//-------------------------------------------------------// Mahou-Shoujo Sunsetta II: The Tome of Time -by Vocal Chord- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Battle! The Return of Those Villains From The First Season or Whatever! //-------------------------------------------------------// Battle! The Return of Those Villains From The First Season or Whatever! The ship, named the "Insert Name Here", has taken off, and is now heading into the shallow space between deep space and Earth. Little do its inhabitants realize what impending danger and stuff awaits them... "When I woke up yesterday," said Sunset Shimmer, "I didn't think I'd end up in space anytime soon." "I did," said Maud. "...In all honesty, I'm already feeling a bit displaced. Let's try to get this over with as soon as possible, alright?" "Fine with Trixie," said Trixie. "Trixie just remembered she left about three gallons of boiling water on the stove for that turkey she wanted to make today." "So, where iz it zat we are going?" asked Photo. "..." Sunset closed her eyes. "Sapphire Spirit, you there?" "What is it? Make it snappy, I'm in the middle of something." "...exactly how do I trace the Tome of Time?" "*pfft* That's easy. Look at your hand." Looking down, Sunset noticed the compass on her hand had changed. Instead of a letter N at the top, there was a picture of the moon. "The Tome of Time is actually seven different manuscripts, all bundled into one," explained the Spirit. "You have to find all seven pieces in the correct order, or the Tome will only scatter again, even farther than before. Now, get going, I've only got so long before--" "Sapphire! Will you clap with the trap and get back to struttin' yo' bad self?" "*Ugh* Will you shut up, Emerald Essence? I'm in the middle of a call!" "Ain't my prob, hun, now get back over here! We ain't done 'till t'aint no more money to be made, y'hear?" "*sigh* what a workaholic. Sorry, Sunset, I've got to get back to work. Call you later, if Emerald Ego ever lets me out of this dive." Sunset opened her eyes. "We're going to the moon, girls," she said. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for--" "You know, people don't have to say that every time anyone goes to the moon, Sunset," spat Trixie. "...sorry." Sunset sat at the window, looking out at the ever-nearing surface of the moon. "I bet it's really pretty at night," she said. "No atmosphere to block out the stars." "All the better for the star known as Trixie to shine more brightly!" shouted Trixie. "Trixie..." "We've got a call," said Maud. Sunset turned around. "I almost forgot she was here," she said. "What's up?" Maud pushed a button. "|||||\||||/\/|||kkshninnikbibihw can you hear us now?" "Yeah," said Sunset. "Who is this?" "Moon operative office. You're cleared for landing. We're sending you the co-ords now. Welcome to Lunus Alpha, otherwise known as the moon, Maho Girls." "We're expected?" asked Photo. "Zat is not normal." "Meh, I've seen crazier things," said Sunset. The Moon Operative Office was located at the bottom of a large crater, next to a couple broken-down lunar rovers. A few other spacecraft were tethered there as well. "I guess the moon's not as lifeless as we thought," said Sunset. "Back in Equestria, Luna was stuck here for a thousand years. I bet this place is the only reason she didn't die of hunger." "The vice-principal's afraid of space," said Trixie. "She wouldn't be caught dead on the moon." "No, the other Luna--forget it." There was a satisfying clunk as the ship docked, and the girls stepped out onto the moon. They were immediately greeted by a figure in a full-body space suit. "Welcome to Moon Services," it said. "Your suite is ready." "Suite?" asked Trixie. "Sweet!" "And she chews me out for bad puns..." muttered Sunset. They followed the moon man down a series of futuristic tunnels. "In all honesty," he said, "when they said you were coming, I didn't think it was true." "When who said we were coming?" asked Sunset. "Classified," said the man. "Here we are. Go ahead. We'll be ready for you in a sec." He shoved them inside and closed the door. "Try not to breathe too much," he said. "We've been recycling the same air for years, and I had beans last night." "Pleasent," said Sunset. "So, any idea what we're doing?" "Not a clue," said Photo. "This iz unexpected, to say ze least." "And has no one noticed the distinct lack of anyone else?" asked Trixie. "That man might be the only one up here." "Not likely," said Sunset. "He said someone was expecting us. But who?" "The Mikah-Hakim," said Maud. Sunset laughed. "Yeah, right. They blew up back in the first story." "I mean," said Maud, "the Mikah-Hakim. They're right there." A portion of the wall slid away to reveal the five cloaked figures from the first story. "Well