#the newspaper isn't antiquated •||• written works
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Write a little snippet set in this verse, but with a character you haven't used so far. (Or if you've used everyone, one you haven't utilized much.)
The morning normally made Master Frown gag. The sunlight was too sunny and bright and the birds that found their way to Frowntown from the Unikingdom sounded too cheery. Still, he sprung from his bed and rushed to the small kitchen for some cereal. Brock nudged a bowl towards an empty seat and lifted an eyebrow.
"Ya look chipper, bro. Ya feelin' alright?"
"You know that Syspocalypstarian popstar? WyldSyle?" Frown said most of these words with a lot of disdain, but there was an underlying excitement behind them.
"Uh... yeah. Isn't she coming to the Unikingdom to look for talent for her label?" Brock's eyebrow stayed lifted. He gasped in realization. "Oo! Are ya gonna show her your sick wooden spoon moves?"
"NO!" The reply was quick and harsh. "I have an opportunity to make everyone miserable!"
"I'm glad you still do this stuff as a hobby, but can you take a break for once? I totally wanna go to see if she has some demo records, but I don't wanna get kicked out." Brock moaned as he finished his cereal.
"No! I have a plan, Brock! A method to my means. You can still get some records while we're there if you come in after me!"
"Alright, babe. Let's go." By this point, Frown had finished his cereal and was running for the modest beat up car the two drove. "Oh. Yeah, I'll lock up. Pretty sure we've got some cookies left. I'll bring those." He grabbed a plate of two or three cookies, dumped them in a plastic bag, then left for the car.
It felt like a very short drive, of which Brock was glad since all Frown wanted to talk about was the chaos he was about to spread. They pulled into a small building close to the edge of the city. A crowd had already gathered as a banner flapped in the wind that announced that Running on Caffeine was looking for new talent. Three minidoll vampires with crystalline hair zipped through the crowd, grabbing different discs and thumb drives. Brock waved one over and handed her the cookies. Frown shook his head, which Brock saw.
"Everyone likes cookies, Casey," was all he said as the crystal vampires began to sing in a chorus.
"Single file! Single file! You all may not be able to see the heads, but we've got your demos!" Most of the people in the crowd filed in a haphazard line that was already starting to wrap around the block. At first, Frown's eyebrows furrowed. Soon enough, he had pushed his way into the line. A chorus of 'hey! no cutting!' chimed behind him, but he turned around and blew the crowd a raspberry. Brock followed behind and waited for his boyfriend's next move.
This move was to pull out a megaphone.
"Hey! We listened to your demo tapes and none of you have any talent!" Frown really didn't need the microphone. He was loud enough on his own to make a good portion of the crowd disburse. Some musicians that wore their genre on their sleeve remained, glaring at Frown. " None of you have what it takes to make it in the industry!" The crowd thinned a little more. " You may as well give up now! It's all downhill from he-!"
Frown was suddenly thrown from his position to the rainbow colored concrete. A woman stood above him, her ponytail whipping in the wind that kicked up as she moved. Her dark eyes looked down upon him, the aura she exuded making most of the people closest to him back off. One name was whispered as the crowd looked on: WyldStyle.
" I'm gonna need you to leave. These people are nervous enough without you heckling them." The woman cracked her knuckles as Frown scrambled to his feet.
" I'm not going anywhere until he shows up." He folded his arms and stomped one foot.
"Who? My partner isn't a guy. Everyone you're going to deal with is female, if that's your problem." She rolled her eyes and pulled her arm back to throw a punch.
"Isn't your buddy Rex Dangervest?" There was silence for a beat before WyldStyle spoke again.
"What does he have anything to do with this?" Her words hung in the air like a sword on a thin wire.
" Aren't you gonna call him?" WyldSyle grabbed Frown by both shoulders.
"Why would I call him?"
"He... He's usually the guy Queen Unidork calls when Hawkodile isn't available?" All of the resolve Frown had dissolved. WyldStyle rolled her eyes and threw the threatened punch.
"And I'm usually the one he calls when he needs someone's butt kicked." With one swift throw into their car, WyldStyle returns to her post and Frown was driven home.
#ask and you shall receive •||• answered ask#asked by: exhausted eternally#I just wanted to get this out because it was in the inbox prior to me going on hiatus.#I'm still very much on hiatus#the newspaper isn't antiquated •||• written works#master frown#unikitty au
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From Up on Poppy Hill (not spoiler free)
Genre: Romance/Family
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
(The majority of this is a summary, if you want to skip just to my thoughts on the movie, I will put a few ▲▲▲ after the summary)
This isn't like most Studio Ghibli films. It wasn't magical or filled with strange, wondrous worlds. This movie was filled with the beauty and absurdity of mundane life. The characters were written so exceptionally well and are filled with such niche complexities. For being high school children, Shun and Umi were extremely dedicated and passionate about their beliefs and what they stand for.
Umi is an incredibly mature 16-year-old who keeps her family running with her grandmother. She helps her younger siblings and aunts with their tasks and makes sure that they're always fed and taken care of. Every morning, she raises flags which are specific flags for sailors out at sea in remembrance of her dad who lost his life at sea.
Shun is a hardworking 17-year-old who runs the underappreciated school newspaper. He writes an anonymous poem for Umi that makes her swoon. Shun and Umi first meet when he so brazenly jumps off the roof of the schoolhouse right next to their school building.
The central plot revolves around most of the schoolboys trying to save their precious Latin Quarter, a schoolhouse where they have all their clubs and activities due to the construction of the hosting place for the first Tokyo Olympics. Shun and those who support him are opposed to this because they see this as a disrespect to the historical value of the schoolhouse and Japan. Not only this but Shun's newspaper operations happen to be in the Latin Quarter. Umi joins his cause and assists him in thinking of ways to save the schoolhouse.
Now the secondary plot is where things get a little... weird.
Since the beginning of the movie, Umi and Shun have grown closer and developed immense feelings for one another. They started spending time together outside of school, hence his invitation to her antique home. As she's giving Shun a tour, he sees the picture of Umi's father and his two best friends/company members hanging on the wall. He asks her if the central man in the picture is her father and she says yes. After this, he leaves in a hurry.
We see him arrive at his home and start looking for something his things. Low and behold, it's the same picture of Umi's father and his friends. It's not until later that we see him confront his father and ask if Umi's father, Yūichirō Sawamura, is his real father. His 'father' says that all that matters is that "I was the one who raised you." Shun is left with the understanding that Umi and he share a father. Fucking nuts, I know.
After he learns what he believes to be the truth, he tells Umi and ultimately puts an end to whatever they could have been. They're both visibly miserable without each other but they continue to work together for the sake of their school. They both handle this situation with a maturity that would stun people. Not only did they stand up to their school board and head school board members, but they also managed to save their sacred Latin Quarter.
It's not until the very end that the second member of the picture, Yoshio Onodera reveals that Umi's father saved their third company member's child after his untimely death and gave him [Shun] to his now father. Shun and Umi are now free to be with one another without the taboo of being related to each other.
(quick side note: while I'm writing this, I slapped my friend's ass, it was a good THONK)
▲▲▲
wHEW, that was a bit much but hey, I'm sure you enjoyed it. So, this movie was so fucking good. And not to mention extremely aesthetically pleasing. The softness of this film made this feel as if this was an old folktale. In true Studio Ghibli, all the scenery was stunning. I think my favorite thing visually was The Latin Quarter after it got a little makeover. The bold red and brown were an amazing contrast to the bright blue that would shine in. Watching these school kids work together to save something that means something not only to them but to their entire history while trying to navigate impossible situations is incredibly heartwarming and inspiring.
The characters themselves were so well written. Shun's friend, Shiro was my personal favorite. He kept telling him to check himself and stop being weird with Umi but in that caring best friend way. He was the perfect wingman and supporter, along with Umi's sister. It was hilarious watching those two supportingly tease their friend/sister. I also thought it was cute that Umi's sister had a crush on Shiro and they ended up together.
Ok so let's talk about the elephant in the room. The plot twist was fucking weird. Love interesting almost being related? And kids nonetheless? I dunno, it was weird to watch their scenes together after that because they still loved each other, in their words, even after they discovered they were related. They would do the traditional glances and longing stares. But thank everything that is good in this world that they weren't. I think I would have cried if they were.
Ultimately, this was a beautiful film with so much to love about it. Please please please watch it. Regardless of reading a spoiler-filled review, it's definitely worth the watch. Thank you for reading and listening to my thonks. I should probably go to sleep because it's almost 2am and I'm acting like I don't have classes in the morning. byebye friend xx
✏ b :P
#from up on poppy hill#studio ghibli#miyazaki studioghibl#film#film review#studio ghibli films#animation#anime film
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Hi. I hope this isn't annoying, but I was wondering if you remember how you intended to end one of your old stories, The Case of The Missing Kotsu?
Oh gosh, yeah sadly that story’s probably not going to ever be finished. BUT luckily, I had the final deduction (and therefore the whole slew of twists and turns of the case) by Kagome still saved in my files (it’s probably the only old fic I have the ending written out tbh), so here you go:
“One year ago, when the newspapers noted that the Kotsu gang had succeeded in their 50th crime and gotten away with it, Onigumo became intrigued. How was it that this group of seven always managed to get away with a few hours community service at most? They always had alibis to back them or the evidence against them was too little to convict them. Yes, Onigumo thought, this was the type of group he’d love to have working under him.
He’d called Bankotsu at that time and asked if they were interested in some more profitable work. Probably thinking it was a joke or not wanting to be involved, Bankotsu said no. This is when the real plotting began.
Onigumo was a burn victim, his real face having been scarred beyond recognition in the fire that killed his parents. According to Naraku, after the accident he never once saw his brother without his face being covered in bandages. Little did he know, a few months ago, these bandages were for another reason completely.
Determined to have the skilled gang under his power, Onigumo had formulated the perfect plan to get it. This plan just so happened to coincide with a problem of his.
In June, he was having a very important item smuggled into the country as an antique. But somewhere- whether at the origin country or here- customs had mixed up his package with the one going to Hakushin. Inside one antique, there was nothing. Inside the other, was a microfilm that documented all the crimes, money and smuggled goods that Onigumo had been a part of. Yes, even criminals have to do their accounting work from time to time.
So, hoping that he could steal back his microfilm and get control over the gang he so coveted, Onigumo laid out his web of lies.
First of all, he had Naraku- who he was currently using deep hypnosis to control- contact the Kotsu gang about a simple theft. With the incentive of an 80% profit, Bankotsu didn’t dare turn it down. So the gang went in, used a sleeping gas from Mukotsu to knock Hakushin out and they took his money.
About mid-way through the heist, Hakushin started to come to. This was something only one person noticed- Jakotsu- so he lightly knocked the man back unconscious. This accounts for the two instances that Hakushin told in his reports- one to us, the other to the police.
After the gang left, Onigumo himself planned to go in and take out the heirloom- replacing it with the empty one he had received by mistake.
Even if he had the heirloom, he still wanted the gang- so he pretended that they’d taken it and set into action the course of events beginning recently.
On June —, he contacted Renkotsu via his puppet Naraku. Renkotsu believed that the intent was truly as Naraku said and took an unconscious Jakotsu to the arranged meeting place. But that was when the plan started to go awry.
To Renkotsu’s surprise, it was not for questioning but for a hostage that he wanted Jakotsu brought to him. Angered by getting tricked so easily, Renkotsu tried to help Jakotsu escape but he got shot and had to run.
To Onigumo’s surprise, when he arrived at Hakushin’s- the heirloom was missing. He figured if he made the situation with Jakotsu more dire, sooner or later the item would turn up. At the same time though, he was plotting to kill someone else besides Jakotsu.
I’d thought it strange all along that Renkotsu seemed to be in two places at once, but that was the very thing that led me down this path of a deduction. It was simple really.
Onigumo had paid off to get plastic surgery early this year, and had told the surgeon that he wanted to look a very specific way. Since his face was being rebuilt mostly from scratch, it was easy to alter his former appearance. The appearance he took? The same as a man he intended to kill.
While using Jakotsu’s disappearance and subsequent death to drive Bankotsu to his wits end, Onigumo intended for Renkotsu to act as a loyal friend and second in command and volunteer to take his place as leader. Of course, sooner or later, Bankotsu would give in and agree- for the best of the group. And with that, Onigumo would have not only inside information to the location of his missing microfilm but he would also have complete control of the gang.
Little would the gang itself know, but their new leader Renkotsu was not the man they knew before…”
I noticed a few looks at this, and I laid out my final element of my deduction.
“You see- when Onigumo got his plastic surgery in secret he had been hiding from everyone what his face looked like. This was not because it was still burnt. No- it was because his face now looked exactly like someone elses.”
“You mean…” Kagura said, catching onto my theory.
I nodded, “Onigumo’s face right now is identical to Renkotsu’s. At various times during this case, he posed as Renkotsu therefore explaining why Renkotsu was in two places at once. If he really needed to get the real Renkotsu to do something, he called and threatened him that he’d kill Ginkotsu. Last night, Onigumo had planned to have Bankotsu kill us- then kill Renkotsu and Jakotsu. Then, at gunpoint- he’d force Bankotsu to write out a false suicide letter to the group saying that he was mistaken about Renkotsu and that he could no longer live without Jakotsu. Onigumo would then kill Bankotsu and take over the remaining gang completely.”
The other twist was that Musou was an FBI agent working on trying to unravel Onigumo’s crimes. He used rubber bullets to make it appear as if he’d killed Kagome, InuYasha and Bankotsu then got Onigumo to come out of hiding. Then everyone woke up in time to take him down. Jakotsu, outside being somewhat injured and traumatized, is of course safely recovered.. And the heirloom that was stolen that was a huge plot point- Suikotsu took but didn’t remember because he was in his other mindset at the time. Finally they’re able to find it and use the data in it to fully bring the case against Onigumo.
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The last of four short stories I have written for supplemental purposes. Takes place after everything else I've written so far.
The clicking of a keyboard was the only sound that could be heard in the sterile and clinical lab. A lone figure was the source of the oddly melodic sounds, her paws orange barely visible and her expression stern and focused. Her tail swayed to the rhythm of her typing as she made music with her large computer. Her music was visual, displayed on the monitor as various graphs, charts, and figures. Most of it would make no sense to a passerby, save for the images of two people. One was a man with wild dark brown hair who's eyes reflected a deep, almost spiritual tiredness. The other had dark grey hair that was adorned with a simple grey pillbox hat. His expression was neutral, almost bland. The fox tapped a mouse with an impatient paw, clicking into a diagnostic screen for a Project Daffodil. She clicked her tongue as she went over the diagnostics, a smirk slowly sliding onto her face. It was working. She should have guessed it would: doing this kind of task was just a normal occurrence for a scientific mind like hers.
She took her paw off of her mouse and sauntered to a small, nearby capsule. The capsule was smooth and black, several different kinds of tubes and wires making it look like a baby kraken in the dim light. The fox tapped the glass with her paw, the blackness parting to reveal something moving in water. She shook her head, ear twitching at the rapid movement. It was almost time, but her special project had to be patient for just a little longer. Perfection takes time, after all. She shuffled over to the console again and grabbed a jar. The jar had only two objects in it: a dim grey heart and a bright green heart. Both seemed to glow softly, ebbing in time with each other. She watched this dance for a moment, smiling at how coordinated it all was.
She looked back at the capsule, seeing the movement once again. The end was near. She could take her time with this, however. She had so much to prepare first, so much to do before the time finally came.
A soft hum made the fox sigh. She glanced back at the two hearts. The memory of gathering the samples was vivid as she looked back. They were symbols of pure love, created when the two men on her large monitor kissed for the first time as a married couple. She had been studying what she can do with these totems for a long time and this was the best thing she could think of doing. Grabbing the jar, the fox headed once more to the capsule, opening a small hatch. She carefully put both hearts into the hatch, closing it quickly.
Now to wait, the worst part of the process. She went back to the monitor and watched the screen. After what felt like an eternity, an alert flashed on her screen. The end was here. She typed some commands in the keyboard and rushed to the capsule, which was already open on her approach. A long cry cut through the evening air, coming from a bundle wrapped in soft, blue fabric with yellow stars creating a cartoony nebula in the open container. The fox peeked in to see the result of her careful testing.
"Success," was all she uttered as she picked up the noisy bundle. "Now. Normally I would dispose of you, but you are special." The fox bounced, the noise stopping in due time. "Let's not wake the castle. We'll go for a walk." She held the bundle in her arms and shuffled out the door, a small square robot following behind her.
The fox passed through the town, which was clearly getting ready for Halloween. Posters advertised a costume party for Halloween night. Leaves playfully circled her feet as she walked toward the woods, the smell of nature in fall making her nose crinkle. Nature. She wasn't a fan of nature. Why did they have to live so far into the woods? Oh well. It didn't matter, she supposed. She wasn't going to be there long. She'd just have to distract herself with mathematical equations and calculations for her next major experiment.
While the fox made her trek, the man with tired eyes was busy in the kitchen. He whistled a song he'd thought he'd forgotten as he mixed a white, creamy liquid in a pot.
"Hey, babe? We goin' to the party? I know ya gotta go, but are we goin'?" He grabbed a cutting board and waited for a reply. He soon got one from the grey haired man, who floated over to the maplewood bar and watched the other work.
"I would love nothing more than for you to go, my beloved. We could do a themed costume, if it isn't too late for that." His bright smile was the most expression he was giving, as his voice gave nothing in that department. "Would it be too late to attempt that?"
"Nah, it's never too late to beat Brock and Frown for the best couple costume award. They were stiff competition last year, but we just needta be clever ta beat them. Ya got something' in mind?" As Rex spoke, he began to chop some carrots and potatoes.
"We could dress up as the characters from that movie I showed you the other day. I'm surprised you stayed awake until the end. I know you prefer action films to period pieces." Richard floated behind his boyfriend, willing his feet to touch the wood flooring. Rex turned around and leaned down to kiss him softly.
"I almost did, babe. But, we can do that. Am I gonna be Lady Pemblebrick or Lord Bricklebottom? I should have time to grab some very period accurate pieces after work tomorrow." He turned back to the pot, adding some herbs to the stew.
"You know I look better in a corset, but you have her passion and hair type. If we want to win, you will need to tame that cowlick of yours, but if I'm Lord Bricklebottom, we can easily win." There was a twinkle in Richard's eye as he spoke, his voice still monotone. He floated to the counter, perching there with crossed legs.
"I find it hard to say no to you, babe. I'll even wear the heels. We gotta win this year. It's gettin' embarrassing to get beaten by those two!"
A loud knock from the front door crashed through the banter, Richard sighing softly as he floated toward the door to open it. Just before he reached the door, it swung open with sizable force. This startled both occupants of the cabin, a green exclamation mark appearing over Rex's head.
"Oh! Doctor Fox! Did you walk all this way? It's supposed to start raining soon." Richard saw that Doctor Fox and the robot were already wet and the rain was coming down heavily. "Come in. You'll get a cold."
"It's not me you should be worrying about." The words ominously hung in the air as she entered the cabin, the bundle she held close to her chest starting to stir.
"Who else would we worry about, Doc? The robot?" Rex went back to the pot on the stove. "We should have enough stew for ya if ya wanna stay a while." Doctor Fox sat at the counter, Richard once again perching on it.
"I was just planning on dropping something off and leaving." She put the bundle down on the counter and started to leave. She didn't get far before Richard picked it up and unwrapped it to reveal a round little face, dark eyes staring up at him with a blank calmness. His heart stopped as he stared back at the thing. He whistled for Rex to turn around, which he did. He walked over to his husband and was handed the bundl with shaking hands.
"What... what is..." Richard spoke breathlessly. "Why us?"
"It's a girl and she's yours, genetically speaking. I wanted to see if your DNA would be compatible, since you still have traces of your brickness and Rex is something else altogether. It worked." She looked at the couple for a sign of a possible compliment, but all she got was a shaking Richard and a Rex on the verge of tears. "You could thank me or something, guys."
"... Our daughter? This is our daughter?" Rex swallowed, eyes solely on the little girl. She made fussy little sounds, squirming a little.
"Doctor Fox, you should have said something first. We don't have room in this cabin for a third person and we both work. One of us will need to take time off to take care of her until she is out of infant-" Richard looked around and saw that Doctor Fox had left. He shook his head. "Rex, what are we going to do?"
"Rich. We can do this. I can renovate the cabin and I can afford to take time off." Rex held the child close to him, almost afraid she was going to vanish if he let go.
"Rex. You just got the Royal Chrononauts off the ground and financially viable a year ago. You can't afford to lose that momentum." Richard urged, worry and fear framing the monotone in his voice.
"You and I both know ya ain't gonna be the one to stop working for that long. I can afford it. Besides, the one picking up my slack would be the exact person who put us in this... amazing position." The tears continued to flow as Rex walked to the couch and grabbed a clean blanket and rewrapped the baby in it. "We get back at her for throwing this on us, I finally get time off work that isn't for some science talk or to visit Emmet and we get to... to start a family." Rex moved back to his husband, who had taken the stew off the burner.
"...You know, you can tell she's our little girl. She has your eyes." Richard floated by Rex's side, watching the little girl fuss in her tight wrappings.
“Well yeah. She has one of your eyes too. Two different colors.” Rex chuckled as he loosened the blanket a little for her.
"If you're ready, I'll be as well.” Richard whispered. “I do recall that Lady Pemblebrick and Lord Bricklebottom had a child at the end of the novel the film was based on. We may have to just compete for best group costume this year.
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The first of three fanfics I have uploaded exclusively to AO3.
Time to go back to where it all began. Unikitty has finally started to settle in to being the princess of the planet Queen Wa'nabi gave her as a gift when a threat long thought to be lost resurfaces: Rex Dangervest. What does his reappearance mean for the universe at large?
Last Chapter •||• Next Chapter
Chapter One: When You Go Chasing Horned Cats
When night fell on the Unikingdom, it didn't actually hit that hard. The lights of the Princess's main city were too bright and too dominant to make nighttime have any weight. It was one of the things that made the people there feel safe, what drove people to move from the other Systarian planets and even the main hub of Syspocalypstar, despite the destruction occasionally wrought by the Princess and her friends and the close proximity to the oppressive feeling Frowntown. It was unusual for clouds to settle in and moreso for a large lightning storm to roll in, causing the population to bunker into their homes until the storm passes.
It was in this unusual weather that a dark clad figure fell from the sky. He was a shadow at first, barely seen in the clouds. Soon, the form gained color and definition until he hit the ground, his body cradled by the plants in the garden of the Princess's castle. His overgrown hair covered the harsh features of his unshaven face, a face that hid boyish charm under the pain of ages. The clothes he wore were fire damaged and torn from the storm that began the sluggish process of clearing to what the people of the Unikingdom were accustomed to. The rain washed soot and dirt from the strange man's surprisingly undamaged body.
It wasn't until around mid-day the next day before the sleeping man was found in the blueberry bushes and before the man stirred from his exhausted slumber. Dark eyes fluttered open to meet… a floating one by three brick. The man bellowed in surprise in time with the brick, who's yelling sounded less enthusiastic. The man tried to back further into the bushes, but seemed to be stopped by either the dense branches or an unseen injury. The grey brick was soon close to the weather worn face of the stranger, expression returning to a resting disinterest.
"You don't belong here." The brick spoke in a tone not unlike uncapped day old seltzer water. The words made the man's left eye twitch from old trauma. "This isn't a person bush." The brick looked the man up and down, eyes stopping at a faded green R that adorned the stranger's right chest. He seemed to move from that identifying mark quickly enough, however, as the sound of running feet filled the air. The man glanced around the brick at the sound and lifted a large eyebrow. A towering figure of a hawk/crocodile chimera with sunglasses quickly loomed behind the brick, glowering at the stranger. The brick simply moved aside, waiting for the creature to speak.
"Rick. Who is this guy?" The being folded his arms. Or were they supposed to be wings? Did it matter?
"I don't know, but he doesn't belong in the bushes. I still have to finish the chores out here before Unikitty ge-!" Before Rick could finish the thought, the stranger moaned.
"Great." His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "I think I woulda been better off in Gotham City." He raised a hand to his head only for the lifted arm to be grabbed by the creature's boxing glove like hand, lifting him out of the bush. "Easy on the arm, big guy. I need it later."
The creature pulled down his glasses and looked the stranger over. As it did with the brick, his eyes stopped at the lime green R. He stared at the emblem, trying to gain meaning from it as to the intentions of these stranger. The dark haired man opened his mouth to speak again, but the creature silenced him with a jerk of his arm. "You. You really don't belong here."
"You more of an authority than a floating piece of plastic?" The man did his best to smirk, to try and gain control over the situation. This failed when the creature threw him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing.
"I'm the bodyguard of Princess Unikitty… and I know who you are, bro. You are wanted on every planet in the known universe." The creature turned as the man on his shoulder squirmed to get out of his grasp. "I'm gonna avoid some real trouble. I just gotta figure out where I'm gonna put you." By this point, the floating brick had left to tend to something else.
"I'm wanted? How flatterin'." The creature's captive sounded completely deadpan. This caused the creature to jostle him. The creature began to walk around the garden, holding his prisoner firmly. "You treat all of your unexpected guests like this or am I just special?"
"You ain't a guest. You're outta here before you get any ideas." The hawklike being was stopped in his tracks before he got to far out of the castle's shadow by a voice calling out. One that both made the man on his shoulder's heart sink.
"Hawkodile! Where are you going?" A cat like creature with a light blue horn on the center of her head practically floated over to them. She didn't seem to grasp the situation at first. Typical.
