Disclaimer: Okay. Last chapter was a heartwrencher. Probably my biggest one yet. But that doesn't mean the heartache is stopping. And this is the start of the seasonal three chapter mini arc, so while it won't all be sadness in response to tragedy, expect it to expand a lot of emotions.
Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.
Paw Patrol X
Land and Sea arc Episode ten: Pain Erupted From Loss
A week after Wave's death F.M. and Marshall were helping look over the funeral preparations, since the two decided to spend this time with Margareth to recover together. Everything seemed to be in order, but F.M., Marshall, and Margareth were still in the early stages of grief. F.M. was still taking it the hardest, hence why she almost broke down again after looking at Wave's portrait on the coffin. She still couldn't handle losing someone she loved so much. She walked past all the funeral stuff, prompting Marshall and Margareth to check up on her.
F.M. started looking at her phone, and surprisingly, she was about to send a text to Coral. The text read 'Any updates on Eveline?', indicating that F.M. and Coral were now working together. F.M. waited patiently for a reply, being willing to wait as long as she could. Anything was better than being brought to tears every five seconds. When Marshall and Margareth checked up on her, Marshall saw who she was texting. He contained his resentment towards Coral as he asked. "You sure you're okay with her being here?"
"It's the same with you guys and everyone else. As long as Skye keeps an eye on her like she said, I can handle it." F.M. assured them, allowing them to sit down next to her as she explained why she got back into contact with Coral again to begin with. "We should at least give her a chance to make things right. And there might be certain things Coral can only share with us in person."
Coral texted back with 'I did see her going through a portal an hour ago. Might be worth looking into.', prompting questioning from Margareth. "That Eveline jerk has her own portal?"
Coral followed up with 'Again, I'm soooo sorry for what I did! I know you have no reason to believe me, but I do want to make things right.' before F.M. answered. "The fact that she's been so apologetic since she called three days ago tells me she's not lying." After sighing, she confessed to how she was taking all of this, as obvious as it was. "It's surprisingly helpful for what I've been feeling lately. It helps me feel like I could still help them."
Marshall and Margareth put their paws on F.M.'s shoulders, the former of whom encouraging her to take it easy. "The funeral starts soon F.M.. You shouldn't overwhelm yourself."
F.M. looked at her messages to Coral again, thinking about her and the Mer-Pups when she did. She wasn't going to let her emotions stop her from helping the ones she could. She texted 'I believe you. You called me after all. And, thanks for the info.' to Coral before stating why she was still helping the Mer-Pups. "We all grieve in our own ways Marshall. Helping people is mine."
Marshall and Margareth understood that, and after a few seconds, F.M. opened up about something else on her mind. "I can't imagine what you two must be going through. You went through this twice." F.M. choked a bit, earning Marshall and Margareth's concern as she spoke again. "Is it any easier the second time? Losing a loved one?"
Marshall and Margareth felt their heartstrings being strung upon hearing that. They hoped it would be easier after dealing with Blaze's death. What Marshall said next debunked that idea completely. "I don't think it ever is."
F.M., Marshall, and Margareth all hugged while trying to stay strong, and Margareth made sure to remind her siblings that she was there for them. "Don't forget that even after I head back to college, and you two head back to Adventure Bay... I'm only a phone call away." Margareth looked at her siblings, showing utmost sincerity in her eyes. "I'll always answer." F.M. and Marshall greatly appreciated that, and the three siblings continued hugging for comfort and affection. They knew they would always have each other, even in times like this.
Marshall got an alert on his phone, and when he looked at it, he knew what it was for. "Our friends should be here soon. We should head to the dock."
"I'm not wasting a second. They probably missed us as much as we missed them." F.M. pointed out, not wanting to waste a second in seeing the others again. The Munroe siblings headed off to the dock, being as ready as possible for the funeral.
Once F.M., Marshall, and Margareth arrived at the dock, the Munroe siblings saw that Snow and the others were getting off of Sid and Arrby's ship one at a time. Snow ran over to F.M. as soon as she got off the boat, and the two embraced each other lovingly. "F.M.!"
That was the first time F.M. had smiled all day, and F.M. made it clear when she pulled Snow away to smile at her. "You have no idea how much I needed you here."
