//------------------------------// // Remember [ S ] // Story: The Twelve Caves from Displacement // by TrashTyping //------------------------------// ==> PH: Remember [ S ] {V. PH PoV .V} I couldn't help but laugh as TB pouted at me, crossing painted blackish grey arms as we strolled through the convention. She gives me the stink-eye as I continue to laugh at her for the silliest of reasons. She was mad at me because we were late for the con, I just wanted to make sure the wing structure and designs were okay from the trip coming towards here and that she was comfortable wearing them. Hey, this was one of the rare times we cosplayed in a convention; might as well look hella good while we're at it. It was one of the reasons why I actually cared to wear a dress and heels for goodness sake! Any other day or event I would despise the thought of wearing those two things together, I was actually a little jealous of TB for being able to wear boots and not heels as well as pants and not a dress but I did want to dress up as the Handmaid this time and TB was adamant on dressing up as the Psiioniic. The things you do to appreciate a thing you like. If you haven't gotten the not-so-subtle hint, we're both Homestuck trash. Like, really trash for the web comic. It's been a couple of months since Hiveswap was released and it pretty much reawakened Homestucks everywhere, us not really included since we both never really got over the webcomic. Content on being trash for it for a long time even after it ended because really, Homestuck was an interesting if a bit confusing of a webcomic with it's shenanigans and storyline. Anyway, after the game was released we found out that a convention was being held near where we were and on the hype of the game agreed to cosplay for the con. As much as we wanted to cosplay as any character fro Hiveswap we already did that at the last con we went to months ago at the beginning of the year as Dammek and Xefros, I went as Dammek while TB went as Xefros. Going as the same characters twice in a row didn't really sit well with us so we decided to go as one of the Alternian Ancestors of Homestuck. With a twist. We were going as a combination of God Tiered Handmaid and Psiioniic, going with the alpha troll's god tiers as the Witch of Time and Heir of Doom. It was an idea we fiddled with since a bit before the final act, TB came up with the idea and stitched up outfits in her spare time when she wasn't busy with her classes and work and I helped out when I wasn't busy with the same thing though I also made the wing structure as well as the horns making sure that the ram-like horns weren't too big and heavy for my head. We were lucky we managed to finish it before the con started. The outcome were two well-made outfits made by my best friend who was really proud of it, horns that fitted us perfectly that I was proud of and two pairs of well-made wings that both TB and I were proud of with our combined efforts. In a bias base of opinion, we both looked great. And we probably were with the amount of other Homestuck fans congratulating us for our costumes, though some were against it but hey you can't please everyone. TB fussed over her hair which she dyed pitch black and styled her short hair to her liking while I quietly grinned at amusement, my hair was just as short as TB's so I had to buy and customize a long black wig for the Handmaid's hair but I didn't mind. "You look fine, Psii. Stop fussing so we can grab some sweet loot before we go." I said as I fingered the small red bag I brought along with my wallet, "We're going to spend a lot of our savings remember?" I laughed as she sent me a look and got out her own small but yellow bag. "I know that, Maid" She snarked back at me, "But wearing two headbands on my head doesn't feel all too good. That and I still think I shouldn't have dyed my hair and just went for a wig like you." She grumbled as we moved on from our resting place all the while fiddling with the yellow headband slash headwear of the Psiioniic as well as the double horns headband I made for her. "Oh shoosh, your hair's length was perfect for Psiioniic's hair. Mine however was too short and you know it, sides wearing a wig with the horns isn't paradise either." Yeah, it was kind of itchy and I think later on I would have to step out into the bathroom and take both off to scratch at my head later on. TB sighs and just nods at me, "Fair enough, anyway come on! You said something about sweet loot?" She and I shared a grin and we both head back straight into the center of it all, buying things from stalls like what everyone does at a convention. Though... one stall kept catching my eye as we walked around, it didn't seem much at first glance so we went right pass by it the first time but the next few times? It began to look even more interesting everytime we passed over it or another stall. Then finally we went over to it and were amazed at the items it held. Looking back, it was really suspicious on how there were so many cool stuff in the stall but no one else seemed