Surface Pressure
Chapter 12 - Surface Pressure
Charlie tried looking for her brother again, now finding him going down the road to town. The blue bow blonde rushed over to him, accidentally bumping into Verosika and making petals fly. She even had to spew them out of her mouth when she caught them in there.
“What is your problem!?” The flower-producing blonde cried out.
However, Charlie didn’t hear her and just kept up the pursuit. “Hey, Ozzie! Wait up!”
Ozzie was moving the entirety of a church and placing it elsewhere. The priest, Baxter, was holding onto the door for stability; thank goodness the steps to his church were included. Then when the muscle-bound Madrigal had put down the building, the priest had given the cross gesture as a thank you. Ozzie gave a nod in acknowledgement and got going, since there were still plenty for him to do. In fact, the people around were making so many requests already.
“Ozzie, can you re-route the river sometime today?”
“Will do, Alastor!”
“Ozzie, the donkeys got out again!”
“On it!”
The muscle-bound Madrigal got to picking up the donkeys, effortlessly hoisting a couple of them up over his shoulders and piling two more on his back.
Charlie caught up to him, a wall being in her way. “Ozzie!” Then a yelp because she ended up falling. At least she was fine since she promptly got up, albeit with a groan. “Wait a second!”
Upon catching up to Ozzie, “You gotta tell me about the magic. What’s going on? What are you hiding?”
“Nothing. Just got a lot of chores so maybe you should just go home.”
Another villager came by. “Ozzie, my house is leaning to the…”
The muscle-bound Madrigal walked over to the house, lifted up a foot, and pushed the house back. He continued on his way but the blue bow blonde wasn’t willing to let it go, running ahead and going backwards in front of him.
“Arackniss said that your eye was twitching and it never twitches. Not when there's nothing wrong. Something’s making you nervous.”
“Move, will you? You’re going to make me drop a donkey.” Ozzie used his foot to kick a donkey up in the air and making them land on him.
Charlie groaned and followed. “Ozzie, will you just- just tell me what it is!?”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Of course, the muscle-bound Madrigal was getting more and more irritated, just trying his hardest to keep it in. It didn’t help, either, having a persistent sister who won’t stop poking at the subject like how a kid wouldn't leave alone a scab.
“You’re obviously worried about something. Ozzie, if you know what’s hurting the magic and it gets worse ‘cause you won’t tell me what’s wrong-”
Ozzie abruptly turns around, donkeys still on his shoulders and back, and screams, “NOTHING’S WRONG!”
Both the muscle-bound Madrigal and blue bow blonde were shocked at the outburst, the former quickly realizing what he did and fidgeting about.
“Uh, wow… that-that snuck out there. So sorry. What I meant was, um…” Then Ozzie put the donkeys down to lift up Charlie to place her in front of himself and dust her off. “Why would anything be wrong? I’m totally fine. The magic’s fine. Ozzie’s fine. I’m totally not nervous.”
Taking a look at his face, Charlie points out, “your eye is doing the thing…”
Then Ozzie gets in her face and starts singing, much to her surprise. I’m the strong one. I’m not nervous. I’m as tough as the crust of the Earth is
The muscle-bound Madrigal backs away, goes to pick up a gigantic rock, and let it land on his head, clearly not bothered as it smashes into pieces. The blue bow blonde and the donkeys could only exchange worried glances.
Charlie said, “…okay.”
Ozzie gets between two more enormous rocks. I move mountains. I move churches
Then he flexed his arms and looked over his shoulder. And I glow cause I know where my worth is…
Charlie was getting a little anxious. “Of course, I mean-“ Then at noticing the donkeys slowly back away, “hey, where are you going!?”
I don’t ask how hard the work is…
Ozzie bumps the rock on the right and makes it go about a mile with minimal effort.
Got a rough, indestructible surface
The muscle-bound Madrigal did the same with the rock on the left and the blue bow blonde is happy that they and the donkeys are the only ones around right now. Sure, Verosika has a large bulk of the fans around town but Ozzie’s got some die-hard fans, too. They’d definitely think it was hot to see him casually hip bump boulders away. In a lovely dress, no less. However, Charlie is still a bit on guard as her brother stomps his way toward her, making the loose earth shake with each hard step. Not that the bigger man would ever hurt anyone in his family or the town but accidents can happen, especially during moments of strong emotion. Like now, apparently.
Diamonds and platinum. I find ‘em. I flatten ‘em. I take what I’m handed. I break what’s demanded. But-!
Ozzie had ripped the earth and he and his sister are now in a strange, inexplicable world that won’t be explained. First, the muscle-bound and his sister were on a tightrope together above the townspeople; the former was balancing the donkeys on a stick.
Under the surface, I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus
Ozzie made the tightrope spring up with his feet and made Charlie fly. He made sure to catch her, although she still felt frightened at seeing an intimidated man in Greek attire go up against a gigantic three headed canine.
Under the surface, was Hercules ever like ‘yo, I don’t wanna fight Cerberus’
The Greek guy ran off, leaving behind his sword and shield for the muscle-bound Madrigal to take. He put his sister behind her and prepared to protect her.
Under the surface, I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service
Cerberus got to attacking but Ozzie was able to take the monstrous dog down, landing on top of a flight of stairs.
A flow or a crack. The straw in the stack that breaks the camel’s back
The stairs have split under Ozzie’s feet until he decided to just jumped up and dived in headfirst, sword being the only thing ahead. Then the muscle-bound Madrigal landed down surrounded by raining donkeys.
