Standing up, Jason shook off his fur and licked his lips. That had been disappointing. He looked down at Calhoun's corpse, split in half at the middle and turned to a control panel on the far wall. Her armor hadn't even been as thick as Jason had anticipated. Jumping up, Jason came down hard on the buttons and switches before him and several alarms started sounding at once. Turning once more, Jason sprinted for the exit of the room and ran as fast as he could out of the building. Even as he ran, the building around him was exploding and as he made it out onto the bridge, it had already started to collapse.
Not sparing a backwards glance, Jason kept running. He was starting to feel the burn from all the work he'd already done but that only spurred him on and he managed to make it out of Hero's Duty and back into GCS with only minor burns and scratches. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jason began to make his way back to The Glory of Death, excited to see Zeta's reaction to the destruction he'd caused.
Looking out over Game Central Station, Zeta felt a swell of pride. It was absolute pandemonium; heroes and villains clashing beautifully in duels that the villains were consistently winning. Her theory about heroes being unequipped for villains that weren't a part of their original programming was correct and she was reaping what she'd sown as she watched heroes fall left and right. Zeta let out a content sigh and finally moved from her perch high above the carnage and began to make her way to her own game. She'd spotted everyone in her clan leaving the games they'd been assigned to and had seen the large bulge on Monique's back signifying that her and Matthew's quest had been successful.
The villains would take over the arcade and Zeta would either step in to give someone she liked power over the others or would let them fight, she hadn't decided yet. If she gave anyone the power, it would most likely be Ralph. She felt he'd be a good leader once all the chaos died down. Then again, some of the games might not be able to get themselves together before the arcade opened and they would very likely be unplugged. Too bad, so sad.
Chuckling to herself, Zeta flew down the tunnel to The Glory of Death, casually blowing it up as she went. Her game had served it's purpose and now she didn't need it. In the morning she'd be long gone and her game would be long dead. The only arcade version of The Glory of Death would leave their world when she did. Flying into the moonlit clearing in the forest of her game she had designated as the meet-up spot for when the night was over, Zeta landed and looked around at her family. "That went well." She smiled contently and her group smiled back.
Walking up to his queen, Jason gave Zeta a long kiss that Zeta happily returned and then wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her close. Zeta held his arms and looked at her children expectantly.
Stepping forward, Monique presented the helmet she'd taken from Sugar Rush. "It was in Diet Cola Mountain, just like you said." She informed, smiling proudly.
"Perfect." Zeta breathed, holding her arms out and taking the helmet from Monique when she came closer. "How did the mission go?"
"We had a run-in with a glitchy brat, but other than that, it went smooth." Matthew replied, standing beside his sister and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Mon was the one who found the helmet."
"Yeah, but Matt dealt with Vanellope." Monique added, leaning against her brother.
Smiling, Zeta gave an approving nod. "I'm proud of both of you."
Both overcome with joy but trying to appear mature by not showing it too much, the Rose twins backed away and Xander stepped forward.
"I see you found him." Zeta said, smiling at her twin. "You're keeping him then?"
"Yep." Xander replied contently, still holding a comatose Felix in one arm. "Fix-It Felix Jr. won't last long without a main character."
"Sure won't. I'll make sure to seal off the exit before we leave so all those classic games die with it. This arcade could use some cleansing."
"Agreed."
Looking down over her shoulder at her hubby, Zeta raised an eyebrow. "And what did you do today?" She asked coyly, having already seen the smoke coming from the exit of Hero's Duty.
Grinning, Jason's reddish wolf tail began to swish happily. "I destroyed everything." He answered calmly, his deep, normally emotionless voice, light with happiness. "I killed the blonde and blew everything up."
"Nice!" Zeta grinned, turning to give Jason a proper hug. "That's my man!"
Rolling his eyes, Matthew cleared his throat. "All that's left is Sugar Rush. I planted the explosives like you told me."
"Good." Zeta said, keeping one arm around her shorter mate as she turned to look at her son. "I don't want them detonated until we're about to leave. I don't know what the reaction might be once the base of the mountain is weak but I know we shouldn't be here to find out."
"Are the explosives really going to do that much damage? It was a small package."