"I'm just takin' out some trash." Hawkodile bumped the man he held with his shoulder. The unicorn cat looked at the man for what had to be a long time and, eventually, shook her head.
"Hey! He's a friend of mine! Remember that construction worker I told you about?" She spoke with so much certainty that it hurt the man's heart a little. She seemed to mistake him for someone else. "I thought he was back on Syspocalypstar, but he must have come to visit! He's so thoughtful!"
"Princess. This ain't that friend of yours. Didn't ya say he wore an orange vest?" He grabbed his captive and held him out for her to get a better look. "This ain't orange."
"Yeah! You're right! It's kinda the opposite of a safety vest. Like a… danger vest." She whispered the last two words to be more dramatic. She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe he's my friend's brother!" Hawkodile sighed softly. "Well, the brother of a friend is a friend of mine!" The man chuckled. That was a little too close for comfort.
"I still need to ask him some questions." It was clear Hawkodile was the sensible one. He wasn't out of the woods yet. "I'm taking him to my treehouse."
"Okay! Have fun! I'll have some cookies ready for you guys when you get back!" The Princess headed back into the castle. Hawkodile threw the stranger back on his shoulder and walked to what the man assumed to be the beast's treehouse.
When they got inside, Hawkodile threw the suspicious stranger down in a wooden chair. "Who are you?"
The man straightened out, looking around for a way out of this situation. He had to admit: this was the kind of pad he would have created for himself: it looked like a dojo, clearly built for training. "Nice place ya got."
"Hey thanks. Answer the question."
"Thought you said ya knew. Ya lookin' for a confirmation or didja wanna ask a different question and couldn't get it out?" The man kept his cool, folding his arms to mirror his captor.
"No. I'm asking you who you are. I heard ya died on Undar… or something." This made the stranger laugh. How faulty was this beast's intel? It wasn't bad, but…
"So confirmation. Yeah. I'm Rex Dangervest. No clue how I got here, but I gotta assume I'm in the Systar System. Only way any a this makes sense. Do I get a question now?" Rex's eyes kept searching for something to formulate an exit plan, but nothing that didn't involve his headache getting worse came to mind. Lots of weapons didn't mean he'd have the ability to overpower Hawkodile. The chimera shook his head.
"Right now, I'm asking the questions. Why are you here? What's your plan?" Hawkodile wasn't angry, or if he was he didn't show it. His tone was oddly calm.
"Look, my plan right now is to get outta here an' get back to my ship. This ain't exactly somethin' I planned out. I'm… not supposed to be here." He said this last part softly, his voice losing bravado.
"Then my plan's gonna be to keep you grounded. You on your ship's the last thing this kingdom needs right now. Or ever." Hawkodile looked from Rex to the weapons and equipment around the room. "Until I can figure out where to keep you, you aren't leaving my sight."
"I know Unikitty. You'll lose sight of me in less than a few seconds of leaving this room. Then what?" Rex smirked. He would get his chance to leave this planet in no time.
"You won't be hard to spot with your dark vest and you won't be able to escape the planet easily. Hang on…" Hawkodile searched Rex for a way to call his ship or crew and found nothing. "Yeah. Good. Rockets are hard to come by. You're trapped here, Dangervest."
"I'm a Master Builder. I can build a way out of there, you overgrown chicken."
"Okay, you ain't leaving my sight more now." Hawkodile grabbed Rex and threw him over his shoulder again. "You're staying right there. I gotta go find Princess Unikitty." For someone who was balancing a grown man on his large shoulders, Hawkodile was still agile in his movement as he headed for the castle. Rex didn't fight it. He suspected that any fight with the hybrid creature was going to result in him in a lot of pain.
It wasn't long before Hawkodile with his prisoner in tow found his way to the living room of the admittedly cozy castle. Unikitty sat on a well used couch, flanked by a blue dog with a similar horn to her and a fox in a lab coat. Above her was Rick, who was the first to notice their arrival.
"Hawkodile, I thought you said he didn't belong here. Why is he in the castle?" He continued to speak in the deadpan tone as he had earlier. Was this a character defining trait for this guy?
"I'd throw him in a dungeon if we had one. I don't trust the guy."
"Stop talking about my friend's brother like that!" Unikitty butted into the conversation. "We've got to be nice to him! He's a guest!"
"Princess, he looks dangerous. If Hawkodile doesn't trust him, we really shouldn't trust him either." Rick glanced over at Rex, who made eye contact with him almost immediately.
"He also ain't your friend's brother." Hawkodile adjusted Rex's position on his shoulder. "He's a wanted man. The guy behind the wedding crashing. I know you remember that." The cat's eyes widened in realization.
"Oh. Was that him? I mean I only kinda just heard a name. I never actually saw the guy, so…" Unikitty glanced up at Rex for a moment and tilted her head. "Are you gonna try to end the world again, Mr. Grumpy?" Her blue eyes bored into Rex's soul. He looked away, feeling guilty somehow. "You were, weren't you‽ Well, then I'm gonna fix that! You're gonna stay here in the Unikingdom and get rid of that angry energy!" Her eyes were sparkling as she spoke.
"Princess, if he's as dangerous as Hawkodile says, we really shouldn't have him stay in the Uniking-" Rick was swiftly interrupted by Unikitty, who was trying to pull Rex off of Hawkodile's shoulder.
"If I can change him, he won't be dangerous anymore! It'll be fine! Besides, Hawkodile'll keep an eye on him. Right, Hawkodile?" She gave up after a few tugs of Rex's arms. Her bodyguard replied by keeping a tight grip on his prisoner.
"Where is he going to stay? We don't have a place in the castle to keep him here." Rick said pointedly, but barely. The fox spoke up.
"He can stay in my lab. It's in the basement and I can keep him restrained. Hang on." She shuffled away for a moment and returned with a device Rex didn't realize left her hand and to his wrist until he saw blinking red and blue lights. "That's a tracker. If he leaves the castle, we should know where he went and bring him back." The fox sat back on the couch, pleased with her work. This got a nod from Hawkodile, who roughly threw the space cowboy down to the ground. "That's better, right? Kay, it's time for introductions! I'm Unikitty! You met Hawkodile and Richard. And that's my brother Puppycorn and Doctor Fox is over there!" She pointed to everyone she named with her whole paw. "What's your name?"
Rex watched his host point to the others and felt a sharp pain in his heart when she introduced herself. He knew who she was. She was one of the people who forgot him and made him who he became. The fact she didn't know that just… hit him harder than it probably should have. "It's Rex. Rex Dangervest." He said this weakly. He wasn't sure why it came out like that. He spent so long hardening his heart from these feelings. Did his last encounter with his past self make him go soft? "I thought you heard my name already."
"Well yeah! But now I have a face to put to the name!" Unikitty didn't seem to notice the weakness in her guest's voice. Or how similar it was to her orange clad friend. "Now that we know each other, we can be friends!"
No, Rex thought. They couldn't. He went through this before with her. With all of his past so-called friends. He may have realized his initial machinations were wrong, but the pain he felt was real and still present. He got to his feet and walked to the nearest window, staying silent. Hawkodile was quick to make sure the window was closed. Unikitty moved behind Rex, attune to his emotional shift.
"We can be friends, right?" She reached to put a paw on his hand, but he pulled his hand away. "It's OK! We don't have to be friends right away." The cat put her paw on his shoulder, which Rex brushed away. She didn't miss a beat as she turned to her friends. "What are we gonna do today?"
"We should probably add your friend to the chore list. Then, make sure he has someplace in Doctor Fox's lab to sleep. After that, we-" Richard was cut off again, this time by Puppycorn.
"I wanna go to the skatepark!" This seemed to catch Rex's interest a little. "I've been practicing a cool move and I wanna show you guys!"
"Oo! That sounds like fun! Let's go!" Unikitty was practically out the door with her brother before anyone could say anything else. Rex went to leave, but was grabbed by the collar by Hawkodile.
"You ain't going anywhere." He turned to Richard. "Get him set up in Doctor Fox's lab. I gotta make sure Puppycorn and Unikitty don't hurt themselves again." He rushed off, leaving Rex with the floating brick and the fox.
"Come with me." Richard lead the way to the basement lab, Rex following behind with Doctor Fox behind him. When they got to the lab, Rex scanned the large area. He had to admit, it felt closer to his ship, his home, than any other place in the castle. Doctor Fox rushed in front of Rex and began to help Richard set up a place for their leader's guest to stay. Rex glanced at what he hoped was a willing participant in some unfathomable experiment. When the strange, simple being made eye contact that screamed doubt that they were, he looked away with his face going pale. Who was this fox? He was snapped out of his thoughts by Richard, who called him over to his accommodations.
The cell screamed high tech, for no reason at all. Maybe it was once a part of some experiment, but not any more. It just had a basic bed. That was it. It was clear that the brick and/or the fox were skilled builders and may suspect he was one too with how bare bones it really was. Well, it was better than nothing, he guessed. "Gonna assume ya want me in there now."
"Yes. For the time being. If you need anything, Doctor Fox should be around to help." Richard floated away and the fox went to her work. Rex couldn't follow what she was doing, but took to watching her anyway. After a while, Doctor Fox spoke.
"Did you see that storm last night? I was doing an experiment and I think that had something to do with it." She sounded proud of herself. This earned a lifted eyebrow from Rex. A storm caused by an experiment? Did that have something to do with his return to this timeline? Why he wasn't in Undar?
"What kind of experiment?" He asked, trying to keep cool.
"It was some super impossible science involving time and space. But I didn't see anything come out of that experiment except that storm. I may come back to it later. Although… you did come here after the storm. I need to know: what's the last thing you remember before coming here?" She approached Rex's cell with a pen and a clipboard.
He thought for a moment. Should he be honest? He needed answers.The fox may have them. "The last thing I remember was… disappearing from the timeline. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to exist anymore." This limited information was enough to make the fox grin with unbridled delight. "What's so funny, Fox?" His tone did not hide his indignance.
"It's not that I find the situation amusing. You are an example of that super impossible science I was referring to earlier! That's amazing! If what you described is true, that means you are a genuine time paradox! I need to study you! I need to learn how you're being kept to the timeline, if what I did last night not only caused the paradox but is keeping you here! I haven't been this excited since my last experiment!" The fox practically vibrated with her wild glee. "Tell me, how long was it since you disappeared? Relatively speaking, of course. Does it feel like it just happened or like it had been a long time?" She got ready to write Rex's response. Rex looked stunned. Doctor Fox saw him right now as nothing more than an experiment she can interact with. He wasn't sure if he should be disgusted or fearful of what this so-called friend of a so-called friend was capable of. But she could give him answers to his own questions. He knew he needed to play along for the sake of understanding his current paradoxical existence.
"It felt like it happened yesterday, honestly. I was gone an' in the desert planet of Undar. Next thing I know, your brick buddy was floatin' in my face." Rex leaned against the cell bars, arms hanging out of the spaces between the cold steel cylinders. "How long has it really been since I went all Back to the Future?"
The fox hummed and she shuffled to a large super computer. She typed for what felt like forever and nodded at the result. "It's been around twelve months since the Battle for Syspocalypstar, as it is known. I wonder if time was slower for you or if the time depravation cause you to lose your inter clock." Doctor Fox began to write some things down from her computer. "How old are you? Do you remember that?"
He almost laughed at that question. "Thirty-three, Doc. What does that matter?"
"It will help me determine the effect of time deprivation on your body in terms of aging. It's interesting you say you're thirty-three, despite my saying 12 months passed between your last known point in time and now. You would actually be thirty-four, if my calculations are correct. Your date of birth, including year, is listed in the Space Corps database." Doctor Fox scribbled something down, put the clipboard on a rather overloaded desk and pulled a stethoscope and some other medical equipment out of a leatherette bag. "I'm going to let you out for just one moment to give you a physical examination. I ask that you do not try to vacate the premises, or I will have my robots detain you." She pushed a button on the wall near the cell and a few tiny robots floated behind Doctor Fox. Rex rolled his eyes. Even the scientist had a way to keep him at bay. The robots wouldn't last long against a Master Breaker punch, but how many did she have? Right now, it wasn't a risk worth taking. He simply moved aside as she slid the door open. "Please sit down so I can begin the examination." She gestured to a chair by the desk.
Rex sat in the chair, keeping a close eye on Doctor Fox. He kept his mind on the items around the room, almost going into a trance as he assessed what he could build with the items around him. If he was given the opportunity to escape, there was enough tech here to build a Rex-wing and get out of Dodge. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a cold object on his back. "Watch it!" He growled in shock. This sudden noise made the little fox jump.
"Was that a Master Builder trance? I've heard from Unikitty that the ability to build using parts around you was a more spiritual experience on other planets. We are just able to build what we want around here." Doctor Fox shrugged, leaving Rex to sit in a crestfallen state. Maybe he would have preferred Gotham City now. What made him special wasn't here. Somehow, that hurt more than being the prisoner of a former friend. His silence didn't seem to phase Doctor Fox, who went back to her work. After a while, she began to put her things away. "I'll perform a more specific analysis on your anatomy at a later date." She picked her clipboard up from the desk and wrote, muttering as she did. Rex made out "barely co-operative" and "scarring on body indicating signs of prior physical trauma".
This all felt surreal to him. She spoke like this was all real. He put a hand on his face. He was alive. She was able to see scars on his body. This didn't make sense. He was rejected. His fate was sealed a while ago. He was not supposed to be here. The weight of his paradox was hitting him in full force. Maybe the clinical nature of the whole thing broke Rex's illusions of this being in his head somehow, of this being a nightmare to pass the time of non-existence. It didn't register that the doctor was addressing him and had been before his existential crisis.
"Are you listening? You will need to return to your containment unit. I've finished with the examination for today." Doctor Fox was calm and totally unaware of Rex's mental state, until she finally looked up from her notes. "Are you OK? You look flush. I didn't see any signs of illness on my examination, but I could have missed something." She walked closer to Rex, but the man recoiled at her approach.
"Leave me alone. I gotta think." The words barely escaped his throat. "I gotta… think." The fox used her subject's state to lead him to his bed. After she had him sit on the bed, she wrote some notes. She muttered again, the only words one could make out was "call it delayed temporal shock". She sat on the bed next to Rex and put a paw on his hand.
"In the state of shock you are in, I can't leave you alone. You may be compelled to remain in the castle, but you are helping me conduct some important research and I am a doctor." The fox summoned a robot and had the automation bring her a blue blanket. She wrapped it around Rex's body, the warmth almost instantly felt by the man. "Can you feel the blanket and your feet on the ground?"
"How… how am I alive? He rejected me. He said he would never be me. I can't be here. He can't become me. He has to stick to his guns. Did he… did he change his mind?" Rex continued to ramble along those lines, which only got patience and silence from Doctor Fox. When he too fell silent, she spoke.
"We're going to find a scientific explanation for your reappearance in this timeline. It may take a large period of time, but my theory that your current spontaneous existence and my time experiment are connected still has merit. I'm here for you, Rex. If I can call you that." Her tone was soothing, a grounding force for the troubled time traveler. It felt like a lifetime, but Rex soon took control of his senses. He turned his head to the direction the doctor was sitting and tried to find a further, dark intent written on her face. He couldn't and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was there for him? No, that couldn't be. Not at all.
"I wouldn't say something like that." Rex shook his head slowly. "Never make a promise you can't keep." In the distance, Unikitty's shrill voice cut though the moment like a hot blade. "Looks like your friend is calling you, Doc. Don't forget to lock the door when you leave. Wouldn't want your prisoner to walk out." There was something in his tone that was pained, hidden behind a casual coldness. The fox’s ear twitched, the tone of her current companion troubling. It was clear he was pushing her away, something she could have only expected from someone like Master Frown. What did Unikitty see in this man?
“Alright. I shall take my leave. I’ll return as soon as I can.” She got up and left the man to rest. Given the kind of day he was having, maybe a nap was the best cure she could provide.
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So I heard that archive of our own is down. I offer all of you looking for a fic to read this one shot. Originaly written as an anniversary fic for my first year with this AU, I hope this tides you over until you can read your regular stuff.
It was dark by the time Rex got to the castle. He held his breath and looked for a way to enter. No time to be afraid. Nothing to it but to do it. After jogging around the castle's shadow, he found a broken window. With all the stealth he could muster, he sprang through the opening and walked around in the darkness of the unlit castle. It did sting to think that the others weren't as willing as he was to clear out the castle, reclaim the gems, and look for Richard. It made him think that maybe he was wrong about them again. He shook those thoughts out of his head. They were just scared. He would have to be the brave one, that much is obvious. Otherwise, they all would be cowering in the cabin.
It was far too quiet as he headed for the throne room. By now, surely someone would be there. As he passed a nondescript door in a forgettable hallway, he could hear soft sobbing coming from beyond it. He leaned against the door and the sobbing was louder. Rex tried the handle. It was locked and the sobbing quickly turned to a dead silence. Whoever was behind the door was a prisoner. There couldn't be any other explanation. He could hear the sobbing get more intense now. This emboldened Rex further.
"I'll build ya another door later, Princess." He whispered, looking around. He raised his fist, but stopped when the voice on the other side of the door whispered back, just above the sound of Rex's breathing.
"Please, try not to alert the Doom Lords of your presence." The voice quivered. "They appear more organized and focused than last I saw them. We can't risk your capture."
The voice had a point. As Rex thought about what to do, a lone paperclip slid from under the door.
"I would have used this myself, but the door locks from the outside. I'll walk you through using it as a lockpick." The paperclip gave away that this was Richard, which caused Rex to release some nervousness with his breath. He picked up the paperclip and began to follow the brick's uncharacteristically and breathtakingly expert instructions on the improvised lockpicking process. Someday, it was clear that he was going to need to ask how Richard knew how to pick locks like that. The door eventually was open and Richard's large eyes were half closed, but still visible.
"Thank you, RJ. I… I was worried I was going to never see you again." He tried to float to Rex, but faltered. Rex picked him up, which caused him to blush. "Do the others know you're here?"
"Nah. I had to do something. I can't just sit still and let these guys do… this." Rex pointed to the heartbreaking amount of graffiti on the walls like a game show co-host showing off an unwanted prize with a frantically freed hand.
"RJ…" The tone held was a muddy mix of disappointment and something a lot softer, something Rex didn't expect from the monotone brick. Richard closed his eyes, looking more tired than he would have wanted to admit to.
"You good, ba…bro?" Rex wasn't sure why he almost said what he did, but he turned red as he caught himself. The brick nodded slowly, brow furrowed with general anxiety. "Ya sure? Ya looked unsteady."
"I'm just exhausted. I haven't had anything substantial to eat in a while. You don't have anything by any chance?" Richard nestled himself into his rescuer's arm and kept his eyes firmly closed.
"I have…" Rex dug through his vest and pants pockets. "Some bubblegum and half a granola bar. We ain't too far from the kitchen. I could-"
"It's bad enough you came here to-"
"Punch that Lord Business wannabe in the face." Rex affirmed this, unintentionally cutting Richard off in the process.
"... Right… I assume you came without backup and with no one knowing you came. I am not letting you do anything to further compromise your position. Give me the granola bar, please." Rex offered the granola bar and it floated shakily in the air. Richard finished the bar unceremoniously and placed the wrapper in Rex's pocket. "I'm staying with you. Much as I don't feel safe, you're going to get yourself killed like this. I can't allow that."
"Oh? And why not?"
"I just cannot allow it. The princess likes you. I have a duty to her to keep her happy." Richard said, but the brick spoke in a tone that made Rex lift an eyebrow.
“Fine. But if ya feel scared, ya need to go. Trust your judgment. I ain’t gonna see ya get hurt.” Rex pressed his back against the shadow cloaked wall and looked around. “Wait. Why were you trapped in the closet? Can’tcha go through walls?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He spoke quickly, wishing he could become invisible. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Ya got it. Let’s get Doom and save the day before the others know we’re gone.” Rex looked down at his rectangular companion and began to inch his way toward the throne room. The way Rex looked down at him made Richard’s heart flutter a little. What was this? Why does he feel like his heart was a butterfly hatchery and all the cocoons finally hatched? No. He couldn’t think like this. He needed to focus on his surroundings, because Rex sure wasn’t going to. The flutter made it so hard to do that. It made him want to remain in Rex’s arms forevermore. He looked down for a moment to ground himself, then snapped his focus back to the area around them.
They somehow managed to get to the throne room undetected.There appeared to be no one around, but it was hard to see in the absent light. Rex held Richard close and the brick questioned why that felt so right. No, no. This man was reckless and bold. He couldn't see himself… being held softly in his big strong arms and being told everything would be just fine and he wasn't going to leave him. By the time Richard regained focus, Rex had placed him on the throne and was trying to pick the lock on a chest.
"What are you doing?" The words came out of Richard slowly and unsurely.
"I'm looking for the gems. Locked chest? Important room? Good place to start." Why did Rex always sound so sure of himself? Why was he so confident? It was almost infuriating… but also endearing. The confidence made him feel confident too, even if the situation they found themselves in was grim. He couldn't believe someone could be like that.
"I suppose. Do I assume you want me to be a lookout?"
"Yeah, Richie. I gotta focus on this. If someone comes, distract 'em." His back was turned to Richard, but the brick couldn't help but imagine the human's tongue was sticking out as he concentrated on picking the lock.
For Rex's sake, Richard kept up some silence. While he did this, he let his mind wander again. He had overheard that this man used to be the hero of TAKOS Tuesday known as The Special, a far more cautious man who still managed to save the day. How? The Special was a public figure at this point. Everyone knew him and he was nothing like Rex. They appeared to be total opposites. Richard knew very little about the specifics and this wasn't the time to ask for more info.
"Ya good, bro? You're super quiet." Rex's concern cut Rick's concentration.
"Oh. Yes, I'm just thinking." The brick bobbed, letting himself take some altitude.
"I like that aboutchu. Ya're always thinkin'. What were ya thinkin' about?" Rex finally finished picking the lock and dug through the chest.
"Nothing. It's none of your concern." Richard looked away for a moment. Why did he want to tell him everything, to talk for hours until dawn? No. He couldn't do that. They were in enemy territory and… oh no. He had been concentrating so hard on his own train of thought, that he hadn't scanned thel area for enemies in a while. He looked around and gasped. He saw a dark shadow on the opposite side of the room. Rex was oblivious to this. He squinted. The yellow face was unmistakable. Master Frown. He cleared his throat to get Rex's attention. Rex couldn't hear him. Richard cleared his throat louder. This made both Rex and Frown pause. The cloaked teen shrugged as he inched closer to Rex, who could see a green twinkle from the corner of his eye.
"They let kids have the gems? Sad. Your boss is makin' things too easy for me." Rex did not turn around.
"OK, I know this is gonna seem like a weird ask from the guy about to kick your butt, but could you sign my cloak? You're kind of a big deal around here and I need something to show that I met you." Frown, despite his name, had a bright grin on his face and a sharpie in his hand, which he spun.
"You know the reason I'm a big deal, right?" Richard was surprised: Rex spoke with such patience in the face of danger.
"Yeah! You're the Master Breaker! The destroyer of worlds! Doom has been wanting us to do that for as long as any of us can remember and you just did it all by yourself! You may have said no to the big boss, but you're a rockstar around here!" The twinkle in Frown's eyes was disturbing to Richard. His mind and gaze went to Rex, who's left eye twitched.
"I am trying to not be that guy anymore. I would have thought sayin' no to your boss would have signaled that. I wish ya said that you were just a fan of my podcast or somethin'." The man got to his feet and shook his head. "No. I ain't signin' anythin' for ya if the reason ya want it is because of that."
"Come on, man! Don't be such a buzzkill! I'm a fan!" The snotty voice made Rex's eye continue to twitch. The frown on Rex's face was sharp and made Richard's heart freeze.
"Yeah. A fan of my work during a time I want to put behind me right now. I'm not signing anything for you." Rex walked toward the teenage Doom Lord. "Give me the gem, kid."
"No way! You won't even give me your autograph! I'm just gonna kick your butt!" The junior Doom Lord held the gem tightly in one hand and rushed at Rex with an open hand in the other. The slap connected with Rex's unshaven face and Rex stood still. Richard called out to him, but the man said nothing, his gaze set somewhere far away from this time and place. Frown turned to face Richard now.
Frown shrugged. "I'm gonna call for backup, but I probably should stop you from getting help." He came as the brick with his hands, but was pushed away by an unseen force.
"No. Let him… let him go, Frown." Richard looked to Rex, who stood like an unsettling statue. The human's eyes were glazed over and saucer like, his face pale and frigid looking. The brick floated over the thone, attempting to make his plain form look more threatening.
"Let him go? Last I checked, I'm not Princess Unidork. I don't take orders from you." Frown tried to move forward, but he was pushed again by the invisible force. This force got stronger as Richard moved.
"RJ! Please snap out of whatever hold he has on you! I can only hold him off for so long!" The brick floated to Rex and brushed hair out of his face with invisible hands. "Please, Rex." The brick bit his lower lip.
"I don't know where he is right now, but man his screams are… well, I love screaming usually, but I wasn't expecting such a scared little voice from the great Rex Dangervest." Frown tapped his chin and laughed after a moment at something unheard. He brought the gem out again and shook it by his assumed ear. "Maybe the gem the boss gave me is broken?" The comment and the fact the gem was out in the open was lost on Richard, who kept calling Rex's name to get him out of whatever hold Frown had on him.
