~💀~

"And so, the day came when Mario would leave to study abroad. The three amigos would be no more."

Many townsfolk came to say goodbye to Mario, all of them sad for the town jewel to leave. But not as much as (Name) and Joaquina were.

The Nuns:
🎶 "Adios Mario~" 🎶

General Posada gave his son a hug. "Adios, mijo. Write soon."

"I love you, Papá." Mario smiled sadly.

General Posada teared up. "I'm gonna go over there!" He sobbed as he ran away.

Mario approached (Name) and Joaquina, who looked at their friend sadly.

"I'm gonna miss you girls." Mario sighed as he gave Joaquina a hug.

"We'll be here, waiting." Joaquina said sadly.

"For as long as it takes." (Name) added.

Mario smiled and gave the (hair color) girl a tight hug. He took her hands. "Don't you ever stop playing, okay?"

When (Name) nodded with a sad smile, Mario turned to Joaquina. "And you, don't you ever stop fighting for what is right."

Joaquina nodded, (Name) then picked up a large box. "I got you a present, you should probably open it now."

"Wait a second, we were supposed to bring gifts?!" Joaquina exclaimed.

(Name) laughed while Mario shook his head. He opened the box, and gasped when he saw the little piglet Mario had met on the day of the pig heist. The little pig squealed and looked up at Mario with adoration.

"I named him Chuy. He'll look after you." (Name) told him.

"Oh, I remember you!" Mario cooed as he picked up Chuy and cradled the pig in his arms.

(Name) smiled at them. "I figured you needed a little part of the town to go with you."

"Thank you." Mario whispered as he squeezed Chuy close.

"Seriously! No one told me about bringing gifts!" Joaquina exasperated.

"Can you hold Chuy for me?" Mario requested, holding the pig towards Joaquina.

"Bleh!" Chuy snorted.

Joaquina smiled awkwardly and held the pig in her hands, but keeping Chuy at arms length, a bit of a disgusted look on her face.

Mario picked up a large white box with a bow wrapped around it and handed it to (Name). "This is to make up for breaking your brother's guitar. I still miss him too."

(Name) smiled at Mario. Before she could say something, the train whistled, signaling it was time to leave.

"All aboard!"

Mario hummed sadly, he grabbed Chuy from Joaquina's hands and ran to the train. "I gotta go!"

(Name) and Joaquina watched sadly as Mario rushed to the train.

"Don't forget me!" Mario yelled as he ran to the door, his hat flying off his head in the wind.

"Mario! Your hat!" Joaquina yelled as she chased after the flying hat, hopping over the fence to retrieve it.

(Name) went on her knees and opened the present, gasping when she saw what it was.

It was a (favorite color) guitar designed with stars. On the bottom base was a skull with hearts on both of its sides.

(Name) picked it up with a grateful look, her (eye color) eyes widened when she saw a message carved onto the side of it.

Always play from the heart.
♡ Mario

(Name) beamed and hugged the guitar close.

~💀~

Mario held back his tears as the train began to take off, he wrapped an arm around Chuy.

"MAAARRRIO!"

Mario looked out the window and smiled when he saw (Name) racing alongside the train.

"WHEN YOU COME BACK, I WILL SING FOR YOU!" She declared.

Joaquina, holding Mario's hat in her hand, ran in front of (Name). "And I will fight for you!"

When both of them were out of sight, Mario sat back down with a smile. He held one of Chuy's hooves, making the pig smile up at him.

~💀~

"It would be years before they would see Mario again."

(Name) watched as the train drove off into the distance. She clutched onto her guitar tight.

"I will wait for you."

~💀~

(Name):
🎶 "Now I'll be bold," 🎶

In the bullfighting field, (Name) strummed on her guitar only for Carlos to take it away from her.

🎶 "As well as strong," 🎶

(Name) and Carlos held a muleta in their hands, Carlos demonstrated how to use it.

~💀~

🎶 "And use my head," 🎶

"One two three, one two three!" General Posada counted as he watched Joaquina and the other soldiers doing push ups.

Joaquina did them with ease, while the Four Soldiers didn't even lift off from the ground.

Joaquina began to do some tricks and jumped up into the air.

🎶 "Alongside my heart." 🎶

~💀~

(Name) sat on Carlos' shoulders as they watched a bullfighting show together.

"Whoa." (Name) got distracted by a mariachi band playing their instruments.

Carlos scowled and tilted (Name)'s head back to the show, making her annoyed.

