Chapter Text

One has said that nothing built can last forever, and many stories have been lost in due time. However, that is not the case with this world- a record of safekeeping for all the worlds out in the multiverse. One known as The World InBetween.

From its vastly different cities, plains, karsts and otherworldly sights, something of a dimensional traveler's wildest dreams. In the Adventurer's Oasis, many can partake in the role of discovering new dimensions or helping out new worlds that had just had their portal created. And that very concept is what this particular traveler decided to do. 

Early morning was still very much apparent in the Valley Training Arena, located in the main city of Kaleidoscope Tempest. In the arena stood a group of six kids: a girl with reddish brown hair, typing away at a dimension pad. A younger girl with brown hair, playing on her phone impatiently. A darker haired boy with goggles chatting away with a pale blue eyed and platinum haired boy; one much older than himself. A golden-eyed silver haired boy, and a red-eyed dark haired girl. Four of them sat on the arena's lower bleachers, chatting amongst themselves while waiting for whatever the redheaded girl was persistently trying to finish. The brunette however, had finally lost her patience.

“How much longer will this TAKE Bella?” The younger one asked Bella, completely bored out of her mind as she slammed her phone into her lap. “It feels like you’re taking another FIFTY HOURS!!” The young girl complained, raising her hands in annoyance. Her elder sister, Bella, kept working at the keypad. Working with the inner workings she had to memorize and know by heart. Eventually she sighs, Acknowledging her little sister’s impatience.

“Ay, ay, Ay. Dios mío. In a minute Dawn, hold your horses” Bella inquires, still working at the keypad. “Doin’ this stuff’s ain’t easy, y’know? Glad Aunt Aliza and dad are good with the codes. Otherwise I’d be completely lost!” Bella jokes to herself aloud, but mainly to reinstill to her sister how tricky putting a portal together with the use of technology can be. Especially if it’s a newly created portal with a world no one had ever seen before.

By the time Bella had worked further along in creating the portal, Dawn had completely slumped to the floor in a pout. She wanted the thrill of adventure! A chance to prove herself! Make new friends! And if Bella took another moment longer, Dawn knew she’d be about to burst! “ ANNNNDDD… There—!” Dawn’s heart dropped, instantly perking up at the sound of her sister’s voice. So did the others that were there, they knew she had done it. “Away we go!” At the press of a button, a portal materialized itself, wishing in mystery and glistening with glory. It filled Dawn with curiosity, making her emerald eyes glimmer in wonder. What place could lie beyond this gateway to another world?

“Now THAT’S AWESOME!!” Dawn exclaimed, immediately rushing for the portal. But before she could make any drastic choices, she was stopped by the red eyed girl. “Slow down, kid.” She coldly chastised, unamused with her eagerness. “You can’t go rushing headfirst into that portal. Who knows what kind of world it could be.” “I know Lulu! You don’t have to tell be twice.” Dawn spat back teasingly, yet this in turn left the one stopping her annoyed. “It’s, SILVIA. Not Lulu, not Liv. It’s Silvia-!”

“Livie. Please.” The silver haired boy mediated, claiming Silvia down as she let go of Dawn. “Ugh, fine, Silvie… I hate how she picked it up from Benjamin.” Silvia groaned, more annoyed than ever. “I think it’s because he started it first…” The platinum haired boy, Tensuya, added on, earning a death stare from Silvia. 

“Or uh- on second thought… N-never mind. I uh- I’d rather not die today.” Tensuya awkwardly chortled. Once the tension died down, Bella gestured for Benjamin to grab something from the bag they had brought. He quickly does so without words being exchanged as he hands Dawn an odd looking remote. “Is this—!” “Yep, it’s a Dimensional Traveling Device. Or- DTD for short. Easy usage for creating portals in the dimension itself and to get here, home or anywhere your journey takes you. However… it won’t work if the dimension becomes unstable. So keep that in mind.” Bella explained, firmly stating rules that Aliza had told her many times a long time ago. “Alrighty! Uhm- anythin’ else?” Dawn questioned, earning a playful smile from her sister.

“Don’t lose or break  the DTD, or lose your phone, it’s possible to use your phone in other worlds as long as it’s a stable dimension. So don’t forget that.” Bella finished, firmly slipping the device into Dawn’s backpack side pocket. “I’m gonna miss you sis, who’s gonna prank with me???” Benjamin whined, unhappy yet excited for his sister’s journey. “I’ll prank with ya this summer, just not like how we usually do. Even better, we’ll call as soon As I get there. I promise to not be gone long, Bends!” To swear their oath, Dawn wraps her pinky around her brother’s sealing their pact.

“It’s going to be weird not having you around, I’ll miss you too, Dawn.” Silvie added, happy for his little sister as well. “Alright, alright. Before Dawn leaves, one last word before departure.” The redheaded girl started, kneeling in front of her little sister. “Aliza said this to me many years ago, and I believe you could use these words too.”

Bella started with, smiling genuinely at her little sister. “If you see anyone that needs help, do what your heart tells you, help that person in need. It may not be easy, it may be difficult. But I know you can do it. Who knows, you might even make a friend out of it.” After those final words of encouragement, the group of kids shared a final group hug. Silvia tried to etch her way out of it, yet was unsuccessful in escaping anyone’s grasp. “I’ll be back soon, guys. Love you.” 

Bella chuckled, reciprocating in her sister’s gesture. “Love ya too, little rascal.” Once the hug unraveled, everyone shouted or waved goodbye to the snowflake-clipped girl. Wishing her the best on her travels. “Now go on! Have fun snow queen!” Bella shouted as everyone watched her walk toward the portal.

“Don’t forget to call me Dawn! I’ll make sure you don’t forget!” Benjamin quipped loudly, his excitement being as uncontainable as can be. “Make sure to take pictures! And when you come back, take us with you!” Silvie smiled broadly, contrasting to Silvia who was desperate enough to keep a somewhat neutral face. Yet Dawn knew, at least internally, that she cared about her too.

“If you run into any problems uh— gosh- take care of yourself Dawn! We’ll greet you when you get back!” Tensuya shouted at the last minute, giving his farewells to the snowflake-clipped girl as well. This was her adventure, her time to shine! Without another thought and  a grin, Dawn trust falls into the portal at the swing of her boot. Falling from the world of things she knew to the world of complete unknown.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

The Hat In Time Dimension. Location: Mafia Town

Wind bellowed as the snowflake-clipped girl descended through the abyss of dimensional space. A concept that used to scare Dawn didn’t as much anymore. Once the space of the portal faded way, Dawn realized she wasn’t meeting solid ground. Dimensional portals were always peculiar, and this one decided to be no different. Usually they’d open in a wall or at least on the ground.

This one however? This one decided to have her plummeting from the sky.

The snow queen shrieked, flailing her arms to move her body mid-air. The ground and what looked to be a town kept coming closer and closer. Dawn didn’t want the first thing she’d do here is to go splat. With enough precision, Dawn uses her cryokinesis. With it she creates and ice slide big enough to not only catch her, but make her fall stop completely. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH -!!! ACK-! OW-! OOF!” The snowflake-clipped girl squealed, then moaned once she reached the bottom. “I’m… here… oi.” Dawn jested to herself, shakily getting to her feet. She barely caught herself from that grim fall, but she was alive.

The snow queen stood slowly, holding her hands out ajar as she reclaimed her balance. This would be fine, right? As long as she explores and has fun in this new dimension, then all things should go according to plan. Apparently, the world had other plans. Another voice screaming could be heard from the sky- didn’t sound like Benjamin, no, the screaming was too young and high pitched to be his.

Looking from the sky she fell out of, Dawn watched as… hourglass things (?) rained from the sky, along with a young child, one much younger than herself. That alone made Dawn quick to act, despite her unnerving terror. “Ah- SHOOT. Hang on!” The cryokinesis prodigy shouted, melting her ice and snow to then project herself upwards to catch the girl. She had to save her! She had to-

“OOF-!” Once the snowflake-clipped girl had caught the kid, they both came tumbling down the ice pillar, which she quickly made into a ramp with her foot. As quickly as Dawn had made that, they had reached the bottom.

If the snowflake-clipped girl didn’t feel sore the first time, she certainly did now. Thankfully the snow and ice took most of the shock, if it didn’t, she would’ve been dead or had many broken bones or just been black and blue. Letting the kid go, she could finally see the face of the child she had just saved.

It was a little girl, one with brown hair tied into a low ponytail. Her clothes were somewhat strange, but fashionable. She wore a purple dress-like shirt, cargo-like pants and simple brown boots. Another component to the outfit was a flashy yellow cape, held by some kind of zipper that connected to her shirt. And the last detail was very eye-catching, since it was her eyes themselves. They were as blue as a tropical ocean, one that wouldn’t freeze over no matter how hard the cold tried. 

The child takes off her snow dusted purple and yellow top hat, muttering in a foreign language Dawn didn’t quite understand. “Uh- here. Lemme help ya.” The snowflake-clipped girl proposed, melting all the ice and snow. Since it was made using her magic and the water in the air, it could easily go back to being nothing but that.

The gesture of melting the ice and snow was enough to make the top hatted child perplexed, before smiling at her. “Thank you.” She spoke, not too loud, yet not too quiet either. “You’re welcome!” Dawn beamed, standing with one boot, then the other, finally lending her hand to the girl she saved.

“I’m Dawn, nice to meetcha! and youuuu areee???” The top hatted child chuckled, smiling broadly as she accepted Dawn’s hand. “I’m Hat Kid , nice to meet you.” The top hatted child, Hat Kid introduced herself as Dawn pulled her to her feet. “Hat Kid? That’s a cool name! It sounds like a superhero name!” Dawn excitedly rambled, praising her newly found acquaintance. She turned a shade of rose, chuckling to herself and the situation she found herself in.

“Golly uh- thank you!” She reciprocated Dawn’s smile, beaming brightly at her even with her cheeks flushed from the compliment. “So uh- if I must be so bold to inquire. But- why the heck were you falling out of the sky? What happened? Did something like a portal make ya fall outta the sky? Like me?” The top hatted child tilted her head in confusion, then surpassingly shook her head.

“Nope! I didn’t fall out of a portal thing. I fell outta my spaceship! Some big goon tried to break into it!  And the vacuum he created made both of us fall here!” The top hatted child pursed her lips in annoyance, whoever the ‘goon’ was, Dawn certainly didn’t like them. They’ll have to answer to her YEETING them if- wait.

“Spaceship? Did you just say you- and possibly someone else… came from a spaceship?” Dawn questioned, earning another nod from the top hatted child as she confirmed her growing curiosity. “And the hourglasses I saw raining from the sky, are they yours?” The top hatted child nods again. “Yeah, it’s the fuel for our ship! If we don’t have them, we can’t fly home! Or anywhere!” Hat Kid folded her arms, hiding some form of… it was hard to say what emotion she was hiding. Despite being young, and possibly not human, her face was hard to read the emotions off of. 

The snowflake-clipped girl taps her lips, concocting a way to brighten the mood. Finally, she strikes an idea, now nudging her new found acquaintance. “Soooo- you’re not from around here, are ya?” The top hatted girl tilts her head, then shakes it. “No… I’m- I’m not.” She awkwardly answered, now confused as to what Dawn was asking. Without warning, Dawn leapt in the air! Grinning from ear to ear. “Ha-HA! Me NEITHER! I’m from another dimension! Ain’t that cool? And from what I can tell, you’re like a humanoid alien! That’s so swag!” The snowflake- clipped girl boisterously beamed, surprising the top hatted child.

“Well- that explains the ice and snow! And why it melted so quickly!” Hat Kid giggled, looking better than she did before. Then Dawn had a greater idea, something she could do here as she stayed in this new dimension. “I came here for my summer vacation. And now I know what I wanna do here!” The top hatted child tilts her head again, readjusting her top hat. “And… what is- what exactly, Dawn?” “Helping you!” A pause entered the conversation, almost making the top hatted child stop completely in her tracks.

“You want to… help me?” Hat Kid cautiously  questioned, getting closer to Dawn as though to make sure she wasn’t hearing her wrongly. “Yeah! I wanna help! I’ll help you retrieve those hourglasses, and find whoever you’re looking for! That way you can go home!” Hat Kid bursted into laughter, laughter that was surely needed for a situation like this. And as soon as Dawn heard the laughter, she knew they would probably end up being good friends. “Come on! Let’s not dillydally any longer! Lets go kick some butt and find your hourglasses-!” “ Time Pieces.”

Hat Kid corrected, so that’s what the hourglasses were called then? It was simple enough to remember.

“Time Pieces, back to your ship! C'mon! Let’s-a-go!” And with that, the newly formed duo gave haste. They didn’t know it then, but this would be a friendship that would go through thick and thin, highs and lows, ups and downs. A friendship that was unexpectedly built to last against the sands of time.

Chapter Text

In The World InBetween, the Adventurer’s Oasis always stated that trust- no matter what situation you’re in- is key when dimensional exploring. At least- that’s how her older sister explained it. Otherwise you’d be a lost soul whose fate’s been sealed by god only knows what. Bella’s words, not Dawn’s. Yet she wasn’t wrong.

This place was unfamiliar, some of it could be dangerous for not just Dawn, but the top hatted child as well. Speaking of her, the worried expression from earlier slowly crept its way back onto the top hatted girl’s face. She kept seeming to push it away in favor of a more idle expression; that had Dawn worried…

Why was she masking her obvious worry? And for who?

The other child she briefly referenced earlier? From the look of it… It very well could be. 

To ease her worries, Dawn stuck up another conversation it only to pass the time, but keep Hat Kid positive in these trying times. “So- your names Hat Kid , yeah? Is it your real name? Or one you just go by?” The snowflake-clipped girl inquired, watching Hat Kid skip along the orange-hazelnut concrete trail. “I just go by Hat Kid, sometimes I’m called Hattie, but that’s about it.” The top hatted girl replied, still slipping along aimlessly. “What about you? Do you have any nicknames people give you? Like your family— or something?” She pepped, now playing a simplified version of hopscotch along with her skips. “Well— my siblings call me ‘Snow Queen’ because it’s a small alias I go by online. But other than that… Nope! Nothing at all other than endearing nicknames my parents love to give me.”

Hat Kid giggled, easing up as the conversation went onward. “What’s your home town or uh- home planet like? Is it any different from here in any way shape or form?” Hat Kid asked thoughtfully, taking Dawn aback. She didn’t have a response for that. “Hhhmm… Uh- Not exactly sure on how to describe Toluca Heights, but I can certainly—!” * SLAM! * Without warning, two big goons crashed onto the colorful concrete, beaten up by a girl in a hood. The duo halted in shock, and before they could even respond, she darted off. Just like that! “WHA—! HEY!! Wait a sec! STOP!”

Dawn ran after the girl with the hood. “Come on Hat Kid! Let's go! Maybe she can help!” Hat Kid gave a determined nod, following soon after. Around the bend the girls gave chase to the girl in the hood. They hooked through the alleyway and passed two goons… Mafia members(?) talking about a tv show in a very strange manner. Almost in the third person- but not quite. In response to passing by them, Hat blew a raspberry in the most childish way possible. The action made Dawn want to laugh, but alas… she couldn’t.

They needed to get to the girl in the red hood. The top hatted child bounced off the ground, using a lone vault as a platform to gain more airtime. To say Dawn wasn’t impressed was about understatement. But now wasn’t the time for pleasantries.

Even more curious things came as they rushed past a twitchy and otherworldly figure… A- A seller? A type of Badge Seller? It wasn’t clear. Shaking off the brief encounter with the seller, Dawn continued to give haste.

There was no time for badges or whatever he sold, they needed help!

Continuing in hot pursuit up the rocky ravine was the most difficult part of the chase. Almost as if she actually wanted to lose them rather than stay and chat. The cloaked girl suddenly jumped over the river, stopping Dawn entirely while Hat Kid followed with ease. There was zero chance she could’ve made it across a gap that big, even with her powers.

“Dawn!!” The top hatted child called out, snapping Dawn back into the moment of the chase. “What are you waitin’ for? C’mon Dawn! We’re gonna lose her!” Hat Kid shouted, waving her arms rapidly. At that moment it was now or never. To hell with it. “Alright, I’m coming, kid! Gimme a sec!” Dawn shouted in response, backing up. With enough courage, she ran at full speed, jumping over the ravine. She barely made it, holding onto the ledge of a rock before pulling herself up.

“Holy frickin’ InBetween! That was too close! Way too freaking close!” The snow queen heaved in shock, the adrenaline kicking in more than ever as they continued the chase.

The chase was at its finest as they entered some kind of plaza or town square. The cloaked girl tried to hook the other direction towards an Observatory-like building, yet was blocked by a newcomer. A young girl with curly hair and magenta eyes. Riveting back the way she came only to be cornered,  the girl saw no other choice but to haul herself on the bucket by some sort of clock tower.

Only then did the chase end, leaving the newly formed trio on the ground level.

“Hey you, down there! Don’t think I didn’t see you stalking me!” She exclaimed from the top of the tower, the bucket by her side. “Us kids should stick together, not stalk one another! I mean- Mafia Town can be a really dangerous place! So whaddya say, wanna join my little rebellion?” The cloaked girl confidently concluded, now Dawn was astonished by it.

This girl gave the impression of being a strategist given how she ran from them, but a confident leader was not among the thoughts Dawn had in mind. Especially her voice, one that was loud and commanding contrasted with her young appearance. Then it clicked that the girl also rightfully insulted them just now.

“Uh- HEY! we were NOT stalking you!” A pause is given as the cloaked girl deadpans an unamused frown. “Okay- we KINDA were! Yeah- sure- big deal. But, STILL ! Is it not alright to say thanks to the gal who fought two guys many times her size, lands like a superhero and outruns three people like a girlboss? I can’t say I know many gals who can do that!” The cloaked girl seemed taken aback by the compliment, then grinned. Proud of what she had done thus far. But in the moment of prowess, she remembered a topic she wanted to mention as she leaves back over the edge. “Oh, by the way!”

The blonde started with, peaking the trio’s interest. “Did you have anything to do with the junk falling from the sky?” Another pause was given before the top hatted child and the other child nodded to the blonde. Her word usage could’ve been better, since junk was not a way to put it. But given how seemingly magical hourglasses rained from in the sky… then “junk” would most likely be the best terminology she could think of.

“Yeah? Yikes, looks like you’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do, huh?” The cloaked girl directly stated, getting straight to the point while looking down at them below. “Yeah! Not to mention that more than one fell from the sky! It’s a huge mess!” Dawn added on, surprising the cloaked girl. They watched as she pulled herself back, pondering until she came back to the edge of the clock tower.

“Tell you what, come up here and I can show you where some of your junk landed!” Dawn was pleased that she’d trusted her gut on this. This girl was going to help Hat Kid get her Time Pieces back! She was now sure of it! There was only one problem however; how the heck were they going to get up there? Suddenly, a crane moved on its own, giving them access to a platform to jump on. 

But who did…

“Bow!?” Hat Kid shouted in surprise, gazing at the other child that had stood with them moments prior.

It was a girl with dark skin, a blue bow and thick curly hair. She wore a green cardigan decorated in cat patches, her ruffled blue skirt and dark blue boots brought out the white in her shirt along with the magenta of her eyes. Dawn didn’t know her, but Hat surely did.

“Hattie?” The girl in the bow echoed back, almost shocked to see the top hatted child. But all shock was dropped as they ran toward one another.

“BOW!” “HAT!” They shouted, embracing one another on impact. Hat Kid spun the ribboned child around, never letting her go. The way they embraced reminded Dawn of what she and Benjamin did when they were younger.

Always embracing one another after a long day at school or sitting next to one another on the school bus. The two children laughed, grinning so much it made Dawn’s heart light up with joy. She was glad that she’d been able to reunite them.

“Hat?” The ribboned girl questioned, now forcing her attention on Dawn. All the smiles and laughter from before seemed guarded now. “Hat, who’s this?” She spoke hesitantly, partially hiding behind her top hatted friend. A friend who she wasn’t exactly the same height as, making her look even smaller than she was. Once Dawn saw her hiding, she quickly went to dispel her wariness. Offering her hand in a friendly manner.

“Hiya! The name’s Dawn Daze! Pleasure to meetcha!” The snow queen greeted boisterously, watching as the distress and guardedness fades into genuine curiosity. “I’m… uhm.” Dawn feels her hand go into hers, holding it tightly. “I’m Bow Kid, it’s nice to meet you too.” Dawn snickered, adoring Bow’s shines over her guarded nature from moments prior. What a sweet child. 

“How did you uhm…” Bow fumbles over her words, pulling her hand away. “How did you know about the Time Pieces ?” Bow questioned, making a seeing significantly easy. “Oh! That? Your friend told me after I saved her from falling! I saw them raining too when I came into this dimension.” Dawn awkwardly explained, shocking the ribboned child as she invaded Dawn’s space.

“You’re from another dimension!? Other dimensions exist outside of this one!?” The ribboned child squealed, her excitement coming back at full throttle. “That’s so cool!” They all share a heartfelt laugh, connecting little by little. “C’mon! Let's go catch up with the Mustache Girl guys!” Bow excitedly Dawn towards the observatory, trying to jump only to miss. Unlike her top hatted friend who jumped up with ease. “Hey.” Dawn called out, cupping her hands for the ribboned child. “Need a boost?” Now Kid looked at Dawn’s hands, and took that chance. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, allowing Dawn to ride her high into the air and onto the observatory's roof. The snow queen could hear her cheering once she landed, even after Dawn elevated herself with her cryokinesis.

“Let’s-a-go!” Dawn cheered, beckoning her friends to race to the clock tower. Bouncing off the elevated platform and into the clock tower itself. Now they could see the cloaked girl. Bow wasn’t wrong to call her “Mustache Girl”; she had one! A Part of Dawn thought it might’ve been fake but she didn’t have the time to ask as she dashed out the clock tower. “Follow me, rebel squad!” The blonde declared as she made haste. Hat Kid ran on the streamer connected to the clock tower and bounced off of it. Bow Kid dashed out the tower, catching Dawn completely off guard at how fast paced this was.

Well, if they were going on foot with no powers, then Dawn would as well.

Clumsily, Dawn went for the streamer, bouncing cautiously and flipping off it. The landing was not pleasant but better than most. The trio were now making haste in a semi-set up construction site. Dawn took the high-end with the wooden platforms, while Hat Kid and Bow Kid took the low-end on the ground level.

“Hey!” Mustache Girl exclaimed once more, pointing to a destroyed fountain and more of those goons dressed in blue. “I think one of your junk pieces fell and smashed right into the market's fountain. Messed it up real good!” The blonde grinned mischievously, seemingly delighted by this.

It struck an off-chord with Dawn, making her feel uneasy. Regardless of her feelings, she HAD to put suspicions aside. For her new friends.

That Time Piece was something important to Hat Kid and by extent, Bow Kid as well. Therefore; she had to get back.

“When going over there, just avoid making eye contact with the Mafia and you’ll be fine. Good luck, fellow rebels!” Mustache Girl ran off, leaving the trio alone. 

Dawn ran with the duo to the Mafia members who were standing around the “Market Fountain'', the one Mustache Girl was happy to see messed up. In front of it stood more of the goons on blue, ones Dawn overheard refer to themselves as “Mafia.” So were they members of one? It was hard to say, but she’d assume that for now—

“Hey!” Hat Kid exclaimed, grabbing the one with the umbrella’s attention. That is when Dawn saw the hourglass in his hands, the same one that had rained from the sky moments prior. So THAT was a Time Piece ? It didn’t look like much, but Dawn doesn’t underestimate the power it may hold.

“I’ll take that back, please!” Hat Kid politely bargained, grinning friendly towards the big goon. “Could we have that back? Please ?” Bow Kid added to the original bargain, trying her hardest with a pleasant smile. However, to Dawn’s astonishment, the Mafia member refused to give it back.

“Go child, shoo! Mafia found strange hourglass first.” The Mafia member chideded, irritating the snowflake-clipped girl. Even more so when the top hatted child resorted to trying to use force, trying to reach for the magical hourglass regardless of what he just said. But he just wouldn’t budge, blocking her limited reach with her umbrella.

Without warning, Hat Kid had found a way to turn the tables on him. Now instead of being blocked by his umbrella, she took it from him, gaining a new weapon of sorts to fight back. Bow Kid laughed at her friend’s antics, then noticed another umbrella nearby, swooping it up quickly.

Now things were heating up, a brawl was surely brewing! Dawn was sure of it.

“Down with the Mafia!” Hat Kid charged with Bow Kid, causing the goons there to run away with the Time Piece in tow. This was it! A chance to show her skills in a fight. Fighting sounds rang out left and right, making Dawn eager to join in the fight more, but suddenly- she was stopped in her tracks.

One of the Mafia goons had yanked her pigtails, and even if he thought this would stop her- he was in for a treat.

“You think Mafia didn’t see you? Mafia teach you lesson Mafia style!” Dawn gave a smirk, her green eyes glimmering smugly.

“Actually… Ya know- on second thought. How about we do this, snow queen style?” Dawn snapped her fingers as she made an ice pillar from the fountain water to punt the Mafia member into the ocean’s waves. Both kids that were with the snow queen stopped mid fight to process what they had just witnessed.

“WOAH ! That was- AWESOME! Do that again!” Bow Kid exclaimed with awe.

Dawn grinned a chaotic smile. “With pleasure, ribbons!” The snow queen giggled, sliding as ice formed beneath her feet. Taking the ribboned girl’s hand, she swung Bow onto her back. The domino effect made Mafia goons tumble over left and right!

Dawn made a platform and hopped with a flip, bouncing off a Mafia goon’s head and continuing onward.

“Hat! Over here!” Dawn cupped her hand to give Hat Kid a boost to grab her Time Piece . Hat Kid smiled. “Great thinking!” Hat Kid grins, hopping on Dawn’s back once she slides on the ice, allowing her to take a ride. “Come on! Let's go get some Mafia butt!”

The snow queen grinned, skating to gain on the Mafia Goon.

“He’s getting away!” Hat yelled anxiously, fearing they may not catch him in time. “Not for long!” Dawn made an ice bridge with the nearby water, then swung around the bend to gain momentum.

“Now Hat! It’s now or never!” Hat Kid held her umbrella firmly, ready to swing it when they got close.

BAM! The Time Piece flew upwards out of the Mafia member’s hands and into the snow that had been made from the ice.

The Mafia member however? He landed flat on his face, scurrying off soon after.

Serves him right for stealing.

“That was incredible! Bow and I have gone fast in our spaceship before- but not like that! It was crazy!” Hat Kid bounced with joy, reclaiming the hourglass from the melting snow.

“Where did you learn to do that? You were ALL over the place! You knew exactly what to do- you were whoosh-whoosh and then BLAMO !” Bow kid animated with her hands in a rush of her own excitement. Dawn chuckled, willing to explain to the young bow-wearing child.

“My big sis taught me what she learned from The World InBetween. But I’m mainly self-taught.” Both kids awed at the snowflake-clipped girl, amazed at how she could accomplish all the feats she’s done thus far.

“Well- we need to get back to the spaceship. This’ll help get things running once again! But we need all of them to get back home.” Hat Kid explained in a hurry, masking more of the worry Dawn had sensed before. Though this time it had more urgency to it. Now seemed to understand the implications- but it still begged the question. What were these used for other than fuel? Why did people want them for their powers?  

Then a another question was brought up. “Hey uh- how are we gonna get back?” Hat Kid froze, her face deadpanning as she searched her pockets.

“Oh crap-!” Hat kid tugged her hat over her face- grumbling. “ Uugghhhh - mother of Raehan- Of course I don’t have the teleporter on me!” Hat Kid adjusted her hat back on her head, sulking slightly when looking at the ribboned girl. “Have the teleporter Bow? Apparently mine’s not on me or LOST . Or both.” Bow chuckled at the top hatted girl, soon snatching it from her left pocket. Dawn had called it, she knew she had the right vibe that Bow was an engineering kind of gal! Hat Kid smiled with a HUGE sigh of relief.

“Got it right here Hat, I always keep one on me in case you lose yours.” Dawn grinned as she looked at the remote; it was just as decorative as the Time Piece . “That’s great Bow- but… will it feel weird? If I uh- dunno? Teleport with y’all?” The children looked at Dawn, confused until it clicked. They then turned away as they talked amongst themselves. They didn’t see why Dawn couldn’t come. Soon, they turned back to face their new friend. Already on an agreement.

“Alright. Just as LONG as you don’t open your eyes the first time. It’s nauseating.” Hat Kid moaned with nostalgia. Not exactly a happy time the first time doing it, was it? Dawn chuckled, understanding the reasoning. Even if it was never said aloud. “I won’t, I won’t.” Dawn closed her eyes as Bow held the device out, fidgeting with the buttons. “And- away we go!” The trio began to be engulfed in a blue light for a brief moment, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

The trio then appeared on the ship in less than a second. Dawn teetered in place, using her hands to catch her balance. She then opened her eyes to a very colorful ship. They had a front row seat view of the entire planet! Man; astronauts weren’t kidding when they said once you see a planet from the solar system in person. It’s truly mesmerizing as it is life changing.

Soon, beeping was heard, a rumba coming their way, beeping with delight and sentence as if it was greeting its owners’ home. “Rumbi!” Hat kid called out, giggling as she picked the Rumba up with her hat falling off. As Hat was greeted by the robot, Bow turned the ship on. Now, they had all the time they needed to get to know one another before going back again. This was going to be a LONG journey.

Hat Kid placed Rumbi down and plummeted onto her beanbag chair with a video game console setup nearby; it was no surprise to Dawn that Hat was obviously exhausted. Bow leaned on the railing eagerly, seemingly excited to have a guest over on their ship for what looked to be the first time.

“Welcome to our ship Dawn!” Bow Kid welcomed, sliding down the ladder in delight as she skipped to them both. “Hat? Why not show Dawn around? I can try to see if I can get power up and running in the other rooms and make sure it stays on.” Hat lifted her head up with surprise. Her hat flying off her head only to fly back down.

“What?! Why me? Why can’t you do it Bow?” Bow placed her hands on her tiny hips. “Please, Hat? Please?” Then, Dawn could see the gears turning in Bow’s head. Oh that clever girl had a plan, she could see it in her smug face! “Ooorrr I could just have you do the heavy lifting with the power and have you get electrocuted again? Or even the mail room up the slide-”

“Actually ya know what? The tour’s better- way better than the wires or the mailroom. I don't even know why you put THAT in the design Bow!” Bow chuckled as Hat Kid stood and took Dawn’s hand. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of places to see!” Dawn smiled. “Alright, let's go Hat.” The two went up the colorful ramp first, where to next? Only time would tell.

Chapter Text

The blue and silver doors opened with a swing, revealing the second room of this tour. It had a cacophony of things that made it safe to assume that this room was the kitchen.

There was a stove, a microwave and many other things used to store and make food. Dawn spun around, the sweetly delicate air going through her nose and course though her lungs. And as she exhaled, a smile widened on her young face.

It felt just like home.

“So this is the kitchen?” Hat Kid nodded, the purple and yellow top hat sliding on her head while she did. It was almost like it was too big for her, yet she kept it on anyway. Dawn giggled to herself from the observation, it was sweet, just like this place. The two girls seemed more than eager to show Dawn around their humble abode.

The snowflake-clipped girl opened the fridge to find it was stocked, which meant that they had a good supply. Eventually Dawn closed it as the cold air was sealed shut. A grumble soon rumbled as the snow queen glanced down at the top hatted girl.

“Ya hungry Hat?” Dawn inquired, her eyes on Hat Kid. She nodded. “Yeah… I’m starving.” Dawn wished she could make something- then realized she never took her backpack off, remembering that she did have food on her! She packed snacks in case she wanted to eat some while adventuring. Dawn slipped her backpack off and quickly unzipped it.

Seconds flashed quickly as Dawn searched through clothes and essentials to grab something for Hat Kid. Eventually she found a small container filled with her favorite treat: brookies.

“Here ya go. A small treat from my home dimension.” Dawn announced, fondly handing Hat the sweet treat. It wasn’t the only thing she had on her, Dawn also packed other sweets in plastic bags and containers like a ricecrispy treat, some mac & cheese, ramen and a bit of pandebono bread. Hat Kid examined the brookie, acting as though she had never seen anything like it. Strange, normally little kids know exactly what it is by the sight alone. With enough courage, Hat took a bite, her eyes were filled with stars soon after.

“Mmm, mhm, mmhm, MHM! This is SO good- what is this? It’s so yummy! It’s like a cookie? No,no a brownie maybe? A cookie-brownie- brown… brownie-cookie? What is this?” Dawn grinned, she was genuinely surprised by the reaction alone, but at least she liked it. “It’s a brookie. It’s basically a cookie and a brownie in one dish. I helped my big sister make these before I left.” Dawn smiled with nostalgia by her side, the memories in the kitchen made it a place of laughter and joy that echoed even at this moment in time.

The room then regained life as the lights flickered on and the darkness evaporated. The kitchen was prettier with the lights on, from the checkered tiled floors down to the gradient wallpaper. Bow came bursting in with an excited smile, eager to share the good news with both of them. The duo already had a good feeling that Bow had gotten the power back. She must’ve been pretty quick if she knew what she was doing.

“Alright! I got the power back up and running! Now we won’t be cold on the ship without the Time Pieces in the vault.” Dawn’s mouth dropped agape, silently gasping at what the ribboned child was most likely implying. Now that sets a different tone for the hourglasses, especially since she mentioned it so casually. They were used for another energy source? Such as powering the ship. It made sense since the place was only lit by the windows in the spaceship when Dawn first arrived here.

To disperse of the dark undertones, Dawn tore another piece of a brookie for not only herself, but for Bow as well. “Here ya go Bow. I’ve got something to tide us over before I can probably make us something to eat.”

Bow Kid smiled sheepishly, shyly accepting the offer and digging in. She had the exact same reaction Hat Kid did when she bit into the scrumptious treat. And that was even stranger, a story for another day. When they finished, Hat Kid adjusted her top hat, getting the original topic back on track.

“So, what other parts would you like me to show you?” Hat asked, unsure where to take the tour next but kept level headed with a smug grin. “Hmmm…” Dawn pondered, tapping her index finger to her chin.

Decisions, decisions, so many possibilities in decisions. Perhaps-

“Maybe the bedroom? I mean- I don’t exactly have a place to stay since I’m gonna be here awhile.” Hat Kid giggled as she took Dawn’s hand. “Not at all, com’on! Let's go!” 

The trio paved their way to Hat and Bow’s bedroom, and Dawn was greeted with the biggest surprise in her life. If she had a room like THIS when she was six, she would’ve lost her ever loving mind.

It was packed to the brim in color and designs, the wallpaper was littered with animals on one side and the other side was adorned with moons and stars!

They even glowed, and that wasn’t even the best part! In the center of it all was a ramp and a MASSIVE pillow fort! If Dawn had a room like this back home- all her sleepovers would've been a blast. Hat Kid let the cryokinesis prodigy’s hand slip out of hers, dashing up the ramp and onto the diving board.

“Watch and learn guys! I’m a pro at this!” Hat exclaimed, bouncing high into the air and diving headfirst into the pillows; Soon resurfacing with boisterous laughter. Dawn and Bow laughed at Hat’s silliness. She was so goofy! “Hahahhahaha! Okay! That was SO COOL !” The snow queen applauded, amazed with her skill and accuracy. Dawn then felt a playful hand around hers, pulling her to try it herself. “Now it’s your turn, Dawn! Come on!” Bow Kid exclaimed as she playfully drug Dawn up the ramp. Both girls went onto the plank and tumbled down into the pillow fort, the laughter never ceasing.

“Woohoooo!!!” Dawn exclaimed as she came back to the surface. “That was AWESOME! It’s like the stuff you’d do at a sleepover but this WAAAY better than any sleepover I’ve been to in the last few years!” Hat and Bow giggled, both feeling complimented but ever curious. “A sleepover? Now that’s awesome. I’ve never had one before, well- If you count sleeping with Bow here, then… Maybe I’ve had one sleepover?”

Another mystery to add to the pile, who the heck has never had a sleepover before?

“Really? I- wow. Okay now I’m making it official then-!” Dawn announced, standing on top of the pillows before falling over and onto her back, making the kids die laughing as she chortled with them.

“Bahahahahahhahaha! *wheeze* Ahahahahahahaha! You should’ve seen your face!” Hat Kid toppled over as she continued laughing. “It was priceless!” Bow snickered along with Hat.

“Ow- I’m okay. I’ll live. Eheheh… Oi.” Dawn laughed with a grin. The atmosphere was so different here. So peaceful and warm, it felt like home. It reminded her of how she’d laugh with Benjamin after they pranked Bella for her birthday. An annual birthday prank as she put it. But back on the subject: a sleepover. “Okay- so… I don’t think I’d be able to find a place to stay in ‘Mafia Town’. I’d probably freeze the second I find a safe place in a cave or something. And I’d probably be found by the big guys. Which wouldn’t be fun at all. So… u-um. Is it alright if I-!”

“If you can stay over?” Bow finished Dawn’s question. Hat Kid grinned with delight. “Of course you can! You’re our friend now! And friends help one another! That’s our motto!” Hat gestured to herself and her friend confidently, her hands on her hips. Both of them offered kindness and big smiles, Dawn couldn’t help but feel joy. “Alright, we can set a sleeping area for you on the platform above the pillows. I’m pretty sure we still have extra blankets we can use. And for a pillow, we can just yank it from the pillow fort.” Bow rambled as she calculated stuff aloud.

It reminded her of Tensuya when he was really passionate about something. Heh, the dork was an awkward nerd that was lovable regardless.

Dawn nodded to Bow’s ramble with a sweet smile, while Hat Kid grabbed some pillows with a ecstatic glint in her eye. “Well. What are we waiting for? Com’on, Bow! Let’s set up our new friend’s bed. That way she has a place to sleep, just like we do!” Hat Kid affirmed with a determined grin, climbing out of the pillow fort with a pillow in hand.

Hat placed a pillow on the right side of the ramp as Bow and Dawn grabbed other things to make it more comfortable. Eventually, Dawn’s “bed” was ready.

The trio was pleased with their work, it was absolutely perfect! Multicolored pillows, a cozy blanket and a spot for Dawn’s backpack, things couldn’t get any better. Hat Kid offered to put Dawn’s clothes in her closet to which Dawn politely declined. She didn’t want her clothes getting lost in the closet she had no idea how to navigate which the three of them laughed over, it was relatable.

“Hey, uh- Hat?” Hat Kid looked up at Dawn’s emerald eyes as soon as she was called. “Yeah? What is it?” Dawn fidgeted with some of her brown hair, now the thought of the magical hourglasses still being out there was killing the good mood. “Should- we go back to Mafia Town to look for more of your guys’ Time Pieces ? I mean- who knows what kinda peeps got their hands on them!” Hat Kid pondered with a hand on her face. It wasn’t a terrible idea, and it would certainly restore the mood knowing some of the magical artifacts were away from people trying to use them.

Plus, the day hadn't ended yet so there wasn’t a reason why they couldn’t return. “Okay- fair point…. We should also check to see if Mustache Girl’s okay. Maybe even help her out more since she found one of the Time Pieces and helped us.” Hat added onto the original offer, smiling at Dawn. Bow nodded at Hat in agreement, she wanted to help the girl in the hood as much as Hat did.

“Hey, it’s only fair that we also lend a helping hand to the girl that helped us.” Dawn then hoisted herself to her feet, relieved they had a plan. “Well- what are we waitin’ for? Adventure awaits! Com’on! Last one to the hub area’s a rotten egg! Let's go!” Dawn giggled as she was chased by Hat kid and Bow Kid. All three of them were competitive with one another as Hat Kid tackled Dawn down with a laugh, making the race end in a potential draw. “Gotcha!” Hat exclaimed in victory, still on top of the snowflake-clipped girl.

“Oh no! Great heavens! What shall I do? I’m sooooo powerless!” Dawn sarcastically said with an exaggerated tone. The top hatted child eventually let Dawn go, claiming she had won, yet the snow queen knew that it was still a draw. As Dawn hopped to her feet, the air swooped with her boots once they touched the ground. 

Bow held out the teleporter, fidgeting with it to get the location they wanted. “Okay… three people… Mafia Town… location so we can’t be seen…” Bow muttered as she messed with the device she knew how to work. “And… Mafia Town, here we come! Just- close your eyes again Dawn. No throwing up on us today, okay?” Dawn nodded. “Hahahaha. I won’t, I won’t!” Bow grinned as a blue light engulfed them and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Location: Mafia Town, Alleyway

The girls teleported safely to the ground as Dawn opened her eyes. “Okay- now I’m glad to see the sun again, but YEESH. Does this place need a clean up! I mean- seriously? Who trashed the island?” The kids giggled at Dawn’s complaint that was true but MAN did it drip with sarcasm and brute honesty. Honesty only a girl such as Dawn could pull off.

The girls traversed the town, Dawn found some yarn lying around and the girls even spoke with the guy they couldn’t speak with last time. A twitchy kind of man with a mask over his face. He dubbed himself as “The Badge Seller” though Dawn was suspicious about that. The kids bought some badges, they might as well since they could be useful in the long run.

The badges they got had one with an umbrella, a pin so they could wear the badges and one with a magnet. Dawn could tell at first glance that these were no ordinary badges. And the yarn, that wasn’t ordinary either. You don’t just leave yarn lying around like that, not unless you left it behind or that it was meant to be used for something. They had- well- Dawn went on a bit of a hunting spree and came back with six yarn and a HECK TON of Pons. “Okay- I uh- I MIGHT'VE gone a little bit overkill with the money and yarn.” The group laughed with Dawn, it wasn’t at her oh heavens no! It was with her. 

After the session with laughter, is when they heard the girl in the hood being in SERIOUS danger. Dawn recognized that accent from anywhere.

“Oh… SHOOT.” Hat Kid and Bow Kid sprinted as they dashed before Dawn could react. Bow went back as she took Dawn’s hand. Keeping up with the duo this time, they ran like the wind to find five Mafia goons and Mustache Girl at the top of a pyramid of explosives. Dawn was now uneasy and on edge. Mustache girl was doing everything in her power to get away! But Dawn saw that she couldn’t as the Mafia goon at the top of the barrels was dangling her by the hood of her red cloak. “If you don’t let me go right now, I’ll BITE !”

Mustache Girl protested as she tried throwing a couple of good punches to the Mafia member holding her hostage. Hat Kid instantly ran up to the Mafia who were messing with Mustache Girl. Dawn and Bow came running in not too far behind. “Hey!” Hat Kid exclaimed, one of the Mafia members that was standing next to the inactive TNT taking notice of their presence. But mainly, Hat Kid had held attention.

“Hey! Child! Shoo! Mafia can’t have child witness when Mafia teaching lesson.” The Mafia member explained in a curt, albeit bare bones manner. It wasn’t a threat, it was more of an excuse: a very poorly-thought-out, lousy excuse. The lousiest one you can give when it’s obvious that it won’t work, not even once. 

Hat Kid and the Mafia member held a stare down until Hat Kid blew a raspberry at him. Just as she had done to a couple of other Mafia members moments before. Dawn did her BEST to hold her laughter in, Bow Kid on the other hand didn’t have a problem not holding it in. Giggling as the Mafia members now had their full attention on the trio. “This awkward for Mafia! Mafia not sure what to do.” The Mafia member they had been talking to exclaimed with distress.

“Boss! What do we do with eyewitness?” The other Mafia member asked the one who had Mustache girl in his clutches. “Teach them lesson boys!” The Mafia at the top of the barrels exclaimed as the fight began. The first of the five Mafias’ came down. Hat Kid came for the attack as she swatted him away with the umbrella she had. The second came and Bow took a boost from Dawn to leap on top of him and then swat him away.

The third time was Bow Kid giving Hat Kid a boost as she kicked the Mafia member square in the face. Dawn used her foot to trip him over as Bow swatted him away. The fourth time it was Dawn’s turn, her little solo act! She comedically pretended to hold a cape as she pulled it away from the Mafia member that was ready to pound her. “OLÉ!” The mafia member fell to the floor as he slipped on the ice she had created, sending him straight to the ocean’s water! The kids laughed at Dawn’s slapstick humor. Which made the Mafia on top of the barrel lose his patience as it had run out.

“Enough!” The laughter ceased. Oh no… that can’t be good. “Mafia won’t bow to little girl! Prepare to feel Mafia’s wrath!!!” He tossed Mustache Girl aside as the Mafia at the top of the TNT barrels. He began to throw deadly barrels with- SPIKES !? What was this!? Donkey Kong- But in real life?! He started to throw the barrels as they bounced around to Dawn’s horror. She was definitely unprepared for this.

Hat Kid and Bow kid were dogging just fine, this was just the deadlier version of jump rope. And the key to that game is timing, and finding an opening. “Stand still!” The Mafia yelled in frustration. Many barrels clashed with each other as they exploded. They were LUCKY that it didn’t make the pyramid of TNT barrels Mustache Girl was still on, explode to bits.

After a couple minutes of surviving this torture, he finally stopped throwing the barrels to Dawn’s excruciating relief.

Never again.

“This lead nowhere! Mafia need to take care of this Mafia style.” The goon exclaimed. “Well excuse us for NOT standing still and being so difficult! You realize kids don’t like being told what to do, right? We only listen to the adults that don’t try to kill us!” Dawn cut back. Aggravating the Mafia member more. “Prepare to feel what Mafia did to old ladies!” Dawn gulped. “Shoot.” He came down, furry looming with every step. He was a lot quicker than the other four.

Then Dawn’s line of sight spotted a lone umbrella, one that had a striking resemblance to her snowflake hair clip. It was white with snowflakes on the umbrella, it was a bit dirty, but she had to use it. Dawn made a run for it and grabbed the umbrella, what was it with lone umbrellas in this place? Huh, guess they just took all the other weapons they used to HQ or something. Dawn made ice as she slid across and away from the fight; almost drawing the Mafia’s attention. Until…

“Hey! Eyes on me!” Hat distracted the goon while Bow blew her tongue at him as they ran in the other direction. “Catch us if ya can!” Bow taunted, making the goon chase after them as they ran around in a game of cat and mouse. This was a perfect distraction! Now Dawn could do a sneak attack! As the snow queen grabbed the umbrella, she skated toward the Mafia goon, the umbrella lifted for a deadly swing.

“Take this!” The Mafia goon turned around too late as Dawn’s umbrella collided with him, swatting him away. “He’s going- he’s going, he’s going-!” SPLASH! “And he’s GONE! HaHA! YAS!” Dawn hopped in victory as her ice faded away. The trio high-fived. “That was great Dawn! Now you have a weapon too! That means no one will mess with you snow queen!” Hat Kid congratulated her friends with a grin. “Heck yeah they won’t! Because we're an awesome team!” Dawn added. “And they won’t see what’s coming!” Bow concluded. 

That’s when Mustache Girl hopped down with awe. As if this was the first time a group had helped her with getting rid of those goons or helping her in general. Dawn, at that moment, was grabbing the Time Piece. She expected it to be heavy but it was a heck of a lot lighter than she thought it was going to be. The wood had a soft finish and the design was really pretty to look at. Dawn, however, didn’t see the point why people would be stupid enough to take these or worse possibly break them.

Dawn hopped down the barrels, making sure to watch her step. “Pfft. Can you believe them? What a bunch of losers.” Mustache Girl calmly said with her cockiness returning in her voice. “I honestly can’t. They’re just a bunch of jerks. Have been since I got here.” Dawn admitted, subconsciously grabbing the pigtail the Mafia yanked her up by.

“Hey. You’re alright, new kid. Do you have a name?” Mustache Girl asked Hat Kid, she didn’t respond, shyly hiding her face with her top hat. “Uh, hey!” Dawn spoke up, waving. “I’m Dawn, it’s nice to meetcha. As you can tell I’m not exactly from around here.” Dawn chuckled, placing a hand on Hat Kid’s shoulder, boosting Hat’s confidence. 

“This here is Hat Kid. I guess she can be a bit shy. But you can just call her Hat if you’d like. Or Hat Kid. Whichever one you prefer, I'm pretty sure she doesn’t mind which one ya use.” Hat Kid smiled as she looked at Dawn. “Thanks.” Hat whispered, it was only a whisper Dawn could hear. This made her smile even bigger. “No problem, top hat.” Dawn whispered back. Bow then waved, drawing the introduction to her. “Hey, I’m Bow Kid. It’s nice to meet you.” Mustache Girl grinned excitedly, like it was the first time she had ever made friends in a long time.

“I guess she’s a less talk, more fighting kind of girl, I take it.” She then turned to Bow Kid. “I see you’re more of the brains of the operation kind of girl.” And finally she turned to Dawn. “And you seem like the powerhouse kind of girl!” Dawn nodded with a grin as she blushed from the compliment. “Daw, thank you. You flatter me.” The snowflake-clipped girl chuckled, looking at the girl in her entirety. Eventually, the rebel introduced herself.

“People call me Mustache Girl , but you guys can just call me rebel Captain Mu! Or uhm- just Mu if you’d like!” Mustache Girl’s hand was shook by Dawn’s, solidifying their introductions. The cloaked girl then looked at the Time Piece in the snow queen’s hands. “That thing you grabbed there.” She pondered as she looked at the magical item. “Are you collecting them? Because I know where there’s more of them.” Dawn’s eyes widened with delight. The trio grinned at one another.

“They’ve been raining from the sky ever since you arrived.” She then pointed to a floating island up in the sky. “WOAH!” Dawn exclaimed in astonishment. “I’ve seen the goons bring them to their headquarters waaay up there.” She then let something click in her head. Dawn could see the gears turning as she lit up with a plan.

“We should go up there and get your junk! It'll be fun! I’ll take any opportunity that involves messing up the Mafia!” She grinned with her realization. Dawn was VERY happy that they found someone that could help them. “You with me, buddy?” Dawn placed her hands on her hips. “Heck yeah! If it helps Hat and Bow, then I’m all in for it bro!” Dawn bounced in a cheerful delight, this was going to be amazing. Hat Kid nodded as she high-fived Mustache Girl. “If it helps us, if you help us get what the Mafia Boss took, then Hat and I will follow.” Bow also high-fived Mustache Girl. It was awesome!

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

The girls chatted about possible plans to get in before the trio had to go back to the ship since it was starting to rain. But after putting the Time Piece away, they heard the alarm go off which made Dawn nearly fall off the mezzanine. If it weren’t for Bow grabbing the tied selves of her jacket, she would’ve fallen off the rails. Bow yanked Dawn to the ground. “Are you okay?” Bow asked. Dawn panted as she laid there. “Uh- considering that I almost fell and hit my head. I’m doing a lot better than expected.” Bow exhaled a sigh of relief.

“That’s good.” Bow stated. Hat Kid soon came out as the alarm shut off. “Sorry about that. Bow installed that alarm in case any incidents or break-ins happen.”  Dawn sighed, it figures that they’d have some sort of security here. She doesn’t know what dangers would be up here. “It’s worse than the smoke alarm I have at home. Or the fire alarm at school. Those noises are usually very scary.” Bow nervously chuckled.

“That’s why I installed it.” Hat Kid then zipped down the ladder to find… Mustache Girl? How the heck did she get on the ship? Maybe she found a teleporter to get on or the extra one Hat Kid had on her that she thought she’d left behind? I mean- If you think about it, it makes sense.

“Mustache Girl!? Whaddya doin’ here- HOW did you get here?” Mustache Girl pulls out the spare teleporter that Hat swore she had on her- turns out she did, it just fell out of her inventory. “This little gizmo right here! So- Are you ready to take out some Mafia?” Dawn saw the passion burning in her golden eyes on full display; so much passion, so perseverance to take down the mafia. It gave her hope to retrieve all the magical artifacts and get Hat and Bow home.

Eventually, the cryokinesis prodigy gave a casual smile and a shrug of her shoulders. “Eh, sure. As long as I can try to grab something for all of us to eat afterwards.” Mustache Girl shrugged. “Sure! Whatever suits your fancy. Let's do it! I’m psyched!” Bow Kid left to grab something that might help, a small chalkboard from the storage area of the ship. “Here you go. Hope this helps in conveying what you wanted, Mu.” Mustache girl grinned, taking it from there. “Thank you, fellow rebel!” She quickly drew on the chalkboard with a grin Dawn felt uneasy by. Something was wrong and she knew it. “Let's go over the plan! All assaults need a good plan, or will be a flop!”

Dawn nodded in agreement. “I mean- fair point. What’s the plan Mu?” Mustache Girl’s grin widened. She flipped the chalkboard to the other side, quickly drawing on it soon after. “First, we strangle them! Choke ‘em and watch ‘em beg for mercy! That’ll show them!” Dawn had chills going down her spine with a look of abject horror. How can she talk about something as horrible as strangling somebody so casually? Man- she really had a grudge against these guys. Then, Mustache Girl thought it over. Dawn hoped it wouldn’t be worse- “No, wait, strangling is too kind.”

‘Too kind ’ too KIND!? Are you kidding me?!’ Dawn twitched. Bow started to look anxious as Hat Kid listened with an unreadable expression on her face. “We smash them together into mush, and put their remains in a jar!” 

Dawn’s blood froze over. Okay- so it could get worse. “Then we sell the jar for pocket money! That’ll be the ultimate salt in the wound!” Dawn watched the girl in the hood erase the previous drawing.  Dawn anxiously raised her hand. “Uh- can I say something?” Mustache Girl silently groaned. “Go ahead, fellow rebel.” Dawn fidgeted with her hands. “Okay uh- plan A sounds a HECK of a lot better than plan B if I’m being honest. Unless you were using some weird reverse psychology to get us to do plan A. Just like ‘wabbit season, season duck season’.- I have powers y’know! Maybe I could freeze them or make them slip up a lot for I dunno- A possible plan C?”

Mustache Girl gave out a boisterous laugh, it wasn’t a bad idea. However- Dawn just hoped the cloaked girl reconsidered her options and did a more tranquil plan. “Not a bad idea ice girl.” Then Mustache Girl realized she forgot a key detail. “… *ahem* But first, we have to make it through their Mafia HQ.” she blatantly stated. “Once we find a dethrone the Mafia Boss, the rest will follow. Then our mush and jar party will be no problem!” Dawn rolled her eyes: okay she wasn’t listening and ignored her pacifist suggestion. “We’ve got to get you geared up!” 

She directed her attention to Hat Kid. “Your hat is basic, and we don’t do basic in this gang! Yarn can be found around Mafia Town and used to stitch new hats if you’re crafty. I collected one for you!” She tossed Hat Kid a yarn , it was just like the ones she had collected earlier on her collectathon spree. “You need more yarn for some hats than others. I guess being creative isn’t free, huh? So keep an eye out for yarn.” “Actually- I think I kind of have been keeping an eye out for it.” Dawn tugged her back pack off her back as her umbrella clattered to the floor. Dawn looked up with an embedded smile.

“Sorry- uh- here.” Dawn shows off the six yarns she’d collected from her spree. Mustache Girl was impressed. “These should also help with the new hats. Perhaps for you it can work as in different backpacks.” Dawn grinned a smile that showed her gratefulness. “Thanks.” Mustache Girl went back to the chalkboard and flipped it over once more. She erased the drawing and drew quickly once more.

“Now you’re a killing machine! Let’s go get them!!” After cleaning up, Dawn grabbed some of the treats to tide the quartet over. All of them enjoyed the food from Dawn’s world as she talked about some of the good times she had from her home dimension.

After this Mustache Girl left with a farewell. Eventually; the trio decided to return to Mafia Town to grab another Time Piece. She noticed a Goofy Mafia holding it in the dreary weather. But on the walk there, Dawn had time to talk with the duo she was with once more. “So… how long have you guys been traveling?” Hat Kid looked surprised that Dawn asked but wasn’t afraid to tell her.

“About… uh- gosh I can’t remember. It’s been so long. We’ve been doing it for a LONG time. It’s been me and Bow for years… that was until you came along today.” Hat Kid solemnly admitted. “Hey Dawn?” Hat Kid started. “Yeah? What is it, Hat?” Hat Kid stared up at Dawn, big blue eyes gazing into emerald green ones. So much curiosity and wit, whatever she had in mind to ask, it was definitely interesting. “What’s your family normally like? I don’t have much to go off of. You have parents, and Bow and I…” The top hatted girl went silent, even after a few moments passed by.

Almost like she was afraid to tell her something.

Dawn got shivers from what Hat was most likely implying- yet even she wasn’t fully sure.

Were their families alive? Were they not good? Are they even okay? The snow queen forcefully disregarded those thoughts. She didn’t need to think about it right now. They needed her reassurance.

“Hey- hey.” Dawn knelt down to the top hatted girl and the ribboned girl’s level. “It’s okay. You and Bow can tell me when you’re ready. You just met me today. So you don’t have to rush, okay?” Now smiled at Dawn’s consideration, to where both girls hugged her. “ Thank you. ” Was the only thing that the ribboned girl whispered. 

Dawn hugged back, still unsure of what was implied when Hat Kid went silent. Bow Kid knew- but she wasn’t going to pry. “Anytime.”

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

The trio traversed the rainy streets of Mafia Town. For a moment Dawn could forget they were in a town of dangerous goons and enjoy her rain filled walk with her friends. Suddenly- it was interrupted as Hat fell face first into a mud puddle none of them saw.

“AAAAAAHHH MONSTER!” A goon screamed, causing the others to follow suit and run away. Bow roared with laughter, falling into a mud pile herself. Now the snowflake-clipped girl had a wonderful prank in mind!  “Hehehehe- I think I’ve got a plan to get the Time Piece back.” Dawn covered her hands in mud. The girls looked at Dawn as she made a funny face. “Whaddya say to pranking some Mafia, ey?” Hat Kid and Bow Kid mischievously grinned.

Soon the muddy trio (Hat Kid being the muddiest) went to the Goofy Mafia to scare him, IT WORKED! He should’ve seen his own face! He thought they were all aliens! After he begrudgingly handed over the Time Piece , the trio roared in victory. Laughing harder than they had ever laughed in their whole lives. The cold rain washed them off just fine, but now? Now it was showtime.

Dawn had her umbrella slipped between her backpack straps. Like a blade, she unsheathed it from its sheath and opened it, shielding them from the rain. Dawn’s breath was visible in the mist, if she were to use her cryokinesis here, she’d be at her most powerful. Hat Kid and Bow Kid looked up at Dawn surprised.

“You’re- wait, you can use an umbrella for more than just fighting?” Hat Kid blurted out in realization. Dawn chuckled to hide her astonishment. “Well, yeah. This may be an umbrella from another dimension, but they work just the same. Keeping you dry from stormy weather. I don’t think any of us would want to catch a cold out here.” Dawn affirmed, Bow smiled an unsure grin.

“Thank you Dawn.” Dawn placed her right hand on her hip. “Anytime, Bow. We need to stick together and meet Mu at the Mafia Boss’s HQ she talked about.” The trio traversed to where they originally scared the frick-frack out of the Goofy Mafia. There was a… cannon/catapult thing? “Uh- is this safe?” Dawn quizzically raised an eyebrow, confused by the contraption. Bow analyzed the contraption, leaving the shade of Dawn’s umbrella.

“I think I’ve seen this thing being used before I ran into guys and Mustache Girl. Perhaps it’s like one of the elevator platforms we have on the ship- but it just works in a different manner?” Hat hopped on top of it. “Well… there’s only one way to find out. Later!” Hat Kid went in as Bow went in after her. Dawn watched as they were shot into the air! Right where the sky base was. Dawn gulped. She was nervous but she had to trust herself on this. 

Dawn closed her umbrella and sheathed it. She swiftly leapt into the contraption as she felt herself being bolted into the air. Dawn opened her eyes to see the town below as the rain passed her. Dawn felt weightless, like she was flying into space. Soon she landed on her feet on the sky base. Three Mafia members were attacking Mustache Girl as she was clinging onto the roof for dear life.

“You took your time! Help me out here!” She demanded with a hint of worry and relief. The trio swiftly defeated the members as they were sent into the waters below.

“Good job kid!” Mustache Girl stood as she kept off the drapes she had previously held onto. Two buttons were pressed by her and Hat as it allowed them access to the building that honestly: looked like a casino. It was big with billboards and The front had golden statues of the Mafia members she’d seen countless times today. Bow left to explore the back of the building to find a strange object she let Dawn put in her backpack. Dawn obviously left the food she’d brought on the ship so it wouldn’t get damaged, along with her pjs which laid on her bed. 

Now the quartet scooted along the lavish red carpet. The sign saying "GO AWAY'' with shining lights that shimmered in the cold night. It lit the way as they walked to the doors of the base.

"Let's go. It's showtime, baby!" Mustache Girl announced as she placed both of her hands on the doors.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

The doors swung open with ease as they were greeted with the interior of the casino-like HQ.

Some Mafia members played on the roulette tables scattered about, some delicious food could be smelled from the kitchen. Dawn, with a sigh of relief, could finally take her jacket off.

Dawn unzipped her jacket as she tied it to her waist once more. Hat Kid and Bow Kid took their raincoats off and handed them to Dawn, neatly folding them into the bag. As they walked around, Mustache Girl went off on her own, leaving them to the crowd of Mafia goons.

The Mafia goons started booing behind the roulette tables, throwing cans in disapproval. In response, Dawn flared her abilities, conjuring an ice snowball. “Hit us and you’ll find out what a cryo snowball feels like.”

Suddenly, those same goons dropped their cans, deciding that fleeing looked like a better option.

"That's right . You better back off." Dawn scowled, blowing her relief with a hushed breath. 

They waltzed around as fancy music accompanied their visit. Such a strange base of operations, a casino in the sky was certainly not on her hit-list of places to see.

Thankfully, a familar figure caught her eye. The Badge Seller. Sighing in relief, Dawn ran up to say hello.

"Hiya Badge Seller! We meet again! Nice to see ya!" The Badge seller turned his direction to Dawn, twitching and expression unknowing behind a mask.

"Have you come to make another purchase?" Dawn shook her head. "No, but I wanted to say hello. Today's been crazy, y'know?" The Badge Seller tilted his head. "I don't follow, care to share what you mean by that?" Dawn sighed. "Okay- uh- how do I put this...?"

Dawn thought until she came up with a way to put it. "So- like you I'm also a traveler. I'm not sure exactly how to put it since it's my first time doing this kinda stuff. I'm not from around here. Not from this planet nor this dimension. I'm actually a dimensional traveler!" Dawn grinned to the Badge Seller's "surprise". It was hard to tell what he was thinking with a mask over his face. So she only had to go off of his voice.

"Hmmm, you are a brave traveler for coming here. Whomever let you come must trust you." Dawn smiled. "Thanks sir, I um... I really needed to hear that. I hope you have a good rest of your night." The Badge Seller seemed to grin yet Dawn would never know.

"Come back soon." He condlued, leaving the snowflake-clipped girl to explore more of the casino. She found a room with a key but she couldn't get in, not even with ice! It started to melt in that room because of the temperature it was at.

Defeated, Dawn sat at the bar stool as she laid her head with a thump on the table. “What’s troubling you, little girl?” Dawn looked up to see a Bartender Mafia.

“Mafia not know what child drink.” Dawn sighed. “It’s just been a rough night of trying to get stuff together, that’s all.” The Bartender Mafia listened. “Whatever problem is, Mafia sure you can deal with it.” Dawn smiled tiredly. “Thanks big guy.” Dawn sighed as she straightened herself. “You look tenacious type, not leave problem alone. Like other two children Mafia seen in here.” He explained as Dawn listened with a keen ear. “Other little girl ran into kitchen, if you are looking for her. She look like unruly type. Keep eye on her.” Dawn grinned more than before, happy someone could lift her spirits.

“Thank you. And uh-… before I go. Could I just have a glass of water? Please?” The Bartender Mafia smiled as he fulfilled the simple request. Dawn drank the cold water, feeling refreshed and she handed the now empty glass. “Thank you, sir. Have a good night.” Dawn bid adieu to the bartender, strolling away until a faint noise caught her attention. Dawn looked up to see support beams leading to a platform on the ceiling. Dawn squinted as she saw steam coming from there.

The cryokinesis prodigy’s eyes widened, so that’s what the delicious smell came from?

Dawn precariously balanced on the bar stool as she got on top of the roof where the drinks were being served. Dawn tested her wit in balance as she ran along the beams that were way above solid ground.

Shockingly, the snowflake-clipped girl found Bow Kid AND Hat Kid talking with cherry smiles upon their faces. “Hat! Bow!” The kids looked over at Dawn, as well as an orange tabby feline. She wore a chef’s outfit as she cooked the meal with experience Dawn didn’t have. “Dawn! It’s good to see you! We just got on top of here and met our new friend!” Bow exclaimed in delight. “She’s awesome! She’s an expert chef that’s great at cooking!” Hat Kid proudly announced. The cat seemed to be flattered by this.

“Oh, sugar, you flatter me.” She affirmed with a country accent. “The Mafia are terrible at cooking! But fear not, Cooking Cat is here!” Dawn giggled as she lended a hand. “Hiya, I’m Dawn, nice to meet you… uh- Cookie… cat?” Cooking Cat chuckled, shaking her head but not out of disapproval. “Cooking Cat, but close enough, sugar. I don’t mind it.” Dawn chuckled, a hand rubbing the back of her hand as she laughed. “Sorry Cooking Cat- Cooking sounded closer to Cookie to me for some reason. Ehehehhe.” Dawn felt her hands being caressed by Cooking Cat’s fluffy paws.

“No need to fret.” Cooking Cat then continued her explanation as she let Dawn’s hand go. “I prepare the actual dinner up here, and swap the food before anybody eats the Mafia’s cooking. I’m fairly certain somebody would die if they ate the Mafia-prepared food.” Dawn then chagrined to herself. “I guess that would make sense. They don’t seem like the best cooks. My sister makes better food.” Cooking Cat’s ears perked up as they twitched. 

“Your sister’s a chef too? That’s nice to hear.” Dawn smiled with nostalgia. “I bet you’d like her. But for now… I was trying to get a key that was behind a pressure platted area. Could I uh- borrow one of your lobster buckets?” Dawn points to the bucket of lobsters. Cooking Cat nods in approval. “Anything you need. If it truly helps you, sugar. It helps you. Hope we can talk again some time.”

Dawn grinned in agreement. “It was nice meeting you Cookie!” The trio made their way through the support beams and got down the way they came. Dawn helped Hat and Bow down as they came back to solid ground. They went back to the room with the key as Dawn set the bucket down, it worked as Hat grabbed the key. They then traversed to the kitchen. The kitchen was right next to the bar. Soon, they opened the door to a wretched smell.

What a HORRIBLE kitchen! They saw Mustache Girl who was waving to the trio.

“Hey! You made it! Took you long enough.” She lightly complained but she was impressed and grateful to see them. “Go ahead kid! Open this thing up and I’ll keep guard.”

“But what if you get hurt?” Bow Kid asked warily, while Mustache Girl brushed it off. “Pssh- me? Getting caught by these losers? Not a chance, fellow rebel.” Dawn swung the unlocked freezer door open. It slammed shut behind them. A vent was seen as they climbed to the top. Now there was an issue on who should go first.

Dawn eventually took the bait. “I’ll go first. Bow I’ll give a sign if it’s safe, capish?” Bow nodded. “Loud and clear Dawn.” Dawn slid down the vent into a kind of treasure room. Dawn was about to explore, until she stopped to look back up at the vent. The snowflake-clipped girl could hear screaming as Bow Kid crashed onto her, a ball of yarn falling out of her hands as they plummeted to the floor. Hat Kid soon followed, crushing Dawn under both their weights.

“Ow… okay- it’s.. safe… guys- owohow…” Dawn moaned. “Can y’all get off of me? You’re squishing me.” Bow kid got up first as Hat fell off of her.

They then saw the Time Piece AND the one Mustache Girl warned them about: The Mafia Boss. He sat there with an almost apathetic look upon his face. Hat looked around as she grabbed pons lying around and Bow found another yarn to make more hats. Come to think of it, Hat Kid had another hat on. A witch’s hat that was purple and yellow just like her top hat. She magically swapped to a red and white hat with wings.

“WOAH! Okay- now THAT’S cool!” Dawn exclaimed in astonishment, Hat chuckled at the snowflake-clipped girl’s comment, obviously amused and excited that someone noticed her new hats. “I’m still learning how to use it, but one seems to grant me potions while the other makes me SUPER fast. So I’m calling them the sprint hat and brewing hat.”

Dawn nods, agreeing with the naming logic. “I love it, it makes sense!” Dawn compliments, still amazed by the power of the magical yarns.

Who knew they had this much power?

“I’ve got some too thanks to the yarn you got- so thanks for going on a collecting spree.” Bow adds in, grinning in delight while Dawn, unsure of what else to do, rubs the back of her head. “No problem, ribbons! But…” Dawn fixates her emerald eyes at the Mafia Boss, the real mastermind behind the Mafia’s crimes. “We now have a worse guy to face. Don’t let your guard down, got it?”

The duo nodded as they followed Dawn, it was almost showtime. Suddenly, the trio were surrounded by not only gates blocking their path, but Mafia goons that came to protect their boss.

They were faster, and much more efficient than the last time they faced the Mafia members, yet were defeated with strategy and teamwork. Which seemed to irritate the big man even more as The Mafia Boss looked as if he had lost ALL of his patience. With determined steps, the trio ran into where The Mafia Boss sat, regal throne and all.

The one they were warned about, the one that started this mess, the one who had Hat and Bow’s Time Piece . He hopped off his lavish throne as two Mafia members stood guard awaiting new instructions. Standing in front of two golden statues towered over them all. 

He looked angry, displeased even. “So… it is you!” He spoke clearly. His voice was VERY different compared to the Mafia members, he was very coherent and clear unlike his Mafia members. His demeanor was so cold… it made Dawn ironically freeze up.

“Yeah…what about it?” Hat Kid nervously responded. Dawn could tell she was slightly shaking. “Ever since you landed in Mafia Town, it’s been raining with these magical hourglasses . ” The Mafia Boss coldly explained. “You must be very lost, kid with the hat. You're in the heart of our town, standing before the most powerful man you will ever witness.” He boisterously exclaimed with a baleful glare. “Everything you’ve ever owned belongs to me now.” Hat Kid gulped, taking a step back out of fear.

Bow Kid eventually stepped in front of the top hatted child, an umbrella extended to protect her. “Leave Hat out of this. Those Time Pieces also belong to me, to the both of us. If you want her, you’ll need to get through me.” She defended with a shaky voice and a furrowed brow, the weapon trembling from fear.

The Mafia Boss cackled at the ribboned child’s fruitless attempt in defending. “Another one lost, you must also be lost, kid with the bow. Didn't you hear what I told you before?” Dawn then stood next to Hat with a snowball. “You’ll also need to get through me.” Dawn hissed, not taking this treatment any longer. The Mafia Boss grinned at the “challenge” they proposed.

“Ohoho, Kid with the snowflake clip. You are a cocky kid aren’t you?” Dawn callously stared at the Mafia Boss in cold furry. “Everything they own belongs to me now. Including This hourglass piece. If you want it, we’ll have to settle this in true Mafia style !” He exclaimed as the lights went out. They were dragged and thrown onto the floor. 

A spotlight suddenly shone on them to reveal a gorgeous stage. The Mafia Boss stood dual-wielding sharp blades. Dawn gulped as she drew her umbrella. Hat Kid stood as she changed her hat to her original top hat. She looked nervous, even when Bow reassured her. The Mafia Boss had a crazed grin.

"Lights! Action! It is... Showtime!!" He exclaimed as the crowd roared. The fight began as they were unprepared for what would come next. He dangerously spun at them. Dawn slid under and  somersaulted  to her feet on the other side, and out of the way. While Hat and Bow jumped from above, Bow stopped on his head on his way back. He groaned after the attack with anger. "You're no match for me!" He exclaimed as he flipped into the audience. He sounded a whistle from his lips as sandbags started to fall.

"Out of the way. Out of the way- GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Dawn yanked both kids out of the way of the deadly sandbags. The Mafia Boss slammed himself back onto the ground.

“BAM!” The Mafia Boss then spun around like crazy, creating an electric shock wave like attack! “Super charged!” Dawn kept jumping with Hat and Bow. Soon the Mafia Boss got dizzy, it was Bow who whacked him when he was open to attack. He then grumbled in fury. He repeated his previous attacks and they just BARELY dodged the sandbags. 

Soon they felt like they reached the second phase of this insane fight. He fummed in anger as he threw his weapons like boomerangs and slammed himself onto the stage.

“TAKE THIS! ” Dawn smacked him with her umbrella. It worked but this caused him to do the same thing from before. He summoned sand bags, but it was quicker this time, a Mafia member even ran at them! This was getting insane! Soon, Dawn heard screaming as Bow Kid then got strung up like a puppet on strings. She was dangling upside down, squirming and screaming. Hat Kid went into a frantic panic.

“BOW!” Hat cried out. The Mafia Boss chuckled darkly as Bow squirmed to get free. Dawn was mortified to see that Mustache Girl was here as well. They caught her! “I’ve got your friend captured! And soon you will BOTH perish!”

Mustache Girl swung as she tried to get free, but the rope was taught. “Let go of me, you psycho!” She exclaimed, struggling to get free. Hat grabbed Dawn, ducking to prevent the weapons from hitting them. “DAWN. Help me. PLEASE. What- what should I do!?” Hat begged, shaking her friend’s backpack straps.

Dawn thought for a moment, glancing quickly back at the Mafia Boss’s weapons. They were sharp blades. Blades plus the rope… OH!

“I- I have a plan. You get the Mafia Boss.” Dawn unsheathed her umbrella. “I’ve got Bow and Mustache Girl. That way we can finish this.” Hat smiled with a sniff. Whispering a “Thank you ” before she ran off with a fumed expression. 

They should’ve thought twice when hurting Bow like that. Dawn made a small ice pillar, standing precariously while she also held a freshly created icicle to cut the rope. Hat Kid was attacking the boss as he spun his deadly weapons. Dawn then caught one of them mid air; that was CLOSE.

“OMIGOD.” Dawn then cut Bow free, Bow was relieved to not be upside down anymore. Hat was overjoyed. Dawn held Bow as Dawn leapt off the pull air, the ice breaking as she did. “HEY MAFIA BOSS!” The Mafia Boss looked up as Dawn glided down with an open umbrella in one hand and Bow in the other. “Take this you madman!” Bow screamed as she threw the weapon at the Mafia Boss; it was a direct hit. The Mafia boss now gritted his teeth. “MAFFFFIIIAAA BALL.” The Mafia Boss exclaimed as the audience created a GIANT ball. “Mafia- WHAT-“ the trio ran the other way to avoid being crushed. But found that there was a space missing. He rolled the gigantic ball away, Dawn decided to point out this major design flaw.

“Hey Hat, I think there’s a space for one of us to leap up and smack the heck outta him!” Bow then noticed it as well. She grinned. Hat dashed as the ball came back and went up the ball. “Hat Kid! Hit him already!” Mustache Girl yelled. Hat Kid came up on the ball and waited for the time to strike, until her hit on the Mafia Boss sounded with a bang of her umbrella. The ball exploded as the crowd went back to where they were.

He repeated his previous attacks, the fight was tedious but Dawn prompted the final strike. The ball exploded as the crowd went back to where they were. He kept going with blow after blow, it’s like the fight was tedious enough to never end.

However, that’s where most would be mistaken; Dawn prompted the final strike. Bow Kid gave Hat Kid a boost as she bounced off Dawn's shoulder, whacking her umbrella on the Mafia Boss as hard as she could.

He was defeated. It was over, they did it! The Time Piece was there safe and sound. Hat Kid hugged Bow Kid with relief.

Before grabbing the Time Piece, Dawn cut Mustache Girl down, she was now safely on solid ground. Dawn then grabbed the Time Piece with all of its glory. Dawn once again felt how light it was. Dawn sighed with a smile. She walked over to Hat Kid and held it out.

“I believe this… belongs to you guys.” Hat took the Time Piece from Dawn, showing gratitude for the snowflake-clipped girl. "Thank you... so much. I don't... know what to say." Hat thanked, gripping the magical hourglass tightly and keeping Bow close. Both were shocked when Dawn shook her head, saying; "You don't need to, I would’ve done that regardless."

The curtain call came as the curtains behind them shut. The group turned to face the audience of Mafia goons, they ran off screaming. Cowards.

Hat looked at the Time Piece in her hands, checking for something but was glad she didn’t find what that something was. That was until it was swapped by Mustache Girl.

Hat spun around until her eyes spun around from dizziness. If she was any dizzier she might’ve been seeing stars. Hat then gasped at the artifact’s disappearance.

Her top hat puerility moved on her head as she looked around frantically, only to see Mustache Girl playing with it in her hand. Bouncing it as if it were just a ball or a breakable toy.

What would happen IF someone breaks a Time Piece on accident? What if something happens to them?!

GOSH.

Dawn didn’t want to know.  

“So what do these things do anyway? Are there some sort of rare collectors item for nerds ?” Mustache Girl kept bouncing the Time Piece in her hands until it didn’t make the landing in the palm of her hand.

“WAIT, DON’T DO-!” Hat tried to yell- until Dawn saw things get reverted to a few seconds before Mustache Girl dropped it. Dawn was astonished. “Are there some sort of rare c-… wait, huh?” Mustache Girl looked at the ground and then at her hand. She then looked at the group as her eyes widened.

“WOAH, WHAT !?” Mustache Girl exclaimed in astonishment and confusion. She quickly picked the Time Piece up once more, she pointed to the magical artifact with wild curiosity. “Wha… did… uhm… did you know about this?” Hat Kid wordlessly took the magical hourglass back as she gave a worried nod. Mustache Girl thought for a moment as her face lit up with joy! "This is crazy ! Do you even realize what could be done with these!" She exclaimed, her arms waving in the air rapidly in the air. She then hopped closer to Hat Kid.

"We can make it so that you never got punched in the face by the Mafia that one time!" She then pounded her hands in a feverish excitement. "We can beat up the Mafia, travel back in time and beat them up again!" Then Mustache Girl got an even better idea, she was so full of determination and passion. Dawn was impressed. But she still had that uneasy feeling from before.

"No, wait, we can make it so the Mafia never arrived on this island! Wait, wait, wait! We could be crime-fighting time travelers!" She exclaimed as she pulled Hat Kid to her side with the biggest smile Dawn had ever seen on Mustache Girl's face. Hat Kid was visibly uncomfortable and still shaken up from what happened to Bow. Hat Kid stepped away as she shook her head with a saddened expression.

“I… I’m sorry. We * can’t * alter time like that.” “Can’t, or WON'T ?” Mustache Girl bites back, the venom stinging more than any punch she could’ve hit them with. The anger was building up to uncontainable rage, rage directed at Bow Kid at the moment. Bow Kid stood her ground, her arms opened out as she expressed her distress towards the cloaked child.

“We don’t know what will happen! You could end up drastically changing the surroundings around you if you use just a single Time Piece or end up getting yourself killed! Either outcome is not a pretty one! They’re very unpredictable, not even Hat and I know how they fully work, Mu.” 

Bow continued to explain, much to Mustache Girl’s dismay. It extinguished any hope the blonde child had of ending it with the magical hourglasses, the revelation left her crushed. “Wait, what?! This doesn’t make any sense!” Dawn shivered from her tone chainring so suddenly. “You have all this power, and you’re not gonna use it to fight evil?” She demanded with a hand pointed at Hat Kid. Hat Kid placed her hands on her hips, her false confidence hiding her obvious nervousness and fear.

Mustache Girl’s face contorted with pain and then struck with anger. “If you’re not going to use them to fight evil… then I will.” Mustache Girl spoke darkly, a sharp snap that wasn’t there before implanted itself into the cloaked girl’s voice. The snowflake-clipped girl was getting antsy, this wasn’t good at all. “Mu…” Dawn tried to intervene, easing her hands defensively. “Wh-why don’t we just talk this out? We can-!” Dawn was curtly interrupted by Mustache Girl’s fuming anger.

“I'm not going to let this island remain as ‘Mafia Town.’ I’ll collect all the Time Pieces for myself! You have my word on it!” That’s when both Dawn and Bow Kid’s voices died, all lines of reason and pleading were gone, engulfed in the flames that was Mustache Girl’s anger towards them. Hat Kid's exterior looked like it cracked as she let her hands fall to her sides, obviously distressed. Mustache Girl stormed off, even pickpocketing some of Hat Kid's pons before she was completely gone; the red cape flowing behind her never looked so intimidating until now.

They were friends this morning and afternoon... and now? They were enemies.

Bow Kid could only stare as the aftermath sunk in. Dawn barely processed this herself, just what had she gotten herself into? The dark thoughts were soon shattered as someone fell to their knees... it was Hat Kid.

"Hat...?" Bow cautiously questioned. She obviously had never seen the top hatted child like this... and neither had Dawn. A hushed sob then echoed out, it was Hat Kid's sob.

Dawn was shocked to see the girl cry, it sounded so heart-wrenching, painful. Bow Kid imminently rushed to her side to comfort her, she didn’t know what to do.

What could she do? She was only a child, just like Hat.

"Hey- hey. Hat... it's okay." Bow tried to reassure Hat. Dawn knelt down to her friends." Hat Kid …?" Dawn slowly approached the two kids, her movements slow and uncertain. Once she was close enough, the top hatted child fixated her cerulean eyes on Dawn. Eyes that were angry with hot tears pouring down her face and her nose running.

It made Dawn’s heart wrench with an indescribable pain, one that was real… too real. "I... I'm sorry… I’m so sorry. I-I… I failed ." Dawn shook her head, she wanted to tell this kid so much... mainly that this was not her fault. "Hey, no. It ain't your fault. She was just... she's just angry. You can't control that."

Unsure of what else to do, Dawn sighed as she opened her arms. The top hatted child immediately  took the offer, hugging Dawn as her top hat clattered to the floor.

"Sshhhhh... ssshhh. It's okay, you're alright. I've got you. Bow and I got you. Mu hurting you and stealing from you wasn't your fault. But she shouldn't have done that... okay?" Hat Kid kept hiccuping... if Dawn had this advice at her age, then maybe things would’ve, could’ve been better. Only thing she could do now was console Hat and comfort Bow.

The snow queen eventually hummed the only song she loved to hear and often heard when Bella wanted to calm herself, " Distant Goodbyes." The lullaby with its gentle and almost haunting melody soothed Hat Kid as her cries ceased. 

Dawn breathed in and out, rubbing Hat’s back to make sure she knew that they were here for her. “Are- are you okay now, Hat? Do you need another hug?” Bow quietly asked Hat, her voice shaking. Dawn knew Bow was making sure that Hat was alright before they continued onward.

Hat sheepishly nodded, Bow releasing an eased but exhausted sigh. They weren’t worn out from the fight, but from the sobbing and betrayal they felt.

“Y-yeah…” Hat Kid finally replies, wiping her tears with her sleeve. It gave the snowflake-clipped girl enough time to pick Hat kid up, along with her blue umbrella, sheathing it along with her own umbrella between her backpack straps.

“Teleport us back, ribbons.” Bow nodded as she put the coordinates in, holding onto Hat Kid’s top hat. “And… away we go.” Soon, they were once more engulfed in a blue light and gone in the blink of an eye.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

Soon they were on the ship once more, they hadn't had a chance to make some food as Dawn put some of the things back in her backpack. Hat Kid, now in a pair of light purple space themed pajamas, and Bow in cat themed pajamas. Hat Kid came in to see Dawn in her winter themed pajamas.

Dawn also had the (not really-) DELIGHTFUL experience of using the shower on the ship. It had a singular button for ALL the settings as Dawn screamed from the cold water. Seriously? Who has that for a shower!? And the fact that she couldn’t read an alien language made it worse. After that shenanigans, Dawn labeled the shampoo and conditioner with tape in english. Dawn's hair was now braided as she sat on her makeshift bed, but she was now looking at who’d entered the room, more specifically; at Hat Kid Kid.

“Hey Hattie. Feeling better? Do you need anything?” Hat rubbed her arm. “Could… you make something? Bow and I are hungry and… I thought maybe we could try some of the food you brought with you?” Dawn’s eyes lit up. She slid off her bed and walked down the ramp to meet Hat Kid’s gaze. Dawn smiled as her eyes sparkled. “Of course Hattie. Grab Bow, I’ll get my backpack.” Hat Kid nodded as she grabbed Bow who was at the TV setting up something. 

Bow and Hat went to Dawn, rummaging through her backpack, as she grabs a container of not yet made Mac & cheese. “Okay- sooooo… How about we make some mac & cheese, since I DID snatch it from the cupboards. Soooo how about it, does that sound good?” Hat and Bow stare at Dawn in silence. “Uuuhhh… What's mac & cheese? I know it’s from where you’re from but uh- what is it?” Dawn dramatically gasped, almost as though she had been mortally wounded. “WHAT- you don’t know what mac & cheese is!?” Both of them shook their heads. 

Dawn gasped once more, violently slamming the container onto the ground in the most over- dramatic way possible. “This is a sin-! Okay I’m gonna be making it with both of y’all. It’s one of the best dishes! I even know how to make the cheese from scratch thanks to Bella.” Dawn proudly announced with a cheeky grin, willingly sharing more information about her home and her world.

Bow nervously chuckled, while Hat seemed to dance in place from excitement. “Um… could Hat and I help you make this… Mac & cheese you speak of?” Dawn rapidly nodded, immediately heading for the door. “Heck yeah! That’s the plan. Come on! The kitchen awaits!” The girls paved their way to the kitchen, Dawn read how to cook it as she taught them how to make it. It was really fun as the kids had a good time.

Dawn was relieved to see Hat Kid smiling again, especially after what happened today. After a few minutes, they had a delicious batch of mac & cheese. It was delicious! “Hey uhm… Dawn- I was setting up Corgi Quest. Do you wanna play it with us?” Dawn’s eyes lit up, finally! A new video game! Now this should be fun. “I've never heard of it, but it sounds like fun! Let's do it!” The girls left the kitchen with their dinner in hand. The rest of the night was spent playing games and winding down.

Would Bella be proud? Would any of her family be proud of what she was doing right now? Perhaps she would call them tomorrow… that sounded like a plan.

Chapter Text

Dawn awoke in... her room ?

Wait- no ... this wasn't her current room nor bedroom back at home.

This was her bedroom four years ago. When she was just six years old, when all those events took place. Where her loathing of lies and being underestimated began.

Dawn got up as she looked into the mirror in her bedroom. She looked exactly as she did when she was six years old.

"Oh... my gosh... no... No, no, no." Dawn even sounded how she did when she was six years old, when she was naive. Weak and unable to help her- no! She can’t think like this! Not now.

“Calm down Dawn. It’s okay- it’s okay! N-no one’s gonna hurt you. N-no one’s gonna hurt you. No monsters.” Dawn tried to reassure herself, she just needed to wake up. It was proven futile.

Screams then started to echo, screams of her family, screams from the ones she cared about- everything started to crumble and deteriorate in rapid succession.

Much to Dawn's horror, she wasn’t given time to fully react as it crumbled like an inky nightmare. The little girl ran out of her bedroom, seeing the remnants of her house four years ago crumble.

She had to escape, she had to! The snowflake-clipped girl zipped down the stairs into a room and place that was not her own.

The stairs were getting longer, and longer… than nothing. She couldn’t run any longer, the stairs becoming an inky mess that crumbled beneath her feet. 

The cryokinesis prodigy descended further into her nightmare, falling flat on her face once she hit the bottom. Surprisingly, she wasn’t dead . Groaning from the pain, the snow queen pushed herself up from the ground.

When Dawn got up however, she could see her reflection; she was her original self again . She was eleven years old again. Dawn tentatively looked around, the ground was a watery mirror she could stand on and feel safe. This wasn’t her dream- but she certainly isn’t awake either. There were red strings, with dream catchers and stars in the sunset skies. The atmosphere was comforting, a forest that meant her no harm, no monsters to hurt her in her slumber.

Dawn wandered this mysterious place, its honey skies, the lavish pink grass and coral leafed trees. Everything felt- safe. Dawn noticed a string on one of the trees, she followed it until Dawn stumbled upon an entity hanging up stars, humming to himself with a cherry tune. Dawn’s feet created ripples in the floor as she swayed closer until she crossed over a quartz looking bridge, and through a meadow of flowers at her feet.

“Hello…?”

The entity stopped as he finished hanging up the things he wanted in the bright red string. The place he was hanging stars in had a table with chairs set up, it looked like a gazebo. The gazebo was white with a fine polish and the same red strings hanging over it. Stars hung from the strings, decorating the gazebo with a mysterious yet welcoming touch. The entity gave a smile, the monocle that was cracked over his right eye, glistened as he gazed at her.

His eyes were dark and red, the left one had diamonds in it, the same kind of pattern she could’ve sworn she saw in the Badge Seller’s eyes; if only faintly. While his right eye had spirals and a pupal, looking more like an eye than the other one- but he seemed to see just fine. Dawn wasn’t exactly sure if she fully caught his attention, or if he could even fully see her. But thankfully- her suspicions were cleared rather quickly as the moon spirit began to speak.

“Ah! I knew you would come dear child. I had to pull you out of your nightmare, yes. But I wanted to speak with you myself, Dawn .”

The snowflake-clipped girl’s eyes dilated with shock- how did he-?

“How do you… You- know my name?” Dawn warily asked, ill-at-ease that someone she didn’t exactly know had access to her name.

The moon entity chuckled, a chained blue hand covering his faint lips. His head was also somewhat moon-shaped, like a crescent moon that would grin in the sky as if the night became the Cheshire Cat. He also had red stripes over his mouth and down his eyes, almost like they were tears or paint strokes on bluely colored porcelain. The red lines on his face were an exact match for the red strings that decorated the trees and gazebo. Just who was this oddly friendly spirit? Was he even friendly at all?

"Ohoho! Dear child, I know a lot about you!” He cheerfully replied, not easing Dawn’s worries, even though he was trying to. “Well- perhaps not everything. As one would from a bird’s eye. Though I know things from an outsider’s view! I could see it from your nightmare alone, a terribly grueling dream I must say.” He sighed heavily, almost somber that she had such a horrific dream, yet the hope at the end showed that perhaps he was being truthful. 

“I have been watching you and your little friends for a while. We have interacted, though I may not look how I usually appear the way I do in front of you, sweet child." The moon entity smiled as he floated to where the table was, she hadn't even noticed until that moment, that the entity didn't have legs yet gilded as if he did. His outfit was tattered and looked to be of... royalty ? He was dressed so formally, yet it was withered and beaten down. Part of Dawn wondered why, why he had chains and formal wear so run down. Those questions wouldn’t be answered, even after he sat on the luscious purple chair; beaming with a cheshire grin.

"Come, come! Sit by me, Dawn. We have much to discuss." The moon entity beckoned with a friendly grin, eagerly awaiting her to join him. Seeing no other way out of it, the snow queen did what she was asked of, remaining on guard the entire time. Dawn looked around the peculiar gazebo, at all the things that made sense and made no sense at all. The stars hanging on strings, the watery mirror floors, the eternally twilight skies. Come to think of it, where WAS she? Dawn already knew this wasn’t her dream, this dream almost felt like reality.

Determined to find out, the 11-year old girl curiously  gazed into the moon entity’s eyes, determined to uncover the truth. "Who are you? I know you know my name, but I never quite caught yours. Also um... could you tell me where we are? I know this isn't exactly a dream." The entity made a silent gasp, the longer chain on his right wrist clanking against the table. "Oh! I am dreadfully sorry dear Dawn. Forgive my terrible manners, I should've done that first sweet child." The moon entity 'stood' as he bowed before her.

"I am whom they call Moonjumper. I am a spirit whom was once locked in this place, The Horizon . But no longer. I have traveled to many places for I am now a visible traveler! However... I have to be cautious when dealing with folks not in The Horizon. My shapeshifting helps me as a guide, you see!" Moonjumper introduced as he sat back down, facing her with that same grin from before. Somehow it didn’t look so scary, not like before.

“Now that you know who I am, what are you doing here, dear child?” Dawn tilted her head in confusion, placing a hand on the tale while the other directed her question. “I um… on this planet or in this dimension?”

“The second one dear.” Well this confirmed a couple things, now Dawn knew the moon spirit wasn’t kidding when he said he had been watching them for a while. At least unlike the Mafia Boss and Mustache Girl, he seemed to be a lot friendlier . But even then, the snow queen remained unquelled. His friendliness could be a trick, an elaborate lie to gain her trust and hurt her because he had the Time Pieces too. But she had to answer the moon spirit's question if she wanted to stay alive. It was simple, but now it was starting to become far from that.

“Oh- uh… well. It’s summer and my school gets out pretty early for summer vacation.” Dawn began, fidgeting with some of her pigtail to avoid sounding awkward. “I wanted to do something interesting. I asked Bella if I could try going on an adventure this summer just to see where it took me. Then I ended up here and met Hat and Bow. And…” The snowflake-clipped girl sighed, retracting her hand from her hair. Soon after both hands were laying in her lap.

Now Dawn HAD to test if he was a friend or foe. If he wasn’t friendly, she’d be spilling her guts to an enemy that could very-well kill her later. “Mustache Girl. She was… we were friends today… but tonight? We became enemies. Hat passed out from when we were playing Corgi Quest. I tucked her and Bow into their bed… and had that nightmare before you saved me.” Moonjumper listened to the girl’s rant, nodding at certain points, repositioning his hands; but not once did he interrupt her. It was oddly endearing.

“I see, I understand, you seem troubled about something else, methinks.” Dawn laid her head on the table, this was unexpected- but at least now she could ease up knowing he could be an ally, yet not enough to gain her trust. “I… *sigh* Yeah, I am. That nightmare. It’s a dream I haven’t had since I was six to seven years old after my sister ran away. She came home, obviously, but that dream is still scary. And… the way Mu betrayed Hat and Bow. It hurt me as well… This place isn’t scary like Mafia Town or maybe the other places I’m gonna see later down this journey.” 

Moonjumper listened, closing his eyes with a firm nod. With a shackle drifting on the table, the magical puppeteer brought a hand to his chest; the expression sympathetic towards the young girl. Almost as if he saw something in her, what it was she didn’t know.

“That sounds like a dreadfully lonely road. One you shan’t not tread alone, dearie.” The moon spirit began, shifting in his seat. The consoling glance never leaving his blue face, even with a smile the snow queen felt indifferent towards. “A lonely path is ne’er the best one to take. Straying will cost you everything, dear. Heed my word for it.” The moon shaped spirit strongly advised, his voice calming and soothing; almost earning Dawn’s trust.

She wanted to trust him, really! She did! But after yesterday, Dawn wasn’t so sure…

“I’m not sure what you fully said but- I’ll try to follow along or figure it out. Just hope I can do the same for my current situation with my friends.” Moonjumer placed a hand on Dawn’s head, making her flinch from genuine surprise. “Perhaps there is something you can do about it Dawn, I believe you possess the skills needed in order to help your friends.” This wasn’t what she had expected at all.

All doubt seemed to fade away as she smiled at the moon spirit, tears welling up in her eyes as she shot out of her seat. She didn’t attack, no. Instead, she pulled the moon shaped spirit into a tight embrace, taking him by surprise from her sudden reaction. “Thank you… Moonjumper.”

Dawn murmured, relieved that she had finally found an ally besides the friends she knew in this dimension. “It means a lot… I thought you weren’t friendly, an enemy. But now I see you’re not. I’m sorry.” Dawn backed away, wiping her tears, even then she couldn’t look weak. “Could I see you again? Just like this? Right here? Promise I won’t be so rough next time.” Moonjumper beamed at the idea, it was like it was the best idea he had heard in ages. “Of course, sweet child. That sounds lovely.” The duo shared a laugh, the tension dying on the spot. Talking a bit more, Dawn got to learn quite a bit about her new moon spirit friend, until something interrupted their conversation. Something that came from the sky, a red string that appeared above her. Moonjumper paused as he looked at it, seeming to know what it meant.

“You’re going to wake up, dear child. This string shall guide you back to your sleeping body.” Dawn looked at the string, then at Moonjumper. “Could… you escort me there? I don’t wanna go alone.” Moonjumper nodded to the girl’s request. “Why of course dear Dawn! I shall illuminate your way.” Moonjumper jubilantly exclaimed, one shackled hand around the red string and her hand in the other. In that moment; he had finally gained her trust.

It took them off the ground so effortlessly, like feathers in the wind. The brunette watched as they slowly soared into the sky, now getting a better look at the vast land that was The Horizon. It’s such a beautiful place from above, now the snow queen was enthralled to come back.

Dawn was escorted to her sleeping body, which within itself was a weird experience. It felt like those astral projection  stories she had seen on YouTube, except she was actually living it. The snow queen gave one final goodbye to her new friend. "Thank you Moonjumper. I'll be back soon." Dawn waved goodbye, falling onto her sleeping frame. Minutes later, she awoke in the same place she fell asleep in Hat and Bow's bedroom. Seconds after Dawn rubbed the sleepiness away was when her phone buzzed to life with Benjamin's profile on it. Dawn lazily picked it up.

"Dawn? Oh thank goodness. Hey!" Benjamin greeted. "Morning lazy bones, I see you found a place in the dimension you ended up in, huh?" Dawn nodded to her brother's question. Dawn saw the time was 6 am. Dawn's eyes then widened. "Bro- what time did you wake up?" Benjamin then laughed nervously.

"Uuuhhhh ... I don't... know?" Dawn looked unamused. "It's six in the morning Bends." Benjamin then realized he'd gotten up much earlier than Dawn and that’s why didn't call him. Dawn chuckled seeing her brother’s expression, it was very much needed after yesterday. "You really need to have an alarm clock put in your room, Bends." Benjamin laughed. "So, where are you Dawn?" Dawn adjusted her phone as she showed him the bedroom that was still dark.

"I'm on a spaceship currently and in Hat and Bow's bedroom." Dawn pointed to the bed Hat and Bow were sleeping in. "The girl on the right is Bow and the girl on the left is Hat. They're the ones who let me stay here." Dawn turned her phone's camera back to her.

"There's crazy stuff going on here, Bends." Dawn started with. "Hat and Bow lost the stuff that powers their ship called Time Pieces . They're like- mega cool artifacts that can rewind time. But Bow said that they're very unpredictable and powerful. And I'm not sure why they have it powering their ship... I haven't asked them yet. But I have a gut feeling it has to do with people turning on one another when they see the artifacts' powers for themselves."

Benjamin nodded in horror, hazel eyes winded at such a ferrying concept not even he could grasp. "GEEZ . That's horrible- wait. Are they traveling ON THEIR OWN!?" The goggle wearing boy interjected, flabbergasted with this new information. If the snow queen was right, she was sure her brother picked up the same suspicions in regards to what happened to Hat and Bow. To why they were on their own. That was still unclear. "Yeah, but fear not, because I'm here!" Benjamin laughed at his sister’s overly enthusiastic tone, that was his baby sister Dawn alright. "I miss you sis. Maybe you can introduce me to-!" Then, someone fell off the bed with a yawn. Dawn watched Hat Kid swoop her top hat off the nightstand and looked at Dawn.

"Morning Dawn." Dawn waved. "Hey Hat, I have my brother on the phone, wanna say hi?" Hat Kid ran up with curiosity. Dawn showed her phone to Hat. "Oh- hello! You must be Hat!" Benjamin grinned, greeting the new friend Dawn had made with open arms.

"Yep! That's me! I'm Hat Kid!" Hat Kid responded with a smile. "Dawn just told me about you two. Thanks for looking out for my baby sister. Hope she's not too much trouble for you two. I'm Benjamin ! Nice to meet you." Hat Kid giggled, tipping her top hat mid-laugh. "Nice to meet you Benjamin. Hope we can be friends!"

The new trio began to talk until Bow woke up. Bow introduced herself as she was very inquisitive about Dawn's phone. Dawn and Benjamin hapiliy giggled at the curiosity. The group talked for a while until Benjamin had to go.

"Okay, I think we're gonna look for more of those magical hourglasses. I'll tell ya more once we get more of the Time Pieces . Today's gonna be nuts, I can already tell. Tell mom I'll text her and the rest of the family on how everything's holding up. Okay?" Benjamin grinned. "Okay Dawn, love you! Bye!" Dawn ended the FaceTime call and put her phone in her backpack. 

An hour and a half later, the group was ready for the day and found the next batch of Time Pieces through a telescope that was set up in the machine room.

Dawn complimented Bow on the contraption she and Hat created together. Dawn was given the teleporter Hat Kid usually had on her. Because Hat wanted Dawn to know how to use it in case of emergencies. “Okay, so you move this dial, that’s the location.” Bow instructed as she moved Dawn’s hand along the teleporter.

“You move this for where you want to go, and this for how many people you want to teleport. Once you have that, press the button when you’re finished with what you’ve got.” Bow finished as Dawn did what Bow showed her.

“Alright. So, now with that information. Try putting in…. ‘ Dead Bird Studios ’ huh- odd name, but I’ve seen odder.” Bow instructed once more.

“Okay- I uh- I think I got it. If I cause something bad or break time- PLEASE don’t be mad at me.” Hat Kid laughed. “We won’t. The teleporter won’t do that, promise.” Hat chuckled. Dawn put the location in and how many people were being teleported and she was done. Bow was impressed.

“And… away we- GO!” Dawn yelled as she shut her eyes, the blue light engulfing them and sending them to wherever Dawn was sending them.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, main entrance

  The trio blinked into what looked to be a movie studio front entrance. Dawn was no stranger to these surprisingly. Her mom, Rosalee, would take her to her office that was often at a movie studio, an hour or two away depending on traffic.

Rosalee was a writer and used to be a location manager, but she was mainly a producer now. Elliot, her dad, was her partner alongside her. The kids she was with however, had their eyes curious and wide at the huge building that stood before them.

