Work Text:
How many times now had Six helplessly watched herself betray her only friend through that TV? How many times had she watched her hunger grow insatiable? How many times had she seen her grow up into The Lady? She’d tried so many times to stop it from happening. She’d tried intercepting her when she ran from the Janitor for the final time, but her body walked right through her. She tried to leap through her as she rode the hooks in the kitchen with no luck. With the guest area being too cramped, she only had one final place, one final chance, one final hope, to intercept herself. The Lady’s Room. She had an idea as well, since her presence is strongest around televisions. She would need to work fast though, as her other self could get there any moment.
“ If I can’t stop me from killing me… I can make her face me once I’ve obtained my future self’s power. Please work... ”
She soon found a room with a ground level television that wasn’t in use and was very close to the entrance. It was perfect. She unplugged it and began to push it. Half of her glitched into it, and it always stings to glitch into things, but she bore that pain to move the tv into place in that fateful hall. Now she just needed an extension cord. She found it in one of the rightmost rooms and used it to give the TV power. It was then that a noise alerted her… it was now or repeat the cycle.
Six stared herself down as she walked the hall, absorbing the life force of the guests. When she passed the last set of guests, Six turned on the TV. It made her body stop moving, staring at it. Slowly but surely it looked like she began to get a headache, holding her head. She then heard her stomach growl, and growl loud. Loud enough to make her clutch her stomach and fall to her knees.
Six saw a sausage to her left and picked it up. Her hand didn’t phase through this time, thanks to the tv’s influence. Her body gave her the most savage look she’d ever seen, but she stood firm. She charged to grab the sausage, and when she was close enough Six jumped forward. Things got very weird as she passed through. She was suddenly looking directly behind her, she wasn’t holding the sausage anymore, and she smacked face first into the tv cracking it as she fell back. The sausage plopped on the floor with a fleshy sound. Sitting up, Six looked frantically for her other self… but she was nowhere to be seen. Looking at herself… she no longer staticked and glitched. She was whole again. Her stomach growled a bit, but it wasn’t unbearable. A thought then occurred to her. She did it. She rejoined with her body. The sound of a boat horn made her flinch. The boat!
She ran up the stairs as fast as she could. In the distance, that same fateful boat was there. The one that would allow her to grow into The Lady far far away. This time would be different. It had to be. Something had changed. The sailors allowed her onboard and were astounded to have found a child all the way out here.
“My home…? In a city… where it rains a lot. It’s a dump, but it’s home.” Six told the sailors.
“We were there just a month back. Cap’n said we aren’t turning around though. We’ve got a voyage to get on with… they’re counting on these supplies getting to where they’re going.” one of the sailors told her, scratching his head.
“ Even this boat’s destination and purpose is different… Excellent. ”
“I don’t have any parents. Could I work on this ship so I can pay my way to return there?” Six asked them.
“No offence, but you don’t look like you can do much.” another sailor replied.
“I’m more than sure we can find something for her. It’s a big ship, and sometimes the smallest help can make the biggest difference.” a third sailor shook his head.
“Don’t go making decisions on yer own, boys. Take it up with the cap’n. Last thing we want is him thinking she’s a stowaway.” a fourth huffed.
Six soon became a cabin girl for that ship, working with two twin sailors named Crom and Brom on cleaning duty. Normally, Six would devour everyone’s lifeforce on this ship and use its resources to live comfortably until she becomes The Lady. Instead, she worked hard, pushing herself to exhaustion a couple of times. For a long five years she swabbed the decks, cleaned the walls and portholes, pried coral off the hull, helped batten the hatches during bad storms, and even learned a bit about how to cook a mean barracuda pie from Marcus the ship’s chef. He had a thick Swedish accent, but for the most part she could understand him.
On that sixth year, a transport ship docked at a familiar beach. Only one passenger got off… Six. Her hair had grown out, being put in a ponytail, and she’d started to somewhat resemble The Lady. She’d outgrown her raincoat, so she’d been wearing some blue pants and a light blue and white striped shirt the sailors she worked with lent her. The pants were baggy on her, as they were meant for adult men, and the shirt looked closer to a short dress. On that dock she looked at the city and breathed in deeply. The Pale City stood before her.
Walking those streets, she could tell the loop was still in effect. In the distance she could hear the crashing and shouts of her younger self and her friend. Passing through the city she soon found an abandoned apparel store. Just inside a window on a fallen mannequin was a yellow raincoat. Just her size. Perfect not only because of the constant rainfall, but for reunion as well. It’d taken her roughly six years, but she was back and back to her old self at that. Her ponytail hung out of the hood slightly, but that was fine with her.
She had one destination ahead of her. Passing through those once enormous streets seemed like cake now. Working on that ship had done wonders for her stamina. It wasn’t long before that immense radio tower was right in front of her. If her friend’s future had to be here, then so too did his current self have to be. Six took that elevator up and was greeted by a single room. No windows. Only a rug with a television set in front of it. She approached it and it turned on automatically, playing some kind of program. One in front of the tv she got on her knees and put a hand on the screen.
“I know you’re in there. You’re probably still upset with me. I would be too… but it’s okay. It can end. The pain can end. The cycle can end. I managed to do something on my end. Just… let me reach you.” Six spoke to the tv in a sympathetic way.
The program then turned to static, blaring white noise. Slowly the shadow of a hand began to appear on screen, lining up with her hand. Six got a smile on her face as she shed a tear. If nothing else, he had at least acknowledged her presence.
“It’s been six years, Mono. For me, at least. I don’t know if time passes differently for you there. The things that I really want to say… I want to say in person. Whether I come to you, or you come to me, I don’t mind as long as I can see you.” Six told the tv.
