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a-crash-in-time-collection · 2 years ago

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Chapter 33: Death Down Memory Lane

It was rare for Snatcher to change anything about... well anything in Subcon. Maybe that was partly because of his useless efforts all those years ago when he first died, but that was beside the point. He liked to keep things the way they were. He would have kept that section of the forest on fire if it didn't keep almost burning the dwellers and minions. How odd was it that that much fire could hurt them... despite them all being dead...

But once Shadow Kid came into the picture, things had to change, even if a little. Snatcher made her room above his, ruining some of the large space he was used to, but it was worth it. He also found himself putting more fences around the swamp in case Shadow Kid got too close. They already had a scare with her and some pinkish paint before, he didn't know what he would do if he saw her fall in the swap of those souls...

He tried to shake his head clean as he glanced down at the boxes nearby. From one of the treehouses, he used to store anything he didn't want in his tree at the moment. He had been content with the same old books for the last hundreds of years, but something about Shadow Kid's presence made him realize how bored he got of them all. It was almost like hitting his head against a wall. How many times did he read the same book and failed to see he didn't like it?

Whatever it was, he was just happy to get a bit of change to his bookshelf, pausing to watch as Shadow Kid jumped into one of the boxes with a giggle. He smiled, she couldn't do any wrong. No, we do not talk about the power outage of the ship she totally didn't cause that. He still wanted to ask what happened with that Fredrick guy. He heard he was fine now, but the sudden panic in his eyes. What if he ran too fast and died?

He shook his head again, he couldn't be thinking of his neighbors like that. He needed to keep them alive, and they seemed to be handling that well enough. He let out a small shout as a bat flew through the room, growling. He heard Shadow Kid let out a giggle at his sudden fright, making him roll his eyes a bit. She needed to take joy in other people's fear, not his own. He sighed as he glanced down at the boxes again.

"Hey, Snatcher!" Hat Girl's voice suddenly called, the ghost turning to the entrance of the tree with a slight smile. He paused as he saw the waving girl, mainly at the red hooded girl beside her. What was she doing here? "Hope you don't mind if Mu and I stay a bit?"

"Why is it such a mess in here?" Mu stated, glancing around as she avoided tripping over a box. Snatcher wanted to make some sort of comment, but couldn't get out much more than a sigh. He didn't know why, maybe parts of his mind were still recovering from the vacation. Shadow Kid raced over to Mu with a smile on her face. "Why are you looking at me like that, little one?" Mu asked, pausing as if she was processing what she just said.

"You need to come to see some of the cool old stuff of Papa’s I found!" Shadow Kid said, taking both of the teen's hands and beginning to drag them over. Snatcher watched, seeing them go up to a box with 'DWC' written on the side in ink. It took a minute for Snatcher to remember what those letters stood for, but by the time he did, it was already too late. "These are some contracts of his, he's good at making them!"

"Wonder what poor soul sigh these?" Hat Girl said, pausing as Snatcher began to reach for the box. She quickly took one of the contracts and paused. It didn't seem like the ones she recalled doing... but did at the same time. It was about going through the birdhouse without hurting any of the birds. "Who were these for, Snatcher?"

"Funny story... remember when I wanted to kill you?" Snatcher asked, getting a confused nod from Hat Girl. "Well, I may not have wanted to stop after my battle with you. I appeared on your ship, hoping you take my challenge and these contracts, and you did. My goal was to kill you but, and I don't know how… the process made me warm up to you." He rubbed his arm. "And I ended up erasing your memories while you were asleep and pretended that never happened."

"That... actually explains a lot." Hat Girl said, rubbing the back of her head as she glanced down. She faintly recalled wanting to avoid the birds at the house, getting them away from the eggs that would blow up. She didn't know why she would have, until now. She glanced at Mu, who looked a bit mad for some reason. "Wait. Did you give me awards and stuff for doing these?" She asked, getting a nod. "Huh, that explains all the Hats and Outfits I didn't recall getting."

"He just admitted he tried to kill you a second time, Hattie!" Mu said, crossing her arms. Shadow Kid was just sitting on one of the nearby boxes, looking confused about the whole situation. "Why aren't you getting mad at him, or freaking out for rightful reasons!"

