Chapter 13: He Had BETTER Not Wind Up A Zombie...
MAY 30, 0000 XD
"Did he just say what I think he said?" Marle said slowly after freezing for several seconds. Spekkio harrumphed.
"Yeeeep, he did. Figures. Not even death can keep that guy down." Further conversation was interrupted by the whirring sound announcing the arrival of the Epoch. Marle immediately ran out, bowled over the old man and pounced on Magus, pinning him to the ground.
"Okay, buster, tell me everything you know about bringing Crono back. NOW!" Magus raised an eyebrow.
"Psychotic blondes as the welcoming squad. Nice place you got here. Look, gal, I've already said all I know. For more info, you'll need to find Gaspar, the Guru of Time."
"What?!" Everybody's eyes turned to the old man, who had yelled while getting to his feet. He frowned. "Gaspar... what do you think he can do?"
"Bring Crono back!" Lucca yelled. The old man snorted.
"That old wash-up? Hah! He couldn't even save Zeal... he's worthless! Trash! You'd just be wasting your time trying to get his help."
"Well... we gotta try, right?" Marle countered somewhat lamely.
"You'd keep on trying, even though you know there's nothing the guy can do?"
"Aye." Frog nodded. "We must always try... we can never give up hope!"
"Never give up hope, huh..." The geezer mumbled. "Looks like Crono's not really dead..."
"WHAT?!" The entire group yelled at once. The old man didn't miss a beat.
"Look at yourselves. Think about what you've been saying. Admit it. You're acting like him. The bum left his influence on all of yas, and you'll never get rid of it. He lives in you... and my instincts tell me that's all you'll get..." Several silent moments passed, before Marle spoke.
"Well, we're going back out, at any rate. Robo, I'll swap with you."
"I'm going as well." Magus said. "I want to see this with my own eyes."
"Very well then." Frog said, a little irritated at the mage's continued presence. "Shall we be off?"
As they were about to leave, the old man suddenly sprung to life again, mumbling to himself. "...Poor fools... maybe I could... no, there's no meaning... or, are they different... no, they're not, it'll never work... Ah, HELL with it... hey, come back here for a second!" They did, and he rummaged around in his trenchcoat for a moment before producing a small, golden egg.
"An egg?" Marle whispered.
"Call it... the Chrono Trigger. It's powered by pure potential. Use this at the appointed time, and if the fates... and your own wills... are strong enough..." His voice faded away, and he just handed it to Marle. "It may not work... but it's the only chance you've got. Your chances are equal to your hope..." Nobody spoke, until Magus began chuckling softly.
"I get it... it's you, isn't it?" Frog's eyes lit up.
"So.. thou art Gaspar, the Guru of Time!" Gaspar shifted awkwardly.
"Ah... yes, I believe people did call me that... it's been a long time, Janus. Ahem... at any rate, ask my old colleague, the one who built the Wings Of Time, how to use it..."
"Gotcha!" Marle led the charge to the Epoch, and as they left, Spekkio squeezed through the door.
"Dammit, why do I always miss things?" Lucca frowned at him.
"When I last left, she was in a complete mess. But now, she's as perky as ever. What happened?"
"Well, for one, I talked it over and helped her move past her grief... most of it, at any rate. That's part of it. The rest... you can get by yourself. For you humans, grief is strongest when you're idle to think about it. When you're on the move... doing something... grief recedes." Lucca ahhed as Spekkio jerked a thumb at the again-sleeping Gaspar. "That's what HIS problem is. He's been here for so long, his depression has totally covered him. I used to think nothing could bring him out of it..."
"Used to?" Lucca asked. The shape-shifter nodded.
"I'm not so sure anymore. Leave it at that. While we've been talking about all this shiznit, we're missing Gundam Wing, which is what I came out here to... OOFF!!!" Spekkio was rudely shoved aside by the two-girl stampede, followed sedately by Robo. The Master of War rubbed his head. "...to tell you in the first place... lousy humans."
MAY 30, 2300 AD
"Eh?" Belthasar blearily opened one eye. "Bring somebody back from the dead?"
"That's right." Marle confirmed.
"Nonsense. Absolute nonsense. You'd need a Chrono Trigger, and if you've got one, my name's Juan Carlos Rodriguez Jalapeno III."
