Ariamis

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

“Banana coins it is then!” Dan answered as he came back, as if he had never left the magical disc jockey’s side, and shook her hand with his surprisingly adhesive fin. He rolled his eyes as Oros fooled around with the soap, having decided to ignore her for now and focus on his new co-commentator.
“Welcome aboard! We’ve got commentator seats and equipment ready at the arena, but I can also help you set up any equipment you might want to use for the matches. Just make sure not to be late, ok?”
Before Paca could answer, he once again teleported away; she had a feeling this was common for the whimsical dolphin to do.

FanFan’s eyebrow raised as she received the ticket, which has turned into an origami. “I wasn’t-!” She protested, but Oros drowned her words with her own, and quickly disappeared, leaving her to puff her cheeks.
“I hope this won’t start a nasty rumor,” she mumbled, and unfolded the ticket to take a better look at it. Just as Oros said, the ticket’s description promised a memorable night with a person of their choosing. She placed it in her pocket, and smiled warmly, heading off to follow her boss.
“Yep, this will do it. Just you wait, Leena...”

---

After some time has passed, the dolphin spoke again on the megaphone, and this time had it connected to loudspeakers that reached other islands as well.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I would now like to announce the start of the Kejio Tournament! Please direct your attention to the nearest broadcast screen!”

At that moment, the screen flickered on, and a chart appeared, listing the matchups for the tournament.

The Keijo Tournament Chart

“Participants, for now you may prepare. But once you are ready, please make your way to the arena for your match,” Dan continued.
“If you’re first to arrive, I will contact your opponent and let them know it’s time to rumble!”

Sally put a finger to her chin, amused by the chart. "Well isn't this interesting..."
Goblina managed to wake up from her drunken stupor, and also check out the announcement.
"Whoa...Queen's gonna be madd..."

Soon, Kimble had rushed back to the feast hall upon hearing the news.

”Wait, who’s Betty?”
As eyes drifted to the girl with the queried name, Kimble quickly walked up to her, a cocky smile on her lips as she put her hands to her hips.
”So you’re Betty, right? Well, no matter who my opponent is, I won’t let them stand in my way of beating Justine! And that includes you!”
She pointed her finger at her confidently.
”So prepare yourself, for I will kick your butt! Well, not literally kick it, but you know what I mean!”

---

In the Beacon practice room, Rachel adjusted her glasses as she examined the chart. "Hmm...Mariette seems to be invested in this outcome. And as I thought, Penny is in..." She gave a mocking laugh.
"Still, it doesn't matter who gets to the end...I will be prepared." She noticed how Kimble left in a rush, and threw her arm in Alicia's direction.
"Thank you for your aid, Alicia. I will now take it from here, so you may go and observe the matches if you wish."
She then turned back to focus on sparring with Violette, who was swiftly knocked into the water.
"Paladin Seraph! "FanFan had approached Alicia. "If you are to spectate the matches, may I accompany you? I wish to see how this supposed sport will play out."

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Dan made a clap of his fins as Pac-a-fist volunteered to commentate on the matches, eliciting a squeak of joy from the dolphin. “Oh, I like your spirit, lady! You’re hired! Would you like your payment in bologna sandwiches or magical coins?” However, before Pac-a-fist could respond, Oros had called out from the crowd.
Dan was mortified by Oros’ heckling, and puffed his cheeks like balloons. “You shouldn’t insult others like that!” He responded, turning red in the face as he teleported up to her with a bar of soap on his fin, dropping it to her hand. “Here, take this. Maybe it will help clean your language.”

He then went back to Ruby to check the applications with her, and then announced over megaphone: “We have now reached enough applicants to form the tournament brackets. However, it is going to take just a little while longer, so keep sending in those applications! You can also start practising for it if you want, with full access to the tropical islands! Thank you for your patience!”

---

Later at the feast, as FanFan was on her own contemplating, she heard Oros’ voice from underneath the table, startling her. The sight of her clown face peering from the darkness was like the opening scene from IT.
“Ah! What is this?” She then blinked as she heard her offer for a trade, and looked at the jacket in her lap.
“Leena...” She sighed, and then nodded, accepting the trade as she gave the jacket away.
“Deal. I do wish to spend some time with her, without all...this. Thank you very much, umm, Miss Oros, correct?"

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@PlatinumSkink

If time runs out, the judges decide the outcome of the match based on performance.

And yeah, judges can call a match to be over at any time.

Edit: here's the chart to OOC:

The Keijo Tournament Chart

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@BrokenPromise

It's there as a safety measure in case a match ends up dragging for too long, for example in the last tournament's finals. Usually matches don't last that long, so no worries.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Keijo tournament rules:

-The winner of the tournament gets the Black Mirror as the prize.
-16 participants are allowed to apply at maximum, with 8 as the minimum.
-Matches are played in brackets, with the winner of one bracket moving on to the next one.
-If participants number at exactly 12, the first bracket is played as a 1v1v1.
-The final match will be played vs Rachel.