“WOAH!” Hat Kid exclaimed. Bow twirled some of her tight curls in her fingers. “What is this place?” Bow asked aloud. “A movie studio.” Dawn answered nonchalantly, then stared at the duo in surprise. “Have- have you never seen a movie studio or a movie before?”

Both of them shook their heads. “Nope! Never. I’ve never even seen a movie… so uh- yeah.” Hat Kid half laughed, embarrassed that she didn’t know what Dawn was talking about, Bow Kid as well.

“Welp- I can show y’all some movies and shows I’ve seen back on the ship. How does that sound?” Dawn offered, grinning excitedly.

The duo’s faces lit up with excitement, bouncing gleefully. “Heck yeah! That sounds awesome Dawn! “Yeah! I can’t wait! It sounds wonderful!” They cheered, overlapping one another gleefully. After the cheering subsided, Hat Kid started sprinting.

“Come on! Let's go!” She shouted, switching to the sprint hat to run even faster. “Hahaha! Hey, no fair! You got a head start!” Bow Kid giggled chasing after the top hatted child.

“Wait up speedy gal! Ya got a head start! Next thing I know is that you’ll be spin dashing with the hat on! Hahahaha!” Dawn grinned, enjoying the thrill of the chase into the studio. 

In the studio, the trio stumbled upon a brawl between two… birds? Huh, guess they meant ‘Dead Bird’ quite literally.

One was an… owl(?) in a train conductor-like uniform, his hat covering his eyes yet he looked like he could still see just fine. It was the complete opposite with the penguin he was arguing with. He had an 80’s vibe to him, his hair was an afro and the penguin was TALL because of his flashy red shoes. He even had cool shades!

“This movie studio is too big for the both of us, DJ Grooves ! This movie should be made by REAL birds!” The owl exclaimed with a deep voice and an Irish accent. He didn’t seem to like the penguin with the star shades as they were at each other's necks.

“You Moon Penguins are just gonna write some loud, noisy drivel! if I wanted a bunch of peck necks to dance around on birdseed, HAH, I’d visit me grandchildren!” The owl barked but the penguin didn’t seem too phased by it. “Nonsense, darling, nonsense!” DJ Grooves politely interjected. He was a lot calmer than the owl Conductor. 

“You Owl Express birds are just going to record another boring train-related western! You’ve done so for the last ten years, darling!” Dawn saw that the Conductor was flabbergasted with his claim.

“Wha?! No we haven’t, yet buffoon!” The Conductor exclaimed, but Dawn looked to the left of the lobby, she snickered to see that he wasn’t wrong. The posters showed a train-related cowboy western.

“ Conductor , darling, this year we’ll be winning the annual bird movie award , as our new movie props will bring in the audiences!” Dawn silently gasped as she watched penguins in fedoras bring three Time Pieces . However the contraption it was being carried in looked heavier than the hourglasses themselves.

“These shiny things fell from the sky! They jewel light our movie sets and fill them with glimmer!” The Conductor scoffed at DJ Grooves’s new “props”. “Oh yeah?” Dawn gulped as four owls brought out three more Time Pieces . Great, now they had six of those things to deal with.

“Well, this time round, we’re ALSO Spicing it up with our newest movie props!” He blurted out with cockiness. “These hourglass thingies will be the grand jewel in our train heist western!” He asserted, only for the two birds to have a silent stare down to realize; they had the EXACT same “props”.

“ WHADDA WHAT?!”

The owl conductor cursed, causing Dawn to keel over wheezing. Yet those two were so focused on bickering that they didn’t even hear her die from laughter. Dawn was crying from holding back her laughter, in which Hat and Bow began to snicker with her.

“You no-good dirty peck necks! You copied our props!” DJ Grooves gasped at the accusation. “I would never, darling! Clearly you’re the one who took inspiration in my flashy new props.” 

The Conductor growled. “That does it! Get out with ye, I’ve got a movie to record!” He yelled as DJ Groves agreed. “Fine by me, darling. But we’ll be the ones who win the annual bird movie award, mark  my word!” DJ Grooves slid away as his crew followed him. The Conductor went to the door with a plan and an ‘expression’ she didn’t like.

“Oh yeah? Let’s see how well yer do when you can’t get into the reception! GWAHAHAHA!” The Conductor cackled as he boarded up the doors, until he realized that he made a huge miscalculation. “Oh wait, shutting the peck necks inside the studio will force them to work harder.” He shrugged as he left the door. It wasn’t his problem.

“Alright, time to go, owls! Let’s make a killer movie!!” He walked away only to stop and notice an air vent hanging by its hinges.

“Oh, And receptionist, can yer PLEASE close off the vent already? I don’t want the smell of penguin to come anywhere near my crew!” He demanded as the receptionist didn’t respond. He left as his crew followed. 

“Okay… so… now what?” Now asked Dawn. She knew a movie studio better than they did. Dawn’s eyes jolted to the loose vent. She knew if they wanted to get ANYWHERE near those Time Pieces , they’d have to sneak around and hopefully not get caught. Dawn didn’t want any of them to get stuck in prison or any kind of jail cell today. But they had to get up there. “I think I have an idea. Come on, follow me.” Dawn hopped on the right side where DJ Grooves’ movie posters were.

They looked a lot more colorful and fun than the Conductor’s, it definitely gave her 80’s to 90’s movie vibes. Dawn watched as Hat Kid and Bow Kid took the opposite route than she did. But eventually they precariously balanced their way to the loose vent. “Okay- great. We’re sneaking in. Now what?” Bow whispered, turning to Hat and Dawn for ideas.

“Maybe we yank the vent door off its hinges and toss it away as a distraction?” Hat Kid blurted out while Bow Kid face palmed, completely unamused with the plan.

“No. We would be caught in an instant! We would have people chasing us and I really don’t want that.” Bow Kid pointed out, glancing at the birds below and then back at her friends warily. Hat let out a disappointed sigh, showing how she didn’t think ahead.

“Sorry- I really didn’t think that one out.” Bow shook her head, not disappointed with her sister but glad she did know she was jumping the gun on this one. “It’s all right Hattie. You just didn’t put that much thought into it.”

Tapping her chin, Dawn tried her hand at a possible plan, then noticed at the screws of the vent; they were loose , and they were flathead screws. Remembering a trick her dad taught her, she searched her pockets.

“Hey top hat, ribbons? Do you guys have any coins on you?” Both kids twined looks of confusion, unsure of what the brunette was getting at, but complied regardless. “Yeah- I found some Rift Tokens , why?” Hat replied, that’ll do. “Can I borrow it for a sec?” Dawn blatantly stated, Hat nodded as she handed Dawn her Rift Token .

“If I remember correctly… This is a flat head screw. Which means if you wedge a coin in between it.” Dawn explained as she did the action and wedged the Rift Token in the screw and began to turn it.

“Oh- wait you can use it like a makeshift screwdriver!” Hat Kid exclaimed, grinning in awe. “That's actually very clever- Who taught you how to do that one?” Bow Kid eagerly asked, beating her friend to the question. Dawn gave a simple shrug, nonchalant but willing to answer. “My dad did. He wanted to make sure I was prepared to do stuff if I was ever in a pinch.” Dawn kept turning the screw until it was out of the hole, clattering right in front of them. 

“ Oooh— uh- I really hope no one heard that.” Dawn chortled in a joking but nervous tone. Soon she began to crawl into the vent. “Come on, we need to get to those Time Pieces .” Hat Kid and Bow nodded.

“Alright. Just- be careful. I don’t wanna fall on you again.” Bow whispered worrily as they crawled through the vents. Dawn fell through the vents and landed with the noise canceling snow at her feet. Hat Kid followed suit, her umbrella opening above her to soften the fall. Bow however, her umbrella didn’t open in time, but Dawn was lucky enough to catch her.

“Dang it- sorry Dawn.” Dawn shrugged as she put Bow on the ground. “It’s alright Bow. You don’t need to apologize.” Bow smiled softly, before something made that smile melt away and make the ribboned girl freeze. “Hey!” She gasped as the Time Pieces were taken away on some sort of conveyor belt contraption.

“Darn it. I guess we’re gonna have to take the long way.” Hat Kid moaned in annoyance, not wanting to take the long way but they technically didn’t have a choice. Dawn adjusted her backpack straps, she wanted to make sure her bag wouldn’t slide off her at any given point.

“We just need to sneak around to see how we can get them. I think there’s a way. We just need to pinpoint and find it.” Dawn hopped up. “Come on guys, let’s grab your Time Pieces .” Bow Kid and Hat Kid smiled as they followed their friend. 

Navigating a studio when you’ve been brought there by a family member is one thing, but sneaking around to try to get something that was taken is a completely other thing!

It was nerve-racking as they traversed the studio, completely in the shadows. Dawn noticed a pattern when they stumbled into the set. The guards walk one way and turn the other way, it’s like red light green light. Hat Kid seemed to have picked up on it as well.

“Wait here, just watch what I do.” Hat instructed, running up the boxes and avoiding the guard with quiet steps when his back was turned; clever girl. Hat Kid made a waving motion with her hands as they followed Hat Kid’s lead on this one. They soon made it up the platforms and the carpeted steps as they silently rushed past Grooves’s movie set.

Bow whacked the lever with her umbrella as the conveyor belt like machine moved them along. “Nice one!” Dawn finally blurted out with a massive sigh of relief. “Hush Dawn- I don’t think it’s over yet.” Bow interjected as they got to what looked to be the Conductor’s movie set. Dawn’s keen eyes noticed a chest and she leapt to grab what was inside. Dawn then came back to the duo with some yarn in tow. Hat jittered in excitement, before she said something Dawn shushed her with a small smile. Hat Kid then mimicked her shush along with Bow Kid, giggling quietly as they did. 

Dawn’s eyes bounced around for a possible way across, only to find a long metal pipe like platform that went under the crew and would make them undetected. Hat Kid went first as he landed on her feet. Bow Kid and Dawn followed, the steps clanking quietly, climbing on the boxes and avoiding more owls. Bow Kid accidentally knocked over the fake cactus. It thankfully clattered to the floor without a sound. Hat Kid dashed and landed while four owl guards were walking around the perimeter.

Bow and Dawn went at the same time as they jumped and thankfully passed the guards. Dawn noticed a wall leading to a platform. Dawn did a run and leap and pulled herself up and over the wall. There she found more yarn !

It was chilly but usable. Dawn then used her abilities to create an ice bridge back to Hat and Bow. Dawn melted the ice instantly to leave no trace that they were ever there, at this moment she was glad that she could generate ice naturally without any water nearby. Even more so when the ice would just evaporate without a sound of crashing water or ice.

Bow whacked the leaver with her umbrella, giving Hat an opportunity to sneak past the owl with its back turned. Bow then whacked it back, Hat climbed the ladder to grab another ball of yarn . Hat Kid slid down the ladder as Dawn whacked it this time. When the owl had its back turned, Hat Kid signaled for them to run. They were so close to getting caught but they were luckily unseen. 

Now they were on the glamorous and flashy movie set DJ Grooves set up. Dawn marveled at the beautiful sights, they were so pretty! Dawn watched as something caught Bow Kid’s eye. She balanced on the thick wire that held flags up. She passed the penguin guards with no problems and grabbed what was in the chest. Bow then came back with a piece of… a fake hamburger… cheeseburger? patty and bun? Dawn zipped her bag open.

“Here.” Dawn whispered, it was barely audible. Bow slipped it in her bag without a word. The trio then traversed past more of the guards. Bow and Hat cleverly bounced on light sandbags as they popped like balloons. They were now back on the Conductor’s set.

“AH ABABABAB- OI! You in the background! What the peck is wrong with yer?” The Conductor groaned as he rolled his cameras once more. Dawn knew at that moment or she thought she knew that “peck” was an insult. 

Dawn created an ice slide behind a fake tent often seen in the western movies. They safely slid down and were once more unnoticed. Dawn looked back up at where they came as she rolled her eyes with a quiet groan.

“Gosh- that owl is very foul mouthed for a bird. And I don’t think the words ‘peck’ and ‘peck neck’ are uh- I think they’re-!” “That they’re what?” Hat interrupted abruptly; Dawn blinked with an unreadable expression. They couldn't be serious, could they? Bow tilted her head, confused. “Is what he’s saying like- REALLY bad?” Bow whispered quizzically. Dawn gulped- she didn’t want to curse- she’d be murdered and have to dig her own grave if word got out if she swore.

“I— uuuuhhhhhhhhmmhhhhhh… ” Dawn trailed on, uncomfortable. Even more so when Hat Kid then got right up in her face. “What? What is it? Why won’t you tell uuusss???” Hat Kid whisper-screamed. Dawn gulped as she sweated nervously. Welp, guess she’s screwed when she gets home.

“I uh- I think Peck means… or is the equivalent of saying… uhm… the F-word.” Dawn blurted out in a low voice. The response Dawn got was nothing but blank stares. “And- that is… what exactly?” Bow questioned with an eyebrow raised. Dawn’s eyes darted away before she inhaled sharply. “Um…. The f-word? F-U-C-K…?” Dawn gulped, now she’s doomed.

“Okay- so the word is fu —!” A hand immediately slapped over Hat Kid’s mouth, never daring to allow her to finish that sentence. That or she’d have her mouth washed out with soap.

“Now. Please don’t tell anyone that I had to spell that out. Because I would be screwed if someone at my home found out. My mom would never let me have the end of it. Also, repeat NONE of this. Got it?” Dawn scolded profusely, glaring at both her friends in a flustered haze. She was embarrassed out of her wits! Yet they both seemed to understand the point she had been trying to make.

After the humiliating conversation, Bow noticed the leaver, devising their next course of action. “Okay- I’m gonna whack that lever. Then signal you guys to run to the conveyor belt machine thingamajig.” Hat Kid nodded as she looked to see if the Owl turned around or not. “Okay- you should be in the clear. Best of luck, Bow.” Bow ran out from where they were hiding and whacked the lever with her umbrella. She then hid behind the prop that was in front of it. The machine came slowly but swiftly. Hat and Dawn snuck onto the machine with the owl not seeing them. Bow whacked the lever again as she ran and barely missed getting on the machine. It started moving slowly, which Dawn was grateful for. Before it abruptly moved and tossed all three of them to the floor.

Both Hat and Bow were on top of Dawn as they moaned on the floor quietly. They couldn’t say a word, not now.

Furthermore, the trio guided one another across the movie set. Just how big was this place? But more importantly, what half of the studio belonged to one director and what half of the studio belonged to the other? Studio was so massive that it was really difficult to tell. 

Then Bow spotted an electric panel with a lever on it. It must turn the lights off or something. “Hat- I think we can use your sprint hat on this one. Run across when the lights go out.” Bow whispered as she went for the switch. “And… go!” The lights went out as Hat quickly ran across. Her agility with that hat on was shocking! She could probably outrun Dawn in that hat! Hat noticed another panel. It was their turn. But Dawn remembered that she had grabbed more than one thing of yarn.

Perhaps she could stitch her and Bow something? Dawn pulled out the yarn she had on her. She had about 4 of these things. Maybe more, Dawn lost track after 6. Dawn used the umbrella and it seemed to do something magical. It stitched… not a new hat for Bow, but a new backpack for Dawn. It's as if the yarn knew she was only wearing a backpack.

It magically adapted to her bag, just like that! Bow swapped to her sprint hat. She had one like Hat Kid, and now, Dawn had one too- kinda. Hat Kid turned the lights out as they made a break for it.

Bow almost didn’t make it but if it wasn’t Dawn yanked her by her coat as she rolled over with Bow in her arms. They wouldn’t have made it. They almost fell off the edge of the conveyor belt if it weren’t for Hat Kid grabbing Dawn’s jacket, yanking both of them to safety. All three of them huffed.

“Remind me… *huff* not to… *huff* use a new thing created by yarn *huff* in a studio where my impending doom could’ve been… *huff* a reality. PLEASE.” Dawn pants, looking over at her friends on the ground. “Agreed… you’re heavy. I could have easily been drug down with both of you. Don’t do that again… not unless you know… what you’re doing.” Hat Kid pants with Bow Kid agreeing on that mental note. Bow soon looked up from Dawn’s hold on her.

“You… you saved me.” Dawn felt her hugging her as she sat up. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Dawn hugged Bow Kid back, Hat Kid soon joined them. “Come on guys, let’s get through the rest of the studio.” Hat Kid grinned as she ruffled Dawn’s bangs with a giggle. “Gotcha snow queen!” Dawn chuckled. “Nice one top hat.” Hat Kid grinned at the nickname as she looked at the lever. Dawn stood as she started yanking it. After that, she whacked it with the umbrella. “Dang these things are OP.” The elevated platform moved past the sets. They made sure to remain hidden, traversing further until they came to a halt.

Dawn started to shove the large tent prop as Hat and Bow joined, creating a makeshift bridge as they crossed and made sure to stay out of sight. Using parkour, they got over the wall. When avoiding the penguin guards, they even found a spot to hide in the wall. A ledge big enough for all of them to stand on. Well- almost everyone. Dawn had to crouch down to make sure not to bump her head. When the penguin spun the other way, they jumped down and were completely out of sight. They ran to nothing but a dead end with safety just out of reach. But in front of them were only two sandbags, just like the ones from before.

"Okay- now what genius?" Bow asked nervously, still searching for any exit routes for their next course of action and coming up blank. "Have any ideas, Ice?" The top hatted girl questioned, looking out into the cornered abyss and the edge of the set they stood upon. What they both looked past were the sandbags that they could use to swing across! Just one problem. They were in the gaping abyss that lied in who knows how big of a drop. All they could do at this rate was try.

"I have an idea. You're just gonna have to hang on." Dawn held her hands out, repressing any trace of fear she had lingering in her mind. "If this doesn't work, I have my powers as a fail safe." Dawn calculated, this plan was unstable- possibly doomed to fail. However, it was worth the risk. “I’m gonna use the sprint again and run with both of y’all with me. Then we’ll get to the other side.” Hat seemed to hear the crack in Dawn’s confidence, now worried about their success rate.

“Are you sure? We won’t be able to save you if you fall… actually- scratch that- none of us would be safe from however big that fall is!” Dawn chuckled, then bursted into more laughter. “I’ll be fine. Trust me. We need to have faith that- no.” The cryokinesis prodigy stood tall and proud, hands on her hips and a cheerful grin. “We heed to have the confidence that can * DO * this!” Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s confidence was boosted, even if the unease remained.

“Be careful Ice…” Was the last warning the ribboned child gave before taking her hand and the top hatted girl’s hand. Both Hat and Bow held their umbrellas out in case they needed to soften the fall in case this plan goes south. Without another thought- the plan was set into motion. The snowflake-clipped girl activated her sprint backpack quickly with her friends in tow. Like her friends, she was FAST ; really fast! Faster than she had ever been in her whole life! All seemed to move in slow motion once they leapt off the ground. The sandbags popped upon contact with Dawn’s icy boots, twirling the trio through the air until they reached the other side. They could all rest easy knowing it had WORKED! They did it! And now, Dawn was thankful that her determination and fast learning capabilities came in handy after all. 

The trio were no longer in the shadows as they stood in the light. There was a MASSIVE statue at the end of the room and the dancing penguin: DJ Grooves. “Magnificent! Stunning! This trophies everything I desire… on the shelf in my living room.” Dawn was taken aback by the last part but… Grooves sounded so passionate compared to the mean spirited Conductor. DJ Grooves chuckled to himself. “Of course, this Big trophy is just a plastic replica! The actual trophy is really tiny.” Dawn hummed to then realize that he’d heard it. DJ Grooves turned over to see the trio in front of him. Dawn awkwardly waved.

“Uh- hello?” Dawn nervously chuckled. “Oh my! Oh my! What is that I see? Is that true inner beauty? An innocent soul with a heart made of gold?” Hat Kid looked surprised as she stared completely dazed from the genuine compliment. “Oh, no it’s just a little girl. Hello!” DJ Grooves welcomed.

“Hello sir!” DJ Grooves then noticed Dawn and Bow. “Oh my! And she has some friends with her.” the penguin chuckled to himself as he then made more of a close observation. “Oh wait. You’re not a penguin. That’s good! I could use some non-penguin company around here, as all my penguins are frankly terrible actors!” DJ Grooves stated.

“Geez - that sounds like it’s rough to get a five star movie with that, huh?” DJ Grooves seemed impressed with Dawn’s knowledge. “Ah, I see you’re familiar with show biz, darling!” Dawn nodded giddily, glad to have someone recognize her intellect on the topic.

“Mhm! My parents work in the industry where I’m from! I’ve been to many sets with them too, it’s pretty cool!” DJ Grooves chuckled from Dawn’s insight, then came up with a marvelous idea. “I just have the utmost wonderful idea. And it’s all thanks to you, darlings! So- Here’s the biz: I need your help.” The trio had now given the moon penguin their full attention. “We’re listening, sir.” Dawn placed a hand on her hips while her friends watched the DJ penguin curiously once he began explaining.

“I’m on a terrible losing streak, and I just HAVE to win the next annual bird movie award.” He stressed as he explained his situation. “There’s no doubt; I absolutely MUST have you as a star! HERE, let me take care of this.”

Dawn saw a sheet of paper, shell-shocked the studio had been tracking them this whole time. The studio fined them- HOLY HECK that was a frick ton of pons! Too many pons to count! Thankfully DJ Grooves took care of that dastardly debt- and the trio couldn’t have felt more relieved.

“ OMIGOD- I didn’t know we were being fined… thank you!” Dawn grinned. “Anytime darling! Anytime.” Grooves skated to the camera. “We need to give you a bird passport, darling! Step right over here.” Hat Kid looked nervous but Dawn scooted her along. “Come on, it’s your picture. It’s just like getting a photo for a yearbook.” “I’ve never had one of those before…”

Dawn chagrined; laughing awkwardly to herself. “Well- consider this as your first yearbook picture. Since the lighting is already great I think your first one will look amazing. Just don’t move or blink during the photo and you’re good.” Dawn advised as a nervous Hat Kid swooped over in front of the camera.

Not exactly the most photogenic, is she? More like mild camera shyness, yet that was still better than most her age. DJ Grooves adjusted the camera dials as he got the settings he wanted.

 “OK, put on a smile, and stand still, please! Don’t move!” Hat Kid stood still and opened her eyes when the camera flashed; taking her picture. Hat Kid then exhaled a massive sigh of relief. “Okay- I hope that wasn’t too bad.” Hat moaned in anxiousness. Grooves started to adjust the camera with a grin. “Let's see how the picture turned out…” DJ Grooves took one look and-

“WH-WHA??” He yelped with a dramatic gasp. Hat Kid gulped in anxiousness, worried that it came out worse than she thought it did. “Darling, you moved! The picture is ruined! How could you?!” Dawn looked at Hat Kid who’s spirits were damaged by this.

“Is it- bad? Can’t we just take another one?” Dawn wearily asked. DJ Grooves smiled with a jest of his flipper. “It’s not that bad, just not the most photogenic.” Dawn sighed, knowing exactly how that felt. “First photo nervousness I reckon’, huh?” Dawn chuckled to Groove's astonishment. “I’ve seen grown actors freeze on set in the room more than once. So it’s not Hat’s fault. That’s what touch ups are for!” Dawn grinned, DJ Grooves then came up with an outstanding idea. 

“We’ve gotta fix this ugly mugshot up with some old-fashioned photo descoring! Here, take these markers and turn yourself into the most stylish, fashionable young lady!” Dawn took the photo, it wasn’t bad at all! Hat looked beautiful on camera, it just needed touch ups. The three girls spent time touching up Hat Kid’s photo up until it was stunning. Grooves looked to be even more impressed with them. “Perfect! Lets slide this picture into your passport, and… here you go! One passport for you!” Hat Kid smiled with the passport in her hands.

“Thank you Mr. Grooves!” Hat Kid chuckled, thankful it was better than she thought it could’ve been. “Now, we gotta get a passport for your friends here!” Hat Kid smugly looked at her friends, her eyes on Bow Kid specifically. 

“Oh- me? No way- NO!” Hat shoved Bow from behind, trying to put her in front of the camera. “Come on! It’ll be fun!” Bow tried to resist, but she ended up losing to Hat in the end- being shoved into place with the spotlights on her now.

As much as Dawn enjoyed this, she wanted to give the same advice to the ribboned girl “Hey, Bow, look at me.” Bow watched as Dawn knelt before her, hands placed on her shoulders confidently. “It’s okay. I’ll count for ya. Just open your eyes and give your biggest smile. Alright?” Dawn bopped Bow’s nose, earning a giggle from the girl. “Okay, Ice. I will!” Satisfied with the answer, the snow queen ran to stand next to the camera, Hat and DJ Groves. Bow gradually closed her eyes as Dawn counted.

“Three. Two. One!” Bow gave an energetic smile as the photo was taken. Immortalizing her true personality with a single snap “Wonderful Darling! Just wonderful! We might’ve had a bad start, but I’m sure all of you will be magnificent stars!” Bow cheeks turned a shade of red. “Now, it’s your turn! Step right up, darling!” Dawn strode in front of the camera. “The most important part of the passport is the picture, darling! You have to look flashing, stunning! Step right over here. Let’s take a pic.” Dawn counted in her head as she gave a smile. It came out stunning.

“Oh my! You have an eye for show biz, darling!” Dawn grinned at the complement given by the penguin director, her mom would surely be proud. “There’s one, and two. Two passports for you two young ladies!” Dawn held her passport and danced around. “I’m legally a bird now! I think?” The girls giggled at Dawn’s funny comment. “Wonderful, darling! Just wonderful! Meet me at the movie set tomorrow, and we’ll make you a star!” 

Dawn smiled as the extentric penguin walked away. “See you tomorrow Grooves! Byeya!” Dawn smiled and waved as he skated away. A moment of silence was held as many emotions and relief spilled out at once.

“HEY! WHATCHA THINK YER DOIN?!” Dawn yelped as she nearly toppled over. Oh no… shoot! This can’t be good. The Conductor stormed up to them. He almost looked as if he was going to take the passports, but all he did was stop his foot down.

“Yer can’t just jump in and fiddle with the annual bird movie awards! That’s fraud! FRAUD !” He screamed. Dawn was about to make her powers flair up due to how rude he was being. “Hey, everyone, we’ve got a FRAUDSTER OVER HERE !” Silence endured once more. Dawn growled in a cold manner, her eyes burning with an anger she couldn’t shake.

“WHERE MY OWL GUARDS AT?! Why are the owls so darn useless?!” Dawn scoffed expressionlessly. “Isn’t that another way of insulting yourself? You're an owl too y’know? Also Listen here: don’t, yell, at, my friends.” The Conductor looked unamused at Dawn’s irate comment. “Alright, listen here, lass! Yer in big trouble. If you’re helping crooked DJ Grooves rig the awards, and I can’t take yer to jail, then yer gotta help me even the score!” He announced, oblivious to Dawn's bewilderment.

“I’m- I'm sorry?” The owl then began to explain his point. “That’s right, yer gotta be the star of my movies, too!” Dawn then raised an eyebrow and lightly scowled. “And.. wh-what if we don’t sir?”  The Conductor groaned, taking out one of the magical hourglasses soon after. “Here, hold our newest prop. Practice showing it off, and bring it to my movie set tomorrow! Yer got that? Don’t be late!” 

Unsure of what else to do- Bow Kid reluctantly took the Time Piece , her nimble hands timid and worried. Dawn could just see how the ribboned girl didn’t like the sharp tone of his voice nor like hearing anyone yell at her or Hat. Personally; Dawn hated how rude he was to them, his crew, and especially Bow.

Treating someone like that is unethical. The ribboned child was just a nerdy kid who liked to work with technology, and was really good at it. She didn’t deserve to be yelled at. Once the owl cooled off, they were escorted out to the exit.

Thank goodness for that, or that owl would’ve had a whole other problem to deal with other than what he claimed to be fraud.

“Ready to go?” The snowflake-clipped girl asked, earning nods from her friends. “Let’s get outta here.” Hat replied as Bow nodded. “I wanna go back and blow off some steam. Let’s go.” Without thinking twice- Dawn grabbed the teleporter out of her backpack that was next to her Dimensional Traveling Device, ready to send them off.

“Okay, the location; The Spaceship… where I wanna go… the main hub/living room is. How many people I wanna teleport…? Three people.” Dawn muttered as she dialed and fidgeted with the teleporter.

“Okay… and- ADIÓS Dead Bird Studios! WE’RE GETTING OUTTA HERE!” Dawn shut her eyes as the teleporter did its magic. All three of them were engulfed in a blue light, just like before. And then we’re gone in an instant, just like how they came. 

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

Later that night, Bow vented out how stressed she felt around the Conductor as Dawn made some food for all of them. Both Hat and Dawn listened to what the girl had to say as she caressed her hands in her tight curls. Groaning and dreading the fact they had to see the Conductor again. She foresaw that things would be insane on his movie set compared to Grooves. And given by how they were treated by both directors, Dawn couldn’t blame her for her gut feeling.

“And.. the WORST part I'd say is how much of a jerk he is! Ugh! He acts like we committed something worse than stealing a Time Piece or the stuff Mu once mentioned in that plan of hers.” Dawn sighed as Bow huffled. “You mean first or second degree murder? Or do you mean strangulation and manipulation?” Dawn raised an eyebrow as Bow sat down. “Both maybe- I don’t know! It’s not as bad as these Time Pieces and what they can do and what they already did .” And with that- the mystery cracked itself wide open as Dawn’s heart sunk into a chilling revelation…“Wh- what…? Whaddya mean by that Bow? What did these artifacts do?” Bow squeaked, instead of getting mad… she looked terrified.

“Shoot — uh Um- UUHHHMMM- I don’t- I don’t think I was s-supposed to say that… I think? Um…” Hat slowly went to her friend’s aid; even she looked fearful about the information that had just slipped from Bow’s mouth.

“I… I think it’s okay to tell her. She’s been here for a few days Bow. She had many opportunities to betray or hurt us but she didn’t. She saved you and introduced us to a member of her family Bow. Maybe not her parents but a sibling’s close enough…”

Hat Kid rubbed Bow’s back. “If you didn’t trust her… then I guess I wouldn’t have given her a chance… right?” Bow said in a soft voice as if she was scared to tell what they both knew very well. “If we didn’t give her a chance, we would’ve been separated for this entire journey sis… I would’ve searched everywhere for you. I’m just glad you landed in Mafia Town.”

Hat smiled a somber smile as she hugged Bow. All this time, Dawn thought these two girls were possibly best friends… and now? Their relationship made SO much more sense. They were sisters, family. And now, they were debating on telling Dawn something that they most likely wouldn’t have shared with anyone before. So the pressure weighed heavily.

“We’re so far away from there that I think we’re safe to tell Dawn.” The girls looked up at Dawn, fidgeting from nervousness.

The tone completely shifted, the snowflake-clipped girl wasn’t used to seeing the happy and energetic children that she met look this nervous and serious.

It’s as if they’re revealing the world's biggest secret. A secret that was probably never shared with anyone before from the look of it. However, Dawn can’t blame them for being afraid. They don’t know how she’ll react. They’re just trusting their gut on this one. Dawn knows that they’re just as human as she is even if they’re humanoid time traveling alien kids.

“Remember when I asked about what your family was like Dawn?” Hat started with. Dawn nodded, remembering the question in its full form. ‘‘What’s your family normally like? I don’t have much to go off of. You have parents, and Bow and I…” Dawn got chills from when she first heard it. She had some theories on what it could’ve implied; yet all her theories were jumbled up, it felt just like sticky glue when trying to pry part for the right answer or the right words to say. Eventually Dawn gave up on words and responded with a simple sigh and nod of her head. Only then Dawn dug up the words she wanted to express.

“Yeah…” she started, a hand going through her thick bangs. “Yeah, Hat. I remember that. Every word of it.” Hat Kid rubbed Bow Kid’s back more, heavily sighing before revealing what she had to say. “Bow’s all I have, Dawn. I don’t have anyone else.” Dawn’s eyes widened: oh… so that’s what she meant. “You mean- you two are…” Hat Kid nodded, her tone darkening with sadness. They weren’t sisters by blood… they…

“We’re orphans . Bow and I were trained for a while but we ran off to do our own adventures. So it’s been me and Bow. We’ve never had parents or family other than each other. No one wanted to adopt us on our planet so we adopted one another as sisters. We’ve been traveling for years. But the reason we decided to go back was because we wanted to find a place to call home… But we knew before we could do that, we needed to see if our old home planet is still a home to us… that’s why we need the Time Pieces. ” 

Dawn’s jaw dropped in horror, this was gamechaning. This literally put everything the cryokinesis prodigy thought she knew about them into a completely different perspective. It all made sense.

“That… oh my goodness. I’m so sorry.” Hat slowly shook her head, almost as if she was expecting no sympathy. Perhaps there was more to the story… and this was all they were comfortable in sharing about their orphaned status. “It’s not the worst of it… the Time Pieces are another thing.” Bow Kid firmly stated, now holding her sister’s hand. Hat Kid closed her eyes, avoiding all eye contact to make explaining this easier.

“We… a LONG time ago… before Bow and I were born… our planet, Raehan, was engulfed in war... The- the Time Pieces were believed to be the main cause. But no one knows except the supposed higher ups of our planet or people who lived through the war… which there are very few. Since then, the artifacts have been reduced to nothing but fuel for the spaceships and other things. Theoretically we know what they can do, but like Bow said, they're unpredictable… and extremely dangerous.”

They concluded the tale and seemed to await any backlash they’d get for this. Telling the truth. It made Dawn’s heart sink in her chest as she slowly walked to the duo… her friends.

“You’re… please don’t be mad that we don’t have a family like you do… or that we told you anything!” Bow whimpered cowardly, fearing for the worst as she clung to Hat like a lifeline. Yet instead of pushing them away, Dawn pulled them into a comforting embrace. The way they flinched proved that this was a reaction neither of them were expecting.

“I… I am… SO sorry this happened to you two.” Dawn screwed her eyes, even though she was having difficulty keeping it together. They reminded her of herself when she was younger, when she was around their age… right after Bella ran away. If there was anything Dawn wanted… she wanted them to know that it was okay… and will stay and say that it’s okay as many times as she needed to. “But… It's okay now. I’ll still help you. I don’t see any value in the artifacts, even with holding them… to be honest. I just wanna move foward instead of doing something stupid and something I’ll regret.”

Dawn eventually frees them from her embrace, making a small snow cloud above them afterwards. Anything to lighten the mood instead of breaking down into tears was enough for her. Even the smallest laugh was enough to make her feel better. And if that’s what they needed, then so be it.

“You’re not alone anymore.” Dawn reassured, smiling as if she were figuratively holding them close to her heart. “I’m here… and as long as I’m your friend. I’ll keep you safe.” Hat Kid and Bow Kid seemed to be moved to tears. They both suddenly hugged her again, this time they truly were held close to her heart. “Thank you…” Hat Kid whimpered, sniffling as she grabbed at Dawn’s shirt.

“You have no idea how much that means to us… thank you.” Bow Kid added, just as grateful as her sister. “You’re welcome…” Was the only response Dawn could offer the duo, yet that was more than enough. If someone did this for her at their age… she would’ve forever been in their debt. As her embrace unraveled, the snow queen wiped their tears, just like her big sister Bella would.

“Let’s finish making the food, then we’ll call it a night.” The girls nodded as they smiled. “That sounds… great. I liked the Mac & cheese from last night, so I wouldn’t mind having it again.” Bow grinned. After that, they finished making dinner.

Dawn was now on her phone fiddling with the messages between her and Benjamin. She told him everything and told Dawn to send his condolences. Dawn also had a conversation with her mom, Rosalee. She told her about the Conductor and DJ Grooves and that she’s going to be in a movie. Rosalee was proud but mad at the Conductor for what he did. Dawn then tucked Hat and Bow into bed, but before she could go to sleep…

“ Dawn…? ” Hat whispered out to the 11-year old girl who had left to turn off the lights. The oldest in the trio turned around to greet her cerulean gaze, not thinking twice as she went back to sit on the edge of their bed. “Yeah? What is it, top hat?” Hat sat up and scooted out of the covers to sit next to Dawn, her hair was down and flowing free from the ponytail it was normally in. Hat Kid looked so different with her hair down, it was weird but… she looked younger with it down. 

“I know I asked it before, but could you tell me what your family’s like?” Dawn smiled tenderly, it was the least she could do. “Sure thing.” Dawn mused as she humed, stroking Hat Kid’s brunette hair. Bow Kid eventually crawled and sat by the duo, eager to hear what Dawn was about to share. “Well, I’ll start with my dad. His name’s Elliot ! He was a soccer player when he was in middle school and high school! Even coached it WAY before I was born. That was before he joined alongside my mom in the show-business industry. My daddy’s a good guy. He’s sweet and he loves to cook. Auntie Aliza says he learned from Uncle Hiro and Great Aunt Isa, but also from Nama.”

Both kids listened attentively, like it was a children’s book being read to them for the first time, and in this case… it was. “Then, we have my mom! Her name’s Rosalee . My mom’s super witty! She’s very sarcastic but she’s also very kind. I have a very good relationship with her, I love both my parents with all my heart. I know from what my mom told me that she was a cheerleader for competitive cheer in middle school and some of high school and she was even captain of the tennis team! She also did A bit of jazz choir alongside Aunt Cosmo in high school. While Uncle Hiro did tap dancing and played piano. Just like my big sis, Bella!” Hat Kid listened with starry eyes, eager to hear more about what the 11-year old girl had to share.

“What about any other siblings? Do you want to go from oldest to youngest or the other way around?” Bow asked, her question dripping with curiosity only a young child who knew nothing about having a family would have. “Youngest to oldest sounds like it would work for me.” Dawn answered with a truthful glance, It was honest, it was true and it was safe. The answer was nothing but honest. “You obviously know me, but I’ll talk about Benjamin. He’s my buddy and partner in crime. He might be three years older than me, but I love him with all my heart! He’s funny, caring and sweet! You’d love him!” Dawn then sighed as she got to Bella.

“Next, is big sis Bella but, in a way, she’s not my big sister, rather my older cousin, her and the other two siblings I have.” Bow tilted her head. “I don’t follow? What do you mean by that?” Dawn sighed, fidgeting with her hands and some loose strands of her own hair. “Their parents were Uncle Hiro and Aunt Cosmo. They uhm… They died long before I was born. Auntie Aliza said they were killed by a mad man who’d changed beyond repair and was a shell of who he used to be. Bella was orphaned a year after she was born from what daddy told me. He also told me he was the last person that had a conversation with Uncle Hiro… Bella, Silvia and Silver. They’re all part of my family, even though they’re biologically my cousins. I still call them my siblings because I grew up with Bella as an older sister. And I’ll continue to call her that. Since she was taken in by my dad. And as a result, so were Silvia and Silver.”

Hat Kid and Bow Kid were astonished by this. “So… what’s Bella like…?” Hat Kid finally asked as Dawn chuckled. “She’s a very sweet girl. A loving older sister and the greatest friend to a jester girl she knows! I think I even heard she might be immortal, which is insane to think about to be honest.” Both children looked amazed. “Woah! She must be really powerful then!” Bow Kid proclaimed. “I bet she’s awesome! I bet she kicks buts and fights bad guys and- stands up for what she believes in!” Hat Kid rambled with her wild claim. It was enough to make everyone laugh.

“She is magical, I can tell you that. But… she’s also the bestest friend my sister has… she’s been there for her. Let her be a kid and just help her out. She’s amazing and I love seeing her, just as much as I love Bella.” Dawn smiled, then she laughed. “Eheheheheh! Okay, next is Silvia, aka, LULU!” Bow snorted at the nickname. “Lulu’? What kind of nickname is that?” Hat Kid giggled. “Silver calls her Liv and Livie so we call her Lulu!”

Both kids snickered at the nickname. “Silvia’s a distant hothead that’s mean and doesn't exactly get a lot of stuff. She was hurt by ‘bad people’, it was probably worse than what the Mafia have done to the island Mafia Town stands on.” Both kids looked worried about that statement. “Silvia’s quite the expert in weaponry. She’s very skilled but can act like she doesn’t care for us, but in actuality she does. She just has a hard time showing it. And I care about her a lot, even when I do tease her.” All three of them chuckled from the last part. “And last but not least, Silver, aka Silvie. He’s actually the thinnest out of everyone in my family, but that’s because the world he came from… Let’s just say… it wasn’t exactly in the best shape . And since his world was in horrible condition he was in horrible condition as a result. But he’s a lot better now, he looks a lot more normal than he did when I first met him. Sure he can be a little naïve on some things but don’t underestimate him. In the things he does know he’s actually quite smart! He can be a little stubborn but he’s a very good problem solver! He uh- almost attacked the TV once because he didn’t know what a video game was- But don’t worry I stopped him. And also, they’re all just like me, including my mom and Aunt Aliza.”

“Well- what are you exactly?” Hat Kid asked the pending question. “A half supernatural being ! I have these abilities thanks to my Ma being a Supernatural being. You know I have ice abilities, Benjamin can create stuff with an inky substance but it’s VERY useful. Bella has something called psychokinesis and can summon a pair of fluffy pink wings she calls her ‘Dream Wings’. Silvia has pyrokinesis, she can create flames and fire and stuff. And then there’s Silver, he has psychokinesis as well. All of us have regeneration but if the wound is too big or repetitive it heals a lot slower. However what I find odd is that neither me or Benjamin are affected by this. However, Bella, Silvia and Silver weren’t so lucky. Silvia with the repetitive or major injury issue she was the fastest out of the three of them. Bella is the longest when it comes to that and Silvie is in between that.” Both kids looked amazed.

“Wow! That’s honestly amazing!” Hat Kid exclaimed, bouncing as she leaned into Dawn’s lap. “I honestly wish I had a family like yours! Your family sounds so loving and wonderful!” Bow Kid exclaimed with glee. Dawn smiled. “Maybe if things go right… I hope we can find someone who’ll take you both in. Because I hope you can find someone who can parent and love you like my parents do.” Hat Kid’s eyes widened. “Really?! You mean it?” Dawn nodded. “I do, kiddo. Truly, I do.” Dawn then hugged both kids. “Now, you two need to head to bed! We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow! And we need our strength!” Hat Kid yawned, Bow following soon after.

“That would be *yawn* nice.” Hat Kid lazily closed her eyes. Dawn swooped her up and tucked her into her bed. “You and Bow need to get some beauty sleep.” “And have good dreams?” Bow asked in a sleepy haze. Dawn hummed a nod. “Yeah, and good dreams. Sleep tight you two.” Dawn turned off the lights and went to her cozy bed. Her eyes were heavy as she drifted off into the realm of sleep.

Location: The Horizon, Moonjumper’s Gazebo

Dawn had another dream but was taken out of it, this time expecting it. Dawn was now back in The Horizon, Moonjumper must’ve been waiting for her. Dawn followed the path of the red strings and trees, the rippling path and leaves with the white gazebo of strings and stars. There, ‘standing’ in the gazebo was Moonjumper. He was finished setting something up in the gazebo, he was patiently waiting for her. The action alone made Dawn smile.

“Hey Moonjumper, it’s nice to see you again.” Dawn greeted as she took a seat. “Indeed it is dear child! You've had quite the show today! Do you care to share your findings?” Dawn smiled as she held the teacup in front of her. Moonjumper in response grabbed the teapot and poured her some tea that looked to be a light brown lavender. Dawn brought it to her lips and it was sweet.

“Oh- oh wow. This is- really sweet!” Moonjumper grinned a toothy grin. “Sweet blueberry tea. One of my favorites. Used to see it being made fresh, it was the finest one in Subcon, all the children seemed to like it.” Dawn sipped her drink once more.

Subcon? What was what? Was it a place? “Subcon?” Moonjumper jumped at what Dawn repeated back. “Uh- why yes!”

“I’ve never heard of it… nor have I ever been there.” Moonjumper nodded, attentively listening to the small child. 

“I see, well… Subcon Forest is… used to be a very joyous place. I was more of an unseeable spirit then. I can’t remember the key details but I remember the fate of it far too clearly. And the one whose hand had an effect on the forest had powers quite like yours, dear child. She turned part of Subcon into a winter forest; most haven’t even made it out alive in 300 years since its downfall.”

Dawn’s eyes widened in shock, along an uneasy curiosity that begged her to see what it was. “Really? That’s crazy! I bet that woman’s a psycho.” Dawn retorted, sipping her tea once more, Moonjumper had his own cup of the tea as he drank it as well. “So… maybe you can tell me about yourself?” Moonjumper tilted his head. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to do, sweet child.” Dawn giggled with a cheery grin on her face. “I just wanna know ya better. You listen to me so maybe you could tell me about you?”

Moonjumper chuckled, flattered and a little bit embarrassed as he adjusted the broken monocle on his right eye. “I don’t have much to say about me dearie, other than I’ve seen more children than just you, for as long as I can remember. In the many years I have roamed; you’re the first I’ve seen that's actually asked about who I truly am. And the fact that I don’t have an answer is truly bad manners.” 

Dawn chuckled, a smile tugging on her lips as she grinned. “It’s okay MJ! No need to apologize.” Moonjumper smiled. “Would you like to tell me about some of the things that happened today dear child?” Dawn nodded, the tea now finished as she placed it on the saucer. “Sure MJ, I’ll start from the beginning of today and you give me your honest thoughts, just like last time. Alright?” Moonjumper listened. “That’s fine by me, truly! It is!”

Dawn smiled as she started from the beginning of her day, all the way to where she was now. And as she did this, she could see that Moonjumper did nothing but listen. 

He listened to her vent when she needed to even in this wacky world that’s like it’s apart of the real world and can be accessed wherever it can be accessed from and that it was also in the dream world.

But it still begged the question: could The Horizon be accessed from that “Subcon Forest” place he mentioned?

Dawn wouldn’t know until she found out.

For now, Dawn was just enjoying unwinding and talking with her new friend, Moonjumper.

Chapter Text

The Horizon was a lovely place, it reminded Dawn of the prettiest place of her home: the garden.

Oh, how she missed the garden with its miscellaneous concoction of flowers. All different shapes and sizes, lilies, roses, hibiscuses, tulips. All those flowers were there in the front and back gardens.

It always made her feel at home, and the flowers around the gazebo had the same effect. Soon after a long night of chatting and playing some games, Dawn was escorted back to her sleeping body for the second time in a row. She waved farewell to Moonjumper as she laid on top of her body, only to wake up a few minutes later.

Dawn was about to get up, only to see Bow Kid curled up next to her. The self-proclaimed snow queen sat up with worry. “Bow?” Dawn warily questioned, as the girl nuzzled closer to Dawn in her sleep. Did she have a nightmare? Was she okay? Dawn then heard the girl mumble something. 

“Don’t… no… stop it…”

It was barely audible, but it was something along those lines. Dawn lightly shook the sleeping child, hoping to free her from the nightmare.

“Bow, Bow wake up!” The bow-wearing girl frantically jolted awake, panting heavily as if she was gasping for air or having trouble not imminently crying. This inturn made the snow queen panic, immediately trying her best to console the ribboned girl. “Woah, woah, hey! Take it easy!” Bow’s purple-magenta glare stared anxiously at Dawn, refocusing her eyes until they were focused solely on Dawn.

“…It’s just me, ribbons. You're okay, you’re safe, Bow. You're safe.” The snow queen tried to reassure the bow-wearing child to the best of her power, and it seemed to calm her down, if only a tad. Bow sighed heavily, breathing in and out until she was no longer panicked and aware of her surroundings.

“I- uhm… thanks Dawn. That was close.” Bow awkwardly chortled, wiping away cold sweat. The way she phased it immediately told Dawn one thing- this has happened before . “Had a bad dream?” Dawn blurted out, her mouth speaking faster than her mind could think. It was enough to make Dawn instantly worried for her, she was so small, young and had to console herself when her sister couldn’t after bad dreams. And that’s exactly what she assumed the ribboned child had, a nightmare . The question inturn caused Bow Kid violently flinch not out of nervousness; but fear. Just like yesterday, just like when Dawn asked about the magical hourglasses and the damage they had already caused. Unsure of what else to say, the bow-wearing child’s mind seemed to go on autopilot, nodding repeatedly as she subconsciously tried to cope. “Y-yeah… Yeah it was scary.” Dawn pulled her blanket back, creating a space for the ribboned girl to crawl into.

“Wanna talk about it?” Bow took up Dawn’s offer, crawling into the blankets and cuddling close to the snowflake-clipped girl. “I… had a nightmare of someone taking Hattie away from me. It was after we had gone on our own and scary monsters came after us, wrecked our ship and tried to take us. I was scared I’d lose her! I thought we’d die a-and…” Bow hiccuped holding her head in her hands.

“I thought I was going to die. I thought I’d get Hattie killed for holding her back from protecting herself in the dream. I’m scared of holding her back! She’s a year older than me… and I don’t wanna make her feel like I’m a burden she has to carry until she gets hurt…” 

Dawn was… unsure of how to feel about the revolution of Bow Kid even having this issue, an issue Dawn knows FAR too well. Because even if it happened so long ago, the wound was still fresh enough to ache. The cryokinesis prodigy wrapped an arm over the ribboned girl, allowing her to lay on her side and into Dawn’s lap. Just like Bella or her mother had done hundreds of times before.

“Bow… listen.” Dawn began, a tone that was drastically different from the one she normally equipped. “It’s alright to feel that way, to feel scared. It’s what makes you human. Sure, you’re a humanoid alien kid but to me, you’re still human. But most importantly… you’re still a kid, Bow.” Bow looked up at Dawn with her big purple-magenta eyes, then, as a way to soothe her; Dawn began to stroke her curly hair. “You do a lot for Hattie and she does a lot for you. Both of you guys care about each other, and it shows. You’re the only family each other has… I know you’re afraid of losing Hattie. I know you’re afraid of being overshadowed and holding Hat back… I have that fear too sometimes.” Bow’s eyes widened, almost looking baffled or shocked by the statement alone.

“Really?” Dawn nodded to the girl’s response. “Yeah, really. Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough or that what I’m doing isn’t good enough. Sometimes I feel like I’m overshadowed by my big sister, Bella. She’s so loved by everyone and she’s been through so much… A lot more than I have. She was hurt, badly, physically . But I was hurt emotionally .” Dawn took a moment to laugh at herself, confusing Bow but it was her only way to cope.

“I… I know I forgave her, but it still hurts sometimes.” Dawn chortled, painting an uncharacteristically sorrowful look onto her young face. “She’s got a best friend that lets her be a kid and cares for her and a bestie that keeps her grounded who’s also a nerd. While all I’ve got is my bestie from another dimension and brother Benjamin. Sure, I have lots of friends, but I have very few real friends that know me for me… so in some regards, they're just acquaintances.”

Bow then stared at the ground, nuzzling further into the blanket and Dawn’s lap. “Well, I think what you’re doing here is pretty great, Dawn.” The ribboned child spoke softly, not watching as the snow queen’s eyes fluttered with a mixture of shock and genuine surprise. “ Wait… you mean that, ribbons?” Bow gave a solid nod as she looked up at Dawn once more.

“Yeah, I do. You saved both of us on more than one occasion, did things that we could have only dreamed of and did nothing but help us this entire time. You could’ve walked away, you could’ve done anything else, but you didn’t. You decided on your own that you wanted to help us, and I think that’s very noble and brave of you.” Bow concluded gently, smiling at Dawn’s bewilderment.

The bewilderment shifted to the 11-year old’s lips silently quivering, she went into this to comfort the kid, and in the end: they both got comfort from each other. It took effort to bite back tears as Dawn solemnly smiled at the ribboned girl.

“Thank you… Bow. You and Hat truly are the kindest girls I’ve met.” Bow took her time escaping from Dawn’s grasp; it was her turn to hug the snowflake-clipped girl. And when she did, all felt right in this given moment. “I'm… I’m pretty confident we can try our best to overcome our struggles together as a group. Even if it’s difficult.” Dawn giddily chuckled, wrapping her arms around Bow Kid gratefully. “Yeah Bow, me too.” The moment lasted for a few more minutes, until being interrupted by Hat Kid falling out of her bed snoring at the last minute. The duo smugly grinned as they came up with an idea; a horribly mischievous idea. Hat Kid continued to snore, even when upside-down in her slumber; that was until Dawn turned on the lights and Bow came in clanging pans together.

“Wake up sunshine!” Hat stopped snoring as she jolted awake with a scream. Hat Kid bumped into her nightstand as her hat fell on top of her face. Dawn mischievously giggled. Hat sat up, completely bewildered.

“Eh- WHAT THE HECK?!” Bow giggled, grinning from delight. “Heyyyyy Hattie! We gotcha! You shoulda seen your face!” Bow Kid laughed hard, holding her arms around herself while doing so. To Dawn’s perplexedness, Hat Kid started to laugh with her.

“Ha, ha! Very funny! Next time I’ll get you with an even better prank!” Dawn snickered, now that was a friendship anyone could desire. One where you could still argue and still be friends at the end of the day. Found family if you will. Bow eventually placed her hands on her hips, smugly grinning at Hat. Almost as if she was challenging her to try.

“We’ll see about that Hattie. Now come on! I’ll race y’all to the kitchen! Last one to get there and pass Rumbi is a rotten egg!” The trio sprinted out, Hat being not too far behind yet Bow close to being in the lead. Gaining on Dawn’s tail for first place. 

And astonishingly enough, the ribboned child won the race to the kitchen! “HAHA! I win, I win! Take that! I bet not even that mean ol’ owl can run that fast!” Hat Kid wheezed like a tea kettle, clapping as she cheered her little sister on.

“True! Very true! How does he even see with that big hat he has on? And those shoes- does he feel vibrations or somethin’?” Dawn snickered at the mockery they were making of the owl, he certainly deserved it. “I bet he can see- buuutttt maybe his egos’ so big that his eyes shrank from it!” The trio roared with laughter, it wasn’t true but it was a hysterical jest nevertheless. Anything was better than reliving a nightmare. “I mean- they both have massive egos but Grooves is the nicer one out of the two.” Dawn watched as Hat Kid precariously hopped onto the counter and grabbed the box of cereal, clearly this ship wasn’t made with the kids' heights in mind. They weren’t tall, Dawn was practically towering over both of them. They were both standing about past Dawn’s elbows, but neither of them were at Dawn’s shoulders.

Furthermore, the snowflake-clipped girl assumed both kids were around six, seven, maybe eight years in age. Though, Bow stated that she was the younger one out of the two of them, which made sense.

The only reason the snow queen never asked was because ages could’ve been different where they're from. So they could be older on Raehan than they are in earth years. Besides that mind trip, the snow queen was now focused on breakfast. Dawn opened the cupboards to grab bowls for Hat, Bow and herself.

Later, they discussed plans and what they were going to do once on set. Dawn; being the observant nerd that she was, gave the duo basic ground rules for what to do and what not to do on set. Such as arguing with the director, intentionally sabotaging stuff on set, talking when you’re not in a scene and the camera’s rolling, etc.

After talking about that, the girls just chatted about their lives before meeting one another. “So- your sister’s a history nerd, and this Tensuya guy doesn’t like that class in his school, because the person that teaches it makes it boring?” Hat Kid summed up what Dawn rambled about while chewing her food.

“Pretttyyyyy much- yeah. The teacher, Mr. Jenkins is SO unbelievably boring, it’s like he didn’t even wanna teach the class, y’know? Plus the assignments from what I’ve caught glimpses of are pretty hard.” Hat Kid swallows her food. Bow’s expression was filled with so much curiosity.

“Curiouser and curiouser… uh- say Dawn, what’s your school like? Hat and I haven’t been to one other than the one from our home planet where we trained to learn how to use the spaceship.” Dawn grinned, it was a simple answer. “Well, my school-!”

“Your sister’s friend’s teacher’s a pecking fool.” Dawn stopped mid sentence, oh she did not just do that.

“HAT. Language!” Dawn fumed, her face steaming from what happened the other day. Hat Kid felt bad, but the embarrassment made her want to annoy Dawn at this moment. “Okay~ you pecking win.” Dawn gave a low growl.

“LANGUAGE-! Seriously that’s a bad word! I told you not to bring that word up again” Hat Kid laughed mischievously.

“Whatever you say Dawn!~” Dawn wasn’t convinced that Hat would keep her word in the slightest. They continued to eat their breakfast, until it was time to leave. 

They had a few hours to spare so they went to Mafia Town to see if there were any more Time Pieces. They came to the town that was on FIRE and a whole lot of lava. The Goofy Mafia (Dawn was surprised that he even talked to him, let alone asked them to help after pranking him) said they needed to turn the gigantic faucets around the island to make the lava go away.

Needless to say- it was a PAIN in the neck to fix.

Dawn’s ice was melting quicker than she could make it! It was nuts! Hat Kid annoyed Dawn most of the time with saying ‘peck’ but Dawn didn’t have time to fully argue as Bow Kid mediated and separated them too many times to count. At least they didn’t become enemies by the end of it, that was the good part.

After that, Dawn accidentally let her curiosity get the better of her and fall into a… rift thing? Hat Kid and Bow Kid went after her as they collected another Time Piece . Hat Kid called these ' 'Time Rifts' ' ; Time Pieces causing a ‘hiccup’ in timeline. At that moment Dawn was GLAD that she was a girl who’d played video games, otherwise she’d be lost in this kind of stuff. The world of the Time Rifts made sense and also didn’t make sense. After beating it they found another rift.

The first time Dawn accidentally lept into one, it was blue. This one was different, it was purple with a Mafia member in it. This looked to be a Time Rift that had its foundation constructed from memories, but not fully revealing what that memory was. 

It was peaceful, but what caught Dawn’s eye were… pages …? Were they storybook pages? Dawn raised an eyebrow as she grabbed the first one, it looked blurred like a picture that was taken and the camera fell over.

“Hey… uh- Hat? Bow? What are these?” Dawn showed the page to Hat Kid who took it from Dawn, looking at it with curiosity. Bow looked over the page as well. “I think… they’re pages recalling important or many important/key memories.” Dawn listened as Bow Kid hypothesized on the spot.

“I think… uhm- these storybook pages are a part of the Mafia members memories. Maybe we’ll be able to find out more clues on what happened here.” Hat Kid added the hypothesis, it sounded like the most likely scenario at the moment. Once the brief conversation ended, the trio ventured further into the Time Rift , collecting the storybook pages and traversing through all the memories. At the end, they finally got the Time Piece at the center of the problem. Now they had eight Time Pieces!  

After getting the Time Pieces , it was crazy how much energy they still had and how much they did in such a short amount of time. Later, the trio looked for tickets for a golden vault that had another Time Piece in it; and now they had nine of those Time Peices . Which was GREAT! “Whoo-wee. Man, that was nuts!” Hat chuckled as she pulled her top hat off, waving it in front of her face to cool down. “I think the sun beating down on us is making me hot. I don’t wanna show up to the set looking bad.” Hat Kid distressed. Her younger friend was then coming up with ideas on what could help. “Perhaps we can sit down for a moment before teleporting to the set?” Bow suggested.

Hat Kid hummed a swift as she mused at the idea. Dawn scavenged the area until an ice cream stand  caught her curious line of sight. There was a belief pause that welcomed a nostalgic idea, a question she’d often asked her family at Hat and Bow’s age every time she heard the all too familiar tune and bells of an ice cream stand.

“Hey guys, there’s an ice cream stand. Y’all wanna get some ice cream?” Both kids looked curious, they seemed to contemplate the idea. Hat Kid jittered with joy that she couldn’t contain. “Holy PECK! Yes PLEASE!” Dawn moaned, she couldn’t even yell “language!”  like she had before. It was a battle she had to lose. “It’s a thing you do in your dimension, right? I bet it’s delicious!” Bow grinned the most innocent smile she’d ever seen in the ribbon haired girl.

The trio grabbed ice cream from the stand, Dawn paying with the pons she’d collected along the way. “Thank you!” The trio grabbed their cold treats as they strolled away. Hat Kid got a cookie dough ice cream scoop, Bow got rocky road and Dawn got vanilla with some chocolate sauce on top. 

The trio sat at a bench with a wonderful view of the town, and the ocean! The town’s peaceful when there’s nothing going on, and it reminded Dawn of the streets back home. While enjoying the view and taking a minute to relax, Dawn felt her phone buzzing in her backpack.

“Hey, Dawn, your bag’s buzzing.” Hat Kid, with a face covered with ice cream pointed out. “Oh- shoot your right!” Dawn unzipped her bag as she picked up her phone: it was Benjamin. “Heya sis! I just wanted to check up on ya! And I’ve got Silvie here too!” Benjamin was joined by Dawn’s eldest brother, Silver, or in other words: Silvie. Silvie was wearing a teal green hoodie and his hair in a ponytail.

“Hey Dawn, how are you? Benjamin told me about what happened. How’s exploring so far?” Silvie asked, being highly inquisitive about where Dawn was. Dawn shrugged. “So far so good. We got uh- nine Time Pieces back? Yeah- that’s about right. We’re just eating before going to the movie studio.” Benjamin's face lit up.

“Movie studio!? Some of those things landed in a MOVIE STUDIO!?” Dawn gave a curt nod. “Yeah, DJ Grooves and Conductor. They put all three of us in their movies so we can get the Time Pieces back-!” “We also broke and snuck into the studio to get to them!” Hat Kid exclaimed with an ice cream covered face. It was a good thing Dawn had napkins. Benjamin's face went blank. Oh no- Dawn was in trouble now.

“You- SNUCK into the studio!? Did you get caught? Did anyone hurt you? If they did SO HELP ME I’ll yank them by whatever they have on!” Benjamin demanded in worry for Dawn’s safety. Silvie tried calming the dark haired boy down to no avail.

“Bends, it’s alright. She’s safe now.” Silvie reassured the goggled boy; Benjamin didn’t seem to buy it, not one bit. Which wasn’t helping any one of them at all. So all the 11-year old girl could do was nod with embarrassment, it was the least she could do when quelling her brother’s worries. “No one hurt me or should I say no one hurt us. And…” Dawn ran a hand though her thick brunette bangs, deciding to confirm what had transpired the other day. It was better than brushing it off and lying.

“And to confirm sneaking into the studio thing. I did… we did. But they had six Time Peices ! Three each. And we had to try to get them back. It was super nerve racking but mr. Grooves took care of big fines and helped us out. So he’s the better of the two.” Dawn calmly explained to her brothers, earning a nod from Silvie while Benjamin huffed a sigh of relief. “I see, I see. The other one doesn't sound like he’s the best I assume?” Bow moans, still irate with the owl conductor from the other day.

“The Conductor? He’s so mean spirited! He’s not nice and he yelled at us. I hope we don’t have to do anything too crazy on his set.” Bow angrily pouted, if Dawn was her she’d probably be pouting too. Silvie gave a light chortle, understanding her frustrations, if only a little bit. “It’s alright to feel frustrated, miss, also- I’m Silver! You can also call me Silvie ! Nice to meet you. I guess you’re Dawn’s new friends?” The silver haired boy affirmed. Bow Kid nodded, taking a bite of ice cream as Hat Kid eagerly answered the question, getting close to the camera. “Yeah! I’m Hat Kid! You can just call me Hat. And that’s Bow! It’s nice to meet you Silvie! Dawn told us about you!”

Silvie chuckled with a soft smile while Benjamin gave a sly grin towards the duo. “Well I’m glad Dawn told you about us. That’s very sweet of her. And it’s very lovely to meet you two girls. Whatever happens. I hope you’re careful, stay safe and have fun. I’ve never been to any of the movie sets myself but I hope to see one sometime!” Hat Kid chomped at her cold treat, only to get a MAJOR brain freeze!

The group laughed as Hat Kid was obviously not amused in the slightest. “You okay Hat?” Benjamin asked, making sure that she was okay. Hat Kid woozily nodded, slowly clenching her head as if to stabilize herself.

“Yeah- just coldddd … That didn’t feel good at all! That sucked.” “Brain freeze!” Dawn bursted out with a chuckle.

“Well- it sucks.” The group laughed as Hat eventually warmed up to laugh with them. “Can I do it again?” Dawn snorted as she bursted into laughter. “Don’t over-freeze missy. We need to get to a certain movie set.” Benjamin was amazed at how well Dawn was dealing with both of her new friends. “Have fun, call me when you’re done. Okay? And text Silv too! Alight?” Dawn rolled her eyes lovingly. “Yeah, yeah! I will Bends! Love ya big bro.” Benjamin gave a shark toothed grin. “Love ya too sis! Bye!” The call hung up as the crew looked at the view and finished their ice cream. 

Dawn noticed Hat Kid’s face, it was completely covered in ice cream. “Oh- Hat Kid. You’ve got somethin’ on your face. Here- lemme get that for ya.” Dawn grabbed a napkin as she wiped Hat Kid’s face. Hat Kid lightly protested, but she obliged as Dawn finished cleaning the ice cream off her checks.

“There.” Dawn smiled. “Now your face’s clean and no longer covered with cookie dough ice cream. Did you enjoy it though?” Hat Kid replied with a shy smile. “I did! Bow did too! Can we do that again sometime?” Dawn chuckled as Bow leaned into the duo. “Can we, Ice? Pleeeeaaasseee???” Dawn gave a swift nod of her head. How could she refuse?

“Alright- we can get ice cream again after both movies. How’s that sound?” Both Hat and Bow animated their excitement. “Yaaayyyyy!!!” Cheered Hat Kid and Bow Kid in joyous unison. A while later, they had some time before having to go to the studio, or in this case: the Conductor's train.

Dawn had only been on an “old fashioned” train about once or twice when the whole family was traveling to see their grandparents with a different kind of travel. Bow instructed Dawn on how to use the teleporter when teleporting on things that don’t stay in one place. It was tricky to figure it out, and eventually Dawn got it.

“Okay- so. It’s The name of the place and how many people? And not where you want to spawn? As in location?” Bow gave a courteous nod. Her purple-magenta eyes glistened into the snow queen’s emerald green ones. “On moving locations, it does that part for you.” Hat Kid added. Dawn sighed, swallowing her nervousness away. Coordinating her hands along the device, remembering what Bow told her to do the previous times. “Okay… now, away we go!” The girls were engulfed in the light Dawn was acquainted with by now. As soon as it covered them, they vanished. 

Location: Dead Bird Studios, moving set: Conductor’s Train

The trio landed on the caboose of the train. Hat Kid nearly tumbled off if it weren’t for Dawn grabbing her cape. Dawn then profusely apologized about the miscalculation to where Hat Kid forgave her many times. After the embarrassing apology, the trio looked around on the small platform they stood on. “WOAH! So this is the train!? IT'S SO COOL!”

They soon heard a gruff laugh. “It sure is lass.” The Conductor stood with an arm on the handrail. “Welcome back, lassie!” Bow gulped from nervousness. “Oh! Hey Conductor- uh- we made it on time! Just like ya asked! What- what’s up?” Dawn chortled as she glanced around nervously. “Nothin’ much at the moment lassie. But hey! Glad yer remembered to be on time. It’s a good quality to have, lass.”  The Conductor adjusted his hat a tad only to look at them again once more. “Haven’t written the script for me next movie yet, so we’re not recording!” Bow let out a MASSIVE sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness! I was worried… that uhm- that we’d have to memorize things on the spot. Dawn’s told us actors have had to do that before.” Bow explained as Hat Kid continued it.

“Yeah! Her parents from where she’s from work in the movie industry too!” The Conductor seemed to be impressed as he gave a grin. “Oh really? Well, that makes sense on how yer knew that information, lassie. But as for me script, I’ll call for yer when the script is ready.” Hat Kid gave a curt nod. “Yes sir! Okay! Com’on guys! Let's go!” Hat Kid opened the door as Bow stood there for a moment. Bow Kid was reasonably suspicious of him, but they didn’t have time to distrust the Conductor.

“Bow, you coming?” Dawn politely asked. Bow Kid sighed, looking back and then coming along with Dawn. “Yeah, let’s go.” The girls went inside only to be bombarded by a murder of tall crows. These crows were asking… very suspicious questions. Dawn didn’t like them one bit. Most of the questions felt very invasive but other questions were very simple. Even one with a secret message that was simple to solve. What kind of set was this? Did the Conductor lie about the script?

Traversing through the train was oddly nice. It was calm as the train ran on the tracks. The interior decor was also surprisingly pretty. It felt like something straight out of an old 80’s-90’s, maybe early 2000’s western movie.

The group went throughout the train until they got to the front of the train. It was in somewhat of an… audiopilot mode? But that wasn’t the most peculiar thing. What was peculiar was that there was a white box with a red ribbon tied on top in the middle of the room.

Hat Kid slowly approached the box, unwrapping the ribbon tied into a neat bow. Inside laid an old fashioned detective outfit. What was old was that it was just Hat Kid’s size. “A… an outfit?” Bow blurted out in bewilderment. She was most likely expecting something else.

“That’s not ANY outfit!” Dawn pointed out. “That’s a detective outfit!” Bow then put a hand on her chin. Something wasn’t right… and the trio KNEW that some things weren’t fully adding up. Why have a detective outfit here that was most likely going to be the outfit one of them would’ve worn in the movie, most likely Hat or Bow, and tell the actors that the script wasn’t written? Or that they weren’t recording today? It just didn’t make any sense.

“Do you think… he…” Bow Kid pondered as she squinted, thinking hard on what this could’ve meant.

“Lied… ?”

Dawn suddenly interjects, Hat Kid tilting her head in confusion. “Lied? Why’d you say that, Ice?” Dawn looked at the top hatted child.

“It… Nothing… It's nothing to worry about, top hat. I’m fine, really. It’s fine.” Dawn tried to cover up the stinging emotions from nearly a decade ago in her life. She had to shove it out, drown it out. She couldn’t let the poisonous stings of what lies had done to her resurface, not now.

She needs to be the oldest one here, for them and for herself. If she can’t do that, she might as well drown out and freeze with the crowd. Hat Kid slipped the outfit on over the clothes she had. Bow Kid helped her get some of it on, til all that was left was a detective’s cap that laid in the box. Dawn picked up the delicate hat, placing it on Hat Kid’s head.

“Okay- how do I look?” Hat spun as she fished for what her friends thought of the look. Bow placed her hands precariously together. “I think you look wonderful!” Bow announced, she then adjusted Hat Kid’s jacket, just a tad. Dawn grabbed her phone. “I think I can take a picture to show you what ya look like.” Hat Kid nodded profusely.

“Yeah! I’d love that!” Dawn toyed with a smile on her face as she took a picture of Hat Kid standing with Bow. They came around as Dawn showed how dashing Hat Kid looked. Hat Kid ran around, animating how much she loved it.

“Alright, now we can leave to get back to-!” A loud ringing noise echoed throughout the room. It sounded like it came from a telephone, an old-fashioned telephone with an interesting wait music. Music that was waiting for someone to pick up. But who? Who was calling? The phone eerily picked itself up as it sounded like it went to an instant voicemail.

“Is this the kid with the hat? I hope you liked my present… hehehe~” Hat Kid’s cheerful demeanor turned idle, the same kind of idle expression she used to mask her worry the first time they met. “Go to the back of the train. Your uncle’s sister has come to visit you .” Dawn gulped, her posture becoming more tense and ill-at-ease. “You better show your fam’ some love or I’ll be talking to a corpse next time.”

The mysterious caller that rang in disappeared without a trace as he had hung up on them. They didn’t even give any of them a chance to retort or question what was going on. Hat Kid subconsciously tugged on Bow’s jacket. The view around them was peaceful moments before, now it was uncomfortable to look outside at the lands stretched out for what looked like forever.

“It’s okay Hat. Whoever that was was probably messing with some of the equipment on set… I hope… they’re getting in trouble for that too.” Hat Kid’s confidence slowly returned. “You’re probably right. Let’s go back to the back of the train and see who’s messing with us.” Dawn opened the door leading to the other train cars. “After you! Little ladies first.” The kids chuckled at Dawn’s humorous joke that was meant to ease the tension in the air. Traversing through the train with the tension wasn’t an easy feat, but they managed to plow through it. Finally, they made it to the back of the train.

Dawn grabbed the doorknob, and suddenly her blood froze over. Something wasn't right here, she KNEW things weren’t adding up.

Shoving all her thoughts aside, Dawn slowly creaked the door open. Only to be greeted with a gruesome sight that made her face go white. This couldn’t be real, right? But her eyes didn’t deceive her as she stared at the floors stained in red, all red.

It was blood.

Blood from one of the express owls. An owl who’s dead corpse laid there limply, looming over was a cardboard cut-out of a woman standing over it. Hat Kid turned a nasty shade of green, soon leaving the next car to vomit in the sink.

Bow on the other hand let out a blood curdling scream. Dawn swallowed upcoming bile and vomit. If she could, she’d run out of the room to vomit just by the mere sight of a corpse. The scream Bow had made attracted everyone to the scene. The Conductor even looked like he was taken aback by the horrendous sight.

“A-a murder!? On MY Owl Express!?” Dawn would laugh at the way he said “murder” but now wasn’t the time to jest. This felt like a cruel prank, a sick joke. Who in the world would let someone die on their movie set?! Why would anyone want to do this in the first place?

Hat Kid hushed Bow Kid as her eyes stung from crying. The top hatted child was shaken up from the whole ordeal, the bow-wearing child was also shaken from it, but Dawn knew something she could do. She grabbed at the sleeves of her jacket and untied it from her waist, wrapping it around the ribbon haired girl to comfort her. The snowflake-clipped girl knew Bow Kid was scared from what had just happened, she couldn’t blame her.

She couldn’t blame Hat for trying to stay strong for Bow either, Dawn was doing the same. However; both her and Hat knew it might be best if Bow stayed outside of the room where the body was, the same went for Hat who left thinking she was going to puke. Dawn was suspicious of what was going on.

There was something more- no… there WAS more than meets the eye and what you could see on a first glance. But what? What was it? What drawed Dawn in to find out what happened? Was it her being suspicious or something else? Clearly the Conductor should be sued after this ordeal.

“I can’t believe someone would murder one of the Express Owls!” The Conductor exclaimed looking at the express owl on the ground. The Conductor then turned to the trio. Hat Kid stood next to Bow, expressionlessly staring at the owl. “And I can’t believe even more that it’s yer uncle’s sister!” Bow squeezed Dawn’s jacket even tighter.

Dawn’s expression became unreadable from irritation. Geez, talk about rubbing salt in the wound. But… she couldn’t blame his ignorance, he didn’t know them like she did.

The Conductor turned to the woman in the cardboard cut-out. “What do you have to say for yerself?!” The Conductor demanded, only to have no reply. Albeit he was talking to a person that didn’t exist. It rubbed Dawn the wrong way, in a sense that was another form of lying, something she deeply loathed. “Oh. Yer givin’ me the quiet treatment, Eh?! That’s what a murderer do!” The Conductor exaggerated the word “murder” once more. It rolled until he finished what he had to say.

The express owls looked nervous as they stood behind the cardboard cut-out. Dawn was about to rebuttal, only for something unexpected to happen. “Leave this case to us.” A low gruff voice announced. Hat Kid and Dawn turned to see it was the murder of crows, the same murder of crows that asked all of those peculiar and invasive questions.

“We’re CAW, the Crow Agent Watch . We’ve been montering everyone on this train since the last station.” The crow at the front of the flock explained. “We’ll be searching the entire train for evidence. No one is allowed to go outside of this wagon.”

The snow queen’s eyes widened before scowling in rage. Hearing the last part of what the slender crow said made Dawn want to rip all his feathers out. Bow needed to be away from the body! Not trapped with it! Even if she wanted to investigate with them, she was in no condition to do so at the moment.

“Excuse me, EXCUSE ME?! I’m sorry but you can’t KEEP us here!” Dawn fumed, opening her arms as she protested. The Conductor stomped his foot harshly on the ground.

“WHAT?! I can’t even walk around in me own train!?” The Conductor then let out a low growl in frustration. “How dare yer!” For once, Dawn agreed with the owl.

How dare they keep them locked up here with a corpse. It’s as if they planned the murder themselves!

“Once the clock hits midnight , we’ll get off at the station with the murderer in cuffs.” Hat Kid bit her lip, her cheeks were becoming red, and if she could, steam would be coming out of her ears from anger. She was angry that they were going to be kept in here, even after Bow reacted the way she did. The crows brushed away all their concerns as they expressionlessly stared at them all. “Stay here while we investigate further.” The CAW agents left one by one, until nothing of the flock was left. Tch, Jerks.

After the door slammed shut, Dawn kicked the door, only to find it wasn’t the best idea. She was furious, she was LIVID. They didn’t have the right to do this! Bow was taken by Hat to sit near the door, just so she didn’t have to see the body.

Dawn went over to one of the express owls, mainly the one who’d lost his contact lense in the VIP lounge. He stressed that he didn’t want anyone stepping on it, but Dawn asked him if he could sit by Bow in the meantime while they talked with the Conductor.

The express owl obliged as he walked over to sit by Bow. “Thank you sir… we’ll be back in a bit. Just make sure no one in this room hurts her, got it?” Hat Kid had a serious expression on her face as both of her hands were placed on her hips. The owl nodded. “Y-yes ma’am.” He replied as the duo went to the Conductor. He groaned until he saw the duo.

 “Oh! Lassies! Thank goodness both of yer came over here.” The Conductor looked directly at both of them. His short but broad stature was straight as he adjusted his hat from his frustration. “Is the ribbon wearing lass alright? I wouldn’t assume that she is lass.” Hat sighed. “One of the owls is sitting with her by the door. I made sure to let him know that I wouldn’t tolerate anything happening to Bow.” Hat Kid affirmed sternly, folding her arms as she spoke with a quip and serious tone. Hat Kid’s ocean eyes were overflowing with questions she wanted to know the answers to.

“Those… CAW agent fellas don’t seem to be very reliable.” Dawn nodded as the Conductor started another hissy fit. “Ggr… Those CAW peck-necks can’t tell me what to do! I bet they committed the murder, and are destroying all the evidence!” Dawn furrowed her brow in agreement, as much as she didn’t want to agree, he could’ve been right. “That… murder of crows have been real sketchy since the moment we stepped onto this train…” The Conductor pondered, looking to where the crows had left. “Here, why don’t ye do us a favor and investigate? That was originally apart of what I wanted in me script but then- a MYURRRDERRRRRRRRR happened on MY Owl Express!” Dawn would’ve chuckled, but the atmosphere was so intense and nerve-racking that it was suffocating.

It sucked all the laughter she wanted to make at that moment. Whoever the murder was wouldn’t be getting off this train without being caught red handed first. 

Dawn took a glance at Bow, who huddled her knees under her cozy jacket by the door. Dawn sighed as she looked at the owl. “Okay. We’re gonna go though the train, and not get spotted and look for what we can find. See if it’s CAW that did it. And if it is then they’ll be sorry.” Dawn summed up the plan in its rawest form, only thing to do now was to execute it. Hat Kid and Dawn strode to the door that exited out of the caboose.

But before they left, Hat Kid went to Bow and whispered something to her as she gave her a tight hug. It felt wrong leaving her behind here, but they knew Bow wouldn’t be as much of help as she normally would be, which was normally a lot. Mustache girl wasn’t wrong when she said Bow was the brains of the operation when it came to avoiding anyone’s visible line of sight. Bow was also the one that kept them grounded. So without her, investigating was going to be a challenge.

The duo left the train car into the next one. Traversing through the train and avoiding CAW at all costs. They had a lot to find, but not a lot of time. The train was spacious, it had many places anyone or any bird could go to. Using Dawn’s powers, they slowly made their way hand in hand though the train. They found one case file that had the Conductor as a suspect. Slowly walking out of the room, making sure no crow saw them.

They unlocked another room that wasn’t accessible before. It unlocked with ease as Dawn let Hat Kid slip though. Soon as they entered, the phone started ringing once more.

“So you think you can just sneak around the train like this? ” The unknown voice reprimanded. Dawn frowned, furrowing her brow with a clenched fist. “ Just drop the detective act. You’ll never catch the real murderer… hehehehe! ” The voice cackled to the duo’s dismay. “You can’t point your finger at someone without clues. The clock is ticking. Will you be able to find enough clues to point your finger at the murderer?” *CLICK* the phone hung up once more.

“You’ll never catch the real murderer- bullcrap! We will catch them!” Dawn finished mimicking the phone call as Hat Kid snickered. “Hahahahaha… heheheh!” Dawn started to laugh as Hat Kid snickered more. Laughing was healthy, and right now? They might as well need a good laugh. 

Dawn then thought of a joke to lighten the mood before they continued onward. “Hey, Hat? Do ya know why they don’t spell dark with a ‘C’?” Hat Kid tilted her head. “Nope, I don’t have a clue.” Dawn smirked. “Cause you can’t C in the dark.” Hat Kid snorted as soon as she got the joke.

“Ayeeeeeee!!!!” Dawn did finger guns with a goofy expression on her face. If there was one medicine Dawn knew worked in times of peril, it was laughter. Hat and Dawn traversed the train for more clues. Surely there must’ve been something they could find, right? 

Sneaking through the train and going into a room filled with luggage, the duo find things that can be used for a hat, Hat Kid hadn’t used yet. Dawn made it for her and Bow before heading out, the ice hat . Dawn got something similar with the brewing backpack which was nice to have. She didn’t have an ice variant yet but she still had her ice powers.

The more leftover case files and clues Dawn found the more she suspected two groups in particular but now they found a button that lowered the crow keeping watch on a metal door. As soon as he was lowered, they took the chance to dash across, Hat Kid barely making it but being pulled up by Dawn. Trust was key in this investigation. When going into the room, they stumbled upon a huge murder of crows, chatting away and taking notes but it was all just noisy commotions.

An elevated platform moved up and down and they took the chance to take the lift to avoid more suspicion. There were more doors and blueprints. This place was jam-packed with possible clues! They went through the door there was and another phone started to ring. 

“You don’t give up, do you?” The ominous voice spoke through the phone.

“It seems the only way I can get rid of you… is to make you run out of time.” If Dawn could see them, she knew they would’ve had a wicked smile on their face. “So here’s a fun time-eater: this thing has gotten itself in an unusual situation. It’s hanging onto a thin rope for dear life, just above a wood cutting machine. What an odd coincidence!” The dual looked up to see a cardboard dog hanging by a thin but thick string. It wasn’t hanging on for dear life, it was a prop.

“What are you going to do? Save it from becoming saw dust, or figure out who the murderer is?” *CLICK* the phone hung up once more. Dawn was livid. Whoever this was, not only murdered one of the Express Owls but is tampering with the Conductor’s set, how inconsiderate! How vile! Dawn begrudgingly knew what they had to do, they had to save a fake dog from impending doom.

Some of the crows blocked their way but they used the gigantic gears as cover to hide from view. After setting off temporary floating platforms that fell under pressure and running away from a murder of crows, they eventually got to the top as they yanked the leaver to stop the machine. The cardboard dog was returned to the ground safe and sound. “Okay- we got up here- but how are we going to get down?” Hat Kid then got an idea as she ran with Dawn.

“Hat- kid what are DOING-!” They jumped as Hat Kid’s umbrella opened to soften their fall. Dawn squeezed her eyes as Hat Kid looked at her unamused. “Wow. That was anticlimactic.” Dawn then looked at Hat Kid as she snickered.

“Ha-ha. Very funny.”  Hat Kid swiftly picked up another file. Now they were getting somewhere. Traversing through the second door they heard them cackling away and wandering in circles. The room’s floor was covered in molten lava, one wrong move and it was over!

Making their way through, they finally found the key hopefully leading to their next case file with evidence. Going through the room again, they went to the lounge at the far side of the room. Hat Kid and Dawn decided to split up. Dawn noticed a sunna that might have a clue she could get and a case file Hat Kid could grab, she was small enough to go unnoticed by the flock that roamed around aimlessly for clues.

Dawn slipped into the hot sunna, seeing a key at the end of it. She was able to grab it unnoticed by the owls unaware of what had happened. Hat Kid and Dawn regrouped with more evidence. “Who do you think did it, Hat?” Dawn whispered, Hat didn’t respond. “I… I don’t know Ice.” Hat Kid murmured anxiously, struggling to remain neutral.

“I think we have enough before we go to the locked room at the top and get back to Bow. See if there’s a Time Rift like last time, okay?” Hat Kid smiled, remembering the last Time Rift . “Okay. That sounds good.” The duo made their way to activate an elevated platform that would be able to take them to the metal door awaiting at uptop. 

After that: they stood on the elevated platform taking them up to the metal doors that read: KEEP OUT. The doors sounded mechanically with a hum, giving them access to the other side. This room was the creepiest of all. In the front and center of the room was the case file, but behind it was a blueprint chat of Hat Kid. Hat Kid took the case file and peaked inside. Dawn saw the young girl’s face go pale as she dropped the case file. “H-how do they- how do th-they…” Hat Kid stuttered, barely getting out a sentence. Dawn was anxious now, she took one look at the case file. There, in plain sight, was a photo of Hat Kid.

“They’re suspecting… you did this?” Dawn coldly said, Hat Kid panicked even more. “B-but I-I didn't! I-I d-didn't I swear! We b-barely got on the train when th-the murder happened! I would never hurt someone! I-it goes against everything I stand for! I would n-never…” Hat Kid panicked, begging, pleading for Dawn to believe that she'd never do something like this. “I would never hurt anyone like this…” Hat Kid started to shake with uncontrollable fear. Dawn took the girl into her arms.

“Hey, hey. Look at me. I believe you, Hat. I’ve been with you long enough to know… you’d never kill someone. And WHOEVER thinks that you would kill someone is aboutta get their feathers RIPPED out and standing privileges without being knocked out by a kid TAKEN! I’ll sue them! I will! They are SCREWED . You hear me? SCREWED !” 

Hat Kid’s eyes started to shake as she hugged Dawn back tightly, the detective hat falling off her head. “Ice, I’m scared…! I don’t wanna be accused for s-something I didn't do… I-I’m innocent. I don’t… I don’t wanna die.” Dawn was taken aback by her pleas, but eventually held her closer. “I won’t let them hurt you. They won’t get the chance.” Hat Kid let go as she gave a smile. Dawn grabbed her detective hat as she placed it back on her head. “We started this, so we’re gonna end it. Okay?” Dawn gave her tender smile, the same one she gave when they met. Then, a loud clock rang once, twice, then thrice, four times and more times after that.

Time was up, yet it felt like it was less time than that.

They traversed back though the train unnoticed. Only to see a blue Time Rift in the lounge where crows were laughing, perhaps they could go there with Bow after this. Hat Kid gently opened the door, only to be greeted by Bow Kid. “Hattie! Dawn!” She quickly pulled both of them into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re alright!” The Conductor then cleared his throat. “Welcome back lassies, got everythin’?” The Conductor asked as both Dawn and Hat showed the case files, only for the murder of crows, CAW to come into the room done with their ‘search.’ “So, who dun it?!” The Conductor boomed in a commanding voice. 

The flock said nothing, then replied with: “We don’t know. We couldn’t find any conclusive evidence. We have no idea who murdered this owl.” Dawn let out a dark scoff, staring them down without even blinking. The Conductor then growled. “What! So you’ve done peck all to solve this case?!” Dawn continued to stare at the murder of crows, never taking her eyes off of them.

“You’ve done nothing but frick off during this case. Hat and I have done MOST of the work, JERKWADS!” The crows seemed to back away from Dawn’s hissing. She was hissing like an irate cat that needed to protect someone in the pack from the enemy.

“Who’s the murderer? Which one of you did it?” The Conductor demanded in a booming voice. Dawn gave a dirty look at the Crows, all the evidence has been pointing to them. It’s their fault. “Okay: here’s what I believe is the truth of the case.” Dawn started with. Strolling around to the body. “This owl was on the train, and was lured by something. They must’ve known that the Conductor wasn’t recording today but they ALSO would’ve known he hadn’t finished his script yet.” Dawn explained, being matter of fact.

 “Continuing from what Dawn said… the culprit took the opportunity to grab a knife from the kitchen the next cart over… and they must’ve lured him with something loud. Like… laughter maybe?” Then it hit them, this had to have been the murderer.

“The smell of blood… the… holy frick.” The Conductor’s face lit up. “What? What is it, lass?! Who dun it?” Dawn took a deep breath. “The case files were made BY CAW. They had Hat Kid in their files. Their laughter is LOUD enough to draw in a victim, yet the more we’ve stood here… we haven’t smelled the actual sickly sweet smell of blood.” Hat Kid’s eyes widened.

“So that means…” Dawn pointed her finger at CAW. “The culprit, the one who’s committed this crime and messed with this case, was NONE OTHER: than the ‘detectives’ themselves! The Crow Agent Watch! They have the sheer numbers to be in multiple places at once! They even share a voice and the technology to pull off such a feat!” The room let out a gasp. “The crows did it?!” The Conductor exclaimed with shock. CAW didn’t respond. None of the flock responded.

“G-give it up CAW! It’s over!” Bow interjected. The crow at the front sighed. “It’s true.” Were the words that left the crow’s beak. The Conductor seemed to stammer trying to come up with something, anything to say toward this revelation. “But… why? Why murder one of the Express Owls?” The Conductor asked, baffled by the entire situation.  

“Look, there isn’t a lot of bird-related crime going on. Us CAW agents were gonna be out of work in weeks!” One crow distressed. “You can’t imagine how crammed it is for several dozen birds to live in a single one-room apartment!” Another from the flock exclaimed as the plan unfolded. “We needed some crime to solve in order to get paid! So we stabbed him with the rubber knife and left him for dead.”

Dawn’s face then paled, did he just say the knife was… a RUBBER knife!?

A dark laugh bubbled from Dawn’s lips. “Ahahaha… I-I’m sorry… WHAT!? ” The Conductor seemed to share Dawn’s reaction.

“Wuzzah what? RUBBER knife?!” Everyone on the train car then heard the ‘dead’ owl speak. “Yeah, can I go now? I’m kinda sore from playing dead for so long.” He stood with the fake knife still protruding from him.

“This rubber knife is also a bit uncomfortable.” Bow noticed that Hat Kid looked deathly pale. “Hat- you okay?” Hat Kid’s swallowed hard. “I think I’m gonna be sick… Eeehh—! ” Hat Kid fell over as Bow rushed to catch her. The poor kid nearly fainted!

Dawn bolted to Hat Kid’s side, feeling extremely worried about her well-being. “Hat? Top Hat! Hat Kid! Hey- hey, hey. Look, look at me, hey. It’s okay. Don’t faint on us.” Dawn then rushed to get something out of her backpack, it was a water bottle. “Here.” Hat Kid opened her eyes, instantly taking the water bottle for herself, sucking it down until it was enough to not feel sick. “Gah… ah.. thanks.” Hat thanked with a breathy statement, water slightly trickling from the side of her mouth, not that any of them cared; all that mattered was that she was okay. Bow teared up, beaming with a smile.  She was relieved that Hat was okay.

“No problem Hattie.” The Conductor then approached the trio. “Well, thanks for solving the murder, lassy. Not only did you reveal the murderer, but you also reveals that the victim was never harmed.” The Conductor explained, Dawn sighed in relief, she was about to give a response… until: “…and you gave us some intense footage for the movie!”

That statement alone made Dawn’s blood boil. Oh, he did NOT just say what she thought he heard him say. Their wordless response only allowed the owl to continue what he was saying. “What? You think I’d let a murder happen on MY Owl Express? Think again! It was all just a setup for my newest Owl Expeess movie: Murder on the Owl Express!” He then gave a curt hurrah; showing he was proud of what he had accomplished today.

“You think DJ peck neck will make a movie that’s remotely as good? I think not!” Dawn then gave a low growl to the owl. Her eyes brimming with rage. “Footage!? Movie!? You LIED to our faces! You said that you hadn’t even finished your script and that was so the footage of your movie was- GGGGRRRRRR! I can’t believe you!” Dawn hissed to the Conductor’s surprise, taken aback by the girl’s sudden outburst. He then pulled out the Time Peice, keeping the tone from before yet his pride was somewhat starched. “Here, take this thingamajig and get outta here!” Dawn took the Time Piece angrily.

“Gladly! Screw that footage, I don’t wanna be in the same room as a vile, dirty liar! I hate liars! We’re out of here!”

Dawn stormed out with the kids following soon after. She huffed heavily as she put her hands on her knees. “Heh… heh…” Hat Kid and Bow Kid came to Dawn’s aid. Dawn watched Hat Kid take her detetive jacket and hat off: placing it on the ground, only to put her original top hat precariously on her head. Bow Kid then took Dawn’s jacket off and tied it on her waist. She wasn’t tall enough to put it on her shoulders and neither was Hat Kid. Dawn looked down at Bow kid as she knelt down to their level.

“I… *sigh* I’m sorry for blowing my top off… I shouldn’t have-!” Bow held her hand with a shushing gesture, shushing Dawn’s doubt. “No, no, no and no.” Bow firmly quipped, her purple-magenta eyes no longer showing fear. “You did something for me today, so now I’m doing something for you two.” The bow-wearing child sharply inhaled, only to softly exhale afterwards, opening her soft eyes that were willing to help.

Bow then fancied at the blue Time Rift. It’s endless possibilities and wonders of what could’ve been created inside. “You two helped me when I needed it most. You helped Hattie when she needed it, you both helped me when I needed it… sooooo-!” Bow then spun, hopping from one foot to another as she graced a bright smile. “Why don’t we go in the Time Rift to get the heck outta here? I’m pretty sure we can find another one at the studio when heading to Mr. Grooves’ Moon Penguin Set! How does that sound?” Hat Kid seemed enthralled by the idea, Dawn was happy to see them this way, they were done with being on the train, so going somewhere else sounded great. “Sure girlboss, lead the way.”

Hat Kid took Bow Kid’s hand and sped off, Dawn being towed along with them, giggling and full of laughter.

Location: Blue Time Rift

In the time rift it was beautiful, with its clock towers in the distance and the light melody that played and even the feeling of being underwater. Even then they moved slightly there were bubbles. “Woah… this place… NEVER fails to amaze me.” Hat Kid mused a chipper response. “Yeah, it’s like we’re underwater! look!” Bow Kid waves her arms and swung her legs, Bow was right; bubbles swayed with her every move, as though it were a dance. “And look at your pigtails Dawn! They’re standing up slightly!” Hat Kid points out with a mischievous grin. Dawn looked at her hair and Hat Kid was right! They were swaying up as if they were underwater. Dawn gleamed with awe, chucking with a soft grin. “This place could be called Clocktowers Beneath the Sea .

“Man, Time Rifts can manifest into whatever they want and still turn out beautiful. I’m glad we came here.” The trio sat in silence, the distant melody playing soothing them like a music box. 

“ So… now that we’re gonna head to the next set… Dawn, Bow, have any plans?” Dawn leaned back, looking up at the neverending starry sky of the Time Rift. The sky felt so safe, so blissful that Dawn wished she could stay here, right in this moment forever. Yet she knew that would never be the case. They’d have to go on with today, whether she wanted to or not, today still needed to end.

“Hey guys. Can I tell y’all something really weird? Crazy-cool weird?” Hat and Bow stared at Dawn before they both gave a courteous, yet confused nod to Dawn’s question wordlessly. “Okay- uh… I’ve uhm… had dreams that don’t feel like dreams. Like they’re real and the place exists in the real world. And I’ve met this cool guy whose head is shaped like the moon among the stars. He calls himself Moonjumper , yet he seems to have known about me and even you two. And we haven’t spoken to anyone but the Mafia goons, the Mafia Boss, Cookie and the Badge Seller. And his eyes looked like the Badge Seller’s for a moment which sounds kinda dumb but I don’t think it’s just that convenient.” Dawn finished her ramble. Hat Kid suddenly bonked Dawn with her top hat, dragging her back to reality.

“Ah- hey!” Hat Kid giggled with a snort, her hands now on her hips. “No need to be overthinking that, dummy! He’s probably really nice if he wants to help. It’s good you have someone to talk to! Maybe we can meet him sometime!” Dawn smiled at Hat Kid and Bow Kid.

“Yeah! I bet he’s cool!” Dawn then giggled at Bow’s comment. “Yeah, I bet you’d like him. Now, come on, let’s go.” Dawn suddenly tagged Hat Kid. “TAG! You’re it! Race ya to the Time Peice !” “HEY! Get back here!” Bow Kid jokingly protested. “Hey no fair! You got a head start! Com’on!” Hat Kid blurted out as the trio began to race.

Gleeful laughter was made until another Time Piece was in their possession: that makes ten Time Peices . After the triumph, the girls teleporter away to Dead Bird Studios to get to DJ Groove’s Moon Penguin Set.

Dawn pondered the kind of movie they were going to do, what roles they’d play. What would they look like on the big screen? Dawn hoped they looked wondrous! Besides the Conductor's movie which she hoped doesn’t do well ( for obvious reasons.) Soon they found another Time Rift going though backstage and more of those storybooks that they needed to read! Geez some of them just liked to give out “free information”! After all of that, they waited to be called by Grooves in the waiting room, that was until Dawn dozed off from exhaustion. 

Location: The Horizon , Moonjumper’s Gazebo

Dawn awoke in the familiarity and comfort of The Horizon as she now sat on the steps of the Gazebo. “Ah! Dawn! So great to see you!” Moonjumper sang out gleefully. “You look exhausted dear, rough day?” Moonjumper came round with a basket of miscellaneous colored flowers tucked over his left arm. Dawn smiled as she looked at the moon spirit. “Hey MJ. It’s great to see ya.” Moonjumper looked taken by surprise.

“M… J? Why is that nickname for me dearie?” Dawn gleefully giggled, her rosy cheeks against her warm perplexion never looked warmer. “Yep! It’s a nickname! My sister does it all the time! I just picked it up from her. And I thought you’d like the nickname because you know-  MJ, Moonjumper? I thought you’d like it!” Moonjumper gave a warm grin and shook his head, though it wasn’t out of disapproval. “No, I love it, sweet child.” Dawn grinned as she looked at the miscellaneous array of flowers.

“My house has a garden with flowers back at home, some are even these colors!” Moonjumper chortled. “Well, it must certainly be an exquisite garden your family has dearie.” Moonjumper began to stroll around the Gazebo, fiddling with a red string in his right hand. Dawn caught up with her friend, curious about the string. “Hey… um…I’ve seen these all over, I’ve even seen you hang up those bug stars with them; are they-” “Mine?” Moonjumper interrupted, completing the girl's question.

“Well- yes and no. I can control them, create and manipulate them but most of the strings were here when I was created.” Dawn inquisitively listened, nodding as she did, then had an idea. “Wait- if you can manipulate them- could you use them as weapons or even make anything you want out of them?” Moonjumper chuckled with a nod. “That is correct. I don’t use it to attack unless I’m threatened by someone who wishes to cause me harm.”

Dawn then thought of something as they strolled to the other side of the gazebo, gazing through the vast valley of lavish trees, open groves and a waterfall that gushed water into the nearby lake. The dock looked like a nice place to sit and maybe play around. “MJ, do you think you could make a swing with your strings? Sorry it was the first thing I thought of.” Moonjumper let out a boisterous laugh. It was the loudest laugh from the moon spirit thus far. Suddenly Moonjumper manipulated the strings to create a swing on the gazebo. It looked like a yoga swing that reminded Dawn of the one she had at home.

“Ah-ha! WOW!” Dawn jumped in excitement. She immediately went to it and started to swing, Moonjumper was then astonished when the snowflake-clipped girl flipped upside down and looked at him as if the “swing” were silk drapes. Moonjumper clapped with his own amusement. “Oh my! I didn’t know you knew how to do such a thing! Such flexibility!” Dawn unraveled until she was sitting back down. “Welp! The more ya know.” Dawn giggled as Moonjumper placed the basket of flowers on the gazebo’s finely polished steps. Moonjumper then started to push Dawn as she giggled when she went though the breeze. Moonjumper seemed to have nostalgia by doing this, he must’ve done this with many kids before Dawn but Dawn loved it. Bella used to do this with her and Benjamin in their backyard. They used to race and play on the swings and go down the slide, chase each other and play tag. And after that they’d bake and tell stories and pretend to go on insane adventures, go to friends houses and have fun.

This moment, in a place that made her feel just as safe, The Horizon, being pushed on a makeshift swing and being having the wind blow through her hair and a smile on her face. It felt just like home.

Afterwards Dawn and Moonjumper had the tea from last time. Dawn truly loved the sweet blueberry tea, and if kids from that place liked it. It's no wonder why Moonjumper likes making it! “Hey Moonjumper. I have a question.” Moonjumper looked up at the girl, nodding.

“Sure. What’s your question, dear Dawn?” Dawn took a sip of tea to calm her nerves, washing them all away as she opened her emerald eyes. “This place, The Horizon. How long has this place been around? How long have you been around?” Moonjumper seemed taken aback once more by the girl’s inquisitive nature. “Oh, my… let me see…” Moonjumper pondered with a chained hand adjusting his broken monocle. He thought, and thought, only to come up blank.

“I… don’t know when The Horizon was created to be honest with you, dearie. I don’t know how I came to be either. I don’t know who my creators are or where I came from. Though, I know I was created during Subcon’s prime 300 years ago.” Dawn’s mouth opened with awe. “So you don’t know who your parents or creators are? That’s awful. I’m sorry about that MJ… but- That brings up another question. This place can be accessed from the real world as well, right? I assume it can be accessed by going into that Subcon Forest place… right?” 

Moonjumper hesitated; it was as though he’d be putting her at risk if she dared trying to enter The Horizon from the real world. Moonjumper placed a hand on her shoulder. “Dawn. Listen to me.” Moonjumper affirmed with a shaky voice. “This place can be accessed from both the dreamworld and the real one but… this place: You must NEVER come here in the real world, EVER. It lies in Subcon and Subcon isn't what it used to be. This is after the fall when… wh-when… they… she…” Moonjumper paused, trembling from fear.

