Chapter Text
The world around her slowly returned to an uneasy silence as the writing utensil sat on the edge of the roof, her glowing feet hanging freely below her. She stared ahead at the black, inky horizon with angry eyes, trying not to focus on the way that her heart hammered in her chest as the enormity of what she had just done- what she'd just accomplished settled in for her.
Pencil leaned back, taking a breath as she brought her hands up and looked at them. Her left hand glowed a bright, powerful cyan. A permanent reminder of who she'd finally cast away, just as he deserved for all those years of obsessing over her and never letting her go.
I get it! You're mad at me, but you're-
She tried to smile as she recalled the terror and desperation in his voice, right before blasting him off of the edge of the roof with his own amplified powers. Finally. Yet, she couldn't find it in herself to truly enjoy the way Four stared at her with wide, fearful eyes, pleading for her to stop as she... Well. It wasn't like she could do anything about that now.
...maybe his algebralien biology would be enough to save him from the fall. The writing instrument glanced down, seeing nothing but the distant floor of the hotel beneath her. She pursed her lips. Maybe he slipped away somehow. Whatever. She was not going to worry about whatever happened to him. He had it coming, after all.
Pencil's attention turned to her right hand. It thrummed with a vibrant, green energy. Their host's power.
She let the hand drop. Maybe she'd hold onto it for just a little longer. She won it fair and square after all, and it wasn't like the bedridden Two would mind not having access to their wonderful abilities... that they did absolutely nothing with ever since the Yoylite incident. The utensil swallowed, it wasn't like she was at fault for Gaty apparently getting wiped out of existence, assuming that's what happened to her.
Pencil set her thoughts of self-doubt aside and held her left hand out. She focused. He said she didn't know how to use it. Well, she'd be more than happy to prove him wrong. Pencil thought of the most recent, reversible death - Liy. She bit her lip, cyan hand shaking slightly as the light switch's translucent body briefly shimmered into existence, brought forth by her own (indomitable, she reassured herself) will.
It was too small. The drum solo she'd learned to associate with Four bringing her and the EXITors back abruptly petered out. Her face minutely scrunched up in momentary confusion.
That was all the warning she had before Liy's limbless, faceless body crackled into existence for one moment, then instantaneously broke apart with a flash of light in the next. She flinched slightly, mouth hanging open in surprise as the fragments of her friend(?)'s disfigured, half-completed body fell to the ground below. Pencil turned her left hand back around, staring at the bright cyan palm in mild dismay as Four's words echoed in her head.
You don't know how to use it!
Pencil sighed, closing her eyes and letting both arms go limp as she did. He was right. She didn't know how to use it - hell, she didn't even know the full extent of Two's powers. But she knew almost every trick Four was able to use, and yet... all of that time watching him was useless if she didn't truly know how to do it herself.
This-
"This really hasn't gone your way, huh?"
Pencil's eyes shot open, her brief fear giving way to focused rage as she balled both hands into fists at the voice behind her. "WOAH!" She quickly sat up, getting into a fighting stance as her eyes darted around. "Hey! Who's there?"
She could hear the thrum of algebralien power behind her. "I'm on your side, Pencil!" the female-sounding voice cheerfully assured.
The writing utensil in question swiveled around in shock as she laid eyes on her. Another algebralien, in a similar shade of blue as Four, shaped like the number one. Anger flashed across her features as her right hand shot out- concentrated, electric power surged out of her splayed palm- and the algebralien dodged it. "I've been rootin' for ya this whole time!" One continued, smiling even as she gracefully brushed past Pencil and her attacking arm with ease.
As if unbothered by the hateful glare on the object's face, One abruptly sat on the same rooftop edge that she had been on a few seconds ago. "May I?" she asked, squinting in a way that made Pencil's orange paint crawl.
Pencil gauged her options. She could try to kill One... but she was a bit curious about her origins and what she wanted. And she was exhausted, so any attacks she did throw out would probably just entertain the easygoing(?) algebralien as she sidestepped every single one. Her face and her arms fell in defeat as she slowly walked over. She avoided giving the algebralien the satisfaction of seeing her victorious(?), practiced smile as she sat down next to her.
"I've seen the way Four treats you." Finally, Pencil glanced at her, suppressing the hope that welled in her heart as the blue algebralien continued, "I was so scared for you, seeing you got the second most votes to join?" One looked and sounded sympathetic, but all her words did was claw at the frayed bundle of nerves that was Pencil's mind as she carried on.
