My Best Friend Is A Twisted?!
🖤 Hehe yeah I wanted to write more Vivi and Gourdy hours I'll never get my large projects done atp lol
Anyways -
Vivi goes back to Gardenview solo one day to visit an old friend, just to find out he became a twisted - will her fear of twisteds make this bond end or will she be able to ignore that just for him? (Uh the tags will ruin the suspense of this but shhhh) 🖤
🧡 Caretaker Shanon au is mine!! 🧡
🎃 Come on fam let's get spooky in November together pfft
@soupiestzilla @crayons-are-yummyy @c-horses @go1dfish24 @fbpanimations @stormflypirateskin @foxythefox150 (hey just ask if you wanna be added idm adding more people - and remind me if I forget anyone I have short term memory loss sorry) 🎃
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The day was cool, the autumn breeze was gentle and carried the smells of pumpkin spice and fallen leaves, the trees were now all oranges and reds and the world was calm and at ease. The Halloween decorations were down, the music had long since ended, the haunting reminders of the one main who truly understood her at first now were gone...
And Vivi was not coping with it whatsoever.
She was sat in the middle of the yard, trembling in the middle of the leaf pile, her breathing shaky as she stared down at the jack-o-lantern themed sweater she wore and the matching green and orange striped scarf Sprout found in his closet and immediately gave to her, no questions asked. She stared at her shaking hands as she mentally questioned why.
Why wasn't he there?
Why couldn't she see him?
Why did Gi tell her that seeing him was a bad idea?
Why didn't he show up for Halloween?
Why..?
Why was the only one who gave her a chance, no questions asked, forced away from her?
Why couldn't she stop herself from thinking about him so often, why was she so worried about him?
Why did it feel wrong to celebrate Halloween without him?
She choked on a sob as she slowly stood up, and soon, without even telling anyone, she ran. Ran off to the one place she swore she never go back to alone, off to the one place she went to that never made her feel welcomed or loved, to the one place she never even wanted to return to but did anyways because she wanted to keep her girlfriend safe.
She was running back to Gardenview, head down, sobbing, not even wearing shoes as she was just going to sit outside in the grass in her pumpkin themed outfit and enjoy the autumn air. Though now? Now she had a mission, she had to find peace and comfort and answers. So... Many... Answers.
She broke in the same way Shanon did months ago, hacking the same system Vee did just to let herself in, knowing exactly how to get to who she needed to talk to this way. She went down the same hallway Shanon did, not even blinking at any of the old signs of the golden days as she walked, keeping her head down, her mind focused, her body shaking. She went down the same elevator, walking through the same employee only doors, walking right past the same toon rooms she once would pop into often and say warm good mornings to the other mains on her floor. She kicked open the doors to the lobby before she took a deep breath, then wiped her face clean of tears and emotions before she finally looked up. Dyle was at his spot.
Perfect.
She walked over to him silently, stared up at him for a good minute, then slammed her hand on the counter for his attention. He jumped out of his half awake state with a jolt, then blinked a few times at the robot before smiling a small, sleepy smile as he posed like he was expecting a photo to be taken. Vivi couldn't help but sadly smile at it, Dyle's humor never failed to make her feel a little better even on her worst days. Especially since they both understood each other far better than any other toons...
"You know, I'm not even going to try to be formal, Ver-"
"Vivi now, I'm Vivi."
"OH??? Vivi is so cute for you, so fitting, you MUST have such an elegant name with it. Vivian would suit you quite nicely, you little pretty princess of a robot." Dyle sweetly replied, gently patting the other on the head as he talked, obviously just yapping from the pure joy he felt from seeing her again after so long. Vivi just burst out laughing at the idea of her having such an elegant name, though she knew she didn't have an argument for it. Especially not in the outfit she was in right now- she honestly looked like she was going to go to a fall fair and hang out with her best friends honestly. Especially with the pumpkin toppers on the end of her antenna, the pumpkin themed leggings she wore under her orange knee length skirt-
Yeah... Definitely giving Fall Princess.
"Yeah, but I prefer Vivi, it's short and easy for kids to pronounce."
"I see I see, yeah I might go back up there for a day or two honestly, take a break from getting supplies for clones. Wait a minute why are you even here darling? And don't you tell me it was because of me, you know you can see me in the park every weekend." Dyle pointed out gently, poking where Vivi's nose should be afterwards, teasing her gently without saying a thing. Vivi giggled at it, being quite thankful he did that as she would've honestly broke down crying if he didn't do anything silly to keep herself together right now.
