Chapter Text
Cuphead and Niko
Niko: "The Messiah"
Health: 80%
Sanity: 75%
Infected: No
Inventory: Scarf, a singular pancake
Status: Scared, wants to go home.
Cuphead: "Impudent Bowl"
Cards: One (Critical)
Sanity: 90%
Infected: No
Inventory: Lamp
Status: Shaken, guard is up
Cuphead held his head as he groaned, spitting out the hard, blocky grass in his mouth. The world around him spun as he tried his best to stand, only to fall.
When the Cup had finally regained his bearings and staggered up, brushing off more of the strange blocky grass and dirt.
"Hoo boy… that was a nasty toss." His voice was coarse and out of breath. He took a look around, and his eyes widened. All around him was strange, blocky terrain. Blocky trees, blocky clouds, Hell, even a blocky sun!
In his astonishment at the new world, he barely noticed the "Not a Cat" sprawled out on the ground. Cuphead's heart stopped for a second, unsure of what to do. Then, he sprinted over and dropped to his knees, shaking Niko's shoulder.
"Kid? Niko? Hey, come on, open yer eyes," Panic mixed with fear threaded with his voice, "Don't you go quitting on me after all that."
Nothing, not even a small breath.
'Niko!? Come on!" Cuphead's grip tightened, his teeth clenched as he berated himself for not being fast enough to get away from the giant worm.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Niko's eyes shot open as he shot up, trying to get away from Cuphead, "AHHH"
Cuphead, thinking Niko saw someone or something behind him, raised his finger and turned around, "WHAT? WHO'S BEHIND ME?!"
After looking around the blocky world once more, Cuphead turned back to see Niko in a fetal position, whispering to himself.
"Please, please don't leave, come back… I need you…"
"Niko? You ok?" Cuphead tried to comfort the child, but it didn't work. Unsure of whether or not he should say anything, Cuphead sat next to him. The silence stretched on for a while, the pair uncertain of what to say or do.
Then, Niko seemed to remember something important, something that had been with him up until that moment.
Nikos' eyes widened as he looked around, a look of realization and devastation etched on his face. Cuphead didn't seem to notice, distracted by the block-shaped cow. Niko looked around where he had woken up, but there was nothing. He looked around at the hills, the trees, but there was nothing. Nikos' stomach dropped as he failed to spot the one thing that would save the dying world.
The one thing he swore he would put into the tower.
The one thing that could save the people he had met on his journey.
The single most important thing in his journey.
The Sun was missing.
"T-THE SUN! Wh-where is it!?!?" Niko yelled as he rubbed his eyes, still looking around to make sure he didn't miss it.
"Oh, you mean big bulb thing? I nabbed it before we got sent flying into the portal by that worm fella."
The look on Nikos' face went from anguish to relief when Cuphead told him that he had grabbed the Sun.
Niko slumped his shoulders as he held out his hands, trying to reclaim the Sun, "Thank you, Cuphead."
Cuphead held out a lamp, a look of pride on his face, "Dontcha worry, Niko."
He stopped in his tracks as he looked at Cuphead's hand, expecting to see the Sun, only to see a very normal-looking lamp, "Cuphead—that's… not the S-Sun!"
Cuphead's confidence wavered as he tilted his head in confusion, "Err, what?"
"That's a normal lamp! Oh no… oh no….” Niko froze in place, his knees buckling
"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…" Niko called out, seemingly to no one.
Madeline, Badeline, and Drifter
Madeline: "Maddy"
Health: 85%
Sanity: 65%
Infected: No
Inventory: A Couple of strawberries, five feathers remaining, Dream Shield
Status: Sad, wanted to save The Knight
Badeline: "Dark Madeline"
Health: NA
Sanity: 90%
Infected: Immune
Inventory: NA
Status: Angry at Madeline for not listening
Drifter: "The Magician"
Squares: 4
Sanity: 70%
Infected: No
Inventory: Energy Sword, Diamond Shotgun, three health packs, Robot companion
Status: Guard is up, ready to protect
"NO!" Was the last thing Madeline could yell before the portal swallowed her and Drifter, the image of a gold, somehow more lifeless, Knight still seared in her mind. The portal plopped them unceremoniously onto concrete, making everyone but Badeline grunt in pain.
Drifter was the first to stand, dusting himself off and looking around for any threats, while Madeline just stayed sitting, knees to her chest. The little Knight had saved her, but at the cost of his own life. Madeline was trying her best to keep herself composed, but Badeline had other plans.
The pragmatic side of Madeline huffed in anger at her other half, "What did I tell you, Madeline? This was too much for you! You could've died, or gotten hurt!" She yelled, not caring that Madeline was on the verge of tears. Yelled for another five minutes, while Drifter just watched.
