We Are The Working Dead
The group quickly ducked into the drug store, which was very brightly lit. Moving into the back of the small building, Ness and Paula huddled around Moondancer as though for warmth while Buzz Buzz perched atop her glasses. "So...plan?" Moondancer spoke up, uncertain about this sudden closeness. While it was plain the air of terror and menace filling the town had put Ness and Paula on edge, Moondancer had learned from her Father how to control her emotions so as to not be overwhelmed by them. While a sudden spike in emotions could catch her off guard and overwhelm that control, the environment created only a gradual buildup that she was easily able to keep a lid on.
"Right, plan," Ness agreed as he rubbed his arms. "First thing first, we should see if they have anything here we could use...and ask some questions about what's going on here. The more we know, the better prepared we can be...and the better job we can do fixing things."
As the group moved towards the counter, the two men behind it - one selling general supplies, the other medicines - were talking. "So are you sure we're safe in here?" one asked.
"Pretty sure," the other agreed. "The monsters haven't broken into buildings...yet. They only seem to hassle anyone out on the streets that they get in the way of. Besides, none of them like bright light very much. The Mach pizza guy said he managed to get away from a group of them by setting his flashlight to strobe."
"Wasn't he being chased by those freaky puppets?" the first asked in surprise. "They give me the creeps! Them and the pumpkin-headed freak."
"He said it wasn't his first pizza job that involved defending himself from freaky puppets with a flashlight," the second answered. "And he says pizza delivery's a lot better than night guard."
"I think the zombies are the worst, though," the first allowed with a shudder. "The way they just...keep walking, even into complete destruction. I saw one of them just walk into the bus back while it was still running. Didn't even seem to care that it was run over. Just...mindless..."
"If the ghosts weren't blocking the tunnels out of town, I'd be out of here like a shot," the second agreed. "But...it's like we're being kept here. Ever since the first wave of undead and monsters swarmed out of the northwest graveyard, this place has been a prison of death and despair..." He looked up. "Oh, customers! Welcome to Threed Drug Store. We hope you have a pleasant stay in our town. Can I get you anything?"
"Some optimism?" Ness asked hopefully.
"Failing that, trite humor?" Moondancer suggested.
"Sorry, fresh out of that first one," the clerk joked, grinning as that put small smiles on the children's faces. "Be careful if you go out after dark...except it's always dark. And wear a helmet." He laid out a hard hat. "It'll protect your head from impacts, and for a good price!"
"No thanks," Ness allowed. "We're good. We'll be careful."
"Do," the clerk agreed as the group left.
"Well that was useful," Buzz Buzz observed dryly.
"Convenient," Mondancer agreed.
"So...into the northwest graveyard, then?" Paula asked nervously.
Ness nodded. "And we try to be careful-watch out!" He lunged forward, knocking Paula to the ground as a pale-skinned marionette dressed in plaid attacked them as it hung from its strings, held by no one.
Moondancer quickly fired up her horn, trying to grab the strings in an attempt to exert some control, only for the power to feedback into her and send her briefly sprawling. "Something's in control..." she growled angrily.
As the marionette hesitated while the strings untangled, Ness got to his feet and struck with the PSI Bat with all his strength...only for the puppet to right itself as though it hadn't been hit. "What?"
"Your bat only attacks the madness wavelengths of the target's mind!" Buzz Buzz called out. "These things are just puppets being directed remotely. They don't have minds!"
"Fire!" Paula shouted out as she unleashed a wave of flame at the puppet, setting it on fire. Even as it started to fall to pieces from the fire, it continued to attack.
"Flash!" Ness called out, releasing a blaze of blinding light from his hands that caused the puppet to stagger a bit.
Desperately, Moondancer shaped a blade in her PSI and swept it at the strings, trying to sever them. The puppet dropped, having taken too much damage and dissolving.
As everyone panted for breath, Ness spoke up. "Okay...that's definitely something I need to fix..." He held the PSI Bat in front of him.
"Any ideas how?" Paula asked curiously.
"These things don't like fire or light," Buzz Buzz observed. "It's a pity we can't imbue those traits into the bat for damage..."
Paula's eyes widened. "Well, it's designed to target a special type of PSI field..." She put her hands on the bat. "FIRE!"
Energy flowed from her hands into the bat, and it glowed red.
"...that works," Moondancer observed, doing her best to hide her shock.
With the enchantment on the bat, Ness was able to inflict damage on the enemy monsters which wandered the town and homed in on the group, letting them make their way towards the graveyard without too much trouble. Once inside the graveyard, the groups of monsters were much larger, and accompanied by strange red ghosts that leapt out of garbage cans, and creatures made of the garbage within. While fire wasn't that effective against them, both were very vulnerable to Freeze.
