Mango's Adventures In Angst-Land: Chapter 2

Mango's Adventures in Angst-Land: Chapter 6

(Author's Note: <insert devil laughter here> I push people into portals now! SHORT CHAPTERS UNITE!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA -)

After hours of trying to calm Kiui and logging into a game/tv show called the Amazing Digital Circus (via Kiui's "harmless" hacking), Kiui made a huge portal machine that could send Mango to the Amazing Digital Circus universe. Before Mango could figure out how long it would take for her to get back, Kiui pulled her aside and growled, "Mango, we have a week before we have to meet up with Queen Ningyo and discuss the missing Mercats, so I want you back here in a day."

"But -"

"Don't worry, I have a microphone and headphones installed." Kiui said.

"Wha -" The portal opened, sucking Mango in. "KIUI -"

"Have fuuuun!" Kiui waved cheerfully after her sister.

Some Galahs Go On an Inky Mission: Chapter 2

Third Person POV

Audra skipped happily. After a bit, a large explosion shook the ceiling, and a spider jumped down to the floor. It looked cute in Audra's eyes. She crouched down and reached out her hand, cooing:

"Oh, it's a little man! Oh, who's a little man?"

CHOMP!

The spider tried to eat Audra's hand. Her mouth went open in shock. It didn't just...bite her, did it?

Meanwhile, Alinta had found a Gent Pipe - on the other side of a fence. "Goddamnit, what do I -"

"IT'S AN ANGRY SPIDER!!! IT ATTACKED ME!!!" Audra yelped. Alinta inhaled, dragging a hand down her face.

"I'm going to demand a raise and some tolerance for this." Alinta muttered, storming off to go help Audra with the spider. As soon as she stepped into the wide hall, Alinta found a pure-black ink spider - which was clearly part of the Butcher Gang - and Audra using her control over air to keep herself as high as possible away from the spider. Alinta looked between the angry spider (who was trying to attack Alinta) and the scared Audra. Alinta sighed. "You didn't just kill the thing?" Alinta inquired.

"It was cute!" Audra insisted. Alinta growled silently, snapping her fingers and setting the ink spider to flames. Audra shouts, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

"Deal with it." Alinta deadpanned. She walked off as Audra called her childish names.

But 16-24 minutes later...

"Who's There? Open up!"

CRASH! BANG!

"If I find you, I'm going to rip your face off!" A male voice shouted.

"I'd like to see you try." Alinta thought, growling at the far away threat. She had just grabbed the Gent Pipe, not even bothering to clear the ink in hopes of inkfecting her enemies. She gripped it tightly, almost making the Gent Pipe get crushed.

Meanwhile, Audra's arms were full of food, and she was approaching the Lost One. "Hello! Would you like a cracker? I kind of beat one of those ink things with the door and a few other inky things with a cougar to get the food." Audra said, holding out a cracker to the Lost One.

Her hopes were then blotted away.

The Lost One let out a primal shriek of rage and flew itself at Audra, raising its hands to swipe at the cracker-filled hand she held out. Quickly, Audra pulled her arm away and dropped her food, doing a triple backflip before landing on her feet. She turned her head and shouted, "THIS MAN ISN'T VERY NICE!"

When Alinta heard the shout, she ran to the kitchens and the other rooms with a fear and panic. When she finally found Audra, she was already fighting the Lost One. Alinta growled, her lemon-green eyes flashing a dark crimson red as she unconsciously lashed out at the Lost One and kicked him to the ground. Holding her foot above his head, Alinta hissed, "If I let you go, you will listen to me and Audra, otherwise I'll kill you. Do. You. Understand. Me?" The Lost One tried to attack again, but he ended up getting crushed by the tremendous strength of the angry, seething werewolf. A squishy, breaking sound could be heard from its skull.

Audra looks from the ink puddle to Alinta, then back again. "What? H-how? Wh-wh-why?" The young cougar stuttered.

Alinta rolled her eyes. "You'll understand when the time comes." She turned and walked to the kitchen. Audra followed timidly, watching as Alinta's eyes returned to their normally bright green color. Audra didn't even try to talk; it'll just make things worse when Alinta's in that state.

