Spoilers ahead.

Disclaimer: If you think I had anything to do with the series finale, I'm insulted.

Explanation

"Someone needs to die."

The creative team members behind Young Justice glanced cautiously at one another before turning toward the head story-board artist. One of the script writers finally asked, "What?"

"In Endgame. Someone has to die."

The character designer raised her hand. "I don't recommend that. I mean, with the cliffhanger at the end, the episode would be enough to alienate our viewers."

"Even more so than ending the series with a plot divergence," the DC specialist muttered under his breath.

"No, they'll love it," the head story-board artist insisted. "It'll add flare. Pizzazz. Besides, what else could we possibly address? The season has been perfect."

At this, the team erupted:

"We never showed Jason Todd!"

"How did Tula die during the mission?"

"Junior and Artemis never interacted again!"

"Did the trial on Rimbor even have a point to it?"

"What about Roy and Lian?"

"Did Raquel get married?"

"There needs to be one family Bats moment! We have 46 episodes of this show and never did that!"

"Why are Tim and Cassie getting together? I thought she was with Jaime."

"She kissed Arsenal in the other episode!"

"What's going to happen to Arsenal? They can't really think he's stable enough to do solo work."

"Why did we bring in Static for five episodes?"

"When did they all learn Nightwing's secret identity?"

"Beast Boy never confronted Queen Bee for his mother's death."

The head story-board artist slammed his hands on the table, instantly silencing everyone. "Enough! None of that matters. What we need now is a great ending to the series, and that means death! So, who's getting the ax?"

"Why not one of the founders of the Team?" the DC specialist grumbled.

"Brilliant!"

With a groan, he face-palmed while the members glowered at him. "Good job," the sound manager mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"So, Aqualad, Nightwing, or Kid Flash?" A finger tapped rapidly against the head story-board artist's chin. After a moment, he clapped his hands. "Kid Flash!"

"What?" the public-interests supervisor balked. "Kid Flash is one of the most-liked characters! Sure, his popularity took a hit this season—"

"Exactly!"

"But only because you insisted that he no longer be friends with Dick! If we reestablished their best-friendship in the finale instead—"

"No, no, no. He has to die. Let me think." Closing his eyes in concentration, the head story-board artist muttered to himself before declaring, "I know. Scratch the happy-ending with the original six members uprooting the last bit of alien tech. Have it in Antarctica instead of the remains of the Cave, get Flash and Impulse to run counterclockwise, and make Wally sacrifice himself by offering the last bits of kinetic energy."

"How, exactly, would that kill him?" the voice coordinator questioned.

"Oh, I don't know, the absorption of energy wipes him out of existence or something."

"Would the audience get that?"

"Hmmm. We'll have Jaime's scarab explain it."

"If Jaime knows, why doesn't he do something to stop it?"

"And there are no zeta-beam tubes to Antarctica! How does Wally get there so fast?"

"Why doesn't Jay go? He can reach the speed of light."

"Just trust me on this!" he boomed. "I helped with the success of this show!"

"You came on after Season One. Season Two…well, fans haven't been quite as accepting," the background-noise coordinator pointed out.

"Well, I'm in charge now, and this is how it's happening. Oh, also, all that nice, emotional crap at the end? Cut it. Everyone goes on with their lives."

"After Wally just dies?" the script editor practically squeaked. "How? What? That doesn't even—"

"I mean, sure, Artemis will cry, and everyone will be saddened, but life moves on. Also, make Dick take a league of absence, keep Artemis as Tigress, and have Bart don the Kid Flash mantle."

"Why don't we just plop him in front of the Kid Flash hologram and have everyone think it's Wally for two seconds?" the DC specialist muttered.

"That's perfect! You're definitely getting a raise in your future!"

He covered his face with his hands and sunk in his seat. The public-interests supervisor snarled and threw a piece of paper at him.

"Alright, team, get cracking! Let's go. Chop, chop!"

They rose from their seats, grumbling to one another, and the last the head story-board artist heard was, "If Bart stays, won't that warp the space-time continuum or something?"

Shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair. After a few moments, a secret door in the back of the room opened, and Vandal Savage stepped forward. "Did it work?"

"Perfectly," he returned as he pulled the gold ring with the blood-red ruby from his finger. The magic fading, Lex Luthor stood before his companion. "The children of today will have no faith in cartoons. They will turn toward mindless television with no plots or deeper meanings."

"Making it all the more easier to enslave the world," Savage finished, a dark grin on his face. "The Light will be pleased."

Evil laughter echoed around the room.

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I had to write this because Young Justice is over and I can't handle how it ended. Tell me I'm not alone.

RIP Young Justice. I won't say spitfire, for though it be cannon, I refuse to accept Wally's death.