Chapter 9: Siege of Thorns
"Are you sure you're alright, Clare?" Apple asked.
"I'm fine, damn it!" snapped Clare as she sat in a reclining chair, wrapped in a warm blanket, her feet wearing fluffy slippers and propped on a footstool, a mug of hot chocolate on a nearby table with a lit scented candle, "now stop smothering me!"
After returning to The Base, Apple and the others insisted that Clare take it easy, at which our heroes went a little overboard in the comfort department. First they had her go to her room to rest, but not before a lengthy bubble bath and a massage performed by Dorothea. Upon waking, Clare was greeted by breakfast in bed, followed by a Briar and Ashlynn treating her to a visit to their favorite spa in Book End. Afterwards, Avery insisted that Clare rest even more, which brings us to her current pleasant, albeit overindulged circumstance.
"We're just worried about you," said Madison, "you went through a horrific ordeal."
"An ordeal that I don't remember," said Clare as she shrugged the blanked from her shoulders and kicked off her slippers, "seriously, the last thing I remember was that bitch, Claymore, taunting me with her torture toys. Next thing I remember was being outside. For all I know, that bitch was just messing with me."
"For all we know you were the victim of a whole slew of nightmarish experiments," said Cedar, "she could have taken your brain out and replaced it with something else."
"Are you kidding me!?" Clare exclaimed as she stood up, glaring irately at the living marionette, "if my brain was replaced, I'd know it. And before you even think it, Avery Manning, I am not a Worm!"
"That's exactly what a Worm would say," said Avery, "the enemy had ample opportunity to have a Worm steal your identity then dispose your remains."
"She's human, alright," said Cerise after she sniffed Clare, she then frowned slightly, "although there's something…different, something…I don't know what."
"For the last freaking time, I'm fine!" snapped Clare, "the next person who asks me how I am gets a fist to the face!" She then balled up her left hand into a fist, "got it!?"
"Sheesh, alright already," said Madison as she and the others took a cautious step back from Clare, "honestly, you try to help a friend and you get your head bitten off."
"Oh, now that's not way to remove a head," said Lizzie, "biting leaves such a mess, and quite unsanitary if I may say so."
"We just want you to know that we care," said Apple to Clare, "if you need anything from us…"
"The only thing I need right now is some space to breathe," said Clare, "that and some Worms to squash."
"You may be a bit disappointed on that part," said Dorothea, "there hasn't been any Worm activity since we rescued you."
"Either Cuthbert is playing it safe for now," said Dexter, "or he's planning something big."
"Maybe we scared him and Dr. Claymore off," said Ashlynn hopefully, "maybe they packed up and went back to wherever they came from and took The Worms with them."
"Unlikely," said Connor as he sat across a table from Kitty, the two of them using their recovery time to play holographic versions of board games. "Cuthbert isn't the type to run away so easily."
"And that Dr. Claymore is just plain nuts," said Kitty.
"That's rich, coming from you," said Cerise.
"Hey, even we Wonderlanders have standards," said Kitty.
"It's true," said Maddie as she tried to decide between different brands of tea, "when the chipmunks and sea stars walk with the swallows, even the polar bears have had enough."
"Okay, now you're starting to annoy me," said Clare.
Just then Briar's phone chimed with an incoming message, "it's from my mom!" she said, "and it's got a spell code on it!" she then entered her password, "oh my god! Our castle is under siege by Worms!"
"WHAT!?" exclaimed Apple, Raven and everyone else.
"She just said that her castle is under siege by Worms, duh!" said Maddie.
"My mom says that she's alright and a lot of the locals are safe in the castle," said Briar, "our soldiers have been able to hold the Worms off for now, but there's too many for them to break out and go for help, nor can anyone break through to get in."
"That many?" Daring asked.
"Where does Cuthbert keep getting all these Worms?" Dexter asked.
"He must have some pretty serious connections," said Madison.
"We can figure out the source of The Worms later," said Avery, "right now we've got a siege to break," he then looked at Clare, "you good to go?"
"Abso-fraking-lutely!" said Clare eagerly, "just show me those Worms and I'll ruin them with my righteous fury!"
"Then let's get ready," said Avery, "and save Sleeping Beauty from the big sleep!"
"You got that right," said Briar as she pressed a speed dial number on her phone, "hello, Bobby? I need to get back home pronto…yeah, bring the big, fast carriage, a lot of my friends are coming."
As our heroes prepared to rush to the aid of Briar's mother, Raven couldn't help but look at Clare. Even after hearing Clare's repeated reassurances that she was alright, Raven still sensed that something was wrong, something terribly wrong.
It wasn't long before Avery, Clare, Tobias, Apple, Raven, Briar, Daring, Dexter, Cupid and Blondie were on their way to the realm of Sleeping Beauty, leaving Jeffrey and the others to hold down The Base, being driven by Briar's chauffer in an enormous, very fast hybrid carriage.
