Chapter 1: The Infinite Loops Lore
Chapter Text
Oops, sorry. The Infinite Loops Project isn't something you can just dive into. Thankfully, my friend Skaz Wolfman has a complete explanation here. And, while there is a TL;DR down there, it leaves out important stuff that you should know. I promise that your regularly scheduled Celeste fanfic is just a few pages away.
- TheFirstMate
And Now, The Substantially Abridged History of The Infinite Loops, Skaz Edition!
So, N+n*10^n*N years ago (which most authorities agree was a little less than figuratively forever ago) Something happened that caused incomprehensible damage to the world-tree/cosmic-supercomputer called Yggdrasil, which is responsible for running the underlying applications, algorithms, and subroutines that keep the Multiverse going. In layman's terms, reality itself took a really bad blow to its everything. In order to prevent Yggdrasil from suffering further degradation by trying to compute causality progression for the infinite timelines of the Multiverse, the world-tree's systems administrators (Admins for short. We know them better as the mythical deities of Earth.) put each and every universe into temporal stasis. The only problem with this was that temporal stagnation was almost as bad for Yggdrasil's recovery process as trying to keep the Multiverse running as it was supposed to. So instead, the Admins put Yggdrasil's Branches (the universes making up the Multiverse) into infinite-recursion simulations. Or time loops, for short. Most of these Loops are normal repetitions of that universe's main timeline, known as Baseline, but because Yggdrasil is damaged it often forgets how things are supposed to happen, causing Variant Loops. These can be as mild as someone's name being different, as severe as everyone's personality inverting, or so bizarre that the Variant bears little-to-no resemblance to Baseline at all.
To prevent "random causality variation decay" (Variants getting more and more frequent and random until Yggdrasil completely forgets what a universe's Baseline was, which would be the opposite of Yggdrasil getting better), the Admins pick a person (usually one, at least) to serve as an Anchor for each Branch. This means they remember the Loops, so their soul can serve as a recovery index to prevent their reality from decaying. This means that, so long as they remain fairly stable, so does their reality. This means the stability of each universe depends on someone trapped in seemingly infinite time loops not losing it completely. This can be a great strain on anyone, so before long the people closest to the Anchor(s) are "Activated" as "Loopers", non-Anchors who also remember the loops and can provide their Anchor(s) with direly needed socialization. Still, every Looper that's "Awake" (in possession of their memories of the Loops) in a given Loop puts an additional strain on Yggdrasil, whereas an Anchor must always be Awake, unless another Anchor visits their Branch, in which case they could spend a Loop Unawake, so the Anchors still have to endure many, many consecutive Loops alone.
All Loopers, Anchor or otherwise, inevitably get a serious case of "cabin fever" from being trapped in the infinite repetitions of time. There is no way to completely avoid this. It can, however, be mitigated by variations. To this end, Admins allow the occasional Variant Loop to happen, as well as Fused Loops between different Branches, and Loopers visiting other Branches. Another unavoidable complication of the Time Loops Protocol is the gradual build-up of power in a Looper's soul, as the Looper's soul is the part of them that doesn't regress when the Loop resets. Left unchecked, this accumulation of power would result in spontaneous apotheosis to a higher plane of existence, eventually to the highest plane of existence: that of the Admins themselves. This phenomenon is called Ascension; before Yggdrasil was damaged it was a big deal, but generally not a problem. Now, however, it's a VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. The first, last, and thankfully only time a Looper Ascended, it almost undid Yggdrasil's recovery. Another Ascension, if it ever happens, might very well be The Actual Literal Very Last Thing That Absolutely Ever Happens Anywhere And Anywhen. So, to prevent this from happening, a Looper's unused soul energy is shunted into a "subspace pocket plane of existence", or Pocket for short. Besides eventually becoming a virtually inexhaustible reserve of power, the Pocket serves Loopers as the only means of carrying material objects between Loop resets, even objects from other universes. It also serves as a personal databank for lines of augmenting code to a Looper's soul that allows them to retain special abilities and powers they acquire in other realities, including those that require changes to a Looper's body or even environmental factors that don't exist in all realities. The longer a Looper has been Looping, the bigger their Pocket gets. The more powerful their soul is in their Baseline reality, the more rapidly their Pocket grows. All Loopers eventually learn how to send out a signal that vibrates on the same wavelength of existence as the Pocket; thus, only other Loopers who have learned to form their Pocket can receive this signal. It's called the Ping, and the one and only thing it does is let any other Loopers in a Loop know that someone else is Awake. All Pings are exactly the same and traverse the entire Branch fast enough to be considered functionally instantaneous. A Ping cannot convey the identity, location, or even the general direction or relative proximity of a Looper, so don't even try it. Certain loop iterations, called Null Loops, restrict a Looper's access to their Pocket. Some Null Loops only prevent a Looper from using powers from other Loops. Some Null Loops only prevent a Looper from withdrawing anything from their Pocket, and some even stop them from putting things into their Pocket. Naturally, there are also Null Loops that prevent all of these things. The most serious Null Loops even prevent Loopers from using the Ping.
Of course, not all Branches were affected to the same degree by The Event. Certain Branches were relatively unharmed, for example. They're more stable than other Branches, and some of them are so stable they don't need an Anchor to Loop. These are called "Safe-Mode" Loops. Despite not needing Loopers, Loopers can still visit Safe-Mode Loops. Depending on whether the Loop's stability is of the pleasant or mind-numbingly boring variety, the Admins implement them as vacation options for Loopers who have had a rough time lately, or as Punishment Loops for Loopers who have been naughty. No physical damage a Looper suffers will last beyond a single Loop, and in the infinite abyss of time, even the worst of mental and emotional traumas can be resolved. The one thing that all Loopers truly dread is boredom. Why might a Looper need to be punished so, you ask? Usually for causing Loop Crashes. A loop crashes either when all Anchors present in a loop are killed, or when someone does something that whatever reality they were in literally couldn't handle; on computer terms, it's the same thing as a system crash. Most loop crashes merely cause the loop to reset prematurely, and punishments are given to discourage it from happening again. More serious crashes, on the other hand, can cause harm to Yggdrasil's systems, which is precisely why such crashes have to be discouraged. On the other hand, some Branches were more severely damaged by The Event than others. Some are so unstable that they're potentially dangerous to visiting Loopers, or even to the rest of Yggdrasil. To contain such threats, these Branches are Quarantined. Some Branches are Quarantined not because they're dangerous, but simply because none of their inhabitants are stable enough to serve as an Anchor, while the Branch itself is not stable enough to be a Safe-Mode Loop. Relatedly, certain objects and powers may potentially have a destabilizing influence on other Branches; such things are designated Read-Only, and cannot be carried out of their Branch of origin by Loopers.
