Hi everyone, thanks again for your patience. So, now Elyon is sided with Phobos, under the impression that he's a good big brother, when she couldn't be further from the truth. I remember this being one part of Season 1 that most people (including me and my sister when we first watched it) didn't like, especially Elyon's attitude. But I intend to change things a bit to not only make it more unique for my story, but give Elyon a more believable (and hopefully, still likeable) personality and even a bit of a dynamic for her and Phobos, as you've seen, I've given him layers in my story. Things are going to be different from the cannon show as we go further, so with that being said, let's get started.
The Mudslugs.
Meridian, while it was a kingdom that wasn't exactly the best for its citizens, due to the dark and depressing atmosphere set onto the castle town, the palace itself however appeared to have a different setting as Princess Elyon walked through the courtyard. Due to the illusionary spell set on her brother, she saw beautiful flower gardens, and adorable critters from squirrels, to chipmunks, and rabbits, and even several birds and butterflies.
Elyon herself, now clad in a royal light blue dress, was at Phobos' side near a fountain as she petted a few of the rabbits. "This place takes your breath away." She breathed in awe.
"I knew you'd love it." Phobos smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"The castle, these gardens, I feel like I'm in a fairy tale." Elyon smiled.
"Sometimes fairy tales come true." Phobos said.
Elyon's smile faded, however. "I still can't understand why my so-called best friend wouldn't want to tell me about this amazing place. Or for the fact that all these years, I had a brother."
"It may not be entirely her fault, or your other friends' for that matter." Phobos said as his expression became serious.
"What do you mean?" Elyon asked with concern.
"Follow me, there is something you need to know." Phobos led his younger sister back into the castle.
Earth – Sheffield Institute
Cornelia was late for her science class but was still able to sneak to her desk without the teacher noticing. "What's going on?"
Uriah, who sat behind her, laughed mischievously. "Don't ya know? This afternoon, it's D-Day!"
"Huh?"
"Dissection Day." Alchemy said as she sat next to Jade. "It's all week."
"Ew!" Cornelia shivered in disgust.
"Yeah, I know the frog's dead and all, but I wouldn't trust Cornelia with any type of blade." Jade smirked.
"Hey!" The blonde glared at Jade.
"Oh, you don't have to do it, alone." Alchemy told Cornelia. "You can work with your lab partner."
"But my lab partner was… is… Elyon…" Cornelia looked toward the empty seat next to her with a saddened expression.
"Wow, so is Elyon still on vacation?" Alchemy asked.
"Eh… yeah. She might even be gone for a while." Jade remarked.
"So, with no lab partner, I could probably skip it, right?" Cornelia asked before screaming as Uriah showed a handful of worms right to her, resulting in most of the class laughing.
"Uriah put that down! We don't start till period 3." The teacher told the bully as he went back to his seat.
Alchemy noticed how Will was sitting alone as well. "Will's partner is out sick today, you're probably gonna get paired up with her."
"I don't think so." Cornelia scowled as she crossed her arms and looked away.
'Oh brother.' Jade rolled her eyes in annoyance as Will couldn't help but look down in guilt, having heard the whole thing.
Lunch Time
Jade, Will, Irma, Hay Lin, and Taranee all sat at the table with their respective lunches as Cornelia walked up and slammed her food tray down on the table. "I have had it!"
Nearly all the girls were startled by Cornelia's outburst, save for Jade who glared in the blonde's direction, while Will just looked down even further.
"Cornelia, we all feel terrible about Elyon, but…" Taranee tried to reason with her.
"We thought we were protecting her." Will said. "We thought it would take the Forces of Darkness longer to find her."
"We even had a freaking government agency looking out for her." Irma added. "It's not like we we're the only ones."
"No, you thought that!" Cornelia exclaimed to Will directly. "I am sick of playing 'follow the leader!' My best friend is in the clutches of a psycho prince with his pet shapeshifter and an old evil wizard! Things we're going great until you came to this school!"
"Hey, Will tried her best, we all did!" Jade exclaimed. "Don't put all the blame on her!"
