PLD Chapter 14

" CHAPTER 14: Forging Alliances and Strengthening Friendships "

Sub-Entry 131: "The Lament of Queen Toriel":
Well. I convinced him not to end his own life. That was...something to feel at least some kind of relief over, right? And yet...it was counterbalanced by the fact that it still meant that Frisk couldn't escape the underground unless they took Asgore's soul.

"You are a piece of work, aren't you, Your highness? And yet...not completely irredeemable."

Neither a monster soul nor a human soul alone was enough to cross the barrier. Despite human souls being the far more powerful of the two, the harsh truth was this was the complication that stood in the way of a simple happy ending.

This was what made it unfair. It would be either Asgore...or Frisk. One wouldn't survive and yet...somehow there was a way to the True Happy End where no one had to die. And I still wasn't sure how Frisk reloading their save data worked. In all this time I hadn't made a study of the "data save" mechanic this world had.

"Damn."

For it to work Frisk would have to defeat Omega Flowey and spare him afterward. The six souls would leave him and open the way long enough for Frisk to leave. And then...the timeline would...somehow loop back onto itself just before the fight with Asgore. Even for those of us in S.T.C. this was a phenomenon that defied explanation.

The only reason I could go through the barrier was that I was born both human and monster in a way. I had done so out of curiosity in other timelines I had visited. I could only imagine what kind of power a Monster, especially Asgore, would gain by absorbing my soul...if it was even at all possible.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Volt?"

I only caught my breath a bit and dried my eyes before leaving Miranda and returning back to the Warp Marker I left in the castle just before hitting the Emergency Recall. Even though I knew it would push my emotions over the edge, I had to visit the room of coffins just to canonize that Asgore did indeed commit the atrocities.

Seven coffins, each marked with the color of the respective virtue represented by its dead occupant's soul in life.

I had expected the seventh one--the one with the red heart denoting determination to be empty. But a thought occurred to me that it wasn't empty because it was the one reserved for Frisk...what if...it was empty because it was where Chara was originally entombed?

"........" I looked it over.

I would have to unwind and brighten my mood after finally meeting Asgore and seeing those coffins. He was definitely a broken man. He reaped what he sowed, most certainly, but it wasn't just life repaying his cruel decree. I'm certain Toriel did a number on him with the divorce.

I suddenly heard the soft hum of what was definitely the melody of "Fiery Nights"

I looked up and there in a purple hooded cloak was only one person.

"A grim sight is it not?"

"It just didn't seem like something that could be real. After meeting the Monster I just had to know."

"You understand why I could not remain at his side, do you not?"

"I understand. What I don't understand is...how you managed to slip into the castle without being detected."

"You give me too little credit. I was once the Queen. I would think that I of all people know my own castle. I could ask you the same question."

"A good magician never reveals his secrets."

A nod then an awkward silence.

"So. You spoke to him."

"There's something about him that reminds me of my second in command. It's his ability to put on a facade...to appear unbreakable. He's friendly and has a good laugh and makes good tea...but...the reality is...he's very broken inside. Much like Bunnie...he doesn't let you see him sweat.

Today seemed like a day he didn't...have the energy to keep the act up. He broke down in tears. As intimidating as his size is...he looked so helpless. But I could see behind his eyes...there was that savageness that he was keeping extinguished for the time being. The kind of savage he must've reserved for......well...the evidence is right in front of us."

Toriel moved her gaze to the side. I could tell I triggered a memory.

"Asriel...when he cried...he cried the same way Asgore did. Despite how much people said he reminded them more of me...he got that tenderness from Asgore. Is that not ironic? I pray even now...that that was all he would have inherited from him had my son lived."

I turned away for a moment. On to business.

"This was Chara's casket. Wasn't it?"

"It was. At one time it was the only one but...when the decree was made, more were added. I could not let her rest in a place such as this. By now Asgore knows it is unoccupied. By now...he intends for it to be the resting place for the final child."

"So...you took her body to the Ruins and had it buried underneath the very patch of flowers where humans might fall."

"I did."

"Forgive my say so...but in doing so you separated her from--"

"From Asriel's dust...in the throne room. It wasn't that far away from the room of coffins. Perhaps...I should have buried her there and they could at least be together. I see that now. How very cruel of me. Was it not? I was only thinking of my anger toward Asgore....how I could not stand the thought of any child, living or dead, being anywhere near him."

I turned back to her.

"Toriel..." I started.

"He's going through with it. I was only able to convince him not to end his own life."

"You coward, Asgore. Merely thinking of doing this...how far have you fallen?"

"Should I have--"

"No. You have done the right thing, Doctor. Death is too good for him and would solve nothing."

"But...would you continue to hold the Sword of Damocles over his head?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry. A figure of speech. I mean...have you thought about what I said? About forgiveness?"

"It is a bitter pill you wish me to take, Volt Arcade." Toriel's eyes disappeared under the mysterious shadow again.

"Often the medicine is bitter to let you know that it will work."

"How. How can you have compassion for him?"

"I must.  My family taught me better than that.  I've never seen anything good come from a grudge. Granted...if I were in his position...if I had lost my children to death...I don't know what I would do. I don't know if I could bring myself to betray Lisa's trust the way Asgore betrayed yours. But...I don't know how I'd face the day with that hole in my heart. I am...fortunate that I was never put in a position...to make such a choice."

"But how?"

"Hate the sin. Not the sinner. We make our choices. We live with them. I will not be another man's judge and jury out of spite. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone as the saying goes. You're not wrong for opposing his choice. But at least try to remember...he's in pain...he's in mourning...and he is just as trapped in his own home as you are."

Toriel squeezed her eyes shut and hung her head, conceding.

"How many years of our lives have we wasted being enemies...when..."

"Your children...all of them...in life or death...should never see the two of you like this. When families are broken nothing good can prosper from its shards...not as they are. Not until they reconcile. Not until they decide they want to be reassembled...even if they wish to reassemble into separate families...even of they reassemble with some very important pieces missing."

"You speak from the voice of experience. Who put your family back together, Volt Arcade?"

"A great man...the man who gave me my last name when I had forsaken the one I was given at birth. When I called for help I thought no one would come. I thought I would die. But I only needed to be patient and hold on...and not give up. And then he and his family found me...saved me...and gave me the chance at life. If it were in my power...your children would have had that chance at life. If I had only known then what I know now..."

Silence from both sides.

Sub-Entry 132: "Mobilizing Friends for the Road Ahead":
"There are...things I can't talk about. But...at this point in time I might as well confirm what you already suspect. Chara did take control of you...and...tried to harm the child."

"Oh no..."

"I...stopped you...without hurting you. And I confronted Chara and learned a lot. Our conversation was...very brutal...and quickly became one-sided. In the end I...proved to be her mental superior. She...didn't take my warnings well. And now she's determined to take her revenge on me as well as everyone else."

"Chara...why...?"

"I think we both know why. This is a grudge against humanity. And if Monsters wouldn't help her then they're only in her way. It started with Asgore, dismissing her pleas to declare war on them. She knew you'd never hear of it. And...your son wouldn't let her go through with it. It's a lot of betrayals for such a petty belief to be this determined to follow even in death. I firmly believe the path Asgore took in his life...Chara intended for him to follow it all along. Asriel's death was her last ditch effort to open his eyes to the truth...rather HER truth."

"I understand why she wants Asgore. But....what does she want with you?"

"She's obsessed with being reunited with Asriel and has some insane notion that I can make it happen. Maybe that's why she went after Dr. Alphys...to see if science can do what magic cannot. She's badly misguided. I'm just a man. There's nothing special about me. You can't bring back the dead. She won't accept that. And she's taken it so personally and gone to extreme measures to finish this...plan of hers."

I was telling a half-truth for her own protection and for Asriel's.

It was true. I couldn't bring the dead back. I was just a man, despite the immortality. It was likely she went after Alphys to see if her research bore fruit.

By this time she had to know that Asriel was Flowey. But it was also likely she considered Flowey useless to her. What good was a soulless creature that was neither human nor monster and nearly powerless with only Friendliness Pellets to offer while being a cowardly, whimpering sycophant?

I couldn't tell Toriel about the little orphaned Goat Son who now had a family to call his own...but still belonged in this world. I wonder...the longer I kept him away from this world...these timelines...would he belong in them less and less so? Was my goal...self-defeating in the end?

