A Tale Of Love And Trust

by Jayjar100

Though it all may seem easy, it's not. As a plumber, a kid with a pink hat, and a half-gem all need each other's help, they think it's clear how things are going to go. But what can they expect, when the journey takes place across multiple dimensions, when there's trust involved, and when things are not what it seems... Currently Writing Act 3 (BOOK 1)

73. Chapter 69: Final Countdown

Act 3: The Final Ending

Chapter 69: Final Countdown

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Edit Finished On 4/22/21

Published On 5/7/21

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Author Note: Last chapter I said it was the longest one, and now I've outdone myself. Sorry about the incredibly long wait, but I'm back! One of the reasons I uploaded the new chapter today was that it's the anniversary of 4 really good cartoon episodes, those being the Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, Bitter Reunions (from Danny Phantom), and finally Can't Go Back & A Single Pale Rose from Steven Universe.

I will say that I recommend reading this chapter on AO3 if you can, for formatting reasons.

Also, I have a new discord server, so an invite is below if you want one. Also...

19.

There's other clues hidden in this chapter, can you find them?

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Review Response

Wishmaker1028: Thanks! Chapter 68 was fantastic to work on, and this one was as well.

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Discord Invite: nRZutkacQP

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It'd been a few hours.

Progress? …Minimal.

Though no one wanted to admit it, things weren't looking great. Yes, the group of them on Earth managed to build a decent-looking weapon, and yes, they were able to happen upon a power source for the weapon. The only problem was… the current power source; the Light Prism, charged far, far too slowly. Nevertheless, the large group of them continued work on it, making sure the weapon was the best it could be, until…

"There!" Connie yelled, taking a step back. AJ stood next to her, both of them admiring their work.

"Eh, it's… primitive." Squaridot shrugged. "But for Earth standards, I guess it would probably be acceptable."

"Are you kidding?" Terrance asked. "This is great!"

"If this were shown at a science fair, I'd give it first prize." Crocker commented.

"This truly is a great show of teamwork. You have all outdone yourselves in the short time I've known you." Hessonite complimented.

The weapon… the one that they hoped would separate VOD… it was finished. It'd matched their blueprints perfectly; some of the rougher parts of the initial sketch now altered a bit to fit the actual weapon design better. The cannon part of the weapon was aimed up into the sky, right where they guessed the opening of VOD was.

"So, how much more does it need to charge?" Merlon asked.

"Hang on, let me check." Turbo said, walking over to the screen and keyboard installed on the weapon. He typed in a command, and after waiting a few seconds, a black-and-white log showed up, a few of the others going over to look at it.

"Wow, that's disappointing." Peridot frowned as she crossed her arms, looking at the results. Only an estimated 36% percent so far.

"Oh, 36% isn't so bad." Tamara tried to shrug it off as nothing. "We've only even had a power source for…"

"At least a few hours." Kammy said. "At this rate, it'll probably take half a day, and I don't think we have that kind of time."

"Well, there has to be some sort of way to get this thing to charge faster." Jorgen said, scratching his chin.

"I think the weapon isn't used to the foreign power source, so it's taking a bit to get adjusted to it." AJ reasoned. "It'll probably start charging faster once it gets used to it."

"Uh, probably?" Connie questioned.

"I'm a genius, but I'm not that great with alien stuff, okay?" AJ defended himself.

"Because the weapon's design is finished but the power source has not finished charging, I believe that there is only one option for us now." Hessonite explained. "Wait."

"So you just want us to sit around twiddling our thumbs?" Turbo questioned, as if what she said was incredulous.

"If it lets me take a break, then I'm all for it." Crocker said, stretching his back.

"Yeah, I think we're all pretty much due for one…" Kammy pointed out.

Like it or not, most of them had to agree. With how hard they've been working, and how arduous the work itself was, it was a matter of time before either they took a rest or their bodies gave out. The former sounded much better.

Most of them agreed that they were getting hungry, so Connie hopped on Lion and she'd find them some stuff to eat. She promised she'd be careful, and Lion ran down the mostly destroyed Dimmsdale, trying to find a place.

"I hope she gets stuff from the Cake-N-Bacon, or some eggnog." Terrance said.

"That… doesn't sound quite that healthy if you ask me." Merlon gave his opinion. "But I digress."

---

And so, while they waited for Connie to bring back food, the others split up into their own little activities. Now that they had a break, Terrance and Tamara decided to check up on how their house reconstruction was doing, Squaridot tagging along with them for some reason.

"I'm researching these… rare Earth creatures." Squaridot had explained.

"If you want to research something, then you should research Dinkleberg." Terrance whispered to her. "He's some sort of diabolical supervillain mastermind!"

"Uh-huh." Squaridot said, only halfway paying attention to him while typing some stuff down. These creatures… they all had begun to rebuild where there once was a house, and they followed Peridot's orders without question. There was a large variety of them, and when there were a few free minutes the one who called herself "Kammy" explained what they were.

The brown mushroom-like ones with no arms were called "Goombas", the ones that resembled turtles but stood bipedal were "Koopas", and the variant of them that had spiky armor on were "Koopatrols". The circular white ones that could float were "Boos", slightly shorter creatures with masks over them were called "Shy Guys", and there were fatter creatures wielding spiked clubs that were called "Clubbas".

Though Kammy didn't say it, Squaridot had a feeling that there were many more types of those creatures than what she explained. And even then, in the back of her head… there was something… off. Yes, these creatures were fascinating, but…

She remembered that on her way here, she checked as much of the available archives on Earth as she could. She wasn't able to read every last word of it, but she did get through the important parts, even if the contents of some of the sections made her grimace… what mattered was that there was never even one mention of any of these types of creatures.

There was the possibility that they kept themselves extremely well-hidden all this time, but if that was the case, how did Peridot, a Gem who'd only been on Earth for an extremely short time manage to find them when an entire Homeworld fleet coming to Earth never even caught a glimpse of them?

It just didn't add up. None of it did, and it was very likely that they lied to her and Hessonite's face, and if that was the case… what else did they lie about? She stole a glance at Terrance and Tamara, who were chatting it up with a few of the creatures, before looking back at the rest of them fixing the house. There was a pile of junk from the rubble put over to the side, near the Lapis that was passed out. For a moment, she thought it was strange that a powerful Gem like a Lapis could be out for that long, but it soon passed over her.

If she could get her hands on even one of those creatures… she could get all the answers she wanted. It would be that easy, except… it wouldn't. For starters, 38-FR-18 took precedent. It was a threat to Homeworld, so it needed to be stopped. Maybe before they left, she could…

She would have to speak to Hessonite about this first. She'd see where she was coming from, right? The transcript of the disaster that was Peridot and Yellow Diamond's "conversation" came flooding back to her, and she hesitated for a moment. …But if she didn't do it now, then she might never get a chance.

Determined, she walked over to Hessonite.

---

It turned out that Connie and Lion came back quicker than expected. According to her, there was part of a store that was intact, and even though she felt guilty about stealing some of their stock even if it'd been evacuated, she'd gotten a large bag and filled it up with as much food and drink as she could before hopping on Lion and heading back.

She made sure to get stuff that didn't need to be cooked or heated up since they didn't have access to those kinds of tools right now, and she didn't want to see how furious Terrance would get if she asked Mr. Dinkleberg if she could use his oven.

The others rejoiced at Connie's arrival, digging into the food as soon as they could. Connie almost dreaded having to already go back to get more food, but thankfully that wouldn't be the case because Kammy was already making sure nobody took too much food.

"Wow, it looks like we've exposed our new buzzkill." Crocker said after Kammy scolded him for taking two drinks.

"I've been taking care of several children every day for years. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing." Kammy countered. Crocker didn't give a response, only crossing his arms before accepting what he had.

While they ate, over time, it slowly became quieter. Obviously people would be talking less while they ate, but… this was different. Most people would talk to each other, probably making conversation in between bites. This, however, was a dead silence. Connie glanced around, noting how she couldn't see Hessonite or Squaridot, which made her worry until she remembered that because they were Gems, they didn't need to eat, so they probably went back into the ship for a minute to relax or something. She had no way to know for sure, though.

The silence persisted even as they begun to finish up, Kammy making sure that any garbage got picked up. It wasn't too long before someone finally spoke up, asking a question that would get her to stop and think:

"So… how do you think the others are doing?" Turbo asked, his tone apprehensive.

"Uh…" Connie was the first to speak, but she didn't know what to say next. What was she even supposed to say? Having to go into a giant vortex like that without any idea what would be in there… On one hand, she shouldn't have let Steven talk her out of going with them, she knew how to fight, she could take care of herself, but on the other hand…

This was more dangerous than anything she'd been through before; it sounded like something that came straight out from one of the books she's read before. Evil robots, alternate dimensions, and a crazy supervillain mastermind… it all sounded like fiction, but it was the reality she lived in. Before all this, before she met Steven, she just lived a boring life, having no friends…

"They have to be doing fine." Connie finally finished, trying to sound confident. "I mean, come on, we all know what everyone's capable of, right?"

"I can agree to that." Kammy said. "Bowser's quite the powerful koopa, but Mario, Luigi, and Violet have to be quite powerful themselves if they're consistently able to foil his schemes. And there's also the princess, and… heh, push the wrong buttons around her and you'll regret it."

"I'm sure Turner's gonna be fine." Jorgen added his input. "Even if he's sometimes a pain, he has helped save the world quite a few times. So I think it's safe to say that we don't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah, you shouldn't take him for granted." Crocker added. "He might almost always get failing grades at school, but whenever it came to stopping one of my attempts to capture his fairies, he always is able to stop me, without exception."

"Sure, he's able to do all that amazing stuff, but he's just a kid, you know?" AJ reminded them. "I'm one of his best friends, I don't want anything to happen to him."

"Also, I'm pretty sure Steven and those other three Gems will be just fine." Peridot added. "I'm pretty sure they've done a lot of stuff to save the Earth, so this shouldn't be a problem for them."

Connie frowned. "Steven's only a kid too, you know. Even if he does have all those cool Gem powers, you need to remember he's still just a kid." She thought back to his birthday party a few days ago, and how she got surprised when she found out that she was 14. She thought he had to be a few years younger, at least. It got even stranger when she found out he hadn't grown at all in 6 years, which was… concerning.

Nevertheless, she would always be his friend, no matter what kind of situation would arise. As of right now, she couldn't think of anything that could cause a fracture in their friendship. He had to be safe; she knew he had to be. Otherwise…

To be honest, she did have a bias toward Steven. She didn't really know Mario or Timmy that well, though she had been around the former a bit longer. They were most likely nice people, there was no denying that.

A part of her still really wanted to be up there him, helping fight through whoever was up there in order to save the day. She'd spent nearly this entire catastrophe separated from him, only occasionally getting a few minutes to talk to each other before something would separate them yet again. It was… frustrating, but most of the time it was due to circumstance. She couldn't fault him for that. Well, after all this was over, she hoped that they could have a relaxing and chill summer vacation… yeah, hopefully.

She didn't notice when Hessonite and Squaridot walked out of Hessonite's ship, a new look of determination on the orange Gem's face.

---

After Connie delivered the food, Terrance and Tamara were lively, having finally gotten something to eat and drink, but the mood immediately soured when Turbo asked one particular question:

"So… how do you think the others are doing?"