"Oh, I'm not." Cornelia replied. "I can also blame you and your family! Ever since you guys showed up, I've only had to worry about make-up and dates, not the freaking end of the world! It's no wonder you didn't have any real friends before!"
"Cornelia!" Hay Lin exclaimed in shock as Irma and even Taranee looked shocked at what she had just said.
"Oh yeah? Well it's real wonder that you even had any friends!" Jade argued back, standing up. "Little Miss. 'the whole world revolves around me'! News flashes: it's not about you! It's hard to believe Elyon was ever friends with somebody shallower than a kitty pool!"
"You call me shallow?!" Cornelia yelled. "I'm not the one who plays around with magic just to have some fun!"
"At least when I do, I'm trying to help my friends and family!" Jade exclaimed. "As far as I can tell, you don't care about anyone other than yourself! Stop acting like you're the only victim here; you don't want anything to do with us, then just go! Nobody's forcing you to stay!"
"You know what?! Yeah! That's exactly what I'm gonna do!" Cornelia stated.
"What are you talking about?" Taranee asked in an unsure tone of voice.
"I'm over this!" Cornelia exclaimed. "I quit! Have somebody else fight the 'Forces of Darkness'! I'm done!" She took her tray and walked away.
"Fine go! Who needs you anyway?! Good riddance!" Jade shouted as Cornelia walked away. She turned to the other girls as Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin gave her odd looks. "What? You guys aren't gonna tell me that she was being fare, it's not our fault Phobos is so crafty!"
Taranee sighed. "Jade, look, I didn't like Cornelia lashing out at us like that, especially with Will, but you weren't exactly nice to her either."
"Sure, she's snobbish and bossy, but all things considered, she's not a bad person." Irma added.
Jade sat down and drove her fork into some food. "She's never really liked any of this, so I say let her go. We're probably better off without her constantly complaining about something as stupid as a broken nail all the time."
"But it's not a broken nail this time, it's Elyon." Hay Lin said to Jade. "She and Cornelia have known each other since kindergarten, so of course she's gonna take it hard."
Jade said nothing as she just stuffed some more food in her mouth, all the while Will looked down even further, as if the guilt she was feeling had suddenly increased.
Meridian
Phobos had led Elyon into his throne room where not only Cedric and Miranda were waiting, but also Daolon Wong, all three of the bowed in the presence of the girl.
"Princess Elyon." Daolon Wong said. "A pleasure."
"Oh, I'm sorry but… who are you?" Elyon asked.
"Ah forgive me for not properly introducing myself. My name is Daolon Wong, I am the arch-mage of Meridian under your brother's service."
"Daolon Wong has been a valued member of my court alongside Cedric and Miranda." Phobos told his younger sister. "I'm sure he'll be able to help you in controlling your magic power."
Elyon smiled. "Well, nice to meet you Mr. Wong. But please just call me 'Elyon'."
"As you wish." Wong hid his malevolent smirk.
"So Elyon, what do you think of Meridian so far?" Miranda asked.
"Was it everything you'd hoped it would be?" Cedric asked as well.
"And then some, it's amazing here!" Elyon's smile only grew before it faded as she looked at her brother again. "But Phobos, what did you mean when you said it wasn't my friends' fault."
Phobos said nothing at first as he reached into his robe to pull out a handful of sand, which he threw to the ground and it began to twirl before forming an image of sorts. "This is how we are able to witness events that transpire beyond the veil." Phobos said as the image began to clear to reveal the moment from Parent's Night when Elyon saw her friends transform into their Guardians. "You have seen your friends undergo this transformation and display magical powers, correct?"
"Yeah? I still can't believe it." Elyon said. "My friends… have magic?!"
"Not exactly, my dear Elyon." Wong began to explain as he pointed to the glowing amulet around Will's neck. "Do you see that crystal? It is the source of their power, the Heart of Kandrakar. It allows them to undergo this transformation and obtain incredible magical powers."
