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I come from a place way out of town.
Yet I only have fake friends when I’m on the ground.
If I fall, I will not be able to hold it in.
Twice, and I might just have to run back home.

But I’m not simply a wanderer in the dark.
See, I can become a powerful leader!
I can even tell the future using a mathematical function.
And if you dare rile me up, I’ll put you down.

What am I?

Hint 1:

You might find me in Greece when I run back home.

Hint 2:

If you rile me up again, I'll be square with you.

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  • $\begingroup$ I hope that hope's there when everything goes wrong. $\endgroup$ Oct 29, 2019 at 6:34

2 Answers 2

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I think that you must be

astro

I come from a place way out of town.

astro - relating to outer space

Yet I only have fake friends when I’m on the ground.

To astroTurf - turf being ground - is the tactic of creating the appearance of grassroots support for a position, which are fake friends, masking the real sponsors.

If I fall, I will not be able to hold it in.

Gastro - g for gravity (the fall) - is short for gastroenteritis, where food can't be held in.

Twice, and I might just have to run back home.

Astros - the plural, refers to the Houston Astros, a MLB team, who run to reach home.

But I’m not simply a wanderer in the dark.

Astronaut - naut sounds like not/naught - is a wanderer in space.

See, I can become a powerful leader!

Castro - adding C (see) gives the Cuban leader/s

I can even tell the future using a mathematical function.

astrology - to predict the future, by adding $\log y$

And if you dare rile me up, I’ll put you down.

roast - the anagram, meaning to severely criticize

Hint 1:

You might find me in Greece when I run back home. - Astros, a town in Arcadia, Greece.

Hint 2:

If you rile me up again, I'll be square with you.

Sator/Rotas, anagrams found in the Sator Square

    S A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S

Title: I’m there when everything goes wrong

catastrophe contains astro

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Thanks @PiIsNot3 - for all this help - I liked the last one! $\endgroup$
    – Tom
    Nov 6, 2019 at 6:08
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Maybe you are

Deflation

I come from a place way out of town.
Yet I only have fake friends when I’m on the ground.

An unbalanced economy could create a deflation (supply high, demand low, ...)
Humans are all about profit and greed

If I fall, I will not be able to hold it in. Twice, and I might just have to run back home.

If the rate falls, it is hard to stop.
If a change in economy happens twice, it goes back to normal.

But I’m not simply a wanderer in the dark. See, I can become a powerful leader!

Deflation doesn't have to be bad if it isn't persistent. To some degree, moderate drops in certain products, such as food or energy, do have some positive effect on consumer spending.

I can even tell the future using a mathematical function.

You can calculate deflation, as well as forecast the upcoming results.

And if you dare rile me up, I’ll put you down.

We consumers can cause a deflation.

Hint 1

The hint suggests Greece as home, maybe because they have a hard time to deal with economic unbalance.

Hint 2

Consumers can also cause the opposite. It might go back to the initial position if a change happens twice.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Nice attempt! But it’s not what I’m looking for, unfortunately; wordplay is crucial to finding the intended answer. $\endgroup$
    – HTM
    Nov 4, 2019 at 8:31

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