The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

There are No Happy Endings (Bad Ending's Epilogue)

Salem stood in front of Yin and Vao at the top of Castle Evernight, her skin as deathly pale as the snow, black veins running like rivers that lined the edges of her face. They stood against her again.

She had lost track of how many times they had stood in this same exact spot now. She stopped counting forever ago, back when the number of times she had reset everything was in the triple digits. And soon, they'd meet again when she possessed Ruby in the Second Timeline. And then even later, when Twist was created. She looked at them, and she smiled.

"You guys are here again~!" She cooed.

The First Yin furrowed his brow. "... Again?"

The First Vao shook his head. "Sh-she's always like this," he rasped. "J-just ignore it, Yin!"

Salem giggled, pressing a hand to her chest. "Oh, I can't wait! C'mon, c'mon! Let's fight already!"

Their battle at the end of the First Timeline began, and ended with Salem's limbless torso lying in the ground in a puddle of Blood as the First Yin and First Vao prepared to finish her off, just as they had unknowingly done countless times before. But Salem couldn't feel angry. She could only feel that sweet, addicting happiness bubbling in her chest as she giggled, devolving into laughter.

"H-heheh... S-see you g-guys... L-later..."

Salem, possessing Ruby, stood over the Second Vao's broken body, sprinkling the fire Dust powder on his form, the crippled delinquent struggling to get away, to escape his fate in the warehouse. But he couldn't. She knew he never would.

"Ooh, he should be here soon!" Salem giggled.

Sure enough, the doors opened, the Second Yin and the Second Weiss staring at the scene in horror. The blonde gritted his teeth, his blue eyes burning with the fury she had seen so many times now.

"G... Get away from Vao!"

He drew his katana and began to charge, Salem stepping back and taking aim with Crescent Rose. The Second Weiss gasped, taking notice of the fire Dust. She yanked him back just as Salem fired the bullet, igniting the dust. The Second Vao let out a scream as his body began to explode, Salem escaping in the smoke as half of his body was blown to pieces, the Second Yin's cry breaking the air again.

And finally, Salem found herself standing in front of Shub-Niggurath, with the friends she had betrayed over and over standing behind her, waiting for her response, blind to the endless loop she trapped them in. Shub-Niggurath sighed, closing her eyes.

"... Don't you ever grow bored...?" She asked quietly. "... What am I even saying? Of course you don't."

Yin furrowed his brow. "What does that mean...?"

Salem let out a giggle, staring at the goddess eagerly. "D-do it! Reset everything! Don't stop!"

Shub-Niggurath granted her wish, and just as every time before, it ended with Salem killing the First Vao after he flew into a fit.

Timeline after Timeline, Salem never found them less interesting. Not even the God of Light was aware of anything. She could keep going on adventures forever, with Yin, Vao, Verde, and Sasha.

Even now, as she approached Faralda again, she couldn't help but giggle and laugh. She was about to meet them again in the Third Timeline, and it felt just as exciting as when she first looped the Timelines.

She couldn't wait to see the First Vao again. She couldn't wait to meet the Cult, to see Mono and the fairies. She couldn't wait to see Hekue, to see Pip, she couldn't wait to see them all again. She even wanted to see Jack.

Deranged. Murderous. Psychotic. She had become all the things the First Vao had once claimed her to be. But not even he was aware of just what she had done to them. Not even he knew the horrifying purgatory she had cursed them to live in.  And no one could stop her, either. She had become obsessive, and her obsession only grew stronger with her psychosis.

There are no happy endings.

But for Salem, she wanted no ending at all.