Dreaming the Future

By Scyther

Lucca woke in a cold sweat. She looked around, panting. Lucca put on her glasses and saw her clock. 3:27 a.m. She had only been asleep for about an hour and a half. It had been a few weeks since their fight with Lavos, and Lucca still had nightmares about it. She hadn't slept a decent night's sleep since the fight.

In her dreams, she can still see the hate and evil in Lavos's eyes and she still felt the fear inside her. The intensity of the fight and the heat of battle still chilled her soul.

Lucca was calming down, so she pulled her blanket back over her and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't shake the feeling of that dream. The sight of Lavos and her friends being hurt kept repeating in her mind.

She finally fell asleep after half an hour of tossing and turning. Lucca didn't dream about the monster Lavos, or her friends in battle. She didn't have the time. Two hours later her father woke her up yelling something about a miracle invention. Lucca put on her thick glasses and trudged out of bed to her closet to dress.

* * *

It was now 10:00a.m. and Crono was just now waking up. He always had a problem with sleep. He liked it too much. Crono slugged over to his dresser, put on baggy blue pants and a shirt to match. He straightened his spiky, bright red hair and pulled on some brown boots. He saw his alarm, which had gone off about two hours earlier, and saw the time. He was supposed to be at the castle an hour ago! Marle was going to wonder what happened. He put on his belt; with his Rainbow katana still hooked on, and started for the stairs as he heard someone outside.

"Hey Crono!" Crono heard a female voice outside and rushed to the window. When he opened it he saw Marle standing outside, arms folded. "Where have you been!? You were going to meet me at home!" Her home was Guardia Castle. She was actually Princess Nadia, but outside the castle, she preferred Marle.

"Sorry Marle." he said, "I overslept!" He did that a lot. "By two hours! You told me you were getting up at eight so you could get Lucca! Get down here quick!" Crono knew how short her fuse was, so he did as told. He jumped out the window, frontflipped, and landed next to Marle, who was stunned at the moment. "Well you didn't have to take me that literally!" she said giggling, "Now lets get going. We need to be back at the castle in an hour."

As they were walking, Crono often glanced at Marle when she wasn't looking. She was wearing her usual clothes. Loose white pants, light brown slippers, and a white, short tube-top around her chest. Her blue eyes and blond hair sparkled in the sunlight.

Before they knew it, they were at Lucca's home. It was on a small island just off-land and was next to a magic whirlpool that they once used as transportation from one continent to the other. Lucca and her dad were outside working on something. They were both inventors and Lucca's work often surpassed her fathers. It was her invention that allowed them to go through time.

"Hey Lucca!" Crono said. They had been friends since they were babies. "Oh, Crono! I was wondering what had been keeping you!" Lucca was wearing a light brown skirt and a matching skirt. She had short purple hair and thick glasses, which had often been a liability. Strangely, she wasn't wearing her glasses now. "What happened to your glasses?" Crono asked. "Is that Crono, Lucca?" said Tabin. Tabin was Lucca's father and a pretty good inventor. He usually worked on armor for Lucca now. "Yes dad." Lucca said, "Hey Crono, do you have the Sun Stone on you by any chance?" Lucca was giggling to herself. Crono saw why. His bag was sparkling from the light of the stone. The Sun Stone was an orb about the size of a basketball, now the size of a soccerball. In the year 65,000,000 b.c., they left it in the sunlight of the Sun Keep. In 2300 a.d., they retrieved it, fully charged with eons worth of sunlight. "Um... Yes. Why? Do you need it again?" Crono said. They had been making items and weapons out of it for some time now. "Yes. My dad said he could make me something valuable from a piece of it. He won't tell me what though." With that, Crono handed Tabin the Sun Stone. "All right! Thanks! This will be my best work ever!" Tabin eagerly grabbed the stone and proceeded to work.

Lucca hesitated, then pulled Crono and Marle inside and up to her room. She put on her spare glasses and began to speak. "Hey guys?" Lucca asked, "Have you been having dreams lately...about Lavos?" She sounded almost afraid as though she was still dreaming. "I did," Marle said in a quiet tone, "but we have sleeping potions at the castle." Crono spoke up, "So did I, but I used a sleep spell. Have you been having nightmares Lucca?" "Yes, and I'm almost afraid of going to bed now. It's just that..." Marle interrupted, "Lucca, how about you and Crono come to the castle tonight for a sleep over. It will get your mind off Lavos and..." Marle glanced at the clock on Lucca's desk. "10:55!! We need to be at the castle in five minutes!" She ran into the front room and was about to head out the door when Lucca stopped her. "Don't worry! We can be there in a few seconds! We still have Epoch!" Epoch was a time machine that could also fly. "Oh that's right! Well lets hurry anyway." Marle went outside and proceeded to the backyard

As Crono and Lucca were passing Tabin, he spoke. "Lucca! I did it! Come over here quick!" Lucca ran over and saw two tiny, curved inward, pieces of glass and the Sun Stone, now the size of a volleyball. "Dad?! Where are my glasses?!" "Right here! Now hold still." Tabin moved Lucca's head back and put the glass on her face, from what Crono could see. "There!" Lucca almost fainted! "I can see without glasses!" Lucca jumped in the air with joy. "Thanks dad!" She ran off, realizing Marle and Crono would be late. She ran off with Crono and went into the backyard.

The yard was nothing special. A few flowers here, a fence there, a silver time machine in the middle... The Epoch was still a site even for Crono, who had driven it before. The wings were originally not there. A villain named Dalton ironically installed them. Marle was waiting in one of the back seats. "C'mon guys! I'm going to be late...Lucca, you're not going to fly without glasses...are you?" Marle sounded very nervous, and Crono busted out laughing. "Of course not! My dad made some lenses that fit right on my eyes!" Marle grunted in humiliation, and sat back in her seat. Crono sat beside Marle, and Lucca took the controls. "Here we go!" Lucca hit a button and the ship lifted off the ground. Lucca moved the lever to turn Epoch in the direction. She hit a button, and they were off.

* * *

"They're going to be late again, your highness!" the Chancellor said. He was a very strict and complaintive person. "Nonsense! Nadia swore she would be here by eleven and she will." King Guardia had much more confidence in his daughter since they saved the world. Good reason huh! "But that boy Crono is always late! When that boy isn't late he's asleep!" He was against the fact that the princess of Guardia was dating a commoner, and Crono of all people! "Now Chancellor. Crono is a fine boy. I trust him." Chancellor was now at the door, looking for the princess. "Well I don't! Watch!" He reached into his pocket and withdrew a watch. He stared at it and walked out onto the end of the drawbridge. "5...4...3...2..." Suddenly he heard a noise above him. He looked up and saw Epoch about to set down on his head! The Chancellor freaked out and jumped into the moat with a splash. When the ship landed, its wings retracted into its body, and the glass hatch opened. "Right on time dear!" the King shouted from the door. "Hi daddy!" Marle shouted from the cockpit. She jumped down and ran over to her father to hug him. "Welcome home Nadia!" he said. "Daddy! Please call me Marle!" She had decided to stick with the name she made up when she met Crono. "Alright, Marle." Who else is up there?" Crono stood up and jumped out. Lucca did likewise. "Hello sir!" Crono said. He was always a little on edge here. He was once on trial here. He was found innocent, but the chancellor ordered his execution anyway. That was a fake chancellor, but he still remembered it. "And who is this? This can't be Lucca!" He was as amazed as Marle at Lucca's new eyewear. "It's me." Lucca said, "I'll explain it later." "I brought Lucca here for a sleep-over. She's been having nightmares lately. Is it all right?"

