Tango slowly crept up to the scythe, it's blade glistening a beautiful red. He picked it up, glaring at it, and summoned his Brave axe, dispelling it into his inventory and slotted the Blood Moon scythe as his new weapon. 

"Tango..." I was still reeling from my uncharacteristic emotions. "Are you sure, after what she-?" 

"I'm sure." Tango clenched his fists together, and released them quickly. "It's got better attack and can help me with my fire magic, so it's a good thing I have it, right?" 

"If that's what you want, alright." I helped Soleil up. I quickly changed the subject. "We gotta get back on track at sealing the Fountain, anyway." 

Neither of my companions said a word, but followed after me, anyway. 

As the silence continued, my anxiety spiked. I couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty. If it wasn't for my insistence at confronting the Witch, Tango wouldn't have needed to go through that. None of us would've needed to suffer through any of that. 

As much fun as this adventure had been, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to get home as soon as possible. 

"Enough, Worms...!" I hissed put a groan. Not him, not now... 

Joey once again stepped out of a beam of harsh light. "Thou may have CHEATETHED through mine PUZZLES but... In COMBAT, thou shalt be scattered about! Come, knaves...! Prepareth for battle with...!" He beamed a light down, and a very familiar sight greeted us. "Whatever this is!!!" 

"This guy again?!" I couldn't stop my indignant comment. 

"But it's crown looks different!" Tango gave them a strange look. It looked the same, what were they on about? 

Joey made a performance about how he created the crown in order to control any, ehem, 'disc-shaped Lifeform'. 

"Oh no! The poor thing is in pain!!" 

"IT LOOKS THE SAME!!" Tango voiced my unheard thoughts. 

Okay... here we go again. 

* Here it comes, again. 

Tango cupped his hand close to his mouth. "So, I got a plan, you guys good with that?" 

"Great! What's your idea?" The Dark Prinxe asked innocently. Tango grabbed the young tween, lifting them over his shoulder. Okay, that got my attention. 

"Diamond! We gotta get that crown off its head! Help me throw them at it!" I scrambled to stand with him. "R-Right!" 

We threw the Prinxe with all our strength, the tween landing on K. Round's sloped top, right by the crown. 

"OK! Now, Soleil! Get it off!" Soleil took a second, then grabbed at the crown, twisting it off with a bit of effort. 

The crown popped off, K. Round once again shrinking and rolling away. Soleil glared at the strange crown, pushing it deep into their inventory. 

Joey stared at us, face a forced neutrality. Then, like he was being held at gunpoint, he gave us a strained smile. "Why, brilliant! Just BRILLIANT!! I, uh- knew you couldst do it! Thou great heroes, thou!" 

Tango hissed. "Cut the crap." He summoned his new toy, the red blade threatening in the dim light. 

Joey gave him a nervous laugh, stepping away slowly. "Thou see-eth, that was merely... A friendly TEST of thine abilities! But thou hast won, and now, NOTHING blocks thine path! I- personally– could not be LESS of an obstruction!" 

"Wait- you're not-!" 

"Toodle-oo!" 

My amusement at the dramatic man's discomfort clung to me, and I smiled smugly. "Whew! He's gone!" 

It never crossed my mind before, since I was so caught up in the 'Hero' talk and then worry about dealing with the Witch. Now that at least one of those issues were resolved, I had time to reflect on how far we've come. 

Soon, our adventure in this world will be over. I said before that all I wanted was to get home, so why did I feel so empty thinking about leaving? 

[FILE SAVED - Card Castle, Throne]

I distantly wondered if this was the last save point I would interact with in this world. 

A knot rose in my throat. I didn't want to say goodbye to Soleil, I didn't want to say goodbye to Joel, or any of the other people who lived here. 

I may not have met them properly, but I'd miss them. 

"Diamond...?" Soleil placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You alright? You've been staring at nothing for a while now..." 

I had? I shook my head, and smiled. "I'm fine! Just... nervous about facing the King..." 

Tango scoffed good-naturedly. "Like I said before, we can stand up to him, and talk him down. I'm sure of it!" 

"Yeah, let's get going." 

—

A familiar young spade Darkner was the first thing we saw as we got to the roof. 

"Hey, there's Joel...!"

The boy ran up to his father, tugging excitedly at his cloak. "Father!" 

The ominous King turned to his son, breaking his staring at the Fountain. "Joel, my son. Have you dispatched the Lightners, as I commanded?" 

Joel shrank in on himself. "N-No... but..." He gave a wide smile. "I-I did even better! It turns out we don't actually have to fight them! They said they could just talk to you, and-!" 

