>*12 years ago*
>Target identified.
>She stands amongst the crowd in the town square, moving east. Remember the mission: she must be taken out silently.
>The perfect balance of covertness and blending in is necessary.
>You drop into the crowd.
>Weaving in and out and through groups you make way for her.
>As you move in closer, you notice one more joins her party… darn. This will make things harder.
>But not impossible.
>A wagon passes by, and you powerwalk behind it as to hide yourself from the person of interest.
>And just like that, you’re close enough to do the deed. It doesn’t matter if you’re seen, all that matters is completing the mission.
>You pounce onto her back!
“Look who it is!”
>”Waaaah! Spark!?” Spicy Sweet nearly falls under the weight of you on her back. “Get off!”
“Ooooor, I can just hold on. And you can carry me.”
>”No thanks.” Spicy shakes you off.
>Isabel crosses her arms and huffs. “You two can’t even be bothered to stop horsing around even on such an important day?”
>”Mmm? It’s really not that important.” Spicy says.
>”Oh, and how not? We’ve been summoned by THE Headmistress. If we don’t make a good first impression, we’ll…” Isabel’s nerves get the best of her as her imagination goes wild.
>”It really won’t be that bad. She’s more easygoing than you think.”
“I just got an amazing idea. I’ll get there before you two, and then Headmistress will say” You make a mockery of her voice. “‘Oh Spark, you’re so much more reliable, and pretty, and smarter than Spicy and Isabel!’”
>Spicy starts running. “Not if I have anything to say about it!”
“Hey, wait!”
>”Girls!” Isabel runs after you two.
>You run into the Academy, and after ignoring the several complaints of you running in the building, you make it to the top floor.
>Being faster than the others, you make it to the doors of the Headmistress’s office before anyone else.
>Being hyped up on the race, you open the doors without thinking.
“Hey Headmistress, I’m he-“
>You catch the woman holding a little girl in the air. The girl laughs, and the Headmistress looks at you wide-eyed with the embarrassment of someone caught humoring the musings of a child.
>Spicy catches up to you and sees the scene. “Headmistress Lulamoon, you know you’re not supposed to bring Artemis here.”
>”Aww, I can’t help at it! Look at her!” The Headmistress moves her face close to the child’s such that their noses touch—eliciting more laughs from the little one. “I just can’t stay away from her for long. You won’t tell on me or anything, right?”
>”Hehe, maybe I will. Oh! Headmistress, here are my new teammates.” Spicy gestures towards you and Isabel. The latter walking in extremely timidly.
>You give a short bow.
“I’m Spark Crystal.”
>Isabel sweats and stutters. “I-I-I’m Isabel G-Gardener. Nice to meet you. I-I mean see you! I mean I already k-know who you are and all and- uh…”
>Headmistress Lulamoon giggles. ”Yes. Spark. Isabel. Good to see you.”
>You finally take the moment to consider where you are. You’ve never been this close to the Headmistress in your entire life. She’s addressed your whole generation before, as she does for them all. And you see her in pictures, or far away in large ceremonies. You didn’t think you’d ever get this close to her in your life. That was the expectation of a witch that wasn’t of one of the major families.
>Maia Lulamoon keeps her luscious white hair in an odango. She wears the regal red robe of the headmistress with dignity, and she has the most calming countenance you’ve ever seen on a person. She was always calm and graceful in her ways—and the only break from that you’ve ever seen was a few short seconds ago, as she played with her child. 
>”So! What did you bring us here for? A super secret mission!?” Spicy excitedly balls her hands up.
>”Mmm? Isn’t it obvious? I wanted to meet your expedition team.”
>Spicy deflates. “Seriously? That’s it?”
>Neither did you ever expect to see the Headmistress’s office. A place decorated with statues of old witches and her throne-like desk. Complete with two large arch windows that oversee the entire settlement. All this, you get to see only because you happened to be friends with Spicy Sweet.
>”You two take care of her now. Spicy talks big, but she gets really scared at night. You’ll have to hold her close to console her.”
>Spicy pouts. “That is NOT true. I’m one of the strongest witches my age!”
>”Yes Headmistress.” Isabel bows obediently and nervously. “I promise.”
>The Headmistress giggles.
>”… You weren’t supposed to take that seriously.” Spicy says. “Ugh. Warn me if you’re just going to call me up to embarrass me.”
>”So you want a mission then… There’s one thing I wouldn’t trust any of my high witches to do. Something of grave importance. Are you sure?” Headmistress’s face suddenly becomes stern.
>You all look to her attentively.
>Spicy looks at you and Isabel, then turns back to her and nods.
>Headmistress Lulamoon smiles. ”Babysit Artemis for me.”
>”You’re kidding.” 
“Huh?”
>”That’s riiight. Truth is, my husband is busy too these days. I was going to ask you to do this anyway, Spicy. Be glad you have help now.”
>You make eye contact with the puny girl. She pokes her head out from behind her mother’s leg. Then walks over to you.
>You scratch the back of your head and look down at her.
“Umm. Hello?”
>”Mama, this one doesn’t look much older than me. Are you sure she can protect me?”
>You think you feel one of your blood vessels burst somewhere as Spicy and Isabel begin to laugh.
>”Mmm. I forgot to tell you she can be very frank and curious. But seeing you three together now, I’m sure.”
>”Sure of what?” Isabel asks.
>Maia closes her eyes and smiles. ”If you three stick together, there won’t be anything you can’t accomplish.”

~*Present*~

>The thunder makes a low, long growl as it threatens the ground.
>IF you three stick together, huh? It never was about getting anything done… You just wanted your time with them—that innocent time with your friends, and the seemingly invincible Headmistress that watched over you—to last forever…
>And you certainly don’t deserve to be the last one standing…
>Night has fallen, but you don’t have time to stop. You can’t. You can’t. You don’t know what else to do. What else could you possibly do?
>Small drips of rain splatter on your face as you fly at your high pace. A billion things flow through your mind.
>You flippantly dig into your pocket. You look again at the compass… A highly embellished thing. It has real silver and gold on it. And it has a small engraving depicting great witch Fluttershy on the top.
>Opening it, you see it point towards your target. The late Queen of the Kressen Empire says is points towards the princess… her daughter or granddaughter you’re guessing. She has to be escaping somewhere. 
>She has to be. But where else is there even to go? Nearly everywhere on this continent is occupied. So where the hell is she escaping to? The middle of nowhere? Are you going to have to live out the rest of your days with zero civilization?
