James felt… strange. In panic she had rushed to the video, to try and rewind it but the video refused to play again, neither would it rewind. She tried it a few times before realising it wasn’t working.
“W-what am I going to do!” She was wearing weird… things. Feeling strange sensations… She was… a… girl. A girl? A girl! A young looking magical girl… with elfin ears and pink hair. “Who… am …I…” she looked blankly for an uncertain amount of time. She was aware of breathing slowly, gently noting the rise and fall of her small bosom and delicate hands caressed by this weird dress outfit.
Her mind felt… different.
Not to suggest she was a different person of course but she was clearly not the same. It was as if someone had flipped a card over, the person- the ‘man’ she was… locked away. Her knowledge and even skills were still remembered, but she couldn’t quite express it in the same way. She remembered doing all the things she did but couldn’t quite recall ‘how’ it was all done. She felt confused and scared as much as she tried to squash those emotions with experience… it wasn’t happening.
The new girl struggled with what she was feeling and eventually gave up on the strange video tape frustrated as she fell back on the floor, feeling the weird skirt bunching up around her legs. “Urgh… even my voice…” it sounded crystal clear… beautiful even.
Looking down, her body seemed so much lighter than she remembered when she was once this age. How old was she? That would have to be estimated maybe once she looked in a mirror. She briefly looked at her arms and legs, devoid of their usual bulk. It was so strange…. She had to get up though. Slowly and awkwardly she stood on her new legs…
…then there was the more… ‘intimate’ area of her body. She was very confused and perhaps even a little lost despite this being her own house as she gently touched herself and realised, she was indeed a girl now.
“But… I’m…” she tied to say her old name… but couldn’t? “Urgh… My name is… why can’t I…” The name was there and on the tip of her tongue. However, it wouldn’t’ come out. She couldn’t say who she used to be as if some strange magic was stopping her. Why?
The girl ran upstairs, awkwardly feeling the way the skirt brushed against her legs again. Her movements were… strangely swift in a way that didn’t seem natural. Her feet practically gliding on each step.
The girl needed to see this up close and practically ‘flew’ into her room… the room felt strange to her now. A strangers room? Sighing, she shook her head of those thoughts and quickly looked at the wardrobe mirror… and the shocked girl staring back at her… a complete stranger.
“Who… are you?” She asked a little tearfully. “Who are you.. who am I… who are you… Why are you me, why am I you!”
The unnamed girl was… cute. There was no denying that, with her large wide surprised green eyes and unusual pink hair. “Pink…” It wasn’t a ‘natural’ colour and she had seen some pretty bad dye jobs in her time… but this kind of pink somehow managed to look normal. Was that because of her new weird brain? She touched her hair briefly, feeling how soft it was going down to her shoulders. It seemed to have a bit of a mind of its own with how springy it was.
She then touched the strange points of her elven-styled ears that marked her as something not quite ‘human’. Was she an elf then? That seemed like the most obvious explanation but she wasn’t sure if that’s quite true either.. It was like someone reached into her mind and pulled out what she thought the best magical girl might look like.
She blushed suddenly worried if anyone … would work ‘that’ out. The implications were disturbing. However at least she looked nice… and ‘felt’ pretty good too. All the aches of her body- tiny things like an old injury were just… gone.
“This is… really me?” She struck a pose in the mirror a little embarrassed. “Hm.. maybe green hair would suit my eyes bet-“ There was a zap from her fingers, as she brushed along her hair. The colour changing into a ‘plant-like’ green colour…. She stared at her new vibrant shade of hair in shock. “Did- Did I just do that?!” She changed her hair… she could change that?! “Um… purple?” She tapped her hair again and the colouring changed into a pretty grape-purple colour. It had some darker highlights underneath. This was… interesting. “Maybe something a little more normal… blonde?” She tapped her hair and yes- while her hair did ‘technically’ go blonde, it was more like the colour of a buttercup. The yellow was just a little too strong to look like a natural blonde… even if it didn’t look ‘unnatural’ on her… “Hm… let me try going back to black… maybe I can change back to my normal body.” She concentrated and touched her hair once more. The hair changed into a very alluring dark black that wasn’t at all like her old form… shiny and silky…. it was surprising how pretty each colour could be.
James couldn’t believe it… however she felt something odd as she stopped thinking about her hair… and instantly it returned to the natural-unnatural pink colour that she had originally. “I guess this is ‘normal’ for me…” She realised.
She tried to concentrate on other aspects of herself… like maybe being a guy. However nothing happened. She tried to change her face.. but again nothing. Why? Were they somehow ‘different’? Did it take more magical power? Was she stuck as a girl… forever?!
She took a closer step towards the mirror, examining her body in its entirety. The girl stood about five feet tall… She wasn’t short as such, but was a little under the average height. Turning to her side she could see delightful girlish curves on her butt, pressing lightly against her dress… she blushed a bit more feeling like she really shouldn’t have looked… and moved her eyes higher up towards… “Breasts…” she had been feeling them ever since her transformation but dared not believe it. She gently cupped and squeezed them a little roughly at first, feeling more… dirty to have done so. She was glad nobody was watching this. “T-That feels so weird.” She had never had breasts before and didn’t know what size they were… but maybe B-cup size? Juist about anyway.
