Tanya walked up to a mirror and made a silly face that she even bent over and slapped her booty.

"What are you doing?" asked Snake as AJ, Hazed, and Shiko walked past them.

"What? I'm bored." she giggled and shook her ass but could see the annoying look on Snake's face. "Come on, Snake. Lighten up. It's like we're inside a house of mirrors or something."

"Funhouse? Really? This isn't a game?"

Tanya gave her a sad look. "Here I thought you were the fun one, Snake."

Snake rolled her eyes and returned to walking but quickly stopped, noticing something was wrong.
"Damn it!" she shouted, looking around.

Tanya stood up and asked what was wrong but could see Snake upset.

"Look ahead," she pointed with her tail, making Tanya look straight ahead and realize it, too.

"Oh fuck!"

Snake and Tanya were in front of a mirror; somehow, their path became blocked off, and they became separated from the others. Tanya wasted no time taking out her beam sword and cutting the large mirror in two, but on the other side was a giant diamond showing their reflection.

"Well, this isn't good," said Tanya, and Snake sighed at their current situation.

Snake walked up to the diamond and felt it. To her, it felt like any diamond surface. She stopped touching it and turned to Tanya.

"Okay, so now we know this weird maze can change at a drop of a dime. So, we had better stay close to each other, and we need to find the others, or we will all be lost in this endless maze."

"Right, but don't look so groomly, Snake!" Tanya placed her arms behind her back and walked a random path that somehow appeared. "This could be fun!"

Snake rolled her eyes and followed her, not noticing the giant diamond started to show a purple eye within its reflection and pulsate, and the ground began to shake slightly.

As the two continued down the path, Tanya whistled familiar musical notes, and Snake asked her to stop.
"Why?"

"Because it's annoying, and I can't think of any plans on how to find the others, not without the sound of a fucking song," said Snake, who was starting to get irritated by Tanya's whistling.

"What are you saying? That I'm a terrible whistler!? Why you...you, you big meanie!" shouted Tanya, puffing her cheeks.

"Meanie? Really? What are you, a toddler? How old are you, 3?"

"I'm 30, thank you very much, and don't make me kick your sexy butt!"

"What are you gonna-" Snake realized what she said and blinked. "What did you-" but before she could finish, the mirrors behind them started to glow, making them turn toward it and see someone in them. Tanya and Snake backed up into each other as the light engulfed them.

Tanya opened her eyes and found a vast, empty station area.

"Where the hell am I?"

Tayna twirled around but stopped when she heard a giant roar. Suddenly, a massive purple and green camo dino-looking machine appeared. She watched the cockpit open from its mouth, revealing Snake with a different-colored mane.

"SNAKE!" Screamed the Snake lookalike, firing its machine that is mounted on the side of the cockpit, wildly around the area. Tanya took out her weapon and was going to deflect the bullets, but they just passed through her.

"Huh?" she touched her chest, feeling she was solid, but again, she could see the bullets going through her like she was a ghost. "Neato! So what is this? A memory from Snake?" She searched around and saw Snake talking to what looked like a tall Alicorn in a cyborg suit.

"Fox, why!? What do you want from me!?" asked Snake, watching Grey Moon Fox opening her visor, revealing her damaged-looking face.

"I'm a prisoner of Death. Only you can free me," she answered, pointing her energy arm cannon at her.

Snake grunted and looked away. "Fox, stay out of this... What about Nami?" Snake finally faced her old friend. " She's hell-bent on taking revenge for you."

Fox closed her eyes, showing her hurt expression when she heard that. "Nami..."

"You're the only one who can stop her," begged Snake, but Fox told her no. "Why?"

"Because I'm the one who killed her parents." The giant robot started to shoot randomly in a random direction as Tanya walked up to them, listening. "I was young then and couldn't bring myself to kill her, too. I felt so bad that I decided to take her with me. I raised her like she was my blood to soothe my guilty conscience. Even now, she thinks of me as her sister..."

Snake felt sad and pity for her friend, who was learning the truth about what happened to Nami's parents. "Fox..."

"From the outside, we might have seemed like happy sisters. But every time I looked at her, I saw her parents' eyes staring back at me..." She raised her arm cannon to her chest, loading it. "Tell her for me. Tell her that I was the one who did it."

Suddenly, they heard a roar again, and Snake's twin called out that she had found them. Firing the machine guns, the bullets hit a few barrels, causing them to explode. The flames engulfed the background as Fox slightly looked at it.

"We're just about out of time. Here's a final present from Deepthroat." Her visor closed. "I'll stop it from moving!" she jumped away from Snake, who screamed her name.

"FOX!"

Tanya watched Fox do cool flips as she dodged the bullets; Tanya couldn't help but clap and cheer. She kept watching Fox, who kept dodging the gunfire and suddenly dashed toward the robot, taking damage from the bullets as she got closer, causing her visor to be blasted off. Still, she kept going and sliding on the ground and firing at the robot until she stopped and did a backflip, just in time, too, as the robot's front nose slammed into the ground, where Fox would have been.