"That...plan again." Toriel closed her eyes for a moment. "The plan she convinced Asriel to go along with. The plan to break the barrier."

Toriel knitted her eyebrows...then she looked very meloncholy like she knew she and her allies were in over their heads.

"We are...powerless to stop her...are we not?"

"As we are...there's very little Monsters or Humans can do to combat her. But...maybe together we stand a better chance."

"I...don't quite follow."

"I've noticed the child has certainly been ignoring Chara's attempts at manipulation. Cute kid by the way...can't really tell if they're a boy or a girl but...that's irrelevant, all things considered. Their senses are usually very sharp. They might stand a good chance at determining if Chara is skulking about."

"I've...asked someone to watch over them. I know not his face or his name. I hope that they are keeping their promise."

"I have a feeling I might have met that person. But I don't want to jump to conclusions."

"He is a friend of yours?"

"Friend...might be stretching it a lot. I'm...not sure he trusts me."

"But...what should we do about Chara?"

"I've been turning to my mentors for advice and research. I've come to the conclusion that if reasoning, magic, and every other method has failed...it's time to turn to science."

"What...what do you have in mind?"

"I fear that if it comes to it...since you can't kill let alone destroy a ghost...the only solution is permanent imprisonment."

"You...plan to trap her and contain her? Is that even possible?"

"Not only is it possible...one of my mentors has made a living from professional paranormal investigation...and elimination."

"At this point...I'm desperate to find a peaceful solution to this. I do not want Chara punished for her harsh behavior...but I see no other way. She will not respond to me. She will not be convinced. She is...very...very determined."

"Too determined. It's never easy, Toriel. Never easy to turn a blind eye to your children when they've committed attrocities that they feel no shame over. She's not hard to figure out but...she's not completely predictable, either. She caught me by surprise with Mettaton NEO. She'll hold nothing back if she takes over Asgore. The fact that we're on guard for it, will make it harder for her but...she'll find a way, in all probability."

"Asgore is still an idiot sandwich...but even I would not wish this upon him."

I smirked briefly.

"I know it is hardly appropriate but I can't help but imagine you holding a pair of bread slices on his ears and asking him what he is."

"You are terrible." Toriel stifled a laugh. "But you are correct. Now is not the time."

I turned serious again as did she.

"What would you have us do?"

"Undyne needs to stick to him like glue. She needs to watch all of the Royal Guard like a hawk and not lower her own guard for anything; Chara will likely jump from body to body to keep us guessing. Keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer is a dangerous risk at this point. The fact that she'll be watching for Chara to make a move makes it all the more easier for Chara to use her to get the closest to Asgore."

"Agreed."

"Alphys needs to hang back. She's probably in no danger of being possessed again, but...we need her surveilance if we have even a slight chance of staying a step ahead. Also perhaps Mettaton can be of assistance. He has a cousin in Waterfall named Napstablook. He's a ghost that lives alone. Sometimes he comes to pretend to sleep inside the Ruins. Any chance of defeating a ghost might lie with another ghost."

"What about those friends of Undyne's? I haven't met them myself but--"

"I'd prefer not to involve them if possible but...if we need every Boss Monster...Ieave it to Undyne to decide how to proceed. Also, there is a young woman in the old section of Hotland that might also be able to help by the name of Muffet. Her spider friends have a small bakesale in the Ruins. I'd recommend buying from them to literally sweeten the deal if we need to get a message to her. That many eight-legged friends might really help things out."

"I will do what I can."

"You can't hang around here too long. Asgore may be off on a cloud but he's not going to be completely oblivious to the goings-on inside and outside his own castle. The walls have eyes and ears."

"My time has grown short again. I will do as you have asked."

"I must leave again. I have very important matters to attend to that are crucial in the grand scheme of things. I only request you and the others do not try to follow. The less you know, the safer all of our loved ones and friends will be."

"As you wish."

"Hey. I know I'm not as good at your friend who tells the jokes but don't be worrying yoruself sick over this. Ain't nobody "goat" time for that. We're going to "bleet" this thing, okay?"

Toriel responded with a muffled giggle.

"Well, Doctor. I have to "fang" for your help and I support your "claws"."

My turn to chuckle.

"Goodbye, Toriel. When next we meet, may we finally put this nightmare to rest. And may the child find a way to grant us our freedom without sacrifice."

"Until we meet again, Volt."

We went our separate ways and this time I returned home for an extended stay to rest...and prepare.

Sub-Entry 133: "Tell Me Violet Didn't Just Make a Poltergeist III Reference At Our Pool Party...":
I opened my eyes as I materialized in the Gateway Sub-Lab. I planned to show this to Asriel in another 6 or 7 years. By then, he'd be ready for me to make good on my promise to show him other worlds. Take him on missions. And let him see the ever-growing extended family I had made over my my immortal life.

I shoved my hands in my lab coat pockets and exited the area and combed my way back through the lab and HQ itself until I was curb-side. I sighed and headed to the square. I needed a pick-me-up. I hoped life would be kind and provide me with one rather than inducing a headache.

I decided to head over to Rabbotou Dojo.

As it turned out, most of the team had decided to drop in on the indoor swimming pool of the gymnasium part of Rabbotou Dojo.

As a way of keeping Arlene appeased, Bunnie had expanded the main well beyond its original martial arts school setup. It was now more like a YMCA/YWCA in terms of scope, scale, and construction.

Weightlifting rooms, basketball courts, a dance studio for step aerobics, and plenty more. As time had gone on it had become just the kind of outreach center that the Arcade family whole-heartedly endorsed. Anything to keep kids off the streets and in proper activities which encouraged positive.

A little swimmng would do me some good. I headed to the locker room and got changed and headed to the pool.

There was Asriel in the company of Rotor and Skeeter. Gadget and Mitzi were there, too. And there were others there, too. Megami was serving as life guard. I don't think I'd ever seen her in anything but her shrine maiden miko attire. She was easy on the eyes for a human, all things considered.

Sally had dropped in for a very short window in between races and would likely be back on the circuit.

"It's good to have you back for a short time, old friend."

"Good to be back and unwind. The last race was crazier than--"

"A dog in a hubcab factory?" Honey suddenly popped up from underwater.

"Eww." Sally wrinkled her nose.

"I don't get it." Asriel blinked.

"Just never you mind." Willamina quickly interjected.

I swam over.

"Volt! You came!"

"Of course I did, Azzy." I smiled. Just being in the pool was taking the edge off but being able to spend time with Asriel made it chillax.

"You know I don't think I ever asked. When and how did you learn to swim?"

"Well...mom...Toriel didn't want me learning how to fight so Miss Undyne made a comprimise to teach me to swim instead."

"Ahhh."

"I used to call her Dy-Dy before I could pronounce Undyne."

"That's awesome!" Sally nodded.

She was unaware of Antoine of all people swimming up to her, hoping to flirt a little.

At that moment the public address system blared and who should be on it but...

"Antoine D'Cooliette! This is the Police! Come out with your hands up and your pants down!"

I groaned.

"Dammit, Violet."

"Really, Violet? Do you really think Antoine is stupid enough to fall for--"

Mitzi started before noticing Antoine was climbing out of the pool and running for the emergency exit in a panic.

* WHUMP*

"Oh my god...he didn't just--!"

Bunnie covered Asriel's eyes.

The door closed behind.

"Attention. Attention. We welcome you all to our "ool". We remind that there is no P in our "ool" so please keep it that way. That goes double-triple-quadruple for you, Al Dente. We know what you're doing over there."

All eyes were suddenly on Al.

"It's...not...true." He submerged a little deeper.

Honey, Skeeter, and several other guests descretely distanced themselves from where Al was wading.

"Well. So much for keeping the day G-rated." I muttered. "I think I need to wash the bitter taste of this experience out of my mouth."

"Umm...maybe we should get some refreshements afterward." Asriel suggested.

"Anything but lemonaid..." I said, crossing my arms.

Sub-Entry 134: "Coyote Ugly":
Violet's stunt prompted us to seek alternative methods of cooling off...outdoors.

I wasn't suffering all that much, but for everyone else a day in the 90's, bordering on 100 probably wasn't that pleasant an experience.

