Welcome back, readers! Sorry for the long wait; here's the second chapter of the story. Can Vega and Piper help Boots find the pharaoh, break the curse, and grant his wish? Let's see…
Chapter 2
It was an even longer journey to the cactus forest than it had been to the pyramids. At least those landmarks had been visible in the distance—the cactus forest, on the other hand, certainly wasn't. And the still-deep desert sand wasn't making Vega and Piper's trek there any easier.
Luckily, Boots had gone exploring in new places thousands of times with Dora, Map, and Backpack, so he was able to guide the girls a little as they walked. For instance, he had a much easier time memorizing the way they had to go to get to the cactus forest, and was able to quickly identify the correct path there: the left one, not the middle one or the right one. Then, as they walked, he taught Vega and Piper a special song that he and Dora liked to sing on their way to various places; a song that Map, Backpack, and a few other friends of theirs sang along to on occasion.
Boots also knew how to handle the situation when a group of red, blue, and pink talking stars suddenly flew over and began circling around Vega, laughing and saying, "You can't catch me!" Apparently he and Dora dealt with this kind of thing all the time, and whenever they did, Dora caught these stars (which Vega and Piper learned were called Explorer Stars) in her hands before putting them in a special star-shaped pouch on Backpack. Then, after she and Boots reached their destination, they would take the stars out and count how many they'd caught that time.
"You and Dora must have had many adventures together," said Piper.
"We did," replied Boots, sighing sadly. "I really hope we can find the pharaoh so he can break the mummy spell."
"I'm not worried about finding him," Vega told him. "You and Map seem to know the way pretty well. It's actually convincing the pharaoh to break the spell that I'm worried about. Piper and I have faced some mean Starlings in the past, and well…they never do what anyone asks."
Boots sighed sadly and glanced at Dora, who still seemed completely unaware of what was happening around her. Neither Piper nor Vega could blame her; obviously the pain she was in from the mummy curse was preventing her from thinking clearly.
"It's alright," reassured Piper. "If the pharaoh does not do what we ask, we will make sure he does."
Their monkey friend smiled a little, and they continued walking until they reached a large group of cactuses that were all growing next to each other. They'd reached the cactus forest!
"We made it to the cactus forest!" Boots exclaimed with delight. Then he frowned nervously. "Wow, those cactuses sure are spiky…how are we going to get past them?"
"We could walk around the forest," suggested Piper, distractedly.
Vega shook her head. "There's too many cactuses for us to go around the forest. By the time we get back onto the path, the sun could be rising."
"But we can't go through the forest either," said Boots. "Or else we could get hurt from the cactuses' spikes!"
"You are right," replied Piper. "We must think of another way to get across this obstacle." She thought for a moment and then gasped. "I have an idea. Vega, take Dora and hold my hand. Boots, you hold my other hand. When the right time comes, brace yourselves. Trust me, you will know when to do so."
Vega and Boots were confused, but they obeyed Piper. Once they were ready, Piper closed her eyes and breathed deeply. At first Vega thought she was meditating standing up, but then a turquoise aura appeared around her roommate's body, causing Piper to levitate into the air. Vega and Boots were pulled into the air with her, but since neither of them could levitate themselves (Boots because he wasn't a Starling and Vega because she hadn't mastered that ability yet), they were each left dangling an inch below Piper's chest, only managing to remain in the air because they were holding her hands. Then, before the two knew it, Piper was floating straight ahead, right over the cactus forest. Seeing their feet were in danger of bumping into the nearest cactuses, Boots and Vega instantly realized why Piper had asked them to brace themselves and stretched their legs out in front of them, narrowly preventing them from getting spiked. They held their legs in that position until they passed the end of the forest, where Piper gently set them and herself back on the sand.
"We made it, we made it!" Boots exclaimed in delight. And then, taking the girls by starprise, the Fiesta Trio returned, happily played a fun fanfare, and left.