>Your grip on the compass tightens and the gnash your teeth.
>”Spark.”
>You’re brought to your senses by the voice of Bitter Sweet who flies behind you.
>”Is everything alright?” The girl speaks with a slight worry in her voice typical of a child that doesn’t know what her parents are doing.
>You try and regain your calm façade.
“Yeah. We can’t be far now.”
>You notice an intense coming from in front of you, and you whip your head around to see it.
>”Hey, incoming!” Rose shouts.
>They’re magic blasts. From who? And why?
>Veronica jumps up and stands on her broom, then shoots blasts of her own to counter them.
>*CRASH!*
>The meeting of the two powers alerts nearby animals and vibrates the atmosphere.
“They’re coming from below the treeline. Witches, down!”
>At your command, everyone flies straight down, and you all land on the forest floor.
>Quickly, everyone gets into formation. You draw your sword, and keep your other hand on top of your wand.
>All of you are on edge. And you all flinch as a stick cracks.
>Golden Spoon leans into your ear and tells you where she hears them.
“Witches, this way.”
>You proceed slowly and methodically. Care is put into every step you take. You even pay close attention to the sounds of the leaves being crushed below your boots.
>Suddenly, the ground vibrates  violently. Animals are alerted, and the sounds of vegetation being rapidly and violently crushed grows. Something’s coming, but there’s no light.
>”We’ve got to get out of the way of whatever that is.” Sunset says.
“Yes, split!”
>Just as you command, the group splits to make way for the enormous boulder that kills the trees as if their mere bowling pins. The once lush forest has a path forcibly cleared for it.
>You coat your sword with magic and cut through the debris that threatens to crush you in the wake of the boulder. 
>Things eventually calm, and moonlight shines on the newly trunk-ridden clearing.
>”Everybody alright?” Rose asks.
>As if on cue, you’re ambushed. People come pouring in from either side of the new path.
>Your group is forced into the middle, and the brawl commences.
>You engage with one of the witches clad in Kressen Empire armor, by grabbing her arm and directing it away from you such that her blasts hit the bare ground.
>Wait, Kressen Empire armor?
“Wait, wait, WAIT! STOP!”
>You put your hands up.
>Your witches, seeing your gesture, get the idea and do the same.
“We’re not here to fight! Are you with a… Princess Shy?”
>The ambushers continue to have their weapons pointed at you. They’re armored head to toe, so you cannot even read their expressions.
>They look at each other, then you hear a voice.
>”Depends who’s asking.” Someone not armored emerges from the forest. Someone red-headed and with a highly decorated outfit. “What would rogue witches want with me?”
“I heard you were escaping to some place. We need to get out too.”
>”Well that’s too bad. If you know that, then you really need to be silenced.” The rest with her raise their weapons more.
“Wait, come on! Look. I was sent here by the Queen. Your grandmother.”
>The Princess cocks her head. “Why would she send rogues?”
“I have something in my pocket… Can I show you?”
>”Tsk. Sure.”
>Still on edge at having weapons pointed at you, you slowly lower your arms and take out the compass. You hold it out as to show it to her.
>The Princess looks at it for a moment, then moves in and takes it. She studies it for a moment. Odd expressions move across her face.
>”Where did you get this?”
“We fought alongside the Queen. She died in my arms. The last thing she did was give me that… All so that we could find you.”
>She looks at you, then back to the compass. Then she sighs. “Lower you weapons, guards.”
>They do so, and you finally feel a little more at ease.
>”But look, it’s not that easy as simply letting you all follow me.”
“Eh? Why not!?”
>You give Marble a stern look for her interruption, then turn your attention back to the Princess.
>”Because where we’re going, they’re VERY strict about who they let in. Hell, they’re strict about people even knowing they exist. Letting you live knowing the little you do is already a liability.”
“I’m not looking to let loose any secrets.”
>”Everybody says that.”
>You cross your arms.
“If you don’t want us to say anything, the best way to make that happen is to keep your eyes on us. Come on, Sharon wants me dead. I have no reason to betray you. There’s nothing for any of us to go back to.”
>The Princess looks at the ground and mulls over your words. She does seem genuinely conflicted at the situation. She pinches the bride of her nose. “Is anyone following you? Be honest.”
>You open your mouth for a split second, then close it. You look to your witches.
>”We… very well may be being followed.”
“If we go quickly now, we can lose them.”
>”We risk them finding our trail. Look, this is the best compromise I can give to you.” She huffs. “And this is being EXTREMELY generous already. It’s like this. SOME of you have to stay behind. Distract the ones following you, misdirect them, or just be bait. That’s the only way this is going to work.”
“… Fine.”
>”Who… will it be then?” Gunnel asks solemnly.
>You all are silent for a moment. And just the sounds of crickets 
>”We don’t have all night.” The Princess reminds you.
>Gunnel laughs. “Well, guess I’m up.”
>”Huh? Gun? What do you mean!?” Marble asks.
>”Isn’t it obvious. I’m the fastest one here. I’m perfect for throwing people off. I’ll be easy!” Gunnel puts a fist to her chest in a fit of false bravado.
>”… Then I’m going too.” Marble says.
>”Wow, you girls are so brave.” Celestia deflates. “Makes me feel terrible for not speaking up.”
>”I’ll be the last to join then.”
>You all turn your attention towards Veronica.
>”I promised I would kill mother. Not run away from her. Besides.” Veronica walks towards the other two tributes. “We are a team.”
>The three smile at each other.
>Sunset looks at Veronica, and opens her mouth. Just as suddenly, she crosses her arms, and looks over at the ground with an unreadable expression.
“Stop it, you three. Obviously, I’m going to do it.”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JxUHHvQQXo
>”Huh?”
“Gunnel. You say you’ll outmaneuver them. But you’ve shown you can’t outmaneuver Eris. At least not for long. Let alone the Empress.”
>Gunnel looks down.
“Marble, you just want to follow Gunnel.”
>”I-I do not!”
“So, follow her to safety then. You’ll get plenty more time together that way.”
>Marble blushes and avoids eye contact with everyone.
“Veronica… you say you want to kill your mom. Then wait until you actually have a viable plan to do the job. A suicide mission like this will just have you dying with regrets.”
>Veronica clenches her fists.
“Besides, someone clearly really doesn’t want you to go deep down… I alone can hold this off longer than anyone. No one else under my watch is going to die.”
>Silence. Once more.
>That was a really bad ass speech and all, but your stomach has dropped like a mother fucker. The kind of nerves where you think you have diarrhea. You know better than to show any signs of weak resolve right now, though.
