Ariamis

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

excuse me is this still open?

@Luluna

Yes, it is open, but the RP is currently in the final event, with the main characters working against the main antagonist in another dimension called Wonderland. If you don't mind that, I can offer ideas on where new characters could appear.

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

The Queen of Hearts seemed elated by the fact Mariette responded to her. “Oh, but of course, sweetie~,” she spoke as she placed a gentle hand on Mariette’s shoulder. “After all, you need a consort if you are to continue the bloodline after succeeding me as the queen~” she spoke with joy. She was about to answer Mariette’s question when she was interrupted: she blinked as Alexander yelled out, and turned to look at him as he stepped through the portal.
Of course, before he had the chance to properly challenge her, Mariette swiftly silenced him, her tendrils having wrapped around his entire body like a carpet. The red royal’s smile widened at the sight of her daughter’s quick reaction and magical prowess. “Yes! Such skill with arcane appendages! It seems you already know how to discipline your future consort. Excellent.”

She nodded patiently as Mariette finished her explanation of luring Alex using the name. “Marvelous. To think that you have already taken responsibility to protect our realm, and with guile and deceit…Simply wonderful.” She extended her free arm towards Alex, and red ribbons slithered from her sleeve; they spun around Alex and carried him towards the two of them until he was dropped before her feet. “I’m still getting used to these wonderful gifts that you have given to me, Alice. But once I have mastered them, we will be like two peas in a pod~”

She then looked towards the Green Helm convoy: the troops were repairing the vehicles that were still salvageable and carrying the injured to the trucks, intending to leave and continue carrying out their mission. “Speaking of…Why are the Green Helms this far from the Fields of Produce? Perhaps-”

”Hey! Let go of Alex right now!”

Lily arrived on the scene with a dramatic brake of her bike, having driven right past Mayra as her attention was squarely on the newly arrived queen. She jumped off, and summoned her magical bow Ramuh, pulling back the bowstring made of electricity and aiming right at the Wonderland monarch with a lightning arrow.

”Or you will regret it, Queen Meanie!”

The Queen summoned the Storyslayer in her hand.

“Oh? Are you perhaps this Lily girl my dear Alice spoke of?”

Lily blinked, but then re-drew her bow.

”Th-That’s right! I’m Lily Lightning! What of it?”

She glanced towards Mariette, looking like she was about to say more. But, knowing how serious the situation was, she focused on the immediate issue.

”What do you want with Alex anyway?”

The queen gave off a noblewoman’s laugh.

“Oh, I have chosen him to be king consort for Alice,” she spoke, the hold on her shoulder having turned slightly more obsessive. “He is quite rebellious, yes, but he will be soon molded into the perfect vessel for my grandchildren.”

Lily turned red in the face, disgust and anger flashing across her eyes. She summoned more arrows.

”No! That is not happening! Release him, now!”

“You dare defy me, foolish girl? I should have you off with your head…”

But then, a manic smile spread across her lips, as she glanced down at Alex, and then at Mariette right next to her. She slowly lowered the blade of the Storyslayer…Until it was threateningly close to Alex’ neck.

Lily froze, having seen back in Bolorton that the queen was not only willing but fully capable of lightening shoulders with a head-rolling display. She held the bow for a moment longer, her hands trembling, until she dismissed it with a look of indignation at the queen.

The queen spoke.
“I have come up with a better idea. Alice, as you see, this girl has committed treason against Wonderland.”

She looked towards her self-proclaimed daughter, and the smile widened, perhaps slightly bit more than was possible in Mariette’s eye.

“By your right and responsibility as Crown Princess of Wonderland…Punish her.”

Lily gasped, and she looked at Mariette with a look of shock.

“You may kill her if you wish, sweetie. As long as she suffers~”

Lily’s hands balled up.
”You…monster…” Lily spoke before she realized it, having come out as a sincere display of her refusal to yield to the mad monarch. Still, she knew she couldn’t openly oppose the queen now that she had taken Alex hostage. She glanced at Mariette, and nodded: she knew that Mariette was probably in an even worse situation, as the queen made her prove her loyalty. She decided to trust in Mariette, no matter what happens.

The Queen waited patiently at Mariette’s response, still keeping one hand on Mariette’s shoulder and the other gripping the Storyslayer close to Alex’ nape, seemingly unaware of Connie, Gaia, and Chloe as they approached the scene of the conflict.

---

_{.:⋮Why Is A Raven Like A Writing-Desk?⋮:.}

The White King nodded, seemingly more than pleased by the prospect of getting to play the Magical Dream Princess’ game as she led both him and Mister Hatty by the hand, following after Rachel, Ashley and Alicia. Penny couldn’t help but give a little laugh at the line of chess pieces that hopped after them, following the pastel magical girl’s rhythm with their own.

