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Chapter Text

CHAPTER ONE - ALL IS FOUND 

It was about six years before the whole “moonstone incident,” when Yakko awoke in the middle of the night to five-year-old Wakko tugging on his fur, whimpering. This freaked him out quite a bit, and he sat up, pushing his brother away and asking what on earth he was doing in his room? To which Wakko began to cry, saying he’d had a nightmare, and then made it clear he didn’t intend to leave until he’d calmed down. Yakko, who did not want his brother in his room for reasons he’d thought had been made clear to his parents, protested, telling him that he just needed to grow up a little. And then Wakko cried more, and Yakko felt awful and tried to calm him down without freaking out himself. 

It took a few minutes before Angel arrived, leaning against the door and sighing, having been fetched by a nervous servant. 

“It’s two in the morning, boys.” she said tiredly. 

“Wakko won’t leave!” Yakko announced, pointing at his wailing brother. 

“I hadda bad dream!” Wakko cried. 

“Mom, make him leave!” 

Angel glanced at Yakko’s fearful expression, and sighed again, before moving over to her younger son, kneeling in front of him. 

“Wakko, why don’t we go get some food? Does that still calm you down?” 

“I don’t wanna! The monsters are in the cupboards and they’re gonna eat me!” 

Angel sighed, and glanced at the door, where the servant who’d fetched her was waiting. “Can you please go check the kitchens for monsters?” The servant shrugged and left, and she turned back. “See, the nice lady’s going to check over for you.” 

“They’ll eat her!” 

“Oh no, the palace staff are trained to hunt monsters. They’ll be alright.” Wakko bit his lip, still shaking, and Angel sighed and held out her arms, picking him up. “Come on, let’s go to your room-” 

“What if the monsters come for Yakko?” 

Yakko flinched, curling up and hugging his knees, and he said, “That won’t be a problem, just go.” 

Sadness flickered in Angel’s eyes, and after a moment, she sat on the edge of Yakko’s bed, bouncing Wakko on her knee. “Wakko, if I tell you a story, will you go back to sleep?” 

“Maybe.” Wakko said, which meant yes. 

“Mom!” 

“Just a little story, Yakko.” Angel said. “Then we can all go back to bed.” 

“Can’t Dad just come in and sing to him?” 

“We should let him sleep. Your father’s… having an off day.” 

“You mean he’s all sad and won’t talk to anyone?” Wakko said bluntly. 

“Wakko, don’t be rude.” 

“‘M not!” 

“Do you want a story or not?” 

“I do! I do! Don’t go!” 

She sighed and pulled Wakko closer, turning and holding out an arm for Yakko. “Come on, you can cuddle, too.” 

“I’d rather not.” Yakko said, crossing his arms and staring at the ceiling. 

Angel sighed but didn’t press it, and turned back to Wakko. “Now, let’s keep the story short, your brother’s very tired. Do you want-” 

“Enchanted forest, Mummy!” Wakko pleaded, leaning against her chest and hugging her. “Enchanted forest!” 

Yakko blinked, his curiosity temporarily overcoming his trepidation. “Enchanted forest?” 

“When Mummy got saved from monsters!” 

“They weren’t monsters, Wakko, the spirits were just cranky.” 

“Like Yakko!” 

Yakko groaned. “Are you sure you can’t make him leave?” 

“Wakko, shh.” Wakko quieted, sticking out his tongue, and Angel held out her arm again for Yakko. When he still didn’t scoot over, she instead hugged her younger son closer, and said, “I was not much older than your big brother. But I didn’t have any siblings, so it was just me and my parents in this big ol’ castle.” 

“Did they have a lotta ‘off-days’ too?” Wakko asked quietly. 

“Shh!” Yakko insisted. “Let her finish.” 

Angel sighed, waiting until they quieted down, and then continued. “They were often busy, yes, but so was I, because I knew I was going to be Queen someday. I just… didn’t know how soon.” 

Yakko scooched slightly farther, a memory flickering in his mind of the idea of an enchanted forest story, and his heart sinking when he realized that his little sister should be here. She should hear the story, too. But she was gone now, because of him, and… 

“We had a very strong alliance with the Elemental Forest, then.” Angel explained. “But we didn’t communicate much, so I was very excited when I was finally old enough to go on a traveling party to share news.” 

“Tell Yakk about the enchanted forest!” 

“I’m getting there, sweetheart, shh.” Wakko nodded seriously and cuddled against her again, and she said, “We called it the Elemental Forest because the people living there believed that spirits ruled their land; spirits of earth, water, air and fire.” 

Yakko hesitated, and then asked, “Did they?” 

She gave him a side glance, and then said, “Yes. But they weren’t like… well, they weren’t very nice.” 

Yakko blinked. “What happened?” 

“It started out fine.” she said, scooting farther on the bed and letting Wakko curl up in her lap. “A bit earlier in the year than meetings usually went, but apparently the leaders had something important to discuss. Our whole party was there- our guards, our diplomats, several council members-” 

“Like Scratchy?” 

Angel flinched. “N-no, he joined the council when I got back. Cause… well, nobody else really made it out of the forest.” 

“...oh.” 

“Don’t get to the scary part yet.” Wakko said. “Talk about the magic.” 

Angel smiled, lifting Wakko a bit, and said, “We never saw the earth or fire spirits, but I swore I saw the water spirit when our party traveled past the sea. A large horse, made of shimmering water, prancing across the waves and watching over the whole ocean.” 

“Whoa.” Yakko said. 

“I drew it once!” Wakko said, looking up at his mother. “I should show you!” 

“Maybe later.” 

Wakko looked a bit upset. “How soon later?” 

“Later. Now shh, or I won’t finish the story.” Wakko zipped his lips and hugged her side, burying his face in her fur. “As for the wind, she was always there. She took no form for herself, and the legends say it was because she didn’t want to be tied down by anything, even a basic appearance. So she would simply move past, scattering the leaves around her, which was the only way you knew she was there.” 

“How’d you tell the difference between normal wind and magic wind?” 

“We couldn’t really. The forest-dwellers claimed they could, though. Maybe they did. But I think she might’ve been curious about me, because I remember leaves blowing into my face quite a bit.” 

Wakko giggled at that image. 

“We made it to their home, and the leaders left to discuss news. I wanted to go in, but Father wouldn’t let me, so I wandered the camp. I don’t… remember much, to be honest. But I remember trying to chase the wind to see if it was really a spirit.” she smiled a little. “I also remember peering through the trees and swearing I could see the wind lift a child into the air. Letting him fly without wings.” 

“I wanna fly.” Wakko muttered, but Yakko’s focus was on their mother, engrossed by the story. 

“But before I could see for myself, that’s when everything went wrong. I don’t know what happened, but the forest people began to attack us. I remember being so confused, so upset- my guards tried to get me away from everything, but they had their hands full, they had much more numbers in their own homeland. My parents… they never made it out.” 

She closed her eyes, trying to push back what must have been horrible memories. Yakko shuddered, hugging himself. 

“And then the spirits became angered, at all of us.” she said. “There was fire bursting forth from the ground, the stream erupting into furious fountains, wind pummeling us, throwing us everywhere. And I started running, trying to get as far away as I could. But something hit me, and I fell, and… I must have passed out. I thought for sure, before everything went dark, that I would definitely die that day.” 

“And did you?” Wakko asked. 

Angel blinked, her mind somewhere else. “I remember feeling… like I was being lifted up. And someone was singing. A simple, but beautiful call. And then I woke up at the palace. I’d been found by an orphaned peasant boy just outside the kingdom, and he brought me all the way home by himself. I was the only one who made it out of the woods.” 

“Why did they attack you?” Yakko asked. 

“We don’t know.” she said quietly. “When they went back to the forest to look it over, they found a thick fog had descended over it completely. It kept anyone from entering… or leaving.” 

“Is that the foggy forest just over the mountains, then?” Yakko asked, remembering it from his maps. 

“Yes. It’s just beyond where we found the…” her face fell, and she cuddled Wakko closer. Yakko’s ears drooped.

Wakko, not noticing their sadness, said, “And tell ‘im about the boy who brought you back!” 

“Well, he was welcomed into the palace.” she smiled a little, rubbing her hand over Wakko’s fur, trying to raise her sad voice above a whisper. “For saving the future Queen. And so even after my parents died, I still wasn’t alone.” 

“And then you got married.” Wakko smiled as he let out a small yawn. 

“That we did.” 

Yakko looked up at her. “But who saved you in the forest? Who got you outta there?” 

Angel hesitated, and then said, “Nobody knows.” 

“I wish we did.” Yakko said quietly. “Cause whoever it was, I love them for saving my Mom.” 

Angel smiled and reached over to ruffle his fur. Yakko only flinched a little, still uncomfortable at the touch, and then he perked his ear up upon hearing something in the doorway. He turned, and smiled as their father waved over. Wakko smiled brightly, his tail wagging against the bed. “Daddoo!” 

Angel looked up with surprise, but also with a soft smile. “You didn’t have to wake up, dear.” 

“I just wanted to make sure…” 

“Nobody’s hurt. Promise.” 

William smiled a little, relieved, and then said, “Are you sure? I heard something about monsters in the kitchen?” Wakko giggled a little. “So we used some ‘monster-go-away’ spray in there, so we should all be safe, and little boys should be going back to bed.” 

Wakko curled up against his mother again, and said, “Can you sing to us, Daddoo?” 

“Wakko.” Angel said sternly. “You just got a story, and your father’s tired, too-” 

“It’s fine, Angel, I don’t mind.” he said, before moving over and sitting beside Yakko. “If it makes them go to sleep…” 

“Please sing, Daddoo!” Despite the fact Wakko was yawning and stretching, his tail was going a mile a minute at the prospect of being sung to sleep by his father, who he hadn’t seen all day- all week, honestly, he’d been so busy recently…  

“Alright then. Cuddle close, scooch in.”  

Yakko hesitated, but his father pulled him in, against his side, and slowly the young prince let himself relax a little. 

“Where the north wind meets the sea

There’s a river full of memories

Sleep, my darling, safe and sound

For in this river, all is found…” 

“If you two don’t shut up,” warned fifteen-year-old Yakko, climbing up and swinging from the middle bunk of their frosty bed, “I’m gonna encase you in ice until morning.” 

“I’d like to see you try.” Dot said, sticking out her tongue. 

Yakko slid beside his giggling siblings, flopping onto his stomach. He’d made them the bunk bed just a few days ago, and he was starting to feel like his siblings were abusing their ‘we get to hang out all night’ power. “Look, I know we’re having a fun little sleepover, but we’ve got a big day tomorrow, we’re gonna start packing for the trip-” 

“We can’t sleep.” Dot pouted. “We’re too excited to find out where this stupid ‘sister kingdom’ is.” 

“And the moonstone!” Wakko added. 

“And the magical destiny rocks!” 

“Yeah!” 

“Okay, but you wanna help out tomorrow.” Yakko said. “And you can’t do that if you’re falling asleep all over the place.” 

“We function amazingly on little sleep.” 

“Last time you had no sleep, you tried to hide thirty feet of fur inside a giant hat.” 

“And it almost worked.” 

“Speaking of which, if your hair drops down onto us and wakes us up again, we’re kicking you to bottom bunk.” 

“No, you won’t. I’m too adorable to punish.” 

“I’m gonna freeze your fur into an ice block!” 

“Try it, I dare you!” 

Wakko leaned back as his siblings playfully fought. When they stopped arguing and started giggling, he said, “But really, Yakko, we can’t sleep. We’re not tired.” 

“What do you want me to do, knock you into a coma?” 

“Sounds festive.” 

Yakko sighed, then turned to Dot. “And you’re not tired, either?” She shook her head. “What do you do to get tired?” 

“I never really had this problem before.” she admitted. “Whenever I couldn’t sleep before I’d just, like, paint. Having new things to look forward to in the morning is… new to me.” 

Wakko put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and then said, “Whenever I needed to sleep, I’d eat til I passed out.” 

“We’re saving that food for travel, though.” Dot reminded him. 

“I know, that’s why I’m awake now.” 

Yakko considered, and then said, “Whenever I was tired, Mom and Dad would sing. They’d do that with you, too, Wakko- you remember, right?” 

Wakko considered, cocking his head to the side and letting his ears flop onto his face. “When I was sick, yeah.” 

“No, no, like when they’d come in at night to tuck you in and-” 

“Do you remember what they’d sing? Cause I keep forgetting the words.” 

“Of course.” Yakko nodded. He leaned back, onto Wakko’s pillow, and held out his arms. “Cuddle close, scooch in.” 

Dot squealed and raced over, leaning against her brother’s side and sliding under his arm. Wakko did the same, his tail wagging up and down and thumping against the wood of the bunk bed. 

“Now, this is a stupid old song.” Yakko informed them. “Dad said his parents would sing it to him before they died, and their parents before them, yada-yada.” 

“And now you’re gonna sing it or I’m pushing you off the bunk bed.” 

“Bet?” 

“Just sing,” Wakko said, leaning farther against him and making his biggest puppy-eyes. “Please?” 

“I thought Dot was the cute one.” 

“I am!” 

“Alright, alright. Scooch in closer.” 

His siblings leaned up against him, and Yakko smiled, running his hands over their fur. He never thought he’d be able to do this, to hang out with them and hug them and sing them to sleep. But he was here now, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

“Where the north wind meets the sea, 

There’s a river full of memories.

Sleep, my darlings, safe and sound

For in this river, all is found…”

Wakko curled up more against him, wrapping his arms around his brother and pressing his face against his brother’s fur, content just to cuddle with his siblings. Dot smiled, hearing this song for the first time in her brother’s happy, lovely voice, excited to experience something so special to their family, something she missed in those ten years she was gone. 

“In her waters, deep and true

Lie the answers, and a path for you

Dive down deep into her sound

But not too far, or you’ll be drowned.” 

He heard Wakko’s soft purrs, and knew his brother was already lost in a dream. He’d been falling asleep a lot faster since he’d unfrozen, and a lot more often. He was still recovering, and he needed his rest. Yakko slowly slid Wakko off of him, tucking him in as Dot swung up to her top bunk. Yakko then climbed up beside her, and she cuddled against him again. 

“What’s the song about?” she asked. 

“Old legend Dad used to tell me about.” Yakko said, as he helped Dot pull her hair back up into the bunk. “When he was little, his parents would tell these tales about a special river, called Ahtohallan, that held all the answers to the past. So we all know what we’re part of.” 

“That’d be nice.” Dot murmured, yawning a little as she leaned against her oldest brother. “You just go to one place and you never have to wonder about the past again.” 

“Yeah, that would be nice.” Yakko smiled, rubbing his nose against hers. “We haven’t got that, but we have got a moonstone to find. So get some sleep, sunshine, okay?” 

Dot giggled, and Yakko held her close again. 

“Yes, she will sing to those who’ll hear

And in her song, all magic flows

But can you brave what you most fear? 

Can you face what the river knows?” 

For a moment, Yakko was nine years old again, and leaning against his father, curled against his fur, with his mother on the edge of the bed and holding his sleeping baby brother, and for just a little bit of time, long enough to hear a beautiful, ancient song, they could forget everything. 

“Where the north wind meets the sea

There’s a family full of memory

Come, my darling, homeward bound

When all is lost… then all is found.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWO - NEXT STOP, ANYWHERE

“So this is Norita’s little angel.” 

A hand moved down her fur, growing younger and smoother as the glow increased. But its fingers raked through, scratching and tugging and holding her back. 

It just kept getting brighter and brighter, even though there was no song to be heard. Instead, just the whispers, the dark voices right in her ears.

“Dottie, darling. I’m not getting any younger down here.” 

“I’m just here to help you.” 

“I love you most.” 

She tried to run, but her ankles were chained to the floor, the metal cutting into her paws; she had to be bleeding, she had to be- it hurt so much, her feet ached, and then she looked down and her hands were locked together, too. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. 

There was a burst, an explosion, and she looked up to see a black rock ahead of her, springing from the darkness. Then another, and another, And she twisted this way and that, struggling against the hands still pulling at her fur, trying to escape, but the rocks rose high, and the hands were too strong, and she could see reflections in the stone. Reflections of the mice, lying still, and Yakko running, running away from them, and Wakko, frozen completely… and she couldn’t heal them anymore. She couldn’t heal anyone. 

She tried to leap away, only to be dragged back, the chains shortening, the hands gripping too hard. 

“You know how I feel about the jumping.” 

She still couldn’t scream. 

“See? See what happens out there? You should’ve just stayed put.” 

Her hair was yanked again, but this time she fell, and it felt like she was falling forever- falling, falling, falling, picking up speed as she went, the world shining too bright. It was blinding. It was horrifying. And she couldn’t even cry. 

“You should have known, Dottie. Mother knew best!” 

Dot sat up in her bunk, gasping for air. It took her a moment to reorient herself- she wasn’t falling. She wasn’t falling. She was okay, she was in her top bunk, her brothers were sleeping below her, and her- 

Her fur… 

Her hair had flown up into the air, standing on end, floating. The floating instantly brought back a rush of memories, of her fur going dark and her mind going numb as everything crumbled around her, and she swiftly grabbed at whatever strands of hair she could reach, tugging them back down. Her fur eventually did flop back down, falling naturally over the edge of her bunk and pooling onto the floor. 

Dot breathed a sigh of relief, still trying to calm herself down. She gripped the edges of her blankets, reminding herself she was home, she was safe, she wasn’t there anymore. 

Of course, she was about to yeet herself right back into dangerous territory. But it would be okay. Her siblings were gonna be there, and Yakko was happy with himself, and Wakko wasn’t going to die. This was going to be fine. It was all going to be fine.  

Her false mother couldn’t hurt her now. 

She slowly slid down the ladder, ignoring her brother’s snores, and gathered up her fur. She’d have to pull that back into a ponytail before… oh! They were leaving today, yes. Yeah. 

She moved over to her dresser, picking up her beads and beginning to thread her hair, the way Wakko had come up with for her. It was a great help just to have her hair up, out of the way; she hadn’t been allowed to before, it felt like a little rebellion. A little bit of spite that could pull through. 

“I’m out.” she whispered, pulling her beads. “I’m out, I’m free, I’m safe, I’m loved.” She repeated those words, over and over, until there was a soft knock on the door. Or, well, a thump. Runt probably was banging his head against it.

“Dot, hon? Are you packed?” came Rita’s voice.

Dot took a breath, turned and said, “Yeah! I’ll wake my bros up, and we’ll get going!” 

Dot was told to pack only the essentials, so of course her luggage filled half of their caravan’s storage space. 

“You know Scratchy said we won’t be going far.” Yakko said as they headed back into the castle, holding hands. 

She skipped along beside him, shrugging. “Always good to be prepared!” 

“He didn’t even seem to think we’d be gone long.” 

“I’m sorry, do you want to be stranded in the wilderness without art supplies? I didn’t think so.” 

“Touche.” 

He held open the meeting room’s door for her, and she skipped in and immediately ran forwards, leapt into Scratchansniff’s arms, and gave him a greeting kiss. “Scratchy! How ya been?” 

Most of the traveling party was already in the room; Buttons, guarding the door with a wagging tail, with Mindy sitting beside him and playing with some action figures to keep her distracted. Sitting in the middle of the table, watching with interest as Scratchansniff tried to get Dot off of him and onto the ground, were Pinky and the Brain, with the latter already going over a large map held open by heavy cups. Rita lay beside them, already half-asleep, while Runt sat under the table and chewed on some kind of toy. Wakko, meanwhile, was doing a handstand atop a chair, his tail wagging as his siblings entered his view. 

“Morning, Scratchy. So where are we taking our lovely vacay?” Yakko said, pulling out a chair and using it to climb onto the table and sit on the edge. 

Scratchansniff finally succeeded in pulling the princess off of him, and as he dropped her to the floor, he said, “First of all, why are you all already packed? You haven’t even heard where you’re going yet-” 

“We’re heading out a-sap.” Yakko said, kicking his legs. “We told you- we don’t want those rocks to show up here. They keep following Dot-” 

“So we’re gonna head to the moonstone so they don’t end up anywhere else.” Dot shrugged. “They’re indestructible so we really don’t want them busting into the kingdom and ruining the architecture.” 

“Really busts the feng shui of the place.” Rita said. 

Pinky nodded at her. “I too think we should protect the mushrooms.” Brain bopped him on the head, which caused Pinky to burst into laughter. 

Scratchansniff put his head in his hands, and slowly sat down. “You may not even wish to go.” 

“We don’t really have another option, here.” Yakko said, flopping onto his stomach on the table. “Unless you want a kingdom of black rocks.” 

“Do you, Scratchy?” Dot asked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “Do you want a kingdom of black rocks?” 

“Will you settle down?” 

Dot considered, glanced at Wakko for his opinion, and then said, “No.” 

Scratchansniff once again sighed. “Will you at least listen?” 

“Maybe.” 

He rolled out an ancient scroll, with incredibly obvious aging; it was barely staying together, with holes and rips every few inches; the parchment had faded to a dark brown, and the nigh-unreadable text faded every few letters, and from the little Dot could see from her perch on the table, it seemed to use a lot of weird spellings at points, and a whole different alphabet at others. 

“We had to translate this, which is what took so long-” 

“Just ask Yakko to read it.” Wakko said, now standing on his head as he scratched his leg. “He’s got magical translating powers now.” 

“Well, to be fair, we haven’t tested it.” Yakko said. “It seems like I can only translate a certain dead language, though we should probably pick up some foreign language books to truly see-” 

“Why didn’t you have Yakko try to translate?” Dot interrupted. 

“We considered that,” Scratchansniff said, glancing up, “But we don’t exactly trust Yakko with things this ancient.” 

“Because of the ice?” Dot asked, upset. 

“No, because of… the everything about him.” 

“That’s fair.” Yakko nodded. 

“Moving on,” said Scratchansniff, gesturing to the paper, “It’s a list of trading deals as far back as we could find. We compared it to more recent files to check and see if there was a notable difference in allegiances between then and now. And… well, aside from the sea-based kingdoms, we have had roughly the same levels of cooperation with the lands we could reach. And we, um… we did have a main partner- moreso in the olden times, but it remained as such until… recently.” 

“The hell does that mean?” Yakko asked, summoning a snowflake midair to see how big he could make it grow. 

Scratchansniff paused, before rolling up the scroll, putting it away again. “We also compared our legends to the legends of that kingdom, and we believe it may indeed have rumors of a moon-based-” 

“Which kingdom, Scratchy? We gotta head out eventually.” 

Another sigh, and then, “It’s the Elemental Forest, Yakko.” 

Yakko’s eyes widened, and the snowflake he was playing with instantly burst into little bits, disappearing into the air. 

“Oh.” was all he said. 

Dot blinked, glancing around at everyone else’s hesitant expressions. “What? What’s up with the elements’ forest?” 

“Dot, sweetie, did you pay attention at all when you were taught recent history?” Yakko asked. 

“A little.” she shrugged. “Why?” 

“The Elemental Forest is where our grandparents died, Dot.” 

“Oh, okay.” she said, still not completely getting it. “People die everywhere.” 

“It’s a long story,” Yakko said, clapping his hands together, “But basically? Mom went there as a kid with a diplomatic party, and the people there either killed everyone or at least got them stuck there. She doesn’t even know how she got out alive.” 

“And it’s magic.” Wakko said, now balancing on his ears. 

“Yeah, but magic nobody but the people inside know how to handle.” 

“So what?” Dot shrugged. “We got our own magic nobody can handle. Glowing hair whip, ice boy, cartoon logic… we can probably handle it.” 

“Dot, how do I emphasize that everyone died?” 

“We still have to get there, Yakk.” Dot said. “Might as well look on the bright side.” 

“We don’t even know if we can get there.” Yakko shook his head. 

“Yakko does make an excellent point.” Brain said, before moving to the part of the map that showed the forest, just outside the kingdom. “After whatever incident occurred there, a mist descended over the wood that seems to repel anything or any one that tries to enter. Pinky and I once attempted it-” 

“And I went bounce!” Pinky said. 

“What he means is, he could barely so much as touch the edge of it without being thrown backward into a tree.” 

“It made me real dizzy.” 

“I guess that could be an issue.” Dot thought for a moment, and then shrugged again. “Ah, well. We’ll stomp that bridge when we come to it.” 

“Dot-” 

“Look, if the rocks could get out, then we can get in.” Dot said. “We’ll find a way! It’s probably magic-based, anyway, and, again, we got two magic people right here.” 

“You really are an optimist, aren’t you?” Yakko said. 

“That, and I also really wanna road trip.” 

“It won’t be that long of a trip-” 

“Maybe to get there, no, but who knows what’s inside? It’ll be super fun to go see.” 

“Also dangerous.” 

“That makes it more fun!” 

“You know we all almost died, like, a week ago.” 

“But we didn’t!” 

“That is true, nobody died!” Pinky said. 

“I think I died for a bit.” Wakko pointed out. 

“So did we,” Brain shrugged, “It’s apparently a recurring theme in this family.” 

“That’s not comforting.” Yakko said. 

“It’s like you said, though, Yakko.” Dot pointed out. “This is our best bet, it’s this or let the rocks follow me all the way here.” 

Yakko sighed, putting his hands to his face. Then, slowly, he looked over at Dot and said, “Are you sure?” 

“We knew this would be dangerous. At least now we have an idea as to what we’re facing.” 

“That’s true. But promise me you’ll be careful.” 

“As careful as I can be.” 

“Dot.” 

“That’s the best you’re gonna get out of her.” Rita said, licking a paw. 

“Ugh, fine.” Yakko said, standing up. “But if we can’t get in-” 

“I think our first attempt at breaking the fog should be throwing Wakko at it.” Dot said quickly. 

“Second!” Wakko said, flipping onto his feet. 

Scratchansniff watched them with concern. “Now, are you sure you don’t want a bit more… supervision?”

“We have Pinky and the Brain.” Yakko said. 

Scratchansniff gave him a look, and then repeated, “Are you sure you don’t want a bit more supervision?” 

“We have Buttons!” Dot said. 

“Buttons will probably be busy watching Mindy.” he paused, then. “You did ask her mother if she could come along, correct?” 

“As far as you’re aware.” Dot said. 

“What does that mean?” 

“Don’t worry about it!” Yakko said. 

“Yakko!” 

“But in all seriousness, Scratchy,” Yakko shrugged, “We don’t wanna drag someone into this mess who won’t know what they’re getting into. We’ve all been through this magic crap before, we know how to deal with it- except Mindy, she’s coming because we’re not leaving her alone without Buttons- and we’re all decently equipped to handle it. But we need the council here to, like, make sure the kingdom doesn’t burn down without us.” 

“Gonna be real, Yakk,” Dot said, sliding off the table, “It’s more likely to burn down while we’re here.” 

“Good point!” 

“Still-” 

“Don’t worry about us, Scratchy.” Wakko said, walking over to the councilman and hugging his legs. “We’ll be just fine!” 

Scratchansniff sighed one more time, and then ruffled Wakko’s hat. “Are you sure?” 

He smiled. “We have each other, don’t we?” 

Yakko climbed into the caravan, inspecting the interior. “Nice, nice. Hammocks, like that. Could use a bit… more, though.” 

“More what?” Dot asked, climbing in and leaning against the wall. 

Yakko beamed, bouncing a little with excitement, and then waved his hand, creating a long chain of snowflakes, bound together and each rotating under the light. He floated it up against the wall, hanging it high up, above the window shutters. 

Dot giggled and ran beside him, getting on her tiptoes and staring up at the flickering snow. “You’re right! It’s gorgeous!” 

“Thank you very much!” He clapped his hands together. “Now! You got your spare beads?” 

“Check!” 

“The Kingdom map?” 

“Check!” 

“What else?” 

“My journal!” Dot proudly held up the journal he’d gifted her. “So I can write down everything! And I gotta finish the found family portrait in the back.” 

Yakko grinned, giving her a side-hug. “I’m sure it’ll be perfect, sunshine! Now-” 

“Yakko!” Wakko opened the caravan door, racing in, though he had difficulty balancing at first. He stumbled over to his siblings, bouncing on his paws. 

“What’s up, my sib sibling?” 

“You forgot this!” Wakko reached behind him, and then held out a green scarf. Yakko fell quiet, staring at it. “It might get cold out there, and I know you’re a bit stressed right now, and Daddoo’s scarf always makes you feel better! You wore it for the lantern-lighting, so why not…?” 

Yakko bit his lip. “Um. I don’t really… get cold? Side effect of the whole…” he summoned some frost with his hand. “Y’know?” 

Wakko’s ears drooped. “Oh. So… you don’t need it?” 

He paused, glancing at Dot, who was hugging her journal to her chest. Then, slowly, Yakko smiled at his brother and took the scarf. 

“Naw, we’re definitely bringing this along. It’s a calm-down-scarf. Good thinking.” 

Wakko cheered slightly. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. Here.” Yakko moved to one of the hammocks, sitting in the middle and waiting until his siblings moved on either side of him. He then unfurled the scarf, wrapping it around their shoulders. Dot giggled, and Yakko pulled his siblings closer. “Come on. Where the north wind meets the sea…” 

“There’s a journey for our family!” Wakko joined in. 

“Go, my siblings, onward bound…” Dot sung. 

“When all is lost, then all is found.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THREE - ON THE TRAIL

Dot stared out the window, watching the world go by outside her. “Wow! Wow! Wow!” 

“Dot,” Brain said, from his perch on a table, “You know we love you and understand your excitement, but if you do not stop repeating that every time you see a new item, we’re going to tape you to the roof.” 

“Ooh! Brain!” Pinky cheered. “Can I be taped to the roof? Can I? Can I?” 

“I’m sure that’ll happen.” 

“Yeah, Dot!” Wakko jumped up on the seat beside Dot, pushing her aside. “It’s our turn at the window!” With that, he and Runt stuck their heads out, letting their tongues loll. 

Dot huffed at them, and then scrambled to the front of the caravan, where Yakko was sitting with a book and a map. “Hey, brother! How much longer we got?” 

Yakko glanced over to the horse pulling them along, and said, “Well, our horse is slow as molasses, so I’ll give it another couple hours.” 

“Yay!” Dot cheered, before backing into the wagon and racing to the table, jumping to sit beside her mouse dads. “Guess what everyone, we got a few more hours to enjoy the trip!” 

“Oh, joy.” Brain groaned. 

By the window, Runt barked happily, and Buttons shushed him, gesturing to the sleeping Mindy. Rita, meanwhile, who was curled on a hammock, groaned and opened an eye. 

“Dot, Imma be real with you.” she said. “This caravan is tiny, and if we had to be in here for half a season instead of just a couple hours, I think I would snap and strangle somebody.” 

“You all just have no spirit of adventure.” Dot said. 

“I thought the spirit of adventure was some kind of hot air balloon.” Pinky said. 

“Pinky, your head is a hot air balloon.” Brain sighed. 

“Zort!” 

Runt eventually pulled away from the window, running and leaping into the hammock Rita was sleeping in. Rita let out a yowl as the hammock began to precariously spin, and Dot slid from the table and moved beside Wakko, staring out the window. 

“The forest is so pretty.” she sighed. “Think in a few minutes we can stop and play in the leaves?” 

“We’re gonna need to stop to pee at some point.” 

“Ew, gross!” She elbowed her brother, and he elbowed her back, and they continued their play-fight for about a minute before bursting into giggles and sliding back onto the seat. Dot flopped her head onto Wakko’s shoulder, her tail thumping against the seat, and he cuddled against her as she started to purr. 

“You like traveling, huh?” 

“It’s so… different, right?” 

Wakko nodded. “You don’t see things pass like this from a castle window.” 

“And I love how bumpy it is! It’s like the wagon is massaging us.” 

“Yeah!” Wakko leaned against her, his voice lowering. “It feels so nice.” 

Dot recognized the way he relaxed his shoulders, and the way his voice went a bit deeper, more relaxed. “You’re tired?” 

“No…” 

“Go ahead and sleep, I’ll wake you up when we stop the caravan.” 

“Nuh-uh! I wanna see everything…” Wakko yawned. 

“Buddy, you know how you’ve been-” 

“I’m fine. Stop bugging me about it.” Wakko pulled away from her, his smile fading, and he turned, poking his head out the window again. 

Dot hesitated, wondering if she should say something. Instead, she just peered out the window with him, and said, “The trees look really cool here.” 

“Yeah.” 

A pause. “Wanna just watch the road go on forever?” 

“Yeah.” 

Dot and Wakko did end up cuddling close, with Wakko falling into a light slumber and Dot resting her eyes, pinching her legs to keep herself awake. This lasted until the wagon came to a sudden stop. Dot opened her eyes blearily, stretching and accidentally slapping her brother in the face, which caused him to fall to the floor and yelp. Dot bent over to help him up, and once they were standing, Yakko had opened the caravan door, looking quite a bit concerned. 

“Uh, Dot? Heads up, we reached your rocks.” 

“What?” Dot stumbled over the floor, stepping carefully over the mice, heading as fast as she could to the door. She slid out, skidding over the steps, and Yakko made a dramatic arm gesture to the sides of the road. 

The black rocks, indeed, poked out of the ground, growing in number the farther Dot looked, stretching off into the woods. Each one was sharp, jutting out of the dirt and pointing at the sky, fierce as unsheathed claws. 

“Oh.” Dot said. 

She began to step to the rocks, and Yakko immediately grabbed her ponytail and yanked her back. “No, no, do not touch them again!” 

“It’ll probably be fine.” 

“Probabl- Dot, no!” 

“I don’t think they want to hurt me.” 

“Doesn’t mean they won’t!” 

Dot flinched as the door swung open, and Buttons crept out, running to the rocks and sniffing them in an attempt to get a feel for them. Runt jumped down, wagging his tail, with Rita perched on his back. Pinky and the Brain climbed down the steps as well, before scampering over to the rocks. 

“Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?” Yakko asked. 

“Inspecting the rocks.” Brain said simply. “We’re scientists, Yakko.” 

“We don’t know what’ll happen if anyone else touches it!” 

“I touched em before Dot did.” Wakko said from the doorway, peeking out. “And nothing happened to me.” 

“That you’re aware of!” 

“Fascinating.” Brain said, touching the cold stone. “These rocks are unbreakable, correct? What kind of material must they be made of?” 

“Ooh! Taffy!” 

“Pinky. Did you seriously just suggest the unbreakable rocks are made of taffy?” 

“Have you ever been able to break taffy?” 

“I’m going to choose not to answer that.” Brain attempted to climb the rock, only to slide back to the ground. “We’ll need a sample to experiment with.” 

“That’s gonna be difficult, bud,” Yakko raised a brow, “Considering we just established we can’t break em.” 

Buttons returned to Yakko, barking out some kind of assessment. Yakko listened, and then said, “Yeah, they don’t seem dangerous now, but when they were busting out of the ground to try and kill us? Not great.” 

“We don’t necessarily know they were trying to kill us.” Dot interrupted. 

Yakko ignored her. “I suggest we get back in the caravan. We should reach the sundrop memorial soon, which’ll lead us to the edge of the mist. We’ll just have to be careful not running into these things.” 

“They don’t seem to be moving right now,” Brain observed. “So that shouldn’t be difficult.” 

“Yeah!” Yakko nodded. “Other than that? I think we should have some pretty smooth sailing!” 

Wakko blinked. “Oh, wait… I just remembered something.” 

“What?” 

“Um, it’s about… the bridge?” 

“I can’t believe you actually destroyed the bridge.” 

The party stood outside of the wagon, staring down at the bridge that was their only way to the hills they’d have to pass in order to reach the misty forest. And, indeed, it had all but completely collapsed into the cavern below. 

“To be completely fair…” Dot paused, struggled to think of something to say, and then announced, “I honestly forgot we did that.” 

“You brought it up last chapter.” Wakko said. 

“Go jump in the lake.” 

“Hey, hey!” Yakko pushed them apart slightly, and then said, “Alright. We can fix this. Now…” he pulled out his map, unrolling it and inspecting. “If we head south, and then east, we should reach a dip in the cavern in about two days. I think we have enough food for that-” 

“Or, you freaking idiot,” Dot said, giving him an angry gesture, “You could build us a bridge out of ice.” 

Yakko oh ed. “Yeah, that would work.” 

“Moron.” 

“Alright, stand back.” Yakko said, stretching his hands and straightening up, bouncing a little. He waited until they all, indeed, retreated a few steps, and then he held out his hands, wiggling his fingers a little for effect as his magic flowed out, streaming towards the wide cavern ahead of them. Wakko excitedly cheered as the rush of light flowed over the cliffside, and began to form a bridge of ice, thick and sparkling poles poking out from the sides, weaving together to form a railing. He bridge slid across the air, reaching for the far side and stretching above the deep pit below. 

It finally capped off, ending at the edge of the cliffside. And just beyond it… more pointed, fierce rocks, stretching towards them. 

“Still gonna have to avoid those.” Yakko muttered. “But I think we can make our way over the hill. Though…” 

He hesitated, before turning to his siblings. “What?” Dot asked. 

“Do we… wanna visit the… memorial?” 

Wakko bit his lip, glancing down at the rest of the group- Runt was rolling in the grass, Buttons was dragging Mindy away from the cliff by her overalls, and Rita and the mice were already inspecting the edge of the bridge of ice. He turned over to Dot, hoping to meet her gaze, but she was already speaking. 

“We’ll stop on the way back, maybe.” she said, shrugging. “Don’t wanna set off the rocks again.” 

“Okay, yeah.” Yakko nodded, playing a bit with his hands. “Let’s get into the caravan and get across.” 

Brain turned, hand on the icy railing. “Are you sure this will hold the caravan’s weight?” 

“I made a castle without thinking and it only got busted by black rocks showing up and trying to kill us, yes I think this bridge will hold our weight.” 

“What happens,” Pinky asked, already slipping on the ice, “If those moon rocks decide to chase us again and we’re halfway across the bridge, and they end up breaking it?” 

Yakko clapped his hands together, and said, “Then we’ll improvise! We’re great at that! Back to the cart.” 

“Can we add seatbelts to the caravan?” Rita requested, lifting Pinky by the scruff to carry him back to solid ground. 

“Maybe later. We should at least get to the fog.” 

Dot nodded and ran back to the caravan, holding the door open for everyone else. Rita climbed in first, carrying the mice, and then Runt and Buttons headed in. Wakko followed at Buttons’s heels, looking a bit quiet. 

“Wakko, you okay?” 

Wakko thought for a second, then shrugged and said, “Uh, yeah. Just wondering, if… nevermind, just… why’d we bring Mindy again?” 

“Do you wanna leave her alone in Warnerstock without supervision?” 

“Fair.” he climbed up the steps, before going to curl up on a hammock, letting his tail swing free. As Dot shut the door, waiting for Yakko to climb to the front of the caravan, Mindy toddled over, giggling, to Wakko’s hammock. She sat on the ground, playfully batting at his tail. Wakko smiled a little, and began to swing his tail a bit faster, so Mindy fixed her concentration there. She focused, moving her tiny hands back and forth to try and hit the tail. Her small stature meant that her hits didn’t hurt, instead just gently pushing her target in different directions. Dot smiled at this sight, and then turned to the windowseat again. 

She watched as the caravan began to move again. The trees past, the wind blowing through the soft, damp grass. Dot poked her head out, letting the wind hit her fur, smiling at the lifting feeling it brought to her. She felt a bit of a bump in the carriage as the wheels transitioned from land to bridge, now pushing forward on the much smoother ice. Every now and again, they drifted to the left or right, as if they’d slip, but either their horse would pull them back on course, or the railing would gently block them from the abyss below. The young princess leaned out, looking over the far drop. She could see some pointed rocks down there, but also a river, winding through the ground in little zig-zags, occasionally glimmering under the setting sun. The bridge shone, too, little sparkles swirling across the twisting poles. Dot slowly put her arms on the windowsill and leaned her head down, resting on her arms and staring out in wonder at the world. 

Though, when they passed the bridge, she started to get more uncomfortable, mainly because the rocks started popping up more and more often. As they continued on, slowing down as they began to ascend up the hill, Dot leaned out again, tracing the path of the rocks with her eyes. They were going to their left, marking the math she and Wakko had run… wow, was it really just a few weeks ago? It felt like an eternity. She ran a hand over her ponytail, sliding back into the caravan and sinking onto the seat. The long fur was nice for climbing things, and swinging around the castle, but it had a weight to it in more ways than one, and she was really missing the pixie cut. 

There was a slight pitter-patter, and Dot glanced down as Pinky and the Brain climbed up the edge of the windowseat, pulling themselves up beside her. She smiled, hugging her knees. 

“You alright, Dot?” Pinky asked, cocking his head to the side as he looked up at her. 

“Sure.” 

“That’s not a yes.” 

She sighed. “Just a bit weird to be back here. With the rocks, and the sundrop thing, and the… just all of it. And the fact we have to go find the moonstone- Demanitus said it wanted to join with the sundrop, what does that even mean? Am I gonna get moon powers? Is my fur gonna finally go away? Am I gonna explode? I don’t even… and the fact we’re about to get there, it just feels real now.” 

The mice shared a look, and then Pinky moved over, hugging her arm. “Well! Whatever happens, we’ll be right here for you! Narf!” 

“Narf!” Dot repeated. 

“Good Lord.” Brain muttered, but he did move beside Pinky and pat Dot on the leg. 

They fell into an uneasy silence, turning to watch Mindy bounce around and bat at Wakko’s tail, until the caravan came to a stop.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOUR - INTO THE UNKNOWN

Once again, the crew piled out of the wagon, standing in a huddle and staring ahead of them. Up in front of the caravan- whose horse didn’t seem to notice the eerieness of the atmosphere and was instead bending down to eat the dry grass- was the fog. 

Dot had never seen it up close, and it was very, very spooky. The fog started filtering up from the grass, but within only a few feet, it rocketed up to the sky, its end nowhere in sight. It was a glittering, thick wall of grays, but unlike the ice behind them, it didn’t reflect the sunset; instead, it blocked it out, making it seem like the sunlight ended at that block of air. It slowly, slowly swirled around itself, like a steady stream of muddy water. There was some kind of coldness emanating from it, but more of an abstract cold, not the wintery one Yakko had brought on them before. Even when they were standing at a distance, they could feel shivers down their spines as if they were standing in its midst.

“That looks way less freaky from the mountains.” Wakko said, as he picked up Mindy, holding her at his side. She waved at the wall, mumbling something about “cloudy!” Buttons sniffed the air, and then recoiled, growling. Dot slowly patted the mice on her shoulders, and Rita leaned against Runt, trying to calm him down. 

“Yeah, we just gotta figure out how to get past that.” Dot muttered. “Maybe I could try to glow, I think my light might- Yakko? Are you okay?” 

Yakko, beside her, was staring at the fog, completely transfixed. His ears perked up, his fur stood on end, and he let out a shaky, amazed breath. 

Then he took off running for the mist. 

“Yakko!” 

Wakko and Dot wasted no time in rushing after him, the rest of the group following close behind. But Yakko was fast, and he made it to the wall incredibly quickly, standing at the edge and looking ahead, his eyes scanning through the glimmers. 

Dot reached him first, and Pinky slid down her arm and down to the ground, saying, “Ooh, let’s see if it still bounces!” 

“Pinky, I swear to Spielberg-” Brain said. 

Pinky ran to the fog, but as soon as he hit the wall, he was tossed back, and thrown directly into Rita, knocking her from Runt’s back. Undeterred, Pinky laughed and got back up as Rita groaned, and he raced for the wall again. He was thrown back quite a few times, until Dot finally leaned down and picked him up again. 

Wakko glanced at Pinky, and then the wall of fog, and then Yakko. “What are you doing, Yakko? Don’t run off like that! You could-” 

“I heard him again.” Yakko said, his tail beginning to wag. 

“Him?” Dot blinked. 

“The voice. The call. I think it’s clearer over here.” Yakko said, sounding fascinated. “It sounds like he’s beyond the fog.” 

“Okay, okay, let’s back up.” Brain said, holding up his hands. “You know we’re still a bit concerned about the ‘hearing voices’ thing-” 

“With good reason, yeah.” Yakko nodded. “But I promise… I think he wants to help. I think he’s something good.” 

“Yakko, that’s still worrying.” 

“I just…” 

Yakko reached out for the wall, letting the edges trail over his fingers. He shivered, and then thrust his hand into the fog. 

Instead of throwing him back, the mist immediately, and quickly, rushed aside, parting in both directions, shoving itself away in order to make an escape. Yakko jumped back, looking up as the mist peaked in a triangular shape, making a pathway, shimmering in light purples and blues. As it parted, it revealed, just beyond its initial opening, several towering rocks, marked with symbols and shining as if new. 

“What the…?” Dot muttered. 

Wakko shivered, grabbing onto Yakko’s arm. Buttons, meanwhile, moved over to the rocks, sniffing up them. He barked back his findings- they smelled ancient, but alone, and nothing had touched them in years. 

“Well, that’s comforting.” Wakko muttered, holding Mindy a bit tighter as she tried to get down and reach for the clouds. 

“It’s beautiful.” Yakko said, awestruck. 

Dot gave him a curious glance, and then said, “Well, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. No offense to our actual horse- Phar Fignewton, right? Okay, let’s get back to the caravan, the pathway seems big enough for us to get through.” 

“Are we… actually going into that?” Rita asked hesitantly. 

“It’s what we came here to do.” Dot said. “Though, Imma be honest, I didn’t expect it to be this easy… maybe it’s a trap.” 

“It’s not.” said Yakko, his mind still elsewhere. 

Dot glanced to him, and then to Wakko, who hesitated before grabbing their older brother’s hand. “We’re going in together, right?” he said quietly. 

“Right!” Yakko nodded, before turning back to the caravan. “Come sit up front with me, it’ll be fun!” 

He ran back to the wagon, scurrying up to the front seat. The rest of them crowded up beside him- it got a bit squished, so Rita and the mice scurried atop the horse, as Yakko directed her to go forwards. 

Phar Fignewton trotted towards the fog, still not noticing its odd atmosphere, walking through the path and looking ahead at the brightness. They passed through the beginnings of the fog, and passed the rocks; as soon as they did, they jumped and turned as they saw the mist close in behind them. 

“Oh, that’s not great.” Dot muttered. “If we get stuck in the middle of this, I’m gonna kill you, Yakko.” 

“I don’t think it will close on us.” Yakko said, but his voice quivered. 

Dot shivered, hugging herself as the path continued to close behind them, and they seemed coated in the purple mist. She huddled close to Yakko, leaning against his arm, shutting her eyes so she didn’t have to see how small a space they seemed to be in. Wakko hugged Mindy on his lap and reached out an arm to pull Buttons closer. Runt, almost as oblivious to the fog’s influence as Phar Fignewton, simply sniffed at the mist and tried to lick it. Rita glanced back hesitantly, as Pinky spoke up. 

“You know,” the mouse said, “Lots and lots of fairytales like to use enchanted forests as a setting for transformation. I have no idea what that means, but I bet it’ll do something really funny to each of us!” 

“Comforting.” Brain rolled his eyes. 

The path continued for quite some time, until they finally saw a speckle of light in the distance. Yakko pressed the horse to go faster, and soon they were pulled out into a thick, beautiful wood. 

“Whoa.” Dot said. 

Above them were falling, orange leaves, spreading across a sea of warm trees and towering branches. The mist above blocked the sky, but the light shining from it still illuminated each plant, giving the reds and yellows some kind of glow. Crimson plants decorated the ground, with bushes sprinkled with berries pushed against the tree bark and making a winding forest path. Rocks reached up and scattered themselves amongst the ground, covered in thick, warm-colored moss. Grass poked out from beneath already fallen leaves, and they could see a distant stream, weaving in and out of view, and shimmering in a rich blue. 