“Hey.” Dawn pulled Moonjumper back to reality as he looked at her, Dawn pulled him into a gentle hug. “You don’t need to tell me. It’s okay, whatever happened… I won’t go to Subcon… I’ll try not to. And whatever happens, even if I end up going by accident… I’ll do my best to get out.” Moonjumper looked on the verge of tears. He hugged Dawn back tightly, caressing her head and stroking her hair as if to not only comfort Dawn, but himself as well. The snowflake-clipped girl didn't struggle, she didn’t need to. Dawn just let it happen; Moonjumper needed it.

After the hug unraveled, Dawn started to weave a flower crown for Moonjumper with the flowers he’d picked. A “crown fit for a king” is what she called it at the moment. Moments later Dawn had to leave, a string leading her back. Dawn gave one last hug as Moonjumper led the girl back to her body; waving with one last goodbye.

“Darling, darling!” Dawn opened her eyes to a familiar Penguin, DJ Grooves. Bow and Hat were shaking her as Dawn felt disoriented. “Eh.. Grooves? Guys?” Dawn felt squished as both kids hugged her. “Geez you’re a heavy sleeper. Guess what happened before really wore you out, huh?” Hat Kid lightly complained, placing her head on Dawn’s shoulder. Dawn yawned as she nodded to answer Hat Kid’s question.

“Yeah… I-I’m sorry.” Bow then hushed the oldest in the group. “Hey. No need to apologize, the Conductor’s insane film without telling us anything must’ve drained you the most.” Bow affirmed. DJ Grooves then let out a dramatic yet somewhat genuine gasp. “Oh my, oh my. He did that!?” Dawn lazily nodded, rubbing her eyes.

“Yeah, he did… It sucked. I thought someone died and it was pretty dirty. He had good intentions, just not… good methods.” Grooves pushed back his giant star glasses, displeased. “ Oooohh ggh, that Condutor. I didn’t think he’d go this low. Truly I didn’t, darling. Perhaps what we have to offer here is a lighter experience for you.”

Dawn smiled at the penguin’s generosity, even if he was blunt and had a huge ego. But the thing Dawn liked is that he cared and was passionate about what he did. “Thank you Grooves.” Dawn stood as she stretched. “How long was I out for? 15 minutes?” “Actually make that 30.” Hat Kid blurted out. Dawn stopped in her stretch. “WHA- 30 minutes!?” Bow chuckled, rubbing her arm. “Yeah, 30 minutes. But it’s alright. Grooves let you sleep since Hattie and I fell asleep for less time than you did. Maybe 12 minutes? But besides that- that gave them enough time to set up the set!” Dawn sighed in relief. “Well that’s wonderful! Gosh I bet the set’s dazzling!” The kids opened a door to Groove’s set, the real set. The Moon Penguin Set.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, Moon Penguin Set

“Welcome to the first day of shooting darling!” DJ Grooves announced with a boisterous welcome. The set was so glamorous! So gorgeous! It was like a gigantic city! Or a spectacular town square! “We need to transform you into the biggest movie stars the bird world has ever seen!” DJ Grooves then struck an exaggerated pose. “You need to become… a diva!” Dawn chuckled as Bow clapped her hands together. Hat Kid beamed with excitement, a diva? That sounded thrilling! “So- how are we gonna do that?” Bow inquired, her curiosity being at its peak.

Grooves gave a flamboyant grin. “That’s why I’ve called for a press conference on our moon set! You need to get out there in front of the cameras, and electric Idk the public, darling! Get’em up and going for your movie!” DJ Grooves announced as his infectious charisma oozed out with the inflection. Hat Kid squealed and bounced in place, she was ecstatic about it all! This was a whole 180 of how they were treated like they were on the Conductor’s set. The colors are so bright and fun and even the music that played from the speakers made Dawn wanna get down and dance! “That’s so SWAG! It sounds amazing DJ Grooves! What comes after that? What’s part 2? Com’on! I gotta know now!” Dawn questioned eagerly. She was ready to have fun during this.

“Once you’ve got them going crazy, come back here and we’ll show off our newest prop! That’s right. We’ll unravel our new movie prop to the masses!” The trio instantly knew it was the Time Piece he was referring to, yet at this moment, they were going to focus on having a little fun.

Going off of the stage DJ Grooves stood on as the trio traversed the moon set. They said hi to the many penguins off the stage as they went wild over their presence. It felt like a very much needed rush of adrenaline. Hat Kid ran in front of a camera, she obviously wasn’t ready by the time it flashed in their faces. Dawn and Bow were taken aback by the flash as well. Soon they were thanked by the photographer who left. She hoped that wasn’t the picture they picked as a heading of a news article or something.

“Uh- don’t put that in anything! That wasn’t my best angle!” Dawn jested, boosting the group's confidence. Soon they approached the water fountain with a fake dog sitting uptop. Hat Kid grabbed an odd token as it seemed to call the flashy Penguin. “You called, darling? Looks like it’s endorsement time!” DJ Grooves then came to them lickety-split! Dawn wasn’t alarmed but astonished. “All you penguins out there know my name… DJ Grooves ! And I’m telling you, this young girl here is the next hot thing. Guaranteed!” DJ Grooves spun around as he pointed to the dog above them.

“Just look, as she’ll climb this statue and rescue the poor puppy that has gotten stuck! Right, darling?” Hat Kid grinned as she completed the feat. “Look at that! She helped the puppy down, safe and sound! Too bad it ran off, and definitely didn’t break into multiple pieces.” The dry humor made Dawn chuckle. She understood the joke as soon as he said it. “This is truly a diva I can get behind. Let it be known that this lill’ girl is all about animals!” DJ Grooves then spoke into his microphone.

“Make sure you join her fan club! DJ Grooves… out!” Dawn watched Hat Kid catch herself with her umbrella. Soon they ran all throughout the place! Getting more endorsements, like standing to potential wrongdoers but having danger as their middle name with words of encouragement. More collecting pons and yarn. Even more fun and silly photos! Some even looked fantastic! Dawn even got a chance to show off her wondrous powers to the public! They were having a blast going though the place. 

The next endorsement was at a stand with a fish laid across the table. Grooves came just like he had before. “Now darling I have to mention this. Cooking show hosts have a terrible track record of getting angry and swearing on-screen. Try not to use the p-word, OK? Don’t say p-e-c-k.” Dawn nearly keeled over wheezing and dying from laughter.

Oohh how was Hat gonna respond to that? “The Conductor is old fashioned. He throws it around a lot. It’ll get him in trouble some day! Until then, let’s keep our show clean.” Grooves then prepared his question for the endorsement. “Hello viewers! Even the biggest celebrities have to eat and I’ve got with me the biggest celebrity of them all!” Hat Kid’s checks turned a rosy red, obviously flattered by the compliment. “Now tell us darling, what kind of condiment do you like on your tuna sandwiches?” Dawn was taken aback. She didn’t exactly like tuna that much. Hat Kid had a mischievous grin, but Dawn gave her a dirty glare.

“Hat Kid.” Dawn irritably interrupted, stopping Hat before she could answer. “Don’t say what Grooves didn’t want you to say. If you can’t say it then don’t. Remember what I said?” Hat Kid nodded. “Don’t argue with the director… but to answer the question.” Hat Kid closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“I like ranch on my tuna sandwiches!” Dawn was taken by surprise. “I-I’ve had tuna sandwiches before and um- I’ve always liked ranch or mayo on it.” Bow shrugged her shoulders. “I’d most likely put mayo on it. What about you Dawn?” Dawn puffed her cheeks as she scuffed her boot on the concrete. “I uh- I’d PROBABLY like ketchup on it.” Grooves appreciated them being considerate.

“Amazing! I bet that eating tuna sandwiches like that is probably how she keeps her slim figure! Take note penguin viewers!” DJ Grooves pointed to the camera; a wide grin was on his face as he spoke into the microphone. “Make sure you join her fan club! DJ Grooves… out!” 

Soon they took more pictures, went around the town square and even bounced in the thick wires that were around that set the scene as well. Soon they got to an endorsement where they saw a setup of what could’ve been a card game like charades. Now they had to figure out the card number on their first try. “Okay- so… one to ten… one to ten.” Dawn mumbled. “Uhm.” “Three?” Hat Kid received dirty glares from her friends.

“What- oh. Uh…. Heck-!” The drum roll ensued until DJ Grooves cheered. “Wow! Fantastic! Incredible! The answer is indeed three! Folks at home, you have just witnessed the stunning intuition of a true star!” Dawn pulled Hat Kid into a spin hug. “HAH-HA! Good GOLLY I love ya!” Hat Kid giggled loudly. “Slow down you dummy! I’m gonna get dizzy!” 

“Ohoho! Not if I have anything to say about it!” Bow Kid began to tickle Hat Kid as the laughter filled the air. They were most likely now divas at the MAX! 

Grooves was on the stage again as he was overjoyed. “The audience is going crazy, darling! Come over here and show off… our newest prop!” Dawn had a brilliant idea for what finale, she equipped her sprint backpack and started to run like hell, an ice bridge being created beneath her feet. “Come on! Let’s hear you guys cheer!” The kids ran with her on the bridge, it was truly magical! Dawn then slid downward to the stage. Sticking the landing as Hat and Bow bumped into her from behind.

“Magnificent! Truly magnificent, darling!” Dawn smiled. “Thank you Grooves!” Hat Kid swiftly took the Time Piece from Grooves; that makes eleven of them now! 

Now with the movies done for the day, they decided to go back to Mafia Town to perhaps get something, like the ice cream Dawn promised to get again all that time ago. But they ran into a familiar tabby feline in a chef’s outfit. “Goodness gracious! Wow it’s good to see you three again!” Cooking Cat smiled at the trio. Bow softly smiled at the cat.

“It’s good to see you too.” Cooking Cat then looked at the oldest of the group. “Now, I guess I can be safe assuming none of you are from around here.” Dawn nodded. “Nope, well- no as in Hat and Bow are space travelers and I’m a dimensional traveler!” Dawn explained, Cooking Cat looked astonished and beamed a brighter smile. “That’s honestly amazing, sugar! Say, what are you doing in town this late?”

Bow sighed, fiddling with her hands as she looked at the feline. “We were trying to get some food since we didn't have much to go off of with what Dawn brought. Sssoooo- we wanted to look around town.” Cooking Cat made a light gasp. “So y’all must be FAR away from home then. You especially, Dawn was it?” Dawn nodded, answering the feline’s question. “Yep. That’s right.” The cat lightly giggled.

“Well, why don’t I try cooking something up for you and teach you the things you need to know about this planet! Otherwise you won’t know if you’re stepping on grass or quicksand.” Dawn chortled a hearty laugh.

 “That’s- also true.” Dawn soon paused, being lost in her thoughts for a moment. “Say, do you know what these are?” Dawn pulled out one half of what looked to be a plush cheeseburger. The same one Bow picked up at the studio the other day. “Oh my, oh my! You’ve found a relic!” Hat Kid tilted her head. “A Relic? What’s that?” Cooking Cat chuckled. “You don’t know how to identify relics? Fear not! Cooking Cat is here!” Cooking Cat took out what looked to be the other half of the relic. “I’ll let you have the other half of the burger cushion relic for free. You can identify this relic at the podium! If you place them on the podium in the correct order, you might be able to make sense of it.”

Cooking Cat thoroughly explained with compassion. It seemed to have been a hobby she did besides what she does for work, that being cooking. “So- if we keep a lookout for these… will something great happen?” Cooking Cat chuckled. “Oh sugar, you read my mind! Who knows. Something great might happen. So keep an eye out for relics. Now: about your food situation.” Hat Kid’s stomach grumbled. “Well- someone’s hungry.” Dawn pointed out playfully, everyone soon lightheartedly chuckling from the observation. The newly formed group then watched Bow grab the teleporter. “Okay- and away we go! To the spaceship!” 

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

The group were teleported to the main hub:living room area. Cooking Cat marveled at the change in scenery. “What a lovely spaceship you have here!” Bow Kid went to the top of the mezzanine. “The kitchen's this way! Follow me Cookie!” Cooking Cat chuckled. “Oh great! I wanna see how great I can do while using an alien stove!” Cooking Cat went up the ramp. “And oh- hey! Some stuff that I brought with me in there as well! Aka the food I took from home. So- If you wanna use anything I brought, feel free to do so!”

Cooking Cat grinned. “Will do sugar!” Soon Hat Kid and Dawn roamed into the machine room. They heard the intruder alarm go off. Hat Kid dashed shut it off immediately. After it was off, it took a moment to notice a… jar with eyeballs, nose, mustache and chef’s hat? What? How the heck did this get here? “So… we meet again. My arch nemisis!” Dawn was dumbfounded as to HOW the jar could talk- and the eyes bobbing around freaked her out. “Um- I’m sorry…? I do I know you?” Hat Kid awkwardly asked, the weird jar gasping as she had offended his entire life.

“…WHAT?! You don’t remember me?! How rude!” The talking jar chastised. Talking… jar. Could today get any weirder? The jar fiddled about, the voice was familiar… but the appearance in the jar itself was jarring and threw her for a loop. “It’s me. Boss of the Mafia! Remember? You blew me up in our little indiscretion, and your young “friend” captured my remains in this jar!” Dawn stood perfectly still… they never killed the Mafia Boss. They just spared him after the fight… so Mustache Girl actually went though with her plans on what she said she was going to do. The mush and jar party, at least she didn’t sell the remains.

“WAH- DUDE . We never killed you! We spared you… ddduuooghhh- Mu must’ve… why I oughta-! DAAAHHGHH!!!” Dawn tugged at her pigtails out of a moment of frustration. She took deep breaths to reclaim her compusere. “Okay. So you’re basically now just a pile of liquified guts and brain juice? Dude: That's nasty.” The Mafia Boss looked unamused. 

“I’m without a body! I should be furious! But, it is okay! The past is the past, and I’ll accept your carcass as an apology.” Dawn looked at the Mafia Boss blankly. He wasn’t serious, was he? Hat Kid stared at him, until she shook her head and blew her tongue at him. “Nope! No thank you!” Dawn let out a high pitched wheeze and keeled over laughing. The Mafia Boss seemed infuriated by this mockery.

“YOU WON'T HAND IT OVER?! Such nerve on such a small child! If I had hands I would slap you!” Dawn then gave a chilling grin to the Mafia Boss. “AND: if you were to slap her, I would freeze your hands. I guess the frost really does bite.” The Mafia Boss groaned as he came up with more ideas. “I’ll just buy a new body then! There has to be some poor soul out there who would be willing to trade his corpse for money!” Dawn hummed in fake reassurance. “Mhm… sureeee there is. Sure.” Dawn was then taken aback by the sudden cart that appeared in the room.

“WHAT THE-?! Wha- HOW.” Dawn was baffled- how does this keep happening to her? “I may not look like it right now, but I’m well-traveled. I know the whereabouts of all the secrets on this planet!” He started with. “Buy my map badge, and I will show you where you can find relics that will make you rich!” Dawn was interested in the little deal, but GEEZ, was it pricey. 400 pons for one badge? Frick it better be worth it. “Sure. I have enough.” Dawn handed 400 pons to the Mafia Boss who seemed delighted by this. Hat Kid was thrilled to have a new badge. Guess she’s the collector type, huh? But Dawn wasn’t one to judge. She collected stuff too.

After THAT weird ordeal, Cooking Cat finished making the most exquisite meal Dawn had ever tasted. It was late into the afternoon and the sun was going to go down soon, down on the planet below. Dawn’s favorite hour of the day was sunset, it’s the most magical hour of the day. She always called that hour “magic hour” when she was younger than she was now, she still calls it that. “Thanks for coming here, Cooking Cat.” Dawn hugged the feline.

“No problem. I was happy to help. If there’s anything else you need I’ll be happy to come back or for you to come to me! My door’s always open.” The kids hugged the cat before sending her back home to the planet below. “Hey uh- guys?” Hat spoke up, her top hat bouncing on her head as she asked. “Yeah Hattie? What is it?” Hat Kid adjusted her hat. “Well- you guys up for trying to see if there’s any other Time Pieces out there?” Dawn paused for a moment as she gave a grin. “Well- I don’t see why not! The end of the day hasn’t come yet and I think we can handle one small search in a place that’s not the studio.”

Hat Kid pulled out her teleporter: Time Pieces detected. “It says here that; some of the Time Pieces are located in a place called… Subcon Forest?” Dawn tensed when hearing the name. Moonjumper warned her about Subcon, he said it was dangerous. “Subcon… Forest.” Dawn swallowed hard, this wasn’t good. Both kids got concerned for the oldest in the group. “Dawn… are you okay?” Bow Kid questioned, dragging Dawn back to reality.

“Wha- I uh… yeah. I’m…” Dawn sighed. “No. I’m not okay. It’s just- Moonjumper warned me about Subcon, he said it was dangerous. So if your Time Peices are there we just… I don’t wanna see you guys get hurt. Okay?” Bow and Hat looked at one another.

“We won’t know until we try, right?” Hat Kid proclaimed. Dawn gave a heavy sigh, this was going to be rough, yet it was too late to turn back. Dawn just wished that no one would get hurt. There was no going back, they were heading to Subcon and the self proclaimed Snow Queen… was terrified.

“Okay: location, Subcon Forest.” One press of a button, then two. “Three people… Forest entrance? Wait no! This gigantic tree right here!” Three and four presses, all that needed to be done now was to send them off. Hat Kid was about to press it, only to hesitate when looking at Dawn. Wordlessly she pulled Dawn’s hand on top of the button. Bow followed soon after. “Whatever trouble we get in, we’ll do it together.” Dawn anxiously smiled.

“Away… we.. away we go!” With a press of a button the blue light that engulfed them returned once more. In an instant, the trio was gone. 

Location: Subcon Forest

The trio landed in the thick trees in the forest. Screaming and falling though, Bow landed on a mushroom while Hat fell flat on her face on the ground. Her hat floating down to her head after she groaned from the pain.

Dawn held onto a branch until she landed on the forest floor. Noticing the Badge Seller as he stood not too far away. He looked as if he recognized Dawn from something before even though they hadn’t spoken in a while. Dawn looked around to also notice the fire walls(?) They were so strange, so magical. So peculiar that Dawn needed to stop letting its peculiarity peak her curiosity.

Dawn looked over at Hat Kid and Bow Kid, yelling: “Hey! Y’all okay?” Hat lifted a thumbs up gesture as Bow slid off the glowing mushroom. “Here sis, lemme give you a hand.” Hat was then helped to her feet by Bow. Dawn went to go to them, only to nearly step on the teleporter. The snowflake clipped girl crouched down to grab the device and hand it back to its rightful owners. “Here Hattie.” Hat Kid gently took the remote back in her hands. “Thank you.”

Dawn shrugged, still feeling the ever present tension, even when she softly smiled at the top hatted child. “You’re welcome, just don’t fall over again and drop it. You might break it!” “And I’d have to fix it again.” Bow chuckled with familiarity. “Guess it’s happened befo-!” In the midst of her sentence, something caught her eye. Though she wished it hadn’t. 

It was what looked to be a kid in a royal purple poncho. She couldn’t see their face as they wore a glowing mask(?) over it. “Oh! Hello!” Hat Kid greeted, oblivious to the danger she could’ve been getting herself wrapped into with her sister and their friend. The stranger then began to run away, their shoes prancing away at the dirt trail.

“Wah- hey! Get back here!” Hat Kid chased after the stranger. Dawn followed in hot pursuit, at this moment she out ran both girls. “Hey! Dawn! Slow down!” The ribbioned child yelled. The stranger kept running and stopping, until… it was too late for them to realize what one of them had just set off. Dawn was swept off her feet with a scream.

It was a trap! Dawn tried to pry apart the fabric and use it like the drapes she had at home. The drapes she knew how to get free from. But it wouldn’t budge, she couldn’t even get her umbrella out from behind to use that to create an opening.

Hat and Bow helplessly tried to free Dawn, only to be greeted with what Moonjumper tried to warn Dawn about. So he never fully got his warning out, so now they had to face the full wrath of what Subcon could do.

Because now, they were at his mercy.

Chapter Text

Dawn struggled to get free, she kept failing at the binds that kept her in the trap. She kept hearing Bow and Hat’s futile attempts in trying to free her with no avail nor success.

Dawn could hear the winds howl, Hat’s potions from her brewing Hat trying to reach her to tear or make a hole in the fabric, smash to the ground.

The winds were deafeningly loud now, like a wolf howling for the rest of its pack. “HELP !” The snow queen screamed a cry, praying it wouldn’t fall on deaf ears. “Somebody help! Hat! Bow! Please ! Get me outta here!” The girls heard Dawn’s screeching pleas, they were trying but nothing they did at that moment worked. She was out of their reach.

“We’re trying Dawn! We are! You’re just out of our reach!” Hat exclaimed in desperation. Soon, Dawn felt the fabric tear away in horror. Hat and Bow watched Dawn scream, tumbling out of the trap and into a free fall.

SLAM! Dawn’s body hit the forest ground.

The area around them turned dark, the calm skies were replaced with stormy ones that crackled with thunder. The top hat girl and ribbon-wearing girl ran to Dawn’s aid.

“Dawn! Are you okay!?” “Are you alright? Both girls asked simultaneously, talking over one another due to the sheer amount of panic. Before anyone else could say another word: he appeared.

There, enveloped in the shadows, came a towering ghost that lunged his face at them, scaring them in the process. He seemed to take great delight in their futile attempts in escaping.

“AHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHHA!!” The ghastly figure boomed with a cackle that sent chills; Dawn swallowed hard, gazing at the ghoul in fear.

His towering shadowy body, his glowing mouth and eyes, his distorted voice with an echo that was beguiling and boisterous enough to keep the trio silenced. “FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!”

The ghost roared grimly. Dawn couldn’t get a word in, it’s not like she could, and it’s not like she would either. She was completely paralyzed with fear. Hat and Bow stared at the ghoul, completely astonished and flabbergasted by the shade; yet, they stayed right by Dawn’s side. The ghost started to roar with more of that eerie laugh of his.

“You blew it! You totally screwed yourself! Nobody enters my home and leaves in one piece!” The ghost mocked the trio. Dawn’s fear was slowly burning into anger, who did this guy think he was to think he could mock a bunch of kids?! How rude!

“Tell you what though. Hang on a minute!” The spirit started with; “You get to live! That’s right! Aren’t you lucky?” The ghoul proudly announced, as if it was the best thing in the world. As if their lives on the line was a bet to watch unfold. “Normally I’d eat your soul and toss your body, but you’re a lucky one! You won the lottery, because I just happen to be missing a brain dead servant!” Dawn jolted as her hair stood on end. She didn’t WANT to sell her soul! She didn’t want to die…

The ghost didn’t seem to care, their lives were a gamble he was going to take; there was nothing Dawn could do to stop him.

The ghost began to speak once more, the sarcastic and grim tone still eerily present: “That’s right! The old one got himself killed, his head popped off and now I need a new towel boy!” The ghoul announced with a wicked grin. Soon enough, a contract with a fountain pen appeared out of thin air. 

 “So tell you what, I've got a piece of paper here! Don’t worry about the details! I just need you to sign right here at the bottom!” Dawn took the contract and then the fountain pen, her hands trembling. The girl took one look at the ghost and shook her head aggressively, refusing to sign the dotted line.

“NO !” The ghoul stopped, his glowing eyes blinking at the girl. “ No ? What do you mean ‘no’ ?” Hat Kid got in front of Dawn, protecting her from the ghoul. “We can’t sign something we know nothing about! We don’t even know who you are, not even your name.” The ghost groaned, displeased and agitated.

“Look: let’s not get hasty, kid. It’d be a shame if you died so quickly.” Bow then stood next to Hat. “Just because Dawn got into YOUR trap… d-doesn’t mean you have to make her give her soul away.” Bow gulped, where was this conversation even going? What was going on? Hat Kid watched Bow Kid let go of Dawn’s shoulder, Dawn didn’t even realize the ribboned haired child was even grasping it until she let go. “H-how about… we…” “Make a different deal.” Hat Kid interrupted, finishing the general offer Bow Kid tried to convey. The ghost seemed intrigued by this, excited even at the thought of a new kind of deal. Yet that delight was twisted and made Dawn sick to her stomach. “Ooohhhh, go ahead kiddo. I’m all ears.” The ghost pretended to gesture to his ears, to which he had none.

Hat Kid firmly adjusted her top hat, hiding any trace of fear she had to sell her offer as best as she could. “How about… you let us sign it first. The trade offer is that you leave Dawn alone and let her live: NO eating her soul and tossing her corpse. You let us see what that contract has to offer, get your new servants to help you, and in exchange you leave Dawn alone. Now how does *that* sound for a deal?”

Dawn’s whole body froze… what did her mortal ears just let her listen to!?

“H-Hat, Bow, no. Don’t do this! Please! Let him take my soul instead… you can’t do this. Why are you doing this…? Why?” Hat Kid turned around, giving the older girl a smile. Albeit, it was a forced one to hide her fear. “Because we care about you. That’s why.”

Hat Kid carefully unraveled the contract, and fountain pen from Dawn’s trembling hands. Snatcher made a copy of the same contract, all was left to do: was to sign it. Hat Kid skimmed over what they needed to do, even briefly knowing what had to be done; she signed it anyway. If the ghost wasn’t going to hurt Dawn, and the ghost was going to keep his end of the deal. It was worth it. Bow and Hat finished signing the deal, the contracting ghost being very pleased about it.

“AHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHHA!! That seals the deal! We’re in business! Let me just grab this real quick…” flashing lights struck down stuck the two girls who signed the dotted line, their souls flying up to the ghost’s clutches. “Whoops! Guess these souls belong to me now!”

Bow Kid clutched her chest, groaning quietly in pain from whatever she and her sister went through. Hat Kid on the other hand looked up at the ghoul with an unreadable expression upon her face. Dawn could swear she saw her clench her hand into a fist. “You didn’t… need to be that excessive, sir.”

Bow huffed, her figure slightly trembling. The ghost brushed her concerns off with a scoff.

“Don’t worry though! If you finish your chores quickly, you’ll have your souls back real soon!” The ghost mused with fake sincerity.

Dawn could tell he wasn’t being sincere, there was more to it, she was sure of it.

“Oh! And don’t forget about our little contract! I’ll give it to you so that it’ll never leave your sight!” The snowflake-clipped girl then stood. Looking at the ghoul directly in the eyes: “Wait. Just wait a darn moment ‘sir’.” Dawn hissed, furrowing her brow in displeasure. “We don’t even know your name!” The ghost groaned as he “rolled” his eyes impatiently.

“Ugh, geez kid, you're the persistent type aren’t you?” The ghost closed his glowing eyes, his tone and inflection being eerily nonchalant. “If you wanna know so BADLY; it’s Snatcher. Now, have fun kiddo!”

Snatcher lunged over them, disappearing back into the shadows as the storm faded away. The top hatted child firmly held the parchment paper in her precarious hands. Bow wordlessly hugged Hat, she needed it at the moment. Silently, Dawn joined in  as well. “I’ll get your souls back.” She thought…

“Even if it’s the last thing I do.” Dawn concluded her thoughts within her weary mind. She would get them back, she was going to help in doing so.

“Can… I see the contract?” Hat looked up at Dawn, puzzled. Yet, the top hatted child handed Dawn the contract regardless. The parchment paper looked to be pretty old. It was yellowed and tattered at the ends. Snatcher’s handwriting was also… very different from any kind of handwriting she's seen in her time.

It was very formal and thought out, like the words were a drawing instead of written words.

The following objectives read: “ Find Subcon Village. Murder the Spirits. Clean the Subcon Well. ” The ghost was even generous enough to tape photos to the contract on what they needed to find. Along with the things he’d keep hostage. But, at the bottom corner, it said they could keep anything they find along the way. 

With that being known, Dawn handed the contract back to Hat Kid and Bow Kid. “Come on, let’s go. We need to find a village.” The group traversed through the forest, Dawn had her umbrella along her back, yet she felt so jumpy. At any given moment, she’d be thrusted into another fight and have to use her weapon of choice.

The cryokinesis prodigy wished she could’ve whacked the crap out of that ghost, he just made her so mad! Despite wanting to kick the ever loving heck out of the contracting ghost; the walk through the forest without the presence of Snatcher was… oddly calming, lulling, tranquil even.

The winds were no longer howling, they were quiet and asleep. Soon they approached what looked to be a stone bridge, it was broken. It might’ve been polished at one point, yet now it was left to decay. There was a puzzle they solved with… cherry looking things?

They threw them after a ghost in a mask got too close. The ghost was fine afterwards, these spirits didn’t speak nor did they look at them. It was fair to call them Dwellers . Thanks to solving the puzzle, they had more yarn to craft more things. 

Strolling through Subcon more, they ran into more of what could be assumed to be Snatcher’s minions. Dawn was also calling them the Subconites.

Their steps crunched on the forest floor as they traversed more. “How much longer until we get there, Hat?” Bow questioned wearily. Dawn then noticed something in the distance, flickering lights and probably the source of the flames. The place was a little village.

Looking back at the photos, the trio realized that they had just found the Subcon Village . 

Location: Subcon Forest, Subcon Village

The trio looked at the village before them, all the things they could get and all the homes that belonged to the Subconites. What happened here? Who ruined the lives that lived in Subcon in its prime 300 years ago?

The questions rattled Dawn’s bones and burned itself in her head. It was sickening to think someone would have done such a heinous feat.

After collecting some of the yarn darted about, they noticed paintings with a Mafia member trying to run away from being sucked into one. When looking at the spirits, they danced gleefully, keeping the flames bright. It was eerily beautiful.

Out of everything, this was the calmest part of Subcon Forest that soothed Dawn’s worries. That was until someone ruined the calmness of it all. Snatcher appeared though the floor, as if he knew where they were at all times in his domain, it was insane! It looked surreal as he dug himself out of the earth.

“WHHHHYYYYYYY HELLO THERE!” Snatcher boomed with a boisterous voice that literally echoed throughout the area. “You didn’t forget about me, did you? Don’t tell me you forgot about me!” Snatcher exaggerated with fake disappointment. Dawn scowled at the ghost, her face fuming with anger.

“What’s up? You working on any contractual obligations lately? You better be! Remember our little deal!” Dawn scoffed at the ghost. “And you remember YOUR end of the deal, jerk” Dawn fumed with a chastising voice, she was so mad that steam could be coming right off of her.

“Ooohhh don’t be salty, kiddo. I’ve let you live, remember?” Dawn swallowed her pride. “And I’ve resisted the urge to whack you with my umbrella. So there!” 

Snatcher then derailed the conversation to something else, directing their attention to the spirits doing their bonfire dance. “Check it out. Those incredibly annoying Fire Spirits are sitting right there, in the middle of my village.” Snatcher addressed in an annoyed tone, so that’s what made the barriers around Subcon.

“Their little dance is creating these incredibly annoying barriers that stop me from getting to parts of my forest. It’s almost like they’re trying to put it into me… how adorable.” Snatcher scoffed at the spirits’ futile attempts. It’s not like he actually cared, he was more annoyed than anything else.

“Dispose of them. I don’t care how you do it, as long as they suffer for entering my domain! HEHEHEHE!” Dawn then stomped her foot down. “Well. I’d like to see you pay for what you’ve done!” Dawn snapped, Snatcher then shook his head with disapproval she knew was fake.

“What’s wrong kiddo? Not a fan of disposing souls? That’s too bad! AHHAHAHAHA! Have fun getting rid of them. I’d love to see you do it, but I’ve got other matters to attend to.”

Dawn then huffed furiously. “Well I’d like to see you die. I mean try. I mean: Die trying! DAUUGGAH -!” Dawn held her head from her own frustration. “You get what I mean, you stupid purple noodle jerk!” Snatcher wasn’t amused with the last part but he seemed to enjoy toying and pushing her buttons.

“Anyways! Back to work, trooper! This isn’t a vacation, and I’m getting very impatient!” Hat and Bow watched Dawn cross her arms and roll her eyes with disgust. “And I’m getting impatient that you won’t just leave us alone already.” Snatcher groaned, he didn’t have time for this. Soon he lunged over them and disappeared back into the shadows.

“Uuuoohhooh - he gives me chills.” Bow shivered out with an anxious tone. Hat rolled her eyes, she gave a small smile to Bow, but it was only to mask the shivers Snatcher gave her.

“Tell me about it. He’s kind of a jerk, but man. It was intense.” Dawn’s face became a shade of red. She let her emotions dictate her actions once more… and that was her fault. “Sorry for blowing my top off again… he just kept pressing buttons. He just- ggrrr…. he just really makes me mad.” Bow looked up at the fire spirits, the gears turning in her head on possible ideas besides what Snatcher suggested.

“Maybe... we can help the Fire Spirits? See why they’re creating the barriers?” Dawn’s stance softened, easing in on the idea. “Yeah… I’d like that.” Bow skipped lightly over to the Fire Spirits, they were somewhat fox-shaped as embers came off of them when they danced. Their dance was mesmerizing to say the least.

“We want to die! Yay!” The Fire Spirit sung out in a chipper voice. “We want to burn bright, and then burn out! Become a cloud of smoke! ” The Fire Spirit sang out once more. “Oh, okay. Is there anything we can do?” Bow questioned matter-of-factly.

“Our bonfire needs more fuel… only the finest paintings will do! Can you help us?” Bow gave the Fire Spirits a smile.

“Sure… we’ll help you.” Hat looked happy to see Bow, someone she considered a sister, more confident. Dawn scanned the area, looking for other paintings. The Mafia member from before, tripped and got sucked into the painting nearby. However, they  had to press on, and they continued to traverse throughout the village.

“What’s the plan, Ice? Got any bright ideas?” Dawn made a snowball in her hands as she played with it. Some of the Subconites seemed… afraid of the snowball Dawn had made to play around and fidget with.

“Um… hi?” Silence, not a word was spoken. Dawn melted it in respect. She then walked up to the Subconites with a harmless smile that gleamed in her emerald eyes. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean to... I won’t hurt you.” She reassured them, they seemed to be thankful that she wasn’t going to freeze them or something.

“Alright newbie. Thanks for not freezing us!” Dawn then left as she went back to work. Okay, the residents of Subcon Forest don’t seem to like Dawn’s snow nor her ability to create ice one bit. Was there a deeper reason as to why they didn’t like it? Or were even scared of it?

Dawn wanted to know, but at the same time she didn’t. The snowflake-clipped girl didn’t want to fall down the rabbit hole, not now. Hat Kid soon grabbed the first painting.

“You’ll come with me.” The top hatted child said to herself as she threw it into the bonfire. “ More! More!” The Fire Spirits chanted, singing the demand for more fuel for the flames.

Bow bounced on a mushroom and parkoured to get to another painting. “I’ll borrow you real quick.” The ribboned girl said to herself as she hopped down to toss it into the fire. Dawn grabbed the mafia member painting.

“Come with me…” she softly said, feeling some kind of guilt as it was tossed sloppily into the bonfire. There was one painting left, the trio traversed to retrieve it, until they had it in their clutches.

“This is the last one from what I can see… welp. Let's end this.” Dawn hopped down, she resisted the urge to make a blanket of snow, so she used her umbrella instead, using the hover badge she had on her bag. It was definitely useful in saving her from tumbling down and breaking bones.

Dawn mentally noted that she’d have to thank the Badge Seller the next time they saw him! Bow hopped down as she was caught by Dawn after she had her umbrella open.

“Dawnnnn. You don’t need to do that every time.” Bow grunted with her cheeks burning red, causing Dawn to chuckle at the sight. “Sorry Bow, I guess being around my sister who did that to me when I was around your age rubbed off of me.”

Hat Kid then dropped in on the conversation, literally! “Well- I guess that’s pretty cool!” Hat Kid put her umbrella down as she was now safe on the ground. 

Dawn gleefully smiled, playfully chuckling as she grinned with a dose of nostalgia.

“Well- I didn’t like it when I didn’t expect it sometimes. But other times I did like it.” Hat Kid then skipped along with the painting in hand. “Let’s get this to the bonfire.” As the trio walked with the dirt kicking at their feet, Hat had a question.

“What’s a bonfire Dawn?” Dawn looked taken by surprise by Hat’s question, but not by much. They were still children, just like her. “Well… a bonfire is uh- it’s an open fire used for celebrations or to give signals. Kinda what the Fire Spirits are doing right now.” The kids opened their mouths with awe.

“Well- that’s pretty cool! At least there’s some good to it besides Snatcher being a jerk.” Dawn shut her eyelids over her emerald eyes, brushing a hand over her thick brunette bangs.

“I agree… he just knows how to push my buttons and frustrates the heck out of me. I don’t know why he’s doing it but… I’m mad he stole your souls. So… the faster we get that painting to the fire the better.” 

The trio escorted themselves to the bonfire, its bright flames intensifying once the painting was thrown in. “Thank youuuuu!!” The Fire Spirits exclaimed as they burned into a colorful puff of smoke. The barriers slowly dissipated around many parts of the forest, however not all of them vanished.

As Dawn felt a reprieve, a booming crack takes it away. Thunder swirls as darkness envelops them again, the Snatcher lunging with that same jack-o’-lantern grin. Dawn couldn’t help but lose her balance, stumbling to the ground.

“GAAAAHH! Stop DOING that!” Dawn watched the shade cackle at her irritation. “You want me to stop? Too bad, kid. You better get used to that!” Dawn gave a low growl, but held her words back. Snatcher turned his attention to Hat and Bow.

“WELL DONE! Please tell me they suffered. You murdered them, right? I bet you strangled them.” The duo gave courteous nods, answering the question. They didn’t murder them, they just helped them become a puff of smoke. Snatcher looked pleased at the response he got.

“Good girls! Hahahaha! ” Snatcher chuckled a dark laugh that ironically gave Dawn chills. “Well, that’s great, fantastic! That means we don’t have anything le-!” “Don’t think I’m done with you yet, though!” Snatcher interjected to Dawn’s distress.

“I’m… hahaha… I’m sorry— WHAT ?!” Snatcher let out a boisterous laugh. His echoey voice bouncing into nothingness. “You’re not off the hook just yet! There’s more of these pests around my forest, and I need you to take care of every single one.” Hat and Bow looked up at Snatcher with unreadable expressions.

“Well… if we’re not off the hook yet, what now?” Bow questioned, the infection showing her inquisitive nature. “Yeah, what’s next?”

Snatcher then opened his arms wide, eager to explain his next point. “Next on your to-do list: Clean up the Subcon Well. That’s right, you’re a plumber now! Congratulations on your promotion!”

Dawn glared at the ghost with a passive aggressive smile, questioning as to why she was even standing here in the forest at this point. There was NO way in HECK they were going to clean a nasty well! Nuh-uh! No way! 

“Geez, more like a depromotion. Way to go with your ranking system. Woohoo.” The cryokinesis prodigy struck in an annoyed and deadpan tone. The situation was already aggravating enough, they didn’t need more added into the mix. Dawn was glad they read over the contract earlier… I guess she forgot about the well thanks to the busy work the Fire Spirits gave them.

“Well: before you lunge over us, is there any OTHER work you need us to do for you ‘Snatcher’?” Dawn crudely asked, Snatcher groaned. “Such a rude young lady, I’d watch what I’d say if I were you.” Dawn crossed her arms, sucking a breath in, only to blow the air out with frustration through bared teeth. “And I’d start talking about the stuff you’re omitting if I was you.”

Hat Kid and Bow Kid tried not to snicker, she just played him at his own game! However, next time wouldn’t be so lucky, would it…?

“Geez kiddo, you should be thankful you’re still alive walking around with that soul of yours. You should be glad!” Dawn scoffed viciously. Glaring down the ghost with a brutality way beyond her age, never taking her gaze off of him. “I’ll be glad once you tell us what we need to do now: thank you.” 

Snatcher let out a low groan, placing a ghostly hand on his shadowy body. “Stubborn child. Anyways! I also have some… other work for you that I cannot do myself. And hey, as long as I need you, you get to stay alive. What a deal, huh?” Dawn curled her hands into a fist, biting back her tongue. “What other work do you have for us, Snatcher?” Hat inquired with her head tilted, her expression being full to the brim with curiosity.

“Back to what I mentioned before, I have some other contracts I need you to fulfill.” Two magical contracts then appeared. “But enough big talk! You look like you can handle multiple things on your plate at once! Let’s get you an additional contract!” Dawn started to twitch in frustration; was this how it felt like to have someone irritate you to the point of screaming into a pillow? Or worse break something out of unbridled rage? If so- It’s sucky as hell. “Pick one, but only one! Isn’t it thrilling to sign your life away?” Dawn rolled her eyes at the ghost, folding her arms around her tighter.

“Not really.” She muttered with disgust. Signing your own life away to something is the worst thing you could do yourself, no matter the cost. Good or bad, righteous or noble. It was still your own life you were risking. It’s easy to risk your own life, it’s harder to risk other lives and live to tell the tale.

The trio looked over both contracts, the one on the right was to deliver mail to 10 of the Subconites.

Dawn was… taken aback by it. He’d steal mail just so they’d get some?

That was… oddly sweet of the ghoul that stole souls. And for what? Personal gain? Protection? What was it? Or was it just the price of entering his domain? Dawn assumed the last answer was the case…

It sounded the most logical. However… The contract on the left was something that raised many questions… it gave the snowflake- clipped girl a very vivid image as to why the minions didn’t like her snowball.

There, written on the parchment paper, were two photos showing a manor and a pathway covered with snow and ice. Massive icicles broadly stood, creating somewhat of a dingy cave leading to the manor. At least; that’s what Dawn assumed that’s where it was leading to.

All the contract said was: “Enter the Manor. Find out what’s in the attic.” Bow looked up at Snatcher; “Hey… Snatcher. You said we could only pick one, yeah?” Snatcher hummed in response. “Yep! That’s right kiddo!” The gears turned in Bow’s head, she had a pending question she wanted to ask. “What if one of us signed one contract and one of us signed the other? Would you allow that…?” Bow finished her question with a hesitant look upon her face, Hat stood next to her, hoping it would give her confidence. 

Snatcher thought for a moment, he seemed to think about Bow’s offer thoroughly, like it was an offer that hadn’t been made before. Until he had an answer to the pondering question: “Welp, I don’t see why not! Might as well extend our business endeavors since you’re here.” Bow let out a breathy sigh, relief coming onto her face.

“Thank you Snatcher.” Hat Kid tried to grin as she took the contract with the manor, Bow took the contract with the delivery service. If they were going through with this; they’d have to work together. The contracts disappeared, Snatcher cackled, delighted at the choices made. “Good choice! Let's hope you’re up for the task!” The shade then leaned in closer, hovering over them with his ghastly appearance.

“You’re looking for Time Pieces, right?” Dawn froze in place, eyes widened. Her stance stiffening and her face pale. She held her backpack straps tighter. “H-how’d you-!” “Know what they are, kid? I have your friends’ souls, remember?” Dawn gulped, remembering that her friend’s souls were still in danger. “I found one of them while haunting some poor soul!” The oldest in the trio blew some of her thick bangs out of her face. “Well- that explains it. I’m not sure why I'm surprised. It sounds like a daily chore for you!” Dawn quipped with a foul glare.

“Why thank you! Finally, some respect from you. See what happens when you’re thankful?” Snatcher mocked with a prideful stance. If Dawn was in a joking mood, she’d come back with a better joke or deadpan comment as a comeback. Joking is better than feeling like she wants to insult the heck out of the prideful shade.

“Well, can we keep it, please?” Snatcher gave a curt shrug of his shoulder, bringing his hands forward as he did. “You can keep it, but this is the only time I’ll reward you for completing parts of a contract! Because guess what? I’m not legally obligated to! HAHAHAHA!” Snatcher ghoulishly roared with that wicked glowing grin of his.

Ooohhh how that grin infuriated Dawn. How dare he mock them! He lunged over them as the scene faded back to being in the village.

“Well… that SUCKED. Not legally obligated GGRRR!!!” Dawn yanked at her pigtails in frustration. “Puh-lease! Ya don’t need to be legally obligated to be NICE!” Dawn threw a snowball at a tree nearby, it exploded on impact.

Dawn buffs her frustration, frost seeping from her hands. Then Dawn felt a hand tug at her backpack straps. Dawn was about to lash out again, until she saw Bow. “Need a hug?” Bow offered, her magenta eyes pleading with empathy. Dawn huffed her anger away, quietly taking Bow into her arms.

Not a word was said as they embraced, Hat Kid joining soon after. “Com’on, let’s get the Time Piece and get back to the ship for a break. Then we can clean that dumb well, okay?” Hat stated, they all agreed that taking a break to rest sounded like a great idea. 

Traversing through the village, Dawn was happy to see both her friends being friendly with the Subconites.

Despite the errieness… this village had some charm to it. The residents were quite quirky (even though they’re not exactly alive and are “alive” though magical means).

Some of the Subconites were curious enough to ask Dawn where she came from; clearly being more of an outsider than Hat and Bow. Dawn happily responded with what she once told the badgeseller. To which, they were all the more curious, like children being told a new story.

Maybe Dawn had a reason to come back here after all, besides having to when it came to the dastardly contracts. At the end of the village, was the Time Peice. It hummed a soft glow, before being picked up by Hat Kid, who looked relieved as she held the artifact.

“Let's go back to the ship to take a break. Then come back here to clean that well.” Dawn smiled as she took Hat Kid’s top hat to ruffle her hair. “Hahaha! Gotcha!” Dawn placed the hat on her head: “Waugh- hey!” Hat Kid tried dashing up to take her top hat back, but this made Dawn hold it higher. Bow tried reaching for it as well.

“Hhheyyyy, no fair!” Bow protested as she tried reaching for the top hat. “I’ve got your hat! Ha-! Oof! ” Dawn was whacked by Hat Kid’s umbrella as she knelt down in pain. “Worth it- hehehe… Ow.” Hat grinned smugly in triumph. “Now…” Hat Kid placed her top hat back on her head: “I've got my hat back. Take that!” Bow snickered as Dawn couldn’t help but smile.

“Teleport us back to the ship, silly goose. Then we can sort stuff out.” Hat Kid lightly punched Dawn’s shoulder, grinning as Bow pulled the teleporter out. “We can come back in about… half an hour?” The snowflake clipped girl chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds good, let’s go.” Soon, a bright blue light Dawn knew well at this point began to swallow the trio whole, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight 

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

The trio teleported into the living room/ hub area. Soon Hat plummeted onto the pile of pillows set by the TV, Bow and Dawn soon sat down with her afterwards. “I’m EXHAUSTED. Why did he have to do that???” Hat Kid grunted with both of her hands over her face. “I don’t know, just hope he gives our souls back after all of this.” Bow fidgeted with the material of her umbrella. Dawn felt like closing her eyes into a dreamless slumber, hoping to cry her worries and fears to someone she knew would listen.

A fuchsia glow came into the ship in a flash. There stood a jester Dawn knew very well. That golden hair, the pink and purple frilly outfit, the big jester hat with hearts dangling at the ends, the purple rimmed glasses painted onto a monochromatic mask. Even the rest of her, covered in hearts and bows, had a warming sense of familiarity. Dawn knew that it was none other than the mistress of dimensions herself, Dimenshan.

Dimenshan looked around curiously, she must’ve teleported here by accident. “Hello!” Dawn had her mouth agape. Hat and Bow on the other hand had their jaws hit the floor. “Uhhhhh- hi?” Dimenshan made her face go small, almost as if it were a duck’s face quacking. She cleared her throat, the expression disappeared into a smile.

“Oh- wrong dimension. Bye Bye now!” Dimenshan let the same aura consume her, and in a flash she was gone. 

The exhaustion was replaced by confusion and awe. “Uuuhhhmmm…” “What the heck just happened??” Both Bow and Hat spoke, clearly confused as to what had just transpired. Dawn glanced at her friends with somewhat of an answer.

“To be honest? I have no idea why Dimsy just teleported in here like that.” Hat Kid paused in her own thoughts, still processing as to what had just occurred in the few moments they saw the jester. Until things clicked. “Wait… THAT was Dimenshan-?” Dawn stared at Hat blankly, smacking her face with a cold hand. Bow Kid looked at Hat Kid, completely unamused. “She just said it was- do you see any other jesters that popped in and out in here?” No response, Bow wasn’t wrong. This had to be weirder than meeting an obnoxious and over-confident ghost who’s also a jerk.

“No, I didn’t think so.” Bow affirmed with a deadpan glance. Soon the ribboned girl looked at Dawn, her eyes pending with a question. Hat Kid seemed to share the same question as the bow-wearing girl, opening her mouth to speak: “So… wanna make something as a snack before going back guys?” Hat offered, the other two agreeing on that statement. “How’d you know what I was going to ask? I guess you read my mind!” Bow jested, Hat giggled in response. “I’ll race ya to the kitchen!” Hat Kid announced as she swiftly ran away. Bow and Dawn chased after her.

“Hey! No fair! You got a head start!” Dawn playfully protested, but the laughter made her stress loosen. There was nothing but laughter on the way to the kitchen. If anything helped at this moment: it would be the laughter of just having fun and forgetting about things for a while.

How would her parents react to this situation she’d gotten herself tangled up in? How would Bella, Benjamin or anyone look at her now? Would they be proud?

Hat climbed to grab a cookie jar that was in one of the cabinets, they were chocolate chip cookies. “Ooohhh! Cookies! I love cookies!” Dawn chirped in delight, if they were freshly baked, her mouth would water at the sight of it! Dawn had an idea to make the already good cookies warmer as she glanced at the microwave.

“Hey- maybe I can heat the cookies up a tad that way they’re a bit warmer.” Dawn received nothing but blank stares. “And- how are you gonna do that?” Hat challenged with her hands on her hips. Dawn walked over to the microwave with a confident smile. “Uh- by using a microwave! 10 seconds should do the trick.”

“But that means it’s been bad!” Bow exclaimed, waving her arms in a panic.

Dawn’s expression shifts from cheery to unreadable, blinking more than once in a confused haze. “Heh??? Whazzdat mean?”

Hat Kid groans, opting to shake Dawn by the shoulders. “If it’s in the microwave- that means the food’s been bad and needs to be kept there!!!” Dawn started to get dizzy, I guess there were some things the girls knew how to work and didn’t know how to work.

“Can you stop shaking MMMMMEEEEEEE?? I’m getting dizzzzyyyy!! ” Hat Kid stopped shaking Dawn, though she looked like she was seeing stars. “Uh- are you okay?” Bow inquired, poking Dawn’s arm.

“GAH- BACON- frickin’ eggs benedict!” Dawn looked at Bow who looked shocked at what Dawn had blurted out. “Ignore that…” Hat and Bow started to snicker, the snickering soon turned into laughter.

Soon, Dawn instructed the girls how to use a microwave, other than “punishing food that’s been bad”. Guess that’s where some things differ, but Dawn couldn’t blame the girls. They were only kids; just like her. She was only a couple years older than them, but not by much. Dawn watched the girls set up Corgi Quest to forget about some problems for a while. Dawn sat nearby, until she closed her eyes into an exhausted slumber. 

Location: The Horizon, Moonjumper’s Gazebo

Drawn jolted awake in the field of miscellaneously colored flowers. Dawn stood up to see the moon spirit, Moonjumper. “Oh- Dawn!” Moonjumper looked taken aback. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon-!” Instantly, Dawn ran to him, hugging the moon spirit tightly. “Ah- Dawn… Dearie… is there something wrong?” Dawn began to tremble, just like how she did when first seeing the contracting ghost. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I couldn’t… I failed.” Moonjumper was puzzled, rubbing Dawn’s head in hopes of comforting her. “What’s happened?” Dawn sniffed… her eyes becoming puffy from fighting back tears.

“I… we went to Subcon. I tried telling them that we shouldn’t go… that we should be careful. But I got caught in a horrible trap MJ. I could’ve done something and I didn’t…! N-now Hat and Bow have their souls stolen by this STUPID jerk and it’s all my fault!” Moonjumper unraveled the hug, placing his shackled hands on Dawn’s shoulders.

“What— Who stole your friends' souls? Could… you enlighten me?” Moonjumper asked with a worried tone, he most likely knew who she was talking about, he just needed clarification.

“It was… that stupid Snatcher! H-he did it…” she sniffed with a somber voice. Moonjumper’s eyes widened, but he wasn’t disappointed nor was he upset with her. He was more upset that her friends’ souls had been snatched by… that ghost from Subcon.

“Did he take your soul?” Moonjumper asked in a low voice. Dawn, to Moonjumper’s surprise, shook her head. “No… he didn’t. Hattie and Bow made a deal with him… they wanted to see those contracts while in exchange… he wouldn’t take my soul.” Moonjumper looked at Dawn, eyes wide. As though this were something that had never happened before, which was most likely the case.

“Goodness gracious, child… I’m thankful you're alright then.” Soon, tears finally streamed down Dawn’s face. She tried to wipe her tears, only for Moonjumper to pull out a small handkerchief. “Here.” Moonjumper helped clear the girl’s face, his hands were kind of cold, but only because Dawn’s face was warm.

Moonjumper must’ve done this kind of thing with hundreds of other kids, but at that moment Dawn didn’t care. She was just glad she could vent to someone about this. Soon Dawn’s tears dried; “Thank you MJ… I appreciate that.” Moonjumper smiled with that toothy grin of his. Sure, most would’ve considered it to be creepy, but Dawn considered it to be humble, genuine and caring.

“Hey Moonjumper?” Dawn called out in a small voice. Moonjumper sat on the gazebo’s finely polished steps. Dawn followed soon after; “Yes, Dawn? What is it, dear child?” Dawn closed her eyes with a small smile. “Thanks for always listening to what I have to say. Maybe you could come onto the spaceship someday.” Moonjumper paused, and eventually smiled. “Your welcome Dawn. It’s the least I could do to make your travels easier.”

Soon it was time to leave, Dawn hesitated when looking at the thick red strings. “You can’t stay asleep forever child, no matter how much this scares you… I’ll be there to provide assistance. Even if it’s not much. I hope your path crosses The Horizon someday. Just follow the strings.” Dawn’s eyes widened in curiosity, but she said nothing. Moonjumper chuckled as he began to escort her.

“You’re curious, I know you are. But do not let that curiosity go untamed. You must be careful, trust your friends and most of all, trust yourself. Subcon in recent memory has consumed those who haven’t been so trusting. Nor have they persevered in getting out alive. To see the Horizon in the real world, just follow the path. You know what I’m talking about.” And with that, Dawn and Moonjumper were back on the ship, Dawn falling on her body in a sleepless slumber. 

Dawn soon awoke back on the ship, however… there was a note by her side that wasn’t there before. Along with… the same handkerchief Moonjumper used to clean Dawn’s face from her tears. Dawn carefully unfolded the note, in a fancy handwriting, it read:

“Dearest Dawn, 

If you’re reading this then you've already awoken. I truly hope your friends get the Time Pieces back to their spaceship. I know I advised against you coming to The Horizon in the real world before this point. But I insist that you’re open to come when you see the tower. I meant what I said earlier, ‘follow the red strings’. Truly, I did. Follow them in Subcon, and you have found me. I am open to sharing what I know about Subcon with you. See you soon, dearie.

With all my sincerity,

Yours, 

Moonjumper.”

Dawn stared at the handwritten letter in her hands, she was thankful but confused.

Why was the paper similar to the kind Snatcher used? Did Moonjumper actually come into the ship and leave this for her? How did he even know about the Time Pieces ? Did she ever tell him about those? Or rather.. WHEN did she ever mention the Time Pieces to Moonjumper?

Dawn sighed, guess that was another mystery to the pile.

Moonjumper said he had been watching her for a while… So maybe that’s how he knew about them? However, he doesn’t seem interested in the artifacts in the slightest, which made the older girl feel good.

Dawn looked over to see Bow resting her head on Hat’s lap. The game was shut off, only a soft humming was heard from Hat Kid, hugging Bow lovingly with her tiny hands. The tune was probably the theme of one of the Corgi Quest levels; it might’ve been Hat’s favorite if she memorized the melody if she memorized it by heart. The tenderness felt like it could be immortalized forever, but Dawn had to break the silence.

“Hey Hattie.” Dawn spoke up, catching Hat Kid’s attention. “Oh, hey Dawn, you’re up. How are you?” Dawn shrugged, looking less tired than before. “I’m good. I’m better than before… I don’t feel like my head’s gonna explode so that’s a plus.” Hat Kid let out a soft chuckle, a smile playing at her face. Though… what was underlying her happy grin looked to be a bittersweet sadness. A sadness Dawn couldn’t help but see. It physically hurt her, what horrors did they have to face alone in the endless vacuum of space? Even as pretty as it can be… it must’ve been lonely.

“What about you, top hat? You doing okay?” Hat Kid stared at Dawn, she shied away from answering. “Touchy topic right now?” Dawn inquired, unsure of what else to say.

Hat took a deep breath through her small nose before answering the question. “I’m… I’m holding up alright. I'm just trying to stay strong for Bow. I know she can stand on her own… but most times she needs reassurance.” Dawn scooted closer to the duo, wanting to reassure Hat Kid that she was there for them, no one else at this moment; Just them.

“You don’t always need to be strong for Bow… she’s strong too. She cares for you and… I care about you too. If anything gets under your skin, you can always talk to me.” Dawn concluded with a solemn smile. Hat Kid didn’t blink as she stared at Dawn. Soon, the top hatted child sighed heavily as if it was a wave that crashed on the shoreline. “*Sigh* You know what…” Hat Kid started with, gritting her teeth, looking at Dawn with those deep ocean eyes:

“Yeah... A few things… are actually bothering me. I’m bothered by how I wasn’t fast enough to save Bow. How I keep putting her in danger. I’m supposed to protect her and make her feel strong, but sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough. We’ve traveled for years, had more than one dangerous thing happen to us and I still wanna see her safe and be okay. I hate seeing her cower and cry because of others! I know she tries to make peace with others but… I don’t wanna see her get hurt or worse!” Hat Kid quipped in frustration, the mask finally dropping. Revealing her true emotions.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid Kid might’ve been courageous, and braver than most kids their age. They might have been humanoid alien kids but… they were still children, just like Dawn.

Soon, Hat was wordlessly pulled into a quiet hug by Dawn. “It’s okay…” Dawn choos; “It’s alright to feel that way. It’s okay not to be okay. You might be a humanoid alien kid, but you’re just as human as anyone else. You’re allowed to be scared. You don’t need to be strong all the time. It’s mentally exhausting. And you wanna know something?” Hat Kid looked up at Dawn, looking as though she were on the brink of genuine tears.

“What…?” Hat questioned in a hushed voice. “Everyone gets like that sometimes… even me. We want those we care about to be okay. Bella always told me that. And I think I get the meaning better now. You want people to be okay but you can’t always play the hero. It’ll take a mental toll on you one day and you’ll end up miserable.” Dawn then twirled some of Hat’s ponytail between her fingers.

“You’re not alone. You have Bow, and now you’ve got me.” Hat Kid ‘s eyes widened, tears spilled from them silently. She frowned, quietly crying into the snowflake-clipped girl’s arms.

“You’re gonna be okay, take your time. I’ll be here for you.” Dawn reassured; Before long, Hat’s frown softened into a playful smile as she wiped her tears. “Yeah… um, Thanks.” Hat chirped, her tears soon drying with an idea. Soon, Hat Kid placed her top hat on Dawn’s head. “There we go! That raises your coolness by at LEAST 5%!” Dawn wheezed hard. “BAHAHAHHA! Geez kid! When did you possess such low standards? It’s like you’re trying to make me sound like a fool!” Dawn exaggerated with her hand over her head. Hat Kid chuckled:

“Well you were already 50% cool so that’s now 55%!” Dawn laughed harder, only for that to wake Bow. Hat Kid giggled: “Hey Bow, ready to go?” Bow sat up as she stretched.

“Yep, I think we can clean that well now. Just hope that jerk doesn’t be… Well, a jerk to us.”

Bow got up and grabbed the teleporter, she fidgeted with it until she got what she wanted. “Dawn, why don’t you use it? I still want you to get used to using it. Since we are gonna be teleporting to more places now.” Dawn playfully shrugged with a grin. “Welp, if there’s nothing else, then sure! Why not? Ya taught me how to use it before.” Dawn took the remote from Bow’s small grasp and into her own.

“Okay. *INHALE* Subcon Forest, here we come! WOOHOO!” Soon a bright light swallowed the trio whole. Between one moment and the next they were here. Between one moment and the next, they were gone.

Location: Subcon Forest, Snatcher's Abode

The trio landed in the dusky forest of Subcon once more. It was oddly welcoming to say the least, but it was different in the area with the huge treehouse. Someone was in the tree this time, it was Snatcher!

Dawn wondered what was on the top of the tree, but also wondered what that obnoxious ghost, Snatcher, was up to at this hour. It didn’t sound like a bad idea to pester the ghost who has the souls of Dawn’s friends within his grasp. Soon they were wandering the forest, hoping to find Subcon Well. It must’ve been hard to miss; at least Dawn HOPED it was in an obvious place.

It’s a well after all! How hard could it be to get to a well? It can’t be that tedious and difficult, can it? It proved itself to be tedious when stepping into yet another trap. The familiar stormy skies returned with Snatcher lunging at the trio.

“AHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHHA!! FOOOOOOOOOOooo… oh wait, It’s you?” Snatcher paused with a dumbfounded expression to see that the trio stepped into another trap. “Uuuhhh… yeah? Hi?” Bow waved shyly, but she was holding back her laughter. “Howdy hey Snatcher!” Hat Kid cheerfully greeted, a snicker enveloping her infection. “I was kind of expecting a new victim to step in my traps. I’ve already taken your souls and everything. Have you even completed your contractual obligations yet?”

Dawn groaned in exasperation. “Ugh, no. We haven’t. We were looking for the well before stepping into your dumb trap. It’s not like any of us have night vision.” Snatcher seemed to be content in annoying the oldest in the trio.

“Don’t take it personal, kid, but stay clear of my traps.” Snatcher reinforced, moving his arms to express his displeasure of the same victims falling into the same type of trap. “There’s only so many times my voice can handle yelling like that. You’re taking the experience away from other people.” Being chastised by the ghostly shade this time didnt infuriate Dawn. Insted; the fact he was mad that they were taking the experience away from other people made her hold back a loud wheeze.

“Uh, but since you did step in my trap, I might as well extend our business endeavors!” A smile crept onto Dawn’s face as she chuckled at Snatcher. 

This was more like it. Snatcher soon cleared his voice: “*cough* FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!! You’ve stepped into my forest, and now you must pay the price!” Snatcher playfully exaggerated. Dawn then let out a loud wheeze, she was dying from laughter. “PFft— BAAHHAHAHAHAHA! * wheeze * AAHAHAHAHA!!” Dawn giggle-snorted as she continued to laugh. “What’s so funny kid?” Snatcher demanded, completely clueless as to why Dawn was laughing. “Nothing! Nothing- go on ya dork. Let's see what else you have to give us.” Snatcher grumbled, not believing the snowflake- clipped girl. He grumbled at the fact he was being mocked by a child.

Two contracts appeared for them in a puff of smoke. “Pick your poison! Which burden do you want to carry for the rest of your life?!” Hat Kid picked up the contract on the left. She signed it with no hesitation, though her expression looked disgusted.

“Not a bad choice! This one should be a breeze! You’re leaving all the difficult contracts for the newbies, though. Which is really rude when you think about it.” Dawn snickered loudly. “Well- as if you aren’t rude already.” Dawn blurted out, being brutally honest with her remark. Snatcher gave her a dirty glare; a glare that made Dawn grin smugly. “Whatever! I’m off! Smell you later!” Snatcher lunged over them, disappearing and most likely going back to the treehouse they saw earlier. 

“Hey uh- guys?” Hat spoke up, grabbing Bow and Dawn’s attention. “Yeah? What is it, Hattie?” Bow asked in a curious voice, tilting her head as she did. The blue bow swayed as she did the action. “Wanna pester Snatcher so we can find where to find that stupid well with me?” The bow-wearing girl and the snowflake-clipped girl smugly grinned. “Heck yeah! Why don’t pay Snatcher, a little visit. Shall we? Heheheheheh!” Dawn made a gesture for the girls to follow her. Soon they traversed throughout the forest and back to Snatcher’s tree. The ghostly ghoul was there, Just like Dawn thought he would be. Precariously walking on the staircase of thorns, they made their way into Snatcher’s abode. It was… oddly cozy; small, but comfy. There was a bookshelf and a couple of other things in the “house”. Snatcher had a table and even a chair, the same chair he sat at reading a book. Dawn was surprised that he even liked reading, Snatcher from the first encounter they had, didn’t seem like the type to be a bookworm. Yet there he was reading a story as they explored.

“Hi Snatcher!” Hat Kid greeted, a cheeky grin playing on her lips. Snatcher looked up from his book with that ghostly smile of his. “What’s up kiddo?” Bow Kid sat down onto the carpet. “Not much, we’re just having a difficult time finding the well.” Snatcher placed one of his ghostly hands on top of his book. “You don’t know where to go?” The ghostly shade spoke, repeating back the question that was never asked directly. Snatcher then pointed to another part of Subcon.

“You’re supposed to be clearing the well, kid. It’s deep inside the swamp, but it’s big enough even a tiny thing like you can’t miss it. Try not to trip and hit your head at the bottom… HAHAHAHAHAHA !” Dawn’s expression became unamused. Of course he’d take delight in their impending doom. The group got so lost in the conversation, that they didn’t even realize Hat Kid leaving in an attempt to climb Snatcher’s tree. 

Bow rolled her eyes with a cold stare. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Bow crossed her arms in agitation. This proved to be more frustrating than she thought it’d be. “You weren’t expecting to get your soul back just because you completed your initial contract, were you?” Bow scoffed, blowing some of the ribbon she wore out of her face. “Not… really.” Snatcher spared as though he was on the verge of slamming his book shut.

“Well, TOO BAD! you’re my newest servant, and our business isn’t concluded yet! Get it done, then we’ll talk!” Bow furrowed her brow in irritation, but Dawn let out an annoyed chuckle. “Well- technically I’m not your servant. I’m working with my friends who may I mention, have their stolen souls in YOUR possession. I’m doing this stuff for free, but isn’t that technically child labor? That’s kinda illegal, ya know.”

Snatcher looked galled by Dawn’s tactics in aggravating him. “Don’t act cocky with me now, young lady. Unless you want me to break my end of the deal and a fate similar to our last debtor to befall you.” Dawn puffed her checks out.

“You suck-!”

*SPLASH* a loud crackling splash was heard outside the treehouse. Bow rushed out to see- HAT KID!? Hat had fallen into the water with her umbrella open. The top hat floating in the water, a camera on the dry land and another relic in the water with her. Bow rushed to her immediately, the water splashing frantically as she ran.

“Hattie!” Bow Kid soon got the girl out of the water and onto her feet. “Are you okay!?” Hat Kid chuckled. “Sorry… I slipped on the way down.” Bow gave the top hatted girl a blank expression. The gears were turning in her mind until she fully connected the dots. As a result, Bow started to shake Hat rapidly.

 “YOU CLIMBED THE TREE HATTIE!? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELF!!!” Bow chastised as she shook Hat profusely. “I’m fine, I’m alright- really, I’m fine. No broken bones. No bruises or blood, so I’m good! No need to worry about me Bow.” Bow shook her head; “No, you’re not. You’re a little banged up but you’re NOT dead just-…” Bow paused, hugging Hat as she did. Dawn could hear Bow’s voice slightly wavering. “I can’t lose you, sis. I love you… I care for you. Don’t you dare scare me like that again… okay?”

A moment of silence was held. Hat started at Bow contently. Hat Kid wrapped her arms around Bow Kid tightly. “I won’t. I’ll try to keep that promise.” Bow Kid soon placed Hat Kid’s top hat on top of her head. “You better! Or I’ll have a lot to say to you Hat.” Hat giggled loudly, lightly punching Bow’s shoulder. The duo might’ve been younger than Dawn, but that didn’t matter. They had a bond unlike any other, a bond that couldn’t be broken. These two would be friends to the end, no matter what. Dawn looked at Snather, giving the sign of “I’m watching you” as she left.

“I’ll be back to pester you later. I’m gonna help Hat and Bow with your dumb contract. See ya later I guess.” Dawn glared at the ghost as they went out the way they came. Subcon was a pretty bizarre place, but then again… she’s seen stranger places.

To the left of Snatcher’s tree, was a massive murky swamp. It’s dark and dingy waters looked… odd. Some ghostly hands stuck out of the waters, it was unsettling. It was bringing the fears and nightmares of drowning to life. Some of the minions were there, and so were some Fire Spirits.

“Welp- how are we supposed to get to the paintings and to the well? The bridges lead nowhere!” Dawn stressed, yanking at her pigtails in frustration. Bow, instead of getting frustrated, unexpectedly booked it and dashed over the swamp. Her feet bounced on the thick water and onto the safety that was the dock across from them.

Dawn couldn't believe it, Bow figured out how to get over there WAY faster than Dawn. “Uh- can I assume certain death?” Hat Kid looked at Dawn, completely puzzled. “What do you mean? Are you gonna hit the swamp?”

Dawn looked at Hat Kid blankly. “NO! I’m gonna do this!” Dawn backed up and switched to her sprint backpack. Using her ice, she made a ramp that sent her over the swamp and to Bow’s location. Sure she stumbled the landing a tad, but it was a landing nevertheless! Hat Kid followed Bow’s previous method but it still worked- almost… worked. Hat started to walk as hands came up from the swamp, trying to pull Hat Kid down. Dawn reacted so quickly that she didn’t realize she unsheathed her umbrella.

“HAT! TAKE THIS!” Hat quickly grabbed the umbrella; with a swift swing, Dawn yanked Hat Kid to safety. 

Hat Kid panted heavily in relief, thankful that she wasn’t taken under. “Golly…” Hat huffed more: “Thanks for saving my butt back there. I’d not know what would’ve happened if you didn’t. And honestly? I don’t wanna know.” Dawn pulled Hat to her feet.

“Agreed. Let’s try NOT to get pulled under by the spooky swamp again, alright?” Hat and Bow solemnly agreed with Dawn’s statement. The best course of action was to evade the ghostly hands that came from the swamp.

“Okay- I’ll grab the painting father away, Hattie you grab the one on the lilypad. And Dawn, we’ll toss you the paintings to toss into the bonfire.” stradigized the bow-wearing girl. It was a clever plan, but this plan was thought out with confidence. It wasn’t suggested like how it was before.

If there was ONE thing Mustache Girl wasn’t wrong about, is that Bow was the brains of the group. However, every member of the trio was equally clever in their own ways. Hat with her resilience and thinking outside the box.

Dawn with her fighting skills, experience in teamwork and agility. But what tied them together on the field was what Bow was exceptional at. One thing Bow was certainly great at was crafting strategies. Bow just needed the confidence and the right moment to execute her plan. Soon the deed was swiftly done! The Fire Spirits were thankful for their help, now burning away into a puff of smoke. The last thing needed to do was to get the Subcon Well.

Jumping over the murky waters and passing more minions, they made it to Subcon Well. It was HUGE! It practically towered over all of them, not just the trio. But… There was also an ominous bell lingering in front of the trio. “Uhhhh- should I hit this?”

Hat looked at her friends for a response, Dawn shrugged. “I mean- sure. What else do we have to lose other than a proper rest?” Hat chuckled, a smug grin playing on her lips. “Welp! Here goes nothing!” Hat Kid’s whacked the bell with her umbrella. Suddenly they were surrounded with a green aura, a Dweller clung onto the bell as translucent butterflies flew around them and disappeared out of the force field-like aura. Dawn had her mouth agape, amazed that this was even possible.

It was…. it was so beautiful, magical even. Closing her eyes in the moment, listening to the hum of what would be safe to call the Dwellers Bell. For the first time in a long time, there was peace.

There was no chaos nor fear, there was a blissful silence. The bliss felt like a distant memory from long ago. It felt like running through the playground again, running around without a care in the world. It was so simple then, it was when Dawn was blissfully unaware of horrible things.

When she was sheltered under ignorance and innocence, never suspecting that something was wrong… until it was too late.

Dawn hadn’t even realized that she’d been holding her hands together until Hat tugged at her jacket. “I got some more yarn. I think I can craft some more hats soon… but.. are you coming? Are you okay?” Dawn looked at the small top hatted child perplexed. “Yeah… I’m okay.” Dawn started with, still bewildered. “Why? What’s wrong Hattie?” Soon, the top hatted child worriedly side-hugged the cryokinesis prodigy.

“You looked like- you were lost in your thoughts so… I thought maybe I’d check up on you. Just to make sure you were alright since you weren't following us like you normally do.” Hat displayed her concern, still looking at Dawn with those big ocean eyes. Dawn couldn’t help but awkwardly lend her hand out. “Why don’t we go there together, Bow’s at the top waiting for us, yeah?” Hat Kid looked taken aback by the gesture, but slowly nodded. “Follow me.” Dawn whacked the Dwellers Bell once more, now the two were traversing onto the once translucent platforms. If only there was a hat or backpack that had the same function, now THAT would be useful! Bow waited at the top, the view from on-top the well was… oddly pretty. The swamp (when no one was about to die or trying to avoid death) looked eerily pretty. It was truly hard to describe what it was about Subcon that made it pretty, despite it being so terrifying.

“Finally! Took you guys long enough!” Bow greeted, grinning from ear to ear. “Com’on! Let's get this over with. Whatever we have to do isn’t gonna do itself. Even if we wish it would.” Dawn took hold of her umbrella, the handle being gripped tightly like the handle of a blade. As a group they descended down the well, as a group they kept into the unknown deaths of Subcon Well.

Location: Subcon Forest, Subcon Well

The group continued their downward descent into the well, surrounded by vivid lights and darkness. When would the ground come? Or would the ground come to them? Without warning, the trio broke into the waters below. Dawn flailed in the waters, gasping for air. Soon the waters calmed as Dawn got out of the water; she was soaked but at least her bag was waterproof. Soon Dawn heard the water swish, the sound was coming towards her. It was Hat Kid and Bow Kid.

“Dawn!” The girls soon tackled Dawn to the ground, landing in the water as they did. Geez, they were all gonna need a hot shower after this. “Is everyone alright?” Hat asked, making sure everyone was alright. Bow nodded, the ribbon in her hair was flat because of the water making the material heavy.

“ ‘m okay Hattie. The landing sucked but we’re alive.” Bow affirmed, Dawn nodded with a hand behind her head, agreeing with Bow’s statement. “Yeah, I agree. That landing was a little rough, even for me. I guess you can say we totally dove right in, right?” Hat wheezed at the pun as Bow laughed loudly. It was great seeing them like that. So much so that Dawn laughed along with them..

“Alright, let’s go. I don’t wanna catch a cold. The faster we get outta here, the better.” Dawn pushed herself up from the semi shallow waters. Offering her hand to Hat Kid and Bow Kid. Together they lended a helping hand and pulled themselves to shore. In these dark cavernous caves lingered glowing mushrooms and vague light sources.

It was dark but there weren’t any threats here. Dawn was starting to notice a pattern with Subcon, most of it looked either withered or abandoned. The entrance behind them had a plug that was keeping the well dry. While the other side had some dwellers lingering. Both sides shared one trait: they were covered in ice. From the ground up uding the wood that wasn’t frozen) was ice.

The ground was moist as it mushed with kicks from wet sand. Dawn remembered that feeling when she went to the beach and ran along the shoreline with friends. “So, I guess we need to find something, right?” Bow thought aloud, while Hat Kid nodded in agreement. Her top hat sliding on her head until she readjusted it. Suddenly, the entrance locked behind them, trapping them inside.

“WHA- HEY!” Hat yelled in shock; Dawn ran to the gates to get it open. Unfortunately it wouldn’t budge, it was sealed tight. “DANGIT! Frick it won’t open!” Dawn pushed herself harshly away from the freezing metal bars. If Hat or Bow touched those, they would’ve jolted their hands away faster than being dunked with ice.

It was a good thing Dawn had a better resistance to the cold; it didn’t mean that she couldn’t get cold or still die from things like hypothermia. However, it allowed Dawn to do things most would shiver away from. Such as grabbing at freezing metal bars of the gate. 

Hat Kid pulled her hat over her face, grumbling in frustration. “Gggrrrrrr- stupid gate! How are we supposed to get out!?” Hat complained in distress, Bow went over to ease the distress, when she noticed lanterns and a platform that had a switch on it. “Hey- guys! Look at that!” Bow pointed to the wooden platform, both Hat and Dawn lit up from the observation.

“Woah! Great eye Bow! I think we can get outta here if we work together!” Hat patted her younger friend on the back; the grin on Hat’s face made Bow give a smile for the sighting. Bow then noticed a dweller and one of those cherry plants again. She remembered how the dwellers went to it and it exploded! So perhaps it can be enough to break the ice.

“Hey guys. I’ve got a plan, listen up.” Bow anncounded, putting her hands out in front of her. “You see that big cherry over there? And the Dweller?” Bow pointed to both the fruit and the Dweller. Hat and Dawn nodded. “Yeah, what about them sis?” Hat inquired with a firm curiosity as to what Bow’s plan was.

“I was thinking we could use those to break the ice. Remember how the cherries exploded when the dwellers got too close? So why don’t we use that?” Dawn pondered for a moment. It was a clever plan! A really clever plan. Dawn turned to the ice, staring at the huge block with all of its glory. Dawn closed her eyes and took a deep breath: “Let’s do it.” 

Soon the trio got to work. Hat Kid and Dawn were tasked to grab the cherries. While they tossed them to Bow so she could throw them at the ice. It might’ve been somewhat of a dangerous plan, but it was worth it. Everything was now in place, they were ready.

“Ready?” Bow yelled with an echo: “Born ready Bow!” Dawn yelled back. “Okay- GO!” Dawn and Hat simultaneously let the Dwellers get to close as the seconds ticked down. Quickly they tossed the cherry bombs one by one to Bow.

Bow Kid quickly placed them down and ran away, it wasn’t long before they exploded; shattering the ice into nothingness. They did it! This plan ACTUALLY worked!

The prize for their cleverness was in the form of a chest, it didn’t have much other than… badges? There were two badges of the same kind. It looked like something the Badge Seller would sell.

“What the… badges?” Hat pulled her hands off the chest, she was taken aback by this. But then again- none of them were sure on what they were going to expect. Dawn picked up one of the badges. It was the picture of an umbrella with a hook, but there was also some writing on the back.

“Hookshot…” Dawn read aloud. “So this is called the hookshot badge?” Dawn studied the badge more, it didn’t take long for Hat Kid to place it on her hat with a pin. “Well- let’s see what it does.” Hat Kid pulled out her blue umbrella; with a flick of her hand, she was hoisted into the air.

“Woah, woah WOAH!!! AAAAAAHHH-!!” “HAT KID!” Dawn and Bow exclaimed simultaneously. Hat clung onto the umbrella for dear life until: “Wait.” Hat spoke, no longer screaming. The realization squeezed her close, her ocean eyes looking out at the other lanterns and wooden platform.

“Uh- guys.” Hat Kid looked down at her friends below. “I have a very stupid idea.” Bow looked concerned, anxious even for Hat’s safety. “Hat- don’t try anything! We don’t even know how it works!” Hat groaned, rolling her eyes as she furrowed her brow at Bow. “Well- obviously we don’t! But I say it’s worth a try! I just need you to trust me on this ! Okay?”

The echo silenced as Bow stood there, the two hardly argued. And when they did, it was serious. Bow shut her eyes hard with her fists clenched. “Fine. Don’t get hurt, okay!?” Bow reprimanded, begrudgingly agreeing with Hat’s plan. 

Hat Kid started to swing herself until she was high enough to do something insane. When she was high enough, Hat Kid flicked her wrist. The grappling hook retracted, letting the top hatted child free fall until she flicked her wrist again. Attaching to the next lantern that was nearby.

Hat Kid grinned as her plan worked! Bow was speechless as Hat worked her way to the top. Before long, Hat was on the wooden platform that none of them could previously reach. But all this time they could. They just needed to think outside the box in an unusual way. Bow then wanted to give this new ability a try as well.

So she placed it on her ribbon and swung along the lanterns; Dawn couldn’t help the laughter that escaped past her chapped lips, the feeling of relief and amazement was incredible.

Eventually, they found more yarn to craft more hats and backpacks with! Clearly this stuff was all over the place! Good thing there was a lot of it, otherwise they would’ve been screwed in some situations. After leaving the area they were previously held captive in; the trio found themselves on the other side of the caves. There was a giant kork plugging a metal pipe.

So that’s what was messing up the well?

“Well- we found the problem. Now what?” Dawn curtly placed her hands on her hips, her gaze fancied a dangling metal lever. Dawn waltzed over to it, she tried grabbing it to no luck. It was out of her reach by a few feet. Hat Kid took a glance at her umbrella and whipped her hookshot at the lever. It wasn’t enough weight to pull it down, so Bow joined in.

“GGGRRRR- it won’t budge!” Hat Kid complained, trying with all her might to yank this cord down with Bow. “Come ON-!” Bow groaned, continuing to pry at the metal lever. “Hang on!” The snowflake girl yelled as she grabbed the two girls by their feet. Thanks to the weight, the lever was pulled and the kork along with it.

The good thing was that they were on the ground- the bad news… the once dried well started to fill with water once more. It was rising, and it was rising fast!

Hat Kid yanked her friends by the wrists; obviously deciding to make a break for it. “OH HECK NO! We’re getting outta here!” The trio was pushed up with gusto, landing safely on a platform. If they were gonna get out of this, they needed to work together.

Anxiously, Dawn looked down at the water quickly rising. “I- WOULD use my powers but… I’m not sure it would work with water gushing out like this!” Dawn panicked; clean the Subcon Well? More like speed-running the Subcon Well. The water rising was raising the stakes of the current situation.

Dawn really didn’t want to drown, so the faster they could get out: the better. Hat Kid swung over with the hookshot; landing on a button that let a ladder slide down freely. Now they were getting somewhere! Which was great for getting the heck outta here.

“Come on! Hurry!” Bow demanded as she stormed up the ladder in hot pursuit, Dawn and Hat soon followed. Landing on another platform, Bow looked out at the lantern and back at her friends. “Okay- I know we only have two hookshot badges- but I know we can swing one another across so…” Bow gives Dawn the badge.

“Barrow this. One of you can help me swing over, which I’m sure won’t be a huge problem.” Dawn gave a curt nod, taking the badge Bow was loaning her. With a whip of her hand, Dawn was weightless. Weightless and swinging to the other platform. Hat and Bow worked together when swinging across; Hat Kid tossed Bow Kid to the platform to safety before landing herself.

They parkoured through some platforms, never missing a beat as the water continued to rise. “Okay- now what?” Hat Kid quickly questioned, pondering what would happen next. Dawn took Bow’s hand, ready to grapple onto the next lantern.

“We need to continue going up. The next lantern’s here and I think I can carry ya this time.” Bow at the fact her friends had faith in her plans, just like how she has faith in them. Dawn whipped her umbrella to the next lantern, the upward dissent continuing on. 

Feeling weightless once more as they continued to the top, the trio was met with a dead end. Only lanterns could be seen along with the last wooden platform at the tippy-top.

“Okay- I know this looks bad… like really bad. But I’ll think of… erm- something!!???” Bow distressed, pulling at some of her curls. Hat looked down at the water rising and at her umbrella. Dawn was anxious as she wasn’t sure if they could get to where they wanted in time.

Bow KNEW they needed to take a risk: a dangerous one. “Toss me.” Hat Kid snapped her gaze back at Bow Kid. “What- I’m sorry??? Don’t tell me I just heard you say-!”

“You did, sis. It’s not like we have a choice.” Bow snapped back. “Those cherries at the top- you’d remember them? If you two pass me along as you swing, I can get up there and get us out of here!” Hat… hesitated as Bow glared at her with cold purple-magenta eyes. She was dead serious on going through with that plan. Hat couldn’t change her mind… and that scared her. Hat let out a long sigh for her younger friend.

She needed to trust Bow, she needed to trust that this would work. “Okay.” Hat spoke to Bow’s surprise, Hat Kid then firmly adjusted her top hat. “Just as LONG as you’re sure you wanna go through with the plan.” 

Dawn stared at the lantern anxiously; before looking back at her friends. “Well, let’s do it. Just- be careful Bow. I won’t be able to make a snow blanket if you fall.” Dawn warned as she hoisted herself into the air. Dawn swung herself to the second lantern, soon extending an open hand for Bow. Hat Kid looked at Bow Kid; “You ready?” Bow tightly gripped Hat Kid’s hand in response.

“Born ready. Let's do this.” The duo kept running until they swung on the first lantern. Bow locked hands with Dawn, never letting go. Bow then swung Hat Kid towards the next lantern. The top hatted girl soon gripped the next lantern. This plan was actually working!

Eventually, Bow landed and grabbed a cherry, only to throw it at the wall of ice. Hat and Dawn landed shortly after, eagerly running towards their friend.

Hat Kid tackled Bow, proud and relieved that Bow’s thorough plan worked. “You dummy, I’m glad we didn’t drop you.” Bow hugged Hat back. “We both came up with stupid but good plans today. I even grabbed some more yarn as you swung me across.” Hat Kid giggled, ruffling her younger friend’s hair. “Love ya sis, let’s just try not to be stupid and smart at the same time for a while.” 

Dawn wheezed loudly, giggle snorting with a hand over her face. “Dude- we can’t promise that none of us won’t be dumb and smart simultaneously. That within itself is being dumb because- we can’t promise anything.” The trio giggled- but the laughter didn’t last long as the ice shattered from the cherry bomb exploding.

The earth from below started to erupt. Water started to burst up until there was nothing but gushing water. 

Location: Subcon Forest, Subcon Village

“When do you think the newbies will be back?”

A couple Subconites talked amongst themselves. Still chatting about the newcomers and wondering when they’d come back from cleaning the Subcon Well. The Badge Seller approached them, seemingly worried yet- somehow knew where the trio most likely was.

“They should be back any minute now.” The Badge Seller reassured. Before any one of the Subconites could ask for clarification, BOOM! the wall that was connected to the well exploded with water gushing out.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH !!” The trio screamed as they crashed into the lake. The root of the problem then landed not too far away. It was a Time Piece ; one of the Time Pieces that crashed in Subcon. “GAH! Ah-!” Dawn unsubmerged from the cold waters with a gasp, coughing soon after. “Hattie? Bow?” Dawn swam, looking for the two girls. “Hat? Bow?  Where are you?” Dawn bumped into Hat Kid who was swimming along the waters.  “Ah- sorry- wait- Hattie! There you are!” Hat Kid swam to the edge, catching her breath.

“Glad I found you, where’s Bow?” Dawn blinked at Hat. “I thought she’d be with you!” “Over here!” Bow pulled herself up on the makeshift bridge where the Time Peice was. Bow held it in her warm colored hands, smiling at her friends who were also soaked.

“Bow!” The duo swam over to Bow as they pulled themselves out of the water as well. “Hey guys! Look! The newbies are back! And they fixed the well! Hooray!” One of the Subconites cheered in celebration. Out of everyone in the crowd, Dawn recognized the Badge Seller. Standing up, the snowflake-clipped girl walked towards him. “Hey Badge Seller! I didn’t know you were here in Subcon.” 

The Badge Seller wordlessly nodded, giving Dawn the same masked glare. “Indeed. You three look like you’ve had it this evening.” Dawn chuckled as a smile stretched across her face; “Well wouldn’t you like to know?” Hat Kid and Bow Kid soon joined Dawn. “It’s nice to see you again! We even found a new badge! The Hookshot Badge!” The Badge Seller seemed intrigued by this, as if he knew about it the entire time.

“Get some rest. Don’t come back to something if you are not well rested. I always value my customers but I also value my customers being well.”

Dawn appreciated the advice yet… his voice, it felt familiar yet it wasn’t at the same time. Dawn could swear that her eyes went playing tricks on her as she saw a faint diamond pattern in his left eye. Was that a coincidence? Or does he have some kind of relation to Moonjumper? Dawn wouldn’t find out until she built enough courage to ask.

“Badge Seller- do you-…” Dawn hesitated to ask when Bow pulled out the teleporter. “I uhm… do you know someone named Moonjumper?” The Badge Seller looked at Dawn silently, not even giving an answer.

“I think you’ll know the answer when you find it, child.” The Badge Seller “grinned” as he wandered away, leaving more questions than answers.

Who was he really? What was his connection to Moonjumper? There were SO many questions that had to be on halt until tomorrow. Bow got the teleporter to work as a blue light engulfed them, and in a blink of an eye; they were gone.

Back to the spaceship for a hot shower and meal. Back to a dreamless slumber with a neverending Horizon. The questions the cryokinesis prodigy wanted answers to… would come sooner rather than later.

Chapter Text

On the spaceship in the sky; Hat Kid, Bow Kid and Dawn slept until… Two of the children awoke in the middle of the night by the sound of… A Time Rift ? Its swishing sound was like a gentle alarm clock ringing from under the ocean waves. Hat Kid’s ocean eyes soon crashed onto the shore as they opened, the shoreline soon pulling away as her gaze landed on the magical orb. What was a Time Rift doing here? Hat Kid pulled the covers off herself, crawling out of bed to investigate. But in doing so, she disterubed Bow in the process.

“Ngh… Mhm.. huh? *yawn* Hattie…?” Bow rubbed her sleepy eyes subconsciously. “What are *yawn* you doing up so late?” Bow then made a big yawn as the hatless child climbed back onto the bed, silently pointing to the Time Rift.

The sight of it made Bow’s purple-magenta eyes widen, any trace of sleepiness that was there previously fell off her face.

What was a Time Rift doing here? Why was it here and near the pillow pile? “That’s why I got up- the Time Rift woke me up.” Hat explained: her expression not changing in the slightest. Bow kept staring at the Time Rift , climbing out of bed to get a better look at it. Hat followed her as the Time Rift hummed with its magical glow.

A Time Peice was most likely in there but this Time Rift was purple, it must’ve contained a memory along with those storybook pages. 

Hat Kid and Bow looked over at Dawn who slept soundly, not making a peep as her chest rose and fell soothingly. The girls looked at the Time Rift ; one peek wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it? “Okay- let's go before we regret this.” Bow begrudgingly affirmed, taking hold of Hat’s hand so they wouldn’t get lost.

Hat gave a smug grin: “I’m sure we won’t regret this. Perhaps we can find more information with the storybook pages. We know about some things with the other two story books, so now shouldn’t be any different.” The girls looked at the Time Rift in all of its mystical glory. “Let's go!” The duo hopped into the rift and continued to descend until they appeared where the rest of the Time Rift was. The platform was shades of purple and hues of red and blue. It was pretty as drawings scattered the floors and the starry night sky along with snow graced them with its beauty.

The purple Time Rifts were always unique; each one being different from the last. One showing stuff related to the Mafia members and Mafia Boss, the other showing parts of Dead Bird Studios. Here? They weren’t sure where this could be, not yet anyway. 

Hat Kid looked around at the sky, the shooting stars that passed every now and then and the moon that glistened like a friendly face greeting someone from a long day’s work. The wind rang like soft silver bells, bells of laughter, tunes of song that were drenched in memories. Memories of an era, an era of a different time.

“This rift is… different.” Hat Kid uttered, still staring out into the abyss. Bow kid looked at the abundance of toys and playthings laying at the entrance to the rest of the rift. Bow Kid went behind and found a storybook page. Rushing back to Hat Kid, she taps her shoulder to get her friend’s attention. “I got one of the storybook pages- from the number on the back- there’s nine we need to grab.”

Bow Kid stated as Hat Kid nodded. Hat and Bow walked as they looked around, the platform looked like a gigantic gazebo with a stained glass roof. White diamonds on beaded strings laced the gazebo, contrasting with the ground what emanated that royal purple with drawings and playthings scattered about. Soon both girls stood on the edge of the entrance; whatever lies beyond this would be interesting to see. 

With a leap of faith, the duo descended further into the Time Rift . The hatless child and the ribbon haired child stumbled upon the next section of the rift. They were in… a backyard that also mixed with what looked to be a school playground? Was this a neighborhood? it wasn’t exactly clear.

“Woah…” Bow Kid gasped, looking around as the sky looked more like the twilight or sunset hour than nighttime, though it was faint; faint but beautiful. The ambiance in the air flowed with the tune of a soft piano remixed with other instruments. It was peaceful, it was powerful… It was melancholy. Something about the gentle tune tugged at heartstrings while at the same time, it played like a soothing lullaby sung from a nurturing presence. 

“Alright… If I had to be honest for a moment- this purple Time Rift is different from the other purple ones.” Hat Kid blurted out. Bow looked over at her friend and nodded; agreeing with her completely. “Yeah… also sidenote: how are we going to find the Rift Pons and storybook pages without getting lost? This place is HUGE!” Bow Kid stressed, curtly placing her hands on her hips.

Hat Kid began to pace, her hand placed where her top hat would usually be. “I… *sigh* maybe we can place landmarks like that house with the flowers out front or-!” Without warning, children rushed past them, giggling and laughing while chasing one another. They couldn’t hear what was being said but they knew it was playful.

Bow looked at the three kids, they looked to range from 6 to 11 years old. The redheaded girl looking 11, the black haired boy looking 9 and the brunette looking about 6. 

As they ran back around the bend, they caught sight of their faces. Hat and Bow couldn’t believe their eyes! The boy who ran looked exactly like Benjamin! Minus the goggles he usually wore on top of his head. The girl, who was the tallest, was someone they didn’t recognize but they could safely assume it was Bella, yet they weren’t sure. What made both girls shocked was seeing the face of the last child… it was Dawn. A little girl around their age running with her hair in a braid, her clothes colorful with personality, and the smile never looking any less joyful while running along the slide walk and around the time rift.

This was a part of a memory, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t just any memory however… these were DAWN’S memories- Parts of them at least. Hat felt her hand being tugged by Bow, looking at her with saddened eyes.

“Do you think that’s Dawn, Hattie?” Hat Kid’s ocean blue eyes met Bow’s purple-magenta ones. She gave a shrug along with a shake of her head to the bow-wearing girl. “Yeah, I do. I… kind of feel bad for her. I can’t explain it- I just do.” Bow’s eyes saddened, soon she was side hugging Hat. “We’ll get the pages and go back to sleep. Then we can show this to Dawn, okay?”

Hat Kid paused, biting her lip. Hat wasn’t sure about it, but it didn’t hurt to give it a try. Bow Kid smugly grinned. “There’s the Hattie I know! Com’on!” Bow tagged Hat, booking it as soon as she did. “I’ll race ya there! I bet you won’t catch me!” Hat Kid giggled at Bow’s taunt; accepting her challenge.

“Oh! You’re ON! Whoever gets more Rift Pons gets to choose the breakfast menu for today!” Hat Kid quipped while snickering, her inflection being playful and mischievous. 

Both girls laughed once more, the warmth bringing back memories of all the times that laughter was the best medicine in the darkest of times. Bow gleefully looked at Hat, her sister figure, her family and accepted the challenge given. “Deal! And whoever loses also has to be at the bottom of a dog pile!” Bow quipped back.

Hat Kid wheezed hard, the race has truly begun. The girls looked over treetops, houses and in the garden. One pon was on top of a house, one that was a couple houses down with a boy by the window, reading away at a music book and playing guitar.

It was also where one of the story book pages was, an odd place but it must have importance. The next place was up the street, finding another Rift Pon along the back garden of what could be assumed to be Dawn’s young childhood home. On top of the swing set laid another pon and along the broken platform was another storybook page.

That’s three of those so far! Just six more to go.

Bow Kid saw a storybook page on top of a platform in mid air; the only way to get there was bouncing on the power line wires.

With a boost, Bow was able to bounce on the power line to get to the page. Now they had four pages in their possession.

Wandering around more, they found three more Rift Pons. The chimes indicating they collected enough pons ensured. At the end of the street, broken away by the abyss, was the contraption that allowed the duo to progress to the next area.

Hat and Bow landed in a place that was now melancholy, it was inside the house with the garden. Dawn’s house. Some areas were broken off and other things floated into a dark horizon. Bedrooms could be seen as the kids who played before were no longer doing so. Going through the never ending corridors and broken platforms laid the next set of Rift Pons.

Some of the pons had to be grabbed thanks to going on top of furniture and getting to broken platforms or going to the little outside that there was. One was even on the rooftop, which was tricky to grab but they managed to get it. All that was left was the storybook page.

“Where do you think the storybook page is Bow?” Bow looked at Hat Kid and shrugged. “Not sure- but I think we’ll find out when we-!” Bow paused as something caught her eye.

“OH!” Hat exclaimed, her stance widening. “There it is!” Bow pointed to the top of Bella’s canopy bed; there was an opening small enough for them to crawl through and grab the storybook page.

“Bow- gimme a boost!” Bow held her hand out, gladly giving her friend a boost to grab the next page. The duo grinned as they worked together. “All mine!” Hat giggled, bouncing in a wonderful delight. 

The next chimes rang once they had enough pons for it. Behind the contraption itself, laid a storybook page. They now had six pages; just three more to go. “What do you think we’ll see from this storybook Bow? I know one was about the Mafia coming to Mu’s island. And another was about how DJ Grooves and the Conductor’s rivalry started. Whaddya think we’ll see from this one?” Bow placed a pondering hand on her chin. Wondering the exact same thing. They didn’t know a lot about Dawn other than what she had previously told them.

This memory must cut deep if the tune’s swelling in the wind. “I think there’s only one way to find out, Hat. I can’t say for sure. All I know is that it might not be super good. We’ll have to tell Dawn about this though.” The ribboned child concluded, the hatless child agreeing full heartedly. “Yeah, that makes sense. I wouldn’t wanna invade her privacy like that. This dumb Time Rift already did that.” The younger bow-wearing child chuckled with a small smile, folding her arms as she looked at her older friend.

Hat rubbed the back of her head, missing her top hat and wished she could adjust it at this given moment in time. Without her top hat she didn’t have any of her badges nor did she have the hats she crafted and could swap out when needed. Hat didn’t mind teamwork so it wasn’t much of a fuss- it just was weird to walk around without something on her head.

Descending downward thrice, the duo were now in… a school? It was raining hard as they could see… a silhouette of what could be assumed to be Dawn’s mom, little Benjamin and tiny Dawn herself. The younger Dawn clung to her mother’s hand in a fearful and distressed manner. They were talking with a man in a blue uniform, as lights from afar flashed blue and red.

What happened here? Why was this a part of Dawn’s memories?

“Oh… my goodness…” Hat Kid mouthed but never spoke aloud. It didn’t need to be, it was obvious. At this moment both Hat and Bow wished they could listen in, yet they couldn’t. With heavy hearts, the girls continued on; collecting the Rift Pons on top of the school buildings that led into classrooms and cars that were on the floating platforms. Some were on tall trees with hanging leaves. For one of them; Bow had to use her ice hat to fly over to a lone tree.

This area had a storybook page and a lonely Bella… huddling her knees together and weeping. At least; that’s what it looked like. Bow came back with the page in hand, swapping her hat back to her ribbon. Hat Kid and Bow Kid collected more pons and soon found the next page in an empty but destroyed classroom. There were many lone backpacks and upturned tables. Pages were all over the place along with small splatters of crimson stained on the ground. 

Bow took the eighth page and hugged it; promising to do the same to Dawn once they came back.

They went to the end of the courtyard and found the time contraption to the next zone of the Time Rift . This zone had nothing but broken platforms and red strings barely connecting them together. The melody sounded different, somber even. The Rift Pons and storybook pages were easy to spot this time. However, it was going to take some skill to get them. “Okay uh- you go left and I go right?” Bow poposed, letting the gears turn in her mind as when concocting a plan. Hat stared into the nightly abyss, nodding wordlessly to the plan proposed. “Sounds like a plan.” Hat Kid and Bow Kid separated and went to collect the pons and pages, some platforms looked like snowflakes and fell as soon as they came into contact with any kind of pressure.

This part of the rift even snowed, just like the entrance area... It felt so cold; so isolated. Collecting the pons on various spacious platforms, defeating enemies, and meeting where they first arrived. The duo traversed to the last Time Rift entrance. Albeit getting there was tedious, tedious but worth it. Once they arrived at the top, they dropped through to the last section of the Time Rift . The last place was in an empty bedroom; though, if you looked through the wooden door; there laid Bella, Benjamin and Dawn hugging in an embrace. It was a bittersweet note to end on. There was also a white staircase paved with golden roses and various other kinds of flowers. Traversing down the steps lead them to the last storybook and a journal. Opening it clear that it wasn’t a journal; rather a sketchbook.

Inside had a drawing of Bella, Benjamin and Dawn. The words “My BIG siS” was scribbled on top and pointing to Bella. The next drawing had a small note from Bella herself. “It’s been barely a week since I got back from being in the hospital. It sucked... I just hope Claudia and her pose don’t do that again… I'm scared. If only I had done more. I could have-” The rest of the note is scribbled out and torn. 

“Well… that’s everything.” Hat Kid took Bow Kid’s hand, holding it tightly and never letting go. “Let’s get outta here.” Bow Kid affirmed, more ready to leave this place for good. Now: they get to whack the heck out of the Time Rift orb. Once it exploded, the duo retrieved the Time Piece. Before long, they were back where they started, in the middle of the bedroom, this time with the Time Piece and storybook in hand. Hat grabbed her top hat, relieving stress as she placed it back on her head.

Hat and Bow then looked at one another, twinning looks of concern, before taking a first glance at the storybook.

“Lonely Snowflake.” Hat read aloud. “I um… I don’t like the sound of that.” Bow nervously gulped, her shoulders hunching together nervously. “L-let's read it…” The top hatted child suggested- well, suggested is a light term for what they were about to do. Since that comment was more of a matter of fact. The ribboned child hesitantly grabbed the cover page and turned it from the cover to the first page. 

