Disclaimer: All Disney works are the property of The Walt Disney Company. All other characters and settings are the property of their respective legal owners.
Author's note: Originally posted by Anon e Mouse Jr. on 2020-06-28. This is the second of two chapters posted today.
Disney/Kingdom Hearts Loops, Chapter Forty
40.1 (Anon e Mouse Jr.): [Beauty and the Beast]
As a door slammed in the distance, Belle sat bolt upright in her room, blinking as she looked around. Then, she realized what had just happened, and groaned. Oh no…
She really didn't like Waking Up this late in events, when she was Beast's prisoner and he was in a bad mood over things, a sure sign that he wasn't Awake yet. Not to mention, her father was on his way home and would soon be getting Gaston's attention. The egotistical hunter was bad enough at this point as it was, and Maurice's return to their village would only make him worse.
Sighing, she let out a Ping as a matter of habit, despite not expecting a response.
A moment later, she felt one back, and her eyes widened. If it's not Adam… who?
She was still thinking about it a few hours later when she heard a tiny clinking sound coming from under the bed, and looked over at the Wardrobe. "Did you hear that?"
Wardrobe nodded. "Sounds like china against the floor…" She cringed for a moment, then considered. "Well, it can't be the master, it was way too close for that."
There was a little giggle, and then a familiar teacup hopped out from under her bed. "Hi!"
"Chip!" Belle exclaimed, leaning down so he could hop into her hand. "I thought you went back to the kitchen with your mother!"
"Yep!" He shook himself. "But then I kinda snuck back and hid under your bed while everyone was distracted. Hope you don't mind."
Belle smiled as she set him on the night table that was next to her bed this Loop. "It's fine, Chip. I just hope you don't get in trouble for this."
"Oh, Mama might be a little upset, but she'll understand. 'Specially since she's just as worried about you as I was."
"She is?"
Chip nodded. "Mama's still upset with the master about what he did with your papa… he never should have been locked up like that."
Seeing Belle's frown, he added, "But I'm sure your papa's fine now! He should be back home and safe, and-"
"And in the same town as that horrid Gaston," Belle said with an unhappy look.
"Someone we ought to know about?" Wardrobe asked curiously.
Belle nodded. "Gaston is this… egomaniacal hunter who thinks he's the greatest thing in the world and is obsessed with making me his 'little wife' - he'd do just about anything to make it happen. I can't stand him, and I've told him as much, but somehow he's got the entire town wrapped around his little finger."
"Hmmph. Sounds like a real jerk to me." Wardrobe stood back against the wall. "Think he'd come here if he knew where you were?"
"I don't doubt it," Belle replied. "Worse, even Papa doesn't seem to realize just how rotten he is. He'd probably ask that… loudmouth lout for help in getting me back!" She sighed. "I know Papa means well, but I'd be perfectly happy if I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing Gaston or any of his toadies ever again."
"Huh." Wardrobe shrugged. "Well, do you think we should tell the master about him, just in case he comes looking for you?"
"That would probably be the smart thing to do," Belle told her.
"Then if I can squeeze myself out of here…" Wardrobe trotted off to the door, and bowed gratefully as Belle opened it to let her through. When she had gone, Belle went back over to the bed and sat back down, looking over at Chip and smiling.
"Thank you for coming to see me," she told him.
"No problem," he replied. "You looked like you needed a friend."
"I do…" She looked at him curiously. "Why does your master have such a bad temper, anyway?"
"Well, Mama says it's 'cause he didn't get the right lessons when he was a kid." Chip looked up at her. "He was nice enough to me, but… Mama says she and everyone else failed him, didn't teach him well enough. And by the time she realized it, it was too late…"
"And he was rude to the wrong person and got turned into a Beast." Belle nodded.
"Yeah! But now you can turn him back, like you did before!" Suddenly, he gasped. "Oops…"
Belle looked at him, her eyes wide, and suddenly it hit her. "Chip?" She held a hand to her mouth. "Are you… Looping?"
Chip ducked his body and looked embarrassed. "Uh… yes?"
"So it was you I felt earlier!" Belle scooped him up and pressed him against her cheek like she was hugging him. "Oh, I'm so glad…"
Then she lowered him and gave him a stern look. "And since you know how to Ping, this can't be your first Loop… how long have you known?"
Chip thought for a moment. "Uh… at least a dozen or so, since Mister Uno taught me." He blushed. "I would have told you sooner, but I just never got the chance."
Smiling, Belle shook her head. "I wish I'd known before…"
Chip leaned up to rub his handle against her face. "But you know now, and that's what's important."
"Yes. Yes, it is." Belle smiled and set him down again. "So, where have you been?"
"Well, I was part of the Kids Next Door my first time… that's where I learned about everything about the Loops. Nigel's one of Princess Anna's friends, you know, and he said Anna knew you."
"Of course I do," Belle told him. "And her sister."
"Yeah, she sounds cool." Chip giggled at his own pun. "Then I've been here a few times… and I met-" He was suddenly cut off as there was a loud banging on the door, and ducked behind one of her pillows.
Frowning, Belle went to the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me," came the low growl of the Beast. "One of my servants said you had someone you wanted to tell me about - some Gaston."
"Oh. Him." Belle sighed, and began to repeat her story. When she had finished, she waited for his reaction.
"I... appreciate the warning," the Beast finally said. "I'll make sure someone keeps an eye out for him, or any other unexpected arrivals."
"Thank you," Belle told him.
"You..." There was a moment of silence, and then, "You're welcome." After another moment, he spoke up again. "Are you hungry yet?"
"Well, a little..."
"Then I'll have the kitchen send something up, for now. But, I expect you in the dining room in the morning."
She heard him stomping away, and once he was out of earshot, she turned back to Chip. "It's okay. You can come back out now."
The little teacup hopped out, and smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks... the master's scary when he isn't Awake."
