Light in the Universe: Part II (COMPLETE)

Chapter XLVIII: Michael vs. Michael

(Special thanks from Craftfury)

Both Michaels were in a standoff while Robert, Steven, and Lars ran with the off-colors to escape.

"At least they got one thing right: They both never shut up!" Robert puffed as he ran with the Off-colors.

"Those.... Diamonds.... are.... relentless," Fluorite said.

"You don't say," Lars puffed.

"Guys? I see light up ahead," Steven said, pointing to a tunnel with a faint amount of light coming through.

"Okay, guys. Into that tunnel," said Robert as he led everyone into the tunnel.

(Meanwhile...)

"Your insults will only make your execution more painful," Blue Michael said.

"Cut the crap, puppet!" Michael yelled.

Blue Michael scoffed and charged a beam. "I'm gonna enjoy this!"

"Likewise!" Michael said as he cycled through his weapons before realizing he should use something not even he would expect. Blue Michael fired a beam, and for the first time ever, Michael threw an ice shield in front of him.

"You never cease t-"

That was all Blue Michael could get out before being hit with an applewood fist. "Geez, do you ever shut up?" Michael asked, approaching his doppelganger.

Blue Michael swung and clocked Michael in the face. The strength sent Michael flying into a wall. Michael tried firing more shots at the clone when he got up, but all of them missed, Blue Michael fired more beams at Michael. Having his Buster attacks on cooldown, Michael tried climbing up the wall using his Hookshot. His goal was to climb over the wall and escape with the rest of the crew, but Blue Michael had more tricks up his sleeve, as he had a Rocket Belt, which he used to fly up to Michael to cut the chain with Blue Michael's own version of the Nightstrider, the scythe Michael uses.

With the wind of the fall fully cooling down his buster, he fired a large blast at the ground, propelling him upwards to Blue Michael. Michael equipped Nightstrider and cut off the wings of Blue Michael's rocket belt, causing him to fall as well. Michael landed in front of Blue Michael, who looked at the exit. As he did, the blue lights that were on his face began to blink in a random pattern, leaving Michael confused before three robotic eyes like the ones that he saw earlier. They flew past Michael and through the hole his friends ran through.

"So what's it gonna be? Your friends or your own worthless life?" Blue Michael chucked. He thought he had won. Michael smirked.

"Not only do you underestimate my brother AND Steven, but you also underestimate ME!" Michael growled, putting his foot on his chest.

"I know at least one of your party shall die!" Blue Michael coughed. "And should you live, I still-"

That was all he could get out before Michael blown his head open with a point-blank shot to the forehead. Michael had no time to celebrate, as the scanners were still after Steven and the Off-colors.

Michael sprouted leaf wings from his back and flew back to the group. He already saw what was going down, but it was too late for Michael to do anything, as the Scanner already exploded on Lars.

"LARS!" Steven, Michael, and Robert exclaimed in unison. They rushed to Lars' aid, but it seemed too late. Robert tried healing him with his hands but to no avail. Michael didn't have healing powers, but he still tried checking his pulse, Lars was gone for good.

"L-Lars...No..." Steven sobbed. He held Lars and cried. Tears streamed down his face. Robert cried as well, but Michael did his best to hold back his tears. Lars was one of Robert's first co-workers when he worked at the Big Donut before going on to work at Funland before he quit. Lars helped him work more efficiently. Lars was Michael's role model. Everything he learned about beach city and its inhabitants, he learned from Lars. Lars was their only human friend...and he was gone...

...Or so he thought.

"Hey, does Lars seem...pink to you?" Michael asked. Steven finally opened his eyes, and Lars began to stir.

"S-Steven? Wh-What happened? Why am I...pink?" Lars groaned.

Robert and Steven nearly tackled him in a hug. "Lars! We thought you were dead!" Robert cried.

"I brought you back! I thought I couldn't...but I did, and I don't regret it one bit!" Steven cried.

Michael was trying his hardest to hold back a grin. "Uh, Michael? Are you okay?" The Rutile twins asked.

"The feels...They'll never get to me!" He wheezed. "You'll never melt my icy heart!"

Steven noticed Lars' skin was the same pink as Lion's fur and mane, and he reached in his hair. "What are you doing?" Lars asked right before Steven's hand went through it just like Lion's. Steven retracted his hand and asked Lars to bend his head so he could get in. Steven didn't come back for about five minutes.

"Did you...absorb Steven?" Michael laughed. Steven came out with some food and gave it to Robert, Michael, and Lars. Lars turned him down.

"I'm...not hungry," he said.

"Well...How do you feel?" Robert asked.

"I feel...normal...Not hungry...Not tired...Not good...not bad...Y'know?" Lars said.

Robert nodded.

"Does this mean we can go home?" Lars asked.

After trying, and failing, to send Lars through the portal in his head, they had to find a new solution.

"You know what, you go, I'll stay here," Lars said. "All of you, You go see what Earth is like. There's no robots flying around, just seagulls that fly in front of the sunset and it's great. Just go!"

"We're...not...leaving...without...you...You'll...need...us...to...get...out...of...here...We...have...been...hiding...in...these...tunnels...for...eons" Fluorite said.

Lars looked disappointed. "Fine, but you three gotta go back." he said, pointing at Robert, Steven, and Michael.

"Won't you need a weapon?" Michael asked. "You can use Nightstrider if you want" He tried to hand Lars the scythe, but he turned him down

"I'm fine, I can snag one when we get a ship." Lars said.

"Suit yourself" Michael said. "See y'all on Earth!" And he jumped in Lars' hair, Robert and Steven followed suit

To be continued...