Author's Note ~
Happy Thanksgiving! We published on a holiday! Happy Holidays!
The background of this show is so funny! Like DreamWorks thought of everything.
Also….
Last two episodes of season one and it isn't even Christmas yet! We are so close to moving onto Wizards and ready for it! Thank you to those who stayed, we are learning to love 3 Below, but at the same time, we figured that the filler show wouldn't be as big.
Oh well! We love doing this for you guys and love seeing the support you give off! We couldn't do this without you!
Last Night on Earth
A red screen combed the woods, scanning every inch of the forest before focusing on the remaining Zeron Brother, Alpha. The saddened bounty hunter hovered over his fallen brother, holding the mask in honor as he spoke.
"You fought with valor, brother." He stated before placing the mask back on Omega's head. As done with Beta, Alpha let the device hover over Omega, watching as golden pixels coat his brother's body.
"Why do we have to keep watching this guy have his funerals, like we don't care? What good does any of this, do us?" Mary asked, crossing her arms.
"Perhaps confirmation of death, I was a bit perplexed. It is hard to tell when a soul passes." Blinky answered.
"He got crushed by a ship, I think I would know that they are dead."
"Not when you are dealing with different creatures, we learned that the hard way. Do I need to remind you of Angor Rot?" Toby asked, looking toward Mary as both Krel and Aja wore confused expressions.
"Who is this Angor Rot?" Aja asked.
"Some assassin troll that kills Trollhunters, he tried to kill my best friend and so we killed him, and next thing we know, a possessed Claire brings his head to Morgana and ends up reserectting him. Not blaming you, Claire."
Claire crossed her arms and looked at Toby while Aja seemed intrigued. "I am sorry to bother you, but I have a question, wizard geezer." She spoke up, turning to Merlin who looked offended at the name, especially when everyone laughed.
"I will ignore that, only for you do not know the proper terminology."
"HA!" Blinky yelled, pointing toward the wizard. "As the humans say, that is what you get!"
Merlin glared before looking at Aja, "What is your question."
"Will we be able to see the Trollhunter part? It seems really interesting!" Aja said excitedly and Merlin simply nodded. However, besides her, Steve tensed. She wanted to see Jim's life, the problem of that was how rude he was before he began to change. He swallowed, afraid to look at her but needed to tell her that he wasn't like that no more.
He hoped she understood.
That was until Alpha stiffened, mask shielding his face as he sensed the threat. He came to a stand, pulling out his weapon as the same red screen watched him. It was clear Alpha hadn't seen the threat that watched him as he frantically pointed his weapon in numerous directions.
The threat scanned both Alpha and the weapon before stepping out from its cover, the robot that had attacked Zadra, stood tall in front of Alpha. The Zeron never faltered but backed away as the robot advanced, unphased by the blasts that Alpha fired.
Taking the upper hand, the robot stretched its arm, grabbing Alpha by the neck. It pulled its target closer as Alpha struggled, grunting and kicking his legs.
The robot's free hand turned into a red blade, pointing it close to Alpha, who began to struggle at the sight. "Greetings, Alpha."
"Who are you?" Alpha asked as the perspective changed, the captured Zeron was nothing but a faded screen, coming from the robot's view. Morando stood proudly as he watched the screen, speaking. It was clear that Morando was in charge of the bot, controlling it as he spoke to his captive.
"Well, isn't that just fine and dandy," Toby stated.
"I should have known," Zadra hissed out. "He made it, of course. He would want the control of it."
"Since your brotherhood failed me, I've decided to explore other options. This is Omen, he will finish the job that you three could not. If you wish to have your bounty, your vengeance, and your life, you will now answer to Omen."
Alpha watched as the robot's head tilted, eyes glowing a fierce red as Morando spoke through it, the Zeron brother gasping and groaning before giving off a desperate nod. Omen dropped the hunter, letting him back on the ground as Alpha held his neck.
From the dark, horrible display, it turned into a peaceful morning over Arcadia as the town began to fill with life, cars driving down the road and birds gliding through the beautiful sunrise. It was perfect, even the man who spoke on the radio was nothing short of happy.
"Good morning Arcadia Oaks! And to my younger Arcadians out there…" A large rumble shook the town, startling the man. "Whoa! Whoa! Did you feel that? I mean, happy last day of school!"
"Happy memories, we didn't even enjoy our first day of school, we were too busy preparing for war," Toby said before his eyes widened. "Just imagine that."
Jim chuckled, looking at his best friend, "we had the most interesting school year, didn't we?"
"Oh, heck yeah! I wish we still had the summer though," Toby said, turning to his best friend with a sad look and Jim instantly rubbed his shoulder.
"I miss you too, Tobes."
Krel, in his Akridion form, tossed over in his bed, seeming to despise getting up as Luug jumped on him with excitement. The action fully woke Krel as his pet barked in his face and the man continued to speak in the background.
"You've got all summer to snooze, but for today, it's time to wake up, sleepyheads." Krel tried to keep Luug at bay from violently licking him, just as his sister barged through his door, the excitement radiating off of her.
"You heard the bodyless man, Krel!"
Krel moaned in annoyance, "Five more mekrons, five!" Luug instantly bit his hand that was held up.
"Come on, it's our last day on Earth!" She pulled the blanket, throwing him off the bed and onto the floor. "You can sleep on the flight, it's 40,000 light keltons." Krel rubbed his eyes as Mother spoke.
"Technically, 39,000. I've rerouted to avoid traffic."
"You know I'm piloting, right?" As Krel held up his arm again, Luug jumped to bite the sleeve, the boy giving an irritated look.
Out in the kitchen, both Stuart and Varvatos were just as excited as Aja had been, wearing happy smiles and talking happily. "Big day, A-fivers! Stuey's got a whole bucket list of Earthly pleasures we've gotta do before you leave!" Varvatos sniffed the air with a smile as Stuart continued to speak, flipping a pancake into the air.
"Somebody's famous flapjacks!"
"Lively, thank you!" Aja said excitedly as they stared down their plate of a delicious breakfast.
"As the humans say, we must bolt," Krel stated as he walked past Lucy, who pulled a fork from herself.
