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In the little town of Goatshire, there's a rather odd family consisting of an axolotl, a young goat, her two friends, a ghost owl, and a sentient puppet. No, this isn't the setup to some bad joke; this is the truth behind Aristotle's household. They aren't quite a family yet, but they're getting there. Save for some minor hiccups, these misfits are pretty close-knit. Billie and Barnaby, in particular, share a special bond through the existence of a strange individual, a combined entity by the name of Billaby. Barnaby had gotten the idea to use the Billaby form as a means of thoroughly teaching Billie how to utilize his powers through direct demonstration.
The possession comes at a mutual benefit, as not only does she learn from him, but he learns her powers as well, a sort of cross-junction if you will. Billie and Barnaby have kept the existence of Billaby a secret for a while now, but they now feel it's the appropriate time, now that they're finally all together. Billie and Barnaby approach Aristotle. She addresses him.
"Hey, Aristotle. I have a secret I'd like to tell you about."
Aristotle turns around. He doesn't like the sound of that.
"Uh oh. Uh, Billie, you didn't just, um, have your first period, did you?"
Billie gasps and sneers in disgust.
"What? Gross!"
Aristotle continues to hallucinate insane reasons for her to approach him with a secret.
"Oh my gosh! You're not pregnant, are you? Who was it? Do I need to give you the birds and the bees talk? Billie, I have to admit, I'm not ready for that talk. I'm not equipped for that—"
She yells to gain his attention and silences him as he acts like a basket case. Barnaby chuckles.
"Aristotle, shut up! I'm trying to tell you something!"
He stops himself, facepalming.
"You're right. I'm being an idiot. Continue."
She brings Barnaby forward. Barnaby speaks.
"There's something Billie and I would like to demonstrate for you."
Aristotle raises a brow.
"Demonstrate?"
Barnaby nods.
"Yes. Hoot! Ready, Billie?"
She pumps herself up, planting her feet in place.
"Ready, Barnaby!"
She closes her eyes as the bird forms a black, misty cloud, circling Billie. Aristotle panics, his eyes widening as he stares into the mist. It dives down into Billie's nostrils and eye sockets, the combined form taking shape, the goat structure, the ghost owl coloring. Billaby lives again, for lack of a better term. They stand proudly as they speak with Aristotle, who simply watches with an expression of horror and shock. Lewis and Lily exchange looks with their mouths agape, for even they hadn't known about this. Billaby places their arms proudly at their hips, peering their glowing eyes at Aristotle with a smile and a loud echo to their voices.
"We are Billaby! Hoot!"
Aristotle is terrified. He approaches Billaby, taking them by the shoulders.
"Billie! What happened? Are you in there? Speak to me!"
Billaby chuckles.
"Billie's fine, silly. She's in here. Barnaby is in here, too. We're both completely fine. Hoot!"
Aristotle raises a brow, looking down at them.
"We?"
Billaby nods.
"We are both Billie and Barnaby, all the purity and innocence of both in a super cute little black and pink package of pure, unfiltered joy!"
They shake Aristotle's one hand and boop him on the nose with the other, chuckling before cartwheeling around the room with glee and giggling enthusiastically as he just watches in utter dumbfoundment. They stop before Lewis and Lily, wrapping their arms around the two and smiling at each of them.
"So, what do you guys think? Pretty cool, huh? Hoot!"
Lewis feels inspired to ask.
"Are there any negative side effects of this?"
Billaby ponders, raising a finger to their lips, thinking and leaning on their hip.
"Hmm. That's a good question. We don't know! Well, when we separate, Billie might retain some of that rather unfortunate verbal tic. Hoot! Yeah, that one."
They laugh. Lily raises another question.
"H-how long does that last?"
Billaby dismisses her with a wave.
"Oh, about an hour. Not that big a deal, honestly. Hoot!"
Billaby rocks back and forth with a cheeky smile, darting their head about the room. They shrug.
"Well, that was pretty anti-climactic. We suppose we should separate."
Aristotle nods, still freaked out by this.
"Yes… Please do."
Billaby sighs in disappointment.
"Okay…"
Barnaby's black mass seeps off of Billie, and she becomes slightly disoriented for a second as he reforms in his usual mass beside her.
"It's always fun doing that! Hoot!"
Aristotle claps his hands together loudly.
"Well, now that that moment of thorough existential confusion is over, Barnaby, may I ask you for a favor?"
Barnaby becomes elated, filled with nothing but excitement and joy at the prospect of being helpful.
"Aristotle, I would love to help you. Hoot! Whatever could it be? Magic? Parenting tips? Means of disposing of a body?"
Aristotle asks.
"What was that last one?"
Barnaby folds his wings behind his back in a mischievous manner.
"Oh, nothing."
Aristotle elaborates.
"Now, are you good with radar technology, specifically in relation to magical gem tracking equipment?"
Aristotle stands nervously, his hands pleadingly pressed together in uncertainty and desperation, as he stares up at the nearly eight-foot-tall ghost owl smiling widely down at him. Barnaby reassures the axolotl.
"Of course! I would be more than delighted to aid you, Aristotle! That wonderful young man over there wouldn't have recommended me if it weren't true. Hoot!"
Lewis kneels over in the corner on his hands and knees with a wrench, with the underside hatch opened, revealing internal wiring and circuits. He rubs his dirty sweater across his brow, smudging his filthy, motor-oil-covered face, clearing his sweat.
"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures."
Barnaby nods.
"Indubitably. Hoot! So let's open up this bad boy and take a look-see. Shall we?"
Magically, Barnaby unscrews the entire radar system piece by piece, hovering the equipment and pondering with a lean at his hip and a face of thorough examination. His orange tongue hangs stupidly out of the side of his beak.
"I see, so you have the electrospeglograph connected to the spasmopleimorph and the stylostenoscope hardwired directly into the doohickiekaleodophone. Everything appears to be in order."
He reassembles the machine and inquires quizzically of Aristotle, raising his finger intellectually with a smile.
"May I make a hypothesis? Hoot! Perhaps your equipment is fully functional after all, and the issue is not with your radar itself, but the gem in question."
Aristotle scratches his head stupidly. The notion of the gem itself malfunctioning or being outright broken had never occurred to him. In fact, he found the idea quite absurd. He knew it wasn't the distance that was the problem. There's no way it could have traveled so far so fast. Barnaby continues.
"Let's test this little theory. Shall we? Suppose I were to redirect your tracking equipment to, say, all the remaining gems. Hoot!"
Barnaby adjusts the settings. And the radar now reads four different gems.
"Now, if we consider your gem, my gem, Billie's gem, and Fantoccio's gem, the four visible gems in question are all accounted for. Your radar doesn't appear to be picking up any new gems yet, so I do believe it to be functional after all. It appears as though your equipment had been gaslighting you. Hoot!"
Aristotle feels stupid. He looks over to the device and genuinely wonders what happened to that gem. As Lewis rises from the floor, Lily approaches him with a washcloth to clean his dirty face. He removes his glasses and hands them to Lily as he wipes the warm, damp cloth across his face. As she takes his filthy glasses, she notices they're covered in scratches and smears. As Lewis finishes cleaning his face, she smiles in admiration at just how handsome she finds him, but also slightly relieved he's blind as a bat and likely wouldn't know what face she's making anyway. She inquires with her sweet little voice.
"D-did that mechanical manual help with Aristotle's machine, Lewis, honey?"
Lewis smiles, squinting as he takes back the glasses that Lily has so lovingly cleaned with a smooth handkerchief. She smiles fondly as he places them back on, looking away as he regains his vision.
"It helped me understand and take it apart. Thanks for the book, by the way, dear."
He places his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in.
"I've already read it three times! I can't put it down."
Barnaby nosily eavesdrops on them, utterly fawning over them as they look up at him with raised brows. He interjects.
