When Lovebirds get Disturbed...
A few uninvited guests appear at Wildwing and Tanya's special day.
After dating Tanya for a few months, Wildwing needed Duke's help once again. "You're going to pop the big question?" asked Duke. "Yes, and I need help picking out the ring. I also need help on how to ask her, should I ask her in private, in front of the team, or at the end of next weeks game?" Wildwing asked. "First of all, we need to head over towards the Jewelry shop. We can talk about the `how' question in the Migrator," In the Migrator, Duke said, "About the `how' question, you've been dating her for a few months, you should know what she wants," Wildwing asked "Which one would you do?" "In a private room," said Duke. When they got to the Jewelry store, Wildwing looked around. "That one looks good," said Duke. "Too big," said Wildwing. "How about this one?" asked Duke. "It's perfect!"
As they walked out, Wildwing saw a hooded figure in the ally. The person was wearing a long robe, so you couldn't tell what he/she was wearing. Wildwing blinked, and he/she was gone. As they got in the Migrator, Wildwing mentioned what he saw, Duke said, "It was probably your imagination, Wildwing" "How do you think Phil will take the idea of a wedding?" asked Wildwing. "Ha! One mention of the word `wedding' and he gets teary eyed," Wildwing laughed at the thought of Phil crying of happiness at a wedding. "Yea, that is pretty funny," said Wildwing.
Two days later, Wildwing was ready for bed, but he stopped to look at the ring he was going to present to Tanya the next day. His mind flew over the plans for tomorrow. Duke will get the others while I get Tanya. I will tell her I have a surprise for her and her eyes have to be closed. I will lead her to Drake1 and wait until Duke and the others get there. Then I will propose. The door opened and Nosedive's head peeked in. Wildwing quickly hid the ring. "Hey big bro, whatcha hidin'?" "Nothing," "You look worried," "I'm worried the meeting tomorrow won't go well," "What's the meeting about?" "It's a surprise," "Well I hope it's good news," Nosedive said as he got up to leave. So do I thought Wildwing. "Night Dive," "Night bro."
When Wildwing got up, he was full of energy, exited, and nervous. When noon neared, he got more nervous. When it was five to 12, Wildwing said to Duke, "It's time," Duke left to find Mallory, Nosedive, and Grin. Wildwing went to his room to get the ring. When he got the box, he checked for the ring. It was still there. When he got to Tanya's lab, he sneaked in. Tanya was humming the song "Birds of a Feather" Wildwing leaned on the door frame and said, "It depends what kind of birds you are talking about," Tanya jumped a little and said, "Oh, Wildwing." " I have a surprise for you," "said Wildwing. "You do?" "Yes, but you will have to close your eyes first." Tanya shut her eyes and Wildwing carefully led her out of the room and in front of Drake1. "Stay here," he said as he waited for the others to come. He was surprised to see Phil with the group. They formed a line, Nosedive, Grin, Mallory, Duke, then Phil. Wildwing typed a message and turned Tanya around to see the screen,
which said: TANYA, WILL YOU MARRY ME? Once the word `marry' was up, Duke turned his head to look at Phil and almost laughed. He tapped Mallory on the shoulder and pointed at him. She almost laughed too. Just as Duke figured, Phil had tears running down his cheeks. "O.K., you can open your eyes now," said Wildwing. Once she read the words, she turned her head to see Wildwing with a ring in his hands. Unable to speak her answer, she typed in: YES! She jumped on Wildwing, hugging him. From the small crowd, cheers of "Yea!", "Wohoo!", and "Go Wing!" were yelled. Nosedive yelled " Way to go, big bro!" Phil sniffled and smiled. After the short celebration, Duke saw Nosedive look a little upset. " What are you upset about? You should be happy," "I am happy, but if I go to the wedding, I'll have to go looking formal!" As Nosedive walked away, Mallory said, "That's typical of Nosedive, afraid to wear anything normal."
A week later, the wedding was in action. Wildwing was waiting for his bride, while Nosedive squirmed slightly. When Tanya came walking down the aisle, Wildwing held his breath. Even though she was wearing a plain wedding dress, something about her took his breath away. As she stepped next to him, he started to breathe again. As the minister said the "We are gathered here today" speech, Duke nudged Nosedive and gave him a "Stand still." look. Nosedive gave him the "I can't help it," look as a response. "Do you Wildwing, take this woman to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, till death do you part?" said the minister. "I..." before Wildwing could finish, 20 drones surrounded them. Luckily, Duke stowed away his Saber in the sleeve of his tux, so he could fight. Mallory hid a Pucklauncher in a secret pocket of her dress, so she blasted at the drones that were not close to the civilians. Grin didn't need a weapon, so he fought with the drones close
to the on-watchers. Still, only half of the team was armed, and they were badly outnumbered. Six drones were closing in on Tanya and Wildwing. One of the drones aimed and fired at Tanya's face. Before Tanya could react, a light-blue ray shoot in front of her, blocking the drone's blast. The blue ray disintegrated upon contact, but sent the drone's ray towards another drone. As the drone exploded, another blue ray landed under another drone. When the ray hit, a circle of blue fire went around her and Wildwing. The blue fire rose from underneath the drones surrounding them, and when the drones were destroyed, the fire quickly extinguished itself. Tanya turned her head towards the source of the rays, she saw a hooded figure with an arm raised, standing in the aisle. There was something glowing inside the hood. It looked like a stone. Other people failed to notice the person, mostly because they were too busy trying to get out of the church. Tanya saw a good hiding spot, so she
tried to keep low as she ran. When she was almost there, a drone ray grazed her leg. She fell with a yelp, and tumbled into the safe place.
Wildwing was running to a hiding spot that he found when he heard Tanya's yelp. He was halfway inside when he stopped. He crouched low so not to be an easy target, turned around, and looked for Tanya. His search lasted for a few seconds. Someone yanked him into the safe spot just before a drone ray would have hit his face. He turned his head and saw Nosedive. "That was close. Thanks Dive," "No problemo, bro." As the others fought, Tanya checked on her leg. She was just barely hit, but the wound was an inch wide and was very shallow. It was as deep as a scrape like when you fall on cement. It was bleeding slightly, but it would speed up. Once the battle was over, Wildwing and Nosedive got out of the spot. "Where's Tanya?" asked Wildwing. "Wildwing! I'm...ouch!" Tanya tried to stand up as she shouted, but the pain from her wound was extreme. The rest of the team ran towards the spot that they heard her voice. Wildwing went in and helped her out. Her dress was burnt in several
places, and one part was red. Wildwing picked her up. Tanya put one arm around his neck and the other hand close to her wound. "I can heal her," said a young, unsure female voice from behind them. They all turned around to see the hooded figure. "I can heal her, but not here. More drones will come." Wildwing studied her for a second and said "All right. On one condition, you show us your face in the Arowing." "Done."
