His head ached- pounded as if someone with a temper problem was building a house on his head. And bad as that was, the worry and fear gnawing at his stomach was worse.
Lucas groaned as he slowly began pushing himself to his knees, trying to remember what had happened, why his head hurt so bad- and not just his head, but his whole body, including his heart- his heart hurting worst of all. Instinctively, his fingers grasped at it as he looked up.
For a moment, he stared uncomprehendingly at the huge stone doors in front of them, now open wide enough that a herd of dragos could pass through them easily- and then, suddenly remembering what those doors were, where they were, Lucas turned to his side and saw Claus on the ground next to him.
His brother was lying there, motionless, the Commander's helmet rolling empty on the ground a short distance away, and he was so silent and still, it was almost like he was-
Memories that had previously returned suddenly screamed, demanded his attention-
Lucas's life literally flashed before his eyes-things that normally would've been out of reach he remembered-
He remembered being born, following his brother into a strange place, wide and so open, and cold- the voices of their family the only familiar things welcoming them to the world- their grandpa dancing all over the place in his joy, their father crying in happiness as he held his sons for the first time, their mother singing to them-
He remembered growing, remembered learning to walk and talk- remembered watching Claus in curiosity as he began wiggling and inching his way along the floor, then, realizing his brother was getting further away, he began hurriedly trying to follow-
Remembered getting lost in the woods with Claus- they'd been trying to catch a jar full of fireflies because Mom had been complaining about not having enough light to do her work because it'd been getting darker earlier, and they'd thought that the fireflies could help her-
He remembered the day he and Claus turned ten- they'd been so excited- ten had seemed so old, so grownup- remembered going up to visit Grandpa with Mom- remembered the dragos bringing their babies over- remembered beginning the walk back to the village, back home- remembered the Mecha-Drago.
Vaguely, Lucas was aware of his connection to his body- of the reality in the unreality that surrounded them- of tears falling from his eyes- he managed to slowly- slowly reach out-
The memories kept crashing into him with all the force of thunder-
Mom's funeral, Claus's disappearance, Dad returning home with only his shoes-
But Lucas managed to reach out and grab his brother's hand- Claus grasped it like a drowning man to a lifeline, so tight it almost hurt- but it was a lifeline for Lucas too, reminding him that despite the pain flashing in front of his eyes-
Dad leaving to search for Claus again-
The village becoming more and more different, changing so much it was becoming almost unrecognizable-
Despite that, all that was the past- the present was that he and Claus were together- were here, about to finally wake up the Dragon-
The introduction of DP, finding he couldn't just trade anymore- the Old Men's Home, the Pigmasks dragging Grandpa away to make him live there, despite Lucas and Grandpa both protesting that he could just live with Lucas, that he could just sleep in Dad's bed since he never used it anymore anyway-
Learning of Club Titiboo and the possibility that Duster was there- meeting Kumatora again- getting Duster to come with- chasing after the Egg of Light-
Getting mistaken for the Commander-wearing clothes that weren't his but fit just right-
Lucas tightened his grip on his brother's hand convulsively.
Thunder Tower- just for a second, meeting the Commander's eyes before he ran back inside- opening his mouth to cry out to him, to call to him- but then Rope Snake lost his grip, and they fell-
Falling- seeing his mother's ghost in the sunflower field- chasing after her, only to end up falling again-
Seeing Ionia again- learning about the Needles- the chimera research facility- Salsa- and then being reunited with Kumatora-
His first time pulling a Needle- feeling the touch of a mind that was alien, but not so alien- a lonely heart that reached out hesitatively, tentatively, for his-
Snowcap Mountain- again, meeting the masked man- briefly meeting his eyes- knowing, knowing that this was the person pulling the needles- and suddenly understanding why Claus hadn't come home-
Claus's hand dug into his- Lucas gripped it back- he didn't want to see anymore- he didn't- but he couldn't stop-
Saturn Valley- finding and rescuing Duster- battling Fassad-
Pulling his second Needle- again the touch of the strange mind- being recognized as the one from before- and shyly welcomed-
Tanetane Island- the hallucinations- their words echoing in his head as he faced the boy/man he knew was his brother- too overwhelmed, too exhausted from emotions and battle both to do anything as the lightening rushed towards him-
Finding the village deserted- Ionia-
Getting the Courage Badge back from the Mr. Saturn- lifting it to the light and seeing the word "Franklin" engraved on it-
Finding the Pigmasks already at the temple- the Badge reflecting the lightening- being forced to fight Claus- Claus running away again when the battle was over-
Being taken to New Pork City- learning about the White Ship from Leder, suddenly understanding why the villagers couldn't understand pain, couldn't deal with pain- the interrupted DCMC concert-
Tense, so tense, knowing that Claus was close but not knowing where-
Fighting the Porky bots- the DCMC breaking in at the last minute- the last people who still believed in what was good gathering to face Porky- Porky appearing and taunting them- the trap-
Falling and thinking of Claus, of wings that didn't free, only entangled further-
Dad demanding to go first- only waiting a few minutes before going after him- seeing his hat floating through the air, Lucas felt his heart clench- for a moment so afraid that he'd have to add Dad's hat to the drawer that held the scrap from Mom's dress and Claus's shoes- and then finding him again, battered but alive- hearing him confirm that yes, Claus was the masked man-
Fighting Porky- the Absolutely Safe Capsule-
Going forward- praying, praying with every step he took-
Claus was so close, so very close- finding him, kneeling there in front of the last needle- waiting for him-
Claus turning and unleashing the lightening- the others knocked out- the lightening reflecting off the Franklin Badge and hitting Claus- the fight-
Lucas hadn't been able to bring himself to hit his brother, not even once-
Mom's voice breaking in- her memory washing over them-
Claus's attacks becoming halfhearted- Lucas's hope growing even as his bruises multiplied- Claus was listening, he was beginning to understand, Lucas knew he was-
And then the lightening came for the last time-
Lucas came back to himself fully- realized that he was screaming- he collapsed, his free hand grabbing at the ground to keep from falling over.
He was thirteen again, his hands strong from the work he'd done to keep everything going when everyone else had gone away, his arms and legs gangly, still growing but strong-
Claus!
Lucas had been on his knees- Claus was still flat on his face, still unmoving.
Not bearing to think it, Lucas quickly grabbed his brother with his other hand too.
"Claus!" He grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up slightly, just so his torso was off the cold ground. "Claus!" He shook him. "Claus, look at me!"
There was a horrible familiarity to this- it was far too much like holding onto Claus's body after he'd used the Franklin Badge Lucas had been wearing to run away from Lucas for good, to a place he couldn't follow for a long time-
"Claus!" Lucas shook him again, his fingers gripping into his brother's skin, only vaguely aware of the terror in his voice.
Mismatched eyes fluttered- briefly, so briefly that Lucas couldn't even see the color of the eyes beneath- then fluttered again before slowly, slowly opening. His brother's mismatched eyes met his- stared into his- briefly, briefly, before he shut them again, shut them so tightly like it was almost like a door slammed shut.
"Look at me Claus." Lucas demanded, still scared, but now for a different reason. His brother was alive, but-
"…why…why am I- how am I still alive?" he seemed to ask the question of the empty air- his eyes opened again, but didn't met Lucas's- they kept fluttering about, not landing on anything.
"I don't know." Lucas answered just as softly, "I'm just glad you are."
Claus's eyes returned to him before skittering away again- Lucas dropped his eyes, hoping it would help his brother calm down.
Just like how Lucas was thirteen again, now that he had his memories back, Claus was too. He was taller now, though he and Lucas were still the same height, and his right arm, the mechanical one that could change into a cannon, hung heavy at his side. His clothes had changed as well- actually, both their clothes had changed, although Lucas dressed the same as he had back then, so his clothes might as well have been the same.
