Twilence went through the import as fast as she could, crawling to the altar as she did so, keeping up the invisibility.
"Are you... Invisible? Or did you really run?" Vriska frowned. "Or did you just get an import and are thinking it through?" She glanced at her watch. "Come on Twilence, twenty seconds."
Rarity, Starshell, or Discord. She was sure she was choosing the Starshell, it was almost as if she had no choice - but then she saw a warning from Zen, and then it was Rarity or Discord. She felt like she had no choice but to choose Discord, but then she saw Ponygood's warming. Rarity.
Rarity from Pony Fantasy V.
The Healer.
She whispered her request to the altar¶3¨∫¨ˆ∑√˙ø∑¨¥®´...
~~~
Either Discord or Rarity would have worked. Each of them have limitations, admittedly, but I won't tell you what those are.
Starshell was the worst idea any of you had. M is not a good guy. M is an ass. M would not have cared, nor could he have acted fast enough to save Fluttershy.
And if you read the chapter of Broken Mirror that went up today, you'll realize he's at least partially a villain.
Aside from Corot, M in the Starshell might have been the worst possible choice.
But lucky you, you've got Rarity. You chose her - Twilence didn't have time to deliberate her own choice. She just did.
If there had been enough votes for Starshell, even Zen's warning would not have made Twilence pause.
This might be the last time we talk to each other here. See you around.
Told you the last altar would be different.
~~~
∆ˆø´∑¥ƒ˚¬ß˜∂˙√¬˚´¥he Void was power.
Empress Twilight stood atop the control crystal, staring into the eternity of the multiverse. She blinked. "Something's coming."
Rarity looked up from her tea. "Hmm?"
"You're being... called. By... me?"
"...That doesn't make any sense, dear."
"Whatever it is, you're going away. I'll try to find you, but I don't think I will be able to that quickly."
Rarity shrugged. "It's... Been a long while since the last adventure. I suppose I'm up for it."
"Good luck, Rarity."
Rarity nodded, prepared for anything.
~~~
As soon as Vriska saw that the being who appeared in the altar wasn't Corot, she slit Fluttershy's neck.
Rarity acted with quick, cold, precision. White magic surrounded Fluttershy and revived her before Twilence could even process the event.
Vriska dropped the pegasus and laughed. "Well, I suppose that's one option. I was expecting something overpowered and absur-"
Rarity lit her horn and a few dozen white spheres appeared around Vriska and purged her with an intense beam of holy light. She fell to the ground. "Holy..."
"Yes, exactly," Rarity said, levitating her knife into the air. She forced a spell into her knife and drove it towards Vriska. She dodged both the knife and the associated meteor spell.
"You are quite the spellcrafter!" Vriska produced her dice. "But I'm sorry to admit, you don't stand a chance against me."
Rarity accelerated herself and rushed the dice in her hand. But Vriska was just too lucky - she threw the dice to the ground faster than Rarity could manage. They rolled a high value - not straight 8s, but nothing to sneeze at. It produced a ghostly alligator that bit off one of Rarity's legs.
She yelled in pain, but out of reflex cast the healing spell to reform the limb effortlessly.
Vriska blinked. "...Are you, like, a max level battle healer of some kind?"
"Yes, in fact."
Vriska shrugged. "Well, Siron, don't think I have something that can beat this one. She'll never kill me, but frankly, there's no reason to hang around here. So... Yeah, thought so." She opened her wings and floated into the air. "I have to jet. Say hi to Twilence for me-"
"HI VRISKA!" Twilence said, locating the infinite-sided die within Fluttershy's mane and hurling it at Vriska.
Vriska moved her hand to catch it - but Rarity slowed the dice down with a quick slow spell at the last possible moment, throwing Vriska's motion off. The die successfully rolled...
A five-minute timer appeared.
"YES!" Vriska said. "HE'S GONE! OH FUCK YES!"
Twilence blinked. "Is that..."
"Your roll gave me my five minutes. Yes..... Hell fucking yes... Okay so come on, we need to destroy him or something. He's in Tartarus, let's go there and pound him into dust..."
Rarity blinked. "...Can someone explain what just happened?"
Fluttershy coughed, touching the scar on her neck with confusion. "I... I have no idea."
Twilence smiled. "I can. Vriska here was holding Fluttershy hostage, trying to force me to summon a great evil from this altar. I summoned you instead because I was told you could help. Vriska herself was under the control of Siron until just now."
Rarity nodded. "I will need further explanation later, but for now this suffices. Discuss your course of action."
Vriska clenched her fist. "I'm going to pound him into dust, that's what. I'm going to drive a blade through his sorry little neck..." She raised her blood-covered fist...
