Penny, Delphia, and Vaughn are in a field, Penny watching as Delphia and Vaughn practice Paint techniques in the afternoon. Note that neither Delphia or Vaughn have true Painter outfits yet (Delphia's third costume).
Memoria Special: A Past Repainted
Delphia (casting elemental spells)
And then we up the giant ugly lake monster, but that kid that destroyed our village—Winston—came in
and activated the telescope thing instead, and Matty got hurt because Harriet went into a rage, and
boy can she rage…
But anyway, I almost kind of killed the team a whole bunch of times, so I need to learn to control my
spells better, so I can rejoin them and help them save the world…
Penny (generating a crystal to block a stray Delphia spell)
Delphia, you need to concentrate on one thing at a time!
Delphia (turns even as she's casting another destruction technique)
Huh?
Vaughn, a little angry, dodges the lightning or whatever in the next panel.
Penny (astutely)
How much brain power do you think it takes to recall and tell a story? When you're creating something
that can cause so much destruction, your mind should be only on your spell…
Vaughn (arms crossed)
Yeah, and not on making up stories!
Delphia
Gah, I told you! I'm not making this stuff up!
Vaughn
Yeah, right! You're not even a real Painter!
Penny
Vaughn, if I have to tell you one more time to stop saying that, you're going home, got it?
Vaughn
Yes, Chief…
Penny
Delphia is a young Painter academy graduate, just like you. You two need to work together and rely
on one another.
Delphia
There's a reason she's teaching me the destructive techniques, you know… She trusts me.
Vaughn
Big deal. I can use them too. If I wanted.
Delphia
Chief, by the way… Wasn't Taras supposed to be here by now?
Penny (arms crossed, sighing)
Yes, but the boy was never one for punctuality.
Vaughn (looking around)
Why do we have to wait at this exact spot, anyway?
Penny (looking over at a tree)
Because it's just a special spot for the two of us.
(Fifty feet west of that tree… I remember waking up here long ago…)
Return to your training. Taras should be here soon.
Penny watches as Delphia meditates a bit before launching out an attack, and Vaughn creates another perfect tree.
Penny
They'll both be learning the truth about this world soon… They've both grown up so quickly, too. At
least they didn't have to experience what my own child did…
Penny closes her eyes and rests on the grass, spreading out her arms.
Penny
Ah, to be so young again…
Close up profile on Penny as she looks up at the sky.
Penny
A world free from that horrible child king… I still never thought I'd see it.
Suddenly, Penny sits up with a jolt.
Penny
Something's off… There's electricity in the air…
A floating strand of golden light goes by her face.
Penny
That…
She looks over to see a golden time/space tear forming by her. She stands up and gets ready to use her canvas. Suddenly two tendril-like robotic arms with scary three-pronged claws come slithering out, and then seemingly pull the rift open. Close up as two more tendrils come from below and touch the ground, and then two more come from above and pull the rift upward to make it bigger. A large objects comes through, in shadow at first. When the rift closes behind it, we see a machine similar to Porky's spider bed. Only, it's smaller, looks even more high tech, and has six spaghetti-like legs that are thin but strong and can bend any way. It's Egan in his breathe-bed, now mobile. He's looking out at the tree right now, not noticing Penny. Don't forget his eye patch and breathing mask, or the fact that he's now as old as Penny (this is because of time distortion shown later on).
Penny
(Who… what…)
Close up on Egan's face, the world reflecting on the glass in front of the bed.
Egan (his text should be Porky-like from Harmony)
This world…
He looks over at Vaughn and Delphia, who at the moment aren't actually casting anything.
Egan
There are children in this world… People in this world…
He turns around and looks down at Penny. For a panel, neither says anything.
Egan
Penny…
Penny
Who are you? Why do you know my name?
Egan (a tentacle coming towards her)
Penny… It's been so…
She smacks it away with her canvas.
Penny
Stay back!
Egan
I'm not going to hurt you… Why would I do such a thing? Just to see you alive…
He turns back around and looks at the world.
Egan
Just to see the world alive… I haven't seen green in so long…
He turns back to Penny.
