The four of us stood in silence, waiting for the search parties to return. Cherry stared intensely at the forest, as though nothing else existed. I wanted to say something to her—anything at all—but she was emanating a weird energy that kept my mouth shut. Despite this, it felt weird to simply leave her alone, so I resolved—or perhaps resigned—to wait quietly with her. Peppergrass and Honeyglow apparently felt the same way, as they too stood by bearing uncomfortable expressions.

The shadows of clouds crept along the ground, and diminutive bugs floated across my line of sight. Time seemed to have stopped entirely, that is until a pink-and-white form emerged from the forest. A search duo was soon before us, but I didn't bother asking anything, for their expressions told me everything. They didn't bother speaking either, instead opting to land and wait with us.

And so the process repeated itself. Duo after duo returned, having nothing to offer but disappointment, and joined us in suspense. In what felt like no time at all, there was only one duo remaining, and their return was both anticipated and dreaded. I had already begun to consider what our next move would be. If the Onion wasn't in the trees, or on the forest floor, then perhaps it was deep underground? Too deep for a white to see? And if so, how would we go about looking for it?

A motion snapped me out of my thoughts. Glancing aside, I saw that Cherry's stem had perked up. "Cherry? Is something wrong?"

She didn't respond; only stared. I looked in the same direction and saw that the final duo was approaching. The pink was flying at a markedly faster speed than all the others before her, and as she got closer, I could see that the white was squirming with excitement.

My stem perked as well.

As the pink descended to us, the white practically flung himself out of her grasp. Landing unsteadily on his feet, he exclaimed, "We found it! We found the White Onion!"

"Where is it?" asked Cherry.

He spun around and pointed. "Far end of the woods! Up in a tree!"

"But it's in trouble!" the pink added, quivering like a windblown leaf. "It's been captured by Snarebugs!"

I furrowed my brows. "Snarebugs? As in, more than one?"

She nodded furiously. "Yes! There were a bunch of them, and they all built a huge web!"

"They've got the Onion wrapped up!" the white barked. "What're we gonna do?!"

There were anxious murmurs amongst the other pinks and whites. Honeyglow squinted in confusion, Peppergrass raised a worried brow, and Cherry remained unreadable. Taking a breath, I stepped forward and stood before everyone else. "I don't know exactly what to do," I said, "but I know how we can start. Everyone to the Labyrinth."

With beating wings, I flew through the forest. Ahead of me were the two harlemin that had found the Onion, beside me were my three friends, and behind me were the remaining harlemin who had helped search. We had all become pink, forming an airborne squad of twenty-four, and any nostalgia I may have felt was smothered by anticipation. Soon, the coveted White Onion came into view, but it was not in an enviable state. Tangled and dormant, the Onion hung high between two adjacent trees, the massive web being anchored to branches and twigs from both sides. The sheer height and width dwarfed any web that I had ever seen, and the offending Snarebugs numbered not three, not four, but seven. All of them were curled up on the web, their gold-and-ebony stripes almost glowing in the sunlight.

"Well, this is... sinister," I muttered. "I've never even seen two Snarebugs share a web, let alone seven."

"These ones are smaller than usual," Peppergrass noted. "Perhaps they work together when they're young?"

"I suppose that makes sense? I've only seen adults before now, so..."

"Can we please stay on task?" asked Honeyglow. "Snarebug webs are strong, and this one was built by seven. It won't be easy to break."

"You're right," I replied. "And even if we could, we probably shouldn't. A fall from this height could damage the Onion."

"Oh, I know!" said Peppergrass. "Instead of breaking it, let's wear it out! You know, by sticking things to it! And when the web is weak enough, we'll pull the Onion out!"

"Smart thinking, Pepper, but pulling it out by hand would be dangerous. See how tangled it is? We'd stick to it sooner than we'd free it."

"Not if we stick something to it first," said a harlemin. "We can cover it in leaves and dirt. Then it'll be safe for us to handle."

"Good idea, Bellflower!" Honeyglow said, patting her on the back. "Looks like we've got ourselves a plan!"

"Indeed," I smirked. I looked to Cherry, but her focus was entirely on the Onion. Not wanting to delay any longer, I exclaimed, "Let's get started!"

Little by little, we started attaching things to the web. Rocks, nuts, berries, whatever we could find. Initially the Snarebugs responded with the excitement of successful predators, advancing upon whatever object we provided them. However, once they realized that they were not catching prey, their hungry approaches turned to confused meandering. Soon the web began to stretch and droop under the weight, and the confused meandering became an anxious retreat. As the once-mighty trap was reduced to sagging threads, its weavers stole away to the branches, having already accepted the inevitable.

"Okay, that's enough," I said. "Let's cover the Onion."

Diving down, we gathered leaf litter and pressed it against the Onion. Soon we had the front side completely covered, and we promptly latched onto it. "On the count of three! One, two, three!"

We pulled, but while the Onion shifted, it didn't give. "Yeesh! This web's really holding out!" Peppergrass exclaimed.

"They must've wrapped it tight," said a harlemin.

"Just keep pulling!" I ordered. "I think I can feel it loosening!"

"Um, guys?!" another harlemin shrieked. "We've got company!"

We all looked up and saw the eerie form. A Snarebug was creeping down the web, its movements slow but deliberate. Well, so much for giving up, I grumbled internally.

"Yeah, I'm not liking the looks of this," said Honeyglow. "Shall we retreat?"

"No!" Peppergrass barked. "If we stop now, it might reinforce the web! Then we'll never get the Onion free!"

"What're we supposed to do then? Get eaten?"

