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lunarrolls · 9 months

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37. feeblemind with ashton and orym?

this prompt then proceeded to haunt me for an entire twenty four hours. i wanted to write some good ol’ mindfuckery, but my instinctual need to make the scenarios of these prompts make sense simply could not fucking justify a feeblemind being thrown at either of these guys. if you REEEALLY want that mindfuckery, masterqwertster wrote an ashton feeblemind/greater restoration ficlet on this same prompt list! HOWEVER. i did write something. i’m stretching the list a bit here, but i had the idea after hours of puzzling and i HAD to get it down. SO. hopefully this is a suitable replacement!

•

Feeblemind is an eighth-level enchantment spell on the bard, druid, warlock, and wizard spell lists.

You blast the mind of a creature that you can see within range, attempting to shatter its intellect and personality. The target takes 4d6 psychic damage and must make an Intelligence saving throw.

On a failed save, the creature’s Intelligence and Charisma scores become 1. The creature can’t cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. The creature can, however, identify its friends, follow them, and even protect them.

At the end of every 30 days, the creature can repeat its saving throw against this spell. If it succeeds on its saving throw, the spell ends. The spell can also be ended by Greater Restoration, Heal, or Wish.

•

“Do you ever think about that professor?”

Orym starts a little at the question. It’s been a quiet watch, nothing much going on tonight, and for the most part him and Ashton have been content to simply sit in comfortable silence while the rest of their friends sleep. The sudden inquiry comes out of nowhere, and Orym has to think for a second to answer it.

“Yeah, I do,” Orym says. “The lady in Yios?”

Ashton nods. Orym notices that they won’t meet his eyes—their gemstone gaze stares off intently into the distance. “Kadija. Kadija Sumal, that was her name.”

He trails off into silence, obviously working at whatever he really wants to say. Ashton’s jaw always tightens when he’s got something to say but isn’t sure whether to say it. Orym’s noticed that he usually errs on the side of silence if interrupted, deeming the sentiment pointless after a moment, so he waits quietly for his friend to chase the threads that tangle behind the glass encasing his opalescent mind.

“She—she was ruined, Orym,” Ashton says.

Orym is caught slightly off-guard by the tightness of their words, mirroring their jaw—it’s uncharacteristic of them to be openly bothered by someone they’d only met once.

“Ludinus just—“

They make a grandiose hand gesture.

“I dunno. He just—he just waltzed in there and—and broke her like it was fucking nothing, Orym. She didn’t do anything.” They blow out a breath and roll their shoulders, staring down at the ground with a familiar angry expression. “I’m not making any goddamn sense. Whatever. She just—she’s just on my mind, is all. Random thought.”

Orym sits for a moment, tilting his head and trying to recall exactly what had happened at the Seminary. Ashton had vanished for a while, off on some random mission with an acquaintance from a million years ago (which, honestly, Orym was surprised that hadn’t happened more often given the sheer amount of random and strange people Ashton seemed to know all across Exandria), and then reappeared on the steps. Together with Chetney, they’d blackmailed the lady at the front desk and threatened her with a ladle (which was very funny, honestly, Orym had been a little sad that the Crown Keepers hadn’t seen how he’d handled that, he had a feeling they’d approve), and then ventured up to the classrooms only to find Imogen, Laudna, F.C.G., and Fearne crowded into a small office room, surrounded by a chaotic mess of fluttering papers. Orym had immediately thrown himself into searching for clues, making sure Ludinus wasn’t coming back (though, at the time, none of them had any goddamn idea who that asshole was).

But he remembered Ashton’s impromptu interview of the professor. The blankness of her stare. The childlike placidness she displayed, sitting alone and small in that room.

Ashton had offered her water, asked her what her name was, been gentle and even kind to her. Orym’d almost never seen them like that—even when they were at their softest, admitting affection for Chetney and F.C.G. on the deck of the Silver Sun, he’d never seen them act that way any other time. Even though the professor’s name hadn’t stuck in his mind the way it clearly had Ashton’s, he remembered the moment very clearly.

“Are you worried about her?” Orym asks, attempting to mirror Ashton’s distant stare into the middle distance. “Or… something else?”

“No, no, not worried about her,” Ashton says. “That fuckin’ place was absolutely crawling with mages. She’s probably fine now. Just—I hate Ludinus for that.”

Orym swallows his own white-hot rage at the mention of the name. He feels his expression harden.

“She was just a teacher,” Ashton says. Orym sees their fists clench out of the corner of his eye. “And he shattered her. Completely robbed her. She didn’t even have a way of fighting back, didn’t fucking threaten him or anything. She was just briefly in his way.”

Another pause. Orym hears Ashton shift across from him, curling in on themself, a hand on their hammer.

“We only got away from the Key at all because of Keyleth,” Ashton says bluntly, “because of that asshole buff lady and the fucking wizard guy who knew about my head. If they hadn’t been attracting his eye, who the fuck knows where we’d be now. You saw how he broke them too.”

And, oh, did Orym see it. He sees it every time he closes his eyelids, every time he gets too comfortable.

“We can’t ignore this,” Ashton continues. “But I—ugh. Fuck. I don’t know.”

“You don’t want to be broken again,” Orym says softly.

“No,” Ashton replies, finally glancing down at him, “I don’t want you all to be broken. And he can just fucking shatter us like fucking eggshells.”

Orym considers this. Lets it wash over his skin like an ice bath. Breathes deeply. Ashton’s right on some level. Some rational, horribly pragmatic level. Ashton is often right on that horrible, annoying level. It’s one of their strong suits.

Orym can’t fish up the right words to comfort his friend because, well, for all he pretends to just be the muscle of the group, Ash is surprisingly insightful. He doesn’t like to be lied to. So Orym won’t try. He would hate being lied to, in Ashton’s place.

“You’re right,” Orym says simply, almost absently, “we’re fucked.”

Ashton nods bitterly. “Fucked.”

“But,” Orym continues, gesturing out to their sleeping friends, “they’re strong. They’re stronger than us. If we’re shattered, like Sumal, I think they’ll pick up the pieces. I know they will. Who knows what happens after that, but they’re strong, at least.”

Ashton sighs and shifts again, curling tighter, his glassy eye poking just above the ridge of his kneecap. “…right. Right. They’re the best of us. I’m just—worried, I guess.”

“Too much time to think, huh?” Orym teases, his gaze sliding over to them directly.

“It’s a dangerous fucking pastime,” Ashton quips. “Nothing good comes of it. No idea how you or Chetney stand it.”

“Did you just imply that Chetney thinks? As a pastime?”

“Oh, fuck off. If you tell him any of this, I swear—“

#cr #cr3 #ashton greymoore #orym #roll performance #charisma save #playing with orym’s godly passive perception in fics is so fun #this halfling Sees Everything. he knows so much shit about his friends’ nervous habits #i KNOW the spell that hit kadija wasn’t a feeblemind #it was probably a geas if i had to guess #BUT. it was close. and i wanted to write this so bad for some reason as soon as i thought of it #ashton’s so fun to write in uncomfortable conversations. mf talks in circles just like me fr #spelling disasters

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hella1975 · 10 months

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no one is doing fanfic like me btw

#IM A GOD AT THIS LITERALLY #never met a writer as good as me sorry about it but that's the facts #like oh my goddd the neurons are firing the themes are paralleling the plot is tying itself in a neat bow #im so good ive ended up with miss fuyumi todoroki as one of my favourite characters #like no beef to my girlypop but i love to hate her like imo she's a good character bc she frustrates me so much #i generally dislike her like i dont want to defend her but i can see her justifications etc etc #and me personally i LOVE when characters do that to me like ohhh i wanna hit you so bad but writing-wise i want to study you #and now ive gone full circle bc in the fic im planning ive made her so outrageously complex that im gripping her shoulders and shaking her #she's everything she's nothing she's an antagonist she's an enabler she's just a girl she's tired im kissing her forehead #me with my actually very close relationship with my sister every time i see sibling dynamics in media: what if i made them worse #aiaia u have a rant incoming btw i mean this threateningly #tams and taob and tbp watching me outline what is very much looking to be another behemoth of a fic: 😟😟😟

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sage-nebula · 2 years

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STH - Had My Ducks in a Row, Now They're Slowly Falling Out of Line

Notes: I had intended to work on Beyond Oblivion tonight, but ever since I made that post about Metal Sonic calling Tails an unworthy child the other night (and then also made a post about Tangle being a good big sis), I've been thinking about this . . . and so this ended up coming out instead. Originally it was meant to be just Tails and Tangle, but as I finished up their section Sonic's came to mind, so I couldn't resist adding that in too.

