//------------------------------// // Shade // Story: A Traveling Dreemurr Teams Up with the Fastest Man Alive // by jjb0420 //------------------------------// “So...........finally heading back.” Says Ayo Kub. I nod. “But you need to stay here. You..............I think you were right about being this worlds protector. Can’t be everywhere at once, ya know?” I respond. We’re just about to head off, back to Central City. “But if you ever need help desperately, I’m just a breach or box away. If there is no other way out, call me.” I put out my hand. He shakes it. “It was nice meeting you.” “You too...........that’s weird isn’t it, coming from us.” We share one last laugh, then I enter the TARDIS, everyone being ready. “Right then. Back to Central City.” The Doctor announces as he pulls the dematerialization lever, taking us away. “It’ll be good to see everyone again.” I say. “You got that right. I want to share notes with Cisco on the breaches.” Alphys responds. “Last couple? Wally, this is exactly what Frankie Kane said happened to her. She had dreams, a lot of painful ones, and then she starting hearing Alchemy’s voice in her head..........then she became Magenta.” Joe says to Wally. They’re currently in their house. “Yeah.......this is totally different dad.” Wally denies. “No. No it’s not.” “Yes it is. I’m a speedster in my dreams, I’m not an evil split personality. I’m helping people, not hurting them. Dad I think this means my powers are finally manifesting.” “No, it means you have a lot................” Joe starts to argue, but is interrupted by his phone. He answers it. “Hello? Oh Cisco, what’s up? Really, they’re coming back? What, sorry, but I’ll have to see him at work, Wally has school and I need to check with Barry on something..............okay, but I want to talk to him personally before Barry. Okay, we’ll see. Bye.” He puts it away as Wally asks. “What was Cisco asking about?” “Apparently a breach opened up back at S.T.A.R. Labs. And you know what that means.” Joe responds. “Anyway, see you later. I’ll probably see the kid at work.” “I’m just glad to be back here.” I say with relief as we land. I open the door to Cisco. “If it isn’t the God of Hyperdeath.” He jokes. “Don’t remind me. I’m stuck with my name’s cause I thought they were cool.” I respond as I shake his hand. “What can I say, I got my originality from dad.” “I think anyone who knows about it can laugh about ‘new home’ and your name,” He says. We both look neutral, but a few seconds later we start chuckling, and eventually start laughing. “Good to see you again. Did you bring anyone with you?” He asks as they all start walking out, and we walk towards the main room. “Only new person is the fish. Apparently Mom asked her to check if I was alright,” I respond. “So...........what’d I miss?” “Let’s see.............a man who can travel through reflection, a woman who can induce very bad vertigo, and a Wells that isn’t smart.” He answers. I stop for a sec. “Wha?” “Yep. Jesse and Harry went back to Earth-2, but not before sending a message into the multiverse. It was this........algorithm that determined intellect. We ended up getting one called H.R. who lied about his intellect. The one Wells in the multiverse we get isn’t a scientist,” He explains as we enter the main room. “So what happened?” “He’s still here. We’re giving him one chance. If he doesn’t show his worth, he’ll.” He points behind him. “Right back to his earth.” “Hmm.” I look around. “Anyone else here?” “Just Caitlin.” He shows remembrance. “Oh, Joe said he’ll have to talk to you at CCPD, he had work.” “Oh, okay.” I conjure the cloak out of Hammerspace, onto my body. “See ya in a bit.” I run off. “Is that what I think it was? Did you ask her to movie night with us?” Asks Barry as I come in. “Hey Joe.” I greet, waving. “Alyserx! Nice surprise.” He says as I get closer. He leans in. “It’s good seeing you’re okay.” “Still, that’s awesome. When did you do that? How’d you do it?” Asks Barry. “As much as I’d like to gossip like a teenager right now, there’s something else we need to talk about. Both of you.” Joe responds. “Really? Bout what?” He pulls us away from Julian. “Wally. He’s been having dreams.” “Dreams?” asks Barry. “Saving people, becoming a speedster.” He looks over at Julian, then back at us as I look at the windows. “He called himself Kid Flash.” I look at him slowly. “Kid Flash? Specifically that, he said Kid Flash?” “He-he said that name specifically?” Barry asks worriedly. “He’s in trouble, isn’t he?” “if he’s remembering Flashpoint, then he might be in big trouble.” I state as I look between the two. “Yeah. But don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.” “I’ll see you later.” Joe finishes as he leaves. “Wait for me, I can go out so people see me leave.” I ask him. “Okay.” We walk out, and we split off in the middle of the room. I head out while everyone is busy and, while no one is looking, speed right back to S.T.A.R. Labs. “Come on Azzy, think! How do I do this when there’s no one here that was................that’s it!” I zoom to the TARDIS, where Undyne is sitting with Alphys. “Where’s Sunset?” “P-Probably talking with Sally. Why?” Alphys responds. “Too urgent, you’ll find out later, bye!” I shout as I run off towards Sally’s room. I peek in, and Alphys was right. “Hey bacon hair!” I shout. She turns with a frown. “Please don’t call me that. This is natural.” “Could you come out? I might need your help.” “Sure?” She comes out, I grab her and we teleport to the top of S.T.A.R. Labs with a shortcut. “Sorry for not telling you, but I wanted to make sure no one heard until it was time.” “What are you talking about!?” She shouts as we feel wind on our fur. “First off, calm down. Second, do you remember Wally?” I ask. “Yes. Why?” “Joe just told Barry and I that he’s having Alchemy dreams.” I say as she starts to show concern. “He’s remembering Flashpoint?” “Yep. Since The Author and his friend are off world, we’re the only ones right now who know, and can use magic to figure this thing out. If we can find out how he does this, we could theoretically learn how to track or prevent it.” (Two days later...........) “Have you seen H.R?” Asks Cisco. “Maybe he’s meditating in his room,” suggests Caitlin. “No he’s not there,” He responds, spotting someone on the track running around. “Who’s on the speed track?” “I don’t know. Judging by the color of their lightning, it’s probably Barry.” “Nah, he’s talking with his family about something, it’s probably Asriel.” “I thought he was in another world helping out.” “Nope, they came back early in the morning, two days ago. HEY KID, CAITLIN’S DOWN HERE!” I run down with the cloak on. “Hey Caitlin. How’s it going?” “Give me a second. I forgot the cloak deepens your voice,” She says as she covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. Cisco shakes his head. “I don’t have time for this.” He clicks a button, activating a speaker. “H.R, come to the Speed Lab now.” “Maybe he’s doing inversion stretches in the