(A/N: I keep forgetting to mention that there is a separate book for alternative endings and miscellaneous scenes pertaining to Withering Hope. Please check it out!)
"DAVE! DAAAVE!" Steven screamed frantically, rushing to the zombie's side at the same time Bart ran over. The skeletons nocked their arrows and aimed at him once more, but Seto jumped in the room and formed a shield in front of them, blocking the projectiles. With an angered shout, Seto leapt ahead, his hands igniting with purple flames as he launched balls of energy at the skeletons and blasted every single one of them apart, spinning his body to give his blows more momentum. When he was sure every last skeleton was taken care of, he breathed heavily and turned around.
The first thing he saw was Steven hunched over Dave; however, Steven was actually staring at Seto with... fear? His dark eyes were hollow with terror as he gaped at Seto. Bewildered, Seto looked up and saw Bart giving him a similar expression. What was wrong?
He didn't have time to think about it more when Dave shifted faintly on the floor, distracting all of them. "Oh god- Oh god Dave? Dave, can you hear me?" Steven asked desperately.
Dave nodded slightly.
Seto noticed that both of his arms were crossed over his head, each of which sporting an arrow stained with dark blood. Relief washed over Seto as he realized that Dave had been smart enough to protect his most vulnerable area, although he was still severely injured and needed medical attention fast. In total there were 6 arrows littered all over his body.
"Th-Thank god... None of them got to your head..." Steven whispered. "But you're still hurt really bad..."
Bart knelt down and stared at Dave with an unreadable expression, but then gently rested his hand on Dave's forehead and smoothed his hair from his face.
"Aw, that didn't really turn out as entertaining as we expected..." MonoWither lamented.
Steven stiffened with anger. "You... You almost killed Dave!" Steven shrieked. "You almost killed him! How dare you?!"
"What, why so worked up over a zombie? There are tons of them out there! So you found the one defect that doesn't want to bite your head off, that doesn't mean you can just develop some emotional attachment to him!"
Bart flinched and Steven's pupils dilated. "DAVE ISN'T A DEFECT!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face.
"Sure, sure, whatever you want to believe..." MonoWither said, rolling their eyes before grumbling. "I just wish he hadn't interfered with the surprise..."
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Husky shouted.
"Those arrows would have hit Steven if Dave didn't push him away!" Bonks cried out.
"You purposely tried to get Steven killed!" Tyler yelled.
"But isn't Steven the Super Duper Minecrafter Level Mob Observer? We thought he'd be able to talk to the skeletons and befriend them! We thought he would feel right at home!"
"I- I can't talk to mobs!" Steven said in bewilderment.
"Oh please, you talk to them every single day! Live with them, even! Aren't you one of those monster sympathizers who say we should live in peace with mobs and be one with nature despite their inherent thirst for human blood?"
"Bart and Dave aren't monsters!" Steven insisted. "You're- You're the real monster here!"
Dave grabbed Steven's hand and moaned weakly, turning everyone's attention back to him.
Anguish filled Steven's voice. "Oh- Oh god- I'm sorry Dave, I don't know what to do, I can't think straight I-"
Bart placed his hand on Steven's back, tapping something. A message, perhaps? What ever it was, it made Steven relax slightly.
"He needs a Potion of Harming, and fast," Seto said. "MonoWither sells some in their shop, don't they?"
"Uh, no, they're- uh- not for sale anymore!" MonoWither stammered.
"At this point, that's just playing dirty," Jordan muttered darkly.
"Yeah, you can't just stop selling them just because we want to help someone with it!" Jason shouted.
"Ugh, fine, fine!" MonoWither snapped. "Seeing as I have no choice... We'll get one for you! You guys better pay up, they're 80 WitherCoins!" They disappeared.
"I'm sorry- I'm sorry Dave-" Steven blubbered. "I should have moved out of the way- I should have reacted faster, I-"
"Steven, calm down. He'll be fine," Ashley said.
Steven swallowed. "R-Right..."
"Pull the arrows out," Seto ordered.
Bodil looked confused. "But aren't you supposed to keep arrows in so he doesn't bleed-"
"Dave is a zombie, it's different," Seto replied. "Besides, we need to get the arrows out so that the potion works."
Steven hesitantly grabbed one of the arrows in Dave's arm. "Sorry if this hurts..." he said softly before tugging at the arrow.
Dave howled and Steven stopped, letting go as though the arrow had burned him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he shrieked wildly.
"Here, I'll do it," Annie said, kneeling down beside the zombie. With expertise, the SDML Archer carefully inserted her fingers into the wound, spreading it wider, before pulling out the arrow with minimal tugging.
"Th-Thank you..." Steven whispered.
"It's nothing," Annie replied as she promptly started on another.
