What Happened in The Dalles

[mail-mi he/him]

 

Edgerunner’s face was priceless.

 

Her features contorted into something almost monstrous. Her fists clenched and unclenched, and Reader could feel the rage boiling up inside of her. “Meanie? A meanie? He was a son of a slontze you sparking idiot!” 

 

Smiling, Reader--

 

SLAP!

 

Pain flashed across Reader’s entire face. He stumbled backwards, just barely managing to stay upright; tears welling up at the edges of his eyes. And his nose--Calamity, his nose! Edgerunner pulled her hand back, her blazing eyes not leaving his. Reader opened his mouth up to yell at her, when suddenly, she smirked and Reader’s legs went cold. 

 

His pants crumpled down around his feet, and, against his command, his face went bright red. 

 

Emma leaned over him as he reached down, scrambling to pick up his trousers. “Never bring that up again.” 

 

Reader froze. Pure rage and hatred built up in his chest. Oh, Calamity how he wished for some offensive powers so he could kill Emma and everyone who had ever decided to “repay” him, and finally destroy this useless tow--

 

A voice spoke in his head, instantly quieting his emotions. Calm. You know what to do.

 

Suddenly calm, Reader pulled up his pants and glared at the back of Emma’s head. “Idiot?” he whispered. 

 

Emma turned around.

 

“You’re the idiot,” he said, his voice getting louder with each word. “I know everything. I know things about you you don’t even know about yourself. I know all of your secrets, little Emma, and you will never know mine. You can break my body, but you will never break my mind like I can yours.” 

 

He looked around the crowd, contempt wafting off of him in waves. Everything was silent, but most of them were still smiling. “Smiling, are you? Smiling at my pain? Smiling at my loss of dignity? You all smile, when you should be grovelling at my feet. If I wasn’t standing here right now, you’d all be dead! If I hadn’t switched over to Vondra’s side, if I hadn’t told Remington Springfield Koschei’s weakness, you’d all be dead or enslaved to Koschei the Deathless. Without my sacrifice, he’d still be here! How dare you smile at my pain, when you owe me your lives.”

[Fatebreaker he/him]

Reflection watched as the girl concentrated, then started dissolving into mist Her face seemed puzzled, then she completely transformed. They waited a minutes as the cloud of moisture hung there for a moment, lifeless. Then the girl suddenly reformed, looking dazed but determined. Reflection was unimpressed. She didn't seem to have much control of her abilities, and they weren't that impressive either. Mildly useful, but not much potential.

Then she blew up the bus.

Reflection instinctively created his mirrors around himself as shrapnel shot from the explosion. His reflective coating protected him, but not so Busdriver, who was nicked by a piece of metal that grazed his arm. it was nothing serious, barely even a flesh-wound, but the man loved to complain. This would probably get him hours worth of grousing material. Reflection ignored him and turned his attention back to the girl. This was something Quicksilver could work with. He'd be interested in in both the offensive and stealth capabilities. She was displaying that awful juvenile arrogance, but that could be dealt with. Preferably with harsh discipline.

He surveyed the damage as he addressed the girl

"Distinct lack of control, rather loud and conspicuous. Your ability could easily bring an entire squad of guards down on your head. You are a potential weakness that could be exploited."

He turned and started to walk towards the exit of the alley.

"But you are also a potential tool. One that could prove useful to the Boss. But you'd best watch that attitude of yours, or you're likely to get some, let's say negative feedback." She opened her mouth to say something, but he ignored her and reached up to his ear,activating the com Surveillance had given him. "Action report. What's happening out there with the travelling circus?" He listened as Surveillance brought him up to speed, then turned back to the others,barking  commands. "Then mutant army seems to be retreating, but keep a lookout for stragglers. Bus-boy, get us a ride. Something low profile, not another of those party buses you seem so fond of. Well head to a research outpost where we can analyze her abilities in a slightly more scientific way than the mythbusters. Let move"

Now came the most dangerous part: Talking to the Boss.

[Aonar he/him]

 

 

The sparkly Epic shook his hand awkwardly, refusing to let go of Autumn’s hand to do so. As he stepped back to continue introductions, it seemed as if all hell broke loose.

 

Autumn’s radio buzzed with a communication from someone—presumably and Epic—named Arsenal. A vanilla was dragged into the clinic with an armed guard. A whole squadron of Epics, led by a woman who appeared to be a gravity manipulator, burst through the doors. Ethan readied himself, pulling just a bit of heat from the ground, preparing to fight or flee.

 

The gravity manipulator's next few words, however, immediately put him at ease. “Well, that was easy. Reader Rabbit, did you hit yourself with your wine glass again? I told you to aim for your mouth, not your nose.” A grin flashed across his face. Obviously, Frostfire wasn’t the only Epic Reader had made a bad impression on.

 

His smile slipped as the exchange continued, however. That slontze just doesn’t know when to quit, does he?

 

The gravity manipulator’s—Edgerunner’s—response was more than satisfactory. A resounding crack echoed in the clinic as she suddenly started falling sideways, and slapped him across the face. Ouch. That has to hurt. He sparking well deserved it though. To add insult to injury, Edgerunner seemed to concentrate for a moment, and suddenly Reader’s pants were falling down around his ankles. Ethan’s smile was back, wider than before. Messing with slontzes was something he could get behind. The Dalles suddenly seemed more and more like a place where he could stay, even a place where he could find friends.

 

Then Reader decided to ruin the moment, as appeared to be the norm. His embarrassment and shame turned to anger, and the expression on his face made it clear that he was about to say something everyone would regret.  

 

He started off at a whisper, but soon enough he was speaking loud enough that everyone in the room could hear him. “I know everything. I know things about you you don’t even know about yourself. I know all of your secrets, little Emma, and you will never know mine. You can break my body, but you will never break my mind like I can yours.” 

 

Reader looked around, angry, indignant, whining contempt plain on his face and in his voice. “Smiling, are you? Smiling at my pain? Smiling at my loss of dignity? You all smile, when you should be grovelling at my feet. If I wasn’t standing here right now, you’d all be dead! If I hadn’t switched over to Vondra’s side, if I hadn’t told Remington Springfield Koschei’s weakness, you’d all be dead or enslaved to Koschei the Deathless. Without my sacrifice, he’d still be here! How dare you smile at my pain, when you owe me your lives.”

 

Ethan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. This slontze is the reason Koschei died? Interesting. This might be a good place to interrupt, once again, before things go too far.

