Prophecy
The day started out like any other. Timmy and Chloe arrived at the school front gates at 8:00 am sharp and reported to Mr. Crocker's classroom. As per usual, Cosmo and Wanda accompanied the pair, disguised as a pencil and eraser respectively. Timmy couldn't help but wonder, given Mr. Crocker's insane tendencies to rant on about the existence of fairies, and his relentless pursuit of Timmy's fairies, and by extension, Timmy in particular, how Mr. Crocker had not been fired. Still, he took his seat and Mr. Crocker addressed the class after attendance had been taken.
"Today, class, we'll be tackling the subject of ancient civilisations. All of you will pair up and draw from this jar and whatever you pick out will be the topic of your group project, due in two weeks. Turner, you're first," Crocker explained.
"This should be fun. Nothing like historical research to get the blood pumping. Ready to do this, partner?" Chloe asked with a lot of enthusiasm atypical of someone being given homework.
"You mean, ready for you to do all the work while Timmy slacks off and plays video games all day," AJ called out from a desk behind them.
"Yeah, I still remember the last time I partnered with Timmy for a 'group project'," Chester added.
Flashback begins
Chester was on his way to Timmy's house to pick up Timmy's contribution to their group project on farm animals. Chester had already finished his part, and once both pieces were combined together, they were sure to get at least a B-, depending on how much Crocker despised Timmy that day. He was let into Timmy's house by his dad and made his way into Timmy's room, only to find the books and blank pieces of paper on Timmy's desk while Timmy himself was playing video games.
"Dude, you were supposed to have this done yesterday!" Chester scolded.
"Don't worry, I'll get on it," Timmy dismissed, not even bothering to look back at Chester.
Flashback ends
"And I got partnered up with him the time before that," AJ stated.
Flashback begins
AJ was on his way to Timmy's house to pick up Timmy's contribution to their group project on outer space. AJ had already finished his part, and once both pieces were combined together, they were sure to get at least a B-, depending on how much Crocker despised Timmy that day. He was let into Timmy's house by his dad and made his way into Timmy's room, only to find the books and blank pieces of paper on Timmy's desk while Timmy himself was playing video games.
"Dude, you were supposed to have this done yesterday!" AJ scolded.
"Don't worry, I'll get on it," Timmy dismissed, not even bothering to look back at AJ.
Flashback ends
"What can I say? I'm consistent," Timmy responded.
"You're consistently a slacker! Chester and I had to do everything while you just lounged around trying to beat your high score! And you wonder why we don't partner up with you anymore," AJ replied.
"Sounds to me like you have a procrastination problem. If you like, I can offer some tips to help you deal with it," Chloe offered.
"Nice of you to extend the olive branch, but Turner isn't a procrastinator, he's just plain lazy," Crocker observed.
"I'm not lazy. I'm just really good at delegation," Timmy weakly defended.
"Delegation? Last I checked, group projects were a team effort. All you do is put your name on the final product," Chester rebuked.
"Whatever. Let's just get on with it," Timmy rebuffed and stuck his hand in the jar. When he pulled it out, he unfurled the scrap piece of paper in his hand. It said 'Ancient Greece'.
"Oooooooo, might want to edit that one down a bit. I hear the Ancient Greeks were very 'fun-loving' in their day," Chloe cautioned.
"Yes, I'm aware. Please keep any tales concerning the Greek Pantheon to a G-rating. I don't want the ethics committee on my case…again. If I have to attend another one of little Susan's flute recitals, I'll surely go mad," Crocker requested.
"What's wrong with flute recitals?" Chloe asked.
"What, besides being a cure for insomnia? Susan bites," Crocker clarified.
After school was over for the day, Timmy and Chloe were hanging out in Timmy's room as per usual. Chloe had already brought over her books on Ancient Greece that she had checked out from the local library. She would've used the school's texts, but the latest budget cuts meant many of the books were missing pages. Some didn't even have covers, just bits of paper on the front detailing the book's title and author. Timmy, on the other hand, had other ideas on how to spend their after-school time. Spoiler alert, they did not have anything to do with homework and studying. Chloe, to her annoyance, found him exactly where Chester and AJ said he would be, playing video games.
