Michel Lefèbvre
(Future) Wielder of the Stallion Boots of Gaia
New Magostra
Michel hadn’t gotten too far away when the ground under him shook. He didn’t have to look back to know that one of the baddies had most likely attacked and seemed to pack quite the punch. He could still hear the sounds of fighting from behind him despite the distance and try as he might, he couldn’t shut it all away. But every time he wanted to turn to look back he forced himself to think rationally. He couldn’t do anything anyway. He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t even a particularly good person. He didn’t know these people all that well, why’d he risk his life for them? It made no sense. It made no sense why his chest stung more and more with each step he took.
You’ve grown soft, idiot. Soft and stupid. Well, at least your fashion sense’s intact…
Michel chuckled. Laughing helped. It always did. All he had to do was laugh long enough and he’d forget all about this. Or, well, so he thought, until he heard a familiar voice practically begging for his help. Kess. It was little Kess.
“Michel, help! You-You have the Stallion Boots of Gaia! You can help! Please!” A pause. She sounded desperate. “We can’t save anyone if you don’t help us!”
Michel’s hands curled into fists, but he didn’t stop his run. Stallion Boots? He didn’t have anything like that. All he was wearing were some torn old boots that’d probably break upon contact. And why should he care whether or not they could help anyone or not? It wasn’t his problem. This wasn’t his problem.
And yet, his running steps had slowed down just a bit. Didn’t he call himself Kess’s new big bro at some point? Back when they met? Yeah, he did. Was this really what big bros did? Ran away when their sister was in danger? He had already lost one sister. A sister he hated, yes, but still a sister. Was he ready to sacrifice another? Michel’s hands shook, so he forcibly stuck them into his pockets and continued, this time with walking steps.
But not for long.
His hand hit something in his pocket, and upon fishing it out in order to take a better look Michel realized what it was. Carefully crafted yet slightly damaged wings, one leg that was almost torn apart by now… This was the Pegasos that one kid have given him. The one who had… admired him. That was right, he was still back there too. There were people who actually believed in him. Both the kid and Kess... Seya, too.
Just then, the ground trembled again, almost knocking him off his feet.
And Michel decided.
He stuck the Pegasos back inside his pocket and turned around just in time to see one of the enemies throwing a small figure inside the earth and following suit. Small figure… it could only be Kess.
“Oh no you don’t, nobody does that to my sis!” Michel shouted, though he knew he was so far away nobody would hear. Nobody could most likely even see him. And that’s when he realized he had another problem; he could never make it in time. No matter how fast he ran, Kess would be in tiny little pieces by the time he got back.
Think Miiich, think, come oooon…
He shook his head. No, no, he didn’t have time to think. All he could do was… was try. He looked down on his worn old boots and nodded.
“Come on guys, try not to break down on me, ‘kay? Show you’re those Stallions or… whatever. I at least wanna go down in glory, y'know?”
The boots didn’t answer. Figures.
Michel shook his head and dashed off anyway, running as fast as he humanly could. A similar sensation he felt back when he saved Snowb- Seya for the first time overtook him in an instant, and soon his boots morphed into much larger, much sturdier – and much cooler, Michel noted – ones. And this time they were actually, physically there, not just mirages surrounded in some obscure lightshow. No, they were right there around his feet. He could feel their weight. It felt comforting. Warm. Michel grinned. Hey, maybe he was good for something.
He had just reached the edge of the fiery pit he could have sworn reached down all the way to Hell, and he had just kicked himself off the ground to jump down, he had just started to feel the heat emanating from the visible lava below when, all of a sudden, it was gone. All gone, replaced by what seemed to be a bridge with no end in sight.
The Bridge
Michel stumbled and fell on all fours from the sudden stop his run was forced into, and his sunglasses fell on the bridge and slid down into… Michel gulped.
Oookay, note to self, do. Not. Freaking. Fall. Mich. Would mess up your haircut pretty bad. And your face, too.
And then, only a few seconds later, Mr. Fashion Reject did fall. Well, more like he was pushed off the edge along with the generals or whatever. That was it, he was gone, nobody could survive that. And now, they were being charged by what seemed to be Milly. Only, she had been through a makeover, and Michel thought that whoever was responsible for that change of styles should be fired on the spot. Ick.
Chubby and that Zuri girl were trying to talk Milly down, but it became apparent very soon that all it did was buying them some time. But not enough time. In an instant evil Milly (Emilly, as Michel had so cleverly nicknamed her in his mind) grabbed Seya and… pretty much destroyed her.
“Hey, not cool, that’s animal abuse!” Michel shouted, half jokingly, half angrily as he stood up, his stance still slightly off and his balance bad at best. He wasn’t yet used to his new boots. He glared at the spot Seya had been in just a few minutes ago, and felt his stomach turn.
You've gotta be kidding me...
This couldn’t be, right? She couldn’t have really killed Seya, could she? She was a Goddess, at least if what she said was true. Goddesses shouldn’t be killed off that easily. And if the form of a cat wasn’t her real form, maybe it was just her body that had been destroyed, but not her… soul or whatever?
Since when have you believed in all that soul business?
Michel shook his head. Didn’t matter. Either way they had to beat the snot out of Emilly, and fast.
And then Chubby went on being all dramatic like he always was, declaring his name and his purpose for all to hear.
“Oh come on, like that’d-“
And then, all of a sudden, everyone did the same, and Michel fell silent. One by one everyone stood up and seemed all determined and cool. Even little Kess he had failed to protect in the end. Well, everyone except Jessica, as she still seemed out of it. She’d be an easy target like this. he couldn't let her die too.
“Fiiine, guess I have no choice then,” Michel spoke up from the back of the group with a shrug as he started to slowly walk up to everyone else. There was no solid ground underneath his feet, just a bridge that, for all he knew, could crumble any minute now, but still his steps were determined and steady. His boots acted as his support, they were the ground he could always rely on. Ground… wouldn’t it be cool if he could become something like that? A silent, deadly force like that, one everyone could always rely on? Earth might’ve been a little boring and uncool as an element, but it was powerful, unyielding and reliable.
He’d protect everyone this time. He’d make up for all the times he just stood back and watched, he’d make up for all the powerlessness he had displayed. Nobody would need to save him ever again. Not from an enemy, nor from darkness. He’d do it himself.
Michel stopped his walk near everyone else and grinned a wide grin, pointing a thumb at himself. He had lost his sunglasses, so there was nothing hiding away his intent gaze directed towards Emilly.
“I’m Michel Lefèbvre, and I’ve got some badass boots to kick your face in with, sister. Let’s go!”