The book started with a younger Dawn playing with her siblings. She was smiling and happy and playing a game of tag. Just like how she was in the Time Rift. Both girls look at one another as they reluctantly turn the page.

The next page is turned. Dawn’s older sister, Bella, is seen distressed and possibly… crying in her room, just like how they saw her in the Time Rift . The page also showed Benjamin and Dawn looking at their older sister from afar, looking as if they were wanting to help, but didn’t know how. Hat and Bow honestly felt bad for Dawn... What happened to Bella? What happened to Benjamin and… what happened to Dawn herself? What happened all those years ago that this storybook so desperately wants to share? Only one way to find out as the duo silently turn to the next page.

The next page turn reveals Dawn facing her back to greet more kids offscreen. Benjamin looked anxious as he’s trying to figure out what happened to their sister. He must truly care for her. By the look of it something happened at school. Whatever it was must’ve been horrible; the page was turned once more.

The next page showed Dawn and Benjamin at odds with one another. Both kids had never seen the two at odds nor disagree with each other before, it was… a nerve wracking thought to say the least. They looked like they were arguing about whether Bella was genuinely okay or not. At least that’s what it looked like, it wasn’t fully clear. Benjamin saying that she wasn’t and Dawn being naïve and saying that she was. Hat and Bow looked at one another again, hands trembling as the page turned again. 

The next page was in that same rainy location with a devastated Benjamin and Dawn, along with a woman’s face they couldn’t quite see. But judging by how Dawn held this woman’s hand in the Time Rift and in this storybook, it was safe to assume this was their mother. The cop looked like he was talking to them, telling them something. But what? What was it? Whatever it was, it didn’t look good. Did Bella do something horrible? Did something horrible happen TO her… What happened? It wasn’t exactly clear. The page was turned again.

The next page turn shows the aftermath of the last page. A sorrowful Benjamin, his back facing them as he consoled his baby sister Dawn. Tears welling in her eyes as she hung onto his shirt like a lifeline. It was a sight that hurt both Hat and Bow… both being shaken to their cores. It reminded both girls of something, something that… they themselves would rather forget. Bella must’ve ran off… leaving without a trace. Just like they did when running off for adventure… for the most part. This page hurt in general, despite the personal feelings the picture invoked in both the top hatted child and ribboned child. It hurt to see Dawn like this, so fragile and helpless. They grabbed at the next page. 

The next page swooped in with Bella coming back, looking as if she was apologizing for the wrong doings she had done to her family. Whatever drove her to do that, she must’ve been desperate to get away; so much in fact that she ran from those who cherish her most. The page then solemnly turned to the ending.

The final page showed Bella had been forgiven by the younger Dawn and Benjamin; though it wasn’t clear on what was being said. Yet that was only half of the final page.

The other half showed Dawn with a solemn, yet unreadable expression upon her face. A snowflake in her left hand and a broken heart above her; she probably didn’t get time to fully process this… did she? How else could it explain the broken heart?

They closed the book, on edge and wanting to do anything to comfort their friend. Wordlessly, they grabbed some toys and blankets and curled up next to Dawn, hoping that would be enough to give her some closure.

☆♪*..*☆♪

An hour or two passed, it was now 7 in the morning. Dawn slowly opened her eyes to find Hat Kid with her top hat off her head and Bow Kid with a plushie between her arms curled up on top of Dawn. The cryokinesis prodigy couldn’t help but smile yet also felt a sinking worry in her chest. What happened while she was passed out? Dawn sat up as her gaze caught the window into the endless starry sky; it was gorgeously mesmerizing.

Dawn enjoyed talking with Moonjumper this time, they spoke about their lives while Moonjumper recited old stories about Subcon from its prime. He described it as a location many would disiere to travel to. Many visitors loved coming to its villages and seeing the sights it had to offer. It was a landmark for trading, beautiful and historical sights, and wonderful all around. The royals would always come to town and interact with their people, while the children would love to run around and play. Moonjumper described watching them play games with a ball, hiding in places or with their hands, running through grassy meadows and fields of flowers.

Dawn was able to identify which games he was talking about: Pass the Ball, Tag and Hide & Seek. Moonjumper was… extremely intrigued to hear that the games actually had names and rules to them. Before leaving, Dawn promised that she’d teach the games to him when she returned.

 Now, back in the real world, Dawn looked away from the window to see… a storybook? The same one from the Time Rifts that they read last night? “What’s one of these doin’ here?” Dawn muttered, grabbing the book that was made from memories. “Lonely… Snowflake?” Dawn read the title aloud. Turning to the first page, Dawn instantly KNEW what memories this book was going to recall. It was recalling those weeks from when she was six years old. The old laughter, the melancholic rain, the school… the lies. All the lies and the noise… Everything was loud; way too loud. Too loud for Dawn to comprehend… this felt like an invasion on privacy, though she couldn’t blame the girls- she could only blame that STUPID Time Rift! “Dawn…?” Hat Kid sat up, rubbing her eyes and placing her top hat back onto her head. Bow Kid soon got up after her, stretching with a yawn.

“Are you okay…?” … Silence: That's all Dawn had as a response. Wordlessly, Dawn reluctantly shook her head, gripping the book to her chest grimly. Soon a sardonic huff escaped her lips. The pure existence of this book mocked her in such a way she couldn’t help but huff a dark laugh. “No.” Dawn stated thoughtlessly, her face devoid of any expression.

“I’m… not okay. This stupid book is mocking me, I know it is.” Dawn pushed the book away from her chest and held it tighter in her hands. Both Hat and Bow looked at one another. She was going to be bombarded with questions now, wasn't she?

“You have questions… don’t you?” Both girls looked at one another; yet to Dawn’s surprise… both of them shook their heads. “No. We don’t. We don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable and pressure you into talking about something that makes you feel bad…” Har Kid established, making it very clear that neither of them had any interest in pressing on the uncomfortable matter further. Suddenly, both kids hugged Dawn.

“We kinda saw it in the Time Rift… I’m sorry that happened to you. If you want to talk about it when you’re ready, you can.” Bow Kid reassured, stating that it was alright to talk to them if or when she needed any help. Wordlessly, Dawn hugged both girls, calming down in their arms… letting all the memories that bothered her fade away once more.

Two hours later, the trio got ready for the day. Dawn was in a different outfit this time, a tye-dye T-shirt, pink shorts, her regular boots and purple colored socks. This time she had her hair loose and free flowing. She also had a hair tie tied to her left wrist. Today they were going to record the other movies, then tomorrow was the award ceremony!

It was probably like Sundance or maybe even Slamdance from back home. Her mom always told her about both of them, both sounding interesting in their own rights, even if one was more fun than the other in Dawn’s humble opinion. After filming today- Dawn was going to ask Cooking Cat if she knew any stores in Mafia Town they could go to. That way they’d have something fancy for the three of them! It was an event! So they had to get somewhat fancy! Right? No one said that they couldn’t, so they might as well! 

Lounging on the beanbag chair, Dawn attempted to play the Corgi Quest game the girls had on the save slot they created for her. It was a fun adventure lore packed platformer! Sure some levels frustrated her but no game was perfect. “ DDAAAAWWWNNNN !!! I’m ready!”  Hat exclaimed, bursting through the bedroom door. Hat Kid was in her casual outfit with her hair up in pigtails. Instead of her usual top hat, she wore her sprint hat and her coat was tied around her waist. The snowflake clipper girl chucked.

“Dressed like that you ain’t. Come here” Dawn went to Hat Kid as her top hat came back. Soon Dawn’s hands were styling Hat’s hair into a ponytail braid. Her hands weaved through it. Dawn looked as though she was mimicking someone she’s seen do this before. At the end of it, Dawn tied it off with the scrunchie she had on her wrist. “There we go, you can take the jacket off your waist and I think you’re set! It’ll make your hair look fluffier once it’s out of the braid on set!” 

Hat Kid looked at the braid and then at Dawn, grinning from ear to ear. “I love it! Thank you!” Hat Kid’s beaded. Soon Bow Kid came out with a red ribbon in her hair, along with an adorable yellow, orange and red cat themed outfit. She also had her hair in pigtails! It was super cute! It was only a statement Bow could pull off.

“After this- we’re doing laundry so we have the clothes we like to wear back again, okay?” The trio chuckled. “Whatever ya say Bow.” Dawn hoisted her back onto her shoulder, the Dimensional Traveling Device clattering to the floor.

“AH- shoot!” Dawn scurried to the ship’s floor and scoops the device into her hands. “What’s that?” Bow Kid asked curiously. Dawn glanced over at her friends and shrugged. “It’s uh- it’s my DTD. Dimensional Traveling Device. My sister gave me one of these. It’s how people use portals and travel between worlds.” Dawn explained, holding the remote closer to her chest.

“I can’t let anyone break it. Otherwise I’ll be stuck here. Unless I can get in contact with my sister who also knows how to use them, more than I do anyhow. Other than that- if this thing breaks my way home is kaput, kablooie! Until Bella can get me home, that’s it.” Hat and Bow exchanged glances, averting their gaze from Dawn until they stared at her with understanding eyes. Not a full understanding, but they tried their best to understand. 

“I uh- we might not get the dimensional stuff- since that’s just as complicated as time travel. But uh- that does make sense. It’s like breaking one of the teleporters we have here and not having any spare parts or backups.” Dawn giggled as Hat jested to her friends. “Now: let’s get to the Moon Set! Grooves’ probably waiting for us!” Bow then squeals in excitement. Both her and Hat were practically bouncing off the walls in joy.

“Golly! I can’t wait to see what he has planned! I wonder what it’s gonna be!” Dawn giggled, grinning with the girls as the mood from before faded away. “Whatever he has planned should be splendid!” Dawn soon adjusted the settings on the teleporter, putting her Dimensional Traveling Device in her backpack. “Okay. And away we go! LETS A FREAKING GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Dawn hit the button confirming her choices as the bright blue light engulfed the group. Without a second to waste, the trio vanished into thin air. 

Location: Dead Bird Studios, Moon Penguin Set

The trio blipped into the Moon Penguin Set, there was a MASSIVE crowd today!

Man, those were a lot of folks watching them today. On the building in the heart of town square, stood the eccentric DJ Grooves and a giant disco ball looming over him. Not only that: but to his left, a band stood ready to follow whoever the leader was. Traversing using the ice bridges Dawn missed using, they managed to make their way to DJ Grooves. “Hey Mr. Grooves!” Bow Kid happily greeted, grateful in seeing the Penguin. “Hello, darling! Good to see you again!” Grooves greeted with a boisterous voice that roared over the crowds below.

DJ Grooves soon turned to the edge of the building and stretched his flippers out wide. “Welcome to the largest studio set you'll ever see!” Dawn looked at the sparkling lights below, it was gorgeous to look at. Soon two of the moon penguins came out with boxes for all three of them. Grooves looked ecstatic about the gifts being laid in front of them, these were costumes for the movie! “We're about to start recording The Big Parade, the movie that'll take the breath away from audiences worldwide! You'll be the stars, as always!” Dawn beamed when looking at the gifts, she asked super excited that she’d (willingly) get in on the action this time! This was gonna be EPIC!

 DJ Grooves pointed to the gigantic disco ball, glimmering from all the spotlights around it. “For this movie, we'll need to use our special prop ! It'll pop out at the very end!” Grooves explained as he animated with his flippers, as if he was reading the best script he’d ever come up in the longest time.

Seeing this, made Dawn smile even brighter, even the girls seemed to be thrilled about the idea as well! Before any one of them could utter another word, Grooves interrupted by adding onto the excitement. “But wait, darling! Your current outfit really isn't fit for a parade.” He pontiff out, then pointing to the gifts laid before them. “Can you go over there and get dressed?” 

Dawn nodded as the penguins handed them the gift boxes, guiding them to a place where they could get dressed into their costumes. Bow Kid now adorned red white and gold.

Her hair was out of the pigtails; and the blue ribbon was replaced with a red one that had a bird motif on it. Dawn wore an outfit with the same colors, it was more of a fancy dress that had a fancy button up jacket with a bird motif on the back. Hat Kid took center stage, quite literally looking like a parade leader in a dazzling handmade costume. The bird themed parade hat, the jacket, everything looked stellar! Hat’s hair even looked great when it was taken out of the braid for the film, the curls bouncing as she looked around.

“Alright. How do I look?” Hat Kid spun around with a gleeful smile. “I think you look wonderful Hattie!” Bow praised while holding her hands together, the biggest smile creeping onto her face. “I think we all look amazing!” Dawn pulled her friends close, they all giggled in excitement. Strolling out of the room, Dawn made an ice ramp for them to get back to DJ Grooves. The penguin Director couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the trio once more, the costume designers really outdid themselves this time!

“You look great, darling!” Hat Kid beamed with the brightest smile she’d ever seen from her. As if the complement itself meant the world to her. “Golly, thanks Grooves!” Hat chirped, grinning from uncontainable delight. Dawn looked out to the crowds below, Bow stared at the crowd anxiously.

“This-” Bow paused, biting the inner side of her cheek before looking at Grooves timidly. “This isn’t gonna be too hard- right?” The Penguin direction stifled a blunt laugh. Bow held her hands together as she looked at Grooves shyly. “Don't worry, this movie is really easy. Keep moving around and the band will follow you! Just don't bump into them!” Hat Kid and Bow Kid lit up, shingling brighter than before. “Wait- we get to lead the band!?” Hat Kid and Bow Kid exclaimed simultaneously. Dawn was shocked but extremely excited for this role! She’d never led a band before, this should be awesome!

“Yep! That’s right, darlings. You get to lead the band for the movie!” Dawn loosened her grip on her backpack, this was going to be the thrill of a lifetime.  “And keep an eye out for goodies! The audience loves a good parade and will throw treats your way if you get near them.” DJ Grooves starts to skate off, but right before he leaves completely, he mentions one last thing: “The parade lasts a while; nothing you can do to speed it up. We'll let you know once we've got enough footage. Don't lose spirit!” The Penguin jumped as he soared onto a parade float with a DJ booth.

“Good luck, darling!” He shouted in delight, the music starting up as Hat Kid began to lead the band. Dawn made many ice bridges which the crowd adored, roaring in awe and wonder at the display of beautiful talent. They loved how magical it was, since it was real magic! And that made it extra special. 

The crowd roared with excitement as Dawn glided through. Hat Kid soon took the reins and went for the powerline wires. The way Hat bounced on the wires, she soared through the air like she was flying. Bow, who stayed, grinned in a way she hadn’t previously seen on her face before this moment.

She looked so happy. She was grinning with a smile her age and not an age beyond her years.

Hat even laughed as she soared through the town, that laughter was genuine and a laughter that had the same feeling as Bow’s smile. They weren’t stressed or worried about saving the Time Pieces , they were just having fun. Dawn felt the breeze through her hair, the magic in her feet and a smile on her face. Today… was a day not to forget. A day to remember, a day to live. “It's time to turn the heat up in this movie!” DJ Grooves announced in a boisterous voice. He made the disc on the record scratch, calling out to Dawn and Bow passing by him.

“Darling, can you turn on the pyrotechnics?” Dawn grinned, agreeing to the task given to her. “You got it!” Dawn and Bow soon slid to the switches around the set. “Pyrokinetic machines, coming in red hot!” Dawn whacked the switch, turning on some of the pyrokinetics; “Just a few more to go!” Bow announced as they traversed above the streets. 

Soon all the pyrokinetics were turned on as rooftops went ablaze with dazzling lights. Hat Kid giggled as the lights shone throughout the rooftops.

“Way to go guys!” Hat shouted, still leading the band in a playful manner. Bow Kid soon joined Hat in leading the band, it was the most fun she’d seen the two have since she arrived in this dimension. Sure they had fun playing video games, telling stories, eating treats and spending days under the sun. Despite that, Dawn enjoyed this moment just as much as those other moments. She enjoyed the soothing breeze, the heartfelt action. She relished the roar of cheering from below, and how she watched Hat and Bow soar from above, soaring like angels in the sky. Grooves starched the record on the turntable again, beckoning for another task to be completed.

“This movie needs more action!” The Penguin Director announced with a prideful tone, though… His pride was different compared to the Conductor’s. Dawn slid by the director once more to get more info. “Darling, turn on the firework cannons for the big firework show!” Dawn grinned a cheeky smile, skating away to the moving parade floats. “You got it Grooves! Fireworks coming your way. It’s aboutta get red hot!” The cryokinesis prodigy gained momentum and shot through the sky, landing on one of the parade floats. The snowflake-clipped girl continued on, using her sprint backpack to gain more momentum. 

“Okay- that’s twice. Just need to do it thrice more… Hah, geez I sound like I’m monologuing or reading a monologue from a book. Heheh.” Dawn chuckled under a frosty breath, soon landing on the third platform. Dawn soon joined the DJ director on his parade float.

“Woo! What a rush!” DJ a grooves grinned. “Why thank you, darling, thank you.” Dawn mustered a chuckle, her lips toying a heartfelt grin. “Ya know…” Dawn started with a soft voice, looking out to the crowds on the parade float. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long while. Especially since last night. Last night… was a cluster.” Grooves’s smile subsided with concern; “Could you clarify what you mean, darling?” Dawn shook her head and smiled, her emerald gaze looking vulnerable and fragile. “We Um… i'm pretty sure you figured neither me or the girls are from around here. I'm not even from where the gals are from. I'm from- well- another world dimension entirely. But besides that… last night was bad and insane for a couple reasons.”

Dawn let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. “Hat and Bow saved me from a trap. Now their souls are in this jerk’s captivity in Subcon Forest… he didn’t take mine however… they made a deal with him so he could spare me.” Dawn soon felt a flipper on her shoulder, opening her eyes to find solace in the gesture. “You are certainly a brave one, darling. I don’t say that about many. You’re certainly the first I’ve met from another world, darling! Which makes whatever you do here out of this world!” Dawn grinned soon watching Hat and Bow flying through the air. Dawn grinned like a sister watching her younger sibling in the school talent show.

“I’m gonna join them to make leading the band easier. Stir up the crowd more for the film, y’know?” Grooves grinned, giving her the gesture that she was good to go! “That’s A-okay with me darling! Go out there and show ‘em what you got!” Dawn skated off the parade float as the crowd roared from her departure. Dawn skated to where Hat and Bow were; “Hattie! Bow!” Dawn shouted as the girls looked at Dawn from below.

Dawn soon met up with the girls and scooped both girls onto her ice platform, letting the band follow as the crowd went even more nuts! Hat and Bow looked excited from the rush. “WOOHOO!!! YEEAAAAHHHAAAAHHH!!!” Hat Kid shouted, her eyes filling with glittering stars. “THIS IS AWESOMEEEE !!!” Bow added on in excitement. DJ Grooves scratched the record table again, calling out to the trio. “Time to release the parade surprise ! Grab it, darling!” The golden disco ball cracked open, revealing the Time Piece floated safely to the ground. NOW it's safe to assume the rewind effects only happen when someone’s holding, it drops it. Dawn skated over as the frills in her dress flowed when soaring through the town. In this moment, the weightlessness had never felt so exhilarating, exciting! Dawn lands with Hat and Bow, the band coming around them with the cherry tune.

“BOOYAH!” Dawn grabbed the Time Peice and held it in her hands. As soon as Hat and Bow come at her sides, they lock hands and take a bow before the crowd. Closing off the movie and the day of shooting! Getting undressed was bittersweet but it was nice to get dressed in the clothes they were familiar with.  At the end of the day, they needed a break before going to the Conductor’s Train. So they used the teleporter to get back to the spaceship, the familiar light engulfing them; before they disappeared in the blink of an eye and out of sight.

Location: The Horizon, Moonjumper’s Gazebo

Moonjumper sat reading a book on the steps of the finely polished gazebo. The quiet passing by, waiting for his recent visitor to come to the land in between dreams and reality. Dawn soon materialized on the steps of the gazebo, opening her docile eyes and grinning when she laid them on the moon shaped spirit. “Hey MJ, how are ya? Ya ready to do the games I promised to teach ya?” Moonjumper bookmarked his story and glided to the girl; she grinned from ear to ear. “Yes indeed, dearie! What shall we do first?” Dawn hopped to her feet, her boot scuffing the steps as she stood. “I think tag should be fun to learn! It’s simple too!” Moonjumper chortled, putting a chained hand over his smile.

“Ohoho! I didn’t doubt you, young one. I suppose this shall be fun then!” Dawn eagerally squealed in excitement. The snowflake- clipped girl taped Moonjumper’s shoulder; “Tag! You’re it! Catch me if ya can!” Dawn started to run, giggling as the chase commenced. Moonjumper picked up fairly quickly on some of the rules, just by visuals alone. “Ohoho! You’re on dear!” Moonjumper started to chase Dawn in a playful manner, Dawn used some of her powers to get higher ground yet forgot Moonjumper could float at those moments. Eventually after a long chase, Moonjumper tagged Dawn. “I got you dear! Your turn to chase!” Dawn grinned, this was exciting! “Bring it on MJ! I’m gonna getcha!” Dawn started to chase, the laughter echoed throughout the lands, through dream and reality. 

Dawn kept running, yet no matter how close she got, Moonjumper always had a trick up his sleeve.

To be fair; she *did* use her powers to get away from him when he was chasing her. “Dang it, why did I make the game harder??? Stupid powers.” Dawn cursed under a frosted breath, internally rolling her eyes at herself. Soon; the cryokinesis prodigy got an idea. It might’ve been stupid- but hey! it’s worth a shot! Dawn found some bouncy platforms made from the wood of the trees around the Horizon. Dawn bounced on it and swiftly landed onto the thick tree beaches. Using the branch as a starting point, she created a bridge to skate across. Moonjumper kept flying away until Dawn was right next to him, soon spinning around to skate from behind.

“Heya bossman! Miss me already?” Dawn smugly grinned as Moonjumper chuckled, only for his face to pale gravely. “DAWN WATCH OUT-!” Dawn turned around too late; screaming as a tree and wall broke the ice. The lack of a platform sent Dawn crashing downward into the abyss below; that was until she was yanked by Moonjumper’s red strings, stopping her rapid descent. “Got you.” Moonjumper huffed, pulling the snowflake-clipped girl to safety. Dawn huffed once she was on the splice of solid ground. Thankfully she wasn’t a void pancake, but she was pretty close to being one.

Moonjumper hugged Dawn, relieved that she was alright. Soon he put his chained hands on her shoulders; “Are you alright, dear?” Unbeknownst to Dawn, she mindlessly nodded. It was hard to process since she could’ve been a goner moments ago. “I- I’m uhm… I’m alright. Just-…” Dawn looks back over to the edge she nearly fell over, seeing the never ending landscape of the Horizon and more of the never ending sea of abyss.

“Why the heck are there huge chunks missing from the Horizon?? Is this entire plain like- an island?” Moonjumper looked out to the abyss before them. “Yes, and no. This place is many things; it is dreams, it is realities. It is old, it is mysterious. There are things known and unknown. Not even I have all the answers, dear child. But I have this to tell; the Horizon is a place that makes sense, yet, at the same time… it doesn’t make sense at all.” Dawn continued to stare into what she knew and the unknown. “So… this place is kinda like Wonderland, right? I mean- That place doesn’t make sense, but at the same time, it does! Yeah?” Moonjumper paused for a moment, thinking the claim over.

“Perhaps…” Moonjumper thought harder, perhaps the snowflake-clipped girl wasn’t wrong to assume it was like the fairytale of wonderland. “In a way… you could possibly be correct, Dawn.” Moonjumper soon placed a hand on the bridge of his face. “Ha! why didn’t I think of that?” Dawn chuckled with a grin that seeped through her worry, relieved that the original mood was coming back. 

“Should we play another game? Like hide and seek or just explain the rules another time?” Moonjumper chortled; “Another time, another time, sweetie.”

The cryokinesis prodigy stood, brushing the dirt off herself, the gesture was enough to realize: they were lost. “UH— shoot! Ummm I think we’re lost.” Moonjumper looked wary for a moment, ‘standing’ as he had another trick up his velvet sleeve. “Fear not Dawn. I shall illuminate our way back on the path.” Moonjumper held a hand out, closing his eyes as a humming sound of strings began to coil to the moon shaped spirit with ease. It was an oddly beautiful sight. Moonjumper had the strings wrap around his left hand, tightly tugging them to make sure they were secure.

“Come along now, Dawn. Let us go back to the gazebo and get you back to your friends.” Moonjumper offered his blue hand, to which it was accepted. Moonjumper were pulled along as they were led back to the gazebo. “Try not to stray from the path, this place is quite spacious. It took years to master my way of getting around this place. I’m thankful I can save you from the trouble.”

Dawn smiled; “Duly noted MJ.” Then, a question pressed onto her mind. The Time Pieces , of course the Time Pieces ! She had to ask about that and The Badge Seller! And the note! That too! “Moonjumper… I have something to ask you.” The snowflake-clipped girl tarried in her never ending sea of curiosity, firmly gripping onto the question she wanted to ask as Moonjumper gave his full attention. “What is it, Dawn?” Dawn softly inhaled, her breath slightly hitching before it left her lungs.

“I Um… I found your letter when I woke up… and your handkerchief. I very much appreciated the letter. But… How did you know about the Time Pieces ? I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned them to you, have I?” Moonjumper barely gave a response, only sighing as he tried to answer. “It… *sigh* It's complicated. It wouldn’t be truthful to explain it in this way. But let's just say… word gets around one way or another. ” Dawn tentatively listened to Moonjumper, so much revealed with so few words.

“And.. The Badge Seller . I met him more than once. Do you know him too?” Moonjumper fixated his tranquil gaze on the cryokinesis prodigy. A look that told her everything she needed to know, a gaze that was notifying her that she subconsciously knew the answer to her ever growing questions, yet, didn’t know the meaning to the answers consciously. What was it? What were those eyes telling her that she knew? How could she already know the answer?

“I know him… in a way, yes. That is all I will say.” Moonjumper and Dawn soon returned to the steps of the gazebo. “As for your ship, I was able to locate that on my own based on how I’ve taken you back many times. The friends you're with look like very wonderful and endearing children. I hope to meet them someday.” Dawn grinned from ear to ear, soon hugging Moonjumper.

“You will… I promise.” Moonjumper was… honestly taken aback by this. He had been the one to make promises before. But this time, the child was the one that made the promise instead. Eventually, thr duo soon saw the escorting red string being lowered for Dawn. That only meant one thing. “Time to go, dearie.”  Dawn grabbed Moonjumper’s hand as they were lifted into the air. Soon they were on the ship, but Dawn… didn’t go back immediately.

“Moonjumper… if you’d ever like to visit when I’m awake… you can. You’re always welcome.” The girl gave the moon spirit a grin, the warmest grin she’s ever given him since they started meeting in the wonderland of the Horizon. Dawn sits by her sleeping body, not fully tired but wouldn’t mind a lullaby if she got one.

“Hey, MJ… do you know how to sing?” Moonjumper tilted his head in delicate curiosity. “Yes, I can. Why do you ask, dearie?” Dawn lazily rubbed the back of her head, the brunette strands falling between them. “My sister used to… still does sometimes… sings lullabies to help me sleep. And I heard you humming something when we met.” Moonjumper huffed a soft chuckle, sitting down by the girl.

“Well… I happen to know one song. It’s one of the few I know. I remember I used to hear the prince and princess of Subcon play it… they made such a lovely duet, the prince would play the ivory keys of a shiny piano while the princess preferred the copper strings of a violin. They knew how to play both instruments very well! Although, those were the ones I always saw them play more often than not.” Moonjumper reminisced, the nostalgia of the past coming back in the form of a playful smile. It soon faded when he thought of the special song itself.

“Though… I only know one verse of the song they’d often duet.” Dawn tilted her head in confusion, her eyes big in curiosity. “Well- that’s okay! I still wanna hear it.” Moonjumper sighed, here goes nothing.

“Alright young one…” The moon spirit took a tranquil breath, the calmness becoming infectious as the lullaby started like a record on a record player. “Tale of a place. A deep forest… Dark with grace. There he lives blooming inside a wild field. Of big eyes, there he lives…” Dawn scooted closer to Moonjumper and the calming voice that was his lulling her to sleep. “Skin so blue, his eyes shot red. The moon, the sky, tell him only lies.” The moon spirit sung out gently, looking up at the ceiling, where the stars would’ve been… where many things would’ve been. Dawn’s eyes started to close as the song continued. “He doesn’t know. She waits inside, she lost her mind. Many years gone by…” Dawn smiled as she closed her eyes, not fully asleep. “What’s the song called…?” Dawn yawned, but her curiosity never faded. Moonjumper gifted the 11-year old girl a gentle smile, the tranquility dazzling his unusual gaze. Simply stating: “Tale of a Place.” The snowflake-clipped girl’s smile falters slightly, her form going back onto her sleeping body in a dreamless slumber.

There was so much she needed to know, so much she wanted to know. All would have to be told another time.

☆♪*..*☆♪

Bow kid finished grabbing what they needed for the next movie, getting dressed in her original outfit. Hat Kid waited for Dawn as she finally finished getting ready for the next film. “Okie doki! I think we’re set to go!” Bow grinned as she handed Dawn the teleporter. “You remember how to use it, right?” Bow tested, quizzing Dawn on her knowledge to where she nodded. “Yep. I’m pretty good at it now.” Dawn fidgets with the remote’s settings, setting it to the location, how many people and fidgeting with the other settings. Soon getting the desired results. “Let’s-a-go! It’s showtime!”  Hat and Bow’s chuckled as the light engulfed the trio, soon teleporting them off the ship and to the next movie set.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, moving set: Conductor’s Train

Dawn and the girls landed on the caboose to find the Conductor standing there, trademark uniform and all. “Welcome back lassies.” The Conductor greeted Dawn stared at the owl sternly, obviously sour from the other day. Yet his movie was nothing compared to what that soul stealing jerk did. “Hi Conductor… are you gonna lie again for another juicy film?” Dawn stung coldly, yet the Conductor didn't flinch at the remark, it was deserved. “Look lass, I nae tad made some wee mistakes but- it’s all past us ain't it lass?” Dawn was… honestly taken aback- it sounded like an apology yet she wasn’t sure. If it was, it was pretty backhanded. “Go on in. We’re getting ready to shoot the BIGGEST action movie in bird history! The movie is gonna be THE BOMB!! GWAHAHAHAHAHA!” The Conductor soon cleared his throat. “… And I mean bomb in the good way, peck neck!” Dawn snickered as Hat and Bow stared in confusion. “So bomb can mean good and bad?” Bow asked, holding the door open for her friends.

“Yeah, it’s a film term so he’s not wrong. Whatever script he’s got. It MUST be good, right?” Dawn entered the train car with Hat and Bow, the door closing behind them. Some owls that were apart of the crew were talking about special effects  and the schedule, one even hoped filming wouldn’t run late which was understandable. But someone caught her eye, the Badge Seller! He was here too? “Hey Badge Seller!” Dawn greeted as the Badge Seller’s twitchy body turned to face the trio. “Have you come to make another purchase?” The Badge Seller nonchalantly questioned, Dawn shook her head with a smile. “Nah but I wouldn’t mind chatting with you for a bit.” Dawn stated, swinging her arms behind her head. “That is quite alright, young one.” The Badge Seller grinned from behind his mask. Or at least, she thought he was smiling, it was hard to tell. 

“I have.. a question you didn’t quite answer the other night. What were you doing in Subcon? Were you just traveling to sell more of your badges or something else?” The Badge Seller thought for a moment: “I was indeed traveling, young one. For what reason is the reason you listed-!” *CLANK* The conversation was cut unexpectedly short. Hat and Bow let their curiosity get the better of them and pull a lever with the hookshoot badge.

“Top Hat- Ribbons what did you do!?” Before Dawn’s question could be answered, the Conductor came onto the TV screen behind them.

“Alright lassies, listen up. I have some bad news!” He abruptly announced in a stern hurry: “That lever you just pulled… it starts the train's self-destruct sequence, and that ain't no joke. It'll blow up!” Nothing was said as silence replaced bumping wheels on the train tracks. “THERES A BOMB ON THIS CRAZY TRAIN?!” Dawn blurted out, frightened, emerald eyes widened in a frantic panic. WHAT DID HE JUST SAY!? A bomb, an active bomb!? HERE!? On THIS train!? The owl conductor cleared his throat as he continued onward with his chillingly stern explanation.

“I need a movie with some REAL intense action, so that’s what we’re gonna do! The train’s gonna blow in a few minutes!” The owl conductor let out a gruff chuckle, not making the situation look any better. “But.” The Conductor interjects, a spark of hope lighting ablaze. “You can save us all lassies! Get to the switch at the front of the train to turn it off!” The Conductor then started stomping around, his gruff voice ready to demand. “AND YER BETTER MAKE IT IN TIME, ALRIGHT? I don’t care about the owls or yerself, but don’t you DARE blow up me train for real! It’s my baby!” Dawn sardonically snickered at the way he described the train. Cared about it more than the rest of them, huh? What a joke. “The cameras are gonna be rollin’ lassies, you hurry nos! Go! Over and out!” 

The tv shut off as the gate lowered from the door. Dawn yanked the door open as Dawn caught one last glance at the Badge Seller before running out for good. “RUN KIDS! RUN!” An owl screamed in fear, the trio soon halted as they saw what became of the train car. “OH HECK NAH! FRICK NO!” There was green ooze as things started to break apart. “Okay- on three, we use the sprint hat and backpack and run like hell?” Hat Kid yanked Dawn’s hand, switching to her sprint hat. “PECK THAT! WE GOTTA GO NOW! COM’ON!” 

Bow sprinted with Hat as Dawn was yanked along. Things were falling apart at the seams! It was insane! The trio soon reached the end of the car, activating platforms to get rid of the gate and to the next car. This was going to be harder than originally planned, wasn’t it? “I think we’re gonna make it!” Hat Kid shouted, sprinting with Dawn and Bow close behind her. An unsettling noise soon screeched its way into the wood, the sound of buzzsaws. The buzzsaws started to rip away at the car they were currently in. “SH- FRICK FRACK NO!” Hat Kid zipped across with Bow, Dawn did the same as the cars fell apart before them. This was like an insane fever dream, but this time- it was REAL.

Dawn landed on the bouncy platform and soared up to where Hat and Bow were. The next “segment” of this insanity was barely stable platforms. Some of the other train cars were blown away! This wasn’t good- NOT GOOD AT ALL! At this point… Dawn wished this was a dream. Because one false step and it’s game over for all of them! Dawn’s powers wouldn’t even work here! The ice would break in seconds due to the unstable surface that’s constantly moving at a rapid pace.

Hat noticed more of the hook shot points to link her hookshot to. “On my signal, Dawn. Follow my lead.” Hat Kid took Bow’s hand and jumped. Dawn froze for a moment, her heart pounding in her head like crazy. The relief struck when they came back up with the hookshot and onto the platform. Bow turned around, screaming: “What are you waiting for? Come on! We need to go!” Dawn… hesitated before eventually she took a leap of fate. A trust-fall of fate. Letting herself be vulnerable as she weaved her hookshot onto the hole, like putting thread in a needle. Dawn screamed as she zipped to the girls, landing on her feet upright like a cat. “AUGH- okay. Let's NEVER do this again!” Dawn, Hat and Bow lept to the other platforms, zipping across until they got to- “OH SHOOT.”

Dawn halted as the platforms in the air; were the same as the switches by the gate in the car before the one that got shredded by buzzsaws. “DARN IT WHY'D HE RIG THIS WITH TRAPS!?” Bow exclaimed in a booming rage, her frustration was just as high as Hat and Dawn’s.

“Tell me about it!” Hat added. Dawn looked out, what else did they have to lose? It was either the train blows and they ALL die or they get to live another day. 

They were willing to take this risk but after this Dawn wanted to find a way to sue the owl for putting them in grave danger. Or maybe let him face Dawn’s mother, Rosalee. Dawn was sure he wouldn’t be able to handle the wrath of her mom if it rather WHEN she found out about this. Latina moms, supernatural being or not, are SCARY when they want to be.

The trio rushed uptop the platforms, completing the task before all of them fell to the ground and becoming a grizzly mess under train tracks and train car wheels. All the platforms came back once the last one was stepped on. The train car that wasn’t too far away came closer as the trio fell hard onto it. “OW.” Hat Kid gripped her head, but quickly stood to get her friends moving.

“Come on! We gotta go!” Hat Kid shouted once more. Bow Kid had something catch her eye, noticing a grabbing point for the hookshot. “I think we can swing in and perhaps break the glass of the train car? Maybe?” Dawn perked up, looking Down at the window and noticed something a little off about it. It looked like breakaway glass; a kind of candy glass often used in movies for effects, but it’s just as real as non breakaway glass. “Hold onto me.” Dawn announced, offering her hand. “WHAT!?” “Why- are you sure!?” Both Hat Kid and Bow Kid protested. “Just trust me! We don’t have a lotta time here” the snowflake clipped girl pleaded.

Both kids hesitated, until Bow Kid took Dawn’s hand. “I trust you.” Bow stated, gripping Dawn’s hand tightly. Her figure was shaking from the adrenaline, yet so were all of them. Hat Kid hopped onto Dawn’s back, wrapping her hand around her neck.

“ONWARD!” The cryokinesis prodigy, with some minor difficulties, managed to grapple onto the flying hook. “Brace for impact. This one’s gonna be rough!” Dawn shouted, the wild swing of the hookshot swinging them right into the breakaway glass. Dawn took most of the blow so things weren’t looking great as they tumbled to the ground. Hat Kid and Bow Kid shook Dawn. “Ice! Get up. Please! We can’t stay down, get up…” Dawn shot up, groaning from the soreness. “Gosh, that hurt like a frick fracker.” Bow and Hat hugged Dawn, taking her hands as they started dashing again.

“Forty seconds til self destruct. We’re doomed.” A voice stated from over the intercom. “NOT IF WE GET TO THE SWITCH FIRST WE AIN'T!” Dawn exclaimed triumphantly, this train car was the WORST one! It was filled to the brim in lava and Dawn wouldn’t even be able to use her powers here! This is absolutely the worst, today was not her day.

“There’s the door! We’re almost-!” Bow Kid soon screamed as she slipped on a platform, nearly sending her over the edge and into the lava pit. She’d be dead meat if it wasn't for Dawn grabbing her hand at the last possible second.

“HATTIE!” Bow screamed, failing around for the metal platform that was too hot to fully touch. She was already struggling to keep her grip thanks to the heat. Hat on the other hand looked as if her worst nightmare had just come to life, which in this case, it did. “BOW!! Oh my Raehan, pea king FRICK! Hang in there! I can-!” “NO.” Bow demanded, abruptly interrupting Hat with firm and unmoving eyes.

“You need to get to that switch. Don’t worry about us right now. You need to save all of us by deactivating that bomb!” Bow sharply interjected once more. “I-I love you sis… I don’t want anything or anyone to hurt you… but we need to stop this first.” Hat Kid was stunned… her idle mask cracking once more as tears came into her eyes. “But I can’t LEAVE YOU here Bow! I have to help pull you up!” Hat protested, ferociously biting back her own tears. “No you don’t Hattie! You don’t!” Bow shouted, furrowing her brow. “You don’t- we don’t have time Hattie!” Bow objected to Hat’s attempts in helping.

Dawn had NEVER seen the two argue before, they were peas in a pod… but this was the needle in the haystack that came to a boiling point, the situation that caused the girls to fight. Dawn didn’t do anything but listen, there wasn’t anything she could say to make it better… because she couldn’t. “Bow. It’s my job as the older one to protect you! You’re the only family I’ve got- I can’t lose you to molten lava!” “And I don’t wanna hold you back, Hat! Admit it! I'm holding you back from saving all of us!” Dawn adjusted her grip as she tried pulling Bow up, yet kept faltering as the heat made her lose her grip. “I’ve got you- just don’t let go!” Dawn tried to reassure, but wasn’t sure on how she’d keep that promise.

She couldn’t break it, not now! She needed to save Bow Kid before she was fried by lava.

Hat Kid needed to turn the bomb off, but didn’t leave to do what her little sister begged of her. She didn’t even move, only shocked that Bow said what she kept in for so long. Hat groaned, shouting; “You aren’t holding me back Bow! You never did! I thought I was failing at my job for putting you in danger. I ALWAYS put you in danger!” Bow’s eyes widened. “You’ve never put me in danger sis…! You were always doing your best” Hat soon halted from tears threading to fall, soon wiping her nose as she composed herself once again…

“We’ve… learned a lot together! We get in trouble and danger together! So we’re always on the edge. Isn’t that why you wanted to go back to our original home planet? To Raehan?” Hat paused mid sentence from fighting back tears. “To see if our original home was still a home…? See If Thor was still willing to look after us even if he ran the orphanage. See if Timmy’s still there or talk with Tim if he’s even still around…? Don’t you want to see if home is still safe so if we find out it’s not… or if we don’t want to stay… we’ll go with no regrets?” 

Bow frowned, nodding as she remembered the promises, the people, the stories, all of it. “Yeah… which is why.” Bow snapped her head up to meet Hat’s blue gaze. “YOU NEED TO SHUT THAT BOMB DOWN! We won’t be able to do ANY of that IF we die today!” Hat was… astonished by Bow’s interjection, determinedly telling her sister to book it and save them all. It was terrifying, but something they had to do. They had no tomorrow if not.

Gradually, Hat allowed her last tears to fall before wiping them away and switching her hat to the sprint hat. “Will do Bow. Hang on tight.” The top hatted child spirited away, hoping to reach the switch in time. “I’ll come back for you! I promise!” Hat swore to herself, running away. Running was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to save Bow… but Bow was right. She needed to save everyone else first and she despised that it was true. Hat Kid ran through the various traps and activated more switches. She was so close to the door now! “Ten seconds until self-destruct.” Hat started to panic as the seconds ticked down… this was the end if she didn’t do anything about it. “Come on- COME ON!” Hat landed on the last switch as the gate came down.

“YES!” Hat Kid’s sprinted through the door, seeing the switch and the Conductor. Hat Kid tripped and slid forward, smacking in the button in the process. It was over. “Ooohhh! You made it! And in time!” The Conductor stated, pleased to see that the bomb was deactivated. Soon he started to laugh as Hat Kid got up. “Oh ho hooo… look at all these rough footage we got! Look at how yer- yer runnin’ for dear life! EH HE HE!” Hat Kid stood as she scowled at the owl, unamused. She still needed to save Bow! But she couldn’t hold a grudge. “What? We did it in the name of cinematography! … and to beat that no-good DJ Grooves! I bet he won’t be able to make HALF the movie we just made!” Hat Kid rolled her eyes. “Wait- where yer friend’s at lass? Shouldn’t tae be with yer?” Hat Kid bolted out of the room.

“ WHA- Hey! Lass! Where yer goin’?!” Hat Kid didn’t respond, she didn’t have time to! She only had one mission on her mind now, saving her sister and their friend.

Dawn struggled to get Bow back up, the heat kept making Dawn’s hands clammy and unable to get a firm grip. “Ribbons- I’m sorry… I’m trying my best here!” Bow kept trying to grab the ledge until another hand grabbed hers. “HATTIE!?” Hat started to pull.

“I deactivated the bomb! You’re safe now. Come on Dawn, pull!” The duo pulled, and with their strengths combined, they were finally able to save Bow Kid. Once the ribboned child was saved, the top hatted child brought her into her arms, slightly shaking from the adrenaline winding down. “You scared me half to death, Bow. I-I thought I lost you. I thought I was going to lose you.”  Bow’s purple-magenta eyes lowered as she hugged Hat back, easing her older sister’s shakiness. “I thought I was going to get fried… I thought I was gonna be a goner.” Dawn soon joined in, panting from exhaustion but grateful to be alive. “And here I thought I’d die here. But… you saved us Hat. You’re a hero.” Hat Kid teared up… softly crying into Bow Kid’s shoulder. “I don’t feel like one, Ice. But… Thank you… I love you guys so much…” Hat spoke in a soft voice, grateful her friend and only family was still alive, all thanks to herself and Dawn. “It wasn’t easy to push you away… I’m sorry I thought I was holding you back…” Bow Kid apologized in a low voice. “And I’m sorry I ever made you think that. I’m sorry too.”

The hug unraveled with more understanding than before, bringing them closer as a group and as friends. “Friends?” Bow shook her head, still smiling. “Best friends, no more than that. We’re sisters.” The three of them stood, looking towards where the front of the train was located. Bow took Hat’s hand, running off with her with a genuine laugh “Com’on. Let's go show that mean ol’ owl who’s boss!” Hat Kid was astonished but smiled anyway, thankful that the chaos was over. “Yeah! Com’on Dawn! Get over here!” Dawn chased after them, giggling as she did. The greatness of their small victory never felt sweeter. "Get back here y'all! Wait for me!"

The trio ran pass the inactive traps, getting pass what would’ve been a death trap with ease. Plus there were no seconds til self destruct nor explosions happening left and right. Eventually, they made it to the front of the train and pushed the door open. "Lass!" The Conductor yelled in somewhat of a concerned tone once they entered the room, irritating the oldest in the trio. "Well, well, well, Conductor! We meet again." Dawn curtly spoke in a sharp deadpan tone. A tone that was sarcastic but meant to strike fear. “Lass, I was wonderin’ where yer friends were but now they’re here.” The Conductor diverted the conversation, clearing his throat. “Alright here, take one of these thingamajigs you like. You deserve it!” The Conductor handed Hat Kid the Time Piece. Dawn was… honestly surprised how easily he handed it over to them. But it didn’t change the fact they could’ve died on set.

“Well… That was a rush. A train rush. We could’ve been train wrecked but oh well. All’s well that ends well.” Dawn passive aggressively smiled at the owl, understandably so. But she was thankful they didn’t die. “Let’s- NOT do that again.” Bow Kid announces as they went for the door. “Agreed. That was nuts!” Hat added in agreement. 

“Lassies. Wait.” The trio halted as Dawn groaned impatiently. “Ugh… what?” The Conductor firmly adjusted his hat. “Do yer have some time after the shoot to just talk? I’ll just be with me grandchildren.” Both kid’s faces lit up. Dawn had nearly forgotten that the owl was a grandfather even if it was briefly mentioned. Hat Kid pondered for a moment before huddling with her friends. “Should we go guys? I know we planned to go to Mafia Town after this but talking with the Conductor for a while and seeing his grandkids wouldn’t hurt, right?” Bow looked at the owl conductor, skeptical. “I don’t know… it could be another trick.” Dawn nodded in agreement; “I agree with Bow but… if you wanna hang out with the little ones while I talk with him. You can.” Bow was- reasonably taken aback. Dawn bit the bullet and turned around first. “Sure, why not. I don’t see anything wrong with it.” The Conductor gave… a genuine smile.

“Thanks lass. See yer in a bit.” Dawn pulled the teleporter out and put what she wanted to put in; they might as well head to Mafia Town now while they had the chance. “Mafia Town and Cookie. Here we come!” A blue light engulfed the trio, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Location: Mafia Town, observatory

Dawn and the girls landed in town and decided to look around more. They were specifically looking for where Cooking Cat was. They searched for a while, asking the few residents there that weren’t Mafia members until they were led to one of the houses. Dawn knocked and stood back. Soon they were greeted by Cooking Cat.

“Hey Cookie!” “Hi Cookie!” Both Hat and Bow greeted a gleeful tone, happy to see the feline chef.

“Oh hey! Good to see you! Come right on in!” Cooking Cat took the trio inside, her home was surprisingly cozy. “I was fixing supper before you three came in. I assume the townsfolk gave y’all directions, huh?” Hat nodded.

“Yessiree!” Bow Kid chirped as Dawn sat down on the divan. “Pretty much, yeah. We wanted to ask a couple things since we don’t know a lotta places around town.”

Cooking Cat hummed in response. “So you wanna know where a couple places are in town, sugar?” Cooking Cat asked as she came in with the food she prepared, it was homemade pasta and sauce with some delicious freshly grated cheese to finish it off.

“I made extra for leftovers but you three can have some. You look like you’re starvin’.” Cooking Cat sat with her own plate of food and dug in. Hat Kid poked her food with a fork as if it was going to attack her. Bow smacked her hand, telling her it was impolite. 

“So Cookie… do you uh- do you know where any clothing stores in Mafia Town we can go to are? The Annual Movie Awards is tomorrow and we need to get some fancy clothes since we don’t have any.” Dawn casually questioned, twirling her fork unknowingly as she did. Cooking Cat thought as she ate before swallowing and speaking again.

“There’s a couple I know by the shoreline. There’s a food market nearby as well if you’re looking to buy food. Some of the Mafia sell food as well. They may be terrible at cooking but golly are they good at picking ingredients. Just wish the execution was better so one would possibly die from it.”

“True, true. You've got a point, Cookie. Hehehehehehe!” Dawn giggle-snorted in a childish delight. Cooking Cat grinned at the response, but there was still a question in the air.

"Hey Cookie? Have you- ever been to Subcon Forest?” Dawn asked the pending question on her mind, however Cooking Cat didn’t tense up when Dawn asked about it.

“Oh yes, yes I have. I used to be afraid of the place as a kitten. The story of the kingdom’s downfall and the legend of The Snatcher used to terrify me! But if I wasn’t scared, I wouldn’t have learned how to cook… Now that; that is another story for another day.” Cooking Cat reflected with nostalgia in her voice. But something about the word kingdom caught her eye.

“Kingdom? Subcon was a kingdom? ” Cooking Cat nodded, answering the question with a grin. “Yeah sugar, it was. It was a glorious kingdom from what folk stories told about it. From what other things said, the Princess was an amazing cook! She loved baking sweets and visiting the village. The prince of Subcon loved playing music, singing songs and telling stories. Music is the thing that brought the two and the entirety of Subcon from what my ma once told me.”

Dawn smiled bittersweetly…. “It sounds wonderful… but- what happened to it?” Cooking Cat sighed, her ears flopping down slightly. “The princess became a queen after her mother passed. Her father would’ve taken the throne if he was still alive. The prince had a passion for law and went to study for law school. At least that’s how the story goes, some details became a bit hazy over time. No one knows what really caused the downfall of Subcon; all the stories know is that it became a frozen ghost town.” Dawn’s eyes widened in fear. “A-and what about ‘The Snatcher’…?”

Dawn pressed on once more, feeling on the edge of her seat as the tale unraveled itself. Cooking Cat placed a paw on her chin, remembering what the folklore stories were before she finally had them back in her grasp.

“What the stories told is that The Snatcher steals people’s souls and haunts people in the day, and night. It’s what Subcon currently is, from what stories had said. When I was a kitten the others would tease ‘Don’t go to Subcon to get Snatched!’ It was what all the kittens my age did back then. Used to pretend I wasn’t afraid of that but I was.” Cooking Cat chuckled nostalgically.

“I’d wake late at night from nightmares of what the ghost from the story looked like. I’d just wander before going back to sleep but one night I stumbled on my ma’s books, and read them! It was a cookbook and well- The rest is history!” Cooking Cat paused as she looked over at the two girls eating lunch and then back at Dawn.

“Say, why’d you ask about Subcon in the first place?” Dawn fidgeted with some of her brown hair, trying not to divert her eyes away from Cooking Cat. 

“Well… what if- heh you wouldn’t fully believe me.” Cooking Cat shook her head in a light protest. “Well you haven’t told me what I wouldn’t believe yet sugar. So therefore I have no opinion on the matter. But I’d like to help and listen in any way I can.”

Dawn paused as she looked away. “We went to Subcon Forest last night. The story of the Snatcher is true. But… he didn’t steal my soul. Hat and Bow made a deal with him so he couldn’t. And MAN is he annoying as heck! He pushes my buttons and just- Ggrrrr! He makes me SO mad that it makes me wanna punt him to the next universe’s sun!” 

Dawn pouted as Cooking Cat’s eyes widened. “Golly gee… never thought I’d hear that. It’s a miracle you still have your soul. But- does that mean that Hat and Bow don’t have theirs?” Cooking Cat looked at the two girls as they nodded.

“Yeah… we don’t… but, somehow we can still feel normal and not brain dead? I don’t know how to explain it.” Bow Kid admitted, embarrassed. “And I’m assuming you three met the Snatcher too.” Hat Kid held her hands out, animating her excitement. “Yeah! He’s a big jerk but his minions are nice!” Hat Kid added, giggling as she did.

“Well- he’s a jerk that’s just- ggddrruughh. I dunno. There’s SOMETHING about that place that makes me wanna find out more. Especially with what ONE of the contracts says.” Dawn explains, placing her hands together on her lap. “It- it said to enter a spooky old manor. Not sure whose it could be but the entrance was COVERED in ice from what the polaroid photo showed.”

Cooking Cat continued to listen until Dawn concluded. “Golly, that sounds pretty interesting. You three be careful now, alright?” The trio gave Cooking Cat nods. Her concern felt motherly somehow, there wasn’t a better way to describe it. Cooking Cat took her dirty plate to the kitchen, the trio soon following.

“Say, y’all aren't exactly from around here, are you? I know I asked before but I just wanted to ask again to make sure it was fully true, since I don’t think I fully took it the first time if I had to be honest.” Cooking Cat questioned with her ears tilted back.

“Well- on my end it’s trickier to explain.” Dawn giggled as she playfully rolled her eyes. “Bow and I are from a different planet entirely! The uh- the hourglasses that rained from the sky are ours. They’re Time Pieces , and they’re not good in the wrong hands! Plus, they’re the fuel for our ship since we’re trying to get back home.” Hat Kid and Bow pulled Dawn aside.

“And Dawn’s from another universe! She’s AWESOME! Her coolness is unmatched!” Hat Kid mischievously added on. “And she has really cool powers! She can make ice and snow at will! But they have their limits like they can’t be used in extremely hot temperatures or it’ll melt.” Dawn chuckled as Bow added to Hat’s previous statement.

Cooking Cat’s eyes sweetened as if they were looking at the sweetest sight she’d ever laid her eyes on; the trio being that source of fondness. “Well I’ll be darned. I never thought I’d meet someone from another universe or aliens, but I guess you guys come in all shapes and sizes huh?” Dawn giggled gleefully, definitely not the reaction she was expecting but she loved it nonetheless.

After finishing the meal, the group went to a store in town, picking out outfits for the Annual Movie Awards. There were SO many options to choose from! It was nuts! Ranging from tuxedos to Big frilly dresses, made for all sizes even! Big and small, human or not. Some of the blazers even reminded Dawn of another friend Bella had, an “ink demon” by the name of Nya.

Besides that little find, the entire store was really cool! Eventually the girls picked out outfits that they wanted to try out; Hat Kid was up first. However- she wasn’t coming out of the dressing room. “Hattie- com’on! It can’t be that bad.” Bow Kid protested, wanting to see what Hat Kid looked like in the outfit.

“Well- I think it looks kinda dumb- it’s dumb! It looks stupid…!” Dawn groaned, pressing two fingers over the bridge of her nose. “We won't know until you come out, Hat. This entire thing is trial and error until we find something we like, you know? so it can’t be that horrible!” Dawn interjected with honesty. Hat Kid paused… soon the door began to open. The group was shocked as Hat came out in a tuxedo jacket with flaps in the back, a really pretty skirt and a bow added to her top hat. She looked gorgeous!

“Hattie…” Bow hung her jaw, completely starstruck.

“DUDE!” Dawn exclaimed as she adjusted herself. “You look amazing!” Hat lit up as Bow and Dawn took her by the hand so she could see herself in front of the mirror.

“See? You don’t look dumb at all, Hattie! You look awesome. More than awesome! You look amazing!” Bow peeped with encouragement, placing a hand on Hat’s shoulder. The gesture made Hat Kid smile in a way she couldn’t quite describe but she smiled nevertheless. 

Bow Kid was up next and she found what she wanted, green was certainly her forte! It was a really pretty dress too. The green was the same green as her jacket. It gleamed with sparkles and was laced in glimmer. When Bow tried it on, Hat clapped in delight as she spun around. Cooking Cat even gave a thumbs up on how Bow Kid looked in the dress. “You look amazing! Green really suits you!” Cooking Cat complimented. Bow giggled as Hat hugged her.

“Your coolness has raised even higher than it has before Bow! 10 stars!” The duo roared into laughter, a laughter that made Dawn happier than ever! The delight was pure bliss! And now it was her turn. Dawn came out in a dress that was a periwinkle blue to a light lavender. It was in a similar style to her parade dress, minus the frilly trim she had in the back. The bottom of the skirt was laced in embroidered snowflakes and flowers.

“Ssoooo- Whaddya guys think?” Dawn spun around, letting her hair flow free. “I think you look great sugar!” Hat Kid clapped gleefully. “12 out of 10! I think it looks great!” Bow Kid, placed a hand on her chin… the gears turning in her head as she looked at Dawn. “Something’s missing…. Hmmm…”

Dawn watched as Bow dragged a chair to stand on. Soon the ribboned girl was running her fingers through Dawn’s brown hair and separating it. What surprised Dawn is when she started to braid her hair into french braids, the same kind she did to herself the other night.

Bow stopped midway as she tied it off into a pigtail, letting the natural waves flow. Bow duplicated what she did on the other side and it was done. When Dawn looked in the mirror she watched Bow add a few things, like a bracelet and then a flower crown. To say Dawn didn’t feel pretty would be an understatement. “And- done! There you go! Now you look great!” Dawn spun around as she eyed at herself in the mirror.

 “Bow- this is… REALLY good! Where did you learn to braid hair like that and uh- get outfits to look a certain style?” Bow giggled, she was more than happy to explain.

“I uh- I watched you braid your hair like that. I thought the braids into pigtails would be cute. And I’ve always had an eye for fashion, not just engineering.” Bow Kid explained as Dawn looked at herself once more. “I think you're natural at it, Bow. You did awesome!” Bow Kid blushed at the compliment, Hat Kid soon pulled her friends into a hug.

“I think we’re set for tomorrow! We just gotta pay pons now.” Cooking Cat smiled at the trio. “I think I can help on that part if y’all don’t have enough.” Dawn’s face lit up and was thankful for the gesture. “Thanks Cookie!” Soon the girls were out of the clothes they were wearing and checked out at the store. They bid farewell to Cooking Cat as she traversed home, but they couldn’t go to the spaceship yet. At the end of the day, Dawn couldn’t wait to chat with Benjamin. Or see Moonjumper when she fell asleep tonight.

The girls soon met up with the Conductor, just like they promised. The Conductor sat on a bench with three small kids, most likely being his grandkids.

“Hiya Conductor!” Hat Kid called out. The Conductor smiled as they approached. “Ye made it! Good to see ya lassies!” Hat Kid pepped a childish grin, a grin that was filled to the brim with life. “Hi Mr. Conductor…” Bow Kid awkwardly greeted, diverting her gave away once or twice but never fully looking away.

Dawn noticed the little ones by the owl conductor and concocted an idea. “Hattie, Bow. Why dontcha play with the little ones, I’m gonna have a word with the Conductor.”

Hat Kid and Bow Kid looked rightfully anxious at Dawn, remembering their last encounters not exactly being the friendliest. “Are you sure? You two don’t exactly get along…” Hat Kid mentioned, unsure about Dawn’s decision.

“Yeah… I am.” Dawn nods, ruffling Bow’s hair. “I’ll be careful, promise.”

Hat Kid and Bow Kid exchange looks, before they began to play with the other kids there. It was just Dawn and The Conductor now.

Dawn sat down on the bench next to the Conductor, taking in the view before her. The salty sweet breeze, the cool waves, the warm sand and sun. Everything about this place was calming and frightening at the same time.

“You a’light there lass?” Dawn snapped out of her trance as she looked at the Conductor. “Eh- Not the best- stuffs been nutty other than working on your movies and stuff.” The Condutor watched Dawn brush her bangs out of her face, letting them fall as they fell from her fingers. 

“We’re just trying to look for… erm- Time Peices so I can get them back home. I, on the other hand, ain’t exactly from here. Well- not this dimension anyhow. Though you wouldn’t exactly care about that, would you? You said it yourself; ya only care about your train.” Dawn trailed off, staring at the concrete as another breeze slithered by. The Conductor takes a moment, chortling with a morose sigh.

“Listen here, lass.” The Conductor began, pointing at Dawn. “I nae not know where yer came from, but I know this, lassie. You haven’t given up, you even outsmarted this ol’ bird. The burnin’ feistiness yer have is somethin’ that I had when I was first startin’ out as a lad!”

Dawn’s eyes widened curiously, she certainly wasn’t expecting this. “Well- uhm… thanks? I guess.” Dawn chuckled, soon her eyeline was on the girls and Conductor's grandkids again.

The innocent laughter that came for them, the laughter reminded the cryokinesis prodigy of a simpler time. Subconsciously she made a snowball and started to fidget with it, throwing it up and down. “I’m glad they’re having fun, and I’m honestly glad you decided to ask us to come. I only came for their sake but… I think I’m actually glad I came.”

Dawn smiled to herself, hearing the Conductor laugh once more. “Ye know lass, I nae have been a bit hard on ye. But hopefully you’re glad you decided to help out on the movie set.”

Suddenly, Dawn paused throwing the ice snowball in her hands. What The Conductor said was a contrast to what he had told them earlier…

Sure her relationship with the owl conductor was complicated, and she truly despised him at one point… but right now? She didn’t know what to think of him. Her mind was completely blank.

But she knew ONE thing; tomorrow is going to be a night they wouldn’t forget.

Chapter Text

Dawn slept with her hair in the same style Bow had put it in hours before, both Hat and Bow passed out playing Corgi Quest; inevitably, Dawn had to tuck them into bed after they both fell asleep.

The cryokinesis prodigy’s visit with Moonjumper was certainly one she was looking forward to. Dawn even told Benjamin about Moonjumper after tucking Hat and Bow into bed. He said he’d like to meet the moon spirit when he got the chance, just so he could thank him and chat with him for a while.

It was a lovely idea, surely Moonjumper would agree, wouldn’t he? Dawn awoke to the sound of the wind, opening her gaze to The Horizon and Moonjumper’s Gazebo. The snowflake-clipped girl stood on the polished steps, brushing away any dirt that was on her clothes.

“Why hello young one!”

“BBAAAUUGGGHHH!!!” Dawn squealed in shock, toppling over and falling onto the ground. “Jeez Louise MJ! You scared me!” Moonjumper roared into laughter, holding his sides as he did.

Dawn puffed her checks out like a pufferfish, irritated that she was scared so easily. If ONLY she had something to get him back with! That way it was even! “How are you, sweet child?” Dawn shrugged, swinging her arms on top of her hips. “Good- just startled from you jumpscaring me.” Moonjumper chuckled once more, a mischievous toothy grin playing at his blue lips.

“That is good to hear dearie. How are your travels going? Last time you came here you were frustrated about a certain owl conductor.” Moonjumper recounted, to which Dawn didn’t refute. “Yeah.” Dawn scoffed, placing a hand behind her head; “He’s still a jerk but… maybe guilty about my reaction to his last film? I dunno. He let us spend time with him outside of filming, even let us meet his grandkids. Hat and Bow had a good time and… honestly? I came because of them but- somehow I ended up enjoying it as well.”

Moonjumper grinned once more, putting a chained hand over his chest joyfully. “That’s wonderful to hear dearie!” Dawn chuckled as she went to sit down on the velvety chair in Moonjumper’s Gazebo. “I haven’t really enjoyed myself this much in a while. I mean- don’t get me wrong I still have fun. It's just- it’s been awhile where there’s nothing going wrong and we’re just goofing off and having fun.” Moonjumper chuckled in delight.

“I can see what you mean by that dear Dawn, truly I can. Time to have fun is thou most precious.” Moonjumper explained passionately, the way Moonjumper spoke sometimes reminded the snowflake-clipped girl of old style plays.

Dawn had heard her dad speak that way sometimes, it was usually in a playful manner. So hearing Moonjumper speak in a similar manner brought back cozy nostalgia. Later, Moonjumper prepared the sweet blueberry tea he’d always poured for her previously, humming a tune as he did. Dawn on the other hand, brightened with an idea.

“Hey MJ, can I help you make it?” Moonjumper turned around from what he was doing, surprised that Dawn offered to help and learn how to make the tea he always made. “Why, but of course! Of course you can help dearie. I can teach you how to create it.” Dawn swooped out of her chair and walked over to Moonjumper.

There were some herbs, some ingredients permade, and petals from some of the flowers she saw near the gazebo. All the ingredients were kept in old fashioned mason jars. Other kinds of simple ingredients were sealed in jars that had a latch to open and seal the container shut.

“Different kinds of ingredients here create different kinds of teas.” Moonjumper simply explained in a passionate tone, grabbing one of the jars off the small shelves in the gazebo. “Now: let us get to work dearie.” Dawn nodded with a giggle to Moonjumper’s statement. Soon enough, Dawn and Moonjumper worked in making sweet blueberry tea. It wasn’t easy for the cryokinesis prodigy, but she managed to make it eventually.

“Okay. I think- we’re done.” Dawn pulled her hands back after setting the teapot down. Moonjumper eventually poured it for himself and Dawn. Dawn took the tea succer anxiously “Cheers MJ.” With a single sip, the anxiety was replaced with astonishment. The taste wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t bad. It was actually good! 

“Do you uhm… do you-” “Like it?” Moonjumper interjected Dawn’s nervous question, completing the statement but now Dawn had to await his answer. Moonjumper gave a pondering expression, laughter soon filling the air with a hearty smile. A smile that was one you’d see on a friend.

“Ohoho! Dawn, I love it!” Moonjumper beamed in a truthful tone. “For your first time making tea, you did an excellent job.” The snowflake-clipped girl was astounded by this. She couldn’t be happier. The duo spent more time together in the gazebo that laid in the wonderland known as The Horizon. The place that made sense but also didn’t make sense simultaneously. The place that was shockingly beautiful yet mysterious and dangerous. Soon the Familiar red strings came down like flowered vines from a canopy.

“Hey MJ? Whaddya call a cow who’s afraid?” Moonjumper was taken aback by the start of a joke and shook his head. “I uh- don’t know dearie, what?” “A COW-ard! And it’s totally not what I am. Because I’m awesome!” 

Moonjumper cracked up at the joke, laughing along with Dawn and the medicine that could heal any soul. “You are quite the jokester, young one. Truly, you are dearie. I’m quite impressed!” Dawn giggled as Moonjumper floated to her side.

“Jokes aside, do you think… The next time I come to Subcon Forest;  will I be able to find you and see you in the real world? That I’d be able to meet you in person?” Moonjumper stayed silent as the red strings pulled them into the sunset skies. “I think you’ll be able to do many things dear, you’ll be able to find me and find many things you didn’t think you’d find before. I’m positive, you just need to have faith dear.” The snowflake-clipped girl gave a small smile as they were finally on the ship.

“Will you see me at The Awards Ceremony tonight?” Moonjumper chortled with a chained hand cupped on the left side of his face. “But of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Those words alone were enough to ease Dawn back to her body and into a dreamless slumber. Moonjumper soon left Dawn a valuable note, the lyrics of the song she liked from before. Hoping this would be the catalyst of their friendship solidifying.

Dawn awoke in a way she wouldn’t expect; she awoke with Hat Kid falling onto her, squeezing the air out of her lungs. “Good morning sleepyhead! Rise and shineeeee!!!!” Hat Kid squealed as Dawn groaned from pain. “Your weight is- CRUSHING me oof-!” Hat Kid was joined by Bow Kid, creating a dog pile on top of Dawn. “Now you have both of us! You have been slain!” Bow giggled as Hat agreed with that statement.

“You’ve been grounded! I guess you could say- you’ve melted away!” Dawn chuckled at the attempt to make a joke. “Keep working on that joke. Take it back, work on it and come back with it funnier than ever. Now- could you get off me?” Both girls slid off Dawn, the laughter never leaving their voices. Dawn sat up and stretched, until she stood to see her phone was buzzing on the floor. Dawn picked it up to find Benjamin was calling her again. Dawn picked up; “Hiya Bends! How are ya?” Benjamin chuckled as he saw Dawn, her hair was a mess. “Well- you certainly look like you’ve had it. Hehehehe!~” Dawn glared at her brother, rolling her eyes in a playful manner as the banter between them continued.

“Ha, ha. Very funny. I guess I woke up with bedhead, huh? No thanks to these lil’ goblins.” Hat Kid then came over Dawn’s shoulder, giggling. “Bow and I dog piled on Dawn, I woke her up though! Tehehe!” Bow then peared from the other side; “It was pretty funny! You should’ve seen it!” It took Benjamin a moment to start bubbling up with laughter. It wasn’t long before he wheezed hard to the point where he was in tears. Dawn on the other hand was unamused by his laughter.

“Okay, okay- *WHEEZE* That's just PRICELESS! Pft- BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! Good one both of y’all!” complemented the google-wearing boy; the top hatted child and ribboned child were even more smiley after he complimented them. Dawn ruffled Bow’s hair and then Hat’s hair, giggling as she did. “There. Now we all have bedhead!” The group bursted into harmonious laughter; laughter filled to the brim with comedic annoyance, and most of all: love. 

Dawn talked with Benjamin about The Awards Ceremony, Benjamin really got mad about what the Conductor did on his films to him but was glad he SOMEWHAT made it up to them. Benjamin did like how DJ Groves, even if blunt, was the better bird to work with on a movie set. Benjamin said if they could, they’ll try to get the channel to watch the ceremony this evening, which made the trio thrilled! Soon Benjamin was being called by Rosalee, calling him down for lunch, which made the group realize how long they were on for.

Dawn soon gave Benjamin a virtual tour of the spaceship. Hat Kid even showed off by spinning in the captain’s chair. The group giggled at the action that was childish but it was merry, the merriest the snowflake-clipped girl had seen the two since yesterday. After the tour concluded, the group had to bid adieu to Benjamin. “Alright. I’m gonna go eat lunch. You guys get ready for tonight! I’ll tell mom to put the channel for the Awards Ceremony on so we can watch it! Have fun guys!” Benjamin hung up, leaving the trio alone once more. “Wanna get some food? And then- uh- get dressed and get to The Awards Ceremony?” Hat proposed, Dawn and Bow beamed in unison, agreeing with Hat wholeheartedly. “Heck yeah! Let's go!” 

The next couple of hours were spent playing games and getting ready. Before long; the trio was ready to teleport to The Awards Ceremony. “Got everything you two? We ain’t coming back since we’ll be gone for a few hours. But we’ll be back before we have to hit the hay.” Bow Kid nodded while hat pinned a yellow ribbon to her top hat.

“Yeah, I think we’re set!” Dawn beamed in delight, tonight was going to be the best night out ever! “Okay-!” Bow grabbed the teleporter, fidgeting with the coordinates before handing it to Dawn. “Care to do the honors, Ice?” Bow asked with a heartfelt tone. Dawn took the device and held it between her cold fingers. “With pleasure Bow. With pleasure.” Dawn pressed the button that confirmed their choices. Before long, The group was engulfed in a bright blue light, and in a flash, they were gone.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, The Awards Ceremony

In the dusk of night laid the grand film festival held by the studio: The Award Ceremony. The studio was dazzled to fit and set the scene. The trio marveled at the sights before them, the food that was there, all the tables and the silver screen that was hung over a fancy stage.

“Darling! You came!” DJ Grooves greeted, still stylish and flashy as he was the day the trio met him. “Grooves!” Hat and Bow cheered as they hugged the penguin DJ. Dawn soon saw the Conductor, and Dawn reluctantly went to greet him. “Hiya Conductor. Big night tonight huh?” The Conductor looked up at Dawn, surprised to see how good she and her friends looked for the ceremony. “Lass! Yer here. Good tae see yer! I was just grabbin’ me drink before the films start rollin’. Tonight should be a win for sure!” Dawn found herself not mad at the owl, but oddly glad to see him. Someone other than the owl conductor caught her eye.

In a familiar prince-like uniform, shackles and all, was Moonjumper. He was here! He was *actually* here! “MJ!? You- ya actually came!” Moonjumper beamed when he saw Dawn, she ran up to hug the moon spirit, this time in person! Not in The Horizon, but in the real world! “Good to see you dearie!” Dawn giggled, excited to see her friend and to introduce him to Hat and Bow! Tonight was gonna be the best night EVER!

“You look wonderful tonight Dawn, who did your hair? And the flower crown?” Dawn chuckled with a braceleted hand to her chest, grinning from ear to ear. “Bow did! She and Hat are here too! You should see them and come meet them! They’d be so excited to see you’re here! Com’on!” Dawn pulled Moonjumper along, the clatter of her footsteps rang as she did. “ Woah-ohoho! Slow down dearie! It’ll be hard to keep up with you if you go too fast!” Moonjumper pointed out, laughing as he floated with Dawn. Soon the duo came to the tables set around the silver screen, Hat and Bow had already found food to eat and got some for Dawn as well.

“Hattie! Bow! Look who I found!” Dawn sang out, gesturing to the moon spirit. “Oh my gosh no way!” Now Kid blurted out in genuine surprise. “So you’re Moonjumper, huh?” Moonjumper nodded with his hands together. “‘Tis true young ones! I am the one they call Moonjumper! I am a spirit that’s no longer bound to The Horizon. Pleasure to meet you, dear!” Hat Kid hopped out of her chair and shook Moonjumper’s hand. “Hehehe- your hand’s kinda cold and clammy but that’s okay. You’re still pretty cool!” Moonjumper gave a courteous grin to the top hatted child, chuckling at the unintentional pun.

“Why thank you kindly, dear. You’re truly a kind little one.” Bow then greeted him as well, grinning from excitement. “I’ve gotta agree with Hat, you are awesome!! We’re glad you’ve been talking with Dawn and helping her out! Thank you!” Moonjumper gave a toothy grin to Bow. “You're very welcome dear.”

The night went on as music played and people ate their meals. The group chatted away about their adventures and Moonjumper even told old folktales about Subcon’s prime before the fall. The way he illustrated it with such passion; it was like a Shakespeareian play being performed on a theatrical stage. Soon some people started to dance, it was almost time to show the films. Dawn saw this was an opportunity to have some fun before the films were shown.

“Hey guys! Wanna dance? I think we can really have some fun before the films are shown! Whaddya think?” Dawn offered with a hand extended. Moonjumper chortled, standing with a hand behind his back. “HECK YEAH WE CAN!!” Hat Kid and Bow Kid squealed in delight, immediately heading to the dance floor and yelling for their friends to join them. Moonjumper calmly walked to Dawn and held his shackled hand out; “May I have this dance?” Dawn was taken aback but took Moonjumper’s hand, trusting him more than before. Before long, the two friends started to dance; Moonjumper taught her a small waltz while Dawn showed the moon spirit how she danced on a dance floor.

The snowflake-clipped girl even got to dance with all three of her friends later in the night, teaching them some moves she knew while Moonjumper graciously waltzed with them all. Soon enough, the music hushed with an announcer coming into the stage. The guests went to their seats as the bird walked onto the stage.

“Hello! And welcome to the Annual Bird Movie Awards! Tonight is sure to be an exciting night for the first time in 10 years! Who will be the lucky winner of this year’s ceremony? Will it be the Conductor, famous for his train heist westerns and other styles of western movies? Or will it be DJ Grooves, famous for his multi-genre movies? Let's find out! The votes will take place after each movie!”

The trio, Dawn, Hat and Bow muttered with excitement. Surely Dawn’s family had the channel showing the awards live on tv tonight. Her parents are probably really proud of her at this moment in time. The films started to play, showing the events from the last couple days.

It started with “Murder on the Owl Express” a movie Dawn had honest mixed feelings about. But seeing the footage again made her wince in a way she couldn’t fully describe. Was it the memories of what happened during or after coming back to bite her? Probably, it’s most likely the case. When the film ended it ended with the Conductor thanking the trio for helping solve the murder and catching the CAW agents and finding that the “victim” was never harmed. The film ended with cheers from everyone, yet it was contested with silence from Dawn, Hat and Bow. Moonjumper didn’t aplaude it either, he remembered when she talked about it the other day.

Before Dawn talked about the games with Moonjumper, she told him about the films she recorded with both of the directors. To say Moonjumper wasn’t mortified when he was told about what happened on the Conductor’s set would be an understatement. In fact; he was furious that the owl conductor allowed that to happen! Scaring and traumatizing children like that and hurting them made the moon spirit flair in rage.

After that, Moonjumper calmed himself and apologized for raising his voice. Dawn remembered telling him that it was alright; in fact, it made her feel better about the situation. Dawn then talked about the director on a losing streak: DJ Grooves. Moonjumper appreciated after Dawn woke up how patient he was before filming his film. After that? That’s when Moonjumper started to talk about Subcon and its inhabitants.

Now, the film that played was the film that made the audience have a wonderful time, the same good time that the trio had: “Picture Perfect”. People loved how outstanding and magical the film was, most of the crowd adored the fun and adventurous atmosphere. Others loved the “special effects” used. Not fully realizing Dawn was actually making that ice bridge. Some people chuckled at the natural jokes like Dawn and Bow getting mad at Hat for wasting their guess with the playing cards or Dawn telling Hat to not argue with the director. After the film finished, the crowd roared. Hat and Bow cheered in their seats, clapping jubilantly.

“Wonderful job you three. Truly wonderful!” Moonjumper complimented, grinning from delight. “Thanks MJ. I dunno what film’s gonna win but we’ll see.” Dawn chuckled as the next film started: “Train Rush.” It even caught part of Dawn’s conversation with the Badge Seller before Hat pulled the lever. Some even cried when Bow yelled for Hat to get to the deactivation switch.

The relief came when Hat came back for Bow and Dawn, even after the Conductor played his role in the film as a possible yet unintentional villain. People seemed to genuinely enjoy Train Rush, but Dawn hoped that it wasn’t the movie that would win.

The last film was “The Big Parade” and like the last DJ Grooves movie, people lost their minds over how gorgeous it was this time around. Even more so this time! The crowd absolutely adored how Hat looked like she soared through the air while the band followed her, having lighthearted fun and a wonderful time. When the film ended, it was met with the crown going nuts! Surely this must’ve made the Conductor upset but he was probably still confident in winning.

Spotlights then turned to the stage as the owl from hours prior came to the scene. “Alright! Alright! What a wonderful night! That certainly was a rush!” The audience laughed at the announcer’s joke.

“Votes are being cast by folks at home AND folks here! Who will be the lucky winner that leaves with a trophy tonight??”

Whispers circled the crowd, “Who’s It’s gonna be?” “Who’s it gonna be?” could be heard from some of the whispers, hoping the movie and by extension, which director would win the Annual Bird Movie Award. Either the Conductor or DJ Grooves?

“AND. The votes are IN fellow viewers! Who will be our lucky winner of The Annual Bird Movie Awards?” Another bird handed the announcer an envelope, containing the name of the winner. “And now: The moment we’ve all been waiting for. The winner of this year’s Annual Bird Movie Award and best picture: GOES TO-!” The envelope was torn open and the name was shown on the page along with the movie. 

“The Big Parade! And the winner of this year’s award goes to DJ GROOVES!” The penguin DJ looked starstruck as his name was announced as the winner. Dawn could see the Conductor throwing a fit over losing, pulling at his feathers without yanking them out. DJ Grooves skated to the stage in excitement. “Thank you! Thank you darling! Thank you so much! Couldn’t have done it without my divas! Come up here to get a round of applause darlings!” Hat Kid and Bow Kid squealed in incontrolable joy! They won and it helped DJ Grooves win the award! Dawn squealed with joy as She ran to greet the penguin DJ with her friends.

This was the moment when Dawn demonstrated her abilities, live on TV! The crowd was thrilled as they cheered for them. Once they were together, the group took a bow for their performances. DJ Grooveswas then handed the trophy, the award they worked hard for. DJ grooves then turned to the trio, grinning with a genuine smile. 

“Thank you darling, thank you! You secured our victory! We won the annual bird award trophy!” Dawn chuckled, smiling as she did, this was the best night of her adventure yet! “Heck yeah! We did! Tonight’s win is ours! This is the best night EVER!” Dawn affirmed in a jubilant tone.

“The Conductor is probably awfully sour from his second loss ever.” This statement got a wheeze out of Dawn and snickering from the girls. “Ain’t that the truth?” Bow commented, being truthful with her words. “But don't worry, he'll come around.” DJ Grooves reassured, making any ill feelings or undertones fade into obscurity. “Anyway, we're all done here! No more movies until next year. Since you're so eager to get your hands on them, you can take my final movie prop as your last movie star payment.” DJ Grooves pulled out the Time Piece, his last Time Piece , just for them. Hat Kid hesitated when reaching out for the artifact. DJ Grooves then let out a boisterous chuckle. “What, you were expecting something crazy to happen? Nonsense, darling, nonsense!” Hat Kid smiled softly as she took the Time Piece from DJ Groove’s flippers.

The rest of the night was a blast, talking with the directors and dancing before it was eventually over. 

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

The girls returned to the ship in a flash, but they weren’t alone. They had Moonjumper with them. “Welcome to our home Moonjumper!” Bow Kid announced, grinning from ear to ear. “We hope ya enjoy your visit here!” Hat Kid concluded Moonjumper chuckled as Hat plummeted onto the beanbag-like chair.

Rumbi went to bump Moonjumper and found nothing to bump him with. Rumbi then beeped unhappy beeps before bumping into its owners. After that, it backed up and flipped with happy beep boops for them all. “Oh why hello there. Curious little thing aren’t you?” Moonjumper “crouched” down, placing a chained hand on the rumba’s flat top. The rumba then beeped happily from delight from the action, happy it could finally greet Moonjumper properly.

“That’s Rumbi! Our cleaning machine but it’s also alive in a way. And we love ‘em!” Bow explained with a cheeky grin. Hat rolled over and sat up, adjusting her top hat with a firm grip. “A space girl’s best friend besides our lovely engineer here!” Hat graciously blurted out, making Bow fluster. “Oh hush Hattie. I may be the engineer, but you’re the pilot!” Hat gigged from the comment, playfully gazing at the ribboned girl. 

Dawn then got a lovely idea, as soon as the thought came it couldn’t escape her mischievous clutches.  “Oh Hattie~ why don’t we show MJ around? I’m sure he hasn’t gotten a proper tour yet! Plus we have a while before hitting the hay.” Hat lifted her head up, a shocked glare laced her cerulean eyes at Dawn. Her top top hat flew off her head only to fly back down.

“WHAT-!? Why me? Why can’t you do it while Bow and I set up some games for us to play?” Dawn placed her hands smugly on her hips. She had a clever plan, it worked the first time she was here. “ Ooorrr I could just do this tour all on my own??? You know this place from the back of your hand! He’d probably get lost where some of the rooms are like-”

“Actually ya know what? FINE!~ you win. I can’t believe you got me like Bow did the first time you came here!” Dawn couldn’t help but wheeze hard, keeping over as she did. Bow bursted into laughter, laughing as Hat’s face turned a shade of red. Hat Kid stood and took Moonjumper’s blue hand. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of places to see; AND to get away from these jokesters!” Moonjumper chuckled, not moving even when Hat tugged at his hand to follow her.

“Dear, I'm sure it was all in good fun. Not to harm you.” Hat Kid smirked mischievously at the moon spirit. “Oh don’t worry. I’ll get ‘em back.~ hehehehe!” Moonjumper chuckled, she truly was a chaotic child.

The evening flew by as the trio showed Moonjumper around the ship. Showing off the bedroom, the machine room, even showing off some of the books from the machine room. Eventually they were back in casual attire, playing some games and now listening to some of what Moonjumper was reading aloud to them. Everything was going swell!

That was… until a ringing came from the phone. “Huh!?” Dawn gasped, Flabbergasted on how anyone would be calling them THIS late. And the ringing wasn’t even coming from her phone which she left in the bedroom.

“Who the heck’s calling at this hour!? Ugh- it better not be a space scammer!” Bow rolled her eyes, agreeing with Hat’s grumble. “Me too Hat. They suck.” Hat picks up the phone, no one responding on the other end of the line. Did they call by mistake? There were so many questions until the mysterious caller spoke from the other end of the line in a VERY familiar filtered voice.

“The annual bird movie award was rigged. It was an inside job.” They spoke; hearing the exact same voice from “Murder on the Owl Express”, the first film the trio worked on with the Conductor… it made Dawn feel VERY antsy and uncomfortable to hear what they were about to say next.

“The winner knows about the power of the Time Pieces . He's been keeping one, and he's gonna break it.” The voice explained in a hurry… the mention of the artifact made everyone tense up in place.

This COULDN'T be good, not at all! Tonight started out special… Why were things going wrong now!?

  “The truth lies buried underneath Dead Bird Studio. What goes on in Dead Bird Studio when no one is around? ” The voice gave the group very little time to think or process the information. As if they were in a hurry in trying to stop whoever it was themselves.

The voice on the other end of the line took a gruff huff and spoke once more, saying: “Blow the cover on this thing, lassie.” *CLICK* the phone hung up. That was the Conductor on the other end of that line. He was calling for help.

“Oh- oh great Subcon… dear heavens.” Moonjumper muttered. Bow stumbled back, clasping her hands together anxiously.

“He- h-he couldn’t have done that-! Could he?” Bow Kid stammered, trying to process what was just said on the phone. Hat Kid took the bow off her hat and firmly adjusted it, angered that they were wrongfully tricked.

DJ Grooves wouldn’t do that! Would he? This was most likely a trap, it had to be!

“Get your shoes on guys. We’ve gotta get to set.” Hat Kid stated, still hurt by what was just said. “Hat… we could be walking into a trap. Maybe what he said wasn’t true?” Hat Kid looked at Dawn, her ocean eyes wary from so many emotions blending together at once. “I don’t know… but we won’t know until we see it for ourselves.”

Moonjumper rested a cold hand on Hat’s shoulder. “Perhaps I can be of assistance. Take this.” Moonjumper pulled out a star from his coat pocket and a badge that none of them recognized. “These will help illuminate your path, the studio is dark, even with all the lights that are still possibly left on. This badge will definitely help you navigate in the dark but keep the star just in case. I’ll be able to get it back once you are all safe and sound and back here. I’ll make sure your ship is safe while you’re out adventuring.” Hat Kid took the badge from Moonjumper while Bow Kid took the star. Dawn on the other hand, gave her friend another hug. Moonjumper seemed taken aback but wrapped his arms around the snowflake-clipped girl.

“Thanks MJ. Stay safe, okay?” Moonjumper chuckled, letting Dawn out of the hug she gave to him. “As to you as well. Tread carefully dearie.” Dawn gave a grim nod as Bow gave Dawn the teleporter. The coordinates were punched in and confirmed. A bright blue light began to engulf the trio, swallowing them whole. Between one moment and the next, they were here, and the next, they were gone.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, main entrance

The trio blinked into the scene, the nightly shade  draping her curtains in darkness. In front of them was the familiar Dead Bird Studios. Yet this time the parking lot was empty. There was no race to the sliding doors leading to the entrance this time, there was only the never ending feeling of needing to hurry and take back the dangerous artifact. The sliding doors opened as the trio looked around the main lobby that was once filled with people.

Now it stood empty, dead silent from the night.

“So- I’m assuming we can’t get in normally- right? Just like last time?” Hat Kid asked, holding her umbrella with a firm grip. Bow Kid had her umbrella as well, along with the star dimly glowing in her tiny hands.

There were no directors arguing in the middle of the lobby, no showing off on who was going to win. Someone had already won and kept a dangerous Time Piece. The trio knew if they wanted to get ANYWHERE near that Time Piece, they’d have to get in though not the doors but the vents.

“I think you guys know what to do, right?” The self-proclaimed snow queen asked the top hatted girl and ribboned girl, confirming what they had to do. “Yeah, yeah we do Dawn. Just don’t get hurt.” Hat Kid affirmed as she and Bow Kid climbed the display case where DJ Grooves’ movie posters were displayed. Posters Dawn would’ve been happy to see but wasn’t as she climbed the other display case where the Conductor’s posters were. Dawn shimmied her way across the signs, stepping a graceful and precarious landing to where the Hat Kid and Bow Kid were waiting. Eventually, not a word was spoken as they climbed through the vents.

The girls landed without a sound, Dawn using her snow to soften her fall while the girls used her umbrellas to catch themselves. This time, Bow was able to open her umbrella on time to catch herself.

Navigating a studio when you’ve been brought there by a family member is one thing, sneaking around to try to get something that was taken is a completely other thing. It was nerve-racking and more tense than anyone could ever imagine. However, neither was present at this given moment. Navigating a studio that was closed was eerily calming and unsettling.

Hat Kid used the illumination badge that made the tip of her umbrella into a flashlight. A flashlight that could probably blind enemies if used as a defense but for offense it was used to navigate the dark studio halls.

The group walked along the stage where the penguin DJ had once recorded some footage for a movie, the little light they did have guiding the way. Instead of using the conveyor belt-like machine, Dawn created an ice bridge to get across the huge gap between them and the Conductor's set. The set that would’ve had the owl conductor shouting at his crew and taking retake upon retake. Instead of taking the route below the filming deck, they strolled through where they would’ve been filing without much thought. Bow even silently knocked over the cactus that was blocking the entrance. What was different this time was the elevator that wasn’t on nor active before was now.

“Well… what are we waiting for?” Hat Kid whispered, nervously pressing the button to go down on the elevator. The doors eerily opened for them, allowing the trio to step inside. Bow handed Dawn the glow star Moonjumper gave them so Dawn could put it in her backpack.

Dawn also realized at that moment she had enough yarn for a new bag and quickly crafted a new backpack for herself; The Brewer’s Backpack . Guess different abilities include different styles and backpacks. This one had a witch’s theme like Hat and Bow’s brewing hats did. The brewing hat made potions so this backpack should probably do the same and help her in whatever they get stuck in.

“Alright… now we’re ready.” Bow anxiously pressed the button to go down as the group ascended downward into the depths of Dead Bird Studios.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, Storage Unit

The mechanisms at the elevator continued to clank as it continued its downward descent. The snowflake-clipped girl’s eyes fixated on the sights passing by them, this looked to be a storage unit and who knows how deep they were actually going.

Dawn’s phone wasn’t on her and it’s not like she could teleport back to get it. Even if it was a way to pass the time on the way down, it’s not like would be any good down here. Cell service wouldn’t run this deep, even with low power mode, her phone would be useless.

“How much longer ‘til we get there?” Hat Kid asked, sitting down as the elevator continued. Dawn looked at the top hatted child, a heavy sigh passing her slightly chapped lips. “I don’t know if I had to be honest. We’ve never been down here before…” The snowflake-clipped girl leaned on the hand railing, looking at the sights that still passed them. Then a thought came to her wary mind.

“We have- uh- 17- 18 Time Pieces so far- right?” Hat and Bow Exchanged glances with Dawn before nodding. “I think so, it’s been a while since we’ve checked.” Bow kid chuckled with a small smile. “I think I lost count after ten. Hehehehe.” Hat Kid smugly stated as her friends laughed at the joke. It was true- they did kind of lose count after ten of those magical hourglasses. 

“So- did you guys see any more yarn? I think we can make more stuff if we get more together and quickly if we wanna- ya know… face…” Hat trailed off, denying the possible upcoming brawl. “Ya know what- forget it. Lets just collect yarn, pons if there’s any lying around and the Time Piece …” Bow sat down next to Hat, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I hope we don’t have to fight him either Hattie but we still have to be prepared if we have to…”

Hat’s cerulean eyes soberly gazed into Bow’s purple- magenta ones. Before another word was said, the girls arrived at their destination. The doors hummed open to uncertainty, just how far under the studio were they? The trio strolled out of the elevator and into the dingy corredor, the elevator doors closing soundly behind them. Unlike sneaking around before, this time there were cameras placed around certain places.

“Okay. How the peck are we gonna get over there?” Hat muttered until she had an idea. “Bow, Dawn, follow my lead.” Hat snappily explained as she quickly backed up and ran. Hat then did a flip and pulled herself up onto the bookshelf and bounced on the wire that was there, her feet landing on the light fixture and then onto solid ground. Bow followed Hat’s lead and did what she demonstrated.

Dawn however knew this wouldn’t be simple for her, so used this as an opportunity to use her ice in a different way. With determination and some precision, Dawn climbed her way up and over the bookcase, landing in a massive pile of letters, letters that looked like a heap of unpaid bills. Guess that’s what you get for crashing trains and whatnot. 

The trio rushed out of the room into another small hallway, only to meet a dead end. “OH COME ON. You have GOT to be kidding me right now!”

Hat groaned in frustration, there wasn’t a bridge in sight and who knows how Dawn’s ice bridges would work with a gap that size. Sure she’s used bridges to carry her and the trio on ledges before but this ledge doesn't look stable in the slightest.

While Hat was getting frustrated and Dawn tried thinking of any other possible way across, Bow noticed the power cables and the very small ledges that could be used to stand in place to take a breather and calculate their next move. There was also a massive pipe that they could most likely stand on, this plan was stupid but crazier things have worked.

Without warning Bow switched to the sprint hat and took a running leap, going airborne from weightlessness. Eventually her feet touched the massive pipe on the wall. Soon the ribboned girl ran and did a flip onto the next two wires and onto another gigantic pipe. Bow around to look at her friends, waiting for them to come to her.

“Come on guys! What are you waiting for?” Bow Kid called out, her voice echoing back to them. That plan could’ve gone horribly wrong but it turned out to be an extremely well crafted plan. 

“I’m comin’ Bow. Wait for me.” Hat Kid ran and did what Bow Kid did, following the path she paved for them. Dawn however, hesitated to follow. She wasn’t truly afraid of heights, but seeing the nothingness below made her queasy.

Without much of a choice, Dawn took a running leap. She had severely miscalculated the jump, slipping as she hug on the wire.

The snow queen was left dangling from the wire, screaming as she loomed over her own doom. “DAWN!” Both girls screamed, panicking for the snowflake-clipped girl’s safety. Hat Kid recklessly ran and bounced back to where Dawn was. Standing on what little platform she had as her umbrella was extended before her older friend.

“Don’t look down, Dawn! just look at me! Take my umbrella, I'll pull you up!” Dawn looked at Hat Kid as she reached for the umbrella anxiously. Her hands kept missing the handle. Dawn didn’t want her journey to end now… she still wanted to do so much… and that umbrella was her only life line. With every ounce of strength, the snow queen FINALLY grabbed the umbrella’s handle. Dawn was then swung to the pipe quickly, landing with a harsh thud.

“*pant* *pant* heh… heh… Hattie… Hat you- *pant* you saved me…”  Hat Kid suddenly punched Dawn’s shoulder, her face filling with an emotion she hadn’t properly seen on the top hatted child before, it was a mixture of anger and fear. “What the PECK Dawn! You could’ve gotten yourself killed! You scared the living daylights outta us!” Hat Kid scolded, puffing her cheeks out with a frown painted onto her face.

“And not to mention you could’ve died too Hattie!” Bow Kid yelled, making her way to them as she tackled both of them to the ground. “ *I* thought both of you were going to die! Don’t scare either of us like that again though! That really sucked. I know you can’t truly promise that- but please try.” Bow repermaned, furrowing her brow and speaking in a stern voice. 

Unexpectedly Dawn started to laugh, laughing away her anxiety, quelling her fear and just living in the moment of being alive. Alive and standing with a chaotic but beating heart. Dawn sat up, bringing her friends into an unexpected embrace. “Thank you.” Was all that the snow queen said, the only words that quietly left her lips, only audible for the top hat wearing child and the bow-wearing child.

Wordlessly the duo knew what Dawn meant by “thank you”.

“Thank you for always staying by my side.”

Without a word the trio unraveled the hug as they looked into the unknown. “I think I can make a bridge from here. You guys cross the way you did unless you want to use the bridge with me.” The cryokinesis prodigy softly spoke, letting a hint of smile play on her face.

Hat Kid nodded, agreeing with the plan since neither her or Bow wanted to see Dawn nearly fall to her doom again. Eventually the trio made their way to a bouncy platform, bouncing them to the next section of what looked to be a storage unit for the props and office for the directors. It explained a couple things but it gave more questions than answers.

One question being how does no one *ACTUALLY* get hurt in this place or die by falling to god only knows what is at the bottom of the abyss. 

That was a question that didn’t matter anymore as the girls collected more pins and climbed the crates, soon hearing a muffled voice from DJ Grooves. It was extremely difficult to figure out what he was even saying. They could hear some of what he said but not everything. The trio precariously balanced and hopped along the large pipes. Dawn reached the platform above thanks to a wall jump.

Soon she pulled Hat and Bow up with her own umbrella that she *thankfully* still had on her. It’s a miracle that she hasn’t lost it yet. Traversing up the railing to a dead end, Hat silently pointed out the places where the hook shot badge could latch onto.

Hat swung with gusto, Dawn following with Bow on her back. At long last! they finally made it to solid ground!

Hat grabbed the doorknob, looking back at her friends sternly. “We could be walking into a trap, Whatever he has set up… don’t let your guard down, copy?” Bow made a gesture with her hand, confirming that she understood. “Yep, loud and clear Hattie.” Dawn placed a hand on her hips, grinning mischievously. “Crystal clear top hat! Let's bust this joint!”

The trio traversed through into another storage room, one that was easier to navigate before since it wasn’t over a bottomless pit but still posed quite the challenge. The trio passed props for both directors' films; such as red herrings, framing materials, cardboard cutouts of rockets and even a weird box titled “McGuffins” for some unknown reason. Heck! They even found more yarn!

Traversing upwards in the storage unit, they eventually heard more of the DJ penguin’s obscured voice, still muffled from it being heard from who knows where. But this time it was louder, so they had to be SOMEWHAT close to where he was. When entering the room with the broken railroad tracks leading into the corredor, there were about 4 switches that could be seen to open the door to the next area. One step closer to the penguin’s voice meant one step closer to finding DJ Grooves and the Time Piece.

Dawn activated the first switch, Hat Kid bounced up, flipping mid air as she landed on her feet. The top hatted girl then dashed across the platforms and snuck behind the camera. The ribboned girl and Dawn herself soon followed the top hatted child. Avoiding the fake set up of the CAW agents talking and laughing and onto the wires. This time; Bow helped the snowflake-clipped girl balance her way across the wires so she wouldn’t fall to her demise. Hat Kid went ahead and activated the next platform, waiting for her friends to meet up with her.

“Get to the other two platforms. I’ll wait for you guys.” Hat whispered as Bow left to where the puzzle wires were; while Dawn went to the puzzle where the floating platforms were. The snow queen knew how to navigate the temporary platforms better than the wires anyway.

A ding sound echoed as the gate opened for them. They were one step closer to finding Grooves. What they ran into next was a long corridor and into a small theater, the kind you’d see when previewing how a film looks before release. This part was easy, (for Hat and Bow) the humanoid alien kids wall jumped and clipped their way to the platforms above. The self-proclaimed snow queen on the other hand, did her best to wall jump from one place to another. Hat and Bow pulled her to where they stood with a thud.

“Crud- I hope no one heard that.” Whispered an anxious Bow kid, walking quietly to prevent making any further noise. The stuff they found once they were off the platform and free to explore was crazy. They found a dressing room with a poster of “The Big Parade” hung up on the furthest wall. They also found the Conductor’s room with a mountain of awards! How the heck could he have so many!? It literally towered over all of them! Guess no one will ever know.

Traversing out of the room, Dawn’s emerald gaze caught a newspaper clipping that was hung on the wall. “Hey! Check this out guys!” The snowflake-clipped girl beckoned for Hat and Bow’s attention. Dawn pointed to the articles and began to read them aloud.

“The Early Worm… I guess it’s some sort of New York Times kind of thing for this world. But uh- this one’s interesting. Take a listen:” Dawn took a moment to clear her throat.

“42 Year Long Streak Broken; It is with a heavy heart that the bright filmmaker, the Conductor, has finally lost his winning streak. A streak that lasted 42 long years. This year audiences were captivated by the Conductor's arch rival, DJ Grooves’ film, FUNK-E. The film that took audiences by storm more than the train heist ‘On the Science Express’. The loss of award 42 for the Conductor is unfortunate but we wish the best of luck to both directors.”

Dawn finished reading the article clipping as things started to finally make sense! This is about the loss of an award about 10 years ago: award 42. But this wasn’t the Conductor they were facing, they were facing DJ Grooves who was on a terrible losing streak before this! 

Bow Kid examined the clippings in confusion, a hand placed under her chin. “Golly… no wonder why he wanted to win.” Bow muttered in an understanding tone. The trio sympathized with DJ Grooves, he was the underdog of the industry and wanted to do great but most sadly preferred train heists over lighthearted fun.

The trio hopped off the platform and through the open door. In one room the girls found another yarn, and in the other it had a camera and a bookshelf they could easily climb on to get across. The real issue came when they walked into a meeting room but They were lucky that they brought the hookshot badge with them.

“Hookshot time?” Dawn asked nonchalantly. Hat smugly grinned, easing her umbrella with Dawn’s. “HOOKSHOT TIME!” Hat took off running in her sprint hat, hooking onto the hook above and onto the display case. Dawn and Bow followed until they were together once more. Eventually, after what Felt like an eternity… the trio managed to reach a final air vent. Hat Kid fell through first, however she didn’t expect the drop and fell onto her stomach.

When she stood she was trampled by the crushing weight of Dawn and Bow dog piling her. Hat’s voice was muffled under all the weight of Bow and Dawn. The three of them groaned sorely from not only the fall but the landing as well. “Next time- Check if there’s a solid surface FIRST you go into the vents Hattie.” Bow panted heavily, wiping sweat off her forehead.

Hat muffled something that was inaudible. “What- speak English I can’t hear you!” Bow questioned, making Hat lift her head from the cold floor; “Get off of ME!!! I am in PAIN . Your weight is crushing me!!!” Hat demanded as she shoved her friends off of her. Dawn snickered on how the tone sounded like a little sister scolding her older sibling but she wasn’t going to tell Hat that directly. Bow scrambled to her feet, brushing dust off her skirt.

