Chapter LX: Demon's Reckoning II
Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to Darkness Falls! Well, it looks like Peach hasn't yet improved enough in a duel… even a dream duel! What's that, you say? A dream? A blanking dream?! Well, yes, it was a dream and it was planned that way. We wrote the duel because we thought many of you would like a duel. However, we'd already written the actual confrontation at the end of January. The duel was written one month ago. Now, somebody asked about a rewrite. We can't do it now, but we may at some point. We know there are errors, and we may yet get to them. Right now, however, it's not going to happen. Anyway, onto the recap!
Last time, in Annie's and Violet's nightmares, Alien Mother challenged Violet to a duel. Violet accepted, and in a highly unrealistic fashion, she won. So what will actually happen? Stay tuned and please don't kill us!
Disclaimer or boring legal stuff that we have to write because we don't want to get sued and we don't want anyone else to get sued: We don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. We just own our OCs, ideas and anything else we couldn't possibly profit from.
Warning: Coarse language.
In reality, Violet's blood ran cold and her heart skipped a beat at that voice. 'Was this how Annie felt when I... hurt her?' she wondered briefly. "Alien Mother... The first card I found," she whispered fearfully.
Mary's eyes narrowed. "You bitch! Get the fXXX out of Annie's body!" she snapped, throwing clean language to the wind.
"I like it here, Mary... You pathetic wanna-be... You wanted to kill... but you don't have a tenth of my abilities," Alien Mother spoke through Annie in that cold way. "I could kill everyone in this room if I wasn't limited by this girl's weak form." She paced much like a cat who has cornered its prey, but wishes to torment it until the time is right to make the kill.
Mary growled, nails digging into her palms from how tightly she was clenching her fists. When she had been evil, she may have liked Alien Mother and helped her. But now she recognized the same bloodlust and raw anger she had once felt, repulsed by it. "Get. Out. Of. Her. Body. Besides, she's not the one you're after, right?!"
Alien Mother/Annie smirked, seemingly walking away. Katai tensed near Violet, sensing the danger. "You know... You're right," the possessor said, turning slowly, and suddenly lunging at the purple-haired girl. She would take her prey by force, one way or another.
Violet, realizing the danger too late, screamed and crossed her arms in front of her defensively. "Dammit!" Mary cursed, flying into Violet and disappearing. Seconds later, Annie tackled the purple-haired girl, both young adults rolling off the couch and onto the floor. Then they were still; they appeared unconscious.
MY MIND TO YOUR MIND MY THOUGHTS TO YOUR THOUGHTS
As the group moved to revive the girls on the outside world, on the inner landscape of minds, a battle was about to take place. Alien Mother's true form, a large monster with four purple-skinned and white-furred arms and pink claws, stood menacingly over Violet and Mary. Annie's mental self lay trembling a slight distance away from them. "She's a weak vessel... Let me just take you over, little girl.... I was meant to, after all," the female alien purred.
"Annie... no," Violet whispered, shaking in fear and looking from her best friend to the monster she'd made.
Mary stood protectively in front of her, staring down the alien. "Back off! You weren't meant to do shit aside from be used in a card game! She's not the way she was when she got you anymore; she's over it now!!" she snapped fiercely.
"Ha... You humans are all alike... Weak, flawed... I can give you power to achieve perfection, and yet you fear it... Why not embrace me? You'll never be hurt again... You'll inflict the pain..."
Both girls had heard this before. Mary had practically told Violet the same thing when she'd been trying to possess her. Had the situation not been so serious and dangerous, one of them may have commented on the major case of déjà vu. Mary looked back at Violet, seeing her fear and realizing she might have to conquer this herself. "Violet, something tells me you have to do this, but... I'm saying fXXX it to that something and I'm gonna give it a try!" With that said, her trademark knife materialized in her hand and she ran at Alien Mother, jumping up to slash at the beast's torso.
Alien Mother, however, was ready for such an assault and raised an energy shield. Mary bounced off of it. "HA! You think that'll work on me! The queen of aliens?! You weakling!"
"She's... not!" The two purple haired girls and the alien turned to see Annie, struggling to get up. Her mental self had been weakened by Alien Mother's attack. "She's stronger than you!"
"Annie! Are you okay?!" Violet called, running over to her friend and gripping her shoulders. Mary followed, once more standing in front of the two in a protective stance with her knife.
Alien Mother grinned her scary monstrous grin. "And what makes you say that? I took you over so easily..."
"That doesn't matter," the dark-haired girl stated, struggling to her feet and leaning on Violet for support. "Mary became more than you'll ever be. She saw what she was doing and stopped because she realized the truth... And she went beyond what she was. You're incapable of that... You're a cowardly, weak...!"
