~CRYSTAL P.O.V
The two of us ran as fast as we could through the village, heading back toward the center to find out friends so we could tell them the news.
We turned a corner and saw Petra, Lukas, Ivor, and Harper just in front of the steps to the food lodge. The bearded wizard himself noticed us first. "Jesse! Crystal! You're both okay!" he yelled.
Jesse and I stopped a few feet away from them to catch our breaths. "What happened up there?" Petra questioned, concern in her tone.
"Have you seen what Ivor's wearing?" Lukas asked, letting out a small laugh as the four stepped closer to us.
Ivor glared at him. "I said shut UP," he hissed, causing Lukas to laugh even more.
Once we caught our breathes, We looked up at them in worry. "Hadrian and Racheal have Axel and Olivia," Jesse informed them.
"And Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," I added.
"What?!" Petra, Lukas, and Ivor exclaimed in shock.
"They used the Atlas to snatch Axel and Olivia from our world and both Princesses from Equestria," Jesse explained.
"No..." Lukas muttered in shock.
"Are they.... Okay?" Petra hesitantly spoke up.
"Other than them having the four trapped in obsidion prisons," I stated with a roll of my eyes.
"But they offered us a deal each, Hadrian with me and Racheal with C - he said he'll send you all home... If I lose and go to the mines in your place," Jesse informed his deal, to which the others looked fearful and shocked.
"And mine was that you all would have you're memories permanently If I lose, and have mine erased of you all instead," I continued.
After they stared at us for a few moments in silence, Jesse rubbed the back of his neck while saying. "I didn't take the deal,"
They relaxed slightly. "Oh..." Harper muttered.
"I guess that was probably the right move..." Petra rubbed her chin in thought.
"'Probably?'" Lukas exclaimed with a scoff just as Petra started to pace around the two of us. "What, you thought that deal sounded GOOD?"
"I don't know, it's a complex situation!" Petra argued.
"I don't trust Hadrian. No way was I going to take any shady deal from him," Jesse huffed.
"You're right... You're probably right," Harper agreed.
Ivor looked over to me. "Did you take your deal, Crystal?"
I glanced away from them, causing the four to become even more worried. "You didn't take it, right?" Petra asked.
"Chrissy..." Lukas trailed off, walking over to grab one of my hands. "Please tell me... Tell us, that you didn't take it,"
"I... I did," I smiled nervously, causing them to gasp.
"Oh dear..." Harper muttered.
"You're an idiot, you know that, right Crystal?" Ivor stated.
"Don't worry, I'm aware," I replied.
Lukas slapped my arm, hard, with a pained expression. "Why... Would you do that?"
"If there's even a chance where your memories are safe, then I'll take it. But I know for a fact that Racheal will try to manipulate tis new deal to her advantage. My hitman fingers were tingling the time she was in the room," I explained, taking his other hand.
"Doesn't that mean you don't take the deal!" Ivor huffed.
"It was sweet of you to think of us, but was stupid," Petra replied.
"Jesse was smart,"
We all looked back to see Em walking toward us. "Hadrian never would've kept that deal. Even if you DID volunteer to throw the game, he'd just send you all to the mines anyway," she pointed out while she leaned against the side of a building.
"... Probably while claiming 'that was the original deal,'" Harper agreed.
"And Racheal's probably gonna do the same thing, but worse," Lukas stated.
"Yeah. She'd go through any means possible to get Crystal to go with her," Jesse agreed.
"So, who's supposed to help us then? Hadrian, Racheal, and Mevia are clearly the worst," Perta voiced.
A thought crossed my mind, which caused me to think of someone. "But... What about the other guy? What was his name...?" I muttered.
"Otto? How could HE help?" Harper asked as Jesse and I walked past her, causing the others to follow us. "He's always stayed out of the more... Lever-pulling sides of the games,"
I turned back to them as we stopped by Tim's monument. "He seems like a big fan of the rules. Maybe we can use that to our advantage," I explained.
"Ha, he loves the rules, that's for sure. Always plays by 'em," Harper agreed. "If you two won, I know he would definitely make sure you got that Atlas. AND made sure you kept your memories of everyone, Crystal. And we'd keep our memories of you. Those WERE the original deals. And he's an honourable man,"
Jesse took a step forward. "Harper, Hadrian and Racheal still had our friends and the princesses trapped in those obsidian prisons. We can win the Atlas, but we're gonna need you to get them out,"
"I can handle it," Harper replied, taking out her diamond pickaxe.
"Good. There are four of them. They're in Hadrian's office. But Celestia and Luna's cell had got enchantments on it," I informed.
"Wait, wait, wait," Em spoke up, walking over to us. "You really think you can free everyone in this place AND win the games?"
"Yeah?" Jesse questioned, crossing his arms.
"Good luck with that last part. Do you really think you two can just BEAT all the other teams in just a duo?" Em questioned as we noticed the other teams nearby whispering about us.
"That IS a pretty tall order... Even for you two," Harper admitted.
"It's impossible, is what it is," Em corrected.
"The Old Builders and Racheal expect us all to fight each other - We don't intend to give them the satisfaction," I stated.