"Very well... Juan Carlos, was it?" Frog smiled as he produced the egg. The Nu's eyes went wider than usual, which the group had thought was impossible.
"Huh... well, besides that, you'd need a clone."
"A what?" Asked Frog, who had slept through Star Wars Episode II. Belthasar rolled his eyes.
"A completely lifelike dummy of the person. Without it, it no work. Now scram!"
"Okay, next question." Magus asked from his position in the corner. "Where do we GET a clone?"
"Norstein Bekkler. That's all I'm saying... hell, it's all I CAN say. GOOD NIGHT!" The Nu firmly shut its eyes and began snoring. Frog sighed and turned to face the other two.
"The name is unfamiliar to me."
"Me too." Magus growled. "We're out of luck..." Marle, however, was thinking hard.
"Norstein Bekkler... I know I've heard that name before..." Something to do with... Crono? Yes... definately... now, was it before or after Zeal? Before, I think... and before Magus too, which means it would be around the very beginning... what strong memories do I have of that time... "The fair!" She shouted. "Norstein Bekkler runs a stall in the Millenial Fair, from mine & Crono's time!"
"A carnie? We're looking for a carnie?" Magus scoffed. "This is an odd group, to be certain... well, let's get on with it..."
MAY 31, 1000 AD
"Okay, we're gonna need to grab Crono's silver point card." Marle informed them as they walked towards the village from their parking spot in the forest. No sense in alarming the townsfolk, after all.
"And why is this, may I ask?" Frog inquired politely.
"It's complicated. If I sat down to explain it, we'd be here all night."
"Take her word on it." Magus said shortly. "Although it's interesting that they still use the silver point system... maybe they skipped your time with it, knight." Frog growled a few choice obscenities about mages under his breath and let it drop.
"All right, last I saw it, Crono left it in his room. We'll want to avoid his mom if possible, for obvious reasons, so we'll probably go through the window." By now, they had gotten to the house, and Frog peered through he downstairs window.
"We art in luck. She hast a visitor... oh, my!"
"What is it?" Marle asked. Frog shook his head sadly.
"The visitor lady... both her legs are horribly maimed... she cannot walk."
"Psst... over here!" Both of them turned to see Magus gesturing at a large pine tree. "We can climb this."
As they did, Marle slapped her forehead. It was the wrong room. They went in anyway, and Marle groaned. The theme song from one of Spekkio's shows, Mission Impossible, was playing in her head. Forcing herself to concentrate, the princess led the way to Crono's room.
"There... on the desk!" Magus pointed. Sure enough, the silver point card was there-as was a furry obstacle. The cat hissed a warning and bared its teeth.
"Great. Now what doth we do?" Frog moaned.
"I've got a solution..." Magus smiled.
"NO! You are NOT killing Crono's cat!"
"Fine, then, girl. YOU think of something." Magus sneered. Marle thought for a moment, then grinned.
"Frog, check if Crono's mom & her guest are facing the fridge."
A moment later, the knight called back, "They face away from it. What be thy plan?"
"Use your tongue to open the fridge and grab some tuna!" Frog nodded and leaned over the rail. A moment later, he spat a can of tuna onto the floor, which Marle quickly grabbed and opened.
"Here, kitty kitty! Do you want some tuna?" The cat's eyes lit up and it slowly moved toward her. Marle backed away until she was near the window, then opened it, put the can on the edge and moved. The cat eagerly jumped for it... and went out the window with a yowl. Marle eagerly grabbed the card, when...
"What IS that racket? I'll go check, Lara..." The three froze as they heard Crono's Mom's voice.
"Quick, we need to get out!" Marle hissed.
"We can't go back to the other room or she'll see us!" Magus retorted.
"So, we'll go out this window!"
"But, there be no tree!" Frog protested. Marle just smiled.
"Huh... nothing here..." Crono's Mom looked around the room a bit more, then shrugged and went back downstairs. On the ground outside, the three slowly peeled themselves off the ground.
"Smooth." Magus commented.
"Hey, it worked, didn't it?"
"I hath a question... we couldst we not just have used THY card, madame?"
Marle's eye twitched.
***
"Hey, you're Crono's friend, right?" The weird floating head addressed Marle. She nodded.
