"Alright." With Kimble having made her mind up, the duo split to make their own attempts at creating an ice sculpture. She was taken aback by the revving of a chain saw, but it didn't seem like her companion was going to cut herself with it. So it was probably fine.

Others trickled in at the same time, like a couple girls who seemed familiar. Alicia vaguely recalled one of them from the attack on Mariette's place, but she couldn't recall where she'd seen the other. Not that it mattered too much, as the girl was in and out in no time flat. Like she had said, money was a powerful motivator.

With hammer and chisel at the ready, Alicia got to work. She was more methodical and meticulous as she worked, carving and chipping away at the block. her light powers were used to aid her efforts, touching up spots and tactically melting ice to aid her carving. she didn't initially have an idea, but she soon settled on something that would place to her unique skills.

It was an interesting process, both tense and relaxing at the same time. One needed to be careful not to apply too much force, , to heat too much, lest the whole thing crack and shatter. Luckily it seemed that most people had avoided that particular outcome, though as Kimble finished it seemed that the chainsaw had hindered her carving more than she might have liked.

"He did have infinite time loops to figure it out," she agreed with a small nod as she put the finishing touches on her own statue. "Still, I'm sure Dan wouldn't mind letting you work on it if you wanted to after the party."

Stepping away, she revealed her own ice sculpture. Arches rose and looped, swirling around a central orb. But if one was impressed by that they would soon find it being added to, as she placed a small light inside of the orb. It cast out beams of radiant light from within, bent and tinted by the ice to provide a kaleidoscope. Not bad for a first time, as long as one didn't look too closely.

Hands resting on her hips, Alicia nodded in approval before stepping back over to Kimble. "So what would you do if you were stuck in a time loop?"

_@Ariamis

As a fellow lover of gossip, Aria was happy to be surrounded by so many talking people. The fact that none of them were talking to her was just a bonus! Well, that wasn’t entirely true, she was trying to get Summer to open up to her.

Before she could get an answer on her request for a bunny hunt, most everyone moved outside the lodge to watch Maura dance, and the first few activities were unveiled: Ice carving and snowman making.

”Oh well that’s...” She placed her hands on her hips. ”I mean making snowmen is painfully ordinary, but ice sculpting might be fun! I still find it hard to believe we’re getting paid to participate in all this.”

"I guess. Money's not really that important. It's just used for stat buffs that barely matter in the first place."

Aria blinked. ”Well, they don’t have to be! Money has lots of uses if you don’t want to just spend it all on power ups. I could pay you to do something you normally wouldn’t do. O-or you could donate it to a good cause, like the reopening of my shop!” Aria was getting nowhere with this and knew it. ”But I suppose if you focus too much on monetary rewards, it starts to feel like work.” She pointed at the ice blocks. ”Let’s see what we can do with that ice!”

Aria took Summer by the hand and walked over to an ice block. While some tools had been provided, Aria took her tiny gourd and shook out a few large chisels. ”It’s been a while since I made my last ice sculpture, but I’m curious to see how my next one comes out.” She giggled before picking up one of the chisels. It was large enough to hold with two hands, and was half as tall as Aria was. ”What are you going to make? I want to make a dragon!.”

Summer blinked in response to Aria's blinking. "Yeah I guess that shop idea isn't terrible." She muttered something under her breath and then found herself dragged to an ice block.

"Uh… I guess it depends on if we're doing it the regular way or the magical way." Summer replied, picking up a chisel.

”I suppose it’s whatever your preference is. It’s not a competition, so just do what feels right.” Aria started to shave the ice. She started in the center of one face and carved the edge in several passes. She appeared to be rounding off the block. ”I work with my magic a lot, so I’m going to use nothing but hand tools for this one. It’s more limiting, but that just means you have to stylize to compensate.” She huffed. Her block of ice now had rounded corners and edges. ”Normally I’d start with a large saw, but I plan on making a chubby dragon. So there’s no need to cut away large chunks.” She set down her large chisel and picked up a smaller one. This was what she was going to use to carve out all the faces. ”So I didn’t get an answer before, are you new to Penrose? I haven’t seen you around.”

"That's a… complicated question." Summer said, staring at the chisel in her hand. "I've been around for a while, but I haven't really been around very much. And you're new, aren't you? At least to the city." She changed her gaze towards the ice block.

Aria stopped chiseling, and just stared at her ice block. ”It’s been a while since I’ve been in Penrose.” She resumed hammering out some eye sockets. ”I didn’t plan on coming back for any length of time. I don’t know how old you are but I strongly advise against revisiting places that used to mean a lot to you. You might think you can help and stick around.” She brushed off a face before starting to block in the teeth. ”You didn’t miss much being away. In some ways I wish I had never come back.”

"I guess." Summer looked over at the sculpture Aria was making. "What makes you say you didn't want to come back?"

Aria worked pretty quickly. Once she had her faces(?) roughed in, she moved on to one of her smallest tool: a v chisel. It was actually large in comparison to a wood chisel, but the V shape let her really dig into the ice. She used this to make the canals of the ears, the nostrals, the gaps in the teeth. She was also using a pretty light touch. As the ice was worked into shape, it became thinner and easier to break. Even if she was sculpting on a giant chunk of ice, the features themselves were quite small and wouldn’t be hard to break.

”For some reason, Penrose has always had the ability to get itself into trouble. If a world ending cataclysm is going to happen, it’s going to happen there. I figured over time people would start to leave. What was the population the last time you visited? Half a million? Maybe more?” she sighed. ”I think right now we have more magical girls than normal humans living in Penrose. But it’s not all bad, some big businesses have moved in. Things might be getting better.” She looked at Summer. ”It’s just a little depressing, you know? I can’t go back to my home in the over city with things the way they are.” She chuckled. ”That and I have some good business partners now. One of them is an old apprentice of mine. Perhaps you’ve heard of Binky?”

Summer nodded along as Aria talked, thinking. When she heard the last bit though, she perked up. "I may have a massive crush on her, yes."

Why did I say that? Because you do have a giant crush on her. YOU have a giant crush on her.
WE have a giant crush on her. Shut up.

"Anyway." Summer tried to change the subject. "I don't think Penrose is going to get peace from businesses moving in or anything like that. Really, our only hope is…" She paused, considering if it was a good idea to continue. "Well, do you know about inertia? Things can only move when an outside force moves them."

”Penrose will never have peace. But at least with businesses coming in, we know the city isn’t going to turn into a ghost town. Whatever’s causing the ‘inertia’ is not something I want to mess with.”

Aria did a bit more work with her V chisel before pulling out a metal comb for the final touches. Technically she should have used this tool first, as a lot of the tiny ice particles it would create were going to fall inside the groves she had just made. But she continued to shave at her sculpture while dusting away the debris with a brush. She used the brush to create fine lines, and used it to give the totem faces texture and even style in hair. By this point Aria was content with her work and was just going to give it a good brushing to make sure none of the dust stuck to it. And there it was, a totem pole worth three faces. An angry eagle, a surprised bear, and a happy wolf were stacked right on top of each other.

”Mmmm, not bad, considering how long it’s been since I made my last one.” She walked over to Summer to see how she was making out.

"It's more that nothing is acting on it, so it's not moving, but oh well." She watched the finalization of the totem. "... Thought you said you were making a dragon…"

”I say a lot of things!”

Summer turned to her own ice block and held her chisel to it, smacking the end of it with another chisel in place of a hammer. The block of ice instantly fell away to reveal a well-done sculpture of what appeared to be Cirno from Touhou. "This is boring with magic, you're right."

”I know, right? It’s still cute though!” She rubbed her chin. ”Though maybe if it’s mundane enough, something like making a snowman or two could be fun with magic.” Aria walked towards the snow field with Summer. ”As for peace ‘not having any inertia acting on it’, I’m not sure I agree. I feel like most magical girls try to get along, but the ones that don’t are just that good at stirring the pot.” She tapped the side of her head. ”Mmm, to get away from the analogies, it seems like everyone has an ace up their sleeve. Beacon has the Ascendancy, Mint has their unlimited machination works, The monsters have their queen, I think? There’s just no end to it.” She chuckled. ”I really didn’t expect to be talking politics with you. I do actually have optimism for Penrose’s future, but it’s something that needs to be worked towards by than more than just a few people.”

"Making snowmen with magic? I guess." Summer followed to the snow field. "I guess that's how one would view it, yeah. But it's good to be optimistic."

”And speaking of optimism, let’s play with some snow!” A flurry of butterflies raced outward. Most of them were rolling up snow, but a few others had gone on a search for items for their respective snowmen. ”Suppose this time I really will make a dragon.”

"Thinking of an oriental or western one?" Summer asked as she began to roll up a large snowball.

”hmm, didn’t think that far ahead. Maybe an eastern one? Might as well, I already have a western-inspired totem pole ” One could argue that Aria wasn’t even making her “snow man.” She didn’t even seem to be paying attention to her butterflies, who diligently prepared everything before beginning the dragon’s assembly. It was hard to see exactly what was going on with so many butterflies. swarming the construction site. hundreds of fist sized snowballs were being flown in, and another set of butterflies seemed to be taking care of the construction. Rupy was off in the distance, diving into the snow before shooting it as snowballs. They rolled across the snow before being picked up by other butterflies. ”Are you also making a dragon?”

"You could say that." Summer finished with a two foot by two foot snowball, then began on another, and another, until she had seven of them in a small circle. She began drawing little stars on them with her fingers, until each one had a different number of them. She muttered something in an unknown language and a giant western dragon made of snow appeared overtop of the balls, guarding them like a hoard of gold.

"Shit. I messed up somehow."

Aria giggled. ”There’s no need to be so hard on yourself. At least it wasn’t something that was too easy!” The butterflies had finished as well. After the snowballs had been packed, shaved, and supported, what remained was a dragon girl. She was made mostly out of snow, but the butterflies had found colored plants to stick to her to give her some color. Green eyes, yellow scales, andthey even laid a white dress over her. Once she was done, they placed a bouquet of flowers in her hand, which the dragon girl seemed to be sniffing. ”Dragon girls are eastern technically even if they aren’t oriental, right?” she looked at their creations. ”Even if you messed up, I really like yours.”

"Thanks. Yours is good too." There was genuine belief in her compliment, even if it was simple.

Aria giggled with a blush. ”So, any plans to show up around Penrose more often? You seem like a lot of fun, and I could even introduce you to Binky if you'd like.”

"Ah- … Yeah, I plan to stick around. You don't have to go that far though. And thank you."

MDP giggled happily as she skipped inside Penny’s snow fort.

“Golly wolly~!” the whimsical girl gasped as she looked around the interior of the fort with childish wonderment. “There’s, like, sooo many Penny Wennies in heresie~! (giggle!) Like, Magical Dream Princess didn’t know you could duplicatey waitey yourselfy welfy, Penny Wenny~!” she told the mechanical monarch, while smiling from ear to ear. Giving voice to a blissful sigh, her face took on an exceptionally dreamy expression as she watched her girlfriend(s) go about their work. “Penny Wenny’s just sooo super duper cool~”

The original Penny then greeted her with an embrace, and MDP giggled sweetly as she returned the hug. “Awww~ Thanky wanky, Penny Wenny~” the whimsical girl told her robotic girlfriend, while nuzzling her affectionately.

It was about then that a very familiar voice called out over the snowy battlefield, causing MDP to squeal with delight. “Goodie woodie~! Mayra Wayra’s heresie weresie~! (giggle!)” the playful girl cheered as she bounced over to peek out one of the fortress’s view ports. “Wowie zowie~!” she exclaimed a moment later when Mayra revealed her secret weapon. “That’s, like, a super duper snowball wowball~!” MDP’s eyes widened at the sight, and widened even more a moment later, when the draconic girl hurled her creation through the air towards them. However, before it could impact the walls of Penny’s fort, the monster snowball was swallowed by a portal, which vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

MDP stared at the space in stunned silence for several seconds before a bright smile spread across her face. “Mayra Wayra’s super duper giant wiant snowball wowball went bye bye~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl cheered, clapping her hands and jumping up and down with innocent glee. “Na na na na na, yooou miiiissed~!” she teased, while turning around and shaking her butt at the dragon girl. MDP’s eyes glistened when she heard Penny say that she was her princess, and the playful girl wasted no time in putting her arm around her girlfriend’s waist and snuggling up close. “Awww~ Magical Dream Princess just wuvs when Penny Wenny gets so romantic wantic~” a blushing MDP told the robotic girl, while fluttering her eyes.

After a few seconds of cuddling (which is a long time for someone as hyperactive as MDP), the playful girl turned her attention to the still-raging battle. “Like, Magical Dream Princess thinks it’s, like, super duper sweet that you want to protect her, Penny Wenny, but she wants to helpy welpy, too~! (giggle!)” MDP declared. Waving her wand over the battlements, she conjured several cute snowmen, who set about hurling a massive volley of additional snowballs at the fort’s various attackers. MDP was still admiring her work, when a peal of obnoxious laughter resounded throughout the battlefield. Looking up, the whimsical girl saw the dramatic arrival of two new participants. “Wowie zowie~!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with innocent fascination. “Like, who are those people weple~?!”

---

An unremarkable world in an unremarkable corner of an unremarkable universe, Pastoria had never known the clamorous sounds of conflict. The picturesque landscapes of its rural surface were lightly dappled with a few dozen sleepy farming villages, whose quiet, hard-working inhabitants lived a peaceful, unhurried existence. Never caring overmuch for clocks or calendars, they moved through the gentle shifting of the seasons with the same serene placidity displayed by the billowing cloud formations that lazily drifted across the azure sky. There were no schemes, no power plays, no desires for greater land or greater wealth, merely the mundane tasks of daily life. Simple, perhaps, but simplicity has its share of benefits, and the people of Pastoria were content.

Then came the day when everything changed- The day the Dark Legions of Darketh von Darkenstine, Dark Lord of All Darkness descended upon the unsuspecting world…

It didn’t take long. Scarcely more than an hour after their arrival, nearly the entire planet had been subjugated by the dark legions. The peaceful natives offered no resistance and calmly complied with everything demanded of them. It was actually rather disappointing, Ramona Ralorin reflected as she stood on a hill overlooking the final town to be conquered. “They could have at least tried to put up some kind of opposition…” she grumbled, while her legion formed up behind her. A vast host of dark magical girls, monster girls, shadow demons, dark spirits, animated suits of armor and various technomantic war engines all covered in menacing spikes, it presented an imposing sight, one intended to strike fear into even the stoutest heart. Or, rather, it would, if there was anyone to actually stand against it…

“Be not discouraged, my dear Ramona,” Lord Darketh bade his most trusted servant. “Your subjugation of this world has been most exemplary!”

“Well, of course it has,” Ramona agreed with a smug nod. “I only wish it was more of a challenge…”

“My dear Ramona, do you know why we’ve saved this particular village for last?”

“No idea…”

“It is because it holds a great secret, one my new scientific advisor tells me has the power to make our forces utterly unstoppable! Its attainment shall serve as the perfect capstone to our conquest! Rejoice, Ramona, that the honor of its claiming has been given to you!”

“Yaay…” Ramona deadpanned.

“Lord Darketh, Lady Ralorin,” a lesser dark magical girl greeted as she knelt before them. “The legion is fully formed up. We merely await your command.”

“Excellent!” Darketh declared. “The command is given! Bless this pitiful village with the dark touch of Darketh von Darkenstine, Dark Lord of All Darkness!”

However, before the dark lord’s command could be carried out, a shadow imp scout swooped down and prostrated itself at Darketh’s armored feet. “My lord, someone approaches from the village! They seek an audience with your dark majesty!”

“Such boldness!” the dark lord exclaimed, clearly impressed. “Very well! Their request is accepted! Come, Ramona! Let us see what form of foolish being wishes to converse with Darketh von Darkenstine, Dark Lord of All Darkness!”

Making their way to the edge of the hill, they looked down to see a rather scrawny young woman with long, messy dark hair and wearing goggles and an oversized lab coat.

“Your wish for an audience has been granted, feeble peasant!” Darketh’s booming voice announced. “Rejoice that the mighty Lord Darketh has deigned to bestow upon you this great honor!”

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that,” the young woman replied. Giving voice to a tired sigh, she continued, “Okay, so, here’s the thing- I’m in the middle of some really important work here, so would you mind taking all your emo forces and fucking off back to whatever edge lord paradise you came from?”

“Such insolence!” Darketh bellowed. “Such effrontery! Who are you that you would dare to address the Dark Lord of All Darkness in such an impudent manner?!”

Seeing the dark lord’s outrage, the young woman’s mouth spread into an extremely twisted grin. “I’m Doctor Nykannis, Queen of the Mad Scientists!” she announced. “And although you losers are probably way too stupid to realize it, this little mud ball of a planet is actually the core of a galaxy-spanning overmind, created by a race of omni-dimensional beings who used it to rule this entire multiversal spectrum! All of their vast knowledge is stored in this thing, but since it’s gone completely senile after being around for ten trillion years, its noospheric thoughtscape isn’t the easiest thing to navigate. And that’s before you even get to the security systems,” she explained, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Spending a few millennia stuck in a recursive time loop, or drifting on a Dirac Sea isn’t my idea of fun, so I knew I needed to find some sort of intermediary to serve as a guide. Thankfully, while I was excavating the control node under this village, I was able to find the thing’s Caretaker, who, I gotta say, is a LOT easier to converse with. In fact, our little chats had just reached a critical juncture, when you idiots showed up and started making a racket! So, if you wouldn’t mind playing ‘pretentious interdimensional tyrant’ somewhere else, I’d really appreciate it. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’re just gonna end up embarrassing yourselves. Well, more than you have already,” she added after moment.

“Impudent peasant!” Darketh roared. “I do indeed know of the great power that resides here! My scientific advisor has already revealed all of this world’s secrets, and it is HE upon whom I shall bestow the honor of extinguishing your pathetic existence!”

A burst of lightning and a mighty thunderclap heralded the creation of a tear in the dimensional fabric, through which floated several techno-cylinders. The barrels of several ultratech weapons protruded from their sides, while atop the largest of them stood a silver-haired scientist in a white lab coat. An array of strange, cybernetic implants protruded from his enlarged cranium, while one of his arms was an oversized amalgamation of features from a variety of monstrous beasts. “Mawhawhawhaw!” He cackled manically. “It is I, Doctor Zinestine, the greatest super-scientific genius to ever exist! I knew I would find you here, Kannis!” he gloated, looking down upon his arch rival with gleeful hatred. “Which is the very reason I told Lord Darketh about this place! Muwahhaha! Soon all you have discovered here will be mine, and you will be very dead!”

“Nyahahahaha!” Nykannis cackled in response. “Zinestine?! Zinestine’s your scientific advisor?! That idiot couldn’t even build a teleporter without looking at an instruction manual! You honestly think I’m gonna be intimidated by someone like him?! Nyahahahaha! You’re even dumber than I thought!”

“A pox upon you Kannis!” Zinestine spat. “Mark my words, I will not suffer your ridicule a moment longer! Behold!” he exulted, raising his hands above his head, while lighting crackled from his splayed fingers. “My greatest creation! Nothing less than the very pinnacle of my technomantic prowess and the instrument of your doom!”

With that, a new tear opened in the dimensional fabric, from which fell a young woman with patchwork skin and neon pink hair. “Hey! Hey! Whazzup, guys?!” the girl shouted exuberantly, while grinning from ear to ear. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “Ramona!” rushing over, she attempted to glomp the dark magical girl, but several dark tendrils shot up from the ground to restrain her, while a translucent barrier of dark magic interposed itself between the two young women.

“Hello, Stacy,” Ramona greeted the monster girl dryly.

While she wasn’t resisting the tendrils’ grasp, Stacy’s head was moving so fast she seemed to be looking in every direction at once. “Holy crap! There’s, like, a whole army here! Are you guys gonna have a battle?!” she asked excitedly, her eyes glittering with anticipation. “Am I gonna fight in it with you?! Oh wow! That’s gonna be, like, so much fun!”

“I highly doubt it,” Ramona replied. “The people here are all pacifists who surrendered right away. The only one making any kind of fuss is that scrawny nerd over there, and I could snap her like a twig without even using my magic.”

“Huh, she really is kinda scrawny,” Stacy observed. “And her hair is, like, a total disaster! Hey, Ramona,” she whispered, “Do ya think she might surrender if I offered to give her a makeover?”

The dark magical girl gave Stacy a blank stare. “Highly. Doubt it.”

