Listening to Ronin plead her case for Sann’s innocence, Gaia couldn’t help but frown. She liked the small samurai, but felt the girl was just a little too naive and trusting for her own good. Much like my dearest Connie, the verdant maiden reflected as she glanced over to her very worried friend. However, less than a minute later, Ronin seemed to be proven correct as the dark valkyrie reappeared with Justine and Caroline, but while the excitable samurai seemed to think everything was now okay, Miko wasted no time in questioning Sann’s actions. Gaia turned a focused gaze upon the strange winged girl as she gave her reply, some vague explanation of how Caroline needed additional healing in a “place of less chaos”, before going off on a tangent of various complaints.

What a drama queen… Gaia thought as she tried to keep from rolling her eyes. She’s almost as bad as Sakura…

Of course, her beloved Connie was probably just glad that everyone was okay, and if the Daughter of Mother Earth was being charitable, she might also believe such an explanation and thank the valkyrie like Ronin and Miko were now doing. But something about Sann’s story was clearly off. Something had definitely happened in the Overcity, something more than a simple healing. Still, as the valkyrie had said, everything seemed to be fine now, especially with Justine administering a purification potion to her sister.

Gaia was just about to offer her own begrudging words of thanks, when an annoyed Sann melodramatically voiced her displeasure at the lack of appreciation for her services and warned that she might not provide her help again in the future. Then she took wing and flew out of sight.

Good riddance… Gaia grumbled to herself, before her focus shifted to her dearest friend, who had become quite upset by Sann’s parting comments.

“I-I d-didn’t m-mean t-to o-offend her…” Connie whimpered plaintively as she nervously fidgeted with her hair. “I-It’s j-just t-that w-we a-already ate…”

“It’s okay, little sister,” Gaia told the distraught girl soothingly as she gave her a calming shoulder massage. “Something tells me that sharing a meal with someone like that would not be a particularly pleasant experience. And while everything does appear to have turned out all right,” she added, addressing Ronin and Miko. “I would be hesitant to put my trust in Miss Sanngridr. I believe there was something more to her little Overcity trip that she neglected to tell us, so I think we would do well to watch our backs around her.”

From what Gaia could tell of Valerie’s expression before she and the ex-vampire sisters had departed, the android girl also held similar suspicions. The Daughter of Mother Earth only hoped that whatever possibly sinister designs the dark valkyrie was planning would be thwarted before they came to fruition…

---

Once again, an ordinary evening for Connie and Mia had been shattered by news of an urgent emergency. This time, it was a text from Lily, telling of an attack on a small town called Bolorton and asking if they would go there with her and help repel it. Naturally, both friends were more than a little hesitant. This sounded really dangerous, and was taking place far outside of Penrose. Yet, Connie’s desire to stand with her friends and help those in need outweighed her considerable trepidation, and if that’s what she had decided, then Mia wasn’t about to leave her side. So it was that the two friends found themselves at Penrose Park (or one of them, anyway), along with Lily, Alex, and a handful of Penrose’s other magical defenders.

“H-Hi L-Lily!” Connie called with a shaky wave. “W-We c-came as s-soon as w-we c-could!”

“Pardon my asking, but how do you intend for us to make the trip to Bolorton?” Gaia inquired. “Shall Miss Mariette be providing her assistance this evening?”

Penny turned over the line of text that she had received just a few moments ago in her mind a few times as she continued cataloging the Sanctuaries current supplies.

She knew that she was on Lily’s short list, even if that list wasn’t really all that short, but the call to action this time was one that Penny had a hard time justifying an immediate call to action for, at least from a personal standpoint. The fact that this attack on the neighboring city was almost assuredly the first part of Wonderland’s offensive wasn’t to be discounted however.

But could Penny risk going herself? That was the question at the moment. She was the leader of the girls here, and an acknowledged defender of Penrose. The fact that Beacon seemed to allow her stance of being Queen was still a surprise if she was honest, but the fact that they did gave legitimacy to the title, which lent more responsibility to the role and more weight to her actions.

Which made her choice of following up on Lily’s call to arms all the more difficult. She had a responsibility to make sure the girls here were taken care of, but Wonderland was an active and looming threat so they weren’t something Penny could just ignore either.

She played around with different courses of action until she was done fully cataloging everything the Sanctuary had to work with. They were still in the black, but not by much.

Walking out of the storage she sought out Goblina to give the supply count to, afterwards she tracked down Ashlyn. “I need the twins and Sann” She’s state “Have them meet me at this park. Wonderland is making a move on a nearby city and we need intel. I’ll keep you updated on if I’m going to be leaving as well, but that depends on who all from our fair city is also leaving.” She’d explain. “Not going to leave us open incase everyone is heading over there”

The two of them shared a few more words, covering the final details about the Sanctuaries move into the Earth Bastion and then Penny was on her way to meet up with Lily.

Time to see how the start of this war was going to go she supposed.

"I'm kinda curious as to what we know about what is going on over there as well" Penny would add after Gaia's question. Her own arrival going unnoticed due to a small use of Gravity, lowering the weight of her own presence.

With everyone and their mothers going out of town for something or another, Valerie opted to stay in Penrose in case something happened. Besides, she couldn't exactly hack into the security cams in Bolorton without being there. Not yet. Maybe some day when she's stronger. For now, the android girl decided to step away from her post and look for some scrap metal to use for her supercomputer.

Or maybe just stuff to build shit with, who cares?

Her search eventually let to a nearby scrapyard. Valerie's metal magic allowed her to scrounge through the heaps upon mills for anything that could prove useful. But she still kept an eye on things, the light of her HUD subtely flickering between screens and the works.

Then someone decided to say hello. Wordlessly, Valerie's head spun over to look at Iron Mouse. Until she mentioned she was tracking down a certain undead boy. What the hell did you get yourself into, Kyle... Her dumbfounded expression said enough. As if in response, the new girl then went on to explain that she didn't have a patron, and was thinking either Oliver or one of his acquaintances could help her get a new one.

"It's only a temporary trip out of town. One of the neighboring cities are under attack, so I wouldn't be surprised if anyone else goes to try and play hero." Valerie explained with a shrug. "We're both under the same patron if that's what you're guessing. But...I'll be fair with you, shit's tense in our group at the moment. If you still wanna place your bets on her, I can call the boss and she'll swing by in a short bit."

---

With Finn having to focus on the road ahead, Oliver had to be the one to answer Justine's question. The ghost turned his head to look back at her. "Wonderland's being a prick to another town and we're gonna kick their butts. Wanna come?" He casually answered.

"Was hoping we'd be early enough to intercept them..." Finn growled under his breath. He then explained what he could to Justine, the possible hostage situation and the possibility they'll have to help evacuate Bolorton's citizens, the bombing and the livestream. "We gotta keep an eye out for the spades and the clubs, clubs are the usual soldiers but spades are the specialists, they'll be harder to fight. Hearts are the leaders, but that's kind of obvious isn't it? Their weaponry is enchanted, they can penetrate through combat armor. Got all that?"

Mariette had an issue. The issue was the glowing envelope in her hand that informed her it was time for the party. That in itself would not have been an issue, but in her other hand she held her phone which had a message from Lily asking more than just herself to gather in the park and prepare to be portalled to the rescue somewhere away from Penrose. Now, Mariette would normally just have messaged Lily that she was busy… but the issue was that without Mariette, the whole gathering in the park would not be able to reach their destination, and that would be a betrayal of Lily’s expectation and she’d be known as the person that couldn’t help people, probably.

Quite a few conflicting emotions going on, there.

She was currently located in her room in her new base of operations. Which was super not as hidden as her previous base, because her hidden dimension was ruined. Instead, she was just located in a small decorated space dug into a mountain not too far from Penrose, which anyone with Absolute Direction would be able to find in moments. Fortunately, she had all sorts of security keeping track if anyone was mustering an attack and, more importantly, she wasn’t living with anything of value and as such could vacate the place with a portal and everything would be fine.

Right, let’s get ready. Mariette, of course, was not changing at all. Her normal transformed attire was good enough for any fine-class outing.

The same could not be said for her selected partner. It could not be Mayra, because Mayra was decently likely to utterly ruin the party by simply existing, so Mariette had selected a more tactful partner. However, the door opened and…

‘Heeeey, Mariette! How do I look? Pure and sweet like an angel, right?’ asked the very much not particularly pure and sweet girl that, strangely enough, did look quite pure and sweet with white flowing hair, blue eyes, a gentle smile, a white dress with black frills, black ribbons in her hair, slender metallic arms and sizable chest…

This, of course, was actually


but all dressed up. There was also the fact Jelena is physically only seven years old, she was making herself look taller with metal. Blue contacts to look less evil. That “chest” of hers were also just two metal clumps shaped in an inappropriate way. Which, of course, Jelena thought was absolutely hilarious.


‘… You look adequate. Give me a bit, I need to do something before we leave,’ Mariette said, turning to a drawer and fishing up one of the gems she’d received in that deal with Shion a while ago. It was already charged, she just needed to direct it a bit. She held it close to her chest and focused her powers…

‘Adequate? ADEQUATE!? I look —-ing great!’ Jelena cursed beyond her apparent age, crossed her metal limbs and pouted unhappily while waiting for Mariette to finish.

Right. Now she simply had to pick a suitable champion.

Also, did she understand that maybe a bunch of people wouldn’t be in Penrose for the time being?

… Good.

After she was done, she'd go to the place where Wonderland had invited her. ... With a pair of small defensive artifact she'd had Taihei make her and Jelena. Because she didn't want to be afflicted with weird spells.

__________________________________________

So, at the park. There were some people gathered.

And then suddenly there was someone jumping off a skyscraper and slam down into the ground near them with no regard for who or what might have seen her or how much it might disturb those present. The kneeling, scaled and partly on fire lady looked up, and…


‘Hiiii!’ she waved at them. ‘Mariette is kinda busy right now with something she says she absolutely can’t miss, so this event has kinda poor timing, but she she sent me, anyway! She put a portal spell inside me that I can use a single time, so tell me when you want to go! I can apparently send you there whenever you like! … Once! And not back, it’s a one-way-portal-trip until Mariette gets back!’ Mayra says, grinning happily at those present.

”Probably, but I don’t know if anyone else is on the move at the moment," Lily answered Alex as the two of them headed over to the park. ”I don’t think any of us were prepared for trouble outside Penrose in the first place." She checked her phone mid-ride, and noticed a couple of responses to the text, slightly uplifting her spirits.”At least we won’t be going alone."

---

It only took five minutes for Lily’s motorcycle to careen into Penrose Park, stopping after a half-circle that left a mark on the pavement. There, she saw Connie and Mia; they were the first people to respond to Lily’s message, and had arrived just before the duo.
”Connie! Gaia!" She waved back to the two with a relieved yet tense greeting. They were immediately joined by Penny; her impressive stature lacked the presence it usually held, causing Lily to blink as if to confirm she wasn’t just imagining her there.
Lily hopped off her motorcycle.
”That’s what I’m hoping for. Mariette is the only girl I know who could take us to Bolorton the fastest."
She looked around, and noticed as Ronin and Miko were running towards them from a distance, as well as Angel of Hope, who descended gracefully down from above to join them.

However, there was no sign of Mariette. Lily scratched her cheek.
”...So, uh, does anyone know what is really happening there?"

Lily’s question was interrupted by Mayra’s ground-shaking entrance, causing the green-haired girl to summon her weapon in reflex. Upon recognizing the cause of the quake as Mayra, however, she immediately dissipated the nocked lightning arrow with a fizzle.
Once the salamander girl revealed she could take them to Bolorton in Mariette’s place, Lily immediately ran over to grab her hand with both of hers with a smile, shaking it with gratitude.

