A/N: For the next One Shot, I decided to create a parallel universe where certain events in history were altered.
For the sake of not ruining the surprises, I'll leave my explanations for the changes for the end. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!
Another History: What if the wielders switched sides in Symphogear G
The Queens of Music Festival of November 2043. A festival that served as a collaboration between top idols Maria Cadenzavna Eve and Kazanari Tsubasa, before devolving into the former of the two took the festival over with Noise under the terrorist organization "Finé"
However, here, we see Maria as a hostage in the same situation by her new collaborator: A masked singer named "Aoi Soyokaze"
"Everyone, remain calm!" Aoi said.
Disgusted by the hostage situation, Maria pulls out her pendant and prepares to sing, but this doesn't go unnoticed by Aoi. "Oh? How interesting. Even in this situation, you'd take this chance to strike?" Aoi asked. "Need I remind you, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, that the world is watching this concert tonight. And while the existence of Symphogears was brought to the public eye, the wielders remain unidentified. So, tell me, are you really willing to risk your reputation as an idol?"
Maria scoffed at this question. "How very flattering, Soyokaze Aoi-san. If you truly take me for someone who values their own self-worth over others, you're sorely mistaken." Maria retorted. "Even if I were just some face in the crowd, I'd still strike you down where you stood."
Aoi chuckled at this retort. "That's what I like about you. You're not afraid to fight for the sake of others." Aoi complimented. "If only there were more people in this world like you... Maybe it'd be a better place."
Maria was taken aback by this. "Soyokaze Aoi... Just who are you?"
"I suppose it is time for the world to find out that answer..." Aoi said before stepping forward on the stage. "We have the power to control the Noise. And we have demands for every country on the planet!"
"Is she insane?!" Maria said to herself. "She's making an enemy out of the world. This is a declaration of war!"
"And that's not all..." Aoi said before a smirk adorned her face. "It's time the world got to meet the woman behind this mask!" Saying this, Aoi turned around, tossing the mask to the side and pulling out a Symphogear pendant of her own.
Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron
"Analyzing the waveform now!" Ryoko said, gasping once the results came in.
AME NO HABAKIRI
Genjuro couldn't believe what he was reading. "She's... Alive?!"
Maria was just as shocked as everyone in the crowd at Aoi's true identity. "You're..."
"Aoi" turned around to face the audience, now clad in blue and white armor with a matching sword in her hand. "I am Kazanari Tsubasa, and we are the paramilitary organization 'Finé'. As for our demands, you shall surrender your territories over to us, or else your nations' capitals shall be overtaken by the Noise." Tsubasa said. "You have 24 hours to meet these demands."
Maria was beginning to become annoyed with this woman. "Tell me, Aoi, what do you hope to accomplish by using a dead idol's name to deliver empty threats?"
Tsubasa chuckled. "You truly think I'm bluffing?"
"Absolutely!" Maria answered. "And I shall prove it by wiping that stupid smile off of your face personally!"
Granzizel bilfen Gungnir-
"Maria! No!" Shirabe shouted over her communicator.
"If you do that now, the world will know you're a Symphogear wielder dess!" Kirika added.
"Do you expect me to sit here and let her continue to hold these people hostage?" Maria argued.
"Maria, your songs are meant for more than just combat." Nastassja said. "They also bring healing and courage to those who need it most. If you act now, the world loses those songs. Consider this before you make your next move."
Taking the Doctor's words into consideration, Maria backs down from activating her Gear. "Well? Do you not wish to call my bluff and 'wiping my stupid smile off of my face'?" Tsubasa asked, receiving no answer from Maria, but knowing what was holding her back. "I see... Fine then."
Tsubasa turns to face the audience. "I'm releasing the audience from the concert hall. You have my word the Noise will not harm you. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind!" Tsubasa said, before the Noise moved away from the exits as the crowd flooded the exits. "Yukine, get ready to cut the broadcast on my signal."
"And do you mind telling me exactly why you're not following Victor's plan?" Chris asked.
"We've already accomplished our goals tonight, I'm sure he'll be fine with me having a little fun before we leave." Tsubasa retorted. "Just be ready."
As the crowds left the building, one of the attendees was receiving a phone call that they could not miss. Quickly, Miku snuck away from the fleeing crowd into one of the empty bathrooms. "Miku here."
"Miku-kun, are you safe?" Genjuro asked.
"Yes. I was able to escape the concert hall with the rest of the audience." Miku replied. "Sir, is that really THE Kazanari Tsubasa?"
"We're not sure, but the resemblance to her is uncanny." Genjuro said. "Which is why we need you to get in position to assist Maria-kun should she need the backup."
"Eh?!" Miku gasped. "B-But sir, are you sure I'm ready for something like this? I know I've been trained to use my Gear on the Noise, but on other people..."
"Kirika-kun and Shirabe-kun are en route to the concert hall now." Genjuro said. "If Maria-kun is left in an unfavorable position before they arrive or she's outnumbered by surprise reinforcements, you'll need to step in the help her. Until then, try to get somewhere you can effectively assist her from, understand?"
