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“It’s getting awfully cold in here, isn’t it?” The Pippin commented.
It was just an observation they had noticed. A comment to keep conversation without looking like friends.
The Zapper’s movement seemed slowed. Perhaps the chill was getting to them. “Maybe da AC is broken again?”
The two Darkners, a die and a remote, had somehow become unlikely friends. No one was supposed to be friends with the Pippins, they were dirty cheaters after all. But this one was different. A sole, non cheating Pippin. It was rare, but it had helped them grow a close trust with a Zapper.
The Pippin chuckled. “I don’t see Tenna having the budget to get it fixed anytime soon, in that case.”
The laugh was returned as the Zapper looked upwards, noticing a flake fall from above. It was some sort of white speck, not unlike snow or TV static.
“Dat’s strange…” The Zapper muttered.
The two Darkners heads looked around as more and more static fell from above, and the temperature dropped.
“J-Jeez, would it kill ya to be wrong for once?” The Pippin teased, crossing its arms and shivering.
The snow grew heavier, and there was a slight fog of static. It made the Darkners lose sight to things in the distance.
“Maybe da concession stand fella knows what’s goin’ on,” the Zapper suggested.
The Pippin internally groaned. “I’ll go check,” they said, begrudgingly leaving their post that they’ve been holding for who knows how long.
They pushed open the doors to the Green Room, and couldn’t help but let out a ‘brr’ as static buzzed into their dice face. It seemed here wasn’t fairing any better.
“Hey Ramb!” The Pippin called out to a distant silhouette. “You know what the heck is going on?”
They squinted as the static snow blurred their vision. No response. No movement.
“Ugh,” The Pippin scoffed, trudging forward towards the bar. “You don’t get to ignore me! I asked, what the heck—”
They had closed the distance and the bar had come clear into their sight. They came to a sudden halt.
The Pippin felt breathless.
“…what…”
Stone.
They stared at a petrified statue of the bartender. An empty glass sat beside him. Nothing but the buzz of static filled the room.
The Pippin turned around. They weren’t feeling bad for the guy. And they were certainly not going to cry about him. It was bound to happen, too. Kris had stopped playing with the power strip a long time ago.
But seeing any Darkner as stone…
They felt a shiver.
No luck on news of the ongoing situation. As the Pippin began to walk back, a small thought formed in their mind.
It had been a while since Kris picked up any of the dice lying around…
The Pippin held their breath, before shaking it off. The Pippins belonged here. The living room was were games were played after all. They fit right in.
They returned to the hall, having gained no news and becoming used to the strange chill.
The Pippin shrugged, eyes closed. “So I couldn’t get anything out of Ramb, turns out he—”
“D-Don’t look!” their friend’s voice trembled.
The Pippin paused, giving the Zapper a weird look. They examined their friend for a moment and…
The Zapper’s entire lower half had petrified.
“I… I…”
“No, no… no no no,” the Pippin muttered in denial, taking a step back.
What went wrong? What made the remote not belong? This was ‘TV World’ for fountain’s sake!
“I-It was bound ta happen,” the Zapper solemnly explained. “I ain’t from ‘round here anyways...”
The Pippin let out a breath. “You’re… not?”
The Zapper shook it’s head. “Yeahs, sure I can help da boss out,” they said, “but I’m really from downs da street.”
Down the street?
“Kris must’ve started using a different remote,” the Pippin guessed.
“Eh, It was deir father I thinks,” the Zapper said. “Dat fool kept losin’ da remotes and buyin’ new ones…”
The two couldn’t help but laugh at the statement, despite the situation. That explained the reason Tenna had so many Zappers hired…
The Pippin looked at their friend. The petrification was up to right below their head. They let out a sniffle. “You… don’t have much longer, huh…”
“Yeahs…” the Zapper mumbled. “I thinks the colds helpin’ it feel… better, at least.”
“Well that’s good…” The Pippin commented. They couldn’t imagine what it felt like getting petrified. Slowly losing your movement. Losing your freedom.
The two sat in silence, only a buzzing static to accompany them.
“Remember when we met?” The Pippin asked.
“Yeahs…” the Zapper reminisced. “Yous was down on ya luck on a game of cards…”
“I was told I wasn’t fit for the gambling life, not cheating and all,” The Pippin remembered. “The others said I was just a board game die. And said I was better off looking elsewhere for a purpose…”
The Pippin sighed, seeing their breath visible from the cold. “It’s been a while since any of the board games have been used…”
“I’m sure… when Asriel… comes back…” their friend reassured them, “…”
The Pippin allowed a smile to grace their face as they looked at the ground. “You’ve always been there for me,” they said, “you trusted me even when the others cheated…”
They looked to their friend. A complete stone statue.
A few tears rolled down the Pippin’s face. Ha… funny. They didn’t even know they were capable of that.
“…Thank you…”
The Pippin turned to face the wall. It was hard to stare any longer.
This is what they get for being a Pippin who doesn’t cheat. They get cheated of their only friend.
…Did they themself even fit anymore?
…