Chapter II: How Long is Forever?
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The Time Capsule
Oblivion
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"Alone again, Robin?"
...
...
...
"You know very well that with me around...
..
..
..
"You're never alone..."
...
"Never alone..."
....
"Never alone."
.....
"HHHHA!"
He gasped as his eyes flung open. He immediately glanced about, a haunted look upon him as if he had just woken from a long coma. Or perhaps... a very long dream. The room was fuzzy, but it had an odd, familiar feeling about it. Yet something... seemed wrong. He felt like a child who had gone somewhere he didn't belong. Though at the same time it felt so warm... so comforting.
So distant.
"Dick?"
He quickly quirked his head. That voice...
"Come on! I hope you're almost ready - we're running late as it is..."
Robin shook his head, wincing as he sat up. He was in a small, green tent, though his surroundings were still blurry. But without a second thought, he instinctively replied with:
"Coming, mom..."
He furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Wait-... what?! Mom?! Dick?!"
At that, he tried to raise from bed, but it seemed to take an instant for his muscles to kick in.
"Come on, sweetie! This isn't the time for games!" the voice grumbled.
Suddenly, there was a ruffle of the tent's flaps, and what might as well have been a ghost stepped into it:
His mother.
His eyes widened again... and it then when he realized his mask was missing. He glanced around for it, but it wasn't lying anywhere that he could see.
"This has to be some sort of dream," he whispered to himself. "An illusion..."
She rolled her eyes. "You must have eaten something bad before bed if that's the case. Working in your dreams is never fun."
"Who are you?" Robin suddenly growled. "I don't usually have lucid dreams - this means it's some sort of illusion! So spill it! Is it you, Mad Mod?! This is a pretty sick game to be playing if it is!"
His mom furrowed her brow in concern. "Just take it easy, Dick. You just had a really bad-"
"No! No I didn't!" Robin hissed. "Quit lying! Dreams don't last a lifetime! In fact - the last thing I remember is..." He winced. "I remember is... s-saying goodnight to Starfire?"
"Starfire?" his mom said, a slightly more bemused look on her face than worried. "You mean Kori, right? Are you calling each other by your performing names, now?"
Robin blinked, a look of disbelief still hanging on him. "K-Kori?" he whispered.
"Koriand'r..." she chuckled, before giving him a questioning look. "But seriously... have you been feeling alright lately, did you bump your head?"
"I didn't bump my head," he grunted. "As I said, the last thing I remember was saying goodnight to Starfire-"
"Kori," she corrected.
He gave her a blank look. "Whatever..."
She raised her eyebrows. "I've raised you better than to give your own mother sass, you know..."
Robin groaned at that, rubbing a palm on his forehead.
"Sass... that always was your favorite word..."
"Dick - you really are starting to worry me," she said. "It's like you just came back from the dead."
"I didn't come back from the dead," Robin sighed, half-defeated at this point. "We were hunting Slade somewhere in South America but -" He closed his eyes. "I'm not sure what happened after that."
"Who is Slade?" his mom asked.
Robin gave a deep sigh. "Question of my life... or - what I thought was my life..." He shook his head. "This feels too real... but I don't remember clicking my boots three times..."
At that, his smiled lightly, before sitting down next to him. With one quick move, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then a warm hug.
...
"Does that feel real, too?"
Robin shuddered slightly, gulping.
The warmth...
It had been so long... a century. An eternity.
Too long.
And a dream or not... it felt...
Good?
Maybe he could enjoy this for a little...
At that, he silently returned the hug, a lump slowly forming in his throat. "Real enough for me," he whispered.
She slowly nodded. "Well... alright. I'm not sure if this is normal or not: are you sure you don't want to see the circus doctor?" she asked.
"Dr. Who?" Robin said, chuckling slightly. "No, I - I'm fine, really. It's all coming back to me now."
"You're absolutely sure?" she asked.
"The Flying Graysons can't go without their Robin, can they?" he winked.
"That they can't," his mother said warmly, before sitting up from his bed, walking to his drawer and pulling out his circus tights. "Come on, hun: it'll just be a quick show. Then we'll go have grab a few burgers or something. All of us could use a little stress relief..."
