“Welcome, Mademoiselle Constance. May I?”

Constance nodded as she handed the examiner her staff along with the list of transformations that she’d planned out, clenching her friend Naomi’s hand as she huffed nervously. She whispered to Naomi as the examiner cast a few spells on her staff, fidgeting as they waited for the go-ahead.

“I really hope this works out… I mean, we practiced a lot, but it’s different doing it in person, you know?”

Naomi soothingly replied, lacing her fingers around Constance’s as the examiner nodded and handed back the staff and list. “You’ll do great. Just make sure you remember the order everything comes in.”

“R-Right. Mm…” Constance took a deep breath as she wrapped her free hand around her staff, following the examiner to their room. The door automatically creaked open as they approached, the warm, earthy smell of parchments and herbs filling the air as Constance and Naomi took their places.

“Ahem. This is Examiner Lefevre, conducting Mademoiselle Constance’s test of magical competence. She will be performing a series of transformative spells, accompanied by her assistant Mademoiselle Naomi. You may begin whenever you are ready.” The examiner warmly smiled as he took his seat, whispering into his palm as he pulled out a fresh ream of parchment. Constance gulped as she held out her staff, tightening her grip as Naomi gave her a reassuring nod.

“O-Ok. First, the states of matter!”

 Constance slammed the butt of her staff against the ground, a determined look filling her face as Naomi began to glow. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as her magic activated, watching Naomi harden into unmoving stone as she readied her next spell.

Naomi’s petrified body softened and turned clear, falling apart into a puddle of water. The water rippled as Constance prodded it with her staff, bubbling as it began to heat up. Steam rose from the ground and collected into a puffy white cloud, which turned dark and stormy as Naomi’s face appeared on it. Naomi scowled as she drifted towards Constance, exploding into a shower of lightning as Constance twirled her staff. The lightning arced towards the ground, swerving at the very last second before reforming into a glittering ball of light. The light drifted around the room, flickering as it started to crumble apart into dirt. Constance hummed as the clump of dirt hit the ground with a dull thud, clenching her staff tightly as the dirt gathered itself into a neat little cube. It took on a glossy sheen as flecks of purple began to appear, hardening into a block of amethyst that Constance picked up and held in her hand. The examiner scribbled furiously as the block morphed back into a tiny, pocket-sized Naomi, muttering to themselves as Constance tossed her friend head over heels into the air.

“Second, the bounty of the Earth!”

Naomi’s arms morphed into wings as feathers sprouted all across her body, her mouth stiffening into a thin beak as her legs turned thin and scaly. She slowly flew back down as she transformed into a hummingbird, buzzing around Constance’s head before landing on the tip of her staff. She exploded into a cloud of feathers with a loud bang, reforming into a long, muscled rope of flesh that quickly morphed into a thick anaconda. Constance dropped her staff as Naomi coiled around her body, vanishing in a burst of light before reforming on the opposite side of the room. She scrambled to pick up her staff as Naomi hissed and slithered over, grabbing it right as Naomi lunged at her. Her friend hardened into wood mid-strike, her tail fragmenting into roots as branches grew from her body. Leaves burst out of Naomi as she turned into a gnarled tree– they rustled softly as Constance teasingly traced her finger along her bark. A salty, briny smell filled the air as brilliant red scales appeared wherever Constance’s finger went, the air becoming slightly damp as Naomi shifted again, wood softening back into flesh as she morphed into a large red snapper. She flopped around on the floor as Constance pointed her staff at her, stiffening as her scales joined into a thin carapace. Her fins morphed into multicolored butterfly wings as her mouth transformed into a proboscis, legs pushing out of her body as she became a pretty butterfly. Naomi fluttered around aimlessly before landing on Constance’s shoulder, her body glowing again as yet another transformation changed her. Her wings flattened together and turned green as her body turned into a flexible stem, forming a single ivy leaf. But she quickly multiplied, tightly hugging Constance as she swallowed her in her vines. Constance grinned as her friend covered every inch of her body– this was going perfectly, exactly like how they’d rehearsed.

“Third, the fruits of labor!”

Naomi’s leaves turned to silky fabric as they merged together to form a delicate, translucent shawl. She lightly fluttered around Constance’s shoulders, settling against her body as Constance pointed her staff at herself. Naomi exploded into a cloud of confetti, rising into the air as she split into several, smaller clouds. One of the clouds reformed into tight, white gloves, another became gorgeous red heels, and to top things off– quite literally –the last cloud solidified into a wide-brimmed witch’s hat. The newly formed clothing soared towards Constance, magically getting into place on their own as she lowered her staff. She flexed her fingers as the gloves slipped onto her arms, raising her legs so her heels could take their place. She spun her staff around as the witch’s hat settled around her ears, summoning forth a clone of Naomi, who shuddered in delight as she covered herself with her hands. She grinned excitedly as Constance pointed her staff at her, giggling as her head tumbled off her shoulders. Her arms and limbs popped off soon after, squirming around as her chest heaved in anticipation for what was to come next. Constance closed her eyes and concentrated as Naomi dutifully waited, her staff rumbling with pent-up energy as she channeled her power.

