Alexander raised an eyebrow ''Super Map'? What kind of name is that? Ugh, whatever, anything that can help you find your way around is helpful. Especially if the interior of this place is as wacky as I think it is.' He shook his head, discarding that train of though, and then spoke again "If we do decide to split up, we might need some way to communicate with each other. If only to keep organized and share intel. I don't have anything that could do that, so I'm hopping someone else here does" As he said that, something else occurred to him 'Dammit, I bet Brittney has something on her that could help. I swear, if the one mistake that ends up costing us this fight is letting that girl drag Brittney away for distraction duty I am going to murder someone!'

“O-Oh… I-I see… W-Well, I’m g-glad she’s o-okay,” Connie told Rachel and the twins, her mask forming a relieved smile. Despite her innocent and ditzy nature, MDP was still an exceptionally powerful magical girl, as the inquisitor had attested, so she was probably just fine, even if Connie didn’t exactly know who this “Mac” person was. In fact, it was probably to be expected that the whimsical girl had made a new friend, or several dozen.

Speaking of new friends, Gaia’s attention was drawn to the departing form of Branch Nose as he headed for the nearby woodlet. Thanks to her empathic affinity for plant life of all kinds, the Daughter of Mother Earth was easily able to sense the great ent’s disappointment. She had hoped their leafy ally would be able to understand the reason for her request to remain behind as backup, but it seemed he had wished to somehow join the infiltration mission in a more direct manner. Pursing her emerald lips, the verdant maiden sighed in slight exasperation before gliding over to the departing oak.

“A moment, please, Branch Nose,” the nymph-like magical girl requested with a gentle smile as she placed a hand on one of his trunk-like legs. “My most sincerest apologies for not mentioning it earlier, but if you truly wish to accompany us, I believe I may be able to facilitate such a desire. This realm is replete with both mystic power and life energy,” the botanical beauty explained. “Thus, it should require little effort or expenditure of mana to cast even as potent a spell as this.”

Stepping back, Gaia knelt down and placed her hands upon the grass-covered ground. The spot glowed a vivid green as the soil was infused with mystic energy. Slowly rising, the verdant maiden’s hands wove the vine-like tendrils of life energy as though she were a sculptor shaping clay. Soon enough, the Daughter of Mother Earth had grown a second, smaller tree man, with a visage that greatly resembled Branch Nose’s.

“There. I believe this shall serve as a suitable vessel,” Gaia noted with an approving nod, before placing one hand upon the new tree man, and her other on Branch Nose. After closing her eyes for a moment, she added. “I have just established a link between you and this vessel,” she told the ancient ent. “Once you settle your true body amongst your fellow trees, you may freely inhabit it so as to join us for the next stage of our quest. Is this solution an agreeable one?” she inquired.

---

MDP watched with growing confusion as the Penny copy plainly illustrated that there was no one trapped inside her, a puzzled and slightly distraught frown marring her adorable visage.

“B-But thensie wensie… Why did the holography waphy message wessage Macy Wacy showed Magical Dream Princess say there was somebody wody trappy wappied~?” the whimsical girl inquired, tilting her head as Mr. Plier stood idly by, looking rather disappointed by the fact that his services wouldn’t actually be needed. “Like, Magical Dream Princess doesn’t understandy wandy thatsie watsie at allsie wallsie…”

After all, it wasn’t as if her new friend would do something super duper mean like try to trick a super gullible girl like herself by relaying a fake message, right?

‘Huh… I see,’ Miko said, a bit surprised about Brittany’s situation.

‘I’m sure she’s fine! Mayra’s a bit off her rocker, but she’s not malicious. Mostly,’ Ronin encouraged, while Miko looked down onto the map. Miko frowned, staring down into the map…

‘I don’t know if this will be to much help, all the floors are pasted on top of one another with no distinction…’ Though, she did see that. She didn’t know what to make of it, but she may as well say it. ‘I just saw an enemy and an ally in the same location suddenly vanish. I don’t know what to make of it.’

‘Then let’s head inside and verify for ourselves! Let’s go!’ Ronin called, intending to rouse people and then also start to dash inside, if the door for it was open.

__________________




‘Hehehe, good!’ Mayra laughed with approval as Brittany started to sing. Then she turned, pointing forward at the enemy castle.

‘CHAAAARGE!’ she then called, having the unicorn dash headlong at the enemy fortress. Now, she didn’t exactly have much in the way of a plan once arriving at the castle, but leaping off the unicorn to blast herself up to the battlement sounded like an excellent start. Besides, she had a force of water-based creatures going against a stone wall over here, and Jelena told Mayra that Water beats Rock, so!

__________________




Mariette stood silent, slightly confused as the Queen took out a bird, and some tea, and started sipping on it. And her next words… okay. It was up to Mariette, apparently. Mariette took a deep breath.

‘Very well,’ Mariette said, turning around towards Esther and the dark mirror (in time to miss the Queen looking off in a seemingly random direction). ‘I’ll be right back.’ Mariette, feeling all tense, walked by Esther as she headed for the absolute darkness of the mirror. She hesitated in front of it. The rocky frame looked as if it led directly into pure void… and the reality wasn't that far off.

Mariette closed her eyes. They would not aid her where she was going. Then she stepped forth, into the mirror, letting the darkness envelop her.

She stood in nothingness. There was no temperature. There was no matter. Yet, out there, something existed beyond her. An eternal unsettlement, a feeling that something was wrong in the world, a pressure on her mind that threatened to wipe her clean out of existence… and a feeling of being watched. Mariette knew better than to appear like this for trifle matters. As such, the void ensnared her, and waited for her words.

‘The-’ Mariette stuttered, a feeling of panic coming unbidden into her mind. What if it could see its brainwashing had been undone? Regardless, she had a plan in mind. She would claim that the Wonderland was threatening to destroy the Nexus, and that they had no choice but to start now or they’d risk losing all their work…

‘The plan… it is in-’ No, wait. Mariette suddenly had an idea.

‘We should start it now.’ Mariette had to take a moment to grasp onto what she just said, and then keep speaking.

‘The forces of Wonderland and Penrose are in battle. They are distracted, engaging one another in their futile struggles, and will have little strength with which to engage us. What’s more, the Queen of Wonderland has mistaken me for her daughter,’ if the Queen heard her, Mariette would explain it was a necessary lie she needed to tell her Patron, ‘and would defend me with her life. We can use this. Even if the forces of Penrose turns around to battle us, she will fight them for us.’

‘The fulfillment of this mission has been my only goal for my stay in this city, and I believe the time has come. I know it is a little early, but I firmly believe… The time is now.’

So she said, and then stood firm and silent, letting the darkness judge her words.

With it confirmed that Alex had been safely recovered, the focus turned to the assault on the castle. It seemed they had a couple of extra options now to use in attacking the castle, which would be useful in overwhelming any defenders who might be inside. "Well, we were worried about this being an ambush," she pointed out to Rachel as she gestured towards the open gate that they had been discussing before.

It was at about that time that Miko spoke up, revealing what she had seen with the Super Map. "... You don't think she left, do you?" Alicia wondered aloud. There was always the chance they were too late to prevent an untimely demise, but if someone had disappeared at the same time as Mariette then portals were a more likely bet.

While she might have argued that storming the castle now was unnecessary, Lily and Ronin were already headed inside via the secret passage. "I guess we're going," she said to Rachel with a small shrug. It wasn't like they could just leave the pair to their own devices against whatever was in there. Especially if the Queen of Hearts was still around in the castle, unaware that her prisoner had escaped via her own devices or something like that.

But before she followed them another thing occurred to her. "Ah, right, one of us should probably be out here so everyone else doesn't just wander in through that open gate and get blindsided. Or maybe we can leave a note somehow..." She didn't have paper on her or anything like that, but she didn't want to trust that the others would have some level of caution following them.