"Honey? Dear? Hoot! You two are so cute, I could just squish you!"
Barnaby smothers them almost too tightly. He releases them, and they gasp for breath. He questions them with a tilted head and a cross-eyed stare.
"By the way, have you seen that tiny, wooden young man anywhere? I'd like to have a word with him. Hoot!"
Lewis responds, adjusting his crooked glasses.
"I believe he's hiding from you."
Barnaby scratches the top of his head with his talon quizzically. He responds.
"Hiding from me? Hoot! Well, I guess I'll just have to seek him out then!"
Lily remarks, trying to dissuade Barnaby.
"I-I don't think he wants to be sought after."
Barnaby dismisses her opinion with a wave and a wide, cheeky grin.
"I'll find that yellow-eyed cutie pie. You needn't worry about him. I just want to tell him something. Hoot!"
Lewis responds curiously.
"Tell him what?"
Barnaby pats the children on their heads.
"Don't worry your pretty little heads about that."
Within the house, Fantoccio is hiding under the table. He knows the ghost bird is out and about and that the owl isn't too fond of him. He whispers to himself under the table.
"I sure hope that crazy ghost doesn't find me here."
From under the table, he spots a pair of large black talons entering the kitchen. Fantoccio gasps, covering his mouth. Barnaby clicks the claws of his chubby toes on the tile floor as he hums to himself in a jolly manner.
"Oh, where, oh where can that silly little puppet boy be?"
Fanto watches from under the table as the ghost bird dances his way across the kitchen floor and into the other room. He holds his breath as he watches the feathery black legs move on past him. Barnaby's melody becomes distant until he can no longer be heard. Fantoccio releases his breath, gasping with a sigh. Oddly, he can't shake the feeling that something is off, though. Slowly, he turns his head to the left.
"Peekaboo!"
Barnaby startles Fantoccio, lying a mere foot away from him under the table. He chuckles as Fantoccio scurries out from under the table, backing away on his rear end in terror as Barnaby slides out from underneath, rising to full height. Barnaby's head nearly touches the ceiling. His neck is as retracted as it can be, and he's still colossal compared to the tiny puppet. Barnaby smiles without judgment as Fantoccio cowers, covering his face. Barnaby cranes his neck downward. He speaks calmly to the puppet.
"Do not be afraid. I merely wish to speak with you."
Fantoccio raises his hat above his eyes, peering at the ghost owl as he smiles down.
"Y-you just wanna talk?"
The bird nods.
"Indeed. Firstly, I would like to apologize for my behavior back at the theater. I was very rude to you, and that was very unbecoming of me. Hoot! I am truly sorry."
Fanto darts his eyes around in a bit of confusion, with a slight sneer. He looks back up at the owl.
"I don't understand."
Barnaby sits on the floor in an attempt to make himself eye level with the puppet. It proves to be difficult due to his height.
"You see, I've grown quite fond of Billie and her friends. They've helped me get through some, let's just say… difficult times. They've made me a happier bird than I've been in centuries, and I've been made aware of the mark they've left on you as well. Hoot! They're very special people in my heart, and everyone they've opened up to has become very special to me as well."
Fantoccio relaxes. He stares at Barnaby, sorry and feeling almost ashamed of himself for being afraid of Barnaby in the first place. That fear subsides when he realizes what a kind soul the bird is. Still, he is uncertain.
"What are you trying to say?"
Barnaby tilts his head with a smile at the puppet.
"What I'm saying is any friend of theirs is a friend of mine. I cherish my friends deeply, and I would do anything to protect them. As they've openly expressed their fondness for you toward me, I would like to extend my service of protection to you as well. Hoot!"
Fantoccio doesn't know how to feel about this offer. It takes time for him to digest this, but the more he thinks about it, the wider his smile becomes. He thanks the bird.
"How, uh, very noble of you. I never knew you were so faithful to them or that they meant so much to you. Does that offer extend to Aristotle as well?"
Barnaby nods.
"Indeed, it does. I love Billie and her friends with all of my heart and would give anything for their happiness and safety."
Barnaby continues. He smiles fondly as he looks off to the side.
"They've all fundamentally changed how I perceive the living."
His smile dissipates as internal shame takes over.
"I was quite an awful cad, I must admit, and I've done a lot of reflecting on my behavior over these last centuries, especially after seeing how kind and accepting people could be. Hoot! They've made me want to change for the better. I hope you're willing to change for the better, too, young man. I want nothing more than for you to find that same happiness."
Barnaby and Fantoccio exchange a smile. As Aristotle finishes cleaning up, Billie wrangles her friends.
"Now that that's all done and over with, let's find Fanto and Barnaby and see if they wanna play. Hoot! (Darn it!)"
Lewis and Lily cheer.
"Yeah!"
Aristotle rises, halting their progression mid-step.
"Hold on right there, you three. I'd like a word with you."
Billie's heart sinks. She doesn't like the sound of his tone at all. She turns mid-step to face him. Aristotle approaches with folded arms and an expression of displeasure.
"Now, I know this was ultimately Billie's decision to deliberately disobey me, but I'm sure you two had an influence on her, so I'm addressing all three of you. When I told you not to let Fantoccio out of his cage, it was for a reason, to protect all three of you—"
Billie interrupts, approaching Aristotle and pleading with frustration as she argues.
"But nothing happened!—"
Aristotle interrupts back.
"You got lucky! Twice, in fact…"
She continues to argue.
"But Aristotle!—"
He stops her.
"Look! When I tell you not to do something, I expect you to listen to me! I'm only looking out for you because I care about you, and that goes for Lewis and Lily too!…"
Lewis and Lily face away in shame, not used to being in trouble or being reprimanded, especially by Aristotle of all people.
"… I don't know what I'd do if anything bad ever happened to you. You can't just trust everyone you meet. There are bad people out there who would prey on your compassion, and I don't want to see you get hurt. You're a good kid, Billie. The last thing I want is for someone to break your heart and destroy that innocence."
Billie backs away from Aristotle with a sneer, looking up at him with a judgmental face of disgust. She shakes her head in denial.
"You just think I'm some stupid little kid. Don't you? Hoot! Grr! Like, I can't take care of myself! Like, I haven't been taking care of myself on all of my adventures! Well, I'll show you! I don't need you! I don't need anyone!"
Billie runs off into the forest.
"Billie! Wait!"
Aristotle makes haste but forgets Billie has the Broom Brolley with her, and she loses track of Aristotle, Lewis, and Lily very easily. Aristotle sighs as he peers around the skyline for the goat.
"She'll be back."
Billie flies around aimlessly, pouting in disapproval.
"Stupid Aristotle! I go out and get these gems for him, face all these big, scary brutes all on my own, with him nowhere in sight, and he still thinks I'm just some dumb little kid! Hoot! That's all I am to him! I'm tired of people being so conde…what's that word? Con-ascending, or whatever it is! I'll show him! I'll live on my own! I don't need him, or Lewis, or Lily, or anybody! Hoot! Argh!"
Unfortunately, Billie starts to lose control of the broom. It shakes and quakes in her hands.
"Whoa! What's happening?!"
Billie tumbles and spirals out of control, crashing her broom. Conking her head on a tree, Billie tumbles and rolls until her momentum stops. She lapses into unconsciousness. Billie comes to several moments later, the throbbing sensation on her head becoming curiously numbed by the cooling sensation, a spell applied to her forehead by some unknown entity. Billie opens her eyes to the silhouette of someone she never thought she'd see. Standing over her is the kneeling figure of Arthur, her father. He smiles down at her kindly. Billie backs away from the man, not quite recognizing him right away until her vision clears. When it does, she just stares in shock and awe, frozen in place. Arthur rises from his knee, still maintaining that warm smile.
"You miss me, kiddo?"
She just stares, placing her hooves to her mouth. She struggles to say something.
"… Dad?"