Without answering, Peppergrass shot upwards and latched onto the Snarebug. I felt my pupils shrink as the enraged creature darted about, Peppergrass pounding furiously at its back. "What the hell are you doing?!" I snapped.

"Just keep pulling! I'll keep it distracted!"

I growled. "Come on, everyone! Give it your all!"

We pulled with all our might, clenching our palms and straining our wings. For a few moments nothing happened, but then, little by little, I felt the Onion move. "It's working! Keep it up!"

We kept pulling, and the Onion kept loosening. But it was taking too long, and I wasn't confident in Peppergrass's odds. If he were to make a single wrong move...

"Pepper! The Onion's almost free! Get down here and help us pull!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" he hollered, the Snarebug still bolting around. "I just need it to hold still for a sec—WHOA!"

The Snarebug thrashed its body, and Peppergrass came tumbling downwards. He flapped his wings in an attempt to right himself, but the effort only seemed to worsen his spiral. With a terrible thud he crashed into Honeyglow, sending them both hurtling to the ground.

"Wow, that's... really not good..." Bellflower murmured.

"Anyone got any bright ideas?!" a harlemin shouted. "'Cause our eight-legged friend is coming in fast!"

I glanced at the advancing Snarebug, then at the debris-covered Onion, then back at the Snarebug. It moved rather deftly on its web, but what if...?

"I've got it!" I exclaimed. "When I say let go, everyone let go!"

"What?!" Bellflower replied. "But I thought-"

"Just trust me!"

I watched the Snarebug as it crawled onto the Onion. Once all eight legs were upon it, I yelled, "Let go!"

We released our grip at once, and the web jerked the Onion back. Without any webbing to cling to, the Snarebug stumbled and fell off, twirling as it dropped like a rock. It landed on its back with a faint rustle, then wriggled to its feet and scurried off. Once it was out of sight, I turned to Peppergrass and Honeyglow— who were both lying dazed—and shook my head. What am I gonna do with that 'min?

"Spicebloom."

I flinched at the sound of Cherry's voice. She had been so quiet for so long that I had almost forgotten she was there. "Make sure they're okay. I'll take it from here."

"Uh, okay. Do you have a plan, though?"

She nodded. "Everyone come with me."

She flew back to the Onion, and the harlemin exchanged glances before following. As they ascended, I quickly dove towards Peppergrass and Honeyglow. "Can you two hear me?"

"Yes," they both replied, with one sounding composed and the other sounding annoyed. I helped Honeyglow to her feet, but before I could get to Peppergrass, he was already sitting up. "Is the Onion free?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"No, it's still stuck. Cherry said that she'll take care of it, though."

"Really? How?"

"We're about to find out."

We all looked upwards. Everyone had latched onto the Onion again, but whatever Cherry had instructed them to do, we couldn't hear. Slowly they lifted the Onion upwards, the sagging web rising along with it. When they reached the Onion's original height, they released it, allowing it to fall as far as the web would allow. They repeated this process two more times, then proceeded to pull on the Onion like before.

Within seconds, it came loose.

"Oh. She's good," said Peppergrass.

"Good as ever," I replied.

They carefully lowered the Onion to the ground, placing it right in front of us. My heart began to thump with anticipation. We all gathered and waited, waited for the Onion to revive into bright ivory, waited for it to erupt from the ground, waited for it to unleash its legs.

But nothing happened.

"I don't understand," said a harlemin. "It's free now. Why isn't it doing anything?"

I scratched my head, taking in the web-and-debris coated sphere. "It must be the webbing. We got the Onion free, but it's still wrapped up. That must be subduing it somehow."

"So what should we do then?" asked Honeyglow.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Getting the Onion off the web was hard enough; getting the webbing off the Onion seemed next to impossible!

"Let's bring it back to the Harlequin Onion!" Peppergrass suggested. "It will know what to do!"

My arms crossed. "I certainly hope so."

After a lengthy and tiresome effort, we brought the White Onion into the valley. As we slowly descended towards the Harlequin Onion, countless harlemin flocked to our shadow, their noisy clamor filling the air. Questions were flying in all directions, but thankfully I didn't need to answer any. Once the White Onion was set down, the harlemin that had accompanied us eagerly confabulated with the others, leaving me, Peppergrass, Honeyglow and Cherry in peace. "So what now?" I asked.

The answer came almost immediately. In a swift motion, the Harlequin Onion launched, hovered above the White Onion, and absorbed it. My heart thumped again as the Harlequin Onion glowed and shuddered violently, until finally it burst into light. I had to shield my eyes, and when I opened them again, what I saw made me gape. Above us were three Onions—Black, Orange, and the newly restored White—and they simultaneously alighted in a triangle formation. And then, before anyone could even think to speak, the White Onion expelled a single seed. Time slowed to a crawl as it twirled down and plopped into the soil.

"...Uhhh..." someone barely uttered. I strongly seconded that notion.

"No one touch that sprout," said Cherry. I stared blankly at her as she stepped forward. She didn't seem awestruck like the rest of us—in fact her movements were full of determination, like when she was sprinting through the forest. My skin tingled as she headed straight for the white seedling; everything was happening so fast all of a sudden. My head was spinning with thoughts, but I couldn't process a single one. Soon, Cherry was upon the sprout, but she didn't slow down.

Instead, she walked right past it.

"Wha... What are you...?" I tried to say, the sentence dying in my mouth.

Cherry came to a stop, clenched her fists, and looked up at her Onion. "You," she said gravely. "I've got some words for you."

My stem went limp. "...Oh no."