--Nine Days Without Her--
"She's not there," Michael croaked. "I couldn't find her."
"Do you want to rest?" Thalia asked. "You look tired."
"No, I'm fine. We have to go to the left side of the world."
"Skip the Corruption?" Dusk guessed.
"Skip the Corruption." Dan repeated in agreement.
"Alright, you can go ahead. I'll go grab some potions." Thalia said.
They nodded and left.
"I think this is the first time it's been just the three of us guys," Michael commented.
"That's odd." Dan said, killing a slime in one hit. "I think you're right, though."
"Does it matter?" Dusk asked. "Besides, she's right behind us. See? She's coming out of the Corruption."
"She finally caught up about a minute later. She sat for a minute, catching her breath.
"How...did you guys...manage...to pass the Corruption...before I got back?" she panted.
"It'd say 'magic', but then I'd be lying." Dusk said. "I think you just took a long time."
"Well, I couldn't find...the mana potions," she said, standing again.
"You okay?" Dan asked.
"Yeah," she said, nodding in a bobble-head-like motion. "Let's go."
As they walked, Michael said, "You know...it's kind of sad. Walking through the Forest, I mean."
"Why is that?"
"Because I know it won't last. It's like knowing something you care about will die soon and this is the last time you'll ever see it again."
Dusk turned to look at him. "Is that really what it's like?"
"Yeah. ...Ever since Hardmode, anyway."
A pause.
"I'm sorry, then. I had no idea." he looked away and walked faster, quickly passing the others.
"
What the hell is THIS?!"
They heard the disgusted cry before they finally saw what was going on:
Dusk had stopped dead in his tracks, as he stared in horror at the transformed landscape in front of him: bright, minty-blue grass, trees of varying candy-esque colors, and a huge double rainbow in the sky, framing all of it.
Glowing orange orbs with fairy wings flew all over the place, and...were those UNICORNS in the distance....?
"Oh my god, I've gone insane." Dusk said, his voice starting to strain from terror. "Or I've been brainwashed. Or poisoned. What if the Guide put alcohol in the water?!"
"None of those things should be possible in Terraria." Dan said firmly.
"Except the alcohol." Michael said. Upon the disapproving glares of Dan and Thalia, he added, "The Guide says there's ale! I haven't drank any, though, I swear!"
"Given that I know we don't have anything to make ale WITH, I'm going to take your word for it." Thalia said. Then her voice rose about five or ten octaves, her eyes grew wide and shiny, and she exclaimed, "
OHMYGLOB UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRNSSSS!", before she ran off to go pet one.
"THALIA, WAIT!" Dan shouted, running after her.
Michael looked at Dusk pointedly.
"Oh HELL NO. There is NO WAY
IN HELL you're making me go in there!" Dusk exclaimed.
"There's no way around it." Michael pointed out.
"Too bad. I'm staying here."
"You sound like a toddler."
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you."
"I thought we agreed to stop arguing."
"We did."
"Then GO IN THE DAMN GIRLY FOREST THING!" Michael shouted, trying to push Dusk from behind.
"What part of 'no' do you not understand? The 'n' or the 'o'?"
"You sound like my mother."
"Ew. No," Dusk said, making a face.
"Why are you saying 'ew'?"
"I dunno."
"Are you insulting my mom?!"
"Why would I insult your mother?"
"I dunno! Just GO!"
"Hell to the no, brother."
"That's the most terrifying thing I've ever heard in my entire life."
"Seriously?"
"No."
"So I don't have to go?"
"No. CRAP!"
"Oh yay, we agree. Yo'
just Looney Toon'd itself," Dusk grin-smirked.
"That made no sense. Hey, maybe that means you're drunk after all--"
A shriek pierced the air, echoing.
"That's Thalia!"
"How can you tell?! It was a scream!" Dusk said.
Sire enough, though, there she was, running for her life, away from a charging unicorn. Dan was several feet ahead of her, looking quite pale himself.
"Don't," he said, before Michael could comment.
More unicorns joined the first one, creating a stampede.
"Oh SH**." He swore, shocked.
"TELEPORT! TELEPORT HOME!" Michael shouted.
