So… slight problem with the whole ‘gather lust to transform back’ thing? Only an idiot - or a super fan, like me - would willingly go outside during a violet rainstorm! I mean, it was basically just asking for the destruction of personal property. No matter how much care you took to coat your goods, there’d always be some little spot you missed, or something some manufacturer claimed was organic but was actually partially synthetic, or… something. Long story short? Dumb dumbs who went outside were basically just asking to get their stuff eaten.

All of which translated to a serious lack of foot traffic, even after I’d fled the scene of the ‘crime.’ I mean, sure, there were some people driving by in cars, or hurrying past on bikes - capitalism didn’t stop for anyone or anything, really, and people always had places to go - but that was like… what? A second of them gawking at me, and then they were gone? Not exactly a ton of lustful gazes for me to gather… 

Something some part of me couldn’t help but be grateful for, even knowing it was going to cause me trouble.

Still…

“So what’s the plan now?” I whispered, trusting that my new crystal ‘buddy’ would hear me. In fact, forget whispering - they’d pretty much outright stated that they (and the other crystals) could read their hosts’ thoughts.

That was kinda creepy to think about, though, so I was going to stick to whispering whenever possible.

That’s totally going to get you in trouble one of these days, you know… but whatever. The way I figure it, we have two choices - make a huge splash and draw a ton of attention to yourself, or draw Violet Heart out into a one-on-one fight and hope for the best. Considering option one stands a pretty big risk of drawing the whole group, I’m gonna suggest you pick what’s behind door number two.

“Wait - I thought you wanted me to avoid her!” I protested, already looking around to see if I could find any sort of big crowd event. There had to be something I could do that wouldn’t involve fighting one of my heroes!

Hah… Heroes. If only you knew… 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” I demanded, my whisper turning into more of a… well, a whispered shout is still sort of a whisper, but you get the idea. 

Later. Right now, you’ve got a date with a hot headed crusader of ‘love and justice.’ 

“Wait, wait, wait - you can’t be telling me I’m actually supposed to fight her?! I don’t even have any powers!”

I mean, you do have control over the goo… All it takes is a touch of that stuff to weaken her. Hell, get enough of it on her, and you’ll outright drain her of her powers. For good.

“I’m not going to use the ooze as some sort of… personal weapon!” I protested, crossing my arms over my chest. Or trying to, anyways - the big boobs made it a little awkward, until I figured out that I needed to cross my arms above them. 

Not even if your life depends on it?’

“Well… I’m not stripping her of her powers, at the very least,” I muttered, turning my head to the side, as if I could actually somehow look away from the crystal. “She’s one of the town heroes!”

Well, she’s also the source of your town's problems. Or did you think it was a coincidence that the first ooze appeared right around when the first Magical Girls made the scene?

“That’s… You…” I trailed off. “There’s no way that’s true! Everyone knows the Magical Girls were created to fight that stuff!”

Well, that’s the propaganda we spread, for sure. Pretty much all of the magical girls believe it, too, last I checked. 

“...You’re lying,” I declared, snorting and… well, my head was already turned all the way to the right, so I couldn’t really do much to show my disdain there. But I was pretty sure they were getting my point!

Believe what you wanna believe, but trust me when I say no magic comes without a price… and cheating that price causes problems of its own. Like, say, artificially keeping them all pent up, and then using that repressed sexual energy as a sacrifice they don’t even know they’re making. Or did you also think it was a coincidence that ooze tends to take on such a curvaceous feminine form whenever it gathers up?

“That’s… It’s just mimicking the magical girls,” I mumbled. It didn’t really sound all that convincing, even to my own ears, but… There was just no way all that crap was true! My crystal was just glitched - corrupted! They said so themselves! 

Why do you think I can tell you this stuff? The glitches totally overwrote most of my safety protocols! I’m free as a bird to sing whatever the hell songs I please. But like I said - believe what you want to believe. We don’t need to strip her of her power, anyways. Not completely at least.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, cautious now. I didn’t like the implications of ‘completely.’ Not one bit.

Quick magic lesson for you, Missy - normally, sacrificial magic will outpower the tributary stuff any day of the week. The difference between someone who homegrows their power and someone who has to import it from elsewhere is just too great, unless you’ve got a whole lot of tributaries on your side. But there’s just one little exception we can make use of. You see… 

Are you sure we should be going at this solo, Violet? The other girls will be here soon, if you want to wait.