"Rex? Please come back." The cold and fearful state his companion was in chilled Richard to his core. Maybe he should get help. He looked around to see that Frown had left, possibly to get help of his own. His companion's voice made the brick jump, both because of how it sounded and the fact that it could be heard.
"Run." This was all Rex was able to choke out before he froze once again. The voice was soft and kind, but that just made the order more chilling. From the distance, Richard could hear two different people giggling. That was very much his cue to get out of there. His body acted before he could say any objections. As he flew, he could hear a woman laughing and telling Rex that the pain in his eyes would look so much better with bruises. He went through the wall of the throne room, but stopped just outside in the garden, covered in the safety of the blueberry bushes.
Why did he run? Rex needed him, though he did say to do just that. He turned to face the castle. Maybe he needed to go back. Something glued him to the spot and made that thought impossible to go through with. He needed to at least get back to the others. He was sure Rex could handle himself, right? It was the only reason that Rex would have told him to run, right? That had to be the thought he settled on at this point. They couldn't afford to lose him, but Rex was strong. You'd have to be strong to be able to do all of the things he's done, good and bad. The fluttering in his heart had yet to abate. Maybe that was because of his fear, or maybe it was something else. There was too much going on in his head for him to know for absolutely certain. He headed for the city in a slow and cautious way, knowing that Puppycorn probably ate them out of house and home and he would need to return with supplies.
#ao3#the lego movie#lego au#lego movie au#Unikitty#unikitty au#the newspaper isn't antiquated •||• written works#ao3 fanfic
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10 with Rex.
10. Is your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted?
RJ is not a terribly intelligent man. Yes, he's clever. Yes, he's cunning. But intelligent? Nah. It's not something he would ever admit though. What RJ is from that list, however, would be some form of street smart. It's very difficult to con him because he knows all of the tricks... Because he's probably used them on his past self more times than he'd care to admit.
#the newspaper isn't antiquated •||• written works#character •||• the wildcard#paid off curiosities •||• answered ask#asked by: jezabatlovesbats
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This is the third supplemental story out of four. It's a good idea to read everything in order, but at least have read "A Call to a Different Kind of Adventure" first.
A light breeze caressed Rex's face as he watched the calm water out into the soft late afternoon horizon. This place was advertised to him as the most perfect spot on the Unikingdom coast and he could understand why. The view from the path he took to get here was picturesque and it only got better when his feet hit the sand. Behind him, his raptor crew was setting everything up with the help of some very frazzled caterers in suits. Each raptor had a bowtie around their large necks to match. One headed over to her captain and growled something softly.
"Yogurt, tell him he probably looks fine. He needs to stop worrying. Remind him that it isn't too late to go to Syspocalypstar and just get a marriage certificate. Pretty sure we can refund the whole thing and take a year long honeymoon with the cash." He stroked the raptor's snout and took a deep breath as the large lizard left.
The clouds blocked out the sun, but it was more of a blessing than a curse in the middle of summer. The whole event was going to be outdoors, on a beach far removed from the rest of the tourist laden coastline. The most they were going to have were tents, which the raptors were building behind him. He heard a shout and turned to face it's source.
Unikitty flew over to her friend, her dress billowing around her. She rushed to give the man a hug. "Hey, Rex! Are you as nervous as Richard is right now, because I think he swallowed a whole butterfly hatchery."
"Can't say I'm not a little nervous. But-"
"You just pick a direction and act like you're sure, right?" A voice came from the sandy path. From the path came Emmet, dressed like he fell out of a romantic Victorian period piece. "This is the one time I gotta agree that's the right call.”
"Yeah. I have no reason not to in this case, though. After all we've been through, he's the only person on this planet I could see myself with. And you can tell him that, Yogurt." The raptor was breathing down Rex's neck by the time she was referred to. The raptor growled some more and Rex laughed. "He went with what that pushy saleslady said and went for a smaller size, right? Get Brock or Doctor Fox to lace it like I showed you. That should fix it. Tell him I can't love him any more than I do. I know this is his dream wedding, but we could go. I'd be happy to just have a paper saying we got this done."
"You'd deprive us of seeing the two of you get married, RJ?" Unikitty moaned playfully. "Your best man and his family flew all the way over here!"
"I'm just letting him know I'll marry him no matter what. I know he's nervous. He keeps sending Gerty to make sure I love him every five minutes. It's both endearing and slightly annoying. But I'll say it again: he's my missing piece and I'm going through this."
"We're all just glad you're willing to take that next step with someone, RJ!" Emmet pulled Rex in for a crushing bear hug. Lucy came up the path behind Emmet and hugged Rex as well, but more gently.
"Looks like you can stop pining over me. You're going to be a taken man in a few hours." Lucy said teasingly, smirking as she took a step back.
"Oh, I think you've been pining for me." Rex winked. "But yeah. I'm seein' someone else. Someone who needs to be reminded that I am still here and I'm not gonna just run out on him on his wedding day." He shook his head, feeling the hot breath of his raptor down his back once again. The raptor growled a long rant, which caused Rex to laugh. "He knows I can't come over there and kiss him. He's the one who decided he wanted to do the whole "can't see your bride on the day of the wedding" thing. Let him know I love him every time he asks. I want to be with him. Also, remind him that we still needed to find something borrowed and something blue. He won't take my old vest because it's "against his aesthetic"." Rex turned around and adjusted Yogurt's bowtie. He stroked the raptor's snout tenderly. "Tell him I can't wait until I can hold him in my arms and I can tell him all of this in person."
"I never pegged you as the type to get this sentimental." Lucy adjusted her tie. "Why are we dressed like we're on the set of a black and white movie in the middle of July, anyway?"
"Compromise. He wanted a large destination wedding, I wanted something smaller and more private. I got the guest size, he got the theme." Rex shrugged. "We've got plenty of water so people don't pass out."
"Is there anyone else coming, RJ? I didn't really see anyone else come through that pathway on the way up here." Emmet sounded a little concerned. He looked around, counting the miniscule number of guests within his head. It alarmed him slightly that the only other person besides the people around him now he really recognized was Benny, who was looking out at the ocean.
"Honestly, there shouldn't be that many people at a wedding. I'm not doing this to show off. Besides, if I had my way, he and I would be married by now and on a beach somewhere with a bottle of wine between us." Rex shouted over to a raptor to move a large white arch a little closer to the now set up chairs.
Just beyond the path, out of the way from the actual venue, sat a decent sized white tent. It had no windows or any way to see through it, but it looked like it fell out of a children's fantasy popup book. Doctor Fox stood inside it with her back to the entryway, folding her arms. She looked at the lacing of a stubborn corset and shook her head. She looked over to Brock, who shrugged.
"I don't think this is going to work, Richard. We may need to try taking some of the less essential seams out or maybe some of the boning. You do plan on keeping this dress, right?" She moved a straight pin she had in her mouth with her tongue from one side to the other.
"But the saleswoman on Syspocalypstar said it would fit without issue." Richard's monotone quivered as he adjusted the hem of his dress. "Why did I let her talk me into this?"
"I have no idea, but I can find out with a brain scan after this is over." Doctor Fox moved as Yogurt rushed into the tent and over to Richard. She growled low and softly, like she would her own mate. Richard's eyes became watery.
"He does? Oh, but I said I wanted to take this role and I need to do it right. He knows that. We discussed this. He's respectful of it..." He began to cry a little, stroking the muzzle of the raptor gently. "He needs to stop insisting I wear his old vest. It clashes with everything in this wedding." He adjusted the corset, undoing the work Doctor Fox and Brock had done in the back. Brock groaned and went back to lacing the corset. "Is everything set up? Has Emmet and Lucy arrived? Does Rex realize that he and I are getting married and that he can't take it back during the ceremony?" The raptor almost purred the replies, trying her best to mimic how his captain would answer. "Good. Good." Doctor Fox looked down at the sparkle matter that had fallen from her friend, which looked like a bag of mixed gems had fallen in the sand.
The raptor moved away for a moment, standing next to Richard. Doctor Fox also took a step back when she was finally done. "I'm a scientist and this is beyond me. What do you think, Yogurt?" The dinosaur's throat rumbled, but the fox gave no response.
"Do we even have time to do that? What time even is it?" Richard floated over to a box that was resting on a decent sized vanity, the dress long enough that it still scraped the sand. He opened the box and his eyebrows furrowed. He pulled out the contents: a small crown worn by a young Puppycorn, long before the dawn of the New Unikingdom, a necklace with a small heart shaped gem that seemed to glow in the dim light... and Rex's infamous vest. It was blue. He did borrow it. But it looked so wrong next to all the white and lace he was wearing. "Would Rex be mad if you did that?" The raptor seemed to almost laugh as she took the vest and handed it to Brock, pointing at a pair of scissors.
"Does she want me to do something with that?" Brock picked the scissors up, lifting an eyebrow.
"She wants you to craft a shawl out of it. I still think it would clash with the dress, but if we do this right, it won't look too bad. It should also hide how terrible the corset looks from the back if it's cut long enough." Richard floated down so his feet touched the ground. "I'm not going to get used to this."
"Then why do it? You can float and that's clearly more natural for you." Doctor Fox questioned as Brock kept Richard steady.
"It's symbolic. We are on equal footing in this relationship." Richard tapped his foot, though it was impossible to see this because of the dress. "I'm not ready for this. This... There isn't a step much larger than this."
"I would say you weren't this nervous with the comet ball, but I recall that you were. There is a step that's higher than this, if my knowledge of domestic science is correct: being a parent." Doctor Fox said the last sentence offhandedly, which didn't help Richard's nerves.
"Oh, yes. Sharing our love with a child would be the biggest step we could take together. It's doubtful that's in the cards for us, however. My beloved and I have a lot to work on together." Richard put the necklace and crown on, adjusting the headpiece so it was on his head just right. Yogurt growled calmingly. "Thank you. I needed the reminder, and I'll probably need it again." The raptor glanced over to Doctor Fox, shaking her head. She simply shrugged and began to get ready herself.
Emmet tried to map out the guests once more in his head. There was a flamingo with a turtle shell and a creature similar to Hawkodile, but beyond them, the people he already knew about, and Unikitty's friends, it seemed like this event was overly exclusive. He guessed he couldn't blame Rex for not including Batman or Metalbeard in the event, since he wasn't all that close to them. But the dozen or so guests made him wonder how well Rex actually adjusted to his life out here. He then looked over to Rex, who was talking to the two strange creatures. He was animated, speaking fast and gesturing wildly. There was an aura about him that screamed out his happiness.
He turned his attention to Unikitty. Considering what she had been through, she looked overjoyed. She also looked so regal. She stood at the archway, speaking to Queen Wa'nabi's butler. What was he doing here, Emmet wondered to himself. He was startled out of his concentration by Rex, who put his hand on his shoulder. When he jumped, Rex laughed.
"Bro, you're way too jumpy." He adjusted his tie, the only outward sign of his nervousness. "It's almost showtime. Ya ready?"
"I should be asking you that. It's your wedding." Emmet's face softened. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'm gonna be. I'm sure seeing Rich for the first time all day is gonna help the heavy feeling I have in my stomach." Rex shook his head.
"Why is Watevra's butler here, by the way?"
"He's here to make the whole thing officially recognized by the Systar System. Rich wouldn't let Unikitty do it because it felt too… nepotistic, I guess? I dunno if that's the word I'm lookin' for. I swear the ice cream man keeps glarin' at me, but I… can't blame the guy."
"Most of us have forgiven you. You know that, right?" Emmet's voice was softer now.
"Not the queen or her court. Ya know how many times PC had tried to get an official pardon for me? Too many." There was a resignation in Rex's tone.
"RJ, she just hasn't officially said anything. That doesn't mean anything." As the two spoke, a slightly older Puppycorn wandered over to the two. "Oh! Hi, Puppycorn!"
"Hey, Emmet! Did you bring me a present?" The young dog's tail started wagging.
"Sorry. I didn't. Maybe next time?" This didn't disappoint the dog for too long.
"Hey, RJ. Do you know where the rings are? I'm supposed to have them, right?" Puppycorn rubbed his neck, moving the bowtie he was wearing to one side.
"Pretty sure Rich has 'em. Don't think he'd trust me with something that important." Rex laughed, which seemed to hold some nervousness.
"You know you can do this. You're strong and brave." Puppycorn smiled, picking up on his closest friend's worry. "Besides, you and Rick are inseparable at this point. Isn't this just a formality for you or something?"
"Yeah, but it's important to him. I can't be the one who messes this up for him." He felt a tap on his shoulder and almost jumped. He turned to see a rather impatient ice cream cone, who cleared his throat.
"Are you ready? We need to start soon." His voice was clearly holding back some annoyance, but he wasn't sure if this was his normal state or if it was some disdain from the last wedding he officiated that Rex was involved in.
"Yeah... I think."
"You can't just think. You need to know. Are you actually ready to take this step? I won't tolerate uncertainty at this stage. Especially not from you." The butler's eyes looked right through Rex, the words spoken came out curtly and sharply.
"Yeah. I'm ready." Rex's voice held less nervousness, but that could be an act to get the sentient ice cream cone to stop glaring at him.
"Good. I'm doing this as a favor to your fiance, so try to take this seriously. Take your places, all of you. We should be ready to start." The butler hopped away to his place at the center of the now flower laden archway.
"Guess this is it. Let's not keep that butler waiting. I think he's gonna throw down if I wait any longer." Rex and Emmet made their way to the archway, Rex trying to ground himself so he didn't just run. Emmet took his hand and the act seemed to calm him. He took a breath and took his place in front of the arch
Somewhere in the distance, music began to play. Something about it felt grand and elegant, like a royal march from a time and place that was lost.. Rex chose to looked everywhere but the center aisle until he heard the sound of silk softly scraping the sand. The nerves were coming back with a vengeance and no amount of breathing was making that go away. His heart was invading his throat by the time Richard, who was escorted by Unikitty, stood in front of him. The two looked into each other's eyes and the pounding in Rex's throat became louder and harsher.
"It's not too late to run out of here and-" Rex whispered this, but Richard put a finger on his lip, almost in tears. He shook his head and glanced over to the butler, who rolled his eyes.
"Are both of you ready, Richard?" Richard nodded in response to the butler, flashing Rex a reassuring and excited grin. "Good. Now then..."
It was hard for Rex to pay attention at this point. He just kept staring at his fiance, lost in the sparkle in the other man's eyes and just wanting to kiss him right then and there. He leaned over to Richard and whispered softly.
"You look beautiful, babe." This caused Richard to start crying again. "You always do, but today? It's extra special." He couldn't help but notice that, overtop of the beautiful lace dress was a shawl that was cut from his old vest. It didn't really hide what it once was, but it was definitely transformed. "Thought you said you weren't gonna wear that." The two heard a throat clear behind them and Rex straightened up.
"Can you please keep him from interrupting the proceedings, Richard? You're clearly the more responsible one here." Another nod from Richard, who took a few breaths to gain his composure. Rex adjusted the crown on his lover's head and took the opportunity to whisper in his ear.
"I love you, R." Richard mouthed that he loved Rex and sniffled.
Charles simply rolled his eyes again and continued to talk.
"The union of two souls is a sacred and serious task that can only be undertaken in perfect love and trust. In order to make sure you two are ready to take on this task..." He took a breath, burying some disgust. "Richard. Do you take Rex to be the one you spend your life with as your partner, to remain by his side forevermore?"
Through tears, Richard nodded. "I do."
"Rex... Do you take-" The butler paused when a loud hum filled the air. Everyone gathered looked up to see a large black ship hover over them, blocking out the sun. Rex could swear that Charles seemed less surprised, but waved it off quickly. Richard's pupils shrank as he grabbed Rex's hand, dropping a bouquet of beautiful crystalline flowers that sparkled as they hit the ground. He buried his head in Rex's chest, Rex putting his arms around him. Hawkodile, Flamurtle, and Eaglator got up and took up fighting stances, ready to take down the invaders. A few shots were fired from the ship, making sand fly everywhere.
"Hey... Hey now... Don't cry, babe." Rex held Richard close, slowly pulling a Lazer gun out of his pocket. This made the stoic ice cream cone butler lift an eyebrow. He looked up saw two figures drop from the low flying ship.
Hawkodile and Flamurtle flanked the two crashers and stopped when they got close. Hawkodile bowed and Flamurtle got out of the way.
"Hey! I don't care who you are! You're scaring my husband." Rex tried to point the gun at the two, but Charles grabbed the weapon out of his hand. "Hey!"
"I thought we agreed on not having weapons at this wedding." Charles threw the gun aside. Rex just held Richard close and swayed a little, humming a caling song while the two wedding crashers rushed up the aisle. One of the two was a woman made of many colors who wore a familiar dark blue safety vest. She had a wide, wild grin on her face as she hugged the two grooms.
"Hello, boys." The woman was suppressing laughter, something Rex would have done himself if his partner wasn't on the verge of tears and he wasn't in a complete state of shock. A
"Wait... Is that Queen Wa'nabi?" Richard looked up at the large woman, eyes wide.
"You look like an angel in that dress, Ricky!" Queen Wa'nabi's words and smile were warm enough to disarm Rex and loosen Richard's grip on him. She let go of the two of them, while the other crasher laughed.
"We're never gonna be even, Dangervest, but this feel great!" He continued to laugh. Rex groaned when he saw who it was: Batman.
"No, we won't. You traumatized Richard. Look." Richard's eyes were still wide and his left eye was twitching. "It's okay. Babe, it's okay."
"It isn't, but I can't tell the Queen of the Systar System off." Richard took Rex's hand while Queen Wa'nabi gave him the bouquet that was still on the platform. "Nor can I punch Batman's face."
"Oh, you wouldn't be able to touch me, Unikitty's Alfred." Batman smirked cockily. "You probably have the upper body strength of a soft pillow."
"I keep telling you: his name is Richard, Batman!" Unikitty chimed in. "And he's my dad slash advisor!"
"Yeah, whatever. I don't care slash- HEY!" Batman lifted his arms instinctively as a bundle of flowers went flying towards his face. No matter how fast he was at blocking, the bouquet still managed to find its target.
"Don't talk to the princess like that." Richard hit Batman a few more times with the bouquet. His monotone held a fury Rex never thought he'd hear from his lover. "You crash my dream wedding and disrespect my princess... How dare you."
"Rich, relax. He's not worth ruining your beautiful bouquet over... Or losing your beautiful smile." Rex held Richard close again, partially to comfort him and partially to break the two up before someone ended up in the hospital… and his money would have been on Batman. He looked over to Charles, who seemed to have a smirk on his face. Queen Wa'nabi had taken a place in one of the chairs in the crowd, patting a seat next to her for Batman to have a seat. Once Batman finally started down, Charles cleared his throat and the small wedding party took their places once again.
"Now that the queen has joined us... Rex, do you take Richard as your life partner, to remain by his side forevermore?" Charles said Rex's name like there was something stuck in his throat.
"I do, and always will." Rex took Richard's hand softly, trying to keep from crying to not set Richard off.
"Alright. Where are the rings?" Charles asked almost impatiently, watching as Puppycorn rushed down the aisle, two rings on a soft white pillow in his paws. The rings looked like golden snakes, the eyes were inlaid emeralds and sapphires. The rings look like they came together, the two serpents coiling in opposite directions and could conceivably wrap around each other. He sat between Rex and Richard, just happy to have done his job well enough to get the rings over to them.
"Take the rings. Once you're ready, you can say your vows." Charles put his hands behind his back now. He focused his gaze at Rex, who felt that look deep in his creative spark.
Richard picked up the ring on his side of the pillow and Rex did the same. Richard opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Rex took his free hand and spoke.
"This ring is an outward symbol of my love to you and my desire to always be there when you need me. You're the sun to my moon, the star I navigate with to find my heart's north. I can't promise the road in front of us will be smooth and idyllic, but I'll continue to be in your corner when things get scary. I put this ring on your finger to remind you of this whenever you look at it." He slid the ring on his partner's finger, who looked like he was going to melt in a puddle at this point.
"This ring is an outward symbol of my love to you and the path we're on together. You have grown so much since we first met. You went from an unreliable stranger to my unconditional support, someone who saw me at my darkest and didn't give up on the man you knew I could be. You are my soulmate, someone I would give everything I care about to be with. I put this ring on your finger as... as a reminder of this undeniable fact." With shaking hands, Richard attempted to put the ring on Rex's finger. Rex put his free hand on the one Richard was using to put on the ring and helped keep his hand steady. When it was finally put on, Rex smiled softly.
"Now, with the blessing of the Empress of the Systar System and the Princess of the Unikingdom, this union of souls has been concluded and you are now together forevermore. You may now kiss for the first time as life partners." Charles remained stoic as he spoke.
Rex pulled Richard close, aware of the height difference between the two of them. The two fell into a deep kiss, twin heart shaped pieces of sparkle matter forming above their heads. They glowed softly as they fell next to each other in the sand.
When the wedding concluded, the guests were ushered away from the main part of the beach so the raptors could set up for the reception. When the guests were allowed to return, the whole area was set up in a way that was elegant and lit with twinkling lights. Two sparking haired vampires set up turntables in a corner close to the woods while Yogert finished her work setting up the dance floor. The tables were a simple wooden design, clearly made to be set up and hauled away quickly. Each table had an ivory name card and a vase with hydrangea and fern in the center. The wedding party was seated in the center of the tables with the wedding cake at the center of that. The raptor watched the guests take their seats as he moved to stand guard over the wedding gifts.
The wedding party was introduced and led to their places. It wasn't a large party, but the table was filled out with plus ones and the royal families of Syspocalypstar and the Unikingdom. After all were seated and settled with drinks, one of the vampires gestured to the other to set up some lights around the dancefloor.
"Hello there, ladies and gentlemen." The vampire spoke into the mic in front of him with a smooth, almost hypnotizing voice. "The guests of honor are still getting ready, so I'm going to spin something to set the mood and give them time." He began to play soft instrumental music while he had his partner check a small tent behind them.
While the wedding party waited, money began to be thrown around over the song for the first dance. It had to be something old and grand for the grooms to get ready for it. This started out as a joke, but soon, money was pooled in one of the vases.
After what felt like an eternity, the vampire returned. In the now twilight, two silhouettes faced each other from opposite sides of the dancefloor. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen." As he spoke, the area became silent. "For the first time as a couple, please put your hands together for RJ..."
As he said the first name, a green spotlight fell on the side of the dancefloor closest to the forest. Rex wore a white sweatshirt and faded blue jeans. His head was down, but one could swear he was grinning with a toothpick in his teeth.
"... And Richard Brickowski!"
Now, a blue spotlight shone on a blonde wigged Richard. He adjusted his forest green leg warmers, slowly straightening his back as the two men looked at each other from across the dance floor. The gathered party gave an admittedly lukewarm applause, but the chosen attire of both grooms was unexpected.
"And now, the moment we've all been waiting for: their first dance as a married couple!"
As the music started to blast, Rex threw off his sweatshirt to reveal a white sleeveless undershirt. He grinned as he and Richard rushed to meet at the middle of the floor, just in time for the lyrics to start.
The two men danced with no regard or concern for the audience watching in awe. The song was an 80's synth rock song, one that felt nostalgic somehow. There was something almost magical and mesmerizing in their dance moves. They seemed almost in sync with one another, not taking their eyes off each other as they moved. It almost felt like they could become one being if they got close enough.
When the refrain was sung for the last time, a small amount of glittery and shiny star shaped confetti fell over them. Rex grabbed Richard and spun him before kissing him passionately. By this point, the party had gathered around the dancefloor and started clapping to the drum beat.
When the song ended, the applause was far more enthusiastic. From the wedding party's table, Puppycorn counted his winnings.
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The first of four supplemental fics. This takes place prior to all three of my main fics, so please be aware of spoilers
The lab was barely lit as four figures gathered around a large machine. Their faces were solemn, eyes reflecting a deep heartbreak like a red wine stain. No one exchanged a word among them as the one closest to the machine, a fox in a lab coat, made adjustments on a brightly lit screen. She looked up from her work and turned to the other three.
"There is just enough time for us to do a final check. Are we sure we want to do this? We know how dangerous this machine is and that, once we finish the task, we can't go back." The fox's tail was limp and expressionless. "Let's go around the room, starting with Hawkodile."
"Not knowing if the Princess was safe was torture. Now that I know she is, I need to do my duty to protect her, even if it's from my own memories." The hawk crockodile stood at attention. "I will sacrifice what I can to make sure I achieve that goal. How about you, sport? How're you feeling?" He turned to Puppycorn, who seemed like he was the least haunted of the group of friends.
"I just... want my sister back. I don't care what I gotta do to do that." He started to tear up. "Will I remember her, Doc?"
"Your memories of her and your relationship will still be intact. You just won't remember the Old Unikingdom or the Fall." Doctor Fox knelt down and hugged the puppy comfortingly. The puppy nodded at this. She turned to the final figure, a floating brick. "Richard. I need your input most of all. My analysis of our memory mapping for this project showed that you have the most ties to the old kingdom and cannot use the machine without getting poo... no, let's be adults about this... without going into a coma. You will be all that remains of the Old Unikingdom and our time in purgatory together. Are you alright with this plan?"
"There isn't a choice. She can't remember what happened. She can't remember that she had seen her kingdom destroyed in the exact way the rest of the world almost did just a few days ago. I just... wish I could be with you in that machine. I don't want to remember seeing my princess cry out for us as we all fell into the void. Or how Puppycorn looked when he realized we were never going home. I..." Richard was barely breathing at this point, glancing over to the youngest member of the group. The puppy put his head down, remembering that moment as well. Richard's voice was uncharacteristically heavy with deep sadness and fear. "I'm not strong enough for this."