“Sorry Hat, I should’ve gone up and helped you and Dawn out.” The ribboned girl commented timidly, caressing the back of her head as her right curls passed through her fingers. Dawn shrugged, clicking her boots togther as she stood. Hat Kid noticed the locked room behind them, unlocking it to retrieve another yarn . “Hey! I think we have enough for new hats!” Bow stood with a giggle as Hat magically crafted two new hats for her and Bow. They looked like fox masks!

“Woah! Those look AWESOME!!” Dawn squealed in excitement as the girls tried out their new hats quickly. They casted just like the dweller bells! So it’s safe to assume they can be called the dwellers mask . 

Now they were ready, ready to face whatever this elevator would take them to…

Whatever they had to face. They would be ready.

“Stay focused guys… I just… I hope we don’t have to fight him.” Hat Kid mumbled the last part, but it didn’t need to be heard to figure out the intent. She wanted to stay passive and not hurt the DJ penguin, but they would be forced to if he stuck first. The elevator came with a press of a button and closed when they entered… Once the doors sealed shut, it began to descend into the unknown depths of the studio.

Location: Dead Bird Studios, Basement level.

The air was cold, colder than it’s ever been. It was so cold that it made Dawn want to put her jacket on but at the same time she wanted to keep it wrapped tightly around her waist.

Adjusting her backpack straps of her brewer’s backpack, Dawn changed it from the brewer’s to the sprint and then her default backpack in a flash. That was still something she had to get used to but it was fun to kinda mess around with. If it was a video game she would be spamming the button that allowed her to change items rapidly because it was funny.

Here? With the backpacks and the poof of smoke that changed it from one backpack to another had the same effect but… now wasn’t the time to annoy her friends who were tired just as she was nor was it the time to think about games. They had to get that magical hourglass back and reason with the DJ penguin.

They also had to figure out how he got his flippers on such dangerous information and whoever told the penguin it could help him was most likely led astray and severely misguided. The elevator soon came to an abrupt stop, opening its doors to the destination they’ve arrived at.

It was quiet as the trio stepped out of the elevator, the lights were off and the only light that had was the lights from what looked to be an 80’s styled dance floor.

“Look who we've got here, darling!” Shouted an awfully familiar voice from the darkness. All eyes were on them the whole stage went ablaze with blinding spotlights. Spotlights that we’re on the trio and the DJ Penguin himself: DJ Grooves. “I guess you found my little secret, huh?” Dawn ironically froze, standing stiffly as DJ Grooves chuckled.

“M-Mr. Grooves- please… we don’t wanna fight you! We just want the Time Piece back!” Bow Kid stuttered with a gulp, trying not to quiver before the Penguin they had grown to enjoy being around. “Oh, darling, darling! I don’t think I can do that.” DJ Grooves spun and adjusted his mic. “This last Time Piece is all for me, darling.” Hat Kid swung her umbrella out, her firm grip making her knuckles go white.

“You don’t know what it can do, DJ Grooves! We honestly don’t want to fight you, let’s just settle this without a brawl.” Hat Kid demanded in a firm voice, DJ Grooves chuckled once more. “If you want it, well, I guess you've just gotta come and get it.”

The fight began as the band rocked it out. Grooves flew to the left of the stage as the spotlights followed. They continued to shine even when the DJ penguin slammed his body into the floor, making the trio move out of the way. Hat Kid whacked him hard with her umbrella, causing him to leap back onto the stage. The DJ whistled as lights started to fall. Dawn swapped to her sprint backpack and dive rolled to get out of the way.

“AAAHHH! WATCH IT! you could’ve killed us-! AAHH!” Dawn screamed as he jumped into the air, slamming his fist into the ground. Bow whacked him this time as he retreated to the ceiling with a caw. Suddenly he came down with a golden disco ball! DJ Grooves spun on the glamorous diso ball precariously.

“Here we- GO !” The ball dropped with a shockwave that made Dawn collapse to the ground. Hat Kid got a boost from Bow Kid, landing another hit on the DJ penguin.

“GROOVES! Snap out of it! Please! We don’t wanna fight you!” Hat pleaded in a tense tone. Dawn ran to the girls before the DJ slammed into the ground once more; Dawn was the one who reluctantly landed the hit. Soaring to the ceiling once more, the DJ penguin came down with another disco ball.

“Ladies and- GENTLEMAN!”

The golden disco ball slammed to the ground, this time all three of them dodged the shock wave. Hat Kid slammed her umbrella onto DJ Grooves. The crowd roared as DJ Grooves flew back onto the stage.

“You’ve done it now darling!” The roaring stopped as the penguin DJ pulled out- A KNIFE!? Dawn’s face paled when the lights went out, the only light coming from where DJ Grooves was when plunging at them, more specifically, Hat Kid who wasn’t getting out of the way in time.

“OUT OF THE WAY!” Dawn yanked Hat Kid by her cape to dodge the attack. When the lights came back on, Bow was the one who furiously whacked the DJ penguin. The DJ repeated his disco ball attack from before, yet he stopped mid-drop this time. After whacking him again the penguin pulled out the same knife from before.

“WHATS THIS?!” The DJ penguin shouted in a crazed state that made even the snow queen freeze up at the sound of his voice. He was starting to lose it! The snowflake-clipped girl took the lead as she tripped the penguin over with a swipe. This caused him to repeat the same attack in the dark, this time the trio successfully dodged in time when the lights came on. Hat Kid whacked the DJ penguin hard in the side.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, DARLING!?” DJ Grooves shouted furiously, the tone that he used was unlike the tone they were used to and it SCARED the trio.

“Alright darling, that’s IT! Time to bring out the BIG GUNS!” Without warning cars started to circle them, red pathways showing that they were going to crash into them if they didn’t do anything. Dawn and Bow were yanked by Hat to get out of the way. The attacks were getting faster, much faster.

Cameras flashed as DJ Grooves came down on the disco ball, sending more shockwaves than before, even tripping them up before they could land a solid hit. But before the DJ could flee, Dawn threw an ice snowball at DJ Grooves.

“BRRRR-! Darling, darling! You’re SO RUDE!” DJ Grooves shrieked, hopping back onto the stage as photographic duplicates of Grooves materialized when the lights went out. There were three knives and one of them was the real Grooves, they just had to keep dodging until the lights went on.

“TAKE THIS!” Now yelled as she kicked DJ Grooves in the face. Bow landed on her feet as she stuck another hit with her umbrella. Bow was upset that the DJ penguin nearly hit Hat, wasn’t she? Who could blame her? Cars began to circle the trio again, until they crashed into an ice pillar. A pillar the snow queen had created to protect them from the blow.

“Guys- what do we do!? He’s not listening to us!” Hat Kid shouted, still shaken up from the previous attacks. “I-…” Dawn let her ice melt , returning them safely to the ground. “We have to keep trying to talk some sense into him.” The snowflake-clipped girl curled her fingers around her umbrella’s handle. If they wanted DJ Grooves to listen to them, we had to knock some sense into him, literally!

A camera flashed as copies of DJ Grooves stood with the original. The swipes from the blades were getting faster and harder to dodge, this fight was going to last forever if no one put an end to it. When the lights flashed on, Dawn threw an ice snowball at Hat Kid, in return; Hat batted it right into the DJ penguin’s face.

“BOOYAH! ” Bow yelled as they ran for cover. DJ Grooves snarled, flying up to descend with another disco ball and photo copies that were just as deadly. DJ Grooves slammed onto the ground, giving Dawn a window of time to create an ice slide for Bow to run up on with her sprint hat. Giving the ribboned girl an advantage in delivering another blow.

“Darling, DARLING! NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!”

The lights shut off suddenly as the crowd hushed… was it… over? A soft piano took the place of the loud music that played over the arena. It was better to say the least… at least they weren’t fighting anymore. The group walked forward as a spotlight flickered behind them.

DJ Grooves sat at a picnic table with four chairs set up. The eccentric penguin sighed, placing his mic onto the table. “Let's have a little heart-to-heart. Have a seat, darlings.”

The trio stood there silently, unsure of what to think. Hat Kid unexpectedly was the first to walk up to one of the chairs to claim a seat. “Heh, I’m… I'm glad you’re not fighting anymore. I knew you’d come around at some point! I knew we could get through to you.” Hat admitted breathily, a saddened smile breaking at the seams. DJ Grooves paused, watching as Hat Kid beckoned for her friends.

“It’s okay guys, he’s not gonna fight anymore. The fight’s over!” Hat beamed, grateful that the worst was behind them. Bow on the other hand didn’t feel so relieved, she was antsy, suspicious about the brawl ending there. Dawn felt the same way, but what other choice did they have other than to not comply? Perhaps it was truly over.

Gliding over slowly, the snowflake-clipped girl sat next to DJ Grooves while the ribboned child sat next to her top hatted sister. She was obviously nervous about the possibility of another attack, so sitting by Hat put her at ease...

“Ever since you arrived on this planet, these Time Pieces have fallen from the sky.” The DJ penguin explained in a heartfelt tone, a tone the trio was familiar with. Maybe he did decide to stop? “Now, I can understand if you feel they belong to you, darling. I understand. But do you know they allow for rewinding time?” Hat Kid’s eyes lit up with shock, when did they ever tell him about the Time Pieces?

Come to think of it, when did they ever tell the pair of directors about the magical hourglasses abilities in general?

Sure, Dawn told the Conductor about them, but none of them ever mentioned what they could do, not even once. DJ Grooves adjusted himself to look at the trio more, a passionate expression painting his face.

“With one Time Piece , I could reclaim all the trophies that belong to me, darling. Every single trophy I’ve lost to the Conductor where he cheated his way to victory.” DJ Grooves declared with a heartfelt and passionate tone. A tone that wasn’t crazed, rather it was understandable and sympathetic.

“I can’t prove it, darling, but I’m certain the Conductor has been manipulating everything to make sure I never win.” Grooves drew out a long sigh. A sigh that showed his true age and that he was honestly tired of losing. “I need just one Time Piece to fix years of cheating and fraud. Can’t you spare me just one Time Piece , darling?” 

The snowflake-clipped girl averted her gaze, glancing at Bow. She looked just as unsure as she was... Hat on the other hand beamed with a smile, tearing up and relieved that they weren’t going to fight anymore. “If you promise that the fight ends here then… I don’t see why not so- maybe?” Hat Kid awkwardly grinned, wiping the tears that would’ve fallen. DJ Grooves lit up with the brightest smile the trio had ever seen from him.

“Oh, thank you, darling! You won’t regret it! We’ll fix years of fraud and cheating, and go back to the Annual Bird Movie Awards being honest and upstanding!”  Dawn and Bow let out a sigh of relief, not letting their guard down but it felt like the stress was lifted.

Perhaps Hat Kid was right, they weren’t-

“Unfortunately… I can’t have you leave this room, darling.” The DJ penguin interjected, shattering any sense of relief. Hat Kid’s smile dropped into a slow revelation of horror... “Huh? Wh-what-? What do you mean…?”  The top hatted child quivered, anxiously searching for an answer. Bow Kid’s face paled with a dark grimace, grasping her umbrella tighter than ever before.

Dawn felt… empty, numb. She didn’t feel betrayed, yet this was an act of betrayal. A betrayal of their trust. “Why can’t we leave this room?” Dawn asked grimly, feeling her soul sink, letting terror shift into dread. “What are you putting at risk here?! We can just call a draw and leave!” Dawn protested furiously, extending her arms to hopefully plead with DJ Grooves.

But unfortunately… It looked like he had already made up his mind.

“Darling, darling. I can’t risk word getting out. The Conductor will throw a hissy fit like never seen before!” DJ Grooves laughed as he stood with a mic in hand. He skated away a few steps before turning around with an unreadable expression upon his face. “It was nice knowing you, darlings. Goodbye!”

In a flash, some penguins from the crowd attached a device to Hat Kid’s back. The snow queen’s face drained… turning ghastly white. What was strapped to Hat’s back was… Oh no.

The lights came back on abruptly, the spotlight flooding back onto DJ Grooves.

“Remember this bomb, darling?” He announced, speaking directly into the mic. “I stole it from the Conductor's movie set, and now it’ll be your demise!” Bow let out a horrified gasp, the color draining from her purple-magenta eyes from fear.

“Oh… peck.” Dawn cursed, not caring that she technically swore. The chaotic rhythm resumed, the ground shaking from an unknown source but it quaked with the intensity that the trio was feeling. The bomb started to count down- one minute and forty seconds!? That’s completely unfair!

DJ Grooves started laughing like a maniac, he’s completely lost it! “You better come here darling! This bomb is gonna blow!~” Bow yanked Hat Kid out of the way, Dawn took the lead as she whacked the DJ penguin who had now had a few screws loose.

“FRICK, FRICK, FRICK-! MOTHER OF RAEHAN- CRAP!” The ribboned child shouted fearfully, desperately trying to find a way to disable the active bomb. The snowflake-clipped girl batted a snowball at DJ Grooves, forcing to change his pattern of attacks. This was all too much! “Hattie- let me help you! I can- I-I can defuse this! EEK-!”

The crazed DJ started throwing buzzsaws at the trio, making the process of diffusing it properly more difficult than intended. “WHAT'S BUZZIN DARLING?~” DJ Grooves shrilled manically, throwing the buzzsaws at mean speed. Without a beat to lose, the snow queen hurled more snowballs at the penguin, causing him to retreat once more. 

Quickly, Dawn rushed over to a panicked Bow and Hat, still trying to defuse a bomb. “IT WON'T COME OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!!” Hat complained frantically, fearing for her very life. Bow tried to find any wires she could yank but couldn’t find any to actually do so. “Dawn-! Can you make an icicle?? I need it!”

Bow Kid cried hysterically, desperately trying to save her sister. They needed to save Hat Kid and defuse the bomb before everything goes KABOOM! “Time's ticking away, darling! Tick-tock tick-tock when are you gonna blow?!!~” DJ Grooves ran around again, faster than he did before.

Dawn played defensive as she skidded on ice, walloping another snowball at the crazed DJ. Dawn grunted as she made an icicle for Bow. Dawn was too close to dropping the icicle when DJ Grooves abruptly slammed onto the ground. “Augh! Use it quickly! We’re on the clock!” Dawn quipped as she skated away on an ice bridge, using a snowball barrage to get the DJ penguin to back off.

“LEMME CUT A LITTLE HOLE IN YA DARLING!” DJ Grooves shrieked manically, going completely off the rails. DJ Grooves repeated his previous buzzsaw attacks until Dawn got close enough to hit him or hit him from a distance. “Good day for a swell battle, terrible night to do said battle!” Dawn taunted in a breathy tone, trying to keep up with the pace the fight was going at.

“LASS! Over here!” A familiar accented voice yelled from the left side of the crowd. “ CONDUCTOR !!” Hat and Bow shrieked in disbelief and desperation. “Oh-! Hang in there! I’ll find a way to defuse the bomb!” The Conductor shouted, fearing for their safety. “Hurry Conductor, PLEASE!” Dawn shrilled, still dodging and playing defensive.

The Conductor made a mad dash out the way he came, bolting though the storage unit to find anything that could defuse the bomb. DJ Grooves then planned to aim another attack at Hat Kid and Bow Kid. Who were still trying to find the wires to cut off.

“OI! BIRDBRAIN!! Over here!” Dawn slid down as she started running like hell, blowing her tongue at the DJ penguin. “Catch me if ya can! I bet you won’t!” As Dawn hoped, he aimed the buzzsaw attack at her instead of the girls. The snowflake-clipped girl dodged with grace that she had to keep up, otherwise it was game over. “That was weak sauce! You ain’t even TRYING-!! OH HECK!”

The snow queen confidently taunted the DJ, she immediately regretted her choice of words, jinxing herself in the fight; now having to dodge a barrage of buzzsaws at once. She should’ve kept the taunts to herself. “Stop trying to kill me and think about what you’re doing Grooves! This isn’t you!” The snowflake-clipped girl pleaded, dosing more attacks until she got close enough to throw a potion from her Brewer’s backpack at the DJ penguin. 

Dawn kept the fight going until the Conductor came back. “Lass! Over here!” The Conductor jumped down to meet Hat and Bow with a defuser to stop the bomb from exploding. “My defuser is ready, come here!”

The top hatted child and the ribboned child instantly ran to where the Conductor was. With a snip, and the seconds ticking down to zero, the bomb was stopped at the last possible second. Bow Kid couldn’t look more thankful that he had basically saved Hat Kid’s life. “Thank you Conductor, thank you-!” “Yer can thank me later lassie, stop DJ Grooves before he goes more off the rails!” The Conductor retreated to the balcony to get away from the fight but kept close by in case they all needed his help.

“It’s time for THE BIG PARADE !!!” DJ Grooves whisked as the curtains fell over the crowds with his posters. “Lass!” The owl conductor shouted before being obscured from sight.  Hat Kid fought back tears as she did the unthinkable: he wanted a parade, right? If DJ Grooves wants a parade, then he’s going to get one. Hat Kid whistled and grabbed the band’s attention, they automatically started following her. “DAWN! On my signal, make an ice bridge!  Just like how you did in the movie! You’ll know the signal when you hear it!” Hat announced as she ran with the band. What did she mean by that!? 

DJ Grooves slammed onto the ground, giving Bow an opportunity to strike him. “HIYAH!” Bow angrily yelled, knocking the DJ penguin back. DJ Grooves then pulled out the same knives from before, this time Dawn was the one who attacked him.

The DJ penguin retreated back to the stage and whistled for the spotlights to start crashing down. The trio evaded this with a lot more accuracy than before. The mad DJ shot across the room and slammed onto the ground, Hat Kid did a projectile attack without any hesitation. DJ Grooves then soared to the ceiling and came down on another flashy disco ball.

“PECK! PECK NECK! Dawn! Now!”  Dawn became annoyed- but then it hit her. “OOH—! You son of a gun.” Dawn smirked when the disco ball didn’t drop.

“BOW! Run with me will ya? I need a boost!” Bow grinned as she swapped to her sprint hat in a flash. “I got you Hattie!” Dawn slid as she made an ice bridge for Hat Kid, allowing her to run to the top and bounce off the boost from Bow Kid. When the disco ball dropped, Hat Kid landed RIGHT on top of him and even landed another two hits for good measure. “I HATE YOU, DARLING!!!” 

DJ Grooves fell to the ground with an exhausted crash. The fight was over… it was finally over.

Now they could let everything sink in, now they could figure out what happened before this fight happened and piece everything together. The Conductor stumbled out from the crowd and onto the ground.

He soon took notice of where the Time Piece was being kept. “Oi! Lassies! Your thingamajig is over there!” The Conductor announced, grabbing the fragile artifact with care. Dawn blankly started at the Conductor as he held the Time Piece out for them. Hat Kid took it into her hands and gave a sincere smile. “Thank you… thank you for saving us.” The Conductor sounded like he was rendered speechless but he didn’t really mind this complement.

“Now, I think we should deal with DJ peck neck over there.”

“No.” Bow asserted, her gaze colder than a tundra freezing over. The ribboned girl then grabbed DJ Grooves by his blazer angrily. “If you don’t tell us in the next FIVE MINUTES how you knew about the Time Pieces, I’m going to be more than willing to make you PAY for what you subjected Hattie to!” DJ Grooves gulped at the sight of Bow being this infuriated with him. 

Dawn’s jaw hit the floor, he really made her mad, madder than the top hatted child and the snowflake-clipped girl had ever seen her! “I- i’m not sure if I should be intimidated or impressed.”

Dawn admitted, her mouth still agape. Hat Kid quietly nodded, agreeing with every word. “I agree. Um- Bow… I know you’re mad at him but please don’t strangle him or do anything brash.” Bow puffed her checks out as she forcefully let go.

“FINE: but he better start talking!” Bow stopped her way next to the Conductor, she was still glaring at the DJ penguin with so much rage that Hat had to keep her back. DJ Grooves sighed heavily, the regret starting to sink in. The regret and remorse coming in too late. They knocked sense back into him but at what cost? “There was someone waiting for me in the studio after the ceremony ended, darling. She said she wanted to help, reclaim what was rightfully mine.”

DJ Grooves started only to confuse the group with more questions than answers. “She ? Who’s this she you’re talking about Grooves?” Dawn inquired as the penguin shook his head. “She never mentioned her name, though she wore a red cloak and in the dark I could barely see her face.”

A cloak…? A RED cloak!? There’s only one person that fits that description!

“Wait- A red cloak!? Did she-! Did she wear anything else? Like was there some kind of star brooch on the cloak? Did she have a mustache?” DJ Grooves’s head lifted from the ground to look at the trio, he silently nodded. “The little darling told me the payments I’ve been giving you were called Time Pieces and that they could help me reclaim the streak I deserved!”

Dawn’s eyes widened, soon her hands curled into tight fists. “GOSH DARNIT! FRICK!” Dawn yanked her pigtails out of frustration; DJ Grooves never wanted to hurt them, he was TRICKED and lied to by the first person they met here, Mustache Girl. 

“Do yer know this kid in the cloak, lass?” Hat Kid nodded to the question asked by the Conductor. “Yeah… we do. It’s a long story, I really long story. But long story short: Her name is Mustache Girl or ‘Mu’ for short… She was the first person we met in Mafia Town. She became angry after we refused to help her by using the Time Pieces to time travel. What she left out and omitted, most likely on purpose, is that the artifacts are extremely dangerous and unpredictable! You could probably rewind yourself to a point where you wouldn’t even exist…”

The Conductor’s face paled, if the trio could see his eyes, he would’ve stared at them with widened eyes. “So, I was lied to?” DJ Grooves repeated back, letting the fact that he let years of losing get to him. “Yeah. But: that doesn’t excuse you for what you did.” Dawn abruptly cut in, her emerald eyes looking soberly at the penguin. DJ Grooves didn’t have anything to reply with, he couldn’t apologize to them at this moment, even if he wanted to or even if they were willing to accept his apology. An apology wouldn’t fix what he did.

“I know I can’t… say I’m sorry and move on like this little fight didn’t happen, darling. I betrayed your trust. And if you are willing to forgive and start over someday… then I’ll be waiting until then.” DJ Grooves spoke in a tone that made Dawn feel not angry, not sad… but pity. Dawn swapped her backpack back to normal, soon she looked back at both directors.

“I… I don’t forgive you. But I don’t hate you… you were hurt by Mu, and I’ll make sure she pays for that. However…” Dawn spun around, fully facing both directors head on. “You two may hate each other‘s guts sometimes, but you guys need to start getting along! You may not like working together, but it’s better than hating one another. When working in film, you not only look out for your friends, sometimes you have to look after your rivals as well. Make sure they’re not getting trapped in situations they can’t dig out of.”

Dawn firmly stated with a serious expression painted onto her face. The DJ penguin and the owl conductor glanced at one another irritated but.. at this point they were willing to at LEAST try. “Ugh- alright lass. But I’ll only do it because you suggested it. Not because I have to ‘get along with DJ peck neck here.” DJ Grooves stood as he rolled his eyes. “And I’ll try just because…well, it’s better than not trying at all now is it darling?”

Hat Kid smiled as Bow Kid calmed down. “Thanks for being considerate.” Bow thanked, still agitated but not as much as before. Soon Bow Kid pulled the teleporter out and punched in the coordinates for the spaceship.

That’s the last time they ever get in the show business!

Now they’re fully going back to Subcon to pester a ghost that will hopefully give Hat and Bow their souls back once they complete all the contracts.

Chapter Text

It took hours to fall asleep, Moonjumper didn’t exactly leave the trio’s side that night, just to make sure they were okay. Once they were, he headed out when a new day was dawning. Dawn, Hat and Bow fell asleep in the pillow fort, the blankets cozily covered them as they breathed through a dream-filled slumber; dreams that weren’t dreamless. Hours drifted as the day carried on, carrying on with the burdens of the night before.

Mustache Girl was actively sabotaging people, and for what? Justice? Power? Superiority? Why was she so angry other than hating bad guys and the Mafia? What drove her to hurt others and think she was doing the right thing? Dawn would never know, the only one who had the answers was Mustache Girl herself.

Hat Kid was fidgeted with the teleporter this time, putting in the location that belonged to a certain noodly nuisance: Snatcher. They decided to complete more of the shade’s contracts with the fabulous bonus of being able to annoy and pester him.

“Okay, I think I’ve got the teleporter set up correctly.” Hat Kid announced, holding the device in her hands tightly. Dawn slid her white umbrella between her backpack straps while Bow re-tied her blue ribbon.

“Lets just hope you don’t teleport us above the tree again. That sucked time.” The snow queen teased as the top hatted girl’s face became redder than ever. “HEY! That was a one time thing! I didn’t know it would happen!” Dawn snickered until Bow broke up the fight, making the peace. “Settle down your two. No need to argue.” “She started it!” Hat argued with an unamused expression. Dawn chuckled once more.

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to make ya feel that way.” The breath was taken out of Dawn as Hat Kid yanked her into a tight squeeze. Goodness the kid was strong for her age! “Could- you let go-! you’re squishing me.” Hat smiled smugly, she did that partially on purpose, didn't she? Not that Dawn would complain, it was a funny way of getting her back.

Hat Kid eventually let her tight grasp falter, allowing the snowflake-clipped girl to go free. “That’s for teasing me, Ice. Hehehehe!” Hat childishly snickered, her laughter making the snowflake-clipped girl grin. Laughter bubbled from Dawn as they laughed like they’ve known each other for years. Bow gradually joined in on that laughter; their giggling and snickering was enough to remedy the ever-looming tension that hung heavily in the air, almost like it had been drenched in it long before they had arrived.

“Alright, alright. Now…” The cryokinesis prodigy cracked a smug expression, coming up with a mischievous idea. “Who’s ready to have some fun pestering a ghost we all know and love ?  I know I am! I’m sure he’s gonna be thrilled!” Hat wheezed, wrapping her arms around sides as she did. Bow was laughing so hard that she had to wipe away tears.

“I’m SURE he’ll love whatever you have. Your jokes are to die for!” The trio’s laughter roared even more, oh they were gonna enjoy every moment of pestering that ghost every chance they got! After the laughter ceased, Hat confirmed her choice: “Subcon time! Woohoo!!!” Hat exclaimed as the bright blue light absorbed them, zapping them to Subcon Forest without a trace.

Location: Subcon Forest, Snatcher's Abode

The girls teleported into Subcon, this time Hat Kid didn’t teleport them high into the trees, so that was a plus. “Let’s go pester Snatcher! Then we can go to Subcon Village! I bet the guys missed us!” Hat proudly announced, chucking with her brown boots kicking away at the dirt. Bow swapped to her sprint hat and ran off. “Not if I get there first! Catch me if ya can!” “WHA- hey! No fair you got a head-start!” Dawn protested, sprinting with Hat not too far behind her. “Last one to Snatcher’s tree is a rotten egg!” Hat shouted, egging the game of chase head on.

Thankfully there weren’t any traps stalling their progress this time. Once at their desired location, they came across Snatcher reading a book in his hollow tree. The first one to arrive was Bow Kid.

The ribboned girl taunted with a smug dance of victory. “Haha! Good game Bow!” Hat complimented, coming in second. The one who came dead last was Dawn. “Ugh, can you keep it down? You’re being way too sappy.” Snatcher vexed, wryly irking at the trio’s moment of peace and tranquility.

“Daaawww! We missed our chance!” Hat moaned in displeasure, pouting that she couldn’t scare the shade and pester him after surprising him. They could’ve scared him! Yet, the trio also doubted that Snatcher would be frightened THAT easily. The trio entered the abode as Snatcher sat back down on a velvety chair with an open book.

“What’s up kiddo? You were gone for a day! You didn’t forget about your contractual obligations, did you?” Dawn groaned, folding her arms with an indignant stare. “We got caught up with something. But don’t worry, it’s been taken care of.” The snowflake-clipped girl stated matter-of-factly. Snatcher grabbed the book he put down, grinning with a light cackle.

“Woooow!~ why don’t you look at that? You’re actually being considerate! Kind of disappointed that you don’t do this more often, kid. But whatever! I don’t call the shots!”

Dawn’s eye slightly twitched from vexation. If he had a nose she could flick she could’ve done it by now. “Um- Dawn? You okay there?” Bow Kid asked in slight concern. “You’ve been standing there and not blinking for the past few seconds.” Hat blurted out in a dry tone, not exactly sugarcoating the truth. Dawn eventually huffed in anger, holding her head in her cold hands from irritation.

“Nghhhh… I’m just dandy, *swell* even. I just need to talk with this noodle jerk before we head out. You two can head to the village square, I’ll meetcha there.” Hat and Bow exchanged glances before complying with what Dawn suggested. “Race you to the village, Bow! I bet I’ll win this time!” Hat giggled with a determined grin, accepting the challenge. “OH IT'S ON!” The girls ran with their sprint hats equipped, giggling as they ran in the direction to where Subcon Village was located.

Meanwhile with the two people still left in the hollow tree, Dawn sat cross legged, obviously still annoyed with the specter before her. Snatcher was the ONLY ghost who knew how to push her buttons when she didn’t want them being messed with.

“You didn’t HAVE to be a jerk back there ya know?” Dawn muttered with an annoyed glare directed at the specter. Snatcher, not saying a word, shuts his book. “Alright. Listen here young lady.” Snatcher pierced his glowing yellow eyes into Dawn’s emerald green eyes. “You’re real annoying when you want to be, don’t you? Letting you keep your soul is a decision I’m starting to regret. I should’ve eaten your soul and tossed your body and made you work contracts.” Snatcher responded in vexation.

Dawn adjusted herself to face Snatcher, completely unfazed. “You DO realize that’s against child labor laws- right? I mean- that’s technically illegal labor. Normally kids work eight hours IF they have a work permit and even they get breaks!” 

Snatcher paused, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “How do you know about laws? You’re only like what? Ten? Eleven?” Dawn’s expression was unreadable as her unamusement grew exponentially, soon taking hold of a nearby book on the ground in vexation.

“I’m eleven and the reason I know about that is because my parents work in the entertainment industry!” Dawn threw the book that phased through Snatcher’s body. “Wow, rude much?” Dawn puffed her checks out, still irate with the shade. “NOPE. It’s justified, you jerk.” Dawn concluded, still mad at the ghost. Snatcher groaned in annoyance from Dawn’s futile attempts in arguing with him. “You do realize you can’t throw stuff and hurt me, I’m dead, remember?”

Snatcher then had a pending question on his ghostly mind. “Also- kid. What the heck are you talking about when you said, ‘entertainment industry’ ? Did you mean like, what? Theater?” Dawn’s anger bubbled but she bit back her rage. Her curiosity then mixed with her previous emotions, how could he NOT know what she was talking about???

“Pssh - theater? Are you serious? Entertainment Industry as in: filmmaking, writing scripts and scouting locations for TV and Cinema?” Silence, not a peep was made as more confusion filled the air.

“Kid. I literally have no idea what you’re talking about but it honestly feels like you’re mocking me.” Dawn felt this was the bane of her existence at this moment. How the heck could he NOT know what movies, tv or even video games were??? Did he become a ghost before that was a thing? Now Dawn had absolutely zero response. She didn’t want to blurt out and say “How in the frick frack do you not know any of this?” Or “Have you been living under a rock this whole time?” Now that would just make the dastardly specter pleased that she absolutely lost her temper.

“Cowa-bummer man. I mean, geez. How long have you been stuck here? I’m not trying to be crass or impolite here… I'm just genuinely curious.” Snatcher snarled a low growl.

Did she just hit a nerve?

“You know, I’m going to be discreet with you for a moment.” Snatcher spoke in an uncomfortably humorless tone. “Curiosity killed many in this forest. Don’t let yourself be me of them and get yourself killed. Some things are not worth DYING for!” The humor returned at the end… but the coldness… the shift in tone was frankly unnerving.

How could he switch tones at the drop of a hat? What happened here? What happened to Subcon Forest, this kingdom all those years ago? Was it something Dawn really wanted to find out, the truth of Subcon Forest? Or was it something she’d rather keep unseen?

“Well… we’ll see about that. I-I hope.” Snatcher opened his book once more, drawing out a laugh at the snowflake-clipped girl. “Let's see if you’re up to the task, kid. Hope you don’t go dying anytime soon!” Snatcher boomed in an eccentrically mocking voice, poking at Dawn in the most infuriating ways possible. “Gggrrrr- If you had an actual psychical body I’d flick your nose in less than a few seconds!” Dawn fumed in exasperation. Snatcher was about to interject until a bang was heard in the haunted forest. “OH. Not again! Why can’t I catch a break?”

Snatcher grumbled with his book slamming shut and being left on the chair he sat at. Dawn held her backpack straps, concerned with the unsettling sounds coming from the direction of Subcon Village, Hat and Bow’s where there! This couldn’t be good.

“DDOOGHH-! Are you KIDDING ME!? So unswag!” Dawn complained as she gripped her backpack straps tighter. Snatcher turned to partially face Dawn; “You know kiddo, why don’t you make yourself useful?” Snatcher snapped his fingers and Dawn’s hands were replaced with a contract- hold on, where did her bag go? “Wha- HEY!” Dawn shouted as the ghost held her backpack in his ghostly hands. “That’s my backpack! Give it back!” Snatcher lifted the backpack out of reach, making Dawn more and more angry than before.

“Come on now, don’t make this difficult. You don’t really have a say in this. Sign the paper. And don’t worry! You won’t have your soul stolen since I’m under my own terms of agreement with the other brats. You’ll get your ‘backpack’ back as soon as you’re finished with this little chore!” Dawn snarled as she bared her teeth. “NO! I won’t do it! You can’t make me!” The cryokinesis prodigy shouted, her hands slightly freezing the contract from anger. Snatcher twitched, the snowflake clipped girl definitely struck another nerve.

“I don’t think I made this clear enough. Your opinion, doesn’t, MATTER TO ME!” Snatcher boomed in a tone Dawn had NEVER heard from Snatcher before, he then pointed to the contract in Dawn’s hands. “Put your name on the contract: or I’ll make your DEAD. HOLLOW. BODY sign it for you!” Snatcher grimaced in vexation, his Jack-o-lantern face staring with a humorless expression. It was either Dawn helped and had to get her backpack back or she’d make Snatcher break his end of the deal.

“Ggrrmmnmmm… FINE. I’ll do it!” Dawn gave in, grumbling as she signed her name on the line. At least he wasn’t stealing her soul, rather her backpack and everything that was in it. “Geez, you’re a total jerk! Just-! Be careful with it. It has all my stuff that I didn’t leave on the ship. Don’t lose it or I swear to frick frack I’ll find a way to sue your ghostly butt!”

Snatcher made the contract disappear with a cynical grin, being callous as he placed Dawn’s backpack on the top self of his bookcase, a place Dawn could reach but she wouldn’t be able to retrieve without the ghoul being on her tail. Without much forethought, Dawn slid down the tail to Subcon village with her ice, the ice melting back into the air as she skated away.

Snatcher couldn’t help but be reminded of her. An old friend. Someone with the exact same abilities as the snowflake-clipped girl, yet was the one who caused something terrible to happen in Subcon…

Its downfall.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

The snow queen arrived on the scene with Hat and Bow trying to ease the frantic Dwellers and Subconites. “It’s back! It’s back! Everyone, hide !” One Subconite shouted, running for dear life. Some of the Dwellers were taken, being yanked away in cages as pipes butted out of the ground like it was nothing. What was this!? What was going on?! Dawn eventually made out where Hat Kid and Bow Kid were in the village. “Guys! Over here!” Dawn pumped in a hurried tone, running towards her friends faster than they could reply. “Dawn! Thank goodness you made it!” Bow huffed, relieved to see the self-proclaimed snow queen in one piece.

“We were hanging out with the Subconites and the Dwellers when this weird siren sound came and stole the Dwellers without warning! I tried whacking the cages but it didn’t work!” Hat groaned in a burning frustration. “Newbies! Newbies!” A Subconite ran up to the reunited trio. “I know what’s causing this. Just go to the end of the village and go across the cliff to the other side!” The trio gave understanding nods to the snappy information given to them in a short amount of time. Without a word the girls sprinted to the end of the village, this was the moment where Hat and Bow noticed Dawn’s backpack, rather lack thereof. 

“Where’s your bag Ice? You didn’t leave it on the ship, last I checked.” Hat quickly questioned, to which Dawn rolled her eyes. “Snatcher stole it and forced me to make a contract to take care of this with y’all officially. He said he’ll give it back after I take care of whatever the HECK this thing that’s causing terror is!” Dawn explained, still angry by the way the shade treated her.

He reveled in her annoyance which made her even more furious. At the end of the village was a cliff, but above were points for the hook shot badge to work. “I can get across with a bridge, you two swing across!” The snowflake-clipped girl strode across the cliffside, the ghostly pipes with a never ending supply of what looked to be ghostly souls spilling out. When approaching the end, they found the source… Dawn expected it to be a gigantic magical dragon that used the Dwellers like end crystals aka as a source of power or another ghost that was causing havoc just for the fun of it. It turned out to be neither of those options, instead, it turned out to be… something Dawn was completely baffled by. Both Hat and Bow’s looked disgusted by the sight, obviously recognizing it from possibly one of the contracts they had with them.

“A- whatdafswhaddy- WHAT!? a possessed OUTHOUSE? Are you kidding me?!” The cryokinesis prodigy outcried, still shocked by what she was even looking at. “The source of all this just some stupid outhouse!? Is it even- why am I even questioning what’s going on anymore?” Dawn moaned, gripping her brunette bangs between her fingers as her emerald eyes looked at Hat and Bow’s.

“How in the frick are y’all not questioning what’s going on right now?” The snowflake-clipped girl asked, still ill-at-ease. Bow Kid shrugged, unsure of what possible answer could satisfy Dawn. That was until Hat Kid gave the answer.

“We kind of stopped questioning stuff a long time ago. I mean- don’t get the wrong idea, Bow and I still question things just not when it comes to the weirdness this place has.” Dawn’s jaw dropped with a deadpan expression, but agreed with the point made.

“Okay, fair point. Y’all have a very valid point. You guys have done this stuff longer than me.” The trio giggled as some of the awkwardness faded away. Soon the group looked at the possessed outhouse, grimacing that they were going to have to fight THAT out of all things! “Soooo-! all we need to do is just- find a way to beat it, just like the last three times?” “Pretty much, yeah.” Bow affirmed, answering the general question.

Without much warning, the hunted outhouse sprung to life, flapping its door as if it was barking at them like a wild animal. It teleported away, spawning not too far from where it originally was. Soon the possessed outhouse was throwing out nasty bubbles that looked like they could cause damage if hit. One of those weird bubbles housed a cherry bomb that was about to blow. Dawn soon had a quick idea.

“Hey Hattie, Bow! Remember Subcon Well with the cherry bombs?” both girls turned their attention to Dawn but they soon noticed the cherry bomb that was ticking down to blow. “AH- good eye!” Hat Kid exclaimed, picking up the fruit and throwing it at the outhouse. 

The thing teleported away back to its origin point, sounding a siren for the caged up Dwellers to be dug along the field. Bow Kid noticed the lantern and used her hookshot to kick the possessed outhouse back to where it came from. The next phase had the same bubbles but this time the outhouse went for the ground, creating shockwaves to send the group off course.

Dawn hoisted the top hatted girl into the air, piping the cherry bomb and allowing Bow to not only catch it but throw it at the possessed outhouse. It repeated this attack again until it howled for a new phase. Cages were lifted to the ground and a Cherry bomb was grown to the max. The sheer shock of it crashing into the ground made the trio lose balance.

“OH FRICK-! Someone needs to hit that nasty outhouse! Before we ALL BLOW!” Dawn frantically panicked, getting some flashbacks to Train Rush and the last boss fight they got trapped in.

“Guys! I have a plan. I just need you guys to trust me.” Bow shouted, without a word… Hat reluctantly held her hands out. “Com’on, let's smack this thing outta existence!” Hat Kid shouted as Bow Kid firmly placed her foot into her friend’s hands. Bow was soon hoisted onto the cage, heading the seconds tick down and with a yell, she struck the possessed creature down.

After the bomb was defused, the outhouse started going crazy! Slamming everywhere while the girls got out of its limited range. That’s when the trio realized something crucial to winning this fight. “I think I know why the attacks are so off!” Bow shouted in a normal tone of voice, still running from the foe trying to crush them into meat pancakes.

“What is it Bow-! We don’t have much time- OH PECK!” Hat dodged as Bow groaned. “The outhouse is blind! It relies on sound! If we can confuse it- then we can win!”

The fight continued with the same patterns as before, the harsh shock waves coming faster than the girls could predict but eventually they got a few hits on the creature. Eventually, after what felt like an hour, maybe longer, the trio FINALLY got a chance to deliver a final blow. Dawn batted the cherry bomb to Bow, and she threw it to Hat instantly, it was a dangerous game of hot potato.

When she threw the explosive fruit at the creature, the satisfaction of beating it finally came to be with a KABOOM!!

“WOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! Finally! In YOUR FACE!” Dawn jubilantly jumped in place, bouncing from the adrenaline rush she felt in her icy veins. Hat eventually noticed what made the possessed out house act up, a Time Piece.

“Welp, I found what made that weird thing go all crazy.” Hat Kid stated with a somewhat disgusted tone.

Dawn wasn’t sure if it was directed at the Time Pieces or the outhouse they had to fight, more likely the outhouse because that was weird and GROSS. Besides the nastiness of that fight, the magical hourglasses sure loved to be the root of many problems now, didn't they? 

Bow Kid eventually went to the cages where the dwellers were kept in, but couldn’t get the locks off. Dawn strolled over to the cages, using her ice on locks. “I think they’re breakable now, watch.” With a single tug, the lock broke in seconds! They repeated this with the rest of the cages until all the dwellers were freed, but… the dwellers looked fearful.

“Hey, it’s okay…” Bow Kid tried to reassure the silent ghosts. “That mean possessed outhouse is gone! You’re free now.” The dwellers didn’t budge even when Hat Kid tried to tell them it was okay. It wasn’t the outhouse they were scared of, it was Dawn. Not Dawn herself, but her powers, they must’ve triggered some pretty awful memories. “I don’t think they’re scared of the outhouse guys… I think… they’re scared of me… my powers. It’s just like the Subconites.” Bow Kid looked at Dawn silently…

“That- makes sense but… why?” Good question, it was something Dawn was still figuring out herself. “I… I don’t know.” Dawn admitted, saddened by the ‘looks’ upon the dwellers’ masked faces. The snowflake clipped girl reached a tender hand out, placing it on top of one of the dwellers heads. “It’s alright… I'm not gonna hurt you. You can trust me.” Wordlessly, some of the dwellers perked up at the sign that there was no true danger. The dweller under Dawn's hand eventually nuzzled its way out of the cage and around her shoulders.

A lot of the dwellers came to the trio, making them laugh and giggle. “Hahahaha! I guess they’re thanking us for saving them!” Hat stated, giggling from ‘hugs’ the dwellers gave them. “Yeah! It’s very sweet! Thanks for the hugs! I’m glad we could save you!” Bow Kid snickered in delight, smiling from the fact the dwellers were being so friendly.

Eventually the trio made their way back to Subcon Village with the dwellers, the dwellers that weren’t captured lifted the girls up and cheered. “You saved the dwellers!” “Hooray!! The outhouse was gone!” “You girls did it! That’s truly awesome!” Many Subconites cheered, their voices echoing on top of one another from excitement and relief. A familiar storm soon enveloped them, along with a specter that the trio knew VERY well at this point, Snatcher.

“AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Well done, well done! You murdered that outhouse for disturbing me in my forest, right? You blew it up, didn’t you? That’s good! You should feel proud!” Snatcher cackled with a ghostly grin. Dawn harshly frowned, this jerk still needed to give her back her backpack. “HEY! You still need to grab my backpack!” Snatcher mouthed an ‘oh’ before menacingly grinning once more.

“Ooohhhh~ so that’s why you’re so unhappy in seeing me thanking you right now? Alright kid, here! Take it.” In a flash Snatcher summoned and tossed the oldest in the trio her backpack. Dawn took it with open arms and immediately swung it onto her back, sheathing in her umbrella soon after. 

“Well… thank you- I guess…” Dawn grumbled the last part, still irritated at the fact she had her backpack stolen by a jerk she didn’t even fully like. Sure; she could tolerate him, but that DIDN'T mean the snow queen liked being around the ghoul, not in the slightest. Dawn blew her tongue at Snatcher, still feeling salty from what happened before. Snatcher’s smile faded from gleeful to annoyed, ungrateful brat.

“Anyway! You’re almost done with everything on your bucket list! Once you’re done with all your contracts, I’ll give you your souls back! Isn’t that thrilling? Ta-ta! Smell ya later kiddos!” Snatcher swooped over them, the storm and the thunder going with him as he teleported away.

“Well… I guess we’re free to explore more.” Hat Kid assumed with a shrug. Bow and Dawn nodded in unison, exploring more wouldn’t be a horrible idea! And so, that’s what they did. The trio left as they traversed throughout the parts of the forest that they haven’t seen. Collecting a couple more balls of yarn here and there, finding the last possible batch of fire spirits that opened the last part of the forest that was sectioned off, the paths that could be explored were endless!

Eventually the trio came across a path with bizarre statues, the same ones Dawn knew came to life if you stared at them. Hat always said those things were evil menaces that liked chasing them for no reason, while Bow didn’t want anything to do with them. It was kinda funny to see Hat or Bow being chased unless Dawn was pulled into the chase or if she was the one being chased. Those things were just mindless creatures that did nothing but hunt.

Dawn soon noticed something at the corner of her vision, a familiar figure following a familiar red string tied to a tree. “Wha-! HEY! Wait!” Dawn bolted off, the figure that she could make out to the The Badge Seller, why was he here? Where was he going? Dawn kept running before she realized that she had left Hat Kid and Bow Kid fully behind. She could hear them calling out for her but Dawn kept running.

The snowflake-clipped girl wasn’t thinking straight as she kept running until she stopped at… a tower? The Badge Seller disappeared as if he had never been there, he was gone. Dawn looked up at an old looking tower, it looked like it came from the 18th century based on the artitecture alone.

It was laced in strings Dawn always saw Moonjumper use, there were even more in the inside along with a spiraling staircase of stairs. On the top it looked like the tower had been broken into the shape of a crescent moon, just like the shape of the moon spirit’s head. Was THIS the entrance to The Horizon Moonjumper had always spoken of? 

Dawn waltzed into the tower, staring up into where the Tower led. “Okay, this shouldn’t be too hard- right?” Dawn chuckled as she started to run up the stairs. Unfortunately; the snow queen couldn’t have been more wrong. Dawn kept trying more than once but the stairs kept breaking when she felt like she was getting somewhere.

“DDFAAUUGGGHHH! Stupid stairs! Why can’t I get anywhere!?” Dawn shouted with an echo, her boot kicking some of the loose strings that recreated from the movement. “Huh-? What the!?” Dawn knelt down, picking up some of the red strings on the ground before subconsciously tugging on them. This caused a chain reaction for the strings to retract and yank Dawn into the air! “OH FRRRIIIICCCKKKKK!!!!” Dawn shouted as she flew up, never letting go of the strings. 

Location: The Horizon, Tower Entrance

Dawn kept soaring up in the tower before coming to a halt. The girl opened her emerald eyes to find a ledge she could stand on and a door laced with dream catchers. Dawn stepped on the stone edge, feeling relief as she started to walk across it. “Okay… no more stuff breaking. I hope ot doenst-!” Cracks started to form, right now was certainly not her day.

“DAWN. YOU FOOL .” The platform soon started to break more, giving the girl little time to run across.

“OH SHI- SHOOT! AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” Dawn bolted across, barely making it as half of the platform was left by the time she was on the other side. She could’ve been a meat pancake back there. Dawn brushed the dirt off her shorts, soon stepping into the light of The Horizon.

The cryokinesis prodigy knew the path from here, to Moonjumper’s gazebo, to the lake and the garden that was planted around the gazebo. Dawn knew the path from the back of her hand as she traversed through the familiar reflective floors and brushed her hands on the hazelnut oak trees.

The honey sunset skies with clouds, the lavish pink grass that is lined with the dirt path, the coral leafed trees, and the bright red strings. All of this was familiar to the snowflake-clipped girl, far too familiar. Furthermore, Dawn continued to traverse throughout The Horizon. The clatter of the Badge Seller’s staff was heard not too far in the direction to Moonjumper’s Gazebo.

So the Badge Seller and Moonjumper DID know each other! The Badge Seller walked across the quartz bridge and through the meadow of flowers, yet Moonjumper was nowhere to be seen.

“What the heck?” Dawn thought to herself. She had never seen Moonjumper away from his Gazebo in The Horizon itself before. Usually he’s on the steps, sitting in the Gazebo itself or by the lake. Moonjumper was never too far from his gazebo home, like Snatcher with his treehouse. So him not being there was more than a little concerning. The Badge Seller halts at the steps of the gazebo, pausing as he collects himself and eventually saying:  “I know you're there, dearie .” Dawn froze in place, did she hear that right? The nickname the badge seller usually used was “young one.” But this one was different… he used “ dearie .” Not “young one”, but “dearie.” That was Moonjumper’s nickname for her, the main nickname besides “sweet child” “dear child” and “dear.”

Come to think of it- Moonjumper used a nickname the Badge Seller used the last time they met up, calling her “young one” a couple of times instead of “dearie.” 

The Badge Seller turns to face Dawn, eventually pulling at his mask to reveal a face that was supernatural in nature. His right eye was green while his left one was the same eye as the moon spirit. His chestnut to light blue colored locks that encased his face looked similar to a crescent moon.

The Badge Seller closed his eyes as his figure shifted into a figure Dawn knew very well. The old fashioned, worn, yet beautifully tailored prince outfit, the yellow ghostly tail, flickering like an eternal flame. The red stripes over his mouth and down his eyes, almost like they were tears or paint strokes on bluely colored porcelain. Blue porcelain that housed two hands in shackles and chains. It was none other than the ghostly moon puppeteer himself; Moonjumper.

The Badge Seller and Moonjumper were one and the same. One she’d seen since the beginning of her journey, and the other she met not too long after her journey began.

The magical puppeteer offered a warm smile, this time in the flesh and in the place they had officially met so long ago.

“Hello Dawn, welcome to The Horizon.” 

Chapter Text

Moonjumper continued to give the snowflake- clipped girl that same tender, watching her small hands lightly gripped the railing of the quartz bridge, staring out at her moon spirited friend. Dawn didn’t feel lied to, nor did she feel betrayed. Instead, the snow queen felt like she’d had a friend to rely on other than Hat and Bow this whole time.

Sure the logic wasn’t exactly clear, but it made her feel… good. It made her feel great even! The wild goose-chase in wondering ‘did the Badge Seller and Moonjumper know one another’ was over. It was relieving to know that the one person who always listened to her struggles, listened to her sorrows… was there for her this entire time and was one in the same.

“I do apologize that I reveal this to you now… but I have a good reason.” Moonjumper stated as he placed a hand on one of the velvety chairs by the table. Without much thought, Dawn slowly waltzed to the gazebo to grab the other chair and sit down. “What do you need to tell me? Why did you lead me here?” Moonjumper softly chuckled at Dawn’s question. “I didn’t truly lead you, child. I knew you would follow me as the Badge Seller out of your own curiosity.” Dawn’s jaw hit the floor, he knew and he still let it happen!?

Dawn adjusted herself in her chair, crossing her legs as she placed her hands on the table. “So… that’s how you knew about me coming from another world and- about the Time Pieces … it’s because you were there! You were there and watching us this whole time!” Dawn pointed out as she took in the realization that someone, Moonjumper, had been looking out for them this whole time. It probably didn’t start out that way, but it became that way.

“Indeed I did dearie. I saw your powers first hand, though I was far away, your whereabouts in town weren’t exactly the best hidden. You have quite the scream.”Dawn’s face flushed a deep shade of rouge. He heard her screaming all the way back then!?

Damn that portal, it had ONE job, ONE JOB, and didn’t do it right!

“Y-yeah-“ Dawn chuckled awkwardly, still embarrassed. “Yeah. The portal didn’t open on the ground, I’ve seen them open on the wall or somewhere else weird- but not like that. Soooo- yeah.” The snowflake-clipped girl finished explaining, a hand behind her head. “That was extremely embarrassing, not my proudest moment.” Moonjumper smirked, snickering before the laughter died down into a more serious atmosphere.

“What’s up MJ… what do you need to warn me about?” Moonjumper paused before he stood to grab the teapot made with sweet blueberry tea. “The next contract Snatcher wants you to complete. It has something to do with what’s over the old bridge near one of the oldest structures still standing in Subcon Forest.” Moonjumper explained cautiously, they were most likely going to tread on some pretty dangerous grounds. “And.. what is that exactly MJ?” Moonjumper poured the tea for him and Dawn, soon setting it down on the table.

“Always so full of questions, methinks. You truly are a stubborn and tenacious one. It is truly most true!” Dawn chuckled at the word choice Moonjumper used, it was nice to hear this in person instead of in her dreams for a change.

“Alright, back to the main topic before we got derailed, what did you need to warn me about.”  Moonjumper picked up his tea cup and held it with the saucer. “Ah, yes! That little telegram. What I need to tell you. The oldest structure in Subcon belongs to… let's just say she’s an old friend of Snatcher’s. I saw a Time Piece crash in her territory and it’s not an easy task getting over there unscathed, dearie. You remember how I described how Subcon Forest was, yes?”

Dawn nodded attentively, doing her best in remembering every word that was going to help her and her friends out. “You said Subcon Forest used to be a very joyous place and that some ice witch turned most of Subcon into a winter wasteland. And um… that most haven’t even made it out alive in 300 years since its downfall. That was- until WE showed up!” Dawn’s voice perked up triumphantly, grinning that they were the first ones to come and go alive.

Moonjumper heavily sighed, his facial expressions looking melancholy at the mention of an ice witch. “That ‘ice witch’ is the one who has your friend’s Time Peice . Heed my warning and know that thy former Queen of Subcon Forest is ruthless. She will not hesitate to freeze you in a matter of seconds. She doesn’t care that thou is a young child, make no mistake. Proceed with precise caution Dawn. I cannot save you if you wander into there nor can anyone else. From that point on, once you cross the gates, you’re in another world enetrily.” Moonjumper concluded his stern warning. A warning that didn’t truly sit right with Dawn. 

“Hey, MJ…?” Dawn spoke up, fidgeting with some of her hair before taking a sip of her tea for comfort. “Will… you tell me what fully happened to Subcon after this…? I’ll do my best to make it back in one piece. I promise!” Moonjumper finished his tea, placing it down on the table as he looked at Dawn bittersweetly. Soon he placed a blue hand on Dawn’s head, it was cold from the chains, but it was also cold from the lack of proper sunlight.

“I appreciate your tenacity… but please take this seriously, I don’t want to see you nor your friends befall the same fate as the last few contractors Snatcher sent to her manor… they… unfortunately never returned.” Dawn gulped, this was going to be a lot harder than she originally hoped it would be. “I… I’ll be the first then! I’ll make it out. I promise and I’ll make sure to keep it!” Moonjumper heavily sighed, knowing he couldn’t change her mind but was glad she was determined. “I believe we’ve kept your friends waiting long enough. Come now dear, let us greet them.” Moonjumper strolled away from his gazebo, guiding Dawn to the tower that acted as the entrance to The Horizon.

“Goodness gracious! What happened here?” Moonjumper gasped with concern as Dawn chuckled in embarrassment. “I um… that wasn’t my fault it technically started breaking when I walked across.” Moonjumper pinched the bridge of his face, not happy that some of the tower crumbled but he wasn’t mad at Dawn perse, he was more mad at the tower itself. “No matter, I shall lower you to the ground level myself.” Moonjumper offers a hand out to Dawn, Moonjumper’s hand is soon taken by Dawn without hesitation. The snowflake-clipped girl and the moon spirit traversed downward with his red strings in hand and Dawn on his back. Once on the forest floor, Dawn hopped down safely to the ground.

“Finally. Safety! Yaaaayyy!! ” Dawn cheered, grateful to meet solid ground once more. Moonjumper chuckled at the dramatic display of glee, finding it endearing as he floated back to the tower. 

“Find your friends dearie, they’re most likely at Snatcher’s hollow tree, once you’ve regrouped and go over the bridge, send my wishes to a woman with roses, you’ll know her when you see her. I wish you the best of luck. You have my condolences for whatever may happen to you at the manor… good luck.” Moonjumper tugged on the red string as he was hoisted back into The Horizon.

Now it was Dawn’s mission to find Hat and Bow, finding them meant getting to the next contract, the one dealing with the ice witch, whoever she was. 

Minutes passed as Dawn ran throughout the dusky forest, calling out for Hat and Bow. If the snowflake-clipped girl made her way to the tree Snatcher lived in, there’s a chance she could find the top hatted child and her bow-wearing friend.

“Dawn!”

“Dawn where are you!?”

Two familiar voices called out from the shadows, it was them! It was Hat Kid and Bow Kid! “GUYS! Over here!” Dawn started running, not caring that she ran through a small portion of the lake that led into Snatcher’s abode. Hat tugged on Bow’s jacket as they finally locked eyes with Dawn.

“DAWN!” The girls screamed, running to Dawn and tackling her to the ground in delight. Hat Kid punched Dawn’s shoulder, to be fair she deserved that.

“Don’t you run off like that again! We thought a statue got you! Or that something else got you that was worse than grumpy ghost over there!” Hat Kid complained but besides her pouting, she was relieved to see Dawn alive. Bow Kid soon started shaking Dawn repeatedly. “Don’t run off without us knowing first again PLEASE.” Bow demeaned, making sure Dawn knew it was okay to tell them she needed to check something out. “Okaaayyyyyy!!! I get it. STAP DAT!!! I’m getting dizzyyyyy.” Dawn then fell over as soon as Bow let go. “Stars, stars everywhere. I'm seein’ tweety birds like the old looney tunes cartoons.”

The trio then laughed off the anxiety, after the laughter ceased, Dawn told the girls what happened before they found her. That Moonjumper was the Badge Seller and about his warning about the ice witch that lives in the snowy wasteland where the broken bridge is located.

The first contract the girls had ever signed had an ice wall so perhaps the locations were one in the same. Eventually the girls went into the hollow tree to get some information about the place they were heading to. “What’s up kiddo?” Snatcher sarcastically greeted with the jack-o’-lanterned face they had grown accustomed to seeing. “You don’t know where to go I presume?” Snatcher asked as the trio gave nods in unison. “I assume it’s across the old broken bridge in Subcon, yeah?” Dawn asked, curious if that was indeed the case. Snatcher inhaled with a wheeze and cackled.

“Ahahahahahaha!! You’re pretty good at guessing, kid! I like your spirit!” Snatcher sindly comments, making Dawn twitch in irritation. “Bruh, I didn’t even- nevermind. Just tell us where we need to go before I find a way to yeet you into the sun.” Snatcher grimaces at the comeback Dawn gave him, but he didn’t really care.

“I’ve got a lonely old friend who’s living all by herself in a dusty old house. You should pay her a visit! Her cookies are to DIE for!~” Snatcher snickered at the end of what he was telling them. “You were right in saying it was beyond the old bridge in Subcon, there’s something of importance that fell there. Once you’re done, return here. Don’t catch any frostbite! AHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! ” Dawn’s expression became unreadable, that was completely unnecessary.

“Puns are my thing. You stole it. So unpog! It’s criminal! I should sue but I don’t know how. I’m only a kid so-!” Dawn stuck her tongue out at Snatcher, making Hat and Bow keel over laughing at the bickering. “Ungrateful little- What is with you and these weird words you use anyway?? Do I even want to know what’s trending with the kids these days?” 

Snatcher groaned with a hand over his shadowy face, clearly annoyed but also seeming to despise his obvious cultural block. “I’m taking that as a win for me Snatch. Tehehehe !~” Dawn snickered with a smug grin, her friends soon following her lead in the same expression. “If I could victory dance right now, I would.”

“OKAY. KID. I get it! Stop rubbing it in!” Snatcher snapped back, being more annoyed than he was before. “Get to the other side of that bridge or I’ll take your backpack privileges away since I can’t steal your soul!” Snatcher grumbled as the trio turned to take their leave. “Fine by me, Snatcher… hmph! ” Dawn grumbled as she left the tree. “Bye-bye Snatcher! See you later!” Hat Kid waved to where Snatcher rolled his eyes. “Bye Snatcher!!” Bow Kid chirped out as she followed the rest of the group to the broken bridge. 

Location: Subcon Forest, The Broken Bridge

The trio traversed through the path that led to Subcon Village, Dawn remembered one of the first places they stopped by when they first arrived in Subcon (besides Snatcher’s hollow tree) was the old bridge that was broken half way across. Dawn had always wondered what was on the other side of that bridge, the snowflake-clipped girl wondered what truly lied beyond what could be seen from the other side. The trio soon came to a halt, stopping as they needed to find a way to get safely across. “Okay, I would use my ice magic but I’m not even sure if the bridge is stable enough for it. It can handle us but I don’t know about my ice.” the snowflake-clipped girl uncomfortably admitted but yet again, it was true.

“Well… maybe we can use this new badge I haven’t tried yet. The scooter badge I think it’s called. Here, you give it a try.” Hat Kid magically pulls the badge out from under her hat and pins it to the snowflake-clipped girl’s backpack. A scooter soon materialized from thin air, it was just their size too! Well- more of Dawn’s size. The top hatted girl and the ribboned girl were a little small for it but it had enough room for all three of them.

“ Woaaaah!! They meant scooter literally!” Bow Kid exclaimed in a jittery excitement, unable to contain it for much longer. Hat Kid was the first to hop onto the scooter, grinning from delight. “Hop on! I’m driving!” Hat declared with a hearty grin, beaming brightly with her cerulean eyes. Dawn lovingly rolled her emerald eyes at the top hatted child’s proclaim. “On second thought, why don’t I drive? I’m the oldest and I’ve rode stuff like this before.”

Hat started to pout, giving the puppy dog eyes to Dawn as a way to beg her to let her drive the scooter. “Please Dawn? PLEASEEEEEEE??? I’ll go slow and speed up when needed! Pleaasseeeee ?”

Hat begged as she continued to give the puppy dog eyes. Dawn was trying not to give in, that was until Bow joined in. “Oh come on Dawn! Hattie will be careful! Promise! Please let her drive! Please???” Dawn starts to sweat nervously, until finally she gives in with a compromise.

“ UUGGGHHH - fine! You win! You get to drive ONLY on the way back, but I’m driving so we know how it works, okay?” Hat Kid and Bow Kid began to cheer that they got their way, while Dawn grumbled that she was defeated with a look she used to use on Bella. It’s not fun when you get played by something you’ve used to play others to get cookies from the cookie jar or something. “Woohooo!!! Thanks Ice! You’re the best!” Dawn nervously chuckled as she swung her leg across the scooter, Hat and Bow soon climbed in behind her.

“Alright… phew. Okay, let’s do this.” Dawn cracked the gas on the magical scooter and kicked the stand. Soon the trio backed up so they could gain momentum to cross the broken bridge. 

“Here we go! Hang on tight!” Dawn held the gas hard as they started to zoom to the bridge, Bow and Hat started screaming in excitement, they were having the time of their lives! The scooter came in contact with the bridge and went airborne, crossing the bridge as they came to a halt. “Woohoo!! That was awesome!” Hat Kid exclaimed as she jumped in her seat. “Round 2! I wanna go for round 2!!!” Bow Kid cheered in a rush of excitement. Even Dawn had to admit that was both nerve-wrecking and exciting! However, when the excitement started to fade, the burning cold started to kick in. Something made the laughter cease into an uncomfortable and deafening silence. “What’s the matter Dawn?”

The ribboned child nervously asked, only for Dawn only made a small gesture for them to follow. For them to see what she had her eyes locked on. “Why’d you go all quiet, did the cold bite you or-… O-oh…” Hat Kid, Bow Kid and Dawn halted at the sight that was now in full view: the sight of a frozen village, the original Subcon Village. There were huge spikes of ice protruding out of some of the homes, homes that used to house the residents that used to live here.

Dawn wanted to know what happened to Subcon Forest since the first time it was mentioned… would the manor actually give her actual answers?

Why was there now the feeling like there was no going back?

Even if they wanted to go back… they can’t recross an already broken bridge.

“ What are you doing here? ”

A female voice with a slight echo called out, her pale ghostly figure crawling out from the snow. Her hair was long and braided with flowers and thorns. Her eyes were a dull green as if she’d seen hundreds of years hopelessly pass by. The female ghost levitated with a periwinkle blue hue consuming her ghostly body. “Who… who are you?”

Hat Kid asked in a slightly nervous tone. The ghost with the braided hair shook her head and sighed at Hat’s question. “I should be asking you that, rosebud. What are you three doing in Subcon? More specifically: what are you doing here in her territory? I’m supposed to be keeping guard to make sure she never gets out.” Bow stood in front of her friends, determined to tell the ghost what they needed to do. “Snatcher sent us, he gave Hattie and I a contract to complete. We had something of ours fall- erm… crash over there and we were tasked in getting it back.”

The ghostly woman mouthed an ‘oh’ with her nonexistent lips. “Well… in that case, follow me.” The girls soon followed the ghost to what looked to be a Dweller’s Bell and a wall only the Dwellers Bell and the dwellers mask could get through. “This is as far as I can take you, I cannot tread any further. Be careful, Vanessa doesn't like guests.” 

Dawn tilted her head in confusion, Vanessa? Who was that? Was she the ice witch? Then another question came to mind as the ghostly woman started to float away from them coldly. “Wait! Before you go-! What’s your name?” The ghost paused as she turned to face them, sighing as she gave them her full attention.

“Camila . My name… when I was alive, was Camila Florence. I was Subcon Village’s local florist. So you can just refer to me as just The Florist if that sounds better to you.” The Florist, Camila, stated briefly. She tilted her head slightly as she continued to look at them, some of her thorny and flowered braid swaying along with her in an almost somber kind of way...

“Okay uhm… thank you for telling us Camila!” “Thanks for your help!” Both Bow and Hat thanked, gleefully talking over one another. Camila silently floated closer to the trio, before giving a small smile.

“Also um… Moonjumper asked me to give you his best wishes… I guess he just hopes you're okay.” Dawn added, remembering what Moonjumper requested in hopes to cheer the Florist up. The Florist sighed as her small smile stayed on her somber face.

“Thank you, rosebud… Be careful in that manor, rosebuds. I’ll escort you three if you all come back in one piece, good day.” The Florist floated away, phasing back into one of the icy houses so she could keep guard of whatever she was keeping locked away behind all these icy walls. 

Without any other choice and buzzing off the broken warning signs littered in the snow, Hat Kid whacked the bell that chimed loudly, allowing them to phase through the once sturdy wall. The girls were met with another bell and three platforms, this was perfect for the dwellers mask!

“Okay, I’m gonna whack that bell and on three, we climb the platforms that appear! Got it?” Dawn planned in a snappy tone, while Hat Kid leaned on her umbrella in the snow. “Dunno, how many tries will this take? Will you laugh if I fall on my face?” Bow and Dawn snickered at the sarcastic comment. “Golly! You picked that up from me, huh?” Dawn snickered gleefully, while Hat Kid placed her hands on her hips. “Maybe, but I thought it would be funny if I said what I did.” Hat Kid smugly grinned, smacking the dwellers bell in the process. Two platforms appeared and even if they didn’t scale the icy wall on the first try aka Hat Kid falling face first into the dressing snow because she was impatient and used her dwellers mask, they did come out victorious.

The next two puzzles were simpler than the first, probably because they got used to the difficulty. They played hot potato with the cherry bomb to get it to break one ice wall and a combination of hopscotch & think fast with the last puzzle. Hat Kid landed on her bum in the snow, now she was slightly shivering from how cold it was getting, the further they went the harsher it got.

Their footsteps crunched in the icy snow, leaving a trace that they were even there, that they went and came from the haunted manor in Subcon Forest. The icicles towered over the trio like never ending skyscrapers, it was so frigid, it was hard to even breath in the blizzard that never seemed to stop. Soon they reached a gate with one of the doors torn off its hinges, was this the gate to the manor?

“S-so… this means we’re almost th-there, right?” Hat kid shivered, her teeth were chattering slightly from how cold it was. It must’ve been below freezing. Hopefully inside the manor’s warmer than the icy nightmare that was the former village of Subcon Forest. In the distance that came closer, they could make out lights, windows, a house!

The manor… Vanessa’s Manor.

The girls had traversed in the icy, never-ending blizzard for what felt like hours on end, and now? they had finally reached the manor. The manor towered over them like no other building had before, it was grand in scale and stared down at them coldly, it was colder than the howling blizzard they were still currently trapped in.

What happened here? What truly happened to Subcon Forest all those years ago?

These questions kept ringing in Dawn’s wary mind over and over again, yet it was too late to turn back now. They were going to find out what happened to Subcon Forest whether they wanted to or not. 

The persisie steps made while they ran around the manor were to avoid letting their body heat drop to zero, Dawn was naturally more resistant to the cold thanks to her powers, sure; but she could still die of frostbite.

Eventually they reached what looked to be the only entrance that wasn’t locked, a basement door. Without hesitation, the snowflake-clipped girl took hold of the freezing metal handle. Slowly, surely, the door crept open to reveal a staircase. Nothing was said, no one dared to make a peep in the furious blizzard.

“What n-now?” Bow shivered, rubbing her hands on her forearms for some kind of warmth it comfort, perhaps birth. Bow’s breath was even visible from when she spoke, thanks to the burning cold. Dawn curled her other hand into a warm, yet shaking fist, her hand that was in the basement door let go as it creaked from the motion. Dawn let out a nervous sigh, the air that passed her chapped lips brushing past her face.

“Only one way to find out.” Dawn slowly began to descend down the stairs as Hat and Bow followed her lead. Hat Kid made sure to close the basement door that led them inside, she even went back to the doors just to double check that nothing was going to burst in after them if they were being hunted or watched.

Location: Subcon Forest, Queen Vanessa’s Manor

Walking down more of the stairs, led them to a basement full of… water?

The floor was covered in ice and water dripped from the ceiling, what dripped and continued to drip were the same icicles seen outside the mansion. The water looked dingy and gross as they walked through them.

Some of the water even slashed onto Dawn’s jacket still tied around her waist. “Augh-! Oh stupid water. You got my jacket wet!” Dawn grumbled as she hastily untied her jacket and shoved it into her backpack with a pout. “Well… at least this is better than outside.” Bow Kid optimistically complimented, lightening the mood a bit.

“Yeah.. I’d rather have cold feet instead of cold everything.” Hat Kid joked with a chortle, Bow Kid and Dawn soon joined in on that laughter. There was a door at the end of the room, this must’ve led into the manor itself.

However, as soon as Dawn grabbed hold of the doorknob, a Subconite came from the same place they had just entered from.

“Hey, newbie! Boss told me to remind you, uhhh.... you signed that paper about not using your hats while in the manor.” The Subconite nervously informed a very speechless Hat Bow and Dawn. 

“WHAT!? Are you KIDDING ME !? Where does it even say that!?” The Subconite fidgeted with their hands and shook their head, confirming that this wasn’t a sick joke. They were powerless in this manor, they couldn’t use any sprint, potions, ice statues or any other ability that would be used as self defense.

“Tcchh…. Yeah. Don't use them. Thanks.” The Subconite ran out the way they came and was soon teleported away. This was BAD, really bad. They were dead meat, they were SO SCREWED. Hat Kid grumbled as she grabbed the door leading into the other room, grabbing the key that was there on top of the stool. In between the barrels, Bow found a yarn and handed it to Dawn.

The snowflake-clipped girl then realized she had enough for a new backpack and stitched it there: The Dweller’s Backpack. Bow even found a space between the barrels however it was blocked off at the end, wherever it led to it must’ve been used many times before getting blocked off at the exit. A shame, it could’ve been useful if it wasn’t blocked off. After that ruse of a passageway, something shiny caught Dawn’s eye. Something… green? It looked like the substance used for the things the dweller’s mask could reveal.

“Hey uh- can one of you use your dwellers masks? There’s something shiny on the wall that looks like the stuff that works with the dwellers mask and bells.” Hat Kid squinted, they never said anything about not being able to use the dwellers mask; probably because it was the only ability that was harmless. 

“I don’t see why not, let’s give it a try.” Hat Kid switched to the dwellers mask and the trio instantly regretted it.

What they saw would scar them for the rest of their time at the manor…

The image of the wall showed a torso of a body being strung up and held by chains… Come to think of it, they didn’t even notice the broken chains bolted into the wall.

This wasn’t just a basement, or a wine cellar… This was a prison. Someone had died here, spent their last moments ALIVE here, hanging in chains… That was an image that couldn’t be unshackled.

“O-oh… oh my god.” Dawn shuttered, barely being able to speak properly due to the pure shock and unnerving horror.

What HAPPENED here?

“T-turn the mask off Hattie… I-I don’t wanna see it anymore.” The ribboned child pleaded to her best friend, the hatless child listened and swapped the mask with her original purple and yellow top hat. The guilt and fear on the top hatted child’s face was indescribable.

“We… we need to get out of here. We need to get that Time Piece and get the heck outta here while we still can!” Hat Kid went for the door knob and found herself hesitating to turn it. It wasn’t until Bow Kid placed her hand over the top hatted child’s hand, reassuring her that whatever they’d do, they’d face it together. And with confidence, the door knob finally turned. Dawn entered first, quietly stepping up the steps with cautious steps. 

Eventually the trio reached the top, the trapdoor that led them to the basement was left wide open. Dawn checked both ways, ushering her friends to the top of the stairs when the cost was clear.

“Don’t make a peep… whoever lives here, remember that they’re not friendly. Just like Camila said… she doesn’t like guests. So stay alert.” Dawn whispered, her voice only being audible to the duo she was with. The girls quietly walked over to the door that was in front of them, and before the door could open, the floorboards creaked. “OH SHI-!” Dawn used her indoor voice but it was more audible as she slapped a hand over her mouth to shut herself up.

“WHOS THERE!? WHO DARES ENTER MY HOME!?” Hat Kid and Bow Kid backed away as the basement trapdoor slammed shut, the thunder cracking and the door down the hall beginning to open.

This was a dream… right? If this was a dream… When did Dawn fall asleep, when did she start dreaming?

No, this was real. All of this was VERY real. This was a living nightmare, a nightmare they had to escape from.

Creeping from the doorway was a tall shadowy woman, her eyes burned a bright red. Without truly thinking, Dawn ran for Hat and Bow, scooping them up and running into the room they were originally going into when it was just a mission to sneak around. Now it was a deadly game of hide and seek.

The snowflake- clipped girl slammed the door shut, heavily panting from the experience that frightened the three of them moments before...

Was THAT Vanessa!? Dawn eventually placed Hat and Bow down on the wooden floors, still panting heavily from fear. That woman who was unwelcoming to house guests was going to look for them, find them and then-!

“ DAWN! ” Hat whisper screamed before covering her mouth. “We… w-we need to be careful. Not a word… okay?” Bow covered her mouth, nodding. “Okay Hattie… let’s go…” Bow timidly whispered, then she went silent. The group traversed throughout the room they were currently hiding in. It must’ve been some kind of music room…. No- it was a music room. The piano, some of the books on the bookshelves being music themed, this was definitely a music room if Dawn had ever seen one.

“Hey guys, look.” Hat whispered as she gestured her friends over to a painting that caught her eye. It was a painting of a woman in a gorgeous green dress and a man in a magnificently tailored red coat. The painting looked old, very old, even with a withered tear over the man’s face… but at least there was some solace in this room.

“They look so happy…” Hat murmured… trying to get her mind off the shadow woman that nearly chased them into the room the trio hid themselves away in. “They do Hattie… we can focus on other things later… okay?” Bow reassured Hat, giving somewhat of a reassuring smile, even though she was shaking like a leaf. Hat Kid then noticed a key in the nearby bookshelf, soon the top hatted child had a plan she knew she might retreat executing.

“Guys… this plan’s gonna be stupid… but… I wanna get that key, maybe it lets us go to the second floor or something I dunno.” Dawn instantly froze at the idea. “Absolutely not! You’ll die! You’ll be hurt by that ice witch! Vanessa- whatever her name is! I don’t want to see you or Bow get hurt and that’s final.” Dawn scolded, only for Bow to get in between them. “Knock it off you two! If you two can’t stop being stubborn and find a way to be civil th-then, I’ll do the plan Hattie wants to do.” Bow Kid declared in a harsh tone, still fearful but willing to help.

“Hattie, you said you wanted to get the key, yes? How do we do that?” Hat Kid pressed her lips into a thin line, her cerulean eyes trembling with fear. “I-I…. The piano… I was gonna somehow use the piano to get the key to fall… I don’t know how it would’ve worked I just-!” “Thought on your feet?” Bow completed the sentence, she knew exactly what Hat was thinking at that moment in time. 

“You like to think quickly, I like to think a bit slowly and take my time but sometimes that wins the race. I can see if I can search for something that I can use to knock the piano down though… it might not work. Just so you know.” Bow left to the other room, the room that looked like a dining room and kitchen, it was a very old style of dining room, at least from the early 1800’s based on the architecture.

Dawn’s emerald eyes soon caught sight of the kitchen that felt out of place in the modern age. Hat Kid, still somewhat upset from before, still searches the room they originally started in. “Woah… check it out. It’s an old styled ice box!” Dawn brings attention to the old styled fridge, while Hat Kid notices that it’s been left open ajar. “And that’s not the only thing that… uh- ‘ice box’ has.” Dawn pulled at the handle and inside was a key, to where? For what? They still had time to figure that out. “Dawn… how do you know about some of this history stuff, like- how can you tell what year these things came from?” 

Hat Kid asked, still puzzled as Bow Kid grabbed the key. “Bella’s always been keen on history. She’s always said it’s a collection of stories told throughout time. One time we even saw this old school house that was in Oklahoma with the original bell still there and working too! It was made in the 1800s so it was REALLY old. But… if you look around here, nothing here looks like you’d see this in any modern homes now would you? Like… um… hand painted portraits with a faded date etched into the wood? An old grand piano still in perfect condition? I looked this up one time and found that the piano was invented in the 1700s! That’s like- the 18th century!” Hat Kid and Bow Kid looked amazed, but Hat averted her gaze with a pout. Dawn eventually sighed… feeling awkward about what she shouted before.

“Hat... look at me.” Dawn requested in a gentle voice. “I’m not mad… I’m not yelling or screaming… I’m just… I’m so scared to lose you two. I don’t want to see either of you get killed... Alright?” 

Hat Kid crossed her arms, still somewhat pouting but not as much as before. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Like-!” “Teach us how to read more English stuff.” Hat Kid abruptly interjected to Dawn’s astonishment.

“You teach us more English and we Um… we can teach you some stuff that we used to do on Raehan before running away.” Hat Kid determinedly stuck her hand out, in hopes of shaking it to seal the deal, but was met by Dawn’s pinky around hers instead. “It’s a promise. Pinky promise!” Hat Kid and Bow Kid became bewildered by the gesture the 11-year old girl gave them. Both kids were puzzled by what Dawn meant by the phrase: “pinky promise” as though it wasn’t a thing that existed where the duo originally came from.

“I uhm- what’s a pinky promise?” Bow Kid asked, holding the key she still had with timid hands. “It’s um… a thing kids and a lot of people can do as a physical representation that they’re making or keeping their word or promise. You want to learn more stuff and I’m keeping my word so… there!” Hat Kid’s smile returned, eventually she hugged Dawn suffocatingly close. “Thank you.” Dawn didn’t say “ your welcome ” but the action of putting a hand on her head said just as much.

Now it was back with the matter at hand. Going back to the piano there was a keyhole for the key Bow hand to put into, it was a perfect match as the piano opened the top. Usually this would allow musicians to reach way in the back since the notes are louder but if Hat’s plan works it could knock over the bookshelf and send the key jammed inside free. “Alright. Here I go…” Bow flipped into the air, landing right on top of the piano. This made the flap slam shut and the piano to bend from the newfound weight, and it did make the key looser. That was the good news, the bad news was that they needed to HIDE. It alerted the shadow woman, the ice witch, Vanessa.

Dawn was yanked under the piano by Hat Kid, while Bow Kid hid under the bench. A deafening screech played as the atmosphere darkened unlike anything Dawn had ever truly seen before. “ Come on out little ones~ don’t be shy! ” Vanessa’s voice cynically echoed, her claws screeching along the top of the piano’s once spotless top. Her claws sounded like diamonds being drug painfully along a chalkboard.

Dawn covered her mouth when she wanted to cover her ears as well, the snow queen’s eyes widened in pure fear. She hunted them like prey, and if Dawn wasn’t mistaken, she could see some frost breaking off of her shadowy hands. She had ice powers… just like Dawn. So that’s why the residents of Subcon feared her powers. It reminded them of her. It reminded them of this shadow woman… Vanessa.

What else has this horrible woman done besides slaughter an entire village?  

Vanessa soon seemed to had gotten bored, sharply retracing her clawed hand and eerily stepping to the exit. “Are we playing a game?~ I know you are listening, children. You hide, and I’ll seek. ” Vanessa started to chuckle, the menacing chuckle soon turned into a haunting cackle; it was the most bone chilling laugh the snowflake-clipped girl had ever heard in her life.

Vanessa opened and slammed the door shut, leaving the trio under the piano safe, for now at least. This was worse than Dawn had ever imagined, this was her worst nightmare come true. Vanessa KNEW they were hiding, she knew they were in her manor, and now? She was on the hunt, prowling her way towards them like a lioness killing prey for sport. Dawn crawled out with caution, she went to the door and immediately yanked her head back in. She was still too close by, they needed to think of another plan… “I’ll smash the piano, then we take the key and hide in the next room until she leaves.” Dawn blurted out, not completely thinking straight. “But what if it doesn’t work?” Bow Kid asked with concern, trembling more than she had ever trembled before this moment.

“Then we smash it together, Bow.” Hat Kid stated, getting straight to the point. The top hatted child’s hand firmly gripped the ribbon child’s hand and with a swift flip they landed on the piano, sending the damaged instrument crashing to the ground. This released the key and alerted the vicious huntress hunting them down.  

Dawn yanked the key off the ground and swung the door open, quickly ushering Hat and Bow to the next room while Vanessa was prowling down the hall. They entered a room that looked similar to an old fashioned game room, maybe it was something else? It was hard to tell. The girls hid behind the counter in order to avoid Vanessa’s heedful eyes. Vanessa came in with the howling ambience from before. Scanning the area for her prey.

"Ready or not, here I come. ” Vanessa maliciously beamed in a twisted form of delight. “ In? In here? No. Over there? No. " Vanessa endlessly searched, never seeming to tire from the action. “ Eek-! ” a quiet peep was made by accident, it was Hat Kid who tried to see if Vanessa left or not, but it turned out she didn’t. Vanessa crossed her steps as she began to waltz into the direction of where the trio was. “You don't have anything to fear. Now, why don't we have a little talk?” Vanessa venomously cooed. It was stifling as she got suffocatingly close to where they were concealed. “I know you're in here, why are you hiding?” 

Vanessa slammed a clawed hand onto the counter, making the group hiding there huddle together even closer. Dawn’s heart was pounding like crazy, it beat against her head and in her skull like a baseball bat. If Vanessa caught them who knows what she’d do… it was a thought Dawn didn’t want to see the ending to.

Vanessa groaned as the darkness thankfully concealed them from Vanessa’s line of sight. That was too close. Vanessa then seemed to have found the dirty water and leftover snow that was tracked in from the basement to the outside. “Tracked dirt into my home! Oh , when I find you!” Vanessa continued her prowl, never ceasing her hunt, not even for a second.

Eventually the girls left their hiding place and found a lock that locked the second floor, that’s where the key that was stuck in the bookcase went. It was a perfect match too! 

The next flight of stairs was easy thanks to an adrenaline rush. Dawn made sure to somewhat lock the door leading into the room they were in, but the lock didn’t lock correctly.

Dawn instantly knew that was going to be a problem. This room had more of the feeling of an old styled bedroom. At the top of the canopy bed was a key, a key none of them could reach, even if they tried. 

Bow Kid eventually picked up a book from the candlelit bedside. “Wh-what’s this?” Bow anxiously questioned, observing the book with curiosity. Dawn took the book and recognized what it could’ve been: a diary. All people have kept one of these things at one point or another in their lives, right? “It’s a diary, something you use to jot down or write your most inner and personal thoughts.” Dawn explained as she opened it to one ruined page after the other, some missing, others were illegible.

“Okay… page erm- page thirteen. This says: Why? What have I done wrong? In his letters he talks about her. A 'tutor'! He says he loves me. But SHE sees him. I get letters, and SHE gets his time. He is MINE. Once his studies are finished I will have him back. " 

Dawn finished reading aloud in a quiet indoor voice. Then she flipped through more of the pages, realizing that they were a little bit out of order. "Here’s another entry that should’ve gone first, but for some reason is on the forty-eighth page.” Hat Kid and Bow Kid exchanged glances, their eyes said it all, they egged Dawn to read more.

“Dear diary, Today my prince left to begin his studies. He will be so far away and for so long. He has promised to write. He won't forget about me, will he? His beloved princess?" Dawn felt a lump in her throat, this was Vanessa’s diary, wasn’t it? And… Princess…? She couldn’t be referring to herself as the princess who played violin and was kind to the people of Subcon, could she? The last legible page was on page seventy three.

“He is coming back. Just one weekend. A short holiday, from HER. I will convince him to stay. I CANNOT let my love leave again. " Dawn dropped the diary in horror, tripping over the vanity’s stool and into the drafting desk nearby. Dawn quietly squeaked, but slapped a shaky hand over her mouth, fearing that Vanessa might have heard her. Bow and Hat quietly went to Dawn’s side.

“Are you okay?” Hat whispered, Dawn nodded in response. Slowly, she sat up and noticed what was on the desk; it was a letter with a fountain pen next to it. Bow got up on top of the bench, sitting next to Dawn. “What does it say?” Hat inquired in an audible whisper. “Read it Dawn, read it quickly… and quietly.” Bow insisted, adding to Hat’s previous statement. “Okay… here it goes…* ahem *” Dawn took a quiet breath, in a hushed voice, she began to read the letter. 

“ My dearest Vanessa,

It has been many days since I saw you last, but it feels like months. My time at the Academy is hard, but I am progressing quickly. There is so much to study when it comes to law, but the library here is well-stocked. Our tutors are the finest in the land, and I am thankful for their help. I have been attending private study with one, an experienced practitioner of law by the name of Lady-” The rest of the letter was ruined and torn, making it illegible.

The peculiar and haunting thing about the letter was not the year it was written in, 1722, no; it was the handwriting. It was identical to Snatcher’s. The way his contracts were written, the curved nature of how the letters flowed in this letter were exactly the same.

This couldn’t be some coincidence, could it? The chances were extremely low and second to none…

Snatcher couldn’t be the prince of Subcon! He’s too arrogant, too brash, and too much of a jerk to be a prince! There’s no way!

Bow grabbed the other letter. “M-mom-mother… had… accident… las-eek-! gruahh!! I can’t read it! It’s written in- whatever kind of font this is!” Bow grumbled in frustration, she tried not to be too loud, fearing that the ice witch was going to burst in any second. 

Dawn took the other letter and recognized what style it was instantly. “You mean cursive?” Bow and Hat tilted their heads in confusion. “What’s that?” Dawn sighed, explaining this should ease her mind. “It’s uh- it’s a kind of writing style usually used with calligraphy fountain pens and just writing in general. It’s really pretty but can be tricky to write sometimes. I’m still learning, but I have to do it myself since they don’t fully teach it at school that much anymore.”

Dawn pouted, the old irritation of not learning more cursive because of the school district and having to learn it on her own resurfacing with annoyance. At least it was better than being afraid and keeping screams you’d want to keep silent. " Mother had a bit of an accident last week, so today I got crowned as queen. Now the prince can't call me his princess! Life isn't fair! " The snowflake-clipped girl felt her stomach drop, whatever appetite she had before or later was completely gone. “That sounded kinda… What's that word people use…?” Hat Kid pondered, tapping her lips with her finger.

“Uhm… dramatic? Dra- mellow?” Bow Kid offered, trying to also figure out the word they’ve heard used before but obviously didn’t know how to say it. “Agh! I don’t know the word! But I think it was melle-draw-my-attic!” Melle-draw- what now? What did… It took a moment for Dawn to connect the dots, figuring out what she was trying to say, until she had it in her grasp. Now she knew what they meant.

“You mean melodramatic?” “BINGO!” Hat blurred out, grinning excitedly but the excitement faded when she realized her voice was a little too loud… they still needed to keep their location secret.

Dawn placed the letters back on the desk, making sure to snap pictures of them with her phone along with the diary entries, just so they could have them saved for later. Hat Kid noticed another letter at the end of the table in the room, and soon she handed it to Dawn, not even attempting to read it fully since she couldn’t fully read English in cursive.

“Alright, I’ll read it… you could say thank you.” Hat Kid cracked a small smile, a joke was the least Dawn could do to ease the tension. “*AHEM * My prince enjoys his breakfast far too much. I'm jealous of that darn bacon! He loves it! No more bacon in this house! " The snow queen read in a melodramatic and mocking tone, making the top hatted child and ribboned child snicker.

“Man, she sounds like a drama queen! She’s more jealous than me or Benjamin when we have to stay behind and can’t go on adventures because of school!” The trio continued to laugh quietly. “She sounds like Timmy when he couldn’t get his favorite snack in that letter! Hehehehe!” Hat Kid giggled with nostalgia, reminiscing on the good times that she and Bow Kid had on Raehan. 

The snowflake-clipped girl turned to the door, creaking it open to check if Vanessa was there to where she thankfully wasn’t. By this point the shadow woman should be on the second floor as well, she had to be! Dawn opened the door more for her friends. “The coast is clear, little ladies first.” The two kids silently went inside as Dawn shut the door behind her.

"Knock, knock… where are you hiding?” The door to the second floor’s entrance slammed shut, the thunder crackling with it. “It gets so lonely in here, I know you are listening. Come out, come out, wherever you are!~” Vanessa snarled in a sardonic voice, it was demanding and losing patience. She was going to find them and do who knows what.. Bow then accidentally bumped into something in the room, an ice statue. But it wasn’t an ordinary statue, it was a statue of a previous victim… his last facial expression being immortalized from the ice that encased him. Would she do that to them too?

Bow quivered back to Hat, hugging her sister figure tightly and burying her head between her brown hair and yellow cape. “I don’t wanna die here Hattie… I-I’m scared! I-I wanna go home!” Hat Kid hugged Bow Kid back.

“I wanna go home too… but we need to find what we’re looking for first, alright?” The ribboned child slowly pulled her head away and nodded. Taking note of the room, this room looked like… a nursery? Why was there a nursery here? The room was littered with children’s toys and playthings, it even had a crib and balloons. But there were also claw marks that tore parts of the wallpaper, did Vanessa make these?

If so… why? Dawn found another letter on the tableside, the snowflake-clipped girl flattened it and took a photo of it for safekeeping. Soon, Dawn began to quietly read it. "Oh, I wish I could just keep him always! Locked up and in chains in the cellar! But you can't chain a man... can you?" The cryokinesis prodigy’s eyes widened with an indescribable fear.

The chains, the broken chains from the basement… she kept someone there, didn't she? She killed them… that’s why there was ice there, she most likely froze them to death. Dawn had never felt so sick, this woman went insane in her letters, what happened that made her go so crazy?

Hat Kid came back with a red balloon, the string was wrapped tightly around her hand. “I have an idea to get the key down, follow me.” Hat Kid creaked the door leading back to the master bedroom, tugging the balloon along with her until she was at the bed. Letting the balloon go, she let it float up to the key, it worked in getting the key to move but it didn’t get it down. Another problem arose as the balloon started to hiss under the candle light. The balloon hissed until it popped and popped the security of their location along with it.

Vanessa was coming, SHE WAS COMING . She was coming and they couldn’t stop it! Dawn frantically looked for a place to hide, until she noticed an open closet, without thinking she yanked it open and hopped inside.

“Get in! Quickly!” Bow Kid ran into the closet as the door started to creak open, Hat Kid hadn’t ran into the closet yet as she ran for cover under the desk. “Hattie!” Bow Kid whisper-screamed as Dawn shut the closet door, shutting her eyes and praying that Hat Kid wouldn’t be seen.

"I can hear you!~ you don’t have to keep hiding. ” Vanessa then started to giggle amongst herself. “ This is fun, you don’t have to stay hidden forever! The garden looks beautiful tonight. We can go see it together if you come out.” Vanessa continued to search for them, Dawn that she wouldn’t come to the closet, or the desk… this nightmare was too real. Dawn wanted to wake up when she’s gone. The snow queen wanted to wakw in the current Subcon Village or in The Horizon, whereever she felt safe at, where they were all safe.

Vanessa then groaned, snarling in frustration, it sounded like she was done playing nice with them.

“I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE. IT'S POINTLESS TO HIDE FROM ME! I WILL FIND YOU. I WILL CATCH YOU. AND I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR TRYING TO STEAL WHATEVER YOU CAME TO STEAL FROM ME! I CANNOT LET YOU LEAVE ALIVE.” Vanessa stormed out, she was completely losing it, showing her true colors to them was the worst part yet. Part of Dawn liked it when she was using that fake singsong sickly sweetness, the true cynical nature scared Dawn more than the false sweetness.

Dawn slowly opened the door of the closet, making sure the coast was clear until Bow bloated out to make sure Hat was okay, thank goodness she was. “HATTIE! Thank goodness you’re okay!” Bow Kid ran toward her sister, pulling her into her arms for not only safety, but security. Shakily, Hat Kid accepted her sister’s comfort. Indulging in the embrace without another thought.

“That shadow lady’s a nightmare… I-I never wanna see her that close again.” Hat quivered, frightened from the sight she had seen up close instead of blanketed from the security of the closet doors. Once they unraveled the hug, Dawn gradually took their hands as she guided them back to the nursery. Now they had to think of a new plan, a plan to fully escape and make Vanessa stop her hunt.

“I think we should grab the balloon and make Vanessa we’re still in there… and then-!” Bow Kid paused, gulping from the possibility that the plan would end in a disaster. “We grab the key and find the locked door from wherever it’s locked and grab the Time Piece !” Hat Kid added, but that begged the question… “Then… how do we escape…?” Dawn asked anxiously, fidgeting with some locks of her brown hair to soothe her nerves. “We uhm… we…”

“The window.” Hat Kid interrupted Bow Kid with an observation of the bedroom window. “We use the window! We can distract her if she comes in or stall her if she tries to come in.” After the escape route was proposed… there was nothing but silence, this plan was a death mission if they failed to execute it correctly.

Bow grabbed the balloon, she walked into the master bedroom and let go of the string. The balloon began to hiss as Hat and Dawn ushered Bow back into the nursery for cover, leaving the door slightly ajar to peek into the other room to make sure the plan went through. 

When the balloon finally popped, Vanessa came storming into the master bedroom, but there was something the trio had not accounted for, the thought of anyone else was currently stuck in the manor… to which there was. There was another creak coming from the right side of the wardrobe, someone else was here.

“Another intruder!” The sound of the other side of the closet doors being ripped opened ensued with a pleading scream. “Where ARE they, you blue buffoon? You better tell your Queen where they are or I’ll freeze you right here and NOW!” Vanessa roared, demanding the location of where the trio was in her manor. To which: he shook his head rapidly. “Please don’t hurt Mafia! Mafia not know where tiny children are! Spare Mafia shadow lady!” The voice of a lone Mafia member pleaded, Vanessa soon lost her patience. “Tch, I’m done with you. You are no longer of use to me alive!”

With icy claws raised, the Mafia that had helplessly wandered into her manor let out a gut-wrenching scream. A scream that cut short once the wardrobe cascaded to the ground, the domino effect popping the very last balloon in the nursery. Once the Mafia member was out of the way, Vanessa’s glowing eyes caught sight of the key. Whatever expression that crept into her face must’ve been a wicked one, taking the key and leaving with a path of dread in her wake.

No one could breathe after that, not even after Dawn wordlessly pushed the nursery’s door open to reveal the aftermath. Ice lingered on the once stainless floors, the wardrobe that once stood tall and proud now fallen on top of an icy statue. Or… in other terms: a lifeless icy corpse.

He was dead, there was no denying that. He was dead... Vanessa had murdered the poor soul in cold blood…

Dawn instantly felt nauseating bile rise in her throat, gagging at the scene before them.

The snowflake-clipped girl desperately wanted to throw up, but couldn’t, not if they wanted to stay alive. Hat and Bow clung to Dawn for dear life, fearing what would happen if they let go.

Fearing the potential fate before them. Their icy fate IF the ice witch catches them. Suddenly, running water springs to life, echoing through the eerie halls. The snow queen couldn’t help but feel an excruciating amount of dread- Vanessa was a lot smarter than any of them had given her credit for. And this? This looked to be another trap, it had to be! Except this time… there was nowhere else to run.

It was either die by her hand, or never escape this hell.

A couple of moments pass, and the trio slowly venture out of the master bedroom and the nursery, leaving them behind to the looming hallways of the second floor. Another letter next to a vase laid on the table before them, Dawn reluctantly went up to it and found not only one but two letters, she took photos of both of them.

Dawn read the first letter in a silent whisper: "I'm sorry about your hair, my prince. I just wanted our lengths to match! ...and color... and curl... you look wonderful! " Dawn’s eyes welled up with tears that threatened to fall and create sound to echo in the dusty old manor, Hat Kid took Dawn’s hand and held it to comfort her friend, unsure of what else to do. “I-I’m… gonna read the other one…” Dawn stated in a quiet and almost inaudible whisper.

“I miss my beloved prince, I miss him so much. My powers have gotten stronger, and I’m sure his has too. His fire magic is absolutely wonderful! I can’t wait to see it again. Maybe this time we can finish the lyrics to the song we wrote together. I based the lyrics on an imaginary spirit I saw when I was a little girl and an imaginary spirit a lot of the Subcon Village children talk about. I’m sure mother and father would approve. -Vanessa ”

The trio were silent as they looked at the letter, this looked a lot older than the other letters and diary entries, it had a friendlier tone to it, a tone that was lacking in this horrid place.

Dawn sighed as she put her phone away, silently the trio traversed to where the water was coming from. “Well… what are we waiting for?” Hat Kid firmly stated, trying to shove away her fear to no avail. “Let's get this over with Hattie…” Bow Kid quietly whispered, putting a shaking hand on the doorknob. Her hand was met with the snowflake-clipped girl’s hand and the top hatted child’s hand.

Whatever happened now, they wouldn’t do it alone. The door opened with the misty steam trailing behind them as the door shut when they stepped inside. There it was! The key! The key was laid out in front of them for the taking, Hat Kid tried to grab it only for the thunder to crackle with a shadowy hand reaching out from behind the curtain, unveiling Vanessa from the other side.

“And at last we meet, children. Nowhere to hide now.” Vanessa cackled as some water dripped off her shadowy body, but soon fading when she came in contact with the mist. “Honestly… why were you hiding from little old me? Didn't anyone teach you to come to your queen when she calls you? Or are you just that impolite to royalty?” Vanessa walked closer as Dawn quickly created an icicle thanks to the mist surrounding them. “Don’t come ANY closer you psycho! We’ve read your letters! B-back off! Or-!”

“Or else what? You’re going to- puncture me with that breakable shard of ice? Ha! don’t be so naive, child. You won’t make a scratch if that’s the way you’re going to hold it. It would’ve been more efficient if you made it into a sword. So…” Vanessa laid a clawed hand on Dawn’s icicle, it shattered as soon as she put firm pressure on it. “I suggest you try better if that’s how you’re going to work in ‘defending’ yourself and your… ‘friends.” 

Dawn’s gaze was fearfully fixated on Vanessa, her fear along with the steamy mist must’ve made the snowflake-clipped girl’s ice more unstable and breakable. Dawn’s eyes averted for a moment to notice what looked to either be lipstick or possibly even blood smeared on the mirror. “ My prince has gone ” were the words written into the reflective surface. Vanessa seemed to notice where Dawn’s gaze landed with a ghoulish grimace.

“ Oh~ you’ve noticed the writings besides those old letters haven’t you? You might even know where my prince has gone off to. Who knows, how do I know you weren’t sent by him to slay me? That you’re the messengers I cannot slay? ” Dawn's emerald gaze was forcefully brought back to Vanessa's burning red one, Dawn couldn’t help but scowl at the insane queen.

“You’re insane, you know that? I hope you know what you’re doing is completely and utterly INSANE ! We came because Snatcher sent us for the Time Piece . We don’t know who your prince e-even is! Snatcher’s not him! He’s too much of a jerk to be your prince.” Dawn spat angrily, yet she also feared for her very life. If there was a moment she wouldn’t mind hearing Snatcher trying to bicker and tease her, now would be a good time to do so.

Vanessa was about to cackle at her victory being so close in her grasp, but a clattering sound came from behind, it was Hat Kid who snuck around them while Dawn had the ice queen’s full attention. Vanessa snarled, some of her hair flared up like a mane.

“You shouldn’t have done that you pathetically FOOLISH CHILD!!!” Vanessa roared as Dawn’s fear completely disappeared. “LEAVE HER ALONE YOU MONSTER!” Dawn shilled as she froze the ground causing the ice queen to slip and fall hard onto the ground. Dawn then made an icicle to pin her shadowy dress and scooped Hat into her arms with the key in tow. “Come on Bow! Let's get outta here!” Dawn shrieked as she slid out the door with Hat Kid, Bow Kid soon followed them out the door without question.

