More W.I.T.C.H. Adventures 4: The Lord Of Lightning
by Shawn Q. Evans
W.I.T.C.H. and related characters copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Featuring Danny Nova from W.I.T.C.H. Adventures When Lightning Strikes, available on Amazon
(This story occurs directly after The Worm At Universe's End)
Previously: In More W.I.T.C.H. Adventures 1: The Queen Of Infinity, the sorceress known as the Queen took over Candracar. The Guardians barely defeated her, and learned someone helped her escape from prison.
In More W.I.T.C.H. Adventures 2: The Empress Of The World, the Queen's accomplice, the Empress Bug, attacked the Guardians and Heatherfield with her army of insects. The Empress would have won, too, if Will hadn't done the most unexpected thing ever - she literally 'turned off' the world!
In More W.I.T.C.H. Adventures 3: The Worm At The End Of The Universe, the Guardians, searching for the Empress, got trapped on a planet that was either flesh-freezingly cold or hellishly hot. Their fate would have been most dire, indeed, if they hadn't managed to free the native life from the thrall of the Worm.
But the Guardians are still stranded on the planet called ShineDark, with only one way out, one slim chance to get home...
Having freed the denizens of the planet ShineDark from the mental control of the Worm, and in doing so helped the native Sunflyers achieve their destiny, the Guardians were confident as they pressed on to their rendezvous with the space station orbiting above the planet, the station where the Empress Bug was hiding out and who undoubtedly held the secret of returning to Earth.
For Will was unable to fold them home, and the Empress Bug had to be responsible for that state of affairs.
Though they had nearly expired in the horrific extremes that was the environment of ShineDark, either brutally cold or scorching hot, the Guardians had persevered and, with their recent victory over the Worm, were unwilling to give up, no matter what.
Their first attempt at reaching the artificial satellite was a miserable failure; but this time, the Guardians had a plan.
Not Cornelia's plan. They discussed and dismissed that one.
"I've got it! Why don't I just launch us into space on a large rock?" offered Cornelia.
"Wouldn't work, C!" answered Taranee. "That ship's a moving target, and if you're the smallest fraction off on the launch, we'll zip right past it and drift in space forever!"
"Oh." noted Cornelia.
Taranee had a plan, though. During the long trek across the surface of this alien world, she had a lot of time to think about the problems they faced.
They talked about it, and the others agreed this plan had the best chance of success.
Like before, Hay Lin would form a bubble of air and carry them miles up, to the very edge of space.
(The only difference being, this time they would coat the outside of the bubble with dust to protect them from the unshielded radiation of the sun in space, a problem they didn't have when they flew up at 'night').
Unlike before, however, when the Guardians reached the upper limits of the atmosphere, they would change tactics.
Hay Lin would deform the bubble and re-shape it as separate air supplies for each of them, with an umbilical of air connecting each member of the team. That way, each Guardian could survive the airless vacuum of space and they could be tethered together.
Not every Guardian liked this plan, however.
Before they set off, Irma had a question.
"Won't we, like, explode in outer space?" queried Irma.
"That's a myth, Irma!" responded Taranee. "Human bodies don't 'explode' in a vacuum! It's more like what happens to underwater divers who come up too fast - they get the bends."
"Oh. Okay." replied Irma. "But doesn't that mean we'll get the bends?"
"Not if we ascend gradually. Besides, our Guardian forms should protect us long enough to reach the ship, so decompression won't be a problem. The same goes for the temperature."
That answer satisfied the rest of the Guardians.
Nothing was going to stop them from trying, so, ultimately, it didn't matter what Taranee said.
Their minds were made up, and all reservations had to be put on hold.
Way above the world, linked together, Taranee's plan had two important components: Cornelia, on point, would use her telekinesis to pull them to the ship.
To do that, though, she had to get close enough to it.
Which is where the other part of the plan came in: Will, taking up the rear, would use her lightning powers to send ions through a small opening in the air envelope behind her.
In such a way, she and the rest of the Guardians ahead of her would be propelled through space.
But first, they had to get up there.
And that wasn't going to be easy.
Because, unlike their first attempt, fierce lightning storms raged above the planet as they passed through the atmosphere.
"Hay, we're going to need some fancy flying from you!" implored Taranee.
"Okay!" insisted Hay Lin, trying not to show any doubt. "I can do this! I can do this! " she thought.
So Hay Lin, carrying the bubble containing the other Guardians, sailed through the ionized air, dodging and weaving around the sparks and currents thrown off by the angry stormclouds.
It was a great effort.
But it wasn't enough.
Will, on point, saw the problem: A massive tempest of electrical activity, a solid front of lightning-producing clouds, lined up end-to-end.
"Can we go around?" asked Cornelia.
"Too big. Plus, it'll totally throw us off our schedule!" answered Will.
"Everybody behind me!" commanded the Guardian of the Heart. "You, too, Hay Lin! Get behind the bubble! And push us through!"
"But..." meekly replied the Air Guardian.
"Do it!" ordered Will.
Hay Lin did as she was told, and propelled her friends towards the electrical nightmare.
Will, holding the Heart of Candracar before her, said a silent prayer and uttered her word of power "Quintessence!"
Suddenly, wave after wave of lightning bolts crashed into the Guardians' bubble!
Blinding flashes, followed by peals of thunder!
Then...silence.
Will had done it! She had absorbed the lightning's energy!
But the quintessential Guardian wasn't done yet.
The pink energy of the Heart of Candracar grew and expanded until it enveloped the tempest-tossed clouds of fury.
Then, as if a switch was hit, the huge stormcloud grew quiet and complacent.
And the Guardians flew through a lightning-less, no longer stormy and instead rather soft and puffy, cloud.
"Will! You did it!" announced Cornelia, hugging her friend.
"Of course!" replied the smiling Will.
ZZZTT
"Eeep!" squealed Cornelia as she jumped away from the staticy electric Will, energy arcing around her.
"Sorry, Corny!" said the Guardian of Energy. "I guess I still have some lightning to dissipate!"
Clear of the storm, there was nothing but smooth sailing ahead.
Free of the planet and the dangers it posed to them, the Guardians finally relaxed.
They played space tourist. (This time, Taranee wasn't the only one admiring the rather unique view of the universe and the world below them).
"Look at all the stars, guys!" said the happy Guardian of the Air.
"Yeah. Wow. You don't see things like this on Earth, that's for sure!" replied the Water Guardian. "But how come there are no stars over there?" said Irma, pointing.
"Yeah, that sure is a whole lot of emptiness!" said Hay Lin, as she squinted at the vast blackness before her. "But then why do I get the feeling there's something there?"
"Forget that big nothing! Look! There's a ring around the sun!" exclaimed Cornelia.
"That...I don't think that ring is natural, Cornelia!" said Taranee.
"Huh?" replied the Earth Guardian.
"The shape is too perfect! It could be a Dyson ring." added the Fire Guardian.
"Double huh?" retorted Irma.
"It's said that any civilization, if it survives long enough, will advance and tap into the energy of their sun in the most direct way, by building a ring around it. That's the theory, anyway. It's one of the things SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestial Intelligence, looks for." said the long-winded Guardian of Fire.
"But, if there was an advanced civilization here, what happened to it?" asked Cornelia.
"I think we're going to find out." said the sober Will, pointing up in the direction of the space station.
"Oh. Yeah." added Cornelia.
Noting her friend's pensiveness, the Fire Guardian consoled her. "I know you don't want to talk about what happened to the Empress, Will, but consider this: If, and I don't know if this is true, but if you can create nothing out of something, then maybe, just maybe, you can create something out of nothing. Which would be an amazing gift. I mean, just look around. That's the story of the whole universe! Something out of nothing!"
Will thought for a moment. "I...". Then, turning toward her friend, said "Thanks, T. Thanks a lot."
It was Hay Lin (typical) who interrupted the moment.
"Guys! Look!" bellowed Hay Lin.
The other Guardians looked up in alarm, expecting some new, dire calamity.
"Isn't that something?" said the upbeat Air Guardian, gesturing at the green light show off to the side.
"An aurora. That's nice, Hay Lin." said Taranee.
"Yes. Very pretty." interjected Cornelia. "But next time, try not to scare us!"
