Chapter Text
This was wrong. This was so, so wrong.
She tried to be proud of herself like everyone else was. At the time it had been nothing but congratulations and celebration for her achievement because, somehow, she'd done it! She'd won The Power of Two! Well, not all of it. After the debacle with Pencil, One, and so on, they'd all decided that it was best for no object to have so much control over the world around them. That would be fine. It would have been fine with any other victor. But not her. It was as though in the middle of all the hostility, One had just...ceased to exist. She was so close to her goal and then poof! Nothing. No one bothered to look for her; she was a threat after all, but it still felt so...wrong. Everything had suddenly changed, as though it was correcting itself to lay out a path that she, and only she, could tread in peace. She played the game with all her might despite the feelings, and then, just suddenly one day, she'd...won. It was over. Time hadn't stopped because of her victory, but it felt that way. It almost felt like the world was about to end. Nobody was doing anything. Nothing besides celebrating her accomplishment and working alongside the Algebraliens, who had been visiting the hotel to watch the finale.
The anticipation was killing her. What had happened? She had so many questions and nobody to answer them. So there she sat, alone in her room, with the blinds shut and her arms around her knees. "What a somber attitude for a winner to have.", she thought, "You could be doing so much with this, making so many people happy...Yet here you are, locked in your room, wondering what's gone wrong." Was she overreacting? Was everything fine, and she just thought she didn't deserve this? She'd worked for so long to get something like this. "Think of all you've been through! You've earned this!" But had she? Maybe-
"Pin? You in there?"
Coiny. He'd come to check on her. She smiled a little bit, finally forcing herself to speak after hours of silence,
"Come in!" Her voice was a little hoarse, but he probably understood her.
He gently opened the door, looking a little alarmed about how dark it was. He got over it quickly before flipping a light switch, walking closer to her bed as she winced at the sudden glare.
"Hey, uhm...You alright? You seem really moody for somebody who just won superpowers."
She forced a chuckle, but it quickly sank back into her throat. "...No, not really."
"Wanna talk about it?" He asked, putting a hand on her back. She shook her head. How would she even explain it to him? She wasn't unsatisfied, she didn't know what she was afraid of, so what was there to be so upset about?
"I'm just...unsettled, is all. It's a rush of emotions. That, and I'm enduring sensations I don't fully understand yet." Two had been teaching her about her new powers ever since the show ended, but she definitely hadn't mastered them yet. Many of her things were strewn across the floor, blown to bits, both, or in some other odd position because of how spontaneous the energy would come to her. She felt embarrassed that Coiny could see it all, yet he didn't seem to mind. He gave her a sympathetic look, gently kissing her cheek. She couldn't exactly become redder than her body already was, so she hoped her large smile was enough to convey her joy.
"Hey, we're here for you. Like we were there for- actually, I take that back...We weren't really there for Pencil. B-But we are here for you!"
She giggled, genuinely this time, and returned his earlier kiss. "I know, Coiny. Don't worry."
His flushed expression brought up her mood as he offered her a hand, "Well, X wants us all at the picnic tables for something...They seemed kinda frantic about us getting there."
"Aren't they always kinda frantic?"
"Yeah, poor dude...I feel bad for them. I can't imagine being Four's friend."
She didn't really know how she felt about Four. She hadn't competed in his competition in full, but from what she remembered they were ruthless, conniving, and didn't have a single care for any of their lives. They probably were a terrible friend now that she thought about it.
"Alright then. Give me a second." She concentrated just a smidgen of her power to make herself look presentable, before taking Coiny's hand and letting him lead her into what she would soon look back on as the dawn of the end. Did she blame him? There was no way he could have known.
"You know what you have to do."
"This is how it's written. There's no way around it."
"We know you love them, so let this be your greatest gift to them."
"Enjoy what you have left of your time with them."
"All of us know you'll make our kind proud, X."
They were so nervous. So nervous they were nearly sick just standing in place. Forcing a happy smile to disguise the shaking, they happily greeted everyone who approached, hoping no one would point out how scared they were. All they received was enthusiasm, and no one was any wiser to the occasion.
It was perfect. They'd arranged each decoration, each plate and dessert, even the tables themselves to align exactly with their vision of this day. These moments. These fleeting, brittle moments. Ones that could spoil if so much as one thing went wrong. This was it. Their final day. The last day where everyone would be in one place: happy, full of life, oblivious to the truths beyond the innocence their kind had granted them so long ago. Oblivious to the horrible fate that awaited them.
Every Algebralien had decided that the words of this old 'prophecy' had to be obeyed to a T, despite how fearful X was of it.
"If this really is what must happen...then we have to obey it."
"Hi there!! Make yourselves comfortable, there's more than enough food to go around!"
"I can't imagine how they'll fend for themselves..."
