#tricky minds

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Crimson Moon Finale (Part 2)

Marvin felt his body separate from his mind. He began to dive into the doctor’s mind, surging through until he felt surrounded with darkness. Marvin opened his eyes, only finding himself knee deep in a thick, tar like substance. It was dripping down from the walls and ceiling, and in the center of it all was a was a figure completely drenched in it all. 

Marvin lifted his feet to try and move, but as he did, something reached up to pull him back down. Marvin looked, and black hands were reaching up from the substance, pulling at his ankles. the magician shuddered, blasting a ball of blue energy, temporarily knocking them back.

That didn’t stop it for long though. Marvin continued moving back, blasting magic at the continually growing hands reaching up, trying to pull him under. As he was moving back, Marvin felt his foot catch on a large mass and he began to topple back. Marvin tried to catch himself, but once one of the arms grabbed onto his wrist, he was just being pulled in further. Marvin reached out trying desperately to get a hold of something, anything to give him leverage to escape, but he was completely alone. The magician felt his body being closed in by the thick black substance. It became denser and denser as he continued to fight through it. He felt the pull of it, the further he went down there never seemed to be a bottom, his body just kept going more and more down. 

But he kept struggling, even when the only thing not yet pulled under was his face. the thick substance traced up the side of his face, the magician tried reaching out, but his arms were in too deep. then there was only black as the magician was swallowed whole.

-----

Eclipse and Jackie stepped outside of the cell once Marvin was in. Eclipse stood close to the bars to keep an eye on pair. Every now and then though, they’d look over at Jackie who was sitting with his arms around his knees, they could tell something was bothering him, but didn’t press it. Just because they were being more sensitive, didn’t mean they cared to know their every little worry.

When the writer looked back in the cell, they sightly panicked. “What the hell?” the muttered, causing the hero to look up and over at the cell. The pair ran in when they looked and saw Marvin’s body start to turn dark gray. As if a shadow was being cast just over his body. the magician was still however, his body going darker, but he didn’t move at all. Jackie reached out to him, but Eclipse stopped his hand. 

“We can’t disturb him,” They told him, gaze not once leaving the magician’s body. “It could pull him out and we might not be able to do this again.”

“But what if the Trickster gets into Marvin’s head again?” Jackie asked.

“He can’t. As long as Marvin’s wearing the seal, it’ll protect him from the Trickster.” they explained.

“Ok,” Jackie thought aloud. “Then what’s doing this?”

Eclipse was silent for a moment, as the hero lowered his hand. “I’m not sure.”

-----

Marvin gasped suddenly, his body jolted up, as if he was finally breathing after his body had sunk to the bottom of a pool. He rolled over on his hands and knees, breathing heavily, his body desperately trying to catch up. 

Marvin finally started to calm down, his eyes fluttering closed, then a voice caused him to jump. “and this is the part where we both wonder why we’re still alive,” Marvin looked up, eyes widened with confusion. 

“Doc?” He wondered. The doctor turned around and looked down ta the magician. 

“I vas supposed to die,” He told Marvin. “I was prepared for it. I didn’t vant dis to happen again. To be sucked into this dreaded darkness. So I made a plan to die.” 

Marvin slowly made his way to his feet. “The serum that you gave to Amy. It was meant to kill you if you every became Plague again right?” Henrik nodded. 

“I didn’t think there would be anything good to come out of it, but look around,” Henrik gestured around him and the place transformed into an empty cafe, the smell of coffee and fresh sandwiches. “This is my own piece of the mindscape. It’s peaceful and free. I can have whatever I want as long as I don’t bother him,” He smiled peacefully at Marvin. “I just grew so tired of fighting.”

Marvin looked around at the cafe. It was nice, there was no chaos and Schneep finally seemed happy. But then it hit him, and he remembered what Henrrik said long ago, when he was dying in the magician’s arms. Even after he lost his chance at a normal life, he was still glad he come back, he was with his family, the people he cared about. 

“You’re not really him,” Marvin knew it without a shadow of doubt. “Henrik is too stubborn to just let Plague take his body, it would get in the way of his schedule.”

The doctor standing before him suddenly lost his smile. His face folding in ways a human face never should. The scene around them suddenly began to melt away, the sky turned a dark red and black tar began covering the walls. The fake doctor leaped at Marvin, the magician sent him back with a blast of blue magic. The shock wave following made the cafe setting suddenly brake, leaving Marvin back in that place with nothing but thick black substance. Though now there wasn’t anything reaching up to grab him. Marvin trekked through the tar, trying to reach the mass in the middle.