Credit for the idea that Sonic has a little unease about Tails making so many weapons goes to @chaoxfix, because that headcanon is just too perfect to pass up. Hope you don't mind that I borrowed it!

Also, this is my first time ever writing for Tangle, so I hope she sounds all right, because I love her to pieces.

Summary: Months and months ago, Neo Metal Overlord called Tails unworthy. And he knows it's stupid to keep thinking about it, but it's been living rent-free in his head ever since. [Post-Chao Races & Badnik Bases, pre-Trial By Fire]

- - -

Tails scowled at the schematic spread over his work bench, and pressed his pencil lead a little harder into the paper.

Unworthy child!

His pencil lead snapped, the crack echoing with the words in his head, and he let his forehead hit his workbench with a groan.

It had been months since that day—months since the battle of Angel Island, though after the Metal Virus pandemic it felt as though it had been so much longer. But it really hadn’t been; everything happened so quickly nowadays, one crisis right after another, that there were times when Tails felt out of breath even when he was standing still. It wasn’t all bad; he genuinely liked adventure, especially when he could help Sonic save the world. But that was the problem, wasn’t it?

He chewed the inside of his cheek, and squeezed his eyes shut.

He had helped, during the battle of Angel Island. No matter what Neo Metal Overlord said, he had helped. He crashed the ship straight into Metal Overlord—he took him down! Sonic was so proud of him. Tails couldn’t say he wanted to do it again (in fact he’d say the opposite since he’d ached for days after that, not that he’d admit it), but he would say, would insist against the nagging voice in his head, that he had helped that time. He’d helped save Angel Island, and the world.

But . . .

But then the Metal Virus pandemic happened. Sonic got infected, and Tails couldn’t help him. Oh sure, he’d come close to working out a cure. But one set of infected Chao had been all it took to sabotage his data and make him lose everything. And though he had managed to retrieve one of the Chaos Emeralds from Zomom with Amy’s help, not only had he not been the one to come up with the idea to begin with, but at the end, all he’d been able to do was cower and hope against hope that Sonic would pull through and save the day. Sonic, who had been fighting off the infection for the duration of the pandemic. Sonic, who was already at the limits of his exhaustion. Everything had fallen to him, again, and Tails had been able to do nothing to help except retrieve one lousy Emerald.

(Well, that wasn’t fair. The Emerald wasn’t lousy. The Emerald helped Sonic achieve Super form, which allowed him and Silver and Metal to save the day. That was more than Tails could say for himself.)

Sonic hadn’t held it against him, of course. Sonic never did. When Tails was too scared of lightning to pilot through a storm, or revealed that a Chaos Emerald was fake and got Sonic ejected into space in a soon-to-be exploded capsule—no matter the situation, Sonic never blamed him. For all his spiky quills, bravado and the way he could snark at their enemies, Tails knew the truth: Sonic was a softie, and way nicer than most anyone gave him credit for.

Tails lifted his head so he could fold his arms on his desk, his chin resting upon them. He laid his pencil in front of him, and gave it a light flick so it rolled up the desk, and then back down to his waiting finger. Another flick sent it rolling up again.

It wasn’t like Tails had accomplished nothing in the interim. He had found schematics to fix Omega . . . even though he couldn’t read them. And Sonic had trusted him to go raid an old Eggman base to try to find the cipher he needed so that he could read them, and that was where they found Belle. And later, when they went to help Amy and the others at White Park . . . well, Tails had gotten kidnapped by Starline and tied to a rollercoaster to emotionally blackmail Sonic. But Rouge had, too, although she’d managed to cut her ropes and free herself faster than he did. But that was all right, wasn’t it? Because then he’d helped her alert the others so they could evacuate the tourists. And though Starline had tried to grab him again, this time Tails managed to protect himself . . . through using Belle’s kicking reflex, albeit without her permission to do so.

Unworthy child!

Tails huffed a sharp sigh to try to dislodge the twist in his gut, and flicked his pencil hard enough that it zipped off the back of his workbench and tumbled down to the floor.

“Whoa, buddy! Is this a bad time?”

“Huh?” Tails sat up and twisted around in his seat, blinking in surprise as he caught sight of Tangle in the doorway of his workshop, her fingers gripping the top of the doorframe as she swung lightly inside. “Oh—no. Do you need something?”

“Nah, not really. I was just kinda bored, and in the area, so I thought I’d drop in.” As she spoke, Tangle skipped over and hopped onto a stool beside Tails’ workbench. It spun halfway around, but she caught herself on the side of the desk, and swung back around to face him. “What’cha got goin’ on?”

“Nothing much.” Tails glanced back at the schematic he’d been working on, a half-finished design for a new rocket launcher. There was no need for it, really, but there wasn’t not a need for it, either. That’s what Tails told himself, anyway, or told Sonic whenever Sonic questioned him about why he was building so many different weapons. Maybe they didn’t need rocket launchers right now, but who was to say what would come in the future? There was no telling when Eggman or Starline or whoever would attack again. It was better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Unworthy—!

“Helloooo?” Tangle waved her hand in front of his face, and Tails jumped a little, blinking as he refocused on her. “Everything okay in there? You seem a million miles away, little dude.”

“Oh—yeah! I’m okay,” Tails said, and he forced a bright smile. Tangle smiled back, but not all the way; her forehead was creased, her brows pinched in the middle. “Sorry, I was just . . . thinking.”

“About what?” Tangle asked. When he didn’t answer right away (he was never good at coming up with lies on the spot), she nudged her calf against his shoe, and gave him a cajoling smile. “C’mooon, tell me! We saved the world together, right? A couple different times! You can tell me things. I promise I’ll only beg to try out whatever cool new invention you have up your sleeve a total of three times if you tell me about it.”

Tails couldn’t help it; he cracked a smile, despite himself. “It’s not that. I—the rocket launcher’s not coming along as hot as I’d like. It’s nowhere near testing stages yet.”

Tangle’s eyes lit up. “Rocket launcher?”

Tails cast a glance askance at the schematic. Solar power was the way to go, he thought; there was an endless source of energy right there in the sky, just waiting to be used. But none of the batteries he’d built could build up a charge quickly enough, or hold enough of a charge for long enough, to be used in something like a rocket launcher. He’d been working on solar power batteries since even before Metal Sonic’s coordinated badnik attacks, and yet—

Unworthy . . . !

“Do you ever—” Tails began, then stopped. This was stupid. It was stupid to still be thinking like this. If he told Sonic—

Sonic wouldn’t say it was stupid. Sonic would never say something like that. He’s too—he’s not mean enough for that. Even if he thought it, he’d never say it.

“Do I what?” Tangle kicked her feet back against the leg of her stool, and when Tails said nothing, she swung her tail around to poke him in the head. “C’mon, don’t leave me hangin’. Finish what you were gonna say, I’m all ears.”

Tails ran a hand across the back of his hair, smoothing down the fur Tangle’s tail had tousled. “It’s nothing. It’s stupid.”

“Stupid? From you? Mr Kid Genius? I highly doubt that.” Tangle put her elbow on his workbench, and leaned her cheek into her palm. “Come on, just tell me! Whatever it is, I promise I won’t tell a soul. Cool tail buddies honor.”

It was stupid. There was no way to explain that he was letting something Neo Metal Overlord said rot in his head for months without sounding stupid. But the thing about Tangle—the thing Tails liked about Tangle—was that she was unapologetically sincere. She wasn’t afraid to be enthusiastic about things, or embarrassed even when she was clumsy and made mistakes. She said they were cool tail buddies, but Tangle herself wasn’t concerned with being cool. With being a hero, sure. But not with being cool. And she was best friends with someone who was just as much of a nerd as Tails himself was, albeit about different things. It didn’t matter that Jewel’s wardrobe consisted of nothing but pantsuits and that she unironically loved organizing. Tangle still thought she was one of the coolest people in the world.

So maybe, even though what he thought was stupid, it would be okay if he told Tangle. Maybe she wouldn’t think he was any less cool himself. And she probably meant it when she said she wouldn’t tell anyone; he hadn’t known her to ever lie before.

