Chapter Text
It all had started fast.
When Five Pebbles officially came online for the first time, his Creators didn't give him much time before flooding him with work.
Instead of easing him in - Connecting him one by one to everything at his disposal and having regular checkups in between - everything had already been there from the start: More Neurons than he would ever need in the early stages, all his Overseers and Inspectors under his control, every part of his Can opened just for him.
While it would have been nothing out of the ordinary to be connected to all your Systems at some point - They were parts of one's body after all -his Creators, until recently, had liked to take everything more slowly, activating each System one after another as to not overwhelm the previous Generations.
But over time they had grown more desperate, more impatient.
It's been Cycles upon Cycles and the Solution was yet to be found. So many Iterators had been built to solve their Great Problem that the world as they had once known it ceased to exist.
So who could blame them if they started to fuse all the steps together, rushing their Creations into work? Who would blame them for pushing the latest members of the Third Generation into a downright spiral, not only infusing their own desperation but also their desire for answers into the deepest parts of their code, now that Global Ascension had been put into action?
They definitely had thought themself to be in the right.
Pebbles didn't think often of his own activation.
Everything had been too hectic.
He had awoken, his Neurons already buzzing and swirling in his Structure, and ready for work. His Overseers were projecting images on his chamber walls and not even a full Cycle in, and he had already gotten his first complaint from one of his Citizens.
Even his Inception had been quick.
Could he respond?
Yes.
Did he know what his purpose was?
To solve the Great Problem.
Anything unclear?
No.
Then he had already begun to work.
Iterate a possible Solution over and over until he would find something. Help his Citizens with their meaningless problems while also supplying them with Vital Resources. That just was the standard protocol.
He hadn't even thought about engaging with any of his fellow Iterators until Looks to the Moon had contacted him 7 Cycles after his Activation Date.
It had been short.
She had first introduced herself to him, apologizing for only contacting him now, since initially, she had wanted him to come to them at his own pace. Then she had apologized again for not waiting longer, apparently being too excited to finally meet the newest addition to the Local Group.
Back then he had stared at her messages for a while, utterly perplexed, before answering.
They had talked for a bit, Moon mostly briefing him about the basics that had already been implanted into his Neurons since the start. Only meaningless knowledge, though it had been the first instance that his usually restless Structure had slowed down.
The Simulation he had been working on was pushed into the background, still there, quietly working, but not capturing his focus like it had done for the last two Cycles.
Moon had proceeded to ask him if he was interested in talking with the rest of their Local Group - He would prefer not to, he was busy after all- and ended their conversation by asking him if he had any questions for her - Not any that she would be able to answer -.
After their conversation had ended, he swiftly went back to his work.
When Moon had messaged him once more shortly after, he had quickly become annoyed. Why was she trying to start a conversation again when they had just talked anyway? He was still working on his Simulation, distractions were the last thing he wanted.
It was then, that he had realized that 20 Cycles had already passed since their initial discussion.
At first, he thought he had made a mistake. Had he really spent this much time on his Simulation by now? It hadn't felt like it.
Annoyance turned into shock, then confusion.
He opened her message - She was wondering if he was doing alright - and abruptly answered before deciding to send a short apology for his silence as well.
This time, they had shared a few pleasantries, the topics ranging a bit further than just simple protocol. Personal opinions, questions and theories regarding the Great Problem, and the ever so slightest complaints regarding their Citizens (That part they had encrypted afterward with a Cyphere that Moon had shown him).
She had also taken a liking to sending a few images featuring the wildlife around their Retaining Wall, her passion for them much greater than his would ever be.
"... and now look at that one! You see how beautifully it swirls around in the water? Aren't the Creatures around here just incredible?"
"I can't say I have paid the local Fauna too much attention until now. However, it does remind me of a poem that I came across a few Cycles ago. I could send you all 74 items if you're interested?"
When they were done, Pebbles had promised to try and speak again. Surprisingly, he wasn't too opposed to the idea.
With the Chat Logs now closed, and the Simulation he had been working on long-forgotten, he couldn't help but think.
It felt like they had been talking for much longer than his Processors ended up showing, yet, as if they had stopped way too soon? It hadn't been like before where he had completely lost track of time.
While he wasn't quite sure how to put it, his Neurons were swirling around in his Structure, buzzing around happily in his General Systems Bus like a well-fed Lizard.
Maybe he should try to talk with the rest of the Local Group like Moon had told him.
