In that moment, Lavos woke up.
The earth opened itself and Lavos came up. Huge fireballs erupted from his body and was fired in every direction. Wild energy flied straight up and drilled through the flying island.
The islands scattered and slowly sank down, when Lavos wasn’t giving it any energy. Big cliffs fell of the main island, and the people inside the houses ran paniced around, looking for some way to save themselves. The kingdom of Zeal fell into the dark and cold water.
In the earthbound village, people heard explosions, but didn’t know what it was.
Then, a man came running in.
”Zeal is falling!”
The ran up to the surface to see.
And so it was. The islands sunk down.
When the islands fell down in the water, it created a huge tidal wave.
It was truly HUGE. Panicly, the earthbound people ran away from the hill.
With a big crash, the wave stroke the land.
On this day, the land changed forever...

”Hmm....” Marle said. ”Uh... Crono... Crono...!”
”N...noooooo!” Frog said. ”Crono..., Crono...!”
Marle opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was inside a hut of some sort.
She sat up. ”Crono!!”
”Um! You're awake!” someone said. ”You were delirious.”
The elder of the Earthbound village came in.
”Crono!!!” Marle said. ”Where's Crono?”
The elder looked surprised.
”We found no one else...”
Marle’s face became expressionless. She backed a step and fell down.
”So it wasn't a dream...”
Frog rose up.
”Be this the Erathbound village?”
The elder looked down.
”This island was the only refuge left, after the Ocean Palace disaster.”
Frog croaked and looked down also.
”‘Tis a pity. Whither hath old man Melchior gone?”
The elder looked up.
”When the disaster struck, an eerie, black portal materialized. Melchior tried to save Janus, but he was also dragged in.”
Frog thought.
”A "black portal"? A GATE!!!”
Then he croaked joyfully.
But then, something came to his mind.
”That maiden, Schala... Whither hath she gone?”
”I don't know. No one has seen her since.”
Then Frog remembered their time machine.
”Epoch! What fate has befallen it?”
”Your ship is quite sturdy and safe. It's almost as if it followed you here...”
Marle rose up again. With sad eyes, she looked down on the floor.
”Crono...”
Frog turned to her.
”Marle... Thou hast lost thy friend before thine eyes. No words can comfort thee...”
Marle didn’t answer.
”...”
”Oh, this must be yours.” the elder said and handed over a pendant.
”My... pendant.” Marle said. ”The one Crono held for me.”
”Young lady...” the elder said. ”I found it on your shoulder, almost as if it were guarding you.”
Marle took the pendant, but didn’t say a word.
”Take all the time you need to rest.  I will be in the commons.” the elder said and walked out.
Frog laid down and tried to sleep. Then Marle felt how exhausted she was.
She sat down on a fur, close to the fire.
Frog was already sleeping.
Marle looked on her pendant.
”Crono... Is this... My last memory of you?”
She cried, but tried to hide it. Her tears made the fur wet, but Marle didn’t care.
She fell asleep.

When Frog woke up, Marle was gone.
He check outside the hut, but she was nowhere to be seen.
He was just going to pick up his sword, when he almost put his foot on something.
”What... The gatekey? Marle had it?”
He picked it up.
If he didn’t find a gate, it would be useless.
He placed it in his bag and walked out.
There were many hut around his, and one bigger place. Probably the commons.
”Excuse me, but...” he said to one man who walked by. ”Hath thou seen a young lady with a pony tail here?”
The man looked strange on him. Not everyday you see a talking frog.
”Yes. She walked to the north cape, just a few minutes ago.”
”Where is north cape?” Frog asked.
The man pointed on the most north position of the island.
It was a cliff, who rose high up.
”Thank you.” Frog said and walked towards it.