"Here, you can borrow mine." The kids instantly slurped their breakfast down, the forks giving no use as they handed their empty clean plates to their robot mother.
"Woa!" Stuart cried out. "Where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, but with how much there is in this world, it would not take me a day to be able to see everything. If it was just in Arcadia, your day would be lame."
"They come from another planet just a cotton swab could fascinate them."
"It's the last day of school, I have to say bye to my human friends," Aja answered as she headed to the door. "I might never see Mary or Darci, or Steve again." At Steve's name, Aja leaned against the door frame, cartoon hearts appearing above her head while Krel looked disturbed at the sight.
"And the Battle of the Bands is today. I don't know why they're battling but this is my big chance to leave my mark."
"Varvatos Vex cannot wait to watch you slaughter your musical foes!" As Stuart tried to cook, Varvatos slammed his hand on the table. "Melt faces."
"Excellent, I'm there with bells on when Krel's on."
"Okay, see you later!" Krel said before he shut the door, he and Aja headed to school while Varvatos picked up a plate of pancakes.
"More glorious flapjacks for–" The alien dog leaped up and swallowed the entire plate, dangling off Varvatos' arm. "Luug! This beast is a flapjack thief." As he tried to shake him off, Luug fired a fart blast toward Lucy who instantly ducked, her head being viewed in the background with fear. "And his gratitude is most deadly."
The school bell rang as students piled out of school, taking Eli down as he was the first one out. Papers were thrown across the school as happy chatter was heard, kids passing around their yearbooks.
The Trollhunter team watched with fascination and the rest of the students couldn't help but notice. "Now that we know, it's a little sad that we didn't sign their yearbooks, didn't fully grasp what was going on because they weren't there for it."
"Our buddy was a half-troll and we went on normally, unaware that he was missing."
"Eh, it's the last day of school, not like it mattered," Jim stated, waving them off but Darci instantly noticed how Toby and Jim seemed bothered. After all, they watched as Jim had grieved his normal life and went rampaging through the school, knowing he would never be able to attend.
Darci looked at Merlin as everyone was distracted by the show and slowly snuck to the wizard, ignoring Mary's whispering questions.
The young woman whispered into Merlin's ear, who seemed to listen eagerly. His face was stoic but when he pulled away from her, he gave a simple nod and gestured her to her seat, taking a moment to disappear.
Mary, Darci, and Aja had been posing for a photo as Mary spoke, "Okay, girlies, one more. Say, lively!" The camera flashed as they called out, the flash blinding Aja slightly. "Aj, I seriously cannot believe you're taking off already. We better face call, like, every day."
"Hey, I have to talk to my little brother, it's alright. Back soon!" She moved to Krel who was staring down his yearbook. "Hey, what's going on?"
Krel groaned out, "Look at all the horrible messages everyone wrote in my stupid commemorative tome."
"You mean your yearbook?"
"Have a great summer," Krel quoted. "Have a great summer, have a great summer." He said in a mocking tone.
The crowd laughed at Krel as the boy pouted. "What is so wrong with that?" Toby asked as Krel gave him a knowing look. "OH! Hey, it's cool man, at least people signed your yearbook."
"They don't have to?" Krel asked.
As their conversation carried on, Merlin managed to appear, no one aware of his departure but Darci. She glanced at him as he snapped his fingers, three Arcadia Oaks High yearbooks appeared in her hand, blessed with different colored pens and she smiled.
Mary glanced at her friend, realization striking before she stole a pen, scribbling down in the first yearbook she was passed. It circled through the crowd, missing Jim, Claire, and Toby completely, surprisingly still unnoticed by the three.
"Lively! People want you to have a great summer."
"No, they don't, have a great summer, is what you write when you barely know the human at all." Aja moved to look at his book, pointing at a certain spot.
"Oh, there's a long message."
"That's from Steve and it's about you!" Aja couldn't contain the coo she let out and took the book from his hand while he took hers.
Eli turned to his friend, sending a questioning look. "Why would you write a poem in his yearbook about Aja?"
"I'm in love, Pepperjack! Sorry when I see him, I think of her."
"I mean..oh, no." As the two talked, they were unaware of the crowd that ran off excitedly, leaving the two behind.
"See? Your pages are filled with variety," he flipped through the pages before gasping. "Is that a poem?"
"That doesn't mean anything, Krel."
"Perhaps I don't mean anything. What if after all this time on this mudball, I've failed to leave my mark?" He banged his head against the pole as a crowd lifted Eli high into the air.
"Come on, you know that isn't true."
"Look, even Pepperjack has left a mark."
"Trust me, we're all surprised by that one," Mary mentioned, however, there was no response from Eli as he and Steve had their heads hanging, scribbling some notes down.
"Well, who's to say I've left my mark here, either?" At Aja's comment, Coach's voice was loud, instantly catching the two's attention.
"Tarron! There's my star student!"
"Oh, thanks, coach!" Krel answered, thinking Coach was speaking to him, only for the teacher to proudly hold Aja up.
Krel looked at his sister, knowing full well that the question was not worth asking because clearly, they already knew she had.
"Was trying to make you feel better."
"Yeah, thanks for that."
"There's my star rope-climber. Oh, you. I'm going to miss that inhuman physical prowess of yours, Aja." Coach sobbed slightly, walking away, "Pull yourself together, Lawrence." Aja waved to the teacher as Krel stepped away, upset that he had not received much attention.
However, he did perk when the math teacher stepped past him, "Later Ms. Janeth. Your method of factoring polynomials is–"
Ms. Janeth wiped her glasses, which were revealed to be sunglasses instead. "Not today, Clyde. Lenora's on vacay." As she began to walk away, a large rumble shook the town, causing them to gasp, but Krel didn't care about the rumble.
"It's Krel."
The crowd turned to Ms. Janeth with a look, the said teacher instantly shrinking under their gazes. "You mean to tell me after all this time of no students showing you appreciation, you finally get it and ignore the poor kid?"
"You all had me stressed out."
"We officially broke Ms. Janeth."
