Chrono Crossover: The Funhouse

by Chronos the Cat

On a break between adventures, Crono, Serge, and some of their teammates compete in a month-long game involving physical challenges and crazy dares. Over the course of the game they will learn new things about each other and themselves... And a little bit of fan service will be had.

32. Episode Twenty Part 2

Chrono Crossover: The Funhouse

by Chronos Cat

Episode Twenty, Chapter Two

Round Six Part One, continued

o-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-o

Shortly after the Red Team started eating, Lucca commented, "I don't know which I'm more surprised about – Magus showing up here, or the fact that he hardly insulted anyone. I mean between our costumes and the Gray Team being half-dressed at most, I expected to hear at length why we're all idiots or worse."

Robo (who had tagged along) said, "Perhaps he was too preoccupied with reuniting with Mistress Kid."

Leena said, "So he's normally very insulting, then?"

Lucca replied, "Yes... Though now that I think about it, not as much these days as when we first met him. I don't know if he mellowed out, though, or if he just started to not dislike us as much."

Ayla commented, "Magus like strong people. When we show we strong, he like us."

Lucca said, "Are you sure you're not just talking about your own opinions of people? I mean he certainly doesn't like everyone who is strong – he despised his mother, and had plenty of bad things to say about Dalton and most of the Zeal nobility, not to mention pretty much anyone who opposed him."

Ayla thought for a moment, then said. "Magus call people he no like 'idiot'. Maybe need be strong and smart for him like?"

Leena said, "He was pretty polite to me earlier, unless you count saying I might be 'kinky' as being insulting. And I haven't done anything to show I'm strong."

Ayla replied, "Muscles not only way be strong."

Serge asked Leena quietly, "You don't think being called kinky is insulting?"

"Well, he didn't seem to mean it that way..." In a near-whisper that only Serge could hear, she added, "And he wasn't wrong..."

o-o-o-o

"- and then the two of them headed off to the Dungeon," Marle said, before taking a bite of her ice cream.

Frog swallowed his muffin, then replied, "So Kid's fear that Magus would judge her for her state of undress was not entirely unfounded. I am glad he was able to see past that in the end."

Marle nodded. "Yeah, it would've been really awful if after everything they've been through he rejected her..."

Harle poked at the cake in her plate with her fork, a pensive expression on her face.

"Something on your mind, Harle?" Marle asked.

"Just trying to decide what to make of zis 'Magus'... From what you told me, I expected 'im to be very much like Monsieur Lynx. Zere certainly are some similarities: zee dark clothing, ze formidable presence... But zere is somet'ing very different about Monsieur Magus which I cannot quite put my finger on... And I do not refer to ze fact zat Lynx is un chat."

"Well, I've never met Lynx, but from what I've heard, he was just a puppet of the FATE computer. Magus might have done some bad things, but he still has a heart and soul."

"Hmm... Perhaps..."

o-o-o-o

"Huh. When I suggested we talk in here, I didn't think about how there's nowhere to sit except in the cells," Kid commented.

Magus shrugged as he leaned against the wall. "I'm fine with standing."

"If ya say so. Anyway, all I know about your life as Magus is what Lucca and the others told me. I'd really like to hear what I've missed, or at least the highlights..."

Magus frowned. "I'm not in the habit of sharing my past with others... But for you I'll make an exception. However, in return I want to hear more about your life as Kid; Belthesar only told me the basics."

"Of course."

Magus thought a moment, then said, "To start with, what do you remember about events at the Ocean Palace incident, just before Zeal fell?"

"You were there, as the Prophet. Why do you need me to tell you about it?"

"Then you remember me as the Prophet?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Because the first time I witnessed Queen Zeal attempt to harness the power of Lavos, I was a child, and there was no Prophet. There was no Crono or his friends to interfere, either..."

Kid's eye's widened. "That's right, I forgot. You're the Janus from an earlier timeline than me..." Kid stared at the floor and said quietly, "According to the others, the Janus I knew was sucked into a black portal after the fall of Zeal, most likely because you had been sent into the future at that point in the previous timeline. And if the theories of time travel Robo, Lucca, and I came up with are right, he was probably trapped in the Darkness Beyond Time..." She closed her eyes and added sadly, "And one way or another he probably died there..."

Magus was silent for a time, before saying, "That's a shame. Time travel can be cruel at times." He sighed. "It would seem the Schala I knew as a child is gone forever as well, seeing as you have taken her place..."

Kid opened her eyes and looked up at the shadows on the ceiling. "I guess we'll just have ta make do with the siblings we have..."

Magus nodded. "So it would seem..."

After a pause, Magus said, "Would you still like to hear my story?"

"Please."

"Very well. In my timeline, the Gurus were not imprisoned. All three of them were there at the Ocean Palace with the Queen and... my sister Schala, the you of that timeline...

"I came looking for you, and all of us were caught in the vortex when the Mammon Machine malfunctioned. We stood before Lavos for only a few short moments before portals opened, dragging myself and the Gurus into different time periods. I don't know what became of the Queen, but the Black Omen never arose in that timeline, so she probably never bonded with Lavos. As for you... well, no one knows for sure, but your pendant was passed on for thousands of years in the family that would become the Guardia royal family...

"The time portal deposited me in the middle ages, in the middle of a forest. Moments later I was attacked by several Blue Imps and a large green creature I would later come to know as Ozzie. In fear for my life I did something I had vowed never to do again, and called forth my magic, using it to defeat the Imps. Ozzie backed down at that point and apologized for attacking me.

"He said he had 'mistaken' me for human, but no human had magic like that so I must be one of them – a Mystic. Lost, and with no better ideas, I decided to play along..."

o-o-o-o

As the Red Team left the Cafeteria, Serge said to Leena, "I don't suppose you'd let me go check out the sports equipment now?"

"I appreciate that you didn't stare at Marle or Harle earlier, but no. We agreed to spend as much time in the Red Room as possible until the Gray Team put their clothes back on, and I don't see any reason to go back on that."

Serge sighed, but nodded.

Crono, Lucca, and Ayla headed back to the yard, but Robo hesitated. "Would the two of you like company in the Red Room, or would you prefer to be alone?"

Leena said, "Whatever you prefer, Robo, it doesn't matter to me."

Serge said, "Actually, I think I'd like some more time alone with Leena, if you don't mind."

"That is fine. I enjoy spending time outside. I shall return to the Red Room later."

As Crono and company approached the yard, they saw that Marle and Harle had beaten them back to it, and were currently laying in the grass enjoying the late-afternoon sun.

Coming up to the two Gray Team girls, Lucca commented, "You know, seeing the two of you hanging around casually like that makes me feel a bit over-dressed."

Marle said, "So, don't think of yourself as a girl in a costume, think of yourself as a naked robot."

Lucca found herself feeling a bit embarrassed by the thought – not to mention a little bit turned on. She found herself very glad that her armor would hide her reaction. In as dry a voice as she could manage, she replied, "Well, that's one way to solve the problem."

o-o-o-o

"So Ozzie was sorta like a father figure ta ya?" Kid asked.

"Hmm... More like an eccentric uncle," Magus mused. "He did see to it I had food and shelter, introduced me to Mystic culture, and helped me find those who could tutor me in both fighting and the use of magic. So one could say that he raised me. However, I always knew him to be incompetent and a coward; I never held much respect for him other than as a tool."

"Out a curiosity, was he a better or worse parent than Mother?"

Magus snorted. "Better, I suppose. He at least paid attention to me, and cared what became of me, if only because I was only useful to him alive and healthy."

"That reminds me somewhat of my relationship with Mother near the end, though she didn't need me alive and healthy once she had the power she sought, and never would have willingly passed the crown on to me even if I'd wanted it..."

"Yes, that was probably one of their biggest differences – Ozzie was willing to put aside his ego for the sake of his quest for power."

"Speaking of which, how did that happen anyway? How'd ya go from Ozzie's apprentice to the Lord of the Mystics?"

"Well, I'm not sure when the idea first came to Ozzie; in retrospect I think he was grooming me for the position almost from the beginning. However, it wasn't until I was fifteen or sixteen that he started hinting to me that what the Mystics needed was a strong leader to unify them – someone strong, smart, and charismatic who could inspire them to greatness.

"I wanted no part of it at the time. Instead I focused on my study of the mystic arts. I began seeking out ancient tomes that might hold long-forgotten magic... It was in some of the oldest of these that I discovered references to Zeal and it's fall. It was only then that I realized when and where I was, and what had happened to our Kingdom."

"Wow. So ya never even heard any legends of Zeal until then?"

"The Mystics had myths about a time when their ancestors ruled the world, but the details were all wrong and none of the old names had survived. I believe the humans had myths about an age of 'gods' which might also be distant echoes of Zeal, but I certainly never encountered any legends that sounded familiar to me."