"Oh uh, I wanted to request a favor, actually-"
"Halloween Floor?" He piped up, making Vivi immediately tense as she nodded slowly. Dyle just nodded once, flicked a switch, then smiled wide.
"Anything for you and Gi, okay? There's no need for tears..."
"I just miss him..."
"I bet... Come on then, I'll use the main train to take you, you can even sit with me in the front."
"I'd like that... Thank you..."
Dyle just nodded once before he adjusted the other trains through his levers, then he turned and vanished behind the wall in the back of his work area. He soon popped out again through the nearby employees only door, which he closed and locked behind himself before he happily walked over to Vivi's side and offered his free hand, the other holding up the chain attached to his head. Vivi just took it silently, taking a deep breath as she gripped it tight.
"He's okay, right..?" She asked quietly, getting a shrug from the clock who stood beside her right now.
"I have no idea, I don't leave the lobby too often now, not since Gi helped me realize what I was actually doing as a twisted myself. By just... Existing... Tiredly... Funny how that happened."
"I remember her mentioning that... And that fight with Dandy... Rough."
"Yeah, he sent his dog after her too, that's why I snuck her on the train the next day. I couldn't get that look on her face out of my head for weeks... Train's here." Dyle stated, pointing at the empty train station they were standing at now, which they had walked to together mid conversation. Vivi looked over just as the train slowly emerged from the tunnels and came to a stop, the automatic doors soon swinging open as a chime played to inform anyone waiting for the train that it had arrived.
"Train magician."
"Oh, no I just memorized the train schedules and it was precisely the time the train should've arrived. After you, my lovely yuri fan." Dyle stated, motioning for her to get onto the train. Vivi just laughed as she carefully climbed onto the train cart, and watched as he followed her closely, the duo soon going through the cars just to get to the control room together, Dyle now taking the lead since he knew the trains better than genuinely anyone else - for good reason. He was the one who always managed them, the one who did maintenance, the one who did basically anything with them now. He loved his trains, and it definitely showed with how nicely kept and well polished every single thing on those train cars were. Vivi just silently admired it though as she followed Dyle closely, though that changed the second they were in control of the train.
Specifically, the second she found out she could easily reach the train's horn.
"May I?"
"Oh, yea, absolutely go ahead."
"I didn't even point to it-"
"No, everyone loves the train horn though, just remember it's really loud." Dyle pointed out with an excited smile as he messed with his train whistle, near bouncing from joy in his spot from the pure excitement of sharing his train driving experience with another toon. Vivi just nodded once and grabbed the handle to the horn and pulled it down, the two immediately laughing at the loud and hilariously cartoony sounding horn sound that came out of it. It sounded like your stereotypical children's show train horn... It definitely was not meant to be used for its true purpose.
"Oh my god, not even the trains have normal sounds do they?!"
"Haha, nope! It's hilarious isn't it!"
"Very!"
The two laughed even more together as they drove the train to the Halloween themed floor, though when they arrived, Vivi went silent. It was as dark and scary looking as she remembered it to be, the haunted music still played, the same decor was up from years ago. Vivi shook as she covered her mouth with a hand, staring out the side window as the train slowly pulled to a stop.
"D-Dyle..."
"Take as long as you need, I put the permanent breaks on so we can stay here as long as you want."
"Stay close to me please..."
"Yes ma'am." He replied quietly, putting his arm around Vivi and pulling her close, letting her regain her composure for as long as she needed. Which was five minutes, not long but he would've happily stayed for longer if he was needed. So after Vivi was back to being willing to actually leave the train, the duo did so, Dyle soon gently handing Vivi a flashlight before pulling out his own.
"Keep it close, sometimes the lights flicker on other floors, and I don't want anyone getting hurt because they can't see."
"Dyle... I emit light, from my screen." Vivi pointed out gently, making the clock pause and look at her, then sigh at his own dumbass realization.
"You know, I probably should've realized that sooner."
"It's alright, you were just trying to look out for..." Vivi trailed off as she slowly looked around Dyle, staring off towards the mansion. Dyle seemed to notice as he turned and looked at where she was looking, just as a leaf vanished behind the wall, whoever it belonging to now was deep in the mansion. Whoever it was also had Vivi's full attention now, as she nudged him softly as she started walking away.
"That was him... I just know it..."
"Are you sure-?"
