When the group awoken, they found themselves in a place of pure white.
"Where are we...?" Pickle groaned.
"I'm not sure…" Blaze pursed his lips and looked around as the surroundings suddenly faded and turned dark and hazy. "Roarian?"
"Hmm…" Roarian waited for their surroundings to change until they were suddenly in a room, with them glowing each a color. "It seems… that we have entered a subconscious mind,"
"But who's?" Blaze asked.
["Argh!"]
The group turned to see Crusher in the room, looking just as hazy as the surrounding as he struggled to rise a black from the ground.
"Crusher! You okay?" Blaze asked.
As soon as he tried to go to the dark blue truck, however, he suddenly went through him, like some kind of ghost. He glanced down at himself, shocked.
"W-What happened?!"
"This is not the real Crusher," Roarian spoke. "It's from a memory,"
"A memory?" Pickle asked. "Are we... in Crusher's mind?"
"Apparently so," Roarian nodded.
["Oh come on!"] they all turned back to the memory of Crusher still struggling to get in control of his powers. ["Why isn't it working?? Pickle said that it uses emotions! And I'm pretty mad now!"]
"Is... Crusher struggling to control the moonstone's powers?" Blaze asked.
"Ooh! I remember this!" Pickle gasped. "This was the night he first got the Moonstone. I heard him struggling, and I tried to help him, but he blocked the doors with rocks… for some strange reason," He then motioned to the rocks by the door.
"The corruption must have started when he first got it..." Roarian sighed.
"Poor Crusher..." Pickle sighed. "If we can't talk him through this, and he's too dangerous to fight, then what can we do?"
["That's it!"] Crusher sighed and fell on the ground in defeat. ["I give up! I'll never be able to control this stone in time for the race tomorrow!"]
["Never say never, young Moonstone wielder…"]
The group gasped as a small, light blue spirit girl appeared in front of Crusher, her dress reaching the ground while her hair was in buns as she glanced over at the dark blue truck calmly.
["Who are you?"] Crusher asked.
["I am Zhan Tiri,"] she introduced with a curtsy. ["And I am here to help you control your magic, young wielder,"]
"Wait... isn't Zhan Tiri the demon you talked about earlier?" Blaze asked.
"The very one..." Roarian gulped, ears pressed against his head.
["You? Help me?"] Crusher scoffed. ["What exactly can YOU do?"]
["You are using the stone to get back at your rival, are you not?"] Zhan Tiri questioned.
["Yeah...?"]
["But your rage isn't enough,"] Zhan Tiri spoke, a hand on his tire. ["I can help you, young wielder, to fuel it into destruction,"]
["Okay... but... why would you help me?] Crusher narrowed his eyes at her. ["We hardly know each other!"]
["It is my job, after all,"] Zhan Tiri fibbed with a smile. ["I come with the Moonstone, and I am tasked to help my wielders get in full control,"]
["Really? Well... okay,"] Crusher smirked. ["You have a deal!"]
["Excellent!"] Zhan Tiri grinned.
With that, she snapped her fingers, and the whole room began to spin. The group gasped as they felt the room swirl and change until they all ended up in the woods, at day time, with a cottage right across a small river, just at the edge of the grass plain.
"Where are we?" Blaze asked, looking around.
"Hmm…" Pickle also looked around, his eyes settling on the cottage. "I think… this was Crusher's old home when he was a kid, from what Grammy told me,"
"He lived here?" Blaze asked, only for Pickle to nod.
["Is this... my old home? From when I was little?"] Crusher questioned.
["Indeed,"] Zhan Tiri nodded, grabbing his tire. ["Come,"]
She led him inside, through the door. The others followed after, and the found themselves inside, a sweet melody echoing all over the place as a music box played on top of a shelf. They also saw a young Crusher sweeping the ground with a brush, humming to the music with a smile.
"Aww... he looks adorable!" Pickle sighed.
Suddenly, the music box stopped playing. Young Crusher dropped the broom and reached out to grab it. He glanced at it for a while before driving over to a room behind a transparent curtain.
["Wind please,"] he spoke to someone in the room.
["Not now, child!"] a man's voice growled as he drove out of the room with a cloak around him. ["I'm in a hurry!"]
Crusher seemed to recognize him with wide eyes. ["That's…"]
The man removed his cloak and set it down at the rack before gazing himself in the mirror. Zhan Tiri nodded in approval.
