Compilation 10

A/N: Well, I bet you weren't expecting this to be our final looper!

10.1

"Mom!"

Carla Yeager struggled against the onrush of cold darkness, forcing her eyes open. As her fading awareness was reinforced, a sense of horror flooded her. She could barely hear the screaming in the distance over the deafening sounds of her children's shoes.

"MOM!"

It all hurt. Carla had never tried to understand everything Grisha had said about broken bones, but she could still feel her legs. Or could she? Was she so delusional that she was imagining things?

"MOM!"

Carla let out a long sigh, closing her visible hand. Sparks of agony flickered across her back and legs, her arm and torso hazes of pain. She could feel her life slipping between her fingers.

"Mom, don't move, we've got you."

Carla forced herself to look up at Eren and Mikasa, kneeling next to her, Eren taking her arm. "What... What are you doing!? You have to run now!

Addled by the pain, Carla failed to recognize the syringe that Eren had stuck into her arm. "Don't worry mom. We're here. We'll be fine."

"Get out... run..." The world was fading in and out. Carla could feel her life fading slowly. "Mikasa, get Eren out... out of here."

Mikasa was holding her hand. "We'll be fine mom. We'll be fine."

Carla was feeling... euphoric. She was dying but... 'Is that so bad?' She gritted her teeth as darkness enveloped her. "Be... safe."

"We love you."

"I know."

The world fled from Carla's senses, and she died.

10.2 Crossoverpairinglover

"Attack on Titan? Hell no! It's Shingeki no Kyojin!"

"Funimation can't do squat good!"

"Brycen Papenbrook sucks!"

"Original intent!"

"The roar is wrong!"

"It should have been broadcasted in sub only!"

"Texans can't edit scripts!"

Levi shook his head in annoyance as he looked down at what the wall was keeping out this loop.

"Subbers," he muttered.

10.1

When she came to, she had a massive hole in her memories, more pain than any dead woman had a right to, and a surprisingly murky head. "Mwah..."

A syringe wormed it's way into her mouth. "Rest... Sloth. I have use for you."

The fever persisted, visions and memories flooding her waking moments and her dreams. Children, gone. Husbands, vanished. Pain, confusion, gasps of clarity that fled on the heels of heat and sorrow. When she did awaken, there were times when she saw.

She saw an old woman, with grey hair and an ornate dress. A tall, stalwart man with an eye patch. A precession of men in white coats. A disturbing androgyne. A beautiful woman with long black hair. A fat, bald creature. A boy with long hair that seemed familiar. Words she could not understand passed between them. "Homunculus."

What was a Homunculus?

On the seventh day, her fever broke, and she fell into a deep, natural sleep. In the dark, dreams and visions flitted behind her eyes. When she finally did awaken, she was sobbing.

"So you're awake now. 'Bout time." She started to turn her head to the voice, but when the painful stiffness made itself known, she stopped. She exhaled, feeling the silent pleasure of stopping.

"Oy! Get up!" The voice shouted at her. She remained still though, until the voice decided to make her move and upended her bed.

The owner of the voice, the disturbing raven-haired androgyne who had watched her while she had been ill, grabbed her by the shoulder. "Get up! We're going to Dante."

She backhanded the androgyne, only to be grabbed and thrown at the wall. "Fucker..." she muttered.

The androgyne, not inclined to indulge her, grabbed her by her hair and lifted her. "Oh, you don't know the half of it. Trust me, I'm just getting-"

"Envy!"

The androgyne jerked at the name and spun on their heel. In the doorway, the stalwart, eye-patched man was standing tall, glaring at them. The androgyne chuckled darkly. "Oh, hi Pride. When'd you get here?"

Pride stepped into the cell, glaring down at Envy. "Long enough. You were supposed to escort Sloth to Dante, not beat her." Pride kneeled down and offered Sloth a hand. "My apologies. Envy can be rather... well, envious at times."

Sloth gulped and took Pride's hand. "I... where am I? What's going on?" The words, lost upon her for so many days, started a flood. "How did I get here? Who's Dante? Who are you? Why am I alive? Where are my chil-"

Pain. Seeing pain that almost knocked her off her feet. Pain that drove her to her knees, gasping for breath.

Pride, gently, brought Sloth to her feet. "All of your questions will be answered soon. If you come with us, we can show you what you are here for. We can show you what must be done."

"Hn. Great, now we need to babysit her as well," Envy muttered.

Sloth was slowly feeling the pain abate. But feeling the memory in her head, dancing on the edge of her perception, hurt. A thought came to her, dark and beckoning. 'Let the memory fade. Do nothing for it, care nothing for it. Take no care of it and forget. Be...'

'Sloth.'

Dante was the woman who she had seen the first day, as ornate and proper as she could recall. She was smiling even. "Welcome Sloth. We have waited quite a long time for you to join our ranks."

Sloth stared up at the roof above. She was a less preoccupied with the fact that Dante had chosen to introduce her inside of a cathedral, and more with the fact that the cathedral, and the entire city surrounding the cathedral, was underground. "Really? I wouldn't have imagined that I'd be so important."

Dante smiled, an act that danced on a sword's blade between enticing and malicious. "Your creation represents something for us. For all of us." Dante gestured to the other beings assembled in the cathedral. "The five you see before you are your new siblings. Gluttony. Lust. Wrath. Envy and Pride you've already met."

Standing in the upper level, some of the assembled Homunculi were muttering. Sloth could catch a few of the words, such as "weakling", "whore", "potential", "interesting", and "hungry". Against her better judgement, she glanced up. The Homunculi were assembled in the western corner, conferring quietly.

She could recognize, of course, Envy and Pride. The tall beautiful woman was probably Lust, and the fat man next to her could be no one but Gluttony. Which left the title of Wrath to the short boy, who was staring at her intensely. 'He must rather hate me.' She thought. Aloud, she simply answered, "So what of them. You haven't told me why any of this is happening."

Dante's malicious/enticing smile was back. She gently ran her fingers across Sloth's chin. "The answer... is the Philosophers Stone. That is the answer to our pain."

"I'm not going to get a straight answer am I?" Sloth muttered. Dante's grin became terrifying.

"You see Sloth, the Philosopher's stone is the key to immortality for me. I've searched for it for years, trying to recreate it. It has allowed me to transfer my soul to a new host body, surviving for centuries. And with it, I can gain immortality indefinitely. But it has vanished from me, and now I'm looking to create a new one."

Sloth rolled her eyes. "Congratulations. You want to recreate the most powerful alchemical item in all-"

'What is alchemy?'

Sloth cut herself short, choking on the words. Dante took the opening, ignoring or not noticing the sudden hitch in Sloth's breath. "You're correct. And to do that, I need you." Dante started pacing around Sloth. "You see, I know that you're experiencing something. Something you can't fully explain. A pain seems to come from nothing. But I can tell you where that pain comes from." Dante leaned in over Sloth's shoulder and whispered. "Trisha Elric."