The soaked Chancellor was now back onto the bridge. "Absolutely..." Crono knew what he would say, and nudged him back into the water. They all laughed, except for the Chancellor. "Of course it is!" The King said, still laughing. The four walked back into the castle and left the chancellor to fend for himself.

They were preparing for lunch already, and Crono was in slow torture because of it. If he liked anything better than sleep, except for Marle, it was food. The castle even had a dish named after him for the work he did in 600a.d.

They walked into the throne room where the king sat down. "Why don't you go up to you're room until lunch is ready?" the king said, "You can do something to keep Crono's mind off the food!" The king already knew Crono like a son! "Alright, Daddy!" Marle said. They proceeded up the steps to the right of the throne to Marle's room. Inside were the Pollyozo Doll and Marle Clone they had won at the fair. Marle touched the doll's belly and it began to play music. "We have a while before lunch," Marle said, "so what should we do? Did you bring any of you're inventions Lucca?" "There all at home right now." Just then, Crono remembered something they had forgot to do. "How about taking Epoch into the future to see what we have changed!" This was a good idea! "Oh! I never thought of that!" Lucca said, "I would like to see Robo anyway!" There were two major time periods they changed when they beat Lavos. 1999a.d., when Lavos attacked and 2300a.d. Who knows how things were now!

They ran to the Epoch, eager to see what had changed and what the future was now like. They jumped onboard and the canopy closed behind them. Lucca turned the time gauge forward to 2300a.d. "I thought we were going to go to The Day of Lavos?" Crono said. "We are, but later. Right now we should see how the distant future turned out." Lucca was right. It should be better to see how their friends there had improved. "Hang on everyone!" Lucca hit a switch to the left of the wheel. Everything blurred outside from the speed. A blinding flash of light hit and they were instantly traveling at warp speeds.

* * *

They arrived in a world filled with domes and people walking outside with their kids. Shining lakes and huge forests covered the landscape. This whole planet was polluted and desolated the last time they were here. Hardly anyone was willing to keep going and all lived in fear. "WOW!! I don't believe it!" Marle shouted. "I can't either, but this is it. 2300." Lucca couldn't even speak. It was the total opposite of what it was last time they were here. They headed for what was known as Proto Dome was. To their surprise, a town now surrounded the dome. "Lucca," Crono said, "land outside the town. We'll walk through the town to the dome. We don't want to get the town in an uproar." "Okay. Setting down." Lucca slowly descended to the ground and made a soft landing outside the town. They got out and started for the town.

The town was surprisingly suburban. It didn't seem to use much of the available technology. One woman came up to them. "Excuse me. You look a little lost. Are you looking for something?" "Sort of." Marle said. "Do you know a robot named Robo?" She looked puzzled. "No. I'm sorry." Crono thought for a second then had one of his sudden brainstorms. "Well what about a robot named Prometheus?" That was Robo's original name. "Why yes! That's the robot that teaches my son at the school!" This was surprising. The woman pointed to a smaller dome next to Proto Dome. "That's the school dome over there. He should still be there. If you hurry, you may be able to speak to him before lunch is over." Crono thanked the woman, and they headed for the school dome.

The school was a lot bigger than it looked from the town. Finding Robo inside was going to be harder than they thought. Inside, the walls were covered with lockers and doors. Most doors had plates next to them with the room number and name of the teacher on them. "How do we find Robo when there are so many rooms to check?" Lucca said. Neither Crono nor Marle knew. They would have to look at every plate until they found the right room. All classes were taught by robots. Their serial number was next to their name. "R74-S Proto, R49-T Delta, R87-K Servo. This is getting us nowhere!" Marle said, angered. She kept checking, however. "R03-X Alpha, R23-L Atom, R66-Y Pro...Prometheus!! I found him!" Crono and Lucca rushed over to the door she was standing by. They looked through the glass, and saw Robo, sitting at his desk, grading papers. Lucca knocked on the door. A strange "Come in." came from the other side of the door. Lucca slowly opened the door. Its creaking noise was the only sound you could hear. "Hi, Robo!" Lucca said, excited. "Robo? Is...is that you, Lucca!?" The robot turned its head to see his old friends in the doorway. "Lucca! It's great to see you!" He ran to Lucca and hugged her. She wasn't sure what happened to Robo. He acted like he missed her! "Since when do you have emotions?!" She asked. "I don't know. When I stepped through the time gate and back to my own time, I just got them."

Robo seemed to remember everything that happened in their journey. "We were worried that you wouldn't exist here. Since we changed the past." Crono said, still a little confused. "Why did you pick now to visit?" Robo asked. "My father" Marle began, "asked me to get Crono and Lucca for a special thank you dinner and party. I think he wants to thank the people who saved time." Marle thought for a second, then started again. "How would you like to come to the party?" Robo hesitated to answer. "I would love to, but I have a class to teach right now. Can you come back around three?" Lucca jumped up to respond. "Sure we could! C'mon guys! Let's go ask everyone else." Marle and Crono nodded at the same time. They said goodbye to Robo, whose class was just now returning, and headed to the Epoch to find everyone else.

* * *

Crono, Lucca, and Marle arrived in 600a.d. to find Frog. He was a warrior that was turned into a frog/human by the sorcerer Magus. "Maybe he still lives in the Cursed Woods?" Lucca said. "No, he'll be at the castle." Marle said. "In my history book, it says after he returned, he was given a room and was knighted." Crono looked surprised. Marle hardly ever cracked open a book, let alone a history book! Lucca changed course and proceeded to Guardia Castle.

Lucca set down just outside the castle, as she did at the castle in 1000a.d. Inside, it looked much the same. The rug covering the steps was royal purple instead of red, and the stone was a little brighter, but that was all. Crono was comfortable in this castle. It had no dungeon to be locked in or to be decapitated in. They walked up the steps to see the king and queen. Along the way, they were greeted by guards who thanked them for their efforts. Inside the throne room, they were greeted by Queen Leene. "Hello Crono, Lucca and Marle!" This was the queen Marle was mistaken for when they first came here. "Hello, your highness." Crono said. He thought he sounded a little stupid. "Please call me Leene. I really don't like formal names." "Must run in our family!" Marle said. It was true that most females in Marle's family didn't like to be called by their formal titles. "We're looking for Frog. Is he here?" Marle asked. "Why, yes. He's in the courtyard, practicing magic." "Thank you, Leene!" The three left for the courtyard.

