Archive of Our Own

She first realized that she had a problem when she was about five sweeps old. Her neighbor, Equius, had been clumsily trying to woo her for a little while now. She thought it was cute, even if he was creepy as hell. He had just given her a gift. It was an old clay pot from almost two thousand years ago, beautifully painted and refreshingly devoid of animal genitals.

“I...used some of my connections to find it. It is one of the most in tact pieces of art from that time period. I knew you didn't like my...usual pieces so I thought you would like this."

Vriska looked it over. It was quite beautiful. There were no chips or scratches, and the paint was only worn enough to give it a rustic look.

“It's perfect.” She whispered. Equius smiled nervously.

His smile turned into horror as Vriska held the priceless art out in front of her and pulled her hands away.

She didn't know why she did it at the time. She had no idea where the impulse came from. All she knew was that the sight and sound of such a utterly perfect item being so completely destroyed filled her with immense satisfaction.

It would be weeks before Equius talked to her again. It would be months before he forgave her, when he finally could at least somewhat sympathize with her urge.

*

She was sitting on the ledge in front of her lusus.

“I don't understand why I want to do these things.” She said, mindlessly kicking her feet as they hung over the edge.

“It's quite simple my dear.” The giant spider echoed in her mind. “You have urges like every other troll. You just deal with them differently.”

“All trolls like breaking things?”

“No. All trolls want power. You're just feeling the urge to exercise that power.”

“I don't understand. You're not making any sense!” She wailed.

“You understand even though you don't know it. You see little one, to have power over something, true power, is to have the ability to destroy it.”

*

One day, a couple of months before the game they would all play, she stomped back into her hive radiating rage. She held her metallic arm up to her nose even though the bleeding had stopped.

He hit her! She couldn't believe it. No one could. That spineless little faltering wimp actually hit her! She started tearing apart her desk, looking for something.

She had crashed some little get together of theirs. It was more fun that way. They all gave her dirty looks but no one could make her leave.

She saw Tavros there, such an easy target. A nice little punching bag to vent her mean spirits. She started badmouthing him. She leaned on the arms of his chair, looming over him and mocking him. Terezi yelled at her to leave Tavros alone, but she didn't listen.

It wasn't until Vriska started mocking Aradia that Tavros started getting really upset.

“Leave her out of this. Leave me alone. I didn't do anything to you.”

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it you little twerp? You're just mad that stupid bitch ignored you when you needed it. She never really liked you. No one does. She just put up with you. And look where putting up with you got her. It was pretty stupid of her once you-”

The cracking sound wasn't that loud, but it had the effect of instantly silencing everyone around them. Vriska was knocked back on her rump, a look of absolute shock on her face. Her hand was up on her nose trying to stop the blood from leaking down around her mouth.

She looked up at Tavros. There was blood on his knuckles, but the look of rage he had for a split second was gone like it was never there, replaced with fear and bewilderment.

“You...you hit me! You fucking hit me!” She stammered, pointing at Tavros.

Everyone tensed.

“I, uh, I'm sorry! I'll...I'll, uh...” And with that he turned and wheeled out of there as fast as he could.

The silence lasted almost a full minute before Nepeta walked over to Vriska and tried to help her up. She shot a look of pure death at Nepeta.

“Don't touch me!”

Nepeta recoiled like Vriska just tried to bite her. Vriska got to her feet and, ignoring everyone around her, hurried back to her own hive.

Vriska finally found what she was looking for in her desk. It was one of the many magic eight balls she had scattered around her room. She picked it up with her metallic hand and brought it down with every ounce of her strength. It practically exploded, covering her and her desk with blue-dyed water and shards of plastic. She didn't even see where the little floating fortune telling bit flew off to. She started digging around for another one.

She couldn't believe he actually hit her!

Smash.

It was wrong!

Smash.

He damaged her! He couldn't be capable of that. He didn't have an angry bone in his body.

Smash. Her face contorted into a snarl. Her face started to flush.

It was just so utterly wrong!

Smash. She started issuing a low growl.

Utterly and completely wrong!

Smash.

Utterly, completely, and so, so wonderfully wrong.

