Girl-of-Action- Long time no update~ Lately I've been caught up in the world of Role Play, and while I love your reviews nothing quite beats making a unplanned story with someone else. Here though is a bit of a peace offering, a one shot from the fandom Alice: Madness Returns I made when practicing writing battle scenes. As always, reviews will be loved~

The Insidious Ruin roared its anger, its puny mind inflamed by the realization that his attacks could not penetrate the defenses of the seemingly frail girl in front of him. Said girl made no move to cower like so many other Wonderlanders would do, instead leisurely waiting for her opponent to choose from his limited amount of battle tactics.

The hideous creature, a giant made of what appeared to be black goo had two muscular arms, two legs, an engine attached to its back and three doll faces on its front (those being its only weakness), choose to foolishly charge Alice.

Alice Liddell, heroine of all Wonderland, merely dodged out of the way, body turning into a collection of blue butterflies for a brief duration of time. Once her body reformed, she removed from her dress pocket a tiny tea pot figurine that grew to twice the size of her own head. Hefting the large weapon, she holds down the trigger. The tea pot whistles and churns, heating up its contents. Finally releasing the trigger, out burst a glob of burning hot tea, splashing into the auburn haired girl's opponent.

The Insidious Ruin let out a hideous screech at the impact, failing its arms to regain its balance as the hot tea, acting in all sense like raging lava, burned away at its form.

Green eyes narrow, and seeing this as her chance Alice exchanges the tea pot canon for her bright white hobby horse, its eyes glowing with ready power to be directed wherever its mistress wished. Jumping an inhuman distant forward, the girl brought down the head of the hobby horse down on one of the three doll faces the Insidious Ruin obtained. It shattered instantly, mouth gaping in shock and rage just before the end. After a few more perfectly executed moved with her hobby horse, yet another porcelain doll face connected to the black goo monstrosity shattered. Unfortunately, before Alice could finish the creature off, it regained its balance and wildly swiped at her.

Caught by this swipe, the nineteen year old was thrown to the side, body scrapping against the hard, orange rocky ground underneath. She grunts in pain, but jumps back up without another thought. Alice had always been so much stronger in Wonderland compared to London. Perhaps it was because of her odd bond with the former, perhaps not. Whatever the case, Alice was grateful.

Once back on her feet, she saw her enemy take from its engine, contraption, whatever was strapped on its back a fiery ball of what appeared to be rock. Immediately Alice drops back into a back stance, feet consequently in the shape of the letter L. She takes out her umbrella shield and braces for impact as several fiery rocks are thrown in quick succession, each successfully rebounded by the umbrella shield. By the end of the siege Alice had been pushed back a few feet but was uninjured besides that of a few scrapes from earlier.

Growing bored and wanting to finish this battle swiftly, Alice jumped forward with her hobby horse once more, slamming it against the ground next to the Insidious Ruin, causing a tremor in the ground around it and the creature to stumble back slightly. The lean girl dives underneath its giant arms, her favorite weapon at the ready... The Vorpal Blade. Sharpened and imbedded with the most powerful magick known to Wonderland, the Blade had served many a masters and mistresses, its first being the nameless Hero who defeat the now deceased, but no less infamous Jabberwocky.

Trailing a rainbow of color behind it that dispersed a few seconds after its passing, the blade sliced and diced the remaining doll face, it shattering at the now victor's feet. Alice smirks with satisfaction as at last the Insidious Ruin turned into a mere pile of that black substance. That was not the only pile though, for several dozen identical ones surrounded the girl as well, all defeated by her blade.

Above, the hurricane of black and red gasses disperses as the last of the abominations were finished off, revealing a light, calming blue. Seeing this, Alice allows a small, sincere smile to grace her pale, pink lips. Little by little, she was retaking Wonderland and her beloved Valley of Tears, the latter most known to be the heroine's chosen domain. Little by little she was eliminating the last of the deceased Dollmaker's heinous creations...

"Cleaning house~?" Comes the seemingly ever-amused purr of the Cheshire Cat, who had suddenly but not surprisingly appeared next to the slimy remains of the Insidious Ruins.

Alice barely glances at the bony, jet black cat, his human like pearly whites stained red from some snack or another. "In a matter of speaking." Is her flippant reply, voice firm with an upper-class British accent. At odds with her uncaring reply, her eyes told a different story, holding sadness as she stared at her ruined valley. Its restoration would not easily be won... If only she had realized Bumby's treachery sooner! Oh, what a blind fool she had been!

Sensing these morbid thoughts, the Cheshire pips up again in a warning and lightly scolding tone. "/Careful/, Alice. Your wounds have yet to heal and if allowed this guilt will fester and spread, a slippery infection."

Alice scoffs. "I'm not a child any more, Cat. I know the risks. I also know that some guilt is healthy and in this case completely appropriate."

"That as it may be I still will remind and caution. No one is eager for the Jabberwocky to be reborn, you having more reason than any I predict." A con to Alice's bond with Wonderland. Some strong emotions allowed her to bring back certain beings in this dimension she was most attached with. Unfortunately her guilt had formed a bond with the Jabberwocky when it was still alive, something that had caused nearly everyone no little grief.

Alice of course cannot dismiss this truth, and nods curtly in response. Not bothering to reply properly though to her long time mentor, Alice moves on from the battle field. While making her way through the foliage of the forest that had miraculously survived through Wonderland's near destruction, she hacks away with her Vorpal Blade at any overgrown bushes or intruding branches. As she idly strolls through her valley, Alice wisely decides to take stock of her weapons, supplies and health. All weapons were accounted for and in perfect condition, as usual. She was wounded, but not serious enough to warrant concern...

Alice frowns as she studies her empty potion vial and instantly starts toward the waterfall where not water fell but in its stead a purple liquid. The shrinking potion, the river above charmed at a certain point to change into this substance. Along the way to this destination Alice battles with a few Army Ants who had apparently found some growing mushrooms, but...

All in all it was turning out to be a normally strange day for Alice Liddell and the remaining inhabitants of Wonderland.