"I mean, you tried to kill me once as well, Mu." Hat Girl said, giving a small chuckle. Mu paused for a moment, before glancing to the side. Hat Girl couldn't see her eyes, but there was shame in them. Hat Girl glanced at the contracts again. Pausing as she felt faint pieces of memories begin to form in her brain. "...You didn't sing that one song in our actual fight, did you?" She asked, getting a nod from the ghost.

"Man, it sounds like these are fun!" Shadow Kid said, reaching for one of the contracts and holding it. It began to glow a faint bit, and Snatcher quickly took it out of her hands in worry. The teen girls looked over as Snatcher let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, did I almost activate it?" Shadow Kid asked, getting a nod. "I mean, that wouldn't be bad. It does sound like fun! Really wish I could have seen Hat Girl do these."

"Maybe you can." Hat Girl said, smiling as she stood on the nearby stand. The ghost let out a sigh as he picked her up, before pausing as he processed her words. She already had another contract in her hand. "Let's do some of these Snatchers, for old time's sake!"

"Kid, you realize how much trouble I'll probably be in if your Dads found out... then again it's not like they will," Snatcher said, a small smirk forming on his face. Hat Girl threw her hands in the air as Mu shook her head on the ground. Shadow Kid gave some claps as well, and Snatcher chuckled. He placed the teen back on the ground. "So kiddo, what poison do you wish to pick today." He paused. "Man, I am rusty at these lines."

"The speedrun one seems like a good start." Hat Girl said, showing the contract for 'Speedrun Well'. She began to race to the outside of the tree, heading to the opening near the swamp. Snatcher thought for a moment as he held the contract, floating over after picking up Mu, who of course started complaining. Shadow Kid followed as Hat Girl looked back. "Start the timer, Snatcher. I'll be back in two minutes, just watch!"

"Hold on kiddo," Snatcher said, making the contract glow as he picked up Shadow Kid. Hat Girl tilted as she glanced down at her hand, seeing it gain a faint glow. Snatcher's voice gains more of an echo. "Let's make this more interesting..." He laughed as the light seemed to fill the area... and they were gone.

-------

Hat Girl paused as the light faded. Everything still seemed to be the same, so what was the light for? And what was this sudden feeling of extra energy inside her? As she went to adjust herself back into a running position, she let out a small, young shout as she saw her arms. They appeared to be smaller and dressed in the sleeves of her old outfit.

She glanced back to the floating phantom to ask if he messed with her sight... And pause. She saw Mu glancing at her arm in confusion, now the age she was when Hat Girl first fell on this planet. Snatcher and Shadow Kid were the same, Snatcher pulling out some sort of purple stopwatch. Hat Girl glanced at her arms again. Had Snatcher done this to fully put them in the memories?

"Alright kiddo! Get ready!" Snatcher said, causing her to get back in position. She paused, quickly switching her hat for her Sprint Bow, and got back in potions. It was hard to simply stay still, she felt the missing childlike energy building up inside her, ready to be unleashed upon the world she was staring at. "Three... two..." Hat Girl took a breath, a smirk on her face. "One!" The ghost shouted and she was off.

"Go Hat Girl go!" Shadow Kid called Snatcher followed the Hat wearing child. If he was honest, he forgot how fast the little girl was. It made him feel a bit warm seeing her race through the area to the well, although he did get a bit worried when she just barely missed the doc, almost getting in the swamp. "Keep going!"

"Well, you're right about her Dads getting mad at you if they find out," Mu said as she watched Hat Kid climb up the leaves made of a ghostly green to get into the well, pausing as she glanced at her arm. Something about being so young again... it felt nice but at the same time... She shook her head and paused. "Uh, I don't think she's going to make it in two minutes." She said, glancing at the ghost. "You better not kill her"

"What, come on, I'm not that kind of ghost anymore. Well, at least with her." Snatcher said, waving a dismissive hand as he headed to the doc by the well, sitting down as he glanced at the watch. It was only then Mu noticed it was off. It's finally been at the very least a minute by now but it was still showing seconds. It didn't even tick up as fast as it should have been. "Hat Girl is experiencing a different type of time than us right now, it'll be two for her."

"You can do that?" Shadow kid asked, getting a nod. "You have to show me sometime Papa!" She said, and the ghost just chuckled. Mu gave the ghostly child a look. She had a feeling she was behind the power outage of the cruise, based on the bit she overheard. "Imagine all the cool stuff we can do with all that!"