"What if they sent you back to the EXIT?" If One noticed the way Pencil breathed a little quicker at the mention of Four's own little dimension, she didn't show it. "Or to some other waiting place?" The algebralien was taking Pencil's continued silence as permission to keep yapping, and so she did. "No- I know you couldn't handle it."
She did?
"You shouldn't have to handle it," One mumbled, her voice sounding quieter and more... vulnerable. Pencil slowly calmed herself down. Perhaps she wasn't so- "So I changed it."
The writing instrument turned to stare at her unwanted conversation partner. "You changed it? What?" One wore a mischievous, cheeky smirk as she met her gaze. Then, just as quickly, she disappeared, with no fancy sounds or effects to herald it. One moment, she was there, the next, she simply wasn't.
One's voice answered behind her. "I've been around," she replied, her feet rhythmically tapping against the floor of the roof, "making little adjustments to make sure Two and Four are doing right." Though Pencil barely heard her as the horrifying implications danced around her noggin.
She was here because of a fluke. Because this fucking integer interfered, for whatever reason, to see her in. All of that damage, all of that suffering she put herself and so many others through, was all because One wanted her in.
Why?
"I've just been trying to help, really!" The way her high-pitched voice somehow rose a few more notes betrayed the insincerity in those words. Pencil knew better, now. But it was still so... horrifying to her. She remained rooted to the spot, her normally-guarded expression now displaying every emotion she was feeling as One continued to speak. "I know how much you wish you could go back and... change things with your friends, and..."
Pencil stared at the power literally coursing through her body as One finished. "...no one can relate to that as much as me, Pencil." Her voice didn't change, not one bit, as she kept up the act. "But it's too late for me." Pencil looked off to the left with haunted eyes as One slowly floated in from the other side. "But not too late for you!"
She snapped back as the words registered. "What?" Pencil gestured to her left hand, still overflowing with Four's stolen power. "I can fix it with this?" This time, she didn't even get to see One's reaction to her question as the algebralien was simply gone again, having teleported somewhere else for... dramatic effect.
"Well, those powers-! You already saw what the Yoylite can DO, right?"
The BFDI veteran jolted as several rectangular bubbles popped up next to her, displaying... FreeSmart... all of her friends, together. Smiling happily for the camera, as if nothing had ever changed between them. "Change your past?" Pencil stared at the holographic photos with a subdued sense of loss. "Why don't you?" Her shoulders slumped as she realized where the integer was going with this.
"Just use your power and go back!" Pencil's heart sank. The words almost sounded mocking, though their true meaning still remained hidden behind the honeyed, friendly tone One remained insistent on using. "Fix it all up!"
She stared at the image of her and her four(...) friends. They were all so... happy. So carefree. Still in the best days of their lives.
Pencil didn't realize that her eyes were getting wet until she blinked a few times to dispel the image. "I don't know how," she admitted, nearly choking up as her hands shook. "I don't know what I'm doing. I just keep trying to-"
"I could do it!"
Pencil stopped.
One floated several feet away in front of her, still wearing that disarming smile. Though her eyes had widened considerably, making her look... almost giddy. "I've had similar powers! Nothing quite as powerful as what you've got, but- I could send you back." Could she?
"If you gave me some of that."
Son of a bitch.
Pencil glanced off to the side, her hands close to her chest. "Ehhh, I dunno..." She looked back at One, whose expression remained unchanged. "I don't know who you are, and-"
"But I know you!" One interrupted, and Pencil swore that her smile became just a little bit wider. "I've been watching!" The world behind her changed to show the moon, now cracked wide open- Pencil's breath caught- "You know you can't fix anything, right?" Her time in BFB replayed as if on a screen, the memories of her friends (and how she mistreated them) replaying in 2x speed behind One as the integer continued to spew her poison. "Match, Book, Bubble, Ice Cube-"
"It's too late." The door to the EXIT was behind her. Pencil drew in a sharp, panicked breath. "You can't fix it." One was right in front of her now. The world fell away, leaving only the void around them- behind One. "But if you redo it, you could."
Pencil looked at the rooftop ground beside her, which thankfully remained unaffected. "Four trapped me away, too!" Four did wh-
Pencil's eyes wandered to the distant moon. That... must've been her prison, she surmised, and it was only confirmed as One continued. "In that moon over there. See it? That hole? I was in there!" Genuine frustration finally bled into her uniform tone. "For... YEARS!" And just as quickly, it disappeared as she looked at the integer again. "We're the same, Pencil."
