The Nightmare Begins Part Two: Emeresia
"Dude, where the fuck are we," Kyle said. "This place looks like something out of a dream-"
"Looks like Hell, if you ask me," Cartman said. "I wanna get the hell out of here-"
"No," Stan said. "Not until we find Lily. Then we can leave." Cartman slapped his forehead.
"Oh yeah, I knew there was a reason why we had to go here," he said. "Where do you suggest we look?" Stan shrugged.
"I don't know," he said. "But I think we should stay together. Then if something come along, we have a better chance of fighting it." Kyle tapped Stan's shoulder, his eyes wide.
"Like that, Stan?" he asked, pointing shakily towards a large shadow coming their way. Stan looked over and nodded.
"Yes, like that," he said and then started walking. Then he stopped and turned around, his face a mask of shock. He grabbed onto Kyle and Cartman and started to run.
"RUN!" he cried in panic. The three boys ran helter-skelter into the land, screaming. Stan turned around and looked back and suddenly stopped.
"Kenny?" he said. "Where the hell did you come from? I thought you were dead." He shrugged.
"No, Cartman just stunned me and knocked me out. When I heard the commotion, I came over to check it out and ended up here. What the hell is going on?" Stan turned around and called to the others.
"Hey, Kyle, Cartman, it's just Kenny," he said. "Come back." Kyle and Cartman walked over cautiously.
"How do you know it's not a dragon that just turned into Kenny?" Kyle asked. "Dragons have magic, you know." Kenny rolled his eyes.
"Do you honestly think I'm a fucking dragon?" he said. "I want some of whatever you're on, Kyle."
"Shut up," Kyle said. "I just wanted to make sure." Kenny stomped his foot on the ground.
"Someone please explain to me what the fuck is going here!" he cried, exasperated. "I wanna know why I was walking around the woods and then all of the sudden was transported to a fucking dragon world!"
"All right," Stan said. "Calm down, Kenny." They all walked over to a large rock and sat down. Stan looked at the three of them.
"Okay," he said. "Lily was kidnapped by these dragon things during recess, and we have to rescue her." Kenny shook his head and started to walk away.
"No way," he said. "Your sister tried to kill me. I'm not risking my life to save her ass." Stan got up and dragged him back to the rock. He sat him down and held him there.
"You're in this now, Kenny," he said. "There's no way out of here except by flying. We can't leave until we find Lily." Kenny sighed.
"I'm only doing this for you, Stan," he said. "That's all!" Stan looked at the other two boys.
"Are you in this?" he said. Kyle nodded his head.
"You're my best friend, Stan," he said. "I know how much Lily must mean to you. I'm in."
"And you?" he said to Cartman. Cartman lowered his eyes and then stared back at Stan.
"I think Lily is hella tits," he said. He hesitated before finishing. "And I love her and when we find her I'm never going to be mean to her ever again! I'm in this!" Stan stared at all of them.
"All right," he said. "Let's go."
~*~
Lily opened her eyes, her head throbbing. Where was she? This wasn't her house...this wasn't even Colorado. She smiled to herself in spite of the situation; she certainly wasn't in Kansas anymore. Colorado, rather. She tried to get up but couldn't. She turned her head and saw that she was manacled to a table. She pulled against the chains with all of her might but they didn't slacken. She tried slipping her hands through the opening but they were too small. She was well and truly stuck. She felt her temper rising as she tugged on her chains, trying to free herself.
"Hey!" she called. "Let me out of here! Somebody..." She squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying. She had to focus all of her energy on getting out of here. She banged her fist furiously against the hard metal surface, trying to get someone's attention. The only thing she got out of it was a pair of sore fists.
Then she heard it. A sibilant hiss coming from behind her. She froze, her breath catching in her throat. She tried fervently to get a good look behind herself but was unable to. She heard the footsteps coming closer and closer, and then a sonorous chuckle. Her heart was galloping along at an alarming speed in her chest and she clenched her eyes shut, shuddering in terror.
Then, she heard nothing. She still had her eyes shut tightly, terrified to look. After deliberating with herself for a minute, she opened one eye. She screamed when she saw what was staring at her. A large, scaly head was right in front of her face, its eyes shining purple in the dimly lit lair. Then it smiled revealing gleaming wet teeth, sharp and needle-like. It stuck its tongue out and slowly lowered it towards her cheek. She tried to move her head out of the way, terror running through her body. The tongue touched lightly upon her cheek, it's rough surface scraping her skin. She opened her mouth to scream again, but the creature took on heavily clawed paw and clamped it firmly over her mouth, stifling her.
"Shut up," the reptile hissed. Her eyes felt like they were popping out of their sockets in terror, and she nodded her head rapidly. It chuckled and released her mouth and started to walk in front of her. Only then did she realize what it was.
It was a dragon, one of the ones that she had seen when she had been running away from Cartman. It stood over her, huge and imposing in the dimly lit room. Its wings were folded behind it, but they still stuck out about two feet. She was terrified and awed at the same time. Its scales were a dark brown, like the color of mocha, but its wings and head flaps were a lighter brown, almost tan. It had a set of horns protruding out of its head and when it opened its mouth, Lily could see the set of needle-like teeth, gleaming whitely. Its tail swished back and forth as it stared at her, grinning maliciously.
"Well, what do we have here," the dragon said. "Why, it's a little girl! So, my sweet wife Kayla managed to bring you to, after all."
"What do you want with me?" Lily whispered. "Who are you?" The dragon laughed.
"I am Raydin, the ruler of all the ganglies," he said.
"Ganglies?" Lily said. "What the hell are ganglies? I thought you were drag-"
"SILENCE!" Raydin shouted. "I am getting tired of your questions." Lily narrowed her eyes.
'Why am I here?" she asked boldly. "What do you want from me?" Raydin chuckled, getting right down in her face.
"You're a very brave little girl, you know that?" he said. "You must know that I hate to be ordered around, especially by impudent little eight-year-olds such as yourself, Lillian Catherine Marsh."
"How do you know who I am?" she cried. "Why won't you tell me anything!" He raised his hand back and slapped her in the face, his claws dragging across her skin. She didn't cry or even shout. She just stared calmly back at him and then spat in his face.
"You tell me," she said. "Tell me what the fuck is going on here!" Raydin roared and leapt on the table, standing over her.
"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" he roared. "That's a sure way to get yourself-"
"I'll talk to you however I feel like it!" she shouted back. "You tell me why I'm here and why you won't let me go!" Raydin got down from the table and started to walk away, muttering in the native ganglie language.
"Stupid bitch..." he said in his own tongue. "I'm going to kill her..." Lily pounded on the table indignantly.
"I'm not a bitch, you shithead!" she called after him. "You just try to kill me!" Raydin turned slowly around.
"You know our native tongue?" he inquired. Lily was shocked into silence. He chuckled and walked back into the room.
"Lily, Lily, Lily," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that you don't know about yourself. Stan too. It's a long story. Would you like me to tell you?" Lily slowly nodded her head.
"Yes," she answered in his language. "I would like to know." Raydin nodded.
"Well, it begins a little bit like this..."
~*~
"Dude, it's hot out," Kyle said. "They need to get some air conditioning here or something." Stan slapped Kyle in the back of the head.
"Kyle, we're outside. There is no fucking air conditioning," he said.
"Oh, well-" he started, but Kenny interrupted him.
"Dammit, I wanna go back home," he said. "I don't wanna be here looking for some girl I can't stand." Cartman rolled his eyes.
"All right, Kenny," he said. "You think that Lily is the best thing since welfare and food stamps. Don't give me that 'I hate her' bullshit." Kenny shrugged.
"Well, I don't hate her, but she sure as hell doesn't like me," he replied.
"That's because you're a dick to her," Stan said. "Maybe if you treated her nice once in a while then she would talk to you."
"No, she's stuck on Cartman," he said. "For what reason, I don't know..."
"Fuck off, Kenny..." Cartman warned. He turned to the others. "So, where the hell should we look?" Stan shrugged.
"This place is really big," he said. "It's going to take weeks to explore this whole place!" He looked at the others.
"I think we should split up," he said. "This is a four way cross. We all go down a different road."
"When are we gonna meet back here?" Kenny asked. Stan shook his head.
"We're not," he said. "We're on our own until someone finds Lily." He started down the road going straight. "I'll see you guys later." Kyle started down the road going right.
"Bye you guys," he said. "Happy searching." Cartman took the road going to the left.
"Screw you guys...I'm going this way," he said. Kenny grinned and took the road going backwards.
"Yes, I got the road out of here!" he said. "Fuck Lily, I'm going home!"
The four boys turned their backs on each other and started to walk, each one accepting their fate.
~*~
Lily flexed her arms and legs tentatively. The dragon-no, ganglie, had removed her chains. She sat up on the table and then placed her feet on the ground. Raydin grabbed her and took to the back of the room. He pressed on a brick and the wall moved, revealing a secret passageway. He led her through a series of darken tunnels until they came to a large oaken door. What Lily saw inside when he opened it awed her. The highlight of the room was a huge throne, solid gold and embossed with jewels of many kinds. It was cool in here, unlike the hot interior of the castle, and there were plants growing. She walked over to a palm tree and rubbed her hand along the bark. She had never seen a palm tree in real life before. Raydin grabbed her before she could touch anything else and walked her over to the throne. He picked her up, since the throne was too high up for her to climb into, and placed her in it. Lily ran her fingers down the soft, velvet cloth, smoothing it out. Raydin stood before her, watching.
"What do you want to tell me?" she asked calmly. "Why did it have to be in here?" Raydin laughed. It was a terrible, frightening sound. She shuddered a little, but held her eyes to his.
"I wanted to be able to talk to you face to face," he said. "On the same level, as if we were equals." Lily nodded her head.