Keijo combat rules:
-No use of offensive/weaponized magic. However, magic applied on the player or the environment that doesn't directly attack the opponent are allowed.
-You can only touch your opponent intentionally with your chest, Or your rear. Hips can make non-prolonged contact, for example for a strike or parry.
-Allies are exempt from this rule, and can be touched with hands and legs.
-Falling from the platform into the water or being knocked out is a loss.
-The last person standing on the platform is the winner.
-The time limit is 5 minutes, with exceptions decided by the judge.
-Mandatory swimsuit dress code.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

”Lily? Are you okay?" Justine frantically asked, as Lily came to grips with the pain from the handshake. Even though Alex was ready to defend her from Rachel’s wrath in the case of the worst case scenario, the green-haired girl still felt a shiver of fear, having stood in her way; she had a feeling even he couldn’t prevent the zealous Ascendancy officer from turning her into a human meatball.

”I-I’m fine," Lily answered with a shaky breath, and stood up, taking support from Alex. She saw as Dina approached the two of them and denounced her challenge.

”B-But Mariette needed help, and-!" Lily tried to defend herself, but she felt Dina’s disapproving gaze on her, and was silenced. In her impulsive action to rescue Mariette from the Ascendancy’s ire, she had accepted a deal that could hurt many more than she realized. She frowned, and shirked away.
”I-I understand."

Rachel herself seemed curious at the monstergirl’s chivalry, even as she was slapped. The Inquisitor did not seem to react, having formed a paper-thin barrier on her cheek, making it feel like Dina had struck a stone wall.
However, rather than be furious at such an offense, the Inquisitor looked down at the glove in the floor, and then back at Dina, a mocking look on her lips.
“So you will take responsibility for her foolishness,” she stated.
“For a beast, you understand basic etiquette. Unlike others."

She glanced at Oros, seemingly disgusted by her as she interrupted them. She took an offended gasp as Oros paid attention to the garish jacket she was wearing and made her unwholesome trade offer.
“Do you take me for some weak-willed woman? I take pride in my celibacy!”
Violette stepped in her way, seemingly to prevent Oros from approaching Rachel.
“You stay out of this, jester,” she ordered the taller girl. “The Inquisitor has more important business to attend to.”

Having resumed her attention on Dina, Rachel created a barrier that shot the glove up from the floor, letting her catch it without removing her eyes from the catgirl.
“I accept the offer of substitution for the duel. But know this: your wretched Gomorrah shall fall before the trumpets of faith, no matter who will be my opponent.”

While Rachel was confronted by Finn and the various guests of the party, Dan heard Mariette’s voice subtly speaking to him, and he responded with a whisper of his own:
“Sorry, but I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mariette. Rachel might get mad and destroy my home! But don’t worry, me and Penny came up with a plan to improve our odds!”

With that said, Dan summoned a microphone, and tapped on it lightly.
“Um, a moment, please?”

Rachel stopped walking away, and turned with an irritated expression.
“You test my patience, demon. Out with it!”

Dan visibly sweated bullets.
“Right, right. So, I now announce a new Keijo tournament! Whoever wins gets to have the Black Mirror as the grand prize! Doesn’t that sound exciting!”

However, there were no clapped hands or signs of cheer from the audience, but dead silence, broken by Rachel herself:

“A tournament? I have only agreed to a single duel, no more. Your attempt to complicate this matter is futile.” She scoffed.
“But very well. You may hold this inane proceeding. I will simply duel the contender who has triumphed beyond others, and proven themselves worthy of challenging me.”

Dan’s nose dropped down, drooping like an elephant’s.
“Well, that’s fine, I suppose. Well then everyone, if you’d like to register for the tournament, please apply over with Ruby,” he said, and gave an apologetic look to the djinn girl for heaping more paperwork on her.

Rachel walked briskly back to the table where the Ascendancy had taken their seats. That was when FanFan spoke.

“Umm, Inquisitor...” she was interrupted by Rachel dropping the jacket into her hands.
“Find a use for this. It’s tacky design is ill-fitted for me.”
“Very well. But...” FanFan sighed. “Is it really necessary to erase this dimension?”

Rachel was about to pick up a present box when she stopped. “Of course. This place is but a trap designed to corrupt the magical girls of Penrose into hedonism and vanity. Once I have succeeded at my task I will send an extermination squad immediately.”
FanFan bit her lip.
“But isn’t that too hasty, Inquisitor? Perhaps we could first have it examined, see if it truly does have a corrupting effect as you say? And if not, perhaps we could use it as a base of operations? It would be a safe location at the very least.”

Rachel turned to glare at FanFan.
“FanFan...You’ve become weak.”

FanFan gasped.
“What?”

“You’ve spent too much time with the locals, and let them influence you. I hereby forbid you from meeting with any of the locals without my approval. And this place will be erased. I won’t accept any more questioning of my orders. Understood?” Before FanFan could protest, she had already walked away from the feast hall, speaking to her communicator device:
“I will be bringing the present as you’ve requested for analysis, Elora.” Violette followed after, looking a bit nervous herself. "Umm, so about this Keijo..."

