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Vee was doing amazing.
It was like she hadn’t been sick at all. She was walking around gardenview with a smile on her face, and waving at every toon she saw. Even if she knew they didn't trust her yet.
Nonetheless, this means she wanted to go on runs again.
“Are you sure Vee? I mean- I mean you JUST recovered from getting poisoned and all that!” dandy said as they were organizing the run groups. Vee was persistent. “Come on Dan! Look! I’ve been better since you did that thing! Can you at least send me on one run?” she asked. Dandy looked behind her. Dyle was glaring at them. Dandy sighed and nodded. “Okay okay, Here, I'll put you on this run.” they reluctantly obliged. Vee pumped her fist triumphantly. “Yes! Thanks Dan!” She exclaimed and leaned over the counter. She bumped her screen to their head. “Then I'll see you on the run! Love you Dandy.” the tv remarked and headed with the rest of the run to the elevator. “I love you too vee! S-see you there!” they nervously called back.
“You need to be ready to explain yourself,”
Dyle’s words rang in Dandy’s mind as they popped up in their shop. The words were like a warning. Vee was like a ticking timebomb.
The worst part was that Vee was completely unaware.
It was agonizing to watch her stand there, and wait for the moment she’d lose it. Would it be in the elevator? On a floor? Up in the lobby? Anxiety welled in dandy’s chest. Vee was slightly at a distance from the toons in her group. They still didn’t completely trust her. Which, with what they’ve done, was probably for the best.
Vee meanwhile, was more excited than ever. She missed going on runs. It made her feel important and needed. She went over to the elevator as it opened and waved to Dandy as they closed their shop. The tv walked out with the other toons.
They maintained a steady distance from her, which she expected from her work in hosting runs, but it still hurt a bit. She shook it off, flicked out her microphone, and tapped it. The twisteds were highlighted. They were on a deeper floor, it had been a good while since they started.
Twisted Sprout was their only worry.
She would’ve made a witty remark, but the run toons had already left. Vee sighed and headed to a machine.
As Vee was doing one of the machines, she suddenly heard parts of a conversation.
“Look, I’m just saying that I don't think we have to trust her. At this point, she’s a traitor.”
Tisha’s voice came through.
“You guys seriously aren’t meaning this right?!”
Shelly’s voice next.
“Look, Darling, as close as I am to Vee, Tisha’s right. I'm not sure I fully trust her anymore after this! I mean, it was very out of character for her to do something like that.”
Glisten.
“Glisten isn’t wrong. I know those two have gotten closer, but is Vee really working in the operation? I couldn’t believe my eyes when she popped up in their shop!”
Goob.
“Look, I heard Sprout and Cosmo directly tell me that she is not working in the operation. She acted like a stand in and… should be done… but…”
Brightney.
“But what, Brightney?”
Goob asked.
“... I checked on her tech after she got really sick. Apparently she got ichor poisoning from… reviving toons. Although, she was just fine after dandy… ‘took care of it’”
The toons started to buzz with conversation, vee carefully got off her machine and tried to sneak behind a crate to look into where she heard the voices. The rest of the run was in this area with two other half finished machines. It's clear they got off to talk about this.
Brightney looked concerned, “Well, I didn't mention this to her, but… Vee’s got one heart. Permanently one heart. Two cracked ones, one unit of health. Just like Dandy and Dyle.”
That sentence got Vee to freeze and clenched the handle of her cane in shock, as well as getting the toons around the lamp to gasp.
“Oh Brighteny, you’re not saying-” Tisha asked. Brightney nodded fearfully. “When they said ‘take care of it’ I believe they meant turning Vee into a… Lethal Twisted…”
As toons gasped and exclaimed in horror and shock, vee anxiously pulled up her health.
A single beating heart was in her health bar. Two cracked ones, one unit of health. Just like Brightney said.
Vee’s entire world felt staticky and dizzying. She felt sick, frustrated, all kinds of emotion all at once. It felt like the ichor under her skin was boiling inside her.
Why didn't Brightney tell her that?!
Why didn't DANDY tell her that!?
She pulled at her antenna, she was so angry. Furious even. She stormed into a clearing and demanded,
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME!?”
The toons snapped their heads over to her and gasped.
Vee looked livid. “You told me I was PERFECTLY FINE!!! You told me NOTHING was wrong!” she screamed, storming into the clearing the other toons were in. “I-I didn’t know how to break the news to you! Or- well- rather i… I thought you knew!” Brightney said,
“I thought that was what you wanted!”