The King snarled, body snapping around to his son. "They're ALIVE?!" He growled out. 

"Yes!" Joel bounced enthusiastically, vibrating with excitement. "I think you'll like them a whole lot! There's Tango, he's bright gold and strong and-" 

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW!?" The King didn't share his son's happiness.

Joel flinched, glancing behind himself, straight at us. "Ummm..." 

"Sup." Tango put a hand on his hip. 

"It's nice to meet you, Mister King!" Soleil brightly greeted him. 

The King wasn't amused. "Joel... Joel, my son." Joel made a tiny sound in confirmation. The King knelt to his son's level. "Do you remember what I told you?" 

"D-Don't... get too attached...?" Joel quietly recited. The King put a hand on his shoulder, the young spade Darkner halted. 

"You have failed," The King's voice was ice-cold, no emotion even towards his own child. "They have poisoned you with their sentimentality. Free yourself, son. They care not for you." 

"That's not true, Joel! You know that!" The King's entire demeanor shifted, white-hot anger crashing forward. 

"SILENCE, LIGHTNER!!" He roared. Joel took a step away from him, towards us. "D-Dad, they're not bad–!" 

"They're only goal is to destroy our Fountain!" He jabbed a threatening finger at his son. "They. Are. Scum!" 

Joel trembled in place, a mix of rage and terror warring on his face. "N-No! No they AREN'T–!!" 

The King lunged at his son, fingers digging into his shoulder. He lifted the boy, letting him squirm. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" 

Tango bristled dangerously, flames licking his scythe. "Let him go...!" 

"Ehehahaha..." The King took a step back, his grip tightening. A rush of cold swept through me when I realized where he was going. "You want me to LET HIM GO?!" 

A cruel smile lit up. "Then how about this...?" The King stretched his arm out, dangling Joel over the edge. Joel squeaked, clutching at his father's arm. "I'll drop him off the edge and let him splatter... Unless you all KNEEL and learn your place!" 

"What will it be... Lightners...?" Panic bubbled deep within me. Surely not, surely he wouldn't do it... right? The meer thought of him actually doing it froze me to the spot. 

Tango stepped back, his ears pinned. "J-Joel..." 

Joel tried to be brave. "D-Don't listen to him, Tango! He'll-! He'll–!" 

I couldn't let him get hurt. I sheathed my blade, lowering my head. From the corner of my eye, Tango and Soleil did as well. 

"Now WATCH, Joel..." The King snapped his free hand, arrows of spades floating in front of us. I couldn't stop the terror that plagued me. "SEE what happens when you befriend Lightners!" 

Everything would be fine, right? If we died, then we could go back to the last save point, and figure something else out. 

It just sucked Joel would need to see this, first. 

Confusion snapped through me when the King yelled in pain, the projectiles flickering out. "Wh-What the?!" 

Joel streaked past me, dashing towards the door to the rest of the castle. "YOU... YOU TRAITOR!! GET BACK HERE!!!" 

"Alright... enough already." Tango exhaled a plume of embers. We all readied our weapons. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"To my people? I am a hero." He swung his arm, gesturing to all of the Kingdom. Then, he pointed at us. "To you?" A spiked Morningstar flickered into his hands, a vicious grin forming. "I'm the bad guy." 

* King Pixl blocks the way! 

"Look, bud," I fought through my anger. "We don't need to fight, dude. We can find a better way to settle this!" 

"SILENCE, LIGHTBRINGER!" King Pixl snarled, a wave of spade attacks flying out of his weapon. "Your very existence goes against our own... By the Knight's will, I shall shatter your heart to pieces!" 

* Your will is changing... Talk became Courage! 

"How dare you come here, Lightners...?" He hissed, the spades sputtering out.

"Alright! Listen up!" Tango clutched his axe tighter. "Joel happens to be a friend of mine! And I'd rather not hurt him by hurting you!!" 

"If I die, then so be it! Show your 'friend' just how much of a monster you are!!" The King taunted him. 

It was working, Tango raised the Blood Moon scythe, his own matching eyes gleaming dangerously. "You really wanna see what I can do, huh?" 

* Tango's will is changing... Talk became Firestorm!

Soleil cupped their hands together, healing the spot where a spade attack sliced Tango. 

"You..." He growled at me and Tango. "You who left us in the shadows... stripped of all meaning... You DARE return to torment us once again?" 

A chain shot out from somewhere, wrapping around us, slamming us into a thin line of spade attacks. I fought against it, using the bat handle of my sword to break the chain.

It gave way, and I was quick to grab and haul my companions to their feet. 

