It was very dark. And very scary.

BOOOOoooomm…

Very very scary.

Once it had started pouring, she ran towards the mine cart ride for shelter. Holding her newfound rabbit friend close to her body, the young girl had slowed her pace once she found herself in dry land, relieved that she had only gotten slightly wet. Rain and thunder pounded like mad outside, resigning the little girl to her shelter under a shelf-looking thing.

"Are you okay, Mr. Bunny?" Verna asked her animal friend. The little animal responded with a quiet, happy-sounding purr, which brought a smile to her face. "You're okay…" Plop. She sat down. "That's good, but this isn't… good…"

The attraction had looked less scary from a distance, but now that Verna had some time to absorb the atmosphere, she found herself wishing she had ran in a different direction.

Plink… Plink…

Droplets of water echoed throughout the cave, the shower outside getting increasingly worse by the second. Frowning, the little girl shuffled backwards until she hit a stone wall, which was about as far as she was willing to go.

"Scary…" Verna looked around, seeing nothing but pitch black tunnels, minecarts stopped in their tracks, lights that no longer worked, and worst of all, creepy looking gnomes with pickaxes that stared right at her from above, looking frozen in the midst of whatever they were doing beforehand. "Mmmm…" She closed her eyes and looked away, pretending they weren't there. Her rabbit friend did something similar, covering it's eyes with it's big ears while it shivered in her hands.

"Are you cold, Mr. Bunny? But you got lotsa warm fur, right?" She asked the animal but, of course, it didn't respond. "I wish I had warm fur like yours, Mr. Bunny. I don't have a blankie…"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooom..."Eep!" Scared by the sudden noise, Verna jumped and scuttled away from the cave's entrance to somewhere safer. The bunny, startled by the sudden noise, wriggled its way out of Verna's hold and hopped away in a frightened manner. "Wait, Mr. Bunny!" Verna reached out her arm, but the rabbit had already disappeared into the shadows, leaving the child by her lonesome.

"..."

The scary cave looked even more scary then.

"Big Siiiiiis…" She whimpered. "Where are you? Big Sis Chika…" Scared and alone, Verna curled up into a fetal position and hoped that her big sister would find her. "I don' wanna be here anymore…"

Tip… Tap…

Verna shuddered, her eyes shooting open.

Tip… Tap…

It was the sound of footsteps that caught her attention. "Wh… Who…" Verna wanted to speak, but her words caught in her throat before they could fully come out. Even though the rain was still pouring down outside, all the girl could hear was the sound of the approaching footsteps.

Tip… Tap… Tip… Tap… TIP… TAP…

Louder and louder, the sound could drive almost anyone mad. "N-no… No…" The little girl closed her eyes, forcing them shut as tight as she could, the sound of footsteps growing louder in volume. Alone in the dark, Verna whimpered, "Big sis… Help me…"

"Why hello there, little child," an odd voice spoke, cutting through the darkness. Hesitantly, Verna opened her eyes ever so slowly and… "What brings you here?"

"M-Mr. Bunny!" Verna came face-to-face with her bunny from before and- "You can talk, Mr. Bunny?!"

"You mean you never knew?!" the "bunny" asked, sounding almost offended. "Of course I can talk, small child. You will call me Sir Oswald, the rabbit! I have come to this park in search of the finest carrots, but I got lost along the way and stumbled upon a little blonde girl who started chasing me - that's you, by the way - before I could fulfill my mission."

"Wha…?" Verna recoiled in shock. Not only did Mr. Bunny know how to talk, but he even had a name, too! "I'm sorry, Mr. Bu… I mean, Sir Oswald. I didn't mean to… Hey, wait a minute..."

Verna stopped herself mid-sentence, noticing something fishy going on. She hadn't noticed it at first, but as her eyes adjusted to the dark space they were in, she finally noticed it, a pair of arms wrapped around the bunny's belly. "What is it, child?"

Verna felt her body shiver once again, but having her bunny there gave her newfound courage. "Wh-Wh-Who a-are you?!" she finally asked. "Y-You're not Mr. Oswald!"

"Sir!"

"Eep!" Verna shrunk back, suddenly feeling very afraid again.

"Hahahah." However, to the girl's surprise, the mysterious stranger just laughed. After a second of laughing at Verna's reaction, they set the little bunny down on the ground. Instantly, the creature now called Oswald jumped back into Verna's arms, where she held him protectively, while the stranger straightened themselves up and dusted themselves up. "I was wondering when you'd notice little 'ol me."