Still, if they could work that out then she had no issue with following the everyone else through the secret passage.

There really wasn’t much to comment on, was there?

While she might have felt some embarrassment over “nearly” attacking a friendly, it wasn’t something she was going to beat herself up over. With mind control, cloning, and insanity being common themes in the adventures she had witnessed inside of Penrose, she wasn’t going to feel even a little bit bad for what had transpired. This was the same world where a bunch of tiny men descended on Alexander and knocked him out.

She was so still, so focused on her divining tool that the golem ended up lifting her entire body. It was as if she were a statue being lifted so that she could be cleaned under.

”It must have been a fake.“ She concluded. ”Someone impersonated Penny and gave me that recording. All we can do is be happy no one got hurt.“

She could have sworn they saw something in Nefer’s arm, but decided not to question it. Whatever it was, it didn’t appear to be there now. She got in the vehicle.

”Let’s get going.“

---

”Huh.”

Chloe smiled back at the queen before her orb’s shiny surface went cloudy again. This changed little. They were still headed to Penrose.

Boy this was a tiny post. Maybe it should have been written from some other interesting perspective to pad it out?

Branch Nose had already taken a couple of heavy, plodding steps away from the castle wall when Gaia had stopped him with a gentle touch, causing his leaves to slightly sway in mild surprise.
“Oh? What troubles you, Blessed Nymph of Spring?” He asked, and received a most peculiar answer. “And you are capable of harnessing such mystic prowess? You children are wise beyond your years!”

Lily stopped, and turned to watch as Gaia performed the ritual, which lasted a minute due to the complexity of the spell: she drew forth the abundant mana of the otherworldly plane imbued in its natural life, and from the grassy ground grew forth a sapling bearing a single short branch: having seen his face before in a stream during their journey, the venerable tree recognized the visage as his own. Currently, it was like any other sprout, eyes closed as if asleep.

Branch Nose nodded as Gaia then explained how the spell worked. He smiled, fully trusting in the verdant maiden. “Very well. I shall now move back to my spot. When next I close my eyes, they shall be opened anew, in a new perspective.” Rachel glanced at Branch Nose as he now departed with more confident steps towards the woodlet, and raised an eyebrow as Miko revealed an interesting detail. Alicia’s followup question was met with a stern nod. “That is a possibility. But even if that were the case, she did not leave alone, which has me concerned.” She leaned over to look at the Super Map herself as well, and jabbed her finger on the map: for a moment, Miko wasn’t sure if she would puncture through the paper artifact. “This neutral party who left the room…It is not someone we know, hence why it is not marked as an ally or enemy. Let’s start our investigation by finding and interrogating them.”

While Rachel was making plans for their infiltration/assault on the royal castle, Gaia and Connie discovered that the former’s spell had taken root: the small sapling had opened it’s eyes, and spoke in a slightly high-pitched voice: “Oh, this feels…Strange. As if I am inhabiting a body outside my own,” Branch Nose explained as it pulled its two little feet out of the soil, uprooting himself and shaking off the dirt. “But now I can continue my journey with you! I cannot thank you enough, O Daughter of Persephone!”

As the group began to enter the secret passage or the front gates, Alicia’s final concern was answered by Rachel, who tapped the communicator device in her ear.
“I will stay with Branch Nose’s body, and rendezvous with Magical Dream Princess,” she briskly answered. Before Alicia had a chance to protest or otherwise question her, she raised a hand up to her.
“Alicia, you have the potential to be a great and inspiring leader. Not only for Beacon, but the magical community as a whole. I have seen a glimpse of it back at the factory, when you rejected the Mad Hatter’s distractions and took charge. But you still hesitate, just a little. I believe you need a chance to prove yourself, free from the influence of compatriots such as I. Now go forth, and enact justice upon these foul villains who would threaten our world.” As she said that, the group could hear faraway voices coming from the castle, a telltale sign of another wave of soldiers coming to investigate the ruckus outside.

Lily tapped her foot, starting to get impatient, and walked back to take Alex’ hand.
”Ok, let’s start with that, Rachel. Now let’s go already!”
Lily’s group headed inside the wall opening. They continued down the darkness of the secret passage, until they found a circular doorway that led out of a large wine cask and into the wine cellar filled with wine casks. The floor was made of red and white rectangles. There were also pillars with spiraling red and white lines resembling candy canes. Up in the wall near the tall ceiling in a corner was a stone face of a walrus with an open maw of pure darkness, the sides of the maw lined with its long tusks, the opening being wide enough for a person to enter. There was a sturdy metal door at the far end of the wine cellar with a magical rune glowing red on it in the shape of a stylized heart-like keyhole. However, most alarmingly, there was a small wooden table at the center of the wine cellar, with two items on it: an empty wine glass, and a wine bottle filled with black, mysteriously shining liquid labeled “DRINK ME”.
Lily crossed her arms while still holding on to her staff.
”Geez, that’s the most obvious trap I’ve ever seen! Is the Queen even trying?”

---

The Pennybot gave out a sigh of relief as the incident was resolved, or at least as much of one as a robotic replica could, and walked towards the truck’s driver’s seat.
“Agreed. We should get moving. Everyone climb aboard, please.”
Nefer sighed with a shrug, and placed a hand on her own shoulder, twisting her arm around as she also walked back to take the passenger seat on the truck.
“Welp, that was fun. But I suppose we should get the whole ‘save Penrose’ job done with. This little tussle gave me an idea for a new invention I can’t wait to tinker on~”
Akhenaten grunted, and climbed up to the open back of the truck, followed by various creatures both living and not. All in all, there was barely enough space for MDP and Mac if they squeezed together in the corner.

---

The Mermaid Princess shared in Mayra's enthusiasm, perhaps even to a fault, and laughed along with the chaotic dragon as they approached the royal castle in the distance. More troops began to emerge from the windows and battlements like Lily and Alicia’s groups had previously heard, led by the Gryphon herself. The mighty monstergirl let out an eagle’s cry that carried up to the heavens themselves, and took flight from the tallest tower, wielding a giant bow that shot arrows as large as ballista bolts: each shot was infused with both galewinds and earth-shattering power, and even pierced the sturdy shields and armor of the merfolk.

“WHO DARES DEFY THE QUEEN OF HEARTS, ALMIGHTY RULER OF WONDERLAND!” Her voice boomed out like a hurricane.

“EVERYONE WITH A JUST HEART!” Rachel bellowed back, and deflected one of the arrows with a barrier as the aquatic army rushed forth. And thus, an epic siege on the castle began.

---

Out of the void, a tentacle of black refractions emerged: like an inquisitive snake, or the finger of a being beyond mortal cognition, it slowly wrapped around Mariette’s hand, passing her palm, traveled up her arm, slithered over her eyepatch, and was about to touch her forehead: Mariette knew this was Asengav’s method to check on the mindbending condition of his chosen Mahou, and reapplying it in case of a sudden case of free will. However, just as it was about to make contact, Mariette spoke of her plan, and the tentacle stopped. For a moment, Mariette had to wait, as the tentacle shifted and refracted, shards of realities emerging in and out of its chiselled, glassy texture. Finally, it slithered back, looping briefly around her stuffed Bunny, before it retreated back to the infinite void.

Mariette then felt tentacles wrap around her feet, and she was suddenly pulled down into the “floor” of the blackness: but instead of submerging in something akin to liquid, it was like passing through a cloud that turned from solid to transparent, the misty aperture leading out from the mirror and back to the real world, causing Mariette to fall were it not for her own tentacles quickly pulling her upright before it could happen. The mirror then began to form black and purple swirling mists on its surface, like spiralling tendrils: the first step of the ritual had been completed. Mariette now knew that Asengav had approved of the plan, and it was up to her to complete the ritual by entering the other mirrors before the final one, where Asengav would reach forth using the Black Mirror.

