All it takes to change a life is is one decision. One deception. One good deed. Lilith Nightshade Shadowheart, the teenage daughter of the Season 1 villain, Hecate Shadowheart, is about to learn this the hard way.
Fake It Till You Make It (The Magical Girl is Really a Witch?!)
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No one messes with Cute!
"Lilith!"
Ignore.
"Lilith Nightshade Shadowheart! Come to me! I command it!"
Ugh. Hate it when Mom's in full Witch Queen mode. Better see what it's about, though. Once the middle name comes out, I'm just a hop, skip, and a jump away from losing phone privileges.
"Coming, Mother!"
Takes me a minute to figure out where I'm supposed to be "coming" to. Castle Dreadrock has a bajillion rooms, and we don't use most of them. This one's a vault of some kind, located at the very center of the castle.
When I walk in, Mom turns to me, fancy dress swishing on the floor, and points a finger (don't know how she even does that while wearing two rings on each one).
"Behold, child! My masterstroke!"
I turn to 'behold'…and fall in love.
What is this thing? It's so adorable I can't breathe. Big, soft ears. Round sparkly eyes. Fur that's somehow half starlight. And even a little fluffy tail for me to touch. And I bet it's sooooooo squishy!
I swear, Mom or no I'd run up and squeeze the little fuzzball there and then if it wasn't surrounded by a crackling red orb.
Mom doesn't notice me going goo goo eyed. She doesn't notice most things I do. She only brought me in because she wanted an audience and mindless homunculi just don't do it for her.
"The creature you see before you is the key to the accursed Guardians' powers. And that makes it the key to my ultimate victory."
I stare at the fuzzy wonder in the orb, still daydreaming about hugging it. It's the key to something, alright – the key to my heart. I can practically hear it saying, "Rescue me, Lilith! I'm too cute for this nonsense!"
You gotta understand: I don't normally get involved. Mom wants to summon a monster and set it to fight the Guardians? Let her. They'll just kick its butt and send it back where it came from, and I'll watch the whole thing on my phone in bed. But no one messes with cute on my watch!
Mom stands with her arms outstretched and I already know what's coming next.
"By the shadows deep and darkness vast, let the gates of chaos be unmasked. From the abyss where nightmares feast, I conjure thee, my void beast! Come forth…Bloodfang!"
The thing that crawls from the shadows is basically the lovechild of a junkyard dog and a grizzly bear. All muscle and fangs and beady red eyes.
Hate it when Mom's void beasts are all organic. The ones that look like abstract art are okay, but I do not need to be dodging foamy saliva.
"Bloodfang! Guard this chamber. Tear all intruders to shreds, especially meddling little girls in rainbow dresses!"
The thing makes a noise halfway between a growl and a snort.
"I go now to recover my strength. When I return, I shall unravel this creature for its secrets and annihilate what remains."
Nope, nope, nope.
While Mom goes off to rest in her weird sarcophagus-cocoon-thingy, I give the glowing orb holding the innocent fuzzball one last look.
"Hang tight, little buddy. Rescue's on its way."
To get Bloodfang to leave his post, I need to show him an intruder, preferably a Guardian. So I go into one of our many storage rooms, scissors in hand, pick out one of Mom's fancy dresses, and start cutting until I get something sort of close to the Guardians' uniforms. The dark violet doesn't really fit, but Mom's infinite wardrobe is short on primary colors. pick through the chest full of jewelry that's sitting in the corner of the room until I find an amethyst necklace. Pop the amethyst out with the scissors, blue it to the front of the dress, cut one of the leftover bits into a domino mask, and voila!
I stare into the mirror. I look…like someoneone's Halloween costume. But a costume of a Gemstone Guardian!
I prick my thumb and smear a drop of blood on the mirror.
"Okay. Come on out."
And Mirror Me does, just like always. Mom thinks I'm a mediocre witch, but that's because I think it's better if she doesn't know how good I've gotten at illusions.
Since Bloodfang is a kind of dog, I find a bottle of lilac perfume and spray myself until my eyes water. Then I walk down the hallway, my reflection behind me, stomach full of butterflies. This is the first time I've really defied Mom. I break her rules all the time - if she wanted a daughter who listens to her, she should have raised me herself instead of leaving the job to homunculi and electronics. But this is on another level.
