Chapter 12: Flight 666, We Have A Problem
"TRY THIS, YOU SICK BASTARD!!!" Crono screamed, raising his arms above his head. "LUUUU... MIIIIN... AAAAI-"
He never got the chance to finish.
Furious that this weakling DARED challenge him with that shreeded body, Lavos concentrated all the power that had been working on the room into one beam. Frog and Marle's eyes grew wide, finally realizing what he was doing... goading Lavos into...
"DESIST, CRONO!"
"CRONO!!"
But it was too late. Even if he had wanted to, Crono would not have been able to pull away from Lavos's fury. Before Frog and Marle's disbelieving eyes, the room became an incandescent white. A massive beam of power slammed in to the teen, and through him, holding him in place. Everything was still for several moments... moments that seemed like an eternity, as Crono hovered in the air, caught by Lavos's attack, yet not respnding... and then, a small, sparkling object flew out from Crono and into Marle.
And then, as if that object had been the final barrier, holding him together, Crono's lifeless body crumpled under the attack, slowly turned to a charred black blur, dissolved into ashes, and melted into nothingness.
"NOOOOO!!!!!" Marle shrieked in a voice of indescribable loss.
***
MAY 28, 12000 BC
"Crono... Crono!" Marle shrieked as she opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor of a crude tent, next to Frog, who was also beginning to stir. As she rose, the Elder of Algenny walked in.
"You're awake? You were delirious..." Frog got to his feet, and she asked the fatal question.
"Where's Crono?" The Elder bowed his head.
"We found no one else..."
"So it wasn't just a dream..." Marle muttered as she sank back to her knees. The Elder held up something.
"Young lady, we found this on your shoulder, almost as if it were protecting you." She reached out and took it, her eyes shining.
"My pendant... the one Crono kept for me..." Frog mentally cursed and forced himself to move on.
"Whither hath old man Melchior gone?" The old man sighed.
"One of the scientests who was taken to the palace managed to miraculously escape... partially. We found him on the shore. Somehow, he survived. He told me that after you left, the Gurus ran in and were sucked into black portals."
"Black portals?" Frog mused. "Gates?" Suddenly, the thought of Gates brought thoughts of the other time-traveling device. "Epoch! What hath befallen it?" The elder frowned, a little confused.
"Is Epoch the name of your vehicle? If so, it's waiting outside. It seems to have followed you here, almost as if it had a mind of it's own... at any rate, take all the time you need to rest. I'll be at the Commons." With that, he exited, leaving them to their own thoughts.
"I am sorry for thy loss, madam." Frog said quietly, shaking his head back and forth as he fought his own feelings. Somehow, his own grief rivaled that of every other person in their group. Marle's especially…
Crono was dead. Crono was dead…
"It is a hard thing to lose a close friend." He continued before standing back up. Marle merely sat there on her knees, slightly bowed forward, head hung low, mind racing, spiraling.
He couldn't understand. He couldn't get it. Crono was…I…
Frog croaked low in his throat a bit, staring at Marle. Of everyone in their troupe, she'd taken the loss the hardest. If he didn't know her as well as he did, he might have merely passed that off as a weakness, her first experience with loss.
But it was more than that…The affection that Crono and Marle had shared was deeper than any Frog had ever seen. As if time itself had prepared for their coming.
The two had been in love, Frog grew sure of that in every passing moment. Quietly, he clenched his fists up at his sides and shut his eyes.
"Frog, you're in charge from now on…" Sure, Crono had put HIM in charge of this whole mess. With Crono leading them, it had been fantastic.
They had all been brought into his conflict. To save their world from a power none of them could have ever thought existed. To save the world from Lavos.
Nothing could go wrong. They had grown strong, so strong…Nothing had been able to stand in their way, not the Golem Twins…not Azala, not even Magus. There had been a charisma in their midst, generated by the red haired warrior. A mood of victory no matter how dangerous it got. And Crono had seemed sure they could pull it off. So confident, so young and bold and brash…
Frog had listened to Crono, fallen into that belief, just as everyone else had.
And now…Crono was dead. They'd finally faced Lavos…and Crono was dead. Vaporized in a blinding beam of energy that had held him aloft before causing him to whither like sand in a tornadoes' path.
"Frog, you're in charge from now on…"
"In charge of what…" Frog croaked quietly, turning about and looking at Marle again. In charge of them?
An amazon, a mad scientist, a mechanical man, and a princess…
They had thought to challenge Lavos. Challenge time. Challenge destiny.
And now Crono was dead. And they were supposed to move on.
Silently, Frog reached down into his pocket and pulled out the orb that Crono had used all the time to switch between members at the End of Time. It shimmered for a moment, and then he saw them all around the makeshift Town Square.
Their faces were as crestfallen as Frog knew his own must be.
"We…we need someone to come and join us." Frog said sadly. He didn't bother to continue the sentence.
"Yeah…yeah, I guess I'll come with you for now." Lucca mumbled quietly, blinking out in a flash of light and reappearing beside Frog. Her features looked disheveled as she finally spoke up.
"There was a lot of interference after you reached the Mammon Machine, we weren't able to see what was going on…It was only when you were picked up by the survivors we could see you again."
"The power of Lavos disrupts everything, it seems." Frog chirped.
"So, Crono…" Lucca began unsteadily.
"Crono's dead." Marle finished for her. For the first time since the Elder had come in and given Marle her pendant back…the pendant Crono had held for her…She looked up.
There was a quiet defeat about her. Almost as if the pain was so intense that screaming couldn't absolve it, her own feelings were kept bottled up, and only showed through the cracks.
"Crono's dead…he said that we'd all be all right, that we'd make it…But he didn't…He's dead…" Marle rambled, her eyes puffy and red. Lucca walked over to her and knelt down, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey…come on, Marle, stop…"
"He promised me…Promised me…But he's dead…"
"Marle, you have to stop." Lucca said firmly, putting her other hand on Marle's shoulder. "Crono wouldn't want you to mope around like this. He wouldn't! We have to keep going…"
"Keep going where…" Marle whispered back. She looked into Lucca's eyes. "To face Lavos again? To have another one of us die…To keep going on until we're all dead?! Is that why we have to keep going?!" Her voice grew more and more frantic, more erratic, choked by her sobs until she finally stopped and crumpled forward against Lucca, shaking in silent cries.