At the very back of the graveyard, a ladder could be seen...but it was guarded by two zombies who remained exactly where they were as the group approached. The moment they got close enough to attack, the zombies turned and looked.
Their empty gaze stared into and through the group, penetrating their mental resolve as their minds were filled through that gaze with horrific images. Plants withered and died, animals tore each other apart, humanity no better than the animals as creatures from beyond the stars sang awful hymns of praise to a creature unknown, and the sun went out...
"Hey, wake up!" Buzz Buzz insisted as he flew into Moondancer's ear.
Moondancer leapt to her hooves, shaking herself off. "W-what was that?" she gasped out.
"I don't know," Buzz Buzz allowed. "As soon as you three locked eyes with the zombie guards, you just...froze. I was able to pull you away, but you need to grab Ness and Paula."
Nodding, Moondancer lit up her horn and dragged the pair to the dead tree Buzz Buzz had pulled her under in an attempt to snap her out of it. As soon as they were out of range of the zombies' gaze, they clung to each other in dread.
"I think we should head to the hotel," Buzz Buzz suggested worriedly. "A good night's...well, a good rest ought to do all three of you good."
"Hotel, rest, good..." Ness agreed as he struggled to come back to himself.
"...cuddle?" Paula asked hopefully as she shivered in his embrace.
"...please..."
While Moondancer didn't say anything, she agreed that a cuddle sounded pretty good just then.
Once they were able to bring themselves to move, the group made their way back into town, clutching their weapons tightly...though no one noticed the enchantment on Ness' bat had worn off. As they approached the hotel, they caught sight of a blonde woman wearing a very skimpy black 'outfit' standing in the middle of the road, with no monsters in sight anywhere around her. As they approached, she turned to enter the hotel.
"T-think she knows some way of keeping the monsters at bay?" Ness suggested hopefully. "Maybe we should ask?"
"Just as long as it doesn't involve dressing like that," Paula muttered darkly, turning a steely gaze Ness' way. He rubbed the back of his head nervously.
Seeing that this was somewhat dispelling their fears, Buzz Buzz decided to capitalize on it. "We should check her-I mean it out, anyway," he observed innocently, deliberately inserting the 'misspeak' to keep them stirred up a little.
Moondancer couldn't help but chuckle as Paula ground her teeth as Ness led the way into the hotel. The woman walked past an empty lobby, and into the furthest hotel room, leaving the door slightly ajar as she did. As they approached, Ness slowed suspiciously. The room inside was completely dark. "Wonder what this setup is about?" he asked nervously.
Paula blinked in surprise. "...aren't you 13?" she asked pointedly.
"Yeah?" Ness confirmed. "And?"
"And...you don't have any idea why a scantily clad woman walking around on the street would leave a door into a darkened room invitingly ajar behind her?" she continued.
"You think it's a trap?" Ness gasped in shock.
Paula blinked at that a few times, then sighed before stepping back to rest her hand on Moondancer's neck. At least I don't have to worry about wooing him with sex appeal, she thought at Moondancer. Hard to believe any teenager is that unaware.
I think it's more he's that pure, Moondancer pointed out in thought. His idea of fun back in Onett was to go to the hospital to visit the lonely older patients, he finds video games odd, and he had no idea what a TV was until your Dad asked if we were with a TV studio.
Paula's eyes sparkled. My pure-hearted white knight...
I'm breaking mental contact before you fantasize any further, Moondancer insisted firmly as Ness carefully led the way into the darkened room.
The door slammed shut behind them as the lights came on. The woman stood in the back next to a zombified dog as zombies and ghosts surrounded the group. "Buzz Buzz, go get help!" Ness ordered as he took a battle stance between the monsters and Paula and Moondancer.
"What help?" Buzz Buzz demanded frenetically.
"Find Ness' Mom!" Moondancer insisted. "She was on her way to Fourside!"
"Right!" Buzz Buzz agreed as he zipped between the ghosts, too fast for them to reach him.
"Not so fast," the woman growled in a distinctly unfeminine voice. Her arm lashed out, stretching like a tendril before seizing Buzz Buzz.
"Buzz Buzz!" Moondancer called out worriedly as she activated the Borange Ray.
"I suggest you all put your weapons down now," the 'woman' insisted firmly. "Unless you're fine with me crushing your friend here like the bug he is."
"Don't do it!" Buzz Buzz called out. "You can't let yourselves be captured like this!"