>You begin to walk away from the others. 
>Story after story, legend after legend you hear of people offering up their lives for their friends. Always with a smile on their face and certainty of their purpose… but you’re scared. You’re fucking scared. Are you made of weaker stuff? Or—do they all fake it like you do?
>As your back is to them, you stop.
“I… really enjoyed fighting with you all. It was a pleasure.”
>You turn your head back and try your best to smile.
“I’m glad I got to meet you all…”
>”Yes…” Rose bows. “It was a pleasure, ma’am.”
>”Spark… thank you.” Veronica gives a short bow of her own.
>Gunnel rubs her arm. ”I wouldn’t be who I am today without you.”
>”You weren’t all bad, I guess.” Marble kicks the ground with a solemn look on her face.
>”Thanks for taking care of me…” Celestia says.
>Cinderbelle bows. “I’ll never forget you. Ever.”
>Cadenza mirrors the gesture. “Same. I’ll tell everyone about you.”
>Golden silently bows with misty eyes.
>Bea sniffs, crosses her arms, and turns her tear-stricken face away from you. “I’m not going to say, goodbye!... ”
>”You’ve done great, Spark.” Sunset says, without a smile. “I’m sure Artemis would say the same.”
>The girl simply continues her usual extended slumber… ,but you are sure she’d say the same!
>You widen your smile once more, then turn to walk away for good. Into the darkness of the night…

~

>Lulamoon Files Excerpt #63: Salem
>March 3, 2103
>After learning about a new settlement to the southeast, I sent a party to start relations in earnest.
>But after months and months, the witches never returned.
>I sent another party to search for the first… With the same result.
>I and the other high witches began to suspect we were being attacked. We decided this time that we’d send in a serious, well prepared force.
>But after months and months… one came back.
>This guard witch was dead in the eyes after that. The personality all her friends knew her for was gone.
>She told us that there was no attacks, and that we simply shouldn’t investigate down there anymore. She assured us that there was nothing to worry about.
>However, she would go into no further detail no matter how hard we pushed. 
>All she told us, was that it was a place where witches were for a very long time.
>This guard witch retired in earnest.
>Sincerely, Catherine Lulamoon

~

>Moonlight coats you as you fly into the old city.
>Ruins. As far as the eye can see. Everywhere. Now covered in moss.
>It never fails to amaze you—people once did have the resources to upkeep all of this. But no matter.
>You can see the fortress from here. One of its spires has been toppled. Its walls, broken and collapsed in many places.
>Within the fortress, there is a courtyard right outside of the main spire. This courtyard has a statue in the middle.
>It’s flashy enough of a location… you may as well wait here.
>You look up at the statue. An ancient man. A man wearing a large coat and a pilgrim hat. An outfit entirely fitting of his time.
>You jump up onto the rock his statue stands upon. You sit in front of him… It shouldn’t be long now. You fall into deep prayer and meditation. Slowly, you ignore the light drizzle on your body.
>Your eyes shoot open as you notice someone nearby.
>Looking up, you see the silhouette of someone at the top of the main spire. You waste no time.
>You get off the statue and make a bee-line for the structure. Grabbing onto windows, engravings, rubble, and whatever you can—you scale the spire and run up to the top.
>You draw you steel sword and imbue it with your magic.
>Getting to the top your eyes go crazy looking out for sneak attacks, ambushes, anything.
>Seeing the one in question. You instead land on the spire balcony.
>You walk up to her. You face her. She faces you.
“… Go back.”
>”I can’t just-“
>You ball your fists.
“No, GO BACK! This is NOT the time for games or stubbornness, Bitter! There’s no time. Go back to the others right now!”
>Bitter closes her eyes tightly and gnashes her teeth. ”I’m trying to save you!”
“You can’t! Save yourself and get away!”
>”But I-“
>*Slap!*
>You backhand Bitter hard enough that she falls to the ground.
“GO!”
>Bitter slowly gets up, and stares back at you.
“… I’m being as unpleasant as possible. Why won’t you just go?”
>”I told you I wasn’t going to say goodbye. What’s the point of continuing to live if everyone has to die for me? Just because my last name is Sweet? To hell with that! Professor Gardener died just for me and Artemis. And now you’re trying to do the same. Well I’ve had it with that!”
“No, moron! It’s not about that at all. I don’t give a shit if you’re related to Sour Sweet.”
>Bitter’s eyes widen as she’s taken aback. “Then, what-?”
“It’s because your mother is Spicy. Why are you trying so hard to kill off all the last remnants of the good time? Why are you trying so hard to kill off the last remnants of my friends?”
>You hang your head. Teeth gnashed. Eyes lightless. The light drizzle outside continues.
“Do you get it now?... Go back.”
>”Hahahahahahahahahaaaa!”
>You flinch and your eyes widen at the sound of that voice.
>”Just a little too late for that now I’m afraid!”
>Looking out from the balcony. Standing on one of the fortress walls—is Eris Xenia.
>She jumps down into the courtyard. “Come. You came here to sacrifice yourself, right Spark? Be sure to face your fate with some dignity. Though now… it looks like I’ll have two victims, huh?”
>Your face contorts with several emotions in succession. Shock, anger, frustration, despair.
>But you settle on giving Bitter an extremely stern look. 
“Stay BEHIND me!”
>”Alright…”
>You and Bitter jump down. With the girl behind you as instructed.
>Thunder growls as you stare at Eris across the courtyard. It’s a dreary night. Yet the moonlight parts the clouds and shines its modest light over you three and the statue.
>Eris flips her jet black hair. ”You came alone believing you’d stop me from getting to the others in time. A gross underestimation of my speed. Don’t you think?”
“Look who’s talking. All I have to do is take you out, and then we’re scott free.”
>Eris laughs. “Oh, more are coming. Make no mistake. So this truly is hopeless for you. Even if by some miracle you win this… You’ll still be hunted down.”
>The others should be able to get into hiding before then. That all wouldn’t be a problem… You roll your eyes to see Bitter in your peripheral.
>If you could find some way to protect her!
>”I really have to thank you so much, kid!” Eris taunts Bitter.
>”Yeah? Why’s that!?”
>Eris removes her robe and throws it aside. “You don’t have any cousins of note. You’ve given me the great pleasure of being able to tell Empress Sparkle that I got rid of your horrid bloodline.”
>Bitter scowls and draws her sword. “Tsk.”
>You draw your own sword.
“DON’T move ahead of me. Got it?”
