It was a bright sunny day in Axle City. The Blaze Family were at the beach, having a fun and relaxing time.
"Man, this feels great!" Sparkle said, splashing about in the water.
"Hey, Sparkle, head's up!" Blaze called out, tossing a beachball to her from shore.
"Comin' back at ya, bro!"
Blaze laughed as his little sister tossed back the ball. He caught it with ease and grinned, turning to AJ, who was building a sandcastle nearby.
"Hey, buddy, wanna join us?"
"Just a sec," AJ waved him off. "Gotta finish this tower..."
He placed a flag on the sandcastle then he stood up, brushing sand off his clothes before rushing in. Blaze tossed the ball to him, and AJ grabbed it before tossing it to Sparkle. Sparkle giggled as she caught it, splashing in the waves.
"Hey, Blaze! AJ! Join me in the water!" she called out to them.
"Uh..." AJ glanced over at Blaze, who looked just as unsure. Neither of them had told the Blaze Fam about their siren adventure, and their siren magic could show up a little whenever they touched sea water. "What do you think, Blaze...?"
"Well... they need to know some time. It's time we told them."
"I guess..." AJ nodded. "We'll wait when they all get back here, then? Your parents are still surfing out there,"
"Good point." Blaze nodded and turned to his sister. "Hey, Sparkle, how about we get some ice cream while we wait for Mom and Dad to get back from surfing?"
"Okay! Then, we all go for a family swim." Sparkle chirped as she swam to them.
Blaze and AJ chuckled nervously as they waited for her to reach them then they turned to head over to the ice cream parlor.
Meanwhile, back in Melodia, Crusher was in the middle of his king duties, which were surprisingly not as boring as he first noted, when a guard came into the throne room with bow.
"Your majesty. Your aunt is here for the wedding in a few days."
"My... aunt?" Crusher looked up from his work with surprise. "As in... Aunt Castora? But how? I thought she was banished from Melodia!" He set his work down and got up from his throne. "Let her in. I'd like to see her for myself,"
"Yes sire." The guard bowed and swam off.
A few minutes later, a new siren dashed in, long, crazy icy blue hair flailing in the water as she entered the throne room. Her eyes roamed in excitement before settling down on her nephew floating above the throne. She gasped.
"Crescento, my dear!"
"Aunt Castora!" Crusher smiled and swam over to her as she engulfed him into a hug. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were long gone after Father banished you!"
"He did, but how could I miss your only wedding?" Castora smiled and kissed her nephew's forehead. "But what of you? I haven't seen you in ages! I heard you even went missing for years! What happened?"
"Father killed Mom, and I... I just left," Crusher sighed. "It's a long story,"
"Well, I'm sure you can tell me the whole thing soon," Castora giggled. "For now, I'm just so happy to be back! And I've heard that you had become king? If then, where's your crown, dearie?"
"Well... it wasn't for me. I sorta like shapeshifting and stuff, so I decided not to wear it."
"Oh, just like Athena," Castora sighed, a light blush on her cheeks. "Oh, how much Athena loved shapeshifting and so on, so forth... just a shame that my brother dearest would hurt such a pretty face..."
"I know... I really loved her." Crusher let out a sigh before smirking. "I didn't know that you loved her too, Aunt Castora~"
"I did," Castora grinned, rolling her eyes. "Now, tell me of this siren you're marrying."
"Um..." Crusher tensed up, knowing full well that his aunt wasn't... too fond of land creatures. "He's... actually not AN ACTUAL siren, per se... um..."
"He's... a land creature?" Castora's eye twitched as she strained a smile. "Oh, sweet child, I didn't know that you were... up THERE for so long..." She let out a hiss but her smile didn't falter. "Still. If he had won your heart then I am certain that he is worth it. When will he get here?"
"He'll be here in a day or two."
"Of course, of course..." Castora sighed and twirled with her nephew's hair. "Though, I would LOVE to meet your fiancé before the wedding..."
"I... I don't know, Aunt Castora..." Crusher looked unsure. "You in the surface doesn't feel... safe..."
"Oh, come now, dear," Castora pouted. "You may trust me. I won't attack any land creature... promise!"
Crusher frowned before sighing. "Fine, but I don't want you to cause any trouble. I want you to give the land creatures a chance,"
"Anything for you," Castora smiled sweetly, though two fingers from the hand on her back crossed.
"Alright," Crusher smiled. "By now, it should be late noon, and the beach shouldn't be that crowded, so we won't attract so much attention when we rise up,"
"Then let us go!" Castora giggled, twirling around excitedly.
Crusher nodded and led his aunt out of the palace. They made their way out of the kingdom and traveled through the portal, heading to the ocean of the mortal world. He led her to the sea, and once they were near the shore, he peaked his head up to see Axle City Beach clear of any land creatures.
"Alright, coast is clear," he swam nearer to shore, singing to shift himself to his truck form. "I'm going to go find my friends. You coming, Aunt Castora?"
"I'll stay here, if that's all right," Castora spoke with a smile. "I feel safer in the water, anyway. Go on, go on, I won't cause any trouble,"
"Alright..." Crusher looked unsure but allowed himself to trust his aunt as he turned and made his way through the beach.
Castora watched him leave before looking around boredly. She let out a yawn and was about to cast a spell to entertain herself when laughter filled the air, and she turned to see Sparkle driving over the sand excitedly. This caused an idea to form in the siren's head as she smirked.
"Well... maybe a little trouble,"
She hid herself in the waters and swam closer to where the orange truck was playing. She rose herself slightly and released a song into the air. She watched as her magic made her way to the little girl, whose eyes suddenly glowed fuchsia as she stiffened in the spell. Castora cackled.
"That's it..." she purred. "Come on over, little one~"
Sparkle nodded and slowly drove towards the water. Castora chuckled as she kept on singing to keep her spell strong. Just as the orange truck was nearing the water, Phoenix and Flame came by to check on their daughter. When they found her nearing the siren, they gasped.
"SPARKLE!"
