Wander over Yonder Season 3-18

Dominator's former ship was hidden from sight and inside it hid Wander and Sylvia as well as Dominator's former armies.

"She's on that planet?" Wander asked while in the command room.

"Tracking the escape pod leads us here" Whirry confirms while Beep Boop and other Dombots operated the ship's controls.

"So buddy, what's the plan?" Sylvia asks standing by Wander.

Wander thinks for a moment.

"Syl... I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago" Wander says with determination on his face.

"You are? What?" Sylvia asks leaning in.

"We are going to have a good, long talk" Wander responds.

"...Th-that's it!?" Sylvia asks aloud. "I was hoping we'd let her stew in her own misery for a bit. That should teach her a lesson!"

"I know the usual go-to routine is revenge but I don't want that" Wander says. "I want to turn her around, Syl. All I ask for is one more chance. If it doesn't go well, we can proceed with completely fair and humane disciplinary action."

Sylvia gives Wander a long, hard look and Wander returns with a long, hard look of his own.

"You two have spoken before."

"I just ask for a second chance" Wander says. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Did you forget how terrible she was to you!? How she betrayed you!? I haven't forgotten!"

"I haven't forgotten either but it's never too late to forgive" Wander declares.

Sylvia sighs.

"It's never easy saying 'no' to you" Sylvia says. "..Okay buddy. We'll keep an eye from up here. She tries a fast one, I'm jumping in myself!"

"Thanks Syl!" Wander says hugging his long-time friend.

"We will jump in too, if necessary!" Whirry adds speaking for itself and the other Dombots.

"Thank you Whirry! Everyone!" Wander says.

"You're welcome buddy" Sylvia says. "Good luck!"

All on his own, Wander exits the Domship and travels via bubble heading for the supposed location of Dominator's escape pod. Once close enough to the planet, he surveys the empty terrain below. Eventually, the escape pod comes into view.

-=episode title=-

THE SILENCE

-=episode title=-

Wander's bubble pops dropping him safely and within walking distance. He approaches and circles the pod wondering if it was appropriate to look into the small vehicle but fearing for Dominator's welfare, he knew he eventually had to.

To just get it out of the way, he pokes his head into the pod and finds a sleeping Dominator, covered in dust and dirt from head to toe but in apparent adequate health. As evil as she could be, Wander could never deny that, like her sneezing, there was something adorable about the way she slept; she sounded very gentle and vulnerable. Though she looked very innocent and very at peace, Wander was mindful that looks can deceive.

Wander is quick to pull away not wishing to be rude or intrusive and gets to setting up a tent near the pod.

A little later, Dominator's troubled mind denies her a satisfying rest. She opens her eyes to a star-filled sky.

"...I'm still here. This is no dream, of course I'm still here..." she thought sitting up. "Why wouldn't I still be here?.. I've earned this after all... I'm on my own now..."

She lies back down to reflect and after several minutes of post-nap worried contemplation, Dominator began to search through the pod seeking any supplies that could help.

"But I-I'll figure something out, I'm sure" Dominator reassured herself. "I won't die starving and alone. I am Lord Dominator! I don't die! I dominate!" she says with a forced determination.

Dominator finds signal flares and a half-empty tube of Insta-Lunch. Too hungry to care for taste, Dominator makes quick work of the tube. She tosses the now-empty tube out of the pod before going about surveying the starry sky above. "All I need is to hitchhike. If not, hijack my way out of here. Just gotta wait" she thought.

Her gaze mostly stuck upwards but also swept the horizon. She almost imagined spotting Wander approaching in a bubble but she did not feel deserving of such a favor thus this imagining proved fleeting. As she had said, she was Lord Dominator and she was meant to dominate, with or without Wander's or anyone's help.

Shortly after, she finally notices the top of Wander's oversized, green hat nearby.

"Eek!" Dominator lets out retreating into the pod, her hand slapping her mouth shut absolutely shocked at Wander's sudden presence. "Wh-what's he doing here!?" a reddened Dominator almost exclaimed, her heart racing.

Wander was the very last person Dominator wanted to see or expected to see right now.

The last time they had spoken, she had told Wander that they would meet again, that the shattered spirits of the galaxy's happiest orange wanderer would adorn the top of her villainous crown, and that he will have made her the greatest villain in the universe.

Instead of being a great success story like once before, Dominator had been defeated, deposed, banished, stranded, covered in dust and dirt, and was in dire need of help. Intense embarrassment was the result.

On top of her humiliation, she also felt an intense guilt over how she had treated him.

Biting her knuckle to try to distract herself from her irksome and complicated feelings, Dominator swallows her pride and reveals herself.

"Hey! You! What are you doing here!?" she demands harshly trying to keep on a tough front.

Wander is taken by surprise by the outburst but he simply looks up at her.

"I-I asked you a question. I demand an answer!" Dominator adds firmly with arms crossing.