Agony. Agony that tore her skin and flayed her soul. Agony that sent her to her knees, that drove her apart. Agony she needed to escape. Anything to escape it...

When the pain ended, Sloth found herself low to the ground, surrounded by water and... just a head? She tried to make sense of what she was seeing, even as Dante tapped her foot into the water. "Impressive power Sloth. Liquefaction will be very useful where you are going. Now can you pull yourself together?"

Sloth stared at the mass of water that, apparently, was her body. For a moment, she didn't care for what was happening to her. What was the point? A bolt of pain, though, reminded her of what Dante had, and could, do to her. Summoning her will, Sloth slowly reformed, pulling herself into a standing position. The water swirled for a moment before coalescing into her body.

Dante nodded in satisfaction. "Beautiful work Sloth. It seems you have the power to do as is needed of you."

Sloth was busy checking to see if her body was stable, and found it somewhat pleasing that she had little need to consciously maintain her form. "Well, I guess I don't really have a choice, now do I?"

"Go with the flow," Dante intoned ironically. She started walking towards an elevator. "Sloth, I will not be able to free you from this binding, but I instead offer you a far richer sacrament." Dante stepped into the elevator, Sloth stepping in after her. "Freedom, from your past and memories. All I ask is that you find, and control..." An evil grin came to Dante's face. "Edward and Alphonse Elric."

The agony came back, driving Sloth to her knees. Dante giggled darkly. "Kneel..." Memories flooded her mind, the pain increasing tenfold as she struggled to stem the tide. Sloth felt her consciousness weaken...

"Mom!" Green eyes and black hair. Dark eyes and tan skin. Names... Eren, and Mikasa. And an abatement of the pain.

Sloth rose to her feet. Dante smiled. "Soon, it will be our time in the sun. Soon."

Back in the dark of the sunken city beneath Central, a silent, psychic ping reverberated throughout the world. Not a single returned. Wrath pursed his lips. "Well... shit."

The next three years came and went in a blur as Sloth settled into her new role. Dante's promise of freedom from her memories, and eventual return to humanity, had spurred all of the Homunculi into a fervor of work. Sloth had thrown herself into the role that she was to play.

Sloth was to act under the name Juliet Douglas, as the secretary to Pride, who's own alias was of Führer King Bradley. She would be his bodyguard, and act as the spymaster for the Homunculi. Further more, she would also be their chief assassin, as her liquefaction ability granted her nearly unparalleled potential for stealth and espionage. Her position also granted her a front seat to the strange art called Alchemy.

Alchemy, it seemed, was the process of converting one material into another using the components of said material. Alchemy could turn graphite into diamond, or turn water into the component hydrogen and oxygen, but it could not create something from nothing. And it could not create human life.

This was the law that Dante promised the Homunculi the Philosopher's Stone could break. Any attempt to craft human life with Alchemy, or to recreate it, would create a Homunculus. That was what created Wrath, what created Lust, and what had created Sloth. In the case of Sloth, she was the attempt made by Edward and Alphonse Elric to bring their dead mother back to life.

The notion though... the memories plagued her, sickened her and pained her to even recall them. Sloth could feel herself slowly growing to despise the boys. The memories of Trisha Elric caused her nothing but pain.

The other memories though, that were different.

In the dark of the night, Sloth found herself recalling the memories of Shiganshina. She could remember a boy, her son Eren. The memories changed abruptly towards the end, as a new face, a young girl named Mikasa, entered her life. At the very end, the memories took a turn for the horrible, as they showed her the eventual fate of the woman she had been in her memories.

It bewildered her to recall such events, confused her to no end. It was as if what she recalled had actually happened, and yet she couldn't explain how it existed. It was as if it was all a dream. Or perhaps she was dreaming now, trapped in the nightmare of Amestris and Homunculi.

Sloth didn't know if she cared for these memories. All she knew was that she wasn't Trisha Elric, and that she had a goal to strive for. Recover the Philosopher's stone for Dante, and become human by any means necessary.

And if that meant murdering the boys whose memories caused her so much pain... then so be it.

10.3 Crossoverpairinglover

"...Dear Mr. Springer. After careful review, I am afraid to tell you that your attempt at writing an informative novel was an absolute failure. Please try again after some loops in an English course at a high ranked university. Best Wishes, Hermione Granger and the Hermione Granger Informative Looping Novel Award Committee..." Sasha read off the letter as the poor fellow sulked in the corner. "I told you that you should have written about something else".

Connie did not respond to her taunt.

"Say, what did win that book award anyway?" Historia was actually genuinely curious.

Meanwhile in a secluded corner, Jean sneezed as he turned a page in Of the Proper Build of a Harem King (or Queen) in the Multiverse, by Issei Hyoudo "Equestrian Polygamous variants, the tale of Bellerophon "Lero" Michaelides..." He read the chapter's title before feeling dread.

The dread of a variant loop one knows they are going to get one day.

10.1

In a small cafe in a distant southern city, Edward Elric groaned in annoyance. "Al, why are you making me do this?"

The giant suit of armor that was sitting next to Ed gently pushed the bottle of milk to him. "Because you're eating for both me and yourself. So drink up. It's just milk."

Edward glared at the milk. "It's cow piss that doesn't even have the decency to call itself cow piss." Edward grabbed the bottle and drank it down quickly, trying to avoid allowing any of it to touch his tongue. "And anyone who says otherwise needs a wake up call."

The other patrons rolled their eyes and Alphonse folded his arms. "It's important you get your nutrition. I may only be a suit of armor, but I know the importance of calcium. Besides, look at these rock hard abs." Al rapped his torso armor, the hollow metal ringing.

For a moment, the Elric brothers silently stared at each other. Then they broke down laughing. "Geeze Al, do you just spend your nights thinking up these jokes?"

"Oh, I wish," the boy-possessing-armor said.

At that moment, a ping, a psychic burst of static, sounded off, followed closely by a second. "Ah, crap. Forgot to ping."

"Eh, it's only been a few minutes since we awo-"

Alphonse's reassurance was cut off when a rapid fire fusillade of pings hit the brothers. Edward winced as the pings settled into a rapid pattern. "What the... Is that morse code?"

"What are you two talking about?" the cafe tender asked. Both brothers ignored him, Edward pulling a pen out of his coat pocket and grabbing a napkin. The elder and shorter Elric started writing.

"N. C. E. N. C. E. N. C." Edward stopped and underlined the pattern. "Central. Let's roll Al."

Ed and Al pulled out their wands, left their cash on the table and left the cafe. "Thanks for the grub tender."

"Wait!" The owner shouted. "This is ten times what you owe me! I can't take this!"

Ed and Al smiled and twisted on their heels, apparating away. For a split second the world closed around them, pressing from all sides as if they were being forced through a rubber tube. Then, just at the moment where it almost became unbearable, the world coalesced and settled. Ed and Al were now standing atop a large bell tower, the agreed upon meeting place for Central. Hooking his automail prosthesis on to the rim of the roof, Ed flipped into the belfry, where a familiar child stood to greet him and Al. "Hey Wrath."

