The Fallen Star
The first light of dawn peeked over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of soft pink and orange. The streets of Springfield were still quiet, most of the town's residents fast asleep, save for a few early risers. Among them were Hunter, Willow, Flapjack, and Clover, who had gathered in a small park on the outskirts of town to enjoy the rare calm of an early morning.
Hunter sat on a weathered wooden bench, his staff resting beside him, Flapjack perched on his shoulder. Taking in the park, there was a quiet serenity to the place that was truly refreshing. The fresh air, the dew-covered grass, and the soft chirping of birds in the distance was a stark contrast to the chaos that usually defined life in Springfield.
Willow, sitting next to him, leaned back and stretched her arms over her head, smiling as Clover fluttered around her. The palisman danced through the air, flitting from one flower to the next, her iridescent wings catching the morning light. Flapjack watched with interest, occasionally chirping in response to Clover's excited movements and getting small buzzes back.
"This is nice," Willow said, letting out a sigh. "We don't get moments like this often, not with all the work we're all doing"
"Yeah," Hunter nodded, though his gaze remained fixed on the horizon. " It's peaceful for once."
Willow glanced over at him, noticing the slight tension in his posture, even in this relaxed setting. His eyes darting at every flutter of wings not from the bird on his shoulder, watching every possible angle of attack even as he tried to relax. She knew Hunter well enough to know that his mind was always working, always alert. He'd been through so much, more than anyone their age should have had to endure, and it was hard for him to let his guard down, even when everything seemed calm.
But here, in the early hours of the day, with Flapjack and Clover nearby, there was a sense of normalcy, a feeling that maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay.
"You know," Willow said, breaking the comfortable silence, "you've been working really hard lately. Guard duty at the cemetery, keeping the nuclear plant secure, helping Mr. Simpson with… whatever it is he does. You deserve a break."
"I'm fine Willow," Hunter smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just… keeping busy. Besides, I'd rather be out here than anywhere else."
Willow gave him a look, one that said she wasn't buying it, but she let the conversation drop. She knew better than to push Hunter when he wasn't ready to talk. Instead, she reached out and gave Clover a gentle pat as the palisman flew by.
For a few more moments, the two of them sat in companionable silence, watching as their palismen explored the park. Flapjack was darting between the branches of a nearby tree, chirping at a few birds that had made their home there, while Clover hovered near a patch of blue roses, her tiny beak sipping at the nectar.
Then, suddenly, the stillness of the morning was broken by a flash of light in the sky. It was quick—just a streak of bright, burning white that cut across the horizon, followed by a loud, distant boom. Both teens and palismen looked up, startled by the unexpected sight.
"What was that?" Willow asked, standing up from the bench, staff snapping to her hand as vines grew around it.
Hunter squinted at the sky, trying to make sense of what he had just seen. "A shooting star, maybe?" But even as he said it, he knew that wasn't quite right. It had been too fast, too loud. And it wasn't fading like a shooting star would, it was falling, plummeting toward the earth.
Flapjack and Clover chirped excitedly, sensing the change in the air, and they flew in circles above their companions, clearly eager to investigate.
"We should go check it out," Willow said, already moving in the direction the object had fallen. "Whatever that was, it landed nearby."
Hunter hesitated for a second before nodding. "Yeah, let's go."
Together, they made their way out of the park and toward the edge of town, following the direction of the falling star. The streets were still empty, the town still asleep, a star falling from the sky seemingly not enough to wake Springfielders from their night of rest.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the outskirts of the city, where the landscape became more rugged and forested. In the distance, they could see a plume of smoke rising from behind a line of trees, the source of whatever had crashed.
"That's it," Hunter said, picking up the pace. "It's just over there."
Willow nodded and, with a wave of her staff, pushed through the underbrush, Flapjack and Clover flying overhead, guiding the two toward the smoke. As they approached the crash site, a smell of oils and burning metal filled the air, the ground beneath their feet still warm from the impact.
When they finally broke through the trees and into a small clearing, both of them froze at the sight in front of them.