But even though Claus was wearing the Commander outfit, he still had the Franklin Badge that Lucas had pinned to his shirt- which had changed into the black jacket he'd worn as the Commander- at the start of this adventure. Remembering everything now, Lucas was really glad he'd insisted on giving on the Badge to Claus.
Claus's eyes followed his line of sight- he saw the Franklin Badge too. For a moment, he stared down at it- then he whispered something.
Lucas bent closer. "What was that Claus? I couldn't hear you."
"…take it back."
"Huh? Take what back?" he asked, puzzled- and then he knew.
Claus reached up- plucked at the Badge with his fingers gently. "Take it back."
For a moment, Lucas was frozen- not knowing what to say or do- but he did know what he wasn't going to do- he wasn't going to let Claus kill himself again- and the knowledge of what he wasn't going to do led him to the knowledge of what he was going to do.
Lucas shook his head.
"Take it back." there was a begging note in his brother's voice now- almost a plea.
"No." Lucas said simply. "I wore it before- now it's your turn."
"Lucas, take it back." Claus was pulling at it now, almost yanking at it- Lucas carefully grabbed his hands, mechanical and human both- Claus tried to pull away, but Lucas held on. "Take it back Lucas!"
"No way!"
"I'm not supposed to be alive anymore- I'm supposed to be dead!" Claus yanked himself backwards and one of Lucas's hands slipped off his brother's.
Instead of trying to grab a hold of the cold and slippery mechanical hand again, Lucas drew his fist back and then launched it forward, punching his brother in the face. "How long are you going to be selfish?!"
Claus was knocked back and stared up at him, stunned.
If that was all it took to get Claus's attention, maybe he should've smacked him in the battle in front of the last Needle, Lucas thought briefly, before quickly hugging his brother again. "I'm sorry about hitting you Claus- I just didn't know what else to do to get your attention- you didn't listen to me at all before...when we were at the last Needle. Claus, you used me to kill yourself- used me!"
Claus trembled- Lucas felt the vibrations of it, still holding onto him as tightly as he could.
Lucas was quiet a moment, but when Claus didn't say anything, he went on. "That hurt more than anything…it hurt bad enough when you left me behind when I wanted to go with, and it hurt bad enough when we saw each other after that and you never realized it was me- I know that those times weren't your fault, but it did hurt- and it hurt really bad when I finally caught up to you and all you wanted to do was leave me behind again and this time go somewhere I couldn't follow- but you used me to kill yourself. That hurt more than anything else, even Mom dying-it hurt more than everything else put together… I don't understand Claus- why did you do that? How could you do that?"
Claus didn't respond- didn't move, didn't say anything for a long couple of minutes.
"I missed you so much." Lucas said quietly, unmoving, still hugging his brother as tight as he could. "Sometimes at night, I'd hold your pillow and pretend it was you. After I learned how to cook, I made omelets everyday for a year, made them until I couldn't stand them anymore, hoping you'd somehow smell them and find your way home. Sometimes I'd take Boney on a walk, and I'd tell myself that we'd find you while we were out walking, that you'd be confused and maybe even bruised, but you'd okay, and you'd come home with us and everything would be okay again. And when you didn't come, and Boney and I had to start for home again, I'd tell myself that you'd be at home, waiting for us, that Dad had finally found you, and maybe even Mom was there too, and everyone was wrong about her being dead, the way they were wrong about you being dead. I did things like that until they hurt too much, and then I stopped. But I never stopped waiting for you, kept everything of yours ready for you when you did come back…but you never came home."
Claus was silent a moment longer- and then he sighed, and finally spoke. "I think maybe I thought…maybe I thought that if I beat the monster that hurt Mom, I could get her back…I could get her back, and then everything would be okay again."
"I think I know what you mean…when everybody was gathering around Mom's grave and talking about her, I had problems believing it too…I thought that it couldn't be true that Mom was dead. But at the same time… we saw her, before we fell in the river. Even as we called to her…she was already dead." Lucas hugged his brother. "It's not your fault, Claus. Nothing you could have done would've brought Mom home again."
"…I heard Dad's voice. Grandpa's too."
Lucas drew back a little bit, just enough to study his brother and give him a confused look. Of course he'd heard their voices-
Claus shook his head. "After …after the baby drago knocked me off the cliff… I blacked out. Then… I heard voices. Their voices, calling me. But then they went away. When I tried to call out to them- when I tried to follow them- I couldn't."
Lucas hugged his brother again, so tightly Claus grunted as Lucas's head hit his chest.
"…when I tried to follow them and couldn't…everything went all dark again…and then I heard Mom calling me and I tried to follow her- and then I woke up, and the sky was all dark, and there were these guys leaning over me." Lucas felt his brother shudder. "…Mom told me to go to where she was." Claus said quietly. "Do you think she's lonely, Lucas?"
Lucas hesitated. For the first time, he allowed himself to question whether that was really their mom they'd seen back in the sunflower city, or just them imagining her. But then he remembered how, in front of the entrance to the caves, the Magicant versions of Duster and Kumatora had told them that they weren't real. She hadn't said anything like that… and something as important as that, she surely would have told them right? So she must've been their real Mom.
"… I don't know Claus. She's probably with her own mom now, so that probably makes them happy. And she seemed okay when we met her back in the sunflower city, didn't she? You were awake and listening to what she said to us after she sung to us, right?"
"…yes." Claus admitted quietly.
"She told us that she loved us, and that she wished we could stay there together, but that she knew that we were needed. The world needs us, and Dad needs us, and everybody is waiting for us…and she told us to go and do what we needed to do. So don't worry about Mom. She's okay, and she wants us to be okay." Lucas said firmly. "Besides Claus, you promised me that we were gonna stick together this time, remember? Are you really going to break your promise?"
For moment, Claus froze- mismatched eyes met Lucas's sky blue ones- there was such pain in his eyes.
Lucas tried not to think of the past- tried not to think of the things that Porky must have done to Claus- tried not to think of the lonely times without him- Lucas focused on the present, here and now- he smiled at his brother. "I know it hurts Claus- you feel bad because of the things you did, the things that Porky told you do to do, right? That's okay. Everybody does things they wish they hadn't done. Like me-I wish I'd insisted- insisted that you not go after the Mecha-Drago- or least that you not go by yourself, so that you'd let me come with you. If I'd done that…maybe things would have turned out differently."
His brother's eyes widened, then looked away…but he wasn't trying to pull away anymore.
Slowly- a little hesitantly- Lucas let go- and then reached over and surrounded his older brother with a hug. Claus tensed in his arms- shuddered a bit.
"It's okay Claus, it's okay."
"No- it's not- not okay."
"But it will be." Lucas said firmly. "We'll make it okay."
"You can't just wave your hands and make this okay Lucas!" Claus pulled away- shoved him away. "Look at me!" Claus demanded, sticking out the mechanical arm. "I'm a freak now!"
Lucas unhesitatingly reached for his outstretched arm and hugged it. "No, you're not. You're my brother. You always were, even when you didn't realize it." he looked up to find Claus staring at him- not pulling away, but staring at him like he couldn't believe what he was saying either. Lucas let go of the mechanical arm and moved closer before gently tracing his brother's red eye. "I hate what they did to you." Lucas said softly. "But these things- they don't change who you are. You said it yourself Claus- you're more than an arm, and you're more than an eye too. Since you're using this arm and this eye to get stuff done, I don't hate them. If there comes a time when you don't need them anymore, I'll be happy, but until that time comes I'll accept them as something of yours."
Claus was still staring at him- but something flickered in his eyes that Lucas thought might have been understanding. He hugged him again, and Claus didn't pull away this time.