Wrath, despite the seriousness of the situation, smiled at the brothers Elric. "Been too long Ed, Al."

"What's the matter? MLE replace Dante, immanent alien invasion, another Homunculus become a looper?" Al asked as he stepped into the belfry.

Wrath frowned. "I wish it was that simple. I've been Awake for the past three years you know, ever since Sloth was... well..." Wrath, Ed and Al all spared themselves a moment to recall that Sloth had been Wrath's mother surrogate, and the end result of Trisha's failed resurrection. Wrath gulped hard and continued. "The thing is though, I think someone's replace Sloth this loop."

"Really? That's so strange," Winry said as she fell out of the roof. The other loopers didn't react strongly, as Winry had been looping for a rather long time. "Did they ping you back?"

Wrath shook his head. "I don't think they even know that they're looping. Something is seriously up with her."

"Eh, it can't really be a problem," Ed pointed out. "It's probably someone..." Edward trailed off as he recalled his loop memories. "Oh... Fuck." Edward gently took Wrath by the shoulders as Alphonse stilled behind him. "This woman... she's not supposed to be looping. She's supposed to be dead! Literally, at the beginning of her loop, she's supposed to be dead."

Wrath leaned back, a little confused. "But... who is she?"

And Edward answered. "Eren Jaeger's mother. We need to help her, now!"

Wrath forced Ed's hand off of him. "Alright, I know that it's good and moral to help someone in need, but... what's with the doom and gloom?"

"Have you ever been to Eren's loop?" Ed asked. "Because if Eren ever heard that we hurt his family, he, and the other two Anchors, will declare an inter-loop war. No if, ands or buts about it."

Silence came crashing down.

At that moment, Maes Hughes landed in the belfry. "What I miss?"

Inside of Ametris' Military Headquarters, Sloth's pen quickly ran down the page, marking her place. The Homunculus in disguise clicked her lips and handed the sheet back to the runner. "It all seems to be in order. Just remember that you don't need to doubt your own skills."'Or bother me to proofread what you do,' she thought.

The runner smiled, quite abashed. "Thank you miss Douglas. I'll try."

"Sure you will," Sloth muttered as he left. 'Humans... Why do I want to become one?'

The answer to that question was simple though. Sloth was tired. Tired of the painful memories that plagued her at night, tired of thirsting and not being able to drink, tired of starving to death and yet not dying. She was tired of the dulling of her senses, tired of being tied to Trisha Elric, tired of hiding. This was the pain of a Homunculus.

But mostly, she was tired of her curiosity, of her want to find the strange boy and girl who spun madly within her mind, tired of not knowing the answer. She wanted to find them, needed to. They did not cause the pain of Trisha Elric.

The pain had dulled though. Years of training herself, preparing herself, acclimating, it had all rendered the pain transitory and weak. She felt little beyond annoyance when she recalled the sons of Trisha. She didn't need to be anyone's mother... beyond the two that she knew she had to be a mother to.

Sloth pursed her lips and put her pen to some stationary. She had a job to do, and if she got distra- "Yello there."

Sloth tried not to crush the pen in her grip. "Yes?" she addressed the man who had come to her desk. A quick mental cross reference brought the name of the man to mind.

"Maes Hughes," he introduced himself. The bespectacled and bearded man was using his best disarming smile on Sloth. "Miss Douglas, right? Secretary to Führer King Bradley?"

"Yes that's me," Sloth answered apathetically. "Mister Hughes, if this is another one of your attempts to show off your daughter's photos, you can save your breath."

"Aww..." Hughes flipped open a wallet with several photos of his daughter and wife. "But they're so precious."

Sloth stared at Hughes, clicked her pen, and started writing. "That's cute."

Hughes leaned in, finally getting to the heart of the matter. "Actually Miss Douglas, I've been asked to do an audit of our files, and I've found a discrepancy regarding your personage. If you could come with me, I could show you the issue itself."

Sloth held herself very carefully, trying to prevent herself from over reacting. If someone had managed to find out that Juliet Douglas was an alias, they would need to be eliminated. Very quickly pressing a small button concealed underneath her desk, she alerted Lust. Sloth smiled as genuinely as she could and stood up. "Well, as the secretary to the Führer, I cannot allow any sort of issue with my self to stand. Shall we, Mister Hughes?"

"We shall, Miss Douglas," Hughes answered formally. Hughes began to lead Sloth through the hallways of Headquarters. "You see, I was examining some of the older military records for any mentions of Colonel Mustangs involvement with the Ishvalen conflict, and came across a passing mention of another Juliet Douglas."

Sloth politely smiled. "Another Juliet? I wouldn't be surprised; Juliet isn't a particularly rare name."

"It's a nice coincidence. Just something I thought I could dismiss. Thing is though, while Juliet is listed as deceased, her military record wasn't struck from the roster." Hughes looked over his shoulder at the trailing woman. "Miss Douglas, I would imagine that someone has conflated you with the other Miss Douglas."

Sloth nodded. "Tell me, why does this involve me?"

Hughes stopped in the hallway. "Because, when I cross-referenced the previous Juliet Douglas' information with your own, I found that she also shared your place and date of birth, previous affiliations and residences, and your military record. In fact, the only thing that you didn't share with her was her date of death. So, Miss Douglas, while this may all be a miraculous coincidence or mistake, I'm inclined to think otherwise in the case of the Führer's secretary."

Sloth didn't react overtly to the accusation, merely smiling. "Mister Hughes, may you follow me? I believe I can show you the truth."

Sloth now led Hughes deeper into the building, tracing a path through the maze of corridors. All the while she kept a close eye on Maes, as he himself carefully noted the hallways they passed through. Coming to a door, Sloth opened it and ushered Hughes inside.

Lust, Envy and Wrath were waiting inside of the room for Hughes. "You see Mister Hughes, there's something you should know..."

Envy made a run at Hughes.

"...You're not going to live long enough to know the truth."

Hughes pulled two throwing knives out of his pocket and drove them into Envy's shoulders, far faster than Envy could react. With a single kick, Maes sent Envy flying across the room. "Miss Douglas, I sincerely doubt that."

Lust and Sloth jumped into motion, Lust sidestepping another knife and moving to close the distance on Hughes flank while Sloth swung a whip of water fashioned from her arm at Hughes. In the back, Envy tried to move, only to find that the throwing knives embedded deep with it's shoulders weren't going anywhere. "Don't let him stick you!"

Almost as if to illustrate Envy's point, a knife clipped Lust's shoulder and sent her flying. Using the sudden opening in her concentration, Hughes delivered three more knives into Lust's body, at her shoulders and into her stomach, fully immobilizing her in the same manner of Envy.

Now it was down to Sloth and Wrath-

Wrath leaped into Sloth's form, his ability to merge with any matter he came into contact with locking his body inside of Sloth's. Sloth, for lack of a better term, locked up as Wrath took over her form. "What? Wrath, what are you doing!?"

