Chapter Text
Lying at the end of the slide, rocking his legs back and forth with his arms behind his head, working as a pillow.
Dipsy was still upset about his hat being missing, he had thought of every possible place it would be.
But it's no hope, he might have to let it go.
"Eh-Oh Dipsy!" Po snapped him out of thoughts, as he turned his head to face her whilst still lying down.
"Eh-Oh Po!"
"Have you found your hat yet?"
"Nope, I looked everywhere where it could be"
"I'm sure, you'll find it eventually"
"Thanks" Dipsy felt encouragement bubble in his chest by her words
"Anyways, would you like some custard?"
"Nah, already ate enough toast to fill me up"
"Ah! Well, uh can you help me fix the machine?" Po asked as she pressed her two fingers together as she twirls her feet nervously
Dipsy stood up straight, taking a good look at the machine, noticing the condition of it.
Dipsy looked disappointed, as his hand dragged his face from his forehead to his chin
"How did it go to that?!"
Po's eyes turned to sad puppy eyes, using it to her advantage, clapping her hands together "Please, Dipsy"
Dipsy stared at her down, trying not to give in into her tricks.
"Ugh" Dipsy is always weak for puppy eyes, hers especially, "I'll fetch the toolbox" Po clapped her hands happily as she bounced up and down softly.
Walking towards the workshop, picking up the required box, trailing back to the custard machine.
He noticed Tinky winky coming back inside, as he jumped from the fire crackling from the machine, looking around nervously.
Dipsy crouched down to investigate the problem.
***
Click!
The machine started working.
"And there we go, all fixed" Dipsy happily announced, puffing his chest out with his arms wide open to showcase the machine, as Po went to the machine, preparing the custard.
Dipsy turned around to face front to Tinky winky, as he rolled his eyes at him while Tinky scrunched his face, confused on the sudden sass Dipsy is giving him.
"and you could've help in a way, fatso" Dipsy said harshly.
"Hey! Could've told me to do something, besides you know I'm not the best at this kind of stuff" Tinky winky huffed and crossed his arms as his cheeks puffed.
"Well, you gotta learn new skills to save yourself" Dipsy pointed the screwdriver at his chest, "if you wanna survive, and what if suddenly you were alone in the middle of nowhere!? What are you gonna do?"
"I don't see why we need too, we live safely here"
Dipsy sighed disappointingly, "Whatever you say, Tinks"
Po was at the machine, preparing bowls for the custard, she glares disappointingly at her brothers as they always try to find a way to fight.
During which, Laa-laa came back inside to take a seat at the table.
Laa-laa's face looked a bit snotty, probably from crying outside, settling down at the table as Po planted a bowl of custard in front of her.
"Cheer up Laa-laa! I made some custard for you" Po cheekily gave her a smile.
Laa-laa gave her a weak smile back, "Thanks Po"
At the table, only Tinky winky and Laa-laa ate, Po didn't eat along, since she stated that she didn't feel that hungry, and went outside to play for longer.
Laa-laa seemed to be uplifted for a bit, probably after waking up from another nightmare took a toll of her.
Dipsy laid his head on his arms on the table, exhausted from fixing the machine, and by the corner of his eyes, he noticed.
Noo-noo stood emotionless, staring at Dipsy, as Dipsy started to get a little nervous from the robotic eyes glaring into him.
Dipsy trying to shake off the creeps he's getting from Noo-noo, lifting his body up and taking a turn to face him, "Hey Noo-noo, do you need anything?"
"Why aren't you eating with them? You must be a little hungry"
"Maybe, but I feel full"
"A bowl wouldn't hurt.." Noo-noo sounded serious, like in way that you need to do it or else.
Dipsy was just stunned, baffled on why Noo-noo was even pressuring him on eating the custard.
Maybe Noo-noo was worried about Dipsy not eating enough, like any parental figure would..
"Maybe tomorrow, besides it's nearly time for bed" Dipsy needed a reason to move places, his feet worked towards his bed as he plumped down like pillow being thrown into the bed.
Meanwhile, Noo-noo was staring as he walk towards his bed, after a few minutes, Noo-noo went up to the other tubbies to help clean up.
Dipsy laid tiredly, as his eyes were slowly closing.
***
An hour pass, Dipsy suddenly woke up as he was noticing all of his siblings had have went to sleep, seeing them he decided just to go back to sleep right after.
Before it could hit another hour, Dipsy heard a sudden noise of crushing but..
He didn't bother, assuming maybe it's something from outside or Tinky winky's loud snores.
But the sound of someone moving and ruffling snapped him up awake instead
As turned his head around to find the culprit to only see Po visibly shaking to pick up a flashlight.
"Po, what are you doing?" Dipsy spoke out loud enough to wake Laa-laa awake.
"What's happening?" Laa-laa whined
"Tinky winky just left after breaking the custard machine!"
"Huh?" Both of them said it at the same time.
"We gotta go after him!" Po yelled out as she ran out of the door, "Wait! Po!" Dipsy shouted out
His nerves strike up as he saw Po running off alone like that.
He pushed himself out the bed, hovering like a maniac as his body wants to head to the door to run after her but his mind held him still.
His eyes snapped to Laa-laa, as the bags under her eyes started to darkened while she's keeping herself awake.
"I'll go look for him, are you able to help us?"
"I'll stay here for a bit, but I'm sure you'll find him and get him back" Laa-laa slumped back to her bed, stretching and then hugs her pillow tightly.
"Alright, be safe"
Dipsy stood for a bit, contemplating on going with Po or find Tinky winky alone.
He rushed himself to the workshop, tiredly going to grab a extra flashlight they had in case.
He took a quick glance on Laa-laa, she looked peaceful, it seems like she's having no nightmares at the moment considering she's just dozing off.
