Rex realizes that perhaps he was wrong about his friends abandoning him in favor of life on Systar, so he decides to do some investigating.
What he finds out may be even worse than what he originally believed.
As Rex had predicted, there wasn't a lot of security keeping an eye on the palace's many balconies. Rex found a larger one to touch down on, and they quietly made their way inside. It seemed the others actually hadn't been there much longer; they were just finishing up an argument over who started the fighting.
"Why are we supposed to trust you?"
"I'll tell you using the universal language!"
"Oh no," Rex groaned as music started from seemingly nowhere. "Brace yourselves." Bad Cop leaned forward, peering over the railing into the open room below to watch.
"...She really expects anyone to believe her just because she's singing a song about it?"
"At least it doesn't seem to be working on you," Rex responded, relieved.
"Benny do you like spaceships? Cause I think they are great!"
"How'd you know that loving spaceships is my one defining trait?!"
Emmet and Rex both glanced up at Bad Cop at his sudden sharp intake of breath. He stood and quickly walked back outside, leaving the two behind to stare at each other in bewilderment. Emmet gave Rex a helpless look, only to get a shrug in response. He bit his lip and turned back to the scene below. He would ask in a bit; for now, he felt he needed to pay attention to the Queen's song.
"...I believe her."
Rex groaned. "Great, now you've fallen for it too-"
"I'm not brainwashed," Emmet huffed. "Whatever's going on, I don't think the Systarians are doing it on purpose."
"Just because she does some dumb little song and dance number-"
"Why did you ask for my help if you're not going to trust me?"
Rex opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again with a growl, pointedly turning his attention back to their friends.
And then Lucy- his beautiful, headstrong Lucy- opened her mouth to start the argument all over again.
"And this one needs to get changed most of all!"
Rex gave Emmet a pointed look. He bit his lip. That... really hadn't sounded good at all. Their friends were ushered out of the palace without another word. With so many guards around, there was no chance to spring them free just yet. "Off to Planet Sparkles, then," Rex muttered. "Less security there, we might have a chance to free them."
Emmet swallowed hard. "I hope so." He got back to his feet and walked back outside to find Bad Cop leaning against the railing, staring out at the stars. He wasn't scowling like usual, he seemed... sad. "Are you alright?"
"Not really," Bad Cop muttered.
"Was it something that happened in there?" Bad Cop didn't answer. Emmet just nodded. "It's alright, you don't have to tell me. I get it, if it's personal."
"I like Benny," he finally said.
"Oh." A moment of silence, then, "have you told him?"
"No. And now I don't think I ever will."
Emmet winced, recalling Benny's response to the Queen's question. He couldn't really blame him for that. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Not your fault, Brickowski," Bad Cop sighed. "I'm pretty well used to it by now anyway."
"You two done having your heart to heart? We need to get moving- that spa is where they do their most serious brainwashing. Hell, they even straight up call it a 're-education center'."
Bad Cop nodded, straightening up. "Let's go, then."
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Lucy kept a wary eye out as they entered the spa. It wasn't what she pictured it would be like, almost looking more like a massive crystal palace. And of course the people in charge were vampires. How much more obvious could the Systarians get?
She could have screamed in frustration when the others jumped straight into being pampered. The Queen had obviously already won them over, with her offer of stuff. The Queen hadn't offered her anything, and even if she had, Lucy wouldn't be swayed. There was nothing even a shapeshifting Empress of an entire solar system could give her that she would want- she already had everything she wanted out of life, and it had been ripped away from her the moment the General had stolen her away.
"She needs extra treatment," the General told the vampires.
"No," Lucy said immediately, starting to step away, only for her wrist to be grabbed. Teenager or not, the vampire nearly found himself thrown into a wall anyway.
"Yes," he was saying. "I know exactly what to do with this one. But first, we will need to remove this for safe keeping." He practically sneered down at her ring as he slid it off her finger. Lucy was too stunned at his audacity to fight back, and then she simply didn't get the chance, whisked away almost immediately to begin her own 'treatments'. The giant robotic hands that dragged her through each one didn't allow for much of a struggle, let alone a proper fight, and she was helpless to do anything other than endure.
I can survive this, she told herself. It's just... spa treatments. Nothing that can do any harm. And then I can get my ring back after.
She'd even managed to ignore the vampire's incessant blathering- at least up until she was subjected to a 'sparkle rinse' and his shocked outburst of "your hair!"
Fighting down panic as everyone surrounded her for a look, Lucy glanced wildly about for a mirror, and finally found one, only to watch the black bleed away into blue and pink.
"That's not my hair," was all she managed to get out, her head spinning. "That's not my hair!"