”Oh thank you, Mayra! I don’t know what we would do without-Yeouwch!"
She removed her hands, having realized too late that the latter’s body was hotter than an oven plate, and burnt her palms. They slightly smoked as Lily shook them around.
”Ow ow ow! I should have figured that was a bad idea! Ow!"
Once she calmed down, most likely after Alex applied some healing magic to Lily’s deep-fried digits, she addressed Mayra.
”Mayra, we need a portal to Bolorton. Think you can make one for us? We need to go there right now. We also need to prepare…Ah-ha! I know!"

She mumbled as she cast a spell that created a wide magic circle on the ground, wide enough to accommodate the Mahou group. The group felt an electric jolt run through their bodies, followed by a feeling of lightness and energy (+3 AGI buff for an hour).
”I usually cast a spell to boost my speed, but I figured with all of us here, I could do the same to you too. Hopefully it didn’t sting too badly," she added, having noticed the electrifying results on Miko's hair.
She then turned to Mayra with a fist pump and a confident smile.
”Anyway, I’m now ready to go!"

---

Justine was surprised by the Mahou duo's initial answer.

”Wonderland? They are on the move?” She grit her teeth as they further clarified the exact situation, having clenched her fists.
"Dammit! If they’re this prepared, there’s only one explanation…They must have joined forces,” she spoke with disgust, and followed the two as they continued travelling to Bolorton.

---

Kimble bit her lip, but nodded with a sigh. “You’re right, Alicia. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come down to that.” With Alicia having been informed, Hudie went back to her duties after a respectful salute. The air was tense in the Beacon headquarters as members raced back and forth across the corridors, preparing for the worst.

---

Mariette and Jelena were surrounded in a flash of light once they opened the glowing invitation again, the stylized heart symbol rapidly blinking as the teleportation spell whisked them to Wonderland. The moment the white light had settled down, they found themselves standing in the castle gardens, a vast area that contained topiaries, flowerbeds, and even a stone fountain sculpted in the likeness of a stern-faced monarch wielding a magnificent sword. Similarly, the topiaries seemed to depict various residents and creatures of Wonderland, though Mariette couldn’t recognize any of them.

They were not the only ones there, either; the gardens were brimming with life as finely dressed guests prowled and gathered around the tables adorned with glamorous white cloths and served exquisite catering. However, Mariette also noticed the numerous card soldiers serving as guards along the perimeter of the garden, a third of them wearing spade symbols in addition to the clubs. In addition, she noticed that while the gardens lacked the strange magical aura that pervaded across the rest of Wonderland, there seemed to be protective enchantments that prevented scrying and other methods of magical detection in the area.

“Introducing Mariette Pedersen and entourage!” The two soon heard as one of the servants announced their arrival. Soon, a handsome man wearing an eye-covering mask and a top hat approached them, and bowed with a flourish.
“Esteemed guests, on behalf of the Queen of Hearts, I welcome you. I am Marquis Harry.”
He then gently took Jelena’s hand and blinked, trying to hide his reaction to touching her cold, metal limb. However, it seems it wasn't enough to sway his interests away from her. “Will you grant me the honor of accompanying you for this occasion, Miss...?” He asked, having seemingly directed the question more at Jelena than Mariette herself. Behind him, Mariette could see a gathering of party guests around a more prominent figure, as laughter echoed around.

Alexander sighed as he fixed Lily's toasted fingers. "The 'one way trip' part kind of sucks, but not like we won't be able to get back home, it'll just take a little time. And while we're sharing buffs" Following Lily's example, Alexander first released a pulse of magic that hit everyone there, covering them with a translucent but sparkling forcefield. He then released another one, it didn't have any visual effect (besides slightly longer and sharper canines) (+5 STR, +5 VIT). "There. And don't worry about your teeth, they'll go back to normal once the magic fades. Speaking of which; is this everyone or are we still waiting on anyone?"

“Eeep!” Connie cried out in alarm as a new arrival made her grand entrance, before calming slightly upon seeing it was only her draconic friend. “O-Oh, h-hi, M-Mayra…” she greeted the monster girl softly, while waving a trembling hand. “I-It’s n-nice to s-see y-you again.”

Mayra went on to explain that she’d be the one to transport them to Bolorton, causing Gaia to raise a verdant eyebrow. “A portal inside you?” the botanical beauty echoed. “Miss Mariette never ceases to impress.”

“O-Oh gosh!” Connie gasped a moment later when Lily ended up singeing her hands. “A-Are y-you o-okay, Lily?” the concerned nightmare girl inquired as she nervously fidgeted with her hair.

She apparently was, as, with characteristic speed, the energetic greenette went from wringing her hands in pain to zapping everyone with a lightning-based agility enhancement. Connie yelped as a static shock jolted her, the mouth of her mask forming a comical jagged line. Thankfully what little real pain there was passed quickly. “I-It only h-hurt a l-little…” she replied when Lily expressed her concern, her arms tightly hugging her shaking body and failing to notice her now frazzled hair.

“It mostly just tickled,” a serene Gaia added, her own verdant tresses also standing on end. “But I can definitely feel the additional energy.”

Alex followed that up with a reinforcement boost of his own.

“My, my…” Gaia marveled. “That was quite the rush… Thank you, Alex,” she told the magical boy with an appreciative smile.

“Y-Yes! T-Thank you!” Connie added, feeling a burst of newfound confidence flooding her no-longer trembling body.

Then, a familiar face stepped forward to offer their own contribution…

---

With the inquisitive crystal girl now directing her questions to the various other magical individuals who had gathered around, a considerably relieved Angel prepared to make her departure. However, before she could do so, she heard a new voice call her name. Turning in its direction, the heavenly maiden was startled to see the robotic whirlwind from earlier.

Holy shit… Does she know me? I mean, now that I’ve got a closer look, she does seem kinda familiar… Was she at that clusterfuck of a rave?

“I thank you most graciously for your kind words,” the Angel replied with a respectful bow. “However, this humble servant regrets that she must now bid you all a most fond farewell. It was truly her great honor and pleasure to serve you this evening, and she is filled with the greatest joy at the knowledge that by our combined efforts the foul beasts which once threatened this fair city have now been well and truly vanquished! Indeed, when we stand together, with our hearts united as one, there is nothing we cannot accomplish!”

Yeah, can’t leave without spewing some cringy garbage…

With that, the Angel ascended into the night sky, before swiftly gliding out of sight. She only hoped she could come up with a convincing story for her absence when she returned to her family…

---

“Lucky seven!” Angela’s father cheered as he moved his playing piece the relevant number of spaces. “That puts me on Free Parking!” he declared, before scooping up the obscenely large pile of money in the pot. “Hot diggity! Now I’ve got enough to buy that hotel I was thinking of putting on Park Place!”

“That’s wonderful, dear!” Angela’s mother commended.

“Yeah, great roll, Dad,” Angela herself deadpanned, before giving voice to a loud yawn. Indeed, with her tired eyes only a half an inch away from closing completely, the girl looked as though she was about to pass out at any minute.

“Heeey there, my little scrambled egg!” her father said with a frown. “You look a bit worn out. Wanna take a rain check and get some sack time?” he inquired. “After all, we wouldn’t want a repeat of last week, when you took that little nap in the restroom.”

Angela grit her teeth. Although it had been the only excuse she could think of for spending so much time dealing with the Wendigos, she really had been feeling exhausted of late. This was due in no small part to the frequent nightly excursions as the Angel of Hope she’d been making at Chiichuu’s insistence. “Building a positive reputation”, and all that… Thus, she’d been stumbling through her days half-asleep, with every last ounce of her meager reamaining energy being spent keeping her gaming record from taking too much of a nosedive. It was actually rather surprising that no one in her family had noticed until now, but then again, maybe not…

“The sum of the average of the square root…” her little brother was mumbling as he stared intently at the dice, while her mother had returned to painting the houses and hotels to make them look more “aesthetically pleasing”.

“Yeah, uh, if you don’t mind, I think I’m gonna head to bed,” Angela said with a weary sigh.

“Alrighty!” her father replied cheerfully. “You get some shuteye, and we’ll pick this up again bright and early tomorrow morning!”

“I can’t wait…” Angela muttered, eager to get at least some rest.

However, no sooner had she collapsed on her bed, then a reedy voice called her name.

“Angela, there’s an emergency,” Chiichuu informed her. “Your assistance is urgently needed.”

“What now…?” the girl asked from where her face was pressed into her pillow.

“A small settlement called Bolorton has just come under attack by extradimensional invaders,” the Puchuu explained. “A number of Penrose magicals are gathering at a local park to help, and I believe it is only fitting that the Angel of Hope should join them.”

“Yeah, you would…” Angela sighed as she slowly got up.

“You should be pleased. Helping to resolve this crisis will greatly enhance your reputation among Penrose’s magical population.”

“Whatever… Let’s just get this over with…”

…

Gliding down upon radiant wings, the Angel of Hope arrived at the park just after Ronin and Miko. “Warmest salutations, noble champions!” she greeted the gathered magicals with an elegant curtsy. “It is my most sincere honor to join you this evening. Let us together sally forth to the aid of the imperiled and ensure they are kept safe from harm!”

Yeah, let me just give them one of my sappy speeches and they’ll probably die of disguWHATTHEHELL?!!

The usually serene Angel was completely caught off guard by Mayra’s dramatic arrival, and, giving voice to a startled gasp, she placed an elegant hand atop her ample chest in an effort to stop the frantic pounding of her racing heart.

“G-Good heavens…” she said after taking a moment to catch her breath. “That was certainly a shocking and majestic entrance, bold champion,” she told Mayra, her smile returning as she listened to the draconic girl’s offer of providing a portal for their use. “This humble servant thanks you for your great generosity, blazing champion. Truly, your kindness brings such abundant joy to her heart!”

Which, thankfully, is still beating… Fucking bitch nearly gave me a coronary…

The next thing the Angel knew, a bubbly green-haired girl was crying out in pain after shaking the hand of the visibly shouldering new arrival.

What an idiot… Can’t she see the steam coming off her?!

The heavenly maiden was about to offer some healing to the frazzled girl, but a magical boy had already stepped up to take care of it.

Yeah, better you waste your mana on that crap than meeEEEE…?!

The Angel’s shapely form shuddered and her usually tranquil visage took on a look of shock as she felt herself being hit by a pulse of mystic electricity. Apparently, it was some form of power up, curtesy of the ditzy greenette.

“O-Oh, my!” the heavenly beauty exclaimed. “That was quite the jolt! But I am most grateful for this blessing, nonetheless,” she told Lily, once she’d regained some of her composure. This was followed by a far less uncomfortable augmentation from the magical boy. “How very generous of you, kind champion,” she bid Alex with a brilliant smile. “I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such beneficent companions!”

Well, at least this one actually makes me look kinda badass… And I suppose if we’re all doing the touchy-feely sharing thing…

“Please, allow this humble servant to bestow her own blessing upon you all!” the Angel declared, before conjuring her shining staff and raising it high. A moment later a burst of radiant light shone forth to permeate the small gathering with a potent reinforcement augmentation, further boosting the abilities of all present by a significant amount.

“O-Oh w-wow!” Connie marveled. “T-Thank you s-so much!”

“You are most welcome, noble champion,” the Angel replied warmly.

Wait… Isn’t that girl next to her the same green-skinned loser from the rave?

“If this humble servant’s memory is accurate, she encountered your companion at that most horrid musical gathering several weeks ago. I am so very glad to see that both of you made it though that awful night unscathed, and it is my great honor to stand beside you in this coming conflict.”

“The honor is ours,” Gaia replied with a graceful curtsy. “Indeed, it was only thanks to your help that I was able to reunite with my dearest Connie,” she added, placing an affectionate arm around her timid friend’s shoulder. “So, perhaps this time we shall be able to return the favor,” she noted with a smile.

“Y-Yeah!” Connie added with renewed confidence. “L-Let’s all d-do our b-best to h-help each other!”

“Yes, kind champion,” the Angel agreed. “Let us all strive to do so.”

