So sorry about the wait! But hopefully this pretty long chapter will make up for it! Snow's adventures continue! Read on and enjoy, my amazing readers!

Chapter 16: Terra's Empire

We all but collapsed when we exited the swirling portal as the ground spun towards us. We landed on the ground pretty hard, as I unexpectedly caught myself in a hover before landing softly on my feet. Blaze phased out of the portal just as it shut up behind us, leaving us at the foot of a mysterious wood..

"Well, there goes our shortcut back." Saige said, standing up to straighten her long dress as Taylor rose to her knees to shake the cherry blossoms out of her pigtails.

"Yeah, but where exactly are we?" Aurora asked, already on her feet as she walked slowly over to a tree. Touching it, she seemed to feel something as she felt the ground rumble beneath her. Her long ears twitched. "All I can tell is that wherever we are, something big is happening here."

"Well, at least it's spring here." Solar said as we watched him take a long drink from the nearby pool. I couldn't help but agree. Summer nearly killed me. Even if spring was also warm, it wasn't as bad as the blistering heat of summer that nearly melted me. Looking around, I saw that thirst was no the only thing on everyone's minds.

Seeing everyone's hesitation to go to the pool, Luna smiled. "Don't be afraid to drink. The water is perfectly clear here."

"How do you know?" Cloud asked. I noticed Luna start to tremble. Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Luna, what's wrong?"

Gasping, Luna braced herself against a tree as Solar and Nightlight raced to her side to catch her as she gasped again. Her gaze rose deeper into the Wood as a scene we couldn't see unfolded in front of her very eyes.

"NO!" she cried, collapsing forward into Solar's ready arms.

"Luna!" he exclaimed as Luna's pain filled eyes shut. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Solar looked at Nightlight to see a worried expression on his own face. "Well, don't just stand there…."

Reading his mind, Nightlight immediately dropped his staff and tore off some moss from a nearby plant and soaked it in the stream. Ringing it out, he passed it to Solar, who gently applied it to her head.

Groaning, Luna sat quiet for a moment as Saige and Aurora continued to study the edge of the forest that was just a few feet away from us. I looked towards the forest myself, still not understanding what was going on. I decided to wait and see who spoke first.

"I think I know this place." Blaze said, walking through some trees and bushels as I dropped to my knees beside Luna, laying a hand on the older girl's shoulder.

"You should. It's our home." Taylor said, catching all of our ears. "Saige's. Blaze's. Mine… This place carries a piece of each of us, the Seasonals."

"Wait a minute." I said, shooting Taylor a look that showed curiosity. "You forgot one: my Dad. He oversees Winter doesn't he?"

"Yes, but his element has been kept in check." Saige replied as she sighed, threading her fingers through an autumn tree full of decaying leaves.

"What does that mean? I asked, getting very annoyed at how these girls seemed to be avoiding answering my questions with a straight answer.

"It means that it's been preserved." Saige continued.

"Huh?" I still didn't get it. Hey, I'm a ten year old girl.

Saige just stared at me in bewilderment as Blaze bent down to meet my gaze. "It means that Jack's portion of the Seasons continues to thrive alongside ours in the balance of the Season times. Taylor does the same thing in Spring. I bring in the Summer heat. And Saige makes sure everything goes to plan in the Autumn months. Your father does his talents to bring about Winter with his ice and snow.

"Don't forget he also brings the fun." I said, turning back to Luna, who was starting to stir.

"Right." My cousin replied, chuckling as I helped Luna to her feet, which wasn't easy since she was so much taller than I was.

"Are you okay?" I asked as Luna put a hand to her head.

"Something is very wrong here." Luna started to say as I held her steady.

With a slight chuckle, Blaze attempted to ease the situation by saying, "You're just telling us now?"

Cloud glared at him. "Blaze," she started. "Not now. Let her speak."

"What is it?" I asked, seriously tired of her beating around the bush.

"It's Angel... I can feel her…." Luna started to say before she felt her migraine grow stronger. "AHH! She's in Mother's Empire! That way…" she said, holding up a hand and pointing deeper into the Wood, where the shadows scattered menacingly.

"Those weren't there before." Dusty said, backing into her sister's arms.

"Neither were these." Aurora said, moving aside some bushes where she pointed out a clear trail of boot prints leading into the woods. "I'll say our mysterious spy ran this way, deeper into the woods no doubt."

