Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Water, trickling from above. Falling down like rain.

Making the atmosphere inside the cavern humid, yet still cool.

Yet, the floor didn’t get wet.

The girl didn’t get wet.

Cold water fell from the sky nonetheless.

Inside, the girl looked at a glowing white figure.

A figure with giant white wings. They were beautiful.

Pure.

They looked like angel wings.

The girl briefly wondered how she would look if she had them.

The girl wondered what it would be like if her friends had them.

The girl wondered what it would be like if the wings were real.

The girl wondered what it would be like if the cold water fell on the wings.

There was a circle beneath it.

It grew, but remained.

It shrank, but stayed still.

There were three triangles beneath it.

They were white.

They were blue.

They were pink.

They were green.

“The Delta Rune. The prophecy.”

A voice said, seemingly from everywhere and nowhere, from outside the cavern and from inside the girl.

“The Angel, the one who has seen the surface. They will free us. They will free our world. They will free our imagination.”

“Who is the Angel?” The girl asked the Delta Rune.

“You have met them. But you also haven’t. They are your beloved. Your enemy.”

The cavern quaked.

The girl’s golden eyes narrowed.

The girl moved her body.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“Golly! I’m your best friend, of course! Who else would I be?” Ralsei answered her.

The goat wasn’t wearing his usual robes. He was wearing a green shirt with a yellow stripe on it.

“I’m the one who gave you a purpose! I’m the one who gave you a story! A role! An adventure! To be a hero!!!”

The goat’s smile curled beyond his face. “But can you trust it? Can you really? Can you? Can you?”

The cavern quaked.

The girl moved away.

“I can trust it because I can trust my friends!” She fired back, holding a hand to her chest.

“Can you? Do you know them? Do you really know them? Do you?”

The girl hit something.

She turned around.

Gerson was behind her. He looked gray. His eyes were pure black.

“Do you really trust them? Can you trust them? Can you trust what's fiction and what isn't? Can you?”

The voice came from the turtle, but it did not sound like him. It sounded rotten and dead.

“There will be a time when you will have to choose between dream and reality. Fictional and real.”

The Delta Rune started to grow.

“The Angel is coming. The Angel is coming.”

The cavern quaked again.

The girl started to sweat. Panic started to settle in. Her breaths were ragged. Her vision was blurry.

“But you’re dead!” She shouted at him.

His head turned straight at her.

“And you aren’t?”

*

And reality replaces it.

Light. It hits your skin, absorbing the sun's warmth. Wiping the cold from a long night in the dark.

Your eyes quickly shoot open. Your breath is panicked, but it quickly slows down.

The sunlight hits your body. You feel its warmth refresh you. Your brain awakens to the world.

Your vision is blurry. Your eyelids are heavy. Yet, you don’t feel tired. Your SOUL is filled with energy.

But your body feels like lead. Like, there’s exactly three weights of ten tons on top of it.

You have no idea why you feel this way.

You try to lift your head.

You fail.

With all your strength, you succeed.

You can see a sleeping Susie at your side. You can also see Toriel on her chair, and both Alphys and Undyne on the floor.

They are back to normal, the dark replaced by the light. The unusual was replaced by the usual.

Everyone is sound asleep, snoring away. If you didn’t know the Dark World was real beforehand, you might have thought it was truly a dream.

“Just… five more minutes, please.”

Kris groans, his voice groggy.

Dude, what the heck? Why are you so…

You try to move your body again. You can’t.

Tired! We need to get up!

“Unlike some people, I don’t have infinite energy. I barely slept because of the Dark World. Let me rest.”

But you were full of energy back then!

You try to move again. You still can’t. Your body is tired like hell.

How are you this tired?!

“The energy changes between light and dark. Now that the dream is over, the energy returns to its natural state.”

You blink.

I didn’t understand anything you said.

Kris sighs.

“Just let me rest.”

Your resolve doesn’t waver.

It’s a beautiful day outside! Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these… kids like you should be having fun in this weather, not lazing around!

“No.”

Kris said, cutting you off with a smirk.

“Rest.”

Gosh, you’re so lazy! Did you know I had a nightmare, and you didn’t even try to comfort me or anything? How do you expect anyone to tolerate you?

“It’s not my problem.”

Well, it is! Because I’m still stuck with you!

You try getting up again.

It’s time to-

Your phone rings.

You pick it up

You stop looking at your phone.

Incredibly, the screen was empty yet again.

Why then, were you staring at it so intensely? More things for me to ponder about.

However, that will have to be sometime later.

Kris has fallen even deeper into the warmth and comfort of the sofa.

Oh my GOD! All I did was turn my head for one second, and now you’re even lazier! And not an endearing laziness, either! Just a bad one!

Kris falls even deeper inside.

“Not my problem.”

Again with that?

KNOCK KNOCK

Your eyes turn to the front door.

“…. hello? is there anyone there?”

You know this voice.

You haven’t heard it in this world yet, but this sad, depressed, and even somewhat pathetic voice is something you could never forget.

It’s Blooky!

You yell out in your mind.

“undyne…. are you there…..? you haven’t sent a report since midnight….. and it’s now midday….. so it has been 12 hours since then…. and this is the 20th time i knocked…. oh no….. do you hate me? i’m sorry for playing music at the station…….. i thought it was catchy but it was just crap…..”

The 20th time?!

A sudden burst of energy fills you.

That’s our problem!

It was at that moment that Kris realized there was nothing he could do to stop you.

Renewed with energy, you got up from the couch. You can feel Kris’ protests in your very SOUL.