Finally, going back to Safe-Mode Branches, the most stable of all Branches is the one known among Loopers as the Hub. If every other universe is one of Yggdrasil's Branches, this universe is its trunk. This is the one reality in all of Yggdrasil that doesn't need to Loop at all. Instead, it progresses at a regular pace. Because of its unparalleled stability, the Hub serves as a backup database for all of Yggdrasil's recorded data on the other universes. This data manifests as the Hub's "fiction". The Hub is, of course, the universe that you and I inhabit. Thus, everything we know as fiction is a reflection of one of Yggdrasil's many Branches. This, of course, includes the "fiction" of the Infinite Loops themselves. Because the Hub is so vital, and because it's too stable to Loop at all, it is functionally Quarantined; Loopers never visit the True Hub. They do, however, on occasion experience "near-hub" Loops. The main distinction between the True Hub and near-Hub loops is, of course, that the True Hub isn't Looping, and near-Hub loops do not contain records of the Infinite Loops Project. Thus, while Loopers can experience the Hub's fictional works that record their own and each other's Baselines and more prominent Variants, and even the fanfiction records of other Variants, they can never read the fanfiction records of their own exploits in the Loops. Good thing, too, because that level of recursive paradox might be more than Yggdrasil could handle in its present state.
TL;DR:
Yggdrasil is broken. No one can say for sure why, but it is. All universes are stuck in time loops. People who remember the loops are called Loopers. Loopers are Awake when they remember the Loops, and Unawake when they don't. The first and most important Looper in each universe is the Anchor. The gods that run the multiverse are called Admins. When Anchors dies or when Loopers do something reality-breaking loops crash, and Admins hate that, so they throw them in super-boring loops as punishment. Loops that are stable enough that they don't need Loopers are Safe-Mode; some are nice and Loopers use them for vacations, and some are the boring ones that Admins use for punishments. Universes and people that are too unstable to Loop are Quarantined. Powers and objects that are harmful to outside realities are designated Read-Only. Read-Only things can't be kept in a Looper's Pocket, which is their own personal subspace in their souls that they use to carry items and cool powers through loop resets. Loopers who have learned the Pocket can also use the Ping. The only thing the Ping does is let other Loopers know that a Looper is Awake; it cannot tell who they are and it provides no clues to their location. A Null Loop is a loop where Loopers either A) can't use powers they don't have in Baseline, B) can't pull things out of their Pocket and/or put things in their Pocket, C) can't do any of those things, or D) can't do any of those things or send out a Ping. Baseline is the "true" timeline for a Loop. Variants are Loops that aren't Baseline. Loopers can appear in other Loops, sometimes by Replacing someone from that Loop, and multiple universes can also be joined together for Fused Loops.
There are several other key terms in Loop Lore, but most of them are relatively obscure or circumstantial. A full glossary and explanation of the Infinite Loops can be found on the first page of the current Miscellaneous Infinite Loops Thread at SpaceBattles. If you're new to the Infinite Loops Project and its expanded multiverse of fanfiction, you can PM me for a link. Fair warning, the ILP in all its glory is a HELL of a timesink…but hey, I wouldn't be writing, and now compiling, for it if I didn't think it was worth it.
IN SUMMARY:
Every single Looper inevitably becomes hella stir-crazy, and they will do all sorts of crazy things to stave off boredom.
These are their stories.
DUN-DUN
Chapter 2: Sever The Skyline
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1.1- Resurrections (by Zum1UDontNo)
This is it, Madeline.
Just breathe.
Why are you so nervous?
You've been here before...
...haven't you?
This… wasn't right.
Madeline frowned as she stepped out of her car, nearly getting snagged as she forgot to unbuckle her seatbelt. She had been on her way to the grocery store. She had a craving for chocolate milk, so she went out to get some, and decided to do her errands on the way. Was it healthy to follow cravings? Probably not. But she managed to talk herself into it anyway.
There was definitely a problem, though. For one, there was snow on the ground. Given that it wasn't winter, this was odd by itself. It could've been brushed off as some teen playing a very elaborate prank on the entire grocery store by filling the parking lot with shaving cream, or paper scraps or whatnot, but therein lied the second problem- there was no grocery store and she wasn't in a parking lot.
Madeline stepped out of her car, snow crunching beneath her boots, and looked around. The area she had parked was lightly forested, with electrical lights stringing their way forward. Up ahead was a mountain. Heh, it almost looked like that Mountain… funny coincidence.
Her thoughts were cut off by a sudden desire to make her way towards the mountain. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment desire, nor some intrusive thought- it almost felt like she had set out with the specific goal of going to the mountain. But that wasn't true.
...Hold on… was it?
No, no, it couldn't be. She'd gone out to get her groceries.
...Did she? She really wanted to go to the mountain… Madeline ruffled through her coat pockets in confusion, stomping her boots to get the built-up snow off of them. That, now that she thought of it, was another point for the mountain. She was dressed up, in a warm coat and a backpack slung over her shoulders.
But she definitely went out for groceries! She still had the craving for chocolate milk! And- Madeline stomped back to her car, flinging the door open. She had her grocery list in here. One look at that, and she'd be able to reassure herself of what was going on.
Just one little look at the grocery list.
Ooooooone look.
Where was it? She could've sworn she left it in the glove compartment, or at least in the cup holder. She didn't-
...She left it on the kitchen counter, didn't she.
Madeline huffed in annoyance, turning away from her car. She pushed the door shut with her hair and scratched her head. What do I know? She was at a mountain, was dressed to go mountain climbing, and had a distinct urge to go mountain climbing. She left the house with the intention of buying groceries, though, and definitely didn't drive long enough to go to any mountain ranges near her house. Her hair was pink and floaty in the corner of her vision-
Wait a second.
Her hair was pink and floaty? She held her breath and turned her head slightly, looking behind her. Yep, her hair was not the pure strawberry red she was used to, but rather a fiery hot pink. Looking back, she supposed that explained the car door. But her hair only became like this when...
...Whenever she was with Part of Her.
And Part of Her was only able to manifest at...
Madeline let out her breath and turned back forward. Suddenly, the mountain's similarity to Mount Celeste didn't seem like such a funny coincidence.