Feels kind of good, though.
I throw open the doors to the vault and stare Bloodfang straight in his beady red eyes. I cross my legs and throw out a peace sign like I've seen Sincere Sapphire do a hundred times.
Then I throw the lilac perfume bottle straight at the floor in front of him so it splashes all over his horrid mug.
"Come and get me, you dumb mutt!"
Then I throw myself to the left, push up against the wall, and chant an invisibility spell, faster than I ever have before.
I grin in satisfaction as Bloodfang bounds right past me, chasing my reflection and trailing a flowery scent cloud. Feeling pretty good about myself, I walk right up to the red orb and prick my finger again.
"Aaaaaaand…pop!"
One touch is all it takes and the fluffy friend is free. For about a second, before I snatch him up and run with him clutched to my chest.
"It's okay, you're safe now," I fuss over him as I run full tilt. "The mean witch isn't gonna hurt you."
"Indeed. I thank you, child."
"Eh?! You can talk? That's awesome!"
"Thank you. For the compliment and once more for the rescue. I am Novus, the Celestial Emissary. And I see that you are one of the Gemstone Guardians."
"Ehehehe, n-not exactly. But I am a big fan!"
It's around this point that we reach my sneak-out spot. One of my ancestors put in a secret passage in the outer wall that opens if you press two bricks just right and I happened to stumble on a homunculus dusting it years ago. I've been using it for unauthorized trips to town ever since.
Through the wall, across the courtyard, and up to the Veil. That's the massive spell that lets a huge medieval castle sit overlooking an ordinary town without becoming a tourist attraction.
I step through the Veil…and stand face to face with Courageous Ruby, Steadfast Emerald, and Sincere Sapphire. All of them pointing their wands straight at me.
Oh boy.
Ignore.
"Lilith Nightshade Shadowheart! Come to me! I command it!"
Ugh. Hate it when Mom's in full Witch Queen mode. Better see what it's about, though. Once the middle name comes out, I'm just a hop, skip, and a jump away from losing phone privileges.
"Coming, Mother!"
Takes me a minute to figure out where I'm supposed to be "coming" to. Castle Dreadrock has a bajillion rooms, and we don't use most of them. This one's a vault of some kind, located at the very center of the castle.
When I walk in, Mom turns to me, fancy dress swishing on the floor, and points a finger (don't know how she even does that while wearing two rings on each one).
"Behold, child! My masterstroke!"
I turn to 'behold'…and fall in love.
What is this thing? It's so adorable I can't breathe. Big, soft ears. Round sparkly eyes. Fur that's somehow half starlight. And even a little fluffy tail for me to touch. And I bet it's sooooooo squishy!
I swear, Mom or no I'd run up and squeeze the little fuzzball there and then if it wasn't surrounded by a crackling red orb.
Mom doesn't notice me going goo goo eyed. She doesn't notice most things I do. She only brought me in because she wanted an audience and mindless homunculi just don't do it for her.
"The creature you see before you is the key to the accursed Guardians' powers. And that makes it the key to my ultimate victory."
I stare at the fuzzy wonder in the orb, still daydreaming about hugging it. It's the key to something, alright – the key to my heart. I can practically hear it saying, "Rescue me, Lilith! I'm too cute for this nonsense!"
You gotta understand: I don't normally get involved. Mom wants to summon a monster and set it to fight the Guardians? Let her. They'll just kick its butt and send it back where it came from, and I'll watch the whole thing on my phone in bed. But no one messes with cute on my watch!
Mom stands with her arms outstretched and I already know what's coming next.
"By the shadows deep and darkness vast, let the gates of chaos be unmasked. From the abyss where nightmares feast, I conjure thee, my void beast! Come forth…Bloodfang!"
The thing that crawls from the shadows is basically the lovechild of a junkyard dog and a grizzly bear. All muscle and fangs and beady red eyes.
Hate it when Mom's void beasts are all organic. The ones that look like abstract art are okay, but I do not need to be dodging foamy saliva.
"Bloodfang! Guard this chamber. Tear all intruders to shreds, especially meddling little girls in rainbow dresses!"
The thing makes a noise halfway between a growl and a snort.
"I go now to recover my strength. When I return, I shall unravel this creature for its secrets and annihilate what remains."
