The Magus Cut

by Windwillow

Both a sequel AND a prequel to Chrono Cross, plus a remake of my original CT fic. With Schala rescued the scene changes to the End of Time, where Gaspar, Spekkio, and Janus join Schala to recap the adventure while linking to the second game in the series. This won't be a straight remake, but with new angles and content. Contains mild language, violence, and suggestive themes.

1. The Day of the Fair

Start Date: November 13, 2023

Windwillow

Chrono Trigger: The Magus Cut

Chapter One: The Day of the Fair

The war had been won. Lavos was dead, the Planet saved, though there remained the one wrinkle of Schala's well being. For what had seemed like forever she'd been bound to Lavos in the form of the Time Devourer, a being dedicated to consuming all of space-time and making existence null - and miserable it was, being an incarnation of suffering, death, and evil. Magus - Janus - had sought to rescue his sister and only managed to fall into a Gate that deposited him in the modern era with his memories wiped and all his powers reduced to that of a trickster's bag of skills.

It was through the trials and tribulations of a handful of individuals, however, that the hope Schala hadn't dared to dream of came to fruition. The two dimensions, which had been split by Schala's hand, were reunited when the Chrono Cross freed her from Lavos' bindings and finally obliterated the parasite once and for all. Not only that, but Magus had also been present and was purified by Serge and Kid, all his hatred and pain absolved and his life returned to him to live as he wished.

So saved, both Magus and Schala departed the modern era for the only place left for them to live a peaceful existence together: the nexus of time, the point in space-time with the least resistance to alterations and travel.

Scene One

He was dressed as a proper gentleman, a black-ridged bowler hat and a brown overcoat worn over his slim frame. Having drifted off to sleep Gaspar had found peace in his victory over Lavos and slumbered happily. It was when a tiny crackle of light began to form inside his realm, however, that he slowly opened his eyes and watched as the pin prick expanded into a large chasm of warped space-time. The light began to shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow as two figures emerged from its expanse.

Dressed as a royal, she was no doubt a woman of great importance. She wore a long, elegant purple robe that was only slightly lighter than her hair and around her neck was an eerily familiar piece of sapphire jewelry. Her eyes, green like grass, radiated an aura of quiet serenity that was mixed with kindness and wisdom.

The other was handsome and seemingly thirty-some years of age, with similarly violet hair. He was dressed in a long, rather elegant white robe with dashes of purple on the collar, wrists, and ankles. His face reflected his newfound freedom, all the evil and suffering having vanished. No longer were his ears pointed and now his skin was shaded as any normal person. His scar, however, remained: a large gash that stretched from his nose down the first half of his face. Still, the mask had served its purpose and was no more.

"Oh, Schala..." Gaspar said breathlessly, a tear slowly dripping from his eye.

Gaspar quietly and softly reached towards his princess with a gentle hand, his aged digits trembling as they approached her countenance. Finally he grabbed hold of her and threw his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest with his fingers firmly clasping her hair. He tried not to cry but failed. As the joy overtook him the Guru began to sob harder and harder as he tightened his embrace such that she almost felt like she would lose circulation in her body.

"It has been quite some time, Sir Gaspar," said Schala smilingly. "Too long."

"Likewise, Your Highness. And you, Janus?" asked Gaspar wryly. "Have you finally called an end to the whole evil overlord business?"

"I am who I am, and that's all that I am," said Janus softly. A smile began to form on his face and he threw back his head in raucous laughter. When the laughing subsided, he reached out his hand and Gaspar clasped it tightly. "But for the first time in decades, I can actually laugh!" he cackled."It feels breathtaking. I owe those two more than I can ever repay."

"Owe who?" asked Gaspar dumbly. He hadn't been watching Serge's journey.

"A friend and... myself!" chuckled Schala.

"Well, that makes no sense..." Gaspar groaned. "Do tell."

From behind the trio a door slowly began to open and all three caught sight of its occupant. It was a strange, pink humanoid with large eyes and a blank expression on its face. Gaspar was the only one who knew who it was, so when it beckoned them to join him in its room he was forced to usher the two into the chamber of the God of War. When they entered they found a large contraption, consisting of a central column with a blue orb wedged in its front part and several screens that depicted a number of people who Janus and Schala both recognized and knew well.

"You still have that?" asked an incredulous Janus.

"Of course," said Gaspar with a smirk.

"And now, folks..." began Spekkio. He gestured and a bottle of wine appeared in his hand and he flipped the cork open as three comfortable lounge chairs slowly materialized in front of the apparatus. Spekkio smirked and gave a naughty wink. "It's time for the after party!" he trilled.

Schala stared dumbly at the scene before her and was overwhelmed by the strange absurdity of it all. Unknowing of the technology Gaspar and Spekkio had developed by watching the future era's television, she quietly tilted her head in confusion. She startled when Gaspar laid a hand on her shoulder and she whirled around to find him holding a glass of the finest wine he could find with a twinkle in his eye. Her attention turned to her left, where she watched as a fully stocked wet bar formed before her eyes. A metal cooler materialized in front of the apparatus as well.

"What... is going on?" Schala croaked.

"Like the pink toad said, it's an after party!" cackled Gaspar, though Spekkio seemed to take offense at being called a toad and glared him down. He silently ushered Schala into one of the chairs and placed her in it. The feeling was lovely, a plush material that seemed to absorb her into its depths as she sunk into the seat and a small glass of wine formed between her fingers. "It's time for a review of the whole mess... Spekkio and Gaspar style!" he said with a wide smile.

"I haven't had alcohol in decades..." muttered Janus.

"Then have some lemonade!" tittered Spekkio. He rustled around in the cooler and drew out a small can and tossed it into Janus' hand. To his shock, the former warlock threw it back at him and coated him in freshly squeezed lemon juice.

"What I meant to say was to give me something hard, dumb ass!" Janus snapped.

"The ending's shown and the credits have rolled!" Gaspar shouted triumphantly. "Let's review the stories that weren't told so well the first time around!"

"The first time... around?" asked Schala dumbly.

Gaspar quietly approached his apparatus and input a series of commands. The screens began to spark and fizzle and finally reconfigured themselves into four images - one young man, two young women, and the globe of a lush, beautiful modern world. While it wasn't totally medieval, there were two castles on either end of the world map. Most of the expanse, however, was covered in comfortably constructed modern homes and beautiful green forests. The oceans and rivers, the lakes and mountains, were all flushed with life. It was a scene of a modern day paradise.

