Fanon:Shadow Lives On

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Shadow Lives On
Information
Author(s)	GuyThatExists LS_arkos1334
Publisher(s)	GuyThatExists
Release Date(s)	Jan. 02, 2021
Platform(s)	Microsoft Word MediaWiki
Genre(s)	Action, Adventure
Related Work(s)	N/A
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Last Story	Next Story None

Shadow Lives On is a short story written by GuyThatExists and co-written by LS_arkos1334, and focuses on Circi and Wilfre's daughter Milfre, and her quest to find Circi's Earring.

Synopsis

When Wilfre's Wasteland reactivates after five years of dormancy, Mayor Mari assembles a crew to sail to the island to find the source of the awakening. With a few stowaways, and some unlikely allies, will the Raposa get to the bottom of this mystery, or will the Shadow tempt them to the dark side?

Full Story

   “It’s not here. Ok, well, if not here, where else would it be?” The dark figure rummaged through the building, clearing shelves, and dumping drawers. “They must have relocated it somewhere, but where…” Suddenly, the light in the building flipped on.
   “Who’s there? I’ve heard you rummaging through here all night!” The old mayor wobbled into the building, her yellow knit shawl covering her frail torso, and her cane echoing throughout the room every time it hit the floor. “I’m blocking the only exit. You can’t hide from me forever!”
   “Sorry old lady, but I got somewhere else to be!” The figure appeared behind the woman and wrapped their arm around her neck. “Shhhh…you’re not gonna die ma’am. You’re just gonna sleep for a while. Shhhhhh…” The figure turned off the lights and darted out of the building, running towards the now defunct Galactic Jungle Quarter. “Marxx has his machine that I can borrow. If it’s not here right now, it might still be here…earlier.”
   

~~30 Years Earlier~~

   “Ma’am! You must come to the pier immediately!” Mari and Jowee stared up at the pirate glowing in their doorway. “It’s a big problem! Aye Jowee, you can come too.”
   “Pirate Beard, can this wait? Jowee and I are almost done narrowing down possible venues for our wedding, and we’re really on a roll right now.”
   “Yer gonna be on a roll if you don’t come with me alright! The Wasteland is alive.” Mari stood up, sending some pages flying to the ground.
   “Jowee, we can finish this later. We need to go.”

~~At the Pier~~

   “Avast ye Barks! Get yer dirty sock and get ready to sail!”
   “Crazybarksreadytosailwithsock!” Pirate Beard laughed at the Raposa and gave his attention to the mayor.
   “Now, Mrs. Mayor, I trust your judgement, but should we really let yer friend here on the ship? I know we supposedly know him, but-“
   “Beard, trust me. He helped us when Mike returned, and he’s going to be able to help us with the Wasteland, whatever this may be.”
   “Jowee, do ye trust this lad?”
   “Uh, sure! I don’t really know him either, but any friend of Mari’s is a friend of mine, I think.” Jowee looked over at Mari and noticed her nodding at his statement before shooting him a glare.
   “Right. Anyways, she’s ready to set sail as soon as Barks here is in place!” Pirate Beard walked away from the couple and their third, hooded wheel, as the three turned in to face each other.
   “Are you sure bringing him along is a good idea?” Jowee glared at the hooded figure as they slightly lifted up their veil.
   “Even if I wanted to hurt you, all my powers were banished. Besides, I built the Wasteland; who better to guide you through the village than me?” Wilfre looked up at the couple and broke the huddle. “Now, if you two don’t mind, I need to go get one thing before we set off.” Wilfre walked away from the group and headed towards the Galactic Jungle District.
   “Jowee, I need you to trust me on this. Mike is alive and well, Wilfre is stripped of his powers, and he doesn’t know anything about this problem.”
   “Last time we trusted him, he killed the Hero!”
   “Last time we trusted him, we defeated Aldark, mind you.” Mari looked above Jowee’s head towards Creation Hall. “And speaking of the Hero, we might need them on this journey. No one knows what we could possibly be getting into.”
   “Now you’ve got me on board! I’ll head anywhere with the Hero!” Jowee ran off to Creation Hall with Mari tailing behind him, giggling along the way.

