The Elder Sister
Request: can I please request a Maggie (charmed) x sibling reader who goes to Tartarus instead of her and she’s really protective of the reader?
A/N: Well, requester, your wish is my command! (I'm trying to get through my requests, so sincere apologies that this is coming out so so late, but I'm trying) Also, she's the eldest sister of the charmed, like she's not part of the charmed trio but shes the first-born.
Warnings: fem!POV (Because I just learned that that needs to be in a trigger warning), Tartarus/hell, witches, yup thats about it.
The deal was done. The price set. One Harbinger in exchange for Harry. A fair price, an impossible price, yet one they were willing to pay. With the innocent-looking paint can in hand the Charmed ones and their eldest sister made their way to Dante’s workshop, their sights trained on a singular goal, the release of Harry Greenwood.
Dante’s workshop was unassuming in nature. A rather large lock store with an intimidating owner who had a rather macabre sense of humor. The warden of Tartarus was a fair demon, his loyalties were to Tartarus, which made him rather unbiased, an admirable trait for a demon. Yet, he hated being tricked. And the infamous Charmed ones had tricked him. A decision they’d soon regret.
Dante stood before the four witches, menacingly opening the gate of Tartarus, before grabbing Maggie. As he was about to throw the witch in, she stopped him using her whip, the metallic coils wrapping around his arm, immobilizing him, “Warden,” she said, her voice echoing through the small space as she approached the aggravated demon.
“You will not imprison this witch within Tartarus.”
“And who’ll stop me? You pay when you cheat Dante.”
“If it is payment you need, I will pay the price, I will go in her place,” she said as she entered Tartarus before anyone could stop her.
"No!" Maggie's cry echoed as the gates swiftly closed.
In a snap Dante broke free from his bonds, chasing the three witches away with the final words, “The Harbinger for her.”
~
Tartarus was hell, in all senses of the world, with its fire-y pit and the dragon guarding the cells, it’s hissed words taunting her, drawing forth insecurities that remained well-buried for decades.
"The eldest, the forgotten, the misfit, the worthless one," the dragon intoned, yet the most piercing was the epithet, "Uncharmed." A creature deemed worthless, forever neglected.
She was a mere burden to her sisters; she was of no use to the all-powerful ‘charmed’ ones. Her depressing thoughts echoed within her being as her body was wracked with pain from the scorpion’s stings.
Her world slowly grew darker as she sook respite from the pain, yet even her dreams were filled with poison. She sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening, wishing her sisters would rescue her as she drifted into a fitful sleep.
~
Maggie’s hands shook as she handed the unassuming paint can to Dante. His ring crackled against the rim as he chuckled, “This is the Harbinger all right!”
As he moved to claim the paint-can, Maggie pulled it away, “First, you have something that is ours. Harry and our sister. Return them and the Harbinger is yours.”
“Fine,” Dante grunted as he unlocked the gates, “But I can’t guarantee they’ll be in…. mint condition though.”
She stumbled through the gate with Harry leaning heavily against her.
She felt like she could finally breathe as fresh air filled her lungs. Looking at her sisters’ tears welled in her eyes as she took a staggering step towards them. Maggie rushed forward first, hugging her sister. Her voice cracked with emotion as she mumbled, “Never do that again.”
Their sweet reunion was short-lived as a voice spoke aloud, “Oh what a sweet reunion!”
Their heads swiftly turned towards the entrance as they saw Alastair Cain. “Good evening, everyone. You have something that belongs to me.”
~
The workshop crackled with magic as Alastair unleashed fire with a mere flick of his wrist. She watched her sisters, huddled together, cowering, panicking, wondering what to do. Protectiveness flared within her as she slowly crawled from behind the cabinet, screaming, “Captus aqua. Captus terra. Captus aere. Captus ignis,” as a shield slowly formed around the fire-y demon.
“You think a measly shield will hold me, witch?” He spat in disgust as his flames grew more powerful with his anger. He unleashed more fire at the shield, till it formed tiny cracks.
She felt the strain on her magic as the demon ripped her shield down, layer-by-layer till she could feel him slowly break to the surface.
Turning to her sisters she tearfully said, “GO! Get out of here! I can’t hold him for much longer.”
“No! We’re not leaving you again,” Maggie said, desperation in her eyes.
“I’ll always be with you, Mags. All of you. Now go,” she said as she turned to the demon once more as he tore apart her magic with his flames. Her sisters dragged Harry out of the workshop quickly as she stared the demon down. She could almost feel the sweltering heat as he burned through the shield till there was nothing left.
She stumbled back from the force of his attack as he stepped towards her, his shoes echoing against the floor, “This. Is for your insolence,” he said, conjuring a ball of fire within his palm as he menacingly raised his hand. She closed her eyes, willing everything to end quickly as the thought crossed her mind, ‘At least my sisters are safe.’
She heard a scream in the distance as a violet light flashed behind her eyelids. She opened her eyes to see her sisters standing protectively before her as they conjured a shield with their collective powers, pushing against Alastair’s flames till he discorporated, escaping the Charmed ones.
