The Sisters' Story - Chapter 3
"We must find Apep. He'll stop at nothing to possess the Essence of Power stone." Aidan said.
The girls flew through the air. The mice followed on their bikes.
"But how do we find it?" Modo asked.
"With this." Avani replied, taking out a crystal necklace shaped like a leaf, "Father gave it to me before he died. It's a life amulet. It will lead us straight to the stone."
"Hey, isn't that Charley-girl?" Vinnie asked.
The girl in question was walking down the sidewalk and looking around.
"Hey, Sweetheart!" Vinnie called out.
She turned around to see the mice and the girls land a few feet from the curb next to her.
"Charley-ma'am, where've you been?" Modo asked.
"Yeah, we thought you were going to the store to get some dogs and root beer." Vinnie said.
"Oh, I was. Just got lost." She replied.
"How? You ride these streets everyday." Throttle said.
"I'm tired." She replied, then to Vinnie, "Could you take me home, dear?"
"Dear?" Throttle asked, glancing over at Modo with a puzzled look.
"Poor girl's delirious." Modo teased.
As Vinnie led her passed Aidan, strange images passed through her mind.
"Strange. Why did I sense a dark force just now?" Avani thought, suspiciously eying the auburn- haired girl Vinnie was now helping onto his bike.
Meanwhile the real Charley looked around hopelessly inside the glass cage for a way out. She saw Apep approach with a tray. She suddenly had an idea. He opened the cage and entered.
"Breakfast!" he beamed. On the tray was a blue ceramic bowl of a steaming concoction with a silver spoon next to it. There was also a ceramic tea kettle and mug.
"Great! What'd you make?" She said.
"Boiled ground millet and elderberry tea. My favorite." He replied, grinning from ear to ear, "I told you I'd make a good husband."
"The breakfast of champions." Charley said. Then smiling brightly.
"Could you pour me some hot water for my tea, dear husband?" She asked, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.
He glanced at her for a minute. Then smiled.
"Of course." He replied, pouring the water.
With his back turned, Charley picked up the bowl of hot millet. Apep turned back only to have it flung into his face. He screamed as the hot liquid burned him. Charley ran out shutting the door and locking Apep into the cage.
"What're you doing? Let me out!" Apep shouted.
Charley was soon outside and found her truck parked outside an alley. She got her keys out of the glove compartment and started it up.
"I gotta find the guys!" She thought, driving down the street. Praying she wasn't too late.
Meanwhile, the mice and the princesses continued towards the Last Chance Garage.
"We are sorry to have gotten you into this, friends." Avani said, sadly.
"Don't be. Just another day in our line of work." Throttle replied.
"Saving the world from imminent destruction is what we do." Vinnie said.
"Yeah, we face space villains all the time. A big flying snake ain't nothing we can't handle." Modo said.
"He wasn't always like that." Aidan sighed,"He was our uncle."
Flashback
"He was our father's advisor of financial affairs in the kingdom of Arialis. One day, farmers from the Purple plains came to visit our father. A drought had plagued their kingdom. It hadn't rained in days.
"Please help us, O'king. Our crops are dying." One of the farmers said.
"My daughters and I will come at once." King Snowden replied.
"Snowden, May I remind you that our kingdom is at war with the neighboring kingdom of Grooden. We must use the Essence stone to conquer our enemies before they attack us." Anawin told him.
"Brother, I am well aware of that but the needs of my people must come first before anything else. They showed kindness to me when I first settled here. As to the kingdom of Grooden, I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement without there having to be any fighting or bloodshed at all. Come, daughters."
"We accompanied Father to the village of the Plains people. With the Essence stone's power, the skies began to rain again saving their crops."
"Apep was furious. He wanted to possess the power of the stone. He tried to steal it. We confronted him."
"Apep, what is the meaning of this?" The king asked.
"You're a fool, Snowden! You could've been the greatest ruler in the land but no. You chose to use the stone to help peasants! But I won't make that same mistake!" He cackled, holding up the stone.
"Brother, your thoughts are evil. You must not use the stone. The power will corrupt and then kill you." Snowden pleaded.
"Quiet! I know what I'm doing. The power! It's incredible. I can feel it surging through me! Yes!" he cried.
"Aidan, quickly! A fire-force field around us!" Snowden said.
"Yes, Father." She replied, producing a glowing orb of pure light.
"I-No! What's happening to me?" Apep exclaimed, putting his hands to his face, then gasping at his hands. They looked they were made of snake skin! He glanced at his face in a looking glass as a snake-like creature stared back at him! Apep dropped the stone.
"I'm a-a-monster!"
Father picked up the stone.
"I am sorry. You are banished from this place never to return." He said.
The stone turned him into the twisted and hideous creature you see now. Father sent the stone into the human world to keep Apep from obtaining it.
End Flashback
"We were sent to find and retrieve the stone. Apep learned it was here and now he's after it. He mustn't have it or this world as well as our own is in danger." Eira said.
Suddenly Avani's amulet began to emulated an unearthly aura.
"My amulet! Look! It's pointing! But where?"
It was suspended in mid-air and was now pointing at a large stone building.
"It must be the Essence stone. Father said the amulet would lead us to it." Avani said.
"It's pointing to Quigley Field!" Throttle said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get it!" Aidan said.