Egan
Penny, don't you remember me? Maybe you don't… Do you remember anything about our world?
Penny
What?
Egan
The grayness of it, the constant rain, the industrial smoke over the steel monoliths…
Penny
…
Egan
Then those fools did it. They used that egg. They wiped out your memories. Ha. What a joke. Destroy
the past, discard lessons learned, hope for a second chance in a naive utopia…
Penny is still just staring at him, but she seems to be a little lost in thought, as if a memory is trying to come to her.
Egan
But this isn't the world they spoke of… It's not in the center of the chronosphere. Something happened.
Penny
Egan… Egan, is that you?
Egan turns to her again.
Egan
So you remember me.
Penny
You… What happened to you? Why are you in that… machine?
Egan
Eh?
Penny (recollecting, maybe make the background a false memory)
After Mom, Dad, and our older sister died from a disease… You ran away. I haven't seen you in over
twenty years…
Egan (eye grows wider)
A disease?
Penny just looks up at him. In the next panel, Egan quickly becomes angry.
Egan
A disease? Is that what that accursed egg has forced into your mind? The government killed them!
Their bomb killed them!
Penny
What are you talking about?
With the lower two pairs of legs supporting the bed, the top ones come down and ensnare Penny. Egan brings her closer to him.
Egan
You've forgotten your rebellious past, little sister…
Penny
I don't know what you're talking about. I've always been rebellious.
Egan
Perhaps. But I have a feeling you're not speaking of our world.
Voice
Hey!
Egan looks over and we shift to see Vaughn and Delphia, combat ready.
Delphia
Penny! Who is this guy?
Vaughn
You hurt the chief and I'll beat the snot out of you, walking… spider machine guy!
Penny
You two, get out of here! I'll deal with him!
Egan
Deal with me? Like you dealt with the passengers on the White Ship? If it's to that degree of success, I
have little to fear!
Egan slams Penny to the ground and keeps her pinned.
Delphia
Okay, that's it!
Delphia takes out her canvas and creates PK Thunder. It looks pretty fierce, but Egan launches one of his middle tendrils out. It has a shield generator, although it's not a PSI shield like Porky's. Rather, it's more like a translucent glowing circle like a knight's shield. It fully absorbs the attack.
Vaughn
Woah, it blocked it…
Vaughn takes out his own canvas.
Vaughn
No problem. He can't stop all of these…
He spawns a dozen jagged rocks in front of him and shoots them out. The bed's automatic defenses activate, and a dozen lasers fire out from two orbs, one on either side of the bed. The lasers destroy all but the biggest rock, which Egan then just grabs with the other middle tendril and crushes in its claw.
Egan
What fascinating powers. But you two are still only kids, no match for this weaponized machine…
Penny
No! Please, don't hurt them!
The claws of the middle two tendrils open op and fire out two capsules. They land near the kids and explode into pink gas. The two cough and then collapse.
Penny
No!
Egan
Relax. They're only sleeping. They were annoying. Interrupted our discussion and everything.
Penny has managed to free one of her arms and is struggling to get one of the tendrils off her neck, but Taras just gets angry and tightens it more.
Egan
Will you just listen? I don't want to hurt you. I just want to know what happened to this world.
Where is the white ship and its passengers?
Penny
White ship? You mean the one Leder speaks of?
Egan
Leder? That old giant is still alive?
Penny
If you think I remember that ship personally, I don't…
Egan
I sent you on a mission of revenge, Penny. You were supposed to kill everyone onboard it.
Penny
I would never do anything like that…
Egan
Oh, you wouldn't? You seemed determined when we last met… But I suppose you don't remember that
now, do you? So… what do you remember? Our family getting sick? Me, running away? That egg has
certainly softened the truth behind your false memories…
But I never expected a world like this…
Voice
Hey!
Egan turns around just in time to see a massive crystal heading his way. He fails to block it, and it slams directly into his glass shield, giving it a huge crack.
Egan
You fool! If you break this glass, I could die!
Egan looks over to see Taras, who looks pretty pissed off.
Taras
Better you than my mother!
Egan's eye grows wide again and he says nothing.
Taras (canvas out)
Now let her go or the next one goes right through you!
