Shadow Face Off
By: KidHeart4
Duke:
With everyone off doing their own thing it had been rather quiet that morning. Wildwing and Tanya were tinkering with some new gear she'd been designing. Grin was mediating in his room. Even Nosedive was in his room probably sleeping in from staying up playing a video game. Mallory had convinced Heart to go shopping with her. I myself was taking care of someone, or should I say two someones.
As I watched my son and daughter that morning I could feel my nerves jumping. The skin beneath my dark feathers seemed to itch in an attempt to alert me that something was off. However as I watched my two children I tried to tell myself it was just my imagination.
"I'm bein' paranoid," I shook my head.
As I said this Elijah began to stir, stretching into a soft cry as he reached his hands above his tiny head. His reddened hair was growing in thicker being four months old now. His eyes had faded into a deep blue like his mother's. While Avery giggled at me with her brown eyes gleaming with light.
"Am I funny ta ya Avery?" I asked my daughter as I watched them both.
She giggled more in response.
Then Elijah began to cry more. Lifting him up in my hands he still felt so fragile. While I held him secreuly in my arms he still cried out.
"What's the matter Eli?" I asked him as I started to pat his frail back.
Then Avery began to follow her brother's lead. Holding them both now as I sat in the rocking chair I tried to ease their cries. When that didn't work I took them towards the galley to see if it was time to give them bottles, as Heart wasn't home to nurse them.
I could have heard a pin drop from all the way down the hall despite the cries of my children. It almost felt like no one else was home with us. Then I heard steps coming up behind me. Turning I saw Nosedive picking up his pace behind me as he sprinted towards me. I stepped to the side as he failed to slow down seeing I had the twins. It almost felt deliberate as he tried to grab for me.
"Dive that's not funny!" I exclaimed as I held Avery and Eljiah safely in my hands.
"Sorry man, I don't know what got into me," Dive half heartedly apologized.
His good natured tone seemed to be absent, as was the humor in his light blue eyes.
"Ya alright Dive?" I asked with concern as I still held my children close to me.
Nosedive nodded somewhat assuringly, "Of course I am! Now how about letting me hold the kids for a while?"
Avery and Elijah continued to cry as he reached for them. I stepped back, "No thanks Dive, they don't seem ta be in the mood for that."
"How do you know?" He questioned impatiently.
"Look I can take care of my own kids, why don't ya go find Wing or Grin ta hang with for now?" I suggested as I tried to walk away from him.
I backed up into the very firm form of Grin as he stood behind me. How had I not heard him?
"Sorry Grin," I said before looking over my shoulder at him.
Before I had never felt had unsettling Grin could be when glaring at you. In this moment I snapped to attention as he grabbed for me.
"You're making them cry Duke, let me have them!" Dive insisted when Avery and Elijah continued to scream now.
"Is this it?" I asked Elijah quietly, "Is this what ya felt?"
I slipped from Grin's grip as he grabbed for me again. Then holding my babies close to me I sprinted down the hall. Behind me I could hear Nosedive and Grin following. Ahead of me I saw Wildwing and Tanya standing beside one another. Hearing me Wildwing nearly shoved Tanya aside to get to me first. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this, "Wing?! What are ya doin'?!"
"Give me those children Duke!" Our leader ordered as he lunged at me.
Again I slid to the side to evade his grip and then Tanya's as well as she reached for them.
"What's gotten inta ya guys?" I questioned as I continued to run from them.
Running into the main room I found Phil as he strolled in with some papers in his hands. He wasn't paying attention when I ran up to him and knocked the forms from his grip, "Hey! What's the big idea Duke?!"
"Phil, I need ya ta take Avery an' Eljiah right now! Take them somewhere safe!" I insisted when I realized it was still him.
"Safer than here?!" Phil exclaimed.
I nodded my head as I heard the others approaching, "Go now! I'll let ya know when it's safe ta come back! Jus' get them out of here!"
"I don't understand, what's wrong?!"
"Go Phil!" I snapped as I turned towards my pursuers.
Finally hearing Phil give in and heading back out with my children I faced Wildwing and the others. I drew my saber in an attempt and held it out in warning, "I don't know what's goin' on guys, but I won't let ya hurt my kids!"
"They can't hide forever," Tanya assured me boldly.
"Tanya what's gotten inta ya?"
"Just tired of being so meek all the time, I thought I'd show a new side of myself!" She said excitedly.
I raised a brow at this, "A new side?"
"You'll show a new side to yourself soon too," a voice that didn't match any of them snickered, "Or should I say an older side of you?"
I looked around to find the owner when my gaze fell upon Wildwing's shadow as it twitched and moved in front of him.
It then reached out from his shadow out towards mine as I stepped back. It's fingers grew to grasp at mine.
"Such wonderful puppets they are, and I think you'll be my favorite," the creature sneered at me with it's empty eyes in the center of my leader's shadow, "You are her favorite it seems anyway."
"Shadow," I breathed as I continued to step away.
"Your little group put up quite a fight I will admit. Each one had so many memories to hold onto, their essences rich with pride in one another and your cause, their hearts connected to one another making it easy to find every one of you," he taunted, "And when the other one comes back it'll be all the easier to finally claim that creature's magic!"
"That's not happenin' buddy!" I assured as I slammed my hand on the control panel to unlock the case with our souveneirs.
As the shelving rose I darted over to it to grab for the Star Sword. Yet as I ran I failed to realize that my shadow now fell behind me. Then I felt something yank on my ankle, pulling me back a bit. I reached for the shelf, my fingers making some purchase as I gripped it to pull myself towards it.
"Hold him!" The creature gripping my ankle snarled.
Before I could move Grin stepped up behind me and gripped my shoulders and upper arms in a vice grip. Then he yanked me away from the display case and turned me around to see Shadow as he took a more solid form before me.
As though sliding into existance itself Shadow ascended from our floor until he was standing on two slender legs ending in tendril like feet. His arms extended unnaturally at his sides, his hands stretched out into spindly appendages that both latched onto me and cut into me as they shifted from hands to claws and tendrils . His entire form was that of an impossible ebony, almost sinking in on himself and pulling light around him in as well. Only his wide empty smile and glaring eyes were a piercing hollow white. Even as he walked towards me he seemed to flicker in and out of reality.
"You thought you could steal that creature's magic from me forever did you? Did you think I would never break through?" He mocked me.
I tried to pull free from Grin's grip on me, yet his hands tightened with every attempt. His gentle nature eroded away somehow as he held me firmly in place.
"Stop resisting so much," Shadow said with a sneer as he slid close to me, my shadow now melding with his feet.
I felt a chill run up into my spine as he merged with my shadow, his hands reaching to the floor and holding my arms in place as he held it down. Then he extended his arms so he could still lean close to me and laugh, "You really were quite the thief weren't you? You had fame, a group that looked to you for guidance, a rival that couldn't begin to match you. Why give that all up?"
"My home," I stated firmly.
"Aw don't lie to me, there was more to it than that wasn't there?" He laughed as he seemed to look into my very being for the answers he already knew.
"That wisp of a soul caught your attention. A precious walking gem asking to be stolen away," he said as he began to slip comfortably into my shadow, almost as though bathing in it's essence.
"I never stole her," I retorted as my body grew cold from the inside out.