 

“Regardless of whatever service you’ve done to mankind, however many lives you’ve saved, Reader, you have no right to tear down everyone around you. You make everyone you meet miserable, and whenever you anger someone capable of fighting back, you lash out like a kicked dog, as if the mere fact that they won’t put up with your crap is a sparking personal offence.” A couple assumptions there, but Frostfire had no doubt he was close to the mark.

 

“Respect is something that has to be earned, every hour of every day, and one act, no matter how great, isn’t enough to let you hurt others without repercussion. And I have my doubts about whether you revealed Koschei’s weakness out of honest concern, or simple desire to save your own skin.”

 

Ethan knew on some level he really should leave things there, make his semi-honest piece about morality, and call it a day. Frostfire, however, couldn’t help himself. “Anyways, Goldilocks, you really shouldn’t be worried about your dignity, what you should really be worried about is how you managed to steal Papa Bear’s pants by mistake. A little too large, eh?” With brief moment of focus, he sent a tendril of heat towards the pants Reader was struggling to slip back on, severing the button, and warping the zipper and belt buckle, ensuring he wouldn’t be able to put them on again.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Aonar Faileas

[mail-mi he/him]

The bus exploded.

 

Shrapnel flew everywhere. Reflection could create mirrors to shield himself, but not BusDriver. Oh no, not BusDriver. He couldn't be given defensive powers worth sparks, so pieces of shrapnel shredded across his arm. Wanting to scream from the pain, BusDriver simply sighed. Of course one had to hit him. Of course. 

 

Reflection then went on a long tirade about Mistwraith's powers, her control, her attitude, the situation back at base, yada yada. BusDriver didn't pay attention until he heard his most hated nickname: "Bus-boy, get us a ride. Something low profile, not another of those party buses you seem so fond of. Well head to a research outpost where we can analyze her abilities in a slightly more scientific way than the mythbusters. Let's move."

 

"It's not like I can control what bus I make," he grumbled under his breath. Picking up a pebble, he forced his powers into it, then chucked it into the street before it turned into a bus

 

...and of course it had to turn into a party bus. Reflection looked at him sideways, one of his eyebrows arched. Groaning, BusDriver went out of the alley way and touched the bus, morphing it back into a pebble. He picked up a different rock--once turned into a bus, whatever it was would turn into the same bus, he'd learned on his journey through the Fractured States--and turned it into a bus. This time, a small school bus formed on the street. 

 

BusDriver climbed in and pulled open the door for the other two. "To Research Outpost Beta?" he asked Reflection. 

[Edgedancer he/him]

Maybe Baxter should worry about Backtrack looking at him like a demon wearing a flesh-suit; he probably should worry about someone in town having connections to an Epic despot, but sparks was that trivial right now.

 

"I'm a, past-event-see-er. A rettroclog," Backtrack said- Retrocognition.

 

Excited he grabbed him by his healthy shoulder, a gigantic grin spreading across his face, “You, Backtrack, are going to be my personal hero.”

 

Without further explanation he pulled the lanky man away from his seat and down the hallway.

 

Screaming from the waiting room made him stop in his tracks. Was that Reader? Grudgingly, he changed his path towards the noise, to see if everything was alright. Keep calm, Backtrack is not going to just disappear. I can still find out what happened after I made sure everything is alright.

 

What he found was Reader, fuming with anger and his pants down, surrounded by a group of people, including the still present Autumn and Shiny Sparkle, member of the city guard and what seemed to be even more new Epics.

 

The doctor did his best to keep his voice calm as he started talking, “What are all of you doing and why are you doing it here, when there are still wounded civilians around?”

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

Before coming to The Dalles, Autumn had assumed there was no order to chaos. No recipe for disaster. Bad things happened in no particular order, and that was the beginning of the end. But now, standing in Game's office, Autumn knew that the worst disasters had a definite order to them. Like a recipe, a proper disaster required its components to be added in a precise order, stirred, and set over heat. 

 

First, Reader shot the most cowardly Epic in the Fractured States. 

 

Next, the panda invasion. It took them by surprise, sent the city into crisis mode. 

 

Then, Shiny Sparkle took hold of her hand and refused to let go. 

 

Following that was the trip to Game's office. There was nothing wrong with that, to be sure—until Reader arrived. 

 

Reader, who thought it prudent to tell the nervous-looking vanilla that the Epic holding Autumn's hand was an angry lesbian. 

 

Reader, who thought it better to ask him how someone named Taylor was doing, rather than ask if she was a threat to the city. 

 

Reader, who had apparently Read Edgerunner's secret. 

 

The Ty secret. 

 

The one she'd only spilled once, during a tearful visit to Autumn's office. 

 

Then Edgerunner dropped Reader's pants, which though funny, was taken as nothing more than an excuse for one of the new Epics to launch a speech about earning respect. Coming from anyone else, it might have been inspiring. From an Epic, who no doubt spent his spare time doing precisely what he accused Reader of doing, it grated on her nerves. Autumn didn't want to stand and clap, as this Epic clearly wanted her to do. She wanted to roll her eyes and call him a hypocrite. 

 

She didn't call him a hypocrite. But she did roll her eyes—just as Doctor Game stepped through the door. Making an obvious attempt at forced calm, he asked, "What are all of you doing and why are you doing it here, when there are still wounded civilians around?" 

 

"I could ask them all the same question, because I doubt Reader did." She turned to the Epic with a propensity toward smug speeches. 

 

"I don't know who you are," she said, resisting the urge to drop Shiny Sparkle's hand, march over, and grab this new Epic by the collar, "but I do know that you're not doing anyone any favors. You think we want to see Reader wandering town with no pants on?" She felt a small stab of pity—but only a small one—as Reader tried and failed to button the ruined pants around his waist. 

 

"Fix them, or find him a new pair. And if he doesn't have pants, or shorts, or even a skirt by the time I get back, I will personally ensure you never set foot in this town again." Dead or alive, she almost added, but Shiny Sparkle's hand over hers reminded her to show what remained of her restraint. 

 

"Now," she said, turning to Shiny Sparkle, "is there any way you can get us to the nearest command station? I'm sure Commander Vondra will want to hear about Reader insulting you." 

Edited April 5, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Edgedancer he/him]

A lot was happening in the clinic, but between all the Epics, pantsing, slaps and ranting only one thing mattered.

 

Autumn was breathtaking.   

 

Unflinching she put the hypocrite Epic in his place and not taking any further shenanigans turned to leave. Shiny Sparkle just couldn’t help but shiver at the amount of will she showed talking back to an Epic. Best of all, she depended on her to take them away.

 

Following her wishes Shiny Sparkle just quickly waved at everyone in the clinic and teleported both of them away, leaving only a shower of light in the room.