He chuckles.
"Yeah, squirt, it's me, believe it or not, right here in the flesh and fur. Why don't you come and give your old man a hug? It's been, gosh, what? Like fifteen years?"
He no sooner finishes the sentence when she pulverizes him, winding him and causing him to audibly "oof" on impact. He chuckles as he wraps his arms tightly around her and pulls her in close. Then the smell hits her, and she recoils, backing away from him.
"Oh my God! Dad, you stink!"
Arthur stretches his arms out. He's caked in blood and still smells of B.O. and urine.
"Well, it hasn't been fun, Billie. A very bad man named Vadrigar had been using my body to do terrible things, but I guess he got bored and just left."
Arthur shrugs candidly.
"I'm surprised he didn't kill me."
Billie nods, curious but also ambiguously suspicious. That hug didn't feel nearly as special as she hoped it would. She rejects her paranoia, however, and takes Arthur by the hoof with excitement, promising to lead him back.
"Ooh! I bet Aristotle is just dying to see you! Let's go back! We could surprise him. We could get a big gift box, and you could sit inside, and we could—"
Arthur stops her.
"Hold on a sec. There's only one problem with that."
She looks at him curiously and with concern.
"What's that?"
He approaches.
"Daddy's a wanted man. There's no way I'd be able to show my face in public."
Billie agrees, beholding her father.
"Yikes! You're right. Not looking and smelling like that, you can't."
He chuckles with a smile. Billie continues.
"Well then, let's go get you cleaned up. You can wash off at the shore. Nobody will be there this time of year."
Arthur smiles.
"That's perfect. Lead the way."
She takes his hoof, and they walk happily to the shoreline. Meanwhile, Aristotle approaches Barnaby and Fantoccio in the kitchen. They rise from their seats on the floor, and Aristotle looks between them like he missed something crucial. They return the same sentiment. Aristotle explains.
"Billie ran off. I confronted her about letting you out, and she freaked out and ran off."
Barnaby's face becomes serious.
"Do you require my aid in finding her?"
Aristotle nods.
"Both of you can fly, so it would be a great help if you could provide aerial coverage while the kids and I check on foot. She has my Broom Brolley, so unfortunately, I'm grounded."
Fantoccio and Barnaby exchange a concerned look. Fantoccio seems quite worried.
"This sounds serious."
They head outside. The puppet and the ghost owl take flight, scouting the air, as Oscar leads the pursuit down below. Aristotle commands the fox.
"Go on, Oscar! Find Billie! Come on, boy, you can do it!"
Oscar yips happily and with pride as he sniffs the surrounding ground, following Billie's scent. He tracks the scent through the forest for easily a good mile until he comes across a pair of tracks, hoof prints. The only problem here, and Aristotle takes a keen note of this, is that there are two, meaning she isn't alone. Oscar continues the pursuit as Aristotle fears the worst. Meanwhile, Billie walks side by side with her dad. She smiles as he faces the ground. She speaks.
"I sure am glad we found each other. What a coincidence, just running into each other in the forest like that."
Arthur doesn't respond. He doesn't quite seem as perky as he could be to see her, though. He mostly faces the ground somewhat blankly, like he's watching his step. She tries to converse.
"So, what was the deal with you and Mom and Aristotle?"
He scratches his head. He looks over at her, somewhat reluctant to discuss.
"It's kinda complicated. It's like a whole mess of soap opera nonsense. And at fifteen, do you really wanna hear a bunch of mushy adult stuff?"
She cringes, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
"Blech! Sorry, I asked."
Arthur chuckles as Billie kicks a rock like she's kicking a field goal. It lands way out there in the forest, and he smiles, giving her the thumbs up. She continues to interrogate him about their past together.
"So, Dad, what was I like when I was a baby?"
He snickers through his nostrils, shaking his head as he takes her hand, and she leads him uphill to the peak before the shoreline.
"You were the tiniest little kid I ever held, even the kids I babysat when I was your age. So, how much farther now?"
She places her hoof on her chin.
"Not much."
When they finally make it up to the top of the hill. Along the shoreline, they stand atop a large, rocky plateau, a beautiful scene staring straight out into the ocean. Had it actually been a sunny day, it would be the best place to watch the sunset. Arthur stares out onto the romantic blue ocean with a smile. From his green shirt, he draws a tiny flask with ashes within. He holds it before him, staring at the container.
"C'est la vie, Viktor. We will meet again someday."
Arthur opens the flask, letting the ashes out. They blow through the air into the ocean, and Billie stares at him.
"Hey, Dad. What was that?"
He turns his head slowly to her, a cold look frozen on his face as his head pivots.
"An old friend of mine."
He smiles. Billie is unnerved by his sudden, creepy change in behavior. She backs away from him.
"Dad? Are you okay? Y-you're freaking me out."
Over the hill, Aristotle and the gang arrive on the scene. Aristotle shouts to Billie, warning her.
"Billie! Get away from him! That's not your father!"
Billie turns her head to her father. He cackles maniacally, covering his eyes as he chuckles. He smiles a fang-toothed grin into the sky, lowering himself to reveal to her his crimson eyes. He peers at Billie, beaming directly at her. His voice changes to that of Vadrigar.
"You're too late. I've already begun the process of burning all the souls in this world."
Aristotle beckons her to come to him. Vadrigar continues.
"The girl and I already had the pleasure of meeting. I assume she told you about her wonderful little night fantasy?"
Aristotle approaches cautiously.
"Who are you? Has she told you anything about herself?"
The smirking, red-eyed goat approaches with his arms behind his back, passing Billie and walking toward Aristotle. He and the rest stand at the ready, willing, should Arthur try anything.
"I know many things about Billie. I know who you are, too. This host… feels quite strongly toward both of you. I know things… special things… secret things. I have full access to the sleeping goat's memories. I can read his mind just like a journal."
Vadrigar cackles as he approaches. Aristotle retreats, the others backing away as well. Barnaby eyes down at the goat, and Vadrigar shoots him a sharp glare. Aristotle continues. He asks apprehensively and with immense reluctance.
"Who are you?"
Vadirgar lowers his eyes to make contact with Aristotle, the smirk never leaving his face.
"You know who I am. It was my voice ringing through your precious lover's ears, whispering promises of grandeur that you could never give him yourself. He gave me this body to use for my will, and I gave him the power of a god. You shall soon see it in practice."
Barnaby asks the next question, stepping before Aristotle and claiming protection over the group behind him, his eyes watching Billie peripherally.
"What have you done with that young man? Hoot! Give the child her father back!"
Vadrigar beams up at the ghost owl. He isn't afraid of the ghost just because he's dead. In fact, he looks forward to an encounter, just to quell his boredom. He responds with a harsh grin.
"I burned his soul. I shall do the same to all of you… especially the girl. You want your beloved Arthur back? Then take his body from me! I would love to see you try!"
He chuckles, looking back behind Barnaby to see that Aristotle is fuming. He doesn't like threats, and he's trying to restrain himself from lashing out and making a stupid first move. Vadrigar mocks him.
"Aww, what's the matter, Aristotle? Did I strike a nerve?"
Vadrigar takes notice of the puppet, noting that everyone is accounted for. He sighs with pleasure.
"Summoning you four here has proven quite convenient. I can take all your gems and destroy them in one fell swoop."
Fantoccio interrupts. He approaches the goat, and Vadrigar peers down through squinted eyes with a disgusted sneer.
"What do you mean you're going to destroy our gems?! That was never part of our deal! You never told me she was your daughter!"
Vadrigar shakes his head. He turns around with his arms behind his back as he monologues, begging for any of them to try something stupid and cowardly while he instigates them.
"I'm disappointed in you, puppet. I elevate your existence beyond that of a few hundred wood chips scattered across the floor, and this is how you repay me?… You are so ungrateful."