In the Arowing, Wildwing placed Tanya on a foldout first aid table, while Duke took the controls. Because of the hole in the dress, (how else is the ray supposed to get to her leg?) you could see the wound clearly. The stranger stood next to Tanya. A hand reached out and hovered above the wound. A feathered hand. After a few seconds, raindrops fell from it and fell onto Tanya's wound. Skin immediately grew where the drop hit. When the wound was covered with skin, feathers started to grow. Really fast. Normally, it would take a week or so for feathers to re-grow. Within a few seconds, Tanya's leg looked normal. Tanya got down from the table. Just then they landed at the Pond. When everyone was in front of Drake1, the stranger said, "If I show you who I am, will you help me?" Wildwing looked at the others. They looked at him, waiting for an answer. Wildwing looked back at the stranger, and said "Yes." Everyone watched as her hands went to the hood. When the hood was pulled
back, everyone silently gasped. The stranger had light blue eyes, long blond hair, a headband with a light blue stone on it, and a beak. "My name is Waterstar. Dragaunus took my four sisters and me as personal slaves during the invasion. When he fled to earth he took us with. The longer he was here, the more he forgot about us. A few months ago, I managed to escape. My sisters thought it was too dangerous. I told them that I would get help, so they could be free too. Before I left the Raptor, I used a bomb in an unused room. I don't know why, I just had this gut feeling that I had to." "A few months ago I was kidnapped by Dragaunus. An explosion helped me and the others escape," said Tanya. " What happened after you escaped?" asked Wildwing. " I found this old hooded cloak and I used it to hide myself in the alleys. I managed to live off of scraps offered by the other homeless people. After living like that for a few months, I heard someone talking about the marriage of two
of the Mighty Ducks. I thought I should attend because I figured you could help me. When I got there, I sat in a far corner, and I guess you know the rest." She removed the brown cloak. She was wearing a set of light blue pants, a shirt that had blue sleeves while the rest was light blue, and boots that were blue. " If you don't mind, I am getting kind of tired." " You can use my room," said Wildwing.
While Waterstar was sleeping, the team was debating on what to do. "Do you remember what happened last time a female came to our doorstep?" asked Mallory. "Waterstar didn't come to our doorstep, she followed me home!" said Nosedive. Duke just rolled his eyes. "Five children is very rare for ducks. Four kids is like a miracle." said Duke. "She has to be part of some kind of a trap. Her beauty is a dead giveaway," said Mallory. "Ah, her eyes, her hair," Nosedive said dreamily. Duke gave him a dangerous look. "Her legs," That's it, thought Duke. He stepped on Nosedive foot. "Yeow! Just because you already have a girl..." Both Duke and Mallory gave him a dangerous look. " Just because you and Mal get all smoochie-smoochie..." Duke and Mallory's eyes/eye burned red. Nosedive saw this and said, "Umm, five seconds, right?" Mallory was the first one to lunge at him. Nosedive ran away screaming and Duke was hot on his heels. Mallory got up and ran after him. When they disappeared
into another room, Grin said, "Ten to one they catch him." Wildwing sighed and said, "Let's stop them before they do,"
After searching for ten minutes, Tanya found them in the gym. She barely controlled her laughter as she commed the guys. "You guys have to see this. I'm in the gym. Hurry before he gets down!" When Wildwing and Grin got there, all three had a good laugh. Nosedive was at the top of the climbing rope with the rest of it coiled in his hands. Duke and Mallory were below him, waiting for him to come down. It took five minutes for Tanya to convince Duke and Mallory to go eat and another five for Wildwing to convince Nosedive to get down. When they got the kitchen, they were surprised to see Duke, Mallory, and Waterstar eating. Wildwing, Tanya, Grin, and Nosedive sat down. "Why do
you need our help?" Wildwing asked Waterstar. "My powers are very limited when I am without my sisters. Besides, I have never been separated from them before." "So you want us to help save your sisters?" asked Duke. "Yes, but they are in the Raptor." "Do you know where exactly?" asked Wildwing. "No, but I can ask them." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute, you can talk to them? Now? Even though you're who knows how many miles away from them?" said an amazed Nosedive. "Yes. At birth we had the ability to communicate by mind. It comes in handy if you get lost." explained Waterstar. "Un. Be. Livable. Can you show them pictures?" asked Nosedive. "Yes, but I need to see the object I am sending the picture of." "Huh?" "If I wanted to send them an image of you, I would need to see you." "Oh." Wildwing said, "Find out where they are exactly. When we know where they are, we will try to rescue them." Waterstar looked at the team, then she got comfy. Her eyes glazed over as she tried
to contact her sisters. After a few seconds, the eldest sister, Earthstar, answered. "Waterstar, finally! We are so exited to hear from you!" "Sister, you know the Mighty Ducks that Dragaunus has been talking about?" "Yes" " Well I found them! I'm with them right now!" "Really? What do they look like?" "Here's a picture of them together. And I also have a picture of one that seems to like me. His name is Nosedive, I think." "Where'd you learn his name?" "I was sleeping in the room of the leader, Wildwing, I think. Anyway, I was awakened by the sound of yelling and running approaching the door. I got up to see what it was, and I saw the red headed one and the one with the eye patch chasing him. The red head said `You're going to pay for that, Nosedive!' as she ran by." "Which one is the leader?" "He's the one wearing the mask of Drake DuCane." "He's kinda cute." "He's also taken. He tried to get married to the one in purple. I don't know her name yet." "What do you mean by
`tried'?" "Drones interrupted the wedding. The bride was injured slightly." "Oh no! Did you heal her?" "Yes. It healed fully. I need to ask you a question. Where are you most of the time?" "In our cell. Why?" "We need to know so we can rescue you and the others." " That's a relief, because I..." "Earthstar? Earthstar?!" When Waterstar cried out her sister's name the second time, she shouted it aloud and startled all the ducks. "Calm down Waterstar. I'm here." " Thank goodness, I was afraid something happened to you." "Siege walked by. Can't let him see us do this. He'd report to Dragaunus, then use us to fight the Mighty Ducks." "Earthstar, try to contact me whenever possible. If I don't answer, I'm probably in battle. Whenever you change rooms, tell me." "O.K." "Tell the others that I'm okay and help is on it's way." "Be careful, sister." " I will. See you tomorrow." Waterstar broke contact. Her eyes returned to normal. When she regained her senses, she saw a slightly
worried Wildwing and an amazed Nosedive. "Why did you yell?" asked Wildwing. "I lost contact with her for a few seconds." explained Waterstar. "Who is Earthstar?" asked Tanya. "Earthstar is the oldest of the sisters. We were all born within one hour. After Earthstar, Firestar followed a few minuets later, Skystar, Sunstar, then me. We were all a few minutes apart." "Where are they?" asked Wildwing. "In a cell that Dragaunus kept us in when he doesn't need us. It was a few cells down from the cell you were in," Waterstar said, pointing to Tanya. "Well, it's too late in the day to do anything. Tomorrow we will try to rescue them." Mallory led Tanya to another corner of the kitchen. "Since your dress was ruined, how about we go shop for another one?" asked Mallory. "Well, O.K. But we'll have to be quick, so Wildwing doesn't get suspicious." After five minutes, Tanya and Mallory were looking around for a sale. "There's one," said Tanya. It looked like a fairly old building. The
name of the store was unreadable. Mallory eyed it for a sec, then said, "Let's check it out. Maybe they have a sale on wedding dresses." As they entered, they noticed a young man at the counter. Tanya looked through one half of the store, while Mallory checked the other. When they didn't find anything, they met in front of the counter. "Excuse me," said Mallory to the young man. "Do you happen to have any wedding dresses in stock?" "I'll have to ask the Manager. Wait here." He got out from behind the counter and disappeared into another door. There was a click to signal the door locking. After waiting for a minute, Mallory grew inpatient. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to wait outside." Just as she finished talking, there was a loud click. Mallory walked over to the door that they came in from. It wouldn't open. "It's locked!" cried Mallory. Just then the room started to fill with sleeping gas. "We got to fight it!" shouted Tanya. But within a few seconds, she was on
the floor. Mallory crawled over towards Tanya. "Don`t give up on me now, Tanya." But soon she too was out cold. When the gas cleared, the young man walked in. A green light surrounded him as he returned to his original form, the Chameleon. His head turned into the head of an umpire. "They're out!" he said to Siege through his com. A few seconds later, Siege appeared as the Chameleon changed his head to normal. Siege picked up the two girls and both of them transported out.
