What the Heart Wants.

Hatred's Poison.

Author's Note.

Poisonous hatred, it will always spread.

From one to another, it makes understanding dead.

Though my prejudice was born from yours.

I've decided no more and shut all doors.

Not to you, the bigot, so full of fright.

But the hatred that tries to blind my sight.

And the foolish sins that I've transgressed.

Let us lay our malice to eternal rest.

For we're better than that, why can't you see?

I want to know you, so you can know me.

The grand ballroom... Once a beautiful place for fancy parties and wonderous music, now reduced to being the final hiding place of the royal family. What little guards were left stood by the door while the tired Moon, her husband, and their daughter stood quietly in the center of the dance floor.

Kelly stood quietly off to the side, her breath short and her heart racing. The eerie silence stressed her out more than the noise that once had accompanied Tom's likely battle. Though the hope of victory was there, the dire circumstance made it nearly impossible to believe in such a thing.

"What are we going to do?" Star's voice came to break the silence.

The distant and numb sound of it was painful to hear, but she would only breathe in as her father patted her on the back.

"Worry not dear, it takes more than that to whip a barbarian... Besides, you know Tom's a crafty one and Marco...." River stopped the second a loud cracking sound was heard.

"?"

CRACK...

BAM!!!

"LOOK OUT!!!!" River roared and pushed his daughter to the floor.

Rocks from the stone ceiling began raining down, and Kelly dodged out of the way. Dust and chaos ensued, and there was another loud yell after the rocks ceased to fall and the dust began to settle.

"H-Hey, is everyone ok?!" Kelly's voice rang out.

"We're... fine..." Moon's tired voice called out.

After a moment, Kelly raised her armored body off the ground, and her eyes peered up from beneath her helmet visor. The moon's beautiful light shining down through a gigantic hole in the once ornate ceiling. The sinister vines slithering in as a shadow cast itself against the pale light.

Fear took hold, and Kelly froze in place. After a moment, the shadow moved its arm, and the vines began to act. Swiping quickly, they grabbed at the remaining guards, and it was almost immediately that they were lifted off the ground.

"Ah!"

"NO!"

"Not like this!"

Their cries echoed out, and River ran forward valiantly. Even as the vines whipped at him, he grabbed hold and began tearing them in half with his brute strength.

"RRRRRRAHHHH!!!!"

Still, more came at River, and the hapless guards were dragged out and disappeared through the destroyed roof.

Star ran forward and held her wand up. "Father! Narw..."

"Star, look out!" Kelly yelled, interrupting her.