"Tell me about it," Dick sighed.
"I'll meet you in the usual spot," she said. "Our act starts in a half-an-hour. I'll tell your father where you are. Just be on time, OK?"
"Will do, mom," he beamed, already slipping on his tights.
"Love you."
Robin paused for a second, a look of sorrow stretching across his face.
"... L-Love you too."
...
His mother smiled at him one last time, before making her way out of the tent.
Dick stood silent for a brief second, shaking his head in disbelief. "It... it feels like it was just yesterday. C-Could everything really have just been a dream? Bruce, Slade, the Titans... my friends?"
He paused.
"Starfire?"
He finally shrugged. "I guess I'll find out eventually..."
With that, he squinted in thought for a brief second more, finished slipping on his costume, and made his way out of the tent...
However, he didn't get far...
"Um - hi there?"
She blinked. "H-Hello?"
As soon as he walked out, he stood face to face with a strange, pink-haired woman. She gazed at him with both a look of pity and concern.
"Oh - good!" she said joyfully. "Are you - um - are you awake? Can you hear me?"
"Um, yeah," Dick said, scratching his head. "Man - does everyone know I'm late?"
"L-Late for what?" she asked.
Dick gave her a confused look. "My show..."
"S-Show?" she peeped. "There's no show in Ponyville I know of. H-Have you lost your way?"
"Ponyville?" Dick grunted. "Is that some sort of expression? I - I'm confused..."
"No - it's the name of a town. Y-You haven't heard of it?" she squeaked. "Oh my - I hope you're not really hurt. Can you open your eyes at all?"
He slowly nodded.
"Yeaaah..." he grunted. "I think you might be a little lost." He then glanced to his left. "If you're looking to get tickets, they're-"
...
"Over there?"
When he glanced back, she had vanished. He glanced about him, furrowing his brow, but found no trace.
"As if things weren't weird enough already," he sighed. "Now I'm seeing ghosts."
At that, he took a minute to collect himself, before continuing to make his way towards the circus tent. He walked for a minute, slowly taking in the familiar surroundings of his circus' back lot. It was another sight of pure warmth. There were elephants, zebras, and... pegasi?
"Wait- what?"
He blinked, and it was gone. A yellow, pink haired pegasus sitting in one of the pony cages.
"I'm starting to wonder if I'm dreaming again," Dick muttered, before walking on. It was strange... being back in this old place. Walking through his childhood like nothing had ever happened.
Eventually, he neared the sound of two voices having a heated argument. Both sounded distinctively familiar.
"I'm telling you you're right, Slade - the boy's got talent- but I not about to sell him to you! He has a family here!"
It was the circus' owner, Mr. Riley.
"Slade?" Robin said, his eyes widening. At that- he quickly stuck his head in the door, gaining a brief glance of a middle-aged, bleach-white haired man.
"Oh," Robin blinked, sighing slightly as he hid it from sight. The voice fit, but it could have just been a coincidence...
"Come on, Joseph, let's not kid ourselves here," Slade grunted. "You're a small-time show, unlike my own. This deal is worth far more to you than it is to me. I'm willing to give you a leg up in the game. It'd be better for him, anyway - he'd be making more money, have better accommodations... be part of something greater than this, no offense."
"No amount of money is worth his family," Mr. Riley growled. "I won't do that to him. I'll state it plain and clear for you: I outright refuse this offer."
"I could treat him like my own son, if needed," Slade spat. "I could tell him what it really means to get by in this world..."
"You don't know the first thing!"
...
...
There was a sigh. "Very well then, I'm sorry we couldn't make a deal."
Mr. Riley chuckled sarcastically. "So am I - but I hope you don't try to do anything like this to any other young star..."
"I may or may not, the future is up for grabs," Slade said calmly, before making his way out of the manager's tent. Dick was immediately spotted.
"Hello there, Robin," he said, tipping a black top hat his way. "I was just... having a conversation about you. Your skills are impressive, most impressive..."
"Um - thanks," Dick said slowly.
Slade then smiled slightly. "It'll be a shame to lose you, really. I would have bought your entire family if I didn't think they were holding you back." He then shrugged. "Oh well - can't win them all - good day to you."