["Your father, yes, is it,"]
"His dad?" Blaze asked with a confused glance. "Pickle, did you know anything about this?"
"No… I don't," Pickle shook his head as they watched Young Crusher drive up to his father enthusiastically.
["Are you and Mama going to the city?!"] he asked. ["Can I come?!"]
["Absolutely NOT, Crusher!"] the man snarled, causing the child to drive back. ["You know your place is here!"]
Young Crusher began to sniffle his tears and pout as he tried to wipe the tears with one tire. The man rolled his eyes.
["Oh stop with the pouting! You are a boy!"] he yelled. ["Men don't cry!"]
["Y-Yes, Papa..."]
Young Crusher wiped the tears away as the door opened to reveal a woman, all dressed in fancy clothing as she smirked.
["Come on, Calvin, the city isn't going to wait for us,"] she spoke before turning to Crusher. ["What's wrong with the brat?"]
["He wants to go with us, but he doesn't realize that his place is here, and the cottage isn't going to clean itself,"] Calvin chortled.
Young Crusher sighed as he watched his parents leave through the door. Before they could, however, he reached out to his mother with the music box in his tires.
["Mama,"]
["Ugh... fine..."]
The woman took the music box and winded it up before returning to it. Young Crusher smiled, glancing up at her.
["Thank you, Mama,"]
["Yes dear."]
With an eye roll, the woman slammed the door shut. The group watched as Young Crusher drove away from the fort and set the music box down on the shelf. The music echoed through the house as he picked up the broom again to clean, singing to himself softly.
["~Guess by now,
I oughta know my place~
~Do your humble duty
With a smile on your face~"]
He set the broom down and drove over to a picture of his family with a sigh.
["~They both know
how much I love them~
~But they're always
doing other things~"]
He picked up the picture and hugged it with a smile.
["~So I'll keep waiting in the wings~"]
Crusher watched his younger self drive off into his room. He glanced down at the music box and sighed.
["~I craved so much
But still I kept on waiting~"]
He followed after his younger self and watched in pity as he hugged the picture in his tires.
["~One glance, one touch
And still I kept on waiting~
~And when it came,
It came with strings~"]
Crusher then followed his child self to the window. Young Crusher hopped on the windowsill and cuddled up to the blanket placed there. Crusher sighed.
["~So I kept waiting
In the Wings~"]
Hearing the song made Blaze's eyes fill with tears.
"Blaze?" Pickle glanced over at the red truck with a frown. "What's wrong?"
"He... just wanted to be loved... h-h-he never asked to be treated like that..." Blaze managed to whisper.
"Yeah, that's Crusher," Pickle sighed. "The big fella's always been soft, just… experiences always toughened him up… and made him closed in…"
["Zhan Tiri,"] the group turned back to the scene to see Crusher facing the spirit girl with tearful eyes. ["I… I don't get why you had to show me this. This… This has nothing to do with my hatred for Blaze,"]
["Patience, Crusher,"] Zhan Tiri told him. ["Now, do you remember the incident that destroyed your cottage this very day?"]
"Incident?" Blaze turned to Pickle.
"Not a clue," Pickle shook his head.
["…yes, I remember,"] Crusher grimaced. ["What about it?"]
Zhan Tiri didn't reply. Instead, she smiled, waiting as thunder grumbled outside.
Young Crusher overheard the thunder and jumped in fright. He looked outside the window and glanced over at the mountain nearby… where a landslide was rolling down the mountainside!
["GAH!"] Young Crusher jumped off the windowsill in shock before zipping to the door. ["HELP!"]
"A landslide!" Pickle cried.
Young Crusher jumped to reach out for the doorknob but couldn't turn it and slipped.
Crusher sighed. ["Me and my weak tires. I used to be so weak,"]
["Oh, but was it truly you?"] Zhan Tiri questioned. ["Let me reveal the truth to you, Crusher,"]
["Huh?"]
Crusher was confused as he was led through the door. The others followed after them and found themselves outside, at the stormy day. Zhan Tiri pointed over at the door, and Crusher glanced over before freezing.
At the door was a key.
The door had been locked the whole time.
["What...?"]
He drove forward to the key, his trembling tire going past it as he began to hyperventilate.
His parents locked him in? How long have they been doing that?
Meanwhile, the group were bewildered by the truth. Pickle looked the most enraged.
"They were trying to keep him locked up like some... wild animal?!"