They climbed back down, and then Pinky turned and said, “Oh! The mist is back!” 

He raced to the wall of fog, that had indeed completely closed behind them, and when he reached it, he was once again thrown into the air. Yakko turned, moving towards the wall and reaching out his hand, only for it to be yanked back as well. 

“Oh, so we’re stuck here.” Dot muttered. “That’s peachy.” 

“Don’t be so negative.” Rita quipped. “At least we’re stuck in a place we don’t know anything about with no sun.” 

“Yeah! No sunburn!” Runt yipped. 

Wakko slowly put Mindy onto Buttons’s back. “Y-yeah. We gotta cheer up. I’m sure once we get the moonstone, everything’ll open up again.” 

Yakko ignored the conversation, instead going to the nearest plant- a burst of thick, red hyacinths. He reached down, letting the petals tickle his fingers, and he smiled and laughed. 

“Yakko? We should get going.” Dot pressed, gripping her ponytail in a bit of stress. 

“What? Oh- yeah! Yeah. Head back in the caravan- unless you want to sit up front with me. We should be looking at everything we can, I’ve never seen… it’s so pretty.” 

Dot sighed, letting herself smile a little, and she shook her paws between the leaves, letting them crunch under her. “It is.” 

“I can’t believe this has been beyond our kingdom the whole time.” Yakko whispered, before turning back to the caravan, stroking their horse, and then climbing up into his seat. 

They traveled for quite a while, but even the fog grew dark eventually, and Buttons suggested they find somewhere to camp for the night. Yakko found them a decently large clearing, and they made their camp in the center, pushing leaves aside to build a fire and spreading blankets across the ground. Dot made everyone s’mores, which unfortunately gave Mindy and Pinky sticky fingers for a while, and they chatted quietly about what their plan was- which, it turned out, was just “keep going until we reach something that looks like the moonstone, or we find those rocks.” There wasn’t really much else they could think up. 

Wakko fell asleep first, curled under his weighted blanket, and Buttons and Mindy ended up cuddling beside him. Dot wrapped herself up in her fur, with Rita and Runt beside her, and the mice volunteered to take first watch. Yakko eventually slid over beside Dot, leaning against her and putting a protective arm around her sleeping body, letting himself drift off. 

He was in a dreamless, peaceful sleep for a little bit, until… 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

Yakko blinked his eyes open, and then sat up, flicking his ears slightly. He rubbed his face, carefully getting to his feet, listening to the wind. 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

His tail began to wag again, and he smiled, stepping over his sleeping friends. He glanced towards their guards- Rita had been awoken to keep watch now, but Yakko figured he could be quiet enough to sneak out behind her. He crept over the grass, moving to the nearby trees, putting his hand against the bark and absorbing the rough feeling, letting its texture give him a rush of excitement. He didn’t know what it was about these trees that was making him so happy, but it was like walking into a new, exciting world. 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

Yakko continued into the trees, following the distant call, not really thinking through anything he was doing, instead just letting his happiness move him along. The call was close, closer than he’d ever heard it, and it made him feel like light.  

After a moment, he held up a hand and called back. “Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

Ah-ah, ah-ah! 

He pushed through a hanging branch, jumped over bushes and sprouting flowers, picking up speed as his excitement grew. “Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

The voice called back, and he began to sing along. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah! Ah-ah, ah-ah! Ah-ah, ah-ah! Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!” 

He slid to a stop in the center of another clearing, bouncing and spinning in a circle, looking up at the sky, as if the voice could somehow be above him. The wind picked up around him, and he felt the breeze flow through his fur, as if the call itself was lifting him up. 

Actually, he did feel like he was lifting up… 

Yakko jumped and looked down, realizing that the blowing wind had pushed him off his feet. He leapt back, skidding onto the ground, as the leaves picked up, swirling around in a circle, like a small storm. 

“Oh no.” he said. 

The wind burst towards him, and he started to run. 

He was heading back the way he came, zig-zagging through the trees and trying to avoid the flaring leaves behind him. But this strange wind pushed on behind him- and when he turned back, he saw that not only had it picked up speed, he could see it now. It was swirling fast, picking up leaves and twigs as it burst along, trampling plants as it rushed after the fleeing prince. It was a dark gray, a mini tornado, and a strange noise emitted from it, some kind of roar. 

“Shoot, shoot, shoot…” Yakko muttered, pushing himself farther. 

“Yakko?” 

“Shoot, shoot, shoot!” 

Dot rushed out from the trees, the mice on her shoulders. She took one look at the wind and let out a swear, before reaching out to grab Yakko’s hand and drag him along behind her. The wind was close to them now, causing her fur to flare up in the wind, and Pinky and the Brain had to grip onto her shoulders to keep from being blown away. 

“What did you do?” Dot asked. 

“I don’t think this was me!” 

She dragged him back towards the clearing, where the rest of the group were scattering the ashes of last night’s fire. Wakko glanced up, concerned. “What are you-” 

“Run, run, run!” Dot called, but everyone picked up on the danger as soon as the tornado bust through the trees. Unfortunately, it had caught up with them, and suddenly they were all swept inside. 

Yakko grabbed tighter to Dot’s hand as their feet lifted from the ground and they began to spin through the air, but eventually he lost his grip, and she whirled off, desperately clinging to her beads to keep her hair from bursting out and getting caught in the clouds around them. Pinky and the Brain went flying, spiraling up and down at the mercy of this storm; Rita yowled, and Runt barked with excitement, apparently under the impression that this situation was “definitely, definitely cool.” Buttons pushed by Yakko, barking, and managed to get his way over to Mindy, who was laughing and pointing out leaves and branches. He had to duck beneath the caravan, upon which their horse was still attached, letting out panicked whinnies. It almost hit Rita and Runt, who barely managed to dodge. “Watch it!” Rita yelped, as if the horse knew what she was doing. 

Yakko turned wildly, trying to keep track of everyone, finally spotting Wakko a bit above him, shouting, “I think I’m gonna throw up!” 

“Do not!” Dot called, still holding her fur closer to her. “If you puke on us I’m gonna kill you!” 

“What the hell is happening?” Rita yelped, narrowly avoiding a branch that went straight for her face. 

“I bet this is that wind spirit!” Pinky called, lifting Brain a bit higher to avoid a flying rock. 

“Well it seems a bit peeved off!” Rita yowled. 

“Really? We hadn’t noticed!” Brain called back. 

Yakko noticed the caravan catapulting towards Wakko, and screamed, throwing out a hand. A blast of ice shot forth and knocked it away from his brother, but Yakko began to spin head-over-heels, and suddenly leaves began spiraling around his wrists. “Hey! Hey!” 

The tornado then seemed to tighten, swirling around him. The rest of the crew were thrown forth, crashing to the ground- Dot managed to catch the mice before they landed, while Wakko landed on top of Buttons and Runt, Mindy landing on top of him and still cheering, saying “Silly breezie!” The caravan crashed, thankfully upright, and Phar Fignewton reared and let out panicked cries, trying to figure out if there was a direction she could safely flee. Rita fell into a pile of leaves, scattering them into the air, and Dot had to push them out of her eyes. 

“Yakko!” 

The wind spirit had closed into a circle, hovering above them and still sending blasts of leaves and debris around them. They could barely look at it without the storm blasting into their eyes, but Wakko wasted no time, scrambling out from the pile and trying to make his way closer. 

“Yakko! Yakko!” 

Inside the ball of wind, Yakko was still spinning, bouncing around like a living pinball, his fur flying up around him. His ears and tail strained against the insane push, threatening to snap, and he slowly managed to force his hands together, summoning ice between them. He could feel the aura of magic beneath his palms, and he shut his eyes, focusing, trying to block out the screaming he could hear from outside his horrible prison, calling for him, for the wind to let him go. He kept his mind on the power in his hands, and finally it burst forth, and Yakko dropped. 

The wind didn’t dissipate, but he managed to get his feet firmly on the ground while it still swirled around him. He threw out his hands to the sides, blue light bursting from each palm and holding the storm at bay. It spread in a dome, still surrounding him and picking up speed, fighting back, trying to crush him. His knees buckled, and he barely kept himself standing. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah…” 

Yakko jumped, startled, and thrust his hands out farther. He looked up into the spinning air, straining his eyes against the fierce weather, seeing shapes begin to form from the clouds of gray- the shape of a little girl, a young toon, running. Swords forming midair, echoes of cries pounding against his ears. An orb forming, flashing dangerously- no, not an orb, a stone. Sharp rocks bursting forth from the walls of wind, their peaks pointed directly for him. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah…” 

Yakko shut his eyes and let out a shout, and some kind of beam burst from his hands, and suddenly the wind was thrust away. 

The mist burst through the clearing, forcing everyone back and crashing to the ground- everyone but Yakko, who remained standing right in the center, breathing deep and trying to regain his composure. The wind cleared, dissipating into the distance, and he struggled to breathe normally, to calm himself down. Slowly, he straightened up, and scanned the clearing. Everyone seemed fine, slowly getting to their feet- except Buttons, who’d been thrown into a tree and was now trying to scramble down. 

But what then immediately drew his attention were the sculptures of ice that had formed around him. Each was a different image, a magical glimmer flickering through them, and as he looked, Yakko immediately felt a calm wash over him. 

The breeze slowed, leaves spinning around the statues in a much slower, more controlled way, and even though they’d only just escaped, Yakko suddenly felt safer than he had in a long, long time. 

Ah-ah, ah-ah…

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIVE - THE PEOPLE OF THE SUN

The sculptures were pushed back, pointed away from the center, as if Yakko had frozen them as they formed in the breeze- oh, God, he might’ve. He straightened up, spinning in a circle to look at the images. One looked like a rearing horse, taller than Phar Fignewton and with an imposing look reflecting in its eyes. Another, a toon with a raised sword. 

He tried to keep spinning, but Wakko raced up behind him, grabbing his shoulders. Dot ran up, too, shouting, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Yakko assured her, before pulling away and running to the next sculpture- it looked like the shadow spirits that had attacked them during his whiteout, hands outstretched. He moved to the next, some kind of rock pile that Mindy was attempting to climb. As Yakko squinted, he realized the rocks of ice were in the shape of some kind of creature, stepping forwards. He moved back to the horse, reaching out a hand to stroke its frozen leg. 

“What is this?” he heard Brain say, and he turned to see the mice around the frozen shape of a campfire. 

“Yeah, what happened?” Dot said. 

“They look like moments in time.” Yakko observed, moving onto the statue of some kind of woman, hands outstretched as he had just a few moments ago, blasting something from her palms. 

Dot blinked, and then said, “Pinky, didn’t you have a theory about this?” 

Pinky turned to her. “My theory about advancing technologies as both our savior and our doom? Poit!” 

“No.” 

“The thing about cottage cheese?” 

“No, no, the thing about water.” 

“Water has memories?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Pinky,” Brain sighed, “Inanimate objects don’t have a memory recall.” 

“Oh, but water does!” Pinky said, excited to infodump, and he scampered over to a puddle, gesturing at it while Phar Fignewton, having finally calmed a bit, leaned down to drink. “The water inside of us has passed through at least four humans, toons and/or animals before us. And it remembers everything!” 

“Ew.” Dot wrinkled her nose. 

A gust of leaves picked up around Pinky, swirling, and he giggled, lifting his arms. The leaves then spun, whirling around Rita, and then Runt, and then Buttons and Mindy. The toddler laughed, clapping her hands. “Windy! Silly windy!” 

Wakko tensed as it moved across him, and then spun around Yakko, eventually shortening and swirling around his hands. He laughed as the leaves tickled his fur, and the breeze gave him a cool, refreshing feeling. “Whoa.” he laughed. “You in a better mood now?” 

The wind let out some kind of noise- like a light laughter. It brushed over to Dot, swirling around her. She pressed her skirt down, saying, “Hey, careful!” The wind, in response, moved up behind her hair, pushing it up and knocking her off-balance. Dot stumbled, but cracked a smile once she realized that the breeze didn’t want to hurt her. “Aren’t you curious?” 

Yakko moved up beside his sister, and the breeze circled them, the leaves turning, as if it was a form cocking its head to the side in consideration. He laughed, putting an arm around his sister. “You’re the wind spirit, then. I can see why Mom said the people of the forest could tell when you were nearby- you’re hard to miss.” 

Wakko walked up beside them, sliding a hand into Yakko’s, and then he asked, “Do you have a name?” 

Another sound of laughter, and the wind swirled the three of them. 

“What about Gale?” Dot said, reaching out a hand to let the breeze encircle her wrist. “Puns are fun names.” 

The wind seemed to like that, as it swirled lightly around them again. Then it moved, and Yakko spun to follow its course, a smile flickering across his face. Then he froze, staring ahead, as the spirit then swirled around one of the sculptures, one that had evaded his notice until now. He let out a soft gasp, and then slowly crept forward. 

The ice had formed into the shape of two children, one lifting the other, their feet positioned in a run. It was hard to tell their shape, as some kind of cloak covered their face, but the second child, in his arms, was clear as day, though her eyes were closed and her head pressed against the chest of the one carrying her. She had her ears flopped over, but tied with a ribbon to keep them out of her eyes, and her face was narrow like Yakko’s, but her fluff was unmistakably the same as Wakko’s. 

“Mom.” tears sprang to Yakko’s eyes as he reached out, stroking the cold shape, as if he could reach out and touch his mother once again. 

“What?” Dot called, and she and Wakko raced over. Wakko slid to a stop just beside the statue, throwing his hands over his face and stepping back, emotion overwhelming him. Dot, meanwhile, slid beside Yakko, staring down at the image of her lost mother as a child. 

“She looks like us.” she said, awestruck. 

“This must be the one who saved her.” Yakko said, glancing up towards the other child, holding her. “But no other kids went in the traveling party with her-” 

“They must be one of the forest people.” Dot said, her eyes still fixed on their Mom’s shape. 

“But that would make them her enemy. Why would-” 

“Oh, what in the hell!” 

They all jumped at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and turned, only to see a large group of people, mainly toons, dressed in warm colors and staring directly at them. Several held spears or shields, but the one in the front, a gray squirrel, was simply staring in absolute confusion. 

“How did you get here?” she asked, a bit of frustration creeping into her voice. 

Slowly, a smaller squirrel popped up behind her, and shouted, “Aunt Slappy! Look at her! The yellow girl-!” 

Instantly, the crew scrambled to their feet and leapt back to the siblings. Rita hissed, hackles raised in front of Dot’s feet, while Buttons barked and growled, pushing Mindy back towards Wakko, who ducked down and slowly picked her up, holding her back. Pinky and the Brain raced up atop of Runt’s head, where even he was growling, standing in front of Yakko in case these people decided to attack them. Phar Fignewton, meanwhile, still attached to the caravan, carefully backed into the trees, blinking towards this new group. Dot gave the caravan a quick glance, before shrinking back behind Yakko, who put a protective arm in front of her. 

At the sight of the group preparing to fight, the new people tensed as well, and the gray squirrel pushed the smaller boy behind her, reaching back. Someone handed her a sword, and she raised it higher. 

“Alright!” she said, her voice threatening. “Who the heck are you and how’d you even get here?” 

“Who the heck are you?” Yakko shot back, raising his brow. 

“Call your dumb dogs off and maybe we’ll tell you.” 

“Why don’t you lower your weapons first?” 

“Hold on, hold on.” Dot reached forward, trying to move Yakko’s arm aside and push past. “We don’t have to fight! Let’s just calm down and-” 

Buttons pushed her back farther, and the little squirrel shouted, “Aunt Slappy, look, she’s the color of the sundrop! The sundrop came-!” 

Yakko immediately shoved Dot to the far back of the group, before jumping to the front, hands out. “How do you know about that?” 

“What did she do to the sundrop?” said the older squirrel, aghast. 

“None of your business, get away from her right now!” 

“Don’t look at my nephew like that, I’ll knock your eye out!” 

“Don’t look at my little sister at all or I’ll break your hands!” 

“Good God,” said a frustrated toon girl from behind the squirrels, suddenly raising her own sword and pointing it towards the group. “Listen, pals. We’re not afraid of you. We may not be fighters, but we know how to defend ourselves.” 

“Don’t tell them we’re not fighters, Minerva, they’re gonna think we can’t beat the crap out of them!” 

“Everyone just calm down!” Dot said, still trying to push to the front of the group again. “We can figure this out-” 

As she stepped forward, the toon with the sword flinched, jumping and raising her weapon higher. Taking this as a threat, Yakko immediately rushed forwards and stomped onto the ground; ice immediately burst from beneath his paw, rushing across the clearing. It slid under the feet of the intruders, who immediately slipped and fell, knocking against trees or falling onto rocks. Yakko simply stood tall, straightening his shoulders and staring ahead. 

Dot finally pushed past Buttons, running to her eldest brother’s side and grabbing his arm. Wakko let out a cry and rushed to join them, and soon they all stood at the edge of the ice. 

The first of the people to get to their feet was the leader squirrel- Slappy, they thought. She reached out a hand, grabbing onto a tree to steady herself, and then turned her eyes on the albino prince. 

“Where did you learn magic?” she said, shocked. 

“Learn?” Yakko said, blinking in confusion. “You guys learn this stuff?” 

“What else can you be doing?” 

“He’s just doing ice powers. Like I do glowing powers.” Dot said, frowning and cocking her head to the side, letting her ponytail swish. “What, like it’s hard?” 

“I knew it!” said the little brown squirrel, and before they knew it, he scrambled into the nearest tree, scuttled over a branch, and leapt, managing to fall just a few inches from the group. Once again, Yakko pushed Dot back, but the squirrel just happily got to his feet, bouncing on his tail. 

“Skippy, get back here!” 

“You’re like, the living sundrop! The sundrop’s a person now!” 

Everyone grouped around Dot, but she poked her head over Yakko’s shoulder, standing on her tip-toes. The kid looked about her age, maybe a bit younger; not dangerous at all. 

“What do you know about the sundrop?” she asked, trying to keep her voice level so he didn’t feel threatened- not exactly something she needed to do, since he didn’t seem affected by everyone’s hostility at all. 

“Uh, everything, duh. We know all about the sundrop and moonstone!” Skippy said. “And the spirits- we saw the wind spirit was messing around and heard screaming and assumed we should come over, but Imma be honest, we don’t know anything about ice magic! It’s so cool, what do you draw your powers from?” 

Yakko shared a very confused look with Wakko, before saying, “I’m sorry, what?” 

“Well, the spirits draw their powers from nature, and the sundrop and moonstone from their respective astronomical objects. What’s ice from?” 

Wakko blinked. “Wha- how do you know it comes from somewhere? We don’t know anything about magic.” 

Skippy giggled. “Who told you that? We live here, we gotta know all this stuff.” 

Slowly, Yakko snapped his fingers, and the ice on the ground disappeared, fading into the air. As soon as he did, Slappy raced over to her nephew, standing behind him and putting a protective hand on his shoulder, glaring over at the intruders. The rest of the group slowly moved behind her, too, with the girl with the sword positioning herself at Slappy’s side. 

“You live here?” Yakko asked. “You’re… the forest people?” 

Rita paused, looked up at him, and said, “Who did you think they were? People passing by? We’ve got a fog wall, kid!” 

“How did you get past the barrier?” Slappy asked. 

“It parted for me.” Yakko said. “To let us in. But it won’t let us out until we find the moonstone.” 

Slappy stiffened, and the girl at her side took fighting position again. “Uh, I don’t think so, kid. We’ve been protecting the moonstone for centuries from blockheads like you.” 

“But Aunt Slappy!” Skippy said, pointing at Dot. “She’s the sundrop!” 

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t like that.” Slappy said, glaring up at the kids. “The sundrop is supposed to be a flower somewhere in the mountains. What’s it doing wandering around looking like-” 

“It’s a long story.” Dot said. 

“Ooh! Ooh! Can I tell it? Can I?” Pinky asked, raising his hand and bouncing up and down. 

“Oh no.” Brain said. “Do not let him-” 

“Go off.” Dot waved her hand. 

“Oh, Lord.” 

“Okay! So!” Pinky moved forward, and began dramatically gesturing. “It began long ago-” 

“Not really.” Yakko shrugged. “I mean if you’re starting with my birth, I’m only fifteen, and Dot’s ten-” 

“And a half!” 

“We have three royal siblings!” Pinky continued, gesturing behind him. “The oldest, born with winter magic! There was an accident, and before the youngest could be born, her mother needed healed! So their dad sent his guards to find the sundrop to fix her! But none of them knew the incantation to make it work, so they just had the queen eat it.” 

“Technically,” Wakko said, “They put it in a bowl and had her drink it, but-” 

“And so the youngest is born with the power of the sun! But then this evil lady kidnaps her for her power! And everyone freaks out!” Pinky shook Brain’s shoulders for dramatic effect. 

“The princess is locked in a water tower! And her brothers are locked in the castle so nobody figures out Yakko can make ice with his emotions! The boys aren’t allowed outside, and Yakko’s always trying to control his magic, but at least they have their parents! 

“Their parents are dead. 

“It’s been ten years! Dot wants to leave the water tower, and her fake mum is like ‘No, it’s too dangerous,’ but then Brain and I come in! We stole her crown and accidentally hid in her tower and she’s there with a cat! And she makes us take her to see the lanterns that Warnerstock sends out every year for her birthday! 

“And we have to deal with ruffians and thugs and we almost drowned and we got chased by a guard dog, but he’s our friend now so it’s okay- say hi, Buttons- and then we get to see the lanterns and it’s beautiful! And we’re gonna adopt Dot but oh no! We get separated! And now her fake mum has her again! We get arrested cause we’re kinda criminals! All hope is lost… 

“But then! The ruffians bust us out of jail! Brain and I go running off on Buttons to save Dot while Rita explains the entire thing to Wakko! Brain and I reached the tower but then we got stabbed! Dot was gonna use the sundrop magic to heal us but we wanted her fake mum to leave her alone so we chopped off her fur, and it turned black and lost its magic and the evil lady turned to dust! And Dot cried and had just enough magic left to save us! 

“And so she gets to go home! She’s reunited with her siblings!” Pinky hugged Brain to him to demonstrate, while Brain protested. “But uh-oh! Wakko and Dot are still feeling trapped, and Yakko hasn’t told them about the ice magic thing! They escape the castle, and Dot touches a black rock, and whoosh! Her fur is back, only this time it can’t heal. And then Yakko is coronated and it’s a lovely ceremony, really very nice, but then he gets mad and whoosh! Ice everywhere! He’s coated the kingdom! 

“He runs! And Wakko and Dot chase after him while the rest of us try to- we found some kind of machine thing?” 

Brain sighed. “The Demanitus Device?” 

“Right-o! And then the siblings crash into us! Yakko has accidentally frozen Wakko’s heart! So we gotta work fast! But then Dot sings a creepy song and gets possessed and suddenly there are shadow demons, everywhere!” 

“There were only two-” 

“And we escaped! But we got caught in a storm! Wakko gets rid of one of the shadows and then freezes forever!

“Then he unfreezes! 

“Oh, and then the ghost of Demanitus showed up and told us to go follow the black rocks to find the moonstone and join the sun and moon together so everything can finally stop being weird and we don’t have a clue what we’re doing except Yakko’s hearing voices so we’ve got that going for us. 

“Any questions?” 

The people of the forest stood completely still, blinking in confusion. Then, slowly, Slappy said, “Yeah, I have a lot of questions.” 

“Are you really from Warnerstock?” asked the girl with the sword, who slowly sheathed it again. 

“Uh, yeah?” Wakko said. 

She looked fascinated. “What- what’s it like?”

“Is it okay?” said another, older toon from the back of the group, a longing in her eyes. 

“Hey, everyone, focus!” Slappy said, clapping her hands to get the girl to straighten up. She then turned. “Look, that was a lot to process, and I’m sure it’ll take me a week to get through the first few sentences, but you can’t just waltz in here and demand the moonstone. That’s what your grandparents did and now we’re all stuck here!” 

“That’s what?” Yakko asked. 

“But Aunt Slappy!” Skippy said, pointing at Dot. “If she’s the sundrop, she can get the moonstone to stop trapping us here! We can see the sky!” 

“Look, kid, do you actually think-” 

“I can prove it, if you need!” Dot said. She stepped forward, and began to sing. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine-” 

Her fur began to light, but to their surprise, everyone started shouting and waving their arms to stop her. Slappy raced over and shook her, as if that could make her stop glowing. “Hey! Let go of her!” Yakko shouted, running over and pushing her off. 

“Did I do something bad?” Dot asked. 

“Don’t just light up like that, morons!” Slappy said. “The spirits could see you, and we haven’t gotten them to calm down in twenty-five years! Everything’s been trying to kill us, we can barely even start a campfire! And you don’t know how to deal with them like we do- do you wanna get killed? Cause if so, be my guest!” 

“Look, it’s fine.” Yakko said, rubbing his hands on Dot’s shoulders. “We just dealt with the wind spirit. What’s the worst that can happen?” 

At that, the tree behind him lit, suddenly covered in flickering, purple fire. 

“That’s what could happen, you idiot!” Slappy shouted, and everyone began to run.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIX - THE FLAME

Yakko snapped to action. He pushed Dot towards Buttons, and called out to his team. “Rita, Runt, calm down Phar Fignewton so she doesn’t bolt- that caravan topples, we’re all in trouble! Brain, Pinky, Buttons, get my siblings outta here!” 

“Yakko, wait!” Dot called, but Yakko already took off towards the burning tree, throwing his hand out and shooting ice towards it, trying to douse the flame. But the fire burst from the tree’s branches, scampering down another birch, and then began to light the ground, creating a zig-zagging pathway of purple. 

The people of the forest began to scatter, and soon Dot was lost in the sea of people. Someone grabbed her arm and yanked for her to follow them, but when they were blocked off by a wall of fire, they lost their grip, and Dot ended up rushing out into the forest alone. She stumbled away from the spreading fire, stumbling and spinning, her ponytail bouncing against her. “Wakko! Yakko!” 

“Dot! Dot!” Wakko called, also lost in the flame. He held tight to Mindy, who was completely unconcerned and pointing at the fire. “Dot, Yakko! Where are you! Come back!”  

He leapt back as the flame flew up the tree in front of him, before leaping off the branches again, bouncing from tree to tree and setting them all ablaze in purple explosions, light blues at their core. Wakko stepped back, holding Mindy closer to him. “Okay, stay calm.” 

“Firey!” 

“Yes, yes, fiery, fiery forest, fiery forest bad, let’s go-” 

He heard a rush behind him, some kind of sliding ice- Yakko. Wakko turned, seeing his brother rushing several trees behind, freezing the fire over and leaving only icicles in its wake. He didn’t seem to hear Wakko, and instead scanned the forest, finally laying eyes on the source of the fire. He took off running, still throwing out ice towards any flames he passed. 

“Yakko!” Wakko shouted, racing after him. 

Dot, meanwhile, was still stumbling through the fire, trying her best not to panic. She stopped, looking up; thankfully, the magic fire didn’t seem to have any kind of smoke, so she wouldn’t have trouble breathing, so long as she stayed away from the actual wildfire itself. She leapt over a branch, shouting. “Brain! Pinky! Where are you? Anyone?” 

She heard a cry, from just a little bit away, but her sight of who was there was blocked by the fire. She glanced up, seeing an unlit tree within throwing distance, and immediately pulled out her beads, stuffing them into her skirt pocket and letting her hair fall free. It hadn’t broken when Wakko had tried to set it on fire that first day, so she could only hope magical fire wasn’t any different. Worst thing right now was that leaves were already getting in her hair, that’d be a pain to brush out. Still, she lassoed her fur, before tossing it directly at the branch. It caught, and she jumped and pulled, lifting her high enough into the air. She spotted a shape behind the fire and re-directed her swing that way, before dropping down to the ground; her hair, unfortunately, unhooked from the strained branch, falling all onto the ground- thankfully, yes, it didn’t burn. 

It was Skippy, the little squirrel, looking very lost. He blinked at her in amazement, and Dot yanked her hair, dragging it all back to her. She stomped out the fire that still burned on its edge, and then said, “Okay, kid, I have a plan, grab on.” She held out her arms, and Skippy quickly ran to her, embracing her tightly. Dot then said, “Alright, fur! Let’s do that shield thing again.” 

To her relief, she seemed to instinctively know what to do; she yanked her hair back, and suddenly it wrapped around them, spiraling and piling high until they couldn’t see the forest at all. Skippy shouted, concerned, and Dot said, “Don’t worry, I’ve done this before!” 

“How many times before?” 

“Once, and it was on accident, but I think we’ll be fine! Now, listen, think of this as a hamster ball, and start pushing us out of here.” 

“What?” 

“It’s my fur, I can’t really move it in this position, but I can certainly spin.” 

“Won’t that make you dizzy?” 

“We’re toons, we can handle a little ‘dizzy.’ Now get rolling til we stop hearing stuff burning.” 

Skippy nodded, and then started to push on the wall of hair. Indeed, they started to roll across the ground, and he began to lift his feet, running across the fur as they moved through, bouncing off of trees and trying to get over roots in their way. 

After a minute or so, Skippy asked, “Are you okay, Ms Sundrop?” 

“The name’s Dot!” Dot said, as she continued to spin in her own shield of hair. “And don’t ask me to talk, or I’ll throw up!” 

“Okay, Ms Dot!” 

Wakko continued to race after his brother, the white fur sticking out amongst the dark of the forest and the bright purple of the flame. He jumped over roots and branches, holding Mindy close and trying to call out and get Yakko’s attention, but Yakko seemed fixated on stopping the fire at its source. 

“Firey! Firey pretty!” Mindy called, pointing out the trail. 

“Yakko! Yakko!” 

Wakko stumbled, tripping over a root, and he rolled before hitting the ground, letting Mindy land on his stomach. He sat up, pulling her closer as a burning branch landed in front of them, the flames rising high. He flinched back at the heat, pulling the toddler back with him, and he stood, trying to move again. Suddenly, though, his legs felt like lead, and as he kept pushing himself forward, he found himself sinking lower and lower. 

No, no, not now, not now… 

“Wakko?” Mindy asked, noticing how he was slowing. “Wakko okay?” 

“I’m fine.” he said, but he had to stop a moment, leaning against a tree. Then Mindy let out a cry, and Wakko looked up to realize that the tree they were against was beginning to burn, starting from the branches above them. He retreated, only to collapse on the ground, his legs giving way, still feeling too much weight and shaking uncontrollably. 

“No, no, no!” He struggled, trying to force himself to his feet without putting Mindy down. “Get up! Get up!” 

“Wakko?” Mindy blinked. 

“It’s going to be okay!” he said quickly. “Get on my back, we’ll see if I can crawl- augh!” he dropped again, putting a hand over his heart, which was starting to ache. Why did this have to happen now? Why was he still feeling the effects of the unfrozen heart? He should be okay by now! He should be fine, and instead he was stuck. 

“Wakko! Mindy!” 

Wakko blinked up, hearing Brain’s voice, and pulled Mindy towards his chest. Suddenly, the fire around them vanished, frost swiftly covering the ground, shooting up the trees and sliding under his paws. He looked up to see Yakko, several feet away and directing his snow towards them. Mindy cheered, and Wakko turned to see that behind them, Buttons was running, Pinky and the Brain riding on his head. 

“Buttons, get them out of here!” Yakko called, before racing off after the flame again. 

“Yakko! Yakko, no!” Wakko called, but he felt Buttons lift him up by his sweater, and jumped. Mindy slid out of his arms, quickly climbing onto Buttons’s back and hugging his neck. Buttons then continued to carry Wakko, racing across the frozen ground. 

Yakko took off, keeping his eyes locked on the flame. He was catching up, thank God, able to douse the trail of fire beside him as he moved. But he looked ahead, seeing they were about to pass another clearing, inside of which were several tents- likely the camp of the forest people. He pushed himself farther, tossing out his hands, letting his clumps of icicles rise in front of each tent, winding back and forth and starting to make a pathway. Thankfully, the fire seemed unable to pass them, leaving the area unburnt, and giving Yakko a better idea on how to handle this fire. 

He raced past the tents, noticing the land start to descend, and he threw out his hands, letting the ice spread farther across the ground. He then clapped his hands together, watching as icicles rose from the ground, making the path narrower and narrower, giving the fire less room to escape. He saw a large rock pile at the edge of the clearing, and started aiming his path in that direction, drawing the fire into a smaller and smaller area, until finally it entered a crack between the rocks, and he could see the purple bouncing up and down, bouncing off the walls of the tiny cavern. He rushed to its edge, holding out his hands, prepared to freeze over the entrance. 

But then he stopped, cocking his head to the side, letting his ear flop into his face. The way the fire was moving, it didn’t seem angry- it seemed panicked. 

Don’t be stupid, fire doesn’t have feelings. 

Well, neither does wind, but you saw Gale. 

Yakko knelt down, keeping frost at the tips of his fingers just in case. But, yes, in the enclosed space, the fire didn’t seem as threatening- in fact, he could make out some kind of tiny form in the front, a teardrop shape. Likely its head? Yes, it was turning to face him now, and he thought he could see eyes, the same shape as the head. It let out a startled cry, which sounded like the rising of flames, and a tiny arm formed at its side, throwing out more fire. It missed him, catching onto a tree, and Yakko simply reached back, iced over the branches, and then gave the flame a glare. He crossed his arms, and said, “Now, that’s no way to act.” 

Slowly, the fire seemed to grow smaller, more confused. Wondering why Yakko wasn’t attacking. Yakko once again cocked his head to the side, following the way the fire was leaning, as it slowly emerged from the cavern. This time, though, there wasn’t a trail of purple flame behind it, and it was just a small, floating shape, dark spots for eyes. It crept a bit closer, every now and again ducking to the side in case it had to run, but Yakko stayed low, just watching, He held out a hand, smiling a little. “Yeah! Come here. It’s okay.” 

The flame did move to his hand, and when Yakko felt the intense heat, he remembered that, oh yes, while this thing was kinda cute, it was also living fire. He moved his hands together, frosting them over, and that seemed to excite the flame. It jumped up, some kind of smile appearing in its flickers, and it settled down, resting against his cold paws. It turned to a more blue shape, more controlled, its flames swirling less in the wind. 

As it did, the remainder of the wildfire died, disappearing into the air. Yakko looked back, smiling, before waving a hand and letting his icicles sink back to the ground. The flame watched that with interest, so when Yakko turned back, he waved his hand overhead, dropping tiny snowflakes above it. The flame seemed to like that, spinning in a little dance. 

“You know, you’re pretty cute when you’re not setting everything on fire.” Yakko said. “Just like Gale, huh? Oh, that’s what we called the wind spirit. And you’re the fire spirit, huh? Are you friends?” 

The flame seemed to nod. 

“We should give you a name. Have you got one?” 

It rocked back and forth. Shaking its head? 

“Hmm. Just Flame? Maybe Luke. Or Francis Scott Key.” He reached out a finger, petting the flame; now that it was calmed, it felt less like pure fire and more like a warm ribbon, tickling against him. “Or Bruni.” The flame looked up at that. “Oh? You like that? It means ‘shining.’” It nodded, doing another dance. “Okay! Bruni it is. You look sometimes like you’re trying to talk to me- I can’t hear you, sorry about that. But I can see you just fine! And it’s nice that you’ve calmed down. Try not to set everything on fire when you’re upset- it just causes problems for the rest of us. And we got enough crap to deal with, yeah?” 

Bruni nodded, and Yakko heard the rustling of leaves behind him. He stood, turning and looking over. The caravan slowly moved through the trees, Rita and Runt riding on the horse to direct her path. Rita relaxed upon seeing the King, and called back, “Alright, fire spirit’s chilled out!” 

From behind her, the forest people began to step out, back into their village, staring in confusion at the flame in Yakko’s hands. He looked down as it seemed to blush, leaning back and forming a leg to twiddle in embarrassment. “Hey, it’s okay, we’ll talk to them together, yeah?” 

He heard more rustling from the side, and turned, before sinking his shoulders in relief as he saw a bundle of fur burst forth, bouncing down a slope and into the clearing. Once it landed, the fur unraveled to reveal Dot and Skippy, with the former holding her head and letting her eyes spin around. 

“Skippy!” called Slappy, and Skippy raced over to his aunt, immediately holding up his arms so she could lift him up. 

Yakko gave Dot a glance-over, satisfied that, yes, she was alright, just a bit disoriented. He began to step forwards, before… 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

Yakko turned, and to his surprise, so did the flame, scrambling up to his shoulder and pointing off to the distance. 

“You hear him, too?” Yakko asked, turning towards the direction of the sound. The flame moved back down to his hands, nodding. “Somebody’s calling us, aren’t they? What do we do?” 

Bruni gave him another flicker that seemed like a smile, and then it leapt down from his hands, scrambling across the leaves and up onto a rock, gesturing to the distance. 

“Keep going?” Yakko asked, and it nodded. “Okay! Onward it is.” 

The flame scampered off, and Yakko started to follow, before he felt someone leap onto him from behind. He jumped, surprised, and only settled when he heard Dot say, “Yakko! Oh my God, are you alright?” 

He waited until Dot let go of him, and then he turned, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m fine, I’m fine. How are you?” 

“I’m great! My hair’s a shield, in case you didn’t notice, and it doesn’t burn, so- oh, crud, we should get this in a ponytail again- the leaves are gonna be a killer.” 

“Ugh, yeah. Just shake like Runt in a storm? Maybe that’ll get some of them out.” 

Dot did so, sending several feet of fur flying into Yakko’s face. He laughed, pushing her back as she began to pull out her beads. 

“Yakko!’ 

He looked up, becoming even more relieved as he saw Wakko push past the crowd, Buttons at his heels, still carrying the mice and Mindy. Wakko stumbled as he ran, before rushing into Yakko’s arms, hugging him close. 

“You’re not dead!” 

“Neither are you, not that you were doing a lot to prevent that outcome.” Yakko said, as Wakko pulled away. He knelt down, looking him over. “You’re still tired, aren’t you? You can barely stand up.” 

“I’m fine!” 

“No, you’re not! What were you thinking, following me into fire?” 

Wakko blinked, and then tensed, his ears going back and his tail curling in anger. “You don’t want me to follow you into fire? Then don’t run into fire!” 

“Wakko!” 

“You could’ve been killed! You’re not being careful!” 

“Neither are you! Wakko, you carried Mindy in there with you! You put her in just as much danger as yourself!” 

Wakko flinched, suddenly realizing this, and then hissed, “I wouldn’t have had to run after you if you’d waited for us! Instead you went running off-” 

“I can make ice out of my hands, fire’s not gonna bother me! It’s you I’m worried about! I’m not going to let you die because of me again! Okay?” 

Wakko let out a huff. 

“Wakko. Me and Dot have magic that can protect us. You don’t. You need to be more careful than us.” 

Wakko stared at the ground, and then sniffled, “I don’t want you to leave me.” 

“Hey, hey.” Yakko lowered himself, grabbing his brother’s arms. “I’m right here, yeah? No more shutting out- we agreed. Crossed our hearts and eye-needled or whatever. Now… are you okay? Tell me the truth, please?” 

Wakko considered his response for a while, before letting himself lean onto his brother. “I’ve been better…” 

“Could this help?” 

Yakko and Wakko turned, seeing that Dot had raced off to the caravan and returned during their argument. She looked concerned, her eyes flickering between them in fear they might start yelling again. When they didn’t, she smiled nervously and held out what was in her arms- Dad’s scarf. Yakko smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Good thinking, Dot. Come here, cuddle close.” 

Dot ran to join the hug, and Yakko took the scarf from her, wrapping it around their shoulders, pulling it tight. Wakko leaned farther onto him, and Yakko felt Rita climb over their legs, settling on Dot’s paws and purring comfortingly. 

Then… 

“Where did you get that?” 

Yakko looked up, surprised, to see that Slappy, still holding Skippy at her side, was much closer to them than he’d expected, just a few feet, beside Buttons, who was tensing and keeping a close eye on her. 

“What?” Yakko asked, confused. “Oh- I’m sorry, we’re still in your camp, we should…”

“That scarf. Where the hell did you get that?” she sounded upset. 

“Aunt Slappy, be nice.” Skippy hissed. 

“This is our Dad’s scarf.” Dot said quietly. 

“No, it’s not.” Slappy shook her head. “That’s Willo’s scarf.” 

Yakko froze completely, while Wakko and Dot just looked confused. “No.” Wakko shook his head. “This was our Daddoo’s. He wore it for special occasions, and when he was sad- I saw it all the time.” 

“Our Mom used to call him Will-o.” Yakko muttered, before slowly pulling the scarf off of them, holding it tight against his chest. “When it was just us.” 

Slappy shook her head, confused. “What are you talking about?” 

“What are you talking about- who’s your Willo?” 

“He was a kid, one of our kids- he died when your people decided to try and kill us.” 

“He died?” Dot asked. 

“Well, they never found him, so they just kinda assumed-” Skippy began. 

Yakko’s eyes widened in realization, and he tied the scarf around his neck, before picking up Wakko. With that, he raced off, carrying his brother in his arms. “Yakko!” Dot called, before picking up Rita and rushing to follow. 

Yakko didn’t care how many people were trailing after him- which was a lot, since everyone was quite confused as to what was happening. Instead, he just held Wakko close and kept running through the woods, following his path of ice, letting it turn to sparkles as he passed. He kept going, pushing himself farther, until he reached the place they’d all started, the clearing filled with frozen statues. 

He ran right to the one in the far corner, the one of their mother, only a little kid, being saved. He dropped Wakko to the ground, and as soon as Dot raced up, breathing deep, he untied the scarf, holding it out beside her rescuer. 

“Look!” 

Dot stared. “That… that can’t be the same scarf.” 

The forest people began to filter in, staring, as Yakko nodded, a smile bursting across his face. “It is! It’s Dad’s scarf, which means…” 

He stepped back, before wrapping the scarf around himself again. He glanced back, and then slowly raised his hands, focusing intently on the statue. This was a moment in time, right? So he just had to move forward a few more moments. 

Indeed, the statue began to move as he held out his hands, the legs moving up and down, running through the woods. Yakko felt the wind tickle his legs, and he smiled as Gale picked up around the statue, swirling upwards towards the sky. And when her leaves passed by the face of the child carrying their mother, the cloak fell down, as he looked behind him, and then back to the girl in his arms. 

Yakko lowered his hands and returned to the statue, and then traced his father’s young face made of ice. 

“Dad.” his voice broke. 

Dot stared, and Wakko moved up beside Yakko, still completely shocked. “It’s… it’s Daddoo?” 

“He didn’t just bring her to the castle, Wakko.” Yakko said, blinking back tears. “He saved her life. He got her out of the fight, out of the forest- Dad saved Mom that day.” 

“But…” Wakko muttered, trying to find the words. He heard the footsteps of the people behind them, though, and simply turned, looking at them with a newfound fascination.

Yakko stepped in front of the statue, putting his hands on his siblings’ shoulders. Dot finally came to, looking away from their parents’ statue, and said, “Willo was our Dad. Our Dad was one of you.” 

Skippy looked excited, bouncing on his tail, but Slappy was more cautious. She looked over the children, at the statue, and then over to the kids themselves. Her eyes landed on Wakko mainly, with his dark fur and round face, and then she said, “Oh, God. I see him.” 

Wakko blushed, leaning against Yakko, and then Slappy glanced down, nodding at Skippy. He beamed and ran forwards, stopping just short of them. He then held out his hands, and began a song. 

Yakko gasped, staring down at him, recognizing the melody from one of his dad’s lullabies. And then Minerva moved behind Skippy, putting one hand on his shoulder, the other reaching behind her for another toon, and she continued the song. As the rest of the traveling party moved up behind the siblings, staring in awe, the people of the forest formed a sort-of circle, each holding each other in an unbroken chain, some of the elders holding up smaller children in order to touch the shoulders of those in front of them, even younger kids grabbing onto their parents’ hands and giggling. Yakko teared up, holding his siblings closer, and Dot began to cry too, smiling bright. Wakko stared dumbfounded, until Slappy moved to the front, taking one of Skippy’s hands in hers and holding out her other paw for them. It was then that Wakko began to cry, too, and he reached out his paw for hers, smiling at its warmth. 

When the song faded, Slappy said, “We’re the Northuldra, kids. Welcome to the family.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SEVEN - THE FOREST NIGHT

“The rock giants will be heading this way, and unfortunately, Skippy and I have made a habit of ticking them off.” Slappy explained, as Yakko loaded the last of their things into the caravan. “Wouldn’t be smart to travel for at least a day. Our camp’ll be the safest place- just don’t glow again, might attract their attention.” 

“I actually do try to avoid glowing normally, so, sounds good.” Dot giggled. She was already learning a clapping game from Skippy, the two of them sitting beneath the statue of the frozen horse. 

“I thought it was pretty!” Skippy said. 

“Thank you!” 

“We should get going.” Yakko said, though he couldn’t keep a smile off his face. “Thank you so much, Ms Slappy-” 

“Call me a “Ms” again and I’ll knock ya into next Tuesday.” 

“Alright! Slappy- can you tell us about our Dad? When we get back to camp. We’ll tell you everything that happened after he left, but we- he never… we want to know everything.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Hurry it up, we haven’t got all night.” 

“Ooh, I’m gonna like you!” Yakko said. He waved his hand. “Wakko, come on, get in the caravan!” 

“In a minute!” Wakko called. He was still sitting beneath the statue of their parents, rubbing his legs in an exercise Nurse had taught him, to try and make them stop aching, wake up a bit more. He didn’t want to be so tired right now, he wanted to stay up with the rest of them and talk to these people. 

Their people? 

Northuldra. They hadn’t heard the name before- they just knew the forest people kept a lot of things secret. But their Dad was one of them, and he never said anything. Yes, of course, everyone was mad at them for almost killing the entire royal family… though Slappy seemed to think Warnerstock started it. Did they? If they did, why wouldn’t Dad say anything? And why couldn’t Dad say anything to him and Yakko at all? 

It was their family, too. They should’ve known. 

Wakko looked back up at the statue. His father looked much different as a child, but he had the same face shape, showing the same concerned expression he’d get. And there he was, holding Mom, saving her life. She had to have known- the way she’d call him Willo when nobody was there but family, the way she’d hesitate when telling the forest story, when Wakko would ask, as he did every time she was able to sit by his bedside and tell it to him, who had saved her. The way she smiled, hugging herself, whenever Daddoo sung his favorite lullaby to them. 

They both knew, and neither of them thought to tell them. Just like they never told him about Yakko. 

Wakko reached out, putting a paw against the statue. He sighed, breathing out, and whispered, “Another secret, and another, and another…” He looked up, staring at their faces one last time before he’d get up to leave. 

“At least you were consistent.” 

“Alright, then, time to be an exposition machine.” Slappy said, sitting cross-legged by the fire. “What’re we going over first?” 

Yakko, Wakko and Dot, sitting together across from her, all raised their hands, ooh ing and shouting, “Me! Me! Me first!” 

Slappy slowly turned to her right, where the mice were sitting atop of Runt. “Are they always like this?” 

“Usually, yes.” Brain said, before tapping on Runt’s leg. “And now they’re your problem, goodnight.” Runt stood, wagging his tail, and raced back to the caravan with the mice. 

“Great. Like I don’t deal with enough kids over here.” Slappy rolled her eyes. “Alright, uh, you, the glowing one.” 

Dot beamed, bouncing a bit, and said, “Okay! So! You all are like, protectors of the moonstone?” 