She frantically looked behind her. She snatched Dan's hand. She grabbed her Mirror and vanished.
Some unicorns stopped. Several of them tripped. A couple of them saw Michael and Dusk and changed direction.
"
****!!" Dusk shouted, digging around his backpack. Where was the Mirror...?! "DOUBLE ****, I CAN'T--"
He stopped. His fingers brushed cold, magic-infused metal. He grasped the Mirror, slapped a hand on top of Michael's head, and looked downwards.
The world turned black.
As soon as Dusk's vision returned, he felt his legs buckle and he smacked into the wooden floor.
"Dude! You okay?"
He pushed Michael away, saying, "BACK OFF, I'm fine."
He bit his lip, steadying his arms and preparing to get up. "I thought I'd finally gotten used to teleporting..." he grumbled.
He sighed, irritated. "Why are you so rude? I was just trying to help."
He grabbed onto the side table for support, then stood up. Michael ignored him and walked out of the room.
"I'm going to go find the other two." he called.
The door creaked shut.
After a few moments, he facepalmed--he'd forgotten to apologize.
"...So that was the other biome, the Hallow," Thalia said, cradling her right arm as it wasn't fully healed yet.
"Also known as, The Girliest Place in The Entire Universe," Michael added.
"It's not girly, it's just colorful! ...With unicorns!" she said defensively.
"And rainbows!" he interrupted. "Don't forget the big-butt rainbows!"
Thalia glared daggers at him and said through clenched teeth, "YES, Michael, THANK YOU. AS I WAS SAYING, just because there's actual colors and unicorns AND RAINBOWS, that DOESN'T MAKE IT GIRLY."
"You know, I'm actually on his side this time." Dusk said, pointing with his thumb. "It's pretty girly."
Seeing Thalia's expression grow stormier, Dan said, "You know what, it doesn't matter, guys. The point is, we can't go past the Hallow without dying right now."
The air suddenly seemed chillier.
"So...she can't be over there, either..." Michael said, his voice sounding smaller.
"No, no, no, it's okay. The Guide said that breaking Altars makes more of the world turn Hallowed or Corrupted. She could've gone past the Hallow before it--"
"No." the Guide said, appearing in the doorway and looking as solemn as they did. "Each world gains at least one Hallowed biome when it begins Hardmode."
He let that sink in.
"So you mean..."
"I told you." he said. Pause. Then, "You can even see her tombstone if you like."
"Her...tombstone?" Michael asked, looking and sounding like he'd been punched in the gut.
"In the exact place a non-NPC Terrarian permanently dies, the Creator of Terraria spawns a tombstone. I can show you if you don't believe me."
The four of them looked at each-other--Thalia looked on the brink of tears, Dan looked distant, and Dusk just nodded.
Michael clenched his fists. "She's not dead," he protested, though his words sounded defeated.
"Fine then. Follow me if you want to see, though."
He left.
First, Dan stood and walked out of the room. Dusk slinked after him. A few moments passed, then Thalia also left, leaving the door open behind her.
Michael got up and stared at the doorway.
He gulped.
Either way, he had to know.
He rushed ahead, not stopping until he reached the stairway she'd been guarding.
All he could see was the Guide's back.
Indistinct whispering.
Sobs.
NO.
He put one foot in front of the other, staggering up the stairs.
He shoved aside several people. He didn't know who.
He didn't care.
The only thing he saw was the tombstone.
"Dawn's innards were turned into outards by Werewolf."
"No..." he choked. "No, NO,
NO!!"
He fell to his knees.
"This is a joke, right?" he said as he breathed out. He didn't think anyone understood what he was saying, but it didn't matter.
He reached out.
Stone. It was stone. Not a fake.
He breathed in and out shakily.
"Is she...is she really?"
"She's not really buried, if that's what you're asking," the Guide said coldly from behind him.
"I'm never going to see her again," he realized. "She's gone. ...She's really gone this time." He tried to cough but he wound up choking instead. "No...NO..." He balled his hands up into fists. "Take me instead..."
"...What?"
He turned to the Guide. "Take me to the Creator of Terraria. I want to make a deal."
"No." he said bluntly. "That's not possible--you can't see him and you can't make a deal."