Back in the Pond, Wildwing was starting to get worried. It has been an hour since he has seen Tanya or Mallory. As Duke walked into the room, Wildwing called him over. " Hey Duke, have you seen Mallory or Tanya lately?" "Nope. Mal probably dragged her off to the world of shopping." Just then Waterstar came in, followed by an undetected Nosedive holding a worm. Wildwing was about to shout a warning, when Waterstar said, "Don't even think about it, Nosedive." Nosedive stopped dead just before he would have dropped the worm. The amazement on his face was so deep, Duke just about fell over laughing. After he managed to control himself, Nosedive was about to get in his face, when the stone on Waterstar's headband began to glow a brilliant white. That caught everyone's attention. "Something's going on in the Raptor. Earthstar's calling." Waterstar's eyes glazed over as she made contact. After about two minutes of "talking" to her sister, her eyes returned to their normal state.
She looked at Wildwing and Duke and said, "Dragaunus just captured two female ducks. One with blond hair, and one with red. They were put in the cell next to my sisters." Wildwing looked mostly calm, Duke looked kind of calm, and Nosedive was still getting over the fact that she stopped one of his pranks.
After being in the cell for almost a half an hour, Tanya was the first one to wake up. She got up and looked around. "Where, Where am I?" "Glad to see you're awake," said a slightly familiar voice. Tanya stuck her head in between two bars of her cell. Another head stuck out from the cell next to her. She had long dark red hair, a red stone on a headband, and red eyes. Strange, thought Tanya. She looks angry yet calm at the same time. "My name is Firestar. I suppose you have met my sister Waterstar already?" "Yes" said Tanya. Firestar's head went back inside the cell, the came out again with three other heads. One had light brown hair, a yellow stone on a headband, and yellow eyes. Another one had brown hair, a brown stone on a headband, and brown eyes. The last one had an extremely light blond hair, an off-white stone on a headband, and white eyes. All of them had tan feathers. "These are my sisters. Sunstar, Earthstar, and Skystar." Each girl waved a little as Firestar said
her name. Tanya pointed to Earthstar. "You're the oldest, right?" "Yes, by a few minutes." said Earthstar. Suddenly a moan could be heard from Tanya's cell. Tanya tried to get her head into the cell so fast, she bonked her head. Mallory was starting to wake up. "Where are we?" asked Mallory. "Dragaunus captured us," said Tanya. "Come on, I want you to meet Waterstar's sisters," when Tanya's head reappeared through the bars, another head accompanied her. "This is Mallory. Oh, and I'm Tanya." "I'm Firestar, and these are my sisters, Sunstar, Earthstar, and Skystar." Mallory looked a little skeptical about trusting them. "Don't worry, Mallory," said Firestar. "I was like that too, before we found out about our powers," "True," said Sunstar. "She hardly ever had friends, until we discovered our powers. Then she learned how to trust people. I should know, I taught her." Firestar nodded.
While the girls got to know each other, Waterstar, Grin and Nosedive were watching TV, while Duke and Wildwing were in their rooms, coping with their feelings. Wildwing was thinking about the wedding. A few more minutes. A few more minutes and we would've been wed. I can't believe I waited almost a year. Of course, that gave me plenty of time to see her good points. She's smart, almost the same age as me, and is able to hold her temper better. But still, there is something about her that gives me a feeling that I have never felt before. She has some kind of force that pulls me toward her. Maybe it's love. Yea, that's probably it. Duke was thinking about Mallory. She's athletic, she's pretty, and she's got a lot of spunk and attitude. She's perfect for me. I just hope she comes back from the hands of Dragaunus unharmed, or else I'm gonna... suddenly there was a loud crash. Both Wildwing and Duke jumped up and ran towards the ready-room. They stopped when they looked in the
kitchen. Nosedive was helping Waterstar up onto her feet. "What happened?" asked Wildwing. "We were getting a snack, but her knees like went out on her or something" said Nosedive. "Without my sisters, I get kinda weak." "It's dark, we should all get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," said Wildwing. "Night everybody" he escorted Waterstar to Mallory's room. "You can sleep in here for tonight." "Thank you." said Waterstar.
Duke was having a little trouble sleeping. He couldn't stop thinking about Mallory. When he finally did go to sleep, his last thought was I wish the Invasion never happened. Soon he wished he hadn't, because he had a nightmare. He was back on Puckworld. He and the Brotherhood of the Blade had captured a spy form the military. "Sir, we have a spy in captivity. What shall we do with her?" asked a thief. "Her? It's a girl? The Military sent a girl to spy on us?" This dream was strange. Duke could think, but his body and voice was controlled by something else. The thief led him to a warehouse they took over. Duke instantly recognized her. "It's the general's daughter. Let's teach the general a lesson about spying on us." Oh no, Mallory! thought the real Duke. Her hands and feet were tied, and her beak was taped shut. "What shall we do with her Sir?" "Blade her." NOOOOOOOOOO! Thought Duke. Bladeing was the Brotherhood's favorite way of execution. It was extremely painful, and
left the victims to bleed to death. Five members surrounded her. They activated their Sabers and raised them. Mallory's eyes went wide with fear. Just as the five blades started to go down, Duke woke up. He was breathing quite hard. He looked out his window. The sun was just starting to rise. So much for getting more sleep. Duke got up and got dressed. Then he walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. Then he sat down in the ready-room with a photo album. The first picture showed a baby Duke (minus the eye patch) being held by a thief. Two bodies lay in the background, hidden by shadows. Another picture showed a 16 year-old Duke testing out his new Saber. Another one made him shiver. It showed him on a crude stretcher with a cloth covering the right side of his face, which was soaked with blood where his eye would have been. Another picture showed him becoming the Brotherhood leader. Suddenly he heard footsteps. He quickly closed the album and hid it. Waterstar
walked in and sat next to him. "Why are you up?" she asked. "A seriously bad nightmare," "I remember when I used to have nightmares. Being the youngest, I was afraid of them. I would always wake up yelling for my mother. She would calm me down and tell me that dreams can't hurt you." "What happened to her?" Waterstar's eyes looked down. "I-I'd rather not talk about it." "When did it happen?" "During the invasion. We were 19 at the time." Duke looked around for any one else. He took out the album and went to the page with the picture of him as a baby. Waterstar noticed the bodies covered by shadows. "Are they your..." "Parents. Yes. A small group of thieves tried to rob them and they didn't cooperate. They didn't want to leave me as an orphaned child, so they raised me. Of course, having a baby in the group brought in some women to take care of me. Soon the little group was big, so they called themselves `The Brotherhood of the Blade'. I was 16 when I got my Saber. I became
the best thief on Puckworld. Then one thief, Kar VonFeath, got jealous and attacked me. I lost my right eye. He was put on `permanent' vacation. Then came the day my `father' died. I was proclaimed leader, because I was technically his son. By then, the Brotherhood was huge, and everyone that raised me when I was little was gone. I single-handedly created the Brotherhood." Duke sighed. "Lots of girls seemed to like me, but none were as special as Mallory." "Our lives were normal, until we reached the age of ten. Then we discovered our powers." "What can you do with your powers?" asked Duke. " We can use attacks that confuse the enemy, like if Skystar and I got together, we could do the bubble confusion attack. It's where tons of bubbles swirl around the enemy. Then there are the injury attacks. We can't kill another living being, but we can harm them. Then there is the...that's it! That's how we get them out!" shouted Waterstar. "How?" asked Duke. "Our transport! If you
combine two certain girls, they can transport themselves and others!" With all the shouting, Wildwing and Nosedive were awakened. As they came jogging in, Duke hid the album. "What's all the shouting about?" asked Wildwing. "I figured out how to get them out! If Skystar and one other sister were together, they can transport the girls out!" "Sound's like a good plan. Tell your sisters about it and have them teleport outside the Raptor. We will use the Migrator and pick them up from there." Waterstar nodded and tried to contact her sisters.