"Why would the enemy want to attack your house, Briar?" Cupid asked.
"I don't know and neither does mom," said Briar, "and it's not a house, it's the same castle where every Sleeping Beauty spends her 100 year sleep in. When I fall asleep for 100 years, the same vines that grew before with my mom and her mom and her mom and so on, will start growing again. When my prince comes for me in 100 years, he'll fight his way through the thorny vines, make his way to my room and wake me up with a kiss."
"Yeah, about that," said Clare, "how can you stand the idea of being asleep for decades?"
"I deal with it by living every moment I can before I fall asleep," said Briar.
"Which is why you keep wearing yourself out and falling asleep at really awkward times," said Raven, "seriously, you're going to kill yourself the way you keep pushing yourself day in and day out."
"Hey, I've got to live it up while I can," said Briar.
"But not at the expense of your health and well being," said Tobias. "There's living for the sake of living, but there's also living for the sake of self indulgence. That in itself is a waste of time and energy, a waste of life."
"I don't waste time and energy!" said Briar, "I'm using the time I have to experience all that I can, to be all that I can be, learn all that I can learn and have as much fun as possible."
"Is that all you do with your time and energy?" Tobias asked, "fun?"
"Well, when I'm not at school or studying by myself, or hanging with my friends," said Briar in an uncertain tone, "yeah, I have as much fun as I can."
"I rest my case," said Tobias, "self indulgence."
"Well, what would you have me do with my time?" an annoyed Briar asked.
"Ever consider helping those in need?" Avery asked, "such as volunteering for a cause?"
"There's a whole galaxy of causes you can get involved in," said Cupid, "keeping the environment clean, feeding the hungry, caring for animals and so on."
"Hey, I volunteer at the Book End Animal Shelter," said Briar, "thought not as often as I'd like to. But what's your point?"
"My point," said Tobias, "is that if you don't stop and smell the roses, no pun intended, you'll miss so much more out of life than just one extreme event and wild night of partying after another."
"Okay…that…that was kinda deep," said Briar, "and for your information, when I do go out partying, I always play it safe; no drugs, no booze, no getting past second base."
"Really?" Raven asked, "you've never done…it?"
"I'm saving myself for my one true love," said Briar, "no matter when he comes, be it tomorrow or in a hundred years."
"Well, whoever your true love is and whenever he comes," said Apple, "I hope he's a nice guy."
"I hope so too," said Briar.
"That's something that's been bugging me a bit," said Clare, "if you're the new Aurora, who's supposed to be the new Phillip?"
"I don't know," said Briar, "when I signed The Storybook of Legends, I never saw who I'm supposed to wind up with."
"That's because your one true love hasn't been born, obviously," said Cupid, "that or he's got access to suspended animation technology or something like that. My point is that love, while not always on time, always finds its way. On the other hand, considering how out of whack everyone's destinies have become, your one true love might be hiding in plain sight."
"Maybe," said Briar. She then looked at Avery and Tobias, "maybe."
A short time later found the hybrid carriage cresting a ridge that overlooked the realm of Sleeping Beauty, a sprawling landscape of farms and villages with an enormous castle whose walls were covered with rose vines, while said castle surrounded by Salis Worms.
"That's a lot of bugs," said Blondie as she took a picture of the besieging horde of Worms with her mirror tablet.
"How are we going to get through all those Worms?" Dexter asked.
"We should at least get closer before we decide our method of assault," said Tobias as he used a pair of binoculars to examine the throngs of Worms, "find the least concentrated point of their lines, then distract the main force with a well placed diversion and then break through the weak point."
"Or we could form a weak point," said Cupid as she fitted her arrows with high explosive heads, "just get me within bowshot range," she then winked at Tobias and Avery, "I'll leave the rest to you two big boys."
"Sounds like a winner to me," said Raven. She then pulled out a notebook and flipped it to a desired page, "I've got a spell or two that can make an even bigger bang."
"Bigger is better," said Cupid as she smiled eagerly.
It wasn't long before our heroes had reached a rosebush thicket within a hundred yards of the Worm horde.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Briar asked both Cupid and Raven, "not that I doubt your marksmanship, Cupid, but if your arrows are as potent as I think they are, then one stray shaft and my castle's insurance company will go berserk."
"Trust me," said Cupid, "unless I'm having a really bad day, I never miss my mark, unless that bad kitty Toralei is nearby, but she's back home so I don't see any real problem." She then held out her exploding arrows to Raven, "pick one for luck."