“Okay,” Tails said at length, and Tangle’s eyes lit up. “But I’m going to hold you to that. If you tell anyone, you’re out of the cool tail buddies club.”

Tangle put two fingers to her forehead, and popped them off in a salute. “Yessir! So, what’s got your tails all twisted? In the bad way, I mean.”

“It’s just . . .” He’d resolved to tell her, but even now, the words felt stuck in his throat. Tails wished he hadn’t flicked his pencil off the desk; he needed something to fidget with. He took a deep breath. “Do you ever wonder if—if maybe you��re . . . if despite anything, you’re just—holding people back? Or not . . . contributing what you should be?”

Tangle blinked, and sat up straight on the stool. “What?”

“I mean—” Tails swung one of his own tails up so he could fidget with the tip; he couldn’t look her in the eyes anymore. “You do your best. And you do contribute some things. But it’s—when it matters, when it really counts, you just . . . fall short. You have to rely on someone else for help, to save the day. And you—no one’s mad about it, and they’d never say it, and you do some things so you know you’re not totally useless, but you wonder if, if maybe . . .”

“If, maybe . . . you made one mistake too many?” Tangle offered, and Tails’ ears flattened against his head, his shoulders hunched as he cringed. “If maybe at first it could be passed off as you just being inexperienced, and not really knowing what you were up against, and so you underestimated the enemy and he got the jump on you because of that. But then later, after you knew better and could be trusted, you still got careless and your zombified best friend got the jump on you and turned you into a zombot, and so she realized she really couldn’t rely on you after all. And so the real reason she left you behind wasn’t because you were working with the Restoration and she felt that your place was with them, but was actually because she felt she couldn’t count on you as her backup anymore because you’d already let her down once, so who’s to say it won’t happen again? And you can’t even fault her for that, because you did let her down once and, anyway, if she wanted you along she would have let you go with her, but she didn’t and that means that if you go after her now, you’re disrespecting what she wants and are just going to get told to go home again because she doesn’t want and can’t count on you at all.”

Tails furrowed his brow halfway through Tangle’s speech, and by the time she was finished, confusion clouded his anxiety so thoroughly he could hardly feel it anymore. “Huh?”

Tangle blinked; for a moment, it looked as though she’d almost forgotten he was there. Then she laughed loudly, and waved a hand through the air as if dispelling smoke from burned cookies. “Just as, you know, a totally random and totally not specific or in any way real scenario.”

Tails frowned. “Right . . .”

“But, anyway. My totally random and not specific or in any way real example aside—am I hearing you right? You think you’re not contributing enough? You?” Tangle reached over with her tail again, and this time gave him a light push on his shoulder. “Have you seen all the stuff you’ve built? You’ve got two whole workshops filled, plus all that stuff at Restoration HQ. You’ve got a crazy amount of inventions! And you’ve saved the world, several times! And you’re only eight! You know what I was doing when I was eight? I was parkouring off cliffs, and not even on purpose. Jewel didn’t get those guns of hers by hauling rocks around her museum, let me tell you. She got them from hauling my sorry butt back up from the cliff I threw myself down for the third time in a week.”

Tails chuckled. “Yeah. But—”

“But nothing.” Tangle flopped her tail on top of Tails’ head, and he brushed it away. “You are hands down the coolest eight-year-old I’ve ever seen in my life. So what if you need help sometimes? Everyone does, and you should know; you help people all the time. So why’s it bad for you to get helped back, huh?”

“It’s not bad. I just . . .” Tails flailed a hand, gesturing to nothing. “I’ve been doing this for a long time now. I just feel like maybe I should be . . . better, by now.”

“Well . . .” Tangle tilted her head side to side, considering. “That’s not a . . . bad thing, maybe. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re totally awesome and should have way more confidence in yourself. But if you were totally satisfied, then you couldn’t get even better, right? You’d stop trying. And there’s no way this world would be able to handle it if you stopped trying, so that would be no good.”

Tails gave her a wry smile. “The world would be fine. I mean, there’s Sonic—”

“Sonic can’t invent the things you do,” Tangle said. Her tail poked him in the chest. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing and a hero and we’d all be doomed a thousand times over without him, and if I get to go on another adventure with him tomorrow I’ll have waited too long—but he’s no scientific genius, y’know? But you are, and you’re cool and nice and not evil or bonkers like Eggman or Starline. So we definitely need you in our corner.”

Warmth flooded Tails’ cheeks, and he looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Tangle.”

“Don’t mention it, li’l dude. What are cool tail buddies for?” Tangle winked, and Tails felt his smile grow. “So, what’cha workin’ on? You said something about a rocket launcher? Please tell me you have a rocket launcher.”

“Not yet,” Tails said, and Tangle’s shoulders slumped in exaggerated disappointment. “But I have been working on a few other things, like a new set of prototype missile gauntlets.”

Tangle sat straight up in her chair, eyes shining. “Missile gauntlets?”

“Yeah—well, I was thinking about Knuckles, you know? He’s a brawler, so he specializes in close-quarters combat. But Eggman knows that, so if he sent badniks to Angel Island, they’d probably be ones that are built for long-range combat.”

As he spoke, Tails hopped off his stool and crossed the room to the workbench along the back wall, where the prototype gauntlets—having just had the finishing touches put on them the night before—sat. Tangle followed close at his heels, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

“So just in case he gets attacked by long-range badniks and we’re not near enough to help, I figured these might be able to give him an extra boost. They can function like normal gauntlets in close-range combat, but if he presses this button here by curling his wrist—” Tails indicated a button on the inside cuff, “—then it’ll deploy missiles from the knuckles of the gauntlet, here.” He tapped his fingers along small, barely visible missile compartment doors along each of the four knuckles. “Of course, right now each gauntlet only holds four missiles, so it’s not exactly practical for a long fight, and I haven’t figured out how best to reload them, especially since Knuckles isn’t exactly the greatest with technology, but—”

“Those. Are so. Cool!” Tangle squealed, and Tails jumped yet again, his tails spinning this time to keep him a few inches off the ground until his heart rate slowed. “Can I see them in action? Can I try them out?! Please, please can I try them out?!”

“Well, I made them for Knuckles, so they’re a bit big, but . . .” Tails eyed Tangle’s clasped hands, and then her pleading eyes and wobbling lower lip. He grinned. “Gimme ten minute to adjust the size, and then we can go out to the target range out back.”

Tangle let out another delighted squeal, and scooped him up in a bear hug. For the second time in under five minutes, Tails felt his feet leave the ground. “Woohoo! You’re the best, Tails!”

Tails laughed as she set him back on his feet, his own tails swishing behind him. “Heheh, well . . . I try.”

- - -

It wasn’t too uncommon for there to be reports of explosions in the general vicinity of Tails’ Mystic Ruins workshop. Tails was a super genius, but he was a super genius who often worked with explosive materials and way too much electrical charge, and so every now and then, things were bound to get a little explode-y. So when there was talk of an occasional kaboom heard in the Mystic Ruins, Sonic didn’t usually get too worried.

But sometimes it wasn’t just one kaboom. Sometimes it was multiple kabooms. And when those multiple kabooms were accompanied by talks of missiles and rockets and lots of yelling . . . that’s when Sonic’s quills got set on edge.

It wasn’t in his nature to panic right away. Multiple kabooms, rockets, and yelling didn’t necessarily mean that Eggman had decided to strike again, targeting Tails’ workshop directly this time. But when Sonic tried calling and got voicemail—well, that still didn’t necessarily mean Tails was in danger. Maybe he was just caught up in whatever he was working on, and didn’t hear his communicator beep. So Sonic tried again, and once more, got voicemail. And when he tried a third time . . .

Well, he didn’t try a third time. Kabooms, missiles, yelling, voicemail. All four things combined meant it was time to pay the Mystic Ruins workshop a visit.

Fortunately, he wasn’t too far away. He made it to Tails’ home in record time, picking up the pace when he caught sight of the wispy spirals of smoke rising in the sky from Mystic Ruins’ border. As he wound his way through the Ruins, he spied no badniks—but then, that was probably intentional. Ol’ Egghead was probably laying a trap. Not a very good one, considering how fast word spread that something was going down in Mystic Ruins, and how obvious the smoke was visible against the sky, but—

Another explosion rent the air, and rocked the earth enough so that Sonic stumbled as he reached Tails’ front door. Immediately following, he heard a whoop of delighted laughter from behind the workshop.