Terrance's heart clenched a little… Most of all, he wanted his son to be safe. That was it. To think that he'd neglected him enough to the point where he needed magical fairies in order to get by… it sickened him, and he was sure his wife felt the same way.

He didn't blame the fairies at all, no. They were pretty nice, and took care of Timmy much better than he did… But what was even worse was how much danger Timmy got into during many of his mystical adventures with his fairies. Timmy told him about a few of the adventures not too long ago, and…

He'll admit, he might've been a bit… hasty when he said he wasn't sure if Timmy should even keep them after this whole thing was over. He and his wife already fired Vicky the moment they found out she wasn't the nice babysitter she pretended to be, and all he wanted was to eliminate the other source of danger from his son's life.

Except there was one gigantic difference between them. Unlike Vicky, his Fairy Godparents actually treated him like family. Heck, Cosmo and Wanda even had a baby several months ago named Poof, and he was one of the cutest things he'd ever laid his eyes on. Poof did look like that alien "Super Baby" he and his wife found a few months ago, and… oh. It didn't take long for his head to connect the dots on that one.

He looked over at his wife, who'd just finished what she'd gotten. It was then that Terrance realized that he'd hardly touched his own food, too lost in thought over his son. After getting their food, both of them went back to where they'd been sitting earlier, near their house, which was in the middle of reconstruction.

The main four in charge were on break right now, but that didn't stop the rest of the team from continuing to build. Hessonite and Squaridot were now back to watching how it unfolded, but he didn't pay much attention to it. With any luck, they'd finish construction soon enough after this whole thing was over and he'd be able to go back to his house as if it'd never been destroyed.

"Are you gonna finish that?" Tamara asked, taking him out of his thoughts. He looked at his wife, then back at his food.

"Yes." Terrance quickly said, chomping down his sandwich afterward. "Dinkleberg didn't try and take any of our food, did he?"

"No, he never tried to." Tamara said. Good. Another one of Dinkleberg's schemes was foiled, but who knows when he'd strike again. "So…" She spoke up. "About what Turbo said earlier… Do you think Timmy's alright?"

To be absolutely, totally honest, he didn't even have a single clue, but he also didn't want to worry his wife more. "W-Well, he does have Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof with him, so he'll… be alright."

Even though he tried to hide it, Tamara could sense the nervousness behind his voice, causing her to frown. "…Yeah." She said. "And his new friends, they should be able to keep him safe too."

"Mhm." Terrance nodded. And now it was quickly getting awkward, great. He looked around, trying to figure out a quick and easy way to ease the tension, and thankfully he managed to find it. "Hey, you." He said, getting the attention of Captain Goomba and the other three Captains. "What do you think of this whole situation?"

"Well, this is the most insane thing we've been a part of… ever." Captain Boo said. "And it looks like we weren't even around for most of it, too."

"It did seem odd how Bowser, Kammy, Junior, and a lot of the minions suddenly disappeared from the castle for about a week or so." Captain Shy Guy added. "It was funny seeing Kamek struggle to take care of the Koopalings… until he made us help. Doing this is much better than helping him."

"That I can 100% agree with." Captain Koopa agreed. "Trying to take care of 7 sick children is impossible." He groaned.

"Then it's a good thing I decided to only have 1 child." Tamara said with a laugh. Terrance couldn't help but laugh too; it was a bit ironic. "Why don't you tell us a bit more about yourselves? There's not really much for us to do except wait for the time being."

Wait… that's all they could do. Wait for that dumb weapon to charge. Hmph, maybe Dinkleberg somehow tampered with the weapon while no one was looking, or maybe he had another power source hidden away for himself, or… there were a thousand different possibilities for how Dinkleberg could be planning his world domination, but he could try and relax for a few more minutes.

"Well, the four of us were just random minions for a while until the whole incident with the Beanbean Kingdom." Captain Goomba explained. "We were going there to fix Peach's voice, but we all got separated and this Fawful guy brainwashed the Koopalings, so me and these other three guys helped save them and get Bowser back!"

"That was kinda your fault in the first place for jumping on his head and giving him amnesia." Captain Shy Guy pointed out.

"Well… he did forgive me for it! …Eventually… after chasing me through the whole castle and beating me to a pulp… heh." Captain Goomba nervously laughed a little after recalling that.

Terrance nervously laughed a little too, but for entirely different reasons. The weapon, charging so slowly… The end of everything looming right above them… His own son in potential danger… All these thoughts swam through his head, circling around in a fear of the slowly rising dread that bubbled through him for so long.

"Sorry if this is prying, but do you know when the house will be finished?" Tamara asked. "And how are you able to build it so fast?"

"We were trained for this kind of stuff, ma'am." Captain Koopa explained. "Once we had a blueprint and moved the rubble out of the way and found the right tools to build with, we were able to get started."

At the current rate they were going, it was uncertain if they were going to succeed. He needed one more push, one more glimmer of hope that would probe they'd be able to stop VOD and save everyone, especially the son he'd neglected that begin over some dumb little white lie.

"It's a shame, though." Captain Boo said. "There was some stuff that I wanted to snag, like there was this really cool backpack I wanted but noooo, according to you three buzzkills I couldn't take anything."

"Well there might've been a few things that could be salvaged, so anything we can get is good enough." Tamara said. "But if there is anything you do want, just show it to me and maybe I'll give it to you."

He started this conversation in order to take his mind off the impending doom, and yet here he was, his mind wandering, only half-listening to the conversation… when something struck his mind as… odd.

The comment about the backpack.

When Captain Boo first said it, he just passed over it, but now thinking over it again… why did he think it was so strange? Yes, when this whole thing started; when Jorgen erased his memories in order to protect Timmy… he did remember having a yellow backpack in his house… that he saw Timmy wear later at the MARF Concert.

If that was the same backpack, then there shouldn't be any problem, right? Maybe Timmy just put it back in the house and it survived the destruction of the house, and that was that. But… there was still something off. Something wrong. He took a glance over at the rubble as if it would clear his suspicions, but it didn't.

There was just… why was he even concerned at all about this? He wasn't even paying attention to the conversation anymore, too wrapped up in this to even think about it. What about that backpack was important in particular…? Maybe if he recalled the events leading up to Timmy getting that backpack…

It was the morning. Timmy went to the kitchen table, asking for breakfast, only to get confused when he and his wife claimed they didn't have a son. Sharp guilt from that ate away at him, even if he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Anyway, they talked about MARF, their backs were in pain, and… Tamara said…

"And grab a muffin and let yourself out, street urchin." Tamara added. She and Terrance moved out of the kitchen the best they could, due to their back pain.

Muffin… Muffin… Muffin… Muffin… Muffin… Muffin…

Terrance stood up, looking straight at the rubble. All the pieces were slowly coming together.

"I'll explain." Jorgen said. He cleared his throat. "So, once a child has managed to keep his Fairy or Fairies a secret from everyone for a year, he or she is awarded with a magic muffin, and when you eat it, it allows you to have one rule-free wish."

That table was filled with muffins. Who's to say that this "magic muffin" didn't somehow sneak its way onto the table too? But that didn't make sense, even in terms of magic. A muffin that could let you wish for anything, even stuff that was forbidden in "Da Rules" suddenly appearing on a random table was recipe for disaster, it was too impossible to happen.

He took another look at Hessonite and Squaridot. Wait… wait wait wait wait wait… why did they come to Earth again?

"Stupid lousy mission…" She mumbled to herself as she walked down the path. She was a Peridot that looked very similar to the Peridot the group knew, though there were some major differences. " 'There's a unique power source here!' She said, 'It could be important!' She said."

Backpack…

Muffin…

Unique power source…

…

Everything connected.

Without as so much of a word to anyone, Terrance took off into a run toward the rubble. He had to be right about this, he had to be. He heard his wife call for him and run after him, but he didn't have time to stop and explain. Every wasted second was another second closer to destruction.

Several seconds later, he was there at the pile of rubble. Lapis still looked knocked out, but there were much more important matters at hand. He moved some stuff over, his wife arrived asking what was going on, he moved a few more things, he thought he heard someone else asking what the heck he was doing, and… a yellow strap.

Terrance grabbed at the strap and pulled, the rest of the backpack flying out with it. He gripped the backpack, it was a lot lighter than he thought it'd be, but didn't feel totally empty, which meant one thing. His wife barraged him with questions, and he internally promised that he'd answer all of them as he grabbed the zipper and unzipped the backpack, fishing through it to find the one thing that would turn this situation around… he hoped.

He didn't even see the small glow that emitted from the backpack when he opened it, and didn't hear Tamara's gasp as he blindly grabbed an object that felt like a plastic wrapper to the touch, and began to lift his arm out of the backpack…

---

A frigid wind blew through the dim and drafty corridors of Castle Bleck.

Despite all their efforts, so few of the original heroes remained.

It was up to the three of them to stop the dark prophecy. Everything hung in the balance.

But as time quickly runs out, who's to say what the conclusion of this tale will be?

…

Mario's harsh footsteps echoed, each one leaving a pronounced THUMP through the normally quiet Castle Bleck. Timmy walked cautiously, staying alert for any enemies that might be prowling about. Steven stayed in the back, only feeling more weary than before. Tippi fluttered forward, easily able to keep up the pace with the rest of them.

To think that when they entered the castle, there'd been an entire team of them, ready to do whatever it took to stop Count Bleck and his heinous deeds. But little by little, those teammates were whittled away, along with their spirit.

All that was left were Mario, the plumber who's mental state only skyrocketed out of control, then Timmy, who's only chance of survival were his loyal and trustworthy fairies acting as his armor, and finally, Steven, who by all means only felt like a burden right now.

For some reason, though, there were absolutely no enemies in sight, not even a singular Goomba. It didn't make any sense, but it was better not to question it. It was nice to have a break, after all.

But even so, there was no telling how much further or farther away Count Bleck was. There were so few of them left, and so little time left…

They'd only walked through the unusually empty hallway for about a minute or two when Mario stopped, causing the others to stop too. He'd been unofficially leading the pack now, so he was walking ahead of them.

Mario took in a short breath before turning around to face them. "So," He began, wondering just how he was going to even word this. Tippi continued to flutter right next to him, and he glanced at her for only a moment. "I… I'm just going to cut to the chase here. Because there's so few of us, we need a plan. Whenever we find Count Bleck, we need a plan."

"Right." Timmy nodded. "We're the only ones left, so we need to think of a strategy. If we do that, we should stand a chance." He turned to Steven, a slight look of sadness on his face. "Steven… whenever we get to Count Bleck, you'll have to stay back for your own safety. I don't want anything else to happen to you while you're… like this. Okay?"

Steven stared directly at him, but didn't say anything, rather opting to nod slowly a few times instead, as if he understood. However, before that, it was as if he'd been deep in thought, thinking about… something.

"So… what exactly are you thinking of doing?" Tippi asked to Mario and Timmy.

"For starters, Count Bleck might not be alone." Mario said. "We know he still has Nastasia with him, and who knows what else he has up his sleeve. There's also the possibility that none of his minions are here because he's waiting to ambush us all at the last second with the rest of them."