intake?” “You saw that too, huh? H.R! He’s not there either.” “Okay, care to explain? Also, he might just be brewing coffee. I checked his Earth and saw they don’t have coffee anymore.” “He’s not doing that either. As for your question, he’s been going through my stuff. But now, hehe, he’s just being stupid about it.” “About what?” A British voice says behind me. I turn to see a man in black attire enter. “God, I swear I fixed the security system. Who the hell are you?” Asks Cisco. “H.R.” He says, like it’s supposed to be obvious. We all look perplexed. He shows realization, and pulls out a pen-like device and it creates a beam of light under his face, revealing a Wells without glasses. “H.R. See? Ah, what you just witnessed was the likeness of my partner, Randolf Morgan.” We show confusion. “Okay, I see what’s going on here. You don’t have facial transmogrification on this planet, do you?” “If they did, I would use it..........in a flash.” Everyone but this dude groans. He laughs. “I see we have someone who does puns. Who is this guy?” “You have Undertale?” Asks Cisco. “That, and one or two AUs.” Cisco nods his head at me. The Wells looks at me. “No.” “Yep. Multiverse for the win, huh?” “But which one are you?” I summon one of my sabers as he steps back. “Does that answer your question?” He regains his composure. “It does. Well, pleasure to meet you, Asriel Dreemurr. But still.” He holds up the device. “Hehe, it’s a good thing for me then, I found this little contraption in my satchel, forgot I brought it. It is so, fun.” “So fun huh? How does it work?” asks Cisco as he walks over and looks at it. “Light Refraction technology.” “Light refraction?” Asks Caitlin. “Bends light to create a new image, It’s how shimmers work. That little gadget must create a refraction field around the users face, disguising it as the intended target.” “I think that as best an explanation you’ll get, Randolf was more on the science side, I was just the face of the company. But this little thing is going to go a long way in fixing my Harrison Wells facial issues.” “Yeah, I’ll keep this until I get my power cuffs back.” “The meta human power dampening cuffs? You think I took them?” “The very ones, that are missing all of a sudden.” “I didn’t take them. what do I need cuffs for? I just came here, alone, and have I met anyone yet? No. Why would I have them........?” Thats when we hear the speakers. “Guys? Guys, we need you in the Cortex,” Barry says. “We can discuss this later,” I respond as we walk out. “Killed by a shadow? That’s new,” says Caitlin. “Maybe that’s what killed Edward Clariss,” Suggests Joe. “No, I saw the footage last night along with Sunset Shimmer. What killed Clariss was something else entirely.” I look at them. “Do we know if this an Alchemy meta, or the Normal type?” “Not yet, no. We actually have no evidence to process,” explains Cisco. “If only we had a way, Francisco, to see what happened,” wonders H.R. “Wait. When and where was it?” “In Chubbuck, uh, Palmer and Racine around 11:00 last night,” says Caitlin. I wave my hand across the screens, the monitor image glitching eratically. It eventually stabilizes into the view of a camera. It shows footage of what appears to be a shadow grabbing at a man. “Okay. One, that’ll give me night terrors for a while. Two, how’d you do that?” asks Cisco. “Fifty years gives one a lot of time to practice SOUL magic. There are surveillance devices everywhere, I simply found one, and manipulated the screens technology to show that exact time and place.” “Shade,” announces H.R., pointing at it with a cup of coffee in hand. “What?” asks Joe. “We had a meta hominid on my Earth who could do virtually the same thing, called himself Shade. I know, terrible name, but what he could do was vibrate at such a high frequency that he created the illusion that he was a shadow.” “That’s how we phase,” Barry points out. “Probably a meta with similar powers. The guy must be slowing down his molecules when he attacks.” “We just need to find a way to slow him down, and then we can catch him,” Cisco explains. “Can you get started?” asks Barry. “Yeah, but, like, right this minute?” asks Caitlin. “Yeah, sorry, but we need to get this done fast so we can focus on Alchemy.” “You really want to tell them?” “They need to know. Wally’s been having dreams of being a speedster. Alchemy dreams.” “He was a speedster in Flashpoint? Did anyone else have powers we don’t know about?” asks Cisco. “So far, no.” “Okay. I’ll work on Shade.” “I’ll supervise,” says H.R. “You’re gonna find my cuffs.” “I’ll have to find some cuffs.” “You gonna help kid?” asks Cisco. “I’m helping in my own way. By trying to find this breach I keep feeling in the forest!” I shout as I run out. “well...........looks like i showed up just in time,” a certain skeleton says. (7 Hours later................................) Its become dark, the full moon shining bright. “Come on! This thing is literally designed for finding life forms that have traveled through the void, yet I can’t find it!” I shout in annoyance. I’ve been walking through the forest for hours with a void detector in hand. I sit down and drop it in frustration when I hear a branch snap. I look up. “Is anyone there?” I stand up and look around. “Think Azzy. how could I lure them out?” I spot a small clearing near a tree. “That’s it!” I snap, creating a yellow, non-spreading patch of fire on a patch of grass, then duck down. “Light.............almost all creatures seek it. And in the darkness.............creatures of the light are attracted to their origin,” I whisper. I wait a couple minutes behind a nearby log when I hear more rustling from the nearby tree. I peek up from the log and spot something peeking over from the edge of a lower tree. It is a small, white creature with a similar stance to a human, and has a cat-like tail, and large dark blue eyes. It has two short horn-like ears on top of their head, and underneath them there are larger ears, and small, white hooves for feet. Floating near it is a small orb of blue, luminescent light. It hops down as the fire turns blue, the orb following them. They kneel down and reach a hand out as I hop down, waving a hand across the two. “Finally,” I announce. They turn around and spot me. They panic and try to run, but their bodies literally can’t move. “Don’t bother trying to book it, your SOULs are green. And even then, I mean you no harm. I merely want to talk.” The creature tilts its head as the orb glows, a voice of different dialect coming out. “What exactly do you mean by our SOULs?” it asks. “Well then. I’m glad this won’t be one sided. Before I can answer that...........” I approach the small white one, and hold out a hand. It looks at me skeptically. “Don’t you know how to greet a new friend? I’m not gonna hurt ya, I just wanna shake your hand,” I explain as I throw off the cloak, revealing myself to them both. The creature slowly reaches out and grabs my hand, causing my mind to flood with memories from this creature. It