Battle for Triangles Multiversal Travel Machine (and also Dream Island)

Episode 22 - THINGS JUST COLLAPSE

It didn't really take all that long until everyone was then seated where they would be for Cake at Stake. I don't really have to state it every *dang* time, so I didn't feel like it for this chapter. This episode is gonna *suck*, anyway. Coiny and Pin would sit at the area proper, being up for elimination, while the other five remaining contestants would sit at the bleachers to watch the elimination unfold. Triangle would make his way to the area after everyone had been seated, with a clearer head and with a little more bounce in his step, seemingly happy that he was going to host the competition for once. Perhaps he was happy that a certain someone was up for elimination? Ah, who knows. That's just foreshadowing for you.

"Alright!" Triangle began. "Aren't we getting through the days fast or what?" He'd rhetorically ask. "It almost seems like yesterday when we had 20 contestants, but now were at the Final 7!" He'd pause, as he noticed that the contestants aren't all that impressed with their position. "The *real* Final 7, by the way." He clarified. "Starting now, there will be no more rejoining contests." Coiny sighed. "...It felt like an eternity." "Nonsense!" Triangle kept his smile, which was definitely unlike his normal behavior. Normally, just one such remark would immediately put a downer on his day. "Anyways, as you probably know, one of you will be eliminated. Now get to it!" Triangle would then chuckle to himself. As soon as Triangle stopped acting so strangely, everyone would proceed to look around the area, and also at each other, feeling rather awkward about the current situation and not knowing who to vote for. The contest had suddenly gotten a lot more tense in recent days, what with the sudden debate between Needle and Pin over Coiny, and so, with two of the controversial figures being up for elimination, no one really wanted to anger anyone more than they already were. As such, they just kept their mouths shut, waiting for someone else to speak before they followed.

Needle would want to be the first to vote, having been drastically affected by the whole thing, but would hesitate. "Um..." "Oh, *come on*, Needle." Pin immediately interrupted. She would scoff. "We all know who you're going to vote for. Right?" She'd rhetorically ask. "It's just so *easy* for you to do it. I'm in a position of vulnerability, and I had humiliated you not once, but *twice*!" Pin nodded. "Any sane person would seize this opportunity, Needle. You can vote me off now, and you won't ever hear from me again. There's no more rejoining contests, so I'll have no chance at winning." Triangle would sigh as Pin made her third speech in a row during Cake at Stake, and would scrunch his forehead while looking down, which he now liked to do whenever anything was even mildly inconvenienced him, such as right now. Needle would remain silent for several more seconds, and Pin would fold her arms, becoming rather impatient. "Well?" She'd scoff. "Come on, Needle. We don't have all day. We all know how infuriating Cake at Stake gets. Just do what you would do and get on with it." Needle stayed silent for even longer, believing that this was an obvious trick, before sighing. "You know what, Pin?" She began. "I knew as soon as you were up for elimination that you would want me to vote for you." She'd pause, still hesitating every once in a while. "And you know what? It *does* sound tempting, and I almost considered doing it. But now that you mentioned it..." She'd shrug. "It doesn't sound all too appealing anymore."

Pin would just stay there, rather confused by what Needle was hinting at. "*What*?" She'd scoff. "What would I even gain from letting myself be eliminated? If I get eliminated, it's over for me! Come on, already!" Needle folded her arms and shook her head. "No, no. Maybe that *is* what you want, no?" She'd rhetorically ask. I just realized how much I repeat that sentence. Oh well. "I mean, none of this has made *any* sense, especially the recent happenings." She'd smile. "Who knows what you have up your sleeve?" Pin sighed. "Needle, come *on*." She'd shake her head as well. "Don't tell me those theorists got to *you* too." Needle shook her head again. "No. I'm not with them. I'm standing on my own here." She'd shrug. "And *perhaps* a little help as well. But mostly myself, so what?" Triangle would knowingly wink at her. "...No." She continued. "I want you to suffer. I want you to feel pain. I want you to desire to take back every word you said at me in the past, but you wouldn't be able to. Do you think that your words mean anything to me? Think again." Coiny would grow gradually concerned. That *definitely* wasn't like the Needle he got to know over the course of the competition. "...Needle, you okay?" Needle would simply look at him and smile. "Never better, Coiny." She'd nod. "I just realized everything that's been going on, is all." She'd pause for a moment, keeping her fixed (and possibly forced) smile, and would look at Coiny again. "Tell me, Coiny... You still love me, don't you?"

The way Needle said that word in particular was jarring. It was said as if it wasn't some sort of forbidden word, which to a relatively pure (until the competition, anyway) society that had no concern over things like marriage and family, it was indeed quite forbidden. The fact that she said the word so nonchalantly, as if it was just a regular word she used in a conversation, made *everyone* concerned. They had expected Needle to at least wince at the usage of the word, but she didn't even break a sweat, or even flinch. To them, Needle had seemed to... Break, in a way. Much like Pin had some time prior. One potentially insane contestant was already a lot to handle, but two? That was most likely going to evolve into a complete mess. Coiny, being at the center of all this chaos, would immediately blush upon hearing her say the forbidden word. He'd hesitate from agreeing with her, but he felt like lying was going to get him anywhere in this situation. He'd sigh, stopping any desperate attempts to keep the pinkish color off his cheeks, and nodded. "...Of course, but-" "Great!" Needle interrupted. Her smile still stuck on her face. The way she smiled just before what she said next was rather creepy, like one that would be described in a terribly-written horror novel. "I vote for Coiny."