"Yea, imagine..." Mu said, glancing up at the sky as she began to think, glancing down at her body again. To be honest, if she hadn't gotten used to her height, she would have thought nothing changed about her. Her clothing was almost the exact same as when she was a kid... maybe she was holding on a little too hard. "I'm a little surprised, if you have powers over time, why you didn't try and fight me, ghost."

"The kiddo could handle herself," Snatcher said, letting out a small chuckle. He still remembered that fight... It was still a little terrifying to him that the only way to help Hat Kid win was killing one another to give her those magical orbs that could heal others. He didn't say anything at the time, but it gave him nightmares for a few days... "Besides, this isn't really time controlling, rather a world inside the contract that happens to act like time travel..."

"Papa, you ok?" Shadow Kid asked, waving a hand as the ghost trailed his sentence. Mu tilted her head and glanced down at the swamp where the ghost was looking, pausing. Was that someone's head... It just went under. "Papa, are you ok? Papa!" Shadow Kid pinch his arm.

"Ow! Oh, sorry little Shadow. Just stared off into space for a moment there." Snatcher said, chuckling. Mu crossed her arms and tilted her head, glancing at the swamp. She didn't get to see much of the person, but something felt off. It didn't even look like the swamp was trying to grab them. She turned back as Snatcher grabbed the stopwatch, or just watch, she didn't know, again. "Oh, we should head to town, Hattie will be out any moment."

"Yes! Go Hattie go!" Shadow Kid said, and Mu barely had time to react as the ghost started flying quickly through the town. Mu couldn't help but feel some dread. What if Hat Kid got caught by something? What if she didn't make it out? What if she drowned? Would Mu ever be able to forgive herself for letting it happen? "And we're here!" Snatcher said, landing in the forest. "Ahhh, nothing like seeing how things were"

"It looks the exact same as it does now," Mu said, before shouting as some water came rushing out of what seemed to be a pipe nearby. The water filled up the lake area, and a purple timepiece came out. She then saw Hat Girl take a gasp. "Hat Kid!" She shouted. "Are you alright?! Are-"

"Hi, Mu gotta go fast!" Hat Kid called, stumbling to her feet and racing for the purple hourglass. Snatcher was glancing down at the watch he held, waiting to stop it. Hat Kid jumped up and quickly grabbed the piece, Snatcher stopping the watch with a second to spare. Hat Kid let out a cheer as she spun around, almost losing her balance. "That was fun!" She said, racing up to Snatcher. "Can I do another one?!"

"Really, you could've drowned!" Mu said, sliding from the ghost's grip as he began to summon and look through contracts. Hat Kid waved a dismissive hand while Mu crossed her arms, before letting out a sigh. The nerve of this girl, how she hadn't died before coming to this planet, she had no idea. And she didn't want to know what would happen if she did die. "Look, if you have to do these, try a safer one?"

"I don't think there's anything safe when it comes to Snatcher, Mu." Hat Kid said, an offended gasp coming from the ghost above. She let out a giggle as Mu simply shook her head, staring at the woods nearby. She felt worried, she couldn't help but feel worried about what just happened. "So, what did you get Snatcher?" Hat Kid called up to the ghost.

"Hmmm, How about the good old Wind-Up Windmill?" Snatcher asked, showing the contract. "I'll be honest, I have no idea how you got the bonuses on this one at the end of the day. Especially the one with that instant kill badge. I mean, it took you like twenty-six minutes, but still."

"Sounds good-"

"Wait for a second," Mu said, putting her arm in front of Hat Kid as she glanced up at the ghost. "Promise me if she starts to fall, you'll catch her and call this dumb thing off."

"Who are you, her right hand or something?" Snatcher asked, rolling his eyes as he made the contract glow. "But yea, I can arrange that... the first part at least." He smirked.

-------

Hat Kid was starting to regret her choice as she dodge the fire left and right, gasping for air now and again as the smoke started to get to her. Mu was watching and was getting more and more worried as they kept heading up this dumb windmill. Sure, Snatcher was always right below her in case things went wrong, but still. She wanted Hat Kid to just quit. Have them head back to the orbital station and just hang out there.

But the alien seemed determined from what Mu could see, and it made her sigh. She saw her walk away from the crows on fire... were they crows? Mu honestly didn't care to remember, not when the detail of what kind of bird they were didn't matter if they ended up killing Hat Kid. But the Hat wearing alien kept going, switching to her time-stop hat to help her get onto the platform more safely. The slowing of time felt a little strange, but Mu couldn't let that distract her.

