Well, I wanted to write about the fight between Frog and Magus shortly after Chrono dies. It was mostly to piss off all the Magus fangirls, cause I remember how pissed off I was when my brother killed Magus in his game (we were in grade school). Then I remembered that I AM one of those Magus fangirls and I couldn't bear to just leave it at that. So I wrote the other ending as well. And then tried to decide which one I liked better. And found they both had their merits. So yeah. Chapter one goes up until the point where I branched off, chapters two and three are the two different endings I wrote. Pick the one you like best or read them both. Enjoy.

Lucca's breath was coming in short gasps as they rounded the base of the incline. It crystallized in the artic air and clung to her lips as frost. Marle paused for a moment and she huddled close to the other girl, wrapping her arms around her diaphragm.

"I'm making it," Lucca said between her panting, "I'll be fine."

Marle didn't answer. Frog had slowed his own run into a slow walk, plowing through the snow with his eyes fixed on the summit of the hill they'd been climbing. The wind was strong here and all they could make out of the figure was the flapping of his cloak and his long, long blue-white hair. Lucca was shivering violently.

Frog should be the most winded of all of them. The snow was thick – up to Lucca's knee – and he was the shortest of all of them. And yet her and Marle were the ones following in his wake and struggling to keep up. If Chrono were here… she stopped that train of thought.

"He's been trained as a knight," Marle whispered back, guessing her thoughts, "Don't take it hard."

"I'm not."

It was just surprising, that's all.

Frog turned to the two of them, his hand closing around the hilt of Masamune.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

Lucca merely nodded. Together, the three walked up the last incline to the summit, where Magus was waiting. It was like a raven, perched at the pinnacle and watching the fields below for the battle to end and its time to feast on the remains. But maybe he was grieving. He'd just lost everything – and if Lucca was tracing the time stream in her mind right – this was the second time he'd lost his homeland and his sister in his life. How lonely it must be.

"Magus!" Frog cried, stepping forwards and drawing his sword. The ring of metal sliding across metal was loud in the clean air.

The mystic half-turned his head and Lucca caught a glimpse of dark eyes from behind the veil of blowing hair. There were dark circles under his eyes.

"Marle," Lucca whispered, "It isn't too late to end this, is it?"

Marle didn't reply, just stepped forwards behind Frog and silently put a bolt to her crossbow. Magus seemed to sigh – maybe it was the wind tussling his cape – and turned to face them. He brought one gloved hand up and all three of them tensed, thinking he was preparing a spell, but instead he unfastened the clasp of his cloak and let the wind have it. His scythe was stuck in the snow beside him.

"For many long years have I sought thee," Frog said, grim, "and now, tis time for a reckoning. Sins must be atoned for."

"She was such a proud woman," Magus said more to himself than anyone else, and his eyes were focused out beyond them, "and it seems that this was her downfall. Perhaps mine as well. Maybe we really can't rewrite our past." And this time, he was looking directly at them. "Your friend was a fool to throw away his life like that."

"Shut up!" Marle cried.

"At least he knows what's important! We're going to stop Lavos, bring Chrono back," Lucca said, and her hand was on her gun, "and we've had enough of your interference."

"Enough talk." His hand closed around his scythe and he lifted it, sweeping it out and falling into stance. "We end this now."

Lucca pulled her gun and switched the safety off. She could feel the cold in her stomach welling up and she grimly ignored it. None of them were meant to be fighters. Not her, not Marle, and maybe not even Chrono. But here they were. And this had to be done.

"No," Frog said, holding out a hand towards them, "This battle tis mine alone."