Work Text:
Pencil isn't a math person.
Equations, numbers, algebra-
Ick. It just makes her nauseous for some reason.
Her feet dig into the yellow grass as she wanders the Grasslands aimlessly, having nothing better to do while waiting for the next challenge. Her face is locked in a permanent frown at the moment, brows furrowed as she stews in her own self-pity and annoyance.
This isn't fair, she thinks, I've been gone for years, and these ungrateful morons want nothing to do with me!
Pencil didn't do anything wrong. All she's done is try to get Book and Ice Cube back. Is that so wrong? She deserves them. They're supposed to be in her alliance.
Ugh. If only that stupid Price-Tag would just...let her reunite with her old Free-Smarters already! Pencil doesn't understand why everyone seems to hate her now. She meant everything a long time ago. Why do things have to change?!
They shouldn't change! Pencil is a leader, and they should respect her as one-
"Pencil!"
She groans. She stops in her tracks begrudgingly, wooden body turning around to face none other than Donut.
"What?! Can't you see I'm busy?!"
Donut frowns, looking apologetic. Typical Donut. Always pitying people.
"Uh- Well, I'm sorry, I guess, but the challenge has already started! Didn't you hear Two?"
Pencil shudders. She must've been so lost in her own head or something.
"Obviously I didn't! What is it?!" She scoffs, already irritated at Donut's very prescence.
Donut rolls his eyes.
"It's easier to show rather than tell, so just- come on, okay?!"
Pencil crosses her arms, not bothering to respond as she follows him.
What could the challenge possibly be? Pencil doesn't really know Two all that well, but, knowing these things... it's probably going to be something weird.
So Pencil is surprised when she's standing in front of a blank whiteboard.
She looks around, noticing the other teams writing on their own whiteboard, then looks back at Cloudyay.
Pillow, Donut, Yellow Face, Winner, Golf Ball-
Wait. Where's Golf Ball?
"Where is-"
Donut cuts her off, pointing with a foot towards Golf Ball, who's sitting with Tennis Ball in the grass angrily, away from everyone else.
Pencil's anger shifts to confusion.
"Why is she sitting out?"
This time, Winner responds.
"Well, the challenge is to solve an equation, but Two disqualified the 'smart contestants.'"
"Which I'm HIGHLY OFFENDED BY, because I'm a GENUIS!" Yellow Face adds, bouncing obnoxiously.
Pencil hums to herself. Why are they doing math? She remembers overhearing Gaty talking about Two hating it or something. Huh.
The whiteboard has nothing on it, no equations or anything, so how are they supposed to win?
Fortunately, Winner seems to read Pencil's mind.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention, the equation is up there," They point with their unnatural hand at an equation floating in the sky in big, colorful text.
"Well, what are you guys doing then?! Solve it!" Pencil demands.
"We can't solve it, because we don't know how to, Pencil!" Donut snaps.
"The only one that knows how to is Golf Ball! I think she should have been killed instead of disqualified, though." Pillow chimes in.
Pencil sighs.
"Grr- FINE! I'll solve it then, you idiots!"
She doesn't say anything else, walking back to the whiteboard, snatching the marker from Pillow's hand.
"Hey! I was gonna conduct research with that!"
Pencil ignores her, eyes focused on the equation in the sky.
What- her team's been struggling with this?! Ridiculous.
"This is the easiest thing I've ever seen."
"There you go again, always pretending like you know what-"
"I'm serious- just..look!" Pencil cuts off Donut.
Pencil begins writing, muttering steps to herself.
Subtract 5, Isolate the variable, divide by 2...
And done! Easy-peasy.
Pencil puts the marker down, satisfied with her work, and turns around-
To find everyone staring at her in shock.
"What?! How did you do that?! That- We've spent 30 whole minutes on that problem!" Donut gawks.
Pencil waves a hand dismissively.
"Oh, please. Stop being so dramatic! This is beginner level stuff! A baby could solve this!"
"And Cloudyay is the first team safe!" Two appears suddenly.
Pencil jumps, flinching in surprise, which only attracts more eyes on her.
Two looks guilty.
"Sorry, Pencil." They say, disappearing without another word.
Pencil doesn't notice it quite yet, but her breathing has begun to speed up.