Snow took F.M.'s paws to show that she was there for her, and she then asked about how she was doing. "Have things been any easier since her passing?"
F.M.'s smile faded, showing that she wasn't anywhere near close to moving on from Wave's death. "Nope. Not one bit." F.M. held Snow's paws tightly and lovingly, not wanting to let go in that moment. "I wish I could've done something."
"It's not your fault." Snow assured F.M., knowing she didn't have any power over what happened. "You didn't even know that poison existed."
"Let alone that I thought it was a Demon Blood stopping potion." Charm chimed in after stepping off the boat, and F.M. and Snow saw him walking over to them. "I know this might sound weird F.M., but Wave was the closest to a real parent I've ever hard." F.M. didn't think that was weird. With how Slash treated him, and how he never got to have a real bond with his mother, that made the most sense to her. "I suppose, in my own way, Wave's death affected me personally as well."
F.M. hugged Charm to comfort him, which he was surprised by due to the circumstances. When she and Snow headed over to the others, Claw came over and made an attempt to give Charm some advice before the funeral. "Try not to expect too many hugs today Charm. With how those three have been all week, that might be the only hug F.M. can give all day."
Charm clenched his fists with guilt before replying to Claw, trying to avoid crying when he did. "And to think that I'm part of the reason why." Rocky saw him getting tense and came over as the Golden Retriever spoke to himself. "No tears Charm. This is F.M. and Marshall's time. Don't take it from them."
Claw saw how hard Charm was trying to consider F.M. and Marshall with Rocky assuring him he would be okay. "It's okay to cry Charm."
Charm looked at Rocky while making it clear he didn't feel deserving of comfort. "Not for me it isn't." Charm walked away, leaving Rocky to hope he could help him with his current state. Obviously he wanted just as badly for F.M., Marshall, and Margareth to recover, but Charm was hurting a lot too. He couldn't just ignore what his brother was going through.
Chase and Everest were comforting Marshall, the latter kissing him gently as the former gave him some encouraging words. "She loved you with everything she had Marshall. She may be gone, but the mutual love you shared never will be."
Chase and Marshall did their signature paw shake, and even though Marshall was still taking the loss hard, he smiled in appreciation. "Thanks Chase. That helps a little."
Skye and Coral were the last non-pirates to step off the boat. Skye also had her bandana wrapped around her right ear, showing that she was still going through some emotional baggage at this time. Skye gestured Coral to wait for her, which she did as Skye went over to Margareth. She placed a paw on her shoulder, leading to Margareth turning to her as Skye expressed concern for her, Marshall, and F.M.. "I'm sorry Margareth. I know it was a lot to ask if Coral could come."
Margareth saw how remorseful Coral looked when looking past Skye. She didn't forgive her, but she had her reasons for agreeing to her attendance. "I don't trust her, not one bit. But mom would've encouraged us to let her atone if she wanted. That's how she and dad stayed together after all."
"I don't doubt it. I want that chance for her too. It's just that... she hurt you the most." Skye responded, knowing that F.M., Marshall, and Margareth were hurting more than her.
Margareth couldn't deny that, but she was confident everything would be okay. "You're keeping an eye on her, right?"
"Of course." Skye assured Margareth, despite knowing Coral wouldn't cause trouble. "And even if I wasn't, she would never ruin a funeral."
"I hope you're right Skye. For everyone's sake. Including yours." Margareth patted Skye's shoulder for support before heading over to her siblings. With that, Skye went back over to Coral.
Moby went over to Zuma, tugging his paw to get his attention before speaking up. "Be honest Zuma. How do you feel about Coral being here?"
"After what she did to Chawm and Wave? I'm still really angwy about it." Zuma admitted before attempting to help Moby out with it. "Let's save any thoughts about it for after the funewal."
Moby started taking that advice with Ryder getting everyone's attention. "Come on everyone. We don't want to be late." And with that, F.M. and the others all headed off to Wave's funeral to say one final goodbye. F.M., Marshall, and Margareth were still seething with grief, but they knew that they had to see this through. They wanted to.