"Hmm... Now that you mention it, the only tales of Zeal I'm familiar with are the ones Lucca and her friends told me. I've always assumed there must be legends too, but I've never heard them..."

Magus continued, "At any rate, there was one important detail in those crumbling manuscripts which would set the course of my life. They didn't just say that the Floating Islands of Zeal had fallen from the sky, they told of the beast responsible... Lavos.

"It was at that point that I vowed vengeance. I made a decision to become as powerful as I could, powerful enough to challenge Lavos, and then to find a way to do just that. At first I thought it would be enough to train and continue to research, but in time I realized that I would need actual combat experience, and resources far greater than I had at my disposal at that time.

"I believe I was about twenty when I finally approached Ozzie and told him I was willing to try to lead the Mystics to glory, if he was willing to help me do so..."

o-o-o-o

As Serge and Leena sat down on the couch touching each other, Leena said, "I hope the reason you told Robo not to come with us wasn't because you were hoping to do more than cuddle together. You know I'm not ready for that."

"Of course not, I know that. I just was enjoying our time alone together earlier, and wanted it to continue."

"Oh. Okay."

They pulled out their books, and Serge began to read. Leena tried to read, but couldn't focus; after a few minutes, she asked, "Serge, why did you stare at Kid earlier? You knew I didn't want you to do that, and you didn't seem to have any trouble keeping your eyes off Marle or Harle."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I guess I was just anxious to see her and Magus meet, so it just made sense to look in her direction... I can't say I didn't think about how she looked, but that really wasn't my reason for looking at her."

"That was the only reason?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Leena said reluctantly. "But don't let it happen again. I don't appreciate having my boyfriend looking at other girls in their underwear." The last bit was said with some obvious anger.

Serge winced at her tone. Contritely, he told her, "I'll do my best."

o-o-o-o

"So what made ya decide ta declare war on Guardia, anyway?" Kid asked.

"Ozzie had been pushing for a war with the humans for some time. The humans had always mistreated Mystics; some humans even hunted down Mystics like wild monsters. Many Mystics, Ozzie included, felt the only way they would ever be free from persecution was if Mystics ruled the world.

"I felt that was overkill, and wasn't particularly interested in ruling the world, so I tried to focus on securing our hold on the Medina region. However, I eventually realized that I was starting to loose my support among the Mystic tribal leaders; if I didn't take a more militaristic position, it was only a matter of time before they started looking for a replacement Fiendlord. I couldn't allow that to happen, as I needed the resources of the Mystics to complete the preparations for summoning Lavos – including building the tower which would amplify the summoning spell.

"Of course I've never had a very high opinion of humanity to begin with, and what I had seen of the humans of that era disgusted me almost as much as the worst scum of Zeal. So it's not like I was particularly upset when I realized I would have to go to war.

"At any rate, we didn't start by declaring war on Guardia. We started our campaign by taking control of the eastern peninsula of the Southern Continent. We then launched attacks on Dorino and Porre, who called on Guardia for aid."

Kid scowled. "So yer sayin' the war was mostly a political move, all part of yer grand plan ta get revenge on Lavos."

Magus nodded. "Essentially."

"I'm tryin' hard not ta judge ya too harshly; I mean I know what it's like ta get caught up in a quest fer revenge, and I'm not exactly a paragon of virtue myself... But I can't help but wonder how many people died thanks to your war..."

"My war?" Magus asked, sounding a bit offended. "If I hadn't started it, one of the Mystic leaders would have; maybe even Ozzie himself. The Mystics might even have done better with a leader who wasn't preoccupied with plans to summon an eldritch abomination.

"But if you're asking for numbers, I believe it was around five thousand. To be clear, that's both sides, including the two-hundred or so of my troops Crono, Frog, and their friends killed."

Kid winced. "I suppose it isn't exactly a black-and-white situation... But still..."

Magus narrowed his eyes, and said in a low voice. "You want to blame me for everyone who died in the war. You want to make me into a villain. Go ahead, I'm used to it. In fact, I think the role suits me."

Kid felt sorry for Magus at first, until she remembered that as a child Janus had a habit of making overly dramatic statements such as this, and Schala eventually come to suspect them to be deliberate attempts to manipulate his audience (usually her). She considered scolding him, as Schala would have, then decided on a different tactic.

With a smirk, Kid replied, "Yeah, it does."

"What?" Magus said, taken aback.

Kid shrugged. "When I was a little girl, Big Sis Lucca used ta tell me all about her adventures, and my favorite stories were the ones 'bout you. I thought it was great that ya became a hero, but ya made a great villain too..."

Kid looked down and sighed. "Gotta admit, though, the Schala part a' me doesn't approve of some a' the things ya did, and going ta war is one a' the biggest."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You always were a gentle soul."

Kid snickered a bit. "Not quite so gentle these days..." She shook her head. "Look, I'm not gonna disown ya either way, but fer the sake of the Schala side of me, I need to know: do you feel any remorse or regret for starting the war?"

Magus was silent for a while. Finally he responded grimly, "Regret is a waste of time. I make my choices and then deal with the consequences; I don't worry about what might have been unless I find myself in a position to change that bit of history." He paused, then added in a softer voice, "That said, I do feel pity for those who died in the war; very few of them deserved to die. Some of them I even knew and respected."

Kid said quietly. "I guess that'll have to do..." She sighed.

Forcing her voice to sound almost normal, Kid said, "So, why don't ya tell me more about the war..."

o-o-o-o

After the challenge earlier and the games they'd already played with the sports equipment, everyone was getting a bit tired (except Robo), so the group in the yard mostly just hung out, enjoying the nice weather and chatting. Naturally, Magus' arrival remained the primary topic of conversation.

While Marle occasionally caught Ayla and Crono looking over her or Harle's body, both of them kept it to short, discreet glances, and they did it less and less often as the afternoon wore on and the novelty wore off. To her surprise, Marle found that once she got past her initial nervousness, she almost liked those glances (it was pretty clear the two liked what they saw, after all).

During one break in the conversation, Marle realized that she'd gotten so caught up in the conversation that she hadn't even thought about her state of undress for quite a while (probably close to an hour). Glancing at the others and realizing that she and Harle were not the center of attention, Marle realized that for the first time she was completely comfortable with being around everyone in just her underpants.

She smiled to herself, happy to know she hadn't made a mistake in taking off so many clothes during the Challenge. She just hoped that she could maintain her current confidence when she was around Frog, Serge (if he came out of the Red Room again), Magus, and the Funhouse staff...

o-o-o-o

"It was around this time I discovered in my research that the legendary sword Masamune had the power to counteract certain magics – including some of my own defensive magic. I began searching for the sword, to make sure it was never used against me, but either I wasn't discrete enough in my search, or I had a leak in my inner circle, as rumors began to spread that the sword was the only thing that could defeat me.

"I don't know if Cyrus heard and believed those rumors, or if he would have sought out the sword anyway. Either way, by some chance I reached the cave where the Sword was kept just as Cyrus was leaving with it. It turned out I had overestimated the power of the sword; I was able to easily defeat Cyrus and break the blade. At the time, I assumed that would be the end of the matter."

"That was when ya transformed Frog, wasn't it?"

"Yes. After slaying Guardia's greatest warrior and destroying the greatest threat to my life I knew of, I was in a good mood, and decided to spare Cyrus's squire. But then Ozzie made a joke about the boy being like a frog, and suggested I give the boy a new form, and the temptation was too much to pass up. I've always enjoyed transformations, but I don't often have a chance to perform them..."

Kid scowled. "So ya turned him into a frog just 'cause ya though it'd be fun?"

Magus raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound so surprised? Didn't Frog or his friends tell you his story?"

"Yeah, but... I was hoping there was another side to the story. That you hadn't altered a man's entire life on a whim."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Janus, I expected better of you. No one has the right to play with someone else's life like that!"

Magus winced, but then his expression grew thoughtful. "You know, when I first found myself back in Zeal, I knew you would never approve of the choices I'd made in life. Fear of how I would handle your rejection was one of the main reasons I never revealed myself to you when I was posing as the Prophet. Truthfully, though, so far your reaction hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be..."

"So that's it? No excuses, no justifications, no apologies?"

"No. I won't pretend to be a better person than I am to get your approval."

Kid gave a hint of a smile. "Well, at least yer honest..." Frowning again, she added, "It still bothers me though, what you did to Frog – or Glenn, I should say."

"Of course it does. I wouldn't expect otherwise from you."

There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a minute or two, before Kid finally said, "So, there were a few years between when you transformed Frog and the end of the war, right?"

"Ten years, actually."

