Central Park

Egyptian obelisk

4:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time

(Skipper's POV)

"Kowalski?" Skipper said, "options."

"Um…" Kowalski said.

"I got one!" Julien said as he rushed up to The Golden Squirrel.

"Stay away from me!" The Golden Squirrel said blasting Julien with a burst of magic that sent him flying into a tree.

"Nice one," Julien said as he passed out.

"Wait I thought you can't hurt the one who is pure of heart?" Kowalski said.

"Obsidian, Jededaiah, and Reginald can't hurt or kill him," The Golden Squirrel said, "but I can maim or seriously injure him."

"Now with this key," The Golden Squirrel said holding up the key as he pointed at the obelisk, "and this ancient symbol of power…I end the world."

Suddenly a wall of golden energy shot up and surrounded the obelisk forming a protective square.

"What... is this!" The Golden Squirrel shouted.

"Kowalski?" I asked.

"It appeared to be some sort of protective spell," Kowalski said as he looked upwards, "probably Egyptian judging on the fact that The Eye of Horus is glowing. And so is the symbol of Ra the sacred scarab."

"Um Kowalski," Private said, "all of the hieroglyphs are glowing."

"Oh then the whole obelisk is it's own protection spell," Kowalski said.

"What have you done!" The Golden Squirrel shouted pointing at me.

"Nothing," I said, "do I look like a magic man to you?"

"This is supernatural," Kowalski said.

"Looks like somebody up there likes us," I said.

"No matter," The Golden Squirrel said, "No magical barrier is going to…"

"EVIL DOERS BEWARE!" a booming voice said, "THIS OBELISK IS PROTECTED! ONLY MORTALS CAN PASS UNHARMED! NO EVIL SPIRIT OR BEING CAN CROSS THIS BARRIER!"

"Ha!" I said, "It look like your end of the world is over!"

"This barrier may hold out my warriors," The Golden Squirrel said, "and as I am protected by this mortal body…"

The Golden Squirrel passed the barrier, "then my immortal spirit can pass safety inside my host body…"

Suddenly The Golden Squirrel was ripped from Fred's body which dropped to the ground unharmed.

"What?" The Golden Squirrel said as he saw his host body, "that can't…"

The Golden Squirrel let out a bloodcurdling scream as his spirit body was ripped apart. The Three warriors of The Golden Squirrel let out a painful gasp as the last bit of ectoplasm disappeared.

Fred look around confused, "Um where am I?"

Kowalski dragged Fred away from the obelisk as the protective anti-spirit barrier disappeared. A ghostly image of a hawk-headed person was visible for a split second. A image of a at peace meditative Golden Squirrel flashed before our eyes as Horus vanished.

"What have you done!" Obsidian shouted.

"Defeated you," Kowalski said, "obviously."

"He get destroyed by a magical barrier?" Julien said, "what a ripoff! Where the mystical final battle to save the earth with explosions and magic-y stuff flying around!"

"Magic-y stuff," Marlene said.

"You know like spells and wand-waving and enchantments," Julien said, "and magic eye-lasers, and magic booty lasers, and crazy weather!"

"Urgh!" Maurice said as he faced palmed.

"Magic…Booty…Lasers," Kowalski said, "I did not need that image in my head."

"It is too epic for your head!" Julien shouted.

"Enough of your ridiculous antics," Reginald said, "it is time to engage the last-minute back-up plan that I just came up with."

"What backup plan," Kowalski said, "you can't destroy the world now…you can't even access the obelisk!"

"World Domination!" Obsidian replied.

"Well then you are officially back in our wheelhouse," I replied, "World Domination Plots are our bread and butter!"

"They are?" Private said, "I thought bread and butter was our bread and butter."

"And the analogy is ruined," I said.

"Bow before you new masters!" Reginald said.

"I don't think we should conquer the earth," Jededaiah said.

"What?" Reginald said turning to Jededaiah with rage.

"I don't think we should conquer earth."

Reginald blasted Jededaiah, "I knew that Raccoons couldn't be trusted!"

"I will handle the traitor," Obsidian said.

