Hey, Everyone! This is it. The conclusion of my very first literary effort for public reading ever! I appreciate all of you who came along for the ride; all your reviews, favorites, followers, and words of encouragement! Don't worry! There is more to come from my vast, inspired, and sometimes twisted imagination!

Chapter 85: Epilogue

In the weeks following the victory over Obsidious Blackstar and his forces, a great many things happened.

Astranova took some time to herself. Despite all the gratitude everyone showed for all her help, she needed to grieve; not only the loss of HooDude, whom she realized she'd loved, but also any chance of ever being reunited with her parents or people. As her foster family, as it were, Grace Bloodgood and Robecca gave her all the loving support she needed.

Citations, medals, and awards were given to many who deserved them around the world for their heroism during this overall crisis, both humans and monsters. The entire rescue team was particularly honored. The members of MEGTAF's Shadow Team 5 were all awarded Distinguished Service Crosses, with Col. Barnes himself awarded the Medal of Honor. The monster members were all presented Presidential Citizens Medals while Duncan himself was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bernside for risking his life to destroy the invading baseship.

A week later, classes resumed at Monster High. Due to the invasion, school was extended an extra two weeks to make up lost time. After final hex-ams were over, the 'end-of-the-year' party also celebrated the victory.

Duncan had surprisingly little trouble adjusting to his new level of power and physical changes. His build had permanently gone from 'Bruce Lee' to 'Van Damme-in-his-prime', but other than that; he was able to revert to the 'base-form' he was used to. His training with Jinafire would help him gain finer control of his new strength and power. Clawdeen had a new challenge altering all his pants and shorts to keep him covered and allow him to grow his new tail, as well as slightly enlarging the openings in his shirts and jackets for his now larger wings.

Right now, he was a bit uncomfortable in his Egyptian-inspired tux, despite Clawdeen's expert alterations. He and many of his friends were in Boo York, attending the wedding of Catty Noir and Seth Ptolemy; whose stage name was 'Pharaoh'. The couple had asked Cleo and Deuce to be their Maid of Honor and Best Man-ster. Clawdeen, Frankie, Draculaura, and Operetta were asked to be bridesmaids along with Astranova, Elle Eedee, and Luna Mothews, who took time out of her busy Bloodway career to attend. Only Astranova declined, as she was still mourning, but agreed to attend as a guest. Having few friends, Seth invited the ghoul's boyfriends to fill out the ranks his groomsmen.

Seth was dressed in his royal Egyptian best, while Catty was dressed like an ancient Egyptian princess and, as a child of Bast like all cats and werecats, her Egyptian circlet-tiara bore the likeness of the cat goddess. Clawdeen had designed and made the dresses for the entire wedding-party with help from Skelita and Jinafire.

The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception party was in full swing. Holt and Claire laying down some serious DJ jams with Elle Eedee! The food, the dancing, the toasts, everyone was happy and having fun….except Astranova. She sat off to the side alone, not wanting to dampen the party with her sad mood.

Silvi, Marisol, and the Kobold sisters had already joined her in solidarity and support of each other after their common losses. However, they were back in New Salem right now, so she felt very alone in her grief. Clawdeen and the others all saw her, and felt for the ghoul. Astranova was sadly imagining what a wedding for her and HooDude might have been like, and tears rolled down her cheeks imagining how happy they could have been. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the gentle, knowing eyes of Duncan.

"May I sit?", he asked softly. She nodded with a small smile of gratitude. After a few silent moments, he took a deep breath.

"Have you heard the story about my first girlfriend?", he asked.

"A bit", she replied. "Just that she died before you came to New Salem and that it hurt you a lot, so you understand how I feel right now."

"There's more to it", he said, telling her the whole story of meeting and dating Jenna, up until she died in his arms on that most horrible day.

"I feel your loss", the alien ghoul said. "How did you get over something so painful?"