FanFan twirled a finger around one of her hair drills, looking sad as she looked at the jacket draped over her forearm. Then, she subtly glanced over to Ruby.
“...I wonder what Leena would do...”

---

Lily slumped on the table, having buried her face in her arms.

”So Dan’s gonna hold a tournament...I’d usually be all for it, but...”
She sniffled.
”I’ll probably make things worse if I entered..."

Justine sighed, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
”It’s okay, Lily. At least you stopped Rachel from tearing apart the feast hall. You showed admirable bravery out there."

”I guess..." Lily leaned her head to the side. Justine put a finger to her chin, in deep thought.

”Hmm...What if I were to enter this tournament?"

Lily snapped back to attention, a shocked look on her face.

”You, Justy? Really?"

”Well, I may not be the strongest magical girl, but I have a diverse array of skills and experience. That should give me an edge in this competition, as abrasive as it may be. It would be embarrassing, yes...But I would try to make an honest attempt, if only because you’ve inspired me, Lily."

Lily stood up and took her hand, a bright smile on her face; she was still sad, but she made an effort to be supportive of Justine.

”In that case, let’s have you signed up and practising right away! I can show you some basic moves I’ve learned to do!"

---

Kimble looked on as Lily and Justine went to talk with Ruby, a curious expression on her.

”It seems Justine’s decided to try Keijo! Isn’t that crazy?”
She asked Alicia. Then, as if a light bulb had been switched on, her eyes cleared, and she slammed her hand on the table.
”Hey, this might be my chance to get even with Justine! What do you think, Alicia? I bet I could beat a newbie like her in Keijo! After all, even Penny fell before my Butt Gatling technique!”

And then, the feast hall trembled as a certain scream resounded from outside:

"WHAT?!"

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Here's the list for the gifting:

White Elephant Gift Exchange

Chooser order randomized and gifts were selected using a wheel of names to see which they would grab.
The gifts may be traded between characters.
Please direct any questions regarding a gift to @twave

Recipient	Gift	Traded
Eli	A golden ticket to have a fantastic meal and a happy ending. May bring a single guest.	None
Lily	A magic battery. It can store extra magic and shorten the time needed to recover mana.	None
Sakura	An Interdimensional Tourist takes an interest in their plight and seeks to provide their needs.	None
Amanda	An orb of magic sits inside. Looking at it you can tell that it will become the item you most desire.	None
Kimble	Posters for a match of you against a worthy opponent.	None
Mariette	A coin with Melisa's face engraved upon it. It acts as a Hero Token and the doll will be alerted in your time of need. She will arrive just in time to provide aid.	None
Dina	A crystal ball with a shifting image inside. It has the power to make one dream come true.	None
Summer	A coin with Emily's face engraved upon it. It acts as a Hero Token and the girl will be alerted in your time of need. She will arrive just in time to provide aid.	None
Melisa	A large box of chocolates containing every chocolate flavor. Each one has a unique shape.	None
Elora	A set of keys to a home just outside the city. It is magically enchanted to prevent uninvited guests from entering or scrying events inside.	None
Rachel	Inside is a pristinely kept Yakuza jacket.	None
Shane	A 1-Night Stay card for the Golden Trove.	None
Connie	A key to an Interdimensional Home. It is themed how you like and completely safe. If you already have this perk then it upgrades to a full size house.	None
Viva	Three invitations that can be passed out. You will have temporary PoF during that one meeting with those who accept the invitations.	None
Dan	A book of inspirational quotes. Reading the book relieves stress and worry.	None
Penny	A ornate gem with the power of healing, a Healing Artifact.	None
Aria	A magic MP3 player with all music that can adjust its playlist to your mood.	None
Valerie	A small scroll sits inside. Reading the scroll will give you a condensed memory of a single day of your life had you not become a magical person. It doesn't have to be a happy experience, but regardless, it should be moderately cathartic. It's either a gift to know "I'm better off now" or, through the happiness of the memory, it becomes a gift that way. If it's someone who'd just die pretty quickly, then make the memory one from an alternate timeline.	None
Deni	Inside is a big bucket of KFC's finest chicken. It is delicious.	None
Violet	A book of wisdom. Reading through the book grants the Intuition perk.	None
Goblina	A card with the name and number of someone that could be a friend or lover.	None
Betty	A larger box filled with the latest and most powerful parts to build a new computer.	None
Rose	A pearl charm bracelet. It gives a +2 boost to your LCK stat.	None
Aurelio	A reservation to a prestigious restaurant in the Overcity. Some of the best cuisine the multiverse has to offer. May bring a single guest.	None
Silhouette	A collection of luxury teas from around the world.	None
Cassandra	Two all expended paid round trip tickets to wherever you'd like. The trip will feel like a week, but only a day will pass in reality.	None
Kayli	A ticket of resurrection. Use will call Cassandra to resurrect a magical girl with her patron's power at the cost of a Gold coin. Single use.	None
Shion	A box of the best tea ever made.	None
Oros	A gift card that grants you access to any venue in order to have a memorable night with someone special.	None
Alicia	Finds a DVD containing every single season, movie, TV special and videogame of Sailor Moon inside the box.	None
Hilaria	A heart shaped candy. Eating the candy causes one dream to come true.	None
Emily	A pin shaped like a four leaf clover. It gives a +2 boost to your LCK stat.	None
Alex	A magical wand that is able to turn into anything small that you may be needing at this moment. Like the key to the door you're next to, a flashlight, a microphone, a telephone, a transmitter, anything of decently small size that is mundane. You don't need to understand how whatever it turns into works, it just needs to be small enough, and not a weapon. The item denies weapons. Tiny shields are fine, though. If whatever it's turned into needs electricity or some other form of power, assume it has it, although even if each time it transforms it recharges it doesn't have an infinite amount of it.	None
FanFan	Inside is the most delicious cake you've ever had.	None
Mia	A big red button. Pushing the button moves the user far out of the current danger to prevent being followed or easily returning. Functions like Retrieval.	None
Iris	The small box contains a super comfy sweater. It is magically enchanted to be everlasting.	None
Eliza	A toga. However it actually can change it's appearance to any kind of clothing the user wants.	None