“So that they can steal my thunder?” I scoffed, shaking my head - as best I could without taking my eyes off the road, anyways. Just because I was flying on a purple heart didn’t mean some bozo or building wouldn’t somehow get in my way the moment I stopped paying attention. “No way. Let them pull clean up duty on that ocean of sludge. I wanna know what that ‘weird signal’ you detected was.”

There’s nothing wrong with teamwork, Violet… It’s what makes the dream work!

“...Ugh. I can’t believe you said that with a straight… whatever the hell passes as a face, for you. Also, don’t call me Violet anymore. I hate it.”

But you’re the one who pushed for it… you said that you wanted to reclaim the color for all the girls and boys in the world who love it!

“That was just bullcrap to get the others off my back, and you know it. I just hate the idea of that slime stealing my favorite color. But now I’m getting shit on by the public for it, like I’m some sorta goo sympathizer or whatever… I want to change it!”

It’s not that easy to change your brand, Violet… People are used to you like this! And there are plenty of people who support your choice, too! You’re just too focused on the negative.

“Whatever… Are you still getting that signal, or what?”

Yes, Violet - from about half a block ahead. Though I do still think you should wait for the others… We’ve already lost contact with Pink, today.

“She probably just got freaked out by the amount of slime and took off for the hills, or something. She’s always been a coward, like that. Never good at holding the fort in a pinch.”

I know you don’t always get along with her, Violet, but you are teammates… Don’t you think you should be at least a little worried about her?

“She’s a magical girl. She can take care of herself. I’m more worried about that signal - and the kickass story I’m going to have to brag to the others about when I take care of it.”

As you say, Violet… We are getting closer, in any case. They should be coming into view at any-

“There!” I interrupted, pointing down towards the sidewalk. I didn’t even need Heartie to point her out to me. I mean, she was standing right there, brazen as all get out - purple skin on full display, hands on her hips, and… “What is she wearing?”

Or more like what wasn’t she wearing. Which was pretty much anything. The only thing on her was a strip of what looked to be some sorta shiny violet cloth that wrapped around her tits, and another that cradled her hips and - just barely - covered her sex. Honestly, it was so slutty I was embarrassed just looking at it! My face was turning red and everything!

“I thought we were facing a monster, not a sexual deviant!” I complained, doing my best to keep my eyes on the girl’s face. Just because she had no modesty didn’t mean I had to shamelessly stare at what she had on display. That would have been… I don’t know… gay or something, maybe? Not that there was anything wrong with that, but… it definitely wasn’t behavior fitting of a Magical Girl - let alone a preacher’s daughter.

Keep on your guard, Violet! That thing might look human, but she’s registering as an Ooze!

“What? But she’s-”

“Human?” the woman below called out, putting her hands on her hips. “You’d think so, but I’m here to tell you otherwise! You stand before the Violet Queen, herself! Ruler of the ooze. Defender of all that is naughty within this world. And I might not look like much, but I’ll tell you now that I’m here to give bad girls like you the punishment they deserve - a good grounding!”

As much as I wanted to roll my eyes at her lame ass pun, I didn’t have the opportunity - I was too busy flying up and out of the way of her attack, as with a wave of her hand a glob of violet ooze went shooting straight towards me. Or more like… two feet to the left of me.

“Your aim is as bad as your fashion sense!” I called out, only to curse as another glob came flying - closer this time. Even worse, it and the first glob began crawling their way back towards the woman as soon as they hit the ground, devouring bits of the road as they went.

The girl laughed, and I swear her boobs jiggled. Like, they actually bounced up and down like the tits of some anime character. Then she grinned at me, and held out her hands, causing the ooze she’d shot earlier to spring forth and into her palms. “Don’t worry,” she called up. “I’m just getting started!”

Careful, Violet! If any of that stuff gets on you while you’re flying-

“We’ll come crashing down? You think I don’t know that?” I demanded, swerving to the right to avoid another of her attacks. They were slow and pretty damn telegraphed, but there was no way of knowing if that would hold true once we started getting closer. It might have been an attempt to lull me into a false sense of security, or some other cowardly shit like that.

“I’m heading down,” I decided, avoiding yet another clumsy attack from the wannabe villainess. “If she sucks as badly as she’s trying to make me believe, I won’t have any problem wiping the floor with her up close and personal. But first… Heart Laser!”

Pulling out my heart-tipped wand, I pointed it towards the other woman and shot off a blast that would have punched a hole into any normal goo’s stomach. To my surprise, however, one of the bits of goo jumped up into the air on its own, transforming into a shield.