After the chess match had been played against the Mad Hatter’s malicious machines, Justine and Caroline descended down towards the group as they reconvened.
”Caroline…You were too reckless in that battle,” Justine scolded her younger sibling, who whimpered from the wounds she had sustained, including a large gash on her arm.
“I’m sorry, Big Sis…” She mumbled.
However, the sour mood between the two of them was sweetened by the kindness that Ronin showed, having intoned a spell of restoration that mended her injuries. Caroline blinked, and stared at Ronin with wide, emotionless eyes…And then she took her hand. She gave it a slightly awkward shake, like a person who knows how to express gratitude, but not the exact mechanics for it.
“Thank you…Ronin,” she spoke, and the samurai magical girl would see the vampire girl’s cheeks form a little blush.
As the girl continued to hold the hand a bit too long than was probably comfortable for Ronin, Justine intervened after she gratefully received Miko’s healing in turn, thanking her properly as she did so, and gently placed a hand over Caroline’s.
”You can let go a bit sooner than that, Caroline. She understands that you’re grateful.”
Caroline released her hands, and averted her eyes despite continuing to stare into space, a sign of her developing embarrassment.

“Sorry…”

”It’s fine, Caroline. Now then, shall we continue?”

Miko once again pulled out the Super Map to determine the situation, which hasn’t changed too much: the Mad Hatter and some minions of his were still on the top floor, though he was now more erratic in his movements. More robots were being created in the factory buildings in the vicinity, and some even began to march outside as space started running out. However, the White King assigned some chess pieces to hold them back, ensuring they could continue unassailed into the central factory building.

”I’m glad you’re having fun in all this,” Penny mentioned as MDP left, and waited for Nefer and Akhenaten to catch up as the vampire girls and the twins went past her.
”How are you two holding up?” She asked them, but the secret Sinner scoffed back.
“Hey now, I’m not a wrinkly hag just yet! Don’t think I’m falling behind because of lack of exercise or something! Magical girls don’t have that!” She puffed up her cheeks.
“I simply let you cuties run ahead of me so I can enjoy the view~”
Akhenaten shook his head, and walked past her into the factory.
“Hey, I was just joking, okay? It’s really because I want to keep my machine safe in the backlines! Hey, Akhen!”
She yelled as she ran after the black golem. Penny gave one last look at the remaining white chess pieces, gave them a Metal enhancement spell, and ventured inside.

The central factory was a confusing tangle of corridors, stairways, and halls, with machinery of indiscernible purpose lining the walls and corners. However, it didn’t take long before Mac had followed Rachel to what was the biggest hall of them all, and where they saw their objective: the Conjuration Eggs.

Unlike the Egg that was deployed at Bolorton, these ones seemed to be slightly smaller, with more intricate and detailed sleeping faces adorning their sides, alongside magic circles and other arcane symbols. There were a total of four eggs, each of them sitting in a cup-shaped mechanical podium fitted with wires and blinking lights. The podiums were arranged in a square, with each egg in one corner of it: north-west, north-east, south-west, and south-east.

Four transparent walls of magical energy surrounded the eggs in that square, reaching from the floor up to a lid-like platform that hovered over the square. The platform housed a giant bird nest, and four slides had been built to extend from the bottom of the platform to the four podiums.

It was quite apparent what sort of creature was capable of laying such bizarre eggs when one looked at the horrible monstrosity sleeping on the bird nest: a mish-mash of a black-feathered chicken and a green reptile with some cybernetic enhancements, with leathery dragon wings, gator-like scaled tail, a long beak riddled with fangs, and most noticeably, a face half-covered with a metallic plate, complete with a robotic eye with a closed eyelid.

Rachel adjusted her glasses with a look of disdain as the rest caught up. “So, this abhorrent abomination has birthed these benighted Eggs Benedict?” She asked with an uncharacteristically low voice.

“It seems so, yes,” Nefer spoke with a whisper. “Based on my research on magical creatures of Wonderland, I believe this to be a heavily mutated and modified variant of a cockatrice.”

”A cockatrice? But wait, aren’t those creatures capable of-”

“That’s right!” The Mad Hatter’s voice blared through the loudspeakers. “This is Chicken Ultra Crushing Mega, my greatest creation! And now, you shall perish beholding its majestic beauty!”

A button could be heard to be pressed, followed by a robotic hand with Michael Moose glove-like fingers descending from the ceiling and gently patting the monster. It then woke, opening its eyes to look at the invaders.

Caroline met the cockatrice’s gaze with her trademark unblinking eyes as she was floating in the air with her bat wings…And was petrified on the spot, turning into a stone statue. The statue then began to fall down, at risk of hitting the floor with a shattering impact.

”Caroline! NO!”