eventually ends on the two entering a blue portal. I let go, collapsing on my back. “Well..........that was something.” I straighten up on the log behind me. “Nice to meet you Ori.” They tilt their head in confusion. “Oh, where are my manners. My name is Asriel. What I just did there somehow let me see your memories. I saw everything you did in Nibel.” I turn to the orb. “And to answer your question Sein, the SOUL is the culmination of your being. It’s everything you are, were and ever will be.” “So.........they can be manipulated?” “There’s several ‘modes’ if you will. I turned yours green,” I explain, waving a hand and revealing the hearts. Ori’s is red with a green aura, and Sein’s is dark blue. “When its green, you have to face the threat head on to survive, rather than run away....................you shield yourself, if you will.” “How did we get here?” “Something’s been opening those portals for a while, you went through one. I’ll try to explain best I can when we get back.” I stand up, picking up Ori in my arms. “Just hold on tight, I’ll be going really fast.” Their ears perk up at this as I grab Sein, and run off. A few minutes later we reach the TARDIS, and I place the two down. “Welcome to the TARDIS.” I sit down as Ori looks around in interest. “I guess it’s time I explained everything.” “So............you’re one of a species called monsters.........” “Yep.” “You died, but were brought back to life.............then were sent to another world like us.......” “On track.” “Then you came here cause your SOUL got corrupted?” “And i’m staying. At least, until I get some control over it. I nearly killed because of it, and i’m not letting that happen again,” I finish when I feel a sudden rush of pain in my head, and...............something else. “What is this feeling.................HEHEHE! I know what it is. It’s anger,” I announce as I show my sharp fangs. “What exactly is going on!?” “..................” my claws unsheathe. “This form of mine. Originally, it only activated when such terrible feelings existed..................I can see everything,” I pass out. Ori’s ears perk up in surprise, and runs up to me. (Picture this only one way..........him singing this as he dies, releasing his power to give everyone a happy ending) “Could you please calm down, I just got a call about Wally!” “I understand this. But could you explain what he meant by Seeing everything?” I hear Sein ask. “Sigh. He apparently has the ability to learn new knowledge by sight, or touch,” Cisco explains. I open my eyes to find myself in Cisco’s work room. “It’s more than that, Cisco,” I respond, all three of them looking at me. “While......we were off world, I realized something. I can Vibe.” He puts his hands up. “Wait. So you’re telling me that you have the exact abilities, that I do?” I hold my head. “Sigh. Best I can tell is I can vibe people, and the past. The future is undetermined though since I only know one path so far.” I look around the room when Caitlin comes in. “Hey Cisco.” “Yes?” “It wasn’t H.R.” she says as I turn around, taking off what looks like straps. “I took your cuffs.” Ori and I look confused. “Why?” “Because I need them.” Cisco looks skeptical. “Is-is this some sort of, um, bold fashion choice cause your not a meta,” she grabs a cup of water and it turns to ice. “Hu-Hu-Human.” I look shocked, and Ori runs behind me. “Surprise.” She spots my shock. “Didn’t expect it?” “It’s...........it’s worse than that. You......you-y-you......you confirm it!” I run away, without using speed as I start tearing up. I keep picking up speed, eventually reaching the TARDIS and running straight to the room I stayed in. I collapse on the bed crying. (Two Hours Later...........) Ori, Sunset and the fillies come in. “Okay, what’s going on? Alphys just video called me through the TV about you running in here crying.” “I hoped.........I h-hoped the day would never come..........I hoped I could prevent it,” I whisper. Ori tilts their head, jumping up to me and hugging me. “I barely heard any of that. You’re gonna have to speak up man,” says Scootaloo. “I just found out it was all true, okay!?”, I scream, everyone backing up as I get up crying. I look down. “Ever since I went to the Frozen North, I’ve been having..............dreams. No, more than that. I saw things. All connected in some form to my friends and I. And in the most recent................I died,” they all back up in shock save Ori. “Are you.............talking about that.........?” asks Sunset. “It’s not that future. At least.....................not anymore. This was completely different................i’m not even sure if I survived. The futures changed, and not for the better.” “What are ya talkin about?” asks Apple Bloom. “Sigh.................when I disappeared the first time, I ended up in another world. While I was there, I..............was given, a glimpse, into the future. My species personal future.” “What happened in it?” asks Sweetie Belle, Ori hugging me. I gently pet their head. “....................we were betrayed. I.......don’t think it matters anymore. Aside from fixed points in time, everything is in flux. Our choices change the future, hence why you can’t accurately predict it.” “Well............let’s break this down. What have you seen so far from these............visions?” asks Sunset. “Barry finding about a villain, most of Team Arrow dying, the Doctor learning about his home.............the most recent didn’t make sense, save one. One was this....................I don’t know how to describe it. It was Twilight and Celestia opening up a vault, containing........statues. Statues and windows of her friends.” Sunset puts her hands up to her mouth, “she was an alicorn, wasn’t she?” I think about and realize. “No.” “I think so! You must’ve seen a timeline where she outlived them................Nyx always feared outliving her friends. Did anything else happen in that one?” She asks. “She.............cast this spell in the middle, caused the statues to crack. Actually saw one wing twitch..........before her wings dissolved, and the statues shattered, revealing the five...................she either brought them back to life, at the cost of her status..............or she killed herself, so she could join them in the afterlife,” I explain, crying. “Twilight always considered her friends to be important to her.................I-I can’t believe she outlived everyone she cared for.” “Ah don’t understand. What’s with tha waterworks? The princesses have lived forever.” “Immortality isn’t just living forever, Apple Bloom. It’s watching everyone else die. Time lords, Boss Monsters, and Alicorns don’t age the same. Time lords regenerate, I’ll remain the same unless I have children, and alicorns don’t age at all. You all wither away, and die, while we live on. Hell, my parents will stay the same unless I age.” They look confused. “Sigh.........” I facepalm. “Basically, picture that you somehow become an alicorn. You live forever, never dying, you at first think it’s good. But