Coiny, as well as pretty much the rest of the contestants, even those in the Huge Loser Residence, froze in shock. They very well knew how Needle felt about Coiny, and so her voting for him to be eliminated as if it was no trouble to her at all was rather surprising. Although Triangle would try to hide his fear as well, there was no way to fully hide how his body went stiff in sheer horror as soon as Needle cast her vote. Even Pin had to admit that such a display of defiance was rather impressive. Her voting for Coiny was just *truly* unexpected. After an awkward silence would dominate the scene after the event, Coiny would begin to protest. "But..." He could barely form the words in his mouth. He felt like he was betrayed. "But I thought-" Needle shrugged. "You thought what, Coiny?" She'd rhetorically ask (i said it again!). "Didn't we agree that no matter which one of us won, we'd be okay with it? That was the agreement the Sharp Minds had, was it not?" She'd return to smiling rather normally again. "...But-" "This isn't any different. Come on, Coiny." She'd blush a faint pink as she smiled at him. "You know I'd let you in Dream Island. Just *relax*." "But the way you-" "I'm just giving Pin the same treatment as she gave to me." Needle interrupted. "Come on, what's the harm in that?" She'd fold her arms. "You people *didn't* expect me to retaliate? All that insulting and mocking and you *didn't* see this coming? Come *on*, people..." She'd scoff. Whatever force was giving her this attitude and confidence, it seemed to fully take over her now.

Bubbles legs began to shake in fear as Needle continued on, as one would normally react to such a sudden change in tone to the whole event. "Needle... What are you doing?" She'd ask. "Oi'm... Oi'm scared..." And she had a right to be. This *was* the one that was extremely nice to her, after all. Bubble hadn't seen this side of her before, and it was obviously a rather shocking moment for her. "No need to be, Bubble." Needle looked at her with a smirk on her face. "This form of me is reserved for Pin and Pin *only*. I know how you'd feel if I did that, of course. I wouldn't ever act so angry against you. I know better." She'd then look back at Pin as soon the latter began speaking again. "...Hah." Pin could barely chuckle at this point. Needle was *truly* threatening her. "Y-You think that changes anything?" She'd ask. Needle would nod. "I have to admit, Pin. You were this close to breaking me. *This* close." She'd almost pinch the air, but not fully closing it. "But something inside me changed, you know? Something *big*." She chuckled. "You don't know what's coming, Pin. You may have thought you were nearing the end of all this, Pin, but you're too ignorant and foolish to see that it's the exact opposite. It's only just begun." Meanwhile, Triangle was now covering his face with both of his hands, as he cowered in shame. Although it was no longer going in the *worst* possible route, it wasn't exactly going in the *best*, either. Now, it seemed, Needle was becoming the evil one. The CE appeared to have taken an interest in her as well, and was planning to use her as well. If Needle *does* goes evil, Triangle thought, and her and Pin lash out at each other, then what about Coiny?

Triangle sighed. He didn't know if he was actually the host (of the competition, that is) at this point, and didn't know if he could do anything to stop what was going on. "...Okay, people." He'd sigh again, and would stop covering his face. "That's enough bickering. As many people have said before me, that is not what Cake at Stake is for." Needle raised an eyebrow and looked at Triangle. Whatever control he had on her, Triangle thought, was completely gone by now. Perhaps him giving her the special coffee had attracted the attention of the forces beyond that were at work? "You designed Cake at Stake to maximize misery, right?" She'd smile again. Triangle raised both eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect anyone, especially Needle, to remember that little tidbit of information he accidentally revealed during the early stages of the competition. He'd anxiously shake his head. "...No. Who told you that?" Needle smirked, obviously not believing his lies. "You did, obviously. At the very first Cake at Stake. Remember?" She'd rhetorically ask. She knew that he remembered. Despite that, however, Triangle would shake his head. "...I would *never*! I care about the well-being of my contestants. Wouldn't have such high ratings without it!" Triangle immediately froze. "...Wait." Needle raised an eyebrow yet again. "...Wait, what?" Triangle shrugged. "Nothing!"

Triangle would immediately try his best to change the subject of the whole conversation, wanting to get Cake at Stake (and therefore the competition) back on track. "Does anyone else want to vote? Anyone?" Everyone would awkwardly stare at Triangle instead, however. He would've most likely been in for a world of yet more misery and questioning if Leafy didn't finally speak out. "Oh..." She began. "Coiny... Don't think of this as some sort of bias, but Pin's my friend, and you..." She'd look at Pin, then back to Coiny, and sighed. "You've been a jerk in some ways, you know? You slapped Firey around, insulted some others..." She'd shake her head. "Not good. I vote for you." "What?" Coiny immediately protested. "That was a long time ago!" "I know!" Leafy replied. "But stuff like that never goes away! *Never*!" She'd shake her head again. "It weighs down on you for the rest of your life! It's not good, you know? Don't you ever think about how others feel when you tell them those things?" Coiny still tried to protest. "...Leafy, seriously. I-" Leafy would immediately interrupt Coiny, however. "Don't explain!" There'd be yet another round of awkward silence before someone else spoke out.