Inside the garden, Frog was using magic that none of them had ever seen before. "Hello, Frog!" Crono yelled, trying to make his voice louder than the magic. "Ah! 'Tis thee Crono! Good to see thou!" He always talked like that. It was hard to understand it sometimes. "Frog, We're having a party at my home in 1000a.d. Would you like to attend?" Frog walked toward them. "I shall gladly attend thine party! But how shall we travel?" Frog was right. Only three could go through time at once. Lucca started to dig through her pouch. "Here, Frog!" Lucca pulled out a brass wand. It looked a little like a sun on a stick with five prongs on the edge and a purple button in the center. "Use the Gate Key to go to the End of Time. When we return to the castle in my time, we'll call for you." "Alright, Lucca. Till then!" Lucca hit the button and a round, blue, swirling portal opened up. Frog stepped in, and both him and the gate vanished.

* * *

The trio was now back inside Epoch, thinking about whom to retrieve next. "Well," Crono said, "maybe we should get Magus." Magus changed sides in 12,000 b.c.e. "Are you mad?!" Lucca yelled. "We can't let him into Guardia Castle!!" "I know you don't trust him, but he did tell you how to resurrect me." Crono had died in a fight with Lavos and Queen Zeal trying to save Magus's sister, Schala. "But we can't leave Ayla out of this!" Marle said. "I say we get her! Magus will try to overthrow my father before eating with him!" Crono was getting a little annoyed. "Ayla's way to savage for a royal banquet! I say we get Magus!" The two started fighting. Lucca eventually got tired of this. "CRONO!! MARLE!! Shut UP!" Both stopped fighting immediatly. Neither of them had ever seen Lucca mad. "Well just get both of them and take the consequences. Okay?" "Okay." Crono and Marle said in unison. "Now kiss and make up. We have to go." Crono took it literally again and kissed Marle.

After a minute, they were on their way to the year 65,000,000b.c. Ayla was the Chief of her tribe, the Ioka and also a tribe who had their village destroyed in an attack.

The three found Ayla talking to Kino, her boyfriend. Alya glanced over to the doorway and saw Crono. "Crono!" She ran up to greet her friends. "Good to see! Lucca and Marle here too. Now we fight! Have fun!" She was always a fighter. "Actually," Crono said, "we wanted to know if you wanted to come to the castle in our time for a party." Ayla jumped up with excitement. "Party at castle!? Ayla go! Hurry!" "Not so fast, Ayla!" Marle said. "It isn't for a while." Lucca pulled out the Time Key. "Where we go then?" Ayla was always impatient when a party was involved. "We go to find Magus." Lucca said. "You go to The End of Time and wait for us." Lucca hit the button, and the Gate appeared again. "Ayla no go! Big bore there!" Ayla sat down and crossed her arms. "But it's the only way to get you to the castle!" Marle said. "If we all go in Epoch, we'll end up there anyway!" Ayla paused to think. "Ayla go, but no take long!" Ayla walked into the Gate and it closed behind her. "That only leaves Ma…" Crono was interrupted by Kino. "Where Ayla go?" This may be tough. Kino was promised that Ayla wouldn't leave again. "Ayla's going away for a while." Crono explained. Kino was already confused. Lucca stepped forward. "Ayla is needed again. Don't worry. She'll be back soon." Kino accepted this, and let them leave. Kino always did trust Lucca for some reason.

* * *

They had one last stop. To find Magus in 12,000 b.c.e. was going to be a little easier. Once, a floating kingdom called Zeal floated above the earth. Lavos destroyed it, and the rubble created a tidal wave that eliminated much of the land.

They found Magus in a cave home. It was surprisingly roomy and comfortable. "Magus." Crono said, "Nice to see you." Magus rose from his chair and walked to them. "I could say the same for you." He was always the dark kind. "Magus," Marle said, "We're in a hurry. Would you…" Marle was uneasy about asking Magus to come to the castle. "like to come to a party at the castle?" Magus was surprised to hear this. "Why invite me?" This was almost a good question. "Well," Crono started, "you helped save me…and the world." Magus thought for a second, then spoke. "Only if both of us can come." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to a woman that was sitting across from Magus. "Hello, Crono." she said, "Nice to see you again!" Crono suddenly realized who this was. "Schala!!" all three of them said at once. Schala was thought to be dead when the Ocean Palace was destroyed. Magus started to speak again. "I found Schala during a time jump. She never emerged from the gate she was sucked into." "Well..." Marle said, "I guess we could fit both of you!" Just then, Lucca remembered something. "Schala? If you're alive, then isn't Queen Zeal?" She said it very nervously. Schala, though, seemed happy to answer. "Mother is fine. She's back to the way she was before she knew of Lavos's power." This relieved everyone. "Alright." Magus said. "We'll be there. I assume you want us to wait at The End of Time?" Without answering, Lucca pulled out the Gate Key and hit the button. A gate appeared beside Magus, and he stepped in, followed by Schala. "Now let's get home." Marle said. "Lunch is probably ready by now." They headed for Epoch. Along the way, Crono spotted something in the snow. "Is this...a cat?!" It was, but not a normal cat. It was a light shade of purple. Lucca came over and knelt beside Crono. "Yes. I think this was the cat that Janus had." Janus was the young Magus. His only friend was his cat. "Can we take him with us?" Crono asked. "Maybe." said Lucca, "If he's small enough." It looked like it hadn't seen food in days. "Let's hurry!" Marle said. "It's too cold to just stand around!"

The wind was picking up now, and the snow started to fall harder. It was developing into a powerful blizzard. "I can barely stand!" Marle yelled. "How much further?!" None of them could tell. The ship was twenty feet away, but it was impossible to see. "Let me try something!" Lucca said, as she put her hands together. They started to glow red, and a line of fire shot from her hands. The snow melted around the flames, and a path was made on the ground. They followed the path to the Epoch. They quickly jumped in and closed the canopy. "Whew!" Marle said, "Thanks Lucca!" "You can thank me when we're out of here." Lucca hit the button, and the ship lifted off the ground. In a moment, they were time traveling back to the future.

* * *

The three traveled back to 2300a.d. to find Robo. They landed outside of town as they did before. "Crono? Could you get Robo on your own?" Lucca asked. He nodded, and Lucca handed him the Gate Key. "I need Marle to stay heer and give me some help with a quick repair job." Marle had a look on her face as to say 'why me?'.

Crono got out, Gate Key in hand, and walked into the town. His first notion was to walk to School Dome.

The trip to the dome seemed longer than before. Somehow walking alone brought out all of the details he hadn't noticed before. Crono saw pink and red roses in the window boxes. He saw the strange architecture of the buildings. To him it seemed very advanced, but to them it was probably old fashon.

As Crono was walking, he saw the woman who helped them earlier. "Oh! Hello!" the woman said. "Did you find you're friend?" Crono nodded, and the woman smiled. "Class is over now. If you still need to talk with Mr. Promethius, he's at his home at the northwest corner of town." Crono thanked the woman, then headed for the house she spoke of.