As Hat Girl landed on the platform that would lead back inside the Windmill, she just sat down and let herself catch some breaths, looking at the room ahead of her. She gulped at the fast objects ahead.

"You're almost there! But there's still plenty of chances to FAIL!" Snatcher said, patting her briefly on the head before she nodded, standing up and activating her hat again once the trunk (or whatever you call the metal box. Container. Why didn't she think of that) got close, allowing her to hop on quickly. The ghost shivered when time resumed to normal. "I have no idea how anyone gets used to that," Snatcher said, glancing at Mu.

"Don't look at me, just because I use my timepiece to rewind time doesn't mean I'm used to it stopping," Mu said, crossing her arms as she looked at Hat Kid. Or tried too, the gear she was on was moving so quickly that from here Hat Kid looked like a blur. "Snatcher" Mu said, snapping a bit before pointing to Hat Kid. "Snatcher you made a promise!" She said, making the ghost go back under the current child.

"I have no idea how younger me did this with no hats!" Hat Kid shouted, it looked like she was getting sicker. She quickly jumped onto the nearest still part of the windmill, spinning slightly. "Dizzy.." She stated as she backed into the wall. "Ow, didn't see that."

"you can do this Hat Girl!" Shadow Kid called, making the Hat wearing alien nod and shake her head to clear it, glancing at the area ahead. She took some breaths and began to head on them, doing everything she could to perfectly time her movement. Even with the time stop hat, one wrong slip could mean quite the fall. "Woah!" Shadow Kid clapped as she watched her race through the moving platforms. "Can I try that Papa?!"

"No," Snatcher said, crossing his arms as he quickly glanced at the child. "She's been doing this for a long time, and just because you're part of her soul doesn't mean you have the same skills." Shadow Kid sighed as she glanced to the side, a frown forming on Snatcher's face. He let out a sigh as he moved under the alien. "Ok, Shadow. Tell you what, I'll set up a mini course later and we can try it then? Sounds good."

"I'm surprised you're letting her do it at all... no I'm not," Mu said as Shadow Kid nodded with a bright smile. She glanced back at Hat Girl as she timed her jump on the moving gears, swinging to the bags nearby. "Hattie, be careful! I'll kill you if you die!"

"Mu that doesn't make sense!" Hat Girl called, getting onto the nearby moving platform and quickly doing her best to race across it, taking a breath as she did. It felt like at any minute her feet would slip and she would roll off onto the floor below. But she didn't, eventually landing at the piece of wood near the exit of this room of the windmill, seeing the blades race quickly in front of her vision. "I-Is this it?" She asked.

"Yes, just this and one more jump to do and you're done!" Snatcher said, giving a smile. Hat Girl tilted her head at the way he chose to phrase that but then nodded. She didn't immediately jump, however, instead sitting down. It looked like she was sick, now that Snatcher could see her more closely. Made him pause. "Kiddo?" He asked. "Are you ok, do you need me to stop this?" Mu nodded on his back, but he couldn't see.

"N-No, it's fine! Just, getting my bearings? It's bright compared to that room." Hat Girl said, Snatcher, nodding as she did have a point. Hat Girl eventually stood up and looked over his shoulder, mainly at Mu. "Hey, why so worried? This is fun! Just, tiring..."

"What if you-" Mu started, but soon yelped in fear as Hat Girl took the jump, easily landing on one of the wooden platforms as they came up. She watched her stay there for a moment, getting her bearings again. What was worrying as Snatcher was either pretending to or genuinely having a hard time following her around. "Hat Kid! Girl? I don't remember what we're calling you right now. Time stop! You better time stop!"

"You can do this!" Shadow Kid shouted, and Mu was just barely able to pick up a nod from the alien. She waited until the board was heading near the top, and then time around began to slow once again. Hat Kid jumped onto the platform when it was safe, letting out a sigh before racing into the dark room. Shadow Kid threw her hands into the air. "She did it!" She called as Hat Kid jumped over and grabbed the timepiece.

"Woah! That was a tough one." Hat Kid said, wiping some sweat off her brow. She paused as a blur of red entered her vision, before realizing Mu had hugged her. "Ok then..." She said, patting her back a bit as she glanced up at Snatcher. "You got any more contracts we can do, Snatcher?" She asked with her head tilted.