"Did you do this?" Madeline asked to nobody. "Are you the reason I'm here? Why did you bring me back?"
Her only answer was the howling wind and the distant sound of birdsong.
Madeline took a moment to accept to herself that she wouldn't be getting any chocolate milk any time soon.
"Alright, Mountain." Madeline stepped forward, over the uneven and jagged path set out before her. "I guess I'll have to get the answers myself."
The girl gripped the shoulder straps of her backpack and began to make her way forward once more. After all she'd been through, the 'driveway' of the Mountain was hardly a challenge. Hop over a little gap, climb up a wall, and dash across before the block of ice fell. Apparently a new one had formed since she'd been there, and while she didn't know it would fall like the last one did, she had a hunch. Which, hearing the slam behind her, was evidently correct.
Madeline climbed over a few more icy cliffs, silent. She didn't really know why she was doing this, or what answers she thought she would get. But knowing the Mountain, it probably had something planned. Maybe she could check in with Mr. Oshiro… or maybe she was here because someone new was about to climb and could use her guidance. Who knew, maybe she could even have a conversation with Part of Her again. If the Mountain could separate them, at least…
Madeline stopped to catch her breath just as Granny's old cabin came into view. Truth be told, she was tempted to drop in, just to remember what it was like… she hadn't been in a very long time, for saddening reasons. She'd already accepted Granny's passing, but… maybe this would be a good way to remember.
As she made her way over, though, something caught her eye. Somebody was standing there. She couldn't make out many details, both due to the distance and the snow, but as she got closer, the picture became clearer. Short, white hair, green coat… wooden cane- she looked just like-
"Granny?"
The words spilled from her mouth unbidden. She scrambled up the icy steps, dashing over to the old woman's side. "Granny, is that you?!"
"Yep, I've been called that before," she answered, with the same crooked smile on her face as always.
"But you… you're…" Madeline was baffled. How was Granny here? How was Granny now? "Am I dreaming again?"
Granny gave Madeline a reassuring smile. "I'm pretty sure you're not dreaming, dear." The smile quickly turned into a fit of familiar laughter. "Though, if I was a figment of your imagination, I guess I'd have no way of knowing!"
"It… it has to be, though!" Madeline gestured to Granny, unbelievingly. "You're dead!"
"Oh, am I now?" Granny narrowed her eyes, but it was clear she was amused, not angry. "News to me. I was convinced I was still ticking." She patted her chest for emphasis.
Madeline tugged at her hair lightly. "Yes, you are!" she insisted. "You did, and I..." Her body was puffed up, but all at once, she deflated like a balloon. "I didn't go to your funeral..."
She'd gotten through all of this before. She'd accepted Granny's passing, and accepted her own moment of weakness. But seeing Granny before her again, she couldn't stop herself. The words spilled out all over again. "I'm sorry, I know I should've, but I shut down, I couldn't do anything… And I already told you all this, in another dream, but you're here again, so..." Madeline hugged her arms around herself, shivering. Her coat felt paper thin, and she felt like she was freezing to death. Her breath came out in fast spurts, puffs of fog in the cold air.
"Hey, hey," Granny said softly. "It's okay, just calm down, dear. I'm not mad."
"I know you're not…" Madeline whispered. "But it's still..."
Granny chuckled to herself. "Hey, lighten up! What would I care who showed up to that thing? I'm dead!" She poked at Madeline with her cane playfully. "Funerals are for you suckers stuck living without me."
Madeline glanced up, blinking. "This… feels familiar," she muttered. The whole thing had felt familiar, of course- she was climbing up a path she'd already climbed up. But this conversation, what Granny just said… it felt really familiar to her.
"Here," Granny said. "You want to know what I think?"
Madeline didn't say anything, but she nodded.
Granny waited a few seconds, before bursting into the loudest laughter Madeline had heard from her. "I think you're crazy! Absolutely crazy! Ah heh heh heh heh!"
"W-what?!" Madeline was dragged out of her thoughts and directly back to the present, just from so out-of-left-field that was. "What do you mean?"
"You come here, telling me that I'm dead? And acting like we know each other?" Granny's laughter slowed down, though she still snorted a few words. "From my point of view, you look like you've just lost it!" The laughter built up again until it was just as loud as before.
"...Granny?" Madeline's voice was low, and quiet. If this was a dream, it was an awful one.
She waited there for a few moments, watching Granny whoop in amusement, before turning around and trudging away. Maybe coming up here was a mistake, if this was what was here for her. Maybe if she went further away, she'd wake up, or something.
She just needed to get away from here.
Madeline made it to the beginning of the bridge before she heard Granny's voice again.
"Now, now. I just said you were crazy. I never said I didn't believe you."
What?
Madeline turned around, her confusion painted on her face for all to see.
"You can always trust crazy people," Granny continued. "With everyone else, you never know when they're lying to you or making things up. But crazy people believe everything they say. You're telling the truth, because you think you're telling the truth."
Madeline walked back to the cabin, not fully understanding. "But… how do you know I'm not just wrong?" ...How do I know I'm not just wrong?
"That's the other thing. You're not." Granny stepped forward, and gently pushed Madeline's hair down with her cane. The hair returned to a floating position after Granny returned her cane. "You need to pass by me to get to Mount Celeste, and I've never met you before. But the Mountain's already left its mark."
Madeline raised her hand up and ran it through her hair. In a way, Granny was right. Even if she didn't remember Madeline, she could tell she'd been here before. But still…
"What if this is all a dream?"
"So what if it is?" Granny smirked, with a playfulness so familiar to her. "You'll wake up in a few hours, wondering what the heck this dream was about. Maybe you'll have slept through your alarm, and you'll be late for college or work or whatnot." She turned around and walked to her door, waving for Madeline to follow. "But in the meantime, come with me. I can tell you still want to talk, and it's much warmer and cozier inside."
Madeline thought for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, that sounds good."
Granny made her way to the doorknob, before turning around. "Before I go in, humor me for a moment, will you?" She counted on her fingers. "You've been to the Mountain before, and you remember me but I don't remember you. Is there anyone or anything else you remember?"
"Theo." Madeline looked her in the eye. "Have you met anyone by the name of Theo? He's also on InstaPix as TheoUnder-"
"Oh, I remember him!" Granny cracked a grin. "He came by here just a few hours ago! I think he took a picture of me too..." She grumbled to herself. "Probably got a bad angle..."
