We're back with the next part of this emotional and revealing arc. Last time we met we left on a cliffhanger with Molly and Gil finally reuniting, but will things work out for them? How will Gil get Molly back to her senses? This will also be the second-to-last temple chapter, so let's get it started.

Chapter 25: The Truth (Part 4)

While we have an interesting moment happening, we won't focus on that at the moment. Instead, we'll start with what happened directly after Gil left to find Molly, where the rest of the guppies did what Gil had told them to do. Glacia and Lady Snowa were chatting with each other when the other came inside, tired.

"Children! What's going on?" Lady Snowa asked them, concerned.

"Sorry for bursting in like this, but it's bad," Goby said while trying to catch his breath.

We think something happened to Molly! She ran off into the mountains, and Gil went to go find her alone!" Oona addressed the sisters.

"Also, we couldn't find Zooli or Cryo either," Deema said. Glacia and Lady Snowa took it very seriously and looked at each other.

"What should we do?" Goby asked them. They looked at each other again, this time with serious faces.

"Nothing. We do nothing and simply wait for something to happen," Glacia said calmly, which shocked everyone.

"W-Why?! We can't just sit here while our friends need us!" Deema exclaimed.

"Yeah! They're our friends too, we have to do something," Oona added.

"Because, this is something they need to handle on their own. This is their fight, not yours. Besides, I've been having my suspicions about your friend," Glacia explained.

"You mean Molly?" Deema questioned her. "Sure, she's had her moments, but I thought that was just her being too cautious about everything."

"You're not entirely wrong Deema. I think something is happening within herself, a mental image that's causing problems not only within her, but also outside herself too," Glacia explained. "Tell me, has Molly been acting weird or say…aggressive towards you all?" She asked the guppies.

"Well..I mean…she did yell at me that one time in the first temple," Goby recalled.

"Yeah, and she did shout at me for acting like I was going to fall," Oona remembered.

"She yelled at me because I was being too reckless and carefree, when that's how I usually am," Deema said.

"And she shouted at me because I was getting things right before her," Nonny recalled. It seems all of them had a case where Molly was acting aggressive and angry at them.

"I believe something is causing her to act this way, and has led her to go down this path. But, I believe your friend can help her, which is why we must wait for their return," Glacia told them.

"I think she's right. If we intervene, we'll only make things worse for her," Nonny said.

"Are you sure Nonners?" Deema questioned her friend.

"I'm sure. Besides, if anyone of us can talk to Molly the best, it's Gil. After all, they have been close to each other since we were in preschool," Nonny explained. Molly and Gil have always been the dynamic duo since their preschool days.

"Very good Nonny," Lady Snowa said. "Why don't you all go and rest while we await the arrival of Molly and Gil?" The others listened and headed outside, where they checked on the situation.

"So…now what do we do?" Deema wondered. Everyone thought about what they should do while they wait for everyone to come back, when someone got an idea.

"I think I know," Nonny said.

"What is it Nonny?" Oona asked the orange-haired boy.

"We should go do whatever we find fun, since that will pass the time much faster, and it gives everyone something to do," he said to everyone. They all liked the idea, but then Goby noticed something was wrong.

"Hey guys…," everyone looked over to him.

"Where's Mia?" he asked. Mia was not with them, but the last place she was at was the balcony they were all at.

Meanwhile, we return to the present, where Molly and Gil have found each other, each shocked to see the other again, and both feeling many emotions.

"Molly? Is that really you?" Gil said, shocked to see his friend again.

"G-Gilly? What are you doing here?" Molly asked him, surprised to see him out here.

"I came to find you after you ran away, but I finally found you," Gil said with happiness. He ran towards Molly in an attempt to hug her, but she stopped him.

"No Gilly you don't understand. I ran away to prevent myself from causing any more trouble. After what I did to you, I'll never forgive myself," Molly told him, which Gil took personally.

"Molly please, it's not your fault you hurt me, it's mine. I didn't listen to you because I didn't know, and I only angered you more. So please, just stop acting like this," Gil said.

"You don't get it Gil! I'm a danger to everything and everyone around me. Everything bad has been happening to me, and I'm even acting like Pyros now," Molly said, annoyed.

"Don't compare yourself to him Molly!" Gil told her. "You're nothing like him, and you never will be like him. You're just confused."

"Am I though? I've hurt you guys, both physically and mentally, and I even hurt myself, even after what I've been through," Molly said, turning away.

