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Even with all the various defensive measures Ashley had in place, the foes arrayed against her were far too numerous to completely repel. The Knight of Tomorrow ground her teeth in annoyance as her anti-gravity buzzsaw became embedded in, and subsequently engulfed by, the increasingly growing mass of blood tendrils, even as a shot from Pac’s laser pistol shattered the protective aura around her body. A swarm of buzzing flies was also assailing her from every angle, and despite her efforts to blast, block, or bat them aside, it was inevitable that one would eventually reach her body. Landing on her back, it disgorged a stream of acid onto her shoulder. Ashley hissed in pain as the corrosive spray ate into her flesh, but even as anguished tears streamed down her bloody cheeks, the high-tech heroine remained fiercely fixated on her goal…

A moment later, a swift blur of motion gave evidence of Leroux’s rescue, and its continued path toward Pac meant that the gamer girl would have significantly more pressing concerns to deal with than taking shots at Ashley. Thus, the Knight of Tomorrow joined her rescued teammate in her attack upon Justin. However, while the armored agent took the literal high ground, Ashley would come at their foe from a decidedly lower path. Moving to take cover behind one of the wrecked cars, the high-tech heroine finally caught sight of vampire once more. Even through the crimson downpour, she could see that his body had been utterly ravaged, and Ashley only hoped his injuries felt as painful as they looked…

And you’re going to be feeling a lot worse, you fucking monster…

Justin’s attention was fixed on Leroux, while his blood barrier remained focused on Samuel. Ashley herself had yet to be seen… Her skin had begun to itch from the rapidly spreading boils, but the young agent didn’t care. Her foe was in her sights, and that was all that mattered. Her pain only sharpened her focus, only accentuated her desire to see Justin experience even greater agony. From her place of concealment, the Knight of Tomorrow crouched down, braced herself against the car for added stability, and fired off two orbs of neon green annihilation in quick succession. The first came via a melody. The second, more powerful, bolt originated directly from her techno-wand itself. Both were aimed at the vampire’s now-exposed heart…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Projectile][Damage X] = -90 mana

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 252


“Opposition…?” Olivia echoed, a frown once more marring her otherwise lovely visage.

Now that she was paying attention, it seemed as though Tsubasa wanted them to surrender their Grimoires to the Pageless, at least if what the wolf-girl was saying was anything to go by. This was more than a little distressing to Olivia, as it would essentially mean throwing away the only thing connecting her to her darling Xolys! No, it was absolutely unthinkable! However, when Lupin went on to suggest that Tsubasa feed the Pageless her own Grimoire, the masked maiden gave a very surprising response…

Manifesting her Grimoire for all to see, Tsubasa revealed that, instead of feeding it to the Pageless, she had somehow fused a Pageless to the enchanted tome itself, thus creating a strange hybrid. Indeed, even as she displayed the increasingly dark, twisted, and admittedly rather cool pages of her now-expanded Grimoire, the masked maiden explained that this was the path to domesticating the Pageless, to making them docile and controllable, like the swarm arrayed behind her.

But… Is that really safe…? Olivia found herself wondering.

The Pageless were fascinating, cute, and, in more than a few cases, utterly adorable, but they were still fearsome monsters who both preyed upon innocent people and consumed their stories. Even if this new technique Tsubasa had developed would provide the Pageless with an alternate food source, the source in question seemed to be none other than the soul of whoever was bound to the Grimoire they had been fused to. Or, perhaps more precisely, the bond that soul shared with it. Tsubasa might have been more than willing to make such a sacrifice, but Olivia was far less eager to do so. While she had often pondered how enjoyable it might be to have a Pageless for a pet, having one feed on, and more than likely corrupt, the bond she shared with her beloved Xolys was an entirely different matter. It was perfectly fine to let a pet cuddle with you in bed, for instance, but only if you knew it was housebroken. Otherwise, you’d have quite the messy situation on your hands, to say nothing of what might happen if said “pet” was actually a wild animal who wanted to kill and eat you…

As it transpired, such questions would have to remain unanswered, at least for the time being. With a sudden, dramatic darkening of their surroundings, Tsubasa revealed that Ozma had indeed been correct. The figure before them was simply one of the masked maiden’s celestial attendants, through whom she was projecting her voice, a voice which now noted that she would be providing a similar “sales pitch” to the students at Marrywell.