"Needle..." Bubble began. Needle turned to her, having seemingly returned to normal. The creepy atmosphere that originated from her had seemingly vanished as quickly as it arrived, and people could tolerate looking at her again. "...Yes?" "You said that our team- er, alloiance..." Bubble had forgotten that teams were disbanded. A lack of brain tends to cause that. "...our alloiance takes priority, roight?" Needle nodded. "...Of course. But-" "Then why aren't you following it anymoire?" Bubble asked. "It's not good! If you're not going to follow it, then Oi will!" Bubble folded her arms. Needle would be confused, as she was just going to point out how both contestants that were up for elimination were in the Sharp Minds. "Oi vote for Pin!" She'd accusingly point at Pin as she continued. "After all, she was the one who started it!" Pin sighed. "Finally, someone with common sense." "Huh?" Bubble was confused. "What do you mean?" Pin scoffed. It was the same old Bubble, as always. "...Nothing." Triangle would sigh again, with his hands covering his face yet again. "Ugh... Are you kidding me..." He'd groan. He clearly didn't handle the fact that the Sharp Minds were doing some infighting all too well. Meanwhile, Teardrop would point at Pin, voting for her and not even taking a minute to think about it.
"It's down to Rocky to decide the result of the vote." the Announcer announced, noticing that Triangle was clearly too distressed to continue on for the time being. "Wait, *him*?" Pin asked, although she knew that Rocky was a contestant. Hahah, it's because she's dumb. Or something. "But he can't even talk!" "Wait!" Coiny protested. "I think SB told me that he *has* talked at some point. Don't write him off just yet." He'd fold his arms. "Let's see what he has to say." Everyones eyes would then turn to Rocky. Rocky stood still for a moment, before opening his mouth, presumably about to say something. But before even the slightest hint of a voice would come out of his disgusting mouth (no offense, but you know, vomit), he'd suddenly close his mouth and begin shaking. After a few moments of this shaking, he'd then vomit. His vomit wouldn't be like the extremely high-velocity rivers of before, but was much like how any normal person would vomit. As Rocky continued to vomit, the puddle of vomit which resulted from it would form in a circular shape. "That counts as a vote for Coiny." the Announcer announced. "Wait, I didn't-" Triangle would immediately be interrupted by the Announcer continuing, however. "Coiny, goodbye." Triangle would look at the vote display, confused at what was going on.

COINY: 3 [X]
PIN: 2

The vote display appeared to have been updated by itself. Normally, he would've noticed if it did change, but this time, he didn't. Perhaps the CE did it, Triangle thought. Perhaps the CE is finally reaching critical mass, and it was all downhill from here. Triangle sighed, and would begin preparing for the inevitable in silence. Meanwhile, Coiny would simply sigh, and would look at Needle for a moment or so, before finally getting up to leave for the HLR.

-

The eliminated contestants would then be let out of the HLR shortly afterwards, and they would all be in varying states of confusion and shock. Having been following the events of the previous few days, much like they would in a television show, the eliminated contestants were especially surprised by the sudden developments, given how it was happening to people that, before then, showed no signs of acting abnormally. Almost everyone would go to the hangout place yet again as the sun began to set, with only the Winner Alliance, Coiny, and Needle remaining outside.

Triangle would stare at Needle for a few minutes, seemingly considering something, most likely talking to her again, before shrugging it off. "Well..." the Announcer began, noticing this. "Are you going to-" Triangle immediately shook his head, knowing what he was going to ask. "No, no." He'd pause. "Go do your thing." "Um. Okay." the Announcer would then hop off the Cake at Stake area, and would begin making the usual rounds around the area. Triangle would sit around at the Cake at Stake area for a little while, still confused on what to do, and would watch the sun set. Triangle had intended to leave for his Base shortly after Cake at Stake, but something seemed to draw him into watching the sunset. Perhaps it was just how good it seemed to look that day, or something. The author doesn't know either. As he continued watching, he suddenly felt tired, and no longer felt like moving. The sunset seemed to captivate him, urging him to continue watching and not do anything else. As soon as the sun fully disappeared below the horizon, however, all the energy seemed to return to him, and he would immediately head back to his Base of Operations, remembering what he was supposed to do.

Triangle would enter his trailer and would slam the door a little bit too loudly for his liking, but he just didn't care at this point. The enthusiasm he had throughout the day had quickly vanished during Cake at Stake, mostly due to all the debating, returning him back to his normal, exhausted self. But it seemed to be a heavier weight on him than it normally was on any ordinary day. Although he *was* back to normal, he didn't feel like it. He felt extremely exhausted, as if the days without sleep had hit him all at once. Not wanting to deal with that, he'd look at his mini fridge and would open it, revealing yet another mug full of coffee, similar to the one Needle had drank earlier. He'd shrug, and would grab it, bringing it to his mouth, and would then take a big ol' sip. It was just then, however, when a familiar figure would reappear once more behind him.

"I thought you weren't one to drink coffee?" GD asked. Triangle would immediately spit out all the coffee from his mouth, causing some of it to spill out. "WHAT THE- ?" He was, of course, rather surprised by the unexpected entry. Triangle would quickly turn to face him. "What are you doing here at this hour?" He'd sigh. "And besides, I *do* drink coffee, just..." He'd shrug. "Not when you're around." "Oh, come on." GD scoffed. "I wasn't there to witness, like, 80% of your life. I had places to go to. Don't berate me like that." Triangle would nod. "Yeah, yeah. I know." He'd sigh. "Just... Don't sneak up on me like that, alright?" "Who said I was going to sneak up on you?" He'd rhetorically ask. "I was just planning on using this as a place I could teleport to without being noticed. I wasn't intending to surprise you, or anything." He'd pause. "I was planning to get your attention, in fact." Triangle scoffed. "...Whatever." He'd set the mug down. "So why are you here this time?" He'd ask. "And what's with not showing up in a helicopter?" "It's urgent." GD immediately replied. Triangle would sigh again. "Pretty much nothing *isn't* urgent to you. What is it now?" GD shook his head in disappointment. "No, seriously. Like, *very* urgent." "What, coffee ran out at the base?" Triangle sarcastically responded. "You can take the mini fridge, but you gotta return it by night." "I *don't* drink coffee, Tri." GD sighed. "Great! Neither do I." He'd snap his fingers, and the mug was now gone.