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

The Green Helms, though better trained and more competent than your average Wonderlandian military, were still caught by surprise as Alex and Brittany burst from the woods, and Alex lit up the convoy with a wondrous display of explosive fireworks. The soldiers quickly retaliated with shells and bullets at the identified threat, but they were no match for Alexander’s barriers and brutality as he let loose and brawled through the ranks, bloodlust rising as the “deck” was cut.

Brittany joined with Alex as she drew more flasks with the intent to immolate, and began singing along to the music Alex heard, as if he was in a musical:

“Painting the soldiers red!
We're painting the soldiers red!
We dare not stop,
Or waste a drop,
So let the blood be spread!
We're painting the soldiers reeeed!
We're painting the soldiers red!
Oh, painting the soldiers red!
And many a tear be shed,
Because we know,
They'll cease to grow,
In fact, they'll soon be dead,
NOOOOO...
And yet we go ahead,
Painting the soldiers red!”

Fortunately for the Green Helms, after only a few of them were charred to a crisp, Mariette intervened, ambushing Brittany with a mirror from which emerged snatching tendrils. Brittany wasn’t the most capable magical girl when it came to physical prowess, nor was she particularly attentive due to Wonderland’s enchantment due to the way it addled her mind. So, it came as no surprise to the dark magical girl, experienced in the art of ambush and Mahou-napping, to have successfully caught her with nary a peep. The girl’s eyes spun around in surprise as she mumbled and struggled weakly…only to be dropped on the empty plain Mariette stood, her bindings unraveled like a ball of yarn let loose. She rolled a single time down the grassy hill before she was left sitting with a stupefied expression, blinking several times. It seems the experience momentarily frizzled the enchantment on her.

“...Why must we paint them red?”

Next, Mariette had to face Alex. Though she was one of the most powerful Mahou, even she understood what a powerhouse someone like Alex was, and the difficulty in attempting to face him head on. But Mariette proved herself capable of guile: using an ingenious ploy, Mariette directly called out to Alex, a portal leading straight to her.
Hearing Lily’s name, Alex couldn’t help but stop in his slaughter: the enchantment momentarily weakened as memories of Lily, and of Mariette, someone who helped him save her, came back, pushing back against the encroaching madness like a ray of light. At that moment, he regained temporary clarity.

As Alex seemed to be getting a hold of himself, it would have been natural for Mariette to feel a pang of relief, having managed to solve the conundrum with her wits. And she accomplished it all without outing herself. But then…Awareness crept up like cold sweat. Mariette had realized the way her shout seemed to echo across the land…and realized that she had drawn someone else’s attention.
She turned to see the Queen of Hearts behind her. She had a wide smile on her lips as her eyes shone like twin stars.
“My dear Alice, I’m so glad I found you. Oh, you must have been ever so frightened to run away the way you did, and even call for your unbirthday gift.” She gave an amused hum.
“Yes, the surprise is ruined, what with the dumb Dodo letting him break free early, not that it matters now that extinction caught up to him,” she spoke with a dismissive scoff, the Storyslayer she held in her hand having disappeared.

“In any case, I suppose I should have known that you were so curious you opened your present early this year~” She walked slowly towards her, with open arms. Eventually Alex also saw her from beyond the portal.
“This Absolute Direction power is absolutely dreadful to control. You must be a natural talent considering well you navigate with it. But you need not worry any longer, for mother is here. Mother will never leave you again.” She blinked as she came closer and closer. “But I do wonder: who is this Lily you mentioned? A friend of yours?”

---

Lily was surprised at the sudden change in tone that the pink construct had in it's voice, and her mouth widened at the revelation that she spoke to Chloe this entire time.
”Oh, it’s you, Chloe?” She was about to follow up with a stupid question about Chloe having apparently turned to crystal when the annoyed magical girl mentioned a siege and forces of her own, causing her to blink and realize she was speaking through a weird walky-talky of sorts.
She turned her head at Gaia as she explained their mission, nodding along enthusiastically: she was glad the verdant protector of nature was with her, as her eloquence with words far exceeded hers.
”We could certainly use the help if you can spare any-”

The both of them were interrupted by the kite’s warning, and Lily gasped as Dave displayed distress, hooting away.
”No way…Could it really be Alex? I mean, I know he doesn’t like Wonderland…But he wouldn’t go that far! That's not the Alex I know and love!”
Then, without another word, Lily revved up her enchanted motorcycle, and like a bolt of thunder shot off with a raised front wheel, leaving her friends in pursuit of Alex.
”AAALEEEX!” They heard her scream, as she headed towards the fire beyond the forest, zig-zagging through the trees as she departed from the dirt path they have taken. However, due to the power of the unicorns they rode, Connie and Gaia could catch up to her in ten seconds flat.

