I LIIIIIIIIVE

I'm very sorry for vanishing off the face of the planet for the past almost a month. This chapter ran a bit longer than expected, so hopefully that'll make up for my writer's block.

Updates should resume regularly for at least the next two weeks: two of the next four chapters are already finished. :]

Oh, and another chronology issue: the section last chapter with Dave and Aradia and Calliope takes place after the events of this chapter.

Enjoy!

"What the hail is that."

(Vriska) gazes up at the bright blue sky. Well, it's not completely blue right now. That's the issue. There's a rift in the sky, a black blotch of caramel edged with bright green. It's viscously spreading across the atmosphere.

"Oh, we're forked."

(Vriska) pulls out her dice and rolls a natural 64. Her cutlass and longcoat appear.

If she's going to die trying to kill Lord English, she's going to do so in style.

She takes off and heads towards the rift.

Her phone buzzes: it's a message from somebody whom John named "son boy" in his contact list. Then again, she's received (and ignored) a couple messages from Roxy. It's probably just Harry checking in on his dad. But just to be safe, (Vriska) opens the messages up and reads them.

son boy: this is john, texting from harry's phone.

son boy: whoever stole my phone, give it back right the fork now.

(Vriska): Heyyyyyyyy Johnny 8oy, it's (Vriska).

(Vriska): Took you a while to realise your phone was gone, didn't it? ::::)

John: give me my phone, (vriska).

(Vriska): Oh, 8ut I didn't steal your phone, John! Vriska did! If you want the thief to give it 8ack, you'll have to ask her!

John: oh, you think you can pull one over on me, (vriska)? you think you can out-prank the pranking master? the heir of japery?

(Vriska): Stop em8arrassing yourself, old man.

(Vriska): Listen, 8uddy, we're not giving you 8ack your phone.

(Vriska): It's the only way I have to contact Terezi.

John: :(

(Vriska)'s thoughts shift to the other John, the John from the other Earth C. The John who ended up fighting Lord English and dying as a result. The John who, well, with Terezi…

Okay, she doesn't want to think about that. In fact, she'd rather think about pretty much anything else.

Of course, the more she tries not to think about it, the more she ends up thinking about it. It's like the "You are now breathing manually" thing.

Terezi misses John, so she's told (Vriska). His absence feels like a sword in her heart. She can't wait to get back home and try to get Jane to resurrect him, she says.

(Vriska) couldn't control her impulse to find out more. So she asked why it hurt her so much that he's gone.

Terezi isn't sure, she said. As she explained, "1 DONT R34LLY KNOW HOW 1 F3LT 4BOUT H1M… NOT TH4T 1T M4TT3RS NOW 4NYW4Y".

Why the hail would that make (Vriska) feel jealous?

She finally successfully shoves the train of thought aside as she closes in on the rift. There's a low-pitched hum in the air, like the rumble that sounds when a train is about to pull into the station.

Hold on. What if John could help her fight Lord English? Rose said he knew about the astropsychics, or whatever it's called.

(Vriska): Hey, w8!

(Vriska): Remem8er the LIFO thing that Rose said you knew a8out?

John: yeah… oh, oh fork.

John: i'm currently looking at the sky.

John: well, we're all gonna die. guess we really are irrelevant, huh?

(Vriska): JOHN. JOHN WH8T THE FORK ARE YOU T8LKING A8OUT.

John: this world doesn't matter, because of a choice i made a long time ago.

John: i guess this doomed timeline's about to get cleaned up.

(Vriska): Oh, you've GOTTA 8e KIDDING m8!

(Vriska): You're not TH8T important, dum8axe!

(Vriska): Now g8t over here and LEND A H8ND!

John: no, i don't think i will.

(Vriska): Oh, you USEL8SS FORK…..

(Vriska): G8T YOUR 8XE TH8 FORK OV8R TO THIS FORKING SP8CETIME RIFT!

John: i… (vriska), i'm sorry. i, i just don't really care that much anymore.

John: we should all be dead. why do you think this planet is populated with ghosts? it's a graveyard.

John: so no, i'm not going to help.

(Vriska): JOHN. JOHN, W8 ARE AL8VE. WE DON'T H8VE TO D8E YET.

(Vriska): I DON'T W8NT TO D8E!

(Vriska): NOT H8RE!

(Vriska): NOT N8W!

(Vriska): I NEED TO S88 TEREZI!

(Vriska): I N88D TO GET TH8 FORK OFF TH8S PLAN8T!

(Vriska): I PROM8SED!

John: i miss her too.

