A/N: Blegh. I've been in the rough situation of really wanting to work on this but also being mentally frazzled. It's not too long, but this'll wrap up Phoebe's headspace. Hopefully it came out alright... could anyone give me a mental check-up in the meantime?


The easiest solution was often the best.

The very first thing Frazie tried was leaning in and focusing, willing her imposter to go up in flames and melt. She imagined thermometers rising until they burst, working extra hard to send heat to this frozen foe.

It just scoffed. "Predictable." To Frazie's horror, it seemed just as agile as she was, leaping high over the hole in the ice and rolling down towards her through the air. Frazie kept trying to incinerate it, but she couldn't get a lock when it was moving so fast.

Like a cannonball, it plowed into her stomach, making her gasp and slide back along the icy battlefield. Frazie coughed, but before she could try and burn it again, it was rushing her and swinging with powerful limbs.

Alright, maybe the easiest solution kinda sucked.

Clearly fire wasn't going to be an easy out so long as Freezie kept moving. Instead, the real deal started ducking and weaving, avoiding the flurry of blows launched her way.

To her relief, Frazie could see the clone had no psychic abilities of its own. If its intense strikes were enhanced with psychic energy, she would've been a goner. Its lack of range gave Frazie all the room she needed to pull back a fist and return fire with a few psi-punchs, shoving the creature away.

As soon as it landed, it pushed off the ground and leapt at her again. It was clear very quickly that the double had the turf advantage. When Frazie was knocked around, she skidded and slipped, and though she kept her balance, having to adjust to the ice was slowing her down. Freezie didn't even have to worry about it. As if it was walking on normal concrete, it immediately pressed forward again when knocked aside and had all the traction it wanted when it struck out.

Careful to avoid the watery pit, Frazie skated out of the way of another blow, sweeping her leg down to knock the imposter off its feet. While it tumbled, she telekinetically grabbed a chunk of ice off the top of the lake and tried to bring it down on top of it.

The clone rolled, the cluster shattering as it hit nothing. "Nice trick," it praised with a sneer. "Now let me show you one of mine."

It whipped its hands forwards and Frazie had no time to react as a howling burst of frost exploded from its palms. Debilitating cold washed over her, draining her. It might not've had any of Frazie's powers, but of course, the living ice creature somehow had access to its own form of cryokinesis. Things could never be easy, could they?

Pushed back, Frazie didn't have time to blink the frost from her eyes before she was being attacked again.

Frazie tried to push the assault off when she could, but it was relentless, frost-infused kick after kick slamming into her defenses and chilling her with each one. She was at a disadvantage, especially when Freezie spun with a flourish and then blew a cone of cold air all over her.

"Blah... stop doing that!" Frazie had had enough snowblindness to last a lifetime already without continuously getting flakes thrown in her face. She rubbed her eyes clean with a sleeve, only to squeak when she saw icicles being launched at her face. She fell backwards, landing on hands and feet, immediately pushing back up to see she was being approached yet again.

This wasn't working, especially with that pool of water constantly threatening her. She had to get to solid ground. Launching a few more psychic attacks, she pushed off in the other direction and started skating towards the shore while Freezie was stunned.

But escaping from this creature was impossible. In no time at all, it'd sprinted along the ice, running by her side with a cackle. "Where do you think you're going?" With a powerful roundhouse, it spun and sent Frazie spiraling back towards where she'd come from.

She'd managed to block the blow, but the sheer force had still sent her sliding on her back. It might not be a yeti any more, but her clone was almost as strong. Gliding across the ice on her spine, she soared back where she came from...

...And came to a stop with her head dangling over the watery pit.

Oooooh heck no. The fear in her eyes was palpable as she immediately tried to shove herself up and away.

Only to let out a choked cry as Freezie roughly pushed her back down by the shoulders.

Frazie could see the creatures eyes roll back and forth even without pupils, looking between her terrified face and the hole in the ice. Putting two and two together, its face split into a cruel and sadistic grin.

"Oooooh... afraid of getting wet, are you?" It started pushing again, harder, trying to force her head down towards the icy water. "Go on... take a drink."

Try as she might to fight it, her head started getting pushed back inch by inch. A sinister splash drew her attention and Frazie glanced back in a panic. Before her eyes, a terrifyingly familiar sight started to form in the hole. Ice-cold fingers rose up and waggled at her, chunks of ice stuck inside it as the Hand of Golochio fumbled for its prey. Freaking out, Frazie kicked and struggled, shoving her head as far up away from it as she could.

Her double wasn't having any of it, laughing to itself as it kept pushing her closer and closer. It knew her weakness, and it was taking full advantage.

Frazie's hope was fading, and soon, the rest of her would be if she let the curse claim her. She had to do something. Anything. Her eyes searched desperately, seeking a way out while her own laughter rang in her ears...

...There.

Grunting, she focused as hard as she could, mentally picking up another solid chunk of cold rock Freezie's other form had knocked loose. With a howl of defiance, she jerked it over towards them, a solid crack echoing in the air as it smacked Freezie clean off her.