And that there was a murderer among them…

This revelation definitely got Olivia’s attention. It was just like something out of a murder mystery, and she had always enjoyed a good murder mystery. Edgar Allen Poe, one of her favorite writers, was considered to be the father of the modern detective story, after all, and so it wasn’t particularly surprising that Olivia found the prospect of taking part in a real life mystery to be quite exciting. Of course, all those hopes were dashed a moment later when Tsubasa revealed that the alluded to murderer was, in fact, none other than Ozma…

Ozma…? A murderer?

It was a shocking revelation, to be sure, but then, perhaps Tsubasa was equating the slaying of Pageless to murder? Although, if that was the case, then every Magical Girl would be a murderer, if not a full-fledged serial killer. Regardless, there were obviously far more immediate concerns to worry about, namely the impenetrable cloak of darkness which now thoroughly blanketed the mall. Xolys had just begun to kindle his eldritch flames in an effort to provide some illumination, when Suzuya rendered such action moot. Firing a flaming bolt at the art supply shop in front of which Tsubasa’s attendant had just been standing, the fox girl’s projectile swiftly ignited the flammable contents within, creating a rather impressive blaze. The conflagration’s warm glow revealed that the attendant had vanished, along with seemingly every last one of the gathered Pageless…

S-She couldn’t have taken them all to Marrywell… Could she…? Olivia wondered as she peeked over Xolys’s enormous shielding hand, the heat of the blaze so intense she could feel it on her fair skin.

While it was becoming increasingly hard to justify Tsubasa’s actions, the azure-clad beauty still found it hard to believe the masked maiden would go so far as to purposefully endanger innocent students. And yet, that seemed to be what she was doing now, as a dark power made its presence felt. Growing steadily stronger with each passing second, its source was obvious to everyone present, even Olivia. An Apex Pageless was drawing nearer and would soon be in their midst.

As the de facto leader of their “strike force”, Ozma wasted no time in giving orders, even as she worked to dispel Tsubasa’s dark barrier. All the students were to follow Valeria back to the school, while Maria dealt with the Apex Pageless, a foe who was just now coming into view…

“Goodness!” Olivia gasped, her eyes going wide. “He’s so very imposing, especially with those menacing horns! And I just love his big, spiky lantern!” the Ethereal Rose added, her eyes sparkling with wonder, before sobering slightly and turning to look up at her eldritch consort. “Oh, but don’t worry darling,” she hastened to reassure the monstrous beast. “You’re far more menacing than he could ever be! In fact, I’m sure you could defeat him with twelve tendrils tied behind your back!”

“Your high opinion of my prowess in combat is most gratifying to hear, my sweet Rose,” the Master of Xhar’doth replied fondly. “But I believe it would not be prudent to put it to the test at the present juncture. Come, my dearest,” Xolys added as he hurried along after Valeria’s limo. “I fear our fellow students at Marrywell have far more urgent need of our abilities…”

Indeed, the Master of Xhar’doth had a dreadful feeling he knew exactly what Moonlight Tsubasa was planning, and he only hoped they would arrive in time to stop it, before it came to frightening fruition…


Thankfully, Ashley’s melody succeeded in both finding its target and apparently freeing her from the vampire’s insidious mystic grasp. However, the Knight of Tomorrow wouldn’t have long at all to celebrate this minor victory. While Binky’s buzzsaw was keeping the blood tendrils at bay, the crimson sphere they emanated from was growing larger by the second, to the point that it was now almost completely blocking her view of the far side of the street. Something would have to be done about this, but before any action could be taken, a loud crash announced the collapse of Gunther’s “car-mecha”. Turning her attention to the site of impact, Ashley saw Leroux inside one of the cars, entangled with Pac, mere moments before an almighty thunderbolt fell from the heavens to smite the already battered vehicle.

“Leroux!” Ashley gasped, fearing that she had lost yet another teammate mere seconds after the first.

