Greeting to all in fan fiction I have returned! Yes I know you all were hoping for the sequel to Web of the Heart but I need to get some of my other stories up. I am working the sequel as well as a Kingdom Hearts story. Keep a look out for them ok without further a due…On with the Show!
EPISODE 8 – CARE BEAR STARE
"A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart."
- Zues. Walt Disney's "Hercules". 1997
Hello Readers and welcome to another action packed adventure with the Toon Master and his friends. And speaking of friends, if you recall in the last episode, the Super Stars recruited another member to their team: Scarlet, the mystical gypsy girl.
During their time in Paris, Scarlet proved to the Super Stars that she's one spunky fighter, but severely lacking in the teamwork department. So now, the Stars have to train Scarlet as well as Tony. With two students in their midst, the Stars have decided to split up their training duties. Thus, we begin this story with a quick stop to Eternia where Jim and Tom oversee Scarlet's latest training session.
"Concentrate, my dear. Feel the energy flowing around and through your body. Once you have a clear image of what you want to accomplish, gently release your power."
Scarlet did as she was instructed and concentrated. She could feel the power within her – more power than she had ever known before – flooding her veins. She actually expected to see it come oozing out of the pores in her skin. The dark red aura surrounding her bathed the stone walls of the ancient room in its otherworldly glow. Scarlet loved to just stand still and bask in the feeling of power, but she allowed herself only a second or two before forcing herself to regain her train of thought. Once the image was fixed firmly in her mind, she released her magic, like exhaling a bent-up breath.
Mystic energies reached out from her hands and twisted themselves in midair before her to form a bright ball of light. The ball pulsed once before soundlessly shattering like glass, leaving behind a small pure white dove. The dove fluttered its wings and glided to rest on Scarlet's outstretched hand.
"I did it," cheered Scarlet. She was incredibly pleased with herself.
"Yes, very well done." The speaker was a middle-aged woman standing a few paces behind Scarlet. The woman stood stiffly and portrayed a regal demeanor, but she spoke gently with a warm smile. She was wearing an outfit made almost entirely of feathers; white ones on her torso, blue down her arms, and a red-feathered cape that spread out like wings when she opened her arms wide. Her legs were bare, but two blue leather boots were on her feet. Atop her head, worn proudly like a crown, was a hood that resembled an eagle's head.
This woman was known simply as The Sorceress, Guardian and Protector of the ancient Castle GreySkull. She was one of many powerful magic users that the King of Toon World had asked to teach the newest Super Star. Scarlet's training had turned out to be more challenging than anyone had anticipated. Mike, Head Inventor at ACME Labs, had been tasked with supplying Scarlet with a suitable weapon, like all the other Super Stars had, but the young gypsy had flatly refused to wield any kind of physical weapon. She had rejected swords, knives, staffs, crossbows, clubs, shields, hammers, wands, and a great wicked scythe used only once by a little old lady from Pasadena.
Rather than be annoyed or frustrated with Scarlet's unwillingness, Mike was overjoyed. After all, experimenting was his life and he took it as a personal challenge to find the perfect match for Scarlet. It had taken some hard thinking and delicate work, but Mike had come through once again. He had developed the thick red armbands that Scarlet now wore on her wrists. These armbands acted as amplifiers for her magic, making her about five times stronger when in her transformed state. Scarlet had loved them and wore them proudly.
Unfortunately, that had only been half the problem. Scarlet knew how to use magic, but with the armbands, she now had more magic power than ever before and didn't know how to handle it. Finding a teacher had been a little tricky. The court of the King and Queen of Toon World contained no royal wizard and none of the other Super Stars knew magic. Tony, of course, had magic powers through the Toon Sword, but he was still learning himself.
There were many magic wielding heroes in Toon World who could help, but they had their own problems to worry about. With Dr. Claw's armies always on the move and regular villains still posing a threat, a hero's free time was scarce. In the end, the King of Toon World had to call in a few favors from other royalty and influential people to find teachers for Scarlet. That was why Scarlet, Jim, and Tom were on Eternia, deep within the chambers of Castle GreySkull, learning from no less than The Sorceress herself, one of the most powerful magic users in the entire dimension.
Scarlet gazed like a proud mother at the small bird resting on her hand. "That was harder than I thought," she said a little breathlessly. During her training, Scarlet had excelled at large, flashy magic spells like bangs, bombs, and blasting, but she was having a hard time with subtler spells like illusions and conjuration. They required an intense level of focus that Scarlet had trouble maintaining. This one bird had taken many, many tries to get right.
The ever patient Sorceress had gently guided Scarlet through the process. She too was looking at the dove with pride. "Yes, a vast improvement over your other attempts." With a graceful wave of her feathered hand, the Sorceress indicated several of the other birds Scarlet had attempted to create including one with no feathers, one with no legs, one with two heads, and one that's frankly too disgusting to be described.