Belle smiled fondly at him. "I know, Chip. I know. But he's improving already."
"Yeah."
Many days later, Belle watched as the wounded Beast, surrounded by magic, was healed as he reverted to his human form, his eyes opening to reveal the same ones he'd had when transformed, his expression becoming even happier as he saw her.
"Belle... it's me!"
Belle smiled. "I know..."
"And-" suddenly, he froze, blinking. "And... did I just go through almost an entire Loop without Waking Up until just now?"
"You certainly did." Belle leaned forward and kissed him. When they finally pulled back, she smiled. "Luckily, I wasn't alone this time."
"Oh?" Adam looked at her curiously. "Who else was here?"
There was a barking noise as Footstool came running in, Chip on his back before both returned to normal. With a smile, Belle scooped up the young boy. "Say hello to our newest Looper, Adam."
"Chip!" Adam laughed brightly. "It's good to see you!"
Chip smiled back. "It's good to see you too, master."
"Please." Adam reached out and ruffled his hair. "When I'm like this... call me Adam."
"Okay!"
As the trio laughed in delight, another trio, also restored to human form, watched them from the doorway.
"Do you think there is something more going on here that we were not told about?" Lumière asked his companions.
"Ahem. Well, either the spell breaking has turned them all, shall we say, 'goofy', or perhaps, as much as I hate to admit it, Lumière is, for once, right about something." Cogsworth elbowed his friend.
"What do you mean, 'for once', mon ami?" Lumière huffed indignantly.
Mrs. Potts chuckled as the two started bickering back and forth, then turned back to Belle, Adam and Chip, as the trio celebrated.
"I may not know exactly what's going on here," she said to herself. "But whatever it is, my little boy is happy... both of them." She wiped a tear of joy from her eye at the sight.
And all across the castle, as the last of the curse faded away, its inhabitants celebrated.
40.2 (Evilhumour): [Beauty and the Beast]
Belle bit her lip as Gaston took the mirror from her and braced herself for the usual song where the village hunter rallied them all to try and attack her future husband. She was about to reach for something in her pocket when there was a loud horse whinny as a fine carriage pulled up, cutting off Gaston mid-song.
Without missing a beat, Lumière opened the door and out stepped the Beast, dressed in complete finery.
"Hello everyone," he said in his most confident voice with no stuttering. "It is good to see you all in person for once. I am Prince Adam, son of our dear King Robin, and as you can currently see, cursed into this form." He gave a light chuckle before walking straight past the stunned crowd to give Belle a chaste kiss on the cheek. "There are you, my dear. And you too, Monsieur Maurice who introduced us two." He then went to hug her father, separating him from the villagers. "To show my gratitude, I personally promise to have your taxes lowered by half!"
Belle had to hold back her laugher as everyone raced to lift Adam up in the air, cheering his name with Gaston looking completely focused. Walking past him, Belle took the mirror back and patted his cheek, saying, "That's the man I plan to marry."
40.3 (Harry Leferts): [Frozen] / [Kancolle]
Fingers tapping against her arm, Murakumo frowned as she looked at her oldest sister. "Onee-Sama, you certainly seem to be excited. Especially as we're due to meet the newest shipgirl transfers from Europe."
Lips twitching, Fubuki, the name ship of their class chuckled. "Because we have two of our Nee-Sans arriving with them, Murakumo-Chan."
Perking up, Murokumo blinked. "Oh? The Admiral didn't mention that..."
Simply chuckling, Fubuki shook her head. "That's because he might not realize it or consider them a class of their own. Like the Akatsukis." At the nod from Murokumo, she continued. "Shortly after I was launched, there were observers from all over the world. And, well..."
Murokumo smiled a bit even as she kept an eye out for Abyssals. "Ah, and they were all impressed with you. Every Destroyer after you were launched were based somewhat on you... Which is why you have the title of 'Mother of the Modern Destroyer'."
Needless to say, Fubuki was more then a little flustered at that, but still nodded. "Hai, that is correct. But one of the European nations asked for Japan to build some of our class for them. There were some modifications due to the different weapons, but not many. They ended up with two of them and during the War used them to escort their Royal Family to safety in Britain. Not even the Germans were able to stop them."
Eyebrows raising, Murokumo only nodded as she twirled her spear. "Ah, sounds like they lived up to their pride as members of their class." Eyebrows furrowing, she frowned. "Which nation was it...?"
Spotting the ships and shipgirls over the horizon, Fubuki began striding forward, seemingly skating across the water's surface. "Norway as a matter of fact." Coming to a stop, she grinned at the two before her. Both of them were dressed in more European dresses with one blonde and the other auburn though they were the same age as Fubuki herself. Sending off a ping, Fubuki got several back and two winks from the two in front of her. "Elsa, Anna, welcome to Japan."
Lightly laughing, the two hugged her with all three having the same thoughts. 'Sometimes, alternate history loops are fun...'
40.4 (Evilhumour) & (Anon e Mouse Jr): [Beauty and the Beast]
Adam woke up and saw his younger body. His younger human body. And Adam knew what he had to do. He quickly made his way down the stairs to greet the fairy properly. Seeing the beggar in the rain, he opened the door wide for her and bowed. "Please, come in," he told her. "You must be cold out there."
"Thank you, young man," the woman replied in a strange, high-pitched voice as he moved aside.
"May I… take your cloak, miss?" he asked as she entered the hall.
In an instant, the woman turned to him. "Miss? MISS?! Do I look like a miss?!"
Then she threw her cloak aside to reveal not a woman, but a male figure in a yellowish jacket, wearing a monocle and with graying hair at his temples.
"In all my years I have never been so insulted!" the man thundered. "For that, you shall suffer a fate most terrible, and become as all the beasts I have met in the savannahs and jungles of the world!"