The ink puddles were ignored, since they weren't made of ink. They walked through the ink puddles just fine without any consequences. A Searcher punched the door, then turned into a puddle. When they opened the door, they found another Searcher punching the wall that said, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL ME."

"Yes, we do." Audra said. Alinta turned into a wolf and ate the Searcher from behind. "That's gross." Audra whined.

"Shut up and let's go." Alinta barked, returning back to her humanoid form and walking off. Audra followed after her.

Alinta fainted as soon as she opened a metal door, revealing a few Lost Ones that already spotted the two teens. Alinta's eyes were glowing underneath.

Audra's POV

Nope. Not again. I'll take these down and send them back to where they came from. Uh...Where were they from, anyway? No matter, this'll be quick.

Kaiso's POV

I hope Alinta and Audra are doing well, but knowing them, they'll probably have already ignored both Alison and my warnings and gotten into trouble. They better not have done anything stupid.

"My ink swells and boils -" The Ink Demon started.

"Oh, shut up!" I hissed.

Alinta's POV

I'm in that dark place again. I can't see anything past the six feet in front of me. The only source of light is from me. Did I get a magic overdose? My body feels like it got stabbed by an arrow.

There's a girl who looks like me. She has a violet light emitting from her. Violet hair, nuclear eyes. I already hate her. She's got a corrupted aura that I don't like. She walks up to me, smirking like any typical, manipulative person would. She whispers, "Well, well, well, if it isn't the failed reincarnation of the famous Agent Phoenix. What brings you here?"

"Who are you? Why are you in my head?" I demand. My voice echoed through the headspace.

The girl chuckled. "Oh, I'm you, created by the hatred and negativity that you possess and feel. Why else would I be in your head?" She said darkly, her smile growing more wicked. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Yet I hear you have feelings for a certain someone~"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I snapped.

"It's Audra, isn't it?"

Huh? "What?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I can hear - no, FEEL - how much you love her. You look at her as though she's a puppy in your eyes. You love her, don't you?"

"Y-You don't know anything!" I stuttered.

The dark version of me huffs. "Keep telling yourself that."

"...Why are you here?" I ask.

"Oh, I think we both know the answer to that." The girl sparked a spark of moonlight. "I'm the dark version of your moonlit powers, after all. As long as you live, I keep haunting both you and your little crush."

"Stay away from Audra!" I growl.

"Oh, I will, but the Lost Ones won't stay away from the two of you until you leave the universe." She whispered. She snapped her fingers, creating a vision of Audra fighting off the Lost Ones fiercely. Dark Alinta hissed, "If you want your precious little girlfriend to not get hurt, I can help you - at a price."

I look at the current situation that was out of my hands. I need to make a decision, and it's gotta be now. "Tell me what I need to do."

The Christmas Mystery of the Missing Tuna

"Hey, Mango?" Kiui asked, looking worriedly through the door. "One of Queen Ningyo's missionaries is here to see you."

"HUH?!" Mango exclaimed jumping off the gate. "Why?! You and I kept the kittens' presents a secret!"

"She said it was about Benji."

Mango paused her eyes as big as dinner plates. "Ohh...Well crap!" She headed inside. "I'd better see what the feral cat wants this time!"

When Mango got into the kitchen, Hikari and a missionary named Tanzanite were sitting at the dining tables, talking over a cup of hot tea. Mango had to clear her throat to keep things from getting awkward.

"Oh, so you're the famous Mango the Queen talked about!" Tanzanite yelped, practically leaping off her chair to greet Mango.

"Y-yeah? Adoptive child of Hikari, and going to school next year. We've met in the Unicorn Empire. "Mango clarified. "the last time I saw you, you were under the wing of a general."

 Tanzanite's eyes widened. "YOU'RE the girl in Japan the emperors found?"

Mango rolled her eyes. "Maaaybe be a bit more descriptive than that, but yes, I was mangle." Hikari raised an eyebrow, and Mango sighed, "Please don't."

Tanzanite practically gleamed with joy Mango hadn't seen from her. "OH WOW! You've gotta be some kinda celebrity to get recognized like that!"

Mango looked at her mother, her expression reading as, "Please, help me out of here."