deducted, Maud," said the middle figure. "I take it you noticed the subtle scent of igneous rock on the floor, similar to the kind we were last seen standing on?" "No," said Maud. "I saw you walk in while the others were looking at the Earth from that observation window on the way here." The figure spat. "Way to exploit a plot hole, Maud, but you're too late! In exactly fifteen minutes, this room will void itself of oxygen, at which point, we will be on your ship, piloting it towards the next piece of the Tome of Time!" "So you know where it is?" asked Sunset. "And if you do, why wait here for us?" "We actually don't know," said the figure. "But we DO know that you must have some sort of tracking device on your ship, otherwise you wouldn't have made it up here so fast!" "Actually, no, it's on my hand." "..." "..." "Trixie thinks you should not have told them that." "Fine," spat the middle Mikah-Hakim. "We'll chop off your hand and take it with us! Weapons out, now!" The cloaked figures drew their weapons, which, for the sake of laziness, will not be described. Sunset took a step back. "I don't think so," she said. "Mahou-Shoujo Transfo--" "Not so fast," said Maud. "The air here is concentrated. A single spark will blow this side of the moon into Space." "We thought of that," said the Mikah-Hakim. "There's also a chemical in the air that makes it impossible to control peanut butter crackers, and the walls are too mirrored for cameras to function properly! So, ha!" "It was a trap," said Sunset. "Figures. Looks like we'll have to fight not as the Maho Girls, but as ordinary, useless teenage girls." "Not entirely," said Maud. "What do you mean?" Maud parted her hair. In it was a blue streak. "Mahou Terra, Transform." The air was suddenly filled with sand and dust, swirling in a tornado around the emotionless gray girl. The sand hardened into glass, which molded itself around Maud like a semi-transparent suit of orange-gold armor. "I am Mahou Terra Maud," she said, "and you're about to be terraformed." "At least one of us has a catchphrase..." The Mikah-Hakim took a perfectly synchronized step back. "There's a fourth?" said the middle one. "Nobody said anything about a fourth..." "To my knowledge," said the one to her left, "I'm the only person who talks to you." "Shut up," said the middle one. "I think this requires a change of tactics, wouldn't you agree? It's time Sunset knew who she was fighting against! But only me, for dramatic effect. You guys get to share your secret identities later." She stepped forwards and threw off her black robes. "Miss me, Sunset Shimmer?" Sunset nearly fell over. "Y--you? But how? Why? What?" "Nice to see you, too," said Diamond Tiara, brandishing a fierce-looking machine gun. "We have so much to talk about." //-------------------------------------------------------// The Short Chapter Where Stuff Happens //-------------------------------------------------------// The Short Chapter Where Stuff Happens "Diamond Tiara!" Sunset gasped. "But how? You're, like, nine years old!" "And my father is the richest businessman in the world," replied Tiara. "Your point?" "This is my point," said Maud, forming a sharpened stalactite (or maybe it was a stalagmite) around her fist and ramming it into the ground. "You're outmatched. Go home, Tiara." "As if," replied Tiara. "Minions, beat them up and stuff!" Diamond Tiara's minions leapt forwards, prepared to beat them up and stuff. Maud Pie smiled for the firs ttime in exactly nine year,s two months, and twelve days. "Come at me, bro." Now, nopony likes fighting in a tiny, cramped room, right? You spend more time bouncing off the walls than landing hits. Maud knew this, and so took the logical course of action. She punched her way out through the roof. The sudden lack of air pressure sucked everyone else out, too. "MAUD!" screamed Sunset. "What were you thinking?! We're all gonna dieeeeee!" "There's an air field," said Maud. "We've got five minutes out here before the oxygen dilutes entirely. Which, luckily, is four more than I need." "Oh, hooray for you," spat Diamond. "Ever played rock-paper-scissors? Then you'll know gun beats rock." She drew her machine gun and released a hail of bullets at Maud. Maud effortlessly drew a wall of stone in front of herself, blocking the attack. Before Tiara could respond, she used the low gravity to catapult herself up over the wall, releasing a rain of stalactites as she went. Soon, only Tiara was left standing. "You and me," said Maud. "Soon to be just me." "I could say the same thing," said Tiara. "Could you two get on with it before we all DIE?" asked Sunset. Maud shrugged. "Your move." In response, Tiara took a step back and unloaded the entiret of the gun into Maud, shredding her sweater in every place except, conveniently, her upper