"Do you really think you can continue this journey...knowing you chose to abandon a friend to death?" the 'woman' asked Ness. "Weapons down...now."
Ness glowered at the 'woman' for a time...then sighed and lowered his bat. Moondancer lowered the Ray. Paula lowered her pan. The monsters converged...and everything went dark.
Buzz Buzz flew around his unconscious friends worriedly as they lay in a cavern-like room, the walls unfinished stone, the only exit a locked door. He'd been thrown in after them and the door sealed shut, beyond his ability to break down.
"Are you certain this is a good idea?" a rather wet voice demanded with a sloshing sound to it. "Why not just kill them?"
"Because despite what all of us would like to think, his parents and their ilk are not out of the game," another voice hissed out, recognizable as the 'woman' from before, put sounding...almost synthesized, as though it were only half being generated from an actual organ.
"What does that have to do with anything?" the wet voice demanded.
"If we were to flat out kill them, I wouldn't count on them staying dead for very long," the half-synth voice continued. "And if they get that directly involved, the loop will break, and who knows what will happen next? This will work much better. The humans are infected now. By the time anyone can get to them...they'll be undead, and under The Master's control."
"That can be cured if the mind is strong enough," the wet voice pointed out. "Or treated before it progresses that far."
"Only if they're found soon enough," the half-synth voice countered. "Between how deep they are and the buzzing of their 'friend', they will feel death before too long. The pony knows no Healing PSI...and by the time any help arrives, they will have turned...and sought to feed on the only living flesh present. Either they will eat her and be emotionally destroyed, or she will spatter them and solve our problem for us. Win-win."
"And if the pony survives to break free afterwards?" the wet voice demanded.
"She takes the same path as The Master after having destroyed her friends to survive," the half-synth voice offered snidely. "Just leave the door locked and keep the path in hidden. Let time take care of the rest. Now can you and your boss handle the rest of the assignment here yourselves? My work in Fourside is well behind schedule because I had to come back and help."
The wet voice muttered angrily for a time.
"Good," the half-synth voice confirmed. "Now I need to be extra careful with my work. His mother's there. I'll need to step carefully..."
As the voices faded, Ness, Paula, and Moondancer began to stir. "What...happened?" Ness managed to get out.
"Where are we?" Moondancer added as she sat up.
"Why does the back of my neck hurt?" Paula demanded as she brought a hand to the back of her neck, only to pull back with a wince.
Buzz Buzz zipped over, and saw what he'd feared. "It's an injection mark," he explained as he checked and found one on Ness' neck as well. "I heard them talking about infecting the two of you, turning you into zombies."
"I don't want to be a zombie!" Paula yelled out. "We need to get out of here!"
"The door's locked, and the exit hidden," Buzz Buzz added. "And all we have is a receiver phone."
"I can contact our third friend telepathically!" Paula spoke up helpfully. "Maybe he could come save us?"
"But in time?" Ness asked worriedly. "What if...what if he gets here too late?"
"Then we give him more time," Moondancer spoke up as she closed her eyes.
To the amazement of all present, a coruscating energy began to gather at the tip of her horn. Once it was about the size of an egg, she collapsed. "Time energy," she explained. "Gathered from my magic and PSI...and about all that I can gather. Figured out how it felt and should work when we rode the Time Skimmer. This much...could send one of us back in time ten seconds."
"...that's not much," Ness observed worriedly.
"But a thought, an idea...that could go back further," Moondancer added. "Paula should use it to send a message to our new friend to come get us. It should give him...at least two weeks to get to us, maybe a little more. He'll be able to feel how far in the future it comes from once he gets it. Afterwards, Paula should send the message again without the time energy, and hope he can track us from that."
"It's...it's worth a shot," Paula offered worriedly as she took the time energy into her hands. I'm calling out to you, who I've never met... I'm calling our friend who we haven't met yet... Jeff! Jeff! We need your help in the time yet to come! I am Paula, and I am with Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz. We are all friends you have not yet met...and we need your help at the time this message is being sent. Please, come, you're our only hope...
The time energy faded.
"I guess we can only hope it got through," Ness observed as Paula sagged. "Are you okay, Paula?"
"It...it took a lot out of me, too," she explained as she took a few deep breaths. "Now, to try and reach him in the now..." She closed her eyes. Jeff, it's Paula... If you can hear me, I hope you got my message sent into the past. Please, co-
Something large and metal smashed through the roof of the chamber, giving just enough time for the group to scamper out of the way. The machine cracked as it impacted the ground, part of it crumpling in on itself. One side irised open, and a shadowed figure stepped out.
