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Princess Gemini Tay was walking through the palace yard, having been practicing with some of the royal guards all day. Her wavy, ginger hair was tied up in a french braid, and she was wearing a white tunic with a green corset vest and brown pants. Her dads, King Impulse SV and King Skizzlemen, had requested she take a break.
As she walked, she heard rustling in the bushes. She decided to brush it off as just a small animal, but as she continued walking, she started to feel as if someone was watching her.
“Come on Gem, you're just being paranoid.” She told herself, walking up to one of the bushes. Her hand still hovered over her sword as she pushed the bushes back. She chuckled to herself when she saw nothing there. She turned around to continue her walk back to the palace, but two people in hooded cloaks stood in front of her, one holding a sword and the other holding an axe.
“Stand back!” Gem yelled, unsheathing her sword. The hooded figures obeyed.
“Gatekeep! Now!” The one with the sword yelled. Gem frantically started looking around, only to see a splash potion of weakness flying towards her, a third hooded person emerging from behind a tree.
“GUARDS!” She yelled, hoping Etho or Joel was still around. Sure enough, the pair ran up, swords at the ready.
“INTRUDERS!” Joel yelled. The hooded person with the sword muttered something under their breath as they grabbed the now defenseless Gem, who was starting to lose consciousness.
“They have Gem!” Etho yelled, charging at them. The one with the axe simply whistled, and a giant dog tackled Etho to the ground, the force being enough to knock him out. The axe person and the one holding Gem then sat on the dog's back.
The last thing Gem remembered was the dog jumping over the castle fence into the woods.
~~~~~~
“Your majisties!” A guard with a black eye and missing teeth ran up to the two kings. “The princess has been captured.”
The kings tried to process what they were just told. “What?” The blue eyed, black haired angel hybrid king said, standing up.
“TheprincesswastakenoutoftheyardandEthowasknockedoutand-”
“Bdubs!” Now standing with his husband, the other king, a brown haired demon hybrid, held his hand up, shushing the guard. “Slow down. Take a deep breath.”
Bdubs took a deep breath before starting again. “The princess was taken by a group of three cloaked bandits after her practice with Etho and Joel. Joel and a few of the others are searching the forest as we speak, and Etho is in the med bay, still unconscious.”
The demon hybrid saw his husband's eyes filling with tears. “Could you give us a minute? Have all the guards searching everywhere.”
Bdubs nodded and bowed before exiting the throne room.
“Impulse, how could this happen?” The angel hybrid asked, tears officially streaming down his face.
Impulse wrapped his husband in a hug, barely holding back his own tears. “I don’t know, Skizz. I don’t know.”
~~~~~~
Joel swore he could hear someone sneaking around the forest.
“Come out already! This is getting pretty bloody annoying!” Joel yelled.
“I already did. When I was 9.”
Joel spun around, yet he still saw no one.
The voice giggled. “Nope. Not there. Try again!”
“ARGH!” Joel yelled in frustration. He threw his sword at a random tree. “REVEAL YOURSELF ALREADY!!”
“Where’s the fun in that, Joel?” The voice said while Joel retrieved his sword.
“How do you know my name?”
The voice snickered. “It was all Etho was saying last night after your guys training session.”
Joel's face turned bright red. “H-how were you there? WHY were you there?”
“Recon. Don’t worry, I didn’t watch. That’s just weird.”
Joel swore he was getting closer to the voice. “So, you some kind of assassin?” He asked, hoping to keep the voice talking. Unfortunately, the voice decided to stay quiet.
“Quiet now, eh?” He muttered. “I guess I'm getting close.”
Suddenly, Joel heard a yell from deeper in the forest. He ran to investigate. One of the local hunters' traps had been set off, and a cloaked person was thrashing around the net hanging in the tree, trying to escape. Joel grabbed a rock from the ground, chucking it at what he hoped was the person's head. The person immediately stopped. Joel lowered the net, and took the cloaked figures' satchel, bow, and arrows before tying the net back up.
~~~~~~
Gem slowly opened her eyes, confused at where she was before the memories came back to her. She was currently laying in a net in the corner of some cave, her hands and legs bound. She couldn’t see any of the cloaked people around, their actual cloaks hanging on a cloak rack next to the exit. The cave was a mix of just a cave and decently homey, with three cots on the other end, and seats around a massive, smooth stone as a table. There were a bunch of unlit torches on the walls. Gem swore she could see some kind of chest room behind the cots.
After feeling the ground around her, she felt a rock poking through the next. With a smile, she started rubbing it against the ropes binding her hands.20 minutes later, she managed to saw through the ropes on her hands. She untied her feet, and started sawing the net open. Just as she was nearly finished, she heard someone approaching the cave. She quickly laid the ropes back against her legs and hands and put the hole she had sawed through under her body.
Gem kept her eyes ever so slightly open to try and see what was going on. Two of the people were talking, and because they didn’t have their cloaks, Gem could get a good look at them. The one with the sword was a zombie with red hair that went a little past their shoulders, a vine with leaves laying on top of their head like a flower crown. She was wearing a tattered dark blue blouse that went off their shoulders, the sleeves ending right above her elbows, and black pants that went a little below her knees.
The one with the axe was some kind of wolf hybrid, with her ears and tail. She was quite tall, and had long, brown hair. She was wearing a plain white tunic, the top strings left untied, her sleeves bunched up above the elbows, a black corset belt, black pants, and black boots that went up to her knees. The most shocking thing to Gem was the fact that they both looked around her age.
“He should be here by now. It’s been 6 hours.” The zombie was saying. “We may need to move on without him.”
“We can’t just abandon him.” The wolf hybrid argued. “We’re supposed to stick together.” Gem noticed the wolf hybrid's teeth were a little sharper, especially her canines.
“I never said we should just abandon him. I think we should drop off the princess, get paid, and then go back for him.” Gem assumed “him” was the one that had thrown the potion at her.
“What if he’s not there? What if he’s, you know?” The wolf hybrid asked.
The zombie put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. Knowing Scott, he probably got too cocky, and was captured, which means they’ll keep him alive long enough for us to break him out.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” The wolf hybrid sighed. “We should probably get going. We’ve got about another day and a half of walking.”
“Is Tilly up for that?” The zombie started walking towards their cloaks.
The wolf hybrid nodded. “I found a massive pile of rotten flesh. She’s good to stay big for the rest of the journey.”
“Great. I’ll just grab the princess, and we’ll be on our way.” The zombie said, tossing the wolf hybrid her red cloak before walking towards Gem.