Miraculously, the armored agent and her brainwashed passenger both appeared to have survived the lightning strike, but Pac was clearly in better shape. Pushing Leroux off her, the arcade game themed esper jumped out of the wrecked car and fired a series of energy bolts at Ashley. Lowering herself down to one knee in an effort to avoid becoming the target of any future lightning strikes, the high-tech heroine raised her energy shield to block the incoming fire, while snapping off a blast from her techno-wand at the blood tendrils, which had now redirected their attention to the car Leroux was still trapped inside. As a further defense against the myriad threats assailing her, the Knight of Tomorrow also employed a melody to sheath herself in a neon green energy barrier.

As all this was taking place, Justin had abandoned Gale for a target on the far side of the pile of wrecked vehicles. By a quick process of elimination, Ashley realized his new opponent had to be Silhouette, but that knowledge paled before the fact that Justin was now within reach…

“Gale!” Ashley called to the bluenette. “Get Leroux out of that car!”

The high-tech heroine knew that with an enchanted buzzsaw orbiting around her she would be unable to make such a rescue attempt herself, and she did not wish to directly engage a brainwashed victim like Pac. Instead, she would carefully make her way towards Justin’s position. With luck, she could take the vampire unawares amidst the chaos of battle. Then she would teach him the true meaning of suffering…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Self][Shield] = -48 mana

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 342






“U-Ummm… M-My m-magic d-doesn’t really w-work like t-that…” Connie replied in answer to Lily’s inquiry, the mouth of her mask drooping into a frown, while her trembling hands nervously fidgeted with her long hair. “S-Sorry…” she added softly.

“It’s all right, little sister,” Gaia reassured her. “We can concern ourselves with awakening the town’s inhabitants later,” she added. “Right now, our primary goal should be to keep them safe until then.”

In fact, it seemed as if Penny and Mayra had already set off to do just that. Hardly surprising, all things considered. Moving to join them, Connie, Gaia, and the Angel of Hope made their way to a three-story building directly behind one of Annabell’s giant sunflowers. While Gaia and Connie ascended to the rooftop via a beanstalk the former had conjured, the Angel simply glided up through the use of her radiant wings. Once there, the heavenly maiden was greeted with a rather alarming sight…

“Good heavens!” she gasped.

In the fields below them, Mayra’s enthusiastic elimination of the invading forces had sparked a fire that was now spreading perilously close to the line of sunflowers protecting the town.

Fucking careless idiot… As if telling everyone my real name wasn’t bad enough…

Indeed, the Angel had been unable to hide her momentary shock when the draconic girl had called her “Angela”, nearly petrified at the thought of this chaotic creature knowing her true identity, but she had quickly recovered. It was just an ironic and unfortunate coincidence that “Angel” and “Angela” sounded so similar, and it was just the draconic dimwit’s infuriating insistence to ignore every instruction given to her that had created this unpleasant turn of events, nothing more. That said, the Angel had endeavored to keep her interactions with the scaly pyromanic as limited as possible, something the current situation was making rather difficult…

“Fear not, verdant champion!” the Angel told Gaia, who seemed visibly distressed by the encroaching blaze. “You have this humble servant’s solemn vow that no harm shall come to these most splendid sunflowers!”

Stretching out her glowing staff, the angelic beauty conjured a shimmering wall between the massive sunflowers and the encroaching flames.

There, that should save those overgrown weeds from that moron’s fire. Now, let’s see what kinda offense these two losers can dish out…

“My most sincere thanks for the assistance,” Gaia told the Angel with an appreciative smile. Although it pained her to see the fields go up in flames, she knew that periodic fires were regrettable necessities for healthy plant growth. The trampling of those plants under boot and tread, however, was a different matter entirely, and one the Daughter of Mother Earth would now set to addressing…

Stepping up to the giant sunflower, the botanical beauty placed an affectionate hand upon its stalk. “You have been doing such a splendid job of keeping this town safe,” she told the plant warmly. “Please allow me to bestow Mother’s blessing upon you to assist your most noble efforts.”

