Chapter 17: Let's All Reconcile

This wasn't right.

I was in Subcon. I was definitely in Subcon...but it just didn't feel right...

I was in my ghost form, wearing the Necro Necklace. Something told me I shouldn't take it off.

'Hmmm...' I thought. 'The last thing I remember was passing out when Hat came to save me. I should be super worried, shouldn't I? I'm oddly calm...oh, crud, did I actually die!? Wait, no, I'm wearing the Necro Necklace...so then...I don't get this!'

I glanced around, thinking maybe I should call out to see if anybody was there, but no voice came out. That was different, and concerning.

'I'm missing something here...' Maybe I was all shaken up after the beating I received from Snatcher.

"Let's see..." Speak of the devil, there he was, rising up out of the ground. I just realised I seemed to be...was this Snatcher's house? Inside of a tree? "Everything's in place at least." He was staring out across the forest...and I was right in front of him.

'What? So NOW I get invisibility?' I thought for a brief moment, before realisation struck. 'Wait, this is just like how Julia was when I saw her! So this means I'm in the same position she was?' Snatcher certainly seemed more mellow then I knew him...considering he was strangling me not ten minutes ago.

'I don't know how this possible, but I might as well explore a bit.' I thought as I began running off.

"Hey! You!" I instinctively froze from Snatcher's voice, but it turned out he was just speaking to a minion. "See what you can find out about this cruise everybody and their mothers seems to be going on."

'Phew...no offense Snatcher but if I could touch you, I would punch you.' I thought as I hurried off.

Subcon didn't seem that different from where I came from, so it was easy to traverse, the problem was I didn't exactly know what I was looking for? What did I want to find? A part of me wanted to find Julia...but that seemed pointless, seeing as how we still couldn't talk. How did I even get here anyway?

"This way!" I perked up at a familiar voice, and turned around.

There was Hat, Bow following behind her. They were running through the forest, it didn't seem like they were exploring, more like Hat was leading Bow, showing her everything.

'Captain!' I thought and tried to call, to no avail, and my heart instantly sank. 'No...you're not my Hat. I'm pretty sure you don't even know who I am.'

I watched as Hat seemed to be showing Bow the campfire where the fox spirits had gathered, a big smile on her face.

'I'm glad you're happy.' I couldn't help but think as I watched her. 'I wonder...is your life happier without me? I have you to thank for so much, but I'm scared to think if I was just a burden to you. I just...want to know what I am to you.'

"Okay, now over here!" I didn't have time to react as Hat suddenly ran RIGHT THROUGH me, Bow missing me.

'Ohhhhhh that's unpleasant!' I thought as a shiver ran up my spine.

"Huh?" Hat stopped.

"What's wrong?" Bow asked.

"I don't know..." Hat admitted. "I feel...sad, for some reason."

She turned around, and we stared at each other. She was looking me right in the eye, but couldn't see me. And as I looked at her, I finally affirmed to myself:

'I'll absolutely tell you.' I nodded.

"You okay?" Bow asked, which seemed to snap her out of her trance.

"Huh? Yeah, sorry." She rubbed her head awkwardly. "C'mon, follow me." I watched them as they went away.

I continued running around for a bit, until I came upon something new; it was that doctor I saw riding on the motorbike that time, plague doctors mask, hat, looked like an oversized doll.

'Hey, it's him.' I realised. He seemed to be pacing back and forth, agitated, not knowing what to do. 'He seems troubled. Wonder what's up?' He didn't seem to be the type to mumble to himself, so listening in wasn't a viable option, and I didn't think I could afford to wait for somebody else to show up.

'Hmmm...' I stood in front of him and looked him over. He seemed to have stitching in various places, such as in his chest, and across his midsection. He'd definitely taken some damage, and I couldn't see anything behind those eyes...

"Can I help you?" I flinched as he suddenly spoke. I glanced to both sides before pointing at myself. "Yes, I can see you."

'Well, this is awkward.' I sighed in my head. 'How come you can see me, though!?...Is it because you were with Julia when you crossed through my dimension?'

"I'm sorry, but I cannot help you." He sounded tired as he stood up. "If you wish for help regarding your afterlife, you should talk to Snatcher."

'Oh, he thinks I'm an actual ghost.' I realised. I crossed my arms to indicate 'no'.

"I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just...dealing with things." He admitted.

'That I'm experienced with!' I pointed at him, then at me.

"You want me to talk about it?" I nodded. "Look, I..." He stared at me for a while, then sighed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, seeing as you appear to be mute."

I made a motion of zipping my mouth shut to indicate I would be silent, before taking a seat next to him on a log.

"I'm going to be on a cruise soon. With someone important." With that one nugget of knowledge, I gave him the sleaziest grin I could muster. "Not in that way!" I stopped. "Are you taking this seriously?" I nodded.

He sighed, then continued. "But I'm feeling conflicted over it. I did something...bad, to them. They haven't forgiven me for it. I want to make up with them, but I'm...scared. What if I they don't forgive me? Or worse, I do something that pushes her away even more? I don't know how to make it up to them. And I feel...that something terrible will happen if anything else hurts them. What should I do?"

