Ponn

Kurai Majokko

Norika/Nyxia

• Appearance:

Norika

Nyxia

• Name: Norika Tsukishima

• Title: Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow

• Age: 18

• Emblem: A pendant shaped like a small retro ray gun. It hangs from a necklace kept hidden under her clothes.

• Devil Arm: After transforming, Norika’s innocuous pendant becomes The Omega Obliterator, an enormous technomantic energy cannon.

• Magic: Death Rays! Not only is Nyxia’s weapon a death ray, but she can also shoot them from her hands, her eyes, and even her mouth. In addition, she can pump magic into The Omega Obliterator to supercharge it with extra power (causing it to grow larger and even sprout additional barrels), as well as conjure a pair of hovering, ray gun equipped drones to provide additional firepower or point defense as needed.

• Background: Born into the wealthy and prestigious Tsukishima family alongside her twin brother, Kaito, it soon became clear that Norika was his complete opposite in every respect. Where Kaito was brave and confident, Norika was timid, her self esteem virtually nonexistent. Where he was skilled, she seemed to fail at everything. And where he was healthy and strong, she was sickly and weak, to the point of being almost constantly bedridden for most of her young life. That said, she loved her brother dearly and never cursed his good fortune.

For his part, Kaito was equally caring towards Norika, showing her the affection their parents refused to give to such an “utter disgrace of a child”, and using the gifts they lavished upon him for her benefit, rather than his own. He would play video games with her, read her stories, and even gift her with a VR headset so that she could experience what it felt like to play outside under a sunny sky. Truly, he was the sole bright spot in Norika’s otherwise bleak and hopeless life.

Alas, even this fragile beacon would all-too-quickly be snuffed out…

On their eighteenth birthday, Kaito reluctantly informed Norika that their parents had decided that he would study abroad after graduation, at a prominent foreign university. He would only be able to see her a handful of times each year, but, even so, he promised that their bond would never falter. Even as he spoke these words, he presented his tearful sister with a small toy ray gun, explaining that it would grant her courage and strength, even if he couldn’t be present to provide those things for her himself. It was by far the most cherished gift he had ever given her, and it greatly helped to mend her breaking heart. However, nothing could withstand the soul-destroying horror that came only a week later, when she learned that Kaito had died in a car crash on the way to the airport.

Her grief was so strong, it felt as though she were being suffocated by it, as if it were a palpable force that was literally choking the life out of her. That night, while she was crying in bed, the nebulous force fully revealed itself. It was a nightmarish horror, which seemed to rise up from the floor, a writhing mass of slimy tendrils and segmented limbs with the head of a demonic mosquito. At first Norika was frozen in fear, but then she realized that the monster was frozen as well, and that a strange cat with a tv for a head was now sitting in front of her on the bed. It spoke not a word, but its flickering screen showed exactly what this monster had done the night before, exactly whose head had been impaled upon its spiked proboscis, and upon seeing this, Norika’s fear turned to blazing, glowing, incandescent rage…

In that, the darkest moment of her life, even darker power surged into her, remaking timid, weak Norika into someone altogether more terrifying. In a blast of dark radiance, Norika was reborn, her toy ray gun now a weapon of horrible potency, and she wasted no time in making use of it. Giving voice to a scream of anguished fury, the transformed Norika annihilated her monstrous visitor, the ruinous energies of her death ray violently rending the nightmarish creature asunder.

Although she passed out shortly afterwards, Norika knew that what had occurred the night before had been no mere dream. There may have been no trace of the tv-headed cat or the monster’s myriad goopy remains, but the fact that her toy ray gun had now become a small, slightly glowing pendant was all the proof she needed. She knew what had really happened to her brother, she knew what horrors haunted the night, but most importantly, she knew she now had the power to kill them. To kill ALL of them…

Each subsequent night, she would transform into her psychotic alter-ego and kill as many Miseria as she possibly could. Already enjoying a euphoric high from her nightly slaughters, she soon discovered that each Miseria killed also increased her own power, making her even better at cleansing the streets of them. And then she had a twisted epiphany. If she could become powerful enough, her death rays could do more than tear though Miseria and mundane objects. They could tear trough the very fabric of reality, letting her travel back in time to the night of her brother’s death. They could let her save him! With this deranged video game-inspired goal at the forefront of her mind, Norika, or rather, Nyxia, has made it a personal vow to kill as many Miseria as it takes to achieve it, and pity anyone who dares to stand in her way…

• Sample Post:

Sample Post

In the otherwise silent depths of the night, the sound of muffled sobs filled the opulent bedroom, their source barely visible as a small, shuddering lump underneath the covers, dimly illuminated by the star-shaped nightlight in the corner of the otherwise shadowy chamber. This had been by far the worst day of Norika’s life, and as the night’s darkness threatened to smother her frail body, so too did an even more profound darkness threaten to smother her heart. “K-Kaito… K-Kaito…” she whimpered as she clung to her ray gun with all her meager strength.

It was an incredibly juvenile thing for a young woman of eighteen years to be doing, objectively speaking, yet Norika had always been meek and childish, something not helped by the scrawny, almost emaciated appearance of her illness-ravaged body. Yet, Norika didn’t care. This “toy” was a precious gift from the one person to ever treat her with kindness, and now that he was gone, it was all she had left of him. He had said it would give her strength, and she desperately wanted to believe his words. How often had they practiced using the gun to banish fears and unhappy thoughts. “Pew pew!” she would voice as she pretended to shoot those phantasmal foes, taking courage from the “weapon” her brother had promised would protect her just as well as he had. She tried to do that now, but the words wouldn’t come. Only tears. In the depths of her broken heart, Norika knew the truth. She was utterly, completely powerless and utterly, completely alone.

Yet, as she would soon discover, neither of those things were true…

The sudden flickering of her nightlight was Norika’s first indication that something wasn’t quite right. Peeking out from under her covers, the timid girl gave voice to a frightened gasp as she watched the shadows swirl and coalesce into the menacing form of a nightmarish monstrosity, a chittering, writhing mass of viscus tendrils and segmented, insectoid limbs, all tipped by wickedly curving spines. Eyes wide as she shuddered with indescribable terror, Norika instinctively whipped out her ray gun and pointed it at the monstrous horror’s mosquito-like head. “P-P-Pew, p-p-pew…” she whimpered in a barely-audible voice as she ineffectually squeezed the trigger. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks and her weak heart pounded like a jackhammer, threatening to completely give out at any moment. Yet, even so, she noticed that while her “weapon” might not have managed to harm the monster, the creature had stopped moving forward. In fact, it had completely frozen in place.

A moment later, the terrified girl realized that a cat had sat itself down on her bed. A cat with a static-filled tv screen for a head. Even as Norika’s eyes were drawn to that flickering screen, the static faded, only to be replaced by a scene even more nightmarish than the one she currently found herself in. It showed her brother’s limousine being attacked by the very creature now frozen before her bed. It showed her brother being violently pulled out of the mangled wreckage. It showed the creature’s spiked proboscis extending. It showed…

Norika screamed. It was a scream of anguish, a scream of horror, but also, far more than anything else, it was a scream of rage. In that instant, Norika’s heart shattered completely, only to be reforged an instant later by a dark power of unimaginable potency. Glowing, sickly energy surged from deep within her, remaking the fearful and fragile girl into something, into someone, far stronger and far more terrifying… Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow emerged from the pitiful remains of Norika Tsukishima to utterly annihilate the wretched thing that had dared to kill her beloved brother. The ruinous beam disgorged by her massively enlarged ray gun utterly rent the hapless monster asunder, splattering its smoldering remains all across the once-immaculate chamber.

