Both Terezi and Aradia are waiting for him when he retcons in.
TEREZI: 1’M NOT 4BOUT TO W4ST3 YOUR T1M3 W1TH 4 LONG3R V3RS1ON OF TH1S CONV3RS4T1ON. YOU N33D TO GO NOW.
John’s still trying to catch his breath.
JOHN: please just tell me what’s going on!
TEREZI: W3 SP33DR4N SBURB. NOW OUR UN1V3RS3 1S CURS3D.
JOHN: what?
He asks as if he’s incredulous, but he already knew it was true. The haze that had been haunting them for so long wasn’t a figment of his imagination. It was real. It was destroying his friends. His mind is still flooding back into itself, excising the poison.
ARADIA: choosing not to defeat lord english essentially “broke” the world we were all living in
ARADIA: i am guessing rose explained canon
JOHN: yeah? i mean i still don’t really understand it or what it has to do with why everyone is acting so weird. all i know is that we have to defeat lord english or our souls die?
TEREZI: YOU DONT N33D TO DO TH4T
JOHN: fuck, wait why???
ARADIA: because you already have
ARADIA: two versions of you have already made the choice between meat and candy
John is getting really tired of blithering like an idiot, but he’s not sure what else to do.
JOHN: then why am i here?? i already did what i was supposed to do!
TEREZI: B3C4US3 1T D1DN’T WORK
TEREZI: 1T W4S 4LR34DY TOO L4T3
TEREZI: C4NON H4D 4LR34DY START3D “D1SS1P4T1NG” TH3 MOM3NT YOU D1D TH3 F1RST R3TCON
TEREZI: 1F YOU H4D CHOS3N M34T OR C4NDY 1T WOULD H4V3 CONT1NU3D TO H4PP3N 31TH3R W4Y.
John stares at her, feeling hollow. It was only confirmation of what he already knew, but couldn’t face.
JOHN: what about you?
Terezi sighs.
TEREZI: 1 DON’T KNOW WH4T 1 4M 3GB3RT
TEREZI: 1 STOPP3D TRY1NG TO F1GUR3 1T OUT 4 LONG T1M3 4GO
TEREZI: 31TH3R 1 W4S TH3 F1RST TO D1SS4P4T3 OR 1LL B3 TH3 L4ST
TEREZI: BUT 1’M H3R3 3NOUGH TO B3 LUC1D
TEREZI: 4ND SO 1S 4R4D14
Oh right, Aradia had survived his timeline’s massacre, too, hadn’t she? He looks at her averted gaze and characteristic grin. She’s fidgeting with her hands, hovering up and down. He’d never paid Aradia much mind, thinking her odd, but she’s still herself. She’s probably more herself than anyone else he knows, and that speaks to some strength John clearly doesn’t have. He really needs to stop judging people, he’s usually wrong.
JOHN: so what do i do?
TEREZI: YOU N33D TO DO 4NOTH3R R3TCON
JOHN: are you fucking kidding me???
TEREZI: 1 G3T TH4T’S WH4T FUCK3D TH1NGS UP 1N TH3 F1RST PL4C3
TEREZI: BUT TH4T W4S MY F4ULT
TEREZI: 1 WORK3D SO H4RD TO F1GHT C4NON 1 BROK3 1T
TEREZI: 1 L13D TO YOU JOHN
TEREZI: 1 H4V3N’T B33N LOOK1NG FOR VR1SK4 FOR 4 LONG T1M3
TEREZI: TWO Y34RS 4GO 4R4D14 FOUND M3 H3R3 4ND R3PORT3D TH4T VR1SK4 W4S ON 34RTH C
TEREZI: TH4T SH3 H4D 4PP34R3D TH3R3 SW33PS 1N TH3 FUTUR3
TEREZI: W1THOUT M3
TEREZI: 4ND TH4T’S WH3N 1 KN3W TH4T 1T W4S 1MPOSS1BL3 FOR M3 TO S33 H3R 4G41N UNT1L WH4T3V3R GODS TH1S UN1V3RS3 H4S L3FT W4NT3D TH4T
TEREZI: 1 WOULD S1T H3R3
TEREZI: 4LON3
TEREZI: UNT1L “M34T”-JOHN C4M3 H3R3 TO D13
Terezi shoves a sheet of yellow paper into John’s hand.
TEREZI: TH1S 1S TH3 F1N4L L1ST
TEREZI: 1F TH1S DO3SN’T WORK THEN NOTH1NG W1LL
He wonders if it’s also written blood this time. Maybe just in spirit, she must not have much left to spare. The two of them lock eyes. There it is. That spark. He had thought it meant he knew her, but did he? He’s starting to get the feeling he didn’t. Nobody did.
TEREZI: 4LR1GHT 1 GU3SS TH1S 1S 1T
TEREZI: 4R4D14 M4K3 SUR3 H3 DO3SN’T FUCK TH1S UP
TEREZI: NOW 1F YOU DONT M1ND
TEREZI: 1M GONN4 GO CR4SH YOUR D4DS C4R
And with that, Terezi reaches over John’s lap and opens the door, unbuckles his seatbelt, and shoves him out the door. Aradia jumps out with him. Before John even has time to react, she’s revving the engine.
JOHN: actually, i do mind? what the fuck!?!?!?
TEREZI: S4YON4R4 3GB3RT
TEREZI: 4ND FOR WH4T 1T’S WORTH
TEREZI: 1’LL M1SS YOU
And with that, Terezi speeds off into the distance. John stares, open-mouthed, before trying to fly after her, but Aradia holds him back, her wings fluttering like a hummingbird and ruffling John’s hair.
JOHN: what?! no!!! aradia let go of me!! i have to go after her.
ARADIA: that is not an option
ARADIA: we have to go
John relents, holding back tears.
ARADIA: are you okay
She puts a hand on his shoulder. This confirms it. There’s something solid about her. Something grounded.
JOHN: …
JOHN: yeah
John pulls himself together the best he can. There’s not really much of a choice.
ARADIA: lets have a look at our first item
The two of them stare at the list, written in messy ink.
8.413S = 4BOUT 18Y
1’V3 R4N THROUGH TH3 NUMB3RS 4ND TH3 M4TH CH3CKS OUT
B3S1D3S
K1DS 4R3 MORONS
>:]
John’s now acutely aware of the pit opening up in his stomach. What the hell has he gotten himself into?
JOHN: oh my god is she trying to have us make the game start 5 YEARS LATER!? this is such a bad idea!
ARADIA: remember what she told you
ARADIA: besides paradox space is surprisingly self stabilizing
ARADIA: so much is out of our control
ARADIA: i would not be surprised if it barely changes anything at all up until the point where we REALLY start messing things up
JOHN: i changed a LOT between 13 and 18. i’m basically an entirely different person than i was when i was a kid. we’re going to make different decisions!
ARADIA: well that is sort of the point is it not
ARADIA: if the issue is that everyone is acting out of character, it makes sense to give us wiggle room
ARADIA: because dissipation is not about change, it is about derailment
ARADIA: you have to start making baffling decisions, not just different ones
JOHN: are you sure that’s a good idea?!
ARADIA: if it makes you feel any better it is not like you have a choice!
JOHN: it doesn’t!
ARADIA: welp
ARADIA: off we go!
John’s stomach sinks. This is gonna be a long day.
Leave a Reply