In the Raptor, Earthstar was awakened by a sound from her mind. She quickly woke up Sunstar and said, "Waterstar is calling. Wake the others and keep a look out." While Sunstar woke the others, Earthstar made contact. "Earthstar, I must speak to Skystar!" "Why?" "I need to talk to her now!" "O.K. Hold on," Earthstar taped Skystar on the shoulder. "Waterstar wants to talk to you," "Why?" she asked. Earthstar shrugged her shoulders. "Okay Waterstar. What's the deal?" "I figured out how to get you guys out. You and Firestar use the transport attack and teleport to outside the Raptor. We will be waiting for you outside. I'll tell you when we get there, so you can teleport at the right time." "Sounds good to me. I'll tell Earthstar, so she can wake up Tanya and Mallory." "Which one is Tanya?" "The bride." "Oh. Next time you hear from me, we will be close, or waiting for you." "O.K. See you within a few hours." After explaining the plan to Earthstar, they heard a rustling from the
cell next to them. Sunstar said, "Tanya, Mallory, wake up. We have a plan on how to get out of here." "Huh? You do?" "Yes. I'll tell you about it later. But right now, you need to think of a way to get out of that cell." "I can pick the lock, but I'm fresh out of pins." said Tanya. Skystar thought for a bit and reached into her side pack. She took out a hairpin and said, "I have one." She reached out towards Tanya and gave her the pin. "Good. Now all we have to do is wait for them to find us."
After searching for a while, Wildwing finally found the Raptor using the Mask. After Waterstar told her sisters that they were waiting for them, Wildwing said, "Keep alert. Dragaunus could send dozens of drones at us at any time." In the Raptor, Tanya was busy picking the lock. When it opened, she set to work on the other cell, with Mallory as a look out. When they were all out, they all huddled together, and Skystar and Firestar began to concentrate. A wall of fire surrounded them, and they disappeared.
They reappeared right in the middle of a battle.
There was a large amount of drones fighting. Duke tossed Mallory a Pucklaucher, and she helped him with a few drones. Waterstar joined her sisters and they spread out, and drones were getting destroyed much faster. Mallory and Duke were fighting side by side, yet covering each other's backs. A drone exploded and a big piece of metal came spiraling towards Mallory's head, going extremely fast. Duke stepped in the way of its path and tried to use his Saber to knock it away. He swung, and he missed. The broad side of the piece of metal hit him squarely in the head. The sound of the metal hitting Duke got Mallory's attention. She turned around to find Duke lying on the ground. Tanya saw Mallory with her guard down and covered her, using a spare Pucklauncher from the Migrator. Earthstar made her way towards Wildwing. "Gather your team up around Mallory." Wildwing nodded. He opened his com and said "Guys, come in." "Yeah?" replied Nosedive. "Everyone meet up close to Mallory."
"We're on it," said Grin. Soon, everyone was around Duke, while the 5 sisters surrounded them. "Alright girls, it's time for The Big One." yelled Earthstar. The `Big One'? wondered Mallory. All of the sisters concentrated, and a ring of white light erupted from the ring of girls. When the ring of light touched the drones, they exploded. The light kept on going, blowing up every single drone. When all the drones were gone, everyone loaded into the Migrator. Duke was laid on a fold out bed, and Tanya checked on him. "He's just knocked out," said Tanya. She covered him with a blanket, and sat down next to Wildwing, who was driving. He stopped and they traded spots. Mallory was next to Duke, when Nosedive said, "Oooooooo, Duke and Mallory, sittin' in a..." "CAN IT, NOSEDIVE!" Mallory whirled around to face him. A tear was rolling down her cheek. "Ooooooo," teased Nosedive. "I wouldn't do that, Dive," warned Wildwing, who stood up when Mallory yelled. "Oh no, Mal-Mal is crying.
Call the police!" At that moment, Mallory lost it.
She grabbed Duke's Saber, which activated. She advanced towards Nosedive, who was trapped in a corner. Mallory raised the Saber, and before she could strike Nosedive down, a hand stopped her arm. "That's quite enough." Wildwing took the Saber and put it in his pouch. Firestar walked over to Mallory and led her away from Nosedive. Mallory started to cry again. A little while later, they arrived at the Pond and Duke was moved into the Infirmary. Mallory and Firestar stayed with Duke. The rest were getting something to eat. "I think Nosedive learned a lesson today," said Firestar. Mallory laughed a little. "That's the thing with Nosedive, he just never understands me. Nether does anyone else. Only Duke does." "I understand. When I was ten, we knew a boy called Darkfire Flameheart To my sisters, he was a friend. But to me, he was something more. Much more. We would always play hockey on the same team. If we weren't playing hockey, we would be skating laps, hand in hand. When I
ate at his house, or vise-versa, we would always eat next to each other. It was like that since I was five. Then came the day that changed my life. We were moving. Mother said that this month was a month for change, but she didn't tell us what change. I protested, I pleaded, but nothing would change the fact that we were moving. The day of the move, I talked to Darkfire for the last time. He said don't worry, he would write me as soon as he found our new address. He gave me this, as a good-bye present." She unrevealed a necklace with a red jem on it. "It's a red Affrinite stone." said Mallory. Firestar nodded as her eyes flashed white from sadness. "Found only in Puckworld. After being in our new house for a week, we discovered our powers. Darkfire dropped a note once in a while, but when the Invasion came, I never heard from him again." Mallory was going to ask a question, but a movement caught her eye. Duke slowly sat up. Mallory sprang onto him with open arms. The force
of Mal pouncing on him caused him to lay back down. "Oh Duke, I'm so glad you're O.K.!" she said as she hugged him. Firestar looked on with a slightly amused look on her face. Duke managed to sit up again and gave her the don't-tell-anybody-about-this look. Firestar gave him the I-promise look as an answer.
A week later, Wildwing and Tanya had another wedding. Tanya had a new dress, and Nosedive didn't squirm as much. Both Tanya and Wildwing were standing in front of the minister. "Do you Wildwing, take this woman to be your wedded wife to have and to hold, in sickness and health, till death do you part?" "I do." "And do you Tanya take this man to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, till death do you part?" "I do." "If anyone has a reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." After waiting for a few seconds, he said, "You are now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Wildwing placed the veil back, and Tanya gave him her best cute face. Nosedive took this time to scan the people seated before him. Almost all of Anaheim was there, Earthstar and her sisters were there, the press, and even a few out-of towners. When Wildwing and Tanya were done, all the guests filed outside. When Wildwing and Tanya stepped
outside, rice and confetti rained down on them. The Arowing, covered with decorations, was parked in the front lawn. The Migrator and a Duckcycle was dropped off. The newlyweds got into the Arowing, which Grin was flying, Duke and Mal took the Duckcycle, and Phil, Nosedive, and the girls took the Migrator. Inside the Arowing, Grin asked, "Where to after the dance?" "The Pond. We're too busy to go on a honeymoon." Tanya smiled at him and snuggled closer. This day was the best day in both their lives.