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Lily stumbled and ended up in Alex’ arms, burying her face in his chest before looking up at him with a dizzy smile.

”I, uh...forgot," She admitted, before managing to compose herself again with a sigh.
”I’m so used to speeding up time instead of slowing down. I guess I still got some training to do with that."

Justine walked up to the two, looking a bit better after a couple of deep breaths.
”That was reckless of you, Lily. But, I must admit it was rather exciting," she spoke, her cheeks having turned a shade of red.
”My heart is still beating fast."
Lily smiled back with a bit of joy, still hugging Alex.
”I’m glad you had fun, Justine! That’s the most important thing of all!"

She turned to look at Dan as he announced the winners, clapping her hands as Finn and Betty received their prizes. She looked quizzical at Alex asking about food served on Christmas.

”Oh, you have no idea, Alex!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.
”My old mom used to cook all kinds of delicious food on Christmas! There’s ham and chicken with gravy, and porridge, and sugary pastries, and lots of cute cookies-Eeeee!"
She squealed in delight before somethng took hold of her, and she in turn took hold of his hand.
She looked concerned.

”I saw Hilaria at the lodge. We gotta go, before she gets there and empties the table! You too, Justy!"

”I look forward to seeing what our quaint host has prepared to serve us,"
Justine added, and followed after Lily as she took to free-spirited jog.

---

After some time, the feast hall began to pick up with the voices of various people as they attended the festivities that were to be held there. Some new people seemed to have arrived, like Goblina, who greeted Penny once she had arrived.
“Sorry for taking so long before joining you, Your Highness,” she apologized, and shoved a glass of ale to her hand. “I’ll make up for it up by partying hard!” She then downed her drink, and was already pouring herself another before Penny could respond. Penny also noticed Rachel far in the distance, seemingly minding her own business as she conversed with FanFan and Violette.

---

Upon arrival, Lily was given a present box by Ruby, who had dutifully also given the other party guests their presents.

Once everyone intending to join was present Dan made his first announcement.

“Now then, let’s start this feast with a bang, starting with the White Elephant! You may start trading and opening your presents! Ruby here will answer any questions you may have!” He gestured to the red-haired girl.

Lily moved her box around, and listened to the insides.
”So I can either trade this with someone else or open it, right?"
Lily asked to confirm the rules, and Ruby nodded with a kind smile. Justine, who hadn’t participated, seemed to slightly regret her decision as she saw countless other present boxes held by various other people, and bit her lip. She then shrugged it off.
”Well Lily, have you decided yet how-" She turned around, only to realize that Lily had already opened it, causing her to blink.

”Oh, I feel like a kid again! What did I get, what did I get...Huh?"
She peered inside, and picked up a fancy letter from inside.
”I thought there was something heavier inside...I guess that’s to hide the contents."
She then opened the letter, and read the note, which had a message written in sparkling ink, but without a name:

”My gift for you is some new equipment, whatever fits you."

Upon uttering the words, the magic of the Christmas wish manifested, as golden light burst out of the box in a spectacular display, before it settled, and Lily saw something appear in it. She picked it up, and gasped in surprise:
The object resembled a battery, with a golden lightning symbol emblazoned upon it’s cylinder. It also included a cable, as well as a black strap.

”No way! Is this some kind of artifact?"

Lily equipped the battery to her arm, and the moment she did so, she jumped a bit as she felt the battery take effect. She soon realized that the battery could store some of her mana for later use, as well as shorten the time needed to recover it.

”I got so much energy, I feel like the Duracell bunny!"
She screamed, and began running in place.

”Whoever gave me this gift, thank you so much!" She yelled into the feast hall.

Meanwhile, FanFan opened her present box.

“Oh, I’m a bit nervous...” She muttered, as she read the anonymous note in hers.