Holy shit… If all this gushy positivity doesn’t stop soon, I’m gonna fucking puke…

It was too early to pat herself on the back, but it seemed like everything was going smoothly. Mac walked up to her alter ego and blended into Iron Mouse's position. It would be a shame if only her illusion was taken to see Maura. "Clearly Oliver hasn't told you anything about me. Figures he'd want to keep that to himself. That just means he likes me, right?” Mac, and by extension Iron Mouse, poked Val's shoulder. "But look, I wouldn't be the invincible Iron Mouse if some drama was enough to scare me away. I've fought plenty of baddies and I've been in enough relationships to know how bad stuff can be. And until you've been to Rochester, you ain't seen 'nothing!” With a giggle, she put her hand back on her gun. "I might not look it, but diplomacy is my middle name. I think I can do a lot more than just kill monsters for your boss. Get 'em over here and we'll have a chat.”

After a brief moment of thought, Valerie shrugged again. "Alright then. Hang tight for a bit," She moved over to where her shadow hit the surface of a vehicle beyond repair, then messaged Maura through Magicoms.

Soon enough, the Cradle Mother in black emerged from Valerie's shadow, stepping around the android to look over Iron Mouse with curiosity. Looks like she wasn't just pulling her leg after all. Then again, why should she? Her mouth quirked up into a polite smile. "Greetings! You must be Iron Mouse, yes?" She held a hand over her chest. "I am Maura, current head of the Crimson Cradle. Valerie told me you were looking for a new patron."

Oh, boss lady is coming out here? Not quite what Mac expected, or desired.

"That's me!” Iron Mouse saluted. "I'd love to join your ranks! But um, I would like to speak to you in a place that's a bit more private. It's a bit too open out here. Too many eyes and ears.”

"Ah, by all means!" Maura dismissed Valerie with a nod and walked up next to the new girl. "Anywhere you have in mind?"

"She's fine. What I meant-” The mouse huffed. "I guess the Mint already knows. And if they don't, go ahead guys, feat your eyes on this!"

Iron Mouse's form shattered into fragmented starlight. As did Mac's invisibility spell. The wolf herself, hidden for years inside Penrose, finally revealed herself out in the open.

"Sorry about the cheap parlor trick, Maura. I had encountered Oliver in disguise and figured it was best to reintroduce myself the same way before revealing myself.” She grabbed the brim of her hat and nodded. "Everyone, well, the few who know me call me Mac. You'll know a lot more about me once you get inside my head. In addition to that, you'll see that there's some trouble brewing. But before I disclose that, I suggest we gather somewhere a bit more private. This war with Wonderland might be a precursor to something far bigger.”

The reaper's eyes widened once Mac finally revealed herself. Illusion magic. She couldn't have guessed! Lauren maybe, but she didn't have a third eye of her own. As the wolf girl explained what she had already suspected beforehand, Maura glanced around, before subtly casting a quick mental link between the two. Just until she can properly set up a magicom connection for her. Valerie meanwhile checked the traffic cams just in case anyone was eavesdropping.

"We could go ahead and talk in my mansion, but at the suggestion of a...buisness partner, I'll have to set up anti-scrying measures while we talk. Or I can find somewhere more abandoned, somewhere Covington Industries hasn't hit yet. Should be more quiet that way. Me and my sisters are actively trying to prevent hell from spilling out of it's teapot, so any intel on that would be great." She went on to explain, holding an arm out to her opaque shadow, but waiting to see what Mac thought before doing anything.

"First, can I just say that this is a lot different than I thought it would be? I mean, woah! I'm hearing your thoughts. I imagine it's pretty easy to send messages you don't want to. Gunna have to be aware of that next time I'm in the shower.” Mac grinned. "I don't think what I'm going to tell you is going to be a surprise for very long. But out of principle, I think it would be wise to continue our conversation out of earshot of the locals. Your mansion or a remote location would work fine. Afterwards, I'll let you decide who to share this information with.” She stepped into the shadow. "Wow! That's cold! I forgot how chilly it was when Veronica shoved me in here.”

"Noted. Besides, wouldn't hurt to show you around the place." With a smile, Maura opened up a portal to HQ, allowing Mac and Valerie (Once she gathered enough parts) to enter first before walking through herself.

"And here we are! The others should be busy enough not to disturb us." She said, walking aside to perform the aformentioned spell. "...Alright. Should be free to talk as normal now. Something else crop up besides Wonderland's hijinks I take it?" She asked Mac.

Mac did not answer right away. She was observing Veronica’s interdimensional mansion. She had never seen the inside of this place with her own eyes, but she knew that it had been redecorated to meet its new owner’s tastes. "Right. I hate to keep delaying the big news, but your organization doesn’t allow for secrets. So let me tell you a bit more about who I am. You’ll have to forgive me for not using my illusion magic to make the story more interesting.” Mac took a seat in a nearby chair. "Make yourselves comfortable.”

"Just let me be there when you say hi to Oliver. I wanna see his reaction, heheh." Valerie spoke up, the two of them then taking their own seats.

...

"You can call me Mac, but that's not my real name. I'm Tonya Murphy, and I am not from this world.

I use to be a police officer. I won’t bore you with the details, but my wold and the billions of people who inhabited it were dealt a bad hand. Something happened in Penrose and then the end of the world started. Portals to nightmarish hellscapes opened everywhere, and patrons were turning people into magical girls like mad to hold back armageddon long enough to relocate everyone. I was one of the few that was turned into a magical girl. No, that’s not true. If I was a magical girl I would have died. I was turned into a monster. They chose to fight fire with fire, and they turned me into an inferno.

I was rewarded for my service by being dropped off here a decade ago. My patron continued to guide me to ensure that such a tragedy would not also befall this world. Most of that time was not special, and I don’t even think it’s worth mentioning. I survived, that’s all there really is to say. But over the years I was able to witness the cruelty of both the Mint and Beacon, and I cannot say I stand for either of them. Regardless, my grievances aren’t important. I served my patron well in the end, and I think it’s important that you know that I had quite a hand in things in recent months.

I was there on the rooftop after Lily slew Helga.

I was there when the Bate Twins were attacked by all those Beacon girls. I sheltered them from harm and helped them escape. I doubt they would have survived otherwise. In fact, I was the reason Veronica was able to hook up with them later. She was one of the few people that knew I even existed. It made hiding from the rest of the mint much easier.

I was there for the siege on Justine’s castle. This was one of the few times I helped Beacon claim victory, but I do recall casting a spell on Alicia to make her think she had less mana than she really did. I only did it so that she didn’t hit me with her light barrages. I helped bring down Justine.

I was there when Chloe’s ghouls attacked.

I was there when Binky tried to escape. You may hold it against me, but the red coin mess was partially my doing. I put the escapees up to it. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, but who wouldn’t follow the orders of their patron?

I was there when Katelyn and Eliza fought against the Bates and the Beacon Buddies. I owed it to Veronica to pass some good will her way after ruining her coin operation. That much wasn’t ordained by my patron and was all me. I ensured Eliza was harmed minimally during the encounter, and nearly ran out of mana doing so.

I was there when the Bate Twins tried to summon Soth. I helped defeat them, and I helped them escape. They weren’t bad kids, they just never got a chance to do the right thing.

I was there when Dan took everyone to the beach dimension.

I was there when the necromancers attacked.

I was there for the Rave. That… That is not an event I wish to recall. But I helped save the Cardinal, and doomed Cindy. It was no one’s shining moment, least of all mine. But I had yet to realize that I could defy my patron with impunity.

I was there when Justine fell… Again. I like to think I made up for my past by fighting against Beacon’s forces like I’m supposed to. I also had the opportunity to wipe out the Archives girls and took a shot at them. I’ve never enjoyed killing magical girls, but this felt more like scrubbing a stain off of the floor.

I was there when Dan had a christmas party. That was when I learned that I didn’t have to accept my fate, that I could forge my own destiny. I was finally there… in the present.” Mac closed her eyes and sighed. ”Not everything I did was good, and blaming it all on your patron isn’t a good excuse. We all have the power to make our own choices, and that’s why I’ve chosen you, Maura. Out of every Patron I’ve ever seen, you seem to care the most about your girls. You might not make the best choices, but you have the best intent. That’s why I want to give you this information. But if I may be so bold…” She kneeled. ”Sign me up first. Give me a contract to sign, bite me, do whatever you need to do to get me into Cradle. So long as you want me, I’m yours.”

Maura listened intently to Tonya's words, in awe almost. Someone like this, who once had the power to change fate and possibly still can, turned to her. Despite how things were going so far, she held no ill will towards her. How she described the apocalypse she had suffered was concerning, but the fact that Mac had actively worked with them, with Veronica from the shadows and even helped Eliza once?

"Damn. And I thought the Exodus' presence was a concern enough. But to hear our fears may be true from a live witness proves we have to keep going. Or at the very least prepare for the worst." She sighed. Despite this, she bore a smile. "But I feel honored to be approached by a magical girl of your caliber. Things may be a bit rocky at the moment, but I'd be happy to have you as one of us." With that, the Cradle Mother formed a contract in her hand and held it to Mac, ink-dipped quill and all. "One thing though, blood-signed contracts are optional with me. Don't have any fangs like she did." She mentioned with a chuckle.

The wolf girl lifted her head and looked at the ink pot. "...Really? Well, you won’t hear me complain.” She picked up the quill. "I don’t think Veronica had fangs either, but her jaw strength was on another level.” With a shiver, she wrote her name on the contract. "I’m feeling it now. Wow, it’s good to have a patron again.” It only took Mac a moment to collect herself. "It’s a pleasure to be in your service, Maura. Now for the information I have for you.” Mac reached for her back and pulled Endless Eclipse, scabbard and all, out from behind her back. "I’m sure you’re at least vaguely aware of what this is? It’s a replica of Oros’s sword. It’s not good enough to act as a weapon, but its divining powers are the real deal. Kind of a long story how I got this, but you have my memories now so it shouldn’t be hard for you to find out on your own time. But what I want to show you right now is what this thing showed me. It’s a bit unsettling.” She kneeled again and pulled the blade part way out of its sheath. "I’ll use my illusion magic to give you a high resolution image. And please, don’t get too excited. I don’t know how likely this vision or visions are to happen, but I feel they are at least worth discussing.”

What appeared before Maura and Val was a bit hazy for a “high quality” image, but they could make out what was going on. First was an image of Penny replicating herself a seemingly infinite number of times. These clones then attacked major cities followed by Penny taking a seat in every major throne and office around the world. This was followed by Lily attempting to use her time magic to travel through time, and imploding the world as a result. In addition to being hazy, both visions were surrounded by a great flow of magic. Mac said nothing and observed her allies' faces for their responses.

Yeah. That wasn't pretty at all. Both their eyes widened in a faint sense of dread.

"Oh christ..." Valerie repositioned herself in her seat and leaned closer to analyze the vision. "Penny's dating someone who's working with the Mint. I'd guess they'd of all people want to clone her, but if it's her doing so in her own free will? That's... pretty bad." She frowned. "But Lily? Isn't attempting time travel taboo??" The android turned to ask Maura, who nodded.

"There's a reason we don't have an official Witch of Time anymore. Or Space for that matter. That sort of power is too unstable in the wrong hands, not to mention drawbacks like that can be catastropic, as you can see." She explained, motioning to the Lily in the vision.

"Those traces of magic though... Where is it coming from?"