"Come on, Timmy! This is due in two weeks. You want us to fail?!" Chloe scolded.
"I'm getting important work done. See here, I've already got these side-quests halfway done," Timmy replied. He then turned his focus back to the RPG he was playing. Timmy did like finishing video games to completion. Chloe wished he'd give as much attention to his schoolwork.
"You know, if you put the same energy into your studies, you wouldn't fail so much. You need to shift your priorities," Chloe advised. Timmy paused his game, sighed heavily, and turned to face Chloe once more.
"You think I like failing? It'd be great to get good grades, but every time I try, my mind wanders. I can't help it. In the game world, I can focus better, plus I don't have to worry about pending deadlines or anything like that," Timmy confided. He had never told anyone that, not even Chester and AJ, or Cosmo and Wanda for that matter. Speaking of their shared fairies, they chose this moment to appear.
"You know, sport, with the right help, you can turn that around. Learning difficulties are nothing to be ashamed of," Wanda assured.
"Yeah, look at me. I wasn't the best at grade school, middle school, high school, or the Fairy Academy, and look how I turned out, married and a semi-successful fairy god-parent," Cosmo added.
"You see, just because you have a disadvantage doesn't mean you can't achieve anything. It just means you need a little extra assistance, and that's what we're here for," Wanda responded. Timmy took this all in. He decided to save his game and close it down.
"Maybe you're right. After this is done, I would like to see the principal about this. Maybe she can help. But for now, we'll start with the main problem, the lack of focus every time I open a book," Timmy resolved. Chloe thought for a moment, then had a light-bulb moment in her head.
"Who says we need to read about Ancient Greek life?" Chloe posited.
"Where are you going with this?" Timmy inquired.
"We have two fairies at our disposal. Why read about Ancient Greece when we can go there and see for ourselves what life was like way back when," Chloe suggested. Timmy smiled at this prospect. He relished going on adventures like this and would not turn down this opportunity.
"This sounds promising. Alright, let's do it," Timmy agreed.
"Cosmo, Wanda, I wish we were in Ancient Greece," Chloe commanded. Cosmo and Wanda then poofed them all into the ancient Greek city of Athens. It was bustling with people plying their trade, philosophers educating the masses that were gathered around podiums, a theatre nearby was putting on a production, but the most prominent sight was a temple on top of a hill. Front and center of this magnificent feat of Greek architecture was a huge statue of an archer.
"That would be Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy and healing. Fascinating specimen," Chloe informed.
"Could he at least put a shirt on?" Timmy commented.
"It was the art style of the time. Almost all statues were like that. Some went….further," Chloe explained. Timmy was starting to get a clear picture of what she meant, and he did not care for it.
"Speaking of style, we stick out too much in these clothes. I wish we were wearing Ancient Greek clothes….and no 'going further'," Timmy commanded. Another whish of Cosmo and Wanda's wands saw Chloe and Timmy re-dressed in the appropriate Ancient Greek attire. Both Timmy and Chloe found themselves wearing cloaks with chitons underneath, which were modest and covered everything, for which Timmy was thankful, and their shoes were replaced with open-toe sandals. Chloe hugged herself when she felt her new attire.
"All natural fibers. This is living, Timmy," Chloe embraced her new look.
"Yeah, yeah, are we gonna stand around here all day, or are we gonna explore?" Timmy urged. The two started wandering around the city, unaware that a cloaked figure was watching them.
Up in the clouds, atop Mount Olympus, the Pantheon was meeting as usual to discuss nothing in particular. The twelve Gods often observed the mortal realm and its day-to-day activities, often bestowing blessings or curses upon the denizens below whenever they felt like it. However, something was different about today. Apollo was watching two particular children fervently. This did not go unnoticed by his twin sister Artemis.
"Anything good going on, brother?" Artemis inquired.
"Those two kids, there is something about them that I cannot place. They are not of this land, but hail from someplace far away," Apollo replied.