Constance’s staff sparked as she released her spell, engulfing each separated piece of Naomi’s body in blinding white light as it transformed them. Naomi’s torso hardened as it bent 90 degrees, thin, rectangular pillars pushing out of her rear and back as her torso became a sturdy wooden chair. One of her legs turned navy blue as her foot flattened into a circle, shifting into an opened umbrella as the other foot thickened and grew, towering over the rest of her as gears formed inside her. A clock face formed on her leg as it became a distinguished grandfather clock, her toes thinning into the hour, minute, and second hands as the remaining parts of her body started to change as well. Naomi’s hands swelled into spiky metal balls as her arms hollowed out into chains, the base of her shoulders becoming a sturdy wooden handle as her arms were transmuted into twin spiked flails. Naomi’s head squirmed as it finally started to warp as well, her soft, eager panting silenced as stitches forced her mouth closed. Her eyes locked into place as they became sewed on buttons, her neck splitting into eight stubby tentacles as felt and plush stuffing replaced her skin and flesh. Her hair, nose, ears– they all melted away as she turned a baby blue, now nothing more than a plush octopus with a dumb smile. Constance panted as she finished the last change, trembling as she held onto her staff for support. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t stop now, she still had one last act to complete before she was done!

“And fourth, cleaning up the mess!”

The miscellaneous objects swirled around, joined by the gloves, heels, and witch hat as they coalesced into a swirling ball of light. The light formed itself into a miniature sun, growing into a fire elemental that cackled loudly before being doused with a shower of water. It melted into a clump of fine sand, the grains blowing across the floor before becoming a carpet of moss. Constance stepped onto the moss as she tossed her staff into the air, catching the staff as the moss around her formed into a casual pair of sandals. The sandals then morphed into a pair of squishy slugs, which vaporized into thin air before reforming as an massive heifer. The cow mooed as Constance pointed her staff at it, shrinking down to a tiny plastic soldier that slowly whirred to a stop as Constance picked it up. After a moment, it glowed and swelled, turning into a fluffy lump of dough that spilled out of Constance’s hands and floated upwards, rounding out into a cluster of latex balloons that spontaneously popped, the ripped shreds of rubber morphing into a poster of Naomi as they fluttered to the ground. Constance grinned as she grabbed the poster’s hands, delicately working her magic into the poster so it seemed like she was pulling Naomi out of it. She held out her hand as the examiner started to get to his feet, hugging Naomi as she cast one final spell.

Naomi gasped as her body blurred, melting into a twisting, pulsing stream of pure magic that danced between Constance’s fingers. She mentally shouted in glee as she felt herself being tossed and twisted around, excitedly cheering as Constance opened her mouth and slurped her up. Naomi relaxed as she came to rest inside her friend, feeling herself dissolve into Constance’s mana pool– a proud, victorious surge of emotion filling her before her mind melded with Constance’s.

Constance bowed as Naomi was sucked inside her, her face flush with pride and exertion as her friend was absorbed into her body. She could feel Naomi’s presence swirling inside her as the examiner stood up and gave her a standing ovation, happily grinning as he folded up his notes and slid them into a portal.

“Very well done, Mademoiselle Constance!! You’ll get your results in about a day or so– but I wouldn’t worry too much, you most certainly passed with flying colors!”

*That. Was. Awesome! You did amazing, girl!*

Constance shivered in excitement as the examiner and her friend praised her, gratefully bowing again as she practically skipped out of the hall. She closed her eyes and concentrated once she was outside, reappearing inside her tower. She coughed as Naomi’s presence swelled inside her chest, barfing up a colorful stream of shimmering liquid as Naomi forced herself out of her. She wiped her lips as Naomi reformed, sitting down on her bed with a happy sigh.

“So, what now?” Naomi rubbed her hands together as she joined Constance on the bed, raising an eyebrow as Constance beamed.

“I’m going to take a breather and let Mom and Dad know I passed! Then, once I’ve recharged…” Constance paused dramatically, leaning in as Naomi panted expectantly.

“Then…?” Naomi whispered, fidgeting excitedly as Constance grabbed her hand and winked. A wink that she was all too familiar with, and one that always proceeded a good time…

“We’ll have to celebrate~!”