Raven selected the one in the middle and cast her spell over it, causing the arrow to glow bright purple for a few seconds, "that'll shake things up for the Worms," said Raven as she handed the arrow back to Cupid, whom nitched it to her bow and took aim, raising her bow up for an arcing shot, drew back and released. The arrow arced into the air towards the throngs of Worms. Just as the arrow reached the peak of its flight and began arcing down, it then split into three arrows, then nine, then twenty seven, then finally eighty one before the arrows reached their targets
The arrows hit eighty one Worms and each exploded with enough force to destroy several nearby Worms, triggering a chain reaction in which the exploded Worms caused those near them to explode as well.
"This is so cool it's boiling hot and freezing at the same time," said Blondie as she recorded the unfolding chain reaction with her mirror tablet, "not too hot, not too cold but just right."
"As my grandmother told me," said Avery as he pointed at the sun, "'explosions fix everything.'"
"I thought Nabeshin said that," Cupid remarked.
"He did," said Avery, "but my grandmother said it first."
When the blasts and smoke cleared, only a handful of disoriented Salis Worms were still standing.
"We made quite a wonderful mess of this siege," said Clare, "so how about we take out the trash?" with that her Henshin Brace appeared on her wrist, while her TheBee Zector above her head, which she caught with her free hand.
"My thoughts exactly," said Avery as his Rider Belt appeared around his waist and he caught the Kabuto Zector in his hand.
"There really is no such thing as a clean battlefield," said Tobias as his Sasword Yavier appeared in his hand, while Sasword Zector burrowed its way from under the ground near him.
STANDBY
"Then again," said Tobias, "a battlefield swept clean of the enemy is a battlefield well fought," he then caught Sasword Zector as it scurried up his body, "Henshin!" he then snapped Sasword Zector into place on his blade.
"Henshin!" said Avery as he and Clare clicked their Zectors into place on their transformation devices.
HENSHIN
With a triple wave of energy hexagons, the three became Kabuto, TheBee and Sasword.
"Let's show these things that they can't make trouble!" said TheBee. With that she, Kabuto and Sasword rushed at the staggering Salis Worms, punching, kicking and stabbing the creatures before they could defend themselves.
"I almost feel sorry for those things," said Daring as he eyed his reflection in the blade of his borrowed sword.
"Those things want to wipe out every human on the planet," said Blondie, "and who knows how many they've already killed? Seriously, I'd like to know so my readers can know."
"At least we've stopped a bunch from killing anyone else," said Apple, "but no one is safe until they're all gone."
"Even then we won't be safe," said Raven, "not so long as Cuthbert and the rest of The Obsidian Council is on the lose."
"We'll stop them, somehow," said Dexter.
It wasn't long before Kabuto, TheBee and Sasword had destroyed all but three of the remaining besieging Worms. But then the three Molted, becoming gray and brown Aphid-like creatures that accelerated and vanished.
"They Clocked Up!" said TheBee as she brought her hand to the wings on her Zector to initiate her own Clock Up, "after them before they get away!"
"Wait!" said Kabuto. He then released his Zector from his belt, powering down to his normal attaire.
"Are you out of your freaking mind!?" TheBee exclaimed at Avery.
"I often wonder that myself," said Sasword.
"We can deal with those Worms later," said Avery.
"No, we'll deal with them now!" said TheBee irately, "now before we completely lose track of them!"
"We have something more important to do first," said Avery. He then pointed to the castle whose siege they had recently relieved, "there may be people in there who need help."
"Good god, he's right," said Sasword. He then released his Zector from his sword, powering down. "He's right, Clare," said Tobias, "we have a responsibility to…"
"To hell with responsibility!" snapped TheBee, "our mission is to destroy Worms, hopefully before they inflict further collateral damage!"
"Our mission is to also help those who need help!" said Avery forcibly, "not to recklessly chase after every single Worm when there could be people who need our help!"
At that TheBee looked as if she was going to say 'the hell with it,' and chase after the fleeing Aphid Worms. But she then sighed with resignation and powered down.
"Alright," said Clare in a voice heavy with unease, "let's go help some innocent bystanders."
"Great," said Dexter, "now all we have to do is knock on the front door of the castle."
"No need," said Briar as she indicated the opening front gates of her home. Rushing out, surrounded by bodyguards, was a woman in her early 40's with long, straight dark blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a periwinkle blue and white dress.
"Is that…Aurora?" Tobias asked.
"The current Sleeping Beauty," said Apple, "Rosemary Beauty."
"Mommy!" exclaimed Briar happily as she rushed ahead and was met with a warm embrace by Rosemary Beauty.
"Oh, my darling Briar!" exclaimed Rosemary, "I'm so glad you're alright."
"I'm glad you're okay too, Mommy!" said Briar, "oh, I want you to meet my friends. You already know Apple, but there's also…"
"I know of your friends, my darling," said Rosemary, she then eyed Raven suspiciously, "epically young Raven, the one who dared to break tradition."