~~Outside the Galactic Jungle District~~

   “Thank you again Click!” Wilfre walked out of the glass dome, shoving a small, white ball into his pocket. He felt the weight shift and bounce around his pocket, pulling his hoodie with it. It stopped, and he continued back towards the pier before feeling the weight shift again.
   “Um, excuse me sir?” Wilfre looked around to find the source of the voice before settling upon a young Raposa with silver hair and blue rimmed glasses. “I heard you and the mayor were going on an adventure and, I wanted to come with you! No adventure is complete without a satchel!” The RapoBoy smiled at Wilfre as he eagerly shook his leather satchel around.
   “I’m sorry boy, but this is a really dangerous adventure, and I don’t think it would be safe for you.”
   “But, but Cindi went to the Wasteland with her dad! Why can’t I go with you?”
   “Well first off, I’m not your dad – I don’t have any children. And second off, those were different circumstances.” Wilfre smirked as he spoke to the boy. “Many people were in danger and Cindi was lucky enough to not be captured by Wilfre.”
   “But Wilfre’s gone now! The Hero defeated him!”
   “Look kid, I understand that you want to go on a big adventure, but just wait a few more years until you’re grown up.” Wilfre walked away from the boy but suddenly stopped before turning around. The boy had sat on the floor with a frown plastered on his face. “Hey kid, what’s your name again?”
   “*sniff* I’m Pouches…”
   “Ok Pouches, how about this.” Wilfre squatted down to be at Pouches’ eye level. “I’ll put a good word in for you with the mayor.” Pouches’ face lit up and began to bounce around as Wilfre continued to walk towards the pier.

~~Inside Creation Hall~~

   Mari and Jowee walked through the building, searching for the mannequin they had hidden years prior.
   “Creator? We need your help once more. The Shadow has been banished but it’s home has been reactivated. Please send us a Hero to help us!” Mari called into the air as Jowee rummaged through some old books, reading their covers as he threw cobwebs around. Suddenly, the air became warm and a brilliant glow filled the center of the room. Jowee jumped as color poured out of the book he was holding, flowing into the light. “What is it’s name, Creator?” Mari asked the heavens as the glow began to take it’s form. 
   The first thing to gain color was a pair of brown sneakers, followed by two white socks. Jowee watched in awe as Mari stayed in a praying stance. A pair of jeans followed, then a red t-shirt with a lightning bolt plastered on it. Jowee walked up to the light with his hand outstretched, and without opening her eyes, Mari swatted his hand away. The last thing to be colored was a spiky, yellow haircut and a paleness in the figure’s skin. The color stopped flowing from the book and the light dimmed inside the building as the hero opened its eyes and looked around the room. A voice boomed from the sky, declaring the Hero’s name.
   “Drew, huh? That’s a new one,” Jowee noted. “Can’t believe all five heroes have had different names so far.”
   “And different appearances too,” Mari added. “Although he does look somewhat familiar.” Drew took a few steps around the room, looking at the books on the shelves and the foliage poking through the floorboards. “Welcome back, Drew! I appreciate you coming!” Jowee put the book back on the shelf and walked up to Drew.
   “It’s glad to see you looking somewhat normal!” Jowee leaned back to look Drew in the eyes. “Even if you are twice our size…”
   “Let me catch you up on what’s been happening. Pirate Beard alerted us that Wilfre’s Wasteland had been brought back to life. We don’t know who is inhabiting the island, or why they’re inhabiting it, but we do know that it can’t be a good sign. This is why we need you - in case the Shadow has somehow returned to our realm.” Drew nodded in understanding, and Jowee shuddered at the sound of the word “shadow.”
   “Anyways Drew, we need to get ready to go. Pirate Beard is waiting for us at the port.” The three heroes began to leave the room when Mari jumped in front of them and stopped.
   “Oh, that’s right! There’s something you should know. That hooded Raposa who helped us the last time you were here, they’re helping us again. I’m sure you figured it out on your own, but in case you haven’t, that hooded Raposa is Wilfre.” Drew jumped as Mari spoke Wilfre’s name and squinted at the mayor. “I can promise you that he has no ill intent. Jowee, back me up here?”
   “Uhhhh yeah! Wilfre’s one-hundred percent on our side now!” Drew stood confused as the Raposa continued to persuade them. Eventually, Drew nodded in agreement and the three returned to the pier.