The kids of course had their method of cooling off...with water gun fights.

"Gotcha!"

"Skeeterrrrr!"

"I got ya covered, Asriel!" Gadget dropped down and leveled her makeshifted water rifle, proceeding to fire back at Skeeter and his group of school friends.

Summer vacation was definitely a good time to be a kid--

"Vollllt!" Asriel sloshed over completely drenched.

"Wow...they really ganged up on you, didn't they?"

"I thought that I'd have a lot of fun in a water battle but the amount of fun I'm having is...actually rather small." He whimpered, giving the sad, watery eyes look.

"Asriel, my boy...let me give you some advice. Sensei has probably already told you her philosophy against seeking revenge."

"Y...yes. Bunnie-sensei says that revenge is a fool's game and it takes a fool to play it."

"Asriel. THere are only two exceptions in the world. One is multiplayer video games, particularly Super Smash Bros. The other is water gun battles."

I reached under my lawn chair and pulled out the largest Super Soaker available that I could find in the toy stores and handed it to him. It was allrready filled up and ready to go.

"Don't get mad...get even. But only when it comes to water fights and Smash."

"Oh wow! Thanks! Hey, Skeeterrrrrrr...!"

"AWWW MAN!!"

"Gotcha last!"

I grinned and lowered my shades.

"Nice." Jon complimented as he lay down in the lawn chair next to me.

"I do what I do."

"Gelato?" Jon offered a bowl of frozen treat.

"Ice cream substitute me, my good lycan." I accepted and dug in.

"You know...whenever I'm working myself to the bone, our wives have a tendancy to show up and scold me. But when I'm actually relaxing, they never seem to be around."

"Don't let it get you down, gov-nah. Be thankful for the times you work youself to the bone and don't get caught by them."

"Your advice is invaluable, Jon. Mmm. Good gelato."

Sally dashed over at that moment.

"Guys, can one of you get Antoine off my case? He's really cramping my style."

"What can either of us say or do that hasn't already been attempted, Sally?" I peered over the shades. "He'll tire out and move on."

"There...may be a sense of urgency to it, this time..."

I looked up at Sally and pulled my shades down. "Please, please tell me that he--"

Shrieks went up nearby.

"...yeah...he never went back to the locker room after Violet locked him out of the building."

"Oh my god..." I face-palmed.

"Sally can you do something about--"

"On it. Sorry, kids." Sally's eyes started glowing bright neon blue.

Antoine, Asriel and his friends just stopped moving, frozen like statues.

They weren't actually frozen in time, just their perception of time was paused. This was Sally's Hybrid Ability in action. As soon as she canceled the effect, they'd be completely unaware any time had passed. In a way her power reminded me of something I'd seen in Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion, r2.

Jon got up and snatched his beach towel up and quickly makeshifted a loincloth for Antoine.

"You owe me." He smoldered before flicking Antoine's nose.

"That coyote is cursed. And he's dragging us all through it." I rubbed my temples.

"Okay, Sal." I beckoned as she cancelled her powers and everybody resumed.

"Sacre bleu cheese. I am not seeing any police out here. Waiting just zee minute...'ow did I get...?!" Antoine noticed he was a long way from the dojo now that his panic freak out had ended.

"Antoine. Get dressed before you get arrested." I groaned.

"Mr. Antoine? What are you doing out here in just a towel?" Asriel blinked.

"Oh gods...someone send me a miracle please--" Sally moaned.

As if on cue our thoughts were interrupted by the whiney of a horse and the cry of "YEEE-HAWWWWWWWW!"

The next thing I knew Antoine had been snagged by a rope lasso and was being dragged away on his rump.

I whirled to see Mitzi's coworker, Harmony Howlette--in full cowgirl attire--galloping away on a horse.

"Ask and ye shall receive." I mused.

"What was THAT?" Asriel scratched his head as he shouldered his water cannon.

"Proof that karma pays off." I chuckled.

At that moment Bunnie galloped up on horseback.

"Harmony-chan seems to have snagged her prize."

"Indeed. I see you decided to enjoy a nice horseride."

"Hinohoshiko needed the exercise." Bunnie dismounted and gave the white horse a muzzle stroking and followed up by feeding her a carrot.

"Oh wow, sensei! Is that yours?"

"Yes she is. Her name is Hinohoshiko. It means "Starfire"."

"That's a pretty name."

"Some day when you're old and big enough I'll teach you how to ride."

"Oh boy! That'd be swell!" Asriel again with the knuckles-under-the-chin, starry-eyes expression topped off with the tail-wagging.

Sub-Entry 135: "Chaos You Can't Control":
OOC: Miranda City's favorite chaos cat, Grimmn'elvuul appears courtessey of his RP player, who goes by "Kid". Thanks for bringing the crazy, man! Mitzi and Gadget just adore Kiddles!

Bunnie let Asriel gently pet Hinohoshiko and feed her another carrot before hitching the horse up to a post.

Bunnie joined us at our resting spot.

"I wish I had known you were coming or I would have brought gelato for all of us. I was dropping in on Volt and only thought to bring one extra serving."

"It's okay, Jonanthan-san. We'll just have to get some ice cream of our own."

"I really miss getting Nice Cream back in Snowdin." Asriel rubbed the back of his head.

"Ice cream? During winter?" Jon raised an eyebrow. "I'm all for cold weather but that seems like it's overkill."

"Nah. It's the frozen treat that warms your heart." Asriel beamed, quoting the Nice Cream vendor. I often wondered if he and Burgerpants knew each other. Not sure what gave me that thought but I kept picturing the rabbit Monster and the cat Monster at least sharing a conversation off the clock.

"I could go for that." Violet dropped in and shut off her jet thrusters.

"Swell. There goes your diet, Princess." Al finally caught up to us.

"Ugggggh. I never heard of a fleas complaining about a dog being a blood-sucking parasite before." Violet crossed her arms and glared at Al Dente.

"Your highness, all this frivelous activity is deterimental to your life lessons in becoming a proper empress! The summer months shouldn't be about such trivialities, it should be about obeying all the rules--"

"Alfred. Kinda stop spoiling our Hic-a-Doo-Lah day before I have Gadget's surfer friends pick you up and dump you in to the fountain."

Over yonder, Gadget was indeed hanging out with Rick "Beach Bear" Bailey and Rudeyard Lion. Rudeyard had come all the way from Green Meadow to say high to us and catch up with his favorite friendly rival.

"What's a Hic-A-Doo-Lah?" Al scratched his head.

"Wellll--" Violet started.

"Yeah, no, Vi." I cut her off before she could go on a nostalgic walk through that little skit.

"Lady Violet. Your antics are unbecoming of a monarch--"

"Alfred I'm going to say this once. We all know the monarchy back home is a figurehead. I don't want to grow up to be figurehead."

"But, Miss Violet--."

Violet was scribbling on a piece of paper at that moment. She tore it off the notepad and thrust it in Al's face. Oh no. No, she wouldn't DARE...

"Huh?" Alfred looked over the note.

"What's a..."

Oh gods, don't say it, Al! Don't say his name--"

"...Grimmn'elvuul?"

"Asriel...duck and cover." I grabbed Asriel and pulled him underneath a nearbye picnic table.

"Wha...?!"

"Bloody Hell...!" Jon dove into a park trash barrel.

Bunnie sighed and unfolded the shodouphone and started scripting a jutsu then she removed it's limiter with a spoken verbal incantation.

"暗くすきまに自分を陥れる. 縛道の81 断空" [Kuraku suki ma ni jibun o otoshiireru. Bakudou no hachijuu-ichi: Dankuu.] (Darken and plunge into the crevice. Binding Art number 81: Splitting Void)

The space around Bunnie and anyone close to her became warped like oil floating on water.

"Uh...what's going--!" Al started before something fell from the sky.

"Huh...? A popsicle? Where did this--"

Sure enough it was a popsicle. But Al didn't have time to ponder it further when a rain of ice cream bars, ice cream cones, popsicles, snow cones, and other frozen treats started raining from the sky.

And a massive waterfall of ice cream splattered down on Al, completely burying him.

"WHAT."

"INCOMING!!!" Sally yelled out when we all looked up to see them.

Al had un-buried himself long enough to look up.

