Before going into much detail, I want to give a quick shout out.
Bookwrm123: I'm very glad you enjoyed my previous story, and equally glad you took a liking to my OC Creed Slitherwick. To answer your question, I indeed intend to feature him in future projects, with one already in mind. I'm even considering continuing my first fic "A Venomous Deal" with him, though we'll see.
Now for this story in question. This is inspired by the fact that Piper is going to outlive all her fellow Mysticons due to her exceptional longevity. This is basically showing how she's coping with the departure with her dear friends. Word of warning, some of the scenes here can get pretty depressing, so if you're not a fan of depressing content then I don't recommend you read this. Otherwise, please enjoy.
Two hundred years have already come and gone in the bustling Drake City, and yet it seems that it hardly changed over the years. Yet, one major change stood out of the few others… the Mysticons. For years they have been defending the marvelous realm of Gemina, fighting one great battle after another, and always being able to conquer adversity whenever it sprung. Yet, even these valiant heroes were no match for the nature of time, for age had started to take its toll on them. They eventually lost their ability to fight, and once old age took its course, they were all gone.
All, but one…
On a particularly stormy day, Piper Willowbrook, the formidable Mysticon Striker, was holding her own against three malevolent golems, each one at least three times the size of the late Vexicon, Eartha. Piper herself stood against the tests of time, looking to be about forty years old in elf years. Decades of fighting had served her well, as she was far more versed with combat and time had made her more mature and wise.
Piper stood there for a moment, staring these golems in the eyes, waiting for them to make their move. Golems were not exactly known for being weaklings, and these three seemed particularly strong. Clearly, there was no margin for error. Finally, one of the golems charged forward, attempting to smash the elf with its mighty hammer.
"Predictable", Piper thought, clearly anticipating the attack. She jumped right out of the way, narrowly dodging the behemoth. She then summoned her hoop, which seemed to glow more brightly than it did back in the day. She spun it real hard and through it at the golem at lightning speed, cutting the giant humanoid rock in half. She then summoned two more hoops, which then cut the golem into bite sized pieces.
She then turned to look at the other two golems, giving them an icy cold stare, one that no one would ever expect from one of the most cheerful members of the second generation of Mysticons. After a brief moment of silence, one of the golems stepped back, showing signs of fear.
"No", Piper said, her tone as serious as can be, "You're not going anywhere." Without a moment's hesitation, she summoned her bracer, and fired out her phoenix power, which obliterated the giant stone beings, hardly leaving a trace. She stood there for a little moment, brooding in absolute silence, paying no attention to the cheering crowd around her, or even the rain as it grew heavier. Finally, she decided to move on, walking away from the area. With that, everyone else did the same, mostly to get out of the rain.
Piper had been walking aimlessly for what appeared to be two hours. All she could do at the moment was think about a simpler time, a time when defending the realm and having all kinds of fun were the only things she concerned herself with. She was practically reliving the good times when she and her fellow Mysticons would tell stories, take walks, play video games, and eat their hearts out on snorg balls. They had to deal with all sorts of evil doers, of course, but they did so as a team, and stuck with each other through thick and thin, like Family. Indeed those were better times. But as Piper learned over the years, nothing lasts forever.
Piper had seen people come and go, many friends, strangers that weren't elves, buildings torn down to make room for new buildings, and so forth. She never did take into account how her long life would impact her, much less that her friends would age faster than she ever could. It was not until her fellow sisters in arms reached age fifty that she realized what was happening. Then came the fateful days when she saw them all pass away, one by one. That was when she stopped walking. As if fate was at work, she ended up at Drake City Cemetery. It was time to pay her respects.
Piper the first grave she visited was Arkayna's. Despite Zarya disliking her at first, Piper warmed up to her almost right away, even though she was a bit controlling. Piper then chuckled a little upon a small memory. As a young elf back in the glory days, she had never been much of a romance fan. In fact, she distinctly remembered cringing at the sight of Arkayna and Malveron dancing and having a wedding while under the influence of the love's breath pollen. However, when the time came for the lovebirds to date for real, she couldn't help but gush at their first kiss, and was legitimately happy for them when they eventually married and assumed the throne. She had since then seen several members of the couple's lineage come and go, often telling each generation of their ancestors stories, and even training each generation how to protect their home.
Then she visited Em's grave. Of all her new friends at the time, she seemed to get along with Em the best. Em would sometimes indulge the young, childish elf in a few of her shenanigans, and would even play games with her here and there. Piper would often laugh when Em would get hysterical over the smallest ordeal. Not to mention, whenever they partnered up on quests, they made an excellent team, and when Piper was feeling down, Em did her best to comfort her. The elf always did like the Em's heart of gold in that regard.
Piper then visited the one grave, which was placed between Arkayna's and Em's, of the greatest person she ever met. Her best friend, as well as elder sister figure, Zarya. When the poor elf was all alone in the Undercity, scared out of her wits, it was Zarya who took her in and showed her the ropes on surviving the Undercity. Those were rough times, but being with Zarya made them bearable and worth it. Even though she did occasionally feel bad about stealing, she knew it was for a good cause, as not only did it benefit their survival, but also they were able to help out the Undercity kids, who always looked up to them, more specifically Zarya, who was bold enough to even steal from crime lords, and stand up to the most ruthless villains Drake City had to offer. Whenever Piper was feeling alone and scared, Zarya was always there to keep her company, and whenever Piper was in trouble, the rebel teen would always be there to protect her. If ever there were true best friends, it was them, the Undercity OG's.
That did it. After all these years of holding back her tears, they were starting to escape her eyes. The rain grew heavier around her, but she did not even seem to notice. All she could do was sink to the ground, and break down into tears and sadness.
"I miss you all so much!" Piper cried, placing her hand on the Zarya's grave. Her tears were getting heavier, to the point where they practically stung her eyes. "I honestly have no idea how I've ever gone on without you guys, every day has been nothing but heartache ever since you died! I try to be strong, I try to move on, but I just can't." As her tears, were lightening, so was her tone. "It's times like this I wish I weren't an elf. All the experience, all the wonders I've seen, and all the power I've gained as a Mysticon over the years… I would gladly trade it all just have you all back."
After roughly ten minutes of silence, a large hand touched her shoulder. She looked behind her to see who it was. It was Doug, her old Cylcops friend. The years had been kind to the Cyclops, though his beard did grow longer, and wore attire similar to that of his late friends Zorlon and Malveron. He had been Piper's solon in the two late astromancer's absence.
"I know how you feel Piper." Said Doug, in a Melancholy tone, "Not a day goes by when I wish I could give up my long lifespan, just to be with my friends. But that's what makes life all the more precious. We owe it to our loved ones to keep going. No matter how hard it is, we will always endure."
Doug had certainly matured over the years. His fellow astromancers had a big impact on him, especially his best friend, Malveron. In fact, he had no idea how he would ever get by as a low level astromancer without him. Yet somehow, he did, and became all the wiser for it. Without any hesitation, Piper hugged him tightly, for she knew he was right. Doug then hugged her back with one of his large arms.
As the rain began to lighten, Piper started to wipe away the remainder of her tears. She than wore that same serious face she had earlier when defending the city from the golems. "I'll be with you all one day. For now, I'll continue our quest. May Gygax watch over you." Without further adieu, she and Doug walked off, just as the sun was just starting the shine.
And there we have it. After doing a little digging I learned that cyclopes in some mythologies also have long life spans, so it made sense for me to include Doug at the end. Feel free to let me know of your thoughts, as always I hope you enjoyed.