For her part, Nykannis simply stared at the new arrival for several seconds, her eyes wide. “Pfft…” she snickered, before hugging herself, tossing her head back, and unleashing a peal of hysterical laughter. “Bawhawhawhaw! That’s your greatest creation?! That ditzy airhead?!” Another deranged cackle erupted from the Monarch of Mad Science before she continued. “The only way your little walking joke over there could kill me is if I laughed myself to death!”

“ENOUGH!!!” Lord Darketh bellowed. “The time has come for you to perish!”

“You really wanna do this?” Nykannis asked after catching her breath. “I mean, you can still walk away with at least some of your dignity intact.”

“My penumbral host is mighty in power, imposing in aspect, and unrelenting in ferocity! With what army do you intend to oppose it?!”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Nykannis replied with a demented smirk. “How about THIS ONE?!!! NYAHAHAHA!!!”

In a blinding burst of energy, a vast legion of ultra magitech constructs appeared behind the Monarch of Mad Science, who had herself shifted into her massive combat form. Glowing crystalline techno-pyramids floated above rank upon rank of kilometer tall biomechanical titans, while smaller mechs strode beside gargantuan, artificially intelligent supertanks and thick clouds of counter-gravity weapons drones.

“Holy freaking crap!” Stacy exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “That looks SO freaking cool!” Taking out her phone, she snapped a few pictures and then started typing.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Ramona inquired, her voice a dull monotone. This was due less to her usual apathy, and far more to her uncharacteristic shock at the sight of what had just occurred.

“I’m posting the pics I took on Glimmer!” Stacy replied, as energetic and upbeat as ever.

“You’re seriously posting about how cool you think the things you’re about to fight look? Things created by your Parton’s arch rival and someone who just called you a ditzy airhead?”

“Yeah!” Stacy confirmed with an oblivious smile. “I mean, you can see how totally awesome they are, can’t you?!” she asked, gesturing towards the newly arrived army in an exaggerated fashion. “And besides,” she added with a giggle. “I totally am a ditzy airhead!”

“Why do I choose to socialize with you?” Ramona muttered, while massaging the bridge of her nose.

Meanwhile, Lord Darketh was having an equally unpleasant time. “W-Where did this host come from?!” the dark lord cried. “Surely a pitiful worm such as you could not possibly have conjured it from thin air!”

"T-This c-cannot be possible!" Zinestine stammered. "My sensors should have detected..."

“Baldy, your sensors couldn't detect a bird if it was about to shit on your head,” Nykannis sneered. “And creating them from scratch wouldn’t have actually been all that difficult,” the mad scientist added with a smug grin. “But, no, these guys have always been here. If you take a look around, you’ll see that I’ve shifted us into an adjacent, trans-planar layer of the multiversal spectrum. This little out-of phase pocket dimension was just sitting around collecting dust, so I figured it was the perfect place to stash my army. And since there’s no risk of damaging anything valuable, it’s also the perfect place to TEACH YOU LOSERS WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA TO PISS OFF DOCTOR NYKANNIS, QUEEN OF THE MAD SCIENTISTS!!! NYAHAHAHA!!!”

With that, the battle began. Over the next hour, destructive forces were unleashed that utterly mocked all attempts at comprehension. Volleys of missiles choked the skies, while multicolored beams of starkly astounding energies were vomited forth from bizarre weapons that defied description. Warriors were erased from existence before they could even be born, whole regiments were swallowed up by quantum singularities, and no less than seventeen Earths at the first moments of World War III were saved from thermonuclear annihilation when every last ICBM was portaled away to bombard Lord Darketh’s personal Obsidian Colossus (and that was just to break through its penumbra barrier, before a condensed, highly focused blast from a supernova finished it off). Insidious hexes laid even the mightiest mobile fortresses low, while a series of death curses felled no less than four biomechanical titans, with six more being impaled by a crackling Killing Blow. Both sides fought with all the staggering power available to them, power enough to destroy a universe several times over, but in the end, it was the Monarch of Mad Science who would claim ultimate victory…

---

“And that’s how I defeated the combined forces of Darketh von Darkenstien and Dr. Zinestine! They might have seemed imposing to lower lifeforms, but they never stood a chance against my incomparable super-scientific genius! Nyahahaha! So, what do ya think about that, Dan?! Pretty awesome, huh?!” When the dolphin didn’t respond, Nykannis looked around to find that their host had vanished. “Dan…?”

“Uh, he left like ten minutes ago,” Kate explained with an awkward grin.

Since Dan was an old friend of Kate’s, he had invited her to spend Christmas at his new winter-themed island, and she’d brought along a reluctant Nykannis as her plus one. The two friends had arrived long before any of the other guests, and were currently sitting on a private outdoor balcony on the lodge’s second floor. It granted an excellent view of the wintery landscape, but was still perfectly warm, thanks to Dan’s magic. Of course, Nykannis wasn’t really a fan of the winter scenery, and so, as she sipped her cup of hot cocoa, she’d chosen to regale their aquatic host with tales of her greatest exploits. Indeed, she had been so invested in singing her own praises that she had apparently failed to notice the dolphin’s departure. 

“What?!” the mad scientist roared. “What the hell for?!”

“I think he said something about needing to greet the other guests,” Kate shrugged.

“Other guests?” Nykannis asked with a raised eyebrow. “What other guests?”

“Y’know, the ones at the big party downstairs,” Kate replied pointing her thumb towards the inner balcony. “He’s holding it for the entire magical community of Penrose.”

“Penrose?!” Nykannis nearly spit out her drink as she jumped out of her incredibly comfy chair in search of the nearest exit. “You brought me to a place filled with a bunch of lunatics from that shithole?! What the hell, Kate?! You said this was gonna be a relaxing vacation! The last thing I need is to be dragged into the drama of those nut jobs!”

“Chill out, will ya?” Kate chuckled. “Dan specifically gave us this balcony so we wouldn’t be bothered, and no one even knows we’re here!”

“Well, Dan’s a pretty shitty host, so you’ll understand why I’m a little skeptical about that,” Nykannis grumbled. “I mean, first he makes me wear this stupid outfit, then he refuses to let me dissect one of his stupid snowbuns, and now he wanders off when I’m right in the middle of I’m telling him how awesome I am!”

“Yeah, he’s such a jerk,” Kate agreed, while giving her friend a wry grin.

“I know, right?!” the mad scientist continued, far too annoyed to notice her friend’s sarcasm. “Gaah… I’m completely bored out of my mind here! There’s nothing interesting to do! I mean, I can’t even create anything without it turning into some stupid Christmas ornament or decoration!” she added, holding out a dreidel for emphasis. “And yes, I know dreidels have nothing to do with Christmas! Blame the stupid dolphin!”

“Okay, okay,” Kate conceded, raising her hands in an attempt to placate her disgruntled friend. “Look, I think I know how we can make things more interesting,” she added, as a mischievous grin spread across her face. “How about watching me prank someone?”

“Prank someone?” the mad scientist echoed. “You mean someone down there?” she asked, gesturing back inside the lodge.

“Yeah,” Kate confirmed. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find at least one good target in a crowd that big.”

“A crowd full of edgelords, zealots, and people with more mental and emotional issues than you could fit in a Dyson Sphere,” Nykannis observed. “I really don’t wanna have to reconstruct you from your constituent molecules if you piss off the wrong psychopath.”

“Relax, would ya?” Kate laughed. “I’m not gonna prank some sadistic psycho, and besides, there’s no fighting here, remember? Trust me, I’ll be perfectly safe!”

“Fine…” the mad scientist relented. “But I assume you’ll need my help for this prank, correct?”

“You know it!” Kate grinned. “Okay, so here’s what I need you to create…”

…

…

…

Once Nykannis had completed her invention, Kate took it and made her way downstairs, followed by a small, cloaked drone, which would allow Nykannis to see the entire prank play out on a holographic display (it should be noted that this happened mere moments before the Mysterious Guest’s arrival on the indoor balcony). Arriving in the crowded central hall, it didn’t take Kate long to find what looked like a suitable victim, and once her trusty camera had confirmed her suspicions, she headed over to introduce herself.



“Hi there,” Kate said cheerfully as she stepped up to the refreshment table opposite one of the few magical boys present. “You’re Shane, right?”

Turning to the one that approached, Shane nodded. ”Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m Kate Carson,” the girl replied. “Nice to meet ya!” she added with a big grin, while flashing a peace sign. “Enjoying the party so far?”

”Nice to meet you Kate. It’s been pretty good so far. Some odd surprises but patrons don’t always make a lot of sense. Probably going to see about joining one of the events or another.” He would chuckle a bit.

“Yeah, I noticed there’s all sorts of stuff going on around here,” Kate replied. “I gotta admit, it’s a little crazy that Patrons were invited to this thing too, but then, I guess that’s Dan for ya, huh?” she added with a chuckle.

“Uh, Shane…?” Gaia asked, while staring at her date with a slightly puzzled expression. “Who are you talking to?”

Glancing at his girlfriend for a moment he would point in the direction of Kate. ”You don’t see anyone?”

“Umm…” Gaia frowned, her eyes filled with concern. “No… As far as I can tell, there’s no one there…”

“Oh, yikes… I forgot to tell ya,” Kate said with a sheepish grin. “I’m your new imaginary friend. You’re the only one that can see and hear me.”

”...Hmm.” He would ponder for a bit. ”Apparently I have an imaginary friend. That… isn’t the most farfetched thing I could imagine.” While he spoke he would look around the room to see if he could spot anyone watching specifically. Since no one else saw Kate he didn’t imagine it would be an illusion. However, his brain has been assaulted by a horror in the past so he very well could be losing it.

“You’re probably wondering why you’re only just now seeing me for the first time, right?” Kate observed, giving Shane a lopsided smile. “Well, y’know that gift exchange thing?” Kate asked. “I always called ‘em ‘Secret Santas’, but I guess ‘White Elephant’ is, like, the nondenominational name, or somethin’?” she shrugged. “Anyways, someone wished for a person here at the party to get their very own imaginary friend, and you were the lucky winner, so here I am!” she told him, spreading her arms out. “Pretty cool, huh?”

Scratching his head for a moment he didn’t see any of the organizers around to confirm that the gifts had been handed out. Given they were wishes, and he knew decently how the djinn girl’s magic worked, it was entirely possible. ”Okay well…” How exactly does one respond to having an imaginary friend out of nowhere?

For her part, Gaia was just as confused as Shane. She was pretty sure some sort of magic was behind this imaginary friend’s appearance, but who’s? Perhaps this was the work of the whimsical MDP, or perhaps the recently departed horror was responsible… 

“So, Shane, does your imaginary friend have a name?” Gaia asked.

”Kate Carson.” He would answer.

“Kate, huh?” Gaia mused while tapping an elegant finger against her chin. MDP had mentioned knowing someone named Kate… “I don’t claim to be an expert on imaginary friends, but you wouldn’t happen to know anyone named Magical Dream Princess, would you, Kate?” she asked the “imaginary” girl.

Shane would notice Kate’s eyes go wide and her face visibly pale at the sound of MDP’s name. “Uh, n-no,” Kate replied shakily. “C-Can’t say that I do…” Despite her denials, it was clear to see that the “imaginary” girl was more than a little freaked out at that particular name being brought up. “Uh, w-why do you ask?”

The answer was suspicious for sure. But not really having any way to detect who or what Kate was the boy was at a loss. Luckily for him the antics had drawn the attention of another guest.



”See, not everyone here is against you. If you ever need help feel free to contact me. If you’ll excuse me I need to see some of the other guests.” She would hand Justine her number and leave the girl to talk with Alex. She was going to head outside but got briefly sidetracked by the odd magic happening by the refreshments. Someone or something was trying to hide, and doing a fairly decent job at it. Adjusting her path she walked in the direction of the tables. 

”Pardon me.” She would say as she seemed to be reaching for an item on the table. Instead though she shifted her hand over and took hold of the small device that Kate was using to cloak herself. Light magic bending things back as they should the trickster would become visible again as the candy cane looking device was removed. ”A curious invention.” She would look it over a bit.

Kate was stunned speechless when a white-haired girl walked over, and calmly took hold of Nykannis’s device, which had taken the form of a candy cane, protruding from the pocket of Kate’s jacket. “W-W-Whaa…?!” she stammered after a few moments of shocked paralyzation had passed. “Y-You can see me?!”

“It would appear we all can,” Gaia clarified with a small smirk.

“W-Who the heck are you?” a still visibly shocked Kate asked the new arrival. “A-And… c-can I please have that back…?” she added in a much smaller voice.

As tempting as it would be to keep such a device, theft was not necessarily something the Keeper wanted to be associated with. After a moment she would calmly hold the magitech item out to Kate. ”Kayli Devon. Is this perhaps one of your creations?” It could very well be something the girl picked up, but it was worth asking.

“Uh, not exactly,” Kate replied, as she tentatively reached out and took the device back. “A friend made it for me,” she added. A friend who was probably having a sizable conniption right now, Kate thought to herself. “And thanks,” she told Kayli with a small smile. “I really appreciate it. Oh, and, uh, sorry about that, Shane,”  she told the magical boy, while giving voice to a nervous chuckle. “It was only meant to be a harmless prank.”

Pretty much only left to watch as a stranger came out of nowhere and interacted with magic he had no way of really understanding, Shane just stood confused for a bit.  ”Uh, thanks for the help Kayli.” He would blink and glance at Gaia a couple times who seemed just as lost as he was. Kate would apologize though and the boy would smile. ”That’s okay. No harm done.”

“Allow me to get this straight,” Gaia spoke up, folding her arms below her chest. “You wanted to prank someone by pretending to be their imaginary friend, and in so doing, make them look like they had lost their mind?”

“Uh, yeah…?” Kate confirmed sheepishly, more than a little intimidated by the verdant beauty glaring down at her. 

She shouldn’t have worried, though. After a moment’s silence, Gaia’s lip began to twitch, before the nymph-like girl gave voice to a melodic peal of laughter. After giggling hysterically for several seconds, the botanical beauty finally began to regain her composure. Gracefully wiping a tear from her eye, she turned to her boyfriend. “I-I am so sorry, Shane,” a breathless Gaia told him between giggles. “It’s just so funny!” Getting a few more boisterous laughs out of her system, the verdant girl gave voice to a blissful sigh. “Thank you, Kate,” she said, placing a hand on the prankster’s shoulder and flashing her a brilliant smile. “I do not think I have laughed so hard in quite some time.” 

Shane threw his hands up a bit. ”Hey, I’ve heard of some crazy things. There was a Beacon girl that had a whole other persona in her head. It sounded plausible to me.” He would sigh a bit but concede. ”I’ll admit, it was a good prank.”

”I would very much like to meet your friend, Kate. Perhaps we could exchange some notes.” She would have to discern intention. That shouldn’t be hard to do if they got the chance to talk.

“Oh, uh, I’ll have to ask her,” Kate replied hesitantly. “She loves to talk about science and stuff, but she’s kinda reluctant to get sucked into all of Penrose’s craziness. Huh, this is her now,” she added, retrieving her buzzing phone from a jacket pocket. “Hey, Nykannis. Oh? You’re fine with her coming up? Okay then. So, how’d you like the show?” she asked with a grin. “Well, I couldn’t really help that. If you say so,” she chuckled. “See ya.” Ending the call, she turned back to Kayli. “She says you can come up and talk with her. I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting her to wanna chat with one of you Penrose folks in an environment she can’t fully control, but you really impressed her. So, uh, congratulations? Speaking of, how were you able to see me?” she asked Kayli. “The perception filter on that device should have been strong enough to fool even Third Eyes.”

”I didn’t see you so much as felt some abnormality. Just happen to have particular magical senses and curiosity.” She didn’t want to get into the weeds about such things. They could be there forever. It seemed she’d been granted an audience to see this Nykannis though. ”Excellent.” She would glance at Shane and then Gaia. ”I will leave you two to yourselves. Maybe we could chat later.” She would smile and turn back to Kate. ”Whenever you’re ready.”

“So I guess you’re one of those gifted types, huh?” Kate observed after listening to Kayli’s explanation. “That’s cool. And it’ll help ya get along better with Nykannis,” she added. “She loves learning about interesting types of magic.”

After Kayli had exchanged some parting words with Shane and Gaia, she got ready to leave with Kate.

“Okay, then, just follow me,” Kate instructed. “Oh yeah,” she added, calling back to the couple by the refreshment table. “If ya see MDP, could ya do me a big favor and not tell her I’m here?”

“Of course,” Gaia nodded serenely. “I am well acquainted with how overwhelming her personality can be, and I completely understand if you wish to avoid dealing with it.”

As the other two had decided to head off the boy would shake his head. He would look at Gaia with a slightly bewildered expression. ”I was this close to accepting I’d been given some weird wish or had lost my mind. You have no idea.”

“There are many strange things in this world,” Gaia would observe. “So it wouldn’t have been completely out of the question if you really did receive your very own imaginary friend. Still…” she added as she gave him a teasing grin. “You looked absolutely adorable when you were trying to figure out what was going on.”

He would grin. ”Good to know I look cute even when baffled.” He would give Gaia a kiss on the cheek.

Gaia would giggle after being kissed. “Why, Shane, there isn’t even any mistletoe! Or perhaps my hair qualifies?” she would ask with a grin as she ran her fingers through her verdant tresses.

"Oops. Guess I'll have to wait until we see some next time." He would shrug. 

“I guess so,” Gaia would reply, before conjuring a sprig of mistletoe and holding it over them. The next thing Shane knew, his girlfriend had pulled him close and given him a very passionate kiss.

Somehow it didn't occur to him that Gaia could or would do such a thing. He was surprised by the move and for a moment was a bit stiff until he leaned a bit more into the kiss. 

Gaia allowed the kiss to last for several seconds more, before she slowly pulled away. “Merry Christmas,” she said softly, while giving Shane a warm smile.

"Merry Christmas." He half expected some to call out for them to get a room. Time would tell. "So there's quite a lot to do here it seems. Where would you like to go?" 

“I believe our event coordinator mentioned sledding,” Gaia replied. “That sounds like it might be rather enjoyable. After all, you are certainly dressed for it,” she added with a wink.

He would smirk. "Sounds good. Let's see where that is." Looking around a bit they would find a sign just outside the door pointing them to the various events. "Ah, this way then." The directions would send them around to the other side of the cabin where a big hill was with various slopes. 

Allowing Shane to lead her, Gaia gracefully glided out of the lodge.

“Connie,” Gaia called to her friend just before stepping outside. “Shane and I are heading out for some sledding. Will you be okay by yourself?”

“Y-Yeah, I-I’ll be f-fine, Mia!” Connie replied with a shaky wave. “H-Have f-fun!”

Oh, I believe we certainly shall, little sister, Gaia thought to herself, a blush coloring her cheeks as she took Shane’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I believe we certainly shall…

---

 

Following Kate, Kayli would be led upstairs to meet with Nykannis. Upon reaching the private balcony, they would find the mad scientist watching the ongoing snowball fight through a pair of goggles, while eating from a cup labeled Merry Mac-and-Cheese, with the image of a Santa hat wearing dolphin-shaped noodle on the side of it. A dozen more (mostly empty) cups now covered the balcony’s small table, along with some cookies and a refilled mug of hot cocoa. Apparently, Dan had returned at some point after Kate left and brought additional refreshments, which Nykannis had wasted no time in gobbling up.

“Sheesh, save some for me, would ya!” Kate grumbled.

“Penny and MDP,” Nykannis replied, not bothering to turn around, and completely ignoring her friend’s complaint. “Two of the most powerful, non-Patron magical beings in this entire reality plenum, and I can’t run any tests or scans on them, thanks to Dan’s magic… But I suppose you’re a suitable consolation prize,” she added, finally turning around to face her guest. “So, you’re Kayli Devon, huh? I hope you realize how lucky you are that I’m allowing you to have this little chat with me,” Nykannis told her, by way of greeting. “I wouldn’t risk the deal I made with the Grand Magistrates that run this place for just anyone, y’know? And, just to clarify, by ‘this place’ I mean this particular iteration of the multiverse, because, yes, there are other multiverses out there, one’s that even the great and powerful Grand Magistrates can’t influence. Bet ya didn’t know that, huh?” she added with a smug smirk.

Somewhat of an odd place to start a conversation, but this girl seemed rather eccentric if not somewhat unhinged. "It's not a subject I've put much thought into. One reality is enough to manage as is." She would pull up and take a seat. For now she would not comment on the want to study Penny or the other magical girl. "I'm to understand I've piqued your interest?" 

