THIS IS WHY YOU DO NOT BRUTE FORCE TIME TRAVEL
By Isangman0
Chapter 1: Oscar Goes Back in Time
To any outside observer, it looked as if Hazel was putting up a tough fight against Salem, at some point even having her on the ground and at his mercy. When she regenerated for the fifth time, however, it was clear that she was toying with the man.
So, the moment Jaune, Yang, Ren, and Emerald had an opportunity to escape, they took it.
"Come on everyone, out!" shouted Jaune, directing them to the open exit. As soon as Emerald ran past him, he began to run, only to realize the one they actually went to rescue was still behind him.
Oscar had his back turned to Jaune, clutching Long Memory like his life depended on it.
"Oscar!" said Jaune, a hand stretched out to the younger boy.
Oscar turned to him, his face grim.
"She'll just come after us," he whispered.
Taking Long Memory off his back. he extended his cane fully.
And clicked.
The last thing he heard before everything exploded was Salem screaming in rage as Hazel grabbed onto her long enough for the magic inside Long Memory to activate.
Oscar awoke with a jolt.
Was the Monstra dead? Were Jaune and the others okay?
Groaning, he pushed himself up to sit, rubbing his head with his other hand.
"Hey you, you're finally awake." An unfamiliar voice said from somewhere to his left.
Oscar turned his head, only to be greeted by a glowing purple man.
"Wha-?!" He exclaimed as he fully got to his feet.
The first thing he noticed was that, wherever he was, it was definitely not in Atlas. It was a barren landscape as far as he could see, under a blanket of stars so thick he could see clearly even if it was clearly nighttime.
The second thing he noticed were the two figures standing in front of him. One was the purple man who, at second glance, also had horns on the top of his head. He had his arms clasped behind him. The second was a glowing yellow man, slightly taller than the first, with deer antlers.
Oscar stared at them.
"Oscar," said Oz abruptly.
"Oz?"
"Kneel, you are in the presence of the Brother Gods."
Oscar widened his eyes and gasped. A second later he was on his knee, head bowed deeply.
The brothers ignored his action.
"Brother," began the purple man, who Oscar guessed was the God of Darkness. "Isn't this the one you cursed with immortality until he could bring humanity together?"
"He is," agreed the yellow man.
Oscar looked at the other god. "Is he…"
"Yes, he is the God of Light," supplied Oz.
"What are you doing here, Ozma?" said the God of Light. "I sense that the relics have not been brought together yet. We have no obligation to return to Remnant before you do so."
"It was an accident!" said Oscar, raising his head.
The God of Light went silent.
Realizing what he'd done, Oscar went pale as a sheet and bowed his head again.
"I'm so sorry, um, my lord," he began. "We were fighting a fierce battle against Salem. In a desperate moment, I activated the magic inside my cane. It caused a huge explosion.'
He took a breath. "The next thing I know, I'm here."
He kept his head bowed, hoping his earlier outburst didn't offend them in any way.
"Raise your head boy." The God of Darkness said.
Oscar did so.
"So, you are Ozma's latest incarnation," said the God of Darkness, examining him. "How old are you?"
"Fifteen, almost sixteen," replied Oscar.
"Practically a child," agreed the God of Darkness.
Oscar felt a desire to defend himself that he quickly stamped down. From the way the God of Darkness spoke it, there was a twinge of empathy in his voice.
"The curse does not discriminate, brother," said the God of Light. "It only attaches itself to the person most like Ozma, and this child was the one chosen."
"Still, a child brother," argued the God of Darkness. "Why pick a child to fight over the battles of men?"
"Are you seriously–"
"No, I suppose not." The God of Darkness sighed. "I was the one who wiped out the first humanity, after all."
Oscar gulped. He knew about how the brother gods destroyed the first humanity and cursed Salem and Ozma into an eternal battle for thousands of years, but hearing it from the deity himself was a different experience entirely.
"Well boy," said the God of Darkness, addressing him.
Oscar perked up. "Yes?"
"Since you're here, why don't you tell us about your adventures?" The deity said.
"Are you bored, brother?" teased the God of Light.
"Why wouldn't I be?" replied the God of Darkness. "That thing has been preventing us from going any further for the past thousand years."
It was then that Oscar finally noticed the being on the horizon. If he had to describe it, it looked like a green dragon with an ethereal clock on its back, and golden armaments on his chest and neck. It was glaring at the two brothers, almost like it was daring them to come closer.
Just looking at it made Oscar feel very mortal, subject to the relentless flow of time, as if a thousand years had been compressed into a single second.
