Alyster was hurtling down the dark chasm, their flashlight being the only thing illuminating the rock around them. As they were falling faster though, a blue light was starting to show at the bottom. Showing the surface of the porthole. They realized they needed to slow themselves down and thrust their hands forward, generating a flame that was powerful enough to slow their fall. They were like a SpaceX rocket landing back on earth! Feet before the ground, they were able to flip backwards and land on their knees. Alyster had never done something so exerting on their body and was heaving for air. They rested on all fours for a moment until they heard Dark Red and Dipper land behind them. Looking up towards the light, they realized it was a beam shooting out of the ground. They got up and walked towards the hole in the ground. "Wait." Red warned. "Be careful, I've never been this close to this amount of power."
"Thanks Red, but I'll be fine!" Alyster countered.
"Yea, Red, don't worry!" Dipper added sarcastically.
Alyster took the first steps to the beam. The path jutted out of the ground and at the blue light illuminated the rocky dome. They didn't even need their flashlight anymore. Coming to the top of the stairs, they looked down the narrow passage and were almost blinded by the energy! They realized the way to the core wasn't big enough for them to get through, and they didn't know what to do. Afraid, they asked Red "What now?"
"You can summon it yourself, Dark Blue. A part of the core's energy is in you, so use that power!" Red encouraged. They took the advice and Alyster focused all their strength, reaching out to the core with one hand. There was no change though and they were putting a lot of stress on their body. Trying even harder to focus, Alyster knelt down and put their outstretched hand in the opening. A beam of light then focused on their palm, and the orb started to move! It sped up through the passage and Alyster grasped it as soon as they felt it hit their hand. They got up and held the power source in their hand, light flooding the entire dome! Turning to Red and Dipper, they held up the core in triumph. "EXCELLENT!" Dark Red cheered. "Now we can bring it to Lithiri and we will have our planet back!" He said to Dipper, holding back his tears.
Dipper sniveled as well, saying "I can't believe this day has finally come, thank you Alyster!"
Alyster smiled at their new comrades, grateful they were finally able to help someone. Looking at the core on their hand, they realized their hand had turned blue like the core, and they were feeling stronger than ever before. Neither of the aliens noticed as they walked up to them and handed the core to Red, who had the most satisfying grin on his face. Alyster panicked for a second, thinking they had depleted the core's power, but it still looked the same. "Dipper, will you send a message to the ship that we need a short trip back?" Red ordered.
"Yessir." He replied, grabbing his control panel to call the cockpit. Right away the droid answered.
"What is it, Dipper?" The minion squeaked.
"Are you able to send a portal to our location?" Dipper asked.
"Yes, the machinery is now functional, just give me a moment!" As soon as the droid finished, a portal opened up beside them and Alyster walked right through with the aliens. As they got back on the ship, a company of droids were waiting the ship for their master's arrival, cheering as they saw the core in his grasp.
"My loyal servants, our mission is complete! We can go home to beautiful Lithiri, to our families!" Red declared to his crew.
The aliens cheered even more, and Red had to calm them down. "Go, make preparations for out journey, we set out in an hour!" The cockpit emptied and Red turned to Alyster "Now I have a proposition for you. Dipper and I were talking about how helpful you've been and we don't want to leave you on earth, so we were wondering if you would like to live on Lithiri with us."
"What? Are you serious?" Alyster blurted, taking off their helmet. They were surprised Red was offering them a whole new life on a planet, and considering their life on earth with powers was going to be difficult, they didn't know what else they could do but take up his offer.
"Yes" Red interrupted their thoughts. "You have been a loyal comrade and we don't want to leave you here. Please, it'll make me so happy!" He seduced, Dipper nodding behind him.
"Well, I think it'd be fun….." Alyster trailed off as they looked over Red's shoulder to a planet they thought was mars, but it wasn't red enough and there was snow on the top and bottom. Were they in another system? They hadn't felt the ship move… "Red, where are we?" They asked.
"We're still above earth Blue, we haven't gone anywhere!" Red stated.
"Tha-that's earth?!" They stammered, looking down at the barren planet. "What happened?"
"You did." Red replied. "You pulled out the core, that's what happens!"
"You didn't tell me it was gonna suck the life out of Earth!" They turned, their hands glowing blue. They had sucked up a lot of power from the core, and it was hard to control it. "What did the core even do?!"
