Eye grunted as he bumped into Boomette, and shot a laser that bored into the ceiling on impulse. A part of the ceiling collapsed down below in response. It slammed onto the head of the robot underneath it, bounced off and split in twisted, jagged halves as it hit the floor.

Shards of metal broke from it and shot into Boomette, who grunted as she grabbed an orb from her pocket and slammed it down. It crafted a shield that shouldered the blow right before the metal shards could even scratch them! The shield sank down, leaving the metal shards to clatter and fall by Boomette's feet. She tip-toed around them as she staggered forward, hands stuck tight in her pockets as she shifted around for any more weapons, shields, anything that could be of use!

Massive footsteps shook the ground and Boomette stumbled, falling to her side as a whole mass of marbles fell from her pockets. She grunted as she reached out a hand for them. She stretched them out, her fingertips brushing their cool metallic surface, but it was a laser that got her instead! It seared her hand with its red-hot heat and forced her to draw her hand back.

Boomette yelped as she sat up and blew her hand off, and winced as Blobbers bumped right into her. Sweat tinged his fur and stained his clothes as he fired off his pistol the fastest he could. Its lasers cut right through the chests of oncoming robot swarms and short-circuited them—but to little use.

As the robots he shot down fell to the floor, their bodies sparking and exploding as they did, even more fleets marched in with bigger, bulkier bodies and shinier armor! Their weapons glistened in what little light the building provided. That said nothing of the largest of their ranks, who brushed against the ceiling and crushed its top with no mind paid to the torrents of dirt and dust that cascaded down as they did. They were more concerned with Eye as he flew around them. He zapped them with everything he could while they flailed their hands and tried to swat him down like a bug!

"There's too many of these guys!" Boomette cried, taking a moment to scoop the marbles she dropped from the ground. Her head rapidly shifted up and down. Her focus changed from the marbles as she skimmed their surfaces to the onslaught of robots coming in—but regardless of which one she looked at, it didn't lessen her worry as she sweated buckets. "There's no way we can keep up!"

Boomette whimpered as she peered down at her marbles, and in that moment a pistol's shot came as something hot singed the top of her head! She yelped and ducked down, then grunted as Blobbers bumped into her once more.

"You're telling me!" Blobbers cried. His hands were clammy and damp with sweat, so wet that he could barely keep hold of his laser pistol. "Eye can barely keep up!" Blobbers winced, shooting a glance at the ceiling as another part of it burned away from a laser blast and caved in. "And I'm not doing so hot either!"

Boomette gulped, and backed into the wall as she clutched her marbles tight. "What are we gonna do?" Boomette whispered. She glanced down at her marbles, and winced as she cupped her hands further around them. "I, if I hadn't fought with Dyna and ran off, this wouldn't have happened."

Boomette whimpered and clutched the marbles close to her chest. Her ears flattened against the sides of her head as the sounds of charging laser pistols surrounded her. Their heat warmed the area around her—or perhaps it was the heat of battle that brought the temperature up? Either way, it left Boomette panting and shuddering as she curled into a ball, fully ready to face the end…

And then, another blow shook the room, but not one from the battle itself.

No, the walls behind them exploded, and shook the warehouse so badly that a few light fixtures crashed down from the ceiling and smashed a few robots underfoot! The entire area chilled as the robots shuffled around in laborious turns, weapons raised as they faced the open back of the building. They stepped forward, preparing to charge, but what met them was not the blow of an enemy.

It was a thick, silver mist with a chilling presence like death itself! The mist seeped into the gaps in the robots' armor and clouded their glass faces. They shuddered and dropped their weapons to the ground while their armor corroded and rusted. Sparks began to burst from their joints as the corrosion spread further, turning their shiny new armor to sickly, rotten, rusted metal. Finally, they all exploded! Their flames warmed the area for only moments before a cold wind blew them out, and left only a thin curtain of smoke remaining.

From that curtain, a large, humanoid, headless silhouette came from the mist!

Eye gasped as he jolted down, wings flapping in place for only a moment.

"Could that be?" he asked, fluttering a bit forward as the silhouette grew closer.

As the silhouette finally stepped from the mist, Eye gasped and shot forward.

"It is!"

Eye's short flight came to a quick stop as a pair of black armored arms caught him, and his wings hastily fluttered as he rested against his carrier's chest.

"BRAWL!"

A low chuckle came as the smoke cleared, and unveiled Brawl as he stood with Eye in his arms! Eye chuckled as he flew up and planted himself on Brawl's head, and Brawl smiled and gently rubbed his top. Below them, Dyna, Rizzo, Snuckles, and Nort all stumbled out; they coughed and hacked as they fanned the smoke away.