Their cry fell on deaf ears as Sparkle kept driving forward. Flame zoomed over to stop her while Phoenix went over to Castora, rage visible in her eyes.
"What are you doing to her?!" she demanded.
"Oh, don't worry, dearies~" Castora smirked. "I'm just having a little fun~"
"THIS IS NOT FUN!" Flame yelled out. "Let her go!"
"Hmm, let me think about it..." Castora hummed in thought before grinning. "No,"
"Phoenix, we have to snap her out of it!" Flame said, turning to his wife. "We need to get her off the spell!"
"Good idea," Phoenix nodded and turned to their daughter. "Sparkle! Sparkle, it's Mom! Mom and Dad! Snap out of it, please!"
"Wonderful and hilarious effort, you two," Castora laughed at them mockingly. "but unfortunately, a siren's spell is not that easily broken," She sang louder and called out to her victim. "Come, little one~ Get closer~"
Sparkle gave a nod and drove closer to Castora. Phoenix and Flame exchanged worried and distressed glances as they still struggled to free their daughter from Castora's spell.
Meanwhile, Crusher had found Blaze and AJ and were telling them about his aunt.
"I know that I should trust her, but... she dislikes land creatures," he vented with a sigh. "What should I do?"
"At least give her a benefit of a doubt," Blaze answered.
"Harder said than done," Crusher let out another sigh. "She did try to poison Father, after all. Then again, who wouldn't after everything he's one to the kingdom?"
"I know it's hard, but at least try," AJ said. "After all, she-"
Before he could finish his sentence, an eerie but beautiful song filled the air, but it gave Crusher cold chills that ran deep inside him.
"Siren song," he hissed before his eyes widened in realization. "Aunt Castora!"
He drove towards the source of the singing. Blaze and AJ followed him, and the trio ended up near the sea. They gasped as they watched Castora lure Sparkle to the sea.
"She's putting Sparkle under her spell!" Blaze gasped.
"Argh, Aunt Castora!" Crusher shook his head and released his own song.
His magic deemed stronger than his aunt's, snapping Sparkle out from her spell. The orange truck gasped as she returned from loss of subconsciousness, glancing around in confusion.
"W-Wha...? What happened?"
"Sparkle!" Phoenix and Flame took their daughter into their tires. "You're back!"
Castora snarled, turning to see her nephew looking relieved as she watched Blaze and AJ run up to the family to join them. She huffed and folded her arms as Sparkle rubbed her eyes.
"What's happened?" Sparkle asked. "All I remember is playing on the beach, then I heard this pretty song, and... that's all I remember,"
"You were caught under a siren's spell," Blaze told her with a smile. "but don't worry. You're fine now,"
"You... have a lot to explain," Crusher snarled at his aunt.
"Oh, Crescento," Castora grinned, no guilt in her face as she giggled. "you can't blame a siren for having a little fun," She then frowned at her newphew. "As for you, I am a little disappointed that you refuse to let me do what we sirens were rumored to do; sink ships and drown land creatures. Is that too hard to do?"
"We don't drown people or sink ships anymore, Aunt Castora!" Crusher growled before shaking his head. "We'll talked about this at home..."
"Oh, come now, nephew," Castora huffed, crossing her arms. "You're not respecting old traditions anymore! You... You're acting just like your father!"
Crusher's eyes widened in horror as he tensed at the sudden comparison. Blaze and AJ were also taken back before the red truck drove forward with a frown.
"You're wrong- Crusher is nothing like his dad. Dracon was a heartless monster, with traumatizing him with his mom's death, and forcing him into a legacy he didn't want!"
"Blaze is right!" AJ agreed with a huff. "Crusher is warm and loving, unlike Dracon. You have NO right to judge him."
Castora was taken back by the defense, not expecting the land creatures to know anything about their family and their realm. She narrowed her eyes and spotted the seashell necklaces around their necks. This caused her to groan and roll her eyes.
"Of COURSE you'd take them to Melodia..." she sighed. "Alright, fine. I apologize for what I have done. I will... try to treat land creatures better, since they seemed to accept the whole siren thing..."
"Wait, Blaze," Phoenix glanced at her son, looking as confused as Flame and Sparkle. "what's going on?"
Blaze and AJ exchanged a glance before sighing. Blaze drove over to face them.
"Mom, Dad, this is what we wanted to tell you about when we invited you over to the beach," he said. "You see, Crusher is a siren. The siren prince. Well, the siren king, now, and his wedding to Pickle is coming up, so AJ and I wanted to invite you to the wedding for you guys to see the kingdom of Melodia,"
"Whoa... cool!" Sparkle squealed. "But, did you guys always know Crusher was a siren?"
"No," AJ replied with a chuckle. "It's a LONG story,"
"A story that I can tell later," Blaze told them. "For now, what do you think, Mom? Dad? You guys wanna come along?"
"Well... I have always wanted to see a real underwater kingdom..." Flame said after a long minute. "Why not? Sounds like fun!"
"As long as... she doesn't repeat her action, sure!" Phoenix smiled, glancing at Castora.
"I... won't," Castora faked a smile under her nephew's gaze. She knew better than to disagree after the stunt she just pulled. "I will be in my best behavior as soon as you're in the palace. Promise,"
"Good," Crusher said, shifting an uneasy gaze before he turned to the duo. "You guys think you'll be able to transform em?"
"Don't worry, Crusher," Blaze assured him.
"Yeah," AJ nodded. "We've learned the spell. Grammy already knew about this and helped us learn the spell,"
"Right. Come on, Aunt Castora. Let's get home and prepare," Crusher spoke, turning to his aunt.
"Of course, of course, my dear," Castora sighed and dove into the water.
Crusher watched her leave before taking a deep breath. He dove into the water with a splash, his truck form switching into his siren form the momen he entered the sea water. The rest of the Blaze family gasped at the transformation.
"Whoa..." Sparkle said in awe.
Blaze and AJ chuckled at their reaction. The red truck went over to his sister, ruffling her hair.