From his desperate attempt to have someone miss him, the scene changed to Varvatos who was setting down a pot of flowers. "Nana–ahem. Nancy, you look ravishing!" He set down a couple of glasses and some wine as he practiced. "No, no, no. Nancy, you look glorious! Yes, most glorious, as if fresh from the battlefield after bathing in the blood of your enemies. That feels right."
He set the chess board up, smiling proudly at his love message. "Mother, how about a little mood lighting?" The building rumbled as the lights instantly shattered. "I said a little!"
Outside, a scanner was watching Varvatos from his window, while he wore his grandfather's attire, the scanner picked up the shadow of his original form. The mentor was unaware, calling for the ship to answer.
He was confused as Zadra appeared behind him, weapon raised as she leaped for an attack. Varvatos ducked out of the way, avoiding the sharp blade that continued to swipe at him. It wasn't long before the two circled one another.
Varvatos kept quiet, knowing that saying anything was never a good idea. He still grieved his loss, still regretting every action he had done, and having to watch the most heartbreaking and embarrassing part of his life was beginning to make something in his chest tighten. He never knew that was possible.
He tried to ignore the gaze from Aja and Krel, even Zadra. He didn't even bother to glance at the trolls and their judgment. Yet, he wondered, the troll with numerous eyes was a mentor, had he ever done something that his protege regretted or was hurt by? Perhaps he should ask. If only the fear didn't take over him.
"Earth has changed you, Commander."
"Zadra, how did you–" He began to ask, however, she cut him off with a sharp swing of her blade.
"You were my commanding officer. I know all your security codes, to say nothing of your secrets, traitor!" She swung again, managing to knock him in the chin, but he took it well, holding his ground.
"Varvatos Vex assumes that this is not a rescue mission."
"Not for you, where are the children?"
"They are safe."
Aja and Krel glanced at one another, while they still hurt from his actions, they knew that he wouldn't lie to Zadra about their health. They knew he cared, and they became uncertain about what to do with their new predicament but they figured they'd give it time.
If they found themselves to forgive him in the future, perhaps they could try now.
"Safe? How can I believe a word you speak after what you did?" Varvatos acted quickly, ducking from the harsh blows she delivered. He plucked the tall lamp from where it stood, using it to block the large blades. "The king was your friend, he loved you like a brother and this is how you repay him. You have no loyalty."
"It's crazy, the king knew too, he admitted to Varvatos that he knew," Eli started, glancing at Zadra who kept a stern glare. Suddenly, Eli's voice changed to a higher pitch as he grew nervous, "just thought you should know."
"If you would just let Varvatos explain."
"Explain? You can explain it with your dying breath." She sliced through the floor where Varvatos stood as he reached for his serrator, managing to get a hold of it. "Fight me!" Varvatos seemed hesitant as he continued to hold his defensive side until she knocked the weapon from his hands, the old man watching it clatter to the ground.
Knowing she wouldn't give up, Varvatos reacted fast, using the coffee table to block her blade from striking down upon him. His body went through the familiar change, bringing him back into his normal features, the force of the change had thrown Zadra back and her weapon landed in Varvatos' hands.
"Enough!" Varvatos cried out, pushing the blade toward her, finally gaining the upper hand and cornering her.
"Even in your Akiridion form, I wouldn't recognize you, Vex. Look at what you've become."
"This was not what Varvatos Vex intended to happen."
"And yet it did," Zadra answered as Varvatos took the blade away, standing in tons of guilt right as Aja's voice echoed out.
"Zadra?" Vex turned toward the door, knowing what was to come as the two stood waiting in the open door.
"What is she talking about?" Krel spoke, barely above a whisper. The two held a worried and scared look before they were found fully inside the mothership, Zadra standing between the king and queen as Krel questioned what she said. "Come on! Vex is many things, overbearing? Yes. A cantankerous grump? Sure."
"Oh damn, they are finally going to know, I am not sure I am ready for this!"
"But a traitor?" Aja finished her and her brother sharing the Akridion skin. They stared at Varvatos who was hunched, sighing and his face holding the strong emotion of remorse.
"Ask him," Zadra simply said. Krel sighed, squeezing his eyes shut before asking what he dreaded to say.
"Zadra speaks the truth, doesn't she, Varvatos?"
"No," Aja breathed out. They stared at the mentor who pushed himself closer to the ground, instead of a normal traitor with a vicious smile, he wore remorse, guilt, and dare we say, the look as he held back tears.
"Varvatos lowered the shields allowing General Morando to attack Akiridion-5." The two kids gasped in surprise. "But Morando swore no one would be hurt."
"I got hurt!" Krel spoke up, voice shaking as his emotions got the best of him. "Our parents got hurt, everyone has gotten hurt by this! By you!" Krel yelled, tears spilling from his eyes.
"Varvatos Vex wanted to tell you, but you had both endured so much–"
"Silence!" Krel yelled, pulling out his weapon and pointing it toward Vex.
"Prince Krel–"
"I am the King-in-waiting! Zadra, what is the punishment for high treason?"
Zadra cupped the containment where the queen laid, "Death." At her simple answer, Krel let his sword appear, heartbreak all over his features as Varvatos stared at the weapon, ready to take his fate.
The crowd was silent, and those who had their heads hanging down toward their laps, distracted, instantly glanced up at the screen. They had never seen Krel so angered, they knew when he was irritated, but seeing him seething and ready to burst into tears, was a whole new expression that they weren't ready for.
"I thought Aja would be the one to rage out."
"I did too," Aja stated, glancing at her brother who held himself, remembering the situation and how he felt.
"Krel, wait." Aja started.
"Why? He destroyed our home, Aja. Our lives, and for what reason?"
"Revenge," Varvatos answered, causing the two to face him. "The Zeron Brotherhood killed Vex's family, and Varvatos could not resist his thirst for vengeance. He was blinded by General Morandos' promises. He was–" Varvatos sucked in a shaky breath before sighing. "I was wrong. Do not let your desire for revenge destroy you, too."
Krel seemed to fight himself, shaking and wiping a tear, but his posture tightened. "You heard Zadra. We cannot allow an attack on our throne to go unpunished." The blade straightened and so did Varvatos, exposing his weak spots for his death.
However, Aja's hand pushed down the blade as she glanced at her brother. "So then why give Vex the glorious death he's always wanted?"