”Crono... Crono...”
Marle sat on the ice cold surface, high up on a cliff and looked down on the water.
”Without you... Is there still hope?”
She shook her head.
”No. You always knew what to do. With your special way, you could make us do anything.
Crazy thing... Funny things... Stupid things... Like walk into Magus’s castle...
Like enter the Ocean Palace... Like... Sacrificing yourself to save us... Crono! Why!”
A new tear fell from her eye, but she couldn’t say if she was sad or angry.
”If I... could turn back time.”
She heard steps and turned around.
”Frog...”
”I wath worried. Why are thou here?”
Marle turned back to the ocean and didn’t answer.
”Crono...” Frog said and sat down beside Marle.
”Poor lad...”
Marle didn’t say a word.
”We must go on.” Frog said. ”Thath what Crono would want us to do.”
Marle looked on him.
”But... How can we go on without him? He was the one who started this.
He always knew what to do. Without him it’s so... empty.”
Frog nodded.
”I know...  It takes time. I still think of Cyrus from time to time. And wish he was here.”
Marle nodded.
”Yeah... But is it the same thing?”
Frog shook his head.
”No... Cyrus and me was friend in a different way then Crono and you was.”
Marle nodded.
”If I once had the chance to tell him...”
Frog grabbed her arm.
”Let’s go to the epoch and tell the others.”
Marle nodded and then they walked down to the waiting epoch.

”There you are!” Lucca exclaimed. ”At last! Where’s Crono?”
Marle didn’t answer she looked down on the floor.
Frog was also quiet.
”What?” Lucca said. ”Where is Crono? Is he still back there in the dark ages?”
Robo stepped forward.
”I can see in miss Marle’s eyes something terrible have happened.”
”Hey, where's that healthy kid with the radical haircut?” the old man said.
Marle opened her mouth.
”He... I... We... I mean... He didn’t make it... He sacrificed himself to save us.”
”This is terrible news... I have nothing to give you but this song.
It's called... "Memories of Crono"
I wish I could tend a hand...”
A quiet melody could be heard in End of Time.
Marle looked away. She didn’t want to look in Lucca’s eyes.
”Let’s go back.” Frog said. ”We must know what happened with Zeal.”
Marle nodded.
”Okay. I take the lead.”
Lucca stepped forward.
”No you don’t!”
”Lucca! Get back.” Marle said.
”Make me!”
”Stop it!” Frog said. ”Both of you! You act like children. You both come with me.”
They nodded and without looking at each other, they jumped into the Epoch.
Marle placed herself in the front, and put the machine on 12000 BC.
”Here we go.” she said.
With a flash, Epoch traveled through time and came up in 12000 BC.
They jumped out, and with Marle in the lead, they walked to the commons.
Many people was here. Even a few enlighten ones.
Marle, Lucca and Frog walked to the elder.
”So... There are still some Enlighten Ones?”
The elder nodded.
”That’s right. But there are no more conflicts between us anymore. Besides, they can’t use any magic.”
Marle nodded.
”I see. By the way... The blizzard have stopped. Looks like the climate is about to change.”
”Let’s hope so.” the elder said.
Then,
Three soldiers came.
”Bow, and pay homeage to our new liege, King Dalton!”
The soldiers chased away some people.
One of them hit the elder with it’s staff.
Dalton came up.
He looked on everybody.
”What's wrong?! You're lucky to be alive! The old crone and the pesky Gurus are gone.
I now rename Zeal, the Kingdom of Dalton!”
He laughed.
Then he saw Marle, Frog and Lucca.
”YOU! You're alive? Ah! That vehicle outside must be yours!
It's just like the one Belthasar was building...
I've decided you don't deserve such a splendid toy! Henceforth it shall be my personal chariot!”
”You've got to be joking!” Lucca said.
”Hey, you can’t do that!” Marle exclaimed.
”And... You'll have to come with me! You might start a rebellion or something!
And now, as a token of my esteem for you...” he raised his hand.
”...take this!”
A fireball shoot out, but Marle smashed the fireball with her crossbow and made it change direction.
”What?” Dalton said. ”Grrr... Ha! How's this?!”
Three new (and bigger) fireball shoot out and hit Marle, Lucca and Frog.
They were thrown far backward, and everything went black.
”Mwa,ha,ha!” Dalton laughed. ”Enjoy a little taste of my true power!”
 

