Chapter 12- Retrieving The Green Ring
After I calmed down, I explained to Ralph what happened between me and Pepper. "…then she stormed off and left me." I concluded.
"Oof~" Ralph replied. "Seems like you've had a ruff few days Kid…"
" Yeah…" I replied softly. "How did you get stuck here anyways?"
"Well, I was on my way to see you when I ran into this strange, green glowing woman that grabbed me and threw me in here with-"
"Some glowing green rope thingy…" I cut in.
"Yeah… How'd you know?"
I didn't tell him about that deal I got into with The Scammer or the ring… It was just too much for me to bring up to him…
"I-" Before I could finish, we suddenly both heard a loud banging sound coming from outside. "What was that!" I yelled.
Outside the tiny prison stood none other than Pepper. The source of the noise was her trying to ram her sharpened candy-cane into the cell's lock.
She grunted in frustration as she tried countless times to get it in. "C'mon!" She yelled. "Fit already!" With one final strong hit, Pepper managed to get it in. "Yes!" She then began to pick the lock in order to open the door.
Ralph began punching the door with all his strength but even he couldn't get it open.
"Ralph stop trying…it's no use…" I said, whispering that last sentence to myself.
Despite my concerns, Ralph still continued. "Yes….there… IS!" With one final punch the door flew open to my surprise.
Ralph turned to me and said smugly, "See kid, nothing to it!"
We both paused for a moment however, when we suddenly heard someone scream in pain as the door slammed against the wall.
Ralph and I both ran outside to find Pepper hanging onto the door's bars with her head swing back in front from dizziness. "Ouch!" She finally muttered as she came too.
My eyes widened. "Pepper!" I yelled in shock.
"Yeah me…" She replied hopping down from the door as she rubbed her aching head slightly. "Hey!"
Without a second thought, I immediately glitched towards her and gave her the biggest hug possible.
"I'm so glad you're alright." I said in relief as I released her.
Pepper seemed a bit surprised by my reaction. "You were…actually worried about me…" She asked in shock.
I became a bit embarrassed as my face went slightly red . "Well, maybe a little…" I muttered rubbing the back of my neck.
"Hey, uh kid" Ralph began as be approached us. "Who's uh this?"
"Oh uh, t-this is Pepper…" I introduced as I began to fiddle with my hoodie strings. "You know the girl I was just telling you about…" I continued with a bit of a soft mutter at the end.
"Umm, he- WOAH…!" Pepper began but her jaw immediately dropped when she actually got a good look at him. "Sweet Candy-Canes he's HUGE!" She thought.
She then cleared her throat and began to wave at him nervously. "I-I'm assuming this your best friend, right…?"
"Yeah…. This is Ralph…" I replied a bit confused by her reaction. Then I remembered just how huge that big guy was compared to the both of us.
There was silence between the two of us for a moment. It was finally broken after Ralph said, "Uh, i'll give you two some time to talk, I'll be over there if ya need me." He the left us both alone as he walked away.
As we both watched as he left, I turned back to Pepper and began, "Look Pepper about earlier-"
Before I could finish, she interrupted me by saying, "Let's…Let's just talk about it later. Don't worry about it right now…"
"O-Ok then…" I replied a bit skeptically. "But why'd you come back and how did you even find us in here?"
"Dumb luck actually, hehe. I was looking for you when I saw the prison and found you both inside, but that's not the only reason I'm here. I need to come up with a solid plan if I'm gonna defeat The Hacker again!"
"Defeat The Hacker?! Are you CRAZY!" I shouted in shock. "And did you just say again?!"
"Yeah, I'm just as confused about it as you are. Apparently, all that stuff about the legend is true and that I'm the Internet hero that got her memory whipped because The Hacker wanted revenge on me for stopping her ages ago!"
I looked at her confused. "That's a lot to take in don't ya think."
"Well obviously. How do you think I feel right now, but forget about. Right now the only way I can is getting that ring back from The Hacker."
I immediately froze. "U-Uh a ring. What ring?" I asked nervously.
"I don't know, it's that red ring she's wearing that's apparently supposed to absorb her powers or something. I'm not all that sure how it all works."
"But she's al the way at Google at the top of the building. How do you even plan on getting that from her?"
"Ugh I DON'T KNOW YET! But what other choice do I have!"
I was a bit worried for her. Even though we weren't on the best of terms, I couldn't just let her try and fight off The Hacker alone because of my stupid mistake
Pepper sighed. "Unless I can somehow find The Scammer and get her ring instead, that's pretty much all I can do. And who knows where she could be right now!"
An idea suddenly came to me. "Actually, I think I know where we can find her."
"Wait, seriously?!" She exclaimed.
"Mhm!" I replied with a reassuring nod. "And I think I have the perfect plan to get that ring from her, but we'll also need Ralph's help for this to work."
"Wait we?" She asked surprised.
"Heck yeah we!" I cheered. "I'm gonna help you get that ring, even if it's the last thing I do! You in?"
Pepper smirked. "Oh yeah!"
Meanwhile, back at the Dark Net, The Scammer was going around dealing with some 'unfinished business' of her's…
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Was all that was heard inside one of the worn down buildings in the area.
The Scammer was inside with a shady middle aged man who was now chained to the wall while wearing The Scammer's outfit for some reason-
"And that's for calling my outfit tacky!" She hissed at him.
The man shot her an angry look. "It still is you little-" Without a moment to react, the man's mouth literally disappeared clean of his face with one snap of a finger.
"Ugh, your voice always got on my last nerve." She rolled her eyes. "Now where to next?"
That's when the voice of a salesman caught her attention. "Jewelry for sale!" She heard.
But unfortunately for her, it was the voice of my salesman. "Fine jewelry for sale!" Ralph yelled as he stood behind the counter of an abandoned building near by.
