Hey guys! Got another update for you! They may be slower coming because I'm working full time now, but I'll do my best! Enjoy!
Iris paced her room as she waited on news of the twins. They were thankful for Amaru and Lyna, who were able to get the twins back to the house without attracting attention. Getting past Aunt Ellen was a bit tricky, and Lyna and Carissa had to use the window in Talia's bedroom to get them in the house. In hindsight, it would've been hilarious, if not for the fact that the twins were practically wasting away in their arms. Lyna frowned, looking a bit more green than usual, her usually steady hold on the tea kettle trembling as she poured a cup of tea for her.
Carissa sipped at hers gingerly from the desk chair, sending a concerned gaze at the Borealic princess before shaking her head at Iris. They could tell Lyna was taking full blame and the thought of not just ending the life of one person, but two, was making her physically sick.
Iris laid a hand over the green magica's shoulder, startling her, "Hey. It's going to be okay, Lyna. I've seen the twins take a direct shot of pure Shanila magic point blank and survive, I'm sure Auriana and Talia got this in the bag."
"Ohhh!" The violet eyed girl let out a cry before bawling her eyes out on the Calix warrior's lap, startling her and forcing Iris to dive to catch the teapot.
"Yeah, probably not the best choice of words..." Carissa raised an eyebrow as Lyna sobbed into her jean shorts.
"Right. Sorry!" The blonde gave an apologetic smile as she set down the fine china.
"It's j-just, this isn't right! We just wanted to weaken them! I've never killed anyone before!" Lyna wailed, her voice cracking.
"This is war, Lyna. What did you think was gonna happen? We all go skipping through fields of Zyphordian flowers and have sing-a-long tea parties? Quit being so dramatic." Carissa crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.
Lyna glared up at her almost immediately. Iris extending her hands in question of Carissa's own choice of words, fixing her with a silent look of irritation, 'Really?'
"I am not being dramatic! I...I know that our lives are different now and we have to fight, but...that doesn't take away the fact that they're people with families and friends and that they're just doing their duty. They may be... words an educated, elegant, and respectable lady like myself shall never use in public, but they're still people..."
Carissa's gaze softened and she laid a hand on Lyna's shoulder in support. Amaru nuzzled her knees and offered a sad smile.
"That's a good way of looking at it Lyna." Iris smiled, earning a soft one in return as Lyna wiped at her eyes.
"Thank you, Iris...Oh no!" Lyna gasped, snatching up a saucer.
"What?!" Iris looked around urgently.
"I smeared my eyeliner! Oh! I hate it when that happens! Earthlings' makeup is so trivial!" Lyna whined, earning exasperated sighs and eye rolls from the group before Iris and Carissa shares relieved smiles.
Auriana came through the door, her expression lighter than when they arrived.
"Auriana! How are the twins?" Iris stood to greet her, with Lyna not far behind.
"I hope they're okay!" Lyna pouted, clasping her hands in front of her chin.
"Great news! The twins are fine! I was able to use a spell to get a bit if adrenaline pumping in their system to keep them from getting into further danger. They're just really sleepy." Auriana grinned, allowing the girls to sigh in relief.
"That's amazing, Auriana! Great job!" Carissa grinned, crossing her arms and tilting her head thoughtfully.
"You think that's amazing, come see what Talia's working on!" Auriana gave a little bounce before walking out of the room towards Talia's. Auriana used her magic to unlock the door, resealing it once the girls were all inside.
"Whoa..." Iris murmured as she took in the scene. The brunette was sitting by Praxina, her fingers caressing the redheaded sorceress' head as their bodies glowed, releasing a violet array of bolts. Talia winced a bit before releasing the spell, stumbling almost and letting out a shaky breath.
"Nothing." Talia murmured, her brows furrowing as she rubbed at her chin.