Nope, nope, nope.
While Mom goes off to rest in her weird sarcophagus-cocoon-thingy, I give the glowing orb holding the innocent fuzzball one last look.
"Hang tight, little buddy. Rescue's on its way."
To get Bloodfang to leave his post, I need to show him an intruder, preferably a Guardian. So I go into one of our many storage rooms, scissors in hand, pick out one of Mom's fancy dresses, and start cutting until I get something sort of close to the Guardians' uniforms. The dark violet doesn't really fit, but Mom's infinite wardrobe is short on primary colors. pick through the chest full of jewelry that's sitting in the corner of the room until I find an amethyst necklace. Pop the amethyst out with the scissors, blue it to the front of the dress, cut one of the leftover bits into a domino mask, and voila!
I stare into the mirror. I look…like someoneone's Halloween costume. But a costume of a Gemstone Guardian!
I prick my thumb and smear a drop of blood on the mirror.
"Okay. Come on out."
And Mirror Me does, just like always. Mom thinks I'm a mediocre witch, but that's because I think it's better if she doesn't know how good I've gotten at illusions.
Since Bloodfang is a kind of dog, I find a bottle of lilac perfume and spray myself until my eyes water. Then I walk down the hallway, my reflection behind me, stomach full of butterflies. This is the first time I've really defied Mom. I break her rules all the time - if she wanted a daughter who listens to her, she should have raised me herself instead of leaving the job to homunculi and electronics. But this is on another level.
Feels kind of good, though.
I throw open the doors to the vault and stare Bloodfang straight in his beady red eyes. I cross my legs and throw out a peace sign like I've seen Sincere Sapphire do a hundred times.
Then I throw the lilac perfume bottle straight at the floor in front of him so it splashes all over his horrid mug.
"Come and get me, you dumb mutt!"
Then I throw myself to the left, push up against the wall, and chant an invisibility spell, faster than I ever have before.
I grin in satisfaction as Bloodfang bounds right past me, chasing my reflection and trailing a flowery scent cloud. Feeling pretty good about myself, I walk right up to the red orb and prick my finger again.
"Aaaaaaand…pop!"
One touch is all it takes and the fluffy friend is free. For about a second, before I snatch him up and run with him clutched to my chest.
"It's okay, you're safe now," I fuss over him as I run full tilt. "The mean witch isn't gonna hurt you."
"Indeed. I thank you, child."
"Eh?! You can talk? That's awesome!"
"Thank you. For the compliment and once more for the rescue. I am Novus, the Celestial Emissary. And I see that you are one of the Gemstone Guardians."
"Ehehehe, n-not exactly. But I am a big fan!"
It's around this point that we reach my sneak-out spot. One of my ancestors put in a secret passage in the outer wall that opens if you press two bricks just right and I happened to stumble on a homunculus dusting it years ago. I've been using it for unauthorized trips to town ever since.
Through the wall, across the courtyard, and up to the Veil. That's the massive spell that lets a huge medieval castle sit overlooking an ordinary town without becoming a tourist attraction.
I step through the Veil…and stand face to face with Courageous Ruby, Steadfast Emerald, and Sincere Sapphire. All of them pointing their wands straight at me.
Oh boy.
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Sure, let's go with that!
Nope.
My first time meeting the Guardians in person does not end with them Rainbow Blasting me. I'm not going out like one of Mom's void beasts.
"Listen, I can explain everything…" I begin, showing them Novus. Am I using my new pal as an adorable shield? Maybe just a little bit.
"You rescued Novus!"
Oh. Well, that was easy.
Novus floats out of my hands. He flies like someone's carrying him by the scruff of his neck, wiggling his little bottom in mid-air.
"Girls, this is one of the new comrades we've been waiting for: Compassionate Amethyst. She risked everything to deliver me from the depths of Hecate's castle."
Sincere Sapphire grabs my hands and stares me straight in the eye.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"About time we expanded the roster!" Courageous Ruby pumps her fist.
Steadfast Emerald just grins and nods.
Now, look. I'm not stupid. I've seen cartoons. I know how this worked out for Rango. The right thing to do is obviously to admit I'm not who they think I am and walk back across the Veil before they start questioning who I am and what I was doing in the castle.
But just because I'm not Mom doesn't mean I'm a goody two shoes.
