The Millennial Fair
"Cr...n...on...ro..."
"Mmm."
"Crono! Are you still sleeping?"
"Hmm?" A teenage boy wakes groggily. He has spiky red hair and blue eyes, and wore a green shirt with yellow pants and is currently bare footed. He was woken up by a blonde woman in her 30s wearing an apron and an orange dress.
She went to the windows and opened the curtains "Dear me! I had forgotten how beautiful Leene's Bell sounds!" She looked back at the half-sleeping Crono "You must've been so excited about the Millennial Fair that you couldn't sleep at all, could you? Well, you'd better not let that giddiness get you into any trouble. I want you to behave yourself today!"
"Huh?" Crono, muttered as he rubbed his eyes. After some silence he said "Oh right, the fair."
"Come on, now! Out of bed with you!" She said as she went down the stairs.
Crono stretched his arms and suddenly felt something land on his legs. It was a yellow cat. He smiled and pet it "Today's gonna be a great day, huh, Kuroko?"
The cat meowed in response.
Crono was downstairs eating his breakfast, now wearing a blue tunic over his green shirt with a black belt around it, brown bracers, boots, a white headband, and an orange ascot.
"By the way," Crono's mother said "you're going to go see Lucca at the fair, right?"
Crono nodded in response "She'll be showing another invention, and she won't forgive me if I don't show up."
"Well, she does need a friend there. She's nervous since her last inventions weren't exactly successful."
"Which is why I'm afraid of attending." He said while slouching "But I guess nothing's worse than breaking a promise with Lucca."
"It might be different this time. A good inventor always learns from their past mistakes, right?"
"Maybe." He leaned back in his chair "Ah well, if something happens to me, it wouldn't be too bad." He stood up from the chair "I'll be going now."
His mother smiled at him "The money for the fair is on the table." Crono saw it and put it in his pocket "Have fun at the fair, and be back before dinner!"
"I will." He walked to the door and grabbed a wooden sword by the door before exiting.
"Princess. Princess." A maid with a meal on a tray was knocking on a wooden double door "It's time for your breakfast meal." After no response, she knocked again "Princess?" She placed the tray on the ground and opened the door "Pardon my intru-" She entered to see that the room was empty "Oh no, not again!" She ran towards some stairs "Your Highness! The Princess has left the castle again!"
Crono was walking across a giant green field while swinging his wooden sword along the way "1000 years? Man, I wonder what life in those times were like. Must've been more exciting than the present." He held the blade over his shoulder "But I guess I can't complain about the peace here, either." He saw that he was approaching the fair "Wow." He saw stands all over the place, and saw many items on sale "They really went all out with the fair." He walked forwards and up the stairs "Now, where did Lucca say she was gonna be?" He then felt someone bump into him and he fell forward.
"Oof."
Crono rubbed the back of his head "Hey, next time, look where you're going." He turned to see a young girl with a medium blonde hair in a ponytail, a white sleeveless jumpsuit, golden belt, chain, and bracelets, and brown sandals.
Leene's bell then rang "Ouch." The girl noticed him looking at her and got her knees and bowed her head "I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
"Uh, no, it's okay. I'm fine." Crono replied with a smile "Wow, she's pretty cute."
She stood up "No, I wasn't looking and-" She patted her pockets, and again frantically "Uh oh...my pendant!" She got back on to the ground and was searching around on the ground "Where is it? Did I drop it somewhere on the ground?"
Crono stood up and only looked at the frantic girl. He then saw something glinting on the ground beside him.
"No, no, no. Come on."
"Is this what you were looking for?" Crono held a pendant in front of the girl.
She stood and smiled as she grabbed it from him "Yes!" She placed it around her neck "Thank you. I know it doesn't look like much, but it has a lot of sentimental value."
Crono waved his hand "No problem. I've never seen you around before."
"Yeah. You must live in this town. I came to see the fair. Awfully boring wandering alone, though, isn't it? Hey, why don't we walk around together for a while?Wouldn't that be great?" She proposed.
Crono scratched his chin "Hm...Sure, why not?"
The girl jumped in joy "Yahoo! This'll be fun!" She stopped and realized something "Oh, I never told you my name, did I? It's, umm...It's Marle."