"What are you doing, Talia?" Iris questioned, raising an eyebrow. She was still getting use to how flexible magic could be, and she couldn't recall seeing the result of black crystal magic and light crystal magic fusing into one. From the looks of it, it seemed like Praxina's magic was rejecting the Xerian to the point of a standstill.
"She's looking into their minds. Pretty crazy, right?" Auriana grinned, spinning around in the desk chair.
"You can do that?" Iris gasped, amazed at the idea.
"Of course she can. Xerians are probably one of the most if not the highest ranking when it comes to dealing with the mind and magic involving it. It's a very complex use, but very fundamental when it comes to learning your enemies strategies and weaknesses." Carissa explained, a hint of pride in her voice as she spoke of her leader's people.
"Kind of like how Voltans specialize in healing and medicine. They've been able to adapt because of their wildlife and have saved nations because of it. It's really handy to have on a team." Lyna smiled, nodding to Auriana in appreciation.
"Talia thinks that they might be experiencing some mental damage. Possibly a concussion or memory loss or maybe we just knocked something loose." Auriana tapped at her chin, thinking back on their battle.
"Shh!" Talia glared at them before turning her attention to Mephisto, and repeating the gesture she had done on Praxina, murmuring in an ancient language as her body began to glow an icy blue. Like his sister, Mephisto's magic began to manifest in an electric green light until fusing with Talia's to create a deep teal magic. The room was silent as the girls watched in fascination as tiny orbs of glowing light began to fill the room before dissipating as Talia released the spell.
"Talia?" Iris questioned, cocking her head to the side with curiosity.
"Hm. Just as I thought. While I'm not seeing any signs of a concussion on either of them, there's definitely a lack of memories. It's as if they're locked away from me. Not only is that weird, but getting their magic to react was extremely difficult. It was like pulling teeth. Mephisto is more more open but even his barely reacted to my presence. It's like when they fell asleep, everything else just shut down..."
"Wait. What was the name of the flower again, Lyna?" Iris turned to look at her.
"Iridessa Memorialis." She responded confidently, "But it's a sedative. There shouldn't be any memo-oh my stars, Iridessa Memorialis! I always thought the name was just a play of words. Like when you wake up, you get all groggy! It was a minor side effect!"
"Apparently, not." Talia murmured, deep in thought.
"What do we do?" Lyna questioned, embarrassment being overrun by her concern.
"We should start looking for a cure. They need to get their memories back so we can get them out of here." Talia decided, sitting on the edge of her bed, "Gramorr is definitely not going to like having his main support team in the hands of the enemy."
Auriana and Carissa shared a mutual nod as Lyna responded with a look of determination.
"Wait!"
The girls looked to Iris, who bit her lip, "Here me out. They just failed Gramorr and they don't have their magic. Is it safe to let them go? What if they don't remember him either?"
"Honestly, I'm surprised they're still alive. I always thought Gramorr would get rid of them earlier than this." Auriana shrugged.
"They literally fail every time. I don't think it'll be all that bad, Iris." Talia added.
"I know, I know. But just, it doesn't seem right. I know they're our enemies, but if they don't remember any of us or Gramorr, are they still our enemies?"
"Whoa. Okay, now my brain hurts." Auriana groaned, looking confused.
"Iris, I know you want to help them, because you're a good person, but that doesn't change what they've done to us in the past, what their people have done. I don't expect you to understand, but I do expect you to trust me." Talia's frown deepened, closing her her eyes in order to hold her temper. The twins came from a land and from a people that had cost Ephedia so much in the past, and had nearly destroyed her own kingdom because of their own recklessness. The last thing she wanted was to let them destroy her new home too.
"You're right, I can't understand how you feel. I can't relate too much because our lives started out very differently. But I also trust my pendant too. It's never led us astray before, and I don't think it will now. Maybe this can help them like its helped others."
"I don't know, Iris. Maybe Talia's right..." Auriana's smile faltered a bit.
