“H-Hi, Melisa,” Connie told the fairy girl, her mask forming a smile. “W-We’ve been d-doing okay,” she added. “T-Thanks to M-Miss Ruby and M-Miss Kayli, w-we were able to h-help some p-people in the o-overcity, w-which was r-really nice.”

“And you helped as well, little sister,” Gaia added with a smile, while giving her timid friend’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“Y-Yeah… I-I s-suppose so…” Connie conceded, a small blush coloring the white cheeks of her mask.

“Awww~! Connie Wonnie’s always walways so modest wodest~! (giggle!)” MDP observed cheerily.

“W-What about you, M-Melisa?” Connie inquired in an attempt to take the attention off of herself. “H-Have you d-done anything i-interesting lately?”

However, before the fairy girl could respond, a new arrival made her presence known.

“Ashley Washley~! (giggle!)” MDP exclaimed with delight as she gave her “imaginary friend” a big hug. “Like, does thatsie whatsie mean that you’ll be coming to Wonderlandy Wandy with us~?!” the whimsical girl asked excitedly as she bounced up and down. “Does it~?! Does it~?! Does it~?!”

“U-Umm… I-It’s v-very nice to m-meet you,” Connie told the new arrival. The masked maiden was still a bit taken aback by the girl’s sudden appearance, as well as MDP’s typically overzealous reaction to it, but “Ashley Washley” seemed friendly enough.

“Likewise,” Gaia added with a demure nod. “And thank you for agreeing to join us today,” the verdant maiden added with a serene smile. “The task ahead of us promises to be a challenging one, to say the least. Thus, the presence of an additional ally is most appreciated.”

A moment later, Penny joined them, followed by Lily, while Alicia and the Egyptian-themed girl from the previous meeting stood a short distance away.

“Penny Wenny~!” MDP cheered as she spun around to embrace her girlfriend. “Like, Magical Dream Princess has been super duper busy wusy~! (giggle!)” she confirmed with a big smile. “Oh~! Like, this is Penny Wenny, Ashley Washley~!” the bubbly girl explained as she introduced the Mechanical Monarch to her futuristically attired “imaginary friend”. “She’s Magical Dream Princess’s super duper special wecial girlfriend wirlfriend~! (giggle!) Hmm~?” the whimsical girl inquired when Penny asked if she noticed anything different about her. After tilting her head and thinking it over for a moment, she replied, “Like, Magical Dream Princess thinkie winkies Penny Wenny looks lots more happy wappy nowie~! (giggle!) Like, did something womething super duper nicey wicey happen wappen~?!” she asked. “Did it~?! Did it~?! Did it~?!”

“H-Hi, Lily,” Connie greeted the greenette. “I-I’m kinda nervous t-too, b-but I’m gonna do e-everything I can to h-help you s-save Alex a-and p-protect our h-home!” she added, her mask displaying a visage of determination as she held up a trembling pair of clenched fists.

“And I am prepared to do the same,” Gaia added.

“Yeah~! Like, we’ll all helpy welpy~! (giggle!)” MDP declared with a bright smile. “After wafter allsie wallsie, when friendy wendies work together wether, they can do anythingy wingie~! (giggle!)”

Mariette was a bit taken aback by the Pea Princess’ attitude, and her choice of words. It was unlike any of the previous princesses of this land, and not in a good way. Mariette felt a bit like she shouldn’t listen too closely to the words this princess was spouting… Still, the bed was quite a sight. Looked dangerous, actually. In any case. Despite her manners, the Pea Princess made a good point. She couldn’t risk her life if there was no chance of victory. Still, Mariette had to ensure she was not compromised.

‘I understand. Your request makes sense. I do want to ask, however,’ Mariette said, mentally pondering how to phrase this question so the target could not weasel her way out of it in case she was guilty. Mariette would know if she lied, after all. ‘this isn’t a ploy or a trick, correct?’ Yes or no question. It is more difficult to avoid lying to those.

__________________



‘Alright! We’re ready to get started!’ Ronin and Miko arrived at the scene, the indicated gathering coordinates. Ronin was determined to do what she could to help defend Penrose. Miko was not as sure she was attached to Penrose, but she would certainly help defend Ronin and her friends.

‘Alright,’ Miko repeated the word Ronin had said. ‘So we’re attacking, right? How are we doing this?’ she asked, a bit nervous and desired a clarification of the current plan of action.

Alicia surveyed the park as more people trickled in. Perhaps not as many as might have been preferred, but that was alright. It meant less complications for when things finally got underway.

The others clustered a bit to catch up on how things had gone since the last meeting, more on a personal level than addressing the crisis at hand. That left Alicia by herself for the moment, not that she minded. It kept her from having to provide her own perspective on what Magical Dream Princess was telling Penny, a thought that made her shudder as she momentarily flashed back to it.

At least the arrival of Ronin and Miko helped keep her mind off of that. "I didn't have much luck scrying on Wonderland, so I'm afraid I can't contribute much in the way of information," Alicia admitted. "But I was able to get supplies, both for our rescue operation as well as defending Penrose when the Queen makes her next move." Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but it didn't hurt to be prepared either.

Mac was content to just sit back and let the discussions sort themselves out. As far as she was concerned, she was here to help with the mission and get out. She had been pretending to be other people for years, and it was too late to turn around and make friends now. So when Melisa waved to her, she gave only the slightest hint of a smile and nodded back to her. Polite enough to not be rude, but not so polite as to invite a conversation. It was clear she was here to talk to others anyway.

There wasn’t much to be done about Penny. Of course the iron queen was going to be her paranoid self, but it wasn’t like Mac had anything to fear. She had good intentions for being here, and she really had helped Alicia as MDP attested. Perhaps in the past they might have exchanged blows, as Mac did not like her monopolistic hold on Penrose. But there was too much on the line for there to be infighting. Even so, there were plenty of nonviolent routes to deal with that particular can of worms.

