Once Again : Part 3 : Return to the Future

part 10 : Weak Bones

Brittle bones. It was something you didn't want to have. But the hours and Rally-mor did. They just had hard outer shells. Rally clawed at Time as Alice tried to not get caught by Indigo who was chasing her now. Alice did NOT want to be caught by Indigo, that was a hard pass for her. Alice hid behind a pillar. Indigo laughed.
    “Where is that pretty face of yours hiding?” Indigo asked, sounding neurotic.
    “Pervert!” Alice yelled, hiding behind a different pillar. Indigo walked slowly in the large empty room they were in. 
    “My cousin's old planning room, a horrible choice to hide here.” Indigo remarked. Alice found not a hammer this time but a mallet. She began to wonder what all these tools were for. Alice took a deep breath and gripped the mallet. 
    “Don’t be so confident, you might make a fool of yourself.” Alice said, her words echoing through the room. Indigo laughed. Alice snuck up behind him.
    “What are you going to do?” Indigo chuckled. “Knock me unconscious?” Alice swung the mallet at the back of his head. Indigo let out a squeak before collapsing limply onto the floor. Alice sighed.
    “Exactly you twat.” Alice said, annoyed, knowing that he couldn't hear her. Alice grabbed the back of his shirt and started dragging him to the main room.
    Time blocked scratches from Rally. He was about to throw a punch at the cyborg dog. Alice smacked the side of Rally’s leg. The dog fell over. Alice hit it one last time at the base of its body, and the dog fell apart. Nothing but weak bones made of metal. AAlice and Time looked at each other. Time was breathing deeply.
    “How come she always ends up getting all the credit?” Time asked looking at Hatter. Hatter got smacked into the wall again by Piper. Hatter stood up and wacked Piper with his hat.
    “Bad dog!” Hatter said loudly. Piper growled and snapped at him.
    “Quik, how do we undo that thing that's happened to Piper?” Alice asked at Time. Time looked at Indigo unconscious.
    “He should have a bottle in his pocket with a glowing sort of orb in it.” Time said. “Take it, and break it.” Time finished looking at the mallet in Alce’s hand. Alice found the bottle in his vest pocket. She threw it at the floor and the bottle made a clicking noise, but it didn't break.
    “What now?” Alice asked looking at Time. Time sighed.
    “Hit it with the hammer.” Time said, irritated. Hatter screamed, as Piper ran at him. 
    “Hurry up!” Hatter called. Alice swung and hit the bottle as hard as possible. The bottle shattered. The small orb flew at Piper. Upon seeing it, Piper jumped out of the way. The orb hit Hatter in the stomach and disappeared. An orange orb appeared and flew above Hatter’s head. Hatter blinked. 
    “Bloody hell…” He said. “Why does that always happen every time I come here…?” Alice and Time gaped at each Hatter. It wasn't his voice, it was Piper’s. The orb above his head must have been Hatter. 
    “Piper…?” Alice asked. Hatter’s head looked up at Alice. 
    “What?” Piper’s voice asked. Alice nearly fainted. “Why do I feel so tall?” Alice walked over to him. She used the mallet to push the orange orb slowly into Hatter’s head. He blinked again, and the small white orb that was Piper flew out and shot at the giant hound that was his body. Piper tried to dodge again, but failed and was hit by it. Piper’s eyes looked normal again, and he changed to his human-ish form.
    “Alice?” Hatter asked, sounding uneasy. “My life just flashed before my eyes…” Alice giggled and put her hand on his shoulder. Piper was caught up on the situation and they all gathered around Indigo. They all thought for a moment.
    “We could kill him now…” Hatters suggested. Time and Alice looked at Hatter.
    “Hatter,” Alice said. “Just because he’s evil doesn’t mean we can just kill him.” Hatter shrugged. Piper sighed. 
    “We need to take him to the queen.” Piper said, reluctantly. Time and Alice nodded. Wilkens walked over from behind Time. 
    “Sir…?” Wilkens asked. Time looked down. 
    “There you are.” Time said. “Have the minutes get this place cleaned up.” Wilkens nodded and walked away. They all said their goodbyes and the three of the original adventurers left the palace.
    They made it to the white castle. Indigo was still unconscious. Mally and Thackery laughed at the sight, as the white queen frowned. She looked up at the three. They looked very different from when they had left the ball.
“What happened to you Tarant?” Mirana asked. “Were you mauled by a wolf?” Hatter nodded. 
“Yes actually.” Hatter answered, looking at Piper. Mirana looked at Alice.
“You beat him unconscious…?” Mirana asked Alice. 
“Yes, otherwise he would have kidnapped me…” Alice said, giving Mirana a certain look. “And nobody wanted that.” Hatter started walking to the table nearest to him, and collapsed in the chair. 
“My bones will crack if I even touch another wall…” Hatter said, remembering being rammed into a wall by Piper every 2 minutes at the palace.

Indigo was awake, and sentenced to life for his crimes. Hatter looked at Mirana. Mirana sighed knowing why. 
“Go ahead,” Mirana told Hatter. Hatter walked over to Indigo and took his hat off. Indigo scowled at the Hatter.
“What…?” Indigo asked angrily. Hatter smiled and then whacked Indigo across the face with his hat. Indigo shook his head as Hatter walked away happily, putting his hat back on. The guards took Indigo to the jail cells in the kingdom, and put him in the most secure cell there was. There he would no longer be a threat to Undeland.