Just as the zombie bent over, Gem jumped up and pushed them over. The zombie fell over, having been caught off guard. Gem grabbed the zombie's sword, and ran towards the exit. Suddenly, she felt someone tackle her from behind, making her drop the sword. Her attacker then pinned her to the wall.
It was the wolf hybrid.
“Now where do you think you’re going, missy?” The wolf hybrid asked, an almost psychotic grin on her face. Gem tried to worm her way out, but the wolf hybrid was too strong. The zombie had recovered, and stepped behind the wolf hybrid. “Cl-Gaslight, do we have another weakness potion?”
The zombie shook their head. “Gatekeep kept them all in his satchel.”
The wolf hybrid sighed. “I guess we’ll just need better ropes. This one's a slippery one.” Suddenly, the wolf hybrid ears started twitching. The previously giant dog ran into the cave, whimpering.
“What hap- wait. No.” Gaslight said, voice filled with annoyance.
The wolf hybrid nodded. “Storm. Probably won’t pass for a day or two.”
Gaslight sighed. “I’ll go grab some firewood before the storm starts. Do we have enough food stored up from the last time?”
The wolf hybrid nodded. With that, Gaslight put on her cloak, grabbed their sword, and left the cave.
“Well, I guess we’re just gonna have to hunker down here for a few days. How fun!” The wolf hybrid said, a seemingly genuine smile on her face as she grabbed Gem and started tying her hands and legs back up even tighter than before.
“Where are you bringing me?” Gem asked.
“Wow, I guess she speaks.” The wolf hybrid said. “I cannot tell you that.”
“Who even are you guys?”
“Well, that I can answer. Me, Gaslight, and Gatekeep are the G’s.”
Gem gasped. The G’s were well known all across the land as a deadly trio. They hadn’t been on the scene very long, only a year and a half, but that's all it took to leave a mark. No one knew who they truly were. Gem couldn’t help but think she was one of the first people to see their faces.
“Why can’t you tell me where we are going?" Gem finally asked.
“Man, you ask a lot of questions.” The wolf hybrid lifted Gem to another part of the cave that had a long rock that the wolf hybrid started to tie her to.
“Are you gonna answer them?”
“As pretty as you are, I can’t. Our clients wish to remain confidential, and telling you where we’re going would break that.” The wolf hybrid stepped back to admire her handiwork.
“What’s your name?”
“Was seeing my face not enough?” The wolf hybrid responded, smiling. “You can call me Girlboss.”
“That can’t really be your name.”
“Yes it is. To you, and everyone else besides Gaslight and Gatekeep.”
“You mean Scott?”
The Girlboss’ face paled. “How much did you hear?”
“Not very much. Just that Scott was probably caught, and you guys are going after him after you get paid for bringing me to what I assume is an enemy kingdom.” Girlboss stayed silent, leaving Gem to believe she was right.
“You’re smart and pretty. Who would’ve thought.” Girlboss finally said.
“I try. So, what kingdom?”
“Like I already told you, I can’t say.”
“Fine. What do they want with me?”
“We don’t get that information. We just do whatever the client wants, then we get paid.”
Gem raised an eyebrow. “Anything?”
“Pretty much. We have denied a few people.”
“What for?” Gem decided her next best strategy was to wait for another good strategy.
“A guy wanted Gatekeep to make him a ton of sleeping potions for when he went out to the pub. Instead, he told me the guy's home address, and Tilly got a good meal. We also just refused to help poachers. And that lady who wanted to kill her trans son.”
“You guys sound pretty chill. Why do you kidnap princesses and burn villages?”
Girlboss turned away. “You wouldn’t understand Princess. It’s not easy being a wolf hybrid or a zombie in the real world. We have our line, and this is within those lines, so we do what we need to do to survive.” Girlboss sighed, then turned back to Gem with a smile. “Anyways, I need to calm down Tilly and start some dinner before Gaslight comes back.”
As Girlboss carried her dog to another room of the cave, Gem started to think of what her dads must be thinking. She already missed them.
“I’ll see you soon. Don’t worry.” She muttered.
10 minutes later, Girlboss walked back in, carrying some fire wood. “Tilly is terrified of the rain, so we can’t really go anywhere.” She explained, setting the wood down in the fire pit.
“Where did you get her?” Gem asked, continuing her previous strategy of waiting for another strategy.
“I found her on a random walk in the woods when I was three. Her mom had been killed by a hunter, so I brought her back to my cave, and we’ve been close ever since.”
Gem was confused. “Your cave? Was it this one?”
Girlboss laughed, starting to light the fire. “No. It was A LOT further away. Like I said, it’s not easy being a wolf hybrid, so every time a nearby village saw me, me and Tilly would just move caves.”
“That’s awful.” Gem said, genuinely feeling sorry for her. “Have you ever been to PixelPulse Valley?”
“I mean, this cave is decently close. But no, taking you was my first time there.” Girlboss had successfully started a fire, and was grabbing something from the chest room. “I don’t actually know anything about PixelPulse Valley besides the kings are the Demon and Angel kings, and it’s strong enough to keep even the strongest kingdoms away.”
“PixelPulseValley is incredible.” Gem smiled, thinking about her kingdom. “Everyone is welcome there, as long as you’re not evil and a bigot.”
Girlboss scoffed, putting things in a giant bowl for soup. “Princess, I’ve moved all over. There’s no such thing as an entire kingdom that tolerates everyone. Tiny villages no bigger than 20 people? Yeah. But they never last.”
“You know why my dads are called the Demon and Angel kings?”
Girlboss shrugged her shoulders. “Their attitudes?”
“No. One of my dads, Impulse, is a demon hybrid, and my other dad, Skizz, is an angel hybrid.”
Girlboss stopped stirring the soup and turned towards Gem. “Wait, actually?”
Gem nodded. “I’m surprised you don’t know.”
“Well, I doubt they would let a couple of murderers like me, Gaslight, and Gatekeep in.” Girlboss put the pot above the fire pit.
“Well, my dads adopted me, and my hands were far from clean.”
“Really?” Girlboss gave Gem an amused smile. “You? Killing people?”
