7. I'm Here for You at Rock Bottom
8-5 4-9-4-14-20 13-1-11-5 9-20 9-13 6-21-13-9-14-7 18-9-7-8-20 14-15-23
Principal tried to ignore the way Baldi slammed his fists on the metal door, the way he cried out to him, painfully and agonizingly. But there was no time to make him understand - that even if they did end up working together, let alone all of them... As it turned out, it wasn't just one maniacal jerk with a ruler. No, Principal was willing to wager that there were at least three.
Four, if his Plus self managed to completely take control of him again.
All four, or three, different faculty members, plus the player; up against three, or four Baldis...
C'mon. The professor could do the math. It has to go this way, one on one. And it seemed like his counterpart was at least willing to keep it that way.
Dang, does he ever stop talking? Principal hadn't been paying any attention. So, he went for it. His bat collided with Plus' ruler, before he was kicked away. Principal skid, but remained upright.
"How underhanded! I expected better from you!" It was clear that he'd take every opportunity to mock others. But then, it was followed up with a lightning-speed offense, Principal just barely managing to block. "Very well, I hear you. Let's make this quick."
The two kept at it, bat against ruler, and in truth, it would've looked pretty ridiculous. There were points where one managed to hit the other, but neither gave in. Principal looked at his opponent's hands. Disarm him.
He went for a feint, and successfully knocked the ruler out of his grip, but it sure didn't come easy. It flew several meters behind him, well out of reach. The malevolent professor looked for a second in acknowledgement, before promptly slugging Principal in the face. He saw stars, as Plus shoved him against a row of lockers. A grunt of pain escaped him, but it still wasn't enough. He was drug down the row swiftly, until the momentum threw him to the ground.
"You're going to have to do better than that!" He heard, fighting to look up at him. Baldi's other self was strolling, casually, to his fallen ruler. Oh, that son of a...
Principal struggled to his feet, finally noticing a weakness that frankly should've been obvious. Baldi's legs. For him to be as fast as he was, he needed those. If he can't run, then... Principal raised his bat, jogging over in time and going for a swing.
The yell he heard, and seeing this imitation nearly buckle under the shock, was assuring. The second attempt wasn't as fortunate, for he'd turned and grabbed Principal's bat with both hands. Still, he was able to see that it hurt the smug miscreant.
"Now... You're getting it!" The variant groaned, smirking. Principal pulled back abruptly, but his opponent didn't let go in time. Seizing the opportunity, he swung around, the force knocking him across the hall and dead-center into the opposite row of lockers. Plus fell, landing on his hands and knees.
Principal panted, his body sore from the exertion and wounds. This was certainly more action than he'd ever been accustomed to; at least with the other obstacles, he had Sweeper and Baldi helping. Perhaps... A little assistance would've made this simpler. Certainly not with the professor, however - in this circumstance, it was far too risky.
Was he... Still on the other side? He'd lost track. He looked over at the separator in question, finding that he was close to it.
Baldi? Are you here?
He subtitled. All he knew was that he owed him an apology.
Yes.
Oh man. He was miffed.
I promise, as soon as we're home, I'll make it up to you.
Anything you want from me.
It'd only be fair for him to decide. Even then, Baldi was allowed to not be as forgiving as usual.
... Okay.
Just be careful.
It was harder to sense like this, as the emotional gauger only worked if Principal could actually see him, but Baldi appeared worried on top of the anger. That sounded about right.
"You done?" Principal suddenly heard, facing the Plus iteration. He was tapping his foot, arms crossed, and ruler in hand. Oh no. Principal's composure was ripped apart. "I know, it's impressive to look at." The double could see his fear, walking over nonchalantly, as though nothing had happened to his leg. "Say, did you know that if you study the texture closely, you can see a hallway? With me at the end of it?"
Suddenly, Plus whirled Principal around, and pushed him roughly against the cold metal. "Why don't you get a CLOSER LOOK? HA HA!" Almost immediately, he went against this point, instead bashing his captive repeatedly. He only stopped when he overheard something. "Oh! Jason just found a working elevator! Time to end this!"
He threw the stunned Principal to the center of the hall, and all the latter could decipher was the smacking tempo of the ruler. Principal pooled his processing power to ignore the pain and stood, but it was still difficult. He switched items, to the gavel, letting it morph to its full size.
Yet, he was met with a scoff. "I was hoping you'd surrender, but if you insist on delaying the inevitable, then that's your call!"