Egan looks back down at Penny, and then releases the tendrils. Taras helps Penny up.
Penny (quietly)
Taras…
Taras
You okay? Sorry I'm late…
Egan
You… You have my father's eyes…
Taras
Yeah, well why would I care?
Taras looks over at the kids.
Taras
And what the heck did you do to them, huh?
Penny
They're fine, calm down…
Taras
Huh? But Mom…
Egan
What is this place? Where am I? What happened to the world in the chronosphere?
Taras
What the… How do you know about the previous world?
Penny
Egan… I can't see how I would ever try to do the thing you're accusing me of.
Penny slips into a flashback. The first image is of Penny and Taras in the ruined city's streets.
Penny
I know I have false memories. I know about the egg. But it wasn't always like that, and now I've given up
trying to find out what's real and what isn't. I remember the city… I remember the city we grew up in. It
was nice, once, long ago when our family was whole. But we overused our resources. It fell into decay.
Penny and Egan eating a tiny meal for dinner.
Penny
Eventually, all I had left was my son. All I wanted was to keep him fed. To keep everyone fed. And I tried
to help as much as I could.
Penny among her city people.
Penny
The people of our island city began to see me as their leader. They looked at me and asked me for
things I couldn't do. I was the last to want to admit that we were dying. That we had to escape our
island and settle on the much larger one across the sea.
Penny and Taras looking out at Nowhere Islands.
Penny
But… we didn't even have the resources to construct boats… And then…
Porky amongst the people, in his spider mech.
Penny
He appeared, out of nowhere. The boy who would be king among us. He had been all across the
stars and time, he told us. He could create food from almost nothing, build us better towers, bring
life and joy back into our city.
Porky surrounded by brainwashed, fat cityfolk.
Penny
But he lied to us. I was the first to see it. As people I once considered friends fell under his spell and
added to the massive army he was creating and our city was turned into a child's playground of greed
and vice, I took Taras and hid.
Penny and young Taras in the sewers from Mother 3.
Penny
I lacked the means to fight back, or turn anyone to my side. I resisted the child king simply by hiding in
the most foul of places. I raised my son in filth and squalor because of that boy…
An overview shot of NPC.
Penny
I had failed my people. Our home and our freedom were no more.
Small panel of just darkness.
Penny
However…
Penny and Taras, now a few years older, watch from the shadows as Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, and Boney combat Miracle Fassad in the sewer.
Penny
Hope came in the form of a blond-haired boy and his friends some years later.
Show the destruction of NPC.
Penny
That boy possessed the power to rebirth the world by destroying the warped one the Pig King had
created. I thought that we would all die. And even that would be better than living another day under
such conditions.
Penny and Taras waking up in a field, dazed.
Penny
Instead, a creature known as the Dark Dragon made our world anew, whole again.
From the back, Penny hugs Taras, the tree some fifty feet in front of them, towards the background.
Penny
And I was given a gift to help rebuild it.
Show Penny and her fellow Painters gathering in the valley where the Painter village will be.
Penny
It's funny how instinct works. How we sometimes just know what to do without anyone telling us. I think
the Dragon made it this way. The Dragon gave us first few a gift.
Show the villagers building their village, with Taras still practicing. Delphia's parents and baby Delphia can also appear.
Penny
For two years, we had no seasons. The sun set and rose at the same time everyday. Time wasn't really
moving yet in this new world.
Show Scarlet bay, empty from a distance. A small group of Painters overlook it on a hill.
Penny
It was up to us to make a world with towns and buildings and roads for the many people that would be
joining us shortly.
The same shot, but now the Painters looking on look like they've worked all day. The town of Scarlet is
actually there now.
Penny
The Dreamtime… Bliss and simplicity. A gift all its own as we Painters set out to define the early new world and add our own human touch to it.
One last shot of Penny and Taras.
Penny
And sometimes, Egan… I thought about you. I knew you were still alive. And I wanted to see you again.
Back to the present.
Egan
Incredible… So the world that Scamp spoke of is no more… But I thought as much.
Taras
Mom, who is this guy?