"What do you suggest, my lieges?" Zadra asked as Aja sighed and straightened her posture.
"Exile. As Queen-in-waiting, I say we banish Vex to this dump heap forever, never to set foot on Akiridion-5 or any other planet again. I hereby strip you, Varvatos Vex, of your title and your weapon, and banish you to Earth for all eternity."
"But you are still in danger," Varvatos said, coming to a stand and keeping Zadra from grabbing him. "It is my sworn duty to protect–"
"I mean, he cares for the kids, but didn't he just hear that it was no longer his priority?"
"Maybe he fought for it because that was the last promise he gave the king," Claire stated, not noticing the instant reaction her sentence gave Aja and Krel. The two were silent as they remembered that moment.
When they found out through the theater on Varvatos' side, the father knew and still made Varvatos promise that his children would be safe, and now that he regretted it, he was trying to keep his promise.
This was becoming so hard for them to decide.
"Go away," Aja hissed, taking his weapon. "Don't you understand, my brother may not be able to kill you, but I will. Now go, before I change my mind." As Aja exited and Zadra followed, Krel gave one last look to Vex.
"We have our ship, we have Zadra. We don't need you." He hissed before Zadra was seen tossing a human Varvatos out of the house. He looked to the saddened and angered household as Luug whimpered, watching the door close on him.
Vex was alone.
Inside the house, Krel was furiously packing his backpack as Aja spoke to him, "The Mothership's almost ready for take-off. Soon, we will leave this planet and forget any of this ever happened."
The crowd was silent as they looked at Varvatos who seemed to shrink in his chair, wishing he was no longer here. He needed advice and it seemed that no one would talk to him, he wouldn't even get the chance to explain to Aja and Krel.
"I'm not leaving, not yet."
"You're not seriously going to the Battle of the Bands? Not after–"
"Vex has taken everything from us. Our home, our parents. The Battle of the Bands is my last chance to make my mark. He is not going to take that from me too." Krel moved to his keyboard and struggled to lift it. "This would be so much easier with four arms."
"You have four arms, yours and mine."
From that, the scene changed to Steve who was wailing, voice cracking as he sang into the microphone, strumming a guitar. "It started out as a crush when she crushed my face. Crushed my face!" To the side, Aja was falling in love while Eli and Stuart looked disturbed. "Love is strange, and love! She comes from outer space, outer space!"
Jim, Toby, and Claire slowly leaned to look at Steve who was grinning madly at his proud accomplishment. "You're seriously joking, right?" Toby asked.
"What, I wrote it just for my Ninja-kicking angel."
"Yeah, we could tell," Claire mentioned.
While one woman was tearing up and falling in love, the rest of the crowd was also disturbed by the sight. Steve didn't care, continuing with his song and yelling at his best friend who hid behind the curtain.
"Pepperjack, clarinet me!" Eli stumbled to the microphone, nearly dropping his instrument.
"It's a pan flute," he fixed his glasses before blowing into the small musical instrument, while they were off-tune, Eli did a better job than Steve had been.
The crowd smiled at the sight, remembering how impressed they were with Eli's musical talent. It was surprising when Eli kept showing off his new found skills. They remembered the day when he danced to hip-hop music when delivering his theme for the dance. It was so strange but now, they were used to the sight.
"Not too big, bring it down a little." Steve grabbed the microphone and continued. "Wow! Love is a cow on a ship in the air." While Stuart plugged his ears and wailed, Aja was falling in love, the sight turning into her imagination of Steve smiling and staring her down.
Aja couldn't help by sigh, "You think we can make it work long, long, long distance?"
"Sure," Stuart said happily, Krel's dry voice mingling with his.
"Absolutely not." A large rumble shook the town, throwing Eli and Steve to the ground. Screams erupted from the crowd as Senor Uhl struggled to keep his balance.
"What is that?"
"Aja Tarron," Steve said as Senor Uhl struggled to rip the microphone from the boy's hands. "You literally rock my world!"
"Sorry, that was me." Jim grinned, wearing a knowing smirk as Claire laughed.
"Whew, Jim is getting sassy!" Mary chuckled.
"Never mind the tremor," Senor Uhl stated as he finally grabbed the microphone. "Moving right along. Our next act hails all the way from Cantaloupia." While Krel was ready, on stage, Steve was cheering.
"Whoo hoo! Go Moles!"
"Hooray!" Eli cried, leaping into the crowd to ride a wave, but all people did was watch as he dropped the ground, out of view. It was rather funny as only heads were visible as they stared at where Eli fell. "Ugh! My pan flute."
"You're joking, right?" Toby muttered and looked toward Eli, then to Jim who was laughing.
"That was a hard day."
"I like how that one chick's head in is the corner and you just see her staring in shock. I love it."
"Make a racket for DJ–" As Krel walked up, Senor Uhl stared at the clipboard. "Uh, do you have a DJ name?"
"Kleb! I didn't think of one."
"D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DJ Kleb, everybody! Put your hands together to make a clap." Senor Uhl stated but sighed and walked off when only Eli cheered. Both Aja and Krel presented themselves on the stage, however, when someone cheered, it angered Krel.
"Yeah, tear it up, Aja."
"I am DJ Kleb! Me! The one trying to have a great summer. Okay, here we go." Krel exhaled as he placed on his headphones, playing the familiar beat. Krel twirled a disk, holding his headphones while he concentrated, the stage lights covering him in a soft glow. The music had been rather unpleasant as Aja danced on the side, waving her arms in a funky motion while constantly saying.
"He is using that as much as he can in a sarcastic tone and I am absolutely here for it."
"Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance." She kept speaking, her voice louder than the music while the crowd watched with confusion, seeming confused and disturbed while Krel continued to scratch the record, the sounds pouring from it almost resembling birds chirping and dolphins squeaking.
The crowd lost their focus, bored and turning their attention from the stage, from their point of view, Krel was looking slightly disappointed as his sister appeared beside him.
"Little brother, I don't think they're ready for this." Krel sighed as he paused.