John: but i can't help you, vriska.

John: i'm sorry.

John: this is how it's supposed to be.

John: i'm going where destiny says i should.

John: if you want to sail into the wind, have at it.

(Vriska): SH8T 88888888P!

She shuts off her phone and shoves it into her pocket.

Looks like John's not going to help. Looks like she'll have to do this all on her own. As usual.

She steels her nerves and presses onward.

(Vriska) is now underneath the rift, in the middle of a wide field, much like the one in which she landed. The same one, in fact. She can see the deep score in the ground where she had unceremoniously landed some three weeks ago.

Her heart races as the rift continues to widen, but her face is set like Lexan.

If she needs to be the saviour… so be it.

Something emerges.

It's flashing green and orange, a small humanoid figure hurtling to the ground at a breakneck pace.

Not a good sign.

(Vriska) clenches her sword so hard that her knuckles go tan. She takes off, leaving her guts behind. Metaphorically speaking.

She intercepts the figure five seconds after it lands. It lies on its back in the crater it made and makes no attempt to move. It appears to be a sprite, though it's an odd-looking one. It's flashing orange and green quickly enough to bother her eyes. It has legs along with tattered wings. There are dozens of wounds on its body; at least, they look like wounds.

(Vriska) kneels next to the sprite, and it tilts its head towards her.

"B33 sup vwhiskers? nice to m33tcha"

(Vriska) can't help but stare at this badly-injured sprite. Its voice sounds familiar in more ways than one. She feels like she's experiencing some form of double deja-vu. Sollux would be happy.

Finally, a piece falls into place.

"N-Nepeta?"

"B33 and dave"

(Vriska) has nothing to say. Words have failed her. They've failed her so completely that they've betrayed her and turned her in to the silence police.

"B33 you can call meow davepetasprite^2 or just davepeta if its easier"

(Vriska) examines the sprite's body. Davepeta's in really bad shape. They're covered with bruises and scratches from head to toe. Their once-majestic wings are missing half their feathers. Their sunglasses are cracked in two places.

She finally breaks out of muteness jail. "What the hail happened to you?"

"B33 oh just fighting lord english the mewsual"

"You WHAT?"

"B33 you didnt s33 meow there? i saw you and furgured youd s33 meow too

"B33 oh yeah and im dying

"B33 hey its kind of ironic that you find meow just as im about to die huh? okay that was not furry good irony but the pawint still stands!"

(Vriska) has absolutely no idea how to handle this. She thought she was going to face a giant green monster, and then Davepeta showed up. Her expectations were completely subverted.

Maybe she should try to heal them?

"Is there anything I can do to help you? You know, so you don't die?"

"B33 i dont think so"

(Vriska) looks back up at the rift. "Well, uh, is there anything you can do to help me? So that when Lord English shows up, he DOESN'T destroy the planet?"

"B33 furst of all hes already here"

Davepeta spasms and grits their teeth. It's clear that they're trying to keep a brave face. (Vriska) knows because she's done it herself.

"B33 next of all the big guys already being taken care of"

"What the hail does that mean?"

"B33 if i toldja youd want to s33 fur yourself"

(Vriska) sighs. "Temporal shenanigans?"

"B33 kinda but much less purretty

"B33 like a nun walking onto a supermeowdel runway by accident

"B33 except im not completely sure what nuns are but i doubt theyre like supermeowdel standards of purretty

"B33 anyway its so good to s33 you vwhiskers! tell meow what brings you here?"

(Vriska) stares blankly at Davepeta for a moment. "You're dying, and you want to initi8 small talk with me."

"B33 yep! B33"

"You need to str8en out your priorities."

Davepeta spasms again and lets out a faint mewl. "B33 its either talk with you or let you run off and get killed by lord english

"B33 its not your time to die yet

"B33 but mine's coming soon

"B33 and i accept that

"B33 id rather itd come a little meowre quickly cuz im in a lot of pain right meow"

(Vriska) feels a pang of sympathy for the sprite. She ruffles their hair and lies down next to them.

"So, tell meow… I mean, tell me a8out how the 8attle against Lord English went."

Davepeta obliges. They share everything, from their chat with Jade to the unleashing of the juju to their rallying speech to them dragging Lord English into the astronomical prison made especially for him. (Vriska) hangs on their every word.

Just as Davepeta's in the midst of describing their endless, almost Egyptian fight in the void, they double over in a coughing fit. Their wings flap in a frenzy as they writhe in agony. (Vriska) puts her arm around the shivering sprite.

"You okay?"

