Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The Regretevator was not what you were expecting. From the stories you’ve heard, this gateway to other worlds promised fun and friends. It also promised money, but that wasn’t the point. From obbies to puzzles to worlds beyond anyone's imagination, there was something for everyone. However, you didn’t find any of that. 
The floors were…okay, at best. You couldn’t choose where you were going, but perhaps that was part of the fun. To you, however, it just made you woefully unprepared at every turn. How is it fun if you don’t know what will happen? Lots of people were on the elevator, but you were a mere stranger to them. The connections would never stick. People came and went and pushed and pulled, but you were always stuck in the same corner, listening to the same music. With every new arrival, the lift became even more cramped.

You have lost count of how many floors you’ve seen. You recall some of them, like the flooding concrete or that abandoned summer camp, but some didn’t last long enough for you to remember them. Mannequin Mark continued smiling while Gnarpy crossed their arms impatiently, tapping their feet. All the other residents hopped around like wild monkeys, but you stayed still. Your shoulders sag as you lean against the railing. Was this it? Just an infinite roulette, constantly spinning? Your luck would run out. Soon, the world on the other side would consume you. You had to leave somehow. But before you could search for an exit, something unexpected happened.

The lights go out without warning. You can’t see. You freeze, overtaken by surprise and lingering fear. Something sinister slithers into the room, taking shape in the corner. One by one, the lights flicker back on. You hear a laugh and turn to see what force of nature has come to greet you.
The figure was tall and imposing. The shadows bent around her. She wore a white sweater and black leather boots. Her pajama pants sported red eyes, the pattern spreading across the fabric like a rash. On top of her head was a clean white beret, matting down what looked to be spiky hair. Most curious of all, her face was half-covered with a fragmented mask, a diamond pupil in the center of the rigid crescent. Her golden eye stared down at the feeble figures below, encircled by a bright red sclera. Her lower eyelid raised, hinting at an unseen grin. “How intriguing,” she uttered.

-

Who was this?
Unlike the other residents of this curious elevator, you had no clue who or what she was. You've heard of Gnarpy and Mark and Split, but not her. The towering lady was nothing like the rest. Her appearance was eerie, and her presence ever more dreadful. And yet you couldn’t be afraid of her. Was it curiosity that silenced your fear? Or were you not wise enough to be scared?
Regardless, the lady in white just waited like any other. All she did was stand there like any other resident. Still, none of it put you at ease. Any moment she could rip something in half, and those claws were clear evidence. But despite the obvious threat she posed, she never made a move. Just what exactly was she waiting for?

You bit the inside of your lip and leaned against the railing. You inch to the farthest corner, keeping the tall lady in view. Meanwhile, some of the other regulars gather around her like ants. Had they no self-preservation? Or did they too lack fear?

The elevator made another ding sound and the doors opened. Snapping out of your train of thought, you stretched your arms and walked to the doors. It was too dark to see anything. Just a pure black void. But then appeared a…a pink cube?
Wait.
Oh no oh god oh F###-

Before you knew it, one of the elevator people was yoinked by the cube. They comedically screamed in vain before an elaborate dungeon revealed itself. Lava sizzled at the bottom and flamethrowers spun like a merry-go-round. The other regulars rushed in without a second thought. You approached the obstacle course with caution. You were playing with fire, after all.

A hop, skip, and a jump. The pattern kept you grounded. You slid across the platforms with ease and weaved around the flamethrowers. You lept onto the next platform with ease but one of the regulars wasn’t so lucky. They clutched onto the edge of the platform and dangled over the lava. You stopped for a moment, grabbing their arm and pulling them up. All you got was a “thanks” before they continued, but it was better than nothing.

Soon enough, the red button was pressed and the pink cube disappeared, screaming. As painful as it sounded, the screech was almost comedic. The captured person climbed out of the cage, but they now wore a princess outfit, all pretty and pink. Their dress glittered in the light. “Thank you for saving me,” they greeted, before coughing into their elbow. “Sorry, I had a frog in my throat.” Oh, okay-wow, their voice was deep . And before you thought it couldn’t get weirder, the newly-saved princess coughed up an actual frog. How they got that in their throat was beyond your understanding.