"Sorry Sloth," Wrath said.

Hughes sighed in relief and pulled a thin stick out of his coat pocket. "Well Wrath, it seems we've gotten the 'evacuate' part of the plan down. Now, step two?"

Inside of Sloth's immobile body, Wrath spoke. "Step two."

Hughes took Sloth by the arm, and with a twitch and a crack, both vanished into thin air. Suddenly free from the oppression of the knives, Lust and Envy shot to the spot where, moments ago, Sloth had been. But she, Wrath and Hughes were gone without a trace. Envy turned to Lust.

"...you saw that, right?"

10.4 Pixel the Square

Who the hell was this emo dancer looking guy? That was all Eren could think of. He looked no older than he, but his long black hair and outfit were just weird. He needed to know why the hell Armin wasn't here, he did not want a repeat of last time.

"Mikasa, who's this guy? Where's Armin?"

"Eren, that is Wander, he doesn't say much. All we know is his name and that he plans to fight Titans one on one without ODM."

Eren froze, "What? I have to see this. When is he going out?"

"Tomorrow."

Damn, he'd have to wait. Someone taking out a titan without ODM? It was something only he'd done, but he had a supreme advantage, his Titan form. He had trouble sleeping that night, anxious to see Wander in action.

Eventually though, the time came and he trailed Wander.

"Agro!" Wander called the biggest horse Eren had ever seen. He thought he was fairly tall, but this horse's shoulders were as tall as he was.

"I want one..."

"Good for you Eren."

They both watched in amazement as Wander rode up to a Titan and started climbing up it. The titan fought and shook in fatality until Wander reached the nape. It would have been amazing had another titan not have come along, plucked Wander off like grapes off a vine, and promptly eaten him.

"Dumbass," Eren said, amazed no longer.

10.1

In a warehouse on the distant outskirts of Central, a section of previously unoccupied air exploded as Maes Hughes, Wrath Izumi and Sloth (formerly Trisha Elric) appeared. Sloth, in her bout of disorientation, almost missed the sensation of Wrath disentangling himself from her body. Almost.

Sloth lunged, enveloping Hughes in her watery grip. "Move and I'll crush you."

Hughes cocked an eyebrow and teleported out. "Nah, not today. Besides, you've got people you need to speak with."

Sloth, trapped between a traitorous Wrath and a Maes that was more powerful than any human had a right to be, ran though her options. She could try to run, in which case she'd be running from Wrath, who had already demonstrated the abnormal ability to take control of her body. If she stayed, then the other Homunculi and Dante would see her as being party to treason against them. And if she tried to battle her way out, she'd only be incapacitated. So what did that leave her?

Bluffing. It left her bluffing. Sloth narrowed her eyes. "Let me guess? Someone's going to walk in and try to appeal to my humanity? Try and offer me the chance to become a double agent?"

"Actually," an achingly familiar voice in the dark of the warehouse said, "we were thinking you could step out of the fight entirely. You know, become a neutral party. Maybe even a friend?"

Sloth rolled her eyes and turned to the voice. "Alphonse, it's been too long. How's being a soul trapped inside of a suit of armor treating you?"

Alphonse, armor and all, emerged from the darkness. "Oh, it's pleasant. Never get tired, never get thirsty, don't need to do too much cleaning. How's being a Homunculus?"

"Oh it's hellish," Sloth cheerfully responded. "Don't need to eat, don't need to sleep, you know, all that pesky stuff humans do. But hey, you would know since you damned me to be this."

Up inside of a foreman's office, Edward grumbled. "I hate it when she's like this."

Winry slapped her husband. "She's just venting. Let Al do his thing, and once she's all ready, we'll explain the loops to her."

Down on the floor, Alphonse waved off Maes and Wrath. "Sloth, or would you prefer Juliet?"

Sloth cackled. "Oh, mommy dearest is fine by me Alphonse. Isn't that who you wanted? Your mothers smiling face? Well here it is." Sloth's face split into an inhumanly wide rictus, a grinning parody of glee.

Alphonse was not impressed. "I know that you're very shaken by all of this Sloth, but you're in good company. I experienced a similar situation when I first found myself here. I can assure you though, given time you will come to understand."

Sloth rolled her eyes, but clamped down in her emotions anyway. She was hitting all the wrong buttons with Alphonse, being too direct and sadistic. She needed subtly. "Well, what is it that you want me to understand? If you brought me here then obviously there is something you feel you need to explain."

Alphonse nodded subtly. "I believe a few answers would be in order, but I must warn you, they are quite complicated, even ludicrous to an extent."

Sloth gave Alphonse a look that bordered on incredulousness. The young alchemist sighed. "I believe the first issue to address should be the most important one. Are you familiar with the name Carla Yeager?"

Dread, fear, terror, abject horror at the notion that anyone would know, because if anyone knew, then Dante and the other Homunculi certainly would. Sloth stamped the emotions down and growled. "...No. I've never heard of that name."

Alphonse nodded, as if expecting that answer. Moving his hand behind his back, Alphonse pulled three small marbles out and tossed them onto the ground. The marbles rolled to the center of the room and stopped quite suddenly. Then, to Sloth's shock (though her shock was slowly diminishing, as she had already seen strange things that day) a riot of light emerged from the marbles. Alphonse pointed at them. "Portable holo-projectors. Useful when you need presentation space."

An image appeared, before suddenly shifting, fracturing, and then resolving into the image of a familiar boy. "Do you recognize this boy Sloth?"

Sloth didn't answer.

Alphonse gestured, the image splintering and becoming the image of a young asiatic girl. "What of her? Do you recognize this girl.

Sloth said nothing.

Alphonse didn't sigh or make any verbal instance of emotion, but Sloth had the impression that he was distinctly worried. The image of the boy returned to stand with the girl's image. Alphonse stepped forward towards Sloth. "These children are named Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman. They were born and raised in the city of Shiganshina. They lived in a world surrounded by high walls that prevented monsters, known as Titans, from entering and devouring all of humanity."

"Mikasa devoted her life to Eren and protecting him. Eren wanted to see the outside world, and destroy the Titans and those who wanted to stop humanity from leaving. To that end, Eren wanted to join the Scouting Regiment, which would regularly leave to explore the outside world. His mother, Carla Yeager, forbade it. In the year 885, disaster struck. Titans entered the Walls surrounding Shiganshina, and Carla Yeager was killed. And that was suppose to be the end of Carla's story."

Alphonse stepped through the hologram, disrupting it. "Sloth, what I'm asking you, is this: do you remember the life of Carla Yeager?"

Sloth was shaking, but if it was out of fear or fury she could not tell. She tried to articulate her thoughts, but could not do so. Finally, she settled to glare at Alphonse. The younger Elric brother nodded, as if he had expected this reaction. "I can only tell you want we know and suspect. We need you to confirm or deny this."