F.M. and the others were arriving at Wave's funeral, and F.M. held Marshall's paw for support, and then Margareth's as well. Rocky offered Charm a paw hold, which he rejected due to not feeling he deserved it, and Moby looked at Charm with concern for his first friend. Skye walked in with Coral, who looked at the Munroe siblings with intense remorse. Skye held her paw to help her, and Chase held Skye's other paw to help her too. They all knew funerals were sad for everyone.
Zuma also took the time to hold Rocky's paw for comfort in both the funeral, and Charm's situation. The two briefly smiled at each other, as always, finding their presences to make each other feel better no matter the situation. Rubble also held Rocky's other paw, making him feel more at ease with what's been going on lately. Snow and Everest held paws as well, knowing that F.M., Marshall, and Margareth had to comfort each other together.
Claw and Sweetie entered as well, and Sweetie was wearing a black dress to fit the funeral theme. And this time, it wasn't stylish. Just a casual one to respect the scenario. Ryder and Richie also walked in with sympathetic eyes, just as Sid and Arrby did with the former walking with the latter. After everyone took their seats, Arrby addressed Sweetie's attire out of curiosity. "I know we haven't known each other for as long as the others, but this is quite average for you."
"I felt it would be disrespectful to wear anything impressive." Sweetie explained, knowing that her friends needed her to avoid taking the spotlight today. Arrby respected that, glad that Sweetie knew the limits of spotlight stealing.
The current mayor of Twin Flame Island, a male green cat, stepped up to the microphone. He didn't need pages to express how much Wave meant to everyone in town. "We are all gathered here today to mourn the loss of one of Twin Flame Island's greatest citizens, Wave Munroe." The crowd didn't just have F.M., Marshall, Margareth, and their friends, but everyone in Twin Flame Island was there in mourning. "Wave was one of the kindest, most helpful souls this town has ever had. Her heart was so big, it even revealed the big heart of her own husband."
F.M., Marshall, and Margareth all looked at each other with heartbroken eyes as the mayor continued. "She never hesitated to help someone in need. And her generosity will never be forgotten by anyone in this community. Nor will her hard work ethic, which allowed her to hold up three paying jobs at one point in her life." The mayor struggled to find the right words for Wave, knowing that so many could be said at this time. "She was an angel." What he said felt like the most fitting thing of all.
F.M. took her turn to speak, wanting to go first so she could say what she wanted to as quickly as possible. She held Princess Chocolate in one of her arms for comfort, since she knew this was going to be hard on her. Once she got a good look at the crowd, she started speaking. "I never knew my father, since he died the day after I was born. So, my mom was the only parent I ever knew. And I think if you asked my brother and sister, they'd both agree that she did everything perfectly, and more."
Marshall and Margareth could tell just by looking at F.M. that she was trying not to break down. F.M. continued once she looked at them again. "Mom... you were the most loving, most patient, and most understanding mother a pup could ask for. I always, always, felt your love beaming as high as possible. It's the kind of love that I feel everyone deserves to feel from a parent." F.M. then looked over in Coral's direction, not changing her expression, and reminding herself that even with her role in this, this applied to her too. "Even those who seriously wronged me."
Coral knew what that was about, feeling horrible for her part in this, but it was more of a bittersweet feeling, as if she knew F.M. still wanted her to be safe. F.M. kept going, holding onto Princess Chocolate before choking a bit. "I may not have gotten to know dad... but I'm so glad you told me about him." F.M. choked again when she said her next bit. "I think I would've loved him as much as I loved you. I just wish I didn't ruin everything."
Marshall and Margareth were shocked to hear that, but as badly as they wanted to speak up, they knew they had to wait until F.M. was done. So they let her continue while giving her concerned eyes. "When you accepted me after I came out as Trans... I felt so valued. Just like when Marshall and our friends did. You always made me feel safe, before, during, and after these moments." F.M. looked at Princess Chocolate again, having some final words for her mother regarding Blaze. "I hope you and dad are together again. Goodbye mom. I love you."
F.M. stepped off of the podium and walked down the isle, doing everything she could to avoid breaking down. Marshall and Margareth instantly came to her aid, placing paws on her shoulders as Marshall comforted her. "It's not your fault F.M.. Nothing that happened here was your fault." Charm watched F.M. receive comfort, unable to shake his own remorse out of his mind. He couldn't help feeling that his desire to be better... ended up costing a life of a mother.