Gem looked down. It wasn’t something she really liked to talk about. “My parents died when I was a baby, so I was raised by an old soldier in a decent sized village a little bit west of PixelPulse Valley, and he raised me the same way he was raised. He died when I was five, and I spent two months on the streets. I did some things I wasn’t proud of. I’m still not proud.” Gem sighed, remembering the men that had dared cross her, a few of them innocent. “At one point, the kings of PixelPulse Valley visited, and as they walked through the streets, I lunged at them. However, I missed, and Skizz being Skizz, he asked where my parents were. I said none of their business, like the sassy child I was. One of the villagers told them about what I had done, and instead of running away, my dads asked why no one had bothered to take me in and help me. Impulse asked if I wanted to come with them, and I accepted.” Gem smiled. “I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
“Do you think me and the other Gs could live there?” Girlboss asked, completely throwing Gem off by the desperate tone in her voice.
“I mean, if you brought me back, and showed that you’re just doing what you have to, I don’t see why not.”
Girlboss started to say something, but by then, Gaslight had come in, arms full of firewood. Girlboss went to help them put it away, and Gem decided to try and fall asleep, succeeding by the time they were done.
~~~~~~
Etho woke up in the castle's medical wing, with Joel sitting in a chair next to him.
“Hey. How are you doing babe?” He asked. Etho tried to sit up, but he instantly felt dizzy. “Woah, slow down. The doctor said you probably have a concussion. You hit the ground pretty hard.”
“Where’s Gem?” Etho asked. Joel looked down.
“They got her.”
Etho curled his fist. “I-I failed.”
Joel shook his head, grabbing Ethos hand. “Babe, you did all you could.”
“But they still got her!”
“And we’re still looking for her.” Joel assured him, before smiling. “We did get one of the kidnappers.”
Etho perked up at that. “Really?”
Joel nodded. “I figured you wanna help interrogate them.”
Slowly this time, Etho sat up. “Well, let's go!”
Joel chuckled. “Fine.”
20 minutes later, Joel and Etho walked down to where the prisoner was being kept in the dungeon. Their face was still hidden, and they were huddled in the corner. They were chained to the floor of the small cell, and Etho assumed under the cloak their arms and legs were chained up.
Joel banged on the cell door. “OI, turn around!” Reluctantly, the prisoner did what they were told. “And take off that hood!”
With a sigh, the prisoners lowered the hood, revealing a 16 year old elf boy with bright teal hair underneath, which shocked the two guards.
“What? Expecting some buff dude?”
“Maybe not buff, but definitely older.” Joel said. “Who are you?”
The boy scoffed. “And why do you need to know?”
Etho stepped closer to the cell. “Because you and your cloaked friends kidnapped the princess of PixelPulse Valley, and you just so happen to be in the dungeon of that very kingdom, at our mercy.” Joel forgot how scary his boyfriend could be.
Etho could tell the boy was scared, even though he didn’t show it. “Fine. I’m Gatekeep, one third of the Gs.”
Joel's eyes widened. “One of the Gs is a teenager?”
Gatekeep nodded. “Yeah. Got a problem with that?”
Joel shook his head. “Again, I just thought all the G’s would be older. Are the others also teenagers?”
Gatekeep scoffed. “You think I know? I don’t know anything about them, and they don’t know anything about me. It keeps our loved ones safer that way.”
Etho could tell that he was lying, but decided to let it go for now. “Final question. Why did you kidnap the princess?”
“We were hired too. Simple as that.”
“By who?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
Joel walked closer to the cage next to Etho. “Whatever money they paid you won’t do you any good if you’re dead, will it?”
“They’re one of the few people who know who I am. I can’t risk my family like that. I’d rather die than put them at risk.” He stared at the two guards. “Is that all?”
“For now.” Etho said before Joel could say anything else. “But we’ll be back.”
Gatekeep leaned back into his corner. “I look forward to it.”
“What the heck! We barely learned anything!” Joel yelled as soon as they were out of the dungeon.
Etho shook his head. “He was lying about not knowing the other Gs. I think all of them are incredibly close. So when he was talking about whoever hired him knowing his identity, he was being sincere. His talking would put his fellow Gs in danger.”
“But what does that tell us about who hired him?”
“That they’re dangerous. There aren’t many people that could scare one of the world's most deadly trios into silence. The Gs are good, but whoever hired them is clearly better.”
“They would also need enough money to order a kidnapping of someone as big as the princess of PixelPulse Valley.”
Etho smiled at his boyfriend. “Now you’re getting it. So, who does that leave?”
Joel's eyes widened. “The Shadow Queen.”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s our next move?”
“We get Gatekeep to confirm it before we tell the kings.”
“Problem with that babe. He doesn't wanna talk about that.” Joel looked over at Etho. “You have your thinking face on. What’s the plan?”
“Tomorrow morning, just follow along, ok?”
Joel kissed the side of Etho’s cheek. “Whatever you say babe.”
~~~~~~
“So, anything interesting out there?” Pearl asked her zombie friend, stacking the wood in a chest.
“No. Just the woods. How was the princess?”
“A lot more interesting than I thought.” Pearl admitted. Cleo raised their eyebrows.
“In what way interesting?” Cleo asked.
“Well, she told me about her past as a child on the streets, and that PixelPulse Valley is actually accepting of everyone.” The two of them walked out, noticing Gem was asleep.
“I mean, I’ve heard rumors, but that’s all they were.” Cleo said as Pearl took the soup pot off the fire.
“She also said we could probably live there.”
Cleo scoffed. “She was probably lying, trying to get you to bring her back.”
“I think she was being serious.”
“Did Tilly confirm?”
Pearl handed Cleo a bowl. “No, she’s still on high storm alert.”
“Pearl, we can’t trust her.”
“I think we can. Maybe she’s the key to finally settling down, without having to worry about the Shadow Queen. I’m sure Scott would agree as well.”
Cleo stared at Pearl. “Are you sure about this?”
Pearl nodded. “I don’t think it hurts to try. We can even have her tell us again, and both you and Tilly can judge tomorrow morning.”
“Fine. But only after me and Tilly agree.”
~~~~~~
Gem woke up, and looked over at the set of cots, and saw both Girlboss and Gaslight fast asleep. The dog was cuddled up next to Girlboss, occasionally whimpering.
Gem saw that even though the ropes were tight, the knots sucked. She figured Gaslight had done them the first time. Using her teeth, she easily untied the knot keeping her attached to the rock. She then decided to once again saw the ropes off her hands by rubbing them against the ground of the cave. One of the ropes eventually broke, unraveling the rest of it. After that, Gem easily untied her legs, and quietly made her way to the exit. She saw a smaller sword next to Gaslights, so she decided to take it with her. The entrance was mostly blocked by a massive boulder, but Gem managed to squeeze through the tiny bit that was left.