However, shortly after Mariette was finished, she heard the Queen speak in an agitated voice:
“It seems you are done. Good.” She took a full gulp of her teacup, and smashed it on the ground. “The Mint found us, dear Alice.” She then stood up from the bird. “We must hurry to the next mirror. Also,” she mumbled as she opened two portals: one of them led to the next mirror’s location, and the other led to Gryphon, who was in mid-combat. “There is a Mint spy in the ranks! Royal Flush them out!” “Understood!” The commander answered, and the portal closed.

Alexander wasn't really familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland, so he didn't recognize what scene this room was imitating. Although even if he was, he still probably wouldn't have risked drinking the wine. So ignoring that, he was left with the door that had the strange heart rune on it "I don't like the looks of that door. I might not be able to identify what that rune does specifically, but I get the feeling that we're not going to like it." he paused for a minute to think "My best guess would be that it's some sort of identification system, and will be able to tell that we're intruders if we fiddle with it too much. I think our best bet would be to go around it, or find another path. If we're not worried about leaving behind poof, we could try making some holes around the door to go through."

“You are most welcome, dear Branch Nose,” Gaia told the ancient ent with a warm smile and a graceful curtsy. “It brings me the greatest of joy to know that I was able to make the longings of your heart a reality.”

Not wanting to delay a moment longer, Lily then declared that they should all get going, a course of action Gaia was in complete agreement with. Entering the secret passage, the verdant maiden was thankful that not a single trap or obstruction presented itself to hinder their progress. Of course, once they reached the end of the passage and entered what appeared to be a wine cellar, obstructions and potential traps seemed to be in abundance.

“I would be very surprised if that is the only trap in this chamber,” Gaia noted after Lily sneered at the obvious suspiciousness of the waiting wine glass. “And even discounting them, we still need to come up with a way to open that door without alerting the guards,” the botanical beauty added, pointing towards the metal door in question.

Alex went on to agree, before offering a suggestion on one possible way to go about circumventing the obstacle.

“That may be our best course of action,” Gaia replied with a nod. “Although I may perhaps be able to learn more about the nature of the passage behind that stone walrus head by employing a few specialized vine tendrils,” the nymph-like maiden added. “If it poses no danger, we may be able to make use of it, although I am hesitant to believe that shall actually be the case…”

Connie was there, too, of course, but she didn’t have much to contribute.

Poor Connie…

---

“Like, thatsie watsie’s not a very wery nicey wicey thingie wingie to do at allsie wallsie!” an adorably indignant MDP huffed when Mac told her that the holo message was most likely sent by someone to trick them into harming their allies. “It’s, like, super duper awful wawful!” she added, with Mr. Plier nodding in agreement. “Like, Magical Dream Princess just can’t understandy wandy how anybodywody who lives in such a nicey wicey placey wacey like thisy wisy could be such a super duper meanie weanie head!”

However, MDP soon returned to her typical gleeful exuberance when she watched no small number of her new friends pile into Copy!Penney’s only moderately sized truck.

“Wowie zowie~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl exclaimed amidst a burst of cute giggles. “Like, thatsie watsie totally wotally looks like one of those clowny wowny carsie warsie thingie wingies~! (giggle!)”

Then, Copy!Penny asked her to climb aboard as well.

“Like, Magical Dream Princess is super duper sorry worry, copy wopy Penny Wenny~!” the playful Princess of Dreams told the doppelgänger with a cheerful smile. “But, like, Magical Dream Princess is totally wotally gonna be the batony wony twirler wirler person werson for this paradey wadey thingie wingie~! (giggle!)” With that, she bounced back to the front of the procession and began once again leading the way with yet another sickeningly sweet and cringingly childish song…

Fortunately, the seating arrangement was a total non issue. Because Mac had her own steed with a name that was too long to remember. She had shortened it to Super Clucker, but even that seemed too long. Clucker was okay, but the same person who played Mika, Su, Luna, Trixy, Oros, and Amber wouldn’t settle for it. Five letters was the very maximum she’d allow for her mount and seven was still too long. Disregard outliers like Regina or Red Rebecca. Clucker could get shortened to Cluck, but Mac realized the real problem was the creature’s identity rather than how long their name was. It needed a name totally divorced from its old life. They were a team now, and so every duo Mac could think of flashed through her mind. For some reason, she settled on Master and Blaster from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Master rode Blaster, so Mac would have to ride Daddy. No, that wouldn’t work. The bird was clearly female. Very well, she was Mommy now. And together, they were Mac Mommy. It was an okay combo, she thought.

But hadn’t Mac climbed into the truck before anyone else? No, that wouldn’t have made any sense…

While Mac and Mommy strode beside the truck, she decided to drone out the sound of MDP’s singing by conversing with Ken. Ken being the ultra short version of Akhenaten that she could actually pronounce.

”Enjoying the ride, Ken?“

“Not really.” Ken couldn’t talk, but Mac liked to pretend he could and made up things for him to say. “It’s a long and slow trip, and I’d rather be doing something else.”

”Don’t you have a laptop?“

“No. It’s too old to use anymore, and I get nauseous if I try to write while in the car.”

”You could always watch videos.“

“But writing is what I would like to do right now. I’m also pretty sure I wouldn’t get any internet access out here.”

”It does.“

“It sucks… Wait, no, we got our lines mixed up!”

”It’s okay, you’re just in my imagination. It only happened because I’m multitasking.“

“Oh?”

”Yea, see, I can see what’s happening just about anywhere. And you remember how Chloe met Summer and I? And then Chloe had a meeting with Cradle that was never ‘shown’ anywhere?“

“Well I don’t think I was a part of that, but we’ve already established I’m more your imaginary friend than a real person, so of course I know.”

”Well, we actually formed something of an alliance. And while an alliance with Chloe doesn’t mean a whole lot, it does mean I can talk with her.“

“Oh, interesting.” Ken hummed. “If I have to guess, you have some way of communicating with Chloe, which means…”

”Yea, but let’s keep it a secret for a week or two longer. At least, as secret as we can.“

“Ahh, okay. I was wondering why Chloe didn’t have a part this time, and what the penguin segway was for.”

”That and I want to delay reintroducing them.“

“Them?”

”The third one.“

“Third one?”

“I’m one, Chloe’s one, and soon… so will they.”

“Ahh, yes, it makes perfect sense now.”

And eventually, it will to you too!

Maybe...

Alicia turned to Rachel as she offered to stay behind for the girls who had not yet arrived. "I guess that works, if you don't mind," she conceded without arguing. She had no doubt that Rachel would be able to make an impact regardless of who she went with, since that was just the sort of situation that they were in right now. It wasn't like she would be stuck on her own.

What she did not expect was Rachel to give her something of a motivational speech, encouraging her to further develop as a leader. Some part of her wondered if it was really the time for this sort of thing, but she wasn't going to try and stop Rachel in the middle of all of this. She simply took in the sentiments and committed them to her heart. She did not want to let down this trust. "Thank you, I won't let you down," she replied with a firm nod.

The last details worked out, she joined the others in making their way down the secret passage. They soon exited into a wine cellar, full of casks, pillars, a door, a bust on the wall, and a table with a drink set out. "Clearly this 'secret' passage wasn't as secret as we thought," she noted, frowning as she looked at the table. She hesitated to even call this a trap, since it being a trap implied some surprise. if you knew it was there and you stuck your foot in anyway then you really only had yourself to blame.

For now she joined the others in looking at other options. "I might be able to handle that darkness with my Light magic," she offered as Gaia suggested exploring the passage that they had found. "The drink may let you go through the door, but it also might instantly brainwash you with Wonderland magic."