After F.M., it was Marshall's turn, and he was able to contain himself a little more easily than F.M.. He didn't have a comfort device like her younger sister did, but he didn't feel he needed one. He simply got started once he checked that the mic was still working. "Mom... you had all of the best qualities of Twin Flame Island wrapped into you. You were kind, honest, generous, full of laughter, and loyal, all to the bitter end. Your work ethic was unmatched by everyone in town. When you took up three jobs just to provide for us, I felt your determination shining all around us."
F.M. held Princess Chocolate tightly, and Margareth wrapped her arm around her younger sister to let her know she wasn't alone in this. Marshall continued speaking, having plenty more that he wanted to say. "I think I got my ambition from you too. I started thinking about that when I realized I wanted to become a doctor, and I instantly started thinking about you. How you held those three jobs for us, how you always provided for us, and how you always helped everyone in Twin Flame Island."
Chase smiled when he heard that, sensing that everything Marshall was saying about Wave was true. He always got that kind of vibe from her. Marshall had another point to mention that related to his personal struggles. "When we learned I got Dyslexia from dad, you didn't waste a second helping me adapt to using what I needed to get on the right track. I would've never joined the Paw Patrol if you didn't help me." Marshall shed a tear after saying that, still close to breaking down himself, even after a week of mourning. "You were so supportive."
The word supportive got to Coral, which her recent suspicions of Eveline helped with. She always felt that Eveline was supportive of her. But after recent events, and what Skye and her friends told her, she had to question that herself. Marshall finished with a smile, trying to bare one the best he could. "Dad always said it's a good thing I'm tough? Well I think I got that from you two. And I'll never forget that, no matter what. I love you mom. And... goodbye."
Marshall went back to his seat, sitting down next to F.M., where she and Margareth were waiting for him. F.M. instantly started hugging Marshall's arm, knowing that they both needed the comfort, and that Margareth wanted to speak next. Moby saw that Charm was still in his broken state, but his attempt to comfort him was rejected when Charm looked away. Moby didn't think it was his fault or anything. He knew Charm wasn't mad at him. He just wished he knew what to do for him.
Margareth was the last of the Munroe siblings to speak, doing her best to stay strong as she did. She was able to handle this a little better than her siblings, not wasting a second in getting started, despite how hurt she was. "I was always more of a daddy's girl, before dad died. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to adjust to having him gone. But you helped me a lot with that mom. You helped me stay strong for F.M. and Marshall when we were mourning him. You helped me gain the confidence to protect them the best I could, no matter what arose."
F.M. was still holding Marshall's arm, and Marshall brought her in for a full hug when they continued watching Margareth on the podium. She had another point of contention regarding her current education status. "I think you also helped me a lot with getting into college a year early. If you didn't encourage me to keep up with baseball, I don't think I would've gotten that scholarship. I don't think it works like that all the time either, so not stopping my time with baseball clearly did a lot."
Everest smiled to Marshall, who smiled back softly, knowing that Everest was doing it because she could relate to what Wave encouraged Margareth to keep doing. Margareth kept going, and brought up another point of how amazing Wave was. "F.M. and Marshall brought up how you never gave up on us and Twin Flame Island. What I found most amazing, is that you also gained faith in Charm as soon as he explained his story." That stunned Charm, making him hold his arm tightly with guilt after he heard that. "I wasn't as quick to do so."
Margareth looked over the crowd of Twin Flame Island residents, along with F.M., Marshall, and all of their friends. That made her smile, despite still being devastated about her mother's death, and it helped her finish what she had to say. "You made a huge impact on the world in more ways than one. I hope that one day, I can make an impact myself. Just like F.M. and Marshall are doing right now. I'll do everything I can to make you and dad proud. I love you mom. Goodbye."
Margareth went back to her seat, and when she sat back down next to F.M., she placed a paw on her shoulder while giving a loving smile to Marshall. As hard as this was for the three of them, they were glad they were able to bid their mother farewell.
Skye took a moment to comfort Coral, knowing her remorse was genuine. Coral appreciated that, but it didn't help her that much. The fact that she was partially responsible for this ate her up inside. It surprised her that everyone in town was fine with breathing the same air as her.