It’s pressure like a drip, drip, drip that’ll never stop. Whoa
Charlie found herself on one scale held up by a gigantic Ozzie in one hand. In the other hand, there was another scale that was steadily going down thanks to the piling donkeys.
Pressure that’ll tip, tip, tip till you just go pop!
The blue bow blonde was sent flying again thanks to all those donkeys on the other side but she managed to land next to her brother, who was normal size again. Although he was still in his venting mood, taking a moment to just dance.
Whoa!
Then Ozzie wrapped an arm around Charlie and lifting her up, jabbing thumbs towards himself.
Give it to your brother. Your brother’s older
Then the muscle-bound Madrigal placed his sister down to catch some falling rocks, pulling her away from it and even hip bumping her.
Give him all the heavy things we can’t shoulder
The blue bow blonde found herself face-to-face with her brother’s anguished face as he sang. Who am I if I can’t run with the ball?
Ozzie threw up the pieces he caught, those pieces forming together into a neat globe of the Earth. However, the ground he and Charlie were standing on had tilted and made them fall into a chute of a juicer. However, they were made stuck in it thanks to a multitude of round fruits surrounding them.
If I fall to the pressure like a grip, grip, grip and it won’t let go. Whoa
The muscle-bound Madrigal had placed hands on the opposite sides, breaking the juicer apart from the sheer force of it. Although the red bow girl ended up falling so that her face would be on top of a geyser. At least her brother grabbed her and carried her under his arm as he ran around the field of geysers.
Pressure like a tick, tick, tick till it’s ready to blow
Ozzie had taken a rock and plunged it on one geyser, stepping on it and waiting for it to blow. Which it did and he and Charlie were sent up to the air, the girl wrapping her arms tightly around her brother’s neck.
Whoa!
The blue bow blonde found herself hanging onto the muscle-bound Madrigal’s hand while he was hanging on the cliffside.
Give it to your brother. Your brother’s stronger. See if he can hang on a little longer. Who am I if I can’t carry it all?
Charlie saw that the cliff Ozzie was holding onto was crumbling and they were sent falling. Although they landed safely in the center of town, much to the girl’s confusion. Really, this whole song has been a trip for her, making her wonder if she ever had consumed drugs this morning and not know it. Not that the guy of the two really cared because he’s still venting and he sees that rocks are tumbling down towards them.
If I falter, I hide my nerves and it worsens
Before the rocks could hit, though, the muscle-bound Madrigal and the blue bow blonde was on a ship heading towards an iceberg. A trio of donkeys were playing instruments somehow.
I worry something is gonna hurt us. Under the surface, the ship doesn’t swerve as it heard how big the iceberg is
Charlie was backing away while Ozzie ran ahead and punched the iceberg to pieces. Then they were surfing to shore on a piece of ice.
Under the surface, I think about my purpose
The blue bow blonde was kind of disoriented now so her brother, when guiding her to land, took it upon himself to straighten out her hair.
Can I somehow preserve this? Line up the dominos…
Then the muscle-bound Madrigal pulled his sister behind when seeing a row of doors, his own door at the start, beginning to fall where the two are. There was a twister in the distance but was getting closer as it picks up the doors.
A light wind blows, you try to stop it topplin’. But on and on it goes
The tornado swooped up both Ozzie and Charlie but they were currently floating in a mass of pink clouds, pieces of door, and donkeys.
But wait. If I could shake the crushing weight of expectations
The blue bow blonde tried following her brother as he bounced from pink, fluffy cloud to another.
Would that free some room up for joy or relaxation?
Now the muscle-bound Madrigal was on a purple glittery donkey with a unicorn horn and going through confetti rain. His sister was struggling to mount and stay on another such donkey.
Or a simple pleasure instead we measure
Now Charlie and Ozzie were floating up in the air above the clouds while joining hands. This growing pressure keeps growing. Keep going cause all we know is…
The muscle-bound Madrigal saw once again more rocks falling and he pushed the blue bow blonde aside and caught them, the siblings all of a sudden on the ground at this moment.
Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that’ll never stop… Whoa…
Charlie saw his face, recognizing the same burdened vibe to it as Ozzie had before. Then more rocks were added to the pile.
Pressure that’ll tip, tip, tip till you just go pop… Whoa…
Even more rocks! Even as the song keeps going!
Give it to your brother. It doesn’t hurt and see if he can handle every family burden. Watch as he buckles and bends but never breaks
Then Vivienne fell on Ozzie, although he managed to lift the house up. No mistakes
The muscle-bound Madrigal began flipping the house around with his feet. Just pressure like a grip, grip, grip and it won’t let go. Whoa
Charlie found herself surrounded by donkeys who are clearly swept up in the mood. In fact, the animals have started dancing in a circle while Ozzie does the same in the center of it.
Pressure like a tick, tick, tick till it’s ready to blow. Whoa!
Charlie found herself in a tub with ship-like embellishments and that she was being rocked around in it on top of Ozzie’s flexing arm. Give it to your brother and never wonder…
Ozzie threw her up in the air with a flex, pushed Cerberus down through the ground, and caught Charlie through the hole. …if the same pressure would have pulled you under
Then back to the circle of dancing donkeys. Who am I if I don’t have what it takes?
Now the muscle-bound Madrigal had raised his hands up to catch the entire land of Encanto, complete with mountains and the sun. No cracks. No breaks
Ozzie threw all of that up in the air. No mistakes. No pressure!
The song had finally concluded and the inexplicable world has been exchanged for the normal one. Charlie was just staring at her brother, who was breathing heavily in and out. Then she promptly hugged her brother from around the waist.
“I think you’re carrying way too much…”