17. Taking the Wheel
The first person that Frisk had thought to interrogate was Undyne, and so they led Sora, Ruby, and Papyrus toward the warrior's house. However, upon arrival, they discovered that no one was home, and there had been large holes blown in the wall of the kitchen. Frisk deduced that Undyne must have been attempting to cook again and had gone somewhere else in order to not deal with the home repairs that inevitably ensued every time she attempted to fix a complex dish.
That led the group to the home of Dr. Alphys, where both Alphys and Undyne were found in the living room, Alphys settled in on the couch and wrapped up in a cozy pink blanket while Undyne stretched her legs out on the floor. They paused their anime marathon in order to receive their guests.
"H-h-how can we help y-you?" Alphys stammered.
"And who're the dorks?" Undyne asked, looking over Sora and Ruby.
"They're new friends," Frisk explained. "And we were hoping you could help us out with an investigation into a crime!"
"DETECTIVE PAPYRUS IS ON THE CASE!" Papyrus announced.
"What do you wanna know?" Undyne asked.
"We're looking for a tall man with orange hair," Ruby explained. "He usually wears a lot of mascara, a white jacket, and a black bowler hat. He carries a cane that functions as a cannon. Papyrus got him arrested yesterday, but he escaped."
"We heard you're a local hero," Sora told Undyne. "In fact…" He turned to look at Alphys. "From what Frisk told us, you're BOTH heroes."
"Oh, I wouldn't c-call myself a hero…" Alphys turned away.
"You kidding?" Undyne scooted up onto the couch. "Wouldn't have made it out of the Underground without you!" She wrapped an arm around Alphys and pulled her close, inciting a blush.
"AWWWW!" Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, and Frisk chimed in unison.
Alphys and Undyne quickly scooted away from each other to resume a slightly more businesslike air. "I h-haven't seen anyone l-like that," Alphys told the quartet of impromptu detectives.
"Me either," Undyne chimed in.
"Though th-there was that s-strange woman on the b-b-beach…" Alphys recalled.
"Oh yeah!" Undyne remembered. "That was a villain who got away if I ever saw one! I swear, when I find her…" She shook her head. "But she's not your guy."
"She might be related," Ruby pointed out. "What did she look like?"
"Human," Undyne described. "Short. Blonde. Pasty skin."
Ruby realized she'd asked the wrong question. "What did she do that was so evil?"
"Held me up with a weapon for ice cream!" Undyne related. "Good thing I was itching for a good fight anyway!"
"And what kind of weapon did she use?" Ruby pressed.
"One of those fancy, frilly little umbrellas," Undyne explained. "Except this one had a sword built into it! It was actually pretty cool."
"More like scary," Alphys muttered.
Ruby's lips pursed. "Neo."
"Who?" Sora asked.
"Roman's sidekick," Ruby reminded him. "The same one I think wrote on the wall of the police station."
"You kn-know about these people?" Alphys asked.
"CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?" Papyrus asked.
"Of course," Alphys answered.
"Cross my heart and hope to be impaled with a thousand spears," Undyne added.
"THE ORANGE HAIRED MAN WE ARE LOOKING FOR IS RUBY'S VERY OWN ARCHNEMESIS!" Papyrus announced. "BUT YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE, BECAUSE RUBY CAME HERE FROM ANOTHER WORLD, AND WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP IT SECRET!"
"Papyrus," Undyne replied, "I'm telling you this as a friend. Talking about it that loudly to everyone you meet is NOT going to keep it secret."
"So th-there r-r-really are other worlds?" Alphys' face lit up.
"Yeah!" Sora confirmed. "I'm from a different one, too!"
"I had always w-wondered!" Alphys beamed.
"Maybe we can show you our ship sometime after the investigation's over," Sora suggested. "Thanks for letting us know Neo's been around."
"No problem," Undyne replied. "If you find her, kick her butt, but leave enough for me, okay? I still owe her for taking Alphys' ice cream."
"Will do!" Sora promised.
"Good luck out there!" Alphys told the group as she resumed the episode on the television.
"Thanks," Ruby replied, her eyes flickering over the screen. "Guess now we gottaaaAAAAAAA DID THAT GUY JUST TURN INTO A SCYTHE?" Her face lit up with excitement.
"Yeah," Alphys confirmed. "This is a wh-whole anime about p-p-people that turn into w-weapons."
"THATISSOCOOL!" Ruby screamed.
Undyne and Alphys exchanged a look. "Should we?" Alphys asked.
"Fine by me," Undyne told her. "We'll get plenty of time for the two of us later. But only if YOU want to."
Alphys nodded. "You can all stay and watch some if you want," she suggested.
"PERHAPS JUST ONE EPISODE," Papyrus decided. "THAT SHOULDN'T SLOW THE INVESTIGATION DOWN TOO MUCH."
"YAY!" Ruby squeaked.
Soon, Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, and Frisk were arranged on the floor while Alphys and Undyne shared the pink blanket on the couch. As Alphys started the episode from the beginning, she explained, "There's a little b-bit of b-b-backstory you should know. S-so this is a world wh-where they d-do something d-d-different with souls. There's a s-sp-special school for weapons and th-their m-masters, and they f-fight evil creatures w-with c-corrupted souls…"
...
One episode turned into two, but after that, the investigation was back under way.
"We're going to see Toriel next," Frisk explained. "She was the first monster I ever met. She's my teacher, and sometimes, she can be like a mom."
"SHE'S MUCH BETTER THAN MY BROTHER AT READING BEDTIME STORIES," Papyrus confirmed.
Out front of Toriel's house, Frisk rang the bell, and soon, Toriel arrived. "Why, hello, my child!" she greeted. "And Papyrus! It's good to see you too! Who are your friends?"
"I'm Sora," Sora introduced. "And this is Ruby!"
"We're here on an official investigation!" Frisk announced.