“Yeah, most lower lifeforms don’t,” the mad scientist would agree with a nod. “And you could say that,” she added, her eyes narrowing. “It’s not just anyone that can negate the effects of my inventions like that. I’m guessing you’ve got a Third Eye, coupled with a Gifted Light Spec, right? Being gifted’s a pretty sweet ability to have,” she continued. “You can do a lot of creative stuff with it, even break some of the rules of this reality, if you put enough effort into it. But something tells me you’ve got more goin’ on than just that. You’d pretty much have to, if you’re living in Penrose, of all places. So, what’s your deal? Are you working with one of the local factions, or are you a solo operation?” 

”Undecided.” She would state while putting a hand to one cheek. Her magic was working in the background and sifting through every word uttered by Nykannis. At the same time her charismatic aura was on the job as well. ”I am not as interested in vying for power for power’s sake. I feel that most patron’s deals come with too many strings. Solo best describes my position.” She would confirm.

“I see…” Nykannis murmured. “And what about your motivations?” she asked. “Your other magic specs? Your reason for wanting to come up here and meet me?” The mad scientist’s eyes grew wider with each question asked as a look of manic desperation took hold of her features. “Come on, Kayli! I’m bored out of my fucking mind here! The only reason I agreed to this was because I hoped you could tell me something interesting, but all you’re giving me are these pathetic one sentence responses! I saw how impressed you were by that little gadget I whipped up for Kate,” she continued. “So I’m pretty sure you’re a scientist of some sort, which means you’ve created something you think has value, or maybe you just need something created, and you want me to do it?! Well?! What is it?! What amazing things have you done, Kayli?! What amazing things do you want me to do?! GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH, HERE!!!”

By this point, Nykannis had left her chair and fully invaded Kayli’s personal space, her bulging eyes twitching and her shaking hands grasping at the air.

Raising a hand, Kayli would lightly tap Nykannis’ forehead with a finger. A pulse of light would go off as the magical girl’s power washed though her target. It was warm and her mind quieted unlike anything the mad scientist had felt in a long time. ”I seek to grant others the gift of security. Ideally the goal would be peace, but peace is fleeting. I believe it may be advantageous for humanity to have a space at the magical table. Some would disagree with that, others the way how. I would like to know your opinions on the matter and how you would go about such a thing.” Coaxing the information out of the scientist rather directly.

“Huh, that feels kinda nice…” Nykannis observed absently, after Kayli had filled her with calming energy. “So, you’re one of those pacifistic ‘kumbaya’ types, huh? I can sorta relate,” she added with a smirk. “Lucky for you, it just so happens I know someone who feels the same way, at least where mundane human empowerment is concerned. As for me, personally, I couldn’t really care less. Science! is the only thing I care about. The only reason I’m even in this multiverse to begin with is because I needed a place to lay low for awhile, and although they’ve given me permission to stay here for a bit, the Grand Magistrates don’t want me doing anything that could significantly affect the local status quo. Ripples, not waves, and all that crap. So, technically I’m helping my current employer work towards that ‘give humans a seat’ thing you’re talking about, but I’ve gotta do it in the background, rather than make any overt changes. Which isn’t to say I couldn’t!” the mad scientist hastened to clarify. “Especially now that I’ve finally got The Artifact running at full power! I mean, if I had my way, if I could really crank things up to 11²³, y’know, really plus ultra the shit outta it, I could have you Neanderthals at Level Four on the Kardashev Scale in less than a week! I’m talkin’ post-post-post-singularity here! Power for everyone rivaling the so-called gods themselves! Nyahahaha! Uh, you still followin’ along with all this?” she asked after a moment, her insane grin swiftly dissolving into a disappointed frown. “You look like you’re having some trouble wrapping your little mind around what I’m saying.”

"No one can be truly pacifist, not if they wish to protect anything in this world anyway. There are some terms you've used that I'm unfamiliar with, but I think I understand. A surplus of magic sounds like an interesting proposition. I'm not really sure of the results though. Your average beings don't always react so well to magical overloads. Wouldn't such a thing result in uncontrolled transformations?" She would ask. 

“Oh, I see where you might get that idea,” Nykannis replied, her smirk having returned after receiving confirmation that Kayli did indeed understand at least the basics of what she was talking about. “But no, the process I’m referring to would be completely controlled by yours truly, and everyone benefiting from this little ‘upgrade’ would each come with a built-in Off Switch, which would reverse the process for that particular individual if they started causing problems. Though this is all just hypothetical,” she sighed. “There’s no way the Grand Magistrates would let me use The Artifact at even a quarter of its full potential. And on THAT note, I think it’s time for you to start telling me a bit about your own accomplishments. I wanna hear more about what makes Kayli Devon so great, before I decide to reveal any more of my secrets. For instance,” she added with a raised finger, an intense gleam in her eye. “Rumor has it there are some interesting new flavors of Cosmic Omniversal Infusion Numinospheric Synthesizers floating around. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about them, would you?” 

Considering Nykannis was telling her about some pretty high level magic manipulation and had proven resourceful in her own right the girl nodded. How she could turn off the effects was curious. At least the girl didn't seem to be lying as far as she believed. "Interesting. I am familiar with the new variants. Rather interesting effects the Red and White ones have. The first rearranges the user's magic either in part or in whole. Even offers a few additional perks that couldn't previously be accessed. The White ones purify individuals of corruption and induct them into Beacon. It was an attempt by the organization to reach out to some of those that did not wish to be corrupted. It had a less than stellar reception." She would go over a brief history of the coins. Holding up her hands and folding them in front of her face they would glow with a purifying light. "My particular field involves purification though. Some or all. I've found I'm decently proficient with tweaking magical gadgets given the necessary resources. I could demonstrate if you have a particular corruptive trait you are not fond of." The light would die down after a moment. She would lay her hand back down and give a pleasant smile. 

“Hmmm,” Nykannis mused. “Yeah, that matches what I heard, although I was hoping you might be able to tell me who made them,” she frowned. “My employer could use someone with those kinds of skills, and abilities of that nature also have the potential of significantly expediting my own work. Still… That purification thing of yours could have some very interesting applications as well…” the mad scientist added, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Not for me, mind you,” she clarified. “I was thinking more along the lines of removing negative traits from some of the operatives I’ll be making with The Artifact. Since it still follows the core rules of this reality plenum, if I go full monster girl with it, I’ve gotta pick out some potentially disadvantageous options, and that can be pretty annoying. It would be really nice to be able to just keep all the benefits and discard all the drawbacks, no doubt about it,” she nodded. “I mean, I could always try and replicate the exact set of abilities you have,” she continued, more “thinking out loud” than actually conversing at this point. “But since you still won’t TELL ME HOW YOUR MAGIC WORKS, it’ll probably take a bit of experimentation. Not that I don’t enjoy experimenting,” the mad scientist explained. “It’s just that I like to make progress at a little faster than a snail’s pace, y’know?” 

"How I do it is more of an inherent trait of mine than by experimentation. I do not currently have a way to replicate the results. Synthesizing such a thing would require time to sort out the necessary steps, fabricate the right instruments, and a lengthy time etching and infusing the correct sigils in order to give them the correct magical properties. Not impossible I would think, but not entirely practical. Certainly I am the easier of the two options." She would explain. Kayli didn't really want to put this girl on Binky's scent in regards to the Red coins and identifying Janet would inevitably lead back to her one way or another. Not that what they'd discussed didn't already put her in the scientist's sights. To some degree though she wasn't all that different from say Janet when it came to pushing the boundaries. 

“Yeah, that’s what I mean,” Nykannis nodded, her grin widening. “That’s why I want to learn more about you. Is this trait you speak of some sort of Oddball Purification Spec, a Power, a Perk, or some synergistic interaction between them? See, here’s the thing,” she added, leaning in close and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “When I first got here, it didn’t take long for me to realize that the powers and abilities that can manifest in this particular reality plenum can be pretty nuts. That’s a scientific term, by the way. The rules that govern how things work here are also extremely interesting to me, so much so in fact, that I simply had to find their ‘source code’, so to speak. Y’see, even with systems this complex and transcendent, there’s always some kind of interface, a way to interact with the mechanisms that run it. All you gotta do,” she grinned maniacally, “is find it. ‘It’, in this case, being The Artifact. That’s capital T, capital A. It’s the physical protrusion of the omni-dimensional mechanism behind the Create Your Own Avatar system that ALL the various Patrons use to make magical servants! Found it down in Antartica, which, by the way, is where all the really cool stuff is on pretty much every worldline. Take it from someone who’s been to over ten thousand of ‘em. ANYWAY, by using this thing, I can create pretty much any kind of magical being I want, at least within the framework of rules I already mentioned. But still, that’s a LOT of potential options! In fact, it’s practically LIMITLESS, especially if you consider all the potential Oddball and Gifted combinations! And with your particularly helpful combination added to the mix, my creations will be optimized to their fullest possible extent! Nyahahaha!”

Kayli would tilt her head a bit. After a moment she would lean forward with some interest. "Have you created any magical girls with this thing yet?" She said while tapping her chin a bit. Clearly considering what Nykannis was telling her. 

“Yeah, twenty-five of ‘em, but they’ve only been low-powered knockoffs at best,” she explained with a frown, before her maniacal grin returned. “At least, until I made The Prototype,” she added with a demented giggle.

"Hm." She thought about Hilde for a bit. "Sounds intriguing. Perhaps we could work on a project some time." She would muse. 

“I could see that being very enjoyable,” Nykannis agreed.

"Anything in particular you need help on?" She would see if it was something more in her wheelhouse. 

“Aside from what I just mentioned?” Nykannis asked. “Not much, although it would be really cool if you QUIT BEING SO EVASIVE AND TOLD ME EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR MAGIC, but, yeah, other than that, I can’t think of anything else at the moment.”

“Well,” Kate cut in from where she was watching the snow fort battle through her camera, “If you two nerds are done swapping notes, this snowball fight is really startin’ to heat up!”

"Ah yes. It is a combination of magics. It would seem I was crafted in a way to serve such a purpose. Light and Reinforcement primarily, but psychically I can remove the mental afflictions. Friendship and some fate that awaits me guide my steps. To a degree I am the antithesis of dark and monster girls as I need not worry about the effects of corruption of a magical overload. It is a trait I intend to do more study on as I believe there are many that could benefit. But for now I may only offer my gift of purity personally. Obtaining resources to do otherwise without stipulation is hard to come by. I also cannot count that it might not be abused. You seem more as one to seek progress for progress' sake. A potentially treacherous path it would seem if you are here to avoid some consequence elsewhere. But I will reserve judgment on that until I have the chance to learn more of your work." She was somewhat wary of Nykannis, everything she'd picked up on so far told her that this girl was neither a friend nor foe in the traditional sense. It was entirely possible that she was getting into things that could cause great good or ill for all. While that was not really the kind of person she wanted to get tangled up with, if she didn't offer some kind of olive branch then there would be no chance to potentially get a closer look at the machinations at work here or this Artifact.

“I see, I see…” Nykannis nodded, completely ignoring Kate as Kayli finally revealed the combination of Specs, Powers, and Perks that granted her such fascinating abilities. “I believe those could be duplicated…” the mad scientist murmured as she seemed to run though the various calculations in her head. “Although if we go the surefire route, the power level will be slightly reduced, but that can be offset by a living battery… Yes… Yes… That would definitely do the trick!” she giggled, while rubbing her hands together with gleeful enthusiasm. Then Kayli mentioned wanting to see more of her work, which swiftly brought the mad scientist out of her maniacal reverie. “So, you wanna learn about my work, huh?” she asked, her eyes refocusing on the white-haired girl and narrowing considerably. “It’s some pretty top secret stuff,” the mad scientist explained. “As much as I might want to, I can’t go showing it off to just anyone. Hell, I’d probably get chewed out for telling you what I already have! Although…” she added with a grin. “If you were to join my R&D team, that would be a different story.” Nykannis was fairly certain a goodie two shoes like Kayli would never accept such an offer, but it would still be interesting to see how the girl chose to respond.  

Kayli was silent for a moment but eventually replied, not completely dismissing the offer. ”To what end?”

“To assist with my work, of course!” Nykannis told her. “And to help improve humanity’s position in the magical community. Like I said earlier,” she continued, “my current employer is really into that stuff.”

"Well I will consider the offer. I'd like to get settled with things a bit before making any major decisions like that. I do sometimes get the feeling that my skills could be better utilized with less restriction." She would muse. It would likely resonate with a fellow colleague of the field. 

“Well, you can be sure there aren’t any restrictions in my lab,” Nykannis grinned. “It’s UNLIMITED SCIENCE! Nyahaha! Although I can see why you might be hesitant,” she added. “You may have a thing for science, but you strike me as way more of a ‘help anyone in need’, ‘champion of the hopeless’ type, and you’ll definitely find more people who need saving in Penrose than in Silverburg, that’s for sure. Still, if you’re ever in town, stop by Demiris Defense Systems’ corporate headquarters and tell ‘em Doctor Kannis asked to see you. I’d be more than happy to chat again, especially if you’re willing to spill more of your secrets.”

Making a mental note Kayli will nod. ”Will do. And perhaps in the future there will be more to share. Penrose seems to have become something of a testing ground for oddities.” Since the major part of their talk was finished she would stand up. 

“You can say that again,” Nykannis smirked as she glanced over to where the snow battle was playing out. “Well, I guess I’ll get back to watching the snowball fight and continue to lament the fact that I can’t dissect, I mean, study anyone here. It was actually kinda nice meeting you,” she added. “Even though you can be annoyingly evasive at times.”

"Most people like to know a little about a person before sharing. It's not that surprising. Enjoy your stay." She would make her way out and back down to the first floor so she could head outside.

“Sounds like that went fairly well,” Kate observed as Nykannis joined her at the edge of the balcony.

“Mmm,” the mad scientist agreed. “I’m 99.9888 percent sure she either knows, or is the one making those new types of COINS, but that information really isn’t all that important. I mean, it’s easy enough to give someone an Oddball: Coin Crafting Spec,” she added. “No, what REALLY interested me was that ability of hers to selectively remove detrimental traits, while leaving the beneficial ones intact. I hope I don’t need to tell you how helpful that would be with Phase Two. The only question is, how do I go about implementing it? I guess I could always just give someone Oddball: Gifted Purification and hope for the best, but I think I’m gonna try out the exact combination of Specs, Perks, and Powers our new friend Kayli has first.” She closed her eyes as a demented grin spread across her face. “There’s just so many glorious possibilities, and I simply can’t wait to get started…”

The last thing Eliza wanted was to get spotted so soon. Then again, hard to be descreet when you're dressed as a christmas tree. "Oh! Um," she quickly looked between the two (There was two new guests? Huh.), they seemed nice enough. Or was normal the better term? Eliza knew better than to go off of first glances, but unless someone found a loophole, they cant really do harm here can they? Atleast not in a violent sense.

Either way, might as well introduce herself. She bowed slightly. "Forgive my intruding. I noticed some newcomers and wanted to see if everything was alright over here." She'd explain. It wasn't exactly a lie, if they had a way to tell. But she had to make sure they won't try anything. Eliza then held her hand out for them to shake. "I'm Eliza!"

---

Okay now let's move to the important part.

Among the crowd that had watch Maura's performance was the small witch group, and unfortunately Amanda. Amanda tried to disway them from watching, for her patron's sake, but it didn't work in the slightest. They almost seemed...in awe, as they watched the estranged witch's magic at work. The magician couldn't tell if they recognized her or not. She did see them whispering to each other, so it still made her nervous.

Soon as it ended, Amanda was going to follow the group to make some snowmen and whatnot. Until they all noticed Maura approaching them.

Was she really going to confront her sisters? The Cradle Mother didn't know what to say or do exactly once she walked over to them. Surprisingly, neither did any of them. Maribel, Lauren, and Carmen looked at her with widened eyes. While Rowena and Amanda appeared worried for Maura.

"......Uh, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Maura tried to break the ice first.

Lauren looked to the rest of her group, then back to Maura. An annoyed glare replaced her shock. "Are you kidding me right now?! Years of hide-and-seek to figure out what the hell we'd say or do once we find each other, and no one's got anything?!" She scolded the other witches.

"You don't have any ideas either, do you?"

The witch of order would give Carmen an unamused look. "W-Well no, but atleast I can tell how bullshit this is! And YOU!" Her glare would return as she pointed to Maura.

"Please calm down and let her explain-" Amanda tried to intervene, but it seemed fruitless for someone as stubborn as Lauren Corvus.

The witch of order would hold her lion plush high above her head...

...and proceed to bonk Maura's head with it. Repeatedly.

"NEVERDOAGODDAMNSTUNTLIKETHATAGAIN, YOUHEARME?! SOMEOFUSNEARLYHADAHEARTATTACKCAUSEOFTHATBULLSHIT!!" Lauren screeched mid bonking, Maura only able to utter an oddly calm "Ow." during the ranting with each hit. Once Rowena dragged Lauren away, she rubbed her head.

"Okay, I probably needed that too." She slightly frowned, and looked back to her sisters. "So you're...not mad about what happened?"

Carmen crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "I'll be frank, you had me worried. But I had other things to worry about than that incident."

Lauren huffed, being picked up by the taller witch of life. "For some reason this place doesn't let us hurt each other, so I can't exactly chop your head off right now- Ow!" Her grumblings would be intterupted by Rowena flicking her on the head. She crossed her arms. "You better have some good explaning to do, lady!"

Then there was Maribel, who was calmly watching the exchange. She hummed in thought, glancing between Rowena, Amanda, and Maura. Did the former already talk with the latter? Did Amanda and Maura know each other? Curious as she was, there was no point in dawdling. "Now, now girls. I know this is weird, but let's not lag behind everyone else~ We can talk during the activities!" She'd smile, walking to one of the portals; Ice sculpting in particular. "Not sure if those like us can participate, but it'll be fun, right~?"

With a non-verbal truce, the Walpurgis Night group followed Maribel outside. Each of them begining to carve out statues pertaining to their roles. And because Majora didn't want to stall in posting any further, we can leave it at that. Bother them if you want.

“Penny Asimov, but it sounds like you knew that already” Penny would return Freya’s introduction, having let the girl vent her frustrations quietly. “And honestly I came after to make sure you had someone in case you needed an ear to vent or a shoulder to lean on.”

“It wasn’t hard to gather that the offer he put forth meant something to you, sadistic prick that it is, and no one should be alone after such a cruel lifting of hope.” She would explain honestly. It could have been anyone here on the island and Penny would have went off after them if she noticed. It was things like this had made her hate Horrors in such capacity only AM would be able to understand her.

“I might not be who you wanted to see, but before you got pelted with a snowball you were mentioning that you wanted to talk to me.” She would go on shrugging slightly even if the Lamia wouldn’t see it. “I’m free to talk now if you want, about what it was you wanted to talk about earlier or anything at all. Sound good?” Because Penny wanted to help people, the lost and hurt most of all. She swore to protect Hope after all, and it wasn’t hard to see that Freya’s had been hurt.

---

“I can’t normally” Penny would reply as MDP looked about the fort. “Sorta like how I can mimic magic I can copy powers. Though only one at a time.” She would explain, though she honestly wouldn’t be surprised if her explanation went in one ear and out the other due to the super snowball incident. She’d explain again later if needed.

“I’m just speaking truth Princess” Penny would reply as she returned the snuggled embrace. Though her apparent suave was hindered due to the rather large blush She was sporting. It was a cheesy line, and she had no regrets with it, but the heartfelt reaction she got from MDP always did get to her, even if most of the time they weren’t visible due to her mechanical nature. Here in Dan’s realm the illusion she wore allowed them to be put on radiant display.

While the embrace was only a few seconds (and Penny would have loved for it to last longer and didn’t really want to let go) she returned to the snowy fight with just as much enthusiasm as her girlfriend. She was willingly letting herself get caught up in the infectious joy that normally surrounded MDP, her own issues could wait. “I’ll always want too, but I know you can handle your own” She would say as she started to conjure up some more snow for the two of them too use.

“Seems like you lost your fire support!” One of the roving Penny’s would shout as the other snuck into Victoria’s fort to launch a guerilla warfare style invasion. “And now you’ve got intruders in your base!”

Looking at Hilaria and the other girl rush into the battle field Penny would simply shrug before hurling snowballs at them as well “Fresh targets!” She would exclaim with glee.

---

Of all the circumstances and possibilities, of all the simulations and expectations she could have had. It would still be that Penny wouldn’t have ever guessed at the scene in front of her. Perhaps it was because she had never really talked to the person in question, or ever really seen them all that much. Or maybe it had more to do with the shadow of a Horror looming over them. It was hard to say.

What wasn’t hard to say was just how baffled The Queen of Penrose was to see ‘The Portal Witch’ more or less swallowed up by a pit of snow buns. Penny had pet a few of the critters herself in her walk over here, but the fluffy blobs were more her girlfriends thing then her own.