"I'm s-sorry, ok?" Madeline's voice cracked, filled with a type of sadness that she couldn't explain, "I should've listened to you… But I couldn't just leave them, they helped me, and I had to help them."
Badeline smacked her forehead in disbelief, "Madeline, you tried to kick a Robot that was kicking everyone's asses, you tried to KICK it," Badeline recalled what had happened earlier, how Madeline had tried to help, only for her attacks to be dismissed easily, "Do you know how unbelievably stupid that was? We barely beat it, even with the help of mystery man over here," Badeline pointed to Drifter, who just stood there.
The Rogues were strong, and the trio wasn't sure if they could take on another one, not without the rest of the group, and even that was debatable. The one they had just fought was able to fend off against the group, and they still had others to worry about.
"I had to do something, I couldn't just stand there and watch my friends get beaten up." Madeline tried to reason, but made no headway as Badeline snapped back.
"Friends!? FRIENDS!?!?!" Badeline was now beyond furious, her eyes glowing a dangerous purple, voice cracking as she yelled, "YOU BARELY KNOW THEM, MADELINE!"
"I don't care how long I've known them; they helped me, so I had to help them." Madeline shrank, but still held her ground.
Drifter watched as the two argued back and forth. He had no reason to interfere, knowing that he wasn't exactly qualified to take sides, knowing only very little of their predicament.
Badeline was about to yell again, but a flash of a sword stopped her. She turned around and saw what looked to be a teenager wielding a sword.
"Madeline, move!" Badeline yelled, but Madeline had barely any time to react. She put her arms up to protect her face and closed her eyes, accepting her fate. But the sword never came. Madeline's eyes opened as she saw Drifter's sword protecting her from the other. Sparks flew from the opposing weapons as they clashed. The mysterious person grunted and jumped back, ready to attack again.
"Great, another threat." Badleine rolled her eyes as she charged up purple orbs, "Madeline, stay back."
Drifter took out his gun and aimed. The three were locked in a standstill, waiting to see who would attack first. The strangers' grip on his sword tightened, and he was about to attack when a yell stopped him.
"Kris, no! They aren't infected, stop!" The yell came from a small, white goat boy, who was dressed in green robes. His pleas were frantic, and that made the stranger lower his weapon. In response, Drifter lowered his gun but kept his sword handy. Badeline, despite her anger, let the orbs fade away and stayed floating there. Madeline and Ralsei both breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the three stopped.
The goat boy cleared his throat and smiled, "I believe we got off on the wrong foot." He said with a weary yet cheery tone, "My name's Ralsei, and he's Kris!" Ralsei tried to maintain a calm composure, still shaken by the earlier events.
"I'm Madeline," Madeline began, "That Badeline," Madeline pointed to her other half, who frowned at the two, "And thaatsss…" Madeline thought for a while, trying to remember his name, but couldn't come up with anything.
"I actually don't know. Come to think of it, I don't think I've heard you speak once." Drifter shrugged, still choosing to remain silent and nameless. Madeline waited for a response, but got none.
"Guess he doesn't wanna talk…" Madeline said, her eyes focused on Drifter.
Ralsei nodded quickly, still anxious, "It's fine, the only important thing is that you guys aren't infected."
Badeline narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "What do you mean, infected? You mentioned it earlier when he," she pointed at Kris, "tried to kill Madeline."
"Again, sorry about that, but we don't have much time to explain lightner," Ralsei had assumed they were lightners, but was still unsure. He was about to explain when a sudden screech made them all freeze. Out in the forest, something was approaching, and fast.
"We have to run, NOW!" Ralsei yelled at the group and pointed to an alleyway, "You have to trust us, you don't want to mess with these… monsters." Ralsei's voice cracked as he and Kris ran to the alleyway.
The trio was unsure of whether to trust the two or not. Sure, the goat boy sounded genuine, but that kid… he was sketchy. In the end, they knew they couldn't risk any more run-ins with rouges, or anything like them. They ran towards the two, but before they did, Madeline caught a glimpse of the monster they had talked about.
A horrible sight befell her. The monster was gleaming, almost as if it were made of Metal, and was horribly deformed. Shiny purple scales were scattered along the skin of the beast, tiny spores leaking out of her nose. Madeline's stomach churned as she realized the actual depth of the situation, and ran down the alley with the rest of the group.
Sonic, Metal Sonic, and Cream.
