Gone Nova

            My friends and family protested quite loudly at this announcement.  I didn't listen to their arguments, just summoned my spear to hand and started to the door.  Sabreur made it there first and blocked it from me.

            "Get out of my way," I growled.

            He didn't move.  His eyes were set and for a long time we just stared at each other.  When we were younger, my brother and I would have terrific fights that would last for hours.  Neither of us would give an inch to the other.  And it was on the verge of happening again.

            "I said: move."

            "No.  You're not going after Aldrai alone."

            "I have to!  I'm the only one that stands a chance.  I'm the only one that can-"

            I cut off abruptly before I gave away my plan.  They'd never let me go if they knew.

            "So if we interfere it'll mess you saving Aldrai up?"

            "Yes.  And… you may get hurt.  There's gonna be a lot of magic being thrown around…"

            Sabreur sighed.

            "At least wait until night falls.  He'll be weakest then, right?"

            I nodded slowly, seeing the logic in his argument.  It didn't really matter though, but at least it'd make them feel better.  I reluctantly put my spear aside and moved away from the door.  Sabreur nodded and followed me back into the living room.

            "I'll wait until night," I muttered, and tried to pick up the unconscious Un-eairkagh.

            He was too heavy.  Melody came and lifted him by his back paws and I took the front.  Together we were able to stagger over to his room and drop him unceremoniously on his bed.  I gently smoothed out his feathers and followed Melody out of the room. 

            It was an uneasy and tense silence that pervaded the room.  Netsuko finally turned on the TV.  The blue aisha was reporting live from the castle Aldrai had holed up in.  According to the report, the faeries had gathered and were going to try one last ditch attempt to break through to the zafara that was causing all this trouble.

            "No way," Sakuko said, standing, "They can't."

            "They can and will, apparently," I said dully.

            "But – you've already decided to do something!" Sabreur cried.

            I shrugged.

            "I doubt it's what they have in mind."

            "We can't just let them go through with this!  It's insanity."

            "Their necks on the line; not mine."

            "Kiddo!  Stop this.  Whatever happened to your duty as Guardian of Neopia, huh?"

            I winced.

            "Now, these faeries are about to get their pretty little behinds firmly planted into the dirt cause we all know that Aldrai is drawing more power than any sane creature would dare.  And you're just going to sit there and let this happen?"

            I studied the carpet, trying to pretend everyone's eyes weren't on me.  It wouldn't matter what the faeries did after tonight.  Nothing would matter after tonight.  But perhaps Sabreur was right.  I was still the Essence of Neopia and I still had a responsibility to uphold.

            I stood and summoned my spear to hand.

            "Alright.  Let's go join the fight of the century.  Which side shall we be on?" I asked.

            "Our own," Melody said grimly, "Right in the middle.  As usual."

            We took my truck to get to the castle.  The massive amount of weaponry bristling off it ensured that I could drive 90+ mph all the way there without anyone stopping or getting in my way.

            "I thought you added all this to make sure she doesn't get in any more accidents," Infernus said tersely from the back seat.

            "Yep.  And do you see any cars getting remotely close?"

            "That's cause we're going too fast for them to keep up."

            I ignored the two and concentrated on my driving. 

            We reached the staging grounds right as the faeries were falling into line.

            "Fools," I snarled, leaping out of the truck and slamming the door behind me.

            A vast amount of pets and humans blocked my way to the faeries.

            "Move it!" I cried, summoning my spear, "I said: MOVE!"

            A couple people looked over and then quickly dropped aside, startled at that sight of me and my family bristling with weapons.  I ran across the field to the very barrier edge of Aldrai's shield.  Right in between the faeries and him.

            Fyora was there.  She glared at me from the forefront of the faeries.  Not a dark faerie was present.

            "I told you no one messes with family," I said grimly.

            My brother and Infernus moved to stand on either side of me.  Soon Netsuko and Sakuko were also there, along with MoonFall and Melody with her two pets.  Padiglione was missing and I could dimly see the baby kougra slumped over near the truck.

            "We've got to stop him," she said, glancing up at the tower roof.

            "I know what he's doing and I'm going to stop him myself," I retorted sharply.

            "You've already made it quite clear that you're not going to harm your pet!"

            "There are other ways!" I cried, "This need not end in violence!"

            "I think it's way past the time for talking," she retorted, "You should know that better than anyone."

            I held my ground.  Time to play the trump card.

            "You kill Aldrai," I said slowly, "And his spell rebounds.  I think you can figure out what happens then."

            The faeries shifted uncomfortably behind Fyora.

            "Which makes me glad you're here then, child_dragon," the Faerie Queen said, unperturbed, "You can catch the spell and keep it from rebounding onto everyone else."

            "You're just using her?!" Sakuko cried.

            "If she won't act, we will."

            "I told you: I will stop him myself!"

            But they weren't listening anymore.  Fyora rose into the air and started chanting.  The faeries followed suit.  I bit my lip and watched.  Then a crackling like lightning flashed across the barrier.  The magic vanished.  The faeries had done nothing.

            I turned towards the castle.  Aldrai was hovering in mid-air, power glowing about him.  He had disabled the barrier himself.  My zafara was to join the battle.

            "No!" I cried, leaping into the air.

            I felt hands grab me and I stumbled and fell back, my take-off interrupted.

            "No, Kiddo, stay back," Sabreur grunted.

            "Let me go!"

            "No, he's got a point," Melody said worriedly, "You don't want to be caught in this."

            "He's gone nova," my brother said.

            I paused and felt the currents of magic.  Fyora and her faeries had something going on.  A spell of all the elements except for darkness, directed at Aldrai.  And Aldrai just hovered there, gathering more and more strands of light to him.  I could not tell what he was doing but the more I watched the more I realized Melody had a point.  Something very bad was about to happen and I did not want to be caught up in it.

            The faeries released their spell.  The sky exploded in brilliant colors, a conflagration of magic centered on my zafara.  But before the spell hit him Aldrai pulled. The threads of light in the faerie's spell were torn out and gathered around Aldrai, joining his already amassed power.  The faerie's spell fell apart then, missing the strands of light holding it together.  And it rebounded right back onto the casters.

            The faeries were violently thrown back.  Over half simply fell from the air and did not move.  Fyora herself collapsed and for a moment did not move.  But then she shakily stood, her wings visibly trembling.

            "What… what happened?" MoonFall asked in a tiny voice.

            "He ripped the fabric of their spell apart.  Just like that," I said in an awed voice, "He really is rewriting the laws of magic and physics."

            "Are they okay?" Melody asked, watching the fallen faeries.

            "They should be.  Unconscious, hurt, and beaten, but they'll recover," I replied.

            Fyora gave me one last glance before tending to her fallen subjects.  I saw nothing but defeat in her eyes.  She had no hope in me.  I didn't blame her.