Seto looked around, staring at the iron doors. Did each lead to a different room containing a different type of monster mob? If so, then this entire hallway was filled with monsters... But why?
Annie had just pulled out the last one when MonoWither returned. "All right, here's your Potion of Harming!" they grumbled, tossing the bottle at Steven.
Steven immediately pulled off the lid and almost poured the liquid onto one of Dave's wounds when Seto cried out, "STOP!"
Everyone looked at him, startled.
"Give me that," Seto muttered.
Steven wordlessly handed over the potion bottle. Seto swirled the contents, watching the liquid's thickness carefully. Then he wafted the scent, making sure not to sniff it directly from the bottle.
"...What kind of sick game do you think you're playing?" Seto asked, glaring up at MonoWither.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" MonoWither asked, tilting their heads curiously.
"Don't try to play innocent! This is a Potion of Healing with dark-red food coloring!" Seto shouted. "That could kill Dave for real!"
Steven gasped and covered his mouth with his hands, shocked and appalled. Bart actually bared his fangs and snarled at the machine.
"What the fuck?!" Jason shouted.
"Why do you want Dave to die so badly?!" Bonks wailed.
"For fuck's sake MonoWither, just give us a Potion of Harming like we asked!" Husky demanded.
"Why should we? Dave sacrificed himself for Steven, he should reap the consequences!" MonoWither said, huffing. "But if you really want to save him so badly, everything you need is on this floor! Hmph!" With that, MonoWither was gone.
"I- I can't believe I almost gave him that!" Steven bawled. "I almost killed him, I-"
"Everything we need is on this floor," Jordan interrupted. "We should explore it now and not waste any more time. Steven, you stay here with Bart while we-"
Ryan suddenly walked in, the sound of his footsteps making everyone turn around.
"Ryan!" Steven cried out in relief. "Dave's injured and he needs a Potion of Harming, fast! You already know what's on this floor, right?"
Ryan didn't respond. His face still held that dark emptiness...
"Ryan?" Tyler asked quietly. "Can you help us?"
Ryan turned around and walked away. Seto and the others hesitantly followed him as he crossed the floor and stopped in front of a room.
"In here?" Seto asked.
No response.
Seto used his e-Handbook to open the door and had to hold back a strangely ecstatic squeal that suddenly swelled up inside of him. He had no idea he was even capable of making that kind of sound.
"A brewing room!" Husky exclaimed. "Ryan, thank you, that's just what we needed-"
Everyone turned only to notice that Ryan was gone. The sound of his footsteps as he went down the stairs echoed hollowly.
"There's so much stuff here..." Seto said, awestruck. Then he shook his head and forced himself to concentrate. "All right, a Potion of Harming needs water, a sprig of Nether Wart, a slice of Glistering Melon, and a Fermented Spider Eye," he said, striding over to a brewing stand. "Start finding those. Also, get glowstone dust to make the potion more potent."
"Here are the cauldrons for the water," Bodil said, running up to them.
Jason tentatively opened an oven. "Nether Wart's in here!" he called out, pulling out a warm pan of Nether Wart growing from Soul Sand.
"I found the melons!" Husky said, looking into the fridge.
Tyler opened a chest and took out a plastic box, practically tearing off the lid in his haste. "Nope, that's redstone dust," he muttered. He took out another box and opened it. "Oh, here's the glowstone dust!"
"What about the Fermented Spider Eye?" Seto asked.
Everyone else looked around, but couldn't find any.
"Where could they be?" Bonks asked.
"...The hallway," Seto replied. "If there's a room with skeletons, there must be a room with spiders."
"Ashley, Jordan, and I will find it!" Annie declared.
"But we don't have weapons," Ashley argued.
"Some of the skeletons dropped bows and arrows," Jordan replied.
"Exactly! Now let's go find those spiders and fast! Time is ticking!" Annie said. All three of them ran out of the room.
"All right, let's get started," Seto said hurriedly. "Bodil, I need some water."
Bodil grabbed a potion bottle and scooped water from the cauldron. "Here!" Bodil said, giving it to Seto.
Seto placed the bottle on the brewing stand and turned on the flames. "Jason, get me a sprig of Nether Wart that's preferably full-grown. The darker the red, the better."
Jason plucked one from the Soul Sand. "Is this one good?"
Seto glanced at it quickly. "Yeah, should be." He opened one of the cabinets and found a mortar and pestle before grinding up the sprig of Nether Wart, using his magic to keep the items levitated. "Husky, get a slice of Glistering Melon and cut it into squares-"
"Uh, I don't have a knife to cut up the melon..." Husky said, struggling to carry a whole melon.
Bonks paused before slowly pulling out a dagger. Seto's face paled when he saw the yin-and-yang symbol on the hilt. That was his dagger... the same one he'd used to attack her...