"But you did, you stole her from me 3 years ago. Then again when she came back to become the dragon she was meant to be," he reminded me as a hollow sensation began burrowing into my chest, "And I can see other instances where you stole her from others as well. Why? To keep her magic to yourself?"
I glared at him as he grinned at me with a smile that went from pointed ear to the other, "Who are ya ta say what she was meant ta be?!"
"And that's why you'll be my favorite puppet to lure her in with," he assured me, "You don't think I can't see through your essence how much of you has gone into protecting her? You don't think I can't hear her echoes as she calls your name? She made you turn towards her each time didn't she?"
"Of course she did," I stated firmly, "I love her."
"Love? Such an odd thing isn't it?" He mused as he grew an extra tendril to stroke his chin with, "The reason you've sworn to be with her and protect her will be the very reason she is taken from you. She trusts you."
As I still tried to slip from Grin's grip I felt him apply pressure that nearly broke my bones.
"I think you've evaded me long enough thief," Shadow noticed as I winced, "And so has that creature."
"She's not a creature!" I growled angrily, "She's not a gem either!"
"I have to say only the leader put up as much a fight as you have. The others had valiant attempts, but they all gave in a bit quicker," he lied, and I knew it.
"They wouldn't jus' give in! Ya stole their essence! Ya stole the core of who they are!" I snapped.
"And I'll do the same to you and your other teammate when I find her," he assured me, "Aren't you feeling more like your old self already? Don't you want the adrenaline of adventure again? The thrill of the heist?"
"No I don't! I want her!" I said as I shook my head trying to shake out his whispers into my soul.
"You say that, but remember how the rush felt back then? Didn't it make your heart race to escape the grip of authorities everywhere?" He mused, "It's time you focused on your old career again and forgot all about her, the one that tried to tie you down."
"No! I need ta protect her!" I fought, struggling to get away again.
"You are stubborn aren't you? Your essence should be drained by now," he noted in bewilderment.
I gave a smirk, "Looks like I won't be your puppet after all will I?"
Shadow's grin grew impossibly wider as he laughed, "Your essence is still merging with mine thief, I just can't alter your mind quite yet."
A shudder ran up my spine as he then hissed, "I can still control you in other ways thief."
I glared at him still, refusing to show I was at all shaken by his words.
"Beings always have control over what their shadows do, but I can reverse that," he informed me as his being sank into my shadow.
Suddenly my hand jerked forward as my shadow waved at me. My remaining eye widened in shock as I was then forced to kneel. Still Grin gripped my shoulder as I was forced to my knees. I tried to push myself up out of this locked up position, but my shadow wouldn't allow me to move in the slightest.
"That's better," he snickered seemingly from within my mind now.
"I won't hurt her!" I swore as I was forced to stand.
"Hurting her will be the least of your worries thief, not that you have any say anyway," he assured me.
"You should have allowed me to take that essence of yours. It would have been more merciful for you to be my puppet and unaware!" He taunted, "Now you'll know everything that happens to her!"
My hands refused to ball into fists when I heard this and the laughter that followed in my head.
"Hmmm, I will have to do something about your voice though won't I?" He then pondered from within my mind, "If you call out to her she'll know something is wrong and will run from my grasp once again."
"She wouldn't leave us like this," I growled at him.
"She left her own mother when she ended up in your world, she left her kingdom when it was attacked, she'll run from this too!" He insisted.
Before I could respond I looked to see a thin tendril reach out from my shadow's side and reach up to it's throat. It's odd appendages that seemed like fingers gripped my neck. My hand tried to reach for it as I felt myself begin to choke as though something had a hold on my vocal cords. Then I realized that I couldn't make a sound with my voice at all.
"That's better," he said with a wicked chuckle in my mind, "Your shadow doesn't ever have a say, so why should you?"
My shadow then began to pull me along as I walked over to the door to stand guard it seemed. As I did I was forced to lean against the wall as I typically did with my arms folded over my chest.
"Is this how you lured her away thief?" He asked me as he forced me to smile somehow.
I then was forced to remain there while the others began patrolling the halls and monitoring Drake One. Only I was to remain positioned by the elevator door for when she returned. My heart burned knowing I was being used to pull her close, that she would walk up to me as she always did and I couldn't stop her. Could I? Even my thoughts were peered into it seemed at this point.
"So many promises about to be broken," he snickered, "And she will be given up to me by your own hands that were used to steal her away before! Then after her I'll go after her magic infused children for dessert"
All I could do was dare hope that she and our children would be okay, but even this he mocked as I was forced to wait for her.
Heart:
The warm sun soaked into my forearms and hands as I stretched them out.
"Feels much better than a fake one doesn't it?" Mallory nudged me with a wink.
I gave a smile and a light laugh in response. Then I followed her as she entered a clothing store. Shrugging my shoulders I went in to see her eyeing a new dress. Then she excitedly said, "It's even on sale!"
I followed her through the isles as she picked out a few more blouses and skirts.
"It's so nice to kick back after all of that!" Mallory said looking at me with a smile.
I was about to respond when the signal on my com went off. Activating it I overheard Phil shouting over the voices of my crying children.
"Phil?! What's wrong? Why do you have Avery and Elijah in the car?" I exclaimed with sudden worry.
"I don't know! Duke told me to take them somewhere safe!" He informed us as he then tried to calm down my babies.
"Wait, where's Duke and the others? Why wouldn't the pond be safe?" Mallory questioned suddenly alert herself.
"I think they're still at the pond, but I don't know what's going on! I hoped Duke had contacted you two," Phil said.
I looked to Mallory with concern spreading over me. Taking a breath I spoke as calmly as I could, "Phil keep Avery and Elijah safe, we'll find out what happened!"
"Got it! You two be careful too!" Phil insisted.
"I'm counting on you Phil! Please!" I begged as I heard my children still crying fearfully.
"I won't let you down Heart, their Uncle Phil will keep them safe and sound!" He promised me before closing the communication.
I then tried to contact Duke, but I didn't get an answer. Worry gripped me as I turned to Mallory who nodded in response. We then quick changed into our battle gear and made our way back towards the pond.
As we drew closer something crept up my spine. The very building before us stood impossingly as we stood at it's doors.
"Something's wrong," I said as I stepped away and started my way around towards the back.
"What do you think it is?" Mallory asked as she followed me.
"I'm not sure," I answered trying to maintain my composure, "But this doesn't feel like home all of the sudden."
In my legs I felt the need to run. My nerves begged me to get away. Only willpower kept me near as we started our way towards the emergency entrance.
"So far so good," Mallory commented as were able to use the code to get in through the door.
However the tunnels ahead were much dimmer than usual.
"What in the world?" Mallory commented as the door closed behind us and we heard it lock.
My skin started to crawl along my arms and up to my shoulders. I closed my eyes to refocus, knowing they were adjusting to the low light.
"It's still so strange to see your eyes change like that," Mallory told me as I looked at her, "I think I'm always a little scared you could slip away when you have to use your magic."
"That won't happen Mallory," I assured my friend as we started down the narrow corridors and halls, "You guys anchored me remember?"
While we walked I noticed as Mallory kept her hand near her blaster.
"I wish we knew what was going on," Mallory commented, "Such a gorgeous shopping day ruined!"
I glanced at her with an appreciative smile, knowing she was trying to keep me calm. Yet still I felt the urge to escape in my legs.