"What does this depict?" wondered Schala. "It's lovely..."

"Common Era 1000, the Kingdom of Guardia," stated Gaspar proudly. "This was a time of peace and understanding, a golden age in modern times and the place where three of your saviors originated. There was a slight wrinkle with Dalton," he said darkly, "when he overthrew the kingdom and mucked up the timeline."

"Dalton?! Are they alright?!" Schala gasped.

"Oh, they are indeed! Guardia rebounds better than ever and - get this - Crono and Marle get married and become royalty!" tittered Spekkio cheerfully. "Not only does Guardia become a new sovereign state, but it becomes the lead trading capital on the Zenan mainland! And when that moron overplays his hand and tries to raid them again," he said with a wicked grin, "they whip his sorry ass and clap him in jail. The idiot represented himself at trial, too! It was classic. I still watch the footage whenever I'm feeling blue to cheer myself up."

"I would have loved to see the fool stumble over himself..." muttered a very amused Janus. He quietly grabbed hold of one of the three chairs and shuffled into its comfortable seat, then beckoned to Spekkio for a beer. "But that can wait until the big stuff goes down..."

"Big... stuff?" Schala croaked.

"You've missed so much and you've never even seen most of it! The battles at the Black Omen were wicked," Janus said proudly. "Naturally, mine was the hardest and most important. But I have to admit, they did well against the six that old bag sent against them!" he laughed. "On top of that... they never even existed until she mucked with the dimensions and drew them in from an alternate future!"

"Alternate future?!" gasped Schala. Now she was getting excited.

"It was in 1000 C.E. that the war with Lavos began! The Planet, suffering under that wretched parasite's infection, decided to launch a counterattack!" cackled Gaspar. He slid a few bars and three images appeared, one of a young man with spiky red hair and the others two beautiful young ladies. Schala recognized all three of them and her interest began to pique. "These are the three who began the war," he said smilingly, "and were the ones most responsible for its ultimate outcome!"

"I did a lot, too, you crazy old bat!" Janus snapped. After taking a swig of his drink he quietly sunk deeper into his chair and choked back a laugh. Even if he'd said it, he was responsible for at least half of the bad stuff in the first place, and he wasn't particularly proud of it. "Would you like some proper background, Sis?" he asked softly. "I'm sure the old man and the tub of lard would be so kind as to set the scene."

"Call me a tub of lard again and I'll melt your face off! But whatever, yeah," Spekkio snapped. "In the original timeline of 1000 C.E., the princess and king had a strained relationship till he died, when she became queen. She was really popular and all that, but never married and died asleep in bed... Meaning that the kingdom had to delve into the aristocracy to select a new royal family," he explained. "They ruled until the Central Regime popped up. But the problem is that the queen never found anyone she loved and just sort of faded away..."

"What a... a horrible way to die..." sighed Schala.

"The other two stayed friends, but never got hitched to anyone either. But when the Planet was looking for a hero, the scrappy little twerp clearly had potential! And, the Planet wanted to give the poor sap a better life..." Gaspar muttered. "It had no idea that they would fall in love, but all the better, right? Things turned out pretty damn well until that prick mucked everything up the first time..."

"Well... They deserved better than what they got the first time around, no doubt..." said Janus sadly. "What about the girl with the glasses?"

"Her? She catapulted Guardia back into prominence and laid the groundwork for like ninety percent of the science that revolutionized the world!" tittered Spekkio. "By the time the Central Regime came around they were still studying her work! And that was at the turn of the second millennium!"

"But that comes later," Gaspar said flatly. He slid the screens around and they finally settled on the image of a peaceful verdant forest with children playing in it. "We'll start at the beginning and work out from there. The story starts three times in one day, three different heroes just living their ordinary, mundane lives..." he sighed. A sparkle formed in his eye as he took a sip of his wine. "The day before the Millennial Fair, all three had stories that have yet to be told..."

Scene Two

Guardia Forest was typically a safe place for children to play at. Most of the monsters had been driven away in the Middle Ages and what remained were generally mischievous tricksters who were more likely to annoy you to death rather than try to actually kill you. That wasn't true of all of them, however, and on this particular day a group of young children who had been playing in the forest had been assailed by three large blue birds - Avians. They seemingly had no way to escape, but there was another young man in the forest that day.

He was a swordsman at heart, though his blade was made only of wood. His hair was crimson, the color of the same red rock that belonged to his journey's ultimate enemy, jutting out in all directions as if he were a human porcupine. Crono, a fatherless lad from Truce, typically wore a light blue tunic with a green, short-sleeved shirt beneath and always carried his bokken - his wooden sword - at his hip. With emerald eyes and a slim, muscular body structure, Crono was a fine specimen of a budding samurai and had the skills to back up his confidence. Or, perhaps, overconfidence.

"You chickens want a challenge or what?" Crono shouted as he shouldered his weapon. "Or do you wanna pick on a bunch of kids and prove that you're cowards?"

That seemed to be enough provocation for the Avians. The three birds, each of them equal in size to the children, soared straight for Crono with their talons outstretched. The first had its beak battered in by a hard right hook to the face that shattered its feathery head and cracked it open like a walnut. As the other two approached Crono switched to his sword and assumed a defensive kendo stance. He'd studied the arts of the samurai since he was young and this was one of the few formal techniques that he'd learned.

The first to approach nearly raked Crono with its sharpened talons, but on the way back the youth smacked it in the back of the neck with a hard chopping motion that immediately snapped its neck and dropped it. As the third and final Avian zipped forward Crono lifted his weapon straight up above him and then dropped it with all the force in his body. The result was another broken neck and the start of a celebration with the children that he'd saved. Thankfully, they'd had a spare cola for him to share with them.

The young lad Crono is the only son of Gina and Joaquim, a merchant from the village of Truce who lost his life in an accident shortly after his child was born. His mother Gina raised him from birth as a single mother, mostly by relying on her family's inheritance and the life insurance from Joaquim's death. Ever since he was young Crono had been struck with a fascination for swordsmen and knights, and through Gina's purchase of study guides the youth steadily became a ferocious combatant for the local Avians whenever he decided to hunt them.