 

 They reappeared up in the sky. From up here it seemed that the pandas and all the other creatures were withdrawing from the city, before Shiny Sparkle even had a proper chance to show off. On the up side that left all the more time for their date.

 

Leaving them in free fall for a bit Shiny Sparkle gave Autumn a tight hug and moved her own face right in front of hers, “You were amazing Autumn. You really should start giving orders more often. I just fell in love with you all over again. Now, before we hit the ground, where do we actually go?”

[Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her]

Elsa stared at the events happening in the clinic. Unsure of what to do, she stuck by MV and remained silent. Besides a scratch on Elsa's knee, which didn't seem to be bothering her, she had absolutely no idea why they were here.

 

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but my name is Queen Elsa, and I just want to know why were are here?"

 

Elsa held her hands together and hoped they wouldn't get mad. 

[Fatebreaker he/him]

Reflection sighed.

A party bus. Of course, why should today be any different. The man was a part of an elite Epic strike team, run by the most fearsome criminal mastermind in the fractured states, and he had to make modes of transportation that had stripper poles. It was embarrassing. Yes, it made for perfect insult material, but it reflected poorly on them all. Did the man have no sense of professionalism? The Busboy flushed red, then made a new mode of transportation, on  that was a little more dignified.

He shook his head and boarded the bus.

"To Research Outpost Beta?" Bus asked as he held the door. Reflection nodded and took a seat, musing over the day's events thus far.

"BusDriver."

The girl spoke hesitantly at first, then quickly her tone became demanding.

 "What did I sign up for? And I'll know if you lie to me." 

The girl, emboldened by her power, seemed to be intent on immediately working her way up the pecking order as she threatened Busboy. Reflection rolled his eyes. This was why he detested juveniles, no sense. What if Busdriver was the favorite aide to an invincible High Epic, or had a secondary power that could crush the girl. One flash of power and she thought herself invincible. On one hand, he held no love of Busboy, but on the other hand,  laxness leads to insubordination. He decided that this was a teaching moment.

"Hey you, Sweetcheeks. In this organization we treat our superiors with respect. Busdriver is your superior, and you will address him as such. And If you EVER use that tone with me, you will swiftly discover what capital punishment looks like in 1st person."

he turned back to the window and surveyed the city, or what remained of it at least.

[Voidus]

MV wasn't entirely sure what to make of the goings on in the clinic, between that Slontze Reader getting pantsed, Shiny sparkle abducting Autumn again and one of the other Epics getting all high and mighty she'd nearly forgotten about Backtrack.

Elsa's interruption brought her attention back and she pulled her new friend to one side.

"I think that they wanted to meet up with Autumn Glass, that woman who just got teleported out, but I need to find someone here too, he can help me find my sister again... I hope."

Hope was the word alright, MV had no idea whether Backtrack was even here still, let alone whether he could or would help, and even if they could find her, she dreaded finding Impact only to find something horrible had happened.

No, she's alright, she must be alright, I'd know if she wasn't wouldn't I? I just need to focus on what I can do now.

She addressed the doctor who'd just walked in in Autumn's absence.

"Excuse me, is there a patient here called Backtrack? I think he came in with Autumn Glass. I need him."

Somehow even in her frightened, disheveled state her own words still embarrassed her.

"I mean, I need to find him, so that he can um... help me." She stuttered out, cheeks aflame.

[Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her]

Elsa nodded and stood beside MV. Having a sister herself, Elsa knew how much sisters cared for each other. 

 

She watched the scenes unfold and people in front of her. "​Infirmaries." She thought. "Such a horrible smell."

 

​Elsa kept her mouth shut and continued to stand next to MV, who was waiting for her answer.

[Aonar he/him]

 

The vanilla, Autumn was speaking. "I don't know who you are, but I do know that you're not doing anyone any favors. You think we want to see Reader wandering town with no pants on?" Want to see it? No. Want Reader to experience some small part of the pain and humiliation he’s dished out? Sparks yes.

 

"Fix them, or find him a new pair. And if he doesn't have pants, or shorts, or even a skirt by the time I get back, I will personally ensure you never set foot in this town again." That goes too far, lady. What do you think you can do?

 

A slow grin was spreading across Reader’s face, even as he struggled to hold up his pants. That smug little slontze. Why don’t I just reduce him to ash from the waist down? You don’t need pants if you don’t have legs. Calamity, why not do it for the lot of them?

 

For a single frozen instant, Ethan stood. Doing nothing, saying nothing. His face was blank, impassive. Anger seethed underneath that veneer. He’d tried very hard to keep it down. He’d given it his all, ignoring what slights he could, and restraining himself from getting too violent when he couldn’t. Sparks, he even confronted Reader verbally, instead of ending the little misanthropic dirtbag’s miserable existence.

 

Frostfire was done. The Dalles didn’t seem like a bad place, but there was only so much crap he could take.

 

Four steps, ten seconds. Assuming that any Epic powerful enough to take him down would have destroyed the building by now, that’s all it would take. A dozen heartbeats and everyone in the room would be dead.

 

One. The linoleum under his feet crackled with a thin layer of frost as it plunged down to arctic temperatures. The sound was fortunately quiet, lost within the general confusion.

 

Two. The air warped just slightly around Frostfire’s hands, hinting at the heat he was holding, and would soon let loose. Inky darkness began to spread across his body, starting at the frost-covered floor.

 

Three. Little threads of energy flashed out; near imperceptible to the naked eye, transferring just enough heat to jam the firing mechanism of every gun in sight. Reader glanced in his direction, smile only just starting to falter.

 

Four. Frostfire gathered a portion of the heat he held, preparing to turn Reader’s very bones to ash. Autumn and Shiny disappeared in a shower of brightly coloured sparks.

 

Five. The shadow bled away. They’re gone. There was still Reader, but what was the point? He was nothing. An angry, broken toy who knew too much; annoying and dangerous enough that he would need killing eventually, but not worth earning the enmity of an entire town.

 

Ethan needed some air. He’d nearly killed dozens of people over an insult to his pride. Stalking from the room, he left bubbled and charred footprints in his wake. He threw open the doors and poured the unused heat into the open sky, the air shimmering.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Outside, night had well and truly fallen. The stars tried valiantly to shine through the haze of smoke that lingered in the sky. Few succeeded. There was light coming from somewhere, however…

 

Staggering, Ethan reached out to support himself against the side of the building. Sparks. Calamity’s own sparking sparks. The convoy…

Edited April 12, 2015 by Aonar Faileas

[Kobold King he/him]

  

 

 

 

“You, Backtrack, are going to be my personal hero.”