"Now, are you going to keep wasting my time?" Triangle continued. GD sighed once more, before finally explaining to him what was going on. "Our satellites have detected a sudden rise in CE levels just a few minutes ago." He'd sigh yet again. This was a lot to take in. "And it's still continuing *right now*." "You mean, like, a burst?" Triangle asked. GD shook his head. "No, not a burst." He'd continue. "CE levels were fluctuating like normal for most of the day, and then they just... Stabilized." Triangle raised an eyebrow. "...Stabilized?" GD shrugged. "Like, remained at the exact same level for a moment or so. Odds of that happening naturally are nigh-impossible. We believe that it's the extra-dimensional forces calibrating the average CE level, or something." He'd shrug. "Can't be too sure, anymore." "Uhuh?" Triangle nodded. "And then..." GD sighed once more. "The levels began rising exponentially." "I thought it already was?" Triangle asked. GD shook his head. "No. Uh, not in the way it is now, anyway." He'd continue. "They were still growing in bursts at the time, but they were only increasing *more* by each burst. This growth is just..." GD would finally just give up at trying to explain. "...Take a look." GD would reach out to one of the screens, turning it on using his powers. The graph from hours would be displayed on the screen again, but it had updated to account for the new data. The far left of the graph was much of the same as before, and it continued all the way to the far right. But just before it reached the end, the line representing the level no longer looked like the stock market. Instead, it was just a straight line, curving upward, and curving *more* upward by the moment. You know, exponential growth, and stuff.

"These look like the readings from a few hours ago, only more smooth." Triangle remarked. "I know, right?" GD replied. "And the fact that it's smooth is what bothers me. It's not natural." Triangle would shake his head. "Nothing in this world ever is natural." He'd sigh. "I've been spending some time reading the Multiversal Encyclopedias, and i'm starting to get less and less impressed each time I learn something was caused by Multiversal shenanigans." "Yeah." GD nodded. "But this is, like, the *bad* kind of Multiversal shenanigans." He'd continue. "CE levels increasing quickly, no matter how it's caused, is *never* good." "You told me this before." Triangle replied. "Why repeat this to me again exactly?" He'd ask. "It can't be overstated how bad it is." Triangle scoffed. "Sure it can." The screen would then update, the graph now incorporating the data from the latest survey of the CE levels. They'd then look at the graph as soon as it was done. Now, the only thing that seemed to be visible was the line shooting straight up, with the levels during the hours prior barely visible on the bottom of the graph. GD immediately looked back at Triangle with a disapproving look on his face. "...It can't." Triangle returned the stare, and shrugged.

"Alright." He'd pause. "But what can I do? You guys keep telling me to just hang out, to distract them, that help is on the way, or whatever." He'd pause. "You guys don't let me do anything. If I tried to do something, you'd have me killed. "We don't even know what the host is capable of." GD protested. "We know what the host can do immediately after a CE infiltration, and what it can do once the CE reaches critical mass, but not during the in-between." Triangle sighed. "The host is capable of extremely boring and irritating speeches about how she's the best and Needle can just suck it, it seems." GD would freeze. "...Wait." He'd scratch his head. "...Needle?" Triangle nodded. "Yeah, Needle." "...Specifically her?" GD continued asking. "...Yeah, apparently." "Like, not anyone else, just... Her?" He just wanted to make sure. Everything had to be correct, or they were done for. "Cannot be overstated-" "Alright, alright." GD sighed. "I think we know what we're dealing with, now." "Great." Triangle scoffed. "Do you mind telling me? Because none of this makes *any* sense." "*Of course* it doesn't." GD scoffed. "You're not the one with literal trillions of years of experience." "Yeah! Only a thousand." Triangle sarcastically responded. "It's not that impressive, is it?" "Enough arguing." GD continued. "I think what has been happening here is a..." GD would stay silent for a moment, attempting to find the word for what he wanted to say. The Multiverse was vast and wide and large and another word for big place, and so there were around a thousand words to describe a single concept throughout it. "Uh... Lets just go with 'Devent'."

Triangle immediately raised an eyebrow, obviously being rather confused. "Devent? What on *Earth* is a Devent?" GD shrugged. "Deity Event." He'd explain further. "You know how most religious are a result of some freaky stuff going on in the old days, and are just how people of those days attempted to interpret said freaky events?" Triangle nodded. "Yeah?" "Well, these events generally only happen several times per universe, since how people interpret them is what's actually doing the heavy lifting when it comes to creating religions." He'd pause. "How many have already happened in this universe?" "Uh..." Triangle paused. "How am *I* supposed to know that?" "Yeah, right." GD scoffed. "Whatever. All i'm saying is, this definitely looks like a Devent." "Yeah, but *why* have Devents in the first place?" Triangle asked. "Well, as you may have already known, most religions throughout the Multiverse have just three deities, each one representing creation, maintenance, and destruction. And the leading theory is that these three are real entities, being higher-dimensional beings waging war to take control of lower-dimensional Multiverses." GD paused, feeling a slight headache coming on. "You understand this, yes?" Triangle wouldn't notice his headache getting worse, either, as he had gotten used to it. "Yeah, yeah. The Multiversal Trimurti. So?" "Obviously, much like the leaders and dictators of your universes past, these guys know that if you just show up uninvited and say that you own them now, they're obviously not going to like that." GD continued. "So what they've been doing is... Well, what you're seeing now. They, or at least representatives of them, descend into universes to convert them to their cause."

GD took another breath before continuing. "Most of the time, representatives of more than one of them end up sharing a universe, hence the conflict." Triangle nodded, pretending that it made sense. "Uhuh?" "Obviously, these representatives can't just take control immediately, or else you get universal rebellions, and *nobody* wants universal rebellions." GD continued. "So they convert them, slowly but surely..." "Hang on, don't I already know this?" Triangle would ask. "Oh, of course." GD sighed. "I already told you this. Thousands of times, over and over..." "No, it was just the once. One and done." "No, I recall telling you a bunch of times throughout the thousand years or so." Triangle didn't really feel like arguing about something *this* irrelevant, and would just sigh in response. "Whatever. Point is, I already know this stuff. Why tell me again?" "Why not?" GD shrugged. "I just felt..." He'd trail off. "Compelled... To..." He'd go silent completely for several seconds. "...Oh dear." "Ugh, what now?" Triangle asked. GD would look at the graph again, then back to Triangle. "Dang, the influence *is* strong." He'd remark. Triangle sighed once more. "Alright, i'll change the subject so we don't go around in circles again. How's the base?" "Nearing completion, actually. The world may be ending for real, but we can now send stuff over faster. Broadcasts have been able to be beamed to Goiky reliably, and shipments have been coming at literal light speed." "Great to hear!" Triangle sarcastically nodded. "If only it was useful to me." "Well, we can *probably* hide in it just in case this entire operation goes wrong." He'd pause. "Like, *horribly* wrong."

