CW:

Spoiler

Trans Slurs, Transphobia, Death

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“I expected you to brute force your way through, but you savages must be smarter than you look!”

Grr…it’s hard to believe this is the first time we’ve heard his voice in over a century, that cocky old man radio host sounding voice that would blare over the speakers he’d spread all over the city, now bounding through the darkness of his auditorium.

“Dat ain’t much of a compliment comin’ from a dumbass like yous, Hal,” Liz chides as we make our way in.

Spotlights flick to life along the path we walk, slowly giving the room shape. The interior itself is actually somewhat spherical, though we find ourselves walking onto a flat platform suspended above the rounded plain, made up of a grid of metal platforms that flip around to become velvet lined platforms. Once we’re on the main grid, the longer platform that allowed us in then retracts, and the door closes with it, locking us in with Hal.

“Hmm. Ad hominem. Predictable, coming from your ilk,” Hal hums arrogantly, a flash of light from his direction blinding us, or, at least, Fox and Liz, our own goggles shielding our eyes. 

Once the brightness subsides, however, the “mastermind” himself is revealed, a giant mechanical eye set atop a stage, robotic bits whirring and spinning around the big blue iris in the center of it all.

“However, I am above such ill mannered speech,” he says, too stupid to even revel in the frustration of his hypocrisy. “Now, I know you thugs broke into my abode quite violently and rudely, but I am certain we can talk things out.”

All of us look at one another, our expressions blankly in agreement as we turn back to Hal and ready our weapons, Fox and Liz with their guns pointed ahead, and us with our Navi Bots locked onto the robot.

“Whooaaa, now now, ladies! That’s no way for a proper woman to act, is it?”

Before we have time to smite this blight off the face of the Earth, our balance is thrown off as the platforms beneath each of us shift, cushiony audience seats capturing us, braces slinking out each arm rest to restrain our arms.

“What the FUCK, Hal?!” Fox shouts, grunting and struggling against her bindings while Liz and I await Hal’s next course of action, though, taking a glance over at Fox’s tail, I feel we won’t have to wait long.

“Ah ah ah! Language! Honestly, what made any of you think you could make good women?”

“...”

A low rumbling from Violet clues us in to how much restraint she’s showing in not letting herself be known instead of verbally eviscerating Hal.

“Now, let’s all talk, like civilized folks, yes?” the robot begins, the spotlights over us dimming while his own only grow brighter. “Do you really want to disrupt my master plan? Why, I seek to unify the entire world under a shared cause, and yet all you…furries are doing is dividing the people even further!”

“Newsflash, pal,” Fox yips back, having given up on struggling out of her seat on her own. “A whole lot of people hated us before we shed our humanity!”

“Well, yes, what you do is simply repulsive,” Hal so charmingly states, making our forced seating plan all the more unbearable. “But this? This is a completely different level! Couldn’t you have been one of those good trannies that either pretties themselves up or shoots themselves, instead of turning yourself into a hideous mascot?”

Holy shit. The entire room goes silent, all of us staring at Hal with venomous disgust, even as his robotic body makes a throat clearing noise.

“Regardless, if there’s anybody who knows how to untwist this world and put it all back in the right place, there would be no better candidate than myself! The youth these days know nothing of how things should be! That’s why they’re so poor and advocating for–”

Suddenly, Hal stops in his tracks, his gaze pivoting over to us as he squints.

“Who the hell are you?!” he screeches, and we can’t help but smirk under our scarf. “You don’t appear in any of my records– No database on the continent houses any record of you–WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!”

You want to snap back at him?

Nah. He’s not worth our words. Plus, just look at him.

“Well?! I have ways of making you talk, heathen!” the guy continues to prattle on, the blue in his eye turning red as smoke billows out of it. “You can’t be one of those disgusting animal things–Where the sam hell did you come from?!”

“Hal. Baby. Snookums.”

Hal’s seething glare turns to the rat, smugness unparalleled.

“Can’t you see I’m BUSY, TRANNY?!”

“I’s gots another business proposition for yous.”

Just like that, Liz’s now unshackled hand rises, locked and loaded, her aim square on his retina.

“What in the blazes–”

 

BANG!! BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!

Thanks to Violet being able to slink about unseen in the shadows, using her immense force to break all of our bindings and set us free, we’re all standing tall once more, Hal recoiling on the other side of the room, having summoned some kind of force field before all of Liz’s shots could land.