"Sorry!" replied the not-too-apologetic, slightly miffed Hay Lin.
"Hey, is that an aurora, too?" asked Irma, pointing at the red and blue jets in the air above them. "Because we're heading right for it!"
"Aurora's are only lightly charged particles." informed Taranee. "They can't hurt us!"
"Oh. Okay!" replied Irma. " 'Sides, looks like they're fading!" said the Water Guardian, as the red and blue lines in the sky became faint.
"Hold on. Faint red and blue streaks? At high altitude?" wondered Taranee to herself. "What does that sound like? Not auroras. What?"
"Ooooh. Look at that!" gushed Irma, as the red and blue flashes re-appeared. "They're back!"
"What?" said Taranee, dumbstruck, as the bubble the Guardians rode in flew right at the blue and red marks in the sky. "That's, that's not an aurora! That's lightning!"
"Huh?" said Hay Lin, unsure of what she heard, or of what to do, so she kept on going, getting closer and closer to their electrified doom.
"Say what?" replied Irma.
"Wha?" said Will, who snapped out of her reverie and looked at Taranee (instead of where they were headed).
"I said - it's lightning!!" exclaimed Taranee.
In an instant, Hay Lin shifted the bubble away from the high altitude energy discharges...
…Will jumped in front of everybody and turned to face the energy she knew so well...
...and was caught offguard when the colorful, yet still very dangerous, storm-tossed bolts arced into their bubble!
UNHHH
Will absorbed the brunt of the massive current, sparing her friends any pain.
Unprepared as she was, though, it was enough to knock her off her feet!
"Will? Are you OK?" one of the Guardians (Will wasn't sure which one, due to the ringing in her ears and the spots in her eyes) said to her.
"M' alright." said Will, shaking off the injury. "Keep going, Hay Lin!" ordered the Guardian of the Heart, gathering her strength to prove to the others she would see this through.
For they had almost arrived at the transfer point.
Soon enough, the atmosphere was gone and Hay Lin could go no further.
She quickly collapsed the bubble into separate 'helmets' of air for each Guardian, which were all connected to each other, both so they could stay together and to allow Hay Lin to draw off the carbon dioxide they exhaled. Hay Lin also kept a reserve of oxygen on hand to replenish their supply when needed.
Although the Guardians' mission still greatly depended on Hay Lin, it was Will's show now. She had to get them from point B to point C.
Now, when it mattered most, Will had to pull it together long enough to get them across the final hurdle they faced, the last few miles of empty space between them and the ship they believed held their salvation.
The early going was okay. Will shot some lightning off behind her, and the group moved steadily upward.
But they had to stop frequently, both to adjust their course, to make sure they would go where Taranee calculated the ship would be, and to correct for the 'drift' of their teammates. Air tethers are remarkably fluid, after all.
Taranee 'opened up' her telepathic link so they could all communicate with each other in space.
"Not too far off now", thought-announced Cornelia. "About time, too! My skin is starting to swell! It's so icky!"
"You think you got it bad?" thought-interjected Irma. "My tongue feels like it's gonna boil away! Hey, but no pressure, Will!"
"Guys…" thought-reprimanded Taranee in a light tone, in an attempt to 'keep the channel clear' for essential communications only.
Any other time the Guardians would have welcomed Irma's jokes.
Now, though, was not that time. Things were way too serious.
And as they neared their destination, the combined effect of non-stop travel, freezing, burning, being electrocuted and, the latest, the first few feelings of the 'space bends', finally took their toll on the Guardian of the Heart of Candracar.
Will found herself unable to fire any electricity or go any further.
"I..." Will muttered.
"Will?" Taranee thought-asked, concern dripping in her telepathic voice. "Are you okay?"
"Will, we can't stop now! " thought-pleaded Cornelia. "We're almost there! "
"Is she okay, Taranee?" thought-asked Hay Lin.
"Her vitals are okay, Hay Lin." responded Taranee. "I think she's beat! That electrical storm probably took a lot more out of her than she'd care to admit!"
"So she just needs to rest a bit?" asked Hay Lin.
"There's no time to rest! " insisted Cornelia. "We need to move now! Can you rouse her?"
"Will??" barked Taranee. "Can you hear me? We need you!"
"T,Taranee?" responded Will. "I, I can't. There's nothing left. Need...to rest."
"Will, there's no time! Will?" Taranee implored her leader.
"Maybe she can do that 'stop' thingie like she did back in Heatherfield and make the ship stop?" thought-wondered the clueless Irma.
"Yeah, great idea, Irma! " thought-blasted the stern Cornelia. "While she's at it, maybe she can stop the whole planet, too, and destroy the Sunflyers environment?"
"I didn't mean..." thought-replied Irma.
"Guys! Stop it! " thought-demanded Taranee. "She can probably hear you! "
Through the haze of pain she was in, Will Vandom did hear her friends argue over her.
"Great," she thought, "they do think I'm dangerous!"
Well, whether she was or not, she did fail them.
When they needed her most, she let them down. For, try as she might, she couldn't generate nary a spark.
"Is this it?", Will thought to herself, "Is this how it ends?"
As everything faded to black, Taranee, Hay Lin, Irma, even Cornelia, all 'voiced' words of encouragement.
They all expressed faith in her.
"Come on, Will!" " You can do it! " type of thoughts.
But she couldn't do it.
And then, as if in answer to a prayer, there was a spark.
Just one.
One little spark where, by all rights, there shouldn't have been any!
Will seized on that solitary spark, and used it to spark more sparks!
Soon enough, the previously near-dead Will was shooting lightning behind her, driving them across the reaches of space, close enough to where Cornelia could land a telekinetic 'anchor' on the space vessel and pull them to safety!
Cornelia's power created a hatch in the hull of the rotating space station. Then, after everyone was inside, she patched the hull and all the Guardians could finally breathe a sigh of relief! (And not just because there was a breathable atmosphere on the space ship!)
They had made it!
"I knew you could do it, Will!" congratulated the ever-sincere Cornelia.
"Alright! Way to go, Will!" cheered Hay Lin, hugging her friend (and almost finishing the job the void had done on her!)
"Give her some air, Hay!" mildly scolded the happy Taranee. "Will, how'd you do it? I thought you were out of it?"
"I was!" agreed Will. "But I guess I had one spark left, and I built on it, until..."
"Wow!" said the impressed Hay Lin. "All that out of one spark?"
"Why not?" offered Will. "Taranee said all it took was one spark to create life on Earth, so..."
"Wow!" It was Taranee's turn to be impressed. "You actually listen to my scientific ramblings?"
"Always, T!" said Will. "Hey, it's better than science class with Mr. Wilson!"
"Uh, I hate to break up such a special moment, but..." interrupted Irma, pointing to the electrically-charged guard dogs that were now staring intently at the girls from across the long pathway of the space station.
"They look like they're made out of electricity!" exclaimed Taranee. "Will, can you...?"
"I had enough to get us here, but that's it!" cried Will. "I'm tapped out!"
Just then, the charged-up hounds bounded across the station and raced towards the Guardians!
"I've got it!" announced Irma, as she summoned the element of water. "I'll short-circuit those electric pooches!"
But no water flowed.
"Uh, I don't got it?" said the befuddled Water Guardian, staring at her only damp (instead of soaking wet) hands.
"We're on a space station! There's no atmosphere or earth to hold water!" shouted Taranee.
"Allow me." stated the cool Cornelia, who, using her telekinesis, pulled the ceiling down in such massive volume that a new wall was constructed betwixt the Guardians and the energized canines.
Which the electro-doggies then passed through. Effortlessly.
"Huh? What?" stammered Cornelia.
"They're electric!" bellowed Taranee. "We need non-conductive materials to block them! Not metal!"
"But this whole ship is metal!" whined Cornelia.
"I'll stop 'em!" said Hay Lin, pursing her lips. "I'll blow those mutts away!"
Hay Lin gathered a raging whirlwind from the artificial atmosphere of the space station and sent it directly at the powered-up pups, who stopped their pursuit and began to get fuzzy. Parts of their electro-forms blinked out and then back in, as the windstorm interfered with their substance.
It looked like the Guardians would prevail against this latest foe!
However...
The five elemental girls are not immune to the ill effects of such a maelstrom in the precarious, artificial environment that is a space station.
