Disclaimer: Golden Sun belongs to Nintendo and Camelot. I do not claim ownership of their property.
Mia sat in the tree, brooding. How could her friends do this to her? They got rid of her cat, and what's more, they went behind her back to do so. A single tear rolled down her cheek. More tears followed. "Didn't they trust me?" she sobbed to herself. "Not even Isaac tried to tell me the truth about Snowflake. First Alex, now this," she continued after a few hiccuping sobs. "Why does everyone betray me?" Sitting there in the middle of feeling sorry for herself, Mia was suddenly struck with a thought. "Oh, Mercury," she said, wiping her eyes. "Am I doing the same thing? I'm letting my friends down when they need me."
Mia found a handkerchief and blew her nose, then climbed down the tree. "My friends need me," she proclaimed to the world at large, "and I will not let them down any longer. It is not the way of the Mercury Clan." She struck a proud pose. The effect was somewhat spoiled when her nose began to run and she had to frantically fumble for her handkerchief. After thanking Mercury that no one was around to witness that undignified display, Mia went to Isaac's house to pick up her mace. Then she headed for Mt. Aleph and Alex's lair.
"Damn cat," Garet muttered, lying on the floor and covered in gashes and cuts. "Who the hell fits iron spikes onto their kitten's claws?"
"Judging from what we just experienced, Alex does," Piers said with a moan.
"I can't believe that we were all taken down by one cat," Sheba said. "Ow..."
Alex, who had stopped what he was doing to watch Snowflake take down the Adepts, laughed. "I must say, that was the best entertainment I've had since before I tried to claim the Golden Sun." He reached into his pocket. "Snowflake want a tuna treat? C'mere, girl." He bent down and fed the kitten the tidbit. "Good kitten."
While Alex was busy pampering his pet, Jenna whispered to the others, "We have to do something. Isaac's gonna die soon at the rate Alex has been sucking energy from him."
"What would you suggest?" Felix answered, an edge creeping into his voice. "Look at you. If you move any more, you're going to pass out from blood loss."
"We have to try something," she protested.
"Can you heal us with Aura, Jenna?" Ivan asked weakly.
"I have no Psynergy left," Jenna said. "I used it all up casting Dragon Fumes."
"It looks like we're done for," Sheba said miserably.
"Alex!" called a voice. Everyone looked to the door. Standing there was Mia. "Get away from my friends!"
"Mia!" Alex exclaimed. "It's so good to see you!"
"You have five seconds to let them all go," Mia said.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" Alex asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"What? No! You took my cat, you took one of my friends, and you beat up the rest of them." Mia was confused as well. "Why on Weyard would I be happy to see you?"
"You seemed so happy last time we met," Alex said.
"When, at Mercury Lighthouse? I was furious with you then!"
"No, six months ago, when you gave me Snowflake. Don't you remember?"
"No, I don't remember," Mia said. She glared at each of her floored friends in turn. Turning back to Alex, she said, "Look, that's not important. What is important is that you stop harassing me and my friends."
"I'm sorry, Mia," Alex said with a shake of his head. "You ask of me the one thing I can't do."
"Is there no way I can change your mind, Alex?" Mia asked, stepping close to him. He seemed to be considering her question, but he finally shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Mia, but it is my destiny to claim this power."
"I'm sorry, too, Alex," Mia said. She swung her mace up and smashed Alex right in the side of the head with it. "Sorry that you had to become such a traitorous jerk!" She let the mace fall to the floor and turned to her friends. "And as for you all..."
"Mia, look out!" yelled Felix.
"What?" Mia said, then she shrieked as Snowflake jumped at her, iron tipped claws gleaming in the torchlight. Mia stepped aside just in time. Snowflake flew past her and crashed into the wall, then fell off. Mia hurried over and picked up the kitten.
"Mrow?" Snowflake purred pitifully, enlarging her eyes to increase her cuteness factor by 150 percent.
Mia stared at the kitten for a moment, then deep froze her. "I'm sorry, Snowflake, but it's for the best." She left the iced cat on the floor and went back to her friends. "Wish Well!" she said, healing them all.
"Thanks, Mia," Jenna said, getting up. "We've gotta make sure that Isaac's okay now."
Now that Alex was unconscious or worse, the ice ropes holding Isaac had dissipated into puddles and Isaac was lying on the ground, looking quite pale.
Mia flipped him over onto his back. "Hm..." she said. "I must confess, I'm not quite sure how to treat him. My training as a healer covered mostly physical injuries. How did Alex do this to him?"
"He used Psy Drain, I believe," Piers said.
"I know that technique," Felix said. "Perhaps I could use it to somehow siphon the power that Alex took back into Isaac."
"All we can do is try," Mia said. "Otherwise, we'll have to take him to Vale's sanctum."
"Sheba, may I borrow a Jupiter Djinni?" Felix asked. Sheba lent him one, and Felix drew on the Djinni's power. He dragged Alex's body near him and sat on the ground with one hand on Isaac and one on Alex. For several minutes, he sat in silence as his body glowed with Psynergy. Finally he stopped.
"Ugh," Felix said, putting a hand to his forehead. "I'm glad that's done. It was quite strenuous." He returned the Djinni to Sheba.
"Hey, Isaac, you okay?" Garet asked, bending over his friend. He poked Isaac a couple of times.
"Hey, stop poking me," Isaac said weakly. He sat up slowly and looked around. "What happened here?" Alex's lair looked like a battle had happened in it. A battle had happened in it, so that was an accurate description. Nevertheless, Isaac had no idea, as he had been unconscious by that point.
"You're okay!" Jenna squealed. She grabbed him up in a hug. "We were all worried about you!"
"I'm fine, I think," Isaac said. "What happened, though?"
"I think we all want to know that," Ivan said. "No one really knows the whole story."
"It would probably be best if we left," Piers said. "Dora is quite worried about you, Isaac."
"Yeah, I bet," he said. "All right, let's go." He got slowly to his feet, and Garet offered to let his friend lean on him.
"What about Alex and Snowflake?" Sheba asked.
"Everyone, get out," Felix said. "I'll collapse the chamber." They all left, and Felix did as he said.
"Well," Isaac said, once they emerged from Mt. Aleph. "I guess all's well that ends well."
"Yeah," Ivan said. "We're all safe, and Alex and Snowflake are gone for good."
"After all," Jenna said, "it's not like they could survive having a bunch of rocks fall on them, right?"
Everyone laughed, and they headed back to Vale.
Thanks for reading. Review if you feel so inclined. That would make me happy. This is the tentative end for this tale, but you never know. Until next time, everyone!