Penny
This is… your uncle. I've never spoken of him to you before. I never thought…
Egan (looking out vacantly)
So Leder and I must be the only people in this whole world, who know the truth about the real one
that existed before it…
Taras
What, do you mean the place before the Nowhere Islands?
Penny
Egan, did… I really do what you say I did? Did I try to kill people?
Egan
Do you really want to know? Your memories seem hard enough on you already.
Penny
But it's true, isn't it? Our family was actually killed… And I tried to seek revenge… I know just by looking
at you. You didn't run away. You got sick, didn't you? And now you need this machine just to move…
Egan
What does the truth about a previous world matter anymore here? To think of all I've seen…
Now Egan slips into a flashback. The first panel shows Egan in his currently non-moveable bed, back in his room.
Egan
I waited for you to return. I realized that I had sent you on a mission you likely wouldn't return from, but
I didn't want you to die… My anger had driven me to send the last of my family on a suicide mission…
Close up on a monitor in the room. It's just an emergency broadcast message. The networks are all down. Mother 2's world is falling into darkness.
Egan
Worse, I didn't even know if you had succeeded. I wouldn't be able to find out. It drove me mad, and I
began to question whether there was any point in what I had asked you to do at all. I figured that
humans would just wipe themselves out again eventually anyway. Still…
At a different angle, show robots around Egan's bed constructing a robotic shell for it.
Egan
As the world fell into darkness and chaos around me, I at least wanted to be out there to see it. By this
point, the government was overwhelmed. They wouldn't be able to focus on one single rebel leader,
no matter how dangerous he might've been.
Egan at the rooftop of his apartment building, in his new machine, watching the desolate sunset. The buildings no longer have power, the forcefield around Fourside has failed, fires and smoke cover the distance. The world is falling apart.
Egan
I was bearing witness to the end. The city was burning. The toxic atmosphere had enveloped it. I was
cold around the heart, but even I didn't dare to look down at the suffering on the streets below.
Egan is now outside the city. Some of its buildings have toppled over completely, and most of it is on fire. Fourside is dying.
Egan
Those foolish enough to stay for this long killed themselves over food, water, and the remaining time
machines, used so that they could escape into the past… Which the leaders had ordered them to do
months ago. I fled the chaos. I searched for something… Some reason for being.
Egan walking past more cities burning in the background.
Egan
This was what I had sought out: the rightful end of humanity. I believed that our time in the world had
ended up until then, and that it was up to me to secure our fate. To let the Earth brush us off and then
recover without us there to foul it up. We had so long ago lost our connection to our own world. Why
continue living a meaningless existence?
Egan stopping in front of a tattered time machine production plant.
Egan
But I wanted to see it all. I wanted to soar through the Earth's history, to enter the chronosphere and
witness, one minute at a time, the moments that led to our demise. I wanted that understanding, that
enlightenment. I began to construct a time machine from the ground up that could accommodate the
only device keeping me alive.
Egan traveling a desolate road with a ruined billboard.
Egan
For decades, I scoured the remains of the Earth, finding fewer and fewer survivors every year. I was
determined to find, in this shadow of a world, enough remaining parts to construct a time machine.
Time slipped by and I hardly noticed.
Egan's walking machine is now its current design, with a much bigger backside and weapon systems.
Egan
And at last, when I was ready to venture into the chronosphere and begin my journey through time…
A massive rip through space and time tears across the sky, spewing out a vibrant light that burns through the clouds.
Egan
Something happened.
The ground rips apart. Rocks and matter float into the air and dissolve.
Egan
The world began to collapse. Time crawled to a standstill. Matter dissolved around me.
Egan watches, surprised, as a wall of solid white heads his way, eating the ground in the process.
Egan
I watched as nothingness came straight at me… The world was disappearing…
Egan activating the time machine and entering the chronosphere, just as the wall of white is about to hit him. On the next panel, he's in the chronosphere.
Egan
I entered the chronosphere and watched as all the tunnels of time collapsed in on themselves, being
sucked towards the center.
The chronosphere collapses, leaving only blackness behind. Egan is unaffected.
Egan
All of time and space fell into a singularity.
Egan surrounded only by black, floating in space.