"Oh, that should be good!" Husky said, placing the melon on the table with a loud thud. He took the dagger and started cutting into the melon.
Seto stopped grinding the Nether Wart and checked to see that it was now a fine red powder. "You guys might want to step back," he warned before dumping the powder into the water. The water started to fizz and bubble as it reacted violently. A deep red steam formed and the smell of copper filled the air. Seto waved his hand and waited for the steam to dissipate.
"Here, I cut up the melon!" Husky said.
Seto ran over, picked up the cubes with his magic, and then dumped each one into the Awkward Potion. The liquid started to turn red. Normally he would take his time rather than rush, but they didn't have the luxury. Dave needed this potion fast. "Now all we need is the Spider Eye..."
The door slammed open. "All right, we got it!" Annie said. "Now all we need to do is ferment it!"
Tyler opened another box in the chest. "Sugar is here!" he called out.
"Mushrooms are in the fridge!" Husky shouted.
"All right, craft a Fermented Spider Eye for me," Seto said. "The potion's almost ready."
"That looks like a Healing Potion..." Bodil said hesitantly.
"It is a Healing Potion," Seto explained. "But a Fermented Spider Eye will corrupt its effects."
"Oh..."
When they were done, Seto put the Eye in the Healing Potion, which started to hiss and turn a dark, crimson red. As a final touch, he walked over to Tyler and took out a pinch of the glowstone dust before sprinkling it into the potion as well. He turned off the flames and swirled the contents.
"All right, this should be good," Seto said after a brief examination. "Now let's go-"
"Ugh, go away!" Jordan said, stepping away from something on the ground. A small green slime that only went up to Jordan's knee hopped towards him with a loud squelch.
"Aw, it likes you!" Bonks squealed.
"No it doesn't! It just wants a meal too big for its own size!" Jordan retorted.
"Let's go," Seto repeated, carrying the potion carefully as he left the room.
When they headed towards the hallway, Steven's head shot up as he looked up at them. "Ah! You made the potion!"
"How is he?" Ashley asked.
Dave groaned a little and Steven cringed. "He... He really needs that potion..."
"Pour a little bit on each of his wounds," Seto said as he gave Steven the bottle.
Steven gulped as he took the potion and slowly poured it onto the wound on Dave's left arm.
Dave let out a loud hiss and Steven quickly stopped, alarmed, before he noticed the wound begin to seal. A large sigh of relief filled the room. "It works!" Steven cried out happily before readily pouring the Potion of Harming on every single one of Dave's wounds. When Steven was done, Dave sat up and blinked. "Do you feel better?" Steven asked.
Dave stared at his arms before poking at his other healed wounds curiously. Then he nodded.
Steven embraced Dave, hugging him tightly. "I thought we were going to lose you!" he wailed tearfully. "I thought- I thought you were gone forever when those arrows hit you!"
Bart reached out and ruffled Dave's hair with his hand, a rare sign of affection from the Enderman.
Dave paused before hugging Steven back. Then he lowered his arms and reached into Steven's back pocket, pulling out his game controller.
Steven let go and gave him a disbelieving stare. "...You almost died, and you want to play video games."
The sound of the game controller turning on filled the room. Dave grinned wickedly before pressing several buttons.
Bart smacked Dave in the back of his head, glaring at him disapprovingly.
Steven rolled his eyes. "I don't... You're never going to stop until you find that hidden level in Ghast Blasters, aren't you."
Ghast Blaster's theme played triumphantly, answering his question.
"Well I'm glad everything turned out okay in the end," Jason said, relieved.
"Yeah, that was a close one..." Bodil said.
"Oh, so you actually did it..."
Everyone turned to see MonoWither hovering behind them. Steven instinctively shielded Dave with his own body, as though MonoWither would attack him yet again.
"You actually saved Dave's life..." MonoWither continued. "Isn't that just wonderful? So touching..."
"Yeah, since you wouldn't help us," Annie hissed.
"We really couldn't care less what happens to him," MonoWither explained. "We mean, he's just a zombie."
"He's not just a zombie!" Steven shrieked.
MonoWither laughed. "What kind of delusional thinking is this? Of course he's just a zombie! You really think he cares about you? He doesn't have a human soul! He's incapable of feeling a thing! How do you know one day he won't just snap and start eating you like a normal zombie would!"
Dave dropped the Gameboy, which clattered to the floor, and Seto could see the pixelated ghast in the 8-bit game blast the player into smithereens before the screen showed "GAME OVER".
Bart snarled angrily as he held Dave from behind. Dave, however, started to tremble violently.