Hikari smirked, her nonverbal response being "No. You got into this mess, you can get yourself out of it."

Mango internally groaned, turning to Tanzanite and asking sweetly "what are you doing here anyway?"

Tanzanite practically shouted, "Benji's can of tuna's missing!"

Mango hissed a curse, huffing, "But we bought those last week! We couldn't have possibly stolen them!"

"We know, so Benji wants you to help her find the tuna."

"I'm not helping her."

"Does it help the situation if Benji said that if you don't help her, she'll destroy the underwater park five miles away from the palace?" Tanzanite asked. "In her feral mode."

Mango blinked. "I'm helping her."

-------------------------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-----------------------------------------------------

"WHERE'S MY TUNA?!"

"I DON"T KNOW!"

"Man, this argument is gonna last a decade." Kiui grumbled. "I'mma destroy the flipping park in my angry mode if you don't help me! Yeah right whatever."

"Kiui, watch what you say!" Hikari scolded.

"Uuuuuuuugh, fiine." Kiui hissed.

"No hissing either!"

"DANG IT!" Kiui whisper-yelled. "Benji's always been a stubborn, mean, old, entitled cat when it comes to us! I just don't understand why she needs to use her voice as a cross against the younger Mercats! Fat cat." Kiui muttered the last part to herself.

"Well, you try being a three-hundred-year-old cat. Surely, you'd have to eat tuna, too." Hikari replied.

"But she can still hunt!" Kiui protested.

"But she can't do that as much anymore, due to her declining health." Hikari hummed. "She's expected to die off by the end of this year."

"Well, isn't that just... Swell." Kiui growled. "Just dying off to give Mango the throne."

Glass shattered in the other room. Hikari rolled her eyes as she entered the room. "Alright, BREAK IT UP, YOU TWO!" Hikari shouted. "EITHER YOU TWO COMPLY WITH EACH OTHER, OR I WILL UNLEASH A FLURRY OF PUNISHMENTS I AM NOT AFRAID TO USE."

Kiui looked away to prevent herself from watching the horrors that came from the former Nexus Champion.

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"So, where did you last see the tuna?" Mango asked, pretty bruised up from the spar. The consequences of Mango and Benji's fight was ten brutal sparring sessions.

Benji mumbled, "I don't remember." She was upset, angry, confused, and just wants her tuna.

"You know, that's the problem with old cats." Mango starts.

Kiui said in a fearful voice, "Mango, no. We're not insulting Benji again. Do you remember the last time you did that -"

Mango continues, "You forget things, especially about where food is. Now, it's gotten so bad that it turned into a huge mystery!"

"MANGO!"

"Alright, see you two when you find the tuna ~!"

"Wait, no! I didn't mean it -"

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"Oww, that hurt." Mango complained.

"Well, that's Mercat punishments for you, young Merkitten." Benji huffed, grooming herself as she silently added, "You're waay too young to have my magic, anyways."

"Hey, what does that mean?" Mango asked suspiciously.

"You'll understand when you're older." Benji said quickly.

"Riiight... Okay, so, the most common place you lose something - no offense - is in the palace...with the tiger...sharks." Mango whispered the last part so quietly that if Benji wasn't a Mercat, she wouldn't have registered the fear tinted in Mango's voice. Mango perked up, however, and said brightly, "Well, no time to waste! Let's jump into a pull of tiger sharks!" Mango ran through the door, making Benji jump in surprise, springing to the ceiling before falling flat on her face. She got up and shook her head, clearing off the dust molecules that had collected when she hit the ceiling. Benji smirked and chased after Mango.

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"We're here." Mango breathed, taking in the scent of the salty, blue, lily-covered pool. Underneath these waters were tiger sharks, friendly and deadly. They like Mercats, but the sharks don't like Mango and Kiui for some reason.

"I think they'll like you now, Mango." Benji hummed, surprising Mango from behind.

Mango groans. "You ALWAYS say that, and the sharks never do -"

"They will, because you're the crown princess, and you will inherit the throne when I die." Benji snapped.

Mango turned to the old Mercat, whispering, "What?"

Benji sighed. "Just get in the water!" She pushed Mango into the pool, causing Mango to let out a shout as she entered the water.

