XXXV
Twilence awoke.
She was on land instead of sea, though she could see the sea despite the natural darkness of the world in this time. She lit her horn to illuminate her surroundings - the first thing she noticed was Orchid. The next was the scenery - she could tell she was back on one of the Troishan islands, but there was no sign of habitation. Instead, the landscape was decidedly purple and covered in smooth thorns the size of trees. There were no visible signs of life - plants or otherwise. The waves of the sea seemed diluted, which made sense, given the fact that there was no moon and had been no moon for a long time.
Orchid raised an eyebrow. "You're awake."
"Yes..." Twilence muttered. "Where are the others?"
"I don't know. The shadowy thing attacked the boat, the strange Starlight kept attacking anyway, I tried to teleport us away and then I was here with you and apparently, everything went wrong."
Twilence glanced out over the sea. "...Siron came to me in a dream. He took over this future. Mite's dead here, and Vriska's been enslaved. There is no sun or moon. The Overseer had to abandon the world."
Orchid frowned, looking through her third eye. "I can't see much here. It's like the entire planet is shrouded from me."
"All of it might be Siron."
"Then why can't I see what's coming?"
Twilence shrugged. "I have no idea. You're the one with the future powers..." She big her lip. "We need to find the others. Fluttershy... Infinity... Pinkie... Aradia..."
"Pinkie should just be able to find us with those ridiculous powers of hers."
"Jealous?"
Orchid didn't dignify this with an answer.
Twilence frowned, poking at a rock on the ground. "...Orchid?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you so bitter?"
Orchid grunted. "The world is a horrendous place filled with evils, most propagated by ponies and dragons themselves. We are responsible for most of our own destruction. And here I am, being put into a position where I can save the world. All I'm doing is keeping it from getting worse. This entire place doesn't deserve to be saved. Yet, I just can't bring myself to let everything burn. That's why I'm bitter."
Twilence nodded. "I see. You've been shoved into the position of savior for a people you really don't care for."
"I must care for them on some level since I'm doing it, but I just know they'll continue killing and lying and cheating... Even I do it, I'm not exempt here Twilence. Maybe it's just self-preservation. Maybe I just want to see if I can force them to see something. I'm still thinking about it."
"I do the same," Twilence said. "I've been forced to wonder what I've become numerous times. It's just... How it is now. You may want to decide what your point is soon - are you here to save the world, or yourself? Are you here to change the world, or let it stay?"
"I'm here to stop an evil monster because I was chosen to do so and because I can see myself doing it." She let a sinister smile appear on her face. "Most of the time I can see what I'm going to do in the future through the sight. I don't really see the options that result in the best outcome, I just see myself taking an action and follow through with it. Sometimes without thinking. You may question your own freedom, a slave to the story, but I am a slave to fate. I can literally see what I do and I never do otherwise."
"Have you tried doing what you don't see?"
"It takes that into account - if I try not to do something I end up doing it through some convoluted method."
"What about with me?"
Orchid blinked. "...You cause it to be unsure. To have blank spots. Do I really make choices? I don't know." She shook her head. "Enough of this, we need to decide what to do."
Twilence sighed. "I think I'll consult the Influence... For ideas."
"Go for it."
She scrolled through, a smile coming to her face as she read Sunbro's comment. She found herself slightly disappointed in her past self for getting livid with comments like this - these people were just doing what they were doing for their sake. Some took her seriously, some didn't, and some were just off the wall. She really shouldn't have been so hard on Afizah - they were just doing what they wanted, which should be just fine. Just because she didn't believe anything didn't mean she had to get all defensive about that. "Yeah... Everyone, I'm sorry. You have your place, I have mine. You can be as absurd in your place as you want, I realize I shouldn't expect you to do otherwise. It's the way you are and there's nothing wrong with it. So go ahead and do your crazy stuff. Just stop forming that cloud cult - it's doing things to Pinkie."
"Ponygood, Aradia's not a mister," Twilence giggled. "She's a she, like all of us here except for Mite. Wherever Mite is... Probably in jail with Vriska right now. And I'll consider Rarity, Bearer of the Water Crystal - a healer would be nice..."
"The last altar will be different," Orchid said.
"I know," Twilence agreed. "Do you know how?"
"No," Orchid said. "Not a clue."
Twilence shook her head. "Anyway, Sonic or Afizah, thank you again for what you've done. Creek... I really don't think you 'needed' to come to terms with it, at least not that way - but what's done is done. And Josh..." She read through the next few comments, brow furrowed. "...Okay, first, Ponygood, give Sunbro a break, you were all like that early on. No need to get angry like I did. Second, this doomed timeline business... Josh, why shouldn't I know that? Do you think I'm not willing to sacrifice myself?"