~~At the Pier~~

   “I see ye brought along a new Creation Hero! And what be yer name, laddy?” Pirate Beard and Crazy Barks stood upon the deck of The Bane of Kings, with Unagi and Indee readying the ship behind them. “Drew ay? Well, we welcome you abord Drew!” Pirate Beard turned into the ship and began giving Drew a tour of the boat. “She ain’t no Turtle Rock, but she be my pride and joy!” As the crew gave Drew the grand tour, two figures appeared from the water, wading underneath the ship.
   “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
   “Of course it is. I know Beard personally, and if we wanna get on that ship, we gotta be stowaways.” Kyren smirked as she began to swim towards the port side of the ship. Pouches followed her with his poncho keeping him afloat in the water.
   “AHH! What is that!?” Pouches flailed around in the water as fish and seaweed alike brushed his legs.
   “Its just nature scaredy-baki! Now shush, you don’t want them to notice us, do you?” As Kyren tried to calm Pouches down, Wilfre boarded The Bane of Kings and settled himself on deck.
   “Crazybarksfindhoodedrapo! Crazybarksdoesntknowhoodedraposscent…” Crazy Barks jumped around Wilfre, blissfully unaware of who he was surrounding.
   “Now, Barks, show some respect for our guest! And just for formality’s sake, what shall we call ye, sir?” Everyone on board turned to face Wilfre, Mari and Jowee fearing his response. 
   “Uh, well, if need be, you can call me Steven.” Indee eyed Wilfre, suspicion plastered on his face. “Yes, Steven will do nicely.”
   “Aye then Steven, welcome aboard The Bane of Kings! Now, this should be everyone, right Mrs. Mayor?” Pirate Beard spun to count the crew, awaiting Mari’s response.
   “By my count, we should have eight, and I see eight heads.”
   “Then we’re off! Hoist the colors Barks! We set sail at the peak of the sun!” The crew of The Bane of Kings rushed to their stations as Mari, Jowee, and Drew watched in awe. As the sun moved over the ship, Pirate Beard stood in front of the wheel and began to sail his vessel. Pouches and Kyren hung onto the side of the ship as the sudden movement shook them.
   “Kyren, I’m starting to think this might not be a good idea!”
   “C’mon Pouches! Look, if we can climb up to the cannons, we can get in the ship and hide with the rum and gunpowder!”
   “Rum and gunpowder? Cannons? I’m not so sure I want to be in that place if something goes wrong.”
   “Nothing’s gonna go wrong kid, it’s not like Wilfre’s back from the dead or anything crazy like that!”
   “Well, if you say so. But if something goes wrong, I’m jumping overboard.” Kyren and Pouches climbed the ship until they reached a cannon hole on the port side. As Kyren rolled the cannon back, Pouches fell through the hole and tore his dripping poncho of his body. Kyren jumped in after him and rolled the cannon back to its place.
   “Now, we wait to get to shore and then we’re on a real adventure!”

~~In the Captain’s Quarters~~

   “So, do we know anything about what’s going on in the Wasteland?” Mari sat with Pirate Beard and her fiancé, with Drew and Wilfre standing behind them. 
   “Well, according to one of our correspondents, Molemite it be, the lights in the Hall of Darkness be shinin’ brighter! The Angry Sun’s be angrier. The Baki Miners be…Baki…er. We’ve known someone has been living on the island for a while now, but the island has never been this active since Wilfre inhabited it.”
   “Do we have any idea who’s been living on the island?” Wilfre asked the captain.
   “Alas, we haven’t one. Because of the way that wretched castle was designed, none of our allies can fit through them. At least none we can speak to.”
   “I might have an idea. Excuse me a moment.” Wilfre walked out of the cabin and down to his quarters where he pulled a white, gelatinous ball from his pocket. As he threw it on the ground, it began to break apart into smaller balls, before gathering together and creating a giant ghost-like being. “Ameba, I need you to do me a favor. When we get to the Wasteland, go into my castle and find out who’s living there.” The Ameba saluted its master and followed as Wilfre guided it below deck, hiding it behind a stack of barrels. 
   “Schlooorp!” 
   “Ok buddy.” Wilfre walked back up the stairs to the deck as Mari, Jowee, Drew, and Beard walked out of the cabin.
   “Alright everyone, we have a plan! Please gather around.” The crew gathered around Mari as she explained their plan to them. “When we get on the island, Steven, Drew and I will go to the castle. Pirate Beard, Indee, and Jowee will explore the Lavasteam Quarter. Unagi and Barks will explore the Galactic Jungle Quarter. Everyone understand their posts?”
   “Yes Mrs. Mayor, but shouldn’t we have a security detail around the Watersong Quarter?”
   “We should, but there aren’t enough of us to cover all the bases.”
   “Actually, there are!” Kyren popped out from under the deck with Pouches and stood with her fists on her hips. Pouches mimicked her with an aura of fear surrounding him. Wilfre stepped forward and kneeled in front of the kids.
   “I thought I told you that this wasn’t safe for a kid like you.” Wilfre began to laugh as Pirate Beard stepped forward. “I’m glad you proved me wrong!”
   “Kyren! I thought I told ye to not board me ship without permission! Amy and Nima must be worried sick!”
   “Oh yeah, I guess I should’ve brought them along too!” Pirate Beard sighed and walked back into the group to talk with Mari. 
   “Should we let them join us mayor? They’re only children.”
   “As much as I don’t want to, we don’t have a choice.” Mari pointed at the horizon towards a dark island. The rest of the crew followed her finger and noticed the Wasteland growing in size. “Kyren? Pouches? Welcome to the team. You two will be exploring the Watersong Quarter, got it?” Kyren saluted at Mari, with Pouches following suit. The ten of them gathered at the helm of the ship, with Ameba looking at the island from a cannon hole. “Ready or not, it’s showtime.”