After a moment her gaze rose upwards. "If we're in a cellar, couldn't we just blast our way through the ceiling to the ground floor?" They could probably improvise that somehow, if they really needed to. Not as if they would know what they were getting into whatever path they took. But a less conventional strategy would probably take the Queen's forces off guard too.

‘Hey, at least there’s nobody here!’ Ronin said in response to Alicia saying that this passage wasn’t as secret as they thought. Immediately, everyone had agreed that the wine-bottle saying “DRINK ME” was an obvious trap.

‘Hmm,’ Miko frowned looking at the map, trying to see if there was any sense to be made from the bunches of lines all layered right on top of one another. ‘Well, yeah, Alicia can shine through the darkness, and Alexander could make the toughest armor so no matter the trap it shouldn’t hurt us, or Gaia could just send in branches to trigger the traps instead of us-’

She had to suddenly stop mid-ramble and throw up a barrier in-between her sister and the wine-bottle that Ronin had been reaching for. Sure, absolutely everyone else probably could have been ready to do that, but Miko did it, too. ‘Sis, what are you doing?’

‘I mean…’ Ronin waved her hands a little in the air. ‘I’m not sure this world follows the same logic as the real world? Just because this IS Wonderland, which follows some kind of fairy-tale rules, then maybe just because, the drink is ACTUALLY the solution? I know in the story it made Alice change size, but I kinda got curious what it would actually do? Besides, you’re all with me, there’s no way I’d not be fine, even if it was a trap!’ So Ronin confidently said. ‘Also, there was this one time I lost a date because I didn’t drink, and I don’t want to make that mistake again!’

‘Sis… no,’ Miko shook her head. ‘It could be deadly poison so potent we wouldn’t be able to do anything. Even if not, it could knock you out or turn you against us. That would endanger all of us. You wouldn’t want that, would you?’

‘… Okay, now you’re making me feel silly…’ Ronin smiled and scratched the back of her head. So, what’s the rest doing?

__________________




So, for some reason Mayra rolled “Big Backpack” for a perk, but she’s had absolutely no use of it, because the perk has substantially clashed with Mayra’s theme.

However, now, Mayra has launched into the midst of the fighting, and she’s wearing this giant, red, backpack on her back.

And she’s put Brittany in it before leaping off the unicorn’s back to get into the battle.

So we have Mayra fiercely and excitedly rushing her opponents and clawing at them with streams of fire emerging from her in multiple directions, and if an opponent tries to flank her Brittany can throw chemistry or shit at them like a good little helper in the backpack. All flanks accounted for. Glorious.

So, no need to worry about Mayra, she’s in her element, the middle of the heat of battle, throwing fireballs and fireclaws., teaming up with mermaids to hunt creatures, seeing Rachel apparently being here too and she wanted to also jump in to team up with her because that was hilarious to her, being back-to-back badasses with Rachel would be cool. And that Gryphon… interesting foe, but she’d have to wait until the rest of the forces were thinned out a bit before Mayra could take her on. For now, she’d just make sure to dodge the huge arrows~

__________________




He’s not going to do anything. He’s not going to do anything. He’s not going to do anything. He’s not going to do anything.

It was very fortunate that Asengav wasn’t an empath, because if he was, Mariette’s emotions would surely have given her away.

Mariette opened her eyes as she felt her feet meet solid, back in the real world. She breathed in deeply, as she’d forgotten to breathe for a while, and it was unclear if there was oxygen at all in the world she had just entered, just a dark magic keeping Asengav’s chosen alive regardless. Behind her, the mirror’s grip intensified. What was merely a tug before suddenly became a proper whirlpool, as the magic of Penrose started to drain into it. In this state, the mirror would be simple to detect from the surface… which is why they couldn’t have started this ritual earlier. To be frank, they would have lost against the forces of Penrose, and Asengav knew it. The clever Horror he was, he’d been preparing his own operation to start this ritual… but Mariette had just jump-started it.

‘Mother…’ Mariette panted slightly, seeing the Queen before her. The Mint had found them? That was… somewhat worrying, but not something she was going to spend much time deliberating right now. Instead, while the Queen was shouting orders at her subordinate, Mariette turned her gaze to a hidden camera she knew was there, on a tree to her right. ‘Inform everyone. It is time,’ she simply told, knowing the person on the other side would know what she meant.

She then looked to Esther. ‘You know your duty. Guard this mirror…’ … Then she started whispering. ‘… but not with your life. If you face death, retreat through the mirror.’ The statement that would surely have confused any other agent of Asengav, who surely knew what price they would pay for failing their determined duty, gave absolutely no reaction from Esther. Esther, as ever the unmoving tree-woman, stood merely where she was, treelike and beautiful. Mariette was satisfied that she had understood.

With that, she would try to then open a portal herself to the next place… but probably fail. Very well. Normally, Mariette would be the one to bring her agents into the field. But suppose not, this time. ‘Very well. Let us proceed,’ Mariette then turned to the Queen, and then insisted on walking in first.

They were in a giant, abandoned warehouse. Scores upon scores of abandoned wares were strewn about the place. The place was in disrepair, and there were giant claw-marks all over the place, and scorch-marks of fire having burned the floor and walls all over. And in the middle…

A small dwelling had appeared. A small hut, built out of debris, with a small campfire, makeshift furniture, a pile of eaten bones… and a score of books. On one of the chairs, frowning down at a book, sat a draconic man, dark scales coloring his body, horns on his head, and a tail much like Mayra’s behind him. He looked up from his book and frowned at Mariette as she appeared. This was Xander, originating from this post.



‘Mariette…’ he spoke, staring at her.

‘Xander. How are…’ Mariette hesitated. ‘How are you doing?’ she asked, feeling a bit awkward.

‘I remain in my prison. But, these books you have provided…’ he said, lifting a book. It was a children’s picture-book with simple words. It had been Mariette’s idea, to provide him with these books. ‘I am learning, slowly. Mayra is not…’ he stopped for a little. ‘… not easy to understand as she teaches, a lot of the time. But I have learned enough to understand. But why have you come?’

Xander, as a dragon, had originally been brought here at Mayra’s request. She’d framed the move as “having a dragon guard the mirror”, but secretly, she’d have wanted to bring her “Georgie” to this world with her, her former boyfriend when they were both dragons. Then Ruby had come along, and turned Xander into a being just like her, just as Mayra had wanted. Mariette had then been forced to sell keeping Xander here to Lea and Asengav, who found out immediately about Xander’s transformation, but not about how it had happened. Still, unlike Esther, Mayra was often not around to guard the mirror she was charged with, so having Xander here in her stead worked out for all sides. Mariette had promised to let him out of his cage in controlled circumstances, but the time for those circumstances hadn’t arrived yet.

‘I have come to use the mirror you’ve been tasked with guarding. Excuse us,’ she simply said, intending to just walking past Xander. She had not fully explained to Xander what it was he was guarding. He frowned as Mariette walked past, hoping he would not mind the other being walking with her.

The mirror was located in a box inside the warehouse. Mariette would find it, send a few quick bolts of light magic at the corners, and the door would tumble open. Inside, an ornate mirror with a portal leading to nothingness was once again visible…

Lily crossed her arms with a finger tapping the side of her head as she listened to Alex’ suggestion on the nature of the door.
”Yeah, I don’t think we should try opening it while it’s like that,” she spoke, and took a sidestep to Connie, taking her hand.
“Perhaps I could take a look at the passage?” Branch Nose chimed in while sitting on Gaia’s shoulder. “Even if it is dangerous, I would gladly sacrifice this body to protect you.”