Outside of the bathroom, Dawn grimaced as she made an ice wall; it was to barricade the door long enough for them to retrieve the Time Piece. Frantically, the trio stormed down the hall, Hat Kid quickly put the key in the lock and turned it. They tossed the lock and key aside to bolt to the attic.

Dawn, Bow Kid and Hat Kid slammed the attic doors shut… heavily panting as the realization of what they had to run from finally sunk in. 

“I…” Hat Kid finally broke the silence and started to let her idle mask break more than before. Dawn only remembered seeing the top hatted child crying a few times but it was never like this. Hat’s breath hitched, she cried more, even when the snowflake -clipped girl pulled her into a comforting hug, slumping to the floor as they had their backs on the attic door. Bow sat down and nuzzled against Dawn, comforting both of her friends.

“I-I don’t know why I’m crying… I-I don’t wanna be in this manor anymore. I just wanna go back to Subcon Village… I-I wanna annoy that dumb j-jerk Snatcher. A-and I don’t wanna die alone…” Hat Kid wailed, burying her head against Dawn’s chest. Bow Kid rubbed her top hatted friend’s back, she was crying as well but… she needed comfort as much as Hat Kid did. So they sat in silence, the silent screams they couldn’t make were finally made. They were safe now, but not out of the woods yet. They still needed to escape.

After a few minutes of just taking the near death experience in, Bow stood as she began to explore the room. At the end was a chest, it probably had the Time Piece inside.

“You guys… are you guys o-okay now?” Bow Kid asked in a concerned tone, to where she was met with the tiniest nod from Hat Kid. Dawn took Hat Kid’s top hat off to stroke her brunette hair to where she didn’t fight or tease about it, she just let it happen. Eventually Hat and Dawn stood, top hat in hand as she handed it back to the hatless child; Hat Kid firmly adjusted it to her head, still sniffling from crying.

Walking away from the door, Dawn saw a mural of a face, a face that looked horrifically similar, or rather… exactly like Moonjumper's face. It was the same from the toothy grin down to the red stripes… it was so creepy, disturbing even. Bow rummaged around and eventually found a yarn and a key on top of the chandelier thanks to the dwellers mask. Hopping down, they now had the key to unlock the chest and take the Time Piece . The girls looked over the chest, Bow inserting the lock and turning it to reveal the Time Piece inside. Laughter bubbled from the group as the Time Piece was safely in their grasp. Something then caught Hat Kid’s cerulean gaze, at the bottom of the chest was a photo, it was old and withered.

It was a picture of presumably the princess of Subcon and the part that was partially damaged was the side where a man with curly brown hair stood, the same one from the painting.

Was that Vanessa and her prince? The Princess and Prince of Subcon? What truly happened here was something they were still trying to figure out.

Hat Kid wiped her purple sleeve on her face, trying to clean whatever tears had left of her crying off her face. “Do you guys wanna get outta here and make this mean ol’ shadow lady pay or what?” Hat Kid smugly grinned, trying to fight back her fear of the insane ice queen, yet the fear was still there.

“Yeah. I’m done being here. We still have her barricaded in the bathroom! She could get out at any moment!” Dawn felt shivers go down her spine as soon as Bow mentioned the barricade again. “Well. Then I guess we don’t have any time to lose. C'mon y’all! Let's get the frick outta here!” The snow queen announced with confidence, they were ready to escape this hellhole of a manor. The trio rushed down the stairs of the attic, they ran down the hallway and made a right hook into the nursery.

By that time they heard Venessa roar and bang at the bathroom door, the ice was breaking thanks to the steam and mist… she was going to break out soon, so they needed to act fast. The trio locked the door leading into the nursery and tried to lock the master bedroom door, only to remember that the lock doesn’t lock the way it should.

“SHOOT! It won’t lock! Someone needs to get that window open!” Bow panicked as the harsh banging from Vanessa became more frequent than before. Dawn looked around and noticed the fallen wardrobe. “Now would be a terrible time for rock, paper, scissors, right?” Hat Kid turned around with her back against the door. “Not if it helps, then YEAH. If it doesn’t then, HECK NO!” 

Dawn groaned as she held her hand out. Dawn remembered teaching them and some of the Subconites some of the games she knew after they destroyed the possessed outhouse. The trio quickly huddled and played rock,paper, scissors. Hat Kid got rock, Bow got paper, and Dawn got scissors.

“DANGIT! Me and my big fat mouth!” Dawn groaned as she ran to the window. “You two block it with the wardrobe, I’ll get the window open!” Dawn shouted as she tried to pry the window open. Vanessa let out a deafening shrill that nearly bursted the trio’s ear drums. The barricade was shattered as Vanessa started to pound on the door. The wardrobe was in front of it now but it wasn’t enough as Hat and Bow tried to keep her at bay.

“I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME, YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE ME WITH YOUR LIVES!! ” Vanessa shrieked, violently clawing at the door like a madwoman. “Aaauughhh!!!” Bow screamed as Vanessa kept clawing at the door, the door looking as if it could give in and rip off its hinges at any moment.

“DAWN! OPEN THE WINDOW ALREADY! OPEN IT NOW! PLEASE!” Hat pleaded, struggling to keep the door shut as Venessa continued to pry away at it. Dawn grabbed her umbrella and tried using that to open it but not even that worked! It took too much time and elbow grease! There was no way Dawn would pry this window open by herself. The banging grew in persistence and intensity. “ AAAUUGHHH!! ANYTIME NOW! We can’t hold her off forever Ice! AAAHHH!!!” 

The cryokinesis prodigy looked back as her friends struggled to keep the ice queen away. Dawn knew what she needed to do. “Get away from the door, I’ll freeze the door to buy us time!” Hat and Bow’s eyes widened from panic: “WHAT!?” “What if it doesn’t work!?” Both girls yelled simultaneously, anxious that the plan would get them killed. It’s not like they had a choice, it was now or never.

“Just… trust me. Have faith that it’ll work guys. Okay?” The top hatted child and ribboned child looked back at the door, Venessa was screaming at the top of her lungs. “LET ME IN, YOU FOOLISH CHILDREN!!! ” Venessa shrieked, to which Dawn furrowed her brow with a snarl. “Not in a million years you psycho! We’re getting outta here!” Dawn stomped a foot as spikes of ice barricades the door. “To the window! NOW!” The trio ran as they went to pry the window open, the banging growing behind them. The window moved open a tad, but it wasn’t enough! They needed it to be fully open!

“ALMOST-! COME ON!!!!” Hat Kid moaned as she yanked at the window. They got it to open a lot more, it was a crack wide enough to have an umbrella slip though. Dawn slid her umbrella in as Hat and Bow shoved up. And eventually… they FINALLY got the window open.

“THERE! It’s open!” Bow Kid exclaimed. Venessa finally got through the barricade, screaming as she lunged at them. “Not today, witch.” Dawn yanked Hat and Bow up and ushered them out the window. Then Dawn fell out the window herself, never looking back at the manor that the trio would forever consider hell.

Vanessa gruffly huffed as she looked out at the trio who had escaped her shadowy clutches. “I’ll get my prince back. Just you wait.~ You’ll see you foolish children. You’ll see.” Venessa maniacally cackled, the never ending storm raging on as she continued to laugh nonstop. She had completely lost her mind.

❀ ♪ ☆* *☆♪❀

The trio had escaped the manor, but at what cost? They had new information on the manor but they were nearly killed because of it. The girls then decided to find if there were any Time Rifts in hopes of passing the time and get their thoughts off of the horrifying events that took place in the manor. It was nice to see the distant clock towers beneath the sea in the rifts again. Going further along the dirt paths in Subcon, the girls eventually stumbled upon… a bizarre sight.

A stone wall covered in moss, floating glass shards and chunks of rock defying the laws of physics as they floated in mid air. “What in the… what the heck is all of… this !?” Dawn exclaimed, completely taken away by the sight before her, it was frighteningly beautiful. Hat Kid began to climb the stone wall and gestured for her friends to follow. “I see a purple Time Rift in there! We can probably jump in if we’re close enough to it! Wanna check it out?” Hat Kid spoke aloud, devising a possible plan of how they would get into Time Rift. Bow Kid nodded.

“Yeah! I think seeing what this Time Rift has to offer could be fun!” Bow Kid giggled in delight, soon scaling the wall the same way her best friend did. Dawn was the last one to scale the wall, reviving help from her friends as they pulled her over up and over the ledge. Mustering enough courage, Dawn created an ice bridge for them to climb up so they were over the purple rift. Without hesitation, the crew fell into the purple rift without another thought.

Location: Subcon Forest(?), Purple Time Rift

The trio fell screaming until the girls dog piled on top of one another once they landed. “Uugghh-! We need to stop going into places all at once.” Dawn moaned at the bottom of the pile. “Agreed . It’s making me hate some things here. Not in a mean way, just in more of an annoyed way. It SUCKS !” Hat Kid, who was sandwiched between Dawn and Bow Kid, groaned with an annoyed inflection. Bow Kid slid off from the top of the pile, soon helping her sister and their friend to their feet.

The trio walked around and realized they were on some kind of icy platform, behind a mushroom they found a storybook page; there were nine pages to collect. “I found a page! Maybe this rift can give us more answers about Subcon!” Dawn bounced with a giggle.

Bow examined the rift entrance, the soft chimes in the wind were like the sweetest of silver bells, ones that would ring on a quiet spring afternoon. “Well… what are we waiting for? Let's go!” Dawn giggled as she leapt into the rift entrance. Bow Kid lovingly snickered as she fell into the entrance after the snowflake-clipped girl. Hat Kid followed her friends soon after, laughing as they entered into the next section of the Time Rift.

This looked exactly like the section of the forest that was constantly on fire! It was weird on how it was still on fire even when Dawn * tried * (keyword: tried) to put the flames out. But they just wouldn’t die. Some of the flames that were in the lanterns wouldn’t even go out even if she accidentally got them with her snow. It’s like some external force was powering them and keeping the embers lit.

The storybook pages were scattered about, so the trio split up to grab all the pons and pages. One page was behind where they dropped into, another was on top of the house where the next entrance was located, and the next one after that was behind the entrance itself and the last one was behind some sort of crane contraption that swung a wrecking ball. Dawn then had a horrible pun come to mind.

“Hehe, if Vanessa was in front of that wrecking ball, it would give me the perfect excuse to say: GET WRECKED MOTHER FRICK FRACKER!!! ” Hat wheezed, giggle-snorting as she held her grin. Her sister Bow on the other hand keeled over laughing, holding her sides With a smile. “Oh my goodness Dawn! That was too good!” Bow giggled, the mood now lightened as they entered the next section of the Time Rift.

The next section was murky with castle tops and an atmosphere that looked loosely similar to the swamp’s damp atmosphere. Bow Kid whacked the spider while Hat Kid got the raccoon to give her the Rift Pon.

To say she was pleased when the critter fell on her wasn't the term to describe it in the slightest. She shoved the critter off of her and made ‘em scram with her umbrella. It was a funny sight, but that’s because it wasn’t Dawn who had the raccoon fall onto her. Soon they traversed up the gigantic castle pillars and cozy furniture. In the distance was a spinning contraption that spun four bridges for them to land onto. That or they could take the easy way.

“Y’all thinking what I’m thinking?” Hat Kid and Bow Kid smugly grinned and nodded in unison. Dawn used her sprint backpack and summoned the scooter. “Hop on the bandwagon gals! We’re going to town!” Dawn cracked the gas as her friends hopped on. Dawn created an ice bridge for the scooter to safely drive across on. Hat Kid grabbed the pons and while Bow Kid yanked the storybook page. Now on the other side, the group hopped into the next section of the Time Rift , the melody swelling more in the wind. 

The next location was a frozen up Subcon Well, along with frozen towers and trees. If this section wasn’t trying to tell them something about the ice witch they escaped from, Dawn didn’t know what else it could be. The trio gathered the pons and Hat slipped when grabbing the storybook page. The trio had a good laugh, the laughter is what kept them warm in this part of the Time Rift.

The last section the trio fell into was just a single platform with two weird electric squid creatures that easily defeated- erm- sort of easily defeated. They almost got electrocuted before that. “Phew! Take that you stupid squid thingamajigs! Hat Kid rules in this house!” Hat Kid did a smug victory dance, celebrating her victory in the most funny way possible. They really needed that peace and tranquility, huh? 

Bow Kid went to the open door that led down into a secret hideout, just like the Time Rift that showed what happened in Dawn’s past. A rift they dubbed: Snowy Wonderland.

“Guys! I found another secret area! Follow me!” The top hatted child and snowflake-clipped girl descended down into the secret area, Dawn’s emerald gaze soon spotting the last page. “Gotcha!” Dawn grinned as she held the storybook page in her hand, the answers were in this storybook, she was sure of it. “Hey! Look at this!” Hat Kid tried dragging a heavy textbook to her friends, only to trip and fall. “I could read some of the English… and it says uh-!”

“Proof of the Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism’?” Dawn read aloud to where Hat had her jaw drop.

“WHA!? It’s a boring LAW book!? I thought that said something completely different! I don’t know what but I did!” Dawn let a smirk play on her lips, grinning from delight. When Dawn opened the book, they were met with nothing, nothing but blank pages. “What the heck?! Why the frick are these pages blank!?” Dawn kept flipping the pages until she reached the end. All of them were blank.

“Uuughhh! And here I hoped this would have something written in it! Stupid book, if only these Time Rifts had a more accurate depiction shown of what the heck happened here.” 

Dawn grumbled as she put the book back, perhaps that would be a story for another day. “Welp, time to beat up a Time Rift orb!” Hat Kid smugly grinned as she ran out the way they came. “Last one to whack it wins and gets to choose dinner tonight!” Bow challenged as she ran after Hat, Dawn giggled with a playful expression, this was gonna be fun.

“Oh it’s ON!” The trio laughed as they went though the last section of the Time Rift , landing in a place that this time, actually looked like Subcon’s swamp. The trio whacked the orb like a game of hot potato with their umbrellas, betting on who was going to break the orb first. Eventually the game was won, Bow was the one to break the orb. “WOOHOOO!!! I win!! Yaaayyyy!!!” “Aawwww! No fair!” Bow danced in delight as Hat grumbled. “Good game Bow! Now let's get the heck outta here!” The girls grabbed the Time Piece and the purple Time Rift closed… or… so they thought.

The trio expected the purple Time Rift to end after grabbing the Time Piece , it did it every other time! But… this time it didn’t. Instead it left them with not only a new storybook that contained the memories the Time Rift was trying to replicate, but it left them in a new place entirely. This place was… familiar… Was this another Time Rift!? Were the rifts next to one another?

No- Dawn could recall there being only one purple Time Rift . So why were they in another one? Then; it hit the snowflake-clipped child. This wasn’t a normal purple Time Rift … This rift acted more on the lines of playing a memory, an ACTUAL memory.

Was it safe to call it a Memory Time Rift? Or a Memory Rift ? 

The trio landed in what looked to be the entrance of a green forest, in the vast lands behind the girls were cities and other villages still being built but for what was there, it was vast and tremendously beautiful. It was calm and peaceful, this place… it was Subcon Forest. It was Subcon, but not the Subcon the trio knew. It was the Subcon Moonjumper knew, it was the Subcon Vanessa knew, and it was the Subcon Snatcher knew, along with every resident of that village with it.

It felt like traversing into a land that was prosperous and well nurtured. It was different from the gloomy purples and grays that the trio knew Subcon Forest by. It lacked its haunted features like the thick reddened  leaved trees, and the glowing mushrooms that were all around the floor of the forest floor. What the trio found in place of storybook pages, were letters. letters they couldn’t read but they could see on the back how many they needed to find throughout the forest, there were just three they needed to find.

Silently, the girls passed wagons and old fashioned carriages reminiscent of the time period Snatcher and Vanessa most likely came from. The delicate and intricately detailed clothing among the rich and the smooth clothing among the lower class intrigued the girls more. Eventually the trio arrived at Subcon Village: the real one, the village it used to be.

It was gorgeous, the hazelnut tilted concrete and the purplish gray tiled roofs, the hardened clay walls and the flowers that were the same as the ones around Moonjumper’s gazebo… it was a sight that was difficult to comprehend.

“So… this was Subcon…?” Dawn quietly said, shocked that the village before them was this beautiful before its eventual downfall. The downfall that was covered in ice and snow. Bodies that would never be properly buried were frozen in a shallow or heavy grave made of snow. The group soon halted when kids in masks similar to the dwellers ran to someone they couldn’t see.

“Alright, alright. Simmer down you two!” A female voice chuckled, and as soon as the group turned around, they saw a woman in a beautiful bright emerald green dress imprinted with embroidered diamonds and jewels. She wore a black necklace with a gold pendant around her neck. Her silk gloves were nothing but outstanding, they were most likely soft to the touch, just like the fabric of her dress. Her hair was a golden blonde with a tint of brown at the ends, on-top her head was a golden crown… was she-? “ Aaawww-! But we wanted to show you our new masks Princess Vanessa! We thought you’d like them!”

The trio froze at the name… Vanessa… THAT woman was  ACTUALLY Vanessa!? But how!? Dawn only assumed or loosely guessed that the princess in the photo and paintings was Vanessa, but she never would’ve thought it was actually her! Vanessa looked and acted completely different from how she was at her manor! She wasn’t threatening at all! All the malice came with her presence was frighteningly nonexistent. 

Vanessa gazed at both of the kids with her blueish green eyes, soon she patted the head of the child in the fox mask, smiling with glee. “It’s Queen Vanessa now since mother passed, but if you still feel like calling me princess, I don’t mind it.” Vanessa chipped with a sweet tone, a tone that Vanessa lacked in the present day. The child in the mask that looked like a rabbit tugged at Vanessa’s dress and asked: “Mama said that prince Lukas was still at his studies, will he become king soon after he comes back?”

Vanessa seemed to pause, her smile nearly fading off completely before she forced it back onto her face. “Of course he will! It is fate after all. He is my prince, and I am his princess, erm, now Queen of Subcon. I will do all that I can to make sure my reign is the best it can be before passing it onto the heir to the throne.” Vanessa stood, her heels clicking together on the tiled concrete with confidence. “My prince is coming home today! He’s coming just for a holiday but once that’s over he’ll have to venture back.” Vanessa quietly sighed as the children cheered. “Yyyaaayyy!! I can’t wait to hear you and prince Luka play together! See you later princess- Queen Vanessa!” The children laughed as they ran off in the opposite direction to where Dawn, Hat and Bow were standing. They actually couldn’t see them, which was a good thing. 

“I think we should follow Vanessa, just to see what she’s up to… or just- find out what happened.” Hat suggested, unsure of what to do next. Bow and Dawn nodded; “Yeah… I agree, Hattie. We need to follow her!” Bow affirmed tightly as she darted off, letting her friends follow close behind her. Soon the trio came across where Vanessa was heading to- or at least, they thought they did. It was a flower shop set on the side of town, there was a woman with luscious deep red locks tied into a braid with freckles and a man in a beautifully embroidered cloak.

“Lukas! So good to see you! How’s Vanessa? Have you seen her yet?” The man with the brown hair, who the girls assumed to be Prince Lukas, shook his head. When he spoke… Dawn felt shivers go down her spine.

“Not exactly, no. But I intend on meeting her in the town square. I thought I’d surprise her with her favorite flowers, carnations and anemones! I thought she’d adore them as a gift!” The prince spoke in a polite tone, but what freaked the trio out was the way his voice sounded, he sounded EXACTLY like Snatcher, minus the echo.

“Oh! Splendid! I think she’ll adore them, Lukas! You always pick her favorites! And you’re in luck! I just picked them!” The florist grabbed a beautiful bouquet of carnations and anemones.

“Thank you so much Camila! It’s great to see you, old friend!” Lukas chirped, soon leaning in to grab money from his leather satchel. “Take this as a thank you for your services Camila.” The prince gave Camila the money to where Camila brightened with a rosy smile. “Oh! Oh my! Uh- I don’t know what I’ll do with this much money! How could I ever repay you, Lukas?”

The prince chuckled as his yellow hazel eyes glistened with a dashing smile. “You don’t need to. You’re one of my royal subjects and One of my closest friends. Maybe one day Vanessa and I can make you a royal florist or adviser to the throne.” Camila flustered red with embarrassment, her face looking as red as a rose. Just like the roses and thorns she had in her braid in the present as a ghost. The trio couldn’t help but feel bad for Camila. Was this why she was so blue as a ghost in the present day?

Vanessa came from behind and soon watched the scene unfold. The princess’s mouth dropped in horror, she looked as if she had seen her prince cheat on her which wasn’t the case at all! He was just buying her flowers as a surprise. But the surprise had been ruined, and Vanessa stormed off crying. Lukas and Camila noticed this and a terrible feeling surfaced… The tension was at an all-time high.

“Wha-!? Vanessa!? Vanessa, WAIT!!” Lukas cried, until Camila grabbed his hand. “Prince Lukas… I'm terribly sorry. I don’t know what I did to make her upset! She’s been really stressed lately since her mother passed and she had to take the throne. All that I’m saying is… be careful… okay?” Lukas looked like he had been heartbroken a thousand times over, but it wasn’t over for Vanessa, it was that she had to manage things alone and he wasn’t there for her.

Lukas simply mustered his smile back to his face and smiled tenderly. “I will be, Camila. You stay safe as well.” Lukas then fled to the manor, to which; the trio followed him along with the bouquet of flowers in hand. The trio ran across the grassy meadows and flower patches instead of solving puzzles in ice and snow. Along the path they found another letter, they just needed one more. Eventually they came to the manor, this time entering through the front door.

“Vanessa!” Lukas called as he hung up his cloak, on a stand in the front hall. The trio explored but mainly stayed close by to where the prince was. Eventually they made their way to the music room, the same room they hid themselves away in when the girls first ran from Venessa. Vanessa stood with the same painting they saw from earlier that day, this time looking new and the tear being freshly made. “Vanessa, Vanessa darling… I’m back from my studies! I saw you crying after I was done buying flowers for you. Camila informed me about a few things before coming here… are you alright?” Lukas spoke, concerned for his Princess and her well being.

She must’ve been so stressed managing things alone before Lukas came back. Having to keep the act of everything being fine and ruling alone must’ve been hard. Dawn felt… bad for Vanessa. It didn’t excuse what she did earlier that same day but she couldn’t help but feel empathy for the ice queen.

 Vanessa lowered her head to the letter on the desk: It was Lukas’s letter, but it wasn’t torn yet. “Do you love me, Lukas…?” Venessa bitterly questioned, if her heart was visible it would’ve been in shambles. “Of course I love you Ven, why wouldn’t I-!” “Then why look at other women? Your letter said you were ‘studying with a tutor’, Lady Ryea. How do I know you’re not lying to me…?” Venessa wept, tearing the letter where it had been torn when they found it moments before.

Lukas pressed his lips into a thin line, then shook his head. The curly brown locks swayed as his golden yellow eyes shook with soreness for his lover, his princess, and now, his queen. “Nessie, I would never hurt you. Ever. I would never cheat on you, not in a million years.” Soon Venessa froze the crumbled price of paper with a baleful glare in her greenish blue eyes. “Then what about that flower girl… Camila.” Vanessa hissed, the malice in her voice was the same malice she had in the manor when the girls first met the insane ice queen.

“Wh-what about Camila? Vanessa, dear you know I love no one but you. Sure we’ve had our rough days but you know I love no one but you. My heart belongs to you… remember?” The prince warily pleaded, gripping the bouquet flowers in his left hand tighter. Lukas tried reaching a hand out to Vanessa, his eyes shaking with sorrow that he’d indirectly hurt his lover. “Ness… you know me. I’d never hurt you… I love you-!”

“LIAR! ” Vanessa violently snapped, slapping his hand with brute force. It was only then that Dawn saw her hand was no longer one of a human , but one of a monster. Dawn, Hat and Bow shuddered from the sight of it… this wasn’t a normal memory… This was how Subcon Forest fell.  

“You cheater! You vile LIAR! I hate you! I HATE YOU! You LIED TO ME! I can’t believe you, HOW COULD YOU!? ” Vanessa cried as some of her appearance and voice started to distort from the shadowy corruption.

“GUARDS! TAKE HIM AWAY!” The ice queen screeched with authority, weeping as two guards came from their posts and hoisted the young prince off his feet. Lukas was obviously frantic about the current situation, dropping the flowers to try to free himself, to try and reason with his love. “Vanessa please! VANESSA WAIT! I’M INNOCENT, PLEASE ! I DIDN'T CHEAT ON YOU! NESS! VANESSA I LOVE YOU-! VANESSA!!! ” Lukas screamed as he reached out to his lover…

The trio watched in horror as Lukas was dragged away by the guards and Vanessa turned into the form the trio knew VERY well. The shadowy body, those glowing red eyes, this was the indisputable princess and queen of Subcon Forest was Vanessa… did this mean her blizzard caused the downfall? Subcon Village, the real one in the present (and not the one by Snatcher’s hollow tree) was covered in ice and snow with no living soul in sight.

Down the stairs the trio saw things change around them… the tears in the wall paper starting to form and Vanessa becoming more unhinged than she was before.

Soon enough the girls had confidence to go down the trapdoor… finding a gloomy basement with a lonely prince hanging from chains. The broken chains were his… he’s the one who died here.

The prince looked like he was in rough shape, he looked so frail… so weak. Hat held Bow’s hand for comfort, none of them were able to tear their eyes away from the sorrowful sight. It was a sight the trio could tear up at for how heinously cruel it was.

He loved her unlike anything else in the world… and she chained him up like a lamb to the slaughter. Vanessa eventually came down with burnt cookies, grimly cackling when she burned her gaze onto Lukas, her eyes resembling her old eye color instead of her cruel red eyes. The prince looked restless, jaded even… he looked so pitiful that Dawn felt like she was going to cry from the sight of it.

Vanessa was a lover, a princess, a queen, but now… at that moment she became an abuser. Vanessa tried giving her prince one of the cookies she horrendously burned. He wasn’t even fully responsive to that as he nearly choked on it. This made Dawn angry with Vanessa… She hurt this man for no reason other than jealousy.

“How DARE you spit out my cookies! I made them just for you! ” Vanessa hissed darkly, frowning harshly at Lukas. Lukas barely spoke or fought back… the sight twisted Dawn’s heart until it broke. It pained the snowflake-clipped girl to see someone hurt like that. “Ven… Please. Whatever I did… I-I won’t do it again. I-I’m sorry that I hurt you.” Lukas cried in a horse voice, hissing at the contact Vanessa’s hand made with his face. Vanessa cupped his check with an unreadable expression.

“I suppose I could forgive you, Luka… ” Lukas’s eyes lit up, before he could say a word, Vanessa swooped in for a kiss. The ground beneath her started to freeze as she placed her other hand on the wall. “ But I can't, darling. Cheaters don’t deserve happily ever-afters. May death due us part, Lukas.” 

Lukas panicked as the ice grew on his hanging body. “Vanessa! VANESSA DONT ! PLEASE! VANESSA-! AAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!” Lukas screamed as his body was stuck with a storm of ice and snow. Dawn shielded her friends from the sight and covered her eyes. The only thing she heard were screams… screams that were soon silenced.

When Dawn, Hat and Bow opened their eyes, Lukas was dead. The entire room was frozen with icicles and snow… Satisfied with what she had accomplished, Vanessa let Lukas’s body thaw, along with other parts of the basement. Now it looked like how it did in the manor in the present day, only now… it was recently done.

Vanessa left with a satisfied scoff, before laughing maniacally at what she had done. When she left she left the prince’s body to hang… there in between the barrels laid the last letter. And before they could go any further, they saw the prince’s body turn a familiar shade of purple with glowing yellow eyes.

The shadowy shade soon fell into the water and gazed at his hanging corpse. When Dawn heard him cry… she knew exactly who he was now.

The trio now knew that the prince of Subcon… was none other than the soul stealing ghost, Snatcher himself.

It was tough to swallow, he had been a jerk to them and now Dawn could see why... He was hurt, he was abused by Vanessa and had to protect his Forest, what was left of his kingdom from thier murderer, his murderer.

Lukas… now Snatcher, left with a lone cloak that was still usable as he wandered into the snowy wasteland above, letting the doors close behind him. Vanessa was the one who destroyed Subcon… she ended innocent lives, including her own in a sense. And now? She was stuck in the manor forever.

“Is… it over…?” Bow asked as she held tightly onto Dawn’s hand. “I think so…” Hat affirmed, hoping that she was right in that the memory was over… they couldn’t have been more wrong. A frightened Moonjumper came down the other basement entrance, seeming frantic as he floated around, looking for possibly Lukas or Vanessa.

“Prince? Princess?” The moon shaped spirit cried out. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I am the one they call Moonjumper! Please! You have to help! Your kingdom’s been blanketed with a storm and I’m not quite sure what to do! Everyone’s gone! I don’t know where they’ve…. Gone…” Moonjumper silenced when he stumbled upon the fresh corpse of Snatcher’s human self. If the spirit had feet, he would’ve taken a visible step back. “P-prince Lukas…?” Moonjumper stuttered, horrified at the gruesome sight that laid before him. 

Moonjumper lowered to the ground as he let quiet sobs escape, still trembling from the undeservingly cruel fate Snatcher met. It was a heartbreaking sight. Moonjumper wiped a dirty sleeve on his face to dry his tears, he was still sniffling when he walked over to the prince’s lifeless body.

The moon shaped spirit probably went to hug or close the eyes of the corpse… When he got his hand close however, the moon shaped spirit suddenly started to physically fuse with Snatcher’s dead corpse. Moonjumper tried to fight back and screamed, a scream no living soul would hear. Moonjumper then disappeared as the lifeless corpse soon awoke not long after. The moon shaped spirit was now possessing the corpse of Snatcher's former human self.

Moonjumper fanatically panicked as he did his best to break the chains but the job was messily done. Moonjumper soon ran out through the exit. That’s when the Time Piece they remembered retrieving revealed itself and floated to them unharmed. This was the end of the Memory Rift and those were the answers to the questions that were left unsaid for the longest time.

“Let’s go home.” Dawn stated as she grabbed the artifact, its glow consuming them as they were teleported back to Subcon Forest. Tonight Dawn was going to ask Moonjumper the truth, nothing more, nothing less.

The mystery of Subcon Forest was finally going to be solved. 

Chapter Text

Dawn awoke in the Horizon on the polished steps of Moonjumper’s Gazebo… only to be met with an empty seat. The puppeteer wasn’t at his gazebo. Instead, the snowflake-clipped girl found him sitting at the docks by the lake. Dawn slowly made her way to Moonjumper, taking extra measures when approaching her friend as to not alarm him. “MJ…? Are you okay?” Moonjumper jumped slightly, but not as much as Dawn thought he would. The moon spirit quickly moved around, only to land his red gaze onto Dawn instead of his reflection in the lake.

“Oh! Dearie! You’re alive! I didn’t see you arrive.” Moonjumper gratefully beamed, overjoyed to see the young girl standing in front of him and actually alive! Alive and far away from that horrid manor. Dawn chuckled sadly, not wanting to remember their time at the nightmarish manor, the place that was too close to becoming a frozen tomb. “It was awful… but I lived and… well… I know mostly everything now. But I only know things from a surface level… I even found letters from.. well… a Time Rift and Vanessa’s Manor.” Moonjumper’s eyes widened as he turned away from the snowflake-clipped girl.

“… You have answers that you’d like to hear… methinks. Isn’t that right, dear child?” Moonjumper asked, his tone sounding sad and bittersweet. Dawn finally took the opportunity to sit next to the moon shaped spirit, looking into the lake’s waters as she did. Moonjumper inhaled and exhaled a heavy sigh. “I’ll start from the humble origins. The place where all these travesties began.” Moonjumper closed his sunken eyes and began his tale: “300 years ago as you know, I was created with this dimension within this world. I never met thy maker nor knew how I materialized into this world. But I existed without a purpose nor cause.” Moonjumper slowly explained, holding his shackled hands together silently, rubbing them for comfort.

“I was in the years of a young one like yourself, perhaps even younger when I learned about two of my wonderful gifts. The gift of controlling the strings and the gift of allowing children to visit me through their dreams.” Moonjumper chuckled at the end, reminiscing on the playful times that he’d have with the kids who’d visit him.

“To say that I was always like this would be an understatement , child. I used to be mostly curious and mischievous! I used to wonder what lied beyond the confinement of The Horizon, the world the children knew so well, while I knew so little.” Moonjumper then stopped smiling, it was painstakingly obvious this part of the story wasn’t going to be friendly.

“One day, when I was around the human equivalent of being perhaps the age of your older siblings, I found I could leave The Horizon… but…” Moonjumper paused… taking a deep breath before continuing. “I could not be seen. I was invisible, I was a ghost to those who didn’t visit me in their dreams. I was devastated… I hated the isolation. But it had its perks…” Moonjumper opened his eyes as he soon made the water away with his hand. “I could finally see the world that I was naive of, even if I myself couldn’t be seen. That was the first time I heard music, smelled baked goods and saw families together. The first time I heard of other stories and folklore and the culture of the village and eventually learned the name of where I had been created, Subcon Forest.”

Dawn scooted closer as Moonjumper continued recounting the tale of Subcon Forest. “I learned it was a land of trade and travel, a land those who were lucky enough to travel went and came. And its citizens were truly exquisite. The princess, Vanessa, would make her famous pastries, play songs on her copper stringed violin and talk with all the children who all loved running around and wear animal masks, a tradition Subcon was well known for. The traditions with the masks were to ward off spirits and welcome the souls who were lost to somewhere safe. The prince, Lukas, would tell stories and was the sweetest soul you’d meet on this earth… yet that all changed.” Moonjumper hastily pulled his hand out of the lavender waters, soon holding himself as a way to shove some bad memories away. 

“I was a naive fool back then… I was the equivalent of a child… and nothing could have ever prepared me for what happened…” Dawn’s eyes lowered to the lake and then back at Moonjumper. “It’s okay… take your time MJ… it’s okay.” Dawn reassured… letting Moonjumper know that things were okay. Moonjumper sighed as he readied himself to continue the tale.

“It was a normal visit, until… the queen came out… clouds had come out and blocked the sun, white shaves of ice started to fall and things I had never seen before started to spread. For the first time I felt… painfully cold. The frost hurt, I shielded myself behind one of the homes and by the time I had opened my eyes… Subcon Village was gone. Just like that… I was confused… I was scared. I flew around and eventually found the manor… only to be greeted with huge blocks of ice. I eventually scaled those walls but it took more than one try.” Moonjumper then placed his hands on the ground, averting his gaze from Dawn to the lake once more. 

“When I got to the manor… I looked for Queen Vanessa! I looked for Prince Lukas! I knew I needed to somehow inform them that a snowstorm hit the village and covered it in ice and snow… Wh-what I found instead…” Moonjumper’s breath hitched, he soon started shaking from the memory that still haunted his thoughts.

“I found the prince’s body, defrosted and hung up with chains. Chained to the wall, an innocent man whom did no wrong had his life stolen. I didn’t know who had taken his life nor did I know where Vanessa was… I went to hug the prince or close his eyes in respect, still mourning the recent loss of the prince. I then suddenly phased through him, but not like how I phased through everyone else.  I could feel myself physically starting to get attached to his hollow corpse. I couldn’t pull my hand out! I screamed, yet I knew no one could hear me. I fought it, I had some succession but that only made it worse. And eventually… to my horror… I possessed the prince’s old body.” Dawn soon stopped thinking all together… so that explains what happened in the Memory Rift . 

“I broke the chains as best as I could… but I left in a haste. I ran out of the basement cellar with a panicked mind and very little time. I couldn’t think straight, everything I did at that point was a blur. I soon stopped once I fled the village and back to my tower. And to there I let the situation fully sink in.” Moonjumper stopped once more, soothing himself with shaky and uneven breaths.

“I then realized my ability to shapeshift as I watched my body morph into my original one… except the chains the the attire the prince had was something I now adorned. It was at that moment I created the Badge Seller… and I was a horrendous mess for many, MANY years. It wasn’t until 23 years ago where I stopped being harsh, bitter and unwelcoming. Something made me realize that I didn’t need to let my pain harm me the way it did. Maybe it was the children that I somehow did allow to visit me. Or the people I met on my travels… Whatever it was… without it, I wouldn’t be who I am now…” Moonjumper then looked at Dawn with a sorrowful look upon his face, Dawn had never seen Moonjumper cry, yet… here he was with tears welling up in his eyes. Tears of someone who has been through emotional torment that was centuries old.

“I pray you don’t think less of me dear… I wouldn’t hurt you nor your friends. I have no desire for your friends’ Time Pieces … I don’t want to be reverted back to a moment in time where I was like how I was back then EVER again. When I saw you in Mafia Town, when I saw you at the Mafia HQ… I couldn’t help but wonder why you were on your own or what had happened to you before you arrived here, especially from when I pulled you out of that nightmare… I hope you don’t wish to not be friends with me anymore…” Moonjumper soon felt a pair of arms around him, they were Dawn’s.

“MJ… I’m… SO sorry this happened to you. We… have a lot more in common than I thought. And… I’m sorry that happened to you.” Moonjumper went silent, without another word, he shut his eyes and hugged Dawn close to his heart. It didn’t stop him from letting out a quiet sob… it didn’t matter anymore. The young brunette just allowed her friend to grieve and let it all out. Dawn was a friend Moonjumper could count on and Moonjumper was the same for Dawn. They needed someone to talk to when things got overwhelming and coming to a place made of things real and not real… that was the blessing in disguise that brought them together.

Minutes ticked as hours slowly passed throughout the night, Dawn began to hum a song, one she remembered from a video game that could’ve been real somewhere else. And that’s all thanks to what Aunt Aliza called a dimensional leak , completely harmless little fragments from one world slipping into existence into another world. Mainly taking the form of books, comics, TV shows and video games. Dawn then hummed a song from a movie Rosalee would sing as a lullaby, the memories that came from it felt soothing with the wind. It’s almost as if she could hear her mom’s voice right here and now.

Dawn opened her eyes to see Moonjumper was the one who fell asleep this time, yet he didn’t fall over. The moon shaped spirit didn’t look stressed, sad or happy, he looked peaceful when he was asleep. Dawn then got an idea, she got up and went to the gazebo, grabbing some pens and rummaging around to find some paper. Dawn began to draw a picture, even if it wasn’t good. After finishing a somewhat decent pen drawing, the snowflake- clipped girl went to the meadow of flowers around the gazebo, picking some of the blue and white flowers to weave a flower crown. Once it was finished, Dawn went back to see the moon spirit still asleep. The snow queen gently placed the crown on Moonjumper’s head. “A crown fit for a king… I made it for you.” Dawn whispered, grinning tenderly. 

Moments later… Moonjumper awoke soon seeing the girl with the drawing in hand. “Here MJ, I hope you like it.” Dawn smiled sweetly while Moonjumper was taken aback. Slowly, but surely, he took hold of the girl’s drawing. It was a pen drawing of the Time Rift , the section before the snow. It also had a small drawing of the secret area in the second to last section. It was accurate from the bookshelves down to the coziness of it all, even if it was a pen sketch. Bella might’ve been more of the artist in the family but Dawn was an artist too in her own right. She just did it a little differently than Bella.

“Did you… make these?” Moonjumper questioned with an astonished look upon his face. Dawn nodded bittersweetly. “Yeah… I did. I thought you’d like it.” Dawn sat down cross legged, her emerald eyes looking troubled as she fidgeted with her hair. “ I thought maybe… I could try drawing something I saw from the Time Rift .” The cryokinesis prodigy explained, averting her gaze to the lake’s waters. “I… I told you I knew mostly everything. That I only knew things from a surface level. But it wasn’t just a Time Rift that showed us what happened to Subcon.” Moonjumper raised an eyebrow, confused. “Whatever do you mean, dear? Could you enlighten me?” 

Dawn nodded with a solem frown, now looking at the moon shaped spirit. “I… I uhm… I- we saw everything-! I was… we were there, kind of? But not really? There was more than just the Time Rift , Moonjumper…” Moonjumper let his worry paint his expression, this truly concerned him since Dawn was only a child . Come to think of it, they were all children , varying in age but still children. So this 11-year old girl shouldn’t have to carry this much on her shoulders alone, even with her friends at her side. Moonjumper slowly and gently placed a shackled hand on the snowflake-clipped girl’s shoulder.

“It’s alright, you can tell me. I won’t be mad at you, young one.” Dawn warily closed her emerald eyes, her expression looking as if she was going to unveil the world’s biggest secret. “It… the Time Rift didn’t end when we grabbed the Time Piece … at least we * THOUGHT * we grabbed it. We didn’t…” the snow queen explained, still fidgeting with some of her brunette locks. “And then… It showed us Subcon Forest, the original one. The one you knew… we saw the original village and I came to the conclusion it wasn’t a normal Time Rift . thought it was like another Time Rift within another Time Rift, but this time… more accurate? I just called it a Memory Rift. We could hear everything but we weren’t visible.”

Dawn added, soon putting her hand in the lavender waters, causing it to ripple and sway with her hand. “It was the day that-!” Dawn soon shuddered… remembering what she saw with full clarity. She remembered hearing the screams from the prince’s death. How Vanessa betrayed him and went completely insane. How their final kiss was the last stab in the back for The Prince, Snatcher. 

“I saw what happened that day, Moonjumper. The rift showed us… I-I saw what happened to Camila, to Vanessa, Snatcher… and especially you. I saw what happened before you told me the context, MJ… and now that you’ve told me, it just makes sense.” Dawn soon pulled her hand out of the water and huddled her knees close to her chest. “I don’t think I ever told you what happened in my nightmare when we first truly met…”

Dawn takes a deep breath, exhaling shakily but continuing regardless of fear. “My sister was hurt by some pretty bad people because she was different, because they feared her, her powers . She’s still alive but… I was kept in the dark and it hurt me in the end.” Dawn began to hiccup as hot tears started to well in her vision.

“I’m really sorry this happened to you Moonjumper… we were both hurt by things we couldn’t control. And it makes me hurt that I… that we both went through something like that.” Moonjumper’s face contorted with compassion… Dawn might’ve been a clever, sarcastic and playful person. A witty and clever prodigy…

But she was also just a kid , a little girl who was scared, a young lady who was brave. Yet that same girl had things that gravely weighed her down, just like how she was hurt by lies.

Without a word, the moon spirit pulled the snowflake-clipped girl close into his arms. “It is alright dearie… I’m right here as your friend. You don’t need to rely on just yourself alone. You have your family, friends and others who care about you deeply. Sure you were hurt by lies, while I was hurt by my own ignorance… yet you don’t need to carry on alone.”

Moonjumper soon saw the red string come down, it was time to go. “I’ll take you home, back to the spaceship. Your friends are waiting for you.” Dawn felt herself being hoisted with Moonjumper by the string. “You mean our friends. Hat and Bow are your friends too y’know?” Moonjumper chuckled at the comment, there was the tone he knew from Dawn. 

Once they were back on the ship, they walked back to where Dawn’s body was. “This is where we part, I hope to see you again later. Once you finish the contracts with your friends and are no longer in danger, I hope you visit The Horizon in the real world whenever you can.” Dawn smiled as Moonjumper placed her back onto the ground. “I hope to see you on the ship sometime when you can. I can probably show you some cool new things that I didn't get to show you last time.” Moonjumper chuckled as he placed a shackled hand over his face. “Me too, dearie. Me too. Now move along, your friends are waiting for you.” Dawn hugged Moonjumper tightly and said: “I’ll see you on the other side.” And with that, she went back to her body in a sleepless slumber. Moonjumper wasn't beside himself with the emotions he had before; when he reminisced and recited the story he had never told any soul, it felt good to get it out there. But now that it was told he felt... lighter. Like the burdens of knowing what he did were finally lifted.

“Wake up, get up-!” Dawn moaned in her sleep as she felt a cold hand poke her check. “Oh my pecking gosh she’s dead.” Dawn could hear a sound of someone’s face being face palmed. “No. She’s NOT Hattie. She’s just really outta it; probably visiting MJ again.” The voice which Dawn assumed to be Bow assumed. “Welp, we tried the nice way. Time for the hard way.” Dawn heard Hat running and jumping off the plank but it wasn’t off to the sea of pillows, she used it to flip and land on top of Dawn. Dawn jolted awake, if she was tired before, she wasn’t any more. “HAHA! Victory is mine!”

Dawn groaned as she laid awake with Hat on her back. “Good morning to you too, I guess.” Dawn chuckled as Hat got off of Dawn. The snowflake-clipped girl was soon pulled by Hat Kid’s hand, out of bed and rushing to the door with Bow Kid at their side.

“Com’on! Let’s make some breakfast!” The girls ran out of the room and into the living room/main hub area. The trio traversed up the mezzanine and opened the kitchen doors. “What should we have? Some cereal? Waffles? Uh- Cookies-?”

“COOKIES!!!!” Hat Kid Excitedly interrupted while Bow snickered at her sister’s excitement. Dawn didn’t mind the interruption, she was glad Hat and Bow’s were back to themselves, even after Vanessa’s Manor.

“No, You may not have cookies! You can’t spoil your breakfast!” Hat Kid pouted with her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish. “But wwwhhhyyyyy??? I want to have chocolate chip cookiesssss!! Or those brookies you brought!” Dawn smugly grinned, she tried not to cave-in but she couldn’t refuse. “Fine. But this is a one time thing for breakfast, capish? Don’t tell Cookie that I gave you guys these.”

The ribboned child and top hatted child giggled playfully. Dawn went to the fridge and realized that she was almost out of brookies. “Darn it! I should’ve packed more!” Dawn grumbled to herself, cursing that she didn’t have more. But it is what it is, and she had to make due for what she had.

Dawn broke a brookie in half for Hat and Bow to share while she broke one in half for herself. At least this way she had something of the treat she liked left before it was gone for good.

Later, the trio got dressed for the day, Dawn put on another outfit she brought with her, a shirt with a hood on the back and drawstrings that worked. It was still early so it was pretty cozy, since she couldn’t wear her original outfit that she had on yesterday.

After they got back from the manor, Hat and Bow got dressed for bed since their clothes were most likely filthy from the manor, and Dawn immediately put her jacket in the wash along with their clothes. Dawn didn’t put her clothes in the wash yet but she was going to. After picking out pjs she could change into, a cozy nightshirt and shorts, she finally put her clothes in with the others.

So: this outfit was a suitable substitute for the fact she couldn’t wear the outfit she liked wearing, at least she still had her boots. “Dawn, are you done? We’re about to teleport and we can’t leave without ya!” Hat Kid shouted from the door of the bedroom.

Dawn finished slipping on her boots by the time Hat came to get her. “Yep! Perfect timing actually!” Dawn then adjusted her pigtails quickly before running to Hat Kid. “Com’on! Lets go! We’ve got a grumpy noodle ghost to see. Maybe we can prank him this time!” Hat lit up with a mischievous giggle, whatever that ghost has in store this time would be interesting! It should be! After all: this was their last contract. 

“There you guys are! Come on! Who’s ready to pester a tall ghost?” Bow announced, excited that they were on their last contract with the shade.

The specter was going to give Hat and Bow’s souls back, after that, then what? Go to other places? Find more of the magical hourglasses?

Yeah, probably… but there was also another thing on Dawn’s mind: putting a stop to Mustache Girl, stopping her from hurting others and tricking them into using the Time Pieces for their own selfless or selfish desires.

No matter what they wanted to do with them, good or bad; it was hard to ignore that those magical artifacts caused a war on Hat and Bow’s home planet, Raehan, and could screw up time when broken. Why did the magical hourglasses do this? Dawn wasn’t fully sure yet.

All that she was sure of was that she would no longer be bound to seeing Snatcher’s Jack-o’-lanterned face lunging over them whenever he pleased again. Yet… a part of the snow queen felt like she was actually going to miss his weirdly endearing appearances or the times she’d bicker with him.

Sure; he was cocky and she always got annoyed with him, but she never actually hated him… sure she probably muttered a few times that she did, and ranted about how the specter got on her nerves more than once… but part of Dawn actually cared about Snatcher.

Was it because of the purple rift? Was it because of seeing only a fraction of the Subcon Forest’s past? The snowflake-clipped girl didn’t care, it didn’t matter what the reason was.

All she knew was that she cared about an arrogant and extremely eccentric ghost. Who, if she had to be honest (even though she would never directly admit it to him, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS.) saw him as not a ghost, but someone who probably, even without admitting it, started to care for them too… in his own odd but special way. 

Dawn was handed the teleporter and Dawn swiftly out in the location to Subcon Forest, right in front of Snatcher’s hollow tree. Dawn couldn’t wait to see the look on the specter’s face once they got to the forest, if she got to roast him today, that would make today even sweeter.

“Okie-doki artie-chokie! Time to hit the road! Here we go!” Hat and Bow cheered harmoniously. “Heck yeah! Let's go to Subcon!” Hat boisterously cheered as Bow clapped her hands together excitedly.

“Yeah! I can’t wait to see the look on Snatcher’s face once we beat all those contracts! I’m gonna miss the Subconites and the village though...” Dawn smiled sadly, she was going to miss Subcon Village’s residents dearly. They had all been so kind to her, it was going to be weird not seeing them.

“Let’s make this last mission in Subcon the BEST mission we can!” Dawn pressed the button on the teleporter that confirmed her choices. The familiar bright blue light started to envelop the trio, a friendly light that was harmless. And in the blink of an eye, the trio was gone.

Location: Subcon Forest, Snatcher’s Hollow Tree

The trio teleported in front of Snatcher’s tree, but once they went to pester him in this hollow tree, since he was most likely reading another comedically massive book. The former ghoul was surprisingly even there. Now that’s strange, where was he? He rarely leaves his tree unless there’s been a trap set off, that’s when it happened.

“Hey kids! Go down the road! Boss has a surprise for ya!” A Subconite called out in a jubilant excitement. They sounded like this was the first time Snatcher had a surprise for someone in ages! The trio followed the Subconite who led them down the dirt path.

“GOOOOOOOD MORNING!” A familiar echoey voice boomed throughout the forest. Dawn jolted back with a loud yelp, her emerald eyes soon landing on an excited Snatcher with a mailman cap placed on top of his ghostly head.

By his left, there stood the same Subconite from before, who was now standing by an old check in/check out machine, a time card system.

It was just like the one you’d see in the looney tunes cartoons and through the late 19th century. Snatcher cackled to himself, amused that he “scared” the snowflake-clipped girl and her friends.

“Are you ready to complete your contractual obligations?” Snatcher asked as he waved his noodly arms and held them together in a rush of excitement. Dawn, instead of scolding the ghost, started laughing profusely.

“Pft— Hahahahaha! You actually got me this time!” Dawn exclaimed as she doubled over laughing, confusing the specter greatly. “Hey- what’s so funny kiddo? Why are you laughing?” Dawn barley answered as she caught her composure. “It’s just- I wasn’t expecting you to do that and not lunge over us like you normally do!”

Dawn giggled as she looked at the confused specter, who placed a hand behind his ghostly head. “Well, I certainly didn’t expect you to react like that, kid.” Snatcher chuckled with his jack-o'lantern grin, Dawn couldn’t tell if it was out of annoyance or genuine delight.

“Well, don’t get used to that. Be glad I don’t feel like doing any of that today since today IS your friends’ last contract with me.” Dawn smiled that the ghost remembered that they were down to one last contract. “Well, tell us what we need to do Snatch.” Hat Kid gleefully pestered with a grin. Snatcher chuckled. “Slow down kiddo, I’ll gladly tell you!” The ghost boisterously announced.

“You see: I'm not heartless! Every so often I sneak into mailboxes and steal letters, then deliver them to my minions. That way it's almost like someone cares about them!” The shade explained as he waved his arms with a bone-chilling excitement. “But our last mailman has gone * poof *. You'll have to do!” Snatcher animated a proofing motion with his clawed hands, grinning with delight. However, it reminded the trio that the last contractor the towering ghoul mentioned all that time ago was in fact killed. Were they the first ones to make it this far?

Snatcher unclasped his hands and snapped his left hand. “I've got a 'gift' for the occasion. Although it requires a special kind of hat to use - I hope you've got it! Ha ha ha!”

Hat Kid and Bow Kid went and opened the box that laid before them. Carefully unraveling the ribbons to find a single badge: the scooter badge! Yet it looked to have been modified. “This badge is only a rental. I need it back before you leave! Remember to put it on your Sprint Hat, or it does absolutely nothing! HA HA HA HA HA!!” 

Hat and Bow pouted when Snatcher laughed at them again, he was almost mocking them at this point. “Just tell us what we need to do already.” Bow politely asked, trying to not sound irritated. “Alright! Fine! You’re taking the fun out of it, GEEZ!” Snatcher then cleared his “throat”, getting ready to explain the next half of their mission.

“All of the minions who are awaiting mail will have an icon above them, think of it as a little sign that they’re waiting on you to deliver. Once you're done, come back here and 'clock' out. Get it?” Snatcher gestured to the tile card system nearby. This got a wheeze out of Dawn. “That's awful! I love it. Hahahahahaha!” Hat and Bow’s started to snicker as well.

“Hey Ice, do you wanna put the badge on? I think you can drive a lot better than us.” Hat proposed, chuckling mischievously. Her small lips curled into the most smug grin Dawn had ever seen on the top hatted child’s face. It was fun, it was innocent and it was daring.

Dawn switched to her Sprint Backpack to the ghost’s surprise, it worked just like the sprint hat and activated the badge. A purple scooter, with a ghostly face painted onto it. It looked like the Subconites worked on painting and decorating it themselves. On the back was a sack of al the stolen mail strapped to the back with rope.

Dawn’s smile widened as she hopped onto the scooter giddily. This was EXCITING! Snatcher actually gave them a fun mission this time! “Go Ice! Go fast!” Hat demanded, hopping onto the vehicle and standing behind Dawn. “Yeah! Do it like how you jumped the bridge! Come on! Lets gooooo!!!!” Bow egged on thanks to Hat’s infectious excitement. Dawn cranked the gas smugly, she knew what she was doing. “Okie doki! I gotcha! Let’s-a-go!!” Dawn hit the gas on the magical scooter and the girls went scootin’ though Subcon Forest.

Hat and Bow howled as the zoomed though the woods, stopping occasionally to give mail to all of the Subconites. Dawn remembered the contract only said to deliver mail to ten of them, but the trio unanimously decided to deliver mail to them all. They went to the part of the forest that was on fire, then near the swamp which they had fun navigating through the trees and bridges. Then the trio excitedly rushed though the part where the statues were and delivered some mail there! It was thrilling!

“Woohoo! That was AWESOME!” Hat yelled as they zoomed down the dusky path, soon stopping at the old bridge to the old village and manor.

Dawn did something she wasn’t sure was going to work but gave it a try: she made an ice bridge under the scooter, to which it surprisingly worked.

Albeit, they had to go slow but it was better than nothing from a first attempt. Cautiously riding into the old frozen towns square, the scooter came to a halt. “Camila? Camila I know you’re there! Can we talk?” Dawn called out, and to her surprise the ghostly woman with roses and thorns appeared. “Rosebuds! I didn’t think you would tread back here.” The Florist gasped with the faintest hint of a smile, yet she was still wary over their safety.

Dawn hopped off the scooter as she grabbed a letter from the blue bag. “Snatcher stole mail, again. At least that’s what he said but-!” Dawn pressed her lips into a thin line, Hat and Bow soon joining her side.

“We… We wanted to thank you for escorting us across the bridge when we came back yesterday. And if you want, you can come into the current Subcon Village and chat with us and the Subconites.” Dawn proposed as the Florist took the letter with a saddened look on her ghostly face. “I’d love to, but… Vanessa could still get out if I leave my post.”

“It’ll be quick! Bow, Dawn and I will make sure of it!” Hat Kid abruptly interjected, doing her best to convince the ghostly woman to come and get away from the stress for a while. Camila sighed and pulled her braid over her shoulder, fidgeting with some of the thorns and flowers laced in it. Bow Kid offered her hand with a gentle smile, the same one Dawn remembered giving her the day they met.

To say Dawn was touched that the ribboned girl remembered how she held her hand out to her all that time ago would be an understatement. It made the snow queen flutter with joy.

The group traversed over the snowy bridge, never looking back at where the heavy gates that lead to the manor stood. At least the ice witch was still there and they were safe. Snatcher was safe, the Florist was safe and so was the rest of Subcon Forest.

If Dawn could yeet the ice witch to the sun, she would. She’d make sure that the shadowy woman never froze or took another soul EVER again if push came to shove. Soon they arrived at Subcon Village, to where they were greeted by many of the Subconites, surprised to even see Camila away from her post of guarding Vanessa, but in a good way.

“My, my! If it isn’t Camila, Subcon’s best Florist.” The Badge Seller, Moonjumper, called out with a jubilant voice. Camila chortled as she looked at the Badge Seller. “Good day to you as well, Moonjumper. I see you’ve taken a liking to these three rosebuds, huh?”

The Badge Seller slightly removed his mask, revealing the same face Dawn had seen when he first unveiled himself, now that face adorned a playful grin. “Indeed I have dear Camila. They’re good children, I knew you’d like them instantly.” The Badge Seller chuckled as he leaned on his staff a tad.

“I also believe that it's a good omen that you came out, Florist. No one has properly spoken to you in years. You still have those you can interact with, you don’t need to stay at your post 24/7. It’s exhausting… even as a ghost, I know you’re exhausted.”

Camila darts her gaze away with a breathy chuckle. “You could tell, huh? Heh… guess I can’t hide anything from you, Moonjumper.” The two friends continued to chat as the trio handed out mail.

“This is awesome! It’s been so long since we’ve gotten mail! Thank you newbies! Thank you so much! This is the best day ever!!” One minion rejoiced, delighted to receive the letters and packages the trio delivered to them. Then it hit Dawn, she remembered Snacther’s words from before…

“… Every so often I sneak into mailboxes and steal letters, then deliver them to my minions. That way it's almost like someone cares about them!” …

Snatcher really meant that… It was a statement that was sarcastic, sure, but he was telling the truth. The ghoul wasn’t wrong about the letters, the letters made the Subconites feel unforgotten, made them feel like they mattered to someone out there. Anyone not in this haunted forest.

The snowflake-clipped girl then devised a plan, this was their last day! The least they could do was have some fun! Dawn summoned the mail scooter again and handed Hat Kid the regular scooter badge.

“Com’on! Let's race! The Subconites can borrow the other scooter and we can race y’all to the end of the river!” Dawn challenged with a grin, the Subconites looked delighted as two of them got onto the scooter Dawn wasn’t sitting on. “I’m driving this one! Prepare to lose!” The Subconite chuckled as the race began.

Dawn knew the scooter could exist without the driver being on it, it just took something hitting it for it to poof out of existence. They drove around the village as the other Subconites cheered. Dawn, Hat and Bow were in the lead, they were almost there!

“We’re gonna make it! We- AAAUUGHHHH!!!!” They made it alright, but they didn’t exactly stop. The scooter sent them crashing into the moat that was the river, causing the scooter to poof out of existence.  “Are you okay newbies?” The Subconite still on the scooter called out, concerned for the trio. Hat Kid arose flailing her arms until she was afloat, her top hat floating in the water.

“That was awful.” Hat coughed as soon as she hauled herself to shore, Bow Kid coming out of the water with a gasp behind her. “Gah-! Who in the heck taught you how to slam the brakes, Ice? A Mafia goon??” Bow teased as she plopped herself onto the dry land. Dawn was the last one to break from the waters, panting as she let out a dry chortle.

“Next time, don’t slam the brakes next to the moat. That SUCKED!” Hat pouted as she snatched her top hat out of the waters. “If that noodle ghost’s nice enough to warm us up, I’d like that before we leave.” Dawn moaned as she made a mental note to not crash next to the river next time.

The minions that were on the scooter slid down the hillside to where the trio laid, wordlessly coaxing them to come with them to dry off. Without forethought, the girls accepted the generous offer. “Thanks for helping us out of there guys!” Hat Kid giggled with a cheerful smile, the Subconites grabbed some spare cloaks as blankets and wrapped the trio in them. Dawn let her backpack thaw out, even if it was waterproof (which she’s still grateful about.) Hat Kid had her cape and top hat off while Bow was no longer wearing her green sweater.

It was generous that the Subconites let them dry off before collecting the Time Piece. If Dawn had something to dry her off quicker, she would’ve asked to hold Silvia’s only tangible flame, a flame that embers a bright purple, a flame that burns even hotter than a bright blue.

The Subconites lit the previously extinguished fire left by the Fire Spirits, they didn’t need it but the girls did. “Hey newbies, this should help you dry off faster.” Hat and Bow were mesmerized by the flame, huddling around the bonfire to keep warm and dry off from the early morning air. 

Dawn on the other hand watched the Subconite place the lamp back onto its hook. If they didn’t need to be warm, why was it there? “Hey um… excuse me?” Dawn called out to them, they turned around to meet her emerald gaze with ease. “Yeah kid? What is it?” The Subconite asked, making their way towards the brunette. Dawn adjusted herself onto the forest floor, crossing her legs to keep warm. “Why do you have the lanterns around the village?” The Subconite cocked their head before they understood the snowflake-clipped girl’s question.

“Ohhh! You mean Snatcher’s flames? ” The minion asked to clarify what Dawn was asking. The flames around the forest… They were Snatcher’s!? Was that why the part of the forest completely engulfed by flames wouldn’t go out even with Dawn’s snow?

Dawn gave the Subconite a firm nod, confirming what her question was. “Heheheh, thought one of you would ask eventually!” The Subconite “grinned”, though… Dawn wasn’t sure if they actually did grin or not because she could never see their face. The only things that allowed her to know how any of the Subconites felt was based on their posture, body language, and voice. And right now she could be safe to assume they were smiling.

“Well kid, it’s simple really! Snatcher has lanterns everywhere! Even the part of the forest that's eternally on fire! It’s all thanks to the boss! And if the flames or lanterns went out then… well uhm…” The Subconite paused as they longingly looked out. Dawn looked at her hands, knowing her powers and remembering that wretched shadow woman… Vanessa.

“Because— you need them to keep Vanessa away? So she doesn’t freeze the rest of Subcon?” The minion tensed your but then remembered that the trio had now seen her wrath just like everyone else in Subcon Forest.

“Yeah… that’s right, newbie. It’s why we were thankful you didn’t freeze us! You two have the same powers but you seem different from her so- you get a pass… I guess. Though I doubt the boss would like them. He’s seen her power corrupt her first hand!” Dawn closed her eyes, then looked at the Subconite as she made a snowball in her hand. Soon she placed it on the ground and made two smaller snowballs to place on top.

“Uh- what’s this supposed to be kid?” “A mini snowman.” The minion chuckled, perhaps her abilities were harmless after all. Still dangerous to foes, sure but Dawn was still a kid that wanted to have fun with her powers, share it with others even. The Subconite poked the small snowman and relaxed around the small structure.

“Well, I guess this is nice. Uh- thanks newbie.” Dawn giggled with a childish smile. A smile that was like a fun snow day where kids would laugh and have snowball fights. That’s the same laughter and grin Dawn had, that’s who she was. She would never be like Vanessa because she never was like her. They have the same powers, but they don’t have the same heart.

After the trio dried off Dawn hoisted her backpack back onto her back while Hat and Bow’s placed what they laid to dry back on. The Subconites were happy they were alright as the embers of the bonfire were finally extinguished with water from the river. Before the trio was set to leave, they were surrounded by every Subconite in Subcon Forest.

“You’re gonna leave after this… right?”

“Will we ever see you guys again?”

“Is there anything you’d like us to do before you go?”

All the Subconites questioned, talking over one another as they wanted to know the answers right then and there.

“Simmer down everyone, don’t crowd them.” Camila quelled the Subconites, glancing back at the trio. Unexpectedly she lowered herself to the ground to meet them at their level. “You… didn’t have to bring me out of my duties… but you did. You’ve given me one of the best days I’ve had since I died all those years ago, when…”

“Subcon fell?” Dawn whispered, completing the statement as the entire crowd fell silent. That’s when Moonjumper shapeshifted out of his regular Badge Seller disguise and into his true form. Whispers and concerns spread throughout the crowd like wildfire, until Moonjumper raised a chained hand.

“Quiet down o children of Subcon. May your voices hush and your attention land on thee.” Moonjumper hushed as the crowd’s eyes landed onto him.

“Thy children nay part of Subcon’s Villange ought not to be feared. ‘Tis thee children know of thy truest of terrors methinks, meknows, yes… ‘tis true. Thy beast lurking in the depths of ice and snow. Nay blunders were made in her chambers on that frozen shore, they know our truth and see it for what it truly is.” Moonjumper concluded as quickly as he began.

This was a shock to Dawn, Hat and Bow, Dawn had rarely heard Moonjumper fully speak in a more Shakespearean tone… it was probably why she shifted back to his normal form, to tell the group that they knew what had happened to Subcon.

The Florist’s hand was taken by Moonjumper’s. Camila soon rose shortly after her hand was taken by the moon shaped spirit. “So they know that Vanessa… did all of this…?” Moonjumper nodded. “The Time Rift is truly at fault. But none of us could’ve predicted it landing where it did. They know as much as we do.”

The Florist turned to the kids and lowered herself to their level once more, before long she took the kids into a hug. “I’m sorry you had to see that, rosebuds. You’re young, too young to see such horrific things.” Dawn froze…

The Florist hugging the three of them was the last thing Dawn had expected. Without warning, Hat and Bow hugged back tightly. “We’re sorry you went through what you did… I don’t know why that mean shadow lady did what she did… I hope she doesn’t leave that manor and stays far away from here.” Hat spoke out, speaking from the heart.

“Yeah… Hattie’s right. I don’t wanna see that lady freeze Subcon more than where she’s stuck at. She’s mean… and not nice like you guys are. And she almost hurt Dawn. She’s really scary too…” Bow added as she nuzzled her face in Camila’s apron. Camila soon undid the hug and looked at Dawn.

“You must feel lost, Dawn. That she’s your polar opposite… you have ice powers and so does she. Moonjumper filled me in case you were wondering.” The Florist soon let out a long sigh as Dawn watched the ghostly woman close her eyes.

“I’m sorry you and your friends had to see Vanessa. She used to be a lovely woman, before things drove her to insanity… if there’s another way I could explain it- I would.” Without warning, Dawn hugged the Florist this time. “It’s okay… I get it. Vanessa’s a jerk… but I honestly prefer Snatcher over her anyday! Screw her!”

Camila chuckled, and soon the whole village was sharing a laugh. It was as if everyone in the forest was connected at that moment, there was no scary ice witch, no grumpy bookworm in an old tree house… just a group of people sharing a heartfelt laugh, laughter that was better than the trauma. Laughter that was more powerful than anything anyone could throw at them.

Minutes ticked by as the group laughed away, if there was still a working clock, it would’ve rang like the sweetest silver bell. When they had to prepare for departure, there was an encore of a farewell.

“Bye newbies!” “Bye! Come back soon!” “We’ll miss you!” All the Subconites cheered with joy. Dawn adjusted her hands on the scooter and ushered Hat and Bow to her side. Dawn took one last look at Subcon Village, one last look at the Subconites, the Florist, Moonjumper. Dawn let tears fall from her emerald eyes… This was truly goodbye, but not goodbye for good.

“Goodbye everyone, I’ll miss you. We’ll be back soon.” The snowflake clipped girl grinned as she started the gas on the scooter, sending them off with a bittersweet farewell. “Bye guys! Bye Moonjumper! Bye Camila! We’ll be back soon!” Hat Kid shouted, waving as they drove off. “I’ll make sure to get a letter to you guys somehow! That way I won’t forget you guys!” Bow Kid added, waving as Subcon Village became enveloped in the fog. Was this the end of Subcon Forest’s mystery? Yes, it was… but was it the end of visiting Subcon? No, it wasn’t. They still had one last ghoul to deal with.

♪ ☆* *☆♪

The scooter hummed as the village was no longer in sight. It was a bittersweet farewell but now they had a new task at hand. When the time card system was in their sights, they knew the mission was over. But what was odd was that there was a note along with the Time Piece , yet that wasn’t the strangest part. What made it so peculiar was that Snatcher was nowhere in sight. Something was definitely wrong. Where’d the all powerful and annoying soul stealing ghost wander off to? His hollow tree? Some other part of the forest they haven’t seen yet? To be fair Subcon Forest was MASSIVE ; so he could’ve been anywhere. Hat picked up the Time Piece while Bow picked the note up. Guess it was time to finally clock out. The withered yet legible note read: 

“Come to the place where you did your last contract before this one. Hope you clocked out because that means you can now receive your last Time Piece.

—Snatcher”  

“Welp- I guess he just wanted to make this official, huh?” Hat joked with a smug grin. The snowflake-clipped girl stared at the note perplexed. There’s no way he can give it to them THAT easily. The ghoul was stubborn. More stubborn than a mule in Dawn’s humble opinion.“Uhm… then what do we do about this badge? Leave it here?” Bow questioned aloud to where there was no answer. There were no words exchanged as Dawn gestured to Bow to hand her the delivery scooter badge as she silently placed it on top of the time card machine. “Come on, let’s go guys. I think Snatcher’s waiting where we fought that dumb outhouse last time.” Dawn stated as she summoned the regular scooter.

The cryokinieses prodigy swung her boot over the magical vehicle as Bow Kid hopped on behind her. To their surprise, Hat Kid didn’t follow like she usually did. “Hattie, you coming?” Now called out as Hat looked at her, cerulean eyes meeting magenta ones. “Yeah, I’m coming. Just taking in that we’re leaving this place. I’m gonna miss it.” Hat Kid sadly stated, pressing her lips into a thin line shortly after. Bow Kid climbed off the scooter and hugged the top hatted child. “Me too… I’m gonna miss Subcon. But we can always find a way to come back, can’t we?” Bow Kid tugged her lips into a smile, before she started to tickle her sister playfully.

“Now come on! Let's see that smile of yours! Smiling’s good for you!” “Hahahahaha! Okay! Okay! I get it! Hahahahahaha!” The way Hat laughed made Dawn start to laugh as well. Remembering to laugh was certainly a good thing, even in these trying times. “Alright, alright! Let’s go before Snatcher pounces us himself! I wanna get the jump on him this time!” Dawn announced triumphantly as the girls hopped onto the scooter. Soon they drove off into the unknown. The final encounter with Snatcher was something that would end their adventure in Subcon and lead them one step closer to stopping Mustache Girl once and for all. 

The drive through Subcon Village to get to where their previous mission had gotten them was interesting. Sure they had to take the back route but seeing all the Subconites laughing and playing made them girls smile when they rode on by. Soon enough they arrived at the cliffside, the same place Dawn made an ice bridge while Hat and Bow swung from above. Now that same bridge technique would be used right here and now as the trio slowly guided across the ice bridge that materialized to where the last contract that took place. Whatever happened now, there was no turning back. They were truly at the point of no return. And whatever happened next? They would be ready for whatever it had to throw at them. 

Location: Creepy Grounds, Subcon Forest

The trio eventually made it past the bridge and now stood where the last contract had taken place with that possessed (and honestly pretty creepy) outhouse. “Snatcher!” Hat called out, hopping off the scooter with Bow by her side. “Oh Mr. Snatcher! We’re here to say goodbye to you and claim that Time Piece !” Bow playfully called out to where there wasn’t a response… huh, now that’s odd.

Dawn changed her backpack back to normal as the scooter poofed out of existence. “Yo! Snatch! Where are ya?” Dawn called as the trio marched through the terrain of the battlefield. An ivory glimmer caught their gaze, an all too familiar magical hourglass that tampered with time: The Time Piece . What became a search for the ghostly ghoul became an ominous offering with the very last hourglass in Subcon. If something wasn’t up a few moments ago, something was definitely up now. Something was wrong, really wrong. And the snowflake-clipped girl wasn’t going to stick around to find out what. Yet even if she wanted to leave, she couldn’t, they had an artifact to retrieve.

Hat Kid ran towards the magical hourglass with Bow Kid and Dawn not too far behind her. The clatter of the trio’s boots rang with the stone tiled floors that were cemented beneath them. That was until it came to a halt with a familiar dastardly voice. “Wait up, kid.” Snatcher called out. “Remember how the old contractor had his head pop off?” The ghoul finished with a humorless tone. It stopped the trio in their tracks because he hadn’t given an indication that he had come. There were no ghostly chimes, traps or anything; he came without a sound.  The trio turned to look at Snatcher, looming in the same place the possessed outhouse once stood.

 “That wasn't a coincidence.” The ghoul stated; soon turning away from them. His voice remained humorless but it still had that charm and sarcasm to it. “Well… yeah Snatcher. We know that but-…” Hat Kid paused as her grin started to fade slightly. “What… what happened to his head… Snatcher?” Bow Kid timidly questioned, her grip tightening on her umbrella handle until they became white.

The ghost gave off a scoff to the bow-wearing child’s question. “It… popped off the moment he stopped being useful to me.” Snatcher soon turned his ghostly head towards the trio, burning his yellow gaze into cerulean, magenta and emerald eyes. “And guess who else just became obsolete?” Snatcher sardonically snarled with his burning glare, staring right through them. Dawn knew the answer… she knew it too well. Yet none of them had the guts to say what was the truth. This was a betrayal … but it didn’t feel like one. It felt like he was lashing out or denying whatever trust had been built and pushing it all away for protection.

That’s why when he started to coldly scoff, it didn’t come as much as a surprise. “That's right. You.” He snarled, boring a deathly glare into them while the earth began to slightly tremble beneath them. He was so calm, collected and different from how he’d usually be with them. That eccentric dastardly ghost, the ghoul who knew how to mess with them. The soul stealing jerk who’s been stealing souls for decades. Yet: here he just looked like someone trying to get by with what’s been handed to him through hardship and struggles. A man, a prince who lost his kingdom to a heartless ice witch.

The trio didn’t have a chance to respond as Snatcher dryly laughed away, his clawed hand covering part of his Jack-o’-lantern face. “Now that that possessed outhouse isn't bothering me anymore, and all those contracts of yours are tidied away…” The ghoul paused, his tone shifting from mischievous and playful to cold and serious. “I don't need you around.” He stated matter of factly. The glare he gave was like an icy tundra. It was so cold it would probably out-freeze Vanessa’s blizzard. “Well… this ISN'T how I expected our goodbye to go. But if you really wanna do this we can do it some other time. We can just-!”

“Wait. Let me finish, kid. It’s rude to interrupt someone when they’re still talking.” Snatcher scolded menacingly, while Dawn took a faint step back. “Besides, you didn't think I was gonna let you keep all these Time Pieces, did you?” Snatcher’s grin became wider than before, causing Hat Kid to yank her umbrella out along with Bow Kid. Snatcher started to tower over the trio menacingly, cackling with a booming voice.

“They fell in my forest, kid! They belong to ME.” The specter shouted with a horrid grin. That grin made Dawn tense up more than she had ever been in her life. But that’s not what made Dawn tense up the most; what made the cryokinesis prodigy freeze is when the ghoul violently ( and quite literally ) snatched Hat Kid’s top hat, firmly placing it on his head. “HEY! GIVE THAT-!” 

Hat Kid tried to protest but they were soon overshadowed with a storm. The shade’s storm that Snatcher always had followed him when he arrived, was harsher than ever before this point. Bow Kid went to her friend and looked up with fear and anger… he was going to fight them and he wasn’t planning on leaving them alive. Snatcher's face stated to twitch violently and this freaked the snowflake-clipped girl beyond belief. This was going to be the most intense battle of her life.

If there was epic boss music that could’ve played, it would’ve done so by now. “Time you saw what I'm really capable of, kid. Say goodbye to that little head of yours!” Snatcher yelled as the darkness unveiled itself to the transformed battlefield trapped in the storm. The Subconites watched and cheered from afar while Snatcher was in the ring with them. The final battle in Subcon had just begun.

Snatcher swooped his hands down as rings formed on the battlefield. Dawn realized the white ring was letting them know they had a limited amount of time to get the heck out of dodge! And if Hat Kid couldn’t use her hat, then Dawn wouldn’t use the magical backpacks that allowed her to do all of the same things Hat Kid and Bow Kid could do. It’s not like they worked in this storm anyhow. But her ice powers could work! So that’s exactly what Dawn did. Dawn stomped hard as ice formed to get them out of the way, the ice shattering when it came in contact with the explosions. An explosion then erupted in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. Snatcher soon summoned most of his minions as they became something similar to what the Mafia had done for their boss all that time ago. When the groups were starting to spin, only one word was screeched out or Hat Kid. “JUMP!” That’s all she needed for her friends to get out of the way to safety.

This was just a twisted game of jump rope, except this time it was with the dastardly ghost and the Subconites were the jump rope. What was weird at this moment was that Snatcher wasn’t turning that faint blue the other “bosses” had turned or even physically indicating that he was open to attack. Snatcher soon cackled at the trio’s distress and bewilderment. “You're probably waiting for me to turn blue , aren't you?” Snatcher chortled as he brushed a claw in the rim of Hat Kid’s top hat. “Well- it would be NICE if you gave us a chance to fight back!” Dawn shouted in annoyance, her face flustering with a rosy red. “Sorry kiddo, blue doesn't suit me. And I guess that makes me invincible, huh? That's too bad! HA HA HA HA HA HA! ” Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s eyes widened. “HEY! THAT’S CHEATING , YOU CAN'T DO THAT!” Hat Kid protested in fury.

“Too bad! So sad! I didn’t make the rules kid! You should have thought it through when you signed your soul away to save the snowflake brat over there!” Snatcher cackled as blue potions appeared, circling him like they were part of him. “Let's try some of these!” Snatcher snided devilishly, when the first one dropped, it shattered wherever they were. “SCATTER! He can’t get us all at once!” Bow Kid shouted as she ran with her umbrella out. Hat Kid and Dawn followed her plan as all the beakers shattered to the floor. “HA! Is that all you got ya big noodle jerk?” Dawn triumphantly taunted to where Snatcher painted an even more cynical grin on his jack-o’-lanterned face.  “Not enough? Let's try 1,000!” Dawn’s face went static. “FRICK! ME AND MY BIG FAT MOUTH.” 

Dawn cursed as Hat Kid scowled when they ran all around the battlefield. “WELL, THEN WHY DID YOU PROVOKE HIM TO THROW MORE!?” Hat Kid yelled as she kept rolling and sprinting to avoid the attacks. “THAT WASN'T THE PLAN! I WAS TAUNTING HIS SORRY BUTT! NOT PROVOKING HIM!” Dawn shot back, still trying to get away from all of the chaos shattering around them. “She was Hattie- But that doesn’t matter anymore! So knock it off you two! We’ve gotta focus on NOT DYING!!!” Bow scolded as the last of the attacks dropped. If it wasn’t intense before, Dawn’s overconfidence might’ve amped it up a couple notches.

“Too many, eh? Let's try just one!” A single attack only tracked where Hat Kid was, and didn’t break when she got out of the way. Well, this certainly didn’t give them a slither of hope and a way to actually beat this. Snatcher looked even more dumbfounded than the trio did, if Dawn could keel over laughing at his expression, she could’ve done it by now! Because this little slip up most certainly bruised his ego. “Wait, hold on. That one should totally have hit you!” Snatcher hissed as the potion was picked up once more.

“Welp- I’m safe to say it was- well… un- BREAK -able! It was such a shattering reveal! AYYYYEEEEE! ” Dawn exclaimed in a sarcastic voice with finger guns pointing at the ghoul. Hat and Bow snickered at the joke to Snatcher’s displeasure. “Why you disrespectful little- GGGRRRRR!!” Snatcher snarled as the beaker started to follow the trio; “Come on, give it a chance!” And a chance they didn’t give it as it shattered to the floor. This was the turning point of the fight. Maybe now they have a chance to fight back!

“You’re kinda rude, aren’t you?” Snatcher groaned as he prepared the jump rope-like attack with the Subconites. They spun around as the blasts from the first attack began to erupt and shake the earth. Dawn kept moving while Hat and Bow jumped over it and moved when the blasts occurred. One, two, three, four blasts went off as the ground shook with the flames. Five, six, seven, eight, the blasts continued until they stopped at eight. Snatcher launched himself into the ground and started to mimic the trio’s appearances presumably out of spite. “This is how you look! You’re an idiot!” “And you smell!” Dawn tried whacking at the shadow clones to no avail. Hat and Bow barely got a hit on them as they tried to do the same thing. “Okay. Now you’re just being salty! I’m unsatisfied and my day is ruined. SO UNCOOL!!! ”

Snatcher cackled at the frustration in Dawn’s voice when pulling himself out of the ground, the shadows disappearing along with it. “ There she is! That disrespectful kid I met all that time ago! Being uncool in your eyes is more fun anyway!” Snatcher taunted as the potions started to circle him- OH HECK THOSE WERE A LOT. “Dawn! This way!” Bow Kid shouted as the trio traversed throughout the battlefield. Scattering about to make sure they wouldn’t be hit. Dawn used her ice to move more quickly while Bow and Hat used the same sprinting strategy from before. Groups of potions were thrown at once, yet just like before… one didn’t break. Perfect timing.

“Hey! Top Hat!” Dawn quipped with a shout, catching Hat Kid’s attention while Snatcher started his minion jump rope attack again. “Augh-! Remember when the noodle jerk dropped a potion and it didn’t break and it was meant to land on ya?” Hat Kid nodded as her ocean gaze soon caught the glowing potion on the ground. “OOOOOHHH!!! Dawn, you pecking genius!” Hat Kid smugly grinned as she flipped over the Subconites. One flip, two flips, three flips closer. Five flips, six flips and the potion was in the top hatted child’s grasp. “HEY! SNATCHER!”

Snatcher briefly stopped his next wave of potions that were ready to drop, that was until Hat Kid literally turned the tables on him by throwing his own attack at him! The thick blue liquid covered the ghost from head to tail. If there was a record scratch, it would’ve been heard by now! “HA! Who’s laughin’ now?!” Dawn wheezed, holding her sides from laughing so hard. Bow Kid joined the snowflake-clipped girl in the laughter, grinning smugly. “Not so tough now, are you?” Bow snickered to a surprisingly dumbfounded Snatcher.

“… Did you just color me blue with my own attack?” Snatcher stated with bewilderment as he tried to flick some of the substance off of him, what was even more shocking than the plan working is what the potion did to him. That the blue substance actually made him somewhat— tangible …? The moment that the idea materialized the more it started to click. Whatever was in that substance made Snatcher less transparent; which could mean-! “This can't count, right? Surely this doesn't count!?” Snatcher objected, grinning in irritation as his left eye slightly twitched. He wasn’t about to be beaten by three kids, not without a fight. “Uh- I’m pretty sure it does buddy! You said it yourself!” Bow Kid affirmed, making Snatcher’s vexation even more apparent.

“You weren’t turning blue, and you said it was because you were invincible! But now that you’re blue-!” “WE CAN TAKE YOU DOWN!” Hat Kid interrupted but got Bow Kid’s general point across, frustrating the soul stealing ghost even MORE than before! “That does it, time to DIE.” Snatcher’s echoey voice boomed and shook the arena with a threatening aura. But this time; there was a chance that they could actually win this! 

The fight resumed with the attacks zooming at them faster than ever before. The blast attacks circled in three points of the battlefield, it was first close to Snatcher before it spread out in three different locations. Soon the room went dark as Snatcher winked his left eye before two Snatchers towered over them to pounce them. Hat and Bow aimed for the one on the right while Dawn actually smacked the real Snatcher with her umbrella on the left. “WHAT THE- HOW’D YOU DO THAT!?” Hat Kid quickly asked as Snatcher prepared another attack. “I think it’s when he winks- like which eye he uses he shows up on that side with the twin attack?” Dawn losely guessed based on what she saw as the circles indicating the next attack were about to erupt. Four blasts erupted as the trio were able to get out of the way before it could cause any real damage. Then bright red rings started to form and erupt from where they were currently standing.

Dawn only had one thing in mind, and that was a strategy she did in a video game that might actually WORK here. “HAT! BOW! FOLLOW ME!” Dawn yelled as she ran to the outer side of the field, the two kids following soon after. “This plan of yours BETTER work before we get plummeted by those crazy explosions!” Hat Kid insisted in a panic, trying her best to keep up with Bow Kid. Dawn took the girl’s hands and started to run when the explosions occurred from behind, and like jumping though the jump rope, the girls jumped through the explosions that passed by, allowing them to get out unscathed.

“PHEW- THAT WAS CLOSE!” Hat Kid exclaimed in relief. “Yeah- too close but it’s not over yet Hattie!” Bow Kid reminded as Snatcher started to rapidly teleport on the battlefield, causing shockwaves and the hatless child and the ribboned child to fall down. Bow and Hat might’ve been strong in their own fields of expertise, but this fight was different. It was more magic based than they were used to.

Dawn then had an idea to even out the playing field, a trick she’d used in all of the previous fights. Giving a little boost . “Hey top hat! Ribbons! Need a boost?” The duo looked at Dawn when Snatcher stopped teleporting for a moment and grinned.

“HECK YEAH!” “YES PLEASE!” The two kids ran as Dawn gave Bow Kid a boost first and then Hat Kid. They both attacked the specter with their umbrellas thanks to the boost. Now the battlefield was evened out. Snatcher teleported away and blew his attacks once more, each one erupting faster than the last. The twin attack was easily foiled much to the specter's dismay: now things were getting real desperate, the attack points circled the battlefield becoming faster and more unpredictable.

The chain of attacks felt like they went on for hours. Every teleport shockwave that would disrupt the balance, every circling blast and chain of explosions created to throw them off their game proved to be the challenge… that was until the three of them landed the final blow. Dawn used her ice to create a ramp for her and her friends to run up and send them flying towards the ghost. With three colorful umbrella hits, the ghost was sent back flying! The fight had officially concluded, they had won.

A starkwhite light enveloped them all, it was eerily quiet… there was nothing, not even the usual sounds of the Subcon Forest. No hum of the mushrooms nor the wind that calmly blew by. Not a single Subconite or the sounds of the swamp or the gushing river that came from the Subcon Well. Just the huffing and puffing from a ghost who had been handed his dignity to him, beaten and bruised on a silver platter. The sneak attack they wanted to pull did end up happening after all. Hat Kid was the first one to get up out of the trio, seeing Snatcher’s body waver from possibly a ghost’s version of exhaustion. Bow Kid was the second one to stand to her feet, walking to the top hatted child and gazing upon the ghost before them. Dawn was the last one to rise to her feet, her boots tapping the floors with a slight echo. Without a word said, the silence was enough to tell them to go to the ghostly shade.

"*huff* *huff* You're such a disrespectful young lady. All three of you are.” Snatcher huffed as the three girls walked closer, not saying a word. To say none of them didn’t feel bad for wrecking his ego would be saying they didn’t somewhat care for the ghost at all. “I feel... so weak... *huff*” The shade’s voice distorted at the end, it sounded less… echoey at the end? The snowflake-clipped girl wasn’t sure how to explain it. They were many steps closer than they were before to where Snatcher laid on his hands and ‘knees’.

“Please.. *huff* have mercy…” Snatcher asked but there was no response, they came closer and closer to the contracting ghost. The steps kept at the same pace and never slowed down. “Please… HAVE A SEAT. ” Snatcher boomed as he shockingly flew at them faster than he had ever done before. Causing all three of them to jump in a panic. Forcefully; he sat the three of them on a bench he summoned with an agitated expression upon his ghostly face. “HEY! WHAT THE FRICK-!”

“SHUT IT KIDDO. LET ME TALK!” Snatcher angrily interrupted Dawn with a scowl. “All these Time Pieces landed in MY forest. They are MY property.” Snatcher viciously roared in vexation. Soon he made a contract appear in front of them, fountain pen and all. “So, let's make a deal, young ladies. You get out of my forest, and we never see you again. How's that sound for a deal?” Snatcher grimaced with an irate stare.

“This is- THIS STUPID! Totally bullfrick and so full of frack!” Dawn protested, but the more she did, the worse it got. “Not a fan? Too bad! You don't make the calls here.” The ghostly shade scowled with more poisonous irritation than before. One glance at the contract and it was already clear what he wanted based on the text.

“ Contract: GET OUT. Get Out. Just Get Out. The following parts of the forest will be available: None of it. Get Out. Please take all your junk (and leave) Signed: ” even the angered polaroid photos of Snatcher showed how badly he wanted them to get out of his forest, even pointing to a broken sign saying to get out.

“Here, I'll even make it easier for you!” Snatcher stamps the unsigned contract, something that had never happened before this point. He always stamped it AFTER they signed it…

“Now all that's left is for you to sign it!” He chortled with a grimace, leaving the trio helpless with the contract in front of them. Dawn was about to discuss a possible plan on what they could do, until Hat Kid did something unexpected. She shushed Dawn and Bow Kid and gave her a look, telling the snowflake-clipped girl to trust her. Hat then whispered to Bow, letting her in on whatever plan she had before taking the contract and pen. She began to sign it, before Dawn say the girl’s hand go to the top and scribbled.

“GET OUT ” to instead say: “ STAY AND HAVE FUN! ☆ ” this made Dawn’s emerald eyes go wide as she let out a snort. Hat Kid then scribbled out “Get Out. Just Get Out” to “ Be Nice! ☆ ”

Dawn covered her mouth, snickering at ruthless Hat was going with roasting Snatcher. Bow was snickering as she continued to go through the loophole the contract had because that’s basically what she found! She beat him at his own game!

The polaroid photos were even scribbled on to say “stay” instead of “get out.” 

The next thing she scribbled out was “NONE OF IT”. What Hat wrote under it, made Dawn feel touched with a sweet smile. She wrote: “ALL OF IT” which meant they could come back anytime they like if this went through.

And the last thing Hat scribbled out was “Please take all your junk” and what she wrote under made Dawn bite back her laughter because it was absolutely hilarious! “BE MY BFF! ♡” Bow started to crack up as the contract was signed, sealing the deal! This left the ghoul absolutely flabbergasted with how the hatless child was able to play him at his own game.

“...You understand that's not how contracts work, right?” Snatcher's ghostly eyes went wide, but his uncertain grimace never left his face as Hat Kid started to laugh with the biggest smile on her face. “I'm giving you a chance to scram, kid! There's no catches or clauses this time!”

Dawn and Bow Kid started to snicker with Hat Kid. The laughter was the thing keeping Snatcher completely clueless. For once they had won against the ghost who knew how to annoy the snowflake-clipped girl. Snatcher fumbled with what he could do to get the giggling children to leave his forest, and came up with an idea.

“What if- I give you your souls back, will- Will that make you leave??” Snatcher’s gaze darted about as he retrieved the one thing that he did promise to give back, Hat and Bow’s souls. They flew from the darkness and reunited with their hosts. Hat and Bow looked more refreshed and a lot more alive now that they had their souls back. It certainly made Dawn feel a lot more at ease as she surprisingly smiled at the ghoul, but that grin puzzled him even more than before!

“Yes? No? Hello? Are you there? Why aren't you saying anything?!” Snatcher demanded in a panic, but that only made the trio giggle more until… he FINALLY caved in. “... You're quite the character, aren't you? And a tough negotiator. Though… I suppose that applies to all three of you.”

Snatcher groaned as he placed a claw on his shadowy face. “Fine, I'll sweeten the deal for you!” Snatcher pulled his claw away from his  face and summoned the Time Piece , its ivory glow humming with a gentle tune. “Here, take my last Time Piece . If I continue to see you around my forest after this, I'll be very- disappointed! ” Snatcher paused before turning away from them slightly. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all… maybe he did actually care about them.

Dawn stood as Hat Kid put her hand out; “I’d like my top hat back please!” Hat Kid politely asked with a sly grin. Snatcher rolled his eyes at the hatless child, grumbling as he gave the girl back her top hat. “Thank you!~ hehehehe!” Hat Kid swooped the top hat back to her head, now that was more like it!

“Thanks for not keeping the Time Piece to yourself you big ol’ grump.” Bow Kid complimented with a slight snicker to where Snatcher slightly groaned. Dawn took the Time Piece with a smile directed at the soul stealing ghost. “Thank you, Snatcher… maybe you ain’t so bad after all…” Dawn grinned with a laugh at the end of her words.

They were genuine and true, words that Dawn would’ve never said to Snatcher… until now.

Snatcher’s eyes widened, the oldest in the trio who was always rude to him, never saying one nice thing to him… said “thank you” to him. Snatcher sighed as the darkness disappeared and led them back into the forest. “Don’t mention it, kiddo. But if I do see you again, * ANY * of you again, I won’t hesitate to tell you to get lost.” Dawn chuckled at the shade’s remark. “Uh-huh. Yeah, sure ya will. I believe it!” Dawn sarcastically agreed, though she knew PART of it was true. “I think now’s our cue to go. We’ll miss ya Snatch!” Hat Kid giggled excitedly, happy at the fact that the ghoul was now her contractual BFF, and there was nothing he could do about it!

“We’ll make sure to visit the village and perhaps write letters to the Subconites! That way you don’t have to steal every piece of  mail and they can get letters from us!” Bow Kid offered as Snatcher looked at the ribboned girl astonished at the offer.

“I’ll… I'll think about it, kid. Now; get lost.” Dawn pulled out the teleporter and punched in the codes for the spaceship. Before hitting the button that confirmed their options, Dawn looked around Subcon Forest one last time. The cryokinesis prodigy closed her eyes and took in the winds of Subcon for the last time, before hitting the button that confirmed their choice.

“Farewell, Snatcher. We’ll see ya around.” And without another word spoken, the trio teleported out of Subcon Forest, leaving the ghostly ghoul behind. Some mysteries were left on finished, but some of those mysteries were shelved for another day, another adventure.

They were one step closer to prevent Mustache Girl from succeeding in whatever plan she had concocted from the time they were away from her.

Chapter Text

The time that ticked by after the trio teleported out of the forest, the girls were able to detect more Time Pieces in a place called Alpine Skyline. The sun was shining, the winds were blowing with musical chimes.

The place they teleported to was on the high mountain side of the planet, they were so high up they could be near the clouds at this point! Dawn was thankful she wore long sleeves, it was freezing and the sun was rising too. They might’ve gotten up early since it was still night-ish when they arrived in Subcon Forest; the sunrise above the clouds never looked more beautiful.

“WOAH!!!” Hat Kid exclaimed, aweing at the sunrise as they traversed further up the mountain. “I’ve never seen a sunrise like that! It’s so pretty!” Hat Kid giggled as Bow Kid joined her. “Me neither! It looks like a surreal painting from the art gallery!” Bow added with a chuckle, still grinning at the sun rising above the clouds. 

The snow began to fall during the hike up, wooden flagpoles with stylistic flags, goat themed statues and chiming bells also ensued on the way up.

Soon they made it to the top, now seeing a bridge that led them across to another part of the hike to the top. The wind was sure coming in hard and was freezing as it blew leaves and freshly fallen snow away. At the end of the bridge was a door, along with a sterling silver bell.

“Uh- what do we do with this?” Bow asked openly to both of her friends. “Do we just- knock? Go over the top or-?” “Ring the ominously placed bell?” Hat suggested eagerly, readying  her hookshot. “Hattie- NO . What if you fall off the edge!? The umbrella badge WON'T save you from this height! You’re not that umbrella lady that takes care of kids from that movie Dawn showed us!” Hat Kid mischievously giggled as she ran with her umbrella out in tow.

“I BELIEVE I CAN FLYYYY!!! ” Hat Kid’s umbrella attached to the bell, making it kong back and forth until the doors opened and Dawn caught her before she had any chance to let go. “You’re ALSO not Peter Pan, Hat! There’s no pixie dust in these parts last I checked.” Dawn scolded in a slightly breathy tone, considering how high up they were, it wasn’t a surprise.

Dawn put Hat Kid back onto her feet, allowing the three of them to get a head start while Dawn fell a tad bit behind. Things were going smoothly as they went up a flight of stone stairs. Sure there was one part they had to hookshot across- but it wasn’t too bad! That was until the ground beneath them started to crumble.

“OH COME ON-! NOT AGAIN!” Dawn protested- getting flashbacks to the last time the ground decided to crumble beneath her feet.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid hookshoted across while Dawn created an ice bridge, the air was noticeably getting thinner yet it also felt thick.

Eventually, the trio finally made it to the top of the mountain. What awaited were goat themed statues in the long distance and on the ledge they stood upon.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid explored what they could do, trying to find any secrets or possible ways to find ways to get to the next part of the hike. The faster they could get to the top and retrieve the magical hourglasses; the better.

“Hey guys! Look at this!” Bow Kid shouted as she whacked what looked to be a lever that you’d turn with more than one person at the helm. It did something as one of the goat statues on the platform they stood on lowered, they were getting somewhere! “Great work Bow!” Hat Kid cheered as she went to look for the next lever.

Dawn was honestly proud of how confident Bow was becoming and openly vulnerable Hat was being with both of them.

Looking back, Dawn’s not the same person she was when she started this journey. Some things changed, but she’s still herself. But the most noticeable change was how Dawn responded to how people after they lied to her, she didn’t get angry with them for underestimating her or betraying her trust. Not like how she did with the Conductor or Grooves in a sense… it was more noticeable after they left Subcon Forest.

This adventure was bringing the best out of them, even if they conquered some of the darker parts of themselves. The parts that hurt them were always going to be there, no matter how much time passes.

Hat Kid and Dawn whacked the last two levers at the same time, the rumbling from before ensuing once more to reveal a steamer with flags that magically appeared and led to the skies above. “Uh- okay… magical flag steamer thing- now what?” Dawn awkwardly questioned where Hat Kid and Bow Kid gave knowing looks to one another. “Hookshot time?” Bow Kid eagerly asked, jittering in place with a grin.

“HOOKSHOT TIME BABY!” Hat Kid jubilantly jumped as she whipped her hookshot out. “UH- HAT. BOW. This is PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA—!” Before Dawn could get another word out, Hat Kid was unexpectedly yanked off her feet when her hookshot attached to the string. The snowflake- clipped girl grabbed Hat Kid and Bow Kid, only to be hoisted off her feet as well. They were accelerating into the clouds at super intense speeds!

“OH FRICKKKKKK! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—! ”

“ PECK- MAYBE I SHOULD'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH!! ” “ OH REHAN- HATTIE!!!” The trio yelled as they traversed quickly into the skies, not daring to let go as that meant certain doom below.

Location: Alpine Skyline, Goat Village

The wind gushed at blazing speeds as the girls continued the upward descent. Suddenly… the winds calmed down as the snowflake-clipped girl opened her eyes; only to be greeted with the most jaw dropping sight of a lifetime. The sight was gorgeous and the air was a lot more breathable, but that wasn’t the most jaw dropping part. The northern lights, the sterling gold bells that chimed as they continued upward. The place in the distance that looked to be drawn out of a painting. Everything was gorgeously surreal.

“Holy freakin’ Monika! Guys look!” The snowflake clipped girl shouted, directing her friends’ attention to the sight of what could be assumed to be Alpine Skyline . On the left looked to be a gigantic birdhouse, the right being some sort of- lava pit? Lava cake??? Eh, it didn’t matter. Beside the gigantic lava tower seemed to be a gigantic windmill, the biggest windmill Dawn had ever seen in her whole life! This entire place was incredible!! When the end of the line came, it came with a massive thud, the trio dog piling on top of one another. “OW! MAH FACE.” Dawn complained in a muffled voice, grumbling from the pain.

“Sorry Dawn.” Bow apologized, siding off of the pile. “So… is THIS Alpine Skyline?” Hat Kid questioned aloud, firmly adjusting her hat to her head. The fact that it didn’t fly off was a miracle within itself. That was one LUCKY top hat. 

“Well, I’ll be darned! Finally some travelers!” A new voice chimed in, and it belonged to a short figure in some mythical styled clothing. “It’s astounding to see new travelers, it’s been so long!” The figure, a Nomad addressed in a gleeful tone. Dawn soon stood to her feet, the wind whistling as they taped to the ground. “Uh… hello.” The cryokinesis prodigy started with. “Where uh- where are we exactly?” The Nomad chuckled gleefully; they were more than happy to answer Dawn’s question.

“Welcome to Alpine Skyline Travelers! We haven’t had visitors in a LONG time. Are you here for any reason in particular? Like seeing the Old Windmill, going to the Birdhouse, seeing the Twilight Bell or maybe even check out The Lava Cake?” The Nomad eagerly asked, their voice peaking with curiosity. Then… another curious thought came to mind. “Or better yet… Have you noticed those bright flashing lights in the sky?” The Nomad asked as they pointed to the shining lights in the sky… OH, that can’t be good. NOT AT ALL! “They started appearing recently after some weird hourglasses fell from the sky.” The Nomad explained before putting an arm behind their head. “Wonder what they could be?”

The Nomad mumbled, obviously puzzled as to what the lights were but Dawn, Hat and Bow knew EXACTLY what those lights were. Those were the Time Pieces that landed here, and whatever happened when they landed couldn’t have been good. None of the previous Time Pieces did this… so why did these ones do it? Probably another mystery that the trio needed to solve. The Nomad soon turned their attention back onto the trio. “In any case, I really wish they wouldn't be so bright. They're blinding!” The girls soon chuckled at the comment, they weren’t wrong, that light could be seen from many MILES away! It was crazy.

“Actually- we’re here to investigate that… I won’t explain everything. It’s just a LONG story. But I wouldn’t mind some food if uh- y’all have any places we can stop by and eat at?” “Yeah! That would be nice.” Hat Kid added to Dawn’s statement, while Bow Kid nodded. The Nomad grinned, then gestured the trio to follow.

“Sure thing fellow travelers, this way. I’m sure you can open some of the paths around here in The Goat Village to get to all of the locations here in Alpine Skyline. We also have food that you three can eat. And oh, keep your distance from the goats, they like their personal space.” 