"But Stuart said experimental was the new thing. Easy listening it is." He placed his hands on the record, the music growing into a piece of upbeat dance music, much more pleasing to the human ears Aja began to change her dance style, and the crowd finally enjoyed it, tapping their feet, losing sight of their phones, even Senor Uhl was shaking his bum.
"Stuart was the one that made you play that first? Damn, don't let him give you advice anymore."
The crowd cheered as Seamus looked to someone in the crowd, "Dang, he's actually pretty good." Aja danced to the funky beat as the crowd picked up. Both Eli and Steve stood in the crowd, Steve now sporting a drink in his hand as Eli was perched on his shoulders.
"That's my girlfriend, whoo-hoo!"
"Spectacular!" Eli cried out as Krel threw his arms in the air, excited.
"Finally!"
Near the park, at the chess table, both of Varvatos' friends shared different expressions to the music. "That's what the kids call music these days," Jerry said, rubbing his ear.
"Aw, quit complaining and just wait for the drop, my dude!" Phil said, dancing to the beat. Near the area, perched on the roof, Zadra watched with a proud smile at the dancing crowd.
"They're royalty wherever they go."
Where Varvatos stood had been Stuart's shop as he turned on the radio, listening to the announcer play Krel's exciting beat. "DJ Kleb spin the best beats ever."
"You show them, my prince," Varvatos said, wiping his eye as the announcer continued.
"Gene, the crowd is on its feet. Are you hearing this?"
Krel tried to ignore the tense feeling in his chest as he watched his old mentor cry. He tried to argue with himself that Varvatos put it on himself, he needed to face the consequences, yet, something in him continued to fight that idea.
Back on stage, Aja was dancing to the beat as she spoke. "This would be called leaving your mark, little brother." As the music ended, the crowd began to chant Krel's DJ name as he spoke into the microphone.
"I am DJ Kleb and you've all been kleb-tastic! Thank you, Arcadia! Have a great summer!" He dropped the microphone as he and his sister bowed to the roaring crowd.
Eli clapped as he still was on Steve's shoulders. "DJ Kleb, thank you! Thank you!"
Senor Uhl stepped onto the stage, mic set in hand as he picked it up. "Good job, whatever that was." The siblings stepped off the stage and into Stuart's arms who hugged them excitedly.
"Krel! You rocked, you rolled! Aja, I have a few notes." She chuckled as the all-familiar scene of Claire stepping onto the stage was shown, becoming the focus.
She barely smiled before glancing over the crowd, "Um, hello. Can I have your attention?" Aja turned to face Claire, looking in surprise.
"What's with the armor?" Shannon said as Toby adjusted his, standing beside her. She stared at him in shock, laughing nervously when he noticed that both Strickler and Nomura appeared in view, eyes on their surroundings with a stern glare.
"I'm dating the drummer," Toby simply replied.
"Good answer, Toby. Tell them the real reason that armor is on."
"Look, I've got something to say, something about this town," Krel took off his headphones, staring her down in surprise. "Listen to me, something dangerous is coming, strange things happen in our town," Claire continued, definitely catching Krel and Aja's attention. "There's something alien amongst us but we bury our heads in the sand and ignore it."
"Oh, here we go! Trollhunters and Akridions are connecting! These parts always excite me!"
"Is she talking about us?" Krel asked.
"Impossible, Steve Pinkie swore, it is the most sacred of human vows," Aja stated but grew silent when Claire continued.
"Now this makes total sense! We all questioned why they were asking about themselves and boom, we got an answer!"
"What?" Krel asked.
"That part showed up when we were watching Jim's side of his story, not knowing who you guys were and why you were asking about yourselves."
"This all makes perfect sense!"
"I cannot wait to watch what you all have seen!" Aja said with excitement, nearly bouncing in her chair.
"Tonight when night falls, you need to run." The sound of drums and a guitar rocking in a strange beat, Claire turned to her friends with a gasp as they sang every line she had spoken. "No, this is not part of the show!"
A large rumble shook the ground and Aja's eyes landed on the strange burst the shot from the ground, rocketing into the air. Vast pieces of concrete had been thrown as the vortex shot into the sky, resembling a rocket as it became noticeable from a distance. The magic climbed higher, a dark black cloud expanding from the magic source, the shape replicating a tornado, only it had been on a sunny clear day.
"Officer Brennan, you seeing this?" Detective Scott asked, speaking into the walkie-talkie he had clumsily reached for. People murmured as smoke rose from the ground, everyone staring at the strange vortex as Claire opened her staff.
On the ground, Stuart's robe blew in the wind as everything seemed to cloud up. "That's not summer weather, is it?" Aja asked.
"This is getting creepy," Steve mentioned.
"If it's creepy, then it's time for some Creepslaying," at the name, both Eli and Steve cupped their hand, making their famous logo. The funnel was loud and stood over the town, roaring as it continued to expand.
"I can't believe we all just stood there, unaware that Jim is about to go into war and save us all. We all need to start paying more attention to people and the things that go on around us.
By the chess board, Phil panicked and began to run, his friend following behind him. "Ooh, Jerry, skedaddle!" The crowd screamed and ran through the streets as Gumm-Gumms moved through, weapons ready.
"Trollhunters! They are finally coming, we get to see the epic battle in action once again!"
"I can't believe this changed our entire lives, now Trolls just roam around with us and we are fine with it."
Aja, Stuart, and Krel stared in shock as everyone ran. "Do you think it's Morando?" Krel asked.
"Whatever it is, it's not Akiridion," Aja answered as she and Krel pulled out their serrator, Stuart using a microphone stand.
"Just when I thought we were done using these," As they readied themselves, Zadra stared at the vast funnel cloud.
"Seklos and Gaylen!" She leaped from the roof while the sun was fully submerged in the pale orange. Gumm-Gumms charged through the town as Goblins followed, the battle commencing as Claire and Toby held their ground.
"Oh, yeah. I hope you enjoy your warm welcome to a new planet," a kid stated, turning to Zadra who chuckled at the sight.
"I have to say, it was rather interesting."
"What on Earth– and I say that literally— are these things?" Krel asked.
