Engine 999 Fan Fiction. All rights and characters belong to Tailzkip. Click Here to view her Deviantart profile.
Click Here to read her original manga from the beginning. Location for setting created by me.
Engine 999: Light's Ending
The sounds of the explosions crashing from magic spells being exchanged along with weapon fire was deafening. That was until the scene moving so fast began to ease into slow motion. “Conductor!! Look out!” Assistant screamed running with metal pole he had grabbed out of a pile of fallen debris. He was ready to swing when Conductor turned around, blasting back the person in black.
“Get back!” Conductor snapped loudly at Assistant with fear for his safety in the shaking building.
“I’m not leaving until this fights done!” Assistant barked back stubbornly before swinging around to knock back a small creature, causing him to stumble from the weight of the metal. “We either leave together or we don’t!”
“Damn it! I gave you an order!” Conductor screamed before blasting back an enemy that tried to strike Assistant from behind. Behind Conductor coming down some steps a figure grinned like a devil. They held out a hand charging a swirling magic circle that began to glow brightly behind Conductor.
Assistant’s eyes widened, “Conductor! Look behind yo-” his words were cut off as his wide eyes of panic for Conductor shifted to reflect pain. Conductor’s tired eyes stared in horror as Assistant’s body was thrown back by a powerful magic spell. The blast had blown Conductor’s hat off causing his hair to blow around his face as the scene appeared to slow down.
The pounding of his heart filled Assistant’s ears as his vision started to blur. He coughed hard and collapsed to his knees, looking up with wavering vision and wobbling body that had streams of smoke rising around where the blast had struck. “Assistant!” Conductor screamed with a cracking voice rushing over. The last vision the blue eyed teen saw as his body fell to the side was Conductor running over to him.
Conductor… Assistant thought, trying to make his lips convey the words without success. The noise of the battle was starting to fade as he tried to keep his closing eyes open but his world began to go black.
Conductor checked on Assistant with shaking hands he made sure he was still breathing, tears licking at his lower lids. Laughter came behind him as the leader found the scene humorous and amusing. Hearing that sickening laugh brought Conductor to clinch his jaw, his rage boiling and rising quickly as he gently picked up and put Assistant’s hat next to him. ‘I’m sorry. You deserve to live.’ The Engine Master mouthed silently, the words barely coming out in a whisper. He was doing what he could to contain his anger.
Slowly he began to get to his feet, turning around with his head down and fists tightly clinched at his sides. “You…” he took a step towards the now motionless and gloating figure. “…can beat me, you can torture me, you can even kill me.” Conductor stated in a low cold tone, magic of green starting to surround both his fists as his tense body started to tremble with each step. “But…there’s one thing,” one magic circle formed under one step before quickly shooting into him and repeated with the other, “that you…and no one else can dare do.” He hissed his magic growing as his body began to gain itself a white outline.
The brown haired teen lowered his head more with trembling breath through his teeth gritted teeth. “No one,” his steps began to speed up, “touches,” his body moved quickly as his head snapped up with eyes opened and brightly glowing. He pulled a flame covered fist back punching hard and began his assault, forcing the foe back. He then shot down a spell that made the building shake and start to collapse. “NO ONE DARES TOUCH HIM!” he bellowed out with a warping voice like that of a roar.
The leader tried to use their own magic to counter but screamed as a blinding light engulfed them before expanding out. The beams supporting the structure gave way and the rest of what was standing began caving in. Followers of the darkness cried out as they ran to try and escape but some were crushed under the falling material. A body was thrown back as another collapsed. The one tossed grunted hitting the ground and bounced, before coming to a stop after smacking a cracked wall.
Conductor from his spot winced and grunted, looking up to see Assistant and stone with metal falling around him. “…I’m sorry…please, be happy…and safe.” Conductor choked out with a cough and moved a hand towards the boy, using another magic circle under the teen. As he did this, the rest of the large compound fell in on them and any remaining inside.
Minutes ticked by as the area was quiet, the scene a disaster as if a mighty earthquake had taken out a once powerfully standing structure that stood for fear and dominance. Not even a bird dare chirp nor did the wind dare blow. All was quiet until a few small stones trickled down with tiny clicks along with specks of dirt. The larger pieces of debris shifted and fell aside, showing a sitting up Assistant who was roughed up and covered in some dust.