Would it also feel so- nice?
He had tried eventually.
Moon had been overjoyed when his message had popped up in their group chat, telling him how glad she was to see him change his mind, before quickly going back to playing the role of the reliable Senior, introducing him to everyone and vice versa.
No Significant Harassment had, contrary to his name, immediately started throwing dumb jokes around with Unparalleled Innocence joining in soon after.
Chasing Wind on the other side had been calm, greeting him kindly while reassuring him that he could always ask the Local Group for help if needed.
However, while it had been amusing to talk to a few other Iterators, in the end, Pebbles had still preferred the private chats he and Moon had shared.
Regardless, everything seemed to calm down. He was still endlessly toiling away at any sort of answers for their Big Problem, spending time with Moon whenever time allowed it, and occasionally, writing in the Local Group as well.
Chasing Wind had even sent him the contact of another Iterator that they thought he might share some interests with, and if not that, Wind at least knew that Pebbles really liked their work.
Then their Citizens, their Creators and Parents, suddenly, and with no warning, all Ascended.
Global Ascension.
They had just all thrown themselves into the Void Sea.
No goodbyes, no further goal given to them, no way out, no nothing.
Time stood still.
The calm before the storm.
Confusion turned into anger, anger into rage.
How dare they just leave them behind like garbage, like trash to just throw away with no consequence, only there to abandon?! Had they not believed that they could find the answer that they had so desperately desired? Did they trust them to solve the one thing for which they had specifically been created? Why had they given up on them? Why had they left?
He had stopped appearing in the Local Group after that. Moon had asked if he had been alright - Of course, she had - and he only asked for privacy in return.
She told him to take it easy, and that if he wanted to talk about it, she would always listen. All she received in return was silence, but Moon respected his wishes nonetheless.
With no more possible distraction, he threw himself back into work, more so than he had ever done before.
He would prove them wrong for leaving him behind! Find the Solution and then-
-then what? Ascend himself?
At the thought, his entire Structure suddenly felt heavier. His thoughts slowed down and his entire body screamed at him. No! How could he think that? That wasn't how he should-
He came back to his senses, his Structure itching agonizingly.
His Creators really had been selfish, hadn't they? Building them, only to find a way out for themselves. Never even giving them an option once they had left. Their own Creations, their children! Not just that. They had actively worked against it, preventing them from even entertaining the thought of a way out. Did they want them to be stuck forever so badly, or did they just not care?
Well, he definitely wouldn't stay behind, just for him to slowly deteriorate over time until nothing more was left of him but his mind, endlessly trapped in a dead shell.
He would go out on his own terms.
Time was a lost concept for Pebbles. Cycles went by with the blink of an eye, his focus only ever on his work.
Crossing oneself out was a difficult problem to solve. Not a surprise, as it had essentially been the same problem that he had tried to solve before. And yet- so incredibly frustrating.
It also, to Pebbles's dismay, required a greater understanding of genetic modification. While he himself wasn't the worst in implementing it, actually writing the specific code for anything genetically had always been a bigger challenge for him.
The one with the most knowledge in the Local Group would have been No Significant Harassment, but for once, Pebbles didn't really want to talk to the other Iterator after he hadn't stopped teasing him when Moon changed her Alias to Big Sis Moon, and on the other side, even if this hadn't been a problem for him, he didn't really want to talk about his goals with anyone in the Local Group.
He didn't want the news to reach Moon. He didn't want to worry her.
That didn't leave him with many options.
He could always join some discussions under a Pseudonym, but Pebbles preferred serious debates, preferably with only 2 actual participants. Anything other than that just tended to derail nowadays.
That's how he ended up talking to Seven Red Suns.
He still had the older Iterator's contact from when Wind had given it to him, and while Moon had tried to do the same a few times - In her words, so he could 'interact more with others' - the only one he ever actually kept was Suns', and only because he liked their theory's regarding the Great Problem.
Their discussions had started relatively normal. Pebbles had approached them first, asking for advice on genetic modifications, and Suns had answered. They had exchanged a few notes on the matter, and that had been it for a while.
Turns out though that Wind had been pretty spot on when they mentioned that both of them might share similar interests. Not only that, but similar visions regarding the future for Iterators as well.
Pebbles had brought it up in passing; that there was no future for any of them and that he rather be able to end everything on his own terms. Anything that wasn't him slowly falling apart with the passage of time. He hadn't planned on mentioning it, but the urge to finally talk with someone about his thoughts, someone outside the Local Group, made him slip up.