I frowned. This was definitely a problem. And this guy seemed to be the secluded type, so him baring his soul was probably difficult for him. Maybe he just wanted to say all this stuff, but couldn't to anybody, expect someone 'silent' like me. I tried to think of some way to help him without talking.

"I wasn't expecting you to come up with an answer." He told me, I must have been making a face or something. "It's my problem to fix. My responsibility. However, talking has helped to clear my head a bit, so thank you."

'No problem.' I mouthed at him.

"Excuse me." There was another familiar voice.

'Badge Seller.' I mouthed as I spun towards the figure, who had materialised behind us.

"Were you listening in?" The doctor questioned with a gasp.

"Just passing by, honest." Seller said. "Might I have a word with your friend here?"

The doctor stared at me and then Seller for a moment. "...If you must." He then got up and left.

'So he can see me too, huh?' I thought as he circled around to be in front of me.

"You're a bit displaced, aren't you?" Seller said, which made my eyes widen. "No, I am not your Badge Seller. I'm just aware of how these things work. Plus the fact you have some Badges pinned to your shirt there." He tapped them with his cane. "I must admit, I do not know how you are here, it takes a lot of magic to travel dimensions, even just as a ghost. But then again, Subcon is where the walls are weakest."

'The same as ever, Seller.' I couldn't help but think.

"But it's quite clear you aren't necessary here right now." Seller said, still twitching. "I believe you're needed back in your own dimension."

'Yeah, yeah, you got me...' I groaned in my head. And I went to take the necklace off.

"But one thing, before you go." I stopped. "Make sure you buy lots from your Badge Seller."

I rolled my eyes before I took the necklace off, and was suddenly pulled back.


"...Ugh..." I clutched my head as my vision slowly began returning to me. Where was I? Was this...the attic of the ship? I was in my bed...

"Tie! You're awake!" I gasped as I was squeezed tightly.

"Morning, Captain..." I managed to breathe.

"Everybody! Tie is awake!" Hat yelled without letting go of me.

Very quickly everybody was up in my room; CC, Boss and Roombi, even Bow.

"Oh dearie, you're alright!" CC breathed in relief.

"You had us all worried!" Boss declared with Roombi beeping in agreement.

"Hello everybody." I managed to wave.

"When Bow brought you back here all beaten up, we healed you up and put you to bed, but we were all so worried you wouldn't wake up again!" CC exclaimed frantically. "How are you feeling? Do you feel sick at all? Any pains? Do you need something to eat?"

"I'm fine, CC, really. We're tough, remember?" I reassured her.

"Hat told us everything when she got back." Boss explained. "She hasn't left your bedside ever since she returned."

"Don't tell him that!" She finally released me to bop Boss on the hat.

It then just hit me that the empty feeling I had was now gone, meaning my soul was back. "So you did it, huh, Captain?"

"Of course!" She nodded. "But only because you seriously softened him up for me."

"No problem." I said.

"Alright, all, let's give Tie some room." CC said as she began shuffling everybody out.

"Wait!" Boss protested. "Why does Hat get to sta-"

"Some room." She repeated firmly, and I thanked CC in my head, as she left me and Hat on our own in the room.

"...Hat." She looked at me. "I need to tell you something..."

"It's about what you said in the forest, right?" Hat nodded.

"Yes..." I clenched my fist against my chest. This was the time.

"I...was jealous of Bow. How she had seemed to become your new best friend, how you now wanted to do everything with her...instead of me." We looked at each other. "Hat, you're the most important person in the world to me. You saved me when nobody else wanted to even look at me, and I've always been grateful for that. Always. The pain from our home planet never went away, I just hid it. When Bow appeared and you clung to each other so tightly, it felt like I was losing you, the only precious thing I had. It hurt. I...didn't want to give you up. It's selfish of me, and all I ever want is for you to just be happy after all you've done for me, but I couldn't help but feel that way."

I looked down in shame. "I acted like I was better, but in the end, I pathetically need you. I need someone to believe in me, to walk beside me, to make me feel like...I matter. And you were the first person to ever do that. You are my reason I'm still alive, my reason I wanted and worked to better myself. Without you...I feel so worthless."

There was a silence.

"I'm sorry, Tie." I looked up at her, and she gave me a kind smile. "I never meant to hurt your feelings. I'd never mean to hurt you. I know what you went through back home, why you stuck so close to me. I didn't mind at all when you started to become snarky or indifferent, it meant you were trying to be something new, and I knew you still cared deep down. I thought you had become stronger then you actually were, and because of that, I made you feel hurt."

Her smile widened. "But you know what? I believe you can become someone like that. Someone who can fight hard, and love themselves, like we all love you. Even if you didn't notice it, everyone else has grown to appreciate you as well, and see what I saw in you the day we met; someone human." Tears gleamed in her eyes. "I'll never regret the day we met, nor any day after, because those were the days we spent together. All I ever want, is for you to be with us."

She gave me one of her tight hugs, but this was the tightest of them all. "You're special, Tie. Never forget that."

"Hat..." I sobbed, as I hugged her back. "Thank you..."