“Eh.” Slappy waved her hand noncommittally. “I mean- yeah, we’re in charge of that. We found where it was a couple centuries back but uh? It does nothing but destroy things and that’s not really something most people like. And anyone who grabs that has the power to destroy whatever they want and that’s kinda dangerous. I, personally, prefer exploding stuff we wanna get rid of to things just dusting fast or black rocks shooting out of the ground, but apparently some people think the moonstone is ‘easier’ or ‘more powerful.’ So, yeah, we make sure nobody takes it or finds where it is. But it’s not, like, the only thing we do.” 

“What else do you do?” Wakko asked, fascination flickering in his eyes. 

“We exist, kid, what do you think? We live here, we do our own thing. We avoid ticking off the spirits, move camps when the weather changes, and play pranks on each other.” 

“Aunt Slappy likes to annoy the neighbors.” Skippy nodded, rocking back-and-forth. “And then when bad things happen she gets to do the cool leader thing.” 

“Putting me in charge wasn’t my idea, but apparently it’s immediately applied to the oldest one here. Does mean I get to crush moon rocks with a sword, though, so that’s fun.” 

Wakko glanced up. “You can break those?” 

“Yeah.” 

“We’ve never been able to so much as dent them.” 

“Well, you’re unprepared for this type of crap.” Slappy said. She gestured behind her, to where Minerva was talking with several adults, and the toon quickly grabbed a sword and ran back, handing it to her. “You see this beauty? Tell them about it, Minerva.” 

“Oh, it’s generational.” Minerva said, sitting beside the squirrel and watching the sword reflect the firelight. “Made of a rare metal we can’t find anymore, mixed with carbon freaking nanotubes- it’s the only thing that can break creations of the moonstone. And it’s incredibly shiny, which I personally appreciate.” 

“Minerva likes pretty stuff.” Slappy sighed, passing the sword back. 

“That’s right!” Minerva turned to the children, and then said, “But you’re actually from Warnerstock? Like, the kingdom?” 

“Uh, yeah?” Yakko nodded. 

“Is it doing okay?” she asked. “I hope it is- or maybe I don’t, they did screw us all over- but also! It’s my past, too- how’s it going?” 

“Are you from Warnerstock?” Yakko asked. 

“Uh, my parents were- my mom was actually your mom’s guard! And my Dad was on the council. They got stuck here when the moonstone’s fog spread and, well, none of the Warnerstockians who survived the initial fight were prepared to live alone in the forest, so they just kinda… ended up joining up.” She shrugged. “They’re… not really around anymore? But we’ve got a couple still hanging around- some of the ones over there, hi!” 

She waved at some older adults, who were helping the children douse their own campfire. A few waved back, a few others just glanced cautiously at the traveling party. 

“But the rest of us? We’ve never been out of the woods.” she leaned forward, excitement flickering in her eyes. “And I… I wanna know what Warnerstock is like. It’s my family history, I guess.” 

“Oh my God, same.” Dot said, reaching out and squeezing Minerva’s hands. “We want to know everything about the forest. Apparently this is where our Dad came from!” 

“And Daddoo never mentioned anything.” Wakko said quietly. 

Slappy glanced at them. “Did he really never mention us?” 

“Uuuuuuuuuuuh…” Yakko muttered. “To be fair to him, it might not’ve been the best PR move if he had. We kinda… well, everyone’s still a bit pissed that you killed our last royal family.” 

“They had it comin.” Slappy said. 

Yakko blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“You should be. Look. Everyone here knows what happened.” Slappy gestured around the camp. “Your grandparents took our leaders aside, pulled out swords, and said, ‘give us the moonstone or we start killing you all.’ And, uh, we don’t do that! So we fought back, and then the spirits got ticked and set off the moonstone. It unleashed this stupid fog, and now we can’t so much as see the stars.” 

“That can’t be right.” Yakko shook his head. “Mom said we were just here to discuss trading and stuff.” 

“Yeah, well, your Mom was a dumb kid.” Slappy shrugged. 

“Come on.” Yakko said. “Are you sure that’s what happened? I mean- why would they want the moonstone in the first place?” 

“Same reason everyone wants it. It destroys stuff. Weapon of war.” 

Minerva flinched. “My parents were never sure about that, but, yeah- the argument did start over the moonstone, that much is certain. Most of the people in the, er, conversation? They died first, so, we don’t really know…” 

“Yeah we do.” Slappy said. “Their grandparents were idiots and brought this upon us.” 

“Slappy.” 

“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, Minnie. Do you know how many people I knew that died that day?” she gestured to the siblings. “Willo’s parents were killed before any of us even knew what was happening. So if Warnerstock is going to try and play the victim-” 

“We’re not ‘playing’ anything.” Yakko said quickly. “Listen, whatever happened, our Mom didn’t know.” 

“Maybe it was a misunderstanding?” Dot suggested. “I just… don’t see why you’d attack first, but I also don’t see why our grandparents would be dumb enough to try and take the moonstone.” 

“You’d be surprised how dumb people can be.” 

“This is getting sad.” Skippy said, bouncing on his tail. He glanced over to Dot and said, “So your Dad was one of us? And he married the Queen?” 

“Yeah.” Dot nodded. “I mean- I guess, I never actually… met them? The whole… ‘kidnapped and locked in a tower’ thing, you know.” 

Yakko put an arm over her, and then said, “Yeah, uh, our Dad was King William the Good. But I guess he was… Willo of the Northuldra.” 

Wakko began to play with his own paws, and then he said, “That might explain the old family lullabies nobody else knew.” 

“Yeah.” Yakko nodded. He began to play with the edges of his father’s scarf, and muttered, “Where the north wind, meets the sea…” 

“There’s a river, full of memory.” Minerva and Skippy completed, nodding along. 

“Ah, yes, the ol’ drowning lullaby.” Slappy nodded. “Love how kids’ songs always gotta have some horrible warning in them.” 

“What was he like?” Yakko asked. “Our Dad?” 

“He was… real sweet- never tried to cause trouble, but he would go run off and come back covered in leaves and say he was playing with the wind spirit. Course, that was before she started trying to kill us every now and again. But he was always trying to help people out, make everyone less stressed.” she smiled a little. “He used to say that we shouldn’t be worried, because the world would always right itself, no matter what happened.”

“Dad was always an optimist.” Yakko laughed. 

Wakko flinched. “I mean… when he wasn’t… having an off-day.” 

“Listen, he had every reason to be depressed-” 

“I’m not saying he didn’t! But, you know, after Dot was kidnapped, he was always busy, or alone-” 

“Not always! Don’t be rude.” 

“I’m not. I just…” Wakko shook his head. “Nevermind, then.” 

They all fell into an uneasy silence, and then Dot sat up and said, “So. You know about magic stuff?” 

“Yeah?” Slappy said. 

“You think you know more about my hair?” Dot held out her ponytail. “The Demanitus ghost thingy, he said that it came back when I touched the rocks so that the sun and moon could re-join or something.” 

“It is said the only thing that could destroy the moonstone is the sundrop.” Slappy said cautiously. “They’re supposed to be able to join together and return back to the spirits- but nobody ever knew where they both were and tried to put em together.” 

“Well. My dumb fake mom was keeping the sundrop from everyone so she could stay young forever.” Dot rolled her eyes. “But that does remind me- when we were fixing the Demanitus Device, we found this second incantation. The first one makes my hair glow and used to heal, but… the second one, I went all black and started sucking the life outta everything.” 

“Oh, you mean the whole ‘wither and decay’ spell?” Slappy asked. 

“Yeah! What’s that about?” 

“What it says on the tin, the decay incantation. But you said you ‘went all black’? Yeah, it’s the moonstone’s spell, not yours. So you trying to use it would overload you. Same thing would happen if you started the crescent incantation. But eh, let’s not get into that.” Slappy gestured to the sky. “It’s late. We can talk more tomorrow- you can chill with us, and then day after it should be safe to head out. Unfortunately, you all showed up after we moved camp farther away from the moonstone, so it might be a few days’ journey. By the time we get there… I guess we’ll know whether or not we can trust you.” 

She stood, gave them a wave, and left. 

“Cheery.” Yakko muttered. 

“You get used to her.” Minerva smiled a little. “And, no, you don’t have to go to bed immediately- if you want to sit by the fire and watch the stars, it’s fine.” 

“I wanna see all your shiny stuff.” Dot said. 

“That works too!” Minerva said, standing up. “Come on, my tent’s this way.” 

Dot leapt to her feet, giggling, and quickly followed at the mink’s heels. Wakko stood up to follow, but Yakko put a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want,” he said. 

“But Dot-” 

“She’ll be fine.” 

Skippy glanced towards where his Aunt had disappeared to, and then scrambled over to the boys, sitting on his tail and bouncing. “Wanna hear something cool?” 

“Absolutely.” Yakko said. 

Skippy took a finger and began to sketch in the dirt- four symbols, the ones that had decorated the stone outside the forest. “So we got the four elements, right? Water, earth, fire, air.” 

“Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony.” Yakko muttered under his breath. Wakko elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Okay, but these symbols should be on your scarf.” Skippy said, holding out his hands. “Can I see?” 

“Uh, sure?” 

Skippy took the scarf, flipping it to an embroidered edge. “Yeah, here it is; most of our clothes have the symbols somewhere on them. And here, you’ve got all the symbols pointed in a diamond shape.” 

“Yeah?” 

“But look, in the middle!” Skippy gestured to a small, thick diamond, centered between all the symbols. “They’re all pointing at it. It’s a fifth spirit.” 

“Fifth spirit? Like, five elements?” Wakko asked. “What would be a fifth element?” 

“I dunno,” Yakko smirked, “Leeloo? Hello, Nurse!”  

“You are killing it with the references today.” 

“What can I say, I’m hilarious.” 

Skippy waited until the brothers were done giggling, and then said, “Okay, so, we have a couple theories- nobody really knows, any source on that spirit has been lost to time. But we think it might be some kind of bridge.” 

“The element of bridge?” Yakko asked. “Cause we broke one just outside the forest and that could be a problem.” 

“Not exactly.” Skippy shook his head. “It’s not an actual bridge, but like… a connection between the magic world and ours. Both spirit and mortal.” He handed the scarf back to Yakko, who tied it back around his neck. “Some of the old people say they heard it cry out the day the fog happened. It was upset at all the fighting we were getting up to. It disappeared then- and I think that one day it’ll come back and lift the mist, and then we’ll get to see the sky, and the fifth spirit will stay here forever and ever and make sure that stuff never happens again.” 

Yakko smiled a little at the child’s optimism, and then said, “But in all seriousness- it’d be an element of nature probably, right? What has both nature and magic? Plants- is that different from earth? Sound? Explosions?” 

“If the fifth spirit was explosions, it’d be Aunt Slappy, and if she had magic we would definitely know.” 

“I don’t doubt that! But what else you got? Clouds? Sky?” 

Though Yakko and Skippy, engrossed in their conversation, did not notice, Wakko felt his heart drop, and scooted back as the boys continued to talk. Because he’d just thought of something- no, no, that couldn’t be it. 

The fifth spirit wouldn’t be light. The moonstone existed and that wasn’t a sixth spirit. The fact that the sundrop was supposed to be the only thing that could stop the moonstone… the moonstone that apparently caused the fog… 

He glanced over the fire, towards the edge of the clearing. Minerva and Dot had managed to dig up shining swords, and Minerva was teaching Dot some kind of defensive maneuver. They spun, their swords clashing together, and Dot laughed, her smile reflected in the firelight. Two young Northuldran kids raced up behind her, and she quickly turned, tossing them sticks, instructing them as Minerva had just taught her, inviting them to join in the fun. She looked so happy. 

He wondered, if the fight had never happened and the fog had never descended upon the woods, if they could have grown up here, as well as the castle- if Dad would have taken them all to the woods to learn about the spirits. If Yakko would have been more himself here, where magic wasn’t strange. Where they would have had a huge, extended family, instead of just a few people locked away. He imagined running through the woods with his siblings, climbing up trees and jumping over rivers, Gale lifting them up into the sky. He’d liked when she did that, when she swirled around them- it made him feel free. Alive. Like he was part of something- and he supposed he was. He was half-Northuldran. He was part of this tribe, just like his siblings. This was their home just as much as Warnerstock- and it was so beautiful, probably even prettier before the fog. 

But they couldn’t very much stay forever. They had to find the moonstone, and once that was all done, they were going back home. Home, to the castle, with its narrow halls and low ceilings and stuffy air. Well, okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but after being locked in there for a decade, it’s what it felt like. But they had to go home, they had a responsibility to their people. They needed a ruler. 

Well… they only needed one member of the royal family, didn’t they? 

Wakko looked to his siblings again. Dot was now play-wrestling with a lot of children, laughing and rolling in the dirt. Yakko was deep into conversation with Skippy, showing him the scarf and tracing the embroidery while they speculated. 

They were magic. They belonged somewhere with magic. 

What would he do if they wanted to stay? 

They wouldn’t. We’re not splitting up ever again. 

…but what if they do? 

What if they leave you alone? 

What would happen to you then?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER EIGHT - THE VIEW FROM UP HERE

Wakko fell asleep beside the campfire, awakening early in the day- or at least, he assumed, the sky was still impossible to see. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and taking note of everyone in the room. Rita and Runt were still asleep in their hammock, while Buttons and Mindy were snoring in theirs. Pinky and the Brain were sleeping in their little corner, and… 

Yakko and Dot were already gone. 

He felt a panic rise in his chest, and flipped his hammock; the fabric spun, sending him crashing to the floor. Once he landed, he scrambled up onto his legs and raced out the door, straining his ears for the noises outside. When he heard the crunch of leaves under feet, he leapt down the caravan steps, swinging around to the front and scanning the area. 

He relaxed only slightly when he spotted his siblings; Yakko and Dot were at the edge of the clearing, with Dot swinging on a tree branch while Yakko attempted to climb up the trunk. Skippy was already several branches above them, waving down, and by the time Wakko raced over, his siblings were already heading up. 

“Hey! Where are you going?” he asked, bouncing his leg nervously. 

“We’re gonna get a view of the forest.” Dot said simply, smiling over at him. “Come on up with us.” 

“Uh, I dunno-” 

“Come on! Three trees are so pretty, and Skippy says the view from up here is even better!” 

“It’d be better with sunlight,” Skippy shrugged, “But it’ll do.” 

“Come on, Wakk, join us!” Yakko said, waving his hand. “The branches should hold our weight, and if they don’t, I’ll just make us an ice block to land on. It’ll be fun, promise.” 

Wakko hesitated, glancing back to the caravan, and then reached up, gripping onto a branch. He hoisted himself up, smiling slightly as his siblings cheered for him. He followed them up the tree, gripping onto the branches with his paws or tail, swinging up and over and hurrying up towards the top. Skippy, of course, reached the highest branches first, followed quickly by Dot, who let out gasps of joy. Then Yakko made it up, and he held out a hand to help pull his little brother to the top. Wakko took his cold hand, letting Yakko yank him up, and then turned and stared in awe at the view. 

From up here, they could all see the tops of the other trees, stretching out for miles upon miles, the leaves all fading into each other, into reds and oranges and yellows, blowing gently in the morning breeze like rolling hills or a rushing stream. A bird would lift from the leaves every now and again, sailing high and then swinging back down into the trees. And just beyond the line of trees, if they squinted, they could see a beach, and though its sky was also covered by fog, giving the water a gray, dark look, they could see moving waves, a few rocks peaking up and around like freckles on the sand that the water pushed against. 

“Wow.” Wakko said, leaning over onto Yakko’s shoulder. 

“Yeah.” Skippy smiled. “From up here, the forest doesn’t seem so trapped. Just shows you how big everything is.” 

“And how small.” Dot said, and Skippy nodded. 

Yakko squinted towards the beach, and said, “I didn’t realize this place was seaside like us.” 

“Yeah. We can’t get much farther than a mile or so out, though.” Skippy said sadly. “Aunt Slappy said a couple of your people tried to sail past the fog in the first year they were stuck here and it… didn’t really work out.” 

Wakko’s heart sank a little. “That’s awful. I can’t imagine…” 

He hugged himself and leaned against Yakko, who he knew was thinking the same thing. Yakko pulled him closer, and then said, “So. How far from the… moonstone are we?” 

Skippy glanced across the forest. “Few days’ trek. It’s over to the right- actually a bit closer to the ocean. It’s gotta be, the water spirit protects it, too. Or at least, it’s supposed to; it’s kinda been mad at us like the others.” 

“You ever seen it?” Yakko asked. 

“Not really; we try to stay away from the ocean and the moonstone cavern because we don’t want it to kill us.” 

“Mum used to say she saw it as a kid.” Wakko said, recalling a distant memory. “A horse, running across the ocean.” 

“Aunt Slappy says it’s a horse, yeah.” 

“Maybe we can get Phar Fignewton to become friends with it,” Dot quipped, “And then it won’t be mad anymore.” 

“Maybe I could do something.” Yakko said, staring off towards the sea. “I calmed down the wind and fire spirits.” 

Wakko flinched, and Dot said, “Maybe? You don’t wanna overshoot your expectations.” 

“But it’s water, I’m ice- that’s the same thing, almost, one’s just colder.” 

“If the spirits calm down and the moonstone’s joined with the sundrop,” Skippy asked, turning with excitement to the older children, “Do you think the fog will disappear?” 

“Of course.” Dot said. 

“And we’ll see the sky?” 

Yakko released Wakko in order to lean over and grab Skippy’s hands. “I promise,” he said. “We’ll do whatever we can to free this forest.” 

Skippy smiled widely and leaned over the branches to hug Yakko tightly. Yakko laughed, and Dot quickly joined in the embrace. 

Wakko just watched them, quietly, until it was time to go back down to the ground. 

Slappy and some of the adults came out to talk to the group about directions, as well as discuss who would be accompanying them to make sure they weren’t going to do anything stupid. However, Dot got bored several minutes in, and wandered off to the middle of camp to play with the kids again. One of the young boys excitedly showed Dot how to embroider the spirit symbols onto scarves or shirts, and she sat beside him, working on her own fabric and copying his movements. It was actually really calming, sitting and sewing the same pattern, over and over; on all these different clothes, these symbols were constant, but still unique, having been stitched by hand and thus not immune to the occasional mistake or elaboration. 

Eventually, Skippy came over with more children, and he asked if they could help her get leaves out of her hair, and she told them that if they got Mindy, the little girl could show them how to braid it, which excited them immensely. And so Dot ended up sitting on a small rock, hugging her knee and laughing, while Mindy excitedly called instructions to the older children, who were leaping around while layering her strands of hair. Rita eventually made her way over, muttered something about everyone still talking boring stuff, and then promptly fell asleep on her lap. 

Eventually, Skippy wandered back to see what his Aunt was up to, and when he came back, the other kids had properly layered and tied the braid, and were now decorating it with strategically-placed petals, with the younger children and Mindy working on a flower crown. 

“What’re they arguing about?” 

Skippy shrugged. “I think we wanna send a lot of people with you, but there’s not a lot of room in your caravan, but also we don’t want to just send a couple of our people off with people we don’t really know that well, but also considering how crazy your brother’s powers are there wouldn’t really be anything we could do against you anyway, and they don’t like that, and also your mice dads were saying something about-” 

“Ugh. Can’t we just go already?” Dot groaned, shrugging, as Skippy started to pet a drowsy Rita. 

“What do you even plan on doing?” 

“Winging it, mainly. All we really know is Demanitus said the rocks’ll keep coming after me until the sundrop and moonstone join, whatever that means. I assume it means I poke the thing and it zaps the gold outta me finally. Or maybe it’ll just blow up.” 

“Not gonna lie, that’s a possibility.” Skippy said. 

“Oh, joy.” 

“Legends say that when they combine, they’ll create a force stronger than anything before it. And then eventually just disappear and head back to the spirit realm.” 

“Well, I’d prefer not to go to the spirit realm, so we’re gonna have to hope the sundrop just yeets outta me.” Dot shook her head. She began to fiddle with her hands, and said, “But, like… the chances of me blowing up, how big are those?” 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine! You guys are super super cool!” 

“I don’t think coolness points will save us from a fiery explosion, but thank you anyway.” 

“Hey, your brother could just freeze the explosion.” 

“That might actually work, I’ll ask him when he doesn’t seem stressed enough to freeze the continent.” 

“That might be fun!” 

“Yeah, uh, not for him.” Dot glanced up, smiling as she saw Slappy finally leaving the group discussion, heading over. “Looks like they finally reached a verdict!” 

“Oh, I hope so. I was tired of hearing about ‘travel distance’ and ‘safety precautions.’” 

Slappy gave a quizzical look to the children still playing with flowers and Dot’s fur, and then gave Skippy a playful punch on the shoulder. “Get your stuff, I’m taking you with me.” 

“We’re going?” Skippy looked excited. 

“Yeah, it’s us and Minerva. We’re heading out in a few hours, tryna get there as fast as possible. So go get whatever you’ll need for a couple days- and that does not include your conspiracy theory journals, we don’t have a lot of room in their caravan.” 

“Rrrright!” Skippy bounced, before rushing off towards his tent. 

Slappy sighed, and then turned to Dot. “Okay, listen, Missy-” 

“My name’s not Missy.” Dot said, waving her hand. “I’m Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca III, but you can call me Dot! But not Dottie. Call me Dottie, and you die.” 

“Good to know. Listen- we’re going with you because you’re Willo’s kids. We have a basic trust going on, but we’re still aware that we do not know you. If you guys try anything on us, I have at least four explosives on me at all times, so-” 

“I understand,” Dot nodded, “And I get what you’re saying. But we really do just want to help. We’ll combine the sundrop and moonstone, and then everything will be okay.” 

“Even if you blow up?” 

“Wow, everyone brings up the blowing up thing!” Dot groaned. “No, I don’t want to blow up, but I’m sure it’ll work out from there. And hey- it’s my magical destiny quest, right? So whatever happens, it’s what was meant to happen.” 

“You got a lot of optimism, huh?” 

“Wakko always says that we should never ever give up hope! Things will always work out.” 

“Then your brother’s a lot like how you dad was when I knew him.” 

Dot’s smile flickered. “Really? I… wouldn’t know.” 

Slappy hesitated, and then patted her shoulder carefully. “So are you, kid.” 

“Really?” she beamed, beginning to bounce a little. 

“Really. Now enough being sappy, it’s gross.” 

“Yeah, you’re not sappy, you’re Slappy.” 

“Ha ha. Get in the caravan and pray your brother doesn’t let me drive.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER NINE - THE ROCK GIANTS

Skippy swung from the hammocks, before bouncing across the floor, and then spreading himself out on the windowseat. “This is so fun!” 

“We’ve barely started moving.” Brain said. 

Ignoring him, Dot ran over to Skippy, picking him up and spinning with him across the floor. “I know! Isn’t it amazing?” 

“Oh, they’re going to be insufferable.” Brain said. 

“Yep.” Rita agreed. 

As they danced by, Minerva nervously curled up on one of the hammocks, a bit unused to the jostling movement of the caravan as it lurched over the forest paths. She kept one hand on her scabbard and an eye on the window or door, though occasionally glancing towards the front of the carriage, where there was a slight window to where Slappy and Yakko were sitting; they could hear Yakko gabbing about something or other, and occasionally the sound of his powers whirring to life- he was probably making snowflakes, or getting some practice in. He was still getting used to the whole “not repressing this stuff” thing, though his method of practice involved showing off as much as was toonly possible, so he was doing a pretty decent job. 

Eventually, Runt leapt up next to Minerva, cuddling against her. She jumped, and he said, “Oh! You’re soft, definitely, definitely soft! Mind if I sleep here?” 

“Kinda?” 

“Alright, thanks.” Runt curled up, and was snoring within seconds. Minerva hesitated, and then jumped again when Wakko sat on her other side. 

“Wanna see me pretend to throw up?” 

“Um. No.” Minerva said. 

“Oh. Do you wanna see some cool stuff we have from home?” 

“Actually… yes.” 

“Great! I brought my schoolwork so Nurse wouldn’t be disappointed in me for skipping class for a road trip. You wanna help?” 

“I… guess?” 

“Alright!” Wakko jumped up, and then stepped over Brain, Pinky, Buttons’s tail, Mindy, and several scattered boxes, knocked over sometime when Phar Fignewton was running from the Flame. He finally made it to the back, where they kept their storage, and dug through a crate until he found a book. He carried it back over to the table in his mouth, while Minerva carefully sat and gave him an odd look. He crawled onto the chair, dropping the book onto the wood, and then flipped it open, flipped it right-side up, and then said, “Yeah, here we are! We’re reading stuff about clothing or something.” He leaned over, and whispered, “Confidentially? It’s supposed to be Shakespeare time, but I’m waiting for Yakko to read those to me. He’s really good at it!” 

“Ooookay?” Minerva said. She pulled the book towards her, and said, “Oh! Yeah, this is a fashion timeline.” 

“Fashion timeline?” Dot skidded to a stop, before leaping onto the table and flopping onto her stomach. “Oooh! Oooh! Tell us everything!” 

“Spew!” Skippy said, not being one for clothing, so he instead ran to the window to peer outside. 

Minerva glanced down at the book, and smiled a little at the fancy illustrations. She ran a hand over the page and said, “I think I can read this alright, yeah. Um… it starts about four-hundred years ago. Is that where you left off, Wakko?” 

“I dunno, I think so?” 

“Okay, well… clothing styles are usually different based on gender, age and species. You got that?” 

“Skip to the scary part.” Wakko said. 

“It’s a textbook, Wakko.” 

“Darn.” 

“I’m following.” Dot nodded along, playing with the flowers in her braid. “People wear different things. Keep going.” 

Minerva smiled a little. “I… I’m sorry, did people actually wear this?” She lifted the book and flipped it to show them the frilly hoop skirts and wild wigs. 

Wakko giggled, while Dot said, “And big hats! I hid my hair under one once.” 

“Must’ve been huge .” 

“You’d better believe it!” 

“Did it at least look good?” 

“I don’t think so. Wakko?” 

“No.” 

“Well, there you have it!” 

Minerva laughed, and then turned the book back, running an excited hand over the page before continuing to read to the young children. 

“And so you thought that the best way to control your emotions,” Slappy repeated, staring at Yakko in confusion, “Was to lock yourself up and put intense pressure on yourself for years.” 

“Well, when you say it like that-!” Yakko rolled his eyes, leaning back on the seat. 

The night had just begun, but they could still hear activity from inside the caravan, as everyone bustled around and chatted loudly, so the two up front figured they might as well talk. Unfortunately for Yakko, the conversation had quickly turned to his own recent history. 

“Also,” Yakko added, “Keep in mind I was five when I decided to do that.” 

“And you stopped when you were fifteen, and only after your siblings made you.” 

“Let’s stop talking about my psychological problems. What about yours?” 

“Believe it or not, we have what you’d call, erm, ‘therapists’ in the Northuldra. So we’re fine. Back to your crippling depression.” 

“Geez, let it go already.” 

“So what exactly makes your magic different from Little Miss Sundrop over there?” Slappy gestured behind them, towards the caravan. 

Yakko bit his lip, staring ahead at the forest. “Everyone knew where Dot’s magic came from. The sundrop that saved her and our Mom- people the Kingdom, you know, like. And it’s an old fairytale we all knew growing up. Not super surprising. But my ice just… it’s more dangerous, and we don’t know why I have it.” 

“Wait, ya don’t?” 

“Nope.” 

“No curses, wishes, magical rock trolls?” 

Yakko shook his head. “Dad said that when I was first born, nobody noticed at first, they were just kinda surprised by the fur, you know? But when it was just Mom and Dad alone, they noticed that when I cried, I… I kinda cried ice. Which freaked them out. They did research on their own about ice magic, but the only story we had was of Zhan Tiri the Stupid Demon turning into a snowstorm and cursing us.” 

“Augh, that-” Slappy then called her a word that she probably shouldn’t have said with children nearby. 

“You guys have that legend, too?” 

“Well, yeah. She was from your kingdom, Demanitus from ours. But it was centuries ago, your eyesore of a castle wasn’t even built yet, I don’t think. But the stories say Demanitus and Zhan Tiri would get along great and visit at the edge of the forest, and then went off to explore the world with a buncha pals. That’s when they did all that neat ‘invention’ and ‘magic’ business.” 

“Whoa.” Yakko leaned forwards, looking up at her. “Our kingdom doesn’t have that beginning part of the story. We just skip ahead to ‘Demanitus invented stuff.’” 

“Well, we have a lot of storytime.” Skippy smirked a little. “So we would probably remember more stuff than a country that just writes it down and shoves it in a library til the book falls apart.” 

“Does your story change after? We just know that Demanitus and Zhan Tiri fought, she tried to freeze us, and then he made her go away.” 

“That about sums it up- storm was heading our way, too. Though- do your stories say anything about their pals?” 

“No, just them.” 

“Well, we don’t know a lot, but legends say there were three. They ended up siding with Zhan Tiri over whatever it was that split them up, and Demanitus had to get rid of em, too.” 

“Three…” Yakko closed his eyes, thinking. There had been those shadows in the cavern, ones Dot had accidentally summoned when overtaken by the Decay Incantation. Were there three? He thought he’d only seen two, and then the big one that he’d gotten to disappear. But Dot said they seemed to be followers of Zhan Tiri… 

“Uh, Prince Frostbite? Ya might wanna stop the caravan.” 

“Wh-” Yakko opened his eyes, and then immediately tugged on Phar Fignewton’s reigns, yanking her to a stop. “Aw, crud.” 

When the carriage jolted to a stop, Dot, who’d been sitting at the window playing “I Spy” with Skippy and Pinky, glanced cautiously towards the front window, before sliding off the seat and moving over. She stop on her tip-toes, peeking through to see that Yakko and Slappy were already getting off the caravan. “Yo? What’s happening?” 

They didn’t respond immediately, so she raced past the table, where Minerva was curiously chatting with Brain. She opened the door, stumbling down the steps and onto the grass. “Yakko? Slappy? What’s-” 

Yakko ran out from the other side of the caravan, shoving a hand over her mouth to shut her up. Annoyed, she licked his hand, causing him to let go. “Aw! Dot!” 

“What’s going-” 

“Shut up!” Yakko gestured behind them, and Dot turned. 

Just a little bit away, towering above them and only just in view, was what she at first thought was the side of a mountain, wondering why they hadn’t seen that in the distance before. Then it moved, the ground rumbling just a bit, and Yakko grabbed his sister’s arm, yanking her back as she noticed a leg lift up, and a stone face turn towards them. 

“Rock giants?” she squeaked, as Slappy opened the caravan door and began shepherding people out. 

“Earth spirits.” he muttered. “They’re headed this way. Slappy says we don’t want to be stuck in one place in case they stomp on us. Okay, get everyone out, I’ll get Phar Fignewton somewhere nearby.” 

“Yakko…” Though she protested, he just gave her a quick hug and then ran to the horse, taking its head in his hands and talking quietly. Dot turned back to the caravan, where Mindy was stepping out, rubbing her eyes and yawning. 

The princess knelt down and picked up the mice, putting them on her shoulders, and turned to Slappy while everyone else glanced over and saw what she did. “What’s the plan?” 

“We stay outta their way. They’ll chase you if they see you.” 

“Seriously?” 

“Oh, definitely.” Skippy nodded. “Aunt Slappy and I race them all the time. And we win! You know that because we’re still alive.” 

“Oh, that’s just wonderful.” 

“Dot!” Wakko ran out last, carrying a small bag of supplies over his shoulder, and then ran over to his sister, checking her over for injuries. After making sure she wasn’t injured, he whispered, “Where’s Yakko?” 

“Getting the horse to hide.” 

Wakko turned, seeing that Yakko had already let go of Phar Fignewton, gesturing for her to go hide. She carted the caravan off into the trees, and Slappy moved in front of the younger siblings, pushing them carefully towards the bushes. They nodded and moved quickly, sliding into the leaves. Rita leapt onto Dot’s lap from behind the branches, while Runt curled against her side, and Dot put a hand on each of the mice to make sure they stayed on her shoulders. Wakko glanced around, and then pushed his head just outside, hissing, “Yakko!” 

Yakko had started to head their way, but was now looking over at the earth giants, already walking closer to them, getting bigger and bigger and louder and louder. But the Snow King was standing still, a fascination across his face, and after a second, he stepped towards them, holding out a hand and summoning several flakes of magical snow. 

That was when Wakko burst out, ran over to him, and grabbed his arm, yanking him back. Yakko let out a surprised cry, which unfortunately drew attention; the faces turned to them again, the notches that seemed to form eyes lowering down. Wakko pushed his brother into their gathering of bushes, and as soon as they were hidden, he hissed, “Why did you do that?” 

“Let go!” 

Dot scuttled over, narrowing her eyes. “Please tell me you were not about to follow them!” 

“What if I can settle them?” Yakko said, eyes flashing. 

“Or what if they crush you before you get the chance?” Wakko said. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

“Maybe you won’t!” 

“Why don’t you let me try?” 

“Because it could kill you!” 

“Guys, shh!” Dot said, sliding herself between her brothers. “They’re heading our way.” 

“Poit!” Pinky added. 

“Yeah, poit! Shh!” 

They did quiet, just as they began to feel rouger rumbles and louder thumps. They stared through the thick leaves as the wind began to change, and waited until they saw a huge, stone foot stomp through the clearing. When it lifted, they could see crushed trees behind its path, and Dot quickly reached over to hug Yakko’s arm, both as a comfort and as a precautionary measure, as she already saw his eyes trailing the lifting rocks. 

The giant seemed to pass, and then another, but then the stomping abruptly stopped. Dot froze, staring ahead, as they heard the rocks shift. Stomp, stomp. They were turning back, looking towards them. 

Dot hissed, and then turned, grabbing both of her brother’s arms and pushing them further through the bushes, until they could see the vague shapes of the rest of their group. “What’s happening?” she asked, directing her question to Slappy and Skippy. 

“I think they heard us.” Slappy muttered. 

“But we were quiet! And trust me, that is hard for us to do.” 

“Maybe they smelled us?” Runt muttered. 

“They don’t smell things, or they’d have already noticed your dumb muddy paws.” Minerva muttered. 

“Could they sense us?” Rita asked. “In, like, a spirit-y way?” 

“They’ve never been able to do that.” Slappy said, pulling Skippy closer to her. “Spirits can sense each other, but not just random people.” 

Wakko flinched. “They’d be able to sense us if we were spirits?” 

“Yeah, but we’re not, so shut up, maybe they’ll move on.” 

More thumps, and then they saw a rocky foot step just beside their bushes. They jumped, pushing back, and Pinky began to whisper, “Oh, narf! That’s not good.” 

“No dip, Pinky,” Brain said, though he didn’t say ‘dip.’ “What did you think we were hiding from the rock giants for?” 

“Oh, I wasn’t referring to them.” he whispered back. “I was referring to the fact that I can’t see Mindy.” 

Everyone completely froze over, and then let out groans as they heard her light, cheerful voice, just outside the bush hideout. 

“Hi, Mr Rock Men, whatcha doin?” 

Buttons let out a whimper, beginning to push through the leaves, as they heard a dark snort while the earth giant looked down and noticed her. 

“Why?” 

Another snort, and then another stomp as the second giant came closer. 

“Why?” 

The giant lifted its foot, and Buttons yelped and leapt out, pushing Mindy out of the way of its step. She laughed as he did, and shouted, “Okay, I love ya, buh-bye!” 

The rock giants let out very upset noises, and began to follow after the dog and toddler. Buttons kept carrying her, skidding through the area and trying to duck between their feet, to keep themselves from being crushed. The giants were starting to move towards them- and thus, towards everyone else. 

“Son of a-” Slappy groaned, before standing up and throwing Skippy farther into the woods. She then ran out, diving forwards to once again knock Buttons out of the way of a step. She then picked the toddler up off of the dog’s back, and shouted, “Hey! Rocky Roads! Come and get us!” 

“Slappy!” Minerva shouted, shocked. 

Slappy gestured something to her, and then took off running in the opposite direction, Buttons at her heels. Yakko jumped up, raising his hands to shoot ice, but soon Minerva grabbed him and pulled him back. “Everyone after me!” she called, before picking up Rita herself and taking off running. 

Dot was about to question, but when she saw one earth giant tearing off towards the direction Slappy went, and the other slowly turning in their direction, she quickly obeyed, reaching up to make sure the mice were still with her and then taking off, reaching down to push a fleeing Runt in the right direction. Her brothers quickly raced up beside her, and they pushed themselves farther into the trees, hoping to evade view. 

When they heard the second giant head after them, they knew they had, indeed, been spotted- and, more importantly, that they were going to have to run much faster. 

What they didn’t know was that, next up, a lot of things were going to happen very, very quickly.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TEN - STOLEN POWER AND FALLEN SHIPS

They didn’t dare look back, but they could still feel the thuds of thick, huge footsteps, not that they could tell from how far back or how close they were. Minerva eventually bent down to pick up Skippy as well, carrying the cat and young squirrel as she led the group through the woods. When they reached an area of thick branches, she dropped Rita atop of Runt and used her now free hand to unsheathe her sword and break through the foliage, keeping them moving forward. 

“Yakko!” Wakko shouted again, frustrated, as their brother stopped, turning and looking up to try and see if they were still being pursued. Unfortunately, they were, and the shout drew the attention of the one earth giant still following. 

Yakko hissed and pushed Wakko back, and Dot groaned, glancing behind her towards her fleeing friends, and then back to her brothers, who were tugging on each other now. They’d have to get into the trees faster, Yakko’s fur stood out like a sore thumb among the dark plants. 

His… fur… 

Dot blinked, several horrible ideas popping into her head at once. But they were better than no idea, so she took a deep breath before looking down towards her mouse dads. 

“Hey, I’m gonna do something stupid, is that cool?” 

“No!” Brain said, at the same time Pinky shouted, “Yes!” 

“Alright, that’s a majority vote, hold on to my fur.” 

“Dot, no!” 

Dot tugged on her braid, and then took off in another direction, singing as loud as she could. 

“Flower, gleam and glow! Let your power shine! Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine!” 

Her hair lit up, as she pushed through the leaves, and she knew she’d caught attention. The thuds followed her, and she kept running ahead, singing along, until she finally noticed the trees begin to thin. She could hear her brothers calling, just a little bit behind her- but already behind the rock giant, who was stepping over them, following the glowing fur. 

Now she just had to hope that her idea worked. 

Dot finally reached a clearing of trees, relieved to see that a cliff lay ahead, sliding down to a rushing river. She skidded to the edge, watching the rocks beneath her feet scatter off the ledge, crashing very far down. 

“Dot, you better have a good plan,” Brain said slowly, “Because your hair is still braided up and you won’t be able to swing down there.” 

Thump. Thump. 

“Well, I have an idea, but I distinctly remember saying it was stupid.” 

“Oh, joy.” 

Thump. 

“Hang on tight, just in case this goes horribly wrong.” 

“Dot, what are you planning?” 

The ground shook once more, and Dot spun around, looking up to see the earth giant behind her. It towered high above, its head almost out of sight, and it stood just outside of the clearing, among the trees, over the ones it had already squashed. It looked at her with some form of interest, of curiosity. She almost felt bad, like she shouldn’t be trying to fight it… but then it lifted its leg, ready to step more towards her, and fear crushed into her stomach. It lifted an arm of stone, ready to throw it down, or toss a rock from it- whatever it was planning, it was going to crush her, and all she could do was… freeze.  

Well. That was the intention, wasn’t it?

Her fur began to dim, and the foot landed. The other lifted, about to drop just in front of her. 

Dot shut her eyes, put comforting hands over the mice, and then she sang, her voice breaking. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

And then she felt so, so cold. 

She remembered something Slappy had told her- that the decay incantation had taken her over because it wasn’t her magic to command; and once she was able to summon the power, once she’d said the words enough times, it took her over completely. It was the power of the moon, and she was the sun. And she remembered, the last time she’d sung along to Yakko’s call, that she’d felt this cold, and there was a sense of wrongness, that this wasn’t her power to call upon. 

But as she sang, she felt ice burst from beneath her paws, spreading across the cliff. The giant’s foot came down upon it, and just as she’d predicted, it slipped. 

Dot’s next plan would have been to duck as if sped forwards, about to topple, but she was completely frozen in place, ice gluing her feet to the ground. White color flashed before her eyes, and she couldn’t see a single thing, only the blinding light before her. Her blood ran cold, her limbs felt numb, and for a moment, she just felt something pushing inside of her. And just for a second, she thought she could hear the song echoing back.

Then she felt a tiny, tiny grip on her shoulder. A distant call, from far away- “Dot! Dot, wake up! Dot!” 

She focused on the voice. It wasn’t the one singing. It was familiar, though. 

“Dot! Please! Move!” 

Brain! 

She snapped to attention, and suddenly the world came back, her vision slamming into her. She almost stumbled back, but managed to drop down to the ground instead, as she felt the weight of the giant’s shadow above her. The world darkened, and she put her hands protectively over the mice on her shoulders as the creature above them toppled and fell. 

Dot breathed deep, trying to regain her composure. She glanced down at her fur, which was fading from white to yellow. Back to normal, back to something right. 

She heard the giant drop, and the fierce splash below as it landed. She breathed a sigh of relief, and Pinky said, “Well, that sure was something!” 

“Dot, what in the hell-”

Dot tried to get up, only for her paw to slip on the ice. She screamed as they slid back, instinctively putting her hands back over the mice to keep them in place, and then her feet met open air, and for a moment, she was falling, dropping. 

And then Yakko dove forwards, grabbing her braid. She screamed as he jolted her back, giving her fur a sharp tug, trying to drag her back to the surface. She heard Wakko shouting something from behind him, but she was a bit more preoccupied with keeping herself and the mice in one piece; though her brother had a hold of her braid, she was continuously bouncing against the cliff wall, banging into the rocks. 

Wakko grabbed onto his brother’s chest, trying to help him pull Dot back up, but they couldn’t get a grip on the ice-covered ground. Yakko glanced down at the ravine, seeing the giant had already been washed away by the stream. It flowed back into the forest, while the other end… he could see distant sand, beside the river’s opening into wide, pushing waves. The ocean… 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

Yakko took a deep breath, and then said, “Alright, you guys wanna play on an iceslide?” 

“What?” 

Yakko took a deep breath, and then leapt from the cliffside, Wakko still on his back and Dot’s fur in his hands. They both screamed, while Yakko shut his eyes to focus. 

Ice appeared just below Dot, Yakko and Wakko crashing behind her as she landed and began to slide. Yakko then let go of her hair, holding out his hands to create their pathway to safety. 

It was much shorter of a ride than their trip on the ice slide to Warnerstock, as the beach was within view, and their speed meant that it didn’t take long for them to reach the area. Yakko capped the slide off at the edge of the sand, so they tumbled into it, landing with a soft thud. 

Yakko sat up first, calling, “Everyone alive?” 

Dot poked out of the sand, pounding her hand against her head to clear sand from her ears, while Pinky said, “Whoo-hoo! Let’s do that again!” 

“Let’s not!” Brain huffed, having to climb out of a pile of sand. 

Wakko stumbled to his feet, shaking his fur to clear it, and then called, “What is wrong with you two?” 

Yakko glanced up at him, opening his mouth to speak, and then he froze over. 

“Yakko! We were supposed to run and stay together! And now we don’t know where anyone is! Dot, what the hell were you thinking? What were you doing?” 

“Well, it got rid of the giant, didn’t it?” Dot retorted. 

“You could have died! You could have both died-”

“Wakko-” Yakko said, his voice barely audible.

“You are not invincible! You could all be dead-!” 

“That’s Mom’s ship!” 

Wakko stopped mid-thought, his mouth hanging open. He looked to Yakko, who was shaking and staring ahead, and whipped around to follow his gaze. 

At the edge of the beach was a wrecked ship, a torn Warnerstock flag draped above. Its wood was dented and rotting, but it was painted with recognizable symbols, the mast curled in a familiar shape. 

“What?” Dot asked, confused and still a bit upset, picking up the mice again. “What are you talking about?” 

Yakko couldn’t speak anymore, only letting out a strangled cry before taking off running to the boat. Wakko shook, hugging himself, before running after him, and Dot after them. 

When Yakko reached the boat, the others were already close behind, as he had to take a second to stumble through a hole; a large rock had pierced the side of the ship, leaving the lower deck defenseless against the rushing tide, fierce winds, and decay of the months it must have been here. The ship was tilted, but Yakko managed to find his footing, stumbling across the floorboards and whirling around. Most of what had been in there had been swept out to sea, but he could see remains of boxes, torn clothes, bits of molding, now-infested food, while puddles under him had become home to small crustaceans, who didn’t care at all about the scene happening above them. 

“What is this?” Dot asked. 

“This- this is-” Wakko was stunned; too many things were happening at once. He slid against a wall, curling up against the wall and tugging on his ears to try to calm himself down. “This is Mum and Daddoo’s ship.” 

“What?” Dot turned, her braid hitting against her back. 

“This is their ship but they- why are they here?” 

“They were…” Yakko tried to speak, stumbling to a nearby busted cabinet, opening the door as if something could still be in there. “They were supposed to be heading South! They were going to a wedding!” 

“I don’t know if you noticed, brother dear,” Dot said, “But this is North.” 

“I know that!” 

“How would this ship get through the fog?” Brain said carefully. “We were informed that the fog blocked off this part of the sea as well, it shouldn’t be able to reach.” 

“Unless…” Yakko’s breath caught in his throat, and he froze once again, holding back tears. 

“Nobody was on it.” Dot said. 

Pinky let out a quiet “Narf…” while Wakko tugged on his ears harder, already starting to cry. Dot stepped towards him to comfort him, but Yakko made it first, rushing over and putting his arm around him to lift him to his feet. 

“This is… this can’t be right.” Dot shook her head. “No. No. This is- Yakko, you know maps, where would we be?” 

“Near the Dark Sea.” he said, almost robotically, not focusing at all. 

“If they were heading South, there’s no way this ship could’ve ended up here. It would’ve sunk completely before even reaching shore.” 

“So were they heading up this way?” Pinky asked. 

“Why would they-?” Dot shook her head. “Ugh, I guess there’s a lot of possible answers to that. But then why lie about it? Why not just say…” 

Wakko suddenly straightened, wiping his face with his sleeve, and he tripped over himself, rushing to a far wall, upon which hang several shelves, already beginning to topple and decay. He began to climb them, while his siblings let out shouts of shock. Dot ran over, reaching her arms to catch him if he should fall, but he instead scrambled onto a high shelf and began touching the wooden planks. 

“Wakko, what are you doing?” Yakko called. 

“There’s… there’s always a hidden compartment here.” Wakko murmured, struggling to get his hands to work right. “Scratchy told us! When we were studying boats- Yakko, do you-” 

“Yeah.” Yakko nodded. “But that’s for important papers that they can’t risk getting wet, it’s not big enough to hold anything important.” 

Wakko found the right plank and ripped it from the wall, tossing it over his shoulder and letting it crash and break on the floor. He reached behind it, pulling out just one paper- a rolled up scroll. He turned, leaping back down to the ground and spreading the paper on the floor. His siblings dropped beside him, staring down. 

It was a simple map of the surrounding area, nothing too special at first glance, though it was already showing signs of wear. But then Yakko squinted, and pointed to a notation over Warnerstock. “That’s Dad’s! That’s his handwriting.” 

“And that’s Mum’s.” Wakko, choked up, gestured to a note about the tides at the edge of their kingdom. 

Dot felt a pang in her chest, but she put it aside, trying to focus for her brothers’ sake. She leaned over, tracing one of several pathways drawn. “What are these- those numbers?” 

