CHAPTER FOURTEEN
PUZZLES, PUZZLES EVERYWHERE, PART TWO
It hadn't occured to Stella that the path had stopped to a certain light patch, making it seem like a trap. The blonde had been too excited to resume their mission. Now, where did she end up?
Into a bunch of red leaves.
"I told you to watch out, Stella," Tecna scoffed, shaking her head. "Must you really be impulsive?"
"Did it look like I knew that it was some kind of trap?!" The sun fairy shrieked. "Just help me get outta here!"
Creatively thinking as always, Musa's voice rang as she gave a suggestion. "Hey, check if there's any doors down there."
The blonde wanted to hiss. "Why would there be--!" Her exclamation was cut short when she immediately found one right next to her. "Oh, there's a doorway here."
She stood up and fixed herself, patting off the dust and leaves that stuck to her suit. I really should watch where I'm going... she thought to herself as she pluched some stems off. Disgusting. I ruined my suit, but it's better than a damaged designer dress.
At first, the fairy was confused as to where the doorway to take her for it stretched into a voidal darkness, but when she stepped inside and began to slide down, she figured she was going to die. "Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" She screamed whilst sliding, terrified for her life.
It stretched on and on, almost as if the slide was endless. Stella gave up screaming then, but after a horrifiying drop she had begun shrieking once more, using up more of her vocal box. Then she saw an opening, a light, an end--
And she landed her bottom on the cold, hard ground.
"Wow, Stella, your voice range is quite... astonishing," Musa commented. "Whatever you just went through must have been long, although not even ten minutes has passed."
The expression on her face seemed horrified. "What?! I thought it was endless..."
As the blonde tried to figure out how long the "endless" slide truly took, Aisha had begun making a bridge out of her morphix powers. "It's all set," she announced once finished. "My morphix is strong and flexible, so it's guaranteed not to let you guys fall."
Even if she trusted her friend, Stella was still hesitant to go on. "I'm--I'm still traumatized over what happened."
Her words made the brunette sigh and cross through the bridge first. She even jumped to show how durable the artifical bridge was. "Come on Stella, you have to cross now. Besides, it's strong. Trust me on this one."
Aisha's trustworthy courage filled Stella with the justice to move. It was only right considering the former fairy built it so that the latter won't fall again.
"...okay." Stella nodded, taking a step and walking through the path. "Hey, it isn't so bad."
The wave fairy chuckled. "See? I told you it's okay."
The rest of the girls followed suit after the blonde. After everyone has gotten over the matter, they came inside the next room together to find a small puzzle involving a rock, a ground button, and spikes. A note was plastered on the wall for them to read. Bloom was about to approach the note when she heard a ring in her phone. Almost hastily, she picked it up from her pocket.
"Hello?" Bloom greeted. "Who's this?"
A familiar motherly voice responded. "Greetings! It is I, Toriel."
"Ah! Tori!" Bloom chirped. "Hi!"
On the other side, Toriel had sighed in relief as she looked at the ingredients before her. "It is good you've answered, my child, for I've a question to ask. Would you mind telling the others as well?"
"Of course," the redhead replied as she set the phone to speaker mode. "Alright Tori, everyone hears you."
The other girls looked up at Bloom and the phone, confused at the sudden statement. Then, when they were about to ask her about it, the fire fairy replied, "She has a question for everyone." Then, the girls nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile, in a kitchen not too far away, a certain goat mother anthropomorph is busy preparing ingredients for a pie she is making for the girls. She took out the right tools and equipment, pans and trays clanging as she tried not to make any noise. Then, once everything is in place, she places her phone on her left ear. As she took the flour and eggs, she asked through the device, "Do most of you prefer cinnamon or butterscotch?"
The other side of the line fell quiet in disbelief.
The silence had disturbed Toriel to an extent, so she asked once more, "Is everyone alright? You have fallen silent--what is wrong?"
Her voice managed to break Bloom first from her trance, and almost panicking she answered, "Ah, yes! Everyone's alright--we were just thinking."
More sounds coming from the kitchen reached the microphone of the device, giving the girls a hint as to what the goat lady is planning. They had received the idea, and without any doubtful thought, the girls decided between butterscotch and cinnamon.
The first to answer was Flora. "I prefer cinnamon," she stated. "It has a sweet aroma that suits its taste."
"But butterscotch is much sweeter," Stella commented, "and I prefer that for dessert."
Tecna shook her head. "It's the reason why I almost dislike butterscotch, but it is good in some recipes. Then again, I'm with Flora on this one."
"Honestly, I think putting both together would be great," Musa countered. "I mean, can't we have both at the same time?"
Aisha sighs. "She's making us choose. Well, for me, I like butterscotch since it's flavorful and the texture makes it tastier."
"I'm with Musa, since I believe both in the same recipe will be good as well," Bloom thoughtfully said, reminding herself of the times when she used to bake with her adoptive mother on Earth. Looking at the remaining fairy who hasn't voted, she stated, "It looks like the last vote is up to you, Roxy. What will it be?"
She was startled, but the pinkette decided that she liked cinnamon better.
Once the group has chosen, Bloom placed the microphone of her cell phone near her mouth. "Well, Tori, most of us like cinnamon, but Aisha and Stella prefer butterscotch. Musa and I think they both go well together," the redhead said. "I hope that's understandable."
