Final Fantasy Infinite Loops
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: All of the Final Fantasy characters belong to Square Enix. The original idea for the infinite loops comes from Innortal and later codified by Saphroneth. OathtoOblivion started the Final Fantasy Loops thread and was the first compiler. I think that's every thing...Oh yes, Spacebattles is who hosts the Infinite Loops threads.
-o-
2.1 (OathtoOblivion)
Odin wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was worried. Every Admin knew that it was important to get every universe they could Looping. Sure some had been spared by the Event, but most of them hadn't. The Loop process stopped that and gave them time to repair the date, but there was a slight problem that he in particular was facing.
Namely the oldest sub-branch for the "Final Fantasy" Loops. To further the tree metaphor, it was branch that all the other sub-branches sprang from, and it was degrading faster then he had expected. The splicing was going well, but even if he forced solely on the Loops that were needed for a full baseline for it, he might run out of time before it degraded. And if it degraded, there was a chance that it would take the whole branch with it.
'I won't let that happen' He thought grimly, scanning the code for anything he had overlooked, no matter how small. As it turned out he did find something. Namely an alternate Loop start point. It meant that that Loop would be more unstable and prone to crashing then the rest, but it was better then having it degrade into nothingness.
He scanned the data more thoroughly at that point. From the loops that weren't active, it looked like he only needed three more. The minor appearances of yet another yet-to-be-activated Loop could be easily be written out until things progressed further, and the data from one of the Safe Modes was easy enough.
Of the three Spira would be easy, but it seem that the second one was the one with Time Compression in it. Egh...he would have to take a look at that one later. As for the third of course it had to be the third sub-branch. What else would it be?
Odin still hadn't been able to figure out with both the Onion Knights and the Freelancers vying for the baseline spot. He'd thought that he had more time, but evidently he didn't. He searched the data one more time. He sighed at what it said.
Namely when it came to Loop stability the Freelancer just edged out the Onion Knights...He had no more options at this point. If he just had more time-!
"Forgive me Onion Knights." Odin whispered. Just as he started the process to install the Freelancers and damn the Onion Knights to the annals of what could have been, one of the other terminals chirped for his attention. He turned to look at it and was surprised at what he found there.
...Maybe he did have anther option after all, he decided streaming the Onion Knights data over to that other terminal. A terminal that showed one solitary Onion Knight. One that was Unique to the sub-branch but called data from the one that he was working on.
-o-
2.2 (Sirkald)
This was pretty nice, Ranma thought. It had been a long (long, long, long) while since any new Loops had come online, and as starved for variety as any veteran Looper was, visiting a new place was always a treat.
The Loop in question was being menaced by some kind of evil megacorp called Shinra and a long-haired prettyboy named Sephiroth. He hadn't really been paying attention when the Anchor had explained it. Still, there was evil to punch in a gloriously unfamiliar world, so he was all for it!
Even if he did have to be replacing Cloud's girlfriend.
They were exploring an arctic crater to kill prettyboy when Cloud stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" unAwake Cid asked.
Cloud pointed ahead toward a short monster with a knife and a lantern. "Tonberry. We'll have to find our way around."
"Oh, come on," Ranma said. "Don't be a wimp. How can we expect to kill whatshisname if we run from one little monster?"
Said monster heard the argument and waddled closer before raising his lantern. "Oh shi-" Cloud said before something hit Ranma andSTACKOVERFLOWERRORERRORERROR-
When he woke up with tits the size of watermelons he cursed. What the hell was that thing?
-o-
2.3 (cthulhu fartagn)
[SUB-BRANCH: FINAL FANTASY III]
[BASELINE COMPILED]
[SETTING ANCHOR]
[ANCHOR SET]
[SUB-BRANCH: ANCHOR: LUNETH]
[SUB-BRANCH: INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[ACTIVATE SUB-BRANCH?]
[YES/NO]
[YES]
[SUB-BRANCH: ACTIVATED]
[LOOP ITERATION: START]
Luneth grinned, staring upwards, at the light given off from the crystals.