They explained who they were looking for, and Toriel nodded. "I had heard about him and how he was captured," she informed the group. "I had been meaning to congratulate you for that, Papyrus."
"NO CONGRATULATIONS NECESSARY!" Papyrus told her. "KEEPING THE PEACE IS WHAT I DO BEST! THOUGH…IF YOU REALLY WANT TO CONGRATULATE ME, I SHALL NOT STOP YOU."
"You did very well, Papyrus," Toriel said with a smile. The smile faded; "But I didn't know he'd already escaped. I'm afraid I don't know anything else."
"That's okay," Sora told her. "We still have a lot more people to ask."
"By the way, Frisk," Toriel brought up, "a relative of yours visited earlier. She was concerned about you being bullied at school."
"A relative?" A chill ran through Frisk. They couldn't think of a single member of their family who they actually wanted to talk to Toriel about their issues in school, or anything else, for that matter. "Who was it?"
"I didn't catch her name," Toriel admitted. "She was an elderly woman with long eyelashes. She wore a lot of purple."
"I don't have any relatives like that," Frisk said in concern. "I only have one grandma who's still alive, and she hates dressing flashy."
"She wasn't your grandmother," Toriel clarified, her own concern growing. "I believe she said she was a great-aunt."
"I've never met any of my great-aunts," Frisk replied.
"Oh, dear," Toriel muttered. "This is very concerning."
"You think it was Neo?" Sora asked Ruby.
"Might've been," Ruby replied. "But I've never heard Neo talk."
"I don't remember everyone who was with Torchwick all that clearly," Sora admitted. "Maybe she was one of them?"
"Maybe," Ruby agreed. "Something's definitely up." Catching Papyrus taking a quick glance upward to the sky, she clarified, "Figuratively."
"I KNEW THAT!" Papyrus responded hastily. "I WAS JUST SCANNING THE SKIES FOR MORE CLUES."
That brought a smile to Ruby's face.
They thanked Toriel for the tip and moved on.
...
"It's after five o'clock," Frisk determined, "so we'll be able to find Mettaton down at the theater with Napstablook and Shyren. Otherwise, they'd all be at the radio station."
The community theater was slightly more ornate than its surrounding buildings, with a marquee graced by bright lights. This marquee proclaimed "OLIVER! AUDITIONS TONIGHT & TOMORROW – 5-7."
Inside the auditorium, the house had been darkened and the stage illuminated. The center of the spotlight was occupied by a young woman belting out the final notes of a soulful song. When the last high note faded away, she looked expectantly, happily toward the front row.
Three seats near the center were occupied. A humanoid robot with metallic silver skin was flanked by a blob-shaped ghost and a fishy creature with a scaly body. "It was absolutely GORGEOUS!" the robot proclaimed, standing up from his seat. "I'm quite tempted to offer you the part on the spot! There's only one small detail standing in the way. We still haven't worked out whether – "
"I don't think we're going with the plan where you play Fagin, Sikes, Brownlow, Sowerberry, Bumble, and Nancy all at once," the ghost mumbled. The nearby Shyren nodded her approval to the ghost's statement.
"In which case you've got the part!" the robot decided.
"OHMYGOD!" the woman squealed. "Thank you! THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
As she ran from the stage squeaking happily, Frisk's voice broke in: "How are auditions going, Mettaton?"
"DARLING!" The robot spun to pick up Frisk and envelop them in a somewhat uncomfortable embrace. "I'm glad you've stopped by! Auditions are going just swimmingly!" He set Frisk on the ground, looking to Papyrus; "Why, hello, Papyrus! Have you come for another autograph?"
"ACTUALLY, NO," Papyrus answered. "THOUGH, AS LONG AS I AM HERE…"
Mettaton quickly picked up a water bottle – that belonged to Shyren, not him, though Shyren knew better than to complain – signed his name with a flourish, and handed it off to Papyrus.
"OH MY GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Papyrus squealed. "I HAVE METTATON'S AUTOGRAPH! IT WILL LOOK PERFECT NEXT TO THE OTHER NINETY-SEVEN!"
"So you're kind of a big celebrity around here, huh?" Sora asked.
"Indeed I am!" Mettaton confirmed.
"Your voice sounds familiar," Ruby chimed in.
"It should," Mettaton scoffed. "I'm only the most popular radio host in the whole state!"
"That's right!" Sora realized. "You were hosting a show that we listened to on our way here from the city!"
"Have you come to audition for a part?" Mettaton asked. "Due to some casting changes, several parts have suddenly opened up." He fired a look over his shoulder at his associates; "Though the role of Fagin is still reserved."
"We'd love to!" Sora cried, thinking back on his days performing in the Atlantican musical revue. "…But I don't think we have the time. We're actually here on an investigation."
"An investigation?" Mettaton repeated. "Of a crime? Oh, do tell! And don't spare the gory details!"
And so the mission was explained once more, to Mettaton this time. The android thought it over. "I'm afraid I haven't met this Torchwick in person," he admitted, "though I've put out a few news bulletins on his reign of terror. If nothing else, the man does have a fabulous sense of style!"
"Have you seen anyone suspicious at all?" Ruby asked. "A couple of the others we talked to ran into some people we think are working with him."
"This is the theater," Mettaton reminded them, "so of course, everyone I've met has been unquestionably strange. But none I would go so far as to call suspicious." He looked over his shoulder. "Blooky? Shy?"
"Nope," the ghost Napstablook agreed, as Shyren shook her head.
"But we'll be sure to put the word out on the radio as soon as we can that there is a wanted man on the loose," Mettaton promised. "From the Falling Asleep with Shyren Hour to Mornings With Mettaton, not a single program will go by without at least one mention! Right after we promote our musical, of course."
"We wouldn't want it any other way," Frisk said with a smile.
...
The sun was beginning to set by the time the four investigators left the theater. "My parents are probably expecting me back home for dinner," Frisk sighed.