"Traitor, Our whole purpose of coming back was to destroy this world!" Jededaiah said, "without or without The Golden Squirrel."

"Don't you see Jededaiah," Obsidian said, "destroying the world would be easy… but we have to power to not only conquer this world…but the hearts and minds of these weak-willed mortals! We could forge a new empire one that will never end!"

"And as we are immortal spirit warriors," Reginald said, "we can not die, be killed, or be assassinated. A eternal empire that will never be overthrown!"

"Free-will will be crushed," Obsidian said, "you can't have a rebellion if people can't think for themselves!"

"No as long as this planet exists good will never be conquered…not even within our darkened hearts," Jededaiah replied as he smiled, "No curse can eliminate good…not entirely."

Jededaiah turned to Julien, "you are pure of heart! I now know why The Golden Squirrel made us unable to even touch you…You are the key…you can break the curse…you can restore us to the side of good."

"No!" Obsidian shouted, "You have been corrupted by the light!"

"And you have been blinded by the dark," Jededaiah said.

"So," Julien said, "how do I break the curse."

"You just have to reach out and touch them," Jededaiah said, "literally."

Julien touched Jededaiah on the shoulder. "Ah, yes," Jededaiah said, "I can feel it…"

And to our surprise a cloud of darkness literally lifted from Jededaiah and his eyes red glow faded away revealing his normal innocence eyes.

"You did it!" Jededaiah said gripping Julien by the shoulders, "Now I can pass on in peace."

With that Jededaiah turned into a orb of light and started to head upwards.

"No!" Obsidian said waving his hands, "there is no peace for us!"

"Noo!" the ghostly voice of Jededaiah shouted as orb turned red and shot into the ground.

"Ringtail!" I shouted, "break the curse! Touch them!"

"What?" Julien asked.

"Thank you for dealing with the traitor," Reginald said, "It seems he had more good in him then the curse could handle…but pure of heart can only bring us back to the side of good if there is good left in us…"

"I'm afraid there's not," Obsidian said, "I hope you use your last moments of free-will constructively."

Reginald and Obsidian waved their paws and disappeared in a flash of light.

"Um…I didn't quiet catch their plan," Julien said.

"Luckily we know someone who did," I said, "Kowalski."

"In short," Kowalski said, "they want to take away everyone's free-will and individuality and make everyone mindlessly loyal. So they can create a global empire that will never fall."

"No minds," I said.

"No opposition," Marlene said.

"No revolt," Private said.

"No resistance" Maurice said.

"No Revolution!" Julien shouted.

"No freedom," Kowalski added with a shudder, "no creativity, no individuality, no imagination."

"No creativity?" Julien said, "then that would mean no art…no music…no…gasp…Dancing!"

I paused, "No dancing…hmm…I don't mind that."

"Well yeah," Kowalski said, "because you would have no mind. To appreciate that small victory."

"I much preferring having a mind thank you," Marlene said.

"Yeah," Maurice said. "I can safely say that we are all team free-will," Kowalski added.

"So…Now what?" I said.

Suddenly in a flash of lighting and gush of wind the old squirrel appeared, "they will go to the convergent point of the elements of Wind, Earth, and Water!"

"The Bridge!" Kowalski shouted.

"We can still stop them!" Marlene shouted.

"Good luck!" Fred said absentmindedly chewing on a acorn.

"You don't have much time!" the old squirrel shouted as she disappeared in a flash of lighting.

"Who does that remind me of," Julien said holding his chin.

Maurice opened his mouth to speak but Julien block his mouth, "No…no…I'm sure I'll remember it later."

"Let's move!" I shouted, "You can have you irrelevant conversation…after we save free-will"

"The most important mental trait that separates us from bacteria and viruses," Kowalski said, "and plants."

"I did not need to know that right now," I said "now we need a rallying cry!"

"TRIVA!" Kowalski shouted, "I NEED TO PLAY TRIVA!"

"That is not our rallying cry!" I said, "FOR OUR FREE-WILL!"

"For our free-will!" everyone (except Fred who said "for acorns!") shouted as we rushed in the direction of Central Park's famous bridge.

(end of chapter seven)