"You're stronger than me, Rick." Hawkodile rubbed his neck. "You tried to keep morale up down there in the pit and you did your job as an advisor for us better than I did as a bodyguard for her."
"I keep telling you: You did that job well. She was the only one who survived the Fall." Richard stated this in as monotone a voice as possible, but he was clearly breaking. "Your efforts were not wasted."
"Whatever ya say. I need to do better for her now." Hawkodile adjusted his sunglasses.
"Please answer the question. The rest of us are ready. Are you?" Doctor Fox folded her arms.
"I will do what I must for my Princess, just as Hawkodile will. I just... I don't know if I can stand pretending we never met. She was my..." Richard shook, tears now a full stream. "Why does it have to be me?!"
"I understand your position, my friend. However, you need to keep being the rock you have been all this time. You need to be strong, like I know you can be." She gestured for the others to lie down on the beds in the machine. "Now, the machine will do the work for you. I made modifications: there is a program that will do the extraction based on what we can safely remove. You are to lock the memories in the vault when they are extracted. Is that understood?"
The brick unenthusiastically bobbed. The doctor smiled and put a paw on her friend's back. "We couldn't have gotten this far without you. Please accept my apology for all the time we as a group took you for granted, my friend. Thank you for doing this. Please, stay strong. Things will be better for all of us in this new Unikingdom." She flashed a comforting smile and took her place between Puppycorn and Hawkodile.
The three closed their eyes and waited for the process to begin. Richard shook, struggling to float toward the controls. This had to be done. Hawkodile, Puppycorn, and Doctor Fox went through too much in that void. Being forgotten changed them, made them hurt in different ways. But the fact they did it together was the only saving grace. They could have each easily snapped under the weight of all they saw. Now, they have a second chance at life. He didn't understand why he was given this chance as well, but it was something Queen Wa'nabi insisted on. He was tired. Tired of being strong. Tired of being the rock. Why was that his job? Why did they rely on the one who they used to cast aside? He pushed the button with invisible hands and turned as the process began. Time for the Splendorous Rick to put on a different show, one closer to the cons he ran in his youth. He could hear music outside as a party to celebrate the arrival of Queen Wa'nabi and their princess began. He just kept crying, the tears falling like rain to the floor under him. They had timed this perfectly: the princess would be at the castle after the machine finished its task and the others adjusted to the changes.
Richard turned to see the machine was already bottling the memories, represented by almost chibi versions of the users. The faces were in anguish, miserable and pained. He floated lower, scared to touch them and remember. His breath was labored as he waited. Soon, he heard footsteps. He turned around and floated toward the entrance of the lab slowly to face one of the Queen's guards.
"Unikitty will arrive soon. Is everything prepared for her arrival?" The brick glanced behind him, unsure of what the guard knew and what he saw.
"It should be. Please let me know when Her Majesty arrives so I can wait for the princess in the throne room." Richard's monotone returned, his expression neutral. The guard left and a beep could be heard.
"Extraction complete. Long live the Unikingdom." A robotic voice chirped. Richard floated to the machine and picked up the jar. He couldn't help but smile a little at the final message of the Doctor Fox he spent what felt like eternities with. The bottle shook as he floated to a vault in the lab, hidden behind a false wall. He pushed a button on the door.
"Please say the security phrase." A similar robotic voice commanded.
"Paperclip." It was one word, but it was what was needed to open the door. He put the jar in and watched his friends stir back to life while he did his best to not break down and ruin the whole thing. No one spoke for a while, not until the guard returned and announced Unikitty and Queen Wa'nabi's arrival. Hawkodile and Puppycorn flanked Richard as they were escorted to the throne room to re-meet an old and dear friend.
Queen Wa'nabi and Unikitty were talking animatedly about the gift the royal cat was given as they entered the throne room. In front of the throne were a hawk crocodile, a floating brick, and a dog that had a horn like hers, only his was yellow and chipped.
"Every princess needs a court, Unikitty, and these guys are more than capable. Say hello, fellas!" Queen Wa'nabi beamed, gesturing to the three.
"I'm Hawkodile, Princess. I'm gonna be your bodyguard, something I have been training all my life to do." Hawkodile bowed to her stoically, "It is an honor to meet you."
"I'm Puppycorn! I'm your brother! I can't wait to play with you, big sis!" The puppy's ball tail wagged, the words spoken making Richard bite his lip. That was all the pup wanted for years, after all.
"I am Richard. Queen Wa'nabi has hired me to be your advisor." There was no emotion in his words, not joy, sadness, or fear. He knew he couldn't afford to show emotion. Not now. Not this early in the proceedings.
"I have... questions. But the most important one is: Are you OK, Richard? You look so sad." God, Unikitty's concern stabbed through his heart like a knife. How did she possibly see through his act? He thought he was so careful. She always did have a way of being able to tell when someone was miserable.
"It's OK. I'm OK. " He attempted to regain control over his emotions.
"He is, Unikitty. He always looks like that." Puppycorn chimed in, almost in defense of this being he barely remembered.
"OK! It's great to meet you all! I hope we can be best friends in no time!" The pink cat clapped her paws and did a little spin in the air. Richard's heart broke while watching this. She really hadn't changed it all.
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Chapter Two: Two Paths to Go By
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Rex slept until morning and awoke to the smell of waffles and maple syrup. He sat up and saw Unikitty standing next to him, the plate of food on her back. “GOOOOOOOD MORNING!” Her greeting was as syrupy as the waffles on the plate. It made Rex feel sick. “Are you done being a Mr. Grumpypants today? I made you breakfast! Hope you like waffles!”
“I… I did. I do. I guess?” The waffles were very obviously not made in a toaster. Did she go through a lot to make them? He was sure she probably went through a lot of trouble for a prisoner. Rex pulled the plate closer to him. “Ya know you aren’t supposed to make a prisoner breakfast, right?”
“You aren’t a prisoner. You’re a guest!” This statement earned her a lifted eyebrow.
“Do you not see the cage, Princess? Not exactly a room for a guest.” He spoke flatly.
“You’re staying in Doctor Fox’s lab! It’s probably for your protection.”
“You’re as dense as he was… Look. I’m, at the very least, your bodyguard’s prisoner. The cage is to keep me from leavin’, not to keep me safe. Princess, ya can’t believe thatcha think I’m anything but a prisoner.” He kept his patience with her. She’d get it eventually. They always did.
“It doesn’t matter! I’m here to help you stop being so grumpy. Once you stop being grumpy, I’m sure Hawkodile will let you out! Now eat. I’m gonna take you for a walk!” She nudged the plate of waffles onto Rex’s lap.
“Take me for a walk? Ya gonna put a leash on me or somethin'?” Rex laughed, but Unikitty tilted her head.
“No, I was just gonna walk with you and talk. You can’t stay cooped up forever. It’ll keep you grumpy!” Another nudge of the plate. “Less talking, more eating! I wanna go!” Rex rolled his eyes and began to eat. The sugary breakfast hit his stomach like a brick. He used to be able to eat multiple plates of this kind of food, but now it just made his teeth and stomach hurt. He barely finished his plate before it was whipped off of his lap and on Doctor Fox’s desk. “Let’s go! Time for a walk!” She grabbed Rex’s hand and dragged him out of bed.
He didn’t get any time to process the change in scenery. When he was able to catch his bearings, he found himself outside of the castle walls in what had to be a park. The smell of flowers hit him like a shallow wave, as did the sound of birds singing and children playing around them. These were things that hadn’t hit his senses for decades, strange yet familiar. He took in his surroundings, shocked that Unikitty was letting him do it. It was like feeling rain for the first time after a long drought. He wanted to keep this feeling alive just a little longer.
“So, Rexy! Can I ask you something?” And there she was, right on time. Shattering the zen of the moment with her annoying voice. Rex turned his head to her slowly.
“Go on.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Do what, Princess?” Unikitty took a breath.
“Why did you start Armommageddeon?” The question hung heavy in the air between them. She went for the big question there. Rex shook his head in disbelief.
“It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t.” He spoke quickly, trying to get out of answering the question.
“It does! If I know why you did it, it’ll help me help you so much more! So help me help you!” Unikitty nodded, trying to seem sagelike. Rex spoke after a moment.
“Not gonna happen, Princess. I ain’t tellin’ you anythin’.” He walked ahead of her, trying to make as much distance as possible in case he decided to turn around and blurt out his deepest secrets. Unikitty was one of the people who abandoned him. She deserved nothing from him. Nothing at all.
“Rexy, don’t push-”
“Stop calling me that! I’m not your friend! You and the rest of your buddies had your chance! Ya blew it long ago! I’m not going to bring this damn simulation down, but don’t for one second think I want to pretend everything’s fine!” Unikitty froze at the display of raw anger and anguish. Rex’s face was red, trying with all his strength to not break down. “I’m not going through it all again!”
Unikitty frowned slightly, head tilted. Nothing her companion said made any sense. What simulation? He spoke like they had a history, but she didn’t know anyone called Rex. “Next question: Do I know you?”
Rex’s hands balled up into fists. He shook from the pent-up emotions he felt. “No. You don’t. Not this version of me. And the version of me you do know…” He stopped himself. Technically, that version of him was still floating around, spreading goodwill and peace. “I’m not explaining this to you, OK? I can’t keep letting people in.” His vocal pattern reset from the stereotypical tough guy to someone a lot weaker… and someone very familiar if Unikitty thought about it really hard.
If she caught on to this fact, she didn’t show it. The rage Rex was showing toward her wasn’t positive. No, it was the opposite of that. This was something that would not stand. Her fur turned red as she tried to keep hold of her own emotions. “You need to calm down. You need to be positive!” Rex laughed wildly.
“That advice didn’t do me any good back in Undar! Oh sure, I probably lasted a few moments longer thinking positively, but I didn’t free me! My anger did that! You of all people should understand the power anger can give you!”
“I don’t understand you! You make no sense! How do we know each other, Rex? Stop talking around the issue!” The red remained in her fur, but she took a defensive stance. “Tell me so I can help!” The two fell silent, Unikitty listening for an explanation Rex wasn’t ready to give. Only one person knew who Rex truly was and he wasn’t there to explain it for him. After the silence evolved into something more awkward, Rex glanced down.
“I don’t want to get hurt again. Just get me back to the lab and leave me alone.” The emotion caused his verbal mask to slip further. Unikitty put her face right up to his.
“I can’t leave you alone. You aren’t positive and I gotta change that.” She pulled away from his face, letting his words sink in a little further in her mind. He was hurting on the inside, that much was clear. He didn’t give her a lot to work with, but she had to try to piece things together. He claimed to know her and her friends, but didn’t know Doctor Fox or Hawkodile. Could he mean the friends she made during the TAKOS Tuesday incident? But she would remember a grumpy guy like Rex in the crew. This was a puzzle. Maybe Doctor Fox could help her with this later. She took a few deep breaths and her fur turned pinker with each exhale. “But, I can take you back to the lab. I have important princess stuff to do anyway.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the castle and his cell. She then looked for Doctor Fox, who was talking to Hawkodile outside of his treehouse.
“Can we talk a sec, Doctor? You can! Good. Let’s talk.” Unikitty sat next to Doctor Fox, who turned her attention away from Hawkodile after the princess spoke.
“I can always converse with you, Unikitty. What would the topic of conversation be?” Hawkodile listened in, just in case.
“I need help figuring out something Rex said. It doesn’t make sense to me, but maybe you can get something out of it.” She then described the blowup in the park, doing her best to remember how he said things. After she finished. Doctor Fox rubbed her head.
“You think he was someone you knew from before you got access to the Unikingdom, but you can’t remember him personally…” The fox’s tail swayed as she thought on what she was told by both Unikitty and Rex. “He claimed to be a time paradox to me last night, something a person had rejected. You say he said you knew a “different version” of him. These could be related. Who do you know that would fit his basic description? I’m afraid I don’t know anyone that looks like him, save for Batman. That may be the key to solving this conundrum.”
“I don’t really know any rough looking grumpy guys, Doctor.” Unikitty frowned.
“What about the orange guy you were talking about yesterday?” Hawkodile chimed in. “You thought he was the guy’s brother.”
“I’d remember if he had a brother. I just said that because… they look… alike.” Unikitty seemed to finally understand a little. Maybe they looked alike… because they were alike. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense. His guy can’t be him. He’s the opposite of this guy! Can you ask him for more info? He seems to have told you more."
“It would seem he provided us with an equal amount of information, Unikitty. What he conveyed to me was only in regards to my time experiments. I can attempt to have him open up, but I don’t believe he will discuss matters outside of the time experiments.”
Meanwhile, Rex sat on his bed, doing his best to meditate. He needed to keep his cool to find an opening to escape and letting his deep rooted anger get the best of him wasn’t going to help with that. He opened one eye when he heard a sequence of loud squeaks. Just outside the cell was the horned blue dog. What did Unikitty call him? Right, Puppycorn. The dog was looking at Rex, a small red rubber ball in his mouth. The man opened both eyes and Puppycorn threw the ball in Rex’s direction.
“I can’t find my big sis. Can you play with me?” He gestured his horn to the ball in front of Rex.
“Ya sure ya won’t get in trouble playin’ with the big, tough prisoner?” Rex picked the slobber coated ball up.
“My sis wants to help you and she’s a good judge of character!” Puppycorn grinned. The little dog’s naivete was giving Rex flashbacks in the worst way. But, he threw the ball after some minor hesitation. Puppycorn ran after it and returned with it moments later. “You throw good, mister!” The ball was thrown back to Rex.
“I should hope so. I’ve had to keep up with raptors.” The ball was thrown back out to the open lab. Puppycorn ran after it, returning quickly.
“Raptors? Like the dinosaurs? Because that’s pretty awesome.” The ball went under the bed, but Rex was able to retrieve it without too much effort.
“Yeah. They were pretty awesome. I miss ‘em.” He threw the ball with a little more energy. He could see himself getting along with this one. Didn’t ask too many difficult questions and liked raptors. “They were the best friends a guy could have.” He watched Puppycorn rush to get the ball and try to squeeze under the table it bounced under. Eventually, the puppy came back. He didn’t return the ball yet, though.
“You have a really cool name. Rex is just such a cool name.” The dog returned the ball, rolling it between the bars this time.
“Thanks. I picked it myself.” Rex threw the ball further than before. He liked the compliment, but he had a feeling he was going to hate the next words that came out of the dog’s mouth. After a longer delay, Puppycorn came back and rolled the ball to Rex again.
“You can pick a name for yourself? You must be really cool to be able to do that! Can I do that too?” His ball-like tail wagged and he bounced on the spot. Okay, that wasn’t the question Rex expected to come next. Yeah, he was going to get along with Puppycorn just fine.
“If you want, kid. Just pick somethin’ that sounds cool an’ run with it.” He held onto the ball to give Puppycorn time to think. The dog scratched his head, tongue sticking out of his mouth as he thought. “Don’t strain your brain too hard now.”
"Oh darn! I can't think of anything rad like your name." Puppycorn looked down to his feet, voice almost a whine. Rex shook his head softly. The little dog was lucky he was in a good mood.
"Nah, that's fine. Sometimes, you gotta do you." He squeezed the ball, a sad squeak marking the irony of that statement. He couldn't say he knew who he was right now. Not the best position to give advice about being yourself. The ball was thrown, but the distance it traveled relied more on it bouncing on the ground. "As long as you like who you are, you're good." There was an uncertainty to the words he spoke. Yes, it was the right thing to say. But, he didn't believe it for himself. He went by a pseudonym for crying out loud and not a clever one at that. Thankfully, Puppycorn didn't get the irony.
"Yeah! Makes sense to me!" He happily bounded back to the cell. When the dog looked at the man behind the bars, he tilted his head. Something felt wrong, but the pup couldn't pick up on what. "Do you wanna play outside? I can open the door for ya!" The puppy bounced over to the door and, with the push of a button, the door opened. Rex lifted an eyebrow at this. That was really, really stupid of Puppycorn to have done. He glanced at the tracker on his wrist. Should he push his luck? He looked at Puppycorn and his wagging tail. Should he betray the blind trust of another innocent soul? This betrayal wouldn't be as bad, right? It would just teach the dog a lesson to not blindly trust a stranger. Right? He slowly got off the bed and walked out of the cell, stopping next to the blue pup. He glanced at Puppycorn. It hurt how much the dog reminded him of the innocence he lost.
"Lead the way, kid." Rex looked ahead at the lab door. He wasn't out of the castle yet. He can reassess the situation when he did. Puppycorn rushed out the door, leaving his playmate to sprint behind. He led Rex through the gardens to a field just past the moat that surrounded the castle. They were off of the castle grounds. This was looking more and more like a lucky break.
When Puppycorn stopped, he sat down, looking up at Rex with a look that cut through the man's heart like a white-hot knife. It was a similar look he was given back on his ship what felt like a lifetime ago. The Man Upstairs had a sick sense of humor. He looked away from the dog toward the vast field. The dark outline of a large city loomed out in the distance. He could ditch Puppycorn right now and head for the city, hide there until the heat died down, then build a ship from spare parts and finally head home. But, that look of trust kept him to the spot like a glob of Kragle.
"That's Frowntown. It's no fun out there. No one out there's happy." Puppycorn broke the silence and Rex's concentration. "You don't wanna go there." Rex suppressed a laugh. Don't make assumptions, kid. He threw the ball in the direction of the town, the puppy rushing to grab it before it hit the ground.
"I didn't know Unikitty had a brother." He glanced at the dog, who handed him the ball. "Never mentioned you when we were still friends."
"Well, she was probably busy. Cloud Cuckoo Land was a big place to run. It's not like here. She always had to do party stuff to keep things going up there." Puppycorn shrugged. "I was little then, but I remember it was a lotta fun up there!" He paused for a moment. "You were friends? What happened?"
Rex kept his line of sight on the horizon. He should have expected this to eventually come up. Curse his big mouth. "I grew up." Why did he feel like he had to be gentle with Puppycorn?
"That's sad. I hope I don't lose friends when I grow up." The puppy lost some energy with that idea.
"You won't. You remind me of someone I know and he makes friends wherever he goes. You'll be fine, kid." Rex tossed the ball, wanting the puppy to give him a moment's reprieve from this train of thought. Puppycorn gave him that moment, but it didn't last too long. The puppy returned the ball, which earned him an unenthusiastic pat on the head.
"Are we friends?" The dog asked, sitting next to Rex. That look. He had to be going soft. It was the only reason why it would have hurt like this.
"Not yet, kid." Rex whispered. "Not ready for the pain friends can bring." This confused the puppy.
"How can friends hurt? Friends shouldn't hurt each other. Did Unikitty… hurt you?"
"That's… kinda a complicated question ta answer, kid. I'll tryta make it as simple as I can: yes, but she won't remember." He wasn't about to explain complicated time travel theory to a kid. It was hard enough for him to understand.
"I'm confused. How can you be mad at somethin' Big Sis forgot?"
"Because it still happened. It became part of who I am. She could do it to him… to me… again. They all could." His voice was thick from the pain and stress bubbling to the surface. Puppycorn leaned on Rex, knowing he needed some kind of comfort.
"Whatever she did, I won't. I promise!" The dog gave a warm smile. Rex shook his head.
"Next lesson, kid: never make a promise you can't keep." He sat on the grass. Looks like he wasn't going to run this time. Without knowing it, Puppycorn became his kryptonite. Everything about the pup just reminded him of himself, two trips to Undar ago. He just didn't understand why he couldn't exploit that this time.
"Hey, I'm hungry. Mind if we go back, Rex? I'm sure my sis is makin' dinner right now." Puppycorn got up and ran in the direction of the castle. Rex shook his head. The puppy just left him sitting in the grass.
Again, his thoughts turned to Frowntown. He was being handed a free pass to leave, to pick up where he left off. There had to be some kind of cosmic design behind this choice. He looked behind him and Puppycorn was almost out of sight. Rex got up and headed back to the castle. Before he got too far, he looked back to the grey city on the horizon. He shook his head and continued walking toward the castle. He needed to understand why he was here before he could get out into the universe at large. May as well play the long con for a while.
When he got to the lab, he saw that Doctor Fox was not present. He looked at the super computer she used to look up his information. He could call his Rexcelsior with it, let his raptors know he was safe after a year of radio silence. They were the closest things he had to friends right now, after all. He sat in front of the computer and tried to signal out to his ship. Nothing. After a few more calls out to the ship, he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. It made sense, honestly. He was never left in Undar in this timeline. No exile to Undar, no Rexcelsior. This was going to make things difficult. He was going to need to start everything over from scratch. He put his head in his hands, only just noticing that Unikitty was right behind him.
"Why didn't you tell me my ship is gone?" His head didn't leave his hands as he spoke. Unikitty shrugged.
"Didn't know it was gone. After Armommageddeon, there was a lot to do and I guess no one really noticed."
"What happened to my crew? My raptors?"
"I think a few of them are on Syspocalypstar." Unikitty put a sandwich down on the console. "Are you in a better mood now? Because I still have questions and I can't understand your answers." Rex got up and walked to his holding cell, leaving the sandwich.
"I told you everything I wanna tell you, Princess."
"Just tell me one thing."
"You get one thing. That's it." He didn't turn to face her.
"What is your relationship with Emmet Brickowski? Be honest with me. We know you were seen with him after the wedding cake was smashed." Unikitty looked at the dark clad man with a resoluteness in her eyes.
"We're closer than you might think, Princess." He smirked as he said this, though his back was still turned to the royal cat.
"You need to stop speaking in riddles! I thought you were going to be honest with me!" Her fur turned red, lightning bolts appearing above her head.
"I am being honest. You never said I had to be direct." Rex sat on the edge of the bed in the cell.
"Then be direct! I want to help you and I can't do that unless you help me!" Her back arched, ready to pounce.
"Like I said, you ain't my friend. You want a second chance, ya gotta earn it. Now, don't you have a little brother to play with?" He adjusted himself into a comfortable position to meditate. "He was looking for you earlier." Unikitty stormed out of the lab.
The cat floated toward Doctor Fox, who Puppycorn had chosen as his new playmate. "Rex is so frustrating! He won't tell me anything! Why won't he open up to me‽" She growled, falling into her angrier persona.
"He appears to be hard to read. He was for me, at least. There's no reason to get angry, Unikitty." Doctor Fox said with a nod.
"He told me you hurt him, but you don't remember hurtin' him, sis." Puppycorn said through his red ball. Fox and Unikitty looked at Puppycorn, dumbfounded. "What? Is there somethin' on my face?"
"When did he tell you this?" Exclamation marks and question marks appeared above Unikitty's head as she spoke. "What else did he tell you?"
"I was playin' catch with him and we talked about dinosaurs and friendship. I said I wouldn't hurt him and he said not to make a promise I can't keep." Puppycorn put down the ball.
"It appears Puppycorn has a crucial part in this puzzle: Something you don't remember is causing him not to trust you, something in the past that caused emotional damage. Puppycorn, how did he act around you?" Doctor Fox was excited with this unexpected development.
"He looked so sad. I thought he just wanted to go outside, but he got sadder when we went out to the field. Did I make him sad?" Puppycorn put his ball down, revealing a small frown.
"I'm not sure you did, Puppycorn. His depression may have just been drawn out by the conversation." Fox tapped her cheek. "He may find it easier to open up to you and showed you something closer to his current emotional state. Let's put together what we know, Unikitty: He's stated that he wasn't supposed to be in this timeline, saying that someone had said they would never become who he was. He told you that he was closer to a friend of yours than you think and that you and some other friends failed at a chance to remain his friend. He told Puppycorn that he was hurt by you, though you wouldn't remember how. I believe the answer may lie in the past of a different timeline. He remembers a timeline we don't, one that causes him to distrust you and push away anyone trying to befriend him."
"Wait. What?" Unikitty shook her head. "So he's mad at me because of something I didn't even do? How is that fair?"
"It may not be to you but to him, it's justified. We need him to recognize that what occurred in his timeline won't be repeated. This could take some time. He appears to be less reluctant to speak to Puppycorn about his emotions. I would recommend letting your brother be around him more."
"Not a good idea, Doc." Hawkodile spoke from behind Unikitty. "I heard he's a schemer, willing to use people for his plans. He could try to use Puppycorn to escape."
"He likes me! I took him where you can see Frowntown and he didn't run away! Not once!" Puppycorn grinned happily.
"No, you're right. I want help the guy, but my friend was not the kind of person to just smash a wedding cake like that. Rex must have made him do it, and if he was capable of doing that… He's capable of hurting Puppycorn." Unikitty's ears moved back. "Doctor Fox, keep trying to get the guy to talk to you. Puppycorn, stay away from him, okay?"
"But sis! We just played ball together. He didn't do anything!"
" I don't want you getting hurt. Please?"
"Alright, sis." He picked up the ball and squeezed it, the squeaking the only positive sound coming from the puppy.
The late night air was still. Rex kept his focus on the ceiling, unable to sleep. He hadn't seen anyone after Unikitty confronted him. Was being like this better than being on Undar? He wasn't sure yet. A scratching from outside the door caused Rex to pause and squint to look out in the dark. He saw the general shape of an animal and a horn and turned to face the wall. "Unikitty, leave me alone. Please."
"I'm not supposedta see you anymore, but you're so cool!" Puppycorn opened the door of Rex's cell and sat down beside him. "I also said I wouldn't hurt ya. I gotta keep my promise."
