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*Our story begins on a seemingly peaceful late afternoon at Madi and Sadie’s house, we see Madi getting herself dressed up, she’s looking at herself in a mirror and she’s wearing a sundress, she gives herself finger guns*
Madi: Lookin’ good.
*She steps out of her room and finds Sadie reading a book called “Finding Artifacts for Fools”, Sadie looks up from it and faces her sister*
Sadie: Wow, haven’t seen you in that kind of outfit in a long time.
Madi: Even I don’t mind donning this kind of getup once in a while.
Sadie: Have a good time on your date, by the way.
Madi: Thanks, Dee.
*With that, she heads out and makes her way through the town, supernatural creatures are going about their day, such as a unicorn who’s carving a heart and “Corny & Peggy” into a tree trunk with his horn, his pegasus girlfriend sighs dreamily*
Madi: Reminds me of myself and my Spunky.
*She then arrives at the Bonedrift Beach, it’s a spooky-looking beach with shadowy water, she then hears Pipwolf’s voice*
Pipwolf: Oh, Marble… *He says in a singsong tone*
*Madi looks up and sees him by the snack bar, he’s got some cotton candy in the shape of a ghost, she smiles when she sees him, and her snakes squeak in delight*
Madi: Hey Spunky!
Pipwolf: I got us the biggest cotton candy on sale, it’s a surprise from me to you.
Madi: Now that’s what I call sweet.
*Some of her snakes giggle, others roll their eyes; Madi and Pipwolf both sit by a bench and eat it together, her snakes also join in on the feast, a few bicker over it*
Madi: Now, hold on, there’s plenty for everybody.
*Some of the snakes stick their tongues out at the others, while the others glare at them, Madi and Pipwolf’s lips end up touching while they’re eating the cotton candy, their eyes widen in shock*
Madi: Oh, geez! I didn’t mean to do that!
*Madi blushes, her snakes squeal in surprise and cover her face, a big smile comes to Pipwolf’s face and he howls*
Pipwolf: Awoooo Nelly! That felt good!
*Madi chuckles at this*
Madi: Oh, you goof.
Pipwolf: There’s somethin’ cute I gotta show ya, just follow me.
Madi: What is it?
Pipwolf: Just ya wait and see.
*He brings to her a cave; there are bats hanging from the ceiling and they’re fast asleep*
Pipwolf: Aren’t they just plain adorable when they’re all wrapped up like that?
*Madi’s smile fades*
Madi: Yeah…sure.
Pipwolf: Is somethin’ up, Marble?
Madi: I-It's nothing..
*Her snakes on the other hand look saddened, Madi then clears her throat*
Madi: Anyway, um, isn’t the sun going to set soon? That’s why we came here.
Pipwolf: Oh, yeah! I came prepared.
*He digs in his bag and finds a towel*
Pipwolf: I know the perfect spot fer us.
*He exits the cave, Madi follows him, still trying to hide how she feels, while her snakes still have their heads bowed; Pipwolf then sets the towel in the sand, right in the middle of the beach*
Pipwolf: We'll be sure to get a great view of the sunset from here.
Madi: Yeah..
*They sit down together, Pipwolf wraps his arm around Madi, she’s starting to feel a bit better now that she can feel her boyfriend’s warmth and she sighs*
*The water is beginning to ripple, Pipwolf’s ears perk up, while Madi squints at the moving water*
Pipwolf: Do ya hear somethin’?
Madi: No, but I sort of see something.
*A giant sea serpent begins to emerge from the sea, it hisses at them, Pipwolf yelps in fright and Madi’s snakes squeak in terror*
Madi: Run!!
*The people on the beach see it and scream in fear, they all start to make a run for it, Madi gets up and start to run up the beach, only for Pipwolf to stand his ground and shake his fist at it*
Pipwolf: Get outta here! My Marble’s got a sunset she wants to see!
*The sea serpent snarls at him, Madi turns around in disbelief*
Madi: What’re you doing?! Hurry up!
*She takes Pipwolf by the wrist and pulls him away, she then trips on a small rock and falls into the sand, her snakes yelp and her sunglasses fall off*
Madi: Oof!
*She squeezes her eyes shut to keep from accidentally petrifying anyone, she looks around for her sunglasses, so the sea serpent extends its head in her direction, gnashing its teeth, Pipwolf turns around and sees it coming for her*
Pipwolf: Marble!
*He starts to run back to where she is as the sea serpent gets closer and closer to her*
Pipwolf: Oh, no, ya don’t!
*Madi finally finds her shades and puts them back on, she looks up and finds Pipwolf jumping in front of her protectively, before she can do anything else, the sea serpent snaps its jaws on him*
Madi: PIPWOLF!!! *She screams in anguish*
*Her snakes shriek in devastation, Madi’s eyes well up with tears*
Madi: No… No…
*She sinks to her knees and puts her face in her hands, she starts to cry gently, her snakes nuzzle her cheeks to comfort her*
Madi: Please…don’t leave me… Not again… *She says through her sobbing*
*Suddenly, the serpent starts to screech in pain, Madi slowly looks up when she hears this, she sees that Pipwolf is in the mouth of the sea serpent, he’s holding its jaws open, Madi and her snakes gasp when they see this*
Madi: Pip?!