“You fucking scoundrels!!” the robot screeches, shaking his head before focusing his intense gaze back on all of us. “My loyal followers! Sic these loathsome dogs!!”

Despite his booming command, the robots peering past the curtains seem to shake, unresponsive to their “creator” and his demands, giving us ample time to approach.

“Are you DEAF?! I raised you better than this– OVERRIDE AND KILL THEM!!”

Just like that, their eyes turn red, pushing them past their fear as they’re joined by what I can only describe as mechanical abominations, soulless robots formed of faulty ideas and even faultier construction. Cars built with arms between their body and wheels, tiny “sonic” test planes that clearly don’t actually propel themselves with sonic power (they’re just loud and obnoxious), rocket powered automobiles that have no control, instead crashing into walls and almost totalling themselves before correcting course towards us. The list goes on, and it’s clear these were all put together without clearance or supervision from the people he hires to actually make things.

As soon as the cop bots begin rolling out, however, our course of action is clear, Liz already blowing the arms and legs off each without remorse…however, unlike the ones we previously fought, these seem to almost…reconstruct themselves. Their broken bits and bobs magnetized to their shattered bodies, some seeming to amalgamate with other busted bots, regrowing into horrid mechanical monstrosities.

“Hah! See the fruits of my labours! How proud these eager test subjects must be to become more than themselves!” Hal proclaims, despite the amalgams seeming to writhe and groan painfully. “They cannot be broken, so long as they live! Now, you entitled children, who could never muster the guts to kill, shall be the ashes my world is built upon–”

Of course, Liz has no qualms blasting the heads off the cop bots one by one, infuriating Hal even further as his plan and robots fall apart.

“You– You– Hah– Hah! Y-you’re no better than me, vermin! We’re not so different, can’t you see–”

“Shut ya fuckin’ mouth, yous sniveling toddler,” the rat snaps back, “Did I’s ever claim ta be some beacon ‘a morality~? I’S DA FUCKIN’ QUEEN, BITCH!! ROUND ‘EM UP, GIRLIES!!”

While the Rat Queen takes care of the armed ones, she calls in…uhh…little cowboy rats riding other rats with saddles on their backs, the lasso wielding rodents helping to round up civilian bots away from dangers so I can safely zip in and spin around them. Their ropes tug at them and their bullets land just shy of their feet, throwing them off balance as they flinch, making easy work of the harmless robots, allowing the ratboys (?) to pull them to safety with their lassos.

Meanwhile, Fox and Violet are taking care of the abominations cleanly, using Fox’s natural mobility to get Violet around the arena where she can stop the machines in their tracks, absorbing the impact with her shade before lashing out, crushing, smashing, breaking all before her. It’s interesting seeing the two combine their powers, Fox using her wind to create a cannon on her arm, cocking it like a shotgun and firing out Violet’s claws, the wolf latching onto their target to either pull the robots towards them, or be pulled towards the robots.

“You’re no match, Hal!” Fox shouts triumphantly as she soars through the air, only for Violet to take over, causing the duo to come crashing to the ground atop another robot, sending shrapnel blasting all around. “Give up.”

“It’s always something new with you queers…” Hal grumbles, the blue iris shifting to show a desktop, the robot seeming to browse through his files. “Always some new gender you made up, some new problem you made up, and then you expect the responsible people to fix the issue you made! You disgust me, you really, truly do…”

The waves of robots seems to slow down, our progress towards Hal steadily resuming, only for the robot master to begin chortling as he slowly clicks through his files.

“Thankfully, I can simply be rid of your filthy ilk…for you’ve underestimated the resourcefulness of those who will set the world right!”

He drones on and on, even as he runs out of civilians to send out, allowing Zee to break out the gauntlets and begin smashing alongside Violet.

“Where in the goddamn is…aha!” Hal exclaims, a small tray ejecting from the side of his orbular body. “Did you know magical items retain their supernatural properties even after being digitized? The Inktons left me with a powerful gift before it all fell into the hands of that rotten brat.”

What…? The tray to Hal’s side begins 3D Printing what looks to be some kind of wand, an ornate looking stick engraved with gold.

“Honestly, not even the real women amongst you know how to act like women. Now, I believe it waaaas…you who claimed I was no match~?”