"I'm just glad you're still here with me, Claus. I know I can't just wave my hands and make it all better- I can't change the past- but we can make things better if we work together- one step at a time, one day at a time. Even if it takes a long, long time- we'd still be making things better, right?"
Claus didn't say anything- didn't move.
Lucas followed up with what he hoped would be the finishing argument. "Besides, I did promise you that I wouldn't let you do anything stupid, remember? And we still need to go get the Dragon- you're not going to make me face the Dragon all alone, are you?"
Claus straightened up and pulled back a little, which made Lucas tense in worry, until Claus met his eyes and stared at him.
"You're not going to break your promise, right?" Lucas asked again.
"But the Dragon inherited your heart- won't he be nice?"
"Everybody has dark parts to their hearts Claus." Claus looked thoughtful, and Lucas pressed on. "Besides, your heart got passed onto the Dragon too, remember? So you need to come with me to help me explain to the Dragon. If you feel bad about something, you shouldn't sit there feeling sorry for yourself- you should do something about it, right?"
Claus looked down- trembling and looking shamed again.
Lucas reached forward and hugged him again.
"It's not- it's not like picking flowers from Dona's garden, Lucas." Claus shuddered again. "That guy- he was the one responsible for Mom's death- and yet I worked for him. I called him master. I did- I did so many things for him- bad things-" Claus shuddered so much and Lucas gripped him tightly, half afraid he was going to shake himself apart. "I even hurt you- hurt you more than once- I can't be forgiven."
"I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago."
"You're my brother." at least there was something other than pain and shame in his voice now.
"Yeah, and your point is? Duster- ever since he found out, he's just been worried sick about you. Kumatora did get kinda mad, but she was worried about you too. She might yell a bit, but that's only because she cares- she wants you to come back too. Even though the two of you don't really know each other, she wants to be friends with you. And Dad- he'll be so happy to see you- it'll be a long time before it'll even occur to him to think about the things you've done. They're all waiting to forgive you, Claus."
"…what about the rest of the village?"
"Grandpa and Boney will just be happy you're okay. Mr. Wess might get a little like Kumatora- he might scold you, but he'll mostly be happy you're okay. Mr. Lighter and Fuel will feel the same way…to be honest, I don't really know about the others- but I don't really care."
Now Claus broke away and stared at him, completely shocked.
Lucas shrugged. "You're more important to me than they are. And if you've apologized and asked for forgiveness, you've done your part- whether or not they forgive you is their own decision. You can't control other people's reactions, only your own."
Claus sat there, staring at the ground, staring into space, thinking…
Lucas did his best to wait patiently- to give Claus all the time he needed. But it was hard- he itched with the urge to do something- anything- to help his brother.
But it was Claus's turn now. His time to make a choice. Of course, Lucas wouldn't let him commit suicide- he'd knock his brother out if he tried and deal with the Dragon himself- but Claus needed the chance to think for himself-
"I-" Claus said suddenly- his fists tightened- his whole body trembled- "I- I don't know- you might have a better chance if you face the Dragon by yourself- if I'm not there. But- but if the Dragon- if it inherited your heart but doesn't understand it- if it wants to be mean…maybe I should come with you. After the Dragon…let's see what happens with the Dragon." he looked down at the Franklin Badge again, then back at Lucas. "Take it back?" he asked quietly.
Lucas hesitated, just for a little bit. "I won't make you wear it if you don't want to…you know what? I can keep it safe in one of my pockets for a while."
Claus looked at him for a moment- looked down at the Badge- then looked up again. "No- you should wear it. What if the Dragon shoots lightening? And I-" he shifted again, "I promise I won't- I won't-"
"Shoot lightening at me so it'll reflect off the badge and hit you, thus killing yourself?" Lucas spoke softly, but without hesitation or trembling. "That's good. Because that hurt more than anything else you'd ever done- it hurt more than you leaving me behind, more than you attacking me, more than you attacking my friends…if you did that again-" his hands trembled, just a bit, before he looked down at them and made them stop.
He looked up again to find that Claus had removed the Franklin Badge from his jacket and was holding it out to him.
He wasn't trembling- his eyes were large- vulnerable still- but he met Lucas's eyes without looking away and he wasn't trembling. "I promise I won't do that. I-I don't know what's going to happen next- but I promise I won't do that again."
"…you promised you were going to stick with me too, remember?"
"…I remember. I'll- I'll do my best to stick with you- for as long as I can."
That could mean a couple different things… but that was probably as good as he was going to get. And it was true that you couldn't control everything in life, that some things happened no matter what you promised, so Lucas held up his fist. "Do the secret handshake."
Claus stared at him- then looked at the fist- then smiled wryly. He held out his fist and they did it.
"Brothers forever." Lucas said softly. Normally they shouted it- but this time…
Claus lowered his fist -stared at it- and then smiled. "Brothers forever."
Lucas leaned forward and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're alive- me and Dad- we waited for you and worried about you so long-"
"I can't change what I've done- can't change my past-"
"No, you can't." Lucas agreed. He gave Claus one last hug and stood up- and held out his hand. "But you can change what you're doing right now and you can change what you do in the future."
Claus stared at him, then at his outstretched hand- and then the ghost of his old smile came back. "Change what I'm doing right now, huh?" he asked softly, then took Lucas's hand.
Lucas pulled him to his feet. "Yep. Best way to change the future is to change what you're doing right now." he said, smiling back.
"…Lucas."
"Yes?"
"…you've really become strong."
"…not that strong."
"Yeah, that strong." Claus disagreed softly, still smiling with that ghost of a smile- even looking a little proud- then turned to look around them. "So…we're still here, I see." he gestured at the doors ahead of them.
Lucas nodded.
The whole area beyond the doors looked like a cave- dark, a little damp- in the distance, past the doors, there was a form ahead of them- barely visible- they could barely make it out.
"What a place to be sleeping, huh?"
"Well, now we know the Dragon will be happy to get out of here." Claus agreed softly.
"Yeah." Lucas turned back to his brother. "Are you ready, Claus?"
Claus glanced at the shrouded form of the Dragon- he looked a little uncomfortable. "I guess I'd better be…" he sighed, and then breathed out- breathed in. "Okay- let's finish this."
"Let's finish this and go home." Lucas agreed. "Everyone's waiting for us."
"Waiting for us?" Claus trembled just a bit- then shook his head and tightened his fists, determined. "…there are still things I need to do- apologies I need to make."
"That's not all you need to do." Lucas said- quietly, firmly.
Claus looked at him- and Lucas relaxed a little, seeing the look on his face. Pained- vulnerable still, but not quite as vulnerable- and no longer helpless. "…I …I want to do things other than apologize…I don't know what to do, but-"
"We'll find a way." Lucas promised, putting his hands on his brother's shoulders. "We'll find a way."
Claus looked at him- smiled, just a little- more than a ghost, less than a regular smile- and he nodded. "Thanks Lucas."
Lucas nodded, and they turned to face the Dragon again.
"Here goes everything." Claus muttered, as he stepped forward- and there was the sound of his boot hitting something that was not a rock. He looked down and Lucas turned to look too.
The helmet rocked slightly at his brother's feet.
Claus stared down at it a moment, then, ever so slightly, smirked. "I don't need this stupid thing anymore." He kicked the helmet, sending it skittering far away, out of sight, before turning back to Lucas, still with that tiny smirk.
Lucas smiled back and held out his hand.
Claus looked down at a moment- slightly surprised- then sighed even as his smile returned and he took it.
And the brothers continued forward. They walked past the doors, into the darkness that was strong enough to make them walk slowly, but not strong enough that it could make them stop.
The closer they got, the smaller the shape seemed to get. Smaller and smaller- until the shape didn't seem big enough to belong to a drago, let alone a dragon with the power to save or doom the world.
And what was that noise?