"Nice work, Piper," complimented Vega. "Although I have to admit…that was a little dangerous."
Piper smiled. "Do not worry. The sand dunes won't be as dangerous as what we just went through."
"Alright," said Boots. "We made it past the cactus forest. So where do we go next?"
"The sand dunes," said Vega, a little confused, "remember? Piper even said so just now."
Boots sighed. "Sorry. Dora and I always say that after we get past an obstacle when we're exploring. It helps us get ready for what's coming next, so we'll be able to get past it easier."
"That makes sense," replied Piper. She scanned the horizon. There were four paths in front of them; one of them led to a large, old structure that had the head of a human and the body of a lion (a Wishworld animal similar to Starland's glions), another path led to an oasis, another path just stopped in the middle of nowhere, and the fourth path…well, it just kept going and going, right over a group of dunes.
"I think the fourth path leads to the dunes," said Piper, and the others nodded.
"Alright," said Map, from inside one of Backpack's pouches, "vamonos!"
Piper and Vega stared at Map in confusion. "Vamonos means 'come on' in Spanish," explained Boots. "Dora and I live in Mexico, so we learn a lot of Spanish together."
Vega smiled in fascination. None of the Star Darlings had ever been to Mexico before because all their Wish Missions had been in Canada or the United States, but they'd heard a lot about it in some of their Wishers' schools. According to the Wishling teachers they'd met, Mexico was a country in Wishworld that was filled with jungles, beaches, and very cheery cities, with a very fun style of music and some interesting holidays. Some of the Star Darlings had dreamed of going there ever since they found out about it; Tessa because she was fascinated by the Mexican foods, Leona and Clover because they both wanted to hear how Mexico's Mariachi music sounded, and Gemma because she really wanted to see the orange marigolds that grew there. Vega was fascinated by the lovely country too, but she doubted they'd ever get to go there…unless Boots and Dora invited them once they got the pharaoh to undo the mummy curse, maybe…
"Vega…Vega!"
She snapped back to the present as Piper called her name. "Oh my stars," said Piper, "usually you are the one telling me not to feel distracted."
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Vega. Turning to Boots, she added, "Okay, I'm ready. Vamonos."
Boots laughed, and with Vega carrying Dora and Backpack, the group headed down the path that led to the sand dunes. This time, however, Boots led them into a song as they walked: the same song he'd taught them on the way to the cactus forest, which he usually sang with Dora as they explored together.
"Cactuses, dunes, palace!" Boots chanted. "Cactuses, dunes, palace! Cactuses, dunes, palace! Cactuses, dunes, palace!"
Vega smiled and sang the next line in the song. "Come on, vamonos! Everybody let's go!"
"Come on, let's get to it!" sang Map.
"I know that we can do it," continued Piper. "Where are we going?"
"Ancient Egyptian Palace! Where are we going?" chanted Boots.
"Ancient Egyptian Palace!" Vega announced.
"Where are we going?" sang Piper and Map in unison.
"Ancient Egyptian Palace!" declared the Fiesta Trio, temporarily returning again just in time to sing a song line with them.
"Where are we going?" said Vega.
"Ancient Egyptian Palace!" everyone replied together this time. The group then laughed and spun around in a circle together, before once again chanting, "Ancient Egyptian Palace!"
After checking to make sure she had her Wish Pendant, a beautiful necklace, along with her Star Zap and a handbag (to place her shooting star in once she landed), Lady Stella mustered all her strength and climbed into the shooting star she'd summoned. She then released her wish energy lasso, and started on her way to Wishworld for the first time in staryears.
The Star Wranglers' energy lassos' absence hadn't been a problem for the headmistress of Starling Academy. Back when she'd been a student at the school she now ran, one of her favourite class electives had been Star Wrangling, which not only taught students how to capture shooting stars, but also how to make clouds of wish energy into the lassos used for the job. She was also pretty strong when it came to holding a shooting star in place, which was part of the reason why she hadn't informed the Star Wranglers of what she was doing. But mainly, she just wanted to make sure those guys preserved their energy with a good starnight's rest—in case something happened to her and the Star Darlings would need their assistance to get to Wishworld and help her.