"Nastier than any Earthlings I've ever encountered, and I've been to Flordia, ugh!" As Gumm-Gumms spotted them and charged, Aja let out a cry and leaped onto one, turning it to stone when she stabbed it. Krel was the next one to act, firing at a Gumm-Gumm and killing it instantly.
"I mean, he isn't wrong…..but he discovered these guys too? Insane!"
The two celebrated before they were attacked by a third. Stuart panicked as the creature cornered him, throwing his mic stand at the troll, only for it to simply clank off the helmet.
As the Gumm-Gumm raised his weapon, it was instantly turned to stone, shattering upon contact and revealing Zadra. Stuart slowly looked up to her before giving off a big smile. "Hey there, the name is Stuart, but you can call me Stu."
"Zadra!" Aja's voice called out, both her and Krel running up to them. "Thank Seklos you're here." A Gumm-Gumm chased after them, ready to attack the group but Strickler's voice was heard from up above, dressed in his troll form as he dived down.
"Excuse me! Coming through!" He plucked the Gumm-Gumm from the ground and laughed before dropping its remains down. Zadra could only stare for a moment before she swiped at another.
"This is not our fight, we must return to the Mothership at once. The citizens of Akiridion-5 need you." Zadra said as Aja and Krel's attention turned to Toby's screams, the boy being tossed aside by a Gumm-Gumm while Claire had her weapon raised, cornered by a Gumm-Gumm.
Aja watched with despair, right before her face narrowed. "So do the people of Arcadia." She took off in a run as Krel looked at Zadra awkwardly.
Jim smiled, turning to Aja and mumbling a small 'thank you'. She smiled back at him, giving him a nod. Even though she felt she had done nothing with the sudden urgency she had for her parents, she was just glad that Jim recognized what she tried to do.
She could tell who was a leader and who wasn't and with the respect for herself that a leader like Jim had acknowledged her actions and thanked her for helping protect what he was, she felt proud of herself.
"So, what exactly are you?" Aja asked, turning to Jim.
"I'm the Trollhunter, I watch over both humans and trolls and protect the secret of their existence from humans while trying to make sure the bad trolls don't hurt anyone. I was changed into a half-troll to survive this war, thanks to Merlin."
"So, you protect Arcadia and life forms? Cool, you are like me, shall I say a warrior prince?" Jim chuckled and smiled.
"Yeah, that fits, after all, my adoptive father is the Elder of trolls now." Jim turned to Blinky with a proud smile and Aja's eyes followed. The multi-eyed troll she remembered had been wearing a happy smile as he cupped his four hands together.
"Thank you, Master Jim, or shall I say, son."
"After all, Varvatos was right, four arms to us represent royalty!" Aja started. "You're like a brother in arms!" Aja gently nudged Jim as their friendship seemed to grow stronger.
"Yeah, um, what she said." As Krel moved to join her, Stuart gasped, pointing toward the sky.
"Incoming!" The famous sight of a truck cutting through the air was seen, everything moving in slow motion as Aja and Krel watched it spin.
They stared at the flying truck as Jim launched into the air, cutting the distance between him and the truck. His sword smoked, red pouring from the sharp blade as it sliced through the truck with ease, both halves crashing on opposite sides of the group, Aja and Krel diving out of the way as Jim landed.
The new and reformed Jim, turned to glance at Aja and Krel, his face filled with determination.
"Is that Jim? He looks so much more blue?" Aja asked.
"Aha! Trollhunters!" The two exclaimed when they figured it out.
The two smiled as Jim stared at the screen, remembering catching them at a glance but only for him to focus on what was at hand. He knew at that moment they made eye contact, he couldn't hide it anymore, but he didn't think much of what was to come.
Thankfully they weren't the regular foreigners from other countries. They understood and weren't so scared of what was occurring.
"My lieges!" Zadra yelled, moving up to them. "It's a distress signal."
"From where?" Aja asked.
"Home." Their new guardian answered before Krel spoke up.
"We need to get back to the ship."
"Mama! Papa!" They began their run back home as Varvatos stumbled around the darkened city, phone in hand as he stared at it desperately.
"Aja, Krel! Load quicker! What is the purpose of a Find My Friend app if it cannot find one?" He hissed before he ran into a hard body, looking up to find a growling Gumm-Gumm. He pushed the end of his cane against the troll, angered. "If Varvatos Vex wasn't stuck in this wrinkled human flesh sack, it would give him great pleasure to rip you limb from limb, now step aside!"
When the Gumm-Gumm did not listen, only holding out its hands, ready to grab the old man, Vex's form changed into his original, laughing evilly as he towered over the Gumm-Gumm. To say the Troll was surprised was an understatement.
"Glorious," Varvatos said before the Gumm-Gumm howled, its remains exploding from out of the alley as he laughed.
"Ope."
"Glory!"
"Please!"
While Vex was alone, enjoying it, to say the least, Aja, Krel, and Stuart were focused on running through the messy streets, stopping when a group of growling Gumm-Gumms cornered them. As Stuart was defenseless, all he could do was yelp in terror while Aja and Krel donned their weapons, ready to fight.
However, before they could leap into action, Zadra had moved over them, twirling her two-sided blade and taking out the two Gumm-Gumms.
"Yeah!" Stuart cheered as Aja and Krel continued to move, hearing Steve's chants while In the background, Bessy the cow was chasing two Gumm-Gumms around, which was strange that they were afraid of the cow. It was funny watching them run in fear.
"Uh, are they scared of the cow?" Toby asked, pointing to the background where Jim glanced at, instantly smiling at the sight.
"That's awesome, why didn't we figure that out."
"Wish we had a herd of cows," Claire stated and Jim chuckled.
"Right, would have been so much easier."
That went ignored, Aja closed the distance to where her boyfriend was chanting, dressed in his creep-slaying attire with Eli close by.
"Palchuk! Palchuk! Palchuk! Palchuk! Palchuk! Palchuk!" Instead of Gumm-Gumms, it was Goblins that cornered the duo, who swung with bats, well, Eli was, all the while Steve was busy chanting.
"Steve!" Aja yelled, leaving an annoyed Krel behind while Zadra looked confused. "I'll just be on secton."
"What is the hold-up?" Stuart asked before his arms were grabbed by a Stalkling and taken into the air. "Aagh! You're pinching me!"