Their ears pop.
More than that, though, metal stresses and buckles.
And the very station itself threatened to come apart at the seams, jeopardizing their lives anew!
"Hay Lin!" insisted Taranee. "Stop! You're de-pressurizing the station!"
"Oops! Sorry!" said Hay Lin.
"Maybe you could try burning them?" suggested Irma.
"Fire's not a good idea on a space station, I!" replied the Guardian of Fire. "Too much danger of a fire getting out of control in a high oxygen environment! Besides, I don't think fire would have any effect on them!"
"So, what do we do?" asked the flabbergasted Earth Guardian, Cornelia, as the rejuvenated, juiced-up guard dogs bore down on the elemental Guardians, who were clearly out of their elements today.
"Run!"
After being weightless for the last part of their journey, the artificial gravity of the space station made them feel terribly heavy. But the motivated Guardians put one foot in front of the other as fast as they could and found out how much they missed being on solid ground, especially Cornelia, as they hurried through much of the voluminous station, the voltaic hell-hounds hard on their heels.
"Does this place...never end?" asked the perturbed, breathless Cornelia. "And me without...my running shoes!"
"Will, gasp , can't you ask the electrical appliances on the station for help?" asked Taranee.
"Already tried, Taranee! pant " responded Will. "They speak some language I don't understand! And they sound angry!"
"Never a good sign!" added Irma. "Uh, guys, huff huff do you think it's a bit weird the dynamo doggies haven't caught us yet?" inquired Irma. "Almost as if..."
"...They're herding us?" finished Taranee.
"Yeah, that...", replied Irma, "...or they're leading us into a trap!"
"We can't think about that!" said their leader, Will, breathing deeply. "There must be someplace where'd we be safe from them! Taranee, didn't you say these things on the walls look like power conduits?"
"Yeah, and they're converging...up ahead!" replied Taranee. "Maybe it's a command center!"
"Then let's make a run for it!" Will shouted.
Turning the corner, they spied a grand, circular hall filled with all manner of equipment, work stations with video consoles, an enormous 'picture window' designed for watching the galaxy outside and, clearly, seating for a spaceship's crew.
But that isn't what stopped the Guardians in their tracks.
"D, Danny?" squeaked Will.
"Hello, Will." said their old friend Danny Nova, the Solar Salamander from the planet Nimbus, in an oddly cool, calm voice.
Danny had to be the last person the Guardians expected to see in a space station at the edge of the universe.
Especially since his very appearance had changed so. No longer young. Far more mature. Not just in his facial features, either, but in his very gait, the way he moved himself.
His hair, while still auburn, was longer, and had a shock of a much lighter shade of brown running at an angle across the side of his head (The result of an accident? It certainly didn't look like something you'd do on purpose.)
And his clothes! A flowing robe made out of fine, silken thread, with esoteric designs printed on it. Like something royalty would wear. It reminded the Guardians of how the Council of Candracar dressed, although Danny's outfit was both more colorful and...serious? In the back of their minds, although they didn't want to admit it, his appearance also recalled the sinister figure of...Prince Phobos.
He looked not at all like the carefree, dancing Danny Nova they met a short time ago.
"W, what? How??" asked the perplexed Will. "You, you look so different! Older."
"That is to be expected." replied Danny. "It has been a few years."
"What?" said the astonished Keeper of the Heart. "B, but it's only been a few months!"
"I've got it!" piped up Taranee. "Remember how, after we left Danny's world, the Oracle sent us back to Earth only moments after we left it so we wouldn't get into trouble with our parents for being gone for days? He said 'time was fluid'! That must have changed the relative time experienced on both our worlds!"
"Do you always have to figure everything out?" asked Irma in mocking tones.
"Yes, I do!" answered the Fire Guardian matter-of-factly. "But I still don't understand what..."
"Come here, Will." said the smiling Salamander, taking Will by the arm. "There's so much to tell you. So much to talk about."
Will followed Danny, separating herself from the other Guardians.
"Will? Wait, we don't know..." said Taranee, who abruptly stopped as she and the other girls were confronted by the electric dogs.
"Grrr-zkt!" they bark-sparked.
"Whoa, lil' doggies!" said the shaky Irma, as she, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin retreated from the about-to-pounce pooches. "Does anyone have an electric steak?"
Backed into a corner, the four elemental Guardians soon had another surprise.
An emergency airlock door dropped down, separating them from the command deck - and Will.
"Huh?" said Will, who turned to see what was going on.
And that's when the other shoe or, in this case, trap, dropped.
An anti-electric retaining field that totally surrounded Will.
"Danny!" yelled the shocked and surprised Will. "What's going on???"
Meanwhile, the elemental Guardians reacted to their predicament.
"I'll get us out of here!" announced the imperious Cornelia, who raised her hands in a gesture to summon her telekinetic ability.
And was immediately stopped by Taranee, who forcibly shoved Cornelia's hands down.
"Hold it, Cornelia!" cried Taranee, pointing at the airlock's small window. "Those electric Lassies are right outside the door! If you open it, they'll be right on top of us, with nowhere to run!"
On the bridge, Danny speaks to Will.
"I said I wanted to talk." answered the grown-up Salamander. "It's what I wanted to talk about that causes me to do this. By the way, Will, I know you can communicate with your friends. You may wish to tell them they're in an emergency jettison, and any use of their powers will cause it to be propelled into space."
"You got that, T? " thought-asked Will.
"Yeah, we all got it! " thought-answered Taranee. "But we still don't get it, if you catch my drift! "
"I know! " thought-replied the befuddled Guardian of the Heart. "Why would Danny act like this? It doesn't make any sense! All of you, hang on until I figure this out! "
"Okay, Will! " thought-responded the Guardian of Fire.
"What's there to figure out? " thought-retorted the Water Guardian. "Momma always said never trust a shape-shifter! "
"Danny..." began Will.
"And you yourself, Will, are in an anti-electrical containment field. Merely a precaution, I assure you. For the matters we are here to discuss are most grave, and I must insist upon your audience."
"An anti-electrical containment field?" Taranee wondered. "Maybe it's like a Faraday cage!"
"A what?" said the dumbstruck Irma.
"A Faraday cage is any enclosure made out of conducting materials that prevents the transmission of electromagnetic energy. " explained Taranee.
"Geez, sorry I asked!" replied the annoyed Irma. "Hey, maybe I can get this trip counted as extra credit for Science class!" added Irma, lightening up.
"Danny, I, I don't understand." said the confused Guardian of Energy. "What matters?"
"Perhaps she can explain it better." said Danny, gesturing to someone in the shadows on a catwalk up above them.
Who then stepped into the light.
"The Empress! Danny, you...you and her??" gasped the Guardian of the Heart.
"The Empress!! " thought the shocked Hay Lin, stuck in the airlock with the three other elemental Guardians.
"Told ya so! " thought-smirked Irma. "What else are they saying?"
"Guys, stop talking all at once!" pleaded Taranee, shutting off the telepathic link. "You're hurting my head!"
"But then how are we supposed to hear what's going on?" inquired Irma.
"I think this will solve our problem." said Cornelia, fumbling at a switch on the airlock door.
...understands how dangerous you Guardians are, traveling from world to world and deposing their leaders!.
"An intercom!" yelled Taranee.
"Yes!" replied Cornelia. "Now shush!"
"What are you talking about?" asked the perturbed Guardian of the Heart. "You totally oppressed the people of Slow Willow Town! You weren't their leader!"
"You tell 'er, Will!" chimed in Hay Lin, listening in on the argument while in the airlock.
"Shhh!" said Taranee.
"I was the leader of the most populous form of life!" replied the officious Empress. "Therefore, I was the choice of the majority!"
"Yeah, if mind control is a choice!" sneered Will.
"Yeah!" added Hay Lin, pumping her fist in victory (and accidentally hitting the intercom switch).
Score one for us!
Busted! added Irma, unaware she was being broadcast to the command deck.
Will and Danny looked towards the airlock.
"Uh, Hay Lin, I think you hit the..." said Taranee, trying to find the lever that will stop their comments from being blasted to everyone outside the airlock (and enable them to again hear what's going on). "There!"
And the Empress? She was enraged!