"Don't worry, Sparkle," he told her. "In just a few days, AJ and I can help turn all of you into sirens then we'll all get to explore Melodia,"
"A few days?!" his sister pouted. "Can't we do it a little sooner? Like... now?"
"We still need to prepare the spell, silly," Blaze laughed. "but don't worry, a few days will come sooner than you think,"
Meanwhile, Crusher and Castora were returning to the palace. Crusher was still feeling upset as they entered the throne room. Castora could sense his emotions and let out sigh.
"Oh, lighten up, dearest nephew," she told him. "I already apologized for the spell I casted,"
"To Blaze and his family... but to me for how to compared me to... him," Crusher shuddered, making his way to the throne. "You know I hate that,"
"Alright, alright," Castora made her way to him, taking his hand into hers. "I'm sorry. I know that you're nothing like your father. You are too much of your mother's son, anyway,"
Crusher smiled and hugged his aunt. "Apology accepted,"
Castora smiled and hugged him back. After a while, she left the throne room to let Crusher do the rest of his work. She made her way to the garden and made her way to the garden. She sat down on one of the stone benches and sighed.
She loved her nephew dearly. He and Athena were the only two beings she had ever cared for. She wouldn't want to do anything to hurt them... that was probably the reason why she had attempted to poison her brother. To kill him, so that Athena would be hers and so would the throne. Her nephew would have been her son, and Crusher would never have ran away.
And he would never have met those... land creatures.
She growled, clenching her fists. More than anything, land creatures was her primary enemies. Years of being hunted down by the landed creatures had made a mark on her, expecially since she was banished to a portion of the mortal world sea.
And she swore to their ancestors that she will kill all those land creatures that will dare to try to go near Melodia.
X
Days passed, and it was soon the big day. Crusher had picked up Pickle and his family from the beach. The gree truck was already excited for their big day that he couldn't help but squeal the whole way there.
"I can't wait, I can't wait!"
"Oh, love," Crusher laughed at his fiance's excitement. "You know, there's someone who wants to meet you before the wedding,"
"There is?" Pickle turned to the other in surprise. "Who?"
"My aunt," Crusher told him with a sigh. "My father's sister. Don't worry, though. She's nothing like him... well, when it comes to sirens, that is..."
"Well... okay. I'm excited to meet her!" Pickle beamed.
Crusher chuckled but still felt wary as they swam to the palace. Silina was the one to meet them at the entrance, greeting Grandpa Pickle and the rest of Pickle's family. Crusher gave his grandma a quick hug before taking his fiance by the hand and leading him to the garden, where Castora sat, caring for the corals.
"Aunt Castora? Pickle's here, and... I'd like you to meet him,"
"Hmm?" Castora turned, and her eyes widened as she glanced over at the siren by his nephew's side. "Oh, hello! You must be Pickle!" She swam to the siren-turned truck and gently cupped his face. "Oh, he looks so adorable! Oh, Crescento, you've got good taste!"
"Aunt Castora!" Crusher felt his face burn in embarrassment.
"Heh, thanks," Pickle lightly blushed.
"I bet he would make a great siren queen!" Castora laughed, but her mind spoke something else. 'If only he wasn't a land creature...'
"I'll take him to his room," said Crusher, taking his fiance back with a smile. "Grammy's gonna help you out with your wedding dress, love,"
"Oh, great!" Pickle beamed before waving goodbye to the siren duchess. "Nice meeting you, Miss Castora!"
"Oh, and Aunt Castora?" Crusher turned back to her. "Tell me if you see other sirens heading this way. It could be our friends,"
"Of course, dear!" Castora smiled and nodded.
She waited until they were gone. Her smile faltered into a scowl as she turned away.
"Oh, sweet Pickle, you do seem like a perfect choice," she sighed. "If only you were a REAL siren... but you're not," Her eyes flashed fuchsia at her words as she growled. "And I cannot let you or any of your little friends set tail in Melodia ever again,"
Meanwhile, Blaze, AJ and his family were gathering at the beach. Sparkle was bouncing in excitement.
"I can't wait!" she squealed. "We're gonna be sirens!"
The rest of them laughed at her enthusiasm as they made their way to the water. Blaze and AJ dove in first, their seashell necklaces glowing as they both transformed into their siren forms. Blaze popped out to face his family, who all gasped at their transformation.
"Blaze, you look incredible!" Phoenix said.
"Thanks, Mom," Blaze smiled as AJ appeared beside him. "You ready, buddy?"
"Ready," AJ nodded then they all let out a song, red and orange magic swirling all through the air.
Phoenix, Flame and Sparkle were amazed as they floated in the magic and were slowly floated over the sea. They were slowly lowered down to the sea with a splash, a burst of magical bubbles surrounding them as they felt their forms slowly shift and change. Soon, they found themselves underwater, with tails all similar to the color of their truck skin as they glanced at themselves.
"Wow! Look at us!" Sparkle exclaimed.
"We're sirens!" Phoenix cheered.
"Come on, guys!" Blaze motioned them to follow them. "Melodia's this way!"
"We're coming- woah!" Flame yelped as he struggled to flip his tail. "Woah, woah! This is tricky-!"
"Try and flick your tail against the current," AJ explained. "Grammy Silina told us that it will easier for us to control our swimming like that,"
"Woah!" Sparkle tried to do what he suggested. "Hey! It's working!"
"Now, come on!" Blaze urged them. "This way!"
Meanwhile, Castora was sulking as she watched Silina help Pickle with his wedding dress. She shook her head and swam out of the room with a huff. As she made her way to her room, she felt her magical crystal ball glow. She picked it up with a hum and watched as the image of Blaze and his family appear into the crystal.
"Hmm... looks like Blaze and his family are coming this way..." she hissed before grinning. "it seems that I must make sure that they never make it here at all..."
She let out a song and used her magic to echo it out of the palace. The magic flowed through the water and made their way towards the direction to where the Blaze family were travelling. The fuchsia magic made it's way to the ground, causing an undersea earthquake to appear.