The writing utensil struggled to draw breath, One's unblinking stare locking her in place. "And I've wanted Four's power just to ensure that NEVER happens again." A contract appeared in front of her in a flash of blue- One's blue. "We can both be free, Pencil."
Can we?
An unseen force set it down on a table in front of her - she was in a room she didn't recognize, one that couldn't possibly have been part of the hotel. Two didn't have a star motif to them, Pencil numbly thought, as she looked up at One and got a peek of the room's space-themed walls. At least, she thought those were walls.
"What do you say?"
One was seated in a large, comfortable chair, though it seemed to be ripped in some places. Now that she thought about it, the room looked like a mess- was this her room?
...what does this say about her?
Pencil peered down at the contract. She couldn't make out any of the words on it, assuming those were words and not really just squiggly lines. She looked back up at One. "You'll send me back to- to give me a second shot at this?" she asked, shrugging in genuine confusion as she tried to gauge the algebralien's reaction.
"Yeah." One's look became a little softer. "What do you say?" she repeated. "Sound good?"
Pencil thought about it as she recalled everything that led up to this point. The battle royale being declared right after Four distributed Two's power. Which was because of the rift that they created with the Yoylite going crazy. Which she herself caused, and that itself was a consequence of One bending the rules somehow to get her into the competition, despite seemingly knowing just how badly things could go with her around.
And now. Now One wanted Four and Two's power so that she could do... whatever she wanted with it? The power that Pencil fought for and deserved after suffering for so long? That power? All so she could maybe send her back in time and then do whatever she wanted to her friends in the present?
Pencil was not that stupid. But the fact that the blue digit apparently thought she was greatly rankled her. Her expression darkened, dual powers coursing through her graphite veins as her body slightly shook, before beginning to double over in front of the table.
"...is something wrong? Pencil?"
The integer leaned over, a little more attentive now that the writing utensil wasn't making any show of signing the contract. Worry briefly flashed across her expression before she forced it back into the shape of an assured, though concerned smile. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"...ha ha... hah." Pencil let out a single breath, silently chuckling as she recomposed herself and stood back up to her full height. The object gave One a flat, unreadable smile, staring the algebralien down for a few more seconds. "What makes you think I can't fix it."
One scoffed, her smile taking on an incredulous edge as she crossed her legs. "You alienated everyone you've ever known! Everyone who's tried to reach out to you, you pushed them all away. Donut, Golf Ball, Pen... And the people you do want won't talk to you. Ever! What makes you think you can bring back FreeSmart if everyone you know is either gone or hates you for what you did?"
I hate you!
The look on the utensil's face darkened as she recalled Book's scathing words on the Fourse.
One shifted positions, smiling a little more genuinely as she saw Pencil's expression. "See, Pencil? You know I'm right! You need to go back, otherwise you'll never be happy! You can't be happy, you need your friends back but they'll never return after what you did! It'll be too late if you choose to stay here." She waved a blue leg. "If you go back, though..."
"If I go back, I damage the timeline again," Pencil firmly interrupted, looking up at One with a determined glare. "I... I don't want to do that to everyone again. It's not worth it." She took a small step back from the table. "I can- I can manage without FreeSmart for a little longer. Four's gone, so-"
"No you CAN'T!"
She sharply looked at the integer, having genuinely not expected the outburst. One cleared her throat, her smile turning a little more condescending as she met Pencil's gaze. "I've seen you! You were quietly crying on the clubhouse floor for nearly a week, and the only reason you didn't starve is because Pen kept bringing you food that you'd eat the moment he left. You're a pathetic shell of what you were, Pencil. Where was that headstrong, determined leader from before when you finally joined Two's show? Did you leave a little more of yourself in the EXIT than you'd like to admit?"
The blue integer didn't seem to notice the silent, growing anger on Pencil's blank expression as she slowly walked closer. "You probably grew closer to everyone while in the EXIT! I can't blame you! But they're gone now, including Four. You don't know where Match or Bracelety are, Needle and Ice Cube are eliminated, and- and everyone you know is gone, Pencil." Her grin sharpened as the object stopped right in front of her. "Especially Four. I bet you regret getting just a little bit attached to him after everything he put you through." She shook her head, closing her eyes and smiling serenely. "Oh, but I bet you want a second chance. With everyone. And you can get that second chance! I can help you fix everything! If you just give me your powers and let me do the rest."
