-have some together!”

Well, they accomplished the goal in perhaps the most inefficient and potentially disastrous way possible. But the job was done. With the threat confirmed gone she dismissed the sulking giant and other spirits. Putting her hands on her head she let out a baited sigh. "Well, I'm glad you were able to get control of your magic. I think we both still have a lot to learn about this business." It would be a bit before her adrenalin would come down, but already she was beginning to notice the cold again. Shivering and holding Connie close she would agree happily. "Yeah, we have q-quite a story. And hot chocolate sounds amazing right now! I'm freezing, hang on while I get us out of here." Gripping Connie's hand she would look off in the direction of "home" and teleport them off. Damn winter.