~~Galactic Jungle Quarter~~

   “Crazybarksinspace!” Crazy Barks ran through Stellar Showdown, climbing over the walls and destroyed turrets. Unagi followed closely behind in his ship, ready to fire should something attack the two of them.
   “Alright Mayor. Barks and I are on the trail of something. He won’t tell me what, but hes confident about finding it.” 
   “Crazybarksfindweirdsmell!”
   “And there it is. I’ll report back when I find out what it is.” Unagi piloted his ship down to Crazy Barks who was digging into a rocky terrain. As he hopped out of the ship, Crazy Barks fell backwards in fear and began to crawl away from his hole. 
   “Crazybarkssmellshadow! Crazybarkssmellshadowcity!” 
   “Shadow? Shadow City? What are you talking about Barks?” Unagi walked up to the hole Crazy Barks had dug and saw only a red, inkwell pen. “Barks, why are you so scared of this?” Barks stood silent as a shadow approached behind Unagi.
   “He’s so scared of it because he knows what it can do.” Unagi turned around and saw a Raposa covered in scribble. They wore a yellow, red, and blue mask with feathers poking out from it’s top, and they had tree branches poking out from the back of their head. “You see, this pen is capable of drawing Shadows, isn’t that neat?”
   “Mayor? I think we fou-“ Unagi fell to the ground and the imprint of the mask was visible on his forehead.
   “Ah ah ah, now we don’t wanna just give me away without some leverage, do we? Barks is it? You’re coming with me.”

~~Watersong Quarter~~

   Pouches and Kyren sat in silence as they looked at the glowing, blue orb in front of them. As it pulsated on top of its Altar, the two of them looked at each other.
   “Nothing’s happening here! We can’t even go into these houses to try and find the bad guy!”
   “You might not be able to,” Kyren said as she stood up and faced the sun atop her station. “But I have to give it a shot!”
   “Kyren, you’re going to die! There’s all sorts of things in there that could kill you!”
   “Oh like what? Manic Baki? Fleas? Starfish? Pouches, you’re making this a way bigger deal than it is.” Kyren opened the gate and ran inside, the bright sun of the bay brushing against her fur.
   “Kyren! No!” Pouches watched as she disappeared into the beach and after rummaging through the quarter, ran into the hut after her. “Kyren? Where are you!?” 
   “Pouches! Help!” Kyren’s voice guided Pouches through the area until he arrived at a tall, pink tent.
   “Kyren where are you?” Suddenly, he felt two hands on his shoulders, and was pulled back into the tent. “What are you doing in here?”
   “She’s trying to avoid being killed by that monster up there.” Pouches turned around and locked eyes with a tall, grey haired Raposa wearing a jean jacket tied around her chest and a pair of navy blue jeans, along with two grey slippers, each accompanied by a sock. “You two, stay in here. I’ll be right back.” The mysterious woman stepped out of the tent a brandished a pencil. “Hey Helium-brains! Take this!” She threw her pencil at the large, angry sun and watched it fall to the ground. “You two, c’mon.” She grabbed Pouches and Kyren, hoisted them onto her shoulders, and ran through the bay.
   “So, what’s your deal?” Kyren asked the woman. “You know that guy?”
   “That guy is one of the most dangerous things on this island. What are two kids like you doing here?”
   “Hey, I asked you a question first. Answer it or we won’t help you!”	
   “Help me? Why do I need your help?”
   “Well, that guy came back for one.” Pouches and Kyren looked back to see the sun, now enraged due to the pencil in its head, following the three of them. “And you’re carrying us right now. Plus, you don’t have any more weapons!” 
   “Alright then fine, my name is Mil-uhhh…Percate. My name is Percate.” Kyren nodded at Pouches and watched as he pulled the Watersong Orb out of his satchel, throwing it at the sun. As it collided with the monster, it exploded into a ball of water, smothering the sun, and leaving the pencil drenched on the ground. The woman stopped running and set the two kids down. “What did you just do? Was that the Watersong Orb?”
   “It was,” Pouches said. “But now it’s a puddle of rain.”
   “That’s what you get for lying to us!” Kyren yelled. “We saved your butt, but you lost your precious, blue, glowy thing!”
   “Lying?” Pouches and the woman said in unison.
   “I know who Percate is, Circi told me all about her when she was still alive. You are way too young to be Circi’s mom!”
   “You knew Circi?” the woman asked, picking up her pencil, and pooling the water into her hands. “Then you must know what this pencil is.” Kyren walked towards the woman and examined the pencil, as a new Watersong Orb formed from the pool of water in the woman’s hands.
   “This…is this an Artifact of Power? Who are you, really?” Kyren dropped the pencil into Pouches’ satchel and pulled the boy away from the woman.
   “Alright fine. My name is Milfre. I am Wilfre and Circi’s daughter, and I need you two to help me.”