"Hell yeah!" cheered Tanya, pumping her fists.

But as Fox flew backward, the robot raised its nose, revealing the energy gun under its chin, and fired it, blasting Fox's wing and arm off. She screamed in pain and landing a platform near the wall, dropping on one knee. She was in too much pain to move as the robot started to ram its nose into her, crushing her.

"FUCK!" screamed Tanya, unable to look away as she could hear the sickening sound of flesh and metal being crushed together.

Snake's twin laughed through the robot's speakers: "In the Middle East, we don't hunt foxes; we hunt jackals. Instead of foxhounds, we use royal harriers."

Snake and Tanya could see the blood pouring out of Fox's exoskeleton, which even Snake's twin commented on being so strong. Soon, Snake's twin's attention went to Snake herself.

"Snake, are you just going to sit by and watch her die?"

Fox's arm cannon came to life, as she used the last of her strength and aimed it at the radome that was on the shoulder of the robot, unleashing all the remaining ammo she had.

"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!"

The last remaining ammo destroyed the radome but also freed a katana from it, which fell near Snake. This forces Snake's twin to open the robot's cockpit. She clapped her hooves, very impressed by Grey Moon Fox's actions as she released Fox from being pined and falling to the ground on the platform.

"Impressive. You are indeed worthy of the codename "Fox"! But now you're finished!"

Fox coughed up blood and weakly looked at Snake. "Uuunnggh!! .....Now! Fire the Stinger!"

Snake took out her stinger and pointed it at Liquid, but her sister eyed her, smiling. "Can you really shoot? You'll kill her too!"

With blood coughing out of her, Fox started to speak to Snake. "Now in front of you. I can finally die. After Zanzibar, I was taken from the battle, neither truly alive nor truly dead... an undying shadow in the world of lights. But soon... soon. It will finally...end."

Liquid uses the robot's nose to drag Fox off the platform and let her fall to the ground below. She tries to crush her once more, this time with the robot's foot but Fox's exosuit is truly strong. Fox is now clinging onto herself, her exoskeleton will break in moments, and she knows it. She slowly looks toward Snake.

"Snake, we're not tools of the government or anyone else! Fighting was the only thing... the only thing I was good at, but... At least...I always fought for what I believed in... Snake... farewell."

Liquid applies all the weight she has on top of Fox. Her exoskeleton finally gives out, and she is crushed like a berry. Her blood spills everywhere.

Tanya looked away, saddened that a cool badass like Fox was killed like that, but she could hear Snake screaming Fox's name.

Liquid laughed harder, turning the robot toward her as she scraped the bottom of the robot's foot of Fox's remains. "Foolish mare. She prayed for death... and it found her. You see? You can't protect anyone!! Not even yourself! You are nothing but a failure, dear sister!"

Suddenly, Tanya found herself back in the same area, but now it looked old, run-down, and the same robot resting on the ground. But this time, she could see Snake and two others with her looking at Nami Diamond and a dying unicorn colt.
Snake, an orange mare wearing what seems to be an updated version of the cybersuit that Fox wore and a tiny pink robot were watching as Nami kneeled next to the hurting colt, who was begging for death. The cyber ninja walked up to her, telling her something.

"Nami, Sunny asked me to tell you something." Nami just looked at her, waiting for the message that the young earth filly left for her. "I cooked them right."

Nami slowly turned away from her. "I see." she slowly looked up, tears falling from her eyes. "Good for you, little darling. You finally did it." She retrieves a syringe as the colt reaches out to her, but she stands up and steps away, facing Otacon. "No. I can't save you. You have to trust me, Dr. Emmerich. Give this to him. Not for revenge, but to end his suffering."

Otacon's tiny robot retrieves the syringe from Nami and examines it. The colt suddenly grabs it and injects it into his neck. Nami places her arms underneath the colt as his body begins to spasm until he dies in her arms. "Forgive me," she says, crying while the Ninja and Snake look away, while Otacon removes her glasses.

"This doesn't change anything. Why?" says Otacon, turning her head to the screen.

Nami carefully and slowly set the dead colt on the ground. " We can't... Erase the past. Nor... Can we forgive it. And so the only thing we can do... Is end it." she took the syringe, standing up and looking at Snake. "Snake... Liquid's down below us. She's stolen the Harmonys' System...Slipped out of their sight, and taken their ark."

Snake faced her, confused. "Ark?"

"A warship... Unfettered by land... Law... Country... Or network." Nami is slowly walking toward Snake. "The only place where they are truly released from the shackles of the Harmony...The place where they can be free." She stopped, both face to face with each other. "Outer Element."

"Outer Element...?"