"Thanks! I could never let that evil witch hurt someone so innocent!"
As they coo over me, I bask and I don't feel even a little bit bad. I mean, I did the thing. I rescued the fluffy. If anything, not being a Guardian should get me bonus points.
"Novus, are you okay?" Emerald lightly holds him with both palms, cocking her head to look him over. "You good to drive?"
"I am. The witch's domain kept me shackled in its twisted space, but now I am truly free."
"Awesome! My place, my place!" Ruby pumps her fist. "I want to treat the new girl."
"Very well. Initiating Celestial Shift."
Wait, what?
And then I'm standing on a mirror, infinite stars above me, infinite stars below me. Going infinity miles per hour while standing still. Or maybe it's the universe that's moving around me. The Guardians are here with me. I open my mouth to ask a question…
…and then I'm standing in a normal room. Floral wallpaper, trophy shelf, teddy bear on the bed. Not quite Novus cute, but still great hugging potential.
"Ta-dah!" Ruby spreads her arms. "What do you think, new girl?"
"I love it."
Technically it's just normal, but I sleep in a bed that has its own curtains and a ladder and which isn't even pushed up against any of the walls, and the only stuffed animals I get to see are the ones my ancestors hunted. I'd take normal in a heartbeat.
"Thanks!"
And then Ruby's signature red dress bursts into a million light points and leaves her in a T-shirt and jeans.
"I'm Haley, by the way," she extends her hand to shake mine.
"I'm Sasha," Emerald bursts her own dress, revealing a longer dress.
"And I'm Emma," Sapphire adds. Her civilian outfit is a miniskirt and a crop top, and I'm momentarily distracted by her belly ring. So that's where her gem goes when it's not being used.
Wait, focus. They're staring at me, obviously expecting me to do what they did. And now that I've been to one of their houses and seen their civilian identities, the time for honesty has officially passed.
"I…have to go to the bathroom!"
"Oh. It's down the hall, on your left," Haley says, looking slightly confused.
I trot down, just barely avoiding jogging. Once I lock the door behind me, I stare in the mirror and bite my lip. How am I going to do this?
I don't know a disguise spell. It's never really come up. I'm wearing a camisole and some shorts under my dress just in case, but what am I going to do with the dress itself? Stuff it behind the washing machine and hope I can get it back before anyone looks back there? Steal a backpack and pretend I have the same one as Haley? Wrap it around myself under the camisole and try not to get jostled?
Okay, no. I got this.
First, dress off. Prick finger, touch the blood to the mirror.
"Come out."
This works a lot better with full length mirrors that touch the floor. My reflection has to awkwardly leverage herself out like she's the Ring girl.
Dress on, chant the invisibility chant. Get a minor headache from maintaining two illusions at once, but mission accomplished: there is a me who's wearing sort-of-normal attire and the Guardian outfit is nowhere to be seen.
Exit the bathroom trailing just behind my illusory self. Watch as she smiles at the girls, looking as nervous as I feel.
"I'm…Lily."
"Hey, Lily. Love the goth look," Emma says, grinning.
Ugh.
Haley is already out the door and apparently I'm expected to follow. Navigating between the girls without letting any of them bump either my real self or my illusion is tricky, but I can just about manage it. Luckily, Haley and Sasha are distracted by trying to figure out how Novus got captured in the first place.
"The fault was mine," he admits. "Hecate has relied on the void beasts so much I did not anticipate that she might take to the field herself. I failed to anticipate the fake ice cream truck gambit."
"It's no one's fault," Emma protests. "A free double chocolate root beer float for the winner of the Cutest Plushie contest? Who could resist?!"
Dammit, Mom.
Out on the street, Haley turns a corner and extends her hand.
"Ta-dah!"
"Crepes?" I ask, reading the sign popping with appetizing pictures of strawberries and blueberries.
"The best crepes in town! My mom makes them. As thanks for bailing us out today, you can have whatever you like."
"Oh…um, I wouldn't want to take advantage of your family…"
"No worries. I pay for them, I just get them at cost. So go ahead!"
"Then…I'll take banana."
Eating the crepe is way hard. I have to hold it with my left hand while my reflection pretends to hold it with her right and angle my head to take bites while she pretends to take bites. They are really good, though.