Egan
Just to be reborn…
The singularity explodes into a super nova. All goes white and Egan blacks out. On the next panel, Egan is in a much smaller chronosphere, with few time tunnels and a tiny center. The center is so small, that it's just ahead of him, reflecting off the glass, the size of a marble.
Egan
When I awoke, I was in a brand new chronosphere. Time had restarted. The fabled center was small
and significant, too minuscule to hold a world like the one the white ship had entered.
Egan entering into a time tunnel.
Egan
I entered one of the few time tunnels that had developed and was brought here, to this exact spot.
Back in the present.
Egan
To see this new world…
Taras
You sound like a psycho! What was with all that wanting to see the world destroyed and whatnot? Is
that what you want to do now? Again?
Egan
Hmm… I am glad to see this world reborn… But…
Egan suddenly lashes out at Taras and Penny, knocking them away with his claws.
Egan
We still had our time! This brand new Earth of yours has no place for any of us!
Penny
What?! Egan, why do you say that? The Dragon gave us a second chance! It wants us to live!
Egan
Enough of this spiritual nonsense! I don't care what this "Dragon" you keep talking about is! If it's a god
of some sort, it's made a mistake!
Egan fires out two laser beams, which Penny and Taras block with crystals.
Egan
Don't you understand? There won't even be time for another chronosphere to fully develop! We
would've destroyed ourselves eons before there will be another!
Taras
Oh, right, like I'll just let you destroy the world my mom worked so hard to help create!
Taras sends out a stream of shining quartz that surrounds Egan's machine and begins to form a large crystal around it to trap it. Egan smashes through it and grabs Taras with a claw, wrapping him up tight in a tendril. Penny, seeing her son in danger, begins to create an elegant design for star and storm on her canvas. Egan looks over.
Egan
Are you really going to try and destroy me, Penny? Your own brother?
Penny hesitates. Egan then takes the moment to smack her away, and her canvas goes flying.
Egan
Not that I would blame you!
Taras
Mom!
We see the canvas land near Delphia and Vaughn. Delphia's eyes peep open, and then she pushes herself up with her arms.
Delphia
(That's the chief's…)
She looks over to see the machine. Penny is on the ground.
Delphia
Chief… Taras… They're in trouble…
She shakes Vaughn awake.
Delphia
Vaughn! Get up!
Vaughn
Uhm… Uh…
He gets up as Delphia grabs Penny's canvas and looks at it.
Delphia
(What design is this?)
Vaughn
We have to help them, Delphy!
Back at the battle scene, Egan is waving the tendril above Penny, who is at least sitting up by now.
Egan
I won't hurt you, but I do want you to come with me! Show me this new power of yours! Help me use it
to finish off the rest of our people!
Penny
I'd never do that!
Penny gets wrapped up again and brought closer to Egan.
Egan
Penny, it's for the good of this world! We had our time! We don't deserve a second chance like this!
What would we do with ourselves, hm? What's there to look forward to? A few thousand humans, lost
in this new world…
Penny
There are millions of us now, Egan! The Dragon populated this world with millions. And we're doing
well for ourselves!
Egan
Hm?
Penny
That connection you say we lost? It's been returned to us! That's what the blond-haired boy did for us!
Before Egan can process the thought, there's a voice.
Voice
Now!
Egan looks over to see Delphia and Vaughn creating a dual PK Ground attack. A fissure splits open and comes towards Egan. It hits him and he sinks into the ground, tumbling a bit and freeing Taras and Penny. Egan pulls his machine's legs for a panel, but they're stuck in the ruptured earth.
Vaughn
Oh, yeah! Now try this one!
Vaughn creates, well, basically an earthbite (from ToS, remember? lol). Two pincers erupt from the ground and pinch Egan's machine in tight as Taras and Penny scramble away.
Vaughn
That should hold him!
But it doesn't actually. Egan manages to break free using all six legs, and comes charging at the two kids.
Egan
Annoying brats!
Penny looks over at them and shouts with her arms in the air.
Penny
Delphia, toss me my canvas!
Delphia chucks it far and above towards Penny. Egan stops and watches it twirl in the air.