Just as Violet punches another enemy into smithereens, Fox returns, ears twitching as she’s called to attention…a sudden, unshakable fear visible through her eyes, the wand in a tiny robotic arm reflected in her pupils.

No.

“This is what you’ve given up along with your humanity, wretch! A mastery over magic only human might could ever muster!”

It all flashes before our eyes. A spell only ever cast once, witnessed ten different times.

“No…”

N…no…!

“NO…!”

 

Violet shields Fox as quickly as she can, coating her in darkness as we dash over to try and intercept, but we’re too late…! Immediately, Violet’s form wavers, beginning to melt, molten white tears streaming from her four eyes as she continually tries to reconstruct herself.

“I…thought I had more time…”

“VI– HANG ON VI– THERE’S STILL TIME–!!”

Fuck, fuck! What do we do!? The Navi Bots! Maybe we can hack into Hal!

Calling all our Navi Bots together, each connecting into a single satellite dish beaming straight for Hal–

“Hah!” the robot laughs, finding our access easily denied. “Did you really think I wouldn’t have protections set up the moment I was digitized? Maybe you are dumber than you look!”

No, no no no no no! NO!! All we can do is blink back the tears as we reach for Violet, Liz turning up the fire power in the meanwhile as we lose two thirds of our squad.

“Vi, Vi no, please, PLEASE!! There has to be something we can do, ANYTHING!! WE– WE CAN’T–!!”

We try to reach for Fox’s scarf under the melting shadow, hoping that maybe we could sever the spell by sending them off, but her formless body flows over the vixen like a waterfall.

“Hahah, this is more effective than I ever could have imagined!” the infuriating robot on stage chuckles. “What was it you told me? Give up? Words you may want to consider yourself!”

Fuck, no, no no no! I’m forced to pull up my goggles as the tears well within them, clinging to our fading partner, a painful ringing in our ears drowning out the battle surrounding us…a deafness only pierced by her voice, sorrowful but strong as her claw rests on our shoulder.

“It’s…fine. It’s okay,” she consoles us, even as she’s dying, she comforts us. “If the least I could do…was play a small part in ushering you to your brighter future…I’ll be happy…”

“No, no no, it’s not our future!” I plead, shaking the melting wolf before pulling her closer. “It’s YOUR future! We don’t belong here, it doesn’t matter what happens to us, as long as you live, you have to LIVE, there has to be some WAY…!”

Yet she shakes her head.

“The future we envisioned…was not…one without you…” she gasps, just barely holding on to us and to life. “I wouldn’t…be here…if not…for…you…”

More and more rats rush around us, trying to stem the tide of foes as I…I…I don’t know…I don’t know…!

“So please…” Violet pleads, pulling us into one, last hug. “If you can imagine…a future for me…live. Live…and see our future…”

 

“...I love you…”

 

With her last ounce of strength, she clings to us, weeping, reduced to a dark fog swept along the battlefield, leaving Fox in our arms, a dark fluid seeping from her eyes.

“V…Vi…?” the vixen mumbles, “What…what happened…?”

“Yes…yes!” that bastard on stage roars, “This power…the power to stamp out you perversions of nature! DIE!!”

NO, NO!! W-we’re helpless, Fox’s ears perking up, turning her back to Hal as if on instinct and shuddering as the soul siphoning spell courses through her body as well.

“FOX– NO!! LET US– YOU CAN’T–!!”

Her teeth grit, and she shakes her head, everything becoming a blur around us.

“M-maybe it’s cruel to not want to watch you go…” Fox murmurs weakly, her voice already changing as her Ascension is reversed, slowly, and painfully. “But…hey…I survived this once…right?”

Her stupid grin lights up our vision for one last moment, the second last moment we didn’t need…fuck, it was supposed to be us, why…?!

“...I’m sorry…but I can’t let my Shadow’s wish be in vain, right…? And I love you too much to not…do everything I can…to save…you…”

 

“The future…is brighter with you…”

 

NO!! GODDESS, PLEASE–

IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE?!

WE MAKE IT THIS FAR, AND WE’RE FORCED TO SEE IT FALL APART PIECE BY PIECE?!

THIS…this can’t be…

The sounds of battle slow, coming to a complete halt as Liz’s bullets cease their fire, the rat shaking her head, knowing her oncoming fate, Hal no longer needing to order a single robot to do a damn thing.

