Chrono Crossover: Adjective Noun Chapter 4

Lucca was as happy as ever. And why shouldn't she be? The blatant plagiarism of Arthur C. Clarke had stopped and, more importantly, Robo was here for a visit. This altogether rare occurrence was enough to keep her happy for the next six months. Oh, sure, she could beg Crono to let her use the Epoch for an afternoon (or, if she really felt like manipulating the time gauge to that degree of accuracy, eighteen seconds), but the hassle of waiting for him to finish his pantomimed "don't muck about in history" lecture was often too high a price.

Ever since their near-panicked tear through history looking for his mother, Crono was the group's leading authority on time travel and its consequences. As well he should; in saving his mother from time he had very nearly caused the collapse of reality as a whole.

While his poor cat was never found, his mother was spotted almost immediately in 600 A.D., chatting with the owner of an apple cart. Crono began the arduous process of ushering his mother off while Lucca took the opportunity to speak with Banta the blacksmith, who happened to be nearby.

When Crono finally convinced his mother to come with him, his boot struck the rock used to hold the apple cart in place and it began rolling down the hill. Were it not for the quick thinking of Lucca, who performed an amazing flying tackle, it would have struck and almost certainly killed a poor bystander.

That poor bystander was one of Crono's forebears and he had yet to start a family by this point in history. Hence, Crono came very very close to wiping himself out of existence.

That is, at any rate, the event as Crono's mother witnessed it. Crono and Lucca knew better.

Originally, Lucca had been so engrossed in her conversation with Banta that she didn't know about the out-of-control apple cart until after it had careened into Crono's great-times-many-grandfather, slamming him into a wall and gooifying many vital organs.

Quantum Theory states that one cannot remove one's self from history. You exist, therefore you cannot prevent yourself from existing. This, of course, flies in the face of the popular belief regarding time paradoxes. Both arguments have strong proponents, both in the physical realm and within the fabric of space-time itself.

When both arguments collided into each other in this manner, en ensuing altercation between both camps of non-corporeal beings who run the universe became so violent in so short a period of time (so short, in fact, that the corpse of Crono's great^lots grandfather had yet to actually become a corpse as far as history was concerned) caused existence to collapse in on itself.

This would normally end our story. Thankfully, through the intervention of a friendly man who travels between quantum realities as a hobby, Lucca was tipped off and was able to prevent the apple cart from striking Crono's supergreat grandfather.

Lucca got a kick out of watching Crono trying to tell this story to Marle that evening. It's difficult, to say the least, to comprehend beings who exist within the very fabric of space-time. Explaining it through pantomime is even worse.

I digress. Lucca had been planning for Robo's visit for months. She had even packed a little picnic basket. Corned beef sandwich and a ginger ale for her, new oil filters and medium viscosity lubricating oil for him. It was going to be perfect! A light lunch, a stroll on the beach and maybe tonight, if she played her cards right, she might even get lai-

Robo's outer casing suddenly changed from a bright bronze gleam to a dull and corroded copper.

"Robo, what just happened?!" Robo beeped and booped for a bit, a sound Lucca recognized as an internal diagnostic. It took longer than usual.

"I am uncertain. My core efficiency has dropped 67% and my outer casing has changed in mass. Just a moment." The beeps and boops began again. "Current configuration matches my status prior to the removal of Lavos from the timestream. I can only conclude that Lavos has somehow returned into the historical timeline."

Lucca paled. She was going to argue the point with him, but she knew his conclusion had to be correct; there was no other explanation for such a drastic change to Robo. Sure, his outer casing changing like that was weird, but a 67% drop in core efficiency? All at once? Both at once? To the point of matching his original configuration? If Robo was anything, Lucca had learned, he was a barometer for changes to the timeline. Like that time when Robo had suddenly changed color and temperature in the middle of intercour-

No, this isn't the time for anecdotes. I need to alert Crono and Marle.

Lucca's thoughts drifted to Crono trying to tell Marle about Lavos' return to history, wildly gesticulating to give the impression of a giant, world-destroying hedgehog.

I need to alert Marle first.

Chapter 5

All That Glitters Is Cold 2 Fanfic Competition


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