"As mentioned, these images are not guaranteed to happen. Furthermore, I can’t tell if they are two different futures or both part of the same approaching doomsday.” She let the sword slide into its sheath, and the images disappeared. "As for the magic, I don’t really know. I just inherited this a few weeks ago and I haven’t had it react like that on anything else. I’ve shown you the extent of what I know, now we’re moving into the domain of theories.” Mac stood up and strapped the sword to her back. "Eden did extensive research on Penny and sold that reaserch to the Mint. Our queen of Penrose is not mentally sound either. I think it’s safe to say that Mint will either try to build a new Penny, or will try to brainwash the one that exists right now. I seem to recall Penny leaving Beacon, which may leave her vulnerable to such attacks if she no longer has the shine spark. So I think you know which option my money is on.” Mac lifted a finger to her chin to her lower lip. "Lily is a strange one though. I have looked into her past and saw that she used up all of her Ixion’s mana by trying to reverse time in the past, effectively killing him. That just goes to show you how much mana is needed to do something like reverse time. You would need something considerably stronger than a lesser force in order to cast a spell like that. Same with using duplication magic to make a bajillion clones of yourself, that needs a lot of mana. That could be why these images are surrounded by such strong magic.” After furrowing her brow, Mac turned to Maura. "I’m not too caught up on recent events, but was Penrose’s nexus of magical power ever discovered? That’s what all the patrons are trying to get their hands on right? Could it be…?”

At what Tonya was suggesting, Maura pushed her bangs back with a huff. "We have to find the Nexus first. With Wonderland catching wind of it according to Finn's findings, everyones going to be scrambling to find were it lies in this forsaken town." She shook her head. "Didn't know Penny left Beacon though. Unfortunate I no longer wish to associate with that circus. Not after what happened to Samantha. Something tells me we should take the opportunity while both Wonderland and Penrose are busy fighting to get a head start."

"Wait, but Finn, Oliver, and Justine are going to Bolorton to stop them. Should I tell them to fall back?" Valerie asked her. Maura's brows rose.

"Justine's joined them? Never mind that, they can handle themselves. If it gets too crowded up there, I can have them fall back to the Cradle. Meanwhile I'll have our remaining agents on look out just in case." She said, standing up from her seat.

"But how would we even find this Nexus?” The former police officer folded her arms. "If someone could just divine its location I'm sure it would have been located already. Do you have any leads I could follow? For all we know, it's already been found. Maybe that's the secret behind the Mint's black coins...”

"Hah. If that's the case we could easily hit 'em where it hurts."

"Again. Drawbacks. Damn thing could explode if we're not careful." Maura reminded Valerie, then looked back to Mac. "Both Lauren and Jennifer have Third Eyes. If they're strong enough, either of them can look for traces of the Nexus and hopefully narrow down it's location." She suggested.

"Again, the Nexus has been unfound for decades. I doubt a third eye would be enough to uncover it. Having said that, I’m not about to make insubordination my first action as a Cradle agent. I would like to go on the record saying Penny and Lily are both targets that we know the location of. While powerful, we can at least keep an eye on them and ensure the Mint doesn’t meddle with them too much. Provided you’re against killing them outright.” The corners of Mac’s lips curled into a smile. "I jest of course. Where would you like me to start?”

The reaper sighed, a hand on her hip. "It's probably somewhere stupid like in city hall or deep underground then. Anyways, both of them should be heading to Bolorton soon. If you want, I can give you a shortcut once the others arrive there. Finn'll give you the rundown of the situation."

"Then I am going to Bolorton instead? Very well, maybe the witches can learn something while I'm away.”

"Knowing them? Something'll pop up eventually."

Mac clapped her hands together, and she transformed into Iron Mouse. "I can't wait to tell Oliver the good news! We're comrades in arms now! He's gunna be so happy he gets to bask in my excelence!”

Valerie snorted. "Just let me know how that turns out! I'm gonna head back to my post." She got up herself and walked back to her room. While stepping over to the nearest wall, Maura opened another portal.

"Whenever you're ready, Iron Mouse."

"Yes ma’am!” Iron mouse charged through the portal. Oliver and Finn had been riding under a bridge, and Iron mouse was able to land on the motorcycle right behind Oliver. Normally Mac wouldn’t be able to fit, but she was using her gravity magic to ensure that her weight didn’t negatively affect the bike. Otherwise, three fully grown adults likely would have been really hard on their mode of transportation. "Hey Oliver! Remember me?” Iron Mouse leaned into his back. Her arms curled around his waist as the “small” girl laid her head on his shoulder. "Guess who just joined Cradle and is now on a mission with you?”

The spirit in question flinched in surprise, but made sure not to cause Finn to accidentally swerve off the road. With widened eyes he glanced over to the girl resting against him. "Oh hey! It really is a small world, huh?"

"Wait, new recruit? Oliver, you know this chick??" He asked, quickly looking behind him at the source of the new voice before focusing back on the road.

"Something like that! Clones had a snowball fight with her back at Christmas. My condolences for their behavior, by the way, they can be quite mischevious." Oliver apologized to her. "Iron Mouse, this is Finn, Finn, Iron Mouse. And flying next to us is Justine."

Mariette and Jelena arrived at the location, and immediately Mariette started looking around with small portals behind her eyepatch looking in various directions. Regardless, she was here to be part of the festivities, albeit always ready to Overcity Shift at first sign of distress. She did want to hear what they maybe had to say to her. She had a focused nod as the servant announced their arrival.

Jelena smirked eagerly as she looked around the area, and was surprised when Marquis Harry here took her hand. She smirked again, taking one hand on her dress and curtsied gently.

‘My, I thank you so kindly for this warm welcome…’ Jelena said, her voice not quite as elegant as her current mannerism. Besides being a weeb and looking the part, she didn’t actually have experience with parties and balls or such.

‘Keep your wits about. They might be trying to put a spell on you. You know why you’re actually here,’ Mariette whispered through a portal directly into Jelena’s ear.

‘Of course~’ Jelena replied, to both Mariette’s statement and to Harry’s question. ‘I’m Jelena. You’re free to accompany us~’ she continued, smiling happily at him with Third Eye gazing around her, for using that to look out for spells cast upon them was her number one reason for being here.

Mariette turned to gaze at who the more prominent figure might be. Otherwise, she’d simply follow the flow and see where they were expected to head.

__________________________________________


‘Hiii! Connie, Mia! Let’s save the world together!’ Mayra grinned at her friends and waved at them over there. Then she was surprised when Lily ran over to grab her hand.

Now, Mayra is fully capable of regulating her own body-temperature to be safe for anyone who might touch her. However, a random impulse in her brain made her, like, not when Lily grabbed her hand. It wasn’t because she meant anything ill towards Lily, she just saw an opportunity to burn someone and get away with it.

‘Heeey, warn me next time!’ Mayra grinned at Lily shaking her hands around. There was a bunch of boosts that Mayra didn’t really feel she need, but her attention was grabbed by the flowery speech of the angel that seemed so very prim and proper. It made her wonder. Wonder a lot.

‘Heeey, I don’t think we met! I’m Mayra, fire dragon! Pleased to meet ya!’ Mayra said, holding out a hand for the Angel of Hope while grinning widely. The hand was still just as hot as when Lily touched it, which Angel likely could see just looking at it. Mayra just wanted to hear the angel give an overly flowery excuse for not shaking the offered hand. It would also be informative (and hilarious) to see her be absolutely compelled to shake the hand anyway. Or if she’d shield her hand with a barrier or whatever, whatever reaction she had would be a success in Mayra’s book~! Both informative and hilarious~!

Anyway! After Angel’s reaction and likely Mayra’s reaction to it, it was time to go!

‘Alright! Here we go! A one-way-portal to wherever-we-were-going!’ Mayra said, spinning around and placing a hand on her chest… because the magic gem had been quickly operated into Mayra’s body by Ronja after Mariette brought it to her. Mariette had already put the destination into the gem, all Mayra had to do was power it. This did not prevent Mayra from putting on a show of summoning magic power and letting some escape in the form of heat as she put her own fire magic on top of the portal magic. She pulled her scaley arm back, let it be engulfed in flames, and then…

‘HYAH!’ she punched forward, and a blast of fire coursed through the air before exploding at a specific point, and after the fire settled the portal sprung open in the location as Mariette’s magic took over. All that theatrics Mayra just did was 100% meaningless, she just felt like doing it anyway to make it look more like she did it.

‘There you go! Now through it, when it closes I can’t open it again!’ Mayra said with a grin, intent on letting others jump through and then jumping through after.

__________________________________________


‘Hm. That, is Mayra, one of Asengav’s champions…’

‘What are you thinking, dear sister?’

‘Our quest is to save Mariette, but it would be cool if we could save a couple more of Asengav’s champions, too.’

‘It needed a couple of extraordinary circumstances and a whole slew of allies just for the possibility of saving Mariette. Saving more of them would be a lot more work.’

‘I realize, but, like, what if?’

‘To do that, we’d need someone able to remove brainwashing again. Like Janet and Jenna did.’

‘Hm. Perhaps difficult to arrange on short order. Oh, well! Better just keep our wits about and take any chance we get!’

‘For now, we probably should lay low and just follow whaAAAAAAAAAAA-!’

Ronin and Miko’s little whispering contest was suddenly interrupted by a burst of lightning that sent both their hairs standing straight and both of them spun at attention to the scene at hand.

‘Ronin!’ Ronin called her name, smiling happily at the little dose of adventure. Also the burst of energy she just got!

‘And Miko!’ Miko followed up, because why not. She was a tad more startled.

‘Ready to help save the day!’ Ronin called happily.

‘Right, let’s go!’ Miko nodded.

Yupp, the two samurai/whatever Japanese-inspired western girls were ready to roll!

Penny surveyed the collection of Maho that had gathered at the park. It was a diverse set, but thankfully it was also a rather limited one as well. Penrose wouldn’t be left defenseless if she left with these girls, she decided with a short nod to herself.

She stayed quiet as everyone gave out their assorted blessings. Her systems greedily accepted the lightning, nearly demanding more, something Lily would possibly note. Even as they completely rebuffed the Beast magic, something that Alex would definitely notice. Penny simply lacked the amount of animal, the amount of nature, within her to be able to benefit from said specialization.

“I can handle getting us back from Bolorton” Penny would speak up once it looked like everyone was ready to go. “I’ll need to be near the last one though, but I’ve got a few tricks that mean I should be able to replicate the way home if we need it.” She would explain. She knew most of the people here likely had seen her mimicry abilities at one point or another, and would assume that was why, as Penny hadn’t really told anyone that she had replaced those abilities for her own safety.

She was fine with that, she had other options after all.

“To that end I’ve a gift of my own to help out while we are on the other side.” She’d go on to say as she pulled out a fair few technological ear pieces from her leg compartment. “These will let us stay in contact with each other” She would explain as she handed them out. “And help keep track of everyone so we can all be sure to get out when it’s time to leave.” The ear pieces would wrap around the outside of the ear and were rather simple to operate, a button to turn on and off the mic and a switch that showed which of the four channels it was connected to. “Hit the button to turn on the mic, and again to turn it off. They are rather sturdy, but I don’t expect them to withstand a direct attack so try to be careful.”

Ellen and Tina made their showing just in time for Penny to hand them their set as well, though she just gave them a nod in greeting for now. There would be more time for a brief of what she wanted once they crossed over, as well as time to ask where Sann was.

It might not have been as fancy as anyone else's magical showing, but it was perhaps the largest single drain Penny had used for her own magic outside of when she had access to Killing Blow. She was already apologizing to whoever it was that owned the car she was going to be eating for it as well.

Penny waited until everyone had gotten their earpieces put in before sending a test comm so everyone would get an idea of how they worked.

Then came Myra’s overly dramatic opening of the portal, something that Penny would put Coins on being mostly for show. The mechanical Queen had used Portal Magic a few times herself after all. Still it was time to go into the breach and with that in mind she waited at the back of the pack, she had her own show to put on after all.

There was also one other thing she wanted to take care of.

---

To parties unknown

“Hey, I’m contacting you over a private line as I want to keep this quiet” Penny would silently broadcast out.“As a precaution I wanted you to try and keep an eye on me. Not sure how my systems will handle the loss of my Spark, so if I start Redlining or growing too unstable just tell me ‘Remember your oaths and vows.’ That should get me to calm down” She would tell them. In truth she had no idea if the override codes would work as she expected them to, even if she didn’t read any loops or recursions in the logic. “Again, this is just a precaution, I doubt that you’ll need to talk me down at all. But rather safe than sorry with this.”