Triangle paused for a moment before continuing. "On the subject of repeating things, just *how* are you going to capture the host again?" He'd ask. "We are dealing with a deity here, right? A higher-dimensional entity?" "While they are higher-dimensional, they can still be reasoned with." GD replied. "They're much like us, but only one dimension higher. We'll send a team of our most experienced negotiators and diplomats, attempt to reason with the host, then bring them in for further questioning and potential conversion." Triangle would keep looking at him with a worried expression on his face. "...We'll keep our guns close by, though, of course." GD added. Triangle kept his worried expression. "...Great." He'd scoff. "The fate of the world *still* rests on *diplomacy*?" GD folded his arms. "Triangle, just like you said, they are higher-dimensional entities. Bullets and bombs probably don't work on them. Words might just do the trick however." "Whatever." Triangle scoffed again. "So, what's the final deadline?" "For when the CE levels become too hot to handle and everything begins going *horribly* wrong? Uh..." GD would run the calculations in his head. "...I don't even think this place will last the night before the world goes all crazy." "And what have *you* been doing about it?" Triangle asked again. "Wait it out, pretty much. Hosts are most vulnerable once they reach the critical point, you know."

They'd stand around in awkward silence for the next few moments. Triangle would raise an eyebrow yet again, concerned. "...Wait. Your plan is to just let the apocalypse happen?" "Yeah!" GD would nod. "I'm surprised you haven't gotten used to that by now. I told you about it, like... How many times, now?" "I know!" Triangle nodded back. "It's just... Jarring. You're going to stop it by letting it happen?" "It's paradoxical, but if you try to get by in the Multiverse while trying to keep everything sensible, they'd just laugh at your face." He'd continue. "We'll let it happen, but only briefly. Again, hosts are most vulnerable in the moments immediately after the transition, so that's the prime opportunity to stop them." "...And if we *don't*?" Triangle would ask. "Uh..." GD would roll his eyes. "The universe explodes, or something. Once a universe gets fully taken over by one of the three sides, we tend to never hear from them again." "Alright, that was the wrong question to ask." Triangle sighed. "What if we *do* win?" "Then the universe is safe..." GD sighed. "For some time. It'd only be a matter of time before they'd strike again, but we'd get to buy more time." Triangle scoffed. "...Right."

Awkward silence would begin yet again. The fate of the Universe *was* a rather touchy subject, after all. "I feel like we're just going in circles, explaining concepts we already know." Triangle remarked. "I know!" GD nodded. "It must be one of their tactics to stop us from resisting! The CE levels must be already getting worse by the second." He'd pause. "Let's just go outside and get some fresh air. This trailer is pretty cramped, anyway." Triangle nodded. "Fair point. I *hate* it here, and I don't like sleeping here. Why did you think I drank that coffee?" They'd then exit the trailer and would just stand around in the grass, sometimes watching the happenings going on inside the fence. "...You did a good job in containment, by the way." GD continued. "Twenty extremely unruly subjects, with one, or even more of them, possibly, possibly being the host of an all-powerful being, and you manage to contain them for more than a week." He'd smile at him. "I applaud the effort you put into it." "...Yeah!" Triangle nodded. "I may be on the brink of losing it, and I'll most likely never get my time *or* my dignity back, but it's all for a good cause, right?" He'd sarcastically ask. "...Right." GD would reluctantly nod. "A good cause. A very good one, indeed." They'd then sit down on the grass. They'd watch as the orange sky became black as it fully became night.

"So... Do we just wait until it finally happens?" Triangle asked. GD would nod. "Yeah." "...It's quite a *terrible* feeling you get while you wait until the apocalypse arrives, you know?" Triangle remarked. "It's like you're watching a horror movie, and you know that the jumpscare is coming, but you just can't help but be scared as the moments tick by until it happens." "*That's* what you're thinking of?" GD scoffed. "I don't recall you watching any horror movies." "Hey!" Triangle protested. "GD Inc had movie nights." He'd sigh. "...For a time, at least. Movies, or literally any source of information, come in short supply now, sure, but trust me, I did once." They'd both sigh. The world was about to end, and *this* was what they were talking about. It was quite the cause for alarm.

-

Needle had watched the sun set and the sky above her go dark, indicating that it was now night time. Behind her, the commotion going on at the hangout building went on. She could hear the voices of around a dozen or so people making all sorts of conversation, trying to contact former friends or attempting to make sense of the recent commotion. Needle had to admit, even if it was just to herself, that she didn't feel like what she or Pin had been doing was natural. Up until the competition began, she harbored no negative feelings whatsoever for Pin, but after that Triangle fell from the sky, and this competition began... It just developed over time. It was clearly out of the ordinary, but at the same time, it felt like it was just her nature to act like how she acted then. It seemed like the obvious response to someone directly insulting you. She'd continue thinking about those events, as those obviously were of greater priority. The present does determine the future, after all. But her mind couldn't help but wander back to the times before all of this even happened, before the competition even started. It was almost weird remembering a time when everyone was just fine with each other and wasn't secretly loathing each other, even if it had just been such a short time since that ended. Needle could remember a time she didn't even have any feelings for Coiny, funnily enough. She'd think back to the time Triangle and the Announcer fell from the sky, thinking of it as the moment everything changed. Everyone would say goodbye to what was normal and would end up diving face-first into some... Pretty nasty things.