---

Justine and Caroline fought against four of the newly promoted Queens, two red and two white, and used their aerial maneuverability to prevent them from engaging the forces down below. The former’s crimson spear spun to deflect lances shot by a red Queen before thrusting at a white Queen who parried with her great sword. Caroline on the other hand managed to rush in and cut through another white Queen’s block after a feint, dropping the pieces down, and followed up by transforming herself amorphous in response to crossbow shots, the lances passing through her like pins through gel.
However, it seems it wasn’t complete invulnerability, as the younger sister looked pained afterwards, gritting her teeth.
“No…Hurting…Big sis…” She hissed in a low voice.
”Focus, Caroline!” Justine called out, as she shot a shotgun spray of blood bullets at yet another red Queen taking aim and shooting at her, failing to hit the older sister thanks to the valiant efforts of the twins and their Reinforcement barriers keeping the team in the fight.
”My thanks, Ronin and Miko!”

_{.:⋮It Was Much Pleasanter At Home⋮:.}

”Alicia,” Penny politely responded to the ebon-haired girl’s greeting as she launched herself towards a red Rook harassing Ashley, a routine the two had as far as mid-battle greetings had turned into. The Paladin Seraph continued providing much-needed cover fire against the chess army, arrows of light destroying a red Bishop while also holding the rest off from flanking distracted allies. Penny on the other hand focused on offense: a laser blade cleaved a descending arm off the Rook before she caught the other one with her free arm, briefly wrestling with the super powered automaton before slamming it down and twisting the arm off it’s shoulder.
Spidery limbs then shot out from her back to strike at a white Queen, forcing the flier to back off.
”I was a bit surprised. Did they reach the far side of the chess board?” She asked mid-punch.
“I think one did,” Nefer answered as she blasted a red Knight into ash. “But I can’t really pay attention with such a cutie like you joining us~”
Akhenaten could only shake his head as he ripped a red Bishop into pieces. A white Knight attempted a down thrust, only to be blocked by a twin’s barrier. However, the twins felt the strain that came with protecting from such a relentless onslaught, and sweat formed on their brows from the exertion, their mana now at 80%.

The slap that Mister Hatty delivered to the offending Bishop who dared harm her beloved Princess caused another Bishop and a red Queen who had yet to ascend to fall down. Coupled with Rachel keeping the other melee units distracted and off of Ashley, Mac charged up a spell that attracted the projectiles shot her way as Ashley rushed ahead, their aim having improved by now to target Mac’s actual position. Despite the red king’s tactics, the illusionist gathered up the swirling ammunition, and with a mighty blast let the chess royal eat their own medicine, as all the lances and magic bombs coalesced to form a javelin that exploded and penetrated the automaton’s mighty armor, caving the midsection in. As a result, the crimson king’s court had come to an end, as it leaned back from the impact like a damaged doll and stopped moving.

As soon as the red monarch met it's end, the red pieces hesitated, and looked towards the white king.

“Fools! My Dual King Command System means that the remaining king will assume control!” The Mad Hatter taunted from the loudspeaker. “Now, assume the Omni Promotion Protocol!”

“Uhh…Sir, the command is not acknowledged,” a mook’s voice was once again heard from farther away.

“WHAT? How? No!”

The others then realized the reason for the immoral minister's distress: the White King, still red on the face plate, had conjured a white flag, and waved it up in the air. As it did, the white chess pieces dropped their weapons and stopped moving, their heads drooping down in defeat. The red pieces, however, began to run away, hopping and flying.

“It seems that the command unit is surrendering.”

“Impossible! These machines were designed with tactical genius and strategic prowess, not cowardice!”

“Well…that might not be the reason,” the Mook commented, as the White King approached MDP and took hold of her hand, heart eyes having formed on it similarly to Mister Hatty.

“NO! You piece of scrap! Traitor! You were supposed to only love Our Majesty, the Queen of Wonderland!”
A sound of a table being slammed with two fists could be heard afterwards.

“Bah. Pathetic,” Rachel commented as she ran past the strange sight, and kicked down the metallic front doors to the Mad Hatter’s headquarters.

“Remember our mission: destroy the eggs, and apprehend Hatter.”

Penny rolled her eyes, and walked towards MDP and the White King, wondering if she should even get jealous over this frankly ridiculous development, or simply laugh it off. She decided to go with the latter, having realized MDP had stolen the heart of yet another being of magic and metal.

NHTD:ARPWAEHTD (Tower of Eternity)

Thanks for running this despite only having a couple of players. It's been years since I participated in an RP that I didn't GM myself, so this was a fun experiment in little vignette-style writing.