When he arrived, he was suprised to find that the house was just like the others in the town. He shyly walked to the door. He saw a strange button on the side of the door. Crono pressed it and a ringing soung came from inside the house. Crono jumped back, startled. The door slowly swung open. Robo was on the inside of the door. "Crono?" he said. "Is that you? I'm sorry if the doorbell scarred you." Crono walked back up to the door. "It's okay, Robo. I just didn't expect that kind of thing." Robo walked back inside and Crono followed. Inside there were things like any other house. A table near the middle, a bookshelf in the corner, kitchen in the back. The one diference was a chamber in the opposite corner of the home. "Atropos, we have company." Crono recognised the name of Robo's girlfriend. Her circuts were scrambled and Robo had to destroy her. "That's alright." Crono said. "I only came to take you to the celebration." Atropos wandered out of the kitchen. She looked exactly like Robo, only pink. She also had a blue bow on her back. "Only if he's back before tommorow. He has classes to teach." Crono was about to answer, then Robo answered for him. "Don't worry. I'll be home tonight." He walked to Atropos and gave her a shock on the side of her head, probably the robot equivilant to a kiss. Crono held out the Gate Key and hit the button. The gate appeared right in front of Robo. He said goodbye to his wife, then dissapeared into the gate, which closed behind him. Crono said goodbye, then left the house. Crono realized, about twenty feet from the house, he had no idea how to get back to the Epoch from there. He wandered around until he came upon a boy about 16 years old. He walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me. Could you tell me where this town's entranced is?" The boy started to turn. "Sure. It's right…" When the boy turned all the way around he gasped and nearly fainted. "It…It's you! You're Crono!" Crono was puzzled. How did a kid in this age know about him? "I've read all about you in school! You're the first time traveler! You and your friends saved the world! My school is even named after you!" Crono started to become flattered. He was known as a hero in his time, but this kid was making him into a god among legends. "Thanks, but I really need to get back to the entrance." The boy shook himself out of his daze and pointed the way.

When Crono arrived, Lucca was just finishing some quick adjustments and Marle had the same look as before. Lucca took her head out and noticed Crono. "Well you sure took your time!" she said. Crono tossed her the Gate Key. "Sorry. I got a little lost and ran into a kid that was obsesed with me." Marle's expression quickly changed to confusion, with one eyebrow lifted to boot. "What are you talking about?" Marle said. "Nobody has ever met us in this time!" A smile crossed Crono's face. "Well in this time were legends. That kid I ran into practically worshiped me!" Lucca and Marle looked at each other blankly, then smiled in satisfaction. They climbed into the cockpit, Lucca set the time gauge and they were off.

* * *

Back in 1000a.d., and in Marle's room, Lucca hit the switch on the Time Key. Ayla and Robo were the first to emerge. "Good to be out! Now party?" Marle lead Ayla and Robo to the dining room. Next came Magus and Schala. "Crono?" Lucca asked, "Could you lead them to the dining hall?" Crono nodded and walked out the door with Schala and Magus in tow. Finally, Frog came out, and the gate closed behind him. "What took you so long?" Lucca asked. "Sir Spekkio and I were enjoying a practice session. He is very good, alas he is arrogant, and that be thine worst enemy! In battle, one must think of what if they lose, not what if they win." Lucca was amazed. He knew more about battle than Spekkio! "So what hath thou..." Lucca caught herself. "I mean, what have you decided about Magus?" Frog hesitated to answer. "I hath not been contemplating that. I believe him to be honorable and even noble. It hath been so long that I hath been hunting Magus down, that now that he is on our side, I am not sure how to see him. As friend or mere ally." Lucca felt sorry for him. As they were walking, she has learned more about Frog's thoughts than ever. She couldn't imagine to be torn like that.

At last, they reached the dining room. There were two tables usually, but both and a third had been pushed together for one big table. Crono was at the head of the table. Marle sat to his left and Lucca to his right. Ayla was next to Marle, and Magus was next to her. Robo sat beside Lucca, followed by Frog, then Magus. King Guardia XXXIII was at the other end. Two large bowls were in the center. One held beef stew, one of Crono's favorites, and the other held salad. Three, smaller bowls had freshly baked bread, that made Marle's mouth water. Lucca was staring at a large roast directly in front of her. Magus was eager to try the shrimp, meat, and pork kabobs in front of him. Crono had a special, silver platter, with the lid still on it. He couldn't imagine what was under that lid!

The king stood and prepared to speak. "A toast!" They held their glasses up. It was only soda. Not truly appropriate for a royal toast. "To Crono. May he live long and happily." Lucca, Frog, and Schala nodded. Everyone else, but Magus, smiled with approval. "And a personal toast to everyone sitting here today who contributed in saving time. To you, my personal thanks!" They all, even Magus, Smiled and clicked glasses with as many as they could reach. Ayla immediately reached for a roast. Marle scooped out some stew and salad while Crono helped himself to the bread. Magus was already nibbling off the meat on his kabob and Schala was enjoying a veggie kabob. The purple cat jumped upon onto the table, next to Magus. He looked over and smiled happily. Magus slid a piece of meat from his stick and fed it to his skinny cat. Lucca also grabbed some bread and stew. Robo seemed to be sitting there just for novelty.

The chef came over and put his hand on the handle of Crono's plate. "And for sir Crono, a special meal. The Crono Special." This was the meal named after him. He had not yet tried it, but he was sure it was good. The chef lifted the lid to reveal a plate filled with fish, ham, beef, all kinds of vegetables, potatoes, and seasoned perfectly. The aroma was overpowering as it hit Crono's nose. The sheer size of it was the amazing part. It was fit for a king and his whole family! "Wow!" said Marle, "You didn't tell me it was going to be that big!" Crono quickly turned his head to Marle. "Marle," he said, "you were in on this?" Marle had a smug look on her face. The whole table couldn't help but laugh. "Enjoy your meal, Crono." the king said, and everyone continued with their food.

* * *

Later in the courtyard, the eight were still recovering from the banquet. "Good meal!" Ayla said, "Buuuurrp!!" "How rude." Frog said, "Miss Ayla, thou mush watch thy manors. Thou art in a civilized time." Ayla was still use to the rules she knew. "Sorry, but Ayla bored. Party not same with no fight or dance." Ayla was right. This was nothing compared to the bash she threw for Crono and his friends. Magus walked over to Lucca, who was admiring a Venus statue in the center of the garden. "Lucca, may I see the Gate Key?" Lucca wasn't sure if she could trust Magus with such a powerful tool. "Well..." Lucca said. "Lucca, I know you don't trust me, but this party's dying. Give me the Key, and I'll get some entertainment." Lucca was getting more nervous now. Magus was never this nice to anyone but Schala. Still Lucca was tempted to let him use the Key. "Alright." she finally said, and pulled out the Gate Key. "Thank you...for trusting me." Magus walked out a little, and activated the Key. The gate appeared right in front of him, and he stepped through. Before it closed though, he was back. "Here is our entertainment." From the gate, a pink Nu, a normally blue ball with arms, legs, and a face, emerged. "Spekkio is here for a fight also." Magus said. Spekkio was always in a fighting mood. He is the self-proclaimed master of war. Magus entered again, and this time a one man Jet Bike appeared with Magus and Johnny, a racing robot from the future. He looked human except for when he was in race mode. The gate closed behind them. Magus wrapped himself in his cape, and vanished. He appeared again with a band, which were dressed like villagers from Ayla's tribe. The band started to play a Jurassic song, and Spekkio jumped on top of a wall of the courtyard. Johnny set the Jet Bike in a corner. "Hey guys!" Johnny said, "3-to-1 odds I can beat you around the garden three times. Any takers!" "Now this is a party!" Schala yelled.