”My gift for you is a cake."

Once again golden light blasted out, and the box spread open, revealing a large cake box, containing a cake of master-class; with countless layers, silky white cream, and strawberries so fresh they almost glowed with life. Even from beyond the box, a sweet sugary scent emanated, promising a taste of the very best pastry.

“Oh, how wonderful! I do so love cake~” She swooned over her gift, and took a picture of it with her smartphone. “I simply need to show Magical Dream Princess this adorable cake~”.

Next up was Kimble, who happily opened her box, showing no hesitation.

”Let’s see if it’s a gift from you, Alicia~” She teased, and read the note inside.

”My gift for you is a...worthy opponent?!"

Before Kimble could even think about what she had read out loud, the magic of the wish had become manifest, in the form of a rolled-up poster.

Kimble looked down at it, looking afraid. She slowly reached down towards it.

”C-Could it be...?"

She closed her eyes as she unrolled the poster, and then opened her eyes, gasping with her mouth wide open:

It was a radical poster, featuring two magical girls facing each other dramatically, with flames and explosions in the background. On the left was Kimble, but on the other side was a black, featureless silhouette. Then, she read what was written in red, bombastic font:

“THE MATCH OF THE MILLENNIUM! KIMBLE VS. A WORTHY OPPONENT! GRUDGE MATCH! BE THERE, OR BE SQUARE!”

Then in smaller print at the very bottom: “Place this poster on a wall, and you may face any worthy opponent in a battle or competition of your choice.”

Kimble held the poster in her hands, and then looked over to Alicia.

”So I can pick anyone I want to fight?" She asked, and then moved the poster sideways, examining it more.

”That’s...An unusual Christmas gift. I wonder who wished for this."

She looked around the feast hall, and happened to spot a certain someone in the crowd.

”Hm...I wonder..."

Goblina seemed tipsy by the time she had downed her fortieth glass, and fumbled a bit with the opening of her own present.

“Let’ssshh shhee whath we got...”

She squinted at the paper as she attempted reading the message.

“My gift for you ish to fhind a ghood friend or phossibly a...lurv...liver.”

Golden light showered up, and Goblina then picked up a card decorated with a both a smiley face and a heart symbol.

“Oh, I gotshh a name and nhumber! Ghonna call themm, tell themm I like...dhrinking...and....livers...” Her face smashed into the table, as she quickly passed out in her drunken stupor.

Even Dan had joined in the event, and rubbed his fins together in anticipation.

“Oh boy oh boy, I wonder what kind of gift I got!” He squeaked, and read the note from his box.

“My wish is for you to relax and be at peace.”

In a flash of golden light, a book appeared in the box. Dan picked it up and read it’s cover:

“‘Carpe Diem: Inspirational Quotes To Help You Relieve Stress And Worry.’”

For a moment, Dan looked down as he flipped the pages...And then squaked in joy. “‘Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.’ Yes! I’m so happy!” He hugged the book with his fins. “To get to read words of wisdom across the history of the mortal world, it’s wonderful!”

He then floated up, a microphone on his other hand.

“Now then, I hope that the gift you gave to someone also gave you that special, warm feeling in your heart. Let us now proceed to announcing the winners of the snowman building and ice sculpting contests.” He floated over the tables, looking around as he continued speaking.
‘Like with the Wacky Race, I was so proud to see how many of you have participated, and brought forth so much creativity and love to the appreciation of winter.”

He clapped his fins, and up in the air a magical projector screen appeared, showing the various snowmen and other snow statues they have made.

“It was very difficult to pick a winner among all these amazing contributions to arctic art. However, there was one snow creation that truly expressed the passion, the drive, the will to show what a world mere snow can bring you to. The winner of the snowman contest is, without a doubt…” He paused for dramatic tension.

“...The snowdragon by Betty, Hilaria, and Stien!” The projector showed the snowdragon, and even had it animate with an audible roar and a breath of icy flames on the screen as he clapped with the audience. “Your prize is a Silver coin! Congratulations!” He said, and handed the coins out to the three.

“Next up is the winner of the ice sculpting contest. Once again, it was difficult to pick just one among so many beautiful works of glacial grandness, each one worthy of having a space in a gallery. But there was one entry that was not a mere chunk of frozen water given shape, but a celebration of the beauty that ice can bestow. Thus, the winner is: Tullia and her carousel of ice!”
Dan shook Tullia’s hand, and gave her a Silver coin.
“Congratulations!”

That was when the lights in the feast hall slightly dimmed. Dan seemed to calm down, as he now floated higher up.

“There has been so much joy and fun in here, with everyone here showing so much Christmas spirit. However, the one who has shown the most Christmas spirit, is my friend Mariette.” Once again, the spotlight shone on Mariette. A plushie appeared in his fins, and he hugged it.
“Now, after all them miracles she has granted us, I have one last miracle of my own.”

He clapped his fins, and a gigantic present box appeared in a puff of blue smoke, right next to the throne at the back of the room. It was no surprise to Mariette what it contained.