Nefer was also here, and while Mac had some doubts about her choice of disguise, she was glad she wasn’t Iron Mouse right now. In fact, the comment about throwing whipped cream on a literal child was probably more cringe inducing than anything MDP could do. Yes, MDP had finally met her match. She did feel a little sorry for Melisa though. Nefer’s sexual harassment and having to deal with Lily’s mile high energy simultaneously was not something she could do for long stretches of time.

Alicia was also here. Was that a concern? Not really. She had spoken with Alicia in the past as Suwako, and she was sure that even if Alicia saw through her illusions, she would understand it was the monster girl she made peace with that day after wonderland attacked.

Unfortunately, no good deed went unpunished. While many of those present conversed among themselves, many more had chosen to acknowledge her. It was to be expected. The group was small, and most were unfamiliar with Ashley.

”Of course!” She had responded to the excitable MDP before she was taken aside by her girlfriend, which only gave Connie and Mia a chance to speak with her. ”I figured you could use an extra pair of hands!” She was going to introduce herself when MDP came in front of her again with Penny. This was going to get awkward if she was forced to talk with Penny. Fortunately, one great thing about MDP is that if you’re quiet long enough, she’ll just fill the silence with her babbling. And just like that, an awkward interaction was intercepted when MDP demanded more of the queen’s attention. She stepped a bit closer to Connie and Mia while Penny was distracted. With Nefar, Lily, and MDP present, their part of the group seemed to be the more relaxed part of the group. ”Seems like everyone knows each other!” She said while looking at the two, pleading with her eyes for them to keep her in their conversation.

She hadn’t received any orders on her coms yet, but hopefully someone would speak up soon. It was kind of nice to have people not in her immediate surroundings who could keep an eye on things.

While Rose and Iris started to come to terms with their predicament, the innermost part of the seed had only just started to dissolve. Its primary effect had been triggered, and the two of them were subjected to its effects. They could feel themselves drifting off, de-tethering from their bodies. They bat their eyes, but before they could get them closed, their consciousness were flung into the far reaches of the omniverse, flying past worlds like a wayward comet. But they did not experience the wonders of interdimensional travel. It was over in an instant, and they had been separated from all of their memories.

They had effectively been reborn in another world.

But first, a detour.

…

…

…

Rose and Iris awoke. They did not know their names, nor that they were a single entity again. But that was of little concern with the world ending.

Fenrir had opened his mouth wide. his lower jaw cleaved a canyon through the earth. He smashed through mountains, drained oceans, and set the world alight with volcanic eruptions. The upper half of his jaw ripped through the clouds and ethereal blue sky, leaving a black tear in its wake. Black ooze seeped out of the wound and burned as it fell to earth as meteors. Hundreds of magical girls rushed to Odin’s defense, but it was in vain. This battle had been foretold, and Fenrir would not die before it ended humanity and took Odin’s life.

Ragnarok had begun.

There was nothing they could do. They, no, she was naught but a lone girl in a torn dress, powerless to do more than observe the incoming apocalypse. She stood before the vast ocean, watching ants try to stop an impossibly large wolf. There was no safety here.

She ran for the hills. A wicker basket hung from her arm, with berries and vegetables threatening to leap out with every step. Perhaps it was futile to look for safety, but in her mind she could survive if she outlasted the fires. Maybe in the forest she could find a cave and just hide there while the world burned. She looked over her shoulder. The ocean was draining, and rising lava was starting to take the waters place. The view of the distant battle was obscured by all the boiling steam. Even the world devouring wolf was invisible behind so much smoke. The grass was drying out. By the time Raven got to the forest, it was catching fire.

The air in the forest was getting warmer, but gradually. The thick canopy would keep things cool until the sky bled burning rocks on her. Then the forest would turn into a bonfire. There had to be a cave system somewhere. Some place that ran deep into the earth where she could be safe. The world was ending, many of the people in the world were ending, but they could rebuild if enough of them survived survive. But the world would never be what it once was.

In her frantic run for safety, she spotted something in the corner of her eye. A flash of red. She turned around and saw a poppy, pulled out of the ground like a weed and snapped in half. She sank to her knees and examined the flower.

As little as she could remember, she understood this flower had been important to her. It was a gift she had received during a chance encounter, and planted it with the help of her mother and sister. She had tended to it for years, protecting it from pests and the elements. It always grew right here, and it never spread. Now it was snapped in half, never to be whole again.

She bit her lower lip. A sadness she didn’t understand overtook her. Maybe it was the approaching calamity, but her tears couldn’t be held back. She grieved for the flower, thinking herself stupid for being upset over a plant that would die anyway. This was life, and plants come and left the world just like people do. But this did not put her at rest. She was paralyzed, unable to move past her grief, unable to understand it. Even as the air continued to warm, and the canopy leaves browned and burned up, she remained in place.

A hand reached for her shoulder. She lifted her head and looked to the stranger. A tall man with the face of a boy stood over her. His body flicked in and out of existence, like moving smoke or screen static. And when he spoke, it sounded like ten other voices were speaking with him.

"You’re not sad because the flower is dead. You’re sad because there’s nothing left but the memories."

The detour was complete, and their minds moved again.

…

…

…

Pax Septimus, better known as the city of blood, had a lot of problems. That should have been evident to anyone who heard the city’s moniker, but the civilians were unaware of what was ruining their lives. Everything from the criminal underbelly to the most lucrative businesses and possibly the local government body were being controlled by monsters. Though the monster problem was somewhat nuanced. They were horrible, good for nothing crooks and murderers, but they were also planner entities that ate ambient mana. Human emotions release ambient mana into the atmosphere, and it never really went away. If monsters are allowed to eat the mana, then the level of ambient mana goes down. But if the monsters aren't allowed to feed, then that ensures stronger monsters show up for the growing feast, creating a vicious cycle. It wasn’t really a choice for her though. If monsters were harming innocent people, she’d kill as many as she had to, even if her adversaries would get stronger over time. Anyone from G.E.M.I.N.I (Government Esper and Monster Intelligence and Neutralization Initiative) would agree with her.

