02-12-2016, 12:28 AM
Deep underneath the island, Proto Mouse let out a sigh of relief: the guardian was dead.
Neither of his two parts enjoyed killing. For the gargantuan beast that formerly laid claim to one of Teucer’s lost relics, the amalgamated robot-mouse had a hunch they would make an exception. Especially when they saw how beautiful the cavern had become in his wake; a great tree, brimming with life, had sprouted instantly in his absence. A glimmering shield hung loosely on one of the higher branches. Proto Mouse could not take his eyes off of it.
The girl known as Ruby—garbed in red, just like the armored mouse—called out to him, signaling that the prize belonged to him. He smirked a little bit; he had scored the finishing blow, hadn’t he? His parts normally wouldn’t have relished in the bloodlust, but he could not help but be a little proud.
As he began to walk toward his prize, however, another bright light began to engulf his moving frame, and within seconds, the Proto Mouse had dissolved, leaving two much more humble pint-sized heroes in its wake. The remainder of their group seemed a bit shocked by the sudden reappearance of the two—Belle, in particular, wore a puzzled expression. “…what the hell,” she muttered, just loud enough to be heard.
Blues stopped short of the tree, but Mickey kept going. Something about the relic drew the mouse to it, and he continued until he reached the trunk and began to climb.
His white gloves dug into the gnarly bark, clamoring ever higher until at last, he grasped the perfectly round shield. His acrobatics ever impressive, the former King backflipped off of the tree’s surface and landed squarely on the ground. He held in his hands the piece of armor that had defended Teucer back in… well, he didn’t exactly know where the spirit’s origins lay, but certainly they seemed glorious. This buckler seemed glorious; much too glorious to take his hands off of. Proto Man could see the spark in Mickey Mouse’s eyes and placed a hand on his shorter friend’s shoulder.
“Take it,” the preteen machine told him, “I’m sure it’ll serve you well till we get it back to the big guy.”
Mickey looked up at him, his eyes swelling with tears for whatever reason, and without thinking, he engulfed the Robot Master in a huge, whopping hug. Hesitantly—but not without warmth—Proto Man hugged him back.
“Uh, boys,” the voice of Belle called out from a few yards away, “I’m glad we won and everything, but we’ve got some problems.”
Mickey Mouse and Proto Man glanced over to see that the redheaded girl was right. Weiss lay flat on her back, groaning ever so slightly from the immense pain she’d suffered at the Last Giant’s hands. Next to her, Belle wobbled on her feet, looking incredibly dizzy and clutching the side of her head with one of her pale hands. Blood oozed through her fingers and the remaining trio became alerted to their teammates’ dire conditions.
“Weiss!” Ruby called, rushing to Weiss’ side.
“Belle!” Mickey echoed, sliding up next to his own new companion.
“Let’s get out of here,” Proto Man followed them both. “We can serve them much better in the light of day—and I think it’s almost morning.”
“This isn’t the abyss. We’re not monsters.”
His words returned to him as the Warlock’s magic made him double over in pain. Belle let out a screech. Proto Man tried to activate his defenses, but still nothing worked. Mickey held up Teucer’s shield—the magic passed through it as if it were nothing more than air.
“I will make you monsters,” a low, growling voice rang inside the mouse’s ears. He felt himself grow weak at the knees and quickly shoved the shield into the ground, using it to hold himself up.
“Bl—Blues,” he stammered, “B—Belle. Something… something’s not right.” He could sense a negative energy pulsing through the shield, emanating into his very arms. The redheaded girl staggered over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder.
“We’ve gotta get away, Mickey,” Belle urged. The mouse and his robot friend glanced over at the unconscious Ruby and struggling Weiss.
He didn’t want to leave them. But it seemed they had no choice. They could do nothing to help the pair of girls—and certainly, this relic would draw others to them. As much as Mickey hated the fact that a myriad of primes were competing to find the six pieces of Teucer’s armor, he had to accept that owning one made them sure to meet more hostility, and the mouse didn’t know what he would do if their presence caused Ruby or Weiss any further pain than they had already encountered on their behalf.
Mickey took a few steps toward the white-haired girl. She looked up at him from where she knelt by her friend, though Mickey didn’t know if the redness on her face came from fear or determination. She had proven a strong woman, and a strong ally, and the King had no doubt she would help her friend and they would make it out of this alright.