chest, because for some reason bullets almost never seem to land there. Maud fell over backwards. "HA!" shouted Tiara. "I win! Bow to me, pathetic--" She was interrupted as a thick dowel of solid concrete punched her twenty feet into the air, which would have been much more impressive without moon gravity. "Two minutes before air runs out," said Maud. "Let's see how long until your breath does." She leapt into the air (aided by the moon gravity) and roundhouse-kicked Diamond Tiara out of the moon's gravitational field and into space. "I will be back!" shouted Tiara. "Aw, buck, that sounded so cliche..." "Maud, that was incredible!" said Trixie. "Almost as incredible as the Great and--" "No time for that," said Maud. "We need to get to the ship before we run out of air." "Right," said Sunset. "Let me help with that." She grabbed the other Mahou Girls and leapt off the roof of the moon base, heading towards the Insert Name Here, which had not been damaged by the debris raining down when Maud punched a hole in the roof, or when she shot stalactites at Tiara. "Glad that's over," said Sunset. "But we didn't get the Tome of Time." "Yes, we did," said Trixie. "Trixie grabbed it while you were all watching Maud shoot rocks at stuff." And, with that convenient deus ex machina, they were off to their next destination. On the dark side of the moon, just out of the Insert Name Here's line of sight, a massive shape silently began its pursuit. I know, I know, action isn't my strong suit, but I was kind of stuck at this part. for a long, long time. Better to just get it out of the way and continue the story. //-------------------------------------------------------// War! An Unexpected Guest Arrives! //-------------------------------------------------------// War! An Unexpected Guest Arrives! The Insert Name Here sets its course for the asteroid belt, where the next piece of the Tome of Time will reveal itself. With Diamond Tiara floating through Space as a popsicle, and the rest of the Mikh-Hakim in disarray, nothing can go wrong for Sunset... "Smooth sailing from here on out, huh?" asked Sunset. "Just us, Space, and the Tome." The first section of the Tome of Time was an ancient book, bound in hopefully-not-human flesh and written in ink taken from the Kraken itself. Or, at least, that was the publishing info printed on the inside of the cover. Inside were hundreds of obscure incantations, rituals, and glyphs. "We're going to be at the belt soon," said Maud. "Sunset, show me your hand." The golden compass on Sunset's hand was pointing dead ahead. "This is going much easier than Trixie thought," said Trixie. "Indeed," agreed Photo. "And I have barely had a spoken line since thiz story began." "At this rate, we'll be back at school in no time," said Sunset. "I can't wait to see those glass doors." Those glass doors suddenly appeared in the window directly next to Sunset. Along with the rest of the school. "Wait! I didn't mean it!" "How did they get the entire school into Space?" murmured an awestruck Trixie. "Why did they get the entire school into space?" asked Sunset. "And why is it so close--" The school slammed into the Insert Name Here, which ploughed through the front doors and came to a stop in the lobby. The glass doors (which somehow hadn't been broken) sealed themselves behind it. Sunset Shimmer and company were abruptly thrown against the windshield as the ship stopped moving. "Ow...what?" Sunset staggered out of the ship. "What the...?" The interior of the school had been painted dark gray, with muffin emblems adorning the walls. Miserable-looking students stood guard, wearing muffin-shaped hats and holding muffin bazookas. In one corner, Vice Principal Luna sat whimpering. "Don't like space. Too big. Wanna got to Earth..." "This cannot be real..." Sunset flinched as a door slid open loudly to reveal a familiar figure covered with battle armor. "Welcome to the Derp Star, Mahou Girls," said Derp Vader. "I've been expecting you." The Mahou Girls sat tied up in the gym, which had been remodeled into the Imperial Throne Room. Derp Vader sat atop a mountain of baked goods and pastries, contemplating the situation. Her eyes drifted off to the sides. "If you girls get the Tome of Time, I'll be powerless to stop you," she said. "Which leaves me with two options." She stepped off her mountain of muffins. "Either you take me to the Tome..." She grabbed Sunset's compass hand. "...or I'll have to make sure you never get it. What'll it be?" "Trixie chooses not dying," said Trixie. "Derpy, come on," said Sunset. "You can't be serious! Youre not even a major threat, just some silly plot device used to keep the story rolling! Watch, I can just burn through the ropes..." Sunset couldn't burn through the ropes. "Coated in fireproof plastic," said Derp