"We should try to not use up too much of our energy, also." Timmy added. "There's probably still more traps like the ones we've ran into earlier, so we'll have to watch out for that too. We just need to keep our guard up while not exerting ourselves too much."

"Uh… can I just add my own suggestion?" Darkness cut in before anyone could make a comment.

"No." Timmy immediately replied, not letting her get another word in edgewise.

"But I have a plan of my ow-"

"I said, no." Timmy said, gripping his singular sword just a bit more tightly. "I'm not listening to anything you're saying or considering any of your suggestions. After seeing for myself everything you've done, I want nothing to do with you. End. Of. Discussion." His eyes narrowed a bit, making his stance on this perfectly clear.

Darkness took the hint, shutting up. Timmy then shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Let's just keep going. We can talk about our plan while we walk." He began walking forward, internally relieved that was the end of it.

Too bad it wasn't.

"I dunno, it might be worthwhile to listen to her." Mario said with a shrug.

Timmy stopped on a dime, spinning around to face the plumber. "What?"

"Well, I'm just saying that at this point, any suggestion would be viable." Mario said. "There's literally so few of us left, we need to take anything we can get. For all we know, we might not even be halfway through this godforsaken castle!"

Timmy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, there are several things wrong with what you just said. First of all, have you even been paying attention to anything? Did you just forget all the horrible things Darkness has done? Why should anyone give her the light of day?"

"Yes, I obviously know that she's done a bunch of horrible things. You don't need to remind me with a long list of what they all are." Mario replied. "But I'm looking past it because she might actually give us some good information."

Timmy's eyes narrowed as he started to grind his teeth in frustration. "You're only looking past it because you haven't experienced first-hand what despicable things she's capable of!" By now, his voice was at a near scream, his last word echoing off the walls. He gripped his sword even tighter. He obviously wasn't going to use it on anyone here, he just… he couldn't put it into words how frustrated he was.

"W-Well…" Mario took a step back. "I'm still willing to listen to her, and that's that. Just because you won't doesn't invalidate how anyone else feels, right?" There was an almost uncomfortable pause as Mario looked at each of the others. "Tippi hasn't said anything about it, I haven't heard any of your fairies say anything, and heck, even Steven hasn't said anything!" Mario threw out an arm toward the person in question.

"Uh…" Tippi said, unsure of what she should say. "Mario, you're kinda putting me on the spot here…"

Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof looked at each other, all three of them nervous.

"Don't try and bring everyone else into this." Timmy growled, his voice low. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't ignore anything else you have to say either." He began to turn back around, albeit much slower than he usually would.

"Because…" Mario thought on it for a few moments, before narrowing his eyes in determination. "Because of her information on the Pixl Queen, I was thinking-"

"Ugh, seriously?" Timmy interrupted, turning right back around once more. "You know, I thought that maybe you'd have at least a little bit of sense in you to realize that there's no point in talking about her, even if you love chatting it up with Darkness about her."

Mario was about to speak up, but Timmy kept going. "She's dead, and she's been dead for a long time. There's no reason to bring her up. Darkness only brought her up to try and confuse you, and that's all she ever does. She gets into your mind and tries to trap you into thinking about things that'll only waste your time. You're better off not giving her any more time of day."

"So?" Mario questioned, getting defensive. "You can't tell me what to do. I'm an adult, so I can make my own decisions. And… and even if some of those decisions may not look like the best decisions, maybe they'll turn out to be just fine in the end."

"Yeah yeah, just like you decided to trust Bill Cipher." Timmy rolled his eyes.

Mario froze. He nearly took a step back, but a second later sheer anger was written all over his face. He took a step forward, making sure to emphasize his stomp onto the ground. "Don't you… ever say that name to me again." His hands balled into fists.

"What, so I can't say the name "Bill Cipher", but it's perfectly acceptable for you to talk on and on about the Pixl Queen?" Timmy questioned, pointing out Mario's hypocrisy.

Mario didn't say a word. He glared at Timmy, who glared right back at him. They were at odds, that was for sure. And yet, it looked like neither of them would back down, each of them rock-solid on their own stance. Mario took another step forward, and Timmy stayed standing right where he was.

"Guys, stop!" Before either of them knew it, Steven ran up in between them, thrusting his arms out to the side to stop them before anything worse could happen. Timmy and Mario thankfully got the hint and backed off.

Steven lowered his hands, sighing. "We… we can't be fighting like this. We're supposed to be working together to stop Count Bleck, not arguing! And…" He lowered one of his hands to the area over his shirt where his gem would be. "I have a plan of my own. It involves all of us working as a team, but I need you guys to trust me."

"Steven… I told you earlier." Timmy said, his voice now filled with concern. "You have to stay back. Right now, you're… in not too great of a position. You're vulnerable."

"Look, I know you aren't willing to listen to other people right now, but could you at least listen to me?" Steven asked, a few tears in his eyes. "I just… please. I need you to hear me out." His tone reeked of pure desperation, as if he had no other options left available to him.

Though Timmy wanted to make sure Steven stayed absolutely safe, he also knew… that Steven also had to make his own decisions, which is why Timmy decided to just give a nod in response.

"So…" Steven said with a gulp. "I was thinking… the best way for us to go about this would be…" He took in a deep breath. There would be no going back after what he was about to say. "The three of us. We should all fuse."

Beat.

...

Beat.

…

"What?" Mario was the first of them to respond. Fusion… he'd only seen it a few times before, all the way back during the Dagonet battle. It still was a mysterious and vague concept to him, as he'd only seen it in short spurts. Though he'd been told that fusion is only possible with a Gem, the sheer existence of Dagonet seemed to contradict that. To be honest, he'd put it on the backburner for a while, but now that he thought about it again… it made zero sense.

"Uh uh, no way." Timmy immediately shot down. "Under no circumstances are you fusing with anyone right now."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree." Mario said a few seconds later, still a bit distracted by the Dagonet contradiction. "I don't think it's safe for you to try and use any of your gem powers right now."

"Exactly." Timmy nodded. "Steven, you can't risk anything right now. Who knows what else could happen if you tried using your gem powers, so you just need to stay back and-"

"No!" Steven suddenly yelled out, causing Mario and Timmy to step back a bit. "I'm not staying back! I… I…" His voice cracked a bit. "I don't want to be useless right when everything's about to end!" Tears flowed out of his eyes.

"When I first moved in with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl I couldn't use any of my powers. I might've been able to pull off the occasional bubble or shield, but I wasn't able to control it most of the time. And then a few months ago, I finally started to get the hang of it. But now this happens," Steven momentarily lifted up his shirt, revealing his solid-black gem once more. "And I start losing control of my powers again, and it just feels like I'm back at square one! With my powers, I felt like I was able to make a difference, that I could actually help my friends, but now I everyone's telling me I shouldn't, and that I should just sit there and wait for everything to be over."

The earliest mission he remembered going on was to return the Sea Goddess Statue. Sure, months later he found out that it'd just been a test all along, but at the time, he constantly slowed them down and nearly got himself killed multiple times, only surviving due to dumb luck. And now, here he was in a situation almost exactly like it, where he couldn't use any of his powers without a great deal of pain coming to him, not that there wasn't any when he was just standing there. But he'd been thinking… there was still one unique gem ability he'd yet to try after his new condition.

"I want to help defeat Count Bleck, I'm not going to let him get away with what he's doing! He's…" Steven looked to the side for a moment. "He's gone too far." It nearly broke him inside, just saying that. In any other circumstance, he'd try talking to the person, try and get them to understand what they're doing isn't right, but… this was different. The stakes were high, and time was low.

"The reason I want all of us to fuse is… I remember something Garnet said to me a while back." Steven continued. "She said that all fusions are greater than the sum of their parts… so if there's a chance we won't beat Count Bleck separately, then fusion will be our best chance. We've all been constantly fighting with each other, but we need to focus that fight on defeating Count Bleck."

There were still a few tears in Steven's eyes, but his face changed to a look of determination, though there was still clear sadness visible. "So, that's what I have to say. I just… want to be able to help. Please."

After Steven's long-winded speech, there was a moment of silence. It was obvious that he meant every single word of what he said, but still…

"Fine." Mario was the first to respond. The others looked at him. "I want to get this over with as quickly as possible. …And even if I don't really understand anything about fusion, I'm willing to try it." Mario internally smirked at the thought of how fast Count Bleck's smug look would be wiped off his face… if this plan worked.

"Thank you." Steven said, wiping away a few tears. "Uh, Timmy?" He asked, turning to the buck-toothed eleven-year-old.

"I…" To say the least, Timmy was… conflicted. His only experience with fusion had brought about pain that he'd never forget, and even after the whole nightmare he still felt a bit odd at times. But on the other hand, this whole fiasco had proven itself to be the most taxing of them all. Stopping Vicky from changing the past or Crocker from taking over the universe was nothing compared to… this. So many new threats and allies, repeatedly bringing himself into unfamiliar territory… it was a lot to say the least.

But it wasn't without it's good times. For every horrible moment where he met a new foe, like the Destructionator or Count Bleck, there was also a moment of peace and happiness when he spent some time with the likes of Junior, Steven, or heck, even Peridot.

Plus, there was the possibility that if he tried to take on Count Bleck by himself… it might not turn out as well as he'd hoped. He thought back to his mom and dad, and how they were hopefully still tirelessly working to create some sort of weapon to split up VOD. Stopping Count Bleck was just one part of the plan, after all.

After all that thinking, it was only for another moment he was conflicted over Steven's plan before remembering what the alternative presented to him earlier was… And whatever that 'alternative' was, he was already sure that it was the last option he had in mind. Narrowing his eyes in determination, he at last nodded his head in response. "Okay. I accept."

"I'm really, really glad you do." Steven said with a smile. Just like that, it was as though a small weight was lifted off his chest.

"So…" Mario spoke up. "Just how exactly does fusion work? There's some aspects of it I'm still confused about." 'Some' was an understatement.

"Uh, well there's some stuff about it that I don't really get either, but I think I have the gist of it." Steven said. "So basically, in order to fuse, the Gems have to some sort of dance, and if they're all in sync then their gems start to glow and they kinda mash together into one being… if that makes any sense." There was a short but awkward silence after what he said.

"I'll be honest, I've heard of weirder." Timmy said, triggering a small laugh out of Steven and Mario.

"Yeah, me too." Mario agreed, happy to finally have even a moment of levity.

"But there's still one question I have." Timmy added. "Obviously, I know you're able to fuse with another human, but are you sure it would still work with two humans?"

For a few seconds, Steven didn't respond, only pondering over Timmy's question, before finally coming to a half-hearted answer himself. "I guess we'll have to see?" He shrugged. Fair enough.

Tippi fluttered back a bit to allow the three of them enough room. They couldn't dawdle on this for too long, they were on a very strict time limit. Out of the three of them, Steven had the most experience dancing, so he started them off, doing a small twirl that he giggled at for a moment, but stopped when remembering the grave circumstances. He held himself back a bit, knowing that too much exertion would leave him in a great deal of pain.

Mario and Timmy glanced at each other, the two of them not as well versed in dancing as Steven was. In fact, Mario even felt a bit… embarrassed at the prospect of having dance. Yeah, he may have danced a little bit at the high school prom… for about ten minutes. That was a tale he refused to bring up to anyone again. Mario shook his head, trying not to get caught up on any event that happened before he permanently moved to the Mushroom Kingdom. He had to do this, for everyone that lost their lives trying to end this nightmare.