Nevertheless, she would shake off the surprise and finish her walk over to Mariette, though she would stop at the edge of the bun pile, and would note the copper colored bun that the younger girl was holding.

She would take another moment just observing before shaking her head and speaking up. “When I set out to talk to you, this was not how I expected to find you” she would let out an amused huff “And something tells me that I would regret trying to take you out of there. So, mind if we talk here?”

Mariette blinked awake from her position of extreme relaxation. She was still covered in the cozy white snowbuns, and gently stroked the fur of the Harebringer in her lap. She looked up to Penny, a little startled that she was here, but… it was fine. In this dimension, none of them could hurt one another. It was… fine…

‘I am… the Princess of Bunnies…’ Mariette replied, giving a small smile and sounding pretty tired. ‘I will grant you an audience…’ she continued, tilting her head a bit as she looked at the mechanical queen… that didn’t look very mechanical right now, but.

“So you are” Penny would say with an amused smile. She would look around for a moment before, simply sitting down at the edge of the bun pile. “I talked with Ronin” She would say after a moment. “I met her back when I was having my identity crisis, and had a chance to meet up with her again shortly before this” She would gesture about at Dan’s dimension.

“I trust her, and her sister.” She would pause as she sought the best way to phrase the next bit, knowing that what she had already said was likely a bit worrying to Mariette. “But I agree more with Ronin than Miko on what should have been done after they got in contact with you, but I’m not here to force that issue. I’m just here to open more doors for you and simply listen if you need to talk”

“I kinda understand the position you’re in at the moment after all” Penny would add with a sad smile “Though I understand there is a difference between them, mine still looms in the background, so it can’t be easy for you since your still right there with them”

Mariette’s smile vanished quickly as the subject of the conversation was revealed. She quickly deposited her phone through a portal, but afterwards noted how Penny didn’t actually speak the circumstances out loud. That was appreciated. Who knows who could possibly be eavesdropping, but that made Mariette’s answer difficult if she was to adhere to the same rules.

‘… It’s not been difficult, yet,’ Mariette replied. ‘I’ve been on a quest to make sure everyone gets Christmas invites to this party. With that occupying my mind, it’s been easy to simply focus on that. Nothing… nothing difficult has happened yet…’ she sighed. She really didn’t want to speak about this, but…

‘… What doors do you wish to open for me?’ she asked, leaning her head back as she asked, petting the Harebringer still.

Penny’s paranoia being returned to her was both a comfort and worry. It meant too much that Mariette was afraid to speak openly here in Dan’s realm. The reassurance was that Penny had been treating it with the care and caution it deserved. She leaned forward, chin in her hand, elbow on her knee. Relaxed from an outsider's perspective.

“Coins are the most drastic, but I’ve got a few notables still laying around so they are still available. A room is another. I know that you’ve gotten offers already, but I don’t want you to be stuck between only two. Not as cozy as you might be used to, but it is right next door to mine.”

“Payback might be doable as I have a contact that would know how to deal with the issue more permanently, but I can’t say I know what that cost would be. I also have eyes, ears and hands at disposal if you know of something that you need taken care of.” Penny would not take her gaze of Mariette as she spoke. “Other than that I can talk to others, I don’t know what they would be willing to do. I am willing to do a lot though, it's the reason I picked up the station I did. Not enough of us looking out for each other.”

‘… Hah,’ Mariette made a somewhat amused sound, albeit it was bitter-amused. She noted herself, and made sure to keep her tone more positive when she now spoke. The Princess of Bunnies couldn’t sound anything but serene. ‘The two first options I already have available, but it is nice to have more sources. Thank you. As for the other…’ … … … … …

Mariette and a large amount of snowbuns fell through a portal. Another portal emerged under Penny. If she let herself drop, she’d find she only fell about a foot before hitting a chair made out of a portal. A room had been created, with floors, chairs, even tables created out of portals that didn’t lead anywhere, just solid darkness, these same portals serving as walls to cover for wind, because…

Because they were sitting in the sky, wind breezing through the space between the portals, Mariette huddled on her portal-chair positively covered in snowbuns, portal chair-arms keeping them wrapped. If Penny let herself through, Mariette would move the portal she came through up and then close it. Then, they could speak.

‘… “Payback”,’ she repeated the word. ‘What could you possibly have in mind?’ Mariette asked, her tone more serious, possibly a bit strained from the amount of portals she was suddenly maintaining.

Penny dropped freely, not because he fully trusted Mariette, but she doubted that there was much she could do to really hurt Penny here. Still the Portal room was an interesting sight, though it wasn’t one that Penny let herself dwell on at the moment. “I can guarantee an audience with a God of Destruction.” She would answer “It can only happen once, after that I’ve no better chance than anyone else. If anyone knows how to harm your problem it would be him.”

“I offer it as an option, because honestly sitting on this for too long is likely to blow up in my face, and I do want to ask them a few personal questions but getting their attention for just my own curiosity doesn’t seem like a good idea.” She would explain efficiently, she didn’t know how long Mariette could keep up the rather impressive display but she wasn’t going to push it if there wasn't a need to do so.

“I will warn you that you’ve met the God in question before.”

‘… Can a “God of Destruction” actually supply the power necessary for the task at hand?’ Mariette asked, sounding very doubtful. ‘We’re… not talking a garden-variety patron here. We’re talking a multidimensional emperor who can slip through the very foundation of space. If he actually decided to come after someone, it’d be impossible for a common Magical Girl to escape. Even Gods are typically restrained by dimensional borders. Can it actually provide something to oppose something like that?’ Mariette asked, ignoring the warning for now.

“I don’t know” Penny would answer “But I wouldn’t say that the God is a garden variety one either. He is old, very old, and yet carries out his task with minimal magical support. I can’t promise killing your problem is a possible outcome, just that harming them is. Even if it is only an annoyance.”

Mariette was quiet for a bit, leaning back and petting the Harebringer. It took a decent part of a minute before she spoke again. ‘I am doubtful. Would I even want to just hurt that kind of being? It’s all too easy to imagine him coming back with a vengeance. Between the two options, I would almost rather just use a coin and hope he’ll let me go, if it came to that. That said, I’m not done exploring my options, and it would be foolish to not explore this one as well.’ With that said, she looked at Penny again. ‘I’m prepared to accept this audience, to see what your God has to say on the subject.’

“I’m just laying out options, which door you take is up to you” Penny would say leaning back in her portal chair. “But calling him is going to be loud. Mainly because he is loud. And the best place to do so would be in the Overcity, not here or Penrose, if you are still wanting to keep your change of circumstances quiet that is.” She would point out “I know of a place or two that isn’t likely to have anyone in the area, however, so the only question is when to have this meeting.”

“I don’t know how time sensitive your situation is but I think it would be best to wait until the party is over at least before we try and contact him”

‘… Yes, it’s probably best we wait, at least for now,’ Mariette agreed.

Penny would nod once in affirmation. And then a somewhat awkward silence would creep in. There wasn’t much more for them to talk about at the moment after all. It would linger for a moment before Penny would shrug. “Want to go make a giant snowbunny?”

Mariette retained her serious expression from the previous conversation, but with the mention two round pieces of blush appeared on her cheeks. ‘… Yes.’

Penny smirked, but not a moment later she was struck by the sudden curiosity of Mariette’s age. For all her cunning and shrewd machinations, she also seemed rather innocent. Setting that thought aside Penny would stand up “Lead the way”

‘I will bring my court,’ Mariette replied, standing up and opening a portal to a snow-field for them to go to. As soon as they came through, two portals opened in the air and deposited all the other snowbuns Mariette had caught and hadn't fit in the room in the sky. With her snowbuns scattered around the area, it was time to begin building.

It started with Mariette dumping an ocean of snow from the field she’d fought the Harebringer on onto the grounds, after which she fished up all the snowbuns she’d accidentally buried. After that, she stood up on a portal to overview the production as she sent out tentacles to squeeze the snow together, petting her Harebringer with her actual hands as she worked, a small blush constantly on her cheeks.

Penny for her part in all of this was stuck to doing things the manual way, because her status as not the original Penny made it impossible to use any magic that she might normally have used. Still that wouldn’t be as much a detriment as one would think. While the snow snowbun was still small Penny would make use of all of her limbs, extra ones included, to work on the base. And it was apparent from very early that when Penny had said giant, she had meant it. As the thing was roughly twenty five feet in diameter and a big oblong.

She wasn’t able to affect as much of an area at once, but she was very good at packing it down to maintain stability. Odd side usage of her exceptional understanding of how to break things, making things very hard to break in the first place. And could float over the top while she worked due to her hover jets, so nowhere was really out of reach for her.

Mariette wasn’t as good at making things stable, but she could supply the snow where Penny needed it and make the general shape of it. Then, she focused on making the face and ears, because it was very important to her that it turned cute… but probably needed Penny’s help with it.

Then she decorated the giant snowbun by putting a lot of snowbuns on top of it. Because adorable.

It wasn’t that hard to shape the ears and face of the snowbun, perks of computer brain, but it was when Mariette started to cover their giant snowbun in smaller snowbuns that inspiration struck. Carefully Penny started adding rungs of snow, or small hidden pockets into the giant bun. Sturdy enough for the snowbuns to climb about the giant snow bun, then she would turn the tail into a slide, and same with the ears. Thus turning the thing into a massive jungle gym/playground for snowbuns.

Melisa might be able to make use of it, but everyone else was far too big.

Mariette’s face started to positively sparkle from this idea. She reached out even further with her magic, collecting new snowbuns to put inside the jungle gym giant snow snowbun in addition to on top of it. Those on top of it could of course go inside it too. When she felt she’d populated it enough, she sat back in the snow and just watched dreamingly at the snowbuns playing around inside their giant snowbun. She was so happy.

Penny would stand back and watch the handiwork that the two of them had put together with a satisfied smile. She would also slowly drift around the giant snowbun recording all the smaller snowbuns playing along it as she went. She was a bit disappointed that she hadn't made this one with her girlfriend, but there was still time for that later on. Regardless she knew that MDP would enjoy the recording.

_{@PlatinumSkink & @Ponn, @PlatinumSkink, @FamishedPants & @PlatinumSkink, @Ariamis}

How many castles had Helewisa seen in her long time on this planet? As she wondered this, she recalled more memories that had been buried deep within.

Her life had begun with her being little more than a starving, lost child who yet retained an idealist nature despite her circumstances along with her sister, Isabella. But she was always envious of the wealthy nobles who wore clean, expensive clothing and jewelry, ate the most delicious foods and lived in the gorgeous castles they did. Had they comfortable beds to rest their heads upon every night instead of the cold cobblestone of the streets? Was their every night filled with warmth? No, they did not. They were as safe and happy as could be. That's what castles, in all honestly, were to Helewisa: comfort and safety.

They were beautiful! They were lavish! They took armies to bring down!

Yet... the same could not be said of Helewisa's castle, made hastily from the surrounding snow.

Helewisa found herself struggling not to frown as she beheld what she and Justine had unleashed upon this undeserving dimension. It was far from pretty, looking about as well as you'd expect a 3-year-old to make, but they didn't have that sort of excuse. Honestly, it was impressive that they could even make a piled-up bunch of snow look bad, but it was just sitting there with random patches of snow that Justine claimed to serve as 'detail', though it was doubtful anyone would agree. They even supposedly had a retracted 'drawbridge' that was just two lines in the wall Justine drew with her finger.

But beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and as far as Justine was concerned, this was the single greatest thing ever conceived.

"Hark!" Justine ordered the battlefield. "Bear witness to the epitome of craftsmanship that is our sturdy castle, and despair! Formidable are our defenses, and unyielding be our spirit!" she roared with laughter before dipping behind its ugly walls and taking a handful of snow which she formed into a ball.

Helewisa was wonder how her simple request to make a cute snow castle turned into this abomination when suddenly she felt an instinctual, terrible feeling within the pit of her stomach. She hurriedly checked on Stien, noticing her building a stockpile of snowballs. The act itself did not seem suspicious in the least, yet the feeling lingered. "We shouldn't sit around too long. At the end of the day, we're using snow, not stone." Considering their entrance to the battlefield, it made sense that they had received fire from the other participants. Their walls held tight, for now.

Stien looked up, smiling at Helewisa's statement. "Verily!" she nodded, then stood up and peeked out of their castle at the people who would serve as their opponents. She and Helewisa witnessed Mayra's huge snowball be sucked out of thin air by a portal, and Stien in particular seemed disappointed at the result. But it there had been enough waiting. Now was the time for an offensive!

Stien readied her snowball to be flung at whomever was closest. That was when Hilaria suddenly remembered something. "Stien, how old were you again?" Helewisa asked, a sense of dread building.

The answer borrowed some of Stien's attention from the battlefield. "You do not recall that, either?" she asked. It seemed to cause her some amount of pain but she perked up rather quick. "I suppose that if you are having trouble recalling your name, then that only makes sense," she reasoned. "In any case, I haven't got two decades left before I reach my eighth century upon this beautiful world." Stien ducked behind their wall as a snowball from Penny zoomed over head. "Such dexterity! A moment later and I'd have lost my head!" she cheered over it, before again addressing Helewisa. "Are you going to attempt to bring age up when you're flustered like you did before? It was futile then and it will be now."

"Perish the thought!" Wisa seemed embarrassed, probably recalling childish attempts from long ago. "...so, you wouldn't have happened to been living a quiet life since the incident at Beacon, would you?"

Justine frowned. "Are you referring to my death?" Stien received a nod in response. She shook her head. "It served as inspiration to better myself if anything," she explained. "It taught me that without power, one cannot protect anything, let alone the ones they love. So I would not classify my life since that point as 'quiet'."

"So then it would be wise to assume you've been gaining power as you've aged?"

Stien raised an eyebrow. "What else would I have done, Wisa? Twiddle my thumbs? The monsters and wicked ones do not rest, and niether do I!" she let out a laugh. "But come! We've spoken so many words yet not once have we returned fire. The others must think we view them as beneath our notice! Cease your questions! I am sure we'll be able to sit down and have a nice chat later!"

Justine stood up and went to throw a snowball at one of the Pennys. That was when Helewisa's gut feeling peaked in intensity, and she scrambled to prevent what she knew was about to happen. Just before Stien could release the ball of snow, Wisa knocked her arm off course and thus the ball was flung much to high to hit anything or anyone.

Another loud crackle of thunder, even more audible than the one from earlier, erupted as the bundle of snow sped off into the distance and far from viewing distance. Helewisa had a panicked expression on her face. "Be thee daft!?" she yelled at Stien.

Stien seemed annoyed and oblivious to the dangers. "Of course not. Should anyone be accused of foolishness, Wisa, that would be you! For what purpose would you interrupt my throw? Surely they would derive more enjoyment from a foe that defends itself!"

"For what purp--" she grunted in frustration. By this point, Helewisa was too excited to remember it was Dan's dimension. "How do you claim 'self defense' when your retaliation to a snowball is launching an I.C.B.M!?"

Stien tilted her head. "I.C.B.M?"

"A nuke. I refer to a nuke!"

Justine looked offended. "What makes you suspect I have access to such weaponry, Wisa? It was nothing more than a snowba---"

A loud rumbling came from off in the distance in the direction the snowball had gone, similar to a distant bomb.

Justine adopted a strained, awkward smile. "As I said, snowb--"

Helewisa, fed up with the situation, grabbed Stien's costume by the back and pulled her off her feet and began dragging her away, giving the rest of the people fighting a sincere apology. Stien pumped her fist in the air as she was pulled across the snow, leaving their despicable fort behind. "I pray that thee fight twice as hard in my absence, and I wish a good time for all!" these words were the last thing she spoke before they'd left the field for good.

...

...

...

Helewisa calmed down after a short break and decided that it would be for the best if they avoided returning, even after she realized they couldn't exactly do any damage to other girls. But which event should they join? It had to be something that wouldn't spiral out of control, so Keijo was a no-go, even if people had seemed interested in it. If Stien had any artistic ability whatsoever, Helewisa might've suggested the ice sculpting since it seemed so popular.

"Wisa?" Justine called out. "I have chosen the next activity. Let us depart!"

...

...

...

Helewisa could be found rolling not too far away from where Lily, Alex, and the purified Justine were, working on a snowman all by herself despite not having arrived their by her lonesome.

She happily hummed away at the task but after a short while, looked around the area as if searching for some one and stopped what she was doing. When she couldn't find that someone, she approached the aforementioned group with a bit of worry on her face. "Have any of you spotted Justine recently?" she eyed the former antagonist before it dawned on her who that was. "I'm not referring to the same one standing here, of course." In contrast to how she normally spoke, Helewisa's speech now was rather plain. "I speak of a loud girl who wears blue. She's rather hard to miss."

...

...

...

On her trek to the hill, Betty Barton would hear a strange noise coming from the opposite end of it. It was snow crunching but it wasn't merely the result of footsteps. It almost sounded like... something rolling around?

As she got closer to the crest of the hill, Betty would soon see a gigantic ball of snow begin to peek over, though it would not roll down. A blue-clad girl walked around the side of it, spotting Betty shortly after. "Fwahaha! Now that is the visage of determination if ever I spotted one!" she laughed, spotting the snowball in Betty's hand. "Will you be directing it towards the snowman activity as well?"

”That is an accurate description of her," Justine hesitantly responded as Alex compared Lily to a force of nature, finding herself slightly smiling at the silliness of it.
”But at least she’s all sunny."
Lily came over with a pout.
”You’ve never built a snowman, Alex? That’s an absolute crime! We’re gonna fix that right now!"
Lily was on a roll, and was so considerate of others that she gathered the material for her snowball from a bit farther away and let others gather the nearby snow first, not that it slowed her down much as she ran across the white landscape like a snowmobile.

”Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin' yeah~"
She sang, passing by Hilaria who asked her about her companion, coming to a sudden comical stop.
”Oh, Blustine?" Lily asked with her head to the side, smiling at the dumb pun she made.
”She was here just a moment ago, but I didn’t notice where she went. Maybe you could ask Dan?"
She looked around, and then noticed something; she looked up with her mouth open at the snowball their pets had created.
”Wow! With this as the lower body, we can make a really big snowman!" She spread her arms wide. The animals protested, but Lily patted their heads, too caught up in her plan to notice their plight.
”We’ll help you make a new castle, promise! Just gonna put this on top and-"
She then grabbed her large snowball, and attempted lifting it...Only to fail.
”Nghh! No, it’s too heavy! But wait...Justy, could you come here for a sec?"

Justine was rolling a snowball as Lily waved to her. She had an alarmed expression as she also witnessed the huge snowball.
”Do you think you could help me and Alex lift this?" She asked.
Justy bit her lower lip.
”Well, I am still a bit weakened, but I could give it a try."
Lily nodded a couple of times with a bright smile.
”That’s the spirit! Alright, on three! One, two, three!"

The snowball successfully rose up; Justine exerted amazing physical strength as she effortlessly lifted the heavy object, putting even Alex to shame. She then took to the air with the snowball held above her head, assisted by her angelic white wings, and she carefully placed the snowball on top of the huge snowball. Lily then hopped up carrying the head of the snowman, and placed it on top of it. When she landed down, she saw that the animals seemed to be upset, having lost their snowball...Until they seemed to realize something. Just as Alex placed the last decoration, the animals scurried all over the snowman, carving holes into it like worms into an apple and molding the outer shape, When they were done, the object had turned into a snowman-shaped castle, three windows for eyes and a mouth, towers on its shoulders, and a doorway in its midsection that was miniature sized for only them to use.

Lily could not believe her eyes, and Justine looked dejected.

”Our snowman!"

”I guess we should have seen it coming when you stole that snowball.”

That was when they saw Dan floating over, and Lily bit her lower lip.

”Oh, Dan’s coming! Hurry, we gotta hide it and-"

“Oh, what’s this?” Dan looked amazed, his beak open as he watched the various animals rush inside the snowman castle.

”This is excellent! What a marvelous idea to make a snowman into a snow castle! Good work, you three!”

As Dan went on to inspect the snowman made by Oros and Emily, Lily wiped her brow with a sigh of relief.

“Well this is...Different,” Dan comments, as he looked at the meido-costume snowman wearing a mohawk
“It’s certainly breaking new ground in snowman circles.”
Then Dan noticed the large swarm of butterflies fluttering about. He summoned a giant fly swatter, but then realized they were helping Aria build a dragon girl made out of snow, with accessories made from foliage.
“Very strong in artistic direction, yes yes,” the dolphin mused as he nodded his carrot-nosed head, followed by checking out Summer’s snow dragon. “And this dragon with a hoard of spheres is impressive as well. Perhaps it is symbolism for the very desire of rolling up a snowball?”

