Chapter Text
"What's going on?" Pix asked as he left his castle.
"The end of the world, M'Lord," one of his people replied, a little girl in his arms, "We heard that Mazalea is safe."
"Why?" Pix asked, "Is Pixandria not safe?"
"Look out the window, Sire."
The man, clutching his daughter, who Pixl now realizes is crying, runs away. Pix walks to a window. As he does, a sharp, horrible pain strikes him.
The sight is horrifying.
The desert yurts are destroyed, the roofs caved in. The lanterns that Pix enchanted to always stay up have fallen. The town square was destroyed, the fountain devoid of water.
Another thing, everyone was gone. Everyone.
Pixandria was deserted.
The only thing that caught Pix's eyes were the candles.
When Pixl inherited Pixandria, the candles were a way of keeping track of the other leader's health. When they were hurt or in need of medical attention, the candles would know.
All of the candles were still standing. Some even floated in place, probably because the fountain foundation fell down. Either way, a strange energy was pulsing off of the place.
When Pix got closer, he yelled in pain. Everything was blurry and red. It hurt. Pixl was in pain. When he looked down at himself, he couldn't see his body.
Am I… Pixl though, fading?
Pix sighed. Due to something (he has no idea what), he was in a hibernation-like sleep. It was… weird. Clearly, everything went wrong.
Jimmy… Pix thought, and then panicked.
Aeor, Katherine! Lizzie!
Joel.
Pix's heart sank. The Cod Alliance. Were they okay?
He ran to the candles. They burned brightly against the pale gray sky. Well, some of them did.
The thought of any of the alliance, much less his son, would be hurt fills him with dread.
He went to his candle first. The Cream colored candles flickered in and out, sometimes disappearing entirely before coming back. Like it was…
Fading, Pix realized, Like I am.
He'd always known that the Vigil candles had prophetic abilities. Meaning that soon Pixl will die.
He tried not to think about his fading body.
And kingdom.
He moved on to Katherine's. Her Blue candles were burning, but like they were sad. The flowers that used to surround the candles were shriveled and withered.
That was… concerning. It didn't seem like Katherine was happy and healthy. However, she seemed alive.
He'll take alive.
Pix went to Shrub's next. Shelby's candles were yellow, a vibrant shade for a vibrant person, Pixl thinks. However, the candles were gray, much like Shubble's personality now.
The candles were blazing, heat radiating from the flames. Pixl has had enough experience to know that it means Nether. Shelby's in the Nether. Maybe it's safer then where The Undergrove lays.
A wolf, one that Pix tamed himself, lays at the foot of the candles, whining for Shelby.
Fwip's candle, a bright red, shined brightly, never better. The base was blackened a bit, but other than that it looked good.
In fact, the flickering pattern matched up with that of Gem's.
Her purple candles were standing remarkably well. However, usually there were magical aspects to the display, like flying paper dragons and magical tendrils.
There were no dragons. There were no tendrils. It was gone. The magic was gone.
Jimmy's green candle was burning, yes, but the Cod stuff that Jimmy insisted Pixl put near the candles were gone, replaced by a single cod and a single salmon. Both dead.
Pix shivered. He understood the meaning. Kind of. Basically, from what he can tell, Jimmy and Fwip tried to reconcile, but before they could do that, the end of the world happened. While both leaders were alive, their kingdoms, and possibly their pride, were gone.
He went to Joel. While Joel technically wasn't Pix's official son, it did feel like it. The younger would seek out advice from the older ruler and participate in events that could be seen as "Father-Son Bonding."
Joel's magenta candles burned brightly. However, some of the candles were broken right through, collapsing on the ground. A single ring, one with a lapis lazuli in the center, was placed next to it.
Oh, Joel, Pixl winced sympathetically. Either something was wrong with Lizzie, or their marriage was over.
Lizzie.
He ran over to her candles. The light blue candles, which usually have tiny waves blowing through them, were gone. The memorabilia which was gifted to him were gone, replaced with a Glow Squid head.
There was also no flame.
The flame was gone. In fact, it seemed like the candles were replaced. No wax was on the candles or the platform where they stood. It seemed like someone took the old candles, cleaned the platform, and then put the new candles, forgetting to re-light them.
But that's impossible.
Lizzie is dead.
Lizzie is dead.
A spike of pain ran through Pixl, but he didn’t care. His friend was dead. She was dead. And she’s never coming back.
Pix started crying, begging that The Gods take mercy and let her come back.
I have to go on, he thought, for my friends.
He stumbled to the next person's candles. Sausage's black candles were out too. They looked like they were burnt to a crisp, with red wool burning. The horrid burning smelled of blood.
Red tentacles, ones that reminisce the ones during Xornoth's rule, wrapped around the unlit candles, squeezing life out of the candles.
Sausage is dead. By the hand of Xornoth, it looks like.
Everything was going wrong. Everything.
Pix didn’t even cry for Sausage. He was done. With death and pain and everything. Pixl was done.
Numb, he moved on to Joey's. His lime candles were also unlit. The vines that Sausage had were here, but overwhelming, like they wanted to be there as opposed to being forced.
Joey's candles were burnt to a crisp like Sausage's, but this time they were squished.
Joey has always had a crush and relationship with Xornoth. Pix gets from the candles that Xornoth and Joey have started their relationship again, most likely a romantic one. However, it's weird, since Joey's dead. His candles' out, so he has to be.
Pixl moved on to Pearl's orange candles. Usually, they burned brighter than any of the other leader's candles. It reflected her sunny personality.
Her personality now was none.
The orange candles were now dark, withering. The flame was gone, leaving a blackened tip at the end. Wither roses surrounded the dead candles, milk bottles mocking the candles.
Pearl died to wither, something not even milk could save.
Pixl was numb. He didn't cry. It was pointless, wasn't it? He was dying, and his friends were already dead. Maybe he'd see them again.
The last one, Scott's cyan candles, had no flame. Pix expected this. Around the candles, his brother’s tendrils wrapped around him, corroding.
Corroding? The tentacles were dying?
Another thing that looked weird: the candles seemed… Happy. Peaceful. Like the sun was glowing on them, making everything seem… Good.
Good. Huh.
Pixl forgot what it was like to feel good. He was in such a deep sleep. One without any good emotions. One full of pain and suffering. Yet Scott’s looked so peaceful.
Pix could infer that Scott defeated Xornoth, dying in the process.
Makes sense, there was the prophecy.
However, Scott went to the elfish equivalent of heaven. He, at least, was safe.
Pix was tired. Ironic, isn’t it? After sleeping for a long time, he would be put there once again.
He sat against his candle. The flicker of his candles were wavering, going in and out.
Pix didn’t hurt anymore. He was tired. He wanted to go to sleep.
Let me sleep.
The candle burned out. His cream colored wax stopped dripping. The wax cooled to the base. It took its last breath before becoming extinguished.
PixlRiffs, king of Pixandria, died.