[Momma Sprout faces Eternal Slumber at the window.]
Momma Sprout: Where am I?
Eternal Slumber: Isn't it obvious? You're trapped inside of my tower, soon to be killed.
Momma Sprout: Where's Quest Sprout?
Eternal Slumber: Oh, him? He got away before I could get him, the little rascal. But now that I've captured you, it'll be much, MUCH easier to do so! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some murdering to do!
[Eternal Slumber laughs maniacally as he vanishes in a puff of clouds.]
[The flashback ends. Momma Sprout is sitting at a corner of the prison cell, crying silently.]
Momma Sprout: It's only a matter of time until Eternal kills me, and then my son...
[Momma Sprout looks through the window, gazing up at the stars.]
Momma Sprout: No. I can't give up hope. Quest Sprout may be small, but he's also brave and strong. I know he can save me.
A few headcanons that inspired this transcript:
- Before she could wake up, Momma was suddenly attacked by Eternal
- Eternal has a spell called 'Sleep Paralysis', that can paralyze a victim and put them in a deep sleep while experiencing nightmares*
- When under the Sleep Paralysis spell in the Dream Realm, the victim's body in the mortal realm disappears
- The victim continuously stays trapped in the Dream Realm if they are imprisoned in Eternal's tower
- Eternal's tower prevents Momma from using her powers to escape, and she has to be freed in order to regain them**
*I got this idea from Eternal being a demon and a sleep-based villain, which would make him a 'sleep paralysis demon'!
**This would explain why she can't just teleport out of the tower or use magic to break free from the cell.
I also got inspired by the scene from Cat Bird Dog where Dog gets turned into a plushie/figurine by the Wizard:
I can imagine Momma Sprout going through the same feeling of dread that Dog felt as she slowly loses consciousness from Eternal's spell and wakes up powerless afterwards.
Another detail I added was Eternal summoning a halberd to kill Quest Sprout in Momma's nightmare, which references Pandemonium and how they summoned a halberd from Eternal's tentacle in panel 2 of this episode:
You may have also noticed that I snuck in this scene, which would've been a great way to foreshadow the whole thing:
I worked very hard and put a lot of thought into the transcript, and I hope you guys enjoyed it!
[Momma Sprout turns around to see Eternal Slumber, who casts a spell on her.]
Eternal Slumber: Sleep Paralysis!
[The spell causes Momma Sprout to freeze up. She is deep in her thoughts as she looks at Eternal Slumber.]
Momma Sprout: What's happening!? I can't move! Why can't I move!? What he did he do to me!?
[Momma Sprout slowly drifts into a deep sleep.]
Momma Sprout: I... can't... move...
[Momma Sprout is now asleep in the Dream Realm. Eternal Slumber is looking at her in complete disbelief.]
Eternal Slumber: I did it... I actually did it...
[Eternal Slumber raises his fists up in glory.]
Eternal Slumber: I CAPTURED THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT!!
[Momma Sprout's body in the mortal realm disappears while she and Quest Sprout are asleep.]
[Eternal Slumber continues to celebrate his victory for a few hours.]
Eternal Slumber: 🎶 I captured the guardian! I captured the guardian! 🎶
[Eternal Slumber notices Quest Sprout in the distance, searching for Momma Sprout.]
Eternal Slumber: Oh, great. Him again.
[Eternal Slumber confronts Quest Sprout.]
Eternal Slumber: Skulking around my realm again...? I won't let you do whatever you please...
[While she's under the spell, Momma Sprout has a nightmare where she watches Eternal Slumber grab Quest Sprout.]
Momma Sprout: Sweetie!!
[Reaching his arm towards Momma Sprout, Quest Sprout struggles to escape.]
Quest Sprout: Q-qwest!!
Eternal Slumber: It's no use escaping. Your end is near.
[Eternal Slumber summons a halberd and aims it at Quest Sprout, who is now crying.]
Eternal Slumber: It's such a shame that your mommy foolishly thought I was scared of her. And now she can't save you!
[Momma Sprout watches on in tears.]
Momma Sprout: NOOOOO!!!!
[Momma Sprout has now woken up from the spell, fatigued. She is laying on the ground of the prison cell in Eternal Slumber's tower.]
Momma Sprout: Err... ugh...
[Momma Sprout looks at her surroundings as she fully wakes up.]
Momma Sprout: Wh-where am I...? Am I... am I trapped?
[Momma Sprout is now panicking.]
Momma Sprout: I'm trapped!! I gotta get out of here!!
[Momma Sprout tries to unleash her powers, but notices that they aren't working.]
Momma Sprout: My powers are gone! What do I do?
[Momma Sprout is now thinking about Quest Sprout.]
Momma Sprout: Is... is Quest Sprout... dead?
[Eternal Slumber appears on a cloud, looking at Momma Sprout through the window.
Eternal Slumber: Hello again, ma'am. Did you have a nice sleep?
I find it to be a very strange choice to not include Momma Sprout anywhere in the recap and only refer to her as "the bait set in place".
Returning to the story, I was hoping there'd be a scene taking place after this episode where a flashback shows how she got captured. This is the biggest thing that is never addressed in the story. Her character description says she "fended off the Demon Sword of Eternal Slumber using all of her strength", yet we never get to see that happen.
My theory is that Eternal pretended to be afraid of Momma after they first met and battled each other, and waited for the right moment to capture her when she thought she was victorious.
This is a transcript of what I imagine the flashback scene being like:
[Momma Sprout watches as Eternal Slumber walks up the stairs of his tower.]
Momma Sprout: If Eternal attacks Quest Sprout, I won't be able to protect him.
[Momma Sprout begins tearing up.]
Momma Sprout: I should never have let my guard down...
[A flashback shows Momma Sprout gazing up at the stars of the Dream Realm. Unbeknownst to her, Eternal Slumber is watching her from afar, slowly creeping up on her.]
[Eternal Slumber begins summoning an attack spell from one of his arms. He is whispering to himself.]
Eternal Slumber: One... two...
[Eternal Slumber blasts the spell at Momma Sprout, who is caught off-guard.]
Eternal Slumber: THREE!!
Momma Sprout: AHH!!
[Momma Sprout turns around, but Eternal Slumber quickly teleports away before she can see him.]
Momma Sprout: Wh-where are you?
[Eternal Slumber teleports behind Momma Sprout and blasts another attack spell at her.]
[Momma Sprout quickly summons her own attack spells from her hands and begins attacking Eternal Slumber.]
(Insert scene of Eternal and Momma fighting each other.)
[Momma Sprout unleashes a powerful light spell from her hands. Eternal Slumber pretends to feel scared and runs off.]
Eternal Slumber: O-okay! I surrender! I SURRENDER!!
Momma Sprout: That's what I thought!
[Momma Sprout watches as Eternal Slumber runs off.]
Momma Sprout: There he goes again.
[Momma Sprout resumes gazing up at the stars.]
[Eternal Slumber once again teleports behind Momma Sprout.]
Momma Sprout: I guess as long as he's afraid of me, I won't have to do much in the long run.
[Eternal Slumber taps Momma Sprout on the back.]
Momma Sprout: Huh?
With the headcanon that Eternal abuses him a lot, it's understandable that Pest Sprout would refuse to go home with the former.
Despite Eternal saying that Pest Sprout will "regret this", we don't see anything bad happen to him later on. Not YET, at least. Maybe Matthew will give us an answer as Season Nine of Swords continues...