Plus, I'm eating crepes outside with friends. I'm eating crepes with the Gemstone Guardians. This is the best day of my life.
And then my best day is interrupted by distant howling.
I'm starting to really hate void beasts.
The girls quickly stuff what remains of the crepes inside their mouths. Emma's consolation double chocolate mousse gets smeared on her face. I rush to do the same
"Novus!" cries Sasha once she's swallowed.
"Initiating Celestial Shift."
We're back in the field of stars for a moment, and then we're on main street, where Bloodfang is already rampaging in the usual void beast attack spot.
"Courageous…Ruby!"
"Steadfast...Emerald!"
"Sincere…Sapphire!"
"Compassionate…Amethyst?" I dismiss my doppelganger and my invisibility as the girls magically get into uniform.
Bloodfang's head instantly snaps towards me. Snarling like a busted garbage disposal, he runs straight at me, ignoring the real Guardians.
Big mistake.
Ruby slams into his side with a solid kick. The differences in their sizes don't matter and Bloodfang does his best impression of a soccer ball.
Emerald makes a shield in mid-air, and Bloodfang bounces off…into another shield. He's gone from soccer ball to pinball as she keeps bouncing him between half a dozen shields, picking up more and more speed. Then an angled shield to slam him into the ground.
Where Sapphire roasts him with her signature Double Flamethrower attack, blue flames pouring from both extended hands.
The girls stand side by side and…
"Rainbow Blast!"
The tri-colored beam slams into Bloodfang's beaten and charred body and sends him right back to the void.
The Guardians do their signature victory poses and I can't help smiling. Take that, Mom.
"Feel free to join in next time, newbie," Ruby says, smiling.
"Um, sure. It's just that it all happened so fast…"
"No worries. We'll train you good."
"A…anyway! I gotta go!"
I run off before one of them remembers to ask for my phone number.
With my dress held in my hands, I approach the veil. I hide the dress under a rock and sneak back inside. The first homunculus to see me seems unusually excited and starts running away.
"Wait, stop!"
It stops.
"Explain what you're doing."
"I must report your location to the Mistress."
"Huh? Why?"
Since when has Mom cared about where I am?
"There has been an intrusion. The Mistress is securing the castle."
Wow. Normally Mom doesn't come out until she's fully recharged after a summoning. This must have really shaken her.
"Okay. You…misunderstood your instructions. I will clarify."
"Yes, young Mistress."
I pull it into another storage room and frantically look around until I find some old drapery and pull out the long rope that's supposed to open and close it.
"Okay. Use this to tie me up, and then go report to my mother that I'm tied up in a storage room."
"Yes, young Mistress."
As the homunculus begins to work the knots, I sigh. This is getting complicated.
My first time meeting the Guardians in person does not end with them Rainbow Blasting me. I'm not going out like one of Mom's void beasts.
"Listen, I can explain everything…" I begin, showing them Novus. Am I using my new pal as an adorable shield? Maybe just a little bit.
"You rescued Novus!"
Oh. Well, that was easy.
Novus floats out of my hands. He flies like someone's carrying him by the scruff of his neck, wiggling his little bottom in mid-air.
"Girls, this is one of the new comrades we've been waiting for: Compassionate Amethyst. She risked everything to deliver me from the depths of Hecate's castle."
Sincere Sapphire grabs my hands and stares me straight in the eye.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"About time we expanded the roster!" Courageous Ruby pumps her fist.
Steadfast Emerald just grins and nods.
Now, look. I'm not stupid. I've seen cartoons. I know how this worked out for Rango. The right thing to do is obviously to admit I'm not who they think I am and walk back across the Veil before they start questioning who I am and what I was doing in the castle.
But just because I'm not Mom doesn't mean I'm a goody two shoes.
"Thanks! I could never let that evil witch hurt someone so innocent!"
As they coo over me, I bask and I don't feel even a little bit bad. I mean, I did the thing. I rescued the fluffy. If anything, not being a Guardian should get me bonus points.
"Novus, are you okay?" Emerald lightly holds him with both palms, cocking her head to look him over. "You good to drive?"
"I am. The witch's domain kept me shackled in its twisted space, but now I am truly free."
"Awesome! My place, my place!" Ruby pumps her fist. "I want to treat the new girl."
"Very well. Initiating Celestial Shift."