"Is that why you're hair is shorter?" Gil asked her, noticing her shorter hair and change of clothes.

"No, I cut it, but I feel like it's better off like this. So please, I want you to get out of here Gilly, for both our sakes," Molly told him in a cold tone. Gil was surprised to see his friend like this. The once gentle and kind girl, now a cold and aggressive girl. He began to leave, but then he stepped up to her.

"No, I'm not leaving Molly," Gil said, serious about it.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not leaving without you. I didn't come all this way just to leave you. We need you Molly, and we care for you," Gil told Molly, but she didn't budge.

"I can't go back, not after all I've done!" Molly shouted. "I'll just hurt you guys even more, and have even more problems and issues to tackle."

"What do you mean problems? Molly if something is wrong, just tell me!" Gil shouted to her. He was starting to get worried about her now, as he sensed the pink-haired girl was hiding something.

"If you won't leave, then I'll just go. I just have too much to deal with," Molly said. She started to get her stuff, which gave Gil an idea as he sat on the log. Before Molly could leave, he asked her an important question.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gil asked her, stopping her.

"W-What?" Molly was confused.

"You remember when we played Happy Town, and you got grumpy because you couldn't make Mr. Grumpfish happy?" Gil asked her. Molly did remember that time. She was the sheriff everyone counted on, but she almost failed. However, thanks to her deputy Gil, she was able to regain herself and make Mr. Grumpfish happy again.

"What does that have to do with this?" Molly asked him.

"Doesn't this seem a bit similar to right now?" Gil asked her with a smile. Molly stared at Gil with a surprised and confused look.

"But…but…"

"Molly…we both know that if there's anyone you'll talk to…it's me," Gil said. "Please, I want to help you no matter what. So…do you want to talk about it?" Gil told her again. Molly thought about it for a few seconds before coming to a conclusion.

"S-Sure…I guess," she said. The guppy sat down next to Gil on a log. It was a quiet moment for a few seconds, both not knowing what to say.

"Molly…I want to know…why are you acting like this? I want you to tell me everything, as I'm here to help you," Gil said to her.

"Gilly…I…I'm just…I…I…" Molly struggled to talk, nervous about explaining everything to him, when Gil put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay, you can take your time. But if you tell me, things will be alot better for you," Gil told her, smiling at her. Molly looked in his eyes, and knew it was fine. She started breathing heavily and sweating, until it all came out.

"I….I…I'm…I JUST DON'T KNOW!" Molly screamed.

"Huh?"

"It's just all this pressure I'm under. Everyone's expecting me to take out Pyros and save the world, and become the Ice Princess in less than three months! I'm losing myself doing this, and this place hasn't helped at all. I've been letting this princess stuff get to my head and taking over my body, and even let it hurt you guys too! I just didn't want you guys to get hurt or killed, but I'm starting to hurt myself more. I'm supposed to not let anyone down, I'm supposed to be the hero. Everyone's counting on me, and I just can't take it anymore! Even worse, I've acted like a jerk to all of you, and everything we've been about I feel is drifting away, and I don't know what to do! I feel like I'm losing who I am! I'M SCARED GIL! I'M SCARED ABOUT EVERYTHING!" That was the breaking point for Molly. She broke down into a river of tears, and this wasn't just crying. No, this was actual crying.

The sound of her voice crying and scared concerned Gil, but all he did was hug Molly in that moment, no words spoken. He just let her let everything in her mind out. That quiet moment went on for who knows how long, but all that mattered was the moment between the two of them.

After a while, Molly finally gained her composure. She was still crying, but much less, and Gil saw this opportunity to talk.

"Molly….why didn't you tell any of us this?" Gil asked her in a serious voice.

"Because (sniff)...if I did, you all would think I'm overreacting," Molly admitted. Gil grabbed her hand and looked at her.

"Molly, we wouldn't never say or think that. We're your friends. We're there to help you, not matter how difficult it is," Gil said to her nicely, but she was still hesitant, which upset Gil.

"Molly, I love you, and you're my best friend. I want you to be happy, so I want to help you, please," Gil begged with her. Molly wiped her tears away.

"How do I know you're telling me the truth and won't just bring me back normally?" Molly asked.

"Do you want me to prove it?" Gil said with a smile.

"What do you-" Molly was stopped by Gil pulling her in for a kiss on the lips. Even though she was caught off guard, Molly felt a sense of peace and relaxation during it, so she embraced the kiss, which lasted for about a minute and a half before they stopped, both blushing at each other.