Light created a silhouette. A blue fur jacket...a small figure...a gun in one hand being cocked...light glinting off glasses...
"Did somebody call for a big damn hero?"
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That Mech at the end... Was it a VS (Vital Suit)?And And judging from the dialogue from the Pizza Delivery guy, that's Jeremy FritzGerald, correct? He's the only canon Fazbear Employee to have used a Flashlight on killer puppets (Animatronics).
HA! FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S! Nice "easter egg" there Tatsurou.
Well at least they gave our heroes a good place to start looking.
I think they are out of the first one. And the second, might take some work.
Cool! Ness got a FireBat version of a LIGHTSABER!
..................Okay, THAT is a VERY cool way for him to make an entrance. Certainly more fun than in the original game. Can't wait to see Jeff's genius brain at work in the future.
8557978
Nah, that's the Sky Runner.
I'm getting interested regarding Ness parents and the power they seem to have.
Moondancer doesn't seem to agree with Celestias idea that there is no wrong way to fantasize as well, which when travelling with teenagers will be an experience.
So we get a Big Darn Heroes entrance and now a new ally who is ready for battle.
Gathered from my magic and PSi
1. Just a little forgot to capitalise.
Talk about injecting some fear into them.
Was... was that a firefly reference? Goddamn I'm impressed!
That last part, though
Huh, how'd you come up with that title? Did you lose your youth to your boring job, the only person you ever felt close to, and your mind working all his shifts?
Little did anyone know, this would be instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Final Battle.
{Uber Tirek: Mwahahaha! Now that I've defeated everyone in my way, no one can stop me from taking over the PWNYver-
FNAF PWNY: ARBQ3H4TH34Q8T34T3Q4!!!!!
Uber Tirek: Gah, what the hell was that!? I hate jumpscares, they're always so chea-
*KABOOM!!!*
And thus with FNAF PWNY's gambit, the rest of the PWNYs were able to gather their powers to finally defeat him once and for all...}
Oh, so now he's a Mystic Knight. Cool.
Huh, this chapter's kinda cool. Rather than Moondancer just going "JK, lol," they're actually being confronted by a serious force beyond their comprehension that can't just be effortlessly finessed through in an anticlimax. And, it's trying to be scary (it's got nothing on Rap Rat, though). I have to say, I'm impressed.
{Ness' Mom: My son will be coming through here on his adventure at some point, and I can tell you now that this just isn't going to cut it. Can't you at least get some chains to shake and make the lights flicker or something?
Giygas: Hold my beer.}
Huh, is someone trying to rock with the Bickety Buck Bumble? First it's 13-year-olds making out, now its checking out Earth women; Zarbol's got some kinks!
No, if she had a penis, she'd be a futa... though if she didn't have a vagina, she'd be a shemale, which could be seen as a trap with tits...
I'm not sure you want that...
{Paula: All right, now it's my tu-
Ness: *Completely decimates everything in harm's way* Are you unharmed, milady?
Paula:... Yeah, I was just about to beat them u-
Ness: Oh, tut tut, perish the thought my dear. I can't afford to have you dirty your pan just to beat up a couple of mooks.
Mooks: Hey, we resent tha- *KABOOM!!!*
Ness: A lady of your caliber is better suited not needing to raise arms. Now if you shall excuse of me, I'm going to defend your honor against knaves who look at thee funny.
Paula:... Note to self, never describe your boyfriend as a "white knight".}
No.
{In EarthBound, this lady on the Summers beach says, “Don’t talk to me. My mind is a complete blank.” A popular theory among EarthBound fans is that this lady is the zombie lady from Threed, and she says her mind is a complete blank because she was brainwashed by Giygas/Belch/the zombies earlier in the game.}
Or... maybe not?
{In MOTHER 2 though, she says something closer to, “Could you please not talk to me? Because I’m not thinking about aaanything at all.” or, “Could you please not talk to me? Because there’s noooothing on my mind at all.” It sounds more like this lady is someone with nothing to say because she has nothing in mind to say. The text doesn’t seem to have much (if any) connection to the lady in Threed who just happens to share a similar sprite.}
legendsoflocalization.com/media/earthbound/summers/blankmind.png
Oh well, at least there's a Poo shipping joke to fall back on.
{Once Poo has joined Ness and friends in Summers, the main adventure continues. One of the first people you’re most likely to talk to is this girl on the beach.