It was pouring rain, but Gem didn’t even care. She was free. She climbed a decently tall tree, and saw the mountains that walled off one side of the PixelPulse Valley in the distance, meaning she was deep in the forest behind the palace. It was very far, but Gem knew if she ran straight towards the mountains, she would get home. She climbed down the tree, and before running, she looked back at the cave. She felt bad for the Gs, but her desire to get back to her dads pushed back her guilt. She guessed it was probably 4:00 AM, but the clouds and rain made it hard to know for sure.
About an hour later, she collapsed against a tree, exhausted. She figured maybe a 10 minute power nap wouldn’t hurt…
Grrrrrrrrrrrr
Gem woke up, and right in front of her was a zombie monster, and behind it an entire hoard of its friends. With a yelp, she scurried up a tree, dropping her sword in the process. It’s not like it would help her much anyways. She could take 4 or even 5, but an entire hoard of about twenty in the rain? She looked, and saw the nearest tree was too big of a jump for her tired, wet state.
She was trapped.
She slowly felt herself slipping down the trunk of the tree. She tried scooting up to the closest branch, but it broke after the first pull. Her arms grew more and more tired, and the pouring rain didn’t make it any better.
Gem felt her eyes fill with tears. This couldn’t be the way she went. Her dads would be so heartbroken. She would never get to see Joel and Etho’s wedding. The kingdom wouldn’t have a ruler when her dads inevitably died.
Suddenly, she heard a howl in the distance. She slowly turned her head, and both Gaslight and Girlboss ran up, sword and axe held high. They killed about three of them, and the rest of the hoard ran away, not wanting to deal with an angry wolf hybrid.
“You can come down now.” Gaslight yelled up. “You won’t last out here with all the mobs in the rain. Plus, we have an offer for you.”
Gem knew she had a point, and started sliding down the tree. “What’s your offer?”
“Girlboss told me about your guys' conversation last night. Tilly is basically a lie detector, and I’m pretty good at reading people. So, if me and Tilly believe you about PixelPulse Valley, and you promise we can hide from our employer, we are happy to bring you back. Deal?”
Gem thought about it for a moment. “If you and the dog decide I’m trustworthy, you guys also need to tell me more about yourselves and your employer.” Gem put out her hand, and Gaslight shook it.
“Great, now can we get back? You ran pretty far away Princess.” Girlboss asked. Gaslight chuckled, and they started walking back.
~~~~~~
“Good morning.”
Scott groaned, and when he sat up, he saw both Joel and Etho standing in front of his cell. Joel was holding a tray of food.
“Figured you would be awake by now. It’s nearly 9.”
“I’m not much of a morning person.” Scott mumbled. It was true. He was always the last one up between him, Cleo, and Pearl. Well, Pearl sometimes was up before 5 AM, 5 AM usually being the latest, so it wasn’t really a high bar.
“Anyways, we have a few more questions. If you cooperate, you get food. Simple as that.” Etho told him. Even though Joel tried to be tough and scary, he was nothing compared to Etho.
“Fine.” Scott decided to jump ahead of the bush. “I’m still not gonna tell you who hired me.”
“I wasn’t gonna ask that.” Etho said, opening the door and kneeling closer to Scott. “I want to know more about you. What’s your actual name?”
Scott could tell Etho was incredibly smart. That just meant he’d have to be careful with the information he gave. He didn’t mind them knowing about him. Sure, it was annoying, but it wouldn’t really matter in the long run. He just had to make sure not to share anything that could lead back to Pearl and Cleo.
“Scott.”
“Ok Scott. How old are you?”
“16.”
“Where are you from?”
“Not telling you that. I can’t risk my family.”
Etho shook his head. “Scott, we both know you’re lying about family back home.”
Scott's heart started beating faster. If Etho knew he didn’t have family at home, did that mean he knew that he was lying about not knowing the other Gs? He tried to calm himself down before he responded. “Fine. I was born in a small elf village pretty far from here.”
“So do you even have any living family?”
“I wouldn’t know. I was taken from my village when I was 3.”
“How about close friends? Found family, if you will.”
“And why would I tell you that?”
“Fine, you don’t have to tell me.” Etho stared Scott in the eyes. “But I already know you do. You were lying last night about not knowing the other Gs.”
Scott's fears were confirmed. He couldn’t hide his panic this time.
“Relax. Your fellow Gs are safe. Nothing you’ve told me can lead to them.” Etho assured him.
“I swear if you even THINK about trying to find them-” Scott started, but Etho interrupted him.
“I wasn’t going to. However, maybe we can help each other out with something.” Scott remained silent, wanting to see where he was going with this. “I already have a pretty good idea of who hired you, but I can’t tell the kings without confirmation. We can give you and the other Gs protection if you just confirm who hired you to kidnap the princess.”
Scott tried to see if Etho was bluffing. It didn’t seem like that was the case. “Can I have some time to think it over?”
Etho nodded, standing up. “You can have until lunch, so about 3 hours.” Before he closed the door, Joel put the tray of food down on the ground. The two guards left, leaving Scott alone again, a big decision to make ahead of him.
~~~~~~
Gem had just finished telling Gaslight and Tilly everything she told Girlboss the night before. Gaslight had been pretty neutral throughout the entire thing. After about ten minutes of silence, Gaslight sighed. “You’re not lying. We’ll bring you back to your kingdom after the storm passes, which will probably be tomorrow morning.”
Gem felt a sense of relief. “Ok. Thank you.”
“We’re only doing this because you offered protection in your kingdom. Remember that.”
“Remember your end of the bargain as well.” Gem reminded them.
“I didn’t. What do you wanna know first?” Gaslight leaned back in their seat, Girlboss sitting down next to her.
“Well, what are your guys'actual names?”
“Pearl.” Grilboss, or Pearl, said with a smile. “And their name is Cleo.”
“Who hired you?”
“You can’t take back your promise now.” Cleo warned. Gem nodded, and Cleo sighed. “The Shadow Queen.”
Gem was surprised she hadn’t thought of Lizzie. The Shadow Empire had been trying to take down PixelPulse Valley for decades. It made sense that they would want to take her for leverage against the kings.
“Any more questions?” Pearl asked.
“Yeah. How did you guys meet?”
Pearl chuckled. “When I was 8, me and Tilly were in some random village, just trying to steal some food. There wasn't much game around the cave. As we were walking, someone was thrown at me. That someone was Cleo.”
“Some shop owner felt threatened by me just existing in his shop.” Cleo explained.