"Oh, uh." Now that she thought of it, she remembered a pic Theo had posted a long time ago that she'd found from stalking his account. (In a friendly way, not a creepy way.) Granny was right, it was definitely a bad angle. "So he's been here?"
"Couldn't have had much time to go that far!" Granny slapped a hand on Madeline's shoulder. "Tell you what, you go inside and warm yourself up. I'll fetch Theo so he can hear this story too."
Madeline frowned. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"And who's the one who's lived here for her whole life again?" Granny winked one eye, then the other. "Don't you worry, I can handle myself."
"...Alright." Madeline still didn't feel fully comfortable with letting her climb around the Forsaken City on her own, but she did have a point. She'd lived here far longer than Madeline had even known her.
"One last thing, dear." Granny looked her up and down. "What's your name? You already know me, so you never bothered to tell me."
She really doesn't remember me, huh… "It's Madeline."
"Madeline." Granny smirked. "Has a nice ring to it. Suits you." She turned around, cane-walking to the stone bridge. "Well, make yourself at home. There's some chocolate milk in the fridge that's a day away from expiry, so if you could finish that off I'd appreciate it."
And with that, Granny walked off. Madeline couldn't help but notice that a blue crow took off from the roof, flapping around in the sky above her.
She watched them go for a moment, before turning around and heading into the cabin. Like Granny said, it was warm and cozy. It had been so long since she'd been here, but it still looked exactly like Madeline remembered it. Right down to the gamer chair in the corner.
Madeline walked over to the couch and flopped down, sighing. At first, she was elated to see Granny again. Then, when Granny didn't remember her, devastated. Now she was just… confused.
She laid down lengthwise, hanging her feet over the opposite armrest. Maybe she'd get some answers when Granny got back. Or maybe she wouldn't get back, and Madeline would wake up.
She didn't have time to ponder for very long. Comfortable after a short climb in the cold, and surrounded by familiar sights and smells, sleep claimed her in only a few minutes.
1.2- Black Moonrise (by TheFirstMate)
When Madeline opened her eyes, gravity was affecting her differently.
It seems a funny thing to notice, at first. But when your waist-length hair regains its weight, you’d be hard-pressed to be ignorant of its pull.
The strawberry-red locks presented a strangeness that intruded into Madeline’s thoughts as she blearily blinked herself awake.
The sudden increase in difficulty to lift her head was odd, but Madeline’s thoughts were elsewhere. She subconsciously managed to sit up on the comfortable couch.
What is happening? Granny’s back from the dead, Theo’s climbing the Mountain again, and my hair is…
Madeline ran a hand through her heavy hair, finally realizing that it was no longer pink and floaty. Okay, one thing back to normal. What else did I hallucinate?
Madeline looked around, and the next thing she noticed was that it was dark out. Granny’s cozy cabin had a stuck-shut window and through it, Madeline could see the stars.
The bright sparkles were great in number, and they shone with a beautiful light. Madeline stared at them for a while.
Another memory rose to her attention as she watched. She let it play out.
Dashing downward, shattering an enormous fusebox. Grabbing the bird, then Part of Me, then the bird again, higher and higher until touching a feather, soaring upward.
Higher, higher, running out of speed but dashing the last few feet, getting face to face with Part of Me and-
“Say goodbye to her for me.”
Madeline was brutally shocked back to her senses. The words that Part of Her had said in that dream were still a tender memory.
Now Madeline couldn’t tell if she had heard them in her mind or not. She turned, slowly and with utmost care, but her fear died quickly. Sitting by the hearth across the cabin was a purple-haired, red-eyed girl.
Part of Her poked halfheartedly at the green flame with a small stick. “Hey, dummy. I’m back.”
Part of Her looked up at Madeline, and there was a small tear in her eye. “I remember that dream, Madeline. I remember what Granny told us. It was over, and we made our peace with it.”
She stood up, and she left the stick behind. There was a subtle anger in her posture. “So why are we back? Why did you drag us back here again?”
Madeline bristled but stood firm. “I didn’t bring us back here on purpose. I was half-sure that this was another dream.” She chuckled half-heartedly. “It’s just like you to immediately blame me for this."
Part of Her smiled and relaxed her body language. “Heh. Stop being the cause of all your problems, and I’ll stop blaming you for them.”
Madeline rolled her eyes. “You’re the worst.” She looked left and right, admiring the cabin again. “But this isn’t my fault. I was at the store, getting out of the car, and then I was here.”
Part of Her raised an eyebrow, lazily floating over the table in the middle of the cabin. She faced the ceiling, her back toward the floor. “Huh. Sounds like mystical mountain mumbo-jumbo to me.”
Madeline opened the fridge, taking a moment to stare strangely at a photo of a younger Granny. The caption’s words were shifting rapidly, swapping positions with each other at a breakneck pace.
Madeline stared at the picture as she retrieved a carton of chocolate milk. Her brow furrowed and eyes downcast, Madeline thought just as quickly as the letters moved. She filled a cup on the table with the sweet, brown liquid. And then she filled a second.
Part of Her continued to lazily drift around the room, only opening her eyes when Madeline handed her one of the filled cups. She took it greedily and floated to an upright position. “So what’s your theory?”
Madeline had her hands clasped in front of the bridge of her nose. “Right now, the words are shuffling themselves, the stars are much brighter than normal, and the fire is green.”
Part of Her nodded. “So we’re dreaming right now.” She sipped her drink contemplatively and nodded. “Makes sense. The first time we met face-to-face was in a dream at those old ruins.”
Madeline swallowed a gulp of chocolate milk. “But if we’re dreaming right now, then I wasn’t dreaming before. I didn’t get a look at any words, and it was day, but I knew that the fire was orange when I got here.”
The purple-haired piece of Madeline slowed her drinking speed. “So what, then? Do you think you’re hallucinating? Maybe you fell into a coma?” She laughed a mean-spirited laugh. “How about ‘You’ve gone back in time’? That’s way more likely than a fire being a different color.”
Madeline shot a flat look at her goth counterpart. “I don’t see you offering solutions. Dream or not, the two of us have to stick together on this. Do you want to fall down the entire Mountain again?”
Part of Her scoffed lightly. “Of course not. That was because you refused to accept any sort of truth about yourself. Now that you have, I won’t throw you off any cliffs; I promise.” She gently brushed by the strawberry-red-haired girl, still floating aimlessly.