At that Raven glared defiantly at Rosemary, "I did what I believe is right and I'll standby my beliefs until the bitter end. If you got a problem with that, that's your prerogative, just don't try to change me. I'm so sick of people trying to tell me what I can and can't do, what my destiny is supposed to be and that I have no choice in my life. In fact, the next person who tries to tell me how I'm supposed to live my life, I'll…"
"Whoa, hold it back a second!" said Rosemary as she held up her hands in a placating manner, "I'm not trying to change you. In fact, I want to shake your hand," she then held out her right hand.
"Oh, well, okay, I guess," said a slightly unsure Raven as she shook Rosemary's hand, "nice to meet you."
"Likewise," said Rosemary, "it's about time someone stood up to that pompous, smug jackass of a headmaster. Does he still go berserk whenever someone says the word 'choice?'"
"I wouldn't call his outbursts going berserk, but yeah," said Raven, "he does throw a tantrum."
"And he's been suppressing the media," said Blondie irately, "say what you will about me, but he deserved to have that mental breakdown. Spreading likes, it's just not right at all! THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD!"
"Dear me," said Rosemary, "what an outburst."
"Uh…yeah," said Briar as she and the others stared at Blondie, "anyway, Mommy, these are more of my friends…" She then introduced Dexter, Daring, Cupid, Blondie, Avery, Clare and Tobias.
"It's an honor and a privilege to meet you, Queen Sleeping Beauty," said Tobias, "I mean, Queen Aurora…I mean…"
"Just call me Rosemary," said Briar's mother, "any friend of my daughter is a friend of mine."
"Cool, we're all friends now," said Clare in an impatient tone, "is there anyone in the castle who needs help?"
"Not really," said Rosemary, "nearly everyone in the outlying villages were unharmed, while the castle defenders suffered very few casualties. In fact, no one has been killed, only minor wounds, and…"
"Fantastic!" said Clare eagerly. She then brought two fingers to her lips and blew a long whistle. From out of nowhere revved in her motorcycle, which she quickly got on, "I'm going after those Aphid Worms. Catch you all later!" she revved her bike up and rode out of the area.
"And they say you've got a death wish," said Avery as he looked at Briar. With that he let out a long whistle and his bike rode in from out of nowhere.
"Wait, how'd you do that!?" Raven asked as Avery got onto his motorcycle.
"Can you keep a secret?" Avery asked as he revved his motorcycle engine.
"Yes," said Raven.
"So can I," said Avery. He then gunned his motorcycle and rode out of the area.
"Our motorcycles can be summoned via a dimensional corridor," said Tobias as he and the others watched Avery ride off after Clare, "one of the many quirks endowed to us by The Alabaster Council."
"Well, that explains it, I guess," said Raven.
"I guess so," Apple. She then looked at Rosemary, "now, about those wounded?" she then held up her first aid kit, "I'm sure any additional help would be greatly appreciated."
"That they would," said Rosemary. She then looked at Briar, "but what's this about you having a death wish?"
"It's nothing, Mommy," said Briar as she glared irately at Tobias, "nothing, just a joke my friends started."
"Oh, don't try to lie to me," said Rosemary in a disapproving manner, "I know all about your living it up before you take your long nap. And I must say, I'm not pleased with your choice of activities."
"What am I doing that's making you so upset?" Briar asked.
"Are you kidding?!" Rosemary exclaimed, "extreme sports, sports that are beyond extreme, unnecessary risks for the sake of an adrenaline rush, all night partying with strangers, and don't think I don't know that you've gotten to second base."
At that Briar blushed heavily, "I was hopping you didn't know that."
"As soon as things calm down," said Rosemary, "we're going to have a nice long talk about what's acceptable and not. I understand that you want to get the most out of life before you fall under the enchanted sleep, but there's living life to the fullest, and then there's just plain stupidity." She then looked at Apple, Raven and the others, "but first let's get you settled and see to the wounded."
A short while later found Apple and the others in the castle infirmary, helping those who had suffered various minor to moderate wounds during the Worm Siege, when Tobias received a call on his phone. "It's from Avery," he said as he put the call on speakerphone.
"We lost track of the Aphid Worms," said Avery.
"I told you!" shouted Clare, "I told you! I freaking told you!"
"Clare! Not now!" snapped Avery. "sorry, Tobias, everyone"
"Just tell us what happened," said Raven.
"We followed the trail of the Aphid Worms to a river and then lost it," said Avery, "the tracks didn't pick up anywhere else on either side of the river for miles."
"I'd have caught them if you'd let me chase after them in the first place!" Clare snapped.
"Clare, this is hardly the best time to have an argument," said Avery in an annoyed tone.
"Maybe the Worms flew away," said Apple, "Aphids can fly, you know."
"That's a distinct possibility," said Avery, "but for now we're heading back to the castle to regroup."
"We'll keep the door unlocked for you," said Tobias, "over and out!"
"Well, that was a bit anticlimactic," said Rosemary.