Steven didn't say a word. All he did was curl his fingers into tight fists as he stared back at MonoWither, his black eyes filled with pure hatred. Perhaps that was the scariest reaction of all, for Seto had never seen Steven this angry before...
"Well, we'll leave you guys alone for now. Take a break and explore the rest of the floor! There's a music room and a dance room. Quite fun if you ask us! If you need us, just give us a call!" MonoWither vanished.
"...Don't... listen... to them... Dave..." Steven whispered, a hardened look in his eyes. "You hear me? They're just trying to get a reaction... They're just like bullies... Good-for-nothing bullies... You're better than they are..."
Dave paused before nodding and picking up his Gameboy, rubbing the screen clean with his sleeve. Ghast Blaster's theme started playing again as he restarted the level.
"So... What do we do now?" Husky asked.
"Well there's the two other rooms MonoWither mentioned that we haven't explored yet," Seto responded. "We might as well see what they have. Oh, and Steven? Make sure Dave doesn't overexert himself, he could reopen his wounds if he's not careful."
"You got that, Dave?" Steven asked him.
Dave nodded as he continued to stare at the Gameboy.
"...I doubt he'll overexert himself at this rate," Ashley remarked.
Steven and Bart helped Dave stand up before they all left the hallway.
Their first stop was the music room. Seto noticed that there was a large concert stage in the back with a grand piano on top. In front, there were rows of chairs and music stands sitting about.
"Wow, this is way bigger than I expected," Husky said, looking around.
Jason snickered. "You said the same thing to me last night..."
Seto choked on his own spit and Tyler glanced at him with a bemused expression.
"What was bigger than expected?" Steven asked, clueless. Bart immediately covered his ears with his hands. "H-Hey! Bart! Stop it! I'm not a baby!" Steven shouted, swatting his arms away.
"Jason! There are innocent people here!" Annie scolded.
Jason grinned sheepishly. "Whoops, sorry. Sometimes I just can't control what comes out of me."
"Yeah, I can attest to that because of last night," Husky remarked smoothly.
Seto burst into an uncontrollable coughing fit again and Tyler giggled.
Jason flushed a dark shade of red. "H-H-Husky!"
"...I'm confused. I probably shouldn't ask anymore," Steven muttered.
"Nope," Jordan agreed.
"You shouldn't," Bodil said.
"It's for your own good," Ashley stated.
Bonks patted Steven's shoulder. "Some things are just better left unknown..."
"I want to check out that piano..." Jordan muttered as he walked over to the stage. However, he heard something that made him turn around. "Will you just LEAVE ME ALONE?!" Jordan shrieked. The slime had returned, it seemed. "Ever since we went into the slime room this slime's been following me around nonstop!"
Steven looked at him curiously before noticing the slime. "Aw, it likes you!" he said, giggling.
"That's exactly what Bonks said! And no, it probably just wants to eat me somehow!"
"No, you've got it all wrong! That's just a baby slime! It must have imprinted on you and thinks you're its parent!" Steven replied giddily. "That is so adorable!"
Jordan stopped looking so angry and paused. "So... It doesn't want to eat me."
"Of course not! Besides, slimes don't eat, they absorb blood and other nutrients through the skin."
Jordan thought for a moment before picking up the slime and staring at it. "It is kinda cute, now that I know it isn't trying to kill me..." he admitted finally. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Slimes don't have gender," Steven replied.
"...Then I'll call you... Um... Jerry. How about that?"
Jerry responded by suddenly leaping from Jordan's hands and onto his head, bouncing happily.
Jordan stiffened in fear before realizing that it wasn't hurting him and chuckled. "I think Jerry likes its new name..." he said as he grabbed Jerry again and carried him over to the piano. He set Jerry down on top of the instrument before sitting down on the seat and tapping at a few keys experimentally. "It's kind of out of tune..." he muttered.
"So what are you gonna play?" Tyler asked.
"Uh... Maybe I'll play 'Take Back the Night'..." Jordan replied.
"Will you sing along?" Bonks inquired.
"Oh, I'm not really a singer..." Jordan said awkwardly. "Someone else could sing though."
"Ooh, Ashley could sing!" Annie suggested with a smirk.
Ashley's face paled. "N-No I can't!" she stammered. "I am horrible at singing!"
Bodil's tawny eyes lit up. "No you're not! I've heard you sing before!"
"Yeah, in elementary school!" Ashley snapped.
"But you sounded great!" Bodil argued.
"All I did was sing Dorothy's parts in 'Wizard of Oz'!"
"That's the lead role!" Bonks exclaimed in amazement. "You must be good!"
"Now we're all curious," Husky noted.
"Stay curious all you want, I'm not singing," Ashley muttered. "'Over the Rainbow' was such a sappy song anyway..."
"You can't leave us hanging like this!" Jason whined.
