Chapter Text
"I've got a question for you..."
The brittle witch cackled as she asked the cowering duo before her.
"What happens when you switch the personalities of ultimate good..."
Her face turned towards the terrified, huge eyes of the furry orange captive.
"With ultimate bad...?"
Now she looked at the other, her own expression furious, teeth clenched and brows furrowed into an intense glare, eyes glowing with despise towards her captor.
The unrestrained laughter commenced for a while, with small hiccups dotting them. This was going to be the most fun she's had in years. "I guess we'll see..." Her Cheshire grin widened to an impossible degree, before she dropped her prisoners into her enchanted pool, and faded away.
~
The amount of planets were staggering. Where there used to be hundreds of them, almost countless to a traveler like Wander, they could now sum the entirety into only 34, and that was excluding their hidden planet. Populations were depleting, resources were very limited, and all hope seemed lost at this point. What possible thing could ever save them from a fate such as this?
The hero duo were running out of ideas quickly, and were grasping at straws at this point. They had tried so many things, took on so many leads, but nothing ever seemed to be the one weapon on their side that could ensure success. Despite their own regained sense of hope being brought back by the flower, the strain and stress wore them down, and the helpless feeling that preceded every failed attempt grew into something nasty.
But still, they continued.
"What about this? 'The Forgotten Technology of the Atlanticans?'"
"No... I'm pretty sure we already tried that one. It was a bust."
"Then how bout the 'Lost Weapon of El Poderoso?'"
"Eeeh, hate to break it to you bud, but that myth was from one of the destroyed planets. Even if it was real, it's probably gone now."
".... then.... what about the 'Spider with the Top Hat lege-'"
"That's not even one from our dimension."
Silvia sighed and rubbed a hand against her snout, feeling her frustration and tiredness getting the better of her. She looked down at the curled up bundle of tears next to her, and felt concern well in her chest. "Oh buddy..."
She sat beside him and gave him a hug, stroking the fur on his back. "I'm sorry. None of the information we have right now can help, but we can go get more tomorrow. I'm sure someone will remember SOMETHING that can be of use." She knew that anything remotely truthful
and helpful was already given to them, but she just needed to comfort her friend, and give him something to wake up to in the morning.
He was quiet for a while, not a good sign, but Sylvia took it as a plea to be alone for a bit, so she slowly stood herself up, and headed more into the cave to curl up and sleep. Right as she took her third step, however, a small voice broke the silence.
"What about the Ultra-Dimensional witch?"
Sylvia felt herself perk up with this idea.
"You don't mean...?"
Even with her back to him, she could practically feel the ground vibrate with his newfound energy. "Y-Yeah! She's our surest bet!! She's in charge of keeping the dimensions balanced, I'm sure she can help us restore our galaxy back to what it was! Oh gosh, why didn't I think of
this sooner! This is the one, Syl!!"
When she did turn, he was bouncing up and down, swinging and smiling, and just so... sure of himself for once. Sylvia couldn't help but slip on a smile. "You're right! I mean, it's worth a shot! So long as we can find a way to track the entrance to her home, I'm sure we can convince her that helping us is the right thing for her to do!"
"Yeah! And then we can befriend her and get her to stop being alone in that room forever! I'm sure she must be the loneliest gal, even before Janet got a moon!"
Sylvia rolled her eyes, her smile still in place. Of course Wander was thinking of making friends with her. She finally knelt down and curled up in her sleeping position. "Yeah, well, we'll have all of tomorrow to find her, but for now..." She let out a loud yawn, and shuffled in invitation for her friend to come with her. "It's time for some sleep."
Wander nodded and headed over, leaning next to his friend and preparing for sleep as well. He couldn't wait to meet the very keeper of reality, he had so many questions! What was her favorite dimension to watch? Who had the best cookies and tea? What did she even eat?
With a wide smile, Wander closed his eyes and nodded into a dream.
~
The next day was the most eventful of their lives as of yet. It wasn't easy chasing a doorway that always changed its location, but with so many planets obliterated, their pickings slimmed down quite a bit on suitable entries. They chased clue after clue on where the portal could possibly be located that day, and had finally come across a reliable source on it thanks to Hater and Peepers. They, unsurprisingly, found out about their plans, and decided to include themselves in them, with Peepers managing to get the most recent sighting on the signaling green flash that proceeds the traveling doorway. Just as they headed there on their ship, however, it seemed that Dominator had also heard of their plans thanks to an implanted chip on Hater's ship (everyone looked at the doe-eyed Hater and his new teddy bear with a beeping heart that seemingly came out of nowhere as the suspects) and was racing them to the location, in order to capture the witch herself. It was an intense run with many smaller battles and hijinks, but ultimately ended with Dominator bursting through a hidden wooden door inside a tree in the middle of a rainforest, and Wander being thrown in by Sylvia before the door could close. Both foes looked at each other, one with a concerned expression, the other with gleeful malice, before a blue light turned on in front of them, and they turned to face the security of all dimensions.