“Days.” Yakko muttered. “See, here, Warnerstock to Camelot, that’s a seven-day trip by boat. And there- from us to Bedrock, on the other continent, it’s about a hundred days.” 

“Where did they say they were going?” 

“Here- it was just supposed to be two weeks there and two weeks back.” 

Dot put a finger on Warnerstock, and then a line that extended into the sea, and then up, past the lands of the Northuldra. It continued up, with the marking of ~14? beside it. “So as long as it would take to get…” 

Her finger landed on what wasn’t a marked landmass, but instead a drawing, of a flowing stream- an odd thing to mark in the middle of the ocean. 

“That’s Dad. Dad drew that.” Yakko said, recognizing the style. “But I don’t remember anything being there.” 

Wakko wiped his face again, while Pinky and Brain jumped down from Dot’s shoulders, moving to the area. Brain began to read a small note written. 

“The river found but lost.” Brain read. “That’s nonsense.” 

“But here!” Pinky added, pointing out another, more hidden note beneath the river. “Magic’s source.” 

Yakko’s eyes widened. “Ahtohollan.” 

“Gesundheit.” 

“No. Ahtohollan.” Yakko said, reaching to grab Dot’s hands so she’d meet his eyes. “The river, in the song. It was Dad’s song- where the north wind meets the sea, there’s a river full of memory.” 

“You said,” Dot remembered, her brain whirring, “That the river is supposed to hold all the answers to the past. But it’s not real?” 

“Dot, we were just chased by earth giants, anything can be real.” Yakko said. “And apparently Mom and Dad wanted to go find it! But…” he paused, and then looked towards the mice, something coming to mind. “Water has memory.” Then he let go of Dot, turning and running a few steps ahead, before dropping and putting his hands to the floor. 

“Yakko!” Wakko cried, backing up against the wall; everything was crashing in on him, and he could barely handle it. 

“Water has memory.” Yakko repeated, and then he shut his eyes, focusing. “Water has…” 

Slowly, droplets began to rise from the floor. Dot gasped, backing up towards Wakko, who squeezed his eyes shut and was trying to breathe normally. The water rose, forming around Yakko, and suddenly voices began to echo. 

“-all magic. It’s all there.” 

“No!” Wakko tugged his ears harder, gasping. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear them- stop it!” 

“We have to keep going.” 

“The forest spirits answer to the sun, the moon, and the-” 

“It’s the source of all magic. We can-” 

“-the ship is flooding! We have to-” 

“I can’t get the doors open!” 

Yakko gasped, eyes flying open, and looked up to see the droplets had formed, shifting into a frozen statue, just like the ones he’d made in the forest. Only these were forming two adults, clinging to each other as their ship went down. 

“No!” 

Wakko screamed, his voice breaking, and he took off running, covering his eyes. Yakko burst into tears and followed. 

Dot started after them, but paused a second, almost transfixed upon the statue, horror dawning on her. 

That’s what they sounded like. That’s what they looked like. 

And it’s what they looked like when they… 

Wakko collapsed on the sand, shaking and hugging himself, loud sobs bursting from him. Yakko soon dropped beside him, and as soon as Dot was out, the mice slowly climbing out behind her, Wakko started to shout, “Why would you do that?” 

“I- I thought- I don’t know-” 

“Why?” 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t-” 

“I didn’t want to hear them die!” 

“You think I wanted that? You think hearing what they said was nice?” Yakko snapped, his voice rising. “You heard them! They were going for magic’s source!” 

“What does that matter?” 

“They were trying to find answers about us!” Yakko began to cry, too, and Dot soon dropped beside him, hugging him close. “You heard it! They wanted answers about me and about Dot- the sun and… whatever the hell I am! They were still trying to find her and they were trying to help me and it killed them!” 

“Stop it! Stop it!” Dot shouted. 

“It’s our fault!” 

She grabbed onto Yakko’s shoulders, putting her face under his and rubbing their noses together. “Look at me. It’s not your fault! It’s not our fault, don’t say that. You were not responsible for their choices.” 

“No, just their deaths.” 

“Stop!” 

“No! I caused everything! I was right before!” Yakko began to tremble. “Everything around me dies!” 

“Stop that right now!” Dot reached out, pulling a sobbing Wakko towards them, trying to make her brothers look at her. “Stop it! You are not a burden, you are a gift, Yakko! You wanna know why you have magic? It must have been a gift. Because our father saved our mother! His enemy! His good deed was rewarded with you- to one day bring the forest back and make the fog go away. You’re not a punishment, you’re a blessing, now stop falling back into this guilt! It’s not helping anything, and- and I may not know our parents, but I know they wouldn’t have wanted you to blame yourself!” 

Her tears flowed faster, and Yakko kept hugging himself, clutching tight enough to hurt. Dot pulled them all into a group embrace, and they stayed there together, crying and rocking in the breeze, until finally their tears dried and their limbs felt numb. The wind changed around then, the tides slowing, and it felt like too much time had passed and yet none at all. 

When Yakko finally pulled away, Dot pulled his face up, and said, “Now. Repeat after me. It’s not your fault.” 

“It’s not my fault.” 

“You’re not a monster.” 

“I’m… not a monster.” 

“You’re our big brother.” 

Yakko glanced towards Wakko, who was staring into the air and huddling under his sweater. Eventually, the younger boy looked to his brother, and then said, his voice broken from how long they’d been crying, “You’re our big brother.” 

Yakko wiped his eyes, still trembling slightly. “What… what is happening today? Too much is… we should find the others. The caravan. We need to… the… or maybe we could…” 

“You’re not thinking clearly.” Dot whispered. “You need to sleep.” 

“I need answers.” 

“And you’re not going to get that when you can’t think at all.” 

They heard a pitter-patter behind them, and Dot turned, seeing the mice scrambling across the sand. Pinky looked up at her and said, “Are you alright? Narf!” 

“Yeah, narf.” 

“We… assumed you would want time alone.” Brain said. 

“Good assumption.” Dot sniffled. “Where were you?” 

“Scouting the nearby area. Attempting to spot our lost comrades. And-” 

“There’s a house. Just on the edge of the beach, it’s huge! Looks like loads of people live there.” 

“Nobody lives here but the forest people.” Yakko blinked. 

“Well, tell that to the house! Zort!” 

Yakko paused. “We should… maybe the others got there. Maybe they found an abandoned place and set up… come on. It’s… somewhere to head. I…” 

He had difficulty standing, so Dot got up first, helping lift him up. She patted his hand, and whispered, “I’m sorry. For a lot of things.” 

She helped Wakko to his feet, and began to walk, hand-in-hand with her siblings, after the mice, who ran off to show them where they were headed. Yakko was trying desperately not to think about the boat they were passing, and to grip Dot’s hand in his, to think only about the fact his siblings were here and they were okay. Dot, for her part, was trying to push aside everything that had happened- the rock giants, the separation from the group, her temporary possession, and their parents, dying on the ship, with that being the only time she heard their voices. 

Wakko, meanwhile, was thinking the same thing over and over. 

Don’t think like that. Don’t think like that. Don’t think like that.

You’re being selfish. Don’t make this all about you. Yakko and Dot are hurting, too. And Yakko’s hurting so much, you need to make him happy again. He doesn’t deserve this, and neither does Dot. So stop being selfish and make everyone else feel better. That’s what you do. 

Yes, you miss them. Yes, you loved them. And they loved you… 

But… 

Wakko glanced to his siblings, and then down at the ground. 

It stung, somehow worse than the ice in his heart had. 

In everything we found, we saw, in that boat… 

They didn’t mention me at all.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ELEVEN - THE HOUSE OF YESTERDAY’S TOMORROW

The house on the beach was indeed towering, built against the cliffside. It was darkly colored, with flickering orange windows, and a long shadow, casting over the ocean and surrounding rocks. But what was most impressive… 

“You didn’t tell us,” Dot said slowly, “That this thing was made out of giant seashells.” 

“Oops.” Pinky said. 

The building was, indeed, seemingly made of shells; augers served as spires above clams and scotch bonnets, scallops hanging above as awnings and shark’s eyes on ledges, reaching high and pointing the edge of their spiral towards the sky. 

“Yes, it’s quite an odd architectural decision.” Brain nodded. “Though appropriate for the beach atmosphere, I doubt the shape can be very practical. As well, I don’t see much solid ground beneath it, so this could topple at any time.” 

“I think it’s pretty!” Dot said hopefully, linking her arm with Yakko’s; her brothers were still very quiet and very shaken, and to be honest, she still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of what had just happened. 

Carefully, though, Wakko looked up and said, “I think that it’s kinda creepy.” 

“Aw, it’s homey!” 

Yakko considered. “It’s tall, dark, mysterious, and likely to fall at any moment.” he then shrugged. “Sounds absolutely perfect!” 

“Come on, let’s see who lives there!”

They began their walk over, and when they reached the curved door, Dot lifted the mice, again putting them in their normal positions on her shoulders, and said, “So, if this isn’t our group hiding out in here, we gotta play nice so they let us stay the night. We probably don’t wanna be outside in an enchanted forest at night alone.” 

“And once they’ve left us alone,” Brain said, “We have a lot to talk about. Such as… whatever just happened today.” 

“Ugh, fine, but don’t dad us too much.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean, young lady?” 

Dot gave him a look, and then knocked on the door, stepping back and putting an arm around Wakko. 

The door opened, just a creak; they couldn’t really see who was looking out at them. 

“Hi!” Dot fluttered her eyelashes, putting on her cutest smile. “We really hate to bother you, but we’re lost and trying to hide out from the earth giants, so we were wondering…” 

The door opened wider, and they looked at an older man, giving them some kind of pained smile. “Earth giants? Oh, those certainly are a problem. I see your dilemma; would you like to come in? I have plenty of room.” 

“Oh, thank you!” Dot immediately leapt up and kissed him, the mice barely hanging onto her shoulders. 

He flinched back, but still forced a smile on. “It’s no problem. I could use the company on these cold, foggy nights.” 

“You live here… alone?” Brain said cautiously. 

“Yes! Now come on in, before you catch your death of cold.” 

He gestured, and they cautiously entered, Yakko putting a protective arm around Wakko. Dot dropped down from the man’s arms and began to examine the room; the inside had ridges filling the foyer, which towered above like a tulip shell, smaller tulips creating decorations, small windows decorated so their panels were shaped like flying bubbles. A large, warming fire was set in the middle of the room, giving them a flickering, happy light. 

“Wow, this place is amazing!” Dot said. 

“It is, isn’t it?” 

Brain still looked concerned, and shot Yakko a look. “Are you one of the forest-dwellers?” 

“Who, me? No, no. I’ve lived on these shores for thirty years, just collecting the odd shells.” 

“Thirty years is a long time to be alone.” 

“Well, I’ve had visitors now and then. Just like now!” he moved to a wall lamp, pulling out a match to light it as well. 

“Thirty years would be before the fog.” Yakko muttered, before looking up. “What did you say your name was, Mr Hermit Crab?” 

“I’m not a hermit crab, my young… what are you?” 

“Not a hermit crab.” 

“Right. My name is Plotz, Thaddeus Plotz- and this is the lovely House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow.” 

Yakko blinked. “So. Today.” 

“What?” 

“The House of Today.” 

“No, no, the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow.” 

“That would be today.” Wakko noted, already sitting beside the fire and rocking slightly. 

“Yeah, if it were yesterday, then tomorrow would be today.” Dot said. “And tomorrow, today would be yesterday. While today, tomorrow is tomorrow and yesterday is another day’s tomorrow.” She winked. “See the difference, kid?” 

“I don’t believe you understand-” 

“I’m following.” Pinky said, gesturing from Dot’s shoulder. “Today is yesterday’s yesterday’s tomorrow’s tomorrow, and tomorrow is today’s yesterday’s tomorrow. And troz is poit’s narfy zoit.” 

“I have a headache.” Brain groaned. 

“And if today is yesterday’s tomorrow, and tomorrow is yesterday’s tomorrow’s tomorrow,” Yakko said, counting on his fingers, “And yesterday is today’s yesterday’s yesterday’s tomorrow, which makes that tomorrow tomorrow’s yesterday, and today is tomorrow’s yesterday!” 

“And I’m hungry!” Wakko said, before taking a bite out of a carpet. 

The man looked incredibly annoyed, but the bit of light humor had done wonders for the Warners; they were already relaxing their shoulders, breathing steadily, and feeling like they could keep moving on. To drive home their joke, Yakko raised his brow and said, “Annoying, aren’t we?” 

“No, no, you’re… fine children. And… mice, I suppose.” Plotz stepped forward, gesturing to the spiral staircase. “There are refreshments in the lounge, and a nice cozy room just beside it. Help yourselves, while I finish cleaning up.” 

“Food! Thank Spielberg.” Wakko said, running over and grabbing Plotz’s arm, bouncing up and down. “I like to eat when I’m stressed and I’m very very stressed right now!” 

“Good to hear. Don’t touch me.” Plotz yanked his arm back, causing Wakko to crash to the floor. 

“Thank you again, Mr Plotz. You must be really nice and generous.” Dot said. “And trust me! You won’t even know we’re here!” 

“Don’t promise him that, you know how we are.” Yakko whispered. 

“Let’s head up, boys.” Dot said. She went to the stairwell, but did stop a minute and turn to Plotz. “By the way, some friends of ours are still lost out there. If you come across two squirrels, a mink, a cat, two dogs, a toddler and/or a horse pulling a caravan, those guys are with us.” 

“Good to know.” he said, not at all worryingly. “It’s up a floor, and the third door on your left.” 

“Alright, I’m gonna pretend I can remember directions, Mr Plotzy-Man.” Dot shrugged, and then began up the stairs, her brothers slowly trailing after her. 

They reached the first floor, and Dot stepped into the hall, lowering the mice to the ground, before saying, “Yeah, uh, I don’t see any doors?” 

“Maybe it’s down a bit.” Yakko said. “Love these decorations. Very creepy, great aesthetic.” 

Indeed, the walls were littered with scallop-shaped lights, flickering ominously and quietly across the pale walls. Every few feet was a portrait, hung above the lamps, or a table upon which sat a decorative bowl filled with trinkets. Wakko went to one, picked up a strange sphere, and ate it, while Pinky wandered to the side of the hall, where a low mirror hung. 

“Hey, Brain, check this out!” Pinky started doing odd movements, staring into the mirror, like sticking out his tongue or doing a little dance. 

Brain walked over beside him, glanced in the mirror, and then did a double take and jumped back when he saw that Pinky’s reflection was not mirroring his actions, instead doing its own crazy dance. Brain glanced at his own reflection, and thought he saw a flash of red eyes. 

“Nope, we’re not doing that.” Brain grabbed Pinky’s arm, dragging him away, while Pinky waved at their reflections. “That looks like a nightmare. We’re not dealing with that.” 

Yakko trailed his hand against the wall as they walked, and finally it turned into a forked path. Down both ends were several tall doors, uniformly filling each wall and sharing the exact same design. He whistled, and then said, “Okay, boring. Dot, which way did he say we were supposed to go?” 

“Who knows?” she said mysteriously. 

Brain sighed. “Third door on the left is food.” 

“Yay!” Wakko said. 

“Now, consider:” Brain said, holding up a hand to stop Wakko from rushing forward, “This is all incredibly strange and… worrying in some instances.” he gave the mirror a glance. “Perhaps we should not consider eating here.” 

“Why?” Wakko said, not understanding at all. 

Brain tried to think of a way to explain. “Have you ever heard the legends of- the fae, for instance? If you eat their food, they then own your soul.” 

“That’s the fae’s problem.” Wakko shrugged. 

“I swear- just be careful, alright?” 

“I’m hungry.” 

Brain sighed. “You know what? You want to be the fae’s problem, be my guest.” 

“Yay!” 

They managed to find a room with several blankets, and they decided to use that instead of wandering around looking for decent beds; most of the rooms were a bit… strange. One was filled to the brim with children’s toys, another held nothing but a towering wardrobe, and another had several… erm, interesting- looking weapons. When Yakko opened a door to see three very angry wolf-like creatures, Brain had slammed the door and immediately announced they were crashing in the first room that didn’t look like it wanted them dead. 

So Dot rolled up a blanket for the mice to sleep atop, as Wakko spread out a few for them. They were quiet a moment, just working on their own, and then Yakko said, “So. Are we gonna… talk about it?” 

Dot laughed nervously. “We all cried on the beach, I think we got our feelings out.” 

“It’s just… there’s a lot.” Yakko sat across from Wakko, trying to meet his eye, but the younger Warner brother just kept playing with his paws. “I… I’m sorry, first of all. I didn’t realize it… I was just hoping to hear a discussion, see… something they were doing. I didn’t think it’d… end like that.” 

“It’s alright.” Dot lied, before sitting beside the mice’s blanket, as they scrambled up beside her. “You didn’t know, and… we were all very stressed.” 

“I just… Mom and Dad were looking for Ahtohollan.” Yakko said quietly, playing with the edge of his sleeves. “And… it looked like Dad had mapped it out, and thought it close. But they…” he clenched a fist. “What if it is close? And has all the answers?” 

“It… doesn’t matter.” Dot said cautiously. “We need to find the moonstone, and after that… then maybe we can look for your magic frozen river.” 

“Yeah! Yeah, I know, it’s important to…” Yakko bit his lip, and then tugged on his ears, obviously hearing that call again. When it faded, he said, “I’m staying with you guys, at least until we get to the moonstone. I’m not leaving you.” 

Dot smiled at that, but Wakko’s frown deepened, as if Yakko had said exactly the wrong thing. Yakko hesitated a moment, but before he could think of something to add, Brain said, “Now, onto matters just as pressing. Dot?” 

“Yes?” 

“Would you like to explain to us what exactly you did on that cliff?” 

Dot went pale and tried to avoid anyone’s gaze. “I… got rid of the earth giant?” 

“You went all white.” Pinky said. “And your eyes were white, too, and you wouldn’t move until Brain started shouting.” 

“Y-yeah, I think Brain snapped me out of it.” Dot muttered. 

“Yeah, Dot, that was worrying.” Yakko said honestly. He leaned over, taking her hands, and said, “Promise me you’ll never do that again.” 

“I- I don’t know. What if we-” 

“Please, Dot. You being possessed by dark moon magic is bad enough, but my magic…” he shook his head. “I don’t even understand how that happened. You shouldn’t be able to summon my magic.” 

“I just sang your little thing.”

“What?” 

“Though I wonder…” Dot paused, narrowing her eyes. “I could harness the moon’s power, though it took me over, and the same with yours. But I haven’t felt called to any other magic we’ve seen- you’d think when there was fire everywhere I’d figure out how to control it and make Little Mx Bruni stop throwing a fit. What’s different, between that magic and the ones that I can touch?” 

“Dot. We… maybe we can figure that out. But just like you said- after the moonstone.” 

“What if it’s important to our little quest?” 

“You seem to be doing fine on your own. Just promise me that you won’t steal my magic.” 

“I don’t technically think I stole it, just shared it for a bit. I mean, you didn’t lose your powers while I was going nuts.” 

“How do you know that, I wasn’t using magic.” 

“You’re always using magic, you made your own ice-magic-clothes.” 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.” 

“But okay, fine, I promise no more snow stealing.” she nodded, and then turned to the mice. “And I’m sorry I dragged you two into that. I was scared if I put you down I’d lose you in the forest.” 

“A completely understandable worry,” Brain sighed, “Considering how we’re of… diminutive size.” 

“We’re shorties!” 

“Quiet, Pinky. But just as Yakko said, we would appreciate it if you didn’t take unnecessary risks, for your sake as well as our own.” 

“Alright. More careful, so long as Yakko promises the same thing. No running after earth giants.” 

“No running after earth giants, no stealing magic…” Yakko began counting on his fingers. He glanced towards Wakko and said, “Can you think of anything else?” 

Wakko didn’t respond a moment, and they thought he might not have heard them at first. Then, carefully, he said, “We’re sticking together, right?” 

“Of course. We promised we’d do this together, and that’s what we’re doing.” Dot said. 

“That’s…” Wakko began, but cut himself off and shook his head. “Yeah. Okay. I just… seeing Mum and Daddoo like that, I…” his voice broke a little. “I don’t want to be alone again.” 

“You won’t be.” Yakko promised him. 

Wakko fell silent again. 

Dot fell asleep quickly, her hair still braided up but falling over shoulder. The mice had fallen asleep on top of each other, while Yakko eventually fell into an uneasy slumber; Wakko noticed it took him a long time, and he tugged his ears a lot and shoved his head under a pillow. That voice was calling him, calling him away, and it wasn’t giving up. 

Wakko wished he could hear the voice, too, so he could tell it to shut up. 

He wanted everything to shut up. Every horrible thought in his head, making him feel awful about his family, his friends, and himself. Every memory that was shoving itself to the front of his head- his parents’ shouting in the crashed ship, Dot completely white… 

When he’d seen her like that, he’d had a terrible thought, horrified that she may have frozen, like he had not so long ago. He wouldn’t wish that on anybody, especially not his baby sister. It had hurt so much, not that he’d ever let Yakko know that in a million years. And it still hurt, every time his legs gave way, and exhaustion pressed his eyelids down, and his stomach lurched for no reason at all. Hello Nurse had said that it was probably just his body returning to normal after being completely frozen over, that it would stop soon, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It hurt so much, in so many ways.  

And, you know, he really wished every noise around him would stop, too. He felt like he could hear everything- the cool breeze shuffling, the snores of his companions, every kick of the blanket or creak of the floor beneath them. And every… 

Footstep? 

Wakko sat up, perking an ear higher. Yes, someone was walking outside their door- it was probably just that nice Mr Plotz, going to sleep himself. But then the footsteps stopped, and Wakko could see a shadow from under the door, of the man standing just outside the room. He wondered if maybe this was Plotz’s room and they’d taken it by accident- no, no, he’d have a bed, wouldn’t he? And a dresser. This room was just blankets. Maybe he had to grab one? 

But then the man kept walking. Maybe it had been a coincidence, he’d just happened to stop outside of where his guests were sleeping soundly. Yes, that was probably it. Just… a coincidence. 

Still, he felt cold again, and he grabbed another blanket, wrapping it over his shoulders. He then glanced towards his siblings, wondering if they were shivering, too. He stood up, grabbing more blankets for them and spreading them over, humming a little bit to himself as he worked. He hummed that old song, the one that played in the mobile in Dot’s room- that was the song in his childhood music box, too, he recalled. It felt sad, now… cleaning his little sister’s room, waiting for her to come back, that felt like a lifetime ago. Not just a few months. Now he couldn’t imagine Dot not being there. 

But she might not always be there. She might want to stay in the forest, with things that were magic like her. Yakko might want to stay, too- that seemed more likely, and more worrying. 

I’m staying with you guys, at least until we get to the moonstone.

Until. 

It was starting to seem more real, as he sat back on his pile of blankets and buried himself inside. The fact that he could be alone again, at any time. They could leave him, and then what could he do? 

What would he even be without them? He’d be nothing, just like he was before. 

He grabbed the sheets tighter, trying to muffle his soft cries. But he could still hear them, even if nobody else could.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWELVE - A MAZE OF HALLS

They awoke early the next morning, and folded up the blankets beside the door. They felt a bit bad, considering the Warners had shed on theirs, but hopefully they could offer to help wash them before they left. 

“We got everything?” Yakko asked. 

“We didn’t bring anything in with us.” Dot said. 

“We got everyone?” 

Dot did a quick headcount. “You, me, Wakko, mice dads on my shoulders… yeah.” 

“Okay! Let’s find Mr Plotz and thank him for his hospitality-” 

“And for the food!” 

“Yes, Wakko, and for the food.” 

Yakko opened the door, then, and immediately froze in place. 

“What?” Dot asked. 

“This… is the wrong hallway.” 

“What? There’s only one door, you can’t have-” 

Yakko let the door swing open farther, and they stared, awestruck, at the hall. It was, indeed, different, colored blue instead of the pale pink of last night, and with multiple flickering torches hanging from the wall. There were no more decorative bowls, but there were portraits- only they were much different than the ones they’d seen last night, painted in darker colors. 

“Well, that’s messed up.” Dot said. 

“Oh, I don’t like this.” Yakko said. 

“It definitely looks bad.” Brain said. “And I’m starting to wonder if we really should have decided to spend a night here. We may have acted in an illogical manner due to our sleep-deprived and overstressed brains.” 

“I don’t know what that means, but poit!” 

“Okay. I’m… sure this is completely normal for the enchanted forest?” Yakko said cautiously. “Everyone follow me, we’ll, uh, keep walking, and eventually we’ll find the way out, right?” 

“I mean, I guess.” Dot shrugged. “This place can’t be eternal, can it?” 

“Oh my God, what if it is?” 

“Then I’ll eat a wall.” Wakko suggested. 

“Oh, yeah. Good to know we always have that option.” 

They began to walk, with Wakko sliding his hand into Yakko’s and clinging to his arm. Dot skipped along behind them, inspecting each portrait with interest, commenting on the style or use of shading. Nobody was really paying attention, with their nerves on edge. 

They turned another hall, and another, and another. The walls faded from blue to a dark green, to a shimmering gold, but they saw no signs of an exit, a stairwell, or even any windows. Dot fell silent after a while, hugging herself and starting to slow, a slight tremble in her steps. Yakko got more and more on edge the farther they walked, and after about an hour, Wakko started to notice frost forming on the floor. 

“Yakko, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine! Peachy keen! A-ok! Absotively positutely never been better, I’m gonna go do cartwheels!” 

“...do you want to sit down a moment?” 

“I want to find our way out. I don’t like this.” 

Brain glanced around the hall and said, “Dot, lower us to the floor, I may have an idea.” 

She did so, and Brain gestured for Pinky to follow him, and not to wander off after something shiny as he was apt to do. He then ran them over towards a mirror, leaning against the wall; it looked much different than the one they’d seen yesterday, but he had a bit of hope. He tapped on the glass, watching his reflection do the same. “Hello? Hello?” 

“Hullo!” Pinky cheered, and began dancing; Brain huffed as he realized Pinky’s reflection was copying his movements as well. 

“What’s up?” Yakko asked, walking behind them. Wakko dropped down, also peering into the mirror and ruffling his fur a little. 

“The mirror in last night’s hall seemed, as you would say, ‘enchanted.’ I guess I should not have assumed every mirror would be- still, it would have been quite useful if we could have a simple chat with false reflections and find our way out from there.” 

“Eh, I dunno.” Yakko shrugged. “But maybe we should start opening doors.” 

“I still suggest that we don’t incur the wrath of guard dogs again.” 

“Maybe one of these doors is a stairwell?” 

“The stairs we took up here were not blocked by doors.” 

“Maybe there’s an emergency exit. There’s gotta be a better way out of here- I’ll be honest, this building does not seem up to code.” 

“How could we be so foolish as to allow ourselves in here?” 

“Hey, who you calling foolish?” 

“Us.” 

“Oh. Well, yeah, you’re right, we’re all idiots. But we’re idiots who have a determination problem, so we are getting out of this place, or, like Wakko said, we’re gonna make it the problem of whoever decided to keep us here. I’m thinking we pull an anvil outta thin air and drop it on their heads.” 

“Can you pull an anvil out and drop it through the floor?” 

“I dunno, let’s see.” Yakko stepped back, and formed an anvil out of ice. It crashed onto the floor, and shattered into bits of frost. “Okay, that didn’t work.” 

“We’re doomed.” 

“Aw, cheer up, Brain!” Pinky said, putting an arm around him. “It’s only been a little while, I’m sure we’ll find our way out soon. And we’re all together, all four of- oh my God we lost Dot.” 

Yakko whipped around, realized Dot was not behind them, and then shouted, “Oh, son of a-” 

Wakko let out a cry, before reaching down to lift Pinky and put him on his own shoulder. Brain didn’t notice his gesture, so he simply grabbed him by the tail and swung him up. Brain shouted, as Yakko continued to call. 

“Dot! Dot! Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca III! Get your butt out here or I’m gonna freeze you in place!” 

Wakko took a step, and Yakko immediately turned, grabbing his arm. “Nope! You’re not going anywhere!” 

“You think I’m dumb enough to wander off, too?” 

“You’re not leaving my sight. She can’t have gone far- we didn’t see her pass us, she must have doubled back for something. Okay. Okay, while we go, we test all the doors. There’s gotta be one that leads to an exit or- or the right hall or- wherever she went! Come on!” 

He hesitated, and then began the call again- Ah-ah, ah-ah! It was something Dot would recognize, he knew, and something he hoped she would hear. 

Ah-ah! Ah-ah! 

Dot didn’t hear the singing. 

Her brothers and dads had wandered to the mirror and had some kind of conversation, but the second the mice left her, she’d felt herself tense up all over, and she shook so hard she could barely stand up. She wasn’t thinking clearly, and just had one thought- 

Get outside. 

She took off running, tears springing to her eyes, and she tugged at her ears, stumbling and tripping over nothing. She wasn’t sure how far she ran, but she only stopped upon her legs finally giving way. She dropped to the ground underneath a huge portrait of flying birds, and began to sob, to scream. Her stomach hurt, like something was stabbing at her from the inside, and her head was spinning. She felt like she was going to throw up, but nothing came from her mouth but shouts of agony. 

Her braid fell over her shoulder again, and she clung to it, running her hand over each ridge and strand. 

Her hair was up. Her hair was up. Because she wasn’t in the tower anymore. She wasn’t in the tower, she was okay. 

You’re trapped. You’re trapped. You’re trapped. You’re TRAPPED. 

It felt like the walls were closing in on her, the ceiling lowering to crush her to dust. She kept clinging to the braid, trying to use its pattern to remind herself that she wasn’t in the tower, she was in a new place, and her family was here and they loved her and didn’t want her trapped and locked away, and they were going to find a way out… 

No windows. No doors. You’re trapped again, Dottie. 

NO! 

She screamed, tugging on her braid, before curling up on the floor and sobbing into the cold, hard floor beneath her. 

She didn’t hear the singing. She didn’t hear anything. 

“Dot! DOT!” 

Yakko kept shouting, frost trailing after him to mark the path they’d taken. He eventually let go of Wakko, but only so they could check doors on both sides of the hall at the same time. Not a single room made sense- he didn’t see a single study, or bedroom, or library. Instead, he saw discarded sheets, splotches of paint with no paintbrushes or art to join with them, one room that he thought was the outside but turned out to just be filled with apple trees for no reason… 

“Okay, we’re officially screwed.” he finally said, turning around. “We’ve been wandering for Spielberg knows how long, I’m pretty sure our legs all hurt, and we have no idea where my stupid sister is!” 

Wakko put the mice on the ground, before going to the next door. “She’s gotta be here somewhere.” he opened it, looked in, and then closed it. “Nope, that’s a room full of nightmares. Maybe this one…?” Open, shut. “That one’s just filled with fire. How is this house still standing?” 

Yakko opened a door on his side. “I… think this one is just turtles.” 

Wakko trembled slightly, glancing over. “We’re gonna find Dot, right? We’re gonna find her! Here, I bet she’s just down the next hall.” 

“We are screwed!” 

“We can’t give up on her! We’re not giving up on her!” Wakko insisted. He ran to the end of the hall, and said, “Okay! We’ve got new color- this is more of a… turquoise?” 

“How are we getting farther from where we started?” 

“Keep calm. Don’t freeze anything- Brain, Pinky, make sure he doesn’t turn to ice. I’ll start checking rooms.” 

He went to the next door, and the next, and the next. No stairs, no outside, and no Dot. His heart beat faster the farther they went, but he kept his chin up, trying to push themselves on. Their sister had to be here, how did she even get this far away from them in such a short time? 

Well, obviously, it wasn’t a distance thing. This house seemed to have a mind of its own, shifting and spinning. Maybe it was mad at them for making fun of its name yesterday. Or maybe that Mr Plotz had something to do with it. Maybe they shouldn’t have trusted him. Maybe Wakko shouldn’t have eaten all that food last night. Maybe… 

“Mirror!” he called, and raced over. A mirror, identical to the one the mice had seen the night before, lay against the wall and inbetween two doors. While Yakko ran over, lowering the mice in front, Wakko checked both doors- one led to another, identical hall, and the second led to what looked like some kind of prison. He was sick of this place! 

“Uh, well. This is definitely an enchanted mirror.” Brain said. 

“Either that, or it’s broken! Narf!” 

“Why’s it broken?” Wakko asked, not looking down at the moment. 

“We have no reflections.” 

“Egad, Brain! Have we become vampires?” 

“I think we’d know if we were vampires, Pinky.” Yakko said. “We’d start counting everything, for one. We’d have sharper fangs, probably. Already be drinking each other’s blood.” 

Wakko knelt down to look in the mirror; indeed, there was no reflection. “Is this what it was like last night?” 

“No. It was simply wrong reflections- strange eye colors and movements.” Brain cocked his head to the side. “It’s likely a gateway to somewhere. But how to get in or out… alright, Pinky, we’re going to need several materials.” 

“Alright!” 

“A stick of butter, several butterfly nets, a monkey wrench, a fishing pole, three springs-” 

“That sounds ridiculous.” Yakko said. “But I can make like half of those outta ice.” 

Wakko had been watching the group, but then noticed something out of the corner of his eye- something flash across the mirror, like a shadow. He turned, ears perking up, as the shadow disappeared over the top. He leaned forwards, sniffing the glass. 

Then the corner cracked. 

He jumped back, and shouted, “The thing’s breaking!” 

Yakko quickly scooped up the mice, and the brothers ran back against the wall, staring as more cracks appeared across the mirror’s face. Then, with a burst, the glass exploded, flying forwards and scattering on the floor. Yakko threw up an ice shield for them, and through it they could see the flickering image of something crawling out of the frame. 

“I am going to strangle that bald nerts with my own two paws!” 

Yakko dropped the shield, letting it fly into the air as several magical sparks. “Rita?” 

Yes, Rita had climbed from the mirror, her fur sticking up on end and covered in some kind of dust. Runt clambered out of the portrait next, with Skippy riding on his back; both looked just as dirty and winded. Then, finally, Minerva climbed out, looking just as angry as Rita. She got to her feet, unsheathing her sword, which was covered in some kind of metallic liquid. 

“I’m going to kill the next thing that tries to eat us!” 

“Minerva?” 

Minerva turned, shocked, and dropped the sword, running forward and hugging the boys. “Oh, thank the spirits!” She then backed up and slapped them. “What were you thinking, running off without us?” 

“Trust me, I understand your feeling now.” Yakko said, rubbing his face. “What are you doing here?” 

“We came looking for you idiots!” Rita said, stalking over and giving them sharp glares. “Where’s Dot?” 

“We’d like to know that, too!” Yakko said. “What do you mean you came looking for us? How’d you find us?” 

“We have a dog, idiot! Rita got him to sniff you out.” 

“It took way longer than it should have.” Rita groaned, gesturing to Runt, who had sat down and was now scratching himself. Skippy slid from his back and ran over, clinging immediately to Rita. 

“What were you doing in the mirror?” 

“We got sucked in by evil reflections, apparently.” Minerva hissed. “They tried to replace us but Skippy managed to drag them all back in, and we’ve been fighting them for quite a while. Thankfully we seem to have lost them, and I broke the mirror so they shouldn’t be able to get ou- wait, this isn’t the hall we entered the mirror in!” 

“Yeah, this place is a labyrinth.” Yakko waved a hand. “When did you get in?” 

“Last night.” 

“Did you see Plotz?” 

“Yes, he told us that you were here and to head up to the hall with the mirror in it- that complete jerk seemed to think that’d get rid of us, I guess!” 

“Okay, okay.” Yakko clapped his hands together, glancing at the mice on his shoulders. “So we made a horrible mistake in trusting him. Good note.” 

“You did what?” 

“We asked to spend the night here.” 

Minerva blinked. “Has nobody ever given you the stranger danger talk?” 

“In our defense,” Yakko said, “We’ve all been isolated most of our lives. We don’t know how the world works.” 

“And what about you two?” Minerva put her hands on her hips, glaring at the mice. 

Brain said, “Sleep deprivation,” at the same time Pinky said, “We are not smart!” 

“Wait, Runt! You sniffed us out!” Wakko said, having a delayed reaction. He ran to the dog, grabbing his face. “Can you sniff out Dot?” 

“Oh, everything smells like cinnamon in here.” 

“Cinnamon?” Rita turned, gaping at him. 

“Honestly, it smells like old dusty air.” Yakko said. 

“It smells like ash!” Rita said. “Did you all not notice?” 

Everyone stopped and smelled the air, and then shook their heads. 

“Must be a cat/dog thing.” Rita groaned. “Runt, no, that’s not cinnamon. It doesn’t even smell the same, how are you- nevermind. We gotta find Dot and bust our way out of here. Oh, and then I’m going to find Plotz and claw his eyes out.” 

Another thought came to Brain, and he said, “Minerva, do you know what this place is?” 

“No! I’ve never seen it before in my life!” 

“Neither have I.” Skippy added. “And I’ve been to the beach loads of times with Aunt Slappy.” 

“Where the hell are we, then?” Yakko shouted. 

“We’re in deep crap is where we are!” Rita added. 

Wakko tugged on his ears. “Stop it! We’re not gonna get anywhere by shouting!” 

“Honey, we just punched our own evil alternate selves into puddles of melted glass,” Minerva said, “I think we deserve to have a little bit of a panic attack!” 

“Well, freaking out isn’t going to help us find Dot and get out!” Wakko said. “So all we need to do-” 

Another door burst open behind them. They all jumped, and Minerva lifted her sword again, pushing Skippy behind her. Yakko threw out his hands, ready to summon blasts of ice, while Runt wagged his tail, excited to see who was there. 

Out of the door came Slappy, dragging a whimpering Buttons behind her, his legs bandaged. Mindy rode on his back, hugging his neck. Without even looking at them, Slappy shouted, “They turned me into a freaking baby!” 

“Aunt Slappy!” Skippy shouted with glee, pushing past Minerva and running to her. 

Slappy instinctively held out her arms to pick him up, and once she had, she blinked in surprise. “Skippy? What are you-?” She looked up, seeing the whole group, and then shouted, “Oh, you’re all here! That’s perfect!”  

“How did you-?” 

“Buttons tracked you-” 

“We had Runt sniff out-” 

“Wait!” Brain held up his hands. “If there are dark reflections of ourselves in this house, how do we know you’re who you claim to be?” 

“Can it, mouse, or I’ll stuff your pants full of dynamite.” 

“It’s her.” Skippy assured Brain. 

“Minerva, what happened to your hair?” 

Minerva looked panicked. “What happened to my hair?” 

“What happened to Buttons?” Yakko asked. 

“We happened, unfortunately.” Slappy groaned. “Buttons tracked you here and we broke in through a window-” 

“You didn’t just knock on the door?” Wakko asked. 

“No! This thing is clearly a house powered by dark spirit energy, we’re not gonna let him know we’re here! But then Mindy ran into this room of kids’ toys and spun a top and suddenly I’m a toddler and Buttons had to catch us both-!” 

“Dark spirit energy?” 

“How blind are you all?” 

Yakko hugged himself, and then said, “Alright! We can argue on the way, but we need to press on! We need to find Dot!” 

Slappy, realizing the golden princess wasn’t there, shouted, “You lost Dot?” 

“Not by choice, trust me! But if this place is full of dark spirits- they wanted to kill her back in Warnerstock! We need to find her now!”  

When Dot recovered from her panic attack- which took too long, far too long- she stumbled to her feet and began wandering down the hall, shivering and hugging herself and calling for her brothers. 

Her mind was still dizzy, her stomach and legs aching beneath her. She wasn’t sure why she’d even run, only that she hadn’t felt the ability to stay there another second. She was tired and cold and scared and she just wanted to get out. 

She heard footsteps ahead of her, and sped up slightly, perking up with hope. She turned the bend, desperately wishing she would see Yakko or Wakko or Pinky and the Brain… but no, it was just that Mr Plotz, lighting the lamps that hung on the wall. He didn’t seem to notice her at first, so she just stood at the end of the hall, staring. Then she burst into tears again; she couldn’t stop herself anymore, she just began to wail, too many emotions overcoming her. 

Plotz turned, and blew out the match he’d been using, before dropping it to the ground and walking over. He said, “Now, now. What’s wrong, young visitor?” 

“I- I- I-” she tried to speak. “I’m lost.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I should have known my house would be confusing- here, come with me, I’ll get you back home.” 

Dot nodded, and he took her hand, leading her down the hall. She sniffled, glancing at the dark portraits hanging beside them. “Wh-where did you get all this art?” 

“Oh, it’s just a collection. I’m a bit of a collector, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” 

“K-kinda.” 

Plotz opened a door, shepherding her inside. The room was dark, but Dot didn’t really mind. She stopped, standing put, as Plotz went to light the lamps along the wall. 

“You must be so upset.” 

“I am.” 

“I’m very sorry about that. But you’ll be alright in just a moment. Are you well-rested, at least?” 

“I guess.” 

“Fed?” 

“Uh, not really, but it’s okay. We have food in the caravan. We’ll… we’ll go find that.” 

“Hmm.” Plotz finished lighting the lamps, but it didn’t seem to brighten the room at all. “I could get you something.” 

“N-no. We’re fine. We should just get going and find my siblings- where are we?” 

“Somewhere that’ll help, princess, don’t worry.” 

“I don’t understand.” Dot shook her head. “We should just go through the hall-” She froze, then something dawning on her. 

“Yes?” 

“How did you know I was a princess?” she said, feeling numb. 

“What?” 

“We never… told you that.” 

“You never told me a lot of things.” came Plotz’s voice from across the room. 

The lamps immediately flickered and died, and Dot felt something wrap against her leg. She screamed, trying to move back, but fell on the ground. Something else grabbed her other leg- a vine? 

Plotz’s voice grew darker, and it sounded like he was suddenly everywhere at once. “You may have defeated my former associates, but they were weak. They didn’t have the full power that Zhan Tiri offers.” 

“Let me go!” Dot screamed, trying to drag herself towards the door; unfortunately, more vines clamped around her. One grabbed her braid, and she screamed as it tugged back. “Let me go!” 

“Everything will be fine, Princess. You’ll get to go home, and so will our mistress.” 

“F- Flower, gleam and glow! Let your power shi-” Dot tried to sing, but a vine wrapped around her mouth, gagging her. Her fur did light, for only a minute, and only enough that she could see the green-lit shadow ahead of her, its eyes fierce and triumphant. 

“You can’t use your stolen magic here- neither the flower inside you, or the unclaimed power you’ve been channeling with the energy of the sun that shines over all. Now just relax, it’ll end much faster that way.” 

Dot tried again to scream, again failing, and her fur dimmed, leaving her in pitch blackness. 

Vines continued surrounding her, enveloping her, dragging her to the center of the room. She felt like she was floating, falling, staying in one place and being dragged everywhere. But worst of all, she was being suffocated. The vines kept pressing around her, around every inch of her, dragging her down and squeezing tight. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t move, she was trapped… 

And then all at once, she was home…

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - DOTOPIA

“Angie? Are you alright?” 

Dot gasped for air, turning her wild eyes on everything around her. She’d just rocketed up in bed, her covers flying off of her. She reached and gripped at her mattress, and glanced down, her eyes widening as she saw her arms were smoky black. 

“Angie! Hey, hey! Look at me!” 

Dot shook slightly, but flickered her eyes up. Yakko and Wakko had just climbed onto the edge of her bunk, and were watching her with concern. Yakko reached out a hand, stroking her dark shoulder. “What’s up? You have a nightmare?” 

“I… I…” she tried to speak, but her thoughts were all jumbled together. He shouldn’t be here… no, he should… she shouldn’t be in bed… she should be… she should be… where? 

“What happened? It’s alright, just tell big brother all about it.” 

“I… I was… there were… vines? I think?” she tried, but even that was slipping. “And glowing eyes, and… I don’t know?” 

“That’s alright, we forget our dreams real fast, don’t we?” Yakko said. “But you’re safe now. You’re safe with us, forever.” 

“I… I am.” Dot repeated. She reached up a hand to her hair, only to find it was a pixie cut again. “Shouldn’t my hair be longer?” 

Yakko laughed. “Longer? Angie, you’ve never had it longer than that as long as you’ve been alive.” 

“I… I guess so. I… I’m sorry. I guess I’m just confused.” 

“Well, you just woke up.” said Wakko sympathetically. “I get confused when I wake up! Remember two years ago when I tried to eat Yakko?” 

“Yeah, I had to freeze you to the wall to get you to snap out of it!” Yakko laughed. 

“Two years… I…” Dot shook herself, and then a calmness washed over her. 

Oh. It’s okay. 

“Dot?” 

“Yeah. Two years ago.” she repeated, smiling. “That was funny.”

“We’re hilarious.” Wakko nodded. 

“Now, Angie,” Yakko said, grabbing her hands, “We better go get dressed! We gotta go over stuff for your coming out party tonight.” 

“Coming out party?” Dot said. “Everyone knows we’re not totally straight.” 

Yakko laughed, hard. “Good one! Good one, Angie! But you know what we mean- you’ve got to…” he did a mock bow, taking on an accent similar to Wakko’s. “Present yourself professionally to high society.” 

Dot giggled. “Oh, yeah! You know, I should wear a really big, funny hat.” 

“Just take one of Wakko’s spares.” 

“Take one of my hats and I’ll bite you.” 

“I don’t doubt it!” 

“Well, hurry it up and get dressed.” Yakko punched her playfully on the shoulder. “Mom and Dad’ll have a fit if we’re late again.” 

Dot froze over, some shock overcoming her she didn’t understand. “M-Mom and Dad?” 

“Yeah! They’ll be up already, planning for the ceremony.” 

“Mom and Dad?” 

“Mum and Daddoo!” Wakko nodded. “Come on, don’t you want to see them?” 

Then, all at once, the shock was gone, and the calmness set in again. She smiled, nodding along. “Yeah. Yeah, I would like to see them. Let’s go.” 

Yakko went down the ladder first, before making a small snowflake ornament to hang on their bedside, humming a little song. Wakko climbed down, jumped to the ground, and did a handstand, laughing. 

And then Angie slid down the ladder, landed on the floor, and got ready for her normal, ordinary, happy day. 

Angie tied her ears with a nice little bow, and put on a fancy pink skirt, spinning around so her brothers could ooh and aah at her adorableness. Wakko changed sweaters, and Yakko made himself fancy clothes out of magic. Angie paused a moment, wondering if she should question that- had he always been this comfortable with his magic, with himself? 

Yes. He had. Don’t be silly. 

She held her brothers’ hands, and they skipped down the hall, smiling at everyone they passed, pleased that everyone seemed just as happy as them. The windows were all open, letting the warm breeze fill the halls, and letting the bright sun dapple shapes on the floor. Angie ran her hands happily along the walls, which were just wide enough, didn’t seem confining at all- why would they? 

They reached the dining room, and for some reason, Angie felt a hesitation outside the door. But then Wakko moved past her, muttering about her being too slow, and shouted, “We’re here!” as he threw open the door. He raced in, running and leaping into arms, and Yakko raced after him. 

Angie stalled, carefully putting her hand on the doorframe and pushing herself into the entryway. She looked into the shining dining room, with its polished table and beautiful chandelier, hanging paintings and mirrors and decorative statues, beautiful doors, plentiful food waiting for her on the table… 

And Mom and Dad. 

Queen Angel was holding Wakko, rubbing noses with him, while Yakko hugged King William, who spun him around, laughing. Angie stared at them, taking in every detail; the way her mother’s ears drooped like hers, necessitating the hairtie, and the way her fur fluffed out and shone in the light. The way her father stood tall, his tail wagging in the exact way Yakko’s did when he was happy, his face so similar to hers. 