Her mouth spread wide in a sadistic grin as she gleefully took note of her accomplishment and reveled in the gleeful euphoria it filled her with, Nyxia tossed her head back and unleashed a deafening peal of psychotic laughter.

“YES!!!” she cried in deranged delight. “DIE YOU MOTHER FUCKING SHIT STAIN!!!” she screamed as she fired at the creature’s remains again and again. “DIE, DIE, DIE!!! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

Collapsing back onto her bed in utter exhaustion, Nyxia hugged her enormous energy cannon tight to her heaving chest.

“T-Thank you, baby,” she whispered, before giving the weapon an affectionate kiss. “Y-you really did protect mommy, didn’t you…” she murmured, before slipping off into a deep and contented slumber.

It might have been the worst day of her young life, but it was also unquestionably the best night.

• Other: Due to a combination of her poor health and her family’s vast wealth, Norika was home schooled (when she was even healthy enough to attend lessons), and so is not currently a member of Hibusa High’s Detention Club.

The Secret Lives Of Schoolteachers - A Magical Girl Mix-up RP

Misugi Aiko

The Mundane

Name: Misugi Aiko

Age: 28

Regular Appearance:

Aiko the Music Teacher

Aiko prefers to dress in a modest and traditional (or as her students say, “old fashioned”) manner. She doesn’t actually need her glasses, but likes to wear them because she thinks they give her a more professional appearance.

Subject: Music

Personality: Aiko is a demure and soft spoken young woman who is always quick to offer a kind word of encouragement, or piece of helpful advice. Serene and gentle, most students believe Miss Misugi doesn’t have a single mean bone in her body. Polite in the extreme, she never yells, and rarely even raises her voice, content to speak in the warm and tranquil tone that has become her trademark. Ironically, her calm demeanor seems to sooth her students to such a degree, that any disruptions that might warrant a harsher, more forceful approach never even occur in the first place.

Bio: The youngest child of a family of musicians, it seemed only natural that Aiko would take up an instrument of her own. However, the Misugis were also a highly traditional family, and all modern musical genres and instruments were heavily frowned upon. If Aiko was to play, it would be a proper instrument, used to create proper music. For her part, Aiko seemed to accept this, and her natural talent for the violin won her the praise of her teachers and family. She was always the perfect student, the perfect daughter, getting good grades and dutifully obeying her parents’ every wish. But Aiko had a secret…

In her final year of high school, she had met Kuroko, a new transfer student. Brash, loud, crude, and carefree, she was everything Aiko was not, yet, somehow, the two became fast friends. They took care to keep that friendship hidden, of course, since both were well aware of what would happen if Aiko’s parents ever found out about the company she was keeping. It was certainly a bit of a challenge, but Aiko soon came to find the subterfuge oddly exciting. She would tell her parents she was studying at the library, or doing some other innocuous thing, when, in reality, she was hanging out with Kuroko and her friends. Sometimes, if it was too late for those excuses to be feasible, she would even straight up sneak out. After she’d been fully disguised by a new outfit, make up, and even a wig, Aiko would tag along as they went to arcades, karaoke lounges, and sometimes even clubs. Thanks to Kuroko’s fake IDs, they could get into all sorts of places. It all provided her with a freedom she had never imagined, and she found herself loving every minute of it.

This double life would reach its crescendo when Kuroko decided to form a band. Because Aiko had the most amazing voice out of the group, she would be the lead singer, a prospect that was initially frightening, but soon became exhilarating. Although she had performed on stage before, those had been formal, refined affairs. Now, instead of a reserved and stoic audience, she stood before riotous, deafening crowds. Instead of a violin played with precision and grace, she now shredded an electric guitar with wild abandon. And instead of remaining silent and demure, she belted out harsh lyrics at the top of her lungs. Being able to become a completely different version of herself, the real version of herself, was immensely liberating for Aiko, but, sadly, it was not to last.

Kuroko had always lived her life without a single care for the consequences of her actions, taking insane risks without batting an eye, and, just before graduation, the inevitable occurred. One of her rivals had challenged her to a motorcycle race on a rain-lashed mountain road, and although Aiko had begged her not to go through with it, Kuroko had been insistent. She knew it was dangerous, but if she backed out, she would never be able to live with herself. She had sworn a long time ago to meet every challenge head on, and this one would be no exception. Tears filled Aiko’s eyes as she watched Kuroko ride off into the rainy night, already knowing in her heart that it would be the last time she would see her friend alive.

Kuroko’s death brought with it the death of Aiko’s secret life. At university, she closed herself off to her true passions, putting on the tranquil facade of the perfect young lady she had grown so accustomed to. What was the point of pursuing what she loved, when such things only reminded her that Kuroko was gone? No, instead she would devote herself entirely to being the daughter her parents wanted, only pursuing music of a serene and elegant nature, not only to appease her family, but also in the hopes that it might wash away her past self and the agonizing pain that went with it. For the most part, she has been successful in this. Having gone into education as a music teacher, Aiko does her best to impart a love of the more soothing and harmonious aspects of music to her students, yet, deep within her heart there still remains a desire to encourage them to be true to themselves, even if she is unable to do the same for herself.

Other: Her old double life remains a closely guarded secret, with none save her former friends/bandmates having any knowledge of who she used to be. That said, she still has an irrational fear of one of them potentially spilling the beans about it, and the fact that she severed all ties with them in the wake of Kuroko’s death hasn’t helped matters.

The Magical

Transformed Appearance:

Aiko the Badass Rocker

Weapon: A jagged-edged electric guitar, which serves as the instrument (pun intended) via which most of her magic is cast. Several sharp spikes, and even twin razorblades, can also magically extend from it, turning it into an ax in a very literal sense.

Magic: Aiko’s magic is based on the rock music (a mix of punk and metal) that she used to play in Kuroko’s band.

• Epic Shredding- Aiko goes nuts with her guitar and produces a series of sonic-based ranged attacks.
  .
• Sonic Blast- Raising her pick high above her head and then bringing it crashing down against the strings in a mighty sweep, Aiko creates a massive wave of sonic energy.
  .
• Pyrotechnics- An additional set of effects capable of being added to either of the previously listed attacks, Aiko can cause a rapid-fire stream of blazing sparks, crackling arcs of lightning, and gouts of flame to shoot out of her guitar.
  .
• Crank it up to 11- A last ditch super move, this allows Aiko to overcharge her normal attacks and conjures a par of flaming skulls to further augment them with the speakers mounted in their eye sockets.

Other: In her transformed state, Aiko looks and acts like a completely different person, in particular, an older version of the badass punk rocker persona she used during her time in Kuroko’s band. She even goes by the stage name she used in those days, “Nails” (chosen because her father once said the kind of music they played sounded like “nails on a chalkboard”). However, despite her harsher demeanor, she remains the same kind and caring person at heart, willing to do anything for the sake of her students.

The Secret Lives Of Schoolteachers - A Magical Girl Mix-up RP

Misugi Aiko

The Mundane

Name: Misugi Aiko

Age: 28

Regular Appearance:

Aiko the Music Teacher

Aiko prefers to dress in a modest and traditional (or as her students say, “old fashioned”) manner. She doesn’t actually need her glasses, but likes to wear them because she thinks they give her a more professional appearance.

