Chapter Text
"If I’m not back in five minutes…bring backup."
Those were Bots last words to Fan before their hands slipped out of his so they could chase after Poppy.
Their legs quickly stretched out to make quick strides in the muddy ground, but that caused them to run into a few trees.
Bot hadn’t known what was going on earlier, and they’d just been sitting on their own. But when they heard Poppy’s squeaky yelps and Fan’s shock, they’d decided to follow.
They had no idea why MeTag had suddenly taken Poppy, but the fear that they could be in danger was what made Bot run.
They shouldn’t care this much about them. Poppy was the child on Steve Cobs, the one who’d ruined everyone’s lives, traumatized their parents…and still, something about Poppy made their wings flutter.
Maybe it was the fact that Poppy had saved them.
Maybe it was the fact Poppy was such a sweetheart that just wanted to feel safe.
Bot didn’t know. But whatever the reason could be…they wanted to help them. They convinced themself it was purely out of normal concern for someone else.
Bot could hear their voice from ahead- and while they couldn’t properly make it out, they could hear a small sentence. "Slow down!!" Poppy begged MeTag, who didn’t seem to be listening.
Bots legs were giving out from the strain of being elongated and exposed to water for so long, prompting them to slow down and catch their breath. Not because they needed to breathe, but because they had to cool their systems.
Looking back up, they noticed MeTag had finally stopped at the edge of the mountains peak, allowing both of them to see the whole island below. The storm was still raging on above them, little droplets trickling down their backs.
But MeTag wasn’t moving, just staring ahead while Poppy looked around in some sort of awe. Made sense, this was their first time seeing the full place they lived on now.
Alarm shot through Bot when MeTag suddenly started to sit, screen glowing a faint purple that was getting brighter and brighter…
Instinct kicked in, and Bot broke into a full sprint. Seeing Poppy kneel down and lean forwards only panicked them more, and they lunged at MeTag.
"What are you—" Poppy began.
"HUAH!!" Bot called out, ramming into Metag. Their left leg pinned them to the ground, while their other rammed against the ground. The force of their pounce must’ve left some exposed wires, but Bot couldn’t bring themself to care right now.
"Gotcha!! You have the right to remain— uh…" Well, they can’t say silent— they’re already mute. "Even more silent than usual!"
They turnt to look at Poppy, voice already softer. "Are you alright Poppy?" They were planning on using their scanner to check Poppy’s body for wounds or bruises when they spoke up.
"Hey, stop treating them like the bad guy!" Poppy accused, pointing at Bot angrily. Their eyes were wide.
Bot was shocked at this sudden change in behavior. They hadn’t been thinking of MeTag as the ‘bad guy’ at all! "What?" They gasped. "But they kidnapped you!" They exclaimed.
Poppy’s teeth gritted. "Well, what do you even care!? Everyone down there hates us anyways!" They looked away, crossing their arms.
Hate?
Bot couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Sure, they thought— no— knew that a lot of contestants felt uneasy around Poppy because of their appearance…but not…
Bot turnt to look at Poppy, eyes widening as they attempted to seem more comforting. Maybe to get Poppy to open up?
"Hate you..?" They queried. "W-we don’t—"
Poppy interrupted them, clear frustration in their voice. "No, of course not! You just hate that other corn cob, right? The one whose corpse you keep lying around in the open like it’s a JOKE?!"
Hearing it from their mouth made it sound more morbid than it already was. Poppy continued. “‘Yay, he’s dead!’ What am I supposed to think when I see that every day!?"
Their voice cracked during their outburst, small, almost subtle wetness starting to well up in their eyes as they turnt away. "I’m sorry I look like him, okay?"
…oh.
Bot suddenly felt a wave of awful reminders through their entire core at that sentence. They knew how that felt. They had went through this same thing, having been called something that wasn’t their name just because they looked like her.
Guilt twisted their stomach. How bad they not sympathized or stood up for them earlier? They knew how Poppy felt.
Bot looked back at MeTags back, their own reflection staring back at them. "I…I'm sorry, Poppy." They looked back at Poppy, who had finished wiping their eyes. “That must feel…confusing.”
Of course it’s confusing, you KNOW IT IS—
Poppy gave a long sigh, tears welling up again in those caramel eyes. "I am confused…!” They laid back down on the ground. "I don’t know who I am, where I came from, or why MeTag brought me here!"
They sat up, glancing over again. "But— but at least I know they care about me. The real me!"
A pang hurt in Bot’s chest. They cared about Poppy too. The real Poppy.
”so please…just let them go." Poppy pleaded. Bot met their caramel eyes with their own lime eyes. They couldn’t resist, but they had to tell them that they cared too.
"P—Poppy…" They hesitated. "I-" I care about you too—
"THERE THEY ARE!!"
Poppy and Bot jumped back, and Bot instinctively let go of MeTag. They looked over, seeing Paintbrush, Lifering, Box, Test Tube, Fan, OJ, Suitcase, Cabby…
Lifering immediately sprung into action. "METAG! How could you betray the safety authority!? I knew you were sus!" He spat.
Bot immediately stood, running in front of Poppy to defend them and…and MeTag.
"Guys, I can explain!" They yelled. Behind them, the poor cob was looking down, ashamed for something out of their control… "Poppy just—"
Metag turnt around, the Meeple symbol in the middle of their body lighting up again. A holographic field was suddenly created in front of the three. "What the!?" Bot screams.