Angel looked up, holding Wakko at her side like a toddler, and waved. “Come on, Angie!” 

Angie blinked back tears, though she wasn’t sure why she was crying at all, and ran forwards, letting both of her parents envelop her in a tight, warm hug. She relaxed against their soft fur, letting herself fade into their fond embrace. She was safe, so long as she was here, with them. With her family. 

Eventually, Angel pulled away. “Oh, darling, I love that new skirt on you!” 

“Thank you! Watch me spin in it!” she did indeed twirl, and her parents applauded. 

“You are truly adorable.” William assured her. “You’re going to have such a wonderful celebration, we promise you that.” 

“Aww, you don’t have to do that for lil ol’ me!” 

“Anything for our little girl’s special day.” 

Yakko pulled out a chair for Angie, waiting until she sat before taking his own seat. Wakko immediately started eating, and Angel said, “Now, we have a busy morning. Everyone will be arriving soon, you remember how to greet them?” 

“Yes, of course.” Why wouldn’t she? 

“And then we will have the celebration, and the banquet after. You remember what to do?” 

“Yes, of course.” 

“Do you think her tiara still fits?” 

“Of course it does.” William assured her. “Her crown always fits her, and always has.” 

“Of course.” 

“Now, dear-” Angel turned, then, smiling. “I also know you’ll want all your friends there, so you’ll have your own little table. Won’t that be nice?” 

“That’ll be great! Thanks, Mom!” 

“Hey, maybe we can go into town while nobody’s looking.” Yakko suggested, raising a brow. “Get you a new book!” 

“Just don’t bother the sellers too much, kids.” 

“We wouldn’t bother them if they didn’t bother us first.” 

“Town.” Angie said carefully, and then she smiled bright again. “Yes, we love going there. That sounds great!” 

Everything was great! 

Why wouldn’t it be? 

Mother made sure they were all looking presentable before they went out to greet the foreign guests. As she brushed crumbs off of Wakko’s sweater, she said, “Now, you remember what titles everyone has?” 

“Yes.” Yakko nodded. 

“And you remember how to properly bow and shake hands?” 

“Yes.” Wakko said. 

“What do you say to everyone?” 

“Thank you for coming.” Angie said.

“And what do you say if someone asks what you are?” 

“We’re annoying!” Yakko said. 

“We’re infested with fleas!” Wakko added. 

“We’re cute!” 

“Those are my kids! Let’s go impress some stuffy people!” 

“Yay!” the children cheered, and Angel led them down the hall, holding Wakko’s hand as they descended towards the open front doors. 

Angie skipped along, and then when they stepped outside onto the pavement outside the doors, she immediately curtsied, welcoming everyone outside. She nicely and politely greeted all the royals from other kingdoms who passed her to enter into the castle, stopping to bow or shake her hand or tell her they were very happy to be here. She would respond that she was very happy they were there, too, thanking them for coming to her very special day. She saw Yakko going to chat with people, glowing and relieved that this situation was rewarding his extroversion. Wakko jumped up to the railing to sit on it, waving at anyone who passed by, kicking his legs and laughing along to whatever Yakko was doing. Her parents were off to the side, welcoming everyone in, happy to see everyone in the crowd whether they be a visiting royal or a nearby villager who just came to see them. Angie was just as happy. 

After a while, she began skipping down the bridged pathway, mainly so she could say hello to more people at once. When the village kids came running, she danced and bounced with them, spinning with Cindy and skipping along with Tinker and his big sister Katie. After she finished greeting Colin, she flapped her hands excitedly, leaning against the railing and laughing with joy. 

She started to head out, but then she stopped, something flashing in the corner of her eye. She turned, looking down at the river below them, and then she couldn’t stop staring. She leaned over the rail, her eyes fixed on the reflections in the currents below. 

She stayed like that for a very long time, until Yakko came up beside her. “Yo, sister sibling? You okay?” 

Her voice trembling, Angie asked, “Do you see that?” 

Yakko looked to the river, glancing through the waves. “What, the river? I see that every day. What, is there a fish or a bird or something?” 

“I…” Angie began, but then she shook her head. “Uh… yeah. It was a funny fish- I guess it swam away.” 

“Well, lemme know if you see it again! I’d love to see a funny fish!” 

“Ha ha, yeah! Now show me to the ballroom, I wanna get ready for my grand debut!” 

“Of course, come on!” 

Yakko took her hand, and they raced off, with Angie trying to push the image in the river to the back of her mind, so she could focus only on the wonderful day ahead of them, just another moment in their wonderful, perfect life. 

But still… that wasn’t normal, right? 

The fact her reflection had long, braided, golden fur? 

Angie spun around the ballroom, laughing amongst guests. The ceremony would start in a few hours, so for now she was allowed to mingle with all of her great friends. She was so happy to talk with everyone, to simply let herself be a little social butterfly. She bounced and spun and showed off how adorable she was, and bantered with her friends, and danced along to the sweet, beautiful music. 

She danced for a little bit with her father, the two of them practicing traditional steps to an old ballad. When the song completed, he twirled her one more time and let her spin out, before she turned and curtsied to mark the end of their activity. Then they laughed and he ruffled her fur, and she took his hand and moved to the concessions. They chatted about nothing at all while watching Wakko eat half the table, and then Buttons came by on his patrol, making sure everything was alright. Angie stroked his ears, asking him if he’d had an eventful day or not and making sure to give him some nice scratches. 

But then it happened again; Angie was going past a wall, chasing Mindy across the floor in a game of tag, and then she stopped again, but this time it wasn’t due to a reflection. 

She had been running, without a care in the world, and then suddenly everything was gone. 

The room was black, dripping with some kind of damp muck, and an eerie, cold silence pounded against her ears. And right in front of her, was a towering black rock. 

She stumbled back, gasping in shock, only to realize another rock was behind her. She jumped, and one more burst out from the ground, its sharp point nearly hitting her, a blue glow flickering around its base. Angie let out a tiny scream, before turning and realizing more rocks were coming, surrounding her, trapping her… 

“Angie? Hey, you okay?” 

Angie blinked, and she was home again. In a nice little ballroom, with Wakko standing beside her, holding a cup of punch and looking only a little confused. She stumbled, shaking her head to clear it, as the sounds of pleasant conversation came flowing back to her ears. 

“Angie?” 

She looked up, smiling. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just got a headache all the sudden.” 

“You should eat more.” Wakko advised, before eating his entire cup in one bite.

“Yeah, probably.” 

It was probably just… aftereffects of her nightmare from last night. Yeah, that was it. She was just tired. She was fine. Everything was fine. 

Everything was perfect.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - GATHERING STORM

“I found weapons!” Skippy shouted excitedly. 

The group was still stuck in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow- which, thankfully, everyone found as funny a name as the Warners did, and they’d spent an hour riffing on it while trying to find anything useful. The next hour, Slappy had everyone tell her everything they knew about this “Plotz” fellow, and she decided that whatever he was, he definitely wasn’t up to any good, and someone needed to be slapped for not teaching the Warners not to blindly trust any stranger who talked to them. Pinky volunteered to be slapped, saying it was “always really funny,” but Slappy instead just kicked the next door open, and screeched with frustration when she saw it was just filled with empty cauldrons. 

But Skippy had finally found a weapons room, and his eyes were sparkling as he raced in, running his hand over several maces on the wall. The group quickly entered after him, and Slappy said, “Skippy, hold on. These could be cursed, don’t touch anything.” 

She turned, and found that everyone else had immediately touched whatever was nearest to them. 

“I’m not even surprised.” she groaned. 

Yakko claimed he didn’t need weapons, as his ice seemed to be dangerous enough, but Slappy insisted on strapping a knife to him anyway, just in case. Minerva kept her own sword but loaded up on several daggers and throwing stars. Everyone else managed to grab something, but it took Wakko quite some time to settle on a weapon.

“Hmm.” Wakko narrowed his eyes, looking between a double-bladed axe and a long spear. “Hmm. Hmm.” 

“If you don’t shut up,” Yakko said lovingly, “I’m going to throw you into the lava room.” 

“I’m trying to decide which would be most effective.” 

“They both have strengths and weaknesses.” Minerva said wisely. 

“Yes, but which looks the most intimidating for when I plan to threaten Plotz with death if he doesn’t tell me where my sister is and how to get us out of here?” 

“I think the fact we’re all gonna be armed is threatening enough. Just pick which one you think you’ll be better with.” 

“Oh. I’m not good with either of these.” 

“Then why did you pick them?” 

“They looked the coolest.” 

Yakko sighed. “Look, just… pick one you think you might be able to use and let’s go. There’s a shield- you know how to block with those, right? That might be helpful, we don’t want you getting hurt-” 

“Eh.” Wakko shrugged, and then reached into his hat and pulled out his gaggy bag. “I’ll probably just use something from this.” 

Everyone stared, and then Brain said, “How long have you had that?” 

“Oh, I never go anywhere without it.” 

Brain took a deep breath. “And you… did not think to pull some form of explosives from it to break us out of here?” 

Wakko scoffed. “I ran out of those when we were trying to cut Dot’s hair last. You know how hard it is to get your hands on dynamite? People are always like ‘what are you using that for’ and ‘if you start an international incident we’re going to overthrow you’ and it’s so annoying.” 

“We’ll keep that in mind.” Brain said coldly. 

“That does remind me, though.” Yakko said. “I think we need a new strategy. Plotz and/or Dot could be anywhere in this house and they could still be moving. We need some way to track them. Runt and Buttons are having difficulties sniffing stuff out, though… anyone here have spirit-tracking powers to find Plotz?” 

“That would be nice, but no.” Slappy said. “Unless one of you wants to turn into a spirit and start tracking one of your own…” 

“If Plotz is a shadow creature,” Brain said, putting a hand on his chin to think, “Would that make him the most dangerous thing in this building, or would that honor go to the spike room?” 

“No, I think he’s worse.” Slappy said. “Trust me, we Northuldrans live among spirits, and shadows like you think he might be? That’s the last thing we want. Without a way to dispel him, we’d be more likely to survive the planet collapsing. Those things can rip your soul out of your body and turn it into confetti.” 

“Demanitus seemed to think my magic could dispel the shadows.” Yakko said, letting a ribbon of ice swirl over his fingers. “It worked when Wakko… when he saved us.” 

“Yeah, but you don’t know how to do that normally, and I assume we don’t wanna freeze anyone, so our best hope is to find Dot and get her outta here.” 

“But as I was saying,” Brain said, “Plotz would be even more dangerous than anything else in this building?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And if he’s trying to kill Dot, he’d be on her trail?” 

“Unfortunately.” 

“So we find him, we find Dot?” 

“Potentially? Why?” 

“Therefore,” Brain said slowly, “All we need to find the most dangerous thing in this building is… a magnet for danger?” 

“I suppose so? Why?” 

Slowly, very slowly, all of the Warnerstock traveling party turned to look at Mindy, who was playing with an empty sword sheath that Minerva had dropped in front of her to distract her. 

Mindy looked up, smiling, and said, “Hi!” 

Angie’s mother took her up to the room, just beside the stairwell she was to descend for the ceremony. She straightened her dress, and said, “Now, darling, you remember what to do?” 

“I go down the stairs, down the aisle, and accept my crown.” 

“Yes. The crown is the most important part. It shows that you accept your destiny as princess of this world.” 

Angie blinked. “Of what?” 

“Of this land. Are you alright, darling? Wakko said you seemed a bit confused.” 

“Just tired. I had a nightmare last night.” 

“Yes, Yakko mentioned that.” Angel knelt in front of her, placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“I’m not even sure I remember it. I just remember being sad. And trapped.” 

“Well, you’ll never be trapped here.” Angel assured her, putting a hand on her cheek, running her hands over her daughter’s fluff. “Not with us. We love you so much.” 

“I know you do, and I love you, too.” Angie said, leaning into her mother’s gentle touch. 

The door opened a bit, and William entered, with his sons following at his heels. “How’s our little princess?” 

“Doing good.” Angie said, taking a deep breath. “I think?” 

“You’re going to do great, Angie!” Wakko said, bouncing on his paws. “And then we’re going to have a great banquet and eat everything!” 

“No, no.” William said, while Angel laughed. “You and your mother are going to leave food for everyone else, right?” 

“Maybe.” 

“Wakko.” 

“Ugh, fine.” 

Angie giggled, as Yakko came up near her. He waved a hand, making a large snowflake, which he placed atop her ribbon, in the front of her ears. “There. Now you look perfect.” 

“Thank you.” she said, wagging her tail. “I’m very glad I have a magic brother.” 

“You’re the real magic ones.” Yakko assured her and Wakko, who giggled.

Angie hesitated, then, a thought coming to her. “Why do you have magic, anyway?” 

“Does it matter?” Yakko said, not a whiff of concern anywhere near him. 

Angie’s eyes flickered over to her father, another question on the tip of her tongue. But then she shook her head, and said, “I guess not.” 

“We don’t need to know.” Yakko shrugged. “We have all we need here.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Oh! That reminds me.” Yakko then turned, going to a dresser on the side of the room. He opened a drawer, and happily pulled out a wrapped package. “We got you a gift.” 

“Ooh!” Angie bounced, flapping her hands with excitement. Her family gathered around her, and she sat on the ground, taking the package from Yakko’s hands. She unwrapped it, and stared down in amazement at a beautifully-decorated journal. As she ran her hand over the gems encrusted on the cover, she felt a sense of familiarity- but, no, she’d never seen this before. 

“Look inside.” Angel said. 

Angie opened the journal, seeing something decorating the inside cover. Behind a small protective sheet was a copy of her very first royal portrait, when she was just a baby. William with an arm around young Yakko, bright and happy and standing out amongst his black-furred family. Baby Wakko sat at their feet, looking confusedly up at whoever was painting, clearly not keen on being still for as long as it took to make the initial sketch. And then there was Angel, holding and smiling down at her infant daughter, who looked just like her, with dark fur, flopping ears, and a happy face. 

“It’s beautiful.” she said. “I love it. Thank you.” 

“We knew you would.” William said, stroking her fur. 

“We’d better get going. Start the ceremony.” Angel said, standing up. “Come, boys. And please behave for just a little bit. Angie behaved at your coming out parties.” 

“But we’re the big brothers. It’s our responsibility to tease her.” 

“After the ceremony.” 

“Ugh, fine. Come on, Wakko.” 

Wakko gave his sister a quick hug, before following after the rest of his family. They gave her cheerful waves, wished her luck, and then left her alone. 

When the door closed, Angie began to flip through the blank pages of the journal, perfect for sketching and practicing with her paints. It was beautiful, and she’d be sure to fill it only with very beautiful artwork… 

She turned to the back cover, and narrowed her eyes. She ran a hand over the thick end of the journal, feeling as if there should be another protective sheet here, in the back. To hold another portrait. No, that was ridiculous. Why would she need another portrait? Her family was right there, in the front. And they were happy. And safe. And together. And that was all she needed. 

But still… 

Angie ran her hand over the back cover, as if tracing shapes she had once sketched. The shape of her siblings, and Buttons and Mindy, but of more as well. Another dog, wagging his tail, with a cat perched on his head and putting her paws against Angie’s arm. There was a familiarity, between the cat and the princess, in this mental image, one Angie couldn’t quite place. And on her shoulders, the outlines of mice, two mice. Happy to be there, hands on her shoulders as a source of comfort. Stability. Family. 

That was ridiculous. She didn’t know any mice, she didn’t know any cats. Buttons was a nice guard, sure, but he wasn’t that close to the family, and besides, he was the only dog she knew, that second dog wasn’t… real. Those other people couldn’t be real. 

She closed the journal, not wanting to think about this mental image, but as it closed, she felt an ache spread across her heart, almost hurting her. She put her paw over her chest, trying to breathe deep, but she felt tears at the edges of her eyes. Why was she crying? She felt like she’d lost something, something important to her, but she didn’t even know what it was. And worse- she also felt like she was letting someone down, though she didn’t know who or why. 

She needed to stop this. She was going to go down there, and go to her family, who was totally real, and accept the crown, accepting her place in this kingdom. In this world. 

Angie wouldn’t need anything else. 

She stood, and caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror on the far wall. She turned quickly, not wanting to see it, but even then she knew that she, indeed, had a golden reflection once more. 

Releasing Mindy was both the best and worst plan they had. 

Buttons was close at her heels, keeping her from dying constantly, while the rest of them did their best to help. But once Yakko had pushed Mindy out the door and said, “Go wherever you want,” she had taken that to heart and toddled around to her heart’s content. It was honestly surprising just how fast she could move at her young age and small stature, so they had to run for a good portion of the journey, just trying to keep an eye on her as she raced into rooms filled with hanging puppets or guitar cases filled with alligators. After the room that was a literal game of ‘the floor is lava’, Skippy was riding piggyback on Slappy while Rita and Brain, riding with Pinky atop of Runt, cussed under their breath with every turn they took. 

But thankfully, they seemed to be getting somewhere. The walls were looking similar to the color they’d been when they entered, so this wasn’t all in vain, hopefully. After a particularly tense room where they had to leap over what seemed to be scorpions, Minerva picked up and carried Buttons as he directed her which way to go to keep the chaotic toddler alive. Yakko eventually navigated to the front of the group, sending up blasts of ice to knock aside falling items and keep anything potentially dangerous in place, while Mindy chased after her newest interest, a “buggy!”- which seemed to be a very lost moth. 

They only took a break once, when Wakko’s legs gave way again, and then Yakko managed to throw up a frozen wall to keep Mindy from wandering off while they took a short rest, and then he carried his brother for the next few minutes. But Wakko had slid off his back a while ago, and was now wandering in the back of the group. He’d had a brief conversation with Pinky about types of cheese, but they’d had to fall quiet and concentrate when they went into the jungle gym room, and they just hadn’t been able to talk again since then. 

So now Wakko stayed in the back of the group, pushing himself farther as they kept moving. He didn’t want to become exhausted again, but he also didn’t want to slow down. He didn’t want to be the one who kept them from finding Dot. She had to be in trouble, she’d been alone for so long, she should’ve stayed with them… maybe this was his fault, he should’ve paid more attention to her in that hall, noticed when she left… 

It didn’t matter now. Like he’d told Yakko before, they couldn’t focus on what had happened in the past, only what they could do now. And now they were close to finding Dot, he could feel it. They just had to keep going on. 

“Wakko…” 

Wakko stopped, confusedly sticking out his tongue. He glanced ahead at the group- they’d entered the hallways again, but Mindy was climbing on high shelves, with the rest of them underneath, to catch her for the inevitable moment when she’d fall. Had one of them called him? 

“Wakko…” 

No, it was from behind them. Wakko turned, perking his ear and staring towards the direction he thought the noise had come from. A door was cracked open, some kind of gold light shining out of it and onto the ground. (How’d they miss that before?) And from inside that room, someone calling his name. It sounded like the voice of a young girl. 

“Dot?” 

“Wakko…” 

Wakko headed towards the door, peering inside and seeing only light. “Dot? Is that you?” 

Either the voice was Dot- though it sounded a bit different, it did still seem like a young girl around her age, maybe she was just scared?- or it was something else calling him. An excitement rose in his chest at the thought that he was being called somewhere, just like his siblings had been. 

He entered the room, and then jumped as the door slammed shut behind him.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - REAL

“Mindy, I swear to God!” 

Mindy finally leapt down from the shelves, trying to catch the moth she’d been chasing, and Yakko had barely managed to catch her. He lowered her to the ground, and, not even noticing what danger she’d been in, Mindy began to toddle again after the moth, which flickered into a door that was slightly cracked open. Before the young girl could enter, though, Runt ran forwards and lifted her up by the overalls. 

“Whoa.” Rita said. “Do not like that door.” 

The door, at first, looked very similar to the others, until you looked down and saw that, to the left of the knob was a black shape, similar to a ram’s head, and with glowing green eyes. Brain looked down, seeing the green glow from beneath the door. “Well, that looks like a disaster waiting to happen.” 

Minerva groaned and put down Buttons, before kneeling by the door. She gestured to what looked like a tiny vine, which was what held the door open. “Probably an alien plant room. Those things feed on blood, is anyone bleeding right now?” 

“How would you know that?” Brain said worriedly. 

Skippy pointed back to the ground. “Look, there’s a shadow! Someone’s on there!” 

Indeed, the shadow of someone, or something, passed briefly by the green. 

“Dot?” Yakko called. “Dot?” He started forwards, only to fall back after a second, tugging his ears. 

“You hearing that voice again?” Rita asked concernedly. 

“Yeah! He’s louder now, which might be a good thing? But…” 

Minerva groaned and stood up, ignoring Yakko and unsheathing her sword. She walked into the room first, calling, “Alright, hands up, if-  oh SWEET SPIRITS!” 

At her scream, Yakko instantly released his ears, threw the door open, and ran inside, sliding in front of her and throwing out his hands in a defensive position. The rest of the group rushed up behind him as he saw just what it was that had freaked her out- and, well, she definitely had a right to scream at that. 

The room was dark, covered in suffocating stone. Melting candles were littered across the floor, surrounding a table in the center. And the table, and wall, were covered in thick, spiraling, black vines, moving slowly like disgruntled worms. They wrapped around the ground and up towards the ceiling, but most worryingly was what they were holding down. For on the table, bound tightly by the swirling vines, was Dot, her unconscious face positioned up towards the ceiling, and towards a dangling, green gem. The only sign of movement coming from her was from her slow, shaky breathing, much too irregular for comfort. 

“Dot!” Yakko shouted, and began to run for his sister, already throwing out a blast of ice. The vine it was about to hit retreated, causing his blast to shatter onto the ground, and several burst up in front of Yakko, stopping him from going further. 

“Less noise, please.” said the voice of Plotz, from somewhere in the room. “The princess is sleeping.” 

“Let her go!” Yakko shouted, as Minerva stepped beside him with her sword. Everyone else raced in, with Skippy drawing her moon-sword and pointing it at the gem above Dot. When she began to run, the vines suddenly burst forward at an alarming speed, slamming into each of the crew in turn. Yakko was thrown into a wall, with these magic vines snaking around his hands, pinning them against the stone in an attempt to keep him from using his magic. The bounds around his legs and chest tightened, and Yakko could hear everyone else experiencing similar situations. He glanced around, spotting Slappy, dangling upside-down, and Skippy, just beside her. Minerva was on the wall beside Buttons and Mindy, the latter of whom just seemed entertained by the vines’ low, green glow, and Rita and Runt were on the other wall, Brain and Pinky each wrapped by one vine each. But… 

“Wakko! Wakko? Wakko!” 

“I asked you to be quiet.” hissed Plotz, and then there was a burst of green light from the center of the room. The vines all lit the same color, and Yakko strained to look ahead. A shadow creature, just like the one that had tried to kill them in Warnerstock, was floating above Dot, emerald eyes shining with an evil light. 

“No!” Yakko shouted. “Where’s my brother? What’re you doing to my sister? Let us go you piece of-” 

A vine wrapped around his mouth, and the shadow spoke with Plotz’s voice. “Your sister will be fine, in a manner of speaking. Zhan Tiri has need for the sundrop, and once the princess’s mind fully surrenders to her dreamworld, its limitless power will belong to our mistress.” 

“Dot!” Brain called. 

“Dot!” Rita shouted. 

“Wake up!” Slappy added. 

“Yo, sunshine princess!” Slappy called. 

Buttons and Runt began to bark, and Plotz sighed. “How hard is it to get you all to shut up, really?” He sent out more vines to mute the group, though Slappy managed to shout out several curse words before he did. 

“The only way this shell holding the sundrop can wake up,” Plotz said, floating back and running a shadowy hand over Dot’s face, “Is if she wakes herself.” 

Yakko tried to scream at him not to touch her, to get away from her, but it was muffled through the vine that gagged him. 

“Don’t worry about her. This is a much nicer fate than Sugracha would have given her. She would have just ripped her soul out and hoped the sundrop came with it- instead, we’re letting this girl give the power up herself. And then she can live forever in a happy, easy life. And when Zhan Tiri rises…” 

Plotz gave them a horrible look from his inhuman form that may have been a smile. 

“The rest of you won’t be so lucky.”

Angie could distantly hear the music begin. She just had to exit the door, descend the stairwell, and accept her crown. She knew it was just for show, just a little ceremony that didn’t really mean anything in the wrong run. But something inside of her was screaming, crying out that once she put the tiara on, there was no going back, and something bad would happen. 

But nothing bad happens here. It’s just me and my family. 

No. Life isn’t that easy. That’s what makes it worth living. 

What was that thought? Angie shook her head and dusted off her skirt, before opening the door and taking a deep breath. The music was louder, now, more clear, and she started down the steps, smiling bright. She could see all the visitors down below, separated only by an aisle she was to walk down. They were all looking at her with a peace in their eyes and joy on their faces, happy to see the young princess of Warnerstock. At the end of the crowd, on the stage, was her family. Yakko and Wakko, standing to the side and shooting her thumbs-ups, and her father, looking proud as ever, and her mother, waiting beside the podium that held her crown. The one she’d been given when she was born, encrusted with jewels and shining under the chandelier. 

Just keep walking. Don’t stop. 

Angie made it to the bottom of the stairs, stepping off onto the carpet. She kept her head held high, giving everyone a glowing smile. 

She stepped forwards, and then the world was dark again, filled with pointed rocks. She only paused a moment, before keeping forwards, on the path she’d set out on. 

That’s not real. It’s just a nightmare. This? Is all I want. 

After a few steps, the dark world vanished, and she was back in the warm, happy castle room. She walked past guests, who all stood for her. She recognized the children from the village, and Mindy and Buttons. 

Someone else should be here. 

No. Nobody else. 

Yes. 

They’re your family, too. 

She kept on, going up the short steps to the stage, where she knelt down, as she was supposed to, in front of her mother, the Queen of Warnerstock. Angel smiled down at her, and then reached back for the crown. She held it up so all could view it, and Angie looked up to watch the gems reflect the chandelier’s light. 

And then they went dark. 

Angie jumped, leaning back. For an instant, the world had gone to the rocks again. No, no. That was just a dream, and she was going to press on. She glanced back to the crowd, all watching her intently, with painted smiles on their faces. 

Did nobody notice she just flinched? 

She turned back, looking over at her family on the stage. Yakko was bouncing on his paws, and Wakko had his tongue out, just like always. Her father and mother were there. They were doing this all for her. They loved her. She’d always known they’d loved her, she’d always known a loving family. And she never wanted to leave them, ever. Not for anything. 

The darkness flashed again, as Angel stepped towards her, beginning to lower the crown. Angie tried to breathe deep, to calm herself down, but it wasn’t working. 

I love this place. I want to be here. I want to be with my family. 

But my family’s outside. 

And they need me. 

Dot’s eyes flew open, and she shouted, “Wait!” 

Angel stopped, confused. “Honey, are you okay?” 

Dot wanted to say yes. She wanted to say that everything was fine, and hear her parents speak again, feel them hug her tight. 

But she couldn’t just give up on the world outside. 

Dot slowly stood to her feet, staring at the illusion of her family in front of her. 

“This isn’t real.” 

“What?” her mother asked, as if she’d just said a joke. 

“This… isn’t…” Dot stepped back on each word, and then screamed, “Real!” 

And at her scream, a green magic burst out, surrounding her. She let out another shout, stepping back, feeling the heat and pressure of whatever had just appeared. The green mist floated around her, and she coughed, stumbling through the area. She walked past where the stage should have ended, just proving that it was never there, and then she finally found an area where the clouds seemed to part, and she raced into it, breathing deep and trying to stand. 

“You know, you could have made this easy.” came the voice of Plotz, and she turned to see a shadow creature emerge from the mist, its eyes boring into her. “But it seems that you and your siblings do nothing but cause problems. Well! If you said not to the dream, let’s see what you say to a nightmare.” 

He vanished back into the green, and suddenly the magic took the form of towering, fierce flames, flickering too high for her to see the end of. She dropped to the ground, shaking and coughing more, only to see feet step out from the fire. She looked up, seeing Wakko, but it wasn’t Wakko. He was made of ice, and when he spoke, his voice was broken. 

“This happened because I followed you.” 

Dot threw her hands over her face as he shattered, struggling not to burst into sobs. Then two pieces of ice fell before her, turning into the bodies of Pinky and the Brain, as they had looked when they were dying. When they were dead. She retreated, almost running into the fire, and her hand landed on something solid- the tiara. It must have fallen near here- no. It must have been put here, as her way out. 

Put the crown on, and everything will be fine. 

Dot grabbed it, looking up as the shadowy forms of her parents stepped from the fire, eyes glowing green and staring down at her. 

“We did all of this for you.” 

“Don’t you love us?” 

Dot shakily stood, and then said, “You’re not my parents.” 

Angel raised a hand, as if to strike her, but when it came down, Dot threw up the crown as a shield. When the illusion of a hand came in contact with the tiara, the world flickered again, turning black. When it returned, the fire was gone, and the princess was alone in the faux castle. She dropped the tiara and turned, running as fast as she could to the nearest door. 

“You don’t get it, do you?” said Plotz’s voice, from everywhere and nowhere at once. “I am in control here.” 

Dot almost reached the door, close enough to push her hand forward and grab the handle. But instead, the floor gave way, splintering under her paws, and she screamed as she fell… 

And landed on the cold, hard floor of the last place she wanted to be. 

Dot scrambled to a sitting position, breathing hard and beginning to cry. Around her… was the watertower. It seemed smaller than before, and the door was gone. Her paintings weren’t on the walls, making it look lifeless, empty. Restricting. Dot tried to get up, only for chains to wrap around her hands, as they had done once before. She let out a panicked scream, struggling as her legs were bound as well. 

“No, no! No!” 

The curtain that had once separated her room from the rest of the tower was pushed back, and out came Nora Rita Norita. 

“Hello, Dottie.” she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. “Oh, I’ve missed you, my precious flower.” 

Dot fell silent, terror coursing through her, as the illusion of her false mother came closer. She reached out, running a cold hand over the princess’s fur in that horrible way she used to. Dot flinched back, trembling, but Norita simply grabbed her by the ear and yanked her closer, saying, “When will you realize that I will always get the better of you? Whether you’re trapped in a tower, or trapped in your own mind?” 

She released Dot, walking off, and Dot blinked, a sudden thought coming to her. 

My own mind. 

My own mind. 

Norita laughed, closing the curtains, before adjusting the mirror in the corner. “You can’t get out of this tower.” 

…yes, I can. 

Cause it’s my mind. 

“How many times do I have to say this, Dottie?” Norita said. “Mother knows-” 

She turned, and then saw that Dot was no longer chained to the wall; where chains once were lay only scattered flower petals. 

“And how many times do I have to say,” came a voice behind the illusion, up above her on a beam. “Call me Dottie…” 

Norita looked up just as Dot leapt down, swinging a huge mallet over her head. 

“And you die!” 

She swung her weapon, knocking Norita across the face. She fell to the floor, as Dot let out a cheer. “I have always wanted to do that!” 

Norita fell to the floor, and whipped around, her eyes green. “I have had enough of you!” she hissed. 

Green fire surrounded the two, blasting up from the ground and trying to press in. But Dot stood firm, not even glancing back, and she smiled over at Norita’s form. “You,” she said, her voice rising with glee, “Have no power over me.” 

She threw out her hands, and the fire turned black, solidifying into a circle of the moon’s rocks, towering high. But Dot wasn’t frightened, and she swiftly tossed the mallet into the air as smoke lifted from Norita’s form, revealing the shadow of Plotz. 

“You thought,” she said, stepping forward, “By dangling an easy, perfect life in front of me, I would follow you into oblivion. But you?” She stepped forward, and then reached out her hand. “Were wrong.” 

And as she reached her palm, a black rock jutted out from the ground. But it wasn’t pointed towards her, as they usually were; instead, she had it point directly at Plotz. Dot threw out her hands, and more rocks burst around her. 

Listening to her. 

“The only one who decides what my world is,” she said, “Is me.” 

And with that, she grabbed the rocks beside her, letting them glow blue. The blue overtook the green, and then… 

The vines holding Dot down suddenly exploded in a shower of blue light, and she rose, floating mid-air for a moment before she was standing on the table itself. In only a second, her hair unbraided itself and burst out, spreading far across the room. And from the floor, the black rocks blasted up, as they had in the ice palace. But unlike then, Dot wasn’t afraid. 

She briefly took in the room- everyone was there, held by vines against the wall. But the glow around the vines dimmed, and she turned to see Plotz flickering, trying to maintain a form. 

“Dot!” Yakko yelled, both relieved and terrified at the same time. 

She waved her hand, and a black rock appeared and broke the vines holding him to the wall. He fell to the ground, looking up in shock. She spun, and more rocks appeared to set everyone free. She glanced back to Yakko and said, “Now would be a good time to dispel a spirit, brother dear.” 

Yakko nodded, standing up. Plotz floated above her, and tried to make a dive, but Dot summoned a rock to block him. He fell back, surprised. 

“You said I can channel unclaimed power, huh?” Dot said, her voice completely level. “Well, the moonstone belongs to no one. So its rocks listen to me.” 

More burst from the ground, and they heard the house begin to shake, to crumble. Dot leapt off the table, and then Yakko was beside her. He put a paw on her shoulder for a brief second, and then stepped forward and moved his hands in a circular motion, summoning a ball of pure magic between them. “This better work.” he muttered. 

“I’m sure it will, I trust you.” Dot assured him, as everyone else ran to join them. 

Plotz made one last dive, and Yakko threw out his hands. The ball of energy blasted into Plotz, and with a flash of blue light, he was gone. 

Rocks kept spurting up and around them, and Slappy drew her sword again, ready to slice them to make an exit. But Dot shook her head, and then tugged on her hair. It swung through the air and then wrapped around them all, enclosing them as the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow finally collapsed. 

They waited a minute, hearing stone crumble. And then a fierce wind blew, and they heard what sounded like rushing sand- the magic of the house was disappearing, and the beach was returning. They waited a moment more, and then Dot tugged her hair again, and the shield dropped, and then they were all on the beach, light shimmering through the familiar forest fog. 

“What,” said Minerva, very slowly, “In the hell, was that?” 

Dot hesitated a moment, and then burst out into a relieved laughter. Yakko soon joined her, and then Dot bent down, picking up and hugging Rita to her chest. She blinked away tears, and then knelt on the ground, holding out her arms for the rest of her family. Pinky and the Brain crawled onto her arm, and Runt snuggled against her, while Buttons and Mindy embraced her from behind. Yakko ruffled her fur, and Skippy jumped onto her, and then even Slappy and Minerva came over, looking her over to make sure she was alright. 

When Dot finally stood, letting everyone go, she said, “I missed you guys.” 

“Where were you? What happened?” Yakko asked. 

Dot shivered. “I don’t wanna talk about it right now. But is everyone okay?” 

“Glowy!” Mindy said, which was her way of saying she was alright. 

“I think we’re all fine. Narf!” said Pinky. 

“Narf.” Dot responded. She glanced around, and then turned to Yakko. “Where’s Wakko?” 

Yakko flinched and looked around the beach, eyes wide. “I didn’t see him- Wakko! Wakko!” 

As he called, though, the sand behind them rose, swirling in an imaginary wind. Slappy immediately grabbed Dot and pulled her back, swinging the moon-sword in case anything should come near them. But the sand kept spinning, growing thicker and thicker, and when it dispersed, what was left was a door, just like the ones that had been in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow. But it was only a door, with no walls, no knob. All that it had was a small podium, keeping it above the sand. 

The door thumped, and Minerva drew her sword, too, with Buttons pushing Yakko back and letting out a protective growl. Dot grabbed her fur, getting ready to swing it if need be. 

The door opened, then, and Wakko stumbled out. His hand was on the wood of the door, and he had his other paw on his knees, leaning down so they couldn’t see his face. He breathed deep, as if he’d just run a great distance, and everyone relaxed their weapons. 

“Wakko!” Dot shouted, pushing past Slappy and racing over to her brother. She immediately hugged him, wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders. “Wakko! Oh, thank Spielberg you’re safe!” 

Wakko didn’t hug her back. Instead, he stiffened, like she’d just slapped him and was threatening to do it again. Dot pulled away, noticing his tenseness, though she still had her hands over his. Her eyes flickered with concern, as Yakko ran over, putting a paw on her shoulder. “Wakko, are you okay? Where were you?” 

Wakko gave them both strange looks, ones they hadn’t seen on his face before, and then he yanked his hands out of Dot’s, pulling away from his siblings. 

“I’m fine, guys.” he said carefully. “Let’s get moving.” 

“What?” Dot said. 

“We’ve lost enough time as it is.” Wakko said. He turned, and watched as the door disappeared, turning back into sand. He stared for a long time, and began walking off, without even looking back at them. 

Dot and Yakko shared a concerned look, and then Dot said, “O-okay? I… guess we’re moving on?” 

Wakko didn’t respond.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - ALMOST

When they made it off the beach, they managed to find the caravan quite quickly; Phar Fignewton emerged from the trees, whinnying with happiness that she’d finally managed to locate them, having been lost this entire time. Yakko stroked her ears and fed her, while the rest of them got back into the caravan behind her. Wakko immediately went to a hammock and curled up, not giving anyone else a chance to talk to him, and Dot sat by the window while Skippy and Mindy helped her pull her hair back up into her beaded ponytail. She realized everyone was pretty exhausted, so though they talked for a little while, when Yakko and Slappy started the horse back onto their path, they eventually wandered back into their hammocks and fell asleep. 

Dot didn’t sleep, though, as her enchanted sleep had been enough for her temporary rest, and she wanted to watch the real world go by. After a while, she leaned out the window and managed to hoist herself up onto the top of the caravan. She laid on her back, her ponytail spread out behind her, and stared up at the sky. It was still foggy, yes, and often blocked by foliage, but it was real, and wide open. Nothing could trap her out here. 

She laid there for a long while, as she heard Yakko and Slappy take turns sleeping and guiding Phar Fignewton down the road. She didn’t pay much attention, instead just letting her melt into her own surroundings, feeling the breeze drift over her and the warmth of morning stretch across her fur. This was what she would have missed, living in a dream. The feel of the real world, of everything that surrounded her out here. Hot and cold, breezy and foggy, light and dark. It was beautiful. 

She fell into a light slumber at some point, but woke up without another dream. When she did flutter her eyes open, she felt a soft breathing of someone leaning against her, and looked down to see that Rita had also climbed onto the roof and curled up against her stomach, purring in her sleep and occasionally flicking her tail up and down. Dot grinned, before leaning more against her cat and giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. Still sound asleep, Rita didn’t do more than flick her paws and smile a little, but that was enough for the sun princess. She heard Yakko talking beneath them, he and Slappy finally both awake and trying to find their direction. Dot sat up for a little bit, letting the wind hit her fur, and then she scooped up Rita in her arms and slowly swung back through the window of the caravan. 

Inside, people were milling about; Minerva was talking with Buttons, bouncing Mindy on her lap, while Runt snored in a swinging hammock. Pinky and the Brain were trying to grab from the food supply, standing on each others’ shoulders to reach the handle of the case, and over in the corner, Wakko and Skippy were laughing together. Dot slid Rita beside Runt, and then went to sit by her brother. 

Wakko looked much better, as if his strange behavior from last night hadn’t happened at all. He was rocking back-and-forth on the floor, sitting in the corner with the other boy, who was showing him some kind of clapping game. Dot sat beside them, saying, “How you guys doing?” 

“We’re doing great!” Wakko said. “Skippy was just showing me a Northuldran kid thing- we missed out on all that, so I wanna catch up.” 

“Sounds good!” Dot smiled. “So you’re alright?” 

“Yeah I’m good! How about you, Skippy?” 

“I’m grrrreat!” Skippy said, bouncing on his own tail. “Yesterday was so fun!” 

“Hmm. ‘Fun’ is one way to describe it.” Dot said. 

“Sure, it was a bit scary while we were there, but now it’s just funny. That guy really thought he could beat us with an enchanted mirror and some weird plants. But we’re too cool for that! And Dot, your sundrop magic was so cool! That’s even better than I thought it would be!” 

“Uh, thanks?” 

“You just went nuts and totally wrecked him! It was awesome!” 

“It was, wasn’t it?” 

“Totally.” Wakko said, waving a hand. “Skippy was telling me all about it. How you woke up and summoned the rocks to blow up the house.” 

“Okay, it didn’t blow up, but it did collapse.” Dot said. “But that reminds me, when that was happening, where-” 

“And Yakko just made the shadow go poof! Just like I did, except nobody had to die!” 

“It was so cool.” Skippy said. 

“Yeah. It was really neat.” Dot laughed a little. “But, Wakko-” 

“I just wish you’d’ve seen all the rooms in the House of Ereyesterday’s Overmorrow.” Wakko said. “There was a ton of super weird stuff.” 

“What was in the room you were in?” she finally managed to say. 

Wakko shrugged. “Not much. But there was this room that just had nothing but turtles. It was so cool!” 

Dot hesitated, then shrugged off her concern- clearly Wakko was just tired yesterday, right? That must’ve been it. She leaned on his shoulder and said, “Oh, I love turtles.” 

Wakko stiffened under her, but then laughed as if nothing was wrong. “And there was one that was full of food. ‘Was’ being the key term.” 

“I’m sure!” 

Eventually, Minerva made her way over to the group, and then Pinky and the Brain came and started rambling about something or other, and they all chatted for a while, trying to ease the tension still leftover from the night before. The more they talked, the more relaxed Dot became; all the little snide comments, puns, and excited shouts in their conversation just made her feel more secure, more real. She flapped her hands a little, smiling brightly as Minerva elbowed Skippy in the ribs for saying a stupid joke about the earth giants. Sure, not everything was okay- but that was alright! They had to work for their happy ending. And on the way, it was an adventure, and time she could spend with her family. 

And that was what she wanted, really, above all. Just to be with her family. 

They traveled through the woods for another day after that, and Dot spent most of her time with Skippy at the window, or talking with Pinky and the Brain at the table, petting Rita while Minerva sat with Wakko and went over his schoolbooks. Yakko often slid into the caravan when Slappy was driving, making sure his siblings were doing okay and making some snowflakes for the younger kids to chase around. And at night, they stopped the caravan for a bit to just have a bit of a picnic outside. For a bit, Dot could forget that they had just escaped something terrible, or even that something dangerous was up ahead, and she could just lean on Buttons and laugh as Mindy rode Runt around like a horse, calling him “silly doggy!” and while Pinky and the Brain asked Slappy about her knowledge of these “spirits” and “was it possible she knew any scientific explanation” and Slappy telling them to shut up or she was going to throw them into a tree. Wakko sat inbetween her and Yakko, usually linking up with their arms, entwining their tails, or leaning on their shoulders, and so the siblings ended up cuddling close quite a bit. 

At one point, Yakko said, “You just wanna cuddle today, huh, Wakk?” 

Wakko didn’t say much, but did whisper, “This journey’s almost over. Let’s make the most of it.” 

They weren’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but they let him lean against them until he dozed off. 

Dot fell asleep rolled up in her hair, swinging in a hammock, when they started the caravan moving again. And when she awoke, the caravan was sliding to a stop, and she could hear Slappy say, “Alright, we’re gonna have to walk from here. But we’re just about there, so get ready.” 

She stretched and yawned, swung down from the hammock, started to pull her hair back into a ponytail, and tried to prepare herself for whatever lay ahead. 

But whatever it was… it couldn’t be worse than what they’d already faced, right? 

“Alright, before we head off to the moonstone’s cavern,” Slappy said, “We’re gonna want to go over what exactly is protecting it, and what exactly you plan to do.” 

The group sat just outside the caravan while their horse grazed on the nearby grass, and Dot said, “Well, that last one’s easy. Once we get to the moonstone, I assume I just have to touch it, and the sundrop and moonstone will, like… I dunno, cancel each other out, and then both go poof and there’s no more fog.” 

“And if you blow up?” 

“She won’t blow up.” Wakko rolled his eyes. 

“Besides,” Yakko said, “We blow up all the time, she’ll be fine.” 

“Yeah, there’s a difference between ‘regular toon explosions’ and ‘the combination of two different yet equally powerful energy sources.’” 

“Are you sure?” Dot said.

“What do you mean, ‘are you sure’?” 

“Well, have you seen this happen before?” 

“Of course not?” 

“Then maybe it’ll just be a little sparkle.” Dot giggled. 

“Oh my God…” 

“We’ll be right there with her, don’t worry!” Wakko said, linking his arm with hers. 

“Well, unless we gotta hold back to fight the defense system.” Slappy said. 

“Aren’t you the defense system?” Rita asked. 

Slappy laughed. “Honey, you think the weapon of mass destruction has one defense, and it’s a bunch of stupid toons romping around the woods?” 

“It’s always had the statues, for one.” Minerva said. 

“The what?” 

“The statues.” Skippy shrugged. “There’re some old stone statues that we think Demanitus himself enchanted, they’ll attack and try to kill us.” 

“Oh, well that’s cheery.” Brain said. 

“They’ll be bad enough, but then we got the Nokk, which is way more of an issue.” Slappy said. 

“The Nokk- is that the water spirit?” Yakko asked, perking his ears up with interest. 

“Rrrright!” 

“Buddy used to be real chill with us.” Slappy said. “But after the fog descended, he got very… confrontational.” 

“More ‘territorial.’” Minerva said, sharpening her sword on a rock. “Though he’s occasionally been spotted near the beaches, he usually keeps to two positions: the Moonstone and the Dark Sea. We think he has some kind of spirit-sense, the ability to alert him to danger between the Moonstone and… whatever’s over the sea-” 

“Ahtohollan.” Yakko said. 

“What?” 

“Ahtohollan. That’s what Nokk is guarding.” his voice seemed distant, and he looked into the distance. “Over the sea.” 

Minerva gave him a sideways glance. “None of us know where Ahtohollan is.” 

“It’s over the Dark Sea.” Yakko insisted, his ears perking up slightly. “And… that’s what’s calling me.” 

“What?” 

“I can hear him.” Yakko slowly stood, putting a hand on the tree behind him and still watching the distance. “The voice, he’s in Ahtohollan. And he’s calling me to go there. It’s where my parents wanted to- it’s where I have to go.” 

To Dot’s surprise, Wakko looked absolutely panicked, immediately jumping up and grabbing Yakko’s arm. “Hey, hey. You don’t need to go! At least, not now. It’s like you said, we gotta get the moonstone first-” 

Yakko shook his head. “I’ll go to Ahtohollan. The Nokk will follow me, and you all will only have to deal with the statues.” 

Wakko shook his head. “No! No, you don’t-” 

“Even without the Nokk,” Slappy said carefully, “That Dark Sea is about as safe as a minefield. The waters are never calm.” 

“Lucky I can freeze em over.” 

“Yakko, no!” Wakko insisted. “Please, not now! Don’t leave us!”  

“You’re gonna be fine.” Yakko assured him, pulling away. “I just saw Dot whoop the butt of a huge shadow demon, she can handle a few statues. And add the rest of these nerds to the mix? I have no doubt you’ll be fine.” 

“But will you be fine?” Dot asked, standing up to face him. “Yakko, you shouldn’t go alone.” 

“Nobody else has this call in their head! He’s only calling me- so I must be the one who can actually make it to Ahtohollan. And it’s because of this.” Yakko held out his hands, summoning frost into the air. “It’s all making sense- that’s why I can hear the voice! Why I have magic at all- I bet the answers are there. They’re all there. And all I have to do is… cross the Dark Sea.” 

