Disclaimers: Come on, people. You should know the drill by now.
Note: This is the last chapter in this story, but there will be more stories with my character. I'm already working on some of them as I write this.
Celestia walked around the house, doing chores for Scarab. Could he find nothing better for her to do? Wait, she told herself. I don't really want to know that. I'm sure he could find things a hundred times worse than chores for me to do. At least he isn't touching me.
She wished she was back at the sphinx with the other mummies, showing them how to use the computer and the Nintendo, or taking Rath to the library. She was just wondering how she could disguise him without making him look to conspicuous.
She felt her body being tugged in a different direction than her current heading and followed it. She couldn't have resisted if she wanted to. After a couple weeks of unwillingly living with Scarab, she knew where she was heading: the lab. She wondered what he could want with her.
When she entered the lab, Scarab crooked a finger, summoning her.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath sat at his table, studying the scrolls in front of him. He barely noticed when Presley and the other mummies walked by him and ignored the weird looks they were giving him. He read over the same part of the scroll repeatedly, committing it to memory.
He was hoping that he wouldn't have to give Celestia the potion again in order for him to take control. He was hoping that he just had to say the spell again when she was in range, and he would be able to free her.
He heard a commotion in the front hall and stood up to go see what was the matter. He found it very hard to concentrate properly with that kind of noise going. Whoever was making the noise would bear the full brunt of his wrath.
When he arrived in the front hall, he was not prepared for what he saw. Celestia was standing in the hallway, surrounded by the mummies and Presley. He wondered if Scarab had released her on his own, or if it was a ruse.
She didn't appear to have the blank look on her face that she had in the battle, but there were ways around that.
She walked farther into the sphinx and knelt down in front of the piece of machinery she had started hooking up earlier. He had watched her trying to connect it, with no success. Now, though, she had it done in under fifteen minutes. He looked carefully at her. There weren't many places in her clothes that could be used to conceal things.
He wondered why she would have such trouble with the machine before, but not now. She might have learned how, but from Scarab?
The potion had to be ingested, so if he kept her away from the kitchen, she wouldn't be able to slip it to any of them. Meanwhile, he would try to gain control of her. He walked up behind her, ready to recite the spell he had memorized.
She spun to face him just as he stepped behind her. "Hey, Rath," she said.
"Hello," he responded. He pretended to take interest in the game she was playing.
"What do you find so interesting about the pause screen?" she asked, turning back to her game.
"I was just trying to understand this new machine." He gestured to the small box in front of her that was hooked up to the television.
"I'll start the game again so you can watch," she said as she pressed a small button on the controller in her hand.
Rath watched the car on the screen race around various cities. He took a deep breath and prepared, again, to recite the spell. Again, Celestia turned to face him. "Want to play?"
"No, thank you," he replied. How did she do that? Some kind of safeguard that Scarab had set up? He called the spell to mind again and was about to say it when Celestia spoke again.
"Are you sure? It's really fun."
"I said no."
"Fine," she said happily, turning back to the game.
Rath recited the spell under his breath before she could talk again. He wasn't sure if it worked, since she was still playing that game, seemingly oblivious to him. He muttered one of the commands, but Celestia continued acting like she had been since she arrived.
He walked back to his table, feeling defeated. The spell hadn't worked. He had resigned himself to many long hours of hard work when another idea occurred to him.
Since Scarab had had success with his first subject, he had probably sent her here to give the rest of them the same potion. That meant that she was probably carrying the potion with her. If he could find the potion and give it to her again, the spell would probably work.
He knew that she went to bed at ten every night. He would just sneak into her room when she was asleep and find the potion. He went back to his table to study the spell and its commands, his mind made up.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath watched Celestia enter her room at ten and waited another half hour for her to fall asleep. He then tiptoed quietly to her room and opened the door without a sound.
That was why he was surprised, and justifiably so, when he was pressed to the ground by the weight of a human body. His tall hat got knocked off his head and rolled a little before coming to a stop.
He felt hands tightening around his throat and dismissed it. He didn't need to breathe, considering he was technically dead.
He reached over his shoulder and grabbed his assailant's arms. He flipped her over onto her back, but it didn't keep her for long.
She jumped back to her feet, her fingers curved in a facsimile of claws. She rushed at him, scratching his chest.
He grabbed her wrists with his long, thin fingers and held them above her head. While she was disabled, he uttered a simple freezing spell.