"A new dawn huh?", he chuckled gently. "alright, I can live with tha-"
Luneth stumbled, and fell to one knee, looking around.
"what the?! What just happened?! This, this is the wind crystals cave! How did I get here?"
Frowning, he stood up and dusted his pants off.
"and why am I in my freelancer outfit?"
Luneth leaned against the railing of the enterprise, staring at the sea of darkness below. Everything was back to the way It had been before he and the other warriors had saved the world. Medusa has been breaking the ancients tower. The Nepto Dragon's eye had been missing, causing it to terrorize the vikings. Hein had been terrorizing king Argus's subjects. And looking down at the sea of darkness, Garuda, Goldor, and Xande were probably frozen beneath it. Raising his head, and looking to the north, he stared into the horizon, looking for Aria's crashed ship.
"Arc, I think I saw something to the north-east. Lets head that way."
Luneth slowly nocked an arrow in his bow, as Aria walked towards the water temples alter.
"Luneth? Is something wrong?" Refia said, in a gentle whisper.
"Something else is here. Some sort of monster? I think it going to attack her."
Aria stood slowly, and began to turn around. Luneth raised his bow and let an arrow fly, just as Kraken launched himself off the wall, heading directly towards Aria.
"Aria! Move!" Ignus barks out, drawing his sword as he does.
The arrow impacts on the back of Krakens head, causing him to jerk his head around, losing sight of Aria. A split second later, Arc's Thunderega and Refia's Areoga slam into his face, sending him even further off course.
Ignus runs towards Aria's crouched form, yanking her to her feet, and pulling her away from the monster.
Nice try monster. Ambushes only work when people don't know they're coming.
-o-
2.4 (Bardic Knowledge)
Cecil had tried being sneaky, but the railroad Loops he kept getting (it didn't happen all the time, just enough to be annoying) were starting to become aggravating. So this time he was going to be direct. Almost immediately after being brought in front of "King" Cagnazzo, he drew his sword.
"I've had enough of this." Everyone in the throne room looked at Cecil in surprise, the guardsmen starting to draw their own weapons. However, instead of brandishing the weapon at any of them, he pointed the Dark Sword in the air before swapping it with the Crystal Sword in his pocket. A brief moment of concentration and his Dark Knight armor also switched places with his Paladin gear in a bright flash of light."I am Cecil Harvey, Captain of the Red Wings, son of KluYa of the Lunarians and ward of King Baron. I know not when your treachery occurred, Cagnazzo, Archfiend of Water, but it ends here!" Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it... "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" Dammit!
-o-
2.5 (tovath)
Celes walked quickly though the halls of the Magitek Research Center. Behind her walked two people Hopefully their admittedly slightly crazy plan would not fall apart in the next few minutes. She strode up to captain in charge of security for this part of the Center.
"Captain, you need to clear all your men out of the area." she said with no trace of emotion in her voice.
"What? I was given no orders-"
"You are being given them now. Get you men out. They are to not return for two hours." Celes glared at him coldly, if this didn't work she would have to kill him.
He gulped then brought his closed hand to his chest in a salute. "Yes, general."
As the soldiers left she could hear some of them whisper "Good luck" and "Don't die" to the two people dressed in soldiers armor standing near her. After the last of them had been gone for a minute Locke and Terra took off their helmets.
"I'm impressed." said Locke.
"Don't be, they have always been scared of me." Celes shook her head. "We should have enough time, but we can't waste any." Celes headed over to the master controls and slowly pulled the level to release the espers from the magic draining tanks. It seemed that she had done everything right. None of them looked like they were about to become Magicite, although some barely had the strength to stand. She went to stand guard while Terra and Locke got them ready to go. Someone needed to and Celes didn't think she could face them right now, especially Shiva. After all the reason she had magic was that it had been torn out of one of them.
The light of escape talisman activating filled the room. It was a good thing that Terra had picked those up when she looped to another world. Celes had hoped that they wouldn't have to use the backup plan, but none of the espers had looked like they get to Cid's rail cart escape route. Now for her own escape, she needed to get outside.
