Chapter Text
Peppermint bowling was a pretty strange game. Snap wasn’t sure if he could get the hang of it. The rules were quite different. Well he had been expecting that. What he wasn’t counting on was just how vastly different the game was to bowling. It got to the point where he wondered why it was even called bowling at all.
The game used six pins and they were lined up in a row. There was a gap in the middle. The goal was to roll the bowling ball between this gap without knocking over the pins, or knocking over as little as possible. The person with the lowest score was declared the winner. Snap had quite a time trying to adjust to these rules, since he was so used to having to knock over the pins, and used to them being arranged in a triangle, not a straight row. And there were a few times where he would forget a rule, such as how getting a gutterball would cost him a turn since it would be cheating.
But regardless of the confusion at times, Snap did enjoy the game. It was something different, something unique. He and his friends had come over earlier today to start playing. They’ve been here for about two hours now, and there was no signs of them leaving yet. Rudy and Penny might have to go soon, but Rapsheeba and Blocky could stay with him all day. So after his human friends leave, he’ll continue playing with Rapsheeba and Blocky.
He wouldn’t doubt it if his friends were starting to get sick of the game. They never really said anything to him. Nobody spoke up and said ‘Let’s stop’. They just let him keep playing. It was probably because they liked seeing him try to have fun and enjoy himself. He was doing his best to enjoy the game and not let any negative thoughts enter his head. It wasn’t easy, though. Even as he played game after game, even as he cheered his friends on, sometimes bad thoughts crept into his head and it was hard to let go of it.
He was still a little shaken up by what Vice had said to him during the trial. What scared him the most was the mixed message she had sent. In one breath, she strongly hinted that she just wanted him to flat out die. And in the other, she wanted to vivisect him and keep him alive for as long as possible. She had even brought up the whole ‘skinning him’ thing in court. He was glad to know that her horrible outbursts landed her an even tougher sentence, but it still shook him up just thinking about it.
He did his best to cast those thoughts aside. He tried to focus on the colorful game he was playing. He was supposed to be having fun. Rudy was right. He couldn’t let Vice and Sol control him like this. They would want him to continue to suffer because, if he did, they would have won, in a sense. He needed to prove to them, to himself, that they no longer had a hold over him. And the best way to do that was just to have fun and enjoy himself. He was having a lot of fun with this game, and he let its positive experience influence him, keeping that smile on his face even as the bad memories sometimes crept to the front.
He grabbed onto the bowling ball, which, for this game, was shaped like, well obviously, a large peppermint, complete with that mint smell and red stripes along its edges. It was harder to roll it competed to a regular bowling ball. It was especially hard rolling it without it falling over. But he did get the hang of it and now it almost never fell down, thankfully. He hated having to walk along the alley to fix it.
He walked up to the edge and positioned himself. His hand on the peppermint-shaped bowling ball, he moved his arm back and he rolled it. He watched as the bowling ball went along the alley towards where the pins were. He watched intently, biting his lip. The ball was getting close to the middle. It looks like it was going to make it this time. But to his dismay, as the bowling ball got through the center, it still grazed one of the pins and it toppled down. He let out a frustrated groan. He was so close.
“That was a good try, Snap!” Rapsheeba shouted as she grabbed onto her bowling ball. She walked up to Snap and gave him a smile. “So close!”
Snap nodded at her, smiling. “Yeah...very close.” He looked back as he watched the machinery rearrange the pins. Or rather, just pick up the one pin that fell down. He looked back at Rapsheeba and said, “Well it’s your turn.”
Snap walked back over to the seats where Rudy, Penny, and Blocky were. Like him, they were all wearing bowling uniforms as well as bowling shoes. They smiled and waved at him as he went over to them and sat down. He positioned himself between Rudy and Blocky. He looked over and watched as Rapsheeba stepped up, preparing to roll her ball. Unlike regular bowling, peppermint bowling only allowed one roll per person, so he would be up again very soon.
He watched as Rapsheeba rolled her ball down. She had better luck than he and her ball managed to go through the hole without knocking over any of the pins. They all let out a cheer and clapped for her success. Rapsheeba grinned at them and walked back to take a seat.
“Congratulations!” Penny said, still clapping her hands. “That was a great toss!”
“Thanks, Penny!” Rapsheeba said as she sat down.