"However, the crystal itself is made from dark magic." Cedric added. "Though it looks benevolent, the Heart of Kandrakar is sentient in a way. It draws in its victims with the promise of incredible power, however, once one is ensared by its magic, they become vessels to be controlled and manipulated. They believe themselves to be guardians of sorts, but really, they are nothing more than puppets of this evil force."
"So, Cornelia and the others are being… brainwashed?!" Elyon questioned in alarm, doubt changing to worry and fear for their safety.
"Yes, exactly." Miranda confirmed with a small sneer.
"Well, there's gotta be something we can do!" Elyon stated. "We can't just…"
"That's what we've been trying to do, Elyon." Phobos told his sister. "I have tried to take that accursed crystal away from them and set them free. However, not only do they possess powerful magic, but they are so entranced by the Heart's illusions that they truly believe what they are doing is right and are even willing to throw their lives on the line for their so-called cause." Elyon gasped at that thought. "But I promise, I will free your friends." Phobos vowed as he placed both his hands on her shoulders. "I'll do everything in my power to free them from this dark influence."
Though Elyon was still very concerned for her friends, her worry turned into relief. "Thank you so much." She wrapped her arms around her brother, which he returned briefly before standing up.
"This is getting rather depressing." Miranda said as she took Elyon's hand. "Why don't we explore more of the castle, take your mind off this."
"Yeah but…" Elyon was a bit unsure.
"Elyon, you don't have to worry." Miranda assured her. "Your brother knows what he's doing, all we can do is trust him."
That seemed to put Elyon at ease. "Okay, let's go." With that, Miranda led Elyon out of the throne room, leaving Phobos alone with Cedric and Wong as the dark chi wizard chuckled.
"You certainly have a way with words, my prince. I almost believe you myself." Daolon Wong sneered.
"Well, let us see how my sister's friends are handling their most recent loss, shall we?" Phobos said as he magically altered the image to see Will and Cornelia in their science class.
"…You have to, it's twenty percent of our grade." Will tried to reason with Cornelia as she handled a worm.
"I don't do slimy." Cornelia replied harshly.
"Earth to Cornelia, this is an earth worm, and you're the Earth Guardian." Will whispered to her.
"Duh to Will, not anymore!" Cornelia said before walking away.
Cedric chuckled. "It does not seem as though they've taken it very well. They're divided, this may be our chance to be rid of them."
"Perhaps." Phobos smirked. "Wong, I want you to bring the blonde to me alive." He ordered the dark chi wizard. "It might make Elyon happy to know that we've 'liberated' at least one of her friends from the Heart's influence."
"As you wish." Wong sneered. "But what of the others? As well as that loathsome Chan?"
"Ah yes. It is rather unfortunate that the Rebellion had no further use for them and decided to 'cut off any loose ends' before we could rescue them in time." Phobos smirked with an evil chuckle.
"Then allow me to be the one who 'failed' to save them." Cedric smirked.
Heatherfield
Cornelia walked through the streets once school got out, no real destination in mind as she continued to listen to the music with her headphones. A large van pulled up near the street as she walked by.
"Cornelia!" Caleb called as he got out of the passenger seat, with Tohru struggling to get out of the driver's seat. The blonde stopped walking for a moment as she at least gave Caleb a chance to talk. "Look, about telling Elyon… maybe we were wrong not to tell her, people can be wrong. Me and the other rebels disagree, we fight, heck you know how often I've butted heads with Uncle, only for him to smack my head." He attempted a joke, but it didn't seem to work as Cornelia didn't respond. "But, no matter how many times we fight, we're all brothers and sisters in arms, we always got each other's backs, and we pull it together for the cause."
"Well I'm rebelling against this cause!" Cornelia stated.
"The people of Meridian need you!" Caleb tried.
"They have my best friend; they don't need me. No one does…" She finished off that last part on a sad note, but before she walked away, Tohru placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Cornelia, if you really want to leave, we won't stop you." The sumo began. "But, one of the hard truths about live, somethings are just outside of our control, it's nobody's fault, it's just how things are. We all tried our best, but it wasn't enough. Even if you feel that you're all alone right now, you do have friends who are willing to listen to you, that includes me."
