The Apple of My Eye: Book Two (An Ever After High Crossover)

Love in Darkness

"How are we going to find them?" asked Daring.

He pulls out his MirrorPhone, checking to see if he received any messages from Dexter. The screen was blank, meaning that Kyle and Apple have yet to return to the school.

"The rats of the forest told me they saw a monster running towards the dark forest with a princess in his arms, so that's got to be them," Kenny reported.

Daring nodded, lengthening his strides to match Kenny's pace. Although Daring was quite tall, he appeared merely average beside Kenny.

***

I only just embraced the darkness within.

Apple was frozen. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

'Kyle... all this time, you've been struggling, and I've never thought to ask how everything was affecting you,' she thought as tears welled up in her eyes.

They've been so caught up in trying to make things work, Apple forgot the simple things in their daily life. They would always talk about their goals, their plans, but never about how they felt...Especially during the time in their lives that they needed to talk about it the most.

"Kyle, talk to me..."

Watching Kyle slaughter those wolves replayed back into Apple's mind. The face he had, that malicious smile haunted her. She knew she told him that she wasn't scared, but that was before...

"What is there to talk about?" he asked, his voice hinting at evasion.

"Your darkness... You told me there was nothing to fear, yet how can I not when you've been fighting a darkness that I knew nothing about?" Apple retorted.

Kyle loosened his grip on her wrists and turned slightly away, his playful smile dissolving into a scowl. Seizing the moment, Apple wrapped herself around his arm, determined not to let him slip away as he had in the village square. The wind howled around them, and Apple struggled to breathe in the biting air.

"I want you to talk to me!" Apple cried through the roaring winds. "There's no reason to keep things bottled up, even if you think you're nothing but a burden to me, because you're not. I want you to tell me when you're hurting, or when you're feeling angry, or weak. Even if you know it might upset me, I want us to be able to trust each other with everything."

Struggling to keep her voice steady, Apple pressed on. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him, haunted by the fear that if she let go, he would vanish, possibly never to return.

'I promised you I would never leave your side.'

"I'll admit, I was scared... Seeing you going through these many transformations had me worried. After time when I saw that you were comfortable with them, it put me at ease because you were embracing your story's heritage so there was no need for fear. But when we were attacked by those wolves and the way you tore them apart, I was afraid I lost you."

'That whatever we faced, we faced ut together!'

***

Kyle tried to sort his thoughts. He didn't know what to feel, how to feel. He never wanted to drag Apple down with his negative emotions, yet here they are.

"I love you, Kyle!"

Kyle glanced down, noticing his hands had started to shake.

'Now do you see why she means everything to me. Why I fight so hard to protect her?'

The darkness realized, 'Is this what true love feels like?'"

Kyle takes Apple's wrist, pulling her into a loving embrace. He softly strokes her hair, releasing a flood of emotions held back for too long.

"I... I love you too Apple."

***

Daring was in disbelief. All this time, Kyle had been battling a darkness, and he, posing as a 'brother,' had never once checked on him. He was always more focused on lecturing and scolding rather than listening, pushing Kyle away whenever he tried to open up. Now, guilt overwhelmed the Charming prince.

At the sound of the rats squeaking, Daring and Kenny came to a sudden halt. A panicked squeal from one of the rats sent it scurrying up Kenny's shoulder, seeking refuge behind his hair.

Blood was splattered in puddles across the ground, and the corpses of wolves lay slaughtered around them. In the midst of this carnage stood the monster and his princess. The monster bore numerous gashes, and the princess appeared as though she had been dragged through filth.

Daring gulped at the scenery, staring straight into a nightmare. He wanted to take Apple from harm's way, but how?

Kenny was trembling as if he entered hell. He wanted to call out to his friend, but what would happen if he wasn't all there? Would Kyle attack his friends mistaking them as enemies?

The boys looked at each other, knowing that they had to do something.

"Kyle! Apple!" Daring finally called out.

The monster swiveled its head, the red glow of its eyes intensifying as the full moon dipped on the horizon. Its teeth clenched in a near-growl.

He had slayed numerous beasts and dragons, shielding the townspeople from looming dangers. Confronting the monster before him should have been simple, yet this was no ordinary monster... This was his friend, the one he saw as his little brother.

For the first time, the valiant Daring Charming felt a twinge of fear.

"Talk to me, Ky. What's going on?" Daring tried to reason with his troubled friend.

"Stay away if you know what's good for you," he responded, a growl in his voice.

***

Apple clutched Kyle's arm with all her might. Although his friendship with Daring may be patched, she couldn't be certain of his judgement in such a state. Having slaughtered those wolves with ease, who knows what he might do to Daring now.

"Kyle, look at me!" Apple urged, gently pressing her hand against his cheek to divert his attention.

His face was etched with fury, gaze locked onto Daring.

'This is bad,' Apple thought. She needed to snap Kyle out of his rage, before things went too far.

"Please Kyle!"

***

Daring was aware of the danger he faced, hesitant to break eye contact with Kyle's menacing stare. In a frantic move, Kenny whipped out his phone, attempting to send his location to anyone who might help. Lacking Cartman or Raven's magical abilities, they had no way to restrain Kyle without causing harm. Kenny set down his bow and arrows, which he had been carrying on his back, and Daring followed, tossing aside the sword he always kept at hand.

"The great Daring Charming isn't going to attempt to slay the monster?" The Drow Elf King mocked. "You truly are stupid."

"You're my brother, Kyle. Don't go down this path."

***

'Brother? After all the shit he's put me through, he expects me to show him mercy?!'

'Daring is your brother. Brothers fight, but that's no reason to attack him. Just think of how Apple will react if you kill him!' Kyle struggled to contain the rising darkness within.

The monster inside can destroy everything you love....

Those accursed words kept echoing in the depths of Kyle's mind, sending the darkness into a spiral.

"Stay with me!" she pleaded.

Kyle bowed his head, his gaze fixed on the golden bracelet he had won for her at the summer festival. Tears flowed down his cheeks, unable to stop.

'Do you really want to lose her?'

Kyle pounded his fists against his head, a scream of rage escaping him as he resisted the impulse to lash out. Apple held onto the monster firmly as it trembled in her embrace. Sounds dulled around him, his sight grew fuzzy, but through the haze, Apple's luminous presence shone bright in the dawn's light.