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Was she supposed to feel this cold?
A strange chill travelled its way up and through her body, her furry skin proving to be little to no help to aid this unsettling sense. Even with her thick, cocoa fur, she couldn’t battle the frost that clung strangely in the air. Hooves trembling and teeth chattering, she found herself attempting to huddle into the white sheet that she called a dress for some sort of warmth, but it was also bearing nothing against this strange coldness. It was incredibly… odd actually. And when she realised that she was alone here, it proved only to worsen. Isolation was arguably even more bitter than snow itself. Yet, the one thing that didn’t make her feel so alone, was the moon. Upon closer inspection, the moon had a strange, yellow tint to it, as if it were a giant light bulb that had been twisted into the cosmos. It slightly resembled an off white baseball. How peculiar.
“what a strange moon, it's like… nothing I have ever seen before…”
Noelle’s mumbles filled the room with noise, dulling the silence that clung to the walls.She had an odd habit of muttering to herself, whether that be incoherent strings of sentences or full blown conversations, she found quite a comfort residing in it. It helped her practice for actually talking to others. Besides, it’s not like anyone is necessarily willing to listen to her, except… A shaky sigh escaped her little red nose. She would have loved this, such a daring, new world to explore, a new adventure to brag about over the campfire, or within the secrecy of the darkness, between beds, when Mother was asleep, or in between bursts of giggles on their way back home from school. But that was impossible now. Her body seemed to sink within itself, head hanging low.
“This world…”
…
“I wish Dess could see this…”
…
It had been a little while since Noelle had been abruptly pulled into the quietude of her own personal room, but she was completely frozen to her position on the bed in fear. Goodness knows what was lurking round the corners, hidden in the darkness, waiting to pounce. All she could do is adjust her sight to see within the gloom and take in her surroundings. Walls were painted treacle black, adorned with cold and chrismassy imagery: snowflakes, spruce trees caked with white, the powdery specks glinting in the moonlight’s wake. Even a calendar, full of the 25th day of the last month of the year. It was all very fitting, very specific to Noelle herself. Had the Queen made this for her, specifically? It was quite… nice here actually, and Noelle allowed herself to admire the artisanship, even if she was locked in here…. Wherever here was.
Well, wherever she was, it was incredibly cold. And rather lonely. And oh-so dark. The only thing that illuminated those feelings was, of course, the Moon. She looked at it again, allowing it to catch a glint in her eye, the sensation dancing on the tips of her retinas, locking her in a trance. A trance long enough to not register the door opening and the distant crackle of electricity nearby, not until several moments later. Freakishly tall figures of pink, blue and yellow, cackling with their zaps of lightning pricking their bodies.
“H-Hey!” Noelle yelled, cowering in the corner of her bed, “You can’t capture someone who has already been c-captured!”
But in an instant, they were gone. The Werewires were hit with some strange force, some magical matter of a deep purple colour, launching themselves at the Werewires, firing in chevron shapes that disappeared upon impact, encased in a lighter, purple flame. They exploded in a flurry of glitter as fast as they arrived, and with that, Noelle brought herself out of the cower she huddled herself in. Just in case, she backed herself to the window, and brought her hands from her face to her knees. Both of them, gone.. But who..? No one was in front of her, just the snowflake-covered walls that were painted in a deep black, which made it ever-so difficult to even see properly. However, at the corner of her left eye the soft glow of purple and the slight crackle of fire caught her attention. Holding onto the bed post, Noelle slowly peered round the corner, and - oh my goodness. The familiarity of the pinkish scales that caught onto the flickering cinders that omit from the large axe that lay comfortably on one of her shoulders almost made her fall off the bed in awe. “EEK-!” Noelle yelled, just about catching herself at the edge and pulling herself up, her blonde hair flapping in front of her face. Yet Noelle could still see her piercing yellow eyes, ignited by the flame staring right at her, two halos shining in the darkness.
“S-Susie..!” Noelle shrilled, “I.. didn’t e-expect to see you here.. Uh-hmm.. Goodness, you- you saved me…?”