Her growl raised to a yell as she smashed the last eight ball on her desk.

She finally sat down. She was sweating and her face was blue with exertion. She just sat still for a moment, breathing heavily and waiting for her heart rate to calm down.

Blue water dripped of the edge of her desk. She looked at herself. Great, now she needed to change her clothes.

Her computer pinged.

grimAuxiliatrix[GA] began trolling arachnidsGrip [AG]

GA: Vriska I Just Heard About What Happened
GA: Are You Okay
GA: Vriska Please Don't Do Anything Rash
AG: I'm fine.
AG: I vented. Nothing to worry a8out here.
GA: Are You Sure
GA: Tavros Is Sorry Please Think Before You Do Anything
AG: I s8id I'm f8ne Kan8ya!
GA: I Am Only Trying To Be A Good Morial
AG: Only tr8ing to 8e a meddl8r you me8n!
GA: I Can See That You Are Not Calm
AG: ARG! Look. I'm fine. See? No 8's out of place here.
AG: Everything is gr8.
AG: I'm going to see Equius now.
AG: I'll let you know when
AG: If I need a morial.
AG: Until then, I don't want to talk about it.
arachnidsGrip [AG] has blocked grimAuxiliatrix[GA]

*

After Vriska had washed and changed out of her wet clothes, she walked over to Equius' door and knocked. She walked right past Aurthour and stomped up to the work shop. Equius stopped ratcheting a bolt into one of his robot's legs and looked up at her.

“What are you doing here?” He narrowed his eyes at her face. “What happened to you?”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Then why are you bothering me?”

“I want to fight one of your robots.”

Equius arched an eyebrow at her. He started to sweat.

“Very well.” He cleared his throat. “I suppose I could arrange something. Just let me know-”

“That one.” She pointed towards a robot sitting in the corner. It was shiny and polished. Unblemished. It was obvious that Equius had just finished it.

It had big horns.

Equius picked up a control and dialed down the robot's combat abilities, so it wouldn't kill her outright. Vriska took off her jacket and tossed it in the corner. She stood in front of the robot, waiting for Equius to finish his adjustments.

He doesn’t have an angry bone in is body. He'll never really hate you. It was just a one time thing.

The robot lunged for her. She struck out with her mechanical hand, but only dealt a glancing blow. A mechanical fist slammed into her gut.

Her pupil dilated. Her face broke into a smile and blood leaked out of her mouth.

She swung again, but too slow. The robot hit her again, this time in the jaw. She fell.

The robot started raining blows down on her until Equius hit the kill switch.

“Forgive me. I had thought I turned down the...”

“It's okay.” She wheezed. She slowly got back to her feet and, unsteadily, looked the robot in the face.

Its shiny perfect face.

Her mechanical arm drifted up and she placed the tips of two fingers gently on its glass eyes.

Big horns. It had hurt her. He hurt her bad.

With a pop, her fingers sank into its eye sockets. She gripped and twisted. The metal started to strain and pain shot through her side and shoulder. Her arm was strong, but the rest of her body was still flesh.

She twisted harder. The metal neck creaked shrilly as it warped. She smiled manically. Her pupil was a mere pin prick.

The metal sounded like screaming.

The robots head tore off the same time her shoulder broke. All she could remember was being unable to separate the pleasure from the pain.

*

She came to the realization that you couldn't hate until you loved.

She unblocked Kanaya, actually apologized much to both of their surprise, and asked her a favor, even if she did it with one arm in a sling.

AG: I would really love it if you made me a dress.
AG: I have something particular in mind.

*

The opportunity was right there! She was beaten, helpless in front of him. He could destroy her.

The power was there. He just had to take it!

She felt the urge to mind control him into doing it. But she resisted. She knew he could do it. He struck her once before. She knew that hatred was deep down in him somewhere. Every troll has a thirst for power.

She just needed to get to it!

*

He finally was doing it.

He was attacking her. It took attacking his friends. His feelings. Revealing her plans.

She stood in front of him, in all her God-Tier glory, like some terrible deity.

But he was finally trying to kill her.

It was what she had worked so hard towards.

He was perfect.