"Yes, sir." Miku said before hanging up the communicator.
Meanwhile, Tsubasa and Maria look on towards the concert hall, now only filled with that of Noise. "I envy the fact that all of those people have a place to call home, even you." Tsubasa said. "Reminds me of the life I used to have... During simpler times."
"Tsubasa..."
"Now that the audience is gone, no one can interfere with our duel. Are you ready?" Tsubasa continued, receiving Maria's silence as an answer. "...Fine then. You're lucky I care enough to face you fairly. Yukine."
Suddenly, the broadcasts and lights all shut down throughout the concert hall before backup power turned the concert hall lights back on. "What did you just do?" Maria asked.
"I cut off the broadcasts. Now the world is blind as to what happens here." Tsubasa said. "If you continue to deny this duel, I shall cut you down where you stand without a second thought. Do I make myself clear?"
"...Crystal." Maria answered, pulling out her pendant and singing.
Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zizzl
Maria is engulfed in a bright orange light before emerging from it with white and orange armor and a lance sharing the same colors. "Don't hold anything back!" Maria said as she pointed her lance towards Tsubasa, before noticing something was off with her.
"That Lance..." Tsubasa mumbled, before tightly gripping her sword.
"Is something wrong?"
For a brief moment, Tsubasa's mind drifted back to that day when she lost someone close to her, before looking at Maria with pure fury in her eyes. "You... Have no right... TO WIELD THAT GEAR!" Tsubasa roared before charging straight at Maria with a flurry of slashes that she had trouble defending against.
While she was able to land a few blows due to Tsubasa's wild fighting style, they still meant nothing compared to the unhinged barrage of the swordswoman in front of her. Eventually, Maria was so overwhelmed that her lance was knocked from her hands and into the crowd of Noise before she was promptly kicked onto her back. "Dammit... She's too fast."
"Goodbye, Faker!" Tsubasa shouted before leaping into the air and preparing the run Maria through with her sword.
Out of options, Maria braced herself for the sword's impact, but was shocked to hear the sound of it clashing with another metallic surface, looking up to see a girl with a mix of light brown and red hair dressed in a black and orange set of armor with a large matching cape that she used to repel the frenzied Tsubasa.
"Tachibana?" Tsubasa asked, slowly gaining her composure. "What are you doing?"
"Stopping you, obviously! Don't you realize you were about to kill her?" The girl retorted. "And for what? Because she has another version of our Gear? What if that was us in her shoes? What if it was HER standing there? Do either of us deserve death for wielding that Gear too?"
Tsubasa looked at Maria behind the girl, seeing her look back with a displeased, yet confused look on her face before she transformed out of her Gungnir. After a few seconds, Tsubasa realized what she was doing and began to hyperventilate. "Shit... I went overboard again! You're better than this! Stupid, Stupid Tsubasa!" She screamed into her hands that covered her face.
"Thank God you made it in time, Hibiki." Chris sighed over Hibiki's communicator. "Now grab Tsubasa and get out of there."
"On it, Chris." Hibiki replied, before helping Tsubasa to her feet and heading for the exit.
"Hold it!" Maria shouted. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave. You two are coming with me!"
"As much as we would like to get to know you more, you have bigger problems to worry about." Hibiki said, pointing to the sea of Noise in the concert hall, before another voice suddenly fills the air.
Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl
Following the song, a purple flash of light emerges from the concert hall stands before a barrage of lasers descend upon the Noise, annihilating them in seconds. "Maria-san! I'm here to help!" Miku said as she hovered over to the stage and stood next to Maria.
"Perfect timing, Miku." Maria complimented before turning to face Hibiki and Tsubasa, pulling out another Symphogear pendant.
Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron
Maria is engulfed in a silver flash of light before emerging from it with a set silver and cyan colored armor with a purely silver dagger in her hand. "A second Gear?" Tsubasa gasped, snapping out of her self-loathing.
"As I said, you two are coming with us!" Maria restated. "Miku, you deal with Tsubasa's partner."
And so, Maria and Tsubasa clashed once again, this time with the latter a bit more in control of herself. As for Miku and Hibiki, they were more hesitant to engage. "Hibiki...?" Miku asked. "You're alive!"
Hibiki was confused by what Miku was saying. "Sorry. But you must be mistaking me for someone else." Hibiki replied.
"Hibiki, it's me! Miku Kohinata!" Miku said. "We've been friends since we were kids. We did almost everything together..."
"Miku?" Hibiki thought before a blur of memories entered her mind, all of them including a girl with short black hair and a white bow on her head, but that's all she could see about her. Everything else was impossible to understand, which gave Hibiki a massive headache.
"Hibiki!" Miku gasped as she tried to run over to help her friend, before a barrage of bullets forced her to dodge backwards as a girl with long white hair and red armor appeared.
