"What on Earth is going on here?"
Big Boss finally arrived. I came on time. I helped both my owner and Big Boss. I... managed. But now it's time to take care of the former, who has fainted (yet again!) due to all the power he used to protect us. He sure is strong, but even the strongest ones have their limits... which some of them can never see. I decide to stay by my owner's side for now as I listen to what is unfurling in front of me.
The Golden Guard rushes to Big Boss, screaming and pleading: "Oh, David, look what these guys have been doing! They... they had almost ruined your room with all the chaos they'd been wreaking, I barely had time to clean that up!" Pathetic.
"James, calm down, it's gonna be ok," Big Boss reassures him, not knowing what had been going on this whole time... honestly, I don't understand what's up either: he cleared everything so quickly... or has he? I see a small rip right near the mirror the Golden Guard was using the first time we met him, and take advantage of it. Time to do some exercise! In a few jumps I get to the mirror and-:
"Mre..." I stretch my paw towards the rip, alerting the youngest member, Jim Hawkins. "No, no, Simon, don't touch that-" There! I manage to pull the rip and... everything changes. The mess from the previous fights alights right in front of Big Boss as he realizes something had been going on this entire time. The shattered mirrors, the remaining fireballs smouldering around us - and a subtle purple glow surrounding our field, which Big Boss immediately takes off with a stroke of his hand.
He reaches out to my owner:"Billy... is that... is that-" - but it's not long before a roar emanates through the room: "Yes, it is him, Dave! It is!" John Silver, my owner's best friend and mate, is absolutely baffled by what happened. But he is even more enraged at the Golden Guard for having made that happen. He points at him - an uncouth, but understandable gesture, given the circumstances: "And he is the one to blame."
It is only a matter of questions before the creator of all cartoons learns the truth.
"Alright, everyone, calm down. Let's just try and recall everything that happened right before I came, shall we?" Big Boss eyes everyone and lets Jim, as the youngest, speak up first.
"Um, Mr, Cherkassky," the boy starts, "may I ask you a brief question?"
"Sure, you may," he smiles, truly eager to hear anything. I cuddle up towards him to cheer him up, before returning to my owner.
"The thing is, I came to this dimension, because you had sent me a message to come. But I hadn't found you there when I arrived. Instead, there was Captain Flint, eager to threaten me, and, later, Mr Bones, with his magic. Was there any message after all?"
"No, there wasn't any, sorry." Big Boss lowers his eyes for a moment, pondering. "What made you think so?"
"Because I had actually received one!"
"Ok, we'll check this out later, in case it turns out to be true." He gets the conversation back on track and asks about how my owner got there.
"I... I had overheard Mr Bones and Mr Flint talking with each other, before the former just up and screamed my name into the distance. And then we met up. Mr Bones seemed rather guilty about what he did back at 'Admiral Benbow'-"
"Oh, that. I remember, I do remember." Big Boss chuckles, seemingly remembering something I don't. Is that why my owner appeared so jammed up right in front of Jim? "Go on."
"Right after I said I forgave him, Mr Flint appeared. I have no idea w-why he did that, but he t-trapped me in ch-chains, r-right under the ceiling!"
"What?!" Big Boss turns to the Golden Guard, "Is that true?"
"Only because these two were getting too sappy with each other." the latter scoffs. "I'd never want anyone to claim the superiority over me, not even a group of so-called "friends"!"
"So-called, huh... " Big Boss thinks the moment over, "But what did you do after you trapped the boy, James? Gloated about it much?"
"I didn't have time because another challenge appeared, in the face of the ex-first mate no less!"
"Ex-first mate..." Silver tries to hold his breath to keep himself from screaming again. Instead, he comes up to me and we try to get my master to wake up, as that bastard of a man continues:
"All I had to do was teach him a lesson in humility and respecting his elders. And, guess what - it worked. Who knew he was nothing but a screaming pile of-" "Enough!" Big Boss stares at the Guard, before getting his eyes towards where Silver and I are sitting. "And you, Barbecue-"
"Stop calling me that, Dave. Forever." The one-legged savior sure is seething with the scars of smouldering rage. Better move away before someone's hurt.
"So, what happened next, Ohannes..." - Now that is a strange name to call a British-man.
"Then I came." John circles his hand around the room. "This happened."
"What did?"
"When I found Billy-" he looks back for a moment to wipe a tear off, and then goes on."When I found Billy, he was in a rather strange state. It was like he didn't recognize me, man. Ever. But when I asked Flint about it-"
"You probably learnt something rather gruesome, huh?" Jim interferes. How rude, really. Adults are talking, kid.
"What was it?" David Cherkassky asks with such determination, that I think he's solved a puzzle.
"That Flint never liked anybody, but himself." Silver lowers his head solemnly. "And for that, the others have to suffer. And fight until death do them part." I come up and take his hands into mine, like a comforting soul I am. He's our friend, after all.
"Let's hope that doesn't interfere with finding out the main truth," the creator finally faces everyone. "Flint," - the golden ghost shudders at the name, "were you using the Contact Mirror to blackmail others the whole time?"
"I-uh," he takes a moment to respond, but everyone knows the truth by then, "w-what makes you think so?"
"This." - David circles the room with his hand. "And that." - he points to Billy's ghost... shivering on the floor?
