Marinette ran up the metal stairs to reach the vantage point with a fantastic view of the stars, one of the many places she and Viperion would escape.

But when she reached the top, the once beautiful secluded area was as quiet as everywhere else Marinette went…

Her bag started glowing, and each piece of broken harp started floating out. Marinette followed where the fragments of the harp went, and right in front of her, the harp was placed back together as if it had never broken in the first place.

And then there was that familiar, undeniable presence of the snake hero she adored so much. Marinette gasped as Viperion appeared before her. His scaly outfit was slightly battered, and his teal green eyes were finally revealed to her without a mask on. His presence was slightly faded, but Marinette knew she had undeniably found her hero after all this time.

Viperion's beautiful teal eyes looked crestfallen, and he looked like he woke up after days of sleep as he reached for his harp. Still, when the snake hero finally saw his heroine before him, he managed to smile.

"Thank you, Marinette…"

Marinette was crying happy tears as she felt her own broken pieces being put back together. She was overflowing with emotion because she finally had her best friend back.

"Viperion! It's you! It's really you!"

But just as she was about to take his hands, her heart dropped when they fazed through Viperion's. Viperion had the most defeated look as his shaggy hair covered his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Marinette…"

Marinette almost had trouble breathing for a moment, but she still found the courage to ask.

"Oh, Viperion, what happened to you?!"

Viperion looked away as he ran his fingers through one of his wounds.

"I didn't survive that explosion on that day, and I ended up lost in time."

"My last connection to the physical realm was my harp, and to you Marinette…"

"My final act of being a hero was keeping you safe. And I could never regret that in a million years, even in a million timelines…"

More tears fell from Marinette's face, and she shook her head slowly, not wanting to believe what she just heard.

"No…"

Viperion tried to look strong as he looked her in the eye, but tears started forming in his eyes.

Marinette didn't hesitate to take his hands and squeeze them tenderly, trying to hold on, but as strong as she tried to be, she couldn't stop crying.

"Viperion, please! Please come home with me! I can't lose you!" Marinette choked as she continued sobbing.

But all Viperion could bring himself to do was wrap his arms around her as he felt himself fading away with this final goodbye. Her touch felt so good as he felt himself slipping, and if it were up to him, he would hold his beloved forever because he couldn't let the Universe let Marinette cry like this.

But if he had the option to say goodbye and hold her to try to capture all her tears…

"We'll meet again in the next life," Viperion whispered gently in her ear.

Marinette only held Viperion closer as she shook her head.

But before Viperion could fade away forever, he had to do one last thing for her as he painfully let her go and presented his harp to her. Marinette also felt Viperion's gentle touch on the broken bracelet she was wearing, and it started to glow unusually. It was glowing magenta pink.

Marinette wanted to cry and beg Viperion to stay, but she knew she had to accept this gift from her beloved.

"I love you Marinette. I always will!" Viperion said as he finally broke, and tears streamed from his eyes.

"I'll always love you Viperion," Marinette cried as she took Viperion's harp. And Viperion's harp turned magenta pink as well. The newly fixed pink snake bracelet also turned Marinette into a snake hero, with the pain in her eyes being covered by a mask with a dark shade lens.

"I couldn't possibly take your place, Viperion…" Another hot tear rolled down Marinette's eye as she looked down at her scaly pink hand and saw Viperion smile for her as he nearly faded away.

Marinette lunged forward and gave him one soft kiss on the lips, which Viperion accepted. He gently cupped her cheek with his hand.

Even when time was about to run out, they still felt each other's warmth with that one last kiss. Marinette opened her eyes as the dawn broke, and her beloved had faded away completely.

"Oh Viperion!" As strong as Marinette knew she needed to be, she had to cry again when the reality set in that her beloved died, even when she did everything to save him. She turned away from the sun and walked toward the darkness.

As the new snake hero, she could see many different universes and time periods in her head, and a small portal appeared before her. She was stunned that she could now get a feel of everything Viperion could see as she held the portal. The portal showed a place similar to her world, with all the busy citizens vulnerable to evil.

And in another time, or another universe, Marinette saw a girl with long blue pigtails who looked similar to her and a normal boy with beautiful aqua-blue eyes and the tips of his jet-black hair dyed in turquoise. He wore ripped jeans and had a guitar strapped to his back. Marinette saw that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Viperion.

The two children looked at each other as if they had met in a previous life. The girl with pigtails cried so many tears as she ran to the boy, who held out his arms and hugged her as if he wouldn't let her go.

Marinette placed her forehead against the portal and let more tears fall before she swiped the portal away and summoned her harp.

Where the new snake hero was going was anyone's guess. It would take time for her own shattered pieces to come back together.

Once again for my eternal best friend Vivi.

As much as it killed me to write this, I felt the need to write it because last year when me and Bearfoottruck were having the time of our lives I flashed back to you and started crying and having a panic attack.

Because he reminds me of you in so many ways...And you were my original platonic soulmate. Losing you hurt me so badly I was too afraid to make friends in general...I totally cracked in 2021 because of the pandemic and craved friendship again and...It yielded mixed results to say the least.

I honestly didn't think I would ever make a friend like you again...I prayed so much that you would come back and you would meet a nice woman and I would be an aunt/uncle to your children...I met Bearfoottruck and KagamiPINKAgreste and...Well they aren't planning on getting married and having kids but it certainly works for me.

The Universe is truly fucking with me but I made peace with it for the most part...But if I had both you and Bearfoottruck I would be unbeatable.

I'm not even sure if you are even still part of the living given all the scary stuff that happened in Brazil...I just remember you wanted to come to California but I am not sure if we met each other in passing.

But I guess I can say unlike other friends I had...You at least had the common decency to tell me goodbye before you left. Unlike those so-called friends I had who ghosted me in 2023...While I was homeless! Bearfoottruck regrets not meeting with me sooner but it all worked out.

Anyway, I can move forward now...I just hope wherever you are you are doing alright. You taught me how beautiful platonic love is and showed me loved existed when I didn't believe in it at all...And in turn I taught Bearfoottruck how amazing platonic love is, and what a platonic soulmate is...And know that believe me when I say I wish I could've handled the situation better than I did...But I learned from it and I am keeping Bearfoottruck and KagamiPINKAgreste safe.

The Universe told me...I'll meet you again in the next life, and I hope things will be better between us.

Until then...Yours truly, Emiko Gale...Or, since I came out as genderfluid I felt "Indigo" would suit me better...But that was the name you knew me as.

I'll love you forever Vivi, you're the reason I became who I am in the first place. May the Universe always light your path.