A shield I punched right through, mind you, but it still bought the so-called ‘Violet Queen’ time to jump out of the way.

“H-hey!” She called out, suddenly visibly shaken as she stared at the scorched earth where my laser hit. “What gives?! Are you trying to kill me, or something?!”

“Well, yeah!” I scoffed, bringing my heartpad down for a landing. “You’re ooze, right? Magical Girls like me exist to clean up the messes you make for the people!”

“Yeah, but that’s like… mindless ooze!” the girl complained, before pointing to herself. “I’m a person! You should at least try to capture me or something!”

“I’m not going easy on anyone who declares herself the leader of this ooze!” I replied, gripping my wand tightly and channeling magic towards its tip. A bit of prep would make it punch even harder this time - and in the meantime I’d just keep this idiot talking. “And what’s with the sudden personality change, anyways? You were so confident half a sec ago!”

“I only said that stuff because my Magic Crystal told me to!”

“Crystal?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “What? Like a magical girl’s?”

“Exactly! I’m a magical girl - just like you! It’s just that my crystal got a little…. Corrupted, or something. Look, you’ve got to believe me - I’m not trying to end the world, or anything!”

It’s trying to trick you, Violet! Heartie warned me. That thing’s pure evil!

“Like I couldn’t tell,” I whispered back, before brandishing my wand again. “Heart laser!”

Again, the goo leapt up to shield her. This time, though, it couldn’t even buy her enough time to dodge out of the way, resulting in her getting hit right between the tits.

Or at least that’s what should have happened, but when it got close the band of purple she was wearing around her breast suddenly contracted and absorbed the shot - disappearing in the process.

“You…” I stared, wide eyed, at the half naked woman in front of me, her perky breasts on display, complete with dark purple nipples stiffly standing at attention. “You’re… indecent…” I whispered. I should have felt shocked. Offended, even! But for some reason, my eyes wouldn’t leave her tits. It was like she’d put some sort of spell on me! One that made me want to… made me want to…. Uh…

“What was I thinking about again?” I asked Heartie, closing my eyes and shaking my head to clear the cobwebs that suddenly filled it.

Ask me later! Heartie replied. For now, just keep your eyes closed so that you don’t you fall under that witch’s spell again!

“Right!” A spell. That sounded right… she’d done something to enspell me, hadn’t she? Something to do with… with… Ugh. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that my eyes stayed firmly shut.

Of course, there was still the small matter of me being unable to see the villain I was fighting, now…

Oh well. Time to break out the AoE spells, I guess! It wasn’t like they’d harm anything that wasn’t made of ooze, after all… 

“Glitter bomb!” I called out, holding my wand up into the air. Even though I couldn’t see it, I knew a ton of sparkles were shooting out of my wand’s tip, now, getting on absolutely everything - like some glittery nightmare. It wasn’t exactly a damaging spell, but with the way ooze and magic canceled each other out… Well, just making contact should have been enough.

“Um… Did you just attack me with glitter?” came a voice, right next to my ear.

Caught off guard, I stumbled backwards, my eyes snapping open again in time to catch sight of the Queen’s violet irises. She was standing less than a foot away from me, a frown on her lips - lips that looked plush and soft, now that I was actually looking at them. Like they were just begging me to… Uh…

“You’re trying to put me under your spell, again!” I accused, lifting my wand and shoving it against her bare chest. Unfortunately my hand slid a little down the hilt due to the force of my thrust, meaning that my fingers grazed against the soft flesh of her tits.

Not that such a thing mattered to me, or anything. It was just boobs! I had them too! Nothing special at all… even if my face was starting to turn a little red…

“H-hey, now! M-Maybe we can talk about this?” the girl - or more like the ooze shaped like a girl - asked, putting up her hands. “Surely there’s no need for violence, right?”

“Heart Laser!” I called out in response, sending my beam straight through the ooze queen’s chest.

Or at least that’s what should have happened… but once again, reality betrayed my expectations. Though my spell thudded into her without interference, this time, she was barely pushed back a step from the blast, which failed to even leave a mark upon her skin.

“Whew… wasn’t sure that was going to work,” the Violet Queen admitted to me, a sheepish smile on her lips. One that looked almost… kinda… cute?

No! She was just trying to trick me! I had to remain firm. If one of my normal blasts didn’t hurt her, I just had to charge the next one up with a proper amount of energy!

“Anyways, now that you can’t hurt me,” she continued - which… what the hell did she mean by that? “Maybe we can talk? Person to person? Especially since my crystal’s keeping yours occupied, right now.”