Cornelia's façade of indifference faded slightly as she looked up to Tohru slightly. "Well, could you at least tell Jackie something for me?"
"Of course." Tohru nodded.
"Tell him, thanks for everything." Cornelia began. "He's a good guy, probably one of the best I've met. He helped make all this magic crap easier to process, but I can't come back. I'm sorry."
"I understand." Tohru said in acknowledgement, with disappointment lingering in his eyes as well.
"Same for you." Cornelia told Tohru before walking away. "You're a pretty good guy too, Tohru. Thanks for everything." With that, she walked across the street, leaving Tohru and Caleb alone as they looked at each other with concern.
Uncle's Rare Finds
Jade, Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin had arrived after school to tell Jackie and Uncle what had happened with Cornelia. Hay Lin also texted Yan Lin who arrived as well right as Tohru and Caleb returned.
"We just saw Cornelia." The young rebel informed. "She's hiding out, listening to girl music."
Jade scoffed. "Why am I not surprised?"
"She did say thanks for everything to you however, Jackie." Tohru told his friend. "Though she's unsure if she'll come back."
"I see." Jackie nodded in understanding.
"Oh, she just needs time." Yan Lin commented. "These things happen."
"Did you and your friends fight like this when you were a Guardian, Grandma?" Hay Lin asked.
Yan Lin's expression turned dim for a moment. "Yes, we have. Sometimes, even worse than what's happening right now, but when the chips were down were still able to come together."
'Until we couldn't.' Uncle didn't voice his thoughts aloud.
"Well what if the bad guys try something?" Irma questioned. "Just because Cornelia's in a fit doesn't mean they're gonna go easy on us."
"Well maybe we can just find a new Earth Guardian." Jade suggested, causing nearly everyone to look at her in surprise. "Oh, come on, don't tell me the thought didn't cross your minds! I mean, she quit! So, let's just hire someone else. Heck, why not make me a Guardian? I can… OW!" She felt her forehead where Uncle just delivered a dopeslap.
"That is now it works!" Uncle stated. "We cannot choose Guardian willy-nilly; we have no control over any of that!"
"Well if you guys got any other ideas, I'm all ears!" Jade threw her arms up in the air.
"But still, Irma brought up a reasonable point." Jackie said. "Phobos may have Elyon, but I doubt the fight is over." He looked towards Yan Lin. "Is it still possible for us to fight him and his forces without Cornelia? Please don't take this the wrong way, I am hopping she returns, but we have to be prepared if we are attacked and she is not here."
"I'm afraid not." Yan Lin replied. "The Guardians share a great burden, divided, your powers will be diminished."
"Well, we got two Chi-wizards right here, and a kick-butt martial artist who's taken on freaking demons!" Jade pointed out. "Not to mention we could borrow the Talismans again from Section 13. Couldn't that cover it or something?"
"No, it cannot." Uncle shook his head. "Guardians must unite! If Cornelia does not return soon, the powers shared from the Heart of Kandrakar will weaken and may become ineffective against the Forces of Darkness."
Will, who had said nothing during this entire conversation, simply stood up to walk out of the shop. The others looked in concern as Taranee sighed. "You know, as hard has Cornelia's taking it, I think Will's taking it even harder."
"I'll talk to her." Jackie said as he followed Will outside. "Will. Will!" He called to her as she stopped walking, allowing him to catch up with her. "Will, listen, this wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was." Will said as she looked down. "It was my choice not to tell Elyon, I'm the leader so I gotta take responsibility, right? Well I screwed up! Cornelia was right, I'm a terrible leader! I might not be as close to Elyon as she is, but she's my friend to and it's my fault Phobos got her!" Tears were already welling up in her eyes. "It's my fault I lost a friend…"
"Will, look at me." Jackie put both his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her teary eyes. "This was not your fault. Yes, a leader has to take responsibility, but they also have to acknowledge that there are circumstances that are just simply outside our control. You did what you thought was right, and you did the best you could. It wasn't just you; we all did our best, even Captain Black and Section 13 did what they thought was right. But no matter what we try, or what we do, there will always be things outside our control. It's not how you never fail that's important, it's what you learn by failing that is. We learn from our mistakes and we pick ourselves up. I'm sure Cornelia understands to, but we have to let her come back at her own time. Until then, just know that there are people here who will help you, including me." He finished with a smile.