Fantoccio looks up at him seriously, his wooden hands balled into fists.
"There's no way I'd ever be able to kill her! Not after finding out the truth! Not after we became friends!"
Vadrigar chuckles.
"I jest. I knew you would betray me. I could see the repulsive kindness in your heart. Nevertheless, I knew you would struggle with this task. No matter."
Once again, Vadrigar turns his attention to Barnaby, staring coldly into his very core. He proposes, gesturing melodramatically with a promise too good to be true, as Barnaby stares down judgmentally and with profound distrust.
"The puppet was a failure, but I know you still have potential… I know what you want, owl. I can grant you your greatest desire. I can bestow upon you your precious daughter, escort her right across the sea on the sail of Charon. You could be together forever."
Barnaby's eyes widen. He approaches, his wings spread defensively, his feathers protruding as he coils his long neck around the goat.
"What do you know of my daughter? Hoot!"
Vadrigar smirks when, from his side, steps a tiny baby owl child. Nobody can believe what's happening. She wasn't there a second ago, and now she is as if she appeared from thin air. The child rubs her eyes as if she'd been in a deep sleep. She looks up at Barnaby with a pure and innocent smile. Vadrigar places his hands on her shoulder, bribing Barnaby.
"Here she is, your precious owlet. She can be all yours. All you need to do is swear allegiance to me, accept me as your new god, and I will bequeath eternal happiness unto you."
Barnaby approaches the child, staring into her eyes. She touches him with her soft, brown wing.
"Daddy?"
Barnaby's beak trembles. He can barely gasp the word.
"A-Ashley?"
Aristotle approaches.
"Barnaby, it's a trap!"
Barnaby turns to Aristotle, an orange tear leaking from his eye. Aristotle can see the brokenness in his heart, and because of it, finds it even more pertinent to tell him the truth.
"He's trying to trick you, Barnaby. Trust me. I'm a master illusionist."
Barnaby turns to the child once again. She cocks her head curiously at him. Barnaby closes his eyes, swallowing and sighing as he's forced to bite the bullet and accept the cold truth.
"No. You're not real. My daughter awaits me somewhere beautiful… a place where this demon will never set foot."
He beams coldly at Vadrigar, and Vadrigar scowls, banishing the child. She melts into rotten flesh on the ground as they watch in horror. This is the last straw. Barnaby spirals into the air. He knows that one way to fight a spirit is with another spirit. He turns to mist, circling the demon from above, who stares in slight bewilderment as Barnaby descends into Arthur's eyes and nostrils. They watch as Barnaby tries to force Vadrigar out through possession. Arthur stands there, teeth gritted with blackened eyes as the souls fight internally for supremacy. Arthur's head jerks as he stumbles around. The results are in, as words form through Arthur's gritted teeth.
"Sorry… this… one's… taken!"
Barnaby's spirit is sent flying back, creating a long trench in the ground as Arthur's eyes burn red with hatred, emitting a harsh mist. This signals the start of war. Aristotle and company all lunge at Vadrigar with their wide array of diverse spells. Vadrigar retaliates by summoning an army of the undead to even the playing field. Zombies of fallen animals climb through the dirt, and gory, hellish cadavers of blood and flesh pounce at the goats and their mentor as Lewis prepares his new and improved sentries. Lily takes her drawing pad, revealing her strengthened foundation and discipline. Aristotle provides an example of his Illusion mastery by cloning himself multiple times.
Barnaby strips the souls of their bodies, harnessing the spirits and summoning his army of ghosts from beyond. Out in the open, there's little he can do with his environmental magic, but he sets pit traps down below. Orange orbs swirl through the air. Barnaby dives into a corkscrew, dismembering several zombies and absorbing their souls into his own army. Their blood and entrails are tossed through the air, soaking into Barnaby's feathers, where they are sunken into his ectoplasmic abyss. Aristotle proves to be more agile and dangerous than he looks, multiplying, growing his clones, and using them to stomp all over the battlefield. He casts a spell to make the bodies magnetized to each other, exploding them as they form a huge ball of rotting death.
Vadrigar approaches him, fighting him at his own game as he separates into many individual cackling goats. They surround the axolotl. Vadrigar looks for the one thing that will give the true axolotl away, his gem. The big one in question wields true as the barely visible afternoon sun gleams on the gem, betraying him. Vadrigar rushes the axolotl flight, expanding in mass and tackling him. Aristotle, in a reflex he wasn't intending, punches Vadrigar right in the face. He turns and looks down at the axolotl; Aristotle is horrified by his actions.
"Is that any way to treat your dear Arthur?!"
He cackles as he grips the gem at the base of Ari's cape. Aristotle panics as they both shrink to normal size.
"No! What are you doing?!"
Vadrigar crushes the gem in his bare hooves, a pink mist radiating through the air. Vadrigar inhales with pleasure. He stares the axolotl right in the eyes as Aristotle swings once again for his face. The throw doesn't land when Vadrigar evaporates in a thin mist. Zombies take their swings at the pint-sized Lewis and Lily. The spry goat in the sweater sends various weaponized action figure deployments out into the field, where they dismember and overwhelm approaching hordes. His chemical alterations add firepower and explosive power to their crossbows and projectiles. Still, so many continue to crawl through the dirt as if Vadrigar's army is seemingly endless.
"There are so many of them!"
Lewis shouts as Lily sends even more abominations from her sketchbook to counter the sheer numbers.
"L-Lewis! There are too many of them!"
She screams. Lewis makes a mad dash for her.
"I'm coming, Lil!"
He sends more drones to attack, buying her time to spread her army of drawings, and providing crowd control as she continues to reinforce it with her deployments. Meanwhile, Fantoccio utilizes his telekinesis and golden strings. His gem is now back in his possession to aid him in battle. He lashes out, remembering the old days of the city as he dismembers the hordes with vines like sharp whips, diving into the putrid undead skeletons and snapping anthro-zombies as they bite at him with their maws. Their chomps prove to be relatively ineffective on his hard, wooden body, and they leave little more than splinters in his smooth wood. A plume of fire soars past the puppet and into the hordes, igniting them as Vadrigar soars in like a mad hawk. Fantoccio comments.
"So you can fly too, huh? Let's take this to the air, then!"
Fantoccio rises into the air. Vadrigar soars up to meet the puppet with his levitation. Vadrigar extends his arms to the side. He spins on an axis, cackling with maddened glee as a swarm of homing blue fireballs (extra hot) conjure into existence, screaming through the air and circling the puppet. Fantoccio panics, whipping his golden strings fanatically to explode the bombs on impact. As he's distracted, Vadrigar approaches. He slams into Fanto with his fist at full force to the gut, cracking and splitting his chest wood. Fanto writhes in pain as the gem dislodges itself, falling from inside his cloak toward the ground.
"My gem!"
He makes a mad dash for the gem, but he's too slow. Vadrigar seizes the yellow orb, soaring high before the puppet and crushing it, a yellow mist running straight up his nostrils. He taunts the puppet.
"I am the one who pulls the strings."
Now infused with two extra gems, he sends Fanto to the ground with his golden strings; they whip and pull at the puppet, punishing him until he succumbs to unconsciousness. Vadrigar leans downward, shaking his head in faux disappointment.
"What a tragedy."
Vadrigar descends to the ground, approaching Billie as she backs away cautiously from several zombies. Vadrigar annihilates them for her. She looks over to him. He grins menacingly as he extends his arms outward.
"Come to me, my child! Embrace me once more!"
He mocks Billie, and this sends her into a frenzy. With her Broom Brolley, she fires a mad volley of projectiles that Vadrigar easily weaves in between with the grace of a ninja as he approaches. Vadrigar rushes in, standing mere inches from her as she stares up into his eyes in terror. He sneers vehemently as he reaches for the bell collar, clasping it.
"Hey! Let go!"