"Yeah... that's why we're here."
"What, did he get arrested again or something?"
"No. He just came down with a bad case of dead." Magus cut to the chase. Bekkler scowled.
"Well, SHIT. Not much I can help you with there."
"Actually... you can. We need a clone of him." Marle said directly. His eyes widened.
"Huh? Hey, clones are the prizes in the 40-point game... normally, I make them only match the person who's playing... but for Crono, I'll make an exception." He gestured, and as the points disappeared, a clone of Crono walked out of the grate in the back. "Mimic his movements to win the prize!"
Marle stepped up, and immediately, the Clone raised his left hand. She followed suit. He raised his right hand. She raised her right hand. He laughed. She laughed. He looked surprised. She looked surprised. Left hand. Laugh. Surprise. Left hand. Surprise. Right hand. Right hand. Laugh. Left hand. Laugh. Surprise. Laugh. Surprise. Left hand. Rig-no, no, NO!
Frog and Marle winced as Marle fell flat on her face. Bekkler frowned.
"...Close enough." The Clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I sent it to Crono's house. Now, move yer butts before I change my mind."
"Here we go again..." Marle sighed.
***
"No avoiding it this time... she's in there, making his bed." Marle whispered.
"Let's go for the casual approach, then." Magus suggested. The other two agreed, and they walked in the front door. As they entered Crono's room, his mom turned to greet them.
"Oh... you're Crono's friend... Marle, right? But who are these...?" Marle stepped forward.
"Two more of his friends... Frog & Magus..." Crono's mom smiled.
"Nice to meet you both. Now, how is he? He hasn't visited for a while..." Awkwardness hung in the air like a fog.
Quick, you moron, tell her he's fine! But I can't lie to her... would it be better to tell her her only son is DEAD? Come on, are you a princess or what? "Uh... he's doing fine. Great, in fact. He's just... got a touch of the flu, so he couldn't come with us today. ...Can we borrow this big doll?"
"Of course, dear." Crono's mom nodded. "Tell him to behave, and I hope he gets better soon!"
Magus silently picked up the clone and they walked out. As they left the village, Marle growled, "I feel unclean." They stowed the clone in the trunk and got in, heading for 2300 AD. As they did, Marle had one last thought.
"Did I just hear a meow?"
MAY 31, 0000 XD
"What wrong?" Ayla asked quizzically as Lucca walked towards the exit.
"Nothing... nothing's wrong. I just... don't wanna watch this right now." As soon as she was gone, Spekkio raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, nothing's wrong. And I'm a flaming monkey."
MAY 31, 2300 AD
"Look, you idiots, I already told you...!" Belthasar broke off as Magus shoved the clone in his face. The Nu blinked for a moment, then stood up. "Enough of this. It is time for you to climb Death Peak. It is the only chance you have of reviving your friend. As my final work, I poured my own essence into creating three creatures. They shall help you." The Nu solemnly strode into the back room. Strange, mechanical noises accompanied by flashes of blue lightning came from the room, and something emerged. They all stared.
"Executing program!" The little blue poyozo doll chirped before soaring through the roof. Two more, exactly identical, followed before the Nu reemerged.
"This completes my purpose. Now, I have a favor to ask. This is the last recording I have made on this creature. I ask you to let him sleep. The switch is on his stomach." Silently, Frog strode forward and flipped the switch, and the Nu stopped, becoming statuelike.
"There's nothing more for us here." Magus said. "Let's leave." As they walked out, the mage paused for a moment and looked back at the inert Nu. Farewell, Belthasar.
***
"So that's Death Peak..." Marle murmured, staring up at the immense, purple crag. The mountain was almost completely unclimbable, with sheer, jagged surfaces promising a horrible fate for any unlucky enough to fall on them. Blinding snowstorms raged across the entire mountain. Only one narrow trail, covered in white snow, began at the base and led a winding path upward. As they climbed up, they saw the first little blue Poyozo doll.
"Hide behind trees when the wind blows, and move when it breaks." As it spoke, it began glowing, and with a flash, it transformed into a dead tree.
"What do ye suppose he meant by that?" Frog wondered. The other two shrugged. A moment later, the meaning became clear; seemingly out of nowhere, a huge gust of wind swept them off the mountain!