"Well, let me see... let's try something tamer..." Snatcher mumbled as he began to summon contracts and go through them. Mu looked at Hat Kid as she shook her head. She didn't understand why she was like this. If she wanted to do it because it lets her be a kid again, why couldn't she just play tag or something? "Ah ha!" Snatcher said. "Remember the movie parade you filmed when you got back here? Found the death wish for the original!"

"Ok, that at least seems safer if she did something similar when she was here again," Mu said, letting go of the girl as she glanced at her. Hat Kid nodded as she paused, looking to the side. That was a fun day, but it was also when her family was first stuck here. When they felt hopeless. Before Macbeth was back... "Hat Kid?" Mu placed a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you're up for this? We can go beat up mafia or something."

"No, I was just thinking of the clan. I'm fine to do another wish." Hat Kid said with a smile, looking up at Snatcher. Besides, surely it hadn't been too long in the actual world. They could have a bit more fun. "Alright Snatcher, parade me up!"

"That is probably the weirdest thing I heard you say. Ever." Snatcher said, rolling his eyes as the contract glowed.

-------

The night sky and buildings brought back memories to Hat Kid. Both old and well... old but more recent, she supposed. She still had the outfit from the day she got back here, remembering how well it fit her and how happy she was to share a bit of her past with her brother. Even if she ended up scaring her dads by mistake while doing so. Hey, at least she got better at not running off without at least leaving a note.

When she went up to Grooves, she had half expected him to ask what happened, but he said the exact same thing as when she did the first movie all those years ago. Apparently, it was part of the mini 'world' created by the contract, pulled from her memories to make them happen. So this Grooves was similar to an NPC in a game in a way. It didn't matter much, but she did want to make her visit to Dead Bird Studios again soon.

She quickly got into the outfit this reality had given her, and before she knew it she was leading what had to be at least 50 owls through the area, all while the crowd of mostly penguins cheered for her, far below her.

"You still better be ready to catch her if she falls," Mu said, glaring at the ghost as he shrugged. They were watching from one of the higher buildings nearby, too high for her to get to. Just standing from this high made Mu nervous. She glanced to the side where her timepiece was. Don't ask how it still fit in her outfit when she shrunk, she didn't know. "What's so deadly that you decided this needed to be a death wish anyway?"

"It's time to turn the heat up in this movie!" Mu suddenly heard DJ Grooves's voice from the speakers. "Darling, can you turn on the pyrotechnics?"

"My question has been answered... forgot how crazy he was, did he expect her not to get hurt?" Mu said, shaking her head as she watched Hat Kid quickly get to all three buttons, using time stop once again to press them without getting hit by an owl. She didn't even understand how getting bumped would send her that far, or how the owls kept up with the alien. "Why did the owls work for DJ anyway? Aren't they Conductor's kind?"

"Bold of you to assume Conductor's species is even a species," Snatcher said, crossing his arms as Mu nodded, he had somewhat of a point. She'll admit. She didn't even know how he saw without eyes. "But see? This one is much more chill compared to the last one."

"I suppose..." Mu said as she watched Hat Kid, watching her jump and run around between buildings without a care in the world. Funny, she seemed so desperate to get home when she first met her, that night on the mafia's stage. Yet after that, she was fine with taking her time. She understood it was to get the timepiece back, but... "Hey, Shadow Kid," Mu asked, turning to the ghostly girl. "Do you have any memories of being a part of Hat Girl?"

"Hmm... Nope, none I can recall!" Shadow Kid said, giving a smile. Mu understood that, she didn't understand why she was asking that. After all, Hat Kid only never made it home because of her alone. Surely she tried a bit while with the toppats but nothing seemed useful to her then... Why was she off her planet in the first place? "The only thing I had before I was me was something... fuzzy. Like really fuzzy?"

"This movie needs more action! Darling, turn on the firework canons for the big firework show!"

"I should start paying more attention to her, but..." Snatcher glanced over at Shadow and tilted his head, looking at the girl as she looked up at him. Mu took a step back and decided to lock her eyes on Hat Kid in case anything were to go wrong. "What do you mean, little Shadow? Just, fuzzy?"