“Well, after that, they apologised to me, and then I saw them sneak behind the shop, so naturally, I followed her. I saw them lighting a small fire directly on the shop. I asked if they wanted to come with me and Tilly, and she agreed. As we were leaving the village, the guy from the bakery noticed me, and started chasing us. He ended up cornering us in an alley.”
“Did Tilly rip his face off?” Gem asked.
Cleo laughed. “No, but that would’ve been awesome.”
“He was randomly knocked out.” Pearl continued. “When he fell down, another 8 year old was standing there, holding a brick. He told us he had been following Cleo invisible, and saw what we were doing. We ended up letting him join us, and our little trio grew from there.”
“That’s awesome. I wish I had friends like you guys.” Gem said.
“You and those guards seemed pretty close.”
“Oh, Joel and Etho? Yeah, those guys are great, but I don’t have any friends my own age.”
“Well, I know we kinda kidnapped you, but we could be your friends!” Pearl exclaimed.
Gem scoffed. “Maybe.”
She didn’t actually hate that idea. Maybe it was weird, but she was starting to see the Gs as teens trying to survive rather than heartless killers.
Plus, Pearl was really nice, and kind of pretty…
~~~~~~
“So, let me get this straight. You already interrogated one of my daughter's kidnappers? Without our knowledge?” Etho and Joel were standing in front of the kings.
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Well, what did you find out?” Skizz asked.
“Well, the ones who took Gem were the Gs, and they were hired by someone.” Joel explained.
“I have a hunch on who, but I can’t say until the prisoner confirms it.” Etho added.
“And why’s that?”
“Because it would be incredibly bad for the kingdom if we accused them without reason. We plan on asking again later today.”
“Maybe wait until tomorrow. Keep them on their toes.” Skizz said, earning a confused look from Impulse. “What? He helped kidnap Gemmy.”
Impulse nodded in agreement, then turned to Etho. “I trust you Etho.” Impulse said. “But next time, let us know when you plan on talking to the prisoners.”
Etho bowed. “Yes, your majisties.”
~~~~~~
“Your majesty." A man in a white colored shirt with a short sleeved blue shirt over it bowed in front of the throne of a pink haired queen wearing a crown of thorns and yellow flowers. Her gown was long and dark blue. Standing on either side of the throne were two knights, one with long brown hair and a beard wearing a red shirt under his armour, a pair of black lensed glasses on his face, and the other with blonde hair, and a black bandana, a green shirt under his armour.
“Sir BigB. Where are those Gs with the princess of PixelPulse Valley?” She asked.
“They are still in their cave in the forest between the kingdoms.” BigB explained. “However, it seems they don’t plan on delivering.”
The Shadow Queen’s face twisted into anger, scaring BigB and the two knights. “What?”
BigB gulped. “They seem to think if they return the princess home, they can be safe in the PixelPulse Valley.”
“Well, they’d be wrong. NO ONE defies the shadow queen!” The queen roared. “We’ll let them get to PixelPulse Valley, but then finally show that stupid kingdom and those Gs who’s in charge!” She looked at the guards sitting next to her. “Ren, Martyn, go with BigB and get the troops ready.”
Ren, Martyn, and BigB bowed, and ran out of the throne room.
~~~~~~
The next morning, Cleo, Pearl, and Gem started to get ready for the ride back to PixelPulse Valley.
“Come on Cleo, you have to talk to us eventually.” Pearl teased.
Cleo crossed her arms. “No. You cheaters are getting what you deserve!”
“But we didn’t cheat!” Gem exclaimed.
“Bullshit! You guys managed to guess what each other was every single time.”
“That just shows we’re good at charades.” Gem argued.
“Or that you’re cheaters.”
“Come on guys. Tilly’s ready to go.” Pearl was already sitting on Tilly. Gem hopped on behind her, and Cleo sat behind Gem.
“So how long will this take again?” Gem asked.
Pearl shrugged. “About 2 hours. Tilly's pretty fast.”
“Youre going to want to hold on.” Cleo warned.
“I doubt it’s that baAAAAAAAAAAAAA” Gem screamed as Tilly started running.
“You’ll get used to it soon!” Pearl yelled back to her. Gem hugged Pearl's waist, and held on tightly.
So what if Pearl was blushing?
~~~~~~
“So, what happened to coming back yesterday?” Scott asked when Etho and Joel arrived in the dungeon the morning after their talk with the kings.
“We decided to give you some more time to think about our offer.” Joel explained. “So, what do you think?”
“No.”
Etho didn’t expect that. “Why not?”
“It risks my friends way too much, and I’m not doing that.”
“You know we could just kill you?” Joel stared Scott in the eyes.
Scott stared right back at him. “Do it.”
Suddenly, they heard yelling from outside the dungeon. “THE PRINCESS HAS RETURNED!”
Etho and Joel wasted no time in running out of the dungeon. When they got to the gates of the palace, a bunch of guards were surrounding a giant dog with three people on it.
“Gem! Are you ok?” Etho asked.
“I’m fine! These guys are chill!” The person sitting in front of Gem, a wolf hybrid with a red cloak, whispered something to her. “You guys can put your swords away. They’re scaring the dog.”
Reluctantly, the guards lowered their swords, and Gem hopped off the giant dog. “I made a deal with them. They brought me home, and in return I said we would keep them safe.”
“Are you sure you can trust them?” Joel asked, glaring at the two people.
Gem nodded. “Absolutely.”
“GEM!” The kings suddenly appeared, running through the guards and right up to Gem, wrapping her in a giant hug. “Thak god you’re ok!” Skizz said.
Impulse looked over at the two people sitting on the giant dog. “I assume you guys are the other two Gs? The ones who kidnapped Gem?”
The wolf hybrid hopped off. “Yes your majesty. We are very sorry for distressing you, but the person who hired us is…terrifying. The princes assured us that if we brought her back, we could finally be safe here.”
Joel leaned up to whisper in Etho’s ear. “Didn’t we offer that same deal to Scott?” Etho nodded.
The wolf hybrid instantly looked at them. “Scott? Where is he? Is he ok?”
“Your friend is fine, don’t worry.” Etho assured them.
“Etho, Joel, you can escort them to him.” Impulse said. Etho and Joel bowed, motioning for the other two Gs to follow.
However, Joel stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the giant dog. “The giant dog can’t come with us.” He said, crossing his arms. The other person, a zombie hybrid, hopped off, and the dog shrank down to a normal dog size, running up next to the wolf hybrid. Joel’s eyes widened. “I guess that works.”
Etho unlocked the door to Scott’s cell, and immediately the other two Gs ran in. Scott seemed shocked and confused, then incredibly happy and relieved. “How are you guys here?”