"Please, guys. I dislike the twins just as much as you do, but this could be our chance to find some good in them. To make them good. I can feel it. I can't explain it, but I think it's worth a try."
The team looked to each other, the idea of the different outcomes mulling over in their heads. Iris' bright blue eyes pleaded and the group found themselves falling to the reigning queen of puppy-pouts.
"Oh! You know I can't say no to you!" Auriana laughed, hugging her blonde friend.
"It would be nice not having to fight them so often. Carissa's a big enough handful." Lyna smiled joyfully.
"Hey! I am not!" Carissa argued, balling up her fist, "But I'm in."
"Talia?" Iris questioned, the team eying her expectantly. She had lost this battle.
"Fine." She sighed,earning cheers from the girls. Leaning back on her hands, she looked to Iris with a raised brow, "But I still want to find a spell for a back up plan. We don't even know if we can trust the twins."
"We could say the same about you."
The scream that echoed through the room was enough to shatter glass. Talia had to catch herself from falling over at the deep voice behind her. She turned wide eyed to see Mephisto awake, as if he'd been up for a while, but not long enough to rid himself of his sleepy expression. He laid over his sister's stomach, his head in his hand as he stared up at her, "Hi."
"He's awake!" Lyna grinned.
"Yeah, we can see that." Carissa rolled her eyes, earning a glare.
"How long have you been listening to us?" Iris questioned, looking relieved, but anxious.
He shrugged, poking at his sister's face. "A couple minutes. I don't know, I'm terrible at mathematics. You might want to step back."
"Excuse me?" Talia gave an incredulous look. Without warning, he put a gloved hand over Prax's face, and pinched her nose. The young girl fidgeted before swinging in his direction, knocking him and Talia off the bed and sending them flying off the mattress in different directions.
"Talia!" The girls were quick to help them up.
"What the hell, Mephisto?!" The redhead cough, glaring daggers at her brother, "Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Funny, I could say the same thing." Mephisto groaned, holding his face, which was turning red from the impact.
"Do you have to wake me up in the most annoying ways possible?" Praxina groaned, rubbing at her head. She looked exhausted and her usual milky complexion looked a tinge paler than usual.
"It's not my fault you sleep like the dead." Mephisto retorted as he picked himself off the floor, "Besides, you have company."
Praxina's eyes widened as she looked to the girls, who were watching the altercation in amusement, "They're not my friends, you idiot!"
"Well they're not my friends!" Mephisto glared back at her.
"Of course not, you don't have any friends." Praxina smirked, crossing her arms.
"I do too! We...we just don't talk often." Mephisto pouted, crossing his arms in response.
"Are you two done?" Talia frowned, raising an unamused brow.
Mephisto's face brightened in recognition, "You're the pretty girls from earlier. You're from Xeris, right?"
"Correct. Well, at least, I am." Talia nodded, "These are my friends, Princess Iris of Ephedia, Princess Auriana of Volta, Princess Lyna from Borealis, and Princess Carissa of Calix."
"Hi!" Auriana grinned, the others waving awkwardly.
"Prince Mephisto of Zaterra...or at least what's left of it. The scary one is my sister, Praxina." He bowed before continuing, "Thanks for getting us to safety. You never know who you can trust on this planet, ya know."
The girls gave mutually flustered responses.
"Wait, what's Zaterra? I've never heard of that one before. Is it another kingdom?" Iris questioned, her brows raising in surprise.
"Wow, rude." Mephisto frowned crossing his arms.
"The Kingdom of Zaterra is only the most powerful kingdom to thrive on black crystal magic." Praxina growled, "Our peopleare so powerful, the majority of the planet coward before us."
"Well it was until Xeris got everyone tag team us." Mephisto scowled, both the twins glaring holes into Talia, who clenched her fist, her lips in a tight, thin line.