Next up was a massive snowbun, with snowbuns crawling over it as they slid down the tail and ears like a giant playground.
“How delightful! A monument to the cuteness of snowbuns!” He commented having clapped his fins.

He approached Hilaria, nodding in approval. That was when he noticed how the blue Justine seemed to head towards something building up on top of a far hill, and addressed the participants with a smile.
“The winning snowman will be announced later, but for now you can move on to ice sculpting. I'll see you there in a moment.” And then, he disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, replaced by a blue portal now titled [Ice sculpting].

Lily hopped in place from excitement.
”We weren’t disqualified, yes! Now come on, it’s ice ice baby!"
She ran off with her arms spread behind her, and arrived through the portal to the ice sculpting area, where Kimble, Alicia, and Tullia had already started on their own statues, and where a magical clone of Dan was spectating the proceedings, and offering to give advice on ice sculpting as necessary. Of course, Lily first waved to Kimble who responded in kind, and ran off to get her chisel and hammer from the shed and slid an ice block over to Alex and Justine.
”Justy, do you want to do this one in a group too? Is there anything you’d like to sculpt?"

Justine puffed her cheeks, looking a bit red in the face as Lily pushed her face close to hers.

”Well we can, but, uh...It’s embarrassing.”

Lily retreated herself a bit from her personal space.
”Whoops, sorry. Anyway, what is it?"

”...A bat.” Justine averted her eyes.
”...Bats are cute.”

Lily blinked, but then nodded.
”I know just what to do. Let’s make a group of tiny fruit bats clinging to a leaf! Or wait, we can make a sculpture of Tim, he’s cute too! Alex, what do you think?”

---

Dan appeared on top of the hill Betty was working at, and noticed the giant snowballs she had made.
“Hiya, Betty! How’s it going? I see you’re making a mighty fine snowman.”

---

Kimble looked on as Alicia worked on her own ice sculpture, amazed at the effect she created with her magic.

“Woooow...” She exclaimed as she stared at the kaleidoscope-like effect.
“Light magic really is versatile. It suits you, tee hee~”
When she was asked the question, she put a finger to her chin, and looked up at the sky.
“If I was stuck like that, I’d first try to find if some Time magic girl created the loop. With spells like those, there’s always some kind of method to break it. And even if there wasn’t, I’d still try to escape from it. Because I know you’d be waiting for me the day after.”
Having said that, she took Alicia’s hand.
“How about you?”

---

“I’m Sakura,” the androgynous-looking magical boy answered, glad that Tetrad had accepted his offer of drinks. He glanced over at the snowball fight through the window, and nodded. “Sure, let’s go check it out.”
As they approached the door, he opened it for them like a gentleman...And was back to staring in an ungentleman-like manner.
“Ladies first~”

---

The purple-haired girl glanced over at the glasses-wearing girl, and the latter stood up to address Eliza. “Thank you for your concern. We have not had any problems since arriving here,” she answered. When Eliza approached for a handshake, she reciprocated the gesture as if she wanted to command respect from Eliza rather than give it to her.
“I am Rachel, and this is Violette,” she introduced the both of them. Violette also shook hands with her, though with less emphasis. Rachel then turned to look down at the first floor.
“It seems that this Dan, if I’m not mistaken about his name, has ignored the religious importance of Christmas in favor of a Roman Saturnalia-esque bastardization. Rather, he is holding this party to gather magical girls of Penrose to a single location, possibly to feed on them. I suppose the reports of him being an emotion-consuming Lesser Force have some merit to them...”
She glanced back at Eliza.
“In any case, I am glad to see that the party has proceeded peacefully despite the arrival of a horror avatar.”

While Lily and Justine were upset seeing the snowman slowly turn into a snowman castle, Alexander had a different emotion; confusion "Since when were you guys capable of architectural engineering?" He asked Tim, who stared at him for a few seconds, before he went back to carving little lines in the outside on the snowman to make it look like it was built with snow bricks. "In fact, how are you keeping this thing stable?" he asked as he walked over to it and leaned down to look in the front entrance. "...You're actually bracing it with twigs..." He noted in disbelief. "Where did you guys learn to-" but he was interrupted by Lily

”Oh, Dan’s coming! Hurry, we gotta hide it and-" who herself was interrupted by the Dolphin.

”This is excellent! What a marvelous idea to make a snowman into a snow castle! Good work, you three!”

Alexander blinked in confusion for a few seconds before it hit him "Oh right, the contest. I kind of forgot about that."

”We weren’t disqualified, yes! Now come on, it’s ice ice baby!" Lily ran off into a portal that had just appeared

Alexander sighed as he got back up "You three are so weird" he said to Bob, who was currently digging a moat with his little bunny paws, as he walked through the portal himself, arriving just as Lily brought over a chunk of ice, along with the tools needed to shape it. While Lily started chatting up Justine again, Alexander noticed a block of ice that seemed to move on it's own. Taking a closer look, he noticed Tim dragging it with a piece of rope, towards the portal "...Screw it. It's not worth it" he sighed after thinking about what he just saw for a couple of seconds

”I know just what to do. Let’s make a group of tiny fruit bats clinging to a leaf! Or wait, we can make a sculpture of Tim, he’s cute too! Alex, what do you think?” Lily saying his name dragged his attention back to the girls, while his brain caught him up on the conversation they had had "If Justine want's bats, we can do bats. I don't have strong feelings either way. But if we do go with the 'bats on a leaf' plan, we might want to sketch out a design first, so that we're all on the same page."

Watching people make snowmen was fine. Seeing ice sculptures emerge from ice was amazing. Those were both activities that were more fun to watch than to actively participate in. Probably because it wasn’t a true competition. You were just passively sculpting things out of water, and some dolphin got to decide the winner. On the other hand, a silly downhill race had a quantifiable victor. But that wasn’t going to start for a bit, and her participation would affect who won. That meant that the next best thing would be to join a snowball fight.

What was cool was that Mac pretty much rocked at snow ball fights. There wasn’t even any danger for retaliation because she effectively didn’t exist. If someone got hit in the back of the head by a snowball, who was to say it didn’t come from an unseen enemy? There were no friends in snow fights anyway. The goal was to hit as many people as possible, if you ruined a friendship or two, eh, were they even worth having around? Mac didn’t have any friends to speak of, so that wasn’t an issue.

She had thrown thirty snowballs at thirty different people, and none of them were the wiser. She needed to find more targets though, and had no desire being around MDP or Oros for that little siege.

She wouldn't have to look further. Then again, it was only one ghost watching from the sidelines.

The black-haired spirit had concidered joining the snowball fight, but he saw how chaotic it was escalating and decided to stay out of it. Sure this Oliver was just a clone amongst many who were spread out to tackle multiple activities at once, but even he knew to set limits. So he rested against a nearby tree. Well, one far enough to not get hit by stray snowballs.

AT LEAST THAT WAS WHAT HE THOUGHT!

Mac already had a snowball ready for this guy’s head. She took a moment to examine him It wasn’t someone she was too familiar with. Seemed like there were a lot of new faces at this party. Regardless, she didn’t think there was any reason to be wary of him. She chucked a snowball at his head and watched it tumble through the air. He’d be wearing it any second.

The deadly frosty projectile would hit it's mark, catching Oliver by surprise. He didn't yelp or anything, but he did jolt at the surprise attack. Weird. He was sure he wouldn't get hit from here. With widened eyes, he looked around to see where the snowball would've came from, then dusted the snow on his head off.

Now would probably be a good time to find a new target, but after moving on between thirty of them, Mac was ready for a duel in the snow. If this person was new, they probably didn’t know everyone all that well. Perhaps it was time to create another alternate identity.

The clone would see a teenage girl peak over the top of a snow bank. She was under dressed, but not indecently dressed. Her silver hair wasn’t too long, and curled into itself just above her ears. This gave her an appearance that was reminiscent of a mouse. Her lathe body and short stature further leaned into this idea. The only way she could look more like a mouse was if she had actual mouse features, like whiskers or a tail.

With a deep inhale, she chucked a larger snowball at the clone before ducking for cover.

"Ah crap." The clone turned himself intangible before the next snowball hit. Instead letting it smack against the bark of the tree he sat at. He turned back into a more physical shape and scooped up some snow to retaliate, chucking a couple over the stranger's snowbank before rushing to make more snowballs.

"You thought you could hide out here, huh?” Mac was pretty good at throwing snowballs, but there was no reason to scare him off too soon with her mighty snow ball prowess. For now, she'd just play hard enough to keep their game going. "Well no one escapes the sights of I R O N M O U S E !” His aim wasn't bad. It looked like he had some clones running around though. She probably shoudn't use too much magic either. That was fine, since she was using her mana primarily to keep this illusion going.

Luckily it doesn't seem like the other duplicates are joining them yet. ...Except one or two snuck over to help make snowballs faster. "Hide?? In plain sight?! Now who'd think of a dumb idea like that?!" The main Oliver clone playfully retorted, taking cover behind the tree.

So he was calling for backup? Well, maybe she would have to play a little harder.

Mac hadn’t expected reinforcements to arrive so soon, so Iron mouse had no recourse but to get hit by a few of the snow balls. But if there was something mice could do, it was, uh, burrow! Iron mouse dove into the hill side, deforming the smooth snowbank as she tunneled to the original duplicate’s position and popped out of the ground, scattering snow in all directions.

"Mmmph!!” Some of the snow had stuck together, forming a sort of plate, or “snow pie.” Iron Mouse held this pie in one hand and prepared to slap it right in the clone’s face like it was a coconut custard.

And it was a direct hit!

The ringleader of the trio was unable to react in time, and inevitably got a face full of freezing cold. A yelp was muffled, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Crap, she got Eight!!"

"Forget 'em, he's fodder!"

The remaining two duplicates took that as their cue to scatter, splitting the remaining ammo between them before booking it to better cover.

Man, these guys were intense. It was just a snow ball fight. But this was fine. Magical girls (and boys) were eccentric types, so it was only natural they would take the event too seriously, especially with”Iron Mouse” Giving into chuuni tendencies of her own.

"You’re just going to keep running? Really?”

It wasn’t like Iron Mouse hadn’t proven she could burrow under any defense, largely thanks to the fact that she was an illusion and her “burrow” was created by moving a gravity well along her intended flight path. And since it worked so well last time, why not try it again? Iron Mouse dove back into the earth and burrowed towards another clone. Would they think of something before she arrived?

They'd have to lure her out of the burrow first.

The clone Iron Mouse chased after turned himself intangible and flew up high into a tree he randomly picked. If she lost sight of him by then, he'd wait till she popped her head out to attack.

Of course, Mac saw this happen, but had Iron Mouse? It wasn’t like she had sat down and dreamed up an entire list of abilities for this character she had just made up on the spot. She could just equip her with any abilities that seemed to fit the situation until she was capped off, but that felt unfair. Mac decided that Iron Mouse probably sensed vibrations in the earth to track her opponents, so she would lose track of someone jumping into a tree.

Iron Mouse launched herself out of the snow, carrying a large snow ball in one hand. She couldn’t faze through tree limbs (aparently) so she had to try and weave through them to catch the fleeing clone.

Once he assumed he manage to lose her, the clone circled around and turned tangible again, throwing a couple of snowballs from behind.

Puff

The snow balls were instantly pulled apart by a gravity well struck true, Causing Iron mouse's eyes to bulge a bit as the clones got the better of her. Not long afterwards, she fell to the earth and face planted the snow. It might have looked like she was making a snow angel, but she wasn't moving. Good thing their christmas outfits kept them perfectly insulated from the cold, regardless of how ill suited their clothes were for the job.

She rolled over onto her back and looked up into the heavens. "Ya got me.” Was all she said, not looking too pleased about the outcome.

"...Wait, really?" The clone Oliver hopped down from his vantage point and walked over to the girl. His brows rose as he looked over at her. "Huh. Guess I got too into it."

"I as in we, Six??" The one that fled before asked as he walked by, dragging "Eight" behind him. The clone near Iron Mouse simply gave him an playfully unamused look, before turning his attention back to her.

"Ignore 'em, they're idiots." He said, extending a hand out if she needed help getting up.

She accepted his hand and let the boy pull her upright. She dusted the snow off of her back and shook off her pants. Iron Mouse was still pouting a bit, but otherwise seemed alright. "I didn't catch your name.” She extended her hand, still looking a bit glum. "So yea, I'm Iron Mouse, you are?”

"Oliver Kyle. Juuust not the genuine article, hahah." The clone shook the girl's hand. "He's back relaxing in the cabin while the rest of us do all the heavy lifting, like a total slacker." He joked with a grin, jabbing a thumb over at the building.

"So you think your original is a slacker too?” Mac knew they were joking, but she decided to play Iron Mouse as a relatively straight forward sort. It was interesting though, as most clones seemed to enjoy disrespecting their original. Alexander, Binky, and now Oliver. Though she supposed that if you had enough magical girls and boys in the same spot, there was bound to be some overlap. It wasn’t like magical girls had wildly different powers. There were a handful of traits that you ended up seeing repeated in various forms. Kind of like people’s personalities. There were only so many different emotions and ways to say things that it was inevitable that there was another “you” somewhere. "I gues that’s alright. If he’s just lazier than you guys I don’t need to meet him. I mean you all had no problem ganging up on a poor little mouse girl! It would be one thing if I had brought my sisters along to tan your butts, but six against one is not fair!” She stomped her foot. "How does all this work? You’re like, a leader clone? So the others take orders from you? Did he like, use more mana to make you or something?”

"H-Hey, I was just kidding there! They're all alright, even him." "Six" quickly explained once he saw her reaction. "And uh...Six is just my nickname to differentiate from the other clones. The other two you saw were Four and Eight. Everyone else is probably busy with the other stuff to even join that fight." He shrugged. Once Iron Mouse suggested he was the defacto leader out of all of them, his brows rose.

"I mean, I guess? We never really need a leader type, besides Classic obviously. We work well together regardless of that." Oliver explained further.

"That's fine, I guess.” Her eyes shifted around. "So do you guys have like, lives and stuff? Interests? Am I wasting my time trying to talk to you?”

Well, he was going to answer that, but her last question made him frown a bit. "Well geez, if you wanna go ahead and go, I'm not gonna stop ya." Six softly told Iron Mouse, a hand on his hip.

"You guys are magical constructs, I have no idea if you have feelings or not!” some smoke shot out of her nose, but it might have just been the cold air. "I mean you seem real, but if you've got a job to do or something, I'm not going to waste your host's time and resources! Don't take it personally!”

And with that, the spirit was officially dumbfounded. "...H-How in Beelzebub's lawncare products am I supposed to answer here? Every one of us, even Classic Oliver are MAGICAL UNDEAD. Does everything about us really need an explanation? We're enough of an oddball as is." Six sighed, crossing his arms. "Nah, for how long we've been here, he and his friend have learn a few tricks. Clones like us need little to do so much."

Steam continued to pour out of every orifice on Iron Mouse's face. Her ears, nostrils, and mouth were all billowing with smoke. All while her eyes grew bigger and bigger. "Fine!” She finally shouted. "Whatever! I don’t even really care!” She said, sounding like she cared. "If there’s nothing to explain, I’ll go have fun somewhere else!” She pulled back her arm. "Thanks for resetting my streak, jackass!” And then Iron Mouse, or at least Mac’s magic, dug a hole in the ground and burrowed under the frozen sand. They would not see her resurface anywhere.

"....What even." In resignation, Six flopped back down onto the snow, watching Iron Mouse leave.

"Real smooth, Sixer." Four popped up again, walking up next to him.

"Shaddup Four."

While Oliver’s clones were feeling rather dower, Mac had to stifle a chuckle at the absurd exchange. She could understand why they felt that way, of course. But she felt like she had made Iron Mouse unpleasant enough that they wouldn’t really mind if she got all perturbed and left. More than anything though, while Mac had impressive illusions, she did have to budget her mana if she wanted them to last the party. Maybe they could reunite again later when the genuine article was here to meet them.

Though, now that she thought about it, technically the real Oliver and her were in the same predicament. It wasn’t like those clones got to talk to Mac, they were just talking to some persona. Mac was reminded of a story about two people born with blue skin, but they always kept themselves hidden so they never met. They lived their entire lives believing that they were the only person in the world with blue skin.

What a lonely existence.

Mac left in earnest, satisfied with their interaction.

"Bah, whatever. We should head back before the others start to wonder." With a shake of his head, Six hopped back up, prepared to walk back to the cabin. Four shrugged in response.

"Eight should be fine by now, helped dragged his butt back inside so he'd warm- Hang on, see that?"

The clones stopped in their tracks to see a trail of one's they didn't notice before. If one's from Six, one's from Iron Mouse, Four's was most recent...

Then who else was nearby?

"You...think we should investigate??"

"Hell if I know."

---

@FamishedPants

Sure, it would be possible for Oros to finish the harebringer hunt before resuming posting. But the grand magistrate was taking their sweet time responding to that, so it seemed reasonable to assume they could start doing stuff again. The timing for everything was pretty whack anyway.

Nobody saw Oros return to the lodge. That was because she had pulled a sled out of her hammerspace before turning into an Alaskan Malamute. The sled was for taking Emily back with her, as Oros had places to be and didn’t feel like princess carrying her back. That was a lie, of course. We all know she’d have loved to do that. Perhaps it was because she was presently on a date with Elizabeth. Only Oros knew.

Once they had gotten back to the lodge, Oros turned back into a girl and offered Emily her hand. “Ally-oop!” She said before pulling Emily to her feet. “That was, uh, not at all what I was expecting from a bunny hunt.” She chuckled. “Well uh, thanks for listening to me.” An awkward silence fell over the duo as Oros struggled to figure out what to say next. “Guess I’m gunna see if I can find El. If you can get Silly and Betty maybe we can do something together later. Take care.” Oros was already walking into the lodge before Emily responded. Strange, the door was already open, and it felt like she might have run over someone on her way in. Well it probably didn’t matter.

The lower floor of the lodge had cleared out a bit with everyone racing to do activities that Oros had already finished. That meant it would be a bit easier to pick up on Eliza’s scent. Oros’s nose was moving a mile a minute, filtering the air for her date’s smell. She was guided up the staircase to the balcony, where the scent only got stronger as it went down a hall.

But Oros did not go down the hall.

Someone right up here on the balcony had caught her attention. Why was anyone’s guess. Maybe it was the fact that she did not look like a Penrose local. It could also be that she had one of Oros’s favorite body shapes. Perhaps she looked like she could help Oros. Maybe it was all three, if not something else entirely. Regardless, no force in Dan’s dimension was going to stop Oros from approaching the mad scientist.

“Hey I know you! Brain Science Institute at Viktor Chondria University, one of the lead minds behind project Amadeus, right?” Oros stopped just a few steps outside what most would call their personal space. “A Maho Hiyajo cosplayer! God I loved that game!”

@Ponn

---

Tetrad appeared to be oblivious to the staring. It wasn’t clear if she was simply use to this kind of attention, or the drinks were making her a bit less observant. ”Ah, a gentleman!” She stepped out of the door. ”There aren’t many of those anymore.”

When Tetrad turned around, she noticed Emily. What she didn’t notice was that Oros, in her haste, had run into the guy that was too busy checking out Tetrad's ass as she walked outside.

”Oh, hey Emily.” Tetrad’s cheeks were just a tiny bit red. ”This kind man behind me offered you a drink before that wild-ling ran off with you. Glad nothing happened to you.” She took another sip from her glass. ”But hey, if you don’t wanna drink it, I’m feeling a little thirsty.” She looked past Emily at the snowball fight. ”Wanna play in the snow? The queen of Keijo isn’t quite ready for the pool. ”

[@Aribaby]@FamishedPants

---

[@FamishedPantsagainlolz]

Unlike the jubilant woman before Betty, she felt anger building up inside her chest. Her entire reason for coming this way was so that she could make a giant snowball, but it seemed that someone had beaten her to it. She wasn’t even sure how this woman even got here! The hill was in her sights the entire time. Had she borrowed underground to avoid detection, or was she here even before Betty had finished hunting? Regardless, if she had made a huge snow ball, there was that much less snow for herself.

”Xanadu!”

Now how was Betty going to make that huge snowbun? That was when she cast her eyes on Mariette’s creation, and realized that her idea was not only her own, but had already been done by someone else.

”Xanadu times two!!”

Then, Betty saw it. The snowman to end all snowmen. A giant monolith to Justine’s selfish pride: a recreation of her castle. Betty had never seen the real thing, but she could feel the despair seeping directly into her soul just by looking at this one. She fell onto her knees, her expression as blank as the snow that surrounded her.

That was when Dan arrived to comment on her “snow man.”