Closing her eyes, the verdant maiden sent a torrent of life energy flooding into the towering plant, filling it with renewed strength and causing several of its oversized leaves to morph into mighty cobs of corn. These promptly launched themselves at the attacking army like a volley of missiles, particularly concentrating on taking out the invaders’ armored vehicles. As the emerald energy surged outwards like a network of mystical roots, it worked a similar change on each of the other sunflowers as well, and soon volleys of glowing corncobs filled the air. Not content with that, Gaia summoned Nature’s Blossom and waved the staff over the fields surrounding Bolorton (or at least the parts that weren’t on fire).

“To those who would desecrate this pristine farmland, know that Gaia, Daughter of Mother Earth, shall not abide your atrocities to continue even a moment longer!”

Sending out a burst of life-giving magic, the botanical beauty watched with satisfaction as a multitude of thorny vines sprung out of the soil to wrap tightly around infantry and vehicle alike, while rows of cornstalks disgorged dozens of smaller corn cob missiles, like some botanical VLS array. Other invaders succumbed to clouds of toxic spores, were peppered by peashooter barrages, or simply swallowed whole by monstrous Venus-flytraps. Of course, the attacking force was vast, and so large swaths of the enemy remained unengaged, although that would not remain the case for much longer…

“Okay, little sister,” Gaia told her masked friend. “I believe it is now your turn.”

“R-Right!” Connie replied with all confidence as she could muster.

Taking a deep breath to both focus herself, and calm her racing heart, the timid girl closed the eyes of her mask and raised a hand towards a large concentration of soldiers, far removed from Penny, Mayra, or Gaia’s myriad mystically enhanced plants. In front of her trembling palm, a churning vortex of dark nightmare energy grew ever larger, until it was expelled as a massive, crackling wave. Racing across the fields, it washed over the invaders by the dozen, filling their minds with the most horrific visions their tortured imaginations could possibly conceive. In particularly extreme cases, these unspeakable horrors might even be made manifest in the waking world as well, their phantasmal forms solidifying into very palpable threats…

Flinching as she listened to the terrified screams of her spell’s victims, Connie kept her eyes closed and her head turned away from the harrowing scene playing out in the distant fields. She knew that these people had launched an unprovoked attack on a peaceful town, but that knowledge did little to keep her kind heart from aching at their current plight. As she did her best to block out the soldiers anguished cries, Connie couldn’t help but replay Lily’s hopeful inquiry in her mind…

S-She wanted me to help them, was counting on me to be able to do something… B-But all I can do is this! A-All I can do is make people suffer… Giving voice to a sorrow-filled sigh, a small, black tear slid down the stark, white cheek of her mask. I-If only Magical Dream Princess were here… I’m sure she’d be able to help those people wake up…

In fact, now that she thought about it, it was actually rather strange that the whimsical girl hadn’t joined them. Surely she had gotten Lily’s text, and it was late enough for her to be finished with work.

Maybe she had a late meeting… Connie mused. Or did she decide to stay back in Penrose in case there was another monster attack?

Whatever the reason, or whatever the trouble, the timid girl was sure her incredibly strong and talented friend would be more than up to the task.





* * *

Chapter One- The Queen and I


* * *


She had failed.

She had died.

But then, why did she still hurt?

Her entire body felt incredibly sore.

She couldn’t seem to move any of her limbs.

And yet…

I-I’m still alive…?

“W-What happened to me…?” Violet asked groggily as she struggled to open her aching eyes. “W-Where am I…?”

“Ah, you’re finally awake…”

Violet’s blurry vision slowly cleared to reveal a scrawny girl in an oversized lab coat. Her mouth was curved in a sadistic grin, while her eyes were covered by a pair of goggles with glowing lenses, and her voluminous, dark hair was styled like an explosion, similar to that of Albert Einstein. Behind her was a bizarre biomechanical technomantic tangle of ultratech machinery, which whirred, bubbled, glowed, crackled and hummed, as the various inconceivable devices carried out their unimaginable functions.