The door opened before she got her hand on it.
"What are you doing here Kefka? Shouldn't you still be in Figaro."
"Oh, but I heard so many interesting stories about a young woman matching your description in Narshe just after we lost that unit."
"Really, I've heard there is an Opera singer who looks like me."
"It's not an Opera singer standing here. I will enjoy watching you die a traitor's death."
xxx
Locke was worrying. The Falcon was all ready to go, but Celes hadn't come yet. Part of him wanted to run off and find out what happened to her, but he knew of too many heists that had failed for just that exact reason. Suddenly there was a whooshing sound and Celes fell out of the sky. She landed on one knee, but then immediately collapsed. Her clothes were all bloody and burned in places.
"Are you ok?" he asked as he started a cure spell.
"Downside of the Zoom spell is that it can only be used outside."
-o-
2.6 (FTKnight)
When Terra was given the Welcome to the Multiverse speech, she had been warned that on occasion things would get very odd, but that did nothing to prepare her for the sight of Kefka stuck in an giant Hampster ball, as a Giant Skeleton, wearing a Kilt, prepared to whack the ball with an appropriately sized Sand Wedge.
she tries to find something to say but just opens and closes her mouth as the Giant lets out a savage yell, which was probable 'Four", and sends Kefka Flying.
" ooooh, he sliced it. " commented one of the watching guards.
Terra finally closes her mouth and decides to find something strong to drink.
-o-
2.7 (OathtoOblivion)
"And if we're in the same Loop, I can borrow the weapons for use, just in case?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Anything in the museum, you can borrow, just as long as you bring stuff to put on display," Ruby waved him off, trying to prop up a specific exhibit.
"Excellent! Be sure to save an extra-large exhibit for Excalibur!" Gilgamesh declared, before rushing off in search of the elusive sword. Ruby's grin became slightly fixed as she turned to the specific sword beside her. Said sword proceeded to open his eyes.
"Thank you very kindly for not telling him I was here, Lady Ruby," Caliburn sighed wearily.
"Don't mention it. I'll tell Sonic I saw you."
"Make sure to tell him not to slack off on his training just because I'm not there to lecture him. It would be unbecoming of the Knight of the Wind, not to mention one chosen as King Arthur, to be a horrid swordsman. Swordshog in his case, I suppose."
-o-
Between Loops
(OathtoOblivion)
Odin let out a sigh of relief as he looked over the coding for the eighth main sub-branch of his larger assignment. Upon first glance, that Time Compression seemed like a major problem on par with things like...well, it was better to leave certain things unsaid. But it looked like he was worried for nothing. He had set it up so that the Time Compression was simply a parallel universe intrinsically tied to the main universe of the sub-branch. And while the sub-branch itself had a Stable Time Loop involved, that was easily covered by the Oubourous Patch. All that was left was to load it up.
[SUB-BRANCH: "FINAL FANTASY VIII"]
[BASELINE COMPILED]
[SETTING ANCHOR]
[ANCHOR SET]
[SUB-BRANCH ANCHOR: SQUALL LEONHART]
[SUB-BRANCH INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[ACTIVATE SUB-BRANCH?]
[YES/NO]
Odin nodded, hitting the Enter key.
[YES]
[SUB-BRANCH ACTIVATED]
[LOOP ITERATION START]
2.8 (Bardic Knowledge)
At first, Squall almost thought that he had been found after, apparently, falling through time and then placed in Balamb Garden's hospital. He was quickly disabused of this notion when he felt the pain emanating from his scar. This was important because the scar may have ached for a while after their spar/duel, but it quickly faded until the only reason he occasionally remembered its existence was when he had to scratch his nose or forehead.
Not long after the pain hit him, Dr. Kadowaki entered the room and, just like he remembered, performed her check-up questions, then called for Quistis.
Is this a consequence of Time Compression? Squall wondered. He contemplated the question as he followed Quistis down the hall.
"Squall, is there something on your mind?" she asked.
"...Yeah."