"Liquid plans to launch the nuke from that ship. Snake... You have been given life so that you may fulfill your purpose. When all of this is over, you'll have no choice but to accept death." Snake's expression became serious. "We are given life only so that we can atone for our sins. Your life was created for that very purpose. We all must atone for our own sins. We must not pass them on to the next generation. We must not leave them for the future. That is your true fate..." Suddenly, the room started to shake as sounds of something landing near the base could be heard. "One that even you cannot defy."

Everyone started to look around, hoping it wouldn't land on top of the warehouse of Metal Gear Spike. As this was happening, Nami saw her chance, quickly walking away from the group and looking at the syringe. Tanya placed her head in front of Nami's face, wondering what she was going to do with the needle.

"Nami?"

Nami held it tight and injected herself with the same liquid that killed the colt, she began to lose her balance; something inside her body reacted to the injection. Nami could only make sounds of pain, alerting the others to her.

"What have you done?" asked Snake, seeing the syringe in Nami's hoof.

Nami seemed to recover, standing straight with no hints of pain or discomfort on her face. "Blue Blood Vamp and I... We are the same. We're living corpses... Our bodies are kept barely alive by nanomachines."

"Then you..." asked Snake, in a quiet tone.

"Cancer."

The little robot reacted in shock, as on its screen, Otacon couldn't believe it.

"I shouldn't even be alive right now. The nanomachines have kept it from progressing... But there's nothing more they can do. With the nanomachines gone... Time will unfreeze and begin to flow again." explained Nami, walking away from the group, standing in the very same spot where her sister died all those years ago.

Otacon made the little robot move near Nami's leg, looking up at her. "What are you saying?"

Nami looked down at her, smiling. "Goodbye...Hala." Otacon started to panic as she realized what she was going to do.

"STOP! DON'T!" screamed Otacon, making the robot rush toward the syringe, but she wasn't fast enough, as Nami stabbed herself with it once more, this time, using all of the fluids inside of it. With a jolt of pain, she dropped the needle and fell to her knees, while hearing Otacon's soft crying. Snake and her friend could only watch from afar as they couldn't do anything to stop this.

Nami slowly looked at them, jolting with pain and finally looking back at Otacon. She reached out and held the screen, smiling at her. "Give my best to Sunny."

Otacon got closer to the screen, putting her hoof on it. "Nami, why? Why did you do it?"

Nami looked confused, seeing Otacon crying over her, that she had to comment on it. "Are you crying...? For me?" she dropped to the ground, screaming as the pain started to become too great.

"Nami!" shouted Otacon, making the robot approach her.

Nami smiled again, looking at Otacon. "You have such beautiful eyes, darling." She hugged the robot, stroking the screen like she was touching Otacon herself.

Suddenly, explosions appeared on the walls, as giant Alicorn robots entered the room, roaring as their eyes lit up. Snake and the Ninja backed up into each other, as they could see more entering from the roof and landing far from them.
With her remaining strength, Nami tossed Otacon's robot toward them, screaming at her friends and love.

"Now go!"

The robot landed near Snake's hooves, wagging around like it was sad as well. Snake tried to grab it but it shocked her with its tail wire.

"Sugar cubes, we need to go. NOW!" shocked the Ninja, readying her sword, as the Alicorns slowly walked toward them.

Otacon faced Snake, still crying her eyes out. "Why does it always end this way?"

Tanya could see that Snake was trying to hide her emotions as Otacon said that to her, and then, Snake grabbed the robot, telling Otacon to pull herself together as the Alicorns were almost upon them.

"Just when I thought I was ready to fall in love again." cried Otacon, as Snake carried the robot toward Metal Gear Spike, while the ninja was behind them. They got into the cockpit and Otacon recovered from his breakdown. Hacking into Spike, she was able to start the giant robot.

But as it slowly rose, Tanya could see the hidden pain in Snake's eye as she looked at Nami, who was watching them escape. The memory started to fade away by a bright light but Tanya could hear a voice.

"You see? You can't protect and save anyone! Not even yourself! You are nothing but a failure, dear sister! You bring nothing but pain to those that you care so much about. Even to a friend you have known for a long time. And the worst part is... you know it's true."

The light faded away, and Tanya found herself back in the maze. She looked at the mirror in front of her, seeing her reflection but she wasn't looking at her reflection but Snake's reflection.

"Damn, Snake. You have been carrying all that around with you?" she whispered, not knowing what to do with this new information. She looked behind and was surprised not to see Snake there. "Shit, where is she!?"

Suddenly, the mirror that is in front of her, blasted apart as something broke it, glaring at Tanya down with its eyes. Tanya sighed, taking out her beam sword and pointing it at the diamond-looking monster. "Fuck you! I don't have time for this! A friend needs my help, so how about you peace out?"

The diamond monster roared at her so loudly and close, that when the creature finished its roar, and Tanya's hair was blown back.

She gave it a smile and a small chuckle, getting ready for the fight.
"Alright, mother fucker, let's do this!"