From the sidelines, a brave fox dashes in. Oscar sinks his teeth as deeply into Vadrigar's forearm as he can. The demon writhes, swinging the beast around. Vadrigar approaches the corner of the cliff as the fox continues to maintain his vice-like grip. This infuriates Vadrigar, who backhands the fox with his other arm with full force.
"Stupid mutt!"
The fox yelps as he's sent over the cliff and into the ocean. Oscar is belted with such force that it has dazed him entirely, and he floats on the surface as Vadrigar turns his attention back to Billie, growling. Billie shouts in terror.
"Oscar!"
Billie erupts in a fury of uncontrollable magic, eyes glowing with power and a thick, colorful mist radiating from her. Vadrigar is intrigued. The others are finished wrapping up with the undead hordes as Billie takes on the demon one-on-one.
"You're gonna pay for that! Dad or not, I'm gonna kill you!"
Billie lashes out into an uncontrolled fury, hurtling wave after wave of pure magic, unlike Vadrigar had seen from these creatures so far. Her fury leaves her magic quite powerful, but untapped and unwieldy. Vadrigar smiles as her fit of rage causes her to lose focus, her shots imprecise and sloppy. Vadrigar turns up the dials on his magic to counter her.
"Finally! A challenge! I was growing bored with so many weaklings around me!"
She dashes toward him, her hooves imbued with magic, and she swings at her father with rapid jabs, decking him, left and right, in his jaw. He cackles as he takes her by the wrist, headbutting her. She recoils, falling backward on her rear end, but not giving up. She rises and thrusts more and more punches toward him, some landing, most not. She slams her fist into his gut, winding him as he does the same to her. As she's bent over, gasping for air, he reaches for the collar once again. He grips tightly as she grabs his hooves, trying to remove them. Vadrigar crushes the bell with the gem inside, tearing it from her collar. He then does the same on his own—no more bell collar. The gem radiates heat as he sucks the mist into his nostrils. He beams at her angrily. Billie is in shock.
"What did you do to my gem?!"
He looks down at her mockingly as he kicks her to the ground.
"Three down. One to go."
Vadrigar turns his eyes toward the ghost owl, who has just finished converting Vadrigar's army to his own. He sends his hordes, and Vadrigar dispatches what was his army with glee, utilizing his black energy balls of death, he sends them like homing rockets into the spirits surrounding him as he spins and twirls with grace toward his target. Barnaby is admittedly impressed as the goat flies his way up to meet the bird face-to-face. Barnaby is furious. He soars. High above the ground, the ghost owl swings his dagger frantically, the floating goat swaying to dodge every strike as the ghost weaves in and out like a hawk.
Lunging in for a strike from above, the Barnaby descends, his long, coiled neck stretched out with a mad and ferocious expression on his face. As he comes within feet of the goat, Vadrigar extends his arm outward, gripping Barnaby tightly with a hard squeeze, right under the base of his chin, his hoof wrapped around his long, black neck. Barnaby is completely beside himself, having no idea such a feat was possible. Vadrigar smirks as his red eyes emit heat like molten lava, steam emitting from his irises. With the other hoof, he reaches for the bird's talon, pulling the blade close to him. He rears his white fangs as Barnaby watches in terror at his foe's unholy madness, dragging the blade along the flesh of his neck, and drawing blood. Barnaby pulls away.
"No!"
The bird struggles, flailing his talons as Vadrigar's grip remains like a vice around his neck. He has no idea why, but he can't even phase through the demon. It's like Vadrigar is sucking away at his power and forcing him into physical form. The goat barks at the disobedient ghost owl, enraged by his defiance.
"Go ahead, fool! Do it! Run that dagger all the way across my neck, right along the vein! Do it! Kill me and betray her trust! Thrust that blade deep into my veins and watch as my blood rains all over those black feathers of yours!"
Barnaby hesitates; he stares in pure shock right into Vadrigar's eyes.
"Hm? What are you waiting for, killer?! Do it! You were so keen on taking lives before! Why hesitate now?! You coward!… I grow weary of this body anyway. Perhaps I shall take a new one."
He leans in, whispering into the owl's ear.
"Perhaps I shall take Billie instead. She's so much stronger than Arthur anyway."
Barnaby's eyes widen in terror.
"No! You leave her alone!"
Vadrigar rams his hoof into the bird's chest, gripping the gem clinging to his waistcoat. Arthur cracks the gem.
"No! What have you done?! Hoot!"
Barnaby shouts shrilly in terror as Vadrigar shatters his gem, inhaling the dark fumes. Vadrigar remarks.
"It is finished."
With this, Vadrigar violently tosses the bird with full force into the ground like a comet. Barnaby creates a crater in the ground. Vadrigar descends to meet his weakened foes. He chastises them with immense frustration, shaking his head in dismay.
"You all disappoint me greatly."
Billie rises from the side, swinging. Her fist lands straight on Vadrigar's jaw. By this point, he'd consumed so much power that her antics simply bore him. But another rises. Aristotle rises to his weakened knees, multiplying himself several times and surrounding Vadrigar, refusing to give up. Billie continues to swing at him as the other Aristotles lock him into a half-nelson. Vadrigar is now incredibly strong and forces the Aristotle clone off his back as golden restraints shoot from the side, ghosts envelop him, and sentries hone in on the angered goat.
"So! Do you think you can beat me together where you have failed individually? So be it."
Billie responds weakly.
"We will always have each other because we have love in our hearts! You have nothing but hatred to offer! Nobody will be there to help you! You will die alone!"
As they struggle, Barnaby comes to. He realizes what they're trying to do. Aristotle shouts.
"Barnaby, hurry! I can't restrain him for much longer!"
Barnaby makes another mad dash into the air, becoming a thick mist as he thrusts his way down into the eyes and nostrils of the struggling and angry goat. Vadrigar jerks and wails violently in Aristotle's grip, kicking and pounding with all his force. The ground trembles as Vadrigar tries with force to expel the ghost. Horrible guttural noises are emitted from the body as it flails painfully. Arthur's body roars like a lion into the sky before vomiting a massive, swollen, rotten mass of twisted flesh high into the sky for all to behold, a putrid spirit of cosmic horror, Vadrigar expelled. On the ground, they surround a goat covered in a black mass. The black goat in the pink waistcoat stumbles forward. They say but one sentence.
"We… are… Barthur? Hoot?"
They then collapse to the ground as the black mass seeps from Arthur's body onto the ground. The spirit of Vadrigar points down to them, and the hideous mass of twisted flesh, with a booming voice, threatens them.
"The goat child will be mine! She will be my instrument of terror!"
Vadrigar makes a mad dash for Billie, her eyes widening in horror as Barnaby intercepts the spirit, enveloping the demon, becoming an intense mass of twisted flesh and blackened ectoplasm. Barnaby screams at the demon.
"Together, we're unstoppable! Hoot!"
Vadrigar responds.
"Then you will die!"
Barnaby laughs.
"You can't kill me! I'm already dead!"
Vadrigar ensnares the owl, his wicked eyes peering into the ghost with certainty.
"There are fates worse than death, you know."
Vadrigar thrusts his rotten hand deep into the ectoplasm of the ghost, reaching for his black heart, crushing and tainting it, burning his core. Barnaby writhes in pain, screeching a deafening scream. Vadrigar smiles at the bird as he makes one final statement.
"Let it be known that a ghost can die. Without a body, your burnt spirit will fray. You will unravel slowly in unspeakable pain until you cease to be. Once you've burned out, not even your God can save you."
Vadrigar and Barnaby plummet to the earth, spinning and twirling into a violent mass. Vadrigar tears Barnaby to pieces as he drills a massive cave deep into the earth, leaving feathers and ectoplasm everywhere. A harsh, loud, violent, guttural noise erupts from the cave like the horrid sound of a garbage disposal grinding its prey to death. Billie steps down into the dark cave, stumbling down the fresh rocky crag into the abyss. She descends for what feels like a half mile into dank and dreary darkness. She can barely see anything.