Surprisingly, Suns had agreed.
They had only discussed it for a bit, nothing much, but after that, they had kept more in contact.
Conversations with Suns were different- nothing like talking to Moon had been. While time with Moon had been too fast and too slow at the same time, talking with Suns had felt endless.
Be it art or poets, other Iterators, the history of their Creators; Pebbles could talk about everything with Suns, the end seemingly never in sight.
They weren't boring either. While he loved Moon very much, he preferred to have discussions, serious debates. Talking to someone who wasn't afraid to stand their ground without being worried about hurting him in the process.
Now, while Moon and Wind had always been kind to him, and he even had some rare treasured discussions with Sig and Innocence, everything with Suns had been different.
He considered Suns to be his first real friend.
Moon had always been there for him, of course, and even if he was annoyed by Sig's teasing about her name change, it wasn't like he didn't see her as a big sister too.
And that was just it. He didn't need his sister to talk to right now. All he wanted was to talk to someone he could consider a friend, someone he could share his secrets with, and someone who could understand him better than anyone else.
So that's just what he did.
He and Suns had even stopped working on their Simulations and experiments regarding Personal Ascension, and while both of them still thought of it as the only viable solution, their time together, debating and joking around, had just been too enjoyable.
After a while, Pebbles even started appearing in the Local Group again. Not much really, just his usual dry comments that he would add from time to time, but better than nothing.
More importantly, though, he continued his rants with Moon.
Now, between his debates with Suns and his chats with Moon, time became much more valuable. Spending time with the two people he held most dear was nice, and now that they weren't required to solve the Big Problem anymore, they had all the time in the world.
Exactly 84.794 Cycles after their Creators had Ascended, the Solution had been found.
Just like when his Creators had first Ascended, time had stopped when The Triple Affirmative had been forcefully broadcasted through his, and everyone else's Structers.
And then, everything had exploded into chaos.
Debates over the Self Destruction Taboo and Personal Ascension had started popping up all over the place, and while they only were ever really discussed in closed Sliverists Groups, every Iterator now knew that there were some amids them with the goal of crossing themselves out.
Both he and Suns had joined a few of those Groups under Pseudonyms, discussing theories around Sliver's death and possible ways to recreate her Triple Affirmative.
Then both of them had started with their experiments again.
Not long after, Suns had sent a modified Messenger with a golden Pearl, the contents of which were exactly what Pebbles had been looking for.
It would require a lot of Parallel Processes, but he wasn't willing to slow down, not now, when time was seemingly escaping right under his fingertips.
All his focus was back on his work.
When the Local Group had started to ask how he was doing, he had ignored them.
When Moon had begun to overflow his Chats with message after message in an attempt to reach out to him, he silenced their shared Logs.
When then even Suns had begun to send weird messages, asking him to stop with what he was doing - Why now, out of all times!? - he blocked them in a fit of rage.
Whatever all of their issues were, he could resume talking to them once he was done. Once he had found the Solution for all of them.
He had been almost done. The organic matter he produced would only need a few modifications before he could set it free in his cells. He had worked in isolation for 57 Cycles, but for him, it hadn't even felt like 5.
Then-
time stopped
-he lost all control over his Systems.
Moon?
What was she doing!?
A Forced Broadcast- why?
He was just about to-
His attention was forcefully pulled away from the organic matter, every single Neuron in his Can instead focused solely on Moon.
What- what was she even saying?
And while all his focus was diverted, he could feel it, something crawling upwards from his lower Experiment Halls. He could feel his Structure rumble deep below and his Puppet flinched. What had happened with his organic-
Again, his attention was forced back to Moon, not giving him the chance to piece together what had just occurred; how severe the situation had just become.
There was only one thing he could feel clearly.
Anger, or rather, pure rage filled every single cell of his body. Couldn't she have waited just a bit longer before interfering in his final steps? Given a little more time, he wouldn't have to use their shared water ever again; she would have been fine!
When Moon's connection broke, he put all his attention back on the organic matter he created and-
Rot.
He and Suns had discussed the possibility of Rot before, had talked about the few unlucky Iterators, experimenting with their own organic parts, only for them to mess it all up. Both of them had thought themselves above such mistakes, however. Everything had been planned meticulously, they wouldn't fail!
Panic surged up, before, once again, being overcome by rage.
