Time: Night

Location: Puffoon

Planets Aligned: Cassia, Razen

Front Row: N/A

Back Row: N/A

"Do you have any idea where the others could have gone? They were just here!" darted Marshmallow who was looking around frantically for any sign of their friends. "Your guess is as good as mine. What do you think we should do?" Sorbet asked. Marshmallow paused, but then spoke her next words. "I think you should tell me what's wrong. We're alone and now is a good time to let me know. You seem like you're trying hard to do something that none of us are in the loop about."

Sorbet took a deep breath and let out a big sigh. "I've been so worried about losing my friends-I mean our friends. It's just...well...ughh how do I even say this." Sorbet said now frustrated. "You can tell me, we've been through so much and I hope you know to trust me." Marshmallow said comforting Sorbet. "That's exactly it! I trust you guys so much and all of you have convinced me individually that I can put my life in your guys' hands if I ever find myself in another life or death situation. I just want you guys to trust me to do the same."

"What do you mean 'trust you'? Do you feel like we don't trust you?"

"You guys know about how I used Celadon to get to Kale, how I expressed that I should have been the one to be sacrificed for the wood millennium gummy. How I left you all on Gren...how I left Pico on Gren..."

"I get that but it's all in the past. You're with us now and we wanted you to come with us. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"I want to let you guys know how much you all mean to me by never conforming to those kinds of thoughts and behaviors ever again."

"Oh Sorbet..." Marshmallow extended her arms out to Sorbet for an embrace to which Sorbet gladly took. The two held this hug for a silent 15 seconds before releasing from each other. "You know that Pico has a HUGE crush on you right? ;)" Marshmallow said grinning.

"I figured as much. I guess I like him too, but he acts like I need saving when I don't."

"Yes, you can take care of yourself, but that kind of devotion to protecting you is not something you can find in everyone."

When Sorbet heard this, she let out a smile and then a frown. "He really does care about me. I want to be like that for him. I think I needed to say this out loud and hear myself say it. Thanks Marshmallow, you always know what to do and say."

Marshmallow smiled, "Oh that's not true. If anything, Pretzel is the one who fits that category. He's always been the one to take initiative with the group."

"Yes, but you have been the one to light up the things he can't see. I mean, he did lead us into Couscous Ruins and now we're separated. I will say though that when you call the shots, he is always quick to agree with you."

"Really? Since when?"

"Since the beginning. You know, for all the hype surrounding light and dark magicians, you two are sometimes dense."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Marshmallow said playfully.

"Oh cmon mallow, do you really not notice that Pretzel looks to you for any and all reason?"

Marshmallow shook her head in disbelief. "Uh no. Since when were you gonna tell me this?"

Sorbet looked puzzled and simply said. "You never noticed? Pretzel treats you like you're his best friend." Marshmallow blushed at this statement, to which Sorbet could only grin.

"Dude, this blows. What are we supposed to do now?" Pico said. "Don't worry, we'll find the others. They couldn't have gone far." Pretzel said looking around for corridor to take.

"Sorbet shouldn't be alone, who knows what could happen to her out there." Pico said worried.

"I'm worried for her and the others too, but I think she can take care of herself. Besides, Marshmallow should be beside her so I'm not worried."

"For someone that you care a lot about you don't seem to be worried."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"No Pico tell me, I literally don't understand what you meant."

"What do you mean you don't understand? Marshmallow is out there and you don't seem to be as urgent as me to be reunited with her again."

"I want to be reunited with everyone too, is that not obvious."

"Bro, if there's anything that's obvious, it's that you like Marshmallow. You're a great leader, maybe as good as me, but you don't even look for your own approval. You look for Marshmallow's."

Pretzel was taken aback from this comment. "I, well, that's because she's a great leader. Maybe even as good as you!"

"Dude, you like her, admit it. The way you look at her, it's so obvious."

Pretzel could only remain silent as he looked back at all he and Marshmallow had done. "I guess she is someone I take notice of a lot. But I can say the same thing about everyone. Can't you?"

"Everyone is cool and all, but I only have my eyes set on one thing."

"Sorbet?"

Pico's eyes opened wide but quickly closed them. "Yes, Sorbet. She has this energy about her that I can't explain. I want her to know that I want more of that energy everyday. I want to spend even more time with her, even if she doesn't feel the same way."

"Have you told her your feelings? If it weren't obvious, we all know you like her, and probably Sorbet herself."

"Yeah I'm sure she knows too. I just don't want to mess up the friendship."

Pretzel remained silent, but smiled at the thought the came to him. "If you tell Sorbet you wanna go on a date, I will say the same to Marshmallow. I still don't know if I like Marshmallow the way you like Sorbet, but I think these terms meet us both in the middle of our situation. I'm only saying this so that you aren't alone in the pursuit of your feelings."

"But what about you? Are you really wanting to go on a date with Mallow?"

"Only one way to know if we're a match, especially since you say I have eyes for her."

With the thought of Marshmallow by his side, Pretzel couldn't help but feel his heart beat harder and faster. Time began to slow down for him as he thought about being with Marshmallow. He remembered how wonderful Marshmallow's healing light felt in battle and how she protected him with her prism barrier from the mandibles of Kale's experiment in the temple of the Couscous Ruins. Marshmallow on the other hand began reflecting on her past with Pretzel, like how Pretzel's blood money stopped a space police officer from attacking her, or how his dazzle darts released her from the cocoon of Kale's bug. Both these memories of Kale's bugs flooded both Pretzel and Marshmallow with so much emotions and thoughts that they could almost see mirages of the bug that roamed the Couscous ruins.