"Wow. So, anythin' interestin' happen in those years?"

o-o-o-o

In the Gray Room, Frog found himself quite bored, with no one to talk to and little to do. He practiced with his sword for a little while, but eventually grew bored with that as well. Finally, with nothing better to do, he grabbed a golf club and ball, and began practicing his golf swings.

o-o-o-o

"By then I was nearly ready to summon Lavos, so I didn't pay much mind to our defeat at Zenan Bridge. In retrospect that was a mistake, as Crono, Frog, and their friends showed up at my castle just in time to interfere with my summoning. On the other hand I had greatly underestimated Lavos' power, and if they hadn't interfered I would have been killed, so I suppose it all worked out for the best in the end...

"The interrupted summoning spell produced a chaotic gate which destroyed my castle, sent Frog and the others to the stone age, and sent me to Zeal shortly before the fall. At first I was overjoyed to be 'home' - but then the cruel truth hit me: I was still Magus, not the young Janus who had once lived in that era, and Zeal was still doomed.

"I didn't yet realize how outmatched I would be in a confrontation with Lavos, and thought I could both get my revenge and save Zeal by killing Lavos – though I must admit, I was motivated more by my desire for revenge. At any rate, the only way I knew to get close to Lavos was to be in the Ocean Palace when the Mammon Machine was activated, and to do that I would need to infiltrate the Queen's inner circle.

"And so, I used my knowledge of what was to come to create the persona of 'the Prophet'... And the rest you know..."

"Well, I remember the fall of Zeal and your role in it... And I've heard stories of what came afterwards both for you and for Lucca and her friends. But I'd like to hear your perspective of it all..."

"Maybe later. I want to hear your story now..."

"My story..." Kid took a deep breath. "Okay... I suppose I should start at the Ocean Palace. After teleporting everyone else out of the palace, I expected to die when Lavos destroyed the palace. Instead, however, Mother infused the palace with not only the power of Lavos, but with the power of the temporal vortex. The fortress she created, the Dark Omen, did not exist in normal time, and I had no place in it; as such I found myself deposited in the Darkness Beyond Time.

"I'm not sure how long I floated in the void, alone... I had long ago given into loneliness and despair when I felt a presence, dark, powerful, yet familiar... I did not recognize it as Lavos until we had already merged into the Dream Devourer... For the first time in my life, I truly felt hatred and self-loathing, but even these were overwhelmed by the all-consuming hunger..."

Kid shuddered. "I... I don't wanna talk any more 'bout that. The important thing is, before I lost myself completely, I was able to clone my body and place a fragment of my soul into it. I sent the clone, still an infant, to 1004 AD, where Lucca found... me."

"Lucca raised me herself, though I never really thought of her as my mother, instead she was always 'Big Sis' to me. It's strange ta think she knew who I really was even back then, and sometimes I wonder how she ever figured it out. She never told me; all I knew was that I was an orphan.

"There were a lot of orphans in Guardia, thanks ta Porre's invasion. I guess Sis felt sorry for them, 'cause when I was really young she built an orphanage. I always used ta hate havin' ta share her with everyone else... But at least I always had plenty a' kids ta play with...

"Those were good times... But they all came crashin' to an end one day when I was eleven, when Lynx and Harle showed up..."

o-o-o-o

Lucca got up and said, "If you guys will excuse me for a few minutes, I need to go stand in the shade and cool off."

"Really?" Marle asked. "I'm actually a little chilly."

Lucca moved her head up and down in a way that made it obvious she was looking Marle over. "I think that has a lot to do with what you're wearing – or rather, not wearing."

Marle blushed, but she wasn't sure how much of that was because she'd overlooked the reason why she was cold, and how much it was because of the attention Lucca had given her body.

Lucca continued, "As for me, the rubber suit under this armor really holds in heat. I'm almost always uncomfortably hot – not to mention covered in sweat..."

"Eww, gross!"

"Tell me about it."

Lucca walked over to the shade; Robo followed her.

Robo said quietly, "I overheard your conversation about your issues with heat. If what you say is true, you may be putting yourself in danger by spending so much time out in the sun. Perhaps you should stay indoors on warm days?"

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Anyway, sunny days are when everybody else wants to be outside, and I don't want to miss out on time with Crono and Marle."

"If you insist. However, you should at least bring cold drinks out with you to help in your temperature regulation and to prevent dehydration."

"Huh. That's a good idea. Thanks, Robo."

o-o-o-o

"And so, I escaped into the woods. I never saw Sis again..."

Magus asked, "This is the same Harle that I met earlier?"

"Well, technically the one ya met earlier's from this timeline, which is different from the one I grew up in, but up to a few months ago her past is pretty similar in both timelines..."

Magus was incredulous. "After what she did, how can you stand living in the same building as her?"

"More than just the same building... But ta answer yer question, it ain't easy. I've gotta constantly watch myself to keep from doin' something that could get me kicked outta the Funhouse or worse... But there are a few things that make it a little easier to stand bein' around her...

"First of all, the version from my timeline... She helped out Serge when he was in a rough spot, and stopped me from claiming the Frozen Flame, which in retrospect probably would have driven me insane and doomed the world... 'Course, she had her own reasons for what she did, but Serge thinks she actually learned ta care about those around her, and I trust him...

"Secondly, I feel a bit a' pity for her... From what I've heard, she's a clone just like me, only her creators never intended her ta have her own life. She was created just so she could carry out one mission for them, like some sort a' organic robot. And now that mission is impossible...

"Finally, one of the first things she did in the Funhouse was get a 'Serial Dare' that means she's always doin' one type of roleplay dare or another. Thanks to that she hasn't really acted herself since the first few days of the game, which makes it a lot easier for me ta deal with her. Sometimes, I even forget who she really is..."

Magus looked thoughtful. "So, you see her as a living Robo, and hope to see her rise above her programming as he did."

Kid laughed. "Nah, I don't have any grand plan ta' reform her. I just found some reasons not to hate her quite as much as I used ta, that's all."

"I see... Moving on, what happened after you escaped from the destruction of Lucca's orphanage?"

"Well, I was on my own for quite a while. I tried ta live off the land at first, but I wasn't so good at that, so I found a place ta hide out in town, and started livin' off what I could steal. I started small – a little pick-pocketin', a little stealin' from merchants when they weren't lookin', that sort of thing. Over time, though -"

Just then, there was a knock at the door, then after a moment it opened a crack. An elderly male voice asked, "Excuse me, if I might interrupt you for a moment?"

"Um, sure. Come on in."

Piette stepped in. "I'm here to inform Magus that his three hours here are almost up; you have about fifteen minutes left before you need to leave."

Kid blinked. "Need ta leave?" She looked over at Magus. "What's he talking 'bout?"

"Apparently there's a time limit on how long a visitor is supposed to stay here."

"Oh yeah, come ta think of it, the rulebook did mention that..."

"Hmph. As if Bekkler or any of his men could make me leave if I don't want to."

"Please don't injure them. That might make it difficult for us ta finish the game..."

"Don't tell me you want me to just leave when they ask?" Magus demanded angrily.

"Well, ya could always come back, couldn't ya?"

Piette spoke up. "Yes, but there is a limit of one visit per person every three days."

Kid winced. "Three hours every three days...? Now that we've actually met, I don't think that's enough... Wait! Didn't the rulebook say somethin' 'bout new players bein' let into the game if enough players agreed ta it?"

Piette nodded. "Yes. More than half the players would need to agree to it, and he would need to make it through a Rescue Challenge."

Magus rubbed his forehead. "Not this again."

"Again?" Kid asked.

"Bekkler already suggested it. However, I have no interest in playing this silly game."

"Why not? Afraid ya might loose yer dark and mysterious aura?"

Magus glared at her. "It's beneath my dignity."

Kid smirked. "In other words, yer afraid of looking or actin' a little bit silly."

"I have an image to maintain."

"Why? I mean, I get that as the Fiendlord ya had ta be inspirin' ta yer troops, and terrifying ta everyone else, but ain't those days over? What good does that 'image' do ya anymore?"

Magus thought about this for a few moments. "You may have a point. However, putting aside issues of image and dignity, there's also the fact that what little I've heard of the Funhouse so far doesn't sound particularly interesting to me."

"Then maybe ya just haven't heard enough. C'mon, let's go talk ta the others, and see if we can't change yer mind."

o-o-o-o

Marle was a little surprised when Magus and Kid came out to the yard. She was tempted to cover her breasts, but it was much easier to resist the urge than it had been earlier.

Kid told them, "So I just learned that Magus is gonna have ta leave soon unless he joins the game -"

"Or I fight anyone Bekkler sends at me until he gives up," Magus interjected.

"- and I was hopin' ta get all a you ta help convince him ta join."