“We struck a deal with the princess. We can finally settle down.” The wolf hybrid said.
“Really?”
“Really.” The zombie said, a smile on their face. They all gathered into a giant group hug, and Etho would be lying if he said it wasn’t a sweet sight.
~~~~~~
“Skizz, for the hundredth time, I’m fine.” Gem, Skizz, and Impulse were in Gem’s room.
Skizz crossed his arms. “I just want to make sure!”
“So, do you know who hired them?” Impulse asked. “Etho said he had a hunch, but it was dangerous to accuse them without a confession.”
“Lizzie.”
Skizz’s face twisted into pure rage. “I should have known! It’s such a Lizzie move! War!”
“Slow down Skizz. This is not a war we should just jump into.” Impulse said, putting his hands on Skizz’s shoulders. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. Gem opened it, and standing there were Pearl, Cleo, Joel, Etho, and a cyan haired elf she assumed was Scott. Tilly was also there, in normal dog size next to Pearl.
“Come in!” Gem said, and the group shuffled in.
Skizz immediately glared at the three Gs. “Now that we aren’t outside, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
“That’s fair enough.” Pearl said. “We were hired by the Shadow Queen to kidnap the princess. Not only was she offering more money than we could comprehend, but she was also threatening to kill me and Scott, and force Cleo back in her army.”
“Wait, back in? I thought you guys met when you were 8?” Gem asked.
“We did.” Cleo said. “I had been raised as a soldier in the Shadow kingdom. By the age of 7, I was already more experienced then most of the men that had been there for 10 years. But then my friend, BigB, betrayed me, leaving me alone to die on a mission. Instead of going back, I ran the opposite way. A year later, I met these guys.”
“Three months ago, Lizzie's head guards, Martyn and Ren, caught us. They weren’t trying to get us, but they did, and recognised Cleo.” Scott continued. “We’ve had to stay close to her kingdom, otherwise she would just kill us. Then, a week and a half ago, she gave us the assignment to kidnap Gem. In addition to the money, she also swore she would let us go.”
“Which I didn’t believe for a second.” Cleo added.
“So you have no loyalty to them whatsoever?” Etho asked. The Gs nodded. Etho looked at Gem. “Well, I know what I think. What about you?”
“I know they’re being truthful.” Gem said.
Etho nodded. “I agree.”
Impulse sighed. “I can’t argue if both Etho and Gem agree.” He then looked up at the Gs. “Thank you for bringing her back.”
“Even though you also took her.” Skizz added.
Scott’s eyes then widened. “Cleo, were you and Pearl followed?”
Cleo gave Scott a confused look. “Um, no?”
“But are you sure?”
“Scott, I don’t know what you-” They stopped, seemingly coming to the same realization Scott did. “I-I don’t know.”
“What are they on about?” Gem asked, looking at Pearl, who just shrugged.
“You may have to prepare for Lizzie a lot sooner than you originally thought.” Scott told the group.
“What are you guys on about?” Pearl finally asked.
“BigB.” Cleo said. “We didn’t have Scott’s potions to make sure he wasn’t around.”
“Isn’t BigB the one that betrayed you? What does he have to do with anything?” Joel asked.
“BigB can turn invisible.” Scott explained. “I usually give these two potions to see any invisible person, and because I also can turn invisible, I can already do it. But because I was here, we can’t confirm if BigB was around to hear the plan to not bring her Gem.”
Impulse looked at Skizz. “We’re gonna need to call in that favor from the Desert kings….” Skizz nodded in agreement. Impulse looked at the Gs. “How long do you think we have?”
“At least two days.” Cleo said. “Maybe less.”
“Grian can probably get here with his troops in a few hours if we both teleport.” Impulse muttered. He then looked at Etho and Joel. “Get our troops ready as well.” Etho and Joel bowed before running out of the room.
“We can also help.” Pearl said. “Cleo knows how they work, and Scott makes potions.”
“Ok then. Cleo, go catch up with Etho and Joel, and Scott, me and Impulse can show you where our apothecary is. Fair warning, it hasn't been used in like 50 years.” Cleo nodded before running out of the hallway.
“What about me and Pearl?” Gem asked.
Skizz shook his head. “I don’t want you anywhere near this battle.”
“But Skizz-”
“No! We already almost lost you once. I’m not risking it again.”
Pearl shyly raised her hand. “I can stay with her, and protect her.” She looked down. “I understand if you don’t trust me though.”
Skizz and Impulse looked at each other, as if they were having an entire conversation with their glance. Eventually, they nodded, and Impulse led Scott out of the room.
“Please dad. I know I can help.” Gem pleaded.
Skizz sighed. “I know you can. You’re probably way more capable than I am. I just don’t know what I’d do if you were hurt.” He then looked at Pearl. “I know you kidnapped her, and I’m still very mad about that, but I understand why. I’d like to say I’m a pretty good judge of character, and from the very little I’ve seen of you, I think I can trust you.” Skizz looked back at Gem. “As long as you stay with Pearl, you can help. I am assigning Bdubs to keep an eye on you as well.”
Gem tackled Skizz in a hug. “Thank you!”
Skizz stood up, and Pearl bowed. “I’ll die before letting anyone hurt her.” She swore.
“Good to know. I have to go with Impulse. Gem, show Pearl the armory and all that stuff.” Skizz walked off, leaving Pearl and Gem alone.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Gem said, sitting back on her bed.
Pearl shrugged. “I wanted to. It’s the least I could do considering the whole kidnapping thing.” She sat down next to Gem, and Tilly rested her head on Pearl’s lap.
“Well, I really appreciate it.” Gem felt her face getting warm. She then felt so stupid. She had only known Pearl for a few days, and it was because she kidnapped her!
But she also was incredibly pretty, funny, and not at all what Gem assumed she was. She and the other Gs clearly cared about each other, enough to risk trusting a foreign kingdom just for the chance to free each other from the Shadow kingdom. Gem really admired that.
“I know your dad said to show me the armory, but I honestly don’t think I’ll need it.” Pearl said, snapping Gem out of her thoughts.
“Yeah, I figured that. I could show you around the castle?” Gem suggested.
Pearl smiled, and Gem thought she saw her face also getting a little red. She was probably just imagining things. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
~~~~~~
“So your daughter was kidnapped by the Gs, who were working for the shadow queen, and because they betrayed her you now need us to help you fight her?” A short, sandy blonde avian hybrid wearing a red dress shirt with a tan cloak that had green and red stripes was staring at Skizz and Impulse. Sitting next to him was a brown haired fairy covered in scars, his wings looking very similar to that of a vex, wearing a brown shirt and identical cloak.