"You mean your kingdom began to overrun lands under Xerian rule to the point of a violent war with my people leading to the complete confiscation of the Ancient Ephedian Spellbook and the dismissal of the Zaterran royal family's place in the Ephedian High Council and Royal Court when your Grand Lord and leaders went against the treaties they signed and then had the nerve to plan a full scale raid on our villages resulting in its obliteration?"
"Damn." Carissa muttered, "
"You have no proof." Mephisto pointed accusingly.
"Not here, but back in Xeris, well, the ashes of your castle speak for itself." Talia smirked.
"Okay, ow." Mephisto cringed.
"Apparently you don't know just how powerful the royal family can be!" Praxina sneered, pushing her brother aside.
"Bring it on, witch!" Talia growled, preparing to fight.
"No, no! Let's bring it off!" Iris interrupted, with her and Auriana quickly separating the two.
"Wait! Wait! So, this isn't Xeris?" Mephisto questioned, looking out the window.
"No, its not. You're at my house on Earth." Iris explained, making sure the rivaling princesses were a good distance from each other.
"Earth?!" The twins eyes widened before they looked to each other.
"Would you excuse us..." Prax smiled awkwardly at the girls before dragging her brother to a corner. "What the hell is an Earth?!" Praxina half yelled and half whispered, "What the hell did you do?!"
"Why do you always think it's my fault? I'm just as lost as you and..." Mephisto stopped, his eyes going wide in horror.
"What?" Praxina's gaze softened.
He gulped, "Okay, Prax, don't panic."
"What?" Praxina looked a bit more nervous as his eyes flickered between her and behind her.
"Just...just don't freak out. Just look in that mirror." Mephisto cringed, avoiding her gaze.
"What's wrong with-?" She froze as she stared at herself. Her hands immediately went to her hair, her eyes widening, as it was a deep reddish hue over her natural violet.
"Hm. You're taking this better than I thought."
"My hair! Your hair! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY HAIR?!" Praxina screeched, panic evident in her voice.
"Calm down, we'll explain everything." Iris comforted, easing Praxina into the desk chair.
"I totally reacted the same way when we got here!" Auriana smiled, leaning behind the chair, "But its totally a cute look on you!"
"The Earth doesn't have the magical elements of Ephedia. In conjunction with that, our hair color changes to be compatible with the natural hues Earthlings have, such as red, raven, blonde, and brunette." Talia explained, sitting back on the bed as Lyna ran into the room with her kettle and cups in order to calm the group.
"Do we still have our magic?" Praxina questioned, looking around expectantly as silence filled the room.
"I'm afraid not. You came into contact with a plant of Lyna's called Iridessa Memoralis, which has taken your memories and your magic for the time being." Talia answered smoothly, her voice calm and confident.
"Sorry, guys." Lyna bit her lip, looking a bit sheepish as she poured a cup for Talia, "I didn't know it could do that."
"Ugh, great!" Praxina groaned, face palming.
"Can we get it back?" Mephisto questioned, taking a seat next to Talia.
"It should come back at some point, as should your memories. Maybe. We're hoping we can find a spell or cure in one of our books. Until then its a bit of a waiting game. What do you guys remember last?" Talia responded, sipping at the tea gingerly.
"Hmm. I remember we had a meeting with a few from what was left of our council and court. Praxina's the important one anyways, ask her." Mephisto sighed, shrugging as he took the cup Lyna offered. Lyna and Talia shared a look of surprise at his response. Talia definitely knew the feeling of living in an older sister's shadow, but she never considered the same could happen with twins.
"Stop being such a baby! You're just as important as I am to save our kingdom! I tell you that all the time!" Praxina argued, glaring at her brother, but her tone was more nagging than annoyed, "Besides, I need someone to back me. Gramorr has already taken over what's left of it and if we don't figure out something soon, its gonna get a lot worse. He's too powerful already and we can't take him down ourselves. I don't know what mother was thinking..."
"I know, I know..." Mephisto sighed, rubbing at his face tiredly.