”Uhh...” Marle said. She opened her eyes and found out that they were in a very small,
metallic room.
”Where are we?” Frog asked, not really thinking about getting a reliable answer.
Then Lucca jumped up.
”!!! Everything I carried is gone. Weapon... Items... even my money.”
Marle felt in her bag.
It was empty.
”They took even the gate key!”
Frog looked down.
”Now what?”
”If only Crono was here...” Marle thought. ”What would he do?”
She looked around.
”He would probably look carefully around, trying to get a sight of the nearest area.”
Marle saw a ladder, leading up.
”Check the door.” Marle commanded.
Frog checked it.
”Locked.”
Marle nodded.
”If they are keeping us as prisoners... Why do they have that ladder?”
Frog checked it.
”It leads up... But I don’t know where.”
”Let’s check it out.” Marle said and climbed up.
They came out on a platform, and found that they were far over the clouds.
”EEEiikkk!!!” Marle yelled.
They had just came out of something.
”The sky!” Frog said. ”We’re in the belly of...!”
”...The Blackbird?!” Marle suggested.
 They walked down.
”What?!” Frog exclaimed.
He pointed on the ceiling.
”Help me up.”
Marle lifted the frog up.
”Hey... you’re quite heavy... For a frog, I mean...”
Frog croaked and then hit the ceiling.
A metal plate fell down.
Lucca caught it before it hit the ground.
Frog climbed up.
”It’s a ventilation system.” he said. ”We can get everywhere from here.”
”How do we get up?” Lucca asked.
Marle moved the ladder.
”Like this.” she said and climbed up.

They had to walked leaned down when they walked inside this maze of ventilation system.
The walked around without thinking of where they were heading.
Then they heard Daltons voice.
The looked down through a ventilation hole.
Then there Dalton was.
And not just him. The Epoch was also onboard. Around it, at least ten soldiers were lined up.
”Me thinks he CAN’T just tinker without another’s possession!” Frog said.
”Look!” Lucca said. ”He’s messing around with the Epoch!”
”Shh....” Marle said, trying to hear what Dalton said.
”Pay close attention to what you’re doing! This will be my royal ‘Airthrone’!” Dalton said.
”The world now belongs to me!”
Then Marle saw that some workers was working on the epoch.
Marle couldn’t see what they were doing.
”Let’s hurry get our stuff back, and stop him!”
”Good idea.” Frog said. ”Crono would be proud of you.”
”Proud?” Lucca said. ”Hruff... Let’s go.”
”Let’s split up and find our stuff by looked through the ventiles.
Frog nodded.
”Okay.”
And they separated and searched the ventilate system.
”I think I found something!” Lucca suddenly said. She walked back to their rendezvous point and showed Marle and Frog the place.
It was a big room with their stuff all over the place.
Frog kicked out the ventile and jumped down, followed by Marle and Lucca.
Marle picked up her crossbow.
”Thank god it’s okay.”
Then she saw that some arrows were gone.
”Seems like they wanted to try it out.” Lucca said.
”Yeah...” Marle said.
Then three guards came in.
”Hey, you!”
Marle fired an arrow on the first one, and scored a kill.
One guard jumped in and tried to hit Frog with his stick.
Frog parried the stick and made himself ready to counterattack.
The guard put up his stick to parry to blow, but Frog’s Masamune was too powerful.
It cut the stick in two, and made a fatal blow on the guard.
Lucca shoot the last one.
”Looks like they don’t have much experience.” Marle said. ”Do we have everything?”
Lucca nodded.
”The money is gone, but we can make it without it.”
Marle nodded and exited the room.
After one second, she came back.
”The place is full of guards!” She exclaimed.
”What do we do?” Lucca asked.
”Crono! Where are you!” Marle thought. ”Well... Looks like I have to solve the situation.”
”We’ll find one of the wings on this machine and get a better look of what this ship really is.”
”I’m with you.” Frog said.
”Me too.” Lucca said. ”But you go first.”
Marle nodded and walked out.
She sneaked through many corridor, trying to get to the left wing.
Finally, she reached it.
The wind was hard out here, but not impossible.
The walked far out.
The Blackbird was quite spectacular.
Crono would have loved it.
”Something cometh!” Frog suddenly exclaimed and pulled up his sword.
Marle looked around.
”What do you mean...”
The wind blew stronger.
”What’s going on?”
A black gate opened, and a golem came out.
But this golem was different. He was more pink then brown.
”He’s...” Lucca said. ”Is this the ‘boss’ Dalton talked about?”
Marle didn’t answer.
In a matter of seconds, she was holding in her crossbow, loaded with an explosive arrow.
The Golem boss looked around panicly.
”Um...”
Marle fired her arrow, and forced the golem backwards.
Frog cut it with his sword.
Lucca made a fire explosion.
The Golem looked around.
”Impossible! I’m...s...scared!”
Marle and Lucca fired an antipode on the Golem.
”I HATE hights!”
Frog made a final blow and slashed the Golem out from the wing.
”Phew...” Lucca said.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the ship...
”It's complete! I've done it!” Dalton said.
He was standing in what once was the Epoch, but had now been modified.
Two new wings had been added.
”See these beautiful wings! Now THIS is a King's throne.
I now name it... The Aero-Dalton imperial!
And THEY're gonna be my first victims! Aero-Dalton imperial, engage!”
He pressed a button.
”No, no,no.no...! Stop the music!” he yelled.
He pressed another button.
”Ha! There we go! Ready for takeoff! The Aero-Dalton imperial! We have lift-off, Houston!”
A door in the hull opened, and the Epoch flied out.