“This… is… really is me?” she asked herself in the mirror again. She couldn’t believe it.. “I’m a…” Looking at her again, she seemed about fourteen in age, somewhere in the middle as a teenage girl. She wasn’t sure if to be delighted or horrified. Maybe both? IF anyone found out about this it would be the end of her! She could never show herself again anywhere. What would she even do about work? Her house? What if she loses her job because she couldn’t prove who she was?!
James sat down on her bed, looking down at the pendant… “I’m…a… girl- a magical girl…?” What was a magical girl? She remembered the various shows she enjoyed and couldn’t help but… have a bad feeling about this. Being genre aware, she was either going to end up married to a prince or suffer a gruelling death… and people had fallen out of favour of romance plot these days.
“Oh dear...” She bit her lip slightly. “Okay- step one, let’s not activate any death flags…” She thought to herself. Maybe it wouldn’t be like that. Right? She tilted her head, looking at the way her pointed ears were tickled by her hair. Touching them felt… kind of nice too. “I’m not human…” She kind of looked human but there more she looked at her body, the more obvious she wasn’t human. The way her eyes were shaped in particular… just a little too large, with her large, pointed ears… “I’m… her…”
Could she turn back? Maybe… if…
The new girl looked at the strange pendant. Curiously (and for some reason reluctantly) she took it off, thinking that might work but… no. She was still a girl. She carefully examined the pendant and found it had a clasp around it. This thing could open up? She gave it a quick pull and soon enough, it began to split with a soft click with a clasp unbuckling.
The girl examined the inside… there were alcoves inside…insets where it looked like a gem was supposed to be inside. Only one gem was currently present and was giving a soft glow. There was also a piece of folded paper.
“…a note?” Maybe this would help. She nervously examined the note. It had an old cursive style to it that was somehow so very intricate and beautiful to read.
‘To my daughter. I name you Princess Maya – The Queen. ’
“Maya?…who…” She looked back in the mirror. “So… this is from some Queen?“
“Yes.”
Maya gasped as she turned around towards the voice in her room. She didn’t see anything at first, but eventually pulled her eyes towards a ‘plush’ toy. It had dark brown fur and appeared to be a ‘squirrel’ made of soft cotton with a large fluffy tail. The weird part though was how the toy seemed to be looking at her. It appeared to be dressed as a cute maid, despite being the size of a small cat. She stood up suddenly and smiled. “It’s so nice to meet you again, princess!” She squealed in delight, with youthful energy. The toy started to move around her feet in a circle appraising her. “Hm, not a bad incarnation this time. Going a little bit exotic? Neat!” She giggled. “I think it’s very appropriate yes for this age.”
“Who-Who are you…?” Maya tentatively asked a little more bewildered at the intrusion of such a strange creature in her house… and that it was animated toy. Given how small it was though she didn’t feel particularly threatened, though given the presence of magic- real actual magic she was acutely aware that appearance didn’t mean anything at this point.
“I’m Lady Risu my lady, your humble servant” The maid-dressed squirrel bowed. “Oh Magical Princess, I am here to guide to all the etiquette and important parts of your new role.” The squirrel smiled. “I also will take care of your laundry sort your room um-“ she glanced around. “So, is this your dad’s room? It seems really sparce.”
“It’s my room.”
“Yessh! You must have terrible parents. No problem, let’s fix this.” The squirrel tapped the bed as a blush of pink and sparkle seemed to just ‘flow’ across the room. Suddenly everything was turning as if the room was just ‘made’ for a girl her age. The bed had pink sheets, with matching curtains. The desk changed into a vanity desk with some makeup accessories. Her wardrobe started to change with a cute heart-shaped mirror set on the side.
“No No! What the heck Did you do!”
“You can thank me later, consider it a gift from your new mother my lady!” The squirrel bowed again. “Now we have a room fit for a princess don’t we?”
Maya stared at what became of her room horrified. “No!” Maya interrupted her. “Look- There’s been a mistake. I’m actually a guy! I’m not even a teenager anymore.”
Risu looked blankly. “Wait… what?”
“Well…” She whispered embarrassed again. “I’m… a guy. I shouldn’t be… this.” The girl admitted. “This is my room! I just work doing a job in the dock- t-there was this video tape and-“
The squirrel toy looked annoyed at her. “Wait. No, no, that can’t be right! The princess can’t be a guy! It was designed for… a little girl aged eight and up! That was in the box! Why the heck did you even watch it? Wait- how old are you? Why would you even watch that? You some kind of weirdo?” The squirrel looked at her accusingly.
“Uh..” Maya bit her lip, rubbing her hands a bit awkwardly. She was just curious! A new magical girl anime sounded fun. So it was intended for a young girl? “A-and wait a sec! Why are you recruiting children to fight in your magical war? Isn’t that more messed up? There’s actual laws against that! There’s no law about me watching… a magical girl anime. I wasn’t expecting to ‘live’ as one!”
