SMG4 Movie: WESTERN SPAGHETTI (IF MEGGY WAS THE ANTAGONIST...) (Novel)

Chapter 9: Are you okay?

(WARNING/TW: MENTIONS OF BLOOD, PAIN AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR!)

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When Tari opened her eyes, she found herself staring up at the sky. Blinking groggily, she rubbed her eyes and sat up.
When she was fully conscious, she realized that she was not inside of her office in Western Spaghetti. Instead, it seemed like she was in the middle of nowhere. Just a blue sky. And beneath her was an endless floor of water.
Tari's eyes widened when she realized.
  I'm in the Digital Ether!
Shaking her head, trying to wake herself up, she decided to walk around. She had never felt this much at peace in a while. Usually, she had to worry about Meggy and Wren and their evil schemes, and the responsibility she had to hold as Sheriff. But now she knew for sure that she was safe. Nobody could hurt her here...
   "Tari, right?"
Tari jumped when she heard a voice behind her. "WAH!" Tari, startled, spun around to look at what had just spoken to her.
   "Hello!"
Tari stared in bewilderment. She was staring at what seemed to be... herself? Her old self.
Before she could even react, the clone had already spoken. "I know this seems a little odd, but if you would let me explain--"
   "WHAT THE-?! ME? BUT- IM ME! I- HOW-"
   "I said let me explain!" Their message was challenging, but they delivered it in a soothing way.
Tari couldn't believe her eyes or ears. Her old self was standing right here in front of her. Speaking to her.
How was this even possible...?
   "Why am I in the Digital Ether?" Tari's voice shook. "Who are you? What is going on?"
   "Walk with me." The clone had gently taken Tari's robotic arm and held it as they began to lead her somewhere.
For the next few minutes, the two had walked in complete silence. Tari was way too baffled to even say another word, while the clone seemed completely lost in their own little world.
   "Have you ever wondered what will happen?" The clone Tari had finally spoken.
   "Wha- what do you mean?" Tari's question accidently came out as a wail.
   "In the future," The Tari continued. "What will happen to us."
Tari sighed and adjusted her robotic arm. "A million times. Especially ever since I came to Western Spaghetti."
The clone didn't reply, but Tari could see that she was listening.
   "I just wish..." She swallowed down her emotion. "I wish that Meggy didn't betray us- betray me the way she did. She was such a good friend, I... I don't understand why she would do something like this." Tari stopped to sit down on the ground to think. The clone mirrored her action. "I mean... I know that Wren means a lot to her... but I didn't think she would go this far for him." Her eyes slanted in sorrow. "And shouldn't her friends mean a lot to her too...? Shouldn't I mean a lot to her? Shouldn't we be her number one priority?"
The Tari didn't seem to respond at first. Tari could see that they were trying to think of the right thing to say.
   "Sometimes... It's not as simple as that." The Tari replied with a heavy heart. "Meggy is a great friend. And I promise you that she would never do anything to hurt you intentionally."
   "Then why is she?" Tari tried to sneer, but it came out as a whimper.
   "Things aren't always as they seem." The Tari replied simply. "For all we know, she could be in danger."
Tari blinked. "Danger? Why would Meggy of all people be in danger?"
The Tari shrugged. "As I said, It's not always as it seems."
Tari blinked again and shook her head. "No. No! You're making no sense!"
The clone returned the blink. "How so?"
   "Meggy is a monster!" Tari's voice cracked with unease. "She... she murdered my friends! Saiko and SMG4!"
The Tari lowered their head to look down at their reflection in the water. "So they got you thinking that she is a monster?" The Tari almost sounded disappointed.
   "She is!" Tari defended with a voice crack. "I don't think she's one, I know she is!"
Saying that out loud made Tari's heart ache. That took her way more effort to say that out loud than she anticipated.
The clone shook their head. "You don't know that-"
   "I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" Tari shouted, tears in her eyes. "I SAW MEGGY BITE SAIKO IN HALF! I WATCHED HER BODY GO LIMP, I WATCHED HER TAKE HER FINAL BREATHS, I WATCHED MEGGY SWALLOW AND CRUSH HER! I SAW IT ALL!"
Without another word, The clone had grabbed Tari's hand; squeezing it to comfort her. "It's going to be okay."
   "It's not going to be okay at all!" Tari wailed, ripping her hand away, standing back up. "Me and Mario are going to die if we stay here! Don't you understand that?"
The clone stood up as well, approaching her as Tari backed away. "I only have one purpose here, Tari."
Tari froze. "What?"
   "Now are you going to listen, or are you going to continue to whine?"
Tari completely stopped moving at this point. They changed personalities so quickly. Her clone went from kind to blunt right before her eyes.
She still couldn't make herself reply, but Tari's silence had already given the clone their answer.
   "Sorry," was all that Tari could mutter.
The clone gave her a curt nod as an acceptance of her apology. "I bring you grave news sadly. Their will be terrible times for you up ahead, Tari. But you are the only one who can stop them. Your choices will affect how you and your friends make it out. And that includes Meggy too."
Tari blinked in confusion. "Meggy? But aren't we running away from Meggy...? Isn't Meggy the threat?"
   "That's what it wants you to think."
Tari tilted her head. "What's it? What are you talking about?"
But before Tari could finish asking questions, the clone had vanished in a cloud of white mist.
   "Wait! Come back! I'm not finished!" Tari reached her hand out to grab the mysterious clone, but they were already gone.
   "Please! Don't go! I need help!"