Rudy got up from his seat. “I believe it’s my turn.” He grinned. He walked over towards the alley. “I’ll show you how a master does it!”
Snap chuckled at Rudy’s playfulness, especially when he flashed that smile at them. He wasn’t actually implying he was better than them. His comment wasn’t really meant to be taken seriously, at least not like that. It did feel good to be able to smile and laugh, especially after what he himself had been through. Thinking about it did bring about a sharp pang in his stomach, especially where he had been sliced open during the ‘awake surgery’. That area still ached him from time to time. But unlike before, briefly remembering the pain didn’t cause him to fill up with terror. Instead, he focused on having a good time wih his friends.
Rudy stepped up to the plate now, figuratively speaking. He grabbed his ball and began to roll it down the alley with a single thrust of his arm. The ball didn’t end up going straight. It must have been the way Rudy had angled it, because instead of going through the center, it ended up jerking off to the side and, somehow, knocking over all the pins. Rudy stared at this in shock, but instead of getting mad about it, he just burst into laughter.
“I guess I need to work on my rolling skills.” Rudy cast them a sideways glance. “Don’t you think, guys?”
Penny giggled, her hand to her mouth. “Well it was a good try at least!”
With a smile on his face, Rudy walked over to his friends. He looked at Penny and made a gesture with his thumb. “It’s your turn!”
“Oh!” Penny said as she got up. “I almost forgot!”
“Yeah, so did I. Good thing you said something, Rudy, because I was about to get up.” Blocky said sheepishly.
Snap patted him on his back. “Don’t worry, Blocky. We all make mistakes sometimes.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Penny said as she picked up her bowling ball. “It’ll be your turn after me. When I get back, I’ll write down the order so it’ll be easier for all of us to remember.”
“I know it’s your turn, I just...” Blocky said, the same sheepish smile on his face. “I just had a memory lapse for a second. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Rapsheeba said, sitting down next to Blocky. “Let’s just continue the game, okay?”
Snap watched as Penny went over to take her turn at peppermint bowling. As he watched her start to bowl, his mind reeled with thoughts of what happened. Though he had tried not to think about it, it was a little difficult not to. Thoughts of what happened over the course of a few days entered his head. The dreaded ‘hospital’ where he had been tortured, both physically and mentally. He recalled just how much he had suffered, the pain he had gone through. He didn’t think he would ever forget it. How could anyone forget something like that?
He still had nightmares about it, mostly of the surgery when he was awake and when Sol tormented him while in his disguise. The dreams were often painful. He could have sworn the dreams were even more painful than how it actually was in real life, not that it really mattered in the end. He’d sometimes wake up in the middle of the night crying as he tried to remind himself that it was just a dream and that he hadn’t been recaptured somehow. At least the dreams were becoming less and less frequent. That was good at least. And his friends did reassure him anytime he brought those horrid dreams up.
He was able to handle the horrible memories a little better. They’ll always be painful to him, even if just dully. But he had an easier time coping with them whenever he remembered what happened, whether by accident or not. He knew that, in time, it would be even easier thinking about what happened to him without breaking down into despair. It would still hurt him, but it would get easier, especially with his friends’ help.
As for Sol and Vice...yeah he’d probably always have some fear for them. He might always be, at least a little bit, afraid of them after what they had done to him. Whenever he felt pain in his chest or his arms, he was reminded of them specifically, the crimes they committed against him. They had hurt him so much. They had done whatever they could to crush his spirit and his hope. And it wasn’t like he ever did anything to them. They did it all to him just to be sadistic. Well he wasn’t going to let them control him. He wasn’t going to let them get the last laugh. They got caught despite them believing they could get away with it, and now they were suffering the consequences.
He wasn’t sure if they would ever truly feel remorse for what they did. Regret that they got caught..maybe. He could see that. But he doubted that they would ever really feel truly sorry for what they did. Heck, he wouldn’t be surprised if Sol blamed him, at least in part, for what had happened. He could just imagine that evil Snip laying in his cell, cursing out his name. But this time, unlike on the Snip planet, Sol was not able to carry out any evil acts of ‘revenge’. No, he was stuck in the jail for the rest of his life, along with Vice.