Subject: Music

Personality: Aiko is a demure and soft spoken young woman who is always quick to offer a kind word of encouragement, or piece of helpful advice. Serene and gentle, most students believe Miss Misugi doesn’t have a single mean bone in her body. Polite in the extreme, she never yells, and rarely even raises her voice, content to speak in the warm and tranquil tone that has become her trademark. Ironically, her calm demeanor seems to sooth her students to such a degree, that any disruptions that might warrant a harsher, more forceful approach never even occur in the first place.

Bio: The youngest child of a family of musicians, it seemed only natural that Aiko would take up an instrument of her own. However, the Misugis were also a highly traditional family, and all modern musical genres and instruments were heavily frowned upon. If Aiko was to play, it would be a proper instrument, used to create proper music. For her part, Aiko seemed to accept this, and her natural talent for the violin won her the praise of her teachers and family. She was always the perfect student, the perfect daughter, getting good grades and dutifully obeying her parents’ every wish. But Aiko had a secret…

In her final year of high school, she had met Kuroko, a new transfer student. Brash, loud, crude, and carefree, she was everything Aiko was not, yet, somehow, the two became fast friends. They took care to keep that friendship hidden, of course, since both were well aware of what would happen if Aiko’s parents ever found out about the company she was keeping. It was certainly a bit of a challenge, but Aiko soon came to find the subterfuge oddly exciting. She would tell her parents she was studying at the library, or doing some other innocuous thing, when, in reality, she was hanging out with Kuroko and her friends. Sometimes, if it was too late for those excuses to be feasible, she would even straight up sneak out. After she’d been fully disguised by a new outfit, make up, and even a wig, Aiko would tag along as they went to arcades, karaoke lounges, and sometimes even clubs. Thanks to Kuroko’s fake IDs, they could get into all sorts of places. It all provided her with a freedom she had never imagined, and she found herself loving every minute of it.

This double life would reach its crescendo when Kuroko decided to form a band. Because Aiko had the most amazing voice out of the group, she would be the lead singer, a prospect that was initially frightening, but soon became exhilarating. Although she had performed on stage before, those had been formal, refined affairs. Now, instead of a reserved and stoic audience, she stood before riotous, deafening crowds. Instead of a violin played with precision and grace, she now shredded an electric guitar with wild abandon. And instead of remaining silent and demure, she belted out harsh lyrics at the top of her lungs. Being able to become a completely different version of herself, the real version of herself, was immensely liberating for Aiko, but, sadly, it was not to last.

Kuroko had always lived her life without a single care for the consequences of her actions, taking insane risks without batting an eye, and, just before graduation, the inevitable occurred. One of her rivals had challenged her to a motorcycle race on a rain-lashed mountain road, and although Aiko had begged her not to go through with it, Kuroko had been insistent. She knew it was dangerous, but if she backed out, she would never be able to live with herself. She had sworn a long time ago to meet every challenge head on, and this one would be no exception. Tears filled Aiko’s eyes as she watched Kuroko ride off into the rainy night, already knowing in her heart that it would be the last time she would see her friend alive.

Kuroko’s death brought with it the death of Aiko’s secret life. At university, she closed herself off to her true passions, putting on the tranquil facade of the perfect young lady she had grown so accustomed to. What was the point of pursuing what she loved, when such things only reminded her that Kuroko was gone? No, instead she would devote herself entirely to being the daughter her parents wanted, only pursuing music of a serene and elegant nature, not only to appease her family, but also in the hopes that it might wash away her past self and the agonizing pain that went with it. For the most part, she has been successful in this. Having gone into education as a music teacher, Aiko does her best to impart a love of the more soothing and harmonious aspects of music to her students, yet, deep within her heart there still remains a desire to encourage them to be true to themselves, even if she is unable to do the same for herself.

Other: Her old double life remains a closely guarded secret, with none save her former friends/bandmates having any knowledge of who she used to be. That said, she still has an irrational fear of one of them potentially spilling the beans about it, and the fact that she severed all ties with them in the wake of Kuroko’s death hasn’t helped matters.

The Magical

Transformed Appearance:

Aiko the Badass Rocker

Weapon: A jagged-edged electric guitar, which serves as the instrument (pun intended) via which most of her magic is cast. Several sharp spikes, and even twin razorblades, can also magically extend from it, turning it into an ax in a very literal sense.

Magic: Aiko’s magic is based on the rock music (a mix of punk and metal) that she used to play in Kuroko’s band.

• Epic Shredding- Aiko goes nuts with her guitar and produces a series of sonic-based ranged attacks.
  .
• Sonic Blast- Raising her pick high above her head and then bringing it crashing down against the strings in a mighty sweep, Aiko creates a massive wave of sonic energy.
  .
• Pyrotechnics- An additional set of effects capable of being added to either of the previously listed attacks, Aiko can cause a rapid-fire stream of blazing sparks, crackling arcs of lightning, and gouts of flame to shoot out of her guitar.
  .
• Crank it up to 11- A last ditch super move, this allows Aiko to overcharge her normal attacks and conjures a par of flaming skulls to further augment them with the speakers mounted in their eye sockets.

Other: In her transformed state, Aiko looks and acts like a completely different person, in particular, an older version of the badass punk rocker persona she used during her time in Kuroko’s band. She even goes by the stage name she used in those days, “Nails” (chosen because her father once said the kind of music they played sounded like “nails on a chalkboard”). However, despite her harsher demeanor, she remains the same kind and caring person at heart, willing to do anything for the sake of her students.

The Secret Lives of Schoolteachers - A Magical Girl Mix-up RP

This looks like an interesting concept...

I might have an idea for a music teacher.

Kurai Majokko-A Magical Girl RP

Perhaps

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

VS

---

Arriving at their assigned arena, Olivia, placed Xolys on the floor, retrieved her neon blue controller from her backpack and moved a short distance away. With a push of the controller’s prominent “START” button, a vortex of cracking blue energy swirled around Xolys, the small robot swiftly transforming into a towering technomantic terror.

“Shift to combat mode complete,” Xolys noted.

“All right!” Olivia acknowledged with an excited grin. “Now let’s see who we’re gonna be going up against!”

They wouldn’t have to wait long.

Soon enough, a tall, fiery-haired woman with a cowboy hat and wielding a pair of heavy machine guns appeared on the far side of the arena.

“Gosh! I really like your sci-fi cowgirl aesthetic!” Olivia called. “Are you a fan of Roach Rider Rachel?!” she inquired. “That was one of my favorite shows growing up!” the bluenette added. “I just loved how cute all her giant, genetically modified insects were! Oh! And she also had some really cool guns, just like you do!”

“Indeed, those are some very impressive armaments, Miss Cindy,” Xolys agreed. “Your strength must be quite prodigious in order to wield them both single-handed.”

Cindy wasn’t even so much as reacting… just smoking a cigar. By the time Olivia was done speaking the cigar was at its end and she dropped it to the ground and stepped on it.

“I’m going to be honest with you kid,” Cindy started, “You’re in the wrong tournament.”

She pulled out her guns as she said, “Someone is offering big bucks for that power stone. So you know how this is gonna go.”

“Yeah,” Olivia agreed with a grin, her gleaming blue eyes taking on an even greater intensity, even as Xolys’s myriad trans-phasic energy scythes glowed with building power. “We do!”