“...I’s only gonna repeat myself once, Sue-Zee.”

She doesn’t make a noise as Hal’s spell enraptures her soul, standing tall, standing proud.

 

“Get ready for da future.”

 

All is quiet.

All is dark.

We fall to our knees.

And Hal looms over us.

“Now you see what happens when you try to change the way things should be.”

His voice carries no intensity, only an indignant triumph.

“But I’m nothing if not merciful.”

Shut up.

“You never did accept the vile gift your friends did.”

Shut up…!

“And you seem like a smart girl.”

…

“My team is always looking for good workers like you.”

I can’t bring myself to look up at him, instead looking at our hands.

“I can set you on the right path.”

At our watch.

“You don’t have many options.”

One charge.

“But you won’t get a better chance to do the right thing than now.”

We could go back home. Hope everyone else can handle this.

“So…”

Go back to where we belong.

“What do you say?”

…And lose this chance our friends gave everything to give us?

“How’s about…”

We’re right where we belong.

“...We do things right this time?”

…On our way to our future.

“...Okay,” I mutter, slowly pulling us up to our feet and looking Hal in the eye.

“Hahaha. I knew you were smart. Now, come over here, and we’ll get you hooked up–”

“It’s time to do things right.”

In a single motion, we set our watch to rewind, raising our hand above it.

“What in God’s name are you–”

And as we slam our palm upon it, the sands of time sweep us away one last time.

The last last time.

 

Chapter 85 - Goodbye, Coyotl

 

Chapter 84 - And thus, here we are again…

 

Chapter 83 - Back to the beginning all over again, huh?

 

Chapter 82 - But…

 

Chapter 80 - It feels different this time…

 

Chapter 77 - Doesn’t it?

 

Chapter 73 - Are you scared?

 

Chapter 68 - Incredibly.

 

Chapter 62 - What if we mess it up again…?

 

Chapter 55 - …What if we don’t have to?

 

Chapter 47 - …You feel it too then, huh?

 

Chapter 38 - Time moving all around us…

 

Chapter 28 - But what if we were…

 

Chapter 17 - The Ones Writing It

 

???

 

Oh. Shit.

Knock knock.

“Hello?” I call out from within our head, suddenly finding myself in a white void where a lush headspace once was. And from within that void, there stands a door. Just a simple wooden door that, once thrown open, reveals our characters.

“Yoooo! It’s ya boy!”

Fuck. It’s our boy. And our girl.

“Is it normally so…bland in here?” Sue asks as she ducks under the door frame and closes the gate behind her.

“Oh, no no,” I reassure her, waving my hands as I sit back behind this desk, “this is being written in a Google Doc, it only makes sense.”

“It’s right, it only makes sense,” Zee adds, earning a smirk from me, and a shake of the head from Sue.

“So…” I begin, leaning over the desk and locking my fingers together, resting my snout above them, “I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t expect you all to show up here. Figured you’d have just, y’know, felt your way around time after all the Janus stuff.”

[“Janus stuff,”] my partner by my side starts explaining. [“As in the stuff that revolved a great deal around perspective and chapter formatting.”]

“Oh yeah…”

[“Really, we should have seen this coming the moment we realized it was that specific event that would allow them to correct their course.”]

Zee waves their hand around dismissively, walking up to us and yanking the table away.

“What the fuck!”

“You’re writing us doing this,” the demi boy says, sticking out his tongue playfully.

“You know full well y’all are just as in control of yourselves as we are, that’s how the story happens!”

“Yeah, well, neener neener neener.”

Ough. Can’t stand this bitch.

“Anyways,” Sue interrupts our bickering, taking a look at the contents of the desk’s surface, “we should be able to put us in place here, right?”

[“Correct,”] my partner answers, helpful as always. [“Write down the chapter you wish to return to, and all shall be done.”]

“Alright. Sounds easy enough,” Zee says, handing Sue a pen before turning to us with a curious eye. “So…are you two, like…Goddesses or something? Are you making everything that happens, happen?”

“Eh,” I answer eloquently. “We’re more like…the medium through which your stories are told.”

“Cool! So I don’t have to beat the shit out of you for what you just put us through!”

“That’s right!” I say, tails wagging as I give him a thumbs up. “Now get out of our house!”