>Eris laughs. “How precious. She wants to delay the little one’s death to the bitter end… but I’ve got to say. This is the perfect place for this. Spark, did you pick this on purpose?”
>”What about it?” Bitter asks.
>”In ancient times before Twilight, before even the old country—our ancestors suspected and tried people for being witches. Many were falsely accused. Many falsely executed. Foolish non-witches, they even suspected men. It is unknown to this day, whether there truly were witches back then.”
>Eris walks up to the statue and looks up at it. “Recognizing the significance of the site… Witches came and built a settlement here after the castle was hidden… Strange things began to happen. Many witches here began to claim to see demons. Headmistress after headmistress commit suicide. Famine and drought began to nonsensically strike this place. Believing it was cursed by God, everyone left it here.”
>The Dean turns toward you two. “A fitting place for your graves, don’t you think? It’s said that one of the way they’d find out if someone was a witch was if they could escape having boulders tied to their leg as they were thrown into the dark depths of water. Perhaps I’ll test this on you two, after I’m done with you.”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPuiJjXYmqM
>The otherworldliness of the black magic erupts from Eris’s legs, and she propels towards you.
>You imbue your sword with your magic and it glows.
>Her magic, now coating her arms, meets your blade. You parry her flurry of attacks barely.
>After managing to kick her back, Eris side steps the fireballs Bitter shoots at her.
>You close in on her. A million jabs of your sword, she dodges. Jumping over her several times, spinning like a top, you make several more slashes at her.
>Before her black magic they are ineffective. And before she can make a swipe at you, you quickly fall back.
>This still isn’t going to work if you can only dodge…
>Eris propels herself at Bitter.
“Bea!”
>You spin your wand and summon magic swords in Eris’s path, which she easily knocks away.
>Your heart skips a beat as the black monster gets closer to the girl.
>Bitter summons a mirror below her, and one next to you.
>As she falls through the mirror she lands next to you. Then, she shoots fireballs into the mirror she landed from such that they exit out of the first mirror and hit Eris.
>They also have no effect…, but it’s a neat trick.
>Both mirrors disappear.
>”I can tell this is going to get very annoying very fast.” Eris sneers.
>”Spark, there’s only one attack that can do anything…”
“We don’t have time.”
>You grip your wand with both hands and raise it.
>Many magic swords are summoned around Eris in a dome. One after another, they violently descend on her like bullets.
>Coating her forearms with the black magic she deflects them as they come.
>Bitter chimes in with magic bullets from her wand that are similarly useless.
>What the hell. That’s so damn overpowered…
>After your swords run out, Eris launches at you.
>You take hold of Bitter and jump out of the way.
>”You don’t trust me to buy you time…” Bitter complains.
>You land on the wreckage of the old fortress and put the girl down next to you.
>Obviously! Gunnel, Cinderbelle, and Marble together could barely buy you the time.
>”I know what you’re thinking!” Eris mocks. “But you’ve already tried that trick before. Shame on you if you think I’d fall for that stupid thing a second time!”
>She points her wand at you, and you recognize the spell as disorientation.
>You and Bitter both jump down from the rubble to avoid it.
>Magic bullets rain from your wand like a gatling gun at Eris. They assault the ground and further bastardize the rubble as the adversary sprints in avoidance. 
>As she runs her yellow-tipped wand glows…
>A small, but threatening and heavy dark cloud appears over you and Bitter.
>You’re nearly deafened as the lightning hits the ground. You barely escape with the girl in your arms.
>Before you can regain you’re composure, Eris is already propelling towards you with the darkness on her arms!
>Out of desperation, Bea puts her arms forth and summons a large mirror.
>This impedes Eris for all of 0.25 seconds, but it’s just enough for you to get you both out of the way.
>Dust is kicked up around the area in question, and the Earth shakes.
>You get the distance you need away from the enemy and put down Bitter.
“… Good work.”
>”See, you can trust me more.” The girl says as she trembles, clearly quite high on her adrenaline.
>You think you may have noticed something. It has to be tested.
“Bitter, shoot fire at her.”
>She looks to you and nods. She then points her purple-tipped wand at Eris and shoots the fire balls.
>Making a similar gesture with your wand, you cast a multiplication spell on the fire to increase the number of attacks. 
>The flurry of fire homes in on Eris like missiles. She scales the fortress rubble to dodge some. Others, she counters with magic blasts of her wand. Sparks and debris fly as the fire rips up the place. Steam rises as the light drizzle is scorched.
>As Eris jumps over the last fireball, you close in on her with your lighted steel sword.
>Many of your swipes she dodges. Then, the temperatures skyrockets in the immediate vicinity as her black magic coats her fore arms.
>Eris looks at you fiercely as a target as she thrusts it towards you.
>Narrowly, you parry it with your sword… She’s reserving her main magic for only attacks now. It’s only natural, she went through two battles in a row previous. If only you can keep up the pressure!
“You were stupid to come here alone!”
>”Tsk! What?”
“Don’t underestimate me!”
>You tap your hilted wand and summon for magic swords surrounding Eris.
>Breaking your clash, you spring to action. Rapidly jumping around Eris, you and your swords strike at her more times than can be tracked with the naked eye.
>She resorts to deflecting the many attacks just as rapidly with the black magic coating her arms.
>It’s oppressively hot even staying near it for long, and making a mistake could be fatal—but you have to keep up the pressure.
>The metallic sounds of clashes echo through the night.
>She moves well…, but you’re faster than she is! A cut here and there lands on her. She can’t keep this up forever.
>”Keep it up!” Bitter tells you.
>Sparks fly as your attacks continue, and Eris’ face contorts into anger. “Like a buzzing FLY!”
>The abyss that is her magic flares. This time from all over her body it expands out.
>You realize this and move to jump back from her, but not before being scorched by it on your arm.
“Fuck!”
>Eris’ power engulfs the surrounding grass and it withers away without a trace. Your magic swords meet a similar fate. Dust is kicked up all around where she stands.
>You land next to Bitter and inspect your right arm. It burns, and it’s bleeding. Only with great labor can you move it.
>”Are you gonna be alright?” Bitter asks.
>Eris erupts from the dust, and you push Bitter away to spare her.
>Ignoring the excruciating pain in your arm, you strike at her. Eris catches your wrist and punches you in the gut.
“Guh!”
>She strike across your face with her wand, then kicks you back.
>You attempt to recover by flipping back and landing on your feet
>As you do, you see magic blasts from her wand!
>Reflexively, you put your arms up in attempt to tank them. Big mistake, as it exacerbates the pain in your arm.