to have noticed or where there to buy anything. "PH look! That cloak looks exactly like the Signless' cloak! The stitching on the replica is amazing, just look at the convincing tatters at the end." TB exclaimed excitedly as the familiar cloak instantly caught her eye, TB always had an eye for fashion and costumes, why and how else would she have make our own costumes? "And hey look! It's Karkat's Clawsickles!" She continued as she pointed out the two objects that laid underneath the cloak. I didn't really notice anything else yet because I was too busy looking at the guy that was manning the stall. It was a weird guy in a black robe with the hood up, I don't know what character he was cosplaying as but I had a feeling I wouldn't like the answer, he hasn't said anything since we both approached his stall, just, silently standing there. But then something caught my eye and I instantly disregarded the weird black robe guy, "That's Ahab's Crosshairs!" I declared as I leaned over to look at the legendary rifle, or at least, a convincing replica of it. It was well made, very well made, better than the old one I tried to make a couple of years ago that was very shitty and broke easily when I cosplayed as Eridan and carried it around. Though to be fair, back then I was an ameteur in making props like that and I've come a long way but honestly in the next con I had the sudden urge to cosplay as the classic Orphaner Dualscar or Marquise Mindfang Spinneret because holy shit this guy also had an amazing replica of the Serket Fluorite Octet dices! "Psst! PH look! Jade's 3 in the morning dress!" TB exclaimed as she pointed out the other outfit and wow this guy had good stuff, I wanted to ask where he got all these amazing things and who made them but I was too busy filled with want that, need that in my head. Simultaneously both TB and I got out our wallets and bought things because that's what people do in convention like these and seeing something they like in a stall right? We should've went home, we really should have. ==> Be TB of the future (IN THE FUTURE BUT NOT MANY YEARS IN THE FUTURE IN FACT ITS MORE IN THE BEGINNING WHERE PH FAINTED) {II. TB's PoV .II} PH woke up, freaked out, and now we're just sitting in the cave as night fell with a fire keeping us warm. "Hey TB." I look away from the coloring and darkening sky to PH, who was absentmindedly picking at her now very real strands of hair that reached her now longer feet. "You okay?" She asks, finally looking at me in the eyes with her flashing purple and yellow eyes. It should have freaked me out to be honest but the knowledge that it was my best friend looking at me with concern might have helped. "I honethtly don't know. I mean, I guetth I'm biologically a guy now? It feelth kind of thtrange but, you know gender doethn't mean much to me PH." She nods in understanding, I was genderfluid back then, a girl on most days like yesterday even though I was dressed as a male Psiioniic but really, a boy on some and non-gendered on the rest. But now? The gender change, doesn't really seem to affect me that much. If it were PH in my shoes, she'd have freaked the fuck out, she was comfortable being a girl even when she cosplayed as males she always liked being a biological girl even if she didn't act like it. Unladylike a lot of old women used to call her when she was a teen picking fights and being herself. A badass both I and her father retorted, PH was being PH and that was all we wanted for her. Speaking of the old man, well actually I don't know what to think about Dad HP, but knowing him he was going to nuts over PH and I's disappearance soon. PH was supposed to visit him this weekend... "...that guy..." I look up to PH who's furrowing her eyes and pursing her lips into a scowl. I raised a brow, "What guy?" She looks at me with a dawn of realization on her face, "The guy at the stall, we," She gulped drily as she thought back, "We were at the convention, right? Dressed as, well, these guys (motions to our new bodies) and then we went to that stall. The one with the items that were, suspiciously realistic and blindingly awesome. Where we bought cool stuff, stuff I don't know where they are but... The one with... Lil' Cal on the shelf beside the pendants." I nodded slowly and looked at said pendants before I remembered. Oh that son of a bitch. ==> TB: Remember [ S ] "Okay this stall is amazing, look at all the things we bought!" I said enthusiastically as I marvelled at the 3 in the morning dress in my hands, the fabric was so soft and the stars really looked like stars from afar. As of now I didn't hesitate to wear the newly bought Signless cloak because it really looked comfy and yes, it really was. I bought Jade's 3 in the morning dress, the Signless cloak, Karkat's Clawsickles, the Fear no Anvil Hammer, and the Condesce's 2x3dent. As much as I disliked the sea fish empress herself, her weapon was admittedly awesome but I would save this for another convention since the next one I would go as either the Signless himself or Karkat. PH on the