He'd received his first sword when he was twelve. Although it took him a good three years to learn how to actually use it, Crono finally managed to develop his own style and learned the basics of kendo and other sword fighting techniques. He wasn't very refined, but knew how to use the sword and use it well. By the age of sixteen he'd matured into a physically fit fighter with both sword skills and street fighting savvy. The only problem was that there really wasn't anyone to actually fight.

Crono's house was situated in a small suburb of the village of Truce, where he lived with his mother Gina and his cat Scratch. It wasn't a particularly impressive home, but it had all the usual amenities of the time - a refrigerator, radio, and indoor plumbing. By the time he arrived home Crono was haggard and hungry, and dragged himself to the dining room table sweaty and exhausted. He'd taken no blows from the Avians, but had certainly exerted himself and was still sore from fighting for the first time in weeks.

By now Gina knew how hard Crono trained and was always ready at meal time with a finely cooked dinner. This day it was mashed potatoes and gravy, which she laid in front of her son and which he ravenously dug into as if it were his last meal. She watched as he scarfed down the meal and guzzled the water he had to drink and was unable to restrain her smile. She'd raised him for years, and he still surprised her with how... active he could be, both at swords and with food.

"Tomorrow is the Fair..." Gina said offhandedly. "I take it you'll spend the time with Lucca?"

"She has a new invention," said Crono flatly as he set down his drink. "Need I say more?"

"And you'll be testing it out for her, right?" asked Gina. With a twinkle in her eye she shuffled up to the table and took hold of her tea. "Trick question. You'll do it and you'll enjoy it."

"But Ma!" choked Crono.

"You've known her all your life, and you'll do whatever crazy thing she wants you to do," Gina said resolutely.

"The last time I did it, she nuked my lunch with that microwave of hers!" Crono protested. "I've never eaten anything that scorched! And I hope I never do again!" As he finished his dinner Crono sighed and dropped back in his seat, wiped his mouth, and grabbed hold of his water. "But you should've seen it, Ma! I was at the forest and - get this - I killed three monsters!" he boasted proudly. "It was - Bang! Zoom! Whoosh!"

"Remember, killing is bad," Gina said softly.

"I won't kill anything that can talk, so it's fine!" laughed Crono.

"Killing is killing!" scolded Gina. "If you do kill someone, you'll regret it!"

"I'm just killing monsters! It's fine!" Crono insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that, young man," snapped Gina. "Now, hurry off to bed. It's the Fair tomorrow!"

"Oh, hell yeah! It's gonna be awesome!" cheered Crono. He pushed off from the table and scurried upstairs, brushing by his cat in the process. "I'll be up bright and early, I guarantee it!" he laughed as he disappeared up the staircase.

"That boy..." Gina sighed as she put her hand on her hip. "He's every bit his father's son."

Scene Three

It was another boring math lesson. The English tutoring was tolerable and the history teachers were actually kind of fun. Math, however? The endless equations and babbling about arithmetic slowly lowered her eyes and began to shut them tight. When she finally began to drift off to sleep, the tutor smacked her over the head with a paper fan and she frantically jumped to attention with the fear of god in her eyes.

"I'm awake!" gasped the young girl.

"You were drooling... admit it..." the tutor muttered.

"Eh? Ha ha ha..." the princess chuckled, unknowing of what else to do.

"Remember, Your Highness: One day, you will rule the kingdom!" said the tutor haughtily. He never noticed when the princess stuck her tongue out at him when he wasn't looking.

Mischief rolled up into a single, cute-as-can-be package would be the best way to describe the girl. Her golden locks, weaved into a tight ponytail was usually capped by a crown, though she found it hopelessly burdensome. In her casual attire she wore a white, sleeveless jumpsuit and a set of plain brown shoes that were perfect for quick movement. She had to be quick, to keep a step ahead of her father's soldiers. Always around her neck was a beautiful, sapphire pendant that shimmered in the sun as if just a touch of crimson reflected against the light.

Her name was Nadia, Princess of Guardia, age sixteen, and she was ungodly restless. All of her sixteen years had been spent inside Castle Guardia, wrapped up in the cloth of endless tutors and people telling her what to do. It tired her and she made no effort to disguise that, nor did she remain silent when confronted - she was more than willing to give her servants a nasty tongue lashing whenever they ticked her off. Not with a superiority complex, but with a sass that defied all logic. She frequently escaped from the castle and nearly made it to town a few times, but never quite reached Truce without being caught.

Dinnertime at the castle was a grand occasion. Considering that they were only serving two people the chefs certainly seemed to make more than they needed to. What bothered Nadia was the fact that nine-tenths of it were vegetables, fruits, and other healthy foods. So, when her father wasn't looking she piled in as many cookies and candies as her nimble digits could snatch up. It was a mad dash until the inevitable moment that he caught her, which he always did.

"Nadia! You have to eat healthy!" scolded King Guardia.

"Oh, stuff it! You're addicted to jerky, and you yell at me?!" Nadia snapped. "Stop spoiling everything and let me have some fun!"

"Remember, girl: One day you will rule this kingdom!" the king said in a monotonous repeat of every conversation they'd ever had. When the princess tossed a piece of hard candy and nailed him in the head the king angrily slammed his fist on the table and sent his own dinner flying. "Go to your room!" he roared. Nadia giggled and gave a naughty wink before scurrying away, leaving the king to sink into his seat in despair and exhaustion. "Every single time..." the monarch muttered. "Aliza, you left me with quite the inheritance..."

Ascending the stairs her consternation steadily began to peak, and by the time Nadia entered her room and slammed the door behind her she let out a shrill shriek and pounded her fist against the door. Every single time! The princess wasted no time in throwing off her royal dress and stripping down, quickly redressing in her favorite white jumpsuit that she always used in her attempts to escape the castle. She threw herself onto her bed back first and let out a frustrated grunt.

"He's no fun..." she moaned. As a glimmer formed in her eye, however, she looked towards her window and smiled. She'd already prepared her escape route. "But tomorrow? It's my day off..."

Scene Four

In the house south of Truce, a rather eccentric family lived in their own self-contained compound. The Ashtears were famous - and infamous - for all the weird, wacky contraptions that the inventors developed. Some of them were successful, others outlawed in town by mutual consent over the damage that they'd done to the village and the people that lived in it. Even so, the family was well respected and very much popular around Truce.