Verna eyed the stranger warily. She was still shaking, but thanks to Oswald's company, she knew she couldn't let herself stay scared. Despite her eyes adjusting, she still couldn't quite make out the stranger's face, all she could see was the outline of their body. To Verna's surprise, they shuffled back a step, as if sensing the little girl's discomfort.

"Tell me, kid, what are you doing in a place like this?" the stranger asked. The stranger spoke with a very light-hearted voice, sounding almost like an announcer of some kind. At least, that was how Verna would describe it, given her limited knowledge.

"I… I was chasing S-Sir Oswald to make sure he was okay. But, then it started raining, s-so I came in here to wait until it was over," Verna answered truthfully. The shadowy figure raised a hand to its chin, as if mulling something over.

"I see, I get ya. That's quite a pickle indeed, but you know, kid, I don't think it's safe in here," the stranger began, "You never know what kind of freaks and weirdos might be hanging out in a place like this. Besides, you need to get going before-"

WWWWHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

"Eep!" Verna's heart almost jumped straight into her throat as a loud noise cut off the stranger's words. She darted her head around, while the stranger gasped.

"Oh, no! They're coming!"

"Wh-who's coming?!" Verna asked in a panic, holding her bunny a little closer.

"There's no time to explain!" the stranger yelled, sounding far more rattled than even Verna herself. "Quick, kid! We need to go! Now!"

"Wait, what's going on?!" Verna never got her answer. The stranger had already grabbed onto her tiny hands and started pulling her forward with them, moving forward at an alarming pace. Out of curiosity, Verna glanced back to see what was going on, but her heartbeat quickened when that sound roared out a second time. She really didn't want to know what was making that sound, so she tightened her grip on Oswald and kept running, putting her blind trust into the mysterious stranger.

There was so much promise to be had on this day. What was once a bright, beautiful day fueled by sisterly bonding and cartoon mouses was damaged by Vert losing her sister not once, but twice. In the same week, no less!

"She could be anywhere! Goodness me, why did this have to happen now!?" Vert was having a panic attack, or maybe it was more accurate to call it a full blown breakdown. Ever since Verna had disappeared from her sight, she had the mindset to turn Yippyland upside down if it meant she would find her sister.

"Urgh, she's not here either…" After not seeing her anywhere near the Merry-Go-Round, Vert walked away disappointedly. "Where could she be? I've already looked through most of the attractions, and Chika has had no success on her end either…"

It was a completely and utterly horrible time for the CPU. To lose Verna at the height of their wonderful day was dreadful enough, but in one of the most popular park attractions in Gamindustri? Where just about anyone could find her dear Verna and be swept away from Vert? She shuddered at the thought.

"No, I mustn't let myself be blinded by worry…" Finding a wooden bench in front of a fountain, Vert sat down on it and sighed. "It's exactly moments like these where I need to remain calm, but…"

For the big sister that was still getting used to her new role, remaining calm simply was not an option for her. This was her sister. Not Nepgear, Rom, Ram or Uni, but her own blood. She had every right to worry, especially since she was so young. Who knew what sort of dreadful situations Verna could be in at the moment?

"..."

Vert stared at the water fountain, allowing her thoughts to take over as she started reflecting.

'I am such a fool, to let something like this happen…' Vert berated herself, something she had been doing a lot lately. 'I should not have been so careless…'

She realized she had been making mistakes like this, perhaps not quite as severe, but it did show her failures as a sister in full force. Even Neptune, who had a history of being rather dismissive of her own sister at times, looked far superior to her at the moment.

That was bad.

"Hm…" Vert leaned back on the bench, wondering.

'My sister, I pray that you are safe…' Vert could only hope. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two civilians chatting amongst themselves, seemingly ignorant to the Goddess that was sitting just feet from them.

"Ah, my feet are killing me. It feels like I just ran a marathon."

"You're over over-exaggerating. I thought you could handle anything."

"We've been here for, what, 6 hours now? I think I've earned the right to complain a little. Not to mention we didn't even get to check out the mine cart ride; that was always one of my favorites."

"Oh, suck it up, will you? I'm sure they'll open it back up eventually."