"Absolutely sure." She replied quietly as she rushed off, soon full on running towards the mansion despite it not even being that far away. Dyle took his time following her, mostly because he was terrified of his chain making too loud of a clanking noise and startling the poor kid, who didn't exactly know him at all considering they were both forced to stay in two different areas for the entire time Gardenview was open. That and Vivi was fast, very fast, running like her life depended on it around the haunted house. Running until she ran into one of them... And not the one she was exactly looking for. She had ran nearly face first into Eclipse, who was definitely very much a twisted and immediately was looking at her like she was her next meal.
Which, obviously, scared the hell out of Vivi as she immediately started screaming as she ran away, well- tried to. She wasn't really knowledgeable in the layout of the house so she kinda accidentally... Cornered herself. Eclipse didn't give up, she just kept chasing her the entire time, and seemed quite pleased when Vivi cornered herself like that, as she just kept approaching as she drooled ichor and growled at her. Taunting her as she approached her prey, watching as Vivi shut down (not literally) and froze up, staring back at the wolf twisted with tears streaming down her screen and her body shaking hard, obviously desperately begging her body to move while it wouldn't. She couldn't move. She couldn't get away. She just hid her face with her hands and sobbed, doing the only thing she knew she could do - just wait for the inevitable.
But it didn't come.
Instead Eclipse was heard running away and whimpering as another twisted growled instead, obviously protecting her. Vivi slowly looked up at the new presence and was stunned by who she saw...
It was Gourdy, now twisted, using his elongated black body to protect her from the wolf that just tried to murder her. He had the upper half of his body hunched over, his hands on the floor, eyes focused on the twisted that had ran away until he turned and looked at her with the same, overly huge and adorable eyes she remembered from years ago, even if they were now bright red instead of the white she remembered them being.
"Gourdy..?"
"Miss Vee..?"
"You remember me..?"
"Why wouldn't I? You're like, the coolest- but... You shouldn't be here..." The twisted softly replied, but he didn't move, as Vivi was now gently holding his face in her hands and wiping away the ichor filled tears from his red eyes, the robot looking concerned as she did so. Gourdy looked concerned as well, though he was concerned for her safety, not his own.
"I know... I broke in to see you again... I missed my baby brother so much..." Vivi whispered as she leaned over and gave his forehead a kiss, getting a confused sounding squeak from the twisted - who genuinely thought she'd be terrified of him, and not in the fun Halloween way. She instead was tending to him like he never changed, like nothing ever changed, like they were still the two oddly adorable pair of best friends they were years ago.
Like everything was okay, even though it wasn't.
"Why aren't you scared of me..?"
"Nothing could make me scared of you, Mr. Holloway."
"Not even a silly scare..?"
"Okay fine, you can scare me sometimes, but- this, this isn't scaring me away, nothing will make me leave you forever. You're my baby brother, we shared so much together, you... You made me love Halloween, and... It's honestly my favorite holiday because of you. I thought about you as I carved every pumpkin, I tried picking out some decorations and a pumpkin for you too, even though you weren't there. I even... I made another star for you, and I put it on a bracelet, because I remembered you... You wanted... One so bad..." Vivi explained as she slowly started to cry again, though it was no longer out of heartbreak and desperation to see him again. This was pure joy of finally being able to not only see Gourdy, but touch him again, hold him close and tell him everything, reassure him that she never forgot about him, that she was always there for him now. Gourdy was confused and terrified of accidentally hurting her in this new form, but instead of showing that to the one who was shaking and trying her hardest not to break down - he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, putting his head on her shoulder like he always did when she used to pick him up and carry him around to show him everything she found interesting on the floor. She just hugged back tightly, still acting like nothing changed.
Like eleven years didn't pass by and he wasn't a twisted.
Like everything was normal.
"Where did you even go..?"
"Well... Uh... Funny story-"
"They locked you away too, didn't they Miss Vee?" Gourdy softly asked, making Vivi tense up tight and glance at his face.
"How did-"
"I was locked away... I broke the wall... I was bad..."
"No, no honey you were just trying to live, you must've been so scared. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you..." Vivi whispered softly, giving Gourdy yet another kiss on the top of his head. The pumpkin just snuggled a little closer, desperate for his big sister's attention, while Dyle slowly came over - his clock markings now covered in glow in the dark pumpkin stickers. The hands on his clock had bat stickers - also glow in the dark.
Elegant. Very elegant.