We came to a cross in the path of halls. The path ahead seemed even darker than the one we'd been following.
"I have a feeling that's the right way," Mallory sighed.
"Odd that none of our defenses have gone off," I mentioned.
"Do you think they know we're coming?" Mallory asked.
"I'm not sure," I replied, "I don't know where the others are. I don't know what's here. Something just feels very wrong."
"Well no matter what we can handle it," Mallory assured me as I followed her now for a moment.
I nodded my head with some regained confidence.
Duke:
"I know she's here thief," Shadow echoed in my head, "You feel her too don't you?"
I wouldn't have spoken even if I could. Yet I felt myself grow cold as he found the answer himself.
"Such a stubborn drake," he remarked, "It would be much easier on you to just give in."
I tried to shake my head. Instead I began to walk towards the emergency entrance door. As I did I heard the others in their various positions.
Wildwing barked orders at our friends, Tanya scoffed at others for not understanding what she was building, Grin listened to her impatiently, and Nosedive seemed to be itching for a fight.
I caught myself wondering how I would have been had this happened? What nature would I show? Based on my past I guessed it would have been based around greed for being a thief. Yet what would I have tried to steal? Gems no longer interested me.
"You can always find out," he coaxed.
My will refused as I thought of how Heart usually looked at me. I wouldn't give that up.
Then I wondered how this was at all possible. My friends were just as strong in will as I. We had faced allies like this before. So why was I left fighting for my own sense of self?
"Her magic has had an effect on you," Shadow told me, "You have had the closest bond with her have you not?"
Yet that didn't seem to be entirely it. I didn't doubt that Heart's magic was a part of the equation, but it felt like there was more to it. With every step, every movement, I felt as though I were trying to maintain my sense of self. Memories slipped away from me one by one as he pushed me forward.
Now I stood waiting in the hall across from the door that lead down to the emergency entrance. I tried to resist as I leaned back against the wall again.
"I wonder," he then mused while we waited, "What would you steal if not gems? Without reservations how would you act? Would you still be someone she turned to, or run away from?"
It grew colder as I was forced to wait for her there. Inside my core I felt something fading from me.
"Doesn't that feel better?" He asked me as I felt a grip loosening on my arms, no longer pinned in place.
"What's the job?" I asked as though half interested, my voice returning to me.
Shadow breached the surface of my shadow on the floor and stood before me now, "That's more like it."
"What's the job?" I asked again growing impatient.
"I think you know don't you? Steal that creature for me from her friend and bring her to me," he informed me, "Do this and you will be considered the greatest thief of all the realms."
"Seems easy enough," I agreed as he released me.
I nodded my head as I put in the code to decend to the floor below. Without another word I slipped into the darkened halls and listened carefully for my target. After a moment I turned my head in the direction of the voices I heard and went after them.
Heart:
As Mallory and I walked along cautiously I could hear light steps from ahead of us. I reached behind me and drew the staff that turned into my glaive. Mallory stood beside me and drew her blaster. Each of us stepped into the side wings of the hall and looked around our respective corners to see what was approaching us.
Then the steps slowed as they drew near.
"Duke?" I heard Mallory whisper in confusion.
Why hadn't I realized it was him first? Still pondering this I looked to see the drake I knew so well walking near us. Even in the dark I could make out his distinct sillouette as he stopped to look down the hall. Yet how he walked seemed off to me. Though confident there was a lack of energy to his movements.
"Heart, are ya there?" He asked as he seemed to listen for us.
I stood still, hearing an odd tone in his voice. Mallory looked to me from her hiding spot. I shook my head to indicate something was off.
"Where are ya?" He questioned.
It was him, but it wasn't him. His tone in how he spoke warned me with impatience. He started stepping closer again. I looked to Mallory with unease in my eyes. Then I gave her a quick, silent nod, as I signaled for her to wait where she was. With a deep breath I turned the corner to stand in front of him. Upon seeing me he looked me up and down in a way he'd never had before. His remaining left eye held a cold touch to it as though he were assuming my worth.
Duke then stepped swiftly in front of me as he reached for and grabbed my wrist. Pulling my hand up he slipped his other beneath my chin to have me look up at him, "Ya seem ta be quite vaulable. If that's the case I think I'll keep ya for myself."
His charming smile was replaced with a greed filled smirk that I had never known him to have. I tried to wrench my hand away from him, but he held it tighter to prevent me from slipping away, "Nice try, but when I decide ta steal somethin', I always finish the job."
Then he gave a laugh as he turned towards Mallory's hiding spot, "I'd put that blaster away if I were you. All it will do is alert the others, an' I'd rather not have ta worry about them chasin' us. Though I am up for the adrenaline rush."
"Duke, what's gotten into you?" Mallory asked while I stood in shock still.
"Nothin' much, jus' woke up after bein' asleep for three years it seems," he noted while glancing at me, "For such a spell ta be woven over me your magic must be quite valuable."
My eyes widened in disbelief to hear him refer to me in this way.
Duke looked over his shoulder for a moment before looking back at me. His smirk remained as he leaned close to me, "Are ya really worth all this fuss I wonder? Such an odd girl?"
"Duke, what's wrong with you?" I finally asked him myself, "This isn't you!"
"Isn't it though?" He smirked still while starting down the hall with me.
"No!" I tried to get free from his grasp as he dragged me along.
"Duke stop it! Why are you doing this?"
Duke still smirked as he had me look up at him again while he answered, "I'm a thief, remember?"
I shook my head. In all these years whenever he mentioned that word there had been a certain skip in my beating heart. This time it didn't skip. This time it froze from the ice in his tone.
"Now let's go," he commanded as he forced me to follow him.
"Duke..."
"Let her go L'Orange!" Mallory ordered from behind him now with her blaster trained at his back.
"Mallory!" I pleaded, "Don't!"
Duke paused in his steps, "Ya won't do it. Ya wouldn't do that ta a trusted friend an' teammate would ya?"
"I know this isn't really you Duke, but I also won't let you hurt our friend!" She assured with anger in her eyes as she noticed him twisting my wrist.
Duke then spun me around to where I was facing him as he looked down at me. Struggling proved useless as I fought with how familiar him holding me felt and how alien it seemed at the same time.
"Look I can always knock ya out an' drag ya if I have to," he warned me harshly before pausing as he noticed something.
For a split second he slipped his hand from my chin to the back of my head. His fingers brushed over the old scars that had taken my memories all those years ago.
Behind him I saw Mallory creeping up behind him.
"Duke," I attempted, "Duke what's wrong? What happened?"
"I was told I had a job," he said simply before smirking again, "But they didn't count on me decidin' ta keep ya instead."
"Who gave you this job?" I questioned.
"He says he's been lookin' for ya for years," he answered with a shrug, "but he'll have ta find us first if he wants ya so bad."
My eyes widened in horror as a chill ran through me.
"Shadow," I breathed out in disbelief.
Looking up at Duke now I knew what had happened. Yet at the same time I noticed something in his remaining brown eye.
"You're trying to keep me from him," I realized when I saw a faint glimmer of light that came and went.
Even with his soul twisted up, all his warmth gone, some part of him...
"I figured you were worth stealin'," he then said, sounding slightly invested.
"Duke, I'd give you myself in a heartbeat," I assured him before giving a reluctant slight nod to Mallory.
He gave a greedy smirk again that made me sick to see on him, "Ya don't really have a choice do ya?"