"I'm so glad you all could make it! I hope you'll have a great time!"
"Such is the way of prophecies...I think I'll miss these guys."
"This is gonna be the best party EVER!!!"
In the midst of an approaching crowd they could make out Pin, the most recent game's victor. The only object who permanently had power from an Algebralien. Someone with a chance at survival when the time came. With no hesitation they flew to her side, shaking her hand with great enthusiasm. They were surprised she'd even shown up, considering how she'd been cooped up in her room for the past several weeks.
"Pin!!!! Oh, it's so great to see you!!!"
"Uh, h-hey there X!! Nice to see you too!..." She looked startled by their attitude, but they hoped she'd one day understand why they were acting this way. Coiny snickered under his hand (something the push-pin scowled at), before X clapped their hands to get the couple's attention.
"Well, you're some of my final guests! Why don't we get the party moving, huh?"
"A party?" Pin raised an eyebrow, "Why are we throwing a party? My victory was two months ago."
They quickly thought of a lie so they could keep up their charade until the time came. No one could know, yet.
"I-I just...wanted to hang out with everybody! That's all!"
Good thing that they'd acted shallow enough so their superficial stories sounded believable. Pin's confusion went away and she rejoined hands with Coiny, allowing X to lead them further into the venue and asking no further questions. Good. There would be no time.
The flowering bushes, simplistic yet pleasant decorations, and the excellent tasting treats had distracted Pin from her inner doubt for a while, but it soon came rushing back to her brain. Why was X throwing a party? And why has it been so long? The first two hours had been enjoyable, but now it had been so long that the sun was rising again. Even worse, nobody else was questioning it. What the hell was happening?! She could feel ooze trickle down the sides of her face as she tried to puzzle it all out. She was right. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Coiny, meanwhile, had been stuffing his face with eclairs and hadn't made an effort to question any of this.
"...Hey, Coiny?"
"Mmyeah?" He replied, mouth stuffed full of pastry. She sweetly wiped some of the frosting off of his cheek before continuing.
"Doesn't this seem...really weird to you?"
"Whaddya mean?" He asked the moment after he swallowed.
"Well, think about it. We've been out here for thirteen hours straight, nobody's left, barely anyone's fallen asleep, Two and Four are nowhere to be found, what's going ON?!" Her cover-up had faded at this point; the bags under her eyes, the small crack in her point, and the roughened patches on her body were on full display. Not like anybody noticed. Coiny put his hands on the sides of her head to try and steady her thoughts, not moving them when he felt the ooze like someone else would. His love calmed her down a little.
"Hey, I know it's a little strange..." Thank stationary, he'd noticed, "But we're getting free food! So I see this as a win!" She then remembered it was Coiny she was dealing with. He wasn't as into complex thinking as she was. She'd accepted it by now, but that didn't mean she felt any better about his answer.
"Yeah, I guess...I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Alright!! I'll be here if you need me, Pinster!"
"I know. Thanks." She slipped from her seat at the picnic table, straying from the strings of lights hung above them all into the cold darkness. It felt different from her room; it was wild, untamed, and she had no way of knowing what lurked out there. She had no means of defense, not like she thought she'd need any. As the sounds of merriment faded into the background she took in the cold breeze of the early morning, which seemed to soothe her nerves the more breaths she took. Maybe things weren't so bad. The sun was rising as it always did, she could still breathe, walk, think...Perhaps it would be alright, and she just needed a walk to reset her rattled emotions.
She was sorely mistaken. About ten minutes into her recreation, her eye was caught on a large figure in the distance. It was as black as the slowly dissipating night, so dark she thought it was simply absorbing the rays of the rising sun rather than reflecting them. It held a lantern in its right hand, carrying it through the sky as it staggered to where she was. She could make out very little else before she started sweating again. She'd seen many creatures like this in her dreams; were they following her into her waking moments, now? An attempt was made to turn around as in to flee, but not a muscle in her body moved. The fear was paralyzing. She blinked only once, and then-
When her eyes opened she was right back in her seat. What?? What had just happened??? She'd left this place, and hadn't had the time to walk back? What was going on? She groaned in agonizing confusion, putting her head in her hands. Was this just a side effect of the power? Did she have reason to be in fear? She didn't know anymore, and there was no time to think before X called for everyone's attention. They began with a small speech about everything that had happened to them, and their words dripped with genuine affection and care unlike those of the unsympathetic Four. She almost smiled. Almost. She was still suspicious of her surroundings, and this party they were holding. Nevertheless they went on, proceeding until they started to come to tears, which brought pity into the faces of the objects around them all. Choking on a sob, they finished out their heartfelt words.
"...Thank you. All of you, for being so full of life and personality. I will cherish all of my memories with you, even as time goes on into...."
