Disclaimer: Slayers created by Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. Fairy Tail created by Hiro Mashima. Inuyasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. Yu-Gi-Oh! created by Kazuki Takahashi. Bambietta Basterbine belongs to Shueisha. Fate created by Kinoko Nasu.
Tokyo was under siege!
This was no fantasy, no product of wild imagination. Though it might well have resembled fiction itself, those stories that entertained many throughout Tokyo, throughout Japan, throughout the world, the situation within the city was very real.
Tokyo was under attack not by the forces of man, but by mechanized minions of an alien overlord!
The robots were terrorizing the populace, assaulting infrastructure, and bringing chaos in their wake. Some on the ground, others in the sky, their aircrafts firing deadly light upon the world. All of them came from the floating fortress above the Tokyo skyline, its presence threatening to blot out the sun and hope itself. This was just the beginning, the country and then the world soon to face this threat if it remained unopposed.
One mother and father were running through the street, the former holding their young son tightly, several robots pursuing them with unrelenting force. They were afraid, afraid for their lives and the life of their only child, not wanting it to be cut short so soon. They wanted their son to see his future, even if they could not themselves, so they would keep running to their last breaths.
Their escape route through an alleyway was cut short, another silver armored robot stepping forth from it, its optics blazing with crimson death. The couple stopped in their tracks, keeping their son between them as they faced the end.
However, it was not their end that came. A broadsword suddenly cleaved through the robot from behind, leaving its torso to spark as its upper body fell to the ground with a clatter. Its lower body soon followed, clearing the way to reveal to the parents the wielder of the blade.
The woman was adorned in gray armor, a blue skirt around her hips. Hers was hair that shone red as scarlet. However, her expression was one of steel, her eyes looking past the man, woman and child. "Requip, Heavens Wheel."
A blue circle, one filled with markings and runes, formed beneath her. The woman's body than became covered in golden light. It faded soon thereafter, revealing another suit of armor, one adorned by a white dress. Silver wings extended from the armor itself, making this stranger appear as if an angel of salvation to the kindly couple. Swords appeared behind the red-haired warrior, all of them floating in midair. As if obeying her command, the blades fired off then, sailing past the mother and father.
They turned then, seeing the blades impaling a legion of robotic sentries that had been approaching them from behind. They did not know who she was, but both parents turned to the woman who had saved them, the hero in silver armor.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" the father shouted, in near hysterics from all that was going on, the stress at last catching up with him.
"You saved us," the mother said, overwhelmed and her voice a hushed whisper. "Who are you?"
"C'mon, Mom," the young son said, too caught up in the surprise of the woman's appearance to feel any fear or confusion. "She's Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail!"
"That I am," Erza said, kneeling down by the young boy. "Now you all take shelter. My friends and I will take care of this."
The trio of civilians went into the alley then, Erza Scarlet stepping out into the battlefield.
Opposition had arrived.
And she was not alone.
An arrow fired forth, blue spiritual power flowing all around it. Erza watched as it flew past so many of the advancing legion of robots, each of them falling to the power, disintegrating in its wake. Titania Erza looked to the side then, spotting a dark haired priestess adorned in red and white, a bow in hand.
"Kikyo," Erza said, smiling. "I must thank you for the assistance."
"Of course," Kikyo replied, lowering her bow. "We are allies after all."
"Hmm," Erza closed her eyes for a moment, smiling, "that we are."
Erza turned then, seeing as more machine sentries approached her.
"These iron demons are unrelenting," Kikyo said, moving to stand by Erza's side. She readied her bow then with another arrow, prepared to bring down more of their forces.
"They are indeed," Erza replied, once more becoming engulfed in magic. "Requip, Purgatory!"
Then did Erza stand in ebony armor, a massive sword as big as her own form held in hand. She prepared herself to jump into the fray then, ready to bring down many a foe.
However, before she could, one of the robots suddenly exploded, taking out several of the others within its vicinity. Then another and another. The machines turned then, being attack from behind, but it was far too late.
A woman in white suddenly cleaved into the legion, dashing from spot to spot so fast that she may as well have been teleporting to the uninitiated.
"That's Bambietta for you," Erza and Kikyo said in unison, neither surprised. After all, they were both initiated when it came to the Bambietta Basterbine's abilities.
The quincy was moving through the legion with hirenkyaku, cutting them down with fancy sword work and well placed uses of schrift.