~~Lavasteam Quarter~~

   “Alright maties, this be what we’ll do. Indee, you go into this building with a one plastered on it. Jowee, lad, you go into this treacherous cave marked with a two.”
   “And what about you Beard? What are you gonna do?” Jowee and Indee looked at the captain.
   “Aye, I’m gonna stand guard right here. Should this mysterious person try teh get to y’all, I’ll fight to the death!”
   “Ok then. Well boys, I’m off to explore this underground town or whatever. To treasure!” Indee ran into the building and slammed the door behind him. 
   “Be off Jowee! Find the source of this disturbance!”
   “Aye aye, cap’n!” Jowee ran off into the cave and was met by a minecart and a group of Baki staring him down. Jowee screamed before realizing that the Baki weren’t charging at him, as they were staring at the minecart with fear in their eyes. “Woah, buddies. I may not like you guys, but I’m not gonna run you over with this thing.” The Baki chirped in joy and ran over to Jowee, picking him up and jumping. “Hey! Put me down!” 
   Suddenly, the cave shook, and lava began to seep from cracks in the floor. The Baki ran away from the crack, leaving Jowee behind, but as they noticed their new Raposa friend running slower than them, they stopped and turned to face him.
   “A little help?”

~~Wilfre’s Quarter~~

   Ameba, now back in a small orb, rolled through the Wasteland, trying to avoid the gaze of any Raposa from the ship. As it made its way into Wilfre’s Quarter, it caught Drew’s eye, and began to roll faster. Drew followed it, and as the Ameba burst back into its humanoid form, the Hall of Darkness swung open, calling the attention of Mari, Wilfre, and Beard. Drew chased the Ameba into the area, and they disappeared in the light.
   “Wait Drew! We need you-“ The doors swung shut and locked the Raposa out, muting Mari’s call. “-out here…”
   “It’s ok Mrs. Mayor! If any enemies be lurkin’, my sword shall be enough protection! Let me just come over to your quarter and…wait.” As Pirate Beard approached the border between the two terrains, he found himself unable to step food into the shadowy area. “Now, what kind of curse is this?”
   “The barrier, it’s back up. But why? All the orbs are on their pedestals…” Wilfre looked around his former home and laid eyes on the Lavasteam and Galactic Jungle Orbs. “There! The Watersong Orb is missing!”
   “Pouches and Kyren! Where are they?” Mari pushed herself against the invisible barrier as Pirate Beard walked towards the Watersong Quarter.
   “Kyren? Pouches? Where’d you landlubbers get off to?” As the three Raposa eyed the Watersong Quarter, a dark shadow darted to the Lavasteam house, and entered with two unconscious Raposa in tow. Wilfre looked towards the Lavasteam Quarter, unaware of the shadow, but very aware of the rumbling coming from the inside the cave.
   “Uh, Mari? Should we be worried about that?” Mari turned to look towards the quarter as the shaking got more violent. Just then, Kyren and Pouches ran out of the hut, Pouches holding the Orb, and Kyren running to grab Pirate Beard’s peg leg.
   “There the two of you be! What became of the Watersong Orb?”
   “We can explain in a minute, but what’s happening to the volcano?” The three pirates backed up as the rumbling got louder until it suddenly stopped.
   “Are we safe?” Pouches sighed and walked over to the Watersong Altar, when a wave of Grey Baki shot out from the cave, Jowee riding on the top of them.
   “Woo hoo! Yeah baby! This is fun!” The Baki wave rose higher and higher until it crashed on Wilfre’s Quarter, forming a distinct bubble over it. Some of the Baki fell off onto the Watersong Quarter, covering the ground and sizing up the Raposa. Pouches peeked out from behind the Watersong Altar and placed the Orb back on top of it, causing the barrier to disappear, and causing countless Baki, along with Jowee, to fall on top of Mari and Wilfre. “Hey, Mari! We get the bad guy yet?”
   “No, but the bad guy got some of you.” Jowee, Mari, and Wilfre turned towards the voice as Pirate Beard, Pouches, and Kyren joined them in Wilfre’s Quarter. The shadow appeared in the Lavasteam Quarter, Unagi, Crazy Barks, and Indee behind them. “Perhaps some introductions are in order. Wouldn’t you agree Mrs. Mayor?”
   “I would. Why don’t we start with who you are and what you’re doing here.” Mari pushed the rest of the Raposa behind her, and Kyren reached into Pouches’ satchel to grab the Pencil.
   “Well, if you must know, my name is Milfre. I’m the daughter of your former deputy mayor Circi, and your former enemy Wilfre.” Kyren moved behind Wilfre as Pouches kept his eyes on the other Raposa.
   “That’s impossible. Circi said she never had a child, and she died five years ago. You don’t look a day over 20.” Kyren began to trace the seam of Wilfre’s hoodie with the pencil.
   “Well, I’m actually almost 35, but I guess the mask obstructs my face quite a bit.” Kyren slipped the Pencil back into Pouches’ satchel as Milfre took off her mask, dropping her shadowy disguise and revealing the same woman that Pouches and Kyren had seen earlier. “I do appreciate the compliment, however, I’m not here for small talk. I need something from you, and you need something from me,” Milfre said, gesturing to the three Raposa behind her. 
   “What did you do to them?” Mari said, anger spreading onto her face.
   “Oh not much. Trust me, with such powerful allies on your side, I know better than to kill one of your own.” Mari gave a sharp glare to Wilfre out of the corner of her eyes before looking back at Milfre.
   “Alright then. What is it you want?”
   “My mom’s earring. I was told that it was at Wilfre’s home, but it very clearly isn’t here. You will guide me to it, and then I’ll return your crew to you.”
   “And what use do you have for Circi’s earring? All it could do was harness the Shadow, and the Shadow was banished five years ago!” Milfre’s smirk left her face as she stared at the mayor.
   “What? No that can’t be right. I’m proof that the Shadow still lives on. This mask lets me have a Shadow form, just like my father, my mother, and her grandmother before her.”
   “So why do you need the earring then, if your mask can let you transform?” Milfre looked beyond the group at Kyren, and the two nodded at each other. Milfre donned her mask once more, grabbed the Pen from her person, pointed it at Wilfre, and pressed a hidden button on it. A beam of ink fired out from the tip of the pen and landed on Wilfre’s cloak, trancing the marks Kyren made and ripping the seams apart. The pieces of fabric flew off his body, revealing his true form to the group.