With that, everyone returned to the elevator. The lady in white was once more unamused by the current situation. People threw petals all over the princess, to which they simply batted them away. Meanwhile, you questioned your sanity. Why would some cube thing capture someone and turn them into a princess? Was it a weird hobby of theirs?

As the doors closed, Gnarpy shook xyr head. Xe then turned toward the tall lady and began mocking the eldritch horror. But when xe stared into the void, the void stared back.

"What a WEAK and FLEEBLE beazt! I zhall operate you next!"

"What would happen if I operated on you?"

"Gnarp- huhz??"

"How would that coursing pain feel?"

"Cracking through your body, slicing the crusts of your skin...and searing your bones?"

"..."

"Hmhmhm.."

Something twists in your stomach. Gnarpy’s silence said it all. If xe was scared of this woman, then you absolutely should be. Yet the fear was dormant, unable to boil over the brim. The lady continues snickering to herself, eyeing Gnarpy from afar. She was planning something. She had to be. She hadn’t done anything yet, but the wait was killing you. You shake your head and keep your eyes locked on her. But then-

BANG!

The elevator shook. You tried leaning onto the rail but ended up falling face-flat. The other regulars lost balance too, but ended up keeping their footing. The doors opened and Gnarpy immediately dipped. “Think fast, chucklenuts!”
You didn’t think fast enough.

Bullets sprayed into the elevator’s center with intense heat. The other regulars had already moved out of the way, standing in the cornered or sitting on the railings. But you were frozen, about to become Swiss cheese. But unseen claws pierced your shirt and pulled you upward from the scruff. You were too scared to struggle. As the clamor of bullets ceased, you were put back onto the ground. Your feet reached the floor again, nearly losing balance from your weight. The doors closed once more, now with one less resident. You dusted yourself off as the others returned to their normal bouncing around. What kind of elevator had a minigun?! As you question the safety guidelines of this thing, the lady in white stares at you. Her eye squints then blinks slowly. She then looked away and chuckled again. “My apsens need tending,” she hushed. Aspens? Oh right, the trees. You’ve seen an aspen tree before. They look like birch trees but have fewer dark spots on them. Perhaps she was a gardener? You couldn’t assume.

In the corner of your eye, an elevator regular threw petals toward the lady in white and red. She merely scoffed, her lower eyelid raising once more. “Such fragile petals,” she commented. “One swipe of the hand, and they shrivel.” It was…poetic, the way she described it. As cruel as she could be,her words were soft as cotton. Another resident sprayed her with water(rude), and she reacted once more. “I'll send you to a watery grave.” Yep, there it was. The water sprayer backs away for a moment, pausing. Seems like they got the message. They then threw more petals, and the lady said, “Ah, how pitiful.”

Pitiful. Such words suggested so much. Was she accepting the apology? Perhaps it was inadequacy. Her eye narrowed and tracked the guy as they slowly backed away from her again. As the floor ding went off, her eye then shifted towards you. It lost its narrow edges; a neutral expression. You froze. Who was this lady?
The doors opened to reveal a subway station and someone entered. It was Poob! You’ve heard of them a few times in your endeavors. Their cute little face was hard not to adore. Poob opened the present they were holding, spraying confetti everywhere. The Subway train rushed by, and soon everyone was back in the elevator. The doors closed and the lady in white tapped her fingers together, eyeing the new resident.

As the regulars bounced around the elevator like normal, it had suddenly occurred to you that you did not know this lady’s name. While you had heard the names of other residents, such as Mannequin Mark or Split, this individual remained unlabeled and unmentioned. In fact, a lot of things about her remained unknown. But as you turned back to the front of the lift, you got your first clue.

On the left, the number display had glitched. Instead of a simple number, it displayed a word. A name. Five bold letters, all capitalized. And it became increasingly clear who that lady in the corner truly was.

FOLLY.