Yes, my master is indeed shivering on the floor, his quiet whimpers and sobs reaching us only now. I-I have no idea how to react, but-
***
That was it... That was it, right? I was lying there, deader than dead, unable to understand the world around me no more. A monster, a madman, - no, I was none of that. I was just a void. Of silence. Of agony. Of perpetual screaming left unanswered. Having sought nothing but trouble and having been nothing, but a burden to everyone. Maybe, that's how it should be.
For a long while there was no one but me, crying on the floor. But then... I heard voices. Rather familiar screams.
"Just what the frickin' hell were you thinking, wrecking a man like that?!"
"Mr Cherkassky, he's awake! Awake, I tell you!"
I felt someone rush up to me and land on my lead-like legs, and then a soft voice whispered:
"Mr Bones, it's alright. We're all friends here."
"Gyo... go w-way..."
"It's ok, we're all alive, nobody's hurt... I think." they sat near me, stroking my back gently. "Are you ok, though? Need any help?"
Along with that angelic whisper I could hear a growl and a soothing baritone discussing something in the background:
"How the heck is he that good with people?"
"It's probably all in the youth, Ohannes. All in the youth."
I slowly raised my head to look at the angel. They were looking straight into my eyes, petting my shoulder calmly.
"You did an amazing job, you know that?"
"No! I b-bad! I d-die!"
I suddenly felt a wave of affection surround me, as the angel hugged me. They're probably going to take me to the afterlife, where I do belong.
"Please, listen, Mr Bones. You may think you were the worst person in the world, but I have to ask you something. Would the worst person in the world try to save those around him, even those he had barely even got to know? Would he fight for his ideals even when all hope is lost?"
I sat silent, weeping while hugging the angel's neck.
"Remember Admiral Benbow? You gave your all fighting off the assault that was planned on you by forces unknown - yet you found help. And managed to survive just one more night. Here? You struggled against those same people, who now had a bigger ambition - your soul. And even then they never managed to get you on their side." - the angel leans back, revealing Jim's face. His glasses are a bit foggy, but it's all my fault.
"You r-really think I d-did it?" I whimper.
"Of course you did!" Jim slowly takes off his glasses to wipe them on the collar of his shirt. I volunteer to help, and while I conjure a tissue similar to the one he gave me back then, the boy continues: "I'd never imagine someone as tiny as you being so powerful with magic! The fight you put on, the way you untied those chains the Captain installed on me, the force field you used to protect us-"
Just then we hear sounds of struggle, as Johnny and David grab Flint by both arms, preventing his escape.
"Jim's right," the latter continues. "That must have been some heroic power you were using to protect your friends. A weakling would never do that."
"A moron would rather surrender than protect what he loves and values most." Silver adds.
"And a true sick person would rather follow his own egoistic whims, than those valued by many," Jim finishes. "Friendship, kindness, undefeatable bravery - you have them all."
"But most importantly," David brings up the final verdict, "you are a person of your word. You said you would protect your friends at all costs - you did it. You promised to protect a valuable item - you managed. Unlike the others," he eyes Flint, who is staring at us with his eyes full to the brim with disgust, resentment, - pure Cringe!
"You... you... " he growls at David before screaming, " TRAITORS! ALL OF YOU! You will be served everything you deserve on this earth! Right NOW!"
"Everybody, en garde!"
We all prepare to fight: Silver unsheathes his sword once more, Jim assumes the main stance in karate (I almost have an urge to copy him), David prepares his own magical hands, while I... I don't know if I even need my gun right now. I don't even know where it is.
"Come on, Billy." David approaches me, "do the honors." He hands me my gun (just how did he manage to find it in all this mess?!) and gets back into position.
"A-are you sure?" I ask, glancing from my gun to the creator and back.
"Yes. I am sure. Guess some people need a second vendetta in their lifetime to finally learn something."
I... I don't know how, but I release a whole volley of bullets at Flint at that moment...
***
When all is finally over, I stare at the completely broken Contact Mirror that Flint was standing near. The ghost himself is banished from this room forever. Dave and I exchange glances, when I see Jim rushing up to me for a hug: "Wait up!"
I make a bit of a shield to check if my gun is off. Just in time, for another fit engulfs me in there. You could say I was on my last leg when I got out, heh.
"But what are you gonna do with the Mirror, Dave?" Silver asks as I come back.
"Welp, I could just call the mechanic for that..."the creator trails off for a bit. "Shoot, can't go shopping without some shenanigans happening in my absence."
"Wait... shopping?" Johnny stares, bewildered by the news.
"You'll know it in a month of living like that." Of course, Jim'd better know, with what happened to his voice-actor not too long ago.
We giggle at that statement, when David adds: "Sure I'd have to tell him what happened, but... I'm sure he's used to that right now."
"A personal ghost mechanic?" Guess there's a lot for my bestie to learn.
But for now, there's only one thing I have to do, a promise I have to keep. I think for a moment, trying to remember my room at Admiral Benbow (eugh). Ok, the entrance there (double eugh)! Fine, the room. Having pondered like that for a bit, I manage to create a portal to return Jim to safety. We smile at each other as I take his hand:
"Come on, good buddy - Mom's waiting."