Zoe and Cynthia were working tirelessly in the lab while Jennifer sat in a big, comfortable arm chair near them.
Jennifer hoped these experiments could qualm her anxieties - reality was altering so much that even she had started getting confused. She'd gone back to the farm that had started this whole thing - Brittany and Janet weren't pregnant, and they had no recollection of the old world. And Kyle, the one who'd cursed her originally, had simply disappeared from reality. No one remembered him, and there was no Kylie to take his place. In fact, no one - aside from most of the seniors - from her school was around. Some of Jennifer's converts had mentioned younger siblings - now, they no longer knew what she was talking about. It seemed that people were simply vanishing.
******
Eleanor Williams let out a deep sigh as she looked through her crystal ball, eying Jennifer and her cohorts as they made new scientific breakthroughs. "The only witch to survive the burnings and I'm brought to my knees by a cheerleader. This is truly pathetic."
She'd been in hiding for over 400 years, her home hidden deep within the maple trees that Mapleville, a small section of the town of Glendale, had been named after. During that time, she'd been thoroughly basking in the chaos of her curse - Transform or Dare. Eleanor thrived off of the strange, sometimes cruel, and usually perverse transformations that were handed out to the residents of town. Usually, that'd be the end of it - after the transformed suffered long enough, the effects would wear off - and, as a result of the magic, create an alternative universe where the events continued to occur, leaving this "main" reality untainted by the permanent effects of magic.
That was, until one fateful day. The day Kyle Perkins tried to curse Jennifer Smith-Clark. Eleanor cursed under her breath. That girl... that damned girl had some kind of ultra will. As soon as she'd found that horse farm, even with her mind perverted, she managed to turn the tides in her own favor. An instinct that allowed to her to bend reality. Magic far greater than any witch. The normal reality that had rejected magic now embraced it, as long as it was Jennifer's magic. Everything this new curse, one that could no longer be altered, touched changed to fit its new reality. Even Mapleville was now Mareville. Eleanor was impressed and a bit frightened at the power this girl held.
For Eleanor, her witchy magic had allowed her to stay hidden from humans, but Jennifer's magic was only growing. She knew they'd soon find her, and she'd be powerless against them. Eleanor didn't resent Jennifer as she thought she would, in fact Jennifer's prowess and methods had made her rethink how she'd lived all these years. Jennifer spread this lust-filled joy that had essentially removed all suffering from the new horse herms, whereas Eleanor's curse was just that - a curse that inflicted great pain on people.
Eleanor decided to march right up to Jennifer and surrender. She knew Jennifer could absorb her power and give her that same, warm feeling all the equines seemed to feel. No more hiding, no more cursing town residents, just allowing herself to be taken in by lust and love. Eleanor sighed as she prepared to leave her depressing hovel. It may have been a shack in the woods, but the thought of not coming back was sad. "Oh well. I'm sure, in another life, I'll be here." Eleanor said, before using a spell.
******
Jennifer was shocked as smoke filled the room she was in. She coughed for a second, and thinking it was one of her scientists' experiments, got up and opened a window. As the smoke cleared, Jennifer looked outside. An equine that had been jogging was now frozen mid-run. A couple strolling down Clark boulevard was perfectly still. It was as if the world had stopped.
"Interesting, isn't it?" A voice called out behind her.
Jennifer gasped as she turned around. A pale woman in her mid twenties, with long black hair and big green eyes stood in front of her. Jennifer looked at the lady, realizing she was wearing witch's garb. Behind her, Zoe and Cynthia were frozen, holding test tubes and looking in a microscope, completely unaware of the witch's presence.
"What's going on? Who are you?" Jennifer asked.
"Now, now. There's no reason to get so defensive. I want to talk. I want to... surrender." The witch said.
"How can I trust you?" Jennifer said coldly.
The witch simply pulled up another chair in front of Jennifer's and motioned for her to sit.
"First of all, if I could've done anything rotten, I already would have. I've been trying to stop you for the 10 days you've had this power. I can't. I admit defeat. Oh, and I've been told introductions are useful for building trust. My name is Eleanor Williams. I'm a witch." Eleanor said.
Jennifer processed what she was hearing. Despite the fact that she wasn't willing to trust Eleanor 100%, she couldn't argue with her logic. She would've been just as frozen as everybody else. She took her seat and prepared to introduce herself.
"Well, I'm..."
"Jennifer Smith-Clark, I presume." Eleanor finished for her.
"How did you know?" Jennifer asked, a bit shocked.
"Like I said, I've been trying to stop you. At first, I was angry. Angry that you'd taken my fun curse and used it to your advantage. However, the more I observed, the more reality changed, and the more I was impressed with what you'd done." Eleanor replied.
"So... you knew? Do... do you know why it's gone this way... and what's going on?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, the truth is, one of your ancestors was certainly a powerful magic user. And she passed that on to you. You see, all of the witches aside from myself were burned, and only one of the others, our leader, the most powerful, was able to pass her magic on. You were the one that received it. This whole business with my curse must've activated it within you." Eleanor said.
"So... why were you the one that got away?" Jennifer asked.
"I ran. Like a coward. I had the most experience in incognito magic, so I used that to my advantage. I... I told myself I wasn't a coward, that I was continuing the arts, but truthfully I just stayed in town and created the Transform or Dare curse. Chaos amongst humans made me happy. Rather... I thought it made me happy. Seeing you and your new reality, I know what true happiness is now. And I've given up on trying to stop you." Eleanor replied.
"You mean, you realized you couldn't fight back?" Jennifer said, bluntly.
"Yes, I suppose that's more accurate. Do you have any other questions?" Eleanor asked.
"Well... a million. But I'll try to stick to the most important ones. What happened to Kyle? There was an elementary school here, and no one remembers it or the students even existing, let alone my high school." Jennifer asked.
"Oh, that's simple. They were transported to a new reality where you and your equine magic don't exist. A part of you, subconsciously, decided that getting pregnant or raising kids would impede your process, so anyone under 18 is in that new universe and will continue to be transported there as your reality changing powers activate." Eleanor said.
Jennifer thought about it. So... she really had free reign. No more Kyle, no more Transform or Dare users. She was the sole true magic user. And yet, a part of her doubted Eleanor's story.
"Prove it." Jennifer said.
"I thought you'd ask that." Eleanor said, as she pulled out a crystal ball, seemingly from nowhere.
Eleanor showed a golden retriever with puppies.
Jennifer gasped. "I... that's the dog..." She said, slack jawed.
"If you need more proof..." Eleanor said as the crystal ball shimmered.
Jennifer saw Kyle working on a farm... the farm she'd met the stallion at. There were a bunch of foals that Kyle was feeding with a bottle. He seemed... happy.
"So those foals..." Jennifer started.
"Yes, those are yours, technically." Eleanor said.
Jennifer was convinced now. But she was wondering what
"So why are you here?" Jennifer asked.
"Because I concede. You've defeated me. This is your world now, and I submit. I'll give you my power, and you can achieve your goals. Give me your corrupting fluids and I'll happily partake." Eleanor said, bowing.
Jennifer, however, could feel Eleanor's aura. She could simply take the power and transport Eleanor to that other reality, powerless but free.
"I could do that. Or, if you'd like, I could send you to the normal reality. You'd live life as a normal, magic free woman in her twenties. Age normally, die normally, with 400 years of experience. You'd be starting a leg up compared to most humans." Jennifer said.
Eleanor looked at Jennifer. She thought it over...