"You're, what, gonna convince everyone to work together?" Em asked as she crossed her arms.
"Oh yeah," Jesse replied, causing Em to roll her eyes.
Just then, the other team members or competitors started surrounding us. "Whoa. Looks like we've got a little bit of an audience here," Lukas spoke up.
Jesse and I backed up a little, looking at all the faces who were looking and whispering at us. Petra stepped closer to us. "I think that's your cue to do your thing," she told the two of us.
Taking a deep breath each, we looked around at the crowd. "Tomorrow we have to stand up to the Old Builders... Together," Jesse spoke up.
"Um... Actually, I think you mean the Gladiators... They're the ones that keep kicking our butts in the games," one member of the yellow team stated.
"Well... The Gladiators work for the Old Builders, and they never want us to be able to win. Hadrian, and Racheal to a certain extent, keep twisting and changing the rules. I say it's our time to change the rules on them," I joined in.
"What's the point? Hadrian will still have all the power," Em replied, walking over to the dormitory where Nell was standing. "There's no way they're gonna let us just take that from them. He'll just make up some new rule,"
"Hadrian's not fully in control. Neither is Racheal. Winning is possible, Em," I stated as Jesse and I walked onto the monument. "Don't you want to win?"
"I do. More than anything... But... Nobody beats Hadrian and Racheal at their own games. Nobody,"
The yellow team member slid into the middle of the crowd. "Hey. Tim did!" she pointed to the sign of Tim behind Jesse and I, causing everyone to start talking. "That's the only thing keeping me going in here,"
"Oh yeah. 'Cause if it were not for Tim... I probably would've given up a long time ago," someone agreed.
"We have to tell them..." I whispered to my brother, who nodded in agreement.
"Actually... Tim's not real," Jesse informed the crowd, causing everyone to gasp.
"That's... No way. Of course Tim's real. Look at the banners," the yellow teammate shouted.
"Are you sure?" someone from the purple team asked.
"Yeah. Hadrian and Racheal told us," Jesse added, causing the crowd to gasp again, whispering among one another.
Lukas stepped forward. "I knew it! All of that stuff about them seemed so implausible,"
"So... Wait. Tim's made up?" Em questioned, a glare coming to her face. "They just... Invented him?"
"What a highly elaborate fabrication..." Ivor commented.
Jesse and I got higher onto the monument, standing in front of Tim's banner. "Of course, he is - It's all a part of how the Olde Builders keep their control over everyone," I spoke up.
"That's awful..." the yellow teammate muttered.
"Seriously..." Em grumbled.
"But we can beat them!" I added.
"The Older Builders already controlled everything else - Of COURSE they control the games. Why should I even try anymore," Em shouted, causing Jesse to start pacing with a thoughtful look. "Sitting in their stupid tower... Pulling all the levers,"
"Hey, but the Old Builders don't know that we know. We have surprise on our side," Jesse informed.
"Suprise. Awesome. That'll be a TON of help when a Gladiator's running at me with an enchanted sword," Em snapped back.
"Yeah! I mean like your plan to take down the Old Builders sounds cool and all but um... Those Gladiators are, like, super tough," Nell spoke up. "Like, max-level scariness, okay? Boo! Oh no, I mean totally OP,"
"It's true. Any one of those gladiators could probably beat any of us to a pulp one on one," I agreed with a nod.
Lukas coughed slightly. "Crystal, where are you two going with this?"
"But there's no way they'd be able to do that if we all tried to fight them at once!" I added.
"Oh, I get it now," Ivor smirked.
"If we work together... As a team!" Jesse finished.
"Okay, now just bring it home, guys," Petra encouraged in a whisper.
"You can do it," Ivor added.
"Doing awesome," Lukas smiled.
"Those Old Builders think they're the greatest since chiseled quartz, but we will show them that That. Is. Not. True," Jesse stated.
"Right now, Hadrian and Racheal are up in that tower, plotting how they're going to beat us all, but what they don't know is that their plans are doomed from the start... Because they are going DOWN!" I finished.
Half of the crowd clapped and a couple cheered. Soon, the crowd started to separate. "My whole worldview has been turned upside down..." someone commented as they walked away.
Nell sent us a wink as she walked off. Rubbing the back of our necks, we stepped off the stage toward our friends. "Look, it was a nice speech... But strength doesn't come from speeches," Em stated as she walked over to us. "Actions speak louder than words. Can't expect to just talk your way through this, Crystal, Jesse,"
"Em, our strength comes from our friends. We're always there for each other," I told her.
Em looked back at the others, seeing Ivor cross his arms. "It's true. They never gave up on me... And I used to be a bad guy," Ivor agreed.
She looked down for a moment. "Maybe..." she muttered, turning to walk away.
Lukas stepped closer to us. "Man. Some crowd. Think that got through to them?"
"Wait. So who are we fighting then?" a yellow team member questioned as she walked past us.
This caused Jesse and I to face-palm. "Reaction definitely seemed... Mixed," Lukas commented.
"Yeah, no kidding," Petra agreed.
