Ace of Hearts

by blowngasket

Grand Finale Part Five

Chapter 31: Grand Finale Part Five

'The sky was actually pretty, the lite cloud cover gave a simple contrast with the stars in the night sky. They twinkled happily, like gems that liked to be seen but didn't want to be touched. Oh, and there was a giant currently stomping his way towards me. Funny, almost forgetting a subtle detail like that.'

Perry was fairly deep in thought, tired of being constantly thrown though things, he decided to go the safe route and just wait for him. Besides, it meant less work when it came to the repairs he would inevitably have to make on all the Perry shaped holes. Quickly lifting his legs up and backwards, and setting his arms in a handstand position, Perry managed to avoid being stepped on by the large man, the foot shaped crater in his upside down view being an indicator that he definitely made the proper choice. Swinging his body and using his arms, he started the proper momentum to go backwards, repeating the handstand process as well. Was it necessary to do to gain the proper distance from his foe? Of course not. But to Perry, such thoughts were trivial at best.

"Will you quit not being hit?!" The large man yelled out as Perry's stunt came to a halt, looking at his target inquisitively.

"Why did you have to go and ruin a perfectly good evening?" Perry asked, not really taking the matter of life or death all that seriously.

"Sorry." The lug apologized, actually sounding serious. The quiet resulting from the answer lasted for a good five seconds before he started to get angry. "Why do I have to apologize to you?!" Perry sighed, depressed for his situation.

"It has been too long since I had the chance to stretch for a bit, and I get stuck with the stupid but strong one." Perry lamented his situation. He wasn't expecting much from this man, but it was hard to complain at the same time.

"HEY! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" The giant yelled out, glaring at Perry.

"My apology, sir. I spoke out of line. You're not strong at all." Perry responded, shaking his head.

"Better." His opponent said, leaving Perry dumbfounded. Was this really going to be his night? He had so many better things to be doing. "Hey, wait a second..."

"And he figures it out!" Perry cheered happily, clapping his hand. Obviously no longer amused, the man began charging Perry, his figure resembling something along the lines of a large plow, or maybe one of those fancy machines meant to clean streets. Whatever the case, Perry sidestepped him, waving him by as he ran past him. Coming to a halt, he turned around and stared at Perry. "Say, big guy. Have a name? I want to call you something appropriate, like Ugg or Grr, but that would be childish and inappropriate of me." Perry giggled.

"Boss calls me Panzer, says it strong name." The man, calling himself Panzer replied.

"Dante, right? Can't say I am too fond of the guy." Perry said, taking a second to stare into one of the holes in the cottage. He was relieved to see Fluttershy peeking her head meekly out of one of the Perry shaped holes in the wall, watching the fight. It wasn't bad, but he was somewhat uncomfortable of really letting loose with her watching. It didn't seem like he would need to anyway, the way the fight was progressing. "Tell you what, Panzer. I will make a deal with you."

"Hmm, no trying to trick me. If you do, I will squish you!" Panzer responded, his tone growing suddenly focused. Perry looked back towards Fluttershy and back at him, his own killing intent starting to seep out, putting an uncomfortable pressure on Panzer. It was made only more uncomfortable by a slight but eerie giggle coming from Perry.

"You go to your boss, and tell him to go dig his own grave, and I might consider only crushing your legs so you can crawl away." Perry stared at Panzer, who was obviously angry, and quickly shook his head, the killing intent coming off of him fading quickly. "I am sorry, I don't know where that came from." Perry said, sighing at his mental slip up. The damage was done, however, as Panzer wasn't all too fond of his compromise.

Panzer quickly approached him, faster than what Perry thought a guy of his size should be able to, and started to throw punch after bone crushing punch. Perry wasn't about to lose an arm blocking him, so he proceeded to back away, weaving around to avoid his massive strikes. He moved in quickly, attempting to end the fight quickly. His fist shaped like a claw, Perry struck at his stomach, a maneuver that would have worked and allowed Perry to grab an organ or two, had his abdominal region not been harder than stone. Caught off guard by his absurd sturdiness, Perry was left open, and soon airborne as he was swatted away like a tiny insect. He remained in a slight state of shock, skipping across the ground like a rock on a lake, until gravity and friction finally halted his trip, leaving him battered and sore.

'Soft...'

Perry slowly got up, watching as Panzer decided to forget him and started heading back to the cottage. He quickly snapped back to his senses, starting with a slight limp, but pushing through the light pain in his leg to start to run, and then sprint at Panzer. As he approached, he began running the statistics in his head, and aiming at his target. "Gravity Crush!"

The spell impacted, like it was supposed to, but not with the desired effect. It halted Panzer, but he only sank with the ground, still remaining standing, and looking more annoyed than in body crushing agony. This had a somewhat desired effect, keeping him from going after Fluttershy, but the lack of power in his own attack concerned Perry.

'You've...soft...'