Holodisplays flashing to life above her controller, Olivia’s fingers hovered over the array of buttons as she waited for the match to...

“BEGIN!”

Cindy immediately barraged Olivia with a hailfire of bullets - but they didn’t seem to be right. They didn’t seem to be bullets and more of mini balls of ki.

From his position in front of Olivia, it wasn’t hard for Xolys to intercept the ki bullets with his massive body, the multiple impacts sending showers of sparks flying off the eldritch machine’s technomantic armor.

“Hey! You’re supposed to be fighting Xolys, not me!” Olivia called out, even as she instructed her monstrous partner to lash out at Cindy with one of his technomantic tendrils via a series of quick button taps.

Cindy was obviously a ranged combatant, so if Xolys could reel the machine gunner in close, then she would hopefully be vulnerable to his impressive array of melee weapons.

“You’re on the battlefield…” Cindy said as she pulled out a grenade that was painted with the stars n stripes. “… That means you’re a combatant!”

She threw the grenade and it exploded with a massive burst of red, white and blue.

“B-But…! Uh… T-That’s not…!” Olivia stammered, even as Cindy deftly dodged Xolys’s technomantic tentacle in a superhuman burst of agility, and chucked a grenade at her eldritch adversary. However, the weapon’s multicolored flashes and smoke seemed less intended to inflict harm, but rather disorient and conceal, in preparation for the fiery-haired cowgirl’s next attack.

In an attempt to counteract this, Olivia instructed Xolys to begin rapidly spinning his myriad tendrils around himself, the resulting whirlwind hopefully dispersing the patriotic-themed smoke, and perhaps even catching Cindy herself, if she had gotten too close.

By the time the smoke had dissipated, Cindy had appeared on the other side of the room with a bazooka on her shoulder. She pulled the trigger and launched a rocket (Painted like - you guessed it) at Xolys.

Not wasting a moment, Xolys charged up his head-mounted Unreality Beam, the technomantic terror’s massive eye glowing brighter and brighter, until a swirling cylinder of warped, kaleidoscopic energy shot forth mere seconds before Cindy’s missile made impact. With luck, the powerful beam would not only destroy the projectile, but also be swift enough to strike the fast moving cowgirl who launched it.

The laser exploded the missile and caught Cindy off guard, launching her backwards with a roll. She grit her teeth as she slammed her fist on the ground. “You got tricks, eh…?” She muttered as she reached behind her. “…Well so do I!”

She threw a bundle of three grenades that created actual explosions.

Seeing the incoming attack, Xolys began to spin up his techno-tendrils in an attempt to knock the grenades away, but their detonations still sent him reeling backwards and damaged the tips of several of the tentacular appendages. An instant later, he sent one of the undamaged tendrils shooting out in an effort to ensnare the feisty cowgirl once more and drag her into range of his glowing trans-phasic energy-scythes.

“Uh-oh!” Cindy shouted as she grabbed her guns. “I see where this is going.” She unleashed a barrage of bullets at Xolys.

The hail of fire battered Xolys’s armor, leaving a few deep gashes here and there, but his techno tendril was still able to wrap tightly around Cindy and zap her with a powerful electric shock, before rapidly reeling her towards his towering technomantic form.

“Gotcha!” Olivia declared with a fierce grin.

“… Is what I should be sayin!” Cindy shouted through the pain as she chucked a grenade at Olivia.

Giving voice to a startled gasp, Olivia barely had time to reposition one of Xolys’s bulky, scythe-tipped appendages to block the incoming bomb, before it detonated with a loud boom and a bright flash. When her vision cleared, Olivia saw that the badly damaged blocking arm was now hanging limply, its once vibrantly glowing trans-phasic energy scythe having become a dull gray.

Even so, Cindy was still ensnared, and had now come within range of Xolys’s other appendages. Not wasting a moment, Olivia’s fingers rapidly jabbed an intricate series of buttons in a blur of motion. This had the effect of sending her eldritch partner’s remaining trans-phasic energy scythes darting out to repeatedly jab their opponent with a series of powerful blows. Although the attacks were blunted due to the rules of the tournament, they were still more than sufficient to batter a Nomad senseless.

While they were beating Cindy, she reached down and pulled out two grenades that exploded in her face. Injuring her but should give her space.

The force of the twin detonations sent Cindy hurtling backwards and severely damaged several of Xolys’s appendages. However, the crimson-haired cowgirl was still being tightly held by a techno-tendril, and Xolys’s cyclopean, neon blue eye was beginning to glow ever-brighter…

An instant later, a churning beam of unreality lanced out to slam into Cindy with staggering power. Cindy quickly rolled to the side to dodge the beam and quickly pulled out her machine guns and cut loose on the tendril that had her bound. Such concentrated firepower was enough to sever the tendril, the part wrapped around the futuristic cowgirl disintegrating in a shimmer of blue particles. Yet, even before those particles had fully faded, three more tendrils shot out in quick succession to hold her in place, while Xolys’s eye began to glow again, clearly powering up for another blast…

When Cindy pulled out her bazooka and shot a rocket right for the damned thing.

Even as the techno-tendrils coiled around her, Cindy’s rocket shot across the arena, before being annihilated mid-flight by the eldritch energies of Xolys’s unreality beam. A moment later, each of the three tendrils holding the cowgirl in place sent a torrent of electricity shooting into her, which forced her to convulse… 
… Before letting one final attack towards Olivia - just chucking a grenade in her direction.

“Oh crap!”

Her eyes going wide, the bespectacled bluenette’s fingers flew across her control pad in a blur of motion. Even as a techno tendril whipped out to knock her out of the grenade’s path, Xolys fired another unreality beam at the convulsing machine gunner.

“Are you all right, Olivia?!” Xolys asked, his voice filled with concern.

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay,” Olivia replied shakily as she tried to catch her breath after having the wind knocked out of her. “T-Thanks, Xolys.”

Cindy was soon knocked out.

”AAAAAAND THE AMERICAN DREAMER IS OUT! THIS MATCH GOES TO OLIVIA AND XOLYS!”

“All right! We did it!” Olivia cheered with an elated giggle, punching a fist in the air as her vibrant blue eyes seemed to sparkle with tiny starbursts. “Great job, Xolys!”

“My thanks,” the technomantic terror replied with a bow. “Although, as always, I could not have done it without your exemplary guidance, Olivia,” he added, causing a blush to color the bluenette’s cheeks.

“O-oh, uh, well, you’re always welcome, Xolys…” Olivia stammered with a dopey smile, before giving her massive partner a big hug. “Okay!” she declared after a moment. “Let’s get ready for the next match!”

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

Pentius-04 Stats

Pentius-04

4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3
14 | 16 | 45 | 51 | 10

Reinforcement, Gravity | Teleportation, Regeneration, Invulnerability

Enhanced Outfit | Enhanced Weapon | Dual Weapon | Enhanced Sustenance | Defender | Gifted | Mystic Artifact | Power Artifact (Oddball: Nullification)

Job Satisfaction | Chatty | Retrieval | Focused | Paragon | Ultratechnomystic Power Accumulator Pocket Dimension | Mystic Might | Mental Link

Arrogance | Big Brother

Although she had been briefed on how… excitable her charge could be, it still came as something of a surprise to Pentius-04 when Lily grabbed her by the wrist and started excitedly waving her arm at a new arrival. “S-Salutations,” she managed to stammer as Alexander joined them. “I have been assigned to ensure Miss Lily’s safety,” she added, hoping this explanation would be enough to dispel any concerns her charge’s romantic partner might have. However, it soon became apparent that there were far greater things to worry about, as Ebon Mint coin broker-in-training Chloe Irving made her grand entrance and conjured her own monstrous bodyguard.