Vee felt the ichor under her skin boil,
“NO!! NO I DIDN’T I DIDN’T KNOW AT ALL!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD KEEP THAT FROM ME!!! AND-AND SAY ALL THOSE THINGS BEHIND MY BACK!!!” Vee lividly yelled.
The toons all looked guilty, or most of them.
“You know what, then let's say it to your face! WE. NO. LONG-ER. TRUST. YOU.” Tisha snapped back, clapping at each syllable. “YOU worked in the ichor operation on YOUR OWN WILL!!! And NOW you’re a LETHAL TWISTED!! What makes you THINK we can EVER trust you again!?” She was just as agitated as Vee. The television clenched her cane’s handler even harder. She could practically feel the ichor pounding in her antenna. “I AM NOT WORKING IN THE OPERATION!! I WAS JUST HELPING DANDY!!!” vee snapped back to her, “I can understand why you don’t trust me, but i KNOW i am NOT working in the operation!”
Vee felt the world around her start to blur in anger. The toons no longer looked guilty. Tisha’s angered expression, as well as the other toons, shifted into horror and fear.
Why were they scared?
Shelly stepped forward, Tisha tried to pull her back, but only grabbed her shoulder. The fossil called out, “Vee!! VEE!!! You need to calm down!!!”
That did it.
“Calm down?! CALM DOWN!? YOU ALL JUST SPOKE ABOUT ME LIKE IM A TRAITOR!!! THEN TOLD ME I AM A LETHAL TWISTED!!! I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE UPSET!!!” Vee screamed back.
“VEE LOOK OUT!!!”
Before Vee could react she heard a loud screech.
Something shot right through her chest. Agonizing pain shot throughout her entire body.
Twisted Sprout’s tendril was pierced through her chest.
As the toons ran to lead sprout away, and finish the machines to get off this floor, Vee was left crumpling to the ground. Ichor and coolant was pouring from her chest. She should be dead. The world however wasn’t going dark. The familiar feeling of death was replaced by something she couldn’t quite describe.
Why wasn’t she dead?
Why did her entire body feel like it was burning?
Why couldn’t she see?
Why did she still feel so angry?
She could barely comprehend her surroundings, but knew despite losing the only heart she had that she was for some reason still alive.
Why was she still alive?
Vee sat up, the pain ceased. She still couldn’t make out what was around her. The television looked around. Where was everyone? She wandered around, barely able to make out the world.
She spotted Glisten and Shelly finishing machines.
They looked weirdly small.
They both suddenly flinched and turned around, then screamed in horror. It was loud in her antenna.
Yet, something inside her compelled her to run after them as they ran away.
Like anger boiling in her chest.
Dandy opened their shop early, they suspected something happened. This floor took longer, and it couldn’t have been because of the twisteds on that floor. As the elevator opened, they popped up their shop.
The toons were running in terror.
“MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!”
“WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!?!”
“WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS!!!”
Glisten, Goob, and Tisha ran into the elevator.
That's when Dandy saw it.
Saw her.
Vee had twisted on this floor.
Poor Brightney was running away from her into the elevator. Yet, she didn’t make it in time. Goob tried to reach for her, but Vee crushed her under her claws. All three hearts were lost in an instant.
The elevator slammed shut.
Vee had to have killed every other toon in that run. There were 8 toons when they got on this floor. They left with three!
Glisten turned to the flower and stormed over, grabbing them by their overall straps. “YOU!!! YOU DID THIS!!! YOU DID THIS TO MY FRIEND!!!” he screamed and shook them. Goob ran over. “Glisten! GLISTEN!! Hey! Don’t shake them like that! Come on!” he tried to pry glisten away from Dandy with his big paws. Dandy couldn’t speak. They couldn’t say anything. All the words were caught in their throat. Tisha had her hands on her hips. “You! You better have some good explanation for this!” she demanded. Glisten dropped Dandy back in their shop. No toon has ever looked this hostile towards them for a while.
Dandy swallowed before saying,
“L-Look, I’ll fix this! I promise! I just- I’ll go calm her down!”
Dandy walked into the floor. Their heart was pounding in their ears. They knew sometime they’d have to try and calm her down soon, but they didn't expect it to be so soon.
What could’ve possibly ticked her off so much?!
Suddenly loud mechanical footsteps caused them to jump in shock and run to hide.
They finally got a good look at Vee’s twisted form, yet it was hard to describe.