"How..dare..you, you sniveling brat!" roared the Empress, drawing up to her full height as she hovered above Danny and Will. "It's not enough that you and your band of troublemakers interfere with my rule, imprison me like some common thief, and sever my connection to my subjects! No, you couldn't stop there! You had to do more!"
"What are you going on about?" demanded Will. "We only stopped you from hurting other people!"
"I'm speaking of...this!" revealed the Empress, moving into the light. Her multi-faceted insect eyes reflected the light cleanly, and some of her component insects moved and flew aimlessly, clumsily knocking into each other. "Your little stunt on the world below blinded me!"
Most of the Guardians were shocked to learn this.
Hay Lin, though, had a different take.
"After what you did to Mama Liu? You deserved it!"
"I, I didn't mean for that to happen." said Will, momentarily taken aback at what she inadvertently did to the Empress. "But if you and the Worm hadn't harmed the Sunflyers..."
"Enough!" commanded Danny. "This is not about your blindness, Empress, which you know to be temporary! Nor is it about your petty squabbles with the Guardians! We have far more important matters to discuss!
"W, what do you mean, Danny?" asked the confused and concerned Will.
"Yeah, what?" added Irma. "I'm dying to know!"
"What Lord Halidan means, Guardian..." replied the smirking Empress. "... is how you are a danger to all that lives!"
As one, the four trapped Guardians react with a "What?"
Will herself is speechless.
"I speak of the prophecy, my Lord." stated the imperious, bug-eyed ruler. "Surely you know of it?"
"Okay." added Irma. "Not what I was expecting!"
"Yes, of course I do!" replied Danny. "The prophecy has been around for eons! Mothers and fathers entice their children into good behavior with its recitation. But what makes you believe young Will Vandom to be the embodiment of it?"
"Whoa, wait up!" interjected Will. "What prophecy?"
"You are not familiar with it?" asked Danny.
"I wouldn't be asking if I did!" Will testily answered.
"Very well." continued Danny. "It is said that one day there will come one representing the heart of all who will bring about the end of all."
"And you think I'm..??" Will started, then stopped in disbelief. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! I'm not some cosmic supervillain!"
"There is precedent for believing the holder of the Heart of Candracar is related to the prophecy." added Danny Nova. "When Nerissa first turned to evil many years ago, it was thought she would be the one to end everything, and so a great force from numerous worlds rose up against her!"
"Why have I never heard of this?" asked Will.
"Because, before this army could engage Nerissa, she was deprived of the Heart and imprisoned on Mount Thanos." replied Danny.
"And is it not true, Guardian," sneered the Empress, "that every holder of the Heart of Candracar leaves a part of themself in it?"
"I..." sputtered the combative Will, remembering that Cassidy, former bearer of the Heart, had told her something to that effect. "I don't know about that! A former Guardian did say every holder of the Heart of Candracar keeps a spark of it inside themselves, but she didn't say anything about the reverse!."
"Yes, it is true, Guardian! And just as Nerissa's evil infected the Heart, it has tainted you!" yelled the Empress, hammering the point home.
"No!!" Will protested. "It's not true! I'm not evil! If anyone here is evil..."
"And yet, when one studies your actions, what other conclusion can we draw?"
"Danny," begged Will, "how can you go along with this? What happened to you?"
"This isn't about us, Will." responded Danny. "But if you must know...you happened to me."
"What???" said Will, flabbergasted.
"Oh, this is good!" commented Irma. "Better than the soaps!"
"Irma, this is serious!" retorted Cornelia. "They're accusing Will of being a worse threat than Nerissa! Now be quiet so I can hear the dirt! Er, I mean, the details."
"What he means, 'Will'," spat the Empress, "is how you destroyed his world!"
"That's insane!" denied Will. "We helped Danny and his world! Because he stole the Heart, instead of it being given to him, it was destroying him and causing chaos! All of his fellow Salamanders fought him for it! We stopped that!"
"No, Guardian!" shot back the Empress. "With the Heart, Lord Halidan had matters well in hand. Without it, and with the discovery of offworld magical power sources, Nimbus saw a magical 'arms race' of epic proportions and became a battleground!"
"Is, is that true, Danny?" said the very concerned Will in a subdued voice.
"These last few years have been very rough, Will." answered Danny Nova. "But you mustn't blame yourself. It was I who gave the others the idea to travel to far-off worlds and steal magical talismans."
"Oh!" cried a surprised Will. "But surely you've had allies, other Salamanders who would help you! Solana, for example."
"She...she was hurt in battle a few months ago." said the somber Salamander.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry, Danny!" sympathized the holder of the Heart. "If I had known..."
"What, Guardian?" taunted the Empress. "Would you have guarded your little jewel, the most powerful force in creation, a little better? It was madness itself for the Council to entrust such an important duty to a spiteful child!"
"Will only tried to help people, you hag!" yelped an angry Hay Lin, although the debate participants on the command deck couldn't hear her. "Unlike you!"
"I, I've handled the burden of being the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar well!" protested Will. "Even the Oracle said so!"
"Do you want me to list your crimes?" said the Empress with a mischeivous, buggy grin. "Very well."
"Would you like to tell Lord Halidan what you did to the Queen of Infinity?" offered the Empress. "Or shall I?"
"We, we stopped her from taking over Candracar and threatening all of the infinite dimensons!" answered a defiant Will.
"But what did you do to her?" demanded the Empress.
"We, uh..." Will stammered.
"You changed her into jeweled glass!" roared the Empress. "You imprisoned her soul in lifeless crystal!"
"Ah...", commented Danny, "you crystalized her?"
"No!" shot back Will, not too convincingly. "I mean, yes, but it's not permanent! It's only until the Oracle can find another way to contain her or if he figures she's learned her lesson!"
"How long are we going to let this joke of a trial go on?" asked a ticked off Irma.
"Shhh!" cautioned Taranee. "Something's going on! Look! The electric pups are nosing around the command consoles!"
"So we can make a break for it?" inquired Cornelia.
"No!" said Taranee as she shot down the idea of escape. "Let's see how things develop."
"Will? " thought-asked Taranee. "How are you holding up? Recovered, yet? "
"Almost, T! Definitely feeling better. " thought-replied Will. "Well, except for this thing with Danny! I wish I knew what he's doing with the Empress! "
"Play along a while longer until we can make our move. " thought-responded Taranee.
"'Kay. " thought Will.
"We need to buy Will time!" Taranee announced. "Any ideas?"
"And then there was your worst crime, and proof of your evil..." started the Empress.
Excuse me, Empress? interjected Hay Lin on the intercom. We're all real curious how you escaped Candracar! That should have been impossible! How'd you do that? And beat us?
"Well..." offered the Empress. "Seeing as how you cannot stop me, I suppose I can tell you."
"The Oracle and his minions were fools!" gloated the Empress. "Their cage was built to hold me - and only me. Not my innocent babies!"
You mean... responded Hay Lin.
"Yes!" answered the Empress. "After my children were born, they simply walked out of my prison cell and did my bidding. They looked for chinks in Candracar's armor, sought out allies..."
Like the Queen? And this space station? inquired Taranee.
"Exactly!" replied the regal Empress. "and like our Lord Halidan here."
You made your children do your dirty work?? said Hay Lin in disgust. You evil, evil thing! You...
"Hay Hay, calm down" said a concerned Irma, who wasn't used to seeing her bright-eyed friend so angry.
"It won't do you any good to get all upset like that!" added Cornelia. "We still need a way out of here!"
"I know, I know!" replied a contrite Hay Lin. "But she makes me so mad!!"
"I would control your anger if I were you, Air Guardian!" cautioned the devious Empress. "I have total control of this ship! One false move against me and you will be done for!"
"Joy. More good news." said the sarcastic Irma Lair.
"We may be trapped in here." pointed out Taranee. "But we've still got Will out there!"
"You want to know what you did, Guardian?" said the Empress, in chilling tones. "You unleashed the forces of anti-life itself, broke the covenant of life that has existed since time began, and nearly destroyed your world!"
"No!" rejected Will. "I couldn't have! I wouldn't! You believe me, don't you, Danny?"
"Will, I..." started Danny.
"You do not have to take my word alone for it, Lord Halidan!" announced the Empress. "Ask the other children if their connection to the life of the world was severed, as was mine!"