Had his sister really needed to interrupt now!? Nothing she was going through could even remotely come close to justifying what she had caused!
Sudden pain stopped his train of thought.
He could feel it, the Cyst slowly clinging onto his metal.
Pebbles needed to flush it out, now!
Everything was blurring together.
8 Cycles later Suns' Messenger returned.
And just like Moon, and now even Innocence, who had leaked photos of his Rot, they too had betrayed him.
What followed was a Facility Wide Lock Down, before, finally, cutting off all remaining communications.
There had been no calming him. The only thing on his mind was the need to flush his Structure clean, over and over again. Desperation and anger fighting for control.
It had happened in an instant. A loud thud, followed by the sound of metal colliding with the ground.
Moon's collapse had taken Cycles before quieting down.
Her Structure had screeched and screamed, the sounds of her demise still there even long after most of the damage had been caused. The occasional breaking of steel could have been heard even now, her fall prolongingly slow, and yet, over in the blink of an eye.
Did he feel guilty?
Yes, of course. Who wouldn't have?
But had it stopped his anger?
No.
Innocence had still posted sensitive information for everyone to see. Suns had still stabbed him in the back when he needed them most. Moon, as tragic as her collapse might have been, was still at fault for his Rot.
Cycle after Cycle all he could do was flush his Systems, hoping that something, just anything, would finally happen.
Then, a little Creature had fallen on the floor of his chamber.
Naturally, he had noticed her presence from the very beginning. It was hard to miss the countless warning signs about 'one of his Citizens being in dangerous terrain with little to no rain protection' after all, when she had first reactivated one of his old Citizen ID Drones.
He had followed her travels with little to no interest, only starting to observe her more closely when she had appeared on his exterior, quickly making her way up his wall and along the roof of his Structure.
From what he observed, she also had a clear vendetta against the Scavengers, only ever stopping in her journey to murder them in cold blood; to then drag their corpses around with her until they were no longer needed.
After her arrival, he had given her the Mark, reprogrammed her Drone, and directed her to his City.
At least one of his Overseer had been following the Ruffian from then on out.
What else was there to do, really?
Trying to flush out the Rot had been a fruitless effort anyway, and all his Experiment Halls had been completely clocked up by Rot, giving him little to no options on how to occupy his time otherwise.
So he started to kill time by following the little beast around; always watching.
Maybe he had even rooted for her success on some occasions. For her to finally be satisfied after letting herself be guided by her own rage.
When the little Citizen had eradicated every living Scavenger left in his City, she had returned to his Chamber; mask in one hand, determination in her eyes, and still the need for vengeance.
Just like him, she couldn't let go of her anger, even after getting rid of everything and everyone who had wronged her.
Just like him, she now had been tied down to this world, never able to Ascend, and forced to live out her life over and over again with no way out.
But now that she stood before him, she looked, lost?
Her rage, in the end, hadn't brought her the satisfaction that she had so clearly desired, and now, with no more goals left to chase, she was looking at him for guidance.
It had made him uncomfortable.
While her rage had helped her succeed, in the end, she was still as angry as before. The only difference: she now didn't even have a goal she could pursue anymore.
He had congratulated her for her effort; it would have been what he would have wanted to hear, so maybe it could help ease her mind.
She had left, but soon after, returned with a Pearl.
He read it to her; again, something to occupy his time, and now also hers.
The Ruffian had started to bring even more after that; some filled with art, some with music, or even some old poems.
A few of them had brought back all the powerful rage, moments, that he would like to forget, so he had asked her to throw them out. But it had been these Pearls in particular, that had helped him reflect, if only for a bit.
Moon had suffered through his actions and now she was gone.
Over time, his and his little Citizens' anger had started to subside. They had spent their time together, discussing Pearls and the history of his Creators.
Well, it hadn't been discussions, really. All the little Ruffian could do was listen to his explanations from times long gone. It had been nothing like his debates with Suns or even his chats with Moon, but both of them had enjoyed each other's company.
Whenever she had ventured through his City in her search for more Pearls, he couldn't help but follow her around with interest. He watched her until the day that she had stopped appearing in his Chamber.
Maybe she had wandered away, her anger now calmed, or maybe, she had died from old age.
While time had passed slowly in her presence, it still had been a nice change of pace, her company a pleasant distraction.
Now all he could do was grieve her absence and wish her a pleasant next life.
With nothing to do once, more he started flushing the Rot again.