Marvin stood in front of it, placing a hand inside until he felt something; it was definitely a person in there. The magician stood back and shot a blast to remove the substance. the air filled with blue light and the figure was uncovered, and Schneep fell forward into Marvin’s arms. 

The magician held onto the doctor and looked around. His mind was still infected though. Plague was still there, he had to get rid of the substance, but he didn’t know how, and he could feel the doctor start to wake up so he’d have to think fast.

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So the rings kind of act like a signal blocker? Jamming the frequency between the static and it's host?

When Eclipse pulled from Marvin’s mind, the magician swayed and feel into the writer’s arms. Eclipse took him and Amy up to his room and layed him down on the bed. The masked figure stood over him for a moment.

“I noticed the ring on Marvin before, but never knew where he got it.” Eclipse began to explain. “But when Pixel left me another, I started to understand what they wanted. For Marvin, his biggest weakness has always been his greed. Doing things that may not always be the right thing to get what he wants. Fighting that is hard when there’s a voice that sounds just like your own telling you just to give in,” Eclipse gave a small smirk, looking up at Amy now. They raised their hand, showing the ring on their own finger. “Why do you think I have one on?”

There was suddenly a knock on the door, followed by Jackie slowly poking his head in. “Eclipse Schneep is awake, but he’s saying that he knows how to get Pixel back. What should we do?” He asked.

Eclipse took a deep breath. “I’ll deal with them. Amy stay here and watch Marvin. And please for once listen to what you’re told,” Eclipse followed Jackie out of the magician’s room, and put a time lock on the door so it would stay shut and Amy had to stay.

They followed Jackie to the basement, past Jamie, and over to the cell, where Schneep was patiently sitting on the floor at the end of his bed, looking out with a mischief expression. “Hello Eclipse, long time no see,” The doctor’s accent was completely gone. He no longer sounded like Schneep, and one of his eyes was black around the iris.

“Trickster,” Eclipse greeted him coldly. “I see you’ve managed to worm your way through to you’re little minion’s mind.”

Trickster snickered. “Well it wasn’t too hard once I figured out just how I got here in the first place. Would you like to know?” He teased.

Eclipse decided to play his game, but hopefully play it better. “Oh why that’s so kind f you. Yes please do tell.”

“Oh of course I’ll tell you, but you’ve got to do somethings for me first,” The darker entity crawled forward, strong grip remaining on the bars and they framed his face. “You’ll free both me and Pixel from Realm 0, and take that little birthday gift you gave Marvin off of him. He still needs some convincing.”

“that’s never going to happen and you know it,” Eclipse responded immediately. “Try something else.”

Trickster pouted his lip out. “Oh Eclipse, what happened to you? You used to be so much fun. We could’ve worked together you know?” 

“I actually learned what I wanted,” Eclipse responded. “And I learned that I could gain more from working with my creator instead of against them. Maybe you should try it.”

“Nope,” Trickster fell back against the bed frame. “I know what I want and who I am. I’m not going to change and become boring like you. Oh well though, if you aren’t going to give me what I want then I’ll just have to take it myself. I’ll give the wheel back to Plague, I think he likes playing with Anti.” the doctor’s eyes faded and his head fell forward, his body going limp.

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Crimson Moon Finale (part 1)

“I’m tired of waiting!” Plague screamed, pacing back and forth in his cell. “If I don’t get out of this place now, I’ll be tearing my own flesh to shreds.”

“Calm yourself doctor,” The voice of the Trickster came from Schneep’s lips. It was much softer and more in control opposed to Plague’s who’s was covered in the maddening static, his patience clearly running thin. “Eclipse is growing desperate. They’re running out of options.”

The doctor rolled his neck, growling out in pain as he took over Schneep’s body. He pushed Trickster back more and more, his rage and frustration over powering any rationality left in the creature’s twisted mind. Though his anger was soon subsided by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. He could tell enough that there were multiple pairs.

The doctor’s lip twitched into a twisted smile, he let out small cackles under his breath. His eyes were diluted and wide as he ran to the cell door, trying to reach out, only to be zapped by the field around the cell. He screamed in pain then pulled back, still looking out into the rest of the cellar. His breathing coming out in thick amounts through his gritted teeth. 

The masked writer slowly stepped out from the stairway, with Marvin and Jackie close behind them. Eclipse took a deep breath and marched over to the cell, mere inches from the deranged doctor, his eyes wide open. “Good to see you again little Eclipse.” He said mockingly.