With much effort, he looked away.
"Uh…" was all he could say.
The God of Light was the first to notice his confusion.
"You are wondering about our friend there?" said the God of Light.
Oscar nodded.
"Another deity, one that we cannot just wave away," added the God of Darkness. "They are the creator of the world just beyond this one."
Now calm, Oscar could see the timeless, ethereal beauty of the endless night sky reflecting upon the landscape. It reminded him of his aunt's farm back in Mistral, located away from the city. On cloudless nights, the sky would be blanketed by a sea of stars.
He shook his head. "If I may ask, where is here?"
"This is the void between worlds," said the God of Light.
Oscar could feel Oz inside him gasp.
"More specifically," the God of Light continued. "It is a place in the void between worlds, a piece of land that divides Remnant with all other worlds out there. The world where we were born, Ever After, is also out here somewhere."
"Ever After?" thought Oscar. "Oz, have you heard of it?"
"Only in stories. You recall The Girl Who Fell Through The World?"
Oscar was prevented from replying when the God of Darkness moved his hand, snapping him from his thoughts.
"As we mentioned, the world beyond this one is created and ruled by that being over there," said the God of Darkness, indicating the mysterious being on the horizon. "We've been trying to take a look at the universe they created, but they would not let us come closer."
"Couldn't you just, you know…" began Oscar as his hands mimicked sword fighting.
"No, a battle between us and them would be cataclysmic and bring the wrath of other deities," said the God of Light.
"But you are the–"
"Yes, but they are gods too," said the God of Darkness. "We are not alone in the universe, boy."
The God of Light stroked his chin. "I must admit, its presence has helped to unite us more than anything in the past. We haven't quarrelled ever since it arrived, have we brother?"
"No."
Oscar chuckled without humor. Even gods could be united against a common foe if the threat was dire enough, he supposed.
"Hahaha."
"Hahaha."
"Oz?"
"Ah, don't worry about me, Oscar," said Oz. "I will just be having an existential crisis here."
And with that Oz was gone.
"Hey, you don't get to have an existential crisis in peace while I'm with the Brother Gods!" He shouted.
Only to realize that the gods were still there. He blushed red.
"Um, I…"
"Worry not, young man," said the God of Light, a tinge of amusement in his voice. "Having your entire world view shattered and cosmic revelations revealed to you in a matter of moments must be stressful."
Oscar stared at him for the understatement of the century.
"Sit and rest, but you must tell us your adventures later." his brother said.
Not wanting to argue, Oscar did as he was told.
"I thought I was going crazy when I suddenly heard a voice in my head…"
"In other circumstances, that is indeed a sign of insanity."
"After I punched her in the face during a spar, Ruby got angry and punched me in the face in retaliation…"
"I am sure that was a learning experience."
"Everyone was pretty down after what Jinn told us…"
"A lesser version of what you experienced today."
"I was so angry that I left the house and bought some new clothes…"
"Those clothes you are wearing?"
"And then Ruby decided to charge right into the mech's cannon…"
"Reckless, just like you, brother."
"Quiet!"
"Ren peeled Nora off me after she tackled me for the tenth time…"
"He seems very reliable."
"He really is."
"Me and Ruby both talked over each other for a few seconds before we were able to say what we wanted to say…"
"You must be very fond of this Ruby Rose, you've mentioned her many times now."
"I-it's not like that."
"Truly?"
"Y-yes!"
"Hmm..."
"He shot me off Atlas."
"Desperation can make humans do actions that are against their morals."
"After Jaune got everyone out, I activated the magic inside Long Memory, everything went white, and I found myself here." Oscar finished.
The Brother Gods were surprisingly active listeners. They interrupted him often during breaks in his tale, though always gave him back the reins to continue.
"That was quite the tale," said the God of Light when he finished. "You've had many adventures to get to this point."
Oscar couldn't help but agree.
"Tell us, Oscar," said the God of Darkness. "How do you feel, being Ozma's incarnation? No child should have been burdened by the duty that was given to you. If someone else were to be chosen as Ozma's next incarnation, would you regret it?"
The boy looked inside his head for a second. When Oz did not react, he closed his eyes.
"If there were someone else that would be a better candidate for becoming Ozma's incarnation than me, I would gladly allow it."
Oscar could feel Oz stirring in his mind.
"Like you said, I'm still a child, I'm not ready to take on the task of saving the world," he continued.
The Brother Gods stayed silent. Oscar took that to mean he could continue.