As she rode through space, Lady Stella took a moment to observe the beautiful colours she flew past before turning her attention towards her Star Zap, which then buzzed as the words "commence appearance change" appeared on its screen. Using the device's Wishworld Outfit Selector, her mental strengths, and the "Star Light, Star Bright" incantation, she altered her appearance to make herself look like a Wishling; a simple but warm pink and white suit, white shoes, and light brown hair with just a strand of it remaining its original golden-pink colour. Two starsecs later, she entered Wishworld's atmosphere and touched down on a sandy ground, only six steps away from a humongous group of cactuses.
Lady Stella folded up her shooting star, put it in her handbag, and then observed her surroundings. It was a good thing she'd decided to dress warmly—this mission had brought her to a desert, a Wishworld location that was always very cold at night! Hopefully the temperature wasn't impacting the children she'd seen in the Wish Orb too much…
Flipping open her Star Zap, Lady Stella looked around some more. When she didn't see any areas of shelter that the Wishlings she'd observed might be in, she cleared her throat and told her Star Zap, "Take me to the Wisher I've come to help."
Directions quickly appeared on the device's screen, reading, Go down the path leading out of the cactus forest, then down the fourth path on your right. Lady Stella smiled and obeyed the directions; or at least, their first half. She arrived at the path's fork without any problems (unless the very deep sand making it hard to walk counted as a problem), but just as she was about to walk down the next path, she sensed someone was behind her. And then, before she had a chance to react, her handbag was snatched right off her arm.
Startled, Lady Stella spun around to find a Wishling animal standing behind her: an orange fox whose tail had a yellow tip, and who wore a blue bandana just above his eyes. He triumphantly held her handbag up in the air for a moment, but then frowned at her in confusion and asked, "Hey, why didn't you say 'Swiper, no swiping?'"
"Swiper no swiping?" Lady Stella asked, equally confused.
"Oh, now you said it," said the fox. He then grinned slyly and triumphantly, announcing, "Well, you're too late. You'll never find your handbag now!" He tried to throw the handbag out into the distance, but Lady Stella caught it with wish energy manipulation as soon as he let go of it, and then levitated it back into her hand.
The fox gasped in starprise. "Whoa…did you just swipe it back?"
"It was only the wind," said Lady Stella, not wanting to reveal Starland's existence to him.
"Oh," said the fox. He shrugged and then jumped up, trying to steal the headmistress's handbag again. Yet this time, Lady Stella knew what he was trying to do, and every time he made an attempt to swipe her handbag, she positioned it so that it was just out of reach.
After six failed attempts to take the handbag, the fox finally snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Oh man!"
Lady Stella observed him curiously, her calmness surprising the fox. "Why are you trying to steal my handbag, young fox?"
"I wasn't trying to steal it, I was trying to swipe it! You know, because I like swiping! I'm Swiper the fox…haven't you heard of me?" When Lady Stella shook her head, the fox became even more starprised. "Really? Not even after I swiped friendship bracelets from all over the world on Friendship Day?"
Lady Stella's eyes widened a little. "You stole…swiped, I mean…friendship bracelets from all over the world?"
Swiper stared at her in confusion. "How do you not know about that? Even Santa Claus found out! It was one of the reasons why he put me on the Naughty List last year."
Not wanting to reveal Starland's existence to Swiper, Lady Stella pretended to think for a moment and suddenly remember something. "Oh yes…Swiper the fox! That's right! Sorry…my memory isn't always the best."
"It's okay," said Swiper. "You weren't there to see any of that stuff."
