Spoiler: Story time! The town of Coronet, location of the greatest of the crystal cores. Centered in the town, revered by the humans. A young female, distinguished by her wings, destined to destroy the town. Possessing a power greater than any other- life draining. Using her power to drain all life energy in the town, Transferring the energy to the crystal core, Earth will be ours again. That was the first story I ever heard. My father was sure to emphasize that I was the one to fulfill this prophecy. I was brought into life with a strange phenomenon: a large set of flying apparatuses attached to my posterior half. The apparatuses had numerous peculiar appendages extruding from them, unlike the smooth ones I had seen portrayed in ancient lore back home. My father told me that the apparatuses were called “wings,” and although I had a distaste for the title at first, I have grown to accept the title. My father trained me from a young age to hone my unique powers. According to him, I should focus my vision on an object and unfurl my large wings to begin the life absorption process. I feel my core become warmer with the newfound energy from the object as its life force fades away. I am filled with a strange, tingling sensation from the life energy. My father usually attempted to find a remote location for me to practice. As it turns out, I was feared by many of the locals because of my powers. To many, it was the most powerful, and even the most potentially dangerous, power they had ever witnessed. Sometimes I felt as if my father were the only one who respected me. These memories circled through my mind as I was sent off to Earth. My father entrusted me to go alone, stating that he believed that I was capable. I knew it would be a long trip over from here, so I spent the time preparing myself. The town of Coronet, location of the greatest of the crystal cores. Centered in the town, revered by the humans. A young female, distinguished by her wings, destined to destroy the town. Possessing a power greater than any other- life draining. Using her power to drain all life energy in the town, Transferring the energy to the crystal core, Earth will be ours again. The words of the prophecy rang through my head once again as I approached the Earthen town of Coronet. Our spacecraft, Cylanius, landed on the filthy ground of this sad excuse of a planet. I exited Cylanius and searched for the crystal core. Legend has it that all of our people’s cores are merely shards of crystal cores scattered across this planet. These cores would allow our people to rebuild our wasteland. Coronet was the theorized location of the greatest of the crystal cores, and it was my mission to find it. I wandered through the large paths of Coronet. For a supposedly small town, its paths were a labyrinth. Each one split off into several other paths, and many intersected at various sections. It seemed to be a relatively uninhabited location, with a surprisingly large amount of structures lining the paths. I was greatly puzzled by these structures, since I grew accustomed to seeing rubble everywhere. Back home, there was only one structure that remained: the palace, where my father, the king, raised me. Although I was the princess, I saw little to no value in the title. Absorbed in my reminiscing, I felt a force bump my left side. Instinctively, I grabbed out and felt a soft but firm object and slammed it into the dusty ground, stirring up a small cloud. I snapped around to determine what the object that disturbed me was, ready to attack. It appeared to be a male human specimen, like the ones I read about. This one had countless dark strands protruding from its head, disheveled from being thrown on the ground. Its optic orbs, a vibrant hue of green, portrayed the emotions he just experienced. Fear, predominantly, but a twinge of something indistinguishable. Dirt covered its trembling appendages. In that moment, it almost seemed to be an acceptable specimen. “Whoa, take it easy!” it cried out, fear and pain indicative in his words. I was greatly puzzled by its response. “Take… it… ‘easy?’” Was this some sort of mysterious Earthen mother tongue? “Explain yourself, now,” I uttered, rage beginning build up inside of me. “It’s just a phrase that means to calm down,” it replied while standing up. “What is that thing on your shoulder?” it pointed over my left side. I glanced over to see that my wing was partially showing. I jolted, quickly hiding it again. “It is merely a figure of your imagination,” I replied hastily. “State your identity,” I ordered defensively. “Solaris, boy, 16 years old. And you?” “Princess Xhemala of the planet Kryloptus,” I blurted out. I immediately realized that I made a grave mistake. What if it was a spy? I just informed it of my name and home land, and Kryloptus or I could potentially be in danger. What made me hastily reveal my identity to a complete stranger, a mere human? “You’re from another planet? That’s so cool!” it exclaimed. “Precisely, I am from another planet,” I replied calmly. “What’s it like there?” “Quite different from yours, actually. First, there is only one structure like the ones in your planet. It is my father’s palace. Everything else has been reduced to rubble.” “I’m sorry to hear that. I can still show you around Coronet! I’ve lived here my whole life, so I know this town like the back of my hand.” I was reluctant at first, since this town would be reduced to rubble soon enough. However, I realized that he could lead me right to the crystal core. “I will accompany you,” I declared. Its optic orbs opened wide with a sense of joy. “Awesome! I’ve never shown an alien around Coronet before, believe it or not!” it exclaimed. I could easily believe that “Solaris” had never shown one of my people around its town. I felt a small twinge of something peculiar (was it… excitement, perhaps?) as it took me by the hand to guide me around its home land. “The most important part of town- right here!” it exclaimed, gesturing to a structure with a large sign that read, “Jerry and Larry’s Ice Cream Parlor.” “Jerry and Larry’s Ice Cream Parlor? Please explain, Solaris.” “You’ve never had ice cream?” he questioned with exaggeration on the words ‘ice cream.’ “Ice cream is the greatest invention by man! It’s cold, creamy, and delicious! You have to try some!” he dragged me into the structure. Two other male human specimens were inside the structure. One of them looked in the direction of Solaris and called out, “Hey, Solaris! How’s my number one customer doing? And who’s your friend?” “That’s Jerry,” Solaris told me. “He and his brother Larry run this ice cream store.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I usually get their stuff for free, even though I’m not supposed to.” It looked back at “Jerry.” “Doing good Jerry. This is--” I recognized that he was about to reveal my identity as an extraterrestrial. I knew I could not risk that happening again, so I quickly interrupted him. “I am Xhemala.” “‘She-ma-la?’” he said slowly, so as to not mispronounce my name. “Never heard of it. Where are you from?” he inquired. “Out of town,” I replied, smiling at Solaris. “Jerry, I need you to get us two Seal Specials, please,” “Coming right up.” Solaris looked back at me. “The Seal Special is the best item on the menu! It’s two scoops of cookies and cream ice cream, covered in graham cracker crumbs and drizzled with hot fudge with a cherry on top! And it’s all in the shape of a seal!” he proclaimed. I did not understand anything he just told me, but I figured I would act ecstatic with him. “Here you go, Solaris and Xhemala, two Seal Specials. These are on the house,” Jerry stated, handing us large, icy bowls with two large gray spheres of ice cream and countless miniature morsels surrounding them, a green plastic appliance protruding from the side. Solaris noticed my puzzlement. “That’s a spoon. You use it to eat the ice cream,” he said, chuckling. I picked up the spoon, scooped up some of the gray ice cream, and placed it in my mouth. Suddenly, my mouth became cold as Neptune! I was about to reject the frozen “treat” when it became warmer in my mouth. Then came a sweet sensation from the ice cream. I smiled. “This is quite delectable, Solaris!” I exclaimed. It had been some time later when we both could eat no more of the Seal Specials. “Thank you for the treat. I have never eaten anything like that before,” I told him gratefully. “You’re welcome! I have one more thing to show you.” I followed him through the streets. I thought that these streets were a labyrinth earlier, but now I feel as if I had known them for years, thanks to Solaris. “Here it is, the Coronet. That’s why they named the town,” he gestured. I gazed in awe. This “coronet” was the crystal core! It was mounted upon a slab of bronze, and it stood upright on the slab. “Ooh, here’s another cool thing about it,” he said, running ahead of me. I ran to keep up with him. “There’s some kind of weird hieroglyph right here,” he stated, pointing to an inscription on the slab. “I think I may recognize these symbols,” I replied. I began to translate the message. I read through two lines of the symbols and instantly recognized what the inscription stated. “The town of Coronet, location of the greatest of the crystal cores. Centered in the town, revered by the humans. A young female, distinguished by her wings, destined to destroy the town. Possessing a power greater than any other- life draining. Using her power to drain all life energy in the town, transferring the energy to the crystal core, Earth will be ours again.” My mission! I became so obsessed with this human that I completely forgot my mission! But to destroy Coronet, to kill Solaris… could I do it? “So what does it say?” Solaris asked, bouncing slightly with excitement. I hesitated. “It… it is a prophecy. A prophecy that has been told told to me time and time again.” I inhaled and exhaled deeply and began to recite the prophecy, staring at the crystal core. “The town of Coronet, location of the greatest of the crystal cores. Centered in the town, revered by the humans. A young female, distinguished by her wings, destined to destroy the town. Possessing a power greater than any other- life draining. Using her power to drain all life energy in the town, transferring the energy to the crystal core, Earth will be ours again.” Solaris became slightly concerned. “I hope I don’t encounter that girl,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “I…” I found myself unable to say anything. I sensed Solaris’s concern rising, as if he were putting together the pieces of the puzzle. His optics opened wide, wider than they had been when I had thrown him on the street earlier today. “Y…you’re the girl in the prophecy, aren’t you?” he demanded with a quivering voice. My mind raced. How was I supposed to respond? “What I saw over your shoulder earlier when you drop slammed me was your wing?” the confidence in his voice rose steadily. I could sense my adrenaline levels rising. “And you were just buttering me up today so you could kill me later and destroy my home town? So you and the rest of the aliens