Lily giggled awkwardly after her hands were restored by Alex back to before she touched the feisty salamander girl.
”I'm fine, haha!" She answered Connie, flapping her hand before her in an attempt to lessen the dramatic tension.
”That kind of stuff happens all the time. Anyway, I'm sorry if my spell hurt. I'm still working on improving my supportive magic~"
She quietly thanked Alex before moving on to address the issue with the portal.
”Maybe you could call Mariette afterwards?" She wondered, only to smile and nod as Penny offered a means to return back.
”That's great news, Penny! You're the best!" She gave a thumbs up to her.
Green electricity briefly flashed in her eyes, bolstered by Alex' Reinforcement.
”Nice! Thank you Alex!"
This was quickly followed up with a sound of surprise as the Angel of Hope also added to the invigorating incantations. Lily's eyes positively sparkled upon feeling the effect, and she rushed to hug the heavenly-girl.
”And thanks to you too, Angel! This feels so nice," She added, causing the latter to find it difficult to determine whether she referred to the enchantment or the ensuing sign of affection. She then took the earpiece offered by Penny, and fiddled around with it, showing her short attention span to the recent recipient of her gratitude.
”Ooh, it's like one of those fancy airbuds!" She put it in place, and shook her head from side to side to check that it didn't fall off.
”Alright, this is it then!"
She spoke, facing Mayra's portal. She slapped her face with both hands.

”Last one in buys ice cream!"
She yelled, and dove through the portal.

---

Upon arrival in Bolorton, the very first sensation one felt was the smell of gunpowder that pervaded the air, followed immediately by the ceaseless noise of gunfire, intermittently interrupted by explosions. The group found themselves at what looked like a central plaza. It split into four main roads that spread across the village. At the center of it was what used to be a statue of some kind, though only the feet remained, likely having been struck by a direct hit. Other signs of shelling could also be seen, smoke rising from blackened craters.

In the distance, the group saw an extraordinary sight; massive monsters resembling sunflowers grew out of the cornfield, forming a half-circle around the village. They were facing away from the village, and shot great beams of light energy at the invading card soldiers who were rushing in from across the corn fields. The petals of the sunflowers were wide and seemingly durable as they absorbed gunfire and even a cannon shell's impact, though the blow caused some petals to float down. In the distance, they could see tanks rolling in with the waves of soldiers.

Not far from the front lines, huddled behind a building with a smoking hole on the roof, was Annabell; she was pale as she slouched against the building, holding a hand to slow the bleeding in her stomach.
”Annabell!"
Lily screamed, and immediately rushed over to her side. The girl coughed and cleaned her head up to look at them.
"W-who are you?" She weakly asked.
”We're here to help, that's all you need to know. Where are the locals?""
She asked, having noted their absence based on the lack of screaming among the noise.
Annabell shook her head. "I-I don't know. McDonald's still in bed, he's alive but he's not waking up. Nobody's awake!"
Lily bit her lip. "Well no problem, we'll just beat these guys-"
Annabell grasped Lily's shoulder with a bloody hand, looking desperate.
"There's no time! Evacuate the village, please!"
She then coughed violently again.

---

Justine lifted an eyebrow at Iron Mouse's arrival, but wasn't particularly alarmed by her sudden appearance; she and Oliver were acquainted, and she quickly mentioned Cradle, so she assumed Maura had sent reinforcements. It was strange that Finn didn't seem as familiarised with her, but she brushed it aside, figuring the two didn't have the exact same social circles. She slightly leaned to the side to avoid bumping her wing into Iron Mouse, and curtsied once Oliver had introduced her.

”Pleased to meet you,” she greeted the girl politely, but the urgency of the situation robbed the gesture of it's usual warmth.
”Now let us make haste. We have no time to lose.”

The group had left Penrose far behind them as they continued down the road, yet Bolorton was still far away.

”Dammit, why is it so far away! I wish we had some method of moving faster…” She grumbled, only to blink as her eyes caught something moving far in the horizon: it was a convertible blasting music at a loud volume, and moving at far faster speed than a car should be able to. As it came closer, they could see two people riding the vehicle; a magical girl in a red suit, who seemed relaxed as she held a hand out over the side, and a large black dog-headed figure who was behind the wheel.
Once the girl spotted the group, she motioned for the driver, who slowed down the car to meet them. Justine didn't know what to expect.

"Yo," The girl greeted casually, her bored expression having slightly shifted to something resembling interest, and turned down the music so she could hear them. "You guys know where Penrose is?" The girl seemed to have a foreign accent, though Justine couldn't tell where she was from. However, there was something about the magical girl that seemed unusual even by magical girl standards.

Justine crossed her arms. Now that she took a look at the car, she noticed it to be heavily enchanted.
"Why are you asking?”

"Cause I wanna go there, duh!" The girl snapped back. "But I can't find it. Damn place is better hidden than Atenhotep's tomb," she mumbled as she brought out a parchment and scribbled on it.
Justine glanced over to the others with a bemused look.

---

When Mariette created tiny portals to look around, she quickly realized who the figure at the center of the party was when the crowds slightly parted; the Queen of Hearts herself. She conversed and gave small laughs as befit the royal host. Jelena also saw her, and noticed the layers upon layers of magic that coated her with her Third Eye; it was impossible to tell what the enchantments were unless she focused on her. However, Marquis Harry suddenly spoke, breaking her concentration.
"Might I ask you for a dance? I can teach you the steps if you are not familiar with them." He seemed less interested in directly conversing with Jelena after hearing her voice, which didn't exactly fit with her otherwise beautiful countenance.

Other than the Queen herself, Mariette also noticed a couple of other attendants of interest, such as a handsome man wearing a monocle and top hat, and a hooded girl who watched quietly from the sidelines near the stairs out of the garden.
Before she could further survey the area, the Queen spotted Mariette, and smiled. "At long last we meet, my dear Alice. Come, don't be shy," she spoke with a regal yet gentle voice, and beckoned with her hand. "We have much to discuss, and croquet to play."
She slowly turned to one corner of the garden, and blinked.
"Now then, BRING ME MY CROQUET GAME!" She yelled furiously to the guards. Immediately guests were forcibly pushed away from one corner of the garden by the guards as the croquet field was prepared. She then turned again to Mariette with her sweet smile, shifting seamlessly between different mannerisms.
"Now, tell me, Alice; where do you come from, and where are you going?" She asked as the hooded girl graciously gave her a croquet mallet. She also offered Mariette a croquet mallet to take.

It was as he took in the sight before him, that Alexander realized something horrible; the locals didn't have a functioning healer up 'Fuuuuuuuck, I'm stuck on medic duty again' he groaned as he made a few clones who got to work collecting small chucks of rock and other solid debris, with one following him to Annabell "Hold still" he told her as he started healing her while also channeling mana into the clone that followed him. As he got started, the other clones began bringing what they collected to the clone with magic in it, who then began carving runes into those items. Most of the clones when back to gathering items, while one had found a mostly flat piece of stone and a marker, and had wrote 'Stabilizing runes, take one to help dying people' on it as was holding it up nearby where the completed runic items were placed. 'Why is this shit always my responsibility?' Alexander complained to himself.

The Angel of Hope was somewhat taken aback when Lily rushed over to hug her as thanks for the reinforcement boost.

W-What the fuck?! Hasn’t this idiot ever heard of personal space?! A-And is she seriously nuzzling me?! My tits aren’t your personal pillow, dumbass! Holy shit, she’s almost as bad as that glittery bitch from the wendigo fight…

“Oh, you are most welcome, vivacious champion,” the Angel replied, while giving the enthusiastic girl some affectionate head pats. “It is my greatest pleasure to provide my blessings to all who might have need of them.”

No sooner had Lily finally let go, then the dragon girl who had arrived in such a disruptive manner earlier approached and introduced herself as Mayra. Then she offered a visibly smoldering hand to shake…

How stupid does this scaly freak think I am? I just saw that green-haired ditz get her hands singed…

However, despite her internal distaste, the heavenly maiden was compelled to return the gesture, although she was mindful to place a thin coating of reinforcement magic over her skin to keep from being burned like Lily was.

“Warmest salutations, Mayra,” the Angel replied with a kind smile, gently clasping the draconic girl’s hand in both of her own. “It is a most sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance as well,” she added. “You may refer to this humble servant as the Angel of Hope, or simply Angel, if you would prefer.”

Penny then began handing out ear pieces so the impromptu strike team could all keep in contact.

Taking the offered device, the Angel gave an appreciative curtsy. “This humble servant is most grateful for this most generous gift,” she told the robotic girl.

“T-Thank you!” Connie added, followed by a serene nod of gratitude from Gaia.

“Truly an excellent idea, Your Majesty,” the verdant maiden told her. “I believe these shall most assuredly be put to good use.”

As soon as the last of the communicators had been handed out, Mayra opened the portal to Bolorton in her typical flashy style.

Unsurprisingly, Lily was the first to leap through it, calling out that the last one through would have to buy ice cream.

What is she, ten?

As she glided towards the portal, the Angel’s eyes momentarily widened as she received a private message from Penny.

What the hell? Why the fuck is she sending me this? We barely even know each other and now she secretly asks me to make sure she doesn’t go HAL 9000? (sigh…) This shitshow just keeps getting better and better…

Nonetheless, when the Angel passed by Penny, she gave the mechanical monarch a demure nod of understanding.

Once they had all made it through the portal, the team was greeted by the sights and sounds of battle. On the bright side, it seemed as though the local magical girl was still in the fight, at least if the towering sunflowers which ringed the town were anything to go by, but it didn’t look like the constructs could hold out for very much longer, especially against the waves of infantry and tanks headed their way…

A scream from Lily drew their attention to where Annabell, the resident magical girl, lay battered and bloody.

Connie gasped at the sight, raising her hands to cover the mouth of her mask, while its pitch-black eyes widened in horror.

“Oh, you poor thing!” the Angel cried as they all raced over to the fallen girl.

Despite the heavenly maiden’s aching desire to help the injured young woman, Alex reached her first, and promptly set to work using his own reinforcement magic to mend her wounds. Even as he did so, the girl desperately begged them to evacuate the town, adding that, while no one had been injured, all of the residents had seemingly been afflicted with some form of mystical sleep spell.

“Although it pains me to say this, I doubt that we could evacuate everyone before your defensive perimeter is breached,” Gaia noted with a frown. “That said, I can bolster your magnificent sunflowers with some of my own magic, and, if my suspicions are accurate, I believe my dearest Connie here is particularly suited to dealing with that invading army,” the verdant maiden added with a reassuring smile, while placing a hand upon her masked friend’s shoulder.

“I-I’ll d-d-do m-my b-best!” Connie declared with as much determination as she could muster.

“It would be this humble servant’s greatest pleasure to assist you in your noble efforts, brave champions!” the Angel added. “Please be assured that I shall allow no harm to befall you!”

Yeah, if I can’t kick these fuckers' asses myself, I can at least get a front row seat to watch you losers do it…

"Hi Justine! For a former menace of society your cheeks are looking awfully pinchable!” "Iron Mouse" had her arm extended towards the angelic magical girl, but Justine's cheeks were safe for the time being. "Hey Finn-Again! You must be that dark brooding anti-hero I’ve heard so much about. I need to get a better look at you but just by looking at you from behind…” She hummed. "Nope! Oliver is still the cutest boy in Penrose! You have a more mature kind of charm though. I’d say you’re more handsome.” She then scowled. "And you should be sorry, Oliver! Shame on you for letting your clones run around like that! I mean…” She wrapped her arms around Oliver again. "We may be magical girls, but we’re still girls. Our bodies are tough but we’re still emotionally vulnerable. You need to take it easier. On us.”

