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The machines were almost done on the stage-like floor. All of the plushies were gathered at the train—except for Meistro of course.
They were among the most fantastic and smartest plushies around. They made everyone dazzle, they made everyone awe! They were the best at doing machines! They were fast and nimble!
All that was the reason they stayed behind and did the last machine. Their feet creaked against the wooden stage with each pump of the handle, hat bouncing up and down in rhythm with the rest of their body. The ding of completion would come any minute now.
It took them a minute to realize they were lifted off the ground instead. Their hands lost grip of the handle, looking down at it as it hung helplessly.
Meistro’s stomach fell to their feet when they heard the familiar cackle of the faker.
“There you are, my little audience member!” The reject Meistro sang, hanging Meistro in front of their face. The mechanical monster laughed at Meistro’s desperate attempt to break free and fall back down.
“Adorable,” the reject cooed, swinging the plushie back and forth like a swing. “You don’t wanna finish that machine when you can stay and watch my performance!”
“Like hell.” Meistro mimicked the words they’d heard humans say before, hoping to get this guy off of him. The monster gasped, a crowd of faceless voices following suit.
“My muse, you mustn’t say those words! You are a toy, after all!” The reject pulled Meistro closer, giggling. “Or maybe you’ve forgotten your roots. Never fear, for I, the greaaaaat Meistro, could never forget.”
“I’M Meistro, thank you very much.” Meistro snapped back. They really didn’t like it when someone else, especially such an obvious faker like this, took their spotlight.
“Why can’t we be both?” The reject curled another set of pincers around Meistro. “Can’t you see it, my muse? Together, spreading the great word of theater! My theater, your performance, what about OUR stage?”
“No!!” Meistro struggled against the pincers, their sharp edges cutting into their soft plush body and causing stuffing to come out. The pain almost made them scream.
“I don’t think you understand, my little friend.” The reject Meistro spun around, shrouding the two of them in darkness. “This is a chance of a lifetime! Aren’t you tired of this work? Machine after machine after machine, for no reward! A stunning performance no one can watch, no, no one WILL watch!”
“I’m not doing any of this for recognition,” Meistro raised their voices puffing out their chest best they could, despite their plush body becoming thinner with each clump of stuffing that trickled out. “I already know I’m great and that everyone loves me. I’m doing this to protect my friends and the factory so I can keep making performances!”
“Ugh.” The reject squeezed Meistro, pinning them to the wall. “Cute speech, but I know you. Deep down, you know you want everyone to see you for the star you are. Like I see you right now.”
“Put me DOWN!” Meistro gasped.
“I’m afraid you are in no position to be making demands.” The monster’s cackles rang in Meistro’s ears, like many tiny bells shaken around in an empty room. “You will join us, or I’ll make you.”
“Why me?!” Meistro loved attention, but not this kind of attention. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and their body was going numb with pain and limp with the lack of stuffing.
“If only you knew,” the monster whispered, “just how much I love-no, adore you, my muse. Then maybe you wouldn’t be so…resistant.”
This was it, wasn’t it? Meistro felt their consciousness slipping. Were they about to die? Or something worse, captured by these creepy rejects and trapped? Their breathing became heavier and more petrified. Meistros aren’t scardy cats. Meistros keep a brave face. Meistros are the star of the show. Meistros are the star of the show. Meistros are the star of the show. MEISTROS ARE THE STAR OF THE SHOW-
A bark snapped Meistro back to reality. Both they and the reject looked to see the machine done, the pixie dust coming to a stop and the machine stilling. Buddy growled at the mechanical beast, teeth barred like a wolf’s. The reject scoffed fully turning back to the broken stage.
“Do you really think one little Buddy can do anything?” The reject scoffed.
“No, but with help he sure can!” A sticky web attached itself to the reject’s hand, harshly pulling back as Spinnette came flying in.