"Too bad!"
"Well no one else is going to sing," Seto pointed out. "And it would be a shame to leave Jordan without a singer..."
Ashley stared at Bodil, who was giving her a puppy-dog eyes expression. She frowned before sighing. "Ugh, fine... Seeing as I have no choice..."
Bodil let out a squeak of delight and Ashley cleared her throat as Jordan began to play.
Closet full of secrets and skeletons,
Awakes but nothing's true...
Everyone was stunned into silence by Ashley's voice, which was delicate but quiet and slightly unsteady. Nevertheless, Seto was reminded of birds happily singing in the trees. It was a far cry from her usual brashness...
I used to own a castle, now it's boxes,
That I have to move...
Bodil had his hands clasped together in front of his chest as he gazed at her almost reverently. Ashley met his eyes before looking away awkwardly. Her singing started sounding more confident, however.
Right here in the darkness there's nothing left,
For me to do...
Jordan was focusing on his playing, engrossed by the music. His fingers were flowing across the black-and-white keys while his right foot pressed down on the pedals occasionally.
It's easier to run away, but today...
Today we got to...
Moved by the lyrics and melody, Seto closed his eyes and lost himself in the tune.
Cast the shadows out from sight,
A final stand, a shouting cry,
All the wrongs now turned to right,
So fight the past,
Take back the night!
And call upon the torch tonight!
To bring out all the ghosts to light!
Because at last we have to go, it's time...
...To take back the night-
At this point Jerry suddenly leapt from its seat and onto the keys, causing a jarring sound of dissonant notes that made everyone jump. Jordan burst into laughter. "Jerry! You ruined the song!"
Jerry began to hop along the keyboard ecstatically, making more discordant sounds.
"All right, that's it, no more singing from me," Ashley said as she walked off the stage.
Bodil started to clap with glee and everyone else followed suit.
"That was really good!" Seto complimented.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Aha... Really funny..."
"No, it actually was!" Tyler said.
"Best singing I've heard in awhile," Husky said.
"Yeah, you should sing more!" Jason suggested.
Ashley didn't respond, but she did look a little flustered.
Dave sat down on the piano seat next to Jordan, staring at the keys attentively. Jordan gave Dave a strange look. "Do you, uh, wanna play?"
Dave nodded.
Bart looked up at the ceiling with a done expression and Steven's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no, don't let him play!"
"Why not?" Bonks asked, confused.
Steven's face turned red. "You- You see- he only knows how to play one song, and- and it's- Dave, don't-!"
Dave pounded on the keys and started playing a tune that Seto faintly recognized. There was a few seconds of confusion before groans filled the room.
"Are you kidding me?" Annie complained.
"No, why?! WHY?!" Bodil lamented.
"THIS MADNESS NEEDS TO STOP!" Husky shrieked.
"I WENT SO LONG WITHOUT HEARING THIS, WHY DID MY STREAK HAVE TO END?!" Jason wailed.
Bart pulled Dave off the seat despite the zombie's wriggling in an attempt to escape his grip. Dave shook off Bart and landed on the floor, raised his arms and dabbed, before proudly walking away. Steven looked positively mortified, but Bonks was giggling.
"I can't believe it..." Jordan muttered, laughing.
"We all just got rickrolled..." Tyler chuckled.
"Rickrolled?" Seto asked, confused.
"It's when you play this song by Rick Astley to someone when they don't expect it," Bonks replied.
"Oh..." Seto said, trailing off.
"You don't know what that meme is?" Bodil asked.
"Meme?" Seto echoed, now even more confused.
"Oh Seto, you're so innocent!" Tyler cackled.
Seto flushed red. "I am- I am not innocent!"
"He doesn't know about the memes!" Jason exclaimed.
"The memes!" Husky repeated.
"For the longest time I thought they were pronounced 'me-mes'," Ashley admitted.
Seto looked incredibly lost at this point.
"They're just internet jokes that get copied by others and passed around," Annie explained finally.
"...Oh..." Seto said again, still incredibly confused but not exactly willing to press further.
Why did his friends have to be so weird sometimes?
The dance room was filled with loudspeakers and had a platform in the back with a large DJ mixer on top. There was a dance floor with different-colored squares, presumably able to light up.
Seto looked up at the ceiling to see a disco ball surrounded by star-shaped ornaments, dusted with silver glitter, that twinkled brightly as they dangled in the air.
Husky stood on his tiptoes and reached up to pluck one of the lower ones off its hook. He then bowed dramatically and presented it to Jason. "The brightest star in the galaxy for you, m'lady..." he said in a posh accent.
Jason snickered as he took it. "Oh kind sir, are you saying that you're not the brightest star?" he asked, covering his mouth with his hand.