When Alicia commented on opening the way forwards by directly ascending, Lily blinked, and craned her head up: there were no notable features to the vaulted stone ceiling.
”Whoah, you really think we could do that?” She asked.
”I mean, I guess we could, but that would definitely alert the guards,” she added, mirroring Gaia’s words from earlier.

As Miko squinted hard, she could barely make out a hallway of sorts behind the door of the room they were currently in, followed by another one running perpendicular: it seemed the walrus-headed passage ends up at the same location, though in a more roundabout way due to the passage making a circular turn. However, at that point the lines for other floors began to overlap too much to make coherent sense.

Ronin suggested drinking the bottle, and Lily shook her head.
”No, I think we should first check out the walrus head like Gaia suggested.”

Lily went closer to the gaping maw of the stone statue, and peered inside, assisted by Alicia’s magic: the passage was small, making it difficult if not outright impossible to walk without crouching. The passage made a turn towards the right before disappearing behind the corner. However, there was one very apparent quality for the aperture: there were tiny oysters littering the passage. They were scattered on the floor, on the walls, and even on the ceiling. One could hear a little high-pitched snoring sound coming from them, as if they were sleeping. However, the edges of their shells somehow audibly glinted with sharpness as light touched them.

Lily looked like she had swallowed an insect.
”Yikes…”

---

As Magical Dream Princess took charge, she led the truck in a bizarre parade. The creatures in the back cheered and threw confetti they had magically been given, making their trip a joyous one. Mac, having decided to keep her mount, took Mommy’s reins, and rode beside, attempting to strike up a conversation with Akhenaten. The black golem seemed confused by her made up impersonation, but otherwise let the theatrics proceed without interruption. Their trip was faster than expected thanks to MDP bouncing and skipping along, and soon enough they could see the desert give way to grassy plains and lone trees, with more verdant scenery up in the horizon.

---

Mayra’s Big Backpack earned its name, and was sizable enough for a small girl like Brittany to place her feet inside. By holding on to the dragon girl’s shoulders, she was able to ride in an unorthodox manner. Thus, the two headed out to join the Mermaid Princess’ army as they fought the defenders, gem-enhanced gunfire and shots of super-pressurized water flying out in every direction. As Mayra scorched the Wonderland royalists, Brittany threw bombs and vials to cover her chaotic forays into the enemy lines, the two proving to be quite a powerful combination despite their rather silly setup. The two soon caught the Gryphon’s attention as she attempted landing a hit on Rachel, and the inquisitor pursued her through the air with barrier-enabled jumps. The mighty monstergirl sneered.

“DRAGON OF DARK FIRE, YOU BESMIRCH THE GRACE OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS’ KEEP WITH THINE BUFFOONERY! THINE SENTENCE IS DEATH!”

And so, Gryphon began to shoot at Mayra: despite the dragongirl being able to dodge the initial shots of the giant arrows, she was not as swift when it came to the earth-shaking quakes and columns of raging wind that emanated from them as an after-effect, battering her around. But before a second volley reached her, Rachel intervened with a barrier.

“Keep her distracted so I can get close!” She yelled through the windstorm.

After thinking about the idea of going up for a few seconds, Alexander shook his head "Nah, that's way too likely to get us caught. Breaking through to a possibly high traffic area that we can't see sounds dangerous. I know we'll have to break stealth at some point, but it seems to early to do it now. Then Alicia's mention of Light magic hit him "Wait...that might work. Alicia might be able to cut a hole or two in the walls down here for us to go though. Like in Star Wars when they use Lightsabers to cut holes in doors. I could boost her with my magic as well. The walls in here don't seem that special, so it shouldn't be-"

”Yikes…”

Alexander froze "...dammit. Lily, what did you see and how fucked are we?"

Gaia smiled at Branch Nose as the small ent sitting on her shoulder offered to serve as a scout. “That is most courageous of you, but I would still prefer not to risk even your substitute body when a few vine tendrils could easily serve in that role,” the verdant maiden told him. “After all, if something were to happen to your vessel, it would take no small amount of time and effort to allow you to rejoin us in a similar fashion.”

Meanwhile, Connie’s mask also formed an appreciative smile when Lily took her hand. It was a great blessing to have made such a kind friend, although the timid girl could do without the bubbly greenette’s impulsive hyperactivity. Giving a small gasp as Lily pulled her forward to look inside the stone walrus head’s gaping maw, the masked maiden gave voice to an alarmed cry when she, too, noticed the menacing oyster-creatures, one only slightly stifled by quickly raising a trembling hand to cover her mouth.

“Hmmm… That does indeed seem to be quite the problematic obstacle…” Gaia concurred with a thoughtful frown as she joined Lily and Connie in front of the opening, the botanical beauty’s graceful fingers giving her dismayed best friend’s shoulders a comforting massage. “While I might be able to neutralize them myself, I believe my dearest Connie’s nightmare magic would be more effective in that regard,” she added. “Do you think you can trap them in a nightmare deep enough so that they won’t awaken while Branch Nose and I retrieve them, little sister?” the nymph-like magical girl inquired.

“I-I can t-try,” Connie replied with as much determination as she could muster, despite her clear trepidation.

Taking a deep breath, the masked maiden gathered her mystic power, raised a trembling hand, and fired a focused pulse of nightmare energy down the narrow passage. With luck, it would ensure that none of the oyster-creatures would emerge from their now far less pleasant slumber any time soon.

---

MDP continued her incredibly annoying cheerful song even as her strange procession moved from desert to grassy plain, its cutesy lyrics changing to reflect this. At this point I would perhaps try to pad out the rest of this section with the rambling lyrics for this song, but since I don’t want to subject anyone to that level of torture, I shall refrain. If, for whatever masochistic reason you wish to imagine what said song sounds like, just think of a hellish hybrid of the most annoying song from a children's show you’ve ever heard and the most sickeningly kawaiiko song the most sickeningly kawaiiko anime girl idol has ever sang. Though I’m sure nobody reading this is actually crazy enough to want to do that.

Finding a good position so that they could look, Alicia used her magic to shine a light into the opening on the wall. The sight they were greeted with earned a wince, light glinting off the edges of shells in a manner that promised they were very good at cutting things. "Well that's not ideal," she muttered to herself.

She dropped back to the ground and looked over to Alex as he asked what they had said. "Some creatures have decided to make that place their nest, and they have very sharp edges," she explained.

Of course the group was still far from helpless at this point, and Connie set to work trying to keep the creatures from waking up. Whether it would work was unclear, but it was probably the best option they had right now.

Thinking over it some more, Alicia came to an idea. "Alright. Alex, Ronin, Miko? The three of you have Reinforcement magic, so you have the best chance of making it through in case they wake up in spite of Connie's magic. Go through the passage and see if you can find some way to let the r4est of us access the castle."

‘Well, what I am saying, is maybe the drink turns you smaller so that you could pass through safely?’ Ronin suggested.

‘… And if so, how were you intending on becoming your normal size again after getting to the other side?’ Miko questioned, frowning at Ronin.

‘Why, by drinking the potion on the other side, of course! … Or maybe just drinking it again!’ Ronin replied.

Alicia suggested those with Reinforcement magic should be able to make it through there…

‘Yeah, leave it to us!’ Ronin replied.

‘Me and sis are also the physically smallest, so we should have the least amount of trouble,’ Miko agreed, albeit worried about if there was a trap on the other side.

Ronin was quick to walk in. Instead of her feet landing on the floor, she created a small platform with Reinforcement magic, allowing her entry without touching any surface. Now, of course, she couldn’t stand up straight, but she was more than happy to just crawl through as quickly as possible on all fours, all while reinforcing herself as much as possible just in case of a sudden attack. Miko was right behind her, following the same tactic, prepared to defend her sister in case something happened to the one in front.