"Well, that should be fun," Sora replied. "You can tell them all about your adventure today!"
"I don't think I'll be doing that," Frisk said somberly. "The less I say about all this, the better."
"Is something wrong?" Ruby asked with concern.
"No," Frisk answered. "Just the usual. They already think it's dangerous enough that I hang out with monsters. I don't need them worrying about me trying to track down criminals, too."
"What?" Sora was taken aback. "Nobody we met today was dangerous!"
"I know," Frisk sighed. "But they still aren't convinced. I don't really wanna talk about it anymore." They put up the kickstand on their bike, setting a foot on a pedal to start out homeward. "I'll see you around later, okay?"
"Okay!" Sora agreed. "Thanks for showing us around and helping us look for Torchwick!"
"No problem!" Frisk replied with a smile.
"GOOD LUCK, BEST FRIEND!" Papyrus offered.
"Thanks, Papyrus." Frisk's smile grew even larger before they took off rolling.
"I WORRY ABOUT THEM, SOMETIMES," Papyrus admitted. "BUT I THINK SOMEDAY, IF I COULD HAVE DINNER WITH FRISK'S FAMILY, THEY WOULD SEE THAT MONSTERS ARE NOT ALL BAD, AND SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN AMAZING LIKE ME! THEN THE WHOLE MISUNDERSTANDING WOULD BE CLEARED UP!"
"I'm not sure it's that simple," Ruby told him. "Where I'm from, I know there are some people that could meet dozens of Faunus and STILL think they're just…animals."
"WELL, MAYBE IT WILL JUST TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE THEY UNDERSTAND, THEN," Papyrus suggested. "SPEAKING OF DINNER, HOW WOULD YOU TWO LIKE TO COME OVER TO MY HOUSE FOR AN AMAZING FEAST OF SPAGHETTI TO CELEBRATE OUR NEWFOUND FRIENDSHIP?"
Before either could answer, Ruby's stomach did the talking, letting out a very audible groan. "I thought you'd never bring up food," the Huntress-in-training squeaked.
"If you don't mind having us over, then yeah!" Sora agreed.
"AND WHILE WE ARE THERE," Papyrus declared, setting out in the direction of his abode, "WE CAN TALK TO MY BROTHER SANS AND SEE IF HE HAS SEEN ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS! THOUGH IT WILL BE LUCKY IF WE CAN CATCH HIM AWAKE."
"Will we wake him up if we make too much noise during dinner?" Ruby asked.
"SANS WAKES UP WHEN HE WANTS TO," Papyrus explained. "NOT EVEN SETTING OFF FIREWORKS NEXT TO HIM COULD WAKE HIM UP. I SHOULD KNOW. I HAVE TRIED."
...
The Ponyville Express finally made it to the Crystal Empire station, and its passengers disembarked. Three ponies in particular galloped eagerly out onto the pristine streets, seeking the next adventure.
"So whaddaya think we should try an' get our Cutie Marks in first?" Apple Bloom wondered out loud.
"There's a crystal flugelhorn class in five minutes," Sweetie Belle suggested. "Maybe we should start there."
"Great idea!" Scootaloo chirped.
"I hope you don't mind if I tag along," a voice sounded from their right. "I do so love the crystal flugelhorn." All three fillies turned to see Wuya keeping pace with them.
"Well, hey, there!" Apple Bloom greeted.
"Didn't we see you on the train?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Probably," Wuya replied. "That was quite a ride, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Scootaloo grunted. "I wish Applejack had let us help out instead of making us hide in the next car."
"Well, no one wants three poor, defenseless, sweet young fillies like yourselves to get hurt." Wuya's voice became more syrupy by the moment.
"We're not defenseless!" Sweetie Belle argued.
"Yes, you are," Wuya said flatly. "I'm sure the three of you have fighting spirit, but you're no heroes."
"Well, we could be!" Apple Bloom stated vehemently.
"Oh, I don't doubt you could," Wuya affirmed. "Perhaps that will be how you finally get your long-awaited Cutie Marks: through an act of bold heroism. But that will be when you're older. For now, I'd lay low."
"Lay low from what?" Sweetie Belle asked innocently.
"Well, of course that harpy will try to come back," Wuya reminded the girls. "But you should just sit back and let whoever has the Elements of Harmony take care of it."
"But nopony has the Elements right now," Sweetie Belle informed – or believed she was informing – Wuya. "Rarity and her friends gave them back to the Tree of Harmony."
"Oh, dear." Wuya feigned shock. "That is very worrisome to hear. I don't know how we'll defeat that harpy without them. Is there no one else who could take and use them?"
"Hmmm…" Apple Bloom thought it over. "Maybe we could use 'em!"
"But the Tree of Harmony needs them," Sweetie Belle reminded her.
"Maybe it's done using them," Scootaloo suggested. "It let Celestia and Luna take them away for a thousand years. Maybe it just needed to recharge!"
"And what if we DID use the Elements of Harmony?" Apple Bloom's face lit up. "We wouldn't just be heroes! We'd find out what our real destiny is! We'd finally get our Cutie Marks!"
"I'd be almost as cool as Rainbow Dash if I had my very own Element!" Scootaloo gushed.
"You'd have two!" Apple Bloom reminded her. "There are six of 'em, remember?"
"I still think it sounds like a bad idea," Sweetie Belle said worriedly. "If we really needed the Elements of Harmony, Rarity and her friends would still have them."
"You want to know what I think?" Wuya said with a grin. "I think in order to do great things, you have to take a few risks." She was really more used to tempting people into evil than making them think they were acting out of the greater good. If she had to evaluate her own performance, she wasn't doing too bad at all. "Just something to think about. Oh! Looks like we're here."
As she entered the flugelhorn lesson studio, she was pleased to hear the discussion taking place behind her:
"This is even bigger than Cutie Marks! We could save all of Equestria!"