Madeline sighed. “So what now? Do we climb the Mountain again? Do we go home?” She laughed dryly, leaning back against the couch. “I have an endless number of questions and a negative number of answers.”
Part of Her set her empty cup down. “Sounds familiar. I think the last time you didn’t have answers, you climbed a mountain about it.” She pointed out the window. “Oh, look. There’s a mountain renowned for telling you about yourself. How convenient.”
Madeline thought silently, staring out at the Mountain. She remembered a view unlike any other, a pink sunrise that rivaled the greatest beauties in the world. Probably. She hadn’t been to any other beauties of the world.
But she had scaled Celeste Mountain. And that view was well worth the climb the first time. Not to mention that it gave her her best friend and a decent handle on her anxiety, to boot!
Madeline had first scaled the Mountain without any knowledge of her questions. Then, those questions had been revealed to her during the climb. Finally, the Mountain taught her the answers, and she’d reached the summit.
If she went up the Mountain with questions, maybe it’d be a little gentler with the answers. Maybe. Probably not. Madeline thought of the mirror temple and grimaced. Definitely not.
But she was nothing if not stubborn, and this time she was willing to learn. Madeline set her face and nodded, standing up.
Part of Her smiled, taking a sip of the sweet brown liquid inside. “I know that face. You just made up your mind.” She grinned. “Then what are you waiting for? Let’s get going, already!” The little goth downed the last of her milk and pumped a fist. “I can’t wait to call you out for being ridiculous again.”
Madeline rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. I admitted that I was wrong to try and get rid of you a while ago.” But before Part of Her could respond, Madeline barreled ahead. “It won’t happen this time, that’s for sure.”
The purple-haired girl smiled. “Better prove it. Let’s go already, come on!"
The mountaineer shouldered her backpack and looked around. "We'll head out as soon as I finish my chocolate milk." Her gaze swept the table, but came up empty; her cup was nowhere to be seen. "Huh. I thought I put it right here."
Part of Her froze. She tried, unsuccessfully, to sneak the empty cups back on the table. Madeline saw both of them in her hands as she set them back on the table.
Madeline, sweet Madeline, looked up at the Piece of Her with enough fire in her stare to melt the world. "Did you. Drink my. Chocolate milk?" Her hands closed around the two empty mugs, and the faint sound of cracking porcelain was apparent.
The One Who Steals Milk was silent. Sweat crept across her brow. She swallowed nothing but fear as Madeline, sweet Madeline, set the mugs down. "That was my chocolate milk. Prepare for judgment."
Part of Her accepted her fate. Which was getting Madeline a new cup of chocolate milk.
1.3- Eye of the Storm (by TheFirstMate)
Madeline opened her eyes, sitting up in the cozy cabin. Her purple gaze lazily swept itself to the hearth, where an orange flame burned calmly.
But it was a cold feeling that the fire gave Madeline. She turned her head, moving aside her floating hair, and quickly looked out the window.
The stars were gentle and distant, barely brighter than the sky around them.
Madeline sucked in a sharp breath. She didn’t need to look at the words in the picture. Granny was standing outside, leading a confused hiker to the cabin.
Theo! The mountaineer nearly jumped to her feet, but a heavy weight pressed against her. A thought caused her to blink back small tears. He won’t remember me, either.
And now there’s no chance of waking up.
She had no time to think of anything else before Theo was at the door. Granny said something muffled by the wood, and she went in first. Madeline turned and sat down.
“Well now.” Granny ambled over to the couch where Madeline was and sat down next to her. “Theo’s outside, and he doesn’t know anything about you. Or this mountain for that matter.”
She laughed, and it was a warm chord to Madeline. “He said it was a ‘nice’ place for ‘relaxation.’ But he made it through the city, so I suppose he’s somewhat prepared.”
Granny poked at Madeline with her cane. “So, are you still dreaming? Or are you ready to wake up and face the truth?”
Madeline leaned back in her seat. “If I’m not dreaming, then what’s going on?” She looked up at nothing, watching the air stagnate. “Why am I back here? Why don’t you remember me?”
Granny was silent for a moment before she spoke. “Well, I have a small theory.” She leaned closer to Madeline as the mountain climber sat up. “Madeline. You’re still crazy. But if the Mountain doesn’t make people crazy, then it’s not the Mountain.”
Madeline shot her a flat look as Granny smiled cheerfully. The mountaineer shook her head. “You’re crazy for sure. How does a Mountain make people crazy?”
Granny stood up, clinking her cane on the wooden floor. “I don’t know. You’re the one with someone else’s memories.” She made for the door, and a chuckle escaped her lips. “I’ll give you the same advice I give every kid who comes here.”
The old woman gently opened the door to her home. “The Mountain is a place of healing. It shows you the truth about yourself, and-”
Words rose to Madeline’s tongue without her asking them to. “The first step of healing is to confront the issue.” She sat up a little straighter. “That’s what you told me after I fell down the Mountain.”
Granny raised her eyebrow. “Hmm. Well, if it were me,” Her eyes twinkled as she stepped out the door, “I wouldn’t take advice from crazy people.”
Her laughter echoed through the cabin as the door swung closed. Madeline was left alone, sitting on a couch in the cozy room. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of oddity. But what she knew for sure was that the Mountain had answers.
There was the click of a doorknob, and Theo entered the cabin. “Hey. Madeline, right?” He kicked some snow off his boots, brushing off more from his green-plaid coat. He looked puzzled but otherwise unworried.
Madeline restrained her emotions, knowing full well what would happen if she acted without thinking. She remembered a gondola, a feather, and her friend’s calming voice. Steel shored up Madeline’s resolve. She would not lose Theo as a friend.
“Yeah, I’m Madeline.” The mountaineer took a deep breath, hoping that what she was doing was right. “And I’ve been here before. I remember climbing this Mountain- and I remember you climbing it too.” Madeline carefully gauged Theo’s reaction, calling forth the memory of that one detective movie she watched when she was ten.
Theo was just how Madeline remembered him. His large, square beard and curly hair both stuck out from his head, waving as he moved. He blinked a few times, and then cheerful skepticism replaced his confusion. “Really? I haven’t climbed a mountain before.”
Madeline sighed. “I thought that’s what you would say.” Her hands flopped beside her, and she looked up with a spark in her eyes that rivaled the stars. “So I’m going to prove that I met you before. You have a sister named Alex that I remind you of.”