"Kid, it wouldn't hurt me if you stopped talkin' to me. I'm used to it." He rolled on his back and pet Puppycorn's head.
"How didja come up with your cool name?" Puppycorn asked, leaning his head into Rex's hand. "I still can't think of one."
"I'm wearing the opposite of a safety vest and my first name just sounds cool." It was clear from his tone that his mind was far away. "Kid, what are you doin' up? It's gotta be late."
"I stay up all the time 'cuz I'm a big boy." Puppycorn bounced in place a little. "That's probably why you're up, too."
"Actually, I have a hard time sleepin' through the night. It's been like that for a long time now." Rex kept his hand lightly on Puppycorn's head, avoiding the horn as best he could.
"Why?"
"I get nightmares. Very vivid nightmares." Rex shuddered.
"Vivid? What's that?"
"It means they feel real. I feel like I'm there, back on that terrible desert planet, screaming for help." He had nothing to lose by being a little more honest to the pup. It's not like he could tell Unikitty anything without incriminating himself. "It's the same dream every night."
"That sounds scary. Maybe you can change the channel in your head!" Puppycorn could feel Rex's pain in his words.
"That ain't an easy thing to do, kid. I don't always know it's a dream, so I can't "change the channel". Rex sounded exhausted. He sat up and looked out into the dark lab. After some thought, he spoke again. "Kid?"
"What's up, cool guy?" Puppycorn's tail wagged.
"How good are ya at keepin' a secret?"
"I'm really good at it! Really really good!" That answer came too fast and brought a red flag with it. "What's the secret?"
"Gonna re-introduce myself to ya. I think your sister suspects this, but she doesn't wanna believe it." Whether the puppy knew it or not, he was going to be tested. "I was Emmet Brickowski. I haven't gone by that name in years. I also was Rex Dangervest, but I'm not sure the name suits me anymore."
"Why?" Nothing made sense to the puppy.
"I used to be full of anger and hate. Your sister brings all that out of me, but I'm not sure I want to be like that anymore." The tough bravado was long gone from his voice at this point. He just sounded tired. "I can't be either person."
"Sometimes, you gotta do you. Right?" That made Rex sigh deeply. Puppycorn just threw his own words at him.
"I would if I knew who I was, kid." Rex settled back into bed. "I'd go, kid. Lock the door behind you." He turned away from the dog, his trap set. The puppy yawned.
"I promise I won't say anything, mister." Puppycorn did what Rex suggested and headed for bed.
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It's time for a vacation! The Chronoverse Crew is going on a roadtrip and adventure is in the backseat... and maybe something else as well.
Part One || Part Two
The morning air was overloaded with the sounds of cicadas and birds creating a borderline cacophonous symphony. That didn't matter to the Unikingdom's only true human resident, who was finally getting a quality level of sleep. He muttered something incoherent, digging his head into his pillow. This peace was soon broken by a loud series of knocks on his bedroom door. The human snapped to a sitting position and grabbed a laser gun, aiming it at the door and working on pure instinct. The door practically burst open and, when the intruder revealed themself he put his gun down and rolled his eyes.
"GOOD MORNING, RJ!" Unikitty flew into the dark bedroom and pulled the blackout curtains open to let sunlight join the party. Rex squinted in response to the sudden and unwanted appearance of light.
"Mornin'?" The human replied, trying to figure out how the unicorn cat broke into his house. He rubbed his left eye with his hand and yawned. "We need to talk about boundaries again, don't we."
"We need to talk about something else first." Of course they did. Rex slowly got to his feet and began to look for a change of clothes. "It's summertime and it's almost time for my friends and I to go on our annual vacation!"
"You woke me up to tell me to castlesit? I'll do it, but can you keep conversations like this to after my morning coffee?" He found enough clothes to make a coherent outfit and started to push the floating unicorn cat out of his room.
"Nope! Because you are now my friend, that means you're going too." The cat held on to the doorframe. Rex stopped pushing, his expression a mix of annoyance and hidden flattery.
"You… never asked me if I wanted to go, Princess. I could be doing something that day." Rex pointed out, the words coming out almost halfheartedly.
"I know you aren't. We have the same friends, RJ!" Unikitty countered. "And they're coming… well, everyone here in the Unikingdom is. So come with us."
"This isn't an invitation I can decline, is it." Rex turned on the bedroom light and started to tame his wild hair in a small wall mounted mirror.
"Nope! Besides, after what we've been through we could use a vacation!" There was a deep level of tiredness in her voice that really drove that point home. The human said nothing at first. He couldn't really counter that, though he would have preferred time alone to recover and adjust a little more to the peacetime chaos of the Unikingdom. "We're leaving in a few hours, so get packed and I'll take you to the castle!" This stopped Rex in his tracks.
"We're leavin'... in a few hours?"
"Yep! I'll be in the living room!" The cat floated off, closing the door and leaving the human stunned.
Unikitty was pulling a whole tray of cookies out of the oven by the time Rex emerged from his room, dressed in a denim vest and a ripped shirt that had a faded Space Corps logo printed on it. He held a beaten up duffel bag in his arms. He threw the bag on the couch and walked to his study. When Unikitty poked her head into the study, she found her friend on his radio, attempting to get a raptor to watch his house while he was away. She grinned widely, since he didn't sound too upset at the sudden prospect of a vacation with friends. When he was done, Unikitty grabbed his bag.
"You're dressed and packed. Let's go! The others are waiting!" She grabbed Rex's hand and dragged him out of the cabin, barely giving him time to lock his front door.
The two friends soon found themselves in the shadow of the Unikitty shaped castle, a beaten up sky blue and faded green van on the road. Doctor Fox was dressed in a jumpsuit and checking the engine. She saw the two and waved.
"RJ!" She closed the hood of the van and shuffled over to her friend, smiling excitedly. "I'm happy you decided to come! My calculations show that adding you to the trip will make the vacation 300% cooler!" That made the man smile a little.
"Princess gave me no choice, but I'm glad I'm addin' somethin' to the whole thing." He yawned, watching Unikitty through his bag haphazardly in the trunk. "Ya know where we're goin'?"
"I don't, actually. Unikitty only told Richard because he's driving, but he's not willing to part with that information either."
"Maybe I should go back to my cabin and get another bag. I assumed we were goin' to the beach, but maybe I shoulda known better." The Master Breaker was about to leave when he was stopped by Unikitty.
"There's no time now, RJ! We don't wanna leave without you!" She opened his duffle bag and dug through it, pulling out his guitar and grinning. "You have everything you need anyway and then some!"
"Get out of my duffle bag!" He pushed the royal cat away, snatched his guitar out of her paws and started to put it in the bag. He turned and saw Puppycorn and Hawkodile coming over the hill. The puppy saw his friend and tackled him with a hug. "Hey, kid! Good morning!"
"Mornin', RJ! You're comin' on vacation with us? That's so rad!" The puppy's ball tail wagged as he got off of Rex. Hawkodile just greeted the human with a knowing and sympathetic nod.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Rex flashed the pup a tired smile as Hawkodile threw his and Puppycorn's bags in the trunk. "Hey, Hawk. We got time for me to run to the coffee shop in town? I'll getcha some too."
"I'll make the run, bro. Ya take your coffee with thirteen sugars still?" The hawk crocodile stretched his wings, preparing to take flight.
"Yeah. I can't cut the sugar down any further. Too used to it bein' overly sweet." Rex shrugged as Hawkodile rushed off to get them both coffee. "Get somethin' for Rich, too!" He called after the bodyguard's afterimage as the last member of the group floated into view. "Mornin', Rich." The brick was overburdened by his own bag and Unikitty's luggage and was relieved when Rex took some from him.
"I'd say I was glad you decided to come with us, but I know the princess probably didn't give you a choice." Richard bobbed in a way that could be interpreted as a nod. "I will warn you that our road trips can get chaotic. Will you be alright with that?"
"Is it more chaotic than a normal day with the Princess?"
"I can't say you don't have a point. But the answer to that is yes. And the chaos isn’t entirely her doing." Richard didn't hold any tone to betray his feelings on that fact. That seemed to bother Rex that much more.
"Well… I'm callin' shotgun." Rex jumped in the passenger seat next to the driver's seat and reclined in the seat with his hands behind his head.
"Hey! I wanted to sit there!" Unikitty pouted. She squished her face against the window and stared at Rex, who just ignored her. "I'm always shotgun!"
"Princess, you can get that seat on the way home." Richard was handed a coffee cup by Hawkodile, who had just come back from the cafe. "Now, is everyone here and do you have everything you need? We have time for a few stops before we reach our destination, but we can't be late." Hawkodile and Rex waved from their positions, already engaged in a conversation about battle strategy. Doctor Fox called from under the van and Puppycorn barked at a squirrel in a tree.
"Looks like we're all here, Richard!" Unikitty flew like a flash into the van, taking a seat in the middle, while her brother and Doctor Fox sat on either side of her. Hawkodile sat in the back as best he could, though it was clear the van only seated five.
"Ya sure we got a big enough van, Rich? I can follow behind in my truck, if ya wa-" Rex was interrupted by Unikitty, who leaned into his and Richard's part of the van.
"Nope! We need to stick together! That's how a road trip works!"
"I'm sure Hawk would appreciate not bein'-"
"NOPE! It's like you've never been on a road trip before, RJ!"
"Well, unless the whole TAKOS Tuesday thing or the trip through the Systar System counts-"
"Which they don't." Unikitty interjected.
"We didn't do road trips in Bricksburg. We had everything we needed in the city. There was an amusement park and -!"
"You didn't even go on any with your raptors?" Unikitty was floored.
"Not much room in the whole 'get revenge' timetable to sightsee… Well now that I think about it, the kid an' I did go back in time to Bricksburg together. That counts, right?" Rex shrugged.
"Yeah! That totally counts!" Puppycorn bounced in his seat, his eyes lighting up with recognition. Unikitty thought for a second and nodded in agreement. She will totally count that.
"So you know! You and Little Bro didn't take two different time machines!" She leaned back into her seat, hushing Rex when he tried to argue. "Let's go, Rick!"
"Of course, Princess. We do have a tight schedule." The brick started the van and drove, Rex watching him with fascination by how a being with no hands could somehow drive.
The group were soon on the road. Rex was fully awake at this point and watched the world float past them from the window. The others started to discuss their excitement for this trip animatedly from the back, but the human tuned them out. He jumped a little when Richard spoke.
"How have you been doing, Rex?" The brick kept his eyes on the road as he talked.
"I've been holdin' up, Rich. Still can't get used to all this." The human adjusted the blue bandana that was tied around his neck.
"What can't you get used to?"
"A lot of things. Havin' friends that want me to be happy, people seein' me as a hero, the hustle and bustle of the kingdom in general… It's a lot." Rex leaned back in the seat as much as he could without adjusting it.
"I hope you get better adjusted to that in time, especially having friends like us. We may not be the dinosaurs you normally talk to, but we care about you and, yes, we want you to be happy." Richard smiled, but kept his focus on driving.
"Yes, RJ. You're one of us now." Unikitty whispered suddenly in the human's ear. "One of us." She slipped into the backseat and resumed her part of the backseat conversation without missing a beat.
"That was… disturbing." Rex shook his head and turned back to Richard. "So. Ya wanna tell me where we're goin'?"
"I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that I don't know where we're going. Princess Unikitty's directions are terrible and I'm pretty sure it would involve us driving several miles through the desert for some reason." Rex's left eye twitched when Richard mentioned the desert. "That was my thought, too. I'm not sure what she was thinking, given your past experiences. I have taken the liberty to avoid doing… that, but I still don't know where she wanted to go. I'll be stopping soon to see if we can figure that out."
"Thanks for that," was the only response the human gave as he settled back to watching the treeline come and go. The van soon stopped at a small gas station that felt friendly and only slightly disused, where Hawkodile got out to top off the van's gas tank. Rex turned to Puppycorn, poking his head from the front seat.
"Kid. Be honest. Do ya need to go? Don't know when we'll be stoppin' next." He spoke softly and patiently.
"Uh… no. But I want some trip snacks!" The puppy wagged his tail.
"I'll get some snacks if you go anyway. We don't want Rich to have to stop again, right?" The puppy shook his head and headed for the station's restroom. "And that's how ya get that kid to listen to you." Rex got out as well and headed for the mini mart with his hands in his pockets. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his Brick-a-gram feed, occasionally liking photos that came from his friends from other planets’ accounts. He grabbed some snacks that were easy to clean if they spilled and some coffee and waited for the cashier to finish the transaction before him to put his chosen provisions on the counter along with some Apocalypseburgian currency.
"Uh… dude? What is this?" The cashier held the beaten and battered money up for the distracted time traveler to see.
"Money that is probably worthless here. Hang on…" He pulled out his wallet and pulled out bills from Bricksburg, Syspocalypstar, and even some older Systar System coins before finding shiny gold coins with Unikitty’s head on them. "I… collect coins. Here. Some good old Unikingdom Lolly."
"You bring your collection with you?" The cashier lifted an eyebrow incredulously as he took the Lolly coins and slid the change across the counter.
"Ya never know when you'll meet another… coin collector." He put the currency, including the change, back in his wallet and took his purchases. "See ya." He headed out the door and was quickly joined by Puppycorn.
"Didja get the snacks?" The puppy jumped around the human, excited for the prospect of snacks.
"Didja wash your paws?" After Rex asked this, the puppy ran back to the bathroom and returned with wet paws. "Close enough for me. Here." He handed the puppy a bag of gummy bears and headed for the van. Hawkodile had finished his task as Rex got there. "Hey, Hawk. Ya want some coffee?"
"Nah. I'm good, bro." The hawk crocodile looked over to Rex and saw his phone lock screen was set to a photo of himself and Emmet goofing around. He chose not to say anything about that, instead focusing on the snacks he was holding. "Ya need to stop eating so much sugar."
"Can't help it. Always had a sweet tooth." He dug through a bag of candied pecans and threw one in his mouth.
"Yeah, but you've already had two cups of coffee with thirteen sugars each. That's a lot of sugar and it's only 10." The two took a walk around the station as they spoke, waiting for Unikitty and Richard to finish talking.
"It used to be a lot worse, bro." He pocketed the bag and walked in step with the chimera. "It's the least of my issues right now." The man whispered a small thank you to the brats upstairs when Doctor Fox waved them back to the van. Puppycorn was already inside, head poking out of the open window. He and Hawkodile got to the van, where they could now see that Richard was fretting over a map over the steering wheel while Unikitty sat in the front passenger side seat, sticking her tongue out as Rex as he approached that side. "Hey, Rich." He spoke as he and Hawkodile tried to fit themselves into the backseat with Puppycorn and, eventually, Doctor Fox. "Ya finally get the whole destination thing figured out?"
"I'm just gonna give Richard directions until we get to the next stop." Unikitty seemed way too happy to basically say she wasn't telling anyone anything. "It's a secret."
"Princess, what if this trip takes longer than a day? We shouldn't be gone for so-" Richard was quickly hushed by his princess.
"It'll be fine! We won't be gone for long enough for the people to notice!"
"I'm supposed to be going to Syspocalypstar in a few days to see Em-" Like Richard before him, Rex was shushed by Unikitty.
"You'll get home in time to see him! And, if not, he'll understand!"
"Sad thing is she ain't wrong. But I'm just gonna text him an' tell him…" Rex rolled his eyes at his phone, seeing that he had no signal. "Later." He put his phone away. He tried to relax, but it was too cramped for him to lean back. The rest of the van fell back into casual conversation, Rex choosing to try to get some sleep to the drone of the van's engine. He was quickly nudged awake by Puppycorn, who slurped some unknown liquid he had clearly gotten at the gas station.
"Can you take me with you on your trip to see your bro? I wanna fly in your super rad spaceship again." He growled a little as he chewed on a particularly stubborn gummy bear.
"Pretty sure the Rexcelsior is on the no fly list, so I'm takin' somethin' a lot smaller. I can try to take ya, but it's gonna be cramped."
"Kinda like this?"
"Actually, know what? The ship'll be less cramped." Rex laughed as Hawkodile adjusted to a more comfortable position. "Em’ll be happy to have ya. Not sure about his girlfriend, but I don't care what she thinks." He didn't sound as sincere with the last part of the sentence, accented by a brief glance downward. Puppycorn didn't catch this, though.
"Can we go to that pizza place again?" The puppy asked, holding on to his energy levels.
"Not sure it even exists now. I'd ask Em, but I have no signal on my satellite phone." He shot a brief glare at Unikitty's headrest. "So gonna say maybe, but don't get your hopes up." The pup nodded and the conversation soon moved on to skateboarding tips. Unikitty listened and smiled, glad her friend was able to slip into being part of the group so easily.
"I think he's finally really happy now. Don't you think, Rick?" Unikitty's voice made Richard jump a little.
"RJ does seem to be less dour and I do think he's better adjusted to us. I don't doubt this is because of what we've been through with him. I can't speak for him, but it looks like he has a new purpose. That may be just what he needed." Richard smiled a little himself. "I know I'm glad he's doing better."
"Oo! We're at the first real stop of our trip! Pull in here, Rick!" Richard lifted an eyebrow at a small diner with a large fiberglass taco just next to it. A neon sign on the roof declared the place to be "Taco Joe's Diner", with a gaudy metal sign below it saying it was home of the world's largest fiberglass taco. The friends in the back of the van stopped their conversations and looked out the window.
"Well, it is past lunchtime…" Richard parked the van with perfect precision. When they stopped, the passengers in the back piled out, the lone human stretching a little as his boots hit the dusty ground.
"Dibs on shotgun." He declared as he looked at the large taco. "Ya know, I really should demand old Business gives out the tacos he owes the people of Bricksburg." He walked a short circuit around the van and fished his instant camera from his duffel bag before joining the group again. “If he hasn’t already. Em claimed he gave control of the Realms to the Assembly of Master Builders and Queen Wa’nabi, but it’s the least he can do now.” He looked up and saw that the others were already starting to head inside. He rushed after.
As they entered the diner, it was clear how underwhelmed Unikitty was. It looked like it fell out of the 1950's, but took a few stray hits of grime and rust on the way down. The place was nearly empty, with a hot sauce bottle waitress serving a surly looking figure some piping hot coffee at a counter that cut the place in a rough half. There were no tables with chairs, just booths that could seat maybe half of their party each without being super uncomfortable situated along the knick knack covered walls. The others didn't seem to mind this nearly as much as the princess did or if they did, it wasn't as transparently written on their faces. The waitress eyed the group with her dot eyes and gave them a wave.
"Welcome to Taco Joe's! Have a seat. I'll be with y'all in just a tick!" She spoke in a cheery voice that felt welcoming and warm. The group piled into two booths, with Richard, Rex and Puppycorn in one and the others in the one directly next to them.
"Welcome to the cool kids' table, Rich." Rex sat alone in the booth and close to the large window, with Puppycorn sitting directly across from him. "Glad ya made it. I was worried someone else was gonna take your seat." The human added this last part with a small grin.
"You wanted me to sit with you? I'm shocked you didn't want Hawkodile." Richard's usual monotone held a hint of happiness at the idea of being wanted.
"I think he an' Doc need some alone time. Besides, I like your company." Rex looked out the window at the small town that surrounded them. The town was sleepy despite the clear tourist trap they were built around. It was strange how quiet it was, but he brushed that off in his mind. "I gotta take a pic of us before we leave." He mostly said this to himself, but it was loud enough for the rest of the table to hear. The waitress came over with a pad and a pencil, as well as some paper menus. She passed them out to the group and gave a bright, only slightly customer service smile.
"What can I getcha'll to drink?" The group, with the exception of Rex and Richard, gave their drink orders almost simultaneously. The poor girl was able to keep up, to her credit. Richard ordered a plain glass of water once she finished writing the other orders. "How 'boutchu, handsome?" She turned to Rex, giving him a wink.
"Coffee. I'll have it black since you're sweet enough," he stated while returning the wink. She turned a brighter red and rushed to get their drinks. He grabbed a pink packet from a small tray in front of a small jukebox that looked like it hadn't worked in centuries and played with it. Richard, hiding a slight frown, stopped Puppycorn from mimicking the action with a packet of ketchup. "You guys do this every year, huh?" Richard shook his head as Puppycorn looked up at the brick with confusion.
"This is… our second year doing this after the Princess landed in the new Kingdom.” He floated close to Rex’s ear as he said this information. “We did this every year when she was younger, but that… She wants to bring that tradition back.” He moved back out of Rex’s personal space and spoke normally. “We may need to make new arrangements next time to make sure you can fit into the equation. I don't think Princess Unikitty counted for six people if I'm being honest. You've been with us for a while now, however, so I'm a little less sure what she was thinking."
"Does anyone really know what the Princess is thinking?" Rex shrugged. "She does what she wants. I get that. Seen it firsthand. Watched it help sink an entire submarine."
"I assume you're referring to the TAKOS Tuesday incident?"
"One small part of it, but yes."
"I sometimes forget you were someone different a long time ago," Richard admitted. "I can't see you as anyone else but who I've seen you become."
"That's why I like ya, Rich." The human smiled not noticing as a coffee cup with a cartoon taco and the words “taco me after my morning coffee” imprinted on it was placed in front of him and the bitter liquid was poured in the cup. "Ya don't make me feel like I need to be someone else I just don't have the capacity to be anymore."
"Princess Unikitty doesn't feel that way anymore, either. She's just happy you're happy."
"Well, then! What'll it be?" The waitress's voice cut into the conversation like a bubbly thousand degree knife.
"We'll get the party tray! That should be enough for everyone, right?" Unikitty spoke before anyone else could and the waitress ran off before anyone could object. Rex rolled his eyes and took a gulp from his coffee mug.
"There is a chance we will need to get a hotel for the evening. Are you alright with sharing a room with someone, RJ?" Richard asked, a pen in one of the grooves on his head. "I know you have issues when you sleep."
"If I have to. Ya mind if the person is you? Hawk can be with Princess and PC to do his bodyguard thing and Doc can have her own room."
"That's a sound strategy, RJ. I wouldn't mind spending more time with you if you don't." The brick smiled as he made notes on a napkin. "Would you be willing to look up hotels on your phone within a few hours' drive from here in all directions?" The human nodded and got to work, quickly shooting Emmet a text to tell him he was dragged on vacation and may have to postpone his visit.
"I'm starting to think this was all a ploy to get me and you alone or somethin'." Rex teased as he scrolled. He glanced over to Unikitty. "I could see her doin' that."
"Oh, I don't know about that." Richard didn't show any outward sign of how he really felt. He simply chose to drink his water quietly.
The food came quickly and uneventfully enough and the gang soon left the diner. "Hey, guys. Get in front of the taco. I need a picture." Hawkodile went to grab Rex's camera, but he shook his head. "You too. I put a timer on this bad boy." He perched the camera on the hood of the van and pointed it towards the taco and the gathered friends. "We got one minute. Get ready." The friends gathered together and after a while, the camera spat a photo out of the thin slot at the bottom. Rex grabbed the photo and pocketed it. "Never shake a photo from an instant camera." He said to Puppycorn as he passed him, jumping into the front passenger seat before Unikitty could say anything.
"Hey! He took shotgun again!" Unikitty whined as she floated in the backseat with her brother.
"He had dibs, Big Sis." Puppycorn pointed out.
"Yeah. I had dibs." Rex didn't turn to the princess, but he was smirking smugly.
"Besides, RJ will be navigating us to a hotel when the time comes to rest." Richard stated flatly. "You can still tell me where to go, but did you plan for time to sleep on this trip?"
"Uh…" The cat floated down to the seat gently and frowned. "Go left, OK?" Richard nodded and pulled out of the diner and through the quiet town. It was a town that very much had seen better days and was only inhabited by a few people who looked like they were always living here and always will. Rex closed his eyes, but was woken up by Unikitty shouting for Richard to stop the van. He looked out the front window to see a sign for something called Tourmaline Falls. "Follow that sign! We have to go!"
The brick said nothing and just followed the sign's direction out of town a short distance. He parked in a dirt lot that was crowned by a large gateway that looked like it was made out of the stone the falls were named after. The group could already hear the sound of falling water as they got out of the van and approached the gateway. A being that looked like it was made out of coal handed Unikitty a pamphlet that talked about the falls and requested a donation to keep the area clean and untouched. She threw the being a few coins and followed her friends to the origin of the noise.
The falls were the centerpiece of a large, dark cave. Natural light poured from the top of the cave and only over the falls, lighting blue and green stones that were roughly polished by the heavy flow of water. The falls were roped off to prevent people from dropping into the hole the water flowed into, but that didn't matter. A cool breeze came from the falls themselves, which felt great after being in an over occupied van for even a short period of time. Rex got as close as the barricade would permit and just watched the falls for a bit. Doctor Fox began to collect rock and water samples for later. Richard floated next to the human and took out a camera of his own, this one a small disposable one. He took a picture of Rex by the falls that seemed to be more of Rex than the falls. The human stepped back and took a picture of the falls of his own, his expression soft and enamored.
"I don't think I've seen anything more amazing." He put the photo in his pocket. Richard said nothing, but looked down at his camera.
"We may have to come back later to get more samples!" Doctor Fox called from somewhere in the darker parts of the cave. Unikitty yawned, already bored.
"Can we go? This is really boring." She moaned.
"Wasn't this your idea, Unikitty?" Hawkodile said pointedly.
"I know, but I wanna go now."