Pepper and I got him a last minute disguise so The Scammer wouldn't recognize him. It wasn't all that much. Just a mustache, grey hat and a matching tuxedo and tie that we may or may not have 'borrowed' from a store, hehe…
To our surprise, it was exactly his size. Talk about convenient. Didn't know they sell clothes that big to be honest.
"Why good day madam!" He began as The Scammer walked in. "Care to buy some of the Internet's finest jewelry?"
He picked up a treasure chest off the counter that contained nothing but eye-catching rings. He opened it up to show her them and boy was she amazed.
"Oooo!" She gushed as she began to examine them.
Meanwhile Pepper and I kept watch behind an old barrel laying on the ground near by.
"I think she's taking the bait!" I whispered to Pepper. "Where'd you get those rings anyway?" I asked curiously.
"Oh yeah know. May or may not have found it in the princess' dressing room and brought it with me." She smiled nervously.
"Seriously dude?" I asked with a brow raised.
"What? Just because I've showed you my nice side doesn't mean I've turn all goody goody all of a sudden." She hissed folding her arms.
I chuckled slightly as I rolled my eyes. That's when I noticed the Scammer wearing nine different rings on each finger from the chest. I gasped. "I think she's gonna take it off." I turned my attention back to her and continued. "Any minute now…"
The last remaining figure she had free was the one she used to wear the green ring. She had been observing a beautiful, gold plated, emerald ring that really seemed to interest her.
"All these rings are just gorgeous!" She gushed.. "But this beauty right here is just to die for! Oh but it would be such a shame to part from the rest of you." She continued as she admired her ring filled fingers.
She thought for a moment as she looked briefly at the green ring. "I'm sure I could take it off for just one moment I suppose." She then removed the green ring and placed it on the counter.
"She took it off!" I gasped as I hopped over the barrel.
"Hurry go!" Pepper whispered as I quickly ran into the building.
As I entered, I quickly hid behind a pile of broken wooden boards in the opposite corner. I slow peaked my head out as I began to give Ralph the signal.
When he noticed, he nodded at me and turned his attention back to The Scammer.
"Say, ah ma'am!" If ya like these so much, we have plenty more beauties in the back. Just follow me and I'll show ya everything I got!"
As Ralph lead her away, I slowly made my to the counter to find the ring still laying on the counter. That was the first time got a chance to see it up close. "Woah!" I whispered in amazement to myself as I examined it.
I slowly picked it up as I watched it glow bright green in my hands.
"Your gonna love them!" Ralph went on as he continued to distract her.
"Yes, well that sounds lovely and all but I forgot to get my ring off-" That's when The Scammer turned around to find me with it. "Counter!" She hissed angrily at the sight of me.
"Welp, time to go!" I blurted out as I quickly glitched away to the doorway.
The Scammer became so furious, she began to glow an even brighter green. Ralph tried to stop her from behind but she immediately overpowered him by placing him in chains. Literally!
I got out as fast as I could but she caught up to me fast. She then tried to get me again with the same glowing, green substance from earlier but I kept dodging them with my glitch.
"Quit glitching around already you annoying little brat!" She hissed as she struggled to capture me. "Give me back the ring!"
"Never you wack job!" I shot back as I continued to dodge her attacks. I then sighted Pepper and yelled to her. "Pepper catch!" I then threw her the ring as she jumped up from behind the barrel and successfully caught it.
Pepper became a bit nervous by the sudden pressure. She put on the ring and said to herself, "Uh, how does this thing work? Do I just..point it at her?"
She then raised her arm and pointed the ring at The Scammer's direction. The moment I glitched out of the way, the ring immediately began to absorb The Scammer's powers as a mist of glowing green pixels began to leave her body at a rapid pace.
I fell to the ground and watched as The Scammer became frozen in place as all of her enhanced coding slowly depleted from her body.
After a while of this, Pepper retracted her arm and the ring stopped absorbing power.
The Scammer began to breathe heavily as she regained her movement. She looked up a Pepper with an evil smirk. "Heh! You may have taken back my power, but you didn't get all!" She laughed evilly.
She raised both her hands and pointed them at Pepper. She then gave her a sudden shove gesture as she tried to use her remaining power but nothing happened.
Her face immediately dropped. Another shove in the air and nothing. "What! I can't use my capture whip?!" She cried.
"And can't use your feet either!" Ralph interjected as he threw a rapped pile of chains over her.
"Nice work Chumbo!" I cheered as I ran up to him from near by.
"Yeah! Thanks for the help…" Suddenly, Pepper began to feel weak. She lost a bit if her balance and feel to her knees.
"Pepper!" I cried as I quickly glitched towards her, Ralph following in tow. "Are you ok?" I asked concerned as I placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied. "I just feel really woozy all of a sudden."
"That's cause you used the ring on me." We all turned towards The Scammer who now had a broad smirk on her face. "That stupid ring you used on us requires the users energy to absorb power. So the more you use it, the more energy ya lose!" She chuckled.
The three of us looked at her in silence.
"Heh! Good luck trying to stop my sister now. She's going to be way more of challenge than I have." Her tone quickly shifted into an irritated one. "Sadly…"
My eyes widened as I whispered to myself, "This just got a lot more harder than I first thought…"
A/N: Ok I know what your thinking, it's been years! Now I wasn't on another break or anything, my FNaF AU was just a little more time consuming than I thought, but anyways I'm back.
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise you chapter 13 will be out soon. All that's left for me to do is rewrite a few things and then proof reading so hopelly I'll have that out in the next few days.
If you want any updates on the story, just click on my profile where I'll be now updating you on what I'm working on for both AU's and future stories. Anyways that's all! I'll see you in the next chapter! :)