As a final fun fact, the names of the formerly feuding families come from the story of Saint Henriksson who was murdered by a man named Lalli on a frozen lake with a club back in medieval Finland: the man, fervent in his pagan beliefs, resented the spreading of Christianity. But eventually the religion came to be accepted, like Uncle Lalli did when ultimately pushed to make that final decision.

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

Brittany laughed maniacally as she continued throwing vials, encouraged by Alex’ praise. “Haahahaa! aren’t you a charmer! What a splendid idea! Yes, let’s give it a big shot!” The two went off, continuing to spread mayhem along the countryside. They soon found themselves heading right in the way of a convoy of Wonderland vehicles including trucks, jeeps, and even a couple of tanks they had hidden away, all piloted by Wonderland soldiers: they wore goofy pea-shaped helmets, but otherwise resembled the same kind of soldiers that occupied Bolorton, and threatened Penrose. They seemed to be heading somewhere, not that Brittany cared as she pointed at them.
“Look, Wonderland soldiers! Let’s go for a hit and run!” The tiny shopkeep girl suggested as a devious toothy smile formed on her lips, turning more and more unhinged in the eyes. Alex found himself pleased by the idea as well; as the rock music continued to build up all around him, the explosive sounds of the vials beckoned him for a bigger show of pyrotechnics.
The bastards did take me away from Lily and lock me up. This would be a great moment not only to take revenge but sabotage the Queen, a thought appeared in his mind.

---

Lily beamed as Gaia recounted her own experiences with Alicia, and found herself nodding to the verdant girl’s vocal lack of patience when it came to matters of Wonderland, as grassy fields eventually gave way to trees, and a forest slowly started to fill up the landscape before them.

”I totally agree! They crossed a line, those jerks!”

She then turned momentarily pale in the face as Connie suggested Alexander being killed by fire. She looked like she was about to say something, only to be interrupted by Gaia giving a more rational explanation for the blaze that smoked ahead in the distance before them.

”But Alex doesn’t know any fire magic. How did he set a…Oh wait, I think he’s with Brittany,” Lily realized. ”Maybe she brought bombs, or maybe-”

The talkative girl was swiftly and surely silenced by a sight of movement before them. It seemed to be soldiers, though something about their silhouette was…off from what she remembers of Wonderland military forces. Urged by Gaia’s cautionary warning, Lily summoned Ramuh in staff form while steering her motorcycle with the remaining arm, holding it at her side as one of the larger shapes approached.

But instead of hostility, the many-faced, chilling entity…spoke like Magical Dream Princess, complete with the kind of cutesy language that the whimsical Mahou herself would use. However, the voice wasn’t quite the same, causing Lily to blink in confusion. There was something familiar about it, like she had heard it somewhere, but at that moment Lily failed to recall it. It mentioned not liking Wonderland, and Lily definitely didn’t like Wonderland. But whether it meant this pink crystal monster was opposed to the invaders or not, it was enough for her to give her answer:

”My favorite thing about hugs is sharing them with the people you love,”, she spoke, reminiscing about hugs she shared not only with Alex, but all of her dear friends she had made as part of her adventures in Penrose.

”Do you not like Wonderland too, Mister Crystal Face?” She asked in return.

---

Alicia flew into the fray like an archer from heaven itself, and with arrows of light provided cover fire for her fellow Mahou, disrupting the red pawns’ projectiles with her own, and detonating a red bishop’s explosive shot prematurely mid-air. A white knight piece attempted to take her by surprise with a lunge, only to be parried by a graceful slash of her lightsaber, forcing the automaton to back off to avoid the followup swing of her bow blades.

As a result of Alicia’s support, Ronin and Miko got the opening they needed to fly past the pawns’ arrow fire. The Rooks were caught by surprise, preoccupied as they were with Rachel, and a red one was sliced apart in a combination X-slash attack, leaving the robot scattered in four diagonal pieces. The twins successfully retreated despite a red knight attempting to swing into them, tanking the blow with the Reinforcement barrier that broke, but propelled them back to the backlines, ready to support as other chess pieces advanced.

As Mac invisibly slipped past the pawns that were approaching the illusion of Ashley, she realized that their attacks seemed confused as they swung far ahead of Ashley or aimed at her feet, aiming for an area somewhere between the spunky image and the unseen Mahou herself. Perhaps the robots didn’t operate purely on sight and other human senses, and also accounted for some method of magical detection that Mac’s incredible powers of stealth didn’t fully account for. The attacks were far off the mark, so she didn’t have to fear for harm. However, the strange behavior could be seen by a keen eye in the battle as an oddity.