Lying in the middle of the crater, surrounded by twisted metal and scorched earth, was the remains of a giant robotic torso. The machine was massive, at least twenty feet tall, with thick, armored plating and a strange, minimalistic yet still futuristic design. The chest had been torn open, wires, circuits, and what appeared to be several gun barrels spilling out like the guts of a fallen Titan.
"What… is that?" Willow whispered, her eyes wide with awe, Clover hovering near her, clearly unsettled by the sight..
"I don't know," Hunter replied, stepping closer to the edge of the crater, Flapjack on his shoulder chirping nervously. "But it looks like it's been through a battle."
But it wasn't the robotic torso that caught Hunter's attention, it was the figure lying just a few feet away from it.
A boy, who couldn't have been older than either he nor Willow, dressed in a strange and futuristic outfit, was sprawled on the ground, unconscious. His clothes were torn and scorched, and there was a deep cut on his forehead, but he was still breathing, though barely.
"Willow!" Hunter called, rushing toward the boy. "There's someone here!"
Willow quickly followed, her concern growing as she saw the boy's condition. She knelt down beside him, her hand hovering over his forehead. "He's hurt. We need to get him some help."
Hunter nodded, but as he looked down at the boy, something about the situation gnawed at him. This person, whoever he was, had just fallen from the sky along with a giant robot and now he was lying here, unconscious, with no explanation.
"Do you think he was inside that thing?" Hunter asked, glancing at the broken robot behind them.
Willow frowned. "Maybe. But how? And why?"
Hunter didn't have an answer for her, but his focus was on the boy. "We should try to wake him up. See if he can tell us what happened."
Willow was a little taken aback at the suggestion, "Hunter, he's hurt, unconscious, and has a serious head wound. We don't know if he's going to be okay…" Willow's words ground to a halt as they both watched a green light glow along the boy's injury. As they watched, the wound sealed before them.
"Woah…" Willow breathed, the light fading as the unconscious boy's breathing became more even, the white pigment of his skin having lessened to a more natural color. As the light faded fully, his eyelids fluttered, letting out a soft groan.
Hunter made to grab for his staff, but Flapjack jumped from his shoulder to flutter down towards the boy's head, lightly pecking and podding the clearly waking boy.
The boy's eyes finally opened, though they were unfocused, as if he was struggling to make sense of his surroundings. He blinked a few times, squinting at Hunter and Willow.
"Wh-where am I?" he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You're in Springfield, for what little that probably means to you." Hunter said, trying to sound as calm and reassuring as possible. "We found you here, next to that… robot." He gestured toward the wrecked machine.
The boy slowly followed the direction of Hunter's hand, and when he saw the remains of the robotic torso, his eyes welled with tears. "The… the Super Robot…" he muttered, his voice shaking.
"Super Robot?" Willow echoed, exchanging a confused glance with Hunter.
The boy sat up a little straighter, wincing from the pain in his head. He looked down at his clothes, then at the strange metal bracers on his wrists. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, as if trying to piece together the fragments of his memory.
"I don't… I don't remember," he said, his voice trembling. "I don't know how I got here."
Willow's expression softened with sympathy. "You have amnesia?"
The boy nodded slowly, his eyes filled with confusion and fear. "I… I think so. I remember the Super Robot… at least I remember calling it that. I was with people… I feel like I should remember them, that they were important and then something… something happened." He looks up to both of them, a mixture of fear and sadness warring in his bright blue eyes. "Something terrible happened…"
Hunter knelt down beside him, his gaze serious but not unkind. "Do you remember your name? Anything at all?"
The boy hesitated, as if reaching into the fog of his mind for something familiar. After a long pause, he finally whispered, "Chiro. My name is Chiro."
______________________________________________________________________________
Somewhere in Middle America, a man felt a disturbance in the magics he had harnessed. The champion of the Power Primate had arrived.
______________________________________________________________________________
AN - This all started as a mad man's dream. "What other teenagers could be added to the mix from Disney that would really spice things up?" And I found my answer quite readily. It would be incredible if this somehow became canon and if the QMs are accepting bribes, I am not above it.