"But I don't think I regret the actions I've done, the people I've met," he smiled. "The adventures I've had. If I were given a choice, I would be glad to become Ozma's incarnation and meet my friends again."
The two deities regarded him for a moment. The silence was deafening. Oscar wasn't sure if he answered the question correctly or not.
Finally, the God of Darkness nodded. "A good response, boy."
"Thank you."
"Perhaps your bond with your friends is enough to unite humanity after all, wouldn't you say, brother?" said the God of Light.
The God of Darkness shrugged. "Do not look at me, you were the one who gave them that task."
Huffing good-naturedly, the God of Light turned to Oscar. "Young man, you have told us a wonderful tale. In exchange, we will grant you a minor wish, only for you."
"Uh, take me back?"
"We were already going to do that, pick something else."
Oscar raised a finger, but the God of Light knew what he was thinking.
"You cannot wish for the witch's destruction or a wish on account of others. Only for you."
Oscar nodded, thinking. He wanted nothing more than to beat Salem and bring peace, but what can he wish that would have the best chance of doing so?
As he wondered, his hands unconsciously found themselves gripping Long Memory. Oscar took the cane and examined it. He remembered the incredible amount of magic unleashed back then, enough to bring him to the gods themselves, and hopefully destroyed Salem's whale in the process. Oz mentioned that he had built up the magic over countless lifetimes. He wouldn't be able to do another attack like that again.
Wait?
"Magic."
"Hm?"
"Magic," said Oscar. "I want to be able to use magic. Right now the only magic I can use is using this cane, but it's finite. After it's all gone, that's it, it needs to build up its magic again."
He smiled excitedly. "But if I can cast magic on my own, we'll have another weapon to use against Salem!"
"Casting magic will accelerate our merging, Oscar," said Oz.
"I know, but like I said, if we can restore your use of magic, it's going to be a big advantage in our fight."
Oz did not reply, but Oscar could feel that even he was getting excited at the prospect of using magic again like back when he was Ozma.
"I see," said the God of Light. "Is defeating Salem the only reason you want to have magic?"
Oscar blushed. "Well, being able to shoot fireballs and other stuff out of my hands without using Dust is really cool, I guess."
"Well said, boy!" exclaimed the God of Darkness. He turned to the God of Light. "Brother, may I?"
"Go ahead."
The God of Darkness snapped his finger. A warm glow suddenly surrounded Oscar, before fading a few seconds later.
"Done."
Oscar gripped his hand.
"I don't feel any different."
"You will be able to call upon it if you focus, but talk to Ozma about how to better use magic, he will be able to guide you through the process," said the God of Light.
Oscar nodded.
"However, he himself cannot use your magic, even when he is in control of your body," said the God of Darkness.
Oscar could hear the sigh of disappointment from Oz before he actually heard it.
"Only you and your descendants with Ruby Rose will be able to use the magic given to you," continued the God of Darkness.
"W-what?!"
The deity laughed. "I jest. You can pick anyone as your partner and your children and your children's children will be able to cast magic, with no loss in magical ability this time."
Oscar was bright red in the face, but he managed to squeak out a "thank you" with his face in his hands.
The God of Light spoke next. "Now, I believe it is time for you to go. Fare thee well, Oscar Pine."
Oscar shook off the last of his embarrassment, took a deep breath, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, God of Light, God of Darkness. I will make sure to use your gift well."
The God of Darkness shifted where he stood. Somehow, Oscar knew that the deity was elated at his words.
"Shall we, brother?" said the God of Darkness.
"Yes."
Both gods waved their hands, and Oscar could feel both his vision and his consciousness fading once more.
Before everything went black, he could faintly hear the brother gods talking.
"Are you sure you sent him to the correct time, brother?"
"Yes, yes…give or take a few years."
What?
"Wait brother, your way of brute forcing time travel like that will affect more than just…"
Somehow, Oscar could just feel that wherever and whenever the Brother Gods were sending him, it would not be back in Atlas.
All across Remnant, a dozen or so people jolted awake from their sleep, turned themselves on prematurely, or grabbed their head with their hands, one word escaping their lips:
"Oscar!"
Author's Note: This fanfiction brought to you by reading too many Oscar Pine time travel fanfics. This is also cross-posted in Archive of Our Own.
Don't expect regular updates, though. I can usually only write during Christmas and New Year.
Kudos to whoever guesses which franchise I got the green dragon god from. This isn't a crossover technically, but I will be incorporating elements of other shows and/or games if I think they're cool.
Enjoy!