Chapter Text
Columbina stared. Columbina simply smiled back. “What?” she asked. “Who are you?” “My name is Columbina,” she repeated. “But… I am Columbina,” Columbina said, pressing a hand to her chest. “Really? What a coincidence!” Columbina replied, her smile widening. “My name is Columbina, although most people call me ‘the Damselette’.” “I… was once called that too, but now it’s just Columbina. Columbina Hyposelenia.” “That’s interesting! It’s very nice to meet you, Columbina Hyposelenia,” Columbina said, extending an arm. “Um… likewise,” Columbina hesitated, but ultimately extended hers as well.
Was this some kind of trick? In the past, she would’ve thought her to be a reflection of herself in the moon’s reflection, but now… just who was she? Closing her eyes, she tried to sense the kuuvahki flow here. In one moment, they converged onto every surface, perfectly outlining the objects and beings present; in the next, they floated away, like a bubble being popped. It still wasn’t the same, but the flow felt more familiar this time. Furthermore, it didn’t seem like this person was some kind of shapeshifter or hiding some sort of secret identity. It seemed that she was genuinely… “Columbina”.
Just who was this person? No, there was no use asking that again; she would just give the same response. “Why are you here?” Columbina asked instead. “I don’t know,” the Damselette replied. “I don’t think anyone ever intended for me to be here. But I like the quiet.” “But how did you come here? Where did you come from?” “I’m from Teyvat, of course!” she exclaimed. “And back in Teyvat, I used to participate in a lot of experiments, but one day, one of them went wrong. It’s strange that happened; the Doctor’s usually very meticulous. Still, that energy surge occurred, and sent me to this place.”
An energy surge? Now that Columbina thought about it, the moon gate also required a lot of energy to open. If that was all it took to send one in here… Wait! Did she just say the Doctor? “The Doctor’s involved in this? Does he know about this place all along?” Columbina asked. “I don’t think so,” the Damselette replied. “My Doctor never intended for me to be here, so I doubt yours did either.” “Huh… wait, ‘your’ Doctor?” Columbina raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” “We’re from different timelines, are we not?” the Damselette asked back, tilting her head. “So naturally my Doctor is different from yours.” “Different timelines?” “Yes. Like how two diverging roads lead to different places, two diverging worlds lead to different fates. Timelines are the journeys these worlds take to their fates.”
“If we’re from different timelines, then this place...” Columbina began. “That’s right. This is not the moon’s reflection, but an aggregate of all spaces from all timelines known as ‘the Backrooms’,” the Damselette said. “This space is particularly special, because it very rarely connects to the other ones, although I can still observe them. That’s probably why many people believe it to be the true exit to the Backrooms.” “Well, considering you’re still here, that’s not true, is it?” “No, I just never tested that theory.” “Why not?” The Damselette simply pointed upwards, and as Columbina’s gaze followed it, she couldn’t help but gasp.
Floating in the air were hundreds of red, yellow and blue spheres, all gently pulsating and emitting kuuvahki. “These are… the essences of the Three Moon Goddesses!” “That’s right,” the Damselette smiled. “Your eyes truly are observant.” “There’s so many of them too… how is that possible?” “That’s the beauty of having so many timelines. Up in the night sky, numerous stars shine from afar, but down here, the moons outnumber the stars.” “I see… if Rerir and Tholindis ended up here as well, I guess it makes sense that the Moon Goddesses would be here too. Not only that, the differences between each iteration of them led to kuuvahki functioning differently in every space,” Columbina mused. “But wait, if Rerir and Tholindis could survive for so many years, then why are the Moon Goddesses reduced to their essences?” “Because I killed them.”
Columbina froze. “What?” “As I wandered through the Backrooms, I encountered many Moon Goddesses, and while in this staircase, many more came to me. Every time, I asked for their power, and in the end, I got it. With that power, I can perform experiments on the lifeforms that already exist here.” “Experiments…” The image of a tall black humanoid slumped beside a pink doorway flashed across Columbina’s mind. “You’re the goddess that altered Kitty’s personality!” “I remember Kitty,” the Damselette replied. “He was interesting, but I thought I’d make him even more interesting.”
“And not just him…” Digging into her pocket, Columbina retrieved the corpse parts she had collected, seeing that all of them were emitting a thin black trail of smoke towards the Damselette. “The smoky shapeshifters, the giant made of mechanical carriages, all the entities in the Redlands and the Silver Castle… even the man with the bladed arm back in the pools… they were all your creations!” “Yes, I altered them with the Moon Goddesses’ power, turning them into what you saw. Except for the shapeshiters, they were pretty intriguing on their own.”