"M-M'lady-!" Husky stammered. "You flatter me!"
"Tis the truth, sir!"
They stared at each other before bursting into giddy peals of laughter.
"I wonder what music there is..." Jordan said to himself. He walked over to the DJ mixer and pressed a random button. All of a sudden music blared from the loudspeakers at the highest possible volume, making Jerry wobble uncontrollably.
"GODDAMN THIS SHIT ALL TO HELL WHAT THE FUCK?!" Steven shrieked, clamping his hands over his ears.
Jordan quickly found the dial and turned the volume down to a more moderate level.
Everyone turned to stare at Steven with bewilderment. Bart facepalmed and Dave started clapping slowly. Steven's face flushed as red as a beet. "Oh- Oh no- I'm sorry-" he stammered frantically, his eyes darting back and forth. "Ex-Excuse my language- I didn't mean to- to curse like that-"
"What kind of song is this?" Ashley interrupted, a disturbed look crossing her face.
(A/N: watch?v=n5kXzOhPubM for the tune)
Let's kill merrily, we don't need the adults~!
Can we make one hundred corpses~? Let's have a competition~!
Seto felt chills run down his spine. "Is that... children singing?!" he asked, horrified.
It certainly sounded like a couple of young children were singing gleefully at the top of their lungs.
If there's MonoWither, we are invincible~!
Let's play with MonoWither, always~!
"What- What the hell is this?!" Tyler shrieked.
Let's kill with a smile. We killed all the adults~!
Let's gather the corpses and make mountains, graveyards of adults~~~!
Bodil shoved his hands over his ears. "I'M SCARED!" he shrieked, trembling.
Hunt! Hunt! MonoWither!
Bonks started whimpering in fear and Annie patted her back comfortingly, although she was equally appalled.
Torment! Torment! MonoWither!
Jason and Husky gave each other horrified glances as they shook with fear.
If we all sing together, the blood will overflooow~!
MonoWither suddenly appeared with a cackle, making quite a few people scream in shock. "WOOOH! THIS IS OUR JAM!" They started singing uproariously with the next verse.
With MonoWither, let's all smile~!
Let's play with MonoWither, always~!
Let's play with MonoWither, alwaaays~~~!
"TURN IT OFF! JUST TURN IT OFF!" Steven begged.
Jordan didn't need to think twice before he muted the volume. "What the... What the hell was that?!" he asked in a faint voice.
"That was our lovely song called 'Let's Play With MonoWither'! Wasn't it great?!" MonoWither asked cheerfully.
"G-Great? That was fucking horrifying!" Husky shouted.
"Were those actually little kids singing?" Jason asked with apprehension.
"Of course those were real kids! Those darling children, ah... Such angels, the lot of them!" MonoWither said proudly.
"Those lyrics aren't exactly child-friendly!" Tyler snapped.
"Why would kids sing that kind of song for you?" Bonks questioned fearfully.
"Why? Because they love us of course! Anyway, now's not the time to talk about those kids, that's a story for later! We're just here to warn you not to turn everything on! In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of technical equipment here! For instance, there's the disco ball, the dance floor, the strobe lights, the loudspeakers, the DJ mixer, et cetera et cetera! It starts to get pretty hot in here after awhile! Of course, you can always turn on the AC..."
"Just go away..." Ashley muttered in annoyance.
"Wah! Why do you hate us so? We just want to join in the fun!" MonoWither wailed.
"No one likes it when you show up!" Annie yelled. "Now scram!"
MonoWither let out a pitiful whine before disappearing again.
"Every time I think I'm used to them, they just make everything worse..." Jordan said quietly.
"I just wish we could make them leave us alone forever!" Bodil complained.
"They always have to ruin everything..." Husky murmured.
"...Come on guys..." Seto pleaded. "We can't let MonoWither ruin our mood like this."
"Seto's right," Tyler said, nodding his head. "The best way to combat MonoWither is to just not give them any attention! We have to look at the bright side!"
"Yeah, besides the, uh, questionable choice of music here, I think this dance room is actually pretty nice!" Jason said optimistically. "It's a little bit more cramped than I'm used to, but hey! Looking on the bright side here as Tyler said!"
Steven looked around. "Now that you mention it- OH GOD!" Steven practically jumped as he recoiled in shock, only to see that Dave was the one who had grabbed his arm. "Oh- Oh my god Dave! I thought you were someone else, why is your hand so warm?!"
Dave grinned as he let go of Steven's arm, placed his hand on the loudspeaker for a few seconds, before grabbing Steven's arm again. Bart stared at him before closing his eyes and looking at the ceiling, done with everything once again.
"...I'm just not going to question you anymore," Steven muttered.