This left her even more confused. Were they dying? No, they couldn't be. How long to Algebraliens live, anyway? As time goes on into what???
"And now, I..." They bowed ever so slightly, clasping their hands together. "...I present my final gift to you. May it enrich you for as long as it can." Shutting their eyes as a quick flash went across the venue, Pin immediately dipped to her knees with newfound weight. Similar reactions were had among the rest of the crowd, mostly coming from the larger objects. Coiny's concern extended to her once again, his arms immediately wrapping around her in worry.
"Pin?! Are you okay?? What even was that?..."
"You think I know?!" She didn't mean to lash out at him. She was confused, scared, her body felt weird, and X was silently stepping back as many of the objects began to demand answers. None of this newfound pain could set in before Four appeared, silencing the panic almost instantly. They had a characteristic smile that Pin tried not to focus on as she struggled to stand on her own again.
"Hello everybody! How would you like to play one last game?"
"One last game?" Coiny inquired, making sure Pin didn't fall back onto her knees.
"Yes!! We've planned an excellent little activity for you all!"
As the picnic tables and decorations were swept away, X took a silent leave and faded into the background like they'd never been there at all. It was at that moment that Pin suddenly felt a strange movement in her chest, as though something was in there.
Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump.
As though something was in there.
Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump.
Something was in there.
Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump.
It was moving.
Ba-dump, Ba-dump.
She grabbed at her chest. Nothing changed. She only became more aware of it.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
"There's something inside me." She whispered to herself in terror. "There's something inside me and I can't get it out."
There was no time to think about it before the ground began to rumble, ten ancient yet grand Corinthian pillars slowly rising from the ground at Four's command. X was gone now. Not a single Algebralien was beside them. With each pillar's full ascension, a circular beam of light would begin to shine atop it like a jewel in the sun. She could see the eyes of many objects sparkle with desire, and they didn't even know what it was yet. More ooze slipped from her head, her nerves were finally justified. She silently began to panic as she turned to Coiny.
"Do you...What's going on??"
"I don't know..." He looked as worried as she did, his eyes darting around the scenery as Four approached the objects. They gestured to the pillars before they spoke again.
"Upon these pillars is your final prize! Power, like what your dear Pin has!" All eyes landed on her, which didn't help her anxiety about the situation. She knew that others desired her power even now, but now there were ten more chances to gain some? Where did it even come from?
"Like Two's power?"
"All for us???"
"And the only thing we have to do is get up there??"
"Yep yep yep!! There'll probably be some tools scattered about to help you! But first..."
Smiling, they tossed a sword into the hands of Blender, an object she hadn't seen much of in the show's run-time. His eyes shook with fear as their fingers settled around the weapon. Directly across from him was Eraser, who didn't seem to care at all until the moment their eyes locked. Pen, who'd been a little more active ever since Eraser came back from elimination at the end of the show, immediately wrapped an arm around him. The mechanical object's approach started slow while the sword fell into a striking position in their grip, time itself seeming to hit the brakes.
"H-Hey man...Uhm...What're ya lookin' at me for?" Eraser shakingly asked, the sight of the sword obviously making him nervous.
Four snapped their fingers.
"Let's see X's new gift in action."
Letting adrenaline control him Blender immediately rushed for the two friends, Eraser pushing Pen to the side so he could avoid being struck. In turn the metal slashed straight through him, creating a large wound in his chest that dripped with hot, red blood. It splattered across their faces as Pen let out a scream of terror to match Eraser's yelp of anguish. Every object stood in horrified silence. He was bleeding.
They could bleed now. Their eyes had been opened to true, harrowing suffering. What had X done to them?! Where was Two in all of this?!
Blender's shock twisted into a crooked smile. As Eraser grabbed his wound and tried to stay on his feet the other object immediately chopped at his arm; once, twice, three times, four, five, not a single pained scream from his victim pulling him from the violence. Each chop exposed more sinew and bone as Eraser tearfully begged for mercy.
"Please!...Plea- AUUGH!! AAUUHH!! AAAAHH!"
Pen was being held back by a couple others, most likely in fear of the same happening to him. Even so, he did his best to plead with Blender so the torture would end.
"ERASER!! Wh-Why are you- how could you- Oh, please, PLEASE STOP!! STOP!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!!"
Blender didn't listen to any of the bartering, and soon enough with a soggy thud, Eraser's arm was severed from his body. He screamed out in horror and anguish, Pen immediately enveloping him in a protective embrace as the wounded object let pained sobs escape him. If they were scared before, everyone was certainly terrified now. It all struck Pin like a knife as panic ran through the air. From what she'd learned of animals, they had skin, flesh, then bone, and she could only assume that X had now given this to them as well. X had given them flesh, blood, and bone. That's why she'd fallen down, it was because of the organic matter that now made up her entire being.