When Margareth was done with what she had to say, the mayor stepped back up to the podium to continue on with the funeral. "I've heard many touching speeches given to those in the living, and those who have passed on. The ones you three gave were no exceptions." F.M., Marshall, and Margareth appreciated the compliment, but they were still deeply sad about the lost of their mother. After seven days, it was still so hard to them. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I wish I could do more, but with how your parents were, I think you're okay with what I can do."
The mayor continued speaking, but Miranda was shown to be entering the area the funeral was taking place. Anyone who knows about the Munroe family's history with her could tell you she wasn't a late guest. "What Wave did for this community, will be remembered for generations to come." F.M., Snow, Moby, Charm, Claw, and Coral were all surprised and shocked when they saw this. "This includes the legacy Blaze left behind, as she was a key part of him being able to make it."
Coral was especially shocked to see what was happening right now. Miranda looked just like Eveline. Even the Mayor stopped speaking to see what was going on. One could be easily forgiven for thinking Miranda and Eveline were related, or that they just so happened to be the same breed. But Coral figured it out much more quickly. The vibe she got from her, the look on her face, the way she gazed at her as if to tell her to be quiet... it was all there. Coral felt scared again, but this time, she resisted all urges to be quiet and revealed the truth in one word. "Eveline!?"
F.M. and her friends were all shocked to hear that name; F.M. especially, as her life began flashing before her eyes. Every moment she knew of involving Miranda, and Eveline, started to add up. The story of how Miranda caused Blaze's premeditated death, the time she helped her and Snow with the latter's device to find Everest, the transphobic prejudice around PupLantis, the mistreatment she gave to Coral, the fact that the poison recipe Charm crafted was written down by Eveline...
All of these moments continued flashing in F.M.'s mind to the point where she couldn't think of anything but these moments. Her blood was boiling, her anger rose with each step Miranda took, her fists were clenched, the last one of which caught Marshall and Margareth's attention. This was anger F.M. had never felt before, and everything she was thinking about made it all transpire. Her parents deaths', Coral's horrible life, Moby's mistreatment, the Mer-Pups' Transphobia, but most of all, what F.M. and Snow suspected at first was true. Because Eveline wasn't related to Miranda.
Eveline WAS Miranda.
"MIRANDA!"
F.M.'s shout upon her leaving her chair echoed throughout the sky, and without thinking, she landed a surprise tackle on Miranda and pinned her to the ground. This shocked everyone in the crowd, but F.M. didn't care. She just started punching Miranda in the face with all of her might. "YOU MONSTER! YOU TOOK THEM FROM US!"
Marshall and Margareth, who were the closest to F.M., got her off of Miranda as their friends hurried on over. Marshall did his best to calm F.M. down, knowing exactly where her anger was coming from. "F.M., stop! I know what you're feeling, but now is not the time!" F.M. heard Marshall clear as day, starting to calm down slowly after she did. As she did, Miranda spawned a scorpion shield to defend herself.
During this, Margareth looked over to the others, not wanting to trigger F.M. but having her answer what she had to ask. "I'm lost here. F.M. said Miranda took THEM from us." Everest noticed Snow looking regretful about something as Margareth asked her question. "I know one of them is dad, but who else is she talking about?"
Snow stepped forward, surprising everyone as she answered Margareth's question with a question. "Did you catch when Coral called her 'Eveline'?"
Margareth nodded her head yes, and F.M. showed that she didn't have to worry about triggering her. She got out of Marshall's grasp, having calmed down enough to avoid continuing with violence. "That's the name she chose for her Mer-Pup Alias! The one who's Transphobia I've been trying to help the Mer-Pups move past for weeks!"
Snow spoke up again, knowing the others would be questioning this by now. "F.M. and I thought this was the case, since we met Miranda in her cave together, but we just weren't sure. And we didn't want to say anything with only the same breed backing it up." Chase placed a paw on Snow's shoulder, reassuring her that she was right to wait until they knew for sure to make any accusations. "But we can confirm it now. Eveline is Miranda."
Coral was in complete disbelief by what she just discovered. She already recently started questioning Eveline, especially after learning about Wave. And this confused her beyond belief. "Eveline... are you... is this really the same Canine who took me in after-?"