Egan
(I want that power… I could reshape this world…)
Egan reaches out with a claw to try and grab it. But then we suddenly see that Taras had climbed on top of the machine with a large, sharp crystal in his hand. He jabs it into the tendril, severing it.
Egan
No!
Taras jumps off the machine and backs off as Penny grabs the canvas and launches out the attack. A "PK STARSTORM" appears as sharp crystal stars come out from the sky and slam into the machine. Egan tries to block the attack, but they rip right through his shield, and shred off two more tendrils in the process. There's a single panel with no more stars with Egan taking a breath, and then the very last star, which explodes right on the glass. Egan's machine drops to the ground but remains upright, and the glass shatters completely. A panel or two of calm as the group walks up to him.
Egan
Look what you've done… My machine is ruined… I'm going to die…
He looks over at Penny.
Egan
Are you happy now? You and your son… You just killed me!
He looks over at the kids.
Egan
And you both wouldn't even give me a moment to think…
Penny
You were trying to kill us…
Egan
No I wasn't!
Taras
Hey, look, you were just raving about how you wanted to wipe out the human race.
Egan (eye closed)
I know. Because I couldn't think of a reason to live for myself. I didn't know how I could fit into this new
world… So I figured no one else should be able to, either.
Taras (sighs)
So you're my uncle…
Taras goes up to him.
Taras
Look, you're thinking way too hard about just living. It's not about philosophizing about whether or not
we deserve to live. All you have to do is go out there and find something to live for. Enjoy the time you
have.
Egan
…
Penny
Egan… Are you so sure you'd die without that machine?
Egan
I protected you from poison, Penny… But it ruined my lungs. Made my whole body weak.
Penny
But that was so long ago, wasn't it? Maybe you're stronger by now…
Taras
Maybe you're just scared to leave that thing.
Egan
…
Egan presses a release button with his hand. The latches around him let go, and he collapses onto the ground and feels the grass.
Egan
The air is so fresh… Maybe… Just maybe I could survive…
He grabs a cane from inside the machine and gets himself up. Then he takes off the medical vest that had attached wires on the back that go into the machine. Finally, he removes the breathing mask. Surrounded by everyone, he looks up at the sky and takes a deep breath.
Egan
So… blue…
He coughs and almost falls to the ground, but Penny grabs him and helps him back up.
Egan
Penny… What's your son's name?
Penny
Taras.
Egan
Taras. I see.
Egan is standing by himself again.
Egan
I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. But maybe you're right about life… And by this point, what do I owe
to anyone? No one remembers our home or its nightmares, Penny… I'm… I'm free.
Egan looks out to the distance.
Egan
Freedom is an acceptable alternative to eternal rest, I suppose.
Penny
What are you going to do?
Egan
I don't know how long I have by this point. But I'll find something. Some reason to live.
Penny
Egan… Take care of yourself.
Egan
I'll try. And maybe someday we can discuss the past again, Penny.
Egan sets off on his cane. The rest of the group sigh and look at one another.
Taras
Do you think he'll be okay?
Vaughn
With his machine broken, he won't be able to cause anymore trouble, at least.
Penny
I don't think he has any desire left to in the first place.
Delphia
Chief, what was that last attack you did?
Penny
One that you may be ready to use, Delphia.
Vaughn
What? What about me?
Penny
In time, Vaughn. Delphia has friends that need her help right now. And something like what I just did
might help them quite a bit…
Delphia
I promise I'll be careful with it.
Taras
Anyway, Mom…
She turns to him.
Taras
We have a few things to talk about. That blond-haired kid in your story? You know, Lucas? He's going
after the towers. I have a feeling the last one will be activated shortly… And then there are these naked
alien guys running around, too, and… This is going to take awhile.
Penny
Then we should make our way back to Tazmily. They may need our help soon.
Taras
Yes. The door there scares me more than your brother just did…
The four begin heading back. Delphia has one last question, though.
Delphia
Chief, what was this "old world" your brother mentioned?
Penny
I'll tell you soon, Delphia. It has a lot to do with our people's legacy.
Delphia
Our legacy, huh…
End this special with a big panel of Egan from behind looking at a songbird in the sky.