Stop being lazy!

You avoid the sleeping Undyne and Alphys on the floor, trying hard to not wake them up.

Although it would be a hard task with how loud Undyne’s and Susie’s snores are.

You grab the hymn book on the stand beside the sofa on the way and put it in your pocket.

Kris notes this weird behavior, but doesn't say anything.

Finally, you move to the door.

And then you open it.

Sunlight hits your face. You squint your eyes, getting accustomed to the intense light.

Beyond it, there’s a white, ghost-like pillow with two eyes and a mouth in the shape of a line.

It’s none other than Napstablook. The depressed ghost that you helped cheer up back in your world.

Unlike back then, this one is wearing a police hat.

That’s it, that’s the only difference.

“hello……..” He greets you.

“Um, hi!” You greet him with a wave. “Sorry for not answering sooner! But Undyne is here! She’s inside! She’s just…” You smirk. “Sleeping with the fishes.”

“oh no….. there’s fishes inside?”

“No, no, no!” You wildly wave your arms. “It was just a joke! Because Undyne is a fish, y’know!”

“oh…….” Napstablook’s eyes shift. “nice necklace…….”

“Necklace?” Your eyes dart to your neck, and sure enough, there’s a necklace there. The Mew pendant.

In the light of reality, it looks just like a toy.

Kris goes through his pocket, picking up a pencil and a VHS tape.

The pencil is decorated with a heart and wings, while the VHS has “‘Mew Mew Kissy Cutie: The Quest for LOVE and HUGS! (The Movie) (2005 edition)’” written on it.

Huh… I guess that’s how Miua-chan looks in this world… I guess she was the OVA we were searching for so long…

“.... it looks nice.” Napstablook continues. “i think my cousin would like it….. she likes cutesy stuff….. but doesn’t like to tell anyone…… oh no….. i just told you…..”

“Don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone! And, um, thanks! For the compliment!” You try to salvage the awkwardness of this conversation. “Come in!”

You lead the ghost inside the house. Now that you can take a good look at it, you realize everything is a mess inside.

Blankets on the floor. The carpet is dirty and messy. Everyone is spread out.

There's absolutely no order here.

You cringe. “It's not always this messy, I swear!” You protest to the ghost.

Is it?

“You have no idea. You haven't seen my fights with brother.”

Oh God… I don't even want to think about that.

“oh no….. undyne's sleeping…… she's a very heavy sleeper…..” The ghost cop picked up two headphones, put one on, and gave one to you. “here…. put it on…..”

“Eh?” You exclaimed, but still obeyed.

“this always wakes her up….” Napstablook put a soundplayer on the ground, selected a track…

And then he played it.

A loud song.

It was resounding.

It was thundering.

It was booming.

You felt like the house itself was shaking. A quake caused by sound.

For a single moment, you were immensely grateful that Blooky gave you those headphones.

Shame the same couldn’t be said for the sleeping girls.

“OH… oh!” Mother wakes up with a startle. Her eyes shoot wide open. “Alphys? Undyne?”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!” Alphys screeches almost as loudly as the music. “M-M-M-Ms.Toriel?! Undyne?!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!” Susie yells out, an unusual fear in her voice. Maybe she doesn’t like loud noises?

“NGAAAAAAAAAH!!!” Undyne wakes up with a warrior yell. “Wait, this is freaking Asgore’s ex-house! What the heck?”

“oh….. you gals woke up…… my music worked again…… it’s not my usual one….. but it still worked….. cool…….” Napstablook said, causing the girls to finally notice you and him.

“Hello, every—” You try to say, but Susie slaps you on the back of the head.

“You fucker! Why didn’t you wake me up normally?! You almost caused me a heart attack!” Susie yells at your face, making you shrink in fright.

“I-I’m sorry! I-I-I didn’t know! I wanted to trust Blooky!”

“Then just know it! That’s not an excuse!”

“But hey, at least the song was good, wasn’t it?!”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!!”

Before you can retort, you hear laughter around you. It’s none other than your friends, laughing in joy.

Sure, they are laughing at your suffering, but they are still happy.

And that makes you happy.

“So… that truly was a dream, huh…” Toriel is the first to say it, after the laughter has died down.

“What?! A DREAM?! There’s NO WAY!!” Undyne yells, looking shocked.

“(H-H-H-Huh?! That c-c-convention was a dream?!)” Alphys squeaks out. “(B-B-But… that would explain why everything was so weird…)”

“I guess there was no reason to call you in the end, Undyne,” Toriel says, getting up. “And what’re you doing here, Alphys?”

“I-I-I was g-going to review some exams with you… and then I just passed out????” Alphys doesn’t sound so sure herself.

“I guess you passed that exam, in more ways than one!” Toriel jokes with a wink.

Only you laugh at Toriel’s joke.

“B-B-But all those people… All that FIGHTING and ADVENTURE!” Undyne tries to convince herself. “There’s NO WAY that didn’t happen!!!” She can only mutter to herself.

“Well, since it’s already late, then why don’t you all stay for lunch? I just, er, need to get dressed first!” Mother looks at Napstablook. “You can come in, too, Officer Blook.”

The ghost blushes, and then he, Alphys, and Undyne walk over to the table.

Until Undyne trips. “C-Crap!”

“What’s wrong?” Mother asks her.

“Y-yeah, what happened?” Alphys shows concern.

“M-My depth perception! One of my eyes isn’t working!” The fish woman exclaims, holding a hand in front of her left eye.