on Kryloptus could take over Earth? Did I miss anything, Princess Xhemala?” at this point, he was shouting at me, filled with rage. How was I to fix this…? “And to think I wasted my precious day spending time with my future murderer,” he muttered, his anger shifting to sadness. I stood in silence, debating what to do. Even if I told him that I truly enjoyed the day with him, he would not believe me. Looking at the bigger picture, what was I to do about the prophecy? If I fulfill the prophecy, then Coronet, and more importantly, Solaris, would be destroyed. If I fail to fulfill the prophecy... I could not even comprehend that alternate reality. “Solaris, I truly enjoyed today. You have shown me the value in Earth, and I am eternally grateful,” I responded after much inner turmoil. “That doesn’t matter anyway. There’s still the prophecy…” he mumbled, pointing to the inscription. I took another glance at the inscription. “The town of Coronet, location of the greatest of the crystal cores. Centered in the town, revered by the humans. A young female, distinguished by her wings, destined to destroy the town. Possessing a power greater than any other- life draining. Using her power to drain all life energy in the town, transferring the energy to the crystal core…” I stopped speaking, for I noticed another line inserted in the prophecy. “That is quite peculiar- I do not recall this line,” I wondered aloud. “The energy will create a blast enough to destroy the planet. Earth will cease existence. The universe will be ours again,” I uttered. Why did this version of the prophecy have this line in it? Which version was authentic: this inscription or my father’s version? Did my father know that this inscription was different from the version he always told me? A sudden realization crossed my mind: why wasn’t my father with me here on Earth? Why would he send me off alone? Unless… Something caught my attention up in the sky. A dark spot that grew larger and larger as it came closer. I recognized it: Cylanius. What was my spacecraft doing here? It landed a small distance away from me. “Hide, Solaris,” I demanded. He scurried behind a structure, his head showing slightly so as to eavesdrop. The entrance door to Cylaniusopened to reveal… “Father? What are you doing here?” “Just checking in on my favorite daughter,” he replied, heavy with sarcasm. “How is your mission going so far?” he inquired with slight indignation. I shifted uncomfortably, afraid to tell him of what happened today. “When will you fulfill your destiny?” he asked, indignation rising. “I…” I stuttered, looking to where Solaris had hidden himself. I inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I cannot go through with this.” “And why is that?” “Because… because there things that are worth saving on this planet!” I cried out. My father rose an eyebrow in rage and puzzlement and stepped off of Cylanius and onto the dirt street. My eyes darted again to Solaris’s hiding place. My father noticed me look to the side, and he too looked to the side. “Well, well, well,” he chuckled, moving over to Solaris. He lifted him by his arm. “Is this the “thing” worth protecting?” he taunted, shaking him around like a play toy. “Take it easy on him!” I cried out. “What is the meaning of that phrase?” “It means to calm down. It is a phrase I learned here on Earth,” I replied, slightly nervous. Solaris smiled for a short time. “No matter,” he spat, throwing him on the ground. “Solaris!” I cried out. I thought back to earlier today when I had thrown him on the street. I may have slammed him hard, but I was certain that my father was much more forceful than I. I may have heard the sound of ligaments breaking in his body. He struggled to stand up again. “This is not worth protecting. This will worship us once you fulfill the prophecy,” he went on. “I cannot do this. Why can you not destroy the Earth yourself?” I was unsure of why I had said this, but I figured it could give me some time to think of what to do next. “Do you think I have never attempted this? How ignorant can you be?” his voice was booming now. “I attempted many times to relocate the crystal cores to Kryloptus before I had become king, but to no avail. Once I became king, I was forbidden from returning to Earth. I was forced to give up on my dream of obtaining all of the crystal cores, but the dream would not cease. I located the ancient prophecy hidden in the palace, and then you came along. You were the one described in the prophecy, so I trained you to do the task for me. Everyone back home is convinced that the crystal cores will ‘help us rebuild our home planet.’” “And then you sent me to do the menial work for you, so that I would then be killed?” I countered defiantly. “I read the authentic version of the prophecy. You lied to me my whole life, and I will no longer be your puppet.” “So you choose to make this more difficult than it needs to be,” he sighed. An unknown force opened my wings. It was almost as if I had no control over them. I looked around in puzzlement. I had no idea what was happening, but I should have control over my own powers. I attempted to resist the force. “You will fulfill the prophecy,” he stated through gritted teeth. With each word, there was a sudden jolt of my left, then right, wing snapping open. It was at this moment that I realized what was happening. My father was attempting to control over my body. No matter how much he would try to force me, I knew in my core that I would never destroy this beautiful town, this beautiful planet, and the new human I