"Not rea- Wait, what?" Quistis had been all set to mock his usual response, so a different answer threw her for a second. She sighed. "And here I thought I was starting to understand you."
Squall felt a small smirk form on his face as he parroted his old self, "I'm more complex than you think."
Quistis smiled again, this sounded more like Squall. "Then tell me. Tell me more about yourself."
The smirk slipped as Squall contemplated this. He knew, now, that Quistis, Zell, Seifer, Selphie, Irvine, Ellone, and himself all grew up together in the same orphanage. Did the GFs really cause that much memory loss? Then what would happen if he started using them now? Shaking off the deep thoughts for a moment, he replied. "It might sound a little odd. After class, could we see the headmaster?"
Quistis was caught off guard once again. Had that blow to the head caused Squall's personality to change? She opened her mouth to reply, but, in an incredibly un-Squall-like action, he interrupted her!
"I know I haven't made it to the Fire Cavern yet, but this is important." He glanced around as they got on the elevator. "And I know this is going to sound really strange, but we need to have that talk without any of the Garden Faculty around."
Very strange indeed, agreed Quistis, silently. "I'll see what I can do. As a teacher I can send e-mails to the headmaster, and he should hopefully get back to me before class ends."
Squall nodded. "Thanks."
-o-
2.9 (Bardic Knowledge)
Zidane Awoke confused. He had started getting used to finding himself back on the Prima Vista just before they reached Alexandria, and suddenly he was walking in through some guy's back door in a snow-covered town.
"Took you long enough!" said the man in question. "How goes the robbing and plundering trade?"
Zidane processed this – apparently the guy knew him – before replying, "It's been better. Now, why am I here?"
"Yeah, there's a girl I'd like you to meet."
Zidane felt a grin form, "Oh, really? Is she pretty?" Yeah, he had Dagger, but he could still look, couldn't he?
The man gave him the stink-eye. "There's no time for your womanizing ways! She's being pursued by Imperial troops as we speak! This town is no match for the Empire. Our independence can only be assured if we join forces with the Returners, an underground resistance movement. I sent her through the mines, if you hurry up you'll be able to reach her before they do."
Zidane shrugged. He still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he'd play along for now. "Got it." But before he could head out the door, the man said something more.
"When you get her, head for Figaro and talk to the king."
Zidane nodded and headed out the door. He quickly and stealthily made his way across the bridge to the mine shaft, men in brown uniforms and spike-topped helmets milling below him. Presumably the Imperial Troops the guy mentioned.
Once in the mine proper, he saw a hole in the ground that had pebbles still clattering off it. New enough that this mystery girl might have fallen down it. And if she hadn't, he could climb back up and keep searching. Fortunately, she was there, albeit unconscious, and she actually was rather pretty, though the green hair seemed a little odd. Unfortunately, the soldiers managed to find them right after he got there. But fortune favored him once more, as a small army of Moogles showed up out of nowhere to help him.
Though none of the Moogles said anything to him other than "kupo," reminding him of Eiko's Moogle friend Mog (who was also the eidolon Maduin), they routed the soldiers with little issue, helped along by Zidane himself taking out the commanding officer almost immediately. Once the rest of the soldiers were either unconscious, dead, or had fled, he thanked the Moogles for their help and carried the still out girl through the mines, a task made slightly difficult by her being half again as tall as he was.
After wandering for a moment, he found a switch that opened a secret passage out to the entrance of the town, just in time for the girl to wake up.
"Hey, there sleepy-head, you doin' alright?"
She looked at him blearily, then looked around them. "You... Saved me?"
"Of course! Though, I did get a bit of help from some Moogles."
Standing slowly, the girl put her hand on her head, "I can't remember anything... past or present..."
"Amnesia, huh? Well don't worry, I'll stick with you until your memory comes back. I'm Zidane by the way, Zidane Tribal."
"Terra..."
"Come on, Terra, we're headed to Figaro" Wherever that is "the old man said we could get help there."