“Be assured, while I shall take no hostile action against anyone present, I shall also allow no harm to befall my charge,” 04 told the dark magical girl, while simultaneously moving to stand in front of Lily and activating her shield’s expansive, multi-layered energy barrier.

---

MDP Stats

Magical Dream Princess

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
4 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 9

Oddball: Sweet Dreams | Barrage

Wealth and Resources (not while tf'd) | Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Dual Weapon | Natural Aging | Money | Intuition

Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless

Melissa Stats

Melisa Reese

Age: 28/13 | Gender: Female/Female | Spirit | Skimpy
Ranged | Tentacles | Lesser Force
Reverence, Lure, Enter Sandman, Communion, Inheritance, Prey of Choice, Invisibility, Wings
Focused, Mental Link, Retrieval, Magical Overload
Limited, Excommunicated?, Second Specialization

STR: 06 | AGI: 06 | VIT: 06 | MAG: 06 | LCK: 06

STR: 06 | AGI: 11 | VIT: 07 | MAG: 13 | LCK: 10

Shortly after the arrival of Chloe, Penny, and their attendant entourages, a colorful rainicorn pegasus spiraled around in the sky above the park, before bursting into a series of brilliant fireworks and a shower of sparkling glitter and glowing stars.

“Hiiiiiiyeee~!” a sickeningly cheerful voice called out as a pink-clad magical girl dropped from the sky alongside a small fairy. “Like, ta-daaa~!” she declared once the pair had landed and struck complementary poses. “Super Cute Pretty Pretty Magical Dream Princess and Super Duper Adorable Fairy Princess Melisa Wisa are heresie weresie nowie~! (giggle!)”

”Hiiiiii!” Melisa yelled out as she fluttered around her friend. Except a few, most of the attendees probably wouldn’t have recognized the tiny fairy girl. Since breaking free of her monstrous form, she had stayed out of most of the conflicts. Fighting wasn’t really her thing if she could avoid it.

Her eyes darting around in eager excitement, MDP briefly took note of Chloe and her skeletal creation, before the whimsical girl’s painfully limited attention refocused on something she found far more appealing… “Wowie zowie~!” she exclaimed as she bounced over to the Sanctuary delegation. “Penny Wenny’s heresie wersie, too~! (giggle!) Like, Magical Dream Princess just wuvs your new capey wapey thingie wingie~! (giggle!)” she told her girlfriend with a happy smile. “And, like, did you see, did you see~?! Melisa Wisa’s not a dolly wolly person werson anymorsie~! (giggle!) Like, she’s a fairy wairy person werson nowie~!” the bubbly Princess of Dreams added as she gestured to her tiny friend.

Following MDP the fairy girl would wave ecstatically. She didn’t really know that many of the others currently present all that well, though she did steal a glance at Ruby as she appeared in a puff of smoke. That girl’s magic was of particular interest, even if Melisa didn’t quite register it as such in her own mind. Anyway, she looked back to Penny. ”Uh huh. Your Beacon friends were able to do it. I don’t know why people don’t like them. They’re really nice.”

“Like, some of them can be kinda winda grumpy wumpy,” MDP noted. “But, like, other wothers, like Fan Fany Wan Wany, are like, super duper nicey wicey~! (giggle!)” she added.

A moment later, the whimsical girl noticed a pair of new arrivals, and with a gleeful squeal she darted over to greet them. “Pastel-chaaaan~!” she cheered as she glomped the bespectacled magician. “Magical Dream Princess is soooo happy wappy to see you againsie wensie~! (giggle!) Like, is this one of your other wother friendy wendies~?!” she inquired as her attention refocused on Valerie. “Wowie zowie~! Like, is she a robotic wotic person werson like Penny Wenny?!” she asked excitedly as she bounced up and down on her tiptoes. “Is she?! Is she?! Is she?!”

However, before an answer could be provided, Lily began her opening greeting, after which, Alex mentioned the possibility of evacuating the city’s civilian populace into a safe pocket dimension, causing MDP’s eyes to sparkle as an idea popped into her ADHD-addled brain. “Oh~! Oh~!” she chirped, rapidly waving her hand as she jumped up and down. “Pastel-chan has one of those pocket wocket dimension wension thingie wingies~! Right, Pastel-chan~?!” she asked, turning to Amanda with a big smile.

---

Angel of Hope Stats

Angel of Hope

3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3
5 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 5

Reinforcement | Third Eye

Enhanced Outfit | Enhanced Weapon | Enhanced Sustenance | Wings | Gifted

Job Satisfaction | Chatty | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Cagey | Expendable | Big Brother

Descending on radiant wings, the Angel of Hope smiled down upon the gathered magicals. “Warmest greetings, mystical champions of Penrose!” she announced. “It fills this humble servant’s heart with such great joy to see you all put aside whatever previous animosities you might have held towards one another and come together in this auspicious forum of peaceful cooperation!” the heavenly maiden gushed, her eyes glistening. “Truly this is a blessed day indeed!”

Great… Just what I wanted to do tonight, join some sappy as fuck kumbaya circlejerk…

A moment later, however, and the angelic beauty gave voice to a startled gasp upon noticing the skeletal behemoth standing next to Chloe. “My heavens!” she cried, placing her hands over her mouth, while her eyes widened in shock. “What an imposing creature! Truly, it is rare indeed for this humble servant to behold such a terrifying visage!”

Holy shit… That thing looks fucking badass! Though I bet I could create something even cooler with my reinforcement magic if I didn’t have to deal with all these stupid ‘non-violent’ restrictions…

Soon enough, Lily began addressing the gathering, and the Angel listened to the green-haired young woman in respectful silence.

Fuck, I thought her name sounded familiar… She’s that ditzy bitch from last time… And of fucking course miss ‘lovechild of a kawaiiko vtuber and a Lisa Frank catalogue’ has to be here, too… I swear, that voice could fucking kill someone if they had to listen to it long enough. Well, at least she hasn’t noticed me yet, so I guess that’s a plus…

---

Connie and Mia Stats

Connie

3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3
5 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 5

Oddball: Nightmares | Tentacles

Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Mystic Artifact | Ally | Interdimensional Home

Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless

---

Mia

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 5

Wood | Barrage

Enhanced Weapon | Dual Weapon | Purification Artifact | Big Red Button

Blessing | Divine Competence | Gifted Item | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Rites| Arrogance | Big Brother | Clueless

Kayli Stats

Kayli Devon

Age: 15/15 | Gender: Female/Female | Reinforcement, Psychic, Light | Uniform
Ranged | Power of Friendship, Nullification, Third Eye | Solo
Enhanced Weapon, Healing Artifact, Martial Training, Gifted, Enhanced Transformation, Arcane Activation, Fated, #&$*?!?, Stalwart
Free Agent, Genki Girl, Magical Overload
Alone, Excommunicated?, Second Specialization

STR: 06 | AGI: 06 | VIT: 06 | MAG: 06 | LCK: 06

STR: 08 | AGI: 13 | VIT: 16 | MAG: 19 | LCK: 06

STR: 08 | AGI: 13 | VIT: 16 | MAG: 23 | LCK: 08

Rose Stats

Rose Devon

Age: 15/27 | Gender: Female/Female | Spirit | Uniform
Melee | Twinned Soul | Solo
Disguise Artifact, Mystic Artifact, Wings, Fated, Mana Channel
Free Agent, Mystic Might
Alone

STR: 03 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 03 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 04

STR: 04 | AGI: 06 | VIT: 06 | MAG: 14 | LCK: 04

Iris Stats

Iris Devon

Age: 15/27 | Gender: Female/Female | Spirit | Uniform
Melee | Teleportation | Solo
Disguise Artifact, Mystic Artifact, Wings, Fated, Mana Channel
Free Agent, Mystic Might
Alone

STR: 03 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 03 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 06

STR: 04 | AGI: 06 | VIT: 06 | MAG: 14 | LCK: 06

Arriving after most of the others was a small procession led by Kayli. She was flanked by Rose and Iris, with Connie and Gaia following close behind.