Principal bared his teeth, staggering into a run, gavel lifted. When he brought it back down, it'd only took one of Plus' hands to stop him, and Principal was using both.
"What..." Was all he could utter, bemused by it all. Giving him a leer, Plus put away his ruler, effortlessly ripping the punishing instrument away from Principal.
"I was just going to use my tool, but, you know..." Principal could only watch as his opponent talked. "I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't poetic justice!" He stopped to laugh, before aiming. "Now! Enjoy expulsion, Principal of the Thing!"
Principal opened his eyes, finding himself in the void. He managed to sit up, finding that he wasn't alone, surrounded by every character he expelled - his and Sweeper's counterparts, and Chalkles. Still in a lot of pain, he pressed his hands against the affected areas on his body. They began to heal. Huh, that's a first. In all this time since his revamp, only now did he need to.
Yet, he bore a grim expression, his failure firmly etched in his mind. It'd seemed so obvious, how to deal with that counterpart, but the terrifying truth was that he was truly something else. Principal could only imagine what Baldi might be going through.
Meanwhile, the professor was in shambles, dumbly sitting there as the metal doors opened back up. All he saw inside was his Plus version, looking down at an item on the floor.
Baldi's ruler.
He looked into his inventory, producing his own. "Huh. So I didn't drop it. How curious." He muttered, before looking over at Baldi. "Oh! You're still here? Then, I do believe this old thing belongs to you." Plus kicked it lightly, over to him. Baldi just stared down at the measuring stick.
This is the last straw! I have to get back at him! He took away my best friend!
The thoughts were coming back, and they were loud.
"I'd do the same to you, but honestly? I don't think you're worth it," His other self went on, in lieu of his silence. "Besides, spawning unimplemented items is not in my repertoire."
He's going to go after Sweeper next, and then Player will be all alone! This CANNOT stand!
"Y-You... Monster..." Finally, Baldi whispered.
"Anyway, I'm off," His duplicate no doubt heard, but didn't seem to care. "I'm sure you've learned your lesson by this point, so I'd strongly suggest staying right there. Wouldn't want a second incident."
Pick up the ruler! MAKE HIM PAY!
Whatever was left of the suppressor snapped. Baldi took his ruler and squeezed. It hurt, but it didn't matter. He was on his feet in no time, lunging at his Plus version with a yell of fury.
Back down in the void, Principal had finished healing himself when he saw M arrive from above, halting nearby. He looked a little frantic.
"Hey...! Uh, sorry to hear about you getting expelled, but, er, we have a... Problem."
"Yes? Then bring me back." Principal responded, standing up. M looked him over, before taking his arm when it was offered.
There was a beep. "N-No can do. I can't override expulsion. Not directly, anyway. Your subtitles won't work, either. But-... Can you still spawn items? Like, maybe, the whistle?" Principal was at a loss over why that one in particular, but he was able to. "Here, let me see it. Just... Just trust me." He complied.
After a few moments, M was finished. "Okay, here's how it'll work. I'll give this to Player, and when they use it, you'll spawn in again! Oh, and... May I try something else on you? I think I finally know how to fix the 'same character' thing. Maybe if your names were slightly different..."
Without a word, Principal let him take his arm again. He was met with a speck of pain, most comparatively to a needle, but that was all. He looked into himself.
"...'CPRI'?" He uttered in disbelief, before the full force of the change hit him. It was as though he'd finally been severed from the strings of the game. One could house him and a hundred of his Plus selves, and he'd be completely unaffected, disregarded, by the code's call. "It's working... I'm... I'm free."
"Yes! At-" A beep, but M wasn't hindered, pumping his fists in the air. "-ing LAST! Now, I can just apply this to Sweeper, and Professor, and all of you will be able to do whatever you-" Another. "-ing want!" Principal, overcome in surprise, embraced the ghostly music teacher. "... Uh. You alright?"
"I know I'm hard on you sometimes," Principal began, trying to stay calm, "And we don't always get along. I understand that I was overreacting earlier, so I apologize. M, I really appreciate what you're doing. Thank you." M was quiet for a bit.
"Err... No problem?" He then answered, "And don't worry about it? It was kind of a scary moment? I get it." Principal pulled away.
"Regardless, just know you're not going to be suspended or anything like that..." He trailed off, before allowing a somewhat sheepish grin. "Baldi might do that to me, though."