Wander does not reply and still just stares. Dominator found this intensely uncomfortable but to her relief, Wander eventually looks away to dig into his tent and pull out two shovels. He hands one to Dominator.

"Wh-what? What's this!?" Dominator asks.

Wander still didn't say a word and began to walk away.

"Hey! Don't go!" Dominator says a little less harshly. "Answer my question!"

With shoes removed, Wander's bare feet felt the bare ground as he walked.

"Don't just go" Dominator protests catching up. "Tell me what's going on! What are you doing here!?"

Wander still didn't answer as if refusing to talk and just kept walking before stopping at a particular spot. He stabs the ground with his shovel and scoops out a portion of dirt. Wander then signaled for Dominator to do the same.

"You want me to dig?" Dominator asks and Wander nods. "Tch! As if! Why should I?" she says tossing the shovel away before placing hands on her hips. "Peasant's work!"

Wander keeps quiet and continues digging: one scoop. Another scoop. Third scoop. Fourth scoop.

Watching Wander work so hard, Dominator suffers a terrible remorse, a rare emotion for her. After an internal struggle during which she aimed contemplative glances at Wander, Dominator picked up her shovel and joined in. With the two working together, the hole became bigger and deeper more quickly.

"Whatever we're digging for, it better be good!" Dominator says testily before water starts to spray out of the carved-up ground. "Well, definitely not bad..."

Wander still says nothing while both climb out and the hole filled with water. After testing the water to confirm its safety, Wander heads back to the tent.

Dominator moves to follow but stops halfway. The intense worry and isolation she was feeling earlier was gone. Though she had lost her Domship and Dombots which she was certain now wanted her destroyed, a weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. Having Wander there made her feel as though things would eventually work out and be okay.

If she were a little more honest with herself, Dominator would admit she had been missing Wander and that it felt good to see him again in person. The Great Lord Dominator was perhaps too stubborn for that sort of sentimental admission.

Wander returns with metal rods and a shower curtain and sets them up around the now-overflowing water hole.

"Hey! What are you trying to say?" Dominator says with suspicion.

Wander hands Dominator shower supplies as well as a fresh change of her clothes in a tightly-sealed plastic bag. The lime green villainess then looks herself over.

"Point taken" Dominator says accepting the supplies. "Y-yeah! You better walk away!" Dominator warned as Wander walks away to allow her the privacy he was certain she would surely demand. "Y-you better not try to peek!"

After some rinsing and scrubbing and Dominator peeking out of the shower to make doubly sure Wander wasn't trying to sneak a peek and scrubbing and rinsing, Dominator walks out of the shower dressed and feeling refreshed.

"Wow! I needed that" she declares. She heads back to the pod where Wander was rummaging through the tent. This is when she encounters her next predicament. "So now what? What do we talk about?"

Dominator knew what had to be talked about: her betraying him when he was working so hard to help her and befriend her. Dominator opens her mouth before immediately closing it. It wasn't going to be easy.

"Hey! Uhh, Wander!" Dominator speaks up. "How'd you get me a new set of clothes? My own clothes?"

Wander did not bother answering Dominator's firm questioning and kept rummaging.

"I said how'd you get me a new set of clothes?" Dominator asks annoyed.

Before Dominator could try questioning a third time, Wander withdraws a small bag of what looked like seeds. Armed with a trowel, he begins to dig small holes in neat rows nearby.

"Wander, what are you doing?"

Wander looks at Dominator simply, points at his work, and then gets back to the task at hand.

"Looks like you're going to plant some seeds..." Dominator observes. "Maybe this is the nice shower I just had talking but I'm feeling quite charitable right now so I'd like to give this a try. Consider yourself lucky, I don't do this often for anyone."

Wander seemed to not have heard Dominator and just kept digging.

Dominator sighs.

"W-would you like some help?" Dominator asks awkwardly. She was not used to offering people help but it felt kind of nice, she had to admit to herself. Perhaps Wander was starting to rub off on her, she thought.

Wander finally looks up at Dominator again.

"Well? Give it here" Dominator says, a hand put forth. "I offered you help so you gotta accept... That's how that works, right? When someone offers you help, you have to accept."

Wander smiles causing Dominator to rear back slightly. She was not expecting him to smile nor did she feel fully deserving. Wander then picks up the bag of seeds and, without speaking, demonstrates that only one seed is to go per hole.

"Only one seed per hole, right?" Dominator asks and Wander nods. "Okay, will do. Should I cover it up after?"

Wander nods again then resumes his digging with Dominator not far behind dropping a seed into every hole and covering the holes up shortly after. Once done, they had before them a nice little plot of land with seeds planted in neat rows.

"I've never tried something like this before" Dominator points out. "What comes next?"

Wander heads for his tent to fetch a watering can.

"Oh! Watering. Duh! I'll go get water" Dominator says. With watering can in hand, Dominator fills up at the water hole and returns. "Is it okay if I water them too?"