He stepped outside, feeling the cold from the gloomy night with clouds fogging the moon making it hidden.
He decided on going at the opposite side of their house, and it wasn't because he didn't know where Po went.
Just need to cover more grounds to find Tinky winky.
***
Walking through the cold and dark forest, each branch flowed against every wind causing cracking sound.
"TINKY WINKY! TINKS! I'M SORRY IF I UPSET YOU, I DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING BAD!" Echos flowed back to his ear, mocking his worries.
Shouting didn't seem to help him
Moving his flashlight in circles to see any glimpse of purple fur.
Then he heard...
Screaming, like extremely loud and in pain.
Dipsy froze, he could feel his blood turning cold from the fear and startling scream that is still echoing from where he's standing.
He didn't if he wanted to run to the noise or away but either his body had just gave up on moving.
Slowly, he tiptoe'd where he was walking by the path he went from, using every footsteps of his foot as a guide.
Reaching the house, looking around as it was all of a sudden became nothing but silence, while yes, Laa-laa might be still sleeping
He went to the beds to check if Laa-laa was still there but he didn't see her...
"Laa-laa? LAA-LAA! WHERE ARE YOU?"
He was frantic, worried isn't enough to explain how he's feeling in that moment.
He couldn't have been away that long? Has he?
He noticed something moving by the corner of his eye, he hid quickly.
Heavy breathing, it was wheezing like trying to breath through a clogged throat
Trying to peek on the culprit of the noise and..
It was..
Tinky! But that wasn't Tinky?
Tinky winky's face looked pale, more pale than before, it was also stiff looking as if the expression on his face would never move, his eyes once were bright brown filled with happiness to dim black with his jaw wide open.
Dipsy held his breath as he slowly walked around the opposite direction Tinky was moving.
Atlas, Dipsy was outside of the house, as he tiptoe'd slowly, thinking he was not gonna get caught as he accidentally..
..stepped on a branch on the ground as it cracked a sound.
The crackling sound Tinky winky's body shifting as he started to scream as loud as he can and it wasn't even possible for him to even do that, Dipsy knew one thing that he needed to in that moment,
Was to run for his life, something he feared but yet knew he'll do it, and it wasn't what he assumed or he was warned about, I mean would you really expect one of your siblings would become a monster?!.
The longer he ran, the more louder and terrifying the screams were becoming.
Panting and wheezing from the intensity that Dipsy felt while he was running, he could feel the coldness and tightness from his throat like the flu he'd catch from the wintery season, the stabs on his arms and legs by the grass as he could feel the wetness of the rain that landed on them.
Looking behind to glance over through the grass, Tinky winky was just barely behind him.
Turning his head forward from where he was running to, Dipsy had noticed a cave and a mountain, his mind was spinning to make a decision fast.
His body stopped for a second, catching a breath but as soon he even wished to rest for a bit, the screams started to sound more closer by the second.
Dipsy's body jerked to the mountains, running even if his stamina was getting low.
Pulling himself, climbing up to the mountains as his legs were starting to cramp
It got worse as he felt the cold slapping him but he couldn't just stop now..
He started to slow down after looking back, limping from how tired his legs were from running.
A few steps away as he dropped down completely on the snow, his vision was getting blurring as his breathing was wheezing then he coughed violently.
He was going to die here..
He'll never see his sisters again..
He'll never see his brother again..
The last memories of his siblings started to flow heavily as he remembered the last conversation he had with Tinky winky..
And Laalaa..
And Po...
If that monster was Tinky winky, would it be possible that Laalaa or Po had become one too..?
No, it couldn't be possible.. shaking his head in frustration and letting a groan so loud that could wake up the whole forest, to just quiet his mind.
Both of his hand formed a fist as he hit them on the ground to pull himself up to continue forward.
His body ached as he was trying to walk but his legs felt that they've been crushed by a huge stone, but pain aside.
he needed to be somewhere safe..
As he searched endlessly from the fogging and snowing flowing mountains, he kept hearing voice of someone calling and talking..
And all he heard was..
"Hello"
"I'm Here"
"You're my bestest friend!"
"Where are you?"
Whenever he'd hear the voice calling, he thought of going to the opposite direction, because why would he go directly to the voice?
As he was walking through the mountain as the snowflakes were landing on his fur and head, then his mind flashed images of his sisters.
They looked scared and alone as the image flowed, mocking as he couldn't saved them, he couldn't just pulled Po and Laa-laa to go with him from the imagination, he tried to change the images to something better, like..
They're walking beside him, Po just jumping on the snow, going ahead of them, and Laa-laa, next to him rubbing her hands together for warmth while they both are whining about the cold.
He knew that his sisters were doing just fine, good even!
And his brother, only fog was he could see in his imagination, as much he wanted to believe, wanted to wake up from this dream, this horrible dream.
Dipsy looked ahead, squinting his eyes because of the cold wind blowing at his face.
***
The fog was flowing around something, keeping it hidden, it looked like a cabin or a small house, Dipsy didn't know the difference, around the area of it, there was a gate, with a lock keeping it sealed from anyone from going in or out from it.
Happiness came over, as he felt a wave of energy overcoming him but still his leg were cramping from all the running he had done but atleast he's able to rest.
Going inside didn't completely help with feeling warm from the cold since there was no door or anything to cover the breeze coming from the open windows but maybe by a few hour he'll be able to get back out there.
Limping near a wall as his back hit it while he slides down dropping to a sitting position, he could feel the tension rests and the bones of his back crackling as it felt comforting.
His body relaxed as if it melted like the snow on the floor.
But his thoughts never stopped flooding over him..
All this running, all this fear.. doesn't mean any sense..
Dipsy doesn't get what is happening or was happening, he watched outside from the door with snow flakes falling on the ground.
Maybe, all of this is a dream.