“Quite the gathering, wouldn’t you say, little sister?” Gaia whispered to Connie with a serene smile.

“Y-Yeah…” Connie agreed, attempting to return the verdant maiden’s smile with one of her own, but still seeming a bit downcast, something Gaia easily picked up on.

Although the Daughter of Mother Earth was pleased to see such a large turn out, she was still concerned for her best friend. Even now, she held Connie’s hand and was gently massaging the top of it with her thumb. “You know, even if we have nothing else to contribute, I am sure that simply being here will make Lily very happy,” she told her masked friend softly, while giving the timid girl’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Slowing her pace slightly, Kayli would put an arm around Connie to reassure her. ”Everything will be alright, Connie.” There was more that she wanted to say, but that would be best saved for a later time when they weren’t surrounded by others. Unfortunately, this life was not one of peace. Especially in these current times.

A number had spoken up as more arrived, trying to figure out how best to approach defense of the city and its citizens. Evacuating a city was one thing, figuring out a way to do it was another. Ideally everyone would be out of the way to begin with as it would be hard to say when Wonderland would make their move. Looking around at everyone, she would speak up. ”I would not put it past Wonderland to use our want to protect the population as a diversion. Perhaps we could get ahead of that and create a reason to have everyone evacuate in advance. Not my favorite tactic, but it’s worth considering. An environmental health sort of thing. A gas leak or the like that requires moving people out. Between our groups and organizations, there’s little reason we could not pull enough strings to have the media do most of our work in that regard.” Penrose had already been through a lot, so subjecting it to further turmoil wasn’t high on the list of things to do. Previous damage should make it an easier sell though.

One thing potentially addressed, there was still actually beating Wonderland in a potential conflict. Since becoming the Keeper of the Keys, her primary goal has been to find a way to defend the Nexus. As such, she has been busy examining what she could of its nature. ”To the defense of the city and the Nexus then. I don’t know the number of these toy soldiers you brought up. However, I have a small army of constructs that could be brought to bear.” Among the things left behind in the wake of chaos that is Penrose, Cindy had worked out a number of agreements for resources. Some of those Kayli returned, as it did not seem right to keep hold of. One that almost no one knew, aside from Mariette perhaps, was the army of Talos statues that would have been all but lost had Janet not gotten into a mental kerfuffle with the late Queen of Penrose. An odd change of hands, but something Kayli found herself in possession of regardless. 

The woman would cross her arms. ”To be frank, I see open conflict with Wonderland primarily as a stall. If we succeed in our defense, then we will be waiting for the next threat to make a move. I would prefer that access to its power be tempered in some way to make it a less appealing exploit to patrons and despots. It takes someone of great power to even consider tapping into a font like the Nexus. Patrons, and I presume the Queen of Hearts, would be one of the few able to do such a thing.” It wasn’t quite a solution, but it was something she’d been meaning to bring up, and this was probably the one time he could potentially get others on board. Gain some kind of control of the Nexus here in Penrose.

“I must say, I concur with the idea of removing the Nexus from the proverbial equation,” Gaia spoke up in a clear and serene voice. She was slightly surprised by the revelation that her and Connie’s adoptive guardian possessed a secret army, even if only a small one, but the Daughter of Mother Earth knew that such matters could wait until after the current meeting had concluded. “As for the evacuation, I think her highness, Magical Dream Princess, has already provided an excellent possibility for a place in which to safely shelter the city’s mundane populace,” the nymph-like young woman added, turning to give MDP a bright smile. “In addition, I think she and Miss Valentine might also be able to provide a more conducive way to facilitate their transit to said place of refuge. I admit, I am not exactly well-versed in the limits of your abilities,” the verdant maiden continued, addressing the pair of dream spec girls. “But, if the two of you worked in concert, might it not be possible to place the city’s mundane inhabitants in a state of peaceful slumber, much like how your highness did the same with the residents of Bolorton?”

For her part, all of this was going way above poor Connie’s head, and so the masked maiden simply gave Kayli a small smile and quietly listened to what everyone had to say.

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

---

Olivia was just about to mention how much the other young woman’s hair reminded her of the acid spray used by the giant worms Oros had fought, as well as the hair on the smaller worm on the announcer’s head, when said announcer slid back onto the stage and began belting out instructions. It seemed the time had come for the first round of matches to begin…

“Oh gosh! The matches are starting already?!” Olivia gasped, having completely lost track of the time.

“It would appear so,” Xolys noted. “We should probably head to the stands now,” he added, before turning his single glowing eye back towards the other two ladies at the table. “Good luck to you both,” the small robot bid them.

“Y-Yes! Good luck!” Olivia hastened to add.

Expressing a similar sentiment, Oros vanished into the crowd with a speed befitting her title, leaving her red-faced opponent sitting at the table.

"Um, it was nice meeting you!" Olivia told the green-haired young woman as she stuffed Xolys into her backpack and then set off for the stands. “Okay!” the bespectacled bluenette declared, her voice filled with determination. “Let’s go show ‘em what you can do, Xolys!”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

---

Dana giggled as Aiya playfully ruffled her hair. “Sweet!” she cheered a moment later, when the heiress agreed to begin a search for aquatic armaments, the energetic Norban following close behind. “Great idea, Penny!” Dana told her friend with a big grin when the Siscian suggested recruiting any Water Elementum users for their “team” in the impending water war. Indeed, the sunny sharpshooter could barely contain her excitement, and her golden eyes seemed to gleam even brighter when Aiya presented her with a massive water gun that was almost as big as she was. “Oh, wow! Thanks!” she told the heiress. “Y’know, this thing kinda looks like the prototype polyphasic plasma particle projector Professor Pinnacle let Alexis use in episode twenty-three!” Unfortunately, it was also the only water gun on the ship, and so, Dana was forced to abandon her plans for an all-out water war and switch to a series of water-based pranks instead.

Darting from one line-of-sight-obstructing piece of cover to another, the sunny sharpshooter snapped off a series of quick blasts, before ducking out of sight. However, it didn’t take long for the others to deduce the source of these attacks, and no sooner had Dana accepted a challenge to hit the surprisingly agile Priya, then the grinning gunslinger found herself being lifted into the air and thrown overboard. “Woah!” she yelped, before splashing into the water below. When she reached the surface a moment later, she saw who had been responsible for her unplanned soaking, and her auric eyes lit up. “Nice one, Noah!” she called up to the big cadet with a giggle. “I never knew you could be so sneaky!”