"Hey Vivi I found st- oh I am so sorry I won't interrupt."
"No you're fine Dyle, we're just catching up on-" She paused when she noticed his face, then snorted as she covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. Gourdy, now suspicious yet curious, slowly lifted up his head and upper body, letting go of Vivi just to look down at Dyle at his full height. Well - kind of, his little stubby legs were all still folded under him so he was laying, but he still was quite tall despite that. Dyle just waved an smiled, knowing all too well that Gourdy was just a kid, and one that probably wouldn't hurt him - unlike Toodles who acted like she had rabies.
"Greetings, I'm Dyle Timesly, the train master. Pleasure meeting you, Mister Holloway."
"You look silly!" Gourdy pointed out excitedly, making Dyle laugh as he nodded, while Vivi finally also burst out laughing herself at the sight.
"He looks quite goofy, doesn't he?"
"Very goofy, he's so silly!"
"Yes yes, I am just a silly guy, I am not a threat, please do not eat me I am just silly." Dyle reassured nervously, though he soon was proven that he had nothing to worry about as he was pulled into a tight hug from the very excited twisted, who just seemed to want to be in the company of others again. Dyle soon was hugging him back, while Vivi soon was sitting down on the floor, head in her hands, exhausted.
"My head is spinning..."
"You've been extremely emotional, my dear friend. Maybe we should all just take a rest, maybe we can share stories and just, not think about everything for a good minute." Dyle suggested, getting a happy gasp from Gourdy as his now massive leafy tail wagged.
"Or I can show you around again, big sis! I'm really strong, I think I can carry you now!" Gourdy excitedly mentioned, getting Vivi's attention as she looked over the now twisted fully for the first time. Sure he looked normal from the top, but after that... He looked honestly just like one really big black caterpillar, with six stubby little legs and a very long leafy tail behind them. It went from dark green to the green she remembered him being, leaves growing everywhere from it, though it was definitely obvious he was still very much a pumpkin. She soon looked closer at his ichor-like body, realizing that it wasn't actually fully black - it was very dark orange, his feet and legs still being green- just extremely dark now. He was still a pumpkin... He was just - an ichor stained one. She slowly managed to get back on her feet and shuffled over to where his original body connected to his new one, then slowly wrapped her arms around him as she slowly sat down on his back, swinging one leg over him like he was a horse. Gourdy stayed extremely still, even though his tail was still very much wagging, he was still and quiet as she hugged him and leaned against him.
"Onwards, brother!"
"What about Mister Timesly?"
"Oh I'm fine I don't need to be carried, I'm more of the uh, emotional support bestie here-"
"Nah, nah get on Dyle we're going on a trip." Vivi stated with an exhausted smile, getting a sigh from him as he soon joined her on the excited Twisteds back, hugging her tight for comfort and support.
"Fine... Just for you..."
"Onwards, brother!" Vivi loudly repeated now that the two were on together, and Gourdy just got onto his stubby little caterpillar like feet, nodded once, and soon was off. He was fast, but he was careful with them, careful not to bounce too much as he ran around and pointed out every little decoration in the haunted house with his same, little toony hands and a massive smile on his face. Vivi listened extremely intently, like he was putting on a show just for her and her alone, while Dyle was genuinely curious as he looked around for most of the ride. The trio went in several laps around the map together, Gourdy always happily blabbing about something neat that he found on the floor, Vivi always listening. The other Halloween toons seemed to avoid them like the plague now that the trio were together so closely, which Dyle definitely took mental note of while Vivi was so lost in the wonder of hearing her brother's voice again she completely forgot about the other Halloween twisteds that probably would've killed her if she wasn't careful nor clinging to the main like a lifeline. Gourdy knew his place, he knew he was the main, so he just showed them around like nothing ever changed.
Because to him and Vivi, nothing really hasn't.
They were still close, they were still the same odd brother-sister duo that the guests always loved to see that one year they were together, the two acting just like they did all those years ago. Laughing at dumb jokes Vivi made together, Gourdy happily showing the two the crafts he's made through the years he didn't have her like he always did when she would visit again after a week of not visiting him. The two eventually even made stars together again after the tour was over as he had managed to convince the staff to get him the supplies to do so the year after Vivi first met him, the two looking extremely at peace as they did so. Dyle often just hung out nearby, keeping watch for the two even though nothing could hurt them there, well- nothing as long as Gi didn't find out they were there.
He sure hoped she didn't find them there.