He blinked, and stood up straight. Was that . . . Tangle?

Seeing as how nothing seemed to be happening inside the lab, Sonic looped around to the back, where Tails’ outdoor testing area and target range was. Upon reaching the back, three things immediately became clear:

One: His ID of the voice he heard was correct; Tangle was indeed in what remained of Tails’ backyard.

Two: Tails was just fine, and not under attack at all. He had his tablet in hand, and was surveying the wreckage with a grin from his vantage point up in the air.

And three: Rebuilding the testing area was not going to be fun.

To say it was in ruins was an understatement. Every single target, from the ones that had been pinned to the trees, to the stationary standees, to the ones that Tails had built into moving tracks in the ground, had been blasted apart in some form or another. There were little embers smoldering in the grass in different parts of the yard. Several trees had been knocked over. A pair of rickies were staring at the carnage with horrified awe from the roof of Tails’ workshop.

Tangle spotted Sonic as he rounded the corner, and while she had already been sporting a manic grin, her smile somehow grew even wider as her hand shot into the air and she waved at him. “Hey Sonic! What’s up?!”

“Seems like that’s what I should be asking you,” Sonic said, as Tails swooped down to land beside him. Sonic raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at Tails. “Some people were saying they heard explosions out this way, so I figured I’d swing by to take a look. Everything okay?”

“Yeah! Tangle’s just helping me test some new gear,” Tails said, as Tangle zipped over to them at speeds Sonic didn’t know she was capable of. She still wasn’t on his level, of course, but he did have to step out of the way as she blazed by, a trail of fire sparking on the grass behind her.

“Rocket boots,” Tangle said, before Sonic had a chance to ask. Her eyes were shining brighter than a pair of suns, and she pumped her fists in front of her. “He made rocket boots!”

Sonic laughed. “No kidding?”

“They’re for Shadow,” Tails explained, and he held out his tablet so Sonic could glance over the schematics on the screen. “I know his are still in okay shape, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be better. And I’ve added extra propulsion to these ones to add more force to his kicks. You know, since he likes to kick people.”

“He does like doing that,” Sonic agreed.

“I mean, who knows when we’ll see him again. But if something does happen, I figure it might be nice to give him a boost. You know, as thanks for helping us out. I’m thinking about making some for his Chao, too, so it can keep up with him.”

“Not sure he wants to be bringing that little guy into battle. Though you never know, maybe Cream and Cheese’ll inspire him.”

“Right? So it won’t hurt to be prepared, just in case.”

“Okay, as absolutely freaking adorable as the idea of Chao rocket boots sounds, I’m ready to try out the next thing,” Tangle said, already slipping out of the rocket boots she’d lit the grass on fire with. “You got anything else, little guy? Please tell me you have something else. You’ve gotta have something else.”

“Hmm . . .” Tails tapped his finger to his chin in thought, and then grinned. “You know, I did finish a prototype for a magnet gun last week. It works by using magnetism to attract and repel metal, theoretically turning anything used against us into possible ammunition to—”

“Is it in the same area of your workshop as the other things?” Tangle interrupted, eyes bright. Tails nodded, and Tangle pumped her fist into the air. “Heck yes! I’m on it!” With that, she turned and dashed back into the lab.

Sonic shook his head, smiling as he watched her go, and then looked back at Tails. Tails was already skimming through the schematics on his tablet again, no doubt searching for the magnet gun’s folder so he could make notes based on Tangle’s tests. Now that he knew the workshop wasn’t under attack, his quills settled back into a more relaxed position, his heartrate returning to its usual fast, but not supercharged. Tails was safe. He was having fun with Tangle. His yard was destroyed, but they could deal with that later. Sonic would help, and he would only be a little melodramatic about it.

But it seemed like everything they had tested so far was some kind of weapon. Even the boots for Shadow—didn’t Tails say something about adding more firepower to them, to help Shadow in combat? And a magnet gun, while it didn’t have ammunition of its own . . .

So much had happened so fast. Eggman had successfully taken over the world, and kept Sonic in captivity for six months, during which Tails was alone. Then not long after that, Metal Sonic had tried to take the Master Emerald, and the world with it. Then there was the Metal Virus pandemic, and the incident at White Park . . .

Sonic loosely crossed his arms, his head tilted as he examined Tails. Tails was still scanning through the blueprints on his tablet, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth.

He was such a smart, strong, brave kid. But he was also, well . . .

“Hey,” Sonic said, and Tails looked up, his ears perked in question. “You doing okay?”

“Huh?” Tails blinked, as though caught off-guard, and for a second—just a second, so quick Sonic almost missed it—it looked like something clouded his eyes. But then he smiled as the door to his workshop opened again, Tangle bounding back out into the yard. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

Something was there. Sonic didn’t know what it was, but he did know he didn’t like it. Tails was so smart, and strong, and brave. But . . .

“No reason,” Sonic said. “Hey, doesn’t that new AGES game come out this weekend? How about we give it a spin?”

Tails grinned, and wagged his tails in a hard enough circle that he lifted a little off the grass. “Really? You want to?”

“Definitely,” Sonic said, and he grinned as Tails beamed, and did a delighted little loop in the air.

“All right, I’ve got the gun,” Tangle said, and Sonic took a step back as she hefted a heavy, dark blue-grey weapon in her hands. Once again, her smile was manic; it was not at all hard to believe that she had destroyed all the targets in the yard with glee. “Show me how to work this thing!”

“You got it!” Tails dropped back down to the grass, and leaned closer to Tangle as he started to give her a detailed run-down of the gun: the trigger mechanism, magnetism strength modification slider, the whole works. Sonic shook his head, and as Tangle nodded fervently along with Tails’ instructions, bounded up onto the roof to sit beside the rickies and watch the chaos that was about to unfold.

Tails was a smart, strong, and brave kid. But he also was still a kid. More specifically still, he was—and always would be, no matter how old they got—Sonic’s kid brother.

Tails indicated a hunk of scrap metal on the other side of the yard. Tangle took aim and fired. The magnet gun’s magnetic beam worked as intended; it secured the scrap metal in a vibrating grasp, and propelled it straight back at Tangle at alarming speed. Heeding Tails’ shouted warning, Tangle spun herself in several circles, swinging the scrap metal around her, before she released it and sent it flying. It crashed clear through a tree, and made a strong dent in the tree behind it. Tails, delighted, saved the video on his tablet as Tangle crowed in triumph.

No matter how much he wished he could, Sonic couldn’t stop the bad things from happening. And no matter what he said, he knew he couldn’t make Tails feel like he could slow down on making an armory big enough to outfit the entire world—at least, not for long. But whatever nightmares bugged Tails at night, or spurred him to develop new guns and rockets during the day . . . well, maybe Sonic couldn’t dispel them completely, but a chill weekend of video games and junk food definitely couldn’t hurt.

Tails retrieved the scrap metal and set it out so Tangle could give the magnet gun another go, and Sonic leaned back comfortably against the roof to watch the show.