Her train of thought would be ruined, however, by the sound of giggling coming from elsewhere other than the hangout place. It would catch her attention simply from the fact that it was out of place, not being from within the building and all that. She thought that everyone was hanging out at the hangout place (as that was its intended use), and so someone making questionable noises from elsewhere was a cause for alarm. She'd immediately rush towards the source of the sound, her heart beating faster by the moment as she realized that it was coming from where the Winner Alliance usually gathered. She knew where they met by eavesdropping, of course. She'd make it there within seconds, only to find just Pin and... Not Golf Ball. She recalled seeing her make her way to the hangout place, but she really hoped for her to be there instead of Coiny. *Really* wanted to. But alas, it was not to be. Needle would quickly retreat as soon as she was back in the open, hiding behind Gelatin's Steakhouse, which was now devoid of anyone, even Gelatin. She'd watch as Pin and Coiny would laugh at whatever joke either of them had made, blushing and staring into each others eyes. It was like she was watching some cheesy romantic movie, some terrible story of love written by some teenage author, and it infuriated her deeply. Of course it would.

"Like, oh my gosh, Coiny!" Pin could barely contain her laughter. "Is *that* what you really think of Needle? Like, I never thought you'd say that!" Coiny chuckled. "Yeah..." He'd sigh. "I used to think she was alright, but now, she's just getting... On my nerves, you know?" He'd pause. "She's overstaying her welcome, and I plan to put her in her place as soon as I can." Those... Definitely weren't very good words to refer to her. Probably the only thing that could compare to the level of hurt she experienced from Coiny saying that was if she was covered from head to toe in wounds, and was forced to swim across a literal ocean and lemonade. It hurt *that* much. "Gosh, thank you so much, Pin." Coiny nodded. "Thank you for letting me realize what was up." "Of course!" Pin nodded back, smiling. "What are friends for?" They'd stare into each others eyes again, but would hold hands this time as they did so. Coiny shook his head. "...No. You're more than a friend." It was coming. Needle knew the exact three words he'd say, and she hated it. But for some reason couldn't do anything about it. She *wanted* to move out and give them the slapping of a lifetime right then and there, but some unknown force just... Forced her to stay still. Forced to watch as pretty much all her motivation to keep going burn down to the ground like napalm burning a Vietnamese forest.

"I love you, Pin." Coiny nodded again. The words being purely genuine. Needle would cringe at every syllable he stressed. She knew it was coming, of course. It was just a surprise how he said it so sincerely. She *must've* gotten him good. "...Heh." Pin chuckled, and nodded as well. "Me too, Coiny." And with no more words left to say, they'd pull themselves together to become extremely close to each other, and...

-

GD and Triangle continued watching the commotion going on in the living quarters, when a sudden quiet droning noise began filling the air. It was barely audible at first, but exponentially grew louder and louder. "Hey, GD... Did you call in another supply drop for today?" Triangle would ask. "I think I hear helicopters." GD would frown, realizing what that meant, and shook his head. "...No." Triangle would frown as well. "Weird. I think my eardrums might've finally ruptured, or something." GD would then shrug. The noise was just about to reach its maximum volume, before everyones ears would just explode from how loud it was, when GD would yell before *it* finally happened. "*THIS IS GONNA HURT*!" He'd scream, and when Triangle turned to look at him, he was nowhere to be found. "Wha-"

A sudden flash of extremely bright white light would then consume the entirety of the living quarters, and everything else in a several-mile radius. The airwaves would be immediately filled with an extremely ear-piercing noise that would make almost anyone go deaf, but somehow not a single eardrum would break, forcing everyone to suffer its insane volume. The actual, physical pain would come in bursts, much like shock-waves. It would be a mild pain at first, then an extreme aching all over, and then it would be as if you were being burned alive. It was like if you were the exact target of a nuclear explosion, only somehow much, *much* worse. Needless to say, it was an extremely unpleasant experience all throughout: they couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything (anything other than the noise, anyway), and could feel nothing but unbearable, intolerable pain. Unceasing, unending, and a desire for a death that would never come. And after what seemed like an eternity being spent like this, it was suddenly over. After what felt like an eternity in the realm of eternal pain, everyone was now back to where they were before it all happened. All the contestants in the hangout area had their mouths open as they were mid-conversation when it hit, yet couldn't remember what they were going to say. Triangle would blink as soon as he could see the field again, hoping to whoever may be up there that GD was back, only to find him still not there. Needle would finally open her eyes, having closed them the exact moment it happened, only to find where Coiny and Pin was now just a smoking crater in the ground.

Triangle would immediately look up at the black sky, noticing that the droning noise was still there, but it was clearly not the same noise as the horror he just experienced. It was actually the sound of helicopter rotors this time around. Black helicopters, familiar yet not at the same time, had been completely crippled by... Whatever just happened, and their rotors were now slowing down as all of their systems were fried by an electromagnetic pulse which had accompanied the Devent. Eventually, the helicopters would fall down from the sky, much like flies succumbing to their death mid-flight after flying through a cloud of bug spray, and would begin crashing into the ground. The contestants would begin screaming as they began to crash nearby, and Triangle would've been spending too much time just watching the screams of the damned, the poor souls that were in ground zero of the Devent, before one of the helicopters would crash into him, rendering him unconscious.