Orchid blinked. "Huh?"
"Apparently we may be stuck off the alpha timeline, in a doomed timeline. The only solution may be for Aradia to go back and doom us in this time. But she can do that on her own, not sure why they thought I needed to tell her to do anything. Just... What I'm concerned about here is that... Josh, you seemed to be manipulating me. Telling me to send her back, but leaving out key information so I would act. I mean, I'll probably consider it anyway, but..." She shook her head. "...It's a violation of trust."
"Thought you didn't trust them anyway."
"Josh was one of the ones I did. And Zen. And Akumakami - speaking of, haven't seen him for a while. I'm getting a little worried. Nickel, you're right, we aren't sure how much time has been messed up with all these additions. Zen... The Tree of Harmony. That... That might still exist. The Elements might even be around it..."
"Nope," a new voice said.
Orchid and Twilence turned to see a figure that definitely hadn't been standing there before - bright red robes with a white sun symbol in the center, scarlet wings coming off the back, and red eyes with eight pupils total. Seven in one eye and one in the other.
It was Vriska.
Only it wasn't. Her face coursed with strange, dark magics, and her expression was pained. She twirled in her hand six magic crystals - the Elements of Harmony. "I have them right here."
Twilence tensed. "...Siron?"
"No," Vriska said. "It's still me. Not like I can ignore the bastard's commands though. He's a sick freak, by the way, much like myself when I was younger. Except much more successful."
"...I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, not like you even really caused this, from your perspective you were going to go back and fix things later," she laughed bitterly. "Heck, you still might."
Orchid glared. "What are you going to do with those Elements?"
Vriska put them all into an 8-ball. "Taunt you, apparently. Then I'm supposed to sit here and smirk while he grabs your friends."
Infinity and Fluttershy were lifted out of the ocean by two giant, shadowy tentacles. Neither was conscious.
Twilence looked at Vriska. "Come on Vriska, you can fight this."
"I am. I'm not smirking, am I?" Vriska pocketed the 8-ball and shrugged.
Orchid readied her stance. "Is there some game here we can play for Siron's amusement? If we beat you, we can go home free or something?"
Vriska nodded. "You'll be going home regardless. Siron wants to do it over again." She lifted her hand and an orb of red energy - Vester - appeared. "We can activate the Time Tunnels. But yes, Orchid, Siron loves games. He'll probably cheat in one way or another."
Orchid nodded. "I fully realize this. What are his terms?"
Vriska sighed. "Beat me, you guys go home without a problem. Lose, you help him open the Time Tunnels."
"I ACCEPT!" Pinkie said, popping out of nowhere. "Are you ready for this!?"
A smile came to Vriska's face. "Can I just say how glad I am that you are willing to cheat? Three on one. Fair enough. You do all realize this is just a game to Siron and that he's going to get what he wants either way? Maybe not in the exact same way, but he'll get something."
Twilence nodded. "Probably. But at this point, I'll take what I can get."
Vriska drew her sword. "He won't let me go easy on you."
"Course not," Pinkie said.
"Go!" Vriska yelled, flying into the air - throwing her dice on the ground.
8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8
Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Of course."
Vriska stood before them in some kind of powerful black armor lined in bright red, a slasher smile across her face. Her wings grew slightly further, and the aura of Vester surrounded her, summoning literal blood around her in a sheen. She glistened in the light of Twilence's horn. "Going to be honest here, this is gonna to be fun."
Pinkie swung with the frying pan, "Let there be a just death today!"
Blood shot from Vriska's body and stopped the pan in its tracks.
And then something unexpected happened.
A strange ring of magic appeared on the frying pan, eldritch circles activated by the magical blood. A black hole opened up and a strange hexagon shaped being of perfect flatness appeared, charging Vriska. She cut it in half with a swift motion, but its sharp shards cut her in many places with perfect slices.
Pinkie looked at the frying pan in mild disbelief. "Now if only I know how to use this-"
A fist of blood drove her into the ground in her distraction. Orchid moved next, the five spirits she had focusing their power on Vriska. She somehow dodged attacks made of gravity itself, appearing behind Orchid and kicking her to the ground. Twilence got kicked in the head before she could do anything.
Fluttershy screamed from her vantage point - apparently, she had woken up. "Twi!!!"
Twilence groaned, feeling the Eye activate. Why did it happen so fast?
She saw Aradia and Starlight appear in the sky for a split second and then vanish into time...
~~~
[IMPORTING...]
Vriska looked at the chief of police - a diminutive dragon - with an intense gaze. "So."
"So," he said.
"Want to tell me why you're still holding me?"
"There's no way anyone's that lucky. You cleaned out the house."
"Did you sense any magic? Did you find any methods of trickery? I'm just that good!"