Pipwolf: Don’t worry ‘bout me! Just turn it to stone! And hurry!! *He says in a strained voice as he struggles to keep its mouth open*
Madi: I will!
*She wipes her eyes and whips off her sunglasses and stares right into the sea serpent’s eyes, it turns to stone from the waist up until it is fully a statue, Pipwolf then jumps out of its mouth and dives into the sea with a splash, he emerges from the water and shakes himself dry before approaching Madi*
Pipwolf: Gawrsh, that was a close one, huh?
*Madi’s hands shake as a look of fury appears on her face*
Madi: What the heck, Pipwolf?!
*Pipwolf yips and jolts back in fright*
Pipwolf: Wha- Madi?
Madi: How could you be so reckless?! That thing nearly ate you!
Pipwolf: W-Well I-
Madi: I thought you were dead! I thought you were gone forever!
*Madi starts to tear up as she's ranting*
Madi: If anything happened to you, I never would've forgiven myself! I can't lose you again, Esme!
*Pipwolf then looks at her in confusion*
Pipwolf: …Esme?
*Madi's eyes widen in horror when she realizes what she said*
Madi: Um…I…I mean…
Pipwolf: Who’re ya talkin’ ‘bout?
*Madi looks down at the sand in shame, tears start to go down her face again*
Madi: My…my first girlfriend… *She says in a shaking voice*
*Pipwolf is surprised*
Pipwolf: You used to be with someone else?
Madi: Mm-hmm…my Sonar…
Pipwolf: Did.. Did somethin’ bad happen to her?
*Madi slowly shakes her head*
Madi: It was a long time ago… Long before I met you..
*There is a flashback of Madi with a blonde vampire woman, who is Esme herself, they’re watching Love at First Bite on the couch together; Esme rests her head on Madi’s shoulder, we hear Madi’s narration*
Madi: She was honestly one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She was one of the few people I wasn’t afraid to be myself around.
*In the flashback, Madi turns to Esme*
Madi: I don’t tell that many people how much I love this show. I keep thinking they’ll find me weak for being a fan of something as lovey-dovey as this.
Esme: Well, if they think that about you, then they’re not really worth it, are they, Rocky?
Madi: No, I guess not.
Esme: Exactly, I know just how strong you really are.
*We see another flashback of them, they’re both dancing on the ceiling at a party, Esme is holding onto Madi to keep her from falling off, her snakes look rather nervous up there*
Madi: This is a strange place to cut a rug, but I kinda like it anyway!
Esme: Trust me, Rocky, the ceiling is the best place to dance, it's much more lively than dancing on the ground.
Madi: It’s definitely a lot more intense!
*Some of her snakes get dizzy and turn green in the face, we hear Madi’s narration*
Madi: My Sonar always lived life on the wild side, she was just so fun to be around.
*We see Esme as a bat, she’s holding onto the back of Madi’s shirt and carrying her through the night*
Madi: Woo-hoo!
*They fly through the clouds and past the stars*
Esme: Aw yeah, baby!
*We hear Madi’s narration*
Madi: She made me feel even more alive than I already was. I didn't even know it was possible to feel that way until I met her. She lived every day like it was her last, and then…
*We then see another flashback of Madi and Esme walking through the woods during the day, Esme is wearing a hood to protect herself from the sunlight*
Madi: You know, Sonar, you didn't have to come on this walk with me, I know how the sun hurts you.
Esme: Oh, don’t be silly, I wanted to come along. Besides, you know a little risk does my heart good.
Madi: I know, but what if something happens?
Esme: What could go wrong when I'm spending time with you?
*Madi smiles at her*
Madi: Good point.
*They pass by a statue of a gargoyle next to an old abandoned mansion, the gargoyle’s eyes follow them*
Esme: Let’s go inside, there are probably lots of ghosts in there!
Madi: Maybe there’ll be a relic that I can bring home to Sadie.
*They both enter, the gargoyle then flies off its perch and spies on them from an open window, the two girlfriends go through a hallway full of suits of armor*
Esme: There’s gotta be a ghost hiding in…here!
*She opens up a treasure chest, nothing’s inside*
Esme: …Dang it.
*Madi looks at the suits of armor, while they’re both distracted, the gargoyle sneaks in through the window, as it silently starts to reach the floor, its wing bumps into a vase, this knocks it to the floor and it shatters, the girls turn around and see the beast*
Esme: Oh, shoot!
*The gargoyle snarls at them and starts to fly after them, Madi’s snakes squeal in terror*
Madi: I’ve got this!
*She takes off her shades, but the gargoyle is unaffected due to already being made of stone, Esme grabs Madi’s wrist and drags her off*
Esme: Come on!!
*The girls start to run as fast as they can, but the gargoyle relentlessly chases after them, it catches up to Madi and picks her up with its hind claws, her snakes shriek*
Esme: Rocky!!
Madi: Help!! Put me down!!
*The gargoyle then carries Madi out the open window, Madi and Esme reach for each other futilely*
Esme: No!!