"Stupid machines! You can't handle me or the Explode!" Bambietta cackled, dashing right through a robot she was bisecting vertically. She posed then, smiling at Erza and Kikyo even as the other robots began to approach her from behind. Not giving them a moment's further thought, Bambietta tossed an orb of spiritual power out of her hand and over her shoulder. It hit one of the robots then, leaving it to explode with such force that the blast enveloped the others. "So how 'bout that?"
"Volatile as always, Bambietta," Kikyo sighed.
"I'm just glad you're on our side, Bambietta," Erza said, watching as quincy approached.
"Yeah, well I don't feel like it right now," Bambietta whined, stepping beside her two allies in a flash. "What's this Bambietta stuff? I mean, I thought we were friends! So come on, call me Bambi!"
Erza smirked ever so slightly. "My apologies. I suppose I am being too formal, Bambi."
"I have been trying to be respectful," Kikyo spoke up, notching another arrow as she looked to the sky. "I thought you would appreciate that, Bambietta."
Bambietta's shoulders slumped. "Okay, you're way too polite. Still, your heart is in the right place. Speaking of hearts..."
Bambietta could see Erza and Kikyo both looking up into the sky, the overlord's mothership hovering above them, smaller aircrafts flying about.
"Where's the big boss of this mess, huh?" Bambietta cried out. "I'm all for carving out her heart and ending this whole stupid war!"
Bambietta activated her vollstandig, a pair of glowing blue wings composed a spiritual energy arching out from her back and through her cloak, a matching halo appearing above her hat. She was about to take to the skies and pepper the flying crafts with the Explode, smiling savagely at the thought.
Then did she suddenly see a black dragon covered in red rose petals fly into the brigade of ships, tearing into them with its thorn-like talons and tail.
"Normally I'd be upset that I didn't get to take to the skies and carpet-bomb some baddies, but that is so damn cool," Bambietta whispered in awe. As the dragon tore asunder its foes, robotic airships detonating with its strikes, Bambietta looked to the side then, seeing a familiar down the street. "Aki!"
"Hello, Bambi." Aki Izayoi, her duel disk held before and a card in hand, walked towards the trio, all business. "Sorry for cutting into your fight."
"Don't be like that," Bambietta teased. "You know I can't stay mad at you for long, Aki. not when I get to see your dragon kick some butt!"
Aki shook her head, feeling a little flustered. "You enjoy that, don't you?"
Bambietta nodded. "Oh yeah, and if you were to bust out those vines of yours, it'd be even better. Maybe on me?"
Then did Aki really get red in the face. "Bambi!"
"You two..." Kikyo sighed, another arrow infused with her priestess powers striking down some robots in the distance. "There's a battle going on."
"Bambietta Basterbine, focus," Erza simply said, cutting down some approaching robots with the blade of her Purgatory armor.
"Darn, and I just got you to say my nickname again," Bambietta sighed, flying up to join Aki's Black Rose Dragon in battle. "So close and yet so far away."
Bambietta's wings spread afar, orbs of the Explode forming in them. She was ready then to strike down a plethora of the robot piloted airships, only to suddenly hearing a bellowing noise. It did not bother Bambietta much, but the machines were clearly the target and not her. They suddenly began to fly away then, retreating to the mothership above the city.
"What gives?" Bambietta said, a little sad to lose another chance to cut loose.
"Bambi!"
The quincy turned then, having heard her name. Above her was a hippogriff, the flying monster of myth and magic giving a veritable lift to its rider. For on its back was a feminine man with pink hair and dressed in black. He was beautiful in appearance and in soul, his youthful energy booming as it was endearing. In his hands was a hunting horn, one no doubt responsible for striking a fearful cord in the robots, making even their programming wish to flee.
"Astolfo!" Bambietta shouted, happy as could be to see her teammate.
Setting the horn down atop his flying beast, Astolfo suddenly leapt from its back and into midair. "Bambi!"
Bambietta was aghast, suddenly tackled in midair by Astolfo. She spun around as she held Astolfo, her vollstandig wings fluttering about to keep them both in the sky.
"You goof, where's your sense of reason?" Bambietta exclaimed, still in shock. She looked then, seeing the moon in the sky.
"C'mon, Bambi, I knew you wouldn't let me fall!" Astolfo said, his hippogryph flying down beside him and Bambietta both. It nudged at Astolfo to get back on its back and he obliged.