There was a pause. "Yeah, well... About him. I need to go." There was an unusual seriousness in his tone, matching his emotional percentages. Principal nodded.
"Be careful up there." He cautioned as M took off.
"Oh, don't worry about me. Just keep thinking about your hu-" M cut himself off at the threshold, between the void and the schoolhouse. It left Principal confused.
"My... What?" He uttered, even though he wouldn't be heard.
On the second floor, Plus' Baldi was trying to keep his balance, and also deal with his sudden turnabout of an assailant. The second professor had a hold around his torso, legs flailing about in hopes of causing harm, and was, no joke, screaming in his supposed ears.
He felt him elbowing his chest, but he didn't budge. The two veered backward, and he found himself squashed against a wall, knocking the air out of him. Baldi's limbs went limp, easily collapsing to the ground when the other moved away. He let out a cough, able to see his variant dusting himself off.
There was a sigh. "Instead of fully turning, and going after the ones you care about, you target me? It appears that you really are full of surprises." He paused, noticing how Baldi wasn't getting up. "Wait. That's it? You've nothing else to offer? How disappointing. Ah, well. I'm out of here." Right after, he dithered away, no doubt ascending to the third and final floor.
Once Baldi gathered his bearings again, he weakly slammed his fist against the yellowed tile, a flood of tears running down the side of his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking, whimpering. He finally let loose the worst instinct imaginable, and he couldn't even land a single hit on him.
Couldn't talk Principal out of fighting his other self, couldn't pull him out of there in time, couldn't do anything behind that lockdown door! Couldn't! Do! Anything!
How could he dare face Player and Sweeper now, after how useless he'd been this entire time? Those two could only do so much, but Baldi? Baldi had no excuse! It was his job, his duty, his programming, to guide players through the schoolhouse, and help ensure the happiness and safety of all inside it! Who cares that this one isn't his, the point still stands!
And the best he could do, as his best friend fought against his crueler version, was sit there and listen? All he could muster, once the deed was done, was one, half-baked attempt at an ambush? Just one collision against this wall was enough to lose?
Pathetic!
"Hey... Professor?" He heard M's voice, volume low and soft. He felt his hand on his shoulder. Baldi opened his eyes, and despite his tears blurring his vision, he was able to distinguish his friend, crouched in front of him. "Are you okay?"
"O-Oh... Hi, M," He replied, unable to prevent himself from hiccupping his words. "I'm h-having a meltdown."
"Uh-huh..." The music teacher uttered slowly. Baldi could tell that he didn't want to make things worse, but also wasn't all that acquainted in comforting others. That was okay, his presence was more than enough. "If it helps... I have good news."
"Yeah?" Out of this entire dumpster fire, where only one minor thing's gone right? "W-What is it?"
"O-Okay, two things. One," He raised his hand with the gesture, "I have an idea for getting Principal back." M went on to explain it. Just like that? He made it sound so simple. "I'm really hoping it'll shut off the expulsion switch. It should, but anyway... Two," He matched the new number, "And this one actually DOES work! I know how to separate you guys!"
The professor almost couldn't believe it. It felt too good to be true, not to mention coincidental. Yet, after everything... Baldi managed to sit up, even as the pain throughout his torso fully set in. He extended his arm, the other wiping off his face.
"Whatever you have to do, please, by a-all means," He then replied, trying to stabilize his voice, "No matter how much it h-hurts, no matter what it takes. I want his code out of mine." M gave him a strange look, but took the arm in both his own.
"Oookay..." He began, not sure how else to put his next words, "Well, uh, it's a lot less dramatic than what you're probably thinking. It's literally just a name change." Baldi was left speechless.
Finally, all he was able to say was, "... Oh."
The alteration itself was very minor, moreso than M let on. Who knew that adding "C" to "BAL" into "CBAL" would cut him off from the whole tapestry of the program? One thing was for sure, he distinctly felt like himself again, and with that came a fresh wave of motivation.
"Thank you, M!" He spoke, the new tone cutting through the previous moodlet. "Now, there's no time to waste! I need to get going!" He went to stand, before releasing a noise of agony, leaning on the wall and holding his chest. Right. He completely forgot. He was grunting as he added, "WOW, that smarts something awful!"
"Oh, jeepers..." M got up with him, "He really did a number on you, huh? Unfortunately, all I can do is help you get there. Would that work?" In response, the professor gave a nod. Keeping him upright, M did so. On the way, he commented, "How're you doing now? That was one heck of a mood swing."
