Chapter 6: Ecks' Redemption

Later, True was being fitted for her wedding dress by a tailor. Once the tailor was finished making the necessary measurements, he got to work, and True later finished on the finished product.

"I look great." she smiled.

"Marvelous!" the tailor grinned. "You're going to look fabulous!"

"I guess so." True sighed.

But in her mind, True was still not sure about getting married at her current age.

"Why am I getting married so soon in my life?" she pondered to herself. "When I'm twenty, maybe, but not now. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess, no matter how weird it may be."

Meanwhile, Zee and Bartleby had returned back to the kingdom, and saw the place bustling with activity, since everyone was getting ready for the wedding, putting up balloons and other decorations as well as setting up the buffet table.

"What's going on?" Bartleby whispered.

His answer came soon enough, because Zee noticed a flyer advertising the wedding between Ecks and True tacked to a post.

"Hello, what have we here?" he asked.

He took the flyer from the post and examined it.

"Well, this is...interesting." he commented.

"What?" questioned Bartleby.

Zee handed Bartleby the flyer, and when the latter saw it, he crumpled it up, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it.

"There's no way that monster is marrying my best friend after everything he did!" Bartleby ranted.

"Shhh!" Zee hissed. "Not so loud!"

But it was too late, because two guards on patrol noticed Zee and Bartleby.

"Hey, it's the other two fugitives!" one of them pointed out.

"Let's get them!" added the other.

And before Zee and Bartleby knew it, their hands were once again bound, this time by iron shackles, and they were taken before Ecks.

"Well, well, if it isn't Zee, my little brother." Ecks sneered. "How pleasent of you to come."

"Do you want us to put them in the dungeon, sir?" Guard 1 asked.

"No." Ecks replied. "Take off their bindings."

The guards nodded and complied.

"Now leave us." Ecks ordered. "And take the cat with you."

"Yes, sir." Guard 2 said.

The guards then left, taking Bartleby with them.

"My master and I have been expecting you, Zee." Ecks then informed his brother.

"Oh, have you now?" Zee questioned.

"Yes." affirmed Ecks. "I'll take you to him."

With that, the brothers went into the throne room and found Nocto seated.

"He's here, Master, as we have planned." Ecks reported.

"Good, my apprentice, good." Nocto smiled. "Now, onto the final phase of our plan. Is his seat reserved?"

"Yes, Master." Ecks replied.

"What seat?" Zee asked.

"Your front-row seat for the wedding." came Nocto's answer.

"Wait, this is for real?!" Zee gasped.

"It is, Zee." said a voice.

It was True.

"True, why are you doing this?" Zee demanded. "You know you're too young to get married!"

"I know, I know." True sighed. "But I had to agree to this. Nocto says so."

"No, you don't have to do this." Zee said.

"I'm sorry, but I must." True sighed again.

"The girl is right." Nocto added.

"Well, I have to go, I need to practice." True said.

True then left, and Zee looked at Nocto and his brother, his eyes burning with anger.

"You can't do this!" he snarled. "She's much too young!"

Nocto smiled evilly as he witnessed Zee becoming angry.

"Good." he chuckled. "You have taken your first steps into your brother's place as my apprentice."

Ecks was apalled.

"Master, what are you talking about?" Ecks inquired.

"Your training is complete, Ecks." Nocto replied. "It is time for my to gain a new apprentice."

"You told me that you would help me become ruler of this land!" Ecks ranted.

"Don't worry, keep on doing what I taught you and you will succeed." Nocto reassured.

"I don't think that'll be happening." said Zee.

Zee then reached for the Baton of Harmony, which was clipped to his belt, and held it up towards Nocto.

"This party's over before it even begins." Zee announced.

Nocto couldn't believe what Zee was doing.

"Imbecile!" he snapped.

Nocto then conjured up a ball of red magic in his hands and threw it towards Zee, sending him flying into a wall and causing him to drop the Baton.

"Brother!" Ecks cried out.

"Surely, there is one way to settle this." Nocto decided.

Nocto then used his magic to produce two swords, one with a blue hilt and one with a red hilt.

"Whoever wins shall be my apprentice forever more." Nocto announced.

He gave the sword with the red hilt to Ecks and the blue-hilted one to Zee. Each took up a sword and soon enough, a duel was underway, the sounds of metal against metal sounding throughout the room. Outside, all the wedding guests had gathered and was waiting for Ecks to show up, including True and Bartleby, who had been forced to act as the officiator of the ceremony.

"Where is he?" one guest asked.

"I don't know." answered a second.

Just then, trumpets sounded.

"CHARGE!" a voice shouted.

And before anyone knew it, Chief Filarion and Prince Elmer charged into the kingdom, followed by their troops.

"Yes!" Bartleby cried out with joy.

Then, Grizelda, who was wearing a red camouflage outfit, black boots, stripes of red paint on her cheeks, and her hair in a "cinnamon bun"-like shape on both sides of her head, followed by her guerilla forces, joined in, firing paintball guns on Ecks' guards, who had been caught completely off guard. Grizelda then spoke up.