Toriel immediately rushes over to her and looks at the eye. “Everything looks fine… I don’t see any wounds, and it isn’t sore. Maybe it’s numb?” Toriel moves away. “I think it’s better to just rest for now. Take a break. If it doesn’t get better, we shall go to the hospital!”

“Damn! I hate BREAKS!” Undyne smiles. “Well, Blooky, I guess you’re in charge!”

“oh no…….” The ghost wails.

Both you and Susie look at each other, both sharing the same thought.

That yet again, an injury in the dark manifested itself into the light.

But what can you do?

“(We can’t stay. We need to bring everyone from Rook Studio to Castle Town.)” Kris states, making you two focus on him.

“(Kris said that, right?)” Susie scratches her mane. “(Now that I know the truth, I can definitely tell the difference between you and Goner.)”

“(Because I’m not an idiot.)”

“(Because I’m not a jerk!)”

Susie somehow looks even more confused. “(We REALLY need to talk about this shit.)”

“(We can do it later.)” Kris states.

“(There’s so much I want to tell you too, Susie!)” You exclaim excitedly.

“(Later.)” Kris' words are firm, causing you to pout.

Susie looks at the TV. “(But, um, how are we going to bring the TV to the school? Today is Sunday, so the school is closed. Plus… would your mom want to give away her TV?)”

You follow her gaze towards the TV. Now that it’s bright, you can see its details.

You can see that its antenna is broken, bent over. But otherwise, the TV is in perfect health.

“(We can just say we need to fix him.)” Kris says. “(It’s not even a lie.)”

“(What about getting to the SCHOOL, though?)” Susie asks.

“(Don’t worry, because this time I’ve got a plan for that!)” You declare, picking up the New Mew OVA. “(We’re giving her.. this!)”

Susie raises an eyebrow. “(A VHS tape?)”

You chuckle. “(Not just a regular VHS tape! It’s a special VHS tape containing the super rare Mew Mew OVA, and if you haven’t heard before… Alphys will give free credit for our project if we give her a super rare OVA.)”

Susie smirks. “(And that super rare OVA is this one you’re holding… right?)”

You match her smirk. “(Exactly!)”

With comically evil smirks, you two walk over to Alphys. The dragon pokes the lizard in the back.

“S-Susie, what is—” Alphys turns around. Her eyes widen. “T-That’s the New Mew OVA!!! H-How did y-you two find it?! It’s super rare!!!”

“Does that matter?” You ask her, smirking naughtily.

“Because if I heard correctly, if someone gave it to you, they would get free credit from their project…” Susie is barely containing her laughter.

“Of course! You two get an A+! I can’t believe it! This is so rare!” There are literal stars in Alphys’ eyes.

“We’re also going to need the keys for the school,” Kris says firmly.

“S-sure! Y-you can have it.” She gives the human the keys.

You and Susie fist bump each other.

Operation cheat at your group project and invade the school, COMPLETED!

“B-But… I, um, don’t have a VHS player.” Alphys' words bring you straight back to reality.

“um…. my cousin has one…..” Napstablook says, making you, your teacher, and your friend turn to him. “i didn’t mean to eavesdrop…. oh no…….”

“That’s great! Excellent, actually!” You clap your hands. “I promised your cousin to bring entertainment, and what better one than this!” You hold Alphys's hands. “You've got to watch it at Blooky's house with his cousin! You have to!!!”

You start to shake the yellow lizard. “Ah! AH! OK, I WILL!!!” She shouts.

You let go of her, making her dizzy. “YEAH!”

“But first, you should at least eat with us,” Toriel says, getting out of the bathroom, her pajamas replaced by her purple dress.

She walks closer to you and whispers. “(Although… I am surprised you are giving that videotape to your teacher, honey. Don’t you remember that was a gift from Catty to your brother? He has never actually used it, but… would he approve of it?)”

Your eyes widen as you remain speechless.

That was ASRIEL’S? Wait… does that mean we can’t actually give the OVA to Alphys?!

“He would.” Kris lies.

I thought we wouldn’t lie again…

“Do you want to flunk the class? There’s no time for projects when the world is at stake.”

You make a good point…

“Sorry, mother. But I can’t stay.” Kris puts a hand over the TV. “I need to go with Susie to fix our TV. Yesterday, we realized it was broken. Look at its antenna.”

Susie looks confused for a second, then she smiles way too widely. “Yeah! It didn’t turn on at all! That happened. Totally! I have no idea who the heck could’ve broken it, ha ha…”

“Holy crap, that looks JUST LIKE the TV we fought on that dream! What the heck?!” Undyne yells from the table, eyebrows raised in shock.

Toriel narrows her eyes, and for a moment, you think she will question the human.

She will question his weird actions. She will question his reasoning.

After all, that's who mother is. She is overprotective. She worries too much.

But she doesn't do any of that. She just smiles. “Alright, honey. Just don’t forget to go to Church later today.”

“I shall not." Kris declares, grabbing the TV from the side.

Susie quickly follows up, a little shocked. “(She accepted that really easy…)”

“(That's because our actions inspired her, even if they weren't real for her.)” You whisper, your soul beaming with happiness.

Susie smiles, “(Guess so.)” And grabs the TV from the other side.

Of course, you retreat inside Kris' body, content to let him carry all the weight.

Together they lift it, walk out of the house, and go to school.

“(You fought a TV in your dream too, Officer? What synchronicity!)”

“(I-I always was interested in oneirology, a-actually. M-maybe it's because we shared—)”

You hear the adults speaking as you leave.

