The violin gently cradled within my hands was the same as it always had been. A masterful carved instrument made of wood, yet simplistic in its elegance with little material wasted in embellishing it. If someone ignored the strings which glowed with the telltale soft purple lights of an enchantment, one meant for durability so the strings never had to be replaced, it might’ve been believable that it was a purely non-magical piece.

Once upon a time, I had relished any chance I could get to play it. These days however, I never touched it outside of when I needed to for my orchestra class.

For a long while, I simply stared at it. I had long since finished making sure it was properly tuned and that it was ready for today. Any and all preparations I could think of were taken care of, and yet it was only when I was nudged from the side that I tore my gaze away from it and towards my left where the friendly hazel eyes of my seatmate and one of the two friends I had sat within the currently still shuttle.

“Oi Mer, don’t go all staring off into the void again on me now.” Came the teasing voice of Gail. “If only because I think you might manage to send your violin back out of tune if you keep on staring at it like that.”

One of my eyebrows rose as I stared at him now instead, the goofy smile plastered on his face and messy dirty blonde hair being only a few of the differences he had with everyone else on the shuttle. Gail was dressed in a casual polo and shorts combo with only the open dark green jacket he wore bearing any signifier that he was indeed a part of the school we went to, Oakford Academy. The small Oak emblazoned on the front of it stood as proud as he did even as the teachers were telling him off for pushing the more casual uniform restrictions we had today.

“I don’t think I’m quite capable of making that happen just yet with my gaze alone.” I deadpanned.

Gail just rolled his eyes, though his smile didn’t wane. “Come on, you know what I mean. Now come on, get your violin packed back in its case because the teachers are just doing one final check-in and once that’s done, we get nearly the entire day free to explore, only having hour-long performances at noon and later in the evening. I still can’t believe it. Instead of spending our day in our boring ol’ classes, we get to enjoy our time at a theme park instead. Aren’t you excited?!”

No, I thought to myself. Not in the least.

I didn’t say that though, instead letting a light smile fall onto my face instead while I carefully packed my violin away into its case. “Of course, I’m just a bit nervous about it.” I lied.

Gail nodded amiably while he put a hand on my shoulder. “That’s more than fine and honestly a little reassuring that even you can feel some nerves. Buuuuut, letting your nerves stir all day won’t do you any good you know. Relax a bit, enjoy your time here. Wouldn’t want your twin finding out you spent your day at a theme park not having fun.”

I kept my face from twitching and the light smile I had on from fading at his mention of my twin. Why did he have to mention her now of all times?

“Okay.” I kept my answer short and sweet, not trusting myself to say anything more eloquent than that right now without letting anything bleed through. Normally I’d have been able to handle it and would’ve responded to him with the usual banter he liked to engage in with me. But with where we were to be today, there were so, so many reminders of her interests that thinking of anything related to her tore at me more than I expected.

Gail just brightly smiled at me, seemingly oblivious to my inner turmoil. “Good, because I’d hate to have to try and get ahold of her while she’s still doing that super cool apprenticeship of hers. I don’t think I’d hear the end of it from her if I failed in making sure you enjoyed your time here of all places and then called her about it.”

I gave him a conciliatory nod and let the conversation between us fall into a slightly uneasy lull as Gail stared at me as if he expected me to say something. I bore his confused gaze without a word while the shuttle we were on gradually began to slow down as we reached our destination. The Magical Girl and Guardian theme park, or MGG for short.

The on the nose name was awkward at best when said aloud and in full, but it got the theme park’s theme across with a sort of directness that nobody could misunderstand.

Ignoring Gail for the moment, I turned to face the window of the shuttle on my right. Outside lay a cutesily designed station filled with references towards a Magical Girl whose own likeness by way of a hologram gestured towards it with an open hand.

Said figure was Magical Girl Sunshine, one of the most prominent ones in the world and one of the few whose name came easily to me. Her face shone with her radiant smile and sunset colored eyes, cloaked by her blonde hair that seemed to shine with its own light. Garbed in a long creamy yellow and white dress that made an attempt to monopolize frills throughout the world and leaning against an oversized maul whose head was the same color as her dress that seemed glued to the ground, it was said that her very presence was enough to uplift the spirits of entire cities that she passed through and bring a smile to all the people within them.

I idly wondered if that was actually true or just an exaggeration, her hologram certainly didn’t seem to share said ability and people were wont to take things out of context.