"Ptoo." Magus spat out a clod of dirt. "Okay, now we know what to do. Hide behind that tree when that infernal wind attacks." On their return trip, the dead tree was still there, its branches glistening with snow. They stood behind the trunk, and somehow, the wind did not affect them! When it died down, they moved ahead to where they saw another tree, which they used similarly. After the second blast of wind, the three passed through a narrow gorge and up higher, where the wind bothered them no more.
"What is that?" Marle commented of the creature before them. It was a sphere of an ugly yellow color. Near the top, a crack ran all around, making the top seem like a lid. The two parts were connected by a tarlike red substance.
"A Krakker!" Magus groaned. "They're just one of the monstrosities spawned by Lavos's sick imagination!" Angrily, the mage sliced it in half with one blow of his scythe. As they continued up the path, several more Krakkers got in their way, and were sliced, shot and cleaved. Eventually, the group found a open area, which appeared to be a frozen pond. The wall backing the peak had a single cave entrance, and to the right of that was a high ledge.
"In the cave." Frog said curtly. As they started in, Marle heard an eerie sound behind her, and turned to see two floating skeletons, each with an evil-looking scythe!
"AAA! Guys!" The men turned to see her trying to beat off the skeletons with her bow, unsuccessfully. Two slashes later, the danger was averted. Magus bent and examined one of the discarded scythes.
"Hmph... this appears to be of a good make. Pity it's so rusted. I'll have to keep my eyes out for one that's not in such bad condition."
As they entered the cave, there was a horrendous roar, and something crawled towards them...
"LAVOS!" Frog screamed, in the tone you would scream "HURRICANE!" or "EARTHQUAKE!" Magus shook his head.
"Nonsense. Look how small it is. That can't be Lavos!"
"It's name is... Lavos Spawn Ammes!" Marle yelled. "Whatever you do, do NOT attack the shell! Only the head!"
"Rightyo!" Frog affirmed before jumping into the air and coming down with a Leap Slash. The monster bit him, and with a startled oath, he jumped back.
"Well, I won't need to go near you for my attack, beast! DARK BOMB!" The level-1 shadow spell created an orb of darkness around the head, which promptly exploded. Ammes was NOT amused; with a rumbling, it cast a remarkably similar spell of firey red energy. Magus grunted.
"Hey, you two! Get off yer butts and help! Might I suggest that combined blue magic you used on me?" Frog and Marle glanced at Magus, then each other.
"ICE WATER!" A bubble with an ice crystal in it floated across the room and slammed into the head, causing the creature to shriek in pain. Magus seized the moment and slashed the creature across the "face", finishing the job... but as a last gesture, the creature used its biting counterattack again, snapping the mage's scythe into pieces. A moment later, the head and innards melted, leaving behind an empty shell. Without anything to support it, the shell collapsed inward in a pile of spikes.
MAY 31, 0000 XD
Lucca frowned, trying to get rid of her depression. She couldn't let the others know about... that. To distract herself, the scientest gazed over at the recently-revealed Guru Of Time, sleeping again. Narrowing her eyes, she yelled, "HEY, OLD MAN!"
"Eh... whu?" Gaspar sputtered awake. "Oh... it's you, science girl. Waddaya want?"
"Do you think they can do it?" Lucca demanded. Gaspar shrugged wearily.
"Maybe they can, maybe they can't. It doesn't make a difference."
"WADDAYA MEAN, it doesn't make a difference?!" Lucca almost screamed. "We have to get Crono back so we can beat Lavos!"
"You already tried that, remember? It didn't work out so good, as I recall." Gaspar snapped. "As a matter of fact, you got your asses handed to you! What makes you think the next time's gonna be any different?"
"Next time... we'll be stronger, more skilled..."
"BULLSHIT. Nobody can beat Lavos. The world dies in 1999, and you can't do diddly squat about it."
"You're a cynic." She accused.
"Hmph. YOU try hanging around here for the better part of a century and see what it does to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to sleep more."
"Can't face the future?" Lucca couldn't resist a parting shot.
"This coming from a gal whose friend got disintegrated by a BUG." He returned.
MAY 31, 2300 AD
After the Lavos Spawn battle, they had gone through the cave to an icy walkway, which led to another tunnel. After that...