"Whoaoaoa!" Flame yelled. "What's going on?!"
Suddenly, three undersea volcanoes began to rise from the seabed and release heat into the water. The Blaze family gasped as they felt the heat crawl up their tails.
"Undersea volcanoes?! Where did they come from?!" Sparkle asked.
"We don't know..." Blaze hissed but yelped as the volcanoes began to shake. "But I don't think we should stick around to find out! Swim away!"
They all yelped and swam out of the way, following the other away from the undersea volcanoes. Suddenly, the volcanoes erupted, causing them all to scream.
"What do we do?!" Sparkle exclaimed.
"We need a magical shield!" AJ cried out before letting out a song, his orange magic bursting out and surrounding them.
"Good idea, buddy!" Blaze nodded and sang out his own magic, red mixing with orange to strengthen the shield. "but this won't protect us for long!"
"Is there any spell to put out undersea volcanoes?!" Phoenix cried out.
"Let's see..." AJ flicked his hand, and magical scrolls appeared out of nowhere. "Here it is! But it's gonna take more than me and Blaze to cast it!"
"I'll help!" Sparkle volunteered.
"We all will!" Flame spoke as he and his wife nodded. "Just show us what to do!"
"Alright," Blaze gave a nod and opened the scroll. "Just read and sing. Your magic will do the rest,"
The trio nodded and read the scroll before singing. Nothing worked at the start, but sooner or later, yellow, silver and pink magic swirled from their voices. Blaze and AJ joined them, as their shield powered up and began to blast towards the undersea volcanoes. They all swam forward, their song still in harmony as they approached the first undersea volcano. At their spell, the volcano began to shake before slowly lowering itself into the ground until it disappeared into nothing but ashes.
"We did it!" Flame whooped.
"Now come on!" Blaze encouraged them with a smile. "Let's keep on going!"
They all nodded before swimming forward. Their voices were strong as it echoed towards the undersea volcanoes. One by one, the volcanoes all shrunk down into ashes. They soon approached the last volcano when one of it's hot debris burst out towards them. It went through a part where the shield was weak and hit Sparkle's tail.
"OW!" Sparkle hissed, her magic disappearing as she held her tail.
"Sis!" Blaze yelled.
"Blaze, we can't drop the spell anymore than it already is!" AJ called out to his best friend. "We need to take down the volcano THEN we'll get the magic kelp to help,"
Blaze looked hesitant as he watched his sister rub her injury while she lowered herself to a rock to sit, but he nodded and turned to the undersea volcanoes. Flame and Phoenix looked just as worried for their daughter but focused on their spell, causing it to strengthen. Soon, the undersea volcano shrunk down and disappeared into ashes. It was then that Blaze swam to get the kelp and hurried down to his sister.
"Here. Wrap this around your tail," he instructed. "It'll help with the injury,"
"Thanks, Blaze," Sparkle smiled. "Wow! It feels much better already!"
"But Blaze, where do you think those undersea volcanoes came from?" Phoenix asked her son.
"I don't know..." Blaze answered. "But, I have a feeling another siren might be to blame,"
"You don't think Dracon could be back, do you, Blaze?" AJ's eyebrows furrowed in worry.
"I don't think so," said his best friend. "We turned him into a seadragon and stripped him of his powers, remember?"
"Then who could it be...?" AJ wondered. "Maybe it's..." He gasped. "You don't think it's... Castora...?"
"I hope not," Blaze frowned. "Crusher made her promise to not cause us any trouble and to treat us better,"
"But she promised to treat us right AT the palace," Sparkle pointed out. "Maybe she's trying to stop us from getting to the palace!"
"Good point..." Phoenix said. "And if she's trying to stop us, she'll probably try and stop Blaze's friends, too!"
"Oh no!" Blaze gasped. "My friends went ahead of me! We have to get to the palace immediately!"
He turned and swam off immediately. AJ swam after him immediately, along with the rest of the Blaze Family.
Meanwhile, Castora was busy organizing the flowers when she felt her crystal ball glow. She groaned and set the flowers down and brought it up to see Darington, Stripes and Zeg making their way to the palace.
"Drat! More land creatures! I guess I'll have to try harder,"
She let out another spell, her magic of fuchsia towards a group of large lobsters. The lobsters stiffened, their eyes glowing fuchsia before turning to march to her with a bow. She smirked.
"Trap them in your claws, my pets! Make sure they never escape!"
The giant lobsters nodded as they were teleported out of the palace. They reappeared in front of Darington, Zeg and Stripes, who spotted them and stopped in surprise.
"Giant lobsters?" Stripes asked.
"Lobsters not look that bad," Zeg said, calmly approaching them but was taken back when one of the lobsters nearly pinched them. "Gah! Giant lobsters really bad!"
The giant lobsters began to get closer, so the three attempted to use their magic to oppose them. Just as they took out a scroll to cast the spell, a giant lobster ripped it apart.
"Yikes! What do we do?!" Darington yelped.
"Uh… swim away!" Stripes cried out then they turned tail and attempted to flee.
Just as they did, the other lobsters grabbed them by the tail, causing them to yelp.
"Gah!" the trio let out a yelp.
"We caught lobster claws!" Zeg cried out.
"HELP!" Darington screamed.
Just as they did, Blaze, AJ and the rest of the Blaze Family were swimming towards their direction and heard their cry.
"Our friends are in trouble!" Blaze gasped.
"There they are!" AJ pointed to the group of lobsters nearby.
"Guys!" Stripes called out to them. "We need help!"
"We tried to cast a spell!" Darington added. "But the lobsters ripped our scroll!"
"Don't worry, guys!" Blaze took out a scroll from out of nowhere. "We've got this. Blaze Family, it's time to sing!"
AJ nodded and proceeded to sing. Phoenix, Flame and Sparkle followed behind, their voices lightly out of chorus. Darington, Stripes and Zeg exchanged glances before helping them out to smoothen the chorus into harmony. Their magic floated around before bursting out in a sonic boom, sending the lobsters back and freeing the trio.