“But this isn’t right!” Columbina exclaimed. “You’re killing Moon Goddesses and using their power to make entities even more dangerous, all to cure your boredom? This causes immense pain and suffering on not only the people unfortunate enough to fall in here, but also the entities themselves!” The Damselette made no response, however, simply smiling at her. Columbina turned around, skipping briskly towards the blood-stained door. “I have to get back to Tholindis before she gets torn apart by the monsters you created!”
Before she could reach it, however, it disappeared, and in its place, a horizontal slit appeared, which then opened to reveal a massive eye. Its pupil was dark for a moment, but then it began to display an image of a small square room filled with entities, although all of them were frozen. Tholindis laid in the middle of the horde, her clothes torn and dyed red, her skin covered in bites and scratches, her pipe torn to shreds, as she glanced between the entities confusedly. “I immobilised the lifeforms surrounding her,” the Damselette said, that placid smile still on her face. “That is the ability I possess over them as their creator. Rest assured, she will not be harmed. For now.”
The eye closed, and a white wall was all that remained. Columbina turned back to face the Damselette. “A long time ago, there was a race of beings, created to guide humanity. One day, however, the first of their kind fell in love with a faraway traveller, which invoked the wrath of the heavens. The couple was erased from each other’s mind, while the rest of the race was stripped of their wisdom and power. Fewer and fewer of them remained, with beasts and seelies taking their place, until the time came for the smallest among them to choose. Me.” Columbina’s eyes widened. ‘So… even though we share similar appearances, in this timeline, “Columbina” isn’t a moon goddess, but an…’
“There was one among us who cleverly retained most of herself, but I was much more foolish. At the time, I opted to give up everything I had,” the Damselette said. “But while that was happening, the beasts, as well as a few of my kind, committed one last act of rebellion. Perhaps something among the things I gave up reminded them of something. Perhaps the sight of me fading away encouraged them to fight back. Either way, amidst the chaos, I snatched back whatever I could, and fled.”
“While I managed to escape, my kind continued to be tormented, as they were in Natlan, when the dragons devoured them,” the Damselette continued. “I never understood the events that happened. Why must our species be reduced to nothing? Who gave the dragons the right to destroy us? It wasn’t until I met her, however, that I understood: it doesn’t matter what you do, what matters is if you are strong enough to defend those actions. Those who are powerful are the righteous ones. That is why I joined the Fatui, because they were strong enough to uphold their ideals.” “No…” Columbina whispered.
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The floor began to sink, then fell away, but she didn’t fall with it, instead floating in the air. The walls rose, and so did the staircase, revealing a bright crimson void peppered with glistening red, yellow and blue spheres. The Damselette now floated upward, wings growing out of her back once more as she opened her eyes, showing magenta irises surrounding pupils as dark as night. Several huge golden rings adorned with spikes manifested above her head as the staircase rose faster and faster, fading into a white blur that rushed higher and higher without end. “If you believe what I’m doing is wrong, then prove to me your righteousness,” she declared.
Columbina didn’t have time to respond; the spikes from the halos immediately detached and shot towards her, and she only dodged them at the last second. She leapt in the air, and focused her gaze on the Damselette as kuuvahki concentrated on her fingertips. Soon, she zoomed forth, streaking turquoise across the air, but with a swipe of her massive wings, the Damselette knocked her aside, sending her crashing onto the staircase. “Whoa!” Columbina could barely regain her balance as she was whisked miles and miles upward in an instant. Meanwhile, the Damselette soared through the halos, chasing after her at an even faster speed, yet her wings flapped effortlessly and her smile still remained, as if she was simply taking a leisurely stroll.
Curling her fingers into claws, Columbina leapt off the staircase, but suddenly, she felt something tug on her hand and pull her back, slamming her back against the side of the staircase. ‘What’s going on? Why am I being pulled back?’ As she looked up, she saw a golden string extending from her palm and attached to the staircase. ‘Huh? This ability again?’ Columbina mused. ‘Did the rules of kuuvahki change again?’ She glanced up for a moment, staring at the Moon Goddess essences. ‘No… I see now…’
Down below, the Damselette was zooming ahead, with the halos in tow, mere moments away from reaching the helplessly dangling Columbina. Suddenly, she turned around, and with her free hand, she tossed something towards the Damselette: a dim red sphere. A red glow intensified, then an explosion rocked the area, tossing Columbina back onto the staircase, who then quickly severed the kuuvahki string. She peeked down the shaft, seeing feathers scattered in all directions, and the sight quickly shrunk as the staircase continued to rise. Suddenly, however, a ball of feathers shot up rapidly, until it loomed over her. “I see…” the Damselette said, as her wings unfurled. “With so many Moon Goddess essences around, you can manipulate kuuvahki in many more ways. But this power is far from capable of defeating me.”