"Just be glad that the enemy is gone for now," said Raven, "they'll be back, but things are quiet for now."
"Too quiet if you ask me," said Daring.
"What do you mean?" Raven asked.
"Well," said Daring, "if I were in Cuthbert's shoes, not that I would want to be in his shoes. I mean, seriously, the man clearly needs a new tailor."
"Yeah, we know that," said Raven.
"You were saying about what Cuthbert would do," said Briar.
"Yes, right," said Daring, "well, if I were Cuthbert, I'd try a bit of subterfuge and cunning."
"He's been doing that ever since we first ran into the son of a motherless goat," said Tobias, "he's never used the same tactic twice."
"Exactly," said Daring, "this time he might try the old bait and switch."
"Bait and switch," said Raven.
"Aphids are a relatively harmless insect," said Apple.
"Are you kidding me!?" Briar exclaimed, "Aphids are almost as bad as locusts!"
"Aphids suck the life from plants," said Rosemary, "they're the enemy of farmers and gardeners across time and space."
"Then…wait…" said Raven as she stood up, "I think…" she then called The Base, "Dorothea, can you focus the scanners on Sleeping Beauty's kingdom? Specifically any agricultural area; farms, gardens and even forests while ignoring human habitation."
"It's possible to apply such specifics to the scanners," said Dorothea, "though I don't know why you'd want to. Worms go after humans, not plants."
"Just do it," said Raven, "I've got a hunch on this."
"Okay," said Dorothea, "I'm implementing the filters…scanning…holy crap! There's three Worms nearby, less than half a kilometer due south of the castle!"
"That's the remains of the thorn forest the evil fairy cast around the castle," said Rosemary.
"But what would the enemy want with a patch of thorny vines?" Apple asked.
"Something terrible," said Raven, "we've got to get there now!"
A short time later found Apple, Raven, Daring, Dexter, Briar, Cupid and Tobias as the remains of the vines that had surrounded the castle for a hundred years. Yet the vines were dieing, as if the life had been sucked out of them.
"I was right!" said Raven, "those Aphid Worms did this!"
"But why?" Briar asked, "not that I don't mind someone getting rid of the vines, but why?"
Just then the ground began to shake violently as Negative Roots burst out from the soil, spreading their corruption as they wormed in and out of the ground. Everyone turned around and saw a Negative Plant rapidly rising out of the ground near the castle.
"That's why!" said Raven.
They raced back towards the castle, careful to avoid even a glancing touch from the corrupting roots. They reached the castle and saw that the Negative Plant, now over a hundred feet tall, had been planted in a nearby rose thicket, the bushes that had once sported exquisitely beautiful roses had been uprooted and was rotting away.
"Those roots destroy everything they touch!" snapped Briar.
"Then let's kill this thing before it hurts anything else!" said Raven as she powered up a fireball. She threw it at the towering Negative Plant, but the fireball hit an energy barrier and fizzled out.
"Sorry, Nightdancer," said Cuthbert as he appeared nearby, "but not this time."
"Cuthbert," said an irate Raven, "you won't get away with this scheme of yours!"
"And what scheme would that be?" Cuthbert asked.
"You laid siege to the castle, but it was just a means to an end," said Raven, "you sacrificed a horde of Worms in order to draw us out here so we could destroy that horde, forcing the last few to Molt and run away, leading Avery and Clare after them. But the Aphid Worms concealed their tracks and double backed to the castle, then sucked the life out of the thorn forest. They then used the remnants of the evil fairy's curse within the thorny vines to fuel the Negative Plant, forcing it to grow faster."
"Brilliant deduction, Nightdancer," said Cuthbert as he clapped mockingly, "truly brilliant."
"And you thought of that all by yourself?" Cupid asked, "and I thought Ghoulia was the smartest."
"Well, I wouldn't say that I'm a genius," said Raven modestly, "it just all seemed like the evil plan my mother would do."
"Or something you would do, Nightdancer," said Cuthbert, "your inner darkness is thriving in your heart, yet you continue to deny your true self."
"So long as I have people who care about me, whom I care about," said Raven defiance, "I'll never give in to my inner darkness. And I'll never go with you, Cuthbert!"
"So you can take your Worms and Negative Plants and eat them!" said Dexter.
"No thank you, I'm on a diet," said Cuthbert. Just then the three Aphid Worms and about a score of Salis Worms appeared next to him, "but since we're all here, I think I'll indulge my appetite for destruction!"
"I'll teach you to make references to popular culture!" said Cupid as she fitted an exploding arrow to her bow, took aim at Cuthbert, drew back and released.
Cuthbert then grabbed the arrow out of midair before it hit him, "oh please," he said extreme contempt, "we've been through this before!" He then grabbed the arrowhead and crushed it, the arrowhead letting out a soft explosion and a feeble amount of smoke between his fingers, then Cuthbert tossed the remains of the shaft aside.
