CHAPTER X: FRIENDS TILL THE END
"Is this… is this all you've g-"
Before Andrias could finish stuttering, a loud, cracking noise was heard reverberating through the vast room as Anne came down from the ceiling where she had landed after avoiding the giant newt's attack, hitting the back of his head at full force. Andrias fell forwards, landing on his face, his crown clanking to the ground alongside his sword, which Yunnan pushed away before he could reach for it. As he slowly came back to his senses, the tyrant noticed Anne walking slowly towards him. There was no mercy in her eyes, no pity, nothing but a screaming abyss of blue fire.
"N-no… stay back! You can't still be using your powers! You should have run out by now!" Andrias stuttered as he crawled backwards.
"Guess I'm running on fumes, but it'll be enough… now I'll make you pay for what you've done to-"
"Marcy?"
The whole room fell silent, as a deep cold invaded it. The massive doors swung open, and everyone gasped in horror as the one who had just spoken made their appearance. A giant, monstrous toad, its skin pitch black as the coldest night, with thirteen, glowing, orange eyes slowly walked into the room.
"M-my lord… my lord you've finally come! S-save me! I can still be of use to you! I can still-"
Those were the last words anyone heard the great king Andrias Leviathan speak. The Night opened its massive jaws and an endless, barbed tongue appeared from the abyss within its mouth. It swung towards the giant newt at full force, sending him flying against one of the throne room's walls, breaking it. Beyond it, there was nothing to stop his fall, and that is how Andrias met his end, his castle growing smaller and smaller in the sky as the ground beneath him grew closer, until after a few interminable moments, a loud thud resonated through the air.
"Pathetic, there is no space for such weaklings in my army…"
"W-who… who are you?" Sprig was the first to speak after a long moment of silence.
"I am The Night, child, the end of all light, of all worlds."
"Not if we have something to say about it." Anne took a step towards the creature.
"Ah, the wielder of the heart stone. You've surpassed every expectation I had of you… It's a pity, really, that your heart is so pure, or else I may have been able to take you for myself… you would have been a fine addition to my army."
"Your army is doomed." The messy-haired girl hissed angrily through gritted teeth.
"Now this is where you're wrong, child. Your little toad army almost destroyed my machines, but against our power, they all fell."
"Our power?"
And that is when Anne's eyes widened in pure shock, before tears started to stream down her cheeks.
"Marcy…"
And indeed, despite the black armor and the horned helmet adoring her head, there was no mistake. The figure that slowly emerged from behind The Night, was none other than the true and only… Marcy Wu.
"Hello, Anne." The girl replied in an unsettlingly sweet tone.
"I'd love to stay and watch your reunion, but I have a world to conquer… yours Anne. The machines I have left should suffice. I'd say that we'll meet again… but I have always believed that wit is far stronger than heart."
Everyone was able to get a glimpse of something golden being moved between the creature's massive, clawed hands, before a portal opened behind it. The music box!
"Goodbye, child."
Everyone took a step forwards, trying to reach for the golden box held tightly in the creature's grasp, but none were fast enough, and the gargantuan toad slipped through the portal, disappearing into thin air, leaving behind only…
"Marcy…" Anne whispered, taking another step towards the girl as the blue glow around her faded away, her hair turning brown again.
"Anne… I don't think you shouldn't-" Sprig tried to warn the messy-haired girl, but it looked like she couldn't hear him.
And indeed, it was as if everything around Anne had stopped existing. To her, there was only her and… Marcy, her best friend, the girl she fell in love with… the one she thought had died. But Marcy never died, she was standing right in front of her, and as Anne felt her strength running out and her legs becoming weak, she could only stare in disbelief as the girl she loved rushed forward to catch her before she could fall. Anne looked up and saw Marcy's helmet's visor become transparent and finally, the two looked into each other's eyes. It only took a second for Anne to throw her arms around the girl, holding her as tightly as she could.
"Y-you're alive… you're really here." Anne muttered, tears streaming down her cheeks as a bright smile grew on her lips.
She felt Marcy cup her cheeks and bring them face to face.
"Yes, Anne. I'm still alive… now we can be together… just like we always wanted."
Anne's smile vanished in an instant, because now that she finally managed to focus on Marcy's eyes, she could see how distant they looked, how hollow they looked, and at the bottom of those seemingly lifeless spheres Anne swore she saw a faint and yet sinister green glow.
"Marcy…" Anne whispered, trying to take a step back, but Marcy grabbed her wrist before she could move away.
"We can be together like we always wanted Anne… you just have to kill them."
Anne's eyes widened in horror as she heard Marcy speak those words.
"W-what?" Anne asked in a trembling voice, hoping she was just hearing things.
"Kill them Anne, kill them and join us," Marcy kept speaking, and as she went on, her voice slowly got deeper, distorted, and her visor became black once more, "and when the dust will settle… there will be only us."
Those horrible, orange, thirteen glowing eyes appeared on the visor's surface, as a devilish grin appeared on Marcy's face.
"Marcy… no… n-no, I could never… w-what are you talking about?! This isn't you!" Anne cried desperately.
"Bummer, I really hoped I was more important to you than they are." Marcy said before letting go of Anne's wrist.
"Marcy-" The messy-haired girl tried to speak, but to no vail.
Marcy took a fighting stance and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying towards the small group of rebels. Immediately, each and everyone of them got ready for the fight. Marcy simply snickered before pulling out from her back a long sword made of black steel. That wasn't what made the group flinch though, that only happened when a dimmed, green glow began to engulf the girl's figure.
"That doesn't look good…" Sprig murmured as he raised his fists.