"Well then, what do you have to tell me?" she asked. Raydin slowly started to flap his wings until he was hovering in front of her. He turned around and wrapped his wings about him theatrically.
"The story of the mark," said Raydin. "Is the story you must be told." He lowered his head and wrapped his wings about himself again.
"We ganglies have been around much longer then cartoons," he said. "Our God, Lester, was alive long before your God. He created all the ganglies and our world, called Kilbra."
"That's a pretty name," Lily interrupted. "It sounds wonderful." Raydin nodded and then continued.
"The ganglies were happy in Kilbra. There was green grass and fresh water and trees for us to climb. We were peaceful creatures by nature. There was nothing wrong with our lives. But, that would soon change. When all of the Gods, your god being the last one to arrive, had been created they all came together to decide over the matter of their creations. They needed to pick some of them to be their elite warriors, immortal in life and capable of very powerful magic powers for the final showdown between good and evil in the not so distant future. Lester wanted nothing to do with it, no matter how much all the other gods coaxed him. Your god finally got so mad, and being the most powerful one there, she could do this, she threw Lester out of the meeting and told them that his people would be exiled to a hot, cruel world. She cast all the ganglies into here, into this cauldron called Emeresia, to live for all eternity. She also said that when her warriors were created they would come down here and eradicate us all. Lester didn't leave right then; he hovered outside the door, eavesdropping. He heard the other gods talking; and Destiny, the goddess of all the cartoons such as you, said who her warriors were going to be. There were several, but only the human cartoons mattered, since they were the ones, she had said, that would be the most powerful. She picked three, all of them people you know, Lillian. One of them is your friend Kenny McCormick."
"Kenny?" Lily said, stunned. "Is that why he can always come back to life after something kills him?" Raydin nodded his head.
"Another one is your twin brother Stan," he said. Lily's hand went over her mouth.
"Stan?" she said. "Stan, he can...he can do that?" Raydin smiled at her and she shuddered. His smile was less then kind.
"And the other chosen one," he said. "Is you, Lily." Lily's breath caught in her throat. She could barely get the words out when she spoke.
"Me?" she whispered. "I...I can do magic?" Raydin nodded, laughing.
"Lillian, you can do more then magic," You were destined to be the most powerful one of all. You were granted all the gifts that the others received individually. Destiny molded you after herself. Stan was placed with you to keep you in check when you found about your magic abilities. There is also one gift that you were given that no one else has anywhere."
"What?" Lily asked softly.
"The gift of talking to others. You can speak any language, Lily. You are the peacemaker of all." He chuckled. "Did you know that the Pokémon revere you?" She shook her head.
"No," she said. "I've only seen them once or twice."
"You're the only trainer that can speak their language. Rumor has it that they will do anything for you, and you are the only person they will obey without question." His tone began to get bitter, mocking. "The charmer of animals, the one loved by all." He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You were sent to kill my home," he said. "And I can't let you do that. You, your brother, and your mumble mouth friend must die." Lily shook her head.
"But we can't die!" she cried. "You said so yourself! You said we were immortal!" Raydin laughed.
"Yes, you are technically immortal," he said. "Because the one thing that can kill you was never told to anyone outside that room. Lester heard it through the door and wrote it in the Ganglie Bible." He turned towards her, his violet eyes blazing.
"Do you know about that small star on your forehead?" he asked. Lily nodded. She had always wondered what that was.
"That," he said. "Is your mark, where all your power is stored. All someone has to do is skin that part of your head...and you become mortal." He grinned and got right in her face.
"And then...you die."
~*~
"Of course, I had to get the trail that goes uphill," Cartman muttered to himself. "This is so totally weak..." He stopped and sat down on a rock by the side of the path. He immediately leapt up.
"Ow!" he cried. "Ow, mother fucking rock is hot! Ow, ow, ow!" He danced around on the side of the path, holding his ass. He didn't see or hear the ganglie coming up behind him. He finally stopped and stood still, sweating. He took of his hat and wiped his forehead.
"Goddamn, why does it have to be so hot out here," he said. "Why the hell do they live in Hell, or something..." He finally heard the ganglie, but it was too late. It grabbed onto his coat and dragged him off.
"Ay! What the fu-" It slapped it's hand over his mouth.
"Shut up," it hissed. "You've got to come with me if you want to stay alive." Cartman fell silent as the ganglie took flight. It held onto him firmly as it carried him over the flaming countryside. It was a brief flight, and they landed in front of a ramshackle house.
"Get in," the ganglie said. "Quickly! We don't have much time!" Cartman ran into the house and the ganglie followed, slamming the door and locking it behind itself.
"Who are you?" Cartman asked. It sat down in a chair in what Cartman believed was its living room.
"My name is Gangyoké," he said. "I'm going to help you save your friend Lily." Cartman's eyes lit up.
"You know Lily?" he said. "How? Where is she?" Gangyoké held a finger to his lips.
"Don't ask me all at once," he said. "Now, your Eric Cartman, right?" He nodded.
"Yes, that's me," he said. "But what the hell does that have to do-"
"Good!" Gangyoké cried. "That makes everything easier." He got down in front of Cartman and grabbed his arm.
"Only people that truly care about your friend can go in there and save her," he said. "I happened to know that you were one of those people. You and your three little friends there..."
"Even Kenny?" Cartman said. Gangyoké chuckled.
"Even Kenny," he confirmed. "He tries to hide it, but he truly likes her. And, he has the mark..."
"What the hell's the mark?" Cartman said. Gangyoké sighed.
"The mark is what our king is after," he said. "He captured Lily because she has it and she is the most powerful. Without her, the others are nothing."
"What others?" Cartman asked, confused and on the edge of panic. "If you don't start talking sense, scale head, then I'm gonna get out my stick and beat your fucking ass!"
"Calm down, Cartman," Gangyoké cried. "The others are your friend Kenny and Lily's brother...shit, what the hell is his name..."
"Stan?" he said. "Stan has this to? What the hell does the mark do?" Gangyoké grabbed him by the shoulders.
"I can't explain that now," he said. "We have to where she is, and quickly. I have a feeling that my sister knows where she could be. Come on, we have to find her." He crouched down.
"Get on my back," he said. Cartman hesitated.
"Uh...Gangyoké, how about we walk-"
"Do you want to save Lily or not?" he cried impatiently. Cartman leapt onto his back. Gangyoké took off, flying towards the dark, black castle looming in the distance.
~*~
Kyle trudged wearily up the road, stopping now and then. He looked down at his shoe where it was burned. He had stepped on a flame and set his whole foot on fire. Now, it was a throbbing agony, but he didn't stop walking. Stan was his best friend and he had to keep his promise to him. And he had to do it for Lily. Although he didn't really know her well, he respected her for how she stuck up for Stan. And that made her his number one priority right now. He walked for another few minutes and then fell, tripping over a rock. He landed roughly on the ground, and it broke him. He sat there and cried, placing his face into his hands and letting it out.
"I'm never going to be able to do it," he wailed. "Stan's going to hate me forever, and we'll never see Lily again..." Suddenly, he felt a strong arm around him, helping him up. He looked over, his hopeful face quickly changing into fear. It was one of the ganglies! He felt the scream bubbling up in his throat but the ganglie stopped it.
"Shh," it said. "I'm not going to hurt you." Kyle relaxed slightly but kept his defenses up.
"Who are you?" he asked. The ganglie smiled. It was a nice smile, nothing like the one Lily had seen.
"I'm Potar Rangbasser," he said. "The best flyer in all of Emeresia." He bowed and Kyle laughed. He liked him already; his flamboyant personality made him laugh. Potar turned towards him, a bright mischievous gleam shining in his eyes.
"And you're Kyle Brofslovski," he said. "Nice to meet you." He held out his hand and Kyle shook it, puzzled.
"How did you know who I was?" he asked. Potar grinned.
"Easy," he said. "You have 'Jew' written all over you. And Yotati told me to be on the look out for a Jew named Kyle."
"Hey!" Kyle said. "Everyone refers to me as Jew! I hate that!" He thought and then looked at Potar. "Who's Yotati, anyway?"
"Yotati's my friend Gangyoké's twin sister," he said. "She's best friends with my twin sister Kia." Kyle shook his head.
"Damn, all these twins! Stan and Lily, Yotati and whoever, you and Ki-"
"All ganglies are born in pairs," he said. "And, speaking of Lily, we have to go save her!" Kyle's eyes glimmered with a faint hope.
"You're going to help me?" he said. "You're going to help me get Lily for Stan?" Potar grinned and leaned over.
"Hop on and I'll take you there," he said. Kyle slowly climbed up onto the ganglies back and they sped off into the distance.
~*~
Kenny was walking towards where they had come in, muttering to himself.
"I am not staying here with these assholes," he said. "I'm going to go home, tell my family I'm still alive, and watch some good hard core porn..." He stopped for a minute, catching his breath. His body felt like it was burning up. After a minute of deliberation, he took off his hood. Sweat was running down his face, coming off in buckets. He felt better as soon as the smothering orange cloth left him.
"Why the hell do I have to be here in the first place," he grumbled. "I don't like Lily, Stan pisses me off, Kyle is a gay Jew momma's boy, and Cartman's acting like a fairy since he's in love." He said that last word mockingly. "Love...ha! No one in this fucking town loves anything." He sighed sadly.
"Oh hell," he said. "Why can't I admit it to myself? I do like Lily, Stan doesn't piss me off, Kyle's the best friend I could have and Cartman's...well...Cartman's just a fat piece of shit, but, that makes him who he is. He stopped in the middle of the road and stood up tall.
"I'm going to go find Lily," he said. "I'm going to find her, and tell her that I'm sorry. Stan and Kyle and Cartman too!" He turned around and almost died. There was a ganglie standing before him. He squeaked in terror and turned to run, but it just grabbed onto his hood.