As the band played, Crono and Marle danced to the beat. Frog, Schala, and Ayla walked over to Spekkio for a little practice. Magus challenged Johnny to the race, and Robo and Lucca sat by the Venus statue to catch up.

* * *

"C'mon Crono!" Marle said, "Dance with me!" Crono had danced to this music before, but not very well. "Okay, but I'm warning you. I haven't gotten any better than last time!" He walked over by Marle and tried to mimic her moves. He stumbled over himself and almost toppled Marle. Crono ended up on the ground, with grass in his mouth. "Man. You weren't kidding!" Marle said laughing. "Stand up, Crono. I'll show you how." Crono quickly stood, and watched Marle. She made small footprints in the grass. "Marle, I want to try something. Stomp when you move." Marle didn't understand this. "What?" "Just do it. Please." Marle can't stand it when Crono begged, so she repeated the dance step, this time putting her feet down hard. She was good at that. When she finished, Crono looked down at the positions of the footprints, now easily seen. "Switch places." Crono said, "I think this is going to work." Marle switched spots, and watched Crono, doing all of the moves perfectly. "How..." Crono stopped to giggle. "I'm following your foot steps. Look." This is why he wanted her to stomp. "Hmmm." was all Marle had to say. They kept dancing, now enjoying themselves greatly.

* * *

"So now we may finish our practice?" Frog said to Spekkio. Frog, Schala, and Ayla had come to fight Spekkio. "Yes we may." Spekkio answered. He then glanced over at Schala. "And who is this lovely newcomer?" This flattered Schala. "I'm Schala from 12,000b.c.e." Spekkio leaped down from his perch on the lower roof of the castle to take a closer look. "You have quite a bit of magic." He said, "You have the rare gift of mind magic. It would be unstoppable if paired with Magus's." "Of course it should." She retorted, "He's my brother." Spekkio stepped back, then leaped back up to the roof. "Well I want to see it anyway! How about it?" In response, Schala lifted the three into the air and onto the platform. "Now Ayla fight!" Ayla said, excited. The group drew their weapons. Frog used a sword called the Masamune. Schala drew a staff with a crystal orb at the end. Ayla preferred her bare hands. "What be thy weapon, Schala?" Frog asked. "It's the Angel Rod." Schala answer. Frog nodded and returned his attention to the pink Nu in front of them. Spekkio went first. He squatted down, concentrated, and a wave of pure heat shot from his body, blasting the party. Frog recovered quickly, and raised his arms into the air. Ayla was now up, and she jumped up. Frog formed a bubble around Ayla and floated her over Spekkio. The bubble popped, and Ayla was sent crashing on top of Spekkio, drilling his skull. Schala got up now. She held her staff straight at Spekkio, and a beam of light shot from the crystal. It nailed their opponent dead on, knocking him across the roof. "Wow!" exclaimed Frog. "What force! Let us try combining our powers." But before they could, Spekkio had regained his place and was concentrating hard. "Oh no!" Schala said, "I've seen my brother use this!" Spekkio released the energy to make a triangle-shaped mass of black space. It connected with the whole group, almost knocking them off the roof. It took a while to realize what had happened. Schala struggled to get up, and finally propped herself up on her shoulder. "Th...That was..." Schala fell back to the floor. Frog was up, and pulled out a flask of golden fluid. He threw the contents out and on top of everyone. Instantly, Frog stood up straight, as did Ayla and Schala. "...Dark Matter." Schala finished. "My brothers best spell." Frog picked up his Masamune and stood ready for the next time. Ayla quickly lunged forward, flipped, and connected with a devastating kick. She flipped back, without landing, and in mid flip, shot at Spekkio with another kick. Using his face as a platform, Ayla sprung off Spekkio, flipped straight up, and drove a third kick to the top of his head. Ayla jumped back to her side of the roof. Schala didn't attack. Instead, she waited for Ayla to get ready for another hit. Spekkio shook his head, and rose his hand straight out, palm up. A yellow ball of energy formed in his hand, and light and lightning shot from it, hitting Schala, Frog, and Ayla. They were only dazed. Schala charged her fists with light as Ayla and Frog prepared to attack. Schala released the energy at them, charging both Frog and Ayla. Ayla used another jump kick followed by Frog, ready to slash at Spekkio. They hit at almost the same time, and left a beam of light where they had been. The two appeared to the left of Spekkio. Ayla flew at him, with great speed, and kicked Spekkio, making him spin like a top. Frog followed it up with a slash from the Masamune. Spekkio started to glow as the two speed demons fell back to their spot. He raised both arms up, and exploded, sending little pink balls everywhere. "Yes!" Ayla yelled. "Whew...'twas a well fought duel." Frog walked over to Spekkio, now reforming. When he had pulled himself back together, Frog folded his arms and looked at him. "Nice fight!" Spekkio said. "Don't make a habit of this. Here you go!" Spekkio handed Frog a new Mega Elixir, the gold fluid, plus 9 more. "I thank thee. Now we must be off." Frog walked over to the edge of the roof and leaped down, followed by Ayla. "Hey, Schala?" Spekkio asked. "Yes?" The nu walked to her, and opened his hand, revealing a pendent with a shinning red gem. "My pendent! How did you get it!?" "It washed up at the End of Time. I thought you would like it back." Schala took the pendent from his hand and wrapped it around her neck. She thanked him and hopped down.

* * *

Magus approached Johnny, ready to race. He stopped right in front of Johnny. "I accept your challenge. I hope you are as good as they say you are." Johnny laughed to himself. "Are you kidding?! I am THE Man!!" Magus took his place on the jet bike. "The black wind howls. Are you prepared to lose?" Magus joked. Johnny laughed in arogance, and began transforming. A wheel came from his chest and went up to his chin. Two wheels formed on his legs, below his knees. He put all five wheels to the ground, and his arms turned into wings. He looked like a jet with landing gear down, except his head.