She walked down a long, metallic corridor. While most humans tended to rationalize away the supernatural, there was still a need to operate out of sight. The monsters would love nothing more than to strike while they were weak. G.E.M.I.N.I. HQ was hidden under a police station, which limited the number of people who had access to it. Give the right passphrase to the right clerk and you’re given free entry. After walking past a pair of double doors, she was greeted by an adorkable young woman who was just standing there with her arms crossed.

”You must be the new girl! I’m sorry but I don’t think anyone told me your name. It wouldn’t happen to be Hildie by any chance would it? You kind of look like a Hildie.”

That was, somehow, correct. "Uh, everyone calls me Raven." Hilde didn’t feel like sharing her name with this strange woman just yet, especially since she already knew it. "Is everyone on a first name basis around here?"

”Yup!You can call me Faith!” She extended her hand. ”We’re entrusting our lives to each other, so it makes sense to be as familiar as we can with our peers. You wouldn’t happen to be into anime, would you? Because if you ever watched One Piece, Luffy says 'nakama' a lot, which has a very special meaning to him. It’s usually used to title a friend or peer, but to him it goes beyond normal friendship. It’s like a true comrade who you can trust your back to no matter what! And I think all of us being on a first name basis creates a similar level of trust for each other, you know?”

"...Right." She shook Faith’s hand. "Is Fritzi or Ashley around?"

”Fritzi is around, but she told me that it would be a moment before she could see you. Very important business. Ashley was suppose to greet you but um, you’re here really early!”

Hildie snorted. "I’m just supposed to wait here then?"

”Not at all!” Faith chirped. ”She instructed me to take you to the training room so that we can evaluate your performance! It’s something Fritzi does for all, erm, most of the new hires. It’s like in One Punch man where all the heroes need to go through a test to get ranked so that-”

With a snap, a swirl of feathers blew around Raven’s body. Her outfit changed, as did her hair and stature. She was in her esper form now. Her look could best be described as a japanese school girl posing as a secret agent. Though her outfit was all black, save for her stockings and some of the effects she wore.

"I’m ready."

Faith looked over the esper. ”Oh wow! You look really stylish! Ashley also has a colored visor like that when she transforms. If there were a bunch of you then maybe you could be like power rangers!”

Hildie maintained her composure, but she did enjoy the complement, and that Faith didn’t feel the need to explain what the power rangers-

”Like they’re this group of people with different colored outfits, so you have a red ranger, a blue ranger, a black ranger, and a yellow and pink ranger. But then there’s also an extra ranger sometimes, like the green ranger, or the silver ranger. They do lots of martial arts and have these big machines that combined to form a-”

…

…

…

”...But even if we can’t get a squad like that, I think it’s nice that everyone is different anyway. It lets everyone be their own unique selves.”

"...Agreed."

”Your outfit says ‘paradise’ on it in several spots, what’s that about?”

Maybe Hilde was starting to open up to Faith, maybe she felt like talking after listening so much, but she took the opportunity to elaborate on her outfit. "Well, my name is Raven, but my cal-sign is ‘Bird of Paradise’. It often gets shortened to Paradise."

”That’s such a pretty name!”

"Thank you, b-but I’d really like to prove my worth in the doctor’s trial."

”It’s still being set up. That said, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

"I have no doubt."

During their exchange, Mika walked up to them and waited for a break in their conversation. "Bird of Paradise? Like the Greater loppery-nah from the Superb Bird of Paradise family?"

Hilde was a little surprised that a teenage girl recognized such an obscure animal reference. "Why, yes, you are correct about that. The ones that do the silly dance?"

"Yes, the silly dance…" Something that Hilde found off putting about Mika was how dower she seemed. She felt like she was being looked down on like an insect, and that only intensified after she confirmed Mika’s suspicion. "They do the silly dance when they want to mate. It’s hard to do because there are a lot more guys than girls. They need to work extra hard to win the girl’s heart." She pointed at Hilde’s outfit. "Those colors? That’s what the guys wear."

"Oh, well, you know, is that a problem? Because us espers don’t really-" But Mika was already walking away before Hilde could get another word in. "...get to choose how we look."

”But they are rumored to represent our ideal self and innermost desires!” Faith added, like it was the most helpful thing anyone could have said.

"How about, you just show me the training room? I think it would be better if I waited there."

…

…

…

And then, Raven was pulled out of that foreign yet familiar mind. Her soul screamed as it was split into Rose and Iris once again, and they found themselves in the unfamiliar bodies they had recently inherited.

Brittany gave an awkward smile at Alex’ sardonic statement, and shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, you’re not the only one who’s going to go through that: I also have to get these broken,” she spoke, showing the manacles from her sleeves. “Anyway, let’s go!” And so, the two made their escape, Alex’ notes guiding them through the corridors and halls of the Bastille until they successfully fled through the front entrance. Outside, Alex was met with the same kind of whimsical sight as from the window of his cell: Wonderland was a place of dreams and fairytales, where song was carried over the winds, and the gentle warmth of summer roiled through the grasslands and forests. A dirt road led from the Bastille to a bridge, beyond which a dark forest could be seen, as well as a signpost.