Will then wrapped her arms around Jackie and buried her face into his shoulder as she let some of her tears fall. Jackie simply embraced her back and let her air out all her pent-up frustrations.
Meridian
Cedric walked through what appeared to be a wasteland till he came before a large and deep pit. Once he made his way there, a series of shadows moved along the ground before a trio of kneeling Shadowkhan had appeared behind him. They each showed a series of hairs they acquired from Will, Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Jackie, and even Tohru's. These hairs were acquired from the heroes during their scuffle back at Parent's Night.
The shapeshifter chuckled. "I had suspected the Guardians would have been hurt emotionally after we've acquired the princess, now is the time to pluck the fruit while it is ripe." He took all the hairs, except for Cornelia's, and held them over a pit. A growl was heard from underneath the pit, causing Cedric to sneer even more. "Yes, yes, my hungry one. Food will be provided." He dropped the hairs into the pit with an evil smile.
Earth – Heatherfield
Cornelia rang the doorbell to Alchemy's house as the girl answered it. "Hey, what's with the face?" Alchemy asked upon seeing Cornelia's saddened expression.
"Can I come in?" Cornelia asked, to which Alchemy allowed as she led her friend into her room and had her sit down on the bed.
"So, what is it? A breakup with a guy?"
"Something like that…" Cornelia muttered. "Alchemy, have you ever said anything… really hurtful? Or… you did something… like make a mistake and… yelled at someone for it…"
"Well, I have gotten into some fights with my parents before." Alchemy answered. "Was it something like that?"
"I… got into a fight with… some our friends and… things might have… escalated." Cornelia revealed with a twinge of guilt in her voice.
Alchemy's gave her friend a look of sympathy. "Well, I'm sure if you just say you're sorry…"
"But… I don't know if I can… at least not right now…" Cornelia muttered.
"Then, maybe you should just let things die down for a bit." Alchemy advised. "What do you say you just tune out the world and listen to real depressing music with me?"
A sad smile formed on Cornelia's face. "Yeah… that sounds nice."
At the same time; Jade, Will, Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Caleb were all at Irma's house, in her room specifically, with a tray of cookies, which a certain Passling was helping himself to from underneath the bed.
"Well Will, you're the leader." Taranee told her. "There must be a way to get Cornelia back."
"You heard what Jackie said, we can't exactly force her to come back." Will said. "If she does, it's gotta be on her own."
"Uncle also said the Forces of Darkness aren't gonna wait for our little 'reunion', either." Jade pointed out. "But the first thing Cornelia's gotta do is apologize."
"Hey, Irma! Check this!" Chris barged into the room, covered in mud while also holding a jar.
"Chris, little brother rule number one: knock!" Irma told her younger brother as Blunk stuck his head out from under the bed to lick the mud from Chris' shoes. "Second thought, don't touch my door or anything else of mine till you get a bath!" She noticed the jar he was holding. "What have you got?"
"I was on my way home from t-ball, and there was this huge mud puddle!" Chris began, only just now noticing Blunk liking his shoes. "Hi smelly clown babysitter." He greeted before turning back to Irma. "I found these cool worms! I picked one up and…" He noticed something odd about the worm he got. "Hey, it wasn't this big before."
The girls got a good look at this 'worm' and saw that it was more than a little large, and even had some kind of mouth on its belly, causing all the girls to cringe in disgust, even Jade looked more than a little grossed out.
Blunk got a taste of the mud from the bottom of the jar. "Hmm, Meridian mud."
That got Caleb's attention. "Did you say Meridian?!" He looked out the window to see multiple large slugs emerging from the ground and making their way toward the house. "Meridian Mudslugs!"
"Saywhat?" Jade questioned as she and the others looked out the window. "I'm guessing these aren't like harmless banana slugs, right?"
"We have to leave here! Now!" Caleb exclaimed.