"Applejack would be so proud if I got rid of that harpy for her!"
"Well…I guess being heroes sounds pretty great. Those thorny vines were already taken care of, so the Tree of Harmony shouldn't need the Elements anymore…right?"
...
A car sped hazardously from Knightdock to New Vulpine, traveling no less than ten miles over the limit at any given time and cutting off every car it could whenever it changed lanes. When its driver noticed the gas gauge running low, the vehicle slid into the parking lot of a fueling station, nearly knocking over the chosen pump in the process.
The driver exited, stumbling on his shoes momentarily. "Still don't know how anyone actually walks in these things," he muttered under his breath as he gracelessly walked to the pump.
A few eyes of the other patrons at the station were drawn to this "woman" clad all in white, from a spotless bodice to quite a short skirt indeed, offsetting "her" almost luminescent white hair. But when "her" passenger, a (presumable) redhead swathed in royal blue, disembarked from the car, every single head in the station turned. Fiammetta Incandescent was pretty; Madame Frou Frou wad drop-dead gorgeous.
"I'm impressed, darling," Snatcher said in a low tone. He spoke softly enough not to be heard – a private conversation was about to be held – but he still put up his accent in case. "You managed to get us halfway to our destination without destroying our mode of transportation. I only nearly had a heart attack three times!"
"Well, sor-ry," Roman huffed, equally as quietly, his voice equally veiled. "I might be able to work the pedals better if I wasn't in these damn heels…"
"The heels were your idea, sweetie."
"I know, and I regret everything."
"Why don't I take over for the rest of the way?" Snatcher offered.
"Seriously?" Roman groaned. "I was having fun!"
"I could tell. But you don't want to hog all that fun for yourself, do you?"
"No. Fine. You can take over after this," Roman relented. "You can actually function in those shoes. Somehow."
"Years of practice, my dear Miss Incandescent." Snatcher gave Roman a pat on the shoulder that nearly sent the latter stumbling completely off balance. As the pair waited for the car to fuel, Snatcher asked, "You do remember our story, don't you, Miss Incandescent?"
"I'll never forget it," Roman replied. "Such a terrible tragedy!"
"I do hope you're planning to cry."
Roman gave a little sigh of disappointment. "I knew you were going to ask that."
"Is there a problem?" Snatcher asked.
"I don't cry," Roman hissed. "Ever. Not when I lose things. Not when particularly useful henchmen die. Not when I get stabbed in the thigh with a knife."
"Did that actually happen?"
"Once."
"My poor dear…" Snatcher's fingers lightly brushed against Roman's thigh, only having to lift his hem slightly to find skin. "Was it here?"
"Exactly there," Roman confirmed, grin practically a mile wide.
And the hopes of any heterosexual man still watching the pair was dashed, as the beautiful, enigmatic women were now quite obviously lesbians, and the hopes of any homosexual woman watching was dashed, as they were quite obviously a couple.
"There is only one thing that has ever gotten me to cry," Roman said to get the discussion back on track, "and it's in my bag right now. I'll bring it out right before showtime."
"I'll trust you have things under control," Snatcher replied, withdrawing his hand. "As for control of the vehicle…"
"All yours," Roman told him as he removed the gas pump nozzle from the car's tank and clamped the cap back on.
...
Not long after, the stolen car pulled up sharply outside the New Vulpine police station. "And here we are," Snatcher announced, "in half the time it would have taken you, no doubt!"
Roman didn't answer. His face was frozen wide-eyed, and he stared directly forward at the front window. He was pressed back into his seat as much as was physically possible, his white-knuckled hands clung to the arms of the chair, and while he had been lax about wearing a seatbelt earlier, it was now fastened tightly over his body.
"…Miss Incandescent?" Snatcher lightly poked Roman's shoulder.
"MY LIFE FLASHED AT LEAST FIVE TIMES," Roman blurted loudly in his default timbre, not moving an inch.
"Miss Incandescent," Snatcher reminded him softly, "it would do you well to keep your voice under control for the sake of the charade…"
"WERE YOU AIMING FOR ANY OF THOSE PEDESTRIANS?" Roman went on. "BECAUSE YOU ALMOST KILLED FOUR. YOU SAW THAT TRAIN COMING, RIGHT? AND THE WALL?"
"I missed both the train and the wall, remember?" Snatcher smirked. "And I had quite a blast doing it." He patted Roman's shoulder twice, firmly. "We'd best get a move on, Miss Incandescent."
"Right…right." Roman slipped back into his effeminate accent. "You go on. I'll catch up." He reached into his bodice, where he'd been keeping a small flip knife in a hidden pocket, then opened his purse. Snatcher, curious to see the one thing that Roman claimed could make him cry, was rather amused when the latter produced a whole onion. In order to avoid catching the secondhand effects – he knew he could always cry on command later – Snatcher exited the car, closing the door and leaving Roman to his work.
Roman was quick but thorough as he sliced and diced the onion, releasing its irritant gas throughout the car. He let the pieces of the plant simply fall onto the floor with no regard for the cleanliness of the vehicle. When he exited, his eyes were absolutely dripping with water. "Let's go," he announced, throwing in a fake sniffle.
"Oh, you poor dear…" Snatcher, suddenly inspired, put his hands on Roman's shoulders to lead him into the building. Roman leaned in closer to Snatcher, pretending to shudder with grief. The heel of his shoe hit the curb, and Snatcher's tightened grip stopped him from falling to the ground completely; Roman bit his lip to keep from ruining his charade with a string of curses.
The officer running the front desk was immediately entranced by the sight of the two "women" entering the building. His eyes flickered from Roman's crocodile tears to his dress' short hem. "How can I help you?" he asked.
"We apologize for coming to you in such a state," Snatcher began. "Speaking of the incident always makes dear Miss Incandescent so emotional…"
Roman kicked his voice into an extra high octave: "I can't do this! You tell him, Penelope!"