“Oh thank the stars.” Meistro gasped, reaching out for their spider performer. The reject Meistro reached out to swat Spinnette away, only to scream out as a bright light shocked their bottom half. Jellybell and Jinx stood at the bottom, shocks ready to sting the monster.
Meistro felt their grip loosening, so began wiggling out of their extreme grip. Spinnette never let go of their hands, pulling back just as much.
“Throw them down!” Buddy yelled, arms outstretched beside Koda and his own outstretched arms.
“I won’t let you!” The reject squeezed Meistro again, causing them to yell out in pain. Jinx and Jellybell gasped in mortification as stuffing fell on their heads. Spinnette squealed and held tight to them, aiming her webs at the reject’s face. Despite their best effort to avoid it, the strings splat on their monstrous face and finally dropped Meistro to try and get the gunk off their face.
Koda caught Meistro and Buddy caught Spinnette, both immediately turning around and making a mad dash for the train.
“NO!” The reject Meistro screeched. “GET THEM!”
One of the reject Spinnette’s wicked giggle came from the side, she jumping out to attack Koda and presumably force him to drop Meistro for her master to steal them again. Fortunately, Queenie flew in the way and threw honey on the ground, slowing the reject down considerably.
“Keep moving!” Jinx called, her and Jellybell close behind. “We still have some stuns in us if anyone tries coming in your way!”
“I can take a few hits,” Koda murmured to Meistro. “Just focus on staying awake for us.”
Meistro nodded, looking to the train just a few more steps away. They clung to Koda, not daring to look back at the mess behind them. He heard Jellybell’s shocks and Jinx’s false cats stunning the perusing reject Spinnettes, gritting their teeth at the possibility of one slipping by and getting to them.
Thim held the train door open, holding out their arm for Meistro. “Hurry, they’ve lost a lot of stuffing already!”
Koda transferred Meistro to Thim, trading places and holding the door open for the rest of the plushies to come running in.
Buddy with Spinnette still in his arms came first, then Jellybell and Jinx next. Queenie made it in with only a small tear in her wing from a reject she didn’t notice. But she didn’t make even a little once of fuss, nor did she scold Jellybell and Jinx for getting so close to the ringmaster reject. No one made any sounds, besides Spinnette who ran to Meistro’s side and held their hand and Thim who was already examining Meistro’s wounds.
“Oh my gosh,” Spinnette cried. “What was that?”
“I’ve never seen a reject act like that before,” Jellybell said.
“You two were talking,” Jinx knelt down in front of Meistro, “what was it…?”
Meistro stayed silent, squeezing Spinnette’s hand. To join the rejects, what nonesense! And yet, their words still clung to their mind like slime.
“Can’t you see it, my muse? Together, spreading the great word of theater! My theater, your performance, what about OUR stage?”
“You will join us, or I’ll make you.”
“If only you knew, just how much I love-no, adore you, my muse. Then maybe you wouldn’t be so…resistant.”
The door to Dexter’s lab opened, and the doll himself came walking out with a clipboard. “Ok, good work team. That floor took longer than it should have, but we can get back on pace-“
“We have to go back.” Thim interrupted Dexter.
“What? Why?” Dexter lowered the clipboard and looked at the plushies, eyes landing on Meistro. If he could go pale, he surely would have. He dropped everything and ran to them, examining the tears with a gruff sigh.
“I’ll take us back,” he finally said. “Even with the stuffing samples we collected, it wouldn’t be enough.”
“Jinx, can you help me make sure no more stuffing falls out?” Thim asked. She nodded and held the tears across their body.
“I can offer some of my stuffing,” Jellybell said.
“They’ll be fine long enough for me to take them back to the med bay.” Thim said. “You can hold their tears so I can fix Queenie’s wing.”
“Oh, it’s just a scratch.” Queenie said bashfully. “Really, you should focus on Meistro.”
“I can’t do much for them without fresh stuffing.” Thim countered. “Hold still.”
The rest of the ride was dead silent. Even the ever chatty Buddy, Spinnette, and Jinx didn’t make a noise. Just silence.