   “To bring him back to his former glory!”
   “Wilfre?” Pirate Beard took a step back, dragging Pouches with him. “Kyren! Step back from that beast!” 
   “He’s no beast! He’s my father!”
   “Yer father almost killed us all twice!”
   “He was misunderstood! The world fought against him because he was different!”
   “The world fought against me because I was evil!” Wilfre stepped forward and stared at his daughter. “I did things I never should have and died for it, twice mind you!”
   “Dad, I-“
   “Look, I may not know you as a daughter, but I need to know where you heard about this. Where you got these ideas from.”
   “She got them from me…” Everyone looked up towards the Hall of Darkness where the voice was heard. Stood in front of Wilfre’s statue on the balcony were Circi, Drew, and Ameba. “I told her what a good man you were and explained the other side of the stories people tell.” The three of them hopped off the balcony and Wilfre stepped towards his lover.
   “I’ll let them have their moment, you and I need to have one of our own,” Mari said, walking towards Milfre. “I know where the earring is, but I need you to give my people back first.”
   “Sorry Mrs. Mayor, but I can’t do that. I want to see the earring before I give them back to you. How about we do this instead.” Milfre took Mari to the Watersong Quarter and the two began to negotiate outside the house. “You get back on your ship and go get the earring. Let me see it and I’ll return your citizens. You give me the earring, and I give it to him.”
   “I don’t normally negotiate with our enemies, but I must admit, your family has a certain charm to it. I’ll take Beard and the children back with me and leave everyone else here with you.”
   “Take Beard but leave the kids.” The two of them turned to look at Pouches and Kyren. “They have a nice spark to em, and I wanna watch em play for a bit.”
   “Alright then. We have a deal.” Mari and Milfre walked back to the group and explained their terms. As Mari and Beard left the island together, Milfre stepped back and let Unagi, Barks, and Indee return to their friends.
   “Wait, you don’t have the earring yet, why are you letting them go?” Jowee questioned Milfre as Crazy Barks ran around him.
   “Because you don’t have a ship anymore. Nowhere to run. Which means you all get to watch this.” As the words left Milfre’s mouth, she aimed her pen once more and fired it at Drew, dissolving his color and leaving only a brittle mannequin in its place. As the color flew to her pen, she aimed it at her father once more. “I want to see for myself who you truly are. No legends, no tales from lovers, just me and you.” She fired the color at Wilfre and watched as it swirled around his body, giving him a layer of scribble far more colorful than her own. “I challenge you to a duel, dad. And don’t hold back!”
   Both Wilfre and Milfre began to levitate as he felt the color return his former powers to him. He lifted up his hand and a whip of color shot out of his palm. He aimed at his daughter and whipped, which Milfre blocked with a shadow whip of her own.
   “That’s what I’m talking about!” Milfre disappeared into a puff of smoke as Wilfre began to charge another whip. He turned around, expecting her to appear behind him, but felt a kick to his back and fell to the ground. Milfre descended to him, terrified that she had just killed her father. 
   “Oh my creator, dad, are you ok?” Wilfre’s eyes opened and a smirk came across his face as he shot a beam of color at his daughter, sending her across the island and into the Watersong Quarter. As the fight raged on, Jowee and Circi guided the Raposa into the Hall and opened the windows to watch. Noticing the Raposa, Milfre shot shadowy tendrils at the three village orbs, knocking them off their altars, and raising the barrier. Wilfre once again shot a beam of color at her, knocking her back into the hut. 
   The two flew through the bay, with Wilfre collecting bits of color as he went, making his aura stronger. Milfre appeared out the other side of the shack and began to shoot shadow at some of the Baki still wandering around the area. The new Shadow Baki watched as Wilfre emerged from the hut and they dove to attack him. Wilfre negated their shadow with his color, but as more Baki gained control of their shadow, they began to sprout arms and block Wilfre’s beams. 
   “You can’t deal with every problem the same way dad! Vary up your attacks, don’t fall into a pattern.”
   “Patterns are in my DNA! You can’t fight me without expecting a pattern or two!” Wilfre looked at the Mannequin, nodding. The Mannequin nodded back, and Wilfre felt a surge of power as he summoned a Trident. He fired it at a Baki, dispatching it, and continued to do so for the rest of the Shadow Baki.
   “What are you doing? How are you using those?”
   “Don’t you know that only the Hero can use creations? Well, with the Hero’s color, I can too!” Wilfre dropped his trident in exchange for a pair of Claws and swung at his daughter. Milfre retaliated by summoning the Eternal Furnace and throwing a branch inside of it. The fire shot out from the furnace’s grill, and Milfre used the newly formed Creation Ink to draw her own creations. Around her pen she drew a longsword, and around her pencil, she draw a shield. With each swipe from her father, her shield became more and more damaged. 
   Wilfre once again changed his pattern by switching his Claws for the Lavasteam Cave Monster. The beast reared its head towards the Lavasteam Quarter and began to move towards it. Wilfre, now defenseless, flew away from his daughter and went into the Galactic Jungle building marked with a one. He grabbed a Space Chomper and a Firefly Jar, using the former as a lasso and sticking the latter in his pocket. Milfre burst into the building, throwing her sword at her father. Despite missing its target, her sword penetrated the Chomper’s head, killing it and leaving Wilfre once again defenseless. Milfre flew towards her dad and pinned him against the wall with her shield.
   “You know, I didn’t believe you at first, but after seeing you fight, I’m starting to think that you really are my daughter.”
   “Aw, thanks dad! That means a lot coming from you.” While they spoke, Wilfre had reached into his pocket and grabbed the jar. He threw it at the wall adjacent to him, releasing a group of Fireflies. They flew towards the two Raposa, injuring them both heavily, but not enough for either of them to stand down. Suddenly, they heard a loud roar from outside the building. The two flew out and watched as the Cave Monster rose out from the volcano, now covered in lava and spewing fire at Milfre. She flew closer to it, shooting shadow beams, but none of her efforts worked. As Wilfre appeared from the building, he watched as his daughter was slapped across the island by the monster. While she flew through the air, Wilfre began to shoot beams of color at the monster to no effect.