"What kind of monster are you?" an astonished Cupid asked.
"The kind that has very little patience with rebellious teenagers," said Cuthbert. He then charged up a sphere of dark magic and threw it at Cupid too fast for her to react.
But then Tobias got in front of Cupid and cut the dark sphere in half with his Sasword Yavier, "you won't be slaying any demigods today, you field!" he said defiantly, while Sasword Zector jumped from the ground into his waiting hand.
"You…you saved me," said Cupid as she looked at Tobias with adoring eyes.
"That I did, my lady," said Tobias, "that I did. Henshin!" he then clicked Sasword Zector into place on his sword.
HENSHIN
A wave of energy hexagons transformed him into Sasword. He then pressed the tail of his Zector down, causing energy to crackle across his body as his armor segments separated, "Cast off!" he said as he pressed the tail all the way down.
CAST OFF
His armor segments blasted away from the body, some of them hitting and destroying the Salis Worms, while the Aphid Worms dodged the segments and Cuthbert protected himself with a personal shield spell.
CHANGE: SCORPION
"Shall we dance?" Sasword asked as he assumed a fighting stance.
"Thank you, no," said Cuthbert, "I'm not that fond of dancing."
Just then came the double revving of two motorcycles as the masked forms of Kabuto and TheBee rode inn. Cuthbert barely avoided being run over by the two bikes, which screeched to a halt next to Sasword.
"We figured that the enemy pulled a fast one," said Kabuto as he and TheBee dismounted.
"I'm pissed I didn't see it," said TheBee, "so I'll take my anger out on you, Cuthbert!" She then flipped the wings on her Zector, while Kabuto flipped the horn on his, causing their armor segments to separate.
"Cast Off!" shouted both Kabuto and TheBee as the former clicked his Zector horn all the way while the later flipped her Zector 180° around.
CAST OFF
Their armor segments blasted away. Cuthbert got his shield up in time and two of the Aphid Worms dodged the segments, but the third was pummeled by the segments and exploded.
CHANGE: BEETLE
CHANGE: WASP
"Now this is my idea of a party," said Kabuto, "three on three!"
"In that case I'll get the party started!" said Cuthbert. He then looked at the two remaining Aphid Worms, "get them!" with that the two Aphid Worms accelerated and rushed at Kabuto and TheBee.
"Clock Up!" shouted both Kabuto and TheBee as they pressed the button on their belts.
CLOCK UP
Accelerating into hyper time, Kabuto and TheBee engaged the Aphid Worms in lightning fast combat so fast they were barely visible.
"Just you and me, arachnid boy!" said Cuthbert as he summoned a black saber and assumed a fighting stance.
"Your move, fiend!" said Sasword. With that he and Cuthbert rushed at each other and exchanged sword strikes, each seeking an opening yet finding their attacks and blocks evenly matched.
"Why doesn't he Clock Up and shred Cuthbert into ribbons?" Daring asked, "aside from the bloody mess it'll leave."
"He wants this to be a fair fight," said Dexter, "don't you see, big brother? Tobias has his own code of honor, one that won't allow him to have an unfair advantage in a one-on-one battle."
"How's that fair?" Briar asked, "Cuthbert's going to cheat. Villains like him always cheat!"
"I know," said Dexter, "but Tobias is still going to fight fair."
"It's the only way his honor will let him," said Apple, "for a man without his sense of honor is no man at all."
"He's so…so…honorable!" said Cupid as she looked at Sasword with love in her eyes.
"Oh, she's crushing on Tobias, big time," said an eagerly grinning Briar.
"We can worry about that later," said Raven urgently, "right now we've got to deal with that!" she then pointed at the still growing Negative Plant, now approaching two hundred feet tall.
"How are we going to get through that shield?" Dexter asked.
"I'm working on it," said Raven as she flipped through her notebook, "I'm trying to find my notes on shield spells and how to break them."
"Could we tunnel under the shield?" Briar asked.
"It'd take too long," said Apple, "and the shield could be deep underground as well."
"Hang on," said Raven as she found the desired page, "I think I've got it."
"You think?" Daring asked.
"Well, I'm kinda having trouble reading my handwriting," said Raven as she pointed at the page.
"But you wrote it down!" said an exasperated Dexter.
"Yeah, well," said Raven, "when I wrote it down, I was kinda ticked at how everyone was telling me I had no choice over my destiny," she then looked at Apple, "you especially."
"Oh, well, sorry," said Apple. She then pulled out and put on her reading glasses, "let me see it, maybe I can read what you can't."
"You sure you want to mess around with dark magic?" Daring asked.
"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," said Apple as she looked up at the still growing Negative Plant, "it could start spreading its spores any minute now!" With that she and Raven poured over the later's notes, with Apple here and there pronouncing a word that Raven couldn't understand.