other hand bought Dave's suit 4 Aces, the Fluorite Octet dices, Ahab's Crosshairs and the other hammer which was the Pop o matic Vrillyhoo Hammer. She admitted that she'll probably cosplay as either Mindfang or Dualscar. The items costed us a lot of the money we had but it was totally worth it, besides, we had more saved at home and in PH's bank account with the ridiculous amount of money her dad gaver her. PH gains my attention by tugging on my new cloak, "Hey, hey TB look." She points and I look only to instantly cringe away. It was Lil' Cal. Sitting on a shelf right behind the weird black robes wearing stall guy. The demonic puppet of Homestuck, or at least a very convincing and realistic replica. I hated the damned puppet, still do in fact. PH snickers at my response as I turned to her, "Oh no, you're not buying that abomination." I told her sternly, like hell I was letting that thing into our place. Not unless we both made it from fucking scratch, call me paranoid but nope, did not want the chance of a possessed puppet doll in our abode in the terrifying form that was Lil Cal. "Aw c'mon TB, don't diss on the C-man," PH laughed and the guy behind the counter shifted uneasily but I was too focused on PH to care, "Lil Cal's the shit, he's a rad dude." She continued, I could never understand how PH got over how the creepy and evil the puppet was but I just put that on how Strider-like PH was in general when she was calm and collected. She always liked the Striders, getting over how evil Lil Cal literally was in the canon comic. What with him being the soul containing juju of ARquiussprite, half of Gamzee and Lord Motherfucking English himself. The most evilest villian in the comic. The damned thing caused more harm than good. PH shakes her head, getting over her amusement, "Anyway, that wasn't what I was originally pointing to dork. Look besides him." I huffed but followed her instructions and pointedly ignored the creepy doll, that I would swear to Paradox Space and Horrorterrors everywhere was watching me and PH, and looked besides it and I see what PH was originally pointing at. It was a pair of pendants, well actually four pairs. Two of the Signless' necklaces, the grey cancer zodiac symbols, and two red diamond pendants that were obviously for the troll moirallegiance quadrant stuff. I grinned as we both shared a glance, oh we were sooo getting those pendants. And we did, we both now had matching necklaces. One of the Signless and one pale diamond quadrant for the both of us, yeah we were really satisfied. It costed us almost the rest of our money, PH still had emergency money though like her dad taught her to hoard. Always have some back up he told us, I usually rely on PH for the back up stuff since she was more inclined to do so. It was then we realized on what and how much we bought, with the additional things we just bought along with the other things we bought before we came to the stall, we were carrying a lot of things. "Well then, I guess this is a two way trip to the car." PH chuckled, neatly folding the 4 Aces suit and trying to find space in her plastic bag to put it in along with trying to figure out on how to carry Ahab's Crosshairs and the Vrillyhoo hammer, the Octet dices she could easily put in her small red bag along with her wallet and the two white wands she carried as Handmaid. I was doing the same, folding the 3 in the morning dress and managing to find a bit of room to store the dress in, it would hopefully not wrinkle as much but I'd fix that. I could easily carry one sickle and the Fear no Anvil hammer, I'll stick the other sickle in the plastic bag. I'd wear the cloak for the whole day though, it was really comfy and kind of comforting for some reason. Also a bit saddening as I looked at the tattered cloth, it was a damn good replica of the Signless' cloak really. His death was really sad, and I was dressed as the Psiioniic, his best friend, and now I'm wearing his cloak. That's a sad thought. "Perhaps I could help you with that?" The guy's voice broke my train of thought, man I almost forgot on how raspy and the creepy factor the robed guy's voice was. He didn't talk much as we looked over the items, just short answers for the price of each item and he didn't move at all during the whole thing. Just letting us get the item we wanted from where it was on the stall and or hanger, the only time he did move was to get the pendants and even his movement was creepy. I didn't like this guy, not one bit. And a look to PH told me that she didn't like him either but we were polite, and PH was being even more polite today good for her. "Really?" She asked with a politefully cheerful smile but she was absentmindedly twirling one of the two white wands slash needles that counted as the Handmaid's main weapon, she usually kept both in hand but put them away in her small red bag but the dices took a lot of space along with the small knick knack inside so she had to take one wand out and was idly twirling it. The creep nodded, bowing slightly as he shuffled in place to look