"I'm afraid it concerns somewhat of a…cold case," Snatcher picked up. "But we have new suspicions to present regarding an incident from years ago."
The officer stood. "It's going to be okay. Just tell us what's wrong. Here. I'll set up a room. Would you like any coffee?"
"Can't you see I'm too sad for coffee?" Roman howled.
Once the officer, Roman, and Snatcher were in a side room, the officer said, "My name is Clarence. Walter Clarence."
"Penelope Frou Frou," Snatcher introduced. "Née Finn."
"Fi…Fiammetta…" Roman's tears were about dried, so he made the most of his breakdown, his voice soaring ever higher. Clarence passed him a box of tissues, which he eagerly grabbed, pulling the tissues out to rub all over his eyes and loudly blow his nose. "…Fiammetta Incandescent."
"We are here to discuss the disappearance of my niece," Snatcher explained. "Oona Finn. Miss Incandescent was her childhood friend."
"One of the seven missing kids," Clarence replied. "It's been a while since anybody came forward on that."
Snatcher handed forward the photo of Oona from Toriel's drawer. "Our darling," he proclaimed.
Clarence took the photo and examined it with interest. It was one of the missing children, all right, from many years before. "You said you had new evidence?"
"No evidence," Snatcher corrected. "A suspicion. You see, ever since those wretched monsters came aboveground in Knightdock, we've wondered about them."
Clarence nodded. He'd never had a high opinion of monsters. They just seemed like troublemakers to him.
"Their stupid king!" Roman wailed. "He killed her! He killed my best friend! I know it! I KNOW it!"
"Now, now, Miss Incandescent, we don't know that for sure yet." Snatcher reached over to gently pat Roman's shoulder yet again. "It's only our suspicion."
"You think the monster king killed the Finn girl?" Clarence asked for clarification.
"We do," Snatcher confirmed. "They live underground for so long, hating us humans, and suddenly they come to the surface and all is well? It seems all too convenient. After such a long conflict, they can only be pretending. And with so many children in a row going missing…the trouble is, of course, that everyone in Knightdock is used to them now. They seem to have forgotten the truth."
"And what is that truth?" Clarence asked.
"That monsters are abominations," Snatcher said evenly. "All of them. And after all the petty thefts and acts of violence they've caused already!"
Clarence hadn't heard that many reports, but then again, it wasn't his department; that was Knightdock business. "I can't pass judgment on the monsters," he said out loud, but internally, he agreed with Frou Frou. Skeletons and fish people were the stuff of horror stories; how could they mean anything good for humans?
"Please," Snatcher begged, throwing a catch into his voice. "Bring justice. Justice for my Oona…" He brought water to his own eyes.
Clarence reached out and clasped Frou Frou's hand in his own. Human Resources wouldn't fault him just for touching a hand, now, would they? "I'll do my best," he promised.
...
A few minutes later, Roman was back behind the wheel of the stolen car, gunning it back to Knightdock. He had a hankering for a cigarette, but when Snatcher had offered to drive in order to let him kick back and light one up, Roman had immediately determined his fix could wait.
"I think that went well," he announced.
"Most certainly," Snatcher replied. "We're lucky we found the man we did. He's got it out for monsters; I can tell."
"You know what would be nice, though?" Roman pointed out. "If we had an actual crime to pin on the monsters, like you had the box kid."
"You almost sound like you have something in mind, Torchwick."
"I might." Roman grinned madly. "In fact, I might have a way to kill two birds with one stone."
"And what is the second bird?"
"A little thing called 'revenge.'"
...
Papyrus threw open the front door and flicked on the living room light. "WELCOME TO SCENIC MY HOUSE!"
Ruby and Sora gratefully stepped over the threshold. "Nice place!" Sora complimented.
"FIRST THINGS FIRST!" Papyrus darted up the stairs, hammering on one of the doors with his fist. "SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! ARE YOU IN THERE? WAKE UP THIS INSTANT SO WE CAN INTERROGATE YOU ABOUT A CRIME!" He paused and thought over what he'd said: "NOT ONE YOU COMMITTED, OF COURSE. AS FAR AS I KNOW, YOU DIDN'T COMMIT ANY CRIMES. THOUGH IF YOU DID, WE'LL WANT TO INTERROGATE YOU ABOUT THOSE, TOO!"
He waited; no response. Defeated, he trudged down the stairs. "HE'S EITHER SLEEPING OR AT ONE OF HIS JOBS," he explained, "AND I CAN NEVER REMEMBER WHICH JOB HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE AT EVERY NIGHT. HE HAS SO MANY, AND YET HE NEVER GETS ANY WORK DONE! EITHER WAY, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE OUT OF LUCK."
"I should care," Ruby said weakly, "but right now, I'm just too hungry." She collapsed onto the couch in the middle of the room.
"YOU WAIT THERE!" Papyrus ordered. "I SHALL PREPARE A MEAL SO DELICIOUS, YOUR TASTE BUDS WILL THINK THEY'RE ON A TROPICAL VACATION!"
"I can help!" Sora volunteered, following Papyrus into the kitchen.
"Me too!" Ruby peeled herself off the couch.
Much like his house in the underground, Papyrus had fashioned the kitchen with an extra-tall sink. "Cool sink," Sora complimented, experimentally opening the door of the cupboard beneath; a plethora of bones tumbled out and buried him, and it took a couple minutes for the trio to put them all back.
"So how should we divide this up?" Ruby asked. "Maybe…Papyrus can boil the water, Sora can handle getting noodles, and I can work on sauce?"
"A SPLENDID IDEA!" Papyrus proclaimed, fetching a pot to fill with water.
As Ruby opened the cabinets to seek out a smaller pot, her eyes alit upon a familiar-looking bag and subsequently widened. "Are those…what I think they are?" She gently plucked the bag from its resting place, identifying it as chocolate chips. "IT IS!"
