The mechanist witch smiled at her little wandering creation, now partially disassembled on her work bench for repairs. So grimy! So beat up! There's no way its little wind-up key would work properly like this.
Plus, the doll was clearly modified. Strange crystals, weird tech- was this some kind of alien magic? Seemed powerful. Or would, be if it was actually hooked up properly to the willful doll's soulstone. The mechanist witch sighed. At least it was an easy fix. And maybe fun to play with.
"So what have you been up to nowadays, Madeline? My adventurous daughter~" The witch made small talk as she shuffled through a drawer of repair parts, hidng her growing curiosity.
"Hmmmmm" the doll's voice box tittered playfully.
"Well, it must be positively boring. My troublesome little toy wouldn't come home to say hi to Mommy and its Sisters otherwise." The mechanist witch commented dryly, with calculated intent.
"Its not boring!" The mostly-assembled doll scrunched up her face into a pout "I'm a magical girl now! I'm fighting evil! Everyone loves me!"
"A magical girl, eh?" Fascinating. Well, it explained the weird tech. The witch mused to herself while she aligned the doll's mana leylines "You know some, some people would consider me a villain- be sure to be nice to the witches."
With a quick soldering spell, the doll's key was back in place. A thought entered the witch's mind. "Actually- I'm fine if you fight other witches. Just promise Mommy you'll always win" The mechanist witch couldn't stand the thought of someone stealing her precious creation. A violent spark flickered in her eye. "If you ever have any problems, call on me and-"
"Hmmph! You worry too much! We always win." The rude doll interrupted her witch. The witch, now cleaning the dirty thing, smiled cattishly. Of course. Madeline may be a perfect crafted bucket of magic, but it was a horrible doll. Hated authority. No other witch or villain could worm her way into Madeline's heart- The doll was her brat forever.
The mechanist witch looked over her sweet robot daughter's reassembled insides. Almost done- she just needed to stress test her changes. Simulate some emotions, some drama. Could be entertaining too. She drew a quick rune over the foreign crystal, chanted a few lines, and-
POOF
The doll's already charming design and cute underclothes grew rapidly, becoming an ornate series of crest and beautiful azure dress reminiscent of the morning sky. A wand with a powerful looking catalyst materialized into Madeline's hand. The doll's chasis squished and stretched- changing from mousy to more eye-catching proportions.
Perfect. The mechanist witch took a moment to admire her handiwork.
"Hey! You're not supposed to be able to do that! I didn't even do my transformation sequence!" Madeline's voice demanded with a newly added gravitas.
The mechanist chuckled with smug superiority. "Looks like you're working just fine!" The witch shut the doll's chassis, locking up the girl's insides with a quick cantrip.
The wind-up magical girl righted herself "I said, you shouldn't be able to do that!" The doll pointed her catalyst. Her witch stared back with a devilish grin. A confused look ran across the doll's face. It had the magic. It had the wand. It looked the part. But It still didn't have the upper-hand. One day it would!
Embarrassment set in. Madeline hopped off the work bench and scurried out the door. "I-I'm leaving!"
The mechanist witch stifled a cackle. "Be sure to visit for the solstice!"