After a few hours, Mango popped up, all scraped and bruised up, blood dripping into the water. "I tried, but the tuna was eaten by the sharks." Mango said apologetically.

Rather than asking if Mango was okay, Benji roared and jumped into the water. A few seconds later, shark blood started to shimmer on the surface of the pool. Taking this as a sign to run, Mango ran to go "grocery shopping."

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On Christmas Day, Benji opened her present. It was one of those T-rex corpses Benji always liked to eat. Upon seeing this present, Benji opens her mouth and dove into the corpse, cutting herself on the neck deeply from one of the scales on the dead T-rex's body. Kiui sighed and said, "You forgot to skin the dinosaur, Mango."

Mango was helping Benji as she replied, "I know, but for now, can you please call emergency services?"

Kiui exhaled, grabbing her phone and complying with Mango. Soon the ambulance arrived and took Benji to the royal hospital. Eventually, Benji died of the wound.

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At the funeral, Kiui whispered to Mango, "Should've stuck with the tuna."

"KIUII...." Mango hissed, scolding the young Mercat.

Mango's Adventures in Angst-Land: Chapter 5

(Author's Note: Short chapter again! But this time, a funny scene comes in. Reference of Pokemon.)

"Alright, let's do this!" Kiui exclaimed, stretching her fingers a little before typing something into the monitor. The password was rejected. Kiui looked annoyed, but before she could try again, Mango stopped her.

"Let me try." Mango said, typing in:

Pokemon Puzzle League

The monitor opened with a beep. Mango gave a snarky smile to her sister, who turned into a cat with banana-yellow scales, kiwi-green eyes, and gray fur and yowled, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -"

As Kiui screamed as though she was in pain, Mango softly chuckled. "Sis, you were going to hack the monitor, not log into the thing. You really have a bad habit of hacking into technology." Kiui still throws a childish tantrum over this.

The Blizzard: Chapter 1

(Author's Note: This chapter mentions murder. Please be forewarned. Thank you!)

"Hey, Scylla?" Demetria called out, stumbling into the now-not-so-abandoned warehouse and swiftly slamming the door closed. "I-I kinda...uh, made a blizzard." She looked around. Sure, asking for help from the literal godlike demon and former clan leader was not exactly a good idea, but it was better than trying to disperse the -360 degree weather outside by herself.

Demetria heard the woman laugh from above as Scylla Raven landed behind the young adult. Scylla said lightly, "I thought you were with that unicorn."

"The biàn tài and his equally bèn dàn sister kicked me out!" Demetria protested, her face reddening in the humiliation the memory brought back for her.

"After the stunt you pulled? They don't have any taste in strong people like us." Scylla hummed. "It's astonishing how a tasteless family managed to acquire an empire."

Apparently by using brute force and manipulation. Demetria thought. She sighed, hanging her head a little . After all, it was her fault that she "accidentally" froze down an entire castle.

Scylla noticed the glum look in the young Froster's eyes. Wanting to be at least a little comforting, the demon sets her hand on Demetria's shoulder and said, "Hey, you just hit the not-so-normal stage; of course you couldn't control all that ice everyday all the time. I've felt - heck, I DID the same thing."

"As if that makes me feel any better." Demetria grumbled.

"I'm serious. Even I had trouble learning how to control that much power. You're doing great."

What about the blizzard? I'm CLEARLY doing a bad job. Demetria pushed that thought away, saving those thoughts for when she's alone. Heaving a sigh, she forced herself to mutter, "I guess I am great at making snowballs appear out of thin air."

Scylla raised a eyebrow at the lesser attitude, but still smiled nonetheless. "Great! Now that that's happened, how about we go deal with the snowstorm outside?" Scylla asked excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"You're planning to execute my ex, aren't you?" Demetria accurately guessed, earning herself a light pat on the head.

"Yep, can't let the brat get away with what he's doing." Scylla replied.

"Euugh, let's just get this over with - and no killing!" Demetria quickly added.

"Semi-lethal, then?" Scylla pleaded.

"No."

"You wound me."