Crono looked confused "Why did you pause-"
"And you're...?" Marle interrupted.
"Um, it's Crono."
"Crono...What a nice name! Well, pleased to meet you, Crono. Come on, let's enjoy the fair!" She said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the main fair area.
In a different town that seemed more medieval, a figure wearing a brown hood stood by the walls of the pub.
Two men exited the pub "Hey, did you hear? The Queen was abducted."
"What?!"
"Yeah. This is bad, with the Queen gone, all of Guardia's soldiers are at low spirits. And they were already low enough with Cyrus gone."
"Are they searching for her right now?"
"Yeah, but they've been unsuccessful so far. I hope they find her soon. For this kingdom's sake."
The hooded figure then walked away.
"Hm...Where to now?" He muttered.
Back at the fair...
There was giant, round, red robot that was fighting Crono, who was wielding his wooden sword. It threw a punch at him as Crono jumped up and onto its arm. He then launched forward and hit the robot's face with sword before jumping away.
"Woo! Go Crono!" Marle was on the sidelines cheering for him.
Crono waved back and grinned like an idiot before turning back and nearly dodging another fist "Focus, Crono." The robot then charged in for a tackle. Crono rolled to the side and rushed at the robot's face as he smashed its face in. After a while it toppled over.
Marle rushed up and congratulated him "Yeah! Nice job!"
Crono rubbed the back of his head "It was nothing." He said modestly "Great, Lucca's going to kill me for wrecking her invention again."
"So, where to next?" Marle asked.
Before Crono could answer, they heard an announcement "Attention ladies and gentlemen, the presentation for Ms. Lucca's new invention is about to begin. I repeat..."
"Oh, I want to see it! Come one, Crono!" She said as she ran ahead.
"Well, I was planning to go there after all." He then ran after her.
They arrived up the steps to where Lucca's presentation was.
"You know, you could've bought some after the sideshow." Crono said.
"I know, but I'm afraid these might run out." Marle said "I really love these kinds."
"Well, at least we arrived on time." Crono and Marle went to the front of the crowd. They saw two people at the front. One was a girl with short plum purple hair covered by a helmet with an antenna. She wears glasses, a dark-teal green long-sleeved shirt with an orange tunic over it, short black pants, a dark yellow scarf, brown boots, and a brown belt with a bag. She also has a blue bag. The other was a man with dark blue pants, a green shirt, and red hair. The device, or devices behind them were two identical-looking pods with a console beside each of them.
The man coughed his throat "Step right on up, any with the time and courage! Our first-ever hyperdimensional transporter is the invention of the century!" He went to one of the pods "Simply hop up here…" He then walks to the other one "…and you'll be teleported here! This fantastic machine is the masterwork of my beautiful and brilliant daughter, Lucca!"
"Crono!" Crono turned as he saw Lucca walking towards him "I was wondering when you'd show up. No one wants to try my Telepod. Would you be so kind?"
Crono looked skeptical "This one won't blow me up like that pumpkin you tested, will it?"
"Don't worry I fixed that bug...I think." She replied.
"Think?" Crono repeated.
"Come on." She leaned in closer and nudged his hip "If you die, you can haunt me."
"Uh..." After some silence, he finally said "F-Fine."
"Oh, this will be fun! I'll watch while you try it out!" Marle said.
"Just hop onto the left pod." Lucca instructed.
Crono walks but not before whispering to Lucca "You better hope I don't come back as a ghost."
"Just get on!" Lucca said as she pushed him onto the left pod.
Taban presses a button on one of the consoles "Systems activated!"
Lucca went to the other console "Initiating energy transfusion!"
"Uh, Lucca, are you sure it's safe?" Crono said.
"You'll be fine." Lucca reassured "Relax, and this will be over soon."
"That doesn't sound reassuring!"
Just as he yelled that, he disappeared in a flash of light. Soon after, he reappeared in the other pod completely safe. He had his eyes shut and opened them slowly. He blinked a couple of times and patted all over his body.
"Legs. Arms. Head. Chest. Looks like I'm still alive." He sighed and walked out of the pod.
As the crowds were in awe, he walked up to Marle.
"That looks like fun!" She exclaimed.
"It wasn't, really." He told her emotionlessly.