Lucca turned up to Frog, shaking her head.
"I think Marle needs some time to think about this for a while." Frog nodded quietly and held the orb near to his face.
"Sir Robo, wouldst thou care to join us?"
"I would." Came Robo's voice, in its familiar metallic chime. Yet for all that was artificial about him, the amphibian swordsman could detect a hint of his own sadness as well.
Marle's eyes locked onto Frog's at that moment…misty, distant, and with a shattered beauty that tore at him from the inside out.
Marle…I'm so sorry…
He never said it. He only thought it.
In a flash of light, Marle was replaced by Robo. She would be safe now…safe at the End of Time, where not even Lavos could reach her.
Frog looked down at his sword bouncing off his hip. His slitted eyes narrowed a bit at the sight of it.
You took up the sword to protect the weak. You accepted the Masamune to defeat Magus. And now…Now what?
The answers wouldn't come easily. But Frog knew they had to move on. So he turned to Lucca and Robo, standing together a few feet away inside the tent.
"So where do we go now?" Robo asked calmly, as only he could.
Frog had no answer to give him.
Only a few tents had been set up, and the people spent most of their time at the small forest called the Commons. As they talked with the people, they soon picked up what had happened after the Ocean Palace disaster. At the back of the Commons, the elder waited, and behind him they could see Epoch.
"Feeling better?" He asked as Frog walked forward.
"Bow and pay homage to our new liege, King Dalton!" The sudden yell startled all present as three soldiers clad in purple jumped in, each grabbing a hostage. After they had secured them, a fourth person walked in, with a brown cloak and a superior sneer.
"What's with all the harsh looks?" Dalton asked the people. "You should be happy to be alive, not worrying about the situation of royalty!"
"Dalton! You slimy son of a mangy dog!" As Frog's challenge rang through the air, the enemy took notice of them for the first time.
"Oh, it's you. Very interesting vehicle back there. It looks a lot like that thing Belthasar was working on..." He grinned evilly. "You know, I think that thing's too impressive for the likes of you. I'll take it, if you don't mind, and probably even if you do. It'll be my personal chariot! Here's a present for you!" He launched a fireball straight at Frog, who easily deflected it with the Masamune.
"Grr... well, how about this?" He launched three fireballs, one at each of their heads. They seemed smaller, but when they got close, they exploded! As his vision began to darken, Frog saw Dalton laugh.
"Mwa ha ha! Enjoy a taste of my true power..."
***
"Surroundings... unfamiliar." Robo bleeped as the group slowly regained consciousness. They were in a metal room with a greenish tint, and there seemed to be a constant humming from all around them. Lucca suddenly shrieked.
"ACK! All our equipment's gone!" Indeed, Frog & Lucca's weapons and armor were missing, and Robo looked... well... bad. Frog pulled out his wallet and confirmed his suspicions.
"Confound it all! The money as well! Hm... let's have a look around..." The room's only features seemed to be a ladder leading upward and a door which they could hear soldiers outside.
"Without our stuff, we're screwed in a fight." Lucca frowned. "The ladder it is." The three climbed up, then came close to collective apoplexy as they discovered that the entire structure was flying!
"I believe that we have seen this before." Robo muttered, shaken. "It was called the Blackbird." Somewhat disconsolate, they crawled back inside.
"Now what do we do?" Lucca groaned. Robo, however, leapt to his feet and ran to a corner of the ceiling.
"There appears to be a duct here... just a second... fortunately, they missed my Laser Spin module. If I turn down the power significantly, I should be able to get the covering off." A moment later, the clang of the piece of slag falling indicated success, and they climbed up into the next part of the ship.
"We can check out the halls from the other vents," Lucca explained. "We'll be able to see what those thugs are doing." They wandered around, going south. They found nothing interesting until they reached the southernmost vent.
"Hey you!" The group jumped in surprise before they realized the voice wasn't directed towards them. Peering in, they saw Epoch, with several mechanics working on it. Dalton himself observed the work impatiently.
"Be careful, you fools! This will be my personal aerothrone, and if you damage it, your heads will be the hood ornaments!"
"We wouldst be slaughtered if we tried attacking him now," Frog whispered. "First priority must be the equipment, and then we can deal with that varlet."
They crawled through the vents for what seemed like hours before they found a room with a treasure chest and only one guard... asleep! The three quickly crawled down and opened it. Inside was Frog's armor, the Hero Medal, and the Masamune! As he put it on, the guard began to stir.
"Uh... and some bread too... huh? How'd you get... URGH!" His head bounced through the door like a bowling ball as Frog released a flaming curse.
"Back up the vent! Quickly!" As they raced up, the knight couldn't help the feeling of jubilation that ran through him with the sword back in his hand...
MAY 29, 0000 XD
"How long has she been like this?" Spekkio muttered quietly, as he leaned against the railing just outside of his room's door and peered at Marle, still slumped on her knees in the far corner of the square.
The old man was leaning on the fence beside him, his bowler hat tipped down over his brow and giving him the narrowest margin of sight he could get away with.
"In their time or ours?" The elder asked back.
Ayla perked her head up and stared over to them, her more primal senses picking up the tones of their conversation easily. However, she didn't bother herself with what they were talking about. More important to her was how the massive red cloaked Omnicrone could lean up against the seemingly fragile fence without breaking it.
Spekkio rolled his eyes at the old man's return question, an easy task considering he was a Nu. A pink one to boot. However, he only looked as strong as the people who looked at him were. For the old man, this was no problem. He saw Spekkio in his true form all the time.
"Sorry, my bad there. Their time, I suppose. Considering time doesn't exactly 'pass' around here." All through their conversation, Spekkio never once broke his gaze from Marle.