At that, he turned, and using a black cane as a walking stick, began to make his way.
Robin narrowed his eyes. "What a creep... I must have heard him talking before or something. Maybe that's who Slade was based off of in my dreams? Or something like that..."
He gave a shrug, before beginning to trot along again. He walked by a cage filled with decorated ponies...
"Hello? Oh my - you must have really bruised your head..."
He stopped, gasped, and turned towards the cage. Among the multiple ponies was that same damned pegasus from before... and a new pony, a strange purple unicorn complete with wings.
"Oh god - I'm definitely losing my mind," Robin cried. "Maybe I did hit my head last night? That would explain everything better than anything."
"He's talking again!" the yellow one said excitedly.
"Yeah- but his eyes aren't open... he may be having a dream..."
"They fluttered open a little while ago, though..."
"... Or I'm in a dream within a dream," Robin blinked. "Uh... hi?"
"Oh - looks like he knows we're here!" the yellow one squeaked.
"Or... we're manifesting as someone in his dreams..."
"So... I am dreaming?" Dick said, as confused as ever.. "But shouldn't I be waking up by now? And who the world are you two supposed to be? Raven and Starfire?"
Another blink, and they were gone.
"Ugh... maybe I really should go see Dr. Who," Dick said, now with a slightly worried tone. "I-I don't remember being schizophrenic, though... and that sort of thing doesn't just pop up... does it?"
He took a deep breath. "I'm just going to get this stupid show over with and relax... maybe it'll-"
"Dick!"
He turned towards the origin of the voice. His eyes widened in shock. There stood Starfire, though more human looking... and more beautiful than ever.
"K-Kori?" he said, almost instictively.
"Hah! I knew I'd find you here," she smirked, speaking in a British accent. "Your mother told me you always were fascinated by horses."
"Heh - kind of," he said, blushing slightly. "So - what's up?"
"Your mother's looking for you, 'sugarplum'," she grinned. "Come on - the show's about to begin, and you're the second act!"
"Yeah, yeah," he sighed, before beginning to follow her. It was strange, he had just met this... version of Stafire, but it was as if he had always known her.
"So, when's your act?" Dick asked, following her to the tent.
She merely smiled, looking at him with her beautiful, twinkling eyes. "Actually, my act has been merged with your own."
...
An almost whimsical look came over her. "Could always be like that, too."
Robin blinked, before smiling back at her.
"Hopefully."
And at that, it felt as if he had already merged with this reality.
"There you are, kid!" his father said, sighing. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Here I was thinking I was going to die before the act. Now that's just embarrassing."
"John!" his mother cried, elbowing him slightly. "Don't scare the boy!"
"Relax, Mary," he said, rolling his eyes. "He knows I'm only joking." He then turned to Koriand'r. "Hey there, ready to fly?"
"Always," she said, bouncing slightly. "It's a real honor to work with you, Mr. Grayson! Mrs. Grayson!"
"Hehe, well the pleasure is ours," Mr. Grayson said. "Dick hasn't been giving you too much trouble, has he?"
"Oh he's fine," Kory chuckled. "He's a real sweetheart, honestly!"
"Most of the time, you mean," Mr. Grayson grinned. "Ya don't need to sugarcoat it. We are his parents, after all."
"Dad!" Robin groaned.
"He has his rough patches, but he's good at heart," Kory said.
Dick smiled slightly. "Heh... you say that so often it's like you're trying to convince yourself!"
...
At that, Kory glanced right at him, and in a serious tone, stated: "Never."
There was a bit of awkward silence, and the show began.
The crowd cheered. He was in the moment and only it. He stood at the top of the trapeze platform, before gripping the swing and -
WOOOSH!.!.!
Sailing downward. With grace and skill, he then let go of the bar of it, twirled thrice, and-
"Gotcha!" Kory grinned, snatching his two hands.
Dick couldn't help but smile. This... it felt so good. So exhilarating. So much better than his dream... yet he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. Like this was all too good to be true. When he finally landed on the far platform, this point seemed to be nailed in, as Starfire sailed to the other side...