"Hey, Hibiki! Are you okay?" Chris asked, trying to comfort her friend. "It's okay, I'm here now. Just take it easy."
"What's happening?" Miku asked.
"None of your damn business, that's what!" Chris retorted, aiming her guns at Miku, who took up a defensive stance as a response.
"Chris. Section Two has two more wielders heading towards your location as we speak." A man said over Chris' communicator. "If you three do not leave now, there is a good chance you will all be captured. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir." Chris answered, before pulling something out of her pocket. "Tsubasa, we're leaving!"
Tsubasa pushed Maria back in order to respond. "I'm a little preoccupied right now!"
"Sonofa..." Chris sighed before pulling out two large missiles from her Gear and firing them at Maria, exploding as they approached her, giving Tsubasa the opening she needed to reconvene with Chris and Hibiki.
"Maria-san!" Miku shouted, glaring at Chris. "How dare-!" But before she could finish her remark, Chris threw the object she pulled out earlier on the ground, making a strange circle appear.
"Don't try to follow us." Chris said in a deadly serious tone before herself, Hibiki, and Tsubasa suddenly disappeared from sight.
As much as she wanted to chase after them, wherever they went, Miku had something else she needed to focus on. "Maria-san!"
Miku approached the dust cloud made by the missiles' impact. As she got closer, the dust started to settle, revealing a giant set of pink sawblades. "We made it just in time, Kiri-chan!" Shirabe said.
"I'll say!" Kirika added. "Now then, time to tear them apart for thinking they could do something like that to Mari-" Kirika stopped once she realized no one else was there. "Dess?"
"Miku-san, where did they go?" Shirabe asked.
"I... Don't know." Miku answered. "One moment they were on the stage, the next, they disappeared in a strange flash of light."
"So they got away..." Maria sighed. "No matter, let's hurry back to HQ."
"Aww... But I wanted to fight, dess..." Kirika said woefully.
"There's always next time, Kiri-chan." Shriabe said, comforting the Igalima wielder.
And so, unable to chase after their enemies, the four wielders of Section Two retreat from the Concert hall to regroup at HQ. However, Miku couldn't stop thinking about the girl in the black Gungnir. "Hibiki... What happened to you..." She asked herself. "What happened to you after that concert?"
A/N: And with that, we end this story.
Now, As promised, a summary of what lead to this parallel universe's existence:
For the sake of keeping it brief (and for the fact I'm pretty sure I can't post links on fanfics) I will give a TL;DR for the characters present in this fic:
Maria, Shirabe, Kirika: Allied with Section Two with Maria taking to the stage in Tsubasa's absence after F.I.S. offered their services to Section Two following the concert tragedy. (Basically think of them as their canonical selves post-G minus S1 and G plotlines)
Tsubasa: Has an altered past after following this universe's Kanade's last wish to get Hibiki to a hospital and running into Victor, who saved Hibiki after Tsubasa agreed to a deal that forced both of them to follow him. Because of Victor, Tsubasa's much less reserved than her canonical self, and is prone to getting violent in combat due to trauma from the concert tragedy.
Ryoko: Did not awaken to Finé's soul. (Think along the lines of Ryoko from XDU Kanade's universe)
Miku: As a result of Hibiki not returning from the concert tragedy, Miku started to blame herself for her friend's alleged death, making her slightly afraid of growing too close to others and getting them killed along the way. Years later, Miku is selected by Section Two through their secret candidate program and is granted Shénshòujìng. She has trouble controlling the Gear at first, but is determined to help out wherever she can, slowly tearing away at her self-induced isolation from others.
Hibiki: Unlike her canon self, Hibiki does not have Gungnir inside of her due to Victor's alchemic procedure which replaced the fragments in her body with samples of Kanade's blood taken from Tsubasa's clothes. However, the procedure wasn't perfect, leading to Kanade's blood causing Hibiki to develop a second personality identical to Kanade's alongside other physical changes.
Chris: As a result of Finé's absence, Chris is not raised by her, but by Victor who saved her after catching wind of her ability to wield Ichaival. Among the OG trio, Chris is the calmest, but she still has moments of hot-headedness here and there. In this universe, Chris has a sisterly relationship with Tsubasa, but has feelings for Hibiki that she's a little embarrassed to confess. :)
Victor: Character specific to this universe. Has an extreme hatred for humanity, minus the OG wielder trio who he views as his daughters (but originally viewed them as nothing more than pawns before caring for them). He knows limited amounts of alchemy, but not enough to put him at the same threat level that Carol and the Illuminati.
That about covers the character changes in this universe.
Will I continue with this One Shot? Maybe in the future once Symphogear R and Superb Song of the Fate-Defying Valkyrie are all wrapped up, but I don't imagine that being within the coming years unless I somehow get extremely motivated to do it.
However, should anyone wish to make their own take on this One Shot's universe, you are more than welcome to do so.
Regardless, thank you for reading this One Shot. I shall see you all in the next one!