Despite not knowing the geography of the place he found himself in, Zidane surprised himself in finding a castle in the desert to not only be familiar, but recognized it as Figaro Castle. Turning that over in his head while he and Terra fought off some wild monsters, he noticed that there were memories not his in there, but they all seemed like something he would do. Mostly. They even told him that this girl was known as a witch in service to the Gestahlian Empire who could lay waste to entire cities without remorse.
Which was completely at odds with how she was acting now. Honestly, she kinda made him think of Vivi mixed with a bit of Dagger.
At Figaro Castle proper, they were introduced to King Edgar Figaro, whom Zidane's pre-Awakening self had apparently met in the past. They were even supposed to be good friends, often talking about the finer points of the ladies of Figaro when they met up. Their meeting this time, however, was interrupted by an Imperial visitor, a clownish-looking man named Kefka.
After spending a few hours there exploring (and looting unattended chests), they rested in a guest room. They were suddenly awoken later by a man with a trio of Chocobos, telling them to get ready to flee. Zidane almost didn't want to, considering the castle seemed to be on fire. But he was assured that the people of Figaro Castle were in no danger, and just as they started to ride away, joined by Edgar, the castle sunk into the sands on command, which Zidane thought was pretty nifty.
After defeating a pair of Magitech Armour Knights, with assistance from Terra's magic (Edgar flipped out for a moment, but Zidane's no-big-deal approach baffled him into being calm again), they made their way through a cave to South Figaro.
It struck Zidane as a little odd that a castle's town would be on the other side of a mountain range, but this wasn't his world, so he wasn't going to pass judgment.
After some time in South Figaro (performing further looting), they headed north Mt. Koltz, which was the location of the Returner base. According to these new memories, the Returners were a rebel organization fighting against the Gestahlian Empire's world conquest.
Which, honestly, sounded right up Zidane's alley.
On the mountain, they were joined by Edgar's brother, Sabin. Privately, Zidane agreed with Terra's assessment of the young man as a "body builder who strayed from his gym."
It was at the Returner hideout that Zidane finally got an answer for what was happening. As it turned out, the Returners were having a visit from their "inside man," a turncoat in the Empire's ranks. Her name, however, was Celes Chere, one of the Empire's top generals.
And as soon as she saw him, she knew he wasn't supposed to be there.
"Feeling a bit Loopy?" she asked, as soon as she could get a moment with him.
"Loopy? That seems a bit rude to ask, don't you think?" Zidane replied, raising an eyebrow.
Her brow furrowed cutely. "Um, let me try again. Has time been repeating for you lately?"
Zidane quickly set down the drink he'd been carrying and turned to her. "You know about that?"
Celes nodded. "Judging by how Terra isn't Awake, I'm going to hazard that you're the Anchor for your world, too. I think I still have the notes from when Professor Oak gave us the 'Welcome to the Multiverse' speech..."
-o-
2.10 (Gamerteen13)
[SUB-BRANCH: FINAL FANTASY X]
[BASELINE COMPILED]
[SETTING ANCHOR]
[ANCHOR SET]
[SUB-BRANCH: ANCHOR: YUNA]
[SUB-BRANCH: INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[ACTIVATE SUB-BRANCH?]
[YES/NO]
[YES]
[SUB-BRANCH: ACTIVATED]
[LOOP ITERATION: START]
Yuna's eyes had opened with the dawn. She had begun her day like any other, get out of bed, dust off her clothes, and then hop down to get some breakfast from Barkeep. Or at least, that had been her intentions.
She nearly fell out of her bed onto the polished temple laminate when it turned out she wasn't in the Fahrenheit anymore, and dusting off her clothes informed her she was wearing a dress she hadn't so much as touched since she had joined the Gullwings. The sound of steps had reached her ears as she smoothed out the wrinkles with a frown. 'This thing has so many memories attached to it. Why was I wearing it?'
A voice called out from the doorway, one she recognized as a nun from Besaid's temple. "Lady Yuna." she asked, "Are you okay? I heard a noise and was worried." Yuna turned and smiled at the woman, "I'm alright."