Magus watched the green light on the light tower Johnny had set up. Magus's cat walked up and rubbed against his leg to wish him luck. As the light turned green, Magus pressed the button by his right hand, and they were off. Johnny really took off, and was already ahead. Magus tried to pass, but Johnny moved to block him. They were now halfway done with the first lap. Coming into the turn, Magus used one of his turbos and jumped ahead of Johnny. When Johnny tried to pass, Magus moved in his way, similar to what Johnny did to him. Now they were starting the second lap. Johnny used his turbo to ram Magus's bike. Now he was mad. Magus let Johnny pass him. When he was behind Johnny, Magus shot a magic bolt at him. The spell hit Johnny in the back, knocking him around for a while. Magus reclaimed the lead. It was the final lap before Johnny caught up. He used his last turbo to get by Magus in the turn. When he tried to get by Johnny, all he got was rammed. In the final turn, Magus pulled out two thick swords and threw them ahead of Johnny. He swerved to avoid them, but Magus used his last turbo to use them as a ramp. His bike soared through the air, over Johnny, and across the line to win. Magus quickly turned sideways and put on the brakes to stop the bike.

"I don't believe I was beaten by this lowlife!" Johnny grumbled. Magus stood beside the bike. "I warned you not to be so confident." Magus walked back onto the track to pick up the swords, then walked over to Schala, who had also just won.

* * *

Lucca listened to the Venus fountain's sounds. The trickling and splashing sounded great on a sunny day. It made her want to use the bathroom. Lucca looked over at Robo, who was admiring the statue. "There is nothing like this in my time." Robo said. "Most statues are molded from metal. This appears to be handcrafted exactly 138 years ago." He knew a lot about human behavior. That was his original mission. "Hey, Robo? What do you know about...dreams?" Robo seemed puzzled, but did as asked. "Searching..." It took a minute for Robo to find something. "In my research, some dreams are warnings of things to happen or did happen. Some are just random memories. Why?" In a sense, Robo was Lucca's best friend. She still had trouble talking, though. "I've been having horrible dreams about Lavos. I still fell like he still exists." Lucca balled herself up and rested her head against her knees. "Lucca, remember the 'Entity' we helped?" The group believed a mysterious entity wanted them to see the events that led up to The Day of Lavos, and allowed them to go through time. "Did you ever think that they wanted us to remember what they had learned? When I returned to my own time, my memory banks locked up all information on Lavos." This made sense. If Crono and Marle also had dreams, and Robo couldn't erase his knowledge of Lavos, then the Entity must had wanted them to always remember. "Thanks, Robo" Lucca had a smile on her face as she stood up. "Let's go catch up to the others. They may be ready to leave." Robo stood up and walked beside Lucca. They walked to the group gathering by the entrance to the castle.

* * *

"Everyone's here, right?" Lucca said, Gate Key in hand. "No. Crono and Marle still dance." Ayla pointed over to the band. Crono and Marle were still dancing, not realizing that everyone was leaving. "Hey, Crono! Marle!" Lucca shouted, "Everyone's leaving!" Crono and Marle stopped dancing and walked over to the group. "Alright. 2300a.d. first." Lucca set the dial to the appropriate year and hit the button. The gate appeared in front of Robo. "Goodbye, Lucca. Please visit!" Robo walked into the portal. Johnny now approached, with the small Jet Bike in tow. "Anytime, Magus! We'll ride the wind!" With that, Johnny walked into the portal, and disappeared as the bike was entering.

Lucca adjusted the dial and the blue gate faded into a purple color, then red, and back to blue. "Ayla, it's your turn." Ayla stepped up to the portal, then turned around quickly. "Bye, Crono! Ayla hope to see soon!" She back flipped into the gate.

Lucca made another adjustment to the Gate Key, this time to 600a.d. "Frog, time to leave." Frog walked over to Crono. "Crono, thy swordplay hath improved. Perhaps we may duel someday." Crono nodded, and Frog leaped into the gate, then quickly leaped out. "Lucca, I hath decided." He walked over to Magus. "Magus, I must apologize. I hope that we may be friends." Magus looked shocked. He would never have expected this. "Yes, friend." He shook Frog's hand, with a rare smile on his face. Frog jumped back into the gate.

Lucca turned the dial to 12,000b.c.e. The gate flashed a strange color, then returned to a blue hue. Magus and Schala approached the portal. "Magus." Marle said. She held out the purple cat, now very healthy. "You can't forget him." Magus reached out for the cat, and it jumped up onto his arm and ran to his shoulder. Magus entered the gate and vanished. Schala was about to follow, then turned and faced Crono. "I'm glad I got to know the person who saved my life. Thank you, Crono!" Crono nodded. "Only glad to do it. It cost me my life, but it's okay." Schala smiled. With that, she entered the gate and vanished.

"That does it for the guests!" Lucca began to close the gate when a pink nu came running up screaming. "NNNOOOOO!!! Don't forget me!!" Spekkio reached them just as the gate vanished. Spekkio got onto his knees and began to cry. "Wh...Why didn't you...(sob)...wait for me?" Crono and Marle began to laugh loudly. Lucca only chuckled. Crono, tired from laughing, walked up to Spekkio. "Why is 'The Master of War' crying? Lucca, if you please." Lucca, with a grin, opened a portal to The End of Time. Spekkio, to embarassed to speak, jumped in head first. Lucca shut down the key and put it away.

The sun was now setting, and the band was leaving for home. Lucca, Crono, and Marle were sitting on the top of the wall, watching the sun set. "It's getting dark." Crono said. "We should at least think about going in." Crono began to stand, then Marle grabbed his arm. "At least wait till the sun is all the way down." Crono sat back down, with Marle still holding his arm. "At least I should be able to get some sleep." Lucca said. It was true that sometimes when they figured out why the Entity was doing something, it usually stopped. "We still have some potions if you can't get to sleep." Marle said. "That's okay. I'm afraid I may become dependent on it." Marle thought for a second. "We may be able to make a potion to cancel dreams or nightmares." Lucca shook her head. "No. I want to see if the Entity will stop giving me these dreams." Marle left it at that. "Maybe just the comfort of your friends there will be enough." Crono said. Lucca looked at Crono and smiled. "Thanks. Maybe we should go in." They stood up and jumped down from the wall. As they hit, they felt the ground shake. "What was that?" Marle asked. "It couldn't have been an earthquake." Lucca explained. "We're too far inland. It was probably just a minor shake." Crono and Marle looked at each other. both had a worried look on their faces. The three friends walked back into the castle, ready for the sleep over.

* * *

Inside, the cooks were preparing dinner. Crono had worked up an appetite learning to dance. Everyone was calming down, now that the celebration was over, and the king was sitting at the throne, speaking to the chancellor. Chancellor was furious about something, but they could not here what. Marle walked up to the king to see what was happening. "Daddy. What's going on?! Why are you and the chancellor fighting?" Chancellor faced Marle. "What the king wants is madness!! He wants to..." The king stopped chancellor from finishing. He looked at Marle square in the eye. "It is of no concern of yours, Marle. Please leave us." Marle didn't want to make her father mad, so she did as told. She approached Crono and Lucca. "What did you learn?" Lucca asked. "Nothing much. Daddy wants to do something out of the ordinary, but I'm not sure what." Crono and Lucca looked a little disappointed and curious at the same time. Crono jumped up. "I forgot to tell mom I was sleeping over!" Crono ran out the door. The girls didn't hear Epoch, so he must have been really panicked.