Man… they really are clueless… parts of me feel like we should tell them the truth, but…

“It’s better not to—”

Your thoughts distract Kris long enough for him to trip, causing something to fall out of his pocket.

A shard of glass.

Kris immediately stops walking.

“Um… dude? Don’t we need to take this to Castle Town?” Susie asks him with an eyebrow raised.

“I just need to…” He picks the glass up. For a brief moment, he sees Susie reflected in it.

A reflection of Susie glaring at him, coldly.

Yet, when he looks back at her, she’s only looking at him confusedly

He quickly puts it back in his pocket.

“Glass, really?” Susie laughs. “Did you really stop to pick up fallen glass?”

“He did that yesterday, too. Kris just really likes opaque glass, I guess.” You say, rolling your eyes.

“Opaque glass? But it didn’t look…” Susie shakes her head. “Whatever, you both are weirdos. Let’s just go.”

With that, you continue forward.

Yet, Kris can’t stop frowning when he remembers what he saw in the glass.

Because he knows what that means.

*

“I can’t believe we’re finally done with our project! This is the FIRST time I EVER finished a project!” Susie says excitedly.

“This is also my first time I ever finished a project, too! Although I never expected it to amount to giving your teacher an anime!” You exclaim.

“You, um, never did?” Susie looks nervous. “That REALLY doesn’t sound like you.”

“Oh. That’s because I’ve never been to a real school before.” You say those words way too calmly.

Susie's eyes widen. “What?! You NEED to explain this!”

“She will explain later,” Kris says, as he and Susie finally push the TV inside the school closet and into my town. “Instead of talking nonsense, you could have at least helped me carry that TV.”

“No-Ope!” You shake your head. “It’s your body, so you carry it! I am the brains of the team, so you and Susie are the muscles!”

“Goner’s right! We ARE the muscles.” Susie pats Kris on the back. “In fact, you shouldn’t have carried anything, either! I should’ve done everything! You’re a WEAK muscle, heh!”

“I can’t win against you two.” The human sighs. “Let’s just go.”

You and Susie nod, jumping into the darkness below.

Dark replaces light. Knight armor replacing sweater. Skin turning blue. Brown orbs turning golden.

Objects turning into people. Reality turning into fiction. The awake world into a dream.

Your body grows lighter. You feel a power coursing through you.

The connection between Kris' body and your SOUL grows weaker as your strength increases.

Your SOUL shines with the Grand Fountain. The Darkness absorbed shines within, and soon enough, it oozes out of your SOUL. Towards the Grand Fountain.

And the world changes again.

Several new buildings have appeared in my town. Houses, studios, sets. Spotlights on the floor. Theaters. Bars. A corner for video games.

You can see everyone from Rook Studio walking on it. Everyone from the Coach Cliffs running on it. Playing on it. Performing on it.

They are now able to do whatever they want, no longer restricted to working for a soulless corporation.

From a medieval town, to a cyberpunk city, to a lively metropolis. More and more, my castle town grows.

My dream grows.

It grows more complex. More beautiful. My goal is in sight.

The fountain’s newfound strength shows that.

But it’s not only it that grows stronger.

You and your party do, as well. Your stats grow. Your attack. Your defense. Susie’s magic.

The you of yesterday is now a speck of dust to the you of today.

Even your powers grow stronger.

You don’t need to focus anymore to create your ghostly self. To separate yourself from Kris’ body.

With a simple thought, you appear beside him, your form more solid. Something Mew Mew herself couldn’t do.

“Everyone, look! I don’t even need Mew Mew anymore to appear! It’s almost like I have my own body!” You start to fly around excitedly.

Susie circles you, observing. “You're still ghostly, but… Man, this is SO confusing!”

“Even so, I’m so happy! I don’t need to hide anymore!” Somehow, your speed seems to increase.

Kris crosses his arms and smiles. “The power of the dream… of the dark.”

“Ho ho ho! Look at Red Soul, flying to the skies!” A spark comes out of Kris’s pockets, revealing Lancer. He lands on the ground and poses. “Fuaaaaaaaarkkk! Re-Re-Enter, the bad guy, Lancer!”

“F-Fuark?!” Susie asks confusedly. “What the fuck is that?!”

“That!” Lancer points at Susie’s mouth.

“Huh?”

“That tier 2 swear word you love to say!” Lancer explains. “Fuark is that, but cooler.”

“And thy Kinge’s son isn’t alone! Because I art here! Rouxls Kaard! Thy greatere servant, oh Mine Liege!” Rouxls says, coming out of Kris’s pocket.

You don’t react to him at all.

“So this is Castle Town, huh? It’s way bigger than I thought it would be.” You and Susie turn to the source.

“MIKE!!!” You shout, flying back down to the ground. “You’re back to normal!!!”

“Just like how I said he would be, luv,” Ramb says, stepping in and back to normal as well.

“Oh, hey! It’s the plug guy!” Susie greets him. “The mod you made for Susiezilla was freaking awesome! Thanks for making my dream come true!”

“What the heckest! What about mine Personae?!” Rouxls whines but remains ignored.

“Glad you had fun, luv. My purpose was to always make you play your games.” He looks around, his eyes settling on the game corner. “Now… I can finally work on my craft… thank you, truly.”

He walks towards it, leaving the area.

“Ramb… I do miss playing your games… but… I had to grow up…”

At least he’s happy here, right?

“Hey, kids. You really did it, huh?” Mike says, looking at my town’s glory.