The tomfoolery came to an end when they were approached by a car. Just another car filled with weirdos. While Justine conversed with the magical girl, Mac used her third eye to see if she could pick up anything interesting on the vehicle or its inhabitants. It was magical, but how had it been enchanted? Was it just a magical car, or was it under the effect of an illusion? What were the specializations of the inhabitants? When she gained everything she could from a glance, she turned to Endless Eclipse to try and divine the girl’s past. Where had she been minutes ago? An hour? A day?” Mac just wanted to see what this girl was like before today. Was she someone who fought monsters or preferred combat with other magical girls? Only so much could be learned on the fly, but it was better than nothing.

But even if Mac was busy, she still had to be Iron Mouse.

"Well hey! We’re going to Penrose too!” She blurted out before hopping off the bike. "The directions are kind of hard to explain though. If you don’t mind traveling with us, maybe we can make the trip together. We just need to make a brief stop at Bolorton, which is on the way there. And if you were there and came here, hah! Then you must have taken a wrong turn.” Iron Mouse seemed to be looking through her phone messages, but Mac was really just looking into Endless Eclipse. "Tell you what? Our bike is a little overloaded. If you wouldn’t mind giving me a ride, we’ll gladly take you to Penrose! Right guys?”

But the Cradle agents would hear Iron Mouse say something else in their minds.

"I need more time to discern their intentions. I think it’s best if they stick with us for now. If they don’t have ill intentions they’re going to need a hand surviving in good ol’ Penrose. Not only that but I think their ride might be faster than ours.”

---

The guards at Beacon HQ had their weapons drawn. It wasn’t often they were met with outsiders due to the secretive nature of their base, and what few outsiders that did appear looked this menacing.

Not that Bonnie did it on purpose. Her armor made her an imposing figure. Not to mention her cannon was the length of three magical girls. Though they were likely more concerned with the wolf ears that poked out of her suit.

”At ease, warriors of light. Do you think I would engage you in close quarters combat with a weapon such as this?” No response. It was what Bonnie expected from a bunch of faceless dogs of Beacon. ”Your allies to the north couldn’t get a message out, so they instead entrusted their message to me. It may seem odd, but that should explain how dire their situation is. They trusted a monster to deliver a call for help.” S

he drew a piece of paper and held it out for the guards. This was just met with more confusion. The menacing trusts of a few weapons, but their quivering legs couldn’t hide their fear. Bonnie allowed the note to fall to the floor and started to walk backwards. That was when the smallest of the guards came forward. She snatched up the paper and ran back towards the door. The other guards gave her space. What if the note had a hex on it? But when the little girl tried to open the note, she found that she couldn't. A wax line shaped like a capricorn held the letter closed.

”In time, little one. That message can only be opened by Alicia Hayden. Maybe one day I will give you such a letter. Though I would not wait for that day with any joy.” Bonnie turned around. ”No rush. I will contact her when she is ready to depart.”

The rain pelted her armor as she walked back to the CAPRICORN. None of the guards would hear it, but she whispered a single word under her breath.

"Xenophobia."

---

To the North: Quicksilver Knight Mare

‘Heeey, I saw that! My voice isn't that bad, is it!? I trained for this! Hmpf!’ Jelena responded moderately negatively to Harry’s change of mannerism, which probably didn't help his impression of her.

‘Remember why you're here,’ Mariette whispered once again, her gaze sharpening as the Queen of Hearts made herself apparent.

‘Yeah, yeah, Jelena sighed, because she had actually been looking forward to dancing. But, she smiled sweetly at him. ‘Soy-y! As Mariette's attendant, I must be at her side as she engages in croquet. But, like, if we dance next to the game? Otherwise I could give you my number for later~’ Jelena giggled as she said, the elegant mannerism she was emulating falling somewhat.

Mariette, meanwhile, turned fully to the Queen of Hearts. Strangely enough, she wasn't shy… until the Queen said "don't be shy". Then a dose of apprehension went through her. For some reason, Mariette was addressed "Alice". She didn't understand, but she supposed she'd roll with it.

‘So we do, your majesty…’ Then came an odd question, as Mariette accepted the croquet and held it for Jelena to inspect momentarily for magic. ‘I… come from a pit of darkest despair.’ This held true, regardless of which pit she considered her beginning. ‘And while I have several destinations in mind, I don't know which I will be heading for yet. It depends on the opportunities this world gives me… and possibly what you have to say,’ she said, trying to avoid being exact because maybe fairy-tale people like that. Maybe.

She'd be willing to move to the intended croquet grounds. She'd studied the basics of croquet for this!

__________________________________________


Mayra grinned happily that Angel would accept her hand, despite the obvious threat to her well-being. Sure, there was a protective glove on said hand, but it had1+still been a fun experiment.

‘Warm, indeed, Angela! Let's get along well!’ she wished, and gave the angel a name based on the word “Angel”, because obviously she couldn’t call her any of the options the angel herself had offered. The dragon-girl then was probably among the ones who got an earpiece. She'd had such before, albeit not from people other than those on Mariette’s side. She immediately pressed the button.

‘Heeey, can you all hear me right now? That's pretty cool!’ Mayra said loudly right into the microphone, and then smirked widely before actually equipping it.

They then went to the town in question, and there was a hurt Magical Girl. Not that Mayra cared much. The dragon-girl knew she was not in charge of taking care of the wounded. She was in charge of…!

‘Which side is the enemy?’ Mayra asked before unceremoniously blasting herself off towards the battlefield like a firebolt out of a cannon. She held her arms out at her sides, and fire poured out of her claws, taking magical shape like blades of fire extending out of each of her fingers.

‘CHAAAAAA!!’ Mayra leapt into battle, swinging both arms to slice her claws of fire through her enemies and then spin and fire-blast herself from enemy to enemy and wreak as much carnage as possible!

And if someone hadn't told her who to attack, she'd just go for all eligible targets without discrimination, like those sunflowers.

__________________________________________


So, people were jumping through the portal now, and they, of course, had to follow suit. Ronin, however, took a look towards Penny and then jumped over to whisper a bit to her, after Mayra had left.

‘So, the whole saving Mariette thing. It’s lower priority, but it could extend to the rest of her posse. Me and Miko don’t really have anything else to do right now, so guess we’ll probably be looking into that!’ she said. Miko, able to guess what’s being said, skipped in to whisper, too.

‘It’s a bit more dangerous, though, for if they realize what we’re doing they might look into if we’ve already been successful, so, maybe we should be careful not to endanger Mariette. Like, if we unbrainwashed Mayra, everyone would know within the hour,’ Miko cautioned.

‘Ah, that’s a good point,’ Ronin nodded, hadn’t thought of that.

‘Now let’s go while the portal is still open,’ Miko said, and Ronin agreed and they skipped to get through the portal. They were now at risk of having to buy ice cream for everyone.

They arrived, and they quickly realized people were in trouble. There was an army coming down, after all.

‘Wooo, what are our chances when fighting?’ Ronin asked. The two wouldn’t move until the rest decided on a course of action.

‘If it’s evacuating villagers, we can get on that right now,’ Miko said. The two of them were not very powerful in a fight, normally, but if it was helping villagers there were two of them with double efficiency!

"Finn-Again?" Finn echoed with a risen brow. How did Iron Mouse figure out his full name that quick? From Maura maybe, but even she usually calls him by his nickname. "Uh, just call me Finn. Everyone else does." He told her, looking over his shoulder back at the other two. The bit about her having heard about him was concerning too, but then again, infamy was a bitch. Though if she was trying to get a reaction out of him...

When Iron Mouse technically called Oliver the cuter one out of the duo, the mentioned ghost cackled. Finn's eye widened on his end.

"Waitwaitwaitwait- Oliver? Cutest?? HIM??" The audacity.

"Hey, be grateful you're the handsome one out of us!" Oliver replied with a rather smug grin.

"Okay sure, but cutest in Penrose seems a bit too farfetched-"

"Eyes on the road, Bozo!" The ghost casually pushed Finn's face back to facing forward. He would've spoken further but Iron Mouse had started to berate him for not having a tighter leash around his clones. His smug grin shrunk into a nervous smile. "Eheh, I'll make sure to keep that in mind next time. Sorry, Mousey." If he could reach over to ruffle her hair, he would.

Like an on road trip to Disneyland, the way towards Bolorton seemed to take longer than the two were okay with. Did they take a wrong turn, or did they not anticipate just how far it was between there and Penrose? Finn was busy concidering other alternatives when another vehicle drove up next to the agents. A magical girl dressed in red, with what seemed to be her servant of sorts, bearing a resemblance to Anubis. Justine talked with the magical girl first, who wanted directions to Penrose, and Iron Mouse took a more careful approach. While the two bore some concern over the newbie hitching a ride with who's essentially a stranger, her explanation through their coms made a good point.

"Got it, the more help the better. And if they intend on attacking Penrose, that'd just give us more time to prevent that. Unlike this damn trip..." Finn couldn't help the hint of spite in his internal voice. He then looked to address the sharply dressed stranger. "We have some buisness in Bolorton to take care of, but we're taking too long to get there. If you're up for joining us and don't have enough room in your car, think you can enchant our bike? Atleast so we can keep up with you guys."

"We can even race, if you want~" Oliver added, his smugness returning.

Penny willingly stayed at the back of the pack as everyone ran through. She would have normally been the first one through, but she had her reasons. Still didn’t stop her from giving a sigh at Lily’s cherry call out, knowing that she was almost certainly going to be the one buying Ice cream later. She also chuckled at Mayra’s playful chaos. She could tell it wasn’t spiteful after all.

It had its uses though, letting her see Angel’s nod and return it with one of her own. Also giving Ronin and Miko a chance to approach her without it standing out.

“I’ve got nothing against saving her whole crew” Penny would reply to the sister’s hushed words. As she agreed that no one should be held in the thrall of a Horror. It was at least part of the reason she had extended a hand of friend to Freya and Shelyn. She’d do the same to all of the girls that she could in truth.

That wouldn’t stop her from taking them out incase they proved to be too dangerous to handle in the short term. Penny’s priorities were rather set in that regard, but if she could help without endangering those she was protecting, she’d be all for it.

Plus, it gave her a good excuse to cut loose on the other side of the portal. And once Penny was sure that everyone else had passed though she walked through it herself, drawing into herself flashy and bright tendrils of electricity from the edges of the portal as it closed.

From there it didn’t take long to take stock of the situation. It was a war front after all. But rather than being disheartened by that, Penny couldn’t help but feeling eager anticipation. She might not be required to smash and destroy, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy it anymore.

“Ellen, Tina” Penny would snap out falling into the quick concise tone needed for communication on the battle field. “you two are with Alex, I want as many eyes and ears as you can safely get out and about. Infiltrators are a danger and you are our counter.”

Turning she would next address the two that more or less started this expedition. “Alex, Lily. Finding a safer location to bunker down in to heal people needs to be your next goal.” She’d offer more than order, not that it was more than a shift in tone. “Annabell, any intel you can give would be helpful, just let Tina or Ellen know.”

With that covered Penny turned towards the oncoming tanks and soldiers and raced towards the front line. As she ran, she would connect to Mayra’s headset. “Want to see who can take out more of Wonderland’s goons?” She’d ask even though she was sure of what the answer would be. “Bonus points from keeping them away from the giant sunflowers as well. Those are on our side after all”
Regardless of the answer let a feral smile overtake her features as she charged towards the oncoming enemies. It was time to learn how it was she dealt with the gaps in her own self without the assistance of the Spark.

[Initiating Phase three response configuration. Primordial Tempest: Online. Assault Mode Loadout: Active]
[Suspending J-M response constraints.]
[Surveillance points one through eight active and receiving]

Let the carnage begin.

Shortly before Wonderland began its invasion of Bolorton, a whimsical figure was cheerfully skipping her way across the Penrose skyline, singing a sickeningly saccharine tune as she went.

“Da da da dada da da da da da~!
Mag-ical Dream Princess~!
Magic Wagic Dream Princess~!
She’ll helpy welpy to~!
Make all your dreams come true~!
Yay~!”

Jumping up in the air with her arms spread wide, colorful fireworks and bursts of sparkling glitter exploded around her.