“To answer your questions, you just got the sparkly shit beat out of you by some of my creations, Teams Primus and Secundus of Phase Two, to be specific, and you’re currently residing in my Lab. As for who I am, well, you probably don’t remember me, so I suppose I should⏤”

“I have a photographic memory,” Violet noted, cutting her off. “Of course I remember you. You’re Nykannis.”

Doctor Nykannis!” The goggle-wearing young woman corrected pointedly. “Queen of the Mad Scientists!”

“I must say, you look somewhat different from how I remember you,” Violet added, choosing to ignore her captor’s little outburst.

“Yes, well, seeing as I have a guest, I figured I should make myself a bit more presentable,” Nykannis explained.

“In that case, perhaps I should do the same,” Violet replied, closing her eyes and preparing to speak her incantation.

“Nice try, Princess,” Nykannis sneered. “But you won’t be transforming or using any of your magic as long as you’re in my Hyperphasic Transdimensional Quantum Focused Nullification Field!” the mad scientist declared, before giving voice to a deranged cackle. “Nyahahaha!”

“Is that supposed to sound impressive?” Violet asked snidely. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a collection of meaningless words strung together.”

Violet knew she was in trouble. She couldn’t transform, couldn’t even move, but she also knew she couldn’t show the fear she felt. She had to keep up her arrogant and composed facade, no matter how desperate her situation seemed. Besides, the young heiress was far too proud to allow herself to be seen in such a pitiful state, especially by someone like Nykannis. And perhaps, by infuriating her captor enough, she could get the mad scientist to slip up at a critical moment, granting her the chance to escape. It was a long shot, to be sure, but it was also all she had at the moment, and she would be an idiot not to at least attempt it.

“I wouldn’t expect a simple-minded moron like you to understand such things, even if you are supposed to be a genius by this world’s standards,” Nykannis was saying. “But you don’t need to understand the results of my genius to experience their effects,” she added with a smirk. Pressing a key on her holographic display, the mad scientist grinned as Violet’s energy bindings tightened considerably, while sprouting tiny spikes which dug into her flesh.

The young heiress winced in pain, but didn’t give her captor the satisfaction of crying out.

“Well, this is certainly unpleasant,” Violet observed through gritted teeth. “But if you are trying to simulate Karen’s hugs, you leave a lot to be desired.”

“Karen only wishes she could hold you as well as that can,” Nykannis shot back. “Unlike her little ‘hugs’, you won’t be getting out of there any time soon.”

“And why did you bring me here?” Violet inquired. “I cannot imagine your employer would be very pleased if he learned that you were holding me against my will, to say nothing of my father. And Penny.

“Oh, I’m well aware of how detrimental it would be to my continued existence if anyone were to ever discover what I’m doing to you here,” Nykannis replied. “Not to mention what I’ve already done… Thankfully, no one will ever know! And that includes you. See, once I’ve finished having my fun, I’ll be giving you a complete omni-spectrum mind wipe,” she explained. “It does kinda suck that you won’t remember a single aspect of what I hope will be the most hellish experience of your life,” she continued. “But at least I’ll still remember, and I think that’s the most important thing. And the reason you’re here is obviously for revenge!” the Monarch of Mad Science added. “You broke into my facility, disrupted my work, and, even more unforgivably, you annoyed and humiliated ME!!! Did you honestly believe after doing ALL THAT there wouldn’t be ANY repercussions?!”

“Do you honestly believe that keeping me here for any significant period of time won’t attract anyone’s attention?” Violet countered. “I would have thought someone of your supposed intellectual prowess wouldn’t be foolish enough to think that the mysterious disappearance of a prominent individual such as myself would simply go unnoticed.”

“Of course not,” Nykannis snapped. That’s why I’ve placed you in a very special part of my Lab,” the Monarch of Mad Science added with a grin. “A part that’s fully encased in a time dilation field! Nyahahaha! Five days in here is five seconds out there,” she explained. “So we’ll have plenty of time to have all sorts of fun together… Starting with THIS!!! she declared, pulling an oversized weapon out of a crackling tear in the dimensional fabric. “Behold! My Negaphasic Numinospheric Nightmare Cannon! Nyahahahaha!”