"Ahhh!" Kenny screamed. "Let me go, please, I promise I'll leave right now, just-"
"Oh, shut up," the ganglie said. "Moaning like a little baby." It released his hood and smiled.
"I'm Kia Rangbasser," she said. "You're Kenny McCormick. You've got to come with me." Kenny stood there, thunderstruck.
"All right, please explain to me what the fuck is going on?" he said. "I'm warped to some fucking dragon world to save my best friend's twin sister and now this dragon knows who the fuck I am!" Kia placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Kenny, I can't explain things to you know," she said. "All I can tell you is that Lily is in serious danger, and so are you and Stan."
"Me?" Kenny cried. "Me? Since when was I involved with this!" Kia hushed him.
"Please," she said. "Don't ask anything now. Get on my back and we'll go." Kenny agilely climbed onto the ganglie's back, holding tightly onto her tail.
"I'm on," he said. "Let's go."
~*~
Stan wished he had worn some different clothes. His entire body was sweat-soaked. He had run for about two miles on pure adrenaline, and now he was paying for it. His body screamed for water and rest, but there was no place for him to get water, and the ground was too hot. So, he trudged on, oblivious to what was going on around him. He looked up at the sky, burning red and wavering from the heat. He wondered how anything could possibly live here. Finally, her could take it no more, and collapsed to the ground, breathing weakly. He shut his eyes tight, trying to hold back everything.
"I'm sorry Lily," he whispered. "I can't get there..." He passed out then, blissfully unaware of the ganglie that was picking him up and carrying him off.
When he awoke, he found himself in the shade. It was cool here. He snapped his eyes open and looked around. Something was held against his lips, and he drank it. Fresh, cool water! He drank greedily from the bottle and then threw it all up.
"Jesus, Stan," he heard someone say. "You've got to drink it slower." Whoever it was held the bottle to his lips again, and this time when he drank it stayed down. He looked up at the person who gave it to him. He furrowed his eyebrows, studying the face. He knew who this was...
"Hey Stan," he said, giving him a half smile. "Don't you recognize me?" Stan shook his head slowly. The person grinned.
"Stan, you moron, it's me, Kenny! I just don't have my hood on, that's probably why you don't recognize me," Kenny said. Stan smiled a little, relieved to see him.
"Oh...hey," he said weakly. "Where am I? I must have passed out..."
"We're in front of the ganglie's castle," he said. "Actually, in back of it, in the shade. One of the ganglies brought you here." He patted his friend's hand. "We all thought you were dead." Stan sat up, blinking his eyes owlishly. Suddenly, he sprang to his feet.
"Where's Lily?" he cried, and then almost fell over. Kenny grabbed him and sat him back down.
"We don't know Stan, relax," he said. "That weird ganglie over there mediating...what's her face,
Yotati! She's trying to find out where she is being held."
"Where are Kyle and Cartman?" he asked. Kyle suddenly appeared into his field of vision.
"Stan!" he said. "You're awake!"
"Yeah," Cartman said, coming into view. "What would we have told Lily if you had died, huh?" Stan laughed and sat up, feeling a little bit better. He rubbed his head, trying to get rid of the pounding headache he had. The meditating ganglie suddenly shouted out and leapt up.
"I've found them!" she shouted. "I know where the slimy beast is holding your sister, Stan!" She ran over. She looked down at him and smiled.
"I see that were awake," she said. "I found you collapsed on the side of the path, barely breathing. You had some bad case of heat stroke, but you should be okay now." Stan nodded his head.
"Thanks for saving my life," he said. "Are you psychic?" She laughed a little.
"I guess you could call me that," she said. "I prefer the term extrasensory." She smiled a bit as she looked at him. "You are too, you know." Stan stared at her like she was from Saturn.
"I'm not psychic," he said. "If I were psychic, then I would send a message to Lily telling her that I was coming for her, or something." Yotati smiled.
"Try it," she said. "And tell her to answer you." Stan sighed and slipped into his mind. To the others it looked like he had been hypnotized. He closed his eyes and focused on his sister. Then he started to talk.
"Lily, it's Stan," he thought to her. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to find you yet, but we're coming, all four of us. Kenny wasn't really dead. Hang in there, sis." He sat there, waiting. He was about to give up when he heard something. He strained and then it came again, stronger. It was Lily!
"Stan?" she replied. "That's really you? Wow...you have to get me out of here! Raydin told me some story about this mark thing and it gives us magic powers and he's going to kill me for it! Please Stan, hurry!" Stan slowly opened his eyes, stunned. Yotati was staring at him, waiting.
"Well?" she said. "Did it work?" Stan slowly nodded his head.
"She told me..." he started. He was still in a half trance. "She told me that this Raydin guy was going to kill her because she had some mark thing. Do you know what that means?" Yotati sighed and nodded her head.
"I know all about the mark of the chosen ones," she said. "You are also one of them, Stanley. And your friend Kenny there." She sat down and told them all that Raydin had told Lily. Stan listened, slowly running a finger down his forehead. He had seen the star there, but had no idea what it was for. He just thought it was some freaky birthmark or something. Now he knew that he was in serious danger. He looked over at Kenny. His face was frozen and devoid of emotion. He looked over at Stan, and their eyes met. Stan attempted a smile, but he knew it was a bad attempt. Kenny just looked so...dead. Like all of his personality had left him. Stan got up and walked over to him and sat down.
"Are you all right?" he asked. Kenny sighed.
"No," he said honestly. "Are you?" Stan shook his head.
"Me either," he said. "This is all just so confusing..." Stan looked up at Yotati.
"When should we leave?" he asked. Yotati walked over to get the other ganglies.
"Now," she said. "The way to the throne room is back here. Come on." The four boys got up and looked at each other and then walked over to the four ganglies, ready to face what was on the other side.
~*~
Stan had talked to her, she was sure of it. That was comforting to her that he was coming, but would he make it to her in time? She looked around the small room she was locked into. There was nothing but a bed in one corner. She walked over to the bed and lay down, sighing. A couple of stray tears rolled down her cheek, and for the first time she was afraid. She clenched her teeth, trying to hold back her fear. She didn't need that now. It was there, though, in the back of her mind, like a rat gnawing on her brain. She was afraid, afraid that when she had finally started a new life for herself that it was all going to be brought to an end. Afraid that she was never going to get to tell Cartman how she felt about him. She lowered her head between her knees, allowing the tears to come. She closed her eyes and focused on her brother, sending him a message that may be her last.
Stan...she thought. Please...if you can't get here in time...tell Cartman that I love him...and Kyle and Kenny too. Tell Mom and Dad that'll miss them, and Shelley that at least I missed her beating session. Bye, Stan...love you...
She ended her thoughts then, the tears still falling freely from her eyes. All she wanted was to be able to see Stan and Cartman again, just once, before this ganglie killed her. She looked up towards the ceiling, sighing.
"God..." she said softly. "If you're there and you really listen to people, then please, help me now..."
Then, she heard them. Footsteps coming towards her room. Her heart quickened in her chest, adrenaline rushing through her. She quivered in fear, but her face was a mask of calmness. She didn't want this dragon to think she was scared of it. She heard him stop outside the door, and she raised her face to meet his.
She screamed when he opened the door.
~*~
Stan heard his sister's cry. He started to run down a corridor that everyone else thought was a dead end.
"Come on, you guys, she's down here!" Stan shouted. "She's in trouble!" Cartman started to run in that direction after him. Kenny and Kyle, along with the four ganglies, were close on their heels. Yotati flew to catch up with him.
"Stan!" she shouted. "Stan, the door's secret, you're not going to know where it-"
Stan had already arrived at the door and knocked it down. Yotati stared at him in stunned shock. He had known exactly where the door was and how to get there. But how? It wasn't the time to ask questions now...
Stan looked in and saw Raydin holding a very large skinning knife. He held Lily in one hand, high above his head. She looked terrified. She looked over and caught his eye.
"STAN!" she shouted in relief. "Oh my God, I'm so-"
"WHAT?" Raydin screeched. He whirled around and was met with Stan. He stood his ground, even though he was scared by the ganglie.
"Put my sister down, Raydin," he ordered. Raydin grinned evilly and started to fly up. He raised Lily high into the air.
"All right," he said, and then dropped her.
"NOO!" Stan shouted. Horror was etched across his face as he watched her fall. She screamed in terror, right as Cartman burst in, along with Kenny and Kyle. They arrived in time to see her hit the ground. There was a terrible thump and all was still. Cartman started to run over to where she was.
"Lily!" he cried. "Oh no..." He got down on the ground at her side. He hugged her body and started to cry.
"No, you can't be dead," he said. "I never got to tell you that I-"
"Time to die, Raydin," a voice interrupted. Stan looked over in shock. It was Kenny! His fists were clenched into tight balls and his head was bowed. When he looked back up, Stan gasped. His star was glowing! A small ray of silver light formed into a ball and placed itself in Kenny's palm. He clenched it and then whispered something to himself. Stan stared in awe as the light grew and released itself in a huge ball towards Raydin. He laughed and easily avoided the beam.
"Is that all, destined one?" he laughed. "Come on, you can do better then that..." Kenny looked over at Stan.
"You have to do it," he whispered. "Only the love from family can defeat him, Stan..." Stan looked over at where Lily lay. Cartman was weeping unabatedly next to her, stroking her hair lightly.
"Oh no..." he said brokenly. "I..." He lowered his head and sobbed. Kyle walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Dude, it's all right, Cartman..." he said softly. Raydin chuckled as he looked down upon them.