“We have to go,” he said apologetically, “but—it’s been great to meet ya, pal.”
Weiss swallowed a little blood before responding. “Go,” she nodded, “I’ll take care of Ruby—I always do.”
Mickey smiled. “Let’s meet again someday, okay?”
The girl silently affirmed that proposal. They were not done being friends, even if they had gotten off to a little bit of a rough start. Mickey spun around and ran back to Belle and Proto Man as fast as he could, before he remembered a passage from Play, Boy that he felt he needed to urgently share with Weiss.
“Oh!” he shouted as he turned back to her, “Your leg—wrap it, then tap it! Should fix all your problems!”
Blues yanked him away as Belle’s voice rang through the forest: “MICKEY.”
…“member” does mean “leg,” right?
“So,” Belle broke the silence once they’d found a safe place to camp until sunrise, “What’s your name?” Proto Man looked over at her, not completely sure how that had been glossed over in the hours they’d spent together.
“Um, Blues,” he shrugged, watching as Mickey sat next to his friend and dabbed her head wound with his vest.
“Well, this is completely ruined,” the mouse complained, lifting it from her wound and looking at it. The blood blended in with the red fabric, but any sucker would notice the dampness. Resigned, he tossed it on the ground. “And it won’t make for a good wrap either. But we’ve gotta bandage you up.”
Belle grunted. Being concussed did not sit well with her.
“Maybe that thing in your pocket will do it?” Blues offered, pointing at the rolled up Play, Boy sticking out of the back pocket of Mickey’s shorts. The mouse pulled the magazine out and stared at it for a moment.
His survival guide? Surely they could find something else. Belle glanced down at it, and then met eyes with Mickey. Her expression almost telegraphed her thoughts:
So much pain.
Mickey reached down and ripped out one of the pages. Slowly, he tore out page after page and tied them together until he made a makeshift bandage that fit snugly around Belle’s head. She reached up and touched it when he was done, a scowl forming on her face.
“Is it obvious my wound is being dressed by several nude women?”
Proto Man bit his lip but stayed silent.
Mickey smirked. “See,” he said triumphantly, “It did help after all!”
Neither of his two parts enjoyed killing. For the gargantuan beast that formerly laid claim to one of Teucer’s lost relics, the amalgamated robot-mouse had a hunch they would make an exception. Especially when they saw how beautiful the cavern had become in his wake; a great tree, brimming with life, had sprouted instantly in his absence. A glimmering shield hung loosely on one of the higher branches. Proto Mouse could not take his eyes off of it.
The girl known as Ruby—garbed in red, just like the armored mouse—called out to him, signaling that the prize belonged to him. He smirked a little bit; he had scored the finishing blow, hadn’t he? His parts normally wouldn’t have relished in the bloodlust, but he could not help but be a little proud.
As he began to walk toward his prize, however, another bright light began to engulf his moving frame, and within seconds, the Proto Mouse had dissolved, leaving two much more humble pint-sized heroes in its wake. The remainder of their group seemed a bit shocked by the sudden reappearance of the two—Belle, in particular, wore a puzzled expression. “…what the hell,” she muttered, just loud enough to be heard.
Blues stopped short of the tree, but Mickey kept going. Something about the relic drew the mouse to it, and he continued until he reached the trunk and began to climb.
His white gloves dug into the gnarly bark, clamoring ever higher until at last, he grasped the perfectly round shield. His acrobatics ever impressive, the former King backflipped off of the tree’s surface and landed squarely on the ground. He held in his hands the piece of armor that had defended Teucer back in… well, he didn’t exactly know where the spirit’s origins lay, but certainly they seemed glorious. This buckler seemed glorious; much too glorious to take his hands off of. Proto Man could see the spark in Mickey Mouse’s eyes and placed a hand on his shorter friend’s shoulder.
“Take it,” the preteen machine told him, “I’m sure it’ll serve you well till we get it back to the big guy.”
Mickey looked up at him, his eyes swelling with tears for whatever reason, and without thinking, he engulfed the Robot Master in a huge, whopping hug. Hesitantly—but not without warmth—Proto Man hugged him back.
“Uh, boys,” the voice of Belle called out from a few yards away, “I’m glad we won and everything, but we’ve got some problems.”