"Tell that to my arthritis." The old man snorted, leaning on his cane a little more. He lifted the rim of his bowler and sighed. "Next time we decide to change this place, remind me to put in a bench. At least we could sit comfortably."
"Shoot, you'd just as easily find one floating around here as you'd build one, boss." Spekkio chortled. "But get back to my question."
"Yes, yes…" The old man coughed. "Fine. She's been in this state of…well, emotional distress since she woke up and realized Crono wasn't with them, and that it hadn't been a nightmare, as much as she prayed it was."
"Yeah. Meanwhile, the rest of the S.S. Minnow's crew is floating around on the three hour tour gone bad in Dalton's Blackbird." Spekkio grunted. "Talk about your bum luck, eh?"
"That Dalton has always been a troublemaker." The elder agreed, shifting his bowler again. "His spirit was always one of scorn and rage…the concept of tranquility not only missed him, it missed him by a country mile."
"Think they'll make it?" Spekkio asked quietly. The old man stared blankly for a few moments, out into the blackness that permeated the loneliest, most desolate spot in the entire Universe.
"You trained them. What's your opinion?" He shot back. Spekkio rolled his eyes again. Not at the question, but his associate's attitude. It was back to normal.
In The End of Time, time was just that. Ended. It didn't go forward. And it certainly didn't go back. It just was. Living in the End of Time gradually degraded you, because it meant you knew everything that had happened. HAD. Not would. Had. Knew how it would all end. Knew how all the pain and grief would overpower the joyous moments.
Spekkio didn't remember who got there first. Him or the old guy. But somehow, within a short span of time, (If even that could be used as reference in a place where time had no grasp) they'd met up here. Both had accepted their fate, and moved on.
Spekkio was naturally part maniac. It came with his species. Spekkio had learned how to deal with the monotony, yet the elder never had. It was like, for all practical purposes, the human couldn't move on. That enough of him had died in the transition that the most he'd ever felt like doing was putting up the various sections of "Times Square" and then promptly falling fast asleep under the main lamppost. While standing, no less.
Spekkio had accepted it for a time. But then they'd showed up.
Crono and his friends. Geeky with the glasses. Blondie. The tin man, the walking ribbit, the amazon…
They'd come to the End of Time like all things aside from Spekkio and the old man had. By pure accident. Well, not exactly an accident…There'd been four of them trying to use a time gate, which didn't work according to the…
"Frackit." Spekkio mumbled.
"Eh? Say what?" The old man spoke up suddenly. The pink Nu scratched at his only tuft of hair and didn't reply.
They'd wanted to stop Lavos.
Stop Lavos. Pssh.
And yet, for all the doubts that the old man and Spekkio might have had at first, there was something about them. The glow in their eyes…how their spirits shone brightly with purpose.
Time had already written it. In 1999 A.D. Lavos would rise up and cause the Apocalypse in what would be known as the Day of Lavos. Mankind would be pushed into tiny populations in domes with no hope, no future. And eventually, the robots would take over, and humanity and all natural life on Earth would die entirely.
It had been written. It was accepted as fact. A dismal fate that existed, because nobody could stop it from happening.
And then they'd showed up. They would stop Lavos.
When they showed up with nothing but a glaring promise deep in their hearts…Spekkio saw the old man start to live again.
It was hope that drove these humans, Spekkio had decided then. As long as they had hope, nothing else mattered. Hope was more important than even air to them. Remove hope, and…
Well, the humans in 2300 A.D. were a perfect example. Merely passing along in a meaningless existence, silently waiting for the end to come. A world of grays.
And now Crono was dead. They had gotten to Lavos, all right…In the Ocean Palace, Lavos had been summoned forth.
The energies of his coming were so intense that it blinded the old man's and Spekkio's ability to watch events unfold. Eventually, it had cleared up, but it was too late by then.
So Crono's dead. Spekkio chided himself. Fine. Spiky got in over his head. He got overconfident, he went too far too soon. He reached for the sun and his wax wings burned off.
He'd died saving the rest of them. But…
Now, it seemed as though all their hopes were dashed. Spekkio shut his eyes and shook his head.
He died saving them. But without him…they lost the very thing that kept them together. Someone to put their hopes in. Someone to believe in.
And now 3/5ths of the survivors were in the hands of a madman unleashed upon a world so ravaged it could offer no resistance. Another was stuck here, yawning and wondering when she could start a bonfire and roast Reptites, and blondie…
Well, I guess Blondie's suffered the most, eh? Spekkio thought drily. Yet another reason why I stay single. That and there isn't a foxy looking lady Nu around for a few million years.
Love. Yup, that was another mysterious thing about humans. It wasn't merely procreation. There was a commitment to it. Humans actually cared for one another before they got joined at the hip…For the most part, Spekkio corrected himself. In some quirky way, it was like love was a more intense and potent form of hope. A hope held between two people, that allowed them to face anything. True love. Not lust. But true love, love that not even time could destroy.
Was there such a love between Crono and Marle? If there was…
Well, then it doesn't really matter anymore.
Spekkio turned to the elder, narrowing his eyes glumly.
Great, you big oaf. Now you got ME stuck in glum mode. Thanks much!!
But he couldn't say it out loud.
Because the old guy was already fast asleep again, a big snotbubble evident. Spekkio rolled his eyes and looked back over to Ayla and then Marle again.
Yeah, sure. I guess maybe you might have the right idea, boss. He thought to himself.
After you've lost all hope, I guess there's really nothing better to do than sleep away your eternity.
MAY 29, 12000 BC
Lucca grinned as she picked up her gun. "Nice job."
"Thanks." Frog commented drily.
"I detect a 75% chance that we have explored all areas accessable to the duct. We should begin roaming the halls."
The outside halls were a series of conveyer belts patrolled by purple soldiers and machines remniscient of the Bits in 2300 AD. There were several doors; the first one led to a room with three soldiers around a chest.
