"Pete the Magik Dragon'

Chapter the Fifth

By GirlX2

-

Peter lay down on the stone floor. His head ached from the attack.

'So, he wants us to have a bunch of dragon babies.'

'Yes.'

'Well I'm not doing it.' Peter growled. 'I'm getting out of here.'

Dena's face remained blank. 'You'll do it. He'll kill your pack mates otherwise.'

'They could kick his butt and day of the week!'

'One of them is very weak from the attacks, however.'

Peter's mind raced.

'Egon. He got blasted when I did.'

'Yes, and humans are not designed for it. If the master disciplines you again, he may be killed.'

Peter groaned in frustration and pain. 'Damnit! I need to get out of here.'

Dena's expression turned inquisitive. 'You want to protect them, weak little insects that they are. Why? You're beyond them now.'

'They're not insects.' Peter growled. 'They're my friends.'

'Humans destroyed my kind. They destroy everything.' Dena turned her back to him.

'Not all humans are like that.' Peter rose to his feet. 'Now, are you gonna open that door, or do I have to make you extra-crispy?'

Dena said nothing, but the door opened. 'Go. I don't want my children to have such a weak father.'

'Thanks, I think.' Peter took a last look at her and quickly left. Dena turned and watched him fly.

'That fool is going to get them all killed.'

'DENA.' The master's voice invaded her. She winced and hurried to the main chamber.

"You let him go." He stepped down from the throne and approached her.

'He is too weak to serve you, master.'

The man hit her with a psychic blow. Dena sat heavily, her knees buckling.

"Go back to your chamber. I'll take care of him myself."

-

Peter flew erratically. He could feel Egon's mental waves, but they were as pain-filled as his own. He didn't dare send another psychic message.

'I'll get to them soon enough.'

-

Egon walked slowly, using a large stick as a staff.

"We're very close now." He said.

"Great." Winston said sarcastically.

"When we get there, I believe we can free Peter by blasting the doors with the proton beams. Then the other dragon will chase us. We lead her back to the cave, and there will be enough valance to get Peter through." Egon explained.

"We can do that without you being on the firing range Egon." Ray pleaded.

"We've been over this Raymond. Besides-"

'It is too late.' A voice said softly.

"Who said that?" Ray fumbled with his thrower.

A gigantic fire blast exploded in front of the three. The trees evaporated in small puffs of soot. The gigantic castle lay exposed behind the smoking stumps.

The Gandalf-alike stood before them. Egon gasped, pain wavering through his head. Ray and Winston appeared unaffected by the new presence.

"You three wish to challenge me." The voice, now physical, chuckled.

"Wish nothing." Winston aimed the thrower. "You're gonna let our buddy go."

"Fire if you dare. He will pay the price." As the man spoke Egon's head throbbed much harder. He gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry about me." He hissed.

Winston didn't lower his thrower. "You're bluffing."

"Do you truly believe that?" The man intoned. Egon cried out as the pain grew worse.

"Winston, please!" Ray sounded hysterical. "He'll kill Egon."

Winston stared intensely at the man. Slowly, he lowered the thrower.

"Good lad." A sneering smile graced the old man's face.

The pain receded slightly. Egon straitened up.

"Let Peter go."

"Let him go? He has already gone, my dear boy." He looked toward the setting sun. "As a matter of fact, he's almost upon us."

"It's a trap!" Winston yelled.

"Yes, it is."

'And you are the unfortunate bait.'

Egon's eyes widened in horror. The man was speaking directly to him; the pain was excruciating.

'He could have led my army, but instead he chooses to run back to you. Admirable, but foolish.' The man turned back, and focused on Egon. 'You have a gift for this, boy. If trained properly, you would have ability that would rival my own. I cannot allow that.' He smiled slightly. 'It's a pity. If you weren't so attached to your own 'idealistic' goals, we may have become partners.'

Egon felt the man probing his mind. Ray and Winston were running at him, but it was in slow motion. He breathed deep. What he was about to do would probably kill him, but it would save the others.

'PETER IT'S A TRAP!" Egon screamed mentally in all directions. Ray and Winston both yelled in pain and surprise from the blast. The Gandalf-alike shook as though he'd been punched.