"I want to try it, too!" As she said that, Crono jumped back in shock.
Lucca turned back to Crono "Huh?" She saw Marle and grinned a little. She then walked up to them and nudged Crono's hip "Crono, when did you manage to pick up a cutie like her?"
Crono turned around and blushed "H-Hang on, it's not what it looks like!"
"It's all right, isn't it, Crono?" Marle said.
"W-Well..." Crono scratched his head.
"Just wait right here-don't run off on me!" She told him.
Crono gave a big sigh.
Lucca patted his shoulder "Hey, you went out okay, didn't you?"
"Yeah...but why do I have a bad feeling?"
Taban, who had overheard the trio's conversation, then announced "Behold, ladies and gentlemen, as this vision of loveliness steps aboard this machine!"
"Hee hee. Okay, I'll be right back!" Marle then stepped onto the pod.
Taban approached her "You're sure about this? There's still time to change your mind."
She shook her head "No way! I'm not afraid."
Taban nodded and faced the audience as Lucca returned to the console "Okay, everyone, let's give her a great big hand when she teleports from the platform!" He turns to the console and operates on it "Systems activated!"
"Initiating energy transfer!" Lucca exclaimed.
Just then, the pendant on Marle's neck began to glow strangely.
"What's happening? My pendant, it's-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the machine shorted out.
Lucca shielded her face "Huh?" Both her and her father slowly walked back as a portal appeared.
Marle grabs onto the console in an attempt to not be sucked in "Crono! Help!"
Crono ran after her and stabbed his sword into the ground to stay his ground, then reached out his hand "Marle, grab on!"
She released one of her hands to grab onto Crono's, but before she could, she lost her grip and disappeared into the portal. Everyone just stared in shock.
Taban walked up to where the portal appeared and turned to his daughter "Lucca...She's not reappearing."
"Uh..." Lucca looked back to the crowd.
Taban immediately did too "W-well, all right! As you can see, the girl has vanished before your very eyes! Show's over, folks! Move along!"
The crowd turned and muttered to each other.
"What happened?"
"She just disappeared."
"You think it's part of the show?"
"I hope she's okay."
As soon as the crowd left Taban went to his daughter "What just happened, Lucca? Where is she?"
Lucca put her hand to her chin "The way she disappeared… That couldn't have been the Telepod. The way that rift appeared, and the way her pendant seemed to be reacting to it…Something else must have caused it all."
Just as they were talking Crono went to the Telepod and grabbed the pendant Marle left behind.
"Well, what are we supposed to do now? Is there any way we can help her?" Taban asked frantically.
"That girl's face was so familiar. I know I've seen her somewhere." She was lost in thought "What do you think, Crono?" She turned to him to see his back turned and holding the pendant.
Crono turned to them "Turn on the machine again."
"What? Crono!"
Taban put his right fist onto his left palm "Oh! You're going after her? What a fine lad!"
"Well, it's the only way. I don't know where that hole leads, but we've got no other choice."
"Let's just hope it opens up again."
"Well, it's worth a shot!" Lucca pointed to Crono "That pendant seems to be the key, so hang on to it, Crono—and brace yourself!" She and her father went to their respective consoles.
"System activated!"
"Initiating energy transfer!" The machine starts up. She turned to her father "Boost the power output!"
"Roger!" The machine starts making more noise.
"More! I need more power!"
"Roger!"
The machine then short circuited again.
"There! I think we did it!" Lucca said victoriously.
Crono turned to the portal that suddenly appeared, and unlike Marle, he jumped straight in.
"Good luck, Crono! I'll follow you as soon as I figure out what went wrong!" Was the last thing he heard.
Preview:
Crono wakes up in a forest "Where am I?"
A man in a bar talks to him "A festival? What're you talkin' about?"
He looks at a paper on a wall "600 AD?! What's going on here?"
He walks up to a castle as the scene shifts to him inside with two soldiers holding spears to his neck "Now run along, boy."
As woman in a blue dress appears at the stairs "That man is my friend, and you will treat him as such."
"Marle?!"
Next Chapter: The Queen Returns
Note: So, how was it? Did I retell it alright? Make note that I am going to add some changes aside from additional lines and scenes, but it won't happen until much later into the story. Please review, and see you in the next chapter.