Marle said, "Oh, you should, Magus! It's been really fun. There are a bunch of cool dares. We've gotten to wear neat costumes, and the roleplaying dares are a lot of fun to watch... Ooh, and you like transformation, right?" She held up her stone arm as an example.

"That's not the sort of transformation I usually go for, and I prefer being the one causing the transformation, but yes..."

While Marle and Magus were talking, Lucca suggested to Robo that he go get Serge and Leena; he gave a quiet "Affirmative," and headed out.

Meanwhile, Marle said, "I'm pretty sure they have more kinds of transformation than just turning body parts to stone or gold, after all they have an entire category for it."

"But you haven't seen any of them yet."

"Well, no..."

Kid said, "Personally, my favorite part of the game is the challenges. I always love a good competition, and the challenges are really interestin' - not the sort of games ya normally get ta play. ...Well, not the sort I get ta play; ya probably don't get much chance ta play games at all, do ya?"

Magus shook his head. "The only games I've played since I was a child were the ones at the Tent of Horrors, and only because Crono's friends dragged me into them."

"And what did ya think a' those?"

"I suppose they were... mildly entertaining."

Marle commented, "Coming from him, that's a big endorsement."

Kid rolled her eyes. "Anyway, right at the very start we had ta go through a maze with all sorts of crazy obstacles; I thought it was fun figurin' out how to get by them..."

"If you mean the maze between the entrance to the Funhouse and here, I had to make my way through it to get here. I found it more annoying than fun, but to be fair my mind was on meeting with you..."

"Huh. Well, moving on, we had a three-legged race and a sack race at one point. I know those are normally kids' games, but they're still pretty fun as an adult, and were a neat variation on a regular race. We had a challenge where ya needed ta escape from a dungeon cell, and one where ya needed ta escape from a straitjacket and a cage; they reminded me a bit of my days as a thief, but without the high stakes. There was a game where we had to search in a pool of slime ta find a key; not everyone's cup a' tea, but I thought it was pretty fun. There were even a few trivia games; havin' lived in two time periods really helped with those."

"Most of those don't sound particularly fun to me..."

"But a few do?"

Magus just folded his arms and looked away.

Ayla suggested, "Maybe Magus like last challenge. Teams throw balls at each other, if player hit must take off article of clothing to keep playing. Ayla like!"

"Which explains how Schala's team wound up wearing so little, I suppose."

Kid said, "The Red Team took off quite a bit too. They just got ta put it all back on 'cause they won."

Lucca stepped forward. "If you want reasons to join the Funhouse, my argument is that if you get lucky, this game can help you learn new things about yourself. I never knew I wanted mechanical armor or would enjoy looking like a robot until I chose to wear this costume. I also learned a few other things that I don't want to get into right now; suffice it to say this game's given me a lot of revelations."

Marle said, "Same here. I learned that I don't like being restrained, but I do like not needing to wear much clothing." She smiled and shook her head. "I never would have guessed how liberating it could be to walk around almost naked."

Ayla suggested, "Marle should try wear nothing at all, feel even better."

"Er, maybe another time. I'm just getting comfortable with being dressed like this."

Lucca shook her head. "I think you two are getting distracted from the task of convincing Magus to join us. Unless you're hoping to entice him with the thought of seeing Marle completely naked."

Marle blushed at this, while Ayla commented, "Maybe Magus want go naked?" She gave him a sly look, and added, "Ayla no mind see that."

Magus said dryly, "Not particularly."

Harle spoke up now. "I zink you should join ze Funhouse so zere are more zan one of us here with ze pale skin!"

Magus ignored her.

The group talked about the Funhouse some more, going into more details about the challenges and some of the dares they'd performed. A few minutes later, Robo returned with Leena and Serge.

"So, I hear you're considering joining us," Leena said.

"I suppose I am, if only because Schala would rather I join than beat up Bekkler's forces until he agrees to let me stay. I'm still skeptical, though."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Most the challenges and dares don't sound particularly fun to me."

"You know, you always have the option of skipping Challenges you don't like; Serge and I have done it a bunch of times. You can usually reject Dares, too, though if you wind up in danger of eviction you'll probably have to perform a dare or two if you want to stay in the game."

Marle said, "That's right! So you could always join and just skip all the dares and challenges you don't like."

Kid pointed out, "Except that he'd need ta go through a Rescue Challenge ta start with, so he'll need ta do at least one dare right off..."

Magus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose I might as well see what I need to do to join the game. If I don't like what I get, I can always go back to my original plan."

Marle jumped in the air enthusiastically. "Great! I'm sure you'll learn to love the Funhouse!"

Kid said, "We don't know if he'll be playin' yet, Marle. Not only does he need ta get through the Rescue Challenge, but before that, we all need ta vote on whether he can join."

"I'm sure everybody here will vote to let him join," Marle said confidently, though she looked at everyone to see their reactions just in case. Noticing that Serge and Crono seemed a bit uncertain, she said, "Come on, it's for Kid!"

Serge looked to Kid. Kid said, "It would mean a lot ta me."

Serge and Crono nodded.

Lucca said, "You know, Frog might not be too happy at the idea of Magus joining us..."

Marle's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that. And either way, he should probably know what's going on... I'll go tell him."

o-o-o-o

Frog sighed when Marle told him Magus was going to attempt to join the game. "I suppose I should have realized he would not be content to visit with Kid for merely a few hours. 'Tis fine; I have dealt with having him on the party, I can deal with having him here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Do not worry about me."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you when they gather everybody for the vote..."

"Indeed."

o-o-o-o

It wasn't long before Bekkler and his guards showed up in the yard. "Well, Magus, it's time for you to leave, one way or another. That is, unless you've changed your mind about joining my staff or playing the Funhouse."

Magus hesitated, then smirked. "Actually, I've decided I'll give your Funhouse game a try after all."

"Really?" Bekkler said, sounding quite surprised. "Piette told me Kid was trying to convince you to join, but I really didn't expect you to agree to it." Bekkler paused to gather his thoughts, then said, "Alright then. The first step is for all the current players to vote on whether you may join. I'll have one of my guards go get Frog."

Wedge went and came back shortly with Frog. Magus raised an eyebrow to see Frog in just his pants, but said nothing.

Bekkler said, "So, once again, this vote is to determine if Magus will be allowed to play the Funhouse with you. Please write yes or no on your ballot; Magus will be allowed in if he wins a simple majority. Keep in mind that if he successfully joins, the number of open Eviction Slots will increase by one, and that as it's the only team with open spots, he will be joining the Gray Team."

The Guards handed out paper, boards to put the paper on, and writing implements; Ayla had learned how to write simple things like this by now, so she didn't need any guards to help her. After everyone had written their answer, they were asked to fold their papers up, then the guards gathered them and brought them to Bekkler.

Bekkler counted the votes, then said, "Six votes for, two against. Magus, you've passed the first hurdle."

Magus looked over the other players and scowled. "If I find out who voted against me..."

Kid put her hand on his arm. "Let it go."

Frog croaked. "I would think one of the votes against thou would be obvious. Though I can tolerate working with thou, I do not enjoy thy company."

Magus inclined his head. "On that we agree. I still don't appreciate you trying to keep me and Schala apart, but I'll let it pass this time."

Bekkler cleared his throat. "So, before we proceed any further, we'll need to make a record of what articles of clothing you're intending on wearing in the Funhouse, Magus." He pulled out a pen, and several papers on a clipboard.

Magus glanced at the Gray Team (lingering the longest on Harle and Marle) and sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that."

After that was done, Bekkler told Magus, "The next step for you to join the Funhouse is for you to perform a Rescue Challenge." Bekkler explained the challenge to him.

When Bekkler asked who Magus would like as his champions, Kid suggested, "Hittin' the Poyozos ain't too hard, but it's probably best ta choose people with good aim, just in case. Preferably ones ya trust."

"In that case, I suppose I'll pick Marle and Lucca..."

Marle said, "Kid has pretty good aim."

"Really?"

Kid said, "I don't like ta brag, but yeah, I know a few things 'bout hittin' a target..."

Harle added, "I am ze much better aim zan Kid. You should pick me!"

Marle said, "No she isn't; they're pretty much equally skilled." Quietly to Harle she added, "He doesn't even know you."

Harle responded equally quietly, "Not yet."

Magus said, "I guess I'll take Kid as my third Champion." Turning to her, he said, "Seeing as this was your idea, you should help get me into the game."

"I'll do my best... Assumin' ya actually accept the dare for me..."

Bekkler said, "Very well then. Magus, please follow me to the Dare Room so you can spin for the dares you'll need to agree to in order to recruit your Champions."

The rest of the players followed Bekkler and Magus, curious to see how this turned out. The guards headed off to take care of other duties.