“Hey!” Priya called as she vaulted over the ship’s railing. “Let’s have a chicken fight!”

“Yeah!” Dana agreed with an enthusiastic grin as she raised two fists in the air. “Come on, Noah! Let’s show ‘em what we can do!”

Giving a nod, Noah and another cadet promptly jumped into the water, and lifted Dana and Priya onto their shoulders. There followed a series of hard-fought and incredibly entertaining (at least, if the wildly cheering crowd was anything to go by) battles, with Dana gaining the slightest of leads over the spirited Priya, thanks to a few small, but well-timed Light Elementum distractions. It was only once the informal competition was over that Dana realized she had forgotten all about Penny. The thought of having abandoned her socially awkward roommate to what the bespectacled girl could very well view as a living nightmare caused Dana’s jubilant spirits to rapidly dampen. Immediately setting out to search for her, the concerned Norban soon found her roommate amongst the crowd gathered around the dance pad upon which Nicole looked to be giving the performance of a lifetime. Weaving her way through the cheering mass of cadets and fellow Ars Magi, Dana had just reached Penny’s side when Nicole gave her a boisterous shout out. “Whoo! Show ‘em what ya got, Nicole!” the sunny sharpshooter called back with a wink, while giving the red-head two finger pistols of her own.

As Dana continued to watch, Nicole did just that, defeating every other guest who foolishly dared to challenge her dominance of the dance pad, and when the heady Hastan asked one of the audience members to pick the next song, the grinning gunslinger’s smile grew even wider. “I’ve got just the thing!” she told her team leader as she grabbed a music player from her bag and plugged it into the sound system. “This one’s a personal favorite!”

Eventually, Aiya herself took to the floor in a bid to challenge Nicole’s seemingly unassailable supremacy. As it happened, the two ladies turned out to be evenly matched, providing a stunning performance against the backdrop of the setting sun that delighted Dana and the rest of the various onlookers. Once the inconclusive contest finally drew to a close, the energetic Norban pulled Noah aside to watch the last fading embers of the brilliant sunset. It was just as the magentas and neon pinks had begun to fade into deep, dark lavenders and purples that Aiya requested their presence below deck. After sharing a puzzled look, the incongruous pair made their way down into the bowels of the yacht, until they reached a small cabin, within which they found Penny, Nicole, and a handful of officer cadets waiting for them.

“Well this sure is cozy,” Dana noted with a grin as she made herself comfortable next to Noah on one of the cushioned couches. “So, is this like one of those ‘after parties’?” she inquired of their host. “Cause, y’know, with how awesome everythin’ else has been, I was kinda hopin’ ya might have arranged a fireworks show for us, too!”

As it soon became apparent, Aiya had a fireworks show of a different sort in mind, and it didn’t take long for the heiress to begin retrieving expensive-looking bottles from an ornate wooden cabinet. Now, Dana had never tried alcohol before, but the irrepressible Norban was always up for something new, and this party was a special occasion, after all, so when Aiya offered her a glass, she cheerfully accepted. “You can count on us!” Dana reassured their host with a playful salute, when she and Penny were instructed to keep Nicole safe. “Your girlfriend’s got the best team in Nova Lux watchin’ her back!” she added with a confident smile. “Right, Penny?!” she asked her by-this-point-probably-quite-overwhelmed roommate. Aiya then called for a toast, before inquiring if anyone was up for a little game…

“Spin the bottle?” Dana echoed with a slight frown, while the hints of a blush began to color her cheeks. She’d heard of the game, of course, but never played it, and to be perfectly honest, she was a little unsure if she really wanted to. There was definitely at least one person in their group that she wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss with, but there were also quite a few others with whom it would be very awkward, to say the least. Then again, if they could just get away with kissing on the cheek, maybe it would’t be so bad after all… “Uh, what rules were ya thinkin’ of usin’?”

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

The past week had not been a pleasant one for Connie. Even though her mission with Emily had been a success, and even resulted in them making a new friend, the very next day, she had watched in horror as two of her other friends died before her eyes, all because of her own weakness and ineptitude. While it was true that she had actually managed to kill the monster responsible for their deaths and then ensured that said monster’s remains were imprisoned within Amanda’s inescapable pocket dimension, that fact did little to mend Connie’s shattered heart. Even the revelation that Lotus had apparently escaped her own seemingly certain death, and would now be taking Faith to a place of safety was but a minor comfort. Her friends had died, because she had failed to protect them.

As if that wasn’t enough, she was told by a similarly, and quite uncharacteristically, despondent Ronin that Sakura had fallen in battle against a behemoth. Even as she had tearfully embraced the smaller girl and offered her condolences, she couldn’t help but feel that they were simply empty, meaningless words. After all, nothing anyone had said had been able to heal her own grief, so how could anything she say possibly help Ronin? She didn’t really know Sakura all that well, but she knew that Ronin and Emily were both quite close to the pink-haired serpent girl, and she only wished she could do something to ease their suffering. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything. What was the point of having magical powers if she couldn’t even use them to save the people she cared about? Even now, on family game night, Connie’s despondency was thoroughly preventing her from enjoying herself, something that wasn’t hard for the others at the table to notice.

“Connie?” Kayli inquired gently. “It’s your turn.”

“A-Are you okay?” Rose asked, her voice tinged with concern as she placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You’ve barely touched your pizza…”

“I hope it’s not because I took that locomotive earlier,” Iris whispered to Mia with a worried frown.

The insecure and emotionally fragile Connie enjoyed Ticket to Ride because of the railroad game’s simple rules, colorful playing pieces, and lack of any major confrontational elements, yet the game was still one of competition, and Rose’s bespectacled twin sister was well-aware of just how sensitive Connie’s feelings could be…

“I don’t think that’s it,” Mia replied, before turning her attention to her best friend. “What happened in New York’s still bothering you, isn’t it?” the tomboy asked, while gently massaging Connie’s shoulder. They’d turned their dubious reward over to Kayli for study and safe keeping, and Mia only wished she could also get rid of her dear friend’s trauma in so simple a manner. “I told you before, none of that was your fault, little sis…”

“Y-You keep saying that,” Connie said, her voice filled with bitterness. “B-But if we n-never went to New York, i-if I w-wasn’t there to ruin everything, i-if I wasn’t so u-useless, t-then S-Sammy and N-Nuncio would still be alive!”

“That’s bullshit!” Mia shot back. “Connie, if we hadn’t been there, all our friends could have died, and that piece of shit coin broker would still be out there, hurting even more people!” the tomboy continued. “Faith, Lotus, and I are all safe thanks to you! Hell, you killed a coin broker! You’re not useless, you’re a total badass!”

“I-I guess…” Connie conceded glumly, frowning as she continued to stare down at where her cards lay on the table in front of her. “B-But I don’t f-feel like one…”

Before the discussion could continue further, everyone’s phone beeped upon receiving a notification.

“It’s from Lily,” Iris noted.

“She’s calling a meeting…” Kayli murmured.

“W-What now…?” Connie groaned.

“It’s just an attempt to get the city’s magical community to work together against Wonderland,” Mia explained.

“Y-Yeah, nothing to worry about!” Rose added.

But it was, Connie couldn’t help but think. Looming over everything, was the fact that an extradimensional kingdom was planning to invade Penrose. It had already conquered one innocent town, and there, too, she had been unable to make any real difference. The townsfolk may have been saved, but their home was gone, and now Connie’s own home was next…

Would she be of any help at all?