Blood-covered...
"Hey!" Twilence said. "Can you give us the essence of Vester?"
"You'd have to kill me for that and frankly I'd rather be alive..." She saw the looks Twilence and Fluttershy were giving her. "...Are you actually considering killing me anyway?"
"No!" Twilence said, hanging her head. "I just... How are we going to get Orchid down here to get it?"
Vriska shrugged. "The catacombs will allow Vester through and that's it. Since he's not actually here he'll have to be elsewhere. Actually, I can tell you what he was doing in this timeframe. He had possessed one of the council members."
Fluttershy blinked. "...What."
"I don't remember which one. I don't think the other members know either. Regardless, that council member should be able to get her in here if you need it."
"How do we get out?" Twilence asked.
Vriska blinked. "...I think there's an exit portal right behind the altar."
Twilence craned her head and was able to see said portal platform. "Okay. So... Get back to the palace and figure out what to do."
"I still say go right to Siron and kick his teeth in. I could use the die on him."
Twilence shook her head. "That not only is risky, but also could easily backfire and you could be taken control of again." She glanced at the clock. "Two minutes."
"I'm going to stab myself again at the end of that."
Rarity blinked. "...That doesn't make sense."
"Once again, forced to explain that I can only die if the death is honorable or just, of which suicide is neither. It'll just buy you some time."
Rarity nodded, accepting this at face value.
"Who are you, anyway?"
"Rarity. Princess Rarity, Bearer of the Water Crystal if you want a title, though that's a bit antiquated at this point."
"Nice to meet you," Fluttershy said. "You look a lot like a friend of mine..."
"Same here," Rarity said. "Can you by chance summon powerful allies?"
"Uh... no I don't really have any powers, I was always here for emotional support."
Rarity smiled. "Dear, that's nothing to be ashamed of." Then she turned to Twilence. "Twilight, I presume?"
"Twilence actually, but that's because I changed it."
"Why?"
"To differentiate from other Twilights."
Rarity nodded. "My Twilight just went for 'Empress' in that regard."
"She's aware of other Twilights too?"
Rarity smirked. "She sits at the seat of the Void and has control over many universes, not that they know it. She is the Empress."
"I'd like to meet her one day."
"You probably will. She's looking for me."
Vriska blinked. "...That could make things complicated."
"Most definitely. I do wish to be briefed, but something tells me I won't have time. So, tell me, who are the bad guys and the good guys?"
Twilence nodded. "We are the good guys, trying to stop an ancient dark evil from coming to rule the world. This dark evil has two parts - the first demon sealed in Tartarus, Siron, and the ancient dark star Corot."
"Quite the tall order."
"You should leave now," Vriska said, angling the sword at her chest. "See you. I'll be evil again." Just as the clock rung she rammed it through her chest.
Twilence dragged the three of them to the teleporter and...
...appeared in an orange room. Twilence blinked. "Looks like we're in Chalak again. Though... as to where, I have no idea..."
"I have less idea than you," Rarity reminded her.
Fluttershy touched her neck. "...I... Wow. I wasn't even aware I was in danger. What... What happened?"
"Fluttershy..." Twilence hugged her. "It's okay. It's all okay."
The doors to the room were thrown off their hinges, revealing Pinkie. "OHMYGOSH! Twilence! YES! YOU'RE BACK!" She grabbed Twilence into an intense bear hug. "AAAAAA THIS FEELS SO GOOD IM GONNA CRY..."
Twilence laughed. "Pinkie! Calm down! I... I understand you had to do what you had to do..." And the reason I understand is because you allowed the Eye to be improved.
Rarity stared at Pinkie. "P-Pinkie...?"
Pinkie saluted. "Yep! Not the one you know tho- oh..." Her ears drooped. "I'm so sorry."
"You... Don't need to apologize."
"Regardless, the Council's waiting!"
"What?" Twilence blurted. She didn't have time to do anything before she was dragged through the doorway into the Council hall.
Twilence blinked. So the teleporter led to a room right next to the Council hall... Made sense, if Vester was in one of the Council members.
She looked at them - the unicorn was Evanescence, the hydra was Gilead, and the Overseer was... an eye. The other two - the farmer and the lung - she had no clue about.
How the heck was she going to do this? She hadn't even prepa-
[POSSIBLE ENDINGS]
Pristine
Bittersweet
Warmonger
Dethroned
Steam
Rebuilder
Forgotten
Adrift
Coward
Earned
Tattletale
Supernova
Predetermined
Insanity
Grimdark
LOST ENDINGS:
Servant
Looks like it was time for an import. How to deal with the Council and what the next action should be...
The choices of the day.