#IDW sonic #miles tails prower #tangle the lemur #cool tail buddies #sonic the hedgehog #unbreakable bond #and a little Whispangle angst in there because I am incorrigible (but also not at all sorry)#the comics want to have Metal call Tails unworthy & then do nothing with it? fine. then i will write the angst MYSELF #and throw in Whispangle angst for good measure because boy howdy do I love those lesbians and can't WAIT for them to reunite #anyway Tangle is a Cool Big Sis and I love her. She ties with Sonic as my second favorite Sonic series character #(Tails and Whisper tie as my first favorite. honestly tho it's a very close contest. I love all four of them so goddamn much)#you know that scene in season two of Gravity Falls when Mabel is firing the fireworks rocket and she goes ''I AM A GOD OF DESTRUCTION!!'' ?#that's Tangle testing out Tails' gear lmao #Sonic just wasn't there for that part (also bc Tails' rocket launcher isn't finished yet. but Soon)#anyway. back to running the prayer circle that Tangle and Whisper get to show up in Frontiers somehow #a woman can dream #fic fix #OH and the fic title comes from ''The Wrecked & the Worried'' by NateWantsToBattle. one of my faves #sth

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angelsdean · 1 year

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the most adhd thing ever abt me is that my youtube watch later has over 600 videos on it and the earliest ones date back to circa 2009. i am infinitely putting things off for later

#another thing is how i started watching dawson's creek online for free in middle school #and now i am. 27. and still have not finished watching dawson's creek (been stuck on the last season for yrs. yes the one jensen's in)#also have various books i started reading years ago and have yet to finish. they are just hanging in limbo until i circle back to them #i'm also this way about my writing *staring at you WIP fic i've had since oct 2021*#*and staring at you and you and you multiple other smaller WIP fics started since then as well*#*aaaaaand staring at YOU original fiction projects i've had for close to a decade*#anyways. all this brought on by saving multiple vids to my watch later and dooming them to a fate of never being watched #no no i will watch them i will! (they're fun educational vids on space stuff !!)#but yea gotta. clear out some of those early vids on my watch later bc they were from the h*p days and yea. neverrr getting back into that #vic.txt

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moregraceful · 1 year

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Actually having a maximum word count owns and it's not at all agonizing that I am stuck at 2088 words. (Cut down for 2400. But still.) I think bc I have can't shut up in fanfic disease and 2k is just long enough for a narrative but not enough for a plot so I have to be really judicious with a) word choice and phrasing but also b) framing and executing emotional beats. So it's a good exercise. Very fun. I love challenging myself.

#took today and tomorrow off of work owing to recovering from conjunctivitis of it all #when you work in close proximity to kids not a great idea to go in with pink eye u know sets a bad example for the kids #DID i know sinus infection could lead to that NO and it's GROSS #but i wrote a whole fic. gonna try to write off another prompt today or tomorrow #got that niche circle of people who care about minor league hockey and the san francisco giants covered #(the circle is me)#fresno oilers.txt

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lovingempress · 9 months

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You know you have a tab issue when you have 6 of the same tab open over the course of a year 💀

Fam have you ever left a fic tab open because “you were gonna read it later” but then forget about it and get distracted by like 15 other fics?

Yea, so I knew I had it bad, but I just found multiple tabs that are just the same page, the same fic, or the same author and I had NO IDEA THEY WERE OPEN

#When the fandom is so small that you only have so much to read so you reread the same things over and over but forget that you already have a tab open for that 💀 😂

#me things #so I accidentally sorted my 499 tabs by title and uh #APPARENTLY #I JUST FORGOT I HAD THOS OPEN #OF MY 499 TABS #A GOOD 20% ARE JUST DUPLICATES #that’s uh #that’s pretty bad ehe #sometimes I like to go through a certain author’s favorites to read things #and I don’t close it bc I haven’t finished going through EVERYTHING of course #but then I lose interest for a while and forget it’s open until I inevitably circle back to it #Anyways today I found out I can’t give my mother shit for never closing her tabs #because she may be bad but I figure I have actually reached worse with this #ascendence of a bookworm fic community is so small (it’s grown but still!!)#anyways I have 99 problems and it’s called duplicate tabs #I’m gonna have to sort through this all fml

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emospritelet · 1 year

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Closing the Circle - Chapter 14/15

Sorry I've been AWOL. Did not have a good December, but things are looking up.

Last time, Ruby asked the wolves to help track Belle and Emma, who have been imprisoned by Zelena. Gold is not pleased...

AO3 link

The sun had already ducked beneath the canopy of trees, long wisps of cloud streaked with gold and rust. The temperature had dropped further as the snow clouds had retreated, and Ruby’s breath formed billows of white in the air as she stood motionless, gazing out at the woods and waiting for the wolves to return. Gold paced impatiently, cane poking holes in the thin layer of snow, shoes scuffing up dead leaves as he tried to hide his rising fear.

“This is taking forever!” he snapped, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Give them a chance,” she said. “There’s a wide area to search, and it’s not like they can knock on people’s doors and show a Missing Persons poster, is it?”

“I understand that, but we’re heading towards dusk!”

Ruby held up her wrist, shaking the silver cuff.

“This seems to be working, if it makes you feel any better,” she said. “I’d have felt that old tickle before now, if I was gonna change.”

“Really?” asked Aurora, sounding interested. “So you can feel when the change is going to happen? Can you describe it?”

“Can we leave the research until the rescue mission is over?” Gold asked, his words clipped and terse. “I’d like our sole lead in this case to pay attention to what she’s doing.”

Ruby looked him up and down, an amused twist to her mouth.

“You’re really sweet on her, aren’t you?”

He was spared having to think of a convincing denial by the rustle of bushes off to her left, which made her head snap around. A wolf emerged, and Ruby dropped down to sit on her heels as it loped over, tail wagging. There was a brief moment of silence, and then Ruby sighed and scratched the wolf behind the ears before it shook itself and sat beside her. She caught Gold’s eye, shaking her head, and he felt himself sag a little. It didn’t find her.

More wolves arrived, each apparently delivering the same news, and Gold’s anxiety grew. The wolves made a semicircle at Ruby’s back, eyeing Gold and the others with a detached sort of interest. He wondered how they would react if Ruby was not there with them. She was looking anxious, chewing her lip and bouncing on her toes as she scanned the woods, and another wolf bounded up to her, tail wagging briskly. Ruby was smiling even before she squatted down, and Gold felt a spark of hope.

“He found her,” she said, getting to her feet as she petted the wolf. “Caught the scent, and says he saw a dark-haired female, so Belle’s there for sure. He also saw another female human with pale hair. Could be Emma?”

“Where?” asked Gold quickly.

“A large stone house at the edge of the forest,” said Ruby. “West of here.”

“Sounds like the Mayor’s mansion,” said Cruella, and Gold felt a flare of rage burn through him.

“Zelena,” he said grimly. “I’ll fucking kill her.”

“You think Zelena took Belle?” asked Mulan. “Why? I mean, she’s unpleasant, but why would she want to kidnap Belle and Emma?”

“Because she clearly has a fucking death wish,” he growled. “Beyond that, I don’t know and I don’t fucking care. We need to get to the mansion.”

“That was the scent!” said Ruby suddenly. “I knew I’d smelt it before, but I couldn’t remember—”

The wolf nosed her hand with a whine before letting out a snort and shaking its head. Ruby closed her mouth suddenly, looking uncertain.

“What?” snapped Gold, and she wrinkled her nose.

“There’s something else,” she said. “He said they’re underground. Maybe a cellar?”

“So?”

Ruby hesitated.

“He said - he said there was a werewolf there, too.”

“Why would Zelena have a werewolf in her cellar?” asked Aurora, and Ruby shook her head.

“I don’t know, but we’re losing daylight. Belle and Emma could be in real danger.”

“Then we’d better stop fucking talking and move!” snapped Gold, and nodded to the wolves. “Thank your friends for us, Miss Lucas. Quickly.”

He set off in the direction they had come, fear and rage burning through him. What the hell is Zelena up to?

By the time they reached the cars, dusk had fallen, and Gold wrenched open the door of the Cadillac, barely waiting for Cruella and Jefferson to take their seats before reversing out and heading back towards town with a squeal of tires. Jefferson had been talking to someone on his phone, and he slipped it into his pocket, almost ending up in Cruella’s lap as Gold took a corner at speed.

“One of my contacts confirmed that Zelena took Emma from the Rabbit Hole,” he said. “Emma was on her feet, but walking like she was possessed, and as soon as they were outside she got into the trunk of Zelena’s car nice as you please.”

“And Belle?” asked Gold grimly.

“Just rumours, nothing solid. Seems to match up with what the wolves told Ruby though, right?”

Cruella sat forward, one hand on Gold’s shoulder.

“What’s the plan when we get there, short stuff?”

“The plan,” he said evenly, “is that we march through the front door, find Belle, and kill however many witches in that bloody family are behind this.”

“Should be fun!” she said cheerfully. “I really wish you’d told me before we came out. I’d have worn something red. Blood is such a bugger to get out.”

Gold grunted, pressing his foot down as the car neared the edge of town. The Mayor’s mansion was close. He only hoped they would get there in time.