Despite her attempts to maintain her dismissive facade, Violet’s eyes widened in horror as she beheld the mad scientist’s highly unnerving weapon. Its amorphous, midnight black form seemed to shift into spines, tendrils, and wickedly sharp teeth, while its barrel was set in the mouth of a face whose chalk-white skin was slit by inky black cuts and pulsating veins. The mouth itself was frozen in an anguished scream, most likely in response to the spikes of darkest obsidian, which protruded from its forehead. The eyes were opened impossibly wide and filled with mind-numbing terror. Indeed, those horrific orbs shuddered and bulged with such intensity, it seemed as though they would burst apart in a shower of gore at any moment. However, the most starkly terrifying thing about that distorted, nightmarish visage was that its identity was known to the young heiress. At one moment, it appeared to be her own face, first as her mundane self, then as Magical Dream Princess. The next, it was the faces of her father and Amanda, then the face of Penny

“Whatdaya think, Princess?!” Nykannis inquired with an eager grin. “Just looking at it makes ya wanna piss yourself, right?! And see how it’s trying to eat my arm?!” she asked, pointing to where the liquified back of the eldritch weapon was smashing itself against the energy shield coating the mad scientist’s skin like a wave against a sea wall. “If I didn’t have my defenses cranked up to the max, this thing’d literally eat me alive! Nyahahaha! Just imagine the POWER it contains!” the mad scientist gushed before sobering slightly. “As you might be able to guess, I developed this guy after studying your friend’s nightmare magic, though why you’d be friends with the servant of your patron’s arch nemesis is beyond me.”

“She doesn’t serve the Lord of Nightmares by choice,” Violet shot back, trying to regain some of her composure. “And I will do everything in my power to see her freed from its vile clutches.”

“Yeah? Well, good luck with that, Nykannis sneered. “Heh, maybe this little guy will give you a taste of just what’ll happen to you when you try and fail miserably! she added, before giving voice to another peal of maniacal laughter as she charged up the eldritch weapon. “Oh, and don’t worry,” the Mad Scientist Supreme reassured her prisoner/test subject. “Even if your mind gets completely torn to shreds, I’ll just put ya back together, good as new! That way, we can do this ALL OVER AGAIN!!! NYAHAHAHA!!!”

There was a burst of horrific, mind-melting energy as the cackling Nykannis fired her warped weapon.

An instant later, and Violet’s world was consumed by the most suffocating darkness imaginable…


As it transpired, Ashley’s plan worked, up to a point. The point in question being how far through Justin’s defenses her twin attacks would penetrate. Instead of grievously wounding the vampire, they hadn’t even managed to scratch his skin. However, they did succeed in providing an opening for Gale to strike through, one which the bluenette took full advantage of, racing through the air to plunge her dagger into Justin’s chest. Unfortunately, Ashley wouldn’t witness the results of this strike. She had far more immediate concerns to deal with…

“Gaah!” the high-tech heroine cried as the various frogs clinging to her body detonated one after another. While her outfit’s defenses prevented her from being seriously injured, it still hurt like hell. It was only the mixture of hatred, fury, and raw adrenaline surging through her body that kept her focused. This was quite fortunate, seeing that Justin’s blood tendrils were even now wrapping themselves around her forearm and seeking to pull her off the roof…

“I don’t think so!” the Knight of Tomorrow snarled as she activated her contingency for just this situation.

From out of a hidden chamber on her ultratech gauntlet shot a glowing buzzsaw, which rapidly grew in size and began swiftly circling the high-tech heroine. With luck, it would slice through the crimson tendrils ensnaring her as well as the swarms of flies now descending from the storm-wracked skies above (or at least the largest of their number). In the small reprieve this would hopefully grant, Ashley would see that Justin now held Gale in his clutches. The coward had positioned her so as to shield him from further attack, but that wasn’t all. Gale also appeared to be paralyzed. As an agent of G.E.M.I.N.I., the Knight of Tomorrow had access to a wealth of information concerning various types of monsters, and in her studies she had discovered that vampires were known to possess the ability to transfix opponents, rendering them utterly helpless.