Boomette popped an eye open as she finally pushed herself up and ran forward—but slowed to a shaky walk the moment she laid eyes on Dyna. Her hands trembled, and she glanced back for a moment, as if she wanted to run off. Boomette gulped and stepped forward; she reached out a hand and parted Dyna's hair.

"Hey, Dyna," Boomette said.

Dyna's eyes fluttered, but the moment she met Boomette face-to-face, Dyna gulped and stepped back. That same wide-eyed look rested in her face, and she too seemed as if she was a moment's notice away from running off. But, the moment Boomette grabbed her hand, Dyna’s eyes shrank, and a look of wonder seemed to shine in them as she gazed down at Boomette's hand.

"Listen, I, I'm," Boomette sputtered. Her head lowered for a moment as she scuffed her shoes against the floor, but Boomette gulped and finally raised her head. "I, I have something to say to you—"

"No, actually, I have something to say to you."

Boomette gulped, backed away for a moment as Dyna let go of her hand, and yelped as Dyna flung forward and hugged her tight!

"I'm, I'm sorry, Boomette." Dyna squeezed Boomette tight, burying her face the best she could in Boomette's shoulder. "I've always been looking out for everyone, but ever since the others left, I was worried that none of you needed me anymore! I got so worried about all that, that I took it out on you and tried to take control of everything, but… I just made a mess of it, didn't I?"

"Dyna!" Boomette gasped.

Dyna squeezed Boomette a bit tighter, drew away and sniffed. "I'm sorry. From now on, I'll try not to be so overbearing."

"If that was how you felt, why didn't you just say so?"

Dyna raised a brow, and this time it was Boomette who leaped forward and hugged her tight! It was so sudden that Dyna keeled over, nearly falling to the floor had she not regained her footing.

"We might all be busier doing our own things and all now, but that doesn't mean you're any less important to us! You're our big sister, after all. We'll always love you to bits and pieces!"

Dyna whimpered. A few tears streaked down her face, but Boomette just giggled as she grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped them away. The two smiled as they left their hug, and the others smiled in turn as they surrounded Dyna and Boomette. As they did, a massive explosion cracked from the back of the room, rumbled the floor and sent another light fixture falling from the ceiling!

Brawl leaped up and punched the light fixture away. He knocked it into one of the larger robots and shattered it in that instant.

Boomette and Dyna winced as he landed.

"Actually, let's save the rest of the talking for when the battle's won!"

"Agreed!"

Dyna dug into her pockets, and pulled out a pair of pens before she gave one to Boomette. With a single flick from both parties, both pens turned into full-sized rivet guns! The rivet guns landed in their arms with a single flip back, and Dyna and Boomette both lifted them up so that the crosshairs fixed on the coming swarm of robots.

Before they could shoot, a whole swarm of tiny eyeballs leaped from the ground, and the eyeballs swept through the crowds! The robots beeped and stumbled about as the eyeballs flew around them in tiny vortexes, running underneath their feet or knocking into their knees. Entire groups of robots stumbled and fell over their own limbs. They crashed onto the floor as the eyeballs chirped and chuckled. Some eyeballs even bouncing on the robots' backs, but they all squeaked and flew off as a whole rain of silvery lasers streaked with blue rained down from the ceiling! The lasers sniped the robots where they laid. Holes burned into their backs, and casted out smoke and flames from the gaps as their wires burned away.

While the broken robots burned, Brawl stormed forward, grunted as he scooped up robots by the tens, and tossed them into the crowd of robots that charged right for him! The broken robots exploded right as they hit the ground. They lit patches of the floor up in hot, smoky fire that funneled through the room, and tinged the world around in shades of warm red and orange! Amid the hot firelight, a smaller flock of robots zipped in; they dodged the flames and raised chainsaws twice as big as they were with eyes set on Brawl.

"Looks like it's our turn!" Boomette cried as she leaped out from behind Brawl and cocked her rivet gun.

Dyna nodded as she jumped out from Brawl's other side. With one more cock, both rivet guns shot out entire waves of white-hot laser blasts, sniped the robots and knocked them back into the fire! Dyna and Boomette beamed and gave each others a thumbs-up, but their guns slipped from their hands as the world around them shuddered. Thundering footsteps came as the largest robots of the ground lumbered in with glowing eyes and loomed down.

The largest robots’ arms raised as they prepared to smash the ground below, but Eye and Brawl turned to each other and nodded! With one flick of their wrist and wing, thick smoky clouds of that silver mist swarmed out and sank into the robots, corroding and rusting their metal chassis with every whiff! The robots froze in place, and Brawl and Eye turned back to Dyna and Boomette with a nod.