“Yup.” Skizz said.
“Remember, you owe us.” Impulse added.
The avian hybrid sighed. “Scar, this is your call.”
“Well, we do owe them. Plus, we’ve been putting this off for far too long.”
“What have you been putting off?” The angel and demon kings turned around, and a blonde teenage boy with yellow fairy wings wearing a light blue shirt walked up.
“Impulse, Skizz, this is Scar’s younger brother, Jimmy.” The avian said, looking at Jimmy. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“If you guys are talking about going to war with my older sister, then I think it does.” Jimmy said, crossing his arms.
“He has a point, Grian.” Scar commented.
“Fine. It’s still your call.”
“Jimmy, what do you think?” Scar asked.
“Lets do it. But I’m going with you guys.”
“If Jimmy agrees, then I say let's go for it.” Scar said.
Grian nodded. “Ok then, it’s settled. We’ll help you guys.” He stood up. “Impulse, can you help me with teleporting my troops?” Impulse nodded, and followed Grian out of the room.
“So you guys are Lizzie's younger brothers?” Skizz asked.
“Yeah. We don’t really like to advertise it though.” Jimmy muttered.
“She used to be great, but when our parents died it hit her hard. And then her best friend and crush, Joel, admitted to her he had feelings for one of your knights. That was her final straw. When I heard, I got me and Jimmy out of there, and thankfully met that pesky bird.”
“Well, thank you for helping us.”
Scar nodded, standing up. “You guys are some of our closest allies. Why wouldn’t we? Now, let's go!”
~~~~~~
“Scott? You in- woah.”
Cleo walked into the apothecary, and standing in the middle of random piles of potion bottles, ingredients, and failed potions was Scott, frantically running around many full brewing stands.
“Hey Scott, you doing ok in here?”
Scott jumped. “Oh, yeah. I’m good. Their stuff is old, but still functional.”
Cleo crossed her arms. “The fact that I was able to startle you tells me you might need a break.”
Scott sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Do you want me to go find Pearl?”
“No, she’s busy.”
Scott gave Cleo a confused look as they walked towards the palace garden. “Busy? With what?”
“She volunteered to be the princess’s bodyguard.” They both sat down on a random bench. “I think Pearl likes Gem.”
“Likes likes, or just likes?”
“Like likes, and I also am pretty sure Gem likes her back.” Cleo looked down. “This sounds bad, but I really hope they don’t start dating.”
“How come?”
Cleo sighed. “I know it’s selfish, but I just don’t want us to drift apart. I want it to just be the three of us.”
Scott put his hand on their shoulder. “I doubt Pearl would just abandon us. I wouldn’t either. “
“The rational side of my brain knows that. But the other side? It’s saying how you guys are gonna leave me like BigB did.” Scott then wrapped Cleo in a hug as she began to cry. “I know you guys would never, but I also just don’t want to risk it.”
“That's completely valid Cleo.” Scott said after letting Cleo cry for a minute. “It’s only natural for you to question your friendships after what BigB did, even if it is us. However, I doubt Pearl liking Gem will lead to the downfall of the Gs. We’re stuck together.”
“Thanks Scott.”
“Any time.”
~~~~~~
“HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU BUTT!” Pearl yelled. Gem was cackling, running through the palace halls. Pearl could have easily caught up, but Gem had gone down random hallways, constantly losing her. Tilly was running behind Pearl, tail wagging happily.
The door had started out normal. Gem showed her a bunch of different rooms, the stables, and the knights barracks. It felt really nice to just walk around and talk with Gem. However, when they had got back inside the castle, Gem had decided to book it down a hallway.
Gem finally sat down on a random bench to catch her breath, which Pearl was grateful for. “This palace is HUGE!” Pearl said, sitting next to Gem, who nodded in agreement.
“So what do you think you’ll do after we defeat the shadow queen?” Gem asked.
Pearl thought about it for a second. “Well, I’ve always wanted to be an artist.” She admitted. She had always loved drawing. The Gs always tried to save up money to get everyone something special on their birthdays, and Scott and Cleo had always given her paper, pens, and even a notebook one year.
“You totally should!”
“What about you?”
“Well, I’m gonna continue getting ready for when I have to take over the kingdom.”
“Is there anything else you’d want to do?”
“Maybe being a knight. But who says I can’t be a warrior queen?”
Pearl laughed. “Nobody.” Pearl then decided to throw all rationality out the window. “Would you have to rule alone?”
Gem shrugged. “I guess I could, but it would be nice to have another queen by my side.”
Pearl's heart started fluttering. “A queen?”
Gem’s face seemed to get redder. “Yeah. I actually have someone in mind.”
“And who might that be?”
Pearl got her answer when Gem leaned in and kissed her.
~~~~~~
Etho noticed Joel was getting pretty tense as they prepared the other knights for the upcoming battle. It reached a head when Joel snapped at another knight. Etho decided to pull his boyfriend to the side.
“Hey, you ok?”
Joel shocked Etho by pulling him into a hug, and crying. They sat like that for 5 minutes. Etho had rarely ever seen his boyfriend cry (for something that wasn’t a stubbed toe…).
“With Lizzie coming here, I’m just scared of what she’ll do.” Joel admitted. “Especially to you.” Joel looked at Etho. “I can’t lose you.”
“And you won’t.” Etho assured him. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“No offense babe, but you don’t know Lizzie like I do. She can hold a grudge like it’s nobody's business. And now she is the leader of a massive empire with a ton of resources.”
“Joel, we managed to escape her once, remember?”
“Yeah, but-”
“But nothing. We’ve done it once, and we’ll do it again.”
“Just promise me you’ll stay safe, ok?”
Etho kissed the top of Joel's forehead. “I promise. Now take a few minutes before coming back out, ok?” Joel nodded, and before Etho left, he ran up and gave him a kiss on the neck. Etho responded by tackling Joel to the ground, attempting to kiss Joel's neck back.
A random knight happened to walk in on two gay knights laughing on the floor, trying to kiss each other's neck.
~~~~~~
It was almost time for battle. Scott was running around to different soldiers, trying to explain what each potion did and how to use them. As he ran, he crashed into someone from the Desert Kingdom. Luckily, none of the potion bottles broke.
“I’m so sorry!” The other man said. He held his hand out to Scott. He took it, and looked up at possibly the most handsome boy he had ever seen. He was tall, had dark brown eyes, blonde hair, and beautiful yellow fairy wings.
