Many times during her training, Sasha imagined getting payback on all the tailbrains that crossed her path. Beating the Comet Man to a pulp. Wiping that smile off Alexander’s face. And planting her staff firmly over Elisia’s broken frame after she was done with her.
But now here she was. Face to face with the woman responsible for getting her friends imprisoned. But she didn’t have that evil sneer Sasha always imagined she would.
The goddess was sitting before a bed of flowers, what looked to be several of the non-legionnaire portals floating around her. But they were a lot smaller than what had brought them into the Realm of the Gods. Even stranger, people were moving within them. Like scenes on a monitor. Elisia flicking a hand made one portal vanish to be replaced by another with a completely different group.
One of which Sasha recognized. She was watching Madame Dyre and her pirates.
“W-what…are you…”
Sasha struggled to find the words, unsure exactly what to make of the situation. But Elisia seemed to understand, answering her without looking from her many viewing portals.
“A Goddess’s duty,” she said. “Even in the event of cosmic calamities, our job as vanguards does not end. Something you would have been privy to had that weasel done his job.”
That brought her out of confusion, Sasha shooting the goddess a look.
“Then again, I suppose you are as equally to blame, No. 4.”
Her whiskers twitched, Elisia finally looking at her as she rose, the spirit’s frame floating like a droid. The portals around her all vanished one after the other.
“This whole mess is as much your fault as it is theirs.”
She landed in front of them, Gabriella tensing if only slightly. Sasha stepped in front of her, staff at the ready. Her goddess or not, she was ready to put that training to work if she had to. But Elisia didn’t move any closer, instead fixing a frown as she looked at the two of them. One that seemed to deepen as her eyes narrowed on GT.
“And I suppose it is mine as well,” she said. “Should have known that thing was defective.”
That finally set Sasha off, the panther smacking Elisia across the face with her staff. Or at least she would have if an arm didn’t grab her, holding her in place. She whirled on Gabriella, who had both arms wrapped around hers, holding on with all she had. She’d never seen her look so scared before.
It took the fight right out of her. Especially as she began to realize why.
In this realm, Sasha felt like she was at home, every spirit no more unusual than the visions she’d been seeing since she got GT. But Gabriella had been on edge the entire time. To the point that she sometimes caught her looking over her shoulder at something only she seemed able to see. Whether it was there or not.
She didn’t know if it was paranoia or something more. But she did know one thing. In the goddess’s domain, that fear seemed to magnify. As if she thought the area itself would attack. Sasha’s ears fell, letting her fur relax as she looked at the frightened younger girl. Here she was ready to throw down with a goddess while her friend was doing all she could not to panic. She stroked her head, feeling the grip loosen a bit.
“Why…” Sasha let herself calm down enough to speak cordially. “Why did you bring us here? Was it just to make fun of us?”
Elisia seemed to disregard her agitation.
“Tempting, but no,” she said. “I imagined you would continue on your little rampage if left to your own devices. And I’d rather not see more lives cast away.”
“I haven’t killed anyone. On purpose.”
“Yes, but your actions did cause trillions to die. Lest I have to remind you.”
She flicked a hand and several portals appeared around her. Many of which Sasha recognized. As well as the people fighting within.
“Because of your efforts, you gave that spider a perfect foothold for conquest,” she said. “Attacking the AIC. Taking over planets. Make no mistake, what she’s done has been as much on your behalf as it is hers. The price to save her precious child.”
Sasha didn’t respond, though the words did make her agitation grow.
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Watching the scenes play out through the portals, she could see the pirates of the Black Web fighting off hordes of legionnaires. But that wasn’t all Elisia showed her. On a few of the portals, she saw worlds where the White Legion roamed freely. Destroying everything and anything in their path. She couldn’t spot a single survivor.
“Because of your efforts, the cosmos lost its greatest defender,” Elisia went on. “The AIC has been so busy fighting you and that spider it never stood a chance against the bulk of the White Legion. Now look at them. A shell of their former selves. Even their own droids rebelled. Of which they also have you to thank for.”
Sasha couldn’t hide her surprise at that.
“What? There was a rebellion?”
Elisia scoffed. “And you didn’t even realize? How typical.”
She disappeared the other portals, creating a singular one that seemed to point directly to Athena. To a cluster of white powder and mechanical whirls. Sasha blinked at the sight of it, spotting hordes of the white legion being pushed back by mounted blasters and weapon attachments. All of which were equipped to the large army of robots fighting below.