He took in a deep breath before starting to dance himself. It was a slow dance, and definitely much more awkward than Steven's. He suddenly became grateful that none of Count Bleck's goons were around to attack them. Right now, that would be… problematic. He focused himself on just dancing, nothing else. Mario closed his eyes, trying to imagine himself someplace he felt safe… like his house. His house wasn't too spacious, but at some point he could probably get it renovated.

His momentary trance was cut short when he bumped into Steven, causing the teen to fall on the ground. Mario's hat fell off from the small impact, and it landed on Steven's head, albeit very lopsided. Mario quickly began to rush out an apology before Steven said it was okay, handing the plumber's hat back with a smile. With a bit more confidence, Mario resumed dancing, as did Steven.

Timmy let out a small sigh as he looked at the two of them. Yes, he knew very well that he needed to dance too, but… but what? He didn't even know. The oppressive red and black walls of the place weren't helping either.

"I knew I shouldn't have skipped out on that dancing game at the mall." Timmy said.

"Well you can't get it now since the mall is destroyed and all that." Cosmo 'reminded'.

"Yeah, I know that." Timmy sent a small glare at Cosmo's way.

"Timmy, is there something you're worried about?" Wanda asked a real question.

"Well… yeah. It's about you guys." Timmy answered. "You've been my armor since we got here, and I really appreciate it, but… what'll happen to you when I fuse with them? Are you going to be part of the fusion too, or how will the gem magic react to you guys, or-"

"Oh, I'm sure everything will be fine." Wanda assured. "After all, we don't be doing any of that dancing, so we'll be fine."

Timmy knew that Wanda had no idea if she was right or not, but he had to take the chance. Cosmo, Wanda, Poof… they were three of the most important people in his life, and he'd let nobody take them away from him. He hoped his parents were doing well building the weapon, but he had no idea if that were truly the case. No matter how they were doing, he had to do his part too, for all of them.

He carefully set his sword on the ground, not wanting to just throw it on the ground and make the other two lose concentration. Plus, having to hold the sword would greatly hinder his ability to dance, which he needed to go ahead and get started with and stop stalling.

And so, like Steven and Mario, he too began his dance. At first, he didn't really know what he was doing. The only dance he really had any memories of going to was the one on Friday the 13th, and even then he had to share his date, so he didn't get much dancing in. But as he continued to dance, his movements became smoother, and he grew more comfortable overall.

It still took a bit for the three to gain rhythm with each other. Sure, they were doing fine as individuals, but as a group it looked sloppy. But it would have to work. The dance continued for at least another minute, until…. the three of them ended up right next to each other, pausing their respective dances, taking a momentary breather.

Steven's gem began to glow, drawing the others' attention. Though, the glow wasn't its usual brightness, no… it was black. The black glow quickly overtook the three of them, slowly beginning to morph and stretch into a shape of its own. After what felt like an agonizingly long several seconds, the glow finally disappeared, now only one person where there once were three.

If Tippi had actual eyes, they would've widened. "It worked?" She asked in surprise. The fusion several feet away from her looked around for a moment, appearing confused. He attempted to take a step forward, but lost balance and yelled out as he stumbled forward, abruptly falling and landing on his face. Tippi gasped, immediately fluttering over to him to make sure he was okay.

"Ugh, well that was stupid." He said, lifting his face up. His voice was… different, but it sound a bit like Timmy's. "Yeah… wait a minute." His voice now sounded closer to Mario's as he wore a look of confusion on his face, before he gasped. "Oh my gosh!" He squealed, his voice now vaguely sounding like Steven's. He managed to get himself to stand up, but it was a bit difficult due to how tall he was. "We… fused." His voice now was a perfect mix of all three, because they-no, he'd just come to realize what happened.

He looked around, and finally found Tippi, who'd gotten close to him. "Tippi, we did it! All three of us! It… it actually worked!" He let out a laugh as he hugged himself, still in partial disbelief that it actually happened. To think, two who were 100% human, part of a fusion; something that would normally only involve Gems. It was amazing.

Tippi was in a bit of disbelief too, but here he was, right in front of her. And now that he was standing up, he was finally about to get a good look at him. One thing she noticed immediately was how he wore two hats; one of them the signature cap Mario wore, and the other the hat Timmy always wore. The colors were slightly changed though, a bit of a light pink hue had been added to both hats. Also, the M emblem and large dot on the respective hats were replaced with a bright yellow star.

Timmy's buckteeth were clearly visible on his face past the large mustache and big nose. And from what was visible of his hair, it was a very dark brown, and overly messy. His eyes were a dark blue, an even mix of the three's eye colors. His overalls were a mix of pink and blue; it was a bit… weird to look at. There was also a large yellow star in the middle, and along with it he wore a red shirt. He also wore large white gloves, and on one foot he wore a shoe, while on the other he wore a pink sandal. Then there was also the armor. It extended to fit his much taller form, at around seven or eight feet tall. It looked exactly like Timmy's armor.

"What… should I call you?" Tippi asked. In her eyes, it wasn't really nice to be calling him "the fusion".

"Um…" He had to think about it. What should he call himself? When just Timmy and Steven fused, he was called "Tiven", so now a combination of the three names sounded appropriate. But what should it be? Timarven? No, that sounded stupid. Marevey? No, that sounded even worse. How about… "Starmy?" Yeah, that sounded… right.

"Starmy…" Tippi repeated. "That… has a nice ring to it. I like it."

"Thank you." Starmy replied. "Heh… I still can't believe that we-I mean I managed to fuse. I guess I'm still trying to get used to this…" He laughed nervously. Part of him fused a few times before with Connie, another part of him never fusing before, and the last part of him having only fused for the first time a few days ago. Because of this and a few other factors, he still wasn't perfectly in sync yet. Thankfully one part of him knew how to make that sync happen, and tried to help the other two complete the sync so they wouldn't fall apart.

"I noticed something weird happening during the fusion, though." Starmy said to himself. "What? Well, when our-I mean my, my gem started glowing, I saw some weird black glow come from it… but that's weird, the glow is normally white… I know." Before he'd fused, his gem was black, but was it still? …There wasn't any good way for him to check, he was wearing overalls and armor. "Just… whatever. I can't go back on this, I have to do this… but… mayb-hold on."

He stopped himself, looking ahead. There were a few enemies a few yards away that appeared to be coming closer while chatting about something. What were they doing? Were they coming over here because nobody arrived yet? That sounded reasonable enough, but he had no way of knowing if it was the truth.

They were a Magiblot and a Blastboxer, but Starmy didn't really care. They were aligned with Count Bleck, so they needed to be dealt with. The two lone enemies noticed him, and they locked eyes for only a moment before attacking.

The Magiblot sunk into the ground, and the Blastboxer sent multiple blasts of circular energy at him. Starmy looked around, trying to see where he left his sword. He spotted it on the ground, over a dozen feet away. Right before the energy would've hit him, he dodged out of the way, making a beeline for the sword.

As he ran for it, the Magiblot reappeared, throwing a ball of blue energy right at him. He wasn't sure if he could dodge it, so he instinctively put up his shield, the energy colliding with it right as he did so, a loud BONG! sound reverberating throughout the room. His eyes had shut for a moment, but when he opened them, he was… confused.

Instead of the regular shield he was used to seeing, it was a complete, solid black. No hint of any bright colors anywhere. Just… blackness. For a moment, alarm bells began ringing in his head, telling him that maybe there was another option… but he pushed down those thoughts almost as soon as they arrived. Right now, his singular goal was what kept him united, and as long as he stuck to that goal no matter what, everything would be okay.

The sword was right next to him, so he grabbed and stood up, preparing for the next attack; sword in one hand, shield on the other. The Magiblot and Blastboxer both attacked at the same time. The Magiblot's blast arrived first, so he used his shield to block it before running forward, slicing his sword through the Blastboxer's energy attack, causing it to dissipate.

Before either of the two minions could react, Starmy jumped up, landing on the Magiblot, defeating it. The Blastboxer looked a bit freaked out and turned around to run off and presumably warn any others ahead, but Starmy wouldn't have any of it. He tossed his shield as hard as he could at the fleeing enemy, knocking it to the ground as the shield disappeared a moment afterward. Starmy charged at it, leapt into the air, and jumped on it, knocking it out.

Starmy looked around, making sure there weren't any other of Count Bleck's minions wandering around. After checking for a couple seconds, he just stood there, slowly breathing in and out before abruptly cheering out loud, laughing all the while.

"I can't believe that I just did that!" Starmy yelled, elated. "I knew this whole fusion thing would work! Look at how easy that was! Oh man… I just defeated them like it was nothing!" Starmy laughed a bit more, partially in the absurdity of all, and also because, well… he was right. Fusion was the right thing to do. Now, he was so much more powerful, and… "If beating those two was that easy, then…"

Maintaining a three-component fusion wasn't the easiest, but if the components all were united in one goal, then it already became so much easier. Almost perfectly in sync, each part of himself knowing exactly what he wants to set out to do… that's how Starmy felt right now. He knew he was powerful, and the fairy armor only helped with matters.

A small smirk appeared on Starmy's face before he broke out into another laugh. This one wasn't as lighthearted, but not with intense malice either. No, it was more of… a laugh of realization; a laugh of acceptance, because he knew this is what he had to do. That's how it had to be, but also that's how he wanted it to be. It was ironic, really.

"Looks like your days are numbered, Count Bleck." Starmy raised his sword up, as if Count Bleck himself could see it despite not being in the room. "I'd advise you watch yourself." He lowered the sword and prepared to run forward, but not before seeing Tippi flutter up to him.

"Starmy… I can't help but feel a little… worried." Tippi voiced her concerns. "You just seem… very hellbent on destroying Count Bleck." Even if he hadn't outright said it, she could tell from his body language. It spoke volumes.

"…I know." Starmy said. "Because I am. He's going to destroy everything if I don't stop him." He almost took a step forward, before sighing and looking at Tippi. "And… I know about your relationship with Count Bleck. I don't know everything, but… I know enough to fill in some of the blanks." Over the course of the adventure, he slowly came to realize just who Tippi really was, and after that, everything made so much sense. He wished he hadn't been passed out after the acquisition of the fifth Pure Heart, because the info obtained then might've made him realize it a lot sooner.

Tippi and Count Bleck… or rather, Timpani and Blumiere. The two had a relationship, until some sort of event forced them to separate… literally. Timpani was on the verge of death, forced to travel from dimension to dimension until Merlon found her in Flipside, and somehow was able to transform her into a Pixl, inadvertedly causing her to lose her memories. She became known as Tippi from then onward. Because of her disappearance, Blumiere must've gotten ahold of the Dark Prognosticus, which led him to want to destroy everything…

…At least, that's how he saw it.

"I'm sorry all that happened to you." Starmy continued. "I'm sorry you lost all your memories, and… I know you miss whoever he used to be. But he's not coming back. It might break your heart, but Blumiere is gone. And I have to make sure Count Bleck is gone too, in any way possible." There was a frown on his face. His desire to want Tippi to stay happy got in the way of his overwhelming need to make sure Count Bleck couldn't harm anyone anymore.