"It sustains diverse life as it did on your planet. Now there will still be some creatures and plants on earth, but not half as much. That's what Lithiri's like right now!" Red stated.
"I did this?" Alyster collapsed on the floor looking down on the ravaged earth. It was no longer the beautiful blue planet, but a desert. They realized with a shock why Red needed it so much. They wished they could grab the core and reverse it all, but would putting the core back in the porthole actually reverse the apocalypse they wrought? Or would it just make it a livable wasteland? And besides, Red had locked the core away already. "I guess I have no choice but to come with you." They lamented. Their emotions were running high and a familiar voice whispered to them be smart, there is still something you can do!
"It's ok Blue, you'll love it on Lithiri! It won't look so good at first, but once we put the core back in its rightful place, it'll be a paradise!" Red ensured them, putting his hand on their shoulder.
Red's touch was cold and Alyster nudged his hand off, retorting "Whatever, just let me be! And stop calling me Blue all the time, it's just a title!" They jumped to their feet and sauntered down the hallway, leaving Red conflicted. They found the armory again and realized they had nowhere to sleep. Knocking on the doorframe, they called out "Maestro?" The navy tailor bounced out of his station and zoomed over to Alyster.
"What can I do for you Dark Blue?" He chirped.
"I need a place to sleep, where is that?" They asked, sighing off him using their title again.
"Ah, the dorms are this way, follow me!" He piped, scuttling down the hall. The doorway at the end of the ship opened up to a series of even smaller doors, and Alyster had to crouch down to fit into the cell. They started to take off their armor and put it beside the bed, but Maestro grabbed it saying "Let me take those for you, I'll make them even better for you when you wake up!" Picking up the armband, he glanced at the burn around the wrist. "Is this from the core? You must've been holding it a long time!"
"Uh, yea I guess I was.." Alyster mustered. They were too tired to think.
"That is so cool!" He squealed, his mechanical eyes glowing. He scanned the entirety of the armor after Alyster had taken it all off. "And to my readings, your power has also surpassed the strength of this metal! Why is that?" He asked curiously.
"I…don't know…" Alyster lied. They were too tired to explain what happened when they grabbed the core.
"Well, not to worry, I'll make it even stronger! Have a good sleep!" Maestro said, grabbing all the armor and rolled out the door. It shut after him, and Alyster finally had some privacy. Falling back on the mattress, they closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep, not before thinking of their act of calamity. They had brought carnage on the earth without knowing, their identity was torn from them with their stupid title, and the last thing they wanted to think about was Cassie. With all these burdens, they wished they could reset their whole week and stop all of this from ever happening. Was it possible now though? To reset everything, to save the world they ruined? Maybe, just maybe, they could get the core back and revive the earth, but right now they were too weak to take on Red and his army alone. And who knows, maybe Lithiri won't be that bad.
10 hours later:
Alyster woke up slowly as a light faded on in their quarters. The door slid open as they tried to lift themselves up from bed. "Good morning, Alyster!" Dark Red beckoned at the door. Maestro was at his side and was carrying their refurbished armor. He began fitting it on as Red gave them the itinerary for the day. They were nearing Lithiri, and the planet's resting spot for the core there was in a crevasse near the ship-port. "I'll still need your help handling the core, and once we successfully get the core back in it's rightful place, Lithiri will be restored to its former glory!" their leader finished.
"Sounds like a plan, Red! Just let me get something to eat, I'm starving after yesterday!" Alyster requested. Maestro handed them their helmet, bowed, and scuttled off. Getting up, their armor and shoes definitely felt stronger and it made them feel a little more confident.
"Ok, but make it quick! I'll be needing you soon!" Red ordered. Alyster found their way to the eatery by themselves, and the asked the chef to fabricate some eggs on toast. It was the most filling thing for them. Finishing up their coffee, they made their way to the cockpit, feeling very uneasy about the day ahead. They were starting to feel split on their new allegiance, and they felt sick thinking of what they did to the earth. They needed to figure out some way to heal it. Just then, Red interrupted their thoughts. "There you are, I've been waiting for you!"
"Why?" They asked.
"Because, we're here." Red motioned with his hand to the window and there was a dark, mountainous planet beneath their feet. They had made it to Lithiri.