Chapter 21
We soon joined back up with Marionette and saw she already had a ton of food on her lunch tray and she had already sat with a couple of other students and them already talking to each other. "I'm going to sit with Marionette. You guys want to sit somewhere else?" I asked my friends.
"We don't mind sitting at a different table," Ina smiled as I got in line and got some food, that being a grilled cheese sandwich, honey-coated biscuits, and some fried rice. They really knew how to deliver in terms of good food, I thought. After getting my food, I then proceeded to the table Marionette was sitting at and saw she had been talking to a boy around 16 years old, a 14 year old boy, and two female friends that were roughly 18 or so.
"Hello. Are you her friend? Because she's a little bit daft," the 16 year old boy said.
"What does 'daft' mean?" Marionette asked.
"She's just not used to being in the outside world. She's lived her entire life in a mansion and this is her first exposure to an outside area," I smiled at them.
"Ah, so she isn't well-versed in the world? That makes a bit more sense. When I said that I was a student, she said 'Hello Astudent' nice to meet you," the man smiled at me.
"So what's your names?" I smirked.
"My name is Fred, and I'm hoping to become the next Headmaster," the 16 year old boy said, me memorizing his appearance so I'd remember him. He had messy blonde hair and green eyes, but he also had a fit look to him under his school uniform.
"My name is London," said one of the girls.
"And I'm Tiptin," her identical companion said, me smirking at that.
"So are you two twins?" I smiled.
"Yep! Born on the same day and identical in every way but occupation choices. I want to be a dancer, she wants to be a magician," Tiffany smiled.
"And I'm Handel. I'm here to become a doctor so I can help people get better," he smiled.
"My name is Maria. I'm here just for a few days," I said, the four students all looking at me confused.
"What do you mean?" Fred asked.
"I'll cut to the chase. Have any of you heard anything about the mysterious disappearances of students? And do you possibly know where they've been reappearing afterwards?" I asked them, Fred chuckling warmly at that as Tiptin and London both gasped and looked extremely scared and fidgety all of a sudden.
"Y-You c-can't be serious, Maria! If we said where that place was... h-he said he'd hurt us tenfold!" Tipton said as her hands shook in fear, making it difficult for her to eat her sandwich.
"You're still going on about that story? That the dead teacher is kidnapping students and scaring the shit out of 'em? Why would anyone believe that?" Fred asked.
"Maybe because they have evidence on them that it did happen? Do you happen to have any markings on you girls?" Marionette asked them.
"Y-Yes... here," London sighed as she lifted up the side of her blouse so we could see her hip, us all gasping at the giant bruise mark left in the shape of a book.
"Who... Who did this to you?" Fred gawked when he saw it and Handel looked at it with intrigue.
"The Dreadmaster did it! If you stay out past curfew, even if it's by accident like with me and Tiptin, he forces you into the Old School ruins and beats you mercilessly if you don't listen to him!" London said with tears in her eyes.
"I don't think she's fibbing. Nobody would cry like this if they were telling porkies... and these bruises aren't going away anytime soon. Whoever hit you girls obviously used a hard cover book of good size," Handel said at that.
"Well then I guess that I'll just have to teach this Dreadmaster a lesson he won't soon forget. This injustice can't go unpunished," I said, the girls gasping at me as they saw something on me.
"Um... what is that pink light inside of your shirt? It looks pretty..." they smiled.
"Oh come the flap on! How many mortals are going to be able to see me?!" Stella groaned, but she didn't return to normal size.
"She's my fairy friend. But she wants to be kept secret," Marionette smiled.
"I see her too... I thought fairies were make-believe creatures?" Fred asked.
"Not when they're the sister of the goddess and the stewardess of the Starflight Express," I smirked, Handel smirking at that.
"So you're this Mariana person that Phlegming's been telling me so much about! The one from Angel Falls that came from the heavens," Handel gawked.
"Yes, but don't tell anyone that? Just keep the act going until we've dealt with the 'Dreadmaster'? I'm on a secret undercover mission to find the cause of the disappearing students," I said.
"Cool! We promise to keep your secret... and as for where the Old School is, it's underneath the tombstone of the Founder of Swinedimples. You'll need to go there after curfew to take him on," Tiptin said with concern for me.
"Okay. And what time is curfew?" Marionette asked.
"It's at dusk, right as the sun goes down," Fred said.
I did as instructed by the students and met up with my allies at the tombstone of the founder just as the sun went down. "Okay, we're here as they said, but I see no sign of the Dreadmaster... where could it be?" Ina asked as we heard the curfew bell ding and we looked at the tombstone that had the founder's name on it.
"You think he'd show up to take us in. Especially us, since we're still technically Swinedimples students," Carl said as he held onto Harley and Ina with concern. And then, just as he said that, something happened to him that I didn't expect. His body locked up and so did Ina's and Harley's!
"Ack... c-can't... m-move..." Harley groaned as she tried to fight it, but obviously not being able to. Whoever this Dreadmaster was, his magic was not to be underestimated, but it only appeared to affect the trio from Gleeba as they were all students here before.
"I-I'm scared, guys..." Ina said as Carl's body then started to move of its own accord as the tombstone then slid out to reveal a staircase.
"We'll get in there first," Marionette said with seriousness for a change as we rushed into the staircase before our friends and after all of us were down in the old school ruins, the tombstone still remained moved.
"M-My body's moving on its own! It's gotta be the Dreadmaster's influence! His magic is able to overpower that of even the Celestrians... only a Fygg could have this effect, I'm sure of it!" Carl said, his body stopping in place once he said that and once we had reached a library area in the old school ruins.
"How do you know of the fruit?" asked the voice of a very booming and mean voice, one that Harley gasped at.
"That doesn't sound like a bossy teacher to me... are... are you the Founder of Swinedimples?" Harley asked aloud.
It was just then that a spirit appeared in front of us, him looking like a buff man with a handlebar mustache, a stern gaze, and him wearing a brown tuxedo. "That is I... how do you know who I am and how do you know of that fruit?" the Founder asked with a stern gaze.
"I am the one you should be talking to, Dreadmaster. And speaking of, you have no damn right to be assaulting these innocent students for being outside of curfew! Hell, Tiptin and London said they were out accidentally and you just beat them mercilessly with books! Just because you're the founder doesn't mean you have to be a class one jerk and assault the students!" I yelled at him with anger in my eyes, the Founder gasping at my choice language.
"Are... Are you being sincere in your words?... I just thought I was fulfilling that teacher's dying wish by being stricter... but I just turned into a monster..." the Founder frowned as Carl, Ina, and Harley then gaining control of their bodies once again. "Here, take this damn fruit. I don't want to be remembered for being a monster," the Founder said as his spirit disappeared and the Fygg appeared afterwards.
"Well, I'll be flapped! You got all 7 Fyggs! Now all we've gotta do is go back and report our job well done to the Headmaster and then go back to the Starflight Express," Stella smirked.
"Yeah, but before we do that, I need to go over the plan with you about what we're going to do with Aquila," I said to my allies.
"You can tell us the plan on our way to the Headmaster," Ina smiled.