Itching in the back of his head, just getting worse and worse, as Perry tried to tone out his true nature, not wanting to subject Fluttershy to it. Further ignoring it. Perry used his running momentum, and quickly delivered a drop kick into Panzer, causing him to stumble back slightly and trip over the edge of the hole. Both men picked themselves up quickly. "Gah, stupid little insect. You annoy me, tiny man." Panzer said, ready before Perry. He approached him and, despite Perry guarding out of instinct, threw a right hook into his stomach, sending him crashing into a tree.

Fluttershy, from her spot, stared with fear in her eyes as she watched the man she loved tossed around like he was nothing. She felt completely powerless, the monster responsible again walking towards her. She didn't know what to do, completely petrified with fear. Perry laid where he hit, slumped against the tree, completely motionless like her. She wanted to cry out to him, but the overwhelming Panzer shadowing over her left nothing but a terrified squeak come out of her mouth. He grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her out from the hole. She dangled in the air, truly feeling helpless in her current situation. Trying again and again to call out to him, she could manage to get anything out. It was as if she was screaming in a nightmare, trying to speak but nothing coming out. Panzer, with Fluttershy in his possession, started to make his way back to Dante, when suddenly he was struck completely immobile, an overwhelming terror overcoming him now. Fluttershy could feel it as well, as she had felt it before. It was the same terror that overcame her when Sombra attacked.

---------- ---------- ----------

"You've grown soft Perriot..."

This voice, it was very familiar. How could it not be, though? He heard this voice for over twenty years or so, matured with it, since it did belong to him. However, it wasn't him speaking it, yet it was. He stood in a white space, almost like a completely empty room housing nothing in it, not even a door or a window. It looked like the walls were closing in, yet at the same time, he had all the space in the world. Unsettling would be a light way to describe the feeling. There was something in the room, even without its lack of anything. It would be hard to ignore looking at yourself anyways. At least he thought it was himself. It didn't feel right. Sure, looking right would have been easier to describe, but for some reason, the alterations of color on himself seemed like it was right. Dark black hair, and a black shirt with purple diamond patterns, and white pants decorated the doppelganger, no. Who was he looking at exactly?

"We haven't played together in so long..."

"I...know you."

"Of course you do, though I can't say the same anymore."

That mask...that blood red mask, and the wicked grin painted on it. It stirred up so many emotions, long since forgotten. Wrong again, not long, almost like yesterday. But it felt like forever.

"Am I dead?"

"No. If you were dead, I would have to be too. I don't like not being alive."

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"...Who am I?"

He, or himself, was no longer there. Turning around quickly, the scenery behind him glistened red. A monolith, created out of corpses, though not a one had a face to be associated with. Atop the tower of death, he sat again, staring down at himself.

"So far have you fallen from your heights, so pitiful."

"I have moved on."

He was right in front of him now, the sensation of what could resemble feeling as it was mask on mask.

"You're never meant to move on." He backed away, the tower gone, leaving no traces within the pristine white room. "What a joke. If you're the joke, does that make me the Joker? You're going to lay there. You're going to continue to be the sad clown, who despite his best intentions nothing good ever comes from his actions. I will continue to be the one that does all the work for you, while you prance about I am going to sit idly by, and let you."

"I don't need you. I never needed you."

"I AM YOU!"

---------- ---------- ----------

"Perry?" Fluttershy squeaked out, the looming terror of death approaching her and Panzer. She knew about him, but this was the first time she ever experienced what he truly was.

"You know how hard it is to remove grass from these shirts?" Perry spoke, a dark chuckle reverberating throughout the area.

"Why, you should be not awake?" Panzer said, a slight shiver in his voice.

"I can scrub and I can scrub...but I just can't seem to ever get out those nasty green splotches. They look absolutely terrible, don't you think? DON'T THEY REPULSE YOU?!" Even though there was distance, it almost felt as though he loomed over him, his dark laughing following his sudden shouting leaving Panzer shaking, completely petrified. Perry was a massive being, towering over him. So large...completely overpowering...

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"Submissive. It is sad really. I let you play nicely with others."

"You don't make me do anything."

"Please, you used to love me. We had so much fun together."

"I never..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you can't lie to yourself."

"Go away."

"You can't live without me though."

"Go away..."

"Someone comes along, and you decide to forget about me."

"JUST GO AWAY!"

Who was shouting? Who did he really want to leave? Which one was the one who resented the other? The floor, suddenly, though as if it was always there, a picture. A symbol? Did it matter? A circle, one half black, one half white. Yin and Yang? Reader. Yes, Reader explained it. Balance.

"You messed up."

He did mess up. There wasn't denying it. He couldn't deny it. The more he was fighting, the more he was losing.

"I messed up."

"We messed up."

"What am I?"

"You are me?"

The dark half, simply smiled. Walking towards himself? It was all still so very confusing, so easy to just get lost.

"Come back to me."

"Welcome back." The two, started to become one again, slowly merging back together.

"...ry..."

"What?"

"Pe..y"

Perry stalled, listening closely. He recognized it. So soft, so sweet. It used to make him sick...It used...sick...

"Perry!"