10.5 Crossoverpairinglover

A city of dazzling light, filled with more people than Connie could count.

So much technology, so much noise, so much...so many kinds of people!

There were people like him, people who liked just like Mikasa, and people with skin tones he had never seen before. Who knew people could have skin that dark in color, or brown skin that wasn't a tan?!

Was this what perfection looked like?

"Nope, just Times Square, New York. I mean, if you are looking for the greatest place on earth, you probably are in the right city."

Moving his gaze from the golden arches of McDonald (whatever that meant), Connie turned around and saw a floating figure overhead: a gold and red armored human whose suit resembled the one that he had seen used by Armin on previous occasions.

He noted the people around him were staring at the suited man interest, as if he was famous or something.

The armored man landed in front of him and seemed to be sizing him up, before extending his hand. "So, I take it you're a tourist here on a loop, right? Why don't you come with me?"

"Avengers, Assemble!"

"We're already here Cap," the armored man commented as the blue and red dressed soldierly looking man looked bashful.

"Sorry, it's just I didn't get a chance to shout it last loop. The G-5 Marines were not cooperative."

"What's an Avenger?"

All gathered heroes eyed the rather confused Connie, who blushed. "What?!"

The Armored man shook his head, but began to explain. "The Avengers are a team of Super Heroes whose job is to protect people from danger. Natural disasters, rogue super villains, things like that".

"We're an independent organization, allied to but not bound by the government bodies of the free world," the blue dressed 'Cap' continued. "From here in New York to Latveria to the Stars above, it is our solemn duty to protect all innocents".

"So what, you guys are all mercenaries or something?" Connie tried to wrap his head around the idea of 'Super Heroes' that were actually liked by people.

"No, mercenary implies a pay-check," a younger looking fellow in a red and blue costume that sort of resembled a spider-web in pattern laughed bitterly. "It's more of a 'great power comes great responsibility' sort of thing. Basically, instead of fighting dangers because you are drafted into the military, you do it because you think it is the right thing to do".

Fighting Titans because you wanted to, not because you were told or expected to do so? Honestly, Connie could not imagine his world operating like that.

"It ain't an easy job," a short and hairy man in a yellow costume grunted. "And you don't do it because you want to be popular. No bub, being a hero means that you are going to have problems with egomaniacs with magic rings," -the armored man coughed awkwardly- "crazy red skinned racists," -the soldier glared at the table- "jealous step brothers," -a muscular blond fellow with a hammer looked sad at the mention- "Killer artificial intelligence modeled after your own brain patterns," -a man dressed in red with a ant-like helmet looked distinctly uncomfortable "-grouchy news editors," the spider-web dressed man slumped over in depression "-and the odd giant killer robot," he finished. "No, you do it because it is what is good for everyone else."

"What's a racist?"

The assembled team exchanged confused looks, before shaking their heads sadly.

"Basically, it is the belief that being a certain skin color or ethnicity makes you better than another person solely because they are not the same as you," The soldier explained as Connie looked dumbfounded.

"That sounds stupid".

"Yes, yes it is. Now, getting off that topic, are you interested in joining the Avengers for the loop?"

With a scalding steam blast, Connie blew a hole right through the training room's last target as Cap/Captain America/Steve Rogers looked on.

"Impressive. I've seen 'Conduit' powers before, but it'll be good to have a looper with some for a loop. So, have you decided on a code-name yet?"

Connie looked contemplative, but nodded. "I was thinking about calling myself Steam-Man"

"Steam-Man huh? Well, I suppose we haven't exactly exhausted the -Man quota yet, we'll get you a costume once Wasp wakes up..."

"ALERT! ALERT! THANOS THE MAD TITAN DETECTED IN TEXAS..." The Iron Man's voice rang out through the training room as the two looked alarmed."...CORRECTION, THE DESOLATE LANDSCAPE FORMERLY KNOWN AS TEXAS! AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!"

"A Titan!? Don't worry guys, I've got this!" Connie ran ahead as Cap shouted after him that this wasn't the sort of Titan he was used to.

10.1

Sloth was not afraid. She refused to be on principle. Amongst the Homunculi, she was the most powerful, even if she was the youngest. By that simple fact, there was very little that any of human could do to frighten her.

That Alphonse had declared her closest, dearest secret to her as contested fact did not affect her at all. Not one bit. And that was what she continued to tell herself while she waited inside of her cell.

After Alphonse had relayed her lack of answer to his questions, Edward, who was not her son, had informed her that they would be keeping her safe. That safety amounted to having Wrath immobilize her for a second time, provide her with a two way radio and some water proof books, and alchemically seal both of them inside of a watertight room.

At least the books might be interesting. And she could have had worse company.

"Sloth, just read the Manga's. They'll help."

The company could have been Alphonse. As it were, Sloth elected to ignore Wrath in totality and glare at the cell walls. The reborn child of Izumi Curtis groaned and tried again. "Sloth, I know that you're scared, but really, your secrets are safe with us. We can protect you, but only if you listen to me."

Sloth leaned against the wall and quietly resigned herself to her thoughts. Wrath grumbled and took one of the books. "Alright, if you won't read, then I will. We might as well get you up to speed with what Eren and Mikasa are doing."

Sloth twitched, but made no attempt to stop Wrath. Wrath decided that was a good sign, and flipped open the book. "Chapter one. It was on that day that humanity received a grim reminder. That they lived in fear, and shame within the prison they called protection..."

"What the hell are you reading Wrath?" Sloth grumbled. Wrath quickly switched to her side of the cell and showed her the book. Sloth glanced at it and noted that the entire page was covered in pictures. The content of the picture caught her by surprise though:

A massive Titan loomed over the Wall, glaring down at the humans of Shiganshina. She remembered when she had seen it, looking out of her window, that she had thought that it's singular goal had been to hurt her and her children. Then she saw the piece of the Wall that it had kicked loose, hurtling towards her...

Sloth slammed down on the memories and grit her teeth, angrily turning away from the book. "What the fuck is that, some kids book?"

Wrath's jaw dropped. The book slipped from his grasp as he stared at Sloth. Then, slowly, a look of pure fury spread across his face. He grabbed Sloth and slammed her into the wall. "What the Hell Carla! What sort of sick game are you playing!"

Wrath stared into Sloth's eyes. "Don't you love them? Don't you love your children? You can live with them, we can help you. Why aren't you listening!"

Stunned, Sloth didn't answer Wrath. The child Homunculus was shaking with fury. "Why aren't you trying harder? Why can't you just choose right?" A choked sob escaped Wrath. "Momma, why can't you choose right?"

"...Momma?"

Wrath gently let Sloth go, not meeting her eyes. "The Sloth I knew... she was like a mother to me. I know that doesn't make any sense to you, but I still care about her. Edward and Alphonse miss Trisha. I miss my Sloth. And Eren and Mikasa miss Carla." Wrath gulped and once again was able to meet Sloth's gaze. "Sloth... Carla, if I could show you how to reunite with Eren and Mikasa, would you give up everything to see them again?"