"So? We go down there all the time, usually disguised as animals. Father even 'plays' with mortals. It's not that big a deal," Artemis dismissed.
"It's not just that. When they arrived, I had a vision of their future, but it was clouded. I couldn't make out the details, and that worries me," Apollo clarified. Artemis chuckled at this response.
"So you're telling me the great God of prophecy couldn't tell the future of two measly kids? Better not let the others hear that, especially not Ares, you know what he's like," Artemis teased.
"I'm working on it, sister. I will know what their future holds soon enough," Apollo countered.
"Whatever you say. Me, I'm gonna take the huntresses and rustle up some game. Gotta keep the archery skills intact," Artemis responded and took off, leaving Apollo to his observations. Back in the mortal realm, Timmy and Chloe, with Cosmo and Wanda disguised as birds accompanying them, made their way to a stadium of sorts, which was hosting competitions of all kinds. Timmy wanted to see these, but Chloe cautioned against it.
"Yeah, you might not want to see these athletes. They're not like our Olympic competitors," Chloe warned.
"How so?" Timmy inquired. He made his way inside despite Chloe's objections and saw for himself why Chloe didn't want him going in there. It was true that the competitors were not like the modern equivalent that Timmy was used to. These athletes did not compete in clothes with any logos or brand names on them. In fact, they were not wearing clothes of any kind. This caused Timmy to go into one of his fits and Chloe had to drag him away and shake him vigorously to snap him out of it.
"Thank you, I needed that," Timmy said gratefully.
"I'm all for historical accuracy, but I'm willing to leave that out of the project if you are," Chloe bargained.
"Deal," Timmy agreed before getting as far away from the stadium as possible, but not before Timmy noticed an odd, cloaked figure in the distance. Timmy thought he was being paranoid, but it seemed like the figure was watching them. Needing a distraction, they found a circular theatre putting on a play and decided to take a look. After re-assuring Timmy that actors wore costumes, they took seats and watched the show. Watching the pair from up high was Aphrodite, who was also curious as to what, or who, Apollo was watching.
"Oh, young love. I do so adore firsts. Adult love is sweet, but kid love is even sweeter. Nothing like the first seeds waiting to blossom," Aphrodite pined.
"They are not lovers, step-sister, merely friends exploring the city together," Apollo corrected.
"Tisk, tisk, tisk, the most passionate of romances start out as mere friendships. All they need is someone to plant the seeds of love into their minds. That's where I come in," Aphrodite asserted.
"Have you been raiding Demeter's stash again? You know she hates it when you take her things without asking, and then make modifications," Apollo reminded.
"If it makes you feel any better, I have a way to convince that mortal Paris to give me his Golden Apple. Then I'll give it to Demeter as a reconciliation present, but right now, I have gardening to do," Aphrodite assured and descended into the mortal realm, using her abilities to mask herself from the view of the citizens.
"Yes, because interacting with mortals is always a good idea," Apollo remarked sarcastically. Not paying his remarks any mind, Aphrodite then placed two seeds on Timmy and Chloe's heads, sprinkled a little water, and she was about to slink away when Wanda caught a glimpse of her.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Wanda interrogated. Aphrodite groaned at being questioned with that tone.
"Oh, great, who invited the help?" Aphrodite chastised. Cosmo was immediately enamored by Aphrodite.
"Oh, Aphrodite, you can tender my passions all you want," Cosmo said in a love-sick tone that made Wanda zip his mouth shut with her wand.
"Mind telling me what you did to our god-children?" Wanda continued her line of questioning.
"Oh, nothing. Just helping things along. The seeds are already planted now. Nothing left to do except wait and see what happens. I forgot how much fun match-making can be. Ta ta," Aphrodite evaded the question and disappeared. Wanda didn't like where this was going. Everything she ever read about Aphrodite told her that when she interfered in the love affairs of mortals, chaos would surely come next. Timmy and Chloe, oblivious to Aphrodite's meddling, continued watching the play.