"Too bad. I want to make one anyway. My life for hers,"
"There is no way he'd accept that deal even if he could. Say your goodbyes, then go back to your quest." he said, then he strode away.
He had to do something. Anything. He couldn't even think--the anger and grief were too strong. He had to get her back. He had to do something.
He wanted to break something.
He had to break something, anything--break it to pieces, because he couldn't do anything, he couldn't do anything, but he had to, but he couldn't bring her back--
He lifted his fist. At the last second, he hesitated. Instead, he tapped the stone softly.
"For Dawn," he whispered. "I'll never forget."
Clothes rustling. A slight 'knock'. "I won't forget either," Thalia vowed, kneeling next to him.
"Nor will I," Dusk said, doing the same.
"We'll fight together, in her name." Dan said.
The four of them sat there in silence, each holding a fist to the stone as though they were having one last group-fist-bump with her.
In that moment, time didn't matter anymore--and in that moment, it seemed as though there was no time.
--Fourteen Days Without Her--
In the past four days, they'd gotten all-cobalt gear and a good deal of mythril. The Nurse had returned, this time with the name Holly.
"I think it's time you go to the Hallow again," the Guide said casually. "You should be able to survive by this point."
"Fine," Michael said, sounding disappointed, though he didn't protest. "Time to go unicorn-hunting, then."
Thalia was not amused.
"Aaaaaand here we go again." Dusk said as they arrived. "Look, the rainbow's still there. Whatever happened to science and physics? There's been no rain; there shouldn't be any rainbows."
"Maybe the water droplets are all hovering in the air, so it doesn't rain but they catch the light anyway." Thalia said, lifeless.
Ever since their fears had been confirmed, that was how they talked. They always had the same dull, distant look in their eyes--it was depressing.
It had taken Dusk a few days to realize what it was:
Grief.
He'd never understood that look before. Now that he did, it felt...sad, almost. Or sympathetic. He couldn't tell.
"There are a couple of unicorns by that small pond. I'll need some backup," he said.
"We'll cover you." Michael said.
Dusk nodded, crouching down and stealthily moving forwards. His hand reached for the sword hilt by his side. The equestrian's ears flew up, as though a warning sign.
He froze.
The other unicorn stopped drinking and lifted its head.
His eyes narrowed. His hand drifted over slowly...slowly--
The unicorn neighed shrilly. They threw their forelegs up, standing on only their hind legs. Dusk's sword flew out of its sheathe in an arc. The unicorns staggered back. Blood splattered onto the pastel grass. The other unicorn thundered into a charge. Last second, he stepped over. It ran into the sword. The impact jerked Dusk out of his stance. He fell. The other unicorn got to its feet. He sent Water Bolts at it. They didn't do any real damage. It galloped towards him--for the first time, he was afraid--he'd be trampled to death--it was a yard away--
He rolled over and slashed out weakly. It stumbled--its legs were bleeding--it began to speed up again--
He threw his weight forward to get up. He ran forwards and swung--
The unicorn's head was lopped off, and its body fell with a resounding THUD.
It disappeared.
He crouched down and picked up both of the unicorns' horns.
"...Or maybe I won't need backup."
"You got lucky."
He rolled his eyes. "Are you coming or not?"
"Fine, fine..."
He scanned the area--the only source of life he saw were the winged orbs.
He suddenly realized there were no birds, no squirrels--nothing.
...Other than the standard birds and rabbits, had he really missed it?
How could he be so ignorant of something as huge as a lack of real life?
He made a mental note to investigate this later.
A blurred flash. He whipped around. Something bounced into his face. He hit the ground again. His face stung like it'd been zapped with electricity, or badly sunburnt.
Spots of light made it impossible to see.
He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. The sound of nearby bullets sounded oddly vague, echoing in his head. He blinked again, until he could see again.
There was only one left--the others were turned into pixie dust. He threw a sword. It exploded into dust upon impact.
"You stole my kill," Michael said seriously. He couldn't quite read his facial expression, but he assumed it was a joke.
"What is this, Call of Duty?"
"Call of what?"
"It's not like I stole your EXP."
"Fourth Wall?" Michael guessed, smiling faintly.
He nodded.