“Shit!”
>”Your plan was to get me tired enough so that I couldn’t use my main magic anymore.” Eris runs up to you again.
>She elbows you in the face, drawing blood from your nose. She then attempts to sweep your feet.
>You hop over her leg and swipe at her with your sword.
>She catches your wrist again and disarms you.
>”But unfortunately for you, I’m the superior witch even without it!” 
>Eris swipes at you  cutting your thighs, then kicks you back again.
>You roll across the ground pathetically.
“Damn it…”
>”Stay away from her!” Bitter shoots several large fireballs that Eris counters with magic blasts from her own wand. They whistle like fireworks, and light up the night sky as the collide with the fire.
>Bitter closes in on Eris by manifesting through a mirror next to her with her lighted sword, but Eris is un surprised.
>They clash swords for a few strikes before Eris grabs Bitter by the neck.
“Bea!”
>You get up on instinct to save her.
>As you do, Eris points her wand at you. A vortex is sourced from it, sucking you towards her and making you lose your footing.
>Eris hilts her wand and grabs your arm as you get to her, then slams you to the ground causing your ears to ring. She then stomps you. Holding you in place.
“Auuugh!”
>Bitter drops her sword in attempt to relieve Eris Xenia’s grip on her neck.
>”I learned that trick from the Queen. Like it? It’s the end of the line for both of you. You knew this moment would come going in…”
>The pressure on your stomach is immense. You cough. You feel yourself start to get lightheaded.
>Eris catches her breath for a moment. Then smiles. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this to you, Spark. Listening to you back in the council room was… far more annoying than fighting you.”
>You dig at the ground in attempt to cope with the pain…
>”At the end of the day, a no name witch like you would have been nothing if Spicy hadn’t met you, huh?”
>That’s-that is probably true. You were one of the best witches of your generation, but that usually doesn’t trump coming from certain families. Your power is subtle. It’s not flashy… And you look like a little girl. By all rights, you’re not someone who should ever be in the limelight.
>Spicy Sweet ascended to the Headmistressship before she expected to, and she wanted witches her age with her… that’s all. You didn’t deserve to be there at all. So, maybe this is right…
>Eris looks into the sky with a smile as her grip on Bitter increases and her pressure on your ribcage becomes like that of a Rino’s. “Empress Sharon will be delighted to have your heads.~”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTKKQIFPWkg
>But you have to know-
>You cough up blood.
“Eris… Why? Why do you go so far for her?”
>The pressure stops increasing, but she doesn’t move.
>You hear a wolf howl, and you begin to notice just how cold it is on this night.
>”I bet you think I started to hate you lot for petty reasons. It isn’t so.” Eris’ smile drops and she looks forward. “There was once a time when I almost died. A long time ago—the first time we ever went to war with the Kressen Empire… We were an abandoned unit. Sent on a suicide mission. I was just sixteen.”
>Eris sighs. “You all probably think the Empress always was some cold hearted, calculating woman. Not true at all. She was the only one to stand up to this decision. Unable to muster the personnel to save us, she came herself. Beautiful… outnumbered twenty to one she could overturn the odds. We didn’t even know we were cousins back then. She told me her dream.” Eris laughs.
>She laughs an unnaturally long time. Long enough that even the creatures of the night were uncomfortable. “Her dream was to become Headmitress, Spark! Did you know that they didn’t tell the Sparkle family youth of the settlement’s prejudice against them? And she deserved it more than anyone. She always was the strongest witch we had. No contest. Do you have any idea how much it changed her when the wholly inferior Maia was promoted instead? How it affected her mental health? The tensions with her husband it caused?”
>Eris spits on your face and you flinch. “And for what? Because once upon a time Catherine Lulamoon got her feelings hurt.” Eris looks up. “Sharon saved me once. I just had to return the favor. Hahahahahahaa!~ So of course I killed Maia! Poisoned her. She dropped like a fly! Pathetic!”
“… What?”
>”I thought, surely the rest of the high witches would agree to intervene now that only the all too young Spicy was the only candidate. But no, not even then. People probably didn’t even remember at that point why a Headmistress could never be named Sparkle… It was all just muscle memory at that point…”
>You begin to process her words.
>”Heh, guess I spoke too much. Not even Empress Sharon knows that much, believe it or not.”
>Suddenly, you see the arrival of several witches of North Canterlot. They land on the outer spires and remnants of the fortress, and they surround you.
>”Let me finish this, witches!” Eris shouts to the crowd. “Light’s out Crystal, Sweet. After I’m done here, we will go find the rest of you traitors. I want you to die knowing you’ve absolutely failed. I’ll end Trixie’s worthless blood by slitting Artemis’ throat. The rest of them will be child’s play. Veronica can stop her little tantrum, and return to her mother. Cloudsdale certainly won’t put up much resistance with Celestia’s daughter as ransom. Hahahahahaha! And just like it was in the beginning, and always should have remained—every witch in this world will fear the name Sparkle.”
>It doesn’t matter if you’re doomed. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to die here, or even if Sharon wins this thing! 
>You gnash your teeth and prepare your entire body.
>But she HAS to pay for what she did to Maia! And for everyone she affected by this she will PAY!
“NAAAAAA!”
>You muster your strength through your magic and push yourself off the ground against her heel. 
>You manage to get one hand on the ground, and one on her foot to push it off.
>”Are you kidding!?” Eris says in surprise.
>You throw her off, causing her to stumble back.
>Quickly, you grab Bitter’s dropped sword, and swipe at the arm holding her.
>You manage to cut her arm, opening a deep wound. She drops bitter. You grab her, and jump away from Eris.
>”You little SHIT!” She hold her arm.
>The surrounding witches begin to move.
>”You all stay where you are! I’m still finishing this!” Eris orders.
“Bitter, can you fight?”
>She massages her necks, then coughs. “Yes… Yeah, I can.”
>With your wand you activate the storage transportation spell. It summons another steel sword, which you hand to the girl.
“Then distract her. I trust you.”
>Bea resolves herself, nods, then grabs the sword. “Yes ma’am.”
>Eris digs into her pocket and takes out some potion. She then pours it all over her newly opened wound and grits her teeth. Steam rises from the wound as it haphazardly seals. 
>She clenches her hand a few time as to test her arm, but you can tell it’s not the same.
>She scowls at you two intensely. “This will NOT be painless for either of you!”
>Bitter Sweet gets into stance and takes a deep breath. She trembles. And sweat drips down her cheek.