"Ah, yes, I suppose you're right," Baldi realized, "I was feeling pretty sorry for myself back there. I'm still upset over what the other me did to Principal, but... Now, I'm untethered. And it makes me think, 'Sure, we're one man down, but we can't give up yet! We still have a chance!' You know what I mean?" M said nothing, just listened with a nod or two.
"Besides!" The professor then continued, grinning, "Everything you've told me has confirmed that he's okay! Only Principal can spawn items, your method of fixing us has already been tested, annnd!" He paused, then added, "You haven't gone to Player yet, who went on to the final floor with Sweeper; which means that the only one you helped was...!"
Sensing some expectation to answer, M let out a small laugh. "Principal, yeah. You got me. Man, they don't call you Professor for nothing."
"Aw! Thank you!" He was more modest that time, before looking ahead. "Oh, we're here!" When the two got near, the elevator doors slid open. M led Baldi inside, but when he turned to exit, they had closed. Phasing through wasn't working.
"Yo, what the-" A beep. "Uh, why can't I...?" He touched the doors, then one of the walls. The music teacher wilted. "Of all places? Oh my God." He turned to Baldi, who supported himself against a different one.
"What's the matter?" He asked, unease creeping in.
"The elevators are inhibitors," M groaned, "Can't use any of our powers in them. I can't go ghost, you can't go fast, I can't change code, you can't hear beyond this space. But somehow, subtitles still work." The professor's eyes widened.
"I was wondering how come...!" He trailed off, before continuing, "Then that means... Hang on."
I've made it to the elevator! Sorry for the wait!
He subtitled.
"I've"... Is he not with you? What happened?!
Player wasted no time asking.
He was... Expelled.
But don't worry, we can
Baldi tried to reply, but wasn't fast enough to match Player's sheer typing speed.
OHHHHH MY GOD.
THAT SICK 9999.
THIS MEANS WAR.
The professor could quite literally empathize.
Wait, Player, maybe you should calm down?
He wasn't done
Sweeper tried to interject lightly, but he too was unsuccessful.
I HAVE HAD IT.
GET IN SWEEPER, WE'RE GOING SHOPPING!
Oh, Johnny's store? They must've not used it yet.
But I don't have any
WAIT, I'M LOADED?!
Why am I being paid in school currency?!
Uh...
WHAT. OKAY, THEN YOU CAN CARRY SOME STUFF TOO!
TEN SLOTS, MOTHER9999ERS!
Baldi could no longer tell if this was anger, excitement, or both.
Meanwhile, he could hear M wheezing.
May I finish, please?
The professor tried again.
OH. OH YEAH. Sorry. Go ahead.
There we go. As he was saying...
M has told me that we can undo that!
In fact, he'll be meeting up with you shortly, Player.
His words went unhindered this time.
Both of you, actually. I've figured it all out.
One problem: I'm trapped with the professor. Turns out that elevators don't like powers.
So be absolutely sure the coast is clear before telling us it's safe to disembark.
It was surprising how well he was able to talk like that, considering his laughter hadn't died down yet.
Yikes. Got it.
We might be a bit, though. Hang in there!
Baldi had no qualms with that. More time spent here meant more time for the wounds to subside on their own.
That's alright! We'll be fine as long as we're in here!
But given the reaction of before, Baldi really wasn't willing to mention it.
After that, he saw an ensuing conversation between Player and Sweeper, talks of item strategies, who'll carry what, things of that sort. He could've possibly benefitted from memorizing what they're stocking up on, but left it to them in the end.
Goodness, once they were in the zone, Player was incredible at this.
"So... Considering that looking into anything outside this technicolor nightmare is off-limits," M broke a silence that Baldi didn't notice until now, "Do you know what was up with that navy blue bat he had? I don't think he was carrying that thing around before. Come to think of it, his eyes got all funky too."
"... I don't," The professor sighed, "That's a first for me, too. His default inventory never had it. And- His eyes? What about them?"
"They started... Glowing," M explained, in his sort of "weirded out" tone, "Like a freaky backlight. And they matched the bat's hue." This was all so puzzling, and somehow, almost... Familiar?
Baldi promptly scanned through the several thousand lines of code in his own file. God, it was so long, but if there was any chance he contained something even remotely similar, then it could definitely carry over to the others.