-

Triangle woke up, immediately noticing the sheer pain due to being crushed by a helicopter, and would see that his lower body had been anchored to the ground by said helicopter. He would've immediately struggled to get out, but his attention would be focused on a folded piece of paper that had been placed in his hand. He knew that he hadn't been holding one by the time he was knocked out, and so would be quick to unfold it using both his hands, which were thankfully still free. The message written inside would be illegible to a normal person, but to someone like Triangle, the writing was familiar, written by no one else but a certain yellow person:

"Triangle, i'm sorry that I disappeared shortly before the Devent. I knew what was going to happen, and I definitely didn't want to be there when it hit. You probably experienced it, didn't you? Don't worry, I've suffered it more than enough times to pay you back. Feels like you were precisely in ground zero of a nuclear explosion, right?

The worst, although it may not seem like it, has finally passed. I can *somewhat* guarantee that nothing will be as bad as that. CE levels have reached as high as they could possibly be without the Universe getting flipped literally upside-down, and pretty much the entire world is now going bonkers. While we can now muster the near-infinite forces at our disposal, so can they. Conflict is inevitable. Watch the skies. Oh, and the ground as well, and the underground, and the seas... You get the point.

You may have noticed that your powers are now temporarily gone..."

He'd stop reading for a moment to try and literally snap him out of the helicopter wreckage. Nothing would happen but the familiar spark, signifying that he had failed miserably. Ungood. He'd continue reading.

"...due to the Devent. Shocker, right? Happened to me too, completely lost it the first time, both my powers and my emotions. That's just normal: those who cause the Devent get all the power, while everyone else loses all of it. Things will normalize the farther you go from ground zero, and the more time has passed. Don't panic.

None of us have any idea where the host is now. They disappeared as soon as the Devent happened, and seemed to take someone along with it. Poor fellow. Our teams, whatever we could bring in for the time being, anyway, are already on the hunt. I mean, we could go in all guns blazing *now*, but we're planning on waiting until the fight comes to us. We can materialize the entire fleet instantly if need be, anyway.

It came to our attention, though, that during the Devent, there was a force that was able to mostly counter its effects and suffer up to 90% less than the usual effects. We believe that this is the result of yet another higher-dimensional entity, which is most likely in opposition to the other one. We also have reason to believe that this anti-host is yet another one of your contestants. Keep them close by. Please.

We've lost pretty much all contact with all GD Inc remnant bases besides the one in the station, which was already built to protect itself from an EMP. Dream Island Base, as far as i'm aware, is the largest safe refuge from this crazy nonsense, and is currently where I am. You need to get here as soon as possible, if you are capable of traveling, for the host will most certainly strike here once it's done with whatever it's doing.

It may feel like our darkest hour. It may feel like we are on the brink of failure. But do not forget that we once stood here before, many times, in fact. You may not remember it, but it has happened before, and we have prevailed. I mean, we won as many times as *they* won, but that's besides the point. No matter how rough things seem, we must continue to resist, for only God knows what fate we will have once we surrender.

I should stop writing this as if this is some serious conflict, like the World Wars. I mean, come on. It's *impossible* to take this seriously. No reason to try and make you do so.

I'll see you around.

-GD"

As Triangle finished reading the note, he could hear the crowd of contestants banging on the fence, with most of them looking at Triangle in fear. They'd be all screaming some incoherent cries of pain or for help, but he couldn't be bothered to discern any of them. "WAIT!" One of the voices, Golf Balls, would stand out as she screamed. "I FOUND THE CONTROL PANEL FOR THE GATES!" A button would be pressed, and the gates would begin to rise. Everyone would immediately rush towards Triangle, and would begin trying to pull him out of the wreckage, with some even attempting to lift the helicopter out of him. As their questions if he was alright blended into a single unintelligible noise, he couldn't help but smile, as he actually felt like he was being cared for, like he was actually loved.

-

Triangle was able to recover usage of his legs throughout the day (god bless technological augmentation), and he would gather everyone by the Cake at Stake place as the sun began to set. Triangle would wait for the Announcer to come as well, but would give up on that after it didn't appear after several minutes. The pulse must've knocked it out, he thought. He'd count all the contestants that still remained in the living quarters, and he was only able to count 18, and not 20. Two of them were missing, and he knew exactly who those two were. Everyone was talking to each other when Triangle had finished counting, and so he would raise his hand to quiet them down. He'd sigh, as he knew that no matter what he did, he'd have to reveal the truth to them. If not now, then in the future. If what GD said was true, it was pretty much a certainty. He'd sigh, and would begin. "Alright, i'm pretty sure we all have questions about what happened last night, yes?" He'd ask. Everyone would immediately get back to talking, signifying agreement. "Great!" Triangle nodded. "So do I. But one at a time, please." He'd pause. "Who's first?" Needle would immediately raise her hand. Triangle nodded, having wanted to answer her questions first. "Yes... Needle." "Uh, yeah." Needle would immediately shout. "*WHAT JUST HAPPENED*?" Triangle would nod again. "Yes, good question, a question which I am *not* allowed to tell you the answer. Not yet, anyway."


Everyone would begin talking yet again, this time yelling about disagreement and chaos. There would also be some questions regarding where Coiny and Pin went. "DO WE HAVE ANY SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT HAPPENED?" Tennis Ball yelled. "Absolutely not, my dear scientifically-inclined fellow." Triangle answered. "This stuff is beyond science. At least, the science you've discovered so far, anyway. "*WHY* did it happen?" Firey asked. "Beyond us as well." Triangle lied. "What about the competition?" Eraser asked. Triangle would be rather surprised that he wasn't concerned about the Devent. "Will it continue?" Eraser continued. Everyone would then begin asking about the competition as well. After all, it was the one thing *everyone* was here for. Triangle would begin to sweat. These people had been dragged in with the promise of a prize, and they would most certainly want it now more than ever, given what they just suffered through. He'd gulp. "...The competition will be suspended..." Everyone would immediately groan in disappointment. They were just about to yell when Triangle immediately continued to calm them. "...In its current form." Triangle nodded as everyone quieted down, confused. "Given the circumstances, the current model for the competition simply cannot continue. I have been instructed by my superiors that we will now be heading to Dream Island."