"You can't be with her, you know..." someone suddenly spoke, a deep, though soothing voice. "Equestria will soon sing the Titans' names... You will defeat the Man with the Metal Mask - and do what fate desires..."
He twirled about, an annoyed look almost on him as he did so. It was a different voice than the... the pegasi, though when he finished his twirl, all he could catch was the flicker of a beautiful woman in blue. This one had to be his imagination, however: her hair seemed to be made of stars.
Dick shrugged it off, grunting, before eagerly awaiting Kory's return. When she got close, winking at him, he grinned back at her, flung himself off the platform, and caught her hands. The two were once again flying together. The wind danced in her hair as she smiled lovingly at him. He quickly returned it.
If this was a dream, why did it now feel so right?
In the meantime, his parents took off at a higher level. And just as they did, Dick's eye caught something in the far distance... one who was now among a crowd of shadows.
...
His eyes widened in horror.
"S-Slade?!"
He merely winked at him, before raising a blaster rifle...
"SLADE! NO!"
"Dick, what's wrong?!" his mother called.
TEOW!.!.!
A red bolt of light sailed through the air, cutting his parents swing lines...
...
"No," Robin whimpered.
And his parents fell to their deaths.The audience did nothing to stop it. They had now literally become a crowd of shadows.
"Oh my god! NO - NO!" Robin screamed.
An instant later he found himself on the ground, with Slade standing before him.
"Hello again, Robin," he said softly. "I hope I haven't come at a bad time."
"Y-You - you SON OF A BITCH!" Robin screamed, lunging forward at him. He found himself back in costume... Whatever reality had had been in must have just been an illusion. "YOU TOOK IT! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"
Robin roared in fury, before sending a dozen lethal staff-hits his way. Slade dodged them as if they never came at all.
"Poor Robin... I didn't do anything," he chuckled. "But I can make it better." He glanced towards the corpses of Robin's parents. "I see you're now without a father... how would you like to be part of my circus, now?"
"Not until I stick this in your eye!" Robin hissed, pulling out a bird-a-rang.
"Go ahead," Slade mused. "I'll just block it. Then... we could fight and fight until the end of time. It is the way things are meant to be. Your father is here to give you purpose."
"You are NOT my father! RAAAAUGH-"
He prepared to throw the bird-a-rang, but his hand was stopped in mid-motion.
"Robin!" Kory cried. "Don't do it... just let him go! It's not your job to fight him!"
"I-I have to though," Robin whispered. "I need justice!"
...
"If you won't listen to her, listen to me."
Robin gasped.
"Justice doesn't come through revenge," another voice said, a deep, dark baritone. Robin turned his head. Two slits for eyes glanced back at him behind the mask of the night.
"Batman," Robin grunted. "Help me! Help me kick his ass, damnit! I should have asked for help before, I know, but now I am!"
"You don't have to be like me, Dick," Batman said calmly. "You have an option..."
"Yes - please..." Kory begged. "You mean the world to me... you need to calm down. To breath. To live..."
Robin panted and winced.
...
Slade quirked his head.
...
Robin furrowed his brow.
...
And at that, Robin took a deep breath, before stowing his bird-a-rang. Kory quickly nodded at him, smiling with tearful eyes, and Robin nodded back.
"Hmmm... I never thought you'd be so selfish, Robin," Slade mused. "You may be saving yourself, but don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?"
Robin's eyes widened. As soon as he finished, a chant of voices roared from the shadowy crowd.
"Fight the Man with the Metal Mask - bring the balance forth to last."
Robin gripped his head, gritting his teeth, as the crowd began to chant louder and louder:
"Fight the Man with the Metal Mask - bring the balance forth to last!"
"Fight the Man with the Metal Mask - bring the balance forth to last!"
"FIGHT THE MAN WITH THE METAL MASK - BRING THE BALANCE FORTH TO LAST!"
"I know you want to, Robin," Slade chuckled. "Everytime you see someone struggle, suffer, bleed... you see yourself in them. It is in your blood now. It has been before me. It has been before even the fateful day the ropes were cut. The cards were stacked in your favor, now just embrace the gift you were given."
...