“Hey! What gives!?" They started banging on the screen, but to no avail. Everyone on the outside were talking, probably trying to figure out what to do.
But Bot didn’t need them too! They just had to explain everything! "Guys, STOP! No— ugh!" They growled, turning around. "Poppy, we need to stop this NOW!—"
But the other was on their knees, eyes wide and in awe. Just the sight made Bot calm down a bit. "Shh! Look!" Poppy whispered, pointing to MeTag.
They suddenly laid back down, symbol glowing purple yet again. Poppy was staring down, while Bot just looked out of want to make Poppy feel somewhat safer. And mild curiosity.
A purple beam was shown in front of them, the Meeple symbol now visibly turning into some sort of video call.
And who came on screen…
Was another corn cob.
Horrified gasps came from everyone except Poppy, who was simply stunned. There was many muffled voices from the other side that Bot couldn’t make out. But a sudden scream came from the other side that Bot did make out.
"IM NOT LOSING OUR KID TO MEEPLE!!" It was Fan. He was probably talking to Test Tube, but it could be Paintbrush too— or either. Maybe both. If Lightbulb was here, they wouldn’t be surprised if Fan was talking to all three of them.
The person on the video call finally spoke. "Ah, finally!" It was a female. Well— Bot could assume so from the voice. Bot couldn’t see much through the purple blur, but some of her corn pieces were darker than the others, and leaves were around her waist like a skirt.
"Yess!" Poppy squealed, too excited for Bot’s comfort. "I knew MeTag brought me here for a reason!" They cleared their throat. "Hii!! Hello Hello!" They were so happy just to see someone that they could be related to.
"It’s so wonderful to meet you! My names Poppy! What’s—" Their voice was drowned out by the other.
”Steve, is that you?” Steve. This person knew Steve Cobs. Just the mention of him made Bot want to hold Poppy and protect them. “We thought you were dead!”
"Oh, uh…I—I don’t think so!” Poppy giggled uncomfortably. "I was hoping maybe you’d know where people like us come from!"
"What?” The woman’s tone turnt cold. "T— slow down, I can barely hear you." She quickly started interrogating Poppy. "If you’re not Steve, why do you have his Metag?! And where are you, exactly?!"
Bot looked back at Poppy. They looked nervous— maybe scared. Worried that this person may be a foe and not a friend.
Bot felt a surge of defensiveness towards them.
"Oh! Well, uh—" Poppy began. Bot slowly started to creep towards MeTag while Poppy was distracted. They had to shut this off, THEY HAD TO. They couldn’t let this woman do this to their sweet Pop. "Well it’s an island, with—” the screen suddenly sputtered and died.
Bots hands flew on top of it, covering it so it wouldn’t show anymore. "Come on, Come on!" They winced, louder than they meant to. "Off switch, off switch!" They tried desperately to look—
"Hey— cut that out!" Poppy snapped. “Im about to get some answers here!" Bot shook their head. They were absolutely NOT going to cut this out. Even if Poppy didn’t like it, Bot needed to protect them!
“We don’t know who this is, Poppy!" They growled, but tried to keep their voice soft for Poppy. "We can’t just tell them—"
Suddenly, they were shoved. "Get off of them!" Poppy snapped. ”hey!!" Bot snapped back, trying to lightly nudge Poppy back without hurting them.
The two quickly started shoving one another, wanting completely opposite things. Poppy almost got Bot to the ground, but they pushed themself back up with exceptional strength.
But then, it all went wrong.
Bot had just started pushing Poppy back when sudden thuds came from the other side. Poppy yelped in shock. Loud noises always scared them badly, so they instinctively stepped back.
Bot looked back, realizing it was Fan. ”no, Fan stop, you’re scaring them!" They tried to warn.
A horrifying SMACK of thunder clapped right behind Bot, making everyone shriek. Poppy screamed from the noise, covering their ears and stepping back. Bot realized that Poppy was starting to get close to the edge and ran forwards. "POPPY, NO!"
But Bot couldn’t stop the inevitable. Poppy’s right foot found nothing to step on, and a terrified screech came out as they fell. Bot tried to pull them up, but Poppy’s weight dragged them both down.
“BOT!!!!" Everyone hollered. The screen was back on, but that was the least of Bot’s worries and both them and Poppy plummeted down.
Bots wings flapped uselessly in the intense storm, tears of fear welling up in their eyes. They saw Poppy, looking just as scared.
”WOAH—!!" They cried out, trying to reach Bot. They looked so confused— so scared that Bot stopped worrying about their own life to flap over and grab their hands.
Even now, their hands were to incredibly soft. Bot stared at those pretty caramel eyes, soaked in rainwater and tears. They just wanted to comfort them, hold them— wait THIS IS NOT THE TIME.
"ITS OKAY, W—WE’LL BE OKAY!!" They tried to reassure Poppy. But they wouldn’t be okay, because the ground was roaring up to meet the two of them.
"NO, WE WONT!!" Poppy sobbed, before looking down. They realized what was about to happen.
Without thinking Poppy snatched the smaller object closer to their chest— and even if Bot didn’t know why they instinctively held on and braced for impact.
They fell for what felt like forever, the rain peppering their skin furiously as they fell down, down, down…
Until water engulfed the two underneath a deep river.