Snap still had some fear of them escaping, but he had looked into the jail himself. His friends had reassured him, but he wanted to be sure. He gathered information on the jail Vice and Sol were sent to. Turns out that the one they were sent to had zero reported escapes. This didn’t mean there was none; maybe some unknown zoner got out. But what it did tell Snap is that his friends were absolutely right. The jail Vice and Sol were sent to were so heavily guarded and well protected that they had almost no chance of getting out. This did help him feel better and he was able to relax a little more.
There were some questions about Vice and Sol he still wanted to know. There were some things he wanted to ask about them, information he wanted to find. There were somethings he just...could not understand. He wasn’t sure if he would ever get the answers either. Even if he went over to their cell for a visit, it was unlikely they’d be willing to talk to him. They’d both make threats and verbally abuse him. They’d say anything to him just to make him terrified.
Most of the questions, he didn’t really have to know the answer to anyway. One of the few that came to his mind that might be worth knowing is...just what kind of kid creates a Snip like Sol? It was obvious the zoner had been ‘born’ that way. The artist who drew him intended on him being a psychopath who hated him. But why? He spoke to his friends about it and Rudy did come up with an idea. The kid who drew Sol might have been jealous of Snap’s comic’s success, and they drew an ‘Anti-Snap’ of sorts to be a ‘Mary Sue’ villain or whatever.
Not exactly a good reason, but Snap had to agree, it was one of the only theories that makes sense. It would explain why Sol hated him so much. If his creator hated him or was jealous, and if Sol was created with that purpose, it would certainly reflect. It would be why Sol’s hatred was so unwavering, he would go as far as allow all of ChalkZone to suffer just to get at him. Well at least they can’t do anything now. They couldn’t make anymore plans. They couldn’t hurt anyone. They were trapped in the jail for the rest of their lives. Snap hoped that they would take that as an inspiration to really think about what they did and, hopefully, maybe years down the line, learn how to feel true remorse for their actions.
“Hey Snap! You’re up now!” Rudy cried, nudging his friend.
“Oh what?” Snap shook his head, getting himself back to reality. “Sorry, I must have blanked out for a bit.”
“That’s okay. It was a little noisy in here, so we understand if you couldn’t hear us right away.” Rudy said, a smile on his face. He made a gesture with his arm. “Go on, it’s your turn.”
Snap got up and walked over to the alley. He grabbed his bowling ball and stared intently at the pins. Getting into position, he pulled his arm back and he rolled the ball. As he watched it go down towards the pins, he couldn’t help but smile, knowing that, for him, the nightmare was finally over. There was still some recovering left to do, but his prognosis looked great. It felt great to be alive.
sss
Sol grimaced at the food that was placed on his plate. It didn’t look very appetizing. But oh well, it wasn’t like he could really complain around here. He been in here for about two weeks now. He was getting used to it. The nasty food here wasn’t really dangerous for consumption and actually wasn’t bad once he got used to it. Not wanting to hear complaints from the other inmates behind him, Sol hurried along and went over into the cafeteria to find a seat.
It was a particularly large prison, so it came as no surprise to Sol when a ton of the seats were already taken. He looked around, trying to find a seat. He looked around, curling his lip up in disgust. He really didn’t want to sit down with anyone. It didn’t help that he associated himself with Vice. There were a lot of inmates here who hated her, and in turn, hated him due to association. At least none of the other inmates tried to pummel them, but that was only because Alegor ‘claimed them as his own’. In other words, he wanted to do all the pounding himself, since he was one of the largest, strongest inmates. Sol and Vice both couldn’t decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Alegor really didn’t beat them up that often. To date, he could only recall three beatings, and they were all at random. Sol guessed it was to keep them on edge. If he was trying to scare them by not falling into a pattern so they’ll never know when they’d be hurt...well it was working. He and Vice both felt uncomfortable around the large cat, especially Vice. And lucky them, they were stuck with him almost all the time, even during cafeteria when, at times, they’re stuck sitting with him. Most of the time, he wouldn’t hurt them and at worst, he’d try to scare them, playing up on their fears.
Alegor’s treatment of them felt like karma. They had treated Snap a similar way, especially Vice. He narrowed his eyes at the thought. It was just fitting for them to go through the same thing, only this time, they weren’t getting out of it, like Snap had. This just made him regret working with Vice even more. In the end, he shouldn’t have gone after Snap to begin with. Though he was happy he suffered, in the end, he realized it just wasn’t worth it, and he should have just left the little blue rodent alone.