"Uh, yeah totally. I mean, you did hear it... Right?" Jesse asked.
"Loud and clear. It just might not have been enough..." Petra admitted.
"Well, I guess we'll find out for sure in the morning," Ivor patted Jesse's shoulder.
"Speaking of which... There's something I need to tell you all... Something that I've been meaning to you all," I told them.
"Is it... What I think it is...?" Jesse hesitantly asked, to which I nodded in response.
"Yes, but let's not speak about this here..." I said, walking toward the dorms.
"My room?" Lukas offered.
"Yeah..."
~~~~~~
Taking a deep breath, I looked around the others in Lukas' room, who were all sitting in different sections around the room. "Is this an intervention?" Ivor joked, causing Petra to nudge him.
"You... Gonna explain what you're hiding?" Lukas asked.
"Yeah... It's just hard to figure out how to start this..." I took a deep breath before I started my tale. "Growing up... I was always pressured to be the best of the best. My... Sisters, were some of the best people out there. We always grew up close, I even had my best friend Spyro by my side... One day, I was studying in my room when the Headmaster of the Dimensional Academy appeared in my room and informed me that I was qualified to be a Dimensional Universe guardian, someone who is assigned a dimensional universe to protect the dimensions inside. It took years and years of training, but I finally got to my final test, where I would be selected for a dimension that didn't have a guardian at that point in time and save the world from a huge threat... Which happened to be the Wither Storm. I was supposed to go back to the Academy over a year ago... But I couldn't... I got to know you all and I didn't wanna leave... I haven't felt at home anywhere in a long time since I left Equestria and..." I cut myself off there, burying my head in my hands.
"Wait, wait. Hold on, Racheal was right?! About you having to leave," Ivor muttered in disbelief.
"But we've known you for years, how could you-?"
"Placeholder memories," Jesse answered, placing a hand on my shoulder. "When Crystal arrived, they magically placed them in our brains. And yes, I knew,"
"You knew?!" Ivor exclaimed.
"Yeah, they told me about it when C arrived. We may not really be siblings, but even without those memories or not, I think of her as my sister," Jesse explained.
"Why... Why didn't you say anything before?" Lukas finally spoke up.
"Because I was scared. How on earth was I going to explain this? Just say 'Hey guys, I'm sisters with Celestia and Luna, have magic, wings, and I'm going to be a guardian of a dimensional universe and as I soon as I leave, you'll forget about me. And I'm so much older than all of you!' How would you all take it?"
"Wait, how old are you?" Harper asked.
"That's what you're concerned about?' Jesse questioned.
"Well, with my body here and in my true form, I'm 21. But for actual age... I'm 1,021 years old," I answered with a shrug.
"Oh, wow. You... That's a lot," Petra commented.
Lukas looked thoughtful for a few moments before he took a deep breath. "Okay..."
I looked at him in confusion. "'Okay?' What do you mean okay? I lied to you all for years!... Except for Ivor and Harper, the former I've known for a year and the latter a few days. Why aren't you upset?"
"Because we know you!" Lukas answered. "I'm only upset you didn't tell us sooner. Sure, some of our memories are placed in us. But we've grown to know you for who you are. Who cares if you're from another dimension or what not. You're Crystal, our friend, Jesse's sister. No magic, deals, memories, age, or wings will change that that. You've proved to us that you care about us more than means to an end,"
"Lukas... It's much more complicated than just being nice," I trailed off.
He got up, grabbing my hands. "You've saved our lives multiple times. Racheal is wrong, you do belong here. Beacon Town is your home. Home isn't where you're from, it's what you make it," Lukas stated.
I glanced around the room, spotting Petra, Ivor, Harper, and Jesse all with supportive gazes. "I... I don't know what to say. I... Kinda thought you'd treat me... Like I betrayed you or something,"
"Oh, trust us. We're surprised, a bit angry even," Ivor stated.
"About the fact that... You know, you kept this secret for so long," Petra added.
"Communication is key. Now, I say we retire for the night. Jesse and Crystal have got a huge day tomorrow," Harper spoke, getting up and heading out of the room.
Petra, Ivor, and Jesse head out a few moments later. Lukas and I sat in silence, wondering who was going to speak first. "Well, I better get back to my room. I need all the rest I can get," I said, getting up and heading over to the door.
"Crystal..." Lukas spoke up, causing me to pause and look back at him. "Is... Is this why you wanted to wait until we got home to tell me about your feelings?"
I looked guilty at the ground. "Yeah... I'm sorry,"
Lukas stepped toward me, placing both hands on my cheeks. "Hey, hey, don't worry. We'll figure this out, I promise,"
Then he leaned in and did something unexpected... He kissed me.
~~~
Sorry for ending it here, BUT THEY KISSED!
We finally made it, people!
I know it's on the short side, sorry about that.
(Also, finally nailed down that there are two more chapters, so this book will be over by the end of April)
I really don't have much to say about this one, the next chapter will be up between 6th-13th, late update again because I have rehearsal for a musical I'm in the weekend I normally update, along with I'm going to a Convention.
Anyway, keep dancing in the moonlight and keep making the UwU, bye!