The girls went quiet. All shares mutual looks of amazement at the twins' discussion. None had ever thought that the twins were ever at odds with their master. They always seemed so willing. And their mother? Iris looked to Talia in question, but she seemed just as lost at them mention of their parentage. Iris gave the twins a sad look and nods towards the two.
Talia sighed; she had already set herself up as the bad guy anyways, "I'm afraid it's too late. Gramorr has already taken over Ephedia, destroying Xeris and crystallizing the Kingdom of Ephedia.
"So...we've already failed..." Mephisto muttered. Praxina's eyes were wide as she tried to process what Talia had said.
"But there is some good news!" Auriana jumped in, "The Queen put a spell on the castle to keep him in their palace before they were locked away. He can't leave it!"
"And she sent Iris to Earth as a baby! She has the power to defeat him! She's the only one who can take the crown! We just need to find the Oracle Gems on the Queen's crown first!" Lyna added enthusiastically.
"Great. Our lives are in the hands of a complete stranger who wasn't even raised on Ephedia. Brilliant." Praxina growled, crossing her arms.
"But how did we get here? Are we here to help you or what? I don't remember this mission..." Mephisto asked, tilting his head.
"No, Auriana and I volunteered to do so. You...were kinda on Gramorr's side..." Talia winced as the twins shared looks of disbelief.
"After what he did to us...to our family-?!" Mephisto stood startling the teens, his eyes flickering dangerously to him more familiar reptilian greens.
"Easy there, hero. You're powerless, remember." Talia rolled her eyes, yanking him back down on the bed by his cape, earning a yelp in response.
"Ya know of you wanted me in bed, you just have to ask." Mephisto grinned, earning a gag and a swift shove off said bed. The girls laughed at the interaction, thankful for the lightening of the tension in the room.
"So what do we do now?" Praxina crossed her legs expectantly, "If we're on opposite sides, and Gramorr is practically ruler of Ephedia, what do you want from us? Why are you helping us?"
"We want to help. You guys have the chance to free yourselves from Gramorr if you let us help you. With Izira leading the resistance, we need to do our part here on Earth. If you guys help us, we can find the gems faster. Gramorr can't leave and without you he's pretty much at a standstill helpless." Iris smiled at her, trying to appear more confident.
"So we're safe here?" Praxina whispered, her gaze softening as she looked to her brother who was rubbing at his head in pain from his fall, but smiling nonetheless. It was real and genuine and full of a childish nature he hardly showed honestly anymore, "And you'll help us get our magic and memories back?"
"Definitely." Iris nodded, "I promise."
"I've heard a lot of empty promises." Praxina frowned, stormy eyes colliding with the bright stare of Iris' sky blue.
"Then let us be the first to fulfill ours." Iris' offered her hand, "We won't force you if you don't want to."
Praxina stole a glance at her brother, and he focused on Iris for a split second before Praxina sighed, taking Iris' hand, "Fine. But if you double cross us, I'll kill you first."
"Aw! Praxina! You're such a kidder!" Auriana beamed, hugging her around the neck.
"Nevermind. I'm killing her first." Praxina growled.
"She's not kidding." Mephisto chuckled, taking notice of Amaru as Talia picked him up.
"Iris! Girls! Dinner's ready!" Aunt Ellen called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh no! Aunt Ellen! What are we gonna do!" Iris nearly screeched, eyes going wide, "What's she gonna think when she sees you guys! Especially a guy! Which we snuck into your room! By window!"
"We can always say they're exchange students. We've used that excuse before." Auriana suggested, tapping at her chin.
"Are you going to let go or do I have to make you let go?" Praxina blushed, her brow twitching in annoyance. Auriana laugh awkwardly, rubbing at the back of her head before apologizing, earning an eye roll.
"Girls?" Aunt Ellen popped her head through the doorway, "I said-Oh! Iris! You didn't tell me we had guests."