Her body went rigid and he set her carefully on the bed. He then proceeded to search her room, aware the entire time of her watching him with fury blazing in her eyes.
Celestia watched Rath move around her room. She felt furious for some reason that she couldn't fathom. She tried to calm down, but her body wouldn't let her. He's my friend, she protested to her self, but she wouldn't listen.
Rath finished searching the rest of her room without finding the potion. He knew that there was only one other place he hadn't looked. He walked over to her and stood over her, feeling uncomfortable.
He didn't feel quite right. It's nothing you haven't seen before, he told himself, but he still didn't feel right invading her privacy this way. He started by searching inside her small shirt. He didn't find anything, so he searched the rest of her. He finally found a strap with four vials on it attached to her right leg.
He held them up to the light, looking through them. Her mouth was still open from when he had frozen her, so he poured all four vials down her throat. He left her frozen on the bed and sat on the floor to wait until morning when the potion should have spread sufficiently.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath opened his eyes and saw that he was still in Celestia's room. But if his eyes were closed, then that meant that he had been sleeping. He shouldn't have to sleep. He dismissed it as unimportant and turned to see Celestia on the bed where he had left her. He said the spell that unfroze her and then the spell that controlled her. Her face adopted a blank look again and he uttered a simple command, just to make sure the spell worked.
She slid her legs off the bed and stood in front of him. He then recited the spell that released her. She stumbled forward momentarily, not realizing that she had control over her own body again.
He grabbed her before she fell on her face. She gripped his arms tightly and hauled herself upright. She looked at him, finally realizing what had happened. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
"Oh, thank you!" she cried. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome," he replied, trying to pry her off of him.
She then remembered who it was she was hugging and moved away quickly. She noticed his hat, still on the floor, and picked it up. She handed it to him and he took it. He replaced it on his head, his dignity seeming to return with it.
"Scarab will be suspicious if I don't return," she told him. "What should I do?"
Rath thought for a moment. "Go back and tell him that you have completed your mission. He will probably launch an attack to lure us into his trap, much like he for did for you. Perhaps, we will finally be able to defeat him for good."
"Okay." Celestia thought that plan sounded a bit like revenge, but she decided to go along with it. "I'll leave this afternoon. In the meantime, let me show you the computer."
"Computer?" Rath asked as she led him out of the room to the machine she had just finished hooking up yesterday.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Scarab was just starting to wonder where the girl was when he heard her enter the house. He went to find her and saw that she was standing in the hallway, a blank expression on her face. Good, that meant that the spell was still working. "What of the mummies?" he asked her.
"I have given them the potion, as you commanded," she reported.
"Good. Suit up. We will draw them in by capturing the boy."
"Yes, master," she replied. "With the strength of Ra!"
Her armor encased her body and she followed Scarab out the door to find Presley.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath's amulet started beeping around two in the afternoon, as he had been expecting it to. He got up and quickly made his way to the Hot-Ra. They were soon at the site of conflict. Everything appeared to be as it was last time. Scarab holding Presley while Celestia seemed to play guard.
Rath made sure that he was the first one to reach Celestia, since he hadn't told the others of his plan. They pretended to fight for a few seconds before Celestia cast a questioning glance his way.
Rath nodded slightly and they both turned to face Scarab.
"What are you doing?" Scarab cried. "Attack them!"
Celestia smiled, savoring the moment. "No," she said defiantly.
"What happened? What are you doing?"
"One of the mummies was smart enough to figure out what was going on a free me," she replied. "This was all a trick."
"No," Scarab hissed as Celestia advanced, her sword held high. He let go of Presley and activated his armor. "I will be back," he promised as he flew off.
Nefer-Tina walked up to where Rath and Celestia were still standing. "Nice touch," she said approvingly, nodding slightly.
"Thanks," Celestia replied. "It was Rath's idea."
"Really?" Nefer-Tina turned to Rath. "I never knew you had it in you. We might teach you how to have fun yet."
Rath sniffed and lifted his chin just a little higher. Celestia laughed at his obvious denial of Nefer-Tina's assessment. Nefer-Tina was the first one to join in the merriment, followed shortly after by Presley, Armon, and finally Ja-Kal.
Celestia didn't know how he did it, but Rath managed to look imperious through the laughter. When they had finished, they went back to the Hot-Ra, and finally, home.