The device consisted of several different parts, two strangely decorated platforms and a series of strange buttons and levers that would presumably pull off the greatest feat of science that the world had ever seen. That assumed, of course, that the machine didn't blow its inventor to Kingdom Come like her mother had been warning her would happen. The young scientist had been tinkering with the machine and fallen asleep, slowly nodding off until her father tapped her on the shoulder and she smacked him in the face hard enough that he immediately dropped to the floor with a bloody nose.

Lucca frantically rushed over to her father and helped guide him to his seat in his recliner, shoved him in the chair, and brushed the blood that was gushing from his nose. For his part, he was used to it and didn't really blame her hair trigger reactions. "I'm sorry, Dad!" gasped the scientist. She reached over and snatched up a tissue from the box and used it to wipe Taban's blood away. "You know I didn't mean it!" she insisted desperately.

The genius of the millennium was more of a crackpot than a master inventor. Several of her greatest developments were the ones that didn't manage to damage either her house, her parents, or herself. That was literally the criteria she set for herself. She had deep purple hair, beautiful, though kept inside a strange sort of helmet of her own design with an antennae and a voice distorter. She typically wore an orange tunic, dressed in brown boots and her ever-present trademark - her glasses - were always impeccably clean.

He was strong and muscular, decked out in a green and blue tunic and pants. Taban Ashtear was Lucca's father and the chief blacksmith for the nation of Guardia. "You're getting too strong for your own good, girl..." grunted Taban.

"I don't know about that, but... I am the greatest scientific genius in the world! Ha ha ha ha!" cackled Lucca, totally forgetting both any semblance of humility and the fact that she'd just decked her own father. "God damn, am I awesome!"

Lucca Ashtear, age sixteen. The "inventor of the century" still lived with her parents and drew a meager allowance, five hundred Gil a month - all of which went to developing her next "fantastic" invention. She frequently experimented with mechanics and chemicals, nothing of which she did ending well for anyone. Everything she developed, cooked up, or otherwise put together resulted in pure chaos. She'd been suspended from school several times, eventually finally dropping out when a cherry bomb blew up the school's entire plumbing system.

Shortly before the incident took place, Lucca had set about cooking for her family for dinner. She'd done this since she was just six years old under her mother's tutelage, at least partially because her beloved mother had lost the use of her legs because of a mistake that she made. Tonight was lasagna night and Lucca had tried her hardest to perfect the recipe that her mother had passed down to her. As she cooked down the sauce and stirred the noodles, Lucca hummed a slight tune to herself.

Lucca carefully followed her mother's recipe, just as she'd done for a decade. Even so, Lucca being Lucca there were inevitably mistakes and blow-ups that had almost set the whole kitchen on fire. Tonight was relatively accident free, though the success was bittersweet; this was the day of the week that her mother had always made her chocolate chip cookies for lunch, which when topped off with the lasagna had always brought a smile to her face.

I'm afraid to try and bake anything... God only knows how I'd screw that up.

As she compiled the meal and delivered it to the dinner table Lucca gave a sharp whistle to signal for her parents to come and eat. Taban was the first to arrive and slowly reached for one of the pieces of garlic bread, only for Lucca to smack his hand and send him flying back in his seat. "You know you've got to wait until Mom comes down!" hissed Lucca as she set down her father's bottle of beer. "And if you try and weasel your way in first, you know what happens next..." she said ominously.

Taban knew only too well, so he quickly retreated and took a swig of his drink. Lucca groaned and plopped down in her seat, took up a glass of tea, and slowly sipped it just as she heard a mechanical device whir to life. She turned towards the door, knowing that her mother had engaged the lift to bring her down from upstairs, and grimaced in shame shortly before Lara arrived in the dining room.

Lucca had clearly inherited her hair from her mother, who looked much like she might if she were some thirty years older. She was suited in a plain yellow dress with a white apron, and was seated in a wheelchair. Once she'd wheeled herself up to the table Lara quietly bowed her head in prayer, quickly followed by her husband and daughter. The signal having been given, the pair began to tear into the meal, slurping pasta and munching garlic bread as if it were the last meal they'd ever eat.

"I just love seeing them so happy..." muttered Lara under her breath.

When she heard her mother speak Lucca bit her tongue and yelped out in pain. She quickly guzzled a glass of water to wash down the blood, and quietly excused herself and rushed from the dining room with a dark gloom around her heart. Taban turned to Lara and gave a frown, receiving one in return. They both knew what was wrong with her.

Lucca quickly scurried up the stairs and into her room, slammed the door, and pounced on her bed before muffling her scream with a pillow. She quickly switched positions and placed her hands behind her head, but there was no concealing her tears. Her anxiety began to build until she finally burst out of her room onto the balcony, where she turned her eyes to that machine. The machine that she hated more than anything but herself...

She angrily tightened her fists and grit her teeth, soon after hurrying back inside her room and onto her bed. Lucca threw herself chest first onto the piece of furniture, rolled into a ball, and when she stretched back out she grabbed her helmet and tossed it at the door in a mad fit of rage. The helmet fell to the ground silently, though as Lucca drew up her legs to her chest and tears began to form she gnashed her teeth and buried her face in her hands.

Scene Five

"Crono... Crono... Crono!"

Opening his eyes, Crono immediately caught a swath of sunlight that nearly blinded him. The sound in the distance, however, jolted him awake and he fumbled out of bed only to land face first into his drawer. As he massaged his aching head, brushing the red from his crimson red hair, Crono quietly took an assessment of what had just happened. He'd woken up, hit his noggin...

"Oh, crap!" Crono choked. "The Fair!"

Gina cracked a smile and reached down to grab her son's hand, a gesture that he immediately took and she hauled him to his feet. "It's eleven already! You'll be late!" she scolded. Crono quickly turned to leave but was caught by the scruff of the neck and swiveled around to meet his mother's disgruntled face. "But breakfast first! If you're going to be braving Lucca's newest gadget, at least have something in your stomach for her to pull out."