"O-oh?! I, uh, forgot to mention they were coming! They just got here! Talia and Auriana brought them over haha!" Iris explained, earning an annoyed look from the mentioned princesses.
"Oh. You know the rules, girls. You should've let me know before hand so I could make extra for..."
"Mephisto." The boy bowed suavely with a gracefulness that seemed to catch the freckled woman off guard.
"Praxina." The dark princess stood and curtsied, surprising the rest of the group.
"Oh my, its a pleasure to meet you. Forgive me but, your dress and names are quite unique. I've never seen you around here in Sunny Bay." Aunt Ellen rubbed at her chin in thought, causing the lady musicians to get a bit frantic.
"They're...uh..." Iris looked to the girls, pleading for help.
"My cousins!" Auriana yelped, earning looks of surprise, "They heard about LoliRock and wanted to come see us perform, right guys?"
"What's LoliRock?" Mephisto questioned from his spot on the floor, earning kick to his side from Talia.
"Ignore him, he hasn't slept much since we left home." Praxina countered, smiling brightly.
"Right, sorry, bad memory." He chuckled, earning a harsh stomp on his hand from the brunette beside him. He coughed off his laughter before clearing his throat at Praxina's deepening glare.
"We're so sorry to come so unexpected, we just got to uh...Sunshine Bay, was it?" Praxina laughed, clasping her hands together.
"Sunny Bay! She means 'Sunny Bay'." Iris laughed before grinning sheepishly at Aunt Ellen.
"Oh, how wonderful! And they're twins too! Oh, how cute!" Aunt Ellen smiled kindly, "Where will you be staying? You're both so thin, but I'd love to bring you guys some dishes so you can try our food. Sometimes a change of scenery can be a bit of a culture shock. Its the least I can do to help welcome you guys."
"They actually scheduled the wrong day for their hotel. I was hoping they could stay here for the night. They can check in tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh, I don't know, honey, we don't have much room." Aunt Ellen frowned, "Where would they sleep?"
"I can bunk with Auriana and the twins can share my bed." Talia offered.
"Yeah! I have an extra bunk, I just need to move all my stuffed animals!" Auriana agreed.
"Well...I suppose. But only tonight."
"Thank you, Aunt Ellen!" Iris grinned, hugging her.
"Alright, get ready to eat. We're having pasta tonight!"
"That sounds awesome!" Mephisto grinned before leaning over to whisper to Talia, "What's a pasta?"
"Ugh..." Talia face palmed, before pushing back her bangs in a huff.
"Great! Why don't you all wash up and I'll set some extra plates. Lyna, Carissa, are you staying?" Aunt Ellen smiled warmly at the two heroes.
"No, thank you. We've got a lot of leftovers at home." Carissa declined..
"We should head out, but it was nice seeing you guys. Good luck, we'll meet up tomorrow!" Lyna agreed, the two exiting the room with awkward waves.
"This is so weird." Carissa stated once they were out the door.
"Totally weird." Lyna nodded.
The remaining LoliRockers rolled their eyes at the pair before turning their attention back to the ginger woman.
"Have a good night, girls! Oh, Talia, Auriana. If you don't mind, do see if you can lend your friend something to wear. I wouldn't want her to stain that beautiful dress. I'll call next door and see if Nat can bring over something for your friend."
"Thanks, again." Praxina smiled.
"We really appreciate it." Mephisto backed, standing.
"Of course, I'll see you all down stairs." Aunt Ellen waved before heading to the kitchen. The five let out a huge sigh of relief after the exchange, with Talia and Mephisto falling onto the bed and Prax slinking in to the chair as Auriana leaned against the desk.
"Okay, I'm just gonna say it. This is really, really weird." Auriana frowned.
"Yep."
"Uh huh."
"Definitely awkward."
"Totally."
"-maru!"
Hope you liked it! Sorry its so...serious...but now that all that's out the way, we can have some FUN.