"Consider this your termination!" Miranda shouted as she glared at Coral, who froze before Miranda spawned her trident and threw it at her, which also depleted the shield. It flew right past the faint scar on Coral's right eye, which made her life flash before her eyes.
Skye and Claw, instantly seeing this, stepped in front of Coral and went into protective mode. There was no way they were going to let Coral be abused by Miranda any longer. Claw made that clear with how angry he got over it. "Stay away from Coral you maniac! You're crazy if you think I'm gonna let you hurt her again!"
Coral was amazed to see how protective Skye and Claw were of her. She's completely forgotten what it was like to be protected by another. Rocky spoke up next, having some words for Coral. "I'm still mad at you for what you did Coral, but I won't let her keep mistreating you. Especially now that it looks even worse than what Skye predicted."
Coral nodded in understanding and appreciation, and Charm then shared some words with Miranda. "I should've known that potion recipe was as fake as you! You made it clear as day you'd never want to help me!"
"If you're trying to guilt trip me, it won't work!" Miranda snapped, showing she didn't care what F.M., or anyone else said to her. "I crafted that recipe specifically to make it in Twin Flame Island. I just knew Wave couldn't resist helping you with it." Miranda grinned callously, showing no remorse in what her actions have done. "Even if from luck this was even better than the intended results."
F.M. punched Miranda again, but she didn't fall down. She actually showed quite a bit of resilience for someone her age. She simply grinned at F.M. while complimenting her strength. "You'd fit right into my army."
"Hard pass!" F.M. shouted, refusing to do anything that would benefit Miranda after all she's done. "How could leading our parents to their deaths possibly be worth it!?"
Miranda powered her trident and prepared another power, glaring at a fearful Coral as she plotted to get rid of her. "You wouldn't understand. You're only a gender confused brat."
Miranda teleported as soon as Richie dashed at her to capture her, but failed to reach her in time. Everyone in the area took time to process what they just witnessed. Skye was quick to check on Coral, knowing that must have been tough for her. Plus, she was right next to her. "Are you gonna be okay Coral?"
"I...I don't know." Coral answered, totally lost and broken. She ended up being surprised when F.M. walked over to her. She looked right into her eyes, and Coral could see then and there that F.M. didn't forgive her for her part in Wave's death. Not yet anyway. What surprised her then was F.M. hugging her without hesitation after a few seconds of staring. Coral didn't know how to react. After seven years of being under 'Eveline's' reign, she was no longer used to this kind of affection. Even with hers and F.M.'s current stance, the embrace felt warm and caring.
Once F.M. let go, Coral still wasn't sure what to say, simply letting her walk back over to Marshall and Margareth. As good as the hug felt, it only made Coral feel worse about her actions. Even though she didn't know Wave would die from this, that didn't excuse the fact that she helped in an attempt to kill Charm. And the death she did help cause did irreversible damage. She wanted to regain everyone's trust, but how could she after seven years of being a pawn, along with everything she'd done recently?
Could she even trust herself?
After the funeral, F.M. and the others were getting ready to head back, and F.M. and Marshall allowed Margareth to come with them so she could catch her flight home. As they got on the ship, F.M. watched Coral closely as she leaned on the boat rail. She still didn't believe Coral was beyond redemption, which made her more confused. "Is it wrong that I'm still mad at Coral, despite knowing her own situation?"
"Of course not! We are too." Marshall assured F.M., being as quick to comfort her as Margareth was, since they were both right next to her. "What made you think it was wrong?"
"Because as angry as I am, I still want to help her." F.M. admitted, doing her best with that as she expressed everything she was feeling. "Even after she and Miranda killed mom, I still want to help her. I can't stop thinking about how awful her life in PupLantis is." Marshall and Margareth sat down next to F.M., who leaned on the boat wall while sitting as well. "Five minute lunch breaks, verbal abuse and threats, and we all saw Miranda throw her trident at her. No matter how I look at the situation, letting her go back to that life just feels... wrong."
Margareth had her own words in mind for that, but kept in mind that F.M. was under a lot of stress and grief right now. "You don't have any reason to help her F.M.. No matter how many times she apologizes, it won't bring mom back."