"A small package of explosives made from my magic." Zeta clarified, watching Matthew's eyes widen in horror and then narrow as he smirked.
"Damn. You're gonna kill everyone." He breathed, impressed by his mother's evil.
"Not everyone." Zeta replied flippantly, smirking darkly. "Just enough of them." Her eyes wandered from Matthew to Monique and her smirk died down when she saw the sad look on her daughter's face. "I know the killing part of all this bugs you, but it's necessary." Zeta said softly, breaking away from Jason to hug Monique.
Hugging Zeta back, Monique sighed. "I know. It just makes me sad."
Pursing her lips, Zeta pondered for a moment before her eyes widened. "What if I let you save someone?"
Looking up at her mother, Monique looked intrigued. "Anyone I want?"
"Anyone but Vanellope."
Releasing Zeta, Monique began to hop up and down. "Sour Bill!" She squee'd excitedly, stopping her hopping to smile brightly at Zeta.
Surprised by her daughter's request, Zeta snapped her fingers and Sour Bill appeared before them. "There you go." She said bemusedly, forgetting her confusion when Monique hugged her again.
"Thanks, mommy!" She chirped happily, releasing Zeta again to hug Sour Bill. "You're so cute!"
As the small green candy avatar was crushed in Monique's breasts, Zeta almost felt bad for him. Turning away, Zeta took the helmet from where she'd hung it in the air and set it in the grass. She then turned to face Monique and Matthew. "You guys can go. I don't think Candybug should see Bill and I'm sure you're dying for a shower." Shooting a ball of magic at the ground, a portal opened up, leading to the living room of their house.
"I really am." Matthew sighed in relief, having been trying very hard to ignore how dirty he was and, for the most part, failing.
Grabbing her brother's arm before he had a meltdown, Monique walked through the portal and it changed to Xander's "workshop". A room of tools, cages, and broken bodies under the house he'd chosen for himself. "I want you here with me when Candybug appears, but I think you should put Felix away." Zeta informed Xander, giving Jason a nod. Nodding back, Jason shifted and shook out his fur once the transformation was complete.
"Why do you need me here?" Xander asked, eyeing Zeta suspiciously as he stepped through the portal to put Felix in a cage. "I know you're capable of handling Candybug on your own."
"I just have a feeling things will go smoother with you around." Zeta responded cryptically, smiling at her brother when he stepped back through the portal. "I also want you to be in klaw form."
Raising an eyebrow, Xander began to shimmer. "Alright, but I know you're up to something." He accused, shifting into his leathery-skinned, massively-muscled klaw form.
Nodding in satisfaction, Zeta closed the portal to Xander's workshop and blasted the helmet sitting in the grass with her magic. It began to shake and then, after a large enough dose of Zeta's magic, exploded. Where the helmet once sat was a curled up King Candybug. His eyes slowly opened and he blinked several times before unfurling slowly to his full height. Standing on all four legs, he towered over Zeta by three feet, making him as tall as Xander. Surrounded by Jason, Xander, and now King Candybug, Zeta actually felt short.
"Who are all of you?" Candybug finally asked, looking around at the assemblage of creatures and Zeta, his eyes not resting for too long on any of them.
More annoyed than she would readily admit at being the shortest of the group, Zeta flapped her wings hard and brought herself up to sit on Jason's back. "My name is Zeta and this is Jason and Xander." She answered, motioning to her hubby and brother in turn.
After looking around some more, Candybug turned his gaze on Zeta. "Where am I?"
"My game for now."
"For now?"
"Yes. Soon we'll be in my world." Zeta said, feeling better now that Jason was under her and patting his head to show her appreciation.
"Your world?" Candybug questioned, craning his long neck down to look at Zeta more closely. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Why else would I have summoned you?" Zeta replied calmly, continuing to pat Jason as he'd bristled at Candybug's proximity. "You're Turbo, the greatest racer of all time, King Candy, the rightful ruler of Sugar Rush, and King Candybug, the most powerful virus in the arcade."
Satisfied by Zeta's answer, Candybug backed off. "Why have you revived me, then?"
"To invite you into my inner circle." Zeta said simply, smiling. "I've had my eye on you for some time and now I'd like you to come back to my world with me so I can put your particular talents to good use."
