A Path to a Different Happy Ending (Flower Husbands Empires Fic)

Chapter Six: Nothing Good

"Aaaand a boink! And a boop!" Pearl cracked eggs into the frying pan. She was glad that she happened to have some in her ender chest. She'd been craving them that morning.

She froze, her vision phasing out to be replaced with a moss-roof cottage.

"People have started calling it the 'Scottage'." Scott was standing next to her, wearing a shirt with a light green heart on it and a jacket to match.

It faded out, replaced by a dance floor. Pearl was standing in a booth with jukeboxes and music disks. She reached down and hit a button, and TnT rained. Screams filled the room, and her drive to kill was satiated.

It faded again.

"I've got a slime chunk here, and I want your help to dig it out. Then we can have control over it together." Lizzie was leading her to a hole in the ground, Scott behind her.

It flashed, to shortly later.

"I'm sorry, Pearl, it must be done!" Lizzie killed her.

She respawned, but not to when she actually respawned.

She, Scott, and Cleo were in a room. "Gatekeep the resources, Gaslight our enemies, and Girlboss by winning."

Everything faded out.

Pearl's eggs were burning.

~*~

"What do you think the Guide is, Rarran?" Pearl asked. She was delaying thinking about Last Life and what had happened there.

"Well... We thought it was the thunder shrine Pix used to change the weather, but nothing was there. Maybe it's some sort of higher, magical being, like the Rivendell Stag Gods?" He responded.

"Maybe... Or perhaps it's someone who knows their way around the Greater Nether? Maybe he's looking for something."

"I don't know... But it's got something to do with Watchers and updates."

"We don't really have any conclusive evidence as to where he is, do we?"

"I- no. We don't Maybe he'll just come back on his own, like the note said?"

"Maybe?"

~*~

Joey had gone to Rivendell for wool, and the call had gotten stronger. He really wanted to get the dark crown. It was all he wanted. He didn't have the Crown to distract him anymore, so it was even worse.

So instead, he distracted himself with his people.

"So... You live across from the Nether portal, but the faint shape of a woman in it creeps you out. Can't you just move?" Joey asked.

The cat-person took a breath to tell him why not, then paused. "Oh. Oh, wait. Huh." She turned and walked away.

The next one stepped up, but Joey wasn't paying attention to what he said.

Joey...

Come on...

Take it back...

The others...

They will fear you again...

You will be powerful again...

Joey shook it off. "Sorry, could you repeat that?" He said to the cat-person.

"My neighbour's been stealing the books I sell. I can't make a profit! But people just think I'm being forgetful..."