The teen looked around through strains of messy black hair at the silent area. It was surreal feeling and made his ears fell as if they were full of water due to how silent it was. His dazed expression slowly drifted off as his mind began to process the proceedings before he lost consciousness. “….Conductor!” he blurted out suddenly in fear.
Quickly he scrambled to his feet and looked around the sea of rubble, his body shaking. Tears began to slip their way to the brim as he saw no signs of the young Engine Master. Finding his voice he inhaled deeply, “CONDUCTOR!” he shouted loudly, “answer me! Conductor!” the boy shouted with all his might. His voice died off and it echoed in the quiet air. “…no….no….” he whispered with a shaking voice. This couldn’t be right. This couldn’t be how it was to end.
“Negh!” he climbed over some rubble and began to grab and grunt, pushing and pulling pieces of debris out of the way the best he could. He wanted to find his friend. He could feel the pain in his chest like he’d been stabbed or someone had grabbed his heart to squeeze it. He didn’t want this to be the end. You can’t be gone. You can’t be dead. Assistant thought desperately. Not after all we’ve been through, after all you’ve shown me.
He was sweating as he pushed aside another piece of metal, panting as his heart began to feel as though it was sinking. This couldn’t be where the powerful magic wielder fell, could it? Quickly Assistant shook his head with his eyes closing tight, tears falling out down his dirty cheeks. “No! I can’t think like that!” he snapped at himself, his fists shaking in their tight balled form at his sides. “Conductor wouldn’t die! He wouldn’t just die and leave me alone!” tears cracked into his voice and he forced his eyes open with his legs forwards to continue his search.
After moving two more pieces of debris he noticed a flapping noise as the wind began to blow. Turning to look over, he saw the corner of a tattered white fabric with a black design around the bottom that traced around it. His blue eyes widened and face fell in shock. “Conductor!” he got up and ran with some stumbles on the lose material under him to where he saw the fabric. “Please be alive!” Assistant begged as he began to work on digging out his friend. “Please hold on!” he ordered not stopping throwing aside the building material.
Discovering the body he quickly reached down and pushed aside more metal and wood. When there was enough room and safety of no collapses, Assistant reached and pulled on the gloved hand and coat covered arm. He struggled to pull the teen up but eventually managed to pull a disheveled and beaten up Conductor out of the rubble. He laid the teens body down as he fell back on his butt with a muffled thud and a hiss of pain.
Slowly he opened his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. In the slowly dawning light through the dark storm clouds that once loomed overhead he saw a motionless Conductor. The tears began to slip back to his eyes seeing this sight. The white trench coat was torn in many places and holes in others with the blue shirt, and dark pants also messed up and dirty with dust. Carefully he pushed his aching body up and over to Conductor where he collapsed next to the teen. “Hey…open your eyes.” Assistant asked wiping away tears with the back of his hand.
When Conductor didn’t respond he pulled his boss’s body close, lifting and holding him into his chest with Conductor’s face near his shoulder. “Please….don’t leave me. You survived so many other times….I don’t want this to be different.” He pleaded with tears in his voice.
“Conductor! Assistant!” a female voice cried out with bits of debris rolling away as the footsteps neared quick then slowed to a stop. Peridot stared at the scene her ears falling as her tail was low and wrapped around her some in her black robe with the moon and sun on either side of the hood. “No….” she whispered and neared a few steps but stopped and decided to let them have a moment.
Assistant pulled Conductor closer with his hands shaking and head lowering. His bangs shadowed his closed eyes as more tears slipped down his cheeks, dripping off his chin like raindrops onto Conductor’s fallen face with closed eyes. Peridot lowered her head closing her eyes silently, her heart sinking.
The moments trickled by into minutes of silence before Peridot’s ears twitched and her eyes slowly opened, looking over to the couple and her green eyes widened with her face gaining some hope. A slow smile started to form and show off her adorable feline teeth. Turning her eyes quickly from one to the other she took a sharp breath. “Assistant,” she began but the boy ignored her, wanting to finish his mourning while beating himself up for not being able to do more.
“…A…Assis…tant…” the name was whispered barely out in a course voice. “I….can’t…b..bre..ath…”
Assistant’s eyes shot open hearing this and he quickly moved, lowering Conductor away from his shoulder to look and see the brown haired teen cough. Slowly Conductor opened his green eyes to gaze up to his crying friend. “Th-thanks…” Conductor said with another cough.