Belle pushed up from her seat on the stone floor, working her teeth against the insides of her cheeks to get some saliva into her parched mouth. Emma was pacing restlessly, thick-soled boots going back and forth across the cell. The sun had crawled towards the horizon with alarming speed, and Belle had watched shadows lengthen across the cellar floor, stretching out beneath the bars and into the cell opposite as dusk fell. Philip had retreated into the corner, arms wrapped around his knees, the blankets draped over his head and shoulders so that his face was in shadow. He seemed paler, his skin having taken on a waxen look, and his hands were trembling.

“Are you okay?” asked Belle, and he shook his head.

“I can feel it, when the change is near,” he said. “Like a tickling under my skin. Like something’s living under there. It won’t be long, now.”

His voice was dull, hopeless, and Belle clutched at the bars.

“I told you, we’re gonna get out of here!”

“No one’s coming,” he said tonelessly. “When that wolf came, for a moment I thought he - he knew what I was. I thought he might help. Stupid thing to think.”

“It’s not stupid!” she insisted. “Our friends will find us, and until then, we just have to take care of each other.”

“Yeah, I’m not going out without a fight,” announced Emma. “Zelena has to let us out of this cage at some point, and the moment she does I’m gonna smack her in her stupid, smirking face!”

Philip smiled sadly.

“I hope you do,” he said. “And if you get the chance, you should run. Both of you. Lock the cellar door behind you. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but wolves run fast, and I won’t be able to help myself.”

“We’re all gonna get out of here!” said Belle firmly. “We won’t leave you behind, I promise!”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said.

“Sensible advice, on the whole.”

Belle felt her fists clench at the sound of Zelena’s voice, and Emma grabbed at the bars, thrusting her chin forward as Zelena walked closer. The cellar key dangled from one finger, swaying in time with her hips.

“Open this door!” shouted Emma. “Our friends are on their way, and if you don’t let us go—”

“No one knows where you are,” said Zelena dismissively. “No one could.”

“Are you stupid?” demanded Belle, making Zelena’s nostrils flare. “Aurora is a witch. She can cast a locator spell in her sleep! Ruby’s a werewolf, and if you think she can’t track us—”

“Your friend’s locator spell won’t get past my shield,” interrupted Zelena. “And as for the wolf - the sun has almost set, and the moon will soon be rising. Even if she does manage to find her way to you, it might not be to free you.”

She was grinning, pale eyes glinting, but the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside made her turn towards the door. Regina marched in, a high-collared black coat flaring out as she walked. She wore a neat black trouser suit and leather boots, and there was an irritated twist to her mouth that became open-mouthed shock as she took in the scene.

“Zelena, what—?” She eyed the occupants of the cells, shock seeming to turn to outrage. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Ah, you’re here,” said Zelena carelessly. “I told you to bring Lily.”

“She’s coming, but—”

“Good.” Zelena turned to face her properly. “And Mother and Mal?”

“They’ve gone to prepare the ritual site, of course, like we should be doing.”

Zelena looked irritated.

“I wanted them here!”

“Never mind that!” Regina put her hands on her hips. “What the hell are Miss French and Miss Swan doing locked in the cellar? And who the hell is that guy?”

“She kidnapped us,” said Emma bluntly. “And she’s planning on feeding us to Philip. Who’s a werewolf, apparently.”

Regina closed her eyes, briefly squeezing them shut before shaking her head and opening them again.

“What?” Her voice was dangerously soft, and Zelena rolled her eyes.

“I’m doing this for Lily,” she said. “You and Mother and Mal have been coddling her for too long. If you want her to get control of her powers, she needs a decent incentive, wouldn’t you agree?”

Regina raised her arms and let them fall against her legs with a slap, her expression incredulous.

“So - what, you think feeding her girlfriend to a werewolf is the motivation she’s been lacking all these years?”

“Of course not!” said Zelena scornfully. “I thought, once she sees what the werewolf is capable of, she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her friend safe.”

“Capable - oh!” Regina glanced between Emma and Belle, shaking a finger. “You mean Miss French. You’re going to feed her to the werewolf.”

“Got it in one.” Zelena smirked, tossing her hair. “Perhaps Mother’s faith in you isn’t entirely misplaced.”

Regina shook her head, looking incredulous.

“What are you thinking?”” she demanded. “She wouldn’t stand a chance!”

“Then it’ll be an effective demonstration.”

“You want her to be killed?” Regina looked outraged. “You can’t possibly think that Lily getting control of her powers is worth someone’s life!”

Zelena shrugged.

“You know the saying about omelettes and eggs…”

“You must be out of your mind,” said Regina flatly. “I’m not getting mixed up in this! If Gold finds out you had his girlfriend killed, he’ll rip your throat out, and I wouldn’t blame him!”

“She’s not his girlfriend!” snapped Zelena. “And she won’t be too pretty when the werewolf is done with her, I doubt he’ll care.”

The flat, dismissive way she said it made Belle’s stomach lurch. Emma fumbled for her hand and squeezed it, and Belle squeezed back, grateful for the comfort.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” said Philip, looking desperate. “Please! I can feel the change coming! Let me go, I don’t want you to be in danger!”

“I’m letting them out,” said Regina firmly. “We’ll find another way to cure Lily.”

She took a step towards the cells, and Zelena lashed out, face twisting in an ugly grimace as she hurled green fire. Regina was slammed back against the cellar wall with a thump, wheezing as the breath was knocked from her.

“What are you doing?” she choked, nails scrabbling at the bricks as she tried to move, the green light binding her arms and torso to the wall.

“Taking back my birthright!” snapped Zelena. “Once Lily is free of the ridiculous barrier she’s put between herself and her power, we’ll be a proper, fully-functioning coven! No one will be able to stand in our way! The town will respect us for the powerful women that we are, and it’ll be my doing!”

“What’s going on?”

Lily had appeared at the door, dark eyes widening in shock as she clutched at the door frame.

“Emma?”

“Lily!” shouted Emma. “Lily, she’s crazy! She wants to kill us!”

“Ah, just in time!” said Zelena brightly. “Come in, Lily dear. Tonight’s the night you truly become one of us.”

“What?” Lily looked nervously from Zelena to Emma to Regina. “What is this? Why are they trapped?”

“It’s a test,” said Zelena. “A test that I have every confidence you’ll pass.”

“Zelena, let them go!” said Regina through her teeth.

“All in good time,” said Zelena, grinning. “Lily, as you’ve seen, your good friend Emma and the librarian are trapped in a cage. If you concentrate, you may be able to save them from a terrible fate.”

A groan from their right made Belle’s head whip around. Philip had bent forward, curled in a ball with his head on his knees. The blankets had slipped from around his shoulders, exposing pale skin stretched across taut muscles. He was shaking, his slender fingers tented on the stone floor, and a low growl came from him that made Belle shiver.

“What’s wrong with him?” Lily’s voice was trembling. “What are you doing to them?”

“Me?” Zelena pressed a hand to her heart, looking shocked. “Nothing at all. I’m simply letting nature take its course. Predators kill prey, so that others may thrive. It’s the circle of life. Rather beautiful, if you think about it.”

“You’re insane,” said Belle, her voice shaking.

Philip’s shoulders hunched, and Belle and Emma gasped as his spine seemed to push upwards, his back curving. He let out a scream of pain that turned to a bellow and then to a low howl that made Emma clutch at Belle’s arm so tightly it hurt. Dark hair sprouted, spooling out of his skin, a thick coat of fur spreading down his body as his muscles stretched and grew.

“Holy shit!” gasped Emma.

“It seems our special guest is about to arrive,” said Zelena, with relish. “Time for dinner to be served.”

She marched over to the cell, fingers flicking out ropes of green fire. Emma shouted obscenities as the magic pushed her back against the far wall, and Zelena unlocked the cell, a green, gleaming noose winding around Belle’s neck and pulling her out. Belle stumbled on the stone floor, clutching helplessly at her throat. Philip was rising up, shaking off the blankets that had covered him. Long, dark brown fur covered his body, his limbs heavily muscled, his toes and fingers tipped with sharp claws. Amber eyes gleamed above a pointed snout, his mouth open in a wide snarl. Belle tried to kick out as Zelena dragged her towards his cell, and almost stumbled forward before catching herself.

“This is madness!” Regina sounded terrified. “Stop this!”

“Lily can make it stop,” said Zelena coldly.

“I can’t!” Lily wept. “I don’t know how!”

“Of course you do!” snapped Zelena. “You’re a witch! You’re one of us! You were born with the power, you just need to embrace it!”