"This is that ledge we saw!" Marle realized. "But... this is a dead end..."
"Great. You're telling me I lost my good scythe for nothing?" Magus growled. "Just peachy." He turned to leave, and after a moment, so did Frog. Marle was about to follow when she saw something sparkling on the ground.
"Hold on a sec." She bent down. It was a shining stone, sticking up from the ground at an odd angle. "Huh." The princess cautiously laid a hand on it, and the thing sank into the snow. A moment later, on the wall with the two cave entrances, a third one opened between them, on the open area below.
"Nice eyes, lass." Frog complimented her as they headed back. When they were walking back along the icy path, though, Magus suddenly began looking around.
"Trouble!" A moment later, three shapes materialized; Macabres, the skeleton spirits they had seen earlier.
"We be surrounded!" Frog cursed. The mage smiled.
"Don't worry, toad. I'll handle this. I may not have my scythe... but I can still handle a cremation! FIRE 2!" The raging red attack obliterated all of the undead, and the group pressed on. The new cave was a straight passage through. As they walked, Marle heard a squishing noise above her, and looked up to see a Krakker drop from the ceiling and latch on to her face!
"AAAACK!!! GETTITOFF!!!"
It's too close to use magic; Magus thought grimly. Where's a scythe when you need one... aha! Magus bent down and picked up the object he had spied; one of the scythes used by the Macabres, in very good condition. He quickly rushed over and sliced the thing off, leaving a frightened Marle.
"Ahh... um, thanks, Magus."
"Don't strain yourself." The mage said sourly. "I didn't want the egg damaged. Otherwise I woulda let the toad do it." He strode ahead while Marle stared at him, then muttered a few unprincessly comments under her breath before following.
When they exited the cave, another Lavos Spawn was waiting for them.
"Lavos Spawn Echuilles!" Marle shouted. "It's identical to the first!"
"Perfect." Magus responded as he ripped out a Dark Bomb. "Use the same tactics." This Lavos Spawn, however, was having none of that; it opened its mouth and let out a massive sigh which formed into a wavy purple mist, encasing Marle. A moment later, the princess dropped off into a deep slumber.
"Curses! It appears I shalt have to rely on my blade! LEAP SLASH!" The Masamune passed through its head, but Ecchuilles remained alive, and began gnawing on his leg. With a startled oath, Frog hacked at it until it dropped him, and Magus finished it off with another Dark Bomb.
***
"Hey, it's another one of those little poyozo doll thingys." Magus called out. "Let's see what it says."
"It's slippery!" The doll announced. "Fall and you're in big trouble!"
"I wonder what it-oh." As soon as it stopped talking, the constant snowstorm had lessened until they could see ahead; a narrow walkway completely iced over. Marle glanced over the side and shuddered. The spiky crags below promised a dire punishment for falling.
"This doth look very dangerous." Frog cautioned. "We wouldst be at great risk if we attempted crossing."
"For once, I agreed with the toad." Magus muttered. "We'd have to be crazy to try that." Marle frowned.
"So we're crazy. I'm fine with that. You can go back if you want, but I'm doing it. For Crono." With that, she started across.
"For Crono." Frog repeated, and followed her. Magus just watched them, then muttered something about idiots and followed.
***
"What the-?!" Frog grumbled. After they had passed the slippery area, there was a cliff at the top of the steep downward hill. Krakkers were falling off the cliff and then sliding down the hill like so many skiers.
"I wonder what's up there..." Marle mused. She started towards it, but Magus held her back.
"Think about it. Krakkers are created by Lavos. Now, do we want to pick a fight with him and get killed, or do we want to ignore him and follow the path to our goal?"
"Point made." Marle said, a little snippy, and the three slid down the hill. When they stopped, they were overlooking the place where they had started. The third and last poyozo doll was waiting for them.
"Push the shell, climb the shell..." It murmured. None of the three could figure it out. However, their attention was soon focused on other things, as another Lavos Spawn charged to the attack!
"Lavos Spawn Geneaux!" Marle yelled. "It's the eldest of the three, and the strongest!"
"Save the worst for last. Figures." Magus grunted as he attacked with his scythe. Geneaux retaliated with the same purple haze that had put Marle to sleep earlier. However, on the mage it seemed to have no effect!