"Like I said. Helping others is my way of grieving." F.M. reminded Margareth, not understanding that she meant to set limits to that. "And I can't just stand by and do nothing while I know someone's in a bad place." Marshall and Margareth saw how serious F.M. was about this, especially with what she said next. "I still want to help the Mer-Pups who want to become open to change. The fact that Coral wanted to keep helping me with that tells me she can change. And you guys don't have to forgive her, but maybe if I can... I'll feel better about Mom's death."
F.M. walked off to go talk to Snow with Marshall and Margareth showing deep concern for her. They knew her determination and desire to help everyone she could were endless, but she wasn't in the right state of mind at this time. They hoped they could convince her to take some time off so she could start to recover properly.
F.M. and the others had arrived back on the beach, and Skye was thanking Sid and Arrby for their contribution to Coral's safety. "Thanks for giving Coral a place to stay you two."
"You're welcome Skye! She's been great at helping out on the ship too." Arrby assured Skye with a salute, and he also noticed the bandana wrapped around her right ear, wondering why she had it now. "When did you get that bandana?"
Skye flinched before looking at the bandana, unsure of how to explain it to Arrby, since she wasn't used to talking about it. "I've kind of always had it." The fact that Skye didn't say anything after that made this fact clear to Sid and Arrby.
Meanwhile, Charm was watching F.M., Marshall, and Margareth continuing to mourn Wave as Snow, Chase, and Everest did what they could to comfort them. When Rocky, Zuma, and Moby walked up to him, he spoke up about his current mindset, knowing that they wouldn't stop until he said something. "Every time I look at them, I think... I did this to them."
Zuma attempted to put a paw on Charm's shoulder to attempt at comfort himself, only for Charm to move his paw away. He couldn't help but feel awful for him. "Dude. No one blames you for what happened."
"Well you should Zuma! I could've easily put two and two together!" Charm exclaimed, catching everyone's attention with his insistence that all he did was hurt people. "But nooooo! I just had to think I could get rid of my demon blood! And now Wave's dead!" Charm clenched his fists as his bottled up emotions became all the more noticeable. "All I did was prove that all I'm good for is hurting people!" The crack in Charm's voice made it clear how much this broke him. "You should all hate me, and the world would be better off if I never existed!"
After hearing that, Skye rejoined the others as Zuma helped keep Moby calm from Charm's shouting, which Rocky attempted to comfort him for so he, and everyone else, would be okay. After Charm looked like he was about to cry however, Skye tried to assure him that wasn't the case. "That's not true Charm. If it were, then Chase, Marshall, Zuma, and Rex would still be-"
However, just before she could finish, everyone was shocked when several Mer-Pup soldiers rose up from ocean. There were at least ten soldiers, all of them Dobermen ready to act. Claw was quick to point out how this made him feel. "Really? She sent MY breed? Okay; this feels like bias."
"Queen Eveline doesn't care about you kid." The first soldier assured Claw, focusing his sights on Coral and pointing to her, shocking her when he stated their mission. "We're here for her. And we will use force."
F.M. gazed at Coral after hearing that, and then she looked back at when Miranda threw her trident at Coral. One thing in particular that the flashback focused on was Miranda's violent and vengeful look as she did it. F.M. only saw a part of Miranda's face, but it was enough to show what she wanted to do to Coral. Why Miranda intentionally missed was beyond her. But F.M. still wasn't about to let her seal Coral's fate.
To be continued.
Rock music played as Skye started speaking in regards to what was going to happen with specific moments from the next chapter being shown. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised Miranda wants to kill Coral now. Too bad I'm not letting her get anywhere close to my cousin! It's no wonder F.M. just bolted like that. I hope she knows what she's doing. I'll head on after her after we take care of these soldiers. Huh? My bandana? Well, alright Snow. I guess it's about time I share this with someone else."
Snow finished the announcement with the words Paw Patrol in all blue with red outlines surrounded with a white border with F.M. on the right, and Marshall on the left. "Next time, Is It Fair?! (F.M. was taking Coral to the hut Nicky took Zuma to after having gotten the directions from him to help Coral hide) These Miranda suck ups sure know how to set up someone's wake!"