voidtreckerexpress

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Breach!

Day twenty of the month of Domino starts as a perfectly normal day on the Voidtrecker express. Passengers work on chores, or play games, bicker and read. The usual ways of relieving the slight tedium that come with being stuck on a train. Even a train that is hurtling through the void.

It is about mid morning when the whole train tilts, suddenly as if it has been hit. It is enough to knock passengers over if they don’t catch themselves quick enough. For those in the games car there is a loud bang as something hits the window. A small black object is stuck in the window for a moment before it dislodges and disappears as quickly as it appears.

The window doesn’t smash but cracks appear around the impact site. Almost immediately sirens begin going off. "Breach. Breach. Warning. Breach."

Hopefully passengers will remember what they are to do in the event of such an incident. For anyone in the kitchen they will see that the oven, water and other appliances switch off. Doors begin closing around the train, in an attempt to seal carriages.

Those in the games carriage won’t see much of that, they will barely have time to register what has happened before they feel dizzy and sleepy, falling to the ground where they are. This spreads throughout the train, the further away a passenger is from the games car the longer they will have before they succumb but within fifteen minutes everyone on the train will be sleeping. Even including those who usually do not sleep or even those who cannot sleep.

Because this is no ordinary sleep.

For some passengers they will sleep the whole day and night, solidly and dreamlessly. But for others, for most, their sleep is anything but peaceful.

They will dream, strange, wonderful or terrible dreams and walk those dreams with their fellow passengers. Tumbling from one to another with no sense of where one ends and the other begins they will dream the whole day and night, though it will likely feel much longer and perhaps much shorter.

Their dreams may come from themselves, they may come from their fellow passengers and there are a few dreams that all may find themselves dreaming.

Infestation

The train is filled with dralite. They are everywhere, in every carriage. Flying through doors, in your bed. This dream takes the form of a stress dream, every time you think you have emptied a space of dralite there are more.

They aren’t aggressive creatures, just annoying and the ever shifting dream means that every time you remove one from hugging your head another appears. The train shifts and warps, carriages muddling as you move through it trying to contain all of the creatures.

A Distant Light

It is a dark night, though there are stars in the sky. In the distance there is a bonfire lighting up the area. Around it there are figures, they are too far away to make out any features but in the flickering light you can see they wear hoodies in the colours you know well by now.

There is the sound of singing and laughter and you want to approach. But no matter how long you walk the fire is always in the distance, never getting closer. You feel a great longing to be at the fire, but it is out of reach.

Flying

Flying is such a universal dream and so it is not surprising many of your dreams will incorporate this. You fly, over mountain, across rivers and seas, through forests and through the debths of space itself.

But most often you fly through the void, the ever shifting void around you, diving through colours that swirl and dance around you.

Dream well Void warriors!

(OOC: The plotting and information post is here. Characters will wake up on day 21 and there will be an ooc mod post detailing that on the 10th February.)

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A lot of people would probably choose to look into it when given this kind of rare chance. But that's not the kind of person Madoka is. Mostly since she's so sweet and polite - even towards an entity that technically kidnapped them all here the way the train did, Madoka doesn't feel right about just plainly snooping like that.

So this time she puts actual effort in trying to pull her arm out of the threads, and thankfully manages to do so because of it before she's even really seen anything.

Instead she turns to look at the Lone Power again.

"That's.. not true. I mean.. Maybe it's true, but that's not the most important thing people should be doing, I think."

Oh?

The Lone Power snorts, but makes no move to get up from Its throne.

And what would you suggest, Miss Too-Indecisive-To-Save-Her-Friends?

Oh yes, It was willing to go there.

Oh no. That's a little too soon. Not that it would ever not have been too soon, but it feels even more so when it's coming so close after Madoka having such a vivid recollection of Mami's death. She feels her stomach forming knots all over again, her breath hitching. She can't say anything back to that at all, even if she'd try. Because it's just true.