"Oh look," he said. "How...disgusting." He casually flicked a scale off his hand with a claw. "Never could stand much for love, except when it's me and Kayla, of course..." Stan suddenly felt a strange power surging through him. The glow started to fill the room again, only much brighter.
"That's it, Stan," Yotati said. "Channel your emotions...let them control you." Stan was suddenly stricken with grief. And, he felt a surge of compassion for Cartman, who for once in his life, actually cared about something. Stan saw his own bright silver ball come out and place itself in his hand. Raydin's eyes widened in fear as he saw the glow.
"No..." he said. "NOOO!" Stan suddenly let go of the ball. It had turned into a huge storm cloud. Water was flying everywhere. Raydin let off a weak retaliation spell to block it, but it was no use. Stan's anger and sadness was much stronger then anything he could have done. The spell hit Raydin, but not before he had let off another spell directly at Stan.
"Watch out, Stan!" Yotati called and leapt in the way of the spell. She took the force of the hit instead and fell to the ground.
"Yotati!" Stan called. She struggled weakly to get up, but it was hopeless.
"Stan..." she gasped. "Come here." He walked over, still watching Raydin grappling with the storm. The storm finally won and it swallowed him up.
The room was then calm. Yotati grabbed onto his hand.
"Yeah?" Stan said softly. "You saved my life, Yotati..." She smiled at him and patted his hand.
"You saved us," she replied. "Now the ganglies can live in peace, without fear of the tyrannical rule of Raydin." She smiled a little and stared up at him.
"Thank you, Stan and Kenny," she said. "It's my time, now..."
"No, Yotati, we can fix it-"
"Good-bye, Stan..." She closed her eyes, her face peaceful. She shuddered once and then lay still. Stan slowly got up and looked around the room. Kyle, Cartman and Kenny were all sitting around Lily's body. Stan sighed and slowly made himself go over there, his feet feeling like lead. Stan felt the tears warm in his own eyes now as he got closer. Kyle looked up at him as he stood over them.
"Hey..." he said. Stan slowly sat down next to him.
"Hi..." he managed. Kyle looked at his friend, concerned.
"Wow Stan, you look terrible," he said. "Are you all right?" Stan sighed.
"No," he said. "I'm not all right." He looked at Lily, still and unmoving on the ground. He shuddered with grief. He lowered his head and started to cry. Cartman looked at her and then at Stan. He ran off, crying himself. He couldn't take one more minute being in there with her body.
"I told her I'd save her," Stan said miserably. "And I couldn't do it..." He reached his hand out and lightly touched her face.
"Lily, I'm so sorry..." he whispered. "I didn't mean it...I love you!" Then, something started to happen. Lily stirred and then opened her eyes.
"Huh?" she said faintly. "What happened?" Stan's eyes widened in shock. She sat up slowly.
"Lily?" he said. The other two boys were stunned into silence. She nodded her head and then gave him a weak smile.
"Who did you think it was, Drew Barrymore?" she said weakly. She tried to get up to her feet but let out a little hiss of pain.
"Ow," she said. "Jesus, that hurts..." She shut her eyes tightly to keep her tears back. Stan grabbed her hand.
"Squeeze," he said. "It'll help get your mind off any pain you have." Lily nodded and started squeezing his hand. He was surprised at her strength.
"Lily, do you think you can get up?" he asked. She shook her head.
"I can't Stan, it hurts..." she said. A few tears slipped down her cheek and she suddenly hugged Stan with all her might.
"I knew you would come for me," she said. "I knew you wouldn't leave me here..." She sighed and gave him a small smile.
"I was so scared," she said. "I was afraid that he was going to kill me..."
"No, Lily, we would have never let him kill you," Stan replied adamantly. "If he had, I would have ripped his heart of his chest and made him eat it before he died. He already died for hurting you, Lily." She looked at him, confused.
"We?" she said. "Who else is here with you, Stan?" Stan smiled.
"The whole gangs here, Lily," he replied. "They helped me find you." Lily let go of her brother and looked around, seeing them for the first time.
"Hi, Lily," Kyle said. "You should have seen Stan, he was so worried..." He hugged her quickly.
"Are you all right, though?" She shrugged.
"I don't think so," she said. "But, don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" She gave him a little smile. Kenny smiled at her and then hugged her.
"Lily, I'm sorry about all those things I said to you," he said. "I thin only with my penis sometimes." She laughed a little and hugged him tight.
"It's all right," she said. She looked around, confused.
"Where's Cartman?" she said. "I thought you said you were all here, Stan..."
"We are!" Stan cried. "Where the hell did Cartman go, anyway?" Kenny got up.
"I'll go find him," he said. "You stay here with Lily." He got up and left the room, looking around. He thought he could hear something from one of the corridors...
He ran down the one that was the source of the sound and sure enough, Eric Cartman was there. He was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall, his face in his hands. He looked really bent out of shape. He was weeping profusely. Kenny racked his brains but couldn't remember another time that Cartman had cried like this. That Cartman ever cried. He walked over and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Cartman looked up, his eyes wide and red from crying.
"Oh...it's only you, Kenny," he said. Kenny grabbed Cartman's hand and pulled him up.
"Come on," he said. "You have to come back to the room." Cartman shook his head.
"I can't Kenny," he said. "I can't stand being in there with..." His voice caught in his throat. "With...Lily in there like that..." Kenny gave him a big smile.
"Cartman...Lily's alive! She wants to see you!" Cartman was frozen for a minute.
"She's alive?" he said. He got up and started to run for the room.
"Lily!" he shouted. "I'm COMING!"
~*~
Lily cocked her head, listening to Cartman.
"Oh, well, that's good to know," she said. "I could have heard him coming even if he didn't yell it out..." Stan, Kyle and Kenny laughed. Cartman burst into the room right then and stopped when he saw her. She looked over at him, her face still radiant although she was in pain. She gave him a small smile.
"Hey," she said softly. Cartman's whole face softened. Stan was surprised in the change of him. Cartman was usually so mean, but ever since he met Lily he...changed.
"Hi Lily," he said and walked over to her. She looked at him and then smiled, tears shining in her eyes.
"Took you long enough," she said tearfully. Cartman leaned over and hugged her tightly.
"Lily," he said. "I'm so sorry about being an asshole...I thought that I was never going see you again..." He held her even tighter.
"I thought I was never going to get to tell you how much I cared about you," he said. Lily pressed her face into his shoulder, crying.
"Me either," she whispered. "I thought I was never going to get to tell you how much I loved you..." She lifted her head and kissed his cheek. Then, Kenny destroyed the moment by clapping.
"Yeah!" he said. "Go Cartman, it's your birthday, go, go, go!" Stan and Kyle snickered. Kenny put his hands on his hips and stood up.
"Well," he said. "Since the 'touching love scene' is over, now what?"
"We take you home," Gangyoké said. He had been standing over the body of his fallen sister, softly weeping. Now, his eyes were dry.
"Come on," he said. "We must leave, quickly." They all rose to leave. Lily tried to get up but failed, letting out a little cry of pain.
"What is it, Lily?" Cartman asked, concerned. She gritted her teeth.
"It's nothing," she said, and tried to rise again. She almost got to her feet when she fell over. She started to cry, furious with herself.
"Lily, what's wrong?" Kyle asked.
"Nothing!" she said. "I'm coming...you guys go without me." Cartman and Stan both shook their heads.
"No," they both said.
"Come on, Lily, you have to get up," Stan said.
"Yeah," Cartman added. Lily pounded her fist on the ground furiously.
"I..." She lowered her head in shame. "I can't."
"You can't?" Kenny asked, walking over. "Why?" Lily sighed.
"Look at my leg, you guys," she said miserably. Stan gasped. It was bent the wrong way and all twisted.
"Jesus, Lily, why didn't you say something before?" he said. She shrugged.
"I didn't want you guys to worry about me more then you already were," she replied. Stan sighed.
"You're incredible," he said. "You're friggin leg's shattered and you were just going to try to get up and walk out of here..." He looked over at Cartman.
"Can you carry her?" he asked. Cartman nodded and gently lifted her up. Lily winced once but was okay after that.
"Are you ready now?" Gangyoké asked. The five nodded and they followed his back out into the hot atmosphere.
"Am I heavy?" Lily asked. Cartman shook his head.
"Not at all," he replied, although it was obvious that he was having a hard time holding her up. Kia came to the rescue.
"I'll take her, Cartman," she said. "You can ride on my back too, if you want." Cartman gladly handed Lily over and Kia placed her on her back. Cartman then climbed up onto the ganglie.
"Stan, Kyle," Gangyoké said. "I'll take you guys."
"Kenny, I guess that means you're stuck with me," Potar said. Kenny laughed as he got up onto his back.
"Haha, I got a ganglie all to myself, you guys," he said. Cartman held Lily in his lap, and Stan and Kyle both desperately clung to the ganglie's tail.
"Are you guys ready?" they called out. The five nodded, and the ganglies took off, bringing them to the surface. They dropped them off in the playground and then were gone. Everyone was still outside, and no one even seemed to be paying attention that they were back.
"Wow, no one seems to care that we were gone for so long," Lily said. Wendy came running over then.
"Lily!" she said. "Wow, I could have sworn that you weren't here a second ago, but I need to talk to you!"
"About what?" she said. Wendy slapped her forehead.
"About who you like, dumbass," she said.
"I can't right now, Wendy," she said. "I...fell off the swing and I've really hurt my leg. I think it's broken." Wendy's eyes widened.
"Oh no!" she said. "Wait right there, Lily, I'll go get Nurse Gollam!" She ran off towards the school. Lily sighed.
"I wonder why no one seemed to notice we were gone?" she said. Stan shrugged.
"The best questions are left unanswered, Lily," he replied. Lily thought. What if everyone's minds had been erased? Then...she shuddered. She didn't want to think of that.