They swiftly turned towards their eldest sister, huddling around her as she slumped against them, finally within the embrace of safety as she heard Mel whisper, “Thank you for protecting us.”
“Always,” echoed Macy and Maggie. She smiled slowly as her vision slowly darkened, the exhaustion and exertion of her powers caught up to her.
~
She awoke with a start, expecting to see the large green-eyed dragon yet she was pleasantly greeted with the familiar walls of her room. Her soft mattress sunk under her weight as she laid down once again, nuzzling into the sheets as her body relaxed.
“You’re up!” she heard a chirpy voice say from the door. She opened her eyes, seeing Maggie, her youngest sister, her favorite.
“Mags,” she whispered.
“I got you some hot chocolate. It’s in your favorite mug too!” she said excitedly as she approached the bed, carefully placing the cup of thick hot-chocolate on her bedside table. She sat on the bed, talking a moment to look at her sister before she broke the silence, “Never do anything like that ever again,” she said with a lump in her throat as tears welled into her eyes, “I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost you.”
She looked at her younger sister with affection as she slowly pulled her into a hug, softly reassuring her sister that she wouldn’t be parted from her, “Mags no one’s taking me away, not if I can help it. They’ll have to claw me out of your grasp before that ever happens,” she cuddled her sister closer as the two laid on her bed, reminiscing on their shenanigans while sipping hot chocolate. After a while Mel and Macy joined too, forming a small circle as they traded stories with each other, some exaggerated, some not and in that moment, wrapped in her comfortable blanket and enveloped in the comforting presence of her sisters she finally thought, ‘This is where I belong. This is home.’
Taglist: @iobsessoverfictionalmen
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Charmed: Why the Reboot isn't Robbing You of Anything
I have recently rewatched the original Charmed, and it was a big deal. It was one of my favorite shows growing up. I’m talking full-on obsession with copying spells and writing down what happened in every episode. That’s how much of a fan I was of the original series.
Needless to mention, the news of the reboot back in the day made me nervous. Then I watched one episode and fell into that raging anger so many fans shared and still do. Why would they take something that meant so much to me and remake it for new audiences? Recast the characters, rewrite the lore? That’s heresy is what it is. Yeah, that’s pretty much what I thought back then. After one episode I’d decided that this show is never going to compare to the original one.
I’m sure glad I grew out of that. And mind that in 2018 when the new Charmed showed up to take the stage, I was almost 30. So can’t blame it on my naive youth or the stubbornness that comes with age.
It took me a couple more years to realize that the show wasn’t out to get me. It didn’t take anything away from my childhood obsession. It literally didn’t affect that. Neither my memories of Charmed nor my ability to rewatch it whenever I want. One thing had nothing to do with the other. More than anything, it’s the fans of the new show that opened my eyes. They may not be many, but somewhere someone loved it and it was as important to them as the original one was to me. Simple as that. If I could get comfort and joy from that show, I should be happy that other people found it in a show, even different, but with the same name and premise.
This idea made me want to give the show another shot. And when I finally finished rewatching the og Charmed with the sisters and their manor, and their Book of Shadows, I decided that it’s time. Time to have another go at the new Charmed. Worst case, I’ll get a couple laughs out of it. But who knows, right?
I was right. I wanted something of my own out if this new show. Something that’s already been told. The same characters and the same manor. But I got something else entirely and I’m happy I could find beauty and joy in it.
The new Charmed are very different. They are literally different people so their stories aren’t and can not be the same. The new show still shares similar motives and callbacks to the original. Season one is trying to step into its big sister’s big shoes that are painfully unfit for demon-vanquishing. It plays in the same sandbox where the lives of three sisters are hijacked by magic (as well as demon boyfriends and cop girlfriends). At its core, this new show is still preaching the same ideas. And it’s right to be more vocal about that too.
The second season though. Talk about a show finding its footing. The characters get more comfortable in their identities, the stories and arcs get more personalized. It’s not a shadow of Charmed anymore, it’s the other Charmed. The show changes the lore and so many changes turn out to be improvements. At times it takes a darker tone, and it has an entirely different vibe. I’m binging the new Charmed and I can’t stop. It has me hooked as much as the original one did back in the day.
The whole thing reminds me of a band changing a lead or, you know what, the same og show replacing one of the sisters. Even that hadn’t been taken well by many fans. And some are pissed about that to this day. But the show survived and told its stories. And did it pretty well, too. If you go into it wishing to recapture something you had, don’t bother. Charmed from 2018 will never be the show I skipped school for. They never will taste like pre-school cereal and look like a small TV on top of the fridge.
Those who enjoyed the show would tell you to let go of your attachment to the OG series. I’d say don’t, really, don’t even bother unless you’re prepared for something new. Because if you are, then you will be able to let it occupy a separate corner in the fandom hall of your mind. Just remember, it doesn’t take anything from you or your memories. It only adds something else.
I loved being wrong about the reboot.
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