"I dunno... It was something that felt like it shouldn't be fuzzy but it was." Shadow Kid said, shaking her head as she put a hand to it. "But, I'm sure that's nothing. I'm sure Hat Girl remembers what it was." She said with a smile. Mu gave a small nod, she didn't know if they paid attention to her or not. "Hey, look at Hat Girl go!" Shadow Kid pointed to her as she dodge some fireworks. "She's really good at that!"

"Yea... I'm going to go ahead and start heading down, the death wish is almost over anyway." Snatcher said, picking up Mu and Shadow Kid by their capes. Mu huffed as she crossed her arms, glancing to the side as she was put on Snatcher's back. Shadow Kid let out a small 'wee' as she was placed on, and they began to head down.

"Time to release the parade surprise! Grab it, darling!" DJ Grooves called as they headed down.

"On it!" Hat Kid called as she quickly rounded a corner to avoid getting hit by an owl, using time slow to get a decent bit away. She paused as she got near, however, as the floor began to burn from the pyro tech, and she really didn't want to get herself burned. She hopped around the nearby buildings, waving to Snatcher as he got close. "Time to seal the deal of this wish!" She said as she quickly got over to the timepiece as the tech was turned off, grabbing it.

"You did it!" Shadow Kid said, hopping off Snatcher and giving Hat Kid a high five. She paused and looked around once she noticed it got quiet. Everyone was now frozen in place it seemed. She looked at Hat Kid who noticed it as well, and Mu got near them both, a look of uneasiness in her eyes. But Shadow Kid shook her head to try and shake it off. "Well, that was fun! Let's go do another one, maybe one with the train-"

"Nope, I can't take much more," Mu said, looking at Hat Kid and quickly grabbing her arm, pulling her away from the ghost nearby as they watched in confusion. Hat Kid let out a small whine of sorts, and Mu crossed her arms once they got a few feet away from the ghost. She then gave a worried sigh, shaking her head. "Look, I know this must be fun for you. But this more 'chill' wish still had many things that could kill you."

"I mean, that was the original purpose Mu." Hat Kid giggled, playfully shoving Mu. Mu shook her head but soon just sighed, glancing down at the frozen penguin below. The more she stared, the more fake yet real they felt. She then heard Hat Kid sigh, turning to find her shaking her head. "But I can tell you're worried... we can stop for now Snatcher."

"You sure kiddo? I got a lot more 'chill' ones we can do if you want!" Snatcher claimed, making another contract appear. Hat Kid simply shook her head, however, and Snatcher nodded. "Alright, that's fair. Besides, I made that promise to Shadow Kid earlier."

"About my own mini death wish?!" Shadow Kid asked, getting a nod from the ghost. "Yay! It's going to be so cool! You gotta stay and watch Hattie! I'll be just as great as you are!" She said, Hat Girl nodding as light-filled their vision again.

-------

It felt weird jumping back to their own time and world. Mu had just started getting used to being her younger self again and being thrown back was almost like getting pushed against the wall. She could’ve sworn she felt aches she never noticed before, or maybe it was just her mind ticking her. Whatever it was, she kept it to herself as they headed to the village to watch Snatcher set up Shadow Kid's mini death wish.

She wasn't sure why, but she ended up heading away when no one was looking. Heading to the bridge that marked where the witch queen that lived here could be. She just wanted some time alone. She questioned why she came all this way in the first place today. But if she hadn't, and Hat Girl decided to do those death wishes again, what if she somehow died because she wasn't here? It was a dumb thought, but it worried her.

Something about everything between her and Hattie. She never wanted to see her hurt. Who would want to see their friends hurt after all? She felt like she wanted to make things up to her but didn't know how. She felt like her time was running out for something. She wasn't sure what though.

"Hey, Mu?" Hat Girl's voice suddenly came from the quiet of the forest, Mu looking over quickly. The hat-wearing alien tilted her head as she came over, letting out a sigh as she sat on the bridge beside Mu. The Mustached Girl paused and allowed herself to calm down, looking out into the forest once again. At the ice-covered homes and houses. "Not sure why you picked here of all places to go. At least she can't get us."

"I should stop leaving you alone, I guess," Mu stated, rolling her eyes as Hat Girl glanced at her. Those blue eyes seemed to shine with the sparkles of space. It made Mu feel that feeling again. It made her question things. She paused as she glanced down at the void that seemed to be under the bridge. "Look, sorry I dragged you out of that game of yours early," Mu stated. "I just didn't want you to die on me."