"Hey Seto, are those... potion bottles?" Tyler asked confusedly as he pointed at a shelf to the side. "What are they for? Why would a dance room need potions?"
"I don't think I've ever seen these types of potions before," Seto said, bewildered. He picked up one bottle and saw that it was labeled Quickstep. "What in the world?"
Steven took one look at them and flinched. "Oh no... Not these again..."
"You know what they are?" Bodil asked.
"They're... um... dancing potions..." Steven replied awkwardly.
"Potions for dancing? How does that work?" Bonks asked, tilting her head curiously.
"So there was this crazy witch who trapped us in her hut and wouldn't let us out until we-" Steven was promptly interrupted by the sound of glass shattering by his feet. His body contorted as he suddenly grabbed Bonks' hands and spun her around. "AHHH! DAVE WHY?!" Steven shrieked.
Dave grinned mischievously as he clutched another potion bottle in his hands.
Bonks, also affected by the potion, spun around on one foot with expertise before holding onto Steven's shoulders. "I- I think this is ballet?!" she stammered frantically.
"Nope, the label said 'Foxtrot'," Annie replied cheekily.
"WELL HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS STOP?!" Steven asked desperately. Bonks' right hand and Steven's left hand were now clasped outwards while their other hands were resting on their shoulders as they zig-zagged across the dance floor.
"Oh, it'll wear off eventually," Annie said with a casual wave of her hand. "Hey, throw the swing one at Starfish."
Husky raised an eyebrow. "Starfish? What do you mean by that- AGH!" Husky suddenly screamed as Dave threw another potion bottle at them. Husky grabbed Jason's waist and hoisted him into the air.
"WOAH!" Jason cried out as he spread his legs for a second before landing on the ground. They held each other's hands and spun around the dance floor wildly, almost crashing into Steven and Bonks. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENIIING?!" he shrieked as Husky took his finger and spun him around three times.
"What, are you afraid I'm gonna drop you?" Husky asked, smirking at him.
"YES!" Jason replied with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, hanging onto Husky's shoulders for dear life as Husky leaned him backwards.
Ashley's eyes widened as both Dave and Annie turned to face her and Bodil. "Oh no you don't-"
-CRASH!-
Bodil and Ashley took a position similar to Steven and Bonks as they clasped their hands together, only their tempo was slower and they spun around in a more circular rather than linear fashion. "Eep!" Bodil squeaked as he found himself physically closer to Ashley than he'd ever expected to be.
"I'm getting revenge for this afterwards, Annie!" Ashley shouted angrily.
Annie giggled. "You'll thank me later!"
"Uh- Uh sorry you had to um- um- get caught dancing with me!" Bodil wailed. "I'm a horrible dancer, during high school prom I accidentally pushed my date into the food table-"
"More like she was the one who fell over because she drank some of the punch and it was spiked by Simon and Baki," Ashley replied, rolling her eyes.
"Well I definitely didn't help with my horrible dancing!"
"...Just don't step on my feet," Ashley muttered as they waltzed around the dance floor.
"I- I won't-! At least- At least I think the potion takes care of that..." Bodil replied frantically.
"Exactly, so just relax and don't worry about it."
"O-Okay..."
Seto watched the whole spectacle, bemused by everyone's reactions, and also wondered exactly what was going on in the brewer's head when they invented this type of potion.
"Annie? Dave? What are you doing?" Tyler asked, an uneasy tone suddenly filling his voice.
Seto barely had time to see Dave throw the potion before it shattered by them. Before he knew it, he let out a squeal of surprise as Tyler held onto him and spun him around.
"Time for both of you to dance the quickstep!" Annie shouted giddily.
Seto's limbs seemed to move on their own accord as he and Tyler, well, quickly stepped around the dance floor, which was now flashing all different sorts of colors. This "quickstep" seemed a lot faster than even Steven and Bonks' foxtrot was. But Seto was no dancer, so he had little clue exactly what was going on.
Suddenly realizing how close they were, Seto felt his face turn hot with flustered embarrassment.
"So... you've never known about these potions, huh?" Tyler asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.
"No, and I wish that never changed," Seto replied sarcastically, praying that Tyler couldn't feel or hear how fast his heart was beating.
"I wonder what the brewer was thinking when he invented this..."
"I was wondering the same thing, and I've come to the conclusion that he was probably thinking, 'How can I make people's lives more awkward than they need to be?'" Seto grumbled.
"At least I'm used to dancing with people. I acted in this movie once where my character had to dance with the lead girl. They hired a tango instructor and everything. I've never danced quickstep before though."
"Well I know next to nothing about dancing. Tango, foxtrot, waltz, swing, quickstep, I don't know what's going on anymore..." Seto sighed.