“Like, Magical Dream Princess thinkie winkies making up songy wongies is, like, soooo super duper funsie wunsie~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl declared with a smile of innocent delight. Standing on her tiptoes at the edge of the rooftop, she placed a hand above her eyes and gazed out in childish wonderment at the cityscape beyond. “And, like, she just wuvs looking at all of Penrose Wenrose’s pretty witty lighty wighties at nighty night timey wimey~! (giggle!) Ooooh~! Wowie zowie~!” she exclaimed, her eyes and smile growing even wider as something caught her ADHD-addled brain’s painfully limited attention. “Like, there’s even weven a helicopter wopter up topper~! (giggle!) Hiiii, Mister Wister Helicopter Wopter~! (giggle!)” she called out, while waving at it enthusiastically.

However, a moment later, the vehicle seemed to wink out of existence, along with the lights of the city and the last rays of the setting sun upon the evening clouds. Instead, the entire world seemed to be bathed in an eerie purple glow, the once vibrant landscape around her now appearing faded and washed out, as if she were viewing an imperfect copy of the world she knew.

“Huh? Like, why did Mister Wister Helicopter Wopter and all the pretty witty lighty wighties just go bye bye?” MDP inquired with a confused frown.

Her only answer would come in the form of a deafeningly loud detonation, which blinded her eyes and sent her flying backwards across the rooftop.

“Owieeee…” the whimsical girl whined as she clutched her pounding head and tried to clear her blurred vision. Squinting tear-filled eyes, she could barely make out several figures through the smoke that rose from the gaping hole in the side of the building that marked where she’d been standing. With the smoke dissipating and her vision growing less clouded with each passing second, she saw that a dozen imposing young women in ultra-tech attire were hovering above her on an equal number of glowing, yellowy-green energy discs.

“L-Like, w-who are you people weple?” MDP asked meekly as she struggled to stand on her trembling legs.

A silver-haired girl whose entire lower body seemed to be some form of multi-legged robotic scorpion glared at her with smoldering eyes for several long seconds, her mouth set in a disgusted sneer.

Finally she spoke, her voice dripping with contempt.

“We are…



Before the confused MDP could utter another high-pitched syllable, the new arrivals commenced an all-out attack, unleashing a deluge of fire from an array of ultramagitech weapons. Normally, this fearsome onslaught would pose little problem for someone who could simply transmute every harmful attack into an innocuous and sickeningly cute analog, however, despite the childish girl’s attempts to manifest her dream barrier, nothing seemed to happen, her whimsical wand failing to conjure even a single glittery star or shimmering rainbow. Instead, the full, unmitigated fury of the brutal assault fell upon her without mercy.

“You’re in a Focused Nullification Field,” the robotic scorpion girl informed her coldly as a hail of bluish-purple, magenta, and green needles punctured her skin. “Your infantile magic won’t work here.”

Fountains of blood erupted as jagged crystals burst out of her bones, while dozens of glowing, seeping boils bubbled across her flesh, in some cases causing it to melt off into sickly slush. Giving voice to an anguished scream, MDP fell to the ground, arms tightly wrapped around her violently convulsing body. Bloody tears streaming from her eyes as the myriad poisons, viruses, and acids flooded her veins, she felt as though her insides were being viciously torn apart.

“Nothing personal.”

“Just following orders.”

“Speak for yourselves. I hated this bitch the moment I laid eyes on her!”

As her torment continued, MDP’s twelve assailants looked on dispassionately, while she writhed on the ground in mind-numbing agony. Small needle-equipped and poison cloud-emitting drones added to her already excruciating pain, and after a particularly violent convulsion, the tortured girl vomited up a stream of blood, before completely collapsing. At this point the seemingly endless torrent of attacks came to a halt, although for what purpose MDP was in far too much pain to even guess.

“N-No moresie…” the whimsical girl whimpered between needy gasps for breath. “P-Please no moresie… I-It h-hurts so much…” she added plaintively as she hugged her aching body. “P-Please stopy wopy…” she begged. “P-Pretty pretty please…?”

“Not feeling so good?” a girl floating in front of a blue ring etched with an intricate pattern of glowing circles and lines inquired, her voice nearly devoid of emotion. “How about listening to some music?”

With that, the girl activated her sonic weapon array, creating an ear-splitting screech and sending forth wave after wave of violent vibrations, all focused on MDP.

It was as if a trillion spikes were being driven through her brain…

“Too loudy woudy! TOO LOUDY WOUDY!!!” the poor girl screamed as she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands against her bleeding ears as tightly as possible.

“Oh, come on,” the ring girl sneered. “It’s not that bad. I mean, it’s nowhere near as painful as having to listen to the sound of your voice.”

Nevertheless, the girl did cease her auditory assault, granting the suffering MDP a few precious seconds’ reprieve.

“Hey, wanna play a game?” a girl whose various weapons glowed a warm orange asked in an almost amiable manner. “It’s called Murder Magical Dream Princess!” she added with a deranged peal of laughter as she and her companion unleashed twin streams of flaming acid upon MDP’s legs, the corrosive spray burning off her stockings and dissolving her skin.

“Awww… What’s the matter?” the whimsical girl’s tormentor asked in response to her agonized screams. “I thought you enjoyed playing games?”

“M-Magical Dream Princess doesn’t like this gamey wamey!” MDP cried.

“No? Too bad!” the girl replied, giving voice to another peal of sadistic laughter as she launched a swarm of tiny glowing spheres from the twin metallic cones attached to her backpack. Descending upon MDP, they burned their way under her skin, before charging up to unleash a tempest of crackling lightning across her body.

“AAAAAHHH!!!” she shrieked as the torture continued, her frilly outfit and pink hair becoming badly frayed and singed.

After what seemed like an eternity of excruciating pain, the lightening barrage finally fizzled out, leaving MDP a panting, sobbing mess.

“P-Please stopy wopy…” she begged, her voice little more than a pitiful sob. “P-Pleeeeease…”

“Stop?” the orange girl spat as she raised a glowing energy blade. “I’m just gettin’ started!”

“That’s enough,” a soft monotone voice told her. “There needs to be something left of her for the rest of us.”

Looking up through weeping, swollen eyes, MDP saw that the voice belonged to a slender girl in a dark grey dress, beside which hovered a truly nightmarish mechanized monstrosity. Just the sight of its menacing form caused the bruised and bloody girl to begin slowly crawling backwards in an effort to put as much space as possible between herself and the technomantic terror, which even now eyed her with malevolent intent…

“Do you like my pet?” the girl in the grey dress asked in an incredibly disinterested tone, before her mouth twisted into a sadistic grin. “‘Cause he really likes you,” she added as the technomantic fish-like creature darted forward with frightening swiftness, its fanged maw opened wide.

Giving voice to a panicked cry as a surge of adrenaline raced through her broken body, MDP frantically scrambled to the far side of the rooftop. In a desperate attempt to force the techno-beast back, she smashed her ineffective wand across its head, only to watch the weapon shatter apart. Yet, by some minor miracle, she reached the edge of the roof mere moments before her nightmarish pursuer, and, with nothing else to lose, flung herself off. The technomantic terror dove after her, as did several tiny spider drones, which deployed from a second robo-scorpion girl. These exploded around her, sending fiendishly sharp molten flechettes slicing through the helpless girl’s already brutalized body.

After falling through the air for several seconds, her limp form crashed onto an old fire escape, before tumbling down it in a series of violent thuds. The poor girl was barely conscious by the time she finally reached the ground, or more precisely, the garbage dumpster she landed in. The pain was excruciating, but as she lay gasping for breath, MDP knew that she had to keep moving. Somehow, she had lost the monstrous techno-fish, but it could easily reappear at any moment. Slowly crawling her way out of the dumpster, the exhausted girl remembered her phone. Although it was probably little more than mangled scrap after the beating she had taken, there was still a slim chance she could use it to call for help. Retrieving the colorful device, she saw that it miraculously still functioned, but when she tried calling Penny, she found that it was impossible to establish a connection.

“W-Why won’t it work?” MDP whined. “I-It doesn’t look damaged wamaged…”

“You’ve been shifted to a tangental reality layer,” a cold voice told her. “So you can forget about your precious Penny Wenny coming to your rescue.”

From out of a thick cloud of nano-dust at the end of the alleyway emerged a girl in a grey hoodie with incredibly wide sleeves. Behind her hovered a sinister-looking drill-shaped drone, equipped with writhing tentacles, tipped by menacing spiked blades. Looking on in terror, MDP watched as the girl raised her arm and sent a roiling cloud of dust racing forward to completely envelop her. Quickly beginning to suffocate, the whimsical girl’s panicked gasps soon became ragged coughs, as her throat and lungs alternately felt as though they had caught on fire or were being sliced apart by countless razor sharp shards of glass. Desperately trying to escape the cloud on shaking legs, MDP ran down the alley until she came upon a door. Over and over, she slammed her already horribly injured shoulder against it as hard as she could, a cry of pain escaping her each time she did so. Although she had managed to outrun the cloud, from deep within its churning depths shot a flight of five small missile drones, their crimson optic sensors glowing with cruel intent. Finally, the door gave way, and the battered girl fell inside, collapsing in an exhausted heap on the floor.

However, she barely had time to catch her breath, before the five seeker drones darted into the structure, rapidly zeroing in on her position. Wheezing as she panted for air, MDP scrambled deeper into the darkened structure. A storage room of some kind, it was filled with row upon row of boxes and shelves, promising a chance to lose her pursuers and perhaps even find a moment’s respite from this unrelenting chain of horrors. Indeed, she realized as she frantically knocked over various boxes in an effort to at least slow down her pursuers, since these vicious attacks began, she had barely even had time to think. She had merely reacted as best she could to simply survive. Now, tucking herself away behind a large container, her bruised back pressed against the cold wall, she at last realized the full, soul-crushing hopelessness of her situation. She was utterly exhausted. Her bruised and bloody body was in absolute agony. She had already wet herself several times. She was trapped in another dimension. She was facing at least a dozen powerful adversaries. She couldn’t use her magic. No one was coming to save her…

I-I’m going to die…

A part of her desperately wanted to believe that this was all just a bad dream, merely some nightmare that would go away as soon as she woke up. Yet, with each passing second her certainty grew that everything she had experienced was all very real. In fact, now that she thought about it, it was actually surprising that she was even still alive… Her mysterious enemies were clearly able to kill her whenever they felt like, so why even allow her to live this long? With increasing dread, she realized that there was really only one possible explanation. They were toying with her, doing everything they could to extend her suffering for as long as possible. The whimsical girl had never encountered such sadistic cruelty in her life, and she couldn’t imagine why anyone would hate her so much as to inflict it upon her.

W-Why is this happening? she couldn’t help but wonder. M-Magical wagical girls are supposed to stoppy woppy the meanie weanie people weple from doing awful waful stuffy wuffy like this…

But if that were really true, if good really did always triumph over evil, then why could she do nothing? Why was she so useless? She had always believed that her magic came from her heart, her hopes and dreams… How could someone else simply take those things away from her, leaving her utterly powerless to stop her tormentors? How could she, after all the wonderful things that had happened to her over the past few months since she’d become a magical girl, after making so many wonderful friends, ultimately die here, completely alone?

“M-Magical Dream Princess doesn’t want to die…” she whimpered.

A moment later, the wall behind her blew apart as a gigantic metallic hand burst through to grab her and yank her into the next room.

“Well, I don’t wanna keep listening to the sound of your annoying as fuck voice, but here we are,” the owner of the massive power fist replied. “So, you like hiding in buildings, huh?” she asked with a cruel grin. “Then let me give you a tour!” With that, she hurled the whimsical girl with all her considerable strength, sending MDP’s limp body smashing through wall after wall in rapid succession, until she was once again in the middle of an open street.

At this point, a girl wielding a glowing, two-handed rocket hammer smashed her into a parked car, completely shattering her spine in the process. Wheezing and coughing up blood, MDP’s wincing eyes could faintly discern all twelve of her assailants gathering around her.