Sloth didn't answer immediately. Her emotions, a whirlwind of pain, confusion, and most of all fear, stilled her tongue for painful minutes. A thought, perhaps a memory, came to her. "We're here, mom."

Sloth stood up. "Start talking. We're going back to Dante."

Wrath nodded slowly, pressing his palm to the side of the cell and alchemically opening a hole into the passageway. "I guess, all of this starts with the world tree, Yggdrasil."

I want you to imagine a tree, infinitely powerful and complex. A god in every sense of the word. It contained every world that can, has been, and ever will be. It contains both our world, with Amestris and Alchemy, and the world of Carla Yeager, with the Walls and the Titans.

It was a peaceful tree, protected by deities, and safeguarded by itself. But something went wrong. Something damaged the World Tree, and almost killed it.

To keep all of the worlds from being destroyed, the gods and goddesses that ran Yggdrasil enacted a compromise: time loops. A certain person inside of every world would live out a specific time period, anywhere from a single day to entire years. The period of this world is from when Edward and Alphonse pass through a city in the south, to just after they reclaim their bodies.

Once that end marker is passed, usually a few days after Edward and Alphonse have reclaimed their bodies, Edward finds himself, without fail, back in the city to the south (I can't recall the name, my apologies). Edward then relives the history of the world from that point on, with the skills and knowledge that he achieved in the previous life.

The end point is fixed of course. Edward relives the period from the point where he "Awakens", to the point where, in the original timeline, he saved Al's body. He has the opportunity to reclaim his and Al's body, but there are times when they don't. Sometimes they're too busy, or can't risk losing the edge that their Alchemy grants them.

Ed's the only one guaranteed to have remembered the events of the past timeline, but others can as well. This is sporadic, but not uncommon. We call Edward the "Anchor", while Alphonse, Winry, myself, are "Loopers".

You're a looper as well Carla. The difference though, is that you're a looper from another world. You're from the world that Eren, Mikasa, and their friend and brother Armin Anchor together. It's actually quite remarkable.

What happened with you Carla, is that you looped into our world as your first loop. When the loop ends, or you die, you'll return to the world of the Walls, but with the power of a Homunculus. A human with a Homunculus' power is a frightening thing.

Carla, what you need to know is that, if you trust me, and be patient, then you'll see your children again. You'll be better for it. So please, please believe me.

If you trust Dante, she will destroy you. And I care too much for you to let that happen. So tell me: who do you trust? Someone who is ready to give you the benefit of the doubt and collateral, or a woman who will destroy you when you show her what I've given you?

You have that choice, to be Sloth, or Carla. Choose.

10.6 Crossoverpairinglover

Sasha Blouse: Rare Comedic Relief Character. Spared from death due to brutality of said death.

The floating yellow letters in front of the archer thought they were more clever than they actually were.

Rather like Connie really.

"So, I take it you're the oddity of the loop?"

Yes. Now don't ask us questions, it makes you seem disturbed

Hans: Local drinking champ. Should be dead

Said lover of the fine ale swatted the yellow words away, wondering if someone spiked his drink this loop

Hange Zoe: Mad Scientist, because every loop needs one. Can wear anything

"How fascinating!" the scientist perked up from her microscope and it's smallpox sample to the magical words that had appeared before him. "Is this a Roguelike looper?!"

No. I don't give you random crud, I just annoy you and don't do anything useful except inspire bartenders.

Ymir: Inspired by love and has a relationship that seems decently mutual and healthy. Probably going to die before Berolt and Reiner return.

The former Titan turned Titan shifter ignored the floating words behind her as she sampled a Cobbler's wares.

She did have a dance to take her Historia to, she didn't have time to be distracted by random loop crap.

You are doomed! No one ends up happy in Marv...Detective Com...Attack on Titan. You are so going to die! Doom!

Noting a pair of heels, Ymir turned to the clerk. "Do these come in a black?"

I should stick to bothering droids...

10.1

The elevator tram trundled into it's berth, in the city deep beneath Central. Sloth pulled the grate open and led Wrath out into the cathedral that Dante had taken to meeting in. Inside the main ballroom, four of the six Homunculi, along with a much younger girl, were present. The girl spoke. "Sloth, it's a pleasure to see you've captured the traitor."

Dante could place that condescending tone anywhere. "Dante. You've jumped bodies again."

Dante, in her student Lyra's body, preened. "A woman cannot stay old and decrepit forever. A healthy body is quite a useful tool."

"As if any body you'd use is healthy," Wrath mumbled.

Sloth ignored the belligerent Homunculus and stepped forward to the assembly. "Fellow Homunculi and Dante. Wrath's treason has been an unexpected boon to us, because he was hiding something." A red jewel emerged from Sloth's hand, having been concealed inside of her watery body. "This is what we have been searching for."

Sloth tossed the gem to Dante. "Philosophers Stones. In fact..." Sloth held up her hand again, several stones balanced between her fingers. "Enough for each of us."

"WHAT!" Lust nearly shrieked. She shot to Sloth's side, plucking one of the Stones from her hand. Gluttony waddled after her, equally dumbfounded. "Are these... are they real?"

"As real as can be," Sloth assured. She handed one to Gluttony and tossed a third at Pride. "Our salvation, ladies and gentlemen, is at hand."

Envy growled something and stepped backwards, narrowing his eyes. Pride, with his lone good eye, starred at his own stone. "Miraculous..."

Sloth pulled her own stone from her hand, marching over to Dante. The body-snatching immortal raised an eyebrow, before comprehension dawned on her. "You want me to fulfill my end of the bargain."

Sloth nodded, kneeling before Dante. "I have things I, as a human, must do. With Trisha Elric's memories plaguing me, I can't succeed. Release me."

Dante chuckled low and dark, her hand moving behind her back. "Humanity, with a Philosophers Stone? The task is child's play. Hold still." Dante rested a hand on Sloth's forehead.

Sloth stared into Dante's palm, waiting, breathing, trying not to imagine all the ways what was happening could go wrong. 'Go with the flow. Don't fight it. You'll see Eren and Mikasa aga-'

Dante rested her right hand on Sloth's shoulder and paralyzing agony swept through her. "Destroying Homunculi? With the remains of the human you were made from, that's also child's play."

Alchemic energy coursed through Sloth, burning away the water and transmuting it. In the background, she could hear Wrath screaming, Lust shouting in horror, Envy roaring with laughter. 'No...' "Please, god, no..."

An explosion of feeling, Wrath slamming into Dante and her, sent Sloth reeling. "YOU BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Sloth was flung like a rag-doll, her form dissolving into the air. It dawned on Sloth that Dante had transmuted her into Ethanol, something she, without Alchemy, could not reverse. To her surprise though, another blast sent her flying, and then another. Wrath was propelling her along, trying to get her somewhere safe. Finally, with a splash, Sloth was immersed in a large basin of water outside.