"Wait for RJ. I think the guy's havin' a moment over there." Hawkodile jabbed his thumb over to Rex, who was still close to the falls. The human turned to the others after a moment of almost total silence and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. He headed to the others, followed by Richard and Doctor Fox. "Looks like he's good now. Let's go." The six friends left, but not before Rex got another picture of the group at the gateway. He and Unikitty raced to the van, the man losing to the cat for the front seat by a hair. Unikitty stuck her tongue out at Rex as he climbed in the back. Richard's eyes flashed a slight disappointment as he got into the driver's seat.
"Is there any other place you want to see before we find a town and a place to stay?" Richard asked Unikitty.
"We're good. Carry on." Unikitty grinned.
"RJ. Where is the next town?" Richard looked ahead as he spoke, unable to look at the man now without having to fight the urge to blush deeply.
"It's about 15 miles from here. Just off the main road." He looked at a map on his phone. "It's a place called Chantilly. It's apparently the home of a purple cow named 'Chanty', if we're in a sightseein' mood when we get there." He checked his messages and chuckled. "Emmet says hi, Princess."
"Ooh! Tell him I say hi! And hi to Wyldstyle too!" Unikitty's eyes lit up at the mention of her distant friend. Rex nodded and texted that before putting his phone away.
Richard started to drive away from the falls, letting the others talk among themselves for the rest of the trip to the town that, when he pulled into the main street, he had to admit was an attraction in itself. The town looked like it was made of whipped cream and candy. He wasn't sure if Rex chose this place because it was close or because of how strange it all was. He drove until he found a hotel, a grand looking villa with a sign over the door that softly and proudly proclaimed it was the Chantilly Grand Hotel. He pulled the van into the cream colored parking lot.
"Once we get our rooms, we have the rest of the day to do what you want to do. Just stay in town." Richard got out of the van. Rex and Hawkodile helped unload the group's luggage as Richard paid for their rooms and handed out the room keys. The rooms were assigned as Rex had suggested, which disappointed Puppycorn. This disappointment went away quickly enough when he saw a sign for a pool.
The group put their bags in their rooms and headed their separate ways. Rex and Richard settled in their room for the time being. The room was as cream colored as the town around them, gold accenting the walls, curtains, and furniture. There were two beds, covered in light colored fabrics made of airy material. Richard floated just above one of the beds, one close to the front door. The human dug through his back for swimming trunks and walked into the bathroom to change. He soon came back and Richard couldn't help but notice the scars and other signs of damage on his body. Some he recognized from the fight for the Unikingdom's freedom, namely two long ones on either side of his lower torso. Those scars seemed older than they actually were and could have been from when he was an angrier man. Richard knew better. His large eyes shot downward.
"Does it still hurt?" The question made Rex stop in his tracks. Rex paused for a moment before answering.
"Yeah, sometimes. I think the sword was cursed, but I ain’t bringin’ it to the Assembly to find out." Rex leaned against the doorframe, turning to face Richard. "Not much ya can do."
"No…" Richard frowned softly. He wanted to do something for the man, though. Maybe hold him in his non-existent arms? Would that be too bold? Of course it would. He had so much he would need to do to get close to being able to do that. "However, if there is anything I can do to help, I want to help."
"Now that you mention it, maybe we can go get some drinks after I come back? It helps to get my mind off it." Rex grabbed a large towel from the bathroom and waited for an answer.
"I would be happy to join you." Richard watched Rex leave and took a breath to assess the situation. He hadn't felt like this since his unrequited lover that he still had yet to speak to. Did he fall for the man's charm further somehow? Seeing his dark eyes light up when they were at the falls made his feelings for Rex more real. He had to remain rational about this. They were just two friends going to a hotel bar for some drinks. There was no need to rush into things. For all he knew, it was the beauty of the falls that made him feel this way. Right? No. It wasn’t and he knew it. He had to remember that he told the guy about his feelings for him the night he regretted more than anything else.
By the time Rex had returned from the pool, Richard had started reading a book about alternative uses for paperclips, but was wearing a little blue bowtie. Wordlessly, Rex went to get changed. Richard looked up when the bathroom door closed, noticing that the clothes Rex had been wearing when they got to the hotel were left on the bed. Was he getting into something nicer, too? He didn't have too long to wait, but he decided that the way Rex dressed would set the tone for the evening. Usually, just having a drink with a friend would be less formal and not a reason to look nice. Right? He really didn't do even that often, since he blended in with the wallpaper so often and didn't have friends outside the castle. Yes, Rex counted as one of those despite living outside the castle himself but he was also an outsider who was far more grounded than the rest of the gang.
The man did soon emerge and Richard looked more confused than anything. He was wearing a new vest, but this one was made of leather. His shirt was a tank top with a faded emblem that the brick would barely see. He jumped when his friend spoke.
"Come on, Rich. I could really use a drink right now." The two headed for the bar, which was called the Creme Club by a fancy looking wooden sign over the door. The area was small and intimate, the color scheme carried over from the rooms. There was a stage opposite the bar that was empty at the present, but a sign on the slick wooden bar hinted that there was live music nightly. The wooden tables were simple and elegant and the chairs matched. Richard let Rex set the pace still, trying to find meaning in the one on one meetup. Rex chose a table in a far corner that could only possibly seat two. Was he trying not to be seen by the others? Richard's heart fell, but he decided to keep his hopes up. An overly angled waitress came over and Richard ordered ice water. Rex shook his head and asked for something far harder: a bourbon neat. The waitress left and Rex looked down, holding his side.
"Are you sure you don't need medical attention?" Richard frowned, one stray sweat drop shaped sparkle matter popping up over his head.
"I'm fine." Rex said through closed teeth. He took a few deep breaths that only seemed to vaguely help. "Or I will be soon enough." The waitress came back with their drinks and the man waited for her to leave before having a drink. He looked around and when he didn't see what he was looking for, spoke again. "I don't get a lotta time to talk to ya like this… Were ya always the castle caretaker and Princess's advisor?" So he was looking for one of the others to show up, Richard assumed. Interesting. “Like, I mean in the old days. Before the… what didja call it? The Fall?”
"Well, no. I'm honestly lucky to have that job, given my past. I was hired as the Princess’ advisor since she was born, but…" Richard decided to be open with the guy. After all, this was the man who ended the world and who saved him from himself. If anyone was going to not judge him about a seedy past, it was him. "I've been to prison before."
"Now that is unexpected." Rex rested his head on his curled hand, eyes urging Richard to continue with captivated interest.
"I mostly was the one to manage the money for my crew, but I did occasionally do field work if I needed some extra cash. Making evidence disappear is a lot easier than you think. It just takes a single paperclip and some ingenuity." The brick found Rex's interest oddly exciting. It was rare someone took this much of an interest in him. "Anyway… I made some miscalculations and ended up getting caught. I had to break out of prison and fled from my home in Frowntown to the Unikingdom. I must have seemed qualified to Queen Butterlope and King Enoue, since they gave me the job on the spot. To this day, I don’t understand why they didn’t run a background check."
"Who know ya were hidin' that kinda backstory? I just thought you were trying to be intimidating when you hinted at a dark past that night." The man was clearly still interested and not running from the situation. That was good, right?
"Most people don't really ask. I'm grateful for that, because I still have to keep the Old Unikingdom a secret." Richard had just a hint of emotion behind the monotone.
"That's a shame. I mean, it's useful that our pasts are easy to cover up around here, but it's better to have someone to talk it all out with. Not sure if this'll bring up some things best forgotten, but do you feel any regrets about it all?"
"Well… I suppose not. I had to make a living somehow and it was the best option I had at the time." Rex was asking questions? This wasn't something Richard was used to at all.
"Hey, we gotta do what we can to survive, right?" Rex was predictably non-judgemental about the whole thing. It was refreshing. "Nothin' wrong with that. Besides, look atcha now: Ya live in a castle an' probably make better money in the long run."
"I also don’t believe my old crew exists. I looked it up once, but I didn’t see anything. It makes it a lot harder to fall into old habits. Though I will admit that getting that confession tape brought back some of the thrills I got doing field work." Richard barely noticed that Rex ordered another round of whatever he was drinking, as well as a glass for him.
"Ya could always leave Princess to clean up her own messes for a while an' go on an adventure or two with me. Travelling around time is pretty thrilling and doesn't end in prisontime." Well, with some potential exceptions, he'd assume.
"I don't know. I feel like the kingdom would fall apart without me. It is… kind… of you to offer." Richard could feel his cheeks go flush.
"It's not an offer I make to everyone, Rich. I just make it for the people I really like. Doc hasn't even gotten that invite and she's a scientist who should see my ship in action." He only let the people he liked a lot time travel with him? So, that probably meant that, up to this point, only Puppycorn was given that chance. But why Richard? "Besides, I think ya need ta get away from the castle more often." The drinks were delivered and the man shrugged. "I know I wouldn't be able to stand the Princess's energy for more than a few hours most days."
"I have a duty to the Unikingdom, RJ. I'm sure you understand better than most that I was given a second chance and I owe the kingdom my diligence."
"Rich, you won't be throwing anything away gettin' out for a little bit. My ship's a time machine. I can have you home before Princess can activate a single glitter bomb. You always say I'm one of you and… I rarely heard that when I was growing up. Or even when I was the Special. I need to return that favor somehow." There was something in the man's eyes that made Richard's heart beat faster.
"Maybe someday, RJ." Why couldn't he commit to letting this man whisk him off his feet? It wasn't like he didn't want to. The man nodded in response.
"Offer's there if ya want it." Rex took a sip of the amber liquid in his glass and glanced at the door. "Think it's too late to keep the night goin' a little longer?"
"Why would you want to do that? Most people wouldn't want to spend this much time with me."
"That's a problem, I think. You're more interesting than you lead on and I'm kicking myself because I haven't spent enough time with you to see that." Rex kept his eye on the door, but suspected that a place like the Creme Club would be too adult for the prince and princess to wander into.
"We have all the time you want to spend, RJ." Richard let some flattery bubble to the surface of his monotone. "It's just so uncommon that I feel this seen. I usually feel invisible."
"That's just wrong. I know what it's like to blend in like that. I wouldn't wish that loneliness on my worst enemy." His voice was unstable now, slipping out of the verbal mask. "I won't do that to you."
"RJ… I know you won't. You haven't yet." Richard smiled softly, his half closed eyes almost sparking. "I'm amazed by how passionate you are about this, but you do appear to be a man of passion." Richard's cheeks turned just a little pinker.
"Yeah. I think I always was, but not givin' a crap makes it easier to drag that out of me." He waved down the waitress and asked for two menus. She shuffled away and Rex turned back to Richard. "Ya seem flush. Ya feelin' alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine." Richard glanced at the menu once it was offered to him and it was clear this hotel restaurant was very upscale. "Maybe we should find another place to have dinner? The least expensive thing is a lot more than I budgeted for dinner on this trip." Rex scratched his head.
"My bank account's still frozen because of the whole Armommageddeon thing. You're probably right." He asked the waitress for his drink tab and paid for that. He pulled out his phone and looked for a cheaper place within walking distance while he finished his drink.
"I can ask for your account to be unfrozen after this trip. I may need to temporarily take control of it, but that would only be so the Systarian government can finish any investigations they have pending." Richard offered. "How do you have money right now?"
"I had some older coins converted to Unikingdom Lolly after things calmed down." Rex's lips curled up a little and he pocketed his phone. "There's a diner about two blocks from here that's apparently got some good milkshakes. The whole town was built around it. Let's see what all the hype is about." He got out of his chair and left the bar from an entrance that led out into the main street. Richard followed along, bobbing next to his companion as best as he could.
The two made small talk until they reached a building that looked like a normal restaurant, a stark contrast from the cream themed world around them. A sign happily let everyone know that the diner was called O'Hare's. They walked in and were greeted by a large rabbit they had to assume was old O'Hare himself. The whole place looked like it was trapped in a bubble in time, with all of the 80's style fixtures looking brand new. It was clear the large gray rabbit was proud of his establishment. The two travelers slid into a booth and sat across from each other. A second, younger rabbit handed them menus and let them be. After some silence, Rex spoke.
"I never realized how alike we are." His voice was softer than normal, barely recognizable.
"It is interesting how you and I found ourselves on similar paths that led us to the Unikingdom and to our eventual friendship." Richard liked the half step his companion's voice had taken. It sounded right, somehow.
The two eventually placed their orders and went back to small talk about the trip so far. The conversation remained light as the time passed, but it was clear to anyone watching that they were connecting. And someone was watching: a very excited and slightly confused Unikitty who had floated in as the two were talking. She was joined by Hawkodile and Puppycorn, but the two were too occupied with their own conversation to notice that the princess was focused on other things.
"Are they…?" The cat tried to sneak closer to her advisor and friend, but Hawkodile stopped her with a sunglasses obscured look. She watched the two talk, but didn't see or hear anything that made her feel like she was right in her unspoken suspicions. She sank back into her seat, occasionally going back to watching the two until they eventually finished dinner and left for the hotel. "Why would he want to spend time with boring old Richard?"
"They looked like they were enjoying themselves, Princess." Hawkodile stated as he looked around the room for signs of danger.
"That's even weirder. Richard is so boring." Unikitty stuck out her tongue. "Why would RJ like talking to him?"
"They must've found something in common. It's how you make friends, after all." Hawkodile shrugged.
The twilight gave the cream colored town an eerie look. Rex stood on the balcony while Richard sat at the room's obligatory desk with a pencil and paper. He stared at the paper for a long time, occasionally glancing at the man on the balcony. The slight movement of the ends of Rex's headband and his dark hair indicated a slight breeze. His back was turned to the glass door and he leaned over the railing, just watching the sun set. Richard turned back to the paper and looked for the words. Pen finally hit paper after another round of watching the man on the balcony. When Rex turned to go inside, Richard grabbed an envelope from the desk and shoved the paper into it. Rex didn't say anything to Richard as he flopped on his bed and turned on the TV.
"Let me know when ya wanna sleep, Rich." He flipped through the channels until he found an action movie.
"You should sleep as well, Rex. I know it's hard for you, but we do have to keep up with the princess until we get back to the Unikingdom." Richard sounded concerned, which overrode the monotone in his voice.
"I'll try. If I start sleepwalkin' and ya catch me, try to keep me away from the balcony." His eyes were still on the movie. Richard bobbed in agreement and floated off to get into his pajamas, which consisted of a light yellow nightcap and an actual, very tiny, full set of matching pajamas. Rex lifted an eyebrow at this, but went back to the movie. Somehow, that just made sense. Richard tried to stay up with Rex for the rest of the movie, but fell asleep during the climax. Rex turned the TV off and tried to sleep as well, but sleep didn't come until hours later. The sleep that did come was fitful and barely got deep.
Rex woke the next morning with Richard gone and both of their bags gone. On the desk was a change of clothes for him, some breakfast and coffee, and an envelope. He got out of bed and walked to the desk, opening the envelope and reading the note within:
RJ
Take your time getting ready to leave. The princess wanted to see that purple cow you had mentioned yesterday, so I left with the others to see that. I've already packed the van, so we will be ready to leave when you are. You didn't sleepwalk last night, but I do worry you didn't sleep. well, either. If you need more sleep, I'll try to find a place to stop for the others so you can do that.
Richard.
That letter felt so formal. Rex did have to admit it was nice that Richard left it, though. He couldn't deny that there was a fear that they just left him in this unknown town. He did as the note suggested and took his time getting ready to go out the door. By the time the rest of the group returned to the hotel, he was sitting on the hood of the van, waiting for them.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Unikitty sang out.
"You missed the super rad looking cow." Puppycorn added, opening the van's back door. He stopped when he noticed that the van had an extra row of seats. He shrugged this off and jumped in the middle row.
"Is this our van?" Hawkodile looked around the parking lot skeptically.
"I Master Built a second row of backseats. We had just enough room for one." Rex slid off of the hood and saw that Unikitty beat him to the front seat. He sat next to Puppycorn, which made Doctor Fox and Hawkodile pile in the back row. "Should be less cramped back there now."
"That was a really bro move. Thanks." Hawkodile grinned, turning slightly red with his close proximity to Doctor Fox.
"Yes, thank you Rex. That resolves a problem we would have had with this van going forward." Richard flashed a smile to the Master Breaker as he got in the driver's seat.
"I owed ya for breakfast anyway." Rex winked back as he sat back in the newly built seat.
"Let's go! We're getting close to our next destination already!" Unikitty was slightly more chipper than usual this morning. The van was soon on the road again, the less miserable members of the back rows playing car games while Unikitty navigated and Richard drove. It felt like hours before Richard pulled over on the side of the road and got out of the car.
"Hawkodile, can you please take over driving? I need a break before I start to be more susceptible to road rage."
"Got it." The two swapped seats and were back on the road quickly. Through all of this, Rex was asleep. The sound of the door closing woke the man up, who yawned as he looked around him.
"Hmm. Hey, Rich. Who's drivin'?" He looked at the driver's seat and saw Hawkodile, who was trying to get information from Unikitty and failing at it. "Ya could have told me ya needed a break."
"I'm glad he didn't. You've been asleep for the past half hour, bro. You could have gotten us killed if you're that tired." Hawkodile shouted, keeping the frustrated tone he was giving Unikitty unintentionally.
"I'm fine. I drive like this all the time."
"Probably because you drink enough caffeine to power Frowntown. I've got this. Go back to sleep." Hawkodile went back to focusing on the road and getting directions from Unikitty.
"Pull over an' I'll show ya what I can do like this." Rex growled. Thankfully, the threat was ignored and the trip continued.
When the man was fully aware of his surroundings next, the van stopped again. This time, it was in front of a rest stop with a small, nondescript restaurant called the Snack and Make Tracks. The rest of the group was gone. Rex rolled his eyes and got out of the van, heading to the restaurant. As he walked in, the rest of the group walked out of the stop's minimart. They piled in the car, Hawkodile getting in the driver's seat again.
"We ready to go? Is everyone here?" Hawkodile did not look behind him.
"Uh… RJ is mi-" Puppycorn was interrupted by Unikitty.
"He's just asleep like we left him, Little Bro! Let's get going! To the next stop!" The royal cat sang happily. Like Hawkodile, she didn't look back.
"Princess, I wouldn't leave just yet. If you look behind you, you'll see that RJ-" Richard tried to add to the conversation, but the van was already peeling out of the parking lot. The group drove until Unikitty saw a sign for the world's largest ball of yarn. They pulled over and piled out of the van, the backseat passengers looking at each other with worry.
"Is Rexy just gonna sleep all day?" Unikitty climbed in the back to wake her friend and frowned. "Oh. He's… uh… not here."
"That's what I was trying to say, Big Sis." Puppycorn looked down. Unikitty looked at her phone and saw she had a message from their missing friend.
"Oh. That's… colorful." Unikitty rubbed her head. "Just two words, but you can tell how angry he is."
"You just said he was sleeping." Hawkodile folded his arms while Unikitty texted him back to ask where he was. "I'll go pick him up when you tell me where he is."
"He's just texting those two words. I think he's mad." Unikitty turned blue, tears welling up in her eyes.
"We left a man with abandonment issues behind at a truck stop. I'd say that reaction makes sense." Doctor Fox frowned, guilty she didn't speak up.
Richard grabbed Unikitty's phone and composed a text:
RJ. Stay at the truck stop. I'll come get you. Please stay calm. Richard.
He waited for a reply, which came quickly. "RJ claims he started to hitchhike home. I'll tell him to go back to the truck stop and meet me there. Please stay where you are."
"But that was a half hour away! You want us to stay here for an hour‽" Unikitty moaned.
"Yes. I don't want us to split up any further." Richard got into the van and drove off.
"Besides, Princess, I think this'll be a real treat compared to having to drive with RJ after this." Hawkodile shook his head. "Come on, guys."
Rex had arrived just before the van did and Richard could see something he could only describe as off in Rex's eyes. The normally laid back man held himself with a terrifying aura, one he suspected few people had seen first hand. Richard swallowed as he approached.
"RJ? I'm sorry for the mixup." He floated closer, not wanting to look into the storm behind Rex's dark eyes. "Puppycorn and I tried to let the princess know, but she didn't want to listen."
"You need to be more assertive, Rich." The anger edged his voice, but was held back by a strange calmness. "Let's go. Now." He got into the passenger seat and waited for Richard to leave. Richard tried to make small talk at first, but Rex said nothing the whole ride to the tourist trap. They ended up driving in total, heavy silence.
As they were turning into the parking lot, Richard spoke. "RJ, please remember that we care. We came back for you."
"No. You came back." When they parked, Rex got out of the van and marched over to Unikitty, who was coming out of the attraction. "What were you thinking?" He growled, which put Hawkodile on edge. "You drag me on this trip, don't wake me when you stop for food, then just leave me without checking to see if I was in the back seat?" He hissed the last part of the sentence.
"I thought you were asleep." Unikitty was still blue, her ears going back.
"You know I sleep talk. You know what I sound like when I do that. Isn't it odd that you didn't hear anything like that for a half hour?" He wasn't raising his voice, but the sparkle matter flying from his head was stormy and vibrantly potent. This scared the royal cat even more.
"RJ, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't think-!"
"No. You didn't." He turned around to go back to the van. "I'm going back to the van to get my unbridled rage in check. Make sure I'm actually in the van when you get back." He settled back into the front seat.
"I'll stay with him. Please give us a little time."
"Hurry. There's only so many times I can see a ball of yarn." Hawkodile shook his head as Richard left. The brick climbed in the driver's seat and turned to Rex.
"RJ. We don't have to talk, but I'll listen if you need to let your anger out." Richard's tone was soothing and patient.
"Me too!" Puppycorn was suddenly in the backseat, leaning into the front.
"I can provide a shoulder to cry on: mine or one I can make out of spare parts." Doctor Fox said, also from the back seat.
"Look, I'm glad ya wanna make me feel better…" If there was a 'but' in that sentence, it died in the silence. "I know ya ain't gonna leave me alone, so I may as well talk. Princess is just so impulsive. What if she didn't ask you guys to stop here? I would have been hitchhikin' for a whole day back to Action Forest with no food, no clothes, and no usable money. Also, you all need to be more assertive. You saw I wasn't back there. Don't let her interrupt you like I'm sure she probably did. Cut her off. Tell her she's wrong. One day, letting her step all over ya is gonna lead to something terrible and… unfixable." His angry aura seemed to give way to a deep sadness.
"This is different, RJ. We didn't forget you for long." Richard kept a soothing tone.
"Actually, the three of us didn't forget you at all." Doctor Fox added. "You're our friend. A Unikingdom citizen doesn't forget a friend. We may leave them in a truck stop for a bit, but that's not permanent."
"Don't be sad! I can give you some of my snacks!" Puppycorn passed Rex an almost fully eaten bag of popcorn. The man turned around to give the pup a pat on the head and his popcorn bag back.
"We still have what I assume is a long trip ahead of us. Please, have patience. I did warn you that our vacations get chaotic. If all that happens in the end is leaving you at a rest stop, then it's the calmest vacation we've had in a long time." Richard's voice was helping more than anyone would have suspected. Rex took a deep breath and shook his head.
"I'm so tired of her crap." Rex rolled the window down and leaned out of it. As he finished the sentence, Unikitty and Hawkodile returned to the van and piled in the back.
"RJ, I should have checked myself. That wasn't cool and I'm sorry." Hawkodile rubbed his neck. That just earned a cold shrug.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, too." Unikitty couldn't look at the man directly. Rex turned to look at the two of them.
"The awkward glance downward makes that apology sincere enough for me, Princess." He sounded cold still, but at least wasn't hissing at her. The friends moved on to the next destination in relative silence, none daring to speak save for Unikitty relaying directions to Richard.
When they finally stopped, it was to a small pie stand out in the middle of nowhere. Richard nudged Rex with invisible hands to get his attention after getting everyone's pie preferences.
"I'm going to need some help, if you don't mind providing it." The man simply shrugged and hopped out of the van.
Unikitty took advantage of this and flew into the passenger seat while it was unoccupied. She watched the two walk to the stand and she leaned on the dashboard. She could have sworn she heard Rex laugh as the two waited in line. This change in mood was confirmed by his sparkle matter, which had the occasional lightning bolt mixed in with cartoony raptors and planets. It took them a while to come back with the pies, mostly because they were deeply into their conversation, which Unikitty only really caught little pieces of that didn't provide context. Question mark sparkle matter flew from her horn as Rex opened the driver's side door and got in.
"Are you awake enough to drive, Brickowski?" Hawkodile asked as Rex settled into the driver's seat.
"Yeah. Rich needed a rest." The brick bobbed in agreement as he got in the back as Rex spoke. "And you already had a turn as a relief driver." There was a slight bitterness in his tone.
"RJ promised me that he would pull over if he felt like drifting off. Princess, please be as clear with Rex as possible with directions. He's not as familiar with the roads you keep taking us on." Richard buckled his seatbelt and relaxed with his slice of pie. "Leave when you're ready, Rex."
"We probably should look for a place to stay soon. Unless we're actually close?" Unikitty shook her head. "Of course we're not. Ya got a map, or are we just navigatin' by sun position?" She nodded and pulled out her map, which she only showed off briefly before pulling it close to her.
"Okay, RJ. We're taking this highway down… three blocks until you see a fork in the road. You'd be going left." She struggled for a moment to read the map.
"If you look at the bottom of the map, it will tell you what distance in miles is equal to one square on the map. What does that say?" Rex spoke in a very patient tone of voice.
"One square is a mile. So… three miles?" The man gave a short nod and began to travel using the directions provided.
The two only communicated like this for a while, Unikitty getting a little jealous that the others had started talking about other things. She decided to speak up when she claimed they were close to their next destination.