THE END
Note: This is the last chapter in this story, but there will be more stories with my character. I'm already working on some of them as I write this.
Celestia walked around the house, doing chores for Scarab. Could he find nothing better for her to do? Wait, she told herself. I don't really want to know that. I'm sure he could find things a hundred times worse than chores for me to do. At least he isn't touching me.
She wished she was back at the sphinx with the other mummies, showing them how to use the computer and the Nintendo, or taking Rath to the library. She was just wondering how she could disguise him without making him look to conspicuous.
She felt her body being tugged in a different direction than her current heading and followed it. She couldn't have resisted if she wanted to. After a couple weeks of unwillingly living with Scarab, she knew where she was heading: the lab. She wondered what he could want with her.
When she entered the lab, Scarab crooked a finger, summoning her.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath sat at his table, studying the scrolls in front of him. He barely noticed when Presley and the other mummies walked by him and ignored the weird looks they were giving him. He read over the same part of the scroll repeatedly, committing it to memory.
He was hoping that he wouldn't have to give Celestia the potion again in order for him to take control. He was hoping that he just had to say the spell again when she was in range, and he would be able to free her.
He heard a commotion in the front hall and stood up to go see what was the matter. He found it very hard to concentrate properly with that kind of noise going. Whoever was making the noise would bear the full brunt of his wrath.
When he arrived in the front hall, he was not prepared for what he saw. Celestia was standing in the hallway, surrounded by the mummies and Presley. He wondered if Scarab had released her on his own, or if it was a ruse.
She didn't appear to have the blank look on her face that she had in the battle, but there were ways around that.
She walked farther into the sphinx and knelt down in front of the piece of machinery she had started hooking up earlier. He had watched her trying to connect it, with no success. Now, though, she had it done in under fifteen minutes. He looked carefully at her. There weren't many places in her clothes that could be used to conceal things.
He wondered why she would have such trouble with the machine before, but not now. She might have learned how, but from Scarab?
The potion had to be ingested, so if he kept her away from the kitchen, she wouldn't be able to slip it to any of them. Meanwhile, he would try to gain control of her. He walked up behind her, ready to recite the spell he had memorized.
She spun to face him just as he stepped behind her. "Hey, Rath," she said.
"Hello," he responded. He pretended to take interest in the game she was playing.
"What do you find so interesting about the pause screen?" she asked, turning back to her game.
"I was just trying to understand this new machine." He gestured to the small box in front of her that was hooked up to the television.
"I'll start the game again so you can watch," she said as she pressed a small button on the controller in her hand.
Rath watched the car on the screen race around various cities. He took a deep breath and prepared, again, to recite the spell. Again, Celestia turned to face him. "Want to play?"
"No, thank you," he replied. How did she do that? Some kind of safeguard that Scarab had set up? He called the spell to mind again and was about to say it when Celestia spoke again.
"Are you sure? It's really fun."
"I said no."
"Fine," she said happily, turning back to the game.
Rath recited the spell under his breath before she could talk again. He wasn't sure if it worked, since she was still playing that game, seemingly oblivious to him. He muttered one of the commands, but Celestia continued acting like she had been since she arrived.
He walked back to his table, feeling defeated. The spell hadn't worked. He had resigned himself to many long hours of hard work when another idea occurred to him.
Since Scarab had had success with his first subject, he had probably sent her here to give the rest of them the same potion. That meant that she was probably carrying the potion with her. If he could find the potion and give it to her again, the spell would probably work.
He knew that she went to bed at ten every night. He would just sneak into her room when she was asleep and find the potion. He went back to his table to study the spell and its commands, his mind made up.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath watched Celestia enter her room at ten and waited another half hour for her to fall asleep. He then tiptoed quietly to her room and opened the door without a sound.
That was why he was surprised, and justifiably so, when he was pressed to the ground by the weight of a human body. His tall hat got knocked off his head and rolled a little before coming to a stop.
He felt hands tightening around his throat and dismissed it. He didn't need to breathe, considering he was technically dead.
He reached over his shoulder and grabbed his assailant's arms. He flipped her over onto her back, but it didn't keep her for long.
She jumped back to her feet, her fingers curved in a facsimile of claws. She rushed at him, scratching his chest.
He grabbed her wrists with his long, thin fingers and held them above her head. While she was disabled, he uttered a simple freezing spell.