"Yea, How would you explain that to my Dads." Hat Girl said, giving a half-true chuckle. Mu sighed as she put her hand to her head, shaking it a bit. This girl, she thought. "But hey, you were just watching after me."

"Yea. But you seem so sad... At least the toppats will have a Chief ready to put themselves in danger one day." Mu said with a slight chuckle, rolling her eyes. Hat Girl let out a giggle that made Mu's heart feel strange again. She didn't know why, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She looked at Hat Girl. "Not that I enjoy you being part of a group of criminals. But if that's your destiny, nothing I can say will stop you."

"Well, who knows how things will turn out when I'm Chief." Hat Girl said, before leaning back until her back was on the ground, staring up at the eternal night sky of Subcon. Mu tilted her head as she saw Hat Girl reach a hand in front of her face as if she was reaching for the moon in the sky. Maybe she was. "It is a little worrying. I mean, I won't have to worry about it until Dad and Papa are really old, but-"

"You saying it like that makes it sound like you think they're old," Mu stated, Hat Girl shaking her head. "Yes you do, don't lie." She stated, before letting out a small chuckle as Hattie stuck her tongue out at Mu. "Really now Hattie?"

"Yes." Hat Girl said, suddenly reaching for Mu's hand and pulling her down to the ground. Or at least that was the intent. Instead, Mu ended up falling on Hat Girl. "Oops." She said with a giggle as Mu began to get up quickly. Hat Girl paused, was something wrong with her face? She couldn't tell, Mu kept her face away from her. "Mu?" She asked as she sat up, glancing at the back of the hood-wearing girl. "Are you alright?"

"Yea... It's just I feel..." Mu said, trying to find the words. Trying to say something to distract Hat Girl, and from the heat building up in her cheeks. She still didn't know why she was like this, she just wanted it to be over. She quickly scooped up some dirt from the grown and began to cover her cheeks with it. "Guilty." She finally decided. "For what I did to you all those years ago. I kept you from getting home..."

"Hey, it's ok." Hat Girl said, placing a hand on Mu's shoulder. Mu paused as she glanced to the side, hearing Hat Girl sigh. "Sure, I never made it home. But I found a new family. Besides, I don't even remember why I wanted to get home so badly in the first place."

"It's not just that... At least I don't think." Mu said, finally turning to face Hat Girl. Hat Girl got worried when she saw the amount of dirt on her cheeks. She hadn't thought she landed in the dirt. She just hoped she didn't end up cutting parts of her face open. Mu sighed as she glanced down at the ground, at her hand. "Ever since that day you helped me get my cloak back from the mafia, I felt... strange around you."

"Strange?" Hat Girl asked, tilting her head to the side as the blonde girl nodded, taking one of her braids and brushing some of the dirt off of it. That got her a bit worried. What could be feeling strange? Did the mafia slip something in one of Mu's drinks that could cause long-term effects? But why would they only happen- Her thoughts were caught off as she felt a hand on her shoulder, letting out a yelp as she saw Snatcher.

"Wow, I wasn't even trying to scare you there," Snatcher stated, Hat Girl letting out an awkward chuckle as she glanced at Mu, who was now giving Snatcher daggers with her eyes. The ghost let out a cough of sorts to get the Hat wearing girl’s attention then. "We're almost ready, as Shadow Kid wants you to watch, kiddo."

"Oh, yeah. We'll be there in a bit!" Hat Girl said, giving the ghost a thumbs up. The phantom nodded and left back down the forest trail. Hat Girl looked over as she got back up, looking back at Mu as she dusted off some of the dirt that got on her cloak.

"Well, I guess we better get going then. I want to enjoy a little bit of time before I head back and it's another month before we run into each other." Mu said, Hat Girl rolling her eyes as the hooded girl began to head down the dirt path. Mu took a second glance at Vanessa's ice-covered village, pausing. "You thinks he's ever going to come over here and do something bad?" She asked, looking at Hat Girl. "It seems like something she'll do."

"Hey, as long as the purple wall stays up, she can't get over here, so we're fine." Hat Girl said, giving a reassuring smile to Mu. She reached over and held her hand, Mu shaking her head at Hat Girl's comment. They begin to head down to the village, Hat Girl looking up at the eternal night sky of the forest. It was so pretty, although she did wonder. "What was it like when Subcon experienced the day?" She asked, making Mu shake her head again.