Well, we’ll just see about that…

Once again, glowing particles of neon green energy coalesced between the prongs of Ashley’s techno-wand, the gleaming sphere set between them shining with ever-increasing brilliance as yet more power was added to the nascent melody. As soon as it had reached it’s full potential, the high-tech heroine fired the ensuing beam at her blue-haired ally. She only hoped it would be strong enough to free the young woman from Justin’s sinister enchantment…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Bronze Self][Dynamo][Damage X][Piercing]

[Silver Beam][Powerful][Purity] = -84 mana

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 390


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.”

***BLAM!!!***
I think it's always been Roma, just like Suzuya's banner has never said "Burning Heart", even when she's transformed, like now.


Although Olivia had addressed her question to Valeria, it was Ozma who answered first, noting that she was indeed correct in her assumption that they were all Magical Girls, and thus should all be on the same side. Nonetheless, an uneasy tension continued to suffuse the air, accentuated by the flurry of less-than-enthusiastic responses that followed. First was Maria, who commended Olivia’s curiosity, yet still felt it was out of place in such a serious situation. This was followed by Suzuya leaping off Xolys and placing herself between Olivia and Tsubasa, while somewhat harshly rebuking the azure-clad beauty’s attempt to try and pet the now seemingly pacified Pageless. Although Olivia knew her friend was simply trying to protect her, the fox girl’s words still caused a frown to mar the fair maiden’s otherwise lovely countenance. Before she could say anything in reply, Valeria finally gave her own reponse, informing the Ethereal Rose that the masked Magical Girl had a dangerous reputation, and thus was someone to be extremely wary of. This revelation did little to remove the frown from the blonde beauty’s face, but she understood that if a Magical Girl with as much experience as Valeria was giving such warnings, then they were probably true and she would do well to heed them.

“O-Oh, I see…” Olivia replied softly. “Very well then,” she added, giving a small nod of acknowledgment, while silently joining the German in hoping that the tense standoff wouldn’t dissolve into violence and feeling considerable relief when the metal-limbed girl lowered her pistol.

Still, those concerns were quickly forgotten when Tsubasa began speaking once more, her words as refined and elegant as ever. But this time, she was addressing Olivia and her consort directly…

Oh my gosh! Is she actually giving me a chance to pet them?! the lovely maiden thought to herself, almost squealing with delight, and completely missing the insult directed towards her roommate. Oh, how absolutely wonderful! she gushed, closing her eyes as her lips curled into a blissful smile.

Indeed, the blonde beauty was so enraptured by her imaginings of what such an experience might be like that she was utterly oblivious to the rest of the masked maiden’s monologue. Thus, it came as a bit of a surprise when she was broken out of her reverie by the sound of Ozma mentioning something about a “real body” and subsequently caught sight of one of the other girls conjuring a quartet of mystic projectiles, all aimed at Tsubasa…

“U-Ummm, what’s going on?” an utterly clueless Olivia inquired.

“Miss Tsubasa has just enumerated her goals,” her darling Xolys replied. “And it regretfully appears that they stand in opposition to our own.”

While his lovely consort had been dreaming of cuddling and snuggling with piles of cute Pageless, the Master of Xhar’doth had been paying close attention to the continuing exchange between Tsubasa and the rest of the gathered Magical Girls. Although the eldritch beast had yet to hear the masked maiden’s responses to the very reasonable inquiries posed to her, something told him that Tsubasa’s answers would do little to defuse the tense atmosphere. In fact, he was almost certain they would do the exact opposite, something Ozma’s insinuation that the Tsubasa who stood before them was merely an illusion of some form only seemed to confirm. With that in mind, he tightened his grip on Olivia and made sure to move one of his larger appendages so as to shield the azure-clad beauty from any potential ranged attacks. Concurrently, he readied his myriad other limbs to spring into action at the slightest hint of danger, while tiny eyes formed on dozens of tentacular stalks, allowing him a full three hundred and sixty degree field of vision. If Moonlight Tsubasa really was planning to engage in combat, then Thyerg’Xolys would be ready…


