Chapter Text
It's been four months.
The missing posters have been put up everywhere. Missing posters of a single person. It made the news. The disappearance of a single person has made the news.
An Opposur sits by Mainframe, feeling worse and worse about themself. They're puzzled. Why are they puzzled? An Opposur is supposed to be tough, right?
So... why do they feel sad?
A Gremlur approaches them, trying to pull something. Trying to pull a prank. A joke.
The Opposur is having none of that. They grab the Gremlur by their neck, and hold them like that for a while, before opening their jaws.
"Why me?!" They shout. "What cosmic lesson is this supposed to teach me?!?! I had a great life, a great team, a great everything!!! And then everything..."
The voice wasn't that of an Opposur. Yes, they still sounded gruff, but they also sounded like someone who... might've had a part in this story.
The Opposur puts the missing poster in the Gremlur's face. "Why?! My life was great before this happened!! I'm dead to everyone in this world!! EVERYONE!!!"
The Gremlur looks away. "Yeesh. You have some personal issues, dude."
The Opposur tilts their head. Being told that they have personal issues... hurts. It's true, but only because they can't go back. They can't go back to the life they once had. The people they cared about. The laughing and the hardships, the smiles and tears... It's become so... alien to them. They want to go back. They desperately want to go back.
...But they can't.
I'm the Opposur, by the way. I'm not having a good time.
"You don't look like any sort of Opposur I've seen..." the Gremlur mumbles. "Why are you so... purple?"
I've been living as an Opposur for four months. Four, sad, sad months. "Look at me. I'm purple because I'm purple, okay?" Of course. Because I can't answer a question for shit. I've fallen from grace. I've become... miserable.
Opposur. Beastiepedia Entry #90. I'm supposed to be infamous for picking fights. I'm supposed to keep Gremlur in check. I suppose that's what I'm doing right now, but it all feels meaningless.
I used to be human. A good human. A great human. With the strongest Beastieball team. I was the best.
...But now...
...It's all gone.
And I can't go back.
The Gremlur giggles. "Who are you, anyway?"
...
"Does it matter?" I sigh. My identity has been stripped from me. My sense of self has been stripped from me. All that's left is the body of a poseur.
My fur and fingers have a purple tint. I don't have a tail. And any tail I have is a nub. And from what I've looked at myself in my reflection, my eyes are periwinkle.
And along with that, I'm in pain. I've been in pain for four months. Persistent, persistent pain.
"That's a weird-looking Opposur!" I hear a person in the distance.
The voice is familiar.
The figure approaches me. "Yo, what's your deal? What happened to your tail?"
...
I know her.
I remember her.
She's a warm presence.
Immediately, my aggression disappears, and I let go of the Gremlur.
"...Elena?"
"Wh- Yo, who knew Beasties could talk?" The person, Elena, I know her. I remember her. "You're obviously a weirdo like me. A freak like me. C'mon!" Elena grabs my paw, and leads the way, to her home.
She didn't even comment on me saying her name. I know her. Does she not know me? Did she forget?
"...Elena..." I say again. "...It's me."
"Let's save that for after we come inside," Elena hums. "I've got a stream to do, and I'm not letting my schedule get slown down by some Opposur."
I snort. "Wh- What??"
"What? What did I say?" Elena looks defensive.
"You said 'slown down'," I reply, still chuckling. "That's not- You know that's not a real past tense, right?"
Elena smirks. "Oh, I'm gonna like you."
I look away, smiling.
Elena's alright.
"You think I could get famous from a talking Opposur?" Elena asks me, pondering something. "I mean, I'm already famous, but... I haven't had a good meme in a while. Maybe you could give the streams a good oomph. Y'know what I mean?"
I look back at Elena. "...Yeah. Sure."
"Yeaaah, I knew you'd get it!!" Elena cheers. "I'm gonna be streaming a really cool game... It's called Ghostrufflers!! I have to battle bird ghosts! And there's also the metanarrative of um... uhh... You'll get it once we get to my house!"
Never change, Elena. Never change.
I reminisce on my past.
Trophies. Championships. Winning. I was the best. And then, I settled down. I never stopped playing Beastieball, but I never expected I'd become an Opposur. But I suppose I'll have to keep up the act for a while, because I don't know what I'd do if Elena knew... who I really am.
Besides, we knew each other better than anyone else. I would never forget Elena. We were supposed to go to the championship together...
And now...
...
Oh, how in the world did I get in this situation?
...
But on the bright side, maybe one day, I could reveal who I really am, to Elena.
Just before I know it, Elena and I are at her house. And she's starting up the stream.
"Okay, lemme find it in my library..." Elena hums, trying to pull up the game. "I dunno if you'll like it, but it'll be really fun, y'know? REALLY fun!"
Well... if she's so sure about it.
...
Yet, something is still aching me. Not just the pain. Something I need to tell Elena. I wanted to wait, but...
...
I suppose if I don't tell her now, I never will.
"Hey, Elena?" I ask her.
Elena's eyes look over to me. "Yo. What's up, weird Opposur?"
"...What would you do... if a Beastie was actually a human?" I ask, nervously fidgeting with my paws. I have to tell her. But at the same time, I'm scared of what she'd think.
"Uhh... I have no idea how to answer that question," Elena mumbles. "Why'd you ask?"
I gulp. "What if it was someone you knew? Like... a friend?"
"What, are you saying that you're someone like..." Elena hums. "Are you Valerie Stride or something?"
...
"...Yes."