The twins came to a stop as they recognized it.
Crying. Someone-someone small- was crying.
For a moment, Lucas remembered Tanetane Island, standing frozen next to the mailbox, listening to the sound of himself crying-
And then he moved forward. Taking big strides, knowing that Claus- surprised but determined not to be left behind- was following only a step behind- and then he found the one who was crying- they were huddled on the ground, curling into a ball as they cried.
Slowly, Lucas knelt down and gently put his hand on where he guessed their head to be. "Hey, you okay?"
It was like a light switched on- suddenly, there was more than enough light around to see everything.
Their eyes met. The twins stared, and were stared at in turn.
"You came." it was quiet- spoken in a tone of not-quite belief or disbelief.
Lucas nodded. "We came." he affirmed.
"You're a girl." Claus said bluntly.
She was small, as young as Alle from the village- blonde and blue-eyed- she scowled up at him halfheartedly. "Yes, I am." she said- in a tone that was probably supposed to sound dignified, and probably would have been dignified if it hadn't been for the sniffles that broke through her voice every now and then.
"I thought you'd be a guy." Claus said, still in a dumbfounded voice.
Lucas winced. Not the smartest thing to say.
The girl's scowl became more pronounced- Lucas broke in quickly.
"What's your name?"
She blinked.
"What's your name?" Lucas asked again, softer this time.
"I- I don't have a name. I'm just the Dragon."
…this girl, this small fragile being, who may not have been human but had nothing to distinguish her from a human either- she'd been denied a name?
"No name?" Claus echoed- and Lucas could tell his brother was thinking the same thing he was. When the Pigmask army had their hands on Claus, they hadn't used or acknowledged his name at all-
Apparently the dragon-girl could read their faces- or maybe even their minds. "It isn't like that! They kept expecting my parents to come back and name me, but they never did- and then they discovered that I had the power to do things…change things…and they were the only family I'd ever known, so I tried to help them…but…but I guess I didn't do so well…didn't do a good job of helping them…I guess that's why I got sealed away…why those weird people came and sealed me away into the earth…"
"Okay…" Lucas said slowly, thoughtfully. "I guess I understand- but how old are you?"
The girl shrugged.
"You don't look like a dragon." Claus said.
The girl flinched- looked down, hiding her face.
Lucas elbowed Claus in the side, but then the girl spoke again.
"I…I don't want to be a dragon. As a dragon, I'm all alone, the only one like me, and everybody's scared of me… but if I'm human, then people won't be scared of me, and then maybe they'll like me." she beamed at the thought.
"…you might lose all your powers." Claus warned.
"So? They only caused problems anyway."
"There's mean humans too." Lucas said softly.
"…I know." the girl answered just as softly. "but no matter what you are, there's always going to be a bad member of your group…there were bad dragons too, back when there actually were dragons." she lifted her head, just a little bit- peeked at them. "…and if I…if I'm a human…can I come with you guys?"
Both twins stared at her. She was meeting their eyes now- trembling, but hopeful-
They looked at each other- Claus and Lucas looked at each other- Lucas saw in his eyes the same hope and fear that he felt- the same way the dragon girl felt.
"You know…" Lucas said quietly, looking from his brother to the dragon girl and then back again, speaking to both of them. "Right before I pulled the last Needle, Dad said that nothing needed to be sealed away anymore. He said "let's make the Dark Dragon sealed underground our new friend." And he was right." he gave the dragon girl a smile before turning back to his brother. "Claus, what's a good girl name?"
Claus gave him a look. "How would I know?"
"Good point. But I don't really know any good girl names that aren't already in use- oh! How about the name Violet?"
"Violet?" asked the dragon girl, curious and hopeful.
"Huh…Violet." Claus said thoughtfully, "not a bad name…it's pretty, sounds girly- and it's a flower name."
"Think Dad will like it?" Lucas asked, a little bit nervous. He knew they were doing the right thing, but he was still worried a little about how it would all turn out.
Claus nodded slowly.
Two small hands grasped one of their hands each. "I- I can come with you?"
"Yep." both twins said, smiling down at her.
"We woke you up, so we should take responsibility right?" Lucas said with a smile.
"Besides, it's not like we're normal either." Claus added with a grin. "So we make a good match."
Tears started escaping from the dragon- from Violet's eyes. Lucas quickly, gently, hugged her.
"I know." he told her softly. "I know- it must have been lonely, sleeping all by yourself in the dark, but you're awake now, here now. And we're here too. We've all- all three of us- have been lonely, been all by ourselves, but not anymore."
Tentatively, Claus hugged both of them- and smiled when they hugged him back and rested against him.
"We'll always have each other from now on." Lucas promised quietly, gripping both Claus and Violet, and he felt more than saw Claus nod in agreement and Violet hugged both of them tighter.
They stayed like that for a while- then shifted, slightly, finding more comfortable positions.
"Lucas?" Claus asked quietly.
"Yeah Claus?"
"…thanks."
"…for what?"
Claus snorted fondly and rolled his eyes, as if the answer was obvious. "For not giving up…for believing in me."
"Lucas is heroic." agreed Violet.
Lucas ducked his head, embarrassed. He hadn't done anything that special- just what anyone else would have done, right? Well…maybe not everyone. But he'd only been trying to do the right thing- it wasn't like he was a hero or anything- he was just Lucas.
Still, he knew he'd grown- had gotten a little stronger. But he'd only gone on the journey because someone needed to go find out if that was Duster at the Club, and if was, tell him that his dad did miss him, even if he was bad at expressing it. Lucas had only gone because someone needed to go, and no one else could do it but him. He hadn't known anything about where to find Claus or the Needles or anything… he'd just stumbled into them.
But the important thing was that now, at this journey's end, everything would be okay. Now the house would feel like home, and wouldn't feel so empty and swallowing. Claus was safe, and Violet wasn't trapped and alone anymore. None of them were trapped and alone anymore.
Even though Lucas had just stumbled into the journey, into what needed to be done, and even though he hadn't done that good a job, he'd managed to keep everything from falling apart in the end.
Everyone was okay, and that was the most important thing.
Suddenly, Violet twitched and jerked upright, looking around. "Someone's trying to break in!"
"It's probably Duster and that girl." Claus suggested, standing up.
Something- something in the distance yelled- the sound caused shivers on the twins' spines.
"No- not them. It's not your friends." Violet said, shivering a bit. "It's something scary."
The sound came again- and the room shook slightly- the floor quaked underneath them.
Violet shrieked and flung herself at Lucas who awkwardly caught her- he made sure she was okay, then turned to Claus.
His big brother was scanning the room- looking a little worried and kind of mad. "So much for thinking it'd be over once we woke the Dragon." he muttered- and then he turned white.
"Claus?"
"…Lucas…you know what I said before- that we'd finally avenged Mom?"
"Yeah…"
"I was wrong- because that was just our minds conjuring up Porky- trying to find closure…he's still out there-" Claus swallowed. "Actually, more accurately, he's in here."
Another shake, this one more violent, threatening to throw them off their feet.
Once that was over, Lucas gave Violet a quick hug then jumped up. "Violet, find a good place to hide, okay?"
"Lucas-" she started and Claus turned to look at him, face torn by conflicting feelings.
"If the two of us fight together," Lucas said, smiling at Violet but directing his words to both her and Claus. "We'll beat him quicker, and the quicker we beat him, the quicker we can all go home."
Claus's eyes flickered from Lucas to the littlest member of their party. "Violet- can you use your powers to hide and defend yourself?"
She nodded unhappily.
Claus spoke swiftly, but softly. "Find some place to hide and stay there. Lucas and I will finish this as quickly as we can, and then we'll all go home and introduce you to everyone, okay? But until we're done, you need to hide and keep yourself safe."