In that instant Mallory gave him a kick in his side, causing Duke to release me as he slammed into the wall. He yelled out in anger as he made impact and tried to leap back. I jumped back and forced my hands out towards him. Focusing I breathed out as crystals began to crawl up him, encasing him. I nearly stopped when he glared at me. Blinking tears away I continued until his wrists, ankles, and waist were held in place against the wall.
"Ya think this will hold me?" He demanded with a growl in his voice.
I shook my head, "Not really, but it'll give us time to get the real you back."
"You're goin' right up to him doin' this!" He warned me, "Ya would have at least been safe with me."
I looked at him with a soft smile as I said, "If it were the real you then I know that I would I be safe."
"How do we get him back?" Mallory asked me.
"I don't know," I said as I ran my hand through my hair from my bangs to the base of my neck.
"He must have the others like this too," Mallory said through frustration.
Inside my chest began to burn as I considered this. The need to run washed away when I saw Duke looking at me like I was nothing but something to take. My hands balled into shaking fists knowing the others were altered in such a way.
"Shadow wants to see me?" I heard myself ask, "Then I'll oblige!"
"Heart that's giving him what he wants, let's think about this!" Mallory tried to warn me.
"What's to think or talk about? We have to get them back don't we? Shadow has their essence, we'll get it back," I said.
Then I looked up at Duke as he glared at me with contempt. This tore at my core. I wondered how long he had fought. I wanted to know if he was still fighting. So I stepped close to him, making sure his wrists were still bound as I did. Then I gazed up at him to find an answer. He raised a brow at this as though surprised.
"Let me go sweetheart," he attempted in a smooth tone.
"I'm sorry my thief," I told him as I stood on my toes to reach him.
With that I stole a kiss from him. As I did this I rested my hand over his chest to feel his heartbeat pound faster. When I stepped back I noticed the longing, and yet bewilderment, in his eye as he tried to lean into the kiss himself still. I smiled hopefully when I saw this sign. Yet I also saw him beginning to slip his wrist from the crystal bindings to get free.
I stepped back quickly, nodded to Mallory, and then we ran down the hall.
"So what's the plan?" Mallory asked me.
"I don't know!" I replied, "I just know that I need to find Shadow."
"Heart!" Mallory grabbed my arm to pull me to a hault.
"Heart why are you going head first like this?! You saw what that thing did to Duke, and the others will be like that too! We need to think of something!"
I took a deep breath and let it out as I tried to think.
"I've run away from a lot of things...my kingdom when it was destroyed, my past, my mother, Shadow...:" I told her, "But this is different! I am not running away this time! You guys are my family!"
Energy began to spark around me as I took in what was happening.
"Heart-" Mallory attempted.
I took another breath and looked at my friend.
"Usually you're the one gearing up for a fight," I mentioned.
"Believe me, I want to take this thing out too!" She assured me, "But if he got to Wildwing and everyone else we need to plan this carefully."
However we didn't have much time to discuss this. Ahead of us we heard heavy footsteps drawing closer. Looking up we found Grin entering through the doorway to the pond. He glared down at us impatiently from where he stepped. Behind us we heard the shattering of crystals as well. At this sound Grin began charging at us.
"Grin!" I called to our friend as he came towards us like a freight train.
Mallory and I leapt to the sides as he continued on between where we had stood. Then his boots made a grinding sound as he came to a sudden stop behind us a bit. We turned to see Duke running up after us with Grin standing over me.
"Come on buddy, it's us!" Mallory said to him as we backed up from him.
Just then as Duke neared us Grin turned to him for a moment. Then he looked to the metal wall beside us for a second, gripped the edge of it, and pried it from the base. To my shock he then pulled it to create a metal sheet with Mallory and I on one side and him and Duke on the other.
"Grin!" I called to him as he secured the new wall between us.
"What are ya doin'?" I heard Duke question him.
Grin didn't answer in words. We heard a scuffle though as Duke tried to get by our friend.
Mallory and I took this chance and headed to the main hall of our headquarters.
As I took my first step into our living space I felt a chill run up my spine. The lighting had been dimmed significantly. Down the hall towards the lab I could hear Tanya explaining something to someone in annoyance.
"We stick together," Mallory said firmly.
I nodded my head in response as we followed the voice of our teammate. The whole time I kept my eyes focused on our shadows in front of us.
We soon came to the door of Tanya's lab. By now she was mocking Nosedive who stood in front of her tapping his foot eagerly. Peering in from the outside we could see our leader was missing.
"I don't care what you have on that desk!" Nosedive rolled his eyes.
"I don't know why I bother, you wouldn't get it anyway!" Tanya scoffed.
I looked to Mallory, who in turn was in shock to hear them like this.
"It'll help track who we're looking for!" Tanya told him as she flipped a switch on the device.
It began to beep loudly as she held it out towards the doorway, "We got her Wildwing!"
"Run!" Mallory yelled as we flew back down the hall.
Behind us we heard the two of them following. Then fear gripped my chest as we heard a third pair of boots join them. Looking over my shoulder Wildwing shoved both Tanya and Nosedive aside so he could get to us.
"Wildwing!" I gasped in shock.
"All we're doing is running!" Mallory shouted as we continued to flee from our friends.
At this I came to a stop. Catching my breath I turned towards Wildwing. Mallory paused behind me, "Heart what are you doing?!"
"I'm tired of this," I said calmly as I stood between her and our teammates.
"Heart-"
"I need to face him Mallory. I can't keep running. All it's doing is hurting the others. Look at them," I told her with ice in my chest as I saw how cut throat our friends were acting.
"Heart this is crazy!"
I shook my head, "This is not the craziest thing I've done."
I looked to my friend who looked at me in return with worry in her eyes.
"Mallory, you're always the one pushing to fight back when the odds are stacked against us. You've never had a problem with me fighting back before," I mentioned curiously.
"Heart, we don't know how to fight this thing!" She admitted to me, "Dragonus and his men are tough, but our whole group has never been taken over like this!"
I then realized why she was so concerned this time around.
"I don't want you taken from us again sis," she admitted, "Brain washed, changed, any of that. And if Duke or your brothers can't keep you safe then I have to!"
"Mallory, we're a team whether against Dragonus or Shadow," I reminded her, "or anyone else."
"And I won't runaway again either, not with all of you here!" I assured her.
Wildwing had reached us by now. Seeing him look down at me as though I were a stranger pulled at core.
"Shadow!" I called out with energy beginning to spark around me.
Duke:
As Grin reached out to grab me I slipped beneath his grip and found a slight opening beneath the sheet of metal. I quickly slid under it and continued down towards the entrance of the pond.
Then something tugged at me as I entered through the door. A snickering voice filled my head as I turned to see Shadow smiling again. He held onto my shadow's shoulder, holding me in place, "Where is she thief?"
"These things take at least some time," I replied, "I'll find her."
A wicked smile crossed his face as he sunk his tendril like fingers into my spine.
"It seems you are too dangerous to leave running loose," he remarked as he peered into my memories, "You thought you could steal her for yourself did you?"
I smirked, "I thought it would make her come with me a bit easier is all. She knew something was different as it is."
"As I said, you are far too dangerous to allow free roam like the others," he repeated, "Though it is entertaining to see that the one that fought the longest would be the most twisted up. Perhaps your past isn't that far behind you?"