A few uninvited guests appear at Wildwing and Tanya's special day.
After dating Tanya for a few months, Wildwing needed Duke's help once again. "You're going to pop the big question?" asked Duke. "Yes, and I need help picking out the ring. I also need help on how to ask her, should I ask her in private, in front of the team, or at the end of next weeks game?" Wildwing asked. "First of all, we need to head over towards the Jewelry shop. We can talk about the `how' question in the Migrator," In the Migrator, Duke said, "About the `how' question, you've been dating her for a few months, you should know what she wants," Wildwing asked "Which one would you do?" "In a private room," said Duke. When they got to the Jewelry store, Wildwing looked around. "That one looks good," said Duke. "Too big," said Wildwing. "How about this one?" asked Duke. "It's perfect!"
As they walked out, Wildwing saw a hooded figure in the ally. The person was wearing a long robe, so you couldn't tell what he/she was wearing. Wildwing blinked, and he/she was gone. As they got in the Migrator, Wildwing mentioned what he saw, Duke said, "It was probably your imagination, Wildwing" "How do you think Phil will take the idea of a wedding?" asked Wildwing. "Ha! One mention of the word `wedding' and he gets teary eyed," Wildwing laughed at the thought of Phil crying of happiness at a wedding. "Yea, that is pretty funny," said Wildwing.
Two days later, Wildwing was ready for bed, but he stopped to look at the ring he was going to present to Tanya the next day. His mind flew over the plans for tomorrow. Duke will get the others while I get Tanya. I will tell her I have a surprise for her and her eyes have to be closed. I will lead her to Drake1 and wait until Duke and the others get there. Then I will propose. The door opened and Nosedive's head peeked in. Wildwing quickly hid the ring. "Hey big bro, whatcha hidin'?" "Nothing," "You look worried," "I'm worried the meeting tomorrow won't go well," "What's the meeting about?" "It's a surprise," "Well I hope it's good news," Nosedive said as he got up to leave. So do I thought Wildwing. "Night Dive," "Night bro."
When Wildwing got up, he was full of energy, exited, and nervous. When noon neared, he got more nervous. When it was five to 12, Wildwing said to Duke, "It's time," Duke left to find Mallory, Nosedive, and Grin. Wildwing went to his room to get the ring. When he got the box, he checked for the ring. It was still there. When he got to Tanya's lab, he sneaked in. Tanya was humming the song "Birds of a Feather" Wildwing leaned on the door frame and said, "It depends what kind of birds you are talking about," Tanya jumped a little and said, "Oh, Wildwing." " I have a surprise for you," "said Wildwing. "You do?" "Yes, but you will have to close your eyes first." Tanya shut her eyes and Wildwing carefully led her out of the room and in front of Drake1. "Stay here," he said as he waited for the others to come. He was surprised to see Phil with the group. They formed a line, Nosedive, Grin, Mallory, Duke, then Phil. Wildwing typed a message and turned Tanya around to see the screen,
which said: TANYA, WILL YOU MARRY ME? Once the word `marry' was up, Duke turned his head to look at Phil and almost laughed. He tapped Mallory on the shoulder and pointed at him. She almost laughed too. Just as Duke figured, Phil had tears running down his cheeks. "O.K., you can open your eyes now," said Wildwing. Once she read the words, she turned her head to see Wildwing with a ring in his hands. Unable to speak her answer, she typed in: YES! She jumped on Wildwing, hugging him. From the small crowd, cheers of "Yea!", "Wohoo!", and "Go Wing!" were yelled. Nosedive yelled " Way to go, big bro!" Phil sniffled and smiled. After the short celebration, Duke saw Nosedive look a little upset. " What are you upset about? You should be happy," "I am happy, but if I go to the wedding, I'll have to go looking formal!" As Nosedive walked away, Mallory said, "That's typical of Nosedive, afraid to wear anything normal."
A week later, the wedding was in action. Wildwing was waiting for his bride, while Nosedive squirmed slightly. When Tanya came walking down the aisle, Wildwing held his breath. Even though she was wearing a plain wedding dress, something about her took his breath away. As she stepped next to him, he started to breathe again. As the minister said the "We are gathered here today" speech, Duke nudged Nosedive and gave him a "Stand still." look. Nosedive gave him the "I can't help it," look as a response. "Do you Wildwing, take this woman to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, till death do you part?" said the minister. "I..." before Wildwing could finish, 20 drones surrounded them. Luckily, Duke stowed away his Saber in the sleeve of his tux, so he could fight. Mallory hid a Pucklauncher in a secret pocket of her dress, so she blasted at the drones that were not close to the civilians. Grin didn't need a weapon, so he fought with the drones close
to the on-watchers. Still, only half of the team was armed, and they were badly outnumbered. Six drones were closing in on Tanya and Wildwing. One of the drones aimed and fired at Tanya's face. Before Tanya could react, a light-blue ray shoot in front of her, blocking the drone's blast. The blue ray disintegrated upon contact, but sent the drone's ray towards another drone. As the drone exploded, another blue ray landed under another drone. When the ray hit, a circle of blue fire went around her and Wildwing. The blue fire rose from underneath the drones surrounding them, and when the drones were destroyed, the fire quickly extinguished itself. Tanya turned her head towards the source of the rays, she saw a hooded figure with an arm raised, standing in the aisle. There was something glowing inside the hood. It looked like a stone. Other people failed to notice the person, mostly because they were too busy trying to get out of the church. Tanya saw a good hiding spot, so she
tried to keep low as she ran. When she was almost there, a drone ray grazed her leg. She fell with a yelp, and tumbled into the safe place.
Wildwing was running to a hiding spot that he found when he heard Tanya's yelp. He was halfway inside when he stopped. He crouched low so not to be an easy target, turned around, and looked for Tanya. His search lasted for a few seconds. Someone yanked him into the safe spot just before a drone ray would have hit his face. He turned his head and saw Nosedive. "That was close. Thanks Dive," "No problemo, bro." As the others fought, Tanya checked on her leg. She was just barely hit, but the wound was an inch wide and was very shallow. It was as deep as a scrape like when you fall on cement. It was bleeding slightly, but it would speed up. Once the battle was over, Wildwing and Nosedive got out of the spot. "Where's Tanya?" asked Wildwing. "Wildwing! I'm...ouch!" Tanya tried to stand up as she shouted, but the pain from her wound was extreme. The rest of the team ran towards the spot that they heard her voice. Wildwing went in and helped her out. Her dress was burnt in several
places, and one part was red. Wildwing picked her up. Tanya put one arm around his neck and the other hand close to her wound. "I can heal her," said a young, unsure female voice from behind them. They all turned around to see the hooded figure. "I can heal her, but not here. More drones will come." Wildwing studied her for a second and said "All right. On one condition, you show us your face in the Arowing." "Done."