“Bea, look at me.”
>She does so, and you smile.
“In moments like these nothing, nothing can be held against you if you give it your all. Be fast, don’t get caught by her again. Don’t telegraph your attacks. Got it?
>”Yeah…” She turns back to Eris.
>You do what you do best. Your magic flows into your sword. It flows into your wand too. You need to focus.
>Bitter and Eris run towards each other.
>Bitter creates a mirror far off to her right. She shoots two fireballs in that direction. The first misses the mirror and arcs towards Eris’ left. The second enters the mirror, and exists a mirror heading towards Eris to her right.
>Eris ducks and dodges both, the resulting collision sets the grass on fire.
>The two witch’s blades meet. The first clash. Sparks fly. The first of many.
>Three mirrors of Bitter’s surround the two in a circle.
>Despite having been her teacher for about a year now, Bitter’s sword play has a different style than yours.
>It’s natural. She doesn’t have the speed you have to be jumping around the opponent as rapidly as you do.
>Short jabs and slashes. To the point. With short hops here and there. Whenever she’s pushed back, she retreats into one of the mirrors, and exits another at random.
>Eris’ reaction time is more than enough to keep up with it however.
>Keeping the fact that it’s Eris’ exhaustion alone keeping the girl alive, you get to work.
>Wand and sword together again. The teal light shines in the night. Once again, your magic begins to spin. First slowly.
>”This is just downright insulting!” Eris manages to kick Bitter away, dissipating her mirrors as she scrapes the ground. “Did you really think I’d let you get away with that right in front of me!”
>Eris points her wand at you, and creates a threatening ball of dark clouds. Electricity erupts from it rapidly and continuously. She shoots it at you.
>Your eyes widen. 
>Shit. You’re not going to be able to move while charging this thing!
>A fireball comes adjacent to the stormy ball, collides with it, and redirects it to blow up a part of the courtyard you’re not in—igniting yet more of the ground. Fire’s starting to spread a lot here. And you can feel the heat. Both from it and your own magic.
>Bitter closes in on Eris again. This time flying on her broom towards her. “I’m not going to let Spark down!”
>Their blades clash once more.
>”Tell me! Did you kill mom too!?” Bitter asks.
>Eris laughs. “Not at all. Why would I need to? She died of natural causes. She was frail. Always was. Just like her mother who died giving birth to her. And as you probably are too.”
>Bitter grabs her broom, and turning it back to a wand, lands and shoots a fireball point blank at Eris. Smoke and dust coat her.
>”It’s almost a waste of time to bother killing you. All I would need to do is wait a few years!” Eris emerges from the smoke to engage Bitter.
>Bea puts a mirror in front of her, which Eris crashes into much to her anger. 
>The girl uses the split second of Eris’ recoil to engage her with her sword.
>Their trade of slashes and jabs continues once again.
>And just as you realize you can’t bear to see the girl put at risk like this anymore, you realize your magic is spinning violently once again. It’s time. You stand.
“Bitter!”
>You call for the girl to get out of the way. Instead, she opens two mirrors one next to you. The other a ways above the two.
>Understanding immediately, you waste no time.
>At top speed you jump through the mirror.
>Falling through the one above the two you wield the mighty drill on your right arm—the heat of the moment allowing you to forget the pain in it.
>Bitter breaks her clash with Eris, and jumps back from her.
>It’s as if time slows.
>Eris looks up. Her expression starts as curiosity. In no time, it shifts to wide eyed surprise. Just as fast it becomes anger.
>As the drill drops closer to her. Her eyes seem to nearly steam with anger as she scowls at you with bared fangs. “You’ve miscalculated!”
>Her left arm erupts with black magic. Enough that you can feel the pressure of the magic.
>”Spark Crystal!” She slams her left arm up against your drill.
>And you’re both once again in a mighty clash.
>She’s still not all worn out… incredible.
>You can barely keep your eyes open at the ferocity of the spewing magic in front of you.
>Between the flame coating the courtyard ever more and your clash, this fortress sticks out as a pillar of light in the night.
>”Spark! For your legs!” Bitter creates a new mirror—this one impassible—for you to press your feet on.
>This can’t end like last time. You have to end this!
>You take a deep breath.
“This is the END for you! Errrriiiiiiiis!”
>You put all your strength into opposing her attack. You notice yourself making some ground.
>”Finish it, Spark!” Bitter calls out.
>I will. I have to. For Headmistress Maia, I have to!
>You feel yourself gain more ground.
>Then, Eris snarls. “Another miscalculation!” Her right arm, similarly erupts with black magic.
>Your eyes widen.

~

>Your world flipped upside down in an instant, Bitter Sweet.
>For the second time.
>It didn’t take long for Eris to pierce Spark’s stomach. It didn’t take long for her to go limp, or for her to fall to the floor.
>Was there a scream? Or not? You couldn’t tell. You were too focused on the fact that it happened at all.
>Eris’ witches finally decided to jump in and attend to her now. They talk about… whatever. You aren’t listening.
>You can’t.
>A dangerous situation you were in, even before. You knew that. It was an absolutely reckless decision going into this.
>But for some reason… Some stupid reason. You thought that if you were with Miss Crystal nothing could ever go wrong… as long as you gave it your all. She was a high witch. Your mother’s friend. Your teacher.
>Her? Die? How could something like THAT happen? How could something like that happen!?
“How could something like that happen!?”
>You close your eyes shut, fall to the ground, and scream. And time seems to move forward again.
>”Dean Xenia, should we capture her?”
>”No… we’ve wasted enough time here already. You all aren’t needed here anymore, find the others NOW. The Empress doubtlessly wants them.”
>With that, the other witches take off.
>Eris walks up to you as you’re still staring at the ground with flooded eyes. “Poor girl. Finally, no one’s protecting you.”
>…
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvDuLVLVqqk
>After a moment, Eris sighs. “The fire is making it hot here… For what it’s worth, you are a child. And Spark took you away from your home. Think about the disarray that traitor caused. Threats and attacks against the rightful Headmistress and Empress? The manipulation of children like yourself. What a joke. Spicy would have never did what Spark did at the end of the day.” 
>Eris coughs a few times, then catches her breath. “Quit this game. I’m sure the Empress may even have a place for you if you cooperate… Let’s go.”
>You wipe your tears, then slowly stand.
>You look up at Dean Xenia. She looks down at you with an expressionless face. Grime and specks of blood are on her face. Her hair is a mess. Her clothes are tattered and torn. You’re sure you don’t look much better.
