Work Text:
The creature sat on the dewy grass as the sun set below them. Their legs swung back and forth, purple Converse slowly growing more red. The sun glowed warm and pleasant on their legs. Was this a warning of what was to come, or was this a reflection of how the god felt? They'd have to find out.
A pair of hooves could be heard clacking in the distance before coming to a stop next to the cat-folk. Without a word, he sat down on the edge.
“Hello, Mint.” Calico said flatly, still transfixed by the sunset. Small stones of gravel fell below them and the pair sat silently as the sun disappeared slowly.
“I've been thinking.” Calico's ears swiveled forwards to indicate interest, but they refused to break eye contact with the void. “Well. More like studying, really. Poetry.” Mint turned to face them as his hands flapped excitedly. “It's actually really int-”
“BOO!” Green petals showered the pair as Incoure sat down next to her research partner. “Watcha talking about?” Mint continued to stim with his hands, watching Calico's tail swing back and forth.
“The Poem!” He said excitedly, shaking Inc's shoulder as she nodded.
“Anyway, it's really interesting. There's a folklore poem that's been passed down, and nobody knows who wrote it. Maybe the Universe itself wrote it? Who knows. The authors said that 'We are the universe. We are everything you think isn't you. You are looking at us now, through your skin and your eyes. And why does the universe touch your skin, and throw light on you? To see you, player. To know you. And to be known. I shall tell you a story.'” Calico gasped. Another creature soared ahead and came to a halt beside them. Barrel. They silently sat themself beside Calico and began quietly thumping their tail against the ground. The four were content.
“What else did the poem say?” Queried Calico, laying their head on Mint's shoulder. Inc placed an arm around him, while Barrel lay their head on the cat-folk and folded their wings behind them.
“And sometimes the player believed the Universe had spoken to it through the zeros and ones, through the electricity of the world, through the scrolling words on a screen at the end of a dream. “
“And the Universe said I love you.”
“And the Universe said you have played the game well.”
”And the Universe said you are not alone.”
“And the universe said I love you because you are love.
And the game was over and the player woke up from the dream. And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better. And the player was the universe. And the player was love.
You are the player.”
The sun had finished setting. The sky stained everyone a shade of deep red. This really was a warning. The four players huddled together over the edge of the hill, watching it fall away. The world was ending.
“What next?” Asked Barrel, not moving from their comfy spot on Calico's shoulder. The pair's tails were now unconsciously thumping in unison.
“Wake up.”