The headmistress nodded, and then very gently and kindly, she replied, "Listen…I know you like to swipe things, but I would truly appreciate it if you didn't swap my handbag, or any of my belongings. There is someone out there that needs my help, and I need all of my belongings to find her and help her."
"Sorry," Swiper told her, now a little guilty. "I always make that mistake. Swiping things without asking whoever had it if they need it first. I know I have to stop doing that, but I just can't help it! I really like swiping, especially if what I'm taking is something magical, like the stuff in Fairytale Land!"
Lady Stella smiled and was just about to reassure him that it was alright and she forgave him, when suddenly she had an idea. Perhaps since she was here and they'd crossed paths, she could bring Swiper with her on her search for the monkey. That way, not only would she have some help in resolving whatever had happened to that Wishling girl, but she would also be able to grant two wishes instead of just one. The more positive energy made its way to Starland, the less chances there would be of the planet facing another energy crisis.
Swiper stared at her smile in confusion, and Lady Stella realized she'd been lost in thought for a moment. "I forgive you," she quickly told him. "I just had an idea…would you like to come with me to help the person I'm here to help? The situation she's in could be very serious, and it may require a team effort to set things right."
"Sure," said Swiper, smiling. "I'm a good helper."
"Wonderful," replied Lady Stella. And then, now with Swiper accompanying her, she continued onto the fourth path on her right.
Vega, Piper, and Boots eventually arrived at the sand dunes, where they discovered to their relief that Piper's prediction had been right; the dunes really weren't as dangerous as the cactus forest had been. It was likely because their search was happening at night rather than during the day, because the only obstacle Vega imagined the dunes would have offered was extremely hot sand. Without the heat, passing through the dunes looked like it was going to be the easiest part of their trek.
Unfortunately, just as the group was beginning to feel reassured that they'd be able to get past the dunes without any problems, they heard the sound of a woman cackling wickedly, coming from high up in the sky. "Starf," groaned Vega. "Lady Rancora must have somehow found out what we were up to!"
"Who's Lady Rancora?" Boots asked.
"A mean Starling who tried to sabotage our Wish Missions until we defeated her," explained Piper. She frowned at the sky pensively and added, "Although that cackle sounds…different from Rancora's."
The woman they'd heard suddenly flew into view, and Piper and Vega instantly realized that it wasn't Lady Rancora at all. It was a Wishling woman flying toward them on a talking broomstick. She had fair skin, straight black hair, a pointy nose, a pointy dark purple hat, and a dark purple dress. She was holding a lavender wand with a diamond at the end, which, unlike the broomstick, didn't seem to have a mind of its own.
Boots, who apparently recognized the woman, went wide-eyed with fear. "Vega, Piper, it's the witch! It's the witch!"
"Wait, you know her?" Vega asked.
"Well, a little," confessed Boots. "Dora knows her more than I do. But she's one of the bad guys from Fairytale Land! When Dora and I went there for the first time, she put a sleeping spell on me!" Then he became confused. "But Dora said that right before she saved me, she completed four hard tasks, and it took away the witch's powers."
Hearing what Boots said, the witch flew closer to them on her broomstick. "I can explain that, little monkey. You see, a few days after I lost my power, I met the strange pharaoh that lives in the Ancient Egyptian Palace. When I found out he had magical powers kind of like mine, we made a little deal. He used his magic to bring back mine, and at my request, make my broomstick less clumsy."
"I'm not clumsy, boss," said the broomstick, slightly offended.
The witch glared at him. "Oh really? Before I lost my power, you plowed us through four trees in a row, spun around in circles like crazy, and flew backwards when you were supposed to fly forward! How is that not clumsy of you?" Turning her attention back to Boots and the Star Darlings, she continued, "Anyways, making my broomstick less clumsy was a nice thing to do, even if it meant having my wand become an ordinary wand. One that can still do as I say in a magical way, but that cannot speak for itself. The pharaoh was delighted to give me my power back, but he told me that in return, I had to help him stop tourists he turned into mummies from finding a way to break his mummy curse. And what luck…this time, the tourist he mummified was none other than Dora, the girl who caused my power loss to begin with!"
