On A Quest To Save A Purple Noodle! [A Hat in Time Fanfiction]

Chapter 1: Eternal Damnation of The Mind

It was cold and dark, some light, but always dark, in Subcon forest. It was dark because of how the forest was ruined and was covered with dead plants and no life whatsoever unless you're a Subcon dweller or one of Snatcher's minions. Which leads up to The Snatcher himself, he misses the old Subcon, back before it was all ruined thanks to the queen's jealousy, anger, and sadness. The ice, snow, and harsh winds had destroyed the forest long before Snatcher could see it all die before his eyes. When he first saw it, he was shocked, once a beautiful forest, blooming with life, was now nothing but ruins. Lost spirits, the dwellers of Subcon, were wondering around, hopelessly, unable to move on in life.

Snatcher didn't know what he could do, but he knew he had to give the dwellers SOMETHING to help them find a reason in life. He had made a few hundred sign a contract that he wrote by hand, each one giving him an old name that they used to go by. They signed their "lives" away to Snatcher, in hope of being given a chance to be given a life instead of going endless days and nights, wondering around. Snatcher, not knowing how to give them bodies after he gave up his to the person who helped saved him, gave him an idea to help these dwellers be able to move around instead of float and look seemingly harmless. He found some old fabric, tons of it, laying buried in the earth. He reached and grab the fabric and started to put one of his many talents to use. When he was done, he passed them out and they were given a physical form, tons of fabric still left. They were cloth, and sadly, a few had managed to end up ruining their new body.

Snatcher had helped them fix their clothes, still wondering if he could make one for himself. There were dwellers who feared him and would hide or avoid him at all coasts. Snatcher had no power to stop the harsh winds and icy snow, but there was one thing he could try to do. He had went back to queen Vanessa's manor and tried to enter, but with horrid memories and no strength to overpower her, he ran back to the tree in the middle of Subcon. Snatcher spent his time there, but when someone entered his forest and tried to harm his minions, he could not stand aside. Something inside of him told him to kill this person.. and he did. He was horrified at the sight before him, but he did get something in return of their death. A soul. He got a soul. He didn't know what to do with it for the first year, it just sat in the corner of his tree, in a jar.

But then, his savoir, came back and saw that nothing had changed besides the fact that some dwellers had a body without legs. His savoir checked on Snatcher and saw the soul in the jar. Snatcher told him, his savoir, he didn't mean to kill them or even harm them, but something told him to. "Why, this is perfect!" Cried his savoir as he picked up the jar, housing the soul of the dead person. Snatcher, confused, asked him what he meant. His savoir told him he could gain power if he ate the souls of the deceased who died in his forest by him. Snatcher refused, and didn't want to eat a soul of a person he killed. His savoir's grin dropped before he placed the jar back down. "Listen here, ghost of the deceased prince, you HAVE to eat it and plenty more. Without it, you'll never be able to help them!" his savoir snarled out at Snatcher as he looked outside of the tree and at the harsh blizzard that was coming into the forest from Queen Vanessa's manor.

The ghost who had helped Snatcher left without another word. Snatcher felt angry. He wanted to help his minions and all of the dwellers, but to eat souls? These might've been innocent people! But, how could you deny such a request if it meant you could protect those around you who were already hurting? Snatcher had picked up the jar and taken out the soul. He looked at it with remorse before he devoured it. He felt warm for a second, the taste lingering on his nonexistent tongue, and something brewing inside of him. Without any warning, Snatcher had a warm ball of blue fire in his hand. He was shocked, but he did not waste any more time. He left his tree and started spreading fire, melting the snow and ice. He did not want any of it in HIS domain! He thawed out frozen dwellers, he made all of the snow disappear, and yet, there was more to do. Snatcher saw the old bridge that connected Queen Vanessa's manor to the forest.