"Magus, you'll have the honor of being the first to select dares from our revised list. This means there's a good chance the dares you receive will be ones the other players have never seen before.

"Since you mentioned her first, we'll start with the dare you must perform to recruit Marle. If you'd please step up to the Dare Wheel and give it a good spin...?"

Magus spun a II 6c: "Doctor/Nurse Costume".

Bekkler explained, "So, to recruit Marle, you'll need to agree to wear a doctor or nurse costume. We have several styles available; you can pick whichever one you prefer."

Magus said, "You have to be kidding me."

Marle commented, "Actually, as Funhouse costumes go, that's pretty tame."

Magus thought about it, then asked, "Do I have to decide now?"

Bekkler shook his head. "No, you may find out the rest of the dares you'll be asked to perform first. However, you must decide on each of them before the Rescue Challenge begins."

"I think I'll see what else you're asking of me first then."

For Lucca, he spun a VIII then a King. Bekkler explained the King and Queen cards, then Magus spun again to determine the sub dares. The first of these was 4a: "Random body part encased in crystal."

Magus glanced at Leena. "I take it this dare is how you wound up with that crystal on your leg."

Leena nodded as much as her cast would allow (which wasn't much). She smiled slightly, and positioned her leg as if to show it off, the light sparkling on the crystal as she did so. "I think it was a different number and letter at the time, but yes."

Bekkler had Magus pick a card to determine the body part; he wound up with "right arm". Magus scowled but said nothing, instead moving on to his next spin.

For his second sub-dare, he spun 4b: "Random body part turned invisible," and picked the card "left arm".

Marle commented, "That sounds kind of neat."

Harle added, "Imagine all ze sneaking one could do if one could become completely invisible!"

For his final sub-dare for Lucca, Magus spun 5a: "Targeted Retrograde Amnesia: Forget entire life".

Magus snapped, "What?!"

Bekkler explained, "A spell would be used to suppress your memories of your life up to this point. You'd still retain your language and physical skills and your general knowledge, and your memories would be returned to you when you left the Funhouse."

Magus snarled, "Out of the question. That would defeat the entire purpose of my playing this game."

"I see your point. Well, in that case, you won't be recruiting Lucca for the Rescue Challenge, so you don't need to worry about the crystal growth or invisibility dares."

"I should hope not."

"Would you like to spin to see what you need to do to recruit Kid?"

For Kid, Magus spun a II 7: "Random Animal costume". The card he picked had a chameleon on it.

Frog chuckled a bit when Bekkler announced this.

Bekkler went on to explain, "Normally, new costumes override old ones, but as you are receiving this and the doctor-slash-nurse costume dare at the same time, if you accept them both they will be combined."

Magus said, "So I'd be dressed as a chameleon in a doctor's outfit."

"Yes."

"Hmph." Magus turned to Kid, and tugged his glove tight. "I'd still prefer a more forceful approach to persuading Bekkler to let me stay here."

Kid sighed and shook her head. "We discussed this already. I don't want ya ta hurt them."

Marle said to Magus, "Don't be so uptight. Most of us have worn costumes for the Funhouse, and all of us have done things that left us looking a little silly. We won't judge you."

Still focused on Kid, Magus said, "Fine, I'll do it your way." He turned to Bekkler and said, "I'll accept the chameleon costume dare, but none of the others."

Kid said, "Wait! Are ya sure about this, Janus? I don't know if I can win the Rescue Challenge alone."

Magus said, "Either costume alone is bad enough; I'm not going to wear both. And if I'm only going to have one 'Champion', it seems appropriate it be you." He shrugged, then tugged at his glove again. "Besides, if this doesn't work we can always go back to my plan."

Kid rolled her eyes. "Or ya could just visit fer a few hours every few days. I know it isn't much, but it's better than beatin' up Bekkler's staff."

o-o-o-o

Several minutes later, Magus and Kid had made their way to the Funhouse Lobby, which was now set up for the Rescue Challenge. Bekkler appeared and told Kid to stand by the stones.

"Oh, by the way, we've completely healed the Poyozos, but they're still a bit upset over getting beaten up earlier, so this might be a bit more challenging than a normal Rescue Challenge. Good luck!"

Kid exclaimed, "Wait, what?!" but by then Bekkler had vanished. She turned to Magus and glared.

Before Magus could say anything, the rope dropped from the ceiling, wrapped around him, and carried him over the fire.

The gate opened with a clang, and Fluffy, Fuzzy, and Furball stepped into the room. They glanced at Magus, growled, and then began to move quickly toward Kid. It wasn't the unstoppable charge they normally did when they got close to the players during Rescue Challenges (or the original game at the Millennial Fair), but it was still far faster than usual.

Kid quickly grabbed a rock from the pile of stones in front of her and tossed it at one of the oncoming Poyozos, causing the Poyozo to slow down a bit. She grabbed two more stones, and tossed them at the other two Poyozos. She continued to throw the stones at them as fast as she could, and with each stone they reacted a little more. She had finally got them to the point where they stopped for a few moments after being hit, but had not yet been able to push them back at all, when the switch on the wall lit up and Magus started getting dangerously close to the fire.

Kid ran to the wall and hit the switch, then dashed back to the pile of stones. After a few more hits the Poyozos started backing up when hit, but they also returned to advancing faster than normal, and Kid found she still had to throw the stones as fast as she could to make any progress.

Kid hadn't really made all that much headway when she had to run and hit the switch again – and she lost all her progress in the process. When she got back to throwing stones, she tried to redouble her efforts, but she couldn't really throw any faster unless she started tossing them blindly without any attempt to aim. Hoping not to loose her progress again, the next time the switch lit up she ran to it as fast as she could, hit it even as she was turning, and raced back to the rocks; while she lost some of her progress, the Poyozos were still further away when she got back than they had been the last time.

Over the next few minutes she slowly she pushed the Poyozos back, throwing rocks and running to and from the switch as fast as she could. Her heart was pounding and her breath heavy as the Poyozos were pushed back close to the door. The switch lit up again and she turned to run to it, but this time she stumbled a bit, scraping the skin of her toes along the stone floor painfully and nearly falling. She caught herself and ran to the switch anyway, ignoring the pain.

She had lost a lot of ground by the time she made it back to the stones, but she still had the Poyozos back a little more than the last time she got back from the switch. She pressed on. This time when the light came on the Poyozos were close enough to the door that she took a risk and kept throwing stones. Moments later, the Poyozos reached the door. Realizing they'd been beat, the Poyozos bowed to Kid, then turned and left.

As the rope lowered Magus back to the ground and set him free, Kid wiped some sweat off her brow then took a moment to look over her injured toes. Luckily it looked like a pretty minor scrape; they shouldn't need to be bandaged.

Returning her attention to Magus, Kid said between breaths, "Mind... explaining... why you were... fighting... the Poyozos?"

"Because they tried to stop me from coming to see you," Magus said unapologetically.

Bekkler appeared at that moment, and said, "Actually, they were only defending my receptionist; if you hadn't threatened her they would have let you through."

Kid slapped her forehead.

Bekkler continued. "Speaking of which, now that you are one of the players (congratulations on that, by the way), I'm going to have to insist you stop threatening my staff. Fearing for one's life and well-being does not make for a healthy work environment, after all."

"It always seemed to work for the Mystics," Magus commented.

"Be that as it may, that is not how I run my operation."

"Whatever. I have what I want, I don't need to threaten anybody anymore."

"Very good. In that case, you and Kid should head back to the player apartment area, and then you need to head to the resource room and pick out your costume."

Magus grunted, unhappy at the reminder.

Kid smiled. "This is going to be interesting to see..." she commented with a little bit of a giggle.

o-o-o-o

As Magus and Kid passed through the Dare Room on the way to the Resource room, they saw that outside, the shadows were long, and the sunlight the gold of near-sunset. Everybody but Serge, Leena, and Frog were in the yard; they all came in to congratulate Magus on joining the game. (Marle was the most exited and the first through the door.)

Magus acknowledged these congratulations using the fewest possible syllables, then he and Kid headed to the Resource Room.

o-o-o-o

All three of the regular Resource Room staff were waiting for Magus when he and Kid came in. Marian raised an eyebrow at Kid, Reton's eyes widened before he politely looked away, and Anar openly stared at her with a smirk.

It was only then that it occurred to Kid that the only staff that had seen her like this yet were Bekkler and the Guards, and unlike them the Resource Room staff were not always entirely professional. Suddenly she regretted her choice to accompany Magus to get his costume. However, now that she was here it would be even more embarrassing to run away, so did her best to keep her face impassive, as if she didn't care who saw her in her underwear. She just hoped her growing blush wasn't visible.

