Fraying Fire

As soon as Marzipan cleared her eyes she stood. "Let's do this, Strong Sad."

The thick prince nodded as he too stood. Both standing over the still sleeping fairy, they glanced to each other. Then Strong Sad went first. Black streamed between his fingers, weaving around each digit like snakes through brush. Marzipan watched as Homestar's head pulled away. Dark markings began to glow through his clothing, covering his whole torso and some of his legs with giant ruins. The ruins soon rose, and faded away.

"Now, its your turn, princess..." Strong Sad quietly whispered, stepping away. Marzipan nodded, stepping closer.

She began to mutter the words that would release Homestar. As she did, she didn't even notice the slow looming shadow, one not of the sorrow prince, draw closer to her and Strong Sad.

Pom Pom, however did.

Quick to grow, the nymph prince took on a full human size and swiftly struck, knocking the knife out of Homsar's grip. The little man turned his attention to him, summoning the return of his long almost sword like blade.

"Finish the spell, Princess Marzipan..." Strong Sad whispered again as he turned. "Homsar, what are you doing? And who are you?"

"A-a-ahm a song from the sixties!" Homsar called over as he struck at Pom Pom. "I'ma no-ot a singing weather!"

"What?" Strong Sad pulled in front of Marzipan, for once unsure what his so called companion was talking about. He began to move his hands, summoning a ball of shadows. "Stand down, Homsar."

The small man glanced sharply from Pom Pom to Strong Sad. He didn't need to explain his actions to anyone. Pom Pom attempted to take advantage of this switch in attention, but without looking Homsar raised a hand and the nymph prince froze in place.

"I'm done." Marzipan finally informed Strong Sad, turning as well. "Huh?"

Homsar turned to her as well, freezing her in time with Pom Pom.

Homeschool watched, for a moment terrified at what he was seeing. The displacer could stop a person in time with just a flick of his wrist. He was clearly insane and powerful.

"Stop this at once!" Strong Sad screamed, throwing down his arms. "Homsar! Enough. I don't want to fight you."

"Don't wowwy, scawy-man." He stiffened, feeling long fingers wrap around his thick cloaked shoulder. Slowly the sorrow prince looked over his shoulder, where Homestar was sitting up, a smirk on his thin lips. "I'll fight."

"Wha-" In a blink the fairy was gone. Being under so many layers of spells boasted his magical energy like nothing he had ever felt before. Homsar jumped into action as well, disapearing and reappear via teleportation. Strong Sad and Homeschool watched as the displacer, with knife in hand, attempted to cut off Homestar's tail. The fairy was too fast, as he just barely moved out of the way in time. Finally Homestar got behind Homsar and with one swift, wind enhanced, kick, the dwarven man was slammed into the floor, hard. His concentration broke, freeing Pom Pom and Marzipan at the same time.

The nymph prince shook his head before returning his attention to the small man at thier feet. But it didn't take long for Homsar to recover and disappear.

"This isn't good..." Strong Sad whined, clenching his hands tight to his robe. "What are we going to do? I've never seen Homsar like this... This enraged."

"Wow..." Homestar chirped, landing. "You'we not so scawy, shadow-man. But the cweepy guy, he's scawy."

Pom Pom turned his attention to his old friend, hurrying to his side. That's when the fairy finally noticed him.

"Pom Pom! Pom-dawg! Whewe'd you come fwom?" He ran over and hugged the nymph prince. "I missed you man!"

Pom Pom hugged Homestar back, agreeing. He missed his old friend as well.

"Homestar!" The fairy's attention was taken by the smaller, yelling fairy commander. "The general's worried sick about you! And now this? We've got to get you home, to see if we can restore you to your original state."

Homestar giggled at Homeschool. "Hey, cuz! Youw voice sounds funny when you'we smallew than me."

Meanwhile Marzipan turned to Strong Sad. "Are we in danger? Do you think the displacer will return for us."

"I think it is quite clear now. Homsar will probably return for him. And will rid of anyone who gets in his way." Strong Sad solemnly informed her, pointing to Homestar as he laughed and chatted with his friend and cousin. "I don't know what to do, nor if we can protect him."

"Why does want Homestar?"

"He was suppose to become an amulet, of course..." Strong Sad muttered as he thought. "... I allowed him to have upmost control over my castle, so we should get out of here, all of us."

"Mawzi! Come here!" Homestar grabbed the princess before she could continue the conversation with the sorrow prince. "This is my best fwiend in all the whole wolwd, besides ol' Stwong-Stwong. This is Pom Pom. Then he glanced at his relative. "Oh! And this is Homeschool."

"That's Commander Homeschool, of the Runner Fairies." Homeschool pointed out indignantly.

"Look, its really nice to meet both of you, believe me." Marzipan quickly said, half bowing to both. "But right now we have to get out of here and find a safe place to hide and plan."

"Huh?" Homestar looked perplexed at everyone.

Strong Sad stepped closer as well. "Homsar will be back, fairy, and he's after your life."

Silently Homestar looked at the masked and cloaked Strong. Then he looked away. "Hey, scawy man, whewe's youw bwother?" Everyone went silent, glancing away in random directions, although some specifically looked down. "Sewiously, guys. Whewe's Stwong Bad?"

Strong Bad groaned as he began to feel again. What he felt was dull pain all over his body, his back particularly sore, his mouth dry, and his eyes and cheeks stinging with moisture. His vision blurred in and out until he could make out one moving body and one standing in far corner.

The moving figure came closer, leaning towards him. He realized he was laying down as the figure touched his forehead with thin, yet calloused finger tips.

"Glad to see you awake, child. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever open your eyes." A female voice buzzed in his ears, only making half sense.

"Hmmm..." Was all Strong Bad could answer.

"Don't worry, you're safe here, for now." The figure continued, stepping away again. "M..."

Unconsciousness took the fire prince nearly as quickly as it seemed to let go a moment before.