“Those kids are sugoi ne, Maiku-san!” The Mew Staff exclaims.

Mike's eyes look happy. “Even Mew Mew is here… This is really—”

“Da…dammit! There’s nothing I can connect to!” A voice cuts Mike off, and you all turn to its source.

The old cathode TV, fallen down on the floor, screen face-first into the floor.

“Goddamn! You’re persistent like hell!” Susie exclaims, sounding exasperated.

“It would be inspiring if you weren’t evil,” You pout.

“H-How's there nothing to connect to in this damned place?!” Tenna sounds panicked. “D-Don’t tell me… there’s no signal here?!”

“That’s exactly it, Mr. Tenna. It’s part of the Monarch’s rules…” A fluffy voice sounds. It’s none other than Ralsei. “Hello ever—GULP!”

He’s cut off by another one of your bone-crushing hugs. “G-G-Goner!”

You let go of him. “Look, Ralsei! I can now appear as myself! Isn’t that amazing!”

Ralsei looks at your ghostly form, blushes, and averts his eyes. “T-That’s great! I-I’m really happy!”

“The only thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have to be part of this anymore,” Kris says with a smirk.

Susie punches the human in the shoulder playfully. “Ok, that’s a good one.”

You pout. “Even you, Susie?”

“Stop with the idle chatting!” Tenna's yell brings everyone back to focus. “Who is this Monarch?! H-How can there be no signal?! R-Ramb and a bunch of people like him are here… so how can this be?!”

“They’re just plugs, Mr. Tenna… they don’t really emit… signals…” Ralsei nervously laughs. “(We are inside a school closet… we can’t even have a signal if we wanted…)”

“[Manical Laughter] YOU DUMB [#*#*]!!! HOW IS IT LIKE TO BE [Betrayed and Trapped]?! [Common Sayings] REVENGE IS B3St S3Rved [Cold] 8UT I Pr3FER [Flaming Hot]!” The Dealmaker starts to laugh maniacally.

“You’re just getting what you deserve, boss,” Mike says that last word dripping with venom.

“N… No! I need to fulfill the wishes of Rook Enterprises! I can’t let it end like this!” Tenna declares, but there’s no power behind it.

“Looks like someone needs to go to the Gay Baby Jail!” Everyone smirks at Lancer’s words.

“I guess we can put you together with King.” Ralsei ponders. “You’re just a TV in the end, so you both should fit in the same cell.”

Susie cracks her knuckles. “Let me handle this.”

Susie grabs the old TV. “H-Hey, hey, hey! Let me go! Be careful! I am a fragile piece of finest technology!!!” He protests, but he’s completely powerless against her.

“Bye, Kris, Goner!” Susie says, and she starts to walk away, followed by Lancer, who is shouting, “Gay-Baby-Jail.”

“See you soon, Kris… G-Goner!” And then the dark prince is gone.

“Time to explore this place. See ya around, kids.” And now it’s Mike’s turn.

Leaving only you and Kris.

“C’mon, let’s go! There’s so much to explore!” You’re shaking with excitement, stars in your eyes.

With an unusual happiness, Kris smirks.

And then, you two leave to explore the town.

“I haveth been forgottenest againest. Mine Liege haveth forsaken me. I haveth no more plans. But yet, I felthe somethingest in mine Personae. As if Mine life will changethe sooneth. Yesth. Very sooneth.”

Yet, there’s nobody to hear him.

*

You explore my town. You see the ever-expanding mass of buildings and creatures. Everyone from Rook Studio, from Beter to Darkness, is now living in this town.

Even the people from Kris’s house live here, too. The dice people meet their brothers from Card Kingdom. The Zappers chat with the Swatchlings.

You smile to yourself and reminisce about when you first arrived in this town.

A town that was so empty that it only had a single prince.

But thanks to you, to your efforts, it has grown far wider than you could possibly imagine.

Those are the thoughts you think in front of the light, as you hold the world in place.

As you SAVE.

The power of a funky town fills you.

But there's one place that hasn't changed at all.

Because it’s brand new!

The game corner that stands next to the castle. It has a controller with pink and yellow buttons as a sign, and it looks somewhat popular.

This is where Ramb went, right? We should visit him!

“Should we, truly? Is there anywhere else we should go?”

I have never played a video game before… This is my chance to be a gamer! Or are you afraid of being dethroned as king of games by me?

“I… Of course not… That’s… whatever, let’s just go inside.”

Smirking, you finally enter the game corner.

The first thing you notice is the smell. The smell of a cheap perfume thrown around that somehow still makes the room smell pleasant.

There’s a bunch of cabinets of various games inside, with plug boys and other citizens of Cyber World drinking and playing.

However, if it were just that, there would be nothing special to say.

No, what really was catching your attention was right in the middle, in a cabinet of a sword game.

The Rook Mew Mews are playing the game with the most fervor you have ever seen in a person, cursing and raging at it.

Even the people around it were stepping back, afraid of being caught in their rage.

You are speechless looking at it.

“Yes, luv. You are not seeing things.” Ramb says from the counter, catching your attention. “I never thought that they were such avid gamers. They never talked to me back in Cathode Studio… If I knew, I would’ve probably prepared more games.”

“That’s because we couldn’t act normally in that damned studio. The contracts always breathed down our goddamn necks.” A shrill voice that faintly rings a bell speaks.

You turn to the source of it, and your golden eyes widen when you see it. Even Kris’s eyes widen slightly, too.