"I didn't", he said. "It nearly broke me. I thought I was broken; cursed to live a life of loneliness and pain. I was in a really dark place when I came to Monster High. Then….I met Clawdeen(he looked lovingly at his mate, who smiled back). She was like a ray of light piercing the darkness to guide me back. It wasn't until my near-death experience that I learned Jenna had given Fate a nudge to get me and Clawdeen together, knowing we would be happy together."

"So you're saying I should move on and find someone else?", she asked bitterly.

"No", he replied, again putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm saying that things can and will get better in time. Just let things unfold in their own time. In the meantime, grieve as long as you need to. Just remember you have friends who support and care about you, ok?"

"Thanks, Duncan", Astranova said in gratitude. "I think I'm ready to join the party now."

"Great", he smiled. "Come on. May I have the first dance?"

"Will your mate be ok with it?", she chuckled, looking over at Clawdeen.

"Already ran it by her", he grinned. "She's cool. Just keep your hands above the belt, ok?*chuckle*"

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The day after the wedding, after spending a gloriously passionate night together in their suite in Ptolemy Tower, Duncan and Claween were embracing in the boarding gate area of the Boo York Airport. Most of their friends went home to New Salem, while a few went home to their parents in other countries for the summer. But for Duncan and Clawdeen, it was different. She was on her way to the Temple of the Moon to train under Fenris Silvermane in her duties as the Alpha for the next four weeks, while Duncan had agreed to do the same, being trained by his father in the Valley of the Gods in the Scare-izona/Nevada dessert for the same four weeks. They would depart on separate planes on opposite sides of the terminal.

"This isn't gonna be easy for me", she said.

"It'll be just as hard for me, my love", he said with a small smile. "But we have responsibilities to our peoples; the werewolves and kaijus. I promise we'll keep in touch with the crystal mirrors. Just remember, after this we have the rest of the summer together."

"Mmmmmm", she moaned, kissing him deeply. "I'm lookin' forward to that, Hot-Stuff."

"Me too, my Sweet She-Wolf."

"Attention, all passengers! Now boarding at Gate 6, Flight 13B to Lost Plague-as. Also boarding, at Gate 13, Flight 666 to Wolfburg by way of Londoom."

"I guess that's both of us", Duncan sighed. "I love you, Clawdeen."

"I love you, too, Duncan", she smiled warmly before they shared one last, deep, lingering kiss.

Thoughts of each other and everything they'd been through lingered in their heads during their respective flights. Even a month of training, longingly separated from each other, would seem like a vacation after some of the events of the past year. But thanks to their trip to Ever After, and the Storybook of Legends, they both knew there was more to come. Hopefully, the Gods and Goddesses willing, it would be a while until anything major happened to them.

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Dr. Philip Moreau was in a good mood! Not only had he and Dr. Mechanicles avoided being implicated in their alliance with Van Hellscream, but Moreau's parent's estate was finally out of probate, giving him everything as their sole heir, including the family mansion….and it's library. Somewhere there, were his grandfather's notes and journals, possibly even a chart to his former island lab facility!

Dr. Anton Mechanicles was like a kid in a candy store as he and Dr. Troniquez oversaw the gathering of all the alien technology leftover from the failed invasion. He would keep up appearances for his collegue and the rest of MEGTAF, but he had plans for this technology…plans that could finish what Van Hellscream had started! No one else knew, but they had grown up together as best friends and shared the same obsessive bigotry against monsters. That had been his reason for going to work for MEGTAF in the first place; to create the technology that would destroy all the monsters of the world!

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Darkness all around, pitch-black. The only light emanating from the large crystal ball at the center of an ornately carved wood and stone round table. From out of the gloom, sinister figures step up to the table from different directions; Lord Stoker, Revolta, Vlad Plasmius, Remus Darkclaw, Argost, Zombozo, and Moanica D'Kay. Finally, far above an empty space at the table, the burning red eyes of a mysterious kaiju were visible in the dark.

"My friends", the unknown kaiju rumbled from above, "our Council is now complete. Please welcome our final member; Sisko Basilisk!"