“Give me Trickster,” Eclipse was done wasting time, getting straight to the point. 

Plague’s face twisted into disgust. “And why should I?” He challenged.

“I’m here to make a deal with him. So bring him out.” Eclipse voice was heavy, lacking any trace of doubt. they spoke with certainty, knowing that if Plague didn’t allow him control, Trickster would just take it.

And they were right, The doctor winced in pain as the Trickster began taking over the doctor’s mind. He looked up, with a malicious smirk, he was more in control of his body now. He wasn’t twitching or hissing in pain. The figure was still and calm now. “So you’ve finally given in now?” The Trickster mocked, is eye flashing over to Marvin for a second. “Although it seems like you haven’t upheld your end of the bargain, so no entry into Realm 0 for you just yet. Take off the ring Marvin, and I’ll give you back your writer.”

Eclipse stepped into the Trickster’s line of sight, blocking him off from Marvin. “No, you don’t get him, I’m here to make you a new offer.”

Trickster’s eyebrow popped up in interest. “Oh? And what exactly does offer intale? What else could I want besides control over my other half?”

“Me,” Eclipse said without a trace of irony. “you leave Marvin be, and I’ll let you into my mind. And trust me, I’m much more powerful than any of them.”

Trickster’s eyes went wide. His controlled image stuttered for a moment at the idea. Eclipse was so strong, so powerful, the idea of having access to that potential was practically too good to be true. But then again, Eclipse did come from Pixel, and he knew that Pixel would do anything, even trapping themself in Realm 0, to protect their children. 

Trickster ran at the cell bars, his breathing going heavy for a moment, smiling at them with far too many teeth. “You’ve got a deal,” He hissed out.

“Step back from the cell,” Eclipse demanded.

Trickster backed away quickly as Eclipse unlocked the cell and stepped inside, leaving the door opened slightly. Trickster kept a good distance away from the writer, gesturing for them to first remove their ring. Eclipse looked down at their hand and took off the gold seal, tossing it to the ground. 

As soon as they did, static began to flood through their mind into every corner. They heard the Trickster’s twisted words, calling out to the darker side of the writer. the side that brought out the worst in every tale, the side that wanted to kill Marvin long ago. Trickster felt them fighting back, only causing him to push further and fill their mind with more white noise.

“I must admit,” They heard them say. “I wouldn’t have expected this from you, Pixel maybe, but you never seemed to care this much about them. I guess the two of you aren’t that different.”

As the Trickster was focused on the mental state of himself infiltrating the writer’s mind, he didn’t concern himself with the physical side. Eclipse began walking closer to the twisted magician, Jackie and Marvin slowly making their way into the cell with them. 

Eclipse stopped when they were only a step away from him. “Yeah well, two problems with that. I’m not Pixel and I lie,” The writer’s eyes flashed a bright green light and shoved the Trickster out of their mind. Before the magician could even think to respond, Eclipse knocked him in the jaw causing him to blackout, and Jackie to quickly catch him. 

Eclipse shook their now sore hand looking down at the unconscious ego. “That was for Chase,” They reached down and helped the hero move him to the bed before turning to Marvin. “you’ve only got a little bit of time, so get in and find Schneep.”

“What about Trickster? Won’t he still be in there?” the magician voiced the concern going through both their minds.

Eclipse looked around the cell floor and bent down, picking up the ring thy’d thrown down. They moved next to the bed and placed the ring on Schneep’s hand. “That should help. Now go, you won’t have much time.”

Marvin nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at the unconscious man. He took a breath and placed a hand over Henrik’s forehead, traveling deep into the static and madness. 

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Hey anti, you doing alright dude?

Anti blinks rapidly as he slowly wakes up. He glances up, a little tint of red coming to his face when he realizes he’s laying in Chris’s lap. He pushes himself away from the couch and looks around. Chase is laying asleep he other couch with a few of the other fans. The glitch pushed himself up an wandered back into the kitchen, he still had a headache from the whiskey. 

The glitch headed down the stairs into the basement, he might as well figure out what the hell was going on. when he finally made it down, the basement was empty except for Schneep in his cell, but the door to Eclipse’s world was slightly cracked open. Anti peaked in and saw Eclipse hunched over their desk.

“What’s going on?” Anti demanded. “Where is everyone?”

