//------------------------------// // Variants in the Multiverse // Story: Sunset's Isekai // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// Sunset's Isekai Variants in the Multiverse (Fic concepts)) By Wanderer D - - Parallel Effect - - Tali'Zorah nar Rayya sighed, swirling her distilled drink in the container before using the emergency induction port (or as Sunset would have called it: the straw) to carefully sip the contents, relaxing into her seat as the flavors hit her tongue. She had thoroughly scanned the presented concoction, after all, it was being handed to her by a human. Or what seemed like a human, since she wasn't one hundred percent sure that the bartender, who was currently offering a synthetic cocktail to Legion, was actually what she looked like. Tali hadn't survived by being naive, or by being distracted. Quarians as a rule were really good at keeping track of their surroundings. After all, any damage to their suits could spell unavoidable death, so it was a standard need of her race by now to really look closely at things as time permitted. In combat it was understandably more difficult, but sitting at the bar where only the bartender and Legion were with her? She had immediately noticed the pictures, the tech, etc. Yeah, she would be careful. She didn't want another incident like what had happened between her and Jacobus. "So, you're from the future and somehow came back in time to save Tali?" Sunset's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she turned, wide-eyed and panicked to the other two people in the room. "Wait, why are you telling her that?!" "She inquired, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." Sunset blinked. "Really? After you reached self-recognition as an individual, I would have thought you'd be on first-name basis." Legion's face-plates vibrated lightly, but didn't do much as its one eye turned slightly to look at her. "She does not trust us yet, and thinks we are trying to trick her. I have provided as much evidence of our friendship as I can, but…" Legion's voice lowered as he faced away from her. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is not Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." "There you go again," Tali groaned. "You understand, Legion, that you are talking about a future that might not come to pass at all this time around, right?" She huffed. "That is assuming everything you're telling me is true and not some fabrication." Legion's face plate shifted in place, flaring up slightly from the back, giving him a look of being slightly hurt, which made her feel bad, and she hated it. "You have to admit it's far-fetched!" "So…" Sunset spoke up, drawing their attention back to her, "how does this time travel work for you?" "The conclusion that it is time travel is hypothetical," Legion said, "This unit… I believe that there is enough evidence of dimensional translocation. It is my theory that the Reaper known as Nazara had more functions than simply waiting for the return of the others. It is possible that the reason Reapers have never lost is not just because of their overwhelming power, but also that their cycle continues in other cycles in constant influx of information and change. When Nazara landed in the Citadel, it did not leave when its body was destroyed. It remained until the end of the last cycle, when Sheppard-Commander defeated them. I carry within me part of Nazara, which I believe is the reason of my current status as active in this parallel reality." Tali slurped her drink, feeling the buzz hit. "And now... " she hiccuped... "And now he wants me to find a thing called a Garrus and a Sheppard." Legion nodded. "That is correct. But we are locating other individuals that Nazara will target." "I also wish you'd male up your mind and decide whether you'll talk like an organic or a computer," Tali groaned. "You sound like a Turian." She waved her hand lazily as the alcoholic drink made her feel warm and fuzzy. Legion continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "So far, Nazara's strategies have diverted little, but enough to be of concern. Tali was attacked by a bigger force and extranet research has revealed that Saren has a bounty on Urdnot Wrex, Liara T'soni, and Garrus Vakarian. It is my theory that Nazara expects their deaths to collapse any chance of Commander Shepard's success." "Hm." Sunset tapped her chin in thought. "But what about Kasumi, or Zaeed? Grunt? Wrex? Mordin?" Tali blinked. She had heard those names before from her friend. Wait. No. From the geth. From Legion. "I have already established contact with Zaeed," Legion said. Tali turned violently towards him. "What?! Isn't he the Blue Sun mercenary?!" Legion continued, unabated. "Kasumi is more difficult to pinpoint, but at this time her lover should be alive, so I have made attempts to contact him." Sunset sighed. "Well, it seems like you have it all sorted out." "Not at all, Sunset Shimmer," Legion said. "But if we are to defeat the Reapers once and for all, we must stop Nazara's cycle." Tali sulked. "All I wanted was a drink and to stay away from the stupid mission. Was that too much to ask?" Sunset laughed. "That's fair. Legion, why don't you tell us some of Tali's crazier moments?" Tali twitched. "I have recordings of several interactions which I think would be amusing to organics." Tali looked up. "Can we go back to talking about the mission?" Legion turned to regard her very slowly, with as much of a straight face as he could make. "No." ~ ~ Nightmares ~ ~ "I dunno, Hilda," David said, walking to her left as Frida bookended him to her right, and Twig following faithfully behind them. "I know that Trevor is as bad as they get, but if you're