Finally, down near the very end, starting around 9850, was a comment. It read:
IN CASES OF DIRE CIRCUMSTANCE, THIS SECTION DEFINES PROTOCOLS PERTAINING TO ELEVATING A CHARACTER'S PURPOSE.
GRANTED, IF ALL GOES WELL IN GAMEDEV, IT WILL LIKELY NEVER BE USED.
WHY IS IT THERE THEN, YOU MAY ASK? I GUESS... IF SOMETHING DOES GO WRONG.
DO NOT ALTER IN ANY WAY. EVEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
GAME MIGHT GO BOOM AND IT'LL BE ALL YOUR FAULT.
AN OUTLINE OF CHARACTER PURPOSE AND CHANGES BELOW, BECAUSE GOOD GOD I WILL PROBABLY NEVER FIND IT ANYWHERE ELSE. THANK YOU, BALDI, FOR CARRYING IT FOR ME. YOU'RE THE BEST.
BALDI = GUIDE - PROTECT
PRINCIPAL = MANAGE - EQUALIZE
GOTTA SWEEP = TIDY - PURIFY
AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYONE ELSE, I THINK THAT'S IT. STUDENTS PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE THIS WACKY STUFF ANYWAY. IT'S LIKE 5 IN THE MORNING I SHOULD BE SLEEPING GOOGNIGTH
It wasn't uncommon for his code. In fact, it was littered with comments, little descriptors of what each section was meant to handle. Sometimes when there was nothing else to do at night, and everyone was off doing their own thing, Baldi would read them, these breadcrumb-like messages left behind by his creator. It gave him an idea of what he was like, at least at the time of starting to make the game way back then.
He was all the more thankful how, even as the years passed and Friend had changed some aspects of the code itself, they'd never edited these tidbits. And he knew this, since wherever said alterations lie, it never came from there. So, these were years-old historical records, untouched and untainted. Pure, and raw. At points, he would wonder what he's like now, what he's up to, if he's happier compared to when he made M.
Perhaps still vengeful, plotting a way to sneak a new Filename2 into Plus. Going off of M's initial willingness to destroy Certified when he and Baldi first met, and judging from the Filename2 who almost managed to do so with Birthday Bash... The probability that such a new one would do so as soon as he had the chance was so high, that it was basically guaranteed. Oh, if only he could tell their creator that he didn't have to worry anymore...
Anyway, he never got nearly this far down - he'd always stop around the 6500ish mark, whether it was from finding something else to do, Player's return, or someone else wanting to speak to him. Therefore, this was certainly something unexpected out of the creator.
Below the comment was the protocol itself, which detailed exactly as stated - through only extreme situations, Baldi is to elevate from GUIDE mode to...
"I have it, too," He suddenly said, before noticing how vague that must've sounded. "I mean, what Principal did, I can as well. In fact, it came from me. I'm not sure yet if Sweeper is the same way, but..."
M looked at him for a minute. "Don't tell me he put in some absurd super saiyan-type bull-" A beep. All Baldi could do was nod. "In a children's edutainment game? Dude... He's so-" Another. "-ing extra, I swear."
"In my case, it says that if students, and/or faculty are in danger," The professor went on, dissecting the language, "I'm supposed to enter what's called 'PROTECT mode'."
"... With what, your ruler?" M asked, jokingly.
"Yes," Baldi's reply was serious, as he pulled it out and gave a few experimental taps against the wall. "That explains its durability, to be honest. Normal wooden ones like these would never last during any sort of dispute. I just genuinely hope things don't come to that, though. I'm a worthless mess if it breaks."
"Aw, come on, you're not..."
"Oh! Not like that!" Baldi couldn't help but chuckle. "Perhaps it's different now, but back then? It'd take literally everything I had just to move. I almost didn't meet you because of that. Though, I'm not sure why it stopped applying in that version of my office... Ba ha, oh well."
"Wow... I..." M conceded, but not comfortably, "You know, I'm starting to think there's a lot more you guys haven't told me, that I probably should know about?" Baldi frowned, guilt in his face. Putting away his ruler, he managed to walk over to M, hand placed on his shoulder.
"I promise that it's much less than it seems, but I'm sorry. When we get home, you can ask me anything you like." M thought about it.
"Okay. Yeah. Okay. I'll hold you to that."
20-8-5 13-1-16 19-15-13-5 26-5-19-20-25-19 1-14-4 4-5-6-9-14-9-20-5-12-25 19-15-13-5 12-15-3-11-19