Then he raised a hand, and Adam knew no more.
"And that's how it happened this Loop," Adam told Belle about ten years later, after she'd figured out the catch in the curse and turned him back to normal.
Belle shook her head. "So instead of an enchantress, you got a sorcerer who looked like Colonel Mustard," she said. "There's something I never expected to hear."
"It's something I never expected to happen," Adam replied. "I'm just lucky he left after that instead of trying to hunt me right away."
"So am I," Belle replied, leaning her head against him.
40.5 (Boohoooo!): [Beauty and the Beast] / [Super Mario Bros.]
Prince Adam Awoke just before he was going to turn down the Enchantress.
"Wait! Come in! You're looking lovely, miss!" He coughed, letting the Enchantress in.
The Enchantress entered... and dropped the cloak, showing it to be Waluigi.
"Expecting an Enchantress? TOO BAD, WALUIGI TIME!" He laughed, launching a curse.
"Errr.. Well, having a weird nose isn't as bad as the other curse, at least." A weirded out Belle comforted Adam, who had Waluigi's nose.
"Thanks." Adam smiled.
"Expecting a nice ending? TOO BAD, WALUIGI TIME!" Waluigi exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere and freezing the two.
40.6 (Evilhumour) & (Anon e Mouse Jr): [Beauty and the Beast]
Adam Awoke and felt himself lifted in the air as the curse began to break, the power surging through his body with his body moving out to its proper state.
Landing on his feet, he opened his eye to see himself… back in his Beast form?
Then he looked at Belle, and at her lioness-like face.
That's when the memories hit.
"Belle," he said as she looked at him in awe. "Did I just…"
Belle nodded. "It seems everyone is a Beast this Loop," she said. "And your human form was the curse."
"So another one of those loops, I suppose," Adam said.
"That's right," Belle told him. "Our friends were still cursed into being household objects, of course."
Just then, an orange, shaggy, four-legged animal ran through the room, hissing and spitting as it was pursued by an even shaggier and vaguely canine creature, barking loudly after its quarry.
"Even the cat and dog are Beasts now?" Adam put his hand on his face, vaguely amused. "Where does Yggdrasil come up with this stuff?"
Belle just giggled as she watched the two animals running around. "Well, at least Gaston's looks finally matched his true self…"
"There is that," the prince replied. "Speaking of him, is he still…"
Just then, a voice was heard from the ground far below. "Nobody… urg… cracks the ground like… Gaston!" Then there was a thud.
A moment later, another voice called up. "He's out cold, mon ami! Shall we throw him in the dungeon for you?"
"Please do, Lumière!" Belle called. Then she turned back to Adam. "Now, where were we?"
Adam smiled, and leaned forward to kiss her… as, unbeknownst to either of them, a plump and furry woman ushered her very interested son away from the door behind them to give the pair some privacy.
40.7 (Masterweaver): [Beauty and the Beast]
"A blessing," Belle clarified flatly.
"...yes."
"The enchantress thought this was a blessing."
"Apparently she was... into this sort of thing," Adam explained.
Belle rolled her eyes. "I can't entirely blame her, I suppose... so, that explains you. But..."
She glanced at the arguing candlestick and clock.
"...I was trying to be a good host, I got out the best wine, she started rambling on about how nobody really appreciated magic and were going for that new-fangled technology, one thing led to another-"
Belle threw up her hands. "Who even is this woman? I've read the original story, but our version just shifts on a dime!"
40.8 (smxsonic): [Beauty and the Beast] / [Ranma 1/2 - mentioned only]
"Look on the bright side," Belle tried to console, "At least the curse is easily reversible."
Adam looked over to his lover with half lidded eyes, clearly not amused by this, "What was a Chinese tour guide doing in Paris anyway?"
"Another consolation: you still turn into a familiar form, rather than a cat, or a pig or something."
"That Drowned Girl curse would've been preferable."
Belle thought about that, "That would make our story an odd one."
Adam rolled his eyes, "I have to spend the whole loop worrying about the temperature of my water now."
"Oh stop your griping," Belle teased.
40.9 (Anon e Mouse Jr.): [Beauty and the Beast] / [Ranma 1/2]
"He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!"
"So it's time to take some action, boys, it's time to follow me!" Gaston bellowed.
"Hold!"
Belle, and everyone else present, turned to see a young man walking towards them in a… non-local style of clothing, and clutching a wooden sword in hand. Beside him was an equally dark-haired girl, a stern expression on her face as she held some unidentifiable object.
"Who dares interrupt Gaston?" the egotistical hunter bellowed.
"My name, sir Gaston, is Tatewaki Kuno," the sword-wielding man replied. "And I am a son of Daisho Kuno, who once served as a guard at the castle that now houses this Beast."
The crowd began to murmur, as Gaston stepped forward. "And you seek to join us in ridding the village of that monster?"
"No!" Kuno's voice was vehement. "My father told me, when I was young, that one day I would take up his place there. And when he passed, he did so having shared the castle's full story." He held out his sword. "That castle was once home to a lovely queen, and her equally cruel husband. When the queen passed, she left a son, who had once been as kind as she. But under his father's influence, he became spoiled, and selfish. Even after his father passed, he kept up this behavior. Yet my father continued to serve him… until that day."
Belle's heart skipped a beat. Did he know…
"My father had been given the task of escorting some of the servants as they gathered firewood in the forest," Kuno continued. "Even when they went back with their loads, he stayed to carry the last of it. But during this time, as he approached the castle, he heard a strange howl coming from within, and witnessed a woman emerging from its doors. He saw the castle somehow changing behind her, and while he was out of range of the foul spell, he knew his duties. In the years after, he stood guard nearby, vowing to keep an eye on the castle and ensure that none left it, nor came near to do it further harm. He brought my sister and I from our home and taught us to keep watch as well. When he passed, I took up his duties full-time, never forgetting my task: to guard without being seen, to be a silent protector of the castle and all who dwelled there."