"…I know. I… understand." Tippi spoke a bit slower than usual. "I… I believe in you, Starmy. That you can defeat him and save everyone." Starmy nodded, before starting to walk forward. Tippi stayed put for a few seconds. 'And… I'm going to believe in him… most of all…' She thought to herself before fluttering after him.

Starmy walked for a few seconds, hoping to have no other distractions on his quest to Count Bleck. But… that wouldn't be the case.

"Oh… Starmy, was it?" Darkness spoke. Starmy froze up. A large part of him wanted to tell her to shut up, and then refuse to acknowledge her existence any longer, but a smaller part of him wanted to hear what she had to say. It wasn't enough to drive him apart, but it did cause a slight amount of friction, so for now he just stopped and listened to what she had to say.

"I just needed to say… I'm so glad that I get to see Tiven again… sort of." Darkness continued.

"I didn't do this for you." Starmy snapped, already getting annoyed with her. "It's only so we can destroy Count Bleck."

"Yeah… I've listened to his ramblings a few times, I'm not really a fan of him."

"I don't think you understand how severe this is." Starmy said it point-blank. "I'm just…" He closed his eyes in frustration. "Tired of all this. Everything that's happened throughout all of this, I'm just done." Having the memories of all three of his components was… a bit exhausting. "I just want it to all be over and done with, and…" He clenched his fists.

"That includes you, Darkness." Maybe he was right, and the Pixl Queen didn't really matter, and that he did waste his time on it. Yeah… perhaps that was the case. He already was going to defeat Count Bleck on his own, so why add another factor into this already confusing mess?

"After you're separated from the Void and VOD no longer exists, just… just leave. Go away as far as possible. I don't want you anywhere near my friends and family, and I don't care what kind of attachment you have toward me, I just want you to be gone." Starmy took a deep breath after his rant.

"I…" Darkness didn't know what to say. …Yes, he was justified in saying that, but what was she supposed to do? She just… couldn't… leave. So many confusing feelings weaving through her, what was she supposed to do? Becoming one with Void only brought her more pain, and she just needed to find a way to express herself… something new.

Starmy narrowed his eyes, concentrating on the room ahead of him. There was a door several feet away, a door that potentially could have Count Bleck's toughest minions yet. He looked at Tippi, who was fluttering just a little behind him. He felt bad for her, but… he had to do what needed to be done.

Darkness remembered what her two favorite children did a few days ago; oh it was so sweet. Steven and Timmy… both of them sang a little song before they fused. It was so cute, and even if it wouldn't help anything… she wanted to sing a little herself.

Starmy tightened his grip on the sword, and summoned his shield. He grimaced at seeing it was solid black, but he had to look past it for now. Whatever the Darkness did to his gem… it hurt just thinking about it. All in all, there was no way he could forgive her. Ever. Even so, she'd also been tricked by Count Bleck.

Looking back, she couldn't believe she got tricked so easily. So many things frustrated her; it was agonizing. Why… did she have to go through all this? Over thousands of years of pain… it was unbearable. The recent snapshots of solace gave her much relief, but they'd never last forever.

Starmy walked right up to the door, feeling Tippi settle down on top of the armor that covered his two hats. He could almost sense it. As soon as he would open the door, he would need to make a mad dash to Count Bleck as fast as possible. It would be tough, but certainly doable… hopefully.

Her frustration built up further and further, and she just needed a way to vent her feelings… well, she did want to sing a bit… hmm…

All the memories he had, all the new ones he made over the course of the adventure, all of them swam throughout his head, reinforcing just how much was at stake her… if he failed, none of those memories would even matter.

Taking one final breath… Starmy pushed open the door and ran forward.

…

…

"Colors weave into a spire of flames…"

"Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed…"

The path ahead was nothing too special, just a long hallway. But, it wasn't without the legion of minions Count Bleck sent his way. Just ahead of him, there was a Poison Pokey. It spotted him and flung one of its segments at him, and Starmy simply countered by hitting the segment with his sword, sending it right back at the Poison Pokey. Starmy ran past it afterward, needing to not waste a second.

Mario broke into a sprint. Many awful scenarios popped up in his head. He opened the castle doors, and…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIO!"

There was a yellow Cursya not far from it; he didn't know exactly what type it was. Starmy flung his shield at it, knocking it away before summoning another shield at seeing a couple other Poison Pokeys throw their segments at him. They bounced off, and Starmy charged at them, sword raised.

His shield protected him from any other segments they tossed at him, and when he thought he was close enough, he swung his sword at them. He ended up miscalculating and they jumped away. However, what Starmy didn't expect was that as he swung his sword, a wave of fire flew out of it, which was what ended up hitting the Poison Pokeys.

Timmy was excited. What could've been a potentially awful Sunday has now turned into one that could actually seem enjoyable. He couldn't wait to go to the park. Today was going to be great.

"Bear this torch against the cold of the night…"

"Search your soul and reawaken the undying light…"

"What the-" Starmy looked at his sword. It was now aflame, the bright fire heating up the area around him. It was such a stark contrast to the low blacks and reds around him, like it was a light of hope in this barren hopelessness.

Starmy looked up, and saw a few Question Blocks ahead. He ran up to them, hitting the first one. A Mushroom popped out of it, falling onto him. It was supposed to heal him, but he didn't really feel any exhaustion so it didn't affect him much.

Before Bowser could even say anything, Count Bleck quickly cast a spell on his wand, aiming it at Mario. The spell was a simple one; it was just a small, purple void that couldn't last long. Unfortunately for Mario the spell lasted long enough that it ended up starting to suck him in, knocking him out.

He was going to check the others, but a few Coptas saw him, quickly spinning toward him. Starmy raised his shield right before it hit him, causing it to crash right into his shield, pushing him back a bit. Starmy thrusted his shield forward, knocking down the Copta before jumping on it.

"The fun times are over," Jorgen said. "This is not a game. Remain in the shadows. Do not speak your name!" He put his hood back on.

"Uh, you're freaking me out here, dude." Timmy said. Before Timmy could process what Jorgen had said, Jorgen poofed him out of the simulation…

"On this day, when the sky's falling away…"

"Our worlds' coming to an end…"

Starmy felt something hit his side, knocking him to the ground, causing him to drop his sword and shield. In that moment, he was very grateful that he had his armor. It was the other Copta that hit him, and it was preparing to do it again. For a brief moment Starmy panicked, and closed his eyes as he thrusted his fist forward. He heard a sickening crunch, and opened his eyes to see his fist buried into the Copta's main body above its little propellers. It fell to the ground lifelessly a few seconds later.

At those words, the door and part of the wall were blasted open. A huge, menacing robot walked in. "Timmy Turner." The robot's body was huge, and its eyes were glowing red. "Eliminate Timmy Turner."

Taking a few deep breaths, Starmy stood up, reclaiming both of his weapons. The sword had lost his flame when he dropped it, but picking it up lit it aflame once more. He wasn't out of the woods just yet, though. There were still a few more Coptas ahead, and they must've seen the fate of their fallen comrades.

Merlon responded by holding up the Red Pure Heart that he had with him, which was previously hidden away from view. Mario gasped. The red light that shone from it was brilliant, almost seeming to draw him in.

"This is one of the eight Pure Hearts," Merlon explained. "You are surely the hero spoken of in the pages of the Light Prognosticus. You are the only one who can defeat Count Bleck and save all worlds! Mario! Take this and save all worlds from destruction!"

"In our eyes will a fading sun rise…"

"In the dark, glimmering shadows…"

Nevertheless, they moved forward, attempting to try and rush Starmy. At the same time, the trifusion decided to try something new, just to see if it would work. He concentrated a bit, and his shield burst into flames. He flung it at both of them, managing to hit them and then trap them under it when it fell on top of them.

Starmy then ran forward, seeing a few more Poison Pokeys ahead. Using his now-free hand, he shot several fireballs at them, stopping them from getting anywhere near him. He could see the door several yards away; it looked so close…

"You tell me, because the Chosen One is you, Timmy Turner!" Jorgen yelled, pointing to a picture on the wall that bared a resemblance to Timmy, though many differences were immediately apparent.

"What?" Timmy yelled in surprise and shock.

He made a break for it, the air rushing past as he seemed to only speed up. He barely managed to stop before running right into the door, thankfully, and took a moment to breathe. He shook his head to try and get a bit of the sweat off of him, feeling just a little winded. He just remembered that he didn't see what was in the other two Question Blocks, but he could do without them.

Then, the woman revealed a bright-orange Pure Heart, and gave it to Mario. It floated above his head, shining brightly. Thoreau danced a little, as it floated down closer into Mario's grasp. It shined brighter than ever before, going within Mario like the red one had.

"Silence grows, in the spaces between…"

"Stretching far beyond time…"

The next room had a much shorter ceiling, but he wasn't anywhere close to hitting it. He cautiously ran, watching out for any enemies. Strangely, before long there was a wall before him, and no door in sight… where was it?

If it came down to it, then he'd bust down the wall to keep going, but he didn't have to. Tippi got off his head, fluttering toward the wall. "There's a hidden door here…" Tippi said. "Let me make it visible for you…"

In an instant, Junior slashed Timmy's face, causing the 11 year old to let out a bloodcurdling scream. Acting on instinct, Timmy quickly bit into Junior's right arm, causing the young koopa to quickly reel his arm back. Timmy covered the side of his face with one hand, and then pushed Junior to the ground with the other. Timmy then stood up.

In the few moments that Starmy didn't have to do anything, there was something that felt a little… off. He didn't know exactly what, but it was somewhere around his chest area? Or maybe his gem? He didn't exactly know, but he felt something… unusual there.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Tippi made the door appear. Starmy thanked her as she returned to her previous resting place, the fusion almost forgetting about the weird feeling as he opened the door, continuing into the next room.

"Let's just focus on getting to the mansion and the Pure Heart for now…" Tippi interrupted. "I'm sure that this will all be sorted out at some point or another…"

"Yeah, you're right." Mario said. "Come on Peach, let's go."

It was a lot different from the others, to be sure. Looking ahead, he already could tell he'd have to do some acrobatics, as there were multiple raising and lowering platforms in view, all over a seemingly bottomless pit. Starmy gulped, trying not to think about the pit before running forward.

"And the MARFiest band in the world…" Agent Black added. "KISS!" He gestured to a billboard that showed the KISS band members, with one of them holding a white guitar.

Timmy looked at the sign. Hang on a second… white wand… white guitar… hidden in a rock… KISS band…

It clicked.

"Rising up, as a chorus of souls finds a voice…"

"Flickering through this void…"

He jumped onto the first platform as it was going up, barely making it. There was what looked like a wall ahead of him, but it was just the next platform, really high up. The platform he stood on continued to rise, and eventually he was high enough to reach the "wall", which was lowering.

From Merlee, came the Yellow Pure Heart. It floated above Peach, while Thoreau, Boomer, and Slim danced around her. And then, it floated all the way down to her. Only five left to go.

Starmy hopped onto it, and there was a Parabuzzy flying nearby that spotted him. It dive-bombed him, and Starmy raised his arm up only to realize that he never summoned another shield. He barely managed to dodge to the left, the Parabuzzy zipping past him, crashing into the wall of the platform behind him.