It’s Mew Mew Smooch Cutie, the youngest of the Rook Mew Mews. She is leaning against a wall while smoking something.

“Um… You’re Mew Mew Smooch Cutie, right…? What are you doing here?” You nervously say. “And… you are acting very different from—”

“‘How you acted in Rook Studio’, yeah yeah, I know…. I heard that a lot.” She takes away what she’s been “smoking” to reveal it’s just a lollipop. “Just waiting for the besties to stop playing that game. I was never interested in it.”

You look at Ramb with worried eyes, but he simply shrugs in response.

“Wait… that thing in your neck…” She quickly walks over and takes the Mew Pendant in her hands. “That’s a Mew Pendant! Only we Mew Mews have it! And that’s Kissy Cutie’s pendant, too! How did you get it?”

You start to sweat, looking away. “Well, I…”

“You know, that doesn’t matter.” Smooch shakes her head. “She’s been gone for a long time; that’s probably just a memento. That reminds me.” She looks straight at you with her yellow eyes. “You were searching for her, right? I couldn’t say it back then because of Tenna’s ever-presenting eyes, but there’s nothing to find.”

“You see… we Rook Mew Mews used to be big shots back at Rook Studio. Our show was extremely popular, but becoming popular was a tall task there. You had to follow Tenna’s script to a tee.” Her eyes become nostalgic. “And nobody did that better than Kissy Cutie.”

“She played her part perfectly, giving all her love to whatever script forced us to play. If you looked at her back then, you would probably believe she actually meant every word she said in those shows.” Smooch takes a puff to let out smoke, even though she’s sucking a lollipop. “Thanks to her, we had it all in that damned studio.”

“She was popular with the boss, with Mike, and even with that salesman he hired from Cyber World. All because she was the perfect mold of what Tenna wanted a real worker to be.” Suddenly, a sad smile crossed her face. “Then… it all changed when her ‘visits’ to the backstage started.”

“I don’t know what started it, she said she heard someone calling for her there, but there was always nobody in the backstage. But still… Those visits caused her to change.” Smooch looks down. “More and more, she stopped obeying Tenna’s script. More and more, she wanted to do things her way. More and more, the Rook Mew Mews were losing their prestige.”

“Annoyed… I sneaked in to see what happens in those ‘visits’, but… There was nothing to see. It was just Mew Mew staring into static. Yet…” A guilty look passes over her face. “She was mad. Really mad. Said it ruined her connection with a man. Said she couldn’t listen to him anymore.”

“She was crazy! There was nobody there! Not even Tenna could connect to it! But she wouldn’t listen! Ever since that day, she hated me! She hated all of us! She wouldn’t listen, she wouldn’t work!” Smooch snapped the lollipop in half. “So we reported her to Tenna, and he sent her to the lost media archive. She’s probably a painting now, and you will never see her again.”

“Dammit, I am pissed off now. Hey, bartender! Give me a drink!” She calls out to Ramb. “Your strongest JPG!!!”

“(This isn’t a bar… and that’s Swatch’s job, not mine…)” Ramb sighs. “(I don’t think you will be able to play any games here, luv. Is there anywhere else you should go?)”

You briefly look at Kris as he looks at you, and you both nod. You then leave the game corner as the Mew Mews curse and rage.

Once you’re outside, you let the breath you had been holding.

That was… a lot to learn…

“Explains why Mew Mew was so angry at everyone…”

They betrayed her… just because she wanted to be herself… Because she…

“Was looking at a screen with nothing like a weirdo? Reminds me of someone…”

H…Hey! I am not crazy! Besides, I know none of you would ever betray me! Not after everyone knows the real me!

Confident once more, you walk away from the game corner.

You still had one place to go, after all.

*

One place that remained the same since you laid your eyes on it.

Where you are heading off to.

To Seam's shop.

You enter the antique shop.

Lantern light fills your vision. The nostalgic smell of cotton fills your nostrils.

The trinkets inside are in the same spots.

The world may change and grow, yet this place remains the same.

As does the cat that lives here.

It remains the same, sitting behind the counter

“Not only did the world change again, so did you, O Legendary Hero. Did you decide to abandon your shell to appear as yourself, truly?” Seam’s voice is coy. “Well, it’s not like it matters. You may change, but I will remain.”

You smile wistfully. “You already knew when we first met, didn’t you? That’s why you acted this way…”

Seam leans on the counter. “Does it matter? Has your knowledge changed our interactions? From what I see, we remain the same.” It shakes its paw. “It doesn’t matter. Why have you come here? Collecting more Shadow Crystals should’ve been impossible.”

You smirk, your eyes glinting naughtily. “Hehehe… Don’t you know? The impossible is possible with this legendary hero on the case!” You wildly gesture towards Kris. “Kris, show it!”

With a sigh, the human pulls out the Shadow Crystal. The strange, glassy, orb-like substance that not even eyes that can see darkness can see.

“I see.” Seam jumps from the counter, picks it up, and goes back down.

You dart your eyes around. You blink. “That’s it?! Why are you not surprised?!”

“I can already see from the pendant around the shell’s neck that you have bested Mew Mew.” You whine and pout at that while Seam quietly giggles. “Yet again, you should be wary of your arrogance. I wonder, how did you beat Mew Mew without my Shadow Mantle?”

“Oh, we did use the Shadow Mantle.” You explain. “Rouxls brought it with him, and after a huge scuffle, we managed to use it just in time to defeat her.”

“Hai!” The pendant yells. “Kurisu went yooooooooooossshhhhhhh with Gonā and then slash!”