Zadra who watched him get plucked out of the sky, looked back at her charges, then Stuart. "Kleb!" She leaped onto the roofs, following the crying Stuart, "Okay, I'm coming!"
"I like how she stared for a minute as he was plucked away."
"This was such an interesting day and this side of the story just adds so much to it."
"We no longer fear this day, we are numb to it that we are cracking jokes and laughing."
"Something is wrong with us."
"Come at me!" Steve yelled, swinging his bat at the Goblins, smashing one into goo. "Want a piece of this too?" Aja and Krel winced as they watched the Goblin explode at the contact, Steve continuing to take out the green creatures. "Aja, there you are, did you like my song?" He asked once he spotted her.
"It was lively, are you okay? And what are you wearing?" In the background, Eli was chasing after the Goblins as they yelled out, Krel joining in and stomping at them. As Eli was chased by yelling Goblins, Krel raced after him, reaching out his arms.
"HA! Look at Krel trying to help, this is the best thing ever!"
"We all have our secrets, babe." He answered before smashing another Goblin. "Me? I'm Arcadia's dark knight, protecting the city from what goes bump in the dark." He smashed a Goblin that charged at him, proudly holding up the bat. "I am the Creepslayer."
Toby leaned toward Jim, "I think we gave them too much power."
"They would have done it anyway, we just revealed too much to them," Jim whispered as Claire rolled her eyes. Her boyfriend had leaned over her to whisper to Toby, giving her the chance to tangle her fingers in his hair and scratch him behind the horns.
Jim's body instantly slackened as his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head, a soft grumble escaped his throat and causing him to open his eyes, realizing where he was and what Claire had done. She knew his favorite spot, and sharing the animal instinct, being pet was a given, he quickly sat up and regained himself. "I told you to stop doing that!"
He tried to ignore the gazes from his friends as they smiled in a knowing look while Claire simply smiled and shrugged. "You mean, not in public so you can pur."
"Claire!"
"What, did you say pur?" Darci asked happily. "I want to try!"
"Me too!" Mary said happily as Jim quickly swatted at them as they tried to get near his horns. Up above, Barbara and Blinky smiled, watching the scene.
"I'm glad he is used to his new self. As much as I hate to see my boy go through so much, he seems happy now, still beautiful as ever."
"Me too," Blinky said. "I am taking good care of him."
"I know, I couldn't wish for a better adoptive father for my child." Barbara smiled, Blinky's eyes widening.
"It is an honor to hear that from you, thank you, Barbara."
Aja 'oohed' in fascination as Eli appeared, "So am I! Creepslayerz, with a Z!" As Eli was tackled to the ground by a Goblin, he still held up the famous symbol with Steve.
"So is he," Steve quickly spoke up. "How are you? Are you okay?"
"Get him off me!" Eli cried, but it went unheard. On the ground, Eli was being thrown around and dragged by two Goblins who went psychotic. "Get him off!"
Everyone laughed as they watched Eli struggle, the said boy crossing his arms and pouting at Steve. "Thanks for the backup, buddy."
"Sorry, my bad."
"Please," Aja said, turning to kick a Goblin and leaving it nothing but goop. "I'm a warrior princess."
Eli cried out, not seen in the camera but what was heard was a grunt before a mess of green guts exploded behind Aja, the leg of the Goblin twitching before it all went still. "No!"
The crowd glanced at one another before laughing out loudly, smiling as they watched everything unfold. "As cute as you two are, the background is so much better to watch."
"None taken, I do enjoy the sight."
"Look," Aja said, unphased. "I'm leaving sooner than expected. I just wanted to say goodbye."
"Goodbye? Right now? During the end of the world?" Steve asked as Eli struggled to pry a Goblin from his head, Krel chasing after him. Finally, Krel managed to get a hold of the Goblin, pulling it from Eli and smashing the creature onto the ground. While Aja and Steve were busy, Krel grabbed the discarded bat and he and Eli got to work.
While Aja and Steve shared their moment, romantic music played as the sky would seem a perfect orange if it wasn't for Morgana, and everything seemed to slow. In the background, Goblins were thrown through the air, and guts splattering everywhere.
Jim and Claire's jaws dropped, watching in a strange disgust while everyone else was laughing. "You know, it is so much more interesting watching everyone help with Trollhunting." Toby mentioned that his friends still suffered from slack jaw.
"This is insane, Jim handled those well and now we are watching them be thrown all over the place."
"I love it when they battle Goblins, it's so funny!"
"My lumbering oaf," Aja said romantically.
"My Ninja-kicking angel." Steve picked her up gently, the two sharing a kiss while Eli and Krel fought for their lives, smashing Goblins and the guts exploding like fireworks. They seemed to spin in circles as Goblins and guts went flying all over.
As the Goblins died down, Krel groaned in disgust. "Good job!" Eli said but turned to what Krel was staring at.
"Oh, come on," Eli groaned as Aja and Steve continued to kiss, ignoring what was around them. Eli looked disgusted, his face rather amusing while Krel wore the same look.
The crowd was blinking as everyone turned to face Aja and Steve who were blushing madly. No words could be spoken.
"No, give me a break!"
"Don't they need to breathe?" Eli questioned as they smashed Goblins, the guts going everywhere. Finally, after a little while, the two parted, Steve looking lost and dazed.
"What–where?"
"You're the best boyfriend in the universe," Aja sighed as she ran off, giggling. Krel moved to Steve's side, handing him the bat as he joined his sister. Steve watched her with a loving look as she cheered.
"Come on, Aja." Steve laughed, lifting a Goblin and swinging the bat, the Goblin soaring through the air and cheering.
"HOME RUN!"
While Aja and Krel made a run for it, Zadra landed behind them, Stuart safe in her arms, the Stalking dropping down in a heavy heap of stone, dead. "Great Gaylen, you are good!" Stuart said as she set him down and followed after the siblings.
The vortex of the Eternal Night continued to pour out as the group ran through the backyards, making their way to the house.
"How much farther?" Zadra asked.
"Only a couple more blocks," Krel answered as Stuart looked at him in shock. They continued to rush through yards, leaping over fences and kicking Goblins.