"My talents, hm?" Candybug asked, eyes straying over to Xander and suddenly widening as though he was noticing the massive beast for the first time. "You said this one's name is Xander?"
"Yes." Zeta responded, ignoring the way Xander slowly turned his head to glare at her. "You like?"
"I like~" Candybug practically purred, slinking up Xander's body faster than he could protest and curling his body around his shoulders. "Is he part of the deal?"
"Maybe." Zeta replied coolly, barely able to contain her laughter at the look Xander was giving her. He was so afraid.
"A king could get used to a perch like this. What exactly did you have in mind, Zeta?" Candybug asked, tightening his curl around Xander and grinning at Zeta.
Eyes widening as part of Candybug's thorax covered his face, Xander had to struggle to keep his claws at his sides. He knew Zeta really wanted Candybug as an ally but the insect king's forwardness was disturbing Xander in a way he couldn't explain. He'd never had someone or something as large as himself be so interested in him, especially not in klaw form. It was jarring, to say the least.
Still struggling hard not to laugh, Zeta's grin widened, exposing her long canines. "Well I've never tried technological warfare before and I think you're just the man to lead such a charge. I'm sure you're faster than any hacker I could hire and on top of that, I like you."
"We've never met." Candybug countered, raising an eyebrow. "Or I've never met you, at least. How do I know I can trust you?"
"Why wouldn't you? I brought you back to life, after all." Zeta took her phone out of her pocket and turned it, handing it to Candybug. "But, if you're still unsure, I'll give you the honors of blowing up Sugar Rush." She snapped her fingers and a large monitor appeared before them, showing the explosives inside Diet Cola Mountain that Matthew had placed while searching amongst the stalagmites.
Letting out a giggle, Candybug held the small black device in his claws, looking down at the red button on the screen. "Well, Zeta, I think you and I are going to get along fabulously." He said giddily, looking at the screen and pressing the button eagerly.
The view on the screen panned out to reveal the outside of Diet Cola Mountain as the explosives blew a hole in the side and knocked loose almost all of the Mentos hanging above the Cola lake. The explosion was massive but instead of creating a beacon as it had before, it burst from the side of the mountain where the hole was. The force of the explosion coming out of the weakened side caused the entire mountain to shake and soon it crumbled, adding the last of the Mentos to the explosion and causing it become even more violent. The screen showed a view flowing with the broiling hot Cola and allowed a first-person view of all the carnage it caused.
Much of Sugar Rush would've been unaffected if the Cola wouldn't have stripped away layers of chocolate dirt in it's force and exposed underlying rock candy. The Cola slipped through cracks in the rock candy and reached underground caves that glittered with Pop Rock gems. The resulting underground explosion nearly totaled Sugar Rush, killing most of it's inhabitants and causing the entire inner arcade to shake violently.
Laughing wickedly, Candybug had wrapped himself even more tightly around Xander in his excitement and had officially cut off the klaw's air supply. "That'll teach you, you little candy brat." He hissed, tearing his gaze away from the destruction when Xander tapped his thorax. "Oops! Sorry, sugar~" Candybug giggled, loosening his hold and lightly rubbing behind one of Xander's massive pointed ears with one of his legs.
Head tilting slightly, Xander suddenly decided that having Candybug fawning on all over him might not be so bad; ear rubs felt nice. Clearing her throat, Zeta motioned to a portal she'd just opened up. "We should split. The seismic activity from Sugar Rush is likely to spread since it made the entire arcade shake." Jason and Xander, and therefor the two perched on them, didn't hesitate and went through the portal immediately, Zeta sealing off the entrance to Fix-It Felix Jr. just before the portal closed.
The three biggest games in the arcade were destroyed and without their main characters around to trigger a respawn, two of which because their world was so totaled that every time they respawned, they died again, and one of which because the main character was gone, their games would be unplugged. It would usher in a new era for the arcade, one Zeta had decided to put King Candybug in charge of. She was a fan of proxy rulers and she was sure they'd be able to figure out someone suited for the job of carrying out his will. If not, they would just create a ruler. No matter what, the arcade was soon to be under the rule of King Candybug and Candybug's loyalty now rested firmly with Zeta, so, through a cycle of death and re-birth, another conquest was complete.