"Casinos have never been cleaned out in the history of this city. Ever. There are laws in place that ensure casinos are allowed to rig games to keep it from happening."
Vriska laughed. "Those are some stupid laws."
The chief of police grunted. "I can hold you on delinquency."
"I think you and I both know you can't really hold me for anything."
"You are an unknown species. I can send you to the royal scientists, to be locked in the palace, never to return."
Vriska grinned. "Oh! Yes! Do that! Been trying to get to the palace anyway!"
The chief of police turned and tried not to scream. He grabbed a phone. "I've got prisoner 8888-8888 - how in blazes - here. She's an unknown so get her out of my sight the way only you people can do. She won't resist, and no I don't know why that is just take her already I am so done."
"Ineffective."
"What did you just say?" The chief shot Vriska a look.
Vriska shrugged. "Wasn't me, but I think it was implying you aren't a very good chief of police." She grinned. "So chop chop! Where are the royal scientists?"
"Here," a white dragon said, appearing in a puff of white magic. A tranquilizer shot was pressed into Vriska's shoulder. She wasn't sure if this was lucky or not. She passed out.
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Oh, alright. If you won't care that others are acting around you, I won't care either.
Now, how to combat a god imbued with pure luck? Well, I will start by saying that you really do need to invest in some sort of body armor, especially since you tend to get a lot of head injuries. Maybe some combat training, too, since you can't just rely on your magic to solve every problem. Vriska's luck dictates you'd miss every shot at her, and she could just steal yours to the point of death. The only advantage over her is that she's actively fighting her bindings to Siron, and you will have to heavily exploit that advantage to win. Maybe you'll be able to get into her mind and combat Siron's corruption from the inside. It may not be enough to free her from Siron, but it may be enough to keep her distracted so someone else can make the killing blow.
I also find myself questioning the existence of the time-traveling Starlight. There may be some way to reason with her and get her to realize fighting Aradia is not a good use of her time, and you'd probably be the key to convincing her.
As for the final altar... well, I don't know for sure. Perhaps the altar will corrupt whomever is summoned from it? Or maybe it'll just be a little harder to find it.
Stop forming the cloud cult- I mean, the perfectly valid religion of Annoying and Useless 4.0? Never! Besides, I have an idea to make it actually useful. I hypothesize that, the more people worship you, as their lord and saviour Sparkle-Butt, the more powerful you become, and every little advantage helps.
Pinkie, I think the pan is activated by blood sacrifices. So if you can get more of Vester's magical blood on it, the more creatures it summons.
Mite, I'm not even sure if you can hear us or not. If you can, please confirm by saying "Giggity."
twi, i'm sorry; i said you wouldn't like it, not because i didn't think wouldn't sacrifice yourself, but because i knew i wasn't telling you the whole story... but how could I?! how could I tell you in good conscience that if you really are apart of this doomed time-line that all your efforts will be in vain! i'm so sorry twi... i don't think you'll be hearing from me for awhile...
It's okay, Twilence, we don't have to agree, what matters is that we're both okay, at least emotionally, and I'm getting there, just talking with you for the last few months has been really good for me I think.
So Pinkie, if you're still able to pull things from nowhere, would you be able to pull different weapons or items from the Recursions without getting caught in them again? Thrackerzod's frying pan can only do so much, it might be good to start collecting a series of weapons, tools, and skills from your adventures. If not, I'm sorry, I just want to see if you're able to.
If not, could either of you teleport over to Fluttershy to save her? Infinity too. When you're ready to make an escape that is, I don't want you two to get caught doing something that Siron can learn from.
And where did Aradia go? She could be really helpful right now.
When you get a chance to, let Orchid now that I'm sorry for her, it can't be easy to have a responsibility given to you that you don't want.
8442260
Josh? Please don't go, it's okay, we all make mistakes, please, stay?
8442317
Aradia's currently fighting Steampunk Starlight, and I think Josh is saying what he is because he's pretty set on the idea that Aradia will abandon everyone to warn past Twilence, and we'll be unable to interact with present Twilence once that happens. Speaking of whom...
8442260
Josh, what are you doing? Twilence has already admitted to herself that is one of the potential futures, she's just irked that you betrayed her trust, and you were one of us that she trusted the most! Besides, Aradia is currently preoccupied, and the moment she's able to do anything, the battles may have already been won, and there'll be no need for Aradia to damn that Twilence. Don't beat yourself up for what could happen, especially not when there's a great chance of that not happening, and don't try to manipulate Twilence by leaving out information that may cause her to reconsider.