He wasn’t really sure how Vice felt about the whole thing, but it wasn’t like he cared. It wasn’t his problem. He might be stuck with her for the rest of his life, but that didn’t mean he had to start caring what she thought. The last time he had listened to her, it ultimately landed in him getting arrested and sent here. Not that listening to her could do any worse at this point, but, for now, he just didn’t care what she thought.
He then found a seat with relatively few people around it. Yeah, this spot would have to do. He went over to the table and pulled the chair back. He sat down and got ready to eat his lunch. On the table, like any other, was a newspaper. It was one of the very few forms of ‘entertainment’ they were allowed. Sol often read the newspaper out of shere boredom. Nothing written it really affected him in any shape or form. It was often just the same old stuff anyway. Sometimes he wished for something different, but oh well. Not like he really had a say in the matter anyway.
“Well well...fancy you’d show up here.”
Sol lifted up his head. He knew that voice. He looked over at one of the seats not far from him. He growled in disgust. “Oh it’s you, Vice...how long have you been there?”
“I just sat down.” Vice replied, narrowing her eyes. “Why? Is it a problem?”
Sol growled and turned his head away. “Sit anywhere you want. I don’t care.”
Vice humphed at this, looking down at him with a sideways glance. He could see he hatred practically radiating off her eyes. He was certain his were doing the same. Her lip pulled up in disgust and she said, “I sure hope you don’t plan on eating all of that.”
“Why?” Sol glared at her. “You can’t stomach it?”
“No, it’s not that.” Vice shook her head. “The last time you ate that whole thing, you spent all night snoring like you turned into a fucking chainsaw. I don’t know what it is about that, or what these lunchladies here put in it. But it disagrees with you in the most bizarre way possible.” She slammed her hoof hand next to him, shaking the table slightly. “Do me a favor and don’t eat all of that.”
Sol narrowed his eyes. If it weren’t for the shock collars, he would have slapped her as a response. Since he could not, he replied, “I owe you no favors, fucker.” He grabbed his coffee and drank it. “So deal with it.”
“Why you little rodent...!” Vice growled. “If these shock collars weren’t on, I would..!”
Sol just smiled up at her mischeviously. “You would have what?”
Vice opened her mouth to speak. The unicorn was so flustered and angry, though, that she couldn’t think of a response. She fell silent, grumbling something under her breath. She looked away from Sol and stared down at her food. Sol smirked at this. He liked getting her all frustrated whenever possible. It was fun seeing her get angry. Of course, sometimes she got a laugh at him when she teased and mocked him. He pushed those thoughts aside and looked down at his food.
Suddenly, they heard heavy footsteps rushing towards them. A large shadow loomed over them. A plate was dropped between Sol and Vice. The clang was loud, catching their attention immediately. The two zoners looked up and they could see Alegor standing there. His arms were folded against his chest and he was giving a dark smile at the two of them. He pulled up a seat, being so large he barely fit in most seats around here. The motion was fast, nearly knocking Vice and Sol to the side. They both cringed at the sight of their huge and muscular cellmate.
“Why hello... my little... ‘friends’...” Alegor said, chuckling. He stared down at Sol for a few seconds, and then turned his attention to Vice. Sol was not surprised as Vice was usually the target of his torment. “Did you miss me?” He asked rhetorically.
“Uh..hi...” Vice said nervously, gritting her teeth. She looked down at her food. “I’m trying to have lunch...”
“Yes, yes, I know... I just want to say..hello...” Alegor said in an almost gentle voice.
Sol watched, almost amused, as Alegor put his arm around Vice and pulled her towards him. Vice looked up at Alegor with fear-filled eyes. Her teeth were bared in nervousness. Her ears had almost instantly lowered, pressing against her skull. There were slight shivers to her body as she was trapped against the large feline zoner. There was no way she could wriggle herself out of this. And it wasn’t like she’d try anyway. The last time she did, she got punched by this guy, so she learned it was best to hold still and take it.
