Chapter Text
Siffren listens to Mirabelle talk.
Once again. And again. And again. And again.
You have heard this before.
Which loop is this again? Your thousandth? More? Less? Does it matter?
Mira is asking if you are feeling alright.
You ignore her…..
To the Favour Tree you go~
______________________________
You look at yourself. Loop has told you who they really were a while ago. You were shocked back then.
They look as tired as you. Even the glow of their star-shaped head seems diminished.
“Stardust……”
They look at you sadly. You know what they will ask you to do.
“We can't go on like this. We tried everything! Killing the king, helping everybody, talking to your party about the loops, killing the head housemaiden, we even tried your stupid King plan….”
You can't look them in the eye.
“I mean really? How does getting the last hit in against the King help you any-”
A sob escapes you.
“Stardust I-..... I am sorry. Come, sit down for a bit. You already freaked out your housemaiden so this loop is already screwed, you can rest for a bit, even if you do not want to follow my plan.”
…. You look at their mismatched eyes. A rare expression of actual worry looks at you, their eyes scanning your face. Somehow this makes you feel better. The “Freak out Loop ending”..... At least it's something new.
“Look, Siffrin. I of all people know how hard this decision is, and it is not like we are in a hurry. Stars! It wouldn't matter at all if you did it in a million loops! But you cannot keep going that long! I did not hold on as long as you…..”
You look up. At least you can comfort them. The only one who will remember your words.
“You did not have help…. Without you I would have gone all *loopy* as well.”
……
“Stardust… how… after all you have endured, can you still make puns? And by the Universe why does it actually make me feel better.”
You can't help but crack a small smile. It feels unnatural. You notice that you haven't cracked a pun for over 10 loops. Huh.
…..
You have to ask again.
“What will happen if we…. Do it?”
They stare at you. A familiar gaze. You wonder how it took you so long to figure out their identity. Your identity.
“..... i-i am not sure. Our wish will be more powerful. Two is better than one after all, it's basic logic.”
Obviously, you were taught this in kindergarten.
“But it can manifest itself in different ways. We only follow the Universes' will after all! So you might turn into me and we will sit together under the same tree helping a new Siffrin… But chances are something different will happen. So… Darling, don't split your head about what it could be. Your little head has enough issues~”
Ain't that the truth?
You sigh. “Let's do it!”
Loop looks shocked and confused. Another win for replacement Sif!
“Stardust….. What???? Didn't…. Didn't you just say…. You didn't even say goodbye to your party?"
You shrug. “Honestly, after the shock of your suggestion wore off, I could not stop thinking about it. You are right, we tried everything. Literally everything. I even made everyone hate me to the point I had to fight the king alone!....”
*They didn't unfreeze you after defeating the king. You could hear them fight the king in your last moments… they probably thought you were too unstable, too much of a fuckup to let you fight with them.*
“Nothing worked….. so you were right…. You are always right. I was not strong enough.
I already accepted it, there is no reason to not do it now.”
You feel empty. You can't see them again. Because they are no longer your family, they are your pawns in a game you can't win…. Without Loop you would have forgotten their names by now…. Do you even still love them…?
“OF COURSE YOU DO!”
Loop’s sudden scream startles you…. You can't look them in the eye.
“Please…. Before I change my mind!” You feel ashamed for having to beg.
“Stardust I-.... Fine. But if we make it out of here in one piece we will need to have a talk. Now come on, let's pick a leaf we both like.”
You quickly pick up the one you like best, the one you used in your first loop. You are no longer as forgetful as you used to be. Organisation and management are the reasons you are still sane, after all.
Loop takes a bit longer. You do not mind, it's an important part of the ritual after all. And since you are taking two wishes back and asking for another one, you better make sure you do everything right.
After a bit, Loop picks up a slightly ripped leaf and holds it up.
“Last chance to get cold feet~” they wink at you.
“No, let's do it…”
Goodbye everyone…..
You regret making Mira worried on your last loop.
You get through the ritual step by step, it feels natural.
You whisper your wish into your leaf, you hear Loop repeating the same words next to you.
As you speak you feel the universe listening. Your words begin to drag as you sense wishcraft swirling around you.
You are giving up, deep down in yourself you admit it. You know it's true. You know you are awful. You know that you are a failure. Loop said they gave up differently, you wonder if their way was better or worse.
And the universe listens. The last words…. Escape you…. As Loop instructed you both unleash time craft to aid the wish , give it something to hold on to and work with.
This has been done only once be-[rewind] never been done before, so you wonder if this will backfire. Trying to guide and empower a wish with time craft…. Odile would have a field day.
You know the risks, you could die, or worse be erased forever… but what other choice is there to save everyone. To not fail completely. Maybe the universe will listen to you one last time.
The air feels sweet. You didn't notice everything going dark. It's just you and Loop in a small patch of grass.
You beg with all your will as the Universe listens. You will do anything to break the loops. To make sure everyone is happy. To guide to victory. You. Just. Need. More. Time.
You feel one…. last tug….. on your-
“Hope to see you soon Stardu-”
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Siffrin, no other name, was relaxing in a field. You heard the savior are passing by in the area. Maybe you could meet them? It's not like you have anything else to do.
[Oh you totally should, new Stardust~]
A voice….. Where is it coming from? Are you still dreaming? They sound vaguely familiar… That accent….
[No time to waste. We have to meet the others.]
A second voice, sounding exactly like yours but with an uncanny serious tone, spurs you on.
You open your eyes to see a translucent star person and a translucent….. Dark shaded Siffrin looks down at you.
You let out a shout..