The nun smiled back in return, "That's good to hear, it would be a shame if you got hurt today of all days!" Yuna blinked in confusion. Was there something important going on today? She surely didn't recall. The nun made to leave, but before she left she said "You should get something to eat, the Cloister of Trials awaits you whenever you're ready."
Something about that statement made Yuna grow unnerved.
It wouldn't be until she was on the elevator leading down to the Chamber of the Fayth that Yuna truly realized that something was amiss. It had begun with minor details. A few people she knew had joined up with the Youth League were praying before the statues of the High Summoners; how everyone called her 'Lady Yuna', and not a single 'High Summoner Yuna'; how no matter how much she scrounged that room, she couldn't find her Garment Grid, or her rather heavy coinpurse. These small thoughts, minor discrepancies left a niggling in the back of her mind as she moved through the Cloister with the ease of one who had completed it twice before.
When she had a quiet moment, between the finishing of the simple puzzle that was Besaid's Cloister of Trials, one that she swore was locked in a permanently completed state after the Youth League claimed the temple as their own, and her reaching her destination that she was able to think back, pouring over her memories to try finding out what happened. In short order, she had found it.
The night before, she had been on the Fahrenheit with Tidus, cheerfully telling him about her journey with the Gullwings.
The day before, a day that was nearly three years ago, she had completed her training as a summoner, and her true graduation into a summoner had been delayed by one day when Wakka and Lulu took her to celebrate.
A suspicion grew in her mind, one she felt was impossible... but had she not given credence to the thought when Sir Jecht mentioned it? When Tidus himself had mentioned it? When the Chamber of the Fayth opened to her presence, and the Fayth, thrice slain, long since sent appeared as she entered, the suspicion became a near-certainty.
She had gone back in time.
Though initially thrilled with the idea of having gone back in time, Yuna realized that the amount of possibilities that could come from it, both the good and the bad, were innumerable. Mention something to the wrong person and run the risk of being tried for treason. Come too late or too early for an event, and the window of opportunity would be missed. This realization had led to fear, fear of changing the present, out of fear of making the future worse. And so, she let it happen. But she soon learned another lesson, repeating events the same way twice was difficult when you had gained an additional three years of life and skills since then.
She bided her time, waiting an extra three hours in the Chamber of the Fayth to walk out, so that Tidus would be there when she fell. The fall was still genuine, as she had actually sat so awkwardly for so long that her legs were thoroughly asleep. Unlike before, where she merely stumbled down the stairs but was able to walk, she had to get Wakka and Lulu's help to actually reach the elevator until her legs worked again.
When Sin attacked Kilika, she said nothing she hadn't said before, offering to perform the Sending and stepping out onto the waters to do so, but Lenne's touch from her time as a Songstress meant it had a little more flair to it than it had previously. Lulu and Wakka joked at her about 'showing off', and Tidus was even more amazed than before. That was a change she truly didn't mind.
When it came time for her to be kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches, she let it happen. When it came time to break out, she may have started throwing insults in Al Bhed before clubbing them over the head with a pipe. Somehow, she managed to get out of the ship faster this time around and was able to summon Valefor to help battle the Oblitzerator.
She still marveled at the sheer power of Anima, and a lingering feeling in her heart had reminded her that she, too, had once held that power. But when she learned the Besaid Aurochs had won against the Luca Goers, it felt like there was a pit in her stomach. Something had changed, and she could only assume it was by her doing. The fear that had been building up, the nervousness and panic was about to reach a boiling point. She had to tell someone, but who?
After a few moments of thought, the answer became apparent. Only one person she knew might believe that she time traveled, should he prompt her, while also having the wisdom to offer advice. It was this realization that led to her current situation.
Sir Auron mulled over the scenario Yuna had given him, and said "Every day is another chapter in your story, every event is written in stone. It cannot be changed, no matter how hard you might wish it to." he chuckled, "So consider yourself lucky. Few, if any people find the opportunity to rewrite it."
"Yuna." he said as he prepared to leave the room, "Never forget that this is your story. Your fate is in your hands, and we, your Guardians, will be by your side every step of the way." those words spoken, Auron left.
