It takes a while to find the right angle, but once Mary Grace catches a sunbeam, the tree doesn't hesitate to start sparking and smoking. Blue light fills the Wildgulch symbol like a trail of lit gunpowder. A burst of energy shoots from her fingers to her toes, right up into her head where the feeling percolates, a shaken can of soda. Strength, inspiration, resolve. For a second, her whole body goes hot — so hot it melts Trudy's glasses. Whoops.
The magimagicicada who burns like a campfire brushes their fingers over the Wildgulch symbol and then freezes. The whole tree seems to glow from within, and the cicadas' screams pitch up to a deafening roar.
This is all mystifying and fantastical to Maisy, who has been standing in uncharacteristically silent awe. But this snaps her out of it, and she stomps her foot impatiently.
In the middle of hell, Chanel takes time to grin fondly both at Armani for (???) sticking a snake in a hole? And of course the fire that just started. Caught in a good mood, she pulls her own bottle out too. "Give it just a splash, and we can all do half a shot with a tree."
Armani grins back at his sister, holding his pink Tamagotchi up by its key chain to show it off. Never mind that the tree is glowing and the cicadas are screaming, he just solved the snake puzzle!
The vodka Maisy spits on the Deeplurk symbol freezes immediately on the surface, a fractal of ice skirting over the bark. The carving itself shines a deep, pine green and Maisy is invigorated, unstoppable, safe.
The young magimagicicada jumps to slap his steaming hand against the sigil, and when he does, the tree shakes. The cicadas overhead stop screaming, and the memory starts to play once more.
Lights, red and green and pink and blue, shoot up from the base of the tree into the canopy. They thread through branches and out into leaves, bathing everything in the central green in a dazzling light show, brilliant even in midday.
All around, panicked students and staff stop to stare at the display. One side flourishes, growing full and green, while the other drops its leaves, its seeds, and seems to die.
Pocket gives up her struggle to keep Zelda from the tree, but the fight seems to drain from the future Charms teacher, as well. Each of the remaining magimagicicada turn to face the maple, half-dead, half-alive, and perhaps not yet entirely safe. One by one, they each take flight, up into the branches, where they disappear, until only Pocket is left. She sinks to her knees.
The cicadas start to cry, not the song of summer but something strange. Low and keening, a song of mourning.
"Tink? Tinkerbell, what's happening?" Zelda asks softly, kneeling beside the party bug.
"They are gone. We were used to—to open a door," Pocket whispers, shoulders slumping. "And something is slipping through."
"Is it—is—I want to help," Zelda says. Overhead, that mourning song sounds less like singing and more like anguished wails.
Pocket won't look at her, staring intently as the ground. "More is coming. I don't know what. They won't tell me. I'm too young. Too close to..."
"Peter," Zelda finishes, lighting her hand on the party bug's arms. "Where is he? What's going on?"
Pocket turns to Zelda, red eyes wide, expression drawn. After a moment she holds out her hand, palm up and open, and in the center, a simple brass button. "He's gone. He gave them his heart. We had no choice."
Zelda doesn't understand Pocket's words, but she seems to recognize the button well enough. As her fingers hover over the little circle, hesitant, like touching it might break it, the whole scene freezes once more. The button begins to shine gold. No glowing lights in the tree. No crying cicadas. Just silence, frozen forms, and a portal back to Peckenpaugh across the Central Green, where the doors to Central Classrooms stand wide open.
[MEMORY COMPLETE! You have finished the puzzle. You may continue to thread here or exit through the portal. The linchpin is the button. Don't forget to grab it before you go!]
Mary Grace gingerly picks up the button, pinching the glowing golden copy in her fingers.
"Well, Peter," she mutters, squinting at the button. "Guess that means prom night's wrapping up." She places the linchpin in her purse and starts for the doors. "This one got a little weird anyhow."
“Oh no, but it’s been so magical.” Chanel deadpans, following. She does take her own half shot of Absolut, and catches up to Mary Grace to slide the remainder into her purse in the most bare show of public affection she’ll likely ever give. But recompense feels right. That was strange. The cicadas’ mourning isn’t sitting well with her. This loss is palpable. She draws on the resolve she’d felt only a few moments before, and steps onward. It’s time to end it.