From the wing, Marle, Frog and Lucca could see something’s flying by.
”What in the...!” Frog said.
They ran to the other edge of the wing.
”Epoch...” Marle said. ”It’s flying?!”

”It's not Epoch! It's the Aero-Dalton Imperial!” Dalton corrected.
Mwa, ha, haha!! You are excess baggage! Make like the wind and blow outta here...!”
Dalton turned around the Epoch and fired laser-beams.
Marle jumped back, just to evade one. Frog and Lucca did the same.
”Mwa, ha, ha!” Dalton laughed. ”You are like insects to me!”

”Filth! A lesson shall he learn this day!” Frog said.
Marle rose her hands.
”It’s all your fault...! Crono... Give back Crono!!”
Marle ran forward and jumped off the wing.
Dalton laughed, but stopped when he saw that a girl was standing on his Aero-Dalton Imperial.
She was holding a crossbow.
Frog and Lucca followed and landed on each wing.
”You, you...!” Dalton said. ”Take this!” He fired some grey beam out from his cape.
It locked Frog down.
Marle fired an arrow, but because of the wind, it missed.
”Take this!” Dalton said again, and fired a new beam, this time on Lucca.
She was forced down.
”And especially you...” Dalton said. ”Here. Take this.”
A gray beam kept Marle down.
Marle used all her strength, but it kept her down.
Dalton laughed.
”Mwa, ha, ha! Poor little girl! You must be lonely now when your boyfriend is gone.”
”He’s not her boyfriend.” Lucca shouted, but it sounded to weak to be heard.
”And the weapon of yours...” Dalton continued. ”Isn’t it a little bit too heavy?
Why don’t you let a real man who knows what he’s doing, handle it?”
In that moment, something in Marle’s body went off.
With all her might, Marle threw herself forward.
The seal held her back while Dalton laughed.
But then he stopped.
Marle’s will became stronger than Dalton’s magic.
She broke the grey seal and reached for her crossbow.
”That’s the dangerous side of it.” Dalton said as Marle picked up her crossbow.
”That’s right.” Marle replied and pulled the trigger.
The arrow flied straight into Dalton’s body.
”Aahhh....” Dalton yelled.
Marle smashed him with the crossbow.
Dalton looked up with a bloody face.
”That’s it! Go GolemBoss!”
He pointed on a place in front of him, and a black portal opened.
But nothing came out.
”?...!”
Instead, Dalton was sucked in.
”Ahh............”
In the same moment, the grey seal broke over Frog and Lucca.
Marle fell down on her knees.
”Pant...wheeze...”
”Is Epoch okay?” Lucca asked.
”That grounding thief!” Frog said.
Then Lucca thought of something.
”More importantly, did he change the controls?”
Marle ran to the control seat and sat down.
Lucca and Frog took one seat each in the back.
”Fast!” Frog said. ”Do something! Or we’ll crash into the blackbird!”
Marle pressed a lot of buttons, not sure of what they did.
Suddenly, laser beams came out of Epoch and hit the engine of the Blackbird.
Explosions came up everywhere and the ship began to lose altitude.
On the ground, the people could see what happened.
”Yeah! Justice! Dalton got what he deserved!”
The elder looked up.
”Whoa! That ship can fly!”

.
 
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