A/N: Hey this is Chooch77 back with the second one-shot I have for Re:Zero. This one-shot is actually based on the pride what if where Natsuki Subaru becomes pride and sends the entire country into flames to place Emilia on the throne. This is a what-if the Emilia at the end of that route got sent back to the very beginning of Re:Zero and was stuck in the time loops along with Subaru.
Pride Route Emilia and Canon Subaru would be the pairing for this one if it continues past a one-shot. The reason for this is because Emilia would start to figure out why, exactly, Pride Subaru broke the way he did and would definitely want to prevent the disaster that is that route, and, as Subaru cannot be killed before it gets to that point and even if he could, I doubt that she would just go for that immediately, even against him, she would figure that the next best thing is for her and Puck to try and keep Subaru sane through the constant death and prevent him from ever becoming pride in the first place.
Please read and Enjoy!
"Because I love you," This was the last thing Natsuki Subaru said before he died with a smile on his face and the entire capital on fire around Emilia. He had succeeded, he had placed Emilia on the throne and she knew it.
"Oh god," Emilia cried out before falling to the ground, looking around in despair as the world crashed down around her. "Nothing is worth this, why can't you understand that?!"
"Lia," Puck said gently, coming out of his crystal around her neck, "He's dead, you can't get any answers from him. And even if you could, it's not as if he was sane enough to answer any of your questions in the first place."
Emilia was still sobbing on the ground. "He said that he loved me, but we've never even met before. Why? Why go through all of this for "love"?" She asked, disgusted by what he felt was love and what he had done in the name of it.
"I think that he was probably broken by something." Puck said somberly. "I could feel his emotions in the last few moments and he did love you, but he also felt happy to die and everything else was jumbled out of place, as if it was broken apart and then pieced back together wrong."
Emilia continued crying. "I wish there was a way to fix all of this. To go back to the very beginning and fix the way that this world ended up. It should never have ended up like this, a twisted reflection of a madman's 'love'" Emilia said as she continued lying on the ground.
"Would you even fix Subaru?" A voice whispered through the air as Emilia continued to weep and Puck stilled, trying to figure out where it was coming from but on edge, recognizing the scent of the witch that had started to fill the air.
"Yes, anything to fix all of this!" She cried out in agony, feeling how the world around them was burning to the ground and empathizing with the pain caused by all the death and fire around her.
"Then I shall give you his power, and send you back to the beginning" The voice said, stronger now.
Emilia finally looked up from where she was weeping on the ground, seeing the world around her distort at random increments, seeing the fiery capital being replaced with the vibrant, full-of-life area it had been about a year ago.
"Puck, are you seeing this," Emilia whispered in awe, seeing what was going on around her.
"Seeing," Puck said, disbelieving about what was happening. They were travelling through time, something that even magic had trouble causing. "Still working on believing."
They were snapped out of their revere for the event occurring around them when a blond-haired girl ran up behind Emilia, broke off her bag, stole something out of it, then ran off just as quickly as she snuck up on them.
"Hey, my insignia," Emilia cried out in shock, recognizing what was stolen and realizing the importance of the event taking place. The event taking place cemented it for Emilia, she was back in time, back to the very beginning, before the first sign of the end of everything: before the auction house was destroyed and the fifth candidate for the throne was killed (posthumously identified) and Elsa the bowel hunter was identified as the culprit, the very first event with the mark of pride on it.
Done! I know that this one is way shorter. But I could not find a way to lengthen it while still conveying what I needed to convey. This would be the preface to the story if I ever write it, and I just wanted to get it out and get your opinions on it. It might become a full story or it might be left as a one-shot for someone else to take the idea and run with it.
I am sorry for how short it is but I was just wanting to put the idea down on paper and get it out in the fan base to see how it was received or if anyone wanted to continue it or wanted me to continue it.