Three.
Three goddamn years.
That was the amount of time that had passed since R-Day. The day it all changed. The day hell had broken lose. The day in which Miracle City was forever changed and was plunged into madness.
Into evil.
Into darkness.
The forces of hate surged throughout the spicy cesspool. It was clear no one was truly safe. Ever since that day of days, citizens were forced to hide out in their own homes. Children no longer ran freely in the streets as they once did. Little old ladies no longer held the naïveté to go out for a Sunday stroll with their little pet Chihuahua. No, Miracle City was not itself anymore. Not since the riots, not since the assassination of the mayor, and definitely not since the disturbing realization that the heroes and villains were then fighting to control the city, had life Miracle City become a true hell on earth. But, all that changed.
All thanks to a certain Rivera…
He stood among the rest. He had stopped the warring sides in their tracks and, in one fell swoop, seized control. He imprisoned anyone who defied his law. He made to it that only those he cared about had the good life, and those he despised were put to death. He had essentially become the King of Miracle City. But something was missing. No, not something, someone.
After all, every king needs a queen…
And he knew who he wanted…
. . .
Frida Suarez felt her legs tighten up in agony. She winced, grabbing on to them and falling against a brick wall. She struggled to control the pain, but alas, she could not. Frida had been running for ages- she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't running- and it was starting to take its toll on her. Ever worsening, the pain began to slowly cripple her and the young punk eventually fell to the ground, clutching her aching legs. Tears created rivers down her face as thoughts of her eventual doom made themselves brutally present in her overactive imagination. Horrified, Frida watched as the very being she had been eluding suddenly appeared before her, in all its destructive beauty. A pair of familiar emerald eyes gazed upon the weakling with a disturbed sense of glee. Feline ears perked up at the sight of her. Hands of claws gleamed within the beams of moonlight.
"Hola, Frida. Long time, no see." Spoke the entity.
Frida remained silent. She wanted to believe it wasn't him, but she knew all too well.
"What, no words for your old amigo?"
The Suarez girl spoke no words, trying fiercely to ignore the urge to speak up.
"Aww, c'mon chicka. You know it's me!" laughed the dark figure.
Frida attempted to keep a straight face. But there was something about him that was just too damn charming.
"There we go." He muttered though a smile, while bending down to look at the girl.
"Hey, Manny." replied Frida, a demented grin spreading like wildfire across her face.
"Nice to see you again." Responded Manny, who was now sitting down next to his best friend.
Frida smirked. "You too, dude."
"So, tell me, why have you been running from me?" inquired the boy.
"Uh, because you nearly destroyed the whole city? And when you saw me at the riots, I don't know, there was a look on your face that seemed to scream something along the lines of 'I'm gonna get you.'"
Manny pondered this.
"Plus, given you're the ruler of Miracle City, it's essentially instinct to run away." Frida added.
Manny nodded. "You got me there."
"So, El Tigre, why have you been chasing me?" Frida finally asked.
Manny said nothing for a while. Normally, when Frida didn't get an immediate answer, she'd slap the poor fucker. But in this case, she was more than willing to wait for Manny's response.
"Because I want you to be my queen."
Frida was shocked. That was NOWHERE near the answer she was expecting. Come to think of it, she wasn't expecting any kind of answer.
"Come again?" she asked while making a feeble attempt to clean out her ear so she could her better.
"I want you, Frida Suarez, to be my queen." Manny repeated himself.
It took a moment or two for Frida to fully realize what was being asked of her. The anticipation was, understandably, ripping up Manny's insides.
"But… why me?" Frida wasn't exactly sure why she was his choice.
"Well, there aren't that many girls in this town that are up to my standards-"
"What about Zoe Aves?"
"She blew her chance."
"Oh?" Frida struggled to act surprised.
"Yeah. She was really clingy."
"Hmm."
An unsettling silence arose between the two friends.
Then, finally-
"And you're my best friend. There's no other person I'd wanna rule this city with."
Frida was touched by this sudden revelation. She looked at him, thinking about what she should say. Manny still needed an answer.
"Will there be churros?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Yes." replied Manny, a tiny grin forming on his face.
"Can I still play with my band?"
"Of course."
"Can I see my family?"
"I thought you hated them?"
Frida thought for a second.
"Oh, yeah. Hahahaha."
Manny smiled. It was good to have her back after all this time.
"So? What say you, Ms. Suarez?" spoke Manny, getting up from his spot and reaching out to his best friend.
"I accept, says I." replied Frida, beaming.
"Great!" cried a smiley Manny, as he began to walk out of the alleyway.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Frida.
"What?"
"Aren't you gonna use your chain-claw hand thingy to take me to your big ol' palace?"
"Or… we could walk there? For old times sake?"
Frida couldn't resist. She blushed in the moonlight.
"Ok, Elllll Tigrrre," she purred. "Take me away." And with that, she offered her hand to her longtime hero.
Manny couldn't help but laugh, as he took Frida's hand and kissed it.
"As you wish, my queen."
. . .
Another three years had passed. But fortunately, things were different. Miracle City had been returned to its former glory. The villains still flourished, but the heroes continued to keep them at bay. All order (by Miracle City's standards) had been restored.
But interestingly enough, El Tigre a.k.a. Manny Rivera still ruled over. It took a while, but he was able to reinstate the positions of the heroes and the villains, not only returning honor to his family, but he won the respect of his former adversaries.
Manny watched the city prosper from what was formerly the mayor's home, but was now the Rivera Family Mansion. He felt content with the current state of town, and while he did go out and stop a villain or two, he rarely went out. He was too busy with personal affairs.
You see, Manny married Frida just days after they had met up in the alley. Despite the uncertainty Frida had displayed, she had been secretly hoping for this to happen. Why, you ask?
Well, ever since they first met, Frida had been madly in love with the young Rivera.
And before the proposal could drop from his mouth, she had knocked him to the ground, kissed him and yelled 'YES' before he speak.
And here they were, three years after. Happily married and ruling Miracle City.
Manny heard the door open and in walked his blue-haired queen, her goggles masquerading as her crown.
"How you holding up?" he asked, with a grin.
Frida smiled as she looked down at her slightly bulging stomach.
"We're getting there."
…
A Note From The Author
I don't know about you guys, but I am f*cking loving writing El Tigre stories. This time around was inspired by 'Hail To The King' by Avenged Sevenfold. Once again, I don't own El Tigre, and I don't regret loving it.
-Shadow's Personal Assistant.