Wait, what?
And then I'm standing on a mirror, infinite stars above me, infinite stars below me. Going infinity miles per hour while standing still. Or maybe it's the universe that's moving around me. The Guardians are here with me. I open my mouth to ask a question…
…and then I'm standing in a normal room. Floral wallpaper, trophy shelf, teddy bear on the bed. Not quite Novus cute, but still great hugging potential.
"Ta-dah!" Ruby spreads her arms. "What do you think, new girl?"
"I love it."
Technically it's just normal, but I sleep in a bed that has its own curtains and a ladder and which isn't even pushed up against any of the walls, and the only stuffed animals I get to see are the ones my ancestors hunted. I'd take normal in a heartbeat.
"Thanks!"
And then Ruby's signature red dress bursts into a million light points and leaves her in a T-shirt and jeans.
"I'm Haley, by the way," she extends her hand to shake mine.
"I'm Sasha," Emerald bursts her own dress, revealing a longer dress.
"And I'm Emma," Sapphire adds. Her civilian outfit is a miniskirt and a crop top, and I'm momentarily distracted by her belly ring. So that's where her gem goes when it's not being used.
Wait, focus. They're staring at me, obviously expecting me to do what they did. And now that I've been to one of their houses and seen their civilian identities, the time for honesty has officially passed.
"I…have to go to the bathroom!"
"Oh. It's down the hall, on your left," Haley says, looking slightly confused.
I trot down, just barely avoiding jogging. Once I lock the door behind me, I stare in the mirror and bite my lip. How am I going to do this?
I don't know a disguise spell. It's never really come up. I'm wearing a camisole and some shorts under my dress just in case, but what am I going to do with the dress itself? Stuff it behind the washing machine and hope I can get it back before anyone looks back there? Steal a backpack and pretend I have the same one as Haley? Wrap it around myself under the camisole and try not to get jostled?
Okay, no. I got this.
First, dress off. Prick finger, touch the blood to the mirror.
"Come out."
This works a lot better with full length mirrors that touch the floor. My reflection has to awkwardly leverage herself out like she's the Ring girl.
Dress on, chant the invisibility chant. Get a minor headache from maintaining two illusions at once, but mission accomplished: there is a me who's wearing sort-of-normal attire and the Guardian outfit is nowhere to be seen.
Exit the bathroom trailing just behind my illusory self. Watch as she smiles at the girls, looking as nervous as I feel.
"I'm…Lily."
"Hey, Lily. Love the goth look," Emma says, grinning.
Ugh.
Haley is already out the door and apparently I'm expected to follow. Navigating between the girls without letting any of them bump either my real self or my illusion is tricky, but I can just about manage it. Luckily, Haley and Sasha are distracted by trying to figure out how Novus got captured in the first place.
"The fault was mine," he admits. "Hecate has relied on the void beasts so much I did not anticipate that she might take to the field herself. I failed to anticipate the fake ice cream truck gambit."
"It's no one's fault," Emma protests. "A free double chocolate root beer float for the winner of the Cutest Plushie contest? Who could resist?!"
Dammit, Mom.
Out on the street, Haley turns a corner and extends her hand.
"Ta-dah!"
"Crepes?" I ask, reading the sign popping with appetizing pictures of strawberries and blueberries.
"The best crepes in town! My mom makes them. As thanks for bailing us out today, you can have whatever you like."
"Oh…um, I wouldn't want to take advantage of your family…"
"No worries. I pay for them, I just get them at cost. So go ahead!"
"Then…I'll take banana."
Eating the crepe is way hard. I have to hold it with my left hand while my reflection pretends to hold it with her right and angle my head to take bites while she pretends to take bites. They are really good, though.
Plus, I'm eating crepes outside with friends. I'm eating crepes with the Gemstone Guardians. This is the best day of my life.
And then my best day is interrupted by distant howling.
I'm starting to really hate void beasts.
The girls quickly stuff what remains of the crepes inside their mouths. Emma's consolation double chocolate mousse gets smeared on her face. I rush to do the same
"Novus!" cries Sasha once she's swallowed.
"Initiating Celestial Shift."
We're back in the field of stars for a moment, and then we're on main street, where Bloodfang is already rampaging in the usual void beast attack spot.
"Courageous…Ruby!"