"Okay, I believe you now," Molly said happily.

"That's good, but next time Molly, you need to think how your actions will affect others, and that friends will always be there to help you no matter what," Gil told her, but he was met by a hug by Molly.

"Thank you Gilly," Molly quietly said, smiling with her eyes closed. Gil hugged her back.

"Hey, I'm just doing what friends do," He replied. Their sweet moment was cut short however, when a loud rumble was heard, shaking the ground beneath them.

"What was that?" Gil wondered.

"It sounded like it came from where we left," Molly said.

"How would we get there fast enough?" Gil questioned, wondering how they would be able to reach the other side of the mountain fast enough.

"I have an idea…," Molly said with a smirk. Gil and Bubble Puppy looked at each other, confused by what she could mean.

On the other side of the mountain, Molly and Gil land on the ground, with Gil holding onto Molly, and Bubble Puppy in her jacket.

"Next time, let me know when to hold tight," Gil said, mildly annoyed.

"You know how I am Gilly," Molly jokingly mocked him. They soon saw the huge structure in front of them. It was a temple, snow dropping from its ceiling.

"Wait, why was there a temple underneath the snow? And why did it just now show up?" Gil was confused about why this was happening right now, but Molly got an idea.

"Maybe it was because us confessing our love for each other was the trials, and when we….kissed, it was signifying the trials being complete," Molly suggested.

"Honestly, that could be it," Gil said. "Bubble Puppy, go into town and get the others to meet us at the temple," Gil told the dog, who barked in response and ran down the mountain. The two guppies looked up at the temple in front of them.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to give you this back," Gil said, handing Molly her sword. Molly was surprised he found it, and looked at him.

"I found it lying in the snow, so I thought you must've dropped it," Gil said.

"Thanks Gilly," Molly said, taking the sword and putting it in a slot behind her shirt.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

Molly and Gil pushed the door open and entered the temple that had mysteriously risen from the ground. When they walked in, they noticed that it wasn't very big, as all there was the stand where the scroll usually was, although the area around them looked like an arena. However, they quickly noticed that the scroll wasn't there.

"Hey, isn't there supposed to be a scroll here or something?" Gil asked Molly.

"Yeah, what happened to it, and where did it go?" Molly wondered, but then they heard a voice speak out.

"I think I can answer that question," someone said. They looked above to see someone on the ceiling beams directly above them.

"Who are you?" Molly asked the mysterious person.

"Really? I thought you'd remember me since our last encounter," the person said, jumping down to the ground.

"Do we know them?" Gil whispered to Molly.

"I'm not sure, but apparently we do," Molly answered. The mysterious person smiled and took off their hoodie, shocking Molly and Gil.

"You!" Molly said in surprise.

"Yes, it's me," The person was Alana, and she had the scroll in her hand. Molly was starting to get angry, since she knew her and Cryo had something to do with what's been happening.

"So what now? Is killing us part of your and Cryo's plan?" Molly mocked her, annoying Alana.

"You'll find out soon. Originally I was going to kill you both, but I think I'll just let you fight for this scroll, and your freedom," Alana told them, firing up her fists. "You better hope things don't end up like last time," she said, smirking. Molly chuckled.

"Things have changed since the last time we fought. I'm perfectly capable of taking you down now," Molly said back. Gil was starting to get worried.

"I'll distract her, Gilly. You wait for an opening to strike," Molly whispered her plan to Gil.

"Got it," he replied. Molly pulled out her sword and prepared for battle. Both girls stared at each other greatly, waiting for an opportunity to strike. They both shouted and ran towards each other, Alana firing blue fireballs at Molly almost immediately, but she ducked under them and retaliated with a barrage of ice shards. Alana was dodging well, but was scratched on the cheek by one, distracting her long enough for Molly to smack her in the face with her tail. The two engaged in close combat, both being able to keep up with each other.

"Not bad kid, Glacia's trained you well," Alana said to Molly, impressed by her skills.

"Same to you, I'm actually having fun doing this," Molly said back. It seems this fight has reignited her passion and her mind again.

"Well you better focus, or else this'll happen!" Alana told her. She kneed Molly with her tail, and punched her in her face with a flame powered fist, sending her across the floor. Alana was going to finish her, when a surprise happened.

"Haa!" Gil shouted from behind, attempting to sneak attack her with a punch, but she stopped it and hit him with a flame wave.