“Yakko, listen.” Wakko said, grabbing his arm. “This is a bad idea.” 

“I’m with him, kid.” Slappy said. “It’s not a good idea to send a teenager out there alone.” 

“The chances of death are exponential.” Brain said. 

“Just try and stop me.” 

“Yakko!” 

“It’ll get rid of the Nokk.” Yakko argued. “I can do it, I promise. I can do it.” 

“Yakko!” Wakko whimpered. “Our parents died trying to get there. I don’t want- I- I can’t lose you, too.” 

Yakko turned, giving Wakko a tight hug, carefully stroking his fur. “I’ll be fine, I promise you. You just keep close to the others- let them know if you get tired, okay?” 

Wakko didn’t say anything. 

Yakko pulled away and moved to Dot, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Now, listen. Do not blow up on me.” 

Dot opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to think of something to say, before saying, “So long as you don’t… you don’t drown on me.” 

Yakko gave her a hug, too, and said, “Cross my heart, hope to die-” 

“Stick a needle in my eye.” Dot finished. 

Yakko pulled away, wiping a tear out of her eye. “Just remember. Sleep, my darling, safe and sound…” 

“Where all is lost, then all is found.” 

“You’re gonna be fine. You’re strong, Angie. You’re so strong. And you’re an amazing little sister. Don’t you forget that.” 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” she smiled and winked at him. 

Yakko stepped back, and then, before anyone could stop him, he threw up his hands, creating a ramp of ice. He raced up, letting it disintegrate behind him as he took off into the distance. 

Dot watched him disappear, her heart sinking with every step away he took. But when he was gone, and she heard everyone around her start talking- asking if they should’ve let him do that, if they should go after him… she shook her head, clearing her mind and turning back to her crew. 

“Okay.” she said. “Okay! Yakko’s gonna buy us some time but we don’t wanna dilly-dally. First, we are strapping Mindy to someone- I suggest Runt, that gives Buttons more freedom to help fight. We don’t want her wandering off. Slappy, Skippy, Minerva, you run us down on everything you know about the statues and then show us the way to this cavern. Everyone else grab our weapons from the caravan, we wanna move fast.” 

Everyone looked to her in surprise. 

“Well?” she clapped her hands. “Let’s go! We got a moonstone to find and some fog to disappear! Move it, people, we don’t have all day!” 

After a second, Rita laughed, and then nodded, jumping off of Runt’s back. “You heard the princess! Let’s get our sharp objects and kick some butt!” 

“Rrright!” 

“Affirmative.” 

“Narf!” 

The group started to scatter… everyone but Wakko, who’d been standing just behind his sister, staring after where their brother had disappeared. Dot finally turned, calling, “Wakk? You doing alright?” 

He had that strange look on his face again, the one she couldn’t place. He kept looking after Yakko, almost stock-still, and finally his face flickered with emotions she could recognize- grief, despair, terror… anger? No, that couldn’t be right. Then, some kind of determination. 

“Sorry.” he said quietly. “Just worried about Yakko.” 

“He’ll be okay.” Dot said, reaching out to grab his hand. 

Wakko avoided her touch, and turned and said, “I got dibs on the gaggy bag.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - THE NOKK

At the entrance to the cavern, several black rocks had emerged again, pointing towards the sky. Slappy sighed, reaching to grab her sword, but Dot waved her back. She instead stepped forwards, before spreading her hands. The rocks shifted, changing directions and pointing outwards, creating a path inbetween them to the cave itself. She smiled, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “And there we go.” 

“Not bad, princess,” Slappy said, “But there’s still gonna be giant stone statues trying to kill us inside.” 

“We’ll stomp that bridge when we come to it. Let’s go, gang.” 

She fell back beside Wakko as Slappy took the lead, directing them into the cavern below. He wasn’t meeting her eye, instead staring at the rocks beside them. “You okay?” 

“Just… thinking about Yakko.” 

Dot forced a smile. “He’ll be fine.” 

“I know he will be.” Wakko said, without any hint of uncertainty. “It’s just… nevermind. Let’s get that stupid rock, yeah?” 

He took her hand, and they slid into the cavern; it spiraled down a bit, so it felt almost like an exciting slide instead of a dangerous entryway. Dot flinched when they hit the cold stone ground, pulling a strand of fur out of her eyes and laughing a little. “Can anyone see anything?” 

Runt and Buttons barked, and Rita said, “Obviously.” 

“Oh, yeah the animal nightvision. For the rest of us- should I glow?” 

“Oh my God, didn’t you learn from the fire spirit?” Slappy groaned. “Your light just attracts attention. We wanna have the element of surprise when going against these statues. Just… everyone grab onto the nearest dog or cat.” 

“Do not.” Rita hissed. “Just follow our footsteps and make a baby chain of yourselves.” 

“Do not call it a baby chain.” Minerva said. 

“What else do you call a bunch of babies holding hands so they don’t get lost?” 

“We’re not babies! I’m an adult!” 

“I’m baby!” Mindy said, from her perch atop Runt. 

“Skippy’s baby.” Dot said. 

“I am!” Skippy agreed. 

“And I’m tired.” Slappy said. “Brain, Pinky, you stuffed a torch in one of Buttons’s harness pockets, right?” 

“That is correct.” 

“There we go! We just have to light it. Someone grab it.” 

“Ow!” 

“That’s Runt, not Buttons!” 

“I got it.” Rita said. “Who’s got a match?” 

“I’m starting to think,” Dot said, “We were very unprepared for this.” 

“There’s matches on the other side of Buttons’s harness.” Brain said. “Or you could just give it to Pinky. It will somehow light on fire that way.” 

“That’s fair, narf!” 

Rita managed to strike a match and light the torch, which she handed to Slappy. “Alright, now that that’s over with,” Slappy sighed, “Follow me, and keep your hands on your weapons. We’re gonna go fight some stuff!” 

“Yay!” Minerva and Skippy both cheered. 

They went onwards, with the mice scrambling onto Buttons’s back and Rita readjusting the straps they were using to hold Mindy onto Runt, to avoid her running off. They passed a couple cavern rooms, and tensed up when they reached one that had a trickling river inside. Slappy stayed in front, hand on her sword hilt just in case, but while there were a few concerning ripples, nothing seemed to form. 

Finally, they came to what seemed to be double-doors. Slappy gave them a quick gesture to be prepared, and then slowly pushed them open. 

Inside were, indeed, several towering statues of warriors past. They didn’t move, though, even as the group started in. Dot eventually wandered towards the front of the group, stopping at the bottom of a statue and staring up at it. “It’s not moving.” 

“Maybe they’re too old?” Skippy guessed. 

“Magic doesn’t have an expiration date, shh!” Slappy said. 

Dot turned her eyes to the end of the hall, where two more double-doors stood, marked with the symbol of the moon. “That must be it, then? Well, let’s just go over there-” 

She stepped forward, but before she could reach the door, a huge stone sword swung and landed in front of her, blocking her path. She jumped, and Wakko quickly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back a few feet. They looked up, to see the nearest statue had lowered its weapon. 

“Gee, I dunno.” Dot shrugged. “Still seem kinda slow.” 

Immediately, the sword rose, the statue stepped off its podium, and began to give chase. 

“Not slow! Definitely not slow!” Dot shouted. 

The rest of the group drew their weapons, while Runt raced to the corner to keep Mindy out of the battle. Dot slid her beads from her hair, grabbed it like a whip, and then turned to begin the fight. 

Sliding on his ramp of ice, Yakko made it back to the beach in record time. (Honestly, he should travel by ice more often.) But he could see a thick wall of fog in the ocean’s distance, and didn’t wanna run into that without preparation. So he slid back onto the sand, shaking out his fur and trying not to completely break down. 

He’d landed, once again, near the crashed ship, which he tried to avoid looking at. Eventually, he gave that up and sat on a rock, just staring at the wreckage and breathing slowly, gripping at his clothing to ground himself. 

It was just a ship. It couldn’t hurt him. 

But the sea could. 

He finally turned back to the crashing waves. Just a few feet out, it would become unbearably dangerous. Deadly. The entire sea would be trying to kill him, just to keep him from that voice, that call. From Ahtohollan. 

He tried to block out the memories of his parents’ shouts, summoned by his droplets of memory. What must have been their last words, their last embrace, before being swallowed up by the waves. How awful must that have been? To be dragged under, slowly losing the ability to breathe, struggling and kicking and only getting heavier and sinking farther, trying anything in order to survive, and failing and failing and failing until the world went black forever? 

Yakko shut his eyes, and forced another memory to the front of his mind. It was one of the few times their parents had managed to get him out of his room, to come sit with them and Wakko on the latter’s birthday. Yakko had fallen asleep on the rug and awoken to Wakko sleeping on his stomach. He asked Mother to move him, but she just shook her head and said it was alright, to let him get some rest. Yakko had been terrified that any moment, he’d freeze over his brother again, and his parents must have noticed his anxiety, because they came over, slowly sliding beside him, until they were all cuddling together on the floor, a bundle of fur and fluff. Mother had run her hands over Wakko’s fur, kissing him on the forehead and humming something under her breath, while Father had wrapped his tail around Yakko’s, stroking his arm until his fear had subsided, and then whispering just one thing. 

“You know we’re proud of you.”

With those words once again ringing in his ears, Yakko stood, turning to the ocean again. He took a deep breath, and then retreated, still keeping his eyes on the water. One step, then another, until he was far enough away. He didn’t look at the shipwreck again. Instead, he took off running, building up speed as he raced across the sand. 

One step. Two. Three. Keep going. Keep moving forward. 

His right foot reached the waves first, creating a frozen rest under it. Then his left foot, a foot or so ahead, with another small platform of ice. He kept running, pushing on even as the wind began to turn against him, trying to pull him back to the safety of the shore. He went onwards until the fog began to drift up around him, and then the waves beside him got harsher, beginning to splash against his legs. He still kept going, one step at a time, faster and faster, until he saw a wave rise in front of him. He stopped a second as it crashed onto him, soaking him from head to toe, and he felt a sudden rush of cold. He spat out the salty taste and then ran again, trying to press on, only for another wave to burst up and send him flying back. This time, the water pushed back, throwing off his balance and knocking him into the pounding waves, and he went under for a good few seconds. It was long enough to panic, but not long enough that when he surfaced he couldn’t calm himself down and float himself back to the beach.

On the sand again, Yakko psyched himself up, squeezing water out of his ears and tail and shaking his fur out. He backed up again, straightening his shoulders. He’d have to be faster. He could do faster. 

Once again, he was running, stepping above the waves. One, two, three, four, five. He could do this. He began to take bigger strides, throwing out his hands to form ice ahead of him so he wouldn’t have to focus so hard on the energy in his paws. One, two, three, four. The wind whistled in his ears, but he ignored it once again. A wave attempted to push against his leg, but he simply reached back and froze it. One, two, three… 

One giant wave, then two. Yakko managed to barely avoid the first, swirling his path of ice around in a circular form, zig-zagging across the ocean. For the second, he took a deep breath and leapt through it, waving his arms back in order to push himself forwards instead of simply allowing the wave to direct his path. He felt a sharp rock beneath his paws, and managed to cling to it as the wave subsided, climbing up to the top and then shooting down a path of ice to slide down before running again. The water was coming at him faster, though, the wind growing fiercer and angrier. Finally, Yakko could see the wall of fog nearing him; the end of the span of the forest. 

Focus. 

The final giant wave rose up in front of him, trying to shield the fog from his view. But Yakko was prepared this time, and raised his hands, forming a huge upward slope of ice that he began to race across. It cracked under his paws, the wave already pushing against it, and he knew he only had a few precious seconds. It began to crash beside him as well, crumbling all around him, and he was losing his footing, about to slip. Yakko focused quickly, looking ahead at the fog, and swirled his hands together, remembering how he’d formed the ball of icy energy to dispel the shadow. He threw out the blast, just as the wave pushed his ice too high, and it all shattered, and he fell once more. 

He heard something hit the fog just before he plunged underwater, dropping among the cracks of ice. He avoided one falling, and then another, trying to push himself upwards and back to the surface of the water. He’d done something, he knew it, he just needed to get past that fog… 

Something flashed, far away in the water. Yakko jumped slightly, but assumed it was a trick of the light, and kept swimming. However, in another second, something formed in front of him, flashing just as bright, and he had to push himself back a little bit, eyes widening in shock. 

Well, there was the Nokk. 

It rose above him, forming from the water that surrounded every part of his view, rearing up and staring at him with glowing, angered eyes. It definitely had the form of a horse, and it was way more upset than it was probably possible to get Phar Fignewton. Yakko stared a moment, watching as the horse edged closer, eyes boring into him and mane flowing up and into the rest of the tide. Then, there was another flash, and it was gone. 

Yakko began to swim up again, though he felt his heart sink down below. He was supposed to be distracting that thing, right? He hoped it hadn’t run off to hurt his siblings… but then again, he also hoped it wouldn’t stick around to try and fight him. As he pushed himself up, he wondered just how effective his powers would be underwater, or when facing a creature of melted ice. 

He broke the surface, breathing deep, waving out his arms in a struggle to stay afloat. He was above the waves, but God only knew how long that would last. He turned, trying to spot the fog, and widened his eyes to see a break in the mist, shining slightly blue. He threw out his hands to create a platform of ice, climbed on it, and then ran again. Step, step, step, running across the ocean, past the barrier, and onto the Dark Sea. 

He ran for only a short while, though, before hearing what sounded like a whinny behind him. 

Oh no. 

He turned just in time to see the Nokk rise up behind him, before slamming its feet down on the frosted platform he stood upon. It flipped, tossing Yakko back into the water, and he barely had time to breathe before he was under again, the thick ocean pressing against him. Suddenly, the horse was on top of him, using its from legs to force him down farther, drag him down. 

This thing was going to drown him. 

Yakko felt a fury rise in him, and looked down to the legs pushing him below. He reached forward and grabbed them, letting a glow emit from his hands as he began the process of freezing over the creature of water. It took only a few seconds, and then he had a glimmering, crystallized statue of a horse just above him. He let go, hoping to swim away, but to his surprise, the horse immediately vanished into the dark sea. He glanced around for only a second, before deciding not to count his blessings and instead to get himself to breathable air. 

When he finally made it to the surface, he tried to summon a platform for himself again, but then found himself tossed into the air- by a wave or by the returned Nokk, he didn’t know, he just knew that suddenly he was flying towards the sky, and then crashing again into the waves. Once again, he surfaced, and he saw the horse of water, tearing across the sea and heading straight for him. He threw out a ramp of ice, which collapsed atop the horse as he was pushed under again. He waved his hands, trying to summon magic, only to feel the Nokk collide with him again. 

Except, this time, the horse was pushing him up.

He broke the surface, spitting salty foam as the Nokk dragged him by the paw, trying to get him back above. A relief rose in Yakko’s chest, and he managed to turn, grabbing onto the horse’s neck and hugging against it as it rose. Then he used his tail to balance and swung himself up onto the Nokk’s back. For a moment, the horse bucked again, rearing, but Yakko held tight, surprised at the feel of the creature of water underneath him; it wasn’t quite solid, but wasn’t quite liquid. He could sit upon it, but at the same time, if he focused too much, his hands went through it, so he just had to hold on tight for dear life and hope his ice had managed to calm this thing enough that it wouldn’t kill him on sight. 

Finally, the horse leapt over another towering, crashing wave, one that threatened to knock them both into the water. He jumped over, letting out a powerful whinny, and then he was running across the top of the sea, hooves barely skidding the ocean below as he tore off towards the North. 

Yakko held on tight for another few moments, wanting to make sure that the horse had finally stopped his attacks. Then he relaxed, letting out a relieved laugh, and turning his clinging into an embrace. He sat up, hands still on the horse’s neck, looking ahead at the dark, cloudy sky; the fog may be behind them, but its effects seemed to stretch farther. He could only hope that Dot and Wakko were as successful as he was, and that they’d get rid of the moonstone and this fog altogether. 

He ran a hand over the watery mane of the Nokk, and said, “Whoa. You feeling better?” 

The Nokk glanced back at him, giving another whinny. 

Yakko smirked, and then said, “I really chilled you out, huh? Huh, get it?” 

The Nokk looked for a second like it was rolling his eyes, and then it kicked its back leg a bit farther while running, causing water to splash onto Yakko. He laughed, flapping his hands and shaking himself slightly. 

“Okay, okay! I get it. Ix-nay the puns.” 

He leaned forward again, grabbing the Nokk’s neck in a hug, smiling a bit. 

“Now… I’m just gonna pretend like I know how to ride horses.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - SHOW YOURSELF

Yakko rode the Nokk for a good few minutes, but the spirit traveled faster than he’d ever seen anything run. He stroked the horse’s neck, giving him gentle pats and hugs. His tail began to wag slightly as the air turned a bit colder, and he leaned against the Nokk and let himself rest a minute, his fur drying slightly from his near-drowning incident. 

“You’re comfy.” Yakko muttered. “What are you made out of, anyway? Solid water should be ice, but you’re not ice. I don’t think I’m getting wet by sitting on you either.” The Nokk gave him a look. “Ha, yeah, goodnight everybody! But, like, seriously- is Nokk your name, or do you want another one?” A slight whinny. “You like Nokk? That’s cool. Once I figure out how to calm down those earth giants, we should name em too. Wakko thinks everything should have a name, he’s so sweet- you’d love him, he’s real good with horses, and Dot-” 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

Yakko suddenly sat up, his eyes wide. Up ahead, he could see something forming in the distance, coming into their vision as they came closer. He squinted, trying to see better, and after a few more paces, he recognized it as a towering glacier. 

“Oh.” he said, giving the Nokk another stroke. “It all makes sense now. A river full of memory- glaciers are rivers of ice.” He reached up, petting the spirit’s ears. “Ahtohollan is frozen.” 

Ah-ah, ah-ah… 

“I hear you.” Yakko said, his eyes lighting up. “And I’m coming.” 

The horse picked up speed, and Yakko felt a tremble course through him- but not one of cold, or of fear. Excitement, maybe? Anticipation? Everything he needed was up ahead. All the answers he’d waited for- the answers to why he had these powers, whether a curse or a blessing. It was all here. A frozen river of memory. 

The Nokk reached the edge of the glacier, stepping onto a soft, frosted platform. Yakko slid off, smiling as his paws touched the snowy ground, and he stepped back slightly and gave the spirit an appreciative bow. The Nokk bowed back, before stepping back and sinking into the water, fading into the sea. But Yakko wasn’t worried, he knew that he would come back when needed. For now, it was just Yakko and Ahtohollan. 

He turned, staring into an entryway, a hole in front of the glacier big enough to walk through. He stepped towards it, looking up and around to admire the shining of Ahtohollan, the glow slowly spreading across it under the moonlight. It reflected into the sea, making beautiful, scattered waves to show off the light it emanated, the beauty it held. 

Yakko reached out a hand, touching the ice just beside the door. All of the sudden, it felt like a home he’d always known. 

He was safe here. He was home here. Everything was right here. 

He stepped inside, and then called out. “Hello?” 

No answer. 

“I heard your call.” he said, and continued walking. “And I made it! Are you here?” 

The inside of the glacier was just as beautiful, with the walls peaking above him and glimmering onto his fur. He spun, watching his distorted reflections in the wall for a moment and smiling brightly. The ice was clearly abnormal, and in the most magical way he could think of- instead of just reflecting light, it emitted its own, in light blues and purples, casting a glowing, gorgeous shadow onto the walkway ahead of him. He jumped between the colors, laughing slightly. 

He came upon crooked stairs, and leapt down, spinning again. “Hello? Where are you? I know you’re here, bud!” 

He traced a hand over the wall just as the pathway ended, leading into a large, empty room. He walked in, straining his eyes to see ahead; it was darker in here, a bit less of a glow. 

“Hello?” 

Yakko noticed several pathways emerging from the wall, leading into different parts of the glacier. He’d love to explore the entire thing, but honestly, it would probably be best to find the voice first, the answers to everything. 

“Come on out!” he called. “Whatever you know- I’m ready to learn!” 

Still no response, but Yakko wasn’t anxious at all about that. Whoever was here, they must have felt like him once before- lost, and alone, and afraid of what they could do. But they didn’t have to hide anymore! He didn’t have to hide anymore!

He put his hands to his mouth, calling out, “Ah-ah! Ah-ah!” 

Behind him, the glow began again, racing down one of the tunnels, with the voice echoing through it. “Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!” 

A thrill coursed through Yakko, and he bounced, his tail wagging a mile a minute. He leapt towards the tunnel, sliding across the ice and picking up speed as the path descended. He was catching up to the trailing light, which swirled up and around him, like an excited fairy dancing around the walls. When the tunnel’s exit appeared, Yakko noticed a drop, but leapt without fear, simply jumping and summoning a platform of ice beneath him. He jumped and made another, creating a hopscotch pathway to the other side of the room, which shimmered above and around him. 

When his feet hit the solid ground in front of the next entrance, he went inside calling out, “I’m coming! I’m here!”

The light appeared on the wall beside him, and he stared in wonder for a second, before it took off down the tunnel, leading to what seemed to be several icy pillars that had collapsed in front of the doorway. Yakko ran towards it, and with a simple push of his arms, the pillars bolted upright, his frosted magic swirling around them. 

“Come on!” Yakko called, stepping out and feeling his eyes light with joy. “I’m not scared anymore! I’ve made it all the way here, you might as well say hi!” 

He stepped around, waving his hands, rearranging the pillars, lifting fallen ice to form chandeliers and decorative icicles across the glacier. 

“I know you’re here! I know you’re the answer as to who I am!”  

He lifted a final pillar, seeing an enclosed doorway; a large triangular entrance, coated in purple frost, and surrounded by carvings of four diamonds, each with a different symbol inside. Water, earth, fire, air. He remembered Skippy showing him those, on Dad’s scarf. 

This is my heritage. This is my past. These are my answers. 

Yakko tossed his hands again, and the frost over the door burst. The frost turned into tiny, shimmering diamonds, matching the decorations on the wall, and floated into the room beyond; aside from the crystals, he could see nothing else in there, as if the room led into nothing but a void. Yakko paused for only a second, apprehensive about stepping into the blackness, but… no. The call was there. Everything was there. 

He walked into the room, finding footing on some invisible floor, stepping between the beautiful, shining crystals. The ones of light blue, marked with the symbol of air, suddenly moved, rushing towards him. He didn’t flinch, smiling as they swirled around him, lifting his fur slightly. “Gale?” he asked, and he was sure the spirit was somehow here, too. 

The crystals swarmed over to the center of the room, where they collided and created a larger, but just as grand form of her symbol, the spirit of air. 

Once again, crystals swirled around Yakko, this time the colors shimmering between a warm pink and a deep purple. Yakko spun with them, happy to feel Bruni’s energy around him, and feeling as if the flame was happy to see him, too. It formed a large crystal too, and then the deeper blue diamonds came, moving beside him like they were two friends going on a walk together. It formed the shape of the Nokk, and Yakko beamed, walking along with it towards the hanging crystals. The Nokk disappeared into its own diamond, and then there were the silver crystals, fading around into an indigo, in the shape of the giants of earth. 

With the earth symbol being formed, the diamonds surrounded each other, spinning midair, and Yakko stared, entranced. He smiled, bouncing again, and held out his hands, surprised and excited to see the shapes responding to his call. He lowered his palms, causing the crystals to lower to the ground, pointing their ends towards each other, just as they had on the scarf. Yakko looked down, excited, at the center- that’s where the fifth symbol was supposed to appear. The fifth spirit, the bridge. 

Indeed, he could see a faint outline of some kind of star-shape. He bounced in a circle, laughing to himself, and then he jumped forwards and leapt onto the shape. 

Instantly, light burst from it- four diamonds in the center, and then from those shapes, the reaching, pointed arms of a snowflake, made of magic. 

The crystals began to glow again, their light surrounding Yakko, and he stared in awe, lifting his arms with the flow of energy. There was a burst of light, and then suddenly he could hear a voice- not his own, not the one he’d followed, but the one of what must have been the people of the past. 

Where the north wind meets the sea… 

Yakko blinked, looking up and around. The floor and walls were coated in ice once more, but behind the ice was no reflection of what was happening now. Instead, he could see shapes, forms, flitting about- that one! It was him and Wakko, playing enchanted forest as kids. And there, him hesitantly making snowflakes over a crying Dot- he’d only done it once, his fear still growing in their powers- but he’d wanted her to be happy, and it had cheered her up so much. Mom lifting him up, spinning him around the garden- Dad reading to him, using the funny voices he loved so much. Dot, swinging down to tackle-hug him, and Wakko cuddling against him on a cold night. Their reunion with their sister, as they embraced and clung to each other. Memories, everywhere. 

Memory. That was it. Water had memory- ice was frozen water, held in place. A reflection of a moment gone by, but held in the heart and soul. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!”

Yakko turned, following the sound of the call, and then froze in his tracks, tears springing to his eyes. 

There’s a river… 

This memory wasn’t his own, but it was reflected right in front of him. And as he focused, it replaced the other reflections, from all angles, showing the scene in every way it could be viewed. It was his father, just a young child, holding tight to the unconscious Angel. Saving her, even though he didn’t know her, just doing what he felt was right. And he lifted up his hand, and called out. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

“Daddoo.” Yakko said quietly, his voice getting choked up. 

Full of memories… 

In the memory, wind lifted around his father- Gale, picking him up, taking him higher, taking him and Angel somewhere safe, saving them. Willo had called out for Gale, for the spirits, and they’d answered. 

The call was the one his Dad had used. To save his Mom. 

Memories, memories… 

“Come, my darling, homeward bound!” 

Yakko instantly whipped around, staring up as he heard his father’s voice, the one he’d heard sing this lullaby so many times. The reflection of his dad beamed down at him. Homeward bound. Home. 

Yakko blinked, and then burst into joyful tears. 

The call wasn’t someone else, here to tell him who he was. It was a call to the spirits, and he’d heard the fifth spirit calling to him. But it wasn’t here- it was inside. He’d been calling for himself. 

Where all is lost… 

“I am found!” 

The image of Willo above him gave a soft, loving smile once again, as an energy surrounded Yakko, once again bursting from the snowflake he stood upon. He felt a change overcome him, and spun as he saw his fur begin to glimmer, shining like the glacier under the sun. His clothing turned to white, and then the four symbols glowed, lifting sparks into the air and onto him, decorating his clothing with that pattern of the spirits. The pattern sunk into his fur, which curled into wonderful shapes, swirling in the magical breeze. And as he lifted his arms, a bright, thin cape appeared, still coated with frost and shining along with him. The cape split into two, forming two long strands coming from each shoulder, looking like wings. Feeling like wings. 

He turned back to his father’s image, feeling as if somehow, his spirit was here, too. “Daddoo, it’s me!” he screamed, still sobbing and grinning. “It’s been me the whole time! I’m the call, I’m the bridge- I’m the answer!” His dad looked about ready to cry, too, as Yakko repeated what he’d been told before, but hadn’t fully believed until now. 

“I’m Yakko!”

He spread his arms, making the fifth spirit’s symbol below him begin to glow in its dazzling lights- like the Aurora Borealis, the awakened sky. He spun, letting the light form into mist, the mist form into frost, the frost into snow, surrounding him, swirling past the walls of memories and making a blizzard, but one that wasn’t dangerous, just… beautiful. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!” He wasn’t calling to anyone anymore, but singing to himself. Because he was enough. 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!” an echo back.

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

“Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

Yakko laughed, and then leapt into the air. “Ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

When he landed, and the snow all stopped in place, he felt more joy than he ever thought possible. 

It was me. I’m the bridge between the spirits and the world we live in- I’m the guardian of memory. 

I’m Yakko Warner. 

And I am found.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER NINETEEN - THE MOONSTONE

The snow descended, and Yakko looked around in excitement. The room was bright, airy, filled with glitter and mist. It was otherworldly, like he’d stepped into a shower of light. And the fallen snow- it had formed shapes, slowly moving, living memories. He ran to the nearest shape- a tiny Wakko, sliding down a slide of ice. “Catch me, Yakk! Catch me!”  echoed his voice, and Yakko looked ahead to see a snow version of himself, no older than five, running forward to hug his brother. 

He spun, and saw another shape- their young selves, in front of baby Dot, sitting on the ground. 

“Did you see that, Angie?” his tiny voice said. “They all love ya! They’re gonna love ya forever, cause you’re gonna be the bestest princess this kingdom’s ever had!” 

And then, just beyond them- there they were- fourteen, eleven, and ten- leaping into each other’s arms, piling atop each other, happy to see each other for the first time in a decade.

“You’re our baby sister.” 

“Baby? I’m ten years and one day old, excuse you!” 

“You are our baby sister!” 

Yakko laughed along with himself, before sliding past the images, jumping over a memory of Dot, sitting and talking with Pinky and the Brain. He ducked behind an image of Wakko trying to ride a bike without touching the pedals- oh my God, he was so cute! There was Buttons, chasing Mindy- and Rita and Runt, asleep on top of each other. 

The memories were moving faster the more comfortable Yakko got in his surroundings, and he began to spin, dancing with an image of Dot and Wakko at his coronation. He caught a glimpse of something beyond them, and ran over, beaming up at the image of his parents- a bit younger than when he knew them, but still definitely them. 

“I need to tell you about my past. Where I’m from.” his father’s voice. 

“I’m listening.” Angel put a hand on his cheek, nothing but love in her eyes. Yakko blinked away more tears- he wouldn’t be able to stop crying for a while, he knew. 

He heard an echo of laughter, and turned, seeing the image of a young boy, hanging upside-down from a tree, laughing- his Dad, maybe fourteen or fifteen. At the base of the tree, a young Angel looked up. “William!” 

“What’cha doin’, your highness?” 

“Swiped some extra cake. Thought you might be coming by!” 

“Save some for me, at least.” 

“Ha-ha.” 

Yakko ran his hands over the frosted recreations of the tree’s leaves, before moving on, seeing what looked like the edge of the enchanted forest. The image of Gale was dropping Willo down onto the grass, while he still held an unconscious Angel. He looked lost, confused, scared, but determined to go on. Gale swung around him one last time, and then disappeared into the woods. Willo looked down as fog began to drift about his feet, and he lifted Angel, stumbling forwards. 

“My Queen, I don’t understand?” 

Yakko turned, squinting and stepping forwards to see the image of his grandparents- Angel’s mother and father, walking through the woods, with a tall woman resembling Minerva. That must be his mother’s old guard! 

“You are to stay by our daughter and get her out of the woods if anything should happen.” said his grandfather. 

“Should happen? The forest people have been at peace with us for as long as recorded history.” 

“They hold unimaginable power.” said the Queen. “Nothing can stop them from using it to destroy us.” 

“They show no signs of-” 

“That doesn’t matter.” the King said, and Yakko followed them as they moved into the woods. “They have no right calling themselves the people of the sun when they have the moonstone’s power at their fingertips.” 

“That power would be better used in our Kingdom. To protect our borders, if Ticktockia attempts to advance again.” 

Yakko narrowed his eyes, and said, “That’s stupid.” 

He heard raised voices, and turned, running farther into the trees, only to see the image of the people of Warnerstock, around a circular table with the people of the forest, their voices rising in argument. 

“We protect the moonstone for precisely this reason- to keep it from people like you!” 

“It belongs to us!” 

“It belongs to us!” 

“It belongs to no one!” 

“It belongs to everyone!” 

Yakko shook his head, stepping back as he saw swords drawn. He looked at the figures of his grandparents. “Slappy was right, it was you. You let your fear take you over, and you caused your own destruction.” he shook his head. “But we’re going to finish what Mom and Dad’s union started- we’re going to fix what you broke.” 

He heard more movement behind him and spun, expecting to see another image of his parents or grandparents- instead, he saw what looked like… the shadows. But no, not the shadows- that one looked like Plotz, but younger, more human. And another girl, trailing after him with a pile of books. And at their heels- that looked like Dot’s false mother, Norita. 

Curious, Yakko followed them, flinching as a cold breeze hit him. He moved past the trees, into the shape of a clearing, where the three future-shadows knelt by a stump, with two other children- a human girl, spreading herbs across the top of the wood, and a toon, one he recognized- Demanitus. So the rest of them must be… 

“-put the moonstone in a cavern for safekeeping.” Demanitus was saying. “But we still need to find the sundrop if we want to join their magic. To send them back to the spirits!” 

“Send them back, sure.” the girl beside him rolled her eyes. “Do you realize what we could do with those two together?”  

“Is it true the sundrop keeps you young forever?” asked Norita. 

“Don’t worry about it.” the girl waved her hand. “Once we’re powerful wizards, I’ll make us all immortal.” 

“Um… not too sure about that.” Demanitus said. 

“You’ll come around, monkey boy!” 

“I’m not a monkey-” 

Yakko walked past them, seeing another figure darting through the woods. It was getting colder, and for some reason he was actually feeling it now, when it had never bothered him before. He stepped past a tree, seeing an older Demanitus, kneeling in the grass, talking to someone who looked like him- a younger sibling, perhaps, or a child. 

“Tiri’s gone mad. I should have stopped it sooner.” 

“It wasn’t your fault-” 

“It was! Because I didn’t stop her, she’s taken Thaddeus and Sugracha with her, and Nora’s run off. Now Tiri’s after the moonstone, and I have to stop her before she can get her hands on it. At this point, she is the worst person in the world who could possess it. We can’t let her.” 

“What are you going to do?” 

“I have to trap them in the realm of spirits. There’s no other way to stop her magic- we can’t even dispel her powers now.” 

“But you’ll get sucked in, too!” 

“That’s why I need you to seal the portal.” 

“But-” 

“Maybe this is what I deserve. For not doing better.” 

Yakko blinked away tears, kneeling by the image of Demanitus, and he whispered, “It’s not your fault. She made those choices for herself.” 

“I know.” 

“Yeah, I- wait, what?” 

To his shock, the memories turned to face him. He perked his ears up, leaning forwards. 

“You have a choice now, Yakko.” said Demanitus. “You can move on, and see everything you need to know- how we trapped the spirits, how we pressed on, what you are supposed to do in the future. What happened in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow, and how to fix it.” 

“What?” 

“But if you go,” the younger toon said, “You may never come back. Dive too deep, and you’ll be drowned. You’re already freezing.” 

“What?” Yakko looked down at his hands, shocked to see that, indeed, frost was forming and spreading around his fingertips. He screamed, quickly flapping his hands, trying to get the frost off, but it seemed stuck. 

“Or you can turn back.” the younger toon continued. “You’ll have to figure things out for yourself, because the fog will rise and trap you again until the moonstone and sundrop unite, keeping you from Ahtohollan. You’ll have to leap into your life as the fifth spirit immediately, with no preparation. You’ll have to trust your own instincts, Yakko.” 

“But- but Dot’s doing that right now.” Yakko said. “Joining the sun and moon. So-” 

The toons stared at him. 

“She’s… she’s in trouble, isn’t she?” 

“I’m sorry.” And with that, Demanitus’s form disappeared, dissolving into a blast of snow. 

“What? No! No, come back, what’s happening to her? What’s happening to my siblings?” 

The younger toon looked to him and said, “This realm is the past, not the future. We cannot tell you what will definitely happen. But we can tell you that you can go forward and learn all you need to know, or turn back and save yourself.” 

“No.” Yakko shook his head. “That’s not the choice. It’s go forward or leave my family in danger.” He stood. “I’ll freeze over some other time, thanks.” 

The toon smiled a little. “Good luck, Yakko.” 

“Hey- how are you talking to me, anyway?” 

“Demanitus’s soul is still in the realm of spirits.” they shrugged. “He’s died a long time ago, but he can send a few warnings. I don’t think he’ll- I’ll have the power to do this again.” 

“Then, thank you.” Yakko reached out his hands, taking the snowy palms of the figure. “So much. I won’t let anything happen to my family- and I won’t let anything happen to the forest, either. I meant it, we’re going to fix what was broken.” 

“Take care of them.” 

“I will.” he stood, then, and turned back around. He took off running, racing back through the glacier. He knew at the end of the path, the Nokk would rise from the water and take him back to the forest, where his siblings were. 

Where they needed him. 

“We are really bad at this!” 

“Shut up, Dot, and trip that one up!” 

Dot groaned, but threw out her hair for Slappy to catch the end of. She tugged, and they managed to cause one of the statues to trip. It fell, and Brain and Pinky quickly scrambled onto its head, trying to find some kind of opening or weakness. Dot pulled her fur back and then ran to Wakko, who was digging through his gaggy bag for some kind of weapon. They ducked under a swinging sword, and heard Minerva shout for them to get out of the way. She leapt up atop the neck of a statue, wrapping her arms around it and trying to yank it back. Rita leapt up beside her, hissing and clawing at the face. 

“New plan, new plan!” Dot said, as Wakko helped her gather up her hair. They both retreated to Slappy in the corner. “What’s the plan?” 

“Okay, your mice dads are working on the statue over there, but these things should stop if the moonstone disappears.” 

“Should?” 

“What d’ya want from us? We don’t know everything.” 

Skippy raced by on Buttons’s back, trying to shoot at the statue with a crossbow. “We should just have to break em, right?” 

“Easier said than done, kiddo!” 

The statue that the mice had climbed onto stood, swinging around and trying to throw them off. Instead, they heard Brain shout, “Clear the area!” 

Recognizing that call, Dot pushed everyone near her down, as something exploded- clearly the mice had dragged one of their inventions in with them. Bits of stone scattered, crumbling at their feet, and Slappy said, “Oh, thank God, we can blow stuff up!” 

“Aunt Slappy, what about the tunnel structure?” 

“Eh, it’ll be fine.” 

Buttons let out a distressed bark. 

“Don’t worry about it!” 

“Okay, but the ceiling could fall down! What do we do then?” 

Dot glanced towards the double doors that led to the moonstone. “If explosions are what we’re working with, explosions are what we gotta do. I’ll go for the shiny rock while you take care of it.” 

“You’re not goin in there alone, missy.” Slappy said. 

“You don’t wanna blow these things up?” 

“I absolutely do! But even we don’t know what’s in there with the moonstone, or what’ll happen when you touch it.” 

“Then I’ll go with her.” Wakko said, grabbing her arm. “I’ll protect her.” 

Dot gave him a careful glance. “Are you sure? What if you-?” 

“I’ll protect you.” Wakko insisted. 

Dot hesitated, not wanting to drag him into worse danger when he could easily collapse again. But his eyes were determined, fixed on the door, and she felt his tight grip on her arm. 

We’re doing this together. We promised. 

“Okay.” she said. “Wakko and I’ll break in while you play distraction. Now go blow it all up!” 

“Rrrright!” 

Slappy sighed, and then pulled an explosive out of nowhere. “Good luck, sundrop.” Wakko and Dot ducked down as she jumped over them, leaping for the statue Minerva was attempting to stab at. “Bombs away!”

“Wha- Slappy!” 

Wakko and Dot pulled behind a podium, hiding behind as the attack commenced. Dot kept her eyes on the door and said, “Alright, they’re heading to the left. When they go right, we move to the next podium. Then the next, and then when the bombs go off, we make a dive for the door. Once we’re in- we stick together.” 

“Yep.” 

Indeed, Slappy tossed an explosive at Buttons, who ran across the room, barking to attract the attention of the stone guards. They started to run towards him, and Dot and Wakko pushed forwards and behind their next hiding spot. She held up a hand, the two of them now out of view of the statues and having to rely on their hearing. She perked up her ears, listening intently and feeling the rumbles on the floor. She heard Pinky call out a Zort and make some kind of mocking noise, drawing them in another direction. The rumbles moved past them, and Dot grabbed onto Wakko’s hand and dragged him to the last podium. 

“Hi, Mr Stone Giants, whatcha doin?” 

“Mindy, no!” 

“Why?” 

Dot grinned. “And there’s our best distraction. Explosions should go off in a minute, hold on to me.” 

“Why?”

They heard Rita shout out, “Runt, get Mindy back, I swear to God!” 

“Why?” 

The slam of stone on the ground, and then they heard Brain and Pinky begin to run up the fallen sword, scrambling to the top of a giant. 

“Okay, I love ya-!” 

The room shook with one explosion, and then another, and another. 

“Buh-bye!” 

Dot and Wakko took off running, hurrying for the doors as stone began to fall from the exploding statues and crumbling roof. They avoided the debris, holding tight to each other’s arms and going as fast as they could towards the doors. Wakko reached them first, pushing them open, and Dot ran inside, dragging him in with her. The door slammed shut behind them, and they leaned against it, taking a second to sharply breathe and try to regain their composure, as they heard the muffled explosions continue on behind them. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah. You?” 

“‘m fine. I… whoa.” 

The siblings had been looking down at their paws, but very quickly noticed the blue shine that spread across the floor. For a moment, it looked like the reflection of water- like what you see at the bottom of a pool, or the floor of an aquarium. But, no, it wasn’t water, it was just pure light. Wakko slowly dropped the bundle of Dot’s hair that he’d held in his arms, and they looked up. The room was filled with black stone, with those familiar rocks scattered here or there, and all pointing out from the center of the room. There, suspended midair and floating above the cavern below, was unmistakably the moonstone. It shone, scattering bright blue reflections across the the rocks above, behind and below it, making it look as if the rocks had exploded from its core- which they may have. It emitted a cold energy, but somehow not one that felt good or bad. Not like Yakko’s, which felt like a cool breeze on a warm day, or a blizzard’s, which forced its icy feel onto everyone it came across. It was just… chilling. 

The platform they stood upon was broken, ending just a few feet ahead of them, with what had likely once been a path to the moonstone long ago lost to time. Dot stood, stepping forwards slightly and surveying the area. She heard Wakko move a bit behind her, but kept her focus ahead, on the stone. She squinted to see it better; it was tiny, with its light being more visible than the actual stone itself. But it seemed to be glowing more, brightening… 

Her fur began to float up around her, and she gasped, looking up as it lifted high into the air, its own golden glow beginning, though nobody had sung the incantation. As it raised, the rocks began to glow blue, as they had when her fur had come back, and soon the room was filled with light. The stones all shifted, lowering themselves, pointing towards the stone instead of away. 

Then, all at once, the stones stopped shining, all shifting back into the coal black. But her hair still floated high and shone bright, and she felt a confidence growing inside of her. She moved to the edge of the cracked floor, and feeling no fear anymore, she took a step into the blackness. A blue light formed under her foot, creating the first part of the bridge- it was just like she’d seen Yakko do with his ice, making his own path. It was time for her to make hers. 

Dot stepped again, letting the power of the moon continue to form under her. As she looked down, she could see the blue light spiraling up to make the legs of her bridge, twisting and moving as if it were alive. She glanced back to see the moonlight solidify into stone behind her, creating the steady bridge. Wakko was carefully stepping up behind her, glancing up at her with concern. But she just smiled at him, her spirits just as bright as the glow of the sundrop that lit the moonstone’s cavern. 

The bridge finally completed, and the moonstone was just a few feet in front of her. Dot gaped, her eyes adjusting to its own glow, so different from her own and yet so similar. There was a power there, a power that seemed to be calling out to her. She wondered if this was the same feeling Yakko felt when he heard that voice, coming to him all the way from Ahtohollan. The sun and moon belonged together, wanted to be close once again. 

She walked forwards more, and the moonstone floated up to her eye level, as if it was trying to see her. Or simply trying to get closer. Energy surged through her, though whether it was good or bad, she couldn’t tell. 

When she touched that stone, a powerful magic would be released- she no longer even wondered if it would kill her or not, she just felt that draw, that pull. To start the eclipse. Slowly, she reached out her hand, hesitating just a bit when she saw the blue light falling over her gloves. Then she pulled her gloves off, letting them drop to the floor and looking at her own golden hands, contrasting with the stone’s blue. She reached again, even more confidence filling her, ready to join the sun and moon. 

And then she felt a hand push her aside. She stumbled back, gasping, as Wakko threw himself in front of her and grabbed the stone first. 

“Wakko?” Broken from her reverie, Dot leapt back, a sudden fear filling her chest as her brother pulled the stone closer, stepping farther away from her. “Wakko!” 

All at once, the magic in the room seemed to shift. Her fur ceased its glowing, immediately dropping, its strands falling over the bridge and into the chasm below. 

“Wakko! What are you doing?” 

She could see him struggle to keep a hold on the stone, its power already overwhelming him. But he simply turned to her, blinking away tears. He opened his mouth, trying to form words- it looked, for a moment, like he might apologize, or simply burst into sobs. But then he straightened, his eyes hardening and his face growing cold. 

His voice cracked as he said, “I’m not waiting anymore.” 

Dot couldn’t say anything more before the moonstone’s magic suddenly filled the room. She screamed, her eyes covered in the blue light, and she felt herself pushed backwards, thrown across the room. She landed with a thud against the stone, the far end of the bridge she’d formed of this magic just a few seconds ago- but now, it seemed distant, disconnected from her. She coughed, trying to sit up, but a fierce wind was coming from where she’d been. She could see blasts of the moonstone’s power, like lightning, coursing around her and through the cave. Her fur lifted again, but not of its own magic, instead just being buffered around and tossed by the blasts. She slowly reached over and grabbed onto a crack in the stone, barely managing to hold on to the ground itself. 

But then she heard Wakko scream, and immediately turned, eyes wide. She could barely make out his shape among the blinding light. Then, suddenly, a black rock jutted out from the ground beside her. Then another, in front. More rocks of the moon, bursting across the bridge. They spun out from the walls, either creating themselves out of whatever blank space there was, or reforming to point and direct again to the stone. 

“Wakko!” 

The light flashed once more, and Dot had to shut her eyes, flinching back. The wind halted, then, and when she looked up once more, she could see her brother, standing far away from her, now with fur that glowed teal and his clothes turned black, made of the same stone that now pointed directly at him. 

He looked up, his eyes the same blue as the moonstone’s magic, and met her terrified gaze. They were silent for a good, long moment, unsure what there was to say. 

And then he said, “I’m sorry, Angie. But it’s my turn now.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY - WAITING IN THE WINGS

When Wakko had separated from the rest of the group in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow, he’d been following a strange voice, calling his name, hoping that it was his missing sister. Or that if it wasn’t, it was at least something special, like the calls his siblings had been following. 

He’d headed towards the door, peering inside and seeing only light. “Dot? Is that you?” 

He entered, and then jumped as the door slammed shut behind him. 

The light flashed before his eyes, and he shielded his vision with his arm, hissing slightly. When it cleared, he blinked, seeing what seemed to be the hallway of the castle, of home. He glanced back- the door he’d just walked through was not attached to a wall, instead jutting out the middle of the floor. He walked around it, not seeing anything behind, and when he returned to the front, he reached for a knob, only to realize the door was flat. He tried pushing, but it seemed stuck. 

“Wakko?” 

Wakko slowly reached into his sweater, pulling out his gaggy bag, sticking his arm inside and shuffling around for some kind of weapon. 

“There you are, Wakko!” 

Wakko grabbed the first thing he could and whipped around, only to find himself pointing a rubber chicken at the ghostly form of a little kid. She didn’t seem perturbed at all, even as Wakko hastily apologized and backed up, moving to put the chicken back in the bag. He then glanced up, getting a better look at her; she was young, maybe about his age, and glowing a crystalline blue. Her hair was pulled up into two buns, and she wore a very fancy dress, one he might see one of the nobles wear around the castle. 

“You can put the bag away, you won’t be needing it.” 

Wakko hesitated, slinging the sack over his shoulder. “Who’re you?” 

“A friend! Or at least, I’d like to be.” 

