Once they got to the place the Cursed Eater had originally been sealed, the company stopped. It was an hour until sunset and the rising of the full moon, which gave them time to eat a quick dinner before the battle. Sparky White and Sparky Black accepted the magic buns again, enjoying their meal as best they could. It very well could be their last. Jun moved along First and Second Squad, and the way they spoke to him informed the Zebras that his identity wasn't known to the vast majority of Big Green. Then again, neither was the commander's.
The Zebras were pretty sure that ApeTrully was that Monkey from their classes with Parrot King, but they didn't dare ask while surrounded by animals. It wouldn't go over well if it was discovered that Commander ApeTrully was a Monkey, and not only that, but a king or a prince, depending on if his father was still alive. The Zebras had many questions, but they also had a sense of discreetness now that their curse was gone. If they got a chance, if they survived, they would talk to him and ask their questions. Perhaps he'd give them some answers.
After eating, there was the matter of tracking the creature down. First and Second Squads were sent out with instructions to not let the Cursed Eater touch Mystique Sonia, but that she was to lure it back to this spot. With grim looks of determination, the two Squads headed off on their mission. ApeTrully turned to the Zebra brothers.
"Well, prepare how you must," he said, placing his hands in his sleeves again as he bored into them with his searching, serious gaze.
The Zebras bowed slightly then turned and began to climb the enormous mountain of rocks that had helped sealed up the Cursed Eater. They didn't speak until they were sure nobody else could hear them.
"It's a nice afternoon," Sparky White said.
"Yeah. Cool breeze. Warm sun. Perfect last day," Sparky Black said.
"Hey, maybe we will see tomorrow," Sparky White said. He stopped to help his brother up a tricky spot. "You never know."
"Yeah?" Sparky Black asked as they resumed climbing. "What do you want to happen?"
"Well, obviously we'd live and keep our gifts," Sparky White replied.
"Oh, no duh," Sparky Black said. "And the gods wouldn't hold it against us, for some reason I can't think of."
Sparky White scoffed and his voice cracked a little as tears sprang to his eyes. "Oh yeah. Totally."
"And we'd never go back to HighRoller," Sparky Black said.
"Yep. And we don't. Because his curse is gone."
"He lied to us," Sparky Black muttered angrily, swiping his arm across his cheeks to get rid of the tears. "He used us to destroy our own lives, our scrolls, our temple. Oh, we set it all on fire!"
"We don't have time to think of that, bro," Sparky White said thickly, tears streaming down his cheeks. "We have to fix at least one thing we broke. If the gods let us live, then we can deal with what HighRoller did. But we have to fix this. Even if it's the last thing we do."
Both of them went quiet and continued to climb until they were high above the forest. On the horizon, they could see a sliver of the full moon peeking through the clouds. They could also see a disturbance coming toward them, shifting the large forest trees aside as it made its way closer. The two Zebras pulled out their lanterns and began to check them over, keeping one eye on the approaching monster.
"At least he didn't permanently alter them," Sparky Black pointed out.
"For sure," Sparky White said. "One more use. At least we know they've got that."
The two brothers smiled at each other and watched as the full moon rose above the treetops, the ultimate source of their lanterns' power. They gazed at it and could feel the magic burning in their hooves. The disturbance grew closer and now they could see flashes of lightning as Mighty Ray used his eyeballs. There was no Harmonic Energy being used, but whatever the Squads were doing, it was certainly working. The ground began to shake as the Cursed Eater drew closer, and now the animal kings and queens were rushing around, being prepared by ApeTrully. The Zebras watched this, gripping their lanterns as they took several deep breaths, cherishing each one. Then, with an explosion of limbs and leaves, the Cursed Eater was among them.
Mystique Sonia and Yaksha were trying to keep out of reach of the creature's two long arms, but it was clearly frustrated that it hadn't had its next meal yet. Its writhing mass of vines roiled like water at a high boil, tearing up the ground as it tried once again to get Mystique Sonia. The rest of First and Second Squads were all very roughed up, but they were certainly determined to keep Mystique Sonia out of the creature's grasp. There was a mad scramble as the animals scattered from the chaos, trying to not get crushed. The Cursed Eater was almost as tall as the Evergrow trees that towered high above the forest floor, and the story that it might crush Hidden Kingdom was suddenly more plausible.
The Zebras watched as Commander ApeTrully swung himself up into a tree in a very Monkey-like manner, clearly giving orders as he pointed at various animals. They watched Lin Chung look around before spotting them. With several quick, precise jumps with his bamboo staff, he joined them.
"What do we do?" he asked.
"We need the Harmonic Energy to paralyze it," Sparky White said.
"Try and get it where it was," Sparky Black added. "There's magic residue from the shield. We should be able to tap into it since it's the full moon. "
Lin Chung nodded and took a deep breath as he reached for the Harmonic Energy. "Prepare yourselves," he said.
The Zebras watched with interest as purple energy began to buzz around Lin Chung. They grasped their lanterns and watched as Lin Chung rose into the air, his expression serene. As the creature finally managed to grab his prize and Mystique Sonia screamed at the top of her lungs, a bolt of Harmonic Energy surrounded her and dragged her away. The creature followed, and Lin Chung shuddered.
"Take a breath," Sparky Black encouraged.
"You're doing fine," Sparky White added.