As the two approached the bridge, a green-brownish, brutish monster poked its head out from under the stone structure. It had two tusks jutting from its lower jaw, a large potato-shaped nose, and a hairy body, with a small tail tipped with a tuft of fur.
“Sorry, the bridge is closed. No Troll Toll, no crossing today.” He placed a construction warning sign on the center of the bridge. Brittany balled her fists up, looking angry.
“What do you mean it’s closed? Why can’t we cross?”
The troll sat down on a rock near the foot of the bridge.
“Union-mandated break. Sorry, can’t help you there.” He brought out a small metallic lunchbox painted red, and pulled out a sandwich from it.
“Come back in a couple of hours.”

Brittany tapped her foot, looking miffed, but then had an idea:
“Mister Troll, I understand that you are a hardworking member of this Union-”
“Bridge Troll Union, yes,” the monster corrected as he chomped on his sandwich.
“Yes, indeed. I am also a member of a worker’s union, more specifically the Outer Penrose Alliance. I understand the hardships of a blue-collar worker, having started as a lone entrepreneur with not a single Gold Coin to my name. In the spirit of camaraderie, how about I offer you a transaction of goods and services for your Troll Toll?” She brought out an item from her bag.
“In exchange for letting us cross, I could give you this Skyline Detector: with this, you can detect flying or overhead objects up to a 100 meters! Very useful for when you want to take a quick break without worrying about any eyes in the sky.”
The troll looked at the device, and shrugged.
“Fine. But if anyone asks, we never made this deal.” He took the Detector, and Brittany grinned with a thumbs up.
“Your fellow proletariat’s lips are sealed, my fine, furry friend.” She turned to Alex.
“Alright, let’s check out that sign over there.”
The sign next to the dirt road was simple, made of wood with black letters painted on the plank: Tulgey Wood.
“So this is the entrance to the forest the white lady warned us about, huh?” She looked up at the tall trees: the branches and leaves were so thickly layered that only beams of light managed to penetrate the shade, casting the woods in a gloomy pallor.
“So, any ideas on how to proceed? Should we crawl on our backs like in the Exorcist or something?” She asked Alex.

---

Penny warmly accepted MDP’s embrace, and afterwards waved to the Knight of Tomorrow.
”My name is Penny Asimov. Pleased to meet you,” she added, though she could tell the modern crusader of chivalry seemed awkward meeting with her, and so decided not to further attempt to continue conversing with her: Lily looked like she needed to distract herself, so she let her take this one. She then looked down towards her glittering girlfriend, holding back her laughter as the latter slowly realized the change in her, and finally relented with an affirmative nod.
”Remember how I mentioned having some problems? Well, I finally managed to fix them thanks to a certain new friend. I might introduce you to her later,” she followed up, playfully parting a lock of hair away from MDP’s face.

Alicia felt the familiar breeze of Beacon’s teleporters activating, and saw Inquisitor Rachel arrive, alongside other Ascendancy members like Tsuki and Hudie. She was still typing something to her personal device before putting it away. “I’ve finished preparations on our side, Paladin Seraph,” she informed her. “What is the situation here? Has the plan remained the same?” She asked after checking that the cloaking field was indeed activated. She then glanced at Nefer: the artificer rummaged through her various gadgets and gizmos, having lost her interest in Melisa after the fairy-like girl fluttered away towards the other girls. “I think it’s somewhere in here…” She mumbled.



Lily nodded, attempting to power through her own apparent nervousness by taking both Connie and Mia’s hands in hers, followed by a smile to MDP. When Miko asked about how they would proceed, the green-haired girl answered:
”We’ll go to Wonderland and strike at that egg factory we talked about! And we’ll also find the prison Alex is taken to, and free him too! We just gotta find it first! But no worries: I’m sure if we work together, we can overcome anything with our friendship!” A cliche line she had recounted from a random magical girl show, but one she took to heart. Her friends, the people who have come such a long way with her, truly meant the world to her. She just had trouble expressing it beyond cheesy quotes.

Afterwards, she let go, and turned her attention to the Knight of Tomorrow. “Ashley, is it? I’m Lily Lightning, but my friends call me Lily. You were at Bolorton helping evacuate the townsfolk, right?” She took the girl’s hand and lightly shook it. “Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see what cool moves you can do! You practically emanate the ‘badass new addition to the main group mid-season’ vibe, you know? Just like Elise in ‘Souls of Steel’ when she joined the squad. She started as a tsundere and kept her distance due to her tragic backstory, but soon began to warm up to the others and-”
It seemed that if let to continue, Lily would keep blabbering about her nerdy interests were it not for the small animals that suddenly distracted her.
“Ooh, you three! Didn’t I tell you to wait at home? I even poured you a nice big meal in your bowls! Oh, but you’re so cute I can’t stay mad at you…”
She knelt down and let the suspiciously self-sufficient critters gather around and on top of her, as if she were a Disney princess come to life.



Soon, a familiar winged figure could be seen flying overhead, descending down towards the park. However, unlike the other times, she was not alone: her sister had also joined, her eyes staring at the group like a lost child.

”Apologies for my late arrival. Despite telling her she should stay in Silverburg, it seems Caroline is stubborn in her decision to join us," she informed the others.

“Big Sis…” the younger von Visceral muttered quietly, holding Justine’s hand. Justine sighed.
”Anyway, is this all of us?"

Penny sent a new message to Mariette while she and MDP poked each other’s cheeks.
The park crew is assembling at a rapid rate. What is the situation on your end?