Alegor opened his mouth and spoke softly to Vice. “You and I are going to have a lot of fun together tonight..” Vice’s eyes widened in horror at this. “So be prepared...” The feline zoner slowly licked Vice’s cheek from bottom to top, taking his time. Vice was clearly distressed about this and let out a whimper. This just made Alegor’s smile broaden.
Sol turned his head away and looked down at the paper. He needed something to take his mind off what was happening. As much as he hated Vice, as much as he loved seeing her being afraid, he knew that, at any moment, Alegor could turn that on him. He decided to shift his focus away from the large feline just in case he gave the wrong message and he start to torment him next.
Sol held up his cup of coffee and gave it a quick sip. He held the paper up with one hand, reading the headlines. His eyes moved back and forth as he skimmed the titles. Then he saw something that made his eyes open wide in shock. He nearly spit out his coffee as he read it.
It was an article about Snap. Just what he had done, he wasn’t sure. At the moment, his mind couldn’t really focus on what the writing said. The only thing his eyes were on was the picture of Snap. He was smiling. Sol stared in disbelief. The little rodent was actually smiling. After all the pain and misery he and Vice put him through, he was somehow happy again. The realization that Snap was not in the state of terror he had hoped he would be in made Sol’s blood boil. He gripped the news paper tightly, his body shaking in anger.
Not able to take it much longer, he let out a snarl and threw his arms up in the air. “Curse you Snap!” He shouted, his voice so loud that it drew the attention of the other inmates. They all looked at him in confusion. He didn’t care though. He sat there, seething in anger.
He heard a deep growl next to him. Sol slowly turned his head. Alegor was glaring down at him, his teeth bared. Sol realized, in horror, that he had spilled his coffee all over Alegor’s head. Sol’s anger vanished, quickly replaced with shock and fear. For a few seconds, he and Alegor just stared at each other. He shrank down, trying to make himself appear as small as possible. He gave a weak laugh, grinning nervously up at Alegor.
He didn’t stay there for long. He jumped back when Alegor attempted to grab him. The Snip let out screams of terror as he ran through the cafeteria, a very angry feline zoner thundering close behind him.
“Come back here! Just wait until I get my hands on you!”
sss
“Wow, Snap! That was amazing!” Blocky said, a huge smile spread across his face.
“Yeah, you were awesome, Snap my man!” Rapsheeba cheered.
Snap smiled at this. “Thanks, you guys!”
Penny put a hand on his shoulder and said, “It was incredible you were able to do that.”
“Hey, don’t underestimate me, Buckette.” Snap said, grinning broadly at her.
Rudy nodded his head. “Nothing can keep you down for that long, right Snap?”
Snap chuckled. “Right!”
Nothing can keep him down... Yeah that was pretty much true for Snap. Rudy watched the scene play out before him. He couldn’t help but smile. It was hard to believe that, a couple months ago, Snap was horrifically injured and practically on his deathbed. Snap, for a time, had been so scared and frightened, plagued with detailed nightmares almost every night and terrified of being alone. It was an uncomfortable memory and Rudy didn’t like thinking about it.
He never told anyone, but he, too, sometimes had nightmares. He would have dreams where he and Penny found Snap too late. In these dreams, Vice often succeeded in vivisecting Snap and he could vividly recall details of the ribcage being opened and guts everywhere. He felt nauseaous just thinking about it and he tried to put it in the back of his head. He knows that he isn’t alone. He wouldn’t doubt that Penny, Rapsheeba, Blocky, and Snap all had their share of nightmares of the recent events themselves. What happened to Snap was unfair, gruesome, and unforgiveable.
Rudy couldn’t properly express the gratefulness he felt when both Vice and Sol were being punished for what they did. They made their choice to hurt Snap, and they were paying the price for it. Vice especially. She killed countless other zoners, including Boorat, for no reason other than to satisfy her sick desires. Well now she was in a place where she couldn’t do that anymore. She was never going to get out. She will never be able to hurt anyone ever again.
Rudy was glad that Snap didn’t let his fears control him forever. The incident at the trial did bring him back a little and caused him to become afraid for a time. But his words and encouragement, along with the others’, did help calm Snap down. Rudy was certain he was still afraid at least on some level, but at least he was no longer letting it hold him back. He was living life to the fullest and being happy again. Rudy missed that. During Snap’s recovery, it was hard going through the days without seeing Snap smile that much or be happy. He was so scared. He and the others did what they could, but sometimes, they couldn’t say anything that would cheer the little zoner up.