”Dan.” She looked at the tiny snowball in her hand. The only thing she had managed to make so far. A tiny snowball, against a massive castle. ”That’s not my snowman.” She closed her eyes. ”However, you are correct when you say that a mighty fine snowman will be made.” She stood up and turned to Justine, casting her finger in the woman’s direction. ”Of course!” She finally answered her. ”Emotion, power, courage, and skill, I will put all of it to work. But to win, I will need more than that.” Betty kneeled before the woman. ”I need a partner, and a lot of snow.” Betty didn’t feel bad asking someone to help her take down Justine’s evil monolith, especially knowing that it was built with more hands than she presently possessed. She did feel a little bad that she was bringing someone else into a war they probably didn’t want to participate in. ”If you’re willing to work together, I have no doubt we can rise above our adversaries and achieve victory!”

Rachel and Violette huh? While the latter was new to Eliza, she felt the former was familiar somehow. Didn't Silhouette fail to attack a Rachel?

Wait a minute. These were Ascendancy.

"S h i t." Despite internal screaming, she had to stay calm. They seemed to have no ill intent so far. Plus she hadn't encountered any Ascendancy members face-to-face, so they probably won't recognize her as a Cradle member. Eliza politely listened to Rachel's observations about the party, and it's host. "No doubt the horror's intervention was just the tip of the iceberg. Of weirdness. With so many different factions of magical girl, things are bound to get interesting." She said. "Other than a couple of bumps, things have been okay so far, and I'll make sure it stays that way. People need the break." Eliza crossed her arms. She spotted Oros walking by. Hopefully this conversation won't waste time.

"Though by religion, are you refering to Christianity? Or something else?" She asked Rachel, admittedly curious.

---

Out of those observing the ice sculptures, Evelyn and North were relegated to their usual NPC selves. They stopped to look at Summer's statue of Cirno.

"Hehe. Looks kinda like you, North." The mute wolf would lightly hit the fairy, pointing between the statue and North; who was starting to feel confused.

"What kind of 4th-wall bullshi-"

---

While the other witches were already starting on their sculptures, Maura was stumped. She stared intently at the blueprint made of ice, then to everyone else. From Lauren's Lady Justice, to...whatever incomprehensible horror Maribel made, how did they come up with ideas so easily?

She walked up to her ice block and place a hand on it. Sculptures usually took a long time to make, what with the attention to detail, and the risk of having to start over after a bad mess-up. Ice sculptures aren't as different. They took atleast three hours to make, depending on how intricate it is.

So why the hell can't she think of anything?

"Having trouble~?"

Maura looked over to Maribel, who had walked over to check on her. How was she so calm about this? If she was honest, Maura would've expected an outburst like Lauren did. She shrugged, stepping aside to let the witch of Nightmares look over the block. Maribel rested her chin against her hand.

"Huh, why don't you craft one of your old incarnations? Or that caricature people associate you with?" Maribel suggested. Earning a quick chuckle from the other girl.

"I don't think the grim reaper or the fourth horseman fit the holiday spirit, Mari. Remember? I got rid of my role in the coven a long time ago." It was almost tempting for her to leave it at "my role", but has she really let go of that part of herself? The part that served as a guide, a harvester, a reaper of souls?

"Truely, you have grown?" Maribel smiled at her. "Then how about something outside the box? Something you care about?"

Maura looked back at the blank canvas in front of them. Something outside the box, huh? Maybe one of her magical girls? No, too obvious. Besides, she didn't want anyone to assume she's picking favorites. Maybe them? But would they really appreciate their visage being known? They did enjoy their privacy, after all. And for good reason.

Then she had an idea, and began carving. Her ice magic made it easier for her to cut through the ice block, and surprisngly, Maribel was helping her. Well, enough beating around the bush.

"Mari?"

"Hm?"

Maura frowned. "How are you so...calm, about this? About running into me again after so long? After-"

"Don't go burdening yourself with the past now~ I had a little glimpse of what you've been doing while you were gone." Maribel reassured her, and tapped the side of her head. "Mental link." She then continued carving. "You went searching for the next Witch of Dreams, a twin no less! If the boy has the potential, we could have three dream magician with us! Isn't that exciting~? Not to mention I have a new apprentice to meet, seems like. I hope I don't spook her too much..." Maribel began to explain. "You found yourself some more apprentices as well? Amanda seemed concerned for you."

"Uh, yeah. About a faction full now, apparently." Maura crookedly smiled.

"Do they know? That kid you helped, what was their name?"

Maura froze for a second. How long had it been since she's seen him? "Vanhorn. He never really had a name of his own. Just monikers.

"Yet that wasn't a problem?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. But no, I haven't told him yet. Maybe I can introduce him to the others sometime." With one last cut, the statue was complete. The two witches stepped back to look it over. It was similar to the Crimson Cradle's insignia, but instead of just the claw, it was a ghostly magical girl holding the orb in her claws. A typical witch's hat obscured her face, except for a smile. Whether it was malicious or not was up to interpretation.

"Huh. It's still missing something." With a bit of dark and ice magic, she darkened the body of the sculpture, and slivers of magic swirled around the orb itself. "There we go. Thanks, Mari."

"Anytime, dear! If you need anything, let us know. We'll make sure Lauren doesn't bash your knees in." Maribel joked, walking back to her sculpture.

Well, now what? Maybe someone needed help with their snowman?

To MDP’s surprise, the imposing new arrivals didn’t appear to be particularly proficient in making snow forts, creating what was essentially just a big mound of snow and taking shelter behind it. “Golly wolly~! Magical Dream Princess was, like, certain wertain that they would be super duper powerful wowerful, but they’re just super duper silly willy~! (giggle!)” Indeed, they hadn’t even thrown any snowballs yet, although that changed a moment later, when the blue-clad one prepared to hurl a snowball at one of the many Pennys darting about. However, to MDP’s considerable puzzlement, the large, pink-haired one, who looked somewhat familiar, redirected her partner’s throw at the last second. “Like, that’s totally woatally crazy wazy~!” the whimsical girl observed. “Is she, like, a super duper secret wecret agent wagent for our sidey widey~?” MDP wondered aloud, before the sound of a distant explosion caught her attention. “Wowie zowie~! That soundy woundied like a firewirework thingie wingie~! Magical Dream Princess would, like, totally wotally wuv to see firewireworks with Penny Wenny~! (giggle!)" she declared, jumping up and down with gleeful delight. "But, like, it’s not dark enough for that yet, is it~?” she wondered, her face taking on an expression of innocent bewilderment.

A moment later, the two new arrivals swiftly departed, the pink-haired one dragging the boisterous, blue-clad blonde behind her.

“Like, they were pretty strangey wangey, huh, Penny Wenny~?” MDP asked her robotic companion, before her confused expression turned into a beaming smile. “So, like, after wafter we’ve defeated weated Mayra Wayra and her friendy wendies, what other wother super fun event thingies would Penny Wenny like to do~? Magical Dream Princess signed up for them allsie, but, like, she would also be totally wotally okie dokie with just staying heresie weresie and cuddle wuddling~”

---

Kate and Nykannis were still watching the (incredibly one-sided) snowball fight, when a new voice spoke up and mentioned Nykannis’s work on project Amadeus.

“Well, I did work on a project Amadeus,” Nykannis confirmed. “But it wasn't at anyplace called Viktor Chond...,” her voice trailed off as she realized the full implications of what a new voice speaking to them meant. Whirling around, the mad scientist was confronted with a pink-haired girl who was just a little too close for comfort. “H-How the hell did you get in here?!” she stammered, her eyes seeming to bug out of her head. “The door was locked, and the perception filter around it should have made it impossible to find in the first place! Don’t tell me, you’re another one of those gifted ‘see the unseeable, know the unknowable, row row fight the power’ types, right? Gaah! What is WITH you people?! First Kayli, and now… Wait. WHAT did you just call me?!” she asked, her eyes narrowing and her mouth forming a fierce snarl.

“Great, now you did it…” Kate deadpanned.

“WHY THE HELL DO PEOPLE KEEP COMPARING ME TO THAT TALENTLESS HACK?!!” Nykannis roared. “Just because we look a LITTLE alike DOES NOT MEAN WE’RE THE SAME PERSON!!! AND COSPLAYING?! COSPLAYING?!! SHE’S THE ONE WHO’S COSPLAYING ME!!!”

“Yeah, she really hates being compared to Maho,” Kate explained. “Major berserk button. Oh, I’m Kate, by the way,” she added, holding up a peace sign. “And this is Nykannis.”

“DOCTOR Nykannis,” the other girl corrected. “Queen of the Mad Scientists! And who the hell are you supposed to be? Discount Haruko Haruhara?”

The more Nykannis talked, the less happy Oros looked to be listening to her. The scientist droned on with no end to her barrage of questions in sight. Question after question, flipping from fright, confusion, to rage. All in a very short period of time. Until she finally asked the “discount girl from an underground anime” for her name. Oros sighed. Whatever joy she had upon seeing the girl had turned to ash in her mouth.

”Okay so we gotta get something straight.” She raised her finger, making sure to keep her voice low and quiet. ”I understand, we have one weekly Patron Outpost Surveyor Transcript, better known as a POST, where we get to talk. The temptation to say as much as we can in one of these POSTs is tempting, but I advise against it. We both want to get to the interesting part of this conversation, but it’s a very unnatural way of speaking. ” Oros fret her brow, and her lips curled back to reveal a snarl. ”Moreover, have you given a single thought as to how I’m supposed to respond to any of this shit?” She gestured towards the way she came. ”We’ve got a snowball fight, ice sculpting, snowman making, stage performances, harebringers, and Keijo fights going on! You think anyone can keep track of all that shit and remember some minute details about the balcony space? Did anything even come up in the last POST?” Her brow practically dropped between her eyes. ”I don’t know! The door was open when I came here. Maybe ‘Kayli’ forgot to shut it on her way out. All I know is that if I see a tiny girl, you can bet your ass I’m going to do anything in my power to talk to her. You want to try getting a word in? Fuck you! I’m still responding to your endless wall of banter!” Oros rubbed her nose. ”Maho Hiyajo is best girl! She’s an amazing character and the fact that she’s a loli is just a bonus! You could never compare to her cuteness! Why someone would claim to be smarter than a fictional character is beyond me. And yes, everyone, I see the irony in that statement. Bite me!”

Oros exhaled. ”See? And then we would just take turns throwing increasingly convoluted and difficult to keep up with paragraphs at each other.” She placed a gentle hand on Kate and Nykannis. ”I suggest we start over and make the following conversation a COLLAB to avoid this. You know? ‘Couple Of Lovely Ladies Acting Brashly, COLLAB? Point is, we can progress at our own pace.” She took her hand off of Kate’s shoulder and offered it to Nykannis, and did the reverse with her other arm. Her arms were crossed in front of her with a hand pointed at the only 2 other girls present. ”My name is Oros. If you want to tag a pretentious title on there, you could call me ‘The Manager of the Golden Trove’ or ‘Future Mayor of Penrose,’ but it really isn’t necessary.” She looked into the air. ”Haruko Haruhara was an interesting one. I haven’t seen Fooly Cooly so I can’t say how alike we are. I think I look more like Chii Aruel from Soul Worker. ”

Nykannis was left speechless as their uninvited guest rambled, using obscure terminology even the Monarch of Mad Science was baffled by. POSTS? COLLABS? Details about how protected their balcony was? Wait… Did someone hit this girl with a meta weapon? Or was she some form of reality warper? An edgier, even more in-your-face version of MDP? Nykannis suppressed the urge to shudder. THIS was precisely why she hated mingling with Penrose natives… What was particularly annoying though, was how the girl insulted the way Nykannis talked, and insisted that some half-baked fictional character was better than her, the Monarch of Mad Science! And THEN there was her reason for being here in the first place…

“Hi, Oros,” Kate chuckled as she shook the beast girl’s hand. “It’s nice to meet ya. I gotta say, you’re pretty, uh, unique, but anyone who can rile Nykannis up like that is okay in my book!”

“So, let me get this straight,” Nykannis began, closing her eyes in a (probably futile) attempt to calm herself. “You only came in here because you have some kinda perverse fetish for little girls? Bitch, you are SERIOUSLY FUCKED UP. Oh, and you think I talk weird? That’s rich coming from a rambling nutcase like you,” she added with a sneer as she opened her eyes to glare at Oros. “I mean, your little ‘speech’ lasted 83.478 seconds longer than what I just said. And now you wanna have a pleasant conversation? Well, you’d better have something REALLY interesting to discuss, otherwise you can find out why it’s a REALLY BAD IDEA TO PISS ME OFF!!!”

Oros was frozen in place. Her body was pointed in Kate’s direction, but eyes were locked on Nykannis for the entire duration of her rant. ”One moment.” She smiled at Kate before looking back at the mad scientist. ”We’re starting over, Nyan.” Oros made sure to vocalize her nickname for the doctor like an anime cat girl would. ”But just to get this shit outa the way, I’m not an ‘aqualung.’ Well, no more an aqualung than anyone else here. I think visually we’re all somewhere between 7 and 16? Easy to forget with some of our face claims being so mature looking. Anyway, the point is I find your small shape cute! The only thing I have a burning desire to do is place my hand on top of your head. Several times. I’m on a date anyway.” Her hand started to hover over “Nyan’s” head. ”But interesting topics of conversation? I have those in spades. What would you like to talk about? There’s me, the approaching end of the world, my nose, my two co-managers who are also magical scientists, me, my plans for Penrose, we can even talk about you.” She looked back at Kate. ”Or even you! I wouldn’t mind hearing about you. What are you doing with this small sassy scientist?”

“Well, if you’re talking about right now, I was trying to give her a bit of a vacation, although she hasn’t really been enjoying herself all that much,” Kate replied with a chuckle. “Mostly because Dan’s magic is preventing her from running the kinds of tests she likes. But if you mean how I met her, that’s a pretty interesting story! We were both attending a symposium at the Wright Institute on Kalgan, over in universe 11121945IAF. Nykannis was giving a lecture on Clarke’s Third Law, and I was covering the event as a freelance photographer. I remember most of the speakers being kinda boring, but Nykannis’s enthusiasm was really refreshing! She gets so passionate about things that it’s hard not to share her excitement. So, anyways, I decided to chat with her a bit after her lecture, and that’s when…

…

…

…

…and we’ve been friends ever since! In fact, she even made me this camera,” Kate added, holding up the device. “If you couldn’t tell by the name on the strap.”

”You know I normally can’t stand long stories, but that skip made it really amusing.” Oros grinned.

Nykannis, meanwhile, had remained silent during Kate’s retelling of their first meeting, simply glaring daggers at Oros and grinding her teeth together.

“So,” Kate continued with a grin. “What’s all this about you wanting to become mayor of Penrose? I gotta say, that’s a pretty ballsy move, considering that place is a perpetual shit magnet.”

“Screw that,” Nykannis snapped before Oros could respond. “You mentioned the approaching ‘End of the World’,” she added, addressing the pink-haired girl. “Now, assuming that everything that spews out of your mouth isn’t complete fucking bullshit, are you talking just this planet, or do you mean a complete universal collapse?”

The hotel manager pointed between herself and Nykannis. ”Mind if I…?” She looked away from Kate. ”It’s nothing as severe as the collapse of a multiverse. Just a recurring tragedy that seems to engulf worlds where Penrose exists. Nothing a traverser of realities needs to worry about. Though at the same time, I kind of like challenging myself, so why not see if I can stop it this time? Cucking forces on that level is just the right thing to do!” She looked back at Kate. ”Which ties into the whole mayor thing. I’ve accepted the fact that I’m never going to be able to go toe to toe with the big magical organizations in Penrose. Not with their numbers and everything. So I’m going to go for a political victory with the normies. Can’t really say much more than that right now.”

“A multiversal constant, huh?” Nykannis observed with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s another item to add to the list of ‘reasons why I hate that place’. Oh, and good luck on changing things,” she added dryly. “If you’re really up against an omni-dimensional force that hates the fact that Penrose exists, you’re gonna need a LOT more power than what being mayor of that dump’ll give ya.”

Oros shrugged. ”Gotta start somewhere, right? Maybe we can get my patron reinstated as a Co-Gm and-”

“A magical girl mayor…” Kate mused. “I’d say that’s gotta be a first, but I’ve seen way stranger stuff than that. Like, did you know that in some universes, magical girls operate openly?”

”Can’t say I’m all that surprised.” Oros grinned. ”Honestly, the worlds without any magical girls probably fascinate me the most. Well, I guess they exist of a fashion. Though people call them ‘superheroes’ or ‘espers’ or something like that. I wouldn’t mind living in a world without all that bullshit going on. At least for a little while.” She tossed her hand into the air. ”But I know I'd have to come back to Penrose. I dunno if it’s because it’s my original home, all the hot ass, or maybe just because it’s a ‘Realm Portion’ that’s been around for a while.” Oros closed her eyes. ”We’re on page 4 of the COLLAB, so I guess we should make something interesting happen.” When her eyes opened, she was looking at the mad scientist. ”It’s clear that you guys aren’t locals. I’m not even sure if you’re from the same world as everyone else.” Oros cracked her knuckles before resting her fist on her hip. ”So what’s it gunna take to get a scientist and a photographer on my payroll?”

Kate Grinned. “I’m a freelancer, so as long as the money’s good, I'll work for just about anyone,” she told Oros. “Even someone from Penrose,” she added with a chuckle. “Although, seeing how much of a disaster area it currently is, my fee’s gonna be a bit higher than usual.”

Oros puffed out her chest. ”Very well, we’ll have to hammer out specifics later.”

For her part, Nykannis gave the beast girl an arrogant sneer. “Sorry, Pinky, but I’ve already got the best setup I could want in a backwater reality plenum like this,” the mad scientist explained, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “Although… You mentioned two employees of yours who fancy themselves scientists. Let me have a little chat with them to see if they’re not complete amateurs, and if they have anything interesting to offer, we can work out a little quid pro quo arrangement. I borrow them to assist me with something I’m working on, and you can borrow my super-scientific genius for ONE project. That sound good?”

”Mmmm, that might be difficult.” Oros rubbed her chin. ”They are my co-managers at the hotel. While they are both accomplished magi researchers, one runs an artificing shop strictly for their own profit while the other does research for a third party. That sort of stuff isn’t part of the contract. So any ‘squid pro quo’ is going to be between you and them. Furthermore, while I can see you’re cute you haven’t given me any reason to believe you have the big galaxy brain you claim to have. I know what those two are capable of, and you think you’re better than both of them without having ever met them?” Oros chuckled. ”Oh I got it now. Yea, you gotta make me something. And then I’ll arrange a meet up for you three. I’ll grease the wheels a bit of course, just to ensure things go smoothly.”

Nykannis ground her teeth as Oros expressed doubt in her abilities. “Okay, Miss Magical Girl Deadpool, you wanna see why I’m the Queen of the Mad Scientists?!! Why I’m the most brilliant mind this reality plenum has ever seen?!! FINE!!! I’ll make whatever crazy reality shattering invention you want! The more challenging the better! Well, within reason, of course,” she added, her voice taking on a regretful tone. “See, the deal I made with the Grand Magistrates stipulates that I can’t make any major changes to the universal status quo, ESPECIALLY where Penrose is concerned, so, yeah…”

”Yea, they can be sort of a bummer to work around. I find it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission with those dudes. But let’s see…” Oros exhaled and thought. This was her one chance to ask for almost anything. ”Alright, this might be a little crazy, but you’re the queen of maid scientists, right Nyan? Should be possible. You ready?” She nodded. ”I want a back scratcher!” After a short pause, she tipped her head. ”Like, a robot maid! Yea! A cute, robot, maid! Maybe a cat maid? A personal assistant, that’s also a back scratcher and shit!”

“A maid?” Nykannis deadpanned. “All my vast, super-scientific knowledge, and you want me to make you a MAID?!!”

”I trust it will be unlike any robot cat maid I have ever seen!”

“ Fine…” she exhaled in weary resignation. “I’ll make you a damn maid. Cat ears, cat tail, cat collar, fetishistic outfit, the works. So, you want this thing to look organic or mechanical?”

The question caused Oros to stop and think, which Nykannis was pretty sure she didn’t do often. ”If it’s indistinguishable from a living person that’s pretty cool. Who doesn’t want a cute maid? Then again, I can just hire a cat maid easily enough. Having clearly metallic features allows me to show off, but it could be a problem if normies come around.” Oros placed her outstretched hand on top of Nykannis head and gently patted it. ”Nyan? Have you ever noticed that when you go to a fancy restaurant the menus are really small, they don’t make special orders, but the food is always really good regardless? You seem like you know what you’re doing. It doesn’t even have to be a cat girl if it’s awesome!” Her smile got wider as she continued to pat the scientist’s head. ”Is that unreasonable? I could go for something easier if you’d prefer.”