"I SEE YOU LIKE CHOCOLATE CHIPS!" Papyrus identified. "THEY ARE THE BEST KIND OF CHIP. EVEN BETTER THAN TORTILLA."
Ruby shook the bag, then offered it out to Papyrus. "Ehhhhh?"
"DON'T MIND IF I DO!" Papyrus took a handful of chips right out of the bag. Sora did the same soon after.
"Hmmm…" Ruby looked around. "You…wouldn't happen to have the rest of the stuff for cookies, would you?"
"YOU CAN LOOK AROUND," Papyrus told Ruby. "I THINK MY BROTHER BOUGHT THE SUPPLIES FOR THEM THE OTHER DAY. THOUGH WHY HE THINKS WE NEED THEM WHEN WE HAVE SPAGHETTI, I WILL NEVER KNOW."
"Everybody likes COOKIES!" Ruby argued. "Are you saying you don't like cookies?" Her tone was downright accusatory.
"I HAVEN'T BOTHERED WITH THEM," Papyrus told her.
"You've…never HAD cookies?" Ruby nearly dropped the bag.
"NO…?"
"WE ARE FIXING THAT. RIGHT. NOW," Ruby insisted. "New plan! Papyrus, you handle noodles! Sora, you work on sauce! I'm going to make my famous chocolate chip cookies!"
All three had one more handful of chips straight out of the bag before breaking to do their respective tasks. They ended up taking turns helping each other out, getting all of their hands on all of the food in a collaborative effort. After a few spills, they laid out the table with three plates of piping hot spaghetti and a bowl of fresh chocolate chip cookies. The spaghetti wasn't entirely delicious, but it was better than it was when Papyrus made it alone, and eating it in the company of new friends made it that much more palatable. The cookies were better quality.
After dinner, Papyrus gave Sora and Ruby a short tour of the house. He showed them the pet rock Sans still to that day did not remember to feed and water; they were sympathetic to Papyrus' assumption of responsibility over the rock. He showed them through his room, where his books were neatly organized with puzzle construction manuals on one half of the shelf and colorful picture books on the other; Sora plucked a volume about a lost puppy making his way home from its resting place and interestedly flipped through. Papyrus then took advantage of the time to put his Mettaton-signed water bottle in its place alongside a collection of memorabilia also autographed by Mettaton, including a gym sock, a toaster, and a marker that Mettaton had somehow used to sign itself.
"What are all these?" Ruby asked, looking over a table filled with action figures. Sora looked up from the picture book, in which he'd been engrossed, with interest.
"AH, YES, MY ACTION FIGURES!" Papyrus announced. "THEY ARE PERFECT FOR ENACTING HYPOTHETICAL BATTLE SCENARIOS!"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sora asked.
Not five minutes later, the floor was covered in an army of action figures. "You won't get away with this, evil lake guardian!" he laughed, moving a skeletal swordsman toward Ruby.
"Oh, I absolutely WILL!" Ruby countered, holding up a fishy sorceress. "My troops will ensure you NEVER reclaim your precious lake!"
"HOLD ON, SORA!" Papyrus brought a lizardlike warrior wielding a plastic battle-axe over to the tiny skeleton's side. "WE SHALL DEFEAT HER TOGETHER!"
All three figures clashed until Ruby dramatically plunged her sorceress to the floor with a dramatic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You defeated me, aaaaaaaaaagggghhh!"
"We won!" Sora proclaimed.
"HIGH FIVE!" Papyrus cried as he and Sora knocked their figurines together.
"NOT SO FAST!" Ruby produced a lupine samurai. "MY SORCERESS SHALL BE AVENGED! AVEEEEEENGED, I SAY!"
The battle raged on into the evening.
...
Cruella downed a Potion, wiping off her lip with the fur on the back of her wrist in the absence of a proper napkin. "It was only a scratch, Grimmie," she declared. The Diamond Dog and the harpy stood in the midst of a patch of warmth Grimhilde had conjured to melt the surrounding snow and ice, leaving them standing on bare dirt. The spot on Cruella's back where she'd been gored by Even's attack had sealed itself through the consumption of several Potions; luckily, the ice hadn't punctured any vitals.
"I'll show them what happens when you try to scratch something that belongs to me!" Grimhilde snarled.
"Oh, so I belong to you, now, do I?" Cruella was amused.
"You're my sidekick now, aren't you?" Grimhilde cackled. "You're stuck with me and I'm stuck with you! Hmm…perhaps now, the mirror will be in working order. It might know where that train is going!"
Through a Corridor of Darkness, the Magic Mirror floated to its mistress. "Slave in the mirror," Grimhilde commanded, "come from the farthest space. Through wind and Darkness, I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face!"
Through flames, the masklike visage of the Mirror became visible once more. "What wouldst thou know, my queen?"
"Magic Mirror, among frozen wastes," Grimhilde chanted, "show me Mozenrath's hiding place. What magic guards him? What doth he seek? What upon this world must we wreak?"
"Farther north, beyond the cold," the Mirror answered, "an empire glitters brighter than gold." The face gave way to a view of the Crystal Empire. "Its Heart doth keep Dark spells at bay, though it doth not turn Dark hearts away." The Crystal Heart filled the glass, spinning round and round. "Remove the Heart and you are free to cast Dark magic liberally." The scene changed once more to a royal blue unicorn wandering the streets. "Mozenrath seeks the Crystal Heart. Go now; undo him with thy arts."
"Why didn't the drac…dark…that loud dragon thing stop us this time?" Cruella wondered out loud.
"It doesn't matter!" Grimhilde cackled. "Perhaps he just got bored of toying with us. But we now know where to find Mozenrath! It's simply a matter of removing the Crystal Heart!"
"And then?"