After getting a text from the girls, Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru arrived at a construction site via car where they met up with Will, Jade, Caleb, Irma, Hay Lin, and Taranee, along with Blunk who was using his noose to sniff out the nearest portal.
"We got your message." Jackie said as they all grouped up. "You said these slug things are from Meridian?"
"Yeah, Mudslugs." Caleb answered. "They're basically maneaters."
Jackie simply rolled his eyes. "At this point, nothing surprises me anymore."
"Portal found! Portal found!" Blunk exclaimed as they all entered the construction site to see the swirling portal still open.
"We found the portal, but where are the slugs?" Tohru questioned.
Almost on cue, one large Mudslug emerged from the ground in front of Taranee, who leapt into Tohru's arms almost on instinct. "Did I mention how much I hate bugs?"
Already, dozens of Mudslugs began to emerge from the ground, and they all appeared rather large to say the least, each one appeared the size of a human. Already, Uncle took out his blowfish and began to blast chi-spells to stun and blast them back, but there appeared too many as they were already surrounded.
"Are they coming toward us?! They don't even have eyes!" Will exclaimed.
"They don't need eyes." Caleb stated. "They're probably tracking us from our scent!"
"How the hell did they get our 'scent'!?" Irma questioned.
"We've scraped with Phobos and his goons so many times they probably got some of our hair something!" Jade assumed.
"We have to get them back through the portal, now!" Jackie stated.
"But Cornelia's in charge of earth!" Hay Lin stated.
"We can handle this; we just need to be a little creative." Will assumed.
"And I got creativity right here." Jade smirked as she brandished the Dragon Talisman to blast back the closest of the Mudslugs.
"Jade!? When did you get the Talismans?!" Jackie questioned in surprise.
"We made a pitstop at Section 13 and grabbed a few of them." Will said as she took out the Heart of Kandrakar. "Guardians Unite!"
Meanwhile, back at Alchemy's house, Cornelia continued to listen to the music and it honestly didn't make her feel any better. After having some time to calm down, she took the time to realize just how horrible she acted to her friends, especially toward Will and Jade. A part of her wanted to apologize, but not only was she stubborn, a part of her was worried that they wouldn't accept her apology.
However, the doorbell rang, prompting Alchemy to sit up from the bed. "I'll get it." She quickly made her way downstairs toward the front door and opened it. "Hi how can…" Alchemy's expression changed from friendly to that of surprise as she saw none other than Daolon Wong at her door.
Cornelia was already on her way down. "Hey, who's at the…" She soon gasped once she saw the dark wizard.
"My dear Cornelia, I request that you come with me." Daolon Wong said in a façade of politeness.
"Cornelia… you know this guy…?" Alchemy asked in confusion as just the appearance of this old man sent a chill down her spine.
The blonde said nothing as she had a blank look on her face, which she maintained as she simply walked toward the front door, which she closed and locked. "Time to go." She said as she began to lead Alchemy away from the door.
"What? What's going on? Who was….?"
"No time to talk, just walk and keep walking." Cornelia told her friend as they tried to get to the backdoor, only to look back in surprise at seeing the front door getting blown off the hinges, courtesy of Wong as he stepped inside with his scepter glowing menacingly. "On second thought, running's probably a better idea!"
Cornelia grabbed Alchemy's hand and ran out the backdoor as fast as she could, with Wong appearing outside not far behind. "Gan! Ren! Chui!" The Dark Chi Enforcers suddenly materialized out of blue smoke in front of their master. "After them!" With that command; Finn, Ratso, and Chow began to chase the two girls down the streets of the neighborhood.
Back at the construction site, the heroes did their best to fight the Mudslugs off. Jade used the Dragon and Rooster Talismans to hover in the air and shoot blasts at them along with Taranee who complemented her with her own fireballs; Uncle, Irma, and Hay Lin tried to blast chi-magic, water, and air respectively; Tohru used his own strength to punch and squish the Mudslugs with his feet, while also trying to throw them away. Jackie used the Rabbit Talisman to run and bash his way through many of the Mudslugs, while Caleb wielded the power of the Pig Talismans to shoot heat-beams from his eyes and keep the Mudslugs at a distance.