"Gilly!" Molly said, running to him, but Alana launched a fire beam at her, hitting her and sending her against the wall.

"Molly! You okay?" Gil shouted to her. Molly managed to get up, and wiped some blood off her mouth, smirking and chuckling, surprising Alana.

"Seems you're more tough than I thought," Alana said. She didn't expect Molly to be this much stronger since they last fought, and was excited to finally have a flaring battle. Gil swam to her.

"What do we do? She expected what our plan was," Gil asked Molly.

"To be honest, I'm not sure, I can't find a way to get past her fire powers without getting hit," Molly said, chuckling. They tried to think of something quickly, when Gil got an idea.

"Hey, I think I have an idea," he said.

"You do? What is it?"

"Do you remember the Ballet Bowl, and when we did that play about the Princess and the Aliens?" Gil asked her.

"Yeah, I do, why?" Molly questioned Gil's idea. She remembers when they played in the play, and when they finished it with Gil catching Molly. Gil signaled her to come close, and he whispered something in her ear, intriguing Molly.

"Great idea Gilly!" Molly said. Alana stood by to see what will happen. Molly started by slamming her hands on the ground, which froze the entire ground solid in ice.

"(What are they up to now?)" Alana thought to herself. Molly formed ice skates for her and Gil.

"Now, may I have this dance m'lady?" Gil said, reaching his hand out to Molly, who blushed and smiled.

"Yes you may," Molly responded, grabbing his hand. The two began skating towards Alana, who shot fireballs at them, but was surprised to see them effortlessly dodge them with their skating and dancings skills, even managing to land a double punch to her.

"What the-" Alana was caught off guard by what the two were doing. Molly and Gil were using the field to their advantage, such as them spinning around while Molly used her wind and ice shards to create a shard tornado before sending it at Alana. She blasted it with a powerful flame beam, but when the dust cleared, the two weren't there.

"Hey! Where'd you go?" Alana shouted. Suddenly, she was hit by a tail smack from behind by Gil, and when she turned around, Molly smacked her from behind again. Alana tried to fight back, but couldn't keep up with their speed and attacks. She was starting to get overwhelmed. Molly and Gil held each other's hands, looking in each other's eyes, happy they get to do this with each other. To finish it off, then spun in a circle before Gil threw Molly in the air. She was smiling, and never looked more happy than she was before. She summoned an ice pillar under Alana, launching her in the air. As Alana stared up at the pink-haired girl, Molly finished her off with a new attack: An ice laser using both her hands at once, sending Alana slamming into the wall. As she fell, Gil caught her, and they finished with a dance dip style finish. They stopped to catch their breath, and laughed.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Molly said, shocked and relieved for it to be over.

"Me neither! I have to say, you've certainly gotten better at dancing Molly," Gil told his friend.

"Not as much as you Sir Gilly," Molly said with a smirk. But their celebration was stopped when they saw Alana starting to recover. So Molly walked up and held her sword at her neck.

"It's over," Molly coldly said.

"Fine, you win. I'm a guppy of my word, so here, take it," Alana said, handing the scroll to them. Gil grabbed onto the scroll.

"We'll be going now," Molly said, but Alana had something else to say.

"Hang on, there's one more thing I need to do."

"(sigh) What is it?" Molly said.

"I'm coming back with you," Alana said, surprising both guppies.

"No way! Why would we bring you back of all people?" Molly shouted.

"Yeah! How do we know you're not just going to destroy more stuff?" Gil added.

"You do realize you can freeze my hands to prevent me from using my powers, right?" Alana said. This confused the two.

"Wait, what? I can do that?" Molly said. She'd never known she had that power.

"Yeah, just fire an ice beam at my hands, and they'll prevent me from using my powers, since they're linked to our hands," Alana explained. Molly took a deep breath, and shot ice beams at Alana's hands, freezing them in ice.

"Okay, you're good, but I still don't trust you at all, so you have to stay by us at all times," Molly told Alana.

"Fine by me," she replied. They all made their way out of the temple, but Molly and Gil were wary of Alana, but she seemed to be serious about not breaking out. When they got out, they were immediately greeted by Bubble Puppy, who jumps on Gil and licks him repeatedly, happy to see he's okay.

"Okay okay I get it boy!" Gil said, laughing as he hugged the dog. Molly smiled. Four others arrived soon.

"Hey guys!" Gil shouted.