"Is this true?" said Danny, looking towards the other Guardians in the airlock.
The girls, caught by surprise, exchanged nervous glances with each other but didn't respond.
"Their silence speaks volumes, Lord!" cackled the Empress.
"Danny!" explained Will, in a fit of rationalization. "I'm not sure what happened! Taranee described it as turning things off, like a switch! But it was an accident! And everybody, the whole world, recovered! Well, except for the Empress, but..."
"So you admit it?" asked the once again very cool and lifeless Danny. "What she's accusing you of is true?"
"I..." replied the conflicted Guardian of the Heart of Candracar. "Yes, it is true, what I did to the world. But I didn't mean to!"
"No, they never do." commented Danny.
"Danny, I, I'm not evil!" responded Will. "You must know that!"
"Nevertheless..." said the disappointed Salamander. "You have proven unworthy. Surrender the Heart to me, Will. You don't deserve it anymore."
"W,what??" replied the shocked Guardian. "That's, that's what this is all about?"
"Your own words condemn you." said the stern Lord Halidan. "Let me have the Heart of Candracar. If you do, it will be in good hands once again."
"Oh, I'll let you have it, alright, Danny!" said the rock-em sock-em Guardian of the Heart, spoiling for a fight, her eyes crackling with lightning.
"You wish to fight me?" laughed the Solar Salamander. "Even if you could escape that anti-electrical cage, which I doubt, I am far stronger than you! Remember, Will, you couldn't beat me back then, and I am more powerful now!"
"I've learned a few new tricks since then, Danny!" boasted Will.
"As have I, Guardian." said the experienced Danny Nova, electricity arcing over his head in a show of strength.
"I can..." began Will, who watched helplessly as her powers fizzled out upon coming into contact with the anti-electric field that surrounded her.
"Yes, Will?" said an amused Danny.
"You're not getting the Heart, Danny!" said a barely confident Will.
"Then you're not getting out of that cage, are you?" replied Danny Nova.
"Danny, how can you do this to me?" said the Guardian of the Heart in disbelief. "Do you really hate me that much?"
"I don't hate you, Will. Far from it. I'm helping you. As for what I'm doing, well, how can I not?" said the cool Salamander. "The stakes are too high."
"You got that right!" said a defiant Will. "I can't let anybody else have the Heart! It's my responsibility! I..."
"So what will you do?" jeered Danny.
"I can...I can turn the cage off, turn you off, turn this whole space station off, that's what! That'll fix this!" said Will, her hands balled up into fists, with electricity leaping between them.
"Really? And put your own friends in jeopardy?" inquired Lord Halidan.
"They..." choked Will, thinking of her friends before regaining her composure. "...They'll recover! They're strong! We'll get out of this! We always do!"
"You would do that?" asked the Solar Salamander.
"Like you said, Danny. The stakes are just too high." said the committed Will Vandom, Guardian of the Heart of Candracar and Protector of the Infinite Dimensions as she prepared to lower the boom (and everything else). "Get ready for lights out!"
"Then I am very disappointed in you, Will." sighed Danny. "But then, even though your hair was its color, you never did understand lightning."
"What? What did you say?" said the Guardian of the Heart, her fighting stance softening.
But Danny didn't respond.
Conflicted, Will turned towards her friends for support.
They were banging on the airlock, yelling 'Go get 'em, Will!' Especially Irma.
They were there for her. As always.
But their thoughts were closed to her.
Not that she needed to read their minds to know what they were thinking. She could see it in their eyes.
And so, she did the only thing she could.
"Here, Danny." offered Will. "Take it."
As Danny reached for the Heart of Candracar, the Empress' many eyes lit up in (blind) victory. "Yes! Yes! Now my revenge will be complete!"
The other Guardians trapped in the airlock had a vastly different take on the situation.
"No!"
"Will, what are you doing?"
"What the?? Are you nuts?"
"No! It can't be!"
As the transfer occurs and Danny grasps the Heart for the second time in his life, he mutters a few short words under his breath.
"And so, through one simple act, a true heart is revealed."
For one moment, Danny holds the Heart of Candracar, joyful to be in possession of its power once again.
The Empress gloats.
The Guardians react with mute shock and horror.
And Will Vandom hangs her head in defeat.
Then, in the next moment, everything changes.
Danny drops the anti-electrical field surrounding Will.
The airlock opens, freeing the Guardians, who then stumble out.
All of which renders the Empress momentarily speechless.
"Will!" shouts the happy Salamander, putting the monster of all hugs on the stunned Guardian. "You did it! You had me worried for a second there, but you did it!"
"Uh, Danny?" said the uber-surprised Will. "Nice to see you, too! But I do have a boyfriend now!"
"What? Oh, sorry." said the never-shy Salamander of his display of affection.
Then the Empress regains her voice.
"My, my Lord, what?" croaked the Empress.
"Oh. Right." responded Danny. "Hold on, Will, this'll just take a second!"
And with that, the pink-hued energy from the Heart of Candracar travels up the Lord of Lightning's body until it encompasses it entirely, then radiates out all over the ship.
A thousand points of light, all with one goal - to disable the Empress' boobytraps and return control of the ship to its rightful masters.
"No!" cried the Empress. "You fool! What have you done?"
"That's enough out of you!" said Danny.
And with a snap of his fingers, the electro-canines nipped at the Empress' insectinous mass.
She recoiled in horror.
"No! Stop!" screamed the Empress.
"Here, Will!" said Danny, offering the Heart to the stunned Guardian. "You better take this back before I get too attached to it!"
"Hay Lin?" implored Danny. "You mind taking care of our little bug problem?"
Hay Lin was taken aback for a second, then took to her duty with relish.
"You got it!" said Hay Lin.
The resulting whirlwind was so massive the girls' ears threatened to do more than pop.
But they didn't care.
The Empress, shorn of her thousands of insect allies, was down for good.
As Hay Lin scooped up the tiny leader bug from all the rest, Danny had some words of advice for her.
"And this time, make sure her prison cell can handle any 'surprises' she might be carrying!" said the worldly wise Danny Nova.
"Will do, sir!" said a smiling Hay Lin, hand at her forehead in mock salute.
Hay Lin then plopped the small and dangerous no more insect into a bottle.
"Wait, so...you were on our side all along?" asked the totally confused Water Guardian.
"As you humans say," replied the smiling Salamander. " 'Doh!', Irma!"
"It's 'duh', and…what just happened here?" said the frazzled Cornelia.
"Will figured it out! She's so smart! You're so lucky you have her for a leader!" said Danny.
"We know!" screamed Taranee, Hay Lin, Cornelia & Irma in unison.
"I didn't get it at first." started Will. "It was only when he said I didn't understand lightning that I began to put it together! It was the same thing the Queen said to me back on Candracar."
"So you were watching us then?" inquired Hay Lin. "But why?"
"When the Empress' emissary first visited me, I told it I was too busy to get involved in schemes of revenge, which was true." replied Danny Nova. "But I was concerned for you, so I began keeping a watchful eye. Scrying revealed to me your battle with the Queen, and the words she used. I made ready to go to your aid, but then the battle was over."
"But that wasn't the end of it, was it?" asked Taranee.
"No. The Empress herself journeyed to see me later, with a tale of how Will had turned evil. I didn't believe her, but thought it better to accompany her and stop whatever dastardly scheme she had concocted." explained Danny.
"Good plan, genius!" mocked an angry Cornelia. "We could have died down on that planet!"
"I aided you as much as was possible, Cornelia!" protested Danny. "I was being watched very closely. The Empress had spies everywhere!"
"Stop it!" yelled Will. "Danny did help us! That last burst of energy in space, that last spark? I had nothing left! It was you, wasn't it, Danny?"
"Yes, Will." replied the happy Solar Salamander.
"And the whole thing with the dog chase through the space station was so you could get the lay of the land, so to speak!" added Taranee.
"And determine where all the control points were on the station!" finished Danny. "Very perceptive, Taranee!"
"Thanks!" said Taranee.
"But how could those electro-mutts do that?" asked Irma, looking at the electric dogs as they stretched out on the floor. "They're just a couple of simple doggies! Electric, sure, but..."
"You want to show her?" suggested Taranee.
"Why not?" replied Danny. "Here, boys!" called Danny.