"Oh no..." He screamed and dove for cover as of all things an ice cream truck slammed down from above. And then another one...and another...and one more, boxing him in.

A couple more trucks crashed to the ground before all was silent again.

"Goddammit all..."

"What. Just. Happened." Rudeyard said, eye twitching.

I uttered a single word that explained everything to any of us who knew what it meant for the dreaded G-word.

"Kid."

"Kid?" Asriel questioned before he notice something was hovering next to him on his right side.

"Chaos Cat Sign: HYPER-ETHICAL REALITY CLIMAX!" He said with a grin.

"Hello, Kid." I said rather nonchalantly.

Kid was the nickname we gave him to avoid using his real name...the name that caused all kinds of bad luck and insanity. Our favorite ball of blue magic Chaos Cat was a master of warping reality and just causing chaos. The good kind of chaos, usually.

"Whaaa...? I didn't know cats could FLY!" Asriel stared in disbelief.

"Kid can."

"I can do lots of things, my new young friend!"

Yellow-eyed, dark grey and white furred, and wearing a garment that looked like several overlapping layers of orange and pinkish scarves over top of a blue-ish body suit, Kid was definitely a strange but loveable magical chaos cat.

"Finally got a moment away from the Mage Academy to visit. I know Mitzi and Gadget will be glad to--"

"KIIIIIID!" Kid soon found him tacklesnuggled from both sides by Mitzi and Gadget.

"D'aawwwwwww." Kid just about melted from the affection.

Meanwhile Al was dragging himself out of the frozen mess all over the ground.

"Why...me...?"

"Well. We did say we'd find our own ice cream. And...well...I guess we don't have to look far." Violet mused as she had snatched a pair of double-scoop ice cream cones out of mid-air before they hit the ground.

"I feel you should be punished for setting this chain reaction into motion, Violet...however in light of the end result, I opt that we suspend the sentence indefinitely."

Bunnie dissolved the Severing Void barrier around herself and the bowl of green-tea flavored froyo dropped neatly into her palm without spilling a drop or losing the spoon that was already in it.

"Whatever punishment Elektra has for me after this binge will be totally worth it!" Jon licked his lips as he hauled a huge armload full of ice cream sandwiches he caught.

Asriel looked quite confused as he got to his feet.

"Asriel. Sometimes the best course of action is don't question it and just roll with it." I handed him one of the ice cream cones I had managed to catch.

Asriel looked at it a moment, shrugged then enjoyed.

"Mmm!"

Sub Entry 136: "A Burly Brawl, Reloaded, Rebooted, and Rewritten":
A day or two down the road, some of us decided to hone our skills should Queen Brooke, Ivy, Lord Jaimas of Raxis, or one of our other allies called upon us for mission work.

That meant going to the only place with the UCIAT operation that we could safely unleash our powers without collatoral damage or injury to bystanders. And that place was the Hazard Lab.

Bunnie and Scott spent the most time out of all of us. I decided that it couldn't hurt if Asriel watched from the observation deck. He should know what his father and his sensei were capable of.

Scott, in Kabuki Quantum Fighter (KQF) form formed a series of hovering platforms with handles on the bottom. He jumped to the first one and swung to the next in a lavish tumbling roll like a master trapeze artist. He repeated several times before dropping in front of the target range. :detemmienation:  (Music Link)

He grabbed the long tresses of his immense, neon red hair and snapped his head forward--the tail end of his hair cracked and sliced into the manikin dummy like a whip. He repeated several times until the dummies all fell apart.

He then whirled and aimed for the targets on his left with his palm facing out. His arm turned translucent and you can see bands of computer code crawling inside his arm, in a Matrix-like "rain" fashion. Twenty-eight disc-shaped microchips were inside his arm. Scott started firing them from his hand like shurikens, nailing each bullseye, dead center.

He whirled and aimed to his right.

Scott pointed his hand out and a giant plasma blast rockets out, leaving a fading trail of computer code behind it, wiping out the scores of bullseye targets.

And finally Scott turned to the final mock-up of what appeared to be Metal Gear Rex.

"Very...unique choice, Violet."

Scott held up his hand and a glowing neon dynamite stick appeared in it. He tossed it at his target and it exploded SUPERVIOLENTLY, shaking the whole room with its sonic reverberations.

"Go, Dad!" Asriel encouraged.

Scott wrapped up his training and shut down the program, resuming his human form and headed back up to the observation deck. He shared a quick high-five with Asriel before Bunnie headed down into the hazard lab. Violet got to work firing up the holo-simulator.

"Now beginning simulation, Bunnie." Violet keyed in the appropriate hard-light projection opponents. They would just be clones and drones but they'd still hit pretty hard.

Bunnie had switched to ninja garb, minus the hood.

"Violet. Really?" Bunnie lowered an eyebrow as she was surounded by copies of Virus Smith.

"Come onnnn. Classic fight scene. Gotta get your Matrix Reloaded on, Bun-Bun."

"I think you're enjoying this too much--" Bunnie started before the clone in front of her tried to stab his hand though her chest. She immediately grabbed his arm with both hands.

"Eyes on the fight, Buns."

Bunnie began fighting them off, hand to hand with mixes of martial arts styles, fending off increasing numbers of evil agents in suits and shades in the likeness of Hugo Weaving's character.

"Violet, I don't mind that you give me a decent challenge to work with..." She started in mid double somersault. "But the movie scenes...you have way too much time on your hands if you're spending it programming shot-for-shot remakes of your favorite action movies."

"Nah. I give my work and play equal merit. I just happen to mix business and pleasure, that's all."

"Ugh. You're terrible." Bunnie groaned as she executed a back-flip double-kick.

"Can...sensei really beat that many bad guys?" Asriel looked on, kinda nervously.

The violence still bothered him but he was starting to ease into the art of self defense. He was finally making progress in his lessons and willing to defend and counter. It reassured Bunnie that it was obvious he disliked fightning as much as he did from that first class.

"It's a real "Burly Brawl" but she can take it." Violet mused. :detemmienation:   (Music Link)

"Violet, I'm glad you skipped the exposition monologue and the philosophy before hand...but is it really necessary to pump the Juno Reactor music into here?"

"Ahh, Juno Reactor FEATURING Don Davis, Buns."

"......right."

"It's all part of the atmosphere, Best Bunny Friend in the world."

Bunnie smoothly transitioned from punch to punch to kick to kick to the occasional judo throw and everything in between, toggling between opponents.

"Flatter me if you must but it will get you no points n the long run, Violet."

Bunnie back flipped and ricocheted off a wall, torpedoing into several Virus Copies.

"Well if you really want me to withhold any favors..." Violet tapped away at the keyboard and more Smith copies piled out of doors and chain-link gates.

"Aunt Vi? That's...a lot of bad guys..." Asriel looked even more worried.

"Don't worry, sport. I've seen her against worse." Scott looked on, arms crossed. He was in his combat fatigues again but this time he had a reason for them.

By this point the numbers were so overwhelming Bunnie had to start using her enhanced nano-assisted strength to toss some of her opponents as projectiles just to clear breathing room.

She sudden took a hit to the chest that sent her skidding backwards a few yards.

"Sensei!"

"She's okay. Don't fret."

Bunnie got right back into the fray and kept fighting.

"Come on, Bunnie. Quit holding back and show us what you can really do."

"Violet? Second rule of the Zordonian Code?"

"Right, right. If you're gonna insist on playing it that way.  I'm pretty sure the battle is pretty escalated. But you know if it's still too easy..." A few more key clicks. "More..." She said in her best Smith growl.

As the numbers became increasingly ridiculous, Bunnie found herself punched into a wall, leaving a crater.

"Have it your way, Violet." Out came the Shodouphone and she quick scripted Shinkenmaru and slapped on the Moku disk transforming it into the Wood Spear. Made from hardened Hinoki Cypress and enhanced with mojikara, it was a lot more durable than it appeared.

Bunnie gave it a few spins and a twirl over top of her shoulders before beckoning her opponents to come get some. She leaped into the air in a twirl, swinging the weapon like a helicoptor rotor before landing dead center of the action and started plowing through her opponents.

She spun, twirled, countered, parried, thrust and swept the weapon with speed, style, and grace.

Asriel's eyes widened.

"Oh...my...goodness! She's...!"