"So, are you dating her?" asked AJ, nudging Haze's side as they walked behind Shiko, who was just looking at the mirrors.

Haze was getting sick of AJ asking the same question, so she decided to tell her the truth, hoping that it would finally shut her up. "Yes, I am, we're together."

AJ gasped and smiled, jumping up and down like a schoolgirl, which wasn't the reaction Haze expected. Even though she looks like a tough-looking soldier, AJ has her girly side.

"Why are you blushing?" blinked AJ, noticing Haze just looking at her.

Haze looked away, coughing and trying to dodge the question. Shiko stopped in front of the mirror, seeing her reflection in it. She heard the other two fighting again, making her turn to them and become shocked,

"Hmmm, girls. Where's Snake and Tanya?"

"What?" said the two in unison, looking back and just like she said, Snake and Tanya were both gone.

They shouted their names and searched around but before Shiko could join the two, the mirror flashed a bit, making her stare at it. What she saw, confused her greatly. The reflection wasn't her own, but someone else. It was an older pretty woman, but her skin was white, and wearing a tattered suit. She backed away, feeling scared and fear grew as the mirror's surface became like water, reaching out to grab her.

"MOM!" screamed Shiko, falling to the ground.

AJ and Haze turned around, seeing Shiko being grabbed by the mirror and slowly being pulled in.

"NO!" shouted the two, rushing toward her.

Shiko was struggling, trying to break free, but she wasn't as strong as the others. AJ reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her, while Haze grabbed the other, but the mirror wasn't happy, as it extended out its liquid, and grabbed AJ's arm, pulling her in as well.

"Fuck off!" shouted AJ, taking out her shotgun and blasting the mirror. The shells hit it but to everyone's shock, the mirror just absorbed it and started to glow, becoming stronger.

AJ was panicking now, as Shiko was almost completely in the mirror. She tried her best to hold on to Shiko for dear life, while Haze let go and tried to use her magic but she heard something landing behind. She turned and could a diamond monster glaring at her and finally roaring.

"Shit." Haze pointed her hand at the monster and used an earth spell to create rock spikes from under the monster, stabbing it, but the monster didn't react or scream in pain, making her worry.

Shiko could feel the liquid pulling her in and AJ couldn't hold on much longer and lost her grip on her. AJ could only watch as Shiko disappeared into the mirror.

"SHIKO!" screamed AJ, trying to run toward the mirror, but the mirror surface changed and what she saw wasn't her own reflection but Shiko. "Shiko?"

The mirror grabbed AJ, pulling her into itself and vanishing, leaving Haze alone, as she was fighting the monster and didn't notice the other two were gone.

Sounds of water could be heard, as it splashed against rocks and the smell of salt water was strong.
Shiko opened her eyes but quickly closed them as a bright flash of light passed over her. She rosed up and opened her eyes again, but she could hear an old woman talking in her head.

"I know why you've come, False Shepherd. I see every sin that blackens your soul. Wounded Knee. The Pinkertons. The drinking and the gambling. " Shiko felt like her head was pounding. "And now, to repay a debt, you've come for my lamb. But not all debts can be repaid, Brooker." She fell to her knees, seeing visions of the same woman she saw before, fighting her way through a floating city in the sky, saving a young girl, and escaping said city.

"These visions, what are these visions!? Stop! Who are you?"

But the voice continued to speak. "What brought you to Columbia, Brooker? 'Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt'? This will end in blood, Raina. But then again, it always does with you, doesn't it? It always ends in blood."

Flashes of red filled Shiko's mind, as she could see bodies falling to the ground, covered in bullet wounds, snapped necks, burning or being eaten alive by black crows. The floating city streets of Columbia are filled with blood as the older woman that Shiko saw, stood there. Placing her gun on her shoulder.

"She will abandon you, my sweet Annabeth. Once she has what she needs, she will leave you alone. What else could you expect from a liar and a killer of women?"

Shiko could see a vision, of an old woman holding a baby as she walked into a portal gateway, but the sounds of a woman could be heard, racing down the alleyway.

"GIVE HER BACK!"

"Brooker!" cursed the old woman, turning to a pair of twins near a device. "Shut it down!"

The woman finally arrived and grabbed onto the baby, wrestling with the old woman, who stepped onto the other side.

"Give her back to me! I change my mind!"

"You had your chance, Brooker."

The twins turned a switch, closing the gateway and Shiko could see the portal slowly closing between the two women.

"Please, I can't lose her! Don't do this! She's my daughter!" cried Brooker, still struggling to get her child back, but the woman didn't want to let go.

One of the twins told the old woman, that she needed to hurry and get the child on their side of the gateway, as the portal was almost closing. The two kept fighting for the child. But before Shiko could see the fight's outcome, a light passed over her, blinding her.

"One of many outcomes in an ocean of possibilities."

Shiko could feel water hitting her face, making her open her eyes, seeing a lighthouse in front, and standing there, was the young girl she saw in her visions.