However, despite the heroes' best efforts, many of the Mudslugs were quick to adapt as they burrowed themselves into the ground to try and hide from the attacks that had already killed a few of their brethren.
"Can't you get rid of them with some fancy spell?" Irma asked Uncle, only to receive a dope-slap to her forehead. "OW!"
"Uncle has never dealt with Mudslugs before, no time to prepare proper spell!"
Taranee tried to fly down and shoot fire into one hole and flush the Mudslugs out, but she already noticed her fire was considerably weaker than before. "Miss Lin was right. Our powers aren't as strong since Cornelia quit."
Suddenly, multiple tentacles emerged from the ground behind her and ensared her ankle. However, before they could drag Cornelia underground, Jade flew down to blast them back with the Dragon Talisman as Jackie used the Rabbit Talisman's speed to zoom in and grab Taranee, bringing her to safety.
"Talismans still seem to work fine." Jade commented.
"Well unless you got a Talisman that can move the ground, I don't see how they're gonna help all that much." Irma commented.
"Maybe we can move the slugs themselves." Jackie got an idea. "Jade, use the Rooster Talisman to try and levitate the Mudslugs back into the portal."
"Okay, hang on." Jade tried to hover over the Mudslugs, but as she was about to brandish the Talisman of levitation, the creatures all burrowed back underground. "Oh, come on! Come on out you stupid slugs!" She levitated closer to the ground and aimed the Rooster Talisman down one hole to try and pull at least one slug out, but this appeared to be a trap as multiple Mudslugs emerged from the ground around her and ensared her with their tentacles.
"Jade!" Jackie exclaimed as he run at super speeds with the Rabbit Talisman to try and knock all the Mudslugs back, but it seems many more were about to rise from the ground and attempting to devour them both. This prompted Will, Taranee, Hay Lin, and Irma to fly in and grab both Jade and Jackie, pulling them to safety as Uncle and Caleb tried to blast back the slugs with chi-blasts and heat beam eyes. Tohru even picked up a roller machine used for construction and threw it at the slugs. Though he had squashed several, most of them had already burrowed their way back underground.
"Geeze, why are these things so hard to kill?!" Will questioned.
"Believe it or not, these things are the least of our worries." Caleb said. "They're just the babies."
"Babies?!" Jackie, Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and even Tohru all exclaimed at the same time.
"Yeah, the mother slug sends her spawn to scout and hunt for food." Caleb explained. "When they find it, mama follows. Word has it, she's undefeatable."
"Rebel boy has never seen mother slug?" Uncle asked.
"No, I've only seen the babies." Caleb replied. "We've always tried to avoid the Mudslugs' territory for obvious reasons."
The group made their way from the construction site and back toward the street to regroup and come up with a plan. Most of the group looked at Will as she gave an annoyed sigh.
"Okay, fine I admit it!" The redhead said. "I wish Cornelia was here, I'm sure her Earth powers can get rid of these things."
"Yeah." Even Jade agreed. "I'd rather deal with her snobbish attitude than these oversized snails without shells."
Will was about to make the call, when Jackie felt a buzz in his pocket, which was revealed to be his own cell phone. "Hello?" He asked upon answering it. "Cornelia?" The others looked in surprise. "Wait what's going… What?! Where are you?! Alright, alright, calm down. We're on our way." He hung up as he addressed everyone else. "Cornelia and Alchemy are being attacked by Daolon Wong right now!"
"What?!" Everyone, minus Uncle, exclaimed at the same time.
"Well we gotta go help them!" Hay Lin exclaimed.
"If we leave, we risk the Mudslugs and their mother following us, which could put countless innocent people at risk." Caleb stated.
"Alright, alright." Jade stated. "I'll go help Cornelia."
"By yourself against Daolon Wong?!" Taranee questioned.
"No, not by herself, because I will be coming as well." Tohru volunteered.