A guffaw escaped Susie’s lips. “The one and only,” she dis-ignited her giant axe and kept it on her shoulder, walking a little closer to the reindeer, “don’t get used to it, Holiday.” A smile, just a small one, played on Susie’s lips, but goodness, that was enough to send Noelle’s stomach spinning.
“Thank Saint Nicholas,” Noelle thought, “Thank God it’s her.” It's not like she particularly hated everyone else, goodness no! Regardless of who it was, she would be glad that she had been saved. Again. But it was Susie. Someone who, seemingly, never even knew Noelle existed up until this point. She was practically bursting at the seams with embarrassment and excitement, still clasped to the bedpost, in fear of falling again. In a desperate attempt to hide her strange concoction of feelings, she tensed through a simple crooked smile, but all she wanted to do, on the inside, was to jump, laugh, scream and cry all at once! God, how she fell was so… embarrassing, what a mess she was creating, and Susie had only just arrived-! It was only when she recognised the yellow-toothed snarl and the tall, purple stoic structure of her saviour clad in heavy leather and spiked boots that she began to feel a sense of relief. She felt a genuine, yet rather embarrassed expression glow on her face, her eyes widening and hair standing on the ends - she swore she felt her nose glow red too! Oh gosh, and the way she smiled when she told her to “not get used to it?” It was small, but oh so genuine, so real. Noelle thought she was about to melt like ice on a midsummer's day right there and then!
After the scare of those Werewires appearing out of nowhere - and rather rudely Noelle may add - she found that her Knight in dangerously spiked armour had come to save her once again. It was funny actually, and rather ironic that Susie, of all of her companions, would be the one to burst through the door and remind her of her role in this game being the Damsel in Distress. She was half expecting Berdly to show up, to boast about his achievement of ‘saving’ his ‘Player Two’ again, whatever that meant. She actually felt.. Safer with the notion that Susie had come to rescue her. Her almost lifelong, sort of secret crush had been the one to save her from the bad guys. “Thank god, thank Saint Nicholas it’s Susie,” is all she could keep thinking, as her mouth was getting wickedly dry.
“Cool moon.”
Susie’s gruff voice broke the silence, as she walked just in front of the bed that Noelle was atop of, staring at the sky that lay outside of the window. All Noelle could do was nod gently in agreement. Both of their gazes were locked to the Moon now, actually. In such a perfect position in the night’s sky, it was rather hard not to stare. Even if she looked somewhat different - her iridescence shedding a different, new light - she still provided some solace and comfort for the two. It still told ballads of the nights once passed and the symphonies of stories before the night cascaded its dark shroud along the land. At last, light shed in a world of darkness, and with it, Susie could feel her shoulders drop with relaxation from just the sight of it, her axe sliding off her shoulders and now leaning against Susie’s hand, standing upright. Even Noelle didn’t seem as taut as before, untensing her body, sinking into herself a little. Yet, it seemed the comfort that radiated within the dimly lit, rather cold room did not wholly generate from the grace of the Moon herself, but rather from the two other girls that shone within her yellow-tinted light. It was strange that such a bond could blossom from the fountains of the dark, two beings of polar opposites, one whose interest sparked further than the typical friendship, and the other, as clueless as ever. For a short while the silence didn’t seem awkward. There was no use for words, for they had found comfort with the acknowledgement and realisation of each other, without needing to utter a single thing. And this? This never happened to either of them before. It was .. wonderful.
“B..but it’s weird isn’t it…? How did we get here?” Noelle felt her mouth blurt out the first thing that came to mind again, ”No, what even is this place?”
Noelle’s inquisitive question took poor Susie by surprise. It was a valid query, but frankly Susie had not the slightest idea on how to go about answering it. They could be anywhere at this rate. Sure, she had learnt that this “place” bestowed the name “Cyber World'', but it was rather hard to tell where this “Cyber World'' actually was. Was this.. “Cyber World” connected to Castle Town at all? Hell, were they all still even on Earth? Amongst the flashing lights, digital theme and new adventures, there was not a hint at all as to where they all could be. That didn't matter too much to Susie. The less she knew, the more she could find out, and that was the beauty of it, really, the art of the unknown. But it was clear Noelle didn’t see it the same way at all. Not at the beginning, anyways. Now? It seemed she had grown at least a little accustomed to the new world, maybe except for the fact she kept getting kidnapped.