"Don't worry about us." Lucas added with a smile, "We'll be careful."
She nodded, still reluctant, but slightly less so. She turned and darted into the darkness, and the twins turned to face the source of the groaning and rumbling, just as the wall crumbled and fell away and revealed the one behind it all.
Porky Minch.
But a very changed Porky Minch from the one they'd seen before- his face bulged with green glowing veins across his cheeks, his arms and legs ended in spider-like legs, hands and feet twisted beyond recognition, looking just like blades now- they resembled the legs of the mech he'd been in before- had he fused with it? - his back towards the ceiling and his stomach towards the floor, he faced them.
He opened his mouth- teeth, no longer human, sharper and longer than before, gleamed at them. "Hello toys."
For a moment, stunned, neither of the boys could move.
"Say, you look familiar toy. Have I played with you before?" Porky tilted his head to the side- then his smile grew, getting bigger and bigger until it looked like it was going to blow up. "Oh wait. You're that blond crybaby from before. The one who thinks he's a hero. Oh, and isn't that my adorable little monster with you?"
Silently, Lucas shoved Claus behind him.
"Hey slave, where's your helmet? I told you you're supposed to wear it at all times."
Behind him, Claus was quiet- Lucas could hear him breathing. Then one hand landed on his shoulder and gripped it tightly.
Lucas reached up and covered his brother's hand with his own, not taking his eyes off the one in front of them. Porky looked so twisted now…
"What are you doing over there, slave? Oh, are you holding onto that blond toy to make it easier for me to play with him?"
For a moment, Claus's hand gripped his shoulder more tightly. "Don't." It was spoken levelly, firmly- as a warning.
"Do you remember what I told you before, Porky?" Lucas asked quietly, keeping his hand on his brother's.
"I vaguely remember you babbling about something before, but I completely forgot what it was!" Porky giggled. "Now- give me the Dragon. It's time to make this world disappear."
"Not going to happen." Lucas said quietly.
"Well, I was going to kill you anyway." Porky said carelessly, then giggled again. "I guess I'll just have more fun with that than I was planning."
Before Lucas could respond to that, he found himself hauled backwards- found Claus standing in front of him, arms spread protectively.
"Oh, slave, I forgot you were there. Actually, why don't you go get the dragon for me and bring it here while I deal with this one? I'll have fun making him scream for his mommy."
"Not going to happen." Claus said, not moving.
Porky tilted his head to the side. His smile remained- but it shifted slightly. "I told you to do something slave."
"Quit calling me that. You can't tell me what to do anymore. I will never do what you say anymore."
Still smiling, Porky took a step towards them- Lucas jumped out from behind Claus and pulled out his bat, holding it out in front of him, ready to fight.
"Lucas-"
"We're sticking together this time, remember?" Lucas said, not taking his eyes off of Porky, who was still smiling, who had stopped to watch them- not as if they were a threat, but more as if they were amusing and he wanted to see what they would do next.
Beside him, Claus gave a deep sigh. "Right." and then he pulled the energy sword. It glowed, almost like the Needles had- the light danced on the floor in front of them.
Claus was silent for a moment, then he stepped forward- held the sword ever so slightly in front of Lucas- and even though he didn't turn to see it happen, Lucas could hear the sound of the mechanical arm transforming. "We're going to do this just like before, remember? You stay back and use your PSI to attack from a distance, while I keep him busy with physical attacks."
"…are you sure, Claus?"
For a brief moment, his brother was silent- and then he turned around and met his eyes. "Lucas- trust me."
Surprised, Lucas blinked, and then he smiled. And nodded.
Claus smiled back- briefly- before turning around to face Porky again.
The Pig King was still smiling, looking unconcerned about what had happened in front of him, even though he had to realize what it meant- "I guess I'll just have to get rid of both of you then. You were going to disappear with the rest of the world anyway slave, so it's not like anything's really changed for you in the end." Then, ponderously, he started towards them.
"Stay away from my brother!" both twins yelled, "PK Love omega!"
Porky Minch had lost all trace of his humanity long before either Claus or Lucas had met him- now his outside fully matched his inside.
Their dual attack smashed into him, but he didn't even stumble- barely seemed to notice it.
"No way- our strongest attack-"
Lucas grabbed Claus and pulled him out of the way as Porky's attack streaked at them.
His giggles seemed to fill the cavern- they too were different- even more high-pitched then before- with odd mechanical undertones.
"PK Flash!" Lucas yelled, trying to at least slow him down- no effect.
"PK Thunder!" Claus tried. Still no effect.
The boys dodged again as Porky lurched close to them- Lucas getting further away, Claus using the wings to jump into the air above Porky and then dropping down, swinging the energy sword as he did so. It just bounced off.
Porky giggled as he hit Claus with one of his legs, sending him flying across the room, then giggled again when Lucas caught him, the momentum knocking them both over.
"I don't understand why you're so mad, slave." Porky said as they began picking themselves up, Lucas healing both of them as they stumbled to their feet. "I gave you power, after all- I told everyone to listen to you. Isn't it fun to boss people around, to tell them what to do?"
Claus stiffened- his arm shot out, but Lucas grabbed it- held him back as he began raising their defenses as much as he could.
"I do remember you crying a lot when I first got you." Porky said almost thoughtfully, as he slowly started towards them again. "But of course my scientists and doctors worked on you and improved you- and didn't you feel better when you forgot everything but what I told you? You stopped crying then."
"Wrong." Claus said tightly, "I just stopped crying in front of you, because I knew it wouldn't do anything. Lucas-"
Lucas nodded reluctantly- he'd finished with their defenses, but not the shields- and let go of his brother's arm.
Claus quickly yanked the cannon into position and fired off a blast, incinerating one of the smaller stalagmites standing about, and the resulting dust cloud gave them cover.
When it cleared, Porky looked around. "Oh toys~? Where'd you go?" he giggled as he crept forward, the spider legs close to him. "This is just like hide and seek."
"Why do you want Vio- the dragon's power?" Lucas asked, still working on increasing their shields. Beside him, Claus gave him an unhappy look for even asking the question, before tossing a rock in the other direction to distract Porky.
"Why not?" Porky asked, following the sound of the rock, heading away from the large stalagmite they were hiding behind. "It's power, and all power should be mine. But you never answered my question-why don't you like me?"
"Why don't I like you?" Claus asked disbelievingly. "Why would I like you? You kept me locked up, you tortured me, you kept me away from my father and my brother, you caused the death of our mom-"
"Caused the death of your mom? I don't remember that. Must not have been much fun if I can't remember. Refresh my memory- how did I kill her?"
The brothers looked at each other, and Lucas shook his head.
Porky didn't need to know- he didn't want Porky to know. Porky would just make fun of her, of the way she died, the way he made fun of everyone and everything else-
"You should thank me anyway. I had a mom once- but she didn't even notice when I was gone." Slowly, Porky came to a stop. He didn't move at all- just stared at the ground. "She didn't believe the things I told her even when they were true. She was always yelling and complaining… she didn't like me either." He turned and hit one of the stalagmites, and then hit it again- on the third hit, it fell apart.
Lucas's hand clutched at Claus's shoulder.
"She doesn't sound like a very good mom."
Lucas wasn't really sure which one of them had spoken, but the words seemed to echo around the cavern for a moment.
Porky didn't say anything for a moment- didn't move for a moment- and when he did, he turned around and looked in their direction. His smile was as wide as ever. "Everyone is like that. Mommies and daddies and friends and teachers… I bet even my little brother didn't miss me when I left. My message to Ness probably was thrown in the trash."
"Not everyone is like that." Claus said quietly.
"I don't know your parents or your brother, or who Ness is, so I can't talk about them." Lucas said in the same tone. "But I can tell you for sure that not everyone is like that."