And if they did make it to the other side, they’d look for a way to get the rest of them through as well, assuming nothing was immediately threatening them.

__________________




‘Hahaha!’ Mayra just laughed as she threw kicks and punches and claw-swiped accompanied by fire at the enemies around, swinging Brittany in the backpack around with her in whatever direction happened to be behind Mayra at the time. Going to assume this is just inside the gate right now, fighting whatever card warriors are around. Then, they clearly caught Gryphon’s attention. ‘Whoa!’ Mayra shouted out, suddenly having to propel herself with a fireblast and vaulting (with backpack) out of the range of a giant arrow, but then was slammed into by the quake and the wind launching her away, a bit shaken. ‘Heeey! Wait your turn!’ Mayra said, still grinning, then got defended by Rachel. ‘Heeey, the Inquisitor is working with me! That’s cool!’ Mayra grinned again as Rachel fighting with a dragon monster girl amused her.

‘Leave it… to me!’ she yelled, and jumped towards whatever buildings might be around… ‘Brit! Explosives!’ she requested, holding clawed hands back for Brittany to put things in.

Because believe it or not, Mayra would be able to throw those things way, WAAAY further than Brittany could!

And so, Mayra started lobbing things at the distant Griphon with thrown items. These being Brittany’s explosives, pieces of debris she just clawed off the nearby buildings or her own fireballs, she left the battle with the goons to the Mermaid Princess so she could pursue Griphon on land, throwing projectiles and dodging attacks while carrying Brittany with her!

__________________




Mariette’s hand was on the jewel at the top of the mirror… and with a lurch, it started. The nothingness within the portal started to swirl, one more whirlpool of magic being drained. Now that she had Asengav’s permission, there was no need to enter them. That said, now the mirror could be detected, and perhaps some disturbed people would come to do something about it. Once again, Mariette turned to the guardian of the mirror. For the previous mirror, it was Esther. For this mirror…

‘Xander,’ Mariette said, turning to look towards the dragon boy. He put the book down and stood up to look at her. ‘You know the duty which you were assigned now, even if it was Mayra’s originally.’ Not that Mayra could ever be rooted in place, and as such wasn’t really suited to be a guardian the way Esther was. ‘There is a possibility someone will arrive to try to take, destroy or pass through this mirror. Your job is to stop them. Survive, and I promise, I will free you from this leash.’

Xander frowned at her, but nodded. Mariette sighed out.

‘… But don’t die for it. It is not more important than your life. Defend it, but if you find yourself outmatched, flee through the mirror,’ Mariette told him.

‘… Huh,’ Xander looked surprised at her words. But he nodded again. ‘Alright. I’ll do so,’ he said. Mariette nodded back to him, that she had accepted his understanding. She’d now given the same warning to the guardians out of two out of five mirrors. She had no desire to see any of those she’d worked with to die. However, saying that warning from now on… would be more difficult.

She gestured to the queen, and that it was time to open a portal to the next mirror. By her own estimations, this was when the encounter would happen. She prepared herself as a portal opened, and…

‘Mariette,’ the sprite’s voice was raised before Mariette had even walked through the portal. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

The room was a proper museum. Walls displaying various artifacts, riches in grandeur. This was the grand hall of a collector, a man with magical connections so frantically trying to collect magical items, who had been drawn to Penrose, living on the outskirts of town. As Ronja and Suzette had suggested, hiding the tree in the forest, hiding the mirror among a trove of other magical artifacts. Various artifacts were hanging on the walls, with magic glass protecting it, with nametags on all within this windowless room with white walls. The owner of the collection had been mind-controlled by Ronja’s threads for a while now, and would protect his collection to the last against any intruders, which just happened to also include the mirror…

But he wasn’t here right now.

Instead, before the mirror, flew Lea, glaring at Mariette, looking a tad upset. Asengav’s most dedicated and closest follower, her “spokeswoman”, the one who kept him updated. Most of the time, information to Asengav goes through her. But this time, Mariette had side-stepped her entirely and gone directly to her lord, at the moment where it mattered the most.

Besides the green sprite, Suzette and Ronja stood at the side. Both looked pretty calm. Suzette, blonde empath, smiled and waved to Mariette, while Ronja the blind arachnid monster girl was spinning some reinforcement web in her hands. On the other side stood the smaller Victoria and the taller Tullia, the two ice-specialized girls, Tullia standing with her staff in the ground and looked very confused between Lea and Mariette, while Victoria narrowed her gaze looking at the queen behind Mariette. Also here was Freya, the half-snake monster-girl, but she was looking away and like she honestly didn’t want to be here, clutching one arm over her chest and the other over her head…






Lea had gathered as many as she could that were fit for fighting, Mariette observed. This was what she'd expected. Their operator had seen them through her cameras by the first mirror and notified the rest, Lea had been gathering the girls while they were at the second, and now they had come to intercept them by the third. That's why they had her place cameras by each mirror, after all. She was watching, even now.

‘Well?’ Lea asked, demanding an answer.

‘Quick action was required,’ Mariette replied, having already prepared her speech in her head. ‘Wonderland’s invasion is occupying the forces of Penrose, and the queen herself has agreed to help our cause, with the assumption we’re acting immediately. Asengav’s will will be done, then Wonderland can claim what is left.’ It was fortunate that Mariette was the one with the lie-detecting power. It would have been troublesome if Lea also had this ability. Lea would not be sated by their words, however.

‘How can you possibly trust HER word!? To let her in last second on this plan Asengav has crafted for longer than you’ve been alive!?’ Lea was not happy. ‘She’s the one who’s going to-’

‘She’s my mother,’ Mariette stated, a statement that caused numerous looks from the other present girls. ‘who has graciously decided to help her daughter out. That’s… something mothers do, right?’ she asked, looking to Suzette and Ronja. She knew Suzette was, is, a mother since before becoming a Magical Girl, and Ronja had her “spider babies” phase before. Suzette bit together, losing her happy expression as her one sensitive topic was raised, while Ronja giggled a bit next to her.

‘Even then…’ Lea said, determined to get a word in.

‘Besides…’ It was time to put her in her place. ‘Asengav has already agreed with me. The ritual is underway. In this world, I am the champion of Asengav. Arguing against my decision is arguing against Asengav himself. So step in line, Lea.’ Mariette declared, putting on a determined face. Internally, her heart was going a million miles a minute, but that was besides the point.

Lea did not reply, merely floated with an angry expression in mid-air, looking down at Mariette with her usual look of superiority.

‘I think she got you there, Lea,’ Suzette jeered with a grin from the side.

‘Yeah, I think I’m following Mariette on this one,’ Victoria chuckled on the other side.

‘I’m not sure how we got here, I think we really should be working together right now,’ Tullia said, looking unsure but still determined.

‘Yes, the ritual has started. It is time to get a move on, or all you with pants are going to be caught with them down when our enemies come after us,’ Ronja the half-spider told.

Freya just grunted. This all… was so petty and unnecessary, she thought.

Lea, not losing her expression of one of who is in control, eventually spoke.

‘Very well. I will relent,’ she said, to Mariette’s relief. ‘But first, I would like the answer to two questions.’

Mariette stayed tense, as Lea now looked to the queen instead.

‘Why is Mariette not travelling with her own portals?’ she asked, as the portals the queen opened were reddish in frame, with a thorny vine engraving and carrying Wonderland’s sigil, instead of just the round holes in reality Mariette makes. ‘What is the necklace that Mariette is now wearing?’ Lea followed up with the second question.

Mariette stood firm, not betraying any emotions. It wasn’t like she was completely unprepared for this question. But… now that it came, she wasn’t confident in her prepared lie.

She’d be quiet long enough that the queen could give her own answer, but otherwise she would eventually speak up herself.