A slender, well-muscled reptilian in his late teens appeared in the final empty space at the table. His iridescent teal scales bore black diamond pattern markings down his back, arms, legs, and long tail. His long black hair was cut in a spiky mullet while his eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses and his evil smirk revealed his fangs.

"So are we now ready to begin putting our plans in motion?", Argost asked impatiently.

"Not quite", Revolta said.

"Aw, you used to be more fun, Revolta", Zombozo chuckled.

"This is no time to joke, Zombozo! Observe", she waved her hand over the crystal ball. An image appeared in the swirling smoke; a scene on a secluded beach occupied by Belloc and several other kaijus. "This happened several months ago, when one of your rogue kaijus had been captured."

The scene played out as it had at the time, then the image faded as Belloc executed the giant crustacean in a massive blast of fire.

"Belloc is no fool", Revolta reminded them. "That cretin of a seafood platter said too much with his defiant last words! If Belloc should deduce your identity too soon, it could ruin everything!"

"Calm youself, Revolta", the kaiju chuckled.

"You already have a plan, don't you?", Sisko smirked. "You already knew this had happened."

"When Krabbros failed to return, it was not hard to deduce why", the mystery giant rumbled. "You are right that Belloc is no fool; as fools do not remain King of the Kaijus for as long as he has. But he is arrogant enough to think that 'he who has fallen' and 'has risen again' will be one that he himself destroyed. To that end, I have the perfect proxy. UNDERGROWTH!"

The plant-kaiju ghost appeared, glowing ecto-plasm green. Decades earlier, he had over-run an entire human city with his plant-children, in defiance of Belloc's command. Belloc destroyed him utterly, but so great was his evil and power, that his twisted soul persisted in the ghost world; regaining strength until he was ready to return. When he first returned, he over-ran the town of Amity Park until he was defeated by Danny Phantom, the new King of Ghosts. Undergrowth now kneeled before the unknown kaiju.

"You summoned me, my Lord?"

"Make preparations to attack the town of New Salem shortly before Halloween", the shadowed figure commanded. "Zombozo, I believe your scarnival will be in the area several weeks earlier? Provide Undergrowth with any helpful information he may require?"

"Of course", the Klown grinned. He had his own plans for New Salem while his scarnival was there himself.

"And I believe you have family there who will help you, Undergrowth?", the giant dark figure chuckled.

"Yes indeed!", Undergrowth smirkingly hissed. "I'm sure my daughter Amanita will be more than happy to see and help her Daddy with something nasty after all this time!"

"Grim Creeper!", Revolta called. A four-foot tall, dark-brown, cyclopsean potato-looking creature lurched into view on his twisted, root-like limbs.

"Yes, Revolta?", he asked in the simpering voice of a life-long minion.

"Go with Undergrowth", she said, pointing at the ghostly plant-kaiju. "Help him in any way he requires and keep me apprised regularly!"

"As you command, Revolta", the little plant creature replied, shuffling over to Undergrowth.

"Is it my abilities you doubt, witch?", Undergrowth hissed, his eyes narrowed at Revolta. "Or my loyalty? Because my loyalty to my Lord is beyond reproach! Is yours?"

"Why you overgrown weed! I'll….!"

"ENOUGH!", the mystery kaiju roared, silencing them both. "I approve of sending the Grim Creeper to keep us all informed of your progress. Now GO!"

**To Be Continued!**

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Author's notes: Well, that's it for my very first fan-fiction and this first installment of my 'Primal Hearts' trilogy! I've had a lot of fun doing this. Thank you all for coming along for the ride! I have a few stories planned before I start the first sequel, so please be patient and enjoy my other works in the meantime. One of the first will be my new rated 'M' work chronicling the exile of Van Hellscream and his followers in my 'Monster Girl Encyclopedia' realm!

How many of you would like to see me do an 'Ever After High' story eventually, continuing the adventures of the regular cast and my OC's?

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