She can't cry though when she's all by herself here, facing down.. whatever this thing is. It reminds her a little too much of the Witches, despite the fact that it can talk. Madoka forces herself real hard to think back on what Tony and Ignis told her - "But that wasn't your fault. You didn't do that to her." "You're not a bad person." - just to try and force back her tears before they form.

"W-What's most important.. it's that people are kind to each other..! That they treat each other as they'd like to be treated themselves..! T-there's nothing more important than that."

Trauma had a way of doing that~

The Lone Power's grin returns, fierce as knives.

And I was thrown out of Time itself for inventing something. How is that kind? And this,

Here It specifically reaches out to touch the train again, not Its own webs. The keening noise is quieter this time.

Was left abandoned for decades, without any explanation? How is that treating someone the way they want to be treated? The logic simply doesn't suit~ No.

And here It scowls abruptly. What is most important is self-determination. If you refuse to take action for yourself, then you only invite yourself and those closest to you to suffer.

That last part definitely moves a little too close to being a very specific callout for her again, so Madoka doesn't really want to touch it, doesn't even want to think about it too much. Not when it's already taking all she got to keep herself together in this situation without freaking out.

Focus on something else, Madoka. Come on. But when she thinks about it, there is something that stands out to her..

".. What do you mean, abandoned..?"

What, you don't want to know about Me?

[It gives an exaggerated scowl, then goes right back to that shark-grin.]

It never got an explanation like I did, poor thing. It doesn't even know what it did wrong! But all those years locked up, without anyone to talk to... it's a miracle it isn't fueled by vengeance and pride like I am!

[It chuckles.]

It's like looking into a funhouse mirror. I lead worlds to their demise, and it tries to go about saving them, trying to fulfill the purpose it was made for.

[It goes back to stroking Its webs.]

And yet, even now, it's afraid. Afraid of failure, afraid of getting caught... of being alone again. Isn't that silly?

Maybe if The Lone Power was a little nicer, Madoka would want to know about It too! But alas, meanies don't get attention here, okay. Especially when It says that being afraid of those things is silly, because Madoka herself definitely is afraid of those things too.

"Y.. You shouldn't be so mean to it."

It's not like Madoka entirely approves of the way the train does things, or whatever specifically controls it. Whoever or whatever it is should ask people for permission before just dragging them in here. But that doesn't mean Madoka will just stand there and see anything being bullied, even if it's the train of all things.

"Being afraid.. that's only normal."

Oh, It knows fully well why It's not getting Madoka's attention.

But as long as she keeps reacting like this, It can live with that!

'The more afraid you are', It says, as if reciting a poem, 'The more your fear controls you.' If it's come all this way and still refuses to speak up for itself, well...

[It lifts Its hands in a grand gesture.]

That just gives us room to speak for it!

"T-That's wrong..!"

Madoka doesn't often stand up for herself. But at least she can sometimes do it for others when a situation truly doesn't sit right with her. It's something she'd expect more to do for her friends than for the train itself, but.. it doesn't matter what It would have been talking about in this situation. Talking like that about anyone, about anything.. that's something Madoka can't deal with just listening to.

She takes a few steps forward now, actually trying to get a bit closer to It. It's hard though, since it's not easy to avoid the strings everywhere..

"If you think that way, you're just a bully! H.. how would you feel if someone was doing that to you?!"

The Lone Power looks briefly impressed by her audacity... but then It goes back to grinning.

What do you think I've been feeling for the past billions of years, little girl? Entropy will live and enact my vengeance for billions of years yet!

It shook Its head. And here we still have one that won't allow itself to take real action - just play-acting at being like its shape-kind, a pitiable thing-

Why does she always get into these situations. Why does she always run into the weird beings that love talking about entropy. Especially when talk about that is something Madoka can only understand at its very basics.

It's why the second part hits so much harder, making her eyes grow watery, although the girl is truly trying her best to not let tears spill right now. No matter how she may be feeling.

"Even if you've been hurt.. or if you've been feeling bad for such a long time.." It's a timespan well beyond Madoka's 14 years - even if you'd count the time that Homura reset again and again and again and again, the time that she herself doesn't even remember - so it's not like she can truly claim to know how that feels, but.. "You still shouldn't act vengefully..! J-Just look at all the people on the train here! There's so many people who have gone through so much, and yet.. And yet everyone still tries to love the world and everything in it!"