then.............everyone else grows old and dies, while you look the same. Your friends, your family...............your sisters. They wither away, getting older and older, eventually passing away..............while you look the same as the day you ascended. To finish off I will ask a very simple question.” I look down at the bed. “If you had to choose between friends.........and forever...............” I look straight at them as they tear up. “What would you decide?” Sunset wipes her eyes with her sleeve. “I think that’s enough heart wrenching for today. Let me guess, the second one was what you just witnessed?” “Your right, it was...............Caitlin has cryokinesis. I’m not sure, but I think they had a bad experience with it before,” I explain. “Sein told me a little bit while you were in here, which Cisco told them. Apparently her deceased, Earth-2 doppelgänger was evil and had the same powers,” explains Scootaloo. “I think that would do the trick.” “The last scared me because..................what I just saw just confirmed my vision. I’m seeing the future.” “What did you see?” “I................can’t clearly remember it all. It was so scary...................all I can remember is singing this............song. Best I could describe it is it was like Lightmare’s magic. I was releasing my power...................to give everyone a happy ending.” “Well...................like you said, the future isn’t always fixed. I mean, the first death vision changed, so maybe this is a possibl.......possi.....” says Sweetie Belle, messing up the word. “A potential future,” I correct her. “Heh. Thanks Girls. Whelp. I have a hunch they’ll need us.” I get up, and we all exit as Alphys runs towards us. “Where have you guys been!? S-Something happened to W-Wally, and Joe asked me to get everyone!” she shouts. We back up before nodding, and following her, me picking up Ori. “This doesn’t make sense. according to the equipment, your vitals are perfectly stable!” shouts the Doctor. Everyone’s in the Speed Lab, apparently Wally had a vision. “probably only occurs during the visions. wally, whatcha see?” asks Sans. “I was Kid Flash again. But this time, it wasn’t a good dream. I was fighting the Rival at some abandoned sawmill,” he explains. I turn to him. “That’s where we fought before, where you got hurt.................where I ERASEd him.” Sans quickly looks at me. “since when could you use ERASE?” “I do have LV, I have more than enough power.” I look at Wally. “It’s more than just dreams, it’s the memories of that alternate life.” “More and more people are getting powers,” says Cisco. “okay then. so, how can we stop this? if this ‘alchemy’ guy can hit you at ccpd, he might be able to hit you anywhere.” “I have a suggestion,” says H.R. “How about we throw Wallace in the Pipeline until we figure this out?” “You want to lock him up?” asks Joe. “as much as i’m worried about this guy, he has a point,” says Sans. We all look at him skeptically. “hey, it’s not like i want to. look, we might not be able to stop this mentally, but if we do this, we control the situation from then on.” “As much as I don’t like it Dad, maybe he’s not wrong.” “........Fine, but only until we find a better way. I’m gonna cancel this movie with Cecile.” “Wait wait wait wait wait, what? You have a date with Cecile?” asks Wally. “Yeah, we were gonna bring her to the movie in the park tonight.” “Well don’t not go. You’ve put your life on hold for us long enough.” “He’s right, Dad. I mean, go be Joe West, you’ll always be Dad,” says Iris. “Yeah, Sans, the fillies and I can stay here, hold down the fort,” I assure him. “Yeah, we’ll stay with Wally, and make sure nothing happens,” says Iris. “I told her you all were coming with me. Am I gonna be the only one that shows up?” “Uh, I would love to see a movie. What movie is this?” says Cisco. “The Shining.” “’The Shining’. Oh, I love that movie.” “That movie freaks you out. You have never made past the part with the Grady Twins,” says Caitlin. “That’s when I was younger.” “Why don’t I go with you?” asks Caitlin. “You’re sure you don’t want to stay.......” “No, I want to be with you.” “Well, I’ll come too. Always wondered what human horror movies were like,” says Undyne. “I-I’m not sure if that’ll work,” says Alphys. “Wait,” I take off the watch and run up and put it on hers. “Omnitrix, set to Human sample and activate.” Then, with a flash of green light, she reappears as a tan Human with red hair, yellow irises, and fish-like ears and gills. She looks at herself in awe. “This is.......................really impressive. Thanks kiddo.” “Heh, thanks. Oh, Activate lifeform lock, activation code 1202.” It beeps twice. “I have to admit, you look good as a human. Although..............you might need a hood. Your ears are the same.” “What!?” she grabs at them, feeling the scaled fins. “i think your right kiddo. she’ll need a hood, otherwise people will think...............somethings fishy,” says Sans. Undyne groans in annoyance before walking off to get a hooded jacket. “Well, the more the merrier.” “Let’s do it. Hell, this will be great fodder for my novel,” says H.R. “Hold on, you guys didn’t tell him about?.......” “They they did, the little scamps. But I think that I’ve worked my way around that little problem. Watch this.” He pulls the device out as Undyne comes back wearing a black hoodie, changing his face. “Whoa.” The Doctor notices. “Oh, a shimmer. Just saw one a few months ago, and might I tell you, they can easily be broken, shimmers.” “Oh, just let me um.......” he presses it again, and we’re all hit with a bright light, revealing him again. “What did you do? Did you just neuralyze us?” “No, I gave you all a simple retinal adjustment, so you all see me, H.R, while the rest of the world sees...........” he gestures to a reflection, it still shows him as his partner. “Randolf Morgan.” he turns to Joe. “Joe, I promise I’ll be so quiet. You won’t even know I’m there. Silent Observer.” “All right. Wally, keep me posted.” “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just go have fun.” They all head out. I look at Alphys. “Now then. Could you explain why you have Determination in the TARDIS?” I follow her as we walk through several doors, eventually reaching a small laboratory. “Wow. Has this been here the whole time?” I ask, taking in everything. “E-Ever since we made it. We knew the Doctor and I would need to conduct analysis and experiments,” she explains, guiding me. “High-tech analyzers, quarantine rooms, scanners.............a-and the most d-dangerous.” We stop near sealed one-way vaults. “E-Each of these contain specimens, or objects. A-After DJ told me about some of these, I-I excitedly had Discord get them..................now, I-I fear them.” She starts shaking, so I grab her hand in comfort. “It’s okay. Everyone has curiosity.” “B-But mine keeps being my greatest m-m-mistake!” she points at a vial of black liquid. “if some of these got out, t-there’d be n-no stopping them!” I look at it