Billie keeps following until she reaches what she feels to be water. At the bottom, just above the surface, is a battered and withering Barnaby, torn to pieces and tiny, his body the size of a small infant. She approaches him as he lies there, wheezing. Billie gasps as she beholds his tattered remains, a shell of his former bright, lively self.
"Come on, Barnaby. Let's get you out of here."
She says as she places her hooves gently around his head. He wails in pain from the slightest touch, the burning still fresh in his soul.
"Sorry… Hoot!! I… I didn't… Can I feel pain? Why can I feel pain?! What's happening?!"
Billie shrugs desperately.
"I don't know!"
She tries to pick him up, and he winces but does not scream this time. He bites the pain as she caresses him. Outside, the real Aristotle stumbles over toward Arthur's lying body, tripping over himself in desperation. He lays his head on Arthur's chest, listening carefully. His face is filled with anxiety.
"Oh my God… He's alive! Billie! Kids, come quick!"
Lewis and Lily approach Aristotle. He looks between both of them.
"Where's Billie?!"
Lewis points toward the magnificent cave drilled into the earth by Vadrigar. Billie stumbles to the surface, the shredded and damaged Barnaby held close to her chest. His powers are dwindling fast. Aristotle gains their attention, directing them.
"Lewis, grab Fantoccio. I got Arthur. Lily, I need you to help Billie with Barnaby. Billie, go find Oscar. We're all going back to town. Quickly now."
Aristotle places his hands gently under Arthur's head and thighs, lifting him and holding him close to his chest.
"Don't worry, Arthur, you're gonna be fine; I promise… I'm never gonna lose you again."
Arthur shuffles limply in Aristotle's arms as he makes his way back down the hill as gently but as hastily as he can. He knows time is of the essence, but he knows that Arthur is fragile, and his movements mean the difference between life and death. Lewis runs to the unconscious puppet, scooping the lightweight wooden doll in his arms.
"Come on, buddy. Alley-oop!"
Lily runs up to Billie, relieving her of Barnaby, and caressing him just as gently as she did.
"He's heavier than he looks. I didn't know a ghost could be so solid."
He's so weak. He doesn't smile, only grimaces like he's in severe pain.
"I-I hope he's gonna be okay."
Lily turns to Billie.
"I hope you find Oscar. He's got to be floating around down there. I got Barnaby. Just go."
Reluctantly, Billie nods.
"Thank you."
They start walking carefully down the hill and back to town. Billie responds to Lily as she leaves, talking under her breath as she climbs down to the shoreline to search for Oscar.
"Me too, Lil. I don't know what that monster did to him, but I'm really worried about him. A ghost shouldn't be able to be weakened like this."
The path back to town feels significantly more arduous and dangerous with half their party out of commission. The quartet sweats bullets as they bear the weight of their companions. Billie continues to search for Oscar desperately, running along the beach and shouting his name as she peers into the ocean. The fox is nowhere to be found. As darkness approaches, she heads back to town. She doesn't want to accept that he's gone… but he's gone. The single thought keeping her sane at this moment is at least she didn't find a body.
She knows Oscar is smart. The fox has found his way home from much farther than this. If he's out there, he'll be back. She knows it. She has to. Aristotle stops multiple times to regain his grip on the unconscious goat as he stumbles down the hill. He's utterly drenched in sweat and can't even rub it from his brow as the salty beads run down into his eyes. As they approach Goatshire, Belle runs up to them.
"It can't be…"
She stops them, approaching Aristotle.
"Let me help you with him."
Reluctantly, but very tiredly, he concedes, lowering Arthur and readjusting so that he could be draped over his and Belle's shoulders, relieving Aristotle at least a little bit. Belle has an idea.
"We can't take him to the hospital. He's a wanted man. There's only one person I trust with this. Let's get him to Gabrielle's place, quickly."
The quartet becomes a quintet as they rush to Gabrielle's house, Belle directing the way.
"She's just around this corner."
Aristotle tries to shoot the breeze to relieve the tension.
"I never realized she was so close. I should have stopped by and said hi sometime."
Belle responds, rubbing her now-sweating brow with her free hand.
"I wish I knew sooner, too."
It also dawns on her that Billie is nowhere in sight. She asks Aristotle with a horrified look on her face.
"Where's Billie?!"
Aristotle speaks to her calmly and reassuringly.
"She's at the beach looking for Oscar. It's a long story, and one you're not gonna enjoy at all."
They stand before Gabrielle's house, a gray hut just as bleak as her appearance, and hardly big enough for so many people. Belle knocks, and they wait. Roughly ten seconds later, Gabrielle approaches the door and answers. She gasps, startled by so many people showing up at her door.
"Oh my gosh! I wasn't expecting so much company! Hurry, come in, come in, quickly, before they see you!"
She peers nervously around both corners as she ushers the party into her house. She closes the door, locking it tightly as she enters the kitchen. Gabrielle inquires if the others, speaking fast, her tone intense.
"What happened to him?"
Aristotle elaborates, his voice shaking. He shrugs erratically, fearing for Arthur's life.
"He was possessed by this horrible being, an evil spirit of some kind. He said something about burning Arthur's soul."
Gabrielle's eyes widen. She leaves the room to head upstairs, and they watch. She stops midway up the stairs, pointing down in command. They all nod and obey.
"Get him to the couch. I'll be in to heal him in a moment, I just have to make preparations. You kids, find somewhere comfortable for your friends."
Lily sits with the shriveled Barnaby on Gabrielle's black leather recliner. He winces weakly as she lowers with him.
"Thank you, Lily. Hoot."
He can barely talk. His voice is starting to fade. Nervous, Belle approaches him. She looks down at him sympathetically with clasped hooves.
"You must be Barnaby. My daughter told me so much about you. Thank you for looking after her."
Barnaby smiles weakly.
"She's such a sweetheart, and she comes from a wonderful family. It's incredible, the power of the mortal spirit, and how love can unite people."
Lily strokes Barnaby's soft face as he breathes heavily.
"Shh. Stop talking, Barnaby. Save your energy."
She looks up at Belle with a grave scowl on her face. Gabrielle returns. She asks curiously about Barnaby, and Lily turns her attention to Gabrielle.
"Unfortunately, my magic won't be able to help this ghost. I'm sorry, but if I tried to heal your friend, it would destroy him."
She thinks in silence for a moment. Before heading into the kitchen to deal with Arthur, they place him down on the table. Lewis sits with Fantoccio seated upon his lap, as there are no more seats. His head rests gently on the goat's shoulder as he remains in a deep sleep. Gabrielle hands Lewis a tiny blue vial. He looks up to her.
"The puppet will be fine. Slip this potion down his throat, and he'll be awake in a matter of minutes. Just a heads-up, it doesn't taste all that great. The best potions rarely do."
Lewis looks up at her, taking the flask with a grateful smile.
"Thank you."
She moves on to the kitchen, where Arthur lies unconscious. His wounds don't appear, at least externally, but he's in dire need of attention. Gabrielle addresses Aristotle and Belle with the seriousness of a doctor.
"I can heal his wounds, but he's gonna need a lot of rest. Unfortunately, a burnt soul is something we haven't dealt with in, well… centuries. There's only one person who can help with a burnt soul, and that's the white mage elder, Adrian."
Belle approaches her.
"You told me about him before. But he's all the way in the mountains."
She and Aristotle exchange concerned looks. Gabrielle nods, swallowing her nervousness.
"Yes. The good thing is, if I heal Arthur, he can climb the mountain himself. But still, that demon was keeping him alive. Slowly, Arthur will start to die if he isn't taken to Adrian."
Gabrielle begins the procedure of healing him.