"We free!" Zeg cheered.
"B!" Darington swam over to embrace his boyfriend in a hug. "You saved us!"
Blaze smiled and pecked the other's cheek. Stripes and Zeg swam towards them as AJ kept the scroll.
"Hey, guys, what happened?" he asked. "How did you get trapped by giant lobsters?"
"I don't know," Stripes shrugged. "They just came out of nowhere!"
At that moment, the giant lobsters were muttering in some jibberish as they swam towards them, eyes fading from some fuchsia magic. Everyone gasped in surprise.
"Castora! I should have known!" Blaze growled.
"Excuse me, giant lobsters," AJ called out to the lobsters. "Do you all know what happened before you got here?"
"Barely, but yes," the first giant lobster nodded and drove front. "We were ready to prepare the royal wedding reception when we heard Duchess Castora sing from nearby,"
"Do any of you know why she suddenly sang?" Darington asked.
Unfortunately, all the lobsters shook their heads before swimming away. The group let out a sigh, with Blaze frowning and folding his arms. Phoenix and Flame noticed this and swam over to him.
"Blaze, are you okay?"
"No," Blaze sighed, shaking his head. "It's just... I thought that this'll be one time where we'd be heading to Melodia without having to face any enemies... but it isn't,"
"It's okay, sport," Flame assured. "We'll stop her,"
"I'm not... I'm not leading you all into danger, am I?" Blaze turned to them with a sad expression.
"Of course not, Blaze!" Sparkle swam over to hug him. "This trip's been great so far!"
"And it's not your fault," AJ added with a nod. "Castora's the one who's after us,"
"Wait, who's Castora?" Stripes asked.
"Dracon's sister," Blaze said.
"That monster has a sister?!" Darington's jaw dropped.
"Yeah..." AJ nodded.
"She tried to drown Sparkle days ago too," Blaze sighed. "I don't think Castora really wants to treat us better than how she already does,"
"Then, we have to find the girls before Castora does something worse to them!" Stripes exclaimed.
"Come on then!" Blaze swam off to lead them. "Let's go save our friends and stop Castora!"
Meanwhile, Castora was trying to calmly set wedding decorations up without glaring over at the siren-turned Pickle Family, who she was suppose to be helping, when she felt her crystal ball glow once more. She faked a smile and excused herself from them before swimming off.
From afar, Silina watched her with caution and suspicion before following the siren duchess to the other room. She narrowed her eyes and gasped to see Castora growling at the visual of Gabby, Watts and Starla in her crystal ball, making their way to the palace.
"MORE LAND CREATURES?! GAH! I guess I'll have to use my most powerful spell..."
Castora took out magical crystals from out of nowhere and headed to the balcony. Silina followed after her and watched as the other siren smirked and sang out a tune before releasing the crystals, which exploded and turned into huge tsunami waves leaving the palace.
"Hey, girls?" Starla said. "You feel something weird? Like... something's coming?"
"Hmm… I don't know, Starship," Watts looked around. "I don't see anything—"
"TSUNAMI!" Gabby cried out, pointing to the huge waves making their way to them. "SWIM!"
Just as the trio attempted to swim away, they suddenly got caught in the force of the tsunami.
"AGH! HEEEEEEEEEELP!"
From nearby, the group were swimming their direction when Stripes heard their screaming, causing him to glance around. Blaze looked over at him, confused.
"Stripes? What is it?"
"I hear... screaming," Stripes frowned. "And... waves?"
"There couldn't be waves under the sea... could there be?" Darington gulped. "Wait, what if there is?"
"Not waves, TSUNAMI!" Zeg cried out, pointing to whatever was ahead of them.
They all gasped as they turned to see the tsunami moving towards them at great speed.
"And look!" Sparkle gasped. "Watts, Starla and Gabby are stuck in it!"
"We need a spell, a really powerful spell to stop it!" AJ cried out, taking out a scroll. "But we'll have to time it just right!"
"Alright," Blaze nodded. "Everyone, huddle together and gather around the scroll!"
Everyone did so. Darington opened the scroll before beginning to sing it, causing blue magic to appear and surround them in a force-field kind of way. Stripes and Zeg followed after him, their magic adding to the force field, which was enlarging with the boost of magic. Phoenix, Flame and Blaze came after them, along with Sparkle and AJ, causing the force field to enlarge and almost reach the tsunami. From the tsunami, Starla, Watts and Gabby tried their best to follow after the song, which did them favor and lifted them out of the waves.
Suddenly, there was an additional voice that caused the force field to burst towards the tsunami, which disappeared into small bubbles.
"We're free!" Gabby cheered. "Thanks guys!"
"Glad you kids are okay," Phoenix sighed in relief. "but who was that additional voice that sang with us?"
"It was I,"
The group turned to see Silina swim out from a bunch of corals. They gasped.
"Grammy! What are you doing here?" AJ asked.
"Watching a plan unfold, apparently," Silina shook her head with a growl. "Dracon was always a monster, but Castora... I had always thought she was better than him. I suppose I was wrong,"
"So... we were right," Blaze sighed. "Castora HAS been trying to stop us from reaching the palace,"
"Who's Catsora?" Watts questioned.
"Dracon's sister and Crusher's aunt," said AJ. "Apparently, she's as powerful as Dracon and WAY more dangerous,"
"What do you mean you thought she was better, Grammy?" Darington asked. "Was she never this way?"
"She has always been... scheming, yes," Silina let out a sigh. "but she is the only one who loved my daughter Athena purely. When Athena... was killed, it drove her crazier than she had gone already, but her grudge against land creatures has always been psycho because, as you know, sirens and land creatures have a rough history,"
"That explains why she put Sparkle under her spell back at the beach!" Flame realized.
"Wait a minute..." Starla gasped. "but Pickle and his family are already at the palace!"
"We have to hurry and get there before Castora does anything to them!" Blaze exclaimed
"But, the palace is still far away," AJ pointed out. "How will we get there in time?"