"What's that all about?" Marle asked as she cast Haste on Frog.
"Schala's Amulet protects me from most ailments." Magus called back.
"LEAP SLASH!" Frog came down on the head, which seemed to anger Geneaux, as it fired a stream of brown gas at him!
"He's confused!" Marle whispered as they watched the knight wobble around unsteadily. "He'll attack anything!" It turned out she was right; however, Frog did not attack either of them. He attacked Geneaux... more specifically, the shell!
"NO!" Magus yelled, but it was too late. As the Masamune bit deep, the spines on the shell stood straight up and fired a deadly barrage of needles that descended onto the three. The only positive point was that it awakened Frog, who joined with Marle for an Ice Water.
"Tell your brothers we said hi." Magus quipped before using a Dark Bomb to finish up. Unlike the previous two, Geneaux's shell did not disintegrate, but stayed there, lifeless.
"Now what?" Magus demanded. "The path leads to that cliff. Any ideas on how to get up there?"
"Push the shell, climb the shell..." Marle mused, echoing the poyozo doll. "That's it! We push Geneaux's shell over to the wall and climb it up!"
"Wilt that work?" Frog asked doubtfully.
"No reason why it shouldn't!" The three began pushing, and soon had it up against the wall. Marle's calculations were true; the spines made excellent hand-and-footholds. Within a few minutes, they had climbed up, and they could see bright sunlight ahead. Magus nodded.
"It worked. The peak awaits!"
MAY 31, 0000 XD
Irritated about her last conversation with Gaspar, Lucca surveyed the room, looking for some method of revenge. After a moment, her eyes fell on the lamppost. Aha... Taking aim, she shot out the bulb, and its glass fragments fell onto the Guru's sleeping head.
"Ah! Ow! What the hell?" He shook the glass off and glared at the post. The bulb reformed, and he shifted his gaze to Lucca. "Cute. Now you're resorting to juvnile tactics."
"This coming from an old geezer who just sits back and lets the world die around him." She said, echoing his previous quip. Gaspar's eyes narrowed even more.
"Fine, then. If you're so smart, you tell me what I can do."
"You're a Guru, right? I'm guessing they didn't give you that position for your charming personality."
"I renounced those powers when I was sent here by Lavos." He responded gloomily.
"Oh? And who told you that?"
"Spekkio. At least I think that was it; he was mumbling something about a poker game. The gist of it was that technically I still have my powers, but I'll be in deep shit if I use them."
"So what it comes down to is that you're scared of breaking the rules?" Lucca laughed mockingly.
"Ha. Like it would make any difference if I did. You guys are four humans, a robot, a bipedal frog and a wierd mystic-human guy against a gigantic thing that can destroy the entire planet in less than a minute. Do you honestly think you stand a chance?"
"Well, it's better than just sitting around here growing mold!"
"Look, girl, you've already had one guy killed. Do you want the rest of yas to end up the same?"
"If we don't the world's gonna go to shit anyways. What have we got to lose?"
"You could just stay here. Nothing'll kill you here."
"What the hell kinda life is that? Nothing to do... just sit here for all eternity?!" For once, Gaspar didn't respond.
MAY 31, 2300 AD
"So this be the top..." Frog murmured. The blinding snowstorms below did not exist up here; they had risen above the dark clouds that covered the planet, and the setting sun smiled its benediction onto the clean white snow. A single dead tree stood on the summit, but even that seemed less like a mark of death and more like a part of the land. Marle stood in front of the tree, with Frog and Magus flanking her.
"We beg of you... all who dwell in the light and fight against the darkness..." She raised the Trigger above her head. "Please aid us... return Crono!"
The Trigger began slowly flashing, then faster and faster, until it was a sphere of brilliant white light. All of their eyes were on it as the egg rose into the air and moved out over the sky beyond the mountain... and with a sound that they would remember as long as they lived, shattered.
Nobody spoke as the fragments rained down and were lost in the murky clouds below. After several moments, Marle slowly sank to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. Frog and Magus looked at each other, the same thought ringing in both their minds.
Her grieving was bad enough the first time... then she had her hope renewed, that he may not be gone forever... if she goes through the same thing again, it could be fatal this time!