"I love Greek theatre, it either makes you cry or laugh. Wonder what this play is," Chloe said. The two were watching what seems like a comedy. Even Timmy was enjoying what he saw. He couldn't figure out why, but something made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He was so entranced by both the play and these feelings that he didn't notice when he subconsciously reached over to hold Chloe's hand. Chloe, in turn, was having these same emotions. Normally, she wouldn't think much of it, but now, she felt as if her hand belonged where it was, clasped in Timmy's. In the end, the two didn't even care what the play was about. However, Timmy snapped out of this fuzzy spell long enough to notice the same cloaked figure that had been stalking them at the stadium. Before Timmy could think on the matter any further, the play had concluded and everyone got up to leave. Timmy and Chloe did the same, still hand-in-hand.
Sometime later, Timmy and Chloe found themselves walking down the local agora, where they took note of all the people selling their wares, kids playing various games that Timmy had no idea of the rules, but he found the sight so endearing he didn't care too much, and announcers yelling the daily news because this was before newspapers and the internet were a thing. Wanda was trying to find a good moment to talk to Timmy and Chloe about the seeds Aphrodite had planted in their heads. When she saw Chloe subconsciously resting her head on Timmy's shoulder as they sat down for a break, she decided now was the time to speak up.
"Listen, guys, we need to talk. It's kinda serious," Wanda asserted. Timmy looked around and saw the cloaked figure for a third time today.
"Yeah, we do. That guy's been following us ever since we got here. Hey, buddy! Don't you have anything better to do?!" Timmy called out. The figure then approached the pair and lowered their hood.
"I am a seer, bound to serve the god, Apollo. He ordered me to observe you, to understand your destiny," the seer addressed.
"So, he's a glorified fortune teller. No thanks, got my share of wackjobs at home," Timmy dismissed, but Chloe was intrigued.
"An actual seer? This is so exciting! What future does the God of Prophecy see in me?" Chloe inquired eagerly. Timmy then took her to one side.
"Look, Chloe, fortune-telling is all one big scam. It's just a way to separate money from gullible idiots. Telling the future is impossible, and those that say they do should try playing the lottery, see how much their 'foresight' gets them," Timmy explained. Cosmo then made some muffled noises, prompting Wanda to unzip his mouth.
"Oh come on, Timmy, give it a chance. I went to a fortune teller once. He once told me I'd suffer huge financial loss in my future," Cosmo recalled.
"That's because he charged you $1000 for his services, mystic moron! Timmy's right, true foresight is incredibly rare, and those that do have the ability to see the future know not to advertise it, for fear of exploitation, choosing a reclusive lifestyle," Wanda clarified.
"Even so, we came here to see how these people lived. Can we at least see inside their religious structures?" Chloe requested. Timmy sighed heavily.
"Fine, we'll indulge this little game, but we're not paying for this 'vision'. We didn't bring any cash," Timmy conceded.
"Worry not, for Apollo's visions are free for all," the seer assured and escorted Timmy and Chloe inside the sanctuary, with Cosmo and Wanda following along. They were taken to a small room off the side and sat down with the seer, who was consulting stacks of cards, scrolls of texts, and breathing in the incense he had lit. After a minute of this, the seer faced Timmy and Chloe.
"Through Apollo, I bring you this prophecy. Two worlds become one, a king reborn twice. The restoration of balance carries a hefty price," the seer prophecised.
"That makes absolutely no sense," Timmy remarked. Chloe was lost for words. In her mind, she was wondering what the price to be paid for the balance was. The seer then got out some cards, or what passed for them in Ancient Greece. He dealt one which held the image of the God of War Ares.
"Hmmm…this tells me you two will be thrown into the middle of a war, but against whom I cannot say," the seer described.
"Maybe against this 'king twice reborn'," Chloe guessed.
"How can someone be reborn twice?" Timmy probed.
"There are powers in this world beyond our understanding. It may be this king has died twice before and has been restored to life each time. If that is the case, putting him down permanently will be difficult," the seer answered. He then drew a second card containing the image of the goddess Aphrodite.