"Here," Silina held out some magical crystals. "This will take this to the palace in an instant,"
"Shiny rocks?" Darington asked bluntly.
"Magic crystals of teleportation," Silina clarified, giggling at the blunt guess. "No singing spell needed. Just a whisper to your next location,"
"Huh, easy enough!" Sparkle shrugged. "Let's do this!"
Silina smiled and nodded. She tossed some crystals into the air and whispered into the air. Suddenly, the crystals circled around them in a swirling motion, blurring their surrounding in pink. They gasped as they reappeared in front of the palace gates.
"Whoa! That was fast!" Blaze exclaimed.
"Come, Crushy's in the throne room," Silina motioned them to follow her. "We'll take the longer way to avoid being spotted by Castora,"
"Got it," Phoenix nodded.
They swam around the gate and through the garden back way. They entered the palace unnoticed, even by the Pickle Family, whom they watched giggle and laugh as they helped set up for the wedding.
"At least Castora hasn't victimized them yet with her spells," Silina sighed in relief.
"But we need to warn Crusher!" Starla said. "He could help us!"
"Come, the throne room is this way," Silina nodded and led them down a hall.
They managed to avoid bumping into Castora as they found their way to the throne room. A guard was standing by the door, so Silina swam forward.
"We're here to see the king," she spoke.
"Yes ma'am!"
The guard opened the door, and Silina led the group in. Crusher was fixing up the second throne for Pickle when he heard the open. He turned around, and his eyes lit up at the sight of them.
"Guys! You're here!"
"Hey, Crusher!" Blaze greeted, his usual smile looking strained.
Crusher noticed this and frowned as he swam to them. He glanced at each of them and noticed that they all had some strained smiles, causing him to tilt his head in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"It's… Castora," AJ confessed. "She's been sending out magical spells to keep us from getting to the palace!"
"It's true," Silina confirmed with a nod. "I watched her send a tsunami straight at the girls!"
"She... what?" Crusher stared at them in disbelief. "N-No, she wouldn't— oh no, wait she would. She's father's sister," he sighed and crossed his arms. "I should have known,"
"We're sorry we had to tell you like this," Blaze said. "But we were worried that she'd do something to Pickle and his family."
"We have to do something to stop her before she does," Darington pointed out. "But what?"
"Hmm…" Crusher hummed in thought. "Well, she said that she'll be giving Pickle a little 'good luck charm' later before the wedding, though I assume it isn't a real 'good luck charm'. Maybe we can set up a trap there?"
"Good thinking!" Stripes said. "I'll go find Pickle and tell him our plan."
"What kind of trap are you thinking?" Watts asked as Stripes swam out with Zeg and Gabby for back-up.
"Well… here is what I was thinking…"
X
Castora smirked as she swam out of her room and headed to Pickle's with a bottle of poison in her hands.
"Now... to end this..."
She hid the bottle behind her before swimming to Pickle's door. She faked a smile as she knocked on the door.
"Pickle, dear! May I come in?"
"Of course, Ms. Castora! Come on inside!"
Castora opened the door to see Pickle brushing his hair by the mirror. He turned to her with a smile, setting the brush down on the table.
"Hi!" he greeted before his eyes settled on the bottle the siren duchess was keeping on her back. "Oh, is that for me?"
"Of course, my dear," Castora grinned sweetly as she closed the door discreetly, in case anyone would hear them. "A little good luck drink before the big day,"
"Oh, thanks!" Pickle beamed before turning to swim to his closet. "Set it down on the table, I'll get it in a second,"
Castora smirked and swam over to the table. She had just set the bottle down and was about to open it when a melodic voice filled the air. She looked around, confused before she was suddenly placed in magical bubble, causing her to gasp in shock.
"W-What?!" she looked over to see the other staring at her, not moving to help her at all. "Let me out of here!"
"Sorry, afraid I can't do that," Pickle answered, his sweet voice having some sinisterness in it as he snickered.
"You twit!" Castora hissed. "How am I supposed to poison you and make sure my nephew never marries a land creature from IN HERE?!"
"That's all we needed to hear,"
Castora froze at the voice before turning to see Crusher appear from the door. He let out another song, and a swaying wave of water moved around the room, undoing the spell of camouflage and revealing Blaze, AJ, the Blaze Family and the rest of their friends, all glaring down at her. The siren duchess's jaw dropped.
"Busted...!" Sparkle singsonged.
"C-Crescento, darling... l-l-l-lemme explain!" Castora pleaded.
"I am NOT hearing any of it," Crusher shook his head. "I TRUSTED you, Aunt Castora. I thought you were different from Father. That you actually CARED for me,"
"You would take these... pathetic land creatures over your own flesh and blood?!" Castora roared out. "You're... you're even weaker than I thought,"
"I would take my friends over you or Father any day, if that's how you're acting," Crusher crossed his arms. "Unlike either of you, they actually supported me and stayed by my side when I thought no one would. Them and Grammy,"
"What're we gonna do with her?" Starla asked. "We can't banish her- she might come back. If we imprison her, she'll escape and plot revenge."
"Crusher...? What do you think we should do?" Watts asked, holding Starla's hand.
"Yeah, are there any other punishments that can assure that she won't come after us again?" Darington turned to Silina then to Crusher.
"I know... one," Silina sighed. "but it will seal her fate... in stone,"
"YOU MONSTERS!" Castora yelled, growling at them, mainly at Crusher. "HOW DARE YOU THINK TO PETRIFY ME, YOUR AUNT, THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN AIMING TO KILL DRACON JUST TO CARE FOR YOU AND YOUR MOTHER?!" She began to bring out her crocodile tears. "I thought you were nicer than this, Crescento! I can't believe you! You... You are making me the bad guy! How could you?!"
Crusher felt the guilt pressure down on his chest with each accusation. Blaze and AJ recognized that Castora was trying to use the same trick she attempted to use back at the beach. This caused Blaze to growl before swimming forward to confront the siren duchess.
