If Po Survived (ST3 AU)

Chapter 3: The Guardian

When the tubbies were called lab rats, it was true. They were always being watched by someone named The Guardian. He didn't have a real name, The Guardian was just his name. He was a tubby too with fluffy white fur.

He had been assigned a long time ago to watch over the tubbies, but never interacted with them for reasons he never questioned. But he so badly wanted to meet them. He grew a strong bond over them while watching over them. He was protecting them. He knew almost everything about them. He even...borrowed Dip's hat when he felt lonely. He didn't have anyone else to talk too after all.

While it may have sounded creepy, he truly cared for their lives. It was like they were the family he never had. He wanted to be with them. He especially cared for Po, despite caring for the others so much, something about Po interested him.

But when that night happened, he was horrified.

"NO, NO!" The Guardian cried out as he shook the monitor that observed Laa. "WORK, YOU STUPID THING!!! THIS COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!!!"

He was panicking. Nothing prepared him for something like this! He pressed buttons and flipped switches, but nothing was bringing Laa's screen back on.

She was dead.

The Guardian couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it either. He then stood up and rushed out of his lair. He wasn't going to let this happen to anyone else! This was the custard's doing, it had to be! There wasn't a single possible or logical way that Tink would be doing this willingly.

And that leads us to what happened with Po. He kept running and running until coming across the tree that Tink was confronting Po at.

Po whimpered. "T-Tink...P-Please...!"

Tink roared and lunged at Po, but The Guardian out from behind the tree and slammed his fist right into Tink's gray and dead face

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!!" The Guardian screamed.

Tink stumbled backwards, spitting out a tooth before growling and looking at The Guardian and slamming his fist towards him, but The Guardian dodged and kicked Tink right in the screen, causing it to crack.

Po couldn't believe her own eyes. A random white tubby had come out of nowhere and saved her life.

Tink screamed that ear piercing scream again before charging at The Guardian, biting into his shoulder.

The Guardian screamed in pain before swatting his arm right into Tink's dead face, managing to get him off. He felt drops of blood drip down his shoulder as he covered it with his hand.

Tink growled before suddenly disappearing into the darkness, seemingly knowing he wouldn't be able to win this fight.

The Guardian breathed heavily before turning to Po. "Are you alright, Po?"

"I...I...I-I..." Po couldn't speak, still incredibly shocked by not only that there was another tubby she didn't know, but the fact that he knew her name, and that her best friend was now a monster, and that her friends were...

She felt tears began to stream down her face. "T-They're...T-They're dead!!!" She cried, falling to her knees.

The Guardian's eyes widened. "N-No...They...." He felt his body became numb. "I'm too late..." He whispered, sniffling before managing to shake out of it. Maybe they could be saved. They ate the custard too and that was what seemingly turned Tink into...that. Maybe Tink could be saved too.

Po just kept crying and crying. She couldn't stop. She had finally been able to process that her friends, her only family, was dead.

"Po..." The Guardian knelt down, setting aside the night vision camera he brought with him. "I'm...I'm so sorry...I should've...." He was having a hard time speaking and keeping it together at the same time. He couldn't believe they were gone either, despite having small amounts of hope.

"H-He killed them!! W-Why?! We didn't d-d-do anything!!!" Po sobbed. "W-We were b-best friends! H-He-"

"Tink isn't himself, Po." The Guardian said. "I think I know some people that can help him, ok? The others too."

"B-But...t-they're-"

"They ate the custard too. And that is the only logical explanation to why Tink would do this. It's...infected.

Po sniffled and looked at him. "W-What...? T-The custard did t-this to h-him?"

The Guardian nodded. "It's the only explanation, Po. But right now, we need to find any other custards before someone eats them and then turns into what Tink turned into." He offered his hand out to her. "I'm gonna keep you safe. Ok?"

Po looked at his hand before slowly taking it. "O-Ok..." She sniffled. "Who are you...?"

"I'm The Guardian." He replied.

Po didn't seem to understand before seeing an all too familiar cow skin tophat. "H-Hey...That's Dip's hat!"

The Guardian's face turned of calm and collected to nervous. "I, uhh, may have borrowed it? I was gonna give it back, I swear!"

"I...Well, if you say so." Po said as he helped her to her feet.

"We need to collect the rest of the custards." The Guardian said. "Then we can go to The Satellite Station and contact the military."

"Are those the people that can help?"

The Guardian turned to her and nodded. This certainly wasn't the way he wanted to meet her, but this was a problem he-

They needed to solve.