Some Galahs Go On an Inky Mission

Third Person POV

In the middle of Audra's battle, Alinta woke up. Audra looked over, launching herself into the ceiling to avoid getting any more injuries. Audra was cut and scratched at badly, bleeding a lot of blood. Panting heavily, she pulled herself together and created a tornado. Alinta raised an eyebrow, creating a huge net of red moonlight that crushed the Lost Ones in the tornado. Jumping down from her perch, Audra landed on her feet with a wince of pain. Alinta starts, "Look, Audra. I know that I -"

Audra cuts her off with a paw on the head. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!! It's too risky. Who's gonna help me with Kaiso gone and you fainting? I could have died without your support!" Audra scolded.

Alinta laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" She walked through the Animation Alley entrance and beckoned Audra to follow. Soon they reached an animation room for tourism.

As Alinta looked for a way to escape, Audra listened to the recordings and peeked into the rooms. Just as Alinta found a vent, Audra shrieked in horror as she saw what was inside of the fourth room. "THERE'S A HANGED MAN!" Audra shouted, covering her mouth as the tears started forming. Alinta ran over and saw a mannequin hanging from the ceiling.

Thinking quickly, Alinta turned Audra so she wouldn't see the mannequin. Wiping the tears from Audra's eyes, Alinta knelt in front of her and whispered, "Listen to me. You're okay. That's not going to happen to you." When Audra started to hyperventilate, Alinta shook her shoulders, hissing, "Princess Audra Hurricane of the Air Kingdom, LISTEN TO ME. It's just a mannequin."

Audra shook her head, barely pulling herself back together. "You know how many hangings I've seen, Alinta. What if it happens again?"

"IT WON'T. Do you trust me?" Alinta asked. Audra nodded shakily. "Good. We're going to go through a vent and leave this damned place behind. Can you at least try to stay calm and forget about this?"

"I don't know!" Audra pulled herself away from Alinta. "Do you see that?" Audra pointed to the hung mannequin. "That's just the start! Later on, there's going to be more people just hanging from the god damn ropes, and there's NOTHING I can do about it!"

"Audra, keep a cool head -"

"No! Don't you care, Alinta? The more people who do suicide, the less likely we'll be able to help!"

Alinta's POV

Dark Alinta asked, "Do you need any -"

"NO."

"Okay!"

Third Person POV

Alinta shook Audra's shoulders. Alinta's eyes glowed an icy-blue color. "Listen to me, Audra. You're hurt. Badly. You need food. I'll find you some to start healing, but this breakdown needs to start evaporating to a much happier state. But for now, we need to keep moving."

Audra's ears perked up a bit at the thought of finding food, but it wasn't enough to make her raise her spirits. Her head was held low. "What if we can't?"

"We. Will. Now come on, let's keep moving." Alinta dragged Audra to the vent and pushed her in, following behind. Crawling through the vents, they reached another hallway. Alinta picked up a note and read it aloud. "'We're in the final days here. I can tell. People are packing things into boxes. Tools are are going missing. You can smell the panic in the air around the studio. But us Gent boys, we're just watching from the shadows. We lock the doors, and keep our research going. Mister Gray already gave us a little wink. All is well. When one ship sinks, another one leaves the dock. I need to keep my Ink Machine safe in the chaos. It's the key to so many discoveries.' Oh, cool, it even has a signature!" Alinta squinted. "I forgot who Thomas Conner even is." Audra flipped a switch, and the two headed out. Out of the tour room through the newly opened door, they ran out and through the rooms. Through one barred door was a small, cartoon version of Bendy.

"It's real?" Audra whispered, admiring it through the door. Alinta looks fondly at Audra, but catching herself and mentally berating herself for it. Alinta could already hear the chaos Audra could bring if they didn't approach Bendy correctly.

Alinta's POV

Dark Alinta ordered, "Open the door and secure the small Devil, and then let your crush near it."

I look at Audra. "That's probably a good idea. But she's not my crush!"

"Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that."

Third Person POV

"Audra, stay here. I'm going to keep the tiny thing there. I'll signal you over when we're ready." Audra whispers. Audra gave a nod, and Alinta inhaled. "Oookaaay, let's do this."