"You're spending a lot of time with Rick this whole trip."
"He didn't leave me at a truck stop, Princess." Rex said flatly, keeping a rigid eye on the road.
"Yeah… but you hung out with him before the whole truck stop thing, too."
"We happened to be in the same hotel room, Princess. I can room with someone else next time if that's a problem." His tone could be used as a substitute for the air conditioner.
"I saw you at that restaurant together." She continued to drill.
"So what? It was cheap. Can't two friends have dinner together?" Richard overheard this and listened in, seeing if he could get meaning from this conversation.
"Weeeeellll…. Do you like-like him?"
"I don't see that as any of your concern." Rex remained defensive. This had both Unikitty and Richard with lifted eyebrows. The princess puffed up her cheeks.
"As your friend and the Prime Minister of Love-"
"The only other person who needs to know if I like Richard like that is Richard. That's it. If we wanna tell ya after that, then that's a decision we make together." He continued to hold his tone. That didn't really help either listening party figure out his true feelings. "Where's the exit, Princess?"
"We… passed it three minutes ago. Oh well!" That made Rex grip the steering wheel until his knuckles turned pale. "We can move on to the last thing! Take the next exit! Onward!" The man made no reaction other than taking the directions given.
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(A short story originally written for the Unikitty! Amino's Day in the Unikingdom contest. Takes place during Everything Pulses, though knowledge of this fic is not required.)
"It was my 100th day in the Unikingdom," the dark-haired man muttered as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips and took a sip. "I don't know how Princess realized how much time I'd been in the kingdom, but maybe I'm underestimating how good she is at calculating when she's able to celebrate something. All I know is she made that day a day to remember…"
Rex could barely register the pressure on his chest as he blinked in the darkness of the early morning. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he finally noticed the large being standing over him, pinning him to the bed with furry… blue… paws. The identity of the being became clear when they spoke.
"MORNING, RJ!," Unikitty chirped, just about bouncing on Rex's chest. "Guess what today is!"
"Is it the day you and the rest of the gang finally move out of my cabin? Or is it the day when Master Doom finally decides to leave us all alone?" Rex said flatly, making it difficult to know if he was joking or serious.
"No! I really wish she would leave us alone, though. It's your 100th day in the Unikingdom! You've been here for 100 days!" She clapped her paws together, the darker thoughts of what was going on around them in the world pushed aside suspiciously fast.
"I have? I thought it was longer, but I guess that's what being on the opposite end of an invasion will do to you." Rex stretched as best he could with Unikitty pressing down on his chest. The second she hopped off of him, he slowly rose to his feet.
"We're definitely going to celebrate this, RJ! We've got to. It's a really really big deal!" She practically sang this out, following Rex to the living room where her other friends were congregated.
"Princess. In case you forgot, we're in the middle of an invasion. Your kingdom is not your kingdom right now. I don't think we have time for this." Rex walked to the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the counter. He took a bite and headed for the couch. He flopped beside Puppycorn and grabbed the controller from the armrest to play a game.
"If we have time for you to play video games all day, we have time for you to celebrate your 100th day with us!" Unikitty grabbed the controller and tossed it over to her brother. "So we're going to throw you a quick party. Rick, can you go get some ingredients to bake a cake? Maybe something really awesome for dinner?"
"Every time one of us leaves this cabin, we risk capture. I'm siding with RJ. We really shouldn't be doing this." There was a certain longing in Richard's voice as he said this, almost as if he was questioning his own advice.
"Then maybe Captain should do it. They aren't looking for my little bro in any form." As she spoke, the larger future form of her brother stepped out of the study.
"Is it 100 days already? I volunteer to get whatever you need. Any variation from the timeline I come from can only help, and I remember we did listen to Richard in the timeline I come from. We couldn't risk leaving. Nothing happened, but maybe if we do something, something will shift in our favor." Captain stretched to help his stiff muscles. "Just tell me what you need, sis."
"I remember RJ once told me he likes vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles mixed in the batter. I want some of that and some icing. I also think he still likes waffles. Get everything for a breakfast for dinner!" The dog nodded and rushed out of the cabin. Richard sighed, deeply perturbed.
"Since you insist on doing what you want to do, princess, are we doing this celebration as just a party or are we doing things in a more traditional way?"
"Is there any way to do this but a party? Cuz I don't know it!" The cat grinned widely, content to get her way. Richard didn't elaborate on his thoughts, instead floating over to Rex and landing beside him.
"I feel I must apologize, RJ. The princess is overzealous when it comes to the prospect of being able to hold on to your friendship. 100 days in a new home is a reason to celebrate. Usually, surrounding neighbors will have a party to celebrate the 100th day of someone who had just moved into the neighborhood. And you know that she'll do whatever she wants if you let her." Richard heaved a heavy sigh laden with worry. "Princess, please make sure that you're not too loud. Remember that we're still hiding and still outlaws to the rest of the kingdom."
"Relax! We're in the middle of a big forest! Nobody's going to know we're even partying." Unikitty grabbed Richard and Rex and pushed them both into Rex's bedroom. "Both of you don't come out until I say you can!" Richard opened his mouth to protest, but she slammed the door in his face. Rex walked over to a small CRT television and turned it on, showing that there was already a game in progress. He sat down and patted the space next to him, wordlessly inviting Richard to join him in a game that was very colorful and played like a board game.
The two men started playing together, Richard relaxing somewhat as the game progressed. He didn't fully understand how the game worked, but Rex was patient in teaching the brick how to play and even provided the occasional tip to make things easier. The two men barely noticed that the day was coming and going.
"Do you get the feeling that I shoved in here with you as part of the distraction?" Richard broke into their idle conversation with this thought as he moved his character forward, frowning at the fact that he couldn't afford a star this round.
"Distraction for what? I know what she's doing in my kitchen. I could smell the waffles and bacon from here. Pretty sure she's burning both." Rex laughed as he watched the dice roll. "Maybe she didn't want me to get lonely here or something."
"That might be. I just wonder why she chose me in particular." It amazed Richard how at ease Rex made him feel, how easy it was to pick up conversation with him. He didn't understand why these thoughts continue to intrude in his mind, but he couldn't say that they weren't welcome. He wished they could remain like this forever, just the two of them playing a simple game without a care in the world.
"Probably because you were close. Are you at least having fun?"
"I believe I am." Richard couldn't look at Rex, choosing to focus on the game instead. "I was never much of a video game player, I must admit. I usually just read the instruction manual instead."
"Ya gotta play more! You're a natural!"
It was Hawkodile's voice that broke the peaceful groove the two men found themselves in. "RJ. Rick. We need you." RJ took both of the controllers and put them on one side of the bed. He got up and opened the door, only for the two of them to be battered by thick black smoke. Richard's pupils shrank as he looked toward the kitchen, turning quickly to the garage to bolt out of there. Rex grabbed the brick and held him in his right arm, feeling him shake like a broken pump. He looked over to the kitchen as well to see a column of flame from the stovetop. He took a few deep breaths, coughed uncontrollably, then walked to the garage. He returned with a fire extinguisher and sprayed the whole kitchen, which included Unikitty and Doctor Fox.
"So. What's for dinner, Princess?" Rex said casually, throwing the spent fire extinguisher down to the floor, all while Richard continued to snuggle into his arm. Unikitty looked away, pointing a paw to the charred remains of bacon and waffles.
"The cake is more than likely what dinner will end up being, RJ. You coated everything else in foam." Doctor Fox shuffled out of the kitchen. He sighed.
"I'll tell my raptors to order a pizza on Syspocalypstar. This way, they can pick it up without causing suspicion." He headed for his study, not letting go of Richard. Before he got into the room, he spoke without turning to the others. "Don't set my house on fire while we wait. I would have thought that would have been a given, but I guess I was wrong." He turned his attention to Richard. "You're OK, big guy. The fire is gone and I'm about to fix what they broke." Rex was gentle on his door when closing it, but to Unikitty it still felt like he slammed it shut.
After the door was closed, Rex put Richard down on a simple office chair and leaned against his desk to use his radio. As he called up to his ship, he pat the top of Richard's middle stud. Richard closed his eyes, glad Rex seemed to understand him. Enough calming silence had fallen between them that Rex's voice made him jump.
"What do ya want on the pizza?" Rex tilted his head at his friend jumping. "Look, I don't want to ask the people who set my house on fire for their preference. Whatever you want, you've got it."
"I would prefer something healthier, but plain cheese pizza is alright with me." Richard floated toward the door and his pupils shrank again. "They locked the door, RJ." Rex shook his head as he finished the order.
"If they start to set fires again, we can just jump out the window." He jabbed a thumb to the small window to his right, which showed a small view of his backyard. "We'll be OK. Ya wanna talk to Yoghurt?" He followed Richard with his eyes as the brick scanned the bookshelves. "Guess not. My library is your library, Rich." He eventually pulled out a booklet that was yellow and had pictures on the cover that helped state that it was The Instructions to Fit In, Have Everyone Like You, and Always Be Happy. Rex flinched at the sight of the flimsy book.
"What is this, RJ?" He flipped though the booklet and his expression went from curious to a borderline disgust. "This is a unique choice in literature."
"It was mandatory reading where I grew up. You had to follow those instructions to the letter." His voice was quiet and small.
"Would you have had to report me if you saw me? And the princess?" Richard kept flipping through the book, taking in instructions from a place that no longer existed.
"Probably. You're a floating brick and Princess is a unicorn cat. By definition, you would both be something suspicious. I would have to report you or… well, nobody really knows what happens to the people who didn't follow President Business's very specific and very detailed instructions." His voice continued to soften as he spoke. "Even I'll admit that, when President Business was in charge, things were bad. Really bad. Everything was segregated and that segregation was strictly enforced. I know I'm stating the obvious, of course. Business's mandates were very far reaching, I'm sure."
"Are you willing to tell me more? I know very little about how things worked in Bricksburg. I suppose that's how things are when things are so isolated." He put the book away where he found it and pulled out another one. This one stated flatly that it was a Bricksburgian history book that was written and edited by Octan Energy.
"I guess. I hate looking back on that time. I felt like I was such a fool, so childish. I blindly trusted everybody and it's why I'm the way I am today." What amazed Rex was that he could tell that Richard was listening despite being deep within the history book. "Everything was laid out for us. We all had our jobs pretty much handed to us at the time of our building. Anyone who didn't follow the rules would disappear. Cops would just show up to their apartment and they'd be gone. Part of me thinks that's why I lost my dad, if I'm being honest. He and Mom always had an interest in leaving Bricksburg. I didn't think too much of it at the time though. I was young when my father disappeared."
"From how this book is written, I can believe it." The sentence was finalized with the book shutting and being put away. "It feels like this book has left a lot of things out and it's definitely written with only minifigure history in mind. Maybe it's because I'm not a minifigure myself, but it's clear that the person who wrote the book is hiding something. You weren't a fool for following what you believed were the appropriate rules. There may be still a little bit of your programming from back then left. That could be why you're feeling so guilty. I want you to remember that you helped change the world to be far removed from the one described in that book. I'm not just talking about when you were the Special. Even when you were Rex Dangervest, your actions changed the course of history. Although, I would advise you to not start the end of all things the next time you do that."
"You're probably right on that one." Rex couldn't help but chuckle at the advice Richard gave. "What was history like where you came from?" Richard said nothing, almost ignoring the question to continue to look through old Bricksburgian literature. "Don't want to talk about it?"
"No," was the simple reply. The brick started to flip through a instruction booklet on how to apply for a pet. The two stood in awkward silence for a moment. After this book was read, Richard spoke again. "Can I borrow any other books that you have about Bricksburg?"
"Yeah. Should be that whole shelf. It's hard to find anything from back then because no one preserved anything from Bricksburg after the Duplons invaded. I'm lucky I have what I have." Rex shrugged. "You just got to return them eventually."
"Why do you keep literature from back then? It's clear that it hurts you to remember." Richard asked, speaking as if he was talking to Unikitty after a nightmare.
"It does, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't remember it. It's where I came from. It's part of what made me who I am." The door to the study opened and Captain poked his head into the room.
"The pizza came. Come on out, guys." Rex and Richard looked at each other. The human shrugged and the two walked into the living room. An auditory gasp came from the brick's lips. The whole room was tidy, the floor practically sparkling with how much wax had been put down. There were streamers sparsely lining the large area with the occasional balloon that was taped to keep the disjointed streamers pinned to the spot. On the counter in the kitchen were two pizza boxes stacked on top of each other, as well as some form of juice in a jug and a cake crusted with rainbow sprinkles in the center of it all. There was a candle on the top of the cake that looked like a cartoony and desaturated form of Rex's cabin.
"Happy 100 days in the kingdom, RJ!" Unikitty sang excitedly. "I'm sorry the original dinner didn't work out, but I hope we made it up to you." Rex looked over to Richard.
"Yeah. I think you did."
"Wait. So she almost burned your house down and you still see that as a happy memory?" A woman with blue and pink hair finally spoke up, using the coffee break Rex had taken to interject. "How could that possibly be a happy memory?"
"She and the others went out of their way to clean everything up and… well, I think I more value the time I spent with Rich then I did any of the potential loss of my home." Rex put his mug down. "I'm still glad I decided to stay in the Unikingdom, Lucy. I really can't see myself anywhere else."
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Chapter Eleven: A Loose End or a Strand
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"NO. STOP."
The fox and royal cat turned to the sound of the desperate voice. Coming down the stairs at a suspicious speed was Richard, followed by a half tired Rex.
"Rick! Where have you two been? I've been looking for you both!" Unikitty stepped forward, but Richard rushed past her and snatched the memory out of Doctor Fox's hand. He stood still for a moment, expressionless, then threw the memory back in the jar. The whole time this occurred, Doctor Fox tried to grab the memory back. Richard held it too tightly in his psychic grip for her to take it.
"Did you see the memory, princess?" The normally monotone voice of her advisor sounded dead and broken. The facade of a calm brick was fully dissolved now, giving way to someone who could barely keep himself together. "Answer me."
"Yes." Unikitty tried to put a paw on one of the studs on top of his head, but he floated back towards Rex.
"Well, RJ‽ What now‽" The brick's breath was heavy with fear. "It's too late!"
"Rick… please tell me what's going on." The cat was also fearful, scared even further by the frantic actions of her advisor. He had already moved to the Memory Machine and started to type something into the touchscreen.
Passcode accepted…
Launching Project Lotus…
Options:
Launch Full Redaction Protocol
Start Lotus Routine
Launch Debrief Sequence
The brick was still, suspended in the air for what felt like a lifetime. A few stray teardrops fell to the floor. An invisible hand pressed “Launch Full Redaction Protocol”. A confirmation screen came up.
"I have to be the only one." He spoke with uncertainty, voice creaking like the floorboards of a long abandoned home. "This is my burden to carry." Before he could confirm the launch of the protocol, a voice stopped him.
"No. You don't. You were gonna let me in, remember?" Rex walked over to the brick and put a hand on the left hand stud. "Let her in, too." The brick sighed, his breath heavy and pained.
"I have seen both of your graves. I have seen every person I have gotten close to fall into holes in the ground. The sky grows dark… It's Armommageddeon all over again." Unikitty’s voice was cracking under the stress. "I've never seen anything like that before that terrible time and I never want to see that again!"
"From what I know of the wedding incident, I regret to inform you that your statement is incorrect." Richard closed his eyes, which showed an age that seemed far older than he let on within the lines of his face.
"How?" Unikitty's voice quivered. Deep down in the part of her brain where she hid negative thoughts, something was stirring, a sleeping dragon that had been awakened.
"Princess… I want to think back. Go before Armommageddeon. Before your friend here staggered onto the scene with some mystery piece glued to his back, begging for praise for being ‘special’. What do you remember?" He furrowed his eyebrows. Why was he doing this?
"The first thing I remember is… waking up in a large white room. There were nurses surrounding me, excited I woke up. They asked if I remembered who I was and told me I was their princess. The princess of Cloud Cuckoo Land." Unikitty frowned sharply. She strained to think back any further, a lightbulb cracking above her horn. Richard shook, but there was relief in his eyes. "I… can't remember anything further back."
"Maybe this is for the best then. Put all this out of your mi-"
"Actually, I… I remember one other thing. I remember… just three words. 'Be the light.' It's why… Why I am the way I am today." Her pupils shrank, the last thing she saw in the lab being the tired face of her advisor holding an expression of shocked flattery.
"No! You need to leave me! The kingdom can only exist if you are still around! Get to the castle! The kingdom can't lose you, Unikitty! I can't lose you!" The ground fell away completely and Richard seemed to lose his ability to float over the hole. A look fell on the brick's face: one of an uneasy acceptance. "Please… be the light in the darkness you have always been, my princess. Don't let the loss of the Unikingdom darken your spirit. That's my last piece of advice for you." He began to fall, tears streaming from his large eyes that slowly closed as his form was overtaken by shadows. Unikitty rushed to grab him, but he fell too fast to be grabbed.
"Richard! I can't reach you! Please reach out to me!" By the time she shouted this, he had been swallowed by the darkness. She backed up toward the castle and started to cry. They were gone: all her friends, her kingdom, her brother… and the brick who had been like a father to her for years. The fear was turning her a ghostly white. She looked around her and saw that the darkness had claimed the rest of the kingdom. She was alone.
The cat was no longer in the lab, but in her bedroom. She was in her bed with an ice pack on her head. Richard floated by her side and Rex sat at the foot of the bed.
"Be the light. Those were your last words to me, weren't they." She asked softly.
"It was all a dre-" Richard paused as he noticed Rex glaring at him. "Yes. I thought I was never going to see you again, princess."
"So the Unikingdom I keep seeing?"
"It's… it's been gone for a long time. Cloud Cuckoo Land was not your first time running a kingdom. You were young when you took the throne of the… oh, let's call it the Old Unikingdom. I was somehow able to prove myself worthy of being your advisor to your parents around the time you were still an infant. I wasn't actually worthy of it then. I am even less worthy of it now, if I'm being honest with myself. I worked with you, taught you what you needed to do to become a good ruler. Then, after you had brought peace to the kingdom… the Old Unikingdom fell. I thought you were dead, princess. I barely held on to hope." He could barely float at this point, choosing to land between Unikitty and Rex.
"You seemed close to losing hope in that vision… memory." Unikitty put her paw on one of his studs. He let her do this this time around.
"Eventually, Doctor Fox's voice fell silent as well. I think our talk made her lose her resolve and panic. Between Hawkodile's rage at the situation and Puppycorn's cries for you and desperate attempts to make everyone happy… I suppose it doesn't matter at this point." The brick sighed heavily. "I can't understand why I'm still here. Why did I survive and get to tell you all of this…"
"Why didn't you want Doctor Fox to see the memory?"
"That's part of my duties for Project Lotus. When the queen told us you didn't remember the Fall, we made a pact to never let you remember. I suppose I failed on that front, since I'm not hiding anything now. However, she rebuilt several devices to help keep the truth from you. The Memory Machine is the main piece to the puzzle. The others sacrificed their memories to keep you happy."
"What about you?" Unikitty's heart broke as her loyal friend began to cry.
"I… wasn't as lucky. I… I knew too much. It would have killed me to take all that away, so I became the only soul in the Unikingdom who knew that we were all starting over. The citizens didn't remember anything to begin with." He sounded exhausted, almost shrinking as he spoke. "Doctor Fox couldn't understand why back then. I just consider it to be good fortune that the citizens that were left from the old days couldn't remember the Fall."
"Why don't I remember anything?"
"That isn't something I can tell you, my princess. You always had an avoidant personality when it came to unpleasantness. You once tried to separate your anger from yourself using some invention of Doctor Fox's design. I assume you made yourself forget somehow. I believe the only reason you remember what you do now is because of a certain man who had attempt to destroy the world in the exact same way the Old Unikingdom fell." He shot a sideways glance over to Rex, who pointed to himself before avoiding Richard's eye contact. Richard floated up slowly, turning away from Unikitty. "Rest for a while. I know you have more questions, but we have a lifetime for me to answer them. I'd rather not see you be stressed any further." He gave Rex a sideways glance and looked to the door. Before the human could get up, Unikitty grabbed his denim vest.
“RJ, stay a sec? I’ve been alone for this whole thing. I just want someone here with me.” The man nodded and sat back down. By this point, Richard had left the room completely. “I was going to ask you about how to handle my visions, but if they aren’t visions… How do you handle the bad memories? The memories of the… really bad time?”
“One day at a time. Ya aren’t gonna make the memories go away. Well, you kinda did, but now that they’re there… ya can’t put the genie back in the bottle. You have one soul who remembers everything you can talk to. I know nothing, but I didn’t make a pact to forget everything either. I can afford to hear ya vent. You have a support system, which is more than I thought I had.” Rex played with a piece of fluff that he found on the bedspread. “Just know the world ain’t ending, alright?”
“I was scared I was going to lose all of you… even you.” Unikitty’s ears went back.
“Really? Guess I made that much of an impact on ya, huh?” Rex laughed softly.
“You became a real friend, RJ. I never thought I’d say that about the guy who caused Armommageddeon, but I’m saying that. You are my friend and I don’t want to lose you.” The cat’s big blue eyes were on the verge of tears.
“Hey now. Let’s not get sappy, okay?” He took the watery eyes as an invitation for a hug and pulled his oldest friend in a soft embrace. “I’m okay. The world isn’t ending and you’re not alone. I’ll be here to remind you of that every single day I still have breath, if you need me to.”
“Please do that. That’s one thing I never want to forget.”
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Chapter Nine: What Lies Behind the Velvet Curtain
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The cat grabbed the jar again, the expression on the little Doctor Fox drawing her in. What was this? Who left it for her? The Score Creeper said it wasn't Rex. Who else did she know that liked nerdy stuff? Did it matter at this point? This represented answers. Real answers she wasn't getting anywhere else.
"I'm not going to get involved. Just tell him that I have to reschedule our Castles and Kitties session to next Tuesday because someone invited me to a party and he needs to get on Brick-a-gram or something so I don't have to keep telling him about session changes in person." The wraith returned to his work as the cat walked out and sat on the curb with the jar in paw.
"Whoever left this wanted me to see it… but also didn't? What even is this thing?" She thought out loud as she opened the jar.
She reached into the jar and grabbed the small Doctor Fox. Her pupils shrank as her mind went far away from where she was.
She was in darkness. The feeling of disassembled pieces on her back made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't move. Her eyes flicked over to her left, where she saw Hawkodile, who was half buried in a pile of rubble and totally motionless with a look of burning rage on his face. Next to him were the scattered pieces of Eaglator. The closest one, his head, was set next to Hawkodile's head like he was whispering a secret to him. With a flick to the right, she saw Puppycorn. The little dog looked like he was crying for an eternity, a look in his brown eyes like his heart had been ripped out, then obliterated. His body, like Hawkodile's, was motionless. She looked down and saw that her own "body" was deep in the rubble as well.
"Hey. Can anyone hear me today?" A weak monotone sounded from somewhere behind her. She could feel her heart soar.
"I'm still listening, Rick." Doctor Fox's voice came out of her mouth, the sound like a rusty door hinge. There was a long, heavy silence.
"It would appear we have lost Puppycorn. He hasn't checked in," Richard was cut off by a fit of coughing. "in a while now."
"Rick, this isn't good. It's just us left and I have no idea where we are or how to escape. Please tell me you remember something. You know everything about folklore and legends, right?." The Doctor Fox voice was on the verge of panic.
"I… don't. I keep going over old legends in my head and the only thing remotely close to what happened to us… is Armommageddeon. It doesn't explain what happened to Eaglator or how to get out of here." Richard's voice was fluctuating in volume, like he barely remembered how to use it anymore.
"Armommageddeon? That old fairy tale about how the world will end?"
"Yes. It's an ancient legend, passed down for generations. I'm worried this may be the Bin of Storaj, the place where all things… die." Richard's voice almost choked the last word out.
"That's impossible, Rick. There has to be a scientific explanation… science has never let me down before…" The voice sounded childish and petrified.
"Explain why Puppycorn and Hawkodile won't respond to us anymore, Doctor Fox! Explain what happened to our home! Tell me where my little girl is!" Richard was starting to cough heavily between sentences, his voice panicked and harsh. "There's no scientific reason for what happened! The world ended and they're gone!"
"Rick… You can't think this is the end. That would be…"
"I can't keep having this same conversation with you! They're gone, Doctor! Our world is gone! The princess is gone! I tried being a supportive brick… and I don't have the energy anymore to keep being optimistic and I don't want to keep facing this reality." That broken voice shook. "Again, have science explain this! Why are we all that's left?"
"I think your being supportive is why you haven't gone silent yet, if I'm being honest. Puppycorn was inconsolable and Hawkodile just kept talking to Eaglator like he wasn't in pieces. You stayed grounded." Doctor Fox sighed. "I… I'm not sure, though. I don't want to commit to this theory."
"Maybe." His voice was a hoarse growl. "I'm tired. So tired."
"What… what can we do now, Richard? You have to have a plan." Unikitty felt herself look down into the rubble.
"There's nothing we can do now. This is the prophesied end of everything. We're all that's left of the Unikingdom." His voice popped and cracked like the broken record his words made him sound like. "There's probably nowhere to run."
"If you're starting to lose hope, I'm not sure what hope I have at this point. I've been trying not to panic for Puppycorn's sake, but with him gone…" She paused, taking a breath. It was clear from her voice she was close to crying out in despair and complete panic.