"Me? I'm Bill Cipher! I'm surprised you don't remember." Bill said. "But I remember you, Jumpman! The plumber who saved the Mushroom Kingdom from characters such as Smithy, Cackletta, Grodus, and Princess Shroob; oh I'm getting ahead of myself. What I'm here for is that I want to make a deal with you, Jumpman!"

"These little sparks cling onto life…"

"Everyone caught in the struggle…"

As the Parabuzzy struggled to free itself from the wall, Starmy pushed forward, jumping onto the next platform. He continued this pattern for the next few platforms, jumping onto them when he was at the appropriate height to do so. He tried not to overdo it; he didn't want to overwork himself. Jumping so much right now was a little… taxing.

And then, the Darkness receded backward, away from the Earth, in its wake, it spit out every planet it had previously eaten, including Fairy World. And then, it flew all the way backwards into the cosmos, screeching, as its destination was unknown…

Before long, there was another enemy; a Spiky Parabuzzy. Upon spotting him, it soared after him, but Starmy was prepared this time. He summoned his shield, and a loud BONG reverberated as the Spiky Parabuzzy bounced off the shield. Starmy then tossed his shield at the enemy, knocking it down into the presumably bottomless pit.

Jumping to the next platform, there was a wall ahead of him, but he could sense… that wasn't it. Using the flip ability he got from Bestovious what seemed like ages ago by now, he concentrated and another platform appeared to his left, offering a way past the wall.

It was just another hard day of work at the barn, trying to stop the Cluster. Currently, Peridot was in said barn, saying something into a tape recorder that was currently recording.

"And then the storms of change, they fan the flames…"

"Scattering ashes to the wind…"

Ahead of him, there was a platform that looked too far to jump to, but there was a Parabuzzy fluttering around too that didn't notice him. Starmy backed up a little so he could get a running start, and then ran a few steps before leaping off the platform.

After the tomatoes stopped, Turbo looked around him. "Alright, I see it now! I guess since none of you here need me, I guess I'll just find some other fairies that believe me!" In rage, he stormed off, allowing Timmy's celebration to continue.

The Parabuzzy didn't know what hit it as Starmy bounced off it, causing it to lose its wings as it fell into the abyss below. Starmy landed on the next platform, stumbling forward a bit as he tried to regain balance.

Bowser simply nodded. He would try to push what happened on this bridge to the back of his mind, since other things were more important. But maybe… in the future, could the Mushroom Kingdom have a total change in leadership? Who knew…

"Every soul contains a whisper of light…"

"Gleaming faintly as it dwindles from sight…"

At finding another wall, he concentrated, seeing another path to take. He needed to wait a few seconds for the platform to rise, and the weirdness he was feeling earlier came back in full force. He jumped to the next platform, and needed to wait even more. The weirdness… it was definitely coming from those two places, his chest and gem. He could feel the sweat pouring down his body, he'd been doing so much work in such a short time, he was so thankful for this short break…

"Alright. I will." Mario said. All of the previous pixls they've collected so far came out and danced around Mario as the Green Pure Heart slowly floated down to him.

But it was over as soon as the door was in his sight. He jumped off the platform, running to the door. The next room was similar to the one he just went through, except the platforms were either always rising or lowering, and they were much, much thinner.

Without thinking, Starmy jumped onto the first platform he saw; a lowering one. But right as he jumped off that platform, expecting to find another one… and there was one, but it was rising up quickly, way too high for him to reach, unless…

"Garnet!" Steven said. "Is it morning already?"

"It's midnight! Happy birthday, Steven!" Garnet answered.

He bounced off a Parabuzzy, propelling himself upward, noticing a bit of glimmering from his fairy armor as he did so. He was so close to reaching that platform… in a split second, he stabbed his sword into the side of the platform and held on for dear life, anchoring him to the slowly rising platform. After dangling there for a few seconds, Starmy climbed onto the platform, taking a short break.

A second later, there was a knock on the door. "Timmy! Are you home?" That was Timmy's dad, Terrance, presumably accompanied by Tamara.

"No escape, no greater fate to be made…"

"In the end, the chains of time will not break…"

There was no way he was leaving without his sword, so he needed to take a few seconds to pull it out, struggling a little to do. He stumbled backward a little after he finally got it, trying not to fall off the platform. After taking yet another few seconds to breathe, he looked up, his heart skipping a beat at seeing how fast the ceiling was approaching.

Mr. L brought the knife down.

It pierced through Mario's clothes, and right after, his flesh.

Starmy dove off the platform just before he got crushed, landing in a heap on the next platform. He quickly picked himself up, not allowing himself to take any more breaks if he could help it. He hopped across a few more platforms before coming across actual ground. To the left of him was a black pipe, but he wasn't sure if he should take it. Did it lead to something important, or was it just some random bonus reward? …Only one way to find out.

The statue rose up, showing a space under it. And out from it came the Blue Pure Heart, which floated over to Peach. It slowly floated down to her as she caught it. Through all of their trials and tribulations, they had at last gotten the 5th Pure Heart.

"Colors weave into a spire of flames…"

"Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed…"

The fusion entered the pipe, waiting a few seconds before he was on the other side. He found himself in a small room with a singular chest in the middle, and upon opening the chest… there was a key. Huh. He pocketed the key before taking the pipe back to the main area, ready to continue his quest.

"This is so incredible!" Peridot gushed, walking right behind Steven. "Only the most elite of the elite can enter these sanctums! We are literally walking in the footsteps of the Diamonds!"

The five walked past the mural that depicted White Diamond.

Upon his return, he jumped from platform to platform, this time making sure to watch himself so that he didn't do something stupid. Not too long later, he made it to the door, noticing a lock on it. Starmy pulled the key out, using it to unlock the door. The lock fell, and Starmy immediately pushed the door open.

"There's a second wand?" Timmy asked himself, grabbing his hair and his hat. In front of him was the largest mural of them all. It depicted Turbo Thunder standing on a strange blue moon, holding two large wands, one in each hand.

"Bear this torch against the cold of the night…"

"Search your soul and reawaken the undying light…"

After going into the next room, Starmy took a second to breathe, leaning against the door. From what he could see, it was a room like the one a few rooms ago, just a straight shot to the end… and there didn't appear to be any minions nearby.

It was then that Mario woke up.

A sudden explosion of colors, lights, and other senses nearly overloaded his senses as his eyes opened. It was a moment before it registered. The dulled pain in his right arm and his nose… What exactly happened again?

He walked forward; stopping when noticed a large window to his left. Starmy took a few steps toward it, almost mesmerized by what lied outside. VOD seemed so infinitely big… from Darkness alone, there were at least several planets' worth of mass here, but he couldn't see even a speck of it. He frowned, knowing Francis was somewhere out there, lost… He grimaced a little.

Steven summoned his shield. One of the Eliminators grabbed his shield and tossed it aside. There was nothing else Steven could do.

"As fate spins a thread without end…"

"No life will draw its first breath…"

The images of whatever fates Bowser, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peach, Violet, and Luigi were met with all swam through his head, knowing that none of it was pretty. He needed to do this for all of them, because if he didn't… all of their sacrifices may as well mean nothing. All of them had wanted this nightmare to end just as much as he did, and they paid for it with their lives.

And then there were the ones who'd gotten taken away right after VOD was formed. Junior, Vicky, Tootie, Dark Laser, Shirley, Chester, Mark, Trixie, Lapis, Mike, Greg… so many of his friends and family taken away just like that, like they didn't even matter. It sickened him. There was no telling what their fates were, and every one of them was another reason he needed to end all of this.

The vortex exploded. It could be heard through the whole neighborhood. The explosion caused weenies and Eliminator part to fly up, and then start to fall down, some of them landing in Timmy's room. Timmy and Mark cheered, finally having beaten the Eliminators.

There were still so many questions he never got an answer to, and he never would if he didn't succeed. It all rested on his shoulders, the burden of saving everyone and everything. If Count Bleck wasn't stopped…

And at last… the sixth Pure Heart was presented and given to them. By now, the group was greatly weakened from their battle with O'Chunks and then Croacus right afterward. Surely, when they get to Flipside, they would need a good rest to prepare…

"Crushed in a soil forgotten in the past…"

"Where destiny holds fast…"

A rumbling sound to his right took him out of his thoughts, and he looked over to see a Mega Muth over twice his size charging at him. Time slowed and sped up at the same time as Starmy nearly screamed, throwing out his arms as he closed his eyes.

The six of them were pushed into the cell, and it was locked a moment later. No words could be spoken. In the span of a couple minutes, the size of inhabitants in the cell had increased by 11.

"Well, this is… awkward…" Steven said, voicing the thoughts of everyone in the cell.

Thankfully, he heard the sound of his bubble forming, and right as it happened the Mega Muth smashed into it, causing him and the bubble to fly into the back wall. This time he did scream as he slammed into the back of his bubble as it hit the wall, before gravity overtook him and the bubble as they both fell to the ground.

Pearl cleared her throat.

"Steven… and everyone else… this is the story of what happened when thousands of years ago, the Crystal Gems visited Fairy World."

"Here where we stand, hand clenched in hand…"

"Everyone caught in the struggle…"

Starmy opened his eyes, trying to ignore the massive headache forming. He should've expected it by now, but the bubble was black, not its usual pink. Urgh… even with the bubble protecting him, that hit was brutal. And the Mega Muth wasn't finished; it was already charging at him again.

An ear-piercing violent shriek reverberated through the moon, forcing Timmy to cover his ears. The rock guardian was swept up into the air, quickly getting sucked into the Darkness right before Timmy could get the wand. Thankfully, the guardian let go of the wand, causing it to fall to the ground, several feet away from everyone. Timmy was going to run to grab it, but it was already too late.

He needed a way to get past, and it was all just so frustrating… he knew there had to be more ahead, he could see a few others, and oh god that hit hurt… His eyes narrowed, fists tightening. Nobody, not even these stupid Mega Muths would prevent him from reaching Count Bleck.

From one second to the next, the bubble burst into flames, and Starmy wasn't about to waste another second. Filled with adrenaline and rage, Starmy ran forward, the bubble he was in moving with him. The Mega Muth was no match for him; when he collided with it, it flew to the side, no longer a threat to him.

Trixie and Connie screamed Timmy and Steven's names respectively as the two boys started to fly legs-first into the giant, gaping maw of the Darkness. Timmy screamed as he flew in, but Steven tucked himself into a ball and closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever might happen once he was in the murky red-black cloud.

"This is the day we finally find our way…"

"Stepping into our tomorrow…"

Picking up a lot of speed, he barreled through the room, none of the several Mega Muths able to even slow him down at all. …That was a problem. He couldn't slow down. The door quickly filled his vision, and his eyes widened as he crashed right through it, parts of the door flying into the next room.

"It's time for DAGONET to make his grand stage appearance!" The unholy fusion that decided to call himself Dagonet, proclaimed. He quickly floated down to the group, though he only went down to just several feet above them.

The impact finally got him to stop, and he had to stop himself from falling as the flaming bubble popped. Starmy took a few deep breaths, trying to look around to see where he was. It was a maze. Lined along the wall were arches in the shapes of the Castle Bleck doors, except only a few of them actually led somewhere… and it was up to Starmy to make his way through it.