”Merry Christmas, Mariette!” Dan shouted out, and fireworks seemed to blast out from behind the throne.

However, just as Mariette was about to claim the box-

“Stop right there!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to look at who had raised their voice, and witnessed Rachel, who was now standing in the middle of the hall; her hands were balled up into fists, and her eyes were aflame with wrath. She was accompanied by Violette, who shared in the Inquisitor’s conviction, and FanFan with less enthusiasm.

“The Black Mirror is a cursed Horror Relic!” She shouted, pointing at Mariette.
“By Beacon’s divine will, I decree it to be contraband, and to be immediately taken into Beacon jurisdiction!”

Dan seemed to slightly panic. “N-Now hold on. I promised Mariette I would give the mirror-”

“Silence, demon!” Rachel yelled. “Your word means nothing here! Now, give the mirror up, or you will face the consequences!”

She summoned her magical weapon; instead of a hammer, it was a paper mache star on the end of a stick. However, Dan knew that simply changing the weapon to something non-lethal would do little to stop a powerhouse like her, especially after witnessing Penny’s outburst. He thought about stopping Rachel before she turned violent, but then felt Odin’s eyes on him; he didn’t want to anger the Deity. So he could only float in place, sweating big cartoony sweatdrops from his brow.

Rachel started walking, coming closer and closer. For a moment, the tension in the feast hall was at an all-time high, until someone spoke up:

”S-Stop!"

It was Lily, who had stepped in her way, spreading her arms to the sides.

“Out of my way!” Rachel barked, but Lily stood her ground.

”No! I’m not going to let you ruin this Christmas party!"

“The nerve!” Rachel gripped her weapon tighter, as if she was about to smack Lily with it.

”Why are you defending this witch? If you don’t move aside, I’ll have you arrested for colluding with horrors and obstructing Beacon’s duties!"

”Don’t you call Mariette a witch!" Lily snapped back.
”S-She’s...My friend! I know we’re not in the best of terms...And I know the Black Mirror could do something bad in the wrong hands...But If Mariette is going to do something bad, I’ll stop her! Because that’s what friends do! They help each other from making mistakes!" She glanced back at her.

”Not that you’d know anything about friends! You’re just a big bully who tramples on others just because you can! You’re nothing but a coward!"

Rachel’s teeth were bared as she now shook with fury.

”How dare you! I’m an Inquisitor! Beacon’s divine will made manifest! My bravery knows no limits, my devotion no bounds!"

Lily looked nervous, but then nodded to herself; she got Rachel just where she wanted.

”Is that really true? Well, we can settle this, once and for all!" She pointed at Rachel.

”I challenge you...To Keijo!" Everyone gasped, including Dan, who’s jaw had now reached the floor.

”If I win, then you’ll give up on the Black Mirror, and leave Dan’s home! Are you a coward, or are you really as brave as you say?"

Rachel adjusted her glasses as she looked down on the green-haired girl, her rage having shifted to sheer befuddlement.

“Keijo? What in Beacon's holy name are you talking about?”

Violette chimed in. “Apparently it’s a contest of might between magical girls. The two share a single platform, and victory is by ringout or knockout. However-”

Rachel lifted a hand to stop Violette without looking at her, and continued staring at Lily.

“So, a competition of strength...” Then, she laughed in mockery.

“Ridiculous. To think that you even have a chance of winning in a battle of power...Very well. I accept.”

Violette gasped. “But Inquisitor, you don’t unders-”

“HOWEVER,” Rachel once again interrupted her subordinate.

“If I win, then not only will I have the Black Mirror, but I will also take hold of this demon’s den of debauchery, and have it erased. Do you accept these conditions?” She asked, now having desummoned her weapon, holding a hand out to Lily.

Lily bit her lip as she looked at it, and then sighed, before grabbing and shaking the hand.

“O-okay! But you have to promise!”

Rachel shook the hand, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically as Lily winced from pain.

“Of course. I will give my word as Inquisitor to uphold this agreement. Not that it matters.” She threw her hand away, causing Lily to crouch down and inspect it; it was red, and swollen around the fingers. Justine ran over to check up on her. Rachel scoffed, and looked disgusted.

“For you will break, and confess of your empty pride.”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Lily observed as the elementally opposed girls passed them, and then gasped.

”Oh, it’s Mayra! I recognize her from Mariette’s place! She’s kind of a hothead, tee hee!"

”I also saw Mariette participate in the race, so some of her henchmen must have also followed!" Justine added.
”I think the proper term is henchwomen." Lily responded , seemingly ignorant of the incoming stretch of ice shards. Justine momentarily lifted the sled to slide on its side to avoid the hazard before slamming it down, causing Lily to yelp in surprise.

”Eyes on the road, Lily! We’re almost at the goal!"

”Whoops! Ok, got it! Time to push this into overdrive!"

Lily’s eyes began to glow as she collected energy within her body, causing her Christmas hat to turn pointy from the static. When they passed the final turn towards the final straight line, the goal within sight, she released her spell.