"I can't believe it…" Blaze murmured.
Suddenly, another grumble of thunder came, followed by lightning as the landslide got to the cottage and washed up the whole thing, burying the poor child inside. The group gasped in shock. What horrified them more was the calm expression Crusher's face as he watched his old home he destroyed.
Soon, a horn echoed out, along with a cry.
["CRUSHY!"]
"Is that... Grammy?" Blaze questioned.
"Yeah!" Pickle gasped. "Look!"
He pointed over to the lavender truck zooming towards the cottage. Grammy quickly took out a shover and dig through the dirt until she found Young Crusher and grabbed him, pulling him out of from within.
["Crushy! Are you okay, my darling?!"]
["G-Grammy…?"] Young Crusher coughed out some dirt and mud as he weakly glanced up at his grandmother before shuddering. ["M'cold…"]
["Oh Crushy... you're okay..."] Grammy sighed in relief.
["W-Where are Mama and Papa?"] Young Crusher asked, looking around. ["A-Are they with you?"]
["No… they're not,"] Grammy shook her head. ["But don't worry. I've got you. Let's take you to my home, alright? We'll wait for them there,"]
["Yes, Grammy."]
They all watched the duo drive away from the destroyed cottage. Crusher scoffed.
["But they never came back,"] he said. ["Probably thought I was dead,"]
["Celebrated your death, more specifically,"] Zhan Tiri corrected.
["Same thing,"] Crusher shrugged. ["but Zhan Tiri, this just makes me angrier at my parents, not at Blaze! How does this help?!"]
["Do you know why your parents went to the city?"] Zhan Tiri asked.
["No..."]
["Then let me show you,"] Zhan Tiri snapped her fingers, and they all found themselves at the city.
Blaze looked around and gasped in surprise. Pickle turned to him, confused.
"What is it, Blaze?"
"This… This is the city where Sparkle and I grew up," Blaze answered. "Why would Crusher's mom and dad come here?"
["It was so kind of you both to come, Krisha!"]
The group all turned to see Crusher's parents along with Blaze's parents just outside a party room. Calvin wore an arrogant smirk while Krisha was faking a humble expression.
["Of course we'd come, Phoenix,"] she spoke. ["Why would we ever miss your son's first birthday?"]
"They were coming to see... me?" Blaze asked.
Crusher, on the other hand, looked horrified as he watched the scene unfold.
Flame was holding a baby Blaze in his tires. Calvin grinned down at the baby.
["Oh, your son is quite charming,"] he said with a sigh. ["I wish WE had a child like that,"]
["That's strange,"] Flame frowned. ["Word on the street is that you and Krisha have a child,"]
["Oh he's not our child,"] Krisha shook her head. ["He's nothing but our servant,"]
["And even if we have a child, I bet that he wouldn't be as amazing as your son,"] Calvin grinned as he glanced over at baby Blaze.
Blaze couldn't look at how Crusher responding to this. It... made him feel too horrible.
["So, young wielder, does THIS help with your powers?"] Zhan Tiri asked, grinning as she watched the dark blue truck tremble in rage.
["Very much so..."]
Crusher snarled, his eyes glowing blue as he stomped on the ground, causing the surrounding to explode in icy blue and knocking the group out cold.
When they woke up, they were back in Crusher's tower.
After Pickle rubbed his eyes, he found Blaze nearby, huddled in a corner... crying.
Crying harder than he ever did in his entire life.
"Oh, Blaze…" Pickle drove over to the red truck, as did Roarian.
"Do not cry, my friend," the flying lion whispered to him.
"How can I not? Crusher was telling the truth! The reason he hates me so much... it's all so clear..."
"But it's not your fault," Pickle told him.
"Pickle is right," Roarian agreed. "It is Zhan Tiri who is corrupting Crusher, and she is using YOU as her only way to get the stones for herself,"
"You're.. you're sure?" Blaze glanced up at him unsurely.
"Positive," Roarian nodded and helped the red truck. "Now that we also know the truth, we can use it to find a way to defeat Zhan Tiri,"
"And save Crusher!" Pickle added.
"I… I guess you're right," Blaze smiled, sniffling his tears before looking around. "But… where IS Crusher?"
Indeed, they were back in Crusher's tower, but there was no sign of the dark blue truck.
"We gotta find him!" Pickle said. "He could go after our friends and your family!"
"Let's go!" Blaze grabbed his sword, and they all sped out of the tower.