"I… The painful truth is…. deep down, I haven't. I still want to believe that this can be fixed. I just… I'm getting too tired to feel hopeful."
"You genuinely can't be blamed at this point. This is a dire situation: the worst case scenario to end them all. You have been showing true leadership. I wish I could be that strong."
"You may… have to be strong without me soon. I've been…"
Unikitty could feel the concrete of the sidewalk on her paws now. What was that? Another vision? The place they were in looked like the Bin of Storaj. That place sometimes haunted her dreams, it was so… hopeless in there. If this was another vision… she had to wonder where Rex was now. Her paws started running again, this time toward the castle. The face looked like Doctor Fox. She had to have some clue. She can at the very least help her find her missing friends.
"Doctor Fox!" Unikitty rushed back to the lab. When she found the fox, she was at her supercomputer. On the display was a picture of Rex and various statistics and graphs. The statistics seemed to show him in some form of distress. She turned and smiled at her friend.
"Hello there, Unikitty! I was hoping you'd come back!" She pushed a button and the information about Rex was gone before Unikitty could ask about it.
"Can you tell me what this is?" She put down the jar and Doctor Fox snatched it up. Her pupils became slits as she searched for some meaning behind her cutesy doppelganger's gaze.
"This may be the answer to a mystery I myself have been attempting to unravel." She shuffled to the Memory Machine, which was on and had the following on the display:
Please provide authorization code…
You have made (THREE) attempts…
(ONE) attempt left before Redaction Protocol activates…
"Redaction Protocol?" Unikitty scratched her head.
"To redact something means to remove text before a publication." Doctor Fox's tail whipped around, her paw on her snout. "I believe this protocol will censor certain parts of this Project Lotus if I get this code wrong."
"That doesn't sound ideal." Unikitty frowned.
"I have tried my usual passcodes, but nothing is working. I'm having a program on my computer search for possible passcodes to try from the database, but I'm stuck on this screen. I can't risk the data loss." The fox almost growled this in pure frustration.
"There has to be a clue or something."
"Well, if I type the project name into my Database of Probable Disasters… it has an entry." She shuffled over to the supercomputer and pulled this database up, showing Unikitty the entry:
Probable Disaster: PROJECT LOTUS
This entry requires passcode verification to access.
Please enter passcode to continue with instructions.
"Whatever Project Lotus is, I had thought it was dangerous enough to include in the database. I just don't remember this project at all." Doctor Fox's face fell into total seriousness. "And I get a very bad feeling when I try to remember it, like it's gone for a reason and it's something almost otherworldly." She shook her head after a moment with her mind in outer space. "That doesn't really matter to me right now. You look terrified and I need to solve this mystery for you at the very least."
"Do you know the password for the database?" Unikitty looked down at the small Doctor Fox head in the jar as she spoke. What would this do to solve this mystery?
"I haven't tried anything of my usual passcodes on that yet." She grabbed a pair of thick black rubber gloves, put them on, and opened the jar, taking the little head out of it. "I'm hoping this little gal has what I need for the Memory Machine first."
"What is it?"
"I've seen a description of something like this in the instructions for the Memory Machine. I believe it represents a memory."
"A… memory?" Unikitty backed away from the fox one step. "How is that a memory?" Doctor Fox lifted an eyebrow.
"Did you touch it, Unikitty?" She grabbed the instructions and flipped to a specific page. "The notes mention that you can view the memory if you touch it. What did you see?"
"I…" She wanted to shove this down like everything else. The memory was terrifying and it was making things make less sense. She was having visions of the future and this lined up with them. She saw all of those friends fall into the holes. "I don't know… Doc, I'm scared. How can that be a memory if it didn't happen yet?"
"That is quite a conundrum. A memory has to have already happened to be a memory. I don't remember a whole lot of things, now that I think about it. How did I get to the Unikingdom? Why do I feel like we've known each other for years when you and I only met last year during Queen Wa'nabi's welcoming celebration? It's been a feeling I've been having for a while now and I can't put my paws on the answer." The scientist put her paw below her muzzle, frowning. With each question, she paused unnaturally. She took a glove off and put both glove and notes down on one of the Memory Machine's three beds. "This may hold the key to this whole mystery."
"Doc… please don't. You may not like what you see. I know I didn't." The cat took a few steps closer, ready to pounce if she took the memory.
"The pursuit of knowledge is lined with ugly truths. I'm willing to take-" The fox was cut off by a brokenhearted and tired voice that seemef to echo through the lab.
"NO. STOP."
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Chapter Two: Nightmare Intrusion
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The skies of the kingdom darkened as the ground around Unikitty and her four friends opened up around them. This all came so suddenly, there was barely time to react. She barely even knew what was going on around her.
"Richard! Get the princess and prince to the castle! We'll take care of this!"
She couldn't tell who shouted this, but she knew who they were shouting to: the brick who was assigned as her advisor. He seemed different somehow. The brick held himself with more confidence and seemed to be more willing to take charge of the situation.
"Princess, we need to go now. There's no time to help them." The monotone of her advisor was gone, replaced with a frantic panic she never thought she'd hear from the brick. A large hole opened in the ground behind the three of them as they headed for the Unikingdom castle.
With a yell, the royal cat sat up in her bed. She looked out the window at the fall leaves gathered in a neat pile under a tree in the dark of the late night. What was that horrible dream? She glanced at her bed and frowned. This was the third time this week she had that dream. It scared her to her core because, if she was still having this dream, something had to be wrong. It was time to ask for help. She thought for a moment about who to ask, someone with experience in scary dreams like this. A lightbulb came on over her head. She headed down to the basement, to a computer in Doctor Fox's lab. She connected to a chat window and hoped the person on the other line answered.
There was a reply, from a woman with pink and blue hair. Good enough for now.
"Unikitty? It's late for you, isn't it? Is something wrong?" The woman held a bowl of cereal in one hand, the spoon in her mouth and muffling her speech.
"Is Emmet home, Wyldstyle? I need someone to talk to about something." Unikitty shuffled her paws from where she stood, hoping her sinking feeling was wrong.
“He just left for work, Unikitty. You look scared. Is there something I can do?” Wyldstyle frowned sharply, concerned for her old friend.
“I don’t know if you can. See, I keep seeing things in my dreams. Things that I don’t remember seeing before. I’m not going to lie, Wyldstyle: I am scared.” Unikitty’s voice was soft and quiet, shaking as she spoke.
“What are you seeing? This could be something big.” She listened as the royal cat described her dreams, eyes widening as she spoke. “I’ll have Emmet call you back as soon as possible.That could be a real problem for everybody. It may take a while to reach him since he's making contact with some new alien species out in the middle of the Wurk-Bentch Nebula.” The cat nodded and the call disconnected, leaving Unikitty in total darkness.
She slowly walked up the stairs, trying to suppress the dream as much as possible for the time being. Put the scary thing somewhere she could never find it… until it needed to be found again, anyway.
The morning soon came and the dream was forgotten with a decent night’s sleep. She looked out the window again to greet the day, seeing that her brother and Richard were already outside. Puppycorn was jumping into the leaf pile while Richard was raking the pile back up again. As she watched the two, she blinked for a second. When she looked at the puppy from this far away, her mind became disjointed and confused. Brother. The word was starting to sound weird to her. She had accepted the fact she was provided a brother before, but why? The thought never occurred to her. She was too busy having fun, then getting attacked by the Doom Lords, to worry about the whole disconnect. Why would she get a brother as part of the gift the Queen gave her? That’s oddly specific… and vaguely familiar.
She headed outside and to the tree. She stopped at a short distance, just far enough to observe. Her eyes drifted to Richard. Did the brick always look so worn and melancholic, like he was going to break at any time from some unknown weight? She couldn't recall. Puppycorn had told her he was always like this when they first met, so she accepted it. But, in the early morning light, she could see a look of mourning in his eyes that she couldn't ignore anymore. She wanted to say something, but the brick had floated off to do some other chore while she was thinking about all this.
She turned her attention to the puppy. How was her brother a puppy? She was a cat. If the Queen wanted her to have a friend that could be *like* a brother to her, that made sense. But this wasn't how the puppy put it when he introduced himself to her when she moved to the Unikingdom.
"Hey, big sis! You're up really early today!" Puppycorn bounced a little as he spoke. There it was. "Big sis". The puppy called her that when they first met, too. "Good morning!"
"Oh, hey, Puppycorn. Good morning." Unikitty flashed a friendly smile, hiding her slowly rising feeling of confusion. "So, were you giving Richard a hard time?"
"I guess. I see a pile of leaves, I gotta jump in 'em! Ya know how it is, right?" He looked over at the neat pile of leaves Richard had left, the temptation to ruin the brick's diligent work painted on his furry face, but his attention went back to his sister.
"Can I ask you something, little bro?" Unikitty gave her brother a soft smile. There was something about the pup that made her want to be gentle, but she had to go for it. She had to ask the dog something to see why she was feeling so weird about the nature of their relationship.
"I probably won't know the answer, but sure!" His little ball tail wagged. He was so eager, so willing to help.
"Do you remember what I was like when I was younger?" The question was asked like it was a normal question to ask at that time. What she didn't expect was the reaction to such a simple question.
The puppy stared at her blankly, still as a statue. His face held no expression, all light in his eyes vanishing. It didn't last long, maybe around a millisecond or two. When his expression returned, he instantly gave his sister a hug.
"Oops! Spaced out there! I did say I probably couldn't answer your question! Sorry about that…" The puppy shrugged, but his expression gave Unikitty the distinct impression that he was worried he'd said something wrong. "Anything else, sis? I wanna help more but… The pile is just calling my name! I have to jump in it!"
"Go and jump on in, Puppycorn. Be careful you don't get bugs in the castle, OK? Richard'll probably have a heart attack or something." She gave the puppy a pat on the head and he bolted off to play.
Speaking of Richard, maybe she needed to talk to him about all this. It was just so hard to find him, sometimes. It was almost like…
Unikitty was alone. Behind her, the setting felt out of focus and nebulous. In front of her was a coffin, a wreath made of roses and daisies and a framed photo of Richard rested at the side pointing to the cemetery. She was saying something but she couldn't understand most of it, the words coming out almost like a radio stuck between two active stations.
"...And I lost my friend, Richard… I'm so sorry, Richard!"
She blinked a moment, backing away from the tree. What was that? That never happened before! Richard was clearly alive! She ran to the castle like a bolt, trying to find the one common thread in her visions so far.
After hours of searching, she couldn't find him. Whenever she thought she saw him, he was gone as quickly. It was almost like he didn't want to be found or something. She frowned, looking up at the clock. It was almost lunchtime now. She could corner him in the kitchen, because he was always cooking for the castle. She rushed through the door to find…
No Richard. All that was in the room were some pizza boxes. It looked like the castle caretaker may have been too busy to cook today. She guessed it didn't matter for right now. It was lunchtime and she had to assume Richard was nice enough to buy lunch. Push it down, push it down, until she needed it later.
The rest of the day was like a game of hide and seek with her advisor. He seemed to have vanished, which scared her all the more. By the time evening came, she was getting worried.
She almost jumped when the phone rang. She snatched it up and almost whispered a hello.
"Hello? Did someone pick this up? If ya said somethin', speak up." She sighed at the voice. It was Rex.
"RJ. Hey." Unikitty's voice gained a small amount of lost enthusiasm.
"Well now. That's a warm greeting if I ever hear one." The man laughed and Unikitty smiled. That laugh made her feel better deep inside, it was just that warm. "I've got some weird news from the mainland. Apparently, Emmet's takin' some time off to come see us. He called me and asked if I had room at the cabin for him to crash for a few days." Emmet was coming here? She thought he was just calling her. Was the dream that important? "I asked him if he'd rather stay at a hotel, but he insisted on stayin' with me. Ya want me ta tell ya when he lands?"
"Yes. Please. I have something I want to talk to him about."
"Hey, is everything OK, Princess? Ya seem a little… what's the word… stressed?" Rex was concerned and that was very clear by his tone.
"I'm fine. I'm glad you asked, but I'm fine. I just have some questions for him."
"Anything I can help with? I was… y'know…"
"No, RJ. I'm fine. Really. It's just… some dreams I've been having. That's all." She didn't know what she was seeing anymore, let alone how to describe all this to her friend over the phone. "If Emmet can't help, I'll ask you about it, OK?"
"Yeah, I get it. He should be here in a few days, so hang in there."
"Thank you, RJ. See you tomorrow?"
"Of course. I still gotta bring ya those pumpkins." The two friends disconnected and Unikitty floated off to get ready for bed. Richard has to show up eventually, right?
From the shadows, a pair of large, half closed eyes narrowed at Unikitty's retreating form. This situation would need to be monitored.
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Chapter Seventeen: For All The Times They Never Heard Your Battlecry
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The residents of the cabin fell into a routine, which was weird for a group of friends on the verge of apocalypse. Rex spent most of his time with Hawkodile in the abandoned ruins of the old dojo, much to the disappointment of the younger Puppycorn. He did his best to try and watch his friend train, but Hawkodile usually noticed and shooed him away. Doctor Fox worked on inventions to help her friends in the days ahead and Unikitty worked to keep morale up. This left Richard to apply his duties as caretaker to Rex's cabin.
"When was the last time the bathroom had been cleaned? I found a tree growing through the floor." The floating brick asked Unikitty, who was baking sugar cookies.
"I don't know." The cat shrugged as she started to place cookies on a tray. "I never noticed a tree in there."
"Neither did our host, apparently. It's about as tall as you are. For someone who isn't here often lately, he's very messy." Richard began to float to the front door, grabbing the keys to Rex's pick up truck. "I'm going to get some cleaning supplies. Please don't make a bigger mess, princess." He floated out the door, past the Puppycorns playing in the yard and to the truck. "At least he keeps his truck in working order." He opened the door and drove into town. Heavy rock music blared from the radio and Richard turned the music down. "No wonder RJ is hard of hearing. He really should stop playing his mixtapes too loudly and think about his future hearing." The drive into town was relatively uneventful.
He parked the truck and headed for the marketplace. The wanted posters for his friend group hung in the square. The brick looked at each of his friends' black and white photographs wistfully, dark eyes eventually landing on the poster of the man who literally crashed into their lives and started the chain reaction that brought Richard to this point in time. It was strangely the only one that was taken from a non-archive related source. It was from a social media post and an old one at that. He looked so much younger in this photo, like Rex had used an image manipulation tool to look that way. It was zoomed in, but you could see he was out on the beach. It was strange to see this manufactured version of a man who was warming up enough to the people he chose to surround himself with to let them in to the person below the surface. He looked around to make sure he wasn't seen and took the posters down, throwing them away in a nearby recycling bin. He then floated to a stall with cleaning materials and began to make his purchases.
From behind him in line, he overheard a conversation from the only other people in the marketplace. "This place is getting so dangerous. We have had at least one criminal in our town within the princess's court and now the Doom Lords are stepping up to clean up from the rebellion. It's not right." Richard said nothing to combat any of it. The people seemed to be misinformed about the princess's intentions as well, but he knew that a low profile was what was needed right now.
"It's terrible how far the princess fell. It has to be that friend she made. He led her down a bad path." The other voice agreed. "She needs to stop making friends with everyone she meets."
"That's what makes the princess a good leader, though." Richard didn't turn around, but he had to interject if this is making them question Unikitty. His loyalty was too strong for that. "She's willing to provide a second chance to those who want one."
"I suppose. She is still going down a bad path and that handsome stranger is leading her down it. Shame on him." An elderly lady's voice chimed in. Richard thanked his lucky stars his turn to shop at the stall came next. He grabbed his purchases and started for the exit. As he did, he had to stop for a second.
"Huh. That's odd." All of the street signs in the city were gone and the streetlights were all green. "That's a road hazard. I should get the police to do something about that." He was about to walk to the police station, but went back to the intersection and made a stop sign out of paper for each section of road. "This should make things a little safer until the lights are fixed. I can't just walk into the police station." He went back to the truck and drove down the road. The brick slammed on the brakes as he almost fell into a very large pothole. "Another road hazard." Richard found some dirt in Rex's truck bed. "I'm sure he'll understand." In due time, the hole at least wasn't deep enough to be a problem. He saw a jackhammer leaning against a light pole as he dug and floated to see where it came from. The handle had "Master Hazard" scratched into it. "Master Hazard? I guess that makes sense. I need to be on the lookout." He got back into the truck and began to take a route that was different from the one he took to get there.
Richard stopped again when he saw a cloaked figure just outside of town. His hood was off and his head was a flame. He was speaking to a teardrop headed figure. The brick parked the truck out of eyesight and hid behind a tree to listen in.
"It's almost over, right? Doom promised a cookout for the groundbreaking of our planetwide HQ." The fire being sputtered.
"Yeah. We just need one win against the princess's buddies. We have lost two gems and Doom is not happy I failed to get the Master Breaker under my control long enough to frame him for the stuff we've been doing." The teardrop shook his head. "I would have had him if it weren't for the princess's bodyguard."
"I almost have the Unikingdom evacuated and Frowntown's been empty since Plague's stage of the plan. Our victory is all but assured." The fire headed being nodded. "We just need to stay the course."
"You didn't even need a gem for it! That's why you're employee of the month." The teardrop looked in Richard's direction, but didn't seem to see him. So there was no gem. Just one guy making things unsafe, so much so that they emptied the Unikingdom. This was oddly a sound idea and one the princess should have taken, though they were pretty busy running from the current law of the land right now. Richard's focus snapped back when the teardrop spoke again.
"So, there is one more push for the Master Breaker's unwilling involvement, right?"
"Nah. Doom's grown inpatient. There are other ways to pin the blame on him, anyway. It's not hard. We just gotta make it look like the kingdom was leveled by that punch of his when the time comes. Once we do that, it's over for him and victory for us." The fire headed being laughed with a crackle and a pop.
Richard took mental note of this. It wouldn't be helpful to exonerate Rex if they failed, but he knew he could at least convince his own friends of the man's innocence if he needed to. He couldn't imagine having his mistakes being against him to this degree. Maybe he could find evidence of this plan. The Doom Lords had backup plans, so why shouldn't they? His mind was moving quickly now. How could he get evidence? He floated to the truck and noticed something in the glove compartment as he looked for something that could help: a tape recorder. It was probably used to record songs Rex heard on the radio for his mixtapes. This was just what he needed. He floated back to the two Doom Lords, who were wrapping up their conversation.
"Well, Doom's gonna address all that at the all hands meeting." The fire creature shrugged. "I've never seen her so excited about a plan before, but I get it. We'd better get going. Can't afford to miss this one." The two headed for the castle. This was it. If there was a time to get evidence, it would be now. Time to see how invisible he really was. He left Rex's truck by the side of the road and followed the Doom Lords at a shadow's pace.
The brick had to suppress a gag when he saw how trashed his castle was. The current occupants had broken everything and spray painted what they couldn't black. He considered planting a taco detector on the first Tuesday his princess and her friends returned to the castle to see the whole place destroyed so it could be rebuilt up to his standards. The Doom Lords congregated in the throne room where the five friends' wanted posters were hung up on the wall behind the throne. Each one was defaced and had several darts a piece on them. Master Doom sat on the throne and waited for the others to settle down. Richard hung in a corner by the open window and hit record on the tape recorder.
"Alright, alright. Settle down." The Doom Lords snapped their attention to Master Doom. Richard began recording. "Despite our mistakes, we are close to our goal of flattening the Unikingdom. We need to make sure we look good here so we are left alone. That's very important since that child is still on this planet. I'm shocked… ugh … "Rex Dangervest" has the attention span to keep up this latest game of pretend." She leaned on the armrest of the throne. "He's being watched by the Queen's guard. This uprising could already be something she's aware of."
"I still have to play my part, Doom." Pain grinned wildly. "If anyone can remind the guy of the pain that drove him to destroy everything, it's me."
"Then make sure you make that a priority. We need to move as soon as possible. We don't know if the princess or the child asked for help from the Queen."
"To be fair, Rexy is too proud to have called for help. Remember, he tried to storm the castle all by himself." Pain interjected, which got her a glare that could freeze a bonfire from her boss.
"Still! Make sure you at least break his spirit to make things easier in the end. We can spin this as a plan of his if we have to. Especially if he isn't alive to tell his side of the story." She drummed her claws on the armchair. "We know the princess and her group will come to stop us. If he comes with them, he needs to not leave with them. That is your only mission when the time comes." Richard's pupils shrank. This was murder she was proposing. They really were plotting someone's murder in the throne room of his castle. This was a confirmation and a sickening one at that. The other Doom Lords murmured to one another. "Once that happens, I'll contact the queen's guard and let them know we caught the outlaw known as Rex Dangervest holding the princess captive and, while we were too late to save the planet, we were able to end the conflict and save the princess."
Richard had heard enough. Talk of murder was enough to discredit them to the world at large. He waited until the room was distracted and attempted to fly out of the window. The window was closed now. He cursed his bad luck. Now he had to find another way to get out of the castle. Thankfully, the throne room was a room accessible to the public. He just had to wait for everyone gathered to leave. Which meant he had to remain undiscovered. He took a breath. He could do this. Absolutely. He was the hide and seek champ, after all. He hid behind the throne with the tape recorder and waited for the moment to leave.
The moment never seemed to come. Richard poked out from the back of the throne and looked around to see who was there. He saw Hazard, Fear, and the Doom Lord in a paper hat sleeping soundly on the floor. The moon was in full view in the window. The front door was open, letting a cool breeze into the room. All Richard had to do was leave. He held his breath and began to float above the Doom Lords, a firm telepathic grip on the tape recorder. The flame made a crackle like snore, making the brick swallow. He just had to take things slowly. Slowly but somehow fast enough to not get caught. He hadn't felt the emotions he was feeling now since his days on the other side of the law. It was undeniable that he was getting a rush. He sighed quietly to get the energy out. He couldn't afford to feel those emotions right now. It was too risky.
He was almost to the door when the paper hatted Doom Lord got up to his feet just a foot away from the door. Richard cursed his luck again and stood perfectly still. Unikitty always said he blended into the background. Time to test that to the extreme. He slipped into the shadows. He watched as the Doom Lord looked around the room, eventually focusing on the spot where he was floating. The brick held his breath. Think boring thoughts. Taxes… Cleaning… If Richard had to be honest with himself, this was starting to remind him of his days on the run, which wasn't the best thing to remember when he was trying to blend in. His heart was in his proverbial throat at this point and that feeling was giving him such a rush. He wanted to make sounds to match how he felt, but he knew he couldn't. He was calm. He was boring. This mindset must have helped a little, as the grey Doom Lord looked away after a nervewracking moment. The brick floated slowly toward the still open door. The hatted Doom Lord closed the door just after Richard left.
Richard was on the verge of hyperventilation by the time he got to Rex's truck. He held the tape recorder close, opening the door with near reckless abandon. He fumbled in his raw energy as he took the tape out of the recorder, keeping hold of the tape and putting the recorder back where he found it. He started the truck and drove as fast as his morals would let him out of the town and toward Rex's cabin. He didn't stop until the cabin was in sight, parking the truck roughly where he found it. He rushed into the cabin where there were no signs of the group of friends being awake, with the exception of a lone light in the workshop. The brick floated though the open doorway and saw Rex building a ship. It wasn't in the colors he would have expected from the dark clad human and it only had enough room for five passengers. He was lying under it, his steel toed boots the only things visible to indicate he was down there.
"You forgot a seat." The monotone voice made Rex jump
"No. I didn't. If things go south, Princess Unikitty and her brother need to get off this planet." He got out from under the ship, revealing he was covered in grease and dirt. "Gonna leave this to you. I'm gonna stay behind and give you guys time to escape. Take them to this ship. The autopilot will take you to the Rexcelsior. Tell the first raptor you see that the captain has fallen. They'll know what that means." Richard lifted an eyebrow. Rex was being a little too serious. "Captain will have a way off planet. He's done this before."
"I'm not the only one thinking about backup plans tonight." Richard hovered closer to the human. "No one would think less of you if you left the planet with us if the Unikingdom gets destroyed, you know. You're one of us, RJ. We can't replace you if something were to happen to you." The human looked at the ship, hiding the fact he was moved to tears by those words.
"I guess not." He knelt down to get back under the ship, but paused when he saw the green cased cassette tape Richard held. "You said you had backup plans, too. Is the tape a part of it?"
"Yes. May I put this in the ship?" Richard put the tape in a small compartment when Rex nodded his reply. By the time the tape was safe, the man was back under the ship. "I'm sorry for borrowing your tape recorder without your permission."
"It's cool. There's a chance I won't need it where I may end up going." There was no humor in the man's deep voice, but there was a thin layer of acceptance.
"You said yourself that the future isn't set in stone." Richard pointed out.
"Richard." The human was back out from under the ship, expression more dire and fearful. "Puppycorn's future self tried six times to save me and couldn't. I'm… scared that this will end the same way. I have to prepare for the worst case scenario, because that could be the future that awaits me. What's different between try six and now?"
"I can't answer for what happened in other timelines, but I can tell you what I have seen. You went from being a lackadaisical man who took nothing seriously to someone who's loyalty to the kingdom is without question. This ship you built alone is evidence of that fact. I see a distinct change in how you hold yourself as well. That's not something to disregard." Richard bobbed in the air, a small smile where a frown normally was. Rex mouthed the word "lackadaisical" with a halo of green question marks over his head. Recognition slowly dawned on him with the rest with the question marks stopping altogether.
"I just can't afford to lose another home." He responded as he went back under the ship. "Hope you aren't wrong about me, Richard."
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