"B33 i f33l like ive b33n eaten alive

"B33 so no not really"

Davepeta stares at the upturned soil for a long moment. They lie back down and roll onto their side.

"B/ im soooo tired

"B/ im just gonna lie down and rest fur a little while

"B/ maybe furever

(Vriska) feels a lump in her throat. There's nothing she can do.

Davepeta turns back towards her.

"B33 tell jade

"B33 tell her

"B33 were all fine

"B33 and

"B33 i wish

"B33 i wish there was more time"

Davepeta closes their eyes and explodes in a puff of technicolour smoke. Fluttering feathers drift out and vanish in the next instant. Somewhere, a feather kept in Jade's pocket disappears into thin air. A roar from over the hill fades into a thin wail which subsides into nothingness.

(Vriska) stares at the place where Davepeta used to be. She stands up on shaky legs and exhales with finality.

"hey, what was that big expl0si0n?"

She whips around and sees Sollux standing at the edge of the crater.

"It was… uh….. a sprite. Also, where the hail have you 8EEN? I heard you were around, 8ut why don't you ever talk to your friends anymore?"

Sollux looks old and worn down. His face is lined, and the bags under his missing eyes are more prominent than ever. He sits down heavily on the lip of the crater.

"i've been hanging 0ut with aradia and calli0pe f0r the past several sweeps. but they're g0ne n0w. they've been planning 0n g0ing f0r a while n0w."

"Where? And when?"

"t0 s0mewhere that's n0t here. and right n0w."

(Vriska) looks up at the rift and sees that it's already sealing itself in a black caramel implosion. Three specks enter a hole that's somehow blacker than black. The rift closes behind them.

She can't help but feel like she's missed her only opportunity to get out of here.

She stares at the place where the rift used to be. It feels like it had never been there, not with the saturated sky filling the void perfectly. But she knows what lurks behind the too-perfect blue. At least, she knows in theory.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

Sollux sighs. "because they d0n't need me. i'll just weigh them d0wn."

"What makes you say that? I mean, if you've 8een hanging around them for so long, why would they w8 until now to kick you out?"

"i just need s0me me time. and n0w, i can have as much 0f it as i want. i want t0 be irrelevant, and that's n0t what aradia and calli0pe and dave want."

(Vriska's) eyebrows shoot up. "W8, Dave's with them? Jade's 8een looking for him for WEEKS! Why'd he leave without saying anything?"

"i d0n't kn0w. but i d0 kn0w that he's reached his ultimate self n0w. i d0n't kn0w h0w he managed it, but he did."

"And why'd Calliope leave?"

"because she's the alternate 0ne, the 0ne fr0m the timeline where she lived and calib0rn died. she says she has t0 st0p dirk and his ridicul0us meta-f0rkery."

(Vriska) sits down next to Sollux and stares into the blue sky, searching in vain for any sign of where the rift used to be. Was it too late to leave? She needed to leave. Why couldn't she have flown up through the rift before? Why hadn't she thought of that? Why hadn't Sollux been around to mention that Calliope and Aradia and Dave were leaving?

All she can manage to say is, "I wish I had known that I could go 8efore the rift closed."

Sollux shrugs. "y0u c0uld have taken my place. h0w'd y0u get here, anyway? did y0u fall thr0ugh the black h0le?"

"O8viously. I guess the same thing happened to you and Aradia?"

"yeah. why d0 y0u want t0 leave?"

"8ecause I miss Terezi."

Sollux nods wistfully.

"I promised her that we'd see each other again. And I promised I'd come 8ack to her. That's one promise I refuse to 8r8k."

"well... i'll try t0 help y0u 0ut with that, if y0u want."

(Vriska's) pleasantly surprised by Sollux's statement. He's never been fond of her, nor she of him. But then again, he empathises with her plight. And he would probably want to use the exit himself.

So she asks, "You want to get out of here too, right?"

"l00k, i didn't leave with the 0thers f0r a reas0n."

"8ut won't you miss Aradia?"

Sollux doesn't respond. He appears to be lost in thought.

"Well, if you're going to stay here for the next however-the-fork long, you might as well communic8 with your friends here. Like Karkat. I 8et he misses you 8ut won't admit it to himself."

Sollux thinks for a moment longer, then nods slowly and stands up. "im g0nna find kk. and if i figure 0ut a way 0ff this planet, i'll let y0u kn0w."

(Vriska) stands up and smiles. "Thanks."

She takes off, heading to Rose and Kanaya's place. They'd be interested in hearing about everything that just happened.