closely. “What is that? HATE?” She shakes her head. “I-It’s much worse. D-Discord picked it up while going through the V-Void......................it’s a virus, called The Hunger.” My eyes widen and I grab at the screen near the door. “How much information did you get from this stuff? Come on..........” the screen shows research entries. “Y-You know about it?” “I got bored four days ago and read about different AUs, eventually found Axetale. How was it a good idea to bring this stuff outside that world!?” “It was alr-ready outside! He picked it up in the Void. Being a spirit of chaos, he was somehow immune to it,” she explains. Unbeknownst to us, Ori had come in. “Ha! ‘Entry 25. We have recently realised after testing on the subjects draconequus DNA, that beings that don’t abide by natural laws are unaffected by the Hunger Virus. It appears that, since the virus was created by the Axetale glitches, beings and objects that are exceptions to our laws of physics can’t be affected by glitches. Glitches are anomalies in the universe caused when time, or space is tampered with, so they affect us negatively. Since beings like a draconequus aren’t affected by time, they’re DNA is immune to this virus, due to its origin being a glitch. It may be possible to create a cure/vaccine with the subjects DNA. Further testing required,’” I read. I turn to her. “How long have you had this stuff?” “S-Since we left to find you.” “I think this stuff lingered from when Cory let it out. The Void must’ve kept it in a form of stasis. Sigh..............look. I’m not mad at you. Its just.................” I look at the vial. “When I see this, I see that world..............and it hurts. Thanks to this crud, and Flowey, I doubt they’ll ever get a happy ending. The only main people still alive are Undyne, Mettaton, and the skeletons. The only person unaffected is Nabstablook................I just can’t believe this. It’s like Underfell. Only way to fix it is to stop Flowey. Stop the flu, stop the fever, ya know? But even then.................they would have to live with everything, all that guilt and suffering. We’re lucky. when it got out the first time, Ink and Error reluctantly teamed up, put things right. But it was close.” I turn to them. “Cause you’re right. If this stuff got out, there’d be no stopping it.” I look at the other 2. “What’s in the others?” “N-Nothing as serious. Unlike the Hunger, I’ve had a bit more progress.” We walk to one containing a necklace in the shape of a fish. “A necklace from the Cat Kingdom. We were getting close to finding a way to replicate the power it was once in, but it messes with the head. We created a serum that transforms you into a pre-selected animal. But if your feeling self doubt.............” “It increases the transformation. It’s how that realm works, you can literally lose yourself.” “Plus, we messed up. We wanted it to be easier on the body, so we programmed the serum to give the subject animalistic habits and instinct. You know, to better handle new additions such as claws and digitigrade legs.” “Why instinct?” I ask. “The mind is divided into two groups. The rational conscious mind, and the instinctual subconscious. It’s like breathing, or how to use your limbs. You instinctively know how to use them. Not just that, it’s also why you have that feeling in your gut, your intuition. But that’s beside the point. You know how instincts we are not used to can override rational thought. Unless you keep a cool and clear head.............well, we’ve all seen you angry.” The third contains a pony wearing a suit and tie. I back up quickly when I see he has no face. “I see you recognize Slendermane. Papyrus found him while visiting Zecora,” she explains. The pony turns their head. “If iT isN’t AlPhyS. AnD WhO Is ThIs?” Their voice sends shivers down my spine. “Asriel, sir. Asriel Dreemurr.” “Ah. ThE cHilD oF MoNSTerS. I’vE beEn wAitInG FoR You,” they explain. They stand up. I’m confused. “You’ve been..................expecting me?” “InDEeD. BEinGs oUtSIdE oF TiMe, liKe mE, KnOw AbOuT yoUr TItlE. It WaS whEn I esCaPed, tHaT I fOUnd MoRE aBoUt YoU. DesPiTe tHe SkeLEtoNs feaRs, I MeReLy seRve aS a GuaRdiAn. I SurReNdeRed............So I CouLd GiVe a WaRniNg.” I look at Alphys, revealing she’s frozen in fear. “TaKe PrIde. NoT MaNy caN stAy neAr me............WiThoUt feAr.” “If you know me............you know what I’ve seen. I’ve seen heroes die, and darkness rise. Fear kill, and hate, sacrifice. I’ve seen myself die many times over, and my family struck down in cold blood.” I approach the glass. “When you see everyone die before your eyes, you don’t even fear true loves lies.” “WheN a GooD MaN GoEs tO WaR. VeRY wEll..........HeRE’s yOur waRNiNg.” they approach the glass. “YoUr SoNg iS eNdiNg, AsRieL.” I become confused. “What do you mean?” “He iS ReTurNiNg. He iS rEtuRnIng FrOm tHe DaRk. YoU thOugHt hIm gOne, SaVed LiKE YoUrSElf. Oh, BuT tHen DreEmUrR, BuT ThEn.......................He Will Knock, Four Times.” I go completely blank as they walk to their bed. I walk out, unknowing that Ori following me, as I head to the console room. The Doctor is inside, and spots me. “Ah, hello.” “What............what do you know about.............someone knocking, four times?” I ask. His face goes blank. “How do you know about that?” “Your live specimen gave me a warning. It ended, with those words,” I explain. I sit down. “I remember Lightmare saying it before too. You obviously know what it means, so............?” He gives a sigh. “It’s a prophecy of sorts. It means someone will knock four times, and then..............” he pulls a chair out and sits next to me. “But if Slendermane told you this, that means..............” I lean back. “I’m going to die. But I was shown. I don’t completely understand, but..................I do understand a bit. I use the last of my power, to give everyone a happy ending.” He leans forward. “You know as much as I do, that the future is almost never fixed.” “I get that. But tell me this. Has your death ever been changed? Have you ever prevented it?” He shows no expression. “Exactly.” I look down. “There’s something else.................my time here, it’s let me think without tons of stress. Slowly, yet surely.....................I realized. My first death, all the racism, the attack on our house by Spell Nexus and Blueblood, that aborted future...............this new one. All of it.............in fear of me. I couldn’t ever let grudges go, and I used my power so casually..........................people fear what I can do, what I’m capable of.................so, I’ve been thinking................and I’ve come to a decision.” I stand up and create a small, golden ring. He stands up. “No. You aren’t!” “Yes. I am. Everyone fears me for my power, so I’m locking it off. No one fears the elements And only ‘cause their used purely for good, and only used in emergencies. So, unless is no other choice, I’m not using this power, ever again!” I slip the ring onto my left wrist, feeling almost all my