With a flap of her wings, a torrent of feathers were pelted towards Columbina, who hastily skipped away from them. Despite that, the feathers’ razor-sharp edges still managed to cut her a few times. Columbina continued racing up the ascending stairs, but the Damselette managed to keep pace with her, relentlessly throwing more and more feathers as she did. ‘This isn’t working,’ Columbina thought. ‘I have to actually fight back!’ Turning towards the winged damsel, she stuck out her hands and concentrated kuuvahki on them. A great blue shield manifested, blocking the feathers, although as more and more feathers jabbed into it, cracks began to form, until it finally shattered. Through the fragments, though, Columbina leapt up, twisting her wrists together and manifesting a small yellow plate, before hurling it at the Damselette.
The plate whizzed through the air, past the feathers, and finally, embedded itself into the leading edge of one of her wings. Immediately, the Damselette stumbled, the torrent of feathers subsiding as she folded her wings inward. Lifting her wing, she saw blood trickling out of the wound, leaving a trail of red on her feathers. As her attacks ceased, Columbina had a moment to investigate the nature of this space. She had leapt off the staircase completely, and yet she remained suspended in midair. Like the others, this space truly was strange… “It looks like…” the Damselette began, snapping Columbina out of her thoughts. Her smile was still present, although the corners of her mouth drooped slightly. “I haven’t been taking you seriously.”
More wings sprouted out of her back, while her hair ornament enlarged. 2 of the wings folded before her face, hiding all but her eyes, while the other 4 draped around her head, forming a helmet of feathers. The Damselette stretched out an arm, and from the crimson void, multiple blue spheres floated forth, connecting to one another before her palm. As she swished her arm, the Moon Goddess essences whipped across the air, sending a blade of kuuvahki towards Columbina, who swiftly dodged it. “You may have mastery over kuuvahki, but I am more familiar with controlling the essences of the Moon Goddesses,” the Damselette said, as the halos rose above her head once more.
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The spikes and feathers shot through the air again, which the Damselette whipped around to send them spiralling around the shaft. Concentrating kuuvahki on her hands, Columbina spun around, swiping them around herself and creating a silver membrane, which then snapped snugly around her body. A few spikes hurled towards her, but they merely bounced off the membrane. Columbina weaved through the hailstorm, slashing the projectiles out of the air with her claws. A few kuuvahki whips soared towards her, but she deflected those as well. Soon, she flew up to the Damselette, and raised an arm. A symbol of the three moons appeared above her, before a surge of kuuvahki knocked her down, accompanied by several glowing rings.
The Damselette quickly regained balance, however, and sent out more spikes. Columbina prepared to deflect them, but then she realised their tips were adorned with glowing spheres. ‘The Moon Goddess essences!’ she gasped. ‘She had already-‘ Before she could finish the thought, however, a blast of kuuvahki shot out of the spikes, stripping Columbina’s armour apart completely and sending her spinning through the air. As she did, the Damselette flew forward, pinning Columbina against the staircase once more.
“It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul,” the Damselette said, the feathers on her head unfurling to reveal her smile. “That was probably why they took mine away first. I never managed to retrieve them, but even without them, I could still see. I still found it more useful, however, to have a few of my own.” Columbina was struggling to free herself from her grip, but paused as she saw the Damselette’s wings towering over her. The feathers began to shift, and suddenly, another magenta eye opened. Then another. And another. Soon, the wings sported multiple eyes, all staring down into hers.
“I’ve been watching you, Columbina Hyposelenia,” the Damselette continued. “I’ve watched you fall in here, I’ve watched all your adventures and escapades, and I’ve watched your eyes. That light shade of pink… Even as your body wears down, they still never lose their shine. You’re truly a Moon Goddess unlike any other. That’s why I guided you to me, with the help of my lifeforms.” “Ngh… so, you created the entities not just for fun, but also to search for more Moon Goddesses?” “That’s right,” the Damselette replied, slowly extending an arm towards her face. “And now, as the righteous one, I shall claim victory by claiming your eyes.”