"Then let's go. He couldn't have gotten too far." I said, taking the lead down the trail. I ran down the path, getting far ahead of the others quickly. As I looked around, I saw that same shadowy shape run further ahead. I could just make out brown hair and dual colored eyes. "There he is!" I hollered. "Hey…. HEY!" As I caught up with him I shouted, "Freeze!" misdirecting a line of us into a mass of thick trees. If only my dominant arm wasn't broken! I could have hit him no problem!

The stranger, still covered by a burly brown hooded cloak, turned to face us as he removed his hood, revealing his all too familiar face and his dual brown and blue eyes. Some of the others drew back, but I stepped forward, my staff held up in defense, pointed right at him.

"Just who are you?" I shot at him.

"Whom are we all?" he said and I saw him look at Dusty and Cloud as he said that. "I should be asking you the same thing."

"Enough games, Castor." Luna shouted, finally giving us a name to the face. "Where's my mother!?"

"Games? What games?" Castor replied. "All I know is that my mother went to talk to your mother, alright?"

"Where?" Luna demanded, seeing evidence of Angel's mists in the forest.

"I don't know." He answered quickly, unphazed.

"You don't think it's odd…" Cloud started to say as he turned to meet her gazd. "… that your mother causes all this trouble?"

"What trouble? What do you mean?" Castor demanded. "You know, I don't have to stand here and listen to this."

"Nevermind all this!" Luna cried. "Where is she?!"

Somethingseemed to click in his eyes as he saw a tear go down her face as he sighed, turning towards the tinning branches of the Gale as we heard thrashing and clashing tear through the woods.

"No, please no…" Luna mumbled as she ran ahead of us, deeper into the Gale as the others turned to give him frowns as he just stared at us in silence. I fixed my best glare at him, the glare I used to give Blaze. We started going after Luna.

"You knew this was happening?" Solar asked him as he angrily shoved him aside as he passed.

Not allowing him to speak, the others continued past him. As I myself passed him, I noticed there was something about him that definitely matched Angel Moon, but it also matched someone else, though I couldn't think of who. I made a thin sheet of ice appear under his heavy boot as I glided across the ground to catch up with the others, Blaze close behind me. As I turned to see if Dusty was following, I gasped as Castor looked at my broken arm, possibly sadly, and then disappeared. Blaze looked at me in shock as I just kicked the dirt with one of my bare feet. I looked at Blaze as he said, "He's good at staying out of sight isn't he?"

"Too good if you ask me." I replied. "No wonder he knows what's going on." I'll be honest was upset, but also unsurprised when I saw that Castor definitely knew about my injured arm. Dusty jogged ahead of us as I whispered to Blaze, "He's not to be trusted."

As we made it to a clearing, we heard Terra's voice cry out, "Angel, why are you doing all this? We never did anything…"

"Lies!" Angel's voice shouted s we heard the sound of her mists and saw them shake the branches. I shuddered as I remembered what Angel had almost done to me and Dusty and what she would've done had our parents not come to our aid.

"She isn't…" Taylor said, her eyes turning to see her spring garden flowers, dead.

"She is…" Saige said, touching the trees. "She's not only attacking this place. She's destroying it!"

"Our home and Terra's… Why?" Taylor cried, turning to see Blaze's expression unchanged.

"This was Angel's home too, you forget that." He said.

"What!?" I yelled.

"Terra will tell you: Angel wasn't always like this."

So now you're opinion has changed about her?" Aurora challenged.

"No, not at all." Blaze replied.

Dusty rushed into the battle, her hand poised to take out her star whips before we saw Angel's Shadow of Retreat rise above the forest as her sharp eyes gazed down at us.

"You're too late, kiddies. You should be more punctual if you want to get something done, you know." She laughed as her streaked wings flapped hard, spreading the mist of her shadows all around us. "As you can see, the damage is already done."

As in the forest itself, everything was covered in black grey mist or blown aside like it was nothing. In the center, Terra stood huddled alone as she looked at Angel's actions. With a sigh, she began to cry at what she saw as she fell to her knees.

"Mom!" Luna shouted as she ran to her mother who just remained silent,

"Ah, the little moonbeam returns. How sweet." Angel sneered as I saw Nightlight and Solar tense at her words. "How's your dad, dear?"