That could be another nightmare.
"Dude, where the fuck are we," Kyle said. "This place looks like something out of a dream-"
"Looks like Hell, if you ask me," Cartman said. "I wanna get the hell out of here-"
"No," Stan said. "Not until we find Lily. Then we can leave." Cartman slapped his forehead.
"Oh yeah, I knew there was a reason why we had to go here," he said. "Where do you suggest we look?" Stan shrugged.
"I don't know," he said. "But I think we should stay together. Then if something come along, we have a better chance of fighting it." Kyle tapped Stan's shoulder, his eyes wide.
"Like that, Stan?" he asked, pointing shakily towards a large shadow coming their way. Stan looked over and nodded.
"Yes, like that," he said and then started walking. Then he stopped and turned around, his face a mask of shock. He grabbed onto Kyle and Cartman and started to run.
"RUN!" he cried in panic. The three boys ran helter-skelter into the land, screaming. Stan turned around and looked back and suddenly stopped.
"Kenny?" he said. "Where the hell did you come from? I thought you were dead." He shrugged.
"No, Cartman just stunned me and knocked me out. When I heard the commotion, I came over to check it out and ended up here. What the hell is going on?" Stan turned around and called to the others.
"Hey, Kyle, Cartman, it's just Kenny," he said. "Come back." Kyle and Cartman walked over cautiously.
"How do you know it's not a dragon that just turned into Kenny?" Kyle asked. "Dragons have magic, you know." Kenny rolled his eyes.
"Do you honestly think I'm a fucking dragon?" he said. "I want some of whatever you're on, Kyle."
"Shut up," Kyle said. "I just wanted to make sure." Kenny stomped his foot on the ground.
"Someone please explain to me what the fuck is going here!" he cried, exasperated. "I wanna know why I was walking around the woods and then all of the sudden was transported to a fucking dragon world!"
"All right," Stan said. "Calm down, Kenny." They all walked over to a large rock and sat down. Stan looked at the three of them.
"Okay," he said. "Lily was kidnapped by these dragon things during recess, and we have to rescue her." Kenny shook his head and started to walk away.
"No way," he said. "Your sister tried to kill me. I'm not risking my life to save her ass." Stan got up and dragged him back to the rock. He sat him down and held him there.
"You're in this now, Kenny," he said. "There's no way out of here except by flying. We can't leave until we find Lily." Kenny sighed.
"I'm only doing this for you, Stan," he said. "That's all!" Stan looked at the other two boys.
"Are you in this?" he said. Kyle nodded his head.
"You're my best friend, Stan," he said. "I know how much Lily must mean to you. I'm in."
"And you?" he said to Cartman. Cartman lowered his eyes and then stared back at Stan.
"I think Lily is hella tits," he said. He hesitated before finishing. "And I love her and when we find her I'm never going to be mean to her ever again! I'm in this!" Stan stared at all of them.
"All right," he said. "Let's go."
~*~
Lily opened her eyes, her head throbbing. Where was she? This wasn't her house...this wasn't even Colorado. She smiled to herself in spite of the situation; she certainly wasn't in Kansas anymore. Colorado, rather. She tried to get up but couldn't. She turned her head and saw that she was manacled to a table. She pulled against the chains with all of her might but they didn't slacken. She tried slipping her hands through the opening but they were too small. She was well and truly stuck. She felt her temper rising as she tugged on her chains, trying to free herself.
"Hey!" she called. "Let me out of here! Somebody..." She squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying. She had to focus all of her energy on getting out of here. She banged her fist furiously against the hard metal surface, trying to get someone's attention. The only thing she got out of it was a pair of sore fists.
Then she heard it. A sibilant hiss coming from behind her. She froze, her breath catching in her throat. She tried fervently to get a good look behind herself but was unable to. She heard the footsteps coming closer and closer, and then a sonorous chuckle. Her heart was galloping along at an alarming speed in her chest and she clenched her eyes shut, shuddering in terror.
Then, she heard nothing. She still had her eyes shut tightly, terrified to look. After deliberating with herself for a minute, she opened one eye. She screamed when she saw what was staring at her. A large, scaly head was right in front of her face, its eyes shining purple in the dimly lit lair. Then it smiled revealing gleaming wet teeth, sharp and needle-like. It stuck its tongue out and slowly lowered it towards her cheek. She tried to move her head out of the way, terror running through her body. The tongue touched lightly upon her cheek, it's rough surface scraping her skin. She opened her mouth to scream again, but the creature took on heavily clawed paw and clamped it firmly over her mouth, stifling her.
"Shut up," the reptile hissed. Her eyes felt like they were popping out of their sockets in terror, and she nodded her head rapidly. It chuckled and released her mouth and started to walk in front of her. Only then did she realize what it was.
It was a dragon, one of the ones that she had seen when she had been running away from Cartman. It stood over her, huge and imposing in the dimly lit room. Its wings were folded behind it, but they still stuck out about two feet. She was terrified and awed at the same time. Its scales were a dark brown, like the color of mocha, but its wings and head flaps were a lighter brown, almost tan. It had a set of horns protruding out of its head and when it opened its mouth, Lily could see the set of needle-like teeth, gleaming whitely. Its tail swished back and forth as it stared at her, grinning maliciously.
"Well, what do we have here," the dragon said. "Why, it's a little girl! So, my sweet wife Kayla managed to bring you to, after all."
"What do you want with me?" Lily whispered. "Who are you?" The dragon laughed.
"I am Raydin, the ruler of all the ganglies," he said.
"Ganglies?" Lily said. "What the hell are ganglies? I thought you were drag-"
"SILENCE!" Raydin shouted. "I am getting tired of your questions." Lily narrowed her eyes.
'Why am I here?" she asked boldly. "What do you want from me?" Raydin chuckled, getting right down in her face.
"You're a very brave little girl, you know that?" he said. "You must know that I hate to be ordered around, especially by impudent little eight-year-olds such as yourself, Lillian Catherine Marsh."
"How do you know who I am?" she cried. "Why won't you tell me anything!" He raised his hand back and slapped her in the face, his claws dragging across her skin. She didn't cry or even shout. She just stared calmly back at him and then spat in his face.
"You tell me," she said. "Tell me what the fuck is going on here!" Raydin roared and leapt on the table, standing over her.
"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" he roared. "That's a sure way to get yourself-"
"I'll talk to you however I feel like it!" she shouted back. "You tell me why I'm here and why you won't let me go!" Raydin got down from the table and started to walk away, muttering in the native ganglie language.
"Stupid bitch..." he said in his own tongue. "I'm going to kill her..." Lily pounded on the table indignantly.
"I'm not a bitch, you shithead!" she called after him. "You just try to kill me!" Raydin turned slowly around.
"You know our native tongue?" he inquired. Lily was shocked into silence. He chuckled and walked back into the room.
"Lily, Lily, Lily," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that you don't know about yourself. Stan too. It's a long story. Would you like me to tell you?" Lily slowly nodded her head.
"Yes," she answered in his language. "I would like to know." Raydin nodded.
"Well, it begins a little bit like this..."
~*~
"Dude, it's hot out," Kyle said. "They need to get some air conditioning here or something." Stan slapped Kyle in the back of the head.
"Kyle, we're outside. There is no fucking air conditioning," he said.
"Oh, well-" he started, but Kenny interrupted him.
"Dammit, I wanna go back home," he said. "I don't wanna be here looking for some girl I can't stand." Cartman rolled his eyes.
"All right, Kenny," he said. "You think that Lily is the best thing since welfare and food stamps. Don't give me that 'I hate her' bullshit." Kenny shrugged.
"Well, I don't hate her, but she sure as hell doesn't like me," he replied.
"That's because you're a dick to her," Stan said. "Maybe if you treated her nice once in a while then she would talk to you."
"No, she's stuck on Cartman," he said. "For what reason, I don't know..."
"Fuck off, Kenny..." Cartman warned. He turned to the others. "So, where the hell should we look?" Stan shrugged.
"This place is really big," he said. "It's going to take weeks to explore this whole place!" He looked at the others.
"I think we should split up," he said. "This is a four way cross. We all go down a different road."
"When are we gonna meet back here?" Kenny asked. Stan shook his head.
"We're not," he said. "We're on our own until someone finds Lily." He started down the road going straight. "I'll see you guys later." Kyle started down the road going right.
"Bye you guys," he said. "Happy searching." Cartman took the road going to the left.
"Screw you guys...I'm going this way," he said. Kenny grinned and took the road going backwards.
"Yes, I got the road out of here!" he said. "Fuck Lily, I'm going home!"
The four boys turned their backs on each other and started to walk, each one accepting their fate.
~*~
Lily flexed her arms and legs tentatively. The dragon-no, ganglie, had removed her chains. She sat up on the table and then placed her feet on the ground. Raydin grabbed her and took to the back of the room. He pressed on a brick and the wall moved, revealing a secret passageway. He led her through a series of darken tunnels until they came to a large oaken door. What Lily saw inside when he opened it awed her. The highlight of the room was a huge throne, solid gold and embossed with jewels of many kinds. It was cool in here, unlike the hot interior of the castle, and there were plants growing. She walked over to a palm tree and rubbed her hand along the bark. She had never seen a palm tree in real life before. Raydin grabbed her before she could touch anything else and walked her over to the throne. He picked her up, since the throne was too high up for her to climb into, and placed her in it. Lily ran her fingers down the soft, velvet cloth, smoothing it out. Raydin stood before her, watching.
"What do you want to tell me?" she asked calmly. "Why did it have to be in here?" Raydin laughed. It was a terrible, frightening sound. She shuddered a little, but held her eyes to his.
"I wanted to be able to talk to you face to face," he said. "On the same level, as if we were equals." Lily nodded her head.