Alinta's POV

I opened the door. Bendy quickly noticed and stood up, like a child waiting for praise. I need to be gentle with him. I walk over. "Hi, sweetie." I said. Bendy picked up his train, putting on a neutral face. As I crouched, he stepped back. "No, no, I'm friendly, and I have a friend who might want to be friends with you. Can you stay?" I beckon him over. Reluctantly, Bendy walked forward. I then turned and signaled to Audra to come here.

"Alinta, that's not just a small Devil." Dark Alinta warned.

"What do you mean?" I ask as I watched Audra approach us to a certain point.

"Bendy's the Ink Demon."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. I'll deal with it eventually." I cursed.

Audra's POV

I approached carefully, only stopping at the midway point. Alinta sighs and gets up, walking up until she's right next to me. She whispered, "You're free to become friends with the kid."

My mouth opened. Really? Is this just that easy to become friends with the smallest, cutest devil I've seen??? I looked at Bendy. I say fondly, "Oh my god!! It's so tinyy!" I approached him quickly, patting his head. He smiled!!! He's so cute!!!! "Oh, it's a tiny boy! How are you? You're so cute!"

Alinta starts to say, "Audra, be careful with him. We don't -"

And then I felt my claw extend.

STAB!

There was a pause in the air. Bendy's face was in shock. I was in shock. I carefully removed my ink-covered claw and looked at it. I then looked at Bendy. He's crying!! I tried to say, "Bendy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to -" He ran away. "No, wait! Please! I'm sorry! Wait, tiny boy, please! Come back! I'm sorry!" I pleaded. Alinta wheezed in laughter, leaning against the wall. I looked at her and fumed as I saw her laughing face. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY, ALINTA!!!" I growled.

Third Person POV

"I tried to tell you." Alinta wheezed in between her laughter. Audra pouted.

"I didn't mean to stab him!" Audra whined. Alinta pulled herself back together, stifling her giggles as she saw Audra's fuming, pouting expression.

Alinta grabbed Audra's arm and walked out of the room. "Alright, let's go." Alinta said.

They walked until they found a sign. Audra read it. "'Don't...Knock'?"

"Well, fuck it. I'm knocking anyway." Alinta says as she rolls up her airtight sleeves. She approached the door and knocked on it - gently.

"Who's out there?" A male voice asked. A Lost One opened the "window" and looked around. "Is it you, Phil?" It looked at Audra and Alinta. "I said I'm not opening the door until you bring my pictures! I drew 'em, I want 'em back." It slammed the cardboard on the two girls.

Now it was Alinta's turn to get angry - again. She warmed up her arm to get ready to do something stupid. "That's it. I'm breaking down the door, whether you -"

"Alinta, no!" Audra grabs Alinta's shoulder and continues, "Think about it. If you break down the door, it'll be loud and will attract other monsters over here."

Alinta rolls down her sleeves and sighs. "Fine. We'll grab the damn pictures."

"Thank you!!"

Alinta sighs and walks with Audra out of the area. Alinta opens a metal door and crawls through a vent with Audra, reaching a room. Audra cuts the chains of a locked door with a claw.

Alinta's POV

A deep voice said, "The Dark Puddles awaits."

"The Ink Demon." Dark Alinta hissed.

"Oh, hooray. Now he's angry." I sarcastically replied.

"Now who's angry?" Audra asked. I jumped. Whoops, I must've said that out loud.

"Oh, you'll know later on." I quickly said, returning my attention back to the navigation process.

"Okay..." Audra said suspiciously.

Some Galahs Go On An Inky Mission: Chapter 7

Third Person POV

"We'd better find the baby boy again or I'll destroy everything on this floor." Audra muttered.

"I believe there is something special in all of us."

"What the hell?"

"Who are you?" Audra asked.

"Especially you two."

"Fffuuuck yooou." Alinta cursed. "Hi, Joey Drew."

"That's Joey?" Audra asked. "I thought he'd be in a business suit, not look tasty for me to eat."

"Audra, don't you dare." Alinta growled.

"Come on up! Let's take a little walk. There's something I want to show you." Joey said.

"Oh shit. Oh shit!" Alinta muttered darkly as she climbed up the ladder. Audra had used her air magic to get up there.

Once everyone was gathered, Audra asked, "So, meat loaf, what did you want to show us?"

"There you go! Follow me." Joey said.

