Author's Note:
My favourite thing about Homestuck has always been (and most likely always will be) the alternate timelines. This means there is an endless amount of things that have canonly happened, and therefore an awful lot to explore through fanart and fiction. This oneshot is a form of exploration in those timelines. I was without a laptop for a considerable amount of time and during that time, I amused myself b wondering things like, "What if there was an alternate timeline where so-and-so died first?" and other such similar questions. I resolved to find out.
This oneshot, which isn't as in-character as I'd like it to be, and I apologise for that, is an alternate timeline where Feferi and Eridan have effectively swapped places, ie. meaning that after losing Sgrub it was Feferi who gave up and effectively wanted to join Noir, while Eridan takes Feferi's place and just chills with Sollux. (I kept the two fish as moirails because it felt right). I'd like to do this sort of thing again, and explore other timelines where characters have swapped places and canon events have unfolded differently as a result (I've considered one where it's Equius who snaps and goes on a murderous rampage, instead of Gamzee, or one where Terezi and Vriska have swapped places but I don't know)
Where did- Where did all this violet come from.?
Oh. That's right. You. The pain has consumed you so you've almost forgotten that you're dying. Or maybe you're already dead. Like fuck do you know. All you know is that the usually bland grey floor of whatever shitty room in this shitty meteor you happen to by lying on is covered in the vivid violet belonging to your caste; to you, rather, being the last of you caste.
You feel a fin quiver slightly. You attempt to remember how you got yourself into this situation, why the life is slowly dripping from you with each drop of blood that escapes the confines of your body, but you recall nothing. A feeble blink, and you are suddenly aware you cannot see. Whether this is due to blood loss or the loss of your glasses, you will never know.
You're so young. You barely had a chance to live and here you are, on the cold, hard, concrete floor of a bland, nameless room, dying. Your breath comes harder to you. You cough violet, it drips down your mouth, you can't swallow it. Whether it's blood or bile, it's impossible to tell. Whatever it is is making your death a hell of a lot more undignified than it already was.
Another shuddering breath and your gaze is drawn back to the silhouette of the one causing this. Even now, even in your dying moment, you can't help but appreciate how beautiful she is, how majestic she is. She's smiling sadly. A bangled hand pushes a strand of her silk-like hair behind a fin.
Your science stick lies out of reach. Not that your feeble hand could have lifted it anyway. Even if you had that strength, you wouldn't have raised it at her in attack. Why would you when she's already won?
"Fef," you conjure the words from somewhere deep inside, "could you please consider removin' your cullin' prong from my chest."
She chuckles, though the sound is somewhat more hollow than the laugh you grew up with. "I didn't realise you were still alive."
You're as surprised as she is. She made quite a mess with you murder. You wonder if she stabbed you multiple times before her prong finally broke out of your back, spearing you. Why did she even attack you anyway? You don't remember. You can't-
Sol. She attacked Sol first. She told you that as your leader and moirail she was commanding you to come with her. As Witch of Life she was uniquely qualified to discover methods that prolonged life, and being on that meteor was not going to prolong the life of any of your group.
As she pulls the 2x3dent from you, you attempt to remember more. The blood spray from your chest decorates the floor, her skirt now tri-coloured, her sign adorned with the colours of both sea-dwelling castes. She turns. Who is she facing? Who else is in the room with you?
Kan and Kar. Kanaya has the Matriorb. She wants to bring your species back, you wished her luck. Sarcastically, of course. You don't think she'll be able to do it. You don't see the point in it. Ten land dwellers is more than enough. Karkat's trolling some human he's hate-crushing on. And where are you? You're trying to pull Sol away from a bunch of shitty codes. That horn pile looks uncomfortable, you say. He agrees. You ask him if he wants to get away, find somewhere else to talk, to sleep, to do anything. He shushes you.
And then Fef is there, and she's angry and desperate and something has changed her but you can't tell what. She's your moirail, you attempt to calm her, but she's joining Jack, she wants you to all join Jack, it's the only way you'll all survive.