Crono's exasperation clearly showed, but the iron will on Gina's face easily melted his resolve. He hurried downstairs to find a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, a meal that he quickly scarfed down as if it were the last thing he'd ever eat. As he chewed and swallowed with a ravenous pace, the inevitable happened and he bit his tongue. The youth shouted out a nasty word, was bopped by his mother, and quickly guzzled a glass of water to wash down the blood. When he was done he coughed and hacked, turning to his mother with a vicious glare that she met with one of her own.

"Mind your manners!" snapped Gina.

"Hey, I need sustenance!" Crono protested, shoving himself away from the table and hurrying towards the door. His reflexes served him well when he swiveled around to catch a small object that his mother had tossed him: a pouch with two hundred Gil in it, his allowance. "Hey, this is it?!" he croaked. Another stern look from his mother immediately silenced him, however, and he hustled only to trip over his cat Scratch.

After dragging himself to his feet, carefully placing Scratch in his bed, Crono dusted off his pants and turned towards the door but immediately froze in place. He turned his attention to the item his mother had left for him on the table, grinned, and snatched it up, shoving the wooden sword into his belt. Again he moved towards the door but stopped again. This time he turned to the living room cabinet, where a picture of three individuals reposed: Gina, a young Crono, and a bushy haired older man that he hadn't seen in years.

Crono silently stared into his father's hawk-like green eyes and his breath began to slow. The youth wordlessly pivoted on his heel and turned to the photo, clicked his heels together, and respectfully bowed to Joaquin's picture. He missed him badly, wanted to go fishing with him even one more time. Crono lingered longer than he realized, but finally raised his head and hustled outside. There was business to be done at the Fair.

Scene Six

Four hundred years earlier, the Kingdom of Guardia emerged successful from its war with the Medina Mystics, led by their spiritual leader and messiah, the Demon King Magus. The Fair was partly inspired by the victory to celebrate the war's end, though the day itself had more meaning than that. Precisely one thousand years earlier the first King Guardia had united the nations of the Zenan mainland into a single kingdom, the blessed country that he called home, and the Millennial Fair was meant to mark the milestone with some serious flair.

Upon arriving at the entrance to Leene Square, Crono found that the celebration had already begun. Booths of merchants and tents filled with games for the young children of the country peppered the site of the complex, everything from shooting galleries to fish-catching ponds. Crono angrily muttered a foul word and took off towards the center of the square, desperate to catch up on what he'd already missed. Moving two steps at a time towards the back of the Square where Lucca's invention awaited, Crono vaulted from street block to street block so quickly that he never caught sight of an incoming object coming at him from his right. The impact hit them both with serious force, sending both Crono and Marle crashing to the ground beneath as Marle's pendant ripped free and skidded to a halt far into the distance.

The glorious tune of Leene's Bell echoed throughout Crono's ears as he slowly pulled himself together and sat up straight, where his face met Marle's sterling smile as she stared down at him with a gleam in her eyes. Both of them immediately jolted, a bright red flush swelling in both their cheeks, and Crono frantically ambled to his feet and bowed his head in apology. At first Marle smiled, though her expression quickly changed to horror as she realized that her pendant was no longer around her neck.

A horrified Marle immediately began to skitter around Leene's Bell, desperately searching for her royal pendant. If her father learned that she'd lost it, he'd skin her. As she frantically scurried around the square, she suddenly felt a strong grip on her shoulder and turned to find Crono staring back at her with a smile on his face and the pendant gripped between his fingers. With a sheepish grin, Marle reached out to grab the pendant and the two swapped hands, their fingers dancing as the princess snatched up the jewel and returned it to her neck.

While Marle fastened her necklace back together, Crono thrust forward his right fist at her. The rebellious princess stopped cold, almost believing for a moment that he had tried to hit her, but the connection slowly came together and she sheepishly lifted her hand and bumped fists with the redheaded youth. She could feel the warmth behind his knuckles, both the blood pumping through his veins and the fiery spirit beneath, and both of them exchanged a quick smile before drawing back their arms.

"The name's Crono!" chirped Crono as he dusted off his pants and tucked his arms behind his head. "What's your name, Miss?"

Marle immediately froze. Her name! Well, she certainly couldn't just announce to some random person on the street that she was the princess, whose little excursion from the palace would surely earn her a few raps on the rear. Her mind began to whir to life, letters and numbers pinging throughout her head as she began to settle on a quick white lie. In the end, the nickname she'd earned as a child was the only thing that stood out.

"I-I'm Marle!" she tittered uncomfortably.

Hopefully this guy doesn't follow politics...

Crono gave a cheeky grin and put his hands on his hips, took in a deep breath, and stretched out his hand for Marle to take, an action that surprised her. Apparently he wasn't a big politics guy. She stared at the young swordsman's hand, then to the wooden sword at his side. If he was rough and tumble enough to carry a weapon, would he turn on her and hurt her? Marle turned her attention back to Crono's face, examined the innocent smile for a bit, and then reached out and grabbed his hand.

Scene Seven

Marle had never actually had a guided tour of the kingdom. Every single time she made it as far as Truce her father's men had found her and spirited her back to the castle to be scolded. From the first moment their hands touched the connection between the two was evident. That is, if the red flush on their faces indicated anything - which, obviously, it couldn't, right? If he were caught holding the princess's hand like he was then he'd have his head set in the guillotine by dinnertime.

The first place that the two budding lovebirds visited was the test of strength bell test. Crono, doubtless wanting to show his muscles, stepped up first and hoisted the hammer back as far as he could. After a deep breath he took the mallet in both hands and swung down with all his strength, causing the weight to hit the bell and sing out the tune of victory. He was presented a pad of Silver Points for his victory, but to his astonishment by the time he finished trading the money Marle had already stepped up to bat.

Crono watched in astonishment as Marle lifted the mallet up and placed it over her shoulder, expecting a big flub in the future that could mar his romantic aspirations. Marle cleared her throat and took the mallet in both hands, lifted it high over her head, and struck down with all her might. Of all the classes she took in the castle, one of the few that she'd paid attention to was physical education, mainly for the simple thrill of working out. The hammer hit the weight, the bell rung, and Marle cheerfully hoisted the mallet over her shoulder and flashed a thumbs-up at an astonished Crono.