“Rouxls helped you, heh? How weird. It’s not in his character.” Seam holds a paw on its chin. “Seems like a lot of weird things happen around you, Legendary Hero. You’ve managed to collect three Shadow Crystals. You’re over halfway towards completing your quest.”

“Really! Yay!” You fly around Kris excitedly, and then you point a finger at Seam. “I told you I was going to do it.”

“It’s unwise to celebrate so soon. Your next foes are quite elusive to catch. I shall tell you this, I’ve never seen the next holder with my own eyes.”

Your eyes widen. “No way! But you know everything!!!!”

Seam chuckles. “Do I? You’re really amusing.” Its face grows wistful. “There's peace in your eyes. A purpose that was found. A newfound resolve. But be careful not build your goals on a sandcastle. It might appear sunny outside, but rain can always come. May fate smile on you again. Or maybe don’t. Not like it matters to you, does it?”

“Nope!” You blow a raspberry at it.

Surprisingly enough, Seam actually laughs at it.

“Bye-bye for now, Mr. Grumpy Cat!” You wave at it as you leave its shop.

“Be seeing you soon, Legendary Hero.” When you leave, the smile on the cat’s face disappears. “Even if your future is only darkness.”

It says to itself, and nobody hears it.

Nobody except me.

*

With nowhere else to go after exiting Seam's shop, you and the human head to my castle.

As you two walk over to it, you notice there aren't too many people outside. Indeed, not even the Lancer-shaped hole—a famous attraction—had anybody in it.

Now, this was enough to raise the suspicion of anyone with a brain—even if I doubt about yours.

Still, you two walked inside my castle, into its main room.

And noticed something weird inside.

The floor was rumbling. It was shaking. Sound was coming from somewhere. Loud sound.

Not from the floors where your rooms are. Nor from the main chambers.

It was coming from the ‘Gay Baby Jail’.

Without a moment's notice, you two ran downwards.

Seeing something not even I could believe.

An entire party is taking place in my prison cells.

Everyone from Card Kingdom and Cyber World. From Mr.Society and Mr.Elegance hitting the dance floor, Sweet Cap’n Cakes as DJs.

Even Mike is here being a waiter together with Swatch.

It’s a freaking disco floor out here!

Fury fills me, but I remain calm. I must find the source first.

I must find who would even dare to party on my sacred—

“Yeah Hit That Booty Up It’s Time To Party (With No End)”

It’s none other than Queen who is doing this, even though she should be in her house arrest room!!!

“Woohoo! What’s up, guys! Is there a party happening here or what?” Instead of doing anything sensible, you decide to join them at the party…

“Holy Crap Look At That Everyone It’s None Other Than Kris Cross Applesauce Red Heart Thing” There’s an exclamation mark in Queen’s visor. “Ready To Hit The Griddy?”

“I have no idea what that means, but I betcha I can make this ten times more lively!” You start to glow, making this party now turn into a freaking light show.

I can’t help but sigh at your stupidity.

Kris facepalms and then turns to the cell right beside him. To King, who, for some reason, is holding a TV remote. “Where the heck is Susie and Ralsei?”

“Do I look like their babysitter?” King turns back to Tenna, who is now sharing a cell with him. He presses some buttons, making Tenna change channels. Somehow. “Do not think I’m grateful for this TV. I don’t need entertainment from Lightners like you.”

Yet he keeps changing Tenna’s channel. “S-S-Stop d-d-doing t-t-that! I-I-It tickles! P-P-Please, Kris, l-l-let m-me out of here! T-T-The emissary of R-Rook’s c-c-can’t end up like this!”

“You deserve it, Lightner worshiper. Behold what happens to those who betray our own.” King laughs.

“P-P-President A-A-Ann… s-save m-me!!!!” He screams, but nobody comes.

The human completely ignores him. He looks back at the stairs.

“They’re probably seeing their rooms.”

Leaving you behind, he runs back up and then again to the second floor.

And yet, Susie and Ralsei still aren't there.

With no choice, he goes to the third floor.

The third floor only has two doors in it. One green, and one white.

The white one has the color of snow and has a crown above it. It has two angel-like wings on the sides.

The green door looks unassuming, and it’s slightly open. The human walks inside.

And sees Susie and Ralsei inside a mostly empty room.

Unlike Kris and Susie’s room, this room only has a bed. And a messy one at that.

And literally nothing else.

A familiar ping of shame rears itself in Kris’s head, like a snake. Despite it being green, all he can remember is another room.

A room he doesn’t like to remember.

“Damn, dude. This is your room?” Susie asks while scratching her mane. “It’s very… big.”

“I know it isn’t much…” Ralsei says nervously. “That’s why I didn’t want you guys to see it.”

“What, no! It’s a cool room! I’m being honest!” Susie says with too much cheer. “I’m sure Goner would love it! That would make you happy, wouldn’t it?”

“Um, er, I mean…” The goat stammers with a blush.

“It’s just… well… your room is kind of empty, dude…” Susie walks over to the bed. “It’s nice you have a bed, but… why do you only have that? We have a bunch of cool stuff, so why don’t you…”

“I… I…” Ralsei nervously smiles. “I don’t… need anything else. I am happy with this room. Really, I am… I… like the minimalism style.”

“You don’t look happy, and besides…” Susie smirks. “I know for a fact Goner would want you to have things, too! Look… I will be honest, but… I lied. I think your room kinda sucks.”