Wakko hesitated. “Do you have a name?” She didn’t respond. “Everyone should have a name. Can I call you something? I’ve gotta call you something.” He absent-mindedly put the bag away, thinking hard. “You look like a ghost. Are you a ghost? Like Casper?” 

“Casper?” 

“Or Beetlejuice? Jacob Marley? Beetlejuice? Lloyd the Bartender? Beetlejuice? Oh! Or Yoda!” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“Can I call you Yoda?” she flinched. “Okay, don’t like Yoda… how about Morgan? You look like a Morgan. Or a Jennifer.” 

The girl smiled slightly. “Morgan will be alright. Thank you, Wakko.” 

“No problem- how do you know my name, anyway?” 

“This room is a place of memory- not as strong as your brother’s Ahtohollan, but it works well enough.” 

“My brother’s what?” 

“Come along.” 

She began to float away, down the hall. Wakko blinked in confusion. “Hold on! I can’t just go with you. My sister’s-” 

“She’s alright.” Morgan assured him. “I just checked in with her- she’s about to wake up from a very lovely dream. Now come on.” 

Wakko hesitated once more, glancing at the door. It still didn’t seem like it would open… “Can you take me to her?” 

“If that’s what you wish.” 

He relaxed. “Oh, thank you, Yoda. You know, I was starting to think everything in this house wanted to kill us.” 

He had to run a bit to catch up with her, and he wagged his tail slightly as they moved on through the halls. He waited a second for her to talk, but she seemed a bit quiet- maybe shy? Wakko looked up at the walls, at the familiar portraits. 

“You know, this looks just like my place. Guess that makes sense- you said it was memories? I know every inch of this castle. Actually, Yakko’s room is just near here! Though that portrait should be hung over there… and where are all the guards?” 

Morgan finally stopped, though, just outside of Yakko’s door. Wakko wondered why, until he glanced down and immediately let out an aaw. 

“Oh my God, it’s baby me!” 

He knelt down, his tail thumping onto the ground as he saw his young self- barely a toddler, playing with his own oversized paws. His hat fell over his face, and he reached up to push it back, giving Wakko a flash of the white streak he’d used to have. His heart skipped a beat, but not enough to dampen his mood. 

“I was so cute.” he cooed. 

“You recognize yourself?” 

“Of course, my fashion hasn’t changed at all the entire time I’ve been alive. Looks like I’m waiting outside Yakko’s door- used to do that a lot.” 

“No, you’re not.” Morgan said. “You just came out of there.” 

“Oh, right! We used to share a room. This must’ve been before he had that whole breakdown thing. Can I see baby Yakko, too?” He stood up and reached for the doorknob, only to watch in surprise as his hand moved through it. “Whoa! Am I a ghost, too?” 

“This is a memory, Wakko. You can’t affect it, only view.” 

“I dunno what you just said but this feels funny.” Wakko waved his hand through the doorknob a few more times. “Ha-ha! Whoosh!” 

He then perked his ear up- there was some kind of distant conversation, maybe a few halls down. He glanced down to see his toddler self bouncing his tail, turning toward the voices expectantly, waiting for them to come get him. 

“I was probably waiting for food.” Wakko shrugged. “I guess if this was before the guards I would have to wait in the hall. Though what’s going on over there? The palace is always super quiet at ni-” 

He heard someone enter the hall, moving at a run. He turned, in time to see a cloaked figure rush past him, and past his younger self. The little Wakko stood, his confusion obvious- he didn’t know this person. He started to toddle after her, and then… 

They heard the baby cry. 

“No.” Wakko said, his spirits dropping. 

“Baby?” said little Wakko, starting to move again. 

“No.” 

Wakko gasped as someone ran through him, and he looked up to see a palace guard- and then another, and another, running after the fleeing woman. He started to follow them, picking up speed as he heard the cries begin to get louder, more fearful. 

“Angie!” he screamed, terror coursing through him. “Angie!” 

Then he stopped at the end of the hall, hearing another crying behind him. He whipped around, seeing his tongue self backed into the wall, tugging on his ears and wailing. Nobody had seen him. 

“Oh, no, no!” Wakko ran back to his younger self, kneeling in front of him. “Don’t cry! Don’t-” 

The door flew open, and out came five-year-old Yakko, calling for his little brother. He froze upon seeing Wakko’s distress, confused and frightened, gripping his hands together. Then their parents were there- Angel ran past, following after the guards, and William knelt down, scooping up little Wakko with one arm and little Yakko with another, racing them somewhere else. Wakko could guess where- it’d be his first time hiding in the cellar, waiting for the horrible bell to stop ringing. 

He stood, beginning to shake, hugging himself. “Wh-why…” 

Morgan simply gave him a sad look, and then floated through Yakko’s door. Wakko blinked, confused, but then he heard the bell begin to ring, and he quickly followed her, wanting to get as far away from that noise as possible. 

But when he phased through the door, he wasn’t in Yakko’s room- he was in the cellar. He heard the muffled bell, and pulled on his ears, flinching at the sound; at this sight, he saw Morgan wave her hands, and the sound got more muffled, more distant. When it was finally quiet enough he could focus on anything else, he noticed what was going on. His little self was sitting in the corner, pulling his hat over his eyes, tugging on his ears and crying uncontrollably. Across the cellar, he could see Yakko, struggling to control his breathing, frost already forming at his feet. But William was whispering to him quietly, trying to calm him down, to keep him from exploding again. Wakko flinched, eyes fixed on little Yakko as he slowly managed to step back, sliding down to the floor and gripping onto the fabric of his pants in order to ground himself. The frost lessened, but he still continued to wail, his cries mingling with his brother’s. 

The cellar door opened with a bang, and Wakko retreated, tugging his ears once more. He looked up as their mother rushed in- shuffled in by the guards, not wanting her in danger as well while they raced after the little princess. The door closed again, and then, in a flash, Angel was also on the ground, sobbing and screaming and clutching at herself. Yakko let out a startled cry, and William whispered to him quickly, telling him to stay calm, before racing over to his wife. So while Yakko kept whispering to himself, halting the frost, his parents were trying to comfort each other, to keep themselves from breaking down- and it wasn’t working. 

Wakko stepped back, blinking away his own tears, and then he turned, looking back into the corner. 

Little Wakko was sobbing in the corner, and nobody gave him a single look. 

Wakko walked over, sitting by his younger self, as the sounds of crying began to dim, the spirit beside him lowering it for him. Wakko reached out towards the toddler, but his hand went through his. 

“It’s not their fault.” Wakko murmured, not even looking back at Morgan. “Nobody could’ve expected this to happen. They were losing themselves, and I was safe for the moment, we- we can’t expect them to…” 

“But you’re still alone.” 

“It’s…” Wakko blinked. “It’s okay. They didn’t mean to- they had more important things to worry about. I can’t expect them to think about me right now, I’m not the one in trouble here. I’m not…” 

He jumped, as suddenly the room began to fade out from under him, scattering as if into the wind. He stood, and turned, and they were in another place- his room. His room, after he’d moved out of Yakko’s. He suddenly felt a clutching feeling inside his stomach, and memories of a horrible feeling flooded back to him, as if he was once again a toddler, and he awoke in a strange new place, without his big brother there with him. Alone. 

There was a tinkle of music, and he turned, seeing himself, maybe a few years older, laying on his stomach on the carpet and drawing on a large pad of paper. Beside him, a music box- he remembered that box, he remembered playing it over and over as a child, using its sound to fill the otherwise empty silence around him. 

The music ceased, and little Wakko stuck out his tongue, getting an upset look on his face. He put down his crayons, standing up and grabbing the box. He tried to wind it with his own tiny hands, but he wasn’t able to, so he wandered over to the door, shifting the box under his arm. He tried to open the doors, but they didn’t budge. He stood on his tiptoes, trying the handle, but it was locked. He put the box down and knocked on the door, politely waiting a moment. When there was no response, he tried again. 

“I wanted out.” Wakko whispered, watching his little self. “I wanted to see my parents. But I wasn’t supposed to leave my room.” He turned around, seeing Morgan floating just behind him. “But it’s okay- it makes sense, Dot was taken away- and Yakko was… he was having a worse time. I can’t… there’s no reason they should’ve acted differently.” 

Little Wakko let out a cry, beginning to pound on the doors, whimpering loudly. 

“What else could they have done? They didn’t know if the one who took Dot would come back for us.” Wakko raised his voice, trying to drown out the cries. “They were protecting us as best they could. And they were- they were distraught, they were grieving, they couldn’t be there all the time for us. And… and…” 

Little Wakko sunk against the door, still crying, and the scene shifted again. Wakko looked down at the grass that was suddenly at his feet, and when he looked up, the castle walls were gone, replaced by the towering stone walls of the garden. But he could see the sky at least, and that was enough for his younger self, who wandered in front of him, running to the bushes. On the stone path beside them, he could see the music box, placed carefully so that it wouldn’t touch the dirt or mud, but was close enough that he could still hear the tinkering notes. He had to be four or five, and thus he shouldn’t be old enough to remember this incident. But he did. 

“This was my first day out after Dot…” Wakko whispered. “And… Mum, she was over there!” 

He turned, and indeed, his mother was kneeling in the dirt, muttering to herself and planting small buds. Little Wakko ran to her, wagging his tail, and Angel smiled over at him, ruffling his hat. Her son giggled, and then raced off towards the collection of flowers. Angel watched him carefully a moment, wanting to make sure he would be okay a few feet away from her, and then turned back to her planting. 

“She and Daddoo liked to keep busy.” he said. “If they had something to do, they didn’t have to think. Yakko’s like them, in that way. They always need a task to do. It’s…” 

He then choked back the rest of his words, as he watched his younger self rise from the flowers. He’d picked what he’d thought was the prettiest one- a bright yellow flower. And there he was, running over to present it to his mother. 

“Don’t…” 

Of course his younger self couldn’t hear him. So he ran over to Angel, who looked up and smiled again at him. Little Wakko brightened- he hadn’t seen her smile in a very long time. He held out the flower, hoping it would make her smile more. 

Instead, her eyes fixed on the flower, and she froze over, a million thoughts going through her head at once. Little Wakko blinked, confused, and held it out closer. Slowly, she took its stem in her hands, and pulled it closer, running a finger over the petals. Her breath came out jagged, and then she started to sob, clutching the flower to her chest. Little Wakko stepped back, shocked and confused. At the sound of the Queen’s cries, a guard came running, quickly calling for others to join him in trying to help her up. Her young son stepped back, confused and lost in a sudden sea of people, and one guard finally lifted him up, carrying him away. 

“No!” little Wakko cried out. “Mummy! I want Mummy!”

Wakko stared after him as the world shifted again, and he was standing in the castle again- the planning room, with his father and the council at the table. They were showing him this year’s lantern, for Dot’s ceremony. Wakko could see him staring blankly, barely processing anything. 

Two guards passed by the door, with young Wakko in tow, heading to some lesson or another. He spotted his father, and excitedly broke away from them, running. 

“Daddoo!” 

Before anyone could stop him, the little prince raced over and clung to his Dad’s leg, hugging him tight and leaning fully against him. 

“I hadn’t seen him for a few days.” Wakko remembered. “I was so excited…” 

“Prince Wakko, come back!” a guard called concernedly. 

Little Wakko, instead, looked up at his Dad, and then stuck out his tongue in bewilderment when he saw that his father hadn’t even glanced down at him. 

“Daddoo? Daddoo!” 

“Off-day.” Wakko said quietly, watching the scene unfold, watching the guards run forward and try to pry him from his father. “They’d have off-days. When they… when they just needed to be alone. They were sad, they were mourning. They made sure we were taken care of- it’s not their fault-” 

Little Wakko burst into sobs, as one of the guards finally pulled him off. At the sound of his cries, William snapped to attention, whipping around with a panic in his eyes and standing up so fast his chair almost fell. The little prince was so stunned by this he stopped crying for a second, reaching up to tug on his ears and whimpering. It took William a second to regain himself, and then he said, “Wakko- I-” He shook his head. “Go to your lessons. That’s where you’re supposed to be.” 

“Daddoo?” 

“Go.” 

Little Wakko’s eyes widened, shining with tears. Wakko turned away from the sight, tugging on his ears. “Stop showing me this!” 

“I’m not controlling this, Wakko.” Morgan said simply. 

The room faded into a hall, and little Wakko was banging at Yakko’s door. “Please! Please come play!” 

“Go away, Wakko.” said Yakko’s voice, muffled behind the door. 

“Everybody’s busy! Please?” 

“Go away, Wakko.” 

Little Wakko whimpered, and then knelt down, picking his music box up off the floor. He carried it back towards the guards at the end of the hall, who were waiting to return him to his own room. 

“How many times did that happen?” Morgan asked. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Wakko said. “Yakko was just trying to protect me. He loves me, and I love him, and…” 

The hall drifted away, fading to Wakko’s room. A guard was winding the music box, giving him a soft smile, while he waited on the bed, bouncing. They handed it over and then left the room, saying something about being outside if he needed them. But little Wakko’s eyes were only on the box, and once the door was closed, he opened the lid, flapping his hands and wagging his tail with excitement. The music tinkered out in its familiar pattern, and little Wakko squealed, holding it and leaning back against the headboard. 

Slowly, Wakko moved over to the bed, standing beside his younger self and looking down at the box. It was the same song he’d heard all his life- first from the box, then from Dot’s mobile. Over and over. 

“What song is that?” Morgan asked. 

Wakko bit his lip. “I don’t know. Mum and Daddoo didn’t sing it to me enough that I remember. So… I made up my own words.” 

As if on cue, little Wakko hugged the music box to his chest, letting his little voice rise.

“Guess by now I oughtta know the tune.

‘Go away now, Wakko, no one wants to see you,’”

Little Wakko leaned over towards the dresser, grabbing a small family portrait, looking down at it and running his hand over the glass. 

“But I love them and they love me

They’re just always doing other things…” 

Little Wakko smiled, then, slowly sliding the photo back onto the dresser. 

“So I’ll keep waiting in the wings!” 

Wakko held back tears, as he looked at his young self stand, carrying the music box to the other side of the room so he could look out the window, to the garden he hadn’t been able to go out to in a long time. 

“I craved so much,” he remembered, “And yet I kept on waiting…”

He reached towards the family portrait, flinching as his hand went through it. “One glance, one touch… 

And I just kept on waiting…” 

Little Wakko pressed his face against the glass, and seemed to sing along with his present self, who went to sit by the windowsill with him.  

“But when it came

It never stayed…”  

Wakko shut his eyes tight, clutching to the edge of his sweater. “And so I waited in the shade…” 

It was like a switch had been flipped, and everything he’d been repressing was flowing back. The days waiting outside Yakko’s door, his parents’ doors, the weeks he’d go without seeing any of them, and the terror he felt whenever he did spend time with them and then it was time for them to leave, not knowing when they’d come back. The guards locking him in his room when they got annoyed with him, the servants trying to push him aside… It was like a growing fear in his chest was spreading throughout his body, putting every nerve in his body on edge. 

The music box stopped, and little Wakko slid from the windowsill. He began to head for the door, and Wakko’s eyes flew open, suddenly realizing what day this was. 

“No.” 

Little Wakko walked to the door, standing on his tiptoes to open it, hoping the guard could wind it again. But Wakko remembered- the shift had just started, and the other guard ran off to give the first one something they’d dropped. It was just a minute that Wakko’s door was unlocked and unguarded, but in that minute, the little prince had wandered off, looking for someone else to wind his music box… 

“No, no, I don’t want to see this!” The room melted away, but he threw his hands over his eyes, not wanting to see the hall that he knew they’d be taken to. “No!” 

“Wakko…” 

He heard Morgan’s voice and turned towards it, dropping to his knees. He reached out, grabbing her shoulders, surprising her as he began to shake. 

“Please, please take me out of here! Please! I don’t want to see this again, I don’t want to see this!” 

“Wakko-” 

“She said she was sorry! She said she was sorry and she was, she was so sorry, and I forgave her and she loves me and we moved past it so I don’t need to see this!” 

Morgan hesitated, and then said quietly, “Does that mean it didn’t happen?” 

“Please…” 

“Does that mean it didn’t hurt?” 

“Please, please stop it…” 

“Wakko. Even if everyone around you had the best of intentions… does that mean they didn’t hurt you at all? Does that mean they didn’t only acknowledge you when you acted out? When you’d pretend to be sick so they’d pay attention to you, or hurl yourself down the stairs so you’d get noticed, or break into the kitchen, or hide to see how long it took until they realized-” 

“Stop it!” 

“Does that mean anyone saw you unless you made them?”  

Wakko began to sob, just as he heard the pitter-patter of his past self’s feet, walking down the hall. He turned, watching little Wakko carrying the music box, wandering and looking for someone to ask for help, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He passed closed door by closed door, until stopping, seeing that one door was cracked slightly open. He wagged his tail, moving to the door and pushing it slightly to creak it open. 

He looked inside, and then surveyed the room, trying to figure out what it was. It was lit with the bright window to the outside, and filled with children’s toys and books. And then- there was a crib over there? And standing by it, that was Mum! 

Little Wakko stood in the doorway for a long time, watching his Mum slowly move around the room. She was fixing the placement of items on shelves, running her hands over books, replacing sheets in the crib… just cleaning the room, fixing it up, making it look brand new. Wakko stared at his younger self, remembering the feelings he’d felt- confusion at first, wondering if there was some other baby coming, and then remembering little Angie’s crown in the one hall, and the lantern festival- remembering that he’d had a sister who was missing. He hadn’t actually seen her room in a long time, not that he could remember. And then he was confused again, wondering why Mum was fixing it up. Why was she even here? The servants would fix it up if needed, and it wasn’t needed because Angie wasn’t found yet. 

“Just go.” Wakko pleaded with the memory. “She’s in her lost daughter’s room, she’s at her worst mental state right now- just don’t-” 

He couldn’t stop it, though. 

Angel was rearranging items on the dresser, and then she gripped its edge, looking down and holding back tears, trying to keep herself calm. Little Wakko stepped forwards a bit, curious, and the floor creaked as he entered. Angel’s head jolted up, and she whipped around. Her eyes widened with terror, and she let out a shout. The young prince froze a moment, as her voice rose. “What are you doing here?” Little Wakko whimpered, and Angel grabbed onto her ears, tugging them and shaking slightly. “You shouldn’t be in here!” 

“Mummy?” 

“Get out!” 

“Mummy?” 

He tried to move forwards, and then suddenly she ran to him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him roughly. “Don’t come in here! You shouldn’t be wandering at night! You shouldn’t leave your room under any circumstances, do you want to get kidnapped?” 

He started to cry. For the moment her trauma and fear had overtaken her, and she was having a breakdown- something he didn’t understand at his young age. He couldn’t remember seeing his mother like this- any adult like this, and it was terrifying him. 

Her hands still on his shoulders, she looked down to the ground, her body racked with sobs. “You need to go!” she said, her voice broken. “Get out of here!” 

Little Wakko shook his head, trembling and crying as well. She tried to push him away, but he just stood in place, his eyes locked on his mother. And Present Wakko, in the doorway, had his eyes locked on the scene, even though he desperately wanted to see anything else. 

Because Angel, not thinking clearly and just wanting her son out of the room her daughter had been taken from, shouted, “Why don’t you just leave?” 

Little Wakko held forward the music box- maybe it would help her, listening to the lullaby calmed him, too. 

And then he watched as Angel slammed her hand against the box, knocking it from his grip. It hit the floor hard, and instantly shattered. 

There was a dead silence for a moment, as both parties realized what had just happened. Angel’s eyes flashed to the ground, her breath becoming more ragged, trying to process that she’d just done something. Then she let out a cry, dropping further down to the floor, trying to lift the smashed pieces of the music box, as if that could fix it. 

“Wakko, I- I-” 

She started to cry harder, unable to form words. Little Wakko still stood there, complete shock holding him in place. But when she collapsed farther, clutching scattered pieces and sobbing louder, everything suddenly hit him at once. He stepped back, throwing his hands over his mouth. Angel noticed his movement and looked back up, reaching for him, but he recoiled, flinching away from her touch. He burst into tears as violent and pained as hers, and then turned and ran. 

He ran through his present counterpart in the doorway, who was already crying as well, as if he was still there. He remembered what happened afterwards- and all of the sudden, it was happening again, at the front of his mind. He fled, desperately trying to avoid everyone, not knowing where he was going or what he was trying to do. He had to avoid the grabbing hands of worried guards and startled servants, tumbling down the stairs until he reached the kitchens. He hid himself in a cupboard, trying to shut out the noise of his own sobs, trying to shut out the world, and the sad and scary thoughts in his head. 

It didn’t work. 

And then what happened after that- he leaned against the door and realized it was stuck, and it made his panic worse. He’d pounded against the door, screaming, but nobody was there at this time of night to hear him. He didn’t know how long he was in there, but it felt like forever, and then the bells went off, those awful bells went off, and it filled his ears and made him shake and everything was too loud and too much and now he was stuck in a small space and he couldn’t get out and he didn’t even know if anyone would help him, or if they’d just yell and scream and cry… 

The bell went off for too long, it must have been hours more, he remembered the sun rising when he finally got out. But he banged against the cupboard walls for a while, then tugged on his ears and tried to ignore the noise, and then screamed at the stuck door, throwing himself against it until his entire body hurt. The walls felt like they were closing in, the darkness overwhelming him, and his sobs didn’t stop. 

And he remembered, after hours of overstimulation and claustrophobia and pure terror, the wood of the door broke, and he tumbled out, scratching himself against splinters and broken pieces. He fell hard onto the ground, slamming into the floor, and his mind immediately went to his crushed music box. And now his body hurt all over, and he felt horrified and upset, and that bell wouldn’t stop ringing. 

So he just screamed, pounding his fists against the floor until finally someone heard him, one of the guards who was searching the grounds. And then too many people were talking to him, trying to touch him- he hadn’t calmed down until the bell had long since stopped ringing, and he was piled in blankets, and everything finally, finally fell silent. 

Wakko had dropped onto his hands and knees as he relived that night, and as he slowly came back to the present, he felt thick tears streaming down his face and dropping to the floor, his legs shaking and his chest aching and everything feeling like it was spinning. It was as though he could still feel the scratches on his arm from the wood, the drop in his chest when he realized his music box was gone forever, that his mother… 

Morgan dropped to her knees in front of him, waiting until he spotted her to say, “I’m sorry that happened to you, Wakko.” 

He wasn’t able to speak, instead just crying. 

“But this room shows you what you need to see. To fulfill your destiny.” 

He looked up, taking a moment to process her words. 

“Because you needed to remember. To remember that you were hurt, day after day, and you were always, always alone. You felt so alone and you could never do anything about it, until now.” 

She reached out a hand, petting his cheek, and he leaned into her palm, desperate for anyone to touch him, to comfort him. 

“They always cared about their lost child more than the one they had right in front of them. And so you were waiting- in the shadows, as you said. The shadow of the sundrop, and then the shadow of the fifth spirit.” 

Wakko looked up with shock. 

Morgan shut her eyes and nodded. “It’s your brother. I know you wondered- he’s the guardian of memory. They’re both beings of magic. As soon as Yakko goes to Ahtohollan, he’ll realize what he is and stay there forever. And Dot? Once she touches that moonstone, she’ll leave you forever, too. All your new friends are her friends, not yours, so they won’t stay. And you’ll be alone all over again.”  

Wakko began to shake uncontrollably, panic completely filling him. 

“Unless…” 

Desperation replaced the panic, and he looked up at her, listening intently as tears continued to pour from his eyes. 

“You may be able to deal with it, if you can finally make people understand that you’re there. That you’re just as important as them. If you can find your own destiny- find yourself outside of your family, who never really cared. You just have to find your own power.” 

Anything. He’d do anything to stop from feeling this way ever again- from feeling this way forever. 

“And I can help you. I want to help you.” she pressed her hand closer to his face, and then whispered, “Do you want to know… how to become the moondrop?” 

Distraught, terrified, and desperate for any answer she could give him, he nodded.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - CROSSING THE LINE

“Wakko?” 

He was standing still, surrounded by black rocks, as Dot looked up at him, still struggling to figure out what was happening. Just a moment ago, everything was falling into place, and now the pieces were shattered at her paws. 

Wakko looked so different. His pelt and eyes had turned that light blue, and all of his clothing had been replaced by black material, just like the rocks- like armor. The ends of his gloves, tip of his hat- they all looked sharper, like he could and would use them to slice through something. He stood still, stiller than she’d ever seen him, and he was looking down at himself, at his own hands, with a bit of wonder, as if he’d forgotten Dot was there at all. But when she spoke, he looked up, and there was that flash of regret, of guilt, though it was quickly replaced with determination. He stepped back farther, shaking his head. 

“Wakko, what is going on? What… what did you do?” 

An anger flashed over him then. “I’m finding my own destiny. Not yours, not Yakko’s, not anyone else’s!”  

“What is this? Just… just…” Dot shakily got to her feet, her extended fur falling over her face. “Whatever it is, we’ll- we’ll figure it out? Like we always do-” 

“No!” 

“Wakko!” 

“I’m not going to be in your shadows anymore! This power is mine. Finally, something is!” 

They both jumped, then, as the doors behind them whipped open. They heard Pinky’s voice, nonchalantly saying, “Hey, we got the statues blown up, and we just moved the rocks by the door! So, how’s it going with yooooooooooooooooh my God!” 

Dot whipped around, immediately throwing up her hands to try and get everyone to calm down. It didn’t work; immediately Minerva and Slappy drew their swords, tensing up, with Slappy pushing Skippy behind her. Buttons barked with confusion, though he did push Runt and Mindy back, and Rita let out a string of curse words. 

“Dot, what in the hell-” Brain began. 

Wakko’s eyes immediately flitted to Slappy and Minerva, and he backed up, frightened. 

“Everyone stop! Stay calm!” Dot shouted. She turned, and then immediately started across the bridge, ignoring her hair falling behind her. “Wakko-” 

“Stay back!” 

“Let me help you!” 

“Stay back!” 

Wakko threw out his hands, and black rocks burst from the floor, shooting out with sharp points directed at Dot. 

She leapt back, startled, as the rocks slowly dimmed their initial blue glow. She heard everyone shout behind her- Buttons let out a threatening growl, Mindy cried with confusion, Runt said this was “definitely, definitely not good,” and several curse words were uttered by just about everyone else. Wakko glanced at his own hands, shocked, before looking back up and steeling himself. Dot blinked, and said, “Wakko, come on!” 

She waved her hand, expecting the rocks to part, to follow her lead, as they had since the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow. But they stayed put. She blinked, and tried again- no, they were staying. 

Wakko watched her, and then something sparked across his face, and he grinned, a laugh coming out. “They… they don’t listen to you anymore.” 

Dot’s heart stopped a second as she realized he was right. Because the sun could only channel unclaimed magic. And Wakko had claimed the power of the moon.  

“They listen to me.” 

“Wakko, please, you need to give me the moonstone-” 

“I don’t need to do anything!” 

Dot tried to press herself past the rocks. “Wakko-” 

“I said, stay back!” 

Suddenly, more rocks emerged, and Dot found herself tossed back across the bridge. She fell to the ground with a slam, once again experiencing a jolt of pain throughout her body. She sat up, pushing aside her fur, just in time to see that Slappy had rushed past her, and now swung the moon-sword, smashing it into the rocks that Wakko had summoned. They burst into tiny pieces, but as she leapt forwards, Wakko held out his arms, now covered in that rock-armor, managing to block a strike from her. 

Dot felt herself pushed up, and turned to see Buttons was trying to help her back to her feet. Rita scampered to her, leaning against her legs to do the same, while Pinky and the Brain quickly ran to her paws. “Dot? Are you okay? Dot?” 

She looked back up, seeing Minerva rushing towards her brother as well. Slappy’s sword was still held against Wakko’s arms, pressing against each other. 

“Kid, release the moonstone.” Slappy said. 

“No!”

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Willo!” 

Wakko narrowed his eyes, and then shouted, “Neither do you!” 

He pushed, and a burst of blue magic, striking like lightning, threw Slappy backwards, throwing her into a farther rock. Minerva slid to a stop, turning and shouting. “Slappy!” She raced over, as did a startled Skippy, hurrying to help the old squirrel back up. 

The moon-sword went flying, and then landed with a clatter on the bridge. Wakko ran towards it, picking it up, and held it up as a blue glow emitted from it. Suddenly, the sword was overtaken with the black rock-armor, those strikes of blue lightning spiking out as it transformed. Wakko stared a moment, and then sheathed the sword across his back, and took off running, past the bridge. 

“Oh, no you don’t!” Rita shouted, and she and Buttons started forwards- to attack or simply to hold him in place, Dot didn’t know, but she screamed for them to stop anyway. They didn’t hear her, and it evidently didn’t matter- as Wakko ran, rocks burst up, as if they were running along beside him. They sprung from the ground, throwing the cat and dog into the air and against the wall. 

Dot stumbled back, but as soon as her brother passed her, racing for the door, she turned and started tearing after him, ignoring the calls of everyone behind her. Her hair flew up into the air as she ran past the doors, calling out. “Wakko! Wakko!” 

They raced through that first room, filled with the scattered debris of the guard statues that had tried so hard to prevent something like this from happening and other scattered stones the explosions had knocked around. Rocks kept sprouting up, which Dot had to dodge, pulling her hair behind her in hopes it didn’t get caught in anything, trying desperately to catch up to her big brother. They ran past the room with the river, and through the tunnels, until Dot could see the speck of light that led to their way back out. Wakko was close, too close, he’d get out before she could get to him. 

She slid to a stop, and, her voice breaking, she called out, “Wakk!” 

Wakko halted, too, and Dot could see him breathing raggedly, shaking a little- he was just scared, he was upset, she could still reason with him. 

“Wakko, whatever this is, we will fix it- together.” 

Wakko whipped around, giving her a glare that could kill. “Together? That’s rich. You’d leave me the first chance you got.” 

“What?” 

“Everyone leaves me! They always do! We’re split up already- Yakko’s already gone to Ahtohollan and he’s not coming back!” 

“What?” 

“He’s left us! I might as well go next!” he blinked, holding back tears, and she heard him whisper, “It’ll hurt less if I go next…” 

“Nobody’s leaving anybody. Just come over here. I’ll fix it!” 

“Oh, the brilliant little sundrop is gonna fix everything!” Wakko waved his hands mockingly. “Got a healing spell for this? I have spent my whole life second best. I was either second to the Kingdom’s heir- the magical future King everyone knew was better than me- or the perfect lost princess! She was always better, even before she came back and got everyone to love her! She was a supergirl and I was just invisible!” 

“Wakko-” 

“I was alone, I was the spare, I was an afterthought! And it took me this long to realize it! I spent my whole life longing to be with all of you, taking care of all of you, and never doing anything for myself! Well, now I am!” 

“Wakko, you’re not invisible! We love you!” 

Wakko faltered a second, the words cutting into him. Dot took the chance to step forwards, as he shook his head. “No, you don’t.” 

“We all love you. So much. You know we do. I’m so sorry if we hurt you, I didn’t know. We can still fix this.” 

“No, we can’t.” 

“Yes!” Dot got closer, and reached out her arm to touch him. “We can. But we’re all feeling a lot of emotions right now, so just wait a second.” 

Suddenly, Wakko’s eyes sparked, and then the sparks turned into that blue light, leaping from his fur. “I told you, Angelina,” he hissed, “I’m not waiting!” 

Rocks burst up between them, and Dot jumped back just before they could hit her. It made a wall, too close together for her to push past. She screamed, throwing herself against the stone, trying to reach for him. 

“You and Yakko, you’re so special, aren’t you? Everyone loves you, you get magic and destinies and all the attention you could want. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before! I’m just the boring one, I’m the garbage. And I bet you loved that, not me.” 

“Wakko!” 

“You just loved having someone to do stuff for you, to tell you how great you were, you would never have wanted me to finally have the spotlight, would you?” 

“Wakko, please!” 

“I waited! I waited for people to actually love me, and it never happened! I based my whole life around everyone else, but now I’m something more than that!”

“Wakko, no!” Dot began to cry. “We love you! You’re not- you’re not invisible, you’re not useless-” 

“Oh, of course I’m not useless!” Wakko mockingly slapped himself on the forehead.

“Wakko-”

And then he screamed, louder than she’d ever heard him before.

“Don’t think I don’t know that the most useful thing I ever did for you was DIE!” 

Dot froze over, absolute horror striking her. Wakko flinched a second, as if realizing he’d crossed a line. Then, he straightened, stiffened, as he realized that he didn’t care. 

“I’m taking what’s mine.” he said. “I am the moondrop now. This is my power, this is my path, and nobody’s taking it from me!” 

He started towards the exit, and then glanced back, that flash of sorrow returning to his face. 

“I’m sorry it had to end like this.” he said quietly. “I did love you… I do… but…” he shut his eyes. “For us? If we’re over, that’s fine.” 

“Wakko, wait!” 

Wakko shook his head, and summoned more rocks. Dot watched as they burst into the wall, breaking through the normal stone of the cavern, making the path out larger. As soon as he saw sunlight, Wakko ran to a rock and grabbed it, swinging around as it grew taller, reaching up and outside the cave. 

“WAKKO!” 

Dot slammed against the rocks, trying to break past them. She heard frantic footsteps behind her, and turned as the rest of the crew ran in, each screaming at least five different things. 

“We have to get out! We have to get to him!” Dot screamed. 

Everyone kept shouting, except for Pinky and the Brain, who shared a look. They ran to Dot, who lifted them to her shoulders as she trembled, and Brain said, “Lasso the rock. You should be able to swing yourself over.” 

“Yes. Yes. Okay. Okay.” Dot said, her breath catching in her throat. She grabbed at her hair, swinging it up and into the air until it looped around the point of the tallest rock. She reached back for whoever was closest that she could carry, which turned out to be Rita. She lifted the yowling cat from the ground, and then blinked back more tears and leapt. 

As soon as Wakko was outside, he slid from the rock and took a deep breath, trying to focus his thousands of scattered thoughts. He glanced towards the cave, wondering if he should return and take back everything he’d said, turn the moonstone back over… 

Then he put his hand against the black rock beside him, and it no longer felt cold, like they always did before- it felt firm, strong. 

He was strong. 

He spun back around, and held out his hand. Another rock came forth, blooming from the ground below. He grabbed it, swinging over, and laughed as he lifted off the ground for a split second. He began to run, throwing out his arms, letting more rocks come forward, grabbing and spinning around them, jumping from one to the other, his spirits suddenly lifting high. The rocks, they listened to him- he made them. He made this! He was doing all of this himself. 

He tore into the woods, ignoring the plants his rocks had to break in order to come forth, instead just spinning and laughing and letting the wind hit him, feeling like he was actually free. 

Wakko made it to a clearing, and stumbled forward, letting his paws drop into a river. He breathed deep, letting the ripples tickle his feet and tail, before looking down and seeing how close his fur was to the water’s color. It was beautiful. 

He narrowed his eyes, breaking out of his reverie only when he heard a thump nearby, felt a slight tremor, more ripples spreading in the river. It took him a second to look up and see the earth giants heading towards him, appearing out of the foggy distance. But he didn’t feel fear at all- instead, he felt a warmth spread through his body as they came closer and closer. He stepped out of the river, reaching out a hand to summon a rock. He gripped onto it as soon as it burst forth, and held on as it went higher, climbing onto its back so he could get a better look at these giants. 

The earth spirits finally got close enough to him, stepping into the clearing. He stared, blinking, and watched as they lowered themselves. It took him a moment to realize it was a bow, a bow of respect. 

Of course. I have power over stone. I’m in their domain now. 

Wakko bowed back, then reached out a hand, touching the nearest giant’s hard face, bowing his head back. He smiled, that warmth spreading through him again. 

He heard a distant call of his name, and turned. He was high enough that he could see, just a few feet away, Dot scrambling down the forest path, everyone else at her heels, carrying weapons. Dot was following the trail of rocks, calling for him, desperate. She glanced up, and for a second, she spotted him through the trees, and they met eyes. 

For a flash, Wakko considered sliding down the rock and going back. He really had to stop thinking about that. 

He turned to the giants, and said, “Get them away from me.” 

And then he continued off across the woods.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - YAKKO RETURNS

Dot kept screaming for her brother, even as he disappeared from view. She jumped as she ran, trying to see through the tree leaves again, to catch a glimpse of him. They couldn’t just follow the rocks forever. Eventually they’d catch up, right? Then they just needed to talk to Wakko, to make him listen… 

“Dot, look out!” 

Dot jumped, staring up at she suddenly saw something descending towards them, fast. Slappy managed to run over and yank her out of the way, but only by a few inches; they leapt back farther as a huge boulder crashed beside them, crushing the nearby trees into flattened splotches on the dirt. Dot nearly fell over as the ground shook, tripping over her fur. Slappy managed to straighten her up, while Runt and Minerva began to gather up her fur into a bundle. 

“What in the name of all that is good and holy in Odin’s beard was that?” Brain asked, gripping tight to Dot’s shoulder. 

“We’re screwed.” Slappy said simply. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“We’re royally screwed is what it means! The rock giants are back, everyone get down!” 

Slappy managed to push Skippy into the bushes, but Dot shook her head, even as Minerva thrust the bundle of fur into her arms. “No! Wakko’s still out there-” 

“Yeah, who do you think they’re listening to? The earth giants love that stupid moon rock! Get into the bush!” 

“What? Wakko wouldn’t-” 

The ground rumbled again, and Slappy swore. Dot looked up to see that, indeed, an earth giant had come closer, staring down towards the group of toons right beside the boulder that had been thrown. 

“Um… hello?” 

“Run!” Slappy said, grabbing her hand and finally managing to drag her into the trees. 

“Hi, Mr Rock Man, whatcha-” 

“And move Mindy faster, good lord!” 

Rita leapt up beside Mindy on Runt’s back, while Buttons pushed Dot ahead of him, into the trees. She stumbled a second, and then decided that running from the earth giants was, indeed, the most pressing issue, and they should avoid those and then get Wakko back. 

And they would get Wakko back. Totally. 

Her mind drifted even as they were running for their lives- though to be fair, she’d been running for her life quite a lot recently, so this wasn’t anything new. However, this time she was pretty sure that “sliding a rock giant off a cliff with borrowed ice magic” wasn’t an option, mainly because Yakko had made her promise not to do so and also because someone was usually keeping a hold on her- Slappy holding her arm, or Buttons pushing her from the back, or Rita jumping to grab a chunk of her hair that slipped from the bundle. She was pretty sure most of them were just trying to make sure she was alright, but it still was making her feel more confined, like she was under watch. 

Though of course she had more important things to worry about, such as the boulder that had just narrowly avoided crushing them. They slid to a stop, flinching under the dirt the rock shot up into the air, and Buttons yipped as Minerva, the closest to the rock, slid back and fell onto the dirt. She scrambled back up, looking up towards the skyline. “Ugh, we can’t see them from here!” 

“We can’t outrun them forever.” Slappy said. “We’ll need to find some place to wait it out.” 

“The last time that happened, we all got kidnapped by a shadow demon!” 

“Then we’ll find some place that’s not haunted, that good enough for you?” 

“How about we move now,” Brain suggested, “So they don’t catch up faster?” 

“Amazing idea.” Rita said. “Runt, do not go after that squirrel, I swear to God-” 

The ground rumbled with the step of the giants behind them, and Brain said, “Running now would be a good option!” 

“Zort!” 

Dot gasped as then, suddenly, Minerva moved behind her and lifted her up, carrying her in her arms while Slappy quickly let Skippy climb onto her back. “What the-” 

“Your legs are small, hold on to your hair.” Minerva said simply, before she started to run again. Dot squealed and moved one hand to Pinky, who was on her outer shoulder and nearly slipped. She slid him beside Brain, curling up against Minerva and trying to ignore the wind pressing against them and the rumbles underneath, of either the giants approaching or their rocks early hitting them. She eventually reached to tug on her ears, trying to block out the noise of the leaves crunching underfoot, the crashes and smashes around them, the cursing and shouting beside, and then everything swirling inside as well. 

Too much had happened. Too much was happening. And she just wanted it to stop. 

But it wouldn’t! It seemed like nothing would ever stop. She’d gotten out of the tower, gotten a few months of recovery- but even that was confusing, and frightening sometimes, as she learned she was expected to have manners and not wander off and there were expectations to be placed upon her. And then she’d wanted one night off, to go explore, and ended up with her fur back. And then Yakko had frozen the kingdom, and they had to take off to find the moonstone, and now Wakko was the moonstone, and he hated them. 

He doesn’t hate us! 

You heard him, he hates us. 

He’s just upset! We can still get him back!

We have to… 

This was the world she’d chosen, this was the one she’d wanted. Back in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow, she’d thrown aside the false reality because she knew life wasn’t that easy, wasn’t that perfect. But that didn’t mean it had to be like this. 

The House… Wakko had been in a separate room. And when he came out was when he started acting strange- something must have happened in there. But the House was gone now, they couldn’t just find where he’d gone and follow… but they needed to find out what had happened to him, so they could fix it. He was so angry and hurt right now, but they had to be able to make him feel better, to make him come back… 

Slappy let out a warning cry, and Dot flew her eyes open in time to see a rock soaring over them. Minerva slid to a stop, before sharply whipping right, hoping a change of direction might do them some good. Pinky and the Brain nearly flew from Dot’s shoulder again, barely managing to catch onto her hair and hold tight to that. Dot struggled to reach back and pull them closer, but this intense fidgeting broke Minerva’s grip on her for a split second; she only fell a few inches before the mink caught her again, but it was enough to make her scream with surprise. The shout alerted Rita, who was just ahead of them and turned, which caused her to stumble onto Runt, who ran into Buttons. All it took after that was Minerva tripping over an extended root, and then everyone was tumbling across the ground. 

Dot fell from the mink’s arms and lost the mice somewhere in the grass, as her fur began to wrap around her- unfortunately, not in its shield, but simply tangling herself in her own hair. She finally stopped rolling when she slammed into the side of a tree, and she let out a groan as she crumpled into the leafy ground, struggling to try and get up. Her arms had been locked in her fur, twisting around her and then scattering beneath and around her. She shut her eyes, trying to focus on which direction it would be best to roll to start her untangling; this had happened a couple times as a kid, she’d gotten pretty good at knowing where to go. Right… which was by the tree, shoot. She fidgeted her paws, trying to edge herself away, but her fur fell over her; she could only see a bit ahead of her.

Rita placed her paws on Dot’s face, leaning over into her eyeline. “Dot? You alive?” 

Dot muttered something, muffled by the fur over her face. 

“Oh, you gotta roll out? Yeah, hold up…” 

“What is this ‘hold up’?” Dot heard Brain call from across the clearing. “We need to go!” 

“Well, til the people who can carry Dot get themselves out of that stinking bush, rolling her out is our best bet! Buttons, help me drag her away from the tree!” 

Buttons bit down on a chunk of hair and yanked her further into a clearing, and Dot heard Slappy shout, “It’s not our fault our fur’s caught in these stupid thorns!” 

“This is gonna kill my tailstyling!” 

“Minerva, more than your tailstyling is gonna get killed if those giants catch up, so deal with that later and bust yourself out first!” 

“Where’s Skippy?” 

“I’m in the tree!” 

“How did you get in the tree?” 

“Good question! Runt, catch me!” 

“Okay!” 

THUMP. 

“Oh, I’m bad at catching things. Definitely, definitely bad at catching things.” 

Rita and Buttons finally yanked Dot to the clearing, and she began to unravel herself, rolling across the leaves and scattered twigs. Within a minute her arms were free, but she also had run into another tree. Buttons and Rita began to drag her again, as they felt a rumble in the ground. 

“Can you go any faster?” Brain shouted. 

“You wanna unwind the princess from her own fur? Be my guest.” 

“Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” 

“I think so, Brain, but I’d rather not be a candelabra.” 

“Pinky!” 

THUMP. “Ow!” 

“Did you just run her into a tree again!” 

“She’s rolling herself, we’re just fixing her up!” 

“I can talk now!” Dot announced. “I just need to go a little more left- OW!” 

“Did she run into-” 

“No, I hit a rock, that hurts!” 

“Look, can you stand? Maybe we can spin you.” Rita suggested. 

“Legs still a bit tangled but if you throw me into the air maybe I can spin and land?” 

“Do not do that!” 

“Come on, Brain-” 

“Oh, holy-” 

There was another rumble, and as Dot finally managed to scramble onto her front paws, she looked up to see that, as they had been unraveling themselves from the foliage, the rock giants had caught up. 

“Oops.” 

Two tall giants stared down at them, having crushed the trees underfoot just a few feet away. Buttons immediately ran in front of Dot, growling, as Rita managed to shove Runt and Mindy into a bush- where they promptly got stuck, just as Slappy and Minerva got out. “Oh, son of a-” Rita muttered. 

Minerva ran in front of Dot with her sword, standing beside the growling Buttons, while Slappy lifted Skippy and moved him behind the princess, who was still struggling to get up. The mice ran beside her, and then Pinky ducked underneath Buttons’s legs and called out. 

“Hullo stone giants! How are you doing today?” 

One leaned over, watching them closely. 

“Oh, that’s lovely, really lovely. We were just on our way out-” 

It raised a fist, looking upset. 

“And you’ve angered him, Pinky.” Brain said, before moving over and dragging his partner back several feet. “Great work. We should always let you handle things.” 

“Narf!” 

Slappy leaned down to pick up Dot, shouting, “Okay, we need to run again, like, now-” 

Suddenly, they were all blasted with a fierce, freezing wind, and Dot gasped as something jumped in front of them. A shield of ice was thrown up above, blocking the giant’s fist; when it collided, the ice simply broke into glimmering light, which gently flew across the clearing, frosting everything around. 

Dot froze, herself, for a moment, a million thoughts pouring through her. Then, finally managing to unravel herself from her hair, she stumbled to her feet and looked up ahead in shock. 

Sitting atop a tall, shining horse made of pure, clear water, Yakko sat, holding out an extended hand towards the giants. As he slid from the horse, she could see his fur was different- brighter, glistening like the ice he’d just summoned to save them, swirling in a new pattern. His clothes had changed, looking intricately detailed and embroidered with those symbols from their Dad’s scarf, fading from a pure white to a crystal blue. 

He didn’t turn to them at first, just looking to the giants. There was a tense moment where none of them moved, and Slappy once again dragged Dot back a bit. But finally, Yakko lowered his hands, and to their surprise, the giants settled. The second one knelt as well, but they both bowed their heads toward him. Yakko stepped forwards, sending them a bit of frost, and then he smiled and bowed as well. 

When he got up, he said, “Now, I think you guys just don’t know your own size. That’s a bit of an issue- you’re way bigger and heavier than us. You gotta be more careful, rocks! The mountains have a lot more space for you. Once the fog’s lifted, you’ll love it there. For now, find a nice clearing to settle down in. How many of you are there?” 

One of the earth giants let out a grunt, and to Dot’s surprise, Yakko seemed to understand, nodding. 

“Alright. Follow the river to the beach, that should be plenty of open space for you until the fog is gone.” Another grunt. “I know, I know, sand and water isn’t your thing. But there’s a cliff right by it, Dot knocked one of you off there- and you’re very sorry about that, aren’t you Dot?” He turned, looking at her pointedly. 

“Uh…” Dot’s eyes were still fixed on his new, almost glowing appearance, but she nodded. 

“See? We’re all good. And she’s the Sundrop- so that’s, what, in the domain of Gale and Bruni? They should be on their way to come help us out a little, but Nokk- hold up, Nokk, think you can show them to the cliffs? You’ll be heading back that way, right?” 