But then they heard Briar cry out in fright. Apple, Raven, Daring, Dexter and Cupid looked and saw that a Negative Root had grabbed Briar by her ankle and caused her to fall down.
"Get it off of me!" Briar shouted as the vile tendril wound itself around her calf and up to her knee, "get it off! GET IT OFF!"
"Hang on!" shouted Raven as she powered up a fireball and concentrated it like a blowtorch and knelt down to cut the root off.
"No! Wait!" shouted Daring, "the taint, remember!"
"That's right," said Raven as she canceled her torch spell, "if I cut it off, it could infect Briar."
"Then don't cut it off," said Briar as the root wound its way up to her waist, "just get it off of me!"
"Just hold on!" said Daring as he put on a pair of gloves and grabbed the leading point of the root and tried to unwind it from Briar. But the tendril fought back with the strength and ferocity of a constricting snake, resisting his efforts as it continued to creep up and around Briar.
"If only Frankie were here," said Cupid as Dexter, now wearing gloves, added his efforts to free Briar, but to no avail. "She'd zap that thing into submission."
"Zap," said Raven, "like electricity?"
"Yes," said Cupid, "on the other hand, zapping might hurt Briar. If only Venus were here."
"Zapping's good enough for me!" said Briar as the root reached her shoulders.
"Brace yourself!" said Raven. She then shot a bolt of purple lightning at the root, striking it at the thickest part above ground. The vile tendril let out a shriek of pain and rapidly unwound itself from Briar, retreating underground with surprising speed.
"It worked!" said an overjoyed Apple, "Briar, are you alright!?"
"I feel like I need to take a long, long shower," said Briar as Daring and Dexter helped her up. She looked and saw that her outfit had acquired a purple stain where the vile root touched it, while Daring and Dexter's gloves had also been stained.
"Did any of it touch your skin?" Raven asked.
"I don't think so," said Briar.
"Better safe than sorry," said Raven. She then cast a spell that summoned a privacy curtain, while also summoning a sizable fire nearby, "get behind and burn your outfit."
"Gladly," said Briar as she stepped behind the privacy curtain. Within seconds, she tossed her outfit into the fire, which flared up instantly.
Raven then changed the privacy curtain into a portable shower with a rose themed curtain, at which Briar turned the water on and began scrubbing herself thoroughly. Raven then summoned a set of pajamas and a bathrobe on a hovering hanger.
"She'll be alright," said Raven, she then looked at Apple, "where were we?"
"Right here," said Apple as she held Raven's notebook, pointing at a spell, "I think this is the one."
Raven looked at the page and nodded, "yes, that's the one!" she then pointed at the towering Negative Plant, whose flower was on the verge of opening. Raven then shouted a spell, sending a beam of her magic that shattered the shield. The then summoned a fireball and threw it at the vile plant, igniting it and reducing it to ashes in seconds, while the roots were also reduced to nothing, with only their telltale stain on the ground as proof of their existence.
"And that's that," said Raven. She and the others then heard two explosions as Kabuto and TheBee returned to normal time.
"Is it over?" Briar asked as she finished tying her bathrobe.
"Almost," said Dexter as he and the others saw that Cuthbert and Sasword were still fighting.
"Need any help, Tobias?" Kabuto shouted, yet Sasword was too engrossed in his duel to hear him.
"I think we should help," said TheBee.
"No, his honor is on the line," said Daring.
"Oh, and what do you know about honor?" TheBee asked.
"A lot more than you do, obviously," Daring said irately.
"We'll see about that," said TheBee, "I'm going to finish this mess here and now." With that she started towards the fight between Cuthbert and Sasword.
…The Enemy Base…
"Is that so?" Dr. Claymore asked as she, Drs. Falchion, Stiletto and Scimitar, watched the fight between Cuthbert and Sasword on a hologram projector in their lab, while Apple, Raven and the others were displayed on a second projector, "well then," at that Dr. Claymore pulled out a remote control device, then made the second hologram focus on TheBee, "have a taste of this!" she then adjusted some controls on the remote and pressed a big black button on it.
…Outside Sleeping Beauty castle…
All of a sudden TheBee cried out in agony an clutched at her head.
"Clare!?" exclaimed Raven, "what's wrong?" she, Apple and Kabuto hurried towards TheBee, whom was now shouting at the top of her lungs. But then she stopped and without warning, delivered a punch to Kabuto's head that knocked him to the ground.
"Clare!" exclaimed Raven, only for TheBee to grab Raven by the left arm and twist it hard enough for her radius and ulna to break. She fell to the ground, screaming in agony as she clutched her assaulted arm.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Dexter as he, Daring, Briar and Cupid got over their shock at the sudden turn of events.
"Apple, get away from her!" shouted Daring as he, Cupid and Dexter rushed in and stood between Apple and TheBee, while TheBee stalked towards them.