Vader. "And I know about the other three, too. There isn't a single peanut butter cracker on board, and I took the liberty of removing the film from Photo's camera. And Maud--" Derp Vader leaned close. "--remember the deal." "What deal?" asked Sunset. "What's going on?" "Nothing you need concern yourself with," said Derp Vader. "Now, point! I want that tome by sunset, or there won't be a sunset!" "It's space," said Trixie. "There's no sunset in space." "Of course there is, she's sitting next to you," said Derp Vader. "Onwards to the Tome!" "That's not what I...never mind," said Trixie. Will Sunset escape the warm, raisin-filled clutches of Derp Vader, or will the Tome of Time become the world's most expensive muffin factory? Find out in the next chapter of Mahou-Shoujo Sunsetta! //-------------------------------------------------------// It's Mahou Girls! Sunsetta's Back for More! //-------------------------------------------------------// It's Mahou Girls! Sunsetta's Back for More! Three months have passed. The Mikah-Hakim have disappeared, the Tome of time forgotten, and Mahou Shoujo Sunsetta hasn't done anything much since then. Which is why we're picking up the story here, where it gets interesting. Our story picks up in front of Canterlot High, recently after the events of Maho Shojo Sunsetta. Which you should read, because shamelessly advertising within the first few words of its sequel is such a good thing to do. "This sucks," spat Sunset. Surrounding her was a large, hormonal semicircle of fans (and a few people who were only there because they wanted to fit in). "Can't I get a break?" "Not likely," said Trixie. "But Trixie doesn't mind. Trixie adores being adored! Except when they follow Trixie to the restrooms. Then things get awkward." "I'm just not entirely sure I'm ready to be some sort of celebrity," said Sunset. "Sure, I've always wanted to be accepted, but as a normal person, not some fire-wielding goddess!" "Just be glad they see you as the good guys," said Featherweight from the crowd. "Remember the ending to Equestria Girls 1? Don't you agree this is better than a repeat of that?" "You're just mad because Sunset's mind-controlled teenage zombie army broke your camera," said Trixie. School was no longer under siege, but things were far from back to normal. No matter where Sunset went, a group of awestruck fans would follow her, touching her hair and getting in her way. They even sat through an entire three-hour lecture by Cheerilee concerning sigma notation, just to stare at her as she attempted to solve math equations comprised entirely of Greek letters. In short, it was pretty annoying. "I almost wish things were as awkward as the start of Rainbow Rocks," she said, having finally escaped long enough to talk to Rainbow Dash in peace. "This is completely unbearable!" "Have you considered long-range offensive weapons?" asked Rainbow. "Seriously, though, it's just a phase. A weird, awkward, undesirable phase that every celebrity passes through before becoming crazy enough that people avoid them." "But I didn't ask to become a celebrity!" replied Sunset. "The only reason I'm even in this position is because a meteorite decided my face would make an appropriate landing pad!" "*snerkk* Don't worry, Sunset," said Rainbow. "I'm sure there's *snrk* nothing landing-pad-like about your face." "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," deadpanned Sunset. "But what am I supposed to do? It's not like some magical relic from long ago is going to drag me on some secluded, world-saving adventure, where I'll have time to contemplate life while, at the same time, fighting off old enemies I thought were dead, only to find myself undergoing some kind of deep, emotional transformation of the soul." "Why is your hand on fire?" asked Rainbow. Sunset looked down. "..." "..." "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhothothothothothothothothothothothothot!" Sunset emerged from the nurse's office with one hand wrapped in enough gauze and bandages to make it resemble a mummified bowling ball. "What even was that?" asked Sunset to no one. "People's hands don't just catch fire for no reason. It's not normal." "Sunsetta..." "Who said that? Where are you?" "Sunsetta, it's me...the Sapphire Spirit from the first story...I'm here to give you the gift of *hack-wheeze* sorry, coffee went down the wrong tube...