As he stated this he melded with my shadow once again. Before I could resist I felt myself being dragged along the hall in some way. My shadow smirked with his mouth at me. Something in my chest began to harden when I looked back into my memories from before the invasion, and from before her.
As it grew close to sealing my heart inside stone I heard her voice call out from our main room. The stone began to crack but didn't fall away. One way or another I knew I wanted her, but was forgetting why it seemed. I knew he could hear these thoughts, but didn't care. One way or another I would steal her for myself.
"She's calling to me, do you hear her thief?" He suggested me, "Let's have some fun with her!"
Now I smirked myself without a thought.
Heart:
I stood beside Mallory as we faced our teammates. My hands remained firmly curled into fists as I began summoning energy to dance around us.
"It's so strange to see you staying in one place..." his voice mocked me from behind Wildwing.
Our friends stepped to the side to show Duke standing behind them. Yet along the wall I saw who was really addressing me in such a way. Duke's shadow was unnaturally dark it seemed as it fell upon the wall, and much taller and slim somehow. Those of our teammates were faded, allowing me to know how he had done this to them.
"Release them Shadow!" I demanded as I stepped slightly in front of my remaining teammate.
My dragon like eyes kept focus on where Shadow was.
"I think not, they're wonderful puppets," he told me as my blood boiled, "They are very useful, and quite affective against you. You wouldn't dare harm them would you?"
"No, but I'm about to fry myself a nightmare!" I assured.
Shadow laughed as he pulled the strings of Duke's shadow, causing him to wave, "Go ahead! If you do you'll torch what's left of his soul!"
"You twisted freak!" Mallory shouted as Duke was forced to his knees.
I froze as I tried to figure out what to do. A pit formed in my stomach as I looked around at our friends and then to Duke. After all this time, after all this running, he'd cornered me. If I moved it would cause them harm, if I fought back it would torture him. If I gave myself up they would...wait...I gazed down at Duke, knowing he would hate this.
"Give him back Shadow," I requested with my claws digging into my palms as I trembled, "Release him and you can take me."
"Are you crazy?!" Mallory exclaimed, "You think we want you to do this?!"
"I know you don't," I told her, "But for their safety-"
"No Heart-!"She yelled.
I looked at the Shadow that smiled at me like he was about to partake in a wonderful meal. Glancing at Duke as he was locked in place before me I spoke, "Let them go, and you can have me. Leave my children with their father, and I will not run. I'm tired of running anyway."
"What's to make sure I keep this bargain?" He taunted.
"An easy meal?" I offered as I took a breath for a moment.
I glanced at each of my friends as they rested their hands over their hearts for a second. It was all I could do. Mallory too felt a shield grow over her heart.
"Heart, don't do this!" Mallory tugged on my arm, "We'll find another way!"
As I turned to her to try and reassure her I barely noticed as Duke swiftly got to his feet. Turning, when I did see, I noticed as the tendrils latched onto him were pried off of him as he darted towards me. Though his shadow was quite faded by this point he managed to move on his own as he reached for my hand.
In a second he grabbed me and pulled me into a run with him.
"Heart!" Mallory cried out as she tried to follow, but something tugged her back.
Horror gripped my heart as I watched her grow more rigid. Her eyes drained of emotion other than aggression.
"Get them now!" Shadow shrieked.
Duke didn't stop as we ran from the others. We soon darted down a side hall in an attempt to evade our pursuers. This hall was quite darkly lit and eerily quiet. I then realized it was our hall to our rooms. He pulled me into our room and locked the door behind us.
"Duke!" I breathed in disbelief from what had just happened as he pinned me against the wall, almost as though hiding me?
Yet as I gazed up at him in the dark I could see the glare he watched me with. His hands gripped my wrists beside my shoulders, pinning me in place.
"Have ya lost your mind?!" He demanded in a whisper, "What were ya thinkin' givin' yourself up ta that thing?!"
I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure when he said this if it were him or not.
"How did you pull away?" I then asked him a bit bewildered.
"What?!"
"How did you break free of his grasp?" I questioned.
"I jus' moved without thinkin' about it. His grip was loose as he was about ta latch onta ya," he explained.
Then he smirked as he looked me up and down, "Such a commotion over such an odd girl though."
My shoulders sank as his tone carried no emotion saying that.
"Why did you steal me then if I'm not worth the trouble?" I asked with a trace of pain in my voice.
Duke's smile grew more confident as he leaned close to me, "I never said ya weren't worth it. Ya seem ta be quite valuable, you an' your magic."
My eyes widened as I felt a stabbing ache in my chest from his words. I bit my lip to keep the sting of my tears from falling down my face. I tried to remind myself that this wasn't him, that these weren't his thoughts and feelings.
"Though I do wonder, why give such a treasure up so easily for a thief like me?" He then asked.
Anger faded to disbelief and then hope as I looked up at him.
"It doesn't make sense ta me. Ya could have escaped, or even been rid of him with that magic of yours. Why worry about what happens ta me in the crossfire?"
"Because you're worth everything to me Duke, you and our children, and you always have been my thief," I told him firmly.
Duke:
These strange words spoken from this odd girl tugged at me. Yet my hardened heart refused to believe her.
I gripped her wrists tighter as I pulled her against me, "Either way I've kept my word an' stolen ya for myself. Now ta get out of here an' decide what ta do now that I have ya."
"He could have killed you Duke," I mentioned to him, "You risked a lot for a heist."
"Once I've decided I want somethin' I take it," I told her as I forced her to look up at me.
"Duke, do you even know why you want me?!" She questioned.
I wasn't sure how to answer her. All I had registered was that I did. Since I'd seen her I had wanted to take her for my own treasure. Shadow could threaten me all he wanted, chased us to the ends of the universe, or taken my very soul. I would keep such a gem in my hands and out of his claws.
Now she was in my hands and I didn't know what to do with her. Then I noticed her soft peach lips and thought of our shared moment from before. With her chin still cupped in my hand and her wrists held by the other I pulled her closer to me.
"All I know is that I do," I told her with a smirk as I leaned towards her, "An' I think I'll steal somethin' from you while I'm at it."
With that I kissed her. For a moment I felt her try to pull away from me. Yet in seconds she sank into me instead. To my disbelief she managed to pull her hands free from me, or did I release her? Instead of running and escaping while she could she held onto my shirt front.
When I pulled back I gazed down at this odd girl. She in turn looked up at me with eyes shimmering in the dark like sapphires. I knew these eyes. I knew how she looked at me, yet didn't believe it somehow.
"You didn't need to steal me Duke," she then told me softly, "I've always been yours."
The stone around my heart continued to crack as I felt something else wrapping around it in it's place. I looked to her in bewilderment as I placed my hand over my chest for a moment.
"Duke, promise me you'll steal me back once more?" She then requested.
"What are ya-?" I attempted just as she shoved me back and stepped towards the door with me behind her.
Before I could finish my question I felt a cold grip nearly tighten along my spine, "Did you enjoy the thrill of that final heist thief?"
Looking at the door I noticed a long spindly arm had reached from beneath the doorway. It's claws tried to dig into my shadow in an iron grip.
"I won't let you near him Shadow!" She then ordered.
I watched in disbelief as she stood defending me, forced to remain back as I watched things unfold. I wanted to break free for some reason. I wanted her. Why did I want her?!