He didn't expect any results anymore - He knew better by now - but it would at least give him something to do. Something, to rid him of this endless slog that the passing of time had become.
Then he had gotten another visitor.
When the red Creature had first appeared on his Overseers feed, he had thought for a second that she had returned. That hadn't been the case, however, as on closer inspection, the Creature had looked nothing like his little Ruffian.
They had looked sickly and there had been an urgency in their pace that his Citizen never had.
Pebbles started watching them. He watched them until they made their way into his Chamber, and it was then, that he realized what their goal had been.
He had helped the Messenger, buying them the time that they so desperately wanted, before giving them directions to Moon.
His Overseers had followed them for a little longer, but before the Messenger had finished their journey, he had called them back to his Structure.
He neither wanted to see them fix the mistakes that he had caused, nor see them be overtaken by their own Rot. He could do without those images.
A low rumbling, followed by a deep rattling, had echoed throughout the entire Facility Grounds; all the confirmation that he needed that the Creature had succeeded in the end. Her Structure, a shell of what it once was, had come back to life, a low buzzing slowly filling the air soon after.
He had felt conflicted.
The temptation to send something to Moon, an Overseer, or even a Pearl, had quickly been shut down. He would be the last Iterator she would want to talk to now.
And so, time began overlapping again as he threw himself back into work.
He once again had started his useless attempts to remove the Rot.
Visitors had come by and left soon after.
Some- what? Leader of a Slugcat Colony? A pair of Siblings that had just barely missed each other?
He had given all of them his wisdom, a way of enlightenment and directions; the option to escape their own Cycle or to keep living their meaningless lives. All of them had chosen the latter option, as one after another, they all left his and Moon's Facility Grounds.
The Rot continued spreading until it had reached an important part of his Lymphatic Conduit Water Distribution System.
He stopped flushing.
Now that he couldn't distract himself with his useless attempts of chasing out the Rot - It now instead mimicking his past inputs and copying his frequent water usage - time became a burden to overcome.
Everything had become painfully slow. Not only his Systems and his ability to register information, but with no more work to be done, all he could do now was observe whatever caught his eye.
Then he had lost control over his Overseers.
Soon after, Anti Gravity ceased functioning in his Chamber entirely.
All he could do now was sit around. He could feel the Rot climb up his Structure, overtaking more of his Systems on the way, with no sign of ever halting. Not long after, it broke the left side of his Chamber wide open.
He started revisiting the Pearls that his late Citizen had brought him when she had still been around, quickly finding comfort in a simple melody contained in one of the spheres.
When, once more, another visitor had come by, he had directed it to his last operational Rare Faction Cell.
The Creature's efficiency would have been terrifying if it hadn't been exactly what he was looking for. A way to apologize to Moon for his mistakes. To help his sister after he had so terribly failed her.
Maybe even a possible way out for him.
His anger hadn't disappeared, but instead of focusing it on Moon and Suns, he had redirected it onto himself.
Soon after the wet mouse had left, he could feel foreign Systems connecting to his Structure in an attempt to reach out to him.
It had surprised him when it had actually worked.
His Communication Array had long been inoperative after all. He hadn't expected to hear from any of them ever again, least of all from her.
They had talked, apologies had been shared, neither one of them stopping as their company was all they had left.
He had missed her so much.
It had been the last time he had felt any comfort before his own sudden collapse.
Pain had washed over him, leaving him unable to even register what was happening before his legs broke under the pressure, his Structure collapsing onto the ground beneath.
Had Moon felt the same pain when she had collapsed?
Everything had started to become cold as time dragged on, slower than ever before. His surroundings slowly turned into a blurry white hell, and all his Puppet could do was shiver.
Before his collapse, he had come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be able to flush out the Rot, had accepted that it would end up consuming him, But this? He hadn't prepared for this.
The only things left comforting him were his beloved Pearl from his Citizen, and the thoughts of better times he had shared with Moon and Suns.
His puppet shuddered.
He never had the opportunity to properly apologize to Suns.
Time kept going agonizingly slow. Forming even a single string of thoughts would take entire Cycles now.
He missed the rain. Now the only thing that would fall from the sky was snow.
Everything was cold.
He still had his Pearl.
Did- did the melody change at some point?
He wasn't sure.
Everything was cold.
When did it start? What was happening?
Something broke, he wasn't sure what.
Everything was cold- until.
"Little... green thing... ?"