Marle and Lucca proceeded to their room. When they got there, they found that a few attendants were trying to get two more beds into the room. They were also drilling holes into the beds at the top of the corners. They fit the beds together with pegs on the bottom of the legs. When they were done, there were three beds in the room, stacked up on top of each other. "All right! Bunk beds!" Marle was expecting some weird accommodations, but not this! Lucca went over to the tower of beds to look at it. "It looks sturdy enough, but who gets top and middle?" One of the attendants stepped forward. "We were told the lightest should be on top, heaviest on bottom." "No, no, no! That's not quite what I meant. It's strong enough to hold all three of us on top. I just want to know who wants the top bunk." The attendance were confused by this, and left. "Oh well. We should wait till Crono comes back anyway." Marle nodded, and the two walked back to the throne room.

* * *

Crono raced through the forest, trying to get back to his house as fast as possible. He had forgotten about Epoch, but at that time, he didn't care. It was now about 8:00p.m. Crono's mom was bound to be worried. He was almost out of the forest when a rock-like creature appeared. This was a Rubble. Crono didn't have time to stop. He drew his Rainbow and cut the Rubble in half with one slash. He sheathed his sword and kept running.

He reached the edge of the forest as he heard the bell in the center of Leene Square. That ment it was now eight. Crono ran as fast as he could to his house. When he got there, he stopped outside his door and tried to catch his breath. "Crono?" a voice said from inside the house. "Is that you dear?" It was Crono's mom. Crono opened the door to see his mom at the table talking to two girls. "It's okay to sleep over at Marle's." How did she know? Mainle because of his quickly beating heart and panting, he didn't notice who she was talking to. It was Lucca and Marle. "Suprise, Crono!" Marle said, walking up to him. "We beat you here in Epoch. We've been talking with you're mom for the past few minutes." Crono was still panting when Lucca walked up and stood beside Marle. "We still have time before Marle needs to get back. We can go to my house and pick up a few inventions of mine." Crono had an embarrassed look on his face. His breath finally returned to normal. "Thanks, Mom!" Crono said, "I'll be home about three. Okay?" His mom nodded, and they were on their way.

The night air was cool and felt good on Crono. It was a little damp, witch was even better. They took Epoch to Lucca's so they wouldn't be late. Lucca set the ship down just before the bridge to her house. When the hatch opened, Lucca jumped out quickly. Marle and Crono waited in the cockpit. Marle tilted her head back to look at the stars. "Do you have any idea what your father wants to do, Marle?" Marle lifted her head and looked at Crono. "If the chancellor was against it that much, it may have something to do with you. I don't know what daddy's thinking anymore." Crono looked at Marle, who was looking up at the stars again. They had known each other for about three months, and Crono had wanted to propose to Marle, but he is not allowed. He must have at least some royal power. Marle put her head on Crono's shoulder, and he put his arm around her. "Please take your time, Lucca!" Crono thought to himself.

Lucca only took about ten minutes. When she returned, with a box full of stuff, Crono and Marle had fallen asleep. She placed the box in the storage compartment on the underside as quietly as possible, then lightly stepped into the cockpit. Lucca took her time getting back to the castle.

* * *

They arrived back at the castle. Marle was still asleep against Crono, but he had woked up from the landing. "C'mon, Marle." Crono said, shaking Marle. "We're back at the castle." Marle drearily woke up, eyes still half closed. She sat up and looked around, trying to get her bearings. "Well...that was a short nap." Marle managed to get out before yawning. The three got out. Crono helped Lucca get the box out of the storage bin. He already saw two of the things she had brought. The Wonder Shot, a gun of Lucca's, charged with the energy of the Sun Stone, and Marle's Valkrye crossbow. He also saw something that he had never seen before. Possibly a new invention.

When they entered the throne room, Crono set the box down. The king was still feuding with the chancellor. Crono often wondered why the king put up with the chancellor's behavior toward him. When Crono approached, they immediately stopped arguing. The king dismissed Chancellor and stood up. "Crono, approach the throne." Crono looked at Marle, who raised her shoulders in confusion. He did as told and walked closer. "Kneel, Crono." The king commanded. Crono did as told, and balanced himself on one knee. "I normally don't do this, but..." The king raised his sword above his head, ready to bring it crashind down onto Crono's head. Marle and Lucca were so shocked they couldn't scream. To their surprise, he brought the sword down slowly onto Crono's shoulder, flat side down. He raised it again, this time over Crono's head, and onto his other shoulder. "Arise, Sir Crono!" Crono looked up quickly, not exactly sure of what had happened. He stood up, only to have Marle topple him with a hug. "Oh, Crono! I'm so happy!" Crono would be happy if Marle didn't crack a rib! They both got up when Lucca ran over. "Congratulations, Crono!" Lucca said, helping them up. "You and you're mother may move in anytime you like." King Guardia said. Crono knew Marle and his mom would like that. The king wasn't done though. "I appologise that I cannot award you a royal position." Crono knew this meant it would be a while before he could marry Marle.

When Crono pulled together, he picked up the box and hauled it upstairs to Marle's room, soon to be his room too, hopefully. He set the box down in the center of the room just as Lucca and Marle came in. Lucca walked over and opened the box. She pulled everything out, one by one. Her Wonder Shot, Marle's Valkrye, that thing Crono saw, her head gear she used for aimming in battle, a projector of sorts, and another invention Crono didn't recognize. Lucca set the projector on the floor, lens up, and pressed a button. A target appeared in thin air. Lucca picked up the gun, walked across the room, and took aim. "Wait!" Marle yelled. "I don't need a bullet through my wall!" Lucca ignored it, and fired. The electrified bullet hit the target, and left a yellow dot where it hit. She was about an inch away from a bulls-eye. Behind the target, there was no bullet hole. "Wow!" Crono said. "How did that happen?" "It's a teleporter." Lucca explained. "It removes the bullet and leaves a mark. I modified it so that it looks like a target. This is just for fun later." Lucca walked over to the other inventions. She picked up one that had a drill on its bottom and four spikes around it. She handed it to Crono. "Take it out to the garden. I need to try something." Lucca picked up a monitor with a strange keypad and wires hanging off of it. "Meet me there." Lucca dashed out of the room. Marle looked at Crono. "What do you think she's up to now?" Crono looked down on the thing he was holding. "I have no idea, but I want to know." Crono ran out the door. Marle looked over to the bed, at her crossbow. She picked it up and put the strap onto her left shoulder, slung it onto her back, and ran out the door to catch up to her friends.