"YOU'RE THE MONSTER!" he exclaimed, making the whole room shake and everyone stare. "Crusher is warm and loving! He will NEVER be the kind of siren you or Dracon wanted! He loves Pickle. He loves going to the surface and being himself! Since we found out, we've been more than happy to accept his true self. I wish YOU had accepted him like we have... the way Athena would have accepted him if she was here,"
"As if," Castora huffed, turning to glare at Crusher once more. "For all I know, you are NOTHING like your mother, and if she were here, she would have been disgusted by your choice,"
Everyone gasped. Crusher was taken back, not expecting the statement. Pickle, who had been growing angrier with each word coming out of the siren duchess's mouth, snarled and swam over to defend his fiance.
"You... you... I WISH YOU AND DRACON HAD NEVER EXISTED SO CRUSHER COULD BE HAPPY WITH US, HIS GRAMMY AND HIS MOM, YOU... COLD HEARTED MONSTER!" he screamed, his eyes bright red.
Everyone stared at Pickle in horror. Never had they seen him so angry in all the years that they've known him. He would usually be lightly angry, sometimes at Crusher's cheats or at them if they... accidentally hurt Crusher, but it wouldn't be THIS bad before.
Only Crusher wasn't shocked, too focus on the painful, emotional stab by his aunt's statement as his eyes focused on the ground. He glanced down at his hands as he felt his eyes water.
Was he... nothing like his mother? He knew that he was nothing like father, anyone would know that, but if he wasn't like his parents then... who was he?
"Oh, Crushy," Silina took her grandson into her arms, allowing him to cry. "Shh, shh, it is alright. Whatever Castora said, it isn't true,"
"Yes, it is," Castora huffed.
"Why don't we turn this scumbag to stone already?" Stripes hissed.
"Yeah, Zeg no like Crusher's aunt," Zeg agreed with a nod.
"HA! YOU SCOUNDRELS AREN'T EVEN POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CAST A PETRIFICATION SPELL!" Castora mocked with a smirk.
"Oh yeah?" Gabby sneered. "Just watch us,"
"WE were the ones who helped Crusher turn Dracon into a sea dragon!" Darington bragged proudly. "So if we can take HIM down, we can take you down too,"
"YOU LAND CREATURES TURNED MY BROTHER, THE SIREN KING, INTO A SEA DRAGON?!" Castora looked horrified. "Impossible!"
"Grammy, give us the spell," AJ requested. "It's time we showed Castora what a punch of "PATHETIC land creatures" can do,"
Silina nodded and took out the scroll, a golden glint appearing before the scroll turned lightly gray. Sparkle swam over to take into into her hands to show to the others but yelped at the sudden weight of the scroll.
"Heavy, heavy!"
"I-I'll take it," Crusher wiped his tears and took the scroll, like it weighed nothing. "This is only one shot. We need to sing as much as we can, and we CANNOT stop, no matter what,"
"Got it," Blaze responded. "Everyone... follow Crusher's lead,"
Castora snarled and attempted to use her magic to pop the bubble. Crusher noticed this but ignored it, knowing that rushing the spell could have dire consequences. He began the spell, a strange, eerie melody echoing through the air and water as his magic swirled around them and Castora. Instead of being icy blue, however, his magic was greyish blue, and it was all rough and stone like as closed in on Castora's bubble. Castora's eyes widened in alarm.
"Wh-what?!" Castora looked around, trying to find another way to escape. "No, no, NO!"
Blaze, AJ and Silina followed after the melody. Their magic was just as gray and stone-like as they made their way to Castora bubble, locking strands with Crusher's magic, which caused it grow large and rough. Phoenix, Flame and Sparkle came after them, as did Darington, Stripes, Gabby, Watts, Starla and then Zeg. Their magic was surrounding all of the, strands locked and mixed with one another as Castora's bubble slowly began to petrify.
"FOOLS!" she screeched. "YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR THIS!"
And those were her last words as the bubble popped, and the magic burst in a flash. They all gasped as they shielded themselves from the flash, and when the light ceased, all that was left of Castora was a stone statue.
Blaze touched the siren king's shoulder. "She's gone, Crusher. You and Pickle are safe now,"
Crusher should feel glad at the result of the spell, but at the same time, he wasn't. His father's side of the family... they were all bias and evil. How could he not expect himself to be the same when he grows older? But he didn't want to rant, not now when then had just defeated his aunt.
So instead of ranting, of having another breakdown, he gave his fakest smile yet and turned to Blaze and the others.
"Thank you. For everything," he then locked arms with Pickle. "Come on, Pickle. We have a wedding to get ready for,"
X
"And I now pronounce you both, Siren King and Siren Queen," Silina spoke at last. "You may now kiss,"
Everyone cheered as the pair shared a kiss. Lily and Frilly swam over in their siren forms to hand over the hand-crafted crowns that they were tasked to do, and Silina set them on Crusher and Pickle's heads before leading them to the thrones.
"Your majesties," she spoke with a bow then she turned to the audience. "All hail, King Crusher and Queen Pickle of Melodia!"
The crowd cheered wildly. Soon, it was time for the reception. Everyone was laughing and having lots fun. Grandpa Pickle was dancing with Pickle after Crusher and Pickle had their dance. Blaze and Darington, Watts and Starla, and AJ and Gabby were also twirling around and laughing whilst Phoenix and Flame were talking with Silina and the rest of the guests. Sparkle was with Lily, Tillie, Millie and Frilly, all five of them laughing and having their own fun while Ben, Ken and Sven were chatting Stripes and Zeg, along with the rest of the sea animal guests there.
Only Crusher wasn't having as much fun as they were. He watched them with a smile, but as soon as they backs were turned, he swam out of the reception room and out into the garden.
Of course, he wasn't able to slip out unnoticed. After their dance, Blaze, Pickle and AJ managed to catch a glimpse of him leaving the room. So, they decided to follow him and see what was wrong. They found him sitting alone on one of the garden benches. They glanced at one another with a frown before Pickle swam forward to his husband.