*ahem* the gift of the Compass of Time!" "The what nao?" "It's a magical compass that'll lead you to the Tome of Time. Just go find the thing. Sapphire Spirit, out. Peace!" Sunset found herself on the floor, curled in a ball. "What happened?" "You kind of keeled over like you'd been hit in the back of the neck with a wet fish," said someone. Oh, great, thought Sunset. Another thing that'll have people staring at me... After school, Sunset decided to go home early and get some rest. "This day was one of my weirdest," she said to herself. "And that's saying quite a lot." She reached her house, unlocked the door, and walked inside. "The Tome of Time? Wasn't that the thing the bad guys were after? And if it is, what's it got to do with anything now? All the villains are either in prison or at the bottom of a pile of spaceship wreckage." She opened the door to her room. "..." On the wall, written in red, drippy substance, was the message: THE MIKAH-HAKIM DO NOT DIE To Be Continued In The Next Chapter Of Mahou Shoujo Sunsetta II //-------------------------------------------------------// Adventure! Leaving Home, Leaving Town, Leaving Earth? //-------------------------------------------------------// Adventure! Leaving Home, Leaving Town, Leaving Earth? Sunset sat on her bed, staring at the writing on her wall. The red letters dripped ominously onto her fresh buy-one-room-get-two-free carpet. In her head, thoughts swirled like the embers from her fiery hair, contemplating the meaning of this message from her foes of old. "Well, the wall's ruined. Buck." Sunset slipped out of her studded leather jacket and into her studded leather nightgown. "I never get a break..." The Next Day, At School Sunset walked to school in the early morning mist. "*argh* I hope school isn't as weird as yesterday..." The Sword of One Thousand Swords stuck awkwardly out of her back pocket. "I'm prepared to battle evil, but I don't think I can handle having a fan club." "Prepared to battle evil, you say?!" Sunset snapped out of her deep thoughts and took a good, long look at Canterlot High. Or, to be more specific, what was once Canterlot High. The school name had been covered by a black banner proclaiming it to be "The Derp Star" in bright red letters, and most of its exterior had been spray-painted deep gray. The students were mostly in large groups that had been herded into the front lawn and tied together with rope. Anyone who wasn't a prisoner was wearing a strange white mask and catering to the figure sitting triumphantly on Principal Celestia's chair, which had been moved to the top of the front steps. "Bow down to your new ruler!" shouted Derpy. "I am Derp Vader, and I have finally placed Canterlot High under my supreme muffin rule! All hail the muffin or perish!" "You have got to be bucking me right now," said Sunset. "Alright, Trixie, where are you?" "Trixie is here!" shouted Trixie from the bushes. "Trixie is hiding in the bushes to avoid being spotted by Derp Vader." "Get your great and powerful plot out here," said Sunset. "Did you forget we can transform? Let's just take down Derp Vader right now. Probably won't even be late for homeroom." "There is a small problem with that plan," said Trixie. "Do you really think Trixie did not already try that? It did not end pleasantly." "Didn't you already take down Derp once before, though?" asked Sunset. "Actually, no, that was Principal Celestia," said Trixie. "Trixie got her plot handed to her on a silver platter." "...buck you, Trixie." And, in the first third of the chapter, the Mahou Girls have been captured and locked in the girls' locker room. Derp Vader thought the locker room would be "a good place to lock people, 'cause of all the lockers." She was later informed that "lockers" and "locks" are different things. "You know," said Sunset, "When I woke up this morning, I didn't think I'd end up locked in the girls' locker room with a quack magician and a psychotic fashionista." "At least we're not alone," said Trixie. "Although, to be honest, I forgot Photo Finish was also a Mahou Girl." "I can completely underztand," said Photo. "I vas too busy wiv my photo shooting to be ov much service. Alzo, it vas not good for my image to be fighting all ze time. Makez my fans think I am violent and zcary." "You don't have fans," said Sunset. "You're a high school girl with a camera and a dress that makes you look like a black-and-white photo of the Joker." "You guys!" said Trixie. "Now now, Trixie," spat Photo Finish. "Zis girl haz insulted my fashion sense! I'll have you know I am ze most fashionable person in zis school, vank you very much." "Well, then, fashion must have died a horrible death," replied Sunset. "What did they do, photograph the Doppler Effect and print it onto your clothes?" "Guys!" shouted Trixie. "The window's open." "..." "So, how do we defeat Derp Vader?" asked Sunset. "Apparently, she's more powerful than we expected. Any ideas?" "We stop walking and sit down," said Trixie. "Trixie's legs don't know what it feels like to not be sore." They stopped walking away from Canterlot High and sat down on a bench outside that cafe the Dazzlings always hung out in. "By the way, how's the hand?" asked Trixie. "Trixie heard it