Robin swallowed hard, before closing his eyes in defeat. "Damn you, Slade."
He then gritted his teeth, his eye twitching.-
"RAUUUUGH!.!.!.!"
And once again... charged his immortal enemy.
CLLLANNNNG!.!.!
His bo-staff struck his, creating a shower of sparks.
WOOOOSH-CRACK-WOOOSH-SMACK!.!.!
He struck at him with a series of brutal kicks, each of which he blocked with his metal arm-guards.
"Robin, stop!" Starfire cried.
"You're letting your anger get the best of you!" Batman snarled. "You have to settle down, NOW!"
"Settle down?" Slade chuckled, all the while trading staff and martial arts moves with the Boy Wonder. "There is no settling down with you, Robin. I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The darkness that haunts every corner of your mind. I will never rest, AND NEITHER WILL YOU!.!.!"
SHIIIIIING-CLANG-CRACK-CRACK!.!.!.!
"Don't listen to him, Robin!"
"Run - he won't be able to catch you. Take a knee and think - like I trained you to do!"
"I CAN'T! DON'T YOU REALIZE?! I CAN'T!" he shouted, continuing his battle. "You think I don't want to?! I try, I really try, but this is something I can't resist!"
"Wake up! P-Please wake up!"
Robin gasped. The third voice came from nowhere. The two fighters paused.
"Huh?"
Slade quirked his head. "So... you finally realize it."
"That this was the worst dream of my life?!" he snapped.
"Perhaps - but go ahead, Robin... wake up and smell the ashes," Slade chuckled. "I'll be waiting for you on the other side... or would you rather do business here?"
"Hold on - I'm going to give him a jolt of static magic! His heart beat has gone wild! Whatever dream he's in - it can't be good for him!"
"Oh, I hope the poor thing will be alright!"
Robin paused... smiling ever-so-slightly.
"Maybe, Slade... but you know what sucks for you?" he asked.
Slade narrowed his eye. "And that is...?"
Robin took a deep breath. "Though I may never get the life I wished I had. I still can live the one I need. And you know why? Because I'm on the side of support and construction, not destruction. I have... what I need to get by. Kory and Bruce here are just a dream and phantom... but I know whoever is calling me is real. They want to help. And you know what? That makes them worth fighting for."
"Yet you'll still never be happy," Slade said.
Robin smirked slightly. "No, but at least I'll still have a purpose."
...
The two stared off at each other for a moment, before Slade finally chuckled. "Very well, then, Boy Wonder: but since I'm here, why don't I give you a wake up call?"
With that, he produced a taser.
Robin merely glared at him, slacking his arms at his side. "Do it."
"With pleasure," Slade said, before lifting a finger. "But still, you know very well that my circus will always need your act."
ZAAAAAAAAAAAP!.!.!
He pushed the taser into Robin.
"AGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
It ended before it began. For after a brief, his eyes flickered open, and he found himself back into reality...
"Hello, there."
But judging by what greeted him, the dream might as well have been reality.
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SWEET! I've been waiting for the next chapter all day!
I don't know why but I always hated dream chapters or even scenes. So... unrealistic.
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051110185654/marvel_dc/images/6/6d/Slade_001.jpg
....... As creepy as Slade is, he still has nothing on G-man
Well, this chapter was a bit hard to follow, but in a good way. I think it captures the nature of dreams, that they are constantly changing, often intermixing our most basic thoughts, deepest and darkest desires, and our heartfelt beliefs in. Try to think of any dream you had (bar some exceptions I'm sure have occurred) where your dream actually strove to make contextual sense. Your brain can switch environments and characters so fast that were you awake, it would leave you with an extreme headache. In dreams, its the norm not to make sense to varying degrees. Of course while your dreaming it makes sense, but that's because your brain is basically operating on a different level, more basic and quite possibly unrestrained than your waking mind. Thus, its hard to decode dreams at times simply because we think in different ways when we're dreaming.