It was true that Susie got rather worried for the reindeer, after seeing her get whisked away in a cage more times than she could count it's no wonder Susie didn’t collapse out of paranoia. Was only natural to agree to see if she was safe or not personally. See, Susie was very good at hiding how she felt, and worry was no different. Poor girl was almost sick from worry, actually, and not just for Noelle, but for everyone she cared for, or uh, tolerates. Yeah, Noelle was tolerable. Underneath that ‘teachers pet’ facade she was actually… rather nice to be around. Almost worryingly so. Yet, she never looked into it, she never pondered on things and got overworked on it, she never over thought anything actually, she allowed it to come and go as life intended, not interfering.
“Uh-hmm.. Susie-?”
Oh! Susie seemed to jump at Noelle's voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. Noelle no longer had her back fully turned to Susie, but instead turned her whole body. Her gown, elegantly flowing around her, the sequins shaped like tiny snowflakes glistened in the full moon’s embrace, the same shimmer catching her eyes. Wide, full of wonder, curiosity, innocence. It was.. Entrancing. Now that she thought about it, ever since they had met down in the Cyber World, Susie hadn’t taken a second to notice Noelle’s appearance, but now, she felt like she couldn’t draw her eyes away from taking her all in. For a moment, they locked their eyes - just for a second - but no doubt to the both of them, it felt like a sweet eternity. That was enough to bring the bright red blush back to Noelle’s furry face, and even Susie felt the scales on her cheeks flare up ever so slightly, as they both averted their eyes away into a random corner of the room.
“Uhm… Uhhh, it's um…”
Susie mumbled, simply pursing her lips and furrowing her eyebrows trying to think of some answer that could be somewhat believable, but nothing could come to mind. I mean, none of this, to anyone, was normal, and no one would believe this in a million years. A world hidden within a computer lab and a school closet? Those are the type of stories people would laugh at you for trying to tell. “Quick,” she thought, “what would Kris say–?”
“It’s a dream!” she pointed, “ Uhhh.. you’re just having a dream!”
“A dream…?”
Of course, that was the only logical explanation for a situation like this. It was simple really, Noelle must have fallen asleep to the sound of Berdly’s incoherent ramblings, and he was too wrapped up in his words to bother waking her up. It’s not like he’d notice anyways, he never gave her much of a chance to speak regardless. And inevitably, her eyes fluttered shut, only waking in some magical realm full of wires, Queens and cages, the realm of dreams. A dream which, really, she didn’t necessarily want to wake from. Hell, this applied to any dream with Susie involved, and tonight - today? - she felt that feeling tighten her chest more than it ever had done before. Her hand reached for that stinging, throbbing sensation that resided in her chest, forever caged tight by her ribs. “Maybe it would be best that way, to keep it locked away,” she thought, “it’s just a dream.” For the longest time she had tried to deny what she felt towards the gallant, rebellious, unhinged Susie, but it was the recurring dreams like this that drew Noelle to her more and more. Susie was magnetic, charming in the strangest way possible, and when Noelle told her father about her unpredictable crush, she knew then that it was over. Noelle had fallen in love with someone who barely knew she existed, and her dreams were the only way to connect with Susie. This was no different. It’s just a dream. Noelle felt her arms droop slightly, the panging against her heart dropping to her stomach.
“Ah. I thought that may have been the case, that's why you’re here, isn’t it..?” She muttered, a pitiful smile straining on her face.
She blinked a few times. The sad tinge hinted in Noelle's words concerned Susie slightly. Had she said something wrong? Did Noelle know she was lying? Noticing Noelle’s grip on the hem of her white dress tighten, she leaned her axe against a corner of the room, and sat at the edge of the bed, trying to keep a decent distance between her and Noelle. Now, they were both basked in the moonlight, the luminescence glinting against Susie’s scales and mustard eyes, the eyes Noelle wouldn’t dare look into again, afraid by the notion that she would fall even deeper into her feelings.
“What do you mean, ‘ that’s why I’m here?’” Susie asked, her tone deepening, a slight bit of desperation clinging to her tongue.