 “I told them all to get some sleep,“ Eclipse responded, not looking up from their writing. The masked figure rolled their chair over to the opposite side of the desk, where they had a set of chemistry looking equipment. Honestly half of the room looked like a mad scientist’s lab. Anti’s eyes widened with concern when he saw the writer pick up a particularly familiar item; the syringe that doc gave Amy. 

“What are you doing with that?” Anti knew what that serum would do to Doc, and he didn’t trust that they now had it. 

 “Relax,” Eclipse told him. “I’m trying to figure out what’s exactly in this so I can make an antidote for Plague,” They explained, suddenly looking up at the glitch. “Has he been getting to you?” 

 Anti shivered, turning away from their gaze. “What are you talking bout,” He muttered under his breath. 

 “Don’t do that,” Eclipse snapped. “I know Plague’s been getting under your skin.”Anti snickered coldly. 

“You seriously think I’m just gonna open up to you? Please. You know better than anyone how much I hate people.” 

 “Yet people love you,” Eclipse retorted. They shook their head, taking deep breath. “You made the original serum for Plague and Trickster, mind helping me?” The writer let a small drop of the serum drip onto the circular disk, observing it under a microscope. Anti stood on the other side of the desk, looking over the notes and attempted mixtures that seem to have failed. 

 “I don’t think I’ll be much help, but I know who would be,” Anti responded. 

Eclipse had to laugh a little. “Me too, unfortunately he’s currently locked away in a cell.” 

 “Couldn’t you just separate Plague and Schneep the way Pixel did?” Anti asked. 

“I’m not as powerful as Pixel, they’re the true writer,” Eclipse explained. 

 “Yeah,” Anti continued. “But Pixel isn’t here. Doesn’t that make you the true writer now?” 

 Eclipse pushed away from the microscope for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh. “Before they disappeared, Pixel told me they’d be content knowing that the blog was in my hands. Content, like they weren’t coming back. Trickster knows he can’t leave Realm 0 without a connection to the real world, so if I try to bring them back, he’ll use that to get out too. What if I can’t bring them back?” 

 “Then you’re the true writer now,” Anti decided. “But from what i can see, you’re focusing on how you’re going to bring Pixel back and trying to save Schneep at the same time. Focus on one thing, then things will become clearer. You can’t focus when there’s too much in your head,” Anti smirked to himself. “Trust me, I know.”

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To see again

Marvin woke up, confused for a moment where he was. For some reason, he wasn’t expecting to be in his room. What woke him though, was the sound of someone coming into his room. He didn’t really expect Eclipse to come in. they surprisingly smiled when they saw him. “Glad to see you’re awake.” They greeted. “How are you feeling?”

Marvin rubbed his forehead, sitting up in bed. “Weird. Like I had two tourists inside my head.”

“ah yes, I did expect it to feel strange. sorry about that, but I think I know how we can save Henrik.”

Marvin jumped up in bed. “you do?” He was shocked for some reason. “so you found a cure?”

Eclipse sighed. “Not exactly. I need you to do something, I know you can because you’ve done it before.” Eclipse sat on the edge of his bed and Marvin could feel them looking into his eyes. “I need you to go into his mind and remove the static.”

Marvin hunched back a little. “I don’t think I can,” He confessed. the last time he did that, he had the power of his third eye still, but that was a long time ago. 

“You can,” Eclipse said without a trace of doubt. They raised a hand, and pressed a finger gently on their forehead. the spell Marvin used to cover his scar disappeared. Eclipse took a deep breath and Marvin felt power and energy flood his body. It was nearly overwhelming, but familiar. 

His eyes closed tight, and he was taken back to a spot he’d only seen in his dreams. It was a bench on the edge of Brighton pier. He was looking out into the sea, and a figure appeared next to him. It was a person, they were completely white, almost glowing in a way. Marvin recognized them strangely. Their appearance began to morph until it looked like Chase. 

The fake Chase smiled at the magician. “Good to see you again Marvin.”

The magician’s eyes flashed open and his eyes were filled with visions. The past, the future. He could see Jameson upstairs, silently crying into a pillow for some reason. He saw Schneep fighting against Plague for control of his body, he was still fighting. 

Eclipse held his shoulders, breathing heavily themself. Marvin looked at the writer, their skin was pale now. “You’ll only have it for a short while. So Please, we need to hurry.”

Marvin nodded and he took Eclipse downstairs, looking into the cell at the doctor, seething in pain still. Marvin turned to Eclipse and nodded, telling them to open the door.