In the Arowing, Wildwing placed Tanya on a foldout first aid table, while Duke took the controls. Because of the hole in the dress, (how else is the ray supposed to get to her leg?) you could see the wound clearly. The stranger stood next to Tanya. A hand reached out and hovered above the wound. A feathered hand. After a few seconds, raindrops fell from it and fell onto Tanya's wound. Skin immediately grew where the drop hit. When the wound was covered with skin, feathers started to grow. Really fast. Normally, it would take a week or so for feathers to re-grow. Within a few seconds, Tanya's leg looked normal. Tanya got down from the table. Just then they landed at the Pond. When everyone was in front of Drake1, the stranger said, "If I show you who I am, will you help me?" Wildwing looked at the others. They looked at him, waiting for an answer. Wildwing looked back at the stranger, and said "Yes." Everyone watched as her hands went to the hood. When the hood was pulled
back, everyone silently gasped. The stranger had light blue eyes, long blond hair, a headband with a light blue stone on it, and a beak. "My name is Waterstar. Dragaunus took my four sisters and me as personal slaves during the invasion. When he fled to earth he took us with. The longer he was here, the more he forgot about us. A few months ago, I managed to escape. My sisters thought it was too dangerous. I told them that I would get help, so they could be free too. Before I left the Raptor, I used a bomb in an unused room. I don't know why, I just had this gut feeling that I had to." "A few months ago I was kidnapped by Dragaunus. An explosion helped me and the others escape," said Tanya. " What happened after you escaped?" asked Wildwing. " I found this old hooded cloak and I used it to hide myself in the alleys. I managed to live off of scraps offered by the other homeless people. After living like that for a few months, I heard someone talking about the marriage of two
of the Mighty Ducks. I thought I should attend because I figured you could help me. When I got there, I sat in a far corner, and I guess you know the rest." She removed the brown cloak. She was wearing a set of light blue pants, a shirt that had blue sleeves while the rest was light blue, and boots that were blue. " If you don't mind, I am getting kind of tired." " You can use my room," said Wildwing.
While Waterstar was sleeping, the team was debating on what to do. "Do you remember what happened last time a female came to our doorstep?" asked Mallory. "Waterstar didn't come to our doorstep, she followed me home!" said Nosedive. Duke just rolled his eyes. "Five children is very rare for ducks. Four kids is like a miracle." said Duke. "She has to be part of some kind of a trap. Her beauty is a dead giveaway," said Mallory. "Ah, her eyes, her hair," Nosedive said dreamily. Duke gave him a dangerous look. "Her legs," That's it, thought Duke. He stepped on Nosedive foot. "Yeow! Just because you already have a girl..." Both Duke and Mallory gave him a dangerous look. " Just because you and Mal get all smoochie-smoochie..." Duke and Mallory's eyes/eye burned red. Nosedive saw this and said, "Umm, five seconds, right?" Mallory was the first one to lunge at him. Nosedive ran away screaming and Duke was hot on his heels. Mallory got up and ran after him. When they disappeared
into another room, Grin said, "Ten to one they catch him." Wildwing sighed and said, "Let's stop them before they do,"
After searching for ten minutes, Tanya found them in the gym. She barely controlled her laughter as she commed the guys. "You guys have to see this. I'm in the gym. Hurry before he gets down!" When Wildwing and Grin got there, all three had a good laugh. Nosedive was at the top of the climbing rope with the rest of it coiled in his hands. Duke and Mallory were below him, waiting for him to come down. It took five minutes for Tanya to convince Duke and Mallory to go eat and another five for Wildwing to convince Nosedive to get down. When they got the kitchen, they were surprised to see Duke, Mallory, and Waterstar eating. Wildwing, Tanya, Grin, and Nosedive sat down. "Why do
you need our help?" Wildwing asked Waterstar. "My powers are very limited when I am without my sisters. Besides, I have never been separated from them before." "So you want us to help save your sisters?" asked Duke. "Yes, but they are in the Raptor." "Do you know where exactly?" asked Wildwing. "No, but I can ask them." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute, you can talk to them? Now? Even though you're who knows how many miles away from them?" said an amazed Nosedive. "Yes. At birth we had the ability to communicate by mind. It comes in handy if you get lost." explained Waterstar. "Un. Be. Livable. Can you show them pictures?" asked Nosedive. "Yes, but I need to see the object I am sending the picture of." "Huh?" "If I wanted to send them an image of you, I would need to see you." "Oh." Wildwing said, "Find out where they are exactly. When we know where they are, we will try to rescue them." Waterstar looked at the team, then she got comfy. Her eyes glazed over as she tried
to contact her sisters. After a few seconds, the eldest sister, Earthstar, answered. "Waterstar, finally! We are so exited to hear from you!" "Sister, you know the Mighty Ducks that Dragaunus has been talking about?" "Yes" " Well I found them! I'm with them right now!" "Really? What do they look like?" "Here's a picture of them together. And I also have a picture of one that seems to like me. His name is Nosedive, I think." "Where'd you learn his name?" "I was sleeping in the room of the leader, Wildwing, I think. Anyway, I was awakened by the sound of yelling and running approaching the door. I got up to see what it was, and I saw the red headed one and the one with the eye patch chasing him. The red head said `You're going to pay for that, Nosedive!' as she ran by." "Which one is the leader?" "He's the one wearing the mask of Drake DuCane." "He's kinda cute." "He's also taken. He tried to get married to the one in purple. I don't know her name yet." "What do you mean by
`tried'?" "Drones interrupted the wedding. The bride was injured slightly." "Oh no! Did you heal her?" "Yes. It healed fully. I need to ask you a question. Where are you most of the time?" "In our cell. Why?" "We need to know so we can rescue you and the others." " That's a relief, because I..." "Earthstar? Earthstar?!" When Waterstar cried out her sister's name the second time, she shouted it aloud and startled all the ducks. "Calm down Waterstar. I'm here." " Thank goodness, I was afraid something happened to you." "Siege walked by. Can't let him see us do this. He'd report to Dragaunus, then use us to fight the Mighty Ducks." "Earthstar, try to contact me whenever possible. If I don't answer, I'm probably in battle. Whenever you change rooms, tell me." "O.K." "Tell the others that I'm okay and help is on it's way." "Be careful, sister." " I will. See you tomorrow." Waterstar broke contact. Her eyes returned to normal. When she regained her senses, she saw a slightly
worried Wildwing and an amazed Nosedive. "Why did you yell?" asked Wildwing. "I lost contact with her for a few seconds." explained Waterstar. "Who is Earthstar?" asked Tanya. "Earthstar is the oldest of the sisters. We were all born within one hour. After Earthstar, Firestar followed a few minuets later, Skystar, Sunstar, then me. We were all a few minutes apart." "Where are they?" asked Wildwing. "In a cell that Dragaunus kept us in when he doesn't need us. It was a few cells down from the cell you were in," Waterstar said, pointing to Tanya. "Well, it's too late in the day to do anything. Tomorrow we will try to rescue them." Mallory led Tanya to another corner of the kitchen. "Since your dress was ruined, how about we go shop for another one?" asked Mallory. "Well, O.K. But we'll have to be quick, so Wildwing doesn't get suspicious." After five minutes, Tanya and Mallory were looking around for a sale. "There's one," said Tanya. It looked like a fairly old building. The
name of the store was unreadable. Mallory eyed it for a sec, then said, "Let's check it out. Maybe they have a sale on wedding dresses." As they entered, they noticed a young man at the counter. Tanya looked through one half of the store, while Mallory checked the other. When they didn't find anything, they met in front of the counter. "Excuse me," said Mallory to the young man. "Do you happen to have any wedding dresses in stock?" "I'll have to ask the Manager. Wait here." He got out from behind the counter and disappeared into another door. There was a click to signal the door locking. After waiting for a minute, Mallory grew inpatient. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to wait outside." Just as she finished talking, there was a loud click. Mallory walked over to the door that they came in from. It wouldn't open. "It's locked!" cried Mallory. Just then the room started to fill with sleeping gas. "We got to fight it!" shouted Tanya. But within a few seconds, she was on
the floor. Mallory crawled over towards Tanya. "Don`t give up on me now, Tanya." But soon she too was out cold. When the gas cleared, the young man walked in. A green light surrounded him as he returned to his original form, the Chameleon. His head turned into the head of an umpire. "They're out!" he said to Siege through his com. A few seconds later, Siege appeared as the Chameleon changed his head to normal. Siege picked up the two girls and both of them transported out.