The voltaic wonders bounded towards their master and then...jumped inside him!
"You see?" pointed out Danny. "They're merely extensions of me. Perhaps one day you'll be able to do that, too, Will?"
"Maybe." offered Will, nonchalantly.
"Wow!" gushed Irma. "I've got to get me one of those! Just think how useful they'd be if you had a date with grabby hands!"
"Luckily, I don't have problems like that!" said the snooty Cornelia.
"No, but you're about to have other problems, princess!" said Irma, under her breath, as she called forth a gusher with which to smack Corny in the face. Then the Water Guardian realized her powers were good for naught on the space station. "Darn it!"
"Guys, cut it out!" said peacemaker Will. "It's been a long journey, and we need to get back. I should be able to fold now"
"But, Will, we're on a space station!" offered Taranee.
"Yeah. So?" replied the uncaring Will.
"A. Space. Station." added Taranee, with emphasis, not believing her friend doesn't get it. "Think of all we could learn! The wonders. The..."
"You think they got any pizza?" interjected Irma.
Cornelia laughed. "Is that all you think about? Food?"
"And boys?" added a giggling Hay Lin.
"Is there anything else?" said Irma. "Besides, I'm starving! And an advanced civilization has got to have pizza, right?"
"Um, there's a galley on C Deck, Irma." pointed out Danny Nova.
"See, that's a gentleman right there!" exclaimed Irma. "He knows how to treat a lady! Now let's commence to eating some grub!"
"Why does everything normal sound so distasteful when you say it?" asked the mock-perturbed Cornelia.
"It's a gift!" joked Irma.
While Taranee examines the station's control deck, Will turns to go with her friends to the galley, but is stopped by Danny.
"Uh, excuse me, Will?" said the Salamander. "Can we talk?"
"Ew, a talk!" jumps in Irma. "Sounds serious! Hey, when you let him down gently, can you put in a good word for me?"
"Irma!" said Cornelia in slightly disgusted tones.
"What? I'm just keeping my options open!" replied the mischievous Guardian of water. "And don't tell me you haven't thought about it! I mean, he is a good dancer!"
"Guys, you go on ahead, okay?" asked Will.
"Sure! Come on, Irma, Hay Lin! Let's leave 'em alone!" ordered Cornelia.
"You're impossible, you know that?" commented Cornelia to Irma.
"I try!" responded the irrepressible Water Guardian.
"I thought your mom said never trust a shapeshifter?" joked Hay Lin.
"Ah, what does Mom know?" offered Irma. "She hasn't seen the things I've seen!"
"Danny would make how many boyfriends for you?" asked Corny.
"Are we counting Vance Michael Justin?" jested Irma.
"I'm glad they're gone, Will. I..." began Danny.
"Was all that about the troubles on your world true, Danny?" asked the concerned Guardian of the Heart.
"Yes. And that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. You see..."
"Will? Can you help me out here?" interrupted Taranee. "I'm having a little problem with the translation module. Maybe you can, you know, talk to it?"
"Okay, Taranee! I'll try!" responded Will. "We can talk later, alright, Danny?"
"Of course, Will!" answered Danny Nova. "Sure. No problem."
"The historical database is the only thing I halfway understand," said Taranee, pointing to a piece of equipment on the wall, "but I can't get the translator to work. If you could try?"
"Let's see..." said Will, as she attempted to converse with the ship's electrical appliances.
"Sorry, Taranee!" announced Will, after an abortive attempt at electric communication. "I still can't understand them, but at least they don't sound angry anymore! Maybe if I use the Heart..." said Will, as she pointed her magical pendant at the alien space station equipment. It glowed brighter and brighter, and the equipment responded. A big, no, huge, response!
"Can you hear that?" asked Will in stunned disbelief.
"Hear what?" inquired the clueless Taranee.
"It's like the station is singing!" gloried Will. "I, I think this space station is alive! Well, sort of! As alive as a space station could be, anyway!"
"That would explain why it sounded angry before, when the Empress had taken it over." replied Taranee.
"Try the translator now!" suggested Will.
"Okay!" responded Taranee. "Hey! You're right! It's working! It's, it's their history! This is amazing! Thanks, Will!"
"Don't thank me!" added Will. "Thank the station!"
"Will..." whispered Danny.
"What? Oh. Sure, Danny! Be right there!" replied Will.
"Huh? This makes no sense!" exclaimed the Guardian of Fire.
"What? What is it?" jumped in the anxious Will.
"It says after the ring, they built something beyond their sun, something which doesn't exist in reality?" revealed Taranee.
"Maybe the translator is on the fritz?" suggested the Quintessent Guardian.
"Maybe." agreed Taranee.
"Ah, Will?" implored Danny Nova.
"Oh, right! What's up, Danny?" inquired Will.
"I need your help, Will!" began the Solar Salamander, after dragging Will into the hallway. "I didn't tell you the whole story!"
"Uh, Will?" Called Taranee to her friend. "I, I think the computer is singing to me!"
"Then sing back to it!" replied the tart-tongued Will.
"Sing? Sing what?" answered the lost Taranee.
"I don't know!" yelled the exasperated Guardian of the Heart to her friend in the control room. "Try Motown! That's universal!"
"Okay, sorry, Danny! You were saying you needed my help?" apologized the Keeper of the Heart.
"Yes, Will!" disclosed Danny the Salamander. "But...I'm not sure you'll want to after I tell you what I did!"
"It can't be that bad, Danny!" sympathized Will. "You can tell me!"
"Thanks, Will!" added Danny. "That means a lot!"
"This is thriller! Thriller the night!"
"Um, Taranee?" Will called to the Guardian of Fire. "I don't think Michael Jackson is Motown!"
"Are you sure?" yelled Taranee.
"Yes!" replied Will. "Early Jackson 5, sure, but not solo!"
"Oh. Okay. Thanks, Will!" said the apologetic Fire Guardian.
"Sure! No problem, Taranee!" replied Will, as she gave Danny a look that said 'What are you gonna do?' "Now, um...Danny."
"Yes, Will, I...I have a confession to make." began Danny Nova.
"Go on..." added Will.
"When the Empress approached me and said you were evil...I wanted it to be true!" Danny continued. "Because then I could take your Heart for myself!"
Scant moments before and around the corner, Irma and the others returned from the galley.
"I can't believe you thought they'd have a machine that could make any food you thought of, Irma!" said an amused Cornelia.
"What? It could happen!" replied Irma.
"Yeah. In those silly science fiction shows!" added Corny.
"I'm just glad we were able to find this other stuff!" said Hay Lin, as she scooped some viscous substance into her mouth. "What do you think it's made out of?"
"You probably don't wanna know!" said the sarcastic Irma. "I bet it's...huh?"
"Because then I could take your Heart for myself! "
"Excuse me?" demanded the protective Water Guardian.
"Guys, it's not what you think!" cried Will. "He was trying to explain..."
"Yeah, we heard!" continued the Earth Guardian. "About how he wants your Heart all to himself!"
"I think it's time we were going!" added Irma. "Leopards don't change their spots!"
"But he's a shapeshifter, so he can!" pointed out Hay Lin.
"What?" said the perplexed Irma.
"Change his spots!" answered Hay Lin.
"Whatever! Just get Taranee, Hay Lin!" said the annoyed Guardian of Water. "Huh? Is that Taranee singing A-B-C?"
"Um, Taranee?" said Hay Lin, sticking her head into the command center (or is that music conservatory?). "The others want to go. Now."
"In a sec, Hay!" replied Taranee. "I'm almost at the end of this history! Huh."
"What?" asked the ever curious Hay Lin.
"This says after their work was done, the beings who lived here...ascended." responded the Fire Guardian.
"You mean like the Sunflyers?" inquired the Air Guardian.
"Maybe. I don't know." replied the puzzled Guardian of fire. "There's a lot of words here that don't translate! If I had more time..."
"Whatever! Time to go! Come on!" said Hay Lin, as she pried her friend away from the computer.
"Okay! Okay! I'm going, already!" uttered a playful Taranee, pulling her arm out of Hay Lin's grasp. "I suppose it doesn't matter, anyway!"
"To get the Heart. Yes, that was the plan." admitted the remorseful Solar Salamander to the rest of the Guardians. "But, Will, when I saw you, and knew you weren't evil, I couldn't go through with it!" begged Danny.