Nobody said anything for a few seconds.
One cracked an eye open to look at Pencil.
Pencil stood before her, glowing hands balled into luminous fists and body trembling with some unknown emotion.
The integer huffed. "Well?" she asked.
"...why would I sign the deal when I could just kill you, add your power to my own, and fix everything myself?"
Both of her eyes shot open. "What are you-" she began, only to be cut off as a bright blue fist impacted her face. One fell off the chair, gasping slightly as she felt something warm trickle down her body. She looked at Pencil, who had now rounded on her and was raising another hand, preparing to strike once more. Grimacing, the integer shot a foot out and caught the object in a star-shaped bubble of telekinesis, letting out a sigh of relief as her movements stopped instantly.
One got to her feet. "Silly, silly Pencil. Always so quick to bite the hand that feeds you!" Her easygoing smile dropped. "Okay, let me put this a little more into perspective for you." A piece of paper popped into existence beside her, and she glanced at the list to ensure it was the right one before continuing. "I was really, really going to send you back for a second chance! It would have been so easy, I have the powers of the Yoylite those failed debuters messed around with and I know how to actually use them! But..."
Pencil remained frozen in place, though her face shifted into one of shock as One flipped the list to her side. "...if you wanna go down that route, fine! I'm no stranger to more cutthroat negotiations. So let me make things very clear." She used her own powers to create little caricatures of the few named on the paper. "If you don't sign that contract, if you don't take the help I'm so graciously giving you, then I'll delete one contestant from this list." One of the miniature contestants winked out of existence, and her eyes flashed with malice as Pencil's widened. "Oh, you don't believe me? Don't you think Two or Four would've recovered Gaty by now if she wasn't, you know... gone?" She floated up, gesturing around them. "Gone! Just gone! Deleted! Wiped off the face of the timeline! For good!"
The integer slowly glided back down to the ground, chuckling as she walked up to an immobilized Pencil. "You recognize these names, right?" She clicked her tongue, relishing in the fear in the object's eyes as she held the list closer. "Ice Cube... Needle... I know you still care about them both. And I wouldn't want to deprive you of a full set! But I might have to, if you keep trying to fight me like this." One leaned in closer, eyes widening as Pencil's body shook. "You didn't even get the chance to patch things up with Icy before she was eliminated. It would be such a shame if you never did."
CRASH!
The star-shaped telekinesis bubble keeping Pencil in place suddenly shattered, the transparent fragments scattering across the floor as the rest of Pencil's body surged forwards. One took a nervous step back. "WHA-"
Her panicked question was cut short as the emerald green knuckles smashed into her already-injured face, the blue flesh deforming underneath the grievous blow while a few teeth were knocked right out of her mouth. The algebralien was sent sprawling, moaning in pain as something stomped over. While One was still reeling, another strike impacted her, this time near the base, eliciting a cry of pain as she felt something with a sharp, pointed end straddle her.
Pencil glared hatefully at the algebralien beneath her, drawing her right fist back for another punch. One gave a pained shout, trying to form words that wouldn't come through as the next strike dazed her. Normally, such lowly, physical violence would be futile against something as powerful as an algebralien. Unless you had the powers of one... or two combined.
One's clipped screams and desperate, angry pleas filled the room as blue and green fists rained down upon her. In her panic, she feebly tried to bring up the contract, as if it could somehow shield her, only for the flurry of strikes to shatter the telekinetic bubble holding it in place (by sheer accident), before ripping the feeble piece of paper to pieces from the sheer speed at which her fists cut through the air.
"THTOP! YOU NEED ME!"
Pencil didn't stop her merciless barrage as she gave the brutalized algebralien a cold, dismissive stare.
"I don't."
The last thing One saw before it all went dark was a single blue fist, heading straight towards her at blinding speed. Then, nothing.
A single silhouette stepped back onto the rooftop, flexing her fingers as the portal she emerged from unceremoniously winked out of existence.
Her breathing came in quick, ecstatic gasps as two shades of blue and one shade of green sparked from her fingertips. The world around her hummed intensely as her white eyes widened.
She broke into a jubilant, deranged smile as overwhelming, intoxicating amounts of power flooded her graphite veins. Inexperienced as she was, she had enough knowledge to know that she now had everything she needed to make things right. And nothing, nobody, could stop her now.
The writing utensil bent backwards and let out a victorious, skyward roar.
1st. Pencil