"Cowards!" Frog shouted angrily out over the skies. "Ye doth go back on your promise to the lass? And ye call yourselves spirits of good? Faugh!"
"The toad's right!" Magus joined in. "The hell was THAT? You promised it would work, and now you're just saying 'Nah, I don't feel like it'? You oughta be the ones fed to Lavos!" Marle also raised her head, then got to her feet.
"No! We tried so hard... CRONO!!! DON'T LEAVE MEEEEE!"
Rumble... all three of them heard the massive, earthshaking noise that echoed across the skies.
"Shit... did we wake up Lavos?" Magus demanded. Marle gasped.
"No... it's something else... look!" The other two followed her gaze, and watched as the sun was completely eclipsed... not by the moon, but by something else. When the entire sphere was covered, there was a blinding flash...
MAY 13, 12000 BC
The three dropped onto the ground, then stared. They were in the Ocean Palace, right before Crono's death. Everybody was there... Lavos, Zeal, Schala, themselves... and Crono. But...
"They be like stone statues..." Frog marveled. Magus gazed around, unbelievingly.
"A time freeze... I never thought it possible..." He looked at his frozen self, lying on the floor. "A shame...we weren't able to change a damned thing with Zeal." His eyes then fell across Schala, and he said no more.
"We'll just exchange the clone for Crono." Marle smiled as she hauled the hero out of the air, then positioned the doll where he had been. "Crono... we did it... he's alive!"
"Save the hellos for later!" Magus grumbled. "We've got work to do."
"Aye. This is an eerie place... let us withdraw quickly." Frog concurred. There was another blinding flash...
JUNE 1, 2300 AD
The first thing they saw was the tree... the snow in its branches sparkling with a brilliant light. The rest of the scene faded in around it slowly; the sunset had changed to a beautiful sunrise, shining light on the world below. The black clouds had momentarily faded, showing the entire ruined world the beauty of sunlight. Even the snowstorms on Death Peak had stopped. The peace was only momentary... but for now, it seemed the entire world was singing along with the group in joy. For Crono had returned.
Wha... what happened... Crono mused as he looked around. Where am I... Frog... Magus?... and... Marle...
"Crono how dost thou feel?" Frog asked softly. The teen gave him a weary grin.
"Alive, Frog. Alive." The knight just smiled until Magus tapped on the shoulder. "Eh?"
"Let's make ourselves scarce for a bit." Magus whispered, pointing at Marle, who was just staring at Crono, saying nothing. "They need to be alone." Frog nodded, and the two retreated.
"Hey, Marle." Crono said slowly. "I can see you've been doing a lot... I thought I was a goner. And what's Magus... OOF!" Marle had grabbed him in a fierce hug and kissed him in the same motion. After the moment, which seemed to last forever, she smiled and lightly clonked him on the head.
"You big lug! Don't you EVER do that again! We went through so much to get you back... first we... and then... and... HEY! Crono, are you even listening?"
"Sorry, Marle... right now, all I want to do is look at you... you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She smiled and kissed him again.
"Oh, Crono... I missed you so much..." He slowly nodded.
"That was the hardest part... knowing that I was letting you down... now that I'm back, though, I can promise you that I will never leave you again, Marle. And this time, I'll keep my promise... no matter what." He ran his hand through her hair. "Nothing will ever seperate us again..."
"Promise?"
"Promise. I love you, Marle, and nothing even Lavos can do will change that. And as long as we keep that in mind... nothing can seperate us."
Rumble... rumble... Both of them looked up as their teammates ran back over.
"No... we woke him up!" Magus cursed. Marle's eyes grew wide.
"Lavos... no, this can't be! After all we went through... it can't end like this!"
For a moment, death seemed inevitable... and then, with a flash, salvation arrived in the form of an old man in a trenchcoat and bowler hat.
"HURRY! COME ON!" Gaspar urged.
"But... I thought you said you couldn't do that!" Marle choked. Gaspar groaned and looked behind them.
"SO I BROKE THE RULES! THAT DOESNT MATTER NOW! MOVE!" Marle ran in, closely followed by Magus and Frog. Crono was the last, and as Gaspar jumped back in with him, sealing it, he caught a glimpse... of a gigantic, warped green hand...