Dyna and Boomette, for their part, scrambled to their feet and yanked their guns from the ground. They planted themselves on both Brawl's sides as they began shooting. However, even with their weakened states, the rivets just bounced off the robots' armor and ricocheted towards Dyna and Boomette! They both gasped and rolled out of the way as the rivets shot back and slammed into the wall, with only a moment taken to shoot worried glances at the smoking wall.

"Leave it to us!" Blobbers cried as he shot forward, rifled through his pockets, and yanked out a series of small mines. "Mabu Defense Force, assemble!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Rizzo cried from the other side of the battlefield. He scurried over, huffed as he grabbed more small mines from his pockets, and brandished them against the burning firelight. "Mabu Defense Force, assemble!"

"Aye-aye, captain!" Nort and Snuckles cried as they pulled out their own mines.

The four of them all shouted as they leaped in the air and tossed the mines! The small mines swirled through the air like frisbees as they hurtled right for the frozen drones; they grew in size until they were the size of plates before they latched onto the drones' rusted bodies. Red lights flashed in their center for moments, beeping furiously before finally exploding and capturing the drones in masses of fire!

Snuckles, Blobbers, Nort, and Rizzo all scurried back. The others hid behind Brawl, but Rizzo grunted and slid back as he slammed a disc against the floor! Rizzo rushed to hide behind Brawl as a shining light shield shot up, and the shield divided them from the fires that burned before their eyes.

The fires fed on the robots and the world around as it melted and burned away, but even those flames seceded, tall and mighty as they were. The fires shrank by the second. They left behind twisted, warped, and burned metal covered in char marks, and walls that folded in, twisting forward and back.

Dyna smiled as the flames died before her eyes, walked up to Boomette, and placed a hand on Boomette's shoulder. "Nice job out there, Boomette," Dyna drew back and lowered her head. "Something tells me I should say that a bit more often."

Boomette blinked for a moment, lips pursed as she stood in silence, but finally smiled and nodded. "Thanks, sis."

"Eye take it you two have finally reconciled?" Eye asked as he popped off Brawl's head and floated down.

"I'd say so," Boomette replied. Her smile faded a bit and her ears flicked. "But that reminds me, there's one more thing…"

"And?"

"You never did finish that story you were telling!"

Eye spun around for a moment, and flapped his wings a bit more slowly before he sped up. "Oh, that story! That's right, we got interrupted by those robots!"

"And for that matter, you didn't, either," Dyna added, pointing to Brawl as she spoke.

Eye and Brawl both chuckled as they turned to each other, and Brawl sat down while Eye rested in his lap.

"I suppose we really should finish, then," Brawl signed. "You see…"

§

Brawl grunted as he slammed so hard against the chamber that its walls cracked and dented below him, sending chips of gold into his body. The feeling was tingly and unconformable. It was an itch he couldn't scratch—in more ways than one, considering that he was bound tight and couldn't even reach his chest, let alone anything in it! A pedestal shot up from the ground below him. It positioned him right next to Eye underneath that net, and in turn expanded to account for Brawl's height before it steadied. The net squeezed Eye and Brawl tight once more, and they both cast sad, sorry glances at each other before they turned away.

"I can't believe it, that plan actually worked!" cheered one Arkeyan scientist as they clapped their hands before turning to the one beside them. "And you said it was too obvious and they'd never fall for it!"

Eye and Brawl both hissed and slunk over in shame as the other scientist scoffed before them.

"Whatever, save it for later," the other scientist scoffed as they tapped away at the console before they lifted their head. A devilish smile crossed their face, and an almost twisted sort of glee bled into their voice as they cackled. "Now that we have two whole Elder Elementals in our captivity, we can finally find out just what it is that makes them tick!"

Practically half the room slid open with one last button pressed. Sharp, shiny tools of all kinds burst out from the ceiling, walls, nooks and crannies alike! Needles and saws, blades and scissors, and more all sprung out on shiny metallic limbs; they crept towards Eye and Brawl in a slow fashion. The light glinted off of their blades and almost burned their faces with how bright it was!

Eye and Brawl both gasped, grunting and panting as they struggled against their bonds. It was of no use! They were too tightly bound! Brawl snarled as silver light poured from his body, but it faded almost immediately as a red and gold glow shone from his bonds. He gasped, and another burst of light turned his attention to Eye, who panted and fell over as another silver light faded from him!

"Struggle all you want, it'll do you no good!" the scientist cried from behind the glass. "Those bonds will take anything you throw at them! There's no way you can break them!"