Wrath skidded to a halt above her. "Sloth! Are you okay?"

Sloth struggled, and managed to slowly raise her head above the surface. "I'm... here..."

Wrath kneeled to the water. "Stay here. Stay safe. I'll take care of Dante."

Wrath left the water side, and Sloth found herself alone and exhausted, trapped within the basin and working to keep her body from dissolving. Sloth groaned, and sank into the water.

The water was cool, and comforted her. Sloth could feel it intertwining with her form, merging with her. Slowly, the diffused Homunculus began to realize that, if she chose to, she could merge with the water and regain her physical form. After that, she would emerge and... then what?

Sloth had seen Wrath's power, seen how he had fashioned a Philosopher's Stone from his own body, pulled many more from his so-called subspace pocket, but if what he had said was true, then all she needed to do to see Eren and Mikasa, the children of her memories, of her dreams... All she had to do was die.

'That would be easy...' Sloth said

Sloth closed her eyes, and opened them slowly. 'It would be easy to die. It's always easy to die.' Sloth whispered.

'I've died before...' Sloth murmured

'Continuing hurts.' Trisha whispered. ''It's painful to see everyone. You're not who you are.

'Letting go is easy. It's lovely.' Sloth said.

'I can let go,' Trisha declared. 'I owe this world nothing.'

'You owe Wrath,' a third voice whispered in the dark.

Sloth closed her eyes and slowly opened them again.

'Pass on. Be at peace. Be as peaceful as the water,' Sloth whispered, her voice a caress.

'Leave them behind. The dead deserve rest, and all anyone has ever done is keep you from it,' Trisha growled.

'...don't... fear...' Her voice called from the darkest depths.

Sloth closed her eyes.

'Rest.'

'Give up!'

'...fight...'

...Sloth opened her eyes.

'You're free,' Sloth said.

'You're nothing!' Trisha shouted.

'...fight.' she said.

Sloth blinked.

'Do Nothing!' Sloth declared.

'Be Nothing!' Trisha screamed.

"Fight," she said.

Sloth closed her eyes...

'...I'm going to see the outside world...' Eren said.

'Be safe Eren,' Mikasa murmured.

'We're here for you mom,' they said.

'...we're waiting for you.'

Carla Yeager opened her eyes. Slowly, she integrated her form with the basin's water, and once she was replenished, drifted to the edge and walked, painfully, out of the water. Carla turned in her heel and plopped down on the ground with a wet squelch. "Ow."

The Yeager matriarch stared at the water, at the reflection staring back. 'Is this who I am? Who I really am?'

The reflection changed, into Sloth. "It's so easy being you..." Then again, the reflection became Trisha. "And you have no place in this world, do you?" The face slowly became an amalgam of the three. "So what do I do now?"

Carla sat there, contemplating herself for a moment. Said moment was interrupted when an explosion went of in the distance. "Oh crap, Dante!"

Carla leaped into the basin. "Introspection later, help now!"

Wrath dodged another barrage of earth spikes and retaliated with a blast of lightning. "Seriously, this is the last time I'm putting a Philosopher's Stone in Dante's hand."

"It'll be the last thing you do!" Envy shouted in his monstrous form. The fight had rapidly gotten out of hand for Wrath as Envy and Dante brought their newly acquired Philosopher's Stones to bear and began wrecking the city. The fight would have been even worse, if not for Wrath's sudden accomplices.

Lust and Gluttony had very quickly turned on Dante and started using their own Stones. Against Dante and Envy, both of whom had a hilarious edge in terms of experience, Lust and Gluttony would have very naturally ended up losing quickly. Alongside Wrath, with his own experience and power and Philosopher's Stone, the fight was more level. That didn't make it easy, as Dante demonstrated by dropping Lust into a hole filling with spikes, but at least no one was dead yet.

Wrath backflipped over a blast of fire from Dante, then grabbed Envy's fist and halted it. With a quick flip, Wrath leapt on to Envy's arm and directed a blast of force lightning at the Homunculus' head. Envy screamed in pain and threw Wrath across the square.

Lust and Gluttony tag teamed Dante, the Ultimate Spear and the Ultimate Jaw moving with unnatural coordination against the master Alchemist. Dante rolled and twisted between Lust's long spear nails and Gluttony's grabs, retaliating with miniaturized explosions. A single blast caught Gluttony across the face and drove him like a nail into the ground. Lust danced swiftly, covering the area with her claws and blocking Dante from finishing off Gluttony.

Wrath grabbed a Philosopher's Stone from his pocket and leapt out of the crater that Envy had thrown him in. The cobbled together Homunculus laughed as Wrath formed another bolt of lightning in his palms. "You think you can beat me? I've been killing-"

At which point Wrath decided to prove that talking was not a free action and unleashed a surge of alchemically infused lightning so intense that it illuminated the entire city like a fragment of the sun. Envy's scream didn't even overcome the crash of thunder. When the light faded and the smoke cleared, Envy was one very dead Homunculus and Wrath was running for Dante.

Dante nearly screamed when Wrath killed her son, and did scream when he joined the fight. Enraged, Dante simply unleashed the power of her stone and launched into the sky atop a tower of spikes and alchemic lightning. "YOU FOOLS!"

Lust, Gluttony and Wrath froze in shock as Dante towered over them as her power overwhelmed the local matter. "DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?"

In the distance, a fainting pounding noise could be heard.

Dante's power ripped the tower in half and nearly crushed all thee Homunculi. The Immortal seized Lust and Gluttony and lifted the two Homunculi in stone vices. "YOU WILL SUFFER BEFORE YOU DIE, IF YOU DIE!"

The pounding sounds became louder.

"I WILL SEE THE ENTIRE WORLD BURNED NOW THAT I HAVE THE POWER OF THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE. AND ALL OF IT SHALL BE ON YOUR HE-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NOISE!"

Dante, power mad, spun on her heal, and managed, for just a second, to see what she could almost call a living tidal wave, but was more accurately a Carla who had highjacked several thousand gallons of water and grown to (there really was no other way to put it) Titanic size. Carla's fist crashed into Dante's body, and Dante's world went black.

Edward, Winry, and the newly restored Alphonse had returned to their warehouse with the plan to try and convince Carla to retake her pre-loop identity, only to find Carla chatting with Wrath, Lust and Gluttony, amiably, while using a very unconscious Dante as a foot rest. Maes, the only remotely normal human in the building, was gesturing at the group in stunned silence. Alphonse and Winry were, understandably, shocked.

Edward took it in stride. "Well someone's been making new friends. Hello everyone, I'm Ed Elric and this is my girlfriend and brother. Pleased to meet you all under these nice circumstances."

Lust was sipping some tea someone had brewed up. "A pleasure, Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Lust, can I eat him?" Gluttony asked innocently.

Lust patted Gluttony's head softly. "Sorry Gluttony, but you can't eat our hosts. We'll find you something later. And besides, he'd barely make an Hors d'oeuvre."