“I don’t want power!” sobbed Lily. “Not if it’s like this! Not if it hurts people! I don’t want to be like you!”

Zelena curled her lip.

“Yet another member of this coven with a worrying lack of ambition!” she said, with derision. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one actually born into this family. After this pathetic demonstration, Mother will see that I’m the only one worthy of leading the town when she decides to step aside.”

Regina shook her head, looking bewildered.

“Are you kidding me?” she exclaimed. “You’re trying to prove to Mother that you’re better than me?”

“I am better than you!” spat Zelena, stepping forward with a stamp of her foot. “I’m older, I’m stronger, I got control of my magic more easily than you! And yet she continues to treat you like you’re the heir-apparent! If I didn’t live in this house I think she’d forget I exist!”

“So you think a double murder’s the way to go?”

“I’m not killing anyone, it’ll be the werewolf!”

“You mean the werewolf you trapped here and set loose on them?” Regina shook her head. “You think the Covenant will hold if you do this? Why the hell should anyone trust us again? It’ll be open season!”

“It’ll be a chance to remove the opposition and consolidate our power.”

“Gold won’t look past this!”

Zelena chuckled. “You underestimate me. It’s the one thing you have in common with Mother.”

“Mother knows exactly who you are,” said Regina, a layer of disdain coating her voice. “And so does Gold. This isn’t something you can charm your way out of, Zelena. He’ll kill you!”

“Oh, she’s right about that.”

Five words, spoken calmly, softly, but with an air of menace that made the light seem to dim. Belle felt her heart soar as she glanced towards the doorway. Gold stood there, dressed from head to toe in black and looking as though he was ready to tear his way through entire armies. His eyes met hers, and she wanted to laugh in Zelena’s face. We’re saved!

With a shriek of rage, Zelena lifted a hand, making a wave of green light fly at the doorway. Gold cursed loudly, pushed backwards by the magic as Mulan and Aurora ran into his back.

“Belle!” shouted Mulan. “Emma! Oh my God, just - hang on, we’ll get you out of there!”

Gold was pounding on the barrier, eyes boring into Zelena as though he was imagining her violent death. Belle tugged at the magical rope around her neck. It held tight, but Zelena was distracted by Gold and the others. Perhaps she would lose concentration enough to let Belle and Emma escape their bonds.

“Zelena, stop this!” shouted Regina.

“Why don’t you stop!” snapped Zelena, striding over to glare at Regina. “Stop trying to drag me down to your pathetic level! I’m ashamed Mother even thought of promoting you over me!”

“Well, maybe she just didn’t want a psychopath in charge of City Hall!”

Gold tuned them out, punching at the magical barrier in front of him and sending ripples of bright green energy out from his fist. No bloody good. It’ll take a witch to break this down.

“Stand aside!” snapped Mulan, and there was the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

“You can’t cut your way through!” he said impatiently.

She ignored him, whipping the sword above her head and bringing it down in a piercing, stabbing thrust. A blast of green energy sent her stumbling backwards into Jefferson and Cruella, the three of them collapsing to the floor.

“Told you,” he said, trying not to smirk. “We need magic here, not brute strength. Aurora?”

“I can try,” said Aurora, sounding uncertain. “I’m not sure I know a spell that can break through, I’ve never seen a barrier this strong before.”

“Oh, Miss Mills is certainly a capable witch,” he said, his voice pitched loud enough for Zelena to hear. “But she lacks finesse. Not to mention sanity.”

As expected, Zelena’s head whipped around, and she stopped arguing with Regina and stomped towards the door. Gold glanced at Belle. She was still tugging at the magical rope around her neck, her eyes on Zelena. Good girl. Wait for her to get distracted.

“Which is why Mother wanted me to succeed her,” said Regina, her voice taking on a taunting lilt that made Zelena’s nostrils flare. Gold tried hard not to grin.

“Perhaps she could see that you were the only one who understands the importance of power,” he said, as Zelena approached. “And how to wield it.”

“Power is everything!” declared Zelena. “Mother taught me that! Seems I took her lessons to heart, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gold smiled.

“You mistake strength for power,” he said. “You always have. You have no concept of what it means to hold the power of life and death, and to control it.”

Zelena stepped up to the barrier, looking him up and down before shaking back her hair.

“Then give me your power,” she said, and raised her chin. “Make me an immortal.”

Gold snorted.

“You must be fucking joking.”

“Immortality,” said Zelena, her eyes fixed on his. “I know you can do it.”

“The fact that something is possible doesn’t mean it’s in any way palatable,” he said, lip curling in a sneer. “I have a hard time spending five minutes in your company. Why would I make you immortal?”

“Immortality,” she repeated, “in exchange for the life of the woman you - well, whatever it is you feel for her.”

Gold glanced at Belle. She was staring at him, wide-eyed. The werewolf in the cell near her was swiping at her through the bars, snarling, but she was staring at him. Brave and beautiful. And too good. Far too good for the likes of me.

He swallowed hard, tearing his eyes from Belle reluctantly and looking back at Zelena.

“You’re asking me to kill you,” he said. “You do realise that?”

“In order to be reborn as an immortal,” she said. “The end of this fleeting human life is a small price to pay, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gold exhaled with a tiny, humourless smile, shaking his head.

“You don’t understand the price,” he whispered. “People like you never do.”

“Then think of the fun you’ll have teaching me,” she said, a grin twisting her features.

“Zelena, no!” shouted Regina, but Gold held up a hand, cutting her off.

“If I agree,” he said evenly. “You let both of them go. Miss French and Miss Swan.”

Zelena pulled a face, huffing air out through pursed lips.

“Oh, alright then,” she said. “Do we have a deal?”

“Let them out of this cellar,” he said, “and you can bid farewell to your – fleeting human life – as you call it.”

Zelena smirked, turning on her heel and marching across the cellar as Regina pleaded with her. Gold felt Ruby sidle closer.

“You can’t be serious,” she whispered. “Zelena as a vampire? That’s - terrifying.”

“It’s not over,” he said quietly. “I’ve dealt with far worse than her in my time.”

Zelena flourished the keys to the cell where Emma clutched at the bars, and tugged at Belle’s magic rope, pulling her to the side and perilously close to Philip’s cell. Belle had to move nimbly to stay away from his grasping claws, and Zelena was grinning as she unlocked the cell door.

Quicker than Gold could have imagined, Emma punched her hard in the face. Zelena staggered back with a cry, and Philip hurled himself against the bars, snarling as he clawed at her. He managed to clutch at her hair, ripping out some of it and making her shriek, and Emma grabbed Belle’s hand, pulling her past Zelena. Green light seemed to pulse around her, exploding outwards and sending Emma and Belle tumbling to the floor, and Gold slammed his hands uselessly against the barrier.

“Belle!” he shouted.

“Emma!” cried Lily.

Zelena’s magic had blasted Philip back into his cell, but he seemed unhurt, claws scrabbling through the bars again as she pushed to her feet. Her hair was messy, her nose broken and bleeding and her eyes flashing with fury.

“You little bitch!” she shrieked, face twisted to ugliness and clenched fists crackling with green light. “I’ll make you wish you were in hell!”

“Noooo!”

Lily screamed, a hoarse, desperate shriek, and flung her hands out as twin bolts of violet light flew at Zelena, punching into her chest and sending her hard into the wall. Her eyes rolled up in her head as she slumped to the ground, and the barrier across the doorway winked out. Gold and Ruby stumbled forwards into the cellar, and Lily fell to her knees, retching.

“Lily!”

Emma raced to her side, squatting down and pulling her into a hug, and Lily started to cry, clinging to her as though she was afraid Emma would slip away if she let go.

Regina pushed herself up on hands and knees, having tumbled to the floor when Zelena lost consciousness. She got to her feet, dusting herself off and looking shaken.

“You’d better get out of here,” she said. “All of you. Quickly!”

“Not yet,” said Gold grimly.

He strode over to where Zelena was crumpled on the floor, and Regina hurriedly got between them, hands raised.

“Gold, no!”

“She has to die!” he spat.

“Not like this!” she begged. “Please! At least let me explain things to Mother!”

“You can take out an obituary in the Storybrooke Mirror for all I care!” he snapped. “She breached the Covenant.”

“Nobody died!”