---

The Pea Princess seemed genuinely baffled by Mariette’s question.
“What fucking trick? I’m already struggling keeping all this straight and holding the damn meeting, let alone scheming against what seems to be a lost fucking cause anyway. The Bitch Queen could try to bribe me with another hundred of these stupid fucking beds, but it doesn’t matter! None of them work! All of them are a literal pain in my back, and in my ass!” She visibly kicked the back of her leg against the bed. When she did, Mariette’s Awareness kicked in, and subtly nudged her towards something unusual about the way the mattresses moved from the impact. Based on the strange crease, there was a tiny, round object the size and shape of what most likely was a regular pea tucked in between the mattresses, at about head level from Mariette. The Pea Princess continued on her exhausted, miserable rant.
“So if your paranoid ass keeps asking stupid fucking questions, I won’t hesitate to stop aiding this retarded rebellion and ensure you won’t get any-”

Alexander sighed "Well ideally we'd go around or over this place...but I don't think that's much of an option. Burning it down would just give away our position, so that's not an option either. Ugh, now I really wish I asked how this 'don't let your back be seen' thing worked." After taking a few seconds to think about it, he groaned "I think I got an idea. It's really stupid, but it should keep us safe." He turned Brittney around so that her back was facing him, then he turned around himself so that his own back was facing hers. Then, he locks their arms together "There. It'll be really fucking awkward and slow to walk, but this should at least keep us safe." With that settled, the two of them began sideway shuffling through the forest.

"Hey, I don't suppose you have any other trinkets on hand that could help?" he asked, remembering that deal with the troll that they weren't allowed to mention "At this point, I'd even be tempted by a 'Forest Destroyer 9000' or something" His frustration at this whole situation making the idea of senseless and kind of counter productive violence more tempting than normal.

“A new friendy wendy~?!” MDP repeated with a delighted smile after Penny explained the reason for her recent “upgrade”. “Like, Magical Dream Princess would wuv thatsie whatsie~! (giggle!)” she added when the Mechanical Monarch mentioned the possibility of meeting said new friend. Then, the arrival of two familiar faces caught the whimsical girl’s painfully limited attention. “Ronin Wonin and Miko Wiko~!” she cheered as she ran over to glomp the sisters. “Like, Magical Dream Princess is soooo happy wappy to see you~! (giggle!) Like, do you wanna hearsie wearsie aboutsie woutsie all the super duper funsie wunsie stuffy wuffy Magical Dream Princess has been doing lately wately~?!” she asked the pair while excitedly bouncing up and down. “Do you~?! Do you~?! Do you~?!”

Despite her nervousness, Connie’s mask formed a smile at the sight of Ronin and Miko’s arrival and MDP’s charmingly childish antics in response to it. Their group was certainly growing, the timid girl reflected, which would hopefully improve the chances of the impending mission being a success. “O-Oh, um, y-yes,” Connie confirmed when Ashley observed that everyone seemed to know one another. “I-I’m friends w-with almost e-everyone here. A-Although I’m n-not too f-familiar with t-that girl o-over there,” she added with a slight frown, while surreptitiously pointing a trembling finger at where Nefer was attempting to flirt with Melisa.

“I believe she was present at the evacuation of Bolorton,” Gaia noted. “And she came to the previous park meeting as well, although I am afraid I still know next to nothing about her, or her motivations for aiding us,” the verdant maiden added.

Speaking of Bolorton, the next thing Connie knew, Lily had popped over to introduce herself to Ashley and ask if the sci-fi themed young woman had helped with the evacuation, before going full fan-girl on the visibly unnerved space knight. The greenette’s babblings only ceased with the arrival of three small animals, who quickly clambered onto her.

“O-Oh gosh!” Connie exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “T-They’re sooo cute!”

For her part, Gaia couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Lily and Connie’s adorable reactions. Unfortunately, her mood soon shifted to one of apprehension as she watched the Ascendancy contingent make their entrance, followed shortly by Justine. Having the two formerly adversarial parties in such close proximity was troubling enough, but the fact that the former vampire had brought her unhinged sister along only made matters worse. Although Gaia appreciated the additional help, she only hoped their presence on such a vital mission wouldn’t end up doing more harm than good…

‘Alright,’ Miko simply responded to Lily informing them about the plan, and nodded. She had her doubts about how well they’d be able to pull this off, but hey, everything had worked out so far, hadn’t it? Ronin spent the time looking around at the various characters that had decided to join them…

And then the both of them were glomped by a certain explosively energetic dream princess.

‘Of,’ ‘Ah! … Hahahaha!’ Ronin laughed as MDP kept jumping next to them while holding onto them. Miko looked mostly startled, she wasn’t entirely the kind to keep up with that level of energy. Ronin, however…

‘Yeah! I wanna know! What crazy shenanigans have you been up to lately?’ Ronin asked, grinning happily at their glomper.

__________________


To say Mariette was startled by the Pea Princess’s outburst was putting it lightly. Still, even with the princess raging, she was busy trying to find if what she’d said actually had confirmed if she wasn’t a liar by exclusion or not. Struggling with something is not the same as not doing something. Bribing not working doesn’t matter if you’re already willingly giving information. So far, the princess hadn’t actually said anything that disproved that she might be plotting something… but it was a bit difficult to get a word in while recoiling at the princess’s rage and foul language…

When Mariette noticed the tiny object in the middle of the stacked beds that slightly disturbed the mattresses. It felt like it was too tiny to cause any form of discomfort, but since the Pea Princess was complaining about the discomfort…

Mariette stuck a hand inside a portal and, with a fast snatch, gripped the small circular object and retrieved it, removing it from the stacks and then presenting it to the Pea Princess. Mariette’s not-eyepatched eye looked up at her slightly wide as she looked for a reaction.

‘This… was in your mattresses?’ she asked, unsure if that fixed anything.

Her eyepatch eye looked through a portal to her phone-screen to see the message Penny sent to her. Unfortunately, Mariette isn’t skilled enough in sending text-messages to do that and look at the Pea Princess at the same time, so she can’t answer quite yet. Not to mention, what she types back entirely depends on the Pea Princess’s reaction.