“Because the real Susie wouldn’t be here to save me. The real Susie is nothing like my dream Susie. She’s big a- and scary and… She hates everyone! W- well, except maybe Kris. And uh -hmm. That’s probably it. Hah.”
That, to Susie, felt like a bullet launching through her chest, piercing right through her heart, the aftermath’s stinging sensation sending blood trickling from her gaping wound. It seemed to hurt so much because she knew, really, that it was all true. She had a lasting and quite frankly, terrifying reputation of being a ruthless, relentless bully who pushed kids into lockers, got suspended for sparking fights and committing vandalism - not to mention her endless list of detentions that she never bothered attending. For so long, Susie was known universally as someone who everyone needed to steer clear of, her demeanour a far cry from that of Noelle’s. No one dared to approach her, to apprehend her, to try and acquaint her, and for years, she had always preferred it that way: to be encased in her own world. But when she fell into a new world, her heart changed, her morale grew, she blossomed into something entirely new.
And it hurt, to infinite degrees, that Noelle couldn’t see this.
“You don’t know that.” Her voice seemed to hold a bite of coldness within it. Of course it was not intentional, it was simply a force of habit.
“I mean, the real Susie never picked on you, did she? Do you ever wonder why she uhm… ‘spared’ you?” Susie continued.
Noelle sighs dreamily, sinking into herself again, eyes wandering into thought. “All the time…”
“That's because you were kind. Kind to someone who, well, at one point, hated everyone.”
That was enough to send Noelle’s heart racing and thoughts spinning spirals all over again. Susie thought she was kind. Kind. What a funny, sweet little word! Kind… The more she thought of it, the more it didn’t sound real, but, Goodness, did it sound heavenly coming out of Susie’s mouth, the word tingling the edge of her tongue like something deliciously sweet. Kind… Yet… Isn’t this just a figment of her imagination? An amalgamation of everything Noelle wanted Susie to be like? Another pang shot through her chest, as she kneeled limp on the bed, basking in a glorious, white light.
“You aren’t real,” she muttered, “You’re just what I want you to be.”
“Well maybe I can be what you want me to be. I can be real to you.”
Something otherworldly engulfed Susie, making her inch even closer to the reindeer.
“The real Susie would save you, and I’m living proof of that.” Susie’s voice now reduced to a whisper, as if she didn’t want the world to hear. “What you’re hearing is real, even if I’m, well, even if I’m not real.”
Just for the Noelle felt like she was floating, dancing among the stars in space, swimming with the asteroids along the vast sea of the never ending void. For the first time ever, the two locked glances. Not just for a second, nor by accident, but for what seemed like an eternity, and on purpose, Great yellow pupils that caught the glimmer of the stars perfectly, the same shimmer lighting up her purple scales like silver tinsel against the fire. Deep pools of gold that reminded Noelle of the star atop the Christmas trees, eyes she felt herself getting lost in. Susie’s hushed words racked around her brain. Susie, for as long as she could remember, was the feared antagonist of the school. Tyrannical and brutal in nature, she’d roam the halls with a clenched fist and a wicked snarl; it was safe to say the halls would turn desolate whilst she was there. She’d exert a presence even the scariest of teachers couldn’t crack. Even with consistent threats of exclusion or even expulsion, she continued her ways, terrorising the school and its inhabitants to no end. Her peers thought she was a heartless creature, a freak, a monster.
So hearing Susie speak from the heart baffled Noelle completely.
“The pencil,” Susie continued, her voice returning to its usual volume, eyes not wavering from gazing into her own. She shuffled and sat on the bed next to Noelle, legs dangling off the white sheets. “That stupid pencil that didn’t even taste like a candy cane or even work properly, it was all blunt and clearly very much used; I still have it.” Susie admits, her nostrils letting out a small huff, another grin plastered on her face. “You were the first person who showed me an ounce of kindness at that stupid school. Despite my… roughness, you didn’t seem to shy away - even from me! I think that day I decided you weren’t so bad.” Susie seems to nod to herself, lingering on that thought. “Yeah, I decided you were gonna be spared. I just wish that I wasn’t so much of a dick to everyone sometimes. Okay, maybe just a few people, because most of the others in that class are morons, but I’ve learnt a lot these past couple days: being…. Nice…. Not as bad as I thought it would be. ‘Kindness’ can actually get me somewhere.”