"Of course." Lucca commented as she blew a head off. The scuffle was over quickly, and they opened the chest to find their money. "No wonder they were so interested." Lucca joked as they grabbed it.
The rest of the rooms had nothing of interest, and they eventually headed through the two guards at the back to find another series of halls.
"With our luck, it'll be in the last one." Frog sighed. The first room they went in held a treasure chest, unguarded, and another door in the back.
"I'm not even gonna say anything." Lucca smirked as she reattached Robo's parts. Frog frowned.
"This be almost too easy... but oh well. Through the door!"
***
"Remind me again why we're out here!" Lucca shouted over the wind as they crawled across the wing.
"If we find one of the jets, we may be able to disable it and force the wing to land." Robo replied. "Another Turret. Sir Frog?" Frog grunted and jumped towards it.
"Robo, have you noticed something?" Lucca asked as Frog battled it.
"What something would you be referring to?" Robo replied.
"Before the Blackbird, we were all depressed over Crono. But as soon as we got on, it's like we're back to normal mentally. What's going on?"
"It is simple. The human mind tends to dwell on negative emotions while it is idle. When it is busy, those emotions are usually put aside until later. In layman's terms, you are grieving less because you have something to do."
"I suppose that makes sense." Lucca mused. "But what about you, Robo? You're not human."
"Correct. I am a robot, therefore I have no emotions. I cannot grieve."
"I'm not so sure about that..." Lucca muttered softly as Frog returned.
"I hath seen something that resembles the jet you described, Sir Robo. It is this way."
"Not so fast!" The voice sounded horrid, as if the person talking was actually chewing on the words. Robo jumped in the air.
"Oh my! A tremendous magical presence is approching!" As he spoke, a large, black hole appeared with something big and ugly moving inside.
"Not again..." Lucca groaned. However, this Golem was red, not yellow. It glared fiercely as it emerged.
"I'm the GolemBoss, and your days are numbered!"
"It talks?!" Frog choked.
"You bet I talk! And I do more than that! Chew on this! 5-4-3-2-1-... um..." It caught a glimpse over the side, blanched and turned back to them. "Um... where was I? Oh, yeah! 5-4-3-... ah..." It shuddered uncontrollably and crouched, covering its face with its hands. "Oh... no! This can't be! I'm... I'm afraid of heights!"
Lucca rolled her eyes and sent a Fire 2 at Robo, who absorbed it and sacked the GolemBoss, sending it flying over the edge.
"EEEEARGH!"
***
"Mwa ha ha ha! The Aero-Dalton Imperial is complete!" Dalton gloated as he climbind into the cockpit. One of the mechanics pressed a button, and heroic, uplifting music filled the air. Dalton nearly barfed. "No, no, NO! STOP THE MUSIC!" The mechanic pressed anoher button and the tune changed to a fierce, predatory tone. "Ha! That's better!" The hangar door slowly opened, and Dalton soared out, ignoring the fact that the jets incinerated the unfortunate mechanics.
***
Frog looked over the side and did a classic jawdrop as the Epoch flew by. "Epoch... it's flying!"
"It's flying?!" Lucca screamed.
"It's not Epoch! It's the Aero-Dalton Imperial!" Dalton yelled as he leveled with the wing. "You three are excess baggage! Make like the wind and blow out of here!" Grinning wickedly, he pressed one of the buttons and cackled as the new laser ripped into the Blackbird's wing... completely missing the three. Frog drew his sword.
"We must stop this, now! Tallyho!" With a mighty leap, he jumped onto the hood of Epoch, dragging an angry Lucca. Robo pulled himself up with a Rocket Punch as Dalton fumed.
"You dare...! FINE! I'll finish you myself! Take this!" Angrily, he sent a Ki wave straight at Lucca, who took it and grinned.
"Take a look at this, you egomaniac! FIRE 2!" The twin lines of fire went straight into Robo instead of expanding, and in the same technique used on GolemBoss, he released it in a bone-crunching tackle. Dalton reeled, but did not falter.
"Fire, eh? OPPOSITE ATTACK!" In a familiar move, Ice 2 crashed into them, knocking them flat for a moment. Laughing, he followed it up by sending a series of energy balls at Frog. The noble knight just growled.
"We are not done with thee yet, varlet! WATER!" The target was not Dalton; instead, it encased Robo and carried him over the foe, then dropped his 300-pound weight straight onto his head. Dalton was not amused.
"OPPOSITE ATTACK!" Echoing Lucca's previous move, the Fire 2 knocked Robo off him and brought the other two to their knees.
"Frog! Lucca!" The robot gasped, then grunted as a huge steel orb flattened him. Dalton got back to his feet and began laughing.
"HA HA HA! You're toast, fools! Just like that red-wigged brat! Don't you know better than to pick fights with somebody stronger than you? He sure didn't, and look what it got him! A one-way ticket to heaven!"
"SHUT UP!" Dalton stopped laughing and stared at the angry Robo, who ripped a piece of machinery out of Epoch and jammed it into his arm.
"Auto-Integrate new hardware! Set Rocket Punch to rapid-fire! Speed 110%! Power 110%!" Dalton blinked, uncomprehending.
"What the hell does that mean?" Robo jumped straight in front of him, his eyes glowing red.
"It means THIS, human bastard! UZI PUNCH!" Frog and Lucca stared as his fist smashed into Dalton's face over and over again, hundreds, thousands of times. It was if all of their rage at Crono's death was being channelled into the robot and his fist of fury, delivering a truly brutal beating onto the despot's mug.
When Robo stopped, his fist actually smoking, Dalton's face bore almost no resemblance to its former looks. His cheeks were a mess of blood, his lips were split in several places, he had several missing teeth and both eyes were black. Furious, he spat out a tooth and created a black rip.
"GolemBoss! KILL!" But nothing happened. "WTF?!"
"We already met GolemBoss, jackass." Lucca explained. "He decided to go bungee jumping. Unfortunately for him, he forgot the cord."