”SPEEDY SLED SPARK!"

As if the sled was shot from a gauss cannon, the sled was launched at high speeds, no longer touching the snow. Everyone on the sled felt the G-forces pulling them back, with Justine particularly pained, folding her wings. They managed to pass Mayra and Victoria, and even Mariette, who until then had been in the lead with her very haphazard yet swift skiing.
They passed the finish line in first place...And kept going. Justine began to panic.

”Lily, stop the sled!"

Lily looked around, biting her lip.
”How? It doesn’t have brakes!"

Lily stopped the spell, but the sled’s momentum continued carrying them alarmingly fast towards a line of trees at the stretch beyond the finish line. She attempted a sharp turn on the sled, only for it to start spinning wildly.

”Aaahhh!"

However, the spinning finally ended, and the sled’s crew managed to avoid hitting the trees.
Once Alex released the two, they wobbled out of the sled with shaky legs. Lily’s eyes spun comically as she she held her hands out to balance herself.

”Wheee….That was...fun..." She muttered, before falling down.

Justine meanwhile held a hand to her mouth, also looking nearly ready to collapse.

”I think I feel a bit, ugh, sick..."

Mariette was the second to reach the finish line. After the finish line, she disappeared through a portal, appearing up in the sky. She dropped down to another portal connected to sturdy ground, managing to stop in a controlled manner. She hadn’t considered that by doing so she could forfeit the race, but more than anything, she was glad to have survived the trip unscathed.

They were followed by Oros in third place, having somehow managed to ride all the way down the hill with great speed, and in clown style nonetheless. Mia and Shane, who had managed to catch up, managed to barely scrape past Finn and Betty for fourth place, leaving them in fifth. Deni and Eli casually rode down for sixth place. Then, a yeti riding a snowboard immediately followed, carrying both Dina on its back, reaching seventh place. Finally, Jelena reached the finish line at eight place, seemingly not as interested in winning as she was watching after Victoria and Mayra, who took the last places of ninth and tenth in the race, in no small thanks to stumbling over each other in their heated rivalry. However, in the heated battle between them, it was unclear which one was the last.

Dan appeared in a puff of smoke, waving a red flag in cheer.

“And that’s the Wacky Race for ya, folks! What an exciting competition that was, with so many racers! Now, before I announce the winners, I would like to first like to thank you all for showing such passion and initiative for this event, and how all-most of you had good sportsmanship about it!” By this point Lily had managed to sit up again, still feeling woozy but able to listen in as Dan spoke.

“Now, the winners of the Wacky Race are...” the sound of drumrolls could be inexplicably heard in the distance. “Finn and Betty, who had reached fifth place out of ten! Congratulations!”
He teleported to the two, and gave each of them a coin. It was seemingly made of an ice-like crystal, and depicted a Snowbun on the face. “Your rewards are Snowbun coins! With these coins, you may gain the Snowbun Perk, allowing you to summon a pet Snowbun anywhere and anytime you like! Whoo! Now, I have an announcement to make.”

He summoned a red megaphone decorated with Christmas imagery, and spoke through it; his voice seemed to carry throughout the island and inside the lodge, but not due to the volume of voice but rather projecting the voice through the space.

“I would like to invite you all to dinner, soon to be held at the feast hall in the lodge. There we will also hold the White Elephant gift exchange. My lovely assistant Ruby will give you further instructions. See you there!” And with that, Dan waved to everyone and addressed Dina. He seemed a bit sweaty at seeing her distressed reaction.
“Oh, hi Dina! You need not worry, there was just a little, um, incident, but it’s resolved now! Also, I gotta prepare for White Elephant, so I’ll be heading to the lodge now, Bye!” He then disappeared, as if wanting to avoid having to talk to his own magical girl.

---

Kimble frowned as Dina left them.

”Aww, I wanted to talk with her some more. I guess there was trouble with her Patron...again...” She mumbled, reminiscing about the beach vacation. She then perked up as Alicia mentioned taking a picture. Kimble seemed really enthused about the idea, bringing up her hands in little fists and breathing heavily.
”Yeah! We should take a picture! One of us, one of everyone, maybe a couple of selfies...”

Kimble’s words were interrupted by Dan’s voice emanating through the lodge, having announced dinner to be held over at the feast hall. She then blinked, having got an idea.

”Do you think Penny has a camera function? We should ask her!”

---

Dan soon appeared in the lodge, before the closed doors to the feast hall. With a simple magic spell, the massive doors opened, revealing a wondrous sight: a massive feast hall, not unlike the one seen in the Harry Potter movies, stretched out, with four long tables. The walls were decorated with tapestries of Dan-themed heraldry, and the ceiling seemed to have an illusion of snowflakes falling down, disappearing before they reached halfway down. Massive windows painted a landscape of the snowy world and the ocean beyond, showing how the sun had begun to set.