"Here comes the best part." Violet pointed as Bunnie planted the spear into the ground and hoisted herself up perpendicular to the ground and swung herself in a 360 full-circle running bicycle kick, knocking the surrounding mob down one by one by one.

"That's...the coolest move I've ever seen!"

By now there were hundreds of opponents all ganging up on her and before long they knocked her down and swarmed her.

"Oh no! She's going to lose!"

"Okay, Buns, bring this to a close and we'll call it a day--"

The mound of Virus Smiths were suddenly scattered outward as a sphere blast wave erupted.

Bunnie rose up, the symbol of the Rabbotou Clan's ascent to the military rank of samurai "Ha-Oh" appeared on her forehead. Her white haori coat appeared over her outfit as she slid the Hiden Kaisekiki Inromaru pack onto Shinkenmaru, activing its Super Shinkenmaru form.

As she held the sword aloft and swept it in a clockwise motion in a full 360 degree sweep back to its starting point, a rainbow of colored spirit flames appeared in a clock formation, each representative of a sacred samurai spirt animal.

Bunnie invoked the power of all 12 of the ancient Jang samurai spirits--Shishi, Kyuu, Saru, Kuma, Kame, Kabuto, Kaijiki, Tora, Ika, Eba, Ushi, and Kyoryu. All 12 Jang characters encircled her in a ring before she slashed with her Super Shinkenmaru!

And in that instant every last Virus Smith was swallowed up in the deluge of 12 elemental streams of spirit energy!

With that the simulation rippled, warped and faded, showing the mostly pristine mirrored polish of the sterile simulation room around Bunnie. But there were signs of impact craters, burned tiles, sparking circuits peeking out from breaches in the walls and such.

"Aww, Bunnie. You rewrote the ending. You were supposed to do your Superman thing."

"A fight should have a definitive end not a glorified retreat." Bunnie said. She was really scrutinizing the problems of the movie rather than Vi's reenactment but that was just her. She BAMF-ed out of existence then back into existence in the observation deck, clad back in her karate gi and sandals.

"You'd have made a great soldier if you'd been part of Neo Arcadia's military, Bunnie."

"It wouldn't have suited me. Back then I saw a pretty thick line between a soldier and a warrior. Now...there are times I don't see the distinction. We are who and what we are."

"Yeah...sometimes I think our side was neither. Just...thugs spoonfed propoganda and made to fight a war we had no business being in. My drill sergeant would skin me alive for being a mamby-pampy bleeding heart right about now. Callista would kiss me me for being so compassionate...so...I'd say the trade off is to my benefit. But...it still doesn't soften the blow...of what we did to you. To Ecotropia and Neo Arcadia."

"Scott. Maybe this insight will help us both:

Save your tears for the day...when the pain is far behind. On your feet...come with me. We are soldiers, stand or die. Save your fears...take your place...save them for the judgement day. Fast and free...follow me...time to make the sacrifice. We rise or fall."

Bunnie bowed her head. Scott bowed his.

"Yeah. It does." Scott wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist. It was the first time Asriel had seen him cry.

"Dad...I think it's time we had the talk about your past." Asriel looked up.

"Yeah. I...might as well tell you the story."

"So...let's get the big question out of the way."

"..."

"Dad. You're a soldier, right."

Scott nodded.

"And you fought in the war."

Scott nodded again.

Asriel paused and looked down a moment before he asked the dreaded question.

"Did you...kill anyone?"

Sub Entry 137: "The Greatest Story Never Told":
"...yes." Scott looked, closing his eyes. "I...don't remember names. But I can never forget their faces. They were...just doing their duty...as was I. But that alone will never make it right."

A moment of silence.

"That's...all I really wanted to know. I don't need details...it's painful enough, isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it is, son."

"Instead of that...why...don't you tell me about how you became--"

"Gladly." Scott regained his composure.

"It was...the Vorostovian Conflict. My country was backed into a corner over what the Secret Society had managed to do between Ecotropia, Vortex, and such. Plus we were trying to keep the Reservation we pushed Lupe's people to a secret to avoid adding to our list of war crimes.

We decided if we were going all out, we'd have to cripple Neo Arcadia's networks. What we had in military strength and numbers, Neo Arcadia compensated for in information gathering, control, infiltration and sabotage.

They targeted our weaknesses with precise strikes and turned our own intel against us.

We tried many times to hack their network systems but they were just too advanced and too powerful. Too well protected and too quick to adapt to anything we threw at it.

So...we decided to make a first attempt at a super weapon. A living weapon that could go inside computer systems and assassinate their protections and bring down the whole system from the inside out.

We started raiding and hijacking any and all quantum mechanics and quantum computer tech we could get from not just Neo Arcadia but other countries at well. We made our big score from a large repository of technology being transported out of Corinth. Between that, Renalia...Appra...Fonkton...we had tons of raw materials and software to work with. And we started building our own super network.

At first we tried making artificial intelligence constructs...but they all failed. Our researchers were about to consider it a total rout before someone came up with a ludicrous idea--to put a human mind into a computer system.

There were rumors that computer software developer, Encom dabbled with a digitization process to put real matter into digital forms. So we stole their research and tirelessly tried to adapt it to our own system. Our scientists eventually came up with the Image Transfer System."

"Image Transfer System?"

"I.T.S. for short. It would allow a human mind to be transfered and turned into data, allowing it to move freely through the system. But...there was no way to know what form it would take inside the machine. No one had any idea what kind of changes there would be to the human psyche."

"A lot of unknowns, huh?"

"Before I volunteered, I was a soldier in the Vorostovian Army. I...suffered an accident before hand but...it didn't seem to discredit me from being among the elite selected for the mission."

"But you sound like you believe it had some affect on you, Dad."

"I can't really prove it did. But that wasn't where the real story begins. On the day it was supposed to happen, our research team brought our networks online and interfaced them with the quantum systems that would interface between the I.T.S. and the route into cyberspace.

Without warning, they had unknowingly unleashed quarantined programming...things that were on their way from Corinth to be properly disposed of. Remnants from the VENJIX incident. Computer viruses, worms, and bugs got into the main quantum drive and it greatly amplified their evolution.

It turned them into...hideous digital creatures and beasts within the electronic circuits of the machine that began a hostile takeover as they gained hive-mind sentience. We had created a very real threat that was right out of a science fiction movie.

The virus swarm spread and mutatated the systems within until it reached our defense satellite, DAMOCLES. It was the link to our nuclear weapons silos."

"N-Nuclear weapons? I...I learned about those in school. From...from a history video in our classroom. Those are....really...really scary to think about. That...such things were really used." Asriel hugged his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth.

"We all made terrible choices in wartime. Used terrible means. But...yeah. It's one of our...darkest shames."

"What did you do about the...viruses?"

"We could't allow the infestation to take control of the nukes so...the mission changed. I was prepared for emergency scan and download. I entered the machine and it energized. I lost consciousness..."

Scott activated the program and transformed at that moment.

"...and woke up looking like this inside the circuits of the Defense Computer. I was a kabuki actor, given great powers based on quantum computer processes unlocked when it modified my very particle physics; a process which would carry over into my physical body when I was returned to it."

"I believe your ancestry had an influence.  Your great ancestor was Danjuro--a legendary Kabuki actor in Jang history."

"I don't understand a lot about the whole quantum physics and particle science stuff...but I'm guessing it works a lot like LYOKO?"

"Very similar. But for me it's permanently etched into my sub-atomic structure. At a level that goes even smaller than molecules...atoms...quarks. At a level beyond current science progress' ability to analyze them."

"Then what happened?"

"I kicked butt." Scott smiled as he mussed Asriel's head fur. "I went in, searched and destroyed the enemy. They were feral and soulless and very bloodthirsty. They had to be deleted."

"Like the demon hunters of Sensei's ancestors."

"Exactly like them." Scott nodded.

"So...I went through six areas of the computer systems, unlocking new abilities like my Hair Whip, my Microchip Shurikens, my Plasma Shot, and Fusion Gun. Stuff like the Remote Bolos, and the Quantum Bombs. They all served me well. Finally I had to be beamed to the final area aboard the Damocles Satellite in deep space. That's where the core of the hive virus had taken root. It was...a very intense, very gory battle. But I prevailed and set the self-destruct mechanism."