In this case, Robin's character and desire is put on parade. His deep-seated desire for his parents, and the fact that their deaths forever altered him is apparent. A way I've always liked for interpreting it was that Dick Grayson, as in the immature boy who might complain that his costume made him look girly, died that night too. Out of the tragedy was born Robin, who, like Batman, has based his whole life, his very reason for being, on being the darkness that will serve the light by going places that the regular authority can't. The Dichotomy between him and Slade is delightful. Robin looks outwards always, nearly every single thought and desire is motivated by a need to save others from suffering. Slade looks inwards, motivated by self-interest, but even he sees that they are alike in the way of how determined and focused they are.
Two other figures who appear are very appropriate. Batman, who is the closest thing Robin has to a father after his original parents died. Batman is the one who gave Robin direction and gave him the proper tools and training to focus his anger and drive.
And Starfire, who is honestly probably the most important person to Robin (or at least equal to Batman) who is still living. Starfire represents pretty much all that Robin loves and thinks is worth fighting for in the world. He genuinely loves her, something he probably once thought impossible.
So, bottom line, I like this chapter.
Damn that was a good chapter. Can't wait to see just what you bring us next. Keep goin and stay golden^^
3014461 Dreams? Not realistic? That's like complaining that artists keep making the sky blue.
Now, if you had instead chpsen to complain about the fact that the chapter was nothing but a dream sequence and so we still haven't seen the Titans interact with ponies yet, then I might have sympathized.
That would be complaining about how the writer has chosen to write the story. I like my comment better
Also I should have said a lack of realism or reality but whatever. There's always a critique to a simple comment. 3014691
I don't know why, but I'm beginning to like Slade a lot more now.
Your Cliffhangers are starting to annoy me.
That was good. Damn good.
3014823
Also, I would get board of being evil and go between cycles of good and evil to keep things interesting or I could be neutral good.
I guess if you live forever, eventually someone will like you.
I HATE YOU CLIFFHANGER
Typical slade, even when he's not really there he play's mind games with robin. I wonder ifthis symbolise how robin has slade burned into his subconscious?
Next chapter please!
This is a very good chapter and for once it actually feels like a genuine dream. Dreams are filled with randomness, memories and fears.
This one is absolutely well made. Also Slade gets to control even the dreams, I can't get enough of that. Slade was my favorite character from Teen Titans.
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/199/9/e/Teen_Titans_Slade_by_Novarules.jpg
Okay, now for today's critique!
A weakness I see in the writing thus far is a lack of setting establishment. By not establishing the setting for the scenes very well, it makes the story much harder to read. You only make vague references as to what the setting is, such as an apparent circus tent. But outside of that, the reader has no idea what the environment is like, such as how big the tent is, what the interior is like. Was the circus in a rural environment, or an urban one? I also have no idea where Robin woke up first in the dream sequence. It was a small green tent, but just how small? Where that tent was in relation to the rest of the area? And Robin's mom... Where was Robin's mom within the tent? Was she sitting next to Robin? Was she peeking in through the entrance? These are the kinds of things you can ask yourself when writing a scene to help establish the setting.
3016341 It's a DREAM. Those are usually Vague in reality. They also make little sense, usually.
3016425 And yet, dreams as they happen make sense. It's only after you wake up that it probably didn't. Kinda counter intuitive to the immersion.
But, all that aside, it's a consistent issue (so far) that I've noticed. The dream sequence is one only one example. The Mayan Temple in the first chapter is another. Slade's new lair is yet another example. The settings are vague and makes the story harder to read.
You've given us a view of slade that's gone a lot more in-depth than anything the show did.
And that's awesome.
Keep on trucking my good author, nothing but good things await this story.
Rather literal take on "the Changeling" don't you think?
Glad I'm not the only one getting G-Man vibes from that smell the ashes line. XD
Shhhii......I mean ...just ....wow, Simply wow
I don't really know what to say about this chapter other that.......this was just a freaking trip and a mile down the Rabbit-hole.
Sorry that chapter was just plain confusing
I hope he's not referring to this crap
sodthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bow-dr-who.jpg
Confusing chapter is confusing. However, you have piqued my interest!
That dream scene was AWESOME, with how reality slipped in. I've rarely seen it so well done.
Ah yes, waking up in a wold of talking ponies...
Okay trippy. Let's take the red pill and see how far this rabbit hole goes.