It had been weeks since the Princess fell ill. Her father was doing all he could for her. He sent his Travelers across the multiverse searching for a cure. He consulted with Oracles, praying they had a solution. He even traveled to the Central Dimension and spoke with Io themselves, but to no avail. He couldn’t bear to see his Snowflake in such a state. Pale. Weak. Hardly able to stand. And… glitchy. Star had never seen anything like it.
“Your Highness.”
Star turns at the sound of the voice. A guard stood in the throne room of his palace. At his side stands a winged spirit: a rare sight in Soluminor. Around his neck is a golden pendant with an hourglass engraved into it. Over his eye is a deep purple marking in the shape of a four pointed star. On his face is a cold, unfeeling expression. The Prince can’t help but stare in unease.
The guard continues, “Polaris of the Timekeepers. He claims to know of a solution to the Princess’ plight.”
Star’s eyes light up, jumping up from his throne. It takes all of his constraint to hide his excitement, his joy, behind formalities, “Y-yes, thank you. Allow me to speak with Polaris alone.”
“Yes, Prince Starlight.” With a bow, the guard leaves the room.
The Prince immediately moves closer to the Timekeeper. “Is… is it true?”
“Indeed, Your Highness.” Polaris’ voice, as even as it was, was tarnished with a certain… sorrow. He continued, “As you may be aware, there has been a cataclysmic event across the multiverse. Timelines have been growing unstable. Some failed entirely. While we know not the cause of these instabilities, we do know that a clear sign of them is the presence of static or glitching entities.”
…Star’s heart sinks. “…You mean… my daughter is being affected by whatever is causing the timelines to fall apart?”
“I’m afraid so, Your Highness. However, there is a…” Polaris’ expression falters for a moment. “…protocol for such situations.”
“And… what may that be?”
Silently, Polaris lifts up his hand. His marking turns light blue along with the engraving of the pendant. Bright blue sparks appear at his fingertips. “The Princess must be erased for the good of the multiverse.”
Star goes rigid. His breathing stops for a moment, a cold chill running up his spine. After a few seconds, he draws in a shaky breath. “And… that’s… the only solution?”
“If you refuse,” Polaris states, bluntly, “then your kingdom will be swallowed up by static. It will cease to exist, along with you and your daughter and all the beings inhabiting this world.”
Star tries to speak, but his voice gets caught in this throat. His hands tremble as a crushing sense of dread gnaws at him, making it nearly impossible to breathe. The sparks on Polaris’ hand fades. As soon as it does, he approaches Star and places a hand on his shoulder. “I understand this is difficult, but-”
Star sharply recoils. “No.”
Polaris’ eyes widen. “…What?”
Star’s hands curl into fists. He speaks through gritted teeth, “I will not allow you to murder my daughter!”
“…” That hardened expression returns. “You are being foolish. She is going to die either way. You are willing to risk your entire kingdom, your own life, for a futile attempt to save her?”
Star’s posture relaxes somewhat. “…Surely… surely this is not the only solution. There must be another way.”
“We have tried everything. This is the only proven method of dealing with errors. And…” The sparks return to Polaris’ hands. “…I am authorized to destroy anyone who interferes.”
“…”
Suddenly, Star sends a blast of green electricity toward Polaris. The Timekeeper quickly casts a blue barrier of light around himself, but the impact is still enough to make him stumble. He stares at the Prince, almost in disbelief, as he draws his dagger. Wrath burns at his throat as he speaks, “I would sooner die than allow you to harm my daughter.”
“…” Polaris growls, “So be it.”
Polaris clasps his hands together. A thick mist forms in the throne room, obscuring Star’s vision. Frantically, he searches the room for any sign of Polaris. With little warning, a ball of energy strikes Star in the back, sending him falling to the ground. Attempting to regain his breath, he rolls over, only to see a silhouette standing above him. He sends another spark of electricity his way, and Polaris’ cry of pain greets him. Star scrambles to his feet, watching the figure of his enemy sway in the mist. Star’s grip on his dagger tightens. He rushes toward Polaris, preparing to strike, but before he can do so-
“D̴A͢AAA͢A͏AA̴AA͡A͡A͝D!”
Star freezes. “S… snow…?”
Polaris wastes no time. He quickly runs in the direction of Snow’s voice. In desperation, Star throws his dagger. Polaris screams as the dagger strikes the back of his leg. A loud thump echoes across the room as he falls, bleeding, to the ground. As the fog dissipates, Star runs ahead toward Snow’s bedroom.
When he arrives, he is greeted by a horrific sight. Snow, sitting up in her bed, clutching her chest. Her entire body glitches, her form growing more and more unstable by the second. Tears stream down her cheeks as an overwhelming fear consumes her. She looks up at Star with wild eyes. “D͝-̵d-͟d͟a̵d̢.̨..?̵ W̶-̧wha̢t̨’s̛ h͘-h͝ap̛pe͢ni͘ng̨ ̨t̶o̴ ̛m͝e͜.̸..?”
She and Star had fought countless battles with each other. They faced off against a shadowy scientific organization. They struck down a rogue weapon. They stood their ground against a pair of fallen Moons. But never, in all those adventures, had Star ever seen Snow as frightened as she is now. Star moves to her side, taking her hand. “S-snow, I-I’m right here. It’s g-going to be okay, I promise.”
“A̷-am͟ I g̴-͜go̵n̵na҉ d҉i҉e͡…?͡”
“Y-you’re not! You’re not! You’re going to be-”
“STARLIIIIGHT!”
Star flinches at the sound of Polaris’ voice. He turns, only to see Polaris land at the doorway. He winces upon hitting the ground, shifting his weight to his uninjured leg. His other leg still has Star’s dagger embedded in it. Blood drips down his leg, seeping through his pants. Polaris aims a blast of magic toward Snow. “Stay. Back.”
“NO!”
Star quickly grabs Snow, picking her up and pulling her away. Narrowly, she avoids the blast, her bed being splintered into pieces. Star falls to his side, still clutching Snow in his arms. His eyes snap shut upon hitting the ground, but upon hearing Snow’s agonized whimpers, he opens them. A strangled gasp escapes him.
The glitching worsens. It spreads all across her body, distorting her beyond recognition. She wails, her voice sounding inhuman.
“No…” Star’s voice comes out small, desperate, terrified, “No no no no no…! Snow…! S-snow, can you hear me…?”
Star’s grip on Snow tightens. Even as Polaris approaches. Even as it becomes nearly impossible to hold onto her. Even as static creeps up his hands, his arms, his neck, spreading across his entire body, breaking him beyond what he ever thought possible. He holds her as if his life depended on it, as if he was afraid she’d vanish the moment he released her.
Polaris stops in his tracks. Before his very eyes, Snow and Star are reduced to nothing more than a mass of errors and static. Their forms meld together, collapsing entirely… and then the static spread. Rapidly, the glitches began approaching him. In his panic, Polaris grasps his pendant. A faint ticking of the clock is heard as he teleports away. The static continued to spread, consuming the palace, the Capital, the sprawling hills and winding railroads.
Within the hour, Soluminor had fallen.