He turned yet another corner, this one was right next to a valley. He unexpectedly ran into someone who had been running in the opposite direction, and they both slammed into each other, tumbling right into the valley.

After a moment, Steven stood up, a little dazed. Who'd he even run into? He looked up and blinked. "Timmy?"

Timmy's attention was taken from rubbing his head to his name being called. "Steven?"

"Every soul contains a whisper of light…"

"Growing louder as it calls to unite…"

…He grew tense. He could almost… sense it. How close he was to finally reaching Count Bleck. Starmy's eyes narrowed, a new feeling of determination drowning out the ever-growing pain within him. He could make it. That was the truth. Pain didn't matter. He could make it.

There was a… unique feeling surrounding Mario's body. It was warm and a little tingly. His near-exhaustion seemed to melt away, replacing itself with energy, as if he just had a full night's rest. He looked at his right arm. The stiches that were previously put on fell off as the arm started to heal itself. Within seconds, it was fully healed. The liquid even removed any of the marks on his clothing.

Starmy ran through the maze, taking every door he could find, defeating any enemy he came across, ignoring anything inside him that told him to stop. Sure, a few enemies may have gotten a couple shots in on him, but he had his armor to protect him, and he may have run into a wall or two… or eight. Still, he was doing fine.

Steven's Gem began to glow as he and Timmy grew closer. The glow began dim, but it got brighter, slowly enveloping them in a pink light. Several seconds passed before the glow began to die down. But where there was once two figures, now floated one taller figure.

"From the distance sings a chorus of souls…"

"Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals…"

When he saw an actual door, he hurried over to it, opening it with a smile of relief on his face… only for it to fall when he saw another maze past the door. Whatever, he could get through it.

Mario looked back at Luigi. …Luigi did indeed go through a lot, especially within the last few days. Mario knew that much. …Would everything ever be able to go back to normal again?

It took a bit longer for him to get through this one. He was drenched with sweat, making himself a bit more slippery, which led to him unintentionally either losing his grip on his sword a few times or slipping onto the ground. There also were more enemies than the previous maze, forcing him to not brute-force it all; he needed to think of new strategies.

Another part of Darkness's mist went down to Tiven's shirt and lifted it up, exposing his Gem. Then, a small part of the heart-shaped mist container opened up, and a small black ball was brought it. It was a bit bigger than Tiven's Gem, and was blacker than anything he'd seen before. The container closed, and the ball slowly moved toward Tiven's Gem.

"Colors weave into a spire of flames…"

"Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed…"

But the deeper he got into the maze, the more his energy drained, it only fueled his desire to keep going. He… couldn't stop. Starmy stopped, leaning against the wall for a moment as he clutched his chest before he forced himself to keep pushing forward. He knew he was almost there, as he found another door, pushing it open and going into the next maze.

Timmy gripped the Pure Heart again. He pulled hard. The Pure Heart suddenly broke from its misty prison, pushing it and Timmy backward, knocking them both into Steven. …And he still didn't wake up.

He coughed a few times, not noticing the small amount of blood that fell to the floor. His throat burned, desperately aching for water. His stomach grumbled, needing food. Those urges were basic human needs, but he had to wait. Everything had to wait; any injuries he may have gotten, serious or not.

The ground began shaking. It stopped. The Lead Eliminator glowed purple, before slowly beginning to grow, his entire appearance transforming to partially resemble some of the weapons that he sucked up. He was taller than any of the buildings nearby.

"I… I am the Destructionator!" The huge robot formerly known as the Lead Eliminator yelled. "This is who I am now!"

"Bear this torch against the cold of the night…"

"I will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight…"

The 3rd maze felt like it took ages. His run slowed to a walk, needing to conserve energy because he was so tired. He nearly collapsed a few times when fighting a few of the minions, but he fought it, telling himself to keep going.

"…" Mario took a deep breath. No matter what may happen in the future following this decision… he'd be prepared for it.

Mario grasped Bill's hand, although perhaps a bit too quickly. This would be it. There's no going back, no undo button, no nothing. "Okay, Bill." He shook the flaming hand. "I accept."

At some point, he stopped thinking, only focusing on what was directly ahead of him, his mind going into a partial haze. No matter how many hits he took, he wouldn't go down, he refused. The maze felt endless, each opening leading to several more paths.

Bill got the Pure Heart out from wherever he put it and practically tossed it into Mario's hands. The Pure Heart was much heavier than he thought it'd be, and it wouldn't shrink like the other ones.

"Every soul contains a whisper of light…"

"Growing louder as it calls to unite…"

It got to a point where he was leaning against the wall while walking, taking a break every several seconds or so. And that's when he saw it… the door. It was barely in his vision, still several yards away. He needed to get there. If he could just push… a little… further…

"Let's see what this one says." Steven said, about to read the block of text. " 'Though it may seem you have plenty of time, do not be fooled. Before long, if Darkness is not eradicated, then… an unavoidable, unstoppable catastrophe will occur?"

Something crashed through the ceiling, nearly knocking Starmy off his feet. It took only a second for him to recognize it; it was one of those Eliminators like he'd seen before in Castle Bleck. Starmy shakily raised his sword, prepared to fight for his life.

Jaydes sighed before shaking her head at Luvbi's 'apology' but decided to keep it at that. "Oh, Luvbi… You had us all so very worried." She locked eyes with the red-capped plumber. "Mario. Please accept this as a sign of my eternal thanks. Here." She pulled something out of her pocket, and Mario thought that he really had fallen asleep earlier, and that this was all just some dream.

But no, it wasn't. The somehow revitalized purple Pure Heart… Jaydes put it in his hands as he was still trying to process it.

"From the distance sings a chorus of souls…"

"Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals…"

The Eliminator rushed at him, and Starmy summoned his shield, throwing it at the Eliminator as he pushed himself off the wall. The Eliminator caught the shield, simply breaking it in half before tossing it aside. Before Starmy could react, the Eliminator flew up to him in half a second, punching him in the gut.

"So what does that make me? Some ordinary kid with a pink hat that got a stupid destiny passed onto him! I mean, out of all the people in the world with the initials TT, it had to be me? Me? An eleven-year-old kid? That doesn't make any sense? And I… I… I QUIT!"

Now he was really glad he had that armor, because it blocked most of the impact. Even so, Starmy fell to the ground, his sword clanging to the floor. The Eliminator began charging up a laser, and Starmy summoned his bubble to block it. The laser bounced off the bubble, whizzing past the Eliminator.

And just like that, the Pure Heart slowly began to float to Mario. He could hardly believe it. After all the struggles, after all the pain… here it was, the eighth and final Pure Heart. The dazzling white heart floated over to him, as all of his Pixls came out and danced, just as they always did.

"Colors weave into a spire of flames…"

"Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed…"

Inside the bubble, Starmy tried to stand up, every part of his body aching agony telling him not too. The Eliminator pounded on the bubble, and Starmy responded by lighting it aflame, the fire spreading to the Eliminator a moment later. It roared in agony, before seeing the sword lying on the ground.

"Actually, I do." A smile curled onto Timmy's lip. "Through all the fights, struggles, and headache you've given me, I've come to realize one thing about you. You just have one little thing about you that always takes you over and prevents you from thinking reasonably. No matter how bad of a decision you may make, you always think you're going to make it out just fine. Well, Destructionator… your luck ends here."

Timmy fished into his pocket and pulled out the detonator. "Don't mess with me or my friends. This is the price you pay for your arrogance, Destructionator!" Before the Destructionator could react, Timmy pressed the button.

Starmy stood on one knee, trying to find the strength to stand. His breaths were shallow, eyes watering as he stared at the ground. There was a glint from above and Starmy gasped as his own sword pierced through the bubble, popping it. He looked at the Eliminator in horror as it walked closer, raising the sword once more to finish the job.

"I've got this." A small, pink bubble appeared on the Cluster. "You've got this." Steven concentrated, closing his eyes. "We've all got… each other!" The pink bubble expanded, absorbing all the other bubbles, which only made it expand faster.

The quickly growing bubble grew at an alarming rate, and pushed against the drill. The bubble grew rapidly until it encased the entire Cluster, leaving the drill safely resting on the bubble. The three of them looked out the window, seeing the astounding sight ahead of them. It was just like that. The Cluster was stopped, and… the Earth would be safe.

"Bear this torch against the cold of the night…"

"I will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight…"

No… no… he couldn't… let that… HAPPEN!

And then, the screaming stopped, followed by the flashes, and then finally, the shaking.

But what replaced it was worse.

There was a momentary bout of relief, until someone looked up and screamed.

Much worse than any of them could've ever dreamed of.

The others soon looked up, looking past Count Bleck and into the sky to see…

Darkness and the Void…

Those two separate entities… were now one, unknown entity.

The Eliminator brought the sword down. Starmy shot up, gripping the sword, and with strength he didn't know he had left, turned his entire body with the sword, flinging the Eliminator against the wall. Before it could get off, Starmy ran to it as fast he could manage, stabbing and slicing the sword into it, making sure the horrible robot would never move again.

His movements became sluggish, swings becoming weaker by the second. He… needed to stop. The Eliminator was dead… and the door was right there. After everything he'd been through… he was so close. Even if it would take several minutes of slow walking, he would make it to the door, he knew he could, he had to.

…

…

One step. Beat. Beat. Beat. And then another. Beat. Beat. Beat. Another… Beat. Beat. Beat. So… close… Beat. Beat. Bea-BREAK-

A flash of pain erupted on Starmy's Gem, or at least that's where he was vaguely aware of it happening. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he collapsed to his knees, a sharp gasp escaping him as his sword clanged to the ground- he didn't have the energy to even scream. Pain. So much… pain.

It was almost indescribable, partly a burning feeling and yet also sharp, like a knife slowly cutting through his very being, only going deeper every second. He thought he heard Tippi's scream, but he wasn't sure, he… oh god so much pain pain pain pain

Starmy tried to grab his overalls over where his Gem was, only to be reminded of the fairy armor he wore. He coughed several times, each cough sounding hoarser than the last, and he doubled over, his hands on the ground trying to steady himself as he stopped coughing.

He noticed a new red spot where there wasn't one before, but since the walls of this place were covered in black and red, he might've just not noticed it before… but when he touched it to make sure… his gloved hand recoiled backward when he felt wetness… of blood. His glove went over his mouth and he could almost taste that metallic wetness… and in that moment… he realized something.

This place, ever since he fused… it'd affected part of him before he fused, but he didn't think it'd be this bad. This place… was slowly killing him. This place screwed his gem up, and his gem was an essential part of him, he didn't know what'd happen if it got removed or tampered with… well… heh… now… he knew. Whatever Darkness to his Gem, its effects intensified while he was in here, and because of that, it was detrimental to his life if he stayed too long…

Idiot… why did he ever suggest that he should fuse? He should've known something like this was going to happen… but he couldn't have. He was fine at first when they were fused, but then he was slowly… but surely… getting weaker. …No.

