u/Magical_Girl_Don

a few hours after Briar and Alice left, Pastel was cleaning the counters again, business was slow due to the lack of population still, and Pastel didn't think a paint business would be good till there was more people to her dismay

The front bell jingled, a sharp contrast to the music playing on the speakers, Pastel glanced up spotting Solution-7 walking in with a mostly relaxed stride, well as relaxed as a stride someone like her could have

Pastel: "Clock in?"

Solution-7: "Affirmative, Ms.Pastel"

Pastel: "No miss, just pastel"

Solution: "Very well, Pastel. How is service today?"

Pastel: "Slow...very boring...can't paint, little money, very empty."

Solution-7: "That statement is correct, the population remains low after the events of distortion. Perhaps i should suggest setting up and hiring therapists for the sphere to lower future chances of this blinding light phenomenon"

Pastel: "Maybe work...Pastel isnt blinded by sunlight...just means there's something to paint paint."

Solution-7: "A curious perspective"

Pastel nodded before going into the back to clock out, handing over the reigns of the cafe to solution-7

Pastel: "Take much care, stay safe safe"

Solution-7: "Affirmative"

Without another beat, Pastel moved to leave the cafe, taking in the artifical moonlight for a moment, thinking of using it for another painting later before striding down the sidewalk, the sounds of birds chirping from speakers once again echoing throughout the otherwise silent streets

Pastel: "Mm...fake...fake, still dont like...we need real birds...maybe another layer or floor has good birds for city."

After taking that pause to ponder, Pastel continued her way down the sidewalk with soft steps taking in the now normal scenery of her life

Pastel: "Park good...go to park"

Pastel would take a sharp left seeing the dottings of green in the distance, one of the natural parks of the city, a nice little splash of green on a city of mostly greys with colorful accents passing by various empty plots waiting to be sold and used for whatever storefronts people would want, then passing the one with a paint splattered sign looking directly at the park, Pastel requested this one cause it had a good view of the sunset, and the park at once

Pastel: "Mm...one day"

Pastel would then continue to and find a nice bench near a small stream in the park(the parks are quite large), watching a few slugcats scurry by, looking down at the water to glimpse speckles of white orange and black, koi fish from the monotone beaches of 10422, she made a note to paint some later to hang up as decoration.

Pastel: "...lonely..."

Pastel muttered softly while gazing at the koi, the koi always had each other, there was always another koi to hang out with...yet when Pastel would look up, not a single person was around the park, she adjusted her eye bandages slightly wincing at the pain

Pastel: "Those fun gang people...they seemed cool...but Pastel isnt part of that. Pastel was accident picked up..."

Pastel sighed gently taking out a still warm sandwich she made before leaving the cafe and taking a bite

Pastel: "Pastel needs friends..."

​

With the sphere repaired, yet empty still a ballroom had been constructed, pillars of marble dotted the outer areas, polished hard maple floors, a colored glass ceiling of a dozen colors, the artifical moonlight dappling in kaleidoscope like colors over the scenery. The windows were draped in crimson curtains a gentle breeze flowing in from the arched openings. In the middle of this ballroom was two figures, one dressed in black and cardinal, the other in white and blue, the attire was fancy, maybe a bit too much so, dresses with ruffles and flowing silk, yet in this moment it was just right.

Alice: "Shall we begin, my flower?"

Alice had a soft smile across her lips, her eyes locked with her wife's. Her posture remained open, despite the injuries from before, she wanted nothing more then to be with her wife in this moment.

Briar: "Of course, my dearest love"

Briar's own stance was similar, extending a hand to her beloveds back as the music from un-manned instruments began to play, the strings swelled

One, two, three

Briar led Alice into a turn, the rotation closing the space between the couple. In that moment, the world seemed to be swept away. There was nothing beyond the music, nothing besides the warmth of Alice's hand in hers and the steady rhythm.

One, two, three.

They moved together again, Briar guiding her backward as Alice followed without hesitation. Their steps were graceful, dancing across the floor as if in a skate. The music moved them onward, and with every turn the rest of the ballroom blured further into the edges of their vision.

One, two, three.

Alice turned beneath Briar's raised arm, her dress following a moment later in a soft sweep of fabric. Briar caught her hand as she came around, drawing her back into the rhythm. Their eyes met. For a second, neither of them looked away.

One, two, three.

Briar's hand settled more firmly against Alice's back as she guided her into another turn. Alice leaned into the movement, trusting Briar's movement. They rose and fell with the music, gently swaying between each beat.

One, two, three.

The music swelled further

They turned.

And for that brief stretch of time, the only thing that mattered to them was each other, that quiet moment long since lost for so long...

Lycoria: BRACE!

Lycoria applied blood barriers to her allies and any civilians if they were left before the bombs and napalm fell, while Distorted Alice sliced the ones near her away without much care

Atzy: "...this place...its becoming a warzone..."

The smells of burnt flesh and rubble wafted through the air, flames and pale static had filled their surrondings...it was horrifying...ruined infrastructure...bodies littered the ground like spills on a carpet...yet those pale flowers still remained around Alice/Pale Queen

Solution-7: "Affirmative, I suggest immediate action to supress the distortion before evacuation ourselves"

Mimsy: "But the people..."

Atzy: "Sometimes you can't save everyone Mimsy..."

Mimsy: "I...I know..."

Pale Queen: "Vile things..."

Alice's HP had lowered enough for her to activate her first echos of time in a massive radius

Echos of time:

Gains power the more enemies there are nearby

Causes a massive time based shockwave, all enemies are forced to defend or are throw back massively far Applies 40 time fracture to all targets.