"Ah, an act of love will restore the balance mentioned in the prophecy, and it seems she's left her mark on the two of you, intriguing," the seer commented. Timmy and Chloe got flustered at this statement.
"What, us? No way!" Timmy and Chloe denied it together. Wanda, however, knew better. She couldn't discuss it in the presence of the seer, but she was concerned that Timmy and Chloe were acting more than friendly to each other ever since they left the theatre. The seer drew the third card but decided not to show it to Timmy and Chloe.
"Oh, come on. I want to see how this prophecy ends," Chloe pined.
"If I tell you what will happen, it won't happen," the seer responded. It was at this point that Timmy had had enough.
"I think we're done here. Let's go," Timmy pressed.
"Yes, beyond that, the vision ends. Go in peace. Live your lives," the seer agreed and showed Timmy and Chloe out of the sanctuary. When the seer saw that Timmy and Chloe were out of earshot, he looked sorrowfully at them. "While you can," he tearfully whispered to himself as he looked again at the third card he drew, which bore the picture of the Lord of the Underworld himself, Hades.
"Do you think we have enough for our project?" Timmy asked.
"Oh, I think we'll have enough for an A grade. Let's go home and divide up the workload," Chloe suggested. With a wave of their wands, Cosmo and Wanda discreetly brought Timmy and Chloe back to the modern age.
With the guardian of the crystal prison out of commission, it was easy for Bill to waltz right in and find the one crystallised prisoner he was looking for. After a good search, he eventually found what he came for. Now it was only a matter of liberating him, although the prisoner in question might give him a cold reception. Bill placed a hand on the crystal structure and spoke.
"I know our last partnership did not end in your favour, old friend, but I need your expertise now. You see, Star has done what you couldn't do and destroyed magic, or so she thinks. But now, forces are moving to undo the damage she's done, the world she's created, and with the help of denizens from the Uncharted Realms of all places, they might just be successful. We need your expertise in magic destruction once more. There is another Realm of Magic out there, hidden, but well-guarded, and you're the best I have. What do you say, want to give me another chance?" Bill said. The crystal then began to crack, slowly but surely. When it had cracked enough, a small, reptilian fist punched through from the other side. When the crystal has shattered completely, the smartly dressed Septarian that had been imprisoned within it stepped over the threshold.
"Go on," Toffee replied, with intrigue.
In Fairy World, Binky was watching the monitors with varying degrees of distress. Over the last few days, he had noted several instances of unidentified magic users in this cluster of dimensions. It was not like him to keep pertinent information from his boss, but Binky could not help but be scared of him and his booming voice. Nevertheless, he had to be told. He went into Jorgan Von Strangle's office, while Jorgan himself was lifting weights.
"Binky! You know I don't like to be disturbed during my morning exercises!" Jorgan yelled.
"But boss, you need to see this," Binky whimpered. Jorgan then walked over to the monitors and saw the unidentified magic-user data for himself.
"Binky! Why did you not tell me about this?!" Jorgan demanded.
"I didn't know what to do, this is my first week here as your personal assistant," Binky answered, scared as to what will happen next.
"And it will be your last if you keep stuff like this from me again. We need to get to the bottom of this. Can you trace their dimension of origin?" Jorgan asked.
"Yes, I can. Here, just a few seconds and there we have it," Binky complied and after a few keystrokes on the computer, traced the data to the dimension of origin.
"We're going to need to send someone to ascertain the nature of this incursion," Jorgan resolved.
"It'll be dangerous," Binky warned.
"I know, we'll send Turner," Jorgan suggested.
When Timmy and Chloe returned from their trip to Ancient Greece, they found Timmy's room exactly how they left it. Chloe was instantly busy drawing up a work schedule for their upcoming project when she noticed an envelope on Timmy's dresser. Cosmo and Wanda noticed it too and gave it a closer look.
"Oh boy, fan mail!" Cosmo said stupidly.
"Cosmo, you don't have fans, you idiot. This is from Fairy World, and it's a summons from Jorgan, judging by the seal," Wanda observed.