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peckenpaugh2020-06-01 11:18 am
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
The magimagicicada who burns like a campfire brushes their fingers over the Wildgulch symbol and then freezes. The whole tree seems to glow from within, and the cicadas' screams pitch up to a deafening roar.
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
"Me next. What do I do?"
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
What? They deserve it.
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
MEMORY: What Went Wrong
MEMORY: What Went Wrong - COMPLETE
The vodka Maisy spits on the Deeplurk symbol freezes immediately on the surface, a fractal of ice skirting over the bark. The carving itself shines a deep, pine green and Maisy is invigorated, unstoppable, safe.
The young magimagicicada jumps to slap his steaming hand against the sigil, and when he does, the tree shakes. The cicadas overhead stop screaming, and the memory starts to play once more.
Lights, red and green and pink and blue, shoot up from the base of the tree into the canopy. They thread through branches and out into leaves, bathing everything in the central green in a dazzling light show, brilliant even in midday.
All around, panicked students and staff stop to stare at the display. One side flourishes, growing full and green, while the other drops its leaves, its seeds, and seems to die.
Pocket gives up her struggle to keep Zelda from the tree, but the fight seems to drain from the future Charms teacher, as well. Each of the remaining magimagicicada turn to face the maple, half-dead, half-alive, and perhaps not yet entirely safe. One by one, they each take flight, up into the branches, where they disappear, until only Pocket is left. She sinks to her knees.
The cicadas start to cry, not the song of summer but something strange. Low and keening, a song of mourning.
"Tink? Tinkerbell, what's happening?" Zelda asks softly, kneeling beside the party bug.
"They are gone. We were used to—to open a door," Pocket whispers, shoulders slumping. "And something is slipping through."
"Is it—is—I want to help," Zelda says. Overhead, that mourning song sounds less like singing and more like anguished wails.
Pocket won't look at her, staring intently as the ground. "More is coming. I don't know what. They won't tell me. I'm too young. Too close to..."
"Peter," Zelda finishes, lighting her hand on the party bug's arms. "Where is he? What's going on?"
Pocket turns to Zelda, red eyes wide, expression drawn. After a moment she holds out her hand, palm up and open, and in the center, a simple brass button. "He's gone. He gave them his heart. We had no choice."
Zelda doesn't understand Pocket's words, but she seems to recognize the button well enough. As her fingers hover over the little circle, hesitant, like touching it might break it, the whole scene freezes once more. The button begins to shine gold. No glowing lights in the tree. No crying cicadas. Just silence, frozen forms, and a portal back to Peckenpaugh across the Central Green, where the doors to Central Classrooms stand wide open.
[MEMORY COMPLETE! You have finished the puzzle. You may continue to thread here or exit through the portal. The linchpin is the button. Don't forget to grab it before you go!]
MEMORY: What Went Wrong - COMPLETE
"Well, Peter," she mutters, squinting at the button. "Guess that means prom night's wrapping up." She places the linchpin in her purse and starts for the doors. "This one got a little weird anyhow."
MEMORY: What Went Wrong - COMPLETE
She does take her own half shot of Absolut, and catches up to Mary Grace to slide the remainder into her purse in the most bare show of public affection she’ll likely ever give. But recompense feels right. That was strange. The cicadas’ mourning isn’t sitting well with her. This loss is palpable. She draws on the resolve she’d felt only a few moments before, and steps onward. It’s time to end it.
MEMORY: What Went Wrong - COMPLETE
MEMORY: What Went Wrong - COMPLETE
Re: MEMORY: What Went Wrong - COMPLETE
Upon emerging from the memory out into the auditorium, the portal snapped shut behind them.
While Zelda Gunzenhauser remains trapped somewhere within the nightmare tree, the magimagicicada North, South, East and West were freed!
You can check your token totals in Pouch's shop here, and maybe see if there's anything worth grabbing while you're there!