🎶 "So tame my flesh," 🎶

~💀~

(Name) and Joaquina laughed as they played marbles together at the cemetery.

Only for General Posada and Carlos to pull the two friends apart and bring them back to their training.

🎶 "And fix my eyes." 🎶

~💀~

"One, two, three! One, two, three!" General Posada counted as Joaquina held a large stick with two baskets of heavy fruit on her shoulders.

The Four Soldiers couldn't even lift a basket off the ground.

🎶 "A tethered mind," 🎶

~💀~

🎶 "Freed from the lies." 🎶
🎶 "And I'll kneel down," 🎶
🎶 "Wait for now." 🎶

Years went on, (Name) and Joaquina grew more and more apart from each other because of their training.

Joaquina grew up to be strong like her father and became the town hero. Going from town to town and fending off bandits. Her hair even grew long and beautiful like she always wanted.

Yet, Joaquina's fame went into her head, and she became narcissistic and selfish.

(Name) on the other hand had grown into a beautiful young lady. Like La Muerte had said, her heart remained pure and courageous.

And no matter how much Carlos trained (Name) to be a bullfighter, her heart always belonged to her guitar.

Whenever she wasn't training, she would be out in town playing her guitar and singing.

🎶 "And I'll kneel down," 🎶

🎶 "Know my ground." 🎶

While the two girls were distant now, one thing reminded the same.

They were both still in love with Mario.

For the ten years since Mario had left San Ángel, Mario never left either (Name) or Joaquina's minds.

🎶 "'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you!" 🎶

🎶 "And I will wait, I will wait for you!" 🎶

🎶 "And I will wait, I will wait for you!" 🎶

One day, (Name) was in the town center singing with the Mariachi Sisters Pepa, Pancha, and Paula.

The townspeople watched with glee as the musicians performed, (Name) having lots of fun as she sung for the crowd.

🎶 "I will wait, I will wait for-" 🎶

"I will NOT wait for you!" Carlos yelled as he grabbed (Name) by the ear and dragged her away.

"AY, PAPÁ! I WAS ON MY WAY!" (Name) fumed.

"After years of training, (Name)'s father organized her first bullfight. Which, as luck would have it, was on the day that Mario returned."

"Wait, Papá!"

"Playing all night with those Mariachi Sisters?!" Carlos fumed as he threw (Name) into the house. "You want to end up like those bozettes?"

Carlos slammed the door, where the Mariachi Sisters were outside.

"Okay, (Nickname), we'll just wait outside!" Pepa laughed.

"I don't think Mr. Sánchez likes us." Pancha said.

"Yeah." Paula agreed.

"Quiet you lazy bimbos!" Carlos yelled as he threw his sword at the door, the sisters screamed when the sword barely missed their heads.

Carlos grabbed (Name)'s guitar and threw it across the room. "You live under my roof, you live under my rules!" He chided as he shoved a sword in (Name)'s sheathe. "You will be a matador!"

"Papá, this is my life!" (Name) smiled.

"All the Sánchezes are bullfighters!" Carlos said as he gestured to the paintings of their ancestors. "Every single one of us!"

"I was a beast in the arena." Anita stated as she knitted. "A beast!"

"It's in your blood! It's your destiny!" Carlos said as he gripped (Name)'s shoulders. "How many times do I have to say it?"

(Name) laughed bitterly and pulled herself out of her father's grasp. "This is not me! This is you!" She grabbed her guitar from the floor and put it around her back.

Carlos sighed. "My daughter, Joaquina may be the hero of the town, but today you will be the hero of the ring. If, for once, you actually finish the bull."

Carlos pulled out his sword to demonstrate, making (Name) roll her eyes.

"But she finished the bull the other day at practice!" Pepa stated from outside.

~💀~

"VENGA, TORO!" (Name) yelled as she held a muleta in front of a bull, only for it to get strike by lightning.

"Eh..."

~🐂~

"That did not count." Anita shook her head.

"No! Killing the bull is wrong!" (Name) protested.

Carlos sighed. "Here we go again."

"Ay, kids today. With their long hair and they're not killing stuff." Anita rolled her eyes.

(Name) scoffed. "I'm out of here."

"Don't you love your family?" Carlos asked, making (Name) stop in her tracks, she turned her head to her father.

"Then go get that bull, Mija! Don't dishonor our name!"

(Name) sighed, she handed Carlos her guitar and stormed out of the house.

"Just be a Sánchez!" Carlos encouraged.

"Mijo, she no gonna do it." Anita said.

~💀~