'You'll regret that.'

----

Peter's head throbbed. His eyes opened, sunlight burning his retinas. He groaned. The ground under him seemed to spin.

'I was flying…what happened?'

He rose shakily to his four feet. Something had knocked him out of the air.

'Flying…Looked for the guys…Egon…'

'Oh my God.'

-

The world had gone red. Ray had never felt anger this strong before. He swung blindly at the man who'd unleashed some kind of force on Egon, ignoring the pain in his wrist. The blond had crumpled a moment after his warning, and had not moved since. Winston had tried to rouse him, but it was too no avail.

The man tried to fend Ray off with psychic blows, but it wasn't working. The rage pouring through him had made a mental wall. He was nearly invulnerable to such attacks.

He gasped in surprise as the world seemed to flip upside down. He looked up shakily, the red slowly fading.

Peter had arrived and pushed him out of the way. He was now standing over the man, teeth bared.

'What did you do to Egon?'

The man didn't answer. He was unconscious.

"Ray, what did you do to him?" Winston asked in amazement.

"I…I…" Ray stammered. The Rage was gone, and now he staggered, bewildered, to his feet. His wrist began to ache.

'It doesn't matter.' Peter said coldly. 'How's Egon?'

"I don't know." Winston said. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Egon lay on the grass, eyes unblinking. Winston waved a hand over him.

"See? Its like he's awake, but no pupil reactions."

'It may be catatonic shock. What did 'Gandalf' over there do?' Peter asked grimly.

"Dunno. Egon just fell."

'That seems to be happening with increasing frequency.'

"So…now what?" Ray said.

'Now, we see what the Master did to the young psychic, and if he can be cured.' A female voice spilled through the three men's minds.

"Pete-"

'Its okay Zedd.'

They watched Dena land clumsily on the grass. She passed by her master without a glance.

'I think she's turned a new leaf.' Peter said.

Dena ignored the crack. 'Let me see the fair-haired one.'

Winston backed away from Egon. "What's wrong with him?"

Dena sniffed the air slowly, and closed her eyes. 'I'm sorry.'

'What?' Peter asked sharply.

'The Mast-…Merdaf has broken him.'

"What do you mean, 'broken'?" Winston asked.

'His mind has been shattered.' Dena said gravely. 'And, as such,your friend is trapped within his own private hell.'

Ray's mouth went dry. "But…we can wake him up, right?"

Dena shook her head. 'His mind is trapped. It is the ultimate torture that a human can endure. Merdaf has broken his mind so badly, that if he was pulled out of this state by medical means, he'd die from the shock.'

Ray gasped. Winston looked as if he were about to faint, but merely wobbled.

'If we can't get him out be normal means, what else can we do?' Peter tried to sound calm.

'No we. You.' Dena's gold eyes locked onto his.

'What?'

'You have a mind-link with him. You can pull him out of this state.'

'Thank God. What do I do?' Peter felt relief bubble up.

'You must enter his mind, and convince him what he's experiencing is not real.'

'Okay, I can do that. I convinced him to helpcreate Ghostbusters.'

'It won't be easy. Everything in his mind will feel as real to you as reality. If you're injured, you will suffer. You can die in his mind.'

'I don't care.' Peter said.

Dena nodded. 'I expected as much.'

She sat primly in front of the wounded Doctor. 'You have contacted him before. Use that link. I wish you luck.'

Peter nodded. 'Guys, just hang. I'll have him up and spouting science-babble before we know it.'

A ghost of a smile crossed Ray and Winston's faces.

"Good luck man."

"Good luck." Ray echoed the darker man's statement.

Peter took a long look at the setting sun. He sighed and closed his eyes.

'Petey, this is the big one. If you screw this up, you're dead, Egon is trapped forever, and Ray and Winston are stuck here.

'Okay, that didn't help.'

Peter searched for the link. Slowly, a thin golden thread seemed to form before him. He followed it, floating more than flying. As he did, he noticed his 'body' was once again human.

'Okay, that'll help convince Egon I'm real…' He followed the thread to a door. It seemed to be the door to Egon's lab, back at the firehouse.

Peter slowly opened the door.

-

End of Chapter the Fifth.