>The fire crackles in the background as the only sound for a moment. The moonlight reflects on the statue’s top, and the fire lights the base orange. The clouds seem to have cleared, revealing the many stars of the night.
>You look up at Eris. Similarly expressionless.
“You know… You know how this has to end.”
>…
>Eris chuckles, just as fast her face gets deadly serious and fierce. She brings her sword down on you.
>You deflect it with your own, then send several jabs of your sword her way.
>Eris deflects them all. She kicks at your head, but you duck under it.
>You swipe at her legs, but she hops over it.
>She slams her sword down on your position, but you roll out of the way.
>A million jabs are sent her way which she dodges with skill.
>You jump back as she swipes at you. Five mirrors are opened behind you. And five behind Eris.
>Quickly, you dash past her several times with swipes of your sword. Entering and exiting mirrors at random.
>She deflects the swipes as they come.
>You board your broom and continue with this practice, now much faster than before. She continues to deflect them in an excellent display of reflexes.
>Eventually Eris catches your broom and throws you to the ground.
>You roll back to your feet as you recover your wand. Your mirrors dissipate as you jump back onto the statue and shoot several large fireballs at Eris.
>Lighting her wand, she deflects them as they wreck what remains of this fortress—sending debris and sparks everywhere.
>She points her wand at you, and sends a high pressure beam of magma your way.
>You tilt your head to avoid it, feeling the heat near your face. The attack melts the stone behind you.
>She does it once more prompting you to move your head again.
>One more of the beams at your stomach causes you to need to jump off the statue.
>Eris boards her wand and flies up high. The yellow tip of her broom shines brightly, and countless of those magma beams flare out like a shotgun spread again and again.
>To avoid this, you keep moving. Between the attacks themselves and the ever increasingly hostile battleground your work is cut out for you.
>Making it to a piece of the fortress, you scale it then jump up to Eris.
>Landing on her broom with her, you both stand and trade sword blows—careful not to lose balance in the process.
>A slice of yours cuts her cheek and some of her hair.
>Scowling, she clashes with your sword again and disarms you—your sword falling to the fiery ground below.
>Reacting quickly, you shoot magic bullets at her hand with your wand, disarming her.
>Jumping up, you send a flurry of kicks at her face which she blocks with her forearms.
>Finally grabbing your leg, she throws you to the ground. “If you can’t beat me, it means you were never meant to be princess!”
>You manage to land on a spot that isn’t flaming or melting.
>Feeling the sweat pouring down your face, you catch your breath and spread your arms wide—summoning dozens of circular mirrors both above Eris and parallel with the ground near you.
“You’re coming with me, Eris!”
>You take aim at the witch in the air and shoot many fireballs at her continuously. Ones that miss enter a mirror in the air just to exit one from the ground and fly at her again.
>Eris flies on her broom to dodge a few. As they get more numerous she’s forced to erect a barrier.
>The barrier is assaulted by the continuous fire. It begins to crack. You struggle to keep the mirrors alive.
>Finally, the barrier breaks and she’s hit once just as you lose grip on your power.
>She falls to the ground as you breathe heavily, hands on knees.
>Eris rolls to relieve herself of the flames, then gets up and sprints towards you with a fierce look.
>As she gets to you, you put of reflective mirror up that she runs headfirst into.
>”Stupid brat!” Eris recovers and throws some punches at you that you barely block.
>Knowing you can’t get pushed back far before hitting fire, you create a mirror behind you to slip into.
>As you exit behind Eris she slams her wand back on your face.
>You fall to the ground, and sloppily block a few more of her punches and kicks.
>When you put up another reflective mirror she slams it hard enough for it to break, as you flinch she kicks you away skidding across the ground.
>You create one mirror next to you, and one next to her.
>Eris shoots a magma beam into the one near her, sending it out of your mirror.
>You duck and barely avoid it.
>Just as you do a magic blast of her wand sends you flying back more.
>You struggle to push yourself off the ground, arms trembling.
>”Mirrors that show my flipped image as a mirror should reflect. Mirrors that show me as a camera would act as portals.” Eris closes her eyes, sighs, takes a deep breath, then black magic bursts over her right forearm. “There’s no hope for you now that I know your tricks. It’s over, Bitter.”
>You feel lightheaded as you get off the ground. You breathe hard
>Eris breathes hard similarly. “You did well for a kid…”
>You look around in a panic. Once you find a sword, you dive for it.
>As you see Eris sprinting at you adrenaline blows through your bloodstream like water breaking a dam. You pour you magic into your sword and wand. A powerful red drill coats your arm.
>Eris stops in her tracks and looks at you. Then she laughs. “Amazing what a cornered wolf can do! … And much quicker than Spark ever could too. You are actually of royal blood, after all.” Eris raises her abyss coated arm. “Shame I have to end you.”
>You only now really internalize what you’ve done. You’re as surprised as she is. You’ve never been able to get this right until now…
>What use is it this late in the game? You may not ever get to use it again, or anything else for that matter…
>”When you see Spicy, Spark, and Maia… tell them I always hated them!” Eris closes in on you.
“NAAAAA!”
>You let out a cry and throw your drill forward.
>Magic flies everywhere right in front of you.. You can barely keep your eyes open, and your arm hurts.
>Your feet slide over the ground as Eris pushes you back.
>Before long your backs to the base of the statue. Nothing separates you from death but your fragile arm. But you’re already in hell. Surrounded by fire and magma. Being tortured by this demon in front of you. What even will be the difference then at this point!?
>Tears begin to flow from your eyes. The pressure on your back and arm builds.
>Everyone thought of mom as some goofy and unserious Headmistress… That wasn’t the version of her you got at all. She was always totally strict with you. Because of this, despite being the best of your generation you didn’t have any friends. Spark wasn’t any less strict, but… Right here on this trip… Right when you begin to get to know people is when you’re going to die. What a joke. 
>All you wanted was the version of the world where mom didn’t die. Where you could have met the girls under normal circumstances. Where Spark could watch you at the settlement, Gun, Marble, and Rose would be like your big sisters, Artemis would be your mentor, and you could fix that sad look in Sunset’s eyes!
>Your peripherals begin to darken…
>…
>”Bea!”
>That voice…!
>”Tsk. What!? How the fuck are you still alive!?” Eris turns her head in annoyance towards the wounded Spark. 
>She’s on the ground holding her wound. She seems to have shot some pathetic magic blast at Eris with what little remains of her strength.
“Spark! You’re alive! Is it really you?”