Even if they hadn't meant to, X had doomed them all.
"Guess you got what you wanted after all, Eraser! Hah! HahAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAH!!!"
Four looked at the scene with disgust as Blender broke into maddening laughter, but they shook this often and clapped their hands together. No one was getting a moment to process anything; she could already spot other weapons appearing around what she could only assume was going to become a bloody battlefield.
"Let the game begin!"
Chaos broke out among the entire audience; some grabbed weapons, others tried to hide, Pin was just- frozen in fear. All the sudden realizations had shocked her to her core. The following moments were a blur as she sprinted off from the rest, Coiny close behind, she could tell his voice wasn't far off. She didn't process anything happening around her, as she feared the worst if she stopped running for a second. The most important thing right now was avoiding injury. Who knows what would happen to her if she got hurt? She immediately bolted off to the north, hoping that no one would follow her. She was forgotten for a large amount of this exhausting distance, until-
Teardrop jumped between her and her hiding place, a large spiked mace in her hands and an amused grin on her face. She looked...different, since she'd seen her at the party. She had this strange spiked halo around the tip of her head, one that glowed red like the blood which had dripped from Eraser. She was twitching, likely from obtaining one of those strange orbs Four had summoned. "Crap." Pin thought. Teardrop loved violence. This scenario was perfect for someone like her. Not only that, but she now had access to power that not a single object knew the effects of. It couldn't just be pieces of Four's own, could it? Fearing for her much more fragile life, she tried to plead with her for it.
"H-Hey, Teardrop!...Look, I-I'm sure we can talk about this! We're friends, aren't we?"
The smile on her face didn't flinch. She was clearly planning to test the limits of Blender's earlier example. In turn, Pin was going to die. Was death permanent now? Not a moment was left for her to ponder anything; Teadrop attempted to strike her with the mace, but she quickly slid out of the way to try and vanish into the forest. Luckily enough for her-
"I'm right behind you!"
Pin's face lit up excitedly. Coiny had followed her all that way, despite the chaos. Oh, she loved him so much. Would she have time to tell him?
"Head into the trees! I'll keep up with you!"
The chase into the trees lasted a little longer than she would have thought. The collapse of one of the pillars set Teardrop back a short distance, yet Coiny's agility allowed him to slip under it just before it hit the ground so he could catch up. She managed to weave through the vines and foliage fairly well (which she though was odd, because she didn't remember this part of Goiky having forests at all), yet it was never enough to fully shake Teardrop off. Of course it wasn't. Who knew what that power was doing to her. The chase only seemed to pause when she ran into a small clearing, coming face to face once again with the strange figure she'd seen in the darkness. Its lantern was held up to the sky now, the sunlight shining through the trees filling it proudly as it lowered the object down to her. She wasn't as afraid as before, so she saw merit in trying to communicate with it.
"...This is yours?"
"..." It didn't respond, but placed the ornate lamp in her hands instead. She'd seen things like this in some of Book's illustrations, they were often carried by objects in older times to illuminate their surroundings. Why was it giving this to her? For what purpose?
"You want me to have it?"
It silently nodded, looking to the left and starting to depart.
"Wh- Wait! I need you! Can you help me-"
The handle of Teardrop's mace slammed into her head, and she tumbled from where she was standing into a small ditch. Landing on her side and clutching the lamp she'd been given, her sight faded out and the sounds of Coiny's voice entangled with signs of struggle; she could only hope she wasn't bleeding.
That she would live long enough to figure out what had happened at all. Settling into the grass, she breathed out what could be her last words,
"...Somebody...help me.. ."
Coiny put a gentle hand over Pin's chest. He could feel what could only be described as a 'heart-beat', so she was probably alive. He sighed in relief as he lifted her into his arms.
He'd gotten Teardrop to run off, thankfully. There were easier victims for her to target, and he wasn't going to let anyone get near her now.
Oh, Pin. His confident, beautiful, steadfast Pin. She was probably so terrified and confused. Of course, he was too, but it mattered more because it was her. She was everything to him. He looked at her in her pained unconsciousness, cursing at himself for not having saved her sooner. Climbing up from the ditch he could spot the opening of a cave in the distance, a smile immediately coming to his face.
"Jackpot! We'll be safe in there, Pinster!" His expression dropped when she didn't respond. Why was he talking to her? She wasn't dead, but could she hear him? Would she wake up soon? Was she dying? Where did the strange lamp come from? He didn't have any answers. All he could do was carry her the cave's mouth, assuring her as she slept.
"Don't worry, Pin. Even if everybody thinks I'm crazy, I'm gonna keep you safe. No matter how long you're out for. Because that's what you do for the people you love."
And oh, he loved her so terribly much.