Having earned themselves a set of Silver Points, Marle steered Crono towards the shooting gallery. Since he wanted to impress her even more he stepped up, narrowed in, and fired - and struck nothing but air, to his dismay. While he grunted in embarrassment he was surprised as Marle stepped up to bat and aimed the pop gun at the moving targets. A single shot from her eagle-eyed sniping downed the fastest moving target. While the attendant rushed to add to their point card Crono stretched out his knuckles and Marle hit it with a cheeky grin on her face.

Next was Skee-Ball. Having led a sheltered life Marle had never seen the game before, and as she listened to the rules she quickly became a fan. Crono stepped up and grabbed onto the ball, patted it a few times, and threw a strong underhand swing at the target that netted him a series of Silver Points. As his card was updated he caught sight of a shadow moving past him and watched as Marle took up the ball herself, reared back, and nailed the top rung with her first hit.

Whac-A-Mole immediately caught Marle's attention and so she steered Crono towards the booth. This time she didn't even give him a chance to play and grabbed hold of the mallet with a fiery excitement in her eyes. The first mole popped up slowly and was viciously downed, and as the pace accelerated Marle's keen eye kept up with every movement, ending with a triumphant high score that astonished both Crono and the attendant. Crono's jaw was nearly at his knees as he watched Marle collect the Silver Points, but then again it just made her all the more enticing.

The pair came upon the races by chance while Crono was ordering his guest a candy apple, but Marle quickly forgot all about the apple as she watched the four racers jolt down the track. Once the race had finished the duo met up with an old man who was watching the race, a boastful fellow who claimed that he had the next race's result fixed: the Steel Runner, with his mighty strength, was sure to take first place.

Crono disagreed and bet on the strange fellow in green, saying that he looked quicker. The old man scolded him by saying that the Green Ambler would definitely trip over his costume. As the two bickered Marle put in a bet for Catalack, and before they could place their own bets the race began. The Steel Runner and Green Ambler traded places several times, G. I. Jogger just behind them, though when the race was over Catalack had hopped over the Steel Runner and nailed the finish line before any of the others could stop it.

Once Crono had been run out of the drinking contest for being too young, he and Marle checked in to the prehistoric music fest. The young princess proved to be an energetic dancer, so fully immersed in the music that she at first didn't notice that she had drawn a crowd. She flashed a cheeky grin and slowly inched away from the stage with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. As she left one of the musicians attempted to reach for her shoulder, but Crono deftly drew his sword and gave the man a harsh red welt on his hand before hurrying off after Marle.

Far to the west was an open square with a very strange occupant, a red robot developed by Lucca. The rotund red construct stood watch in the center of the square. It wore a spiked helmet with a brown codpiece around its groin. The creature stood over nine feet tall and was an imposing sight, with strong arms and oddly flimsy looking legs that didn't match at all. Gato crooned out his funky tune and explained the rules, so Crono stepped up to fight it and donned a pair of boxing gloves.

Gato assumed his position, as did Crono, who took the first swing. The hit missed as Gato deftly swayed to the side, and the robot's own punch narrowly missed hitting Crono in the gut. Crono, now realizing that this was a worthy foe, quietly slid his left foot behind him in a ready position, stretching back his fist to prepare for an attack. When he struck he hit like a bolt of lightning and nailed the center of Gato's chest, though he was nearly knocked out in a mutual strike and only collected the Silver Points after Marle patched him up.

Scene Eight

"Man! You went - whoosh! And then he went - ka-blam!" tittered Marle, imitating the blows that Crono and Gato had exchanged. "That was awesome!"

"And I'm still sore, thank you very much!" snapped Crono. "That sucker has a hell of a right hook."

As Marle exchanged another uncomfortable smile with her tour guide Crono abruptly let out a shout and toppled face first to the ground. Marle quickly rushed over to help him up and found a cute little yellow cat already pawing at his head.

"Aww! How cute!" Marle swooned. "He likes you!"

Crono gruffly shuffled to a sitting position and took the cat in both hands to examine it."Well, I don't like him! The little bugger assaulted me!" he growled. The more he stared at the cat's innocent, auburn eyes, however, the less he felt that he could stay angry.

"Tama!"

"Tama... What now?" Crono muttered dumbly. He watched as a young girl in blue steadily approached, a smile on her face and a large twinkle in her eyes. The child rushed towards Crono and reached out to the cat, took it in both hands, and lifted it onto her shoulder. Clearly the two of them knew each other. "So, this is your cat?" he asked. The little girl nodded cheerfully and reached out with her hand to grab Crono's, so he returned the gesture and grabbed onto her tiny palm with both hands and a smirk on his face. "Tama's a nice name! Mine's called Scratch," said Crono cheerfully.

Marle watched as Crono and the child conversed back and forth for several minutes. They both had kitty tales that needed to be told, and as their excitement continued to build with each story the princess smiled and sat back to watch. When the two had finished she rejoined Crono as they explored the fair, where they came upon a weapons-seller's booth. The weapons-seller was close to seventy years old, bespectacled and with a curly white mustache that covered an ever-present smile. He wore a strange tunic of mixed blue and orange, with pockets and chains all across his attire. At his side was a slim, masterwork katana that Crono would have killed to possess.

"Care for a look at my wares, boy?" the weapon smith asked with a curl of his mustache. "They're the finest in all of the continent."

Crono eagerly broke away from Marle and hurried to the weapon smith's booth, where he took the next several minutes to carefully examine the swords, spears, and crossbows that he was offering to the public. All of them seemed to be masterwork blades, and though his excitement continued to build, deep down he realized that two hundred Gil would never buy anything like this. He could save up his allowance for the next decade and he still couldn't even rent an hour of time with these weapons.

"Oh, man! I would kill to have one of these!" Crono croaked as he cradled a long katana with a blue scabbard. As he examined it his face slowly dropped and he eventually hung his head and returned the weapon to the weapons-seller. "Does it have a name?" he asked eagerly.

"The Swallow," explained the weapon smith, "is one of my favorite pieces. Of course, you'll never be able to afford it."

Seeing the frustration build on Crono's face, Marle reached out and patted him on the shoulder to relieve him. Crono remained fixated, however, obsessing over the sterling silver sword and its elegant scabbard, engraved with the image of a large bird of prey. As the two interacted, however, the weapon smith caught sight of a small gleam out of the corner of his eye and turned his attention to Marle. When he saw what was around her neck he nearly had a heart attack and let out a sharp gasp of excitement. He had to have that pendant.