   The Cave Monster roared once more and the Raposa watched as the Lavasteam Orb was drawn from the ground into the Monster itself, giving it more power. As Wilfre flew to the Galactic Jungle Quarter to check on his daughter, the Galactic Jungle Orb flew by him and into the monster. Wilfre knelt down by his daughter and took of her mask, clearing her of her Shadow.
   “You fight pretty well kid. Did your mom teach you all that?” Milfre coughed and laughed as the Cave Monster roared from absorbing the Orb.
   “No, actually. You did.” Milfre pointed towards the Hall of Darkness at a figure standing on the balcony. Looking down at the scene was a young RapoGirl with silver fur wearing a blue pair of pajamas. When Wilfre turned back to the Milfre he was fighting, his gaze was caught by the Watersong Orb, now floating towards the Monster.
   “I’ll be right back.” Wilfre laid his daughter on the ground and flew to grab the Orb. When it was in his hands, Wilfre made his way through the Watersong Quarter and its houses once more, collecting all the color droplets for himself and all the water droplets for the orb. After all the water had been drained from the area, Milfre called out to her father.
   “It won’t be enough to put it out! The Monster grew too big!” Wilfre panicked, and the Mannequin looked up to the sky and closed its eyes. Wilfre decided to feed his color into the Watersong Orb, creating a violent shine of light in his hands, and doubling the size of the ball. A Creation Easel suddenly appeared by the Mannequin, and Wilfre took aim at the Monster. The Mannequin took one last look at the Cave Monster and cleared the canvas, leaving only a speck behind. As Wilfre threw the Orb, light began to emit from the easel, flowing towards the Monster. When the light and steam cleared, the Raposa looked at the small speck of a beast the Monster had become. Using the last amount of color surrounding him, Wilfre absorbed the Cave Monster and put the fight to an end.
   Milfre, already having replaced the Galactic Jungle Orb, walked over to Wilfre and scooped up a pool of lava and a pool of water, turning each of them into village orbs. The two of them returned the orbs to their place, and the barrier surrounding Wilfre’s Quarter fell. The Raposa stood in shock at the fight they had just watched and came to greet the combatants. The Mannequin pulled Wilfre aside and nodded at the Raposa. Before Wilfre could get out a question, the Mannequin exploded into a ray of light, ascending to the sky above.
   “I knew ye were up to no good!” Pirate Beard burst through the crowd to Wilfre, his sword at Wilfre’s neck. “We left yeh alone for a good thirty minutes, and not only do we see the two of you flyin’ around the island on our way back, you go and kill Drew while yer at it!”
   “Actually Pirate Beard, Drew isn’t dead. That beam of light means that our problems have been solved, and that a Hero is no longer needed.” Mari approached Milfre, brandishing a red, ruby earring. “I have your earring, now give me my people.” Milfre gestured towards the crowd, allowing Mari to see that the three captives had already been released. “Ah, well in that case, here you go!” Mari tossed the earring to Milfre, who caught it and immediately tossed it to her parents.
   “Now that I know what you can do, use this thing for good, ok?”
   “No promises,” Circi said as she and her lover laughed. The rest of the Raposa watched with suspicion on their faces. “Oh, come on, do none of you have a sense of humor?” 
   “Schlooorp-orp-orp-orp!” Ameba began to move his body in a way that could only be interpreted as laughter, causing the rest of the Raposa to burst out in undeniable laughter. As the Raposa said their goodbyes to Milfre’s family, Wilfre began to put Circi’s earring back onto his lover when she stopped him.
   “This wasn’t for me. Our daughter got this back for you to have.”
   “Snookums, this is your earring. I’ve had more time with the Shadow and the Color than a Rapo ever needs in their three lives.” 
   “Shadow, yes. But color? Honey, this is a new avenue for everyone. No one has ever experienced color the way you have except for the Hero themself.” Wilfre looked down at the earring, and with a sigh, affixed it to his ear.
   “Well, how do I look?” Wilfre turned towards his lover, daughter, and Ameba, showing off his earring all the while.
   “You look great dad, but I need to be heading back to my time, and you need to be heading back to your mission.”
   “Your, time?”
   “Have you not figured it out yet? That’s me as a toddler up there. I know that we get more time together, and you and mom get to rekindle your love. Right now though, you have a job. You’re gonna need to be able to handle the color well, or else you might not save the world.” Wilfre looked at his family once more before turning towards The Bane of Kings.
   “Hey Stevie! You comin’ back home or not?” Indee stood at the edge of the ship, waiting for Wilfre’s response.
   “On my way, momma’s boy!” Wilfre gave his wife and both daughters a kiss before walking towards the pier.
   “Schlooorrrrpppp…..” Wilfre turned around to see Ameba sulking with the rest of his family.
   “Oh come here you lovable…thing…you!” Ameba ran to Wilfre and transformed back into a ball. As the Raposa sailed off back to Rapoville, Circi walked up to her daughter from the future.
   “Milfre, I…thank you for coming here. I know you didn’t do it for me, but I know I don’t have much time left. I’m happy I could see you all grown up.”
   “Well, you might have a bit longer than you think mom. I love you, and if I can make time, I’ll see you again soon.” Circi and Milfre hugged as Milfre from the present jumped off the balcony and ran to her future self. She wrapped her arms around her own legs and told her double to never leave. “She’s gonna let go in about 15 seconds or so. Don’t worry about it.” Future Milfre leaned over and whispered into her younger’s ears, “Mom keeps them on the roof of the shed.” The Milfres looked up at the Hall to see a tree branch poking from the roof, along with the slight glow of a furnace.
   “I love you mom. I’ll be home in about 30 years!” Milfre stepped into her machine and disappeared. Circi looked around at her now lonely island.
   “Well, sweetie…let’s go inside and eat some dinner. I want to tell you some stories about your father.” 