"Will you listen to this guy?" spat out Irma. "What did I ever see in him?"
"So Mom was right?" jibed Cornelia.
"Shh-yeah! Don't remind me!" complained Irma.
"Okay, Will, we're all together now!" announced Cornelia after Hay Lin and Taranee joined them. "Let's fold out of here!"
But Will couldn't take her eyes off of the forlorn Salamander.
"I know you probably hate me, but all I can do is ask for your forgiveness...and your help. Not for me, but..." said the sad-eyed Danny Nova.
"Oh, tragic love is the most fascinating kind!" commented Hay Lin. "Don't you think so?"
"Don't encourage them, Hay Lin!" ordered the oddly almost-as-sensible-as-Cornelia Irma. "Time to book, Will! I wanna go home, already!"
"Guys, I can't leave him like this!" Will told her friends. "We have to help him!"
"But Will, even if what he says is true, how can we…?" asked the skeptical Cornelia. "Will?"
But Will was already gone. To the side of her friend the Salamander.
"Danny?" said Will. "We're stopping in Candracar before we go home. Maybe the Oracle can help you!"
"Really, Will?" said the deliriously happy Danny Nova. "Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!" he said as he wrapped his arms around Will in another monster hug.
"Uh, Danny?" gasped the Guardian of the Heart.
"Oh. Sorry. Heh. My bad." said Danny as he withdrew his arms from around her. "Thanks again."
And with one colorful fold in space, the Guardians were finally gone from the World, and Space Station, at the End of the Universe.
They left behind a singing space ship.
A world of ascending caterpillars.
And the Darkness beyond the edge of the universe.
That got noticeably darker when the Guardians left.
On Candracar, the Guardians arrived in the Great Hall of the Temple of Candracar, recently cleaned up after their battle with the Queen of Infinity.
As they file in, they're surprised to see a new addition to the Hall.
A statue of the Queen of Infinity.
Except it's not a statue.
Entering, they find the Oracle lost in meditation.
Which he promptly ends when he senses their presence.
"Hello, Guardians" greeted the Oracle. "I trust all is well?"
"Oh, yeah, great!" said the snide Water Guardian. "We were only frozen, burned, covered with bugs..."
"Irma! Shush!" scolded Cornelia.
"Hello, sir!" said the Guardian of the Heart. "We're here to make a special delivery. Hay Lin?"
"One Empress!" said the cheerful Hay Lin, handing the bottle containing the tiny Empress to the Oracle. "Try and keep her and her kids around this time! Maybe you can open an insect day care/adoption service?"
"We'll...keep that in mind. Thank you, Hay Lin! You do I and the rest of the Council a great service! You all did! And I trust you learned a valuable lesson - that sometimes the only way to succeed is to fail."
"As long as we only have to learn it once! I don't want to go through that again!" muttered Irma. "Ow! Quit kicking me, Cornpuff!"
"Yes, Oracle." added Will. "But there's one other thing..." said Will, as she motioned to Danny Nova, who held back from the others when they went in to see the Oracle.
"I see." said the Oracle. "Halidan? Of Nimbus?"
"Yes, sir." replied Danny. "You know of me?"
"Yes. Nimbus has been of concern to the Council for quite some time." revealed the Oracle. "But come. It will be better if I show you."
And so the Oracle led Danny and the Guardians to an alcove, opened a drawer, and took out a package wrapped in silks and tied with a ribbon.
Undoing the ribbon, the Oracle opened the package and displayed its contents - a jewel in which lightning shifted and moved inside of it like a thing alive!
"Behold! The Heart of Nimbus!" declared the Oracle. "It was entrusted to our care many years ago. Ever since, we have been waiting for one worthy enough to wield its energies and protect the people of Nimbus. Are you that person, Halidan Nova?"
"Yes! Oh, yes, Oracle!" gushed Danny Nova, who then calmed down and looked at Will. "I've...learned a lot these past few years. But then, I had a good teacher!"
"That news raises my spirits, indeed!" announced the Oracle. "For the Heart of Nimbus has finally found its Keeper!"
"Oh, Danny, I'm so happy for you!" said Will, who initiated the hug this time. "Now you can finally protect your people!"
"I couldn't have done it without you, Will!" cheered Danny Nova, Solar Salamander and future Protector of Nimbus.
"I just wish…" uttered Will, casting her gaze downward.
"What is it, Will? What troubles you so? These are happy times!" said the upbeat Salamander.
"I know, I know, I should be happy! Everything worked out!" started the worried Guardian of the Heart. "Then I remember I've got this bizarre new power I don't know if I can control, and…"
"Is it that ill-fated prophecy that brings you down?" offered Danny. "Don't worry, Will! I may not know much about this new power of yours, or prophecies, but I do know people. Well, some people. You, specifically, for one! Mostly. Anyway, you could never bring about the end of the universe, Will! Your heart is too good for that! And I know that, whatever challenges you may face in the future, your heart will lead you in the right direction.
"Halidan speaks true, Guardian!" intoned the Oracle.
"What he said!" bellowed Taranee.
"Thanks, everyone!" said a beaming Will Vandom, Keeper of the Heart of Candracar. "Thanks for all of your support. Without it, I don't know what I'd do!"
"Here's hoping we never have to find out!" prayed the semi-serious Irma.
"Hear hear!" agreed Cornelia.
"Ah, excuse me, Will." begged Danny. "I do have one final request."
"Yes?" Will meekly replied.
Will trembled with anticipation as to what it could be. Something even more serious than the troubles on his war-torn world? Advice about a ladyfriend back home? Beg forgiveness for that awful 'Lord Halidan' act? (Although she suspected that was so the Empress would take him seriously). What?
"Can you..." began Danny. "...Can you fix my CD player?"
"Ha ha ha ha!" Will boomed. "There's the Danny I remember! Oh man. I haven't laughed like that in a long time! What's, what's the problem with it? Have you tried talking to it?"
"Yes." Danny answered. "But it says the oddest things."
"Must be one of Irma's discs!" jeered Cornelia.
"Hey!" whined Irma. "I'll have you know I have very good taste in music!"
"We'd have to travel to your world to fix it, and we're on our way home, so, for now, why don't you let Danny borrow your ipod, Cornelia?" asked Will.
"What?" protested the prickly Cornelia. "Why me?"
"Oh, you can always get another one!" pointed out Will. "Besides, you'll get it back! Danny's grown beyond his…acquisitive phase. Right, Danny?"
"Sure!" replied Danny Nova. "Wow! Awesome! Thanks, Cornelia!" exclaimed Danny as he received the little music machine.
"Granddaughter!" joyfully shouted Yan Lin. "They told me you were here!"
"Grandma!" yelled the bouncy Hay Lin, as she put her arms around her grandmother, who sat on the Council of Candracar.
"What is...that?" sniffed Yan Lin, as she noticed the food Hay Lin had been eating. "I never taught you how to make anything like that!"
"It's...alien food." revealed the Air Guardian.
"Do you have the recipe?" inquired the former chef.
I got the power, I got the moves, sang Danny, after he loaded the JoeJoe track.
I got the music, I got the grooves
Looking at the peaceful scene, the Guardians could only smile.
"Saved Candracar. Saved Heatherfield. Saved a world. No, make that two worlds!" said Irma, eyeing Danny swaying to the tunes. "Heck, probably saved the whole universe! And deprived Corny of one more item of conspicuous consumption! I'd say that's something to celebrate!" chuckled the Guardian of water.
"Remember when I said you could make something out of nothing?" Taranee asked Will. "There's your proof dancing over there! None of us could have done that!"
"I don't know about that. But, I'll tell you, I'm happier than I've been in awhile!" replied Will.
"That's 'cause you're so into Danny!" said the smirking Irma.
"I am not!" denied Will Vandom. "I'm perfectly happy with Matt!"
"So, Irma…" inquired Cornelia. "Has your opinion of Danny changed? Is he still boyfriend material?"
"I thought about it, but, nahhh." Irma replied. "Water and electricity? Not a good mix! Water and music, though…hmmm. It's the oddest thing. I get this feeling I should have been involved with a musician. No, really! Does anyone else ever feel that way? That something was supposed to happen, but didn't? No one? Aw, come on!"