We stayed like that for a while.


Me and Hat eventually came down, and began walking towards the kitchen, when-

"Hi." A familiar little voice called from behind us.

"Hi, Knit." I greeted her as she walked up to me. "What are you doing here?"

"I flew up." She said.

'Better then how CC and Boss let themselves in.' I wondered, before saying: "You really did save Hat. Thank you, Knit."

"It's okay. It's the least I could do after...I ran away..." She looked away awkwardly.

"Hey, it's okay." I told her as I rubbed her head. "You were scared. And in the end, you came back and helped a lot."

"Y'know..." She fiddled with her mitten hands. "I've been thinking...about what I want to do."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I've not really had a 'purpose' since I was born." Knit said. "And I decided, that I wanted to do what I wanted to do! I wanted to be close to someone I've come to care about! So...!...Um..." She looked down awkwardly. "Can I...s-stay with you...?"

I looked back at Hat, as she was trying hard to contain a squeal of cuteness. I looked back at Knit. "Are you nervous about asking because you ran away?"

Knit nodded slowly.

I gently placed my hand on her head, and tilted it up so that she looked at me, and I smiled. "Of course, Knit."

Her eyes widened impossibly large, before she hugged me around the neck. "Thank you, Tie!"

"No problem." I told her happily.

We then stopped. I saw Bow staring out of the main room window.

"Hey, Knit." She had a clutch on my neck. "Why don't you go into the kitchen with Hat? I'll be along in a second."

"Mmmmm…" Knit pondered a bit too long.

"C'mon." Hat literally pulled the yarn girl off of me.

"Awwwww…." Knit pouted as they went into the kitchen.

I walked up to Bow. "...Hey."

"Hello." She turned to face me, her face unrecognizable. "You know...you're everything they said you were."

"Yeah..." I nodded.

"...But you're also more then that." She went on. "What you said to me in the forest...I'd resolved myself that I wouldn't be scared of you, which is why I listened to what you said, and saw what happened to you fighting Snatcher. What you yelled at me, and then softly told me about...I'm sorry that happened to you, and I'm sorry I reminded you of it."

I shook my head. "Like you said, I AM that. I have always been that Misery. I am harmful. And I myself am scared of what I could do to others. Part of me was to blame too...and I'm sorry I made you feel bad as well."

"But you didn't make me feel miserable or angry." She said. "You made me think...think about who you are...and I decided that...I didn't want to be afraid, or cautious of you anymore. I want to see what Hat sees in you. Is...that okay?"

"That's all I've ever wanted...Bow." I said.

We shook hands, and she gave me a genuine smile.

"Happy to be with you, Tie." Bow said.

"Happy to have you, Bow." I said.

Just then, everybody else came out of the kitchen.

"There you two are!" CC said. "To celebrate Tie's recovery, I've made pizza!"

"Pizza party!" Hat cheered.

"What's pizza?" Knit asked.

"You are going to love it, little one!" Boss proclaimed.

"Hey, hey! Be careful, she could get cheese in her yarn!" I warned them.

"Then we'll clean it up together." Bow said as she flashed me a grin. "C'mon, pizza!"

"First slice goes to the Captain and her Cadet!" Hat declared, as we all sat in a circle in the room and pulled a slice each. "To the next set of Time Pieces!"

"Cheers!" We all raised our slices high.

I stared at our circle. Hat, Knit, Bow, CC, Boss...and thought about others further beyond.

The people I cared about. And who cared about me. It was no longer just Hat.

Those feelings of self-loathing were still there, and it was going to take a while to conquer them, but for the first time...

I felt I would do it someday.


Voice held their tuning fork up, watching as it reverberated, then stared at it.

"Dimensional instability..." They mumbled to themselves.

"Voice!" The being stored their weapon under their cloak as Moustache approached them. "I really can't find Time Pieces anywhere."

"Then I suppose its time to move on." Voice spoke, before pausing. "...You want a ride, don't you?"

"Uhhh, uh-huh." Moustache nodded, and she smiled as she jumped on Voice's shoulders and they set off. "So, where we going to go now?"

"I was thinking the alpines." Voice told her. "Seems like a good next point."

"Cool." Moustache agreed. "...You okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The grave you made..."

"Oh that...just a reminder of something."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"...Maybe later."

"Fine. See if I ever care again." She pouted.

"You will." Voice mumbled.

"Oi! Cheeky!" Moustache exclaimed.

The both of them laughed, as Voice held out their tuning fork, which violently ringed, creating a portal which the both of them stepped into before it vanished, causing Subcon to be silent once more.


?: A plague doctor-looking being from another dimension. He seemed to be troubled by something, but lack of communication prevented further investigation.


With this, the Subcon Arc has come to a close. Hat and Tie confirm their feelings for one another, Knit joins the group, and Tie and Bow overcome their fears of one another and begin to become friends.

This chapter also featured some of the denizens of Julia's dimension, say hi to them! Also, thank you to Tbone8454, Konan720, Happiness studios and Mr. Mega1423 for reviewing!

Next time, we move into the Alpine Skylines, which will focus on Hat, Tie and Voice. See you then!