"Ha! A single sword and some green light? Is that all you've-"
Grime was the first one to be knocked down. While he was still busy taunting Marcy, the girl rushed towards the old toad, so fast that he could only barely block the black blade coming towards him, before the backlash sent him flying towards one of the throne room's pillars. Grime fell to the ground, Barrel's Warhammer's pole slipping from his fingers as he hit the ground, unconscious. Everyone gasped in horror. Marcy wasn't moving as quickly as Anne did when she activated her powers, nor she hit as hard as the brunette did, but still, her strength and speed were definitely unhuman.
"Marcy! Stop!" Anne cried as she tried to stand up.
"We have to take her down!" Yunnan said, unsheathing her switchblades.
"No! It's Marcy! Don't hurt her!" The messy-haired girl yelled desperately as she fell on her knees.
Marcy grinned viciously before jumping in the air and coming down upon the red newt. As the girl's sword came in contact with the general's weapons, the switchblades shattered into a million pieces. Before Yunnan could react, a kick to the chest had already sent her halfway across the room. Lady Olivia tried to intervene, dodging by mere inches a swipe of Marcy's blade before a fist connected with her cheek, slamming her into the ground.
"There has to be another way!" Hop Pop suggested before Marcy grabbed him by his jacket and threw him aside, the thirteen, glowing eyes on her helmet's visor set only on the messy-haired girl kneeling on the ground a few meters from her.
"The helmet! Maybe if we take it off, she'll wake up!" Polly proposed, as she jumped on Frobo's shoulder before the robot charged towards Marcy.
The girl simply ducked underneath the swipe of the robot's claws aimed at her visor before slicing off its legs and sending it crashing against a wall with a powerful kick.
"Hey! I had just fixed him!" Polly yelled angrily.
Marcy chuckled darkly before gasping in surprise as a wet, sticky appendage covered her vision. Sprig's tongue almost got the damned helmet off the girl's head, but before the young frog could remove it completely, Marcy grasped his tongue and pulled him towards her, punching him and knocking him out. He had almost taken off her helmet… growling in rage, she raised him from the floor by the hem of his jacket and readied her sword for the final blow.
"No!"
Anne was once again engulfed in the familiar blue glow of the heart stone, and before Marcy could finish her best friend, she jumped towards the two, smacking away the black sword from the girl's hand and crushing into her. Sprig fell to the ground while Anne and Marcy tumbled a few meters away from him. Anne found herself above Marcy, struggling to keep her still. Before she could take ahold of both of the girl's wrists, Anne jumped back, having noticed a glimpse of silver with the corner of her eye. Marcy had taken out a dagger from behind her back, slashing through her shirt, missing her abdomen by mere inches.
"M-Marcy…" Anne couldn't believe her own eyes.
The messy-haired girl placed a hand on the spot where Marcy's dagger had almost cut her open.
"What's wrong Anne? Are you really going to stop now? We're just starting to have fun." Marcy giggled maliciously as she slowly strode towards her.
"You can't beat me Mar Mar… I'm stronger, faster…" Anne retorted, taking a fighting stance.
"Oh, I know… I know that you're both stronger and faster than me, that's what the heart stone gifted to you."
Anne gritted her teeth, she had to take off that damned helmet. So, without thinking, she jumped towards Marcy, moving at a speed that made her invisible to the human eye. Anne's hand opened, ready to grasp one of the helmet's horns when suddenly, Marcy dodged, and the messy-haired girl ended up crashing against one of the throne's room pillars. When she got up, Marcy was standing over her. Anne reached out for the girl's helmet, but she just moved away, slashing at her hand, this time nicking the skin. Anne gritted her teeth and stopped moving, trying to catch her breath as her gaze remained fixed on girl in front of her. How was this possible? Marcy said it herself, she was quicker, stronger, so why couldn't she just take that frog forsaken thing off her head?!
"You may be wondering, 'why can't I catch her?', well, you see… the heart stone may have made you stronger, but the stone of wit made me smarter… so much smarter that I can actually predict your movements."
Anne's eyes widened both in surprise and horror. That's how she avoided each and every one of her attempts to free her.
"And that's not it… I can also predict that your power is about to run out." Marcy's grin grew even more sinister.
"Wha-" Anne managed to say before the glow around her faded, and she found herself falling to the ground, her legs giving out.
Marcy was over her in a matter of seconds, straddling her, the blade of her dagger held against her throat.
"This was your mistake Anne, forgetting a sad truth… that those who shine brightest often burn fastest. You've got any final words?"
Anne thought about it, she thought about pleading Marcy not to do it, to spare her, to fight against whatever The Night had done to her. She thought about trying to remind her who she was, about apologizing to Marcy for the words she told her right before she left her. But in that exact moment, Anne didn't think that words could actually make Marcy understand what she felt. So, instead of talking, the messy-haired girl simply smiled, and before Marcy could react, she cupped her cheeks.
"No, just this…"
Anne leaned in and kissed her.
Marcy leaned back after a few seconds, the blade not pressing on her throat any longer. The helmet's visor, once pitch black, became transparent for a second as those terrifying, orange, glowing eyes disappeared. It all lasted for a few moments before they appeared again, and the blade was against her neck once more.
But those precious seconds were all Sasha really needed.
"Got you."
Marcy couldn't turn around in time. Sasha grasped with both hands the helmet's horns and pulled with all of her might, ripping it away from Marcy's head. The girl fell to the ground next to Anne a moment after.
They had won… for now…
Here we are with another chapter! Two more to go before the story ends! I hope you've liked this one and the story so far. Tell me your thoughts in the comments and also... I've put a quote in this chapter that reveals what my next fanfiction will be about, can you find it?