"I'll show you Hors d'oeuvre!" Edward shouted and nearly tackled the friendly Homunculus. Winry promptly caught him and say on Ed, the Fullmetal Alchemist grumbling.

Wrath quickly caught the returned trio up to speed as Ed applied minor medical alchemy to Al. "So after all of that, we came back here to see what we'd missed. Maes was practically shitting himself when we all showed up together."

"You could have taken me with you," Maes mumbled. Wrath waved him off. It was, after all, his fault for falling asleep on guard duty.

"Anyway, in the end it was all a big success and we've come out on top. Dante's caught, Envy's dead, we have Lust and Gluttony on our side." Wrath laced his fingers and cracked them luxuriously. "I think we've come out on top for once."

Edward and Alphonse rolled their eyes. "Aren't you forgetting Pride?" Al asked. "And what about Hohenheim? We can't just tell dad that an inter-dimensional woman is inhabiting a body that looks like Trisha's."

Wrath winced. "Well, we'll... cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, we'll pretty alright."

Carla smiled politely and set her drink down. "Edward, Alphonse, I... well, I will admit, I'm not sure what to feel."

Those present in the room turned to look at the youngest member. Carla cringed under the attention. "I... I don't know what to do anymore. I've spent three years as Sloth, pursuing Dante's goals because I thought I might be able to return to humanity. And now you're telling me I will, in just a few months. You're telling me that everything I've done, the lies I've told, the lives I've ruined, even ended, not mean anything in the greater scheme of-of things?" Carla's voice cracked at the end.

Alphonse quickly slid over to Carla's side. "Miss Yeager, that's not true. What you've done was wrong, but you were desperate. I can understand that. What happened isn't your fault, and you'll learn from it, and be more able, next time, to make the right decisions."

Carla gulped down a small sob. "You really think that?"

Alphonse smiled. "I know that. You'll be a great mother when you get back, and in the meantime, we'll help you become a fighter."

Winry hooked one leg over another. "Miss Yeager, we can help. Just ask."

Carla Yeager, for the first time in years, genuinely smiled. "Th... thank you."

Lust set her tea down and stood up. "Gluttony, come along."

"But Lust, I'm hungry."

"That doesn't mean we should intrude," Lust started off for the door, only to feel a surprisingly strong grip on her wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Carla smiling.

"Be safe."

Lust winked. "If anything could stop us, I don't think we've met it yet."

Back at the table, Dante groaned as she awakened. Edward raised a leg, and brought it down on Dante's head, and for the second time in so many hours, the world faded to black.

10.7 Crossoverpairinglover

The tall man in the trenchcoat and fedora (which he had obtained a while back when he had to impersonate the Phantom Stranger) frowned from the roof top as he observed the trio below him from up top the building in the Trost district.

The dark haired youth whose form burned with a dark rage deep within, in a manner similar yet different to the Stands.

The sole remaining Oriental of this world, a warrior of utmost fidelity, the most dangerous of all types.

The blond strategist, blessed with a great intellect, and the calculative turn that war made of such a mind.

The Jaeger, the Ackerman, and the Arlert.

The three Nebulous Anchors of this world.

The three threats.

"So, observing people from the rooftops like a gargoyle are we? My my, I heard you had been doing work with Batman Jonathan, but I never thought you'd start acting like him."

The figure sighed deeply, before turning to the darkly dressed figure that watched him from the other side of the building.

In his dark cape lined with gold thread, and his chess king esc mask, Zero, alter ego to Lelouch, stared him down.

His fists clenched, ready to do battle if need be. Zero just shook his head.

"Clam down Joestar, I may be allied to Anakin but I do not share in your families feud with him. I have not come to pester you, or one of the members of your cursed family. As a member of such a family myself, I like to think I am rather empathetic. No, I am more curious as to why you stalk the anchors of this world this loop."

Jonathan sighed, before noting the fleeting forms below.

"They are dangerous."

Zero didn't seem phased. "You could destroy a universe Jonathan. I could destroy a universe. The Monarch could destroy a universe. It is the potential of all loopers to bring the end to entire worlds, to end the stories of millions. What makes them any different from you and I, bar your muscle tone and my ability to inspire nations?"

"That is not what I meant," Jonathan clarified. "Tell me, Demon Emperor, what makes you and I different from them?"

"Well, they differ from me because they lack my fashion sense as I lack their muscle tone," Zero offered. "They differ from you because they lack an immortal stalker of a step-brother and are in conflict with zombie-giants instead of a super-powered vampire."

"No," Jonathan clarified. "They differ from you and I because they walk down the dark path. The path towards madness."

Zero shook his head. "Jonathan, are you sure you are not just overreacting? You say the same thing about virtually all of the loopers who pre-date Equestria. Hell, you once suggested the Equestrians were benevolent Bureau types these days. You see darkness in everyone beyond your loop, it is not a good thing." Zero turned around, as if aiming to bound away.

"Anchors have fallen to despair, to confusion, and to doing scripted comedy on TLC. They have never once fallen to Sakura Syndrome, and they won't anytime soon. Trust me on this Joestar, being paranoid about everyone around you isn't healthy."

Zero teleported from the roof, leaving a disguised visiting Anchor of the Joestar cluster yet unswayed from his fears.

10.1 (epilogue)

In a pile of rubble in the Walled district of Shiganshina, a woman stirred. Her free arm, sprawled out, twitched and slowly moved to her face. Carla Yeager gasped as she felt warm, human skin. "I'm... I'm back."

"Mom! Mom!"

Carla's eyes widened as she recognized the voices, her children's voices! Carla's original plan of making a showy introduction of her powers went straight out the window. Carla liquified her body and flowed out from the wreckage of her house, healing her shattered body and spinning in her heel before racing down the hill. "Eren, Mikasa!"

Her son and daughter skidded to a halt in the road just in time for Carla to grab them both and hug and kiss them. "Oh, I've missed you so much."

Eren blinked and gasped. "M...mom? What are you-"

Carla smiled broadly, tears sliding down her face. "Yes Eren. I'm looping. I'm finally here, for both of you."

With only an instant of hesitation, Mikasa magnetically seized Carla, followed almost immediately by Eren. Thus, in that lonely street in Shiganshina, as Titans slowly filled the city, a family, for once and finally, was reunited.

10.1: Welcome, Carla Yeager to the Attack on Titan loops. Bet you guys never saw that coming!

10.2: I would like to formally thank and credit Crossoverpairinglover for writing so much this chapter. He really came through, and get this: he wrote all of these in just a week! Also, the dub was great, I loved it, really.

10.3: Believe it or not, Connie can write. Better than me in fact.

10.4: Colossus are powerful. Titans are numerous. Quantity over quality bros!

10.5: Connie would make a pretty decent superhero. Steamboy…

10.6: Sentient headlines. I can only apologize for my friends belligerence.

10.7: Insanity… a fearful thing. But Carla will fix that, right?

.

.

.

...right?