"Angel, how could you!?" Luna shouted up at the witch, madder than I had ever seen her in the short time I had known her. "How could you, after all my parents did for you, what the gave to you…"

"As I told your mother, you couldn't possibly understand so be silent!" Angel shouted.

Fixing to say something else, Luna was all but silent as Terra put a hand on her daughter's arm.

"But Mom," Luna whispered. Shushing her, Terra shook her head as Angel began to disappear.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I have to attend to." She turned away.

"Such as what?!" Aurora shouted back, her ears pulled back on her head in anger.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Just keep watching that Globe of yours." She mocked and disappeared in a flash of mist.

"We just let her go again!" aurora shouted. "How are we ever going to stop her if we keep letting her get away!?"

"Aurora, calm down." Cloud said, putting a hand on Dusty's shoulder. "We'll figure something out."

"Just let her go." Terra said as Luna and Nighlight helped her stand.

"What? Surely you don't mean that!" Saige exclaimed. I looked as Terra's sad look only deepened. I ran a hand through my black and white hair.

"I failed her." Terra said, more to herself than to us.

"Mom…" Luna started to say.

"She attacked here because she claims we betrayed her by casting her out, even though it was she that made the choice. I knew I should have told her more, but I didn't and I couldn't protect her. I even tried to talk to her, tried to convince her that what she believed wasn't true, but she wouldn't listen… Not to Nicholas, not to me, or anybody…"

"Mom was her teacher." Luna told us, locking her gaze with our own.

"Angel was your student?" I asked.

"Yes, Manny chose her and I took her under my wing to help guide her in her new life." Terra replied, placing a hand to her temple where a slight scratch was evident.

"We have to get you back to North's so that he can take a look at that." Saige said, inspecting the cut.

"Wait, I have one more question. Who was that kid with Angel?" I asked.

"He said his name was Castor." Dusty said as Terra looked down at us.

"His name is Castor P. Nickolas." Terra replied. "He is Angel's son."

"Son?" I exclaimed, hearing a rustle in the bushes. I saw that Dusty could hear it too.

"Will he help us stop Angel?" Dusty asked.

"I don't know." Luna replied. "I'm afraid not, the reason being he's just too close to his mother. In fact, he's protective of her just as I am with mine. He does hate to see others get hurt on account of his mother, though." She turned as I gave her a look. "However there is something you all should know."

As Luna began speaking, a shaggy head of brown hair peeled out from the bushes. "We never told anybody this, not even North, but Castor isn't just Angel's son. He's North's too."

"Thought so." I mumbled. I looked at everyone's reactions. I could tell Aurora's heart went out to Uncle North as she sighed. Hearing a crack, I whipped around to see Castor's shadow retreat. We heard a sword clink to the ground as he ran off in a hurry.

"How about we split up?" Blaze spoke up, catching our attention. "How about half of us continue to search for Angel and the other half report back to the Pole with Terra?"

"She does need to be found. I agree." Aurora said, securing her shoulder strap on her holster.

"Good plan." Solar agreed. Turning to Cloud and Dusty, he said, "Linds, how about you take Dusty and Snow back to the Pole with you and I'll head out on the lookout party with Aurora and Blaze? With more of us out there, we might get a clue as to where she could strike next…"

"Woah, woah…. Wait a minute!" I fumed. "Isn't anyone going to ask me what I'd like to do?" I wanted to go with Solar, Blaze and Aurora to track the witch down.

"Sorry, Snow, there's no argument. With your left arm broken, you can't aim well with your right arm and that could be dangerous. You need to take care of that arm." Aurora said.

I groaned. "Would everyone stop worrying about my arm!?" I shouted, seeing everyone's unrelenting gazes. "This is serious!"

"I agree, but you might be of more use back at the Pole." Blaze said, fairly gently. "Besides, I think Aunt Casey had something she wanted to speak with you about.

"Upon those words, I sighed. Blaze knew when it came to my parents, I had a one track mind. Dusty created her said copter that me, her and Cloud all climbed into along with Terra, Luna and Saige back to the Pole while Taylor and Nightlight joined the lookout. Little did we know we had a curious Castor following us.

So there you have it! One of THE longest chapters this story has had so far! I hope you all enjoyed it and I apologize for its lateness! I have been so busy with work!

Please Review! That'd be amazing!