Yuna smiled as Auron left. 'How could I forget to trust my friends? My Guardians?' and the smile would stay on her face for the rest of the day.
Until the Chocobo Eater knocked half their group into the chasm below.
"Well this is just disasteriffic." she grumbled from her spot on the ground.
Over Yuna's redone journey, she had learned much about cause and effect. A wide number of possibilities could be done in a variety of ways to reach new outcomes. Throwing a fragmentation grenade at Sinspawn Gui as the battle started to weaken its armor resulted in a shift in the battle party when it came time to fight it again; Sir Auron was unable to help, leaving Kimahri and Lulu to offer aid instead. Fighting to get out of her barrier when entrapped in the Extractor led to Rikku being visibly wounded when they caught up to her, a change she didn't understand until Rikku mentioned she was piloting the Extractor as they escaped Home. But a change she had assumed to be simple, merely removing a thorn from her side, had led to her stepping out of the Chamber of the Fayth in Bevelle to stare down the barrels of multiple rifles in a room filled with pyreflies.
It was an act she questioned doing for the past three years of her life. After they killed Seymour the first time, she had made to Send him. Trommel demanded she stop, and she obeyed, leading to the slaughter of the Al Bhed, Ronso, and her forced near-marriage.
The thinking behind it was simple, "If I Send him, surely I can keep that from happening." but as it had turned out, that may have been a bad idea.
As was the case the first time around, the Guado had chased them to Lake Macalania, summoned a Wendigo, and then it blew up the lake surface; landing her and her Guardians on the back of Sin, and eventually at the island of Bikanel. The Al Bhed found her before her Guardians had, and took her to the Summoner's Sanctum. Eventually, her Guardians came and rescued her, convincing Cid to allow them the use of the Airship to take them back to the continent. He took it one step further, dropping them off at Bevelle, her next stop.
To her sheer surprise, she had to do battle with Evrae, the Guardian Wyrm of Bevelle. Her Guardians didn't mention that they had to battle Bevelle's defender in order to rescue her. Between her Aeons, Guardians, and Cid's periodic missile barrage, they had defeated it successfully, and were deposited without fanfare near the center of Bevelle.
The streets were silent as her and her Guardians walked through the town, through the temples, until they finally reached the Cloister of Trials. Another puzzle down, another Aeon gained. Or... so she had thought.
The problem with the Chamber of the Fayth is that it is pretty much soundproof, the only way sound can get in is if the door is open, so that the summoner might pray without distraction or interruption. Tidus had come in last time, offering help she was glad to take to get out. But here, he had not. When she stepped out, he discovered it wasn't that he did not, it was that he could not.
The dead don't make good Guardians, after all. Sir Auron notwithstanding.
Instead of the six Guardians she acquired over her journey standing before her, only a quartet of Bevelle riflemen stood before her. Another quartet came to back them up, and as they dropped to one knee to prepare to fire, her mind flashed back to her memories of Lenne dying in the exact same way.
Eight shots erupted in the room, four found their mark in her torso, but unlike when it happened to Lenne, when she fell from her wounds and their pain, she didn't see the face of her beloved. All she saw were pyreflies, their source obvious to her, and their meaning equally blatant.
'I failed.' ran through her mind as her eyes shut, tears trickling down her face.
In her final moments, as life left her, she sent up a prayer, hoping that- though she was doomed to be trapped down here until properly Sent, or until she became a Fiend, her Guardians wouldn't have to suffer the same fate.
As fast as the pain from the bullets came, it had gone. And as she opened her eyes, all she could think of was 'The Farplane looks suspiciously like the temple in Besaid.'
-o-
2.11 (tovath)
Firion drew the Zenithian Sword and held it high. Now was the time to see if his reasoning was correct.
"What are you doing?" Yelled the, hopefully, false princess.
He sent forth a Disrupting Wave from the sword. "Getting rid of any illusions that exist." The room shimmered as a light swept through it. Once it was gone everyone could see that the person in in front of them was not the princess, but a loathsome Naga Queen.
"How?!" cried out Cid.