"Well then, what do you have to tell me?" she asked. Raydin slowly started to flap his wings until he was hovering in front of her. He turned around and wrapped his wings about him theatrically.
"The story of the mark," said Raydin. "Is the story you must be told." He lowered his head and wrapped his wings about himself again.
"We ganglies have been around much longer then cartoons," he said. "Our God, Lester, was alive long before your God. He created all the ganglies and our world, called Kilbra."
"That's a pretty name," Lily interrupted. "It sounds wonderful." Raydin nodded and then continued.
"The ganglies were happy in Kilbra. There was green grass and fresh water and trees for us to climb. We were peaceful creatures by nature. There was nothing wrong with our lives. But, that would soon change. When all of the Gods, your god being the last one to arrive, had been created they all came together to decide over the matter of their creations. They needed to pick some of them to be their elite warriors, immortal in life and capable of very powerful magic powers for the final showdown between good and evil in the not so distant future. Lester wanted nothing to do with it, no matter how much all the other gods coaxed him. Your god finally got so mad, and being the most powerful one there, she could do this, she threw Lester out of the meeting and told them that his people would be exiled to a hot, cruel world. She cast all the ganglies into here, into this cauldron called Emeresia, to live for all eternity. She also said that when her warriors were created they would come down here and eradicate us all. Lester didn't leave right then; he hovered outside the door, eavesdropping. He heard the other gods talking; and Destiny, the goddess of all the cartoons such as you, said who her warriors were going to be. There were several, but only the human cartoons mattered, since they were the ones, she had said, that would be the most powerful. She picked three, all of them people you know, Lillian. One of them is your friend Kenny McCormick."
"Kenny?" Lily said, stunned. "Is that why he can always come back to life after something kills him?" Raydin nodded his head.
"Another one is your twin brother Stan," he said. Lily's hand went over her mouth.
"Stan?" she said. "Stan, he can...he can do that?" Raydin smiled at her and she shuddered. His smile was less then kind.
"And the other chosen one," he said. "Is you, Lily." Lily's breath caught in her throat. She could barely get the words out when she spoke.
"Me?" she whispered. "I...I can do magic?" Raydin nodded, laughing.
"Lillian, you can do more then magic," You were destined to be the most powerful one of all. You were granted all the gifts that the others received individually. Destiny molded you after herself. Stan was placed with you to keep you in check when you found about your magic abilities. There is also one gift that you were given that no one else has anywhere."
"What?" Lily asked softly.
"The gift of talking to others. You can speak any language, Lily. You are the peacemaker of all." He chuckled. "Did you know that the Pokémon revere you?" She shook her head.
"No," she said. "I've only seen them once or twice."
"You're the only trainer that can speak their language. Rumor has it that they will do anything for you, and you are the only person they will obey without question." His tone began to get bitter, mocking. "The charmer of animals, the one loved by all." He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You were sent to kill my home," he said. "And I can't let you do that. You, your brother, and your mumble mouth friend must die." Lily shook her head.
"But we can't die!" she cried. "You said so yourself! You said we were immortal!" Raydin laughed.
"Yes, you are technically immortal," he said. "Because the one thing that can kill you was never told to anyone outside that room. Lester heard it through the door and wrote it in the Ganglie Bible." He turned towards her, his violet eyes blazing.
"Do you know about that small star on your forehead?" he asked. Lily nodded. She had always wondered what that was.
"That," he said. "Is your mark, where all your power is stored. All someone has to do is skin that part of your head...and you become mortal." He grinned and got right in her face.
"And then...you die."
~*~
"Of course, I had to get the trail that goes uphill," Cartman muttered to himself. "This is so totally weak..." He stopped and sat down on a rock by the side of the path. He immediately leapt up.
"Ow!" he cried. "Ow, mother fucking rock is hot! Ow, ow, ow!" He danced around on the side of the path, holding his ass. He didn't see or hear the ganglie coming up behind him. He finally stopped and stood still, sweating. He took of his hat and wiped his forehead.
"Goddamn, why does it have to be so hot out here," he said. "Why the hell do they live in Hell, or something..." He finally heard the ganglie, but it was too late. It grabbed onto his coat and dragged him off.
"Ay! What the fu-" It slapped it's hand over his mouth.
"Shut up," it hissed. "You've got to come with me if you want to stay alive." Cartman fell silent as the ganglie took flight. It held onto him firmly as it carried him over the flaming countryside. It was a brief flight, and they landed in front of a ramshackle house.
"Get in," the ganglie said. "Quickly! We don't have much time!" Cartman ran into the house and the ganglie followed, slamming the door and locking it behind itself.
"Who are you?" Cartman asked. It sat down in a chair in what Cartman believed was its living room.
"My name is Gangyoké," he said. "I'm going to help you save your friend Lily." Cartman's eyes lit up.
"You know Lily?" he said. "How? Where is she?" Gangyoké held a finger to his lips.
"Don't ask me all at once," he said. "Now, your Eric Cartman, right?" He nodded.
"Yes, that's me," he said. "But what the hell does that have to do-"
"Good!" Gangyoké cried. "That makes everything easier." He got down in front of Cartman and grabbed his arm.
"Only people that truly care about your friend can go in there and save her," he said. "I happened to know that you were one of those people. You and your three little friends there..."
"Even Kenny?" Cartman said. Gangyoké chuckled.
"Even Kenny," he confirmed. "He tries to hide it, but he truly likes her. And, he has the mark..."
"What the hell's the mark?" Cartman said. Gangyoké sighed.
"The mark is what our king is after," he said. "He captured Lily because she has it and she is the most powerful. Without her, the others are nothing."
"What others?" Cartman asked, confused and on the edge of panic. "If you don't start talking sense, scale head, then I'm gonna get out my stick and beat your fucking ass!"
"Calm down, Cartman," Gangyoké cried. "The others are your friend Kenny and Lily's brother...shit, what the hell is his name..."
"Stan?" he said. "Stan has this to? What the hell does the mark do?" Gangyoké grabbed him by the shoulders.
"I can't explain that now," he said. "We have to where she is, and quickly. I have a feeling that my sister knows where she could be. Come on, we have to find her." He crouched down.
"Get on my back," he said. Cartman hesitated.
"Uh...Gangyoké, how about we walk-"
"Do you want to save Lily or not?" he cried impatiently. Cartman leapt onto his back. Gangyoké took off, flying towards the dark, black castle looming in the distance.
~*~
Kyle trudged wearily up the road, stopping now and then. He looked down at his shoe where it was burned. He had stepped on a flame and set his whole foot on fire. Now, it was a throbbing agony, but he didn't stop walking. Stan was his best friend and he had to keep his promise to him. And he had to do it for Lily. Although he didn't really know her well, he respected her for how she stuck up for Stan. And that made her his number one priority right now. He walked for another few minutes and then fell, tripping over a rock. He landed roughly on the ground, and it broke him. He sat there and cried, placing his face into his hands and letting it out.
"I'm never going to be able to do it," he wailed. "Stan's going to hate me forever, and we'll never see Lily again..." Suddenly, he felt a strong arm around him, helping him up. He looked over, his hopeful face quickly changing into fear. It was one of the ganglies! He felt the scream bubbling up in his throat but the ganglie stopped it.
"Shh," it said. "I'm not going to hurt you." Kyle relaxed slightly but kept his defenses up.
"Who are you?" he asked. The ganglie smiled. It was a nice smile, nothing like the one Lily had seen.
"I'm Potar Rangbasser," he said. "The best flyer in all of Emeresia." He bowed and Kyle laughed. He liked him already; his flamboyant personality made him laugh. Potar turned towards him, a bright mischievous gleam shining in his eyes.
"And you're Kyle Brofslovski," he said. "Nice to meet you." He held out his hand and Kyle shook it, puzzled.
"How did you know who I was?" he asked. Potar grinned.
"Easy," he said. "You have 'Jew' written all over you. And Yotati told me to be on the look out for a Jew named Kyle."
"Hey!" Kyle said. "Everyone refers to me as Jew! I hate that!" He thought and then looked at Potar. "Who's Yotati, anyway?"
"Yotati's my friend Gangyoké's twin sister," he said. "She's best friends with my twin sister Kia." Kyle shook his head.
"Damn, all these twins! Stan and Lily, Yotati and whoever, you and Ki-"
"All ganglies are born in pairs," he said. "And, speaking of Lily, we have to go save her!" Kyle's eyes glimmered with a faint hope.
"You're going to help me?" he said. "You're going to help me get Lily for Stan?" Potar grinned and leaned over.
"Hop on and I'll take you there," he said. Kyle slowly climbed up onto the ganglies back and they sped off into the distance.
~*~
Kenny was walking towards where they had come in, muttering to himself.
"I am not staying here with these assholes," he said. "I'm going to go home, tell my family I'm still alive, and watch some good hard core porn..." He stopped for a minute, catching his breath. His body felt like it was burning up. After a minute of deliberation, he took off his hood. Sweat was running down his face, coming off in buckets. He felt better as soon as the smothering orange cloth left him.
"Why the hell do I have to be here in the first place," he grumbled. "I don't like Lily, Stan pisses me off, Kyle is a gay Jew momma's boy, and Cartman's acting like a fairy since he's in love." He said that last word mockingly. "Love...ha! No one in this fucking town loves anything." He sighed sadly.
"Oh hell," he said. "Why can't I admit it to myself? I do like Lily, Stan doesn't piss me off, Kyle's the best friend I could have and Cartman's...well...Cartman's just a fat piece of shit, but, that makes him who he is. He stopped in the middle of the road and stood up tall.
"I'm going to go find Lily," he said. "I'm going to find her, and tell her that I'm sorry. Stan and Kyle and Cartman too!" He turned around and almost died. There was a ganglie standing before him. He squeaked in terror and turned to run, but it just grabbed onto his hood.