Sonic: "Blue Blur"
Health: 50%
Dodges: None
Sanity: 75%
Infected: No
Inventory: 2 rings, half a chilli dog, Drained Chaos Emerald
Status: Hopeful, stressed out
Metal Sonic: "The Real Sonic"
Health: 10%
Sanity: 100%
Infected: Immune
Inventory: NA
Status: Destroy the Faker
Cream: "Cream The Rabbit"
Health: 30%
Sanity: 80%
Infected: No
Inventory: Cheese,
Status: Scared, Trying to be brave
The green ring had finally appeared after what felt like forever to the survivors. It shimmered a nice emerald-like light across what they once called home, its humming getting louder.
"COME ON, EVERYONE!" Sonic shouted through the chaos, guiding his friends towards the green ring, "GET THROUGH IT NOW!"
Survivors sprinted towards the ring, with Metal Sonic and Sonic staying behind to ensure everyone got through. Some that were far behind got carried by Sonic into the portal, while Metal helped those who fell in the chaos.
There were a total of 20 last time Sonic counted. Some of them were his friends, as well as the ones he didn't know, but he still tried to help regardless.
Amy was one of the last to enter, making sure everyone else got in safely. "Is that everyone, Sonic?" Amy asked hurriedly.
"Pretty sure, we got 20 right?" Sonic was about to go into the ring himself when he heard a loud, piercing scream.
"HELLPPP"
Amy looked around, only to see Cream being held by the neck, the color draining from her face as the EXE slowly drained the life from her, "Running didn't get you far, huh?" The EXE laughed an evil, maniacal laugh.
There was only Amy, Metal, and Sonic left; everyone else had gone through, so it was up to them to save her.
"I'll go!" Amy already had her hammer ready, her grip tightening as she readied herself to save Cream, "I'll save he-"
Before she could even make it five steps, Sonic shoved her towards the ring, a look of sadness etched on his face. Amy fell into the ring, her eyes wide with hurt and surprise.
"Sorry, Amy," his voice was raw, "but I can't lose any more friends today…" Sonic turned away from the ring, his teeth clenched. He looked across the once-beautiful Green Hills, where he would race his friends and relax…
Now it was Hell.
Metal Sonic's eyes turned a crimson color as he eyed the Fake Sonic with disgust and hate. No words were needed between the two, only a simple nod before they both came rushing to Cream's aid.
They arrived promptly and got to work quickly.
"LET HER GO YOU FUCKER!" Sonic let out a guttural yell as he spun dash into the monster, freeing Cream and buying them time to escape.
"YES! Keep this interesting for me!" The Imposter laughed as he gave chase to the trio, not giving them even a second to relax. Sonic could feel the Imposter get closer, like a ticking in his ear that only got faster and faster. Cream was sobbing, trying to keep up with the two of them.
"Right behind ya!" The Imposter slashed at Sonic and connected a hit, prompting Sonic to go even faster. The adrenaline rushing through his body was enough to keep him alive for now… but he was fading fast, and the EXE knew it.
"Just let it happen!" The Imposter was aiming for Cream now, who certainly couldn't take another hit. Sonic was about to spin dash again, but Metal beat him to it. Metal barreled into the monster and, using his rocket boosters, sent him flying back. The EXE was dazed for only a moment before slashing at the Robot, causing significant damage.
"Come on, you rusty bucket of bolts, don't ruin my fun!" The Imposter laughed as he pushed himself away from Metal.
Metal stopped and stared at Cream and Sonic, then back at the Imposter. Metal's mind was made up; he knew what he had to do.
"Main command: Protect Father: failed. Secondary command: Protect survivors: active." Metal rushed forward with even more speed, as Sonic could only watch in horror as a beeping noise emanated from the Robot. Metal grabbed the EXE and overloaded himself, causing a colossal explosion that stunned the EXE.
Sonic yelled, but couldn't do anything, so he decided to use Metal's sacrifice to his advantage, "Come on, I can do it one more time…" Sonic concentrated, gathered what little energy he had remaining, and grabbed onto Cream, "Hold on!" Combining the adrenaline and the little energy he had, he bolted out of there with incredible speed. Cream was crying, holding onto Sonic as tightly as she could.
The EXE only laughed, knowing they could never escape him, and gave chase once again, "I AM GOD."
Sonic could see the ring, the glorious escape, and felt relief rush through him.
Just a bit more Sonic, you won't let another friend die…
The shimmer of the ring darkened, signifying that it was about to disappear.
Almost there, come on!
But before he could reach it, a jagged, unstable portal ripped open right in front of them. Its chaotic light swallowed the air. It beckoned them in.
"NO!" Sonic tried in vain to swerve out of the way, but the portal had caught him off guard, and he could do nothing but run into it with Cream still in his arms.
"Interesting…" The EXE thought as he watched the two disappear, out of his influence, "Very interesting…"