Yet as these thoughts ran through my head he laughed as well, "She will never be yours again! Besides why would she want you to hold her with those claws?"
I watched in shock to see my shadow shifting, as his had slipped around her to grab mine, and I felt my body twisting to match. Beneath my flesh my bones began to warp and pull. At my fingertips claws began to grow.
Heart:
I stood glaring at Shadow. A seering heat rose in me as I watched Duke kneel on command as he did. Shadow then swore in a low growl as he stood over Duke, "I'll make sure you obey my every whim this time thief!"
To my horror I watched as Duke's shadow continued to twist and shift, his body following suit as he fell on his side in pain. My memories flashed before my eyes as I felt in my core what was happening to him.
"Shadow let him go!" I begged as Duke's writhing came to a sudden pause.
"Why should I risk him pulling another stunt?" He questioned while Duke gasped for pained breath at his feet.
"Because if you cause him any more harm I will fry you alive! Even if you escape it'll be difficult for you to regain magic so quickly to come after me again!" I said as I maintained my composure and knelt beside Duke.
"Heart...stay away..." he told me, but I couldn't bring myself to obey his request.
Instead I placed a hand on his side to try and ease his pain.
"If you fry me then his soul will fry too!" Shadow laughed, "So why should I agree when I could have a rather useful vessel to control? I could have both of you!"
"Because my own hollowed self is worth more to you. That of a dragon, am I right?" I reminded him, "If you continue to do this to him I will fight you every step of the way. I'll find a way to save his soul, but are you willing to take that risk Shadow?"
"This thief is worth your freedom? Your magic? Your very core self? All tossed to the side because you feel for him?" Shadow mocked while eyeing Duke, "You're willing to have your very form reshaped to keep his from harm? After all this time running from me you'll toss yourself to me?"
"Release my family, give them back their cores, and I will go," I said in an unwavering tone.
Shadow's spindly arm began to reach for mine.
"Heart...don't..." I heard Duke beg me before the light returned to his eye.
Tears brimmed my eyes as I realized, "A part of you was there the whole time?"
He nodded, "Of course it was sweetheart. I'm sorry..."
"Don't try to fry me by the way, I'm still bonded with his shadow. If you try to pull any stunt at the last second his soul will be the price you pay," he warned me.
"I figured as much," I admitted as I looked to Duke.
Shadow, after all these years, had found a cruel way to corner me. With the others stripped away and Duke in his direct grasp this was all I could think to do. I couldn't run from this one, nor could I fight head on. He had known this.
Duke struggled to get up and reach out to me. I stepped back from his shaking hand, knowing what would happen to him if I tried to break this deal.
"Heart please..." he said, "I can take a little pain if it means you're safe."
"I know you can...but I can't take it Duke," I told him as a chilled air wrapped around me.
"It's so strange to see you not running away," Shadow commented, "Have your years with these feathered freaks weakened your resolve?"
"No," I said firmly, "If anything it's grown stronger I'd say."
Shadow stroked his chin with a third smaller tendril he'd grown as he looked at Duke lying prone at his feet and then back to me, "Love is such a strange thing."
He then gave a wide grin to the drake lying on the floor.
Duke's shadow began to shift back causing him to grit his teeth in pain. Despite his changes having only begun I remembered how taxing it was. As the pressure eased I watched as he gasped for breath while lying on our bedroom floor.
"Heart..." he choked between quick breaths.
Then Shadow turned towards me with an outstretched tendril that sprawled out into several claws. Refusing to look at Duke now I reached a steady hand out and grasped his. In an instant I felt tears force themselves out as he wrapped his faded form over my own skin, enveloping me in a shroud. It wasn't a heated intense grip like Aten's had been, nor cold like other foes. Shadow's grasp on me was hollow. That empty sensation began to run through me from my core and outward. Standing there I could feel him wrap himself around me and merge with my own shadow as though we were one being. Tears ran down my face as my veins grew cold as he drained who I was away. Emotions, magic, memories. No, not my memories. It were as though my very self were being drained away.
Before I couldn't I looked to Duke. He watched me as Shadow held him down still. With every moment he became more like himself while I became less so. In that last instant I knew how much I loved this drake, this thief. My heart pounded as I recalled our earliest adventures together. Like a candle about to flicker out of existance it burned for those days. Those days that made me stop running, for I had someone to stand with.
"I don't want to leave you..." I said to him, "I want to stay with you and the others..."
"Too late child...you gave them up for their well being. A valiant effort to keep them safe a while longer," Shadow hissed in amusement.
For a moment I thought of Elijah and Avery and begged Duke, "Keep them safe."
"Why not have them join their mother?" Shadow suggested.
In my half drained state this almost felt like a possible desire. Yet looking at Duke made me shake my head as I repeated, "Keep them safe!"
Duke began to try and push himself up. Yet Shadow's extended claw held him down by the spine as though reaching into Duke's core. Even now, despite what he had just been through, he still tried to steal me back. As I knew my thief always would.
Duke:
The light in Heart's eyes dimmed and the shades of blue in them faded to that of frozen coal. As she looked at me I noticed the love she'd held for me slip away slowly. Now she looked to me, knowing who I was, but simply disregarding me for anyone of worth to her.
"Heart...?" I asked in disbelief.
"Tell him what you think of him now," Shadow hissed in her ear as he latched onto her shoulders, embracing her in his twisted grasp.
Forcing her to walk up to me and kneel beside me, she looked down at me with those cold eyes. Emotions stripped away, tears dried, and eyes that saw nothing in me worth looking at. Yet in spite of how she gazed down at me her mouth twisted itself closed.
"Exactly," he laughed.
For a second I wondered what she really had thought then.
"The others will be here soon," she finally said coldly, "It will be difficult to escape if we wait much longer."
Shadow stroked her hair as he latched onto her around her neck, "What a perceptive vessel."
I then watched as Heart looked over me with vague curiosity.
"No matter what ya have her say, I know it's not her," I said.
Shadow scoffed as he then began to shift his hand in my shadow, pulling it away slowly. In my chest it felt as though a blade were being pulled out, twisting as it was.
Then she said quickly to me, "I don't need the heart of a thief! Nor do I need a thief to steal mine away."
I hadn't thought her words would dig so deep. I hadn't expected them to cut deeper than his shadowed blade along my heart as he pulled it out instantly. This hollowed feeling radiated through me, reaching down my limbs. Even my arms felt cold as I tried to reach for her. I knew it wasn't her. I understood those words were a lie. So why had it hurt so much to hear her say them?
"I know that isn't you sweetheart," I assured her when I noticed her slight reaction to my pained expression.
Before she could pull herself back I gripped her hand to hold her there. I then realized that I had the strength to do this in the first place. Where the shadowed blade should have cut into me, I felt nothing. I looked into Heart's eyes as a spark lit in them for a split second.
With a smirk I began to pull myself up.
He forced her to step back. Then without his command she ran. I quickly followed after her to the main room, gaining strength as I did. The others had met up with us there, their cores returned surprisingly as promised.
"Heart, what's going on?!" Wildwing exclaimed as she ran to Drake One.
Heart put a code in as the souveneir shelf began to rise up behind her.