"Oookaaay, that's weird." Audra acknowledged.

"But mind your step."

"Oh, because the building is old and there's goddamn forsaken hellspawn ink creatures everywhere?" Alinta asked. "Sure, we'll watch our step."

Cue the Slicer jumpscare.

"Aaaa!" They yelped. Well, except for Joey. He was busy walking away.

"That little piece of shit!" Alinta growled.

"This old place is full of surprises." Joey said. "I should know. I've worked here for a long time."

"And you created these monsters that you call art." Alinta growled.

"But what is this place?" Audra asked.

"An ink-filled hell made for those unlucky enough to be caught in it." Alinta barked.

"It's a cycle." Joey replied. "An ink-stained nightmare forever stuck on repeat."

"That's one damned way to say it." Alinta muttered.

"With just a pencil and a dream..." Joey continued. "...And a little help from the Gent Corporation, it came into being."

"And because of your STUPIDITY, we have Lost Ones and Searchers who didn't want to be that way." Alinta argued. "Fuck you and your stupid company!"

"Alinta Helias Revanche, watch your mouth!" Audra scolded, slapping Alinta on the back of her head, making her yelp.

"From what I gather, it exists in parallel to the outside world." Joey theorized.

One of Alinta's veins popped. "Whatthefuckdidyoujustsay???"

"But completely removed from the march of time." Joey said.

"Hold on." Audra hissed. "Backtrack to that comment, food. Did you just say that it's parallel to the outside world?"

"That means it'll leak, fucker." Alinta growled. She had the urge to bite his face off. "You little son of a bitch, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"And like a record, played over and over again." At this point, they have reached a door that said, "There is ALWAYS HOPE." Joey says, "It's begun to crumble, wear down."

Alinta's eyebrows twitched as she angrily retorts, "But it's still leaking into the real world, Joey."

"Can I eat him? Please?" Audra begged.

"This studio is a monument to choosing the wrong road."

"Coorrrection, it's a monument of YOUR mistakes, Mr. Sunshine." Alinta said.

"Now whether it was built for revenge or regret, I don't know."

"It's both, dumbass." Alinta remarked.

"Alinta, what did I just say?" Audra hissed, jabbing Alinta with her elbow.

"That's my riddle to solve."

"UuuuuuggghhAAAAA-" Alinta screamed.

"Come over here for a sec." Joey beckoned.

"Why?" Audra asked as Alinta started to tear at the walls in her frustration. No answer from Joey. "Fine. Come along, wolfy." Audra said, dragging a somewhat feral Alinta near a too-calm Joey. "Now, why did you want us to come here?" Audra asked again.

Joey turned around and explained, "The truth is-"

"No, no. EXPLAIN." Audra interrupted.

"Someone out there is messing with what's in here."

"Well, obviously! Otherwise I wouldn't be on this mission." Audra responded.

"Bad things have begun to emerge from the puddles."

"But you made these creatures, right?" Audra prompted.

"Wicked creatures that never came from my pen."

"Oooooh. Well, um, dang it." Audra said.

"The worst ones call themselves Keepers. Dangerous, deadly folks."

"So... That means we need to find Kaiso. Quickly." Audra noted. "Got it."

"They've taken over the old Gent Workshop, just beyond the sewers." Joey says informatively. Audra gulped. Alinta was currently destroying the room they were in. "Trying to bring what they call order to this world."

"Riiight. As if the cycle really needed it." Audra said. She glared at Alinta sternly. "So what can we do to help?"

"Freezing the cycle in place! Changing the script!"

"Sir meathead, we get it. Just tell us how to help get it back in motion." Audra said seriously.

"Whatever answers you're looking for, you'll find them there."

"Joey freaking Drew, answer my gosh-darn questions!" Audra roared. Her patience was waning. Joey didn't answer. "Not again!" Audra forcibly pulled the feral Alinta near Joey and growled sharply, "Why can't you just fix it?"

"Look, above all, never forget."

"Joey-"

"You're here for a reason. There's always a reason."

"Yeah, and it's to fix the cycle!" Audra hissed.

"Even if you can't understand it."

"...Where in the world is Kaiso when we need her?" Audra wondered. "Why couldn't you just fix this world?"