She was a Magical Girl though, if anyone would really have such a thing it’d be them. They and Magical Guardians, colloquially known as MG's, were the very best of us.

Behind the shuttle station, aptly named Sunshine One, laid the elegantly decorated walls and natural barriers that kept visitors from seeing into the theme park while they were still outside of it. With one exception made for an extravagant roller coaster filled with all sorts of death defying twists and turns.

I could almost imagine the faint sounds of screaming that would be emanating from the chariot shaped train currently riding along the track, stopped both by the distance and the shuttle itself. I made a note of the roller coaster within my head as something I’d probably be dragged onto at some point today. Better to expect it than be surprised when it happened.

“Attention students!” A stern sounding voice snapped me out of my musings and cut through the din of everyone else talking. I turned to look towards the front of the shuttle where the orchestra teacher in charge of both the strings and woodwinds sections, Mr. Gin, stood. The man looked just as his voice sounded with short black hair neatly combed and styled with a clean shaven face and professional looking suit, if a bit on the shorter side. He was mostly fine, and he was the good kind of strict that pushed you forwards instead of pushing you down.

Not that it particularly mattered in the end to me.

He continued on. “Remember, you are still students of Oakford Academy while you are here. Don’t let me hear any reports of mischief concerning you lot. Other than that, you all have about an hour before check-ins begin. After which, you’ll all have half-an-hour to gather up and check-in at the backstage of the central plaza’s stage. You’re all good kids, but remember to stick with your chaperones and groups. And we’ll take care of transporting your instruments there so leave them on your seats for us to collect and bring over.”

He paused for a moment, his face softening ever so slightly. “You’ve all worked hard for this moment, so have some fun and when it’s time let’s make some music for everyone here to enjoy!” He said to which some cheers echoed throughout the shuttle, Gail joining in. His face snapped back to sternness though with his next words. “Course, if I find out one of you lot aren’t there on time without a good reason, I’ll personally oblige your informal request to find out just how far I can push the punishments without outright suspending you. You all hear me?”

A chorus of “yes sirs” echoed out throughout the shuttle and he gave a satisfied nod before gesturing to the driver who promptly opened the doors. Everyone took that as their cue to begin leaving, doing so in a somewhat disorganized cue.

I and Gail were more towards the back which left me with plenty of time to gingerly place my violin back within its case where it snugly slid within. For a moment I stared at it while gently caressing the glowing strings. It was such a strange contradiction within myself that I could plainly see. Even thinking of playing with the instrument was something I didn’t wish to do, and yet when I beheld it, I couldn’t help but gaze at it.

I forced myself to close the case and stood up before laying it on my seat. Dwelling on the why of that matter wouldn’t do me any good.

Gail was already standing in the aisle with his own oboe already in its case and on his seat, just waiting on the other students ahead of him. When I joined him in waiting gave me a smile like I hadn’t failed to respond to him not long ago. I didn’t particularly get why, but he was a friend in a way that many of those who called themselves my friends weren’t so I didn’t question it too much. Even when I was the one at fault.

Soon enough though, we all had exited the shuttle and the doors to it closed behind us with a soft hiss.

My attention was swiftly regained by Gail giving me a wink before grabbing my arm and beginning to half-drag me forwards where everyone else was heading to meet up with the other half of the class whose shuttle had dropped them off at the station ahead of us, the brass and percussion students. Not that I particularly minded or fought against the motion when it kept in check a certain auburn-haired girl I had no interest in talking with who I could feel staring at the back of my neck.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The moment we came into sight, another girl that I much preferred the company of dashed towards us with a laugh and open arms. She wore the normal uniform for the academy for girls, a dark green blazer over a white shirt and a pleated black skirt. With the one piece missing being the standard tie. Her neatly braided hair was nearly the same brown as her eyes, though it did its best to mimic the duties of said tie however. “There you two are, I was beginning to think you both were content to leave me with the brassheads and cymbalcrashers.”

Gail moved towards her first and they lightly hugged each other. “Hah Holly, aren’t you, yourself, a brasshead? And you sure the percussionists won’t chase you down for that comment either?”

Holly grinned up at him while they separated. “Yeah, but I’m a different breed of brasshead, you know? And the cymbalcrashers know well enough that they aren’t escaping that name after the incident for as long as I can help it.” She said before peering back behind her at the simultaneously annoyed and amused look of a boy. “Ain’t that right?”

