Volume One, Chapter Two

“You’re not alone anymore.”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Click!

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

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

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

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

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

Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

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

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

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

“Shoot! I’d better get going!”

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

Huh?

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

“What’s all this now?”

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

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

She gulped, terrified.

“…TARDY!!!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Her legs were shaking.

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

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

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

The laughter around her turned to chants.

“End it!”

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

“End it!”

“Give up your soul gem and feed us!”

“End it!”

“End it!”

“End it!”

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

Oh,

That’s right…

The reason was…

“Hold on tight, sugarcube!”

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

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

She smiled and reached out her hand.

“You alright over there?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m a magical girl!”

The clock striked at four.

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

The clock striked at five.

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

The clock striked at six.

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

The clock striked at seven.

An alarm rang;

Beep! Beep! Beep!

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

“Huh…? A dream?”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

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

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

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

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

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

Sunset quickly turned around at the sound of those words.

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

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

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

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

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

“Twilight!” Someone called out.

The girl looked up, recognizing the familiar voice.

“Sunset!”

The two friends ran to each other enthusiastically.

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

Twilight seemed startled by that comment.

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

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

The smile on Twilight Sparkle’s face vanished.

“I have.”

“Is your brother… Okay?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Huh?”

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

Why push others away like that?

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

“Wait, where am I?”

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

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

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

“I gotta get out of here NOW!”

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

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

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

“Twilight?!”

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

“Sunset! Are you alright?”

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

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

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

“What the hell was that?!”

Twilight panted.

“That was… Well…”

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

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

“Is that. A talking cat.”

The nerdy girl smiled awkwardly.

“Um… Ahaha…”

“Twilight.”

“…Yeah?”

“What exactly… Are you?”

started: March 25 2024

last update: April 15 2024

Volume One, Chapter One

Volume One, Chapter Two

Volume One, Chapter Three

Volume One, Chapter Four

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

Volume Two, Chapter One

Volume Two, Chapter Two

Volume Two, Chapter Three

Volume Two, Chapter Four

“You can always trust yourself.”

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

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

“Who’s there?”

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

“Excuse me, miss Cadance…”

The woman smiled.

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

She gestured with her hand.

“Come in.”

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

“…How are you feeling?”

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

“Y-Your arm, I mean…”

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

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

“A tattoo…?” she whispered.

The woman looked at her, puzzled.

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh, it’s nothi-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“So…” the creature began.

“What do you want now?” Twilight inquired.

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

“You…”

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

“…What are you talking about?”

He shook his head.

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

Chills ran through her body like sparks.

“N…No way…”

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

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

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

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

“Back then?”

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

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

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

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

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

“H-Huh…?”

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

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

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

Twilight was the only one to show up to school. She tried her best to act as if nothing had happened at all, because she couldn’t worry her teachers. And especially not principal Celestia. She already had far too much on her plate.

Besides, it’s not like anyone would be able to help her now. No matter how much she cried or begged to be saved, there was no changing the past. Her friends were gone, and none of them could be saved from their cruel destinies.

She tried calling Sunset, but she wasn’t answering. She noticed she had been acting strange lately, and that’s another thing Twilight was worried about. She had given up far too much to save Sunset. She would not let her sacrifice herself again.

“Kyubey…” She glanced at the ring in between her hands. “What are you plotting?”

Once class was dismissed, Twilight realized just how lost she was. All this time, she’d been wandering around with no particular goal, fighting witches blindly for the sake of making friends. Now that things had ended like this, what should she do?

“I have to protect Sunset.”

Protect…

A horrible chill crawled down her spine. The memories of that day came back like a truck, and it was like she had woken up from a nice dream back into cold, harsh reality.

It’s true, Twilight knew about witches, and magical girls and soul gems before anyone else. That day, when she was still quite new to Canterlot High, Sunset offered to drive her to Crystal Prep and help her get her materials sorted out.

“I’ve got some business there myself.” She said.

Then, it was dark. And it was cold, and there was blood and ashes everywhere, and the clocked striked at five.

Above her, a conglomeration of the blackest clouds that felt like they were laughing at her. She heard trumpets, and screaming.

Below her feet laid Sunset Shimmer. Weak, injured and smaller than she’d ever seen her. She cried, but didn’t answer when Twilight tried to ask her what was wrong.

And then, like an angel, Kyubey appeared.

Twilight wanted to forget that day. She tried to forget. Sunset had forgotten, Kyubey had forgotten. Twilight clearly remembers using her own magic to make sure of that. So why didn’t it work on her? Why should she remember all those horrible things?

Perhaps it was a curse. She had interfered with someone else’s life and death, and now she was doing it again. She had to make this right somehow.

Twilight swore she would never use her erasing ability again. It didn’t fix anything, and she learned that the hard way. Now, it was her job to clean up this mess, and she knew exactly where to start.

The place where it all began, or perhaps where it all ended.