"So, I'm gonna need you two to help. This red potion right here…"
She holds up a large, red flask.
"We're gonna need to rub this potion all over his body. It will seep into his skin and purge the remaining demonic impurities. Then I can heal him."
So they do. Aristotle, Belle, and Gabrielle massage the red oily substance throughout Arthur's body, joints, neck, and all. Gabrielle cringes.
"Why does he smell so bad? It certainly isn't the potion. Once we're done in here, let's get him into the tub so we can scrub him down. Poor man. That demon just let him marinate in blood and excrement. Makes me sick."
Aristotle and Belle agree to tag-team bathing Arthur once the procedure is complete. They know it's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. As the goth goat in the white mage robe addresses Arthur, she covers her hooves in a white powder, almost talc-like, smelling of roses and lemon, and she places her hoof onto Arthur's head. She closes her eyes and concentrates as hard as she can. A white glow surrounds her arm, pulsing downward onto Arthur's head. His external wounds, his lightly trickling bloody neck, and the various scrapes and bruises undergo rapid succession healing, forming old scars in a matter of seconds.
Bones pop, and joints realign properly. Arthur's slow breathing increases, stabilizing, meaning his lungs are now properly filling with air. As Gabrielle completes her procedure, she shakes her head. The healing has drained her. She sighs as if she had completed a mile-long jog. Gabrielle resumes.
"He'll be fine now. Now, please… clean him up while I scrub my table down."
Aristotle and Belle gently remove the unconscious Arthur from the table and take him into the bathroom, where they lay him into the tub and bathe him with a lot of soap, cleaning the matted blood and filth from his fur. Lily approaches Gabrielle, pleading desperately. Her eyes fill Gabrielle with guilt.
"Are you sure you can't do anything to help Barnaby?"
Gabrielle places her hooves on Lily's shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes.
"Look, baby, I'm a white mage. Our magic only works on the living. Your friend is a member of the undead. If I tried to heal him, it would only cause him to suffer even more. Only a necromancer could help him, and I highly doubt any of them would be keen on helping us, even if we could find one here in Goatshire."
Lily's lips start to tremble. Gabrielle thinks up something quick.
"Keep him happy. Spend as much time with him as you can. Even if I can't fix him, I know that his pain can be numbed by spending his remaining time with his loved ones. At the very least, you can make this easier for him. I'm truly sorry I can't do more. He seems like a wonderful friend."
Belle and Aristotle finish up with Arthur in the bathroom. He's now squeaky clean and his fur is slightly damp from the water, somewhat proofing outward. They gently take him upstairs into Gabrielle's spare bedroom so that he can properly rest. They laid him on the bed and covered him. Belle tells Aristotle she's going to get Billie, and he nods, staying by Arthur's side. Belle heads downstairs and to the door. Gabrielle turns to her.
"Where ya headed to, Sunshine?"
Belle looks solemnly at Gabrielle.
"I'm going out to meet Billie. She doesn't know we're here, and I wanna make sure she gets back safe. It's getting dark, and I'm worried about her."
Gabrielle agrees. Belle leaves, out into the sunset of Goatshire and deep into the woods to meet her daughter. About halfway there, she stumbles into Billie. She's a nervous wreck. She shakes her head, trying not to lose her composure over Oscar as her mother escorts her with her arm over her shoulder back to Gabrielle's house. Billie and Belle enter to find everyone still in the same place. Her family and friends shoot her grave looks as she returns without the fox, genuinely upsetting everyone in the house. She tries to distract herself by going to visit her father. She walks upstairs and into the bedroom.
As she approaches him, the others follow. As those around Arthur clamor, he stirs, squinting his eyes, regaining his senses. Arthur awakens to find himself lying on a bed in Gabrielle's spare bedroom. Disoriented and startled, he panics as he doesn't know where he is. Arthur hyperventilates, flailing around until he falls face-first to the floor. The people around him stare in shock. Billie shouts to him.
"Dad!"
Arthur lets out a blood-curdling scream before pushing through everyone and bolting for the door, barreling down the stairs, and hastily undoing the inside lock. Down the stairs, they follow. Arthur makes a mad dash just as they reach the bottom of the stairs, and he sprints out the door and past the people of the town. Billie, the fastest of the group, tails him as the others attempt to catch up. Wide-eyed and gasping, Arthur turns the corner, stumbling and leaping over objects in his way as he passes and shoves through the people of Goatshire, earning many dirty looks and the ire of people calling out his rudeness. Billie apologizes on his behalf as she passes by.
He turns into an alleyway at a 90-degree angle, drifting and almost falling on his face. He readjusts with his hand. Billie is astonished at just how fast he is. Gaining on him, Billie gains his attention. Arthur looks behind him.
"Dad! Wait up!"
Ignoring her, Arthur does the unthinkable and goes entirely feral, running on all fours and picking up even greater speed. Billie is dumbfounded but realizes the only way to catch up to him now is to play his game. She follows suit.
"Really, Dad? I can't believe you're making me do this. I thought you were better than that!"
At this point, he's largely run a circle around the perimeter of town, and now he's back to where the others are. They have him surrounded as he panics. Aristotle leaps before him, and Arthur tries to ram through him. Backing out of the way, Aristotle grabs his arms from behind and tries to restrain him. Arthur screams in terror like they're trying to kill him. As he breaks an arm free from Aristotle's grip, Gabrielle approaches Arthur, Judo flipping him to the ground and using a sleep spell to sedate him. Billie catches up, stumbling to a halt. She tries to catch her breath.
"How is he… so fast? I've… never seen anyone run like that before."
Belle approaches.
"Pure terror can make a man do crazy things, even run like an animal."
Gabrielle rises.
"Hurry, let's get him back inside."
Aristotle and Belle look at each other. She jokes with a shrug.
"Well, here we go again."
Back to Gabrielle's place, they go, taking Arthur upstairs and into Gabrielle's guest bedroom, where she restrains him to the bed with several belts so he won't try that nonsense again.
"We ought to be prepared for when he wakes up, which should be any minute now. Everyone, go downstairs and rest. This entire day has been nuts."
Lewis speaks to Lily on the way down the stairs.
"You're telling me."
Gabrielle turns around to address Arthur, and Billie is still there. She lies beside him, staring at him sadly as he sleeps.
"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay here with him."
Gabrielle places her hooves on her hips as she surveys the situation. She nods in approval.
"Okay. Come get us if he wakes up."
Billie continues to lie there. Her eyes don't break from her dad as he rests peacefully.
"I will."
Gabrielle leaves the room. Billie observes her father as he sleeps. She starts to notice just how similar they look. Gently, she strokes his hair. Arthur pinches his eyes, once again waking. He realizes he's restrained and immediately starts panicking again, screaming. He jerks back and forth, and Billie grabs his shoulders. He looks at her, wide-eyed and terrified. She tries to talk some sense into him. Forcing him to look into her eyes.
"Dad, stop! It's okay! You're fine! Please! Dad! Look at me!"
She shakes him, trying to force his attention on her. He makes eye contact with her, and he sees her face, her blue-green eyes pleading with him. Their eyes lock so heavily that they can stare down into each other's souls. She begs him. She undoes his arm restraints in a sign of trust, and he stares at her. She takes his hoof in hers and holds it up to her face so he can touch her. He feels the softness of her cheek and how real she is. She bites her lip as she looks at him so sadly. She speaks softly and kindly.
"Dad. It's me, Billie. It's over. The nightmare is over. I'm real. You're really here now, safe, with friends and family. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
His hand trembles as he raises his other hand to her face, just to reinforce his belief. Arthur bites his lip, fighting back the emerging tears as he unleashes a sobbing torrent of anguish into her shoulder, pulling her in desperately, pleading wordlessly for her acceptance. It had hit him all at once, the sadness, the happiness, the relief. Billie envelopes herself around her broken father as he sobs uncontrollably into her chest. He can't even believe it. He's finally free; the nightmare is over. Billie holds him tightly as the others run up into the bedroom to behold the spiritually destroyed father lamenting fifteen years of grief onto his daughter. She rocks him, caressing his head to her chest.