"Oh wow! Just like a superhero!"

"Yeah...but this was a trip that had a good chance of being a one-way trip. If the satellite exploded before I could make it back to the access point, I'd lose my mind. Literally."

"But you got in?"

Scott smiled. "I got in."

"I was a hero among the research team but..." Scott turned away. "I wasn't given a happy ending. Our...government decided to cover it up and go a different route. They built a different superweapon--a gravity device they decided to use on Neo Arcadia's capital. Our operation was shut down and our team were taken into custody where they were made to disappear...I don't want to think about what actually happened to them."

"Oh no..."

"I was...illegally courtmarshalled, charged with a lot of war crimes that weren't even true. I didn't have much of a defense to give because I was...suffering complications from the machine. I had...long-term memory loss and memory corruption. I couldn't remember anything before entering the I.T.S. machine except my name, rank, serial number and my education and everything I learned in army training. Everything personal about me was gone. I couldn't remember who I was. Whatever personality I had was...gone. It was like I went numb and couldn't feel anything inside.

On top of that the quantum processes had tampered with he way my cells regenerate and break down...it stopped my aging process and kept me permanently locked at the age of 25. I'm like you in a way. I can't grow older...but I can still die."

"Dad..."

"I was on my way to be executed when word came back that the chain of command was broken and that Vorostov's capital had been destroyed. The Gravity Weapon had went haywire and leveled the heart of our country. The death toll was...horrifying.

It wasn't long before word got back that Vorostov had officially surrended the war and the Allied Nations and Neo Arcadia would be...auditing our military assets. My execution was cancelled and I was surrendered to Neo Arcadian custody. Project: Kabuki Quantum Fighter was siezed by Arcade Industries' shareholders and it was eventually completely bought up by the Tokugawa family. Violet became the beneficiary of all the research and she's been working with Dr. Lynx on it to this day."

"You've...had a hard life, haven't you." Asriel let go of his knees and got up from his seat.

"It's not easy when you fought the enemy of your home country only to become the enemy of your home country. That kind of betrayal...just makes everything you know seem wrong. And then suddenly you find out you're going to be working for and with your former enemies. How do you trust again when you don't know who to trust?"

Asriel hugged Scott.

"I know, Dad. I know the feeling. For 100 years I didn't have anyone to turn to. When Volt came for me...when he brought me to this world...I was scared to trust anyone. But now...I'm not. Miss Violet warns me to be careful who I trust. I don't want to be naive...but I can't be suspicious of people, either. Is...there a balance between the two?"

"If there is, son...I'm still working on it. But...with Callista in my life...it's easier to attain. And with you as our son...it became even easier."

A long hug.

Bunnie smiled and motioned for Violet to leave them to their father-son moment. Scott would lock up the Hazard Lab after he left.

"Good talk, son."

"Good talk, dad."

Sub Entry 138: "Family (and Friends) Circus":
Asriel seemed kinda moody. Seeing his sensei at her best for a mostly unarmed battle against ridiculous odds followed up by Scott finally telling his sad story had given him a case of the feels. So I figured I'd pick something fun and lighthearted.

We paid a visit to a circus with a carnival. I figured a smaller scale return to what we had experienced at Gravitron Park was just the thing.

"...it's called cotton candy. Basically you add sugar, flavoring, color, and a heck of a lot of jet blasted air. Careful, lil' guy. It gets sticky quick and it's kinda hard to get out of your fur."

"It's rainbow-colored and I like that."

I'd noticed that Asriel tended to gravitate toward colorful things. Especially rainbows. And then I made the mistake of thinking too deep into it which brought back memories of the Absolute God of Hyperdeath's attacks. Star Blazing, Chaos Buster, Chaos Saber...all of them were very rainbow-colored. Oh gods, Volt...can you just not help yourself?

Asriel gave the rainbow-colored tuft a little lick.

"Ooh. It's sweet! And it disappeared!"

"It'll dissolve fast. Go to town, little goat."

Asriel did so.

"It's all so cute and colorful!" Gadget giggled.

We passed through the midway. As we went by a seemingly unoccupied booth...

"Look! A giraffe!" A clown popped up behind the counter with a balloon animal in the shape of a giraffe.

"Look! A FIST!" Violet grinned before smashing her knuckles into the clown's nose and knocking him out cold.

"Violet!!!" I snapped. "What the Hell, girl?"

"The clown has...done something wrong?" Pit cocked his head.

Gadget and Asriel jumped back and kinda whimpered in unison.

"Cool!" Skeeter cackled.

"Clowns ain't metal, yo." She smoldered with a sour look.

"Violet, you're going get us thrown out of this place if you keep assaulting clowns!" Mitzi scolded.

"Seriously, Vi. What is your problem with clowns? I didn't peg you for having "bozo-phobia".

"Clowns are by far the most concentrated form of evil in the world." Vi crossed her arms, kept walking and didn't look back.

Mitzi and Callista helped the poor guy back up and try to bring him around. I of course stood by with both the checkbook and Kitty's number on standby for the unlikely possibility we could avoid a lawsuit and for the possibility that Violet would be going to court.

"Don't bother, Commander. Just like the bad guy in Lethal Weapon 2, I have diplomatic immunity so Slappy cannot sue."

I rubbed my temples and just decided to drop it before I got into an argument with how many things were wrong with her statement.

"...He'll...let it slide, Commander."

"He was surprisingly cooperative once I assured I was a neurosurgeon and said she came out of an extensive surgical procedure and was under observation."

"Just don't make sure Asriel and Gadget didn't overhear you."

"Don't think that'll be a problem." Mitzi pointed to where Gadget, Skeeter, Pit, and Asriel had gotten on the carousel while we were taking care of grown up mishaps.

A ferris wheel ride, a moment at the petting zoo, and various midway games and snacks later we dropped in on the Big Top. Callista warned Violet if at any point she tried to attack any more clowns there was a powerful tranquilizer in her purse that was just waiting to be injected.

All four of them were absolutely dazzled by the acts.

The strongman...

"He looks even stronger than Miss Undyne! I don't think I want to be noogied by that guy."

The jugglers...

"That looks incredibly hard to do." Gadget watched in fascination.

The tumblers...

"How do they do that? Sally has her OGPX gear but they're doing it all on their own." Skeeter scratched a tusk.

The tightrope walker...

"Mortals are capable of such acts of bravery without the aid of wings!" Pit marveled.

The lion-tamer.

Asriel kinda whimpered a bit. "Those lions don't look as friendly as Shi-Shi." He covered his eyes and peeked through his fingers as the lion tamer stuck his head in the beast's open mouth.

The fire-breather...

"I've seen mom and dad use fire spells but not like that. Are you sure he's not magic?" Asriel watched as the performer spat out a jet cloud of flame, in amazement.

The daredevil motorcyclist...

"It's like he's defying gravity!"

"It's centrifugal force, Skeeter. He's going so fast his circular motion is pulling the wheels to the track with more force than gravity can pull it away from it--"

"Kinda taking away from the awesome, Gadget." Skeeter smoldered.

"Science is so cool!" Asriel hardly seemed phased.

The sword-swallower...

"I can't look!" Asriel covered his eyes.

"Me neither." Gadgiet followed.

"What do swords even taste like?" Skeeter scratched a tusk.

"Mortals have...very strange eating habits."

The knife thrower...

Asriel clutched Callista's arm and shuddered. It had to remind him of Chara.

The animal acts...

"I didn't know bears could do that!"

"Did you see the elephants?"

"I wanna ride a giraffe some day!"

And of course the human cannon ball.

"That..."

"...was..."

"...so..."

"COOL!"

All of them were were completely starry-eyed.

A nice outing where we all had a good time.

Sub Entry 139: "It's...Kinda Like Meditating..."/"Violet's Science Fiction Double Feature"
After the circuis we headed back to town. The kids were all wired so Bunnie suggested a meditation session for balance.

"Much excitement has graced your lives. I think it only propper we balance our lives with a session of meditation."

Bunnie, Asriel, and I slipped off our sandals and closed our eyes and relaxed a bit.

A while in I felt someone grab my shoulder and give me a light shake. I immediately saw Jon, Violet, and Gadget. All three were wearing grey suits with red bowties. Jon was holding a guitar while Violet holding a keytar and Gadget had her drumset nearby. Jon handed me my tenor saxophone from my stand of saxophones.