"What?! No!" Dalton screamed. "If there's nothing to pull out of my pocket dimension, it reverses! AIIIEEEE!" He let out a despairing howl as he disappeared into the hole, which closed behind him with a tiny pop.
***
"That groundling thief!" Frog grumbled. Lucca was thinking of something else, though.
"Robo, what WAS that?!" She asked. Robo blinked.
"I... do not know. Something... unfamiliar."
"I think... it was anger." The scientest said slowly.
"Negatory. Robots cannot feel emotions."
"Wrong. You've already felt despair. I recognized it. Now you've encountered anger as well." Robo gripped his head, agonizing over the logic struggle.
"Th... this is impossible! But..."
"AHEM!" Frog coughed loudly. They both turned to him. "I believe we doth have a more serious problem. Namely, Epoch!" Lucca choked, her hands going to her mouth.
"More importantly, did he change the controls?!" They jumped into the cockpit... and collided. After rubbing their heads, they did it again, aiming for the correct seats this time. The instruments were unfamiliar.
Lucca cursed in russian before checking the dashboard, then turned to Frog, who was at the helm. "Hit the Y Button, quick!" He firmly obeyed, and the lasers under the wings sprung to life, to everybody's shock. Uncontrolled, the beams of destruction ripped into the Blackbird, but this was beyond the heroes's notice.
"Now try the X Button!" Lucca cried. Dubiously, Frog pressed it, and the dashboard changed shape, shifting into the familiar layout. The sighs of relief were interrupted by a loud rumbling as the Blackbird's right wing exploded, sending the aeroplane straight into the frigid ocean!
Below, the people cheered as the last of the ship went under. "YEAH! Justice! Dalton got what he deserved!" The Elder looked up and gasped as he saw Epoch.
"Whoa! That ship can fly too?!"
Back above, Lucca grinned. "Phew! Now I can handle it!" Frog began laughing.
"Amazing! I almost cannot believe it, but we are actually in that varlet's debt! Although I doubt he shalt ever be in a position to claim it..."
"It needed a remodel anyway!" Robo said. Lucca stared at him.
"Robo? Was that... a joke?" His reply was cut off by the rush of the engines as Frog landed the machine in front of the village.
"There will still be soldiers at the village! We must liberate the people, post haste!"
"What the-?" Lucca murmured. The people looked absolutely fine, and there wasn't a soldier to be seen. The Elder quickly stepped up to them.
"While you were out, the soldiers tried to keep us in slavery. However, after a couple hours, a man came who none of us had ever seen before. He slaughtered the soldiers, then gave us a message for you... 'Meet me at the North Cape. And no tricks!'"
"Hmm... it doth sound like a trap to me." Frog grumbled. Lucca just laughed.
"Ha! Come on, Frog, we can do this easy!"
"Well, all right..." The knight conceded.
MAY 29, 0000 XD
If Marle had noticed Spekkio sauntering over in his guise as an Omnicrone, mace foregone for a mug of some unknown liquid, she certainly didn't show it.
The self-proclaimed "Master of War" blinked a few times before taking a deep swig of his mug and clearing his throat.
"Looks like you need to get drunk." He finally muttered. Marle looked up at last, confusion evident.
"What?" Spekkio snorted and smiled a bit, although he knew she couldn't see it.
"Looks like you need to get REALLY drunk." He corrected himself. Marle shook her head and stared back down to the dimly lit cobblestone ground.
"Liquor wouldn't help." She said softly. Spekkio laughed.
"Of course it is! Homer Simpson said it best, blondie! Here's to alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."
The glare she finally shot back at him quelled what little freewheeling was left in his spirit. "Or not."
I guess in this case that saying doesn't apply. Hell, if Lavos could be destroyed by alcohol, he'd be dead by now. Because there's always been plenty of drunks in the world.
"Just what do you want, Spekkio?" Marle queried tersely.
"To get your head screwed on straight, first of all." Spekkio snuffed. "And we can't do that until you've stopped the five step grieving process."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Marle said shortly, bowing her head a bit to try and hide her puffy red eyes. Spekkio harrumphed for a moment, then held up a fist, and then extended his thumb.
"Well, that's denial…" His response seemed to set Marle off further, as she finally stood up and glared at him.
"Goddamn it Spekkio, what are you trying to pull here?!" The Omnicrone blinked its beady eye underneath its helmet and lifted its index finger.
"Hmm…Well, we've moved onto anger. Keep it up, blondie!"
"Keep WHAT up?!" Marle demanded, taking a step towards him.
"Go ahead, admit it." Spekkio goaded her. "Crono was more than a friend. You loved the guy! Your heart beat for him! All your hopes and dreams were in him, eventually!"
"You don't know what you're talking about…" Marle choked out, her vision growing blurry as she clenched her hands up. Spekkio snorted.
"Listen, beautiful. I've been around a WHOLE LOT longer than you, and I know how this whole shebang works. And by the way, you slipped back into denial."
Off in another corner of the cobblestone square, Ayla watched the ensuing argument with interest. She worked up enough nerve, and then walked over to the old man in the center.
"OLD MAN!" Ayla shouted loudly in his ear. The snotbubble on his face popped as he snorted and came back to reality, shaking his head a few times before he realized who had addressed him.
"Oh, great. What do you want?" He grumbled. Ayla lifted her arm up and pointed to Spekkio and Marle.
"Look!" Ayla chirped. The elder looked for a few moments, then harrumphed.
"So. Spekkio's trying desperate tactics now, eh?" He lifted the rim of his bowler and looked at Ayla. "You should go over there, you know." The cavewoman looked at him blankly, causing him to sigh louder. "All right, it isn't this hard to understand. See Marle? Marle's heart is broken. You need to go help fix it." That message got through to her.
"Crono…it because Crono dead, Marle hurts." Her eyes grew a bit sadder, but she finally nodded her head. "Old man right."
"Old man always right." The elder chortled, shutting his eyes and quietly dozing back off to sleep.