Everyone would then begin celebrating. They'd actually get to see Dream Island for the first time, and it seemed to be the only good news to have come their way so far. "We will be using the vans to drive to the coast, and then we will... Make boats, and sail to Dream Island." Triangle continued. "Wait, if the competition is suspended, then who wins Dream Island?" Firey asked again. "The winner will be determined by how well the remaining contestants will manage the trip. Who I consider to be the most well-behaved throughout these times of chaos will win Dream Island." Triangle sighed. "That's the plan, anyway. I don't know how i'll manage that, or if its even feasible, given the current conditions... But oh well." The contestants would get back to talking as Triangle figured it out. His mind would immediately go into panic mode, planning how he and the remaining contestants (both eliminated and not) were supposed to go on an exodus to a place that was extremely far-off from the living quarters. He'd eventually finish planning after several minutes, and by then, the contestants were still talking "Uh... Alright." Triangle clapped his hands to get their attention. "Here's the game plan: me and..." He'd pause. "You know what, Blocky. Me and Blocky will be driving the vans." "Wait, why me?" Blocky asked. "You're close enough to me, remember?" He'd ask. "I'm sure you hate everyone enough that you'll end up just focusing on driving." Blocky folded his arms. "...Fair enough."

"The Final 5, and I say Final 5 because Pin is now gone, meaning she is de facto eliminated, will each be supervising two eliminated contestants each throughout the trip." Triangle continued. "How they manage this responsibility will *possibly* reflect on their final placements. Things aren't final yet, but you're all expected to behave." Triangle sighed. "That *does* leave two more currently present eliminated contestants left without supervision... Me and Blocky will handle it, I suppose. One each is better than two each, right?" "Wait, what?" Blocky didn't sign up for any more responsibility. First the van driving, and now this? "Alright!" Triangle continued. "Let's form the teams. Or groups, in this case. Whatever. We'll be going by alphabetical order for remaining contestants, and by order of elimination for eliminated contestants." He'd look around for Bubble. "Bubble!" "Yeah?" She'd ask. "You're in charge of Woody and Pencil. You and Pencil are friends, right?" "Uh... Yeah!" Bubble nodded. "We're in an alloiance!" "Great, then you two will do just fine." Triangle nodded. "Leafy?" "Yeah?" Leafy immediately replied. "You'll be managing Golf Ball and Ice Cube. You're on good terms with both of them, right?" "Uh... Of course!" Leafy nodded. "We're all good friends!" Ice Cube would then give Leafy a rather strange look. "Good." Triangle nodded again.

"Needle, you're with Match and Snowball." Triangle continued. "Oh!" Needle would be rather surprised. "Uh..." She would stare at Snowball, and would awkwardly blush, then look away. "...Alright. Sure." She'd nod. "Uh... Alright." Triangle nodded. "Rocky. You're with Pen and Eraser. May whoever's up there be with you three." Eraser scoffed. "...It could be worse, I suppose." "Oh, *come on*!" Pen yelled. "And Teardrop will be with Tennis Ball and Spongy." Triangle continued. "Not really anything to say about that." Teardrop would look at Spongy angrily. She *had* been killed by him on two separate instances, after all. There was a reason to be upset. "Uh oh..." Spongy would obviously be worried about this. "That leaves two eliminated contestants without supervision, so they'll be sitting in the front with the drivers, or on top of the van in the case of Firey." Triangle continued. "Blocky, since I know your current status with Flower is just... Not good, i'll leave you with Firey." Blocky would sigh in relief, and Flower would obviously be angered, having wanted to get her revenge on Blocky for the head concussion. Triangle sighed, realizing just what responsibility he had willingly agreed to take. "And... I'll manage Flower. You guys should consider yourself lucky." "WHY SHOULD THEY?" Flower would yell. "Because of *that*." Triangle would then point at her. Awkward silence would follow. As their bickering continued, the sun had begun to set below the horizon, and it had almost become night.

"Alright, one final thing before you're all dismissed for the night." Triangle continued. "We need to group ourselves into groups of..." He'd do a quick count, making sure that he indeed had 18 contestants, and 19 in total, including him. "Well, at *least* two groups, one for each van. It'll be a cramped van, and some may have to hang out in the roof..." Triangle sighed. "But too bad. Sacrifices have to be made in these trying times." Everyone would groan yet again. Absolutely no one wanted to be on the roof. "Uh..." Triangle continued. "Since i'm the host, and I was the one responsible for you guys having to suffer through this, I guess i'll suffer with the heavier load." Triangle shrugged. "I'll have three groups in my van: Bubbles, Leafys, and Needles. Blocky only gets two: Rockys and Teardrops." "Wait, can't we talk about this for a moment?" Blocky asked. "I don't think-" "I'm the host, and I make the deals." Triangle stood firm. He was the host, and he was supposed to be the highest authority that made the final verdict. "...Pray I don't alter it any further." Everyone would groan one final time. "Now get to sleep!" Triangle continued. "We have a few long days ahead of us, so it's best to get some good nights sleep! We'll be splitting the houses based on which group you're on, so be sure to remember which one you're in!" Triangle paused. "As for me... I'll sleep in my Base of Operations. I won't sleep with commoners- er, I have to do some important things before we go."

Triangle would immediately rush back out to his Base of Operations, and would quickly lock the door to his trailer, not wanting to talk to anyone else for the night. The single large crowd would end up splitting into two smaller ones, each one being for one of the groups. They'd go into their respective houses (although there'd be a bit of arguing as to which house belongs to which group), and most of them would go to sleep immediately, having spent all their energy for talking throughout the day. While most slept, however, Firey would continue to sit by the pseudo-park, contemplating where his alleged enemy had gone. "Coiny..." Firey sighed. "What are you up to now?"