The water horse bowed its head, its mane trickling down onto the leaves below. 

“Great! Buddy-buddy road trip. Bet it’s been a while since you chatted. You guys head off now, and watch where you step, okay?” 

The giants gave a final grunt, and then straightened themselves up. The Nokk whinnied and reared a second, and then took off, racing farther into the woods. The giants followed, barely giving them a second glance, instead just trailing after the spirit of water. 

“Well, that was nice.” Yakko said, clapping his hands together. He turned, surveyed the group, and said, “What happened to all of you?” 

They glanced around at themselves. They were covered in dirt, leaves, and in some cases small branches, and Runt had at least one bug stuck in his fur. They were all confused, still a bit distraught, and very, very astounded at the boy in front of them. Mindy was the only one who didn’t seem unfazed- which was normal for her, to be real- and she simply waved and said, “Hi, Yakky! Shiny!” 

“Yeah, I am shiny now!” Yakko beamed, spinning. “I am doing great! And Nokk won’t be bothering us anymore, so we can- did you get the moonstone already? Cause I bet I can deal with the statues, too. I feel like I can deal with anything! Hold on, we’re missing someone.” He did a headcount. “Where’s Wakko?” 

They all gave each other very concerned glances. 

“Did he fall behind? If he’s tired, I can go pick him up-” 

“Well, actually…” Minerva hissed, glancing to the side. 

“You see, yourr stupid brother-” Slappy began. 

Dot pushed herself to the front of the group, and said, “Oh, he’s catching up with us later!” 

Slappy blinked. “What?” 

“Yeah!” Dot nodded, forcing a smile onto her face. “He’s doing great, but we had some, uh, problems reaching the moonstone, and he’s just going to grab some stuff from the caravan. We have no idea where Phar Fignewton went, she wandered off a while ago- but he’s real good with horses, so he said he’d go find her. We were gonna catch up but then, you know… rock giants.” 

Everyone in the group stared at her, dumbfounded, while Yakko considered. “Oh. Well- I should go get him. I bet I can help-” 

“No, no, let him do this. He was real excited about it!” Dot said. “Uh- we need to set up camp for the night! I bet you can do that, you can just make us tents outta ice or something! And then we can pick up Wakko tomorrow! Or whenever he gets back. Which he will.” 

“Dot…” Rita began. 

“Whoa.” they were distracted by Skippy, who ducked around Buttons and scampered over to Yakko, staring at his clothes. “Look at that! Did you make that?” 

“It was a gift.” Yakko said, kneeling to his eye-level and smiling slightly. “From Ahtohollan.” 

“So you did reach it!” 

“Yes, and it’s beautiful! I’ll have to show you.” 

“Did you find the fifth spirit?” 

Yakko stood and spun around, before shooting finger guns at him. “Take a look, kiddo!” 

“You… are the fifth spirit?” Dot asked, not sure whether she should be relieved the conversation had moved on or confused about the situation or happy for her brother. 

“Ta-da!” Yakko bounced, and then let out a laugh. “It’s amazing! I feel like- like everything makes sense now! It’s so cool! But- we’ll talk about all that junk later! I’ll find us a clearing, and then come pick you up! See if I can grab Bruni on the way- you know, I honestly thought you all would be in more trouble than just the rock giants, but I’m sure the moonstone’ll be an issue in a bit. I’ll be here with you the whole way!” 

He ran over to Dot, giving her a tight hug, and then did a cartwheel back over to where he’d been. 

“Hold on, lemme just- ah-ah, ah-ah!” 

To their surprise, the wind picked up around him, and suddenly he was lifted into the air, surrounded by leaves. 

“There you are, Gale! Okay, we’ll be right back- don’t go anywhere!” 

He gestured, and Gale helped him fly higher, to go look for a camping spot. 

They were silent for a good long moment, and then Slappy said, “What in the hell?” 

“Fifth spirit!” Skippy cheered. 

“Not that, we’ll deal with that later!” Slappy said, waving a hand. “Dot-” 

“We cannot stress Yakko out more.” Dot said, turning back and trying to keep them all on the same wavelength. “It’s fine! We’ll go get Wakko before he even notices.” 

“Wakko could be anywhere, Dot.” Brain said. 

“We can find him! We just…” 

“Your stupid brother took the moonstone!” Slappy shouted, then, her voice rising in anger. “This is exactly why we kept it hidden! He has untold power now, and who knows what he’s planning on doing with that! He could destroy everything!” 

“He won’t! He would never!” Dot said. 

“We also thought he’d never grab that thing.” Rita said. 

“He’s just upset, he’s scared.” Dot said desperately. “We just have to find him and talk things out. Everything will be okay, I promise. This is just another bump in the road! Just another… it’s just like when Yakko left. We just have to calm him down and then everything will be alright again.” 

Slappy shook her head. “I don’t know if I trust that, kid.” 

“Everything will be fine.” Dot said. “In fact… everything is fine! Everything’s going to be fine from here on out! And we’re going to just shut up, find the black rocks and use them to follow Wakko to wherever he went, and then nobody’s going to get hurt ever again!” To their surprise, and even her own, she suddenly snapped, “Now everyone shut up and help me gather up my hair!” 

“Dot-” Pinky began. 

“No ‘Dot’s! We’re gonna go get Wakko and fix this before we can upset Yakko.” Dot said. “We’re gonna pick up my brother and fix everything!” 

“Dot-” 

“Fine. You know what? I’m going off right now, and whoever wants to join me can.” Dot hissed. She began gathering her fur into a bundle, and said, “But I’m going to get him!” 

“Dot, he seemed incredibly upset.” Brain said. “Perhaps you should give him a moment. It may be better for your safety-” 

“I don’t care about my safety.” Dot hissed, before turning and beginning to walk off. “I care about my brother!” 

The group stared after her, eyes wide and thoughts turning to fierce worry. Then, Pinky climbed atop of Buttons, patting him, and Buttons nodded, managed to lift Brain, and then ran off after Dot. Rita followed, and then Buttons and Mindy, leaving the Northuldrans against the trees. 

“Well…” Slappy sighed. “Guess they’re headed towards the moonstone. Might as well follow.” 

So she picked up Skippy, and exchanged a look with Minerva, and they followed the rest of the group.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - THE POWER OF THE MOON

Dot kept walking through the woods, first trying to find the black rocks again, and then trying to follow their path. Eventually, though, Rita slid in front of her and called for her to stop for the night. 

“Skippy, Runt and Mindy have already fallen asleep.” she said. “You’re gonna need rest.” 

“I don’t need rest, I need Wakko.” 

“Listen, kid, you’re gonna be no use to him if you knock yourself out the second you find him. Just break for a few hours, okay? He can’t have gone far.” 

Dot hesitated, before glancing back. Indeed, Slappy was carrying a snoring Skippy, while Runt and Mindy had curled up atop a leaf pile, already sleeping deeply. Buttons slowly curled around them, and she noticed the mice on top of him- Pinky had fallen asleep on Brain’s shoulder already. The only one who didn’t seem tired was Minerva, who kept a hand on her sword and kept glancing around nervously. 

“Maybe just for a little bit. But in the morning, we keep going- we have to find him before Yakko figures out we’re gone.” 

Dot moved over to a tree, sliding down its trunk until she was sitting on the ground. She began to spread her bundle of hair around her, while Rita moved beside her. “Dot? Hon, are you sure you don’t want to tell Yakko?” 

“I don’t want to upset him. You saw how happy he is.” 

“He’s here to help us. He can’t help if he doesn’t know what’s happening.” 

“We can figure this out. It’s just… it’s just a little thing. We’ll get Wakko back and solve everything before he can even find out…” 

“Find out what, exactly?” 

Dot bit her lip. “Nothing. You should go to sleep, too.” 

“I guess Minerva’s on guard duty?” 

“Sure, yeah. I’ll wake you guys up when it’s time to move out again.” 

Rita nodded, and then hesitantly pressed beside her, purring slightly. “Hey… if you wanna talk about anything, I’m right here.” 

“I know you are.” 

“We’re all here for you. No matter what happens.” 

“I know.” 

Rita gave her a quick pat on the arm with her paw, and then she moved over to the sleeping Runt, curling up beside him. Slappy was kneeling down by the pile of toons, sliding Skippy to the ground, while Minerva positioned herself on the other side of a tree, looking into the distance. 

Dot slid away from the group, playing with her strands of fur. Everything was still bouncing around her head, trying to find some kind of sense in what was happening. There had to be a simple reason for all of this, right? Something simple that she could fix. That she could heal. 

She ran a hand through her fur again. She couldn’t heal anymore, and she’d never felt that hit her as hard as it was right now. When she’d first found that out, she remembered feeling a fear, a fear that she wouldn’t be able to help when needed, but even then it was like a distant thought, she’d never imagined she could be in a situation like this. And without her powers of the sun, she just had a hair-whip and a strange glow. She was practically helpless. 

No. No, she wasn’t helpless. She’d gotten herself out of the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow. She’d woken herself up from that nightmare and defeated Plotz, giving Yakko enough time to dispel him. 

Yakko… 

She hugged herself, shutting her eyes and shuddering a little. Because now that nobody was around, now that they were all getting ready to sleep and weren’t looking at her… she could admit to herself why she didn’t want Yakko to know. 

Yes, of course she didn’t want to upset him- he looked so happy, and she didn’t want to ruin that. As well as that, last time he’d been upset, he’d blasted ice across his winter castle and nearly killed them, and it had ripped him apart. She could still hear his scream when he realized Wakko had frozen, and worse, she could still feel, under her paws, the ice that their brother had been made out of, that had completely covered him. 

And that was the worst part.

His words still rang in her ears. Don’t think I don’t know that the most useful thing I ever did for you was DIE. 

That wasn’t true. He had to know that. The most useful thing he’d ever done for them was exist. Was to be there with them, cheering them up, insisting they never give up hope and they keep moving forwards. Playing around with her in the garden and making her feel like she belonged there, making Yakko laugh even before he set himself free, easing his spirits. Wakko was their brother, and they loved him, and it felt like he didn’t know that anymore. 

And it felt like her fault. 

And that’s what she didn’t want Yakko to know. That she hadn’t noticed before that Wakko was upset, that he’d needed the love and affection he’d been giving out. That he’d needed to know how important he was, how special and wonderful and perfect. She hadn’t noticed, and now he thought they didn’t love him. She didn’t want Yakko to feel the same pain in her chest that she did, to feel like they’d failed him. That this was because of them- because of her. 

Supergirl and the invisible boy. That’s what he’d called them. He’d always felt second best, and she should’ve noticed. She should’ve fixed that. She should’ve let him know that he was just as good as her- no, that he was better, that he was the best person in the world, that he and Yakko were the best brothers she could ever ask for. But she hadn’t. She’d been so focused on her journey, on her problems, and she’d let him fall away. She’d give anything to turn back time just to hug him one night and tell him that he was the among the best things that had happened to her. 

Dot glanced down at the hair in her arms, and then stood, letting it fall. She pulled beads from her pocket, instinctively beginning to tie it all back in a ponytail. 

But then, as she pulled the first bracelet through, a memory flashed in her mind- this was all Wakko’s idea. Him pulling her ponytail back, sticking his tongue out to concentrate, telling her that this would be easier than the braid cause she could do it herself. Had she ever told him what a great idea that was? Had she ever thanked him? For the idea, for stopping to help her, for being her brother? 

She stepped away from the group, just a bit, so that they couldn’t hear her as she began to cry. 

“I’m hungry.” 

Wakko wasn’t entirely sure who he was talking to, only that he didn’t like being alone with his thoughts. It was nighttime now, or at least he thought so- he still couldn’t quite see the sky, but everything was a lot darker now, so that must mean it was late. He climbed over another rock, sitting still and looking up at the foggy sky. He could probably eat the stone he sat on, honestly. He’d rather have actual food, though. Ugh, he should’ve swiped stuff from the caravan before he ran, that would’ve been smart. At least a light lunch. Or his weighted blanket… he would love that right about now, it had really been helping him sleep. Maybe he could sleep under a pile of rocks, and then eat them in the morning. That wouldn’t be as nice, though. 

No, no, he wouldn’t need the blanket. That was something Yakko gave him, and Yakko had just left them, so Wakko didn’t need anything from him. He didn’t need anything from any of them. He was himself now! He was free! He was powerful, without them. So he could go find his own destiny!

Whatever… that was… 

It hit him about then that he really had no plan whatsoever. What did he want to do? Get out of the forest? Where would he go from there- Dot would probably tell Warnerstock all about what he did and they’d toss him out. And what other kingdom would accept a rogue prince? But he couldn’t stay in the forest, could he? Maybe he could just… avoid the Northuldra forever, just live among the rocks and bugs. He’d like that! He always liked sneaking out to visit the forest, always liked playing the garden… maybe he could just do that forever. Or maybe the Northuldra would chill out after a while and he could live with them, like Daddoo had so long ago. 

No. No, I don’t need anything from him, from any of them. I can do this all by myself. And I won’t be upset about it! Because I’m free, and I don’t have to care about… 

He hugged himself and shuddered slightly, then stuck out his tongue a bit more and slid from the rock, before immediately lifting it up and eating it. Ugh, he didn’t like the taste of that. Maybe he could try eating a tree… he’d only ever licked bark before, never actually tried eating it. It had an awful texture, though… maybe it wouldn’t this time! Maybe he’d be more used to it. He ran to the nearest tree, sniffing its bark closely and sticking out his tongue. 

“What are you doing?” 

Wakko jumped and whipped around, putting his hands behind his back to try and look as innocent as possible. He relaxed exponentially, though, when he saw who had spoken. 

“Morgan! Oh, thank Spielberg, I thought you’d gone poof with the rest of that weird shell house!” 

He ran over, reaching out his arms to hug her and give her a customary greeting kiss, but his hands went right through her. He flinched back, but the spirit seemed unperturbed. The small ghostly girl smiled warmly, floating a bit closer to him. “Quite the contrary, my dear Wakko. The destruction of that house set me free. I’ve finally been able to catch up with you- what were you doing just now?” 

“Trying to find food.” 

“Oh, yes, you’ll need food.” Morgan said, as if she hadn’t considered that. 

“I’m hungry. Do you have any food? Do you need food?” 

Morgan waved a hand, pushing aside his questions. “Nevermind. How have you been adapting to the moonstone?” 

“It’s great!” Wakko bounced a little. “I’ll admit, bonding with it hurt a bit more than you said it would, but it’s okay because I’m so cool now! Look at my fur, it’s so weird! This bright blue- I love it! And check this out!” 

He stepped back, throwing out his arms, and then jumped. Immediately, two moonrocks spread up from the ground, just behind him, so he could grab onto them. He swung around one, laughing, and then leapt again. A taller rock burst out so he could swing from that, and he scrambled to its peak, looking down excitedly to the spirit to see if she was impressed. 

Her expression didn’t change. She did, however, say, “That’s lovely, Wakko. Now that you’ve claimed the moonstone, all of its powers belong to you.” 

Wakko slid down the rock and bounced onto the ground, brushing his hands against his legs. “Yeah, yeah, picked that up. And even better! I haven’t felt tired or hurt the entire time I’ve had this! I’m not tired anymore- I can just keep going!” 

“And the sundrop?” 

His heart skipped a beat, and he glanced away. “Oh, you know, she’s not- she’s not super happy, but… she’ll get over it. They were gonna leave me anyway, so… it’s not like it matters.” 

“Hmm.” Morgan floated closer, looking him over a second. Then, she said, “You know she’ll come after you.” 

“She’ll stop eventually-” 

“No, she won’t. But it’s not because of you anymore- it’s because of what you have.” Morgan reached forward, her hand floating through his chest. 

Wakko shuddered. “I’m sorry?” 

“She wants the moondrop. You know she wants to join with it.” 

“Yeah, she thinks it’ll save the forest-” 

“Is that what they told you? No! It’ll just give her more power, more than you. Push you out of the spotlight and into the shadows again, and she’ll have both the sun and the moon. Both your siblings will be nigh unstoppable, and where’ll that leave you?” 

“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?” 

“They think you betrayed them, don’t they? That you took what was theirs and ran; they won’t accept that the power is yours. So when they have it-” 

“They would never hurt me.” 

“Do you really know that?” 

“Yes!” 

Morgan blinked as Wakko stepped back, realizing her plans had just been thrown off. She then shook her head, and said, “Nevertheless- you have to fulfill your destiny before they can reach you. Grow into your own power, and once you’ve found yourself, you’ll never feel alone ever again.” 

Wakko glanced around, not sure why he was feeling so nervous right now. “Um… what am I supposed to do? Do you know?” 

“Of course I do. Now, listen to me.” Morgan lowered herself, as Wakko sat on the ground, looking ahead at her. “The key to expanding your power is beyond the forest, back in Warnerstock.” 

“Oh, that’s gonna be a problem. The fog won’t part again.” 

Morgan smirked. “Not for your brother.” 

“Well, he’s the only one who could move it-” 

“Wakko. The fog was brought on by the moonstone itself. And who controls the moonstone now?” 

Wakko’s eyes widened. “I can get rid of it?” 

“Well, not yet- not at this point, with your power still new to you. But you could spread it.” 

“Spread it?” 

“Cover Warnerstock as well. Give you enough time to find what needs to be found.” 

“Wouldn’t- wouldn’t that be bad? The Northuldra don’t really like being trapped in one place. And then you can’t see the sky!” 

“Oh, they’ll get over it. It’s only for a little bit.” 

“I- I dunno. Isn’t there another way around the fog?” 

“Oh, Wakko.” Morgan shook her head. “Are you afraid?” 

“I don’t want to… make people sad. Anymore than I already have.” 

“Sometimes, in order to make the world right, you have to upset a few people. You have to do a few dangerous things. But they’ll understand, once everything is over.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Of course! They’ll see how badly they treated you, and accept that the moondrop belongs to you and you alone. But first, you’ll have to spread the fog.” 

“I still don’t know.” 

Morgan looked him over, considering for a long time. Then, she said, “Well, at least get back to its edge. You can decide from there, can’t you?” 

Wakko wasn’t entirely sure that was the best idea, but it was the only idea he had. It was somewhere to go, a goal to reach- and not just wandering around the woods eating rocks. “Okay. Yeah- which direction is that?” 

“South.” 

“You’re gonna have to be more specific, I don’t know which way that is.” 

Morgan sighed and then pointed. 

“Oh! That’s great!” he stood, and then twiddled his fingers. “Hey, uh- you’ll stay with me, right? Just… just to help out. And so I’m not, like, wandering the woods by myself.” 

“Of course.” she smiled. “It looks like I’m the only one who’s supporting you right now, so I’ll make sure nobody comes to stop you.” 

He relaxed. “Oh, good.” 

“And even if you don’t agree with me, I’m sure we’ll figure out the right way to go together.” 

“Yeah!” 

Wakko began to walk, Morgan floating beside him. She smiled as he summoned another rock to swing across, and then said, “But I’m sure you’ll understand soon, Wakko. Morgan knows best.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - THE RIVER IN THE CAVERN

Dot woke up, blinking in the foggy morning light. It took her a second to remember everything that had happened last night, to remember that she had to keep pressing on, keep journeying farther to find her brother. 

And it took her another second to realize that Yakko was standing in front of her, arms crossed and looking very upset. 

Oh no. 

Dot scrambled to her feet, brushing off frost on her arms that Yakko had summoned to awaken her, before putting her hands behind her back to feign innocence. Yakko, meanwhile, wasn’t having it. 

“Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third.” Yakko said slowly. “When I said, ‘stay in one place,’ what did that mean to you?” 

“Yakko-” 

“Because it looks like that meant, ‘run off several miles and leave me worried sick for an entire night!’”

“There’s a great explanation for that.” 

“I’m listening.” 

Dot was silent for a very long time. “We… have ADHD and cannot stay put?” 

“Dot!” 

“Listen, it’s fine, we’ll go- oh my God you found the caravan.” 

She had just looked over her brother’s shoulder, and saw that just beside their pile of sleeping companions- Runt had predictably fallen asleep on his watch- was their caravan, with Phar Fignewton obliviously sniffing at the grass. It looked completely the same as it had yesterday- good God, all of that crap happened in one day- but most importantly, if Yakko had found it… 

“Yeah. And I did not see a Wakko in there.” 

“Uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh…” 

“Where’s Wakko?” 

Dot blinked. “I… I guess he got lost?” 

“You guess he got lost?” 

Dot took a breath, her mind spinning, trying to figure out what to say next. She… she had to keep Yakko from finding out what had happened. He couldn’t know, he couldn’t feel the way she did, he couldn’t know that they’d failed their brother… 

“I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… left him alone…” 

“He’s…” Yakko took a deep breath. “He’s probably fine. He’s strong. He’d probably head back toward the moonstone cave, I’ll head that way, you wake everyone else up and meet me there.” 

Oh no! 

“Or we could head over there and you could…” 

“Have you seen the amount of rocks in these woods?” Yakko asked, moving to a moonrock nearby and touching it, flinching at its texture. “The moonstone must be getting stronger. We’ll have to join the sun and moon soon, who knows what these things could do if left unchecked?” 

“Unchecked. Yeah.” 

“I’ll send Gale to come get you in a little bit, you just get everyone moving towards that cave. And hey- once we catch up with Wakko, we’ll be able to hold this over him for the rest of our lives! ‘Ha-ha, you got lost without us.’” 

Dot giggled nervously. “Yep!” 

“Alright, yeah, I’ll see you in a second- take the caravan, it’ll be faster, Slappy should know how to drive.” 

“You want us to let Slappy drive?” 

Yakko didn’t answer, instead throwing out his hand and creating a ramp of ice. He began to run across it, disappearing into the trees. Slowly, the ramp disappeared behind him, leaving nothing but a trail of glitter falling over the leaves. Dot waited until he was gone, and then glanced to her sleeping companions. 

You should wake them up. We’re doing this together. 

But… Wakko might be scared if all of us are surrounding him. I don’t want him to get overwhelmed. 

Don’t go alone, you idiot!

…I don’t want to fail anyone else… 

Dot turned and ran away from the group, following the trail of the black rocks. 

You have to move fast. You have to go before Yakko finds out. Before Wakko can get too far. 

Before I lose someone again. 

Yakko was finding ice-travel preferable to anything else at this point. Maybe it was just because he finally felt at one with his magic, with the beautiful forest around them. Or maybe it was just because it enabled him to go faster. He kicked up speed, sliding across his own ramp of ice, laughing as the wind spread across his fur. He knew this was serious, but honestly, he couldn’t find it in himself to feel very upset at the moment. 

He felt a swirl around him- Gale had found him again. He smiled and waved his hand, letting the leaves circle his arm. “Ha- good to see you, too! You find anyone? No, that’s alright. Bruni’s still on the lookout. We’re gonna check the moonstone cave- I know the moon isn’t really your area, but can you still come in?” Gale swished his tail. “I’ll take that as a yes! We’re headed the right way? Good- what is up with these rocks, by the way? They’re just bursting up everywhere. You’d think-” 

He cut himself off, sliding to a stop, the second he saw the place where the moonstone’s cavern used to be. 

He slowly stepped from the ramp, letting the last of the ice dissolve behind him, his feet crunching on the grass below. He felt Gale sweep up beside him, more curious than concerned at the sight ahead of them. Slowly, Yakko stepped forwards, putting a paw against the nearest, tall black rock. There were so many black rocks- why hadn’t Slappy destroyed these yet? She still had her sword, right? So why would she leave so many in front of the moonstone? There were almost more rocks in front of the cavern than there were trees before it, each looking somehow more menacing than the ones they’d seen before- sharper, bigger, deadlier. Colder. 

Yakko slowly began navigating through the sea of rocks, keeping his ears pricked in case they decided to burst up from the ground beneath him; he didn’t want a repeat of what had happened at the castle, not at all. But they seemed completely still, and he heard nothing but the swish of Gale, also swirling by the rocks, inspecting them, following him towards the entrance to the cave. He stopped just at the edge, kneeling down and trying not to let his heart sink too much. 

The cavern entrance had collapsed, quite a bit. What used to be a tunnel inside had widened in some places, and was completely blocked by the moon’s rocks in others. He could see the slight light of day trickle down, far to the tunnel’s ground, where fog had already slowly seeped inside. From how little fog he could spot in there, this crash couldn’t have happened too long ago, but the fact the fog had seeped in at all meant it wasn’t super recent. He put a hand to the crumbled rock, focusing hard. There wasn’t much water around here to extract memories from… so he’d have to just do work himself. 

“Gale, I’m going in. Stick by me- Slappy said something about killer statues. Know anything about that?” The leaves rustled. “Yeah, I’m sure you do. Come on, I’ll make us another ramp. Or, well, I’ll make me a ramp- you seem to be doing good with just the flying thing.” 

Yakko spread his hands, creating a sliding sheet of ice, stretching down to the tunnel floor and maneuvering around the moonrocks. He then slid down, flinching as he went back underground. He hadn’t been underground since, well, the castle fell- and the black rocks around him right now were not easing his feelings of stress. 

Calm down. It’s fine. You can handle this. 

Gale flew around him again, lifting his fur and his spirits, and he nodded and said, “It’s dark in here, yeah? Lemme fix that.” 

He summoned a ball of ice between his hands, emitting a soft, blue glow. He gasped, then, as he saw that there were, somehow more rocks inside- including what seemed to be a wall of them, just ahead, blocking the rest of the tunnel. He spun around a second, just taking in how there were practically more black spikes than the gray stone of the tunnel’s walls and floor. 

“What happened here?” 

Finally, he was starting to feel nervous again. He went towards the wall, looking up. “Okay… the squad was headed this way. They had to know something was- Dot said that they had problems reaching the moonstone, but this looks like more than a problem, it’s an infestation. And- hold on, Dot can move these things. They wouldn’t need to get anything from the caravan for this… Gale, lift me up, we gotta see what’s behind these.” 

The wind spirit did, indeed, lift him up, and he let her fly him between the rocks’ points, sliding him back to the ground behind. He expanded the icy light in his hands, trying to see ahead. The rocks were bursting out from the ground, and the walls, and some even spiked from the ceiling above. He walked between them again, dread building up in him. Something happened, something bad… 

“Wakko?” he called out, as he moved to another room of the tunnel, this one only slightly less rocky. “Wakko?” 

No response. Wakko would respond if he was here, right? 

“Wakko!” 

He steadied himself, reminding himself not to pick up speed; if he ran, his fear would just increase. Just keep going forward, find the source of all this. 

He passed through a few more winding tunnels- one had a river, but he was too focused on the trail of moonrocks to stop- he could check that later if necessary, he just needed to find the end of the tunnel. Gale stayed beside him, and though he couldn’t see her, as her leaves had long since blown away, he could sense her still playing with his fur, blowing around his sleeves. There for him, whatever lay ahead. 

They finally ducked into a much wider room, of which fewer rocks sprang, most of them in a line, trailing towards an open doorway. But Yakko immediately sensed something inside, something pulling at him, and he shut his eyes and steadied himself for a moment. Then he held his hands up, letting the light fly higher and stop just a little above him, freeing his hands for the time being. 

While the room didn’t have as many moonrocks, there were plenty of normal, gray rocks, left scattered in piles, dirty and cracked. These must’ve been the statues, but they didn’t seem to have been wrecked by the rocks themselves; most of them were barely touching the line. Nevertheless, they were destroyed, and he could still feel a cool presence from them. He knelt to the ground, putting the tips of his fingers against the ground, focusing hard. Slowly, light trickled from the ground, circling his fingers. Then, in a flash, it burst upwards, spreading through the room. Yakko looked up, smiling, as he saw small trails of mist rise from the piles of stone. Whatever spirits had inhabited the statues, they were going home now. 

“Have a nice trip.” he said, standing back up. Gale swirled around him again as they watched the spirits disappear into the light, fading out of their world. Then, slowly, the light returned to the ground, sinking into the floor, and the circle of magic descended back into Yakko’s hands. He looked ahead at the cavern, which now seemed more empty. Now that the gray rocks no longer held spirits of the moonstone’s protectors, they were just that- frightening, broken rocks, scattered amongst the sharp black. 

He moved over towards the door, looking inside and gasping a little. If he’d thought there’d be fewer moonrocks in there, he was dead wrong- he couldn’t see anything in that room that wasn’t a spike of black and swirling blue. It was like looking into a kaleidoscope, but the world’s most dark and confusing one, with all the rocks blending into each other. It took him a minute to even figure out they were mainly pointed in the same direction- he was having trouble even telling which was on which layer. He leaned inside a bit more, flinching at the energy these rocks were exuding- it was just… like the entire room was filled to the brim with fear. The rocks had been made from fear. 

Yakko followed the pointing of the moonstones, looking to the center of the room, across what appeared to be a bridge of the same stone. There didn’t seem to be anything there. Why would they point at nothing? Maybe there was a doorway there? Or… 

“The moonstone’s gone.” 

That would be why the statues were broken. Why the rocks were so afraid. Someone had taken the moonstone, and it wasn’t Dot. 

He spun back around. “Gale, the moonstone’s gone. The… it can’t be gone, only the Northuldra knew where it was. And the only Northuldra coming this way were with us. They…” 

A suspicion rose in him, though he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was he was suspecting. He glanced around the wreckage for another moment, and then took off running, racing back through the tunnels. He could feel Gale at his side, pushing him faster, moving him onward until they got where they needed to go. 

Finally, they reached it- the river, the one he’d discarded just a few moments ago. Well, it had his full attention now. He once again lifted his hands and let the light ascend, and he once again dropped to his knees and touched the ground. 

Under his breath, to keep his focus on the river, he sang. “Yes, she will sing to those who’ll hear… and in her song, all magic flows…” 

Droplets rose from the river, swirling over his head, forming behind him. Already, voices were echoing, too quiet for him to hear just yet. 

“But can you brave what you most fear?” 

The droplets swirled around one area, forming a shape of someone running, the voice getting louder. More water trailed behind it, swirling into shape, reaching back through the tunnels to fully make the single image. 

“Can you face… what the river knows?” 

The water solidified into an icy form, hand extended, calling out. 

“Wakko!” 

The form was Dot. It was her, her thirty feet of fur taking up most of the droplets, swirling behind her and reaching back through the spiked room. She was running, running fast, pushing herself as far as she could. Her eyes were wide, terrified, horrified. And there was her hand, reaching. 

Yakko stared, his breath getting faster and faster. Beneath him, frost spread from his fingers. 

Dot was here. Dot was here. She’d made it to the cavern- but then something had happened. Something had happened to Wakko. 

The frost reached the river, and soon it began to ice over. 

He should have known she was hiding something from him! The way she was acting- he thought she was just nervous, thrown from the rock giants and his reappearance. But things were falling into place- no wonder she was running. Something had happened, something bad… and he hadn’t been here to fix it. He hadn’t been here to fix it! His siblings were in danger and… 

Gale pressed against him, letting the wind filter through his fur, and he snapped back to the present, gasping and ripping his gaze from the statue of his sister. He looked to the river, letting out a cry as he saw how frozen it was, and the waved a hand, sending the frost back into the air, into the magical light above. He stumbled to his feet, and then shut his eyes. 

No time for regrets now, no time for self-pity. He just had to do what Wakko said- focus on the next thing ahead. Right now, he had to find out what had happened. He had to find his brother. 

“Gale? I need you to find Wakko. Now.” 

Gale spun uncertainly. 

“I’ll follow you. Go.” 

The wind spirit then swirled, pushing past the rocks and back towards the tunnel entrance. Yakko ran after, letting the magical light dissolve behind them, letting instinct guide him through the dark twists and turns. When they reached the entrance, Gale stopped to lift him above the wall of rocks again, and then they took off up the ramp and out into the moon-infested forest.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - THE FOG

Dot shivered as she pressed through the woods, following rock after rock. Between each one was a farther stretch of land, more of a distance she’d have to go. She hoped this didn’t meant they were disappearing- she’d been walking forever, and this couldn’t lead to a dead end. It just couldn’t. 

Honestly, she was surprised nobody had caught up with her by now. But thankful all the same. She didn’t want to have to hear a lecture or worried questions or angry shouts right about now. The silence was helping, honestly, just helping her let things settle in her brain, giving her a chance to try to formulate a plan, an idea. Or at least just process everything that had happened in so short a time. Just a day ago, they were heading into the cavern. Just two days before that, she was trapped in a dreamworld. 

Just a year ago, she was trapped in a watertower. 

She would never have imagined her life would go this way a year ago, she was certain. When she’d thought about the world outside, she’d always just thought about the idea of running across the grass, climbing into the trees, splashing into the creek. The most she thought about what she’d do was “maybe I can make a friend.” She’d never thought the world could be this… complicated. 

But that was what she’d wanted. It may be complicated, but it was real. And it was better to have something real than fake, something that would last and not something that would shatter with a wrong look. She would rather have this strange, foggy world than the eternally small one she’d had in the watertower. She’d rather have this cold world than a fake one that was destined to shatter. It was hard to admit to herself, but she would rather have this Wakko than the fake one. The fake Wakko was happy, and that was all she’d wanted for him- but he wasn’t real.

  The real Wakko had his own thoughts, his own feelings, he didn’t just exist to support her or Yakko. That was what he was so mad about- he thought she thought that way, that she just wanted him as a sidekick. She’d rather have him as someone alive. Living, breathing, thinking. Even arguing with her, she wasn’t picky. But she did want… she wanted him to at least know that she loved him. And that what he was doing was dangerous- they needed to join the sundrop and moonstone or… or who knew what could happen? Plotz had tried to trap her in her own mind just to keep the sun and moon from coming together. She tried to remember what he’d said, what they’d tried to piece together from what he’d told the others and what he’d hissed to her in her dream. It seemed that he wanted to unleash Zhan Tiri again- and the last thing Warnerstock and the Northuldrans needed right now was a demon on the loose. And as for her? The last thing she needed was Wakko running off with the moonstone, believing it was the only thing that gave him worth, as if he didn’t have worth just by existing. Just by being there. 

God. He’d only been gone half a day and she already wanted him back more than anything. 

She stepped out from behind another rock, turning a bend around the trees, and then paused, observing the area. This looked familiar? She wasn’t going around in circles, was she? That would be, like, the worst thing she could do right about now. Wait, no… No, she knew where she’d seen that exact flower before! From the caravan window! 

She raced past it, and then began running. The edge of the woods was just ahead- the edge of the fog. Wakko was heading for the wall- maybe he was planning on dispelling the fog, on getting home. 

She slid out from just past the treeline, coming face-to-face with the fog. She jumped, surprised it was so close; had it been this close to the trees earlier? Dot glanced back a moment, and then reached down and lifted a small stone. She tossed it at the fog, and watched as it, indeed, bounced back. Hmm, so still walled off… at least it implied that Wakko was still here. Though, the rocks did end at this point… 

“Wakko?” she called. “Wakko, it’s me! Dot! I… I just wanna say hi.” 

Well, no, that was a lie, there were a lot of things she wanted to say. What would she even start with? I’m sorry? Please don’t leave? I love you? 

She thought she heard a rustle, just a few feet away from her. She turned and began walking towards it, hoping to God it was Wakko and not some rogue lizard or chipmunk. “Wakko, please! I wanna talk this out.”  

She moved closer to the brush, but when she pushed the leaves aside, she saw nothing. Maybe it was Gale? Or, hell, even normal wind. Maybe she was going insane. 

“Wakko, I just-” 

“He doesn’t want to talk to you.” 

Dot leapt, startled by the sudden, unrecognizable voice behind her. She finally stumbled back into a standing position and whipped around, hugging herself to try and calm the sudden chill she felt. Behind her floated some kind of… ghost? Spirit? A young girl, maybe about her age, with a very blank, passive face and eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. 

Dot paused a moment, readjusting her thoughts. Then, she said, “Who are you?” 

“That doesn’t matter. Why are you here?”

Dot hesitated, then straightened herself up, trying to look braver. “I’m here for my brother!” 

“He doesn’t want to see you.” 

“Oh, and how would you know?” Dot let out a nervous laugh. 

“He’s not going to give up his power to you.” 

“I just want to talk to him. Do you know where he is?” 

“That doesn’t matter. You’re the sundrop, aren’t you?” 

“Yes. And who are you?” 

The enchanted girl didn’t respond, instead floating in a circle around Dot, looking her over. Dot didn’t like that; it felt like the girl was looking at her as if she were a piece of meat, or an old vehicle she was considering buying. She grabbed her ponytail, hugging it to her chest, and then yelled, “Hey! Stop it!” 

“Stop what? I’m just looking.” 

“Well, stop. It’s rude!” 

“It’s not rude. You’re just being stubborn.” The spirit then reached down, her hand floating through a segment of Dot’s ponytail. The princess retreated a few steps, shivering. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? The forest and the kingdom join together, and we get three different spirit children- the bridge, brought on as a gift for the father’s selfless act. The sundrop, brought on by the bridge’s fear and the father once again putting aside his own upbringing to save his family. And then the moondrop… brought on by the family’s failure to stay together.” 

“We didn’t fail!” Dot snapped. “Wakko’s just… I didn’t understand how he was feeling, but I do now! I want to talk to him, I want him to know that… why am I even talking to you? I should just go find my brother!” 

She turned and tried to leave, only for the spirit to float in front of her. “He doesn’t want to see you. You’ll just try to take the moonstone away from him.” 

“We have to join the sun and moon, to save the forest and stop the rocks. And more importantly, I don’t want him to feel like we don’t love him, because I do! Just let me see him!” The spirit remained silent, just looking at her. “Go away! I want Wakko!” 

“Oh, don’t throw a fit. What are you, a child?” 

“I’m peeved off is what I am! My brother ran off and I just want to find him before anything happens to him!” 

“Like what? Like he realizes that he doesn’t need you anymore?” 

Dot shook her head wildly. “You’re putting words in my mouth, stop that! I just… I want to see him, so go away and let me-” 

“How about,” came Wakko’s voice, from behind her, “You just leave me alone for once?” 

Dot turned again, just in time to see Wakko throw out his hand, sending a rock directly at her. She leapt back, but the edge of the moonrock hit her on the side, sending her flying to the ground. She scrambled up to all fours, turning around with eyes wide in shock. Wakko for a moment, looked shocked that she’d actually been hit, and a little frightened. The spirit floated beside him, crossing her arms, as Dot managed to get back to her feet. 

“Wakko!” Dot called. “Wakko, I-” 

“What did I tell you?” Wakko said, his voice shaking. “The moonstone is mine now.” 

“Wakko, I just want to talk!” 

“Sure you do.” 

“I do! Look, I know we- we made you feel awful, but we didn’t mean to-” 

“But you still did.” 

“And we’re sorry! We can make it up to you- we will.” 

“How? By taking away the one thing that finally makes me important?” 

“You don’t need the moonstone to be important. You…” Now that she was facing him, she was stumbling over her words, trying desperately to figure out what to say. “You just…” 

“I’m not giving this up.” 

“And I’m not giving you up!” 

“Yes, you will. Soon as you realize you’re not getting what you want, you’ll leave me.” 

“Where did you get these ideas?” Dot’s eyes flickered to the spirit. “From her?” 

“Oh, just keep being rude to the one person who’s actually helping me out!” Wakko rolled his eyes. “Showing off your mastery of tact and grace, okay!” 

“Wakko!” 

The enchanted girl raised an eyebrow. “Where’s the rest of your group?” 

“It’s just me!” 

“Oh, sure, like you go anywhere alone.” Wakko said. 

The enchanted girl leaned towards Wakko, whispering. “They could be hiding nearby.” 

“No, they’re not! Wakko, who is this?” 

“This is my friend, Morgan, and I’d like you to stop being rude to her!” 

“I’ll be nicer when she stops being creepy!” 

“How about you stop being a jerk? Morgan’s right- where is everyone, really? They gonna jump out for a surprise attack?” 

“They’d never do that!” 

“They were all ready to fight me back in the cave.” 

“They didn’t know what was happening!” Dot was getting frustrated, and her voice was rising. “You’re just… you’re just deciding that we’re all up against you! That the whole world is against you! Have you considered that some of us actually care about you?” 

“Oh, I considered that. I thought that for eleven years, and now we’re here!” 

Dot started forwards. “Wakko, listen to me!” 

At her movement, Wakko jumped back, startled, and threw up his hands, summoning more rocks. Dot maneuvered around them, still trying to reach him. He stepped back a few more feet, lifting three rocks to block her path. 

“Wakko! We can help you, like you’ve helped us! Please, just-” 

“Go away!”

A rock burst up from just in front of her, once again tossing her back. This time, she flew against a tree, shouting as pain spread through her back. She dropped to her fours, scrambling up. “I’m getting tired of running into trees!” 

“And I’m tired of you!” 

Dot started forwards, avoiding more moonrocks popping up. “Wakko, you have to understand! The moonstone is dangerous, it’s hurting everyone! We have to get rid of the rocks, get rid of the fog-” 

“I’m not going to listen to you! I’m not listening to… to a reckless kid who only sees the things she wants to see!” 

“Only sees…” the memory of her false reality flickered to the front of her head, and fury burst up within her. She started running forwards, but this only startled Wakko more. Dot was once again thrown off by the rocks, sending her into a bush. She stumbled out, shaking leaves from her fur, only to realize her ponytail had been caught in the branches. She began to tug, calling, “Stop this! Stop it!” 

Then, with a flash, Yakko was in front of her, sending up a wall of ice to block another rock from rising towards them. Dot jumped, letting out a cry of surprise and dropping her ponytail, which was still tangled in the bush. 

Yakko turned, eyes flickering with anger. “What’s going on?” 

“Yakko!” 

Yakko waved his hand, dissolving the wall. “Where’s the moonstone? Where’s Wakko? What are you doing?” 

“Yakko…” Dot shook, trying to figure out what to say. 

 Yakko sighed, kneeling down and helping her yank her ponytail from the bush. “Dot, seriously, what’s-” 

“Yakko?” 

Yakko jumped and turned, and then completely froze over, staring in bewilderment and fear at their brother, who had just stepped out from behind a rock, into their view. It took Yakko’s eyes a moment to adjust to the foggy view, to recognize that Wakko’s bright blue fur and dark, armored clothing wasn’t just a trick of the light. 

“W… Wakko?” 

“You came back?” Wakko said, his voice breaking. 

Completely thrown off, Yakko didn’t know what to say, instead just staring at his brother. Wakko, meanwhile, looked from Yakko to Dot; the fifth spirit had just pulled her ponytail from the bushes. Dot suddenly realized what must be coming together in his head- Dot wasn’t surprised to see Yakko, he’d jumped to defend her… 

“Wakko, listen, it’s-” 

“You came back for her.” Wakko said. 

Yakko’s confusion just grew. “Wakko, what…?” 

Wakko backed up, a spark of fury showing in his view, his breath growing faster. 

“Wakko, he didn’t know!” Dot shouted, quickly standing up. “He didn’t-” 

Wakko grabbed his ears, tugging them down, and then he screamed. 

With his shout, fog suddenly burst from the wall, spreading across the area. Yakko dropped, instinctively pulling Dot behind him as they were hit with the mist- it didn’t throw them back, thankfully, just clouded their view, but it took them a few terrified seconds to realize this. When they turned, all they saw was the fog. 

“Wakko!” Dot screamed, starting forwards. Yakko grabbed her arm so as to not lose her, pulling her back before she could run into a rock. “Wakko, no!” 

Yakko pulled her towards him, hugging her to himself. He lifted a hand, sending up a blast of ice. It exploded into smaller crystalline sparks, working to push the fog back away from them. 

But when it faded, they couldn’t see the wall of fog. Instead, they looked ahead, seeing, in the distance, the four rocks that marked the opening to the forest, with Wakko running past them, getting farther and farther away. The wall was gone, but the fog was not, still floating around them. Dot looked up, and then gasped- she could see it spreading across the sky, farther and farther, blocking the sun. 

“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Yakko cried. 

Dot stared ahead, and then whispered, “He really is leaving.” 

“Dot?” 

“He’s spreading the fog. So he can run farther.” She blinked away tears. 

She should’ve known what to say to him, she should’ve kept calm, she should’ve brought people with her, she should’ve told Yakko what was happening… 

It’s my fault. I just made things worse, and it’s my fault. 

“What happened to Wakko?” 

Dot suddenly screamed, all of her emotions slamming into her at once. “Wakko took the moonstone! He’s gone!” 

She stared up at Yakko’s shocked expression, and then she burst into tears.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - FARTHER

By the time the rest of the crew caught up, Yakko was sitting and holding Dot in his lap. Their original plan was to yell at her for running off, but when Rita reached her first and said, “Dot, what were you-?” she quickly stopped, raising her tail, realizing that she was trembling and pressing her damp face into Yakko’s shirt. Rita immediately softened, leaping onto Yakko’s knee and pressing against Dot, purring slightly. “Hey, hey! Spielberg, what happened?”

Yakko glanced up at the crowd, surprised to see them there; he looked like he’d recently been crying, too. Slowly, he said, “Wakko…” 

“Oh, wonderful.” Slappy muttered. 

Dot felt Pinky and the Brain climb up beside her, and she opened and closed her mouth several times before finally saying, with a broken voice, “I’m sorry.” 

Slowly, Skippy slipped his hand from his aunt’s, walking over with a cautious ear raised. When he made it over to the Warners, he hesitated for only a second, before leaning up against Dot, pressing his fur against her and managing to climb up beside Rita as he hugged her. Yakko, getting a little unnerved by how many people were now climbing onto him, managed to slide Rita back to the grass, where she curled on top of Dot’s paw. Buttons and Runt made their way over, too, spreading out on either side of Yakko, while Mindy joined Skippy in hugging Dot. “I’s okay, Princess, I love ya, buh-bye!” she said, patting her back. 

Dot sniffled, relaxing in her friends’ embrace. Slowly, Minerva and Slappy looked over to Yakko. Carefully, he looked up and said, “Wakko’s the moonstone.” 

They nodded. 

“I… think I got bits and pieces of what happened.” he muttered, running a hand over Dot’s fur. “But it… that can’t be Wakko.” 

“Fraid it is, kid.” Slappy said. 

“Something’s wrong with him. He would never do that. Not our Wakko.” 

“He’s hurt.” Dot muttered, still squeezing herself against his chest. “He’s so hurt… he thinks we hate him.” 

Yakko shut his eyes, running through the last few interactions he’d had with his brother. “He was acting weird, but… but he can’t actually think that. He can’t…” 

Slappy knelt down, getting eye-level with him. “I know it hurts, kiddo. But he’s made himself our enemy now.” 

“He would never do that.” 

“Well, he did.” 

Yakko narrowed his eyes. “There was someone with him.” 

“What?” 

“Dot, you said- hold on a second. Skippy, Mindy, can you back up a moment?” He waited until they hesitantly released her, and then he took her face in his hands, looking at her softly. “Angie, you said someone was with him. Who was it?” 

Dot opened and closed her mouth several times once more, and then started to cry again. 

“I know, I know. But we can still get him back. I promise, he’s not gone forever.” 

“It feels like it.” 

“I know it does.” Yakko leaned forwards, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. “I know, sometimes it does feel like… like people are gone forever. Sometimes they are, and it sucks. It really sucks.” he looked her in the eyes again. “But I know when someone’s gone for good. And that’s not our Wakko.” 

“He thinks we don’t love him.” 

“Then as soon as we get him back, we’ll correct that little misconception. We’re gonna hug him so tight he can’t breathe. Just like we did when you came home.” 

“That was different.” 

“Doesn’t have to be.” 

Dot quivered, squeezing her eyes shut as tears continued to trickle out. “It’s my fault…”

“If it’s your fault, it’s mine, too.”