She jerked herself out of Golochio's grasp and immediately pounced on her clone, holding it down. It was momentarily stunned, but the second it'd recovered, it just chuckled coldly. "Come on, stupid. You know you can't keep me pinned." Already it was pushing back, its immense strength easily easing Frazie off it.

"I know...!" Frazie hissed through gritted teeth, trying to shove it back down with all her might. "But I just... need to do it long enough... for this to work...!"

The clone's face furrowed in confusion... and then, that face started to hiss with steam.

Realizing what was going on, it was its turn to panic as it grabbed for Frazie's wrists and tried to yank her off.

It was too late, though. Before it could break free, its face started to bubble and melt, slowly caving inward as the pyrokinesis worked its mental magic.

"You...!" it tried to spit, but its mouth was already melting. The heat was spreading all throughout its body, melting it from the inside out even as it struggled and grew weaker.

Its kicks died down and its strength faded as it shrunk, its body disintegrating into a thick puddle below her. Frazie didn't ease up, focusing hard with body and mind to keep it down and melting even long after its strength had given out.

When she finally let her mind take a break, she was kneeling in a puddle. On top of it, floating in the remains, was the last CD right before her eyes.

She'd won. Against... herself.

"Hggggggh..." Aching, cold, and exhausted, Frazie flopped onto her side. Of course, lying on a lake of ice didn't really help with that 'cold' part, but she needed a minute. Groaning, she limply reached out for the disc and picked it up, holding it to her chest.

Breathing shallowly, she thought warm thoughts once more, feeling the heat slowly fill her limbs. After a moment, she finally had the strength to stand again, wobbling to her feet.

Her head tilted down, glaring at the puddle that'd just been trying to kill her. "You might look like me... but we're nothing alike. The real me... is going to set this right."

Slowly, she started sliding one foot after the other, giving the water a wide berth as she headed across the lake. It was time to start the long yet final journey back to Phoebe.


Phoebe stoked the fire, pressing a finger to her forehead to pump it up with a little pyrokinesis. Sure, she didn't really need it anymore, but the crackle of the flames comforted her.

Frazie had been gone awhile. Phoebe hoped that just meant the last disc was hard to find and not that she was in trouble. "Think she's alright?" she asked a trombone resting on the log next to her. It let out what she could only assume was a comforting honk. "Yeah..."

Worried silence settled back in. Then, it perked up. Turning its head towards the distance, it sounded again in alarm.

Phoebe looked up to see a figure approaching far in the distance. Frazie, approaching slow and steady, the disc clenched securely in one hand. All around, the thawed instruments started beating and singing a victorious melody as they welcomed the girl back to camp.

With the tunes lifting her spirits, Frazie regained her stride, waving the CD over her head. "You have noooooo idea what I went through to get this for you."

She approached Phoebe while the crowd watched eagerly... but paused, holding the disc between her fingers as her brow furrowed. There was something she wanted clarified.

"...Phoebe, what do you think of me?"

The kid was thrown off by the question. "I mean..." she mumbled, scratching her neck. "You seem cool and those tricks you can do are pretty sick, but... I can't really say I'm all that fond of you at the moment. Can you blame me? But you're trying to fix things so I can't really hold a grudge...?"

"...Yeah, sounds about right." Nodding, having heard what she'd expected, Frazie offered up the last disc. "Well, I hope I can give you a better impression of me... starting with this. Here you go."

Gingerly, Phoebe took it from her, and just like before, a tune filled the air. All heads perked up around the clearing, listening in to it. Not as loose as the first, not as wild as the second... and also, not alone. A hearty and calculated beat, intermixed with electronic sounds and record scratches. Of all the songs that'd played, Frazie liked this one the best, even feeling her foot tapping along with it on its own.

The rest of the crowd joined in. As the song reverberated around, instruments swayed their heads to the tune. Phoebe shut her eyes and drummed with her fingers, her face mellowing into an almost trancelike state.

"...That's my first song with Quentin," she recalled with a serene smile, "after we met at camp. After I'd learned to be less afraid of powers, after I'd gotten back into drumming. Our first show together was scary, but now we play in the dining hall every night. I had no idea being in a band could be so much fun. And..."

Her eyes opened again. "It helped me realize I wanted music to always be a part of my life."

Rumble...

Frazie's tapping foot suddenly shook. Alarmed, she braced herself. While the crowd wobbled, the world was undergoing its biggest change yet.

The temperature rose steadily, any lingering cold heating up into pleasant warmth as the world's farthest ice peaks started to melt. All over Phoebe's mind, any last trace of powder evaporated until hot stone laid as far as the eye could see. The storm was over, and the mind's status quo was restored. It was missing something, though...

...But not for long. The rumbling grew louder as, off to the side, the ground started to rise up. As if pushed up from the ground itself, walls climbed towards the sky and brought lights and signs with them. Purple walls propped into place and the front door spat out a roll of red carpet to welcome everyone home. The spectators watched in awe as the final piece to the puzzle slid up out of the ground and the earth settled back down into silence.

