Blake and Tobias played up in Blake's room for hours. The only times they had to stop was either because lunch was ready or a bathroom break. Besides that, Blake and Tobias had the time of their lives launching pictures of octopuses' into outer space on these makeshift rockets. Soon came sunset and Blake had to get changed into his pajamas for bedtime. As he did, Tobias remembered the little angel in the kid's head, and how she was trying to free Shame. Maybe it was because he wanted to check that she hadn't, but Tobias asked "Feeling guilty over things lately?"
Blake turned around to him while adjusting his socks. "What do you mean?"
"I just don't want you to be feeling ashamed of silly things buddy."
"Well I don't. Haven't said sorry to Jason yet so..."
Tobias narrowed his eyes. Blake was lying. And he should know, he's Blake's best friend. "Blake have you been hiding something from me?"
Blake sighed and looked shamefully at the tin man. "Maybe, I met someone yesterday."
Jealousy impaled Tobias' chest. "Someone, who? Are THEY your best friend now?"
"No, no! YOU are always gonna be my best friend. It's just, this one wanted to be my friend."
Tobias suddenly put two and two together. His whole form began glowing and rippling like a tide wave, and when Blake looked over what replaced Tobias, was a blue little angel. "Was she about yay high with a golden ring around her head and a white dress?"
Blake snapped his fingers, "YES! That was Light. I haven't seen her since I threw her down the stairs."
Tobias doubled over wheezing. "You threw her down the stairs! That's HILARIOUS! What was her face like?"
"Toby..." Blake said nudgingly.
"What? Purely curious? Did she scream?"
"It's not funny. I was mean for no reason and now I've just been feeling smaller and smaller."
Smaller? Tobias thought. Then he realized, guilt was beginning to chip his way into Blake. Quickly he tried cheering him up. "Oh I saw that same angel. She's fine! Not a broken bone to be seen. In fact between you and me we shouldn't trust her."
Blake frowned, "Why?"
"She last said she wanted to make you feel ashamed of yourself."
"I mean, mum says I should be all the time so-"
"No, like ACTUALLY make you feel guilty. And say you're sorry. You don't wanna say sorry do you?"
Blake thought for a moment. He was never the one to apologize first, yet this morning when he did to his father and his father...just forgave him, and Blake's shame was instantly gone. Maybe he would like to say sorry. "I would like to say sorry Toby."
Toby released his angel form and shapeshifted back into himself. "Where is all this guilt coming from?"
"This morning when I said sorry to my dad-"
"You WHAT?"
"But it was okay! He said it was okay and I felt a lot better. Now I feel bad about everything else and I want to say sorry to my family, to Light-"
"Lemme guess, to Jason?"
"Maybe when the teacher makes me. But I won't mean it."
Tobias inspected Blake's face. There wasn't any changing his mind. "Well Blakey, you are my best friend. Not just the world but the universe. If you want to say sorry to Light, I'll find her for you!"
Blake leaped into Tobias' furry arms. "Thank you Toby!"
When he pulled away, Tobias gave Blake a quick salute for before popping back into the hall of memories. Blake hopped into bed and fiddled with the last remaining earth-bound octopus. He thought of this morning and how he felt after saying sorry. If Light was here to bring that feeling out, maybe she truly wanted to help after all.
*****************************************************************************
Tobias found the little angel sprawled out in starfish position in the aisle March of three years ago. Most of these shelves have been cleaned out and torn away to be thrown in the abyss. Tobias went and stood over her. "Light, are you okay? You were right, Blake wants your help!"
"I have spent so many hours trying to find where Shame is, I can't...go on.."
"Excuse me!" A neuron called out. "We're trying to tear down the shelves here! Move, you might get hurt."
Tobias picked Light up and brought her away from the destruction site. "Light wake up! We have to find Shame remember!" No response came from the woman. It made sense why she was tired, she'd spent all day in here trying to find directions. Now it's almost Blake's bedtime and she's still nowhere close to finding him. "I got you're back." The racoon morphed into a blue clown car with Light in the back seat. The neurons tore down the outdated shelves, smashing the wood into scraps and moving it away from the site with bulldozers. Once the neurons left the site, there was nothing except a few loose books and wooden scraps.
"We got to follow them!" Tobias said, his face being the front of the car. Light, now conscience, said "Wait, what? Why?"
"They're taking those forgot memories to the chasm! THAT'S where Shame is!"
"A chasm? Why would a facet of Blake's emotions be in a chasm?"
Tobias explained as he drove after the neurons through the aisles. "It's difficult to explain. I think I'm the only one who noticed Shame was down there. I should've said something but Shame being gone ended up doing more than good I thought."
"But HOW did he get in a chasm?!"
"Had a fight with the other moods and ran away because, well he felt ashamed I guess. Nobody had seen him since. Except when I found him huddled at the chasm."
Light looked shocked. "You just left him there?"
"He was missing months prior to me finding him. At that point I guess I'd grown used to not having him around so I just...y'know.."
"Left him?"
"...yeah..."
"Tobias that isn't right!"
"I know I know! Spare me the lecture would you? You're Blake's shoulder angel not mine!"
The car stopped suddenly with a screech. "We're here." Was all Tobias said. Light hopped out of him before he morphed back into himself. They watched as the bulldozers shunted old books and shelf pieces into the dark abyss below them. When light peered down, she couldn't even see the land below. One neuron suggested they back away before they fall in. "Oh don't worry sir," Tobias said gleefully while taking Light's hand. "That's the plan!"
With that the racoon and the angel plummeted below, ignoring the screams of several neurons as wind roared in their ears. They fell for what felt like half an hour before land appeared before their eyes. Light shrieked as Tobias held her and morphed into a parachute, catching the air and hovering the angel safely to the ground. He laughed as he morphed back, "Your face! You were all 'aaahh!' HILARIOUS!"
"We could've died!"
"But we didn't. Thanks to me! You're welcome by the way, for literally carrying you here."
"...Thank you Tobias." Light said warmly. Tobias did a double take at her, he wasn't expecting a legitimate thanks. Light walked around, exploring the broken bits of bookshelf and worn out, torn up pages that were once memories. "You still haven't told me what this place is."
"Oh, this is the chasm of the forgotten and repressed!" Tobias explained. "It's mainly filled with forgotten memories of Blake as a baby. So I'm not sure why they call it repressed as well."
Light hugged herself as a bone-chilling breeze passed by. "Holy wow it's cold here."
"Yeah, we can't stay long. Or our very essence get bound o this place and we won't be able to leave without help."
The two walked around, reading old memories that were still intact, though the ink was very faded. And called out to Shame with no luck. "Maybe the little guy managed to haul himself out of here." Tobias suggested, trying to keep their spirits lifted. "Yeah, Maybe." Light replied, her teeth chattering.
The chasm had a spooky room type vibe to it. There isn't anything particularly scary, just the thought of being there for so long it what gets you.
When Light looked up she saw a river of blue, the sky, far away. This place was dirty and cold and only now she noticed it, but very grey. Everything about this place and a serious lack of color in it. When the pair turned a corner they were greeted by the biggest pile of memory junk and a small figure in the corner of it all, shivering and whispering to himself. Light wasn't sure if it was a mood or a neuron because of his grey glass color and the shadow liquid that filled him. Light turned to Tobias who was stunned beyond belief.
"Is that-"
"Shame."