Suzume groaned, rubbing her temples with both hands. There was just too much. Too much homework, too many responsibilities, too much stress. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, and she shook her head to try and stop them from falling. Unsurprisingly, she was unsuccessful.

Through her tears, she looked at the mountain of untouched homework sitting on her desk. The sight only made her cry harder. How would she ever get it done on time? I should just drop out.

Before she had any more time to think, a flash of light startled her, enveloping her curled-up form and making her bed disappear from underneath her. She was now lying on what presumably was the floor. It was hard to tell, though, since everything had become white in such a short amount of time. She looked up to study her surroundings.

Everything was blank, except for a glowing ball of light in the far back of the room. As Suzume shakily got to her feet, she realized that she was floating. I guess I must have cried myself to sleep.

The blank white space was comforting. Her sniffles gradually subsided as she felt the warmth of the room surround her, like she was in a tank full of warm water. She wished that she could spend her life in the blankness, and never go back to reality.

"What is your wish?"

The voice came from nowhere and everywhere, and made Suzume jump.

"I'm...I'm sorry?"

"You are a mahou senshi, a soldier of magic, who will fight chaos in order to ( )ing balance and peace.What is your wish?" the voice asked again, calming and pleasent to the ear.

Peace... The thought of it stirred something in Suzume's soul. Before she knew what she was doing, she said, "I wish to be stress-free."

"So you will fight for the peace you so desire..." It should have been a question, but instead trailed off. Suzume's pulse quickened.

"Wait, fight?"

"Yes, fight. But do not worry, you already have the powers with you to survive any battle," the voice was so soothing that Suzume had no doubt it was telling the truth. "Good luck to you on your journey, Mahou Senshi Suzume."

Something cold was suddenly in her hand, and she looked down at it. It was a choker of blue velvet, with white, heart-shaped lace trimming it. The part Suzume held was a heart-shaped royal blue gem, outlined in silver and with glittering white wings on each side. Somewhere inside her, she knew she needed to put it on.

When she did, she felt a new sort of power fill her body, and the blank space turned a pale blue. Downy white feathers began to dance around her, clinging to her torso and forming a leotard of sorts. With a flash, they vanished, leaving an intricately embellished bodice. Confused but intrigued, Suzume decided to enjoy this new way of getting clothed. The feathers continued to form different parts of what she supposed was her new uniform before settling above her sleeves and in her hair, which had fallen out of its normal twists and had been rearranged into twintails.

She couldn't help striking a little pose as her transformation ended. She hoped she looked elegant. The blue space disappeared, and she found herself in a familiar place.

The vast courtyard of Hikari Private Academy stretched out before her, the ( )onze statue of Headmaster Hoshino staring her down from a distance. A cold sense of dread washed over her.

"I shouldn't be here," she whispered to herself, "why am I here?"

A scream from inside the administrative building quickly answered that question. The same feeling that told her to transform urged her forward, and she ran inside without hesitation.

A sickly, black, oozing substance coated the hallways, and there was a pervasive smell of rot and mildew in the air. Several doors were covered in scratch marks, like something had desperately tried to get inside. There was another scream, coming from down the hall, and then a revolting, coughing roar. Suzume ran faster.

A deputy headmistress cowered underneath a table, staring intently at something in the corner. A humanoid shape, although shriveled and gaunt, had turned its attention to the newly-arrived Suzume, and unsheathed long, thin black claws. The thing was made out of the same disgusting substance splattering the hallways, and it flung drops of the stuff everywhere as it lunged for her.

It was Suzume's turn to scream now, and she leapt back. Without thinking, she swung her hand in an arc in front of her. Feathers flew like throwing knives, striking the creature in the chest and making it shriek. It collapsed in a heap in the hallway.

"T-take my hand," Suzume motioned for the shaking woman to come over. "We have to get out of here before...b-before that wakes up."

The woman nodded, and ran to her at a surprising pace for a lady in heels. The two hurriedly exited the building, and were met with the flashing of cameras and the questions of a thousand journalists. Suzume froze, and the woman collapsed.

"Back up, back up!" the sudden fall shocked Suzume into action. "Someone call a doctor!"

"Who are you, and what are your intentions?"

"Who do you work for? Are you a vigilante?"

"What kind of costume is that?"

Between the flood of questions and trying to make sure the woman was alright, she noticed the creature slip out of the building and climb up the wall, getting onto the roof. She had to go after it.

"Make sure she gets help."

With that, she jumped onto the roof and gave chase. It was already wounded, but it would need to be finished off. When it looked back and saw her, it hissed before disappearing into thin air, leaving a black puddle where it had stood. Dumbfounded, Suzume stopped and stared. She had better figure out how to turn back into her normal self.