She doesn't want any of you to die, she says. She told you that. She told you she didn't want anyone to die. You remember it. You remember her tone of voice and her pained expression and- and... Why is there so much violet? Why won't it stop? Is that jade running in to it, mixing with it? Well, that won't do at all, those colours clash somewhat terribly. Is that squelch Fef pulling her prong from someone's unsuspecting abdomen? You suspect it is. That would explain the jade.
Fef is distraught. You use fish puns but she doesn't calm down. She's leaving. You're coming. She's your moirail, she won't let you die and she's grabbed your hand and she's pulling you away and Sol is saying no.
"FF, let go," he orders.
"Sollux, don't you sea?" she whines. "I'm saving us. It's better this way. I told you, I'm the Witch of Life-"
"And I'm Mage of Doom, I think that allows me to tell you when to back the fuck off and calm down."
"Fef, he's right, this is stupid. You aren't joinin' Jack. None a us are joinin' Jack."
She's begging you, her voice so full of genuine fear and worry. "Eridan, please! There's nothing but death here! None of us will survive! This is the only way!"
And then Sollux is taking of his glasses, streams of red and blue curling from his eyes in fragile wisps that slowly grow stronger until the tendrils take on the appearance of something with physical form. "FF, I said no."
Is that the transportilizer? Whoever could have left? Oh, Fef of course. Did she cull Karkat too? You weren't listening. You attempt to move your body, embracing, ignoring, consumed by the pain, but this doesn't improve your situation.
"Sollux, I'm not going to fight you-"
Those bicoloured tendrils are around your wrists and Fef's hands are no longer upon yours. "You're not going to take my matesprit anywhere either."
It's the first time Sollux has called you that in front of any other troll but the situation does not bring you any joy. In fact, you find it slightly embarrassing; the entire sordid flushed relationship is embarrassing, but regardless, you imagine that under normal circumstances you would take at least a pinch of pleasure in successful romantic exploits. You take no pleasure now. Fef scoffs, and reaches towards you again before recoiling as if hit. The psionic hasn't ceased yet.
You tell him to stop. It's Fef. She'll calm down. She doesn't mean any harm. He moves himself closer to you, not removing his eyes from Fef. She smiles at him through his psionic shield of red and blue, fuchsia tears trickling down her face.
He let's his guard down for a split second and she's whacked him across the head with the blunt mid-section of her 2x3dent. Her hands are around your wrist once more.
That's Kar, shuffling around. She didn't stab him then. It sounds like he's kissing Kan. He sounds extremely inexperienced. If it were a kiss of romantic forms it would be sloppy and awkward and Kan would be left feeling extremely unsatisfied. But it isn't a romantic embrace; Kar's doing it solely to revive Kanaya. Fat lot of use it is, though; your dreamselves are all dead.
Your body is left untouched.
Fef is dragging you again. You're telling her no. She won't listen. There's something wrong with her. She's different. She won't let go of your arm or her idea. She can't be reasoned with. You grab your wand. Her eyes narrow as she understands that this is the way it's going to be. You raise you stick of science upwards, ready to summon a beam of white light to smite her down when her prong makes contact with your chest for the first time. You drop your wand. Then she thrusts it forwards again and again and again until you are on your knees, numb but engulfed in the pain, blood pouring from what you're sure must be a gaping hole in your stomach.
This is when the prong finally reaches your back and rips it's way through the grey skin, covering whatever's behind you in a majestic violet. You fall and hit the floor.
Kar's freaking out now, you can hear it. Whimpers. Panic. He's grabbing something heavy and lugging it across the floor. You hope it's Sol. Let him save Sol's life. Please.
He steps on a stray horn and jumps a little, pulling what you assume to be Sol faster, until you hear the vroosh of the transportilizer again.
Why is it taking you so long to die?
Where did all this violet come from? It's so beautiful. You lose yourself in it. Your scarf appears to have absorbed some. It's ruined now. At least you weren't wearing your cape. You would hate for Fef's prong to have ripped that.
Liquid drips on you from above, but you barely register it. Your senses are all but lost to you. Something soft is at your neck. A brief stinging sensation, and then nothing.
You blink once more, but do not open your eyes after that final blink.
You hear the vroosh of the transportilizer, but silence is the only thing you will ever hear again.
You take one final, shuddering, anguished breath, and then you breathe no more.