He sighed as he leaned against the doorway, looking out at the other Halloween twisteds with a raised eyebrow and a look of pure indifference as he watched Eclipse chase Ribecca around while Soulvester just... Hovered around an already completed machine. They were a bunch of idiots... He turned back to the two making crafts and smiled a little at them. At the huge smile on Vivi's face, the snort laughs that came out of Gourdy whenever she'd climb onto his back just to ruffle the overgrown pile of leaves he had as hair now on his head and call him a good little brother. He watched them exchange beads and stars, watched as Vivi made several bracelets just for her baby brother - watched as Gourdy looked genuinely happy and loved for the first time in years. Dyle soon turned back to the twisteds, shooting Soulvester a glare of death as he bared his fangs, which were there from being a twisted himself. The ghost just floated away blissfully, raising his sword just a little in an attempted salute to what he assumed was just a fellow twisted. Dyle slowly blinked at that.
"No offense, but your floor mates are dumb." He suddenly mentioned, not even really thinking about the fact he was speaking right now. Gourdy looked over at him, then at Vivi, who just giggled a little.
"They're quite silly, aren't they?"
"The wolf is chasing around the skeleton girl, is that normal?"
"Yeah that's just Eclipse." Gourdy reassured softly, slowly getting up and going over to Dyle, just to lay back down beside him and gently steal his hand, gently forcing a rainbow beaded bracelet on his wrist before he let go.
"You'll come back, right, Mister Timesly?" The pumpkin softly asked as he slowly sank down onto the floor in a puddle of sleepy, happy kid. Vivi was quick to come over and gently step into the donut that Gourdy soon made himself be, but she just stayed silent as she started petting his head softly to help him fall asleep and take a nap. Dyle just stared at the bracelet that now was on his left wrist, his eyes huge with tears welling up in the corners of them.
He didn't even know what to say now.
He was stuck just staring at the first reminder that he had friends now, that he was seen - noticed - wanted. He was a friend now, even though he still didn't quite know what that meant.
Gourdy wanted him around...
He slowly blinked as a few tears fell.
"I... I'm sure I can... Make room in my schedule..."
"Dyle?"
"I'm fine Vivi..." He mumbled, smiling as he wiped his tears away and turned to them. "I'm just really happy."
"I'm glad, you deserve to be happy, Dyle." Vivi whispered, running her hand down the long back of the twisted that was curled around her, listening to his soft snoring as she gently tended to him like she always did when he was ready for a nap and she wasn't. She was patient and gentle, just giving her baby brother the love and attention he needed, making sure he didn't have any nightmares to worry about as he slept. Dyle just went back to watching over them, smiling softly as he did so, though he soon turned back away from them as the elevator opened. Gourdy's snores stopped immediately at the sound, and he quickly was sitting up again, and Vivi just sat there- knowing exactly what that was.
"Oh I'm so toastered."
"It's... It's toasted, Vivi."
"She's going to throw a toaster at me..." Vivi stated as she slowly hid behind Gourdy, who just put his arm out to protect her as a very concerned Gi approached the group.
"Dyle, what on earth are you- why are you just hanging out with a twisted?" Gi asked, blinking when Vivi slowly peered out from behind the twisted.
"VIV?!"
"I-I can explain-"
"You're not scared of twisteds anymore, I'm proud of you." Gi stated softly, putting her hands together as she smiled sweetly. Vivi blinked at that, obviously not expecting that kind of response to her literally running away and hiding down there without telling anyone about it. Dyle was just as shocked, his hand at his mouth, eyes huge - looking like he just got the juiciest gossip ever honestly. Gourdy just straight up looked confused, unsure if he should protect his best friends from this newcomer or not.
"So... About that... Remember when I said I was really close to an event toon..?"
"Yeah, and you like, moped for most of October, which is why I assumed it was a Halloween toon."
"...He's right here..." Vivi simply stated, pointing at Gourdy as she slowly left hiding. Gi just looked up at the pumpkin toon, then waved.
"Hi I'm Gi, Vivi's my wife, I won't hurt anyone as long as she's okay, we good with that homie?" Gi casually asked as she held out her hand, and with a simple nod, Gourdy gently took her hand and shook it like an excited kid would.
"I'm Gourdy Holloway!! It's nice to meet more of Miss... Wait... Your name isn't Vee..?" Gourdy questioned as he looked at Vivi, who just slowly shook her head.