Susie’s eyes detached from Noelle’s, causing a deep pang in Noelle’s stomach to churn her insides upside down. ‘Nicer.’ Susie - dream Susie claimed that the real Susie wanted to be nicer..? And that she kept that stupid pencil? Noelle couldn’t help but grin sheepishly from ear to ear, her little red nose now emitting a soft, subtle glow. All she could muster was a little nod, at that moment.
Allowing a mild moment of silence to persist, Noelle, from some divine power, cupped her furred hooves around Susie’s large claws, and despite shivering from nervousness, locking eyes again. Susie's face seemed to drop, her mustard eyes wide, her mouth clasped together out of nervousness.
"We- Well, if it helps? I- I believe in you, but that doesn't mean you should change who you are entirely-! I mean all your characteristics m- make up who you are, and y- you being Susie is... is a great thing! Crazy, scary, i- intimidating Susie. Who e- else could storm into the Sadie Hawkman dance and start actually snacking on the microphones? Who else can eat chalk faster than you? Who else can f- fall asleep as fast as you can in lesson? - Okay maybe Kris can, b- but that's not my point!! Wh- what I am trying to say is...." Noelle took a big breath in, not even noticing that their hands had remained intertwined. "...I- I like you for who you are," her voice hushed to a squeaking whisper, "whether that be Dream Susie or Real Susie, I like you because y- you do all those reckless, s- stupid things, all the things I'm afraid to do." Noelle continued to relentlessly ramble on, whilst Susie sat dumbfounded. "S-sure, you've pushed kids into lockers, stole their lunch money and pushed them i- into puddles of mud, b- but this adventure, this dream - i- its shown me that you're brave, witty, and d- deep down? You're selfless. Heck, you're here right now, to save me! Even if its all a dream, n- never change. P- Please?"
Noelle, despite having a slight incline to be dastardly afraid of Susie, meekly shuffled closer. Susie's large, battle worn claws glinting under the pale moonlight, its cold scales warming up under Noelle's soft, gentile hands. Never change? Meaning, Susie was liked for her idiocy? For her recklessness? And Noelle...
"Are you not.. afraid of me?" Susie muttered, unmoving, "You think I'm cool, 'cos I did all those stupid things?"
"E-eh? No of course not! Susie, I enjoy being around you, why did you th- think I insisted we share the tea cup ride? Wh- Why do you think I t- told everyone that Kris put me behind you?"
"...Oh." Was all Susie could muster, feeling a little dumbfounded.
"...I er. 'Enjoy' being around you too- but don't tell anyone I said that, alright!" Susie's cheeks flared a deep red, releasing from her grip on Noelle's hands to point at her in a jokingly threatening way. "Your secret is s- safe with me!" She said, her giggles lighting the entire room up with their sounds in response, accompanied with Susie's loud guffaws. As if automatically, Susie's hand slid between one of Noelle's, clasping them together, the two now intertwined. Noelle's mind raced with her rapid heartbeats, her nose glowing an iridescent red. "I bet they're w- wondering where we are, maybe we should head back?" She turns to leave, but is halted by Susie's grip on her hand.
"Stay," She muttered, now glowing pink, "Well- Dreams don't last forever, so y'know! Stay! We can hang out a little while longer!"
Noelle's face lit up, as she hurried back to her spot on the bed, both the girls now facing the strange moon. That is what she hoped she would have said, and inside? She prayed that she'd never even wake up, if it meant spending time with Susie.
-----------------------------------------------
"Hey, Noelle?"
"Y- yes Susie?"
"D'ya wanna do me a favour?"
"S- Sure!"
"...Make sure you hang out with Real Susie when you wake up. Talk to her. I think that box of chalk was a selling point to 'er, actually. The pink one's are her favourite, and don't get the stupid thin ones that snap to easily! They suck! Just... be around her, 'kay? I think she might like that."
With a smile, she leaned against Susie's broad shoulders, the two basked under the pale moonlight.
"Okay."