"Hey!" It was Goby, Deema, Oona and Nonny, and they quickly noticed Molly.

"Hey guys, I'm back," Molly said.

"Molly!" the four said, rushing to their friend for a hug. The pink-haired girl giggled.

"Wow, you look..different," Goby pointed out.

"Molly your hair! Your long, beautiful pink hair, it's all short now!" Deema dramatically said. Molly giggled at her.

"Yeah, I decided it was time for a little cut. It was also getting a bit too long for me, and I think I'm happy with how it is," Molly explained.

"I think it looks great on you," Oona complimented her friend.

"Yeah, and it fits well with that outfit, I kinda dig it," Deema added.

"Thanks guys, but…there's something I have to tell you," Molly said. Everyone was confused.

"Guys, I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting towards you guys. I admit, I was being overprotective, but it's because of all the pressure I've been under to keep everyone safe, and I just didn't want to see you guys get hurt or even killed, and I've let that fear affect me and you guys. I didn't tell you guys because I thought you would think I was crazy. So I want to say I'm sorry, and that I promise that I'll let you guys take control of your own actions," Molly apologized to the others, with some tears.

"Girl, we would never think of you like that! Of course we'd help you!" Deema told her.

"Yeah, we understand how it's like to be under that kind of pressure," Goby said.

"We've all changed during this adventure, so we kinda know how each other feels, and we're always there to help each other," Oona said. Nonny simply nodded his head. Molly didn't expect everyone to take it so kindly, and chuckled.

"Thanks guy," Molly said. They all gathered for one big group hug.

"Okay, now my next question, what's she doing here?!" Deema asked, pointing at Alana.

"I'll explain that later, for now, we just have to find-" Molly was cut off by two more people arriving.

"Hey guys!" It was Zooli, who was catching her breath.

"I told you could've rode with me Zooli," Cryo was also there. The two noticed Molly, which caused Cryo to get behind Zooli, and Molly noticed this.

"Zooli…"

"Molly…"

The two girls stared at each other. They hadn't spoke since their fight, and nobody knew how this would end out. The wind was howling, and snow was falling. But then, Molly made the first move.

"I know you're still mad at me, and I want to say I'm sorry. It was my fault all of this happened," Molly told her.

"That still doesn't excuse everything you did!" Zooli said.

"I know, so I want to make it up for you," she said, confusing Zooli.

"Cryo can come back to BlizzardTucky, but only if he stays under your supervision, since I'm still not trusting him yet," Molly said. This shocked both guppies.

"Wait, really? You'd do that for me?" Cryo questioned her.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm doing this so there are no more problems happening," Molly said.

"Oh. Well, I guess it's better than…wait, SIS?!" Cryo noticed Alana in the background.

"Hey little bro?"

"Wait, did she just call Cryo bro?" Deema said.

"Yeah, Alana is Cryo's older sister," Zooli told everyone, shocking them.

"Why didn't you tell us this?" Gil asked her.

"Because I didn't know about all this when I was told it!" Zooli said.

"ENOUGH!" Alana screamed, stopping everyone.

"Can you please just shut up and stop fighting? It's driving me crazy!" Alana said. No one expected her to be the voice of reason in this, not even Cryo.

"Can we just get to your town so we can get this over with?" she said.

"She's right, we only have one temple left, so we better get going," Molly said. Everyone nodded their heads and began their way back to BlizzardTucky. Little did they know that Cryo and Alana's plan was beginning to reach its final phase, but not in the way you would expect. How will it finish? Will Molly be able to beat this final temple? What challenges await her in this temple? Time will be the teller here, as the finale of this arc approaches.

And that's a wrap for now! This was definitely the most emotional part of this arc, and I hope you all think the same. But how will everything come together in the end? You'll have to find out in the finale of this arc next time we meet. For now, I'll answer reviews.

PrimroseRaspberry: Hello again! I'm gonna be honest, that fight with the golem and Gil was unintentionally inspired by Frozen, as I realized that Frozen also had an ice golem lol. But yes, with Molly finally conquering her fears, things will be much easier for her…or will they?

ReaderandWriter9000: Molly's battle with her manifested fear is something I've been building up upon, and I'm glad you enjoyed the conclusion to it. We'll have to see how things play out when the final battle comes.

That's all for now! I'll see you in the finale of this arc next time.

….

…

[Dimensional Ray Gun firing. Portal at 10% open]

"W-What is this? A way out of this prison…?"