"And you got married?!" Dyle asked in pure shock, taking this way too seriously.
"Yes, I'm Vivi now, I met Version One and she's an extremely sweet girl, and no we are not married... Yet." Vivi very softly explained, gently going and hugging Gi, who just hugged her right back and rocked the very happy robot back and forth with pure love and excitement.
"One day we will!"
"One day..." Vivi mumbled, nuzzling her face deep into Gi's jacket with a sigh, though she jolted and started giggling like crazy when Gourdy started sniffing her to make sure she really was okay. Gi soon was the same, jolting with a squeak when he sniffed her face, but immediately started giggling when she was seemingly deemed safe by the very huge twisted and got nuzzled on her forehead by him.
"I'm glad Miss Vivi has so many friends, she's so cool isn't she?"
"The coolest, did you ever hear her sing? She's really good at it!" Gi replied excitedly, getting a shake of the head from both of the toons with them while Vivi just hid her face even more. Dyle just chuckled at that, going back to staring out the door, watching Eclipse as she continued to chase Ribecca around, Soulvester now also watching him beside the door with a tilted head and a look of pure confusion in his red eyes.
"I don't know either, buddy." Dyle mumbled, watching the knight as he scratched his armored head in genuine confusion at literally everything. The group of toons bonding with Gourdy, the chase between two twisteds, even the fact that the broken elevator was turned into a train station despite that happening after the shutdown- this all was weird. Dyle honestly agreed, soon just standing beside the ghost, who just accepted it. Gi didn't even notice this was happening though, as she now was holding a very sleepy Vivi in her arms and talking to Gourdy about her, just going on and on about her favorite things about Vivi, getting all excited when he would do the exact same thing in return. They were definitely going to get along, even if Vivi was slowly getting more and more confused right now.
"Wait... Didn't you-"
"I told you to not come here because I was worried you'd be hunted down and knowing you - you'd corner yourself, sobbing and just accepting that you'd mauled by a twisted." Gi explained simply, making Vivi move away a little just to give her a look of pure guilt. Gourdy also looked away at that one, making Gi raise an eyebrow.
"You did get cornered by a twisted and you did almost accept your fate and became one, didn't you?"
"Well-"
"I... I helped her tho!!" Gourdy piped up, wagging his tail as he smiled innocently, getting a sigh and a chuckle from Gi as she patted his side.
"Thank you for saving my wife, I appreciate that. Next time Viv, tell me before you run off though, I tell you not to do some things because I care about you and I just want you to be okay." Gi softly explained, getting a slow nod from Vivi as she looked away.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, I completely understand why you did this, I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened to him."
"No, Gi, you thought I wouldn't be so okay, you had every right not to tell me." Vivi softly replied, offering a hug. The two immediately were hugging again, obviously using it as a way of accepting each other's apologies, though neither even flinched when Gourdy gently laid down around them again and joined in their hug.
They just pulled him in and rested against him, both accepting him as their little brother now, both cherishing him while they could.
"We should probably go somewhere safer soon..." Gi mumbled, getting a yawn and a sleepy nod from Vivi. Dyle, hearing this from being so close to them, peeped his head in and smiled.
"You know, there's a projector area beside the train control room on my floor, if I run the train to the storage we could easily get to that room in no time. I cleared out the twisteds so there's nothing to fear down there, unless any of you guys are scared of trains passing by. Then there is one thing to fear down there." He suggested excitedly, making the hugging trio look at him, then at each other.
Within five minutes they were all on the train, Gourdy being curled up in the middle of the front room with Vivi curled up against him in the middle of his donut shape, Gi now taking Vivi's old spot as Dyle was in his usual train steering spot.
"Well that worked out better than expected... We'll be back Soulvester." Dyle called out, getting a knightly salute from the ghost that now stood guard on the train station, silent but accepting of the crew as his friends. Somehow.
Yeah none of them understood it either. Not even Gourdy.
Dyle waved at the oddly friendly ghost before he started up the train, watching as the one who stayed behind just raised his sword up to supposively honor them as they went into battle. Except there was no battle, it was just a group of odd friends going somewhere cozy to take a nap and plan their next hangout session together.
They didn't correct him though.
Gi instead just gave an army salute as the train started off, honking the train horn as a last goodbye to the overly friendly ghost, which got both him and the gang on the train laughing hysterically.
"I will never get used to that, Dyle." Vivi sleepily spoke up, getting a snort from the clock running the train.