"It's okay, Dad. Let it all out. Shh. It's okay. It's all over now. I love you. We're never gonna let that monster hurt you again."
She's barely able to contain herself. Passionately, she presses a loving kiss onto the top of his head as she lays her head on top of him. She rocks him wordlessly as the others stare until he passes out again. He laments for several minutes straight. Billie never imagined her first true interaction with her father to be like this. If anything, she expected it to be the other way around. For the next several hours, he sleeps. They let him rest. After sleeping nearly the entire night, he wakes up pretty early the next morning, Billie at his side. For hours after waking up, even after being properly greeted by everyone, he doesn't respond.
He just stares blankly as his friends and family try to coax him, only to have him ignore them. Arthur doesn't officially make his first statement until hours into the day, as Gabrielle makes her preparations for the journey to the north toward the mountains. Belle goes home and gathers a few things that she feels she'll need, others she thinks she may need, some of which include Billie's things. They know they're gonna be gone for a while, so they come prepared. After hours of remaining silent, Arthur coughs. Billie rises from the bed, pleading with him to speak to her.
"Please, Dad. Talk to me. Say something… anything. Please?"
He stares her into her eyes. She rises from the bed, lowering her head to the floor in shame-filled disappointment. As she heads to the door, he says something. His voice is dry and harsh, but she can hear him.
"May I have a glass of water?"
She turns around, running to him.
"You want some water?"
He nods. She smiles and then sprints down the stairs into the kitchen. She asks Gabrielle.
"May I get a glass of water? It's for my dad."
Gabrielle looks at her for a moment, then reaches into the upper cabinet, pulling out a plastic party cup and running tap water into it. She hands it to Billie.
"I would keep an eye on your dad. Just to be on the safe side, he can have a plastic cup…"
She turns away from Billie, a cold look on her face.
"… There's no telling what he'd do in his state if I gave him a glass. He might do something… drastic."
Billie stares at her.
"What do you mean by that?"
She waves.
"Nothing. Just take it to him."
She walks upstairs, deeply sunken into thought as she stares at the floor, not even looking her father in the eyes as she hands him the water. He thanks her, but then asks.
"What year is it? How old are you?"
She looks at him sadly, realizing just how lost he is, and how he has seemingly no sense of time.
"Fifteen years, Dad. I'm fifteen years old."
He stares blankly, sadness filling his eyes that he'd missed so much of his daughter's life.
"Fifteen years… I lost fifteen years of my life."
Billie balls her hooves into fists.
"It's all that monster's fault. He got away. We should have killed him when we had the chance. Once we're all better, we gotta find him and finish him off!"
Arthur darts his head to Billie, staring harshly into her eyes. He's dead serious.
"No… We can't. It's out of the question."
Billie argues with him.
"What do you mean, it's out of the question? We've fought him! It's because we fought him and won that you're free!"
He shakes his head. He knows things she doesn't know, and she can tell. She's in denial, doesn't want to listen, but does nonetheless because he's been there. He had been, for fifteen long, excruciating years. He emphasizes his point, staring unblinkingly at Billie with eyes that could only be described as the eyes of a man who's been to war, a man who's seen the absolute worst things imaginable, a man desensitized to death.
"You're not understanding. You don't get it. I know what he is. I've seen what he is. You have no idea what we're dealing with… but I do. We don't stand a chance against that thing, not even with all the gems… not even with all the power we could muster on this planet."
He summons her to his bed. She gulps as he continues. His stare never once breaks from her, not to blink, not to evade, nothing. He wants her to understand.
"His name… is Vadrigar, and he's going to kill… everyone. There's no stopping him. He will stop at nothing. I've never witnessed such evil in my life. I've seen his mind… seen his memories… so much pain. I watched him do things to people that nobody deserves to have done to them."
Billie questions him, shrugging, desperate to understand more.
"What is Vadrigar? Where did he come from?"
He breaks his stare, sighing through his nostrils as he recalls.
"He's positively ancient, likely older than any being in the history of our world. I got to see his previous lives, many in the shape of these beings I've never seen before, these… hairless beings, almost ape-like. But I've seen him in other different worlds too, with creatures much like us, but also different. He lived a long, cruel, and, honestly, very sad life. I can't say I feel sorry for him. He doesn't deserve any sort of sympathy… but I understand why he's so angry. Vadrigar was not created by any natural means. He is hatred, in and of itself. He knows what love is, what defines it, and its characteristics, but he cannot feel it. Vadrigar is absolutely incapable of experiencing love. The closest thing he can experience to joy is the suffering of others."
She rises from the bed, pacing back and forth.
"Does he have any sort of allies? Anyone else we have to worry about?"
Arthur thinks for a moment and answers.
"He used to have what he calls… disciples, but they're not necessarily allies, but pawns. He has no actual allies. He would betray anyone the second they cease to be of use to him. He hates everyone and everything."
Billie pleads with her father to offer any sort of solution.
"What do we do? How do we stop him?"
Arthur shakes his head. There seems to be no clear-cut solution for him.
"It doesn't matter what we do. He seems to have no real plan, so there's nothing we can do to stop him. The only solution is to destroy him… and I don't know if it's possible. We can take him down here, but that's the best we can do, and it's a bandage fix at best, I'm afraid."
Gabrielle walks upstairs to find Arthur elaborating his story to Billie. He recognizes her.
"Gabrielle?"
She nods and smiles, her little buck teeth poking through her lips. She responds.
"So, you finally speak. Welcome back to the world of the living, Arthur."
Arthur nods, feigning a weak smile. He seems reluctant to be back after so much time. She continues.
"I can understand if you have a lot on your mind. Unlike your daughter here, I'm not gonna beat your tired brain with a bunch of questions. What I will tell you is that your soul is burning. You're fine for right now, but we need to get you out of here and up to the mountains to our monastery. I'm a white mage now, and I've been healing you to the best of my ability, but this condition is slowly killing you, and if we don't act, your soul will burn until you die. I know this is a very stressful situation, and I'm sorry for having to relay this information to you this way; transparency is important. But know that I'll be taking you to our elder, Adrian. He's the best person for dealing with this condition. You're in good hooves, Arthur."
As if Billie wasn't traumatized enough, hearing of the possibility of losing her father again is enough to send her out of the room. Arthur reaches for her as she runs down the stairs to her mom. Gabrielle takes his hoof, laying it on the bed.
"She'll be fine."
She places her hoof on his face, smiling kindly.
"And so will you."
She slaps his thigh and releases his restraints now that he's calm. She continues with one final message.
"We're bringing you clothes. Bundle up. It's gonna be a long, cold journey..."
Gabrielle rises and walks to the frame of the door. She turns to him.
"… But we're gonna do this together."
As she leaves the room, Arthur is left there alone. He looks around the room, taking it in, realizing… he's alive. He's in a real bedroom, in a real house, with his family, his friends. It's almost surreal. But it's not the end. So much needs to be done. So much preparation needs to be made. Arthur rises to his feet, stumbling, stammering, weak. As he stands erect, he gains his composure. Arthur treads out of the room into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Arthur knows this is only the beginning. He is constantly reminded as he hears the echoes of his horrible, deep voice, ringing in his ears, whispers beating on his eardrums. Vadrigar speaks to him in his mind.
"You will never escape. You will never be free. Your pain won't end. I will kill them all slowly, and you will watch as I do it, and then I will kill you. I will destroy your souls. I will destroy your world, every last insignificant creature on this planet will die by my hand, and it will all be your fault. You cannot escape this fate, not even through death. You will suffer eternally under me. I am your God now."