"Eventually's not today… Seriously, everything else is up and running, but that one ride is still out of commision! Would it have killed them to maybe wait for it to finish-"

"It's. one. ride. Get over it. Besides, I'm pretty sure it never got much attention."

"Hmph… Your face doesn't get much attention…

"Shut it… Speaking of the mine cart. Did you hear, apparently some people are saying some kid ran in there earlier today."

"For real?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, all I heard is that some little blonde girl was chasing a rabbit, but then she ran inside when it started to rain."

"For real? What kind of moron doesn't pay attention while their kid wanders off? Kid must've come with someone really irresponsible, huh? Did they go after her?"

"Well, some people tried, but… Well, there's a rumor some shadow was around there, too, so everyone's been too scared to go in after her."

"Poor kid. Must be terrified all on her own like that. Think we should go tell the park management?"

"Was about to say, actually. Let's."

"..."

It didn't take long for Vert to practically rocket off the park bench, speed-dialing Chika's number as she dashed towards the closed attraction off in the distance, determination fueling her every step.

'Hold on just a little while longer Verna, your sister is coming for you!'

And so, they ran. They ran as fast as their legs would allow. The stranger had been running so fast that Verna was almost afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up with their pace, but somehow, she managed to not fall behind. Maybe it was out of fear for her own life, or maybe out of a desire to protect little Oswald, but she had run faster than she thought she was even capable of. However, after some time she was no longer able to keep up, and felt herself running out of breath.

Much to Verna's relief, they'd finally come to a stop. She was a bit unsure of where she was, until she caught sight of a lone mine cart standing on the middle of a rail track. To most that would've been an obvious sign that the attraction was out of commission, but to Verna's frightened child mind, she couldn't really put any pieces together beyond "I'm scared! Please help me sis!", in her mind.

"Quick kid, get inside!" Before she could say or do anything, the stranger had pushed Verna towards the lone mine cart, while he ran off to the side; reaching out for something on the wall. Verna did as was told, jumping into the cart while the stranger fumbled around in the dark.

"W-What happening?!" Verna finally asked after finding her voice.

"Just listen to me, kid!" the stranger began, more panicked than before. "You have to go! It's not safe here! And whatever you do, don't look back!"

"Why?! What's gonna happen to you?!"

"..." A beat. The stranger was silent, slowly taking their hands off the wall, they turned to look at Verna and, "Ah, don't worry about it, Kid. I'll be fine." He instantly turned around, as calm as can be.

"...Wha?"

"Now, come on, the fun's about to start!" As if they'd never been blinded by the dark to begin with, the stranger reached out and pulled a switch that had been attached to the wall. Suddenly, the lights all came back on and his true form was revealed for Verna to see. A hooded figure wearing a dark, black cloak that concealed most of their body and face from sight. All she could make out was their cheeky grin as they pulled another lever that made her mine cart start moving.

"Wah!" Verna stumbled in trying to keep her footing. She failed to keep her balance and landed on her bum, but thankfully, Oswald was unharmed. She steadily lifted herself to her feet by grabbing the edges of the cart, but as the cart sped up, it was made all the harder on her tiny body. "I dun like this!"

When just struggling to get to her feet was a challenge, Verna knew she wasn't going to like this. Even more so when she realized the music that had started playing at some point. A wild, hectic piano pounding in her ears. And when she finally got to her feet, she immediately regretted having ever gotten up.

"I told you not to look back!" A loud booming voice greeted her, coming from the body of a bulbous spider-looking creature with very human-like arms. It bounced and shifted around with every movement it made.

"AAAAHHHH!" A scream escaped Verna's throat. Without even thinking, she held her bunny closer, backing away from the abomination until her back hit the other end of the mine cart. She felt herself losing balance again and looked forward; several twists and turns and drops awaited her. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Verna would've normally been happy about this kind of thrill, but not when it was the only thing keeping her from the arms of some kind of giant spider thing. She ducked her head at an oncoming plank of wood and she could swear she felt a whoosh of air pass over her head. "SIS! HELP MEEEE!"

Her screams filled the tunnel as she was forced through loop after loop, with no sign of slowing down. She had gotten some distance away from the freakish spider, but her hope instantly dropped as she found the cart slowing down as it climbed a large upwards incline. The spider clawed its way closer with its almost cartoony appendages, getting closer and closer and-

"Uwah!" All of a sudden, Verna was thrown from cart, violently flying through the air. She flew into a hole in the walls that acted as some kind of shute, where she tumbled about like a ragdoll until she finally got out. And when she did, she was even more confused than before. "Uhhh…"

She was in a hallway from a castle, filled with suits of armor all over the place.

"HUHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!"

A shiver ran up Verna's spine. Slowly, she craned her neck to see… The knights were looking at her with their swords in the air!

"HUHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!"

"EEP!" Not a second too late Verna darted forward, narrowly avoiding the axes that came down. However, it set up a little domino effect. All of the knights threw their weapons forward as Verna ran in a panic. Swords clanged against the ground, the piano music blared through the air and a bunny was starting to lose oxygen thanks to its friend's grip. "I DON' LIKE IT, I DON' LIKE IT, I DON' LIKE ITTTT!"

It felt like Verna was in a cartoon! She finally made it and ran through the end of the hallway and she found herself in a room with a piano shaking and moving like it was dancing. She found the source of the music, but it only made her feel even more uncomfortable. Verna really wanted to cry right about now, but the wriggling of her friend brought her back. She looked down to see that her bunny was in need of air, so she loosened her grip.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, Mr. B-b-b-b… Bunny…" Her voice turned into a squeal as she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I dun like this…"

It was quiet… It had gone quiet! The piano had suddenly stopped playing and creaking took its place. The little girl hesitantly looked up to see that the piano had turned to face her direction.

"Uh…?"

A beat…

A silent beat…

And then, when the silence became unbearable-

THWONK! THWONK! THWONK!

The piano came to life, jumping forward, slamming its case open and shut like a pair of jaws.

"AAAAHHHH!" Again, Verna ran. She stopped paying attention to anything else and the world had practically turned into a giant canvas of red and yellow. She tripped and fell and scraped her knee on the floor, but she didn't stop. She screamed and cried and ran as fast as she could, until finally… "Hu-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A hole in the floor she hadn't seen through the carpet. She fell through, evading the rabid piano… Only to fall right back at the entrance to meet the hooded figure from before, idly filing their nails.

"Hey, you're back!" the stranger greeted. "I was wondering when you'd get back, ya slowpoke. Sure took your sweet time."

"Uhhhh…" She had fallen. She had fallen and now she no longer had the strength to get back up any more! Tears fell from her eyes, soaking little Oswald and even her clothes. She couldn't even form any words; she could only hope and pray the stranger was satisfied.

"So, how'd you like the ride? I worked real hard on setting this all up, you know," Finally, finally the stranger turned to look at Verna, finally showing its face. Just a pair of white circles for eyes with no visible mouth. He moved- no, he slid towards the girl and she finally realized the stranger wasn't a human, but a monster with skin as black as ink.

"Urr..." was all the response Verna could muster.

"The silent type, are we? Well, I know how to get answers out of your kind." Suddenly, its voice lowered in tone. Its body started getting bigger, arms stretched out around its back and it leaned forward to get closer. Its terrifying visage made Verna's eyes go wide, but more than that, the girl grit her teeth, trying to scamper away, until an inky arm stopped her. It smirked and grinned and floated closer and then…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" It laughed like a maniac, returning to its normal form in an instant. Its jaw unhinged and practically dropped to the floor while it laughed. "Hey, hey, I was only joking, kid. I couldn't possibly hurt a… Hmmmm? Do my ears deceive me, or is that the sound of footsteps?"

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

"Well, that's a bummer," the stranger whined. "Well, it was fun kid, but I've got to go now. Stuff to do, places to see, people to traumatize, yadda, yadda, yadda." At its own cue, the inky man walked off away from the little girl. It was almost a relief… Until it leaned in close one last time and said, "Don't you worry, though, I'll be sure to come say 'hi' if we ever meet again. That's a promise from your good bud, Inkaman! Now then, I'll be seeing you~"

And just like that, it was gone, almost as if it had never been there to begin with. Only a small trail of ink being a sign of the stranger's existence. In its place, a new individual was on the scene.

"Verna! Verna!"

Yes, it was the older sister she'd called out for with all her might, finally come to pick her up. Just seeing her was enough, Verna could always depend on her to drive the mean old monsters away… Right?

"Verna?! Verna!"

"Let me take a look… Don't worry, it only looks like she just passed out is all, but… But what the hell is up with all this ink?"

"Does it matter?! Verna… Verna… I'm so, so sorry!"