"You gave us this power…you made us believe we actually stood a chance against Lavos!" Marle accused. The Omnicrone rolled its eye.
"Oh, give me a break. You want the truth, Marle?! The truth is this. YOU GUYS ATTEMPTED WAY TOO MUCH WAY TOO SOON. It was your own hotheadedness that killed Crono. It was your own idea. And even if I hadn't given you and the rest of your crew magic, you STILL would have tried. Only you wouldn't have lasted THIS long." Marle's arms tightened up, and a bright blue aura surrounded herself as her anger began to grow.
"Give Crono back…GIVE HIM BACK!!"
Screaming, she slammed her palms outwards at him, blowing the Omnicrone backwards in a massive burst of ice magic. Spekkio grunted from the blow for a moment as he sprawled backwards against the fencing…then shimmered in light and caused a massive flash that blinded Marle and even Ayla for a moment.
When the light cleared, the Omnicrone was gone. In its place stood a massive blue version of Masamune, rubbing shards of ice off of its skin. Spekkio had once more changed form.
"Believe me beautiful, if it was in my power to bring Spiky back, I would." Spekkio grumbled. "But at this point, not even a Life 2 spell's gonna be able to pull it off. There's nothing left to rejuvenate. You saw it with your own eyes. He's dead…the only way Lavos knows how to kill off twips. Instant vaporization."
All of Marle's rage faded at that comment. Quietly, she slumped to her knees again and bowed her head.
"Here it comes..." Spekkio muttered to himself, quietly enough that Marle couldn't hear him.
But even if she could hear him, she wouldn't notice.
She'd tried to hold it in. She tried to think that it hadn't happened, that it was all some sort of sick joke...
But it all happened. Crono's dead…
And now the only sound Marle made was a slow sobbing, as the cobblestones beneath her slowly absorbed the teardrops she made.
It was at that moment that Ayla came by and smacked Spekkio in the back of the head, glaring angrily.
"Why you do that?! Make her feel worse, changing man!" Spekkio rubbed at the sore spot Ayla had given him and shook his head.
"No respect... Listen, my amazon queen. Marle was stuck in what us brilliant minds might call an emotional rut with no exit. I had to jar her out of it. It was the only way she could move on." Ayla harrumphed and folded her arms.
"Didn't need to be so tough." Spekkio shrugged.
"I've done all I can, and wish to. Another blast of that ice magic doesn't exactly feel too peachy right about now."
"Me help Marle then." Ayla said. Spekkio lifted a hand up and shrugged, walking back towards his room.
"Right. I'll be in battle central if you need me."
Ayla shook her head as Spekkio grunted and groaned to fit his much more massive bulk through the frame. He finally succeeded, exiting with a loud squishy 'pop' sound. The amazon shook her head again and turned to Marle.
"Ayla..." The princess began slowly. Ayla kneeled down beside her and nodded.
"Ayla here." She said gently.
Marle merely kneeled there for a few more moments before breaking down completely. And somehow, Ayla knew why. And all she could do was hold Marle close as it finally worked itself out, as every last bit of the princess's frustration and her grief ebbed out of her like a river.
"It okay." Ayla said soothingly, stroking Marle's almost reddish blond hair back. Her head still buried in Ayla's shoulder, Marle sobbed a bit louder before speaking.
"It's not okay... Crono's dead... He promised me we'd all make it, but he lied…he died facing Lavos..."
Ayla said nothing, just continuing to hold Marle close and let her know she was with a caring presence.
"I couldn't save him... And I just keep seeing him die there time and time again, vaporized by that monster's beam..."
"Marle must move on." Ayla finally said, brushing Marle's hair back again.
"I miss him so much... Why did it have to be him?" The princess croaked, turning her tear streaked eyes to stare at Ayla.
The cavewoman shook her head.
"Crono died... to save you." She finally answered. "Crono would not want Marle to be sad. Crono would want Marle to move on."
"It hurts so much..." The princess said, as if the ache in her heart was felt through her entire body. She looked at Ayla, her eyes pleading. "When does the pain go away?"
"You loved Crono?" Ayla asked gently. Marle bowed her head low and shut her eyes.
There was only one answer her broken heart could give. The right one.
Ever since he came to save me from the Middle Ages... No, even before that, when Leene's Bell rang in the square when we met for the first time...
"I... loved Crono more than anything... " Marle finally whispered.
The way he smiled, the way he walked... how he was utterly silent half of the time, and how the other half he rallied us together... How he never gave up, would never let us give up...
Marle, despite her penchant for ignoring the lessons her tutors tried to instill in her, was well versed in literature. And something that was almost as old as time itself was something used in Fiction over and over...
True love... a love that can never be broken, never be replaced... a love that spans all time, all reality, all space and all struggles... A love that is the most powerful drug known to humanity, a love that causes a person to do unbelievable things...
"I loved Crono... with all of my heart." Marle finished. She looked up at Ayla, fresh tears springing to her face. "But Crono..."
"Crono loved you too." Ayla said with a gentle smile, holding Marle close in another hug.
The last of Marle's grief melted away, like one of her ice attacks left to linger for too long.
"Crono dead... but Crono still with you. Crono's love will never leave you. He in each one of us now. But he in you most."
"But what now?" Marle asked, saner than before, but still heartbroken.
"Crono dead... but other friends alive, in trouble." Ayla continued. "They still in Dark Age... big sky place fall down."
"What?"
"Angry man take them hostage... fly in big iron bird."
"Dalton... The Blackbird?!" Marle gasped in realization. Ayla nodded.
"Time to move on. Marle, we feel sad later. Right now... must get friends back safely."
Slowly, Marle nodded her head.
There would be time for all of them. Time to mourn Crono's passing later.
But the living were still here. And it was them that required the focus now. She could almost hear Crono's voice nearby, just out of earshot, a mere whisper in the passing wind.
Be strong, Marle...
Marle reached down for the pendant beside her... the pendant she'd given to Crono, the pendant that had somehow found its way on her, as if protecting her somehow.