befriended, Solaris. I felt the force around me weaken as I remembered my day with Solaris. “Never!” I shouted. In my act of resisting, I noticed that I had been taking steps backwards towards the crystal core. I was a mere few steps away from it when I felt my core become warmer. Was my father attempting to control my powers? I closed my eyes, so as to not focus on anything. My core became warmer and warmer, and it began to glow orange, then yellow, then white. My father again roared three words, his powers becoming stronger with each word. “Fulfill!” I felt a sharp force on my left side grab hold of, and subsequently rip off, my wing. I let out an agonizing scream. “The!” The wing on my right side was plucked off just as easily. I let out yet another painful wail. “PROPHECY!” Lastly, my eyes were ripped open. My father became a horrifying monster, his eyes glowing brighter and brighter red, holding my severed black wings in his hands. Liquid tears began to form in my optics as pain began to flow from my posterior where the wings were previously located. I could not even consider calling him father anymore. King Zymelius took one step forward, and I took one step back. I fell back because my legs could no longer hold me up. I looked off to the side where Solaris’s bruised body lay. He had witnessed all that had happened and gazed in horror. “NEVER!” I shouted with all of my remaining strength. Zymelius approached me casually as if nothing had happened. “Now, imagine if you had just listened to me the first time instead of resisting,” Zymelius remarked, glancing at Solaris and back at me. “We would not be in this situation, now would we?” he asked, mockingly holding my wings. “I made the correct decision.” I stated weakly but firmly. I stumbled back and set my hand on a cold, smooth surface. I turned around to see that I had set my hand on the crystal core. My core suddenly became the hottest I had ever experienced it to be. I felt an enormous surge of energy flow into my body from the crystal core. All the pent-up heat and energy was released all at once in a gigantic explosion. In the last few seconds of my existence, I cried out desperately to Solaris. “SOLARIS!” “XHEMALA!” he wailed back. The town of Coronet, location of the greatest of the crystal cores. Centered in the town, revered by the humans. A young female, distinguished by her wings, destined to destroy the town. Possessing a power greater than any other- life draining. Using her power to drain all life energy in the town, Transferring the energy to the crystal core, The energy will create a blast enough to destroy the planet. Earth will cease existence. The universe will be ours again. (I wrote this whole story in comic sans font) Spoiler: Inspirations This story was inspired by a Reddit writing prompt. As I was creating the story, I first wrote the prophecy, since it would obviously be the center of the story. For the creation of the character names, I had some word of inspiration, then I added on random letters to make them seem “outlandish”. Xhemala’s name is partly inspired by the name Xiomara (the main reason being it started with an X, which seemed like a good letter for an “alien-ish” name). Zymelius’s name is partly inspired by Zygarde (same reason as above, it started with Z). Kryloptus’s name is partly inspired by Krypton (I’m not a Superman fan, it was just the first planet name I thought of). The spacecraft Cylanius’s name is partly inspired by Cassini (I thought of you Geroniny). Solaris doesn’t have any particular inspiration, I just like the name. I also thought a “unique” name would make him a “weird” character, hence his interest in aliens. When creating the ice cream parlor, I thought of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which made me think of my seal keychain Jerry. Larry was named after another seal plush, hence the “Seal Special” ice cream. Also it was cookies and cream ice cream because it’s my favorite. The crystal core in Coronet (named after Mount Coronet) is based on the crystal thing in Anistar City, my favorite place in Kalos. Spoiler: Author’s insights I wasn’t sure how to incorporate it into the story, but I wanted to imply that Xhemala wasn’t actually Zymelius’s daughter. I imagine he heard that the girl to fulfill the prophecy was born, then he stole the girl and raised her as her own daughter. (Kinda like Mother Gothel in Tangled) I know the prophecy was repeated way too many times, but it was because Xhemala was raised by this story, and I imagine she repeats it to herself a lot. Plus with the repetition, that technically makes it a motif. Xhemala refers to Solaris as an “it” even though she notes that he is a male. This is because she didn’t know humans used “he” and “she”, she thought it was only her home people. She starts to call him “he” when he refers to Jerry as a “he”. I knew I didn’t want a happy ending, but I didn’t want her to fulfill the prophecy. The perfect solution was to force her into it against her own will, creating a tragic ending. At one point, Zymelius tells Xhemala, “Now, imagine if you had just listened to me the first time instead of resisting. We would not be in this situation, now would we?” Another thing I was unsure of how to incorporate was the idea that because she resisted the prophecy, the inevitable explosion was much bigger then it should have been. So Zymelius was actually right to some degree. Xhemala uses verbose writing and no contractions, if you didn’t notice. I thought it would contrast nicely with Solaris, who speaks more casually as we humans do.