"In many, she ends up dying before reaching the lighthouse, in others, she's male but having a different name. One of those names is Booker DeWitt. In another, she's more pony-looking, but her name is still Raina Brooker." explained the young girl, as her voice echoed, like she was all around her.

Shiko looked around, seeing an endless sea, with an endless lighthouse with different versions of Raina and the young girl walking to each lighthouse.

"Her debt must be repaid, no matter the outcome. That is why you are here." said the young girl, standing behind Shiko.

"Who are you? What are these visions, I keep seeing?" asked Shiko, turning around and saw no one.

"My name is Annabeth, or Sweetie Bell, or even Elizabeth. I have many names, depending on the outcome. I have the power to open tears to another outcome." she appeared beside Shiko, looking up at the night sky, seeing prism glitching effects.

"But something happened, something has erased the outcomes of everything, and now I don't know what's coming." she placed her hand on Shiko's shoulder, smiling at her. "But I saw you before the outcomes vanished, standing by Brooker's side. Help her, Shiko. Help her find her daughter and make her repay the debt that she owes."

"But what about my friends? They need me too. We need to save those kids at the top of the tree."

Annabeth nodded. "They will be okay, for now, but Brooker needs you. Help her, and you'll save those kids, but you must help her first." she raised her hand, opening a tear back to the maze. "Go, she's waiting."

Shiko walks to the tear, seeing Brooker fighting a diamond monster and killing it. She turned back in time, to see Annabeth pushing her through it. Annabeth smiled again but with sadness behind it, seeing Shiko falling in front of Brooker, who helped her up. Seeing Brooker being so kind, Annabeth wanted to reach out to her. The tear closed, making her turn away from it.

Snake stood up, holding her head. "What the hell just happened, Tanya?" she asked but she heard no reply from her, making her open her eyes and find herself in a desert highway road, leading to a castle in the far distance. "Isn't this where Tanya showed me before?" She looked around, hoping to find Tanya nearby but sadly, she couldn't see her.

She heard the sound of a dragon roar, making her look up, seeing an energy beam dragon passing by her above, shaking the land as it soared across. Snake followed the dragon's long body to find its source was coming from a man dressed in a black suit and wearing a knight's helmet. The dragon came from a beam hilt, like the one that Tanya has.

"Who is he?" questioned Snake, seeing the man holding his sword above his head and talking to someone but only to get punched in the groin from behind. Blood spilled out and the fist pulled out, making the man fall to the ground, dead. "What the hell!?"

Snake quickly drew her gun but stopped, as she heard Tanya's sad voice.

"In my deepest memories... I hear someone... calling..."

The area changed to a kitchen inside a house, with a buzzing sound of the lights, flickering as Snake could see the dead bodies from before.

"I remember... It was a hot summer day. Someone was standing behind my father and mother. That person killed my parents. The face... I can't make it out. Who are you?"

Snake suddenly felt her head blasting with the worst headache ever. Like her brain was going to explode. She held her head, trying not to scream from the pain. She could see someone, forming in the darkness, as the lights went out and Tanya and a male voice were talking.

"Remember."

"Who are you?" asked Tanya, with pain behind her voice.

"Try harder!"

"I think I can see it... Almost..."

"Do you recognize the face?"

Snake could hear Tanya breathing her with panic, rage, and fear.

"Yes... Yes, I remember now."

"Good, very good, Tanya."

The figure in front of Snake, became almost clear, as a young woman wearing nothing but her underwear and covered in blood, appeared as the lights flicker.

Soon, Snake found herself back on the desert road, and standing before her was the woman wearing a white fighter outfit. She was glaring at her with a crazed look in her eyes.

"You're still as gullible as ever, Tanya. Think. Why would he be your father?"

Snake watched as Tanya walked past her with her hands in her pockets.
"I guess you're right. I don't have a father, at least not anymore. You killed him, didn't you? Jenny."

Jenny brushed her hair back, leaving part of the blood in her hair, which she didn't seem to care about.
"Yes. And that's why you became an assassin to kill me."

Suddenly, Snake found herself back in that bar once more, but she could hear Tanya crying her eyes out to Silvio, who was drinking the drink that Tanya had given him.

"I lost everything that I ever cared about. My father, my Mother! DEAD!" Tanya took her glass and drank it in one go and collapsed on the table. "That bitch took everything. My only family! Dead..."

Silvio just twirling the glass in his fingers, listening to her. He seemed very interested in Tanya's sob story, but at the same time, he didn't care at all. He placed the glass on the table, not once looking at her.

"I can help you to get even."

Suddenly, Snake found herself in a glitching place, seeing Tanya's dead parents, Jenny, and her friend's headless and bullet-ridden body. Jenny's voice could be heard.

"Now you see what I've been through?"

Snake could see the shadow outline of Tanya, who lowered her head as she spoke.

"Maybe it had to be done... But vengeance begets vengeance."