Nonetheless, she pressed the advantage given by her trickery, and after the fake teleportation “Ashley” successfully evacuated Rachel, who in a practiced motion flipped after the throw and landed on a conjured barrier platform. The Inquisitor at first rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration, but seemed to swallow her pride as she stood up. “Well done,” she muttered under her breath, and proceeded to jump and destroy the white Rook that she had smashed earlier, crushing it with the downward impact of her hammer, the hefty size enlarged by a square barrier.
The black golem Akhenaten joined the fray, shielding Ashley from a red pawn’s arrow with a swipe of his arm, followed by running up to it and delivering a football tackle that smashed the robot apart. “Geez, these are incredible pieces of tech!” Nefer lamented as she shot at another pawn with her blaster, leaving it a pile of ash. “Can I keep one? Pretty Please?”

Meanwhile, Magical Dream Princess was chatting with her newest friend, Mister Hatty. The enchanted drone seemed happy as a clam as it listened to the ditzy magical girl prattle on about things it liked, forming a heart with its hands as it visibly swooned. When the girl took its comical gloved hand and held hands with it, two heart symbols popped out of the hat as if there were cartoon eyes there all along, dragged along by the giddy girl like a floating balloon. “I’m so happy,” she heard the hat mumble shyly, and realized that her magic had combined with that of Wonderland’s mana, and created a sentient new being.

AS MDP hopped along the chess boards, the pawns and chess knight confronting her hopped the same way, sticking to the same rules of movement as the real pieces did. When a pawn attempted attacking her, the sword turned into a wobbling rubberfoam sword one could see at a Legoland theme park, as did the spear that the white knight lunged at her. A tactical glomp was then deployed, and the white king was seemingly paralyzed, a red glow forming on the grill resembling a knight’s helmet that the automaton possessed. However, the red king was not quite as easily swayed by the pretty pink princess, and pointed an accusing finger at her: one of the white bishops successfully hit her with an enchanting projectile, forcing her to keep hopping on the chess board one space at a time like she did before, only now it wasn’t voluntary. This angered Mister Hatty, who slapped the white bishop, causing it to be knocked down like a bowling pin.

Justine and Caroline managed to hold their own against the two queen pieces despite the wounds that the former had sustained, her experience with battle proving her superiority as she skewered the white queen with her spear after a dodging twirl. However, the automaton was undeterred even when pierced, and slammed down on the spear, causing Justine to momentarily flip in mid-air. As the piece went for a follow up, Caroline slashed the robot in two from behind with her flaming sword. But Justine's face turned pale.

”Caroline!”

The remaining red queen, of course, took advantage of the distraction, and flew behind Caroline, mace raised up…And an explosion rang out.

_{.:⋮The White Rabbit Sends In A Little Bill⋮:.}

The two sisters turned to see Penny, her opened chest blaster still glowing from the aftermath of launching the gauss cannon that shot the queen piece into pieces. The former vampire sighed in relief as Caroline dusted off the remains of the robot off of her dress.
”Got room for one more in this tea party?” Penny asked with a smug look.

”I suppose our gracious host forgot to invite you,” Justine quipped, as if she was in a cinematic universe for a comic book, causing Penny to groan but Caroline to giggle.

The Mad Hatter seemed to hear the exchange, as his voice once again blared out from the loudspeakers: “Nobody makes fun of me! Nobody! Forty-seven, activate the Triple P!”
Another man’s voice could be heard, slightly fainter: “Sir, do you mean the Pawn Promotion Protocol?” A smack could be heard, followed by an “ow”.

“Of course I mean the Pawn Promotion Protocol, you idiot! Why did you think I used the abbreviation to not reveal my trump card to those fools? Fine, I’ll do it myself!”
A crank could be heard turning, and the pawns began to glow: all at once, they transformed into white and red queens, the white ones wielding greatswords and the latter automated crossbows tipped with bolts resembling miniature lances. They took into the air, assaulting with blade and crossbow bolt in accord.

“Bwahaha! Feel the wrath of my genius!”

---

The Pea Princess did not wake even as a corner of her dress smoked from a tiny ember that failed to light into a proper flame. Mariette then summoned Lilliputs to deal with the problem. After opening a portal and pointing at the issue without a word, Mariette immediately received assistance from the Lilliput Princess by two mischievous Lilliputs, who introduced themselves as Tyltyl and Mytyl. They not only possessed a knack for magic, but seemed to have a lot of ideas on how to proceed after they poked the unconscious rebel vassal on the cheek: with some magic, they produced a pair of cymbals, an air horn, and even a detached kitchen sink with a faucet that somehow continued to drip water one obnoxious droplet at a time. Mariette didn’t stay behind to see how they would fare, but she had a feeling she might not want to find out: these two resembled fey more than Lilliputs, with capricious and even cruel penchants for pranks that could put dark fairies to shame.

