Chapter Text
Pearl is back at her base, tending to her wounds and rubbing snow over them to clean them. She briefly falls asleep before jolting back awake and returning to her wounds, momentarily looking up when two lights flash in the distance. Pearl shrugs, and finishes tending to her wounds, and feeding her wolves. A branch breaks, and her head snaps up, grabbing her sword.
Pearl: Who’s there? I’ve got my axe! You’re not killing me, or Tilly, or my Wolves, not if I have anything to say about it!
Cleo steps out from Stage Left warily, wearing her armor
Cleo: Pearl, it's just me! Are you alright? You seem really on edge
Pearl, giggling: Me? Oh, I’m perfectly fine, Cleo! I’ve got great news! Impulse and Bdubs are dead!
Cleo: You don’t seem fine. Like, genuinely.
Pearl, dramatically: Well, what did you expect! I’ve been all alone Cleo!
Cleo: Yeah, and whose fault is that?
Pearl, frowning: Come on, you and Martyn are allies!
Cleo: That’s…different.
Pearl: No, not really
Cleo: I…Grian and Scar died, by the way
Pearl: I saw, earlier.
Pearl nods vaguely to where Grian and Scar are sitting in the audience.
Pearl: By the way, is Scott still with you?
Cleo: Ha. He isn’t. Why do you care?
Martyn sneaks behind Pearl, shooting an arrow at Pearl’s wolves. Pearl spins around suddenly, glaring at him
Pearl: Martyn! Just what do you think you’re doing here? You two planned this, didn’t you?! Trying to kill my wolves, are you?
Martyn: This needs to end, Pearl. One way or another. There’s only you and Scott left.
Cleo, overlapping: That’s not what this is about, Pearl
Pearl, angrily: You tried to kill my wolves, Martyn. This can only end one way now!
Cleo: You’re outnumbered, Pearl, this isn’t a fight you can win
Pearl ignores Cleo, turning to face Martyn fully, swinging her axe at him
Pearl: You almost killed them! How dare you, Martyn, they did nothing to you!
Martyn, backing up: They’re helping you!
Cleo swings at Pearl with her sword, and Pearl lunges after her. Martyn tries to collect himself, shooting and re-nocking his bow. Pearl manages to back Cleo to the edge of the stage and shoves her off. Two spotlights flash above where Cleo and Martyn stood, and they both return to the audience. Pearl returns to Center Stage, the lights going redder.
Pearl, giggling: Well, that’s what happens when you mess with me. Try to kill my babies, I’ll kill you!
Scott enters Stage Right, slowly looking around. He has taken off his armor.
Scott, stunned: There you are, Pearl! …what did you do?
Pearl: It's simple! Martyn tried to attack my wolves, so I killed him! And Cleo too, I guess. Oh, and Joel and Etho!
Scott: I mean, they did try to attack me earlier. Martyn and Cleo. So this means that somehow it's just me, and you left.
Scott, laughing humorlessly: To be honest, I saw this going many, many different ways, but this was never one of them.
Pearl: You didn’t believe in me, did you, Scott?
Scott: It’s not like either of us were really trying! I was going to let Martyn and Cleo win, but that didn’t exactly pan out, since Martyn ran off once he saw the lightning coming from this direction.
Pearl: Maybe it was always meant to be this way! Dramatic irony or something, right?
Scott: It’s not all that dramatic if I already know who the winner is.
Pearl draws her axe, beginning to step back
Pearl, cautiously: Scott, what are you on about?
Scott, laughing: In some odd way, we’re here again. Except last time, we were a team!
Scott pulls out his sword, and Pearl tightens her grip on her sword. Tilly growls, moving closer to protect Pearl
Scott: And now, I can say for certain…you deserve this, Pearl.
Scott drops his sword on the ground, and exits into the audience.
Pearl, with stunned laughter: That wasn’t…Scott? What have you done, oh my goodness! I’ve honestly got no idea how, but I won! Ha! And I didn’t need any allies, all I needed was Tilly, and the rest of my wolves! …now what? I didn’t plan to win, I mean… I thought Scott was gonna try and kill me first! I honestly thought he wanted to kill me, and I… He…it looked like he wanted to kill me! Scott, what was that? If that’s your way of apologizing…I mean it’s probably not, to be perfectly honest. Either way, you’re an idiot if you think I would forgive you after you abandoned me! At the very least, you could’ve just fought me. I mean, my wolves woulda done the trick too.
While Pearl is monologuing, Watcher 1 and Watcher 2 walk towards the stage on either side. Pearl notices them, and looks towards the audience suddenly, gripping her axe tighter
Watcher 1: Greetings player Pearlescentmoon. Pearl. Congratulations, you have won!
Watcher 2: And you did a lovely job of playing our beloved game, too! Not the route we expected, of course, especially after last time, but it was an absolute delight to watch!
Pearl, cautiously: Who…what are you?
Watcher 1: The ones who make these games! And watch them.
Watcher 2: But that’s not what’s really important right now. Now, you get to go back home!
Pearl: I do?
Watcher 1: Of course! You and all your…well, your fellow players, we can’t keep you here forever! Once someone wins, you all go back home, continue on with your lives, until the game starts again.
Pearl, realizing: … Grian told me that if you win, you remember what happens. He told me. How…how many times have we done this?
Watcher 2: That is correct. And, this is only your second time. So far. Remembering is your prize, you see!
Pearl: Remembering is my prize? I don’t want to remember everyone calling me a witch, me freezing half to death, got that?
Pearl gestures angrily with her axe, the Watchers staring blankly at her
Watcher 1: It’s not optional. Besides, you won! You deserve a prize!
Pearl: I’d rather forget everyone betraying me, thank you very much!
Watcher 2: Abandoning, not betraying.
Pearl, bitterly: Scott won too, didn’t he?
The Watchers both giggle, almost childlike
Watcher 1: Correct again! Scott Smajor won the previous game, and Grian won the game before that. The two of you were allies, back then.
Pearl, almost angrily: He still abandoned me. That doesn’t change anything. We could’ve been allies again, I wanted to be allies! Why…this is what he meant, isn’t it?
Watcher 1: Indeed. This wasn’t meant to be a tragedy, but things just worked out so well.
Watcher 2: Like we said, it was a good show! All thanks to you!
Pearl, tiredly: Can…can you at least tell me what I did wrong?
Watcher 1: We do not understand.
Pearl, getting more upset: Why didn’t I have any allies! There must be a reason why I was alone! What did I do wrong?! Just tell me!
Watcher 2, cutting in: I’m sure you know.
Watcher 1: A true tragedy. Well played, Pearlescent Moon. We hope to see you again next time.
Pearl: I hope not.
Watcher 2: We will see. Goodbye, Pearlescent Moon.
A spotlight flashes above Pearl, and the stage goes black. She exits the stage and goes to sit in the audience. Tilly can be heard barking, as the curtains close. Watcher 1 and Watcher 2 return to their seats.
The END