She was laughing.
"L-Let me tell you! I have never seen a more cartoonish group as the one you guys make up! I swear, that Sylvia sure is something...." She wiped a tear from her face before she finally acknowledge the pair who gaped up at her in wonder. At this, she smiled and waved.
"Hii~ I bet you were expecting someone more... wiser looking, weren't you? Someone with a more mature outward appearance.... maybe even a bit taller?"
The shrunken, baby-faced old lady cackled more loudly, making the dark walls surrounding them echo and tremble a bit. She hasn't had company in centuries and had forgotten how nice it felt to have someone stare at her for a change.
"So...," she broke out, her arms expanding and catching both of her visitors off guard. "Where do we begin?"
Dominator was not having this. She struggled and bit, and went crazy under the hand. She found that her powers were useless under it, and no matter how much she fought back, the old lady didn't even flinch, so much as smiled up at her in amusement. It drove her up the wall.
Wander, meanwhile, merely smiled and tried his best to explain his situation. All attempts at talking to the keeper of the universe, however, ended only in her shaking her head and repeating, "I am meant to stay neutral, and that is how I'll stay." She stopped her motions however, when a thought crept into her head and settled on the cobwebbed-filled part where entertainment had been revived. With this, she let out a sneer.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wander, but this is the last time I'll repeat myself. I am a neutral force, and cannot take any sides on this matter, no matter what you may tell me." She let his expression sink and tear up for a bit before her mischievous expression grew.
"However..." Her body shook with anticipation. "You two may as well serve for something, since you went through all this trouble to get in here."
With that final statement, both stared at her incredulously, one fearing the outcome, and the other filled with unbridled rage. The keeper of dimensions could only laugh louder.
"I've got a question for you..."
~
"What's taking them so long?" Sylvia was at her wits end with worries, making a shape in the dirt where she kept pacing back and forth. "I hope nothing went wrong..."
"Sylvia. Calm down. They've been in there for ten minutes, and I'm certain they'll be there for longer." Peepers responded, his eye half lidded in slight annoyance, though his hands were fidgety from worry as well.
"Yeah, and all that matters is Wander getting more information on what Dominator likes from the Dimension hag." Hater's scowl deepened as he remembered a previous conversation. "Wander promised me he'd ask her about it and help me out. He better not forget." His latter comment was punctuated by the snap of his teddy bear's heart, proving that it was the source of their being tracked as a little device fell from it.
The other two could only roll their eyes and sigh in sync, before they went back to doing what they were occupying themselves with seconds ago. It only lasted another minute, however, as once Sylvia was knees deep in rich dirt, the door in the tree cracked open with a long squeak.
All three pairs of eyes glued themselves at this inanimate object, and all three breaths were let out once they saw what came out of it.
"Dominator?!"
Lord Dominator popped out of the tree like a bouncy rabbit, her hair poofed up under her big pastel pink hat, and her wardrobe now a long, pink sweater and short shorts with white knee socks and pink shoes. She was grinning. "Hello there~! What are your names? I don't believe I've ever met any of you lil cuties~!"
She rushed over and gave everyone a hug, their stunned bodies doing nothing to refuse. "Aaw, are you guys frozen or something? Maybe I can help warm you guys up with some more hugs!"
Before she could prepare another attack, however, Sylvia came to her senses and held the new Dominator at bay.
"H-Hugs? What the hay happened to you? And where's Wander???"
"That's Lord Wander, to you."
A familiar voice spoke from the doorway, and Sylvia's head snapped to meet its source. Her mouth dropped wide open with what she saw.
Her buddy was wearing a long cape with spikes on their shoulders, draping over his bare chest, black pants and shoes underneath him, and Dominator's signature helmet above him. He held himself with confidence and pride, his magenta, glowing eyes smoldering his past friends into place, and the smirk sliding up his lips making them shiver.
He laughed and stepped closer, hands to his hips. "Well, well, well..."
"Looks like I found the fun."