Mac was never going to be able to blend into this new group like a harmless wallflower, but it was still “impressive” how she seemed to attract the very “worst” members of the group to her side. Before she could respond to Gaia and Connie, Lily appeared like a pokemon in the tall grass. It was practically a jump scare.

“B-Boulderon?” Mac could never get that name right, and neither could Ashley. “Ah, but you must have mistaken me for someone else. Because I’m certain you didn’t see me at Boulderon.” There were light girls present, so Mac had to be extra careful in how she chose her words. She wasn’t entirely clear on how light magic worked, but what she had said was certainly the truth. Lily had not seen Mac or Ashley at Bolorton, as far as she knew. When she did appear, it was as Suwako.

Her eyes started to glaze over as Lily nerded out in Esper Faith style, only to be saved when some critters came to her rescue. If there was a time to feel like a Disney princess, it was now.

But there was still plenty to worry about. The ascendancy arrived, and who knew what sort of reality, rule, or world breaking powers they brought along with them. That, and she just didn’t trust them.

And because the questionable ally quota hadn’t been met yet, Justine decided to show up with her murder hobo kid sister. There was no point in protesting though. It would be like telling a Karen that maybe taking her screaming child into a movie theater was inconsiderate to everyone else there. Besides, they were former co-workers. That was a can of worms Mac would rather not open.

The waiting game continued.

Alicia continued to survey the area as more people arrived. It might not be something akin to the grand scale battle that the assault on Mariette's base had been, but it would still be pretty large all the same. Which made sense, considering the forces they had already faced in Bolorton. Wonderland itself was likely to be even more fiercely defended.

She then turned to face the Ascendancy agents as they arrived on the scene. "The last stragglers are showing up now, but it looks like the general plan is the same. We got in, some of us rescue Alex and Brittany while the rest of the group targets the eggs with the information provided by the Mint. We then withdraw, and prepare for the Queen's inevitable counterattack."

Having given the general gist of the plan as she understood it, Alicia's gaze shifted to Nefer as well as she rummaged around in her bag. "Did you manage to figure out those countermeasures to keep Wonderland from brainwashing us once we're in there?" as far as she was aware that was the one part of the plan they had not worked out yet.

Brittany crossed her arms, looking worried as Alex reviewed their options, which were quite limited. “Even if you did ask, I have an inkling the answer would have been just as cryptic, if not even more so,” she admitted. Then, she blinked as Alex made his suggestion. “Stupid’s better than nothing. What do you have in mind?” She held back a yelp as Alex turned her, followed by a slight gasp of realization at what her fellow prison escapist was planning. “Oh, I get it! When we’re back to back, we can cover each other! Nice thinking!” She giggled as Alex suggested she had a trinket to destroy the forest. “Sorry, no deforestation tools here. I do have this vial of Emulsified Dissidence we can use to make an escape if we really need to. But I’d rather save that for now.”

And so, with arms locked and a 360-degree vision between the both of them, Alex ventured forth, slowly but methodically with Brittany at his side, the both of them moving sideways. At first they struggled due to Alex taking larger steps than Brittany, but soon they figured out a stepping order that worked for the both of them, and began making steady progress. The woods were gloomy and ominous, with the sounds of numerous small critters both up in the branches and down in the undergrowth. An owl’s hooting could be heard in the distance, and the faint whistle of wind through a fallen, hollow log. The two felt how eyes from the dark corners of the woods stared at them, though neither saw any stalker approach them. Eventually, the two would hear a strange sound: like someone was slowly sawing through a tree. But Alex would realize it was the sound of distant snoring, and as they came closer and closer the sound grew louder and louder. Then, in the distant shade of the forest, they saw a gargantuan shape lying sideways, away from them: it was the giant the Duchess had mentioned. “Looks like the big fella’s asleep. Should we poke him or something to wake him?” Brittany asked.

---

”I’m sure you would. Let’s have some tea together once this is all over, okay?”
She suggested to MDP, and afterwards let MDP converse with the twins, partaking in her enthusiasm with a more relaxed but approving demeanor. Still, she masked her worry over the fact that Mariette had yet to respond to her message: despite her quirks, the Portal specialist was usually punctual in her messaging. However, she decided to embrace her newly awakened human nature, and trust in her.



Lily giggled, embarrassed as Ashley corrected her. She bit her tongue in a silly fashion and pretended to bonk herself. ”Whoops, my bad. I can be bad at remembering people’s faces. Must have been someone else at Boulderon then, haha,” she spoke, not having realized the knight had misnamed the village.

She was happy to see Connie like the animals, and scratched the one in her hands under the chin.
”They are, aren’t you? Yes you are,” she cooed as she scratched another of the critters behind their ear, letting the first one rest on her lap and the third on her head.



Justine slowly walked up to Lily and the others. Then, Caroline let go of Justine’s hand, and with careful steps, slowly approached Lily. There was a moment of tension between the two, with Justine looking like she was ready to intervene at an instant…before Lily offered one of the animals to Caroline.
”So, Caroline…Would you like to give him a pet?,” The blonde-haired girl blinked and stared at Lily and the animal, and then slowly reached a hand out to pet the animal.
“So fluffy…” She mumbled, and Lily nodded.
”That’s right. They’re so cuddly and warm too, it’s the best,”
As Caroline gave attention to the other animals, Justine couldn’t help but sigh in relief, managing the smallest smile. Lily then turned her attention to Justine.
”Yeah, we’re all here now, except Mariette I think. Penny’s been keeping tabs with her." The former vampire nodded, and glanced around at the others.
”I see that even the Ascendancy sent some support…Let’s hope it will be enough.”