"The Crystal Heart will make a fine gift for the lady Maleficent," Grimhilde explained with a smirk. "Especially when we provide it alongside the still-beating hearts ripped from the chests of Mozenrath and his little friends!"
...
The former king of the monsters sat on a rocking chair on the back porch of his Knightdock home, looking out over his yard. Sentiment had gotten to him, and he had planted his garden with row upon row of golden flowers. He and Toriel each had their own ways of remembering their fallen son, after all.
There was a very insistent ring of the doorbell.
"Knightdock Police Department," the officer greeted when Asgore answered the door. The young man quaked slightly; the sight of the tall, goatlike monster was slightly intimidating. "We have a warrant to search the premises in relation to a crime."
"A crime?" Asgore repeated.
"Missing children," the officer clarified. "We received a tip from the New Vulpine police department that you may have been involved in several cases we declared cold."
It was like an arrow shaft of ice had pierced Asgore's heart. "Feel free to search," he told the officer softly.
Several more officers filed into the house. Asgore knew they would find nothing, and they did find nothing, though they didn't offer any way of apology when they left. Perhaps now they finally knew, Asgore ruminated.
Had he any choice? As king underground, he had known his responsibility was to break the barrier holding monsters back from the surface, and there was only one way to do that: with human souls. It had torn him apart each time he'd had to slay one of the children. He only ever got glimpses of them, but that was enough to let him know of each of their personae. Some of them had tried to fight him and failed. Some had resisted, simply letting him attack. One had burst into tears. And not a one didn't remind him of his beloved Asriel and Chara, both lost to him forever.
But he was king. And the populace demanded he bring them to the surface. Toriel had even called him a coward for his methods…Toriel, who now devoted her life to fostering the learning of human children.
He had wanted to forget any of it had ever happened. But it seemed the past was determined to haunt him. Could the past have determination? Was time like humans in that way? Perhaps, he thought, he should confess then and there, and explain that the six human souls had been hidden far away, laid to rest in the fields outside of town. Show them where he'd put them. Explain that Chara's would remain missing, as she had been buried beneath Mt. Ebott, but the rest could all be accounted for.
He held his tongue until the last officer left. The past would not win today. His hands trembled. Someone had made an effort to call him a murderer, though, and that someone was not wrong. There was no way Asgore could get around that.
...
Mozenrath wandered the streets of the Crystal Empire for a while, taking in the sights as his allies occupied themselves elsewhere (he thought he'd seen Even heading in the direction of a library while Mim had found a garden of flowers to kill via magic). A few questions remained: how was he to ensure that his trackers would follow him all the way here? How was he to direct them toward the Crystal Heart? And how was he to deal with them when they arrived?
"You look like you're deep in thought." The voice punctured Mozenrath's internal monologue. He wasn't at all disappointed to see Twilight approaching.
"Just sightseeing," Mozenrath told her.
"Have you seen the Crystal Heart yet?" Twilight asked.
"Actually, I haven't."
"You were so interested in it," Twilight reminded him. "And you haven't SEEN it yet? Come on. I'll show it to you!"
"I'd like that." Mozenrath realized he was altogether too honest about that.
Twilight led him to an arch beneath the central castle, where a heart-shaped crystal rotated in place, suspended in the air between pillars. "Here it is," Twilight announced. "The Crystal Heart. Powered by the happiness of everypony in the Empire. It takes that happiness and spreads it through all Equestria."
"So this Crystal Heart is a big deal, then," Mozenrath confirmed.
"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "A big deal."
"I've always liked crystals," Mozenrath said, suddenly aware of the fact that he was actively making conversation with Twilight.
"Their physical properties make them very conducive to magic," Twilight replied. "Though, uh…I'm sure you knew that. What's your favorite kind of crystal?"
"The kind that absorbs magic for later use," Mozenrath answered. "And yours?"
"This one," Twilight answered. "My sister-in-law is the princess of this empire, after all. This crystal is like part of our family. If anything ever happened to it – "
The screech of a bird pierced the sky. Before Twilight and Mozenrath could even register what was happening, Grimhilde divebombed the castle, swooping under it and seizing the Crystal Heart in her talons. Time seemed to slow as they watched her latch onto the gem.
"NO!" Twilight cried, her horn charging with magic.
Mozenrath threw in a "NO!" of his own, though it seemed that everything was miraculously working according to plan.
Twilight fired at the harpy; Grimhilde swerved, dodging the blast. And as she did, the Crystal Heart followed her, forcibly dislodged from its designated place.
A chill fell over the entire Empire. The clear skies became overcast with dark clouds. Everypony knew something terrible had happened, and panic overtook many ponies, who screamed or darted down the street.
Inside the castle, the princess felt the crystal's removal as though it were a part of her own body that had just been amputated.
"Oh, did I startle you?" Grimhilde taunted, hovering before Twilight and Mozenrath only momentarily. "Don't worry! Something even MORE shocking than this is coming!" She darted away, up into the skies, as Twilight took another shot and missed.
All Mozenrath could think was that after a line like that, if whatever came next was some sort of electricity monster, he would be very, very upset.
It streaked brightly through the sky, crackling with energy. Great fan-shaped wings kept it aloft. It gave a roar from its dragonlike mouth. The Heartless known as a Storm Rider, summoned by Grimhilde and able to enter the Empire without the protective field of the Crystal Heart to keep it at bay, dove low over one of the main streets, and the cymbal-like appendages on its underbelly opened up to loose a shower of bombs that exploded noisily, tearing up the crystal that made up the pavement.
And as Mozenrath saw the flashes of lightning that coursed through the monster's wings, he was very, very upset.
Inside the studio where a strict instructor was ordering Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo to hold their flugelhorns upright in order to create the proper sound, the sudden sense that something very important was gone pervaded. "What just happened?" Apple Bloom wondered out loud.
"Oh, dear," Wuya said dramatically. "Probably something terrible!"
"Let's go check it out!" Sweetie Belle suggested; everypony else was already out of their chairs and headed outside.