"Me neither." He agreed, laughing as he ran the train with ease, "I will never be used to it and I run these things every day."
"There's a lot I'll never get used to..." Gi admitted softly, staring out the side window as she smiled warmly at nothing, watching the scenery as she leaned against the wall and let herself finally relax after being so tense since she found Vivi missing in the first place. "I wouldn't change a thing though, even if I never will understand it all. I like the world... It's so pretty even if it is confusing." She continued quietly, getting nods from the three around her as they all honestly had to agree. They all would never understand how such different people could understand each other so well, how so many horrible things happened in one building yet they all still found beauty and love in the world around them. How two of them were made just to please others, how one was invisible until the closure, and how the last one was forced in a room for 80% of the year, yet all of them understood each other like they've always been friends.
There was much at Gardenview that would never make sense.
They didn't question it further as the train eventually pulled to a stop in a cold, dimly lit building with wooden floors and metal walls, the only sounds were the train and the train master shutting it all down like he's done many times before, and the soft clanking of his metal chain as he moved around to make sure everything was shut down properly for the usual maintenance checks later. Once he was certain he had everything settled, he turned to the group and watched as Gourdy carefully lifted up the now fast asleep Vivi and held her close as he slowly stood up himself, Gi rushing to the twisted's side and helping him steady himself before she helped lead him off the train. The two then stood off to the side as Dyle got off though, and immediately started following the clock man as he silently motioned for them to follow him and walked off to lead the way. He took them to the room with the projecting screen on one end of the room and the projector on a cart on the other, the middle of it - which once was covered in boxes from what Gi remembered - was now a massive pillow pile of pillows, blankets and toon plushies of all sorts. Holiday toons were included, though Dyle soon did pick up one of the Gourdy plushies and gently brush it clean with his hands as he let the twisted get himself cozy in the middle of the nest.
"Here, let Vivi take this home with her after you cuddle it, it'll smell like you and it'll help make her feel better whenever she misses you." Dyle softly suggested to Gourdy after he was comfortable and had the sleeping robot secure against him again. Gourdy didn't even blink, he just gently took it and held it tight, seeming completely on board with this idea and willing to do it since it would make his older sister happy. Gi just chuckled at it as she sat down beside Vivi, completely okay with snuggling up to a twisted that was obviously docile towards them. Dyle looked over everyone, nodded once, then rushed off to a box in the corner, smiling as he dropped his chain yet again and started rummaging through it.
"So- what episode do you guys wanna watch? I do have the one Gourdy starred in - Holloway Haunting I believe it's called. I actually have all the films down here, a lot of these rooms were used for storage and I kinda snooped a bit. Delilah can't stop me now!" Dyle excitedly informed them as he pulled out a few tapes, not even realizing the grim look on Gi's face when he mentioned Delilah or the fact that he was talking to the one who had so much rage towards someone she didn't even know that she could literally murder them. Gi soon let out a heavy sigh, then smiled.
"I'm good with anything he wants to watch."
"Oooo show them my episode!! I was sooooo scary!!" Gourdy piped up when he realized he was being asked what they should watch, making Gi look over at the pumpkin kid with a giggle and a warm, sisterly smile.
"Is that a compliment for you guys? Being scary?"
"Yeah!! Halloween is full of harmless frights!! So we LOVE being scary!!"
"Then you're absolutely mortifying, you make me so scared I could start crying whenever I look at your terrifying face." Gi stated as seriously as she could, making Gourdy snort and burst out laughing as his tail wagged intensely at the attempted compliments. Dyle just giggled at them as he went and put the tape into his projector, then sat down nearby in his pillow pile as he grabbed a Vee plush and held it close on his lap. The rest of the day was honestly just them watching old episodes of Dandy's World and learning more about each other, including the fact that Dyle had a phone still and Gi soon got his number on the emergency phone Sprout gave her so she could call him if anything went wrong down there.
The group did end up all falling asleep together in a massive cuddle pile of toons and a twisted, all of them ending up using some part of Gourdy as a pillow- but he didn't mind. They were all no longer forgotten, no longer alone, isolated, or even locked away from the world. They had each other now, they would never let the others be forgotten anymore, they were all right there for each other now and they wouldn't let anyone change that for the world. Especially now that they all had matching rainbow bracelets, all made by Gourdy and Vivi, all made as a reminder of each other's familial love even if they were away from each other.
They were a little misfit family now, and not even Gardenview reopening could change that ever again.