“Fight on. Fight on. Protect the planet.”
Sasha recognized the metallic chime, her eyes growing wide. Training bot! She honed in on the voicebox, spotting her favourite droid in the centre of the fold, blasting holes into anything that came near with its head canon attachment.
“You and that droid lover weasel,” Elisia said. “I hope you’re happy, Panther. This is how all revolutions begin. And you’ve just become a spearhead.”
Almost as soon as she said this, Sasha heard one of the droids cry out into the air.
“Protect Ms. Panther’s universe. End the White Legion threat.”
It was one that echoed across the concession, as if giving the droids power in the fight. She couldn’t believe it. Had she really made that much of an impression? Not just on the droids, but everyone else as well. Madame Dyre. The Black Web. The AIC. Had she really affected all of them this much? All she’d been doing was trying to save her friends the whole time. She’d never wanted to be a spearhead. She’d never wanted all this.
She looked to Gabriella, who was still clinging to her in fear. The human who’d wanted to kill her not too long ago. And now here she was, fighting her own instincts just to stay by her side. Seeing her and the droids below, she found those few doubts she had fizzling away.
She was at fault for all this. She was the one who threw caution to the wind to find her friends. And she was the one who threw the cosmos into chaos to make sure they were all safe. She was the one who had gotten people killed.
“Do you know how important a graduate is for the rest of the cosmos?” Elisia asked.
She pointed to GT.
“That weapon in your hand,” she said. “The power of a star, even if one slightly defective. The fact that you have one means that I entrusted you with the will of a goddess. My will. And how have you exercised that power, exactly? How have you maintained peace on my behalf?”
Sasha wasn’t able to respond, even shrinking a bit at the words. What had she done with GT anyhow? Save a few worlds? Close some portals? Most of her time had been spent chasing after Iris and Cici. And now it was being spent chasing after Mr. Erin and Mr. Xan. Something she chose to do even now while both her friends were trying to save the universe.
Hearing the goddess’s words, she couldn’t help but remember what Iris had told her when they were fighting. Even if she knew deep down she’d do it all over again if her friends were put in more danger, to see the people who’d died for her cause. To see everyone fighting so hard down there. She couldn’t help but recoil further and further, the weight of everything finally sinking in.
She hadn’t been a very good graduate, had she? Even discounting her lack of power.
“T-that’s not fair,” Gabriella tried to defend her. “S-sasha’s saved plenty of people. And thanks to her we…we’ve unified the cosmos. Everyone is under the Black Web. That’s a good thing.”
Elisia shot her a look and the human recoiled.
“Color your hostile takeover if you want, girl,” she hissed. “Those left behind are apt to tell a different tale.”
Gabriella glared back with what little defiance she could muster. But Sasha just put a hand on her.
“No. It’s okay, Gabriella.”
She looked up at her, Sasha forcing herself to meet the girl’s gaze. And the goddesses. And to look at the portals full of dying worlds. People that were getting killed because of her. Because she decided her friend-finding crusade was more important than anything else.
Maybe that did make her a terrible graduate. But as she squeezed Gabriella’s hand, she knew that was the kind of role she had no choice but to accept. Because she had no intentions of changing it now.
“I’d rather be a terrible grad than a terrible friend,” she said. “Even if it makes me the bad guy, I’m not giving up until I see everyone safe again. I won’t. Because I don’t wanna live in a universe without them.”
Elisia's gaze only seemed to turn more agitated at that. To the point that Sasha wondered if she’d be the one to attack first. Gabriella seemed to think so, a trembling hand around her blaster. Sasha continued on anyhow.
“Even if it means going against a goddess’s will,” she said. “I’m bringing them back.”
She held up GT, ready for whatever it was the Goddess would try to throw at them. But Elisia’s only response was to close the portal, her hand flicking to create one much larger.
“Then you’d best be prepared to live by those words. Sasha the Panther.”
As she said that, Sasha found her eyes glued to the world before her eyes. One drenched in hues of purple and surrounded by numerous legionnaires.
Her heart tightened, the panther staring at a familiar patch of red fur lying on the ground. At the blur of white trying to fight back two armed humans at once. Sasha's jaw clenched, hands squeezing against GT. She didn’t know where she was looking or why it was the case, but she did know all too well what she saw.
Iris was fighting alone. And Cici had been struck down.