“It’s ok.” Scott was internally screaming to stay cool. “Are you one of the Desert Kingdom knights?”
The boy laughed. “No. My name’s Jimmy Solidarity, prince of the Desert Kingdom.”
It was just Scott’s luck that he had run into the prince of one of the biggest empires in the world.
“Wow. I’m so sorry, your highness.” Scott did a quick little bow.
“It’s alright. It was my fault anyways. Do you need help?”
“If you don’t mind. I’m just trying to disperse these potions.”
Jimmy's eyes widened. “Did you make these?”
“Yeah.” He handed Jimmy a bag. “These are potions of weakness. Tell the knights they need to throw them directly at a shadow kingdom soldier, and wait 10 seconds before walking closer, ok?”
Jimmy nodded. Before he ran off, he quickly turned around. “I just realized I never got your name.”
Scott chuckled. “Scott.”
“Well, see you around!”
Scott felt butterflies in his stomach as he watched Jimmy run off.
~~~~~~
Gem stood in between her dads and Pearl, Scott and Cleo next to her. Grian, Scar, and Jimmy stood on the other side of Impulse and Skizz. They stood on a wall behind the combined troops of the Desert Kingdom and PixelPulse valley. Bdubs was standing in front of the army, with Joel and Etho hidden among them. Lizzie was standing at the front of her massive army, with Ren, Martyn, and BigB at her side.
“So, you brought reinforcements?” Lizzie asked. “How are you doing, Scar? Jimmy?” Gem wondered what the connection there was, but decided that was a topic for later.
“No? Whatever. That’s not even why I’m here.” Lizzie looked in the direction of the Gs. “You Gs really thought you could just run away? You will suffer the consequences.” Gem felt someone grab her hand. She glanced down, and saw that Pearl held her hand.
“The Gs are now under the protection of the PixelPulse Valley.” Impulse announced.
“And the Desert Kingdom.” Grian added.
“Well then, prepare to suffer their fate.” Lizzie flew above her troops, and simply pointed at the PixelPulse Valley. “ATTACK!”
And so the battle began.
It soon became clear that the Shadow kingdom was no match for the combined powers of the PixelPulse Valley and the Desert Kingdom. Sure, all the knights were good, but the Shadow Knights completely underestimated Gem. She was a force to be reckoned with.
The Gs lived up to every story about them. Pearl fought right next to Gem, a manic smile on her face. Cleo used their training with the Shadow Knights, basically predicting their next move. She also had access to a ton of lighters, making everyone on the Desert/PixelPulse alliance extremely grateful for the last minute fire proofing on their armour. Scott pretty much immediately went invisible and into a tree, shooting enemy soldiers from above.
As Gem continued living up to the nickname Etho had given her, “Gemini Slay”, BigB invisibly snuck up behind her, sword in hand. Before he could, Pearl noticed he was there due to Scott’s potion.
“GEM!” She yelled. As Gem spun around, Pearl jumped in front of her. In that same moment, Tilly bit the back of BigB’s shirt to pull him away. BigB then ran away, and Tilly went after him.
“Pearl, you nearly just died!!” Gem exclaimed.
Pearl shrugged. “You were in danger.”
“You’re impossible.” Gem said, a smile on her face.
The battle lasted for about 2 hours.
“TROOPS! REATREAT!” Lizzie yelled from above. There were probably about 30 left. As the remaining Shadow Knights ran away, Lizzie got stuck in a tree in an attempt to fly away. Joel, Etho, all four kings, Jimmy, the Gs, and Gem surrounded her.
“I guess this is the end of the Shadow Queen.” Skizz said as Joel and Etho tied her up.
~~~3 Months Later~~~
It was time for the big end of summer ball, and Gem could not find her girlfriend anywhere. She was all dressed up in a beautiful green and yellow sleeveless gown, her hair tied up in a half up, half down style, her golden crown sitting perfectly on top of her head. She decided to check Pearl's art studio, a room at the top of one of the palace towers. Sure enough, the tall wolf hybrid sat at her easel, painting a picture of a gorgeous bird mid flight. She was in her ball outfit, a red dress with sheer sleeves. Her hair was simply down.
Tilly was sleeping in her dog bed in the corner of the room. Sadly, she had been banned from going to the ball due to her habit of licking all the guests, which apparently didn’t fly with all the fancy people. Pearl had suggested not inviting them, to which Skizz responded that they had already tried.
“Pearl, the ball starts in 5 minutes!” Gem exclaimed.
“Sorry! I just really wanted to finish this!”
Gem chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re impossible sometimes, you know that?”
Pearl smiled, looking at Gem. “Yeah, but you still love me.”
Gem walked over, and kissed her cheek. “You’re right, I do. But we still gotta go.”
They made it to the ball room just in time, being announced as they walked in. Pearl squeezed Gem’s hand, something she did pretty often, especially if she was nervous. They scanned the room until they found Cleo, who was wearing a simple dark blue gown with off the shoulder sleeves.
“There you guys are! I thought you dipped, and I was gonna be so mad that I wasn’t invited.” Cleo said.
“Well, Pearl was painting 5 minutes before we had to be here.”
Cleo chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
“Where’s Scott?” Pearl asked.
Cleo sighed, and pointed to the other side of the room, where Scott was talking with Jimmy. Scott was wearing a light blue tailcoat with golden details that he had made himself, and Jimmy was in a dark green button up, his wings seemingly brighter than usual. “I give it one more month before one of them finally confesses.”
Gem nodded in agreement. Jimmy had come along on many more meetings between the Desert Kings and the PixelPulse Valley kings just to hang out with Scott more, and Scott could not shut up about him.
“Looks like the other insufferable gay boys are standing nearby.” Gem pointed out. Joel and Etho were standing by the punch bowl, being all cute and couply. Gem had thought they were bad before, but ever since Joel had proposed the week after the battle, it had reached a whole new level.
Pearl chuckled at her statement. “They are pretty obnoxious.” Just then, the music started slowing down, and couples started entering the floor.
“I’ll take this as my cue to leave. Have fun.” Cleo said, walking away. Pearl awkwardly held out her hand, which Gem took. As they walked out, Gem saw her dads pointing at her and Pearl, giant smiles on their faces.
When they started dancing, it felt as if nothing else mattered. Sadly, the song ended. At the end, the princess kissed her wonderful girlfriend.
“I love you so much, Princess.” Pearl muttered.
“I love you too.”
THE END