The hand on the other side of the screen then curled its fingers, passing through, to lock with Six’s hand. With a gentle tug, it pulled her into the tv. She came out in a room made from rubble. The tv screen she exited was large as a door. It was dark around, so she pulled out her lighter to see better. Walking along the part flesh part rubble floor, she soon arrived in a room that was all flesh. Sitting upon his chair, was her old friend. He didn’t even turn to look at her as she approached.
“Mono.” she spoke, and his permanently open eyes twitched a little.
He didn’t move, and his somber expression hadn’t faded. She recalled how he reached out to her body long ago. She was right in his ear, but she had to get through somehow. So she took in a deep breath, putting both hands near her mouth...
“Mono!” she shouted, making the entire place shake as he grimaced, closing one eye in pain.
Eyes in the room were glaring at her, or at least it felt like they were. The Transmission apparently did not like her talking to him. Or at least saying his name.
“Mono! I’m sorry!” she shouted, making the shaking more violent.
It was violent enough it knocked Mono from his chair and Six off balance. When it settled, the boy slowly began to stand. His clothing was stretched beyond belief. He then turned to face her at last.
“I’m sorry for letting go, Mono. I can’t say anything that won’t sound like I’m lying or making up excuses, even if it is the truth. I’m back now though… I came to make right what I did wrong.” Six told him.
Mono then seemed to warp and grabbed Six by the throat, lifting her up off her feet. His face did not contort, but his eyes spoke of his anger. All of the eyes in the room looked at him expectantly. It was as if all of them were goading him to snap her neck. She had no choice, she was running out of air and fast. She kicked him, making him drop her. Now Mono’s face looked positively furious.
“Six!” he roared, making the room shake as a shockwave burst out.
A hall opened itself and Six broke into a sprint. Mono walked after her, his power occasionally warping him several feet at a time similar to the Thin Man he would soon become. Six ran through several halls, each with appendages trying to grab her. Soon she turned a corner and came to a hall she recognized. The door she’d seen Mono run to in the TV before. She broke into an even harder sprint, running with all her might, Mono’s hand at the back of her hood. She shoulder tackled the door off its hinges causing an explosive wave to knock Mono over. A red light shined down on her as she got up. Before her was a massive eye. It glared with malicious intent at her. Before Six’s hands was her old music box, reconstructed. It began to play that familiar tune, making her head ache.
“You won’t… hurt me… or Mono… ever again!” she screamed, lifting the music box to throw at the eye as black mist swirled around her momentarily.
The eye seemed to roar violently as the music box damaged it. Everything began to shake as Mono warped in front of Six, trying to grab her throat once more.
“Mono!” she cried, making him cover his ears and flail around.
The eye’s wound seemed to grow worse as it shook in this state.
“Snap out of it! Do what you want to me after we get out of here! Mono!” she cried.
Even more the place began to shake. Rips started forming in the flesh walls, pouring with blood.
“Mono! We can leave! You don’t have to be confined here anymore!” she cried to him.
The space became even more distorted as Mono began to cry. She then forcibly took his hand and began to pull him along. When the walls would attempt to stop them she would call his name causing them to rip open a new path for them to run. She could soon see the screen she came in through. Right then they reached it, a tentacle tripped them. Six hugged Mono to her as she made one final desperate attempt to get them through the screen. They didn’t come out in the tower though. They burst out of a TV somewhere in the city, smashing through a display window in the process.
Six looked up from their position to get their bearings, and who should be standing far across from her… but her younger self, holding young Mono’s hand. He couldn’t seem to see what she was looking at.
“You’ll be okay. It’s over.” Six whispered to her past self, smiling.
“You sure you’re okay, Six? Come on, before we see any more bullies.” Young Mono urged Young Six.
“Y-Yeah.” she nodded.
Six then checked on Mono, finding him unconscious but breathing. She lifted him onto her back and began to carry him. Any monsters they came across as they walked, rather than attacking, stood aside. It almost seemed they were making a path. Six’s pace was slow, but the rain had stopped. That had to be something.
At the edge of the city, who should confront them… but the Thin Man, exiting a television. Six looked up at the man, and smiled.
“You only have to grab me one more time. I promise. I will come back for you.” Six told him.
“Y-Y-YoU… aLrEaDy-y-y-y… h-hAvE…” he replied in a very distorted, staticky voice before fading away.
She continued to carry him as sunlight began to shine through the clouds. The light seemed to make Mono finally regain consciousness. The horn of a boat made Six attempt to pick up the pace a little.
“Six…?” he weakly spoke.
“I came back for you, Mono. I’m late, I know, but I promise that I’m never ever letting go of your hand again.” Six smiled at him.
“Why…? Why did you let go…?” he asked, squeezing her a bit.
“I wasn’t myself. It’s a mistake that I’m not going to repeat.” she replied.
Watching them from afar on the beach was The Lady, The Ferryman sitting in a dingy waiting for her. She looked at her hands, and saw black particles float off of them in the wind. Particles were flowing from her robe as well. Slowly, she reached up and removed her mask.
“So it ends…” she sighed.
“Quitting time, is it?” the Ferryman chuckled.
“In the end, youth does not last forever… but when those two look so close… is that such a bad thing…?” she giggled, dropping her mask onto the sand, fading away moments later.
“Nay. That’s the beauty of youth, my lady. The best stories have an ending as well. An ending so good… that even if you don’t want the story to end, you’ll still be satisfied.” the Ferryman spoke, leaving his boat to lift the mask.
The Ferryman then took his boat to a remote island where a building stood. Inside were mannequin replicas of different people. Two of the mannequins were unmistakable who they were replicating, but were missing two articles. He put the mask on one, and then pulled a hat from his jacket to put on the other. The two mannequins then magically moved to hold hands. Sitting on a mantle behind the two mannequins was a wedding photo.
“I love happy endings most of all.” he chuckled.