 

"Whoah whoah whoah," Backtrack started hastily as the doctor took hold of his hand. "Wait, I don't think--"

 

Buuuut he was already being dragged down the hallway. Sparks.

 

And then there was screaming from the other room. Rather than walking away from the source of the screams like any sensible vanilla would do in this day and age, the doctor halted in his determined march and started walking towards it. Backtrack considered jerking away from the man, but it felt like his arm would snap off if he tried. So he contented himself to whine a quiet and wordless complaint as he was pulled towards the waiting room packed with people.

 

His jaw dropped but the whine continued when he saw the people gathered in the room.

 

The room was packed with Epics. That was all they could be. On one end of the room was Autumn, still being uncomfortably caressed by the woman who'd stolen his glasses. MV was back again, though without her sister and looking upset about something.

 

He'd never seen the rest of the Epics. A few men, one of them in shorts and flip-flops. A cute chick with curly hair, a dark hoodie, and knives that made her a definite no-flirting zone. A blonde woman in a majestic shimmering blue dress, looking for all the world like the Elsa cosplayers he could remember from before Calamity. A very young teen girl covered head to toe in tattooed words and phrases, like she'd somehow absorbed Tumblr into her skin by mistake.

 

And, in the center of the room, shouting at the top of his surprisingly shrill voice, was Reader with his pants around his ankles.

 

Backtrack felt a peculiar moment of supreme clarity. All his life, all his experiences, all the fears he'd ever known, all merging into a single, dire thought.

 

That thought was Nope. I do not want to know what's happening in here. I should turn and walk away and forget everything I've seen in this town. In fact, I should forget I'm an Epic. Vanillas don't have to worry about this sort of thing...

 

He was still trying to weasel his way out of the doctor's grip, planning how he'd run away start his new life as a dishwasher in Newcago, when he somehow heard MV's voice saying his name through the commotion.

 

"...I need to find him, so that he can um... help me," she was explaining to the doctor, her cheeks a surprising but quite nice shade of red.

 

"Right here," Backtrack said in a shaky voice, managing to twist himself back to the doctor's front and into the blonde girl's view.

 

And into everyone else's view, he thought with a gulp, trying hard not to notice the guy who was leaving smoldering footprints in the floor as he stormed out of the clinic.

 

"I'm kind of, uh, busy," he managed to squeak, eyeing the furiously embarrassed Reader nervously. "But I might be able to make time for you. If the doctor here doesn't mind," he finished with a plead in his voice.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Kobold King

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Emma burned with fury. Reader still didn't learn. “Idiot? You’re the idiot,” he said. Emma stepped forward, barely able to control her hands from grabbing her knives. Her hands shook in anger. “I know everything. I know things about you you don’t even know about yourself. I know all of your secrets, little Emma, and you will never  know mine. You can break my body, but you will never  break my mind like I can yours.” Even self-righteous, Reader managed to sound like a child taunting her on the playground with the old sticks and stones routine. Emma couldn't believe his lack of maturity.

“Smiling, are you? Smiling at my pain? Smiling at my loss of dignity? You all smile, when you should be grovelling at my feet. If I wasn’t standing here right now, you’d all be dead! If I hadn’t switched over to Vondra’s side, if I hadn’t told Remington Springfield Koschei’s weakness, you’d all be dead or enslaved to Koschei the Deathless. Without my sacrifice, he’d still be here! How dare  you smile at my pain, when you owe me your lives.” Switched? The slontze had only helped because Remington had been brave enough to threaten an Epic. Remington was the hero of that story. Reader was only the slimy traitor who helped anyone who offered him what he wanted. Emma was about to yell a retort back at him when a tall, cute Epic Emma had never seen before spoke.

"Regardless of whatever service you’ve done to mankind, however many lives you’ve saved, Reader, you have no right to tear down everyone around you. You make everyone you meet miserable, and whenever you anger someone capable of fighting back, you lash out like a kicked dog, as if the mere fact that they won’t put up with your crap is a sparking personal offence.” Emma allowed a small grin to slide onto her face as the dark-haired Epic put Reader in his place.

“Respect is something that has to be earned, every hour of every day, and one act, no matter how great, isn’t enough to let you hurt others without repercussion. And I have my doubts about whether you revealed Koschei’s weakness out of honest concern, or simple desire to save your own skin.” The Epic finished with a mocking smile and an insult. "Anyways, Goldilocks, you really shouldn’t be worried about your dignity, what you should really be worried about is how you managed to steal Papa Bear’s pants by mistake. A little too large, eh?” Emma giggled as her clenched fists began to relax. As Reader fumbled with his pants, his zipper and button began to warp out of shape, ruining them completely. Emma shuffled slightly away from Lucy and MV and toward the new Epic. He, at least, understood how Reader should be dealt with.

In her mixed emotions of anger towards Reading Rainbow and infatuation with Mr. Tall Glass of Water, she barely registered Elsa's muttered, confused comments and Doctor Game's arrival. The doctor said something, but Emma ignored it. When Autumn spoke, however, she managed to pull herself together to listen.

"I could ask them all the same question, because I doubt Reader did." Autumn looked over at Cutie and glared. "I don't know who you are, but I do know that you're not doing anyone any favors. You think we want to see Reader wandering town with no pants on?" Emma allowed another smile to appear. Even in her angry, official mode, Autumn was able to make fun of Reader in a backhanded way.

"Fix them, or find him a new pair. And if he doesn't have pants, or shorts, or even a skirt by the time I get back, I will personally ensure you never set foot in this town again." Emma almost wished she was wearing a skirt right then, even though she hated the blasted things, just so she could hand it to Reader and he couldn't reject it in the moment. Emma wondered if Elsa had another frivolous, blue gown stored somewhere that they could give to Reader.

Autumn turned to her sparkly companion and requested to go to Vondra. The pair disappeared in a burst of sparkles.

Emma looked back over at her newest crush. He stood, face lined with anger, the same fury she had felt moments ago and still did when she looked at Reader. She noticed the boards under his feet creaking as they grew dark and small bursts of light flickered from him. Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone and he stalked out the door.

With Autumn's flashy exit and MV's conversation with another new Epic, Emma hoped no one had seen the power he had scarcely contained. They'd arrest him, or worse, if Vondra thought he was a threat. Emma spoke up quickly. "I'll escort him, don't worry. I'll call for help if I need it." With that, she glanced around the room, seeing no objections, Reader's ugly face propelled her out of the building.

She walked out, still angry at Reader, but able to control herself now. She found the Epic leaning against the side of the building. His face was pale. Though the fall air was chilly, it was nowhere near cold enough for the thick trench coat he was wearing. Weird, but not a big deal.