You have to keep going.
Marle took in a deep breath and nodded.
"You think Spekkio can show us what's going on?" Ayla nodded vigorously.
"Changing man have magic talking box! We go see!"
Ayla ran on ahead, leaving Marle to get to her feet and quietly look around the cobblestone square, floating in the mists of eternal nothingness.
The old man still remained under the lamppost, snoring away.
Calmly, Marle brushed aside the last few tears from her eyes, then clasped onto her pendant tightly.
You're strong, Marle... You'll live through this. Crono's voice seemed to call to her.
"I won't forget you, Crono." Marle said. Her eyes shone bright now, not with tears.
With purpose.
"I love you, Crono. I'll never stop loving you."
Time to move on.
For those still living.
There was a new fire burning in Marle's spirit as she left the main square and wandered into Spekkio's room. A fire that caused the elder to snort, wake up, and stare after her.
"Huh..." He mumbled. "They never stop surprising me."
MAY 30, 12000 BC
It took them a day's hike to get to the North Cape. The Cape was a beautiful overlook of the ocean, but nobody was there. As the three reached the top, they heard a movement behind them, but when they turned, nothing was there. The group turned back to the ocean and jumped in surprise. Magus, looking over the calm sea.
"Behold... all of it's at the bottom of the sea." The mage spoke bitterly. "Gone is the magical kingdom of Zeal, and all the dreams and ambitions of its people. Sunken by their own greed, fried by their own desire..." He turned to face them, his eyes haunted. "I lived there once... but I was another person then."
MAY 13, 12000 BC
"What's wrong, Lavos?" Zeal yelled at the unresponsive Mammon Machine. The three Gurus ignored her, studying instead the energies that coursed through the room.
"Hm... it seems to be related to the fourth dimension!" Gaspar observed. Melchior cursed.
"Damn! Such power is beyond human control! What were you thinking, Zeal?!"
"Schala!" The three Gurus and Schala all turned to face the fourth comer, little Janus. As they did, there was a flash of red, and Lavos returned. One by one, the Gurus were sent, screaming, into black timegates. After they were gone, a fourth one appeared around Janus, and he disappeared, wailing.
MAY 13, 990 AD
"What's for breakfast?" Irvin asked his new wife cheerily. She smiled.
"Eggs goldenrod."
"Sweet!" As soon as he spoke, there was a massive crash, and Melchior tumbled out of the cupboard. Irvin facepalmed.
"Shit. Shoulda known..." The man blinked.
"Where am I?" Irvin's wife just sighed.
"Great. First I get a scorpion in my shoe, and then my cupboard starts barfing humans. This is just gonna be one of those days..."
"Awright, human!" Irvin piped up. "This is Medina Village, and the Mystics here all hate humans. In other words, you're in trouble if the others see you. How much money you got?" In response, Melchior poured his wallet onto the table. Irvin whistled.
"Okay, we'll sneak you out of the village at night for 1000. You can build a house or something to the south. Do we have a deal?"
"What choice do I have?"
MAY 13, 2285 AD
In a twisted, ruined world, a place called Bangor Dome spat out a single lost soul. Belthasar, the Guru of Reason, examined his surroundings and determined that it was Lavos's power that caused this.
"I think I'm stranded here..." Belthasar admitted. "I'll need to look around and find someplace to set up shop. My top priority must be to finish my project... the Wings of Time... I wonder if my assistant is still active? Well, there's only one way to find out..."
MAY 13, ???? ??
"WHOOOOAAA!!!" Gaspar, the Guru of Time, approached his destination in the most unique way of the four. At high velocity. He braced for impact, then blinked as he stopped completely. Gaspar slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Everywhere was nowhere; there was nothing but black, drifting haze. Gaspar's eyes bugged out.
"I don't believe this... I'd never thought I would actually be here, but this can only be..."
"BAAAANZAAAAIIII!!!!"
MAY 13, 580 AD
"AAAAIIIAARGH!" The plump young mystic flew through the tavern door and spun head over heels before eating tree, then sliding down into the dirt. The other patrons laughed jerringly and called out insults as the owner stepped into the doorway, emboldened by the support. It was his foot that had propelled the other through the exit.
"You goddamn Mystics! Can't you read? No Animals Allowed!" Ozzie's ears perked up at this and he slowly rose, turning around.
"I'm not an animal, you creep! What makes you think that you humans are any better than us Mystics?"
"You goddamn animals..." The man sneered. "Never learn your place. Mystics are just shit, and you're not welcome here! Now beat it before I really get rough!" Ozzie tensed up, preparing to fry the bastard with a well-placed Lightning, but a voice stopped him.
"Ozzie, forget it." It was Slash, one of Ozzie's childhood friends. Another voice piped up as well; Flea, the third member of the self-dubbed Terrible Trio.
"I'll handle this, Ozzie." Ozzie grumbled, but retreated into the foliage. A moment later, after the owner had gone back inside, Flea stepped out. She had been born a human, but her family was abusive and the others in the neighborhood were brutal. At age 7, she had ran away into the forest, where she had met Slash & Ozzie. After hearing her story, they had agreed to let her join them. Now, ten years later, she could be easily be mistaken for a beautiful woman, her pointed ears the only indication of her transformation.
"I'll get the beer for us. Those louts will be too busy staring to notice my ears." Flea frowned as she walked in; she HATED dealing with drunkards. Ordinary humans were bad enough.
"Hey, baby. What'll you have?" The bartender leered. She ignored that.
"Three cups of ale."
"That's a lot for a little girl like yourself. Need somebody to help you with it?"
"I'm fine." She said coldly, giving him the glare. He shrugged and poured her the mugs, which she took and walked towards the exit. As she did, one man more drunk than the rest grabbed her by the arm. She spun, eyes flaming.
"Bastard! FIRE!" As the man's corpse smoldered, the others stared at her. The owner was the first to speak.
"She's a Mystic! GET 'ER!" Flea bolted for the door as the men formed into an anrgy mob. She ran into the forest, joined by Ozzie & Slash.
