Author's Letter:

Hello, readers!

First, I would like to apologize for the ultimately long silence. Simple reason: life got in the way. I can list all the things that stole my time, like college, graduation, traveling, and family duties, but those are no excuses. Yes, life does happen, and as writers, it's our responsibility to have writing time fit in with our daily grinds.

I'm deeply sorry.

My deepest sorry goes to Ms. AlyssC01, who's mailed me more than once, encouraging me to continue writing this fanfiction. She knows what I went through the previous months, the part about being shipped into the woods (literally). Now that it's September, both my board exam results and IELTS results came out: I passed them both! Yeah, I'm a nurse now, wee! At the moment, I'm looking for hospital opportunities.

After wrapping up at school, graduation rituals, reviewing for the boards, flying across the world, (from February-July) the nail-biting(July-August) wait and sickness (the longest I've ever been sick! 3 weeks! So that ate up the last weeks of August), I'm back to the writing desk.

Ok, a bit of unsaid 411: I haven't been totally away from this site. I was wrapping up my Narnia fanfictions (one I'm currently trying to write but the Muse for that story seems to be avoiding me at the moment). I hope you read those also. And a friend asked me to write a piece for her to accompany her sketches, and well, writers, you can't really refuse when someone asks for your "help" in writing, right? -guilty me!

I hope you accept my apologies, dear readers.

And now, without further ado, let's fly!

Sincerely,

LSoX

Chapter VI: Energy

The following morning saw Asta back in the throne room again. The Sky Dancers stood around her as they all waited for the queen's next words.

"The Sky Swirl Stone will help you return to your realm," nodded the queen.

"But Queen Skyla," began Camille. "We don't know what pulled her in here in the first place. Shouldn't we find out?"

"Do you believe that's more important than her returning to her home?" the queen placed the question to her Sky Dancers.

"Everything has a reason," Jade stepped forward. "Maybe she's meant to help us," she smiled at Asta. Asta returned the gesture with a shaky grin. Help how? I can't even fly! She screamed in her head.

Then it all started again: the Sky Dancers arguing that Asta's purpose was for the good. One more defender of the Wingdom was always a welcome. Queen Skyla countered their arguments, explaining what Asta couldn't voice out: she had no choice in coming to the Wingdom. As much as she would love Asta to stay and protect the kingdom also, she knew the girl had a family and life of her own, and the queen wouldn't put such a responsibility on Asta.

Asta let out an inaudible sigh. Queen Skyla knew what was in Asta's heart, and for that Asta was forever in her debt. To her then-childhood memories and the present events of now, she held firm to the belief that the queen was both beautiful and wise. Her defense of Asta was example of such traits.

The bells tolled the noon hour, and the company proceeded toward the Great Hall.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" asked Angelica as they climbed down from the throne dais.

"You know I do," smiled Asta. "But there's things I've got to settle in my own world and –"

Asta never finished her sentence. A gray force, loud and mighty, pushed everyone off their feet and surrounded their forms. Asta felt Angelica's and Breeze's hands on her arms, keeping her close and shielding her as much as they could from the unexpected sensation. The deep whirring wails increased in volume then suddenly dropped, the silence a jarring effect on their ears.

"What was that?" Slam shouted as he helped Jade and Queen Skyla to their feet. Camille held the Tinker by his arms, steadying his old form.

Cack-cack-cackle!

They all turned toward the strange sound, like something between a cough and a car engine unable to start.

"Not 'what', dumb Sky Dancer, but 'who'!" came a sinister voice, followed with more cack-sounds. It turned out to be laughter as the round bull's-eye design bounced in and out, catching everyone's gaze. Asta cringed, her eyes watering from the color-clash of black-white-with-green-skin ensemble. She hid her face behind Breeze's chest, rubbing her eyes until they felt normal again.

"You're not welcome here," Queen Skyla's voice rose with anger.

"I wasn't expecting the red carpet, Skyla," sneered Sky Clone. "But I am here to collect."

The way he said the last word made Asta pull away and look at the floating obese man. The tone chilled her to the bone.

"I will never give up the –" fumed Queen Skyla.

"I wasn't going to ask for the stone," snapped Sky Clone. That got an infuriated gasp from the queen and shocked expressions from everyone else. "I never ask, I steal," he cack-ed again. "Besides, I'm looking for something else. To help me is this," and from his belt he produced a small box the size of a deck of cards. He "pushed" it open and something gray slithered out. It soon took form and substance, the gray smoke soon shimmering into metal-iron hands.

"Oh!" cried Asta, recognizing the things. The fear she felt earlier now intensified within her, the ball of fury scratching against the insides of her stomach.

"This is my Energizicon. It harnesses all the power sources it can to make my latest invention, the De-Winger, to activate!" he guffawed, his belly doing a jiggly-up-down bounce with every breath and laugh. "And it senses an energy source nearby, a very-very strong one," he brought his fingertips together as he stared down at the audience in the throne room. "I want it!"

"You can't have the stone!" boomed Breeze. He gently pushed Asta into Angelica's arms as he and Slam rose into the air to attack the Energizicon. To everyone's horror and to Sky Clone's delight, the Sky Dancers' powers had no effect on the hands.

"You're stupid as well," Sky Clone pointed a finger at Breeze. "I already told you I don't want the stone. And yes, your pathetic nature-and-lightning powers don't work on the Energizicon. It's pure energy! It just absorbs your attacks, ha-ha!" he cacked again.

"Whatever you're looking for it's not here," Jade rose into the air as well. She was about to do her power-move of invisibility but the gray hands knocked her out of the air before she could complete her spins. The hands loomed closer, and the Sky Dancers instinctively drew closer to protect the queen.

But the hands were reaching for something else; or rather someone.

"No!" screamed Asta as she felt the gray hands grip around her waist for the second time. She found it harder to draw breath as the grip tightened. She felt the hands shake her in its grasp, her fake wings falling away.

"What's this?" Sky Clones pickle-colored face zoomed up to her face. "No wings! Ahah!" he clapped, then punched his fists in the air in sign of victory. "You're from another dimension! Of course, the travel from there –wherever that is- would create energy buildup in you. And now," he grabbed Asta's jaw with a powerful grip of his own. "I'll harness it!"

Her vision swam before her. Her breaths became shallower, the tight cramp-like sensation from her waist stealing her attention. She pounded her fists against the hands that kept her captive, but nothing happened. Her last conscious memory was of the Sky Dancers rushing toward her but they never caught up.