Emma approached him slowly. "Hi there. We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Emma. Like you, and everyone else, I hate Reader. I liked that thing you did to his pants, even if Autumn didn't. You were spot on in your judgement of that slontze. A coward to the bones." Emma grinned, hoping he'd respond favorably. She ran her fingers through her long, dark curly hair, attempting to make it look better.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

There was something about being an Epic that gave ordinary people the power to flirt in life-threatening situations. There had to be. How else to explain Shiny Sparkle? 

 

Wind rushed past Autumn's ears, and Shiny Sparkle spoke through it. “You were amazing Autumn. You really should start giving orders more often. I just fell in love with you all over again. Now, before we hit the ground, where do we actually go?”

 

You've been in love with me for twenty minutes. When, exactly, did you fall out of love, and why would my snapping on a potentially dangerous Epic change that? 

 

"There!" She didn't mean for her voice to sound so squeaky, but the ground was rushing up to meet them and someone had to be upset about it. "Arsenal's command station it's right there!" She squeezed her eyes shut. Shiny Sparkle could take her to the command station, but she could also let her fall to her death and flee the scene in a shower of glitter. What if that was her thing, teleporting to different cities and falling in love with random women only to kill them and move on to the next target? ​Oh God, I'm going to die, oh God oh God oh God…

 

They stopped falling. 

 

The wind quieted. 

 

Autumn's feet hit solid ground. 

 

For a long minute, she couldn't think. She could only laugh, briefly, breathlessly, as she looked down at her boots on concrete, let her eyes adjust to the sudden dimness of the command station, grin at Arsenal as he cast her his patented what-the-sparking-sparkamity-are-you-doing-and-why-must-you-do-it-here glare. 

 

Her grin fell. 

 

Clearing her throat, Autumn did her best to smooth down her ponytail and tuck a few errant locks behind her ear. "Oh. Um, hi, Arsenal. This is Shiny Sparkle, and she's come over from Dallesport to help us with the invasion. I—she—er, we're here because Reader brought a few Epics into town, and I don't know if he Read them or not, but one of them was acting like he was in charge down at Game's clinic, so I think he might be a problem, and I wanted to tell you in person because…." 

 

Because you wanted to break Reader's nose all over again and you took it out on a possibly dangerous Epic? 

 

"Because we might need more than the usual firepower to bring him down, if that's what it comes to. And," she added as hastily as she thought of it, "I know Commander Vondra often oversees operations from this station and I wanted to make sure he knew everything I know. Sir." 

[Kobold King he/him]

  

 

 

In his years in the war against Epics, Arsenal had seen some gritty sights. He'd seen wives widowed and children orphaned. He'd seen squads of men obliterated by godlike psychopaths without a second thought. He'd seen sins and stupidities aplenty in his time, and he knew he'd see hundreds more before he shuffled off into the big command center in the sky.

 

None of this stopped him from staring as the most immoral, impractical, implausible, impolitic, impermissible, immodest, and downright immoral pair of giggling girls he'd seen in years appeared in his office in an explosion of sparkles.

 

One was an Epic he hadn't seen before. The other was the town counselor, whom he'd previously considered one of the few halfway respectable personnel The Dalles had at its disposal.

 

That woman, at least, had the decency to look somewhat abashed, dropping her grin and straightening her hair. "Oh. Um, hi, Arsenal," said Autumn Glass hesitantly. "This is Shiny Sparkle, and she's come over from Dallesport to help us with the invasion. I—she—er, we're here because Reader brought a few Epics into town, and I don't know if he Read them or not, but one of them was acting like he was in charge down at Game's clinic, so I think he might be a problem, and I wanted to tell you in person because…. because we might need more than the usual firepower to bring him down, if that's what it comes to. And I know Commander Vondra often oversees operations from this station and I wanted to make sure he knew everything I know. Sir." 

 

Arsenal absorbed her report without a reaction for a minute, his eye only slightly twitching.

 

"Wilson," he said finally, struggling to keep his voice professional. "Send another squad to Game's clinic. Order them to stand by in case these new Epics rebel against authority in there."

 

The lieutenant left the room with a salute and a "Yes, sir." Arsenal allowed his gaze to drill directly into Autumn's increasingly uncomfortable looking face, and then spoke more sternly than before.

 

"I'll need intelligence on each of the new arrivals," he ordered curtly. "I need to know what threat they pose to this city. I assume that they've been screened already? In particular, the one that you brought directly into our command center, where you said yourself that the mayor and commander of this city oversees operations?"

 

 

 

 

 

"...So the kid said, 'I don't know, but it's not gonna be storming Coco Puffs!" Deathwish finished, his flight shaking wildly as he laughed uproariously. The Florist's grip grew tighter as he tried to avoid being shaken off into the city below, and as usual he didn't seem to be laughing at the joke. Nor speaking much at all, for that matter.

 

"Okay, shut up now," Deathwish grunted, suddenly halting in midflight to stare at a part of the city below. If his magnificently keen hawk-like eyes weren't mistaking him, a group of people were standing around in a ruined street and one had just assaulted a wall.

 

"OK slontze. We're goin' down. Stay with me, don't speak unless spoken too, and try not to be as much of a wuss as you look like." With that, he abruptly dropped out of the sky and sped towards the ground, stopping just short of the sidewalk. He roughly threw the Florist to the side and into a pile of surprisingly squelchy mutilated pandas, then turned to face the gang of Epics.

 

He couldn't say they were much to look at. The guy who might have been their leader was a tall elderly dude with a nice suit, a cane, and hair peppered with grey. The others were just standing around like little punks trying to look tough; of all of them, the only one Deathwish spared a second glance for was the hot blonde with a fistful of rubble.

 

"OK, boys and girls," Deathwish yawned, lazily unslinging the rifle from his back. "You're new in town, so I'll make this simple. You wanna take over the city, or tear it down, or haul away the women. Or the men, I'm not gonna judge. Point is, whatever you've got planned, you can take to the next town over, because I have a license to beat the ever-loving daylights out of you if you don't quietly turn around and walk out of the city right now. And my partner here has the license to die in the attempt."

 

With another pointed yawn, he turned the rifle and aimed it straight at the old guy's heart. "So what'll it be?"

Edited July 12, 2015 by Kobold King

[Edgedancer he/him]

On the upside, the situation didn’t turn into a bloody mess after Autumn and Shiny Sparkle teleported away. Sadly that wasn’t much of a comfort.

 

The Epic, Baxter didn’t even catch his name, left the clinic closely followed by Edgerunner. Hopefully the girl would be safe alone with some unknown Epic that was angry enough to scorch the ground he walked on.