"We're not going to let you stop us from saving her," Vega declared bravely.
Piper nodded. "Dora doesn't deserve to be under a mummy curse!"
"Be quiet, whoever you and the other girl are," stated the witch. "After what happened the last time Dora and I saw each other, I want to make sure she won't be there to stop me the next time I cast a sleeping spell on someone. And I know how to do that."
"Uh-oh," said Boots, "this isn't gonna be good!" Piper eyed him curiously. Unlike herself and Vega, who were having no trouble standing up to the witch, he was basically just…watching the scene unfold. He was clearly uncomfortable with this villain's presence, but for some reason it looked like his mind just wasn't grasping the fact that he could stand up to her too.
The witch began waving her magic wand. "Dunes, thrash about! Like waves on a stormy night! Make these heroes shiver in fright!"
Instantly the dunes began to grow bigger and move around harshly, constantly trying to collapse on Boots and the Starlings and knock them over. Luckily, every time a dune came near them, Piper and Vega used their own powers to either shield themselves or send the dunes flying backward.
"You'll never find a way to get past these dunes!" the witch cackled in triumph. And with that, she and her broomstick flew away.
Still carrying Dora and Backpack, Vega frantically leapt around, sending bigger and bigger quantities of blue wish energy flying out from both of her hands and at the dunes, doing whatever she could to repel them. However, no matter how hard she tried to do so, the dunes just kept coming back, all the while getting more and more fierce.
"It is no use," gasped Piper. "We will have to activate our Power Crystals!"
"Power Crystals?" Boots inquired, jumping out of the way as a dune came near him. Despite being scared of all the giant moving quantities of sand, there was confusion in his voice.
"They're these magical crystals we each got after we completed our Wish Missions," explained Vega. "They give us ultimate power. We're supposed to bring them with us everywhere we go. But Pi…Piper, what if it doesn't work? We're the only Star Darlings here!"
Piper sent a blast of wish energy toward one of the dunes. "Our Power Crystals succeeded in helping us get to Wishworld. They just might be able to help us evade these dunes as well."
"If you say so."
After dodging another dune, Vega placed Dora next to Boots, then reached into her pocket and pulled out her Power Crystal. Piper did the same, and then both girls pressed their crystals against their chests. Instantly they turned back into their Starling forms before suddenly becoming engulfed in bright cyanish-turquoise glows, and levitating several feet into the air. Making sure they remained on either side of Boots (who watched the scene in fascination) and Dora, Vega and Piper fired quantities of wish energy stronger than ever before toward the dunes—preventing them from not only knocking them over, but also from resurfacing and making another attempt to ambush the heroes.
Unfortunately, some of the dunes remained untouched, since the Power Crystal blasts were only coming from two directions; not all four, which would have been possible if more Starlings had been present. And as a result, the dunes that were to each Star Darling's left or right side had all the time they needed to crash down onto their opponents, separating the Power Crystals from their wielders and burying the tiny objects in the sand. The Starlings themselves along with the Wishlings were briefly buried as well, but Piper quickly used her ability to see through opaque obstacles to get herself and her friends back above the ground. However, as they emerged from the sand, a humongous dune was already forming inches above their faces, ready to deliver an attack stronger than any of the dunes had accomplished so far.
Vega's eyes widened in fear. As Piper tried to hold off the dune with what remained of her strength, the blue-bopped Starling frantically moved her hand around under the sandy ground, trying to find their Power Crystals. Yet no matter how hard she tried, the only things she felt were sand and one of Dora's shoes. It's no use, she thought. The spell's too powerful for us to handle on our own. Why didn't we bring the rest of the Star Darlings with us?!