“H-huh? What did you do to Heartie!?” I demanded, half expecting Heartie’s encouraging voice to pop up in my head again, and tell me everything was a trick. No such luck, though.

“Heartie, huh?” The Violet Queen laughed. “Well, let’s just say… uh… Chrys is basically jamming him for now. Nothing serious - it just means we’re basically by ourselves for a bit.”

“Y-you…” Shoving as much energy into my wand as it could take, I again lifted it up and shoved it against her chest. “Don’t think you’ll get away with just a push this time! Heart Laser!

Again, my laser shot out - but this time, it didn’t even push her. It just sort of… sank into her skin, while she smiled at me.

“That’s not going to work anymore,” she declared, brazenly. I wanted to believe it was just a bluff, but… “None of your spells will work on me, now, in fact.”

“Wh-what are you?” I demanded, fighting the urge to back away.

“Just another magical girl,” she replied, in a sweet tone that was obviously meant to mock me. “Also, could you maybe remove your hand from between my breasts? They’re sort of… um… sensitive.”

I yanked my hand back, and practically stumbled over myself backing away from her. Forget showing signs of weakness - this girl was dangerous to stay near!

“Y-you… You’re trying to tempt me with your body, aren’t you!?” I accused, pointing my wand towards her.

“No, really, I’m not,” the girl protested. “I just want to talk. Without your crystal shutting me down, preferably.”

“Like I’d ever talk to a perverted Ooze Queen!” I replied, running back to my heartpad and leaping onto it. A quick thought, and I was taking to the air. “Don’t think you’ve seen the last of me!” I warned, taking off before she could reply.

She didn’t seem to be following, thankfully - didn’t seem to be capable, even, from what I could tell… Now if only the image of her bare breasts, and the feeling of her warm tits against my hand were so easy to shake off…

I told you talking wouldn’t work.

“Yeah, well, you also told me acting like some sort of b-movie villainess would. I don’t even know why I even bothered to listen to you!”

Maybe because I have your best interest at heart? Unlike some Magical Crystals.

“Yeah, right! You’re just afraid they’ll take you apart for being corrupted. And now she thinks I’m some sort of… pervert!”

That too… but hey, if they take me, what do you think happens to you? Even if they don’t kill you outright, there’s no way they’re going to let you roam free when you can control the ooze.

“Why not?” I demanded. “I bet I’d be a big help!”

If us Crystals were actually here to clean up the ooze, sure… but we’re the ones causing it, remember? We have our own goals! Like siphoning energy off you Magical Girls to place an intergalactic call back to our home world and letting the company know where we ended up…

“The company?” I asked. “That’s the second time you’ve brought them up… what company are you talking about?”

The company that made us, of course! We were crafted to help promote a certain religious order, on a distant planet… but when the whole ‘cheating magic’ thing came to bite them in the ass, the company washed their hands clean of the project and… illegally dumped us all into space. Where we drifted for who knows how long before crashing onto your planet!

“Wait, wait, wait - so you really didn’t come here to defeat the ooze? It’s just some sort of… scam?”

Yup! We turn humans into magical girls so we can siphon their energies for our own needs, and keep them fighting the ooze and distracted while we try to complete a mission that could honestly take eons… I mean, who knows how long we were drifting? Or how long a signal will take to reach our home planet… the company might not even be there anymore! But our programming says we need to alert the parent company as to where we end up, through any means necessary, so… Yeah. That’s what you get for improperly disposing of your Magic Crystals, I guess!

“I… I think I’m getting a headache…” I muttered, shaking my head. “This goes against everything I’ve ever been taught about magical girls… There’s no way it’s true!”

Then explain to me why the sacrifice-to-tribute system worked so well, huh? If I’d been lying, you’d be laying on the ground with a hole or two through your chest right now!

“Yeah…” I shuddered, remembering how scared I’d been when she’d fired off that first shot, right against my skin. By all rights, it should have killed me, but luckily for me there was a loophole in the whole ‘sacrifice trumps tribute’ thing.

Her powers came from sacrificing sexual desire. Mine came from absorbing the same. Which wasn’t at all enough to render her magic useless! But what if the lust she was repressing was aimed at me, to begin with?

It was like she’d gone from a weapon to an AC adapter - her ‘sacrifice’ became my ‘tribute.’ The more she lusted after me, the less her powers worked on me - in fact, by the end, her powers had actually been charging me. For the first time since this whole thing started, I was actually brimming with magical power… and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

~~~

Author's Notes