"Ahhh!" Kenny screamed. "Let me go, please, I promise I'll leave right now, just-"
"Oh, shut up," the ganglie said. "Moaning like a little baby." It released his hood and smiled.
"I'm Kia Rangbasser," she said. "You're Kenny McCormick. You've got to come with me." Kenny stood there, thunderstruck.
"All right, please explain to me what the fuck is going on?" he said. "I'm warped to some fucking dragon world to save my best friend's twin sister and now this dragon knows who the fuck I am!" Kia placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Kenny, I can't explain things to you know," she said. "All I can tell you is that Lily is in serious danger, and so are you and Stan."
"Me?" Kenny cried. "Me? Since when was I involved with this!" Kia hushed him.
"Please," she said. "Don't ask anything now. Get on my back and we'll go." Kenny agilely climbed onto the ganglie's back, holding tightly onto her tail.
"I'm on," he said. "Let's go."
~*~
Stan wished he had worn some different clothes. His entire body was sweat-soaked. He had run for about two miles on pure adrenaline, and now he was paying for it. His body screamed for water and rest, but there was no place for him to get water, and the ground was too hot. So, he trudged on, oblivious to what was going on around him. He looked up at the sky, burning red and wavering from the heat. He wondered how anything could possibly live here. Finally, her could take it no more, and collapsed to the ground, breathing weakly. He shut his eyes tight, trying to hold back everything.
"I'm sorry Lily," he whispered. "I can't get there..." He passed out then, blissfully unaware of the ganglie that was picking him up and carrying him off.
When he awoke, he found himself in the shade. It was cool here. He snapped his eyes open and looked around. Something was held against his lips, and he drank it. Fresh, cool water! He drank greedily from the bottle and then threw it all up.
"Jesus, Stan," he heard someone say. "You've got to drink it slower." Whoever it was held the bottle to his lips again, and this time when he drank it stayed down. He looked up at the person who gave it to him. He furrowed his eyebrows, studying the face. He knew who this was...
"Hey Stan," he said, giving him a half smile. "Don't you recognize me?" Stan shook his head slowly. The person grinned.
"Stan, you moron, it's me, Kenny! I just don't have my hood on, that's probably why you don't recognize me," Kenny said. Stan smiled a little, relieved to see him.
"Oh...hey," he said weakly. "Where am I? I must have passed out..."
"We're in front of the ganglie's castle," he said. "Actually, in back of it, in the shade. One of the ganglies brought you here." He patted his friend's hand. "We all thought you were dead." Stan sat up, blinking his eyes owlishly. Suddenly, he sprang to his feet.
"Where's Lily?" he cried, and then almost fell over. Kenny grabbed him and sat him back down.
"We don't know Stan, relax," he said. "That weird ganglie over there mediating...what's her face,
Yotati! She's trying to find out where she is being held."
"Where are Kyle and Cartman?" he asked. Kyle suddenly appeared into his field of vision.
"Stan!" he said. "You're awake!"
"Yeah," Cartman said, coming into view. "What would we have told Lily if you had died, huh?" Stan laughed and sat up, feeling a little bit better. He rubbed his head, trying to get rid of the pounding headache he had. The meditating ganglie suddenly shouted out and leapt up.
"I've found them!" she shouted. "I know where the slimy beast is holding your sister, Stan!" She ran over. She looked down at him and smiled.
"I see that were awake," she said. "I found you collapsed on the side of the path, barely breathing. You had some bad case of heat stroke, but you should be okay now." Stan nodded his head.
"Thanks for saving my life," he said. "Are you psychic?" She laughed a little.
"I guess you could call me that," she said. "I prefer the term extrasensory." She smiled a bit as she looked at him. "You are too, you know." Stan stared at her like she was from Saturn.
"I'm not psychic," he said. "If I were psychic, then I would send a message to Lily telling her that I was coming for her, or something." Yotati smiled.
"Try it," she said. "And tell her to answer you." Stan sighed and slipped into his mind. To the others it looked like he had been hypnotized. He closed his eyes and focused on his sister. Then he started to talk.
"Lily, it's Stan," he thought to her. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to find you yet, but we're coming, all four of us. Kenny wasn't really dead. Hang in there, sis." He sat there, waiting. He was about to give up when he heard something. He strained and then it came again, stronger. It was Lily!
"Stan?" she replied. "That's really you? Wow...you have to get me out of here! Raydin told me some story about this mark thing and it gives us magic powers and he's going to kill me for it! Please Stan, hurry!" Stan slowly opened his eyes, stunned. Yotati was staring at him, waiting.
"Well?" she said. "Did it work?" Stan slowly nodded his head.
"She told me..." he started. He was still in a half trance. "She told me that this Raydin guy was going to kill her because she had some mark thing. Do you know what that means?" Yotati sighed and nodded her head.
"I know all about the mark of the chosen ones," she said. "You are also one of them, Stanley. And your friend Kenny there." She sat down and told them all that Raydin had told Lily. Stan listened, slowly running a finger down his forehead. He had seen the star there, but had no idea what it was for. He just thought it was some freaky birthmark or something. Now he knew that he was in serious danger. He looked over at Kenny. His face was frozen and devoid of emotion. He looked over at Stan, and their eyes met. Stan attempted a smile, but he knew it was a bad attempt. Kenny just looked so...dead. Like all of his personality had left him. Stan got up and walked over to him and sat down.
"Are you all right?" he asked. Kenny sighed.
"No," he said honestly. "Are you?" Stan shook his head.
"Me either," he said. "This is all just so confusing..." Stan looked up at Yotati.
"When should we leave?" he asked. Yotati walked over to get the other ganglies.
"Now," she said. "The way to the throne room is back here. Come on." The four boys got up and looked at each other and then walked over to the four ganglies, ready to face what was on the other side.
~*~
Stan had talked to her, she was sure of it. That was comforting to her that he was coming, but would he make it to her in time? She looked around the small room she was locked into. There was nothing but a bed in one corner. She walked over to the bed and lay down, sighing. A couple of stray tears rolled down her cheek, and for the first time she was afraid. She clenched her teeth, trying to hold back her fear. She didn't need that now. It was there, though, in the back of her mind, like a rat gnawing on her brain. She was afraid, afraid that when she had finally started a new life for herself that it was all going to be brought to an end. Afraid that she was never going to get to tell Cartman how she felt about him. She lowered her head between her knees, allowing the tears to come. She closed her eyes and focused on her brother, sending him a message that may be her last.
Stan...she thought. Please...if you can't get here in time...tell Cartman that I love him...and Kyle and Kenny too. Tell Mom and Dad that'll miss them, and Shelley that at least I missed her beating session. Bye, Stan...love you...
She ended her thoughts then, the tears still falling freely from her eyes. All she wanted was to be able to see Stan and Cartman again, just once, before this ganglie killed her. She looked up towards the ceiling, sighing.
"God..." she said softly. "If you're there and you really listen to people, then please, help me now..."
Then, she heard them. Footsteps coming towards her room. Her heart quickened in her chest, adrenaline rushing through her. She quivered in fear, but her face was a mask of calmness. She didn't want this dragon to think she was scared of it. She heard him stop outside the door, and she raised her face to meet his.
She screamed when he opened the door.
~*~
Stan heard his sister's cry. He started to run down a corridor that everyone else thought was a dead end.
"Come on, you guys, she's down here!" Stan shouted. "She's in trouble!" Cartman started to run in that direction after him. Kenny and Kyle, along with the four ganglies, were close on their heels. Yotati flew to catch up with him.
"Stan!" she shouted. "Stan, the door's secret, you're not going to know where it-"
Stan had already arrived at the door and knocked it down. Yotati stared at him in stunned shock. He had known exactly where the door was and how to get there. But how? It wasn't the time to ask questions now...
Stan looked in and saw Raydin holding a very large skinning knife. He held Lily in one hand, high above his head. She looked terrified. She looked over and caught his eye.
"STAN!" she shouted in relief. "Oh my God, I'm so-"
"WHAT?" Raydin screeched. He whirled around and was met with Stan. He stood his ground, even though he was scared by the ganglie.
"Put my sister down, Raydin," he ordered. Raydin grinned evilly and started to fly up. He raised Lily high into the air.
"All right," he said, and then dropped her.
"NOO!" Stan shouted. Horror was etched across his face as he watched her fall. She screamed in terror, right as Cartman burst in, along with Kenny and Kyle. They arrived in time to see her hit the ground. There was a terrible thump and all was still. Cartman started to run over to where she was.
"Lily!" he cried. "Oh no..." He got down on the ground at her side. He hugged her body and started to cry.
"No, you can't be dead," he said. "I never got to tell you that I-"
"Time to die, Raydin," a voice interrupted. Stan looked over in shock. It was Kenny! His fists were clenched into tight balls and his head was bowed. When he looked back up, Stan gasped. His star was glowing! A small ray of silver light formed into a ball and placed itself in Kenny's palm. He clenched it and then whispered something to himself. Stan stared in awe as the light grew and released itself in a huge ball towards Raydin. He laughed and easily avoided the beam.
"Is that all, destined one?" he laughed. "Come on, you can do better then that..." Kenny looked over at Stan.
"You have to do it," he whispered. "Only the love from family can defeat him, Stan..." Stan looked over at where Lily lay. Cartman was weeping unabatedly next to her, stroking her hair lightly.
"Oh no..." he said brokenly. "I..." He lowered his head and sobbed. Kyle walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Dude, it's all right, Cartman..." he said softly. Raydin chuckled as he looked down upon them.
"Oh look," he said. "How...disgusting." He casually flicked a scale off his hand with a claw. "Never could stand much for love, except when it's me and Kayla, of course..." Stan suddenly felt a strange power surging through him. The glow started to fill the room again, only much brighter.