The two tables at the sides had been prepared with full-course meals of both meat and vegetables, appeasing even ravenous appetites. The two tables at the middle, however, did not have food. Instead, they held present boxes. They were of different sizes, with differently colored wrapping paper, and a unique name tag to each one. Ruby went over to the tables, ready to hand out the sealed presents to the participants of the gift exchange as agreed with Dan.

“Ack!”

However, as soon as the Lesser Force was done with the spell, he turned to see a spherical object decorated with glowing runes shot through the open doors of the lodge, curving with amazing trajectory and velocity and hitting the dolphin right in his bottlenose. Odin soon appeared, clearly not amused by his recent antics.

“Mphhhmmmphhhmm!” Dan spoke in a muffled voice with a lifted fin, and then realized his words were muffled by the ball. As he pulled it off, his face was cartoonishly caved in by the impact of the divine spear in a less lethal form.

“My apologies for the intrusion, Lord Odin,” Dan spoke politely, despite still possessing deformed qualities. He reached into his face with his fin, and like a rubber toy, pulled his nose out, restoring him to normal. “These girls face a life of battle out there, and I only wish to offer them momentary repose, not too similarly to how you offer your faithful chosen seats at Valhalla. However, you make a good point about giving them some freedom to sort out their own conflicts, and I will take that into consideration in future incidents. Thank you for your wisdom.” He then bowed. “With that said, would you like to sit on my throne over at the feast hall? There’s plenty of meat going around.” He gestured to beyond the door. “It has the best view, not to mention it’s right next to a couple of kegs of hearty ale too,” he added, zapping a little spell to make a stack of kegs appear there.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

”O-Oh?!"

Lily visibly exclaimed upon feeling Alex’ tails wrap around her on the sled, securing her in place. While she did expect him to use his magic to improve the sled, the improvised seatbelt was not included among them. She smiled widely with a blush.

”Thank you, Alex. You're so considerate~ Now make sure Justine gets fluffy tails too."
Justine nodded to Alex’ note about the sled, very hesitant in her expression.
”He’s right, I’ll just be in the way-"

”Dan, can you extend our sled a bit?"

“Sure thing!” The dolphin answered immediately, and with a bolt of magic the sled turned longer to accommodate Justine and an Alex clone. Justine looked like she was about to protest, but then sighed with an uneasy smile, and stepped in, allowing Alex’ clone to secure her as well.
”I hope I won’t regret this..."

Dan waved a red flag, signaling the start of the race. As soon as it did, all the racers were off, including Lily’s group.

”Alright, let’s see how fast we can get! Accel Gear!"
Lily yelled out as she cast her spell, infusing the sled with a combination of of Time and Lightning magic, magnetizing its bottom and ridding it of traction, while accelerating the momentum of the sled to immense speed. Like a rocket, the sled practically blasted off, causing a lurching feeling Alex has gotten used to but Justine visibly irked at as they were off.

The sled easily passed the other racers, but soon got into trouble with the first turn.
Lily leaned to the side, trusting in Alex’ tails to keep her on board as the sled managed to alter its momentum. However, the next turn was coming too close for her to turn in time. They were speeding right towards a rock.

”Uh oh, we’re gonna crash!"

”Rgh...Hold on!"

Justine spread her wings as she lifted the sled, and managed to hop over the rock, landing back on the course as it turned back.

”There...We’re still on track!"

Lily gave a thumbs up.

”Thanks Justine! But wow, this is so exciting! Did you see those two? They totally made the course super hard! It’s gonna be a bumpy ride, whoo!!"

She continued commandeering their hazardous vessel through the magical race, having reached second place so far. Mariette got a headstart, soon overtaken by Mayra and Victoria as the two began a battle mid-race, damaging the slope with melted puddles and jagged ice, making it difficult even for a seasoned racer and slowing them down. Jelena was behind, following Mayra and Victoria. Deni and Eli were the last ones in the race at first, but were steady as they performed synchronic skiing, easily passing any obstacles in their way and passing the squabbling girls.

---

Meanwhile, Dan himself had crossed his arms as he looked over to MDP, shaking his head with a heavy sigh as Penny walked off without apologizing.
“Magical Dream Princess, what Oros did was bad, but it doesn’t justify the use of violence. You are magical girls, so you can talk it out without resorting to punching each other. You also need to learn to stand up for yourself. There's nothing more cool than being hugged by someone you like, but if another magical girl tries to kiss or touch you in a place or in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, that's no good! It's your body! No one has the right to touch you if you don't want them to! So, what do you do? First, you say, "No!", then, you get out of there! Most importantly, you've gotta tell someone you trust, like a magical girl friend, or your Patron!”

He grimaced as Oros accused him. “Hey, I do care! You’re the one who needs to care more!” He then grunted, rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger. “But you apologized properly, so as promised, I’ll end the spell on you.” He snapped his fingers, and the clown nose disappeared. “But next time I won’t be so forgiving. Also, you are hereby forbidden from coming within two meters of Magical Dream Princess.” Oros now saw how a blue line only she could see was now drawn to the ground around MDP. ”It will repel you if you attempt to approach her. Now, I hope you will behave from now. Goodbye.” And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.