It was a chilling feeling- pieces were connecting together in his brain, as Lucas was beginning to understand why Porky acted the way he did.
"Nope, everyone is like that." Porky said, still searching for them, coming closer as he searched. "Your mom was like that too, no doubt."
"She wasn't." Claus said- and the pity from before was beginning to drain from his voice. "She died protecting us."
"You keep telling yourself that. She probably died just to get away from you." The utter lack of caring in his voice made the words even more stabbing than they already were.
Claus snapped to his feet but before he could move away, Lucas grabbed his arm. Claus spun to face him, but then Lucas raised both their offenses. Then he got to his feet, casting Refresh on both of them as he did so, and then gently pretended to slap Claus on the head.
Claus nodded, smiling a little bit at his brother- somewhat wryly- before turning back to Porky.
Lucas took the left side of the rock and Claus the right. They didn't need to count- they dashed out at the same time without any prompting.
"PK Love omega!"
Even with their offenses raised, it still was only enough to make Porky stumble. Claus added his cannon blast to the blow, and Lucas used PK Love again, as Claus dashed at Porky and he stayed further back, focusing on PSI attacks.
Porky giggled as he dodged Claus's sword. "Better slave, but still not good enough."
"Quit calling me that!"
"PK Love omega!" Lucas called, aiming at Porky's feet, then smirking as he fell.
Claus jumped at him, and the blade managed to pierce his skin, but even as Claus landed and prepared to do it again, Porky stood up- and the wound healed.
He giggled at the looks on their faces. "See toys? You can't win. It doesn't matter anymore that no one likes me- they can't hurt me. Even the ones who say they like me really don't. Since no one can be trusted, it might as well just be me and the dragon in an empty world."
"I've got news for you Porky! The reason nobody likes you is because you just hurt them until they say they do! But they don't mean it- how could they, after all you did to them? You just end up making them lie to you to get you to stop hurting them. That's all."
"You call yourself a king, and you might get people to do what you say, but in the end, you don't have any real power at all." Lucas said quietly. He thought he might be able to see it now- the pattern that had led to Porky being here- at this time and this place and being the monster that he was.
At another time, another place, before he made the decisions that turned him into this monster- we would have felt sorry for him- we might've even been friends. But pity won't erase the things he's done, and pity won't change the fact that we can't trust him- won't change the fact that he's evil.
Porky's face twisted. "I'll show you what power I have!"
The explosion seemed to come from nowhere, tossing the two of them against the wall.
"Who needs other people anyway? They never needed me, never wanted me- who cares about them? Not me. I don't need anyone."
Lucas began pushing himself to his feet, casting PK Lifeup omega as he did so.
"Everybody who doesn't like me is about to disappear." Porky went on, drawing closer. "The two of you will just be the first, and the ones who go in the most pain!" aAnother attack of the same kind followed right after his words, one the brothers barely dodged.
"There's got to be some way to kill him!" Claus cried, frustrated.
"Should we try PK Love again?" Lucas asked anxiously as Porky slowly turned to face them.
"You can't hurt me~." he chanted, sing-song, his grin demented. "And I'm going to kill you."
"…Lucas. Maybe you should take Violet and-"
"No!" Lucas shouted, turning to face his brother, "No! We're going to make it out of this together!"
"I won't let either of you die!" In his brother's eyes, Lucas could see the same fear that haunted him- the fear of loosing the people he loved, the fear of failing them-
"You won't. Trust us." he said it softly, but Claus seemed to understand. His eyes widened- he still looked torn, but he gave a halfhearted nod-
"Claus? Lucas?" Violet called, peeking out from the rock she was hiding behind.
"Violet, get back!"
"Lucas, go to her." Claus ordered as the boys dodged again.
"I won't-"
"Just to make sure she understands." Claus said, meeting his eyes straightforwardly. "That guy- he's the type who won't only target little girls, but will think it's funny."
Lucas nodded reluctantly and dodged back to run to where Violet was.
She flung her arms around him. "Your attacks aren't working!"
"We noticed." Lucas said gently, pulling her further away from the fight.
"How are you going to win?"
"We'll find a way."
Something seemed to be on her mind. She looked from Lucas to the fight and then back again.
"…even if- even if your powers don't work- maybe the powers of a dragon could."
"I don't want you to fight." Lucas said quickly, and then wondered if that was such a good idea. It wouldn't do Violet- or anyone else- any good if they got killed. But he didn't want her to put herself in danger either-
"I could try to give it to you…"
"Huh?"
"The power of a dragon."
Lucas blinked at her, then turned to stare at the fight- Claus dodged once again, narrowly missing being chopped open by one of Porky's leg blades- then turned back to Violet and gave a determined nod.
Violet reached out both her hands and he took them.
He felt it immediately- a tingle that began where their hands met and spread out from there.
it felt almost learning PSI for the first time- a power surging through you that suddenly you understood- the difference was that PSI was a part of you, had been since before you were born- and this power, while friendly, was something very different from you.
Lucas suppressed a cry but was unable to avoid grunting in pain as the power finished flowing into him- he stumbled away from Violet and fell to his knees and hands, shuddering as fire swamped his body and changed it-
"Lucas!" he looked up- forced himself to look up- saw Claus staring at him worriedly- and behind him, looming up like a killer wave, Porky.
"Let's play some more, slave- the same games as before, remember?"
Giving a battle cry that shook the cavern, Lucas flung himself at the monster- soared over Claus's head, his older brother staring at him open mouthed as he did so- reached the Pig King, who was not afraid, who was just smiling at him- a foolish choice.
Lucas dug his claws into the machine shell that covered Porky's lower parts- he pulled the outer layer of it off and it clattered onto the floor as Porky stumbled back, still smiling, still giggling, but he wobbled and he stumbled-
Behind him, Lucas heard the voices of his siblings- heard Claus and Violet too- but he didn't understand what they said, couldn't focus on what they said because Porky was a threat, was the threat, the one who wanted to hurt everybody-
Lucas leapt at him again, but Porky kept smiling-
And then it felt like something picked him up and he was thrown back, like a giant hand had smacked him- he hit a stalagmite -the impact stunned him, and Porky had followed him and jumped on top of him and pinned him to the ground.
Porky was close too close- and then something slammed into them like a train, knocking Porky away- it was another dragon, red and magnificent- this dragon hovered in front of Lucas protectively and roared defiantly for all to hear.
There was no time to look, to ask- Porky was already jumping to his many feet, swaying from one side to the other.
"I can't die. I will never die." the voice went from high and squeaky- nails against a chalkboard - to down the scale- deep and dark and wrong- "I will live forever and ever, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."
The red dragon shot forward in response, and Lucas followed his brother.
Porky just kept smiling- shot off another of the strange attacks from before- Lucas didn't know if it was a PK attack or not- it was so weird- but there was no time to analyze it now-
Both Lucas and Claus responded with PK Love, the psychic attack magnified by the dragon power running through their veins.
Their attack sent Porky tumbling, head over heels- and they followed that attack with another of the same.
Still tumbling through the air, Porky released a cloud of powder, sending it speeding towards them- a sick yellow green color-
Lucas's eyes stung briefly, then stopped- but he was only on the edge of the attack- Claus was hit worse, and he tensed- began to freeze up, started to stumble, but Lucas healed him as he flew and Claus jumped to his feet and they continued the chase together.
Porky was standing on top of a rock formation, smirking, his mouth stretching like an eerie smile. "I can't die. Even if you manage to hurt me, you can't kill me."
Not even bothering to respond with words, Lucas and Claus threw themselves at him, their new wings speeding them on faster than ever before.
Lucas grabbed Porky and smashed him into the wall and then Claus scooped him up and flew to the top of the cavern and then dropped him.