"Sir! Please! You might not realize it, but...!" Soleil yanked me out of the way from a another chain attack. "This- this is a world where you don't have to fight! I know of we all tried, we could find a peaceful solution!" 

"You naive child, such simple-minded thoughts..." King Pixl sneered at them. The chain swung at us, and Tango used the Blood Moon scythe to counter it. He charged, honing his flames into his weapon.

"Such a shame you shall not live to see your own stupidity." He grappled with the young Blazeling, throwing him back. "Now, perish with the pathetic Lightners you worship!" 

Soleil fished Tango away from him, the Morningstar burying into the stone floor, inches away. "Sorry! We AREN'T going anywhere!" 

* Soleil's will is changing... Talk became Duel Heal!

* You encouraged the party! The party's defense raised for this turn! 

"Begone! We have found fresh purpose!" Streaks of darkness shot past him, slamming into the ground by our feet. The floor quaked, crumbling away. "For the Knight has appeared..." 

"Who the hell is the Knight!?" I snapped at him, closing the distance between us. I slashed at him, the King countering every strike. The chain attack wrapped around me, throwing me back. 

"The Knight that pulls the Fountains from the Earth," He wasn't making any sense! A glimmer of red, and we were forced to keep away from a box with sharp thorns on the inside. "Holy Fountains, whose shadows are creating a new world... OUR world." 

* Soleil cast Duel Heal! 

"Thanks...!" I gave a grateful smile to the Prinxe. 

The King chuckled darkly. "Do you see now our NEW purpose...? Soon, this world will be blanketed in darkness... and Darkners shall rule it...!" 

"Yeah, like we'll let THAT happen!" I flew at him, swapping to my shield mid-step, clubbing him on the head with it. "We TRIED be nice! We TRIED finding a way to stop this peacefully!" 

"Soon, you'll ALL see what it's like to live in despair!" The King recovered quickly, and I brought my shield up again, blocking the chain that moved in ensnare me. "Now! Enough talk! Fall before the chain of Justice!" 

I broke away from the red thorned box, wincing at the tiny splinters still digging into unprotected skin. A simple heal couldn't fix that. 

Me and Tango tag-teamed, our respective weapons slashing at him, getting decent hits in. 

"Ha... you're quite strong... aren't you...?" The King wheezed, staggering from the barrage. He stood resolutely, glaring at us. "If I keep fighting you like this, then..." 

"We can stop at ANY moment!" I tried getting through to him. "It's YOU who's causing this to escalate further!" 

"Yeah!" Tango backed me up. 

"It seems... that..." He struggled to stay standing, fury sparking in him. "No! I will not! MY KNIGHT! I SHALL NOT FAIL YOU!!" 

Tango moved in, scythe raised. I gripped my sword tighter, ready for the next attack. 

It never came. The King dropped his Morningstar, body sagging. "Enough... is enough... I see... that I cannot defeat you... This long battle has exhausted me." 

King Pixl let his body fall, not trying to get back up. "Lightners, I... perhaps I have been too cruel... The truth is... I wasn't always like this."

He coughed weakly. "There was once a time... where Darkners and Lightners lived in harmony. A time where Darkners could fulfill their purpose in peace... I would be lying if I said I didn't miss those times... Perhaps... you kids are right. Please, let us put away our weapons... There must be a peaceful solution to all this."

I lowered my sword. Was he finally ready to listen? Was this the right thing to do? 

Soleil clipped their yo-yo to their belt almost immediately, myself following a few seconds later. 

Only Tango was left. He held the Blood Moon scythe closer to himself, his gaze flicking around. 

After a second, he despawned it, eyeing the King wearily. 

Soleil was at Pixl's side in seconds. "I'm quite glad you're starting to realize, Mister King..." They gestured to me and Tango, then themselves. "None of us really want to fight. I'm sure if you tell us what's bothering you... we can help out! We can be friends!" 

"Y-Yes, 'friends', that sounds... lovely." The King tried getting up, but failed. "Ah! My apologies...! I am... not used to fighting like that... I feel... so weak." 

Soleil took his hand, green magic already flowing to him. "Oh! Don't say another word!" 

The magic rushed at him, seeping into his body. "There, you should be all healed up! How do you feel...?" 

"Let's see..." Something about the words sat strangely with me, and I tensed. I was completely unprepared for the torrent of bullets, punching the air out of my lungs. The King's voice barely registered. "Never better." 

"Y... You...!" Tango tried getting up, his movements slow. 

"Did I say you could get up?" The King's voice was dangerously low, a trio of sharp spade attacks pointed at my friend. Terror spiked in my heart, and before I could think, I was rushing at Tango. 

My shield materialized, and I faced the King, glaring at him. 