His eyes widened as he suddenly pushed himself away. He could feel the rage from his other half, the seething just wanting to escape the prison that it has been locked away in.

"No, not like this!"

"Just accept who you are!"

"I never accepted who I am! I never wanted to be who I am, because of who you are."

"You are who I am though."

"No...That is where you are wrong...no...Actually."

"Actually?"

"I am sorry."

It was strange to say that he could tell that he was no longer angry. Since he was him, he understood why. There will always be a fine line between the two, connecting them. No matter how much one tried to become him. No matter how much one tried to push the other away. It was a dual sided action, both in a never ending power struggle. Always fighting, but now, as the room started to fade away, the feeling was different. It was still the same darkness that always existed, and always will exist.

"I don't want to be alone..."

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"PERRY!!!" Fluttershy cried out, fighting through the feeling of dread. At this point, she didn't even care if he was actually listening or not, she had to do something. She had to do anything, even if it was hopeless. The pressure only grew with each step he took, the darkness emanating from him. Panzer stood there as well, having long since dropped Fluttershy, backing away from the dread colossus that was Perry, enduring his sudden approach. He walked up next to Fluttershy and stopped as she called out his name again.

"I am sorry if I scared you." The feeling was not gone, but these words. To someone as sensitive as Fluttershy, she could easily tell that, behind the visage of death was kindness, true and strong. He held out his hand, holding it away from Fluttershy. He focused into the palm of his hands, the dark aura crystalizing within his palm, flowing into it. A blade of dark crystals. It was easy to recognize, having been the weapon that King Sombra himself used. "No, this isn't right." Panzer, who was startled even more by the sudden disappearance of the dread, stared at Perry and his new weapon. Perry, reaching up with his other hand, slowly removed the mask. He flipped it, staring at the face of the mask for quite some time. Panzer wanted to make a move, but what could be described as his instinct, his desire to survive, kept him from doing so.

"Perry...is that you?" Of course Fluttershy would be startled by him. She never seen him like this. His right eye, leaking black smoke, the coloring that of Sombra himself. She wasn't sure who she was even looking at.

"I think so. It's funny, I have never felt so at peace." He handed his mask over to Fluttershy, smiling warmly despite his frightening look. He turned back to the sword and Panzer, staring the weapon down with intrigue. "This isn't me at all. I already said I refuse to ever be like him." Perry chuckled, his own nerves practically nonexistent. The sword started to change shape, thinning out and stretching, the chinking of crystals rubbing together as the sword became a staff, and finally, a scythe. The dark crystalline weapon fit snuggly in his hands. Looking over the weapon, Perry nodded in approval, before once again starting his walk over towards Panzer.

"W...What are you?" Panzer asked, backing away from the menacing weapon wielding maniac.

"Funny you should ask that, actually. I had a long debate about that myself. I guess to make my answer simple, I am simply a man. No more, no less. Not different, not special, and most certainly not a monster, despite what others have called me. I just have a more intimate relationship with that little voice in your head that tells you to do horrible things. We got into an argument, but I think we came to a nice compromise."

"Get away!" Panzer said, backing away quickly. Unfortunately, it was too quickly, not noticing and tripping over a rock on the ground.

"Fluttershy, I want you to watch, no matter how much it bothers you. I want you to see who I really am." Fluttershy's eyes widened, every fiber of her being wanting to cry out to him, to let that man go. He turned to look at her, and stared into her eyes, leaving her speechless, left to simply watch as he swung the scythe around over his head, and quickly bringing it down. "I...am but a human." The blade pierced the earth next to Panzer's head, having just lightly grazed his ear. "I don't care what you do from here on out, Panzer, but know that my mark on you shall scar over, a constant reminder to the fact that I will kill you if you ever try to hurt the people I care about. Now I shall tell you only once...run."

Apparently, Panzer wasn't an idiot after all. He quickly scrambled to his feet, and with that speed that was impressive for someone of his size and stature, he booked it like the watchdog of the underworld itself was at his heels. Perry looked over the weapon, feeling the satisfaction of freedom as he let the weapon go back to where it came from. Fluttershy, from her spot, watched the display, as well as Perry himself, as he approached her. His eye didn't change back, it was still the same, only without the mist effect that it had before.

"Perry...are you ok?" Fluttershy asked, flipping about on how she should currently feel. She was scared, happy, and even angry. It didn't last long, though. Within seconds, Perry's smile quickly diminished as he dropped to his knees. His own personal dam of emotions was on the bursting point now, no longer able to hold himself back from his own emotional turmoil. He tilted his head back and started to scream, tears flowing down from his face. It came as a complete shock to her, seeing him break down like this. Not sure what to say, or what to do, she let her own emotions do the talking. She moved towards him, kneeling down, and gripped him tightly, holding him as if he would disappear if she even thought about letting him go. She held him close and softly whispered into his ear.

"Everything will be okay..."

It was so simple a phrase, so few words, but its impact could last for a lifetime.

Comments

[Ace High]

Epic as always I love perry