Amazement shone in Theo’s stare, but Madeline pressed on. “Your grandfather- you call him vovo- told you about this place.” Theo was wide-eyed, but not worried at all. Madeline remembered that about him vividly. “And he also taught you that trick with the feather.”
Madeline smiled. “I know that because you taught me about the feather when I had a panic attack on that gondola. And when I was at my lowest, you helped me back up.” The mountaineer stood, and Theo could see the joy she had as she remembered.
Madeline blinked, then smiled cheekily. “And you taught me to YOLO, right up until I fell off a cliff.”
Theo burst out laughing, and the sound was music to Madeline’s ears. Theo wiped his eyes. “That is definitely something I’d say. Okay, Madeline, I believe you. And I can see why I was your friend before.” He looked up and left, still smiling. “You do remind me of Alex.”
It was the hiker’s turn to be cheeky. “You both have a great tendency to leap before you look.” Madeline laughed, and Theo smiled. He adopted a thoughtful frown before speaking again. “So, you’re a magic, cotton-candy-haired mountain climber who’s… what… gone back in time? And you say that I’m your friend?”
Madeline rolled her eyes. “I was a lot less magic when I met you.” The second part of Theo’s claim made her shoot an annoyed look at him. “And time travel is ridiculous, even by Celeste Mountain standards. I refuse to believe that a hunk of rock can control time.”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “But making someone’s hair pink and floaty is completely fine.” He smiled, the curious expression comforting Madeline. Her friend believed her. The hiker looked left and right, surveying the cozy cabin with a puzzled look.
Theo turned to Madeline, looking away but smiling happily. “Y’know, the lighting in here is pretty good for a wooden cabin… we should take a selfie.” He fished his phone out of his pocket, turned it on, and beckoned Madeline closer. “Do you have an InstaPix account? I’ll tag you in this one when I post it.”
Madeline nodded, but a thought shut her mouth before she could speak. “Uh… I used to? I might have one later. I got one after I climbed the Mountain…” The mountaineer dug in her pockets but came up empty. “Heh, looks like the Mountain decided I didn’t need my phone.”
Theo pointed at her and raised his eyebrow knowingly, but Madeline shot him down. “I am not time-traveling, Theo! There are a million other probable causes for not having my phone.” She folded her arms, staring straight ahead. Theo smiled, whistling inconspicuously.
Madeline, satisfied, walked over to Theo and looked up into the phone camera. As Theo readied the device, The mountaineer’s emotions came back to the forefront of her mind. The anxiety and unease that came with the strange new circumstances were still there…
But there was a fire that overpowered the negative emotions. Theo had her back, Part of Her was behind her, and even Granny was here for her. The camera flashed. Madeline was smiling, and the tiniest of thankful tears shone in her determined smile.
Theo blinked once or twice, looking at the photo. “Wow, I can see the determination in your eyes! It’s inspiring.” He looked over at the real Madeline, who was sporting a nostalgic expression. The hiker thoughtfully scratched at his beard. “I said that already, didn’t I?”
Madeline shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe the Mountain decided to give me the memories of someone else. It doesn’t matter, because I’m going to climb it.” She shouldered her pack and grinned. “All the way to the peak.”
Theo nodded before he put his phone away. “The whole thing… Well, if you did it once, you can do it again. TBH, I’m kind of invested in seeing this through now, so I’ll come with you.” He straightened his coat and then asked a question. “Hey, what’s that thing you say before you take a huge risk?”
Madeline blinked. She’d never been good at metaphors. “Uh… Don’t count your chickens before they hatch?”
"No, that’s not it… Oh, right.” Theo shot his arm above his head triumphantly and smiled. “YOLOOOOOOOOO!!”
Madeline smiled, shaking her head. “Never change, Theo.”
1.4: Pathways and Decisions (by TheFirstMate)
Theo had taken his own path. The wind blew gently past Madeline's warm coat as she contemplated her friend. Even as she dashed away from a floor of spikes, Madeline thought of her friend. The mountain climber landed on a wooden platform and took a moment to catch her breath.
Theo had climbed with her for a while, but he stopped at the campfire where Madeline had originally met him. Madeline shook some snow from her weightless hair. Theo had said something about taking a different path up the mountain, and she trusted him.
Except, there was always that tiny piece of her that couldn’t help but panic. Madeline sighed. The pink-haired girl thought she’d gotten rid of that, but no. She cast aside her thoughts and made to dash upward to another platform. However, before she could move, her hair regained weight.
“Hang on, Maddy.” Suddenly, Part of Her detached from Madeline. The goth hovered in the air, a curious look on her face. “There’s something wrong-”
Madeline suddenly jumped, the cold of the mountain biting through her jacket. “GAH! Could you warn me next time!?” She rubbed her arms, restoring some heat. She had enough energy to shoot a glare at the goth counterpart. “It’s not exactly warming to suddenly lose half your power!”
Part of Her chuckled. “Oh, and here I thought I was holding you back. Honestly, darling, make up your mind.”
Madeline’s glare increased in frigidity. “I made up my mind when you threw me down the mountain. Maybe you need a crash course on getting off your high horse?”
Part of Her looked away in a brief moment of shame. “Point… But I do have a good reason for being physical at the moment…” She floated upside down, flashing an inverted smile at the mountaineer. “That isn’t messing with you. For once.”
Before Madeline could say anything more, Part of Her quickly floated to a nearby wall. As the purple-haired piece of her pointed to it, Madeline began to find it odd. It was an earthen color while the rest of the area was icy and blue. It was flaky and brittle, more so than the frozen ground beneath her feet.
But there was something else. A subtle thrum in the air around the chunk of dirt pulsed out from it periodically. A quick, quiet, high-pitched whistling sound that sounded out of place snuck past the ambiance. Madeline had heard both of these things before, but like a lot of other stuff, elected to shove them aside in favor of climbing this mystical death trap.
“Huh.” The strawberry-red-haired girl raised an eyebrow. “You’re right. This is a weird patch of wall.” She turned to her dark counterpart with a questioning look. “Which makes it different from the rest of this mountain how?”
The little goth scoffed. “Because this is a good weird. Trust me.” Her purple hair twitched, gaining a mind of its own. Part of Her grinned, and the tendrils lashed out, striking and shattering the hardened earth. “Remember that pie you baked last time?”
Madeline searched her memories, giving the box labeled ‘trauma’ a wide berth. The comforting flashback held a good place in her heart. “It wasn’t the best, but it was nice to share with everyone.” She remained quizzical, watching the dust from the broken earth settle. “What’s it got to do with pulsing rocks?”