 

At least the situation seemed under control. He could count on Scribbler and the soldiers to keep watch and take Backtrack to-

 

"Excuse me, is there a patient here called Backtrack? I think he came in with Autumn Glass. I need him. I mean, I need to find him, so that he can um... help me."  

 

A blond girl approached him. She was visibly shaken, from something that happened during this mess. Halfway through she started stuttering and visibly blushed.

 

"Right here, I'm kind of, uh, busy. But I might be able to make time for you, if the doctor here doesn't mind," Backtrack said after carefully moving away from Baxter’s back. He too gave an embarrassed impression and it was clear he wanted to be with the girl.

 

Youth, why have you turned against me? Normally, seeing two youngsters in that awkward phase of a relationship would bring a smile to his face but right now their timing couldn’t be worse.

 

“If maybe…” What was he about to do, say no to a girl that looked like she might break down in tears any moment? No you can’t have this one guy you know in this unknown city, in which he already got shot and both of you involved in an invasion by mutant pandas? Even worse, if they came into the city together she might as well be searching for someone as well, someone that’s in danger right now.

 

“I can’t really keep him from you, can I? Take him; just… return him in one piece please. I need him to find someone for me,” the doctor said with a sad smile.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

"I'll need intelligence on each of the new arrivals." His tone indicated he was far from pleased. "I need to know what threat they pose to this city. I assume that they've been screened already? In particular, the one that you brought directly into our command center, where you said yourself that the mayor and commander of this city oversees operations?"

 

I don't know, sir. Maybe because she could turn my head into a pile of glitter, and if she did that I wanted her to do it in front of an Epic who can make weapons out of thin air? Maybe I wanted the mayor to see, okay? Maybe I had all of five seconds to make a decision before I splattered on the pavement and this was the best one I could come up with under pressure? 

 

Good thoughts in, bad thoughts out. 

 

Good thoughts in, bad thoughts out. 

 

It was easier to take that advice when Arsenal wasn't twitching his eye at her, but Autumn did her best anyway. She drew a calming breath, sent up a quick prayer that was more Dear God please help why me? than anything else, and stepped forward. 

 

"Shiny Sparkle was screened as best she could during a crisis, sir. Reader was unavailable at the moment. However," she added, "when Reader did return, he had a broken nose and two unidentified Epics with him. If he knew their powers, he didn't say. One demonstrated some sort of heat control when he ruined the zipper on Reader's pants before giving a speech that made it clear he thought himself a moral leader and expected to be treated as such. 

 

"There was another unidentified Epic with one of the momentum twins. She was wearing a dress modeled after that of Elsa, from the movie Frozen? Pre-Calamity. She had ice powers. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a connection there. The other momentum twin was gone, and I don't know what happened to her." 

 

It was difficult to read Arsenal's thoughts from his twitching eye. His eye was almost always twitching, no matter what she did—be it show up in a command station with a sparkly Epic or offer him a donut. Still, she had done something that demanded an explanation, and would probably earn her a talk with Vondra later. 

 

"Honestly, sir, I'm not entirely certain what happened to Reader between the time he left his station and the time he arrived in the clinic, but in addition to having a broken nose, he also took the opportunity to bring up information about Edgerunner's past in an effort to enrage her. Which means something happened during that period to make him angry, and make him take it out on an Epic who should be his ally. I can't say for certain, but I think one of the Epics he brought into town threatened him in some way, rather than going through the proper screening process." 

 

It wasn't an airtight testimony, and Arsenal would probably dismiss every word when Shiny Sparkle took her hand again. Autumn prayed Vondra, at least, would believe her, and added the final piece. 

 

"And yes, I believe the Epic who threatened him is the same one who ruined his pants." 

[Voidus]

MV's tearful, blushing countenance broke into a smile when she saw Backtrack, which immediately prompted even further blushing.

So stupid, why does he keep embarassing me like this? But he's here! And now he can help me find her and it'll all be ok.

The doctor she'd addressed spoke up as well, telling her that she could speak to Backtrack and she felt a surge of gratitude towards him.

In a surge of all her emotions and a sudden spontaneous urge she hugged the kindly Doctor and then gave Backtrack an even longer hug.

"Thankyou! I'll make sure to keep him safe." She said, pulling Backtrack to one side so they could talk in private.

"It's Alliso-I mean, Impact" She said in a rush, disjointed thoughts and memories spilling from her mouth. "She's gone, we were in the street and there were a bunch of Pandas with bows, and the pigs and then an elephant and then she was just gone and I don't know what to do but then I remembered you can find people and please, please just help me find my sister!"

She grabbed Bactrack firmly as she made her plea, clutching his shirt in her hands as tears streaked down her face at the remembered grief.

 

Lucy was about to follow the arrogant Epic out herself when Emma beat her to it. Thinking she could probably use some time away from Reader she let her go alone, staying to keep an eye over the other Epics in the clinic.

She watched the blonde momentum Epic tearfully hugging one of doctor Game's patients who also seemed to be an Epic before turning her head in embarrassment. Watching Epics act weak and human always brought up a confusing well of emotions inside of Lucy. A part of her softened towards them but another, more primal part still screamed at her not to trust them, to never trust any Epic but a dead one.

And even then some of the dead ones come back to cause trouble. She thought wryly.

She approached dr. Game, staying carefully out of reach of the tearful, whispering Epic.

"Is there anything you need doctor? I'm sure you'll be short on supplies with this attack and all you have to do is ask."

Lucy had always regretted that her power couldn't heal people, she'd tried a few times but no matter how she wrote the words it didn't work, she supposed that something as complicated as human healing was too difficult for her, but she could create stitches, medical equipment and all kinds of other things.

She was just happy that she had abilities that could do something other than hurt people, most Epics powers weren't designed to help people. Then again, neither were most Epics.

She shot a glare at Reader before raising her voice slightly.

"After all Epics in the Dalles are all supposed to use our abilities to help."

[Tulir he/him]

He did not like the man.  The man brought him away from everything, rising into the air.  He reached out, but couldn't sense any life around him.

 

The ground concerned him.  From here, he it might hurt.  Sensing the seeds in his pocket, he started growing them, wrapping them around his arms and legs, but out of sight of the man.  He felt a surge of anger towards the man again, for destroying the flowers.  He would hurt the man if he damaged more of the garden again.

 

Then man brought them down in front a building, opened it, and shoved him inside.  The man started talking to the leader inside, someone he had seen before.

 

The leader gave some orders to the man, and stared at him.  He wasn't concerned, and fed some more energy and life into the vines, making them stronger.