“No! I won’t let that happen!” Columbina cried, renewing her efforts to shake off the Damselette. It was easy to cry out in defiance, but much harder to actually escape her grip. Was there really no way out? Looking around frantically, she noticed the spikes skewering the Moon Goddess essences also inching closer. Mustering all the strength she could, she flicked one with her finger, causing the essence to begin spinning faster and faster, and soon, it created a tornado of kuuvahki which knocked the Damselette off. For a moment, Columbina lay on the staircase, panting, but soon got back on her feet. “You may have control over the essences, but the rules of kuuvahki still apply to them,” she muttered, before leaping into the air once more.
As Columbina flew upward, she gazed at the glowing spheres floating in the void. Just how many of them were there? How long had Columbina been collecting Moon Goddess essences? And if they were collected through numerous timelines, were there any that were of her own? A great whoosh, however, informed her that the Damselette was already close behind. Looking back, she saw her halos rising before her, rotating serenely, while yellow spheres stood on their rims. Then, a great blast of energy overwhelmed her body, sending her crashing around the shaft of the staircase multiple times before eventually stopping midair. Meanwhile, with a flick of her hand, the Damselette discarded the Moon Goddess essences, before flying through them and towards Columbina, stretching out her arm as she did.
Suddenly, something slit her arm, creating a red gash. The Damselette quickly retracted her arm, but as she looked up, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that Columbina’s body was rising rapidly. Flapping her wings, she soared upward, but as she approached, she saw them: numerous thick golden strings crisscrossed across the shaft of the staircase, containing red glowing spheres in the middle. Columbina herself was being suspended on the strings, while even more were pulled taut above her.
“It seems that you’ve noticed them,” Columbina said, now getting back up. “These bombs are suspended by kuuvahki strings, which themselves feed energy into the bombs. If you come any closer, they’ll detonate in a massive explosion!” The Damselette didn’t respond for a moment; her eyes simply flickering across the strings under her wings. “I see… you created these bombs when you were crashing around the staircase… your speed is most impressive… but not as impressive as mine…”
With another mighty flap, she hurtled towards Columbina. As she did so, however, the strings quickly thinned into nonexistence, detaching the bombs from the staircase entirely, which then raced downward at a breakneck speed, aided by small clouds of kuuvahki propelling from behind the bombs. The Damselette quickly shielded herself with her wings, but that didn’t prevent the red spheres from sinking into her feathers. Then, they exploded.
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The staircase was illuminated in red, and the force of the explosion made it shake. Columbina floated above, having traced a clear blue disc under her feet, which shielded her from the blast. She gazed upon the cloud of dust and feathers. Was it over? As the dust cleared, however, a ball of feathers came into view. “That was impressive,” a soft voice spoke. “But still not enough.” “What?” A familiar chill began running down Columbina’s spine. “How did you survive?” The Damselette unfurled her wings, showing the bombs still attached to them. Wait, no… on closer inspection, the way they emitted kuuvahki was completely different. In fact, each one was emitting kuuvahki in a uniquely different way. Could they be-?
“It seems that you’ve noticed them,” the Damselette said. “While the bombs were raining upon me, I called for the Moon Goddess essences to join the shower. They absorbed the energy of the bombs with which they collided, keeping them from reaching my wings. What you thought were bombs sinking into my feathers were simply the Moon Goddess essences. They still hurt, but much less so.” Columbina’s eyes widened, and she hastily tried to concentrate kuuvahki, but the Damselette was faster. Flapping her wings, the Moon Goddess essences were ejected from her wings, slamming into Columbina and sending her spiralling through the air. Before she could regain her balance, the Damselette’s hand was on her throat. The halos rose and shrunk, wrapping around Columbina’s torso and arms.
The Damselette’s other hand moved above Columbina’s eyes, covering them. Instantly, Columbina felt a great torrent of pain, causing her to scream loudly. In all the moons she had lived through, she couldn’t recall screaming so loudly, in such a high pitch, and she could not recall feeling so much pain. It was as if thousands of glass shards and needles had grown out her eyes, and were sticking into her skin and swimming in her bones. Was this truly it? Why did she fall into the moon gate again? Did she flee from someone hungry for her power, fight for her life through all these strange spaces, only to end up being killed by another who sought the same?
The Damselette’s wings enlarged even further, covering her body entirely, while wings grew out of her arms as well, until she became a mass of feathers. In its centre was a hole shrouded in darkness, with only a single black eye peeking out from within. That was all she was for a moment: white, black, and a trickle of red, but soon, her magenta eyes opened once more. Meanwhile, some feathers floated out from her wings, creating more rings around Columbina. Every single one of those feathers sported a magenta eye, and all of which stared at the Moon Goddess.