“Easier?” Nykannis spat, as if the very concept was deeply repulsive. Or maybe that was just her response to the sensation of Oros’s hand on the top of her head? Probably both. “You’ve already set the bar so low, it’s practically underground! But I get it, you want me to take this mundane, stereotypical concept and do something creative with it. Okay, I think I have an idea on how we might do that,” she added. Activating a small holographic display and producing a circuit-covered stylus, the mad scientist began drawing up plans and scribbling down notes. “Keeping in mind your various fetishes and need for this thing to be able to interact with normies, here’s what I was thinking.” Manipulating the holodisplay, she pulled out a 3D model of her idea for Oros to examine. “First we have the maid portion. Basic moe, cat girl maid. Shy personality, underdeveloped body, and fully organic, although the ears and tail are fully detachable, in case you need to prove she’s ‘really human’ to any over-inquisitive weebs. I will mention that she incorporates some ridiculously advanced nanotech, allowing for a variety of interesting applications. In particular, she has an energy to matter conversion unit, which should allow her to produce whatever food, drink or other mundane item you want, with the item in question materializing in her hands. Naturally it also works in reverse as well. But you wanted something a little more ‘outside the box’ than just that, right?” she added with a smirk. “Well, that’s where the second part comes in!” Snapping her fingers, there was a bright flash, after which, the 3D model’s appearance had changed significantly. “With a simple command phrase of your choosing, your cat girl maid will become a magical girl. She’ll be a disgustingly kawaii genki girl when she’s in this form, with a VERY cheery personality, great for annoying people you don’t like. While I’ve given her a limited amount of Metaphysical Aetheric Numinosphere Accelerator, she’ll still be a joke compared to what a regular magical girl is capable of, so just keep that in mind if you plan to put her in a combat situation. So, whadya think?”

”Yea, that sounds good! The nanomachines should prevent her from getting hacked or frying due to simple static electricity.” After nodding a few times, Oros looked away from the hologram and at the scientist. ”And this will 100% be able to scratch my back, right?”

“You saw the claws, didn’t you?” Nykannis replied with a wry grin. “Well, if everything meets with your approval, there’s just one last thing to take care of.” Spreading her thumb and forefinger, the mad scientist created a rectangular holographic window in front of Oros. “Sign here,” she instructed, handing the beast girl her stylus.

Oros twirled the stylus in her hand before holding it over the pad. After staring at it for a moment, her expression soured. ”Ehh, I dunno.” She pulled her hand away. ”I mean, we have plenty of Non-Patron Champions, or NPC’s if you’d prefer, back in Penrose. I doubt my patron could handle another one.” With a sigh, she handed the stylus back to the doctor. ”Perhaps another time.” She extended her other hand towards Kate, which had a business card in it. ”If you find yourself in the area, I could definitely put you to use. Though it might be a bit before I have anything worthwhile for you to do. While Penrose might be dangerous, I do have a safe place for you to sleep at least. Our breakfasts are nothing to shit on either.”

“What the hell?!” Nykannis snapped. “Ya make me do all that work, and now you don’t want it?! Well guess what?! I went through the trouble of designing it, so you can bet your ass I’m making it and bringing it with me to my chat with your two ‘scientist’ pals!”

”So my patron won’t have to control it?” Oros reached for the stylus.

Meanwhile, Kate was far more receptive of Oros’s offer. “Thanks,” she told the pink-haired girl with a smile as she took the offered business card. “And here’s my contact info,” she added, handing over her own card. “I gotta say, I’ve been kinda curious about the Golden Trove ever since that one girl on Glimmer gave it such a glowing review.”

”You won’t be disappointed!” Oros said with a wink before sucking the card into her hammer space and looking back at the scientist. ”Gib pen!”

“Your patron?” Nykannis asked with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell do they have to do with anything? You’re the one who’s gonna ‘control it’,” she added, returning the stylus to the now quite insistent Oros. “If it helps, think of it as more of a familiar than a full-fledged magical girl.”

”Oh, that does make sense now.” Oros held the pen. She still didn’t look like she was ready to sign. But her expression softened until she looked sullen. ”Nyan, I do have to admit that you are a genius. You really pumped this concept to 250%. I can also see that while this is far below your abilities and probably a simple thing to do, you’ve become attached enough to it that you can’t allow yourself to not complete it. I know why that is, but that’s not really important.” She handed the stylus back to Nykannis a second time. ”You’re tailoring this creation to me like a fine suit, but you don’t have all the measurements. As an example, I have a hammerspace that lets me carry around all the mundane shit I need. A familiar doesn’t have to do that for me. You probably couldn’t tell by our conversation, but I’m also really good at being annoying. I probably don’t need a familiar that can do that. We just need to spend more time together.” She presented Nykannis with a business card. ”I agree with what you said earlier. You can meet the three of us at the Golden Trove with your maido prototype, or however that works. Binky Is the creator of the red coins you see around Penrose and also co-created the white coins with Beacon. Aria is a member of the Gourd. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

Nykannis’s eye began to twitch when Oros still refused to sign, but the mad scientist’s expression brightened considerably when the beast girl revealed some VERY interesting information about her two friends. Meeting the source of the new COINS was enticing enough, but add to that a member of the Gourd? This was quite the jackpot…

“Those are some impressive resumes,” Nykannis replied with an approving nod as she took Oros’s card. “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

”Just call ahead, and I’ll set up a nice meeting room for us.” Oros looked off the edge of the balcony. ”Oh, seems I’ve found my mark.” She bowed. ”Maybe we’ll do something fun later, whenever we end up meeting up” After bidding the two farewell, Oros stumbled over the edge of the balcony. had Mia or Connie been there to witness it, they might have realized Oros was just really bad at climbing down from places safely.

Finishing up her sculpture, Alicia found that more girls had filtered in over the course of the process. All approached the ice carving with some level of zeal, and there were plenty of unique skillsets as well as designs on display. She had the feeling she would need to look through these all later to fully appreciate the sum total of the work that had been done here. But there was plenty of time for that later, even if Dan wasn't messing with the flow of time again.

A shrug followed as Kimble complimented her sculpture. "Well, I do what I can. it does feel a bit like cheating to do the orb thing, but at least it's unique." Well, it wasn't that big of a deal compared to all the other tryhards who'd probably never touched a block of ice before. In comparison her twisty thing with an orb in the middle was the model of simplicity.

Leaving aside the ice and cold, she grinned and leaned over to ruffle Kimble's hair. "I'd still be there in the time loop you know. I'd just have a more limited memory than you."

She hummed as well as the question was turned back on her, tapping her foot and surveying the cold ice. "I can think of something," she noted aloud. "Pranking Rachel, finishing the tv shows I've fallen behind on, finding old Light users in the Overcity and learning their tricks, finding out what all the bad guys are doing so I can stop them once I get out of the loop. There's a lot of things I can think to do with that sort of time."

Having said that, she glanced around the field of slowly developing ice sculptures once more. "Hm, do you want to stick around here, or shall we continue our tour? Dan will probably let us know what he thinks regardless of whether we're here or not." She didn't mind staying here, but figured she would place the offer on the table for now.

In contrast to her bubbly girlfriend, Penny had a set of ears close enough to hear and understand what it was that just flit past one of her counterfeits, or at least the basic gist of what it was had nearly happened. “Very strange” she would agree somewhat glad to see the boisterous one leaving as she really didn’t want to get dragged into that type of arms race. She was pushing it as it was when it came too snow warfare.

“And it isn’t really dark enough for fireworks” Even if said ‘snowball’ couldn’t really be counted as one “But if we are here long enough, we could probably go on a sleigh ride around the island while fireworks are sent off” She would suggest “Dan wouldn’t be too hard to sell on the idea I think”

“I’d like to do all the events with you” Penny would admit “Staying here is tempting, as that way I’d get you all to myself” She would say giving MDP a one-armed hug “But last time I was here I spent too much time away from people making Sandcastles.”

“Besides, I’d like to meet all of your friends, and introduce you to mine as well” She would finish glancing back to her other clones in the fortress who had stopped expanding the fort for the time being to replicate Mayra’s ‘Mega Snowball’ “Think we could top Mayra’s Mega ultra throw with one of our own?” she would ask with a raised eyebrow gesturing at the nearly completed Mega snowball.

_@Ponn

Freya was silent for a bit, listening, and then it came to the part where Freya was to talk about anything at all.

‘Uuuuuuuuuuh…’ Freya tilted away a bit as she considered it. It was sort of painful to bring up, but she was supposed to make an effort here. ‘… I was… supposed to try out having friends. The problematic Beacon-boy recommended you for me, of all people…’ Freya said.

She had more she could potentially say, but right as of this moment, she was curious to how Penny would respond to this information.

---

Yeah, a simple statue of a magical girl, made without cheating. It didn’t look perfect, Tullia had made it without any magic, after all, but something within her was a bit dissatisfied, given the other creations that were popping up around her.

‘… Okay. Now we cheat,’ Tullia mumbled.

Beside her sculpture she created numerous giant ice-blocks of her own. Then, she spun into a dance. Wielding her own Bifrost Staff and her icy saw, she danced like with ballet between her different icy blocks, waving her staff and her saw, chopping large parts of ice off the different sculptures. Ice fell off as if meant to be, the corners were smoothed, the ground was frozen. Finally, she stopped in the middle, raising her hand, and snapped her fingers.

She’d surrounded herself with sculptures of dancers, made out of her own ice, all of them looking in towards the middle. The ice on them were perfectly smooth, their faces human-like in emotion, looking like they were ready to spring to life any second. And, with the snap of Tullia’s fingers, they started to move. They were perfectly arranged in a circle in different layers, and the three layers started to spin, two clockwise, the middle one counter-clockwise. She’d frozen the ground beneath them, letting some weight cause them to move, sliding them spinning around her, the perfect sculptures creating animations of people dancing around her should one keep looking.

Sighing, Tullia skipped out of the enclosure, somehow leaving behind a perfect icy sculpture of herself in the middle, just exactly where she’d just been standing, dodging her own dancers with perfect dance-moves of her own before she arrived outside the enclosure, how own icy dancers spinning gradually around a sculpture of herself…

‘… Cheated,’ she said by herself. But it sure looked impressive. She sighed a bit and walked off, to see what others had made.


Somewhere some bit away, a spider-girl wrapped some net around an icy block and dragged it away from the field, so that a young, blonde girl and her even tinier daughter could try out some icy sculpting, too, just out of sight of everyone else.

Ronin and Miko could try out some ice-sculpting, too. Just trying to make duplications of each other, just because. With reinforcement to help them, they turned out pretty good.

---

Mayra was a bit upset at her snowball being eaten, but she wouldn’t let that stand and would dodge more snowballs, grab more snow and do her best to return fire, albeit without actual fire.



The Victorias realized that the Pennys were infiltrating her castle, but as the Pennys were gathering up inside, the Victorias smirked something wickedly…

‘Fire support or not, the trap will still work,’ Victoria declared, and placed a hand on the icy wall. The composition of the castle suddenly changed, turning the entire icy wall into-

‘GET SNOWED IN, NUTBALL!’ a somewhat manic-looking Victoria shouted maybe insultingly, as that one Victoria leapt out of the castle while the clone Victorias more focused on keeping the Pennys locked inside, as suddenly the whole castle collapsed into snow intending to bury the infiltrators. This didn’t bother the Victoria clones at all as they had the particular ability to swim through snow on the way out, but they definitely intended the Pennys to get absolutely drenched in snow for daring to infiltrate her base…!

Oh, and Lea, Esther, Olivia, Taihei, Josefin and Jelena are all also still in the snowball fight somewhere until I figure out something better for them to do.

@Shifter_Master

As Eliza left the two Ascendancy members, she would, if she hadn't noticed it when dealing with Violette and Rachel, see a shadow trailing her that seemingly 'scurried' towards her. Stopping a couple of feet or so away, it bubbled and a black tar-covered figure emerged from it. The tar dripped away at a rapid pace until all that was left was Samantha.

She struggled to contain a shiver as she was not particularly covered with her outfit. Still, she addressed Eliza in a neutral tone. "Rare is it to have a... civil conversation with one of 'them'," she noted. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh?" Eliza turned to look at Sam. She crossed her arms. "To be fair, the fact that they haven't seen me beforehand contributed to that." She shrugged, and when asked how she was feeling, she rose a brow. "Hah, I should be asking you guys the same question. Weeell, right now I'm waiting on Oros to get back. But other than that I'm...actually not tired. For once." Eliza blinked at the realization.

"I hope you'll understand my frustration. But I don't feel proud of the outburst," Sam rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Anyway, I doubt many of us would feel too comfortable during a meeting like that, so it is good to see that the Ascendancy isn't bothering you too much. Especially given who you saw there," she warned. "Rachel is as zealous and dangerous as you can get from that faction. Thankfully, you don't need to learn that the way I did." Sam's mostly neutral expression wasn't enough to cover the shame she felt as she recalled that memory.

The witch sighed. "It's understandable, Sam. Hell, when Maura told me about you-know-what, my first instinct was to facepalm. But there are more important things to focus on now, and there shouldn't be anyone besides me having outbursts of anger." Eliza patted Sam's back, making a quick jacket out of dark and light magic to cover her up, seeing how uncomfortable she appeared to be.

"Besides, as long as Rachel and her goons don't realize who I work for, I could try and get some info out of them. Anaya can get me out of trouble, if anything happens." Eliza explained through magicoms. She didn't want to risk anyone overhearing.

"I appreciate it." Samantha thanked her for the clothing. It had effect almost immediately and the shivers soon seemed to disappear. Breathing out, Sam didn't quite look like she liked the idea of people getting near Rachel, but she didn't protest. "Just trust your instincts if you believe things are going south. It'll keep you alive." Samantha advised, adjusting the jacket Eliza provided her so that it was more comfortable. Clearing her throat, she opted to change the subject despite bringing it up. "If you don't mind my asking, how are you attached to Oros, exactly?"

"Uh...Oros is my date. Not even I know how that happened."

When the fact that Oros and Eliza were on a date, Sam raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" she looked off to the side for a moment. "Well, considering my relationship with Trixy, I guess it isn't near as surprising. But..." It was faint, but when she was thinking about Trixy, there was almost a smile on her face. "...surprising isn't a bad thing."

Sam looked towards where she last saw Emily, narrowing her eyes. "That said, Oros is in for a surprise if she keeps Emily for too long. I hope you can excuse my rudeness, but I don't believe she's the best influence for Emily."

Eliza chuckled. "Look at you, being the mom friend of the group!" She joked. "I know she's eccentric, but I'm sure she'll be nice to her. I can always scry in if you're concerned." She smiled to Sam. "And understood, on that end."

"M-mom friend?" Sam repeated in surprise, struggling to maintain composure. "I-it's just that since we came together that I should keep an eye out! That's all," she tried to downplay it. She looked away from Eliza for a second, only to spot someone of note. Standing next to the exit of the building (and next to what appeared to be a body?) was Tetrad, but more importantly past that was Emily. It wasn't possible to hear them from this distance.

Samantha turned back to Eliza. "I believe that's Emily over there, so Oros shouldn't be too far away," she mentioned. "That reminds me. Have you met Emily?"

Eliza only shook her head in response.

"She is a pretty cheerful girl for the most part." Samantha informed Eliza, beginning to walk towards Emily and whoever was around her. "It would not surprise me if she went out of her way to track you down later," she joked. "From what I've seen and experienced, she's quite eager to befriend anyone she can. That would normally put me off but... well, she hasn't ever made me doubt those intentions aren't genuine."

Meanwhile...

Emily could be seen leaning over the man on the ground. She seemed beyond worried as she pulled him to his feet and even help pat off anything that might've stuck to him. After asking if he was alright, Emily turned to Tetrad, and surprisingly accepted the drink. "I-I'm old enough!" she proclaimed. Eliza and Samantha wouldn't be able to hear it, but she also muttered, "...the Rave was a one-time thing..." under her breath. The drink she took out of the cup was small enough that 'sip' was a generous term.

Before she could reply to Tetrad what was undoubtedly going to be a 'yes' to playing in the snow, she noticed the pair of Sam and El pulling up approaching. "Sam!" she met with them and, to Sam's dismay, gave her a spontaneous hug, making sure not to spill her drink in the process. "Oros wanted to do something later if you're up for it! Oh, but we'll have to find Betty and... Eliza?"

"Well, do I have news for you," Sam replied in a monotone, but then she realized the drink in Emily's hand. "Hey, what do you have there?" Ignoring the memory of Eliza's earlier comment about her being a mom friend, she still asked this.

In what was perhaps the slyest social maneuver ever seen, Emily skillfully changed the subject. "F-forgitaboutit! A-anyway, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Eliza waved. "Emily, right? I haven't gotten to introduce myself properly. I'm Eliza! And I got a feeling you already know Oros." She held out a hand for Emily to shake.

"Eliza? Oh, isn't that a coincidence! Like I just said, Oros is looking for you!" she swapped her drink over to the other hand so she could shake with her dominant hand. "But yes, I'm Emily! Feel free to call me Em if you want." she looked back towards Tetrad, who was hanging around outside. "Oh, um, were either of you interested in a snowball fight?"

Samantha nodded as if it was already in agreement. "Sure. But you what about Oros? Eliza was looking for her, actually."

"You were?" Emily asked the girl. "Oh, um... well, I didn't see exactly where she went since I was paying more attention to who she bulldozed..."

"Eh, I can wait on her a little longer." Eliza shrugged. "A snowball fight sounds fun though! I may need the practice."

”Hey! Whatchu talkin’ bout Eliza?” Tetrad walked back into the doorway. ”Isn’t your whole deal that you know every- AHHHHH!” She hopped backwards. ”What happened to that strangely beautiful boy-girl!?” Tetrad had almost finished her first drink, and was noticably red in the face.

Eliza shrugged once again, with an eyebrow raised. "She went off to talk to someone too. I'm not gonna intru- Are you already drunk???" She asked back, noticing how red in the face Tetrad was.

”Are you?!?!?!” She pointed at Sakura with both hands. ”How did this happen? Isn't Dan suppose to be protecting us from things like this?”

A snow-covered Oros stepped into the lodge. ”Hey El! Looks like-whomga carrot!” Oros pointed at Sakura. ”What happened to her!?”

Though the others were too distracted to notice it, Oros' question had caused Emily to narrow her eyes for a second.

”I don't knowwwwwww!” Tetrad pouted.

”Well we have to do something! Like, uh, mouth-to-mouth or some shit! That always seems to work.” Oros folded her arms. ”I'd do it, but I'm on a date with El right now. That means my lips can only touch hers for the duration of this date, even if it's an emergency!" She looked to the witch. ”That means you're out too!!

"I don't think mouth-to-mouth is the right treatment for someone who got trampled, looks like." Eliza explained, sitting Sakura down to the nearest seat to check for any wounds. "We should look for stuff like head trauma or broken bones. Hey, how many fingers am I holding up right now?" She asked the feminine fellow, holding up three fingers.

"I also do not see how mouth-to-mouth helps here," Samantha commented.

Emily set her glass down so that she could search Sakura's head for any signs of damage but not before taking a drink. "Oh, I hope you're alright..." she worried.

Despite Eliza voicing her doubts about the idea, Oros didn’t stop pursuing it. ”And Sam is out too, since she’s got a girl friend. Which means if someone’s going to give her mouth to mouth, it’s gotta be Em or Rad.”

Tetrap moved Emily aside. ”Alright, I think I practiced this in swim class. Just, just get me something to drink.”

Oros didn’t question the quad colored card dealer. She promptly grabbed a stein full of ale and handed it to Tetrad. ”Godspeed, lifesaver! Have as much liquid courage as you need.” She saluted.

”Do patronize me!” She knocked back the mug, and her adam’s apple bulged out of her neck with each gulp.

”You can tell she went to collage.” Oros turned to Emily and Sam. ”I know it’s hard, but we’ve gotta keep our spirits up. Dan’s magic is dependant on our good mood, right?” she smiled at her companions. ”Anyone else want something to drink? We could also have a snowball fight.”

Eliza stood comically dumbfounded for a moment. Was the check-up moot? Did she really have to waste her time like this? And on a date too?! "...OKAY! If nothing else is going to interrupt me before I get a spliting headache," She walked back over and pulled Oros into a hug, resting her head against the other's shoulder. "Sorry for taking so long. And we already agreed on the snowball fight, unless you have any other ideas..." She quietly apologized.