Porky plummeted to the ground. He pushed himself upright, then fell again, but remained upright and kept grinning at them. "I bet you're wondering how I got out of the Absolutely Safe Capsule, aren't you toys?"
As a matter of fact, the Absolutely Safe Capsule and the fact that Porky was supposed to be stuck inside of it forever had slipped Lucas's mind- he'd been more focused on Claus and what was going on with him.
Since the answer might be important, Lucas prepared a PK Love but held onto it, not planning to release it until Porky answered his own question.
Above them, Claus circled through the air, not changing course- stayed right above them, watching and ready.
"I ate it." Porky said, still grinning. "I ate it, and it's a part of me now too. I'm different now, haven't you noticed? I used to cough all the time, but now I feel so much better. I wonder if it's because of the Dragon waking up so close to where I was?" Porky tilted his head to the side as if he was thinking about it, and then his smile stretched out even wider somehow- and then sent off another of those weird attacks, one of the ones that felt like being shoved by a giant hand- Lucas countered by releasing the PK Love and above them Claus opened his mouth and unleashed a rain of fire on Porky. When he finished and all they could see was a crackling sea of flames, Claus landed next to Lucas, a very satisfied look on his face.
The two brothers watched the fire burn for a couple moments, then Lucas turned away, intending to go back to Violet and make she was okay and then find out what to do next-
But then the flames began moving- Porky crawled out of the flames, shaking them off himself.
"Ow, that hurt." he whined as he finished, then turned to look at them. "That may have hurt toys, but I'm still not dead. See? You really can't kill me."
Claus opened his mouth and the flames roared out again and Lucas- not sure he could but will to try- opened his mouth too, and a stream of ice instead of fire shot out.
But Porky- changed again, now on even more legs than before, smaller legs that were closer to the ground- giggled and crawled away as fast as a blink, heading straight for the hole he'd entered in. "Come and try to catch me, toys who think they're heroes!"
Without needing to talk about it, Claus shot after him, and Lucas paused only a moment, only looking around long enough to look behind him and there was Violet, peeking out from behind one of the rocks, staring up at him, just as he knew she would be.
He nodded to her- smiled with dragon's teeth- letting her know that they hadn't forgotten her, that they would be right back- and then he took off after his brother. He shot up through the tunnel and into the light.
Finally out in the fresh air again, Lucas stretched as he soared towards his brother, just ahead of him- yes, this was the world, blue skies and embracing ocean, the world that they wanted to show Violet-
But Porky was still there, scurrying along the ground with his giggles trailing after him the same way a slug left behind a trail of slime.
They dived at him, first hitting him with their dragon's breath and then following that with PK Loves.
Claus's flame just missed Porky, who dodged it just in time- looking more bug like with every move he made- but Lucas's ice covered a patch of earth in front of him, causing him to slip and then the brothers both nailed him with PK Loves.
One leg dropped off and then another- Porky wobbled for a moment then jumped, narrowly avoiding another attack-
The Pig King's whole body was changing, Lucas realized- like the rest of his body was being used as fuel to supply the parts of him that were being used to fight and run away-
Claus swooped low, strafing him with dozens of lightening bolts, more than he'd ever been able to do before.
Some of them missed, of course, but many of them hit.
Lucas shot ahead- managing to get ahead of even Porky- he flipped around in midair and shot off a PK Flash.
The bright light blinded him temporally, causing him to stumble- Claus dived down for the kill, but Porky tucked his legs up as he fell, rolling like a ball down the side of the cliff.
The brothers followed, sending both dragon breath and psychic attacks after him as they flew.
Porky was changing again- skin turning grey and shiny- almost matching the bug like machine legs he had now.
Claus summoned the lightening again but the bolts just bounced off.
Porky had grown himself a protective shell almost covering his whole body now, one that would be difficult to crack.
The dragon breath didn't seem to fare any better- the PK Loves shoved him and dented him, but before they could do it again, he arrived at the bottom and they kept following.
It was a junkyard, like the place where they'd found the Egg of Light before.
"Oh look what I've found toys!" Porky's voice echoed, sounding even weirder from behind the protective shell. "I've found the perfect place to kill the two of you- you've junk, so this junkyard is a perfect place to leave broken toys."
Enraged, Claus unleashed the strongest PK Love he could and Lucas followed his lead-
It knocked him back but he only giggled and grinned wider at them. "Is that the best you can do?"
Claus was preparing another attack, but Lucas was pausing, was hoping he was imagining it, but he wasn't- the machines closest to Porky were beginning to move along the ground, pulled by an unseen force, pulling them closer and closer to Porky- until they were sucked in, and with each machine that was sucked in, he got bigger.
Claus- now realizing what was going on- changed tactics, targeting the machines around them instead-
"Too late~! Too late now~!" Porky chanted as some machines exploded from Claus's and others got sucked in anyway, "You can't kill me, you can't-" a well timed and well aimed PK Love interrupted him and knocked him back- but only a step.
Starting at the ground around Porky and then spreading out to include the entire area, Lucas covered everything with ice- Porky broke out of the ice prison quickly, but not before Claus nailed him with an omega level PK Love, and just as importantly, Lucas had deprived him of a safe place to stand.
Claus swooped down and breathed fire as he flew- targeting Porky's legs on the right side, making them glow white hot.
The machines trapped underneath the ice began to quiver, but before they could break through, Claus dived past, burning as he flew and Porky howled as his right legs were sheared off and lay smoking on the ground.
Lucas shot off another PK Love and Porky fell- and then without moving, Porky used one of those strange attacks, and that invisible force tossed both Claus and Lucas, knocking them both out of the air. They tumbled along the ground- Claus being closer to the ground when the attack came and thus falling from a shorter height, bounced back to his feet first, with Lucas quickly following.
Porky was upright, and he had re-grown his legs, but he was also smaller than he'd been before, and he was scowling at them.
"Okay, toys, don't think that just because you managed to hurt me a little means you can beat me- hey, I'm still talking here!" the protest came when Claus took off into the sky again, summoning more lightening, and Lucas grinned as he strengthened both their shields as much as he could.
Claus dove closer to Porky, trying to the left what he'd done to the right - Porky sent off another attack, a beam of bright light, but Claus dodged and kept up the fire, and Porky's left set of legs ended up the ground too, and Lucas used an omega level PK Love, blasting so that only ashes were left.
Porky roared- voice distorting even more- he twisted, beginning to change even more, but not wanting to give him the chance, knowing that would be a bad idea, both twins began pummeling him with everything they had-
Porky was blown backwards, blown out of the junkyard- and then lay unmoving on the ground.
Lucas approached him cautiously, noticing the trail of machine parts that led to where he was laying. For a moment, he wondered if they'd actually succeeded in killing him, but then the boy that had become a monster and called himself king looked up at him, face twisted in a rage and pale and strange looking.
"Ugly human! You can't kill me! I will never die!"
Lucas just snorted and stepped forward, onto what had been the front of the mech, the part that stuck out, flipping him up in the air and then head butting Porky, like the balls he and Claus had played with when they were small, sending Porky higher into the air- Claus streaked towards him, then whacked him with his tail, as if his tail was a bat and Porky was a ball- Porky was sent flying further and further into the sky, the twins following and sending their dragon breath after him too, sending him further and further away, into the sky, until they'd left the planet behind and they kept hitting him, so he kept rolling and rolling, over and over again into the eternal darkness, so far away that the brothers couldn't even see him anymore.
Satisfied, knowing that Porky would never be able to bother them again, Lucas turned and looked at where they'd come from, and saw the planet that was their home from a different perspective.
It was round and gleamed like the marbles they'd played with when they were young- but parts of it were dark- not quite black, but a seeping dark, dirty looking brown-
There was work to be done. Porky was gone now, but he'd still left a big mess that needed to be cleaned up.