I don't know how they talked my little sister into it. But they managed to talk me into it without a word.

I grabbed the sax and grinned.

"Ohmmm..."

"Ohmmm..." Bunnie and Asriel chorused.

And suddenly Bunnie's eyes snapped open as she heard the four of us belt out the song, "Tequilla" by the Champs. :detemmienation:  (Music Link)

It was rare we could atually take her by surprise but somehow we managed to do it.

She looked at at me with a disapproving look.

"Well, this is...kinda like meditating." Jon shrugged with a cheesey grin.

"It would be discourteous to say this is the reason that you never went beyond your yellow belt, Jonathan-san." Bunnie frowned with a distinct anime hashtag-shapped throbbing vein.

"I won't deny it but I won't admit to it either, love." Jon said with a cheesey grin as he continued playing the guitar.

"Gadget-chan...I'm surprised at you. You should know better."

"But, Miss Bunnie! You said dedication was essential to mastery and I really want to master the drums. Miss Violet offered a chance for me to practice."

"I...did say that." Bunnie looked off to the side.

"What's your excuse, Commander?"

"Being...a good brother and supporting my sister and my son-in-law?"

Bunnie sighed.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm a loner, Bunnie. A rebel." She said with a grin.

"You are so immature..." Another couple of throbbing hashtag veins popped up on her head.

"I know you are but what am I?" Violet grinned.

Bunnie scoffed.

"At least you're taking this--" Bunnie turned and noticed Asriel wasn't there. She turned back to where Violet was already teaching him how to do the Pee-Wee Herman dance.

"Ancestors still my hand..." Bunnie closed her eyes. "Whichever deity I have offended, please accept my humble apology."

"Oh hey, check it...let's take it up a notch with the remix. Here's a little J.L.S. for ya!" Violet mashed play on a nearby boombox and we ditched our instruments to do a full-on version of the Pee-Wee Dance performed by Joe Love Ski. :detemmienation:  (Music Video Link)

If Bunnie could fit any more throbbing anime veins on her head she'd probably be on the verge of bursting every blood vessel in her cranium. It was was a rare moment we could take a risk and actually get away with undermining Bunnie's stoic personality for amusement. But for every 99 times we chastised Violet, there was one we'd remember to poke the bunny...er...Bunnie.

Later that day, once Bunnie had headed back to the dojo to mentally recover from our moment of being completely immature...

"I think that's my allowance of acting like I'm five-years-old for the year." I shoved my hands in my pockets and headed to Computer Valhalla.

"It was all in good fun, gov. We'll make it up to Bunnie later. Won't we, Azzy?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Jon."

"You really gotta stop with that "mister" stuff. We're all family and friends."

"Sorry...Mom...Toriel taught me to be polite. All the kids in the kingdom called her Mrs. Dreemurr. Same for Dad...they'd call him Mr. Dreemurr. And they taught me to address any grown ups as Mister, Mrs., Miss, or Ms."

"Yeah...I guess that's a good practice for someone you don't know. But you know us."

"I guess you're right."

"Well. Here's hoping Violet's not doing anything too bad, eh, Volt?"

"Here's hoping--" I skipped the doorbell and grabbed the door handle and only opened it a crack...and immediately regretted it.

"It's...astounding. Time is...fleeting. Madness...takes its toll. But listen closely..."

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no nononononono!

"Volt?" Asriel looked up at me. He recognized that look of dread I only saved for Violet's worst.

"Not for very much longer!"

"I've got to...keep...control..."

I slammed the door shut to no avail. The music inside was so loud we could hear it through the door.

"I remember...doing the Time Waaaaaarp! Drinking...those moments when....the blackness would get me..."

I motioned for Jon to try to hold the other door shut with his weight as we both leaned up against them and tried keeping the inevitable from happening.

"I can't...hold it...shut!" Jon's looked at me as his ears drooped.

"And the Void would be callinnnnnnnnnnng!"

"Damn you, Vi--"

And then we were suddenly knocked aside as the doors blew wide open as Violet, dressed as Columbia her cosplayer dance troupe dressed as Riff-Raff, Magenta, and all of the other cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show burst out in song.



A banner rolled down from the front of the cafe reading "Annual Transylvania Convention" Under it a smaller banner read "Welcome, Transe--" ...okay, no. Not reading that aloud.

"LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAIN! LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAAAAIN!"

Asriel scooted backward, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Volt...what's a transe--"

"Not appropriate!" I hollered over the music.

"It's just a jump to the left."

"And then a step to the riiiiiight!"

"With your hands on your hips."

"You bring your knees in tiiiiiight! But it's the Pelvic Thruuuuust...that really drives you insaaaaaane! LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAIN! LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAAAAIN!"

"Volt? I don't know whether to be curious, weirded out, scared, or all of the above." Asriel backed up into my arms.

It was about that time that Mitzi who was standing by with a deer-in-headlights expression suddenly pressed her wrist to her forehead and fainted into a nearby Duke Chaupetta's arms.

"Really? Really, Mitzi?" Jon wrinkled his nose.

"Jon. We've got a kid here in a PG-13 setting and you're complaining about Mitzi's cliched fainting?"

"It's so dreeeeamy....OH FANTASY, FREE ME! So you can't see me--"

At that Asriel couldn't resist waving his hand over his eyes.

That reminded me--

"...no not at all. In another dimension...with voyeuristic intention. Well secluded, I see allllll..."

"With a bit of a mind flip..."

"...you're into the time slip."

"And nothing...can ever be the same."

"You're spaced out on sensation..."

"While you're under sedatiooooooooon!"

"LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAIN! LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAAAAIN!"

"Please, Violet...he's at least four or five years too young for this!"

Violet began her solo at that point, sitting pretty on the juke box prop.

"Well I was walking down the street, just-a-havin' a think when this snake of a guy gave me an evil wink! He shook-a-me up, took my by suprise, he had a pickup truck and a devil's eyes. He stared at me and I felt a change. Time meant nothing would again!"

"I'm calling Bunnie right now. C'mon, pick up major!"

The performance continued into Violet performing Columbia's tap dance solo.

Violet and company wrapped up their performance with the deliberate collapse to the ground as the song wound down as if its batteries just died.

* BAMF*

"Sorry, Commander. I had to wait for Megami to finish recharging the Moji-Cells."

"You've never been late before, Major...but there's a first time for everything."

"Oh no...the annual performing of the R.H.P.S."

"Afraid so, Bunnie."

"Asriel? Are you alright?"

"I feel...very confused...a little scared...and I have soooo...many...questions."

"I give up, Violet...you win. Asriel can join us at movie night." I hung my head and drooped my ears.

"Wow, I wasn't even trying for that...but I'll totally take it."

FFFFFFFFFFFF---

"Deep breaths, Commander. Beat yourself up over it later. I'll be sure to join in the chastising."

"Payback for the Pee-Wee Dance?"

"Payback for the Pee-Wee Dance."

Later that night...

"I got the popcorn ready."

"Uhh...Violet?" Sally did a double-take when she saw it.

"Apparently I'm being punished for corrupting the innocent." Violet grumbled, pointing to the square knot with a bow that her ears had been tied into.

She glared at me.

I gave a smug smirk. Oh yeah. When I said if I ever caught Violet doing U can't C me that I'd tie her ears in a knot...I meant it.

Then she glared at Asriel.

"What did I do?" His clueless expression was just too adorable.

"A little help here, Buns?"

"Let me savor the moment. Then I'll untie them."

"Hardy-har-har..."

And then...

"Sooo...explain this to me again?"

"Well we watch a bunch of stuff cued up on Violet's internet TV and make fun of it and give colorful commentary."

"Yeah. Like our own take on Mystery Science Theater 3000." (Video Link)

"Don't know what that is...but okay. I'll try it."

"And as we agreed. If Violet slipped ANYTHING in there that makes you uncomfortable or is inappropriate for your age group, we reserve the right to cover your eyes and ears."

"Deal."

What ensued was a night of mixed media before the feature presentation. Granted my logs got a little inconsistant and incoherrent, attempting to keep track of who said what, and in what context. But really...I think we were all out of it.