"That's it, Stan," Yotati said. "Channel your emotions...let them control you." Stan was suddenly stricken with grief. And, he felt a surge of compassion for Cartman, who for once in his life, actually cared about something. Stan saw his own bright silver ball come out and place itself in his hand. Raydin's eyes widened in fear as he saw the glow.
"No..." he said. "NOOO!" Stan suddenly let go of the ball. It had turned into a huge storm cloud. Water was flying everywhere. Raydin let off a weak retaliation spell to block it, but it was no use. Stan's anger and sadness was much stronger then anything he could have done. The spell hit Raydin, but not before he had let off another spell directly at Stan.
"Watch out, Stan!" Yotati called and leapt in the way of the spell. She took the force of the hit instead and fell to the ground.
"Yotati!" Stan called. She struggled weakly to get up, but it was hopeless.
"Stan..." she gasped. "Come here." He walked over, still watching Raydin grappling with the storm. The storm finally won and it swallowed him up.
The room was then calm. Yotati grabbed onto his hand.
"Yeah?" Stan said softly. "You saved my life, Yotati..." She smiled at him and patted his hand.
"You saved us," she replied. "Now the ganglies can live in peace, without fear of the tyrannical rule of Raydin." She smiled a little and stared up at him.
"Thank you, Stan and Kenny," she said. "It's my time, now..."
"No, Yotati, we can fix it-"
"Good-bye, Stan..." She closed her eyes, her face peaceful. She shuddered once and then lay still. Stan slowly got up and looked around the room. Kyle, Cartman and Kenny were all sitting around Lily's body. Stan sighed and slowly made himself go over there, his feet feeling like lead. Stan felt the tears warm in his own eyes now as he got closer. Kyle looked up at him as he stood over them.
"Hey..." he said. Stan slowly sat down next to him.
"Hi..." he managed. Kyle looked at his friend, concerned.
"Wow Stan, you look terrible," he said. "Are you all right?" Stan sighed.
"No," he said. "I'm not all right." He looked at Lily, still and unmoving on the ground. He shuddered with grief. He lowered his head and started to cry. Cartman looked at her and then at Stan. He ran off, crying himself. He couldn't take one more minute being in there with her body.
"I told her I'd save her," Stan said miserably. "And I couldn't do it..." He reached his hand out and lightly touched her face.
"Lily, I'm so sorry..." he whispered. "I didn't mean it...I love you!" Then, something started to happen. Lily stirred and then opened her eyes.
"Huh?" she said faintly. "What happened?" Stan's eyes widened in shock. She sat up slowly.
"Lily?" he said. The other two boys were stunned into silence. She nodded her head and then gave him a weak smile.
"Who did you think it was, Drew Barrymore?" she said weakly. She tried to get up to her feet but let out a little hiss of pain.
"Ow," she said. "Jesus, that hurts..." She shut her eyes tightly to keep her tears back. Stan grabbed her hand.
"Squeeze," he said. "It'll help get your mind off any pain you have." Lily nodded and started squeezing his hand. He was surprised at her strength.
"Lily, do you think you can get up?" he asked. She shook her head.
"I can't Stan, it hurts..." she said. A few tears slipped down her cheek and she suddenly hugged Stan with all her might.
"I knew you would come for me," she said. "I knew you wouldn't leave me here..." She sighed and gave him a small smile.
"I was so scared," she said. "I was afraid that he was going to kill me..."
"No, Lily, we would have never let him kill you," Stan replied adamantly. "If he had, I would have ripped his heart of his chest and made him eat it before he died. He already died for hurting you, Lily." She looked at him, confused.
"We?" she said. "Who else is here with you, Stan?" Stan smiled.
"The whole gangs here, Lily," he replied. "They helped me find you." Lily let go of her brother and looked around, seeing them for the first time.
"Hi, Lily," Kyle said. "You should have seen Stan, he was so worried..." He hugged her quickly.
"Are you all right, though?" She shrugged.
"I don't think so," she said. "But, don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" She gave him a little smile. Kenny smiled at her and then hugged her.
"Lily, I'm sorry about all those things I said to you," he said. "I thin only with my penis sometimes." She laughed a little and hugged him tight.
"It's all right," she said. She looked around, confused.
"Where's Cartman?" she said. "I thought you said you were all here, Stan..."
"We are!" Stan cried. "Where the hell did Cartman go, anyway?" Kenny got up.
"I'll go find him," he said. "You stay here with Lily." He got up and left the room, looking around. He thought he could hear something from one of the corridors...
He ran down the one that was the source of the sound and sure enough, Eric Cartman was there. He was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall, his face in his hands. He looked really bent out of shape. He was weeping profusely. Kenny racked his brains but couldn't remember another time that Cartman had cried like this. That Cartman ever cried. He walked over and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Cartman looked up, his eyes wide and red from crying.
"Oh...it's only you, Kenny," he said. Kenny grabbed Cartman's hand and pulled him up.
"Come on," he said. "You have to come back to the room." Cartman shook his head.
"I can't Kenny," he said. "I can't stand being in there with..." His voice caught in his throat. "With...Lily in there like that..." Kenny gave him a big smile.
"Cartman...Lily's alive! She wants to see you!" Cartman was frozen for a minute.
"She's alive?" he said. He got up and started to run for the room.
"Lily!" he shouted. "I'm COMING!"
~*~
Lily cocked her head, listening to Cartman.
"Oh, well, that's good to know," she said. "I could have heard him coming even if he didn't yell it out..." Stan, Kyle and Kenny laughed. Cartman burst into the room right then and stopped when he saw her. She looked over at him, her face still radiant although she was in pain. She gave him a small smile.
"Hey," she said softly. Cartman's whole face softened. Stan was surprised in the change of him. Cartman was usually so mean, but ever since he met Lily he...changed.
"Hi Lily," he said and walked over to her. She looked at him and then smiled, tears shining in her eyes.
"Took you long enough," she said tearfully. Cartman leaned over and hugged her tightly.
"Lily," he said. "I'm so sorry about being an asshole...I thought that I was never going see you again..." He held her even tighter.
"I thought I was never going to get to tell you how much I cared about you," he said. Lily pressed her face into his shoulder, crying.
"Me either," she whispered. "I thought I was never going to get to tell you how much I loved you..." She lifted her head and kissed his cheek. Then, Kenny destroyed the moment by clapping.
"Yeah!" he said. "Go Cartman, it's your birthday, go, go, go!" Stan and Kyle snickered. Kenny put his hands on his hips and stood up.
"Well," he said. "Since the 'touching love scene' is over, now what?"
"We take you home," Gangyoké said. He had been standing over the body of his fallen sister, softly weeping. Now, his eyes were dry.
"Come on," he said. "We must leave, quickly." They all rose to leave. Lily tried to get up but failed, letting out a little cry of pain.
"What is it, Lily?" Cartman asked, concerned. She gritted her teeth.
"It's nothing," she said, and tried to rise again. She almost got to her feet when she fell over. She started to cry, furious with herself.
"Lily, what's wrong?" Kyle asked.
"Nothing!" she said. "I'm coming...you guys go without me." Cartman and Stan both shook their heads.
"No," they both said.
"Come on, Lily, you have to get up," Stan said.
"Yeah," Cartman added. Lily pounded her fist on the ground furiously.
"I..." She lowered her head in shame. "I can't."
"You can't?" Kenny asked, walking over. "Why?" Lily sighed.
"Look at my leg, you guys," she said miserably. Stan gasped. It was bent the wrong way and all twisted.
"Jesus, Lily, why didn't you say something before?" he said. She shrugged.
"I didn't want you guys to worry about me more then you already were," she replied. Stan sighed.
"You're incredible," he said. "You're friggin leg's shattered and you were just going to try to get up and walk out of here..." He looked over at Cartman.
"Can you carry her?" he asked. Cartman nodded and gently lifted her up. Lily winced once but was okay after that.
"Are you ready now?" Gangyoké asked. The five nodded and they followed his back out into the hot atmosphere.
"Am I heavy?" Lily asked. Cartman shook his head.
"Not at all," he replied, although it was obvious that he was having a hard time holding her up. Kia came to the rescue.
"I'll take her, Cartman," she said. "You can ride on my back too, if you want." Cartman gladly handed Lily over and Kia placed her on her back. Cartman then climbed up onto the ganglie.
"Stan, Kyle," Gangyoké said. "I'll take you guys."
"Kenny, I guess that means you're stuck with me," Potar said. Kenny laughed as he got up onto his back.
"Haha, I got a ganglie all to myself, you guys," he said. Cartman held Lily in his lap, and Stan and Kyle both desperately clung to the ganglie's tail.
"Are you guys ready?" they called out. The five nodded, and the ganglies took off, bringing them to the surface. They dropped them off in the playground and then were gone. Everyone was still outside, and no one even seemed to be paying attention that they were back.
"Wow, no one seems to care that we were gone for so long," Lily said. Wendy came running over then.
"Lily!" she said. "Wow, I could have sworn that you weren't here a second ago, but I need to talk to you!"
"About what?" she said. Wendy slapped her forehead.
"About who you like, dumbass," she said.
"I can't right now, Wendy," she said. "I...fell off the swing and I've really hurt my leg. I think it's broken." Wendy's eyes widened.
"Oh no!" she said. "Wait right there, Lily, I'll go get Nurse Gollam!" She ran off towards the school. Lily sighed.
"I wonder why no one seemed to notice we were gone?" she said. Stan shrugged.
"The best questions are left unanswered, Lily," he replied. Lily thought. What if everyone's minds had been erased? Then...she shuddered. She didn't want to think of that.
That could be another nightmare.