"Crusher... what's wrong?"
"I..." Crusher tried to pull himself together, but the façade was too hard to keep, and he soon broke down. "Everything... Everything's wrong. Everything's just... messed up,"
"What do you mean?" AJ asked.
"My family... I... I cant take it!" Crusher shook his head, trying his hardest to wipe his tears. "I... I really thought that Aunt Castora was different from father. She... She loved my mother... like really, REALLY loved her... but she turned out just as insane as father. I can't take it!"
"Oh, Crusher..." Blaze swam down to give him a little squeeze. "It'll be okay."
"Yeah, sweetheart," Pickle agreed, pressing a kiss on his cheek. "We're right here. It's gonna be okay,"
Crusher heard them but the tears were still pouring as he sat in silence. AJ had called Silina and the rest of their friends, and they were all now surrounding the siren king to help comfort him. As he cried, he failed to see his tears meeting the ocean floor and turning into crystal-like droplets as it formed a little symbol before disappearing and floating up to form a siren woman with short dark blue hair and skin, eyes and tail similar to Crusher's. She stared down at him and smiled.
"Crushy, baby..."
Crusher tensed at the voice. They were all surprised by the sudden voice as they all looked up at the transparent being in front of them. Silina was close to tears at the sight of the daughter.
"A-Athena...?"
"M-Mom?" Crusher stammered.
"Hello, mother," Athena smiled up at her mother before sitting down to meet her son's eye level. "And yes, Crushy, it's me. Good to see you again,"
"B-But... But how?!" Crusher's tears were streaming now as Pickle held him to keep him from breaking down more. "You... I saw father kill you! H-How... How is this possible...?"
"With magic, anything is possible," Athena chuckled and gently took her son's cheeks into her hands. "but what matters now is that I'm here, and I missed you ever so much, Crushy,"
"Mom...!"
Crusher smiled and zoomed out of Pickle's arms and straight to his mother's. Athena took him in, tears trickling down her own cheeks as she held him close. Silina couldn't contain herself either, and she swam over to embrace them both.
Everyone else watched the reunion with a smile. They were a little surprised when they saw Crusher's mother appeared from out of nowhere, but as long as their friend was happy, they wouldn't break their moment.
Athena slowly pulled away before her gaze settled over to Pickle. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him.
"You must be Pickle!"
"Mm, y-yeah," Pickle felt himself flush at the sudden attention drawn towards him as he swam over with a bow. "An honor to meet you, Ms Athena,"
"The honor is mine," Athena smiled before turning over to the rest of them. "I've seen how tender Crushy is for all of you, and I can never thank you land creatures enough for accepting his true self. He's definitely a mother's boy,"
"I... I am?" Crusher asked. "But... Aunt Castora said I was nothing like you... and that you'd be disgusted my choices..."
"Oh, heavens no, Crushy," Athena's gaze softened as she caressed his hair. "I've always adored land creatures. SO much to explore all around the world... That was something Cass never understood. I loved her ever so much... but her bias ways always got in the way of her decisions,"
"So... you still love me?" Crusher asked. "The way you did before Father... you know...?"
"Oh, Crushy..." Athena kissed her forehead. "I've always loved you. You might not have seen me, but I had always been there wherever you are, whatever you do... I've always been there to cheer you on," She then smirked. "Even if it meant those sneaky tricks you pulled on your friends, I'd still support you because it makes you happy, and I always love it whenever I see you happy,"
"Thanks, Mom..." Crusher smiled as he was enveloped into another hug.
"Athena, we're so happy you, Grammy and Crusher are back together," Blaze said. "But, I guess since the wedding is over, we need to get home. We have a race to prepare for,"
"D'aww, don't you guys want to stay for one night?" Pickle asked with a pout.
"Well... I guess we always could stay the night and head to the race tomorrow," Stripes figured.
"Excellent choice," Athena giggled. "After all, the siren queen seemed to demand your presence,"
"Can we stay too, Mom?" Sparkle asked. "Can we, can we?!"
"Of course we can!" Phoenix nodded with a laugh.
"That's great!" Crusher smiled and turned over to the guards by the door. "Guards, prepare the other spare rooms. We're having more guests stay over,"
"Yes sire,"
The guards gave a nod and swam off. Athena glanced over at her son with a proud smile, which widened when Pickle swam over to his side and locked arms with him. Silina watched her daughter's gaze and smiled.
"They were made for each other, don't you think?"
"A match made in heaven." Athena cooed. "I can't wait for the grandchildren!"
"Mooom!" Crusher said, his cheeks red in embarassment.
Everyone let out a laugh as they all made their way back inside to rejoin the reception, this time, with Athena joining them.
X
"Yay!" Sparkle cheered as they surfaced up on Axle City Beach. "We're back home! I mean, it was fun down in Melodia, but being home is also amazing!"
"So, how are we gonna turn back, kiddo?" Flame asked.
"We need those special shells!" Blaze replied. "but... wait, AJ, do you remember where Crusher found those?"
"No," AJ said. "He placed us under a deep sleep, so I have no idea,"
"I had a feeling that I was forgetting something,"
The group turned to see Crusher emerge from the water. In his hands, he held shells of yellow, orange and fuchsia.
"Just sing into the shells everyone," he told them.
Phoenix, Flame and Sparkle did just as so before gasping in amazement as their siren forms disappeared and shifted back into their truck forms. Blaze sighed in relief.
"We're back to normal!" Sparkle cheered.
"Well, you better get back to prepare for the race," Crusher said.
"You really can't come this time?" Blaze asked.
"Nope. Pickle and I'll both be busy," Crusher shook his head before chuckling. "The others will be coming, though... when someone gets them out of their sea beds, but they were sleeping so peacefully that I couldn't be the one to wake them up,"
"Okay," AJ said with a smile. "See you later, KING Crusher,"
"Huh, never thought I'd hear you guys say that," Crusher let out hearty laugh. "Well, see you guys,"
With that, he turned and swam back into the water and into his kingdom.