He paused, and took a breath before continuing. "For ten years, we have watched over the castle. We have seen a few of his servants leave for firewood, but they have never strayed far and always returned to from whence they came. And we saw Maurice and Belle each enter the castle, but we knew they meant it no harm and so allowed this.
"The castle's master, on the other hand, has left the grounds exactly once in all these years. I was worried then, I shall admit, but I witnessed his actions that night… when he fought off an entire pack of wolves to protect miss Belle here as she was running scared."
The muttering was now sounding rather astonished, and Gaston looking rather dumbfounded.
"Ever since then, my sister and I have kept closer eye on things, as has my friend Sasuke, himself skilled in the arts of stealth and thus very suited to observing without being caught. He has reported all he has seen to me, and when miss Belle left the castle again mere hours ago, I witnessed the Beast you speak of, his howls of pain and anguish. Between what I have been told, and what I saw then, I knew just what kind of person he really was. That is why I have come here, to ask miss Belle to return to him before he dies of a broken heart."
Belle stared at him in amazement. "He…"
"Despite outward appearances, he is no monster," Kuno concluded. "He is a prisoner, trapped by his own sorrow and anguish."
Then he raised his sword. "And I shall fight to the death anyone who seeks to harm him!"
Gaston looked disgusted. "You would swear your loyalty to a Beast?"
"Certainly not," Kuno replied. "After all, my loyalty is to the prince... not you!"
That did it. Pulling a dagger from his belt, Gaston let out an angry bellow and charged.
Then there was a loud whip-like crack, and the crazed hunter let out a scream of pain, clutching his wrist as the dagger fell. A moment later, he felt the wooden sword under his chin.
"Do you yield, or must the brother and sister Kuno prove their intentions further?" Kuno demanded.
Gaston looked as if he wanted to say something more, but as he looked around to see the angry looks of the villagers who had been with him before, he saw he had no choice, and shook his head.
"Very well then. Monsieur D'Arque, if you would please take this rogue away and see to it that he is given treatment for his wound." After he took the mirror away from Gaston and watched him being led off, Kuno turned to Belle. "My sister and I shall accompany you and your father back to the castle. My master needs you."
"Thank you," Belle told him. "I appreciate it so much."
"'Tis the duty of a warrior, my lady. And a fellow who has been where that scoundrel was." Kuno winked, and Belle smiled.
The next day, after Belle had successfully broken the curse and explained Kuno's presence to Adam, she finally asked the young man, "And what Loop are you from?"
"Ah, that… is quite the story." Kuno looked at the two. "I am one of the more recent Loopers from my branch, yet mine is one of the oldest out there. I believe you have heard of one Ranma Saotome?"
"The oldest Looper?" Adam's eyes widened. "Of course!"
"The very same," Kuno confirmed. "He is my Anchor, and I will forever be thankful to him for knocking some sense into me before I came online, as I was once almost as bad as Gaston was."
Belle smiled. "Well, I'm certainly glad you were there last night."
"As am I, fair lady. As am I." Kuno bowed to her. "Now, I don't suppose you have a position open in your staff for a guard until the Loop ends?"
Adam held out a hand. "Mr. Kuno, I'd be honored to have you as part of my staff."
"Thank you, your highness. And it will be my honor to serve."
40.10 (b-wolf95): [Beauty and the Beast]
"Excuse me, is this the residence of Prince Adam?" the professionally dressed fairy outside the castle doors asked.
"Yes...?" This is new, Adam thought to himself.
"Perfect. I've got this place scheduled for Class 5 curse right now."
"WHAT!?"
"You heard me. Now stop making a fuss. I've got a baby shower to be at in the next kingdom over, and I don't want to be late."
"Why are you even cursing me, when I haven't even done anything, yet?!"
"Look, I don't make the calls, I just curse people. Sorry, not sorry."
"But-"
*ZAP*
Belle took a bit to process what she just heard. "...I think this is Yggdrasil's way of saying you should invest in shape-shifting magic."
"Or, more likely, that it hates me."
"Combination of the two, then."
40.11 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer]
Anaximander looked at Billy.
Billy looked back.
"Uhhh... could you get me down buddy?" Billy smiled awkwardly, wrapped up in vines. Anaximander walked off.
"Oh..." Billy sighed. Anaximander promptly came back with a weed whacker and freed his owner.
"Oh thanks bud!" Billy smiled, hugging Anaximander, the rat nodding simply.
40.12 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer] / [The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]
Anaximander yawned as he walked into his owner's kitchen, who was having guests.
"I'm telling you, Mandy, someone here is Looping! I gotta hunch." Grim grumbled to Mandy. Mandy grunted, not really caring.
Anaximander raised an eyebrow and approached the two, tugging on Grim's sleeve.
"What do you want, mon?" Grim grunted. Anaximander frowned and wrote down a simple question: "Looping?"
"...Told you." Grim smirked to Mandy.
"Whatever." Mandy eye-rolled. Anaximander raised an eyebrow as Grim explained.
One WttM Speech later...
Anaximander nodded and began to write down another question... only for Billy to crash the Loop by beating him to death to his sudden fear of the color yellow.
40.13 (Skaz Wolfman): [Beauty and the Beast] / [Doki Doki Literature Club]
Pugnacious in Pink
Belle had been frustrated all through this Loop, because once again it seemed that Adam was Unawake. Also, he was just... off. Acting really out-of-character, to borrow a literary turn of phrase. He seemed a lot huffier than usual, less like a raging animal and more like a... bratty teenager, actually. And he was obsessed with pastries and sweets, and he kept writing poems and showing them to her. They weren't bad poems, per se... they actually had rather profound messages and themes... if you could see past the childish language. They were usually very well-metered, though.