 

The leader said something about a fight, and the man grabbed him again and left the ground.  The man was talking more animatedly, something which he didn't understand.  

 

The man started lower them down, when the reached the occasion, said some things to them, then threw him into a pile of dead animals.  Before he was thrown, he saw the group of people standing around that they had been sent to.  

 

He heard the man confront and threaten the group while he was lying in the pile.  Before he got up, he reached out to all of the plants in the area, and started strengthening them, giving them more energy, life, and making it easier for him to move them.

 

As he climbed out of the filth, he resolved to deal with the man later, and walked up next to him, facing the group.

[Kobold King he/him]

  

 

 

“I can’t really keep him from you, can I?" the doctor said, forlornly smiling at the girl in front of him. "Take him; just… return him in one piece please. I need him to find someone for me."

 

Backtrack shuffled his feet awkwardly as MV rushed over to hug the doctor. It looked like he was going to have a busy night of finding stray people before he could go back to Portland. And then when he got to Portland he wouldn't have anything to tell Lightwards besides that a guy named Koschei ruled The Dalles and he was a scary psychopath, and then he'd probably get yelled at and have another gun pointed at him, and then...

 

MV turned away from the doctor and hugged him.

 

Backtrack froze stiffly in place as MV, obviously very upset, wrapped her arms around him and sunk her face into his shoulder. This morning she was threatening to squish him under a car, and now she was hugging him. Tightly.

 

Well, he reasoned internally, hesitantly patting the girl's back. It has been a very long day.

 

Too soon the hug ended, and MV steered him to a far corner of the room. She held onto his shirt and brought her face close to his, beginning to ramble in her distress.

 

"It's Alliso-I mean, Impact. She's gone, we were in the street and there were a bunch of Pandas with bows, and the pigs and then an elephant and then she was just gone and I don't know what to do but then I remembered you can find people and please, please just help me find my sister!"

 

Backtrack stared blankly for a moment, wondering how the Calamity he was supposed to do that before he suddenly remembered he was an Epic whose sole power was finding people.

 

"Right," he stuttered, casting hesitant glances at the clinic's guards. Carefully disentangling the girl's hands from his shirt, he began slowly edging closer and closer to the exit door.

 

Drat. This was a bathroom. Finding the exit would really have been easier if he hadn't been teleported in here.

 

After an awkward attempt to dart into a closet, he finally pinpointed the exit of the clinic and led MV outside, following her ghostly past-shadow as it walked backwards into town.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Kobold King

[Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her]

Queen Elsa stood in the middle of the clinic, watching MV's begging to Backtrack and remained there as they both walked out, first into the bathroom and then the exit.

 

Hah. Wrong door, much?

 

Her sister. Sisters are powerful things. Anna.

 

Elsa held her hands together as the memories of her sister and the events in Arendelle began to flow back. She brought her hands closer to just underneath her neck, where it brushed past the ink necklace that was embedded into her skin.

 

Queen Elsa began to sniff and felt tears beginning to flow down her cheeks, and some turned into ice, landing on the floor with a loud clang. 

 

Anna. Oh, Anna. 

 

Elsa opened her eyes to find many people staring back at her.

 

Darn it! What have I done? Conceal, Don't feel!

 

"Uh....Hi?"

Edited April 18, 2015 by Queen Elsa Steelheart

[Edgedancer he/him]

On Autumn’s command Shiny Sparkle teleported them into the command center of someone named Arsenal. Once she was on solid ground again Autumn broke out in an hysterical laughter.

Poor Autumn, she’s not used to free fall yet, Shiny Sparkle thought, even though it’s quite enthralling once you get used to it.

Waiting for her to calm down, Shiny Sparkle held hand and soothingly stroked her back. Shiny Sparkle ignored the stares directed at them but once she calmed down Autumn didn’t.

Noticing a grouch, who was most likely said Arsenal, her beautiful face dropped into a more worried one. There were just too many people in this town, not treating her sweetheart well enough. Knowing that she was a strong enough person, Shiny Sparkle let Autumn stand her own woman.

It was hard not to snap at someone making Autumn uncomfortable or just not hugging Autumn in general but she did manage to hold back until Autumn finished explaining the situation. Not a single second longer.

Letting out a delighted squeal she threw herself at Autumn from behind, wrapping her arms around her neck and rubbing their cheeks together. “No need to worry,” she said. “I have completely and absolutely fallen in love for Autumn and I’ll do everything for her. Meaning I’m just as loyal to the city as she is.”

The sudden hug took Baxter by surprise. This really was the right thing to do. With the warm feeling of contentment slowly pushing his worries back he watched the girl pull Backtrack away. Looking at them it was quite clear that she wouldn’t let harm come to Backtrack, if she could help it.

He noticed Scribbler stepping up to him, all the while keeping a distance from the other two Epics’ reunion. "Is there anything you need doctor? I'm sure you'll be short on supplies with this attack and all you have to do is ask," she offered. "After all Epics in the Dalles are all supposed to use our abilities to help."

With a warm smile he responded, “Yes, I could use some thread, bandages and antiseptics. Thank you.” He gently petted her head. “You know, I really appreciate it. Both you going out there and protecting us and now helping with my supplies. How about I get you some hot chocolate, while you’re still here? Well, the hot chocolat is always available to you, if you fell like it.”

Edited April 16, 2015 by Edgedancer

[Seonid he/him]

Madras, Oregon

Morning broke over a scene of devastation. The sun, already hidden behind an overcast sky, was darkened further by the rising clouds of soot. The fire that had started in the abandoned apartment complex had quickly spread to engulf the entire block. The conflagration was intense enough that even the most dedicated fire department would have flinched. Lacking even a volunteer department, lacking even the will to form an ad hoc fire brigade, the citizens cowered far from the inferno. Luckily, the block had been nearly deserted, and there was no great loss of life. On a roof overlooking the burnt and burning block, a silent figure waited, nearly invisible against the soot-stained walls, a dark figure waited. Watching.

But it had been enough. For many of Madras' inhabitants, it was the last straw. Having suffered the rule of two despotic Epics in the past three years, having been forced to live in increasingly degraded conditions, denied even basic dignity, and now threatened by assassinations and war, a major fire was the catalyst for an exodus. But the watcher cared for none of these things.

It began with a trickle, then slowly swelled into a flood. Beneath the threatening clouds, the citizens of Madras slowly began to abandon their homes, carrying such meager supplies and such few treasured possessions as they had left, their city was slowly deserted. By noon, the town stood silent. What few people had elected to stay behind huddled frightened inside their walls. Fires still smoldered in the burnt-out shells of many buildings, and the rising wind was beginning to carry dancing embers in its path. The smell of rain hung heavy in the air. Still, the watcher remained, whittling at a short piece of wood in her hand.