“Much to her disappointment, I’m sure!” he snapped. “And despite her best efforts. Along with kidnapping two innocents, she trapped a supernatural creature in order that one of the Coven could kill it! You of all people should know what that means.”

“I do!” Regina seemed to sag, shoulders slumping. “I do, it’s just - please. Mother doesn’t know.”

Gold stepped closer, noting that Regina’s breathing quickened with fear.

“Which is why I’m only saying one of you witches has to die,” he said evenly, and she swallowed hard.

“Please,” she repeated. “Give me until tomorrow.”

Gold heaved a breath. His gaze flicked to Belle, and she was watching him, her breath heaving, an unreadable expression on her face. He rolled his eyes with a growl of annoyance before fixing Regina with a glare. I’ve gone soft. I’ve gone fucking soft, and it’ll be the death of me.

“The next time I see her, I kill her,” he said quietly. “Do we understand each other?”

“Perfectly,” she said softly.

“Fine,” he said, his voice cold. “In that case, we’ll leave you with the werewolf.”

“No!” Belle and Emma shouted as one.

“His name’s Philip,” added Belle urgently. “And it’s not his fault! He didn’t want to hurt us, he was a prisoner, just like we were! He’s been here for over a week, only a few blankets to keep him warm!”

“We promised him we’d take him out of here!” added Emma. “We can’t just leave him! Zelena’ll kill him!”

“We can’t take a bloody werewolf with us!” said Gold in exasperation, and Ruby cleared her throat. “No offence,” he added.

Ruby gave him a level look, and held up her wrist to show the cuff.

“You can take him with you if you put this on him,” she said. “Let me try. Once it’s on, I’ll make a run for the woods, get out of your way before I change.”

He sighed before nodding and waving her towards the cell. Philip was still snarling, clawed fingers swiping through the bars, but as Ruby squatted down in front of him he grew quiet, his growls fading away. He sat down, licked his snout, and eyed her calmly as they seemed to communicate without a sound. Ruby reached through the bars, and Gold heard a sharp intake of breath from everyone in the room, but Philip merely sniffed her hand, licked it, and let out a brief whine. Smiling, she tugged the cuff from her wrist and clamped it around his. It took a bit of work to get it on; a werewolf’s wrists were somewhat bigger than her human ones, but once it was on, Philip let out a heavy, growling sigh and slumped to the floor of the cell, eyes closed.

Ruby pushed to her feet, glancing down at her hands before looking at the others with a nervous expression on her face.

“I gotta go,” she said hurriedly. “I can feel it coming.”

She ran for the door, pausing briefly in the doorway to catch Gold’s eye.

“Tell Granny I said to give him a room,” she added. “Tell her he’s one of us. He’s welcome to stay at the inn as long as he wants.”

He nodded, and she was gone, sprinting away from them and out into the night.

Belle rushed over to Philip’s cell, and Gold watched as he began to change, his shaggy wolf pelt shrinking, drawing back within his skin as his sharp claws retreated. The heavy muscles of his limbs and shoulders shrank, a line of dark fur between his shoulder blades the last trace of the wolf to disappear, and he let out a groan, his eyelids fluttering.

“The key!” said Belle urgently.

Mulan stomped over to where Zelena lay motionless, but Lily rose to her feet, squeezing Emma’s hand before stepping forward. She flicked her fingers, sending out a thin stream of purple light, and the lock clicked, the cell door swinging open. Lily beamed excitedly.

“I wasn’t sure that would work!”

“Very good,” said Regina, casting a nervous glance at Gold.

Emma hurried to Belle’s side, both of them entering Philip’s cell and pulling blankets over him. He blinked drowsily at them, and looked at the silver cuff on his wrist with an expression of wonder.

“It really works,” he said, his voice a little hoarse.

“It really does,” said Belle, with a smile. “I have a feeling Ruby may want to keep that one, but I’m sure we could make one for you.”

“Get me something silver and we can make it tomorrow,” piped up Aurora.

His eyes were shining, his face crumpling a little, as though he was going to cry.

“I can have a normal life,” he whispered.

Belle hugged him, Emma piling in to join them, and Philip hugged them both fiercely.

“Thank you,” he breathed. “Thank you.”

“Well!” said Cruella brightly. “I enjoy a cold, dank cellar that smells of werewolf piss as much as the next woman, but what do you say we go to the Rabbit Hole and have a gin and tonic instead?”

“Took the words out of my mouth,” said Mulan.

“As I’m being denied a perfectly reasonable vengeance killing, perhaps a few terrible whiskies will take the edge off,” said Gold dryly. “Shall we?”

He headed for the stairs without looking back, even though every cell in his body wanted to go to Belle, take her in his arms and ensure that she was unhurt. His earlier fear was fading, leaving only a dull, throbbing weight in the middle of his chest. He concentrated on his path up the stairs, through the kitchens and along the tiled hallway to the front door. The night was frigid, tiny flakes of snow kissing his nose and cheeks as he waited. Jefferson and Cruella were next out, sauntering towards him arm-in-arm as though they’d just been attending a dinner party. Mulan, Aurora and Philip emerged just behind them, and Emma, Lily and Belle brought up the rear. Philip’s feet were bare, and he winced at the cold ground, a blanket tied around his waist and another wrapped around his shoulders

“Ruby said to get you a room at Granny’s,” Mulan was saying. “If you want, you can always bunk at our place tonight and head over there tomorrow.”

“We can make you something like that cuff,” added Aurora.

“D’you think I could get something to wear before we do anything else?” asked Philip. “I don’t know what that Zelena woman did with my backpack. Or the clothes I was wearing, come to that.”

Jefferson stepped up and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Can’t have you flashing Granny by accident, right?” he said cheerfully. “Although she’d probably enjoy it, the old vixen. If Gold can make a stop at my place, I’ll lend you some things.”

“Fine, get in,” said Gold impatiently. “Jefferson’s place, and then that dreadful bar.”

He gestured towards the Cadillac, and was about to step forward when Belle hit him like a whirlwind. She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight, and Gold froze in panic. Her body was warm and soft, pressed against his, the scent of fresh air and a hint of her perfume in her hair. She was clinging to him as though she was afraid he would disappear. How long had it been since he had been hugged? Since someone had turned to him for comfort? Not since—

He swallowed hard, glancing around with what was no doubt a helpless expression on his face. Cruella had a satisfied smirk on her face, and Jefferson was grinning. Even Mulan seemed to be amused. Gold cleared his throat, patting Belle’s shoulder awkwardly.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice rough.

She raised her head, eyes gazing up at him, and shook her head with a smile.

“No, I’m not hurt,” she said. “You came. You came to rescue me, and I’m fine.”

Her eyes were sparkling, her face alight with joy, and he wanted to kiss her.

Tell her. Tell her, you idiot.

“I’m glad,” he said, his voice sounding oddly hollow in his ears. “I take breaches of the Covenant extremely seriously. After all, I’ve worked hard to keep this town peaceful. I won’t have an upstart witch endangering that.”

It was Belle’s turn to freeze. Her face fell, and it was as though clouds had covered the moon.

“I - I see,” she said. “You were - you were concerned about the threat to your - authority.”

“Why else would I be here?”

He heard the words leave his mouth as though someone else had spoken them, and immediately wanted to take them back. There was an expression on Belle’s face that he hadn’t seen before. An awful sort of sad resignation. To his left, he heard Jefferson groan softly.

“Of course,” said Belle, almost to herself. “Why else?”

She pulled back, and he automatically took a step towards her, missing her warmth. Belle moved further away, keeping distance between them.

“Thank you for what you did,” she said, her tone stiff and formal. “I won’t forget it.”

Her lips twitched in an odd, tremulous half-smile, but that terrible sadness was in her eyes again. She ducked her head, turning away from him, and fell into step between Mulan and Aurora, linking arms with them as they headed back towards Mulan’s car. Emma and Lily each hugged Philip before hurrying to catch them up.

Gold watched Belle go, frost-rimed leaves crunching beneath her boots, and felt a strange weight sinking down through his chest. He felt someone approach from behind, and caught a whiff of perfume and cigarette smoke moments before Cruella rested her chin on his shoulder, mouth close to his ear.

“You really are the biggest, blindest idiot I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet,” she said softly.

#fic: closing the circle #my fic #rumbelle fic #rumbelle

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