An alarm blared once again. Only this time, when a hand reached out to smack it, the hand was visibly smaller, more delicate, and entirely dainty.
Crunch.
The plastic shattered instantly. The abrupt silence was so jarring that the bed's occupant bolted upright, groaning. 5:00 AM? I should sleep more... I still have time...
A stray strand of hair fell across their vision. Tony blinked. It was bright, neon pink.
He laid back down. For a few seconds, he lay completely still. Then, reality caught up. He shot back up, rubbing his eyes groggily. "Since when do I have pink hair?!"
He touched his face. It felt like his own face... just... off. Smoother. Smaller. Throwing off the blankets, he stood up, and a few things became abundantly, terrifyingly clear. He was wearing a pink and light-pink frilly dress that looked like it had been stolen straight out of a late-night anime.
"No... no, no, no! Even my voice sounds different!"
He sprinted to the bathroom mirror and shrieked. He immediately clamped both hands over his mouth and shrieked again. Standing where his body should be was a petite, pastel-pink girl who belonged on a merchandise poster.
He scrambled back into his bedroom, breathing heavily. Suddenly, a word that had been echoing faintly in the back of his mind began to grow deafeningly loud. A single, repeating name.
Alicealicealicealicealice!!
"Alice?!" Tony yelled at the empty room. "Why Alice?! I need Alice?! Wait, what?! No, I don't!"
She rejected me... but it was a mistake! a voice in his head chimed in, sounding suspiciously sweet. She only said what she did for appearances! Yes, yes... that's it!
"No, no it's not! What am I even saying?!" He looked at his reflection in the dark television screen. His body was literally emitting a faint, glittering pink glow. He couldn't risk going downstairs. If his parents or his sister saw him like this...
His head violently swiveled toward the window, moving entirely on its own. Yes! I must leave and find my love, Alice! She's probably waiting for me as we speak!
"What?!" Tony screamed, pulling at his pink pigtails in absolute horror. "That's not okay!"
I'm perfectly fine... I'll just... go check on Alice really quick, and-
"What am I doing?!"
Before he could stop himself, his body vaulted out the window. He landed on the pavement perfectly, the drop feeling like absolutely nothing. The wind caught his skirt, sending it flying upward. Instinctively, he slapped the frills down, gasping. "Why am I acting like this is normal?!"
I gotta go somewhere and ask about ALICE!!
"No!! Not Alice!"
Sprinting down the street, Tony drew a barrage of bewildered stares from early-morning commuters. Deep in his internal panic-war, he didn't notice the figure approaching until he slammed directly into them, bouncing backward onto the concrete.
"Ow..." Tony groaned, looking up. His eyes went wide.
Standing in front of him was another magical girl. She slowly turned around, letting out a heavy, exhausted sigh. "Really? First the transformation, now this? What a drag..."
She was dressed entirely in monochromatic grey. Her dress was similar to Tony's but far simpler, and her face carried an expression that made it clear she would rather be dead, asleep, or anywhere else on earth.
Tony scrambled to his feet, his mouth moving before his brain could stop it. "Sorry! Uh... have you seen Alice?!"
The grey girl tilted her head slightly. "I don't know, and I don't care. Nothing personal, but just talking to you is a massive waste of my time." Without another word, she turned and sluggishly walked away.
Tony stood frozen. "Who even was that?!"
Spinning on his heel, he ran the opposite direction, desperately seeking answers. He didn't get far before he collided with someone else. This time, however, a pair of hands instantly clapped onto his cheeks.
"Heeeey there, Pink! I'm gonna call you Pink, is that okay?!"
Tony blinked, his jaw pinned shut. Before he could even attempt to answer, the girl unleashed a wide, manic grin-a smile so intense it looked physically painful. "Greeeeat! My face hurts!"
"What?!" Tony squeaked.
The girl cackled loudly. "Nothing, silly! Hey, I know! Let's go look for more of whatever we are. Maybe they know what's going on? What do you say, pal?!"
Tony pried her hands off his face. "Uh... I just met you? I have no idea who you are!"
The smiling girl's grin somehow stretched even wider, making Tony sweat. "That's perfect! I have no idea who you are or what's going on, and I am utterly terrified!"
Tony swallowed hard, backing away slightly. "You're scaring me... look, I need to find Alice, so... maybe I'll come along?"
The girl's manic smile twitched. "Wait... Alice? Why?!"
"I have no idea," Tony confessed, his pink aura flaring up defensively. "I'm starting to think I might be obsess-I mean, deeply in love with her!"
The smiling girl let out a forced, hysterical chuckle. "Oh, wow. You are way worse than me!"