"Fancy selling that piece of jewelry, lass? I'll pay nine digits to buy it off of you right here," said the weapons-seller. Marle startled and her fingers brushed the deep blue stone, a flicker of red gleaming from its center. As Melchior stared at the pendant his excitement built, but was tempered by his grief of losing both his princess and his kingdom. Schala had always worn that jewel... why would a normal girl have it in the first place?

Where did she get that?! Schala... There has to be a connection...

"This? My father would skin me alive if I sold it..." muttered Marle.

"Ten digits? Eleven?" pressed the old man. "I'll trade it for the Swallow if you like."

"She clearly isn't selling, Gramps!" snapped Crono. He put himself between Marle and the old man, pushing his arms to his side to shield her from the weapon smith's covetous eyes. "And if you think I'd ever ask her to trade that sword for her pendant, you're senile!" he snarled.

His fists balled, the old man angrily stomped his foot and motioned for Crono to move aside, but he wouldn't. As his gaze intensified, slowly the old man's attention changed from Marle's pendant to Crono himself. A normal person would see nothing but a redheaded punk with a wooden sword staring them down, but Melchior wasn't normal. He could clearly see a thin, razor-sharp aura of white light that surrounded Crono's entire body, a clear indicator of magical aptitude. Even if it was recessive, it was... fierce, like he might actually be able to cut the old man with a flick of his fingers.

Melchior slowly backed off and adjusted his mustache, then bowed his head to Crono and Marle. "Apologies, lad. An old man's idle whim, nothing more. The name is Melchior, and I live on the Medina continent," he said with a smile. "If we ever meet again I might be able to do something for you."

"You... Wait, what?" Crono gasped. "You're a strange old codger, if ever there was one!"

"Just drop it, Crono," said Marle. She grabbed Crono's shoulder, startling him, and he whirled around to see her shining smile staring back at him. His anger and confusion immediately melted into her gorgeous blue eyes.

"Better run off, now. I'm sure that the peddler at the Tent of Horrors would love to meet you," said Melchior with a smile. "I hear he's looking for challengers for his games, and it pays well."

Crono briefly opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and shook his head in disbelief. At Marle's prodding he slowly broke away from Melchior and headed towards the eastern half of the fairgrounds, where the Tent of Horrors awaited him. Melchior watched quietly with a smile on his face as they left and slowly his hand inched towards the Swallow. He grabbed onto the scabbard and drew the blade in a single deft motion, and as he did so a white light surrounded its edge - the same color and shape as Crono's own aura, something that made the old man smile as he returned the sword to its sheath.

"The pendant and its protector..." he murmured smilingly. "Interesting..."

Scene Nine

The Tent of Horrors was one of the more intimidating attractions at the Millennial Fair. The outside of its structure was decorated with a skull and crossbones, with a series of red and white striped banners leading inside. Crono and Marle silently entered the tent and found, in the corner, its inhabitant and master: He was the kind of fellow that wasn't all there, literally. The strange creature seemed to be two gloves and a harlequin's mask, and nothing more. A mischievous trickster, Norstein Bekkler was a master of - literal - sleight-of-hand and simple magic tricks.

Upon seeing the strange creature Marle immediately went stark white and shrieked in terror. As she turned to hurry away Crono grabbed onto her shoulders and managed to catch her, holding her tightly in place. A tad too tight, in fact. The princess slapped him hard in the face. Crono nearly buckled from the strike but managed to maintain his composure, stared up at Bekkler and gave him a vicious glare.

"He's just some creepy spook, not a demon," said Crono flatly.

"The name is Norstein Bekkler, a trickster by trade and a magician of many colors!" Bekkler said with a bow of his head. He clicked his fingers and three curtains dropped from the ceiling, each marked with a different number from ten to eighty, the middle curtain bearing the number forty. "I'm sure you've collected a few Silver Points by now. You can spend them here! The games cost ten, forty, and eighty respectively," he said smilingly.

Crono lifted his points card and examined it, then motioned for Marle to show him hers. They didn't have enough for the eighty point game, but together they had just enough for the forty point one. After a quiet consultation Crono pointed towards the center curtain. Bekkler snapped his fingers and the other two curtains vanished, with the central one lifting up to reveal a perfect mirror image of Crono. Everything from the color of his hair to the dust on his shoes was identical.

"Introducing... The Doppelganger Game! Mimic every movement and you'll earn a special prize!" tittered Bekkler.

"And that prize is?" Marle asked as she raised her eyebrow.

"Try it first and see. You might like the reward," Bekkler said with an uncomfortable smirk.

After looking first to Marle, Crono shrugged his shoulders and stood in front of the doppelganger. Suddenly the doll's right arm shot up at a ninety degree angle, which Crono mirrored. The next movement was to lift his left foot and shake it. What followed was a strange, oddly amusing little performance. Crono hopped and crouched, shook his head and laughed, though after a few moments he missed a movement and the doll disappeared in a flash of light.

"I was so close!" whined Crono.

"Too bad, kid. Better luck-" Bekkler suddenly stopped as he spoke. From beneath his mask his eyes widened as he watched Crono's aura form again around his body, seemingly sizzling as if it were made of the flames of the sun. The sparks continued to surge and Bekkler shook his head and snapped his fingers, causing the doppelganger to reappear in front of Crono. "This one's on the house," he said quickly. "Consider it a present."

Crono stared strangely at the harlequin, uncertain of what had just happened. He shrugged his shoulders and resumed his position in front of the doll. The first movement was again at ninety degrees, though the next sequence was totally new. Crono danced and shook, each time matching the doppelganger, and finally the final movement was to bump fists with it. When he did the doppelganger slowly dissolved into cinders and Crono nearly fell to his seat in shock at the heat it exuded.

"Ding-ding-ding! You win!" crooned Bekkler. "I'll send your present to your house."

"Great! I... Wait, my house?!" croaked Crono. "What the hell is it?!"

"It's a surprise! Expect the unexpected!" cackled the harlequin. Though unsettled, Crono quietly guided Marle out of the tent. As they passed through the final hoop Bekkler clapped his hands together and slowly began to fade out of sight.

Gaspar... It's time, then?

