INTERLUDE: THE INCIDENT
The tension. Face to face with the one that was going to take it all from them. Everyone watched with tension. Queen Kate Acorn vs the new King Ixis Naugus. The battle for the crown was about to begin. Or so they thought.
"Ms. Swift…"
"It's Queen Acorn to you. You do not deserve that crown, you're a traitor to the Acorn name."
"Ahh, but see, that's where you're wrong. Your dear, pathetic father-in-law made a deal with me within the Zone. If I helped him, he'd grant me the throne. And that's exactly what I did. So I am the rightful heir to the throne, not that poor excuse for a former king over there."
She turned to look at the Acorns. Alicia… Sally… Elias… And Max. He looked the most shameful of them all. He knew this was all his fault. The Kingdom was lost to Naugus thanks to him.
Seeing she knew now he was telling the truth, it was time to give her her ultimatum. "Now, listen here. I'm going to give you a choice. You can stay here with me, and I will allow you to continue to rule as Queen… Or you give up your place on the throne and I will come for you and your family. You've already seen my crystalline magic in the works, so what will it be… Katerina Acorn?"
She thought, torn. She looked around. The crowd were waiting anxiously for her answer. She stared at herself, long and hard. What should she do? She looked at Sonic, who was giving her a look of pity, the rest of the Freedom Fighters, who gave her a look of concern… And then to her in-laws and husband, who were giving her a look of sadness. She couldn't continue to be Queen. She had to be by their side, no matter what.
The entire crowd gasped as Kate walked over to Naugus, taking off her crown before kneeling in front of him, holding her crown up to him. Ixis Naugus grinned, finally, an opportunity to target the Acorns.
"St. John… Take the crown." The skunk nodded and took the crown from her hands, holding it for himself. He didn't know what they'd use it for, but they'd use it somehow. Kate stood up, and walked back over to her in-laws, standing next to Elias and slipping her hand into his.
"I do not serve you, I will NEVER serve you, I serve beside my husband and my husband only." Elias looked at her with a smile that reassured her. She still kept her promise after all this time, back when they had to step up and become King and Queen to stop Patch's master plan that had permanently affected Max.
"And so you've made your choice, and now you will suffer the consequences!" Kate's eyes went wide as Naugus raised his staff, his crystalline magic charging up. She quickly dashed as to not get her family in danger, and braced as Naugus hit her with his crystalline magic directly in her limiters, the both of them immediately turning to crystal, cracking and falling apart, hitting the ground. IT was now free to take control.
"Kate-! No-!"
The last thing she heard before it took control. Who knows what kind of CATASTROPHIC damage it would cause now that the throne had been abdicated by the most dangerous person on Mobius.