Tyler chuckled. "Well, as the great Elizabeth Bennet once said to Mr. Darcy, dancing encourages affection even if one's partner is barely tolerable."
"I don't recall that line being in the book."
"Oh, so you actually read the book? I only watched the movie."
"Pride and Prejudice is a classic, of course I read it. It's not really my type of story, though. Never watched the movie either."
"Well my point still stands."
"...Are you saying that I'm Mr. Darcy?" Seto deadpanned.
"Well I'm sure that behind that prickly mask of aloofness there's a kindhearted soul," Tyler joked.
"I am not a proud person like Mr. Darcy at all. At least I have the decency to dance with someone below my station."
"Wh- Excuse me?!" Tyler asked, his eyes widening in shock.
For a moment Seto thought he'd gone too far with the joke and stammered frantically. "N-Not that- that I was serious about that- um-"
Tyler frowned slightly. "Woah, hey, it's fine. I get that you were joking."
Seto sighed in relief.
"Because there's no way you're above my station," he continued conceitedly.
"...You know, if the potion didn't prevent us from breaking this dance position, you wouldn't be looking so smug right now."
Tyler snickered and changed the subject. "Well, it seems like Annie and Dave are having fun playing matchmaker."
Seto rolled his eyes. "Oh I wouldn't doubt it..."
"Oooh my god Jordan, I feel like Christmas just came early..." Annie said ecstatically in the distance, her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Hmm. You two made good choices with the pairings," Jordan replied, smiling.
Annie and Dave high-fived while Bart looked on, mildly amused.
Seto's eyes followed where Bart was looking and saw that Bonks was laughing joyfully. Steven's face was slightly red as he stared at her, and Seto had a feeling it wasn't because of the energy spent while dancing. Nevertheless, Steven was laughing as well, and after the terrible incident that had happened earlier today Seto was glad that Steven was enjoying himself now.
Jason and Husky were still dancing blazingly fast. Seto had no idea how the potion allowed Jason to make such stunning acrobatics, but it was definitely a sight to behold. Jason looked like he was about to reach the glittering stars hanging high on the top of the ceiling. Both of them were giggling to themselves, having the time of their life.
Bodil and Ashley were dancing the slowest out of all of them. As they smoothly spun around the dance floor, they weren't saying a word, yet it seemed like the rest of the room had faded away for the two. Bodil's eyes were closed, a blissful smile on his lips as he swayed back and forth. Ashley stared down at him, her expression unreadable, but she wasn't paying attention to anything else.
It all seemed rather surreal to Seto. It was like time had slowed to a crawl. All the despair surrounding them, all the horrible things that had happened in the recent days, for this one instant in this small room they all seemed to vanish. Everything seemed rather dreamlike to Seto, and for some reason he felt like they could just keep on dancing forever and ever and get rid of all of their woes and misfortunes...
But then Bonks stumbled as she tripped over Steven's feet and he had to steady her, Husky failed to catch Jason (who landed on the ground with a pained yelp) after throwing him high in the air, Bodil fell to the floor after Ashley's arms slipped and accidentally let go of him, and Seto and Tyler eventually slowed to a stop when the potions wore off.
"Aw, they only lasted for five minutes," Annie complained.
"...You have ten seconds to run," Ashley muttered. "I said I'd get my revenge after this and I always keep my word."
"But Dave's the one who started it!" she argued. Ashley shook her head before chasing after Annie, who fled from the dance room as she screamed and laughed hysterically. "YOU KNOW YOU LIKED IT!"
"Well, that was fun," Tyler said, letting go of him.
"...Yeah. It was," Seto replied, his voice strangely hollow.
As the room dissolved into happy chatter, it suddenly occurred to Seto that everyone had actually worked together in order to save Dave. They hadn't argued or accused each other of being spies, but had instead cooperated peacefully. He felt hope swell up inside of him as he realized that it was possible for them to live in harmony...
...
...But could it last forever? Or was it only temporary, just like their short dance?
MONOWITHER THEATER
Contrary to popular belief, Potions of Healing are not always effective. Movies, books, and video games may have you think that they're capable of healing any wound or injury no matter how drastic, but that is simply not so! To understand why, we will explain to you exactly what these potions do to your body.
Potions of Healing are incredibly efficient at sealing wounds and stopping blood loss by increasing the fibrin process hundreds of thousands of times their normal speed. Healing potions are also used to heal broken bones, as long as the bones are set right!
However, not all wounds are possible to seal. Sometimes the wound is just too big, or perhaps poison was involved. Potions of Healing can slow down poison, but can't stop it completely. Nevertheless, Potions of Healing can keep you alive for just a little bit longer until you reach the nearest hospital, so it's always good to have one on you in case a terrible accident happens!
This was your helpful PSA of the day!