Even as those thoughts ran through Kid's head, Marian said, "Welcome to the Resource Room, and to the Funhouse, Magus. I'm Marian, and these are my assistants Anar and Reton; we're here to help you players find everything you need for your dares."

Magus nodded. "I'm here for a chameleon costume."

"Of course. Please follow me." As she was turning around, she commented with a smirk, "Oh, by the way, nice outfit, Kid." Kid's blush intensified. Not waiting for an answer, Marian started walking off.

Kid and Magus started to follow Marian, but as he passed by Anar, Magus growled at him, "I told Bekkler I wouldn't threaten the staff... But if you keep staring at my sister like that I might just 'forget' that promise..."

Anar gulped, while Reton groaned and shook his head. "Oh Anar..." Turning to Magus he said, "Actually, if you're not comfortable with how any of us staff are acting, you should probably let Mister Bekkler know. The Funhouse is supposed to be a safe space for the players..."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Kid grabbed Magus' arm and tugged on it. "Let's go, Marian is leaving us behind. And I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

o-o-o-o

Marian led Magus and Kid past racks and shelves of costumes to one section with many animal costumes. In one corner were several lizard-like costumes. "Here you go; you can take any one you like that fits you."

The costumes came mostly in several different shades of green, from a brownish-green to yellow-green to blue-green; many also had stripes or spots. A few of them had horns on their heads, including a forest-green one with three horns, and a blue-green one with two horns; however the majority were horn-free. About half of them had spines running down the back. All had an opening for the face and came with face-paint, and had a long tail designed to hang curled into a spiral. They also all had built-in clawed mittens designed to make the thumb look longer and wider than normal (the thumb section had three claws set close together, and the finger section two more widely spaced claws; the thumb section was almost as big as the finger section), and built in clawed feet designed to hold the first two toes separate from the other toes.

Marian commented, "It would have been too expensive to give them proper color-changing abilities, but they are designed to appear different shades in different lighting."

Magus scowled as he examined the mittens. "Don't you have any with proper gloves? Or at least a less awkward design to the mittens?"

"Sorry, the costume designer felt it important to represent the hand structure of real chameleons. You should be thankful that it doesn't hold your index and middle finger together with your thumb like a real chameleon hand; that would be even more awkward. You should also be thankful you got an animal with something like a thumb at all; most of the animal costumes for this half of the game have paws without separate thumbs."

Magus frowned. "I see." In a resigned tone, he continued, "I guess there isn't anything I can do about it, is there?"

"No, not if you're going to fulfill the dare you were given."

Magus sighed. "Very well." He began looking through the costumes carefully.

Kid turned to Marian and asked, "Serge's costume has proper gloves. Is he gonna have ta change costumes?"

Marian shook her head. "Not unless he gets a new costume dare. Even though they changed the dare list around and added a bunch of new ones, any old dares you players are already performing stay the same. At least, that's my understanding."

"That's good."

Since she was there anyway, Kid decided to look through the costumes as well. "How about this one?" Kid said to Magus, holding up a one-horned chameleon costume that looked purple in the Resource Room lights.

Magus scowled and said sardonically, "I think that's a little small for me."

Kid snickered as she put it back; the costume was so small the only one of the players it would fit would be Frog.

After some consideration, Magus picked out a costume colored a blue-green bordering on blue, with wavy deep red stripes. It had no horns or spines, but it did have a little bit of a crest along the back of the head.

Marian led them to the changing room, explaining the rules of wearing costumes in the Funhouse along the way. When they got there, she mentioned, "By the way, the mittens of that costume are probably going to be a bit awkward to work with. Even with the zipper in the front of the costume you might need help zipping and unzipping it. Also, you're probably going to need to either do the face-paint before you put the rest of the costume, or get someone to do that for you as well."

"I could do the face paint for you if you'd like," Kid volunteered. "I don't like ta brag, but I do have a little bit of skill with paint and make-up..."

Magus nodded. "That will probably work out better than attempting to do it myself; my own artistic skills are primarily in the use of magic. While you're at it, you can help with the zipper if I need it; I'll let you know when I'm ready for your help." Not waiting for a response, he stepped into the changing room and closed the door behind him.

Kid folded her arms, and muttered sarcastically, "Why I'd love to help with your costume, Magus. No, helping my brother get dressed isn't going to be awkward in the slightest, why would you think that?"

Concerned, Marian told her, "I can take care of the zipper this time if you'd like."

Kid shook her head and waved her hand in a brushing motion. "So long as the only thing I need to do is pull up the zipper, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I'm just a little annoyed with him for not asking me if I'd do it, that's all."

o-o-o-o

Several minutes later, Magus opened the door of the changing room, the costume already zipped up. Marian giggled. "Ooh, that was a good costume choice. You look really cute like that!"

Magus growled at her, even as he blushed a little bit. Keeping a stern face, he told her, "You were right, these mittens are awkward to work with."

Magus turned to Kid. "Let's get the face paint over with."

Kid glanced in the changing room, then said, "I think it would be better to do it somewhere with a sink and paper towels or a rag, just in case I make a mistake." She turned to Marian. "You have a sink I could use?"

Marian nodded. "Follow me." She led them to a utility sink in another part of the Resource Room, which had a paper-towel roll nearby.

When Marian showed no signs of leaving, Kid told her, "If ya don't mind, I'd like a little privacy while I work."

"Whatever you say." Marian headed off.

Once Marian was out of earshot, Magus looked in the mirror and complained quietly, "I can't believe I'm going through with this. This costume looks ridiculous."

As Kid opened up the face-paint kit and got everything ready, she said, "Why don't ya wait until I do yer makeup before ya worry 'bout how ya look. I'm sure part a' the problem is yer human face stickin' outta the chameleon costume."

Magus looked skeptical, but he sat down and let Kid get to work.

Kid applied a base of blue-green paint to his face, then added in darker lines to indicate scales. Around the eyes she made the "scales" smaller, to hint at the stalk-like eyelid cones of a real chameleon.

When she was done, Kid directed him back to the mirror. "So, what do ya think?"

"Not bad, though Flea could have done better..."

"Gee, thanks," Kid said sarcastically. "Anyway, do ya feel less silly now?"

"I never said I felt silly, I said the costume looked ridiculous."

Kid rolled her eyes at the distinction, particularly as she was pretty sure what she had said had been what he had meant. "So, does it look less ridiculous now?"

"I suppose. It's still obviously a costume, but I suppose it isn't a bad look. I just don't understand what the point of looking almost, but not quite, like a Chameleon is."

"Well, besides fulfilling the dare... I guess it's just for fun?"

Magus scowled at himself in the mirror, and muttered, "Fun..." Kid expected him say something disparaging about the idea; instead, he shrugged and said quietly, "I suppose that's as good a reason as any..."

Her eyes wide, Kid commented, "If my ears do not deceive me, Janus, I do believe you have actually grown less uptight in the years we have been apart..."

Looking at her in the mirror, Magus smirked. "Ozzie and his friends had many faults, but they did know how to have fun. Of course, you probably wouldn't approve of a lot of the things they did for fun..."

o-o-o-o

Out in the yard, it was getting dark, the sky having turned a deep blue just a few shades away from black. A few stars could be seen. Through the windows, soft lights were visible in the halls, creating a nice contrast between the warm light inside and the fading light outside.

Ayla sat in one of the lawn chairs, her feet pulled up onto the seat. "Ayla miss boots. Grass cold at night."

Lucca said, "You don't have to stay out here, you know."

"Ayla want see Magus costume tonight!" Ayla insisted.

Marle and Harle had headed in shortly after sunset, as it had gotten too chilly to be comfortable for them. Crono had headed in shortly after that; the vest of his costume didn't provide much protection from the cold, and he didn't mind waiting until morning to see Magus' costume.

Ayla and Lucca sat in silence (and Robo stood) for a while. A few minutes later, through the windows they saw the door to the Resource room open, and Kid step out into the hall accompanied by a blue-green figure that had to be Magus. Ayla launched herself out of the chair and bounded over to the door; Robo and Lucca followed at a more leisurely pace.

Stepping into the hall, Ayla looked Magus over, then commented, "Costume good! Magus look like lizard. Make Ayla hungry!" Magus raised an eyebrow at this but made no other response.

"Really, Ayla?" Lucca asked through the doorway. "I would have expected you to compare it to a Reptite."

Ayla shook her head. "Head too small for Reptite."

Lucca and Robo stepped into the hall a few moments later. Lucca put her hand to the chin of her face-plate as she examined Magus' costume. "Not bad. I like the colors, and the pattern on the face-paint is really good. Who did that?"

Kid raised he hand. "That would be me."

"Impressive. You've got quite a talent there."

Robo chimed in, "I agree."