"Wait, don't rip pants, don't rip pants!" Stuart said to himself, struggling to get over the fence, taking down the section of the fence as someone yelled out.
"Get off of my lawn!"
"What…"
"That's his biggest concern when there is a gosh darn apocalypse occurring as Gumm-Gumms run around destroying everything."
"Oh No, My CaR gOt DeStRoYeD. As LoNg As My LaWn iS oKaY."
"Sorry!"
Krel and Aja came to a stop, staring at their house in shock as it lit up with a red light, blaring the alarm. "Mother's defense shields have been breached." As Krel spoke, a strange device ripped toward them, Zadra pushing Aja to the ground as she yelled out.
"Look out!" The device cut through Zadra's leg as it flew past.
"No!" The device whirled around, knocking Zadra out completely as Alpha stood nearby, chuckling as he caught his strange weapon.
"Girl, you killed a Stalking with ease and that took you out."
"Let's not talk about that."
"Stuart," Aja started. "Get Zadra out of here!" As Krel and Aja stood in front of their fallen comrade, Alpha readied himself, ignoring Stuart who dragged the limp guardian away.
"I got you, Zadra."
"You'll pay for that, Alpha!" Krel hissed.
"And for what you did to my brothers, you shall pay with your cores!" He ran through the street, firing at the two, who thankfully blocked each blast. They had a hard time firing back as Alpha leaped all over, flipping and moving through the street.
"Maybe don't attack them and you wouldn't have lost your brothers, ever think about that?"
"Distract him, little brother. I'll try to flank him." Aja said as Alpha flipped behind a car, preparing his two weapons before coming to a stand and firing. Krel yelled out as he used his shield, blocking the numerous blows.
"I got this, I got this!" Krel yelled before the blast began to push him back. "I don't got this, any time now!" Aja let a massive weapon appear from her serrator and fired it, the blast exploding and blowing everything out of the way. "I totally had him."
"You're welcome," Aja stated before the same weapon that attacked Zadra came whipping toward them.
"Look out!" Krel cried, he and his sister ducking from the blow as it circled back around, this time, pinning Krel's arm to his body. Alpha moved quickly, using a powerful blast to throw a car into the air, toward Krel who watched it, knowing moving was futile.
"So far, I am not having a great summer," he let out a scream and covered his head, just as Aja stood in front of him, using her shield to block the car, however, the force of it had caused the car to rocket into the sky.
"There that term is again, we really hurt his feelings."
Krel, Aja, and Alpha stared at it before both Aja and Alpha engaged in battle. Being trained well, Aja managed to hold her end, the two seemed to take turns becoming offensive, the young girl even managing to knock the mask clean from his face.
She let out a battle cry, trying to land a blow, but Alpha kept her weapon at bay, blocking it. "You are as arrogant as you are foolish, just like your parents. Aja was thrown to the ground, her weapon thrown only a few feet as she tried to regain herself.
"Don't kill her," Zadra yelled, finally conscious. Aja moved to pick up her weapon but Alpha was quick to grab it as he spoke.
"I wasn't sent here to kill her, I'm just here to buy time, princess." Aja looked at the house which was still blaring and Krel instantly realized.
"Oh, no." He breathed out.
Inside, Mother floated around the room as Morando's robot had made its way to her. "Intruder, vacate premises immediately before defense protocols are weaponized." The robot ignored her warnings, typing rapidly on the keyboard as she floated in front of him. "Intruder, vacate premises immediately before defense protocols-protocols-protocols-" There was a harsh scream as she glitched, the robot scanning her and turning her red.
"Secur– Secur– Secur– security override complete. Initiating launch sequence." Luug backed away nervously, moving toward the door and barking, catching the attention of the group outside.
Before Luug could get outside, the door closed, trapping him in. "Mama, Papa!" Aja yelled, a large red blast shoving them to the ground as they tried to race to the house. The house glitched and disappeared from view as Luug bounced in the window, the whole image flickering until the ship came into view, slowly rising from the ground,
"No, no, no!" Aja yelled, watching as it left the ground.
"Oh, mother!" Krel cried, the episode ending with the ship flying high into the air.
"Oh, shit!"
"Damn it, we have an ending so you were allowed to say it."
"Good, because I have a surprise for my lovely boyfriend and his amazing friends." Darci started, pushing herself to a stand and moving to the way back of the room. Blinky held the three books in his hand, handing them to the young girl who smiled.
"There is no room once I added to it," Blinky started and Darci nodded. She mumbled a small thank you before stepping toward the front of the room.
"You guys missed your last day, all three of you. You had to save us, save the world, and we saw how heartbroken you were over your change, Jimmy. You couldn't be there to have a normal life, to live out the last day with no cares in the world. You three risked your life, preparing for the worst while we sat unaware."
The trio glanced at one another, "what did you do?" Claire asked.
"I had Merlin grab your yearbooks, and just for once, to see how much we appreciate you three, to thank you, and to let you guys know that you are loved and should have been there with us. I had every single person in here sign your yearbooks." Darci said, handing the three their respective hardcovers.
"You didn't have to do this for us, but we really appreciate it." Jim started, flipping open the book to find his filled with different colored paragraphs, filling up every empty spot possible. Claire and Toby did the same, Toby's eyes filling with tears as he hugged his girlfriend.
"Thank you, Darc, this is the best thing I have ever seen," Toby mumbled into her ear as Claire and Jim surrounded her in a tight hug.
"Also, thank you, guys. Seriously." Jim said, looking toward the crowd that wore smiles, even Aja and Krel were giving them heartwarming smiles. Jim glanced to Merlin who sauntered toward where they stood.
"It is gratitude for what you accomplished for me as well, I even sighed it. It is a strange custom, but I think you shall enjoy what I wrote. Perhaps you should get to your seat, we have only a couple more before it moves to the future and I have a feeling questions will be asked."
Jim nodded and grabbed Claire's hand as they made it back to their seat. Toby, who was still ecstatic, kissed his girlfriend happily, not even thinking about how perfect it should be. When he pulled away, Darci was blushing madly, hand gripping his as she let him pull her to her seat.
Things were finally starting to look up.