Nonetheless, the dark magical girl moved on, focused on setting her plans into motion by delivering Lilliput spies and saboteurs to various places including the Queen’s castle itself, fearless as they worked their way around soldiers much bigger and threatening than them for the purpose of tactical espionage action. For example, a legendary Lilliput soldier wearing a bandanna and a bodysuit and equipped with nothing but a tranquilizer pistol and a pack of cigarettes codenamed Tiny Snek was set to infiltrate a cold island base with a castle made of ice where the loyalist Ice Princess lived. The base supposedly also hid a super weapon of some kind according to the Lilliput Princess that the agent was set to destroy; she saluted Mariette once the portal was opened, calling her “Big Boss”, before she began the infiltration mission through it, crawling under a bowl of rice she found nearby and used for camouflage as a soldier approached.

Next, Mariette proceeded with observing and confirming that her plans for rebellion against her delusional mother figure were set into motion from high up in the clouds. Various portals told different tales of Wonderland: from the battle at the Mad Hatter’s factory that continued to intensify, the preparations and movements of the various rebel forces and spies, and even some convoys of allied troops that had begun moving. Dwarves marched toward the mountains, ready to join their alpine brethren in building weapons and machines of war, with one trail of smoke followed by another as furnaces churned. The aquatic army of the Mermaid Princess gathered upon the shores of Wonderland, and in great waves flowed through the rivers and underground channels that snaked through the land, bringing forth a great host in the name of rebellion.

One particularly notable sight was a Green Helms regiment that mobilized using trucks, jeeps, and even some tanks. Mariette also saw a great fire that began to form in the forested regions of the land, signaled by cute little woodland critters escaping in terror, just like the ones that accompanied the Forest Princess. As far as she was aware, there were no loyalist troops stationed in that region, which meant she had no idea what could be terrorizing the countryside. That path of destruction would soon cross over with the convoy.

However, that was not the only scene of a serious situation that the so-called Sinner of Sloth had seen: there was also an enemy force of skeletal-looking soldiers and warmachines that were heading towards points of Wonderland interest, such as a city seemingly made of rubies, and one of the larger units having turned pink and separated to drift towards…Lily, Connie, and Gaia riding on unicorns led by a kite?! Mariette had to quickly make a decision on how to proceed at that very moment: she could only appear in person at one of the two locations in time before the situation at either location developed. But which was more important to her: her friends, or her schemes?

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Gustaf shook, his outstretched hand still trembling after a chilling conjuration was launched from it, stopping the very last defender from preventing them from reaching his family's ancestral goal. But even as the mob of rebels cheered and patted the bespectacled bookworm, he could not feel joy at the act of murder he had committed against the blood witch's sister, who opposed them seemingly out of loyalty to one's family. Just like him.

Was this true justice?

Uncle Lalli pondered those words as he held Sally's hand, feeling the strength in her grip falter like melting snow in spring. The man he had executed was unarmed despite his doubts, an accusing finger instead drawn, as if in mockery.
He ran off, the barrel of his weapon leaving a thin wisp of smoke in a trail.
Soon, the rest of both the venerable Lalli clan and the distinguished Henriksson family congregated in the dark tomb of the cursed Goddess.
There was palpable fear in the air as both young and old people approached the altar. Gustaf was the first to reach the scene, and opened his book to read on notes he had taken of the Goddess. "So she is enchanted, just like the legends-" he was interrupted by Uncle Lalli elbowing him aside, causing the geeky youth to stumble and drop his glasses.

"Back off, ye rotters!" Uncle Lalli shouted, his visage one of wrath as he lifted his rifle, causing the Henrikssons to hesitate despite glowing fingers and mumbled incantations. The Lallis also lifted their guns, a bunch of small boys and girls following the example of their oldest surviving kinsman.

However, that was when a wrinkly old man with a long white beard slowly stepped forth, his bony fingers curled around the handles of a rollator, seemingly enchanted to help give him enough strength to stand despite shaking like a leaf. He must have been at least in his 80s if not 90s, a miracle in their world of death.

"Matti, I know how much pain and suffering you've witheld," Great Grandpa Henriksson spoke in a dry, wheezing voice. "But killing the Goddess won't bring what has been lost back, nor grant you the vengeance you seek. We have had enough good men and women give their lives."

"You call her good? This sodding bloodeh biatch?!" Uncle refuted, and now pointed his gun at the sleeping goddess' head. "She needs to die, or our sons and daughters died fer nothing! The nightmare won't end!" The ancient man could only shake his head. "No...We can wake her, and she will be our savior, Matti. You only need to believe."

For a moment, Uncle stared furiously at the crowd, and then back at the goddess. His finger crept closer to the trigger...And then the barrel was lowered.

"Bloodeh hell...It just ain't right. Fine. Wake her up." He stepped aside, letting Gustaf, now with the glasses sitting crooked on his face, begin the ritual to wake her.
"I just hope ye know what ye are doin'."