Bambietta, meanwhile, was flustered now, just as she had made Aki moments ago. Her cheeks and the bridge of her nose red with a blush, Bambietta's lips wavered and trembled. Then did she get calm, trying to reign herself in. "Hah, you know me too well. Now then, no more making the bad guys run. We're gonna wreck shop on 'em, buddy!"
Astolfo summoned his lance then, smiling broadly. "Yeah! Uhm..."
Bambietta could see it then, a mechanical dragon suddenly flying at her and Astolfo both, its jaws opening wide as a red energy began to build as it flew down from the mothership.
"That would be so cool if it wasn't trying to kill us," Bambietta whispered.
Astolfo was about to charge the dragon himself, but he stopped when he heard a familiar voice, a voice that was chanting.
"Darkness beyond twilight. Crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows."
Bambietta grinned then, staring the dragon right in the jaws as it came ever closer.
"I guess you're not the only one charging an attack," the quincy laughed. "You're so screwed, pal!"
Standing atop a building was the Dragon Spooker, the Bandit Killer, the Enemy of All Who Live. She was Lina Inverse and she was taking center stage! Arm crossed above her head, her form was becoming enveloped in crimson magic, her black cape flying about as she continued her incantation.
"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess."
Then did Lina's crimson eyes open. The power she wanted at the ready, she pointed both her hands at the mechanical dragon, the makeshift beast of alien origins almost upon Bambietta and Astolfo both.
"Dragon Slave!"
A torrent of crimson magic and exploded from Lina's outstretched hands, the beam firing right at the robot beast. Bambietta watched it in awe. Then, quite suddenly was she dragged away, Astolfo having grabbed her cloak.
"I think we need to get the heck out of the way!" Astolfo shouted, the hippogryph flying as fast as it could. "This is a Dragon Slave alert!"
"Choking... me..." Bambietta gasped, her cape digging into her throat as Astolfo dragged her through the air.
Despite her precarious predicament, Bambietta watched on as the mechanical dragon began to fire its blast, only to be struck by the power of the Dragon Slave in that very instant. Then did the beast become consumed in a massive explosion, one that turned the sky blood red for a moment.
"She's... so... cool...!"
Astolfo landed his hippogryph down onto the ground then, Bambietta gasping as she fell on her bottom.
"We've managed to avoid crashing!" Astolfo exclaimed cheerfully, letting go of Bambietta's cape as he hopped off his hippogryph.
"And being... chocked to death..." Bambietta gasped, standing up. "Still, thanks for the save there."
Lina flew down then with the power of her Ray Wind spell, landing beside the others.
"That was quite the spell as always," Erza said, looking up at Lina's handiwork.
"Maybe we should have led with that," Aki added, her Black Rose Dragon landing beside her.
"You never were one for holding back, are you?" Kikyo asked. "You do have that in common with Inuyasha. So hot blooded..."
"C'mon, you're all making me blush!" Lina said. "Actually, forgot I said that! Don't hold back the applause!"
"Hey, girls?" Astolfo said, looking about. "I think we might be surrounded."
Sure enough, the five were slowly being surrounded by a seemingly endless horde of robots, more and more pouring in from the surrounding streets, small aircrafts and even several more mechanical dragons dropping out from the mothership.
Still, none of them were particularly worried.
"Alright, let's do this!" Astolfo shouted, spinning his lance around before entering a battle stance. "We're the Waifurangers and we're prepared for battle!"
"We have still not agreed to that name, Astolfo!" Lina exclaimed, completely exasperated.
"C'mon, you know you like it, Lina the Pink," Astolfo giggled.
Lina all but screamed. "Don't use that title!"
Bambietta watched as the others prepared themselves to continue the fight, the quincy grinning savagely as she held her sword tightly.
"The warm and pleasant battles, like a midday nap filled with hope, end here. Now the real fun begins."
However, not far from the battle was a lone young lady. She watched on, her dark hair moving slightly in the wind. All the while did she hold the glowing crystal at the end of her necklace tightly.
She was no wizard. No priestess. No quincy. No duelist. No heroic spirit. No sorceress. She was simply Miki Yoshino.
Yet despite that, she was no different than those warriors of supposed fictions. For Miki had her own part to play in this tale.
Observing the battle, Miki could only remember how it had all begun...