"Whatever he wants, I'm not interested. I've had too busy a day to have some roid monkey yell at me," Timmy dismissed.
"I really wouldn't ignore him. A summons from Jorgan is like jury duty. When your number's up, you have to do it," Wanda cautioned. Just then, the envelope floated in the air and spoke in Jorgan's voice.
"This assignment is from the Fairy Council, Timmy, so pay attention. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, AND YOU HAVE NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER, is to track down some unidentified magic users that have cropped up on our radar, determine their intentions and put a stop to them. Jorgan out," the envelope boomed and burst into flames. "P.S. There is a portal to their home dimension in your closet," another voice belonging to Jorgan echoed around the room.
"Oh, great. Jorgan's drafted us to do stuff he doesn't want to again. Let's get this over with," Timmy reacted with complete disinterest. Chloe was also against this, but not for the same reasons as Timmy.
"Are you sure this is wise? We don't even know what we're getting into," Chloe urged caution.
"I agree, however, Jorgan will most likely throw us through that portal in my closet should we not do this, so let's save ourselves some yelling and pain and just go through. Besides, this will get me out of school tomorrow," Timmy argued.
"Can't argue with that," Chloe conceded sarcastically and they both went through the portal in Timmy's closet. When they emerged, the world they were in looked like something out of a five-year-old girl's storybook. Except it also looked like the merging of a modern-day setting with a fantasy one.
"This is too weird for me. I'd rather take Jorgan," Timmy resolved and went to go back, but the portal was gone.
"Errrr, Timmy," Wanda called. Timmy turned to face her and Cosmo, only for them to vanish instantly, leaving their fairy crowns and wands behind. Timmy gathered them up, shocked at the loss of his and Chloe's fairy friends.
"Now we have no magic. How are we supposed to finish Jorgan's mission now?!" Timmy exclaimed.
"You don't get the bigger picture here, do you? We are trapped in another dimension with no magic, no back-up, and no way home," Chloe summarised. Timmy then realised the severity of their situation.
"Uh-oh," Timmy responded.
As Vlad was floating into the prison cafeteria, he could not believe that no-one would take his warnings about Bill seriously. He cursed Danny internally for failing to see that he had to win to safeguard not only Danville but every other world from Bill's grasp. He knew it was only a matter of time before Bill made his move, and he did not want to be here when he did. Although, he did not want to be here in general, so that thought did not count for much. When lunchtime was over and Vlad was escorted back to his cell, Walker paid him another visit.
"You know, if you were thinking all this insanity about Bill would get you into a psych ward, you're woefully mistaken," Walker said abruptly.
"It's not insanity. He's coming. Can't you feel it?" Vlad asked desperately.
"Nope, not really," Walker dismissed.
"Then you'll be the first to….." Vlad was about to finish his response when an ominous sound came from outside the prison. Vlad then peered out of the cell window and saw a sight he had been dreading since ending up here. Walker, surprisingly, joined him and couldn't believe what he saw. What looked like a cloaked figure backed by an army was descending on the prison.
"What is that?!" Walker probed, with a hint of fear in his voice. Vlad was visibly shaking.
"He's here," Vlad responded. Walker then got onto the prison comms.
"Attention, this is the warden. The prison is under attack. This is not a drill. Everyone to battle positions!" Walker ordered.
Author's note: Here we are, at last, the first chapter of the final story of the Cipher arc. First, a brief explanation. When I wrote the post-credit scene for 'Royal Chaos' involving Timmy and Chloe and them wishing away the Fair Bears, I didn't know at the time that there was an episode where they already did that, put them back in Happy Hollow, so I came up with what you see here instead. Apologies for that. Second, please be aware that what I know about Ancient Greece comes from Google searches, a city-building game set in that time, and a bit of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. As usual, the first chapter is all about set-up. Things will pick up in future chapters. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing. Fairly Odd Parents and Danny Phantom belong to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon, while SVTFOE belongs to Daron Nefcy, Gravity Falls belongs to Alex Hirsch, and Disney owns them both. Enjoy.