”Aye-aye Aye-aye
It’s a monkey
Aye-aye Aye-aye
On a southern island
Aye-aye Aye-aye
With a long tail
Aye-aye Aye-aye
It’s a monkey
Aye-aye Aye-aye
It’s a monkey
Aye-aye Aye-aye
In a house made from tree leaves
Aye-aye Aye-aye
With round eyes
Aye-aye Aye-aye
It’s a monkey

…

…

…

Rain, rain, come, come
My mother will pick me up with an umbrella
Pitch pitch, chap chap, run run run!
With my bag on my shoulders, I follow my mother
A bell is ringing somewhere
Pitch pitch, chap chap, run run run!
Oh dear, that girl is dripping wet
She is crying under the willow
Pitch pitch, chap chap, run run run!
Mom, mom, I’ll lend my umbrella
‘You, you, use this umbrella,’
Pitch pitch, chap chap, run run run!
I am all right, don’t worry
Mother will take me under her big umbrella
Pitch pitch, chap chap, run run run!

…

…

…

Elephant, elephant
You have such a long nose!
That’s right, my mom too
Has a long nose
Elephant, elephant
Who do you love?
Well, I love my mom!

…

…

…

Acorn is rolling, “splash!” he goes
Fallen Into the pond, oh no
Loach comes swimming, ‘Hello,
Young master acorn, let’s play together.’
Acorn is rolling, and having fun
Playing together for a little while is fun but
So sad, still wanting to go home to the mountain
Crying, loach becomes troubled

…

…

…

The dragonfly’s glasses are
Light-blue coloured glasses
Because he flies, because he flies
Under the blue sky
The dragonfly’s glasses are
Shiny glasses
Because he looks, because he looks
At the sun
The dragonfly’s glasses are
Red coloured glasses
Because he flies, because he flies
Under the sunset clouds.“

“Why are you singing along with MDP?” Ken didn’t say it, but Mac was sure that’s what he was thinking because of the way he was looking at her.

”Oh I’m just waiting for the ride to end.“

“Fair enough.” Ken did Ken things. “Is it time?”

“For something, yes.”

---

It was time for something.

Chloe had returned to Penrose. This had been something she had been meaning to do for a bit, but it didn’t seem like any amount of returning would cause her to return. Even when she returned she was stuck in the process of returning. Returning returning returning.

In truth, Chloe probably shouldn’t have. But seeing as everyone had left without her, there wasn’t much point in trying to keep up. Especially if Lily was that set on “bringing her to justice.” And she was set on that. One didn’t have to spend more than a few seconds around the excitable girl to tell she was more than just your average genki girl. Genki girl was not a great name for Lily anyway. She knew far too many pop culture references to be someone who enjoyed exercise.

But in truth, she had been told to come here by an acquaintance. That she needed to reach out to someone, and they would listen. That, and it seemed that the Queen had somehow discovered that there was a mole among their men. Of course there was a mole, there had to be one, but it was interesting that now was the time when she decided to actively dedicate forces to investigate it. The debtor gone horror worshiper gone coin broker sighed.

”I can’t believe I’m putting stock in what that wolf girl told me.”

”Yet what she seems to say is true.” The savant skeleton added. ”Who knew that getting accosted by Crimson Cradle would turn out to be so fortuitous?”

”I’m not one to count my chicks before they hatch...”

Chloe tapped her orb, and Viper would receive a silent message. When secret agents had been burned, they needed to be notified discreetly so that they could make a swift exit, but not so swift that they would be instantly found out.

But now that Chloe was here, it was time to assess why the queen had her forces here. Surely she had some reason for bringing her forces to Penrose even if she couldn’t get inside.

…

…

…

They had missed a lot.

Penrose was a place where a disaster happened every week, but for once, the Penrose disaster was located further north. She had patched everything up with her girlfriend but wanted to remain in Penrose for a few more days just in case something with her original mission went south. How quickly she had forgotten that Penrose was a place where things went south every day.

The entire city had been put in some sort of shift. Neither of them understood it, but it seemed like the city was safe for now. But not everyone inside was. At least, not according to Chloe. That wasn’t someone who she could just blindly trust. No one from the Mint could be blindly trusted. Even former members of the Mint like Veronica couldn’t be trusted. That didn’t mean they always gave out bad information though. And with everything so peaceful, there was no reason to at least follow up on what could be important info.

---

It was time for something.

The plant girls felt it first. Their skin, covered in corrupted blooms, began to wilt. Only for something to take root inside their flesh.

Alicia’s seed, wherever it was, was also doing something. Was it in her pocket or laying at the bottom of an incinerator in New York? Either way, the shell would start to peel away and reveal something inside.

The planted seeds remained unnoticed to all but a few.

For now.

Lily nodded as Gaia came up with a plan using Connie’s magical expertise. With a wave of purplish vapor, her spell made towards the magical mollusks: the creatures’ snores turned erratic and restless, signs that they were captured in a hex that induced sleep paralysis, ensuring that they would not wake from their night terrors.
”Good job, Connie!” Lily cheered for her fellow magical girl with an approving pat of her hand on the latter’s shoulder. Next, Alicia suggested that the twins make their way through the passage, to which Lily added:
”Yeah, and Alex too! You three will make it through, I know it!”

Ronin was the first to enter through the maw of the stone walrus head into the passage. In a clever move, she used barriers to traverse through without touching the floor of the passage, avoiding any possible traps that relied on direct contact. Her self-applied barriers nonetheless proved vital in navigating through the cramped path, as the sleeping oysters and their blade-sharp shells scraped repeatedly against her magical defenses as if walking through a motionless wood chipper, eroding them at a slightly alarming rate. However, she only needed to apply the barrier once after passing around the corner before she saw light at the end of the tunnel, and emerged out, with Miko following right after.

The twins found themselves at a stone corridor very reminiscent in style to the ones in Justine von Visceral’s castle, back when they had begun their adventures in Penrose: There was a red carpet that ran through the center, and sconces set on walls lit the walls, showing banners of crimson red, all of them carrying the familiar emblem of the Wonderland tyrant. There were four suits of imposing plate armor on rectangular display stands, holding halberds upright and carrying Diamond insignias. The left end of the corridor led to a stone staircase that led to an upper floor, while the right end led to a more spacious area; based on the map and direction they entered, it was most likely the castle foyer.
There were also several wooden doors reinforced with iron.

The twins turned their heads, and saw one more door, though this one carried the same magical rune as the one they saw in the wine cellar. Based on the map and the turning passage, they recognized this to be the same door their friends were trapped behind. In addition, they now recognized the small passage they came from to have been stylized like a face with a wide open mouth. However, unlike the stone walrus, this one was wooden, and carved to resemble a strange man with a small hat and a square-shaped nose. Next to the passage was a wooden mallet with a hole at the tip of its hilt, hanging from a wall hook, reachable by hand from the floor. The mallet had the word “Carpenter” carved to its side.

---

After a long and probably torturous journey with a certain pastel-colored magical girl and her equally annoying entourage of freaks, Mac finally saw the royal castle in the distance, embroiled in a great battle of sorts, with various fish-like creatures and sealife battling it out on magically generated currents of water against the royalist defenders. And up in the far distance, a raging battle against a fearsome beast against a monster queen.

---

“Don’t get used to it!” Rachel voiced her disdain amidst the siege, performing a maneuver similar to a wall bounce off of a barrier to avoid a ballista bolt of earthshaking whirlwind from Gryphon.
The general of the queen’s army turned out to be quite a difficult opponent for Rachel as she pursued her through the open skies around the castle: the monster queen, much like a Mongol horse archer, was able to accurately shoot at any angle while circle strafing with unnatural agility, turning out practically impossible to engage at melee, which Rachel seemed to be limited to.