Meistro still was processing everything that happened. It hadn’t happened long ago at all, but they felt dazed and confused still. Their hands squeezed whoever was there, maybe Buddy? It could be Jinx too.
They didn’t even realize they were home until Spinnette began talking again, pulling them up and walking them out of the train.
“You can walk ok, right?” Spinnette asked.
“…yeah, yeah!” Meistro smiled at her. “The great Meistro can do just about anything!”
It still hurt. They couldn’t stand to see any more stuffing fall out of their chest. Jinx and Jellybell still held their rips, keeping as much stuffing as they could inside their body.
“Don’t walk too far, just enough to get out of the train.” Thim ordered, pointing to a bench and telling them to sit while they got more Thims to help.
“Don’t let Dolly see,” Dexter said quietly, “it’ll worry her too much…”
“I can go distract her!” Buddy piped up.
“Just tell her that Meistro got a little hurt, but they’ll be fine…”
Two other Thims with a stretcher appeared with the Thim from the run, and ordered Meistro onto it.
“Can you help us carry them, Koda?”
“No problem.”
“Someone get Fleecia, we need a lot of stuffing and fast.”
“Move it, I will go get her! A royal decree I’ll make to her!”
“What’s going on, is Meistro ok?”
“Move out of the way! It’s an emergency!”
“Quiet down! Don’t let Dolly see…”
“Stay awake, Meistro. Don’t lose consciousness.”
“Meistro, please-“
My muse.
They didn’t want to keep thinking about what they called them. Muse implied a connection that they simply didn’t have.
Right?
No, Meistro and that monster weren’t connected at all. Only in name.
Just a cheep fake.
***
Meistro woke up in the quiet med bay. The lights were dimmed down and the only sounds made were the footsteps of Thims and the gentle whirring of machines.
They tried to sit up, only for a hand to hold their chest down. “Stay down. You need to rest still.”
Thim’s face hovered over theirs, along with two peeking Spinnettes and Fleecia. One Spinnette sniffled seeing them awake, the other hugged them tightly.
“Glad to see you’re awake!” Fleecia said, “I had to get a lot of stuffing to fill you right back up!”
“You’re finally awake,” Thim folded their arms as they spoke, “it’s good to have you back.”
“How long has it been since I-“ Meistro’s voice trailed off, “never mind. Thanks.”
Thim nodded, shooting a look at the Spinnette clinging to Meistro before walking away.
“We made you a new outfit!” One Spinnette said. “We know you hate your clothes having rips, and we wanted to give you a gift to celebrate your recovery!”
“The others are waiting outside for you to see it!”
Fleecia pulled a wheelchair over for them. “Thim doesn’t want you running around at all, so I found this! I tested it out, and if I get a whole lot of stuffing in my coat…I can go super fast!”
“I like the sound of that,” Meistro said, eagerly looking at the hopping Fleecia. “Drive me like a race car!”
The Spinnettes pulled Meistro into the wheelchair and stepped back to watch Fleecia. The sheep padded stuffing into her coat, grabbed the handles, and blasted off.
“Fleecia!!” Thim yelled after her, two more running after her themselves. The Spinnettes giggled and also chased after them, cheering Fleecia and Meistro on.
Meistro let out a laugh, clutching the handles. They didn’t expect this much excitement already, but they weren’t complaining. They’d have to write a race car script based off this.
Fleecia flew out the doors to the med bay and still pushed Meistro through the sunny sidewalks. Meistro could see all their friends out and about.
“Meistro’s finally out!” Buddy called. The others all smiled and waved, making way for the speedy Fleecia.
“You’re looking sharper than ever.” Triton complimented them.
“You better wear that new costume the Spinnettes made for you,” Queenie said. “They worked hard on it!”
“I’m just glad you’re ok..!” Cinnabun said, smiling. “We missed you.”
“Of course I’m ok! I’ll bounce back in no time!” They were the great Meistro after all!