That was when the street blew up.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack cried in terror, rushing through the streets of the Empire, fearing the worst.
"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity chimed in, following Applejack closely.
"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow Dash passed them both, speeding toward the studio.
Thankfully, the bombs had missed the building, though only closely. The three fillies spilled out alongside the other panicked patrons, rushing to their respective mentors.
"Thank Celestia you're safe!" Applejack wrapped one foreleg around Apple Bloom. "We gotta get you somewhere we can protect you!"
"I can get them to safety!" Wuya volunteered.
"Well…" Applejack looked to Wuya with suspicion. "I dunno if I'm just gonna trust my sister to a stranger."
"She helped us out back on the train!" Rainbow Dash explained. "She got rid of those weird creatures for us so we could save Mozenrath!"
Applejack's glare grew in intensity. Wuya returned a look of innocence. After this facial standoff, Applejack relented. "But I better not find out anythin' harmed a hair on her head."
"I can promise you they will be safe," Wuya told Applejack. "Girls, come with me!"
As Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity went one way, Wuya went another with the trio. "Where are we gonna be safe?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm taking you three back to Ponyville," Wuya responded.
"Ponyville?" Sweetie Belle repeated, looking from Apple Bloom to Scootaloo. They were all thinking the same thing: Ponyville was close to the Elements of Harmony.
"How're you gonna do that?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Are we gonna catch the train?"
"No," Wuya told her. "I have magic."
"PLEASE take us there!" Scootaloo begged.
Wuya cast a Corridor of Darkness that led directly back to the small town, galloping through and calling back, "Follow me!"
"What is this?" Scootaloo questioned, staring into the portal's dark depths.
"Never mind!" Apple Bloom replied. "It's gonna take us home, and you know what's there!"
"Right!" Scootaloo galloped into the Darkness. Apple Bloom followed, and finally Sweetie Belle.
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash then raced toward the palace to find Twilight and Mozenrath there. Spike, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Mim, Aghoul, and Even arrived at the same time.
"What IS that thing?" Spike cried in fear.
"Something with a flank we're gonna kick," Rainbow Dash answered.
"I wonder if it's the same kind of creature we saw earlier," Twilight mused. "The kind made out of hearts."
As the Storm Rider let loose another round of bombs, Rarity shrieked, "We can't just let it keep destroying the city! We've got to DO something!"
"We'll break into teams," Mozenrath declared. "You take it from the East, and we'll take it from the West."
"But what about your adorable little sisters?" Aghoul asked in mock concern.
"Yer friend is takin' care of 'em," Applejack explained.
Aghoul, Mim, Even, and Mozenrath exchanged glances. They'd come up with the plan in the train car, and it now seemed it had been set completely into motion.
"GO!" Twilight barked, and while she, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike went one way, Mozenrath, Mim, Aghoul, and Even went quite another. Once they were out of sight, the latter four used a Corridor to go straight back to Ponyville. By the time anypony noticed they were gone, they figured, their deed would already be done.
...
"They're gone, Grimmie!" Cruella cried from her vantage point at the edge of the Empire. "I can't smell their stench anymore!"
"I had a feeling they would try to use the Corridors," Grimhilde cackled. "Well, there's only one place they know how to go!"
She cast her own corridor, soaring through and laughing all the way; Cruella followed.
"No matter how many times they go back and forth," Grimhilde declared, "we'll be there to follow them!"
...
Wuya had contemplated taking the fillies right to the Tree of Harmony, but she could already hear Even's chiding voice telling her in her head that would make her a little too transparent. As promised, she brought them into the center of Ponyville.
"Now, run along home," she encouraged. "Wait there for your sisters."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Apple Bloom responded with a salute; she took off at a gallop, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed.
"But we're not really going home, are we?" Scootaloo asked once they were out of earshot.
"Naw!" Apple Bloom replied with enthusiasm. "We're gonna go get the Elements of Harmony!"
"Then how are we going to get back to the Empire to save it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I dunno," Apple Bloom told her, "but we'll find a way!"
After waiting a few minutes, Wuya set off toward the Everfree Forest. She wanted to be there when the trio retrieved the Elements from their place of rest.
...
As night fell over Knightdock, the boy known as Eddie was in the midst of an intense game of pretend in his front yard. Running about with a plastic sword, he chopped at imaginary enemies, then rode an invisible horse across the lands of his imagination. All the while, his parents watched him from the front porch, laughing softly at his antics.
Silently, the skeleton walked into the yard, looking tentatively around. Eddie, aware of the new presence, turned his attention to the skeleton and was hit with immediate recognition. From skull to armor plate to red cape, Eddie knew that image well. "PAPYRUS!" he cried happily, running toward the skeleton.
The skeleton nodded at Eddie, reaching down for his hand.
"Eddie?" The boy's mother stood up worriedly.
"It's okay, Mom!" Eddie called back as he and the skeleton walked hand in hand up to the porch. "It's the Great Papyrus!"
"Oh…" Eddie's mother sank back into the chair in relief. Everyone had heard of Papyrus, and come to think of it, everyone in town had seen him, too, and once Eddie pointed it out, both of his parents were easily able to identify the monster as their hometown hero who wouldn't hurt a fly.
When Eddie and his companion reached the edge of the porch, Eddie's father looked the skeleton in the eye and asked, "So, Papyrus, what can we do for ya?"
The skeleton shrugged.
"Thanks for signing your autograph for me yesterday!" Eddie chirped. "You really are the coolest!"
The skeleton knelt down to Eddie's level, beckoning him closer as though to whisper a secret to him.
"What is it?" Eddie asked, stepping closer.
Eddie's parents watched happily as the skeleton waved to Eddie. But their happiness was turned immediately to horror as they watched Neo, wearing the illusory guise of Papyrus, plunge a knife directly into their son's throat.