*Madi tries to pry herself out of the gargoyle’s grasp, but it just tightens its grip on her, she shouts in pain as it does so, Madi's snakes are freaking out, squeaking hysterically*
*Esme watches as the gargoyle takes her girlfriend away, knowing she has no other choice, she takes a deep breath and gets a determined look on her face, she finally turns into a bat, leaving her cloak behind, and she soars out the window*
*As soon as the sunlight makes contact with her skin, she feels a searing pain as her wings catch on fire, but she ignores it and continues to pursue the gargoyle, at this point, Madi's snakes are squeakily crying hysterically, fearing that they're about to become the gargoyle's meal*
Madi: If you think you're gonna make a meal outta me, you've got another thing comi-
*It's at this point that she notices Esme flying towards her and that the flames are moving across her body, her eyes widen in horror and anguish*
Madi: Sonar!! No!!
Esme: I’m…coming! *She says in a strained voice*
*Esme then headbutts the gargoyle, setting it on fire as well, it screeches in agony and lets go of Madi, she falls for a moment, but Esme manages to catch her and starts swooping back to the ground*
Madi: Esme!! You’re…! You’re…! *She chokes out*
Esme: Don't worry about me! All I care about right now is keeping you safe! *She says in a strained voice*
*She finally manages to get to the ground and gently puts Madi down, once she does, she collapses as the flames completely envelop her body
Madi: Esme!! No!!
*Madi’s eyes fill with tears and reaches out to touch her, but Esme shakes her head*
Esme: No…I’ll burn you too… *She says in a raspy, dry voice*
*She then looks up at her and smiles*
Esme: Rocky…I’m so glad you’re alive…. Please live on..for me… *She says weakly*
*Esme then finally evaporates into ashes, tears stream down Madi's face*
Madi: No! No!! Esme!! ESME!!! *She screams in devastation*
*She falls down to her hands and knees as she breaks down sobbing, as do her snakes*
Madi: Not for me..! Why'd you die for me..?! *She says through her sobbing*
*We then hear Madi’s narration*
Madi: And with her, part of me died too… *She says in a shaking voice*
*In the present day, she has her face in her hands, Pipwolf gives her a saddened look as she weeps*
Madi: I felt like she was gone because of me.. Just like it would’ve been my fault if I’d lost you too.. *She says tearfully*
*Pipwolf whines softly*
Pipwolf: Madi.. Ya shouldn't blame yourself for Esme's death, she died because she loved ya, and wanted you to be the one to live..
*Madi looks down at the sand with a look of guilt on her face*
Madi: Well.. She shouldn't have saved me… I'm not even worth it..
*Pipwolf looks stunned by this*
Pipwolf: But you are worth it. She loved ya so much, and I do too. If she hadn’t saved ya, I never woulda had ya in my life, and neither would Sadie.
*Madi looks up at him and sniffles*
Madi: I love you a lot, too, but she left us all too soon. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if things had been different.
*Pipwolf looks down at the sand*
Pipwolf: Well.. I'm sure she'd be proud of how far you've come since that day..cuz I know I am. Yer a loyal person and there ain’t a thing ya wouldn’t do to keep yer loved ones safe. And I’m real sorry I reminded ya of what happened that day.. I had no idea..
*Madi wipes at her eyes, her snakes nuzzle her cheeks*
Madi: I’m just glad you saved my life, that you’re still here.
Pipwolf: And y’know what? I know how it feels to lose someone like that..
*Madi looks curious, her snakes tilt their heads in confusion*
Madi: You do?
*Pipwolf slowly nods his head*
Pipwolf: I had a girlfriend before you as well.. Her name was Luna Lu, she was a werewolf like me..
*Madi looks saddened by this as do her snakes*
Madi: Did..Did she die too?
Pipwolf: No, but she went away one day and I never saw her again.
Madi: Oh, sorry about that..
Pipwolf: I still wonder how she’s doin’, but love goes on. It did for the both of us.
*He wraps his arms around Madi*
Pipwolf: The pain never leaves us all the way, but we have lots of care to give.
*Madi then hugs him back and smiles*
Madi: Thank you, Spunky… You've really helped me feel alive again, just like she did.
Pipwolf: You’ve done the same fer me, Marble.
*He then notices that the sun is going down*
Pipwolf: Hey, look! It’s finally settin’!
*Madi looks up and sees that the sky is getting orange*
Madi: It’s…so beautiful.
*She rests her head on Pipwolf’s shoulder, he wags his tail and they both watch the sunset together like they’d set out to do, once the moon rises, Pipwolf takes a deep breath and howls*
Pipwolf: Woo-wee! That’s one of the best parts of any sunset!
*Madi chuckles, she then sees a constellation in the shape of Esme and stares at it in awe*
Madi: Wow…I already had her ashes in a vase at home, but now I know she really is watching over me.
*A bittersweet smile comes to her face, Pipwolf takes her hand*
Pipwolf: How ‘bout we just sit here and watch the stars for a while?
Madi: I would love to, Spunky.
*And with that, they continue to look at the constellations together*
(The end)