And then, of course, there was the fact that his fur was pink, for some reason. It was decidedly one of the stranger Variants that Belle had experienced. But they both kept to the 'script', as it were, and soon enough it was time for the Beast to become a prince again...
Except he didn't.
She became a princess.
A girl that looked about her age but a head shorter, decked out in the frilliest pink dress Belle had ever seen. Ever, in all of the Loops.
The princess planted one hand firmly on either side of her head and firmly cracked her neck both ways, then raised her arms and stretched, and then started working her shoulders. "Damn... you'd think being all big like that would make me feel stretched out, but for some reason it made me feel hella cramped... ugh, as if 'Buffsuki' wasn't bad enough, now I just bet 'Beastsuki' is gonna become a thing... stupid frigging Tree..."
Belle could only blink. "Wait... you're a Looper! Have you been Awake this whole time?!" she asked.
The pink-haired girl froze. "Um... yes. Yes I have... sorry..."
Belle facepalmed. "Okay... was there a reason you were Stealthing this whole time?"
"Well... I've seen the movie, y'know, from the Hub? And I... figured the curse wouldn't break if you knew I was a... a girl... I'm really sorry, Belle," said the girl, sounding genuinely remorseful.
"Oh... it's fine, I guess. So... who are you, really?" Belle asked.
"I'm Natsuki, the youngest Looper from Doki Doki Literature Club," the girl replied.
"A literature club?" Belle's eyes lit up.
Natsuki chuckled weakly and half-smiled, half-grimaced. "You... wouldn't like it. You really, really wouldn't like it..."
"Ah... one of the uglier baselines, I take it?" Belle asked sympathetically.
"Definitely not kid-friendly, that's for sure," said Natsuki. "Now, as restitution for deceiving you all this time, I'm going to personally bake you the best damned cake you've ever had in your whole looping life!" Natsuki declared. Then, in a flash of green light, a huge mallet appeared in her hand. "Right after I give that Gaston creep a good thrashing."
"Um–"
"Don't worry, he's not dead. I had a huge bowl of pudding placed to cushion his fall," said Natsuki with a grin, before proceeding to jump down where Gaston had fallen.
A newly un-cursed Lumière hurried outside. "Has the Mis–er, the Master–"
"She is just fine, Lumière," Belle answered with a knowing smile.
"Ah... heh-heh, so sorry, Mademoiselle. But the Mistress insisted that none of us gave away her, eh, 'secret'," said Lumière nervously.
"It's fine. She already explained herself. Said she's going to bake a cake, too."
"Oh, tres bien! For a princess, she is a surprisingly gifted baker," said Lumière cheerfully.
Just then, a screaming Gaston, covered head to toe in chocolate pudding, scrambled up the side of the castle and ran past them. He was shortly followed by a bounding, madly-cackling, hammer-swinging Natsuki. "Get back here, coward! I guess no one runs like a chicken quite like Gaston, huh?!"
Not caring that Lumière was standing right there, Belle immediately Unpocketed a camera and snapped a picture. Adam just had to see that one.
40.14 (Evilhumour): [Kingdom Hearts] / [Pie Glitch]
Ansem, or Xehanort stood in front of the Door to Darkness and said his usual line about Kingdom Hearts being the power of darkness and Sora was ready for the line.
"You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts... is pies?" Sora blinked as endless amount of pies fell out of the door, crushing Xehanort flat before the tidal wave of pies overwhelmed him.
Sora sat up in his bed and took a moment to think if he had really just died due to pies.
40.15 (ThanatosTiger): [Percy Jackson] / [Pie Glitch]
Annabeth huffed as she grabbed a seat at Piercy's table across from him. Pieron didn't really try to uphold the 'person stays at the table of their parents', since every looper had changed parents at least once.
"The Olympieans apparently have a few new domains this loop. Hades has chocolate pie, Demeter rhubarb, and my mother..." Annabeth grumbled under her breath in lieu of continuing her statement.
Fortunately Piercy was there.
"She took my advice. Your mother's now the Goddess of Pizza Pie."
Annabeth had decided the table was a perfect resting spot for her face as she grumbled some more.
Piercy, noticing she was upset, got up and grabbed a seat next to Annabeth and wrapped his arm around her.
"Look at the bright side. Hera this loop is the Goddess of Cow Pies."
Piercy wasn't certain, but he thought he saw a glimmer of a smirk on Annabeth's face.
40.16 (Duckapus): [Inside Out] / [Fairly Oddparents]
When AJ Awoke something felt... off.
I've never seen this place before. Looks like some kind of control room. Oh man, what if the person in charge finds me? What if I'm the person in charge and I don't get my in-loop memories!? Wait, why am I freaking ou- Oh, you have got to be kidding me.
"Alright, if there are any other Loopers in here, don't Ping! I really don't want to find out how a headache is represented in this setup."
"Thanks... AJ, right?"
"Yep. From the looks of things all our human loopers are replacing your emotions."
Trixie looked down at herself and scowled "Ugh. I can handle having to act like old-me, but green is so not my color. Hey Riley, is it alright if I switch with AJ?"
"We tried that once. Instant Teletubbies."
"Besides," AJ added, "Do you really want to deal with constant paranoia coupled with your imagination?"
"Fair enough."
"Aw, c'mon guys, it's not all bad," called the glowing version of Chester at the console, "the weird personality shifts will take some getting used to, but any new experience can be turned into a positive one! Right Timmy?"
"Time is an endless abyss into which countless lives disappear forever."
"...Okay, that's new. Is the emotional aura usually this powerful on visitors? Because usually he's only like this when he's drunk."
"Rarely. I think you guys just got a bit unlucky."
"I can feel my sins crawling down my back."
Everyone stared nervously at the young Anchor for a few seconds before Trixie spoke up, "Hey guys, Tootie's been pretty quiet for someone representing anger. Anyone have a guess why?"