Back in the Pond, Wildwing was starting to get worried. It has been an hour since he has seen Tanya or Mallory. As Duke walked into the room, Wildwing called him over. " Hey Duke, have you seen Mallory or Tanya lately?" "Nope. Mal probably dragged her off to the world of shopping." Just then Waterstar came in, followed by an undetected Nosedive holding a worm. Wildwing was about to shout a warning, when Waterstar said, "Don't even think about it, Nosedive." Nosedive stopped dead just before he would have dropped the worm. The amazement on his face was so deep, Duke just about fell over laughing. After he managed to control himself, Nosedive was about to get in his face, when the stone on Waterstar's headband began to glow a brilliant white. That caught everyone's attention. "Something's going on in the Raptor. Earthstar's calling." Waterstar's eyes glazed over as she made contact. After about two minutes of "talking" to her sister, her eyes returned to their normal state.
She looked at Wildwing and Duke and said, "Dragaunus just captured two female ducks. One with blond hair, and one with red. They were put in the cell next to my sisters." Wildwing looked mostly calm, Duke looked kind of calm, and Nosedive was still getting over the fact that she stopped one of his pranks.
After being in the cell for almost a half an hour, Tanya was the first one to wake up. She got up and looked around. "Where, Where am I?" "Glad to see you're awake," said a slightly familiar voice. Tanya stuck her head in between two bars of her cell. Another head stuck out from the cell next to her. She had long dark red hair, a red stone on a headband, and red eyes. Strange, thought Tanya. She looks angry yet calm at the same time. "My name is Firestar. I suppose you have met my sister Waterstar already?" "Yes" said Tanya. Firestar's head went back inside the cell, the came out again with three other heads. One had light brown hair, a yellow stone on a headband, and yellow eyes. Another one had brown hair, a brown stone on a headband, and brown eyes. The last one had an extremely light blond hair, an off-white stone on a headband, and white eyes. All of them had tan feathers. "These are my sisters. Sunstar, Earthstar, and Skystar." Each girl waved a little as Firestar said
her name. Tanya pointed to Earthstar. "You're the oldest, right?" "Yes, by a few minutes." said Earthstar. Suddenly a moan could be heard from Tanya's cell. Tanya tried to get her head into the cell so fast, she bonked her head. Mallory was starting to wake up. "Where are we?" asked Mallory. "Dragaunus captured us," said Tanya. "Come on, I want you to meet Waterstar's sisters," when Tanya's head reappeared through the bars, another head accompanied her. "This is Mallory. Oh, and I'm Tanya." "I'm Firestar, and these are my sisters, Sunstar, Earthstar, and Skystar." Mallory looked a little skeptical about trusting them. "Don't worry, Mallory," said Firestar. "I was like that too, before we found out about our powers," "True," said Sunstar. "She hardly ever had friends, until we discovered our powers. Then she learned how to trust people. I should know, I taught her." Firestar nodded.
While the girls got to know each other, Waterstar, Grin and Nosedive were watching TV, while Duke and Wildwing were in their rooms, coping with their feelings. Wildwing was thinking about the wedding. A few more minutes. A few more minutes and we would've been wed. I can't believe I waited almost a year. Of course, that gave me plenty of time to see her good points. She's smart, almost the same age as me, and is able to hold her temper better. But still, there is something about her that gives me a feeling that I have never felt before. She has some kind of force that pulls me toward her. Maybe it's love. Yea, that's probably it. Duke was thinking about Mallory. She's athletic, she's pretty, and she's got a lot of spunk and attitude. She's perfect for me. I just hope she comes back from the hands of Dragaunus unharmed, or else I'm gonna... suddenly there was a loud crash. Both Wildwing and Duke jumped up and ran towards the ready-room. They stopped when they looked in the
kitchen. Nosedive was helping Waterstar up onto her feet. "What happened?" asked Wildwing. "We were getting a snack, but her knees like went out on her or something" said Nosedive. "Without my sisters, I get kinda weak." "It's dark, we should all get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," said Wildwing. "Night everybody" he escorted Waterstar to Mallory's room. "You can sleep in here for tonight." "Thank you." said Waterstar.
Duke was having a little trouble sleeping. He couldn't stop thinking about Mallory. When he finally did go to sleep, his last thought was I wish the Invasion never happened. Soon he wished he hadn't, because he had a nightmare. He was back on Puckworld. He and the Brotherhood of the Blade had captured a spy form the military. "Sir, we have a spy in captivity. What shall we do with her?" asked a thief. "Her? It's a girl? The Military sent a girl to spy on us?" This dream was strange. Duke could think, but his body and voice was controlled by something else. The thief led him to a warehouse they took over. Duke instantly recognized her. "It's the general's daughter. Let's teach the general a lesson about spying on us." Oh no, Mallory! thought the real Duke. Her hands and feet were tied, and her beak was taped shut. "What shall we do with her Sir?" "Blade her." NOOOOOOOOOO! Thought Duke. Bladeing was the Brotherhood's favorite way of execution. It was extremely painful, and
left the victims to bleed to death. Five members surrounded her. They activated their Sabers and raised them. Mallory's eyes went wide with fear. Just as the five blades started to go down, Duke woke up. He was breathing quite hard. He looked out his window. The sun was just starting to rise. So much for getting more sleep. Duke got up and got dressed. Then he walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. Then he sat down in the ready-room with a photo album. The first picture showed a baby Duke (minus the eye patch) being held by a thief. Two bodies lay in the background, hidden by shadows. Another picture showed a 16 year-old Duke testing out his new Saber. Another one made him shiver. It showed him on a crude stretcher with a cloth covering the right side of his face, which was soaked with blood where his eye would have been. Another picture showed him becoming the Brotherhood leader. Suddenly he heard footsteps. He quickly closed the album and hid it. Waterstar
walked in and sat next to him. "Why are you up?" she asked. "A seriously bad nightmare," "I remember when I used to have nightmares. Being the youngest, I was afraid of them. I would always wake up yelling for my mother. She would calm me down and tell me that dreams can't hurt you." "What happened to her?" Waterstar's eyes looked down. "I-I'd rather not talk about it." "When did it happen?" "During the invasion. We were 19 at the time." Duke looked around for any one else. He took out the album and went to the page with the picture of him as a baby. Waterstar noticed the bodies covered by shadows. "Are they your..." "Parents. Yes. A small group of thieves tried to rob them and they didn't cooperate. They didn't want to leave me as an orphaned child, so they raised me. Of course, having a baby in the group brought in some women to take care of me. Soon the little group was big, so they called themselves `The Brotherhood of the Blade'. I was 16 when I got my Saber. I became
the best thief on Puckworld. Then one thief, Kar VonFeath, got jealous and attacked me. I lost my right eye. He was put on `permanent' vacation. Then came the day my `father' died. I was proclaimed leader, because I was technically his son. By then, the Brotherhood was huge, and everyone that raised me when I was little was gone. I single-handedly created the Brotherhood." Duke sighed. "Lots of girls seemed to like me, but none were as special as Mallory." "Our lives were normal, until we reached the age of ten. Then we discovered our powers." "What can you do with your powers?" asked Duke. " We can use attacks that confuse the enemy, like if Skystar and I got together, we could do the bubble confusion attack. It's where tons of bubbles swirl around the enemy. Then there are the injury attacks. We can't kill another living being, but we can harm them. Then there is the...that's it! That's how we get them out!" shouted Waterstar. "How?" asked Duke. "Our transport! If you
combine two certain girls, they can transport themselves and others!" With all the shouting, Wildwing and Nosedive were awakened. As they came jogging in, Duke hid the album. "What's all the shouting about?" asked Wildwing. "I figured out how to get them out! If Skystar and one other sister were together, they can transport the girls out!" "Sound's like a good plan. Tell your sisters about it and have them teleport outside the Raptor. We will use the Migrator and pick them up from there." Waterstar nodded and tried to contact her sisters.