Eye and Brawl both sighed as they glanced down at the bonds, and then, at each other. Eye's wings trembled a bit, and Brawl's own hands started to shake. If, if they hadn't gotten into that stupid fight, they might not have been here, been stuck in the chamber while the sounds of running saws and snapping scissors signaled their oncoming doom! If they had just, if they had just talked things out… Oh, there was no use reflecting on it now, they were doomed anyways. Brawl shuffled his arms, hoping to loosen the bonds some, but nope, his hands were still tied tight. So, he gulped—

"I'm sorry, Brawl," Eye whimpered. He lowered himself so that he practically bowed over the pedestal he sat on. "This is all my fault!"

Brawl shuffled back a bit right as Eye rocked up, and Eye swayed from back to forth before he finally stabilized.

"If I hadn't blown up the way I did, and ran off in such a storm, we wouldn't be here! I was so concerned about myself that I wasn't even thinking of what would happen, and now we're both going to suffer for it." Eye's glance shifted away, and his wings drooped a bit underneath the bonds. "I, I can't begin to say how sorry I am. I know you could never possibly forgive me…"

Brawl winced, for the sight of Eye in his sulking sight was an arrow right through his armored chest. Talking was never quite his strong point, but with his hands tied, it seemed as though he had no options. Brawl took a few breaths, a few hoarse, croaking noises escaping from the bellows of his inner armor, and finally…

"I, I'm sorry."

Eye gasped, swiveling around to face Brawl. This time, it was Brawl's turn to hide his glance—not that he had one to begin with.

"I, didn't think of Eye. Didn't understand how important Eye was. Should have… Should have thought of how Eye felt." Brawl shuffled a bit and bent over even further.

"Please, forgive me for being stupid."

A small, soft gasp came from Eye, and then something soared, but not the tools that inched closer to then and whirred louder with each inch. No, something soft and squishy soared through the air, and it landed right in Brawl's lap! Eye chuckled, and Brawl turned down to where Eye now sat with him and made the best grin he could.

"Apology accepted.”

Brawl chuckled and knelt closer, so that the brim of his chestpiece brushed against Eye's soft, squishy surface. "Thank you."

The buzzing grew even louder, so loud that it rattled and echoed in Brawl's armor. He lifted himself up to find those, shiny, sharp tools had them surrounded! They were just inches away from cutting them up, yet Brawl didn't fight it. He curled around Eye the best he could. They were both doomed, probably, but maybe he could buy Eye a little more time to find a way out. A sharp pain ran against Brawl's back as the sharp, buzzing noises and the sound of screeching came, yet he didn't scream. He stood there, waiting for the end…

"What is it? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something important?"

"Boss, we're in trouble! The, the other Elder Elementals, they found us! They already wiped out the front—"

"BE AFRAID OF THE BARK!"

Wait, that voice, that was Tree Rex's! Brawl turned around right as the wall in front of him smashed to bits, the shattered glass spilling across the floor while the tools slowed to a crawl…

And they finally stopped! They went limp for moments before brown, bark-covered hands ripped them away! It was Tree Rex's face that met them next, his blue eyes warm and wide.

"Tree Rex!" Eye called. "What happened? How'd you get here?"

"After Brawl left, we called for backup and followed his trail to the fortress," Tree Rex replied. He knelt down and grunted as he fiddled with the bonds around Eye's waist, but then, a purple glow shone as the bonds loosened by themselves and collapsed to the ground.

"With the trail of carnage you left behind," remarked a smooth, kind voice as Brawl's bonds loosened, "it wasn't exactly hard to find you."

Brawl chuckled; he scratched his rim as he turned to right where Sihiri floated into view and smiled. They both chuckled for a moment, basking in the silent peace of the ruined laboratory and an escape from death. In that moment of piece, crashing and smashing and shouts came from the door, and they all paired with the smell of smoke and fire burning from the doorway!

Eye-Brawl, Tree Rex, and Sihiri all turned around as the flames faded just enough to catch two of the free magicians swinging cloud-clad punches and crystal shards from metal pickaxes. They all turned back to each other and nodded.

"Well, I hope you two learned your lesson," Tree Rex remarked. He skulked up and cracked his knuckles, and his eyes not once left the doorway.

Brawl chuckled and popped Eye back on the empty space at the top of his suit. The weight there felt a little heavier, but in a good, pleasant kind of way; it was something he hadn't even realized he missed.

Eye turned down, flapping his wings for a little bit before turning to Tree Rex. "We sure did," Eye chuckled.

Tree Rex nodded. "I'm glad to hear it." Tree Rex finished cracking his knuckles, and his eyes glowed with a golden light that dyed their normal blues a bright green, the same green that shone in his solar cannon. "Now, let's say we get to scrapping some robot hide?"

"Gladly!"

And with that, all four of them cried out as they charged into the battlefield...