In one place, however, there remained nothing but ashes. The once-fine upscale apartment building that had been the start of the fire had been completely consumed, all the way down to the foundation. The charred walls of neighboring buildings gave it a semblance of enclosure, but little trace of the original structure remained. No fires smoldered here, the fuel had all been spent in a wild orgy of consumption, leaving a fine coating of ash over the concrete shell of the basement and foundation.

As the day wore on, one of the patches of ash began to move. Suddenly, a figure rose, in tattered and worn clothing, screaming towards the sky. The watcher turned, her lips beginning to curl upwards in a smile, or perhaps a grimace, laying aside the whittled piece of wood.

*  *  *  *  *  *

The Paladin screamed in rage and triumph as he rose from the pile of ash that covered him. For a moment, his anger seemed poised to consume him. Then, as it had before, the rush of power and fury subsided, leaving behind only Thomas Johnson, Cult-hunter. His soot-stained clothing was tattered, and embers glowed where it had nearly caught fire. Looking around himself in confusion, he stumbled a few steps, his hands seeking his arms, his face. He remembered...something. Water, confusion, grit. Terror and fury in a passionate elixir.

A flash of light heralded the arrival of Ariel. The Guardian. She turned around, seeking him out, then walked over, smiling. "You alright?" Her smile touched her eyes, barely and only briefly. Ariel wasn't one to let her thoughts show.

Thomas breathed roughly. His voice was ragged and scratched, as if he had breathed in some of the embers while he slept. "As well as I can be, all things considered."

Ariel looked at him sympathetically, but still giving little indication of her thoughts. "Come on then. It's time to get out of here. Ash found a car that will get us where we are going."

"And where is that?"

She looked at him cryptically. "The Dalles," she responded in a firm and level voice.

"Then let us be gone."

 She took his hand, and a rush of light consumed him.

*  *  *  *  *  *

The watcher looked on with interest. A woman had appeared out of nowhere, dressed in armor. She seemed to talk to the man for a moment, then took his hand. And then they were gone, in a flash of light. The woman in armor -  a teleporter, obviously - must have taken them away. The watcher frowned, waiting for a long moment, thinking. Then, the wind picked up, scattering sparks everywhere. A blazing ember rose on its caress before landing on the roof next to the watcher, startling her out of her reverie. Smiling, she picked the ember up, blowing it to life again and setting it back down, almost reverently in the pile of wood shavings from her wistful project. They caught greedily to life, as if the ember remembered longingly that last, violent night and yearned to recover it. As the flames began to spread the watcher pulled the whittled flute from her pocket and began to play, dancing a few gay steps across the rooftop. Then, with a knowing smile, she stepped back into the shadow and was gone.
 

Behind her, the greedy flames sprung up once more, fanned by the increasing wind.

 

When the rain finally broke, Madras was just a burned memory.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Seonid

[mail-mi he/him]

"Hey you, Sweetcheeks. In this organization we treat our superiors with respect. BusDriver is your superior, and you will address him as such. And If you EVER use that tone with me, you will swiftly discover what capital punishment looks like in 1st person."

 

BusDriver is your superior.

 

Something swelled within BusDriver. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

 

Pride.

 

BusDriver, the lowly Head of Transportation, was someone’s superior.

 

With his almost permanent frown mostly gone, he swung the door shut behind the girl. “You’ll see what you signed up for when we get there, capisce? Now take a seat. No roughhousing back there, you two.” 

 

Reflection looked slightly stunned at the last statement, and, honestly, BusDriver did too. He hadn’t been in a good enough mood to make a joke since--

 

No.

 

Any semblance of his momentary good mood gone, BusDriver slammed on the gas and plowed towards Research Outpost Beta. 

 

 

The words of Frostfire’s speech washed over Reader’s head as he stared at the man. He only heard one thing repeated in his head over and over and over.

 

Hypocrite.

 

Frostfire is the biggest hypocrite in this room. Respect? He knows nothing of respect.

 

“Anyways, Goldilocks,” Frostfire was saying, “you really shouldn’t be worried about your dignity, what you should really be worried about is how you managed to steal Papa Bear’s pants by mistake. A little too large, eh?” And just like that, Reader’s pants zipper warped, the zipper stuck halfway between decent and XYZ. 

 

Fuming with rage, Reader started to announce what he’d Read about Frostfire to the crowd, when Autumn took the stage. Reader bit his tongue to Read the rest of the crowd, to figure out what he could use when it was finally his turn again. 

 

Several of the soldiers he hadn’t seen in a long time; he could only faintly remember their single visits to him. A few of the Epics he also knew already, but the one in the blue dress was new. She called herself Elsa, and had actually come from a place called Arendelle. The one with Autumn--

 

--disappeared in a shower of sparkles, taking her crush along with her. 

 

Reader ignored it, continuing to scan over the crowd. As he glanced at Frostfire, he--Frostfire was mad. 

 

Really mad. 

 

And before anything else happened, he stormed out of the room, followed by a scampering and nervous Edgerunner who, as it seemed, had found a new meanie boyfriend. 

 

Game brought out Steven again, who seemed to take barely any notice of Reader as MV stumbled over to him and grasped him tightly in a desperate hug. Not like she likes him or anything, Reader said in his mind, a faint chuckle rising through his lips. 

 

And finally, Scribbler made her way up to Doctor Game, and had a quiet conversation with him, though she didn’t miss out on the chance to make sure Reader heard her say “After all, Epics in the Dalles are all supposed to use our abilities to help.” 

 

During their brief eye contact, Reader had seen something in her eyes. As he Read more about her, his smile widened. Let’s see how she likes this... He opened his mouth to confront her, and would have started speaking had the little rational part of him left not forced him to stop. 

 

She will kill you, Reader, it said. If you bring that up, your broken pants won’t matter anymore.

 

Just barely restraining himself, Reader remembered the vanilla in the corner. Propping his pants up and doing his best to make sure they wouldn’t fall down, Reader walked over to him and stuck out his hand. “Hello, Brandon Hennessy. My name is Reader. You didn’t answer my questions, and I’m going to tell you as your friend, people who don’t answer my questions don’t usually end up being very happy.” 

It took only 15 minutes to get to the Outpost. Parking the bus, he allowed Mistwraith and Reflection to exit before leaving himself. Pausing outside, he turned around and let the bus shrink back down into a small pebble, hidden amongst the corpses of rabid squirrels. 

 

Nodding, he turned back around and followed Reflection inside.