"Steadfast...Emerald!"
"Sincere…Sapphire!"
"Compassionate…Amethyst?" I dismiss my doppelganger and my invisibility as the girls magically get into uniform.
Bloodfang's head instantly snaps towards me. Snarling like a busted garbage disposal, he runs straight at me, ignoring the real Guardians.
Big mistake.
Ruby slams into his side with a solid kick. The differences in their sizes don't matter and Bloodfang does his best impression of a soccer ball.
Emerald makes a shield in mid-air, and Bloodfang bounces off…into another shield. He's gone from soccer ball to pinball as she keeps bouncing him between half a dozen shields, picking up more and more speed. Then an angled shield to slam him into the ground.
Where Sapphire roasts him with her signature Double Flamethrower attack, blue flames pouring from both extended hands.
The girls stand side by side and…
"Rainbow Blast!"
The tri-colored beam slams into Bloodfang's beaten and charred body and sends him right back to the void.
The Guardians do their signature victory poses and I can't help smiling. Take that, Mom.
"Feel free to join in next time, newbie," Ruby says, smiling.
"Um, sure. It's just that it all happened so fast…"
"No worries. We'll train you good."
"A…anyway! I gotta go!"
I run off before one of them remembers to ask for my phone number.
With my dress held in my hands, I approach the veil. I hide the dress under a rock and sneak back inside. The first homunculus to see me seems unusually excited and starts running away.
"Wait, stop!"
It stops.
"Explain what you're doing."
"I must report your location to the Mistress."
"Huh? Why?"
Since when has Mom cared about where I am?
"There has been an intrusion. The Mistress is securing the castle."
Wow. Normally Mom doesn't come out until she's fully recharged after a summoning. This must have really shaken her.
"Okay. You…misunderstood your instructions. I will clarify."
"Yes, young Mistress."
I pull it into another storage room and frantically look around until I find some old drapery and pull out the long rope that's supposed to open and close it.
"Okay. Use this to tie me up, and then go report to my mother that I'm tied up in a storage room."
"Yes, young Mistress."
As the homunculus begins to work the knots, I sigh. This is getting complicated.
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Enter...Facetaker
"Not a single ward disturbed! Hoooooow can this be?!"
Like I said, I hate it when Mom's in full Witch Queen mode. But apparently she's found a fuller one. She's gone from "Disney Villain" to "Disney Villain in the last third of the movie."
"No one has ever thwarted me as this new brat has! She invaded my ancestral home! She robbed me of my hard won prize! She even assaulted my progeny!"
I'm right here, Mom. You can just say 'assaulted you', you know?
"I must know more!"
Mom raises her arms, more dramatically than ever.
"By scorching sun and blackest night, I call you back into my sight! Return to me…Facetaker!"
The flash of light is a skosh less dramatic than usual, and instead of a huge monster Mom's summoned…a girl my age?
No, the girl is fading.She's actually something like a featureless porcelain mannequin with mirror skin. The face doesn't even have a nose, just a smooth oval reflecting the room around it. Except that it also has a reflection of a fanged grin that's nowhere to be found in the real world.
"You called, mistress?"
Oh, no. The void beasts who can talk are always the worst.
"You have failed me, Facetaker!"
"Oh? Did the double chocolate root beer float not work?"
Mom's actually taken aback for a second before recovering.
"The ice cream worked fine! But you failed to tell me there was a fourth Guardian!"
"There wasn't. I can guarantee that much. If there is one now, then she's brand new," Facetaker answers smoothly.
"To think she would emerge in my hour of victory!" Mom shakes her fist at the sky.
"Yeah, they'll do that."
"Heed me well, Facetaker! Find this new Guardian and learn everything about her, like you did with the rest. Her true name. Her home address. Her younger siblings' food allergies. I must know my enemy!"
"W-wait!"
Mother and Facetaker turn to stare at me. Honestly, I can't believe I opened my mouth either, but might as well roll with it.
"Let me help too!"
Mom scoffs.
"You, Lilith? You've always been content to laze around and wait for me to seize our future kingdom."
"Yeah, well…it's personal with Amethyst. She had me chewing on ancient cloth for hours. I want to be the one who takes her down. Besides, I bet I'd be much better at approaching the Guardians than that mirror doll."