I ran up beside her, noticing her amused shadow upon the wall. If I said anything Shadow would hear it. He snickered while watching from her shadow, holding her tightly. Then I noticed as Heart glanced up at me with a shimmer of light in her eyes as she reached over swiftly and gripped my hand. I didn't say a word, I only squeezed her hand slightly in turn before she pulled away quickly.
She then looked to Tanya, who hurried over nervously.
"Givng a final goodbye to them are you?" Shadow taunted in Heart's ears beside me.
Heart didn't answer, acting as rigid as she had moments ago. She gestured towards the shield on our control panel that would allow teleportation energy to pass through. Tanya nervously put the code in to drop the shield. Our team tech. also put the lights back onto normal throughout our headquarers. At this Heart gave a slight smile.
Then to me she made a quick nod to the star sword with desperation showing through her eyes.
"Heart? What are ya-?" I tried to ask as she stepped back and took a deep breath.
"She's allowing us to escape aren't you my pet?" Shadow snickered while clutching her form, "It is a faster way to get to the raptor isn't it?"
"Sis what have you done?!" Wildwing exclaimed in disbelief as he tried to hurry to her.
"Why she gave herself up to set all of you free. I don't quite understand it myself, but here we are," Shadow mused while stroking Heart's cheek possesively.
By now I had grabbed the star sword and held it ready.
"If you use that on me now it'll destroy her essence and soul as well. Unless that's what you want?" Shadow warned me.
I looked to Heart for an answer. She only smiled steadily.
"Heart?"
Shadow then waved Heart's hand out, summoning her magic to create a portal of energy and ebony whisps.
"Sis don't! You're one of us!" Nosedive called to his twin.
Heart looked to us as Shadow tried to force her to take steps through. She dug her heel in slightly to stand firm a few moments more.
"Young friend!" Grin attempted, "You know a solo path is not one you prefer! Let us walk with you!"
Heart's eyes fought back...tears? Was she still there? Then they closed as she took a breath and charged up energy in her hand towards the portal as it began to shift in nature. The darkened wisps grew lighter and tinged with teal shades of electricty. She opened her sapphire eyes again and smiled, "I'll find a way back guys!"
"Heart?!" Mallory exclaimed.
Without another word Heart began to summon up more energy as Shadow clung to her in confusion, eluding the bursts.
"What are you doing?!" He shrieked.
"I can't defeat you Shadow, but I can trap and weaken you at least!" She remarked.
Then Heart looked to me quickly, "If a piece of him tries to break away use the star sword!"
"Heart...you'll..."
"I'll be okay...I can heal my shadow with some time, but it will take a bit to get back because of that," she explained quickly.
"Where are you going?!" Tanya questioned now, "You keep saying you'll come back!"
Heart kept her energy lashing around her to keep Shadow from slipping away. She then looked to the portal reluctantly.
"You guys have protected me through the years..." Heart said looking to us for a moment more, "It's my turn to protect you..."
"You and I are one now child, if you force me out I'll rip away your essence with me!" Shadow swore while clutching onto her, "You won't remember your connections to get back!"
Heart looked straight at us with a faithful smile, "Of course I will. No one's been able to make me forget them so far!"
She then looked to me, "I'll find a way back Duke, okay?"
"Heart..." I breathed before giving her a charming smile to assure her, "I know ya will love."
Without any further hesitation Heart slipped into the portal and it sealed tight behind her.
"Heart!" Wildwing called in vain.
"Sis!" Dive attempted.
"What's going on?!" Tanya questioned.
Mallory looked at the ground, bursting angrily, "It was Shadow! He had all of us under his control and Heart gave herself up to save us!"
Wildwing turned to us with worry showing through the eyes of the mask. He looked to each of us, "We all fought...this morning when I felt him creeping in I tried to hold on..."
"This was his plan, if he got to us he could get her," Dive mentioned bitterly.
"Her magic must have kept her from being pulled into his influence," Tanya said, "but we..."
"Tanya even I gave in after a point," I told her gently when I realized what she was about to say, "and Heart did what she did knowing we fought back as much as we could."
"So what do we do now?" Mallory asked.
"We tighten our defenses," Wildwing affirmed, "We'll use the readings we got from Shadow being here to adjust our shields so he can't get in again. We'll patrol the city for Dragonus and Shadow to get our teammate back as we have before."
Yet when we turned on our comms to get Heart's signal, we found it to be as though it didn't exist.
"She...she's not here!" Dive exclaimed.
I then looked to the star sword gripped in my hand. My remaining eye widened a bit as I realized, "She...she wen't back."
"Went back?" Mallory questioned.
"Ta the other Anaheim, to her home! She dragged him there!" I said in half disbelief.
"Why go there? And why not take someone with her?" Tanya asked.
"To ensure Shadow couldn't latch onto any of us," Grin mentioned, "If one of us went with her Shadow would escape and use us against her."
"But he's latched onto her...like he...No!" Wildwing snapped suddenly.
I looked to our leader knowing why this reaction had come out.
"What is it bro?" Nosedive asked.
"Heart's goin' ta do what she did before ta get Shadow out of her..." Wildwing answered angrily, "But no one's there to save her."
He looked to me, "Duke, can't you use the Star Sword to find her? To save her?"
I started to nod and lift the sword up when I felt something giving me pause. Grimacing I lowered the blade as I said, "If I do that right away he'll use me against her again...an' he'll slip back here somehow."
"But she could die!" Dive exclaimed, "Dude you can't be serious right now?! I thought you loved her!"
"Of course I love her Dive! Ya think I want ta stay behind like this?! Don't ya think I want ta steal her from this?!" I snapped with my own temper rising.
"Both of you calm down!" Mallory ordered, causing us both to look at her with worry blending with anger.
Grin then stepped between my younger teammate and I, resting his hands on our shoulders as he spoke, "I think Duke knows Heart has a plan. Heart is on a path we can't walk with her on, but I'm sure ours will cross with hers when it's time."
"Grin's right, what happened to Heart before was before she had magic of her own. She can heal herself with time now," Tanya explained while looking back on recent adventures, "That's why Heart said she would find her way back with time."
"But she could die and we won't know..." Dive protested.
It was then that I felt something in my chest grow firm around my heart. It was the same sensation I had fought when dealing with Asteroth recently. Something in me acting like a barrier that seemed to harden like a shield.
"Dive...I think we will," I said looking to him with certainty and a hand over my heart.
"Wait, you feel that too?" Tanya asked.
I nodded my head.
We all then shared an expression of bewilderment before understanding set in.
"I felt it just before Shadow took over me," Mallory mentioned, "it's like a barrier of some sort."
"If Heart died so would her magic," Wildwing realized, "these shields would fall away wouldn't they?"
"Or at the very least begin to weaken," Tanya agreed.
I then looked to Dive, "Believe me, if too much time passes I will go an' find her. But I have ta wait so not ta jeaopordize her plan. It's killin' me, but if I go in right away her plan won't work."
"So will this be the end of Shadow then? She won't have to run from him anymore?" Mallory asked.
"Heart hasn't run since she found us," I mentioned while setting the Star Sword on it's shelf, "But I don't think this is over. We're meant ta fight with her on this one, that I feel in my core."
"Heart's buying us some time though," Wildwing agreed, "But when this fight does take place we'll be ready!"
"For now we can prepare and wait for Heart to come back," our leader said firmly while looking to us all, "We'll do things as normal. Patrols for the raptor will be in place, games will go on, and we'll train for the fight ahead."