The boy merely groaned before turning back to his own group who laughed at his plight. Holly just let out a giggle before turning towards me.

A glimmer of hesitation passed her face in an instant, so fast that I could almost convince myself I didn’t see it, before she too approached me with open arms. “And here’s the star of our performance tonight. I’m glad your dad didn’t stop you from joining us today Mer.”

For half a second I considered not reciprocating, not feeling particularly up to doing so even with a friend, before forcing that same light smile on my face and hugging her back. Her grip was light like a breeze and we separated quite a bit faster than she and Gail had, her seemingly understanding I wasn’t particularly feeling it here. “I’m glad my father didn’t either. You do however realize I’m not performing a solo, but a duet, right?”

Holly simply smirked at me. “No offense to Charles buuuuuut, he’s frankly nowhere near as good as Noe-” She paused and her smirk fell slightly mid-sentence before she continued onwards. “Your previous partner was. Seriously, it might as well be a solo for you.”

Inwardly I still frowned at the near mention of my sister. It wasn’t like I had ever told either of them not to mention her here though.

Holly also wasn’t exactly wrong. Compared to her, Charles was a night and day difference and someone whose name had incidentally found itself one that I remembered by the numerous struggles he had that had inadvertently affected me by proxy.

She probably would’ve even played her part better than normal by sheer virtue of this being the MGG park too. She idolized them and her smile whenever she talked about them was a radiant thing.

I blinked before realizing a moment of silence had passed with a hint of worry creeping into both of my friends' eyes. That wouldn’t do, but before I could say anything to try and distract them the sharp voice of a woman that shouldn’t have had any business with us cut in behind me.

“Miss Kale, don’t you think speaking ill of your fellow students here of all places is quite the insult?”

I felt a prick of annoyance flow throughout me when I turned to face them. The severe auburn-haired woman garbed in a dark purple dress was one I was unfortunately familiar with, alongside her daughter from constant dinner parties I attended at the behest of my father.

I didn’t let any of that show however while I schooled a neutral look upon my face. “Ah, Mrs. Harmony, I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm with her words.”

The older woman didn’t seem phased by my words at all. “Nonetheless, such words bring bad omens and are a bad influence upon you. What would your father think if such things unduly affected your own actions?”

I could easily imagine Holly grinding her teeth or the sharper look the normally genial Gail must be giving her, though I still kept up my polite facade. “I appreciate your worry, but I know better than to let her words affect my own thoughts and do not believe Charles’s own skill is in any way, shape, or form inferior.”

Before any rebuke or questioning could come for my baldfaced lie, I shifted the topic. “While you are here though, might I inquire with you to ask Mrs. Kale to join us? She was to be our chaperone for the day and I know you too are a chaperone for your own group.”

A vicious smile grew on the older woman's face. “Ah, there was a slight change of plans regarding that. Considering her greater experience in handling kids through previous events she chaperoned, it was decided she would take over my original group of six and I would take on her group of three.” She said while gesturing towards Holly’s mother whose smile I noticed was ever so slightly strained as she talked to her new group which notably had Mrs. Harmony’s own daughter. The same girl who’d been staring at me, alongside Charles, within it.

“Of course, if either Miss Kale or Mister ‘Hardbone’, sorry, Harbun, want to, I can talk to her and correlate a swap before we head in.” Outwardly I nodded while inwardly I seethed ever so slightly. What an unsurprising course of action from her, and yet it still vexed me how she was pushing either of my friends to swap so that either her daughter or Charles could take their place. Leaving unsaid how if I were to request the same thing she would find some way to deny me.

Just like how nearly everyone else would do it if they were in her place too for their own children or friends' children to connect them with me, and thus my father, my mind whispered to me unbidden.

I wouldn’t even blame either of my friends if they took her up on it too. The woman loved to control just about every aspect she could in her plans and would undoubtedly not care to adapt her plans to us, unlike Holly’s mother who’s goal would always be making sure we enjoyed ourselves first and foremost. I would be fine with it since I didn’t care much for being here in the first place, but I knew both Holly and Gail had spent hours planning out what we would be doing today and they knew well enough what Mrs. Harmony was like too.

She might as well have taken their painstakingly built plans and burnt them and any signs of them having existed too. It would not be an enjoyable time for either of them.

But I knew the both of them well enough to know exactly what their responses to her would be without needing to even glance back at them. The two truly were gems in a sea of coal. It was a crime that neither of them had been chosen to become a Magical Girl/Guardian, but that was just how fate works sometimes.