THUMP! Alien Mother flung out an arm, just grazing Violet, but throwing Annie hard. This time, the girl was down and unable to move. "NOW WHO'S WEAK?!"
"ANNIE!" Violet screamed.
"Oh, that is IT! I'm gonna turn you into alien sushi, bitch!" Mary shouted, grabbing the arm as it was coming back from its swing. Hanging on like a monkey, she stabbed her knife into it. "Take THAT!!"
Alien Mother cried out in pain as the knife rammed home. "WHY YOU!!" she shouted. And then a sword materialized near Violet. The blade was made of shining steel, while the hilt was made of bright gold, accented with brilliant jewels. It looked like something a Knight of the Round Table might have carried.
Blinking in surprise, at first Violet could only stare at the weapon. However, Mary's scream as Alien Mother's claws dug into her back threw her from her trance. She snatched up the sword, shocked by how light it felt. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. Pulling in a tight breath, Violet turned to face the monster that was a culmination of her fears. "HEY UGLY!! OVER HERE!!" Alien Mother, now a creature of pure rage, pulled her claws from Mary and tore toward the source of the noise. She howled like a deranged werewolf, a bone-chilling sound.
Mary hit the ground hard, blood spilling from her back. "Violet!!" she called worriedly, unable to move. It was one to one now, just Violet and Alien Mother. This was the defining moment. Violet gripped the sword handle tightly, brows angled downward as she stood her ground. "I'm sick of living in fear... I'm tired about worrying that I'll be left all alone... Never again!" she muttered. Finally, Alien Mother was close enough to strike, and she rained down all four of her claws at her prey. Ducking under them with only a hair's breadth to spare, Violet shoved her mental sword straight through the demon's torso. "This is for Annie!"
The strike hit home and right through Alien Mother's heart as well as a key section in her spinal column. The huge alien fell backward like a felled tree, spilling thistle-toned blood like a torrent. Within seconds it was over. Alien Mother was dead.
Violet, panting a little at the force of her attack, dropped the sword and quickly went to Mary's side. "Mary! Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
The twin hissed in pain, getting to her feet and leaning on Violet for support. "I'll be... fine. Let's go get Annie," she muttered tightly. The two purplenettes quickly went to the girl's side. Annie's mental self lay limp like a rag doll. However, upon closer inspection, she had a pulse.
"Oh, thank God," Violet breathed.
"Now we just wait for you two to gain consciousness. Which should be soon," Mary said through a sigh. The landscape was already beginning to fade and turn black.
THE NEEDS OF THE ONE OUTWEIGH THE NEEDS OF THE MANY
In the real world, Katai cradled Violet's still form. "Come on, sweetheart, wake up... It's going to be okay."
Violet groaned as she came to, eyelids fluttering. Her fingers twitched slightly, and at last she opened her eyes halfway. "Mmm... Katai?"
"Oh, thank heaven... You're awake. I was so worried," she murmured, pulling her daughter-in-law close. Meanwhile, Annie lay in Sy's arms, very still. She was breathing, but hadn't regained consciousness.
"Annie... come on, wake up," Syrus murmured, squeezing her hand.
Miss Fontaine and Scout had both raced in when the girls had gone down and the pediatric surgeon looked over at Violet. "Sweetie, what happened in there?" she asked urgently. "Annie should be waking up..."
Violet shivered. "This may sound crazy..." She quickly told them what had happened on the mental landscape, including the fact that Annie and Mary had both gotten "hurt."
Scout and Fonda looked at each other and realized what had happened. "Sy... she's going to be okay. Her mind just shut down in self-defense," the nurse explained. "She couldn't take much more..."
Syrus sighed in relief. Violet frowned. "I hope Mary's all right..." After all, she lived in spirit form, so the damage could be different for her.
"I told you, I'm gonna be fine," said spirit muttered as she appeared. However, three long, deep gashes stuck out on Mary's back where Alien Mother's claws had dug into her.
"Holy crap!" Jaden yelled at the sight. "Mary, what the heck?!"
Mary scoffed, waving a hand in dismissal. "It's nothing, geez. Just a scratch."
"Uh... those are big..." But as the young people watched, the cuts were healing before their eyes.
"You guys actually fought head to head," Chazz said admiringly.
And back in Bastion's room, the young man began to stir. "Mmmm... Violet," he murmured. His right hand twitched as it was clasped in his father's hands.
Sorry, folks! It's a cliffhanger! Will Bastion come around? Will he finally deal with his darkness? Will you, dear readers, come at us with torches and pitchforks?! Well, we don't know what you'll do, but we hope you'll all come back next time for "Bastion's Awakening!" See you next time, and as always, please read and review!