"Focus," they murmured, clutching at their lanterns as the creature grew nearer and nearer.
Mystique Sonia was lifted high up until she was right beside them. The Harmonic Energy dissipated around her as the Cursed Eater reached for them, desperate for its prize.
"Now!" the Zebras shouted to Lin Chung, and they swung their lanterns up to capture the rays of moonlight.
Lin Chung connected his Harmonic Energy first with the Zebras and Mystique Sonia before it ricocheted in a jagged beam downward to hit ApeTrully first before bouncing from animal to animal. They all stilled and focused their own energies outward, speeding up the process so that in less than half a minute, the Harmonic Energy was radiating from all present except the beast. Lin Chung opened his eyes to tell the Zebras it was their turn, but what he saw made his voice catch.
The Zebras were lit up in silvery moonlight, floating off the ground. Clouds had coalesced under their feet, and their eyes glowed with otherworldly light.
"By the essence of moonlight," they chanted, "we shall restore what was lost and seal you away again!"
The full moons on their lanterns suddenly flashed silver, and they charged for several moments as the Cursed Eater finally got high enough to reach them. It tried to catch Mystique Sonia, but the Harmonic Energy that pulsed out of her hurt it when it touched her. Lin Chung recognized that the moment was upon them all, and he focused the waves of Harmonic Energy into one large beam. It hit the Cursed Eater, which shrieked in rage. Then the lanterns were charged, and the two Zebras lifted their hands to the heavens and grasped their lanterns.
"It was nice knowing you, Lin Chung," Sparky Black said softly in that brief, calm moment.
"Tell them all we're really sorry. We never wanted this," Sparky White agreed.
Lin Chung suddenly realized that the Zebras meant to sacrifice themselves in some way, but before he could do or say anything else, there was a concussive thud as the full moon lanterns lit up the night, dazzling the watching eyes of First and Second Squads and all the animal kings and queens that were gathered. The Cursed Eater screeched as the silver light of the moonbeams combined with the Harmonic Energy to make a chrysalis form around the beast. It stopped climbing as it was frozen in place before gravity pulled the heavy crystal down. The mountain of rocks crumbled and began to fall beneath its weight. Lin Chung and Mystique Sonia hovered, safe in the Harmonic Energy, but there was a sudden snap as the Zebras were jerked violently out of the purple energy. They didn't scream or thrash as the light around them turned fiery red. A rainbow of light surrounded them before a word was etched in the sky on silvery moonbeams.
Innocent.
Then the light faded and the lanterns tumbled out of their hooves. Lin Chung saw that the two Zebras were unconscious as they fell downward, but he simply didn't have the strength or energy to catch them. He was so very tired and barely managed to keep himself and Mystique Sonia in midair as the energy faded around everybody else. But Jun, Kowloon, and Alpha Girl all dove in to catch them before they hit the ground. Lin Chung breathed a sigh of relief as he lowered himself and Mystique Sonia down to the ground before everybody began taking stock of the damage.
The chrysalis had fallen sideways and was now buried under a pile of enormous rocks. It had dragged most of the upright mountain down upon itself as it had fallen, leaving the land looking much different. The Cursed Eater had left its mark upon Hidden Kingdom in its brief awakening. Hopefully it would be its last.
"Is everybody all right?" ApeTrully asked, picking his way over to Lin Chung.
"Most of us," Lin Chung said, winded from using so much energy. "Though I'm not sure about the Zebras. Please, where are they?"
"That way!" Mystique Sonia exclaimed, and the group hurried toward the two still figures stretched out on a large rock, surrounded by Kowloon, Jun, and Alpha Girl. The Zebras looked dead except for the shallow rise and fall of their chests.
Lin Chung knelt down and touched each of their foreheads. Summoning the last of his Harmonic Energy, he sent the power into both Zebras, who groggily shifted and opened their eyes. Sparky Black gazed up at Lin Chung and struggled to speak. He couldn't quite speak Human though, and he looked frustrated. ApeTrully stepped forward.
"I'm fluent in Zebra," he said. "Go on. But speak slowly."
Sparky Black managed to neigh out, "Are we dead?"
"No. You're not dead. Thankfully," ApeTrully said. "But you do seem to be unwell. We shall bring you back to Big Green and tend to you."
Sparky White blinked up at him. "Thanks, Monkey boy," he whinnied with a sly smile.
The look in ApeTrully's eyes was nothing less than horror.
"Don't worry," Sparky White said tiredly.
"We won't tell," Sparky Black added.
"Yes," ApeTrully said after a moment. "And we'll talk about everything when you're feeling better."
The Zebra brothers nodded then lay back and looked up at the stars. Sparky Black and Sparky White clutched at each other's hands as they saw the word still glowing so brightly in the sky.
Innocent.
They didn't have enough energy to even turn their heads to look around, but they squeezed their hands together until they ached. Innocent. They had been judged and found innocent of breaking their vows. Their lives weren't over. But what about their lanterns?
"Lanterns…?" they murmured, and ApeTrully heard them.
"We shall find them. You rest. And thank you for what you've done."
The Zebras began to fade away as sleep overtook them, but they stared at the word as long as they were able to, letting it seep into their very souls. It was the sweetest thing they'd ever seen.
They were innocent, and it was all they could think of as they fell into sweet dreams of the full moon's light.