That is, until Mayra intervened using projectiles of her own, handed out by Brittany as she seemed to channel Mayra’s Big Backpack from proximity and pulled out bombs and vials of combustible concoction. Then, with her dragonian brawn, hurled them at great speed, bombarding the winged liontaur. The monster raised a clawed front foot to deflect some of the projectiles, but nonetheless was burned by the various explosives and chemicals, angering her immensely.

“FACE MINE WRATH, DRAKE, AND FALL!”

She screeched, and drew three immense arrows at once on her bowstring, focusing magical energy into them before they were launched in a spiraling triple barrage.

“TRIPLE MOCK TURTLE!”

Mayra was able to dodge one, deflect another with Rachel’s assistance, but the third one was coming straight at her…When Brittany jumped, having launched herself with some kind of firecracker. “SUPERMAN THAT (OH)!” She yelled, holding her fist before her like a certain caped crusader.
Rachel scowled. “NO!”

At that moment, the diminutive shopkeeper sacrificed herself for Mayra by letting herself be impaled by the arrow that blasted her off to the distance on impact, coughing up blood before falling, though she could glimpse Rachel hurrying to catch her.
“PITIFUL…” Gryphon taunted as she conjured a new arrow.

---

The queen quietly opened portals and followed after Mariette as she worked her magic with the next mirror, content with the family bonding time that she believed she was spending with her daughter. Though she knew she had little time to bask in maternal matters, knowing that there were eyes on her. And then, as they reached their next destination, Mariette was accosted by more of her minions, who seemed less co-operative. The situation escalated fast as suspicion and doubt quickly overcame these Horror cultists: despite their usefulness, she couldn’t stand the control that the Patrons had over their chosen soldiers, just like what happened with Alice long ago.

Her purple eye flashed, and she witnessed a stalker from beyond, the surveillance of Asengav provided by one more, secret servant. She would not stand for more spies to her work. She pointed her Storyslayer forward, and gathered great magic to it.

“I love my daughter, more than any mother could possibly love their child. All I do is but mere stepping stones for her to realize her destiny. To that end, I will do what must be done. All of you will be delivered from bondage…Even Blick Winkel shall not escape." Her eye flashed again, as she read the story.

"Severance!”

Then, she made a horizontal sweep before her…And all the girls previously bound to Asengav’s will now had their mindbending severed, their free wills restored. Even the secret watcher, whose true name was Nina, was met with this fate, having been cut through the letters of one word in the story itself.

Like black ink, the Queen shook off the smoky magic residue left behind on the sword, as a new line had now been written where before there was blank papyrus.

“Now then, if any of you continue to oppose my Ali-Tch! Intruders!”

Fully focused on them and her great story-shattering spell, the Queen happened to leave her mirror open and unattended in her lapse of attention, something which she would learn to regret immensely as Mika and Su both managed to throw themselves through the red mirror and into the room with Mariette and the Queen herself.

---

Chloe received a silent reply from Viper, a sign that she had received the new orders. However, only time will tell if she managed to warn her subordinate in time before she was caught by the Queen’s forces. Of course, Glimmr began popping off with alarmed posts about strange flowers that began to bloom from the magical populace of Penrose…

Alexander sighed "I'm not really a fan of splinting up like this...but this does seem to be our best option." He grumbled before he began to climb through the door "Huh" he briefly paused upon seeing the other side for the first time "Those are so fucked up looking clams. And it's cramped as hell in here. Fuck, this is going to suck so much" Before he fully crossed over, he applied a forcefield to himself, as well as a barrier platform to crawl over. "If we can't find anything on the other side, I'll just come back so I can bring you guys through.". With that said, he made his way through.

The trip through ended up being more annoying and creepy than dangerous. But he was able to catch up to the twins. "I don't know about you two, but I thought that was a huge fucking pain." He crawled out of the tunnel and got back to his feet. He quickly spotted the mallet and grabbed it "is this supposed to be some kind of key?" Looking around, he noticed the door with the rune on it. A few quick uses of Absolute Direction confirmed that the others were behind it. Still a little wary of the unknown rune, he summoned up a clone "You, go poke it"

"Ugh, fuck" The clone grumbled but obeyed

"Those suits of armor look suspicious to me." Alexander addressed the twins "Keep an eye on them while I try and open the door for the others. With any luck, they won't try to kill us"

The barriers turned useful, and Ronin managed to arrive unscathed, despite touching the sharp items more than once. They looked back and… huh.

‘I guess the Walrus and the Carpenter ate all the oysters,’ Miko observed.

‘Does that, somehow, answer a riddle of these rooms or something?’ Ronin asked, confused.

‘I… don’t know,’ Miko responded, because she absolutely did not.

Then Alexander came through, and Ronin cheered for him. ‘Well done getting through! We’re smaller than you and it was still a doozy, but you got through anyway!’

‘Wait, but-’ Miko was about to say, but Alexander already grabbed the mallet. ‘- what if it’s trapped!?’ she finished her sentence after he’d already grabbed it.

‘Yeah, you focus on the door! We’ll just deal with anything this room throws at us!’ Ronin drew her sword, standing as a bodyguard watching Alexander’s back.

Miko sighed, and then did the same, drawing her sword, just in case, glancing around with her Third Eye.

__________________




Mayra crouched, preparing herself with a grin as Gryphon three arrows to shoot at her. ‘Oh? You gonna shoot me?’ Mayra asked, and, well, indeed she was.

The dragon-girl blasted herself with a kick and a fireball to the side, jumping towards a shadow that she’d seen that she was going to use Darkness magic to sink into. It was very difficult to destroy someone who had sunk into darkness. Mayra chuckled mentally, as the first arrow was dodged by the act of jumping into the shadow…

… Only for Mayra to realize Brittany was left completely exposed in a silly sitting-position on the surface. So, turns out, Mayra cannot bring other people into her shadows. The Big Backpack is a Perk, and as such part of her magic, and did follow, but all of Brittany? Nope. And there was the second arrow going directly for Brittany.

Mayra blasted out, arms grabbing onto Brittany in tense alarm, as the two of them flew up into the air as Mayra managed to bring both of them safely out of the way of the second arrow, Mayra’s eyes somewhat wide as she had to act in all haste to counteract her stupid mistake.

That, unfortunately, meant she’d launched herself straight into the air, where she was an open target for Gryphon’s third arrow. Mayra was definitely going to try to fire and claw it, but given how quickly she’d had to act to save Brittany from the second arrow, it didn’t seem like she’d be in time…

… And that’s when Brittany can do her thing, if she so pleases.

Mayra landed back down, decently unscathed, her expression neutral as she looked over at where Rachel held Brittany. Was that Mayra’s fault? 100%. She’d been very confident she could keep the little pipsqueak safe. There was no way she wouldn’t be blamed for this later. And, honestly, quite rightly too. But, like, Mayra’s kinda bad at just handling all that, emotionally, so…

‘Oh, would you look at that,’ Mayra said, spinning back to face against Gryphon, her tone noticeably lacking her usual mirth. She sunk into a battle-stance, knees bent into a beastly prowl, clawed hands raised. ‘You just removed my reason for holding back. Also.’ Mayra threw a glance at the horizon, through the gate, at the truck approaching. ‘I’m about to get reinforcements.’

With that statement, Mayra suddenly split. With the Duplication power, Mayra was able to divide into several copies of herself, all as physically competent as herself. With this being the battlements or just inside the walls, there should be plenty of places to jump around to, as each of the agile dragon-girls took a different route to their target. Just needed to keep them distracted. A couple more fighters would be showing up soon… but if Mayra could punch Gryphon’s face first, that’d be sweet. Actual Mayra was hiding using Darkness, intending on circling around and getting into position to strike when the time came, watching Gryphon get chased by the duplicates first.