“P-Pweeese…” she begged, holding up a trembling hand in a feeble attempt to defend herself. An instant later she screamed as a crimson beam sliced her fingers off, just before the nightmarish techno-fish reappeared and chomped off the rest of her hand in a burst of blood. “W-Whyyy…? W-Whyyyyy…?” she mewled as she pressed the bloody stump of her arm against her chest.

“Why?” the first robo-scorpion girl repeated, her cold eyes narrowing as she loomed over the Princess of Dreams.

“L-L-Like, M-Magical Dream Princess d-doesn’t understandy wandy…” the confused girl sobbed, as she struggled to regain some small measure of composure. “W-Why are you d-doing such meanie weanie thingy wingies to her?”

“Because you exist.”

Using a powerful leg to press down upon MDP’s chest and push her even deeper into the wreckage, the robo-scorpion placed the barrel of one of her oversized infinite polycyclic auto repeater cannons against the sobbing girl’s forehead.

“Doctor Nykannis sends her regards.”

”Evacuate the entire village?" Lily asked, and glanced around, quickly counting the buildings. Alex did not waste any time, and was the first to action inscribing runes and applying restorative magic to Annabell with his duplicates assisting him; several bullets clinked against each other upon hitting the ground, having been removed from her wounds. It was also easy to find small rocks and stones given how the ground had been upheaved on numerous points, so he quickly amassed the necessary materials to inscribe with stabilizing spells.
“Th-Thank you,” Annabell expressed her gratitude with a small nod of her head, and clambered up to stand, pulling herself up by Lily’s hand. The latter finished counting, and spoke: ”There’s about thirty houses, give or take. That’s a lot…"

Annabell sighed as Gaia gave a negative response to her request, followed by a hesitant half-smile when she followed the remark with assurances of co-operation by her, Connie and the Angel of Hope.
“Thank you, but…Is it really impossible? Maybe if I distract them for long enough-”

Annabell was distraught, until Ronin and Miko agreed to her plea. She shook the two’s hands.
“Oh, thank you! I know most of the villagers, so I’ll direct you to the houses you need to check! Start off by going down that row,” She said, pointing towards the houses on the east side of the plaza that continued southwards. “Can you check the other row?” She asked Lily, pointing to the west row.

Lily bit her lip, her finger on her chin as she thought hard.
”That’s still a lot of houses…Okay Alex, we need you with this."
She turned towards him, looking serious.
”Leave the combat support to Angel, and help with the evacuation. With your clones, I’m sure it won’t take that long…I hope."

Penny then spoke up, and Lily nodded at her suggestion.
”Are there any shelters here, Annabell?" She asked after Penny directed the local guardian to share information with Ellen and Tina. Annabell averted her eyes in response.
“There is a bomb shelter to the southeast, but I don’t know if we should bring them there. There’s also the sleep magic…I don’t know what we should do with that. I'll go check the place out!” Annabell then ran off to southeast, leaving behind a small path of blooming flowers in her wake.

Lily’s attention now turned to Connie.
”Hey, Connie…You have nightmare magic, right? Can you do something like wake them up?" She asked, hoping the masked girl could help.
Regardless of the answer she would receive, Lily would then take several of the runic stones, and head off for the western row and help to evacuate the sleeping villagers.

Mayra blasted off, having jumped over the ruined farmhouse and a sunflower before landing on the cornfield, having surprised a squad of advancing card troopers.
“Enemy sighted-!” The trooper signalled just before it was impaled by a fire blade.
Mayra proceeded to quickly cut down and incinerate the other soldiers before they had the chance to counterattack, leaving the squad decimated. She then propelled herself to the nearest squad she could find, which were father away from the village on the west side of the cornfield.
The soldiers aimed and shot at Mayra; while most of the shots missed due to the monster girl’s high agility, a couple of shots struck her in the lower torso and shoulder, the enchanted bullets having embedded into her scales without fully piercing through thanks to her boosted toughness.
However, as she unleashed her powers, Mayra had set fire to the cornfield; it only a short moment, it would reach the line of sunflowers…

Penny did the same, launching herself towards the east side of the cornfield towards another squad. These soldiers landed five shots with their rifles before they were swiftly massacred by Penny’s lightsaber and external appendages; two of the shots bounced off the more reinforced parts of her body, while three shots embedded into her cybernetic armor, one of them managing to pierce her skin. While light damage that would be easily repaired, the fact the soldiers could injure Penny in the first place even with added protection was a serious sign of Wonderland’s might.

Penny and Mayra both saw as three tanks, escorted by two dozen soldiers, rolled over the distant hill, their cannons targeted at them. Even with their speed, it would take two rounds to reach the tanks.

---

Justine visibly turned red at Iron Mouse’s comment and turned her head away, having chosen to ignore the comment for now. She assumed the newcomer was teasing to gauge her ability to stay collected. Based on her failure to contain her embarrassment, she was justified in doing so. Fortunately, the energetic girl quickly moved on to the boys, who seemed better-adjusted to her shenanigans.

When it came to the duo driving the enchanted car, Justine stayed on the sidelines while Iron Mouse examined the occupants and their vessel with Third Eye. She first noticed the powerful magical aura emanating from the car’s engine, recognizing it to be an entire Artifact of it’s own designed to propel the vehicle with power far surpassing regular automobiles. There were also other lesser Artifacts on board for other functions like providing cool air to the passengers or the radio to tap into frequencies in other planes among other functions, as well as car parts inscribed with runic magic to enhance performance and durability. There were even lesser illusions that masked dirt and scratch marks. While Iron Mouse couldn’t tell where or how the car was assembled with so many magical parts, she could tell it was custom-built, and incredibly valuable.

As for the passengers themselves, Iron Mouse noted the driver to not be a conventional living creature; rather, he seemed to be a sentient golem of sorts, built with complex magic and an otherworldly black mineral that radiates mana, housing a soul of his own. He is capable of casting magic as well, having both Darkness and something resembling Stone in his magical signature. However, when Iron Mouse looked at the suited lady, all she saw was a gray silhouette, as if the magic of her Third Eye was somehow prevented from reaching beyond a barrier of sorts.

The suited lady cracked her neck; an acute observer noticed that there was a faint blue glow emanating from under her clothes before it fizzled out. However, whatever magic prevented Third Eye from working didn’t protect her from the vision that Mac saw using Endless Eclipse: like a film reel that was rapidly running backwards, she saw the two driving across the country. They moved from state to state as easily as the Road Runner in vintage cartoons, even crossing the sea using the velocity to prevent the car from sinking. As the film reel pulled back a day, she was surprised to see the locale completely different; it was a forested region filled with snow, seemingly far away to the north on another continent.

During their encounters with monsters, the girl simply kicked back with a papyrys scroll, letting her driver eliminate the monsters on his own; the golem was shown to have speed and power close to an all-star like Rachel or maybe even Penny, and with potent magical curses and animated flesh-rending sandstorms to boot, explaining his second Specialization to be Sand, a variation on Stone. Based simply on the golem’s brief show of performance, Mac would come to the conclusion that the two would be incredibly difficult to beat in a straight fight.

However, Mac also saw that the few encounters she did have with other Mahou were not that hostile, and she quickly moved on after exchanging words or trading. She even simply back-handed the one Mahou that dared to outright attack her before leaving her in the dust, seemingly prone to not engaging despite her capability to do so. Mac could see the hostile Mahou speak her name out loud: “Sinuhe”. At that moment, Mac realized she was dealing with one of the Seven Sinners: the Sinner of Envy.

Sinuhe smiled upon hearing Iron Mouse shared their apparent destination. “Awesome! Sure, I got room in the back seat~” She pointed with her thumb to the back, where various odd objects were haphazardly strewn about. “Just make some room, and we’ll be off.”

Justine sighed, glad that the stranger was willing to offer them a ride.
”Thank you very much, miss…,”

“Just call me Nefer,” she answered, seemingly willing to hide her identity. “That lug’s Akhenaten. He doesn’t speak much.”
Akhenaten grunted in confirmation, and simply stared at the group; it was impossible to gauge his expression from his rocky form.

After Nefer quickly collected the various trinkets and thingamajigs into an Extradimensional Handbag, the group discovered that three people could sit comfortably on the seats in the back.
“Either one of you sits in another’s lap, or keeps driving with the bike. Let’s see…”
She took a look at the motorcycle’s engine. “I could apply a rune to give it some speed, but you’ll still arrive later than by my car.”

Justine sighed, and glanced at the others. ”Unless any of you got better ideas?”

---

Marquis Harry blinked at Jelena’s outburst, and she spotted him rolling his eyes before he met her with his trademark dashing smile. However, it seems his dismissive reaction was to Jelena’s advantage, as he didn’t notice the quick exchange she had with Mariette.
“Well, it would be awfully considerate to dance right next to her Royal Highnesses’ favorite pastime…” He gently placed a hand on her back, and took her hand with the other.
“...But I suppose it couldn’t hurt, now could it?” Harry then proceeded to begin to follow the music in the garden party with dancing steps, taking it slowly to allow Jelena to follow his lead.
Depending on if she were to follow in the dancing motion, the two would be brought within earshot distance of Mariette and the Queen of Hearts as they moved to the croquet grounds and began their game.

The croquet mallet that Mariette received seemed innocuous in it’s wooden form, if luxurious and odd thanks to the engravings it had on its surface in the shapes of flamingos and hedgehogs. When Jelena inspected it with her Third Eye, she didn’t notice any enchantments on it. However, the moment she lifted her eyes off it, she spotted something peculiar about the croquet balls that the guards then proceeded to deliver along with the hoops that were planted on the grass; it was faint, but the balls emanated some kind of rejuvenating magic not based on Reinforcement or any Specialization she was aware of, as well as…something separate that Jelena couldn’t quite put her finger on. Nonetheless, it was something Jelena would likely want to inform Mariette about.
The queen was handed the red and black balls, while Mariette got the yellow and blue ones; a deviation from the traditional rules of granting, but not an egregious one. However, the ridiculous nature of the game soon dawned on Mariette upon seeing the size of both the hoops and the balls that were to roll through them; they were as large as basketballs, if not even more so.

“I shall be the first striker,” the Queen declared, and without further ado swung her mallet in a downwards arc, sending the ball rolling through not only one arc, but even another one in her first swing; the ball curved as it met the right angle for passing the second hoop. As she did, she listened to Mariette.

“Ah yes, a troubled past, a tousled path…” She mused, seemingly pleased with the answer.
“We come and go as we please, dear Alice, our sails pulled along by winds of whimsy. But your boat was in the stormiest sea, adrift in ways unimaginable. Oh, the stolen tarts…” She then placed the head of the mallet on the grass, and looked expectantly towards Mariette to make the next swing. “Alice, have you ever wondered how you came about finding yourself in that pit of despair? Where you would go with a different hand from the deck of fate?”

"Wait, there's someone else here with healing magic!?" Alexander took a few seconds to process that "That's...that's great!" He got this his feet and then addressed his clones "Alright guys, change of plans; we're on search and rescue " The clones all cried out in excitement as they, and the real Alexander ran outside to the eastern row.

'I know I got really pupped up about it, but it's a mad house out here. How am I going to find-' He thought to himself before he suddenly had to fight off the urge to smack himself in the face 'Fucking duh! It's just like that time with the Dragon Locater.' He then reached out the Absolute Direction power within him, and directed it to find the nearest civilian in need of rescue. He quickly got a hit, and brought his clones over there.

He quickly found an unconscious woman who's leg was trapped under debris. Alexander, enhanced by magic, simply kicked it off and got to work fixing up her leg. Once it was fine, he handed her off to the nearest clone "Bring her back to that building. It's not ideal, but if there are still magic users there, then it's better than nothing" The clone nodded and took off. As he did, the woman no longer qualified as 'in need of rescue', and so his internal compass gave him a new target. "Alright, off to the next one. No time to waste" and with that, Alexander and his clones were off