Part of Her smiled proudly. “It’s not the rock that’s pulsing.” She flew past the debris into a small alcove, motioning to a strawberry. It hung in midair, slowly pulsing and rotating. “This is one of hundreds of these things. We collected about sixty last time, and the pie was decent.”
She grabbed it, and it disappeared in a flash of light. “If we get all of them, the pie will blow everyone’s minds!” The goth didn’t seem so little as she flew over to Madeline. A manic grin spread across her lips, and her wide eyes seemed to coat the world in red. So what if the mountain sent us back to the start!? We’ll prove our mastery and bake the best pie ever, just to spite this pile of rock!”
She floated around Madeline in rapid circles, cackling cheerfully. Madeline was slightly worried, as evidenced by the small beads of sweat on her forehead, but she remained calm. A strong façade put up between her and her fear would shield her from this irrational fear. But Part of Her saw clean through her act.
Madeline tensed even further, but the anxiety diminished as Part of Her returned to the ground. The little goth rolled her eyes. “Heh. Looks like I got a little carried away there.” She put her hands behind her back and acted nonchalantly. “You don't have a reason to worry, darling, so long as you don’t do anything stupid.”
Madeline shot the flattest look she could at Part of Her. “Y’know what? I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I thought you’d appreciate a name of your own, instead of just being Part of Me.” She folded her arms childishly, smiling like an older sibling. “But I was having trouble thinking of one. Until now.”
Part of Her tried to hide her eager intrigue. She kept her hands behind her back but floated steadily closer to Madeline. The mountaineer leaned in closer as well, intent on sharing the secret of the century. “I think you’d like the name… Badeline.”
The newly-christened Badeline shot up to her full height, her hair wild and twitching. Anger was plain in her expression. Balls of energy formed on her extended arms, and her glare could have melted steel. Madeline stood firm, a smug, teasing smile on her lips.
The little goth held her position. Then! She continued to hold her position. But then! She held her position. It was clear to Madeline that Part of Her was thinking about this, and gradually getting less angry- wait. Madeline blinked incredulously. Was Part of Her considering it?
Badeline’s hair returned to a semblance of normal. She pursed her lips, floating in a lazy circular motion around the little alcove. “Hmm… I don’t hate that as much as I thought I would. Probably because I know you won’t try and abandon me.”
She tapped her chin with a finger of hair, leaving her real arms at her sides. “This is pretty much your way of getting back at me. To you, I am bad.” She grinned cheekily. “I’m bad when you’re being stupid. The devil on your shoulder that steers you right. I like it.”
Madeline blinked. “What.”
Badeline floated upright. “That look on your face alone is worth being named Badeline. Now, do I have to pick you up, or are you going to keep climbing?”
Without another word, the little goth disappeared into Madeline, turning her hair pink and weightless. She stood there, in the small strawberry cave, blinking. “Seriously, what?”
Madeline was much more observant of the mountain the second time around. She didn’t have any sort of map or recording device- the voice in her head about not coming prepared had suddenly never been louder- but she could make a crude mental map. Every so often, she would regain her dashes in midair.
Every time this happened, Madeline designated it as a boundary for a new ‘room.’ The mountaineer had no real reason to do this aside from her newfound strawberry radar’s insistence. In each ‘room’ was no more than one strawberry, and Part of Her was only able to tell where a strawberry was when they were in its respective room.
So, as Madeline sized up a tricky jump across two stoplight platforms, she was surprised to feel Badeline materializing beside her. The red-haired girl turned to the little goth. “What gives? This is a tricky jump, and you already said there isn’t a strawberry in this area.”
Badeline scrunched up her face. “There’s something else off about this room. See that sign?” She pointed upward, picking out a sign hanging from the ceiling. On it was an arrow pointing up, directly into the solid earth it was anchored to. “It’s trying to tell me something…”
Madeline remained quiet, simultaneously questioning the mountain and remembering that questioning the mountain got her stuck in the mirror temple. She regained enough presence of mind to think about what Part of Her just said. “Trying to tell you something? Is it speaking to you, or did you inherit my aptitude for puzzles?”
The little goth chuckled as she always did at a memory of Madeline’s shortcomings, then stopped herself from making fun of the mountaineer. That was new, but not unwelcome. “Madeline, sweetheart, would a talking sign be the weirdest thing we’ve seen?”
Madeline crossed her arms and smiled. “I just thought it might be a nice break.”
Badeline laughed, for real this time, but she was quick to sober up. “Well, I’d hold off on napping for now. This mountain is full of secrets, and that sign is hiding one.” She left the ground in a blur of purple-and-red energy, hovering next to the post.
Then, she flew closer to the bottom of the icy rock- and disappeared.
Madeline jumped, panic once again trying to overturn her state of mind. “What!? Hey! Badeline?!” Barely managing to calm herself, Madeline stood at the edge of her platform. “Are you alright?”
There was a tense moment of silence… broken by the little goth reappearing behind Madeline. “So, it turns out I can’t go that far away from you.” Badeline ignored Madeline jumping fifteen feet in the air in favor of looking back at the sign. “But that sign is definitely suspicious. You should slam your face into it.”
Madeline dashed herself back to the wooden platform, glaring daggers at Part of Her, but she disappeared before the mountaineer could enact vengeance. Madeline settled for a scathing glare at nothing in particular.
The gentle snow floated through the air, but it didn’t obscure her target. The rock above her did have a suspicious gap in it just left of the sign. Madeline sighed, kicking more snow off her boots. Even if she fell, one of the stoplight blocks would be within reach.
The stoplight thing that sends you straight into spikes if you land on it? What Madeline knew to be Part of Her spoke a teasing reprimand, the kind that makes you start to hate the person who said it. That’s the stoplight thing you want to land on? Good plan.
Madeline rolled her eyes. “Shut it, Baddy.”
Yes, the mental voice continued, I am a baddy. You’re about to do something stupid without any plan, so I’ll be the bad guy to keep us alive. Ironic, because I’m stomping on your ‘bad’ ideas.
Madeline grudgingly conceded the point. “A ‘Goodeline’ would have been a lot nicer about it, but you’re right. However, there kinda isn’t another way to get up there.” Madeline dramatically raised a finger as if making a point. “In conclusion? Screw you Imma do my own thing peace!”