for something underneath his counter. I had a bad feeling all of a sudden, but PH was very intrigued as she stopped twirling the white hand and glanced at the fake rifle and hammer laying on against the counter with her plastic bag. I knew we were forgetting something when we left, we forgot to bring our own bags to carry the things we bought! I shifted uneasily as the robed guy seemed to nod and bring out two separate stacks of... Were those sylladex cards? They looked like it, and on top of the cards were two wallets, one rust red and the other murky yellow. "Try these, they're modified but they should work with the both of you. Free of charge of course, you have bought many things from my stall, think of it as a thank you gift for you purchase. But then again, looking at your selves I will think you might not need them for too long." He rasped, a possible unseen smile on his face underneath the hoodie. His head was constantly bowed with the hoodie covering and hiding his face completely. PH and I shared a look, was this guy pulling our strings? This had to be a joke, sylladexes were too impossible to be real. In retrospect, we should have declined and went our ways but then again I think that wouldn't have worked anyways. PH grins and thinks it was a joke, she thanks the guy and grabs at the wallet probably about to make a joke about it all when the wallet and the many various cards underneath it vanish and PH is stumbling back with a strained gasp. "H-Holy fuck!" She cried out and I'm instantly by her side, demanding what's wrong. I'm a second away from snapping and possibly hitting Creeps McBlackRobes in the face but PH is grabbing at my arm frantically with eyes wide. "T-TB, I, holy fuck I think these things are real. I, I think I can!" She stammers and I look at her like she's gone insane but then she steps away from me and turns to her things laying against the counter floor. She gulps and reaches out and grabs Ahab's Crosshairs and then pushes it to, somewhere, and just like that. Gone. It was gone from her hands and she's staring at her hands in disbelief like me. Then she picks up the rest of her things and does the same thing and like that, they're gone too. She's babbling about sylladexes and I'm staring at the stack on the counter and before I know it, my hand is out to grab it. Holy Mother Maryam and The Disciple. My vision blurs a bit and I can see and feel something. At the bottom of my vision there's a small line that has cards on it and I'm thinking 'No way', then I grab my plastic bag and focus on a card and push-- It's gone and out of my hands and I can see the picture on the card. PH laughs hysterically besides me briefly as I do the same with Fear no Anvil and the rest of my things. I want to laugh as well, but I'm too busy wondering what in all level's of hell was going on. "We, we still have all our stuff." PH chimed, looking straight into the fire but not focusing on it. She bit her lip and reached a hand out and seeminly plucked nothing out of thin air when, Ahab's Crosshairs is dumped into her lap causing her to wheeze in surprise, "Fuck" she says ever so eloquently. It, It looked all too real. The spear end was actually glowing and PH was looking at it with trepidation as she shifted it in her arms to hold it properly. I took a deep breath and concentrated, the line with the cards appeared underneath my vision and I reached out, taking Fear no Anvil from it and having it appear in my hands. "Well thith maketh thingth all the better," I snarked, gripping the handle of the glowing and subtly ticking hammer, it was warm and it ticked and tocked like a clock. PH looked like she was about to shoot something with that weapon in her hands but suddenly she pushed back and it went back into her sylladex, her face morphs into another face of realization and raw disbelief with a hint of fear. "PH? PH, thweetth, are you okay?" I asked in concern as she abruptly stood, clutching the shoulder of the cloak that was around her shoulders and keeping her warm. She takes a breath and looks outside, "I think... I know where we are... and who the guy was. Maybe on when we are but, we'll have to find out ourselves." I look at her in confusion, "What?" She looks at me with anger and distress in her eyes, "He was The Merchant." "How in the hell." PH questions him with a baffled look, dark grey hands slammed against the counter as she leaned in towards him, "How?! Sylladexes aren't real!" She cried out as he stood still and quiet as always. I'm right beside her of course, just in case he tried anything. Even though sweets was a tough woman she still needed help and back-up from time and again, and I had a feeling I had to stay by her side more than ever now. "You'd be surprised at what you find young missy. You and your friend would be surprised." He responds so vaguely that I was tempted to punch his lights out, but I couldn't do that. Not yet at least. PH makes a strange sound, "I don't, fuck, why haven't you showed this to I don't know, the Government or something?! Scientists, engineers, smart