Her body went rigid and he set her carefully on the bed. He then proceeded to search her room, aware the entire time of her watching him with fury blazing in her eyes.
Celestia watched Rath move around her room. She felt furious for some reason that she couldn't fathom. She tried to calm down, but her body wouldn't let her. He's my friend, she protested to her self, but she wouldn't listen.
Rath finished searching the rest of her room without finding the potion. He knew that there was only one other place he hadn't looked. He walked over to her and stood over her, feeling uncomfortable.
He didn't feel quite right. It's nothing you haven't seen before, he told himself, but he still didn't feel right invading her privacy this way. He started by searching inside her small shirt. He didn't find anything, so he searched the rest of her. He finally found a strap with four vials on it attached to her right leg.
He held them up to the light, looking through them. Her mouth was still open from when he had frozen her, so he poured all four vials down her throat. He left her frozen on the bed and sat on the floor to wait until morning when the potion should have spread sufficiently.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath opened his eyes and saw that he was still in Celestia's room. But if his eyes were closed, then that meant that he had been sleeping. He shouldn't have to sleep. He dismissed it as unimportant and turned to see Celestia on the bed where he had left her. He said the spell that unfroze her and then the spell that controlled her. Her face adopted a blank look again and he uttered a simple command, just to make sure the spell worked.
She slid her legs off the bed and stood in front of him. He then recited the spell that released her. She stumbled forward momentarily, not realizing that she had control over her own body again.
He grabbed her before she fell on her face. She gripped his arms tightly and hauled herself upright. She looked at him, finally realizing what had happened. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
"Oh, thank you!" she cried. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome," he replied, trying to pry her off of him.
She then remembered who it was she was hugging and moved away quickly. She noticed his hat, still on the floor, and picked it up. She handed it to him and he took it. He replaced it on his head, his dignity seeming to return with it.
"Scarab will be suspicious if I don't return," she told him. "What should I do?"
Rath thought for a moment. "Go back and tell him that you have completed your mission. He will probably launch an attack to lure us into his trap, much like he for did for you. Perhaps, we will finally be able to defeat him for good."
"Okay." Celestia thought that plan sounded a bit like revenge, but she decided to go along with it. "I'll leave this afternoon. In the meantime, let me show you the computer."
"Computer?" Rath asked as she led him out of the room to the machine she had just finished hooking up yesterday.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Scarab was just starting to wonder where the girl was when he heard her enter the house. He went to find her and saw that she was standing in the hallway, a blank expression on her face. Good, that meant that the spell was still working. "What of the mummies?" he asked her.
"I have given them the potion, as you commanded," she reported.
"Good. Suit up. We will draw them in by capturing the boy."
"Yes, master," she replied. "With the strength of Ra!"
Her armor encased her body and she followed Scarab out the door to find Presley.
8-----------------------------------------------------------------------8
Rath's amulet started beeping around two in the afternoon, as he had been expecting it to. He got up and quickly made his way to the Hot-Ra. They were soon at the site of conflict. Everything appeared to be as it was last time. Scarab holding Presley while Celestia seemed to play guard.
Rath made sure that he was the first one to reach Celestia, since he hadn't told the others of his plan. They pretended to fight for a few seconds before Celestia cast a questioning glance his way.
Rath nodded slightly and they both turned to face Scarab.
"What are you doing?" Scarab cried. "Attack them!"
Celestia smiled, savoring the moment. "No," she said defiantly.
"What happened? What are you doing?"
"One of the mummies was smart enough to figure out what was going on a free me," she replied. "This was all a trick."
"No," Scarab hissed as Celestia advanced, her sword held high. He let go of Presley and activated his armor. "I will be back," he promised as he flew off.
Nefer-Tina walked up to where Rath and Celestia were still standing. "Nice touch," she said approvingly, nodding slightly.
"Thanks," Celestia replied. "It was Rath's idea."
"Really?" Nefer-Tina turned to Rath. "I never knew you had it in you. We might teach you how to have fun yet."
Rath sniffed and lifted his chin just a little higher. Celestia laughed at his obvious denial of Nefer-Tina's assessment. Nefer-Tina was the first one to join in the merriment, followed shortly after by Presley, Armon, and finally Ja-Kal.
Celestia didn't know how he did it, but Rath managed to look imperious through the laughter. When they had finished, they went back to the Hot-Ra, and finally, home.
THE END