“This is the end,” the Damselette’s soft voice echoed. “With your power, I can truly control all spaces and all lifeforms.” “Ngh… no… I… won’t…” Columbina struggled to reply. Her mouth could barely speak, but within her mind, she kept telling herself to focus and channel all the kuuvahki she could, creating a milky white glow on her palm. One strike. Just one strike. That was all she needed. It didn’t take long, however, for the Damselette to notice the glow on her hand, causing her to release her throat and grab her wrist instead. “What is this? One last desperate struggle?” the Damselette asked, staring at the hand for a moment, before turning towards Columbina again. “It’s okay. Just lend me your power, and it will all be over soon.” With that, she twisted Columbina’s hand towards her and pressed it onto her body, renewing her screams.
Suddenly, something wriggled out of Columbina’s pocket, which immediately caught the Damselette’s gaze. It was jet black, and had a smooth body that ended in a rounded point. A multicoloured point of light glowed in its fuzzy head, and a long appendage draped behind it like hair. “Huh? What is that? Did you sneak in a lifeform from the previous space?” she wondered, as it rose into the air. “Well, it’s meaningless. I can simply immobilise it.” As if on cue, the entity stopped, hovering in place. The next moment, however, its appendage split into 4 parts and began to spin like a propeller. Then, it spat out a celeste web, entrapping her and knocking her away, as well as causing the feather rings to fall.
With the Damselette out of the way, Columbina was free to take a few deep breaths, before she concentrated kuuvahki within her body. A wave of energy began building up within her, until she finally released it, destroying the halos and freeing her arms, and her hands quickly roamed over her face. Luckily, her eyes were still present and intact. She turned over to the Damselette, whose body had reverted to her humanoid form, as she tried to free herself from the web, but its strings were thick and viscous, making it hard to remove. “I’ll admit, I have you to thank,” Columbina said, gliding closer. “I could barely lift my hands just now, so if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to use kuuvahki to transform the corpse parts. You told me to lend you my power, but I guess I lent yours first.”
“Transform?” the Damselette gasped, her smile slipping off for once. “You don’t mean…” “That’s right,” Columbina said. “The kuuvhaki I concentrated wasn’t meant to attack you, but to create this entity. And because I created it, with my own power, you will never be able to control it. This is my creation.” While she explained, the Damselette managed to extricate herself from the web, but more rapidly shot towards her, trapping her once more. “Stop! Stop! I command you to stop!” she cried, flailing her hands erratically, but the entity remained relentless. “It’s time to end this!” Columbina raced forth, holding her fingers straight as kuuvahki concentrated on her palm. A purple flash raced through the air, and in the next moment, the Damselette’s injured wing was slashed off completely.
A blood-curdling scream resounded across the space. As the Damselette’s wing fell out of the web, the rest of them rapidly shrivelled back into her body, causing the webs to wrap around her tighter, and she fell and fell, until at some point, she stopped, simply suspended in midair. Columbina flew downward as well, as the staircase’s ascension slowed to a halt. The Damselette curled up in the webs; her severed wing curled up around her, a bloodied stump dripping red between them. She stared blankly into the distance, but her eyes flickered towards Columbina as she landed before her.
“Alright, alright…” the Damselette whimpered. “I concede. You are indeed righteous. I offer my life to you as proof of your righteousness.” Columbina gazed upon her for a moment. The smile, that empty smile, so often on her face, had vanished, replaced with a pitiful frown while tears streamed out of her blank eyes. It was hard to believe that a being so powerful, so intelligent, so imposing could be reduced to a form filled with so much distress.
What should she do now? She could take her life. She did deserve it, didn’t she? But as she stepped forward, a voice, deep inside her heart, told her to hold back. True, the Damselette’s actions were twisted, but there had been no one to tell her otherwise. She was always taught to bend to power rather than follow a set of morals, and when she was suddenly wrested from her timeline, she no longer had any power to follow but her own. Perhaps it would be better to make her understand the consequences of her actions?
Silently, Columbina removed the webs. “I don’t want to kill you,” she said. “I just want you to stop turning the entities here into monsters.” The Damselette didn’t respond, however, simply staring at her. She then looked around both sides, as if she was noticing her shoulders for the first time. “You’re… sparing me?” she asked, turning towards Columbina. “Why would you do that? You do realise I can strike you down right now?”