Ralsei doesn’t drop his smile, but his eyes become heavier. “Well, that doesn’t—”

“But there’s still time to fix this! We can decorate your room right now! Make it lively! Gotta do it before Goner sees it, y’know.” Susie scratches her mane. “She won’t be as honest as me, but… I think she will be disappointed that your room isn’t, like, super cool like ours.”

“I wasn’t really planning for her to—” Ralsei tries to say, but…

Wait… Is that second door there for her?” Susie cuts him off. “Is that her room?” Susie ponders. “But isn’t she stuck to Kris' body? But then, who else would—”

“You need to go downstairs.” Kris suddenly says, causing both to jump.

“Jeez, dude! You need to stop appearing like a ninja!” Susie looks behind the human. “Hey, where’s Goner?”

Kris walks up to Ralsei. “There’s something you need to fix downstairs.”

Ralsei messes with his glasses. The goat prince's eyes widen. “What are they doing there?”

“Who is doing what?” As Susie asks, the human and dark prince run out of the room. “Hey, wait for me, assholes!”

The descent to the basement is quick, and as the prince sees the mess they made of my prison, he yells: “EVERYONE, STOP!”

Everyone does. “This party is over! Everyone, go to your homes! Monarch’s rules!”

Everyone sighs, whines, and complains, but they obey.

“You could’ve at least let the fun go for a little longer, prince,” Mike whines as he leaves.

“Awwwwww… why did you stop it?! We’re having so much fun!” You pout like a little baby.

“Look At That Other Guy You Made Soul Girl Gon Gon Cry (You’re A Bad Person)” Queen’s visor shows a single L.

“I-It’s not my fault! I-I’m just following the Monarch’s rules! Please don’t cry!” Ralsei pathetically falls to your bait.

“Th…This Monarch person sounds like a meanie!” You hold your hands over your eyes, pretending to cry. “You would pick a bad person like them over your best friend in the world?”

Queen crosses her arms. “Not Cool, Dude”

“Shame, Ralsei. Shame.” Susie shakes her head.

All the pressure makes the dark prince squirm in place. “I-It’s not like that! I-I promise.”

“Who even is this Mona—whatsoever dude? I’ve never seen them in this entire place…” Susie smirks. “Maybe it’s Ralsei’s dad?”

“Wow! I want to see what he looks like!” You say excitedly, the fake sadness disappearing in an instant. “Maybe he looks like a dweeb version of Asgore.”

“Maybe he’s just a big goat.”

“Maybe he’s the size of the castle!”

“No, even bigger! The size of Rook Tower!”

“And he wears a coat!”

“And has these dweeb glasses.”

“And—”

“SHUT UP!” King’s booming voice cuts your and Susie’s really dumb talk. “I’m trying to watch TV! My favorite show is on.”

You realize Tenna is now playing a wrestling show. It’s very unappealing to you. “P-P-Please save meeeeeee…” Tenna whines.

“Wow You’re Still Watching Those Burly Men Fight One Another (That’s Dumb)” Queen mocks him.

“Shut up, wench. You don’t have good taste.” The spade king turns back to his screen.

“This reminds me…” Ralsei interjects. “You should be in your room, Queen. On domestic arrest.”

An exclamation point appears on Queen’s visor. “Oh No I Was Found Out Time To: Escape”

Queen starts to comically run away, but then…

BOOM, CRASH!

“Hohoho, Lancer is back!” It’s none other than Lancer.

“Lancer?!” Susie exclaims. “Wait, weren’t you with us?”

“Hohoho, true! But I left! I met with Lesser Dad.”

In the spade’s words, Rouxls appears. He looks at Queen, and stars appear in his eyes. “Mine Queen! Salutations!”

Queen immediately starts to comically run in the opposite direction, “No No No No No No No No No”

“Nay! Nay! Waitethe!” Rouxls chases after her, but she closes the door to her room in his face.

“Well… that was something…” Ralsei looks at the mess down here, and his ears fall. “This is going to take so long to clean."

“We shall leave you to do so.” Kris turns around. “Time for us to leave.”

“What?! Already?!” Susie whines.

“Did you forget that Roaring Knight is still out there? It invaded my home. It could open another fountain at any moment.” Kris shows an unusual amount of seriousness.

“Plus, you all have Church today, don’t you? It’s better not be late!” Ralsei says cheerfully.

You two sigh, but you accept it. You have to, after all.

“Oh, if it’s time for the next part, then I need to go. Transform!” Lancer jumps up, turns into a card, and falls back into Kris's pocket.

“I shalt not miss Mine Chance of grandeur!” Rouxls tries to jump, trips, still turns into a card, and slowly floats inside Kris's pocket.

Susie slaps Ralsei on the back, almost making him faint. “Don’t be lazy in the cleaning, dude.” She then whispers to him. “(And don’t forget what you said about your room. I will be finding cool things for you, that’s our secret!)”

“I-I won’t-ACK” He gets cut off by one of your bone-crushing hugs.

“Bye, Ralsei!” You let go of him. “Bye, King. Bye, Rook guy!” The last two don’t reply to you.

Still waving at them, you and your friends from the light leave my castle, and soon enough leave my Castle Town, returning to the light.

Leaving the dark within.

Ralsei looks towards where the Grand Fountain should be with a completely neutral face. “The Darkness from the Grand Fountain grows stronger and stronger. There’s not much longer until…”

The goat prince closes his eyes with a pained expression.

“Susie… I don’t deserve to have stuff in my room. Not someone like me. Not when it won’t even…”

He sighs.

He opens them shortly after and starts cleaning as if nothing happened.