"Citizens of the Rainbow Kingdom!" she barked. "Ecks has ransacked our city and left thousands homeless, and he has imprisoned our beloved Rainbow King in his own dungeon agsinst his will! And now he has planned to claim this kingdom as his own! Will we allow it?!"

Everyone who was in attendance roared with war cries, and soon enough, a huge battle was underway. Inside the castle, Zee and Ecks were still dueling, when Zee managed to strike his sword into his brother's leg, creating a cut on it in the process, causing Ecks to cry out in pain, drop his sword, and drop to the ground.

"Good, good." Nocto grinned as he watched this happen. "Now, finish your brother off and take his place by my side."

"Please, Zee, don't do this!" Ecks pleaded to his brother. "Don't do it!"

Zee raised his sword and got ready to deliver the finishing blow, but then he looked into his brother's face and saw an expression of fear and pain.

"Don't hesitate, boy." Nocto commanded. "Strike your brother down and become my apprentice in the ways of Dark Wish magic."

Zee looked at Nocto, then back at Ecks, and finally, he turned his whole body towards Nocto and tossed his sword aside.

"Never." Zee boldly stated then. "I'll never use Wish magic for evil. You've failed, Nocto. I will always use Wish magic for good, as the Great Agithar taught me."

Nocto scowled at Zee.

"So be it." he snarled.

Nocto them pulled back his robe to reveal a Wish pack like Ecks'.

"Shocko, awaken." he commanded.

A glowing red orb flew out of the pack and transformed itself into a thunderbolt. Nocto then looked directly at Zee.

"If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed." Nocto said.

Nocto then made a throwing motion with his left hand, and Shocko zapped Zee with a bolt of red lightning, causing him to scream in pain and drop to his knees.

"Your feeble skills are no match for the power of Dark Wish magic." Nocto taunted.

Nocto repeated the throwing motion and Shocko kept zapping Zee, who continued screaming in agony.

"You have paid the price for your lack of vision." Nocto taunted again.

Nocto kept torturing Zee by zapping him with Shocko, and Zee managed to look up at Ecks, who was now standing by Nocto's side.

"Brother, please!" Zee pleaded weakly. "Help me!"

Ecks repeatedly exchanged glances at Nocto and Zee.

"No..." Ecks said quietly as he looked at Zee, continuing to watch him suffer at the hands of Nocto.

He then realized what needed to be done.

"NO!" he screamed.

And then, despite the injury to his leg, Ecks ran over to where the Baton of Harmony lay on the ground, grabbed it, and pointed it towards Nocto. A ball of blue energy fired from the Baton's tip and struck Nocto, knocking him unconscious, and thus ending the warlock's attack on Zee. Ecks then limped over to Zee and held out his hand.

"Brother, let me help you to your feet." he offered.

Zee smiled as he accepted his brother's offer.

"I knew there was still some good in you." Zee affirmed.

And then, something strange happened. An aura of blue light surrounded Ecks, lifting him two feet into the air. As Zee looked on in awe, Ecks' outfit changed from his black, white, and gray outfit into one that was an exact duplicate of Zee's, and while his hair retained its black color, his eyes turned from red a bright sky blue color. In addition, the injury on his leg was healed. Once this transformation was complete, it lowered Ecks down slowly back on the ground. Once he landed, Zee ran to his brother and embraced him.

"Welcome back to the Light Side, brother." Zee smiled.

"It's good to be back." Ecks smiled in return.

Ecks then heard the sounds of the raging battle outside.

"What's going on out there?" Ecks inquired.

"I'll show you." Zee replied.

Zee led his brother to one of the castle balconies and showed him what was currently happening. Ecks was horrified when he saw the damage he had caused when he first began his attack back in Chapter 1.

"What have I done?!" he gasped as he dropped to his knees.

Zee put a hand on Ecks' shoulder.

"It's not too late." Zee comforted. "Order your men to release the Rainbow King from wherever you're holding him. He'll know how to fix this."

Ecks nodded, and he summoned the closest guards available.

"Release the Rainbow King from his cell and put Nocto in his place." Ecks ordered. "Quickly!"

"Right away." one of the guards nodded.

The guards dragged Nocto's unconscious body away by the arms and later came back with the Rainbow King, who was still a stone statue, which was quickly corrected by Zee with the Baton.

"Where am I?" the Rainbow King wondered out loud once he was fully animate again.

the King then heard the sounds of what was going on outside.

"And what is that racket?" he added.

Zee explained everything.

"I see." said the King. "Well, it's time to put things right."

The trio went outisde, and while Zee looked on, Ecks pointed the Baton of Harmony and the Rainbow King his Rainbow Scepter into the sky. A beam of blue light shot out from Ecks' wand and a rainbow-colored one from the King's scepter. Together, both their magicks met with one another and formed a wave of magic, which turned everything, and everyone, back to normal. The damaged buildings were fully restored to their former glory and the guards' uniforms reverted back to their old ones. Needless to say, everyone was in awe over what was going on and stopped fighting to look around. Zee looked over at Ecks and smiled.

"Good job, Ecks." he praised.

"Thanks, brother." Ecks smiled.

End of Chapter 6