MADELINE YOU IDIOT- Badeline’s protests were ignored as Madeline lept onto the first stoplight block, which immediately began rocketing forward. She hung on for dear life, adrenaline pumping through her veins. The mountaineer couldn’t help but yell out in excitement.
“YOLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Madeline jumped, clearing the icy, spiked platform in the path of the moving block. She landed hard on the second one, which immediately rocketed upward. The ceiling closed in quickly, but Madeline dashed left and jumped, escaping the clang of steel on steel behind her.
DON’T YOU DARE DIE ON ME YOU SUICIDAL BI- Badeline’s protests were cut off as Madeline used her second dash to halt her leftward momentum perfectly, ascending into the icy rock above. The illusion of solidity disappeared, leaving Madeline safely inside a small tunnel.
Oh, you made it. I had total faith in you.
Madeline laughed despite herself. Or maybe to spite herself? Whichever. “Yeah, sure. Now which way was this sign trying to tell you to go?” She looked around, hesitantly feeling the rock around her.
Badeline became physical again. She floated forward, hovering midair at the edge of the tunnel. On the wall that the tunnel faced was a small platform and another path forward. “That way. Please don’t kill yourself this time.”
Madeline nodded. That was enough for her goth counterpart, seeing as she disappeared. Madeline straightened her coat, the reality of the situation catching up to her. That moment had been exhilarating, but it didn’t solve anything. Putting her life on the line wasn’t worth a little distraction.
Were those Badeline’s thoughts or Madeline’s? Maybe both, perhaps neither. But it wasn’t too important, so the mountain climber moved on. Up, dodging a falling stoplight thing, riding another one on one side until it stops. Madeline sprang upward and continued on the path until she was… outside?
It’s quiet out here. The gentle wind blew tiny snowflakes in a kind dance. There was a satellite dish way out there, but Madeline managed to spot a path. She quickly jumped and dashed from platform to platform before landing on the cold steel. She eventually made it to the dish, and the computer panel underneath it.
There was a wavering pop, and Badeline took a physical form, grinning as she touched another strawberry. But Madeline’s gaze was firmly on the monitor. Badeline looked around, still feeling the mountain’s influence. She saw only birds, flying in random patterns-
Wait. “There.” She pointed to the cluster of avians as they suddenly shot out in different directions. The trail behind them looked nearly identical to Madeline’s dash…
Madeline watched the panel as it lit up, displaying a sequence of solid colors along with a distinct sound for each one. The colors that it showed matched the birds’ distinct hues. The two parts of the mountain climber concluded their thoughts simultaneously.
Madeline stepped out onto the wooden platform beneath the birds. Badeline flew to the monitor. The little goth watched the color sequence intently, and Madeline watched the birds dash. A tinge of prideful confidence infused the strawberry-red-haired girl and the Part of Her memorizing the order of the colors. Between the two of them, they’d have this figured out in no time!
Thirty minutes later
“Maddy, it’s purple, then yellow. Not purple then red.”
“I know, I know, I’m just confused. You said there were two purples?”
“Yes. The sequence is white, purple, blue, red, purple, yellow, white.”
“You’re sure this time. Not like last time, when it was white, purple, red, red, yellow, blue.”
“I’M SURE.”
"Okay.”
“…”
“Wait, which direction is red again?”
It was a ridiculous relief when the giant heart appeared. Madeline and Badeline both sighed with laughter with the reprieve from struggle, finally free from the puzzle. The mysteries of the floating crystal heart were cast aside in favor of relaxing for a moment.
Then the moment was over, and Badeline floated to the large vessel. It pulsed and spun like a strawberry, except on a much larger scale. “This is what we worked for. I’m not disappointed, mostly because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am curious.”
She touched the giant nucleus, but nothing happened. Madeline stood, dusted herself off, and touched it herself. Nothing also happened. “What do you think it’s for?” She tapped it, and it let off a strange reverberation. “The Mountain must have placed it here for a reason.”
Badeline blinked. “I don’t know about that. Whatever this crystal heart is, the mountain made it from something. It made me from you, and it probably made those strawberries from the old bat.” She folded her arms. “But that still doesn’t tell us what it is.”
Madeline gave no response. Instead, she dashed straight into the giant heart. Badeline’s yell was drowned out, everything was drowned out, and Madeline saw something from someone else’s eyes.
“Nobody wants to live here, huh? I can’t blame them. Who’s idea was it to make a city in this god-awful place!?”
“Boss, calm down-!”
“No! They can spew vomit off their tongues all day, but they can’t hide the truth! This mountain is terrible! All the days we spent here making this place have gone to waste. Everything we made here could have been great… but now? It’s all just a bunch of scrap. A whole city of Pointless machines.”
And then Madeline was back, and the heart was gone. She stood, quiet, on the edge of the drop. Badeline had rejoined her, and both pieces shared the memory. Madeline felt bad. “All that work, and everybody left. That boss was right to be mad.”
Badeline separated from the mountaineer. “Maybe. He was also right about his employers being bags of dirt.” She floated in a lazy circle around her red-haired counterpart. “That was interesting. The crystal heart was a memory of this place given form.”
Madeline pulled her coat tighter around herself. “Maybe these birds and this dish have something to do with it.” She looked up at the dish, which was now dormant. “Well, whatever the case, we should find more of those hearts. Knowing the history of the Mountain could help us out.”
Part of Her booped her on the nose. “Or… maybe you just want to try and bounce on one.”
Madeline rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and?”
Badeline opened her mouth. Then she closed it again. “On second thought… let me try it when we find one of the hearts again.”
Madeline laughed.
Compiler's Commentary:
1.1: Welcome aboard the Infinite Loops, Madeline!
1.2: And your little goth, too!
1.3: In which Madeline raises some Theo-logical questions.
1.4: In which Badeline does not refuse her name.
Special Note
I'd like to thank the people who gave this little fic a chance.
Your hopes are not in vain, friends, for this adventure is only beginning!
And while more and more snippets of Mountain mayhem come to pass,
This fic will update continuously, adding every ounce of Celeste Loops content that is ever made.
Chapter 3: Hey, look at this!
Summary:
Oops I did it again
Something something your heart
Something tear it apart
Hit me baby one more time!
Chapter Text
Yeah, the previous chapter got an update. Deal with it 😎
By the way, here's a teaser for TheFirstMate's next snip. Ahem.
"CYRCTAMIDRAECIMMOA."
Happy Reading!

Dragonninja on Chapter 2 Sat 07 Sep 2024 11:53PM UTC
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