~~30 years later~~

   “Is it done?”
   “Yes, he has the earring and the color. The world should be saved unless you have anything to say about it, Mayor.”
   “Oh I do. I have a personal vendetta against your father, but unlike everyone else, I plan to do something about it. Now that we know where the earring is for sure, I may want to give color powers a test spin.”
   “I won’t let you get away with that!” Milfre yelled, donning the Crystal Mask.
   “Ah ah ah. You already have!” Milfre watched as the Mayor pulled back their hair to reveal a red, ruby earring which began to glow. The Mayor’s eyes became a rainbow of colors as their body was engulfed in liquid color. “Now, dear, tell me where your father is, and no one gets hurt.”
   “Never! I swear on my life,” Milfre declared as she donned her Pen Sword and Pencil Shield. “I am going to kill you if it’s the last thing I do, Salem Rose.”

Characters

(In order of appearance)

• Milfre
• Mari
• Ranger Marxx (Mentioned)
• Jowee
• Pirate Beard
• Crazy Barks
• Mike (Mentioned)
• Wilfre
• Aldark (Mentioned)
• Click (Mentioned)
• Pouches
• Cindi (Mentioned)
• Isaac (Mentioned)
• Hero
• Creator
• Unagi
• Indee
• Kyren
• Steven (Mentioned)
• Molemite (Mentioned)
• Baki Miner (Mentioned)
• Ameba
• Manic Baki (Mentioned)
• Flea (Mentioned)
• Starfish (Mentioned)
• Angry Sun
• Percate (Mentioned)
• Grey Baki
• Circi
• Cave Monster
• Space Chomper
• Firefly
• Salem Rose

Trivia

• This is the first appearance of Milfre and Salem Rose.

Media

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