“Don’t speak! What the hell were you thinking you idiot!?” Assistant snapped at his boss in his arms who just responded with a laugh and that iconic smile. “This isn’t funny!” he couldn’t believe his boss thought this was a laughing matter. It wasn’t funny to him that the guy he’d grown close to had almost just died again. “How dare you do something stupid!?” he scolded sharply as more tears slipped free.
“You…really do worry about things a lot.” Conductor chuckled softly.
Assistant’s cheeks reddened. “Again why are you laughing? You could have died!” he snapped with a rough sigh. “You are such an idiot. You pull a stupid move like that again and I’ll hit you so hard you’ll wi-” during his ranting scolding to his boss his words were cut off as Conductor put his hand over Assistant’s mouth to quiet the rant.
“Take a breath and calm down.” Conductor instructed amused. Assistant inhaled deeply then exhaled with a huff through his nose, glaring at his boss annoyed but in taking this quiet time was letting his riled emotions to settle.
Peridot spun and looked up at the clearing sky to see rays of light striking down towards the land. “I love happy endings.” She said, wiping away a tear from her eye.
Softly Conductor removed his hand smirking to Assistant’s annoyed expression. “Feel better?” the brown haired teen asked quietly.
Assistant slowly nodded with a small pout on his face. “…yes…” he mumbled shifting his eyes away then back to meet the green hues near his face. “…Don’t do that again, dofus.”
“I’ll try my best not to. No guarantee.” Conductor whispered with a smirk. “Now…help me up.” He requested as he winced and grunted trying to stand up. Assistant moved and helped his boss stand. Conductor looked out at the horizon with his arm around behind Assistant’s neck over his shoulder.
There was quiet between them as the wind softly blew to play with strains of their hair. “…so is it over?” Assistant asked gently finally breaking the quiet.
Conductor’s face had fallen into one of seriousness as he released a sigh, closing his eyes. “Sadly, no, it’s never over.” He answered before reopening his eyes. “Darkness will always spread so long as there’s a light to give it life.” He looked to the blue eyed boy. “And the brighter that light the greater the darkness is that looms just on the edge of the horizon.”
“So you didn’t just defeat the leader?” Assistant inquired, looking down at the debris under their feet.
“I did but another will take their place. It’s a cycle that is never ending.” Conductor explained. “Just as like with water that’s going downhill, it never stops and when it finds a block then it spreads out to find a new path to be ever moving.”
Assistant sighed, looking disappointed. “That’s not good. It means you’ll need to keep fighting for who knows how long.”
Conductor slowly smiled as he looked up to the sky. “Yup, it’ll never end. Though…” he turned his sights to his friend. “It doesn’t have to be lonely or a single person’s battle.”
“Huh?” the blue eyed boy turned his attention to his slowly grinning boss.
“What I mean is,” he pushed back some of his brown locks before offering his gloved hand to Assistant. “Will you continue to be by my side and help? It might mean some more battles in the future or some dangerous encounters.”
Assistant was quiet considering this but a smile pulled back onto his face as he took Conductor’s hand. “You know you aren’t getting rid of me you big idiot. Who knows what shape you’ll be in without me.”
Conductor grinned widely, slipping around Assistant and took his other hand and spun him around. “That’s just what I wanted to hear!” he exclaimed excitedly as Assistant stumbled in the sudden spin before being pulled close to Conductor’s chest and wrapped in his arms. Conductor began to start to waltz across the rubble over to Peridot in order to head back to the train. Assistant tried to complain but ended up going along with it shaking his head.
“I swear you are more random than any little kid.” Assistant said pointedly.
“Thank you, I do try.” Conductor came back with which brought a pout to Assistant’s face as they danced their way off the rubble and walked back to the train with Peridot right behind. She was beaming with joy and giggled with a tiny squeal in her excitement that both boys had survived the final battle.
“Just….don’t be that stupid again…okay?” Assistant asked softly.
“All I can say is I’ll never let anyone hurt you, no matter what happens to me in the process.” Conductor replied gently in a kind tone.
“That doesn’t answer the question.” The teen with black hair reminded his friend.
“It doesn’t? Well what was the question again?” he asked with a chuckle, moving onto the train.
“Let’s…just get going.” Assistant said huffing annoyed but found himself enjoying this as he went with Conductor to get checked out by Asami before they’d go to see if there were any messages or calls for help that they would be able to answer.