No, he… couldn't let this happen to himself, he had to… do something to stop it… the entire fate of everything rested on him, he… No, he couldn't do that, he'd refuse, but he had to but… but… but… His eyes shut, and a black glow surrounded him. There were distant voices, parts of himself, Tippi…

The black glow tried to separate, but it couldn't. He'd accepted the fact that he had to separate, but he couldn't. He tried as hard as he possibly could, but… his gem. The blackness overtaking it, it refused to let him… but then how was he able to before… because the blackness had just happened. Now… part of him lived with it for days, and he was in an environment where it was at its strongest…

A second later, the black glow disappeared, and his arms gave out, his face crashing into the floor. His individual voices he'd been hearing ceased, replaced by a loud ringing in his ears… and just beyond that noise…

"St…" He could… "…rmy…" Just barely… "…tarm…" Hear… "Starmy!" Her voice… He tried to respond, but no words would come out of his mouth. He felt weak, but strangely… at peace. Despite the sheer oppressive coldness of this place, there was a low warmth emanating from deep within.

"Starmy, wh…" Tippi's voice faded in and out, his hearing slowly fluctuating. It became… really hard to hear anything. "…ease…Cou…don't…" He blinked, and his eyes felt like they had weights on them, making it difficult to keep them open. "…ee…thi…dea…"

Tippi tried so hard, and all he could manage was a weak mumble… To be fair, he wasn't sure if it was Tippi or Darkness talking, their voices were indistinguishable in his current state. But still… he failed.

Having your life flash before your eyes when you were a fusion was… an interesting experience. He'd lived three separate lives, all starting on different dates, so his flashes of memories were all jumbled, going in a random, incoherent order. At least… he had his memories of the good times right here… with his family… friends… But he'd failed. If they were right here, he's sure they wouldn't blame him.

Heck, even if… back on Earth, they'd gotten the weapon to work, they still had Count Bleck to deal with, and he could just redo what he did, and they'd be left powerless…

He failed… but he had a good run. Through all the good, bad, and horrifying, he never gave up. This was it. The end of the tale… forever…

And for what he accepted would be the final time, his eyes closed.

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"…S…"

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"…n't…"

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"…you…"

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"…please…"

…w…h…a…t…? a… a…. f…e…e…l…i…n…g… a…b…o…v…e… h…i…m… s…p…a…r…k…l…e…s… m…o…r…e…. v…o…i…c…e…s…

s…o…m…e…t…h…i…n…g… w…a…s…h…e…d… o…v…e…r… hi…m… w…ha…t w…as i…t…? Slo…w…ly bu…t sure…ly… pa…in… goin…g… away…? What?

"…H…Huuuuh…?" Over the course of several long seconds, his eyes cracked open just a bit. His head was facing the right side of the room, and… what was that? …Glowing colors…? He forced his eyes to open just a bit more, and that's when he could see them clearly.

The Pixls. All of them; every single one he'd collected on his journey. Thoreau… Boomer… Slim… Barry… Thudley… Carrie… Fleep… Cudge… Dottie… all of them, including Tippi were there. They were saying things in hushed voices, he couldn't hear what it was.

But they stopped when his eyes opened a bit more. Why… huh… "…what's…" Starmy strained to say even one word. The Pixls stared at him, and then Tippi fluttered the closest to him.

"Starmy!" Tippi exclaimed. Starmy could finally hear… clearly. Her voice… there was so much clear worry mixed with it. "I… I thought you died… but then… then…"

Another Pixl; Dottie, fluttered up to her. "Please, try and calm down. We don't want to scare him right after he's woken up."

"Right… sorry." Tippi apologized, her and Dottie backing away a little bit, Tippi appearing hesitant to do so.

"What's…" Starmy was so confused. Bit by bit, the pain began to dull. It was still there, but… not quite as intense. "Going… on…?" He attempted to lift his head a bit, only managing a couple inches.

"Come on, help me get him up onto Carrie." Thoreau said to the other Pixls. Starmy could see Carrie transform into her carrying form, and then felt several of the Pixls grab various parts of his body, lifting him up carefully. Carrie repositioned herself so that she was under Starmy, and they set him down as gently as they could onto her.

They let him lay there for a few seconds, until they once again came into view, Tippi included. The group of Pixls stared at him for several seconds, and he stared back. When was the last time they were all out like this…? All the way back on… the Blue Moon, right? Considering how much has happened since then, it felt so long ago now…

"Starmy, you need to hold out for us." Boomer instructed. "Can you try and sit up?"

After a few seconds, Starmy weakly nodded. He pushed the surface he was on with his hands, his arms shaking violently as his upper body got several feet off of Carrie. When he thought he would collapse, two Pixls held him up, supporting him as he slowly got up, his legs dangling off of Carrie as he slowly got into a sitting position. He glanced to his right, seeing that Slim was holding his sword.

"Can someone…" Starmy said slowly. The pain in his gem made him flinch, cutting off his speech. "…Explain what's going on… please…? I'm… so confused." His mind was still in a partial haze, but… not as bad as before.

"Yes, yes, I suppose that is the truth…" Fleep said.

Tippi scoffed. "Let me talk to him!" She snapped, causing the other Pixls to give her odd looks. "…Sorry. I just think I'd be able to explain it the best… but you can cut in if you need to." After several awkward seconds, Tippi sighed before fluttering up much closer to him. "Um… hey. How do you feel?"

Part of him wanted to curse, but a much bigger part of him refused. "Like garbage." He answered, with not even a hint of a smile on his face.

"…I figured." Tippi replied. "There was… a lot that happened after you passed out… where do I even begin…"

"And this is where I cut in." Barry said, rudely pushing her aside. "So, I'll explain. I'll try and do it quickly since we're under a strict time limit. We don't normally come out unless you call for us or we feel we're needed, and… this was the latter, obviously."

"We could tell you were in immediate danger, and Tippi was just over there freaking out, screaming at you to get up." Thudley added. "We were able to get her to calm down, and… while we've had a good idea of what's going on, we don't have the full picture."

"So I told them everything." Tippi said, continuing it for herself. "I told them about my relationship with Count Bleck, about who you were, why you were in pain, and how I was so worried a-a-and-" Cudge lightly nudged her, reminding her to calm down.

"We couldn't let you die or have Count Bleck get away with what he's doing, so we transferred a bit of our energy to you while we came up with a plan." Carrie explained from below him. "Although…"

The concept of the Pixls somehow managing to transfer their power to him raised several questions, but he immediately became distracted by the prospect of a plan… it would be extremely helpful, considering the not-so-good condition he was in right now.

"We need everyone's help and cooperation for this plan to work." Dottie said. "You're the most important part of the plan; it'll be impossible to execute without you."

"And by everyone, we are including Darkness." Fleep said. "We know your… disdain for her, so we've asked her to avoid speaking too much so she won't upset you."

"Yes… that's right…" Darkness clarified. "When you fell and didn't get up afterward, I was yelling for you alongside Tippi… I…" She had no idea what to say next, so she remained quiet.

"We're running out of time." Thoreau said. Without any warning, the hand-like Pixl fluttered up to Starmy's ear, whispering into it.

Thoreau was explaining the plan. He went into detail, but not so much that he'd waste time. For several seconds, Starmy was a bit confused, unsure of where he was going with this, until he said two words that made his eyes widen, and shortly after he suddenly began listening a lot more intently… even if part of him was worried about it.

He became a lot more worried after Thoreau explained another part of the plan, but… it was worth it if he had any chance of defeating Count Bleck, because… he needed to face it. He could hardly fight anyone in this state, let alone Count Bleck. It was a necessary sacrifice, but everything would be fine.

After he was finished, the Pixl fluttered away from Starmy, allowing him a moment to think. From what Thoreau said, the positives far outweighed the negatives, and it was a brilliant, almost convenient solution. He didn't think the Pixls would be able to help out like this after the Blue Moon, but here they were now.

Starmy looked at each Pixl, and all of them, save for Tippi, looked determined. If this was how they were going to beat Count Bleck… then he was all for it. He nodded once in affirmation, looking directly at them. He had no time to waste; the sooner they got this done, the better, but…

"How… how far are we away from Count Bleck?" Starmy asked.

"Not far at all. Thank you for your cooperation, Starmy." Slim said. "After this door, there's a staircase and then you'll make it."

"So, we're really going through with this…" Tippi commented, sounding a bit unsure.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Carrie asked.

"…No." Starmy answered. It seems that the Pixls…. somehow gave him more of their power than he thought, and though he wasn't sure how long it would last, he needed to take advantage of it while he could.

Carrie nodded, raising herself just enough so that Starmy could comfortably get off her. He slowly got off, having to steady himself against the wall for a moment. He… still didn't feel great at all, but it was much, much better than several minutes ago, when he was on the verge of death. …Yeah, it was obviously a lot better.

Starmy removed his hand from the wall, trying to not use it as a crutch. All of the Pixls fluttered near him, not going away from his side. Tippi fluttered the closest to him, not wanting anything else to happen to him.

"Starmy…" Tippi began, hesitation clear in her voice. "I…No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. No matter what… I promise."

He knew how sincere she was, she'd spent nearly this entire adventure with part of him after all. He smiled at her, indicating that he fully trusted her, and about a minute later he finally reached the door that taunted him for so long.

The Pixls worked together to open it for him, trying to open it quickly. He walked in the room… and they were right. Several feet away, there was a long, tall staircase, a door barely visible at the top. Starmy narrowed his eyes. There it was. The final door…

…Between him…

…And Count Bleck.

One of the Pixls reminded him to not go too fast, and he nodded. Wouldn't want to exert himself after all. He walked up to the steps, and after standing there for a moment… put his foot on the first step. The first step into the end… with an outcome he hoped he wouldn't regret.

"Before you go… I want to say this." Darkness cut in, which didn't deter him at all. "I'm… I…" She paused for several seconds, Starmy climbing up the steps all the while. "You're the best thing that's happened to me… in a long, long time… and I screwed it up. But I just… I'm sorry. …I'll just wait until we execute the plan."

He was halfway up the steps. Would he fully accept Darkness's apology? …Only time would tell.

Starmy never would've believed that all this began with his birthday party, trilogy wishes, and building a drill… but it did. At the time, no part of himself had any idea that those events would spiral into a catastrophe as gigantic as this. But now, looking back… the events of the past several days all collided into a whirlwind of chaos, confusion, lies, guilt, anger… and so much more. But it was all going to end, right here, right now.

The presence of the Pixls behind him was almost overwhelming, but he was thankful for it. The plan they'd presented him with… it was genius. He'd been worried about a few parts of it initially, but the more time he spent with the Pixls walking up these steps, the more the worries washed themselves away, being replaced with anticipation. He knew fully well it would work, and…

He nearly stopped, once again thinking of all the family and friends he had to lose to get to this point. There was still so much he didn't understand… but do all questions always have to be answered? …That depends. Nevertheless… each of his comrades that he lost up until now stuck to the forefront in his mind. Sure, there were still several that were just fine… but how would he explain what happened to the others? …He'll cross that bridge when he got to it. For now…

The large, imposing door was right there. He'd reached the end of the steps… and stood there. He glanced back at the Pixls, and each of them stared at him, with the exception of Tippi, who fluttered right next to him. It was just another reminder that the plan would work. He turned back to the door.

Whatever happened after he opened the door… nothing would ever be the same afterward. He reached both hands out… pushing open the door… the door to Count Bleck.

No matter what…

He had to win.

…

…

…

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