"Why do you ask these questions?" Mu asked, making Hat Girl stick her tongue out slightly. Mu couldn't help but roll her eyes.

-------

They both sat on one of the stumps in the village, watching as Snatcher adjusted the nets under all the platforms. Mu had to resist the urge to comment how of course he had them for Shadow but not Hat Girl. She didn't want to risk starting a fight she’d end up being too tired to finish. Besides, Hat Girl made it safe and sound, and she didn't need to risk a toppat overhearing what happened today, Hat Girl's dad would never get over it.

The course was a simple one. Mostly just floating platforms that moved around a bit. There were a few dolls that were meant to serve as enemies, all in the appearance of the mafia. When Mu asked where Shatcher had gotten them, he refused to answer. Honestly, if the answer was a dark one, Mu wasn't even that mad. Served those mafias right. She wouldn't say it aloud while Hat Girl was here, and didn't want to give her nightmares.

Shadow Kid was bouncing on her knees the whole time it was being set up, waiting for the chance to be let loose and dash around to the timepiece-shaped wood at the end. Snatcher had asked Mu for hers, and Mu responded by holding it like her arms were made of beartrap steel. She didn't want to risk losing it.

"Oh, I can't wait! Watch as soon I'll dash through all the dangers, everyone!" Shadow Kid said, glancing at the group of minions and dwellers that came to watch. The minions had already been cheering for their 'princess' for at least two minutes now; it was going to start driving Mu mad if they didn't stop soon. "Papa, is it done?!" Shadow Kid asked as the ghost came over, him nodding as he picked her up. "Yes! I'm ready!"

"Alright then, little Shadow," Snatcher said, bringing the ghost over to the top of the house that served as the beginning place. Shadow Kid got into a similar position as when Hat Girl went to do 'Speedrun Well'. She had her tongue sticking out, or at least it seemed like it. It was already hard to tell with how her mouth looked and being far away made it harder for the girls to tell. "Three, two, GO!"

"You got this Shadow!" Hat Girl called as Shadow Kid began to race, hopping onto the first few platforms while SNatcher followed behind. The minions cheering got louder, and Mu had to cover her ears. "Look at her go Mu! She's a natural at this!"

"I suppose she is.. but hey. You could say she got it from where she first came from." Mu stated.

Hat Girl let out a chuckle as they watched Shadow Kid. She came across a platform with a few 'enemies', and Snatcher quickly tossed her an umbrella. Tongue sticking out, Shadow Kid quickly whacked the dolls until they burst into smoke, Mu just barely catching what seemed to be souls rising from them. Snatcher quickly snatched them when Shadow Kid wasn't looking, making Mu shake her head as Shadow got onto another platform.

It was a rounded one and began to roll under her feet, but Shadow Kid managed to keep her balance long enough to get to the next platform. They were moving quicker now, but Shadow Kid sped up. She was almost a blur as she dashed from platform to platform until she grabbed the wooden timepiece.

"I did it!" Shadow Kid said, getting a round of applause from all around. She laughed as she did a small spin, although that made her get near the edge of the platform. "Whoops!" She said, as Snatcher gently poked her back into the safety of the platform.

"Hat Girl, Mustache Girl!" A voice suddenly came, Quincy stumbling out of the bushes as he came over. Bush Cat attacking his foot as he shook his head, before turning to the group. He paused upon seeing the course. "Did I miss something?"

"We were watching Shadow Kid, Mr. Tattlemuffin." Hat Girl said. "Look how far she had to go!"

"I got an idea... Remind me never to let Marybeth in here." The toppat said to himself before he glanced at the girls. "It's getting late, kid. Chief wants you back at the station, and your friend here should probably get back to that island of hers."

"It was never mine... Never will be." Mu stated, crossing her arms as the Toppat began to head back the way he came. She then paused and looked at Hat Girl. "Why not send someone like Platinum out here?"

"It's Platinum."

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #hat girl #hat kid #a hat in time fanfic #ahit snatcher #tw mentions of death #shadow puppet #ahit mustache girl #quincy tattlemuffin #ahit subcon dwellers #ahit snatcher’s minions #henry stickmin fanfic #death wish #ahit death wish

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