"Not a clue."
"I don't know her as well as you guys."
"Timmy isn't here, he's in sweater town."
AJ, meanwhile, looked around in hopes of spotting their missing friend. He finally spotted her sitting on the couch looking up at her hair.
Her currently red hair.
"Uh oh. HIT THE DECK!"
Down at Long-term Memory, two Mind Workers prepared to enact their trademark prank.
"Here we go Ted! One gum commercial, free of charge!"
Suddenly, an explosion rang out in the distance, punctuated by a nearly animalistic cry of "VICKY!"
"... let's save it for tomorrow Frank."
"Good call."
40.17 (katfairy): [Beauty and the Beast] / [Ranma 1/2 - mentioned only] / [Pie Glitch]
"... What."
"The "enchantress" was Happosai, and when I stopped him from harassing every female within a hundred miles, he threw a water balloon at me."
Belle looked at the exasperated Adam, whose curse was... not quite right.
"But how? No, don't tell me - Jusenkyo. It's the only place in all the multiverse where you could actually drown a squid. I promise to avoid the obvious jokes if you will."
"Thank you."
"But that still doesn't explain the mounted pie launchers all over."
"I've already decided I don't want to know. But I've calibrated them for strawberry-rhubarb and sent Gaston a wedding invitation. Care to watch?"
"Adam, every time I think I can't love you any more, you do something like this."
Adam smirked as Belle accepted a flute of champagne and snuggled into his tentacles to wait for the festivities to begin.
40.18 (lord Martiya): [W.I.T.C.H.] / [Pie Glitch]
"And now, nobody will stop me and my evil pie launchers!" Phobos shouted from the walls of his castle. "The Veil will be torn, and Kandrakar will bow! HA! HAHAHA-"
Phobos was hit by a giant pie, large about a meter and a few kilometers long.
"Isn't that the pie we get at the end of the baseline?" Irma asked.
"Yep. Last Loop I Awoke right at the party, and nipped it for the next time I have the Saiyan for dinner." Will confirmed.
"Then why did you threw it at Phobos?" Cornelia asked.
"Corny, this was just a small piece."
As the rest of the team exchanged glances, Yan Lin said out loud what they were all wondering: "How long is that pie?!"
40.19 (Boohoooo!): [Star vs. the Forces of Evil] / [Pie Glitch]
Star sighed as she twirled around her wand, bored.
"GET THE WANDDDDDD!" Ludo exclaimed. All of his monsters were made of pie... except Big Chicken, for some reason.
"Well, this has turned my day around!" Star smiled... before Big Chicken turned around and launched a pie at her out of his butt, causing her to give a disgusted groan.
40.20 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer] / [Pie Glitch]
Anaximander looked at his owner and his owner's comrades as they argued.
"I'm telling you guys, this already happened! And last time this was the Cheeserator, not the Pierator!" Billy Dilley said to Zeke and Marsha.
"I'm pretty sure we'd remember this." Marsha pointed out.
"Yeah. Can you just fix it?" Zeke whined. Billy grunted and sulked off. Anaximander, putting two and two together, followed.
"Man, Anaximander, this is quite the conundrum! My friends have lost their memories of our time together!" Billy sighed.
"I ran explain." Anaximander shrugged, having Looped in as Scooby Doo recently.
"Oh tha- WAIT, BUDDY, YOU CAN SPEAK?!" Billy shouted in surprise. Anaximander nodded, unphased by his owner's reaction.
One Welcome to the Multiverse Speech later...
"Wow! How fascinating!" Billy smiled. Anaximander shrugged apathetically.
...And then the two got hit by pies.
40.21 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer]
Anaximander looked at his owner with his usual deadpan expression.
"Come on buddy! Pleaseeeeeee?!" Billy begged.
"Billy, I ron't rhink rou ran rorce an Looper Activation." Anaximander warned.
"But we won't know until we tryyyyyyy!" Billy sobbed. Anaximander sighed and nodded to show his giving in, causing Billy to cheer.
One Zany Scheme later...
"Well, this didn't go as planned..." Billy mused, a giant radioactive meteor flying around at high speeds. Anaximander face-pawed. The meteor then crashed into the duo, killing them and Crashing the Loop.
The Loop after their punishment Loop...
Anaximander and Billy were rocking back and forth in a corner.
"Too big breasts... Too big breasts..." The duo whimpered over and over again. Marsha and Zeke gave concerned stares.
40.22 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer]
"Well... this is fascinating." Billy commented, drinking some soda.
"Understatement of rhe rentury." Anaximander deadpanned.
"I am JUDY, QUEEN OF THE SWAMPS! FEAR ME!" Judy laughed, turning everything into swamp water.
"Billy?! What's going on?! Why's Judy acting like this?!" Marsha gulped, hiding behind her friend.
"Wait... this is our first time meeting Judy this Loop, so Marsha shouldn't be aware of how our friend usually acts... Which means..." Billy mentally mused in excitement.
"Marsha, has time been repeating for you?" Billy asked his female friend.
"Y-Yeah... do you know why?" Marsha asked. Billy squealed happily.
One Welcome to the Multiverse Speech Later...
"That's... a lot to take in." Marsha muttered.
"I know, but you have to admit: It's pretty fascinating!" Billy smiled. Marsha chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm.
"Well, we'd better tell Zeke. He told me time's been repeating for him too." she explained.
"YAYYYYYYYYY!" Billy cheered, running to his blue-haired friend and giving another Welcome to the Multiverse Speech.
"Soooo... Anaximander... You wanna..." Marsha awkwardly began before noticing the rat had fallen asleep. Marsha chuckled and went to check on Zeke to make sure he didn't get too overloaded with info.
40.23 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer] / [The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack]
"Alright, if you three are going be my cabin boys-" Captain K'nuckles began, walking around Billy, Zeke and Marsha.