Rachel nodded as Alicia confirmed the current plan, and made a quick note on her device. Then, after the question, she took out something from her pocket: it was a pair of earrings. “Yes. They’re only a prototype, but our R&D managed to develop these Earrings of Effervescent Light.” She gave the earrings to Alicia: they resembled the Beacon’s insignia of starlight. ”When worn, they boost one’s mental fortitude and defenses against mind-debilitating effects. However, these were only tested with holders of the ShineSpark, and might malfunction when used by non-Beacon members.” Justine then approached the two of them. Alicia could tell that Rachel resisted not to scowl at the gothic girl.
”May I take a look at those? I could try to add my own enchantment to them.”
Rachel rolled her eyes, but then glanced at Paladin Seraph, and handed them over.
”Don’t break them…Sinner.”

”Former Sinner,” Justine sharply spoke back.
”And I will be careful. Thank you,” she spoke, though Alicia could tell with her Light magic that she wasn’t sincere with the gratitude. She then walked some distance away, and magic began to slightly glow from her hand as she concentrated.

“Ah-HA! I knew I forgot to install this part!” The group heard Nefer as she equipped a backpack-like device: it resembled a field radio, complete with various gizmos on the surface like buttons, dials, a display that showed green light, and an antenna that poked out from the top.
“I managed to develop this Brain Unscrambler, or BU for short, in record time. Now anyone within about ten meters of me will be covered in a synapse shield from Wonderland’s head hexing.” The black golem nodded, and Nefer smiled back at him. “Ain’t I an ultra-genius? Though it is quite heavy, so I might need to piggyback on you, Akhenaten.” The black golem shook his head slowly, and Nefer blinked. “Hey, no fair! I did all the hard work coming up with this doodad!”

---

The Pea Princess lifted her index finger up to point at Mariette, about to continue her pathetic whining when she saw the tiny green pea the eyepatched girl presented to her. “W-what the fuck?” She leaned down to take a closer look at the pea. She touched her mattress, and pushed down on it, followed by blinking as the realization set in. “I can’t believe it…All this time, all because of a tiny. dumb pea.” She laid down on the bed, pulling the blanket over herself, and then sighed in relief. “Ohh, finally…I can sleep as much as I want…Thank you,” she afterwards spoke, her gentle words of gratitude mixed with social awkwardness, and closed her eyes. “Y-You can, um, forget what I said about the meeting. I don’t really need it, I was just…lashing out…”. She yawned, her voice growing quieter. “So…Keep it…Or…Don’t…Prin…cess…Alice….zzz…” Afterwards, Mariette heard how the Pea Princess had fallen to a deep slumber, only her soft snores and the cyclical rising and lowering of her blanket a sign she was still among the living.

"Well we're not going to just stand around and wait for him to wake up" Alexander responded. Taking a quick look around, he found a decently sized stick, unhooking his arms from Brittany's to pick it up, and started using it to poke the giant 'As much as getting my magic excites me, I'm really not looking forward to having my arms shattered. I...I guess I just have to get this over with.'

---
As Bob the bunny was getting petted by a strange girl he had never seen before, he stared at her. As Tim and Dave also began to receive her attention, they joined Bob in staring at her.

“Okie dokie~!” MDP told Penny with a wink and a playful peace sign salute before bouncing over to glomp the twins. When Ronin confirmed that she was indeed interested in hearing about the whimsical girl’s recent adventures, MDP’s happy smile grew even wider. “Yaaay~! (giggle!)” she cheered in delight. “So, like, firsty wirsty, Magical Dream Princess met Mister Wister Flower Wower, and became friendy wendies with him~!” she began. “Thensie wensie, Magical Dream Princess met Chloe Whoey and became friendy wendies with her, too~! (giggle!). Like, after wafter thatsie whatse, Magical Dream Princess met Mayra Wayra and asky waskied if maybe waybe she could take Magical Dream Princess to visit wisit her homey womey placey wacey like we talky walkied aboutsie woutsie at Danny Wanny’s beachy weachy placey wacey, and, like, she totally wotally said okie dokie~! (giggle!) Firsty wirsty, we racey wacied downy wowny a mountain wountain, while this rocky wocky thingie wingie played taggy waggy with us~! Thensie wensie, we met a super duper biggy wiggy flower wower, but he was super duper grumpy wumpy, so Magical Dream Princess made him takey wakey a nappy wappy, and made sure to give him extra wextra special wecial dreamy weamies, too~! (giggle!) After wafter thatsie watsie, we met these silly willy bearsie wearsie thingie wingies and played with them, too~! Thensie wensie, we tried to play with the planty wanty people weple, but they wanted to be left aloney woney, so Magical Dream Princess said sorry worry and gave them some super refreshing weshing rainy wainy to apolowolowgizesie wisey for bothering wothering them~! Thensie wensie, we rode on these super duper amazing wazing griffon wiffon thingie wingies and thensie wensie, Magical Dream Princess jumped in the ocean wocean, and made this super duper funsie wunsie trampoliney winey thingy wingie, but Mayra Wayra didn’t wanna come in and Magical Dream Princess thought it was because she didn’t make a funsie wunsie trampoliney winey thingy wingie for her, too, and she started to get really worried Mayra Wayra might be angry wangry with her, but Mayra Wayra said she wasn’t, and thatsie watsie made Magical Dream Princess sooo super duper happy wappy, and thensie wensie Linus Winus came to play taggy waggy, and we had lots and lots of funsie wunsie together wether, but thensie wensie a big meany weanie head showed up and Magical Dream Princess and Mayra Wayra made him go bye bye, and thensie wensie we went to the mountain wountians and Magical Dream Princess played hidey widey seeky weeky in all the rocky wocky thingy wingies up theresie wheresie, and after wafter thatsie whatsie, Mayra Wayra took Magical Dream Princess insidey widey the mountian wountain and it was super duper steamy weamy, and thensie wensie, she took Magical Dream Princess to a super duper special wecial valley walley where her dragony wagony family wamily lives, and there were soooo many dragony wagony people weple theresie weresie and Magical Dream Princess wanted to make friendy wendies with them allsie wallsie, and we played taggy waggy for a bitsy witsy, but, like, thensie wensie this supper duper biggy wiggy and meany weany dragon wagon started being super duper nasty wasty and tried to hurty wurty Mayra Wayra’s mommy wommy, so, like, Mayra Wayra and Magical Dream Princess made super duper sure to teachy weachy him a lesson wesson in being nicey wicey, and thensie wensie, he went bye bye and everybodywody was super duper happy wappy and we played lots and lots of super duper funsie wunsie gamey wamies together wether~! (giggle!) Thensie wensie, Mayra Wayra said she was the bossy wossy dragon wagon nowie, which Magical Dream Princess thinkie winkies is, like, sooo super duper cooly wooly~! (giggle!) But, like, thatsie watsie isn’t wisn’t allsie wallsie~!” the bubbly Princess of Dreams added once the first part of her hyperactive ramblings had concluded. “The very werey nexty wexty nighty wighty, Magical Dream Princess met Alicia Wecia~! She was having waving a talky walky with some super duper meany weanie people weple, who said lots of nasty wasty stuffy wuffy about her! But, like, Magical Dream Princess was able wable to make them understandy wandy how awesome wawsome Alicia Wecia really is~! And, like, her super duper secret wecret special wecial imaginarywary friendy wendy Ashley Washley helpy welpied, too, ‘cause, like, she’s not imaginary waginary anymoreise~! (giggle!) In facty wacty, she’s right over theresie weresie~!” MDP added, pointing to where the Knight of Tonight was standing with Connie and Gaia.