Phoebe's club was back, looking as good as new.

A cheer went up as the instruments hopped forwards together, eager to get back inside. Frazie and Phoebe watched them charge, standing side by side and just appreciating the grand landmark shining before them.

"Not gonna lie," Frazie murmured to the other. "I froze my butt off, but... it's worth it to see everything back to normal."

"And it's even better to be back to normal." Phoebe looked up at her, nudging her leg. "You scared me half to death, but you made things right. That, that's impressive. You could've just left me broken, but you didn't. I gotta respect that."

Frazie just rubbed the back of her head, chuckling. "Nah, I couldn't have left you broken. That wasn't an option. I might not know much about all this Psychonauts junk, but now I know you need to be a lot more careful. The mind's pretty delicate!"

"But you're not, eh?" The two shared a laugh, the air between them feeling clear as the restored world around them.

Finally, Frazie pointed up. "Say, could you...?"

"Could I what? Oh." Phoebe gave her a quick salute, and like a hand yanking her up into the sky, Frazie shot up and out of the mind. "Thanks, Fray!" Phoebe called, waving farewell. "Catch you on the flipside."


Hard stone faded into solid wood as Frazie's consciousness returned back to the cabin stage.

Once she was out, the Psy Portal popped closed and fell, her hands sweeping down to catch it on the way down. After a second, Phoebe seemed to stir, eyes opening slowly. After a second, they lit up with realization.

She glanced to each drumstick in her hand, looking unsure. But, finally, she took a deep breath and brought them down on her instrument.

The cascade of notes was music to Frazie's ears, literally and figuratively. Just like when she'd played during breakfast, she was on rhythm and keeping the beat. The lodge reverberated with her familiar brand of funk. "Yeah! Yeah!" Phoebe whooped, belting out a drumline. "I can feel it! It's coming back to me!"

"Woo!" Elated, Frazie cheered her on, all her mental fatigue draining away seeing Phoebe living it up again.

Though the moment was cut off with a reminder they weren't the only two in the hall. "You two keep it down over there!" Ford called from his kitchen. "I'm trying to hear the patties sizzle."

The beat came to a sudden stop and the two girls shared a look, but it didn't matter. Phoebe was back, baby.

And though the girls were overjoyed, Frazie couldn't help but still feel guilty. She wrung her hands. "...I'm reaaaaally sorry," she murmured. "I know everything's all good now, but... I messed up. And I won't let it happen again. Promise."

Phoebe's eyes softened, before swiveling in her seat to face her. "Listen. That's why we're all here, isn't it? To get better with our powers. Ya blew it, but if we were all perfect from the get-go, why would we even need this camp?"

"It was a pretty huge mistake, though..."

"Then that just makes it more impressive that you undid it, right?"

Frazie blinked in realization. "I guess you've got a point." Could she really beat herself up if even the person she'd wronged was past it? In the end, Phoebe had only gotten a brief scare... and she'd roughed it out to repair her before it could become more than that. Feeling a bit better, she smiled down at her.

Suddenly, Phoebe reached under her camp tee to grab for something on her undershirt. "Just to show there's no hard feelings..." Her hand returned, and in it sat a small orange patch emblazoned with fire. "Here, you can have this. I don't need it... I already know I'm the best pyromancer around. Though after all that, seems like you're vying for my title."

"Really?" Frazie reached for it, but pulled her hand back. "Thanks, but... does it count if a counselor isn't giving it?"

"Does it matter? It's just a patch."

It was pretty unconventional... but what had been conventional about anything she'd done since arriving? With a thankful smile, Frazie accepted it and pinned it to her shawl. Her third merit badge, forming a triangle with the rest. "Thanks, teach."

Once it was securely fastened, Frazie chuckled a bit. "Sooooo... see you for more training tomorrow?" she joked.

"Come near my brain again, and I'll roast yours from the inside out."

Frazie tugged at her collar. Sheesh. "Yeeeeeah, that's fair."

"...Aside from that, though, we're cool," Phoebe tacked on with a smile.

Frazie involuntarily shivered at the last word, her artic adventure still fresh in her mind. "Please, don't say cool."

Before Phoebe could ask why, the back door to the cabin swung open. "There you are!"

Both girls paused their conversation and turned to see Lili walking in, glancing between the two of them. "Didn't you guys hear the announcement?"

The two girls shared a knowing look. "Uhhhh... musta missed it," Phoebe filled in. "What was it?

Lili peered up at them onstage. "Since the counselors are still resting, Ford's going to let us canoe around the lake in the meantime!"

Really, the most worrying part of that should've been that Ford was somehow going to teach them when he was cooking right behind them at the moment. Instead, something else struck a fearful chord in Frazie's heart.

"A... a l-lake?"


Lessons learned, and a lake looms ahead. Good luck getting Frazie on a boat, though. Now who's she gonna run into next?