There was a long pause.
“Well-“ The squirrel toy looked blankly at that. “It’s complicated. To be honest, it shouldn’t have even worked for you…” Risu frowned in thought debating on what to do. “It really really shouldn’t have worked for a guy…”
“…uh huh.” The pink haired girl folded her arms. “Then how do you explain ‘this’?”
Risu seemed to be thinking on what to do. “Well no problem! We can undo this. You just need to give the power to someone else. Make them the princess, then I can serve a real girl and all will be well!” Risu smiled in agreement. “Yep this was all just an awful mistake. No problem! The connection to the Princess is probably not that good anyway. So you can give me the necklace.”
The squirrel toy outstretched its paw in anticipation.
Maya looked at him blankly. “Give you…” Why did that make her mentally wince? She looked down at the strange jewellery trying to ignore the bumps on her chest as she fiddled with it around her neck, eventually pulling it off.. though she felt suddenly… off. It was a weird reluctant feeling. She could feel her heart beating faster.
Risu stared at the necklace. “Wait- did you open it?! You didn’t read the paper inside did you?”
“Uh.. uh huh.. It said my name is Maya-” The girl said. “Why? I- I can’t seem to let go-“
“Oh boy,” Risu sighed. “Yep, you’re stuck. You’ve been named to the magical world by the Queen Herself… so I’m afraid it’s done.” The squirrel shrugged again. “No going back now.”
“Done? What’s done? What about changing back? I told you I’ve got to go to work tomorrow!”
Risu gave a sympathetic look. “Well at least turn back to your ‘normal’ state…” Risu advised. “Just say these words…” Risu whispered into the girl’s ear standing on her shoulder.
The girl blinked, her ears twitched at the words. “What kind of… nonsense phrase is that?”
“Hey, it sort of… stuck,” The squirrel giggled. “Go on say it!”
Maya grimaced. Did she really have to… “F-Fine…” She raised her hand. “Starlight.. sparkle….dream…
“You got to say it like you mean it!” The squirrel sighed. “Come on put a bit of effort into it!” She shook her head. “Honestly this is why guys can’t be magical girls.” She twitched her tail in annoyance.
“This is harder then it looks okay!” Maya shook her head blushing. “Starlight sparkle dream princess return!” It was like an electrical charge ran through her body, flowing back into the necklace. She felt somehow a lot ‘weaker’… the magic… it was still there. Still inside her… she could feel it. Part of her somehow existing in two- or three different places? If she assumed her old male form must still be… somewhere. She looked back at the mirror almost afraid of what she would see.
She was human… her stature didn’t change much- and…. Neither did her gender. She seemed to feel a little smaller?! Why! Staring in the mirror, the girl was not that dissimilar to her magical girl form with soft green eyes and a rather young looking innocent face. She stared at her doubling her confusion… She somehow seemed even ‘younger’ then in her magical girl form if that were possible, looking only twelve or thirteen perhaps with A-cup sized breasts. Maybe she was older but just petite? She looked down at her body in a disturbed fashion... Her ears at least appeared normal enough though. She was human… She seemed to be wearing ‘casual’ clothes, jeans and shirt as she might wear were she her normal self.
Risu seemed to grin at her. “Well, you could just go to school again…”
Immediately Maya suddenly remembered acutely her time in school. She almost shuddered in fear. “No… no no- not that…” She shivered… completely shivered at the ‘idea’ of going back to school.
“Ha, Relax kid I was just kidding.” Risu rolled her eyes. “This isn’t good for me either you know. I was supposed to train a princess on etiquette and guide her towards the path of a magical girl. Not deal with this- urgh I took a really long journey too! I’m stuck here with nothing to do now..” Risu shook her head.
Maya sniffled a bit. “Great… my life is over. I might as well have just died.” She ran to her changed bed. It felt soft.. inviting… it was the only warmth she could feel at the moment and she was desperate for a hug or something… even if she could only hug herself.
The plush squirrel jumped onto her back. “Hey come on kid, it’s not that bad! You’re young and cute. We just have to deal with your house issue. Normally we’d have the kid do stuff while the parents took care of her… heh. So this is going to be a challenge. Ah! I got it. A little magic?”
“M-magic? I can go back to normal?” She turned around as she felt the squirrel jump off her.. and then slap something on her forehead. “Ow!
There.” Risu nodded. “Perfect.”
“What the heck is this?” She touched the paper… it looked like one of those weird Japanese style wards.
“All’s well now! Just don’t let people get too close to you. That illusion will make anyone see what you expect them to see. I’ll find a more permanent solution for you later. You can go to work and nobody would be the wiser.”
The girl wiped her eyes. Go to work… in this body? Would she be able to do that? What if she messed up- what if she didn’t remember what to do? No she could remember it… she had to figure it out. “I- I guess that helps… thanks.”
“Don’ worry kid, we’ll fix this.”