Soon, everything started to fade away from a bright light, while Jenny and Tanya were still talking to each other.

"We're both in the same business, after all. And I've had enough."

"Time for you to rest, Jenny."

"Good night, Tanya."

"I hope your next dream is a more pleasant one."

Snake could hear a laser beam sword slicing what sounded like human flesh and Tanya's worried voice as the light engulfed Snake too.

"I want to bail, but where the hell's the exit? There's no way out, is there? No, getting out..."

The bright light faded away and Snake found herself back in the maze of mirrors, but she quickly heard fighting behind her. She turned and could see Haze fighting a giant diamond monster.

"Kid, I'm here!" she shouted, taking out a grenade, pulling the pin, and tossing the grenade.

The diamond monster didn't know what it was, so it caught the grenade in its mouth. Haze leaped away in time as the grenade went off, inside the creature's mouth.

Haze fell onto her knees, seeing a few pieces of the creature falling onto the floor.

"I don't think it's dead yet," warned Snake, taking out her rifle, ready to shoot the creature again.

Haze looked back to the dead body and just like Snake said, the creature started to move again. Its body shook and started to piece itself back together, forming a different body shape. It had more of a female human body now.

It raised its arms and its hands created sharp diamond claws.

"It's never easy, huh?" grunted Haze, readying her sword, while Snake aimed with her rifle.

AJ was in a void of nothingness, as memories on glitching screens were all around her, and a crying Shiko, was sitting in a chair and her head on her knees. AJ could see it all, all the suffering that Shiko went through in her life. All the pain, all the torture, all the abuse that made AJ filled with so much sadness and anger.

"All of these things have happened to her, and yet she's still the nicest girl ever." AJ sat down in front of Shiko, resting her hand on her knee. "All that hardship you went through, you never stop moving forward. You never lose hope that someday you will be happy. You just needed a push in the right direction." AJ smiled and rubbed her hand on Shiko's hair. "You are the bravest girl that I ever met and I'll make sure that you'll live happily ever after."

Shiko moved her head, seeing AJ sitting before her, smiling. Shiko lowered her head back down, revealing an older man behind her, his glasses reflecting a bright light as he sat at a table and had his hands together over his mouth.

"People live on by forgetting their memories. But some memories can never be forgotten.” said the man, pushing his glasses up. "Shows how weak your heart is. You can't even bear the burden of those painful memories, and they end up becoming a curse. You're such a pitiful, little girl. Do you think you'll ever be hap-" He couldn't finish as a shotgun blast blasted his head off.

AJ pumped her shotgun, her eyes filled with nothing but rage.
"Don't you ever talk to her like that, or I will kill you again and again and again! Do I make myself clear, asshole!?"

The world started to fade away, making AJ look back at Shiko. She placed her hand on the pink-haired head, stroking it.
"Good women mean well. We don't always end up doing well..."

With those last words, AJ was engulfed by the light.

And AJ found herself back in the maze of mirrors and before her, was Tanya, who was done slicing a diamond monster into two.

"Ha! Not so tough!" bragged Tanya, poking the dead body with her feet.

"Tanya?"

Tanya turned to see a confused AJ, but before either could say anything, the dead body raised, shocking the two. They watched as the creature reformed and became the same form as the other creature.

"Ah, still have some fight in ya, huh?" Tanya readied her beam sword, while AJ aimed her shotgun. "ITS GAME TIME!"

Shiko looked up, seeing a hand reach out to her, to help her stand. She took the hand, got up from the ground, and looked back to see the tear was just gone.

"What was that?" asked Shiko herself, trying to understand what had happened to her.

"What was what?" asked the older woman, looking at Shiko with a raised eyebrow.

Shiko looked at the woman, remembering her name.

"You are Raina Brooker, right?"

Raina nodded. "That's my name, but how do you know that?"

Shiko explained what happened to her, making Raina rub her chin, and think about what she heard.
"So you met Annabeth then? But the mirror..." She walked over and placed her hand on it, feeling like any other mirror, just a plain one. "It brought you to her?" She looked back at Shiko. "What is this place? Where are we?"

Shiko explained everything she knew, making Raina laugh a bit as she leaned against the mirror.
"I see, I'm on another mission to save a group of kids, huh?" She removed her glove, looking at the branded two letters on her forehand. "Maybe, I joined in this mission, because I wanted..." she put the glove back on and saw Shiko looking at her but all worried. "I'll explain later. But you are right, we need to find the others, and save the kids. Come on, let's go."

Raina walked off, making Shiko quickly follow her. She was close behind her, as they walked along the many halls, which were lined with many mirrors and no end in sight. Shiko knew a bit about Raina, as she saw those visions of her and Annabeth but there was one vision she remembered seeing, the one with Raina fighting with some older woman for a baby. From what she gathered, she gave the child up but wanted her child back. She remembered what Annabeth told her, to help save her daughter and repay her debt but what did she mean save and what debt? Was the child here as well? She needed to ask her something, like how the others asked her.