'Everyone?' It asks, dryly.

Then, with a bit more menace, It repeats, 'Everyone?'

Really, It sounds almost incredulous at the notion.

Is it still love, I wonder, when it destroys that which you care about? Is it still love, when that which you love never appreciates you, or realizes that you still exist? Is. Love. The Answer?

And that Power is standing, now, staring right down at Madoka - not moving to smite or smack her, not yet.

Not when intimidation might yet be enough... Why waste the energy?

Intimidation sure goes a long way, especially with a shrinking violet like Madoka. She feels smaller just as It stands up and stares down at her like that, not to mention Its tone getting more and more menacing.

But there's one point Madoka can't budge on. One fundamental belief, and this hits right on it. So no matter how scared she might feel in this situation, facing this thing down all by herself, exposed to so much potential danger.. She can't answer this dishonestly.

She doesn't look away when she answers this time.

".. It is. Even if everyone I loved somehow wouldn't realise I exist.. I'd still love everyone. Answering cruelty with cruelty is never the right answer. Both parties will come out of it unhappy in the end. It's-.. It's much better to just believe in love and hope."

Perhaps it's because Madoka's not breaking, perhaps it's because of the familiarity of her argument - 'love is easier' and all.

Perhaps the Lone Power is just through with playing games.

Either way, It reaches into that tangled web around It... and then those threads start coming at Madoka.

To bind her. To silence her. Maybe even to snap her neck.

The train is screaming, but the Lone Power in contrast is horribly silent. Intent. Angry.

What will she do?

Usually Madoka wouldn't be able to do a thing in return. If this was reality, this would have been the moment of her death - an oddly similar death to the ones her friends got.

But this isn't reality. This is a dream. And dreams can be fuelled by love and hope, especially ones as powerful as Madoka's. Right before the threads can touch her as they head towards her, a pink light starts shining. First from Madoka's chest, then radiating outward, enveloping everything around them in its glow. The threads, the Lone Power, the train. Everything is bathed in that bright pink light, coated in its warmth.

Madoka changes too. She looks older and almost ephemeral as she starts floating. Most importantly.. she doesn't seem as scared anymore. Instead she just smiles, and the threads around her start to fade in the face of all that hope.

".. That's enough."

Her voice is calm, and almost seems to naturally echo.

"If you just want to exist here, be acknowledged, then that's fine. But I won't allow you to harm this train or anyone on it any longer."

It really should have seen this coming - Madoka's situation is far too similar to that of certain troublesome wizards - but being bitten in Its own behind for pushing the envelope too hard is also typical for It.

The threads, as well as Its 'patch' into the train, dissolve, and It aims a look at the Puella Magi that would have set souls writhing and stars to nova before their time...

In this case, however, It does nothing.

You have not seen the last of Me, or of My works!

Though as It fades, Madoka can also get the sense that she needs to get out of there. She's not supposed to be here, either.

... Maybe next time, however, the Lone Power may actually have a ticket in Its name.

This form of Madoka seems to just react calmly - or, let's face it, hardly react at all - to what the Lone Power says or what kind of look it shoots her before it disappears. Instead she just hovers there for another moment until she gets that sense that she shouldn't be here.

So she isn't. A moment later she fades in the same pink light, popping out of existence in this particular dream.

~~At this rate a next meeting would indeed be very, very awkward.~~

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Breach!

maybe something like.. mind connection.. but it's gone again now!

Thanks to Madoka being a decent human being!

why did you have to make that subject line so ironic in 1 tag's worth of content

It's my talent~ /Also THEORY TIME

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More CWs feel needed; abusive psychology maybe?

yes! although madoka calls it bullying here, but her point of view is a little more.. simple...

Madoka is small and pure. ;a; And LP is Terrible.

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CW: Violence.

cw references to death

Thread wrap?

that sounds perfect!