Scene Ten

Marle stopped Crono just at the final gate to the back of the fairgrounds, and convinced him to buy her a bunch of cotton candy. They advanced into the final part of the square and found a small crowd of onlookers, scattered around watching the sight of a strange device that was being demonstrated by Lucca. It was a collection of wires and tubes that connected to two different platforms, each marked with a plus and minus symbol on each one respectively. The machine certainly looked futuristic and it immediately caught Marle's attention, her eyes widening like saucers.

"Behold, folks! This is the Telepod, the invention of the century!" boasted Lucca. She gestured towards the pod on the left. "Step onto Pod A..." she began, then gestured to the right pod. "And you'll be dissected and transferred straight onto Pod B! I'm sure everyone wants to try, right?" An eerie silence followed, after which passed Lucca angrily slammed her fist onto the control panel and startled the crowd. "I said, right?!" she screeched.

"Maybe they don't want to do it because of how you described it?" wondered Crono. He put his arms behind his head and gave a cheeky grin. "You need to work on your sales pitch."

Lucca's eyes widened and she eagerly gestured towards Crono. "This is my friend Crono! Our first guinea pig... err... test subject..." she said with a cough. "Now, watch as he steps onto Pod A and is transferred to Pod B!" she cackled. Crono remained silent. "Get your sorry ass over here and get in the machine!" Lucca shrieked. Her fists were balled and a slight blush colored her face, made red from her anger. He had to do it, he didn't have a choice. "This isn't a request, dammit! Mess with me and you know what'll happen!"

When she said that Crono immediately realized the danger he was in. Flashing a desperate glance to Marle and receiving a cheerful smile in return, he finally gave up and slunk towards Pod A. When he was inside Lucca gestured to Taban and the two turned on the machine. As Lucca input commands and Taban pulled various levers Pod A's platform began to shimmer a bright white color. The more he felt the chill in the air the less certain Crono was whether he wanted to carry through. Just as Crono moved to leave the platform he stopped suddenly and was held in place as if bound by ropes.

He looked down at his hand and watched it as it slowly began to disappear, each finger shivering before it zapped out of existence and eventually he went with the rest of his body into a strange vortex of energy that made it feel like he was being ripped open and torn to shreds. When he returned to consciousness he quickly moved to leave the pod, but quickly realized that he wasn't where he was before. Now, he was in Pod B and watched as the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

"It... worked?" muttered Crono.

"It worked?! Wicked!" cheered Lucca, pumping her fist in victory.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" snarled Crono. "You mean you shoved me in here and didn't know if I'd ever come out alive?!"

Lucca cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "What matters is that it worked," she said flatly. She hurried over to Crono and began to examine his body extensively, patting his shoulder and hips apparently in an attempt to discern whether he would unravel like a spool of thread. Crono shot her a nasty glare, so she slammed her fist into his gut, winded him, and dragged him out of Pod B before throwing him to the ground below. "Next subject, please!" she tittered.

"I almost died, you little witch!" Crono screeched angrily. "Stop acting like you knew what you were doing!"

"Oh, so you're an expert now?! There was a fifty-seven percent chance of success and you're bitching about a little scientific experimentation?!" snarled Lucca. "Science is the exploration of the unknown!"

"F-Fifty... seven?!" croaked Crono. "You risked my life for a fifty/fifty chance?!"

"I said fifty-seven percent, not fifty/fifty!" insisted Lucca. "At least get the math right! Now get inside again!"

Crono angrily grabbed onto Lucca's shoulder and grappled hard, soon returned by Lucca grappling his collar and the two began to tussle. While they struggled - Lucca for her next experiment, Crono for his life - they watched as Marle moved past them and hopped inside Pod A. They both stared at her in dumb silence as she cheerfully waved at them and flashed a peace sign, and neither Crono nor Lucca knew quite what to say.

"Me next! Me next!" tittered Marle.

Lucca cocked her head and adjusted her glasses in confusion. This girl was really willing to do it? "Where did you pick up this cutie, Crono?" she asked dumbly. "She's way too attractive to be your girlfriend."

"And she's cuter than you!" swooned Taban.

"Stuff it, Dad!" Lucca snapped. She took her foot and thrust it into Taban's kneecap, which immediately dropped him to his seat. While he writhed around in agony she turned to Marle with an incredulous look on her face and folded her arms over her chest. "You honestly want to do it?" she asked cautiously. "You saw what happened to Crono and you still want to do it? What kind of stupid bimbo are you?"

Marle shot Lucca such an intense glare that she immediately withered and slunk away towards the machine's controls. She turned to Crono with a wide smile on her face and gave him a naughty wink. Crono stared at her in what passed as dumb shock (if not horror) as Taban dragged himself to his feet and stumbled towards the levers again. Lucca glanced back at Crono, shrugged, and began to input the controls to initiate the Telepod.

"Watch me when I come back, Crono!" Marle swooned. "Then it's your turn again!"

Staring at her in pure horror, Crono remained silent but began to fidget in place, adjusted his belt, and shrugged his shoulders. Like hell was he up next. The girl really was addled if she thought he'd do it again. Crono watched in silence as Lucca and Taban warmed the device back up, saw them input the same calculations, and braced himself for the worst. If that girl didn't come back out, he would rip Lucca a new asshole.

The Telepod began to hum back up to full power as Marle eagerly anticipated what would come next. Just as before the pod began to glow and flickers of light began to form around Marle's body. But unlike the first time, Marle suddenly stopped moving and froze in place like a statue. Crono immediately picked up on the danger and began to inch towards Pod A, but by the time he began to move Marle's pendant had begun to glow a violent, bloody red color.

Marle's body began to phase in and out of sight, shortly before the two pods erupted in white lightning that coalesced into a single point at the back of the square. Slowly a small blue orb began to form, which then unraveled into a larger black sphere that crackled with electricity and began to draw in Marle's particles. Her pendant lifted up and when she zapped from Pod A into the sphere it fell limply to the floor, where it reposed in silence and continued to glow red.

Seemingly awakening to the danger she was in Marle frantically reached out to Crono, who stretched out his hand in a desperate attempt to catch her before something terrible happened. Just as their fingers began to touch, however, Marle was shunted backwards into the sphere and began to fade away into the light. Terrified, Crono pushed off against the ground and leapt towards her, only to fall flat on his face as he passed through the orb just as it vanished and the Telepod exploded in a storm of steam and white lightning that blinded everyone in the square.