Facetaker morphs into me and sticks out its tongue behind Mom's back.
"Well, well. I must say, it's good to see you embrace the family trade. Perhaps you only needed spite to motivate you," Mom says, looking just a bit calmer, and almost…proud?
Somehow that makes me feel dirty.
"Yeah! So you should obviously enroll me in school. That way I can get close to the Guardians and find out all about Amethyst!"
"That's twice now you said 'Amethyst', young mistress," Facetaker interjects, my face looking sly on it.
Crap.
"Well…yeah! I saw an amethyst on her chest while she was tying me up. So I figured out her name. I guess that makes the score one nothing in my favor, right, Facetaker?"
"That's only half her name. It doesn't count," Facetaker answers peevishly.
"No. I believe I will grant Lilith a point," Mom says, more dramatically than the situation warrants. "And I will send her to the school. And should she emerge victorious in your little contest, I may well question my need for an infiltrator void beast. So work hard."
"Oh, it will be my pleasure, mistress!"
Facetaker changes form again, my face replaced with the girl from before. It walks
out of the chamber, grinning all the while.
See? The talking ones really are the worst.
Like I said, I hate it when Mom's in full Witch Queen mode. But apparently she's found a fuller one. She's gone from "Disney Villain" to "Disney Villain in the last third of the movie."
"No one has ever thwarted me as this new brat has! She invaded my ancestral home! She robbed me of my hard won prize! She even assaulted my progeny!"
I'm right here, Mom. You can just say 'assaulted you', you know?
"I must know more!"
Mom raises her arms, more dramatically than ever.
"By scorching sun and blackest night, I call you back into my sight! Return to me…Facetaker!"
The flash of light is a skosh less dramatic than usual, and instead of a huge monster Mom's summoned…a girl my age?
No, the girl is fading.She's actually something like a featureless porcelain mannequin with mirror skin. The face doesn't even have a nose, just a smooth oval reflecting the room around it. Except that it also has a reflection of a fanged grin that's nowhere to be found in the real world.
"You called, mistress?"
Oh, no. The void beasts who can talk are always the worst.
"You have failed me, Facetaker!"
"Oh? Did the double chocolate root beer float not work?"
Mom's actually taken aback for a second before recovering.
"The ice cream worked fine! But you failed to tell me there was a fourth Guardian!"
"There wasn't. I can guarantee that much. If there is one now, then she's brand new," Facetaker answers smoothly.
"To think she would emerge in my hour of victory!" Mom shakes her fist at the sky.
"Yeah, they'll do that."
"Heed me well, Facetaker! Find this new Guardian and learn everything about her, like you did with the rest. Her true name. Her home address. Her younger siblings' food allergies. I must know my enemy!"
"W-wait!"
Mother and Facetaker turn to stare at me. Honestly, I can't believe I opened my mouth either, but might as well roll with it.
"Let me help too!"
Mom scoffs.
"You, Lilith? You've always been content to laze around and wait for me to seize our future kingdom."
"Yeah, well…it's personal with Amethyst. She had me chewing on ancient cloth for hours. I want to be the one who takes her down. Besides, I bet I'd be much better at approaching the Guardians than that mirror doll."
Facetaker morphs into me and sticks out its tongue behind Mom's back.
"Well, well. I must say, it's good to see you embrace the family trade. Perhaps you only needed spite to motivate you," Mom says, looking just a bit calmer, and almost…proud?
Somehow that makes me feel dirty.
"Yeah! So you should obviously enroll me in school. That way I can get close to the Guardians and find out all about Amethyst!"
"That's twice now you said 'Amethyst', young mistress," Facetaker interjects, my face looking sly on it.
Crap.
"Well…yeah! I saw an amethyst on her chest while she was tying me up. So I figured out her name. I guess that makes the score one nothing in my favor, right, Facetaker?"
"That's only half her name. It doesn't count," Facetaker answers peevishly.
"No. I believe I will grant Lilith a point," Mom says, more dramatically than the situation warrants. "And I will send her to the school. And should she emerge victorious in your little contest, I may well question my need for an infiltrator void beast. So work hard."
"Oh, it will be my pleasure, mistress!"
Facetaker changes form again, my face replaced with the girl from before. It walks
out of the chamber, grinning all the while.
See? The talking ones really are the worst.