Sam pointed to the 'injured' male. "You guys have been wasting so much time that I'm doubtful he'd still be alive if he needed treatment," she pointed out. "Anyway, does anyone know him? Did they come with anyone?" she asked.

"Samantha, are you joking? You know him!..." Emily asked, before it dawned on her. "O-oh, that's right! This is your first time seeing them since... We made a new friend who helped us out a lot! She helped Sakura become like this. So this is Sakura now."

The assassin blinked. "O-oh, well isn't that lucky for them. I bet it was a happy day for you guys. Anyway, it sounds like we are all having a snowball fight?"

Emily nodded, retrieving the drink she had set down. "Yeah, when we're all ready! Um," she glanced at Sakura. "Hopefully no more accidents happen, though." Emily put the glass up to her lips once more, and when she removed it, her cheeks became slightly flushed.

Oros chuckled. ”She’s a guy now, huh? Guess some people are into that, if the survey is anything to go by.”

”I’m gunna make sure he lives!” Tetrad cried into the heavens. Her face was flushed red, and there were some tears running down her cheeks. ”No one can escape me by retreating into the cold embrace of death!” she leaned over and proceeded to fill his lungs with air.

”…ANYWAY! Yea!” Oros Pulled Eliza closer. ”Looks like it’s a slaughter out there. I say we raid the queen’s fort and take it for ourselves. We can even raise a flag, which I prepared specifically for this occasion.” She shrugged. ”Or we could play a game among ourselves if you don’t feel like utterly crushing our rivals.”

The queen? Penny was out there? It kinda felt pointless if she was currently slaughtering the opposition outside. But at the same time...

Eliza herself hadn't had the chance to go up against Penny, has she?

A mischevious grin tugged at her face. "I'm in."

"I'm so happy we can all play together!" Emily cheered, raising an excited fist to the air in celebration and taking a drink with the other. Her face would twist as the taste got to her but she powered on through. "Yay!"

Sam watched Emily with the smallest trace of concern creeping over her features. It was clear she would be watching Emily closely. "Yeah," she agreed with the rest for now. "Let's show them a good time."

”Time to kick some ass!” Oros picked up Sakura and slung him over her shoulder. ”Well I’ll be, he does weigh a bit more! He really did become a man.”

”What?” Tetrad pointed at Oros. ”Where is he going?”

”I’m not going to leave anyone behind!” Oros patted Eliza on the shoulder. ”If we’re going to play in the snow, we’re all doing it together!” She stomped her way out the door. ”If we’re going to play in the snow, we’re all doing it together!” And with that, Oros marched outside with Eliza in one arm, and Sakura hanging off of her shoulder.

Tetrad clenched her fist tight. ”Wherever he goes, I follow!” She said before following after everyone.

---

When the siege party got to the snowball fight, Oros let go of Eliza and stepped forwards. She surveyed everything that was going on, and nodded.

”I guess we could plan a strategy or something like that.” She grinned. ”But who wants to be that up tight over a little bout in the snow? Let’s take the fort! I’ll hold Aggro!” Oros swung Sakura off of her shoulder and charged towards the “enemy fortification” like a homesick angel. She was using Sakura as a human shield to block any incoming snowballs. ”Let me know when you’re awake, tater tot, this is all for you!” While Oros herself wasn’t throwing any snowballs, Tentacles did surface out of the snow to whip snowballs at the many pennies that were running around.

Tetrad fanned her cards out in front of herself. ”Well, that’s refreshing. Almost as refreshing as a glass of ale!” she turned to Samantha. ”I’ll follow your lead, Samantha. We never went on an operation together, so this is as close as I get.” Tetrad never took her eyes off of Samantha, even as she packed her first snowball.

"I noticed that. A real shame." Samantha nodded, summoning a simple schatten to her side, which would begin making a few snowballs for Sam. "Since they're drawing attention, let's try to flank and see if we can score a few good shots on them." Saying this, Samantha dashed off in a curved path, obviously attempting to strike any Penny clones from the side. Tetrad followed closely behind her.

As they began their assault on the opposing one-man team, Eliza stood back for a moment. She glanced around the battlefield in thought. "Hmmm... Might wanna watch out on using our magic. We could give her the upper hand, and not realize it soon enough." She explained, such was the reason why she didn't use her scrying power. Three pairs of shadowy arms would form as makeshift tentacles, two for making snowballs, and one for juggling them. Eliza would stick with dark magic for now.

She looked to Emily. "Guess you're stuck with me, huh? We can try and take advantage of their intervention to sneak inside the fort, find the real Penny, and take her out. But we'll have to be prepared for anything, got it?"

"Oh, don't say it like that! I'm happy to team up with you!" Emily assured Eliza. She looked a bit conflicted as she made a few snowballs for herself. "I can melt a path through if things get a bit too cramped! Um, but otherwise you'll have to trust my throwing arm." Emily would mention.

Eliza smiled. "You can leave most of the offense to me." With that, she'd use her shadow magic to try and sneak them both inside.

[@Snowfight People]

Lily nodded, a bright smile as Alex agreed to the bat block plan.
”Alright! But, uhhh…" She poked her fingers together.
”I’m not that good with making plans like that."

Justine gave a faint smile.
”In that case, please allow me to do the design."

Justine’s eyes glowed red, as did the tip of her index finger, which she now pointed forward. She then began to swipe it in the air, and Lily quickly realized what she was doing, as blood traced over the space in the air from her swipes.

”Oh, you’re fingerpainting! That’s neat!"

When she was done, she snapped her fingers, and the blood froze in place, creating a solid crimson-red statue. The statue depicted three fruit bats huddled together and clinging under a wide palm leaf. Lily was astounded.
”Oh, using this design, we’ll make the ice sculpture look super good! Thank you, Justine!"

Justine sighed in relief.
”My magic may be based on the use of blood, but it admittedly has many applications. Anyway, this alone surely won’t be qualified, so let’s get to work on the sculpture."

Lily shot her fist up into the air.
”Let’s do it!"

And so, time passed as the three of them worked on chiseling away at their block of ice, using Justine’s construct as an easy reference.

As they were sculpting, Lily rubbed her hands together.
”Phew! This is harder than I thought. The little bat just keeps turning derpier!"

She had made a somewhat matching result; the bat Lily sculpted looked off-model, with a slightly oversized snout and eyes that seemed to be placed on its forehead, and the leaf looked a bit like a miniature bonsai tree with the rough texture of the plant stem, but overall it was a good effort.

Justine looked slightly pained as she flexed her own fingers. They looked calloused despite the physical resistance magical girls innately have.
”It’s certainly not a walk in the park. I’ve never used a tool like this before, so it certainly took its toll on my hands. But at the same time, it is honest work, which is refreshing."
Lily took a moment to observe Alex’ work, leaning over him with her hands on her knees.
”Aww, no fair! Your bat looks so much better!" She exclaimed with a pout.

---

Dan nodded, smiling at Betty’s burning determination. “Very good, Betty. As a reward for your passion into the art of snowman building, I shall assist you with gathering snow for your project. However, how you use it is all up to you.” With that said, Dan clapped his fins, and snow began to drift, like a wave of sparkling white liquid, before it began to form up in a swirly pile made of snowballs of various sizes, from palm-sized to large ones. Time passed as Dan helped with gathering materials for Betty.

“There, that should help you get started. I’ll make sure to check it out once it’s done. Bye for now!” He then disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, and appeared at the ice sculpting area.
“Now, let’s see…” He was now dressed in a tuxedo, top hat and a monocle, resembling same kind of bizarre penguin as he waddled through the gallery of arctic art.
He first examined Kimble’s piece.
“Hmm...Very avant-garde. The blocky roughness must symbolize one’s inner struggles. Not bad.”
Then he checked Alicia’s sculpture, and his beak snapped open.
“Whoah! What illumination! What color! It’s like the very essence of ice is being celebrated! Excellent work, Alicia.”

However, the Light girl would realize she would be one-upped by the next art piece, as now Dan’s eyes popped out comically upon seeing Tullia’s piece.

“Oh, and this is clearly the ideal magical girl, standing proud and poised for battle! The strength, the ferocity!” He bounced around the statue. “The flowing hair is so life-like too. You have impressed me, Tullia!”

Dan then noticed the ice statue of a girl wearing a swimsuit, and nodded.
“Hmm...Interesting theme...” He muttered, as he floated up and held his fins vertically up to the sides of his snout, as if measuring size.
“Resembles Oros quite a bit, only without the ponytail. The heat of summer encased in cold ice, perhaps? That’s not a bad idea.”

Next, he moved to the totem pole, and slowly rose up from looking at the bottom piece to the top one.
“A classical statue motif! Simple, but appreciative of nature. I like it!” Next to it was a statue of a popular video game character from a series of bullet hell shooters. “Ah, yes, an ice fairy. It is a fitting theme for an ice sculpture, and cute too! This one gets a score of 9.”
Dan examined the statue made by the witches, visibly chilling Dan.
“Ooih, very spooky! The grasping hand is a strong visual, as is the large witch hat. Very different for sure.”

It was then that Dan noticed how Tullia continued making a bigger display around her ice sculpture, eliciting a surprised squeak at the splendor of the dancing statues.
“Ohh, you’ve been hard at work making beautiful art, both magical and non-magical!”
He complimented the ice girl with a pat on her head. “Most girls here settle on a single statue, but you went beyond that. That’s a good work ethic!”

Then she went over to see what Miko and ronin were working on, and he nodded.
“Expressing your bond by creating your friend is an excellent theme. It simply warms my heart...But hopefully not these statues,” he said, squeaking a bit in laughter.

He then approached the bat statue, and Lily sweated profusely.
”So, do you like it?"

“Like it? Yeah, I actually do,” Dan answered with a smile. “One of the bats looks a bit different, but it brings life to the piece with the diversity. It has personality, which I like! Nicely done.”

Lily fist--pumped.
”Yesss!"

Dan clapped his fins. “Next up, ice skating! Thanks to Melissa’s fine work petting the Harebringer, the lake is now available for use!” A portal then appeared, leading to the next link in the winter event chain. And once again, Lily was the first one through the portal...And ended up tripping on the ice in her haste, sliding around in a silly circle.
”Watch your footing!" She put on a pair of ice skates that were handed out on a nearby bench, and got to the ice, sliding around.

”Whee!"

Justine however was having a harder time on the skates, wobbling as she held on to the fence with her hands, before she also slowly got the hang of it.
"This is most unusual, yet surprisingly relaxing," she stated as she approached Lily.
"Interesting how a Harebringer decided to make this lake its lair, though. I expected them to hole up deeper in the forest."

---

Kimble giggled as Alicia ruffled her hair, and afterwards put her red cap back on and listened to her diverse answer, giggling at the Rachel-pranking bit. That was when Dan arrived to look at her and Alicia’s statues. Kimble bit her thumbnail, worried for the evaluation, but then sighed in relief as Dan was less harsh than she assumed.
“Yes! Thank you, Dan!”
Kimble clapped her hands together after Dan complimented her badly made statue, finding even the little praise to be worth the effort put into making it. She then took Alicia’s hand upon being asked on where to go.
“Let’s take a sleigh ride back to the lodge. I think that would be lovely.”
The two hopped on board one of the empty sleighs, and the straw goats pulling it slowly took to a steady gait, allowing the two to marvel at the scenery passing by them.
“You know, I participated in the White Elephant,” she mentioned to Alicia.
“I think it’s a lot of fun. How about you?”

---

Sakura bowed as Tetrad passed, and then followed his gaze after her rear, only to be ran into by Oros as he was distracted, falling down and hitting his head. Fortunately, as a magical girl it hardly hurt, but he was also stomped on by accident, which was enough to knock him out.
He was now down on the floor as the girls talked, seemingly ignoring him until Tetrad finally brought up his “disappearance” followed by Oros pointing out how he was down.

With Emily’s help getting back up and Eliza’s help with sitting down, he was now on a bench, still concussed.
His head hung back and forth as he was shaken by the girls, having missed both Emily’s and Eliza’s questions. This should have been heaven for him, with so many pretty girls giving attention to him. However, with the way the girls argued about what to do with him and his pain, it turned out to resemble hell more.
Then, he felt someone’s lips enclose over his. If he was fully conscious, he may have enjoyed Tetrad’s CPR more, but right now all he could think about was the headache pounding his skull.
However, it seemed to revive him enough to cause him to open his eyes slowly again...Only to be knocked back out as Oros slung him carelessly over her shoulder and hit his jaw.

He was out there in the snow, having fun with the beautiful girls...Weekend at Bernie’s-style.

---

Rachel shook her head at Eliza’s assessment. “Far too interesting if you ask me. It’s a miracle this hasn’t devolved into anarchy with all the corrupted running around unchecked.” She then smiled lightly, and nodded.
“Thank you for helping to bring order to this place, Eliza.”
She then adjusted her glasses as Eliza asked about what she mentioned earlier.
“I am of course referring to the Nativity of Jesus in Christianity, upon which the name of Christmas is based on. The worship of Jesus’ birth has a long and interesting history dating back thousands of years. Earliest records mention how-”
She then began on a long tirade about the history of Christmas. It was so boring that even Violette attempted to interrupt, only to be swept up in the conversation. However, this provided Eliza an opportunity to escape while the two didn’t notice.

Alexander watched in surprise as Justine used blood to magically make a model of the sculpture they were to make. "Okay, I was thinking that we could maybe just draw a basic idea in the snow, but this is actually a lot better" He said 'Actually, I could have done the same thing myself with a barrier.. Or maybe it would be easier to use multiple barriers and stick them together? Something to look into later' And with that, he got to work with his tools on making his part of the sculpture...for all of 4 minutes, before the unwieldlyness of the hammer and chisel 'Screw this' He dropped them, and then made a couple of razor sharp barriers over his ring fingers, and then began use those to carve 'Oh yeah, that's much better'

Time passed in silence as he and the girls worked on the ice. Until it was broken by Lily ”Phew! This is harder than I thought. The little bat just keeps turning derpier!"

Shaken out of his weird craving trance, Alexander looked over at Lily's bat. She was right; it did look derpy 'It suits her' he thought with a smile

”It’s certainly not a walk in the park. I’ve never used a tool like this before, so certainly took its toll on my hands. But at the same time, it is honest work, which is refreshing."

Acting on pure reflex, Alexander held his hand over Justine's and started using healing magic for a few seconds "There" he said once he felt it was done, and got back to his bat
---
Once they finished, Dan came over and judged it, or something, and a portal to the next location appeared. As per usual, Lily charged ahead. Alexander on the other hand, just walked through, and found himself on a frozen lake. "Huh, well this is different " he noted the lack of any apparent competition. Shrugging, he grabbed a pair of ice skates and gave skating a try. Slowly at first, so that he could get used to it. 'This...is actually kind of nice. I can see why people enjoy this.'

“Awww~!” MDP squealed with delight when Penny mentioned going on a sleigh ride. “That soundy woundies super duper romantic wantic~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess hasn’t ever wever been on a sleigh ride beforesie, but she always walways wanted to go on one ever wever since she was really little wittle~!”

Penny went on to say that, while she liked the idea of simply staying in their fort, she would rather do all the various wintery events. MDP giggled happily when Penny gave her a hug. Being a massive cuddle bug herself, she loved it when her girlfriend acted so affectionately, and she made sure to snuggle up close, a contented smile on her face. Her smile grew when Penny expressed her desire to meet all of MDP’s friends, and have the whimsical girl meet hers as well. “Magical Dream Princess would totally wotally wuv that~! (giggle!) Making new friendy wendies is, like, one of her most favorite wavorite thingie wingies in the whole wide worldsie~! (giggle!)”

Watching as the various other Penneys set about making an even larger version of Mayra’s massive snowball, MDP’s eyes glittered with delight. “Like, totally wotally~! (giggle!)” MDP replied when Penny asked if their snowball had a chance of topping Mayra’s creation. “Like, Mayra Wayra is, like, super duper strong, but you’re, like, super duper mega wega ultra wultra strong~! (giggle!) So, like, Mayra Wayra’s gonna have a really big surprisey wisey when that thingie wingie is finished winished~!”

Speaking of surprises, Penny and MDP were about to meet with a rather unexpected one themselves, as at that very moment, Eliza was attempting to covertly infiltrate their fort. Of course, when one is dressed as a Christmas Tree, going unnoticed is easier said than done…

“Wowie zowie~!” MDP exclaimed. “Like, that’s what we were missing wissing, our very wery own Christmas Wistmas Tree~! (giggle!)” Unfortunately for Eliza, even her darkness magic was unable to hide something as adorable as the outfit she was wearing from someone as childishly exuberant as MDP, and the next thing she would know, the witch would find herself being dragged into the center of the fort. “Like, we have the perfect werfect placey wacey for you, right heresie weresie~! (giggle!)” the hyperactive magical girl would inform her as a pair of friendly-looking snowmen began covering her feet with snow, so as to hold her in place. “Like, all you need nowie is some Christmas Wistmas lights~! (giggle!)” With a wave of her wand, MDP wrapped Eliza up with a string of colorful lights. Once she’d finished with that, the playful girl stood on her tiptoes and tapped her wand against the star on Eliza’s hat, causing it to glow with dazzling brilliance. “Tadaaa~!” MDP announced, looking very pleased with her work.

@BrokenPromise
Sakura's burning spirit raged at the vexing situation he had been put up with. With every ounce of willpower, and being shaken like a ragdoll, he forced his body to his utmost limits and...

Nope. The oppai Miko was using him as a shield, so there was no way he could regain poise so easily. Well, at least he had ended up in a bouncy crowd, and that other saucy girl had given him a kiss. He felt sorry about having a wife, but now with his monetary problems solved... it's not like she would ever find out about this one, right?

Anyway, he was still unconscious. Probably moaning weakly. Not his finest moment.

---

Dina, on the other hand, had basked in drinks to try and avoid the massive headache. At some point, she had been given actual strong drinks from Odin, which she accepted awkwardly. She had a certain tolerance, but the amount of alcohol she had taken with the nonsense was beginning to affect her. She really needed to keep the game up.

Maybe a song. But what kind of Song? She could try a Russian one, it was the ones she was best at. But which one indeed? Carols? They would probably not recognize that.

There was this one song that her granddaughter loved. It had incidentally been made into a vidya game, or whatever it once had been called. But it was a very old song. One she had liked to sing. So she strutted towards the scenario, and grabbed the microphone. Only to find the german accented Valkyrie and the eldest of Odin's aides in the scene too.

"Backup singer, ja?"

"Do you even know Russian??" Dina said exasperated.

"Ja?" She said.

"Oh, well... let's get this started." She said as she indicated the backup stage members ceded by the allfather.

---

[@.SnowfightPeople]

Sanngridr had been stewing for a while. There was much niceties she could take, as the chained beast of her desire rattled underneath her. The calling of battle had been like a drug to her, but she had not immediatedly rushed to the fight. She had... scouted the situation a bit. From occasional projectile slinging, to actual raids and forts. This was scaling. A glorious scaling mock war.

And whenever there's an escalation, there was an arms race. She had just gotten an idea, she just needed to use her copy power for a bit. And so, that was what she had done. Skulked in the shadows until now. High above the battlefield Sanngridr made an appearance, carrying a high payload of compacted snow. And another Sanngridr. And yet another. A veritable squadron, each with its payload, flying in formation.

She smiled.

War was, after all, Mankind's oldest pasttime. And they had ever kept escalating. Fortifications trumped skirmishes. Tactics trumped brute force... But there was a good hint of the modern times that was hard to trump.

Aerial superiority. Sanngridr began to hum happily a certain song as she arched her wings, as the the entire formation followed suit. Sann's Enhanced wings, and those of her clones, allowed for quite a bit of carrying capacity... and her maneuverability was such she could mimick the likes of aerial predators, the raptor bird swoop. So the Valkyrie squad descended upon the busybody factions of the snow fight.

And the world was ice and snow, scaterring before their eyes in a bombing run not unlike those of wars, as the Valkyrie of Cruelty smiled.

However... she realized that perhaps, this would not be what Odin would have liked for this particular event. She had been put under the wringer to be shown restraint. She couldn't fight to the bitter end in this particular stupid scrap.

She was growing hungry too. Then her addled brain realized there was a supreme prey she could take on to at least slake her hunger. Paragons of prey species, the Harebringers. If they were that dangerous, they would surely be delicious. It was then when, amidst the smoke and whatnot spotted someone familiar, or thought she did. Was that Tetrad?

Anyway, that was a part of the past, and Harebringers would not wait. Well, maybe she needed a partner in crime. So she instructed her clones to keep doing bombing runs as she tried to yoink someone random out of the battlefield to be kidnapped assist her in her bunny hunt.