Lucca added, "I have to say though, it's pretty strange seeing you dressed like this, Magus. You really don't look like yourself; if I didn't know about your dare I never would have guessed it was you."

Magus crossed his arms. " says the Little Robot Girl..."

Lucca laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm one to talk. But at least my costume ties in with my interest in robotics. Unless I'm missing something, your costume doesn't really have much to do with who you are."

Robo turned to Lucca. "You have not forgotten that he had very little choice in what his costume would be, have you? It is illogical to expect a randomly selected costume to suit the wearer."

Magus gave a half-smile. "Actually, this costume is somewhat fitting for me, at least symbolically. I have been known to change my 'colors' to suit my surroundings, after all."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that," Lucca said in a surprised tone.

Kid raised an eyebrow and glanced at Magus. "That's actually pretty neat. When did ya think of that?"

Magus chuckled. "Just now, actually."

Robo said, "I am glad to hear you are satisfied with your costume."

After a little more chatting, Lucca, Ayla, and Robo said goodnight and headed back to the Red Room. Kid and Magus walked with them as far as the Dare Room, at which point Kid said to Magus, "I know we weren't done talking yet, but I'd like to head back to the Gray Room and get some food; we were so caught up in talking I forgot to stop for supper."

"Very well. I suppose I could use something to eat as well."

o-o-o-o

Harle, Marle, and Frog were playing some miniature golf when Kid and Magus got back. Magus still found how little clothing the group was wearing surreal, but he said nothing and other than a brief raised eyebrow kept his face impassive.

Marle's eyes widened when she saw Magus, and she exclaimed, "Oh, wow!"

Harle looked up and commented "Ooh la la! Who iz ze lizard man?"

Marle laughed. "It's Magus, wearing the chameleon costume he was dared to wear."

"It iz only a costume? 'Ow disappointing. Still, you look even more handsome as a reptile, Monsieur Magus."

Frog gave a croak-like chuckle. With a smirk, he said, "I agree. That look suits you." There was a hint of spite to his voice.

Kid scolded, "Frog!"

Magus said, "Let him joke, Schala. It will take more than an insincere compliment to hurt me."

Marle spoke up. "Well I'm not being insincere when I say that's a great costume. You probably don't want to hear it, but you actually look cute in it!"

Magus turned his attention to Marle, and gave her an annoyed (but not overly hostile) glare.

Marle said, "Oh, don't be like that, Magus. There's nothing wrong with being cute. Anyway, what do you think of the costume?"

Magus dropped his scowl, and leaned back against a wall with his arms folded. "I have to admit, it's not bad. If nothing else, it's certainly an interesting change of pace."

"I'm glad to hear it!"

With the drama apparently over, Kid headed to the cupboard to get some food. As she started pulling out some crackers and chips, she called Magus over and showed them what they had.

Magus held up a cupcake, and said, "I admit I'm not overly familiar with the foods consumed in this time period, but isn't this all snack food?"

"Yeah, and not particularly healthy snack food either. But for some reason the people setting up the Funhouse decided that good food was something we were going to have to earn in a challenge. The Red Team won, so they get to eat proper meals while we're stuck with this."

"I see..."

The two of them gathered the food they wanted, then headed back to the table to eat.

As Kid and Magus ate, Marle commented, "I'm happy to have you here, Magus, but I have to admit I'm still amazed you're playing the Funhouse, and even doing dares like that."

"I'm surprised too, but Kid had some very convincing arguments about joining the Funhouse – and once I'd made that decision, it was only a question of which dares I was going to perform, not whether I would perform any."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Speaking of being surprised, I would not have expected you to willingly allow your arm to be petrified like that."

"My arm...?" Marle asked, not expecting Magus to bring that up. "Um, yeah, well... It sounded like fun at the time. It turns out it's more annoying than it is fun, though." She hesitated, then asked, "You were surprised by my arm but not my being almost naked?"

Magus shrugged. "I admit I wasn't expecting it, but in retrospect it seems like exactly the sort of thing you would do. You always did strike me as a free spirit."

After they finished eating, Magus told Kid, "Let's head back to the dungeon. I'd like to talk a bit more tonight."

"Okay, but we only have a couple more hours before curfew; after that we'll have to come back here."

"Understood."

Once they were out in the hallway and the door closed behind them, Kid asked, "Not that I mind talkin' 'bout myself, but what's the rush?"

"I'm an impatient man." His eyes narrowed, "Also, it appears I have much to learn about the new you if vanity is now among your traits."

"Vanity?" Kid asked in confusion.

"Schala never particularly cared to talk about herself."

"At the risk of sounding like Harle, touché."

o-o-o-o

Kid and Magus talked for another couple of hours, during which time Kid told Magus of her life as a thief, and of her adventures with Serge and his friends and allies.

"...With the two timelines merged, time rewound to the point where Serge first crossed between worlds, and the party was split up. Most of them forgot our entire adventure; as far as I know Serge an' me are the only ones who still remember.

"At the time, I didn't know he remembered, and I needed some time to figure out how to deal with having two different sets of memories, so I spent the next few months wandering El Nido, learning 'bout the new timeline and gettin' my head together..."

Magus said, "You said that the minds of the old Schala and Kid merged to form your current mind. And yet I've noticed your accent and mannerisms shift back and forth. Is the merging of your minds not complete?"

Kid hesitated. "It's complicated. I feel like just one person, with one mind, but... some parts of my mind are more 'Schala' an' some more 'Kid'. So my mood and what I'm thinking about can affect which of my old selves I most act and speak like. My two sets of memories contribute to the apparent division; thinking about memories from one life tends ta get me thinkin' like I did in that life."

"I see."

While they still had more to talk about, Kid was starting to get tired and it seemed like a good place to take a break, so they headed back to the Gray Room.

o-o-o-o

Marle had already gone to bed when Kid and Magus got back, so it fell to Harle, Frog, Kid, and Magus to discuss Magus' sleeping arrangements.

They showed Magus the bedroom with its bunk-beds. Marle was in her normal bed, the lower-west one (the closest to the door), and Kid explained that she slept in the next bed over, Frog on the bottom in the furthest one, and Harle above Frog. "You okay with sleeping over Marle or me? Or do we need to shuffle things around?"

Magus thought about it then said, "I'm fine sleeping in the bed over yours."

After this Kid got ready for bed (she might not be able to wear her nightgown, but she still wanted to wash up and brush her teeth before bed).

Frog, Harle, and Magus stayed up a bit longer (Magus had much to think about, and Frog was reluctant to go to sleep before Magus), but eventually they each headed to bed as well.

o-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_o

Day Twenty

R69-L walked into the throne room and looked up at the dais. Queen Marle sat on the throne, as usual wearing only her crown and some jewels. Sitting just in front of the throne was Pirate King Crono, looking roguish in his pants, boots, vest, and pirate hat, his chest as bare as his lover's. The Naga Queen's tail was coiled loosely around his torso, and the end of it twitched as he absently stroked it.

R-69L bowed to the royalty, then assumed her position across from R-66Y. As she stood there guarding the Queen, she thought about her growing feelings for the King and Queen. It wasn't proper – robots were built to serve without emotion. However, her creators had made her too well, and the more time she spent with humans the more she began to think and act like one.

Movement in her peripheral vision caused her to turn her head to look at the dais. Crono had climbed up on the throne with Marle, and the two were hugging each other while kissing passionately. R69L knew she should look away, but she couldn't bring herself to. Sensual displays of human affection always made her feel something like "excitement", and when it was her two favorite humans it was all the stronger.

As they continued to kiss, their tongues appearing to wrestle with one another, Marle and Crono's hands began roaming over each other's bodies. Marle moaned into Crono's mouth.

Just then, Marle caught R-69L watching them. Marle winked at her, and gestured for her to come closer. R69-L hesitated, unsure what to expect, and not willing to believe that what she wanted was about to happen. Marle pulled her head away from Crono's and said, "Come on Lucca, join us!"

Lucca gulped, and nervously walked up the stairs to the chair where Marle and Crono were snuggled together. Unsure what to do, she stood in front of them, waiting for further instructions.

Crono turned his attention away from Marle to look over Lucca. "Lucca, take off your clothes."

"Yes, your majesty," Lucca said obediently. She methodically removed her armor plating, revealing her rubber skin beneath. When she was done, she stood there once again awaiting instructions. She was rather thrilled by the lustful way Marle and Crono looked over her body.

Marle gestured for her to come closer, and Lucca did. Marle then reached out and grabbed Lucca by the arm and pulled her onto the chair with them. Lucca was amazed they all fit on the chair, and thought to herself that this would surely be more comfortable on a bed. However, when their hands began caressing her rubber skin, all thoughts but pleasing them and being pleased in return left her head.