"Let's go."
Giving up and retreating back to his own thoughts, Dusk tried repeating his memories again.
A man in shadows...
What was it that she was talking about?
What kind of place would look like that?
He questioned himself, but it seemed as though he honestly had no idea.
"Hey...in the old world, where would you find a room full of computers like that?"
"What?"
"From my past."
"Oh. ...Well, most places were still magic-based. Technology wasn't used that much. But then again, Akatsuki banned magic...so they probably began relying on technology."
His eyes widened.
He recognized Akatsuki. He had been surrounded in technology. He knew her.
And he knew...he knew the Guide, didn't he?
"Why are you here?"
They were battered, covered in dirt, with rat's-nest hair.
He didn't blame him for being suspicious.
"We know about your project. You're the Doctor, right? The nameless one?"
His olive green eyes narrowed as he ran a hand through his absurdly messy reddish-brown hair. "I'm not sure who you're talking about."
"You're wearing a lab coat. We know it's you."
"What project?" He asked.
"Codename Genesis." Dawn answered.
"...In that case, I apologize. Come in."
His memories weren't very specific after that--they'd explained why they were there, and the Doctor listened.
"...I see. What time frame are we looking at?"
"A matter of months. We'll be lucky if we get a year." she said.
"I should get to work."
"Hey, aren't you awful young for a doctor?" she asked.
"Aren't you 'awful young' for a couple of fugitives?" he'd calmly retorted.
"...And what about that scarf? Isn't it a safety hazard?"
He absent-mindedly began retying it. "It's a risk I'm willing to take." he said casually. "So, tell me your story again...?"
"Dusk, are you okay?" Thalia asked. "You look like you're spacing out."
He debated whether it would be a good idea to tell them now, or to wait.
He decided it was likely the latter.
"I'm fine."
"But you're getting hit more often..."
"I'm fine." he repeated. He looked at the sky--it was darkening. "Are we going to stay here or go back to the village when it's night?"
"I dunno. I guess we'll see."
"Unicorn on the left." he warned.
Michael began firing at it. In the corner of his eye, he noticed another group of pixies. He cast Water Bolt, then sliced through them with the cobalt sword.
The battle was soon over, and they moved on.
"Hey, Guide." he'd said. "Am I the only person here?"
The Guide scoffed and put a hand to his chest, mocking indignation. "Am I not a person?"
Dusk blinked. "...But...you aren't a person. I can tell."
The Guide's expression briefly turned to one of genuine surprise, before he masked it again with sly curiosity. "Okay, then. Assuming I'm not real, how can you tell?"
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not entirely sure. But you repeat some phrases, even if it's illogical. You just don't seem right."
"Is that so?"
He nodded.
"How rude."
More and more NPCs had arrived.
"Still think you're the only person, Dusk?"
He was sitting by the window, staring outside with his head resting in his palm. He looked over, seeming almost uninterested. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"My, how arrogant. You even admit you think you're the center of the universe!"
"Don't tell me what I think. I know there have to be more. You're just not letting me find them."
"I never said there were or weren't more people. Maybe you
are the center of the universe."
"Stop toying with me." he said, half exhausted, half disappointed.
He stood up and quietly walked out.
The Guide's face broke into a grin.
"They're all so fun to mess with."
"So Guide, what will it take for you to let me find the real people?"
"Ooh, a deal. Interesting," he smirked, his eyes gaining an almost snakelike edge. "But first, tell me: why do you care so much?"
"It's bothered me ever since I came here. Besides, I'm clearly not making any progress the way things are now."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I'm not getting any closer to leaving or to losing my amnesia."
"Well, that's disappointing. At least you're honest." he paused to fold his hands dramatically. "So. A deal then. What kind of deal?"
"What do you want?"
The Guide laughed harshly. "I want many things, but I doubt you could get them for me."
"Fine then. What can
I do for you?"
"Just defeat all of the biomes. Then we'll talk."
As soon as he'd gained the ability to visit other worlds, he'd abused it. He went anywhere and everywhere, which meant that he often ran into the people who were doing the same thing.