"Hey, Raina?"

Raina stopped and looked back at her, making her jump a bit, because her face looked really serious.
"D-Do you remember anything before finding yourself here?"

Raina's serious face became a frown, as she lowered her head and closed her eyes, trying to remember something.
"I'm sorry, I don't," replied Raina.

"Then... What do you remember?"

Raina crossed her arms, remembering her adventure.

"As I said, I was tasked with saving Annabeth from this floating city in the sky, and after a long journey, we finally met her mother, Cornstock, and I..." She eyed Shiko, not sure if she should tell her how she killed Cornstock by drowning her.

"You killed her?" simply asked Shiko.

Raina was taken aback, surprised that Shiko said that.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, you have that kind of vibe from you. It's hard to explain, but I could sense a lot of guilt and anger within you."

Raina lowered her head, feeling the shame in her heart.

"I have done a lot of things, that a lot of people would say was not right, and sometimes, I do regret those actions, and it's hard to forgive myself, but..." She looked at Shiko, smiling. "But I'll be happy to live with it all if it means that Annabeth can be happy."

"Annabeth?" questioned Shiko, as Raina's smile dropped and she lowered her head once more.

"She's Cornstock's daughter, who was imprisoned in a tower in the middle of that fucking floating city. I was tasked to save her, to wipe away my debt..."

Shiko could see that Raina looked like she was in pain, as she held her head. "What debt?"

Raina tried to remember what was her debt, and to the point, her nose started to bleed. "My debt...? It was..." She fell backward, her nosebleed becoming worse.

"RAINA!" screamed Shiko, running to her side and holding her in her arms.

"Annabeth, where is she!?" cried Raina, struggling to get up, and making Shiko hold her tighter. "I need to wipe away my gambling debt!"

Shiko could see the despairing smile on Raina's face. She couldn't take this anymore, seeing the suffering before her.

"Raina, listen to me. Everything is alright. You don't need to worry about debts or anything. Just relax and focus on my voice, ok."

Raina's head became lighter, her body relaxed, and her breathing calmed down.
"That's it. Just keep listening to my voice." Shiko held Raina tightly, placing her head on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

Raina felt Shikos's skin-tight suit on her forehead, as she closed her eyes, letting the calmness overtake her.

"Thanks..." whispered Raina, slowly getting off of her.

Raina held her head once more, remembering something.

"After killing that bitch, we escaped from the airship and into a timeline, until we ended up in somewhere...I can't remember that but I do remember meeting someone there..." She let go and put her hand on Shiko's head. "Someone asking for help, which I guess that's why I'm here, right?" She smiled and petted Shiko.

Shiko smiled back, nodding. But she knew something wasn't right, like Raina was hiding something but why? She didn't want to push her, because it would only hurt her going off by that nosebleed.

"I think you're right," she simply said, not wanting to say anything else.

"Well, shall we get going?" But Suddenly, Raina saw 'her' in the mirror, it was Cornstock.

"You come to wipe your slate clean, False Shepherd -- but time will walk backwards before you find redemption. Some sins can't be forgiven." She smiled at her as she stood proud. "Was it worth it? Huh? Did you get what you wanted? Tell me! Tell me!"

Raina glared at the mirror, wanting to shot at it.

Before Shiko could say anything, the mirror behind them, scattered as Haze went flying and crashing into another mirror, revealing Tanya and AJ fighting the diamond monster. Snake followed Haze as she fired her rifle at the same diamond creature they were fighting as well.

"Two of them now!?" shouted Raina, aiming her gun at the creature that was exiting out of the broken wall of glass.

Shiko hid behind her and asked what she meant by that. "Did you fight these creatures?"

"Yeah, when I first woke up, I was attacked by a diamond-looking monster and I thought I killed it but then it turned into that." She fired the gun, hitting the creature and saving Snake from being cut down when she was reloading.

Snake noticed this new guest and Shiko while hearing Tanya and AJ fighting the other creature in the next room. She turned back to Shiko and Raina. "Hey, you just said that you fought these monsters, did you happen to kill it!?"

"Yeah, you need to aim at the chest, with the glowing diamond shard! Like this!" Raina raised her hand and it quickly turned black, growing black feathers and her fingers becoming bird claws. Everyone watched as she unleashed a swarm of crows from her hands.

The crows swarmed the monster, attacking its chest with their sharp claws and beaks. The creature screeched and tried to fight off the swarm of birds but it could only step backward, still screeching in pain as its chest started to break from all the stabbing and clawing.

Snake raised her rifle and took a deep breath. She pulled the trigger, firing the bullet that pierced through the chest, breaking the diamond shard.

"There!" she shouted, seeing the creature's body cracking and falling apart. She turned back, to see Tanya looking and then smiling as she knew what to do.

"IT'S PARTY TIME, BITCHES!"

