History FanFic / ThePriceOfTheWish

Around the time she discovered what horrors lay festering under her cosy family home, a few days after several score undead demon lords descended upon Sunnydale, a few days before she saw severed heads piled high in the burning wreck of Jereseleum, Cordelia told Giles half the truth while Xander, by seeming chance, got the full story. When her mother was devoured, body and soul, despite Cordelia's best efforts to save her, she decided she had had enough. Setting aside all over concerns, she vowed to destroy the UltimateEvil that had warped her wish at any cost. Giving Xander and Willow what they deserved would just have to wait.

* UltimateEvil: Omega, the last word in Evil. The First lied, unsurprisingly.
** Ironically, not actually evil, though most of its pawns are. It just believes very strongly that the universe would be a better place if it didn't exist except as part of Omega's body.
*** In other words, it's a paperclipper-type UnFriendly Artificial Intelligence. Something there's reason enough to worry about in real life, though not so much "discovering" as "making".

** The watcher's oath: I will remember the fallen, the heroes and the innocent alike. To their memory I dedicate my life. I will strive to live as the heroes lived. I will fight as they fought, in the service of mankind, not for wealth or glory but to protect the innocent, that their slaughter may end, nor shall I lay down my arms while life endures. Without regard to race or creed this I will do, though it cost me my life. (Some watcher factions take this rather more seriously than others.)
** Wolfram & Hart's mission statement: We are the canker on the rose, the worm in the apple, the slow rot in the hearts of men. From within we shall tear down all they have built, and rule over the ruins until the stars grow cold.

* EvilGloating: Most demons simply can't resist to do a villanious monologue.

* OurGodsAreGreater: The blood demon believes that humans are the pets of third-rate gods

* PublicDomainArtifact: One of the Four Great Treasures of Ireland, and a copy of {{Excalibur}}'s sheath

* SexSlave: Jenny Calendar becomes this for her deranged student, Fritz Siegel

* SideEffectsInclude: The "Watcher matches" which creates a magical flame has a strange label

--> '''Demon''': I will not have the name bestowed upom me by the great lord sullied by the unworthy tongues malformed monkeys. You will address me as knight errant of the great lord, herald of the doom of man, and master of flesh and blood.
--> '''Buffy''': [[ShutUpHannibal Or we could just kill you]].

--> '''Demon''' (pointing at Buffy): She's the one you whimpering mortals call Spear of the Guardians, Herald of Dawn, Bane of Nightmares and the Midnight Sun; and all your denials are but empty air.
--> '''[[DeadpanSnarker Xander]]''': These days we just call her the slayer.

* PokeInTheThirdEye: Now Cordelia has changed the future, {{seer}}s mostly GoMadFromTheRevelation. Fortunately, every single prophetic device disintegrated, reducing the casualty rate

* GoesMadFromTheRevelation: Many instances, starting with most of the world's {{seer}}s.

* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Adverted. Cordelia ''thought'' that this how her wish would turn out but external supernatural influence slowly starts to derail events
* TarotMotifs: Both major and minor arcana are used. Giles explains that everyone is connected with one card or another, just as they are with the Zodiac signs, but this only really matters for those exposed to immense occult forces. Unfortunately, by that point all the main characters qualify
* TransformationTrauma: A mind-raped teenager is slowly transformed into a mindless demon, screaming all the way
* TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard: A demon made of blood who attacks Sunnydale High has a rather pompous series of titles

* UltimateEvil: Omega, the last word in Evil. The First lied, unsurprisingly
** Ironically, not actually evil, though most of its pawns are. It just believes very strongly that the universe would be a better place if it didn't exist except as part of Omega's body
*** In other words, it's a paperclipper-type UnFriendly Artificial Intelligence. Something there's reason enough to worry about in real life, though not so much "discovering" as "making"

* ShoutOut: Several. The references to LordOfTheRings and Series/DoctorWho are pretty obvious, but some of the others are rather more obscure

[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/94924/1/The_Price_of_the_Wish The Price of the Wish]] is a DarkerAndEdgier ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' PeggySue with strong [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraftian]] elements, and a [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Watchers' Council]] that seems to think it's the [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles White Council]]. [And then there's the Board, which is essentially the [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Senior Council]].

* InfantImmortality: Averted. The Mayor sacrifices a baby, and subjects its soul to eternal torture, as part of a spell, while Cordelia watches helplessly

* InfantImmortality: Averted. The Mayor sacrifices a baby, and subjects its soul to eternal torture, as part of a spell, while Cordelia watches helplessly.
* LongRunner: This fic [[DeadFic received regular updates]] for a decade, 2000 to 2010.
* MindRape: Experienced, at length, by one point of view character.
* NoodleIncident: When the Scoobies are forced to set the Bronze on fire, Willow also accidentely sets Cordelia's hair on fire. And then she tried to put the fire out with a bottle of beer.

** Pkhrxng Fshlfn Dhlkbch seeks to devour all things. Having a mouth large enough to swallow a blue whale whole on its palm might help with this.
** Omega has the same ambition, on a considerably larger scale. Pkhrxng Fshlfn Dhlkbch looks at the stars and hungers, but Omega has already consumed entire multiverses.
* OurGodsAreGreater: The blood demon believes that humans are the pets of third-rate gods.
* PokeInTheThirdEye: Now Cordelia has changed the future, {{seer}}s mostly GoMadFromTheRevelation. Fortunately, every single prophetic device disintegrated, reducing the casualty rate.
* PublicDomainArtifact: One of the Four Great Treasures of Ireland, and a copy of {{Excalibur}}'s sheath.
* SarcasticConfession: Since she cannot lie, when she needs to disguise herself Dame Margo wears a badge truthfully saying she is wearing a disguise, which no one believes.
* SealedEvilInACan: The altars to Pkhrxng Fshlfn Dhlkbch, sealed directly under Cordelia's house by the Mayor a century ago.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Explained as the intended purpose of the Crucimentum, for both watcher and invigilator. If either of them fail to object, they get KickedUpstairs, without ever learning its true purpose. Giles is not pleased to discover this.
* ShoutOut: Several. The references to LordOfTheRings and Series/DoctorWho are pretty obvious, but some of the others are rather more obscure.
* SideEffectsInclude: The "Watcher matches" which creates a magical flame has a strange label.

* SpeakOfTheDevil: Using the true name of the Abomination Beyond the Wall in any way is an invitation to possession.
* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Adverted. Cordelia ''thought'' that this how her wish would turn out but external supernatural influence slowly starts to derail events.
* TarotMotifs: Both major and minor arcana are used. Giles explains that everyone is connected with one card or another, just as they are with the Zodiac signs, but this only really matters for those exposed to immense occult forces. Unfortunately, by that point all the main characters qualify.
* TransformationTrauma: A mind-raped teenager is slowly transformed into a mindless demon, screaming all the way.
* TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard: A demon made of blood who attacks Sunnydale High has a rather pompous series of titles.

* UltimateEvil: Omega, the last word in Evil. The First lied, unsurprisingly.
** Ironically, not actually evil, though most of its pawns are. It just believes very strongly that the universe would be a better place if it didn't exist except as part of Omega's body.
*** In other words, it's a paperclipper-type UnFriendly Artificial Intelligence. Something there's reason enough to worry about in real life, though not so much "discovering" as "making".