He quickly found out two things: One, people tend to be annoying and overall not as great as he seemed to have thought; and two, most people made him uncomfortable. Before, he'd assumed he was only uncomfortable around the NPCs, but now he realized that part of that was just because he wasn't a people person.
"Hey!" something small squeaked. "Hey, YOU! DUSK!"
He whipped around. "WHAT?"
Nothing.
"Down here!"
He sighed and mentally rolled his eyes. This cliche? He wasn't looking forward to this.
He glanced down and saw...a slime with a wizard hat?
He blinked, frowning in disbelief. He tried thinking of something to say, but he couldn't, so he just stared.
"You're probably wondering what I am." it announced, bouncing flamboyantly. "
I," it said, "am a SLIME."
"Well, yes, anyone can see that."
"HAH! And that's where you're wrong! I, THASEUS, am a MAGIC SLIME."
He stared for another second before he said, "This is quite possibly the most stupid thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I'M DONE."
"That's rude! That's really really rude!" a voice exclaimed in the background.
He ignored it, turned around, and began speedwalking away, but the creature exclaimed,
"WAIT! I propose to you A CHALLENGE!"
"What's in it for me?"
"If I win, you talk to me. If I lose, I'll never bother you again. Simple as that."
"Fine then. What is the challenge?"
"
I challenge YOU to a KARAOKE BATTLE!"
It took all of the willpower he possessed and didn't even know he had, just to keep his face expressionless and not to burst out laughing like an idiot.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him go see Vi, who was smirking. "I'll prepare the karaoke."
"I hate you."
"I'll give you the advantage," Dusk smirked, hoping he didn't look as confused as he actually felt. "Pick a song."
"Why, thank you!" it exclaimed. "I propose a duet!"
He felt his stomach drop. "Interesting. What song did you have in mind?" he asked coolly.
"UNDER. THE SEA!" it boomed shrilly.
"That's not a duet."
"What? OH..." it said. "MY LIFE IS A LIE!" it wailed, heartbroken. "...How about Let it Go?" it recovered cheerily.
"Solo."
"Sexyback?"
"What?"
"The one that goes 'I'm bringin' sexy back'..."
"That's not really a duet, there's just the main singer and the guy in the background--Vi, what are you doing?"
Vi was leaning towards the karaoke machine, about to press one of the buttons. He quickly jerked his arm back. "Nothing."
"...As I was saying--"
"OH LOOK IT'S STARTING
SING DUSK SING"
"Uh--I'm bringin' sexy ba--"
"Pfft heheh WAIT YOU NEED SUNGLASSES"
Vi tossed him a pair, and he restarted the song while he put them on. "Let's try again," he grinned.
...As stupid as the whole thing was, he'd felt a flicker of something--had he been...enjoying himself?
Stupid.
None of it's real anyway.
He suddenly realized it was night.
"Dusk, cover me!" Thalia exclaimed.
He sped up, his sword arcing upwards. The glowing, shelled creature fell, then dissolved. Following her, he continued to attack the shelled creatures, while dodging lasers.
He quickly fell back into his state of deep thought.
He was with Dawn and the Guide again.
"I've found the solution, but I need to test it."
"What is it?" she asked.
"A digital world similar to real life--almost like its own dimension."
He killed the last of the Gastropods. The rest of the night creatures fled.
"There would be no hunger, and you wouldn't need sleep so you'd never be tired. I'll keep adding things so no-one will ever get bored."
The sun began rising.
"Really?" he'd asked.
The sky exploded with color--yellows, reds, blues, and purples--and the rainbows were already visible again.
"Really," he said good-naturedly. "I call it..."
He drew in a breath.
"Terraria."
Oh my god.
I know the answer.
As though his body was moving on its own, he turned around and began running back.
He ignored the sounds behind him--nothing was important anymore. Nothing but this.
Remembering he could teleport, he reached for his Mirror.
He slammed into the floor.
He picked himself up and kept running.
He reached the door.
He stood there for a while, just breathing and trying to get his brain to catch up.
He breathed out, feeling collected.
The door swung open with a slight creak.
There he was, sitting at the head of the table, as usual.
"Guide." he said. "I have an offer for you."
The Guide grinned, the full extent of his insanity clear in his eyes.
"Well then--let's make a deal."