power being sealed off. The sudden drain of energy causes me to fall to my knees in exhaustion. Breathing heavily, I struggle to get back on my feet. “What have you done!?” He shouts, getting up. “You still don’t get it, do you? All my pain............everything that happened.............it was in fear of me. And anyone like me. So...........I decided to remove the reason for that fear. This inhibitor ring keeps reality controlling sealed away, and the power boost from my other forms is reduced, threefold. I’m done with people attacking my family, because they’re afraid of me. Now, if you need me, I’ll be in my room, getting some well deserved rest.” I walk out as he tries to process this, following the long corridors until I reach the bedroom, an plop onto the bed. I rest my head, and for the first time in forever, I fall into dreamless sleep. It’s been three hours, and let me put it this way. I haven’t had a good nights sleep in about a month, so it feels great to have no dreams. “So...........what will I do for a while?” I look around and spot Ori, looking at the door. “Oh, hi Ori.” They turn around, smiling. I look away. “Heh. You want to protect me.” I look between them and the door. “Give me a second.” I conjure up magic, surrounding my right hand in a blue flame, while my eyes are alight. I slowly wave my hand, magically closing the door. “Since you can only speak to Sein, could you keep a secret?” They look down for a second, then nod. “Thanks.” I get out of bed. “I’ve been trying to perfect two things, and I don’t want anyone else to find out. Okay?” Another nod. “Okay..............I just hope I still have the energy for it.” I concentrate all my power into the image I desire.................then snap. In a flash of white light, a levitating skull with horns appears. “Ha..............I did it! hahahahahaha! Take that Flowey, I told you it would work! Hehe................hahaha!” I feel a burning feeling inside, and my eyes change. “HAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I collapse to my hands and knees in exhaustion, and shock. I look up at Ori, who looks both nervous, and worried. “Heh. That...................that was weird.” I respond when we both hear sparks behind me. I turn, and spot a small scroll. “I swear Ink, if it’s another AU.............” I open it up. “Oh. ‘Hey kid, how are ya doin? That madman in a box get you there properly? Anyway, I wanted to catch you up, on some things out here. Error and I were sent to this........dimension. It’s like an island surrounded by a sea. And in that sea, is the AUs.............after a while I felt it. Tons of creators gave up on their worlds, erased them like ripping paper............one of them was your old one.’” I let go of the paper in shock. “’Eventually, we were sent to our own worlds. Shook his hand of course. Man he does not like the contact. We met up again after a while, and we’ve...............come to something. An uneasy truce. He doesn’t destroy what’s left, and I don’t help people make new ones. Think of it this way. We’re two sides of the same coin over here. He has his emptiness, and I have my safe AUs. I’m sorry about not telling you about your creator’s plan, but I can tell you that it isn’t over. All I can say is...............whatever you do, I support you. It was good meeting ya before it went down. Ink Sans. P.S, keep an eye on the weed.’” I look at the wall, and spot a small picture frame. “A photo?” I stand up and look at it closely. “Frisk?...........” It’s a picture of everyone up on the surface................without me. The skeletons, the lovebirds, Mettaton..........mom........dad..........Frisk. I start to tear up. “You............you really did try everything...........didn’t you? I was the one............you could never SAVE. Why?..............I’m not the one................who can do anything..............right in my life.” I drop to the floor, sobbing. “Ori..........I..........I could use a hug here.................please.............” They slowly approach me, then give a soft hug. Slowly, my breathing steadies. Eventually, I return the hug. “Heh................funny how I’m feeling comfort from someone who can’t speak.” I look at them, “but you never had to speak, did you?” As Ori smiles at me, I look down at my right hand. “I wonder...................” I stand up, placing Ori on the floor next to me. I reach out my arm, like I’m trying to grab something. I close my hand, concentrate on combining my flames, and open it quickly. A small blob of black goo spews out, and appears in midair, causing Ori to back up. “I........I did it! Okay.............let’s see if I can manipulate it.” My hand surrounds itself in green flame, and I bring my hand into a fist near my chest, like I’m holding something with content. The blob shapes into a sharp, black spear right when Sans bursts in, causing me to lose my concentration. “i’m not sure whether to question you, or be mad.” “It’s me man. Ask me a question only I would know.” He looks taken aback. “okay..........what is my original name?” “Steven Quartz Universe.” He relaxes. “what were you doing there?” “Groan. I was trying to manipulate HATE, like Chara can. But it takes a lot of focus just to keep it in a stable form, and you interrupting me broke my concentration!” “you already have it inside you. why do ya want to control that stuff?” “Fear............causes one to lose control of oneself. So, I wanted to...........find a way to control this. Ya know, to help control her. Plus, since I limited myself a few hours ago, we need a game-changer. What better way than the black trait?” I turn to them. “Why’d ya barge in for, anyway?” “i sensed a large amount of magic usage in here, so I decided to check it out. gotta be honest though. wasn’t expecting this.” “Yeah, earlier I managed to summon a Gaster Blaster..............man you make it look easy. I only pulled it off once before, and that was when I was at full power.” “magic is more than just..............raw power, or skill. it also requires experience in the........specific type, you’re trying to use, the knowledge of how, and when to use it, and immense concentration. take a gaster blaster, for example.” he snaps, creating one above Ori. “after creating one, therein lies the problem of firing it. you have to focus, concentrate all the energy you want it to expend. then......................FIRE!” it fires a small orb into the wall, creating a golf ball shaped hole. “that there, I just used the amount of energy you get from a blueberry. the more energy you use, the stronger the blast.” I look at him, surprised. “So that’s how you do so much damage! Those babies combines with the bullet-hell bone patterns, and the karmic retribution to make you a living hell in combat.” “and a little blue ta liven things up. not bad for someone with one hp, eh?” “Heh. Well.................thanks for the advice.” I look back at the picture, and slowly take it off the wall. “watcha got there, kid?” he asks. “It’s...........a picture. Of everyone...............everyone except me, and Chara.” He comes closer and looks at it. “ah. i remember that timeline.” I look at him, skeptical. “Really?” “sure kiddo. it was one of your sisters attempts, to find something different. to save you....................she thought that not staying with tori..............your mom, would give her the chance to find a way. didn’t know everything at the time tho’. your mom just said frisk told her, that she had ‘other things she needed ta do.’ ‘course, we all just thought she had some strange, unfinished business.” he points at the photo. “that picture was taken three months after. eventually.............she came back. in excitement, tori took a group photo........so we could all remember everything. see the date? ‘july 7. 201X’.....................i shoulda guessed she was gonna reset.” “You................you really do remember them all, don’t you?” I ask. I start to tear up. He closes his eye-sockets. “......................every single one. it was only in the genocide timeline that she discovered my remembrance. besides her, no one else knew.” I look at him curiously. “think about it. a child that could turn back time, and refuse death. without being able to remember, there’s no proof.” I hand it to him. “How is it that you can remember RESETs, anyway?” “anyone can remember the resets. i think everyone just unconsciously blocks it out without realizing it. when........you, controlled the timeline, i didn’t remember the first few resets ya did. but i started to feel dejá vu about.........all sorts of stuff. and my nightmares.” I gape at him. “my nightmares wouldn’t let me forget. that’s about when I started to fully remember wingdings again.” I look down in thought. It take a deep breath. “How do you keep calm under threats, or insults?” “simple, really. you don’t let them get to you. let them pass over you, like a river over stone.” he puts a hand on me. “’course, i’m not immune to them. i could’ve kept calm in the face of the demon. but i let her actions anger me. it was my decision that turned it into weapons. that is the choice i made. what will you do?” I look down in thought. ‘I.............I will lay down my fears.” I exhale, kneel, and close my eyes. I concentrate all my anger, and hate, then open my eyes and feel myself expel it. It seeps out of my body like blood, then condenses into a red, and black orb. I stand up, looking normal again. “I will no longer be afraid. Of Chara, or Betty. I will use everything I’ve got against them, and get everyone a happy ending!” I reach out my hand in a burst of speed. My hand bursts into rainbow colored flames, and I blast the orb with a bright, colorful beam of energy. The energy condenses around the orb, and shapes it into a sharp, dark version of my blades. I slowly walk up to it, and grab the hilt. It becomes surrounded in a red aura, and a small red flame lights in the curve of the blade. I slowly observe it. “A little too black for my tastes...........but I like the red.” I twirl it before putting it behind my back, causing it to disappear in a flash of white light. I hold my arm out like I want to arm wrestle. “Let’s get this done.” “lets finish this like monsters do. together!” he grabs it. As we head out, Caitlin and Cisco run past us. We follow them to the Cortex. Iris shows footage of the pipeline. Apparently she was forced to knock him out. “Wally wasn’t himself, he was possessed. Alchemy was calling for him.” “I knew I shouldn’t have left,” says Joe. “It’s okay Joe, nothing happened.” “He’s not okay, Barry. This things coming after him, and-and there isn’t a damn thing we can do?” “Well, we stopped Shade.” “And now we can focus on Alchemy, all right?” I put a hand on his arm, reassuringly. “he’s right. as long as we don’t get another meta, we’re in the clear. now we can focus all our eyes on this. or in my case, eye-sockets.” Iris ignores the joke. “You think Shade was a distraction?” He turns to her. “sure. from what i got, ‘shade’ showed up around the exact same time, as wally having flashpoint dreams, same with the attack. as a judge of actions, one can connect the dots.” “That can’t be a coincidence,” I state. “If it’s true, then they’ll be sending another soon,” says Barry. “Barry we don’t know that,” says Sunset. “actually, we do. apparently there were six husks. so, besides shade, magenta, and clariss, there’s three unaccounted for.” “Well if there’s more, we’ll stop them.” “i seriously doubt that, considering you weakened yourself. black or no black, fifty years or no, your still inexperienced in magic. you only made a blaster twice now, purely by power and luck. it might not cut it again.” “But he can’t get Wally, not while he’s in there,” says Barry. “We can’t just keep him in there forever Barry. And besides..............” I turn to them all. “Burying our heads in the sand won’t cause this to disappear.” “Ignoring the problem doesn’t get rid of it. You have to face it head on.” He looks at Caitlin. “Don’t we?” They all look at him. “what?” “Nothing,” says Caitlin. “Come on Caitlin.” “Not right now, Cisco.” I realize. “He’s right.” I turn to them. “Keeping this secret won’t fix it. Secrets between friends, and family puts everyone at risk. So, don’t expect us to keep it secret any longer. You have to tell them.” “Tell them what?” asks Joe. Eventually, she caves. “I have powers.” she takes one cuff off. “What?” asks Joe. The other detaches. “what kind of powers?” She raises her hands, revealing cold air. “The cold kind.” Everyone looks at her in shock. “so that’s what the author whispered to you about,” deduces Sans. He turns to me. “you knew about this?” “Only recently. Ori, Sein and I were in Cisco’s workshop when she dropped the bomb.” She looks at Cisco and I. “Happy now?” “I just said, keeping secrets hurts people. Or what, we just gonna keep secrets from each other?” “Well it wasn’t your secret to tell, was it?” “He just did that because he cares about you.” “Shut up, you hypocrite! If you cared for me you would’ve let me tell them when I was ready. Because this is happening to me, not you. Your not the one who’s turning evil, you’re not the one who’s gonna have to leave soon.” She turns to leave. I grab her arm in fury. “Hypocrite!? You have the nerve to call me that, when you did the same?!” I conjure cold flames, and blast her feet. “You weren’t even gonna tell us, were you!?” Cisco steps up. “You know what? He’s right! You told me yourself that ‘no one else has to know’ when I mentioned it.” “So don’t you dare, call me a hypocrite. And to prove you wrong, I’ll tell you something. I saw you. I saw you, full on ice queen talking to Barry.” She looks taken aback. “And you really think you’re the only one who’s worried about the future? You think you’ll have to leave, but I’m the one who has to look behind me in fear of my own death!” “kid.” I look behind me, and see Sans levitating a ring of bones. “calm down.” I look at them all. “Sigh. I’ll be in the TARDIS.” I leave, but not before blasting the ice off of Caitlin on my way out. ‘I guess I can check out the lab.’ When I arrive, I spot the fillies inside one of the vaults. “What are you girls doing!?” “We just wanted a closer look at the vial!” shouts Sweetie Belle. My pupils shrink, and I teleport in. I grab them, but Scootaloo accidentally brushes against it, causing it to fal “ZA WARUDO!” I grab the vial right before it hits the ground, and gently place it on the stand as the effect wears off. “Groan! You girls are so lucky I still have access to that power!” I press a button, sealing the vial in a glass case. “If this broke, we would’ve all been infected!” “What’s tha big deal? It’s just a vial of ink.” asks Apple Bloom while I pull them out. I put a paw on my forehead. “That isn’t ink. It’s called The Hunger. It’s a very contagious, and very dangerous virus.” “Ppphh. How can something so small be dangerous?” says Scootaloo. I sit down. “Sigh............it’s not the virus itself. It’s the symptoms. This stuff turns friends into foes, temmies into savages, and is the reason an AU is prohibited from travel. Cause here’s the biggie. If this virus got out, it would be all over for wherever it’s released. It’s that contagious.” I stand up. “I’ll be in my room. I’m not the one who should be telling you this, cause......................when I see that vial, I see their pain.” I leave with a paw on my forehead, and the three girls worried about what they almost caused. I originally planned to go to my room, but I was starting to get a headache. So, I went to the kitchen instead, and got an ice pack. Sans walks in. “so this is where you were hidin.” “Not hiding. I got a bad headache, and using your trick didn’t help.” “why’d ya have to stop that?” “The fillies. If I wasn’t there, we would have an epidemic.” His eyes go black. “how long has that been in there?” “I don’t know. Sigh. All I know is, while Discord was in the Void, he picked that stuff up. Since he’s not bound to natural laws, he’s immune to it.” “...............and what was that about your death?” I lean my head against the wall. “I’m going to die. But I was warned. He will knock four times.” “heh. funny how you die the same way the doc did.” “Well besides a small vision, that’s all I have. He will knock four times, and then..................” I look around the room. I stand up. “Welp............I don’t wanna become depressed. How are things outside?” He shows realization. “wally’s being used for a trap. last i saw they sprung the trap.” My eyes widen. I speed off towards the Cortex. “Where are they?” “They’re in the sewer between Winchester and Main.” Cisco answers. He turns. “Hurry, something’s happening.” I nod, then run off with the cloak. Right as I arrive I see several cops get killed, right before my eyes. As I look around I see a white blur. I show shock as they realize i’m here. “There’s only one speedster that’s that fast. But that’s impossible.............” That’s when Wally grabs the stone. “Wally no!” “Wally don’t, Wally!” shouts Joe. in seconds he’s surrounded in what looks like a cocoon. The blur pins Barry to that wall, revealing a crystalline humanoid. “Who are you!?” asks Barry. “I’m Savitar. The God of Speed.” they unsheathe a blade from their wrist. I shake off my shock, and turn to Joe. “Just shoot!” “But I can’t see them!” “Just do it!” He fires off several rounds, causing Savitar to screech, giving Alchemy time to run off. “Alchemy!” “Let’s go for a run!” they speed off, holding Barry. “GROAN!!!!” I punch the wall. “Call Cisco and tell them a speedster has Barry, I’ll try to follow!!” They nod, and dial the number as I run off. Eventually I catch up near the waterfront. “Still alive down there? You are only a shadow beneath my throne.” they lift Barry up, preparing to stab him. “You are the past, whereas I am the future, Flash.” Right before they could give the blow, a breach opens, revealing Cisco and Caitlin. “I can’t see it!” shouts Caitlin. “Just do it!” She blasts Savitar with a cold beam, freezing him. It holds for a few seconds, but the ice breaks, letting him run off. “Whoo-ee! Ahh. Oh, boy. I’m gonna feel that tomorrow.” Cisco takes off the goggles. “Ah. That was a new and painful use of my powers. Ugh.” he kneels near Barry. “You okay?” “Yeah, I’m okay. Just cold. Thanks for coming.” They all turn to me. Joe and Sans got Wally back. After Alphys checked on Cisco, she found the side effect. Cisco turns to Barry and I after Caitlin leaves to check on Wally. “What was that? That frozen thing at the waterfront?” “I don’t know,” says Barry. He turns to me. I put my hands up. “Hey don’t look at me.” “I know that you know a few things about it. If we might face him again, we need to know what it is.” I walk out, hand on forehead. They all turn to me. “What I do know is just rumors. snippets I picked up after first using his form.” I turn to them all. “He was the first person ever granted speed. Overtime, he became the god of motion, the fastest of them all.” “Why couldn’t we see him? I mean, why?” asks H.R. “All I know is it might have to do with the Speed Force. Barry and I were the only ones who could back there, and we’re both speedsters,” I close my eyes, getting a headache. “Look. When I first started using the watch, he was one of the speedsters already unlocked. Back then, I was fixated on his speed, I didn’t know he was a villain.” “well, considering how fast he is, i’m not surprised. anyone would use the speed he gives, if it meant saving people, even the kid,” explains Sans. “anyway, we have other things to talk about. the doc’ and i think you’re ready.” I look at him. “we’re going..............we’re going, back?” “you’ve learned to control your HATE. you distanced yourself from the demon. and most importantly, you learned to control yourself.” I look down. “Hehe. I guess you were right. Like a river............over stone.” Barry walks up to me, and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re fine. And................thanks, for the help.” “Thanks for everything. And remember. If you need help, i’m just a breach or box away.” I hold out my hand. He smiles and grabs it, then shakes it. I let go and turn to Sans. “Is everyone inside?” he nods. “Right then. It’s time to to go home.” (Meanwhile in Equestria.................) It’s a beautiful day outside. The Everfree Forest is full of creatures. Life might be magical, and hectic. But they never expected what happened next. Suddenly, a breach opens in a tree, near the field of buttercups, spooking all the animals. From that breach comes a small Riolu with unique markings. It’s fur was unkept, it has multiple wounds, and it’s wearing a black scarf with white lines. on its left leg is a black shackle, and its right arm a golden arm ring. They grip their knee and arm in pain. ‘Well..........that was one step done. I just hope I can get to there....................to home.’ Clutching their wounds, they slowly start walking out, towards the town that they heard was known as.............Ponyville.