Vee’s form was quite similar to Dandy’s form. Large front claws, hind legs obviously not made for attacking. Her form was a mix between muscular and chubby. Her antenna were longer and billowing much like fabric. She had three tails. Three tails. They were shaped like connection cords used on many televisions around gardenview. There was a clear set of structures on her back. They couldn’t quite tell what they were. Wings perhaps? Vee was rather insect-like. That would make sense, but this form was more mammalian.
It would’ve been the coolest experience of their life if they didn’t have guilt hanging in their chest.
Vee’s head suddenly turned in their direction as they ran out in front of her.
“VEE!!! HEY VEE!! Come on, I know you still have your mind intact! VEE?!” They yelled while waving their hands. Hoping she’d get some sense snapped into her. She couldn’t be too mad at them right?
As vee hummed, she suddenly raised her claws to try and attack them.
She very much was.
Dandy yelped and ran off. How could they calm her down now?! Vee didn’t know how to un-twist on her own! Did they have to wait until they exhausted her enough where she would do it automatically? She seemed rather energetic, but it could work.
Despite not going on runs, Dandy and Dyle did have toon abilities as well.
Dandy didn’t dye each of their petals rainbow colors just for their show character after all, they had a use. They raised their hand and spun their petals.
Their yellow petal stopped at the top of their head, leading to their movement speed increasing heavily. They could now outrun and outwalk Vee.
Or at least they hoped.
Vee shouldn’t be too fast right?
They just had to exhaust her enough for her to forcefully transform back.
They just-
CRUNCH!
Dandy was crushed under her claws the moment they stopped running.
Dandy couldn’t describe what happened next.
They had transformed as well, due to loosing all their health. It was a blur of blind fighting. They felt claws digging into their side as they bit down into metal. The taste of coolant burned in their mouth. Howls, buzzing.
Eventually they both got tired, and collapsed.
Dandy opened their eyes to see Vee lying a few inches away from them. Her screen flicked on, and she gazed at them. Dandy sighed in relief, and sat up a bit. Wincing at the deep claw marks in their side. Vee sat up and also winced at the bites in her shoulder. After a brief moment of silence, dandy broke it, “Hey… vee… i realize i forgot to tell you something important-” Vee’s expression snapped to anger and she climbed over, punching them straight in the face. “YOU MADE ME A LETHAL TWISTED AND DIDN’T TELL ME!?” She screamed, punching them again, and again. The straight metal to their face hurt worse than anything they’ve ever felt. Ichor poured from their busted lip and nose. They grabbed her fist before she could punch them again and rolled over to the side to get her off of them. “I DID IT TO SAVE YOU!!!” They screamed and kicked her in the stomach. Vee grabbed two of their petals and pulled them. “YOU TURNED ME INTO A FREAK!!! WHO KNOWS HOW MANY TOONS I JUST KILLED!!!” she screamed through tears. Dandy grabbed her antenna and pulled them. “YOU WOULD’VE DIED IF I DIDN’T DO THAT!!! THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO BRING YOU BACK!!!” They continued rolling on the ground, punching, clawing, biting at each other. Shouting back and forth until…
“DANDY! VEE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
Dyle stormed in as they were caught in a tussle. Dandy was biting Vee's leg and holding her antenna. Vee was holding their green petal and looked like she was about to break their arm. Dyle rushed over and pulled them apart. “I assume you know what they did to you, Vee.” he remarked. Vee nodded, glaring at them with a look of such anger and hatred that they hadn’t seen in months. The television muttered, “They’ve ruined me. They’ve turned me into a freak.” under her breath. Dandy gazed back guiltily. “I did it so save you-” They began, but vee cut them off. “Was the consequences worth it!? Was it really worth ruining me!? I can’t even face the toons after this! What happened today is going to spread like WILDFIRE and I will be shunned by toons for the rest of my LIFE!! DO YOU THINK IT'S WORTH IT!?!” Dandy went quiet. Vee mumbled after a moment of silence,
“I’d rather be dead…”
Dandy felt tears pour from their eyes as Dyle wrapped vee’s jacket around her again and handed her cane back to her. She was crying. Dyle ushered for her to come with them into the staff only stairwell. Dandy got up and followed.
There wasn’t really any silence.
Vee’s light sobs echoed throughout the stairwell as they walked back up.
Dandy’s sniffles also rang out through the empty walls.
Dyle remained quiet, only wrapping an arm around Vee to help her walk up the stairs.
The flower felt regret well in their chest. It ripped them apart from inside. Regret like spilling ink on a sheet of paper.
Regret like never before.