people that could make sense of this! This is basically a hammerspace made real!" She had a point, sylladexes were essentially hammerspaces in Homestuck, storage units that were unique and varied along the comic. This kind of thing coming out in real life? Well, it would not be a calm event. "HOO HOO HOO! HAA HAA HAA!" PH and I screamed as the damned puppet behind him began to, cackle. Honest to god, cackle! It was cackling and it was horribly terrifying as a cacophony of pure and vile harsh laughter spilled from its somehow moving mouth. The robed being, no way this was a normal guy after all, twitched violently before settling just as the thing stopped. PH and I were clutching each other now, I looked around frantically wondering why no one else was screaming before I finally noticed, no one was there besides us. It was as if everyone disappeared in the building, all the stalls were as they were but no one was there. An uncomfortable and tensely terrifying blanket of silence was on us as both PH and I were staring at the being and the damned puppet in fear. The being chuckled hoarsely, "Apologies for the scare, he seems to be quite active today." Quite active?! He?! PH was gripping my arm so intensely it started to hurt, she whimpers, PH never whimpers not since we were both teens, and she's practically hiding behind my and underneath my cloak. "TB. He's staring at me." She's whispering and I check and, yes, it was staring at her creepily. It's blue eyes were focused on PH, staring at her with fascination and possibly something else but it's blue eyes snapped to me when I stepped and blocked its view of PH by covering her with my arm and cloak. It was unnerving and terrifying, being under the damned thing's stare but PH was scared for once in a long time by this damned puppet she deemed 'okay' and 'cool'. Suddenly there was a powerful wind inside the convention hall, a vortex of some kind and PH is screaming behind me and pulling my cloak as I look back. A swirling, colorful portal said hello to my eyes as green electricity sparked along the impossible portal, a portal that was sucking PH and I in. "Help!!" She screamed as she was forcibly tugged towards the portal keeping a tight grip on the cloak, I struggled to keep balance but then, something hits the back of my head and I hear faint insane laughter. I blacked out after that, right after something hits PH in the face as well. And then we woke up, as Psiioniic and Handmaid from Homestuck. PH is taking deep breaths as she's cuddled to my side, explaining what she knew about whatever this 'The Merchant' was. And I was not liking the description at all. "Tho let me get thith thtraight, that guy wath a thing called 'The Merchant', he thellth itemth that turn out to be real and then thendth them thomewhere?! Where are we even anyway?!" I asked as I kept a steady grip on her, distress in my system as well. PH mutters something and I deadpan at her, "Thweetth, couldn't really hear that now." She says it louder and I, I look at her in disbelief. "We're in the magical land of Equestria from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." Oh hell. ==>Be The Merchant You try to be The Merchant but fail to do so, nobody can be The Merchant except The Merchant. You CAN however watch The Merchant as both PH and TB fall into the portal. The Merchant watched the two unfortunate cosplayers fall into the portal after a good whack to the heads courtesy by the puppet that was no longer on the shelf behind it. The Merchant eyed the thing warily and wonders what it was thinking picking it up from the void, it was creepier than it itself. The puppet threw two boxes after the two cosplayers, well chests really with one being red and the other bright green, and The Merchant honestly thought it was over with two new victims underneath its belt and two new playthings for Equestria. Lil' Cal gazed at him and The Merchant felt its prodding within its mind and the being shivers. "What is it?" "HAHAHAHAHA! HOOO HOO HOO, HAA HAA HAA HAA! AHAHAHAHA!" The Merchant winced and bowed its head, mind flaring in pain before slowly and warily took the puppet into its arms. It looked at the puppet which gazed at the portal and grinned wickedly underneath its hood. "AND GOOD RIDDANCE!" The Merchant declared, punting the puppet through the portal. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HEHEHEHEHE HEEE HEEE HEE HEHEHAHAHAHA!" The Merchant watched the thing get sucked into the portal and faintly felt a silver of sympathy and wished both the cosplayers as well as Equestria good luck as the portal finally closed. And just like that, humans appeared back in place as if nothing ever happened and The Merchant felt satisfied to be rid of the thing, "Good riddance indeed, that thing was mucking with my customers and keeping them away. Now business can finally get back to normal." The Merchant hummed as it began to arrange its stall and replace the newly bought items with other products. Equestria never knew what hit it indeed... ==> Come back to the present