In the Raptor, Earthstar was awakened by a sound from her mind. She quickly woke up Sunstar and said, "Waterstar is calling. Wake the others and keep a look out." While Sunstar woke the others, Earthstar made contact. "Earthstar, I must speak to Skystar!" "Why?" "I need to talk to her now!" "O.K. Hold on," Earthstar taped Skystar on the shoulder. "Waterstar wants to talk to you," "Why?" she asked. Earthstar shrugged her shoulders. "Okay Waterstar. What's the deal?" "I figured out how to get you guys out. You and Firestar use the transport attack and teleport to outside the Raptor. We will be waiting for you outside. I'll tell you when we get there, so you can teleport at the right time." "Sounds good to me. I'll tell Earthstar, so she can wake up Tanya and Mallory." "Which one is Tanya?" "The bride." "Oh. Next time you hear from me, we will be close, or waiting for you." "O.K. See you within a few hours." After explaining the plan to Earthstar, they heard a rustling from the
cell next to them. Sunstar said, "Tanya, Mallory, wake up. We have a plan on how to get out of here." "Huh? You do?" "Yes. I'll tell you about it later. But right now, you need to think of a way to get out of that cell." "I can pick the lock, but I'm fresh out of pins." said Tanya. Skystar thought for a bit and reached into her side pack. She took out a hairpin and said, "I have one." She reached out towards Tanya and gave her the pin. "Good. Now all we have to do is wait for them to find us."
After searching for a while, Wildwing finally found the Raptor using the Mask. After Waterstar told her sisters that they were waiting for them, Wildwing said, "Keep alert. Dragaunus could send dozens of drones at us at any time." In the Raptor, Tanya was busy picking the lock. When it opened, she set to work on the other cell, with Mallory as a look out. When they were all out, they all huddled together, and Skystar and Firestar began to concentrate. A wall of fire surrounded them, and they disappeared.
They reappeared right in the middle of a battle.
There was a large amount of drones fighting. Duke tossed Mallory a Pucklaucher, and she helped him with a few drones. Waterstar joined her sisters and they spread out, and drones were getting destroyed much faster. Mallory and Duke were fighting side by side, yet covering each other's backs. A drone exploded and a big piece of metal came spiraling towards Mallory's head, going extremely fast. Duke stepped in the way of its path and tried to use his Saber to knock it away. He swung, and he missed. The broad side of the piece of metal hit him squarely in the head. The sound of the metal hitting Duke got Mallory's attention. She turned around to find Duke lying on the ground. Tanya saw Mallory with her guard down and covered her, using a spare Pucklauncher from the Migrator. Earthstar made her way towards Wildwing. "Gather your team up around Mallory." Wildwing nodded. He opened his com and said "Guys, come in." "Yeah?" replied Nosedive. "Everyone meet up close to Mallory."
"We're on it," said Grin. Soon, everyone was around Duke, while the 5 sisters surrounded them. "Alright girls, it's time for The Big One." yelled Earthstar. The `Big One'? wondered Mallory. All of the sisters concentrated, and a ring of white light erupted from the ring of girls. When the ring of light touched the drones, they exploded. The light kept on going, blowing up every single drone. When all the drones were gone, everyone loaded into the Migrator. Duke was laid on a fold out bed, and Tanya checked on him. "He's just knocked out," said Tanya. She covered him with a blanket, and sat down next to Wildwing, who was driving. He stopped and they traded spots. Mallory was next to Duke, when Nosedive said, "Oooooooo, Duke and Mallory, sittin' in a..." "CAN IT, NOSEDIVE!" Mallory whirled around to face him. A tear was rolling down her cheek. "Ooooooo," teased Nosedive. "I wouldn't do that, Dive," warned Wildwing, who stood up when Mallory yelled. "Oh no, Mal-Mal is crying.
Call the police!" At that moment, Mallory lost it.
She grabbed Duke's Saber, which activated. She advanced towards Nosedive, who was trapped in a corner. Mallory raised the Saber, and before she could strike Nosedive down, a hand stopped her arm. "That's quite enough." Wildwing took the Saber and put it in his pouch. Firestar walked over to Mallory and led her away from Nosedive. Mallory started to cry again. A little while later, they arrived at the Pond and Duke was moved into the Infirmary. Mallory and Firestar stayed with Duke. The rest were getting something to eat. "I think Nosedive learned a lesson today," said Firestar. Mallory laughed a little. "That's the thing with Nosedive, he just never understands me. Nether does anyone else. Only Duke does." "I understand. When I was ten, we knew a boy called Darkfire Flameheart To my sisters, he was a friend. But to me, he was something more. Much more. We would always play hockey on the same team. If we weren't playing hockey, we would be skating laps, hand in hand. When I
ate at his house, or vise-versa, we would always eat next to each other. It was like that since I was five. Then came the day that changed my life. We were moving. Mother said that this month was a month for change, but she didn't tell us what change. I protested, I pleaded, but nothing would change the fact that we were moving. The day of the move, I talked to Darkfire for the last time. He said don't worry, he would write me as soon as he found our new address. He gave me this, as a good-bye present." She unrevealed a necklace with a red jem on it. "It's a red Affrinite stone." said Mallory. Firestar nodded as her eyes flashed white from sadness. "Found only in Puckworld. After being in our new house for a week, we discovered our powers. Darkfire dropped a note once in a while, but when the Invasion came, I never heard from him again." Mallory was going to ask a question, but a movement caught her eye. Duke slowly sat up. Mallory sprang onto him with open arms. The force
of Mal pouncing on him caused him to lay back down. "Oh Duke, I'm so glad you're O.K.!" she said as she hugged him. Firestar looked on with a slightly amused look on her face. Duke managed to sit up again and gave her the don't-tell-anybody-about-this look. Firestar gave him the I-promise look as an answer.
A week later, Wildwing and Tanya had another wedding. Tanya had a new dress, and Nosedive didn't squirm as much. Both Tanya and Wildwing were standing in front of the minister. "Do you Wildwing, take this woman to be your wedded wife to have and to hold, in sickness and health, till death do you part?" "I do." "And do you Tanya take this man to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, till death do you part?" "I do." "If anyone has a reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." After waiting for a few seconds, he said, "You are now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Wildwing placed the veil back, and Tanya gave him her best cute face. Nosedive took this time to scan the people seated before him. Almost all of Anaheim was there, Earthstar and her sisters were there, the press, and even a few out-of towners. When Wildwing and Tanya were done, all the guests filed outside. When Wildwing and Tanya stepped
outside, rice and confetti rained down on them. The Arowing, covered with decorations, was parked in the front lawn. The Migrator and a Duckcycle was dropped off. The newlyweds got into the Arowing, which Grin was flying, Duke and Mal took the Duckcycle, and Phil, Nosedive, and the girls took the Migrator. Inside the Arowing, Grin asked, "Where to after the dance?" "The Pond. We're too busy to go on a honeymoon." Tanya smiled at him and snuggled closer. This day was the best day in both their lives.