And then suddenly, just as Piper's powers were about to be conquered by the humongous dune, all of the sand that had been affected by the witch's magic was surrounded by a rose gold aura and sent flying off the ground, into the sky. There, the sand began to swirl around in circles, going faster and faster until it was a blur of bright colours.
While Boots watched the scene in surprise and awe, Vega turned to Piper, for a starmin thinking she was the one levitating the sand and making it swirl. But the normally serene Starling looked even more starprised than she did, which meant this wasn't her doing at all. The duo's gazes interlocked, and when Piper discovered Vega wasn't responsible for what was happening either, both Starlings went wide-eyed in realization. Slowly they turned around and saw that behind them, standing a few paces away from the area with a very focused expression, was none other than their school's regal and powerful headmistress, Lady Stella. Her appearance had changed slightly because she'd disguised herself as a Wishling, but it was clearly her, using her powers to stop the raging sand dunes from causing any harm.
Piper quickly got to her feet, scooping up Dora, Backpack, and the now-unearthed Power Crystals. "Vega! Boots! Follow me, we must get to the end of the sandless area!"
"But what about Lady Stella?" Vega hollered.
"She will be fine. We will wait for her once we are safe."
With no choice but to trust her roommate, Vega helped Boots up and they followed Piper as she ran forward. None of them stopped until they reached the area of sand that hadn't been affected by the witch's spell, which, on Piper's command, they leapt onto upon arrival. As soon as they were safe, a loud zapping noise was heard, and the now-motionless dunes collapsed exactly where they'd been before the witch had cast her spell.
"Phew," said Boots, relieved. He then became aware of Lady Stella's presence and asked, "Wait…who is that?"
"Who's that?" Vega asked in response, pointing at the area where Lady Stella was standing. Piper squinted, and then she saw him; an orange and yellow fox with a blue bandana slowly emerging from behind the headmistress, shaking in fear with his eyes closed very tightly. Lady Stella turned and said something to him, and the fox opened his eyes. He sighed with relief, apparently oblivious to the fact that his companion was the one who had just stopped the dunes' rampage. Lady Stella then began to walk across the dunes, her expression making it clear that she knew Vega and Piper were here—and that both Star Darlings had some explaining to do.
"Oh no!" Boots exclaimed. He recognized the fox, who was now following Lady Stella. "That's Swiper the fox! He always tries to swipe things that Dora and I need for our adventures. He's going to try and swipe the Power Crystals!"
Piper shook her head, while simultaneously giving Vega her Power Crystal back. Both girls discreetly put their Power Crystals in their pockets. "No he won't," Piper said. "He did not see us using them, so he will not know of their existence."
"But what if he tries to swipe something else we need?" asked Boots.
"Like me," came Map's voice, from inside Backpack.
Vega started to respond, but then noticed Swiper catching up to Lady Stella and, casually and happily, placing his hand in hers. The headmistress was a bit startled by this at first, but then smiled and went with it—which either meant the fox had tricked her into trusting him, or Lady Stella had convinced him not to do any swiping.
"We will have to wait and see what Lady Stella has to tell us," decided Piper. "Clearly, we weren't the only ones who had quite an adventure in this desert."
Oh boy…will Boots and his new friends be able to trust Swiper? And what will happen when and if they finally find the pharaoh, or even the witch? Stay tuned for Chapter 3.
Note: I know many of you probably weren't expecting the pharaoh to have an alliance with the witch from Fairytale Land, of all people, so here's an explanation about why I included her in the plot: as Boots said, the witch's powers were erased after Dora completed four difficult tasks in "Dora's Fairytale Adventure." However, in one of the double-length episode's sequels, "Dora Saves Fairytale Land," the witch came back with her powers restored, and it was unknown how she got her powers back. So, since this is a Dora fanfic—and since the witch is already on bad terms with Dora as it is—I decided to add in a little explanation regarding that mystery with the witch, so the events of "Dora Saves Fairytale Land" would make more sense. Just thought I'd let you know. Anyways, see you in the next chapter! :)