8442317
8442340
okay, i won't leave, but i think it's time i come clear about myself... i have more then a few mental disorders; i won't say which ones i have, but just know my mind is a mess; don't say how you're sorry or anything like that, because i'm not looking for sympathy. it's so hard for me to know what to say and do; i didn't mean to come off as i was manipulating her; i just wanted to let her have some hope...
8442394
Oh. Well, that certainly explains some things. Okay, I won't press, but I will at least ask if you're taking steps to cure or work around those disorders.
EDIT: Mental disorders or not, deleting your messages in response to others' questioning or disproving them is rude. I was fine with you deleting your messages in which you had forgotten that Siron was evil, and I deleted my responses. But deleting/blocking even parts of your message about apologizing to Twilence is definitely not okay.
8442409
i have pills for some and the others i'm trying to work around
8442409
i just put line though the part where i said i wasn't going say anything for awhile, but have it your way
8442424
Was that your intended meaning for that line? I'm sorry, I thought its meaning was that Twilence wouldn't hear anything from any of us due to her not being in the alpha timeline.
EDIT: Looking back at it, I realized that where I saw "them" was actually "from." Now I look like an idiot. Yay!
8442425
well if she gets what we say as text now i'd imagine she'd see it the same way we do so...
edit: and i forgot to put "me" in there so guess i can see where you got that
In quite the bit of trouble your in your foe has quite the amount of luck but in the end Skill trumps luck maybe not every time but those who are luck based all have those chances ,chances do tend to run out just hope it’s soon.
Twilight, this is sonic. Before I go on, Afizha isn't real. Or rather, I built her. Yes, she was the first one to speak to you but I hadn't finished her before you started hearing everyone else. And unfortunately I didn't want to be left out, so I rushed the activation.
Anyway, back to the situation at hand. Be careful. Just because someone has luck on their side, it doesn't trump skill. Plan out your attacks and use any advantage you can grab.
Twilence, Viriska will run out of luck eventually. Just keep dodging. And for Xylem's sake, don't let Pinks get hurt.
she has the elements of harmony, use them and free vriska, you have yourself and fluttershy and you maybe able to fill out the ranks with the others or just use them as a pair like celestia and luna did, and don't say they won't work without wearing them, the canterlot high incident shows otherwise the only uncertainty is if you can form a harmony set or not and to be clear both skaia and equestrian temporal rules allow timeline correction of the prime timeline, heck skaia allowed flat out retcons without doing anything to the stability or states of existence.
I can confirm that Akuma is still alive, and using Fimfiction. It is unknown if he is still with us and is staying silent, or if he has abandoned The Influence.
To Akumakami: Are you still reading The Influence? If you do not respond by the time the next chapter releases, I will assume you aren't and remove you from the group. If you respond negatively, I will still remove you.
EDIT: By GM's suggestion, I have sent Akuma a private message, and he doesn't have to respond to this comment. He can if he wants for Twilence's benefit, but I will say so if he doesn't.
Akuma recently got a nightshift job, and is unable to devote much time to reading The Influence, much less commenting on it. He may one day, when he can sort out his schedule, but until then, he'll remain silent.
In my experience of luck based foes was give quick attacks to test there resolve and start planning and enact that plan of attack Keep light ,keep on your toes in your case hooves .
Found some music you might enjoy. I know I did, and I also think it'll fit the imminent battle rather well.
8446484
though good luck getting the slip space drive or whatever they called it to get you closer than a million miles to your target, humans really failed at figuring that out
8446647
Oh, there are a lot of universes out there where faster-than-light technology is not only possible, but nearly perfected. They're the majority, in fact, and you'd have to do some digging to find a place where such a technology is impossible.
Of course I'm talking about the multiverse Twilence exists in, not our own. Again, it is unknown if we are a part of it or not. But if we aren't, it would mean some very interesting things for her future... but I'll stay silent about that for now.
8446691
oh i know, but he picked unsc tech and thats a point i've always found entertaining about it, they have everything the hyper advanced aliens do, but can't make it work as well as a bunch of scavengers do quite regularly though to be fair thats mostly cause they are at least smart enough not to mess with setting they don't understand. though the ambiguity in the nature of the connections between universes and multiverses is always a fun subject.
8446753
i'll admit i never fully brushed up on the lore pertaining to infinity and such methods would have a decent chance of improving targeting seeing as a single ai was able to manage it somewhat with just scavenged software mods, i just didn't think they had gotten a chance to bring that back to the main fleet yet with all the other problems they had.
8446775
fair point, i tended to care more about the events and computer tech on those pages so never looked to far at that, though the fact that its one of the only ones without the bug and even thats a scavenged function still stands as far as the rest of their stuff is concerned
Beware if this Foe has a chance of strategy in battle and keep an eye out you may never know what kind of trick they might try to pull .
[COMPILING SHOWDOWN...]