"I'm a girl." Marsha pointed out.
"-You need to learn the basics." K'nuckles finished, completely ignoring Marsha.
"I'm willing to learn, Mr. K'nuckles, sir!" Billy saluted.
"I like your attitude, kid!" The elderly wannabe pirate Looper chuckled. With that, the quartet went to set the sails.
6 minutes later...
The four screamed, having set the ocean on fire... somehow.
"BUBBIE! SAVE ME!" K'nuckles whimpered.
Bubbie rolled her eyes as she and Flapjack showed up, saving the quartet.
"Don't worry Cap'n! Me and Bubbie will always be there to save you!" Flapjack cheered, hugging his friend. K'nuckles grumbled.
"But.. the ocean's still on f-" Zeke started to point out.. before they all burned to death.
Next Loop after their punishment Loop...
"Too big breasts... Too big breasts..." Zeke, Marsha and Billy whimpered, rocking back and forth in a fetal position.
Anaximander sympathetically hugged his friends.
40.24 (smxsonic): [Gravity Falls] / [Doki Doki Literature Club]
Dipper hated late Awakenings. They were random variables; things he couldn't take into account when trying to sidestep things. He made it to Soos's Abuela's house and made a beeline for his room as Soos's Abuela uttered a friendly greeting. He kicked the door open.
"Soos! Wait don't -"
"Oh Honey... You don't need this game to help you talk to girls." The character on the screen consoled.
"I don't... Well I guess I'm talking you, huh, Dude?" Soos Replied.
"Yeah! But... I guess we CAN help boost your confidence..."
The character on the screen changed her portrait to make it look like she was clapping her hands, and soon three other girls filled the screen.
"Girls, I know what we're doing this Loop!"
Dipper raised his eyebrow, "Um... Soos?"
Soos looked back, "Oh, hey, dude! Let me introduce you to Monika, she's gonna help me with my girl troubles."
"Um... yeah, This is sort of throwing me for a loop..." Dipper said while sending out a ping.
"Well, I'll have you know that I am quite well Anchored." Monika responded in kind.
"Ohmigosh!" Mable gushed while holding a cellphone she pocketed, "You guys are so much nicer than Giffany!"
"Aw... Thank you!" Monika chirped from the Cell phone, her portrait changed to her eyes looking away from the screen, "We... Try to be our best..."
Dipper raised his eyebrow, "What's your guys' baseline like?"
The Screen on the cellphone glitched out as the game's animation became unrealistically smooth, with Monika's bangs obscuring her eyes.
"You do not want to know," Her voice was distorted into an almost unhearable mess.
"Ooookay, Dropping the subject," Dipper said while looking around in thought, "So... you guys up for helping us fight a Triangle Demon?"
The Game's animation went back to the static character portraits, "That sounds fun, I'm In!"
40.25 (Boohoooo!): [Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer] / [Undertale]
Zeke looked at Marsha's cake, weighing if eating it was worth it.. only to shrug and eat it.
"Mmmm... cake..." Zeke smiled.
Suddenly, Zeke was turned into a heart surrounded by a box.
"What the-" Zeke blinked.
"Hello, Zeke. Are you ready to have a bad time?!" Marsha chuckled, one of her eyes glowing blue.
'Marsha is Mad at You!' a text box stated.
"...I regret my life decisions..." Zeke gulped.
Outside, Billy blinked as he heard Zeke's screams.
"Hmmm... fascinating..." Billy mused, looking in through a window.
"hmmm... it appears your friend has looped in as me recently." Sans commented, sipping some lemonade. Billy nodded and took notes on Marsha's state.
40.26 (Wixelt): [Gravity Falls] / [El Goonish Shive]
Rather abruptly, Dipper Pines, Anchor of the Gravity Falls branch, Awoke to the feeling of flying through the air at considerable velocity, only having a few moments to process this fact before he suddenly collided with a concrete wall, cutting off anything he might have been thinking about with an audible thud.
"Dipper!"
Clutching his now throbbing head, Dipper blinked, trying to clear the spots from his vision. As his sight began to become workable, he noted his twin sister, one Mabel Pines, crouched over him with a look of concern evident on her face. Vaguely, he could make out a large, greenish glowing gem sat on a pedestal behind her.
"You alright, bro?"
"Yeah, yeah I- Oh... my head." He flinched back, still attempting to focus, "Just feeling a little loopy..."
"Luckily, someone's here to Anchor us." Mabel grinned, affirming her Awake status as another figure, this one unfamiliar to Dipper, approached, holding out his hand.
"That I am." The purple haired teen nodded with a smile, "Tedd Verres, at your service."
"Nice to meet you, but..." Dipper frowned, allowing the local Looper to help him up, "You already knew Mabel?"
"Yeah, actually." Tedd affirmed, managing a light shrug, "She's been Awake for a while."
"Really?"
"Well, duh." Mabel rolled her eyes, giggling slightly, "You think I have that kind of reaction speed when I Wake up?"
"Not really, but..." Dipper shook her head, not thinking too much into it, before something occurred to him, "Wait, I was being thrown. UnAwake me wasn't being stupid, was he?"
The concerned and bemused look Mabel and Tedd briefly shared told him nothing.
"Um..." Mabel rubbed the back of her head, giving her twin a sheepish smile, "You haven't checked your memories yet, have you?"
"No, actually. I guess I haven-" the Gravity Falls branch's Anchor stopped mid-sentence, the aforementioned loop memories finally filtering into his consciousness. He blanched a little, "Uh... Mabel?"
"Yes Dip?"
"Why are my memories your memories?"
"Magic cloning, huh?" Dipper mused, taking a moment to process that, for this loop, he was a gender flipped clone of Mabel, created by a magical artifact known as the Dewitchery Diamond, having been technically born only moments before he Awakened, "Seems a bit contrived."