"Pencil...how did you- are you-"
Pencil doesn't answer, sprinting away from Donut and Cloudyay.
She needs to get out of here.
She needs to escape.
Pencil finally comes to a stop, her lungs burning. She sinks to her knees behind a nearby bush, trying to calm down.
Pencil draws on the desk, bored out of her mind. When Four's not here, there's almost nothing to do besides talk to Match, which is starting to get old.
Instead, she doodles her friends. Ice Cube. Book. Ruby. God, she misses them.
Pencil doesn't know how long its been until Four reappears, talking in his bizarre alien voice about today's assignment.
She's not really paying attention. Its all more of the same to her. The assignments have never really been all that hard for her, unlike Match or Bracelety. Pencil has to do their work for them to avoid them being zapped.
She reads the paper given to her. Only 5 questions. Not too bad.
"P!"
2(3x+4) + 4(2x-4)² = ?
"il!"
What was Four thinking?! Is this a joke? This is WAY too easy. There must be a catch. It must be some kind of trick test!
Oh, god, what if she falls for it?!
Will she be punished?!
Will Four use the sharpener?
"PENCIL!!"
She gasps, a voice not belonging to Four flooding her ears.
She's shaking, tears running down her face.
Despite reality somewhat returning, she's still confused. Is...is this another Four thing? He did that once. He created an illusion, and made everyone think they left, only to snap his fingers, confining them to a classroom once more.
Oh, no - Four's going to punish her now that she knows the truth!
Donut's panicking. No matter what he tries, Pencil's not responding to him. She only continues to cry, eyes glazed over.
Yellow Face tried to cheer her up with his ads, but she didn't respond to that either.
Winner tried slapping her, and Pillow tried to talk about death with her, but NOTHING has worked.
"What do we do?!" Winner's desperate. Donut's never heard them like that before.
"I- I don't know! We can't get through to her! PENCIL!!!" Donut tries again uselessly.
Pencil seems to tense up, and she begins to twitch and flail, trying to get out of Donut's grasp on her as if she's in pain.
"PENCIL! CALM DOWN!"
Pencil whimpers, unhearing.
"I-I'm s-sorry Four! I'll do better- I won't notice, I'll... I'll get better grades, just- please!" She mumbles, pleading with nobody.
Winner gives Donut a look of confusion, surprise, horror, and concern all at once.
"Is she having a flashback or something?!"
Donut continues trying to still Pencil.
"I think so! She must be remembering the EXIT!"
Yellow Face begins to panic as well.
"I'll...um... I'll get Two! Maybe they can help?"
Pillow nods.
"I'd never expect you to come up with such a good idea!"
Yellow Face, visibly offended, runs off with Pillow, looking for Two.
Donut shakes Pencil to no use.
"I had no idea it was this bad!" Winner remarks, helping Donut keep her still.
"I...I don't think any of us could've known." Is all Donut can say.
Two finally arrives, Yellow Face and Pillow beside them.
"Okay! Okay! I'm here! What is- Oh my gosh! What's going on?!" They scream.
"We don't know! Pencil keeps mumbling about Four, so, we think she's having a flashback of the EXIT!" Winner fills in.
Two rushes forwards, hands on their head. Donut steps aside.
"Oh gosh, okay, okay, um..Pencil?"
No answer.
"Pencil? Can you..Can you hear me?" They try again.
"No, please! Anything but that, please!" Pencil wails.
Two grits their teeth. Nothing's working.
"Look, Pencil, it's okay! You're here with us, in the grasslands! You're on TPOT!"
Pencil only fights more.
"NO! NOT THE SHARPENER!"
Donut and Winner collectively flinch at that. Sharpener?
Two tenses, becoming even more worried.
"No, Pencil- There's- there's NO sharpener here, okay?! You're safe! SAFE!"
Pencil seems to hear them that time.
"What? Safe? But, but the sharpener-"
"No, no, no, again, there's NO sharpener here. I'd never do that to you Pencil, I promise!" Two's voice is shaky.
Pencil begins to calm a little, and they pull Two close, hugging them tight.
Two returns the hug in surprise.
"There we go. Everything's okay, alright? You're safe now, and I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"
Slowly but surely, Pencil stops hyperventilating. She wipes the tears from her eyes.
Oh no. EVERYONE saw that.