* * *

The night air in the courtyard was twice as crisp as it was before. Crono admired the stars and the moon. He looked at Marle, and admired her too. Lucca had set the monitor up on a tripod and was wearing her headgear now. The king was also outside with the knight captain, observing Lucca's experiment. "This is a sub-terranian scanning device." Lucca explained. "This will tell us what has been causing the earthquake." Lucca made one final check of the connections. "Crono, Marle. Push the drill into the ground as far as possible, then hold it steady." Marle got onto the opposite side that Crono was on and started to push. Crono gritted his teeth and Marle leaned against it, using her weight to push it. "Hang on tight!" Lucca said as she hit the switch. All of a sudden, the drill turned on and dug itself into the ground. Crono and Marle strained to hold it steady. After a minute, the device had drilled itself into the ground up to the circuit box. Marle leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Crono sat down to rest. Meanwhile, Lucca was hitting keys left and right. The monitor flashed many different pictures and digits. Marle walked over and tried to make out what Lucca was typing. She hit enter and the scanner started to light up. "It kind of looks like a Christmas tree." Crono said. Marle giggled, then turned her attention back to the screen. "What is this?" Marle was looking at a picture of the castle and the rock underneath it. "The machine is scanning for something below the courtyard. I think it's just below us since your mom didn't feel it. That's what we were talking about when you got there." Lucca focused her attention to a strange lump the machine picked up. "It's...it's a...I have no idea what that is!" Lucca hit a switch and the screen closed in on the lump, which kind of looks like a turtle with a rough shell. Marle and Crono looked closer. "Lucca." Marle said. "Can you get any closer?" Lucca answered by hitting a second switch. The screen closed in on the thing again to reveal a huge spiked shell that seemed to wave to the back. The head was a three-jawwed mouth. It had a single eye on the top jaw. "LAVOS?!?!?" all three said at the same time. Lucca looked at the readings. "It's only half the size of the real Lavos. It's probably a teenage Lavos Spawn." All of a sudden, they heard a monsterous, unearthly scream. The ground started to shake violently. Everyone fell to the ground. "I think we woke it up!" Crono screamed. The quaking got worse, and the castle was starting to shake. The ground under the sensor started to come up, and the head of the creature was in site. The quaking stopped, but now they were back to fighting Lavos all over again.

* * *

"It's still big enough to reek havok on the world!" Marle said. "We have to stop it!" Marle drew her crossbow, and Lucca drew her gun. Crono closed his fists, concentrated, and threw a lightning storm at Lavos. It grunted, then it shot a rain of lasers at the whole group, knocking them down. Lucca and Marle got up and began to chant. Marle shot a ball of ice at Lavos that frose its head. Lucca shot a fireball into the ice, blasting it off and blasting Lavos. Crono got up, just as Lavos shot a wave of dark energy at the group. It didn't hurt much. Crono waited for Marle to get up. When she did, he nodded to her. She smiled in reply, then shot another freeze blast into the air. Crono jumped up and swung his sword into the ice energy, then swung at Lavos. The slash froze the head, but Crono wasn't done. He slashed the ice block in every direction. The ice slid along the three main cuts and shattered, hurting the creature. Lucca focused on the neck of Lavos, and all of a sudden, a massive blast of heat exploded from within Lavos. He screamed, then shot three of his shell spined at Lucca. They connected, slashing Lucca's arms and back. She screamed, then collapsed. Marle quickly looked over to see her friend slump over and fall. Marle quickly concentrated and threw a mass of green sparks at Lucca. The cuts healed as the sparks hit them. Lucca slowly got up, then nodded at Marle to say that she was all right. Lavos prepaired to fire a lazer at Crono, but Lucca was ahead of it. She quickly pulled out the virtual target and threw it in front of Crono. It projected a target that absorbed the beam from Lavos. It caught on and redirected what was left of the beam on the projector, destroying it. Crono got mad and closed his fists. He raised his hands above his head, then started to rise into the air. As he went up, lasers appeared from below Lavos's head. When he reached the peak of his float, a good four feet into the air, the core of the lazers exploded, releasing a blinding flash of energy right on top of Lavos. Crono fell back down, only to see Lucca and Marle readying there own attack. Marle let loose all of the magical energy she had to create a massive wave of cold energies. Lucca followed suit, shotting many imence fireballs at Lavos. Lavos screamed and shot another rain of lasers, this time larger than before. It devastated all three members of the group, knocking them all onto their backs. Lavos screamed in victory.

The Knight Captain seemed to have enought. He left the king's side, ran up to Lavos, and slashed as hard as he could. He didn't do much damage. Lavos starred directly at him with its one huge eye. It shot a red beam at the knight, blasting him across the courtyard. The group saw this, and knew they had to end this now. Crono got up, a little dizzy, and focused his energies. Marle and Lucca stood and did the same. Crono made a huge jump and landed behind Lavos. Marle moved to where Crono was. The group was now in a perfect triangle around the beast. The three rose into the air, and energy passed in the middle of them, creating a triangular shapped beam that shot into space. Marle added ice energy to the beam, and the blue blast frose Lavos's spines. Lucca shot her energy into the field, creating a devastating heat blast. It destroyed the smaller of Lavos's spines. Crono used his energy to create a field of electricity. This shattered the remaining spines and the shell. Lavos screamed in agony as it desolved away into a pile of ash. Before it was gone, it made one last thrust at Crono. He quickly drew the Rainbow and slashed off Lavos's head in the same fluid motion.

The party landed and looked at the pile of ash. "Now I understand." Lucca said. "Our dreams were not a reminder. They were a warning. A warning to say we didn't finish the job." Marle walked beside the largest hill of ash and gave it a swift kick. "And good ridance! I never want to do that again!" She slumped down to her knees, panting.

Crono walked over to the knight who tried to help. Lucca came over to inspect. "I guess he died when the blast hit him." Crono kneeled to see the captain. "He was too brave to be lost so easily." Crono stood up and turned. His glance fell onto the king. "Crono," the king began. "It appears that I made a mistake when I knighted you." This shocked Crono and Marle, but pleased the Chancellor, who had been looking out the window of his room. The king walked to the body of the knight captain and pulled a medal from his neck. "This is the Hero Medal, the symbol of the leader of my knights, and as you know, I am in the need of a new one. Kneel." Crono did as told. He was surprised when he felt the medal being slipped over his hair and around his neck. "I now appoint you the new knight captain. This position does hold royal power, so if you wish to marry my daughter, you have my blessing." Marle and Crono were very happy to hear this. The chancellor, on the other hand, had fainted against his window frame. Crono stood up quickly, only to kneel again in front of Marle, not wanting to waste any time. As he kneeled, he took Marle's hand. "Marle, my love, will you marry me?" Marle could hardly speak. "Yes, Crono!" she managed to get out. Crono stood up and hugged Marle. It was all he could do, he was so happy.

The chancellor was coming to, only to hear the king say "Chancellor! Make preparations for a wedding!" Chancellor fainted again, this time against the ground with a thud that echoed throughout the castle. Everyone laughed as they went back into the castle to prepare for the wedding.

The End


Scyther's Fanfiction