Tanya dashed toward the diamond creature they were fighting, while AJ gave her an opening, as AJ could see the creature was trying to cover its weak spot with its arms.

"No, you don't!"

AJ raised her hand and fired off a light blue glow from a device on her wrist, slowing the creature down to a snail's pace.
"DO IT!"

Tanya nodded and continued forward, with one quick slash, she was behind the creature and putting her beam sword away. When she put it back on her belt, the creature's shard sliced in two, along with the rest of the body, killing it.

"Hell yeah!" cheered Tanya, jumping up and down.

"Hate to ruin your fun but we're not done yet," warned Raina, looking back to the broken mirror, and seeing glowing eyes.

Tanya and the rest looked back, seeing more of the same creatures and glaring at them with their soulless eyes. The group hurried to one another and was ready for a long fight but before that fight could happen, they and the creatures could hear a scream coming from above them.

"FRIENDS!"

Snake and the group could see the shadow creature and were rushing their way. It scattered through an unseen force field and continued.

"Damn thing is still alive! Spark couldn't kill it?"

Raina looked at the approaching monster and turned to Snake. "What the hell is that!?"

Haze fully recovered after healing her wounds and turned to her. "Trouble but something is different with it, no?"

Snake looked back at it, seeing that Haze was correct. It somehow changed a bit and when it landed, it was even more telling.

"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS!?" screamed the monster, making it eye the group but quickly felt its back being stabbed by the diamond creatures, forcing it to fight them off, while giving Snake and others to escape.

"MOVE! They're fighting each other, giving us time to leave!"

The others didn't need to hear that twice, as they hurriedly ran through the hall, and tried to find a way out, which didn't take long, as a rainbow beam destroyed the mirrors in front of them, leading an open path to the spiral stairway. The group looked up and saw Spark floating in the sky, pointing to the tower and yelling at them,

"HURRY! GO! I'LL KEEP HER BUS-" but suddenly, she was grabbed by two large black dead tree branches, squeezing the life out of her.

The others looked and saw Fayth, floating down to Spark with a grin on her face.

"Spark!?" yelled the few who knew her, while others were quiet.

"GO!" Spark screamed, trying her best to escape from Fayth's hold, but it was no use, as she was quickly brought to her level.

"Well, looks like you're having trouble there, Spark," spoke Fayth, her voice full of joy, and a hint of evil. "Maybe you need to sit this one..." with all her strength, she tossed Spark up in the sky with great force, and Spark crashed through the ceiling, leaving a hole behind. "OUT!"

Snake grunted, seeing Fayth looking at them, and started to fly toward them with a sea of black hands behind her. She turned to the others and ordered them to run to the stairway. The group listened and hurried to the stairway, but behind them was Fayth, Fayth's endless black hands, and now the shadow creature, which killed all the diamond monsters.

"Damn, we're not gonna make it!" shouted Haze, turning back to fire off a magic spell at the incoming threats.

The group was almost at the entrance of the stairway but Fayth and the shadow creature were almost upon them, just then, Spark landed between them. She darted toward Fayth but like before, she tripped over nothing and rolled toward Fayth.

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" screamed Fayth, seeing Spark rolling toward her, and like last time, she was run over and trapped between Spark's chest. The rolling rainbow soon reached the shadow creature, who was also caught in the rolling.

The group reached the entrance and turned back, hearing the screams from all three while they could hear a loud crashing noise at the start of the maze. They didn't see what happened but they believed Spark tackled them away. They ran up the stairway until they reached the next floor.

"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.

They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.

"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.

AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"

Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.

"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."

The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving. As they passed through, there was a weird glitch effect.

"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.

They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.

"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.

AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"

Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.

"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."

The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving. As they passed through, there was a weird glitch effect.

"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.
They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.

"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.

AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"

Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.

"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."

The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving.

"Huh?" said Haze, noticing something was off.

As they passed through, there was a weird glitch effect.

"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.

They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.

"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.

AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"

Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.

"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."

The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving.

Haze stopped, knowing something wasn't right.

"You got that same feeling too, huh?" asked Tanya, taking off her pink shades.

Haze nodded. "I feel like we're..."

"Repeating the same thing?" said Raina, joining the two, while AJ and Shiko kept walking.

Somehow, within the tunnel, walked a young teenage girl. She sighed as she looked behind and within seconds, her head went flying as something cut her from behind. Her decapitated head flew in the air, landing right in the center of the spiral stairway entrance, and behind Snake.

glitched effect happened.

The girl woke up in the tunnel and sighed again.

"Damn it, no matter how many times I fucking die, I can't get a good look at what's killing me..."

She looked ahead, seeing the same thing and she sighed again, walking down the tunnel and repeating the same death but in a different way.

End of Chapter 8

Author's Note

got it done. Won't lie, I feel it could be better but what's going in my life, it has to do lol
Oops, forgot an image. Added it.