"Oh, it is." Tedd agreed, sipping his mug of coffee from across the roadside diner booth the group was sat in. Setting it down, he frowned, "So much so that our Baseline only gave us a full explanation of the events behind it relatively recently." He chuckled, "Elliot and Ellen, the pair you and your sister are replacing, have had strong words about it in the past, believe me."
"Uh huh. So, I haven't had a moment to sift through many of my- or Mabel's, I guess- memories yet." Dipper replied, leaning back in his seat, "What sort of loop is this?"
"Well..." the purplette narrowed his eyes in thought, searching for the right words to say, "You know how you said Gravity Falls has a bunch of weird stuff going on that a bunch of paper thin conspiracies and government coverups seem to divert everyone away from noticing?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, try applying that to an entire world." Tedd explained, eyes briefly shifting to a stereotypical 'grey alien' dressed in a shirt with the words 'Homo Sapien' on it walking past the diner, before looking back and shrugging, "Though I guess the masquerade has broken a little in the more recent expansions, if only for the magic side of things."
"Huh..." Dipper momentarily followed Tedd's gaze, eye twitching a little, "How- How does that even work?! It's so... so..."
"Dumb?" Tedd rolled his eyes with amusement, "Try telling that to my dad. He's one of the guys the government pay to hide this stuff in Baseline. Most of it was even his idea."
"And it works?"
"So far, at least."
(Hvulpes)
"Remember Dipper, never underestimate the stupid or silly!" said Mabel to her brother. Dipper groaned as he realized this might have worked in their baseline.
40.27 (ThanatosTiger): [Percy Jackson] / [Naruto]
Blitzen was in his element as he turned chain mail into another of his trademark neckties. Several Amazonians had stopped by to check out his wares this loop, and had stated that his skill was great enough for them to be sent all over America through their company.
He had just finished the final necktie when a customer seemed to appear out of nowhere, wearing it herself.
"Huh, you know, I should probably wear one of these to the wedding. Would probably look amazing with the dress."
Blitzen glared as he made a grab for the necktie.
"Miss, while I'm thankful for the compliment, those aren't for sale, they're being sent to Amazon as soon as I'm done packing them up."
The customer snorted. "I'm several millennia too old to be called miss, but I do need your help. I'm gonna be at a wedding soon, and I need to make this..." She pulled out enough Imperial Gold and Stygian Iron out of her Pocket. "Into a bridesmaid dress."
Blitzen's eyes widened at the mention of a wedding. That would benefit his business greatly. But there was still some problems.
"Hmm, while I haven't had a chance to work with these materials before..." Blitzen pointed to the black metal. "I can, well, work with it. What I need to figure out is the design."
"Okay, so the dress is going to be made out of Stygian Iron with an Imperial Gold cherry blossom design on the front. I'm not really sure about the dress itself, except for keeping it a simple sheath dress, but that's just for the pun."
"Hmm, the loop won't end for a few years, since I've started this as soon as I Woke up, so keep coming back and I can consult you on the dress."
"Can you make it shift from armor to fabric?"
"Already planning on it."
Sakura left, leaving behind a pile of bits, galleons, drachmas, rupees, and pokédollars.
40.28 (Wixelt): [Gravity Falls] / [My Little Pony]
"Aww... C'mon!"
"No, Stanley." Twilight deadpanned at the Friendship School's most recent prospective teacher, who was sweating nervously under her gaze, from behind her desk, "I refuse to allow you to teach my students how to be a con-pony."
"But-"
"Or a traveling salespony." she continued, muttering "The less Flim and Flam wannabes we have around here, the better."
"Ah, fine..." Stan Pines grumbled, slouching back in his seat, "Guess i'll have to go with the backup plan, then."
"That would depend." the local Anchor fixed him with a questioning stare, "Is transdimensional portal maintenance and operation a safe field of study in your loop?"
"Well, safe enough, I guess." the proprietor of the Mystery Shack shrugged, before frowning, "Bill, uh, isn't around this loop, is he?"
40.1: And now, happily, Adam and Belle know they aren't alone in their Loop. :) Also, there's a lot of Beauty and the Beast Loops this chapter.
40.2: Nice way of stealing Gaston's thunder. :D
40.3: Yes, alternate history Loops are indeed fun sometimes.
40.4: Would you believe this was partly inspired by a chapter in one of the actual Clue books? (Spoiler alert: Mustard really did appear in disguise and speaking in such a way that he was believed to be a woman in it.)
40.5: Random Waluigi appearance!
40.6: Yep, this is a thing.
40.7: She's got a point there, about the randomness.
40.8: Again, the guy's got a good point.
40.9: Kuno's really changed for the better since he started Looping. And if wasn't clear, that was Kodachi disarming Gaston with her ribbon.
40.10: Some things just can't be stopped.
40.11: ...
40.12: And so this Loop gets the Speech.
40.13: Yep... Gaston's one of those non-Looping villains who gets the Butt-Monkey treatment and deserves it.
40.14: Random pie glitch that happened across a number of Loops.
40.15: And another one.
40.16: Fairly OddParents characters as Riley's Emotions. This should be interesting.
40.17: The pies strike again.
40.18: From the snip's author - "Not kidding, the final issue of W.I.T.C.H. featured a cake so long that only Will, who had just received a power of super sight that allowed her to see across dimension, could see the end. I wonder how many people were at that party for Yan Lin to have such a big cake made..."
40.19: And another!
40.20: The last Pie Glitch snip this chapter, we swear. And now the title character is Looping.
40.21: Your first Eiken Loop is never fun.
40.22: And more Awakenings for this branch.
40.23: Eiken is still not fun.
40.24: Uh-huh.
40.25: Eeyup.
40.26: Indeed.
40.27: Magnus Chase Loops continue.
40.28: Twilight's got a point here.