Dawn, Hat and Bow attentively listened to the Nomad as they walked around what could be safe to be assumed to be a magical floating island. This place was beautiful yet it also looked really old, perhaps as old as Subcon Village, the original one? Who knows… today was going to be a LONG day.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Today was going to be insane, a LONG and insane day. The plan was almost finished, she had everything she needed; almost everything anyway. “Keep it together Mu, this’ll all be over soon. It’ll be worth it in the end…” Mustache Girl muttered to herself as the fire cackled loudly in her bond fire. “I just need to figure out that stupid teleporting thingy to get onto Hat and Bow’s ship… but HOW?? ”

Mustache Girl groaned, pulling some of her blonde locks in frustration, before realizing she could probably blow some steam by beating up some Mafia! However- that might just end up making her more infuriated than how she was when TRYING to figure this stupid teleportation remote out.

It had been the entire morning and almost the whole afternoon trying to figure out the remote and replicate what she did the first time when attempting to collect the Time Pieces for herself didn’t go according to plan. They didn’t understand! This island was her home, they hurt her family, friends… everyone on the island! This town was renamed “ Mafia Town ” by the Mafia of Cooks, when it was originally called “ Starline County”.

They vandalized and destroyed her home, why couldn’t the other kids that came from a different planet, and other kid that came from another dimension *SEE* that!? Well, maybe one of them did… but she wasn’t fully on her side. The Mafia NEEDED to be taken out! or they’ll just keep doing what they’re doing! And that’s ruining lives and taking over more parts of her home! She’s barely kept alive in the cave she had to hide away in; HOW she managed to stay alive this long is way beyond her. 

The best meal she had in months were the brookies the snowflake-clipped girl had brought with her; Dawn … She had a name, and it was Dawn. But that brought up the faces of Hat Kid and Bow Kid.

Ugh , whatever they’re doing it couldn’t be good if they’re just taking more of the one chance she has to end the Mafia’s reign. And then it hit Mustache Girl, the way the trio worked with the remote were comanda and settings turned with the dials… which meant- she could do what she did the first time again! That way she could take all of the magical hourglasses and stop the Mafia all in one swoop! And that’s exactly what she was going to do…

“Alright, buddy…” Mustache Girl spoke aloud, grabbing the teleporter off of the ground. “Let’s see if I can work my magic and get this thing to work. Then I’ll show them, we’ll show all of those who wronged me, everyone on this island, will get what’s coming to them!” Mustache Girl grinned as she turned the dials on the teleporter, this island would be her home again, a kingdom of justice. A land where there will be NO BAD GUYS. After long days and hours of trial and error… Mustache Girl FINALLY cracked the code. Immediately her hands got to work by putting the coordinates in for the spaceship, the kids that inhibited it were most likely away which was PERFECT ! This was the perfect chance to execute her plan.

“Alright, operation: Timetravling Crime Fighter is a GO! Here we go!” The cloaked girl pressed the button that confirmed her choices, the blue light enveloping her being dangerous and unfamiliar and in a blink of an eye… she was gone.

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s Spaceship

The alarm went off as the blue light came in contact with the rug, but it was soon disabled on its own when Mustache Girl’s teal flats hit the ground. Mustache Girl looked around at the cheeseburger displayed on her left and then the train set on her right. When she looked behind her, the cloaked girl could see her home planet, IT WORKED! SHE WAS IN! “Alright, I'm in! I made it! I infiltrated that kid's spaceship without the alarms going off.” Mustache Girl proudly grinned to herself, now wandering the ship to find the one thing she came for: The Time Pieces.

“I bet they’ve collected a ton more Time Pieces than I have... now where do they keep ‘em?” Must be Girl muttered to herself, wandering around the ship as she searched through all of the rooms. First the machine room, then the bedroom, some of the laundry room and kitchen but all of them didn’t have anything indicating a secret entrance to a hidden vault, since there’s no way it could just be out in plain sight- could it…? Mustache Girl then paused… this search would’ve lasted a little shorter if she just stayed in the living room/hub area!  

“ UUUGGHHHHHHH!!! THIS IS TAKING FOREVER- they seriously couldn’t have had it in PLAIN SIGHT!” Mustache Girl went up the ramp back into the main hub room. Her golden gaze soon fell upon the vault that she hadn’t noticed before, man it was RIGHT here! All along, it was here! The solution to all of the island’s problems! Her problems! It was all here . “Jackpot!” The cloaked girl exclaimed victoriously, eagerly grinning to get her hands on the solution. “This must be where she stores 'em all!”

Mustache Girl thought aloud, turning the gigantic wheel with a lot of elbow geese; yet eventually she did get it open. Victory dancing in place, Mustache Girl gleefully ran into the time vault, the ivory glow consuming her with all of its glory. These artifacts can change lives, alter time and now: it was gonna save her home. Mustache Girl grabbed one of the delicate artifacts and looked at herself in the reflection…

Was this all worth it in the end?

The blonde girl then sighed at her raving thoughts… “It’s too late to turn back now, Mu… you’re in too deep. No more bad guys, remember? It’s for everyone… not just me.” Mustache Girl frowned and raised the artifact high above her head. An empire with no bad guys would now certainly become a reality.

“Time to mess with time a little!” And without another word, the magical hourglass smashed to the ground, causing the desires that Mustache Girl wished for to become a reality. 

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Laughter enveloped the trio after they left Alpine Skyline. The birdhouse was nuts with the pompous crows that kept shoving them to no end, Hat and Bow’s certainly thought it was hysterical when Dawn punted them crows into the sky. Where did they go however? Heck if they knew! The snowflake-clipped girl was just glad they didn’t pick on them anymore. The Windmill was super fun!

It was oddly calming and intense at the same time; the only part that sucked is that there were MORE CROWS! It was just the hour of local children being bullied by birds. And the weirdest (and most hysterical) part is when they started to bully and shove one another. Now that was something Dawn got on tape! The Lava Cake was super fun- the platforming was tricky since they were SURROUNDED BY LAVA.

If there was a moment where Dawn appreciated solid ground more than ever- it would’ve been after that! Hat and Bow solidly agreed on that. Twilight Bell was the last location and it was… strange. Strange in a beautiful sense? It was like a gigantic dweller’s mask! Or an eternal night sky with glowing stars and cosmos! It was super pretty, the way up to Twilight Bell was infuriating however… Yet none of the trio minded the challenge.

They even crafted a new hat and backpack out of the trip: the timestop hat and timestop backpack . The last half of the trip made those items useful as the Time Pieces that for some reason were malfunctioning made poisonous purple flowers rise and infect the goats and the entirety of Alpine Skyline! And that was insane! It was thundering and Hat and Bow’s got in danger several times, all three of them now had near death experiences thanks to that. 

And now, they were taking a rest after cheating the race! A mafia member thought he was the fastest man alive because he was on a rocket. But thanks to the timestop hat and backpack, they came out victorious!

And the reward? Ice cream! Bow Kid got cookie dough, Hat Kid got cookies and cream and Dawn got an ice cream cookie sandwich. Enjoying the frozen treat after a long day felt extremely rewarding. Suddenly however, there was a faint buzzing coming from Dawn’s backpack. “Hey, Dawn, your bag’s buzzing again.” Hat Kid pointed out, her lips covered in cookies and cream ice cream. “Yeah! It is! Is it Benjamin again? It’s been awhile since we’ve seen him!” Bow added in an excited tone. Dawn unzipped her bag with a grin, it had been awhile since she’d spoken with Benjamin, so this made Dawn excited! Until… she wasn’t. The one calling wasn’t Benjamin, it was Bella. Out of all of the times she’d call… Why now?

“OMIGOSH- IS THAT BELLA CALLING YOU!?” Hat Kid blurted out, nearly choking on her ice cream in the process. Dawn anxiously looked at the top hatted child and then the bow-wearing child… they wanted to meet her big sis… and without another choice, Dawn answered. “Hiya Bella! It’s been a while, huh?” Bella sat at her art desk with a smile, her dark emerald eyes gleaming with delight.

“Benjamin’s been keepin’ us updated on how you’ve been when he can. How are ya little rascal?” Dawn chuckled at the nickname she thought fondly of. 

“I’m great Bella, never better.” Bella noticed that Dawn had two new friends with her but also noticed her sister’s distant and almost nervous tone around her. “I see you’ve got some new friends with ya! Heya! I’m Bella, it’s nice to finally see ya! Hajimemashite!” Bella greeted in a gleeful tone. “Uhhhh- what does that mean???” Hat Kid asked, completely puzzled by what the redheaded girl just said.

“Ah- sorry! It’s just a habit. I said it’s nice to meetcha in Japanese! I’m trilingual so it happens sometimes…” the two kids giggled gleefully at the comment made, while Dawn silently chuckled. She’s been through thick and thin throughout her adventure and not once has she told Bella how she felt… Welp, time to change that. “Hey um… sis?” Dawn sucked in a deep breath, this was going to be unpleasant. “Can I just- tell you something? ” Bella’s eyes fluttered with surprise, nodding as the question finished. “Sure Dawn, it’s okay. You can always tell me anything.” Dawn’s heart suddenly wrenched, but Hat Kid and Bow Kid were here… so she had more confidence to tell her.

“Remember when you ran away? And Benjamin lied to me…? Stuff that’s happened here brought it up again and I never truly got to express how I felt during it. I just bottled it up, I felt overshadowed by you… I felt- so lonely and started to hate lying after that. And I’m sorry for hating you in a sense for what you did… Sorry, I just needed to say that.” Dawn huffed as Bella’s dark emerald eyes lowered sympathetically.

“Oh Dawn… my little sister. I’m sorry that you- that you even felt that way. I shouldn’t have run off but… we were all kids. What happened was thanks to the circumstances, not you, nor Benjamin. And… I’m GLAD you decided to talk to me about it instead of letting it poison who you are.” Dawn awkwardly chuckled, unsure by what Bella meant. “I don’t follow? Whaddya mean, sis?” 

Bella grinned at her little sister. “You, your brother, mamá and papá were my reason to live. You’re my little rascal, the funniest little girl I know. You’re daring, sweet, stubborn and Dawn… you’ve got a heart of gold. You’re gonna make it big in the world someday and I know it sis. You’re gonna use your powers for good and you’re gonna use ‘em right.”

Dawn started to tear up as Bella continued on. “And I just wanna say… I’m proud of you . I’m proud that you pulled through when all of the cards of the deck were stacked against you. And your friends too, they seem like they’ve brought out the best in you. And you’ve done the same.” The trio grinned from delight after hearing Bella’s kind words.

They were the words Dawn needed to hear, that Dawn was in the light just as much as Bella was. That her family was proud of all she’s done this summer and that… this adventure wasn’t for nothing. The girls continued to chat, talking about the adventures, all of the locations they’d been to and what happened at each one! They even told Bella about the recent adventure they came back from, Dawn then sent the video she took there along with all of the pictures she made. However… this bliss wouldn’t last long.

“Alright sis, I’m gonna make somethin’ to eat. Te amo mucho también Dawn. I love you a lot, never forget—!” Bella’s words suddenly cut out with a glitch to the trio’s surprise. “WHADDA WHAT!?” “WHAT THE HECK!?” Hat and Bow’s exclaimed in shock. Dawn tried smacking her phone to get it to work but that didn’t help at all. “Stupid phone what the heck is it glitching!?” “Glitching? It’s not supposed to do that! Not if the dimension is stable!” Bella tried responding to Dawn’s growing concerns. The glitches became more unstable as a glowing light started coming from the sky, it was from the spaceship.

“ DAWN -!? what the hell’s goi-going on!? Are you thre—three okay!? Do I need to come in- ove-over the-re. Da-Dawn-n!” The phone kept glitching, the light then engulfed the entire planet and that… was the last time Bella’s voice was heard. Her phone shorted out from the system freaking out by an unknown glitch. Until the glitch wasn’t unknown… When the trio opened their eyes, they weren’t in Mafia Town anymore, no… they were in another place entirely. 

Someone broke into the spaceship, temporarily destroyed Dawn’s connection to her home and… brought the timeline to a massive halt. The sky was a furious red, the bridge they stood upon was a maroon and SURROUNDED by boiling lava. In the distance was an obsidian and crimson castle, towering over them and a line of familiar faces.

“What… what is this…?” Dawn questioned in a horrified tone. “Did she- no, no, no, no, NO! Mu couldn’t have… she couldn’t- she…” Hat Kid frantically panicked, pacing profusely as she failed to restrain herself. Bow Kid started to quiver and breathing heavily, not only that; the young girl also yanked at her tight curls and some of her blue bow.

“Frick, SHOOT. SHOOT! WHAT DO WE DO!? WHAT DO WE DO!?” Bow shrieked in a frightful voice. Her hands tightly yanked her hair and some of her ribbon. “What CAN we do…?” The cryokinesis prodigy solemnly started with a wary voice… this wasn’t how things were supposed to go, yet there wasn’t any changing it. The Time Pieces were gone…

“… She won . We lost and now… I-I can’t get home…!” Dawn fell to her knees, the Dimensional Traveling Device clattering beside her. Hat Kid noticed it and picked it up, poking Dawn with it to get her friend’s attention. Dawn’s glossy emerald eyes soon looked at Hat Kid’s cerulean eyes, the gentle eyes of an ocean. “You still have this, Ice. And the Time Pieces can also undo what’s been done… theoretically. But- a theory’s more than enough to not lose hope, right?” Dawn took the device, soon looking at her faint reflection in the metal. “I… you’re right.” Dawn stood, her boots clattering with the concrete.

“We CAN win this. The three of us can win this, like we always have.” Dawn wiped her nose with a dirty sleeve, soon placing her dimensional traveling device in her backpack’s pocket. “So- what’s the plan, Ice? What are we gonna do?” Hat Kid asked in a determined tone, while Bow Kid held out her umbrella confidently. “Whatever you’ve got planned, we’ll follow your lead.” Bow Kid’s purple magenta eyes looked into Dawn’s emerald green. Then they had their eyes on the castle, there was only one way in… it was risky, but it would be worth it.

“We’re going to storm the castle. Prepare for a fight guys, and don’t let your guard down.” The two kids nodded as they followed the oldest of the trio to the castle. This was the final fight, the fight in Time’s End. 

Chapter Text

Marching up the bridge was a daunting task, the minutes kept ticking along while traversing the area that was an amalgamation of things that were dreadfully familiar yet also distantly foreign. The king stacked up at the obsidian castle’s gates was clearer now, as with the last person in line who took note of their presence immediately. “Sugarcubes!? What are y’all doing here?!” Cooking Cat warily exclaimed with her ears partly flattened.

“We… We don't know Cookie.” Hat Kid sighed as Cooking Cat placed a paw on her chef’s hat, briefly removing it to fan her face before placing it back on “Well… Golly gee, I've been in hot kitchens before, but this is something else! I don't know how you're not breaking a sweat, but I'm really cooking.” Hat and Bow giggled at the comment, it was enough to cheer them up for the time being. “I can agree with you, miss. This heat is boiling! Even if I’m a ghost.” Another voice spoke out, it was the Florist .

“Camila … it’s Um- what happened…?” Dawn warily asked, she knew the answer but it didn’t help that the question escaped her lips anyway. “I think you three know what happened very well, dearie. Better than a being that’s lived longer than your lifetimes.” Moonjumper spoke up, standing beside Camila with an equally worried expression.

“Your former friend, the cloaked child; she must’ve done this. I remember you telling me about her, Dawn.” Moonjumper sighed. “I vaguely remember you telling me about her as well, Moonjumper…” The Florist added with a glance at the castle, then at Cooking Cat, then Moonjumper only to finally land on the trio. “Maybe you can skip the queue and find out who's the head chef here, kids?” Cooking Cat tried to joke at the end which helped only a little but the laughter didn’t last.

 “Miss Cooking Cat, I admire your enthusiasm… but these kids need to focus…” Moonjumper interjected as he lowered to the trio’s level; eventually huddling the trio closer to him. “Be careful, we’re counting on you… I would hate to see you all fail on the biggest mission you’ve had yet.” Moonjumper warily stated, the calmness in his voice was trying to overshadow his worry yet it failed in doing so. Dawn tenderly nodded with a hopeful gleam in her emerald eyes.

“You rosebuds better be careful, I don’t have any healing supplies on me from Subcon, so care for each other if you get hurt.” The Florist ordered, her gaze demanding that they come back safe and sound not just for her sake, but most likely Moonjumper’s sake as well. Cooking Cat looked at the trio when Moonjumper’s protective arms unveiled them, eventually taking Hat Kid and Bow Kid into her arms. “You girls better come back safely, or I won’t have anyone to cook for. I’d miss having y’all around.” The two girls returned the hug with wary smiles… this was going to be harder than they thought. “We will Cookie… promise.” Hat Kid swore with a determined voice. “We’ll return things to normal and defeat Mu, you can count on it.” Bow Kid added with an equally determined voice.

Eventually, they were on the road again, the two younger girls taking the lead as Dawn’s gaze stayed on Moonjumper. Eventually, the snowflake-clipped girl hugged the moon shaped spirit. “You guys better be careful too! Okay MJ?” Moonjumper seemed taken aback by the hug but eventually returned it. When they let go, the magical puppeteer scooted the cryokinesis prodigy along. “I’ll see you when this is over, Dawn. Please: be careful. I can’t stress it enough, dearie.” Dawn chuckled as she gripped onto her backpack straps. “I will. See ya later, Moonjumper.” Without another word spoken, Dawn finally parted ways with her dearest allies, her most trusted friends. The brunette swore to herself that she’d get through this nightmare with Hat and Bow to save them all, even if it was the last thing she’d do. 

Going up the cue was extremely intense with many familiar faces darting from all over the place, the Alpine Skyline Goats, and Nomads, a traveler with a camera that the trio had seen around a fair amount of times. The Subcon Forest Fire Spirits, the Mafia of Cooks along with their boss who was still imprisoned in a jar. The Moon Penguins that were the bodyguards and actors in DJ Grooves’s movies. Heck! even the Express Owls were there! But the figure that took their attention front and center was none other than the soul stealing ghost himself, it was Snatcher.

They slowly approached the ghoul with tense movements… it was odd seeing the ghoul that they had defeated so many hours ago again, yet it felt like weeks since the last time they saw him. “Hey kids! How's those souls of yours? Still rattling around in there?” Snatcher ominously greeted with a slight chuckle in his echoey voice, he probably expected this to get a rise out of Dawn… but she was honestly too tired to bicker back with him. “They’re good! Feels great to have ‘em back! Thanks for asking!” Hat Kid peped with a gleeful smile, though it looked more tired than happy.

“Yeah… it’s great to feel fully alive again. So thanks, ya big ol’ grump.” Bow Kid tried to joke, yet like Hat Kid… she too sounded tired. “What’s wrong? Did somebody freeze your mouth shut?” Snatcher asked with a puzzled voice, to where Dawn shook her head. “No… but we are about to stop whoever created this mess. She’s just… home too far. But thank goodness Vanessa ISN'T here. I think my heart would drop if she was…” Dawn quivered at the thought, to where Snatcher slightly lowered to their level, an action none of them were used to. “Well, sounds like you three got a lot on your plate! HA HA HA!” 

Snatcher boomed with a boisterous laugh, slightly cheering up the exhausted trio. “You know… now that I’m thinking about it-! I'd love to know who thinks they're a big enough deal to judge me! So I've taken a few… hundred… souls - big deal!” Snatcher’s face went comically small when he realized how many souls he’d most likely taken WAY before they got out of his clutches. It was a statement that made the snowflake-clipped girl snickered.

“PFT- BAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!” Dawn bursted out laughing, holding her sides from laughing so hard. It was better than feeling exhausted as her friends joined in as well. And at that moment, Dawn could’ve SWORN she saw a genuine smile creep onto the ghost’s face. Yet… she’d never know. “Alright, alright snowflake brat, glad I could get you and the kiddos to laugh. I don’t need any whiny mopey faces right now, it’s too sappy for me!” Snatcher complained with a serious face but that made the trio giggle more, until they eventually calmed down.

“You calm now?” Snatcher questioned in a low voice to which Hat Kid responded with: “Calm as ever Snatch!” The top hatted child exclaimed, while the bow-wearing child and snowflake-clipped girl nodded in agreement. “That’s great! Now… Do us all a favor, kid! Go check out who thinks they're better than us! And hit them!” Dawn was… honestly shocked; the ghoul who barely allowed the trio to land a hit on him, granted them access to hitting the cloaked child once the fight started.

“Wait- for reals!?” Dawn spoke uo, still shocked with the permission Snatcher gave them. “I mean- yeah. I don't usually advocate that kind of thing, but this is pretty authoritarian! And I’m not up for that kinda stuff, so: you have my permission, WITHOUT a contract this time, to hit them as hard as you can! Murder them like how you did with the fire spirits!” Snatcher gleefully cackled with an almighty echo in his voice. It felt relieving to see and hear from the dastardly contracting ghost again. 

Hat Kid held out her hand, pointing to herself with a grin. “We will, you be careful too, Snatcher. Okay? Use your flames to protect the Subconites if someone or something tries to do anything to ‘em. Which I hope *doesn’t* happen but you get the picture.” Snatcher chuckled, soon taking the top hatted child’s hat to mess with her a tad. Before placing it back onto her head.

“Good to know we’re in business, kid. Now scram with your friends before this heat melts us all.” Snatcher scooted them along as they left for the stairs… hopefully the world would come back to its senses after this. Dawn still needed to tell her sister , and her family she was okay after all…

Further up the trail of steps and staircases is when the trio saw two very familiar directors, DJ Grooves and the Conductor . It had been awhile since their last encounter, so this should be interesting. The trio walked up until they were face to face with the owl conductor first, to which he was surprised with their presence in a horrid place like this.

“WHADDA WHAT!? Yer here too, lassies?” The Condutor stated with a startled voice, it’s like their presence here made him more concerned than seeing other faces there. “Yeah… um- hi Conductor.” Bow Kid sadly waved as the owl looked around with even more confusion. “What is this place?! I've never broke a law in me life!” Dawn raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Are you sure about that?” The oldest in the trio inflected jokingly, reminding the owl conductor the insane stuff they had to do on his movie set.

“Eeerrrr- Don’t know what yer talkin’ about lass.” “Mhm- sure ya don’t.” Dawn bummed in fake reassurance, filling up his bluff with a smug grin. He was full of it and she knew it. The Conductor then groaned, knowing that he couldn’t fool the 11-year old. The owl conductor then questioned with; “Do ye know who did this, lassies?” Hat Kid nodded to the question, answering with a concise response. “We… we do. We’re here to stop her and make sure she doesn’t go any further.” Hat Kid eventually explained with a slightly wary voice, and it made the owl conductor take a second look at the gigantic golden statues of a mustached girl.

“Oooohhh… Whoever they are, I'm nae gonna to be judged by some… MUSTACHED. HATLESS. HOOD-WEARIN'. STATUE-POSIN'. CASTLE-DWELLIN'. TICKET-GIVIN' PECK NECK! ” The Conductor stomped in fury to where the trio laughed at the odd form of encouragement. It wasn’t prompted that way, but it felt that way. “So, I remember wee back when ye mentioned this ‘Mu’ lass. And by the statues im sate tae assume it’s the same lass that messed over DJ peck neck.” The trio nodded, confirming his assumptions. “It is Mr. Conductor… it’s Mustache Girl… she got onto our ship and now, she has all of the Time Pieces .” The ribboned child explained with a heavy heart, soon being comforted by the top hatted child with a reassuring look in her cerulean eyes. It was as though she was saying “Don’t worry sis, we’ll get them back.”  

“Well, I hope yer get those Time Pieces back, lassies. Yer worked too hard to tae get ‘em back! So I don’t see what’ll stop ye from getting ‘em back again. Oh, and give that little red nuisance a mean punch fer me will yer? Hehehehe.” The trio chuckled at the uplifting comment. “We will, ya can count on it, Conductor.” And with that, they parted ways with the owl conductor, the owl that gave the girls a hard time but helped them in the end. And now, they were approaching the DJ penguin. The one that betrayed their trust all that time ago. DJ Grooves was looking out at the hellish landscape that burned with lava and fire to no end, not even the moon was visible with the heavy clouds that encased the sky. This place was not safe for any of them, it wasn’t inhabitable for anyone anymore. That just proved how truly unpredictable the Time Pieces were. DJ Grooves heard their footsteps and scooted around to face them. “Oh- Good to see you, darlings! Nice to know I'm not the only super-star waiting around this tawdry place.” DJ Grooves eccentrically stated, yet a tinge of remorse coated his voice. “Hey Grooves, it’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” Hat Kid started with a solemn smile. DJ Grooves placed a flipper on his beak, sighing.

“Look: I know I can’t make up for what I did… I hurt you and I can’t excuse nor forgive myself for that. You deserved better than this ol’ bird being tricked by a little darling in a red cloak. I shouldn’t have gone so far, even risking your lives just to reclaim a glory I thought was rightfully mine.” The DJ Penguin then scoffed. “Makes me wonder what would’ve happened if I did use them, would something like this happened?” Soon the moon penguin was met with a hug from Hat Kid. “It wasn’t your fault. You were just tired of being down in the dust… and- I forgive you. It takes a lot to admit you were wrong.” Hat Kid affirmed, a heartfelt tone encasing her vulnerable voice. Dawn was… honestly proud of her. Proud that she’d be even willing to forgive someone who put her in mortal danger. And it made the snowflake-clipped girl think back to her own words.

“I… I don’t forgive you. But I don’t hate you… you were hurt by Mu, and I’ll make sure she pays for that…” if today was the day to forgive the DJ penguin, now would be the time to do it. With the presence of the bow-wearing child and top hatted child, the snow queen built a house of courage before eventually saying…

“I forgive you too, DJ Grooves. I can’t say we’re friends but… it’s a start.” There it was, the weights of the fight that weighed the snow queen down were finally cut. The DJ penguin looked baffled by the empathy. Maybe with some things resolved the trio had a shot of winning this. Bow Kid eventually hugged the penguin and the top hatted child. “I forgive you too. And don’t worry, we’ll stop Mu and maybe, we could be in another movie made by you and the Conductor.” Dawn then chuckled at Bow’s statement.

“Well, hey! At least you have a bunch of new material to put into a script, huh? Hehehe.” Dawn chuckled as the group joined her. “Now— Slide on up past those doors and find out who's calling the shots, won't you?” The penguin stated with a half laugh, before long… they had to part ways in order to save this dimension. The trio started to walk away from the DJ penguin director, sadly smiling as they did. “We’ll be back soon… bye DJ Grooves.” Hat Kid’s concluded as she followed her friends to the castle gates. “Stay safe, darlings.” 

The trio, after they parted ways with those they met on this journey, were greeted with two gigantic doors that had a Time Piece engraved into the wood. Stars were also engraved as if to bring the ratifícate to a higher status, at the bottom of the doors were two golden door knobs that doubled as knockers. Normal kids would’ve trembled and fled from the sight, but Dawn didn’t as she placed both her hands on the thick wooden doors. “Help me push this open guys!” Dawn started as she began to push the heavy doors. Hat Kid and Bow Kid joined as the doors slowly swayed open with enough elbow grease put into it.

There was another flight of red stairs on the other side, this time leading into the castle. Seriously, what was it with this place and stairs? “Welp- we ain’t making that trip unless we’re stupid.” Hat Kid jokes as her friends giggled along. “Or—“ Bow Kid implied and Dawn lit up. “SCOOTER TIME!? YES PLEASE!” Dawn grinned as she swapped to her sprint backpack and activated the scooter badge. “Hop on yall! We aboutta go airborne!” Hat and Bow hopped on the back of the scooter. “Don’t crash this time; PLEASE.”

Bow moaned, lightly scolding Dawn for the events that occurred earlier that day. “Yeah- That sucked the last time you crashed into the milk but the last time didn’t have this much lava. So… be careful, Ice.” Hat added with a worried tone as they began the scooter’s engine hissed. “I won’t, promise. Now… LETS-A-GO KICK SOME BUTT!” The cryokinesis prodigy exclaimed as she kicked the gas into high gear! Sending them soaring up the massive staircase. It was a few minutes until they eventually rode to the top and through the doors of the castle.

Location: Time’s End, The Timeless Castle

The inside of the castle was far worse than the outside. Dawn’s mother and father always told all of them to “never judge a book by its cover.” But… what laid inside was far worse than any of them could’ve ever imagined. It was regal and horrifying with lava and fancy decorations all over the place. A chandelier hung high above along with silky red curtains. Gravely contrasting the lava waterfalls and more of those gigantic statues. Three crows that were lit ablaze started to run towards them until they rushed past.

Hat Kid swung out her hookshot and hoisted her friends across, sending the scooter overboard and poofing when it hit the lava. “Shoot that was close…” the ribboned child pants with a shaken voice. They could’ve been killed if Hat hadn’t used her hookshot in time. This wasn’t just a regular castle, it was a place to kill those who stepped foot into this nightmarish place. A place to judge, a place to jury, a place to execute.

They weren’t just there to stop the one who had done the most harm, they were prey that was going to be slaughtered if they did nothing about it. All of them would be killed by whatever agenda Mustache Girl had in her mind and whatever the magical hourglasses did to make her envisions come to life. The lava boiled as pillars rose and fell. It was just like how they did at The Lava Cake at Alpine Skyline.

This should be a piece of cake! Lava Cake was already surrounded by well- lava . It’s in the name, so it obviously HAD LAVA. “Hey guys- remember the Lava Cake?” Dawn shouted as the pillars rose and fell with a splash. “Ah-! UUUHHHH- Yeah??? What about it?” Hat Kid frantically questioned when the pillars continued to rise and fall. “Now would be a GREAT time to explain your plan so we don’t become deep fried by lava!” Bow Kid added in an equally frantic voice. “Okay- here’s the game plan: Run and hop across the platforms-! I’ll follow from behind!” Hat Kid saw one pillar rise and used her sprint hat to gain momentum to hop across. “Ack-! NAILED IT! Bow, use your sprint hat! And Dawn, use your sprint bag without overdoing it this time!” Hat Kid Instructed as she hopped and ran across the boiling hot pillars. Dawn almost fell into the boiling lava below if it wasn’t for her quick thinking.

“Ice! Whaddya doing!? Hurry up before you get burned!” Bow Kid pleaded when turning to see the cryokinesis prodigy struggle. Dawn eventually used some parkour tricks to get across without falling to her demise. Even when they were safe, they were still in mortal danger. Bouncing up a bouncy platform, the trio came face to face with a firewall. One wrong move and they could say goodbye to a scar free body and face. Eventually they evadied the fire and Dawn pulled off a risky move by using an ice bridge to get across the massive gap between the location they were at and the next place they needed to be at. 

Seriously- what was it with this place and everything that could burn, melt or boil you to death? Seriously uncool! If this is what Mustache Girl thought peace looked like- then she had a warped perception of the term. Peace was something calm, gentle, a feeling of relief. Feeling calm and good with yourself. Dawn felt at peace when admitting to her sister that what happened all those years ago still hurt her. And oh goodness… her sister. Bella was calling Dawn’s name before she cut out… the snowflake-clipped girl hoped it wouldn’t have been forever.

Dawn missed hearing her sister’s voice, hearing her sing, seeing her play. She missed the way her hands drifted along the keyboard like they were waves from the ocean. Traversing throughout the treacherous landscape more, the trio were now avoiding canons, the same ones from Train Rush, the same ones from the Conductor’s movie. Jumping from boiling platforms to avoiding canons and staying safe on sodden platforms, this entire place felt like an endless goose chase. 

No one spoke when they swung across the lava barren wasteland. The entire place was trying to kill them! It was insane! There were more of the crows and fire walls set up to burn them and stun their progress. Stun them from getting to the one who had hurt so many people at every turn. The cloaked girl, Mustache Girl. They were close to her main lair, yet still so far. The entire castle was a labyrinth that was going to swallow them whole if they didn’t do anything to stop it. The hat wearing child was defeating enemies with every hat she had in her collection. So was the bow-wearing child.

Dawn used any of her backpack’s abilities that didn’t include ice since her cryokinetic abilities were practically useless here. Jumping from suspended chained platforms, passing more familiar faces and avoiding deadly cannon blows, the trio were being worn out before the final fight even began. The cats from Alpine Skyline were even up to their hat stealing antics. Hat Kid didn’t hesitate to firmly punt the feline to the other side of the room. “Uh- is that cat gonna be okay?” Bow Kid asked with a concerned expression on her face. “Uh- I think they’ll be fine. It’s karma for what they did last time.”  Hat Kid harrumphed, activating the dweller’s mask with a pout. The girls were in the final stretch; solid black pillars littered about with hammers slamming down threading to crush them into a pancake. It took some figuring out until they used the time stop hat. Avoiding more deadly traps, the trio finally bolted past all of the traps. Even if they were frazzled by all the previous traps and the lengthy distance they traveled to get to this point.

The place was littered with tapestries, stained glass artwork and hourglass imagery. At the end of the velvety carpeted hall was the final door. Dawn placed her hands on the door, followed by Hat Kid and Bow Kid. “Ready guys?” Bow Kid asked with a determined voice, Dawn gave a swift nod. “Ready as I’ll ever be. I’m ready to end this nightmare.” Dawn pressed hard on the door. “Whatever happens now… don’t let your guard down.”

The trio were confident when the doors were being shoved open, but that confidence was almost shattered at the sight of a massive pile of Time Pieces . On the ground was a Mafia member graveling and begging for his very life; being judged by the cloaked girl as though she were the ultimate judge. The cloaked girl seemed between apathetic for the story and enjoying what she was going to do once she declared him to be a bad guy.

“I didn't punch old man for like, two days straight that one time!” The Mafia member pleaded as he concluded his story, the one he told to convince the blonde child that he was innocent. The cloaked child leaned into her left fist, fakely pondering what her verdict would be. She obviously had it the moment the Mafia member stepped foot into her lair. “Oh wow, what a touching story.” Mustache Girl crooned with a false smile, a smile that turned into a hostile frown. “Just kidding! Bad guy! NEXT !”

The Mafia member screamed as he was dropped down through the trapdoor he stood under. This made Dawn anxious about what they were about to do… the cloaked girl was different than the last time they faced her. What if they don’t- “I said, NEXT !” The trio flinched with anxiousness filling the air. There wasn’t a word spoken as they stood where the Mafia member once stood. Once Mustache Girl laid her eyes on the trio, her expression changed from a twisted form of glee to instant disgust “Oh, it's you!” The cloaked girl spat venomously.

“Yeah… it’s us. What about it?” Hat Kid bluntly stated, firmly gripping her umbrella like a lifeline. “You’re here to gravel and beg, right? Let me judge you for what you’ve done?” 

The blonde child cut to the chase coldly. “You've been kinda selfish little pests. But, eh!” The cloaked child chuckled halfheartedly. “You haven't actually stood in my way. You get to go on, you're good guys, I guess.” The doors behind them reopened… leaving Dawn, Hat and Bow baffled at how that could’ve even been possible. “Go on. You get to live! NEXT!” The trio blinked with wide eyes, where was the catch? What was she getting at? Why was she letting them live? Bow Kid tried to speak, but Hat Kid beat her to it.

“What’s the catch, Mu? Keeping all the Time Pieces for yourself? Keeping Dawn here without contact to her family and hurting others until they submit to your rule?” The top hatted child curtly questioned in a humorless tone… Mustache Girl began to snicker, before bursting into boisterous laughter. “HA! Catch? Me? With a catch and a clause? Geez-! You really don’t trust anyone but those little- *FRIENDS* of yours. It’s pretty stupid if you ask me. If you wanted to know why I’d let you live.”

The cloaked child leaned forward in her seat, staring down the trio. Bow Kid clung to Dawn instinctively, fearing what the girl in the cloak would do to them. “If you really wanted to know… you would’ve given me one of the Time Pieces from the start. You’d stop playing hero and actually see what I’m doing is for the greater good. That I’m helping people, unlike you. I’m saving people. Unlike YOU. And I did it without any FRIENDS to hold me back!” The girl in the cloak coldly snapped, glaring with the harshest glare any of them had seen from her hazel eyes. The top hatted child however, growled with an audible hiss at the cloaked child.

“THAT DOES IT!” The top hatted child shrilled, switching to her sprint hat in a flash. Leaving the shackles of safety behind.

Hat Kid stumbled, she stumbled while bolting upward the massive mountain of Time Pieces to get to Mustache Girl in a fit of furious rage. However, this was sadly futile… Dawn and Bow Kid watched in horror as Hat Kid was violently smacked away, as if she was just some ragdoll to be discarded. Mustache Girl was a lot more powerful than the trio remembered her being. Were the Time Pieces the cause of this increase in power? That question remained unanswered as the top hatted child toppled to the ground.

“HATTIE!” Bow Kid shouted in dreading worry, immediately rushing to Hat Kid’s aid and letting go of Dawn. The ribboned child tried to say something to comfort the top hatted child, yet never had the chance. The moment Bow tried to say a word, she was shot down with a booming voice. “EXCUSE ME?!” Mustache Girl shrilled at the trio, burning her hazel glare with maliciousness. Dawn scowled bitterly, she was enraged by this… the cryokinesis prodigy loathed the girl they thought was going to help them all that time ago. Not turn against them, yet here they were…

“Don’t you dare get anywhere near me. I don’t think you quite understand who’s in charge, little missy.” Mustache Girl grimly hissed, talking down as if they were nothing to her, just pawns in her way. The mere thought of being a pawn made the snowflake-clipped girl sick. Dawn snarled with the coldest stare she’d ever given the cloaked girl, curling her fists tightly. “In charge…? IN CHARGE?! You call THIS ‘in charge’?!” “SILENCE!” Mustache Girl shrieked, her tone deafening as it bounced off the walls. Her booming tone alone was enough to stun Dawn and keep Hat and Bow from moving closer to their older friend. “You know… I was willing to forgive you. I once thought we were going to be best buds.” Mustache Girl struck down sharply and sardonically. A tone that was FILLED to the brim with hate and rage.

“But NOPE, you turned out to be rotten and selfish! Save the planet from bad guys? Pfft— Who needs that, am I right?” Dawn gave a growl, hissing like an irate cat. “I did too… until YOU decided to turn on us and abuse the power of the Time Pieces! Bow told you they were unpredictable! And look what it’s caused!” Dawn swung her arms wide, referring to the environment around her. Around them, around all of those she had met and got to know throughout this adventure.

“Is THIS what you wanted? Is an uninhabitable LAVA FILLED planet, WHAT YOU WANTED?!” Dawn struck back with a voice no one had heard from her before, the intensity and sharpness rivaled Mustache Girl’s voice. However, the consequences for moving in the way she did, Dawn failed to notice her Dimensional Travel Device was beginning to come loose from her backpack’s side pocket. “You have hurt so many more people than the Mafia have. You’ve destroyed a *TIMELINE*!!! And tell me this and tell me honestly. Is this what you truly wanted?” Mustache Girl stared blankly as she hissed with anger.

“Really?” Mustache Girl counteracts. “Look at all I’ve done without you. I’ve restored justice. I AM the justice. No more bad guys, ever!”

Mustache Girl stopped pointing at them angrily, only to notice Dawn’s Dimensional Traveling Device slipping out the bag’s side pocket. Hat Kid finally reclaimed her balance as she stood on her feet, yet Bow Kid held her anxiously close. It was as though the ribboned child was trying to protect the top hatted child from the confrontation that kept growing in size and burned with furious intensity. Dawn stood her ground, yet didn’t expect to be swiftly taken out and her remote to clatter on the ground, it happened so fast… too fast.

It was only then, that the device was picked up by Mustache Girl. And that… that was when Dawn began to fear the worst. “Mu… Mu, what are you doing?” Mustache Girl gave the cold shoulder, ignoring the growing fear in Dawn’s voice.

“I don’t need you. This planet doesn’t need you. Nobody will miss you, and nobody will care .” Mustache Girl coldly cut, her words were full of a malice unlike any other. She was trying to not only hurt Hat Kid and Bow Kid with her words, but Dawn as well. And that hurt Dawn the most.

“And if they can’t get home because I now have all the Time Pieces .” Dawn’s eyes widened as she raised the Dimensional Traveling Device high in the air. “Then neither can you .” Dawn’s emerald eyes shook, the brunette was frantically panicking to find a way to stop Mustache Girl from breaking her last way home. This can’t be happening... This just can’t be-!

“WAIT! NO! PLEASE DON’T DO IT-!” Dawn screamed, desperately trying to get the device back. Mustache Girl on the other hand refused to have Dawn interfere.

Deliberately, the cloaked girl slammed the device onto the floor and violently slammed her foot on top multiple times. Dawn kept begging the cloaked girl to stop but that only made it harsher… and harsher. Until- the cloaked girl finally broke the remote in two; sealing Dawn’s way home with a crushing stomp…

Hat Kid and Bow Kid were horrified at this revelation. She just trapped Dawn here with no other way home. Unless she could somehow get her sister to open a portal when the dimension became stable again for her phone to work. But other than that; it was hopeless. Dawn slowly grabbed the damaged Dimensional Traveling Device, her hands shaking with terror. From the hitches in her voice, and the way she lowered her head… it was safe to indicate she was crying.

“Why…?” Dawn quivered with a small voice that cracked at the seams. “W-why’d you do that? You didn’t have to go that far…” Hat Kid suddenly bolted at Mustache Girl only to be tossed aside. Bow Kid attacked in response, screaming at the girl in the hood, only to be tossed aside as well. Dawn looked up at Mustache Girl, and wished… she didn’t know her at all. Why had she done this? Why? were the only questions that endlessly rang in Dawn’s teary eyes. And when the answer came, the cryokinesis prodigy wished it never came at all...

“You’re helping them. And more specifically, helping HER .” Mustache Girl furiously pointed at Hat Kid. “ YOU are the bad guy, and I’ll show you how this justice system deals with bad guys !” Hat Kid screamed in fury, attacking once more and longer being held back by the ribboned child. Dawn had never seen Hat Kid this angry… so full of rage as her attacks started to clash with the girl they once called a friend. 

“How could you do something so SELFISH? ! WE TRUSTED YOU!!! ” Hat Kid shrieked, the blue stared umbrella clashing and striking with deadly blows towards Mustache Girl. “ Selfish !? Now I’m the selfish one? I think you’re more selfish than me! I trusted you! All of you! Yet you left me crushed when the opportunity to fix the problem arose! I just wanted to FIX IT! I just wanted my home to be back to normal! You can understand that- can’t you!?”

Mustache Girl spat back viciously, dodging every fatal blow that could’ve caused her to gain a bruise. The cloaked child continued to toy with them on the battlefield, this was mere child’s play to the cloaked child. “Too easy for you, ay? Well let’s try this!” Unexpectedly, Mustache Girl started to teleport profusely until she got behind a vulnerable Hat Kid. She wasn’t vulnerable for long thanks to a swift thwack from Bow Kid’s pink umbrella. “GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!” Bow Kid bellowed as the cloaked girl was tossed aside. But even her attempts in landing a solid hit were futile. She might’ve been the same size as Hat and Bow… but her power rose even over Snatcher’s deadly abilities.

Effortlessly, Mustache Girl drifted into the air, summoning Time Pieces to throw at the helpless trio. The shatters of glass messed with reality as the top hatted child and ribboned child dodged. But what did Dawn contribute to this fight? Dawn hadn’t even moved to fight once, her friends were in trouble and risking their lives! And her body was failing to move and help them out. Dawn had not only failed them… but herself as well. There was no reason to be proud. Dawn had one promise , and she indirectly broke it. The self-proclaimed snow queen was trapped in a blizzard of her own making. Encased by guilt and misery that was her own mind.

There was nothing she could do… it was hopeless. She had been careless enough to put the Dimensional Traveling Device in her backpack’s pocket. She had been reckless enough to aggravate Mustache Girl… this was her fault.

No exceptions… none at all.

This was it, this was the end… There was numbness, emptiness. Dawn felt deaf to it all; the fight, the anguished screams, the fumes from the lava, the way the air felt harsh against her throat… it was as if the air itself against Dawn as well. The world had finally decided to turn its back on Dawn…

Suddenly, there was a jab at Dawn’s stomach, making her drop the broken Dimensional Traveling Device close by. The assailant responsible for the blow was Mustache Girl, and she continued her deadly hits. Dawn felt the cloaked girl kick and punch but did nothing to stop it.

“DAWN- WHAT THE PECK ARE YOU DOING!? GET UP! ” Hat Kid shrieked with desperation, pleading for Dawn to fight back. “DAWN, PLEASE! I DON'T WANNA SEE YOU DIE! PLEASE- FIGHT!” Bow Kid pleaded, screaming with tears in her eyes. They were all bruised from the beatings that were a result of the current fight.

Dawn couldn’t get up… why? Why couldn’t she? Dawn felt like her own body failed, like she wasn’t even there as Mustache Girl continued to toss her around. Even when her body was held by her shirt and lifted in the air, her will to fight was destroyed.

Hat Kid however, wasn’t having any of this… With a boost from Bow Kid, she was able to jump on the cloaked child and yanked her hair as hard as she possibly could. “LET GO OF DAWN YOU PSYCHO! LET HER GO!” Hat Kid yanked the cloaked girl to the ground, releasing Dawn with a swift thud. That’s when it hit Dawn… she still had something left to fight for, reclaiming her way home once time rewinds and they fix the dimension itself with the Time Pieces.

Even if that theory itself sounded outlandish and insane, the snowflake-clipped girl had to put her hope in it. She couldn’t give up, not now. “ Tch… You think you’re SO tough because you’ve gotten the upper hand.” Mustache Girl scowled, burning a growl within her voice. “May I remind you that I am the justice? That I’m going to put you in your place as the BAD GUYS ! You’re not someone who’s here to help, you don’t know me. You don’t care. You didn’t have to watch this place get turned into Mafia Town and get stranded into a cave! You didn’t have to save helpless civilians who the Mafia decided to pick on because they didn’t pay the toll! You didn’t have to foil their plans left and right, day in and day out! Well I DID ! I did ALL OF THAT! And this is what I get!? How-!” 

“SHE CAN GET LOST!” A familiar voice called out, a gruff voice with a slight accent, and when the trio turned to face him… they knew exactly who it was: it was one of the Mafia. “Mustached girl is not welcome here. Mafia say, get lost!” The Mafia member protested, defending the trio from the cloaked child. Soon a pair of directors came though, DJ Grooves and the Conductor. The Conductor stood next to the Mafia member, his fists curled with a scowl on his face.

“That's right, get LOST! Nawone wants yer here! Isn't that right, big lad?” The Conductor added with a smirk at the end of his words. “That’s right darling, get lost! We can’t stand this blinding heat!” DJ Grooves complained with a sarcastic but truthful voice. Then one of the Alpine Skyline Goats stood by them, giving a curt nod of agreement. “Yeah! Please get lost! I still have tours and travels to greet!” A Nomad chimed in, standing by the rest of the group. “They’re right, this place is not safe for any of us. I say get lost and fix the mess you’ve made, child.” The Florist, Camila floated in with an unamused tone in her voice, along with Moonjumper standing by her side.

“I don’t wish to sound curt, but I agree in saying you need to flee. Give it up dear, it’s over.” Moonjumper grimaced at Mustache Girl, Dawn could feel his burning anger… he was angry for the trio and what happened to them. Probably more angered that they were a bruised and bloody mess. A familiar ghoul manipulated the shadows on the ground and pulled himself out of the earth below, it was Snatcher, and BOY! Was he not happy to see the cloaked girl! Yet he was happy he could give this girl a taste of her own medicine. "Wow!~ What a place you've got here kid. Could've been better without all the lava and my forest still intact." Snatcher humorlessly snarled at the cloaked girl, making her jump at his echoey words.

“I say… This alternate reality stinks! Get lost!” He boomed, the echo circling throughout the whole room. 

A familiar group of birds then strode in, the moon penguins and express owls. “Get lost! Ain't that right, gang?!” The leader of the moon penguins exclaimed, chiming in the rest of the group. “Yeah, get lost!” “Get lost!” “Go away!” “You suck!” The trio continued to stare at everyone who came to back them up, it was unreal. “Yeah! Get away from the newbies! You’re pretty uncool!” One of the Subconites scolded, causing the rest of them to chime in.

Finally, Cooking Cat jumped on top of the Alpine Skyline Goat… her ears flattened and a voice that hissed at the blonde. “Yeah! Get lost!” She shouted, clinging onto the goat’s horns as she stood precariously on top. They all came for them… went through that labyrinth for them… The trio might’ve not gotten along with everyone in that group, but the fact that they came at all made Dawn well up with tears. “You guys…” the snowflake-clipped girl finally spoke, shattering the silence with a soft smile. “You came for us!” Hat Kid cried with a thrilled grin, holding the broken device that was Dawn’s in her hands.

“I can’t believe it- you came! You actually came! Thank you!” Bow Kid added with an equally cheerful and relieved smile. Mustache Girl seemed dumbfounded by this, why- how could they stand behind these people?

“Wh, wha? But I'm fixing everything! No more bad guys! Why can't you see that I'm doing this for all of us!” Mustache Girl tried to justify, only to be shot down with an emerald glare. “Don’t you DARE say that again! You’re not fixing anything! You broke everything! And we WILL stop you!” Dawn shouted as Mustache Girl shuddered at Dawn’s words… her lip trembling until she bit it back with a scowl. “How can you stand behind these people? They're crooks! Criminals! And you're... you're helping them?!” The cloaked child screamed in disbelief. Dawn simply sighed…

“Yeah? What of it? At least they didn’t try to destroy my way home. At least they care about us enough to go through the labyrinth you put us through.” Dawn cut back dryly… “That's where we differ, Mu.” Dawn began again, allowing her fingers to uncurl from a fist. “You want control, you refuse to move on from what was done to you and your island. I was hurt in my past too, I never got a chance to try to accept what happened to me, until I met Hat and Bow.” Dawn then placed her hands onto Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s shoulders.

“They’re my friends, they helped me see a side I didn’t know I had… they helped me just as much as I helped them. You say we’re rotten and selfish, but I think that’s where you’re wrong. If we were that way, why help each other at all?” Dawn concluded as she received reassuring looks from both of them. “Thank you Dawn.” “Thanks Dawn.” Hat and Bow thanked, only for Dawn to shake her head gently at the duo. “No, thank you… both of you. Thank you for helping me out.” Dawn smiled at her friends, but the gesture provoked a frustrated scream out of the cloaked girl. That was it, the final nerve was struck. “THAT DOES IT! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!” Mustache Girl roared at the group before her, this was the final confirmation, this would be settled tonight. The cloaked girl growled louder than before, her face becoming redder by the minute.

“This ends now!” Mustache Girl shrieked, throwing another Time Piece onto the ground to elevate the fight to its final phase. This fight ends today, and it ends now.

Everything was now encased in darkness, sparkling specs fell like rain, along with Time Pieces that shattered left and right. All the trio could do was run up the endless dark spiral that continued to lead upward as reality continued to warp itself. At this point, Dawn didn’t even know where she was anymore. All that mattered now was that the snowflake-clipped girl still had an umbrella strapped between her backpack and back, her cryokinesis, and most importantly; her friends, Hat and Bow.

When the lights flickered on, it flicked on in a vibrant array of colors. The sight was unimaginable! It almost felt unreal, like it wasn’t even reality anymore. The allies they met along this journey stood on the outer layer of the vibrant “arena” while Mustache Girl teleported faster than the last time she performed that attack. However, this time there was one difference; Dawn was now able to fight.

The blonde child flickered in and out and when the time was right, the time stop backpack was activated as soon as Mustache Girl got close enough. This time Dawn was able to move out of the way and pull a quick kick to the girl’s back. The effect once the ability wore off sent the cloaked child flying. It was the first time Dawn had landed a hit in this entire fight. There was holding back, just raw brute strength and strategizing to make her opponent stay away from them.  

The cloaked child then shot a laser attack from the center of the arena, causing the group to break up. But what Mustache Girl hadn’t anticipated was Hat Kid and Bow Kid working together. The top hatted child gave a boost to the bow-wearing child, allowing her to land a solid hit on the cloaked child. “Stop that! You’re only making things WORSE !” Mustache Girl screamed, levitating to throw more of the Time Pieces at the trio.

This time, Dawn pulled her friends onto the scooter to evade the attacks. “Giving up so soon?” The blonde child taunted, only to be greeted with a smug grin from Dawn. “Not even close.” The snowflake-clipped girl stomped on the ground, creating a barrage of ice snowball attacks. Mustache Girl did get hit by a few but dodged the rest.

“Wow! Okay-! That was a great plan, Ice!” Hat Kid quickly complimented before continuing the fight. The previous attacks repeated until Bow Kid stopped them in their tracks. “I don’t think so, Mu! You’re not hurting my family again!” Bow roared in protest, never letting the cloaked girl get close to her friends. And that’s when the layout of attacks changed. 

Mustache Girl kept rapidly firing a laser attack, but whenever the trio got close, even with an ice bridge or ice attacks, she was quick to teleport away. She knew this would happen, the cloaked girl was going to make sure that they’d never win this fight. “Little hat kid, bow kid and snowflaked kid can't even hit evil mustached girl! We have to help!” A mafia member cried to the Conductor.

“He’s right, Conductor darling. We have to do something or that little darling’s just going to make sure they never win!” The DJ penguin stressed, growing wary about the fight in front of them. The owl conductor looked out at the struggling trio and then at the Mafia member with a smirk on his face. “Yer got it, lad. Let's give her something she can jab at that lil' red nuisance, so she'll get lost!” He shouted, gathering the Mafia members to form a plan to help the girls out. Before long, the Mafia members created a Mafia ball with the owl conductor precariously balanced on top. “Let's roll, eh he he!!” He cackled, directing his attention to the trio.

“Lil' girls, give us a shove right into that red lass' ugly mug!” He commanded, giving directions like how it was on his movie set. The trio knew exactly what to do. When Mustache Girl fired her laser again, Dawn ran behind the Mafia ball. “TAKE THIS!” * WHACK !* the ball was sent flying into the cloaked child and into the air. It stopped the attack alright! But it didn’t stop her from doing it again. “Stop making this so difficult you JERK!” Mustache Girl scolded, the inflection still strangling for the authority over the situation.

“We’re not making it difficult! You are!” Hat Kid shouted, whacking the mafia ball into the cloaked child again. “If I was the jerk, I wouldn’t have abandoned someone who needed help! You’re just adding to your list of crimes you need to PAY for!” Mustache Girl bellowed. “Well maybe if you started by NOT abusing the power Time Peices - hurting others, then you wouldn’t have these so called ‘bad guys’ turn against you!” Bow Kid shrieked, hitting the ball again. On that hit, the Mafia ball exploded and fell back into the crowd. The Conductor was met with DJ Grooves helping him up, looking out to the trio. “You got this, lassies. Don’t yer give up on us now.”

Mustache Girl abruptly made a barrier and burrowed herself into the ground. A red ring followed the trio to show where the impact would blow once it was ready to strike. “ARUAGH! ” the cloaked child screamed as she came out of the ground, knocking back the trio. Hat Kid’s tried to attack with her umbrella only to be met with a thin clank. But Mustache Girl was able to get a punch on her. This angered the bow-wearing child beyond belief. When the attack repeated, Bow Kid didn’t hold back when bolting to attack. Her attacks were proven futile as she was hit by the cloaked girl.

Dawn knew that barrier was foul play, cheating at its most brutal. Cheating was another form of lies, and something Dawn couldn’t stand. And apparently, a certain ghoul couldn’t stand this cloaked girl’s lies either. “Let's sign a contract and make this girl get lost, once and for all!” Snatcher stated to the Alpine Skyline goat, who willingly signed his contract without much forethought. This made the ghost burst out into laughter; laughter Dawn could see made The Florist and Moonjumper wince. 

“Hahahahoo! Alright, let's go! I'll create, you'll throw!” Snatcher boomed in an excited voice, summoning the all too familiar cherry bombs from Subcon Forest. The goat threw it into the arena and they instantly knew what to do. Making the bomb explode on the shield meant breaking the defenses that prevented them from continuing the fight. “Dawn! I’ve got a plan! Remember that sheet of ice you created to make the Mafia slip and go into the moat?” The ribboned child shouted, a determined smile appearing across her face.

“Yeah- I remember!” Dawn shouted back as the cloaked girl began her attacks again. “Do it so it slows Mu down! That way Hat can grab the cherry bomb and throw it at the shield!” The plan was now in action. There was no need to ask either of them twice. It was the perfect gameplan! Dawn just hoped she’d be able to pull it off. “MU! if you want me- come and get me!” Dawn taunted, soon skating away as the red ring began following her like an angry bull.

It felt just like the Loony Toons Bugs Bunny cartoons. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just being stuck in a comedy act that’s funnier with the literal punch line later… is something no one would exactly want to live out. Yet here Dawn was, playing a dangerous version of cat and mouse with an overpowered child. When the red right was close enough, Dawn froze the battlefield, delaying the cloaked child enough for Hat Kid to break the barrier surrounding her. When the defenses were down, Dawn gave her a mean punch to the gut sending her flying to the center of the arena. 

The cloaked girl soon stood again, wiping her face while panting, there could’ve been blood yet that didn’t matter. The adrenaline was too high to even notice any possible injuries. “Had enough yet, Mu?” Hat Kid growled, scowling at the cloaked girl while holding her umbrella out.

“Give it up! You’ve lost.” Dawn darkly added, her emerald gaze burning itself into the hazel eyes of Mustache Girl. “Enough? Pah! I’m just getting STARTED !” Mustache Girl shouted, attempting to repeat her previous attack, only to receive a furious punch from Bow Kid. “That was for my sister! And my friends!” The curly haired girl spat venomously. Soon she was the one smacked aside, tossed back to Hat and Dawn. Just like Hat and Dawn had been earlier in the fight. “I can’t believe you would even DARE punch- ACK!” An ice snowball pelted at her face interrupted her speech about them being rotten again. It would’ve been considered hysterical under different circumstances… Yet right now, right now was not a laughing matter.

“Grrr… ENOUGH!!!” The cloaked child shrieked, floating  into the air and releasing the laser attack on the last place Dawn expected it to be… in the crowd. The crowd where their friends stood.   

Many lives of the crowd were taken in a single blow, turning their bodies into pons instead of bloody messes. But that didn’t leave the trio any less shocked… whatever physics this arena had, it didn’t even obey the laws of time and space anymore. But then…

“Oh... when Mafia explode, Mafia drop Pons... this gives Mafia an idea!” A Mafia member said, concocting a plan in front of their very eyes, as if taking in the reality and physics of the situation before anyone else did. What was he going to- “Little hat girl and friends need help to turn back time. If Mafia explode, little hat girl get useful Pons. Mafia has to explode to save world!” There it was, the sentence that made the cryokinesis prodigy’s heart drop.

If they wanted them to survive this hellish fight long enough to defeat someone who broke all the laws of time and space, they were going to have to sacrifice themselves for the trio… another mafia member picked up on the insanity of this plan, and looked just as horrified as Dawn was. “What?! Plan is crazy!” The other Mafia member shouted in concern, to which the Mafia member he was speaking to shook his head with a solemn smile.

“Fellow Mafia no worry. If little girls succeed, Mafia come back when time rewinds!” The Mafia member confidently stated, knowing that the trio would do it… but they couldn’t just sacrifice them! Why would they… this can’t be the end! “Now... punch me with all your might, fellow Mafia! No hesitation!” 

The Mafia member shouted in a determined voice, reading for the blow. “Red-hooded girl. GET LOST! ” They both shouted, until only one of them remained, only the leftover heart pons stood in his place. Dawn felt sick… she wanted to scream, Hat and Bow probably did too… but none of them made a sound when he picked up the remains of the mafia member he poofed with one blow. “Hat girl, bow girl, snowflake girl, here! Take these!” The Mafia member tossed the heart pons, the hearts instantly healing their stamina but not the injuries they faced. “Hehehe... those Mafia lads... so foolishly brave. But eh, what's the point of livin' if I ain't got me train anyway?” The Conductor gave out a breathy chortle, almost as if he was thinking of something other than his train. Perhaps his grandkids? The ones the girls had briefly met all that time ago? Dawn would never know as the express owl faced the moon penguin. “Sounds like it’s not a whole lot, ain’t it?” DJ Grooves gave a sad smile, before the owl gave a slight scowl. “Alright DJ Grooves , the two of us are gonna help this little hat lass and her friends. Get ready for a mean punch, and you aim for my face, that's me weak spot!” He commanded, not fearing the obvious consequences. “And you do the same darling. It’s about time we made up for the mistakes we’ve created.”

Out of all of the times, the one time the trio had seen something that they thought would never come true, even when Dawn told them they should try to… The two directors were actually agreeing on something. They agreed on helping to defeat the girl who had wronged them all… even if it meant sacrificing themselves.

“This angry red lass needs to... GET LOST!” And with that, neither of them spoke again, giving their pons to them in order for the final fight to finally end. And with that started a domino effect of everyone giving their heart pons to them, they were giving their very lives for them. Three kids none of knew that well, and only knew for the time they had spent around them. 

“W-what is this!?” The Mustache Girl frantically panicked, her hazel eyes widening at the sight before her. “If everyone disappears but me, then I'd be all alone! Bad guys, stop it!” The cloaked child frantically panicked, begging for the convicted bad guys she condemned to stay and not leave her all alone. “Well MAYBE you should’ve thought this though!” Dawn shouted through tears, her chest tightening so as to not choke out a sob.

“I-I’m the good guy here! The justice! B-but I don’t want to be all alone! I-I just wanted my island back! Y-you’re- YOU'RE THE BAD GUY!” Mustache Girl frantically shouted, passing the blame onto the trio until someone left standing shot her down.

“No, YOU'RE the bad guy! Get lost!” The Mafia Boss cut back, if he still had a functional face… Hat, Bow and Dawn could’ve seen the powerful man gritting his teeth and scowling at the cloaked child. “You have truly taken this too far, child! Don’t take this any further!” The Florist frowned, sticking by Moonjumper every step of the way. “Indeed dearie! I wish you could’ve done better, been better without hurting anyone here… yet you’ve created hurt in other lives instead of the justice you proclaim to have given.” Moonjumper stated matter of factly, never tearing his ringed gaze off the blonde child.

“But… I’m helping people! Saving them-!” “We don't NEED a hero! Get lost!” Snatcher boomed as he interrupted her pitiful parade. This was the end of her reign. The  people remaining demanded the cloaked child to get lost and fix what she’s done. No matter how much she tried to pass the blame, they quickly reminded her that she wasn’t being the hero of this story, that she was actually the villian. 

Things were going smoothly, until the brawl had a horrifying dilemma. The ground began to tremble, causing the only ones left to be taken out in the arena. Moonjumper looked at Dawn with a fearful look in his eyes, the Florist did too… yet Snatcher seemed to be more accepting of this fate. Dawn on the other hand, wasn't. “DAWN!” “MOONJUMPER! CAMILA! SNATCHER! NOOOOOO!!! ” Dawn ran with a scream, yet she was too late… Moonjumper had vanished alongside everyone else left in the arena.

Moonjumper, the one person who she knew as well as Hat and Bow… one she’d looked up to and respected, was gone … The earth beneath them began to tremble, the foundation that was the magical arena was falling apart. “My... my powers are disappearing!?” And that’s when Dawn became hopeful…. When time rewinds … time. That’s it! They could bring everything back by smashing the Time Pieces! It was a long shot and not a part of the original plan nor theory that was made… but it could work! It had to! 

“They are and this is the time where we make you pay! We’re not letting those sacrifices go in vain! Not now! Not EVER !” Hat Kid shouted, wiping away tears and pulling Dawn to her feet. “You made one grave mistake in this fight, and that’s underestimating us! The adventure trio! The trio that’s gonna take. you. DOWN !” The heartfelt speech concluded but was soon added on by a tearful Bow Kid.

“You might have your heart in the right place but your execution is what’s in the wrong! You are the bad guy! You are the one who hurt us, all of us! And we’re going to make sure you can’t hurt anyone else!” Bow Kid added with a loud and leader-like inflection. This gave the snowflake-clipped girl the courage to mutter… “For my family, I’m gonna make you proud. I’ll get back home, and when I do, I’ll make sure to tell you all about this.” The brunette promised herself, the final frenzy ensuing soon after. It was a massive combination of old and new attacks, new attacks modeling after some of Snatcher, the possessed outhouse, DJ Grooves and the Mafia Boss’s movesets respectively.

Using the shield to smash down on the ground or crate a gigantic ball with a the only way to stop her being to blow it up with a cherry bomb or Dawn’s ice wall, giving the girls enough time to land a hit. Using makeshift barriers as knives and using tricks to deceive her opponents. All proved futile as the fight progressed to the final blow… this was it! This was actually IT! 

“Dawn! Do you need a hand?” Hat Kid suggested, grinning as the snow queen happily obliged. Reviving two boosts from Hat and Bow respectively, launching her high into the air. At that moment, time stopped, went into slow motion, even without the timestop bag or hat. Hat Kid was lifted into the air by Bow Kid and Bow eventually joined in the air for the final strike. Three umbrellas clashed with the cloaked girl, sending her flying and the reality shattering back to the warped dimension. 

“NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! ” She screamed in defeat, falling flat on her face and to her throne of magical hourglasses. They did it… it was over . But at what cost…? Moonjumper, Camila, Snatcher and the Mafia Boss were trapped in some type of void, unable to escape and this dimension was becoming more unstable by the minute.

The Time Pieces magically balled up and flew to the trio, as if it was going to its rightful owners without someone picking them up. Another mystery Dawn would never know the answer to… “It’s over.” Hat Kid murmured in disbelief, as if the sheer shock of the fight actually being over was enough to quiet her boisterous voice. Bow Kid was the opposite however, crying tears of joy and soon bringing her sister into a heartfelt hug. “IT’S OVER! IT’S OVER! WE DID IT GUYS! WE DID IT!!” She cried out, shaking her sister back and forth to exaggerate her  joy.

Dawn on the other hand looked at the cloaked child:  Mustache Girl. The one person who had done nothing but wrong others left and right. The cryokinesis prodigy slowly walked up to her, never meeting her gaze until she was a few feet in front of her. “Dawn- Wh-what are you…?” Mustache Girl tried to question, only for that question to flatline with an icy stare. “I don’t hate you. But I don’t forgive you either. Maybe one day I will but for now, I can’t forgive shit. Excuse my language, but it’s true.”

Dawn coldly huffed, closing her icy gaze before burning it into the cloaked girl’s hazel eyes. “Yet I still have something to ask before the night’s over.” Dawn walked away and grabbed one of the magical Time Pieces out of the pile, only to return with the artifact still in her hands. “Why… after everything I’ve done… Why are you allowing me to help you? All of you? I destroyed your way home. I hurt you, your friends, and so many others. * I’M * the bad guy here!” The blonde child bellowed out, completely dumbfounded as to why Dawn was even asking such a request.

“Because I’m not like that. And I will never be like that…” Dawn then clenched the artifact tightly in her cold hands, some frost began to consume it before thawing off with a deep sigh. “Yeah… I'm angry that you hurt me. Angrier that you destroyed my way home… but you didn’t just hurt me, you hurt a lot of people Mu.” The snow queen began to cry, blinking away hot tears that streamed down her face. “I know you were hurt, the mafia stole your home. I get it, you were angry… You were SO angry that it blinded you, led you astray. But that doesn’t mean you had to hurt others to justify your anger.”

Dawn finally makes eye contact with the blonde child once again, her posture tense and unsure of whether to break down in sobs or scream out in anger. “You could’ve done it without hurting us. Like Grooves, or the Conductor. Sure DJ Grooves did fraud and recently cheated; but that was because of your manipulation that he did that. If the Conductor didn't call us, he would’ve done something truly bad.” The snow queen hiccuped, soon being comforted by Hat and Bow’s comforting touch. “You’ve made horrible decisions, terrible choices but… you’re not truly a *bad* guy.”

The brunette spoke honest and true. The words spoke for themselves on how Dawn felt at this moment. “You destroyed my way home. And even if this dimension does get fixed and I find a way to contact my sister I may never go back.” The snowflake-clipped girl put the artifact in one hand and handed out the other. “Just… let us all fix this mess, while there’s still time. We defeated you fair and square… but will you help us fix this…?” The question left by Dawn lingered in the air, until it was carefully held by the cloaked girl who had an answer to give.

“Alright… fellow rebel, alright. I’ll do it.” Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s eyes widened with shock and even more when the four of them walked to the pile of the magical hourglasses. Glowing with mystery and glistening with glory. So much wonder and curiosity that was dangerous with artifacts like these. 

The magical artifacts that started it all, that tore relationships apart and strained friendships made along the way. Hat Kid placed her hand on the ball of Time Pieces; her ocean eyes reflecting off the light. Bow Kid soon followed her sister’s action, her purple-magenta eyes reflecting off of the same light. Dawn and Mustache Girl were the last ones to have their eyes reflect the light of the magical artifacts. All the Time Pieces were together and even the one that was taken out was put back in place.

“You guys ready to end this?” A small voice quietly asked, the voice in question being Dawn’s. “Yeah… let's end this.” Mustache Girl affirmed, helping the trio lift the ball of the magical artifacts, lifting it high into the air. With a harmonious wish, and hopeful merit for things to return as they once were. The ball of magical hourglasses collided with the floor, causing the room to be encased in a stark white light. It was so bright the quartet passed out from impact, never knowing how things would revert back to the functional dimension they once knew.

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship(?)

The spaceship, a bright and colorful piece of machinery and home for two space traveling alien children. Along with their half human half supernatural guest on board. In the center of the living room or the hub area, whichever you’d prefer, laid the top hatted child, the bow wearing child and the snowflake-clipped girl. Yet the cloaked child was nowhere in sight, perhaps sent to the planet below. Dawn groaned when she awoke to the messy space ship, all the Time Pieces being scattered all about the place, it was messier than anything she’d seen in awhile. Looking around she saw her friends still passed out and the safe hanging wife open… but one sight caught her eye the most; the planet below.

They did it! The dimension was fixed, everyone was saved! Dawn looked back at the sound of Hat groaning. Hat sat up as her top hat clashed with the floor, only to frantically look in her top hat soon after.

To the snow queen’s surprise, that was where she had kept Dawn’s Dimensional Traveling Device… It was still broken. “Darn it… I really thought it could fix it.” Hat Kid muttered, not noticing Dawn. 

“Hat…?” The brunette spoke, catching the top hatted child’s attention like a spotlight. “Dawn! You’re okay!” The top hatted child gleefully exclaimed, stumbling when running to her. Before long, Dawn was in an embrace from her. The two girls then heard moaning from the last member of the trio; Bow. “Bow!”

The two girls cheerfully exclaimed, receiving a smile in return. “Guys!” Bow joyfully ran, her curls bouncing as she ran into Dawn’s arms as well. They were all alive! Alive and well… but at what cost? A few minutes went by, hugs and heartfelt words were made, but most of it was by the now fixed space resistant glass door that had been previously boarded up. The trio silently walked towards the glass door, marveling at the planet in front of them.

“Ice… um… your Dimensional Traveling Device…” Hat Kid slowly began, revealing the still broken device in her hands. Bow Kid looked at the sight with a wary expression, soon turning her gaze to Dawn who was solemnly looking at the device. Her broken promise, the one she had made her sister oh so long ago… 

And now she was trapped… that was unless she could contact her older sister somehow now that the dimension was stable again. Hopefully the Dimension becoming unstable didn’t short her phone out permanently.

Trapped: Such a simple word for such a life changing thing. That word could mean many things, and in this case… it meant that Dawn could be stuck here until she fixed her Dimensional Traveling Device. The snowflake-clipped girl took the remnants of the device, soon swinging her backpack off only to place it inside soon after.

“Dawn… what if- what if you can’t-!” “It’s fine guys… we can… I know Bella can try to get me home… I just need to somehow contact her…” Dawn rasped as she interrupted Bow, answering the question before it was even finished, gaining more concern from both her and her top hatted sister. But one more concern flashed in Hat Kid’s mind: the cloaked child, Mustache Girl. 

Surprisingly; the top hatted child went to the window-like door and opened it, the creaking noises ensuing shortly after. In her hands was the ivory glow of a single Time Piece . She looked at the artifact, then at her friends, an uncertain look enveloping her face.

“I know… you guys might not like my thinkin’ but… I was thinking maybe we could send Mu one of the Time Pieces so she… ya know— has a way of defeating the mafia and use the powers for good?” Hat Kid then looked at her reflection that came off of the artifact. “But part of me doesn’t wanna give it to her in fear she’ll create that insane place again. And I don’t want that… I don’t want that for anyone.”

The ocean eyed child confessed looking out at the planet below. Suddenly; the young top hatted child could feel the presence of two hands on her shoulders. One from the snowflake-clipped girl and the other from her sister, the ribboned child. “Whatever you choose to do, Hat, we’ll be okay with it. And if it means… that we might not have enough fuel to get home. Then I’m willing to help someone who might need it.” Bow confessed with a bittersweet smile, soon pulling her sister into a side hug.

“We’re in this together Hat, so whatever you’ll do, we’ll follow.” Dawn reassured, giving the same tender smile she had given them all those weeks ago. Hat eventually returned the smile she was being given, how couldn’t she? It was infectious!

The cryokinesis prodigy and the ribboned child watched Hat Kid toss the magical artifact down. It sailed and glistened to the planet below and hopefully went to Mustache Girl’s current location, wherever she may be on that planet below. After that was done, the glass door was slammed shut.

It was time to test everything, the ship and the fuel before anything else was done. Hat Kid finally got to sit at the chair meant for the pilot and pressed the option she knew would suck in all of the magical hourglasses. In one swoop, all of the hourglasses scattered about were tidied away in the safe. They only had 40 Time Pieces … which was a lot but not much, would it be enough to get the ship working? There was only one way to find out. 

Hat Kid slowly placed her hand on the lever, before looking at her friends who had taken a seat next to her. “You ready guys?” Hat Kid announced, reviving confirming nods from both of them. “Alright… here we go.” In a quick swoop, the ship was sent into motion!

Only… there was one problem, the motion didn’t last very long.

Hat Kid fell over in her seat, the top hat over her eyes and most likely seeing stars from the sudden withdrawal. The ship was either more broken than previously thought or that… they didn’t have enough to make a full trip. “ Uuugghhhh… Ah-! Wait!  Hat, Bow. Why did the ship stop!? Does that mean…?”

Dawn frantically questioned, concerned for the current state of the ship. Hat Kid groaned, sitting herself upright to look at Bow Kid who was checking the fuel source. “We don’t have enough… they were probably some we missed and that means…that means we… ” Bow Kid’s voice flatlined as soon as the realization hit her, and it hit hard. Harder than any blow she could’ve taken or blocked with an umbrella. 

“That means we can’t get home.” Hat Kid finished, the revelation hitting her much harder. Everything they have worked for, everything they've accomplished… It was all working up to this moment. Yet it never happened. Hat Kid slowly went to Bow Kid, consoling her in a sorrowful hug.

“Bow… I know we ran away to adventure… maybe find our families. Then our communication line broke because we damaged the ship… but we kept going because we wanted to find a place to call home… and we still wanted to see if Raehan was still a home for us, maybe even fix our ship a bit if we’re lucky. But nothing could’ve prepared us for this. Nothing at all.” 

Bow Kid soon buried her face into her sister’s shoulder, shaking with sobs. “But what about Thor? Old Tim? And Timmy? What about all the shop owners that liked us and the people who trained us to fly the spaceship…?” The curly haired girl quietly cried out, soon being crooned by her top hatted sister. “We’ll find a way to see them one day but… for now. Maybe this planet could be our new home. I know it’s not much sis… but at least we have each other.”

“And me.” Hat Kid and Bow Kid were soon met with an embrace from Dawn, the same one she had given them after she was informed about them being orphans. “You’ve got me as well now… and I ain’t leaving y’all no matter how hard ya try. We’re in this together.”

The snowflake-clipped girl soothed, remembering how her sister used to-!

*RING RING* A buzzing noise came from Dawn’s backpack. The trio were shocked and almost forgot what it was. Could it be-!? Dawn quickly unzipped her backpack to find her phone buzzing. It was Bella calling her! Her sister! She had gotten through! Dawn quickly picked up, soon being met with the face of her older sister.

“Dawn? Oh my god Dawn! You little rascal, I was so worried! What happened?! Are you three okay!?” Bella frantically questioned, tears welling up in her eyes at how overjoyed she was.

It was then the trio remembered they weren’t alone. That they would collect all of the magical hourglasses. Sure, the original plan had changed… but now they could breathe easy knowing that Dawn could still go home. That Hat and Bow could still make the planet below their new home. And after this adventure was over, visit Dawn whenever they liked.

How things would play out from here was a mystery the trio wouldn’t wait to get into. But this time it wasn’t a couple of dangerous artifacts falling from the sky or a dimensional ice wielding prodigy coming for a summer break.

It was now a trio of friends, friends who were going to face the future events of their adventure together. And that started with unraveling the story to Bella after they got disconnected. 

Chapter Text

It’s been a month and fortnight since the final battle at Time’s End had taken place. The place where Dawn’s way home was thought to have been lost in time forever. The time where everyone they met along this insane journey banded together to help in what could be called a final boss fight. Dawn had been with the young kids for many weeks over the summer; about a month from June to July. Good news did arise from the ashes however! That even with a destroyed Dimensional Traveling Device , Dawn’s sister, Bella, can ( hopefully ) get the snow queen home when she needs it.

The days spent during the post-Time’s End era of the adventure felt like a well-deserved break. Dawn’s family had checked up on her on more than one occasion; often chatting late into night. Dawn finally got the chance to introduce Hat Kid and Bow Kid to the people in her family they hadn’t met yet, so that was fun! Both Hat and Bow were very joyous to meet and finally talk with the rest of Dawn’s family after hearing so many stories about them. The only ones they had met at that point were Benjamin, Silvie, and Bella; but now they knew everyone.

Things were going swell! But unfortunately, problems are always destined to rise from the ashes of a former problem. A new problem none of them could've ever prepared for and caught EVERYONE off guard. 

Dawn laid in her makeshift bed, the glow-in -the-dark stars that dimly lit the room, serving as nothing but nightlight to soothe any child to sleep. The young snow queen curled up in her cozy makeshift bed and blankets, dreaming sweet dreams and seeing the magical puppeteer. But in the midst of Dawn’s slumber… something outside her unconsciousness had broken the spell keeping her asleep. Once awake, Dawn lazily stretched, glancing virescent eyes around without much of a goal in mind before getting up.

The snow queen’s phone on the small makeshift night table showed it wasn’t even morning yet- 4:30 AM. This was the norm these days after their insane adventure from two weeks ago. The snowflake-clipped girl still found herself surprised that she hadn’t lost her sense of time yet, no matter what had been thrown at them since Time’s End.

Tired and knowing there was most likely not much for her to do at this hour. Dawn thought her best option was to go back to sleep, but found out rather quickly that she couldn’t . That was— until her ears picked up a growing ruckus coming from outside Hat and Bow’s bedroom. This made Dawn tense up immediately.

Was there a break in!? No… * Clearly * the alarm would’ve gone off by now, it did it before! It happened too many times to count! So why not now?

Dawn yanked the blankets off of her, quietly stumbling through the colorful hallway to the main living room/hub area. Nothing, not a soul in sight that caused such a ruckus or potential break in. Instead of the tension, it made the snow queen anxiously wary. It left Dawn no choice but to investigate the room. The young girl delicately looked around as though she was on a tripwire ready to snap, using her phone as a substitute flashlight.

* clink, clink * The snowflake-clipped girl’s ears picked up on a noise from behind; preparing an ice snowball attack, the cryokinesis prodigy whirled around to throw her attack at the supposed intruders.

And yet… she never did. Dawn instead let the snowball fall out of her hand and break apart on the ground; melting away as the snowflake-clipped girl stared at the noise she had been hearing. Dawn came into this room to defend the ship from intruders, only to find something that made her skin crawl instead. The window that was the door to Hat and Bow’s ship… was OPEN.

Dawn was HORRIFIED at the fact that not only was the spaceship slowly ( and most likely ) losing some oxygen, but that whatever intruder had been in the ship left in a haste. What made the cryokinesis prodigy even more tense was catching a glimpse of a note plastered to the left of the swinging glass door. Dawn frantically shut the door and grabbed the eerily familiar parchment paper. 

It was the same paper a ghostly ghoul had written his contracts with, right down to the texture. It was eerily familiar, why wouldn’t it be? It was the same contracts Hat AND Bow signed, the ones Hat pleaded for Dawn not to sign as she’d tried to do it herself to save them and own up to her mistake; only for them to save her instead. She didn’t get along with the ghost- at first . ( Her reasons were valid for not liking him .) But as time went on… Dawn and her friends encountered a monster far WORSE than the contracting ghost could ever be. The monster Snatcher was up against long before they wandered anywhere near Subcon Forest. The trio had to face the monster in a dangerous hide and seek, and her name… was Vanessa.

Ever since that day, Dawn couldn’t blame the ghoul for acting the way he does. The cryokinesis prodigy eventually grew to like the guy. Even when he desperately tried to kill and sever ties with them. Despite what he did to get rid of them, before meeting him she would’ve screamed at him for lying to her and her friends… However, she didn’t. At that time Dawn didn’t feel betrayed; perhaps it was the one lesson she got out of working in the film business.

Although— that was also the time Dawn held back her laughter when Hat Kid cleverly found a loophole in Snatcher’s last contract! It was astounding! Dawn had never had to hold that much laughter back in a long time! She easily could’ve keeled over laughing. It was hysterical to watch the ghost who’d tried getting rid of them become Hat’s contracted “ BFF ” instead!  

Later on; Snatcher had snuck onto the spaceship (he stole the place where she normally slept, she had to ask him many times to get off. It worked- eventually ) and decided to hang there. Soon, the Arctic Cruise came along, like a vacation while still being ON vacation! Super weird but kinda exciting! And that’s also around the time when Snatcher had them do his special “ Death Wishes .” Guess it was a way to seal the deal. Dawn still couldn’t forget the time they had found him in a comedically gigantic box by the S.S. Literally Can’t Sink .

Hat Kid snickered at the strategy he had to get himself ( illegally — technically speaking ) onto the cruise ship. Bow Kid reasonably looked like she was questioning his methods in basically mailing himself in luggage that was going onto a cruise ship. Dawn, however, cringed as it reminded her of the cringey “I mailed myself” videos. Hat Kid later stammered into confusion, before the trio roared into laughter. Laughter they knew FOR SURE Snatcher was displeased by as it bruised his ego, the same way it did when they fought him after their last contract.

The contracting ghost * REALLY * was going to pester the three of them for as long as he could, wasn't he?

However… that was the last time any of them had seen the ghoul before getting wrapped up in a situation they could barely escape. A deadly situation that transpired two weeks ago in what they had agreed to call the Nyakuza Metro . An insane underground organization run by a cat gang, and their leader The Empress. A tall sphinx cat that struck gut-wrenching fear into anyone just with a single glance.

The snowflake-clipped girl would be bluffing if she said she wasn’t afraid of the yakuza leader. Afraid would be an understatement- Dawn was downright PETRIFIED of the yakuza leader. When they first arrived, everything started out normal, nothing truly out of the blue despite every other location they’d been to. Aside from the colorful lights and neat stores tucked away, it had all the warning signs the trio missed at a first glance. By the time they made themselves known, it had unfortunately already been too late... Benjamin got wind of their situation thanks to using the pay phones. However… they had to call sparingly ; the yakuza leader had eyes everywhere after all.

Despite being a cruel leader to her gang, her members were unwaveringly loyal to her. They would tamper with the lines or sometimes outright cut them. It didn’t help that they were woken up at unholy hours with no real rest. It had no end… Thinking about what could’ve happened if none of them escaped made the 11-year old feel overwhelmingly ill. Who knew that someone could flee that quickly with thousands of cats chasing you in hot pursuit? Previously, Dawn didn’t think so, yet here she was alive to tell the tale. 

There was one good thing about The Empress though, despite it all. She might’ve been a cruel and vindictive yakuza leader, but she wasn’t a cold blooded monster like a certain ice queen , Queen Vanessa. The trio agreed that Vanessa was not one they enjoyed crossing, they were terrified of her. Dawn saw that woman as a reflection of what she could’ve been, The Empress might’ve been a con-woman… but Vanessa was more of the monster than she or Snatcher ever were. So to discover that Snatcher, a shade she was finally beginning to trust, stole a Time Piece did not make her feel at ease. 

Frantically slamming the glass door, Rumbi scattered to her feet, informing her of what transpired in quick and chilled beeps. “Woah, slow down buddy.” Dawn comforted the little rumba, kneeling before it and petting the flat top. The solace Rumbi was able to provide allowed Dawn’s worries to subside, if only briefly. One of Dawn’s hands affectionately kept petting the flat top of the rumba like a kitten begging for attention, while the other clutched the letter left at their door. Once the tension died, she braced herself for the note’s writings. She prayed that it wasn’t the ghost from Subcon Forest, prayed it was someone, anyone other than Snatcher. The note read:

“If you want the Time Piece back, head over to Subcon Forest. I’ll be waiting , kiddos.

- Snatcher”

Silence… There was a deafening silence as Dawn stared in disbelief, a silence that screeched in the cryokinesis prodigy’s ears like an untuned instrument in an echoey auditorium. The disbelief soon turned into a furious rage unlike ANY other. “Oh you slimey son of a—! GGGGRRRRAAAAHHH!! ”

The snow queen roared in outrage, clenching the paper in her hands as stormed out of the room. Now she had a reason to wake Hat Kid AND Bow Kid. They need to get the Time Piece BACK ! They just had to! Otherwise they can’t get home.

Pausing in the snowstorm of thoughts, Dawn remembered the previous events; remembering that they couldn’t go home so easily anymore. “The reason we needed the Time Pieces was to see if Raehan was still home to us.” Hat Kid had once told her during their stay in the metro. “We’ve been traveling for so long that… neither of us know if they consider us dead or if we’re no longer allowed back.” Bow Kid had once added. The mere thought of never going home made Dawn's heart shatter.

Dawn knew that they sacrificed that chance, she knew it too well. But the 11-year old still wanted to send them home, she wanted them to find a place to call home . And now with Snatcher’s newest stunt, he had interfered with those plans. Was he going to get away with it? Oh hell no, not if Dawn had anything to say about it.

The snowflake-clipped girl hurried down the halls, her steps dancing their way back to the bedroom until she was inside the bedroom. Slumbering in the canopy bed were Hat and Bow themselves, not awake but that was about to change. “Top Hat, Hat…!” Dawn snappily spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper yet loud enough to stir the sleeping child.

“Hat Kid, wake up this instant. This is urgent!” The snow queen whispered again, shaking the hatless child again in the uncomfortable silence. Hat Kid groaned, turning over on one side as the blankets shifted. Her younger sister grumbling in her sleep due to the sudden change. “Mmmnnm— give me… a few minutes…” Hat Kid mumbled. “Hattie we don’t have time-! there’s something wrong Hattie!” Bow Kid sat up as she was awoken by Dawn shaking Hat Kid. “Nnghn… *yawn* Dawn?” Bow yawned, rubbing her eye lazily.

The ribboned child wasn’t fully awake, but that didn’t matter… This was an emergency. “What’s wrong?” Dawn, unsure of where to begin, heavily exhaled through her mouth. Dawn’s lips then curled into a frown, displaying her disappointment for their ghostly friend. “Snatcher took a Time Peice to Subcon.” Dawn quickly explained, it was enough to knock the drowsiness out of Bow Kid and for Hat Kid to shoot up to face Dawn.

“He— WHAT!? ” Hat Kid screeched at the top of her lungs, practically shooting out of bed and taking someone out of her room with her. “We need to go after it!” Hat Kid enforced, yanking the covers off and swooping her top hat off her dresser. “Get dressed guys! Come on! We’re going to Subcon, we don’t have time to waste!” And with that, both her and the ribboned child had always made their way to their wardrobe. The cryokinesis prodigy sprung to her makeshift bed, yanking her backpack off the ground in a haste along with her clothes and boots. Hat Kid took off her cozy pajamas, so did Bow Kid and Dawn as they quickly got dressed. Dawn laced up her boots while Bow took the umbrellas out of the blue chest in their room. The trio knew full WELL that this wasn’t going to be an easy fight, considering the last fight they had with him. The snowflake-clipped girl zipped to the desk, taking badges out of the drawer and shutting it soon after.

“Guys, I’ve got the badges from Moon- I mean… wait!” Dawn awkwardly chuckled, she knew Hat and Bow knew about him and his ability to shapeshift, but it still felt unnatural to call him that when he used his disguise. “ The Badge Seller-! Sorry it’s just— So weird to call him Moonjumper when the times he gave us badges he was the Badge Seller . I still mix it up sometimes, but MJ always assures me that it’s fine.” Dawn chuckled remembering the fond moments of interacting with Moonjumper and The Badge Seller, even when she thought they were two separate people.

“Heh, remember how I thought they were two separate entities until he told me- erm, rather showed me and then showed you guys? That was pretty crazy!” Hat Kid giggle-snorted, grinning mischievously at Dawn.

“Ain’t that the truth?” Hat snickered more; Bow Kid then tossed Hat Kid her blue stared umbrella- only to throw further than she planned as it slammed right into Dawn’s face. “Ah-! Dawn!” “HOLY FREAKING PECK! ” Bow and Hat yelled in distress, their voices talking over the other. The sheer force was enough to cause her to crashland into the pillow fort. “DAWN-! Are you okay? You’re not bruised- OR DEAD …. are you???”

Hat Kid asked worriedly, concerned that the snowflake-clipped girl might’ve been severely injured. The snow queen gestured a thumbs up, grinning and dazed from the soreness. “ Yeah - I’m alright. That hurt though. But… I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, Bow. It’s okay.” Dawn pushed herself to her feet. Hat Kid and Bow Kid now had their umbrellas in-hand. “Weapons, check.” Dawn grabbed the badges, The hookshot badge, the laser badge and the hover badge that automatically opens your umbrella to make sure you don’t fall to your demise. “ Badges , check!” Dawn swooped up her white and blue snowflake umbrella as she made a snowball in her hand.

“Extra supply of snowballs I can still create even in the horrific vacuum of space, double check, and TRIPLE check.” Dawn then slammed the glass door shut and later put her hair in two pigtails. But something was missing, something Dawn thought she had on but apparently took out. The last task Dawn did was clipping her snowflake hair into her hair. “Now… we’re ready!” The trio made their way out of the bedroom and into the main living room/hub area. Bow Kid had the teleporter in her hands, ready to teleport them all to Subcon Forest.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Location: Subcon Forest, dirt trail

The trepidation of the situation was high once they had landed in Subcon’s borders, they knew the mission at hand: retrieve the Time Piece . The dusky forest was a peculiarly calm and charming place. Despite being an undead forest and the ruins of a kingdom. This place was where they honed on their abilities, their powers. Where they learned how to use the badges, where they learned the origins of Subcon’s history itself. Yet some things weren’t fully clear, not all the pieces laid out nicely into the intricate puzzle that was the Subcon Forest. Now wasn't the time to reminisce, they needed to find Snatcher.

Footsteps thumped and crinkled along the trial, they kept their guard up high. At any given moment, he could show. At any given moment, he could attack. Suddenly, the winds howled, a thorn cage forming around thh trio as the darkened storm formed around them. They knew exactly what they’d done, they activated one of  the ghoul’s trap. A distorted laughter echoed, forming the distorted face they knew very well, one laughing at their dismay.

“AHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHHA!! ” The ghostly voice boomed with an ecstatic echo. “ FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!! ~ Oh, it’s you. Heyo kiddo!” Hat Kid scowled at his smiling jack o'lantern face. He may have been smiling at them, but none of them were smiling back. “We came to politely take back what you stole.”

Hat Kid announced, pointing her umbrella at the shade like a blade. Snatcher cackled, laughing so hard he wiped away faux tears. “OH!~ You came for the Time Piece now, didn’t you?” The top hatted child growled, the grip on her umbrella tightening. Both Dawn and Bow hadn’t seen her THIS angry since the incident at Time’s End. An incident they were still recovering from. Now the cryokinesis prodigy knew she wasn’t playing around.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Snatcher! You REALLY don’t!” Hat Kid snapped back, swinging away her umbrella threateningly. Snatcher boomed a roar, animating his amusement at their dismay. With a flick of his claw, the Time Piece materialized with ease, taunting the sole reason they came in the first place. “You want * this * back, right?” The ghoul taunted, a nasty grimace upon his shadowy face. Dawn’s eyes glanced at Time Piece , then back at the shade himself. He wanted them to fight for it, he wanted them to fall into a trap. He had anticipated this. And the fact he knew this would be the outcome made Dawn even angrier.

“Well. You’re just gonna have to come and GET it! Shouldn't be too hard . You’ve literally survived everything else I’ve thrown at you. So give it your BEST shot, kid! Because soon, it’ll be your LAST!!” With that, the fight started in uproar, attacks erupted quicker on the battlefield than before.

Internally, the snow queen worried… How the hell were they going to beat him!? The shade spawned shockwaves, slashed with shadows and spawned explosions left and right. To get to safety, Dawn activated the scooter badge on her backpack. Quickly scooping Hat and Bow to avoid the barrage of attacks as they drifted on the terrain. 

The snowflake-clipped girl knew exactly what she needed to grab: the Time Piece . So in a last ditch effort, she cranked the gas up on the magical scooter. Now they were zooming straight towards the ghoul, with her boot she created an ice ramp to reach the height of Time Piece . The artifact fit around the hook of her umbrella, so if she could get it, then this fight would end. Once they were close, the cryokinesis prodigy swung her umbrella. Praying for it to latch on and take the ghoul down with it. Yet that hope shattered when Dawn’s umbrella hook missed getting it around the artifact. Which in turn was a major blow.

“OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS DAWN- DAWN!!!” “HOLY PECKING REHAN! DAWN- SNOW- SNOW—!” Hat and Bow screamed, overlapping one another as they plummeted dowards.

Dawn realized far too late when they horrifically failed to execute the plan in taking down the dastardly ghoul, she had unintentionally caused their own downfall. What was worse than the mishap in failing to properly execute the plan was crashing the scooter into the forest floor. The scooter puffed out of existence by the time they finally made contact with the ground. Dawn was unable to make a snow blanket in time to break the fall, so landing was extremely rough.

“You know kid- that wasn’t very smart.” Snatcher taunted in an arrogant tone that infuriated the trio, but none of them said a word as the grueling fight went on. Snatcher’s bursts of flames and explosions were a lot faster than they were when the trio first fought him. It was getting harder and harder to dodge as the attacks became more vicious. Bow launched an attack with her hookshoot, hoping to hit him with something she grabbed nearby. Only to miss the target completely. They couldn’t HIT him! Just like last time! But there wasn’t a potion to use in sight. By the look of it, Snatcher learned from his previous mishap. But the mishap made Dawn finally remember something that was VITAL when winning that fight. An ice snowball was blue , right? So what IF those can make Snatcher tangible- ish enough to hurt him! It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, it could work here!

Snatcher glared at the kids before him; he hovered over them, invincible. None of their attacks were working. Dawn knew that in the ghoul’s mind that they were officially SCREWED. Well not this time… Snatcher then gave a taunting smirk, cursing: “Ever since you, and your little friends came into MY Forest, you’ve been nothing but a nuisance! A persistent thorn in my side. Sure you completed all of my contracts, you acquainted yourself with almost EVERYONE in this forest. Heck, I even allied with you in that fight with the cloaked brat. But that doesn't mean that I like any of you. And now: with this Time Piece, I can reverse to the first time you came to the forest and kill you right then and there! Not even your pathetic begging will save you this time!” Snatcher bursted out laughing with a boisterous ghostly grin.

“Reverse THIS!” Dawn launched her snowball at the ghost; it was a direct hit! It covered him in the blue ice, just like she thought it would. Snatcher cocked his shadowy head to her. “Did- you just color me blue with your ice snowball, KID? This can’t count- right!? Surely this DOESN'T count!” Snatcher asked or rather- stated the obvious on what Dawn had JUST done. But the ‘snowball’ part was emphasized, like that was the part that bothered him more than being dusted with blue. Dawn couldn’t blame him, but now wasn’t the time for pity.

“Hat! Need a boost?” Dawn yelled as Snatcher thrusted another attack, being even quicker than before. Dawn lifted Hat Kid into the air with gusto; soon projectiling an attack at the shade. Unlike the previous unsuccessful attempts; this time, it actually worked! The insane idea actually WORKED! They repeated the process until; after everything, they finally beat him. 

Silence, not a sound was made or did it dare to in the forest of Subcon. The trio that consisted of Hat, Bow and Dawn had just triumphed in their greatest challenge yet. That being taking down their contractual BFF who had stolen a magical hourglass out of pettiness. “ So ...” Dawn started, tapping her foot impatiently. “You’re gonna give the Time Piece back? We won fair and square.” Snatcher scoffed, turning away from them with a bruised ego. “No? I thought you’d- I dunno? Insult us or something?”

The ghoul chortled a wheezy laugh, the echo vibrating throughout the forest. “I would. But right now I don’t want to. And if this is your way of getting your precious Time Piec e back, then I suggest you get lost.” Hat Kid had her jaw plummet to the ground while Bow Kid shuddered in genuine surprise.

“Hey, that's no way to talk to Ice. You lost to us again, big deal. Fighting got us nowhere, Snatcher. Even after saving your forest and the world, it got us nowhere.” Bow tried to mediate, but that only made the ghoul growl at her humble tone.

“So, that’s how you want to play it, huh? Even with all the stuff we’ve done, you’re still going to be a grumpy jerk... Isn’t that a bit heartless ?” The ghoul shot a glance at the ribboned girl, causing her to take a step back. No one needed to be a genius to know the comment struck a sore nerve.

“Does it *look* like I care, kid? Even if you saved my forest, it doesn’t change the way I feel about you! You tampered with a situation that was resolving itself without your help! So quit your pitiful comments and get the heck LOST!” The shade remarked violently, snarling at the three of them. Bow tried to stand her ground, yet couldn’t help her fear… that was until Hat stood in front of her, angrier than she had ever been.

“WHA- HEY! Now that’s just mean! Don’t you dare talk to my sister that way, you hurt her feelings!” Hat protested, puffing her cheeks out in frustration at how he was treating them. “GOOD . I LITERALLY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT YOUR ‘HURT FEELINGS’, KID! THEY MEAN NOTHING TO ME! ” Snatcher barked back, slamming a claw into the ground menacingly. Hat tried to march on over there to give the contracting ghost a piece of her mind, ready to tear him limb from limb. Bow on the other hand, despite feeling hurt, she KNEW it wouldn’t end well for any of them. So she held her older sister back, making sure that this couldn’t escalate any further.

“Oh? Holding your friend back so she doesn’t rip me apart?” Snatcher sneers with a half-chortle, grimacing furiously. “How disgustingly ADORABLE . I hate it.” Hat Kid struggles against Bow Kid’s grasp, now completely outraged. Dawn was sure she could see steam rising from how much her blood was boiling, he had really done it this time.

“TAKE THAT BACK YOU WHISKY PECK NECK!! TAKE IT BACK!! TAKE IT BACK RIGHT NOW OR I'LL WHACK YOU HARDER THAN BEFORE!”

“Hattie, that's enough! Augh-! Hat, don't let him get to you! He’s just-!”

“ENOUGH!”

Dawn commanded, silencing both children. If she wasn’t enraged before, she certainly was now. The snow queen’s angered gaze towards the ghoul was colder than the arctic tundra.

“Snatcher. I’m gonna ask this:” Dawn pulled out the note she grabbed earlier, scowling furiously. “Leaving a NOTE on the glass door and provoking a fight at FOUR in the freakin’ morning. FOUR IN THE MORNING SNATCHER. We. Were. SLEEPING. What the heck were you thinking!? Why did you think any of this was a good idea at all!?” Dawn scolded, earning a harumph from the ghost.

“Oh no no no! Don’t you harumph at ME mister! You knew EXACTLY what you were doing. And ya did it ANYWAY! Just give us the Time Piece back and we can go on with our days today! I don’t wanna fight or pry it outta your hands but I swear to InBetween if you make me I will YEET you to the next universe’s sun!!” Dawn demanded with a roar, scowling in vexation at their ghoulish friend. Even snow queen’s attempts in getting the artifact back, the ghoul wouldn’t budge.

Snatcher was outraged, yes, but he wasn’t about to give the trio their Time Piece back. Dawn after that point proceeded to rant more about how LIVID she was, losing more and more of her patience by the minute. She politely bargained for the Time Piece back, she tried to demand, almost threatening him to give it back. None of it worked. Snatcher wanted those brats to leave him alone, as they had nothing but crush his pride and bruise his ego.

The snowflake-clipped girl was huffing heavily after she was done screaming at him, it was a miracle she hadn’t screamed her vocal cords raw. “ Snatcher.. .” Dawn heaved, virescent eyes eventually meeting glowing golden once the ghoul snapped his gaze at her. “I’m not yelling anymore... I don’t wanna yell anymore… just- give us the Time Piece back. Please . I… just wanna send them home.” 

The atmosphere from that point forth quelled since the heated argument took place. Hat was no longer being restrained by Bow. Dawn feeling drained from yelling, and Snatcher? He finally had enough of these kids’ antics. “FINE!” Snatcher boomed, alarming the trio instantaneously as the Forest rumbled with his voice.

“If you want it back SO badly- Here. Take it back!” The ghoul snapped, picking up the ivory artifact with little care and hurling it at them. It made Dawn’s blood run cold, while her two friends began to frantically panic. He must’ve forgotten how truly magical those Time Pieces truly were.