"I thought you said you would get the beer with no problems." Slash commented.
"Shut it."
"I HATE humans!" Ozzie snarled as they ran. "Always treating us like crap! Hell, they treat their DOGS better than us!"
"Calm down, Ozzie." Slash said calmly. "One of these days, we'll get our payback. Just wait."
"Yeah... hey, we should split up. Meet back at the hideout at midnight." They diverged.
After an hour, Ozzie lost the last of his pursuers. Looking around, he saw a few Blue Imps playing, but nothing else. Or so he thought, until a black gate opened and dumped out a small human child. Ozzie grinned.
"A human brat! I remember when I was a whelp and kids like you tried to use ME as a pinata! Hey, Imp-boys! Party's on!" The Imps obediently surrounded the kid, who recoiled in fear.
"No! Get away! I said GET AWAY!" Screaming, he blasted them with an orb of darkness that incinerated them.
Ozzie almost fainted. A human that can use magic without instruction? "Say, kid, you're pretty tough. What's your name?"
"Janus. I'm a prince."
But the king doesn't have any kids! Wait... maybe he's from a far-off country! Yeah, that's it! "How do they treat Mystics where you come from, kid?" Janus was obviously confused.
"Mystics? What are those?" For the second time, Ozzie was flabbergasted.
He doesn't know what Mystics are? Wow... wait, this means that in his country, there's none of the bullcrap that goes on here! Hm... I see big possibilities for this kid... "Come along, kid! I've got a couple friends I want you to meet..."
***
"Okay, lemme get this straight." Slash grumbled. "This human brat can use magic, but he's from a far-off kingdom where there's no Mystics. So there's none of this crap there. Now, you want this kid to lead us in a revolt."
"That's the gist of it." Ozzie said calmly.
"ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND?!" Slash screamed. "THERE'S NO WAY THE OTHER MYSTICS WILL FOLLOW A HUMAN!"
"Actually, I disagree." Flea said. "We'll just have to spend a few years teaching him the ropes. I was human once, as you'll recall. Give him 10 years, and all the magic we know, and he'll be perfect."
"Hm..." Ozzie mused. "All the magic we know? All the other Mystics, including us, are confined to one element... If he can use everything, he'll be the most powerful Mystic in existence!"
"I get it." Slash smiled. "With all this power, the other Mystics will flock to him like sheep! We'll have an army, and we'll teach those stuck-up bastards a lesson they'll never forget!"
MAY 30, 12000 BC
"So... thou art that filthy urchin!" Frog snarled. Magus ignored him.
"Throughout my entire war, my main focus was always Lavos. With every town we conquered, I went straight to the library and dug up all the information on Zeal there was. But there wasn't much, obviously. It took me many years to find enough to enact my revenge." He smiled faintly. "After a while, Ozzie found out about Lavos, but the fool thought I was summoning him to destroy the humans. I let him spread that story among the other Mystics; it encouraged them to bring any info to me. After I had found all I needed, I was going to summon and kill him, but you guys came and screwed it all up." He frowned again. "How ironic that I'd be warped back here. I dredged up my childhood memories and was able to convince my mother that I was a wandering prophet. But nothing could have prepared me for what you all did." The dark sorcerer turned to face the group, his face blank. "The power of Lavos... is unimaginable. All who face it shall meet certain doom. Just like that fool, Crono!"
"You dare?!" Frog gasped.
"He's history." Magus continued, his face still oddly calm. "Play with fire, and you get burned."
"Magus! Holdeth thy tongue!" Frog practically screamed.
"You wish to fight me again? For keeps this time?" Several tense moments passed, as all four of them waited on Frog's answer. The tension was so thick you could cut it and serve it with whipped cream and strawberries. Finally, Frog sighed and lowered the Masamune.
"Nay... fighting will not restore Crono, nor Cyrus..." Magus said nothing. The three turned to leave and began walking away.
"Wait." They turned back and saw him walking after them. "I'll come with you. I still owe Lavos one, and it looks like you have the best chance of squishing him."
"Treachery!" Frog growled. Magus just shook his head, smiling with closed eyes.
"You know, there just might be a way to bring him back."
"Nonsense!" The knight spluttered, turning livid.
"Gaspar, the Guru of Time, knows how to repair lost or misplaced time streams. And if I'm correct, your friend Crono..." He stopped. "Never mind that. But once he's back in action, with me on your side too, we'll be unstoppable. And you know it."
"He's right, Frog." Lucca said. "We could use his help."
"I detect at least a 20% increase in probability of success with his addition." Robo concurred. Frog looked for a moment like he was going to argue further, but he sighed and threw his hands up.
"Fine! But one hint of backstabbing, and ye shall regret it timely!"
"Same to you."
***
Somewhat uncomfortably, they piled into the Epoch and took off. However, before they time-warped, Robo reported a malfunction.
"It may be from that piece I ripped out while pummeling Dalton... if so, it will only take a moment to fix."
"Dalton, eh?" Magus muttered, his eyes amused. "I never did like him... you have been busy, haven't you? You'll have to tell me about all this."
"Later." Frog said shortly. Robo suddenly jumped and hit his head on the bubble cockpit.
"Oh, my! I am detecting an enormous amount of spiritual power!"
In the sea below, a massive form began to slowly rise, crackling with evil lightning. It broke through the sea and floated up towars the clouds, a monolith of black with electrical blue and red designs etched across the surface everywhere, along with so many defense cannons that a head-on attack would be suicide.
"The undersea palace?! This is utterly impossible!" Magus choked. Frog's eyes came alight.
"The ocean palace! Surely, it doth beckon us!"
"Later." Magus threw his comment back in his teeth. "For now, Gaspar & Crono are more important."
"Gaspar... I could swear I've heard that name somewhere before..." Lucca muttered as the Epoch flew around the entire world at light speed before vanishing in a blinding flash.
Special Thanks to Erico for Marle's scenes in this chapter!