Wander nods and Dominator walked slowly watering the plot of land as she went. Wander was close behind sticking small vertical sticks into the ground above the seeds. Wander and Dominator's little garden had been seeded, watered, and readied. Now both sat in front of the garden and waited. During the wait, Wander pulls out his banjo and starts a pleasant strumming.

"I almost forgot you played the banjo" Dominator says making Wander stop playing. "Y-you can keep going, if you want..."

Wander smiles and continues for several soothing minutes.

"...I'm curious to know what the little sticks are for" Dominator says. Wander points at his wrist as if indicating a wristwatch. Dominator wasn't sure what Wander was getting at and figured it would become clear in due time.

A new and more important matter was starting to press on Dominator's mind.

For whatever reason, the usually-talkative and approachable Wander wasn't speaking to her. She wanted to bring it up to the orange nomad but she was afraid to. Afraid to find out that even Wander, one of the most kind and patient souls in the galaxy, was growing tired of her or worse, was starting to hate her. His help was being rendered only because it was the right thing to do, not that he really cared for Dominator. Not anymore. Not after what she had done.

It was a thought that twisted her painfully inside.

"S-so" Dominator begins, "wh-what have you been up to?"

Wander points to the freshly-seeded plot of land.

"I know that" Dominator answers half annoyed, half amused. "I mean, h-have you made new friends or..."

Having spied on Wander and Sylvia through Whirry, Dominator had a good idea of what Wander had been up to. Regardless, it felt good to get to talk to him again.

Still not breaking his silence, Wander nods softly.

"Oh... That's good to hear..." Dominator says. "I've been busy..." she goes on but stops unsure of how talk about how she had been trying to get back to what she used to do, something she was sure would not be to Wander's liking. "A, a lot has happened since we were last together. I'm learning that maybe... What I used to do is no longer for me... I've been wanting to try something else... What I'm trying to say is it's all starting to feel like a giant rat race. Th-the whole conquering planets thing. I-I mean I still enjoy conquest" Dominator says not wanting to give too much ground, "b-but maybe it's time to move on to other things..."

She notices Wander was now watching her intently which made her nervous. Dominator was conflicted and Wander could sense it. She then felt silly and fearful her thoughts hadn't come across clearly. Before she could continue, Wander quickly points towards their garden which had seen the smallest of seedlings sprouting out of the ground.

"Oh! Something's coming out" Dominator says approaching carefully.

Wander then pulls out two feathers out of his hat and hands one to Dominator.

"What's this for?" Dominator asks and Wander gestures her to 'watch carefully'.

With the feather, Wander very gently and carefully caressed the very fragile seedlings to wrap around the vertical sticks.

"I see" Dominator says. "Simple enough. I'll do my best."

Together, the two gently wrapped several of the seedlings around the sticks carefully. Dominator could feel herself straining from the effort fearful she would damage the seedlings but she was determined. Determined not to hurt the thin and fragile plants and help them as best she could just like Wander was doing beside her.

One after another, both helped any seedling in need of help wrap around its respective stick.

"I think that's all of them" Dominator declares continuing to revise the young garden. "...Wait! This one has no seedling growing out! That's bad, right?"

Wander rushes to get a closer look and confirms there was a patch of ground that had no seedling growing. With the greatest of care, he begins to clear away soil with the feather until he spots a tiny portion of the seedling. Now in the clear, the seedling begins to grow out appropriately and with light touches of the feather, the seedling wraps around the stick.

"Ya did it!" Dominator praises. "And I think I see what the sticks are for now. Never thought plants could do that."

Wander gives Dominator a smile and a nod. He then urges her away and out of the garden.

"Hey! What's the hurry?" Dominator asks.

As soon as the two were out, Wander pulled out two foldable and comfortable lounging chairs. After setting them up before their little garden in the making, Wander has himself a seat which prompted Dominator to do the same.

"So we're having a seat now are we?" Dominator asks the orange nomad. "This the part where we just wait for things to grow?"

Wander gives Dominator the same warm and friendly smile he'd always given to friend and enemy alike. He then nods gently to answer her question.

Dominator sighs.

"Well, guess there's no helping it" Dominator says. "Just gotta wait and see now. See these things sprout and grow out from the ground. Whatever they are."

Both Wander and Dominator sat and watched their patch of land slowly but steadily develop. This was not a terribly thrilling endeavor but for one who was patient like Wander, a lengthy wait was little issue. For Dominator on the other hand, a less patient soul, it would be a bigger challenge. Luckily for her, she had a pressing matter to occupy her mind.

She could see Wander sitting nearby but Wander had still not bothered to speak to her. It made Dominator feel as though Wander was angry with her and given their past, she had little reason to doubt it. She wanted to ask him directly but she still did not feel ready to find out whether or not even the kind soul Wander had grown to hate her just like, she firmly believed, pretty much the rest of the galaxy.

With a garden little younger than their reunion, Dominator had plenty of time to finally muster up the courage to ask Wander his thoughts and feelings about her. The usually cold, cruel Dominator found herself actually caring.