got burned." "It feels better now," said Sunset, holding it up. "Almost like it never got burn--WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?" On the back of her hand was a golden tattoo in the shape of an old-timey compass. "I don't remember getting a tattoo," said Sunset. "In fact, I don't remember looking at that hand until just now." "Look again," said Photo Finish. "It'z moving. Zat's not normal." "It's what?!" Sunset moved her hand. Sure enough, the needle always pointed in the same direction. "That'd be a real help if you ever got lost," said Trixie. "Trixie wants one." "Mahou Girls of the Shimmering Sapphire!" A blue orb of glowing light floated out of nowhere and hovered in front of them. "That is the Compass of Time. It will always point to the Tome of Time, no matter how far away it may be.You mist find the Tome before this time, one week from now, or Space will be encompassed in vast, unending darkness for about nine-twelfths of an eternity! Good luck, and try not to die. That's be a real pain to fill out the paperwork for." "Vat...just happened?" asked Photo. "We have a new quest," said Sunset. "Find the Tome of Time. I know this might sound weird, but I'm glad to be back. Life was getting weird." "And this is normal?" asked Trixie. "We have weird lives, don't we?" "So, let me get this straight," asked Celestia. The girls had decided to go to her house and crowd into her office. "You need to take an extended leave of absence in Space because an ancient book is going to destroy everything in a week?" "Yes," said Sunset. "Also, we need a spaceship." Celestia sighed. "This is going to be deducted from your final grade for the semester," she said. "Minus nine points for each of you." "Fine with me," said Trixie. "Trixie isn't doing so hot anyway. At this point, subtracting points would probably bring my grades up." "And as for the spaceship, I don't have one," said Celestia. "Neither does anyone within a hundred miles of here." "I've got that covered!" Pinkie Pie climbed out of Celestia's filing cabinet. "Were you in there all day?" asked Celestia. "Yes," said Pinkie. "...okay." After school let out (which was when Derp Vader got bored and left to play Half-Life Four with Vice-Principal Luna), the girls decided to meet at Pinkie's place. "She'd better not be kidding about the spaceship thing," said Sunset. "Even if there is literally no way she has one." "If Trixie knows one thing about that girl," said Trixie, "it's that you should never underestimate what weird buck she had stashed in her house. I once went there to get some chemistry notes from her, and she had an ocelot in her kitchen." "If you say so..." Sunset walked up to Pinkie's door and knocked. It was opened a second later. "Come on in!" said Pinkie. "The rocket's downstairs with Maud. She knows how to fly it, too." "And now we're bringing her weird sister into this," said Sunset. "Lovely." They followed Pinkie into the basement, where Maud was sitting, obviously asleep. Surrounding her were five vats of liquid sugar, each with about a dozen partially-grown rock candy crystals suspended inside. "You know Celestia doesn't allow students to brew rock candy," said Sunset. "How has Maud not gotten detention yet?" "We keep the business very hushy-quiet," said Pinkie. "Don't want to disappoint our paying customers." She walked over to Maud. "Wake up, Maud! We need to see the rocket!" Maud opened one eye. "Whatever." She stood up, walked over to the wall, and head-butted the concrete with a sickening scrunch. The concrete shattered and fell away, revealing a tunnel into the deep, dark abyss below Pinkie's house. "We had to seal it away to keep the FBI out," said Maud. "Watch your step. The stairs might be slippery from the moss." After about fifteen minutes of slowly walking in the dark, they arrived at a thick metal door. Maud typed a code into a panel on the wall, and the door slid away, revealing a huge, gold-and-silver ship. "Why do you even have this?" asked Sunset. "Won it," said Pinkie. "How?" "Not important," said Trixie. "We need to get this thing in motion before school starts tomorrow. Derp Vader mentioned something about running sweeps for absent students." "Maud, do your thing!" said Pinkie. Maud climbed into the ship. A few seconds later, the engines lit up. "Come on," said Maud. "If we don't leave soon, the moon will move too close to our position, and its gravity won't let us break out of the atmosphere." Sunset looked at the other Mahou Girls. "I guess we're going to Space," she said. "Strangely, with all the weirdness in my life, this feels like a pretty average day." Far away, at her house, Derp Vader watched the flash of gold-and-silver light take off into the sky. "You won't escape me that easily, Mahou-Shoujo Sunsetta..." To Be Continued