Finally, as Toriel took out the butterscotch and cinnamon, she heard the concluded vote. "But you wouldn't complain if there's butterscotch or cinnamon in the recipe, I hope?" She asked, referring to both cinnamon and butterscotch voters. The girls shrugged but nodded to Bloom, signaling that it's actually alright for them to taste the other in the food she's making. Then, the leader turned to the phone and replied, "It's okay for them to taste the other, so there's no need to worry."
"Ah, good." The goat woman sighed in relief. "Thank you for cooperating, girls. I must go now."
"Okay!" Bloom cheerfully responded. "We'll see you later, mom!"
They were about to solve the current puzzle until that point. All eyes were on her in confusion, disbelief and shock. Out of utter shock itself, Bloom couldn't even apologize. Her mouth moved, but no voice came out. Oh dear, she thought. I didn't mean to--!
Then, soft sniffs were heard from the other side.
It had been so long since she had been called a mother. It had been so long since she began her own family, and since she had a husband. It had been so long that all the memories came at her in a blurred state, flashing before her in the subtlest and quickest way possible. They were so quick she could only catch a few: having her own son, adopting the fallen human, the happy family they became together--
With a soft voice, she said, "It has been so long since I'd been called a mother..."
There was no response from Bloom nor the others, but they listened silently.
"...but... would it make you happy to call me your mother?"
There was nothing to be heard from the other side as the question raised stayed hanging in the air. Toriel closed her eyes, her collected tears flowing down her fur-coated cheeks. The memories were supposed to make her happy, for once upon a time she had two children and a loving husband--but now both were lost and she could feel nothing but pain and longing. Misery added to it knowing that every human that came only died behind the large doors that led out of the Ruins.
And they will perish too... she thought sadly. Unless...
"Tori?" Aisha's voice suddenly echoed throughout the silence. "I think... it would be great to have you as our mom here."
"I agree," Musa quipped. "So far, you're the best mom I've met, after my own."
The bluenette smiled sadly. I miss my mom.
Their responses were enough to lighten her up. Toriel smiled once again, and the pain had at least faded a little. They are my children, she thought to herself. I shall protect them and make sure no harm comes to them.
That's when she decided something to protect them from that harm.
Filled with determination, Toriel wiped away her tears and smiled sadly. "Thank you, children," she gratefully said. "I shall go now. Be careful on your way."
Click.
Silence followed after the conversation ended. It was a tad bit awkward, or as some of the girls have thought, for their leader not only had accidentally called Toriel her "mother," but she may have triggered some awful memories too. Bloom sighed, pushing her phone back into her pocket. The redhead turned to the group and said, "I... I'm sorry about that. I wasn't thinking clearly, and honestly I didn't intend for her to be sad as we heard her to be."
"It's okay, Bloom," reassured Flora. "You don't have to worry about it."
Musa had a thoughtful look as she had her right hand tapping her chin while the other supported the elbow. "I think she went through a whole lot," she stated. "I mean, you heard what she said, right? 'It's been so long since I've been called a mother?'"
Everyone turned to her in curiosity. "Where are you going with this?" Asked Aisha, worried.
The fairy of waves could be worried about it, but the sun fairy amongst them gasped in terror. "Don't you guys think she... sort of... lost her own child--or children--once?"
Silence ensued into the atmosphere once again, the girls unsure how to react.
Then, Tecna broke the growing ice as she spoke. "Girls, we have no time to wonder," she declared as she looked on her wristwatch. "Let's save the questions about Toriel for later since, mind you, we are still in front of a rock puzzle and we cannot pass until we solve it."
With that statement said, Stella broke into a small fit of laughter. "Seriously, Tecna?" She questioned jokingly. "It's easy as pie! Come on, you just have to do this."
She pushed the rock forward until it pressed the button on the floor. She huffed as she did so, feeling the heaviness of such a stone placed solely for such a simple puzzle as this. She grunted, and relief washed over her when she heard a ka-chunk sound after placing the rock onto the supposed button.
"See?" She remarked, breathing heavily as she clapped her hands together, both going opposite directions, to dust off dirt. "Easy as pie."
The whole group blinked. They were shocked by the fact that Stella, the most spoiled and least working of the group, had just done the kind of work she wouldn't do. In fact, it looked like Aisha was supposed to do it--but Stella just did. The mentioned brunette's mouth hung open, then she closed it, and opened them once again to comment, "You... did a great job."
The blonde squinted her eyes at the fairy of waves, seeing the disbelief in her expression. She noticed the disbelief on the others as well, to which she huffed to. "Oh, come on!" She whined childishly. "Just because I don't do this all the time doesn't mean I won't do this ever! Besides, we're in a mission, so of course I have to do this at some point because we're a team and I'm not going to let you all have the work just because I don't seem like I can do it!"
She's right there, Bloom thought, then smiled. "We know, Stella. It's still just surprising to see you do that, though."
"Whatever!" The sun fairy dismissed as she turned to leave, her hair swaying as if it were sashaying. "I thought Tecna said we shouldn't waste our time wondering."
For once, the blonde made a good point, and the group followed after her. The thought of Toriel's possible background still echoed in the back of their minds, though, as they began to wonder what her life had been like before...