Atzy: "I've...seen this before...everyone...defend..."

The 4 took defensive stances as the pale queen fired off the attack moving her hand in a slicing motion as her scissors made a large cut

"Connection established? Good, I want the entire basement to know this, do not...mess with whats in place. I am pandora, an angel of heaven(LARPPP), and it should be in your best interests after everything to not mess with an angel. Look at everything youve lost, keep to yourselves from now on."

With that Pandora closed in on Zinnia, delivering a measured dose of tranquilizer(a lot more then normal, more then enough to take out a whale or something)

"God you are lighter then you look..."

With that pandora picked up Zinnias unconscious body and headed back for 21422, to set things right after Yorikos 'prank'

(Just needed a short way to get zinnia back in the citadel for later, have fun with echo though)

​

(Didn't want to risk it so this ones getting put under gore tag)

4 days after prior log

Year: Unknown, the past

Location layer 12075

Click

The scene was different then before, where once was tall mountains and snow now lies a relatively flat yet rocky area, smoldering hot jagged rocks in chasms below

Zinnia: "Hey...we still haven't found Lio, I only hope they got ahead of us at some point...we need to keep going we have to get out..."

Rose: "They have to...they are strong...I know it"

Azalea: "Yeah! They are just being a lone wolf or whatever, like all edgy and cool. They got nothing on my goat Jotaro though."

Lily: "Enough with the media refrences azalea...this is serious."

Azalea: "you're no fun, Lil. Maybe you should stop reading those smutty fanfics and read some true pea- "

There was a distant roar, then a closer one

Pandora: "We need to move faster, now"

The recording showed the group speeding up with little questioning till the beast appeared, a once human thing of flesh warped too far, a failure of science reeking of imbalanced energies

Zinnia: "Go go go!"

The group of them kept running and climbing till a chasm laid before them, one by one they jumped across, the beast closed the distance rapidly...

Azalea: "Shittt!"

Azalea was the last to jump, unable to be cautious due to the proximity of the beast now, luckily Pandora managed to catch her hand...but then

Pandora: "i cant hold her..."

Pandoras hand 'slipped'

Azalea fell...and fell

Blood came splattering up, the sound was grotesque...the camera tilted down

There azalea was, her chest run clean through by a spike, other smaller spikes jutting up through her skin, she was still alive...to her misfortune. Bits of her internals and blood stained her clothes...her eyes were full of tears...small clear droplets amidst the pools of crimson, her hands were trembling as one had a Crag clean through the palm

Lily: "AZALEA!"

Rose: "o-oh god...she's...she's..."

Pandora: "We dont have time to mourn...keep moving"

Zinnia: "But azalea..we need to help he-"

Pandora: "Do you want to die to by waiting?! Keep going!"

The group had no choice but to move on, lest the beast find a way to get over..the scenes faded before the screaming did; Azaleas Ribbon fluttering about the crags...

And so the first key would be soon to form

​

7 days after prior log

Year Unknown: the past

Location estimated to be 11084

Click

The scene was cold, 5 of them climbing up a series of freezing mountains and slopes a harsh wind battering the land

Zinnia: "Hey Explorers...Lios gone...one minute they were there, the next we lost them while climbing. Pandora said they were taking a different route"

Pandora: "It'll be fine, we can wait for them before the next layer"

Rose: "Where would they of gone...why didn't they tell us"

Azalea: "They probably saw a cool bird or something and got distracted"

Lily: "I dont know..."

Zinnia: "I beleive in them...we have to, explorers never give up remember?"

Rose: "Yeah...explorers never give up"

Pandora: "We must keep going, waiting will only risk your own lives, sometimes the loss of one can uplift others"

Zinnia: "You're speaking like they are already dead"

Pandora: "Ah apologies, sometimes I presume the worst"

Azalea: "I thought you were an angel, isnt your whole things gods hope and light or whatever?"

Pandora: "I am an angel!"

Azalea: "Jeez didnt mean to get you riled up..."

Rose: "Lets just...keep going"

​

3 weeks after prior log

Layer located 10742

Click

The camera footage began, now the 5 were in a forest of tall redwood like trees, most of them covering their faces with a mask or scarf as strange orange like clouds moved sparsely, clouds of spores.

Zinnia: "Hello explorers! Its us again, we got to the top of the hill and ventured onward! How things are connected here are....strange, like back alleys in a city as a shortcut!"

Rose: "I suppose that example works..."

Zinnia: "Anyway! We are in this strange forest covered in mushrooms...or fungus? Something like...rot-y."

Lio: "Fungus! Airborne fungus!"

Azalea: "Yeah...don't breath it in"

Lily: "There's a um...little house up ahead"

Zinnia: "Lets go check it out guys! Maybe they'll be a troll!"

Lily: "Don't joke about that! Trolls eat people!"

Zinnia: "Then we'll just evade! We are gonna survive remember! We promised"

Rose: "Easier said then done, hmph...but I suppose if we didnt survive no one would tell our story about here..."

Azalea: "If theres a troll, we should gang up on it to kill it and eat it...our foods already not looking good."

Lio: "But that'd be mean...maybe the troll has plants we can take instead!"

Zinnia: "Only one way to find out!"

The camera followed their trot up to the cabin, upon opening it, a strangely offputting figure stepped out

Pandora: "Hm, I didn't realize I had guests...come in"

(A shorter one, cause I'm still feeling under the weather and now due to clogging my ears been hurting...bleh)