“Y-You can go,” she told the others softly. “I-I’m g-going to s-stay h-here…”

“Connie…” Mia sighed.

“Well, if that’s what you want to do…” Iris began.

“Why?” Kayli inquired.

“B-Because t-there isn’t r-really any p-point, i-is there?” Connie replied with a doubtful frown. “I-I mean, I c-couldn’t do a-anything to s-save that t-town, a-and I d-don’t have a-any good ideas, a-and…”

“That’s not true at all,” Kayli said in a soothing voice as she got up to wipe Connie’s watery eyes. “Your plan to save the Christmas Party was a very good idea, and while you may not have saved Bolorton itself, you still helped to save the people who lived there, so they can return once the Wonderlanders have finally been defeated.”

“B-But, they’re s-so strong…” Connie protested. “A-And I’m s-so…”

“You’re strong, too, little sis,” Mia told her with a reassuring smile. “Way stronger than you realize, especially when you fight for something you care about. Connie, a year ago, I never would have imagined you’d willingly choose to go into a dangerous battle, let alone stand in front of a hostile crowd and give a speech, but you’ve done both those things. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes, but so has everyone else! The fact that you keep going, despite all your doubts and fears, that’s what counts,” she continued. “That’s what I admire the most about you, Connie. That’s why I find you so inspiring.”

“M-Mia…” Connie whimpered as she embraced her friend. “M-Mayra said s-she a-admires me t-too,” she continued with a sniffle. “B-But I d-don’t u-understand w-why…”

“Then don’t try to understand it,” Mia whispered as she stroked her friend’s hair. “Just believe it. Believe that your friends think you’re amazing. Believe that you give us all so much hope, because if you can do the impossible and overcome your fears, then we can take on whatever Wonderland throws at us and kick its ass!”

“Yeah!” Rose cheered.

“Well said,” Iris added with a nod.

“Indeed,” Kayli agreed with a smile as she and the twins joined Mia in giving Connie a big hug.

“T-Thanks, e-everyone,” Connie sniffled, smiling as she tried to fight back her tears. “I-I’m s-so l-lucky to have s-such a w-wonderful f-family.”

The group remained huddled for several seconds more, before Connie broke the silence.

“U-Um, s-shouldn’t we get g-going now?”

“We?” Kayli echoed as she and the others parted to give Connie some space.

“Y-Yes,” Connie confirmed. “I-I may not have m-much c-confidence in m-myself, b-but my f-friends do, a-and if they need my h-help, I-I’m g-going to do my b-best to not l-let them down!”

“That’s my little sister!” Mia declared as she affectionately tousled her friend’s hair. “Come on,” she added with a grin as she helped Connie up. “Let’s get goin’!”

---

The week following the attack on Bolorton had been fairly uneventful for Violet, something the young heiress was very grateful for. After enduring the chaotic emotional roller coaster of that particular evening, the relative mundanity of the past few days had been a welcome reprieve. Finding the time for a romantic evening with her girlfriend certainly helped in that regard, as did the lack of any further interaction with Chloe Irving, whose desired meeting with the heiress had thankfully yet to take place. Although the threat of Wonderland couldn’t be entirely discounted, Violet was confident that, with all of Penrose working together, the Queen of Hearts’ impending assault would most certainly be repelled. And while Fan Fan had assured her that Beacon would find suitable homes for the Bolorton refugees, the idealistic heiress had made it a personal vow to reclaim the town from Wonderland’s grasp one way or another.

As she prepared to embark on another nightly patrol of the city, Violet was reminded that she was not the only one dedicated to the defense of her beloved Penrose, her sticker and glitter-covered magical girl phone beeping as a notification came in.

“Melisa,” she called to her secretary, who was just wrapping up her final tasks for the day. “It seems Lily is calling a meeting of Penrose’s magical community,” the heiress explained as she scrolled through the message. “Would you care to accompany me?”

“I’d love to!” Melisa’s cheery voice replied.

A few moments later, a hidden panel slid back from the far wall of Violet’s study, from which emerged a small, pink-haired fairy.

“Okay! I’m all set!” Melisa chirped.

“Then let’s be off,” Violet declared, smiling warmly at her small friend, before intoning her incantation in an increasingly cute and high-pitched voice.

The next instant, the refined young woman was once again the bubbly and innocent Magical Dream Princess. Not wasting a moment, the transformed heiress promptly conjured a colorful rainicorn pegasus and, soon enough, both she and Melisa were flying towards Penrose Park, a stream of glitter and giggles trailing behind them.

---

“I can’t believe this crap…” Angela grumbled. “All this time, and I still haven’t found anything that might help that stupid collection of losers! No wish-granting djinn girl, no obviously bullshit ‘Keeper of the Keys’, who can cure people’s problems just by standing near them, no Crimson Cradle and their supposed ‘whole new you’ red coins, and when I asked Beacon about getting some purification potions for a worthy cause, those self-righteous fucks said they only give them to ‘trusted mahou’!”

“Perhaps if you did more to gain said trust, they would be more accommodating,” Chiichuu noted in his usual infuriatingly patronizing manner. “Besides, you’ve only been in Penrose for two weeks,” the Puchuu added.

“Feels like more than a year…” Angela muttered.

“Building up a satisfactory level of rapport with the local magical community will take time,” Chiichuu went on. “And speaking of, another opportunity for you to do just that appears to have arrived.”

“What is it this time?”

“A charismatic magical girl known as Lily Lightning has called for a meeting of the Penrose magical community,” Chiichuu replied. “It should serve as an excellent place to form new connections, and perhaps acquire the information you seek.”

“Fine…” Angela huffed. “Let’s see what kind of clusterfuck this devolves into…”

---

While Lily waited for everyone to show up, she would notice a crackling orb of yellowy-green ball lightning appear beside her, only to burst apart a moment later to reveal a green haired young woman in an ultratech bodysuit and holding an oversized shield.

“Salutations,” the young woman greeted her with a small nod. “My designation is Pentius-04, and I am here on behalf of my creator, the most esteemed and renowned Doctor Nikki Yolanda Kannis, Queen of the Mad Scientists, to serve as your bodyguard for the duration of this meeting,” she explained, before holding out her free hand to reveal a small holoprojector built into the palm of her gauntlet. “Doctor Kannis has also prepared a short message for you as well,” she added as miniature, semi-transparent image of the deranged doctor appeared above her open palm.

“Nyahahaha! Greetings, Lily!” Nykannis began. “I noticed your message about the little confab you’re planning, and considering what happened to the last person who tried to organize something like that, well, let’s just say I enjoy watching the pathetic flailings you call being a magical girl far too much to see you get bumped off just yet! Therefore, I’ve sent Pentius-04 to keep you in roughly one piece! She’s the best bodyguard I could create within the rules framework of this reality plenum,” the mad scientist continued. “So unless the Grand Magistrate really wants you dead, you should have absolutely nothing to worry about. Plus, 04 here’s really been wanting to atone for how badly she fucked up back in Bolorton, so, yeah, ‘eye of the tiger’ and all that shit. ANYWAYS, that’s all from me. Hopefully the Penrose Pack will actually decide to be supportive this time and not laugh hysterically while someone chucks a bomb at your fucking face! Nyahahahaha!”

With that, the small image winked out.