"Okay!" said the amused Guardian of the Heart. "And with that little bit of wit..."
"Extremely little!" added the smiling Earth Guardian.
"...let's go home!" finished Will, who then took out the Heart so she could create a fold in space.
"No, I'm serious!" retorted the Water Guardian. "I've got the distinct feeling we're missing something!"
"Uh huh." replied Will as she and the other Guardians then walked through the fold back to Earth. "Whatever, Irma!"
Now alone with Danny, the Oracle dragged him away from his impromptu dance party to properly bestow the Heart of Nimbus upon him.
However, before the Oracle could drape the jewel around Danny's neck...
…Tibor, another member of the Council, rushed in.
"Oracle!" gasped Tibor. "We've just received word! What we've long feared has finally come to pass! The Void returns!"
"Have the Council make ready, Tibor!" announced the Oracle. "The time of testing for the Guardians is nearly upon us!"
"What?" Danny yelped in surprise. "The Guardians are in danger?? We must warn them!"
"No, Halidan." cautioned the Oracle. "The Guardians are not to be alerted in any way. They must find their own path."
"But..." Danny stammered.
"Pledge to me you will not interfere in the Guardians' affairs, or..." said the Oracle, motioning to the Heart of Nimbus sitting alone on a marble table.
"I..." began Danny, thinking it over. Help his friends...or help his world?
Kneeling before the power of Candracar, head bowed, as if unable to face what he is doing, Danny Nova, Lord Halidan of Nimbus, Solar Salamander and wannabe protector, intoned "...I so pledge."
Guess now you see why I put all that comedy in the last act!
To soften you up before I lower the boom!
The Guardians sure are pleased with themselves!
And why not?
Too bad it's not going to last!
Next:
The Guardians return home, but it's no happy homecoming!
(And wait till you see why!)
More on the mystery of Will's wacked-out powers!
A day in the life of the astral drops!
The Void attacks!
A Guardian falls!
The return(?) of…Xin Jing?
Plus a surprise shock ending!
(And that's just the first chapter!)
It's all part of an ALL-NEW adventure!
With All-New villains!
& All-New supporting characters!
(but these new characters don't take over the story - it's still W.I.T.C.H.'s show! Hoo boy, is it ever!)
And oh so much more!
This new epic will have major repercussions for the girls,
both in their role as Guardians and in their personal lives.
The titanic tale starts right after this story, but it's not anything you'd ever expect!
It's a story I could only call… B.I.T.C.H.
(Why do I call it that? You'll see!)
I'm taking this series to places it hasn't been (but definitely should),
and totally rock the Guardians' world, all without breaking 'the rules'!
And there's plenty more to come after that first chapter!
Secrets of Nerissa's past revealed!
Who are the Guardian's mysterious saviors?
(And why are they so unsavior-like?)
The comedy stylings of…the Oracle and Tibor?
(Oh yeah, I toss in an explanation for the Guardians' powers and the whole 'veil' thing,
not to mention solving a mystery of modern physics, but that's just an aside, and not that important!)
And ALL the Guardians get their chance to dance in a solo spotlight!
The finale's a shocker, too, as I reveal what's up with the Guardians, with Candracar, with…(not gonna tell)!
Let's just say that the Guardians have a lot to learn!
It's the Guardian story to end all Guardian stories!
(Not this this ends the series. Far from it!)
If I said 'This has got it al!l', would you hold it against me?
With stories like this, who needs a third season?
Notes
What, you thought I was turning Will all 'dark and evil'? As if! Shows how much you know! Although I still might. Hee hee hee! (cryptic comment #1)
There are no stars in part of the celestial sky because the world they're on is at the end of the Universe, and gave birth to the oldest civilization in the cosmos. So what happened to them? We shall see.
Hay Lin, upon seeing the starless heavens: "But then why do I get the feeling there's something there?"
That's foreshadowing.
Cornelia couldn't 'fly' them up to the ship on a giant rock because her powers are tied to the earth, and up in space her powers would be at their weakest. I think she would retain some telekinetic ability, which is why she could drag/pull her friends in space towards the space ship, which, because it has a large mass and is orbiting the planet, has a gravitational pull that Cornelia could tap into (but she couldn't use her power to stop or change the direction of the ship, because that would pull it out of orbit and cause it to crash).
Skin swelling? Tongue boiling? Yes, according to scientists to who've studied live humans (under controlled conditions), that's what would happen to you if you were exposed to the airless, low-pressure vacuum of outer space. Of course, if this were to actually happen, you would consider it mere trifling annoyances. Your big problem would be the lack of oxygen!
We finally get a boy in the story (although he's a bit older than before, so he's not a boy anymore). If it would have made sense, I would have put boys in prominent roles in the other stories. But it didn't make sense, so I didn't. Be warned, though, because the next story is gonna get boy-crazy! (Sort of, anyway).
The Empress' punishment (blindness - which wasn't in my first draft of the story) parallels what she did to Mama Liu in the book The Cruel Empress.
The Empress lost her telepathic link with insects, spiders and scorpions when Will 'turned her off' in More W.I.T.C.H. Adventures 2, but she still has an insect 'body' because those are her family/children. Her link with them is more than telepathic.
Cassidy told Will 'within every Keeper, a spark of the Heart of Candracar continues to burn' (W.I.T.C.H. Issue 21, Page 39). If this is true, then it's quite likely the opposite is also true, that every bearer of the Heart leaves a piece of themself in the pendant.
The Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka are two of my all-time favorite movies. Homages intended.
Due to the structure of the story (the Guardians reacting to the actions/escapes/revenge of the villains from the Adventures books), the Guardians were on their heels constantly. Also, I chose as the narrative thread to weave throughout the series the question of Will's powers, and tied that into the fallout from the Nerissa saga, which is well known to both TV and comic fans. (the thing with Will's powers blows up real big in the coming tale), so I didn't have the luxury of focusing each story on an individual Guardian. To make up for that lack of individual attention, I give each Guardian a solo adventure in my next story. Wait, did I just say all of the girls? Hmmm. Sort of, anyway. (cryptic comment #2)
Hay Lin is the hardest Guardian to write, probably because she's too nice. So I liked that, up against her most hated foe, the Empress, she got a bit of an edge. Which is good, because she'll need that edge in the future. (cryptic comment #3)
I know this is the wrapup to the Adventures series, but, man, is there a lot of dialogue and exposition! Couldn't be helped, though. I had a lot to say. And there was lots more dialogue I left out.
This series was all about pushing the Guardians to the very limits of their abilities - What would the Guardians do if Candracar was taken over? If they had to fight millions of mind-controlling bugs? If they were de-powered & trapped on another planet? If they were in outer space (and thus separated from their elements)? - but the next series is more adventure-oriented and down-to-earth, as the mystery of the Guardians' powers and origins deepens (with even more drama, to boot)! Suffice it to say, the girls are going to learn some hard truths in their next adventure.
I'm all for rehabilitating characters if I can. I thought Danny got a raw deal in the book W.I.T.C.H. Adventures When Lightning Strikes, so here I make him the Lord of Lightning and give him the Heart of his world (an act which will have repercussions). Are there any other characters I thought got the shaft? That would be telling.
The fifth W.I.T.C.H. Adventures book, the Irma-centered Enchanted Music is still unpublished (in English) as of December 2006, so Irma's antagonist wasn't included in this series. That's why Irma says she was supposed to be involved with a musician, because that's the plot of Enchanted Music.
The space station was more than a trap for the Guardians. The Empress wanted to use its advanced technology, either by itself or in combination with the Heart, to re-establish her link with arthropodic life. But why would she think she could do that? And how could the Empress use the space station to 'veil' the planet and prevent Will from folding? What are the connections with this planet and Candracar? Answers are forthcoming in the next pulse-pounding series.
This final part of the series took longer to write because it's tied into the next series very closely, so I had to work out all the details of that tale (practically write the whole thing) before I could finish this story.
Will did do something bad (although she didn't know it) when she 'turned off' the world to defeat the Empress. Why it happened, and what the ramifications of it are, is explored in the next series, B.I.T.C.H.
Does the title "Lord of Lightning' refer to Lord Halidan, or Will? Hmmm.
And Mom is always right!