Even as her shots continued to slowly erode Justin’s blood barrier, a not inconsiderable number of frogs threatened to erode Ashley’s clothing and skin as they leapt upon her. One even landed on her cheek, but while uncomfortable, the Knight of Tomorrow knew she couldn’t take her attention away from the vampire, not even for a moment. Events transpiring across the street only accentuated that fact, as Justin charged towards Gale, only for the bluenette to cast twin whirlwind melodies, one on the vampire, and the other on herself. As crimson globs spun around the pair and dozens of frogs were hurled against the blood barrier, their caustic detonations dissolving it further, Ashley’s eyes widened in alarm as Justin grabbed Gale and flung the bluenette towards her. Knowing that a collision at that speed would likely detonate every frog on her body, the Knight of Tomorrow nimbly dodged to the side. Such a maneuver would still cause her to step on, and subsequently detonate, at least a few of the explosive frogs hopping around the roof, but even if their corrosive innards managed to penetrate her outfit’s defenses, any pain it might generate would be as nothing compared to the heartrending sight that greeted her when she looked towards her fellow agents…

“BREACHER!!!” Ashley screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks and mixing with the crimson torrent that already coated her body.

The sound of a hellish screech accompanied the cataclysmic collision of two cars, with the draconic agent directly between them. Even with all the shield-bearing esper’s defensive abilities, the odds of her surviving such a brutal attack were slim to none, something the subsequent spray of blood from between the two mashed vehicles grimly attested to…

“S-She… She had a daughter…” Ashley whispered, before whirling to face Justin, an almost inhuman snarl emerging from deep within her anguished throat. “YOU BASTARD!!!” she howled at the vampire, her voice filled with utter fury. She had detested him before, but now her hatred had reached new, terrifying pinnacles. She wanted, needed him to die, needed him to suffer, and she would ensure he would, or die in the attempt. Her fury gave her focus, her will inexorably fixed upon the goal of ending Justin’s wretched existence. Thus, even as the vampire conjured tendrils of blood with which to ensnare them and a torrent of lice began falling from the sky, the Knight of Tomorrow set about accomplishing that task with all the impressive speed her esper form afforded her.

Reaching up to gently pluck the frog off her left cheek, she hurled the small creature at the approaching crimson tendrils, hoping its corrosive detonation would buy her the time she needed to complete this first stage of her renewed assault. Less than a second later, she raised her techno-wand and fired a beam of neon green destruction directly at the center of Justin’s chest, followed by an even stronger bolt. Without his blood barrier to protect him, the first shot should strike true, and even if it was absorbed by whatever other defenses or natural toughness the vampire might possess, the second attack, striking so soon after the first, should pass through those now-weakened defenses and cause considerably more harm…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Beam][Damage X] = -108 mana

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 474


Frogs were now falling from the roiling heavens along with the crimson rain, but Ashley was content to ignore them for the time being. The Knight of Tomorrow had Justin in her sights and a lack of focus could prove fatal, if not for herself, then for Gale, whom the vampire was currently closing in upon. Darn it! the high-tech heroine hissed as she watched Justin rotate his shield so that the rapidly shrinking opening her energy bolt had created was now facing away from them. With so much blood available to fuel his dark incantations, it seemed like it would be impossible for her to break through Justin’s defenses. Even if his spells were limited by his remaining mana, there was no telling how much of that the vampire had left, and time was clearly of the essence, something the cacophonic croaking of the surrounding frog swarm attested to.

Seeing that Gale seemed to be safe from ranged attacks for the moment, and not wanting to waste any more of her own mana than absolutely necessary, Ashley put her trust in the floaty bluenette’s ability to avoid Justin’s melee attacks and just focused on wearing down the vampire’s defenses as best as she could. To that end, the Knight of Tomorrow fired yet another glowing bolt of neon green energy at the vampire’s blood barrier. With luck, this continued bombardment would, at the very least, keep their foe’s attention divided so that Gale would be able to take advantage of any openings that might appear in Justin’s defenses. Meanwhile, Ashley’s own above-average defenses against chaos attacks should keep the corrosive frogs from harming her, at least for the time being. In any event, this was sure to be a challenging fight, and the high-tech heroine only hoped that her fellow agents were having a better time of things than she was…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 750

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 582
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