DISCLAIMER: Life is Strange is a product of DONTNOD Entertainment and Square Enix as well as Jean-Luc Cano and Christian Divine; and the characters, setting, and game itself is, in no way my own.

I am simply here to add my creative twist to the story


The Fight Within

Max's fall into blackness almost felt like an eternity for her even in her loss of consciousness. However, she fell her fall end like a bike crash into the tree and she woke up from her blackout in what appeared to be the diner back in her nightmare. The sunset that was in there was available, but this time, there were no other people of Arcadia Bay trying to get her to feel guilty for wanting Chloe alive; just an empty Two Whales with Max in the booth. And as she woke up, wearing a White T-shirt with the same "snake eating its tail" design that Chloe wore before she went and traveled all the way back, she had a feeling that, whether attempting to save Bongo, or fix the relationship between David and Chloe, or saving Rachel Amber and even William, it all received the attention of someone. A mix of both pride and fear filled up in the hipster, wondering how bad she will be punished but also inwardly boasting herself, willing to finally stand up for herself and for those lost, hopefully to gain something.

Just then, the bell of the door rang and footsteps walked over to Max's booth. She felt tense and fearful of who was coming up until the figure the footsteps belonged to sat down in the booth across from her.

Max, once again, was facing Max. The Max opposite was wearing Rachel Amber's clothes, the look on her face was of an unmistakable look of amusement with slight tinges of annoyance and anger.

"Well", Other Max said, her tone not in the slightest happy. "You certainly know how to make noise"

Max, deciding to be cocky, said back smugly, "Well, how else am I going to grab some attention from you?"

Other Max saw her amusement be dropped by her irritation.

"You have some balls," she said to Max, "Abusing the system of time travel just to save people already killed by fixed points."

Max, irritated at what "She" was saying, fired back. "What about Kate? Was she a fixed point?"

Other Max just shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, you did see her fall before you decided to meddle with it. Who knows? Maybe had you failed, she would have died and splashed blood on your hands."

Max held in her anger at the statement and decided to question on, deciding to hit one thing that didn't make sense.

"The moment I rewind time the first time around, you take me back several minutes," Max stated, "Yet, ever since my first go around, I only have had a handful of seconds. Why is that?"

"Why would you be given a power to use abusively?" Other Max countered, "You could have used that to go to far back and soon change everything you want."

"That's vague as hell," Max countered, "And you completely jumped my question with a hypothesis.". She tightened her grasp, but then released it to keep her cool, not to hold annoyance. "So, I will ask this: Chloe's death is a fixed point in time?"

Other Max scoffed and nonchalantly talked, "Ah, yes. The important Chloe Price. So important that you almost were willing to throw away all those lives of a town for one girl whom YOU haven't seen in...how long exactly? Even while her father was killed?"

Max was offended by that remark and went defensive. "I had no power at 13 years old! And what would I do? Have Joyce pay for TWO girls to raise?"

"You and Chloe could have worked for the Two Whales, actually take responsibility and learn to be an adult" Other Max countered, "Then, how long would your precious Chloe stay with you?"

Max bit her tongue and held back from going after this alternate self. Be the better person, Max.

"Yes," Other Max said, "Keep telling yourself that you are a good person. Time travel for the sake of vanity. Oh, if only Justin could look over to you other than Chloe. Perfect skater boy and quite impressed at your new-found knowledge of skateboarding."

"Shut up!" Max groveled and gritted.

"Then you wouldn't have to worry about that dorky Warren when you already are swooning for two dead girls."

Max, at that point, lost it and sent a right hook to Other Max, hitting "her" directly. However, just as it looked painful for her other self, Max felt a sore and stabbing pain in her left cheek as well. Other Max looked on with a smug grin.

"That's right, bitch" she said, "Every punch against me hurts you. You're in the same boat as I am."

Max, not willing to feel threatened, got up into the Other's face.

"Explain to me, then" she said, the pain slightly betraying her pose, "How the storm still happens even while Chloe was murdered by Jefferson"

Other Max, looking unfazed, retorted back, "Crazy shit happens, because it can and will"

"Then, by that logic, Kate should have been killed in Chloe's place" Max fired back, "Why not get Jefferson to finish the job on Kate?"

"Then congratulations" Other Max fired back, getting closer to Max's face, "You've murdered one friend over another"

Max felt her rage hitting her and turned it towards another argument.

"And, in the alternate reality, even with five years of William alive, everything in the original path to the storm remained the same?" Max asked.

This time, the Other Max, whom was boasting pride and smug looks, finally broke her confidence and remained silent, giving Max the upper edge.

"And even Rachel Amber?" Max followed up, "Now, Mark Jefferson being around is one thing, but to actually state that Nathan is still the same to be brainwashed and still Jefferson's minion, even with me in the Vortex Club?"

Other Max, again, largely silent, but her annoyance becoming much more readable.

"And, oh yeah, let's not forget Bongo" Max nudged her other self.

"Don't you touch me" Other Max stated.

"What will happen to Arcadia Bay? A nuclear explosion? A tsunami? All because of a cat?" Max nudged her again, getting underneath Other Max's skin, while not easily noticed without words, could be felt.

"What's your vendetta against Chloe?" Max asked, her rage pouring over and finally shoving Other Max, breaking "herself" and her cool.

Other Max then fought back, slapping Max across the face, the sting as painful as ever. Then, shoving Max over and over and hitting her, she said.

"What the fuck is Chloe worth to you?!" she yelled, "Throwing you in the guilt trip like you have Stockholm's Syndrome?! Abusing you and your powers while she's careless about your life?! Not once calling you or you calling back in the five years you both were separated?! She fell for a different girl and replaced you! What makes you think you're so special to a suicidal twat and a slut?!"

Max, feeling every blow, fought back. Shoving Other Max into the table, despite the sudden pain in her back in response, took every blow to the Other self and fired back.

"I changed Chloe's future every day!" Max fired back, "I gave her the friend she needed and the support she craved for! I was there willing to help her even if she was dying in a bedridden state! And I even changed the fate of Rachel Amber and opened myself to her and she welcomed me! If I can save all of them, what stops me from being happy with them ?! And how does a storm always remain the goddamned same?!"

Each blow and scratch and slap was felt back and forth and every bruise and sore pain was sensed. But, it was Max's final attack, throwing Other Max into the glass of the jukebox, that stopped the fight, as glass shards cut and pierced Max's skin. The blood started gushing from Max's head and back, the pain feeling miserable and torture as she fell to her knees.

Other Max stumbled up, disoriented and in pain, but clear enough to walk over to the Original Max and bend down to speak into her ear.

"You really want all of them alive, don't you?" she said, "William, Rachel, even Bongo alive? Then, know this: whatever happens next, Max Caufield, is on your head. Every mistake you make is on your own and in your hands to decide what happens next. No promises that Chloe will still love you the same way as before, no promise that Rachel will fall for you, no promises that even Kate will be salvageable. That is entirely upon you. And your rewind powers may or may not be of use."

Other Max stumbled out the diner as Max, exhausted and weakened, fell to her side and felt the floor dissipate and her consciousness, slipping into blackness again. Before she once again returned to the dreamy abyss, she whispered to the room.

Thank you...


A/N: This was a slightly bit more detailed, but some of the areas of conversation...Yeah, I totally went and saw some GamingSins of the game. Sue me! xP

Nevertheless, hope you enjoy this chapter!

EDIT: Apart from some alterations with the end, I wanted to say that, yes, this is noticeable darker and gorier, so be warned.