giving him Nightmares just because you dislike him…" "... it kind of feels like petty revenge," Frida finished, giving Hilda a worried glance. "Oh, come on." Hilda sighed. "It's not like I'm trying to publicly humiliate him in the real world. Now that would be petty revenge." "Well, yes," David had to agree, "but having been on the receiving end of a Marra Nightmare as well, you can't tell me that it isn't as horrifying as the real thing." Hilda rolled her eyes and with a 'puff' turned into green mist that floated around her two friends before forming her back, sitting on top of a nearby fence. "That's the point! It's less… damaging. Maybe he'll learn something!" "Hilda," Frida turned to face her, arms akimbo. "Research has proven that attacking and scaring people only does more damage. If you must give nightmares to Trevor, try not to make it about you and revenge? You tried being his friend once, after all, you can't just… abandon your good side and cecome—" "What?" Hilda interrupted, and Frida took a step back when a flash of green light flickered through Hilda's eyes. "Become an evil creature? Well!" She sniffed dismissively. "I hate to disappoint you, Frida, but I already am an evil, magical creature!" "Well, not entirely evil," David spoke up when Twig whined and ran up to sit miserably under the fence. "Just a little bit?" "Not helping," Frida muttered. "We've talked about this, Hilda, being a Marra doesn't automatically make you evil." "Just like being human doesn't make Trevor good either," Hilda argued. "But he gets to bully anyone he wants with total impunity, but me, the evil spirit of Nightmares has to be held to higher standards! That is just not fair." "But Hilda…" "Ugh." Hilda let herself fall backwards, ignoring her friends' gasps. She turned into mist and went up a drain, following it out into the street further down, while she could see David and Frida climbing over the wall to look for her. She materialized and sighed, starting when Twig ran up to her and cuddled against her leg. She smiled and knelt down petting her deerfox on the head. "Come on boy," she whispered. "I need some time away from them." She started walking down, giving Twig a small smile when he whined. "Don't worry, I'm not ditching them forever… I just need time to think. And there's nowhere in Trollsburg where…" She trailed off, staring at the door that she knew wasn't there the day before. A small sign next to it announced that milkshakes were sold within. She blinked, then looked from the door down to Twig, then back to the door. "Well!" she reasoned, "a door that just appeared out of nowhere? You know what this is, Twig? It's an adventure! And since I am an adventurer, I need to investigate." "So, in short," Sunset said, passing Hilda her second chocolate milkshake, and double-checking that Twig had enough water in his plate, "you lost a bet with an evil spirit who recruited you to her growing cadre of teenage girls turning into nightmare spirits." "That's pretty much it," Hilda agreed. "And now I must cause nightmares on others to survive." She shrugged. "I don't have to do it all the time, but if I don't every so often, I start… getting moody." She sighed and slouched, twirling the shake with her straw. "And my friends don't get it. They want to treat me like I was before… and for the most part I can do that. It's not hard to be me… me. Normal me." "But when you need to feed this aspect of yourself…" "I'm trying to figure it out," Hilda said, gripping her milkshake tightly with her small hands. "I don't want to scare people. Even bullies like Trevor. But who is left? Trolls? Dragons? Giants?" She shook her head. "I can't. It's wrong… but I just… I can't ignore it." She shuddered. "It's really hard. I've been trying to avoid it, for everyone's sake, and my own. But if I don't do it soon, I might lose control." "And didn't The Marra tell you ways of feeding without hurting others?" Sunset asked. "What if they allow you to scare them willingly?" Hilda shook her head. "Marra said that it was not fun to go into the dreams of people that wanted her to… but that was a lie she told David. The truth is that if there is no fear, we don't get to eat. I don't have to enjoy it… but it is necessary." "Hm. And can't she just turn you back?" "If I was a normal girl being turned into a marra? Yes." Hilda paused, reaching over to scratch Twig's head as she gathered her thoughts. "But I'm not one of the teenage girls that intentionally want to do this. I lost a Deal." Sunset smiled and patted her hand. "You're strong willed, Hilda. I'm working on something that might help you in the future if you want… but in the meantime, have you thought about using your powers for good?" Hilda studied her for a moment. "I want to, but I have no idea how!" Sunset grinned. "Well, how about this…" "So let me get this straight…" Frida said after a moment. "You want to cause people Nightmares in order to help them with their daily stress?" Hilda nodded. "Yes!" She grinned. "I can start the whole thing very scary-like, and then give them control. They'll figure out their fears and see that they don't need to be afraid or stress over things!" "And you got this from a bartender?" David asked. "Why were you at a bar?" "That's not important!" Hilda insisted. "Don't you see? This might actually work!" Frida and David looked at each other, then back at her. "Okay," Frida said, placing her hand on Hilda's shoulder. "I trust you. Let's see how this works and go from there." Hilda nodded, her hand wrapping inside her pocket around the silver business card she had been given. Maybe she'd take Sunset up on her offer… but until the time came, she had some experimenting to do! End Chapter