Now those days were over, or at least so he hoped. Snap was doing much better lately. He still sometimes suffered from dull pain from his injuries, mostly his chest wound. But they were manageable and Snap usually didn’t have to take medication for it. If he did, just over-the-counter stuff. The pain dulled each day, and Rudy suspected that, in a couple days to two weeks, the pain should be completely gone.
The scars would remain though. They had spoken to the doctors and they said that Snap’s scars would never fade completely. Everywhere that Snap had been injured, whether it be by Vice or Sol’s hands, would have a mark there of some kind, whether it be faint or more noticeable. It did make Rudy feel sad that Snap would have physical reminders of what happened to him. But the zoner has been handling it well, and it helped that, with his leotard, nearly all the scars were covered anyway, with only a small scar on his right ear visible.
It was a wonderful feeling knowing that, despite all that Snap was put through, he was able to be happy once again. He wouldn’t doubt that Sol and Vice would not be happy to know about this. He wondered if jail has newspapers. He could just imagine the look on their faces when they see that the damage they caused Snap did not have the deep psychological damage that they wanted. Well yes, Snap was still afraid and emotionally scarred, but he was getting better, despite the horrible things he was put through. He hoped those two could read the newspaper that was released today. He hoped that they get it through their heads just how much they lost, how much they screwed up. Let’s see them try to destroy Snap’s happiness now.
They had been getting ready to leave the peppermint bowling alley when someone had accidentally knocked over something. He forget what it was, but the end result was that the alley was on fire. Most of the zoners, including him and his friends, got out. There was one zoner trapped inside, unable to get out as the front of the alleyway collapsed. Snap had managed to find an opening small enough for him and he went inside, ignoring the cries from other zoners for him to stay away, that it was too dangerous. He did come out later with the zoner. He suffered a few small burns, but he, as well as the zoner, were otherwise okay. It was an amazing feat and some zoner reporters wanted to do a story on it. The paper was released very quickly.
He was torn from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and he could see Penny. He smiled at her. “What is it?”
“Are you ready for that sleepover?” Penny asked. “I have everything arranged with my mother, so it’s not a problem. How about you?”
Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah, it’s all worked out.”
Penny grinned at this. “That’s good!”
It hadn’t been easy convincing his folks without looking suspicious. He wouldn’t doubt Penny had a hard time doing the same thing with her mother. But in the end, they knew it was going to be worth it. It was Rapsheeba’s idea and she had relayed it to them. They all thought it was a wonderful idea. After what Snap had been forced through, he deserved something like this.
They were all going to stay over at his treehouse tonight. It was pretty easy for Rapsheeba and Blocky to sleepover. It was a little harder with Rudy and Penny because they had to find a way to trick their folks into thinking they were staying over the others’ place. Coming up with what lies to tell them was tricky, as they almost never do this sort of thing. In the end, they had been able to convince them, and they spent some time planning what they were going to do at the sleepover. There were a number of games and what not they could play, and Blocky suggested they bring over movies to watch. Snap was excited by the whole thing.
Rudy watched, a smile on his face, as his friends chattered excitedly amongst each other. He watched for a few moments before he walked over and joined in. There was talk of chinese chalkers, which was one of Snap’s favorite games, as well as some new ones he never heard of, such as apple chess and twised ladders. They were definitely going to have a lot of fun tonight. He had to remind himself to bring snacks and drinks, though, since he and Penny can’t consume chalk stuff.
“Come on!” Snap cried, catching everyone’s attention. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
With that, the little zoner started to run towards the direction of his treehouse. Blocky and Raspheeba took off after him, telling him to slow down. Rudy and Penny watched this for a moment. They cast each other a glance, a little surprised. Then they smiled each other, both feeling happy that things appear to be going back to normal. They soon took off after the three zoners.
As they ran, Rudy took a moment to reflect on all that had happened. How they were tricked by Sol, how Snap was found badly hurt, how Snap’s recovery had been difficult, the trial for Sol and Vice, it all swirled in his head. It stung a little, knowing that Snap had been through hell. But at least things were much better now. And as they approached Snap’s house, Rudy knew one thing for certain.
The nightmare was finally over.