Lucca sat up in bed with a start. It was still dark, and Serge and Leena were still sound asleep (Robo also seemed to be in sleep mode, but with him it was often hard to tell). Her breathing was heavy, her heart beating hard and fast, and she could feel that the inside of the rubber suit under her armor was soaked with sweat. She still felt exited and a bit euphoric from the dream.

"Well, I think that erases any doubt I might have had about whether I'm attracted to Marle," Lucca thought.

As quietly as she could, Lucca got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean the inside of her suit (and cool herself down).

o-o-o-o

The weather was nice this morning, so after breakfast Marle and Harle headed out to the yard to play with the sports equipment. Magus suggested to Kid that the two of them head to the Dungeon to finish their conversation; however when they got there the Red Team was in the middle of Ayla's daily unarmed combat training.

The group paused what they were doing when Kid and Magus came in. Crono jogged over to Magus and looked him over thoughtfully. Serge and Leena followed at a slower rate.

"What is it?" Magus demanded of Crono.

Kid said, "I'm pretty sure he's just checking out your costume. Pretty much any time someone puts on a new costume or performs an unusual dare, everyone else has to take a look."

Crono nodded. "It's tradition!"

Leena said, "I like it. Though I do miss your long hair and cape..."

Serge gave her a strange look, then turned back to Magus. "It'll be nice to not be the only one wearing an animal costume."

Crono put his hand to his chin. "You know, I'm impressed; I didn't think you'd be able to bring yourself to wear a costume like that. There must be more to you than I thought." He grinned.

Magus just scowled at him.

Growing impatient, Ayla called Crono, Serge, and Leena back to the training.

Magus and Kid stepped back out of the Dungeon. Walking back to the Dare Room, Magus asked, "So what now? Should we use the Hot Tub room like we talked about yesterday afternoon?"

"I don't know, it looks like a gorgeous day out and I'd hate to miss it. I think the Yard's big enough that we could probably have enough privacy if we just move to a corner away from the others and keep our voices down."

Magus reluctantly agreed.

o-o-o-o

After training, Leena convinced Serge to go back to the Red Room with her. The rest of the Red Team headed out to the Yard.

By this point Kid had finished telling Magus about the months since defeating the Time Devourer, up to entering the Funhouse. Figuring she didn't have anything to hide, and their corner of the Yard was still private enough, she continued on to tell him about the highlights of life in the Funhouse so far.

Meanwhile, Harle, Marle, and the Red Team played some more games with the sports equipment.

In the Gray Room, Frog did some solo sword-practice, and generally enjoyed the peace and quiet.

After Kid finished her tale, she and Magus discussed what they'd each told one another, though with the others not so far away neither felt comfortable discussing deep emotional matters.

Finally deciding she needed a break from all that talking, Kid decided to join the others in their games; she invited Magus to join as well, but he decided to just watch.

A bit later, Frog joined everyone (besides Leena and Serge) in the yard; while he did sometimes enjoy solitude, he felt he had spent enough time alone for now. Also, while he knew no one intended it this way, he felt awkward being the only one staying in the Gray Room.

o-o-o-o

As the morning grew late, Crono, Marle, and Lucca all took a break from sports. Crono and Marle sat down first, while Lucca went to get an iced drink. When Lucca joined them, rather than sitting next to Crono as was her custom, she moved her chair next to Marle instead.

They just sat and watched Ayla and Frog play some volleyball for a while. Then Lucca turned to Marle and asked, "So, the Challenge Penalty is almost over. How have you been handling it, Marle? You certainly seem a lot less self-conscious than when it began."

Marle nodded. "It was a little embarrassing at first, but I've gotten used to it by now. In fact, it's kind of nice; I never realized how restrictive clothing was, or how nice it could feel just to feel the fresh air on my skin." She couldn't bring herself to say it, but Marle thought, "I almost wish it wasn't ending..."

Then it occurred to her she wouldn't be the only one who would miss her near-nudity. In a teasing tone, she said, "I bet Crono wishes I wasn't going to be putting my clothes back on..."

Crono blushed and looked quite embarrassed, but said nothing.

Marle giggled at Crono's reaction.

Lucca commented, "I'm sure he does. You must have noticed all the glances he's been stealing at you since the challenge?"

"It would have been hard to miss." Marle thought to herself, "It's hard to tell with the way the lenses of your mask hide your eyes, but I'm pretty sure you've been looking at me almost as much as Crono has."

Crono said in a guilty tone, "Sorry."

Marle shook her head. "It's okay; if I'd wanted you to stop I would have said something. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it; it's flattering to know you like my body so much. Of course, I wouldn't have liked it so much if you had started acting like my body was all you cared about, so thanks for still treating me like me."

Crono said with a bit of surprise, "You're welcome."

Marle giggled. She then turned to Lucca, and said with a wink, "Thanks for your support, too, Lucca."

There was a hint of embarrassment in Lucca's voice as she asked, "Me? What did I do?"

Deciding not to elaborate on her suspicions, Marle instead said, "Oh nothing much, you just kept treating me like normal too, and didn't get jealous over Crono looking at me like that. I really prefer it when we can all get along like this."

Lucca looked at Marle for a moment (her face-plate aimed towards Marle's), and Marle wished she could see Lucca's expression. Finally, Lucca replied, "I like it too. Hopefully we can all keep getting along, no matter what happens in the future..."

"I hope so too."

After a few moments, the girls turned to Crono. He smiled at them and nodded. "Agreed."

o-o-o-o

Around noon, the Red Team headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Crono and Lucca took one last look at Marle, figuring she'd be back to her naga costume the next time they saw her.

Shortly after the Red Team left, Kid, Magus, Harle, and Marle headed back to the Gray Room to get their own lunch.

o-o-o-o

At one, Vicks stopped by the Gray Room to deliver an announcement and a package. By this point, Marle, Kid, and Frog had mostly gotten over their modesty, so he was let in. "The penalty is over, but before you put on your normal clothing and costumes again, it's time for the second Bonus Challenge. Mister Bekkler will tell you more, but it involves wearing various outfits, and the winner gets to keep the outfits they wore. They also get a pass to end one costume dare, and the chance to re-arrange their clothing list and exchange clothing for vouchers and vice-versa.

"This Challenge is entirely optional; you may skip it or drop out early with no penalty.

"All Clothing and Costume dares are suspended for participants at least until you are out of the Challenge. Any other dares which would interfere in your participation are suspended as well, but none of you are performing any such dares.

"Those who wish to participate should change into these." Vicks opened the package to reveal several white tunics, briefs, and panties. "There's one tunic and one set of underwear for each of you; if you are going to participate, that is all you are allowed to wear until the start of the Challenge."

Leaving the package with them, he departed.

Marle and Harle decided to play without hesitation. Not having anything to take off, Harle found a set of tunic and panties that fit her and started putting them on. Marle on the other hand took her items into the bedroom to get changed.

Meanwhile, the others thought over whether they wanted to participate.

After some thought, Magus said, "I suppose I might as well; maybe I'll be able to stop wearing this costume then."

Kid said, "Well if you're playing I guess I will too. I might not be wearing a costume right now, but I can think of some modifications to my clothing list I wouldn't mind making."

Frog however saw no point in his participating, so he decided to sit the Challenge out. Once she was done getting changed, though, Marle was able to convince him to come watch.

Meanwhile, Wedge stopped by the Red Room and gave a similar message and package. However, when he came to the part about dares being suspended, he mentioned that Leena's handcuffs dare would be suspended (as she couldn't take off or put on shirts, jackets, and the like while wearing them).

Lucca looked down at her robot-armor. "I don't know, I'm pretty happy with this costume and my current clothing list. I think I'll pass."

Robo said, "I too have no need to change my outfit. I shall pass as well."

"Ayla think try on outfit sound fun. Ayla play!" Having learned that people in the modern era expected you to get changed in private, she grabbed a tunic and some panties and headed into the bathroom.

Crono also decided to play just for the fun of it; he grabbed a tunic and some briefs and headed to the bedroom to get changed.

That left Leena and Serge to decide if they were going to play.

Leena said, "It sound like fun, but I'm a little concerned based on previous challenges that there will be nudity involved. Also, do you think there will be changing rooms?"

Serge shrugged. "We could always go and find out more, and if we don't like what we hear, back out then."

Leena sighed. "I suppose."

Once Crono and Ayla were done changing, Leena and Serge changed as well. Then the entire team headed to the Challenge room.

o-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_o

Author's Notes:

I decided to go with much smaller casualty numbers for the Guardia/Mystic war than would be the case in a war in the real world due to the fact that the population of the world in Chrono Trigger (in any time period you can visit) seems quite low (even taking into account that the characters you are able to meet are probably not meant to be all the people in the world).