Firion ignored the reactions of his friends. "Where is the real princess?"
"In the hands of the Emperor, mortal fool."
"She will not stay in his hands." yelled Guy.
"What you think you are going to rescue her?"the Naga Queen smiled showing all of her teeth. "You won't even leave this room alive."
The fight was not easy, but Firion had plenty of practice fighting her, so soon enough he had separated her head from her neck.
"We will have to to tell the king of our failure to save his daughter." said Maria.
Firion nodded. "At least we are not bringing an enemy into our base." One that Firion well knew would kill the king.
-o-
2.12 (Gamer A)
A SeeD's exceptional powers and combat skills were largely dependent on Guardian Forces: mystical entities which inhabited a part of the user's brain and mind and granted them the ability to draw out and use Para-magic, in several ways. Squall had also seen situations where the mechanics of this relationship were twisted: for instance, Sorceress Adel "Junctioning" another Sorceress, leaving poor Rinoa melded into her chest. Or Ultimecia pulling Squall's own ideal of an ultimate GF from his mind, manifesting it into reality, then junctioning herself to it, instead of vice versa, creating a slightly horrific mixture of their individual appearances.
Squall looked behind himself at the thundersnake Quetzelcotl's head and neck protruding from his spine, while a conspicuously blue-skinned Quistis watched him curiously.
It was only a matter of time before the anchor ended up in a world where such things were the rule rather than the exception. This was going to suck...
-o-
2.13 (Custodator Pacis)
"Cloud."
"Yes, Tifa?"
"Why are you a Chocobo?" She deadpanned.
"...I'm more concerned on why no one in my cadet's days noticed me I'm a Chocobo before," Cloud said, as he adjusted his Buster sword with his wing.
-o-
2.14 (tovath)
Maduin blinked. His whole body felt odd and his memories seemed off. He couldn't concentrate with his fur itching so much. He seemed to remember how to get rid of that problem at least. He shifted into his normal form.
"Mog! What happened?" Yelled a little girl that one set of memories said was named Eiko as a whole bunch of moogles ran for cover.
Maduin asked the the world at large"What is going on?!" He was even more confused now.
He did get a reply of sorts from the girl next to him "I wanta know that. I was at Lindblum and Hilda was going ta take me shopping tomorrow and... and now I'm back here and ..." she burst into tears.
Maduin knelt down by the crying girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "My memories are all messed up too. I don't know what is going on, but we will find out."
Eiko looked up tears still in her eyes, "How?"
Maduin wasn't sure himself, but wasn't doing to say that. So instead he started talking about how he had two sets of memories in his head. One was of Eiko's grandfather asking him to protect her and agreeing to take moogle form to do that. (He wished he had remembered that sooner) and the other set was of his daughter Terra. Then he asked her to tell him about her memories. As they talked the moogles returned. One of them asked "Is all that true, kupo?"
"Of course, it is Mocha." said Eiko, "We'll go find Zidane and he will help us find Maduin's daughter." Eiko turned back to Maduin. "Hey do you think Terra could be my big sister? I mean you are here now and um..."
"We will have to ask her, but I'm sure she would be delighted." Maduin was amazed at how fast this girl's emotions could change. "First we will have to head to the Black Mage Village that you mentioned. They should have something to travel in there." And we can find out if her memories, at least are correct.
xxx
Zidane had decided to go for a baseline loop until they encountered Kuja at the Lifa Tree. He had a great prank he could hardly wait to pull. First though they had to get though Conde Petie, which meant that he had to find that priest guy. He knew from past experience that if he tried to tell Dagger about the fact that they had to go though a marriage ceremony without talking to him, things would get a bit dicey.
There was someone talking with the priest. Someone who he had last seen briefly when he had looped into Celes' world. "Maduin?"
The big horned man turned to look at hem. "You know me?"
"Yah. You're Terra's dad." Zidane was going to say something about how weird this Looping business was but before he could Maduin asked him urgently "Do you know where she is?"
"Oh boy, this is going to take awhile to explain. You see there is this giant tree called Yggdrasil that supports the multiverse