And an animal-covered Lily.

“Awwww~! What adorable worable animal wanimals~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl squealed in childish delight as she darted over to kneel down next to Lily. “Like, can Magical Dream Princess pet your furry wurry friendy wendies, Lily Wily~?!” she asked, her high-pitched voice filled with eager excitement. “Pretty pretty pleasey weasey can she~?!” the playful princess pleaded, clasping her hands together. “Can she~?! Can she~?! Can she~?!”

Connie, who had been somewhat enraptured by the adorable scene playing out before her was slightly taken aback by MDP’s sudden arrival, although her childish friend’s cute pleading only served to make things even more wholesome.

“I think my dearest Connie may wish to pet your adorable companions as well,” Gaia noted with a smile.

“Y-Yes, I-I’d l-like that v-very much!” Connie confirmed with a few rapid nods, the cheeks of her mask still flushed a bright red. “I-If t-that’s all r-right, of c-course,” she quickly added.

Taking the earrings, Alicia looked them over as Rachel explained how they worked. She gave a small nod to go with the explanation before handing them back. "Something is better than nothing," she observed as Justine approached. It was unfortunate that they had no way of knowing for sure that it could protect someone who didn't have a Shinespark, but that they had anything at all was more than the rest of the people here had done. 'Beggars couldn't be choosers', and all that.

She looked over as Justine conversed with Rachel, choosing not to comment on the tension between the two of them. She could hardly blame Rachel for feeling that way considering all that Justine had done in the past. While Alicia knew that Justine had been purified, the burden still remained for the girl to atone through her actions.

For now though Alicia left things as they were and did not engage at all. Luckily there was an easy distraction provided courtesy of the 'Brain Unscrambler'. "I hope that thing is durable," she noted as she looked over the device from nearby. "It seems like the sort of thing that will draw attention."

Still, it was useful to have. They would need to incorporate it into their plan accordingly. While Nefer figured out how she would get around, Alicia's mind was on other practical problems. "We should probably have the Brain Unscrambler go with the team that is rescuing Alex and Brittany. Especially since we don't know what state they're in," she added. It would be awkward if they ended up fighting the people they were trying to save because of Wonderland's influence.

So, MDP started telling her story about her travels. As it grew longer and longer, Ronin’s grin grew larger and larger, while Miko’s expression of genuine concern grew more and more worried. After MDP finished, Ronin just laughed.

‘Sounds like you’ve been having a great time!’ Ronin laughed and smiled widely.

‘I have… so many questions, but I don’t think I want all their answers…’ Miko said, knowing fully well what kind of world Mayra’s home actually was. ‘Who is “Flower Wower”...?’ … was just one out of a whole bunch of them.

Of course, MDP wasn’t actually there to answer them, because she’d already jumped off to marvel at Lily and the animals. Ronin just chuckled some more.

‘I think whatever happened, she probably wasn’t actually in any danger!’ Ronin said, confidently.

‘Sigh…’ Miko mumbled to herself before looking about. ‘Is it time, yet?’ .

__________________


It would seem that Mariette had solved the riddle. She looked on blankly as the Pea Princess felt her bed and then seemed to call it all off, so intent on brushing it all off and falling into a deep sleep…

‘Not so fast,’ Mariette declared, and a tentacle promptly wrapped around the princess to pull her up, extended directly from Mariette’s shadow. If she couldn’t sleep due to a single pea, then this should do more than rock her sleep.

‘The dawn of the conflict approaches. I cannot have my ally sleep it away quite yet. Your request, while crudely delivered, is sensible. It is time my allies learn where they stand, and who stands with them. Let us wash away any doubts about our allegiances, and establish the order which shall embrace our future,’ she told, her glare transfixed on the Pea Princess. A portal opened behind her.

‘Come, Pea Princess. A meeting awaits,’ Mariette told. She would not take no for an answer.


_______

In the park, Mariette eventually stepped out of a portal before Penny and the others. The portal closed, and the eyepatched girl in a blue dress holding a stuffed bunny turned to look at the queen directly.

‘I apologize for the delay. I have assembled my allies on the other side. We’re ready to move,’ she explained courtly, turning her eyes slightly to nod at Lily, then looking back to Penny.