The internet video memes...

"...explain that to me again, Violet?" Mitzi cocked her head.

"Seriously, Mitzi? You can't be THAT out of touch with video games."

"Uh..."

"You're telling me you don't consider "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" a classic? Or a good Halo tea--"

"Ehhh....?"

"Okay, what DO you know about video games?"

"Space Invaders? Asteroids? Uh...Frogger? Pac-Man? You know...nice games?"

"Oh. Right. Generation 1 and 2. How quaint."

The horribly acted British or 1950's PSA's...

"What ABOUT drinking?" VARS cyborg girl, Sophia asked.

"I could go for a glass of chocolate milk right about now." Asriel beamed, oblivious to what they really meant.

"No, Azzy. Not that kind of...I mean...nevermind." Mitzi didn't have the heart to explain the concept of alcohol and getting drunk.

Classic 80's TV gems...

"This man is a treasure."

"I used to watch Mr. Wizard's World all the time when I was your age, Azzy. Don Herbert was a personal hero growing up."

"Wow, science is so cool!"

The vocaloid tropes...

Bunnie covered Asriel's ears as I covered his eyes.

"Wha...what's going on?"

"Nothing you need to see, hear, or experience."

"But you are missing some good sh--(FLOWEY LAUGH)."

"Shut up, Vi."

Movie and game reviews...

"Oh, they're reviewing the TMNT reboot."

"So...this Nostalgia Critic guy and this Angry Video Game Nerd person...?"

"You should get ready to cover your ears at some very bad language, Azzy..."

More video game memes...

"So...Spy is...bad?" Mitzi raised an eyebrow.

"Why are all these guys moving so...really...really messed up and jerky? I'm pretty sure body parts aren't supposed to...bend that way."

Asriel practically turned his head completely sideways to make sense of what he was seeing.

"TF2 hacks are an acquired taste." Violet mused.

And of course a feature presentations...cult classics or some other B-movies which clocked in extremely under budget with acting to match, anime films, or some other somethings that could occupy a lot of time. This night we ended up with a little movie roulette with a stew of bad flicks and such. Each one merited a different but similar reaction...

"This...movie isn't very scary." Asriel wrinkled his snoot.

"So...he turned himself into a walking fish creature to get revenge by polluting lakes and stuff? I don't get it." Skeeter scratched his head.

"Oww. My brain." Red Stokes' brother, Davise shook his head.

"It's almost as bad as the Room." Mitzi crossed her arms.

"So...he's not really a writer working on a next book? He's hacking computers to expose government corruption?"

"Worst. Movie. Monster. Ever."

"Oh gods, they couldn't look any more disinterested..." I retorted.

"Why did they put a teenager's brain in a dinosaur?"

"What's with the weird pebble thing that keeps appearing and disappearing?"

"Acting!" Violet said while doing jazz hands.

"The Bed That Eats...I got nothing."

"Well now I know where the budget went..." Jon rolled his eyes.

"So...Theodore Rex, huh?"

And before long we all conked out.

Sub Entry 140: "Preparations or My Return to Asgore"
"...thanks for the rush job, Bunnie."

"It is of no consequence. Be careful when you actually set out for the Underground."

"I'm not going to visit Asgore just yet. I still have prep to do. I'll have to check in with the other Boss Monsters and try to tighten the dragnet around Chara. If I can prevent her from getting to Asgore first, then maybe there won't have to be conflict. But...in all probability, I'm not that lucky."

"Whatever happens, do your best."

"Always." I loaded up the additional gear into E.N.G.I.N.E. dots.

"I will take my leave." Bunnie stepped back and BAMF-ed out of existence.

I returned to my work on the positron collider pack and the multitude of upgrades I was installing and pairing it with. I had blueprints from my mentors, Dr. Egon Spengler and Dr. Raymond Stantz as well as blueprints and notes from our recent allies, Dr. Jillian Holtzmann, Dr. Erin Gilbert, and Dr. Abigale Yates.

"...cryo-cooler for helium bleedoff, plasma shields for the proton discharge, some new circuit plates, and a Faraday Cage." I fit the metal grill into place.

I looked at the other set of blueprints.

"Transtator, synchronous generator, cyclotron, PPD, N-Filter, legrice elbow, HGA, ion arm, booster, booster frame, and power cell."

I looked over at my work. I was combining sets of technologies and refining them into something that combined the best of multiple generations of equipment.

"External plasma charge cannisters, surge supressor, heat sink." I muttered as I twisted some wires together and capped them.

"And of course the additional upgrades. Plasma Distribution System mk II, Boson Collider, Meson Reactor, Stasis Stream and Shock Blast unit, and additional electrical systems to tie them all together."

Some final panels and details and I folded and packed the last of the modular sections back up into the final compacted unit. With a press of the main power on the neutrona wand everything fired up with new lights, display, monitor windows, bar graphs, and neon hoses, trim, and pseudo-circuits.

It was neither 1984 incarnation, 1990's incarnation, or 2016 incarnation. It was all and neither. It was something new and it had several protonic clusters with the demon child's name on them.

"Now that's a good sound."

I looked over the additional equipment. Proton Whips, Plasma Shotgun, a Ghost Chipper, and Proton Grenades.

"You're suiting up for mainframe combat. But all science equipment aside...it may also require a bit of a mystical touch, too..."

I went to the other table where I had holy water bombs brought off world from CastleVania. Not to mention Cross Boomerangs and richochetting diamond projectiles.

Let's face it. I was taking no chances with Chara. But in all honesty...I didn't know how I was going to handle Asgore. If Chara got to him before I did, I don't know which of us would get the greater severe beating.

There was just no way to know how much to hold back without killing him. It was a hostage situation with incredibly high stakes. These events would have to be handled very delicately.

I had Bunnie's blend of "metsubishi" blinding powder, a modified version of Sally's Thunder Knuckledusters from the Tengu Suit's weapons, some of Gadget's flash bombs and coil guns, a few of Lupe's special tangle vine bulbs, and a pressurized mini canister of Rotor's "Megamuck"--a debilitating substance akin to riot foam made of one part petroleum, one part quicksand, and one part clay mud.

I packed everything up into numbered E.N.G.I.N.E. dots on a bandolier and placed it with the pack.

I picked up a screwdriver and started making final screw tightening when I looked up and saw Asriel standing there. His head was kinda bowed, his hands were behind his back, and he was being very quite. I sensed an aura of both gloom and worry.

"You're...going off world again, aren't you?"

"........yes."

"To one of those dangerous places. Right?"

"...afraid so."

A bit of silence.

"Asriel, I--"

"I know. You're a time traveler who has orders. Orders you have to follow. Dad told me about soldier discipline so...I guess what you do is...similar."

"I wish it weren't so. What I do is for the greater good. I keep so many secrets from you and everyone else. And it really tears me up inside that I can't share them."

"It's...not easy being patient...but it's something I feel I need to do. That look you have right now...you don't need me making things harder for you. A hundred years of waiting and hoping. This...this is nothing. You'll come back. You'll be okay."

"That confidence in me...it means more than you'll ever know."

"I can guess but...you're probably right."

That's when I saw what he was holding in his hands. And I about gasped.

"I guess they're called...sunflowers on this world. Lupe helped me pick this one out."

"Asriel..."

"I'm still a little skiddish around large patches of them...but I'm getting better."

Asriel offered me the flower.

"I want you to have this. Take it...for good luck. Not matter how bad things get there, you can hold onto this and think of me. I'll be thinking of you, too."

"Asriel...oh my gods...you...you...*sniffle*...you really are my best friend."

I knelt down and we hugged for a long time.

I accepted the sunflower and slid it into my lab coat pocket.

"Please be okay in there..." I whispered.

"Asriel...is it really okay? I'm worried...that it might get--"

"I feel it. It's a survivor. Even it it gets beat up with you...it'll protect you. Somehow."

I smiled.

"Okay. I trust you." I stood up and slung on the pack. I hit the switch on the belt and nano-mechanically collapsed it into its compact buckler form. I slung the bandolier over my shoulder.

"Volt...do you think there will come a day you'll be able to put all these bad things you go through behind you?"

"I have hope. And you know..."

We both smiled at the same time and replied at the same time.

"Hope never walks alone."

Chapter 15

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