“As… unfortunate as it is Mrs. Harmony, I think I’d rather stay here.” Gail’s voice came with just a hint of an edge to it.

Holly’s voice echoed him a second after. “Same here. I’m sure my mom will appreciate not having to cater to me for one day at least so might as well take advantage of it.”

The older woman almost imperceptibly frowned now, but I still caught it. “Are you two certain? I’m sure there are a few students there who would be willing to swap.”

I almost wished the two of them weren’t so adamant on staying. I was far from worth it for either of them. Still, I felt a little guilty spark of joy that neither of them were willing to give in to her. But first, it was time to get Mrs. Harmony to leave for a bit. “Ah, but it would be quite the hassle would it not? Especially now since I do believe Mr. Gin and Mr. Caleb are gathering all the chaperones to talk to them about something before we head into MGG park.” I innocently gestured to both the teachers of the Orchestra class alongside a growing number of adults who I knew to be chaperones. “I’m sure you would not want to miss whatever it is they need to talk to you all about.”

For a second I could feel the heat of her glare upon me before it disappeared and she simply nodded with a strained voice. “I see. You are right Mister Kandlebern. I will be back shortly and then we’ll head inside.”

I stared at her for a moment after she left to join the two teachers, wondering how long it’d take her to figure out that they hadn’t called anyone over and it was just some concerned chaperones asking last minute questions.

A snort came behind me and I turned to find the annoyed face of Gail, an expression I seldom liked seeing on him. “Just what is her problem? How did she even manage to swap herself with your mom Holly? And by Clemency, why did she have to bring up that stupid nickname again.” He paused for a moment before turning to the blue colored paladin-like hologram of Magical Guardian Clemency holding a book just a few feet away, right beside the words naming the shuttle station Clemency One. “Er, no offense.”

Holly rolled her eyes at him before lightly flicking his shoulder. “You don’t have to apologize for using his name to a hologram of him Gail, especially when she wants to bring up sleeping dogs like that. But seriously, how did she swap with my mom? I know she definitely didn’t consent to the swap herself. God, this is going to throw everything we planned out the window.”

The fact neither of them jumped to the obvious conclusion was a little concerning, but I didn’t blame them for not thinking like everyone else. It was a good thing they didn’t for the most part. “Well, obviously she bribed Mr. Caleb who was in charge of chaperone groups for this to do so.”

“Er, you really think she stooped that low Mer? And that Mr. Caleb would accept a bribe?” Came Gail’s questioning voice.

I nodded. The constant greed in his eyes was something I had never missed when I looked at him. I idly wondered how neither of them ever saw it when it was so obvious.

Holly sighed aloud. “Well either way, with the queen bitch as our chaperone, today is kinda ruined. Man, it’s gotta be illegal for someone like that to be a chaperone at MGG park.”

A moment of silence followed her words and a secondhand sense of guilt began to well up within me when I looked between the two of them. They’d both been looking forward to this, and I’d inadvertently ruined it just by being their friend.

You don’t deserve either of them, my mind whispered to me once more.

I found myself agreeing, I couldn’t think of anything that I’d done that they’d choose to stand with me.

A light hand on my shoulder followed by a second one on the opposite shoulder. On either side of me, both my friends had come upon me without me having even realized in the moment my thoughts had distracted me.

Gail stared at me from my right, a smile on his affable face. “Oi, not your fault Mer. Don’t go blaming yourselves for our actions now, you hear? Not like our plans would be the same without you. And it’s only happening because of Mrs. ‘Discord’.”

Holly stared at me from my left, a fire dancing in her brown eyes. “Yeah, fuck her. Not you Mer. She’s the one who decided to ruin our day, but if we abandoned you we’d have only ruined it even more. That and I wouldn’t be surprised if Miss Sunshine decided to smite us with that giant maul of hers if we did do that.”

I suddenly found it very hard to keep my thoughts objective while I gazed at the both of them. I knew I didn’t deserve either of them as my friends, much less acquaintances. And yet I felt a genuine smile begin to bloom on my face. It was a small one, but I wasn’t entirely sure when the last time I had smiled and really meant it had been in the past few months.

It was surprisingly hard to speak and my voice was quieter than I meant it to be. “Thank you, both of you.”

Both of them beamed at me and I couldn’t help the intrusive thought that I might be able to at least enjoy some of my time here.