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Uncle Lalli grunted as he was shoved aside by Viivi in an awkward stumble, his eyes wide as he saw her get shot down mercilessly by the loyalist taking position at the stairs in a freak accident. It was a dear loss, but one the middle-aged man begrudgingly accepted. The mission to open the way was accomplished, the slamming of the heavy wooden bridge a sign of defiance. He had shed enough tears for the atrocities committed against not only his clan, but his homeland: after seeing his own son perish in his arms. Even when Sally was the next to bleed, he did not turn his eyes away from the despicable coward who attempted pleading for his life.

The man had seen good people beg for their lives before, groveling for the smallest scraps of charity, only to get kicked in the curb and left to waste away like roadkill. And this man, if he could even be called one at this point, was just like the rest of them, lifting a hand up to deceive, when the other was drawing a hidden gun. "Spring of cunts!" He yelled, and pulled the trigger.

Passing through the drawbridge was yet another member of the Henriksson family, a scrawny teenager with thick glasses and a pencil neck named Gustaf. He was no fighter, but as his family swore an oath to fight against the queen, he was forced to comply. He hoped he could hang back and let the other rebels push ahead, but soon found himself swept up with the mob as a moment of silence fell on the battlements from the constant belching of gunpowder. If any guards came in their way, he would cast an Ice Knife, conjuring a sharp icicle that would be thrown like a spear. It was not particularly devastating, but it was better than most downtrodden mages were capable of when it came to offensive sorcery.

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Matti Lalli, also known as Uncle Lalli, cursed under his breath as he saw his nephew be dragged under the moat's water. The boy was never the brightest bulb in the house. However, he was shocked as he saw the beast be tamed by magic from Sally. Damn, there's more of these witches. Whatever, now's our chance! He thought as he traversed over the shark. "Thank ye, Sally lass! Now let's give these bloodeh bastards a lesson!" Like Great Grandpa, he also worked in the mines, and worked some of the machinery. He taught the younger family in his clan about how the drawbridge would work: if he failed to lower it in this battle he wouldn't be the only one as he took his rifle and charged in, paying no attention to the hole diggers. "FRREEDOOM!"

Viivi Lalli followed after the older man, also holding a rifle in her shaky hands. Unlike Uncle, she did pay a quick glance to the digger duo, only to sigh and resume her attention on backing up her kinsman in their assault. Though she never admitted it, the blonde young lady had feelings for Richard. The two of them would likely die at this keep today. But at least she fought for love.
"Hiyaaah!"

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And posted. Let's see if all the bodies form a bridge on the moat before anyone gets inside.

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As the smoke from the explosion cleared out, Great Grandma Henriksson could only sigh. She had known the crochety old geezer since the both of them were youths, their families opposed. And in Shakespearean fashion, the two were secretly in love with each other. But of course, that tale did not end as romantically tragic as the famous play did: instead, once Great Grandpa Lalli was blinded, he turned bitter, consumed by revenge. He was no longer the man she loved.

And so, years went by, and Great Grandma Henriksson continued in her communing with the natural world, her garden the only place of respite. But eventually, as smog blanketed Gilla from the queen's wretched factories, her beloved flowers wilted away, and the bees stopped producing honey. Her family, one who always believed in the goddess' mercy, had turned a blind eye to the cruelty, caught up in their arcane studies of what few spell tomes they had. But Great Grandma had enough. She knew the Lalli clan would resort to even murdering the goddess, when she was their only salvation. She would take to the field so they younger generation would be spared, even if by a little.

And so, with a twisted walking stick, Great Grandma Henriksson hobbled towards Silver Myth Keep, surrounded by rebels falling like sacks of potatoes under the oppressive machineguns of The defenders. But they would be in for a surprise.
"O Goddess, grant me strength! Your gift of nature's splendor, ever bountiful! Release the fury of the small ones! Let your wings buzz, and your stings pierce wicked flesh! Summon Bee Hive!" She waved her staff in a circle, and a yellow hive formed on top of it. Then, she threw the bee hive as hard as her withered body could muster up to the machine gun nests, unleashing a swarm of angry bees that stung with wild abandon. Though not overtly lethal, the agony unleashed would be ample, not to mention distracting for the cause.

Meanwhile, Kaapo Lalli stood up after rolling out from the fallen semi, his pistol clutched with a clammy hand. He was but a young lad, having barely hit his early twenties. He lived a modest life as a postman, delivering letters and packages. But there was no reason to hesitate, even as he saw his former vehicle's wheel spin in place, a remnant of the debris. He was not afraid to charge into the fray, intending to pass through the hole his great Grandpa sacrificed his life to offer as he jumped in the moat. "FOR GILLAA!" He joined in the warcry, ready to shoot at the first guard he would see coming out of the hole with one hand while swimming with the other.