Lucas dived towards the planet and Claus quickly followed.
They dove through the skies, and then pulled up when they reached the ocean. Flying over it and looking down at the water beneath, Lucas saw their reflections- two dragons, strong and powerful, almost identical except for one being fire-red and one being sun-yellow.
The water looked good, looked the way it should- but the quickly approaching land in front of them didn't look so good.
They reached it and circled over it, studying it.
The whole land seemed to be scorched black by fire, or something worse- and there were huge swallowing cracks in the ground, and black mounds that took a moment for Lucas to realize had used to be buildings, places people used to live.
This wasn't their island- and it wasn't Tanetane Island either. The shape of the land was all wrong for it to be either.
For a moment, Lucas remembered what Leder had said about the rest of the world being destroyed, before turning his attention back to the task at hand.
Lucas dropped to the ground and breathed it back to life while Claus grabbed the edges of the cracks and pulled them back together again- when they finished, the land was alive again.
Lucas smiled as he stepped back, but then almost stumbled. This feeling- this dragging feeling at his limbs- it felt almost like running out of PSI.
The power that they'd been sharing- it had only been meant for one.
Oh no- what if they'd used too much power in fighting Porky, and now they wouldn't have enough to fix everything?
Lucas turned and looked at Claus, and by the look in his brother's eyes, he could feel it too. But there wasn't time for worries- they needed to fix everything- everyone was depending on them.
They took off, briefly circling over the land they'd healed before darting over the ocean to the next mass of land. This one was in the same shape as the last one, and they fixed it in the same way, before taking off again and searching for the next part that needed to be fixed.
When they circled over the ocean without finding anymore that needed to be fixed except for the Nowhere Islands, they returned to space, just to make sure that they hadn't missed any.
Lucas stared down at the blue and green jewel that was the earth.
It was all blue and green now, except for the spot that was their island, and it shone just like Claus's green eye- and maybe his own eyes too, Lucas realized suddenly, remembering the pool in the sunflower castle and watching their reflections in it.
Claus playfully bumped into him and Lucas turned to look at him.
Claus jerked his head at the planet beneath them, beckoning him, then dove towards it.
Lucas quickly followed him, thinking as he did so.
Mother earth. That's what some people called it, didn't they? It was a good name.
The whole world was beneath them, waiting for them. They could already feel the power draining from them as they dove towards it, but it wasn't gone yet.
Once again, they came in over the ocean. Claus, flying just in front of Lucas, turned to grin at him before sticking his leg in the water, spraying his younger brother before darting on ahead.
Shaking the water from his eyes, Lucas realized that in the fast approaching distance, they could see land- the beach by the village- but part of it was cracked off, lying in the ocean. They landed in the water and shoved, moving it back into its proper position, and then into its proper place. When the edges touched, they melted together, becoming one again.
They took off again, circling over the island, studying it as they flew. It wasn't like the other lands that had been destroyed in the original end of the world- in the middle of it, there was a huge hole, almost taking up the whole island, leaving only the outskirts- Lucas was suddenly glad that Tazmily was on the far shore.
What could have made this hole? It was so huge, it dwarfed even them, and they were much bigger as dragons- suddenly realizing what that hole was, Lucas swooped down, followed by Claus.
Violet was waiting for them, her face turned towards the sky anxiously. She smiled when she saw them.
Carefully, Lucas landed in front of her- almost stumbled when she ran to him and flung her arms around his dragon neck, and then she did the same to Claus when he landed next to them.
Carefully, Claus gathered her up, and they took off into the sky- leaving both the deep underground and the gaping hole behind.
Tazmily wasn't untouched by the destruction- several cracks ran through it, one swallowing the center where the well used to be- but the village was still there.
They flew over it, heading to the plateau where their home was- the crack that had eaten the square had reached here too, stopping just short of the ocean. The path was gone, but most everything else was still there- the house was untouched, and what remained of the sheep shed was still there too.
The sheep weren't though. Lucas wondered where they were as he and Claus landed. Come to think of it, they hadn't seen anyone other than each other and Violet.
Claus- also directing a look at the broken and empty sheep pen- started to set Violet down, but she clung to him tightly. "Don't leave! Don't go! I don't want to be alone again!"
Lucas stepped closer, thinking of all the things he wanted to say- as he approached, she turned to face him, and their eyes met- and suddenly, just like before, just like when pulling the Needles, he could feel her mind just as clearly as he could see her. Unlike before, it didn't fade away after a few seconds- and he could also feel Claus's mind too.
We need to fix everything, but we can feel the power draining away, and we don't know if there's enough left-
I gave you everything I had- I was so scared, seeing you fight and seeing that scary guy throw you around like that-
So what we have is all there is.
It's just like a human's energy, really, only stronger. If you use too much, you run out.
Okay- we need to go fix everything-
I'm coming too!
It'll use more energy to carry you.
…
We'll be back. We'll be back as quick as we can, okay?
…okay.
Claus set her down gently, and then they started on the crack that stretched out from the village. They fixed it there, and then followed it into the village and fixed there too.
And after they fixed that, they found another and another, and each time, Lucas felt a little more of the power drain from him. But that was okay, just so long as there would enough to fix everything, that would be enough-
Going deeper in and fixing the land beneath them as they flew- and as they fixed it, the land became recognizable again.
Some things though, didn't come back even when the land they'd been before was fixed.
The train didn't come back, and its tracks were completely gone as well.
Osohe Castle was gone as if it'd never existed too, and even when they fixed the land around it, it didn't come back. Lucas didn't waste time worrying about that- no one had lived there in a long long time anyway.
Slowly they made their way across the island, bringing things back as they moved.
They found the places where Pigmask buildings had been- they had been wiped by the destruction that had followed the pulling of the last Needle, and there was nothing left of them at all.
They still hadn't seen anyone at all.
Lucas wondered where everybody was- but wherever they were, he knew they wouldn't come back until he and Claus had fixed things to make it safe for them, for everyone.
They were over where New Pork City had been- there was nothing left of it at all- the only reason they recognized this as the place where it had been was the faintest scent of the Pigmasks' pollution.
Lucas hovered over it, mentally pulling it and calling the land back as it had been- on the other side of the crater, Claus did the same thing.
When they were finished, they climbed higher into the air, surveying their work. It looked a lot like the Sunshine Forest now- a healthy forest, ready to welcome the forest creatures home. Lucas almost expected to hear a bird call out.
A lot of the power was gone- the weight of being without it dragged at his limbs, trying to push him down- but he couldn't rest while there were still things to do- or were there?
Lucas turned to look at Claus- his brother was still in the air, circling and looking over the island.
Ponderously, Lucas leapt up, beating his wings and joining him.
The island stretched out beneath them- gleaming green with the forests and plants of all sorts reached for the sun, green and growing- and slowly, coming over the horizon, shining brilliantly, the sunrise-
Finally, everything was back together. Lucas relaxed with that knowledge, knowing that he and Claus had done their job- and then they started to fall-
Falling, the power drained away, leaving them- dazed, less than half awake, Lucas watched his dragon front leg shrink, watched scales peel away and spread on the wind, revealing the human arm beneath.
They hit the ground-the warm sand giving them some cushioning.
Violet ran out from further in the island to join them as the sunrise came towards them. Her hands touched their cheeks as the light reached them.
The job was done, and the three of them were together again.
Okay, Lucas decided, now it would be okay to take a nap.
He shut his eyes.
OoOoOo
I hope no one's disappointed by this chapter. I've been fighting with it for so long I can't see straight anymore, and that's turned out to be a good time to post chapters before, so hopefully it'll be okay this time too. The epilogue should be done within a couple days, hopefully.
As always, tell me what you think- if you liked it, if something needs to be fixed- I won't know unless you tell me. Also, thank you all for your support so far.