"Sorbet look-do you see that? Over there, that's a mirage of that weird beetle thing we fought here." Marshmallow said.

"No? Are you sure you're not seeing things? I don't see anything in that direction."

"Well I AM seeing things, but you can't see it too? I'm gonna approach it."

"Ok, I'll come, but only to show you that there's nothing there."

"Hey Pico isn't that the insect we fought here? What's it doing here?" Pretzel said.

"Uh... what insect? Dude it's probably a mirage."

"I know you're right, but something seems... odd. I'm gonna approach it."

"Suit yourself, better than standing here and doing nothing."

Tic

Toc

Tic

Toc

...

Before either Marshmallow or Pretzel could take another step, their auras began to spike. Light magic was emanating from Marshmallow's hands while dark magic emanated from Pretzel's. It was in this moment that both could hear two distinct and asynchronized clocks ticking in the distance. Marshmallow and Pretzel found themselves irritated by the loudening of asynchronous ticking. In what seemed like a necessary action, Marshmallow unleashed her light aura while Pretzel did the same with his dark aura. The ruins became filled with a blinding light and thick darkness. It was then that Pretzel saw the mirage of the insect holding a cocoon, similar to the time it captured Marshmallow.

"Marshmallow..." Pretzel whispered.

It was in this moment that Marshmallow heard Pretzel's voice. "Pretzel? Was that you? Where are you?"

This time Pretzel heard Marshmallow's voice, but it was coming from the cocoon. "Marshmallow? Sorbet? Are you two in there?" Pretzel said in a panic after coming to his own conclusion that the girls were in some way related to the mirage. Pretzel casted his dazzle dart spell which did nothing to the mirage. Frustrated, Pretzel ran towards the mirage and called out to Pico "Cmon! They're here somewhere! I can hear them!"

"Wait! It's just a stupid mirage!" Pico had no choice but to follow his friend through the now darkened hallways.

Sorbet looked around to see the ruins illuminated. "Marshmallow, I didn't hear Pretzel."

Marshmallow shouted out Pretzel's name, but to no response. When Marshmallow looked back to see the mirage of the insect, it appeared to be pounced on something. Upon looking closer, Marshmallow realized the insect was on top of what looked to be Pretzel, similar to when the insect was on top of Brie. "Pretzel!" Marshmallow shouted. "Don't worry I'm right here!"

Marshmallow casted crystal laser upon the mirage, to which the mirage was unaffected.

The ticking of the clocks frustrated both magicians, as if it was like needles being driven into their heads. In an attempt to deal with both the sounds of the clocks and the vivid imagery of the mirage, Pretzel and Marshmallow simultaneously casted a dark and light magic circle, respectively. Modeled after Sugar, Pretzel and Marshmallow were able to transmute their aura to the neutral aura, and in doing so, their magic circles gained the wind starsign, albeit with the color of their aura remaining gray and not turning yellow. In addition to the wind starsign, they could see clock hands appear on their magic circles, with their ticking sounding similar to only one of the clocks. As is by instinct, Pretzel and Marshmallow closed their eyes and used their aura to try and sync their clock's ticking to the other. This appeared to work and soon the tickings became synchronized. It was then that the mirage let out a screech that could be heard echoing throughout the ruins. The mirage now appeared dark to Marshmallow while light to Pretzel. Again, as if instinctual, both mages unleashed their neutral magic towards the silhouette of the insect. Their spells appeared to be some sort of fusion between Marshmallow's crystal laser and Pretzel's dazzle darts, with a bolt of darkness rising above while light of all colors of the rainbow raining down from the bolt. This spell made contact with the insect which resulted in the surrounding clocks to make alarming sounds, as all clocks simultaneously reached midnight. As the light and dark dissipated, Marshmallow, Pretzel, Pico, and Sorbet could see each other as plain as day.

"Pretzel? Pico? Is that actually you?" Sorbet said in shock.

"Yes it's us. Are you guys mirages?" Pico asked equally stunned.

"No, it's us, we're the real deal!" Marshmallow said overjoyed

"What happened to you guys? I could have sworn I heard you coming from the cocoon of the insect we fought back when we were first here." Pretzel questioned.

"Cocoon? We weren't in any cocoon. Actually, I saw you being crushed by that very insect not that long ago. I assumed it was a mirage but then my magic spiked and I casted a spell I've never done before." responded Marshmallow. "Really? I did the same thing." said Pretzel.

Both Pretzel and Marshmallow then spoke simultaneously: "It looked like your (crystal laser/dazzle darts) spell with my (dazzle darts/crystal laser) spell!"

Both then speaking at the same time garnered bewildered looks from both Pico and Sorbet.

"Wow, you two truly are prodigies like Mokka said." Pico said laughing, to which Sorbet nodded in agreement.

"Wait, the others aren't with you guys?" Pretzel questioned. "No, I guess we all got separated. The last thing we heard was Sugar speaking and then silence." responded Sorbet.

It was in this moment that Marshmallow came up with an idea to answer two questions: If they could reunite with their friends, and if Pretzel really did trust her. "I have an idea. Let's all hold hands, the four of us, and close our eyes and walk. If that is what separated us, then it could be what leads us to where the others are. As long as the four of us are holding hands, we can't get separated." After finishing this sentence, Marshmallow looked directly at Pretzel who already had his mouth halfway open to respond with a bright "Yeah! Let's do it!"

Pico looked at Pretzel while Sorbet looked at Marshmallow to see that they both were smiling.

As the quartet began to do their blind walk and holding hands, they could no longer hear any ticking in the background.