Scarlet cringed at the sight of her failures. "Well, practice makes perfect and it looks like I finally have mastered the conjuring." She stoked the dove's soft white feathers. The dove cooed in appreciation.
"You've mastered conjuring this one small bird, yes," agreed the Sorceress, "but remember that larger objects take a considerably greater amount of energy to create and control. You must retain your focus."
Scarlet released the dove and let it fly high into the vaulted ceilings of the castle. "Do not be worrying, Sorceress. When I put my mind to it, I have unshakeable focus. Is that not right, my friends?" When there was no answer, Scarlet looked over her shoulder at the two teenage boys that had travelled with her to Caster Greyskull. Jim was tall and lean with a head of unruly short brown hair. As always, his clothes looked like they came from the bottom of his laundry basket, with faded oil and grease stains everywhere. Tom was a little shorter than Jim with longer blond hair and a more muscular body. More often than not, there was a blank look on Tom's face. Right now, both boys were sitting against the stone wall, eyes closed, snoring loudly.
"JIM! TOM!"
They both jumped at the shout and looked around, getting their bearings. Jim squinted in the direction of Scarlet and the Sorceress. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and spotted the white dove searching for an exit in the stone ceiling.
Jim nudged Tom as he got to his feet. "Yo Tom. Look; she finally did it," he said, pointing to the bird.
Tom noticed the dove too. He cheered and went over to congratulate Scarlet. "Great job, Scarlet. Very nice."
"Thank you, darling," said the young gyspy, smiling sweeting.
Then Tom turned to Jim. "You owe me five bucks."
As a confused Scarlet looked on, Jim grudgingly took out his wallet and handed Tom a five dollar bill. "What's all this?" she asked.
Tom happily pocketed the money before answering. "Jim bet me you'd never be able to pull the spell off."
"You bet against me?" demanded Scarlet in a huff.
Jim shrugged. "I was playing the odds."
"Seemed like a safe bet to me." Everyone turned to see Prince Adam, the crown prince of Eternia, enter the room. He stood tall with Prince Valiant-style blond hair, wearing a white shirt, dark pink vest and indigo pants. Adam was good-natured and kind, but also came across as being lazy and irresponsible. This was just a ruse, however, since Prince Adam was actually He-Man, super-strong hero of Eternia and protector of Greyskull. Like the Toon Master, Adam transformed into He-Man using the magic sword strung across his back.
"Et tu, Your Highness?" said Scarlet in a pained voice. "You didn't think I'd be able to do it either?"
"Well…" A stern look from the Sorceress stopped the sarcastic reply in Adam's throat and wiped the mischievous smile off his face. He tried a different tact. "You have been at it a long time," said Adam as gently as he could. Then, eager to change the subject, he added, "So long in fact, that the other Super Stars have been calling all over Eternia trying to reach you." Adam held out a small hand-held video communicator. A red light was blinking on it, indicating a call on hold.
"We turned off our wrist communicators to avoid distractions," Scarlet said shortly. She grabbed the communicator out of Adam's hand and pressed the blinking light. Penny, the princess of the Toon World, instantly appeared on the video screen. The color of her blue eyes perfectly matched the clear sky behind her. Her single blond ponytail was waving in the breeze.
When Penny spoke, she sounded a bit annoyed and impatient. "Scarlet, it's about time. I've been trying to reach you all afternoon."
In a voice filled with pride, Scarlet replied, "Well, it was worth the wait, Penny, dear. I am happy to report that under the masterful tutelage of the Sorceress, I have become an expert in the art of conjuration."
"Yes, Prince Adam was telling me all about it," said Penny. "Have you managed to create a bird with only one head yet?"
Scarlet shot a venomous look at Adam, who could only smiled innocently back while Jim and Tom struggled to hide their snickering.
Composing herself, Scarlet resumed her confident air, "Admittedly, there were a few bug-a-boos in the beginning, but I have perfected the technique. Soon I will master my magic. And speaking of masters, how is Tony's training coming along?"
Penny was caught off-guard by the question and automatically became defensive. "Tony? His training's going fine. Why?" Her sentences were short and clipped.
"Just checking, as a friend," said Scarlet with a sly smile. "Is he there right now?"
"No," Penny almost shouted. She continued in a quiet, but panicky voice. "No, he's not here. In fact, he won't be here for a while yet. Still training; lots to do. I'm gonna have to sign off. We'll join you at the Eternian palace later, as planned. Okay, bye."
I would seem Scarlet has redirected her hatred to claw to her training, I guess the team need to be more sportive. And what is this? It would seem that Scarlet has hit a sour spot with Penny…Interesting. But where is Tony? Stay tuned! Don't forget to read and review
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