"W-Wha-" Tango was speechless. I turned to give him a calm smile, but instead agony lit up my entire being. I struggled to breathe, reaching for the terrifyingly still form of Tango. "n-no...!" 

"Spare me the heroics!" The King kicked at me, forcing me away from my friends. I gasped, my mind a haze. 

I couldn't move, I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe. I coughed, hoping for new oxygen. 

The King hovered over me, and, despite my state, I glared at him. "You... you're the leader, aren't you? So, what's your plan? To laugh, as you cast us all back into obscurity?" 

"Sc-Screw you–!" I wheezed out. I wanted to cry. I wanted my dad, now more than ever. Would he even find out what happened to me? 

"Young one..." a fresh wave of agony cursed me, and I bite my tongue. Don't give him any satisfaction. 

"Let me tell you a secret..." He pulled me in closer, and whispered, "Kids like you PISS ME OFF."

My body was released, and fell against cold stone. The King yelled in pain. 

What just happened...? 

"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. Tango? "Get away from my friend!" 

I struggled to open my eyes. Tango... Tango was protecting me? 

"Or what?" The King was still between me and him, and could easily still cause me harm, even with Tango's intervention. "You'll kill me?" 

"Nah." 

The King stepped away from me, taunting the Blazeling. "So what's your plan then...? To 'talk' me to death?" 

He got closer, Tango still refusing to make any moves. "You stupid, stupid Lightner. You honestly think you have ANY way..." Bullets hovered over both of us. "... to convince me NOT to kill you?" 

"Mmm, nah!" Tango glanced behind me, grinning sharply "But THEY might!" 

The ground shook, and before the King could react, a crowd of people stood between him and me. Someone helped me up, letting me lean on them. "You leave them alone!" 

"J-Joel!? E-Everyone?!" The King gasped. "What is the meaning of this?!" 

"Sorry Dad!" Joel stood at the front of the crowd. "You're being overthrown! When I told everyone you were fighting the Lightners... everyone remembered how kind they were!" 

"We decided we'd rather have a king that accepts us!" A random Rudinn backed Joel up. Multiple Darkners voiced their agreements. "Joel is a far ​​​better king than you!" 

"Haha! Now I'M the dad!" 

"You IDIOTS! THE LIGHTNERS ARE YOUR ENEMIES!" King Pixl snarled, thrashing at his bindings. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!" 

The intimidation effort didn't work, and the Darkners all ignored him. 

"Yikes!" Joel laughed at his expense. "I think someone needs a time out!" 

Some of the Rudinn Rangers hauled him off, out of sight from me and everyone else. The person holding me up, Shelby, glanced down at me. "You alright, hon?" 

"I'll be alright." Soleil rushed up to me, pulling me into a hug. "Haha... ow..." 

"I'm sososososo sorry! I'm just so glad you're both alright!" Soleil apologized into my chest. Despite my discomfort over the touch, I let them stay. They needed the comfort. 

Tango tried to lighten the mood. "Yeah, well! It'll take more than THAT to take us down!" 

"I shouldn't have done that... I shouldn't have fell for his lies..." Soleil finally broke away from me. "Because I healed him, he almost... we almost... Y-You were right, Tango... I was naive to think we could get a peaceful solution to this... K-Kindness doesn't always win here, does it?" 

"Eh." Tango did a 'so-so' motion with his hand. "It's complicated. Sure, sometimes there's people we just gotta fight. But... if you never let your guard down, then..." 

He smiled fondly. "You might just... hurt someone you care about..." 

Soleil 'aww'ed'. "Y'know, Tango, you're really sounding like a real hero...!" 

Tango punched them lightly. "Hey! Don't get used to it!" 

I stared at the Fountain, eyes tracking the darkness ascending it into the endless sky. "So... what now...?" 

"I suppose it's time for you and Tango to go home, now..." Despite everything, sorrow flowed through me, and I fought tears. My voice was strained. "O-Oh, yeah. I forgot. I guess that's right." 

My feet felt like led, refusing to move easily. 

"Well, uh..." Tango spoke for me. "See ya." Soleil solemnly waved as we left. 

Just before we stepped in the room, Tango stopped me. "Hey Diamond? Ummm, I..." He looked away, plucking at the soft fur on his wrists. "Look. I know you wanna give a real goodbye to everyone, right?"

He snapped up, ears flat. "I mean, I'm all for leaving right away, but... we- we could go back for a second. If you wanted." 

"I think I'd like that." I smiled softly. Anything to delay saying goodbye for a bit longer. 

"Well! Then what are we waiting for?" Tango dashed back to the roof, myself chasing after him, laughing.