>Spark catches her breath and gives a pathetic smile. “Yeah… Of course. I told you no one else on my watch was going to die…”
>You smile. Widely. And tears flow more, but for a different reason this time! She needs my help.
>”I’ll split your head open this time! Maybe then you’ll stay down!” Eris barks.
“I’ll save you! I will!”
>Pushing yourself up off the statue, you finally gain some ground on Eris.
>She turns back at you surprised at your second wind. “The hell!?”
>As soon as you get the space to, you jump up so your feet have leverage on the statue. Pushing with your legs you gain more ground.
“Stay away from her!”
>With all your might you push with your drill and break the clash, causing Eris to stumble back.
>You land on the ground and reel the mighty red drill back one more time. You bare your teeth in intensity eyes fixed on the demon in front of you. 
>For the first time you see fear in her eyes.
>With no hesitation, you slam the drill into her stomach—it rips away with her with no remorse.
“Get out of my face!”
>With one final push, the drill flies off your arm and sword taking Eris along with it. It rips through the ground below leaving nothing but dirt, and parts away any of the flames in its path.
>”AaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!” Eris screams something other worldly as the spiral magic over takes her.
>*BOOOM!*
>The Earth shakes as the attack finishes off like a firework.
>You watch it for only a few seconds before running to your teacher.
“Spark! Spark!”
>You hold her in your arms.
>The wound looks bad. Really bad. Her organs are damaged. There’s no way you can stop all of that bleeding…
“Please tell me you’re going to be okay!”
>”Stupid kid…”
“What?”
>Spark smiles, and weakly puts a hand on your cheek. “You did it… You did it. You’re supposed to be happy at times like this, idiot.”
“I can’t be happy if you’re gone. I can’t! I don’t even have anyone to go back to now… Even if I did I couldn’t live with myself. First mom, then you.
>”Don’t be like that… Bea. We put all our hope in you.”
>The world begins to lighten just a bit. And you look up to see that dawn approaches.
>Spark’s voice weakens. ”Don’t give up… You’re stronger than you know. You… and the rest of the girls too.”
>Her eyes close, and you panic.
“Spark! Spark! Open your eyes!”
>You comb over your knowledge of magic, and are frustrated with yourself for knowing nothing coming close to medicinal.
“Someone please help!”
>”Part of my old life still lives in you… Thank you.”

~

>After you catch your breath, you look around.
>Those things march about every which way now. Those bastardized armored soldiers that is. Neoclassical buildings that once stood proudly now leveled. Civilians watch the scene with gloomy looks.
>… What’s done is done now. There can’t be remorse now.
>You look down at the one who was named Headmistress Marshall that lies at your feet.
>*Thud!*
>Someone lands next to you. You turn to see that it’s Nera—that witch with the fire.
>Nera laughs and puts an arm around your back. ”Gee Nilight, just what was that power? Could you always do that? Should have shown that kind of hotness back when we fought. I came here because I thought you’d fuck things up, but that was pretty wild!”
>”We don’t have time to stop and talk, witches.” This time the one speaking is Professor Storm. “We need to organize this soon. The Master of the capital Interior wants to negotiate terms.”
“What’s the point?... Sharon’s just going to betray them?”
>Professor Storm tilts her head and sighs. “Maybe… We still have to do it, though.”
>”Sister, sister!”
>”Mmm? What is it, Vannie?”
>Nera’s sister—the water user Vannie. You fought her once with Sunset a long time ago too…
>”The final pocket of resistance has been subdued. We can proceed.”
>”Right on! Not that they could have done anything now that their leaders dead and all…”
>You clench your fist.
>Professor Storm notices you. “What is it, Nilight?”
“She wasn’t even here. All I did was do Sharon’s side project for her.”
>She flips her hair. “That ‘side project’ was priority number one.” Windy Storm walks off. “Don’t forget your place here…”
>Persephone lands near you and the others. She’s another witch you fought with back at the Castle way back when. ”She seems a little more confident lately, huh?”
>”Windy is just a stickler for rules at the end of the day.” Vannie states flatly.
>You look up into the sky.
>You followed Selene’s rules. And then Sharon’s. And you did it because it was the best way to kill Sunset. That simple.
>You turn and walk off, leaving the others.
>Maybe you’re wasting your time.
>You slip your stump of a left arm out from your cloak and scowl at it.

~

>…
>Sensations return to you. You realize that you can feel. 
>You shift ever so slightly every which way. Slowly, you make out your own form.
>You hear things in the background. Talking. You don’t know what they’re saying though.
>The scent of this place, it’s unfamiliar.
>And slowly… you open your eyes.
>Things are blurry.  Then things begin to come into focus bit by bit.
>”Spark!”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic268g4w410
>You feel something, rather someone embrace you.
>And it all comes to you. You’re on a bed. Surrounded by smiling people. Smiling witches. Your witches.
>Gunnel leans in toward you. ”Welcome back!”
>”Spark, you’re alive!” Cinderbelle exclaims.
>Rose wipes her eyes. “Not gonna lie, thought we had lost you there for a second.”
>”I believed in you the whole time!” Celestia says.
>Marble gives Celestia a noogie. “No you didn’t.”
>Cinderbelle and Cadenza both give you a bow. “Welcome back, Spark.” Cinderbelle says.
>”I missed you.” Golden Spoon whispers into your ear.
>And of course, Veronica and Sunset silently smile and nod at you from afar.
“But… where am I?”
>This place was… clean. Slick. Seemingly extremely high tech. Yet also highly embellished. Sapphire and gold is used liberally in this room. There’s a window and you look outside to see… water…
>Someone walks into the room, and you see that it’s Princess Shy. ”A submarine. We’re heading somewhere. But that story can wait.”
>You smile.
“You came back for me!”
>The seemingly no nonsense Princess can’t help but crack a slight smile herself. “Yeah… after I saw the kid was gone… even I couldn’t help myself.”
>Bitter nuzzles herself to you more. “See? I was right not to leave you there.”
>Her hugging you begins to elicit some pain from your abdomen, and you moan.
>”Bea, you’re hurting her!” Cinderbelle scolds.
“We took care of all the witches after you.” Gunnel says. “Well, except Dean Xenia. That was all you two. I wasn’t sure anything could beat her. Good job.”
>”Never go off like that again!” Bitter shouts teary eyed.
>Looks like… you’ll get to continue your journey with these girls a little longer.
>You smile widely.
>You’ll have to wait a little longer, Spicy, Maia, Isabel! Please watch over me!

~