“True, you can do that.” Columbina extended her arm, and golden strings emerged from her hand, which reached into the broken wing and retrieved a trio of Moon Goddess essences, dropping them before the Damselette. “You can kill me and return to your experiment, but the pain you inflict on them will be much greater than what you feel now. Can you really shoulder that burden?” Silence befell the infinite staircase. Magenta mixed into light pink, as the black entity poked out from behind Columbina, joining in her stare towards the Damselette. The Damselette’s fingers twitched towards the essences, but she did not grab them, while Columbina simply continued staring, unwavering. Finally, her hand retracted. “Somehow, I don’t feel all that powerful,” she said, and Columbina smiled.
The Damselette proceeded to lift an arm, and from all corners of the space, trails of black smoke began flowing into her hand. Whispers began emitting once more, as the crimson void gradually lost its colour, and the staircase also started fading away. Eventually, the entire space was plunged into a black expanse, though both women were still clearly visible. As the Damselette lowered her arm, the whispers stopped, and the Moon Goddess essences dropped with it, rolling across the floor like marbles.
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“So what happens now?” the Damselette asked, standing up. “Well…” Columbina looked at the trio of Moon Goddess essences before her feet. Within the black space, only they shone brightly, pulsating with energy, and within that seemingly endless energy, perhaps… “I could reopen a moon gate back to our timelines using the power of the Moon Goddesses.” “You can do that?” “I think so. All I have to do is to find the ones that belong to our timelines…” Golden strings manifested from her hand again, snaking across the void and onto the Moon Goddess essences. “There are thousands upon thousands of them. How can you find them?” the Damselette asked. “Each Moon Goddess from each timeline influences kuuvahki in a different way,” Columbina replied, closing her eyes. “I just have to find the ones that feel the most familiar to me.”
As the strings touched each essence, Columbina could feel their pulses travelling around her body, almost like she was listening to their heartbeats. The strings had their own resonance, however, and together they formed an aperiodic rhythm. So she moved on to another essence, then another, as the dissonance became quieter, and quieter, until... “There!” The strings wrapped around a Moon Goddess essence and whizzed back, but instead of hitting Columbina in the face, it stopped inches from it. “Here’s one,” Columbina said, holding it gently. Eventually, she collected the other two as well. They were too large for her hands, so she had to hold them in an embrace, feeling a familiar warmth spread through her body. Suddenly, she felt them… melting into her, and as they did, she felt the power of kuuvahki within her surge, like a volcano erupting in the darkness.
“What happened?” the Damselette asked. “I… I think I absorbed the essences,” Columbina said, still holding her arms in an embrace. Could it be because the old and new moon goddesses of her timeline have finally united? “That… won’t stop you from going back, will it?” Would it? Columbina wasn’t quite sure, but her power had definitely increased. If she were the vessel for the Three Moons, surely she could achieve feats that required their power. “…no,” Columbina finally concluded, proceeding to place a hand on the Damselette’s shoulder. “Your turn. I’ll help you find your way home.” “Home…” the Damselette muttered, as the strings snaked across the space once more, while some wrapped around her stump, bandaging her wound.
“What about the other Moon Goddess essences? Will you send them home?” she asked. “Hmm…” Columbina hummed. “To suddenly influence so many timelines at once… it could be dangerous. I think I’ll leave it to them to reacquire them themselves. Until then, this entity can guard them.” She patted the black entity on the head. “What about your friend? Tholindis, was it? Will you take her home?” “I will, but not now,” Columbina replied, as a Moon Goddess essence flew into her hand. “I have a Doctor to fight, after all.”
Finally, the Moon Goddess essences of the Damselette’s timeline were collected. Columbina sent them floating in the air, and with a swish of her hands, 2 moon gates opened up. Incredibly, she barely felt any drainage of energy, and she certainly didn’t cough this time. “I guess I’ll see you around,” the Damselette said, stepping before the portal. “Wait!” Columbina cried, but when the Damselette turned towards her, she paused. She had initially wanted to tell her to be more mindful of the feelings of others, to desert the Doctor, but… with how different the timelines were, what if the Dottore in that timeline wasn’t as megalomaniac, or even a much kinder person?
“Um…” Columbina stammered, trying to find the right words, but as she felt the flow of kuuvahki from the moon gates, so too did the words flow to her tongue. “May the moonlight guide you.” The Damselette smiled, as she did so many times, but for the first time, Columbina could sense a sort of warmth in it. “Goodbye, Columbina,” she replied. The two walked into the moon gates, and once again, the world embraced their fates.