Mickey Mouse and Proto Man glanced over to see that the redheaded girl was right. Weiss lay flat on her back, groaning ever so slightly from the immense pain she’d suffered at the Last Giant’s hands. Next to her, Belle wobbled on her feet, looking incredibly dizzy and clutching the side of her head with one of her pale hands. Blood oozed through her fingers and the remaining trio became alerted to their teammates’ dire conditions.
“Weiss!” Ruby called, rushing to Weiss’ side.
“Belle!” Mickey echoed, sliding up next to his own new companion.
“Let’s get out of here,” Proto Man followed them both. “We can serve them much better in the light of day—and I think it’s almost morning.”
* * *
“This isn’t the abyss. We’re not monsters.”
His words returned to him as the Warlock’s magic made him double over in pain. Belle let out a screech. Proto Man tried to activate his defenses, but still nothing worked. Mickey held up Teucer’s shield—the magic passed through it as if it were nothing more than air.
“I will make you monsters,” a low, growling voice rang inside the mouse’s ears. He felt himself grow weak at the knees and quickly shoved the shield into the ground, using it to hold himself up.
“Bl—Blues,” he stammered, “B—Belle. Something… something’s not right.” He could sense a negative energy pulsing through the shield, emanating into his very arms. The redheaded girl staggered over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder.
“We’ve gotta get away, Mickey,” Belle urged. The mouse and his robot friend glanced over at the unconscious Ruby and struggling Weiss.
He didn’t want to leave them. But it seemed they had no choice. They could do nothing to help the pair of girls—and certainly, this relic would draw others to them. As much as Mickey hated the fact that a myriad of primes were competing to find the six pieces of Teucer’s armor, he had to accept that owning one made them sure to meet more hostility, and the mouse didn’t know what he would do if their presence caused Ruby or Weiss any further pain than they had already encountered on their behalf.
Mickey took a few steps toward the white-haired girl. She looked up at him from where she knelt by her friend, though Mickey didn’t know if the redness on her face came from fear or determination. She had proven a strong woman, and a strong ally, and the King had no doubt she would help her friend and they would make it out of this alright.
“We have to go,” he said apologetically, “but—it’s been great to meet ya, pal.”
Weiss swallowed a little blood before responding. “Go,” she nodded, “I’ll take care of Ruby—I always do.”
Mickey smiled. “Let’s meet again someday, okay?”
The girl silently affirmed that proposal. They were not done being friends, even if they had gotten off to a little bit of a rough start. Mickey spun around and ran back to Belle and Proto Man as fast as he could, before he remembered a passage from Play, Boy that he felt he needed to urgently share with Weiss.
“Oh!” he shouted as he turned back to her, “Your leg—wrap it, then tap it! Should fix all your problems!”
Blues yanked him away as Belle’s voice rang through the forest: “MICKEY.”
…“member” does mean “leg,” right?
* * *
“So,” Belle broke the silence once they’d found a safe place to camp until sunrise, “What’s your name?” Proto Man looked over at her, not completely sure how that had been glossed over in the hours they’d spent together.
“Um, Blues,” he shrugged, watching as Mickey sat next to his friend and dabbed her head wound with his vest.
“Well, this is completely ruined,” the mouse complained, lifting it from her wound and looking at it. The blood blended in with the red fabric, but any sucker would notice the dampness. Resigned, he tossed it on the ground. “And it won’t make for a good wrap either. But we’ve gotta bandage you up.”
Belle grunted. Being concussed did not sit well with her.
“Maybe that thing in your pocket will do it?” Blues offered, pointing at the rolled up Play, Boy sticking out of the back pocket of Mickey’s shorts. The mouse pulled the magazine out and stared at it for a moment.
His survival guide? Surely they could find something else. Belle glanced down at it, and then met eyes with Mickey. Her expression almost telegraphed her thoughts:
So much pain.
Mickey reached down and ripped out one of the pages. Slowly, he tore out page after page and tied them together until he made a makeshift bandage that fit snugly around Belle’s head. She reached up and touched it when he was done, a scowl forming on her face.
“Is it obvious my wound is being dressed by several nude women?”
Proto Man bit his lip but stayed silent.
Mickey smirked. “See,” he said triumphantly, “It did help after all!”
![[Image: 2agonyw.png]](http://i68.tinypic.com/2agonyw.png)