"Because I'm not the man. I'm just...the memory." Joey pulled his arms into a mummy-like cross and floated through the door. The door opened, revealing a grave for Joey Drew.

Audra and the finally-calm Alinta stared at it, open-mouthed and shocked, confused even. Alinta spoke first. "I-I thought he'd appear to someone else instead."

"I can't eat him." Audra said in disappointment. "He's already dead."

Mango's Adventures in Angst Land: Chapter 1

(Author's Note: This chapter is connected to The Blizzard. Please read The Blizzard if you haven't read it yet.)

"What?" Kiui whispered.

"Demetria knows me, and I know her. The only time something like this happens nowadays is when she's experiencing a nightmare." Mango said. "I'm going after her."

"Mango, wait -"

"MANGO MOCHISOLAR, COME BACK -"

Mango tuned them both out as she ran the door, grabbing her winter coat. I know the forest better than anyone, Mango thought. If anyone can find her, I can.

It felt like hours before Mango found Demetria, and what Mango saw was terrifying.

The forest around her felt dead, and Demetria was encased in an icy cocoon. The heart of the blizzard was right above them, causing the temperature to drop every second Mango stood there.

Mango rushed over to the cocoon, banging on it with her fists. "Demetria, wake up, it's just a nightmare." Nothing happens. "Fluuuuuuff." Mango whispered, her tears turning to ice. "Come on, please, don't leave me." Mango pleaded.

Without thinking, she extended her claws and attempted to slice through the chrysalis ten times, each scratch digging deeper into the ice each time, until finally -

CRRAACK!

The cocoon cracked open, the ice revealing the unconscious and frostbitten form of Demetria. Mango gasped in horror, her ears going up in shock. She quickly took off her coat and carefully wrapped it around Demetria. Mango transforms into the form of a ginger cat with wet, orange scales peppering random spots on her body, and picks up Demetria carefully, gently setting her on the cat's back. Carrying Demetria away from the horrid, frozen sight, Mango hissed, "Stay with me,  big cuz. You gotta be strong."

Soo... Since Snugglebunny's schedule's a bit whack...

A Dangerous Encounter: Chapter 16

Scylla couldn't remember the last time she was a mermaid. Probably at least four years ago, when she was still practicing her underwater spells. No matter, because she saw the broken shards of the Chaos Emeralds.

Scylla almost choked from swallowing the oxygen-lacking water too quickly. "God..." She managed to whisper, grabbing the colorful shards. "How am I going to fix this?" Her vision swirled as her tears began to rim her eyes. Scylla wiped away the tears and began to sort the shards into seven black bags.

She took a deep breath in after she was done, mentally preparing herself for the rest of the destroyed island.

Swimming around the island, Scylla noted the main drowning sites for the plants and animals, picking up some of the wet Soulless ashes carefully. She took note of the destroyed temple that had once served to protect both the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald.

Now, it was time to take a look at the Master Emerald.

Scylla cautiously entered the temple, bracing herself for the worst.

What she saw was not what she had in mind.

The Master Emerald was practically nonexistent, as if it had disappeared into thin air. All that was left of it was the powdery dust that was suspended in the water.

Scylla stood there, staring at the scene in shock and disbelief. There's no way Zielo would do this...right?

From the looks of it, he would.

Scylla growled, twitching before swimming off. THIS is the reason why the apocalypse needed to stop, effective immediately. Being a vessel for Chaos energy – as in all of it - won't be good. It's already shown its effects. It'll only be a matter of time before Scylla dies of this and the energy finds another, more potentially dangerous place to inhabit. SHE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

If it did, not only would she fail as a leader, but she'd also fail at her mission at keeping that dangerous family heirloom safe. She looked at the ring in her hand. Such a simple object, capable of causing destruction by creating a hive mind with the people affected by the assimilation...

Wait, wasn't that what Zielo was already doing? Creating his own hive mind to attack innocent people and cause destruction?

What if Scylla used his strategy against him? Destroying his hideouts would be simple, and there would be more recruits – if not members – of the Dark Gaia pack.

Scylla looked at the ring and stopped swimming. There was an answer – it was on her finger the entire time.

And she was ready to use it.