"She's gone crazy or something!" said Cupid as she knocked and arrow to her bowstring.
But then TheBee pressed the button on her belt, "Clock Up," she said in a neutral tone.
CLOCK UP
Accelerating into hyper time, TheBee easily knocked Dexter, Daring and Cupid aside.
CLOCK OVER
TheBee then walked closer to Apple, whom was slowly backing away as fear began to take over.
"Clare, this…this isn't you," said Apple as terrified sweat began to break across her brow, "whatever's happened to you, you've got to fight it. I know you don't want to hurt me."
As if in response, TheBee lunged at Apple, her hands outstretched to strangle the daughter of Snow White without mercy.
But then Sasword rushed in and tackled TheBee, while Kabuto got back up and helped Sasword restrain TheBee.
"What in the seven hells has gotten into you, Clare!?" exclaimed Sasword as he and Kabuto struggled to hold TheBee down.
"Well, isn't this a welcoming twist of fate?" Cuthbert asked as he smiled smugly, "friends turning against each other. Dr. Claymore delivered on her promise. I shall have to do her a kindness someday." But then he was forced to cast a shield spell to block the fireball that Raven threw at him with her good hand.
"What did you do to Clare!" Raven shouted through gritted teeth as she tried to ignore the pain in her left arm, which hang limply at her side, while another fireball charged up in her right hand.
"Absolutely nothing," said Cuthbert as he held up his hands in a disarming gesture, "though I do wish I could take credit for this betrayal."
Just then TheBee knocked Kabuto and Sasword away from her, allowing her to stand up. She then pressed the button on her Zector, "Rider Sting," she said in a neutral tone.
RIDER STING
She then delivered a charged punch to Sasword. He barely got his blade up to deflect the punch but the force of the blow was powerful to knock him down, sparks flying from his armor as he hit the ground and his transformation reversed, leaving Tobias, scratched and bruised, on the ground.
"Tobias!" shouted Cupid as she rushed to him, cradling his battered body in her arms.
"What is wrong with you, Clare!?" Kabuto demanded.
But TheBee stood where she was, looking at her hands as if she just realized what she had done. She then Clocked Up and vanished, leaving our heroes and Cuthbert in stunned silence for a few seconds.
"Well, that was exciting," said Cuthbert, "but I must dash, paperwork to fill out and phone calls to make." He then summoned a shimmering gray doorway, "I hope your arms gets better real soon, Nightdancer, wouldn't want to deliver you to The Obsidian Council as damaged goods after all." With that he stepped through the doorway, which vanished after her.
"What just happened?" Briar asked.
"I…don't know," said Raven. She then winced and cried out in pain and clutched at her broken forearm.
"Don't touch it!" said Apple as she rushed over, "you could puncher a major blood vessel, and you remember what happened with your Femoral Artery, right?"
"Yeah, that wasn't fun," said Raven through gritted teeth, "I'll be alright, but what about Tobias?"
"Just a few scratches and bruises," said Apple, "he's in good hands."
Raven then saw that Tobias, still in Cupid's arms, was smiling up at the demigoddess of love, while she was smiling down at him, their hands clasped together warmly.
"I don't understand," said Kabuto. He then powered down to his normal attire, "how is this possible?" Avery asked, "How could Clare betray us like this?"
"I don't know," said Blondie as she emerged from cover, "but I've got the whole thing recorded," she then held up her mirror tablet.
"We're going to find out what happened to Clare," said Apple as she prepared to set Raven's broken bones, "and we're going to find her, and bring her home."
…The Enemy Base…
"Wouldn't you like to know, hero boy," said Dr. Claymore smugly. She then looked at her fellow Foundation X scientists, "well, my fellow followers of dark science, I'd say that this little experiment was a smashing success."
"Yes, and quite the surprising one at that," said Dr. Stiletto dryly.
"So, you truly are in control of Clare Lawson?" Dr. Scimitar asked, "that you have one of the Riders at your beck and call?"
"Well, not completely," said Dr. Claymore, "the calibration for the controlling implant only reached 84% before those meddling pests butted in on my work, while the serum I injected into Clare's heart, the refined essence of a Negative Seed, that needs several days to fully corrupt her inner goodness and turn her into a creature of pure evil. But in time, we will have the perfect Dark Rider under our control."
"You mean under your control!" Dr. Stiletto snapped.
"She meant under the control of Foundation X," said Dr. Falchion. He then glared at Dr. Claymore, "isn't that so?"
"Yes, Dr. Falchion," said Dr. Claymore, "very much so, Dr. Falchion." she then made the hologram projector find and focus on Clare, whom was now miles away from the castle of Sleeping Beauty, riding away on her motorcycle at top speed.
"Run while you still have free will, little wasp," said Dr. Claymore to the image of Clare, "enjoy it, for soon you will be the undisputed property of Foundation X!"
…The End Is Just The Beginning…