He then looked to Tanya, "We need to look into guarding ourselves better against magic and Shadow's energy though. Do you feel up to the task Tanya?"
Tanya blused a bit and nodded her head, "I'll do my best to get us up and ready!"
While we talked Dive called Phil to bring Avery and Elijah back. I listened to everything around me as I tried to remain calm. It took so much not to go after her, but I had to believe in her.
Before much longer I felt a firm hand on my shoulder, "Are you alright Duke?"
I shrugged my shoulders in response to Grin, "As much as I can be I guess. How can I fight against somethin' like Shadow that bend our wills like that? I fought the longest an' he still twisted me up. I tried ta steal her for her an' then..."
I then remembered how I acted towards Heart during that. A feeling of disgust almost drowned out my fury when I remembered something else. I wanted her...one way or another...I was trying to steal her from him.
"I am not goin' ta let this cretin do this again. Magic or not, I will defend her an' our kids," I swore as I turned to my friend, "She came ta Puck World lookin' for someone ta bond with her...She found us...an' she found me. I won't let her down this time."
"Duke, I don't think you've let Heart down yet," Grin then mentioned.
"Heart has been captured, mind wiped, transformed, injured, an' almost killed, an' now seperated from us, how can ya say-?"
"As I recall, you have been through just as much at her side, including actually being killed," Wildwing pointed out from where he stood.
"Duke, we've all been through the ringer since becoming a team," Mallory added.
"But we've grown with every adventure. This won't be any different," Grin said, "With Heart we'll learn how to fight Shadow and defeat him next time!"
At these words I glanced at the Star Sword with a growing resolve. As I did I recalled Heart's request to me..."Steal me from this..."
"I will," I vowed, "Of course I will sweetheart...jus' come back ta us an' I'll keep ya safe with me..."
Soon after Phil arrived with Elijah and Avery, both whom I took into my arms and held them close to me.
"Your mama will be back soon Eli an' Ave, I know she will," I promised them as they whimpered almost knowingly, "I know...I miss her already too."
"If you do have to go after her you know they'll be in safe wings," Dive assured me with a returned smile, "And sorry about before Duke."
"It's alright kid, I know you've always been close ta her too," I said.
"She's my little sister," Dive reaffirmed, "I'm protective of her even now."
"Heart will come back soon," I assured him, "Whether on her own or if I have ta go find her, she'll come back."
Dive nodded with hope returning in his eyes and in my own spirit. With this I held my children close to try and hug them for her somehow. They in turn clung to me with their tiny hands.
Heart:
The portal had dumped us into the other Anaheim. Shadow screeched and pulled at me to try and force me back through. At this I closed the portal quickly, sealing it tight.
"What are you doing child?! We had a deal!" Shadow snarled in my ear as I began to gather energy from within myself.
"So you thought!" I snapped with a growing temper, "But I do not want to be your pet! I won't! But not for my own sake, but for theirs! This is for daring to puppet my family!"
Energy began to spark around me rapidly, building up along with a rising heat from my core.
"Your essence! Your memories! They will all burn away!" He screamed, "And as long as a sliver of me survives I will come back to find you! I will find your thief and warp him to my will!"
"I know I can't destroy you as I am even now, but I can hinder you and keep you away from them as well as him!" I growled with a distorted voice now, "I will remember them! I will know them as I do now! I'm not afraid because of them!"
Shadow held onto my own tightly and I noticed him beginning to rearrange it quickly. My bones began to ache, my skin shifted as I crumbled to my hands and knees. My eyes widened to see my shadow twist as he pulled me to all fours.
"If I warp your body and dull your mind your magic will still be mine! Think unless you wish to be stuck in what form I give you forever!" He threatened as my hands started to shift on me now, "I could leave you as an animal if I chose and you'll never have a hope of seeing them again!"
I gritted my teeth as the heat contiued to rise in me.
"Fine! Live on all fours while I drain your magic away once and for all! Enjoy your new life as a sow while you have it!" He snickered as my body began to reform to match the shadow he'd given me.
I tried desperately to focus my thoughts, my memories, my magic. I ignored the tusks emerging from my mouth, the tail twisting from my spine, and the hooves trying to cover my hands. I felt my stomach twisting and growing as my heartbeat raced desperately.
"Guys...! Wing...Dive..." I begged as my face began to shift into a snout of sorts, the tusks growing.
"You'll never see your brothers again now will you?" Shadow taunted while twisting my shadow further, stretching my ears now.
"Grin...Tanya...Mallory..."
I closed my eyes to ignore my shifting shadow and body. What was left of my hands balled into fists.
"You will never run from me again!" Shadow assured with deep chuckle as I fought against his will, "And once I have your magic I will return to that realm and do as I wish to them with your magic!"
"Duke...Avery...Elijah...!"
My eyes snapped open as my magic rushed through me. It sparked dangerously.
"I will find them and pull them apart! All but that thief of yours, he I will puppet as long as he is useful!" He laughed in my head, "And your sweet little children filled with their own magic! A nice dessert after such a wonderful meal!"
With a rage errupting from me, so did my energy and magic. It struck wildly it seemed around me. I glared at my own shadow, refusing to obey it's changing commands, forcing the transformation out as I stood up on my feet. Then with a whip of electricity I lashed out at it, knowing what would happen.
"You will not touch them!" I shouted at it as I struck it.
His screams drowned my ears as he splintered into pieces. I felt his claws digging into my shoulders to hold onto me.
"I am not your puppet! I will not run from you! But I will stand with them to defeat you and anyone else that threatens our home!" I snapped as myself, my memories clinging to me deeper than his claws.
Shadow then merged and shifted into a larger form of his base self. Using the light he towered over me along the mountainside to my left. His empty eyes leered at me as I stood glaring at him.
"You think you can be rid of me child? You think you have any hope of truly defeating me? I have lived off of magic as long as it has existed! I will claim yours as well! And your family and thief will be torn apart when I get ahold of their shadows once again! Now last chance child, be my vessel to prevent this curse, or awaken the rest of me in this war you have brought upon yourself and them!" He said with a twisted sneer.
I stood firm as he sunk into my shadow. He grinned ear to ear, "Now then, let's get comfortable working together shall we?"
"No matter what it takes..." I breathed.
"What was that?" He questioned.
"We will defeat you, no matter what it takes! And I will not merge with you no matter what it takes to stop you!" I snapped as energy burst from my core in an intense light surging around me.
Shadow screamed wildly as the energy focused on my shadow with him inside it. He writhed and pulled to get away from the magic surging through him. He splintered into pieces and slivers as he reached for other shadows around us. I kept at it, lashing out until my own shadow was all but gone. Once more he screeched as he slunk away in a shriveled sliver, "You've sealed their fate girl! Nightmares will be an escape to them when I get a hold of them!"
With that he slipped away as I stood firm with energy sparking around me still. I coudn't use much more, but stood as though I could. Both of us hanging on by a sliver to escape the other for the time being.
Luckily he didn't call my bluff as he vanished into the shadows of the mountains to recooperate. While I in turn dropped my magic enregy and crumbled to my knees exhausted. Glancing at my shadow I saw it was barely there. Adrenaline was soon replaced with emptieness as I tried to hold onto myself. Once more I repeated their names to engrave their memory into my core.
"Duke..." I finally breathed before collapsing to the ground as the world went black.