Time of Your Life Part 4.
Future Willow, Madwoman, is melancholy about living for so long. Which won't be a problem much longer. She's talking with Melaka and Erin Fray as Buffy, chained to a chair, starts to come around. Fray is still not willing to kill another slayer, despite whatever horrible thing Willow showed her. Erin's for just sending her home, but Fray says if they do that, she'll try and change the future and end their world.
Buffy wakes up and is a bit upset that Willow went dark again. But before they can get into it, Harth and co. show up. He brings up the fact that Willow told him the opposite of what she told Melaka, that Buffy would cause this world to be after all this. Willow admits to the deception, saying she's all evil and stuff. Then she says it's not important who dies, just who kills them. Hunh? Oh, I get it. Sort of. Future Willow is just all kinds of messed up. So sad.
Gates(?) is helping Buffy with her chains while Melaka faces off with Will. Which was the lie? Harth doesn't care; he just wants to kill them all. And then Gunther! arrives with reinforcements and cool submarine-looking cars, scoffing that Harth though three vamps could take him out.
In the melee, Buffy gets free and disables Erin and Melaka. She says she doesn't care about their world, she just has to save hers. For reals, I mean, how many worlds can she have on her shoulders? Will says she's not done yet as she races off.
And we're in Scotland. The various wood spirits and fairy creatures of the area have been recruited to take out Amy's demons. Xander and Dawn also got a hold of some swords. Then suddenly the demons go from sickly green and invincible to normal looking lizardy types who get wounded. Hurray, Wiccan Squad! Rowena has led them and the slayers back to the fight. Those guys are toast.
Buffy runs away, headed for the rift building. Fray beat her there. They fight and argue, as slayers are wont to do. Instead of the "big picture," Buffy calls her attitude the "fate of the world, short view." The difference between those two things is probably important, but I'm not sure how. Maybe just that Buffy can see both, but knows when to choose between them? Is this her getting something back she's lost or more of the same? And mistake or rationality? Melaka says that the fate of the world view made sense to her when there was only one world. Fringe-world problems.
So they fight more. Fray's on her own turf, so stronger that way, but Buffy has the memories of all the slayers to guide her. It's a good fight.
Warren, Amy and Twilight are watching their army get decimated. Warren blames Amy for the failure. As the two snipe at each other (they're the worst), Twilight turns to another man in the shadows. He stands all soldiery and has the Twilight scar on his chest. We find out he's who Buffy met in New York. And it's Riley. (I think. The reveals don't work as well in the comics because the representations of the actors are different enough that it's hard to immediately place them and go AHA! By the time you work it out, it's more oh. For me anyway.)
So Riley is pretending to be Buffy's pal while reporting to Twilight? I had forgotten this. I believe he's a double agent though. But I'm still trying to figure out the logic of Twilight in general, so I honestly don't remember how this plays out.
Anyway, Willow of the present blindfolds herself to keep her promise. The rift opens. On the other side, Buffy totally demolishes Fray's scythe. WTF? Is that a sign that she will destroy Fray's world if she goes home? Probably just Slayer strength thing.
Future Willow steps in front of the rift, in Buffy's way. Buffy has it figured out that Willow wanted all of this to happen and wants to know why. I think she probably already knows at this point. It's a long story, Willow begins, and -- THUNK! scythe through the chest. Future Will falls down dead as present Will reaches through the rift and grabs Buffy. Fray lunges for her but is too late.
Buffy is through and crying and hugging Willow, telling her she loves her. Brutal.
Future Willow is dead, just as she wanted. And what was important to her was who killed her. It had to be Buffy, even if it meant messing up the time lines and all. And I can't figure out if that's about love or hate, or if Willow even knew. It feels hateful, like revenge, which is just so unfair. But maybe it's just because they went through so much together, and she knew Buffy would do it if she had to. Or maybe it's a last warning to Buffy about what's to come, the absence of effect of her plans to change the world.
Melaka and Erin stare at Willow's body, Melaka feeling defeated, until they realize that they're still here. The end.
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