In EarthBound, she says, “Asian boy, you’re so cool… Don’t look at me like that…”
Which always struck me as a strange thing to say. It turns out the translators accidentally left out a line of text at the end. In MOTHER 2, she says something like, “Oh, oriental boy. You’re so cool and handsome. Oh, don’t look at me that way… You’re too charming ♪”}
legendsoflocalization.com/media/earthbound/summers-2/handsome.png
Huh.. I just realized. There were jokes involving Mysterious Woman possibly doing "stuff" to Ness in this chapter. And one of the two people who kiss Ness in this game... is Venus... who lives in Fourside... and has blonde hair and wears a black dress...
files.fobby.net/0000/5459/venusness.png
It's a trap/futa/shemale!!!
Oh, then this happens; just imagine there's a pony there (don't read if you don't want to feel bad; you've been warned).
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
Nah, still waiting.
Anyways, I liked this chapter. It was good for all the reasons I said it was good, and I had fun with it. I'll see you later.
8558135
Except that Moony, while a "Bad Guy", isn't a bad guy. You know⸮ The Real "Big Bad" of the PWNY-Verse is Uber-Tirek who was sent Discord knows where by PWNY-Discord, thus instigating the PWNY Loops to begin with
Well, to cheer everyone up...
Yes, Zaeed, we actually did.
Well at least i caught the Steven reference.
look at him go people, the hero of another story cleaning up is father's mess one pizza chain restaurant at a time! A walking corpse driven to free the souls of his father's victims and hopefully burn his father! He's come a long way from sticking his brothers head in the mouth of animatronic for a cruel joke.
He just wishes his father wasn't such a god damn prolithic serial killer! I mean serious just how many people did Afton KILL!
8558218 Oh. Is this like in Homestuck where you're lead to believe one guy's the bad guy, but in reality it's actually this even bigger bad guy who's so powerful that not even the author insert can stand a chance?
And yeah, I figured Moony herself isn't the bad guy; that's why the Wreck-It-Ralph and Undertale stories aren't canon. I was referring specifically to whatever this Nightmare business is about (one I've seen alluded to in the Mega Man stories, and once more in the beginning of this story).
So I think I get it now.
Nightmare Whatsit = Jack Noire or )(er Imperious Condescension depending on what its role even is
Uber Tirek = Lord English
Thanks for the clarification.
8558830
Actually, "There's Nopony I'd Rather Be Than Me" is canon to PWNYverse.
8558936
Oh, I thought you said it couldn't because reasons. Or maybe I just got the "Undertale isn't canon" thing, then applied it to Wreck-It-Ralph because they've both got Luna-ish ponnes.
And by the way, great chapter. Granted, I would've loved to see your take on Jeff's story, but this is somewhat fine. Though it kinda worries me about Poo's introduction.
{Lady: Hey, wanna try my Magic Cake?
Ness: Sure. *Munch*... huh, it's not ba- *Knockout!*
Paula: Ness, are you okay?!
Moondancer: Well, there's nothing we can do about it.
*Half an hour later*
Ness: Huh...? What happened?
Paula: Oh, you just collapsed for some reason.
Ness: Oh, well at least I'm fi-
Poo: Greetings, my liege.
Everyone Else: Dah! Who are you?!
Poo: My name is Poo, the crown prince of Dalaam. I am here to aid you on your quest.
Moondancer: Really? How'd you get here?
Poo: Oh, it's nothing important. I did some Mu training, had to ignore some people, and then I felt like several body parts of mine were crushed, severed, and torn to shreds, and then I teleported here because of Destiny. No big D.
Ness: Oh... Well if you say so. Onto adventure!}
8558945
Jeff's story is next chapter.
8558950 Oh, cool then.
8558135 Please do not use the term 'shemale' when referring to someone, even if you think the term fits, unless they explicitly tell you this is how they want to be referred to as. The term has been inextricably linked with porn and fetish art, and thus doesn't apply to actual people in the transgender community as a whole. It's an insult.
8559901 The creators of Mother: Cognitive Dissonance certainly are.
As the group moved towards the counter, the two men behind it - one selling general supplies, the other medicines - were talking. "So are you sure we're safe in here?" one asked.
"Pretty sure," the other agreed. "The monsters haven't broken into buildings...yet. They only seem to hassle anyone out on the streets that they get in the way of. Besides, none of them like bright light very much. The Mach pizza guy said he managed to get away from a group of them by setting his flashlight to strobe."
"Wasn't he being chased by those freaky puppets?" the first asked in surprise. "They give me the creeps! Them and the pumpkin-headed freak."
"He said it wasn't his first pizza job that involved defending himself from freaky puppets with a flashlight," the second answered. "And he says pizza delivery's a lot better than night guard."
Five Nights at Freddy's Reference For The Win!