The snowflake-clipped girl ran, hoping to save the ghost from making a HUGE mistake! Then it happened… in the midst of trying to help, the internal tripwire finally decided to snap. The snow queen trips, slamming face first into the dirt, shattering glass ensuing with a blinding light.

The cryokinesis prodigy felt pain, but the deafening screams were far worse. Dawn couldn’t forget those screams, shrieks of someone in agony. Gritting her teeth, the snowflake-clipped girl lifts her face from the dirt; nothing but a blinding white, one that blinded them all. Agonizing screams grew more and more in size until— nothing. 

There was nothing, nothing at all. 

Everything went uncharacteristically silent, even for Subcon that always had droning noises all about. When the light faded and the hums of the forest returned, the first thing Dawn gave a glance to was her friends. They looked worried about something, perhaps even horrified. The only question was… what ? Whatever had their attention couldn’t be that horrific, could it? Wrong. They had their attention on something else. Correction, someone else: Snatcher.

Snatcher was a good distance away from them… just like the last time they had beaten him at his own game. However… he looked different this time, smaller . Taller than them still, yes, but he wasn’t towering over them anymore. He huffed and gruffed like last time- but there was a certain effect in his voice missing. It took the cryokinesis prodigy a moment to realize that the echo that engulfed Snatcher’s voice was the thing that was missing. What the heck was going on!? “Oh heck- did we just KILL Snatcher!?” Bow inflected with horror, unsure on how to process the sight before them. Hat loudly face palmed, then drug her hand down her face. “Bow- he was a ghost when we met him. Which means we can’t-! Oh gosh.” Hat Kid’s eyes widened, the realization of what had been done hitting her before anyone else in the group. She quickly paced back and forth, connecting the dots- before finally looking back at her friends in fear.

“OH PECK WE UNGHOSTED SNATCHER!!” Hat Kid exclaimed, completely panicked about the current situation.

Dawn and Bow tensed at the revelation; it made so much sense, too much sense. “We need to go check on him.” Bow suggested, gesturing to her friends to follow her. “Come on, if we don't, who knows what will!” Without a word, Hat and Dawn followed Bow.

“Snatcher…? ” The snow queen whispered, scooted her feet across the forest floor, the dirt kicking just below her boots. “Hey uhm… Snatch? Are you- okay?” She asked again, this time gaining his attention, though he didn’t seem to fully respond to her voice.

The trio watched anxiously as Snatcher looked at his slightly bruised mortal hands, horror coming onto his face, his real human face. 

He was on the ground once more as he covered his ears. He looked to be in pain… he didn’t even look to be breathing, like he was suffocating. That alone was enough to make Dawn on edge and ill-at-ease. Seeing the ghoul’s human form in person (outside of the Memory Rift this time) felt… off-putting to say the least. His hands were glued tightly around his ears and some of his chestnut curly locks. Locks that were tangled with his hands, dirt and leaves.

Dawn then glanced at Snatcher’s clothing, the outfit… oh goodness. It was the same one from the Memory Rift as well. From the red blazer and frilly caveat down to the purple boots and golden crown uptop of his head. When his face was finally visible to the snowflake clipped girl, she saw nothing but horror and confusion in his golden eyes. The trio was now uncomfortably antsy, anxious. They had never seen the ghost look so genuinely… terrified.

Yes, they had seen a part of his past life, the fear, the wonder, hope and bliss. Seen the jaded ghost he had become, but not once had any of them seen him THIS scared outside of when Vanessa froze him to death.

This was the most terrified they had ever seen Snatcher. Now Dawn felt an undying dread, if nothing was done then— No. She didn’t have to think about that! Not now. They needed to help the former shade first, all the other concerns could wait. 

Snatcher gradually began to shake more intensely, making the moment more dire. “Shoot! This ain’t good at all!” Dawn screamed in her head. “At this rate he’ll pass out!” She thought again, desperately relying on her insects to help.

Fortunately, the top hatted child beat her to the punch, yanking the ghoul by tangible shoulders and shaking him profusely. If the panic wasn’t kicked into high-gear “Breathe!” Bow Kid pleaded frantically, while her sister shook him. “Come on Snatcher, BREATHE. Open your pecking mouth and BREATHE. PLEASE!! Don’t pass out on us here!” Hat Kid yelled, practically demanding, PLEADING Snatcher with her cries.

The pain looked unbearable… Somehow, none of them were sure exactly how, Snatcher finally managed to inhale the cold air. The shaking lessened as he took in more air, easing the situation more as he kept breathing raggedly. The shade’s body seemed to have been surviving on its own, shoving Snatcher’s obviously panicked mind aside. Dawn knelt down, hesitantly allowing her cold hands to barely touch his shivering shoulders. Yet once her hand touched his shoulder, she could hear- no- FEEL something she didn’t want to believe that she felt through her fingers.

It was so out of the blue, and impossible… but she wouldn’t- couldn’t deny it. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how impossible or absurd it sounded. Dawn knew VERY well what that vibration was, one pounding against her very touch. She KNEW that her touch didn’t deceive her, so it had to be true...

With a chaotic and panicked rhythm in the deafening silence, defying all the logical odds, was a heartbeat. Or to be more precise; Snatcher’s heartbeat. The snowflake-clipped girl was flabbergasted, her jaw had completely hit the floor. The ghost had been resurrected from the dead.

How could this happen? Why? This made no sense? Was this the Time Piece’s doing?

Dawn looked over at Hat Kid and Bow Kid, surely they had The same questions she did, there wasn’t a doubt about it. But then another question came to mind… If Snatcher was alive again, then the forest, it would… 

“ Oh no … ” The snowflake-clipped girl murmured, chillingly remembering the manor, Vanessa . What was going to happen to Subcon Forest? Who would protect it? Who would stop the insane ice queen from freezing it over!? Who would help them in this situation? Gosh this was so much, too much…

Snatcher’s eyes landed on the Time Piece that was broken. “What-” Snatcher started to hack repeatedly, nearly choking on what looked to be some of his own saliva. Obviously the sensation must’ve been foreign to the ghost, he came back from the dead after all.

Yet- none of this felt actually real. It felt like an insane dream… At any given moment Moonjumper would pull her out of it and she’d wake in The Horizon. But deep down, Dawn already knew this wasn't a dream. This was far too real to be a dream. Snatcher stopped coughing, Dawn didn’t want to touch him. Feeling like her touch wouldn’t help him, so she resisted the urge to pat Snatcher on his back.

“What… What did you do to me?” Snatcher wheezed, sounding on the verge of coughing again, but thankfully didn’t. It was frighteningly uncanny to hear his real voice, one that was without the distortion of the echo or one that would erupt throughout the forest. They had been used to his ghostly voice for so long that the change foreign, bizzare. It was probably mutual to what Snatcher was probably feeling. Though that can’t be compared to seeing a form they’d only seen in portraits from a deadly manor, pictures from a storybook that came from a Time Rift and seeing the storybook animated or given more context thanks to the Memory Rift . 

The Time Piece soon reverted back to its original form, the sand and glass were no longer scattered on the forest floor. Snatcher glared at the children angrily, scowling with a low growl in his voice. “I swear… If you don’t tell me what happened or reverse this whole thing… I WILL kill you, steal your souls, and make sure you never live again.” Hat Kid was grimley flabbergasted, losing any semblance of empathy she had on her face moments prior. “I’m SORRY!? You’re the one that broke the Time Piece ! Dawn was the one trying to save you from that mistake, jerk!” She retorted with an infection of fury Dawn had never heard in the little girl’s voice before. Hat curtly placed her hands on her hips, keeping the fury in her voice.

“So how is any of this OUR fault? We didn’t do anything!” Hat Kid wasn’t wrong, yet right now was a terrible time to fight. Bow Kid tugged her sister away by her cape, trying to mediate the fight once more. She too looked at the shade, but she wasn’t trying to yell at him. Unlike her older sister who had every right to yell at the dastardly ghoul.

“You know- you could’ve just handed it to us… And not provoked Hat and Dawn. Instead of throwing it carelessly like that. I-it would’ve made this a lot easier.” Bow added in a nonjudgmental tone, trying to make peace with the situation just so they can calm down. Dawn’s face contorted from wariness to worry as Snatcher darkly chortles, only to instantly clutch his sides in pain. Even the motion of harmless amusement hurt him, and that broke the snow queen’s heart.

Dawn wished she could do something to ease the physical sensations and pains… but she knew that she couldn’t . “Change… Change me back. ” Snatcher demanded in a low voice, spitting out saliva as he glared at them… He looked so angry, angrier than he had ever been with them. Yet… even with that angered voice, Dawn knew what he meant when saying “ change me back ”. He was really saying: “ Change me back, change me back to my original form right now! ” Or at least; that’s the context Dawn could pick up from his furious voice. Even with context, it hurt Dawn to her core. 

“Snatcher… I-… we… ” Dawn started with… she wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to break it to him; that they didn’t know how to fix it. It was harsh, yes… it was. But it was the undeniable truth. They didn’t know how to fix it… none of them knew how they could fix this. This had never happened before, so none of them could’ve prepared for a scenario like this.

A few moments passed before Hat Kid stood, gazing at Snatcher with worried ocean eyes. “We… we um…” Hat averts her gaze to Bow, who looked more hesitant to break the news than Hat or Dawn did. None of them wanted to tell the ghoul they didn’t know how to fix this… but someone had to do it.

Bow sharply inhaled, dreading the broken silence and shattering its boundaries completely. “We can’t… I’m… so, SO sorry.” Bow closed her eyes, the ribboned child couldn’t bear to look at his reaction, none of them could.

The only one who couldn’t look away or close their eyes from the former ghoul’s reaction was Dawn.

The snowflake-clipped girl silently watched the nervous laughter bubble from Snatcher. Once he processed what he had been told, his expression was beyond anything from calm. It was crushed, destroyed, so out of place for the contracting ghost… Well- technically Snatcher wasn’t a ghost anymore, which made matters worse. If he was alive now, did he retain his powers? Dawn didn’t know, she didn’t want to know. She wanted to figure that out later but for now… they just needed to help in the moment. “ No… ” Snatcher murmured… the despair fueling into a burning rage. “No, no, no, NO!” Snatcher shrieked, the emotions that overflowed from his fearful inflection was horrifically overwhelming.

“I CAN’T be alive again! I can’t be like this! I CAN’T!” The ghoul screeched, his seething anger and harsh disgust coming to a boiling point. The snow queen knelt down to the forest floor, virescent eyes gazing in not anger, nor sorrow or vexation, but empathy.

As childish as it may be to be empathetic towards a ghost who tried to kill them once more, Dawn couldn’t help her kind heart. Her empathy led her down memory lane, remembering the Memory Rift in its entirety. Remembering how surprised she had been to see his human form, smile to see him with the children… and horrible for his untimely demise.

All feelings she had felt for the specter all that time ago. Empathy and sympathy made Dawn see a different side to Snatcher, a human side to someone who wasn’t in their unique situation… would most undoubtedly call a monster. However, this time was different, this time wasn’t a memory nor a fragmented version of what could’ve been the past. This time was in the present, and this time, the former prince they had seen could now look right back at them.

Now visible, their choices mattered, what they said had an impact on what would happen, and that also included Dawn’s empathy… a feeling that had never felt so heavy until now. The distant feelings that should’ve been comforting no longer were, and that was what stole Dawn’s breath.

“I’m…” Dawn tried to speak, unsure of what to do. Lost in what words to say. What could she say that didn’t make her sound like a fool? “I'm… sorry, Snatcher.” Dawn apologized, her voice abnormally quiet. It was the quietest it’s ever been even at a normal volume, just above a whisper. The 11-year old knew full-well that her appeal to empathy wouldn’t help at this given moment.

Right now was not the time to hear the weak words: “I’m sorry” yet she still tried regardless. Because what else could she do other than play the fool?

Snatcher had none of it. He disregarded all of her appeals with a painful chortle, fiercely clenching his fists, but stopped before his nails could dig into the palms of his sensitive hands. The breathy chortle escalated into dark laughter that echoed through the forest. It sounded so full of rage, fear and… astonishingly enough, anguish. A deep looming grief that’s been lingering for too long… So many years, so many centuries. All alone.

To the trio’s bewilderment, tears began to slowly fall from the ghoul’s eyes, real tears. He covered his mouth, repressing the urge to let out a gut wrenching sob. Not a word was said, not an action was made, everything was dead silent... The only sounds were the winds and the painfully repressed sobs from Subcon Forest’s former prince.

The contracting and soul stealing ghost , one of the most powerful beings the three of them had known from this dimension. The one that had been stealing souls for centuries, broke down in tears. Oh, the dramatic irony. How truly ironic … How terribly pitiful.

There wasn’t another way to describe it, none at all. It pained the trio to see Snatcher hurt this way. None of them had ever thought they would’ve seen the ghost they loved pestering and teasing so much like this, not in a million years. Snatcher fell over curled in on himself, hoping it would protect him from the harshness of the situation. While Hat Kid and Bow Kid might’ve seen it as an opportunity  to comfort the ghoul, Dawn on the other hand took it as the opportunity to finally screw her eyes shut.

She couldn’t bear to look at the sight anymore, it was too much.

Once the two children reached the ghoul, they knelt down to his level. The top hatted child tried to hug him, her hands clasping locks of chestnut curls. While the ribboned child rubbed circles into his back, doing her best to soothe his cries despite the awkward position. The snowflake-clipped girl, instead of leaving to help her friends, kept her feet planted. Unable to move out due to the unrelenting anxiety. Dawn didn’t know how she COULD help in this situation, this had never happened before.

All she could do was sit and listen to the meltdown of someone who had to process the dreadful sensations of coming back to life.

Fate had definitely had something in store for all of them. It always did. Dawn just didn’t know what yet… It was just like how it allowed the three of them to meet, allowed all the adventures they went on to take place and everything else they had come across on their journey happen to them. At this moment in time however… The only thing Dawn hoped that whatever they did next would not be in vain.

Chapter Text

It had been around an hour since the battle for the Time Piece ended, an hour since Snatcher got “ unghosted ” by the Time Piece’s magic. Dawn assumed it was most likely 5 in the morning.

Considering it was 4am when they left the spaceship and dark when they got to Subcon Forest. This meant that the sun was going to rise soon. Great, that was JUST great! Time really didn’t want to be on their side at this moment. This couldn’t get any worse, could it? Hope not. “ Snatcher… ?” Dawn started, trying not to flatline her attempt in starting a conversation with the now former ghoul. “Look… um… gosh-!” Dawn awkwardly brushed her hand through her thick brunette bangs. Allowing the tufts of hair to flow through her fingers and lace back onto her face with cold sweat. “ I know… things… ”

The cryokinesis prodigy shuddered a deep breath through her nose, then sharply exhaled through her mouth. Every moment of this living nightmare was making Dawn’s skin crawl.

“I know stuff’s not looking the best right now… But uhm- M-maybe things will turn out okay! W-we can try to find something to help your situation. I know we haven’t tried anything— Yet… We haven’t tried anything yet! But that doesn’t mean we give up, right?” Snatcher violently snapped his head up at Dawn, causing her to squeak with an equally violent jolt.

The snowflake-clipped girl gulped as he furiously burned his golden gaze into her very soul, looking right through her emerald eyes. It was as if she’d broken a dozen nerves at once, making the 11-year old feel on edge. She’d messed up big time … hadn’t she? “Are you—! Are you joking or hearing yourself right now, kid?” Snatcher spat out with his usual sarcasm, however this time, his voice was laced in a heavy coat of venom. Bitter venom that was dripping in deadly amounts of arsenic, colliding with the baleful glare that burned into Dawn’s soul. If looks could kill, Dawn was certain she would’ve already dropped dead. 

“How the heck can ANY of this be okay?!” Snatcher furiously snapped, screaming with a hoarse voice that was directed at the trio. Or, more specifically; directed at Dawn herself.

His booming voice usually wouldn’t overwhelm the snowflake-clipped girl… but this time… it did. Hat Kid immediately noted the change in their friend, not thinking twice before punching the shade in the shoulder. The sensation alone was enough to make Snatcher wince, sending his piercing and furious stare at Hat Kid.

“Don’t talk to Dawn like that.” Hat Kid scowled, placing her hands firmly onto her hips. “Dawn was trying to let you know that we could find a way to reverse this. We haven’t tried anything yet. So don’t be a peck neck because of information we don’t have yet!” The former ghoul growled in vexation, scowling as he bared his teeth viscously.

“Help me ’? How is any of THIS helpful, kid!? unless you can make me a ghost again none of this is helpful!!” Snatcher spat venomously, the hate shorting its way into Dawn’s still beating heart. Snatcher’s sentences no longer radiated the sarcasm she was used to. It wasn’t even dripping with bitterness that much anymore… it was an emotion Dawn hated seeing, and it was just that: hate.

He was glaring at them with so much hatred, that Dawn couldn’t stand it, she couldn’t bear to look at his hateful glare towards them. “Ice wanted to help you! She wanted to reassure you thing would be okay, not make you feel like crap! But you had to be a pecking jerk about it!” Hat Kid scowled, getting madder by the second as her cheeks turned redder and redder from anger. “It doesn’t matter kid. It’s because of YOUR recklessness I’m like THIS again!” The former ghoul snarled, stabbing Dawn’s heart.

In the end… the snow queen couldn’t take the hate.

Small hiccups came from behind Hat Kid and Bow Kid, the source coming from the cryokinesis prodigy herself, biting back tears and unable to say a word. Inturn, this made Hat Kid ANGRIER with their contracted BFF than ever before. “Are you KIDDING me right now?!” Hat Kid snapped curtly at Snatcher, ready to tear the ghoul limb from limb if it meant him apologizing for making their friend cry.

“You’re the one that broke the Time Piece ! You’re the one being a jerk to Dawn for no reason! And she looks like she’s about to sob! What the HECK Snatcher!?” Hat Kid fumed, screaming at the top of her lungs. Bow Kid wanted to keep her sister from doing something she regretted, but ultimately took a step back in Dawn’s direction.

“You were turned human again by the Time Piece , you were the one unmoving for an hour as we sat there, trying to help you!” Snatcher was visibly aggravated, snarling at the top hatted child. Now wasn’t the time to point the finger and toy with blame, Dawn knew this... She wanted to change the topic, by InBetween she wanted to. But she was too overwhelmed to cut in and divert the conversation to something else. To end the heated argument. Everything was too loud.

“Tch… I don’t want or even need your pity, kid.” Snatcher warned with a threatening voice that seemed to closely resemble his ghostly one; minus the echo. “And I certainly DON'T need your comfort either!”  Hat Kid muffled her frustration through an outraged scream.

“FINE. Since you think you’re doing SO well on your own, we’ll leave you to deal with this yourself! We don’t don’t need to help you. We *chose* to help you!” Dawn helplessly watched Hat Kid storm in her direction, taking her sister’s hand and then surprisingly enough, her own hand. Forcefully dragging them both out of the situation.

“Come on guys, let’s go. If we change our minds we’ll be back but for now: BYE!” Hat Kid continued to March away, escorting Dawn away from Snatcher. Bow Kid quickly followed not too far behind them, keeping lookout for both of them, while also keeping an eye on the shade. Once they were a few feet away from the former ghoul, the trio finally had the chance to breathe. Dawn felt her heart ache as it raced, she had a lump in her throat from biting back tears.

The snow queen fell to her knees as Hat and Bow were at her aid. They weren’t too far from Snatcher, but far enough to where he couldn’t hear them. Snatcher couldn’t help but stare at the trio as things raced though his mind. He watched as the kids consoled the oldest in their little trio, the snowflake brat. 

“Dawn…?” Hat whispered, her cerulean eyes and her sister’s magenta eyes illuminating with genuine concern. “Are you alright…?” Bow inquired with an equal amount of worry, trying to comfort her in the best way a child like her could. That was what finally broke Dawn, as she began to fully sob into her friends for comfort. She felt Hat Kid rubbing circles on her back, while Bow Kid rubbed her arm with one hand while stroking her hair with her other hand.

“Hey, hey… it’s okay… ssshhhh~ It’s okay. We just… I’m sorry that dumb jerk made you feel that way. He had NO right to lash out at-!” “But he DID Hattie… He-… *hic* H-he did.” Dawn tried wiping her tears as her nose ran with snot, her friends kept comforting even when she didn’t talk. Without thinking, Bow went into Dawn’s backpack, grabbing a small thing of tissues she had kept in case of something like this. With that, she blew her runny nose, now wiping her face clean of what was restraining her from talking. Once clear, the cries reduced to nothing but small hiccups and sniffles…

“Top hat… Ribbons… it may not look like it… but… Snatcher had every reason to lash out. I was c-careless and gave comfort when it wasn’t needed an-and… that was my fault. The way he’s acting is reasonable Hattie, if I was a-a ghost that came back to life… I’d be the same way… I’d feel vulnerable… w-weak and useless and… a-and be worried for the place I was protecting if I had a psycho for a n-neighbor.”

Bow continued to stroke Dawn’s hair as she hiccuped though more hot tears. “Dawn… you don’t need to pin the blame and burden all on you. It’s not your fault, it was never your fault. It’s not our fault either… he still shouldn’t have yelled at you like that, even with good reasons…” Bow slowly spoke, continuing to crone and comfort her. “We’re here to help you… remember? No matter what!” Hat added in a soft voice, painting a small smile on her lips as she did. “Yeah, Hattie’s right. We are. You’ve done so much for us, and we’ve done the same. So let us help…” Dawn sniffled, her eyes stinging from tears as she looked up at Bow, trying to give a soft smile. An all too familiar tender smile she tried to replicate, was the same Dawn had given her the day they met. Dawn sniffed hard as she wiped her nose with her arm.

“Y-yeah… yeah. You’re… you’re right guys. But….” Dawn wiped her tears to no avail, the snowflake-clipped girl’s face was stained with them at this point. An image flashed into Dawn’s mind; Snatcher… he still needed their help. Whether he wanted to admit that or not, they still needed to help him. “We need to help someone… who might not accept help easily… may even deny they need it. But he needs our help. We’re friends with him, in a sense… So it’s only fair that we give him the benefit of the doubt.” The snowflake- clipped girl stated, eventually giving a semi- confident smile at the top hatted child and ribboned child. Hat Kid sighs, relieved that she and Bow were able to talk sense into their older friend. But as soon as she turned around to see the ghost they needed to help; Snatcher was- “Uh-oh… Oh crap.” Dawn looked at Hat. “Oh crap what Hattie?- OH…”

Dawn had turned around, only to see Snatcher was no longer there. He was GONE. The crown that Dawn saw on his head was now abandoned in the dirt. Where was he? WHERE WAS HE?! Where did he go? Were the thoughts that frantically rushed though the minds of the trio. 

They searched the area frantically, hoping to find some indication as to what direction he could've darted off to. The darkness certainly didn’t aid in their search, rather it limited their line of sight. “Hey!” Hat Kid beckoned, pulling at Dawn’s shirt. “Take a look at this, Ice!” She quipped, pointing to what her ocean eyed gaze had caught sight of. “Mother of Raehan.” Bow Kid muttered, inspecting the newly formed tracks in the dirt.

“These are crawl marks! He musta dragged himself away when we weren't looking!” Hat speculated, pointing off in the distance where more of them laid. “Well- if he made these, then that means he couldn’t have gone too far.” Bow added onto the hypothesis, making Dawn more anxious than before. Pacing certainly wasn’t helping her, and they needed to act fast. “We gotta find him!!” Dawn asserts, still pacing to and fro.

“Without his powers- that’s IF he doesn’t have them anymore, the flames of Subcon will go out. And once they’re gone, Vanessa will freeze the rest of Subcon Forest! Not even Camila would be able to stop that! She’s not strong enough to stop the insane ice queen on her own! Moonjumper could try to stop her, but his magic isn’t enough to stop her either!” Dawn yanks at her pigtails violently, trying to calm herself despite her terror.

“The Subcon Forest would become a winter wasteland, becoming erased entirely off the map!” Dawn frantically drops her hands from her hair, huffing heavily. “We don’t have time to lose. We need to find Snatcher. We need to stop Vanessa from freezing the Subcon Forest over. Otherwise, it’s game over for everyone!” The snow queen concludes, calmer than before. Once it was off Dawn’s chest, her friends nodded with determination.

“ Snatcher needs our help, we can’t let her turn this place into an eternal blizzard.” “Yeah! We gotta help! If no one’s gonna look out for this place then- we’ll do our best!” And with that, the mission to save Subcon was set into motion. Hat Kid led her friends down the trial, leaving the golden crown behind. “Whatever we’re doing from here… There’s no turning back now.” The ribboned child reminded her friends. Some of her confidence was hindered by the tint of fear lacing her voice. But that fear didn’t stop her, she and her top hatted sister had their umbrellas out on standby. While Dawn still had hers resting between her backpack straps. They were going to help Snatcher in any way they could. 

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

Meanwhile with Snatcher, he was slowly making his way through his forest, desperately trying to get to the hollow tree. Surely there must’ve been something in his books at the hollow abode he called “ home ”. Everything just felt… unbearable . The dirt between his fingers, the unfamiliar motion of crawling, the sore bruising on his wrists feeling as if they’d been freed from chains.

The clothes against his skin, the air caressing his face, the pressure and feeling from the tree behind him, the popping of his bones when moving them, all of it was so much. Snatcher tried to get up again, only to fail, this bruised his pride once more, more than it had before. Snatcher laid for a moment, grunting from the soreness.

Those brats haven’t even tried anything with fixing the situation or even tried to find a solution at all! It was their fault for entering his forest. Snatcher breathed heavily, to ease his rapid heartbeat. A motion that was also foreign to the ghost. He hated this… he hated it all of it, he hated being alive again. He was fine as a ghost, in fact; he was great! Everything was going so well, that was until THEY showed up. Those brats and those cursed magical hourglasses of theirs!

Snatcher huffed, even feeling the air leave his lips felt uncomfortable. He was just so sensitive, it frustrated him beyond belief. He had to stop for a moment as his heart pounded in his head. It was horribly familiar to how it was moments before he died and just reminded him of how weak he was as a human, he was probably more pathetic now than he’s ever been.

He loathed how pathetic he was, how he could barely defend himself in this state. Even with his human magic which, heck, he wasn’t sure if he had anymore; it was hard to tell. He couldn’t sense his ghostly powers anymore, so it’s not like he could teleport or sense anyone in the forest, or hell, even know what Vanessa will do. She’s too unhinged for that now. And soon his flames will die out, and he won’t be able to stop it this time.

“ Ggrr … come on.” Snatcher growled when trying to lift himself again, this time succeeding with exhaustion. Snatcher breathed heavily once more, leaning on the tree for support. Taking a breather before starting again.

Now *this* was the hardest part, moving his legs and (hopefully) walking over to his house that he prayed wasn’t too far. Snatcher couldn’t help but feel pessimistic towards the situation, he was so miserable right now. Operating a body he hasn’t been in for about 300 years would do that much. Snatcher’s legs were so heavy, shakey, imprecise, and were easily to disturb like a house of cards. Yet he managed to stay somewhat stable despite Snatcher’s grimace, this was just torture.

There was rage, frustration but at the forefront was a peculiar form of determination. Snatcher tried moving one leg forward, then the other. There was small progress made as he moved along the trees.

Unfortunately his luck would run out faster than he would’ve liked. When moving a heavy boot forward, Snatcher tripped over his feet and lost the balance he barely had. He instinctively brought his hands in front of him; meeting the floor as his face landed into the dirt. Before, when he was alive, he would’ve brushed this off.

However; since he came back from the dead, it hurt his overly sensitive skin with unwanted sensations. The thud was loud and ringing in his ears, it was unbearable! He just wanted this to end. Everything was so difficult, so painful… moving, breathing, crying, all of it. All of it was too painful for the ghost. Eventually, Snatcher slowly pushed himself off the forest floor and leaned on a tree, his nails that dug into the dirt and bark that laid at his sides.

He remained motionless for a while. This wasn’t fair! This wasn’t fair at all. Out of all the times why did fate decide to plunge him into misery? Why? Why? Oh, WHY ? He didn’t deserve this!

If only Snatcher could return to his ghost form. If only he could return to being powerful again instead of being pathetic. Then, it hit him. A thought crossed in his mind, yet also sent chills and more unwanted sensations though his body, the ghost began to shake. “Who would care?” Snatcher thought, letting a bittersweet smile form on his lips.

That was the solution, wasn’t it? He just needed to die again. At this point he had no other options. He absolutely despised the idea of asking the brats for help. The kids couldn’t help him, he couldn’t move on his own and asking them for help was an idea he loathed and was useless anyhow. Especially with how he looked as of now, covered with dirt and messy from trying to get back to his hollow tree. Snatcher began to silently sob, it was pathetic.He was all alone, so alone… until his ears acutely picked up on footsteps.

He heard rushing footsteps coming towards him. Was it the brats or something else? Something or someone heard his unwanted call while he just waited to become a ghost again. This peculiar situation couldn’t get worse, could it? It most likely could.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

“Snatcher! !” Dawn exclaimed with relief. He barely lifted his head to look at them. Hat and Bow panicked when pinning their gaze onto him. “We’re sorry Snatcher. I know I snapped at you for being a jerk to Dawn, but it wasn’t fair on you.” Hat Kid expressed anxiously, her eyes looking as if she’d apologize or reassure as many times as she needed to. Hat Kid took a sharp inhale before continuing her wild tangent.

“Dawn told Bow and I that we should go back and help, even when it’s difficult. But when I turned around, you were gone…! I’m really… I’m really, really sorry.” Hat Kid explained in a hurry, almost in tears. Dawn did her best not to touch Snatcher, Bow Kid sat her hands on her knees. “We were really worried about you. We didn’t want something to happen to you, so we searched everywhere we could and finally found you.” Bow added on, looking as if she was about to touch him only for the shade to jolt from the contact made by Bow’s tiny hands, clearly not used to it. Hat lightly held his shoulder, not sensing that Snatcher didn’t want to be touched at the moment in time.

“Are you okay?” Hat Kid asked, guilt plastering onto her worried face. Dawn saw that the specter couldn’t lie about how he was feeling, the answer was obvious: He wasn’t okay. Dawn had to pray that no one shows up to see Snatcher like this. This was NOT the time to crush or bruise Snatcher’s pride, though that must’ve been damaged enough already.

Dawn didn’t even want to attract the Subconites’ attention. It wouldn’t be good for Snatcher to explain this to any one of them. It would just be humiliating, Dawn could already tell that it would be.

“Oh, I’m great . FANTASTIC even.” Snatcher spat at the trio with less saliva falling from his mouth. His attitude still had the pessimism and bitterness from before, the same attitude Dawn had to take a breather to calm down from. His eyes looked red and sore from crying with fresh tear stains down his checks, at least they weren’t bloodshot.

Dawn scanned the area to make sure that there wasn’t anyone but her, Snatcher, Hat, and Bow. No Subconite or Dweller in sight. It then begged the question: could the former ghost could stand on his own…? The question that lingered sent chills down Dawn’s spine. Now looking back, when Snatcher got out of their sight, there were crawl marks instead of imprents of his boots in the dirt. Implying he clawed at it and made his getaway that way rather than by just getting up and walking away.

It made no sense… UNLESS he couldn’t stand on his own. 

After the question was looked over, Dawn looked at Hat and Bow, Attempting to comfort and apologize for what happened beforehand. They weren’t fully questioning what happened at this moment, it could’ve been to avoid discomfort or they were so wrapped up in his sudden disappearance to even notice why the crawl marks were made in the first place. It didn’t really matter…

The snowflake-clipped girl knew they’d take all of this into consideration eventually. Even if the comfort wasn’t completely needed, they were doing their best. It made the snow queen reminisce about the past. Hat Kid and Bow Kid telling Dawn the reason they were trying to get home, Bow Kid needing a hug after having a nightmare, the girls cuddling up next to her after going into a Time Rift. How they fought alongside one another no matter what life or what their adventures threw at them.

No matter how many times they’ve been pushed down, they always got back up, they’ve always stuck together. Always having each other’s backs. It wasn’t different when they first met, so why would it change now ?

Dawn sucked in a deep breath, deciding to tell it to him straight. Before she could, however, she needed to make it clear that it wouldn’t be the best to touch Snatcher at the moment. “Hat, Bow, could you take your hands off Snatcher for a sec? If you- ya know- know what I mean?”

The pair of kids stare blankly at their older friend, confused as to what she was trying to convey. “Haven’t you noticed what I have noticed?” Dawn bluntly stated, pointing out the signs she had seen that her friends hadn’t. Her voice was devoid of any humor and sarcasm she usually had. The tone was… different . A lot more laser focused and deeply serious about the situation.

Eventually, the snow queen took the time to clarify her point. “Snatcher doesn’t want to be touched right now.” The brunette started, trying to keep a leveled tone for her younger friends when explaining.

“Snatcher reacted badly every time you’ve touched him up to this point. He’s very sensitive to all kinds of touch right now. And it makes sense.” The snow queen continued, pulling at her backpack straps. “Think about it, he was dead for a really long time. His senses must be outta practice and all kinds outta whack- so they’re hitting him all at once. And not in a comfortable way, in a really bad way. The best way I can describe it is a sensory overload.” Hat and Bow’s expressions changed to one of confusion to one akin to guilt.

“So with that said, could you guys please take your hands off Snatcher? I’m not being mean, I’m not yelling. I’m asking y’all.” Slowly, surely, the two kids allowed her hands to leave Snatcher’s frame. Now with the sensory overload lessened, they could finally try to bargain with the ghoul that started this mess. Snatcher didn’t say a word to Dawn, his golden eyes burned in astonishment. Astonished that he couldn't hide from Dawn’s emerald eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

“Snatcher. Be honest with me for a moment, will you?” The cryokinesis prodigy knelt to the forest floor, meeting Snatcher’s chagrin. “Fine . What is it, kiddo? I don’t have all of eternity you know. Plus stalling for you to ask your question is just begging for something to freeze over.” Snatcher taunted sardonically, getting more agitated by the second. However, unlike before, Dawn’s bubble didn’t burst. Instead, the 11-year old harrumphed in agitation. “I know what you’re doing so cut it out Snatcher. Answering my one question won’t be the end of the world.” Dawn chided back, crossing her arms. The ghoul didn’t even bother to bite back, which was exactly what she wanted.

“Good, I guess I can get to asking then… Can you stand?” Snatcher raised an eyebrow, waiting for the snowflake-clipped girl to elaborate. “Hey, don’t give me that look. I know it’s a weird question, believe me. The only reason I’m asking this is because- When we turned around, instead of seeing footprints from your boots, we saw crawl marks and signs of a struggle. So- can you walk on your own? Or are your legs too numb or out of practice from the years of not using them?” Dawn wearily concluded her question, wearing some of her heart on her sleeve. Out of the three of them, Dawn felt the pressure of the situation weigh on her the most.

Dawn, Hat and Bow were frightened to what the answer most likely was. And if it was the answer, that he couldn’t stand on his own, things could get a lot more tedious from here on out.

Snatcher bit his tongue, saying nothing and contemplating his answer. Pondering on whether he should even tell them by the glances he gave back at them. “I… *sigh*” The ghoul huffed, fumbling in a long lie he had no more effort to perform.

“… No . I can’t. There: happy? You’re probably REAL proud of yourself that you made me admit something so outrageously pathetic.” Dawn scowled but her facial expression lessened as she closed her emerald eyes. Averting her gaze, the snowflake-clipped girl checked the area, making sure that they were alone. Making sure there was nobody other than Hat and Bow, and Dawn herself seeing the former ghoul like this. Who knows who could take advantage of the former ghoul in the state he’s in? It wasn’t a scenario any of them wanted to find themselves in. Soon enough, emerald eyes met golden, cerulean and magenta eyes once more.

This was going to be a LONG day… Then, an epiphany hit the snowflake-clipped girl. “ If you let us help you get to wherever you’re heading to, the three of us are willing to help as your crutch and as a guide.” She said, dividing a plan on the spot. “If we find something that can help us, then things can go back to normal. It may suck, you might still be infuriated at us. Ya may still hate us at this moment— but it’s frankly better than being stuck in the dirt. Whaddya say?” Snatcher was baffled by the oldest child’s intellect, even more baffled by her request.

Dawn never struck him as the kind to make such complex plans or use a more complex way of speaking, yet here she was. The ghoul then realized that her words also stenched of an emotion he hated seeing; pity.

The 11-year old pitied him, didn’t she? Pity or empathy, whichever it may be, it didn’t deny the fact she genuinely still wanted to help.

“Tch, fine.” The ghoul spat darkly, begrudgingly accepting the help that was being offered before him. The snowflake-clipped girl was… honestly surprised to hear that Snatcher was going to let them help him stand. Dawn calculated that Hat could help at the left side while Bow helped in the back while Dawn had the right side. Dawn was the tallest out of the trio so it only made sense.

Dawn hesitantly lended her hand to the shade, only to tuck it away for a moment. “I- I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you, but…” Dawn sharply inhaled, closing her eyes tightly; “I’m sorry in advance.” Snatcher winced at the light contact Dawn’s hand made, and soon Dawn tugged to help the shade to his feet. However- this proved to be more difficult than initially thought.

“Guys-!” The self-proclaimed snow queen called out, almost letting go of Snatcher’s hand. “Ngh-! help me out a little, will ya?” Wordlessly, Hat Kid and Bow Kid went to help the snowflake-clipped girl get the former specter off the forest floor; before long, they had Snatcher on his feet. He was waaay taller than the trio, even taller than Dawn herself.

Snatcher was probably a tad shorter than her mom and dad or maybe an inch or two taller than her big brother, Silvie. Who, in her defense, was pretty tall. she could estimate he was as tall as her aunt Aliza, maybe taller. 

Dawn did her best to be patient with Snatcher, they didn’t have much of a choice but they still had to cooperate somehow. “We need to get to my tree. There should be something there.” Snatcher ordered in a low voice. The snowflake-clipped girl grinned without giving much forethought, steadying her grip on Snatcher’s arm.

“Alright. I would say take your time, but we still need to get there. But please: take it slow.” Snatcher’s balance was steady but soon enough they were tentatively walking as a group to Snatcher’s home. His home was a huge tree that was always lit on the inside, it had a big chair and many, MANY books on the bookshelf. Every time the trio went to see the specter, he always had a book in hand, reading whatever story he happened to have on hand. Dawn always thought it was somewhat sweet, yet she’d never say that to his face and say that he was a total bookworm! she still had a sense of self-preservation after all, so she knew better than to not say that. The group hoped the trip would be discreet. Unfortunately; the trip there, it wasn’t exactly quiet.

“ Augh - peck! For crying out loud. Stop leaning on me so much.” Hat Kid complained in a hushed but irritable tone. Snatcher rolled his eyes as he gritted his teeth, glaring darkly at the top hated child. “Well if you were trying harder maybe this wouldn’t hurt so much!” 

Snatcher fummed, snapping back at Hat Kid’s complaint. “For pete’s sake stop arguing you two! It’s not making this any easier. I get it. You’re snapy, we all are. So the less we try to draw attention to ourselves by arguing, the better.” Dawn suggested to no avail. “Why am I always the one who feels like they won’t stop.” Bow Kid muttered under her breath in displeasement. Dawn couldn’t blame her, Bow wasn’t wrong.

The ribboned child tried to ask them to stop arguing before, yet they continued poking at one another with a stick. The snowflake-clipped girl couldn’t blame Hat and Snatcher either, the terrain wasn’t kind to any of them. The pain from probably leaning on Hat Kid might’ve been to the ghost’s balance; rather lack thereof. The trio knew it wasn’t his fault, but it still didn’t excuse how he was acting towards them.

Sure, he was a ghost who floated around for centuries; so of course this was going to be no easy task. What made it worse was the worry of any Subconites seeing them. Snatcher probably didn’t want to explain what happened to him.

After what felt like hours, the group finally arrived at Snatcher’s hollow tree. The familiar yellowish light from the lanterns and redden trees brought a sigh of relief from Snatcher. How long had they actually been walking on foot? How much time had past since their initial duel? None of them knew, and would know unless they checked. At the moment, time was fleeting against them.

“Okay, we’re almost there. Just a few feet away.” Bow quietly announced, relieved that they were nearing Snatcher’s hollow abode. For a moment, the snow queen swore she glanced a hint of gratefulness on Snatcher’s face, relieved to be reprieved from his oversensitive body, yet faded just as it hadn’t been there at all.

It was strange, yet he was strange. Was it odd that Dawn found herself smiling at it? Most definitely, it couldn’t be helped. Perhaps he did care after all…? 

After going inside the treehouse, the trio sat Snatcher to his puerile armchair, allowing him to finally rest in their search for a reversal in whatever spell the magical hourglass caused.

“So… What are we looking for, Snatcher? Anything specific?” Bow inquired curiously, an eyebrow raised while crossing her arms. Snatcher straightened up, ready to answer. Only to be interrupted by his own joints, ones that cracked and popped due to the sudden movement. Obviously, the ghoul was doing his best to stay focused, ignoring the discomfort the sensations brought him. At that moment, when he pointed towards his collections do books, Dawn couldn’t read him. Snatcher had hidden all of his emotions from sight, looking almost impassive but not quite.

“The books on the bottom shelf should be the ones about magic, if there’s anything to reverse this. It would certainly be in one of those.” Snatcher instructed, watching as the kids looked for his books about magic. None of them had ever browsed through Snatcher’s personal collection before, he had never allowed them to. Especially when they did pester him. Though, Dawn had to admit it felt a little wrong going through them, worried that if she did one move it would turn to dust. Surprisingly- all of the books were in extremely good condition, almost looking brand new. Some of them were law books, others were storybooks, a couple novels and fairy tales.

The left side of the bottom shelf, the right side of the middle shelf and the middle of the top shelf had books on magic. It seems to be an older kind of magic she wasn't familiar with. She was a natural at her abilities. If you wanted to be formal, “Cryokinesis” or “Ice Magic” in scientific terms. 

Dawn stacked some of the books for them all to look through. “Okay… Here ya go. Just hope you know what we’re lookin’ for.” Snatcher took the first book that was given to him. His hands brushed over the cover sensitively. Must’ve been weird to feel things again, yet Dawn could resonate with the nostalgia she could see in the ghost’s expression. She remembered when Bella would spend hours in the library to look for history notes. She was always a history nerd, it was a collection of stories to her, and in a way she wasn’t wrong. Hat Kid groaned, she was very annoyed with how things were going at this moment in time.

“How can you be so sure that there's ANYTHING in here Snatcher? The Time Pieces * ARE * magical but they’re a completely separate problem from what all these books are talking about! This is a Time Piece problem not a magic problem!” Hat Kid nearly pulled her top hat over her face from frustration. Snatcher glared at the top hatted child sternly. He wasn’t putting up with Hat’s complaining at this rate.

“How would you know? You’ve never used magic as far as I can tell. Only one of you knows magic and it might follow the same fundamentals as how it’s written in these books as far as I can tell, kid.” He sharply reminded Hat Kid as she groaned from the shade reprimanding her.

“Well… you might be right. BUT : I know it when I say that this might not be a magic problem.” Dawn could see that it struck a nerve, but was surprised at how Snatcher remained calm, even when Hat Kid was so pessimistic about this whole situation. They still had to try. “I don’t care if it’s magic or that cursed magical hourglass. I’m going to reverse this in one way, or another. The faster this is over with, the better.” Snatcher darkly and slowly reiterated. No one spoke nor said a word until Bow Kid quickly nodded.

“Right…” the ribboned child responded quickly, only for the group to continue looking for a solution for the current predicament they’re trapped in. Nothing: they came across one dead end after the other. Nothing came up about this type of situation or how to fix it. Even if Dawn could search up something like this on her phone, she was positive it would come up with no results. Snatcher glanced over his book to see once or twice that the kids were reading the books for answers as well. Perhaps they weren’t useless after all, yep that still didn’t help the bubbling frustration.

Minutes passed by as the group continued to look for answers. It was dead silent until the deafening howl of the wind brushed by. It was so dry, so cold. This wasn’t doing a good job of reassuring Snatcher: the effects of his flames were dying down. “Did you find anything?” Snatcher groaned. Dawn looked up with the other two kids beside her. Dawn shook her head. This cycle continued on to where Snatcher’s pessimistic nature grew along with his anxiety to an overwhelming point.

What was wrong with him?

Snatcher kept skimming through the pages, becoming more fidgety with every loud page turn. He felt as if he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Why couldn’t they find answers? Why was this happening to him? Why couldn’t he find anything in these books? Why-!

“Snatcher?” Dawn interrupted the train of thought, clearly noticing his anxiety. Abruptly, Snatcher tosses the book he had aside, not caring what would become of it. His body language looked terribly troubled and the aura was so dark, that it felt… tangible.

“I don’t want to be stuck like this.” The trio, mainly Dawn, was taken aback by Snatcher’s words and current action in throwing the book he previously had in his hands. “What…?” Dawn mouthed yet a sound never left her lips. “Are you deaf, kid? Did I stutter?” Snatcher sharply snapped at Dawn as she let out an audible squeak. He looked directly at her with a glare she couldn’t take her eyes off of.

“I said… I DON'T want to stay like this!” Snatcher shrieked as he slammed both hands into the armrests, which did more harm than good. His booming voice echoed throughout the forest, only to silence a few moments after…

Moments went by and no one said a word, completely stunned by the shade’s sudden outburst. Hat Kid wanted to say something to a huffing and obviously overwhelmed Snatcher, yet couldn’t find the words to say. Dawn had her eyes to the floor, closing them to clear her head from the tension. Bow Kid on the other hand heard something coming towards them, when she looked out of Snatcher’s hollow tree however… her face had gone completely white. “ Uhm… guys?” Snatcher snapped his head to the youngest in the group.

“What!?” Snatcher shouted, raising his voice in a tone none of the kids had heard from him before, not even in his boss fight. But then saw… something the trio had feared would happen. The Subconites of Subcon Forest had gathered in front of Snatcher’s hollow tree, concerned for their leader.

Things were going to only get worse from here, weren’t they? 

Chapter Text

“Boss?”

One of the Subconites finally shuddered, their faces showing one could assume being overwhelming dread. Snatcher had noticeably stiffened in his chair, none of them were sure if he looked like he would throw up or pass out.

Not to mention the staring from his minions was certainly not helping his mental state.

“Boss- is that really you…?” Another Subconite spoke out, worrying for their boss, their former prince, making Snatcher pale more. At this rate, he could very well be a ghost again. They may be undead children, but they were tackling this subject more maturely than any of them had. Even if it was overwhelming, especially since it was overwhelming.

“Are you alright, boss?” “What happened to you?” “What’s going on?” “Why are the newbies here?” “Is something wrong?” The voices of concern of the Subconites kept overlapping, echoing until it reached boiling point.

Snatcher gripped his shirt, unable to tear his eyes away from the overwhelming crowd... Unable to block out the ringing whispers, the deafening murmurs that spread throughout the crowd.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid wanted to answer all of their questions, but even they couldn’t answer them all. Tuning out the noise, the 11-year old glanced at the former ghoul, coming to a frightening realization.

Snatcher was having a panic attack. That’s why he looked so deathly pale, why he looked like he could pass out. It’s because he could. 

Dawn had never seen a panic attack this up close before. Aunt Aliza had told Dawn of the times she’d seen panic attacks from kids in The World InBetween after very traumatic events or missions from the Adventurer's Oasis gone horribly wrong.

They were much older than Dawn, and even they still had trouble calming down. The only personal experience the snow queen could recall that was similar to seeing a panic attack was when Tensuya had one.

On that particular occasion, Tensuya was working on a robotics project with two other students. The students in question had slacked off on it, doing none of their parts on this project while Tensuya pulled several all-nighters to get it done. It didn’t end well.

Yes, it earned a good grade, but also gave Tensuya a horrible burn out. After the project ended, he tried telling the teacher about this. That didn’t end well either. The teacher only scolded the students and inadvertently caused the situation to escalate.

After school that same day, the students tracked him down after school just as he was meeting Bella and the rest of them.

They screamed at him, furious that they failed the project while he got full credit for the work HE did. Bella tried to defend him, snarling at how they were treating Tensuya.

Unfortunately, the pressure crushed Tensuya after that. His breathing became ragged, as if he was struggling to breathe with tears flowing like a river. Silvie pulled him away, Bella joining soon after. Dawn hadn’t seen Silvia so angry until that moment, threatening them in a way Bella couldn’t. That if they were to mess with Tensuya again, they wouldn’t like what would happen afterwards.

Benjamin emphasized it with an inky snowboard, scaring them off in the process. Dawn was glad they backed off, giving Tensuya a hug. The snow queen couldn’t help but notice how he flinched at her touch. 

He didn’t push her away though, and it seemed to help. After he was calm, Tensuya apologized profusely, Bella telling him he didn’t need to be sorry. It was their fault anyhow. It might’ve not been his fault, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t scary. 

…

Gradually, the snow queen thought of something she hoped she wouldn’t regret. She prayed to InBetween it wouldn’t. Dawn placed her hand on Snatcher's quivering shoulder, violently bringing his frantic mind back to reality.

“Breathe.” The cryokinesis prodigy began, her voice firm. “It’s okay, it’s just us… just...” Dawn sighed heavily, lowering her emerald eyes until they closed. If they were going to get through this, Dawn would have to be one of many to ground Snatcher back to reality and pull him away from his anxiety.

Remembering Bella’s wisdom and the words she’d often use to help Tensuya would be a big help as well... “Just pull yourself together and… j-just take some deep breaths, and tell me four things you see. Okay?” The snowflake-clipped girl instructed, yet all that met her word was a frantic gaze, eyes unfocused to his surroundings.

He barely seemed to register Dawn’s hand on his shoulder, which was a blessing and curse. Yet for now, it was a blessing that would aid Dawn, the guide to help ground Snatcher from his panic. 

“I… see- the bookshelf. The… your friends… you… and… the forest?” The snow queen took a long inhale, slowly exhaling afterwards, then repeated for Snatcher to follow. With heavy breaths, Snatcher followed her. 

“Good, three things you can hear?” Snatcher continued breathing slowly, allowing him to answer her. “The winds… the… The voices of my minions. The leaves.” Dawn nods again, taking another set of deep breaths for Snatcher to follow. It was slow, yes, but Dawn needed to take it slow in order for this to work.

“Very good. Now two things you can feel.” Snatcher heaved more heavy breaths, still following Dawn’s example. “I feel my body… and my… my heart. That’s it, kid.” Dawn sighed in relief, thankful she’d successfully done the grounding technique and made Snatcher be reserved once more.

“For pecks sake Snatcher, you need to stop scaring us for a second. You’re gonna give Dawn, Bow and I a mini heart-attack!” The top hatted child tried to jest in mild annoyance, only to be scolded lightly by her younger sister with a light punch in the shoulder. “Hattie, now's not the time for joking around.”

“Sorry Bow...” Hat Kid rubbed her shoulder, a ring of guilt in her ocean eyes looking into her younger sister’s magenta. She was trying to lighten the mood of the situation, but it was just the wrong thing said at the wrong time. 

From the corner of Snatcher’s vision, he saw the Subconites get closer once more, this made him freeze once again. Dawn almost felt the anxiety rocket, but not as much as before… It was a good sign. “Are you alright now, boss?” One of the Subconites tried to ask again, this time more cautious of how they phrased it and to not crowd him as much. Thankfully, this time the former ghost didn’t panic. This time Snatcher took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves before speaking.

“I… of course I’m… *sigh*…” Snatcher groaned as he shut his yellow hazel eyes, hoping to do something, anything to prevent seeing the ‘expressions’ from the concerned Subconites.

“No...” Snatcher admitted in a low voice, clear and audible. “No, I'm not alright...” He admitted to the minion who’d asked the question, leaving the trio astonished.

“But— What happened to you boss?” Snatcher opened his yellow hazel eyes. Soon pointing at Hat, Bow, and figuratively pointing at Dawn as well.

“They… did this. It’s their fault.” Dawn’s eyes widened yet, surprisingly, she didn’t blame him for tossing the blame onto them.

It’s natural to pin the blame on something or someone in a situation that doesn’t make sense.

But did that stop Hat and Bow from being angry with that statement? Oh heck no!

They would correct it every second they could and not waste a minute of it; and give him a bitter taste of their anger that Dawn knew very well at this point.

The children’s faces were now filled with resentment and outrage. Before Snatcher said another word, he was cut down from the true furry from two little girls, the main protest coming from Hat Kid.

“EXCUSE ME!?” Hat Kid screeched in protest, completely outraged that the blame was being tossed onto their shoulders. Bow Kid joined her, yet was more subtle with her fury than her sister was, hands firmly placed onto her hips and her lips pursing into a furious pout.

“I’m sorry- but this is YOUR fault! You broke the Time Piece! We weren’t even remotely near it, you big doofus!” The top hatted child screeched once more, her cutting tone was sharp with an edge that had not been there previously. Dawn had only heard the top hatted child this way ONCE in Time’s End. That was it, other than that, this edge seemed a lot more vexed, annoyed that the former ghost would even DARE to put the blame on them.

“What did you think would happen? That we would go away and you’d kill us? Those Time Pieces are EXTREMELY unpredictable! We didn’t even know this could happen!” Once the words left the top hatted child’s mouth, she huffed heavily, completely out of breath. 

Snatcher snarled, he continued to glare at them menacingly. His anger intensified as his nails began to dig into the chair’s fabric. “Shut up!” Snatcher rang out, his voice was ringing in his fragile ears from all the yelling and noise. But for that moment, it was like he was a ghost again, all mighty and powerful along with the echo that came with it. But it vanished as soon as it came.

The cryokinesis prodigy at this point didn’t have her hands anywhere near Snatcher, part of Dawn was glad she hadn’t hurt him, yet there were still so many questions. Questions that were forcefully bottled up due to the conflict brewing in the hollow tree. Hat Kid sulked with a scowl on her face, while Bow Kid tried to be the middleman and calm her sister down; it wasn’t exactly working. The conversation hushed, soon falling into uncomfortable silence, the wind being the loudest audible thing anyone could hear.

So much compassion, so much worry and stress. It wasn’t a good mix.

A Subconite raised their hand, shaking a bit as they did. Snatcher at that moment placed a hand onto his face before pulling it away to answer the question.

“What?!” He questioned, his tone snapping with irritation for everything that was going on. The voice of the minion who had raised their hand seemed almost muffled; nervous even. Fidgeting with their hands, they finally spoke up. “But… What about…her?” Snatcher’s heart sank in his chest as he stopped feeling entirely, eyes widening with memories he’d rather forget. 

Snatcher had his jaw locked as he looked directly at the Subconite who’d asked the question.

Yes, what about her? Vanessa? The woman who had become obsessive over Snatcher when he was alive. The queen who had killed him in her basement. The one he used to love a long, LONG, time ago.

She not only killed him but froze over the entirety of Subcon. So how would he protect his kingdom from that insane ice queen that would for SURE lock him up once more…. IF word got out that he was human again. He couldn’t do anything as a human, he couldn’t even tap into his human magic, he wasn’t sure if he still had access to his human magic.

Besides the lack of powers, what could he do? He couldn’t protect his subjects, let alone walk on his own. The silence became more unbearable. He didn’t know what he should do.

Snatcher didn’t know what he could do. He was supposed to be their leader, but he couldn’t even be that. He was supposed to be in charge of everyone’s safety, but… he didn’t know what he could do.

“I… I…” Snatcher tried to speak, but his voice died on his lips. The minions began to panic. It was over if Vanessa found out. Dawn tried to calm them to the best of her power, but couldn’t. Bow whistled to grab everyone’s attention.

 “Alright.” Bow Kid started, her composure determined as she yanked everyone’s attention like the shrieking of a hawk coming down on its prey. “Everyone needs to chill out, and calm the heck down! We don’t have time to burst into a panic. We just need to come up with a plan.” Bow affirmed in a tone that grabbed everyone’s attention.

“But… What CAN we do? Who can help us? There’s nobody else in Subcon Forest that can help…” Dawn heard the Subconite’s plea. She remembered the entity that had helped her many, MANY times, even met in person: Moonjumper.

“Wait…!” Dawn spoke up, raising her hands up to grab everyone’s attention. “What if.. we…” Dawn got glares from the Subconites as she answered their plea.

The snowflake-clipped girl swallowed hard. “What if we get someone to… replace you? As in getting someone to help!” Dawn announced loud and proud. Hoping to bring up the moon spirit. “I know Snatcher and Vanessa aren’t the only ones here in Subcon… and that creepy shadow woman’s a nightmare.” Dawn muttered under a hushed breath. Snatcher frowned as soon as he heard those words. Who would be able to replace him? It wasn’t like anyone could fit his former role- oh, wait.

The ghost froze as he remembered that… he and Vanessa weren’t the only one in Subcon. There *WAS* someone he could ask to help. Someone strong enough to take care of Subcon in his absence. Snatcher truly loathed the idea, but what else could they do? He’d have to ask someone he truly disliked. He even remembered the snowflake-clipped brat mentioning those stupid red strings. Despite his discomfort with the spirit, they had no choice but to go to him. They were going to have to ask Moonjumper for help.

“*Sigh* I think I know… SOMEONE that could help.” He grumbled, already hating the idea.

 “I know too, Snatcher. If we can find him, I know he can help!” Dawn perks up, more confident than she had for the past hour.

“You were thinking about him as well I reckon? MJ- ah- Moonjumper?” Bow asked, Dawn nodding proudly in response.

Snatcher cringed at the nickname, great. More of those things.

“Yeah, I was!” Dawn placed her hands on her hips, Snatcher huffing as he glared at her.

Dawn placed a hand on her face, thinking on her feet as she paced when she was concocting a plan. “So, Dawn- how do we get to him? We have LITERALLY no idea where he could be! He’s not bound to Subcon.” Hat Kid thought aloud, but that’s when everything clicked. Dawn’s eyes sparked, that’s it!

“The Horizon...” Dawn blurts out, seeming to connect the dots.

Bow tilted her head in bewilderment, adjusting her ribbon as if to ask for clarification. “Uhhhhmmm- The… what now?” Dawn spun around sporadically, her pigtails swinging as she stood her ground.

“The Horizon! The red strings— they lead to his tower! He must’ve left them there for himself as a guide! The tower is a gateway to the place he’s also no longer bound to! So if we go ANYWHERE in Subcon, it’ll be Moonjumper’s Tower!” Dawn exclaimed her hypothesis. Snatcher knew they were all smart kids, but he didn’t think Dawn was THIS observant or that Bow could literally get a crowd to listen with just a whistle. Hat Kid’s gears turned until it made sense. 

Bow Kid soon placed a hand on her chin, working through her thoughts as they came. “So if Moonjumer’s in his tower most of the time when he’s in Subcon…”

“THEN we can most likely find him there-!” Hat Kid gleefully interrupted Bow’s thoughts, yet she finished what her sister was about to say.

“And what if he ISN’T there, kid? Then what?” Snatcher pessimistically questioned, his irritated tone reverberating to the children in front of him. “Then we split up. Bow and Hat will go to one side where I know I’ve seen Moonjumper. And you- come with me to other places I’ve seen him.” Dawn cleared her throat, retracting the original plan.

“*Ahem!* But- FIRST: we gotta get to his tower AS A GROUP. No goin’ alone because the stuff that’s out there… it’s better to get around with someone instead of being out here with no one, right? Especially with those stupid statues.” Dawn joked at the end, lightening the mood. In turn, it received two giggling girls and the former ghoul rolling his eyes. 

Snatcher would’ve sat up straighter, however, his body ached to where even smiling took effort. Even moving his arms and hands took effort, he wasn’t used to it anymore… Snatcher did have the energy to give a low chuckle however. That in turn caused Dawn to eye the ghost who’d given the laugh that was directed at the statement.

“And how do you expect us to get there, kid? Magically appear there without a trace or just endlessly wander the whole time?” The snowflake-clipped girl nonchalantly glared with an unamused expression. Now wasn’t the time to poke at each other.

“And you think ya got any better ideas?” Dawn deadpanned, glaring at the ghost irritably. For a split second, Snatcher thought he was staring at the one who’d killed him all those centuries ago. An irate emerald glare being replaced with a cold greenish-blue death stare.

Reality then snapped back to seeing Dawn glaring stubbornly instead of the woman whom he had loved once staring him down with hate. It burned itself into Snatcher’s mind, why wouldn’t it? It was the last he saw of her before she became corrupted by her magic and turned into a monster.

It was no surprise that Dawn was chastising about the ghoul’s morality on the current matter- yet it was never uttered, it didn’t need to be. Her eyes said it all.

“Here.” The top hatted child spoke up, pointing to her shoulder. “We’ll lend you a hand while we walk to Moonjumper’s tower.” She concluded. But the. They realized that Snatcher had no way to get up. So Dawn did the best logical thing, reaching for the former ghost’s wrist. Snatcher, still sensitive to human contact, jolts his hand away from the 11-year old girl. However… despite not allowing her to grab his hand, she didn’t hold it against him. “Sorry- I should’ve warned you.” Dawn began, waving her hands in front of her face, then sighing heavily as she tried once more.

“Sorry if I hurt you. Just know that I’m not gonna hurt you on purpose.” The snow queen whispered, almost sounding as gentle as a light breeze. It didn’t look like Hat Kid or Bow Kid heard what she said, so perhaps this was meant for Snatcher to hear and him alone. As soon as Dawn got a hold of his wrist, the rest of trial and error of trying to have him stand. After a couple tries, they finally found a better way to keep him stable.

If Snatcher had to be honest, he loathed the idea of everyone having to see how weak and miserable he was at this moment, what was worse is that he didn’t have a choice.

With the help of the trio, one step at a time, they were able to start venturing toward where Moonjumper’s tower could be in the forest itself.  “We’ll be back soon. You guys stay here, we’ll be back with help, alright?” Bow Kid informed the Subconites with a confident voice. “Alright kid! Bring back Moonjumper when you find him!” One Subconite stated as they slowly started to scoot away from the treehouse. The Subconites waved in hopes to wish them luck in finding the corpse stealing ghost and Snatcher’s “double” : Moonjumper.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

For what felt like an eternity, the group kept walking to find the corpse stealing spirit. Technically; that’s what Moonjumper was in a sense. A shapeshifter that needed a material corpse in order to be seen by the real world and not be bound to the wonderland that was The Horizon.

However, despite knowing that, she didn’t blame him. Or rather, Dawn couldn’t blame him, why would she? That part of his creation was out of his control.

He was a spirit created within a realm with unknown creators that never made themselves known, he was literally invisible to the world before and during Snatcher’s human lifetime 300 years ago until after Subcon’s fall.

Moonjumper himself had no idea *THAT* would happen when he accidentally and unwillingly possessed Snatcher’s corpse after Vanessa ruthlessly killed him, and the entirety of the Subcon Forest. The Subconites had no chance against her, and Snatcher wouldn’t have the nerve to force undead children to put themselves against the Queen who had frozen them over, killing them in the process.

Wherever Dawn was leading them, she seemed to have visited this part of Subcon for the umpteeth time. “Are you SURE you know where you’re going, Dawn? We’ve been walking for a while.” Hat Kid complained with a groan. However, unlike all the times before, Dawn didn’t respond. “Hey- Dawn? Daaawwwnnn?” Hat Kid questioned as Snatcher became irate by the child’s antics towards the older girl, who looked to be searching for something very specific. “Dawn. Are you even listening??? What are you—!”

“AH-HA!”  Dawn interjected Hat Kid, pointing up at the trees as she squealed in accomplishment. Red strings laced the tree bark tightly and led further into the forest.

“Bingo! This is it!” Dawn announced. Snatcher raised an eyebrow. “A tree with red strings? Really kid? Wow, that’s really disappointing.” Hat Kid shot a cold and judgemental glare at the former ghoul, not taking his attitude towards them for a second. “Don't be so rude, Snatcher.” Hat Kid snapped back as she looked as if she could be done with the shade’s unbearable yet understandable attitude towards them at this minute. Dawn expressionlessly looked at Snatcher, completely unamused.

“No. That’s the guide to his tower. Every time I’ve met up with him, he’s always set up a path of red strings for me to follow. He’s done it since the day we met. It wasn’t different then, so it shouldn’t be different now.” Dawn slowly guided the group as she tentatively followed the brightly colored strings. The strings also seemed to glow with its red hue; making it visible, even in the dark. 

Soon, they approached an old looking tower, the glowing strings led inside though the stone cracks in the tower’s foundation.

It was majestic and had an old tarnished elegance. Furthermore it might’ve been from Snatcher’s time when he was alive and turned into a ghost- before he was reverted to being alive once more, albeit it was in the present 300 years later. They remained in front of the tower, taking a breather as they did.

One step after another to a place you couldn’t teleport to was exhausting. Snatcher looked up at the tower, conflicted. Snatcher wasn’t necessarily fond of his “double”. Yet Snatcher was relieved that they hadn't run into him yet.

Sure, he’s run into him on more than one occasion and that resulted in a passive aggressive conversation: mainly from Snatcher. But how else would someone react if they were a ghost talking to someone who had possessed and stole your dead corpse? It wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation in the slightest. So this conversation was going to be especially difficult.

“How do you think Moonjumper will react to this?” Hat Kid thought aloud to where Snatcher to everyone’s surprise didn’t respond right away. Her inquisitive thought made Snatcher reflect and realize that… he actually didn’t know. They definitely weren’t friends and most certainly weren’t allies either. And despite Moonjumper having some of the ghost’s memories, they weren’t the same person. And actually… they honestly didn’t know each other that well.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid held their hands around Snatcher’s waist lightly while Dawn had one of Snatcher’s arms around her shoulders. They looked at Snatcher for a possible response… but still no answer. Snatcher didn’t want to see the corpse stealing spirit. He was perfectly fine with not seeing him, but predicting how the spirit would react was an answer Snatcher didn’t possess. 

After an excruciating moment of silence, Snatcher finally responded: “I'm not sure. Tch, he’ll probably laugh at me.” He shrugged looking down at the top hatted child.

“I mean- it’s pretty pathetic you know. Having to use you three as a clutch to walk around and stuff.” Hat Kid turned away with a growing frown. “You don’t know that…” Hat Kid mumbled, narrowing her cerulean eyes to the forest floor. The mumble eventually grabbed Snatcher’s full attention. “What was that? Sorry kiddo, you’re gonna need to speak up. I can’t hear you.” Bow Kid furrowed her brow, annoyed with Snatcher’s attitude towards them. “She said: you don’t *know* if he’s gonna react the way you say he will. He might react in a way you won’t expect!” Bow Kid reprimanded, strengthening Hat Kid’s previous point.

“You haven’t even given him a chance!” Hat shouted, taking the former ghoul aback with her blunt honesty. “You haven’t even seen him yet and you’re already deciding that it’s not going to work out. Shouldn’t you give him the benefit of a doubt and trust that he MIGHT not laugh at you?” Snatcher was baffled by this; he scoffed at it. The ghoul then rolled his eyes with a scowl.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Let's see how you like it when you’re forced to talk to the puppeteering spirit who stole your corpse. Judge me then, it should be a wonderful experience, kid! Totally not a bad idea and a recipe for disaster!” Snatcher countered the futile attempt of defending the moon spirit, his sarcasm present in his intonation. A sarcasm the trio knew well and Dawn was strangely glad to hear other than the bitterness and hate. 

“He’s actually nice, you know.” Dawn thought aloud, receiving a judgmental and harsh glare from Snatcher. “Oh, and here I was thinking that it was a question rather than a full-on statement.” Snatcher mused his fake disappointment. Dawn harshly  frowned, this was something she wasn’t going to tolerate if they were going to work together.

“Well. I honestly believe that he wouldn’t laugh at you. He’s never done it to me the times I’ve talked with him. However, you need to stop being pessimistic and give him a chance!” Snatcher loudly scoffed at Dawn’s useless words, as if her statement meant nothing to him. “Well if you know him so well, kid. Why don’t you tell me how he’ll react? Go on, tell me.” Dawn gritted her teeth in a pit of pure frustration. The nerve that he’d go this far was understandable, yet it didn’t mean it was any less aggravating.

Before Dawn could speak up, Hat Kid interjected, her face steaming with boiling rage. “What she was saying is that he wouldn’t laugh at you. And that he might be gracious enough to help! But what I think is that he might be sad to see you like this, Snatcher.” Snatcher burned a dirty glare into Hat Kid’s blue eyes. The ribboned child stood tensely while the cryokinesis prodigy swallowed hard from anxiousness, the conversation had evolved into a heated argument. “You’re the reason I’m like this in the first place. So if I were you, I’d be careful on what I’d say next.” Snatcher spat back, his words dark and looming with an emotion so intense that Dawn felt unnerved; scared even.

“Oh yeah? Well… What are you going to do? Fall on me? because I’m not sure if you’ve noticed that you’re not that scary anymore! Sure your voice has lost its echo and you can still threaten us, but I’m not scared of ‘em!” Hat Kid challenged, annoyed and fed up with the argument raging on, causing more anger in its wake. “Watch your tone with me young lady! Don’t you know who you’re talking to!?” Snatcher barked back, growling angrily at the top hatted child. “I *KNOW* who I’m talking to! A big fat jerk! That’s who I’m talking to!” Hat Kid snarled with an equally intense voice… This didn’t help the situation, fighting only made it worse. The trio knew theoretically what happened to Snatcher thanks to the Memory Rift, but they didn’t fully know what the situation was like for Snatcher; some fragments of the timeline of events were still unknown. 

“HOW DARE YOU, YOU INCONSIDERATE LITTLE-!” Hat Kid eventually shoved herself out, skidding on the dirt until she was in front of Snatcher. The unfamiliar motion of Hat Kid letting go was enough to make the former ghost wince in pain.

“What is *wrong* with you?” Hat Kid retorted, steaming from a rage unlike any other. An anger the former ghost could only scowl at. “What’s wrong with me? Are you being for real right now kid? You have a very good idea of what's wrong!” Snatcher snapped back as he countered, making Hat Kid more annoyed than she’s ever been.

“Well it doesn't give you a right to act this way! Sure, we get it! You’re going through a lot of stuff right now. I get it. But it doesn’t give you a right to act this way! You can’t push us away and let us help at the same time. It’s contradictory and extremely frustrating!” Hat Kid screamed, Dawn flinched from her voice. Dawn had NEVER heard her scream like this. Snatcher’s previous anger had been drained by his own astonishment.

Dawn could see the top hatted child was shaking and on the brink of tears. “So… instead of blaming us, why don’t you take some responsibility for your actions? We don’t need to help you. We *chose* to help you. Yet you’re choosing to push us away.” Hat Kid huffed, concluding what she had to say. 

Dawn had expected Snatcher to scoff and retort and continue the argument, but to her own astonishment, he didn’t. He just stared at Hat Kid with widened eyes; slowly taking in the words while looking as if he’d been slapped across the face by her blue umbrella, which she never pulled out. He then looked elsewhere with no response, the wind blew as it was eerily quiet.

Snatcher didn’t like being wrong… he hated it, loathed it even. Being wrong reminded him of how stupid he was as a human. How easily he could be fooled by others when he was human. He hated all of that. And now he was human again, and unable to contain all that self-loathing, self-hatred he had built up over the decades.

Yet… he knew the kid was right: This was his fault.

Everything else that came to mind was silence and sensations. Anyone who’d been dead would forget the feeling of your own heart beating inside your chest. He had all the time in the world to get adjusted to death, and it didn’t have much to offer.

Sure: life in Subcon Forest after the fall wasn’t exactly thrilling, but it was certainly better than being chained up in a cellar for god knows how long. What Vanessa would do if or when she found out… would be a thought Snatcher would never want the answer to. 

Hat Kid then came closer, offering her hand with a tired look upon her face. She didn’t look angry anymore, in fact; the anger was probably the thing that tired her out.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t… I shouldn’t have snapped like that.” Hat Kid apologized, fidgeting with her fingers as she glanced at Snatcher’s face, making eye contact. “Me neither… it wasn’t right.” Bow Kid added with an equally wary expression, still keeping him stable along with Dawn. Dawn on the other hand, finally let out a heavy sigh.

“I would’ve said knock it off, or stop fighting, and I’m frankfully glad that I didn’t. I shouldn’t have been a jerk; And I shouldn’t have been snappy with you either. I get how you feel and… it wasn’t right for any of us to do that.” Dawn concluded, raising her emerald gaze to meet Snatcher’s hazel one. Snatcher’s expression, to Dawn’s surprise, showed an emotion she was sure he might’ve not wanted to have felt: it was guilt.

Snatcher then paused, mentally reminding himself to take a deep breath. Before long, he eventually responded. “No, you’re right.” Snatcher mustered with a response the trio knew they would’ve never had heard from him before. He opened his yellow hazel eyes, eventually landing them onto Hat Kid. “This is my fault.” Snatcher muttered as he glanced away when admitting his mistakes. “I’m… sorry too.” 

Hat Kid smiled tenderly, her smile was wide and bright, she was thankful that he apologized. “Thanks and… I forgive you.” Hat Kid softly said to Snatcher’s bewilderment. The argument had ended as they focused on the matter at hand; getting to Moonjumper.

Dawn pushed the door open to reveal strings and a staircase leading up the tower. Some strings lead up the seemingly never ending staircase that was subodibly the entrance to The Horizon. “Alright. So how do we want to do this?” Snatcher asked, staring up at the endless abyss of strings. Dawn held one of the few loose strings as she draped it over her hand. “Okay- I think you might wanna hang on.” Snatcher raised an eyebrow. “Hang on? Geez kid, when did you become demanding when telling people to wait.” Dawn made her grasp tight around the thick string. “No- I actually mean you’re gonna have to- HANG ON!” Dawn tugged at the thick string, the action resulted in the group being swept off their feet. “OH SHOOT.” “Holy PECK-!” Both girls exclaimed as they went though the tower.

“The strings respond like this. I’ve visited MJ enough times to know they’re used as a way to leave the dream part of the place to where the person’s sleeping. They can also be used to get there though here in the real world. I did this the last time I met up with him in Subcon!” Snatcher was taken aback, trying his best to hang on. “Well- WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT BEFORE!? That would’ve been great to know from the start!” Snatcher yelled as Dawn rolled her eyes.

“Well sorry for omitting that part.” Snatcher pursed his lips into a grimace, he was completely unamused with the situation; while simulationiously, the former ghoul was antsy about being away from solid ground. Doing his best to not look down as they continued their upward decsent. Eventually, their ride came to a halt once they were pulled to the top, an environment different from Subcon could be seen from at the tower's exit, and The Horizon’s entrance. 

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

The bridge was partially broken but it wasn’t a problem for the cryokinesis prodigy. Dawn patched the bridge up with a touch of her boot. Now the group was standing on “solid” ground. “Wow kid, didn’t think you’d be the one standing on ice.” Dawn glared at Snatcher, rolling her eyes once more.

“Oh hush. Let's just get to MJ. I know he can help.” As they walked to the other side of the icy to stone bridge, Dawn wanted to make some things perfectly clear. “Okay. I’m setting some rules, mainly for Hat and Bow. Follow my lead as we follow the red strings. DON'T stray from the path because finding your way back is tedious.

The Horizon's quite spacious y’know. Not exactly an easy feat to get back to the path, so, yeah. Also don’t go to places that might get you hurt or worse. How I found out that was when I almost fell off a ledge- So… that was fun.” Dawn’s voice was filled to the brim with sarcasm by the end of it. A sarcasm and spirit only a young prankster such as Dawn would have. The group followed Dawn’s lead, traversing through the land of The Horizon. Snatcher himself had never been here before, it was completely out of his domain.

Things here made sense but also didn’t make sense. There were red strings tied to the coral leafed trees along with dream catchers and stars casting shadows onto the lavish pink grass. Some strings even ascended into the sky and into the unknown that lurked beyond what they could see. The Horizon’s sunset honey colored skies were peculiar as it gave a warm tone and safe atmosphere to the place. 

The watery mirror-like floors rippled as they strolled across. This place was in reality but it also felt like it wasn’t, as if it was some kind of wonderland. “How much further?” Snatcher questioned, becoming more impatient as the seconds ticked by. Dawn’s emerald eyes darting around the place, it was obvious they were looking for something… until they found it. The group traversed over a quartz looking bridge, a bridge that was new to three of them but fondly familiar to one.

After they crossed the bridge, the group traversed through a meadow of brightly colored flowers, until they came to a halt. There in front of them, with the table set for tea at the finely polished gazebo, two velvety purple chairs waiting to seat a guest and re-hanging stars with that all familiar brightly colored string. Moonjumper hummed a song Snatcher wanted to forget. He could swear that he could hear the lyrics of the unfinished melody he wished to bury like Vanessa did with the old village.

“Tale of a place. A deep forest. Dark with grace. There he lives blooming inside a wild field. Of big eyes, there he lives-!”  

“Uhm- MJ?” Dawn interrupted Moonjumper in the midst of the unfinished melody. He turned to her with a cheerful smile, the monocule’s broken frame glistening in the light as he turned to look at her. “Oh! Why hello dearie! Great to see you again! I didn’t expect to see you- so… soon…”

Moonjumper’s words tailed off, chained hands nearly dropping the delicate teapot into oblivion. His fearful gaze on the former prince was enough to turn anyone’s blood cold. “Hello, Moonjumper…” The former prince began, watching as the magical puppeteer stammered for the words that usually came easy to grasp. Chained hands tremble, delicate teapot clinking onto the table with a thud.

It did not stop the rattling chains nor hide the fact Moonjumper was shaking in general… this entire situation was just… so overwhelming. 

The snow queen knew Moonjumper, yet that wounded her heart most. She saw him as the one who’d listen to her whenever she was down… now she had to watch that same person quiver in fear. He had been scared for her many times, yes. But nothing prepared them for this. Dawn hadn’t felt but this scared for the moon spirit since their time in the Nyakuza Metro.

“Guys…” The snow queen looked at her friends, emerald eyes begging for an answer, for help, for anything. Hat Kid shook her head, Bow Kid quickly gestured with her eyes, glancing at Moonjumper before lightly squeezing Snatcher. At that moment, Dawn knew exactly what she needed to do. Slipping away briefly, Hat and Bow continued to hold Snatcher upright. They watched as their older friend stood next to the magical puppeteer, placing a hand on a shoulder she could almost reach.

“Hey… it’s okay… we- I’m sorry for scaring you. But we don’t have much time to explain.” The 11-year old spoke softly, infecting her reassurance towards their current situation as her eyes softened. “I…” Moonjumper shakes his head, swallowing a shaky breath.

“I just need to sit down for a moment, dearie.” Understanding what the moon shaped spirit meant, Dawn pulled out one of the velvety chairs. Even if he floated and had no legs, he still collapsed into it as though he did. Quelling himself, he took another glance at the former ghoul once again, wincing with a groan. “It’s like looking in a mirror… a mirror of what once was.” Moonjumper distressed, a display of astonishment, discomfort and horror all wrapped into a single breath.

Snatcher lowered his gaze, replying with a huff. “Unfortunately…” Hat Kid and Bow Kid stared, the older one squeezing lightly with a scowl. There was no getting out of this conversation… 

“… Look.” Snatcher began, uncomfortable in what he was about to admit, but also uncomfortable with the fact Hat Kid was nudging him to silently keep on talking, explaining the dilemma to someone he REALLY didn’t want to. The again,“I… I need you to look after Subcon for a while.” Dawn noticed that it almost sounded like an instinctive response.

Moonjumper held his hands together, looking as if he was about to fiddle with them but didn’t. The chains clanked as soon as he did the action. “Wh-what…” Moonjumper sputtered, overwhelmed with the current situation. “What happened? How? How did this happen?” Moonjumper questioned with his red and black eyes full of shock mixed with abject horror, as if he’d just seen a dead man walking… which in this case, he was. Dawn could observe that Snatcher wasn’t expecting this, he obviously didn’t want to explain the whole ordeal yet again.

“They…” Snatcher tried to start, before he remembered the trio’s outburst; mainly from Hat Kid. So… he reluctantly corrected himself, no matter how much he hated it. It was the truth. He was the one who threw the Time Piece at them, yet none of them expected this. “I-… I broke a Time Piece. It was an accident, that part should be obvious!” Snatcher’s frame was starting to become unstable as the duo did their best to keep him upright.

“Unfortunately… as you can see: It brought me back to life.” Moonjumper moved his hands, steadying his breathing as a way to cope. This was a lot to process, and Dawn couldn’t blame him for being so antsy about this.

When Dawn first saw Vanessa, heard her scream at them indirectly, heard her creeping through the halls as they stormed to the next room. Suddenly things started to click. Suddenly things started to actually make sense. On why Snatcher was the way he was, WHO he used to be, why the Subconites were scared of Dawn’s abilities and why Subcon Forest was the way it is now. Evidence that backed this up were the letters and diary entries from the insane ice queen and Snatcher’s past self.

Moonjumper wasn’t wrong when he said she had powers like her, except she was corrupted and turned into a monster. When playing a twisted hide and seek with the shadowy woman, the snowflake-clipped girl made sure to keep both girls close. It felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from…

Dawn was terrified of what would happen if they were caught, terrified of what this demented shadow woman would do to them if or WHEN she found them. Would she kill them? Freeze them like all the other ice statues or somehow let them live? Dawn never wanted to know… she just wanted to get out alive. When getting to the attic of the manor, Dawn was shocked to find what looked to be a mural of Moonjumper’s face. It was disturbing… it freaked Dawn out the most. 

The worst part wasn’t entering the manor nor was it hiding from Vanessa. The worst part was the escape. They got out of the attic and ran back to the nursery and then to the master bedroom to get to their escape. However, they weren't fast enough. Vanessa heard them going into the nursery from the room they temporarily barricaded her in, soon letting out a deafening shrill that could’ve made the trio’s eardrums burst.

Dawn was for sure she’d have nightmares of this moment for the rest of her life, the terrifying roars forever being burned in her memories. The snowflake-clipped girl still remembered how Vanessa violently clawed at the door. The door looked like it could’ve been busted off its hinges at any given moment! Dawn remembers how Hat kept pleading for her to get the window open, it just wouldn't budge! They were SO dead. That was until they all worked together to force it open. It was at the very last second too!

Vanessa came storming in, and they went running out, tripping through the nightmarish blizzard. But that blizzard was better than being inside the manor. 

Back in the current moment… Moonjumper looked lost in thought, dazed even. However, he hadn’t torn his gaze from Snatcher quite yet. “What about Vanessa?”

Silence…

Dawn anticipated the moon shaped spirit asking this, but didn’t expect it to come this early. “She…” Snatcher paused, sucking in a breath before sighing, averting his eyes away.

“Vanessa doesn't know...” Moonjumper gripped the fabric of his clothes, squeezing tightly from distress. This clearly wasn’t in any way, shape, or form reassuring. The confirmation that the ice queen had no knowledge of this was within itself horrifying.

“Why…” Moonjumper started, his voice trembling in a small whisper. “Why me!?” Moonjumper snapped, the tone of his voice daunting. A tone Dawn had heard from him once, and ONLY once. His voice may have been filled with anger and distress, yet his inflection and word choice held nothing but fear. Moonjumper rested a hand on the bridge of his face before dropping it and continuing onward. “I mean-! You know I’m scared of her too, don’t you? So why… Why me out of ALL people- OUT OF EVERYONE IN SUBCON FOREST!?” Moonjumper paused with a breathy huff, jumping from one conclusion to the next; “It’s because you HATE me, don’t you?” Moonjumper snarled, trembling more than ever. 

“Wh-what..?” Snatcher mindlessly gawked, not helping in the current situation. In fact- his confused response only made things worse, MUCH worse. Moonjumper clutched his head, if he was human he would’ve been ripping at his hair, covering his ears, or covering a more inhuman scream. Regardless, the rant continued. “You hate me! I know you do! So why… out of EVERYONE… Why me? if it’s not a punishment, then enlighten me on what it is! Is it a way to hurt me? To get back at me for the mistake I stupidly made 300 years ago? Go on: Tell me!” Moonjumper shrieked, demanding a possible answer as he finally let go of his head, now holding himself in a hug. At that moment, Dawn couldn’t bear it any longer.

“MJ it’s… Moonjumper it’s okay. It’s not… a punishment.” Dawn quietly murmured, trying to reassure the moon spirit. Snatcher grunted as he tried to clarify his point, he definitely left a strong negative impression on the moon spirit.

“I… you… *sigh*” Snatcher paused. He’d have to craft his next words carefully. “You're the only one strong enough to withstand her… I have literally no one to ask but you.” Moonjumper loosened his grip on his shoulders. “I know… but…” Moonjumper sharply inhaled an anxious breath.

“It’s just THERE… Always there, eating me alive when I least expect it.” The trio knew exactly what Moonjumper was referring to. Or in this case, who he was referring to: Vanessa. The fall of Subcon was caused by her hand, and therefore unresolved trauma was also linked back to her.

“I know, it’s absolutely STUPID. Believe me, I’m well aware of it! I haven’t truly faced her like you have. All I know about what Vanessa did to you comes from YOUR memories. Not to mention Camila and… From what I DID see in Subcon Forest during its prime from when I was still invisible. I was so naive, so stupid back then.” Moonjumper heaved, his shoulders easing slightly. Dawn was glad and anxious simultaneously. Glad that Moonjumper opened up to Snatcher about how he felt… and worried with the current topic being on the ice queen. 

“How much time do we have before she inevitably… finds out?” The contracting ghoul was lost in thought from Moonjumper’s question, estimating a rough timeline of events. “I guess it would take her a week or two to notice something’s abnormal. Even more to start a plan but… I can’t predict her actions anymore she’s… She’s too unstable for that now.” Snatcher signed.

 “So.. we have- three to four weeks. Maybe more if we’re lucky?” Hat kid chimed in, earning a gruff huff at what she was implying. However, he couldn’t deny that her words didn’t hold some truth. Just not the full truth. “Well… it could be less. Don’t underestimate her kiddo.” Snatcher groaned with displeasure, dreading the upcoming days and nights. Meanwhile Dawn pressed her lips into a thin line. The word “underestimate” had stuck a familiar bitterness she couldn’t shake, a broken record on loop for what was to come. Moonjumper gazed at the group, gripping at the chains around his wrists with content.

“Well, I guess we don’t have time to lose. So… what do we need to do? What’s your plan?” The magical puppeteer questioned, raising an eyebrow as he adjusted his broken monocle. The moon spirit was in and ready to do whatever the group had planned, to which: Snatcher had no idea.

How could any of them admit that they didn’t have an *ACTUAL* plan? That none of them had no idea what the heck they were actually doing? How could anyone admit that, especially when the silence within itself was suffocating, drowning within itself? That was- until someone shattered the silence like a blade coming in contact with an icy ravine.

“We have… *sigh* We don’t have a clear plan yet, MJ. In fact- we don’t even know what the heck we’re fully getting ourselves into.” Dawn admitted, effortlessly explaining what none of them could’ve explained. There were many things the 11-year old had mastered throughout her lifetime, and the language of silence just happened to be one of them. If someone knew the code of silence, they easily knew how to break it. And break it Dawn did. “However…” The snow queen spoke up again, rattling with her own thoughts.

“I think- perhaps we can try to see what made the Time Piece do what it did? Like- tinker and experiment with what it did and find a way to reverse it? Maybe? I mean— That’s the only thought I have at the moment.” Moonjumper closed his eyes, muttering a sigh as he unfolded his arms. “That sounds like a good start. Just… be careful, Dawn. It may not work in the way you hope you will.” Dawn cupped Moonjumper’s blue hand between her own, holding a soft smile toward her friend.

“I will, I will. I promise MJ, I promise…” Dawn then hugged the magical puppeteer, knowing that her reassurance would be necessary for their survival going forward. 

Once they left The Horizon, Moonjumper made his way to Subcon Village. Whatever happened next, wouldn’t be so obvious.

Chapter Text

Time felt slower since they’d departed with the magical puppeteer, it felt like forever. Even though it had actually been a few moments ago, moments now drowning in an unbearable waiting period. The group sat in silence as they waited for Bow to finish the preparations so they could warp back to the spaceship. The last time Dawn had to wait around like this, it was in The World InBeween’s Valley Training Arena. All the way back in early June when her adventure had barely just begun.

Dawn had to wait for what felt like an eternity, when in actuality it had been two and a half hours. It was insane, but the insanity was so simple back then. It was a type of insanity that was special, and something Dawn had missed dearly since it was only felt with her family around. The insanity of being a part of a family, being loved.

Now instead of it being June waiting in the Valley Training arena of Kaleidoscope Tempest— it was early July in Subcon Forest, waiting to be teleported back to the spaceship. While the group continued to wait, Dawn allowed her mind to wander onto various topics, like her siblings and family. It had been awhile since she talked with Bella on a phone call, last time she did a video call with her was after Alpine Skyline in Mafia Town, before Time’s End happened and then right after Time’s End had transpired. During Alpine Skyline, they saved the goats from the illness that spread from the infectious flowers. Somehow, though magical means through the Time Pieces, the poisonous flowers altered the Alpine Goats mentally.

Causing them to act threateningly hostile instead of their usually docile nature. Dawn vividly remembered how their frightening red eyes were, they reminded all three of them of the evil ice queen. The 11-year old decided on that day, she never wanted to see eyes like those EVER again.

But even with her wishing, it was fruitless to wish for something as unnerving like glowing eyes to disappear off the face of the universe. Thankfully, to ease what had happened, the Nomads generously gifted them with food and supplies. Allowing for the end of the journey to be memorable. 

Dawn then recalled another trip during this adventure, the Arctic Cruise , the break that felt so good. The Walrus Captain treated them with a great amount of respect, perhaps it was because they treated him with respect as well. The Captain was like the older mentor Dawn never knew she needed in her life.

A grandfather-figure so to speak. He might’ve been depressed from past experiences, but it seemed like their presence eased things up for him on the ship. The snowflake-clipped girl fondly recalled talking with the Captain, talking about whatever came to mind. The Captain personally thanked Dawn for her and her friend’s help on the ship. Even offered to let them come back to Arctic Cruise for half the price once tickets were selling again. And that’s when it happened: the shipwreck.

The cryokinesis prodigy remembered panicking when the cruise ship took sudden turns, going straight for an iceberg. One of the seals fumbled for the radio dispatch until the captain took over and asked who was stealing the ship. After that, things became an abrupt blur. When the snowflake-clipped girl regained consciousness, all she found was ice cold waters, waters not even she could stand.

Even with her abilities. Then another thought came to mind: Hat and Bow, they weren’t with her! They were still somewhere IN the ship!  Shouting, Dawn could still hear how she frantically hollered out her friends names when looking for them, nearly making her legs freeze into popsicles from falling into the moat so many times.

When she finally found them, her legs were blue as ice. Bow was the one who suggested that they’d go back and help those who were having trouble getting out. An idea Dawn was antsy about but they did it nevertheless.

The trio were dangerously close to freezing over once they went back for others still on the ship. Even though Dawn had some immunity to low temperatures, Hat and Bow didn’t. It was hard to convince the captain to come even though he was trying to go down with the ship. After all of that, it wasn’t the worst of it.

Nyakuza Metro was an absolute nightmare. Hat Kid was nearly run over by a cat train upon their arrival, Dawn had to yank her out of the way. The top hatted child said it was worth it, to where the ribboned child giggled in agreement.

As much as Dawn wanted to laugh, she was still concerned for their safety. They were her priority after all, so she thoroughly explained the rules of what NOT to do in a metro. Besides that predicament, there was something more frightening than nearly getting run over by a cat train, as terrifying as that may be.

Whispers around the metro bestowed her the title of: The Empress . The Empress ruled the underground organization Dawn comedically nicknamed “ The Nyakuza. ” She ruled her domain with an iron fist- her will unrelenting to those who stepped even a smidgen out of line. From the moment they met, the snow queen did NOT trust her.

Something about her screamed danger, begging Dawn to flee with her friends. But by the time the Empress had encountered them, it had already been too late. From the very moment they met, she was a threat. Effortlessly yanking the Time Piece they just got back out of Hat’s hands, and having her goons block their way from getting it back. In the heat of the moment, the top hatted child cursed her out, calling her a “pecking jerk”. That caused the sphinx cat to hiss, telling the top hatted child she would regret that choice. Immediately making it clear she was NOT playing around.

So as punishment for speaking out, she had stranded them in the metro, taking the teleporter and Dawn’s backpack. And to top it all off, she forced them to work for her if they ever wished to see their belongings again. It was the worst weeks of their lives! 

Moonjumper barely knew where the trio was even since they weren’t allowed to rest. Benjamin couldn’t fully help them because the cats in her gang kept cutting the phone lines, and InBetween forbid if the Empress were to find her phone in her backpack. Knowing how she was, the Empress would definitely destroy it to prevent them from calling for help.

Despite the obvious lack of communication and lack of time, Benjamin worked his hardest in aiding the trio. The cats around them didn’t help them all that much either. Some were nice enough to let them buy food, drinks, clothes, a baseball bat, and other cool trinkets with a currency Dawn was more familiar with, that being dollars instead of the currency scattered in this dimension, aka pons.

However, the rest of the cats kept amongst themselves. Talking about a variety of things, forcibly waking them up or telling them to scream. Those weren’t as bad as the events that happened at the end… and what happened was something Dawn still gets nightmares about. 

The group had to double cross the most terrifying yakuza leader in the world to get the Time Pieces and their things back. They did succeed in getting them back… but at the price of being caught. The Empress  caught them faster than any of them had ever anticipated she would. As punishment, the yakuza leader placed a major bounty on their capture. Dead… or alive. The calm hour had now transformed into a rush hour.

They were hopping down cat trains, running away from Nyakuza members, and… eventually the Empress herself joined with the fray a gigantic rocket launcher! The blows from the rockets were fast and with the amount of cats chasing them, it was difficult to multitask; making the Empress miss her deadly accurate shots, conducting the missed shots to unblock exits and avoiding capture from the cats, it was all too much!

In the midst of the chase, they were at a dead end. Dawn had to sacrifice her safety and buy Hat and Bow some time, guaranteeing their escape while hers remained uncertain. Fighting off hordes of enemies was a difficult task, some even tried to drug her with chloroform! Thankfully they were unsuccessful in the attempts in doing so, but they were extremely close in succeeding multiple times due to the fight starting to wear Dawn out. 

After a painstakingly long battle with blood, sweat and tears… Dawn was at the end of her road. At that point the cats were swarming her from all sides, giving her no choice but to fight her way out. To say that Dawn was exhausted was accurate… but an understatement.

Her body was becoming sore beyond belief, and weaker the longer she kept fighting for her way to escape. Fighting her way to see everyone again and return to the spaceship once more. With that motive in mind, no matter how brutal the fights were, Dawn was able to evade and fight off the cats that came across her path. Many dropped weapons that she found rather useless since they were empty or unfamiliar. But one weapon wasn’t: it was a gun.

The model of the weapon resembled a chiappa rhino, yet not quite. At that rate Dawn didn’t care, she was just glad she could protect herself with something other than her abilities. Her her arms were getting sore from making all the ice. Things were not looking up for her at all and unfortunately… they got even worse. The Empress herself at that point during the rush hour had been gaining on her, getting uncomfortably close on the 11-year old’s tail.

The Empress was not a fair opponent once she did catch up- yanking Dawn harshly by her messy pigtails and throwing her brutally to the ground. The cryokinesis prodigy recovered quickly with a counter, creating icy attacks and snow once she hit the floor. 

They were an even match, but it was clear that the Empress was far too powerful for Dawn to handle on her own. Not in the state she was in. Pushing her away with ice and snow, dodging blow after blow, it wasn’t enough.

Unfortunately Dawn was eventually disarmed, even with putting up a good fight. The tables had been turned with blood and a rocket launcher pointed directly at her face... The snowflake-clipped girl was CERTAIN she was a goner.

She was done for, even when she desperately pleaded for help. Her pleas reached no one, there was no one to save her.

Hat and Bow had run far enough to where Dawn hoped they escaped to get help. Dawn’s phone was most likely dead so it’s not like she could buzz her phone for help, or go to sleep to avoid an inventively painful demise.

There was no hope, Dawn’s fate had been sealed. She was doomed, doomed by the claws of the Empress.

That was… until he arose to her rescue, Moonjumper.

It was insane!

He nearly took out the Empress with his red strings alone! The members of Empress’ clan were even afraid of the moon spirit’s wrath, some cowering before the “ ghost .”

The fight continued until it was enough to make the Empress run like hell. She might’ve been a menacing con-woman, but even she knew how to pick her battles. Dawn was scratched, dirty, a little bloodied and somewhat bruised here and there but thankfully; she didn’t lose her life.

What kept Dawn awake at night with nightmares and having to sing the girls back to sleep wasn’t the cruise or even being trapped in the metro, it was Vanessa. Sure the Empress did that too, but not on a level Vanessa did… and now?

Some of those nightmares would come true if they didn’t do anything about it. So all they had to do was make SURE that evil ice witch wouldn’t freeze Subcon Forest over, turning it into more of an icy ghost town than it was before.

“Okay! Got it! Time to go.” Bow Kid pressed the button that confirmed her choice, only to look at Snatcher soon after. “You- you might wanna close your eyes. This part isn’t fun for people who do it for the first time.” Hat suggested, giving the same advice she had given to Dawn all that time ago. Bow soon confirmed her choices as the blue light engulfed the group. In a blink of an eye, between one moment and the next… The group that  was once there, teleported back to the ship without a trace.

Location: Hat Kid and Bow Kid’s ship

The group appeared on the ship with the former ghost nearly toppling over hard onto the ground. If it wasn’t for Dawn and Hat supporting him, he would’ve fully hit the carpeted floor violently, causing a bruise. The cryokinesis prodigy noticed how nauseous the former ghoul looked, she couldn’t blame that feeling.

Teleporting as a ghost and teleporting with science are two completely different things. Hat Kid did mention the first time they met in Mafia Town; that teleporting with the teleporter for the first time can be nauseating. And boy she wasn’t kidding, Dawn was just glad she listened to the advice of closing her eyes back then. Back to the current moment in time however, Snatcher didn’t have the luxury of knowing that beforehand. Which was a fault on their part.

“Snatcher! Are- are you okay?” Bow called out, her voice wary as she went to his side. Snatcher only raised a hand to his face, almost letting out a high pitched noise from pain. Dawn honestly felt bad for Snatcher... Not that she’d admit this to him directly, probably never. She’d get mocked to high heaven by the specter IF she did! Snatcher didn’t say a word as he groaned, looking between passing out or vomiting; possibly the ladder or a combination of both. The snowflake-clipped girl eventually felt her backpack buzzing. She unzipped it to find the ringtone of her brother Benjamin calling her.

Out of ALL of the times he could’ve called, why’d it have to be now?!

Out of panic, Dawn accidentally hung up, which only increased her anxiety tenfold. Dawn was now stalling profusely, pacing endlessly in circles. The snowflake-clipped girl was obviously dreading the buzzing phone in her hand and anxious to see, hear someone finally answer at the sound of the chimes. As if an angel heard the prayer, at last, Benjamin picked up after she hung up on him.

“OMIGOSH- HI! Thank god you picked up! Sorry for hanging up- I meant to answer ya!” Dawn quickly spoke until she was breathless. Benjamin’s gleeful smile faded into concern the moment he heard Dawn’s fanfic voice. “Um… Hi. Dawn what did you do-?” Dawn glupped, well this was certainly becoming a problem. Not only did the goggle-wearing boy notice something was up right off the bat, but also knew there was something wrong. How the heck do you explain without explaining? Taking a deep breath, Dawn tried desperately to recollect herself.

“Well- I…. N-nothing- it’s nothing! Heheh .” Benjamin looked unconvinced. Soon, the goggle-wearing boy tried prying it out of the cryokinesis prodigy. Yet Dawn wouldn’t budge, she kept dodging the question Benjamin kept pestering. Soon, a loud groan was heard in the background in vexation.

“ Uugghh ! I can’t take your BICKERING anymore: MOVE .” Benjamin was moved as Dawn’s older sister Silvia came into view. She adjusted her bluelight-reading glasses to see the screen. “Dawn, kid what the hell did you do?” Dawn became anxious, really anxious. She started to search for an answer, only to make herself panic more. “Uuhhh… you- Do you remember the purple noodle ghost that I said kind of reminded me of you?” Silvia bluntly rolls her ruby eyes. “Okay I’m ignoring that last part. But…Yeah, why?” Dawn wasn’t sure what to say, she was totally screwed.

Dawn darted around, trying to grasp on some kind of explanation that wouldn’t go into too much detail. “Uuhhh…. We…” Dawn took one long deep breath and started a snappy explanation.

“Snatcher stole the Time Piece . We had to go to Subcon. Then Snatcher accidentally dropped said Time Piece and turned himself back into a human. And now Subcon’s left defenseless against Vanessa and has a chance to freeze it again! And now we don’t know what the frick we’re gonna do! So: YEAH . *huff*”

Benjamin’s jaw dropped to the floor- in his shock, he nearly shoved Silvia off the chair she sat in that was technically his.

“YOU WHAT!? ” Benjamin shrieked, Silvia reproached Benjamin with an irritated glance. “Damn it-! Stop shoving me you brat. I get that you’re shocked and all, but that doesn’t mean push me off the chair with wheels on it!” Silvia remarked, literally on the edge of her seat as the goggle wearing boy irritably glances back at her. “Well- EXCUSE me for my reasonable panic, Lulu!” Silvia twitched, looking more irritable than before. “I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Knock it off you two! Both of you!” Dawn reprimanded, calling out that now wasn’t the time to fight. Silvia grumbled, resting her left hand on the bridge of her nose. “Where’s your ghostly friend now? Is there anything you think you can do that can help fix or perhaps pacify the situation at the moment so he’s not wallowing in self pity- or something of the sort?” Silvia inquired, breaking down the situation into simpler terms.