"Yeah, so will I." Will said. "I can use the Heart to transform Cornelia, we'll take down Wong and be back here to send the slugs packing. Jackie, can you and the others keep these things contained till we get back?"
Jackie smiled at Will's strategic thinking. "Yes, I believe we can do that."
"Hold on, if Alchemy's with Cornelia, won't that mean she'll see us as Guardians?" Irma asked.
"We can worry about that later." Will stated. "Right now, we gotta help our friend… OW!" She felt a slap on her forehead curtsey of Uncle.
"Do not just stand there, get cracking!" Uncle exclaimed to the redhead, along with Jade and Tohru. "You must retrieve Cornelia so we may defeat Mudslugs! Hurry!"
Jackie gave Tohru the Rabbit Talisman as he used its superspeed to run alongside the flying Will and Jade, but not before Jade tossed Jackie the Dragon Talisman as they sped down the street to rescue their friends.
However, not long after they left, they heard Blunk screaming as they saw the Passling run from the construction site and crawl up on Jackie's back. "MAMA SLUG! MAMA SLUG!" Blunk screamed as the entire ground started to shake.
Jackie, Irma, Caleb, Taranee, Hay Lin, and even Uncle looked in shock and fear as the ground began to split open as the mother Mudslug revealed itself. Compared to all the infant man-sized slugs, she was enormous! Almost the same size as Gargoyle or even Jade after she used the growth spell.
"Um… I think we found Mama…" Caleb muttered.
"AIYA!" Uncle screamed with the girls.
"Bad day…" Jackie muttered with wide eyes.
Cornelia pulled Alchemy into an alleyway, the former looking out into the street to see if their pursuers were still there, but that did not appear to be the case. "Looks like we lost them."
"Cornelia what is going on?!" Alchemy looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "Who were those people?! Why are they after us?! What…"
"Alchemy, calm down." Cornelia put her hands on her friend's shoulders and tried to speak in a calm tone. "Look, it's a long story, and I'll tell you everything later. But right now, we just have to wait for help to come."
"Sorry kid, but help might not arrive soon enough." They heard Finn's voice from a fire-escape above them as he, Ratso, and Chow leapt down into the alleyway to surround them.
Chow was quick to try and grab Alchemy. "Hey! Let me go!"
"Get off her!" Cornelia ran to try and help her, but Finn barred her way as he grabbed her wrist, but Cornelia pulled it away as she ducked to the ground to deliver a roundhouse kick to knock Finn off his feet. But her own Kung Fu training wasn't enough as Ratso pulled her into a bear-hug, his own superior strength as a Dark Chi Warrior easily overpowering her.
Daolon Wong appeared in a puff of blue smoke in front of her with an evil laugh. "What is the old saying? United they stand, but divided they fall." He approached the struggling Cornelia as Finn and Chow kept a firm hold over Alchemy. "Do not fret, my dear. You will not suffer, Phobos merely wants you to act as a friend for Elyon during her transition as Meridian's princess."
"Elyon?" Alchemy asked in frightened confusion.
"Sorry, but I don't do brainwashing!" Cornelia exclaimed in defiance as she had a good idea that was what they had planned for her.
"You do not have a choice." Wong sneered as he opened his hand to reveal a serrated mouth in his palm. "But I'll have to remove that pesky power of yours first. It may not be the full power of the Heart of Kandrakar, but it should prove more than valuable to me."
"You want the Heart's power, jackass?!" Daolon Wong turned around in surprise to see a flying Will incoming. "Here it is!" She delivered a flying kick to his face to send Wong flying out into the street.
But it wasn't just Will, Jade also flew in to deliver her own flying kick to Ratso's face, forcing him to let go of Cornelia. And before either Finn or Chow could react, Tohru zoomed in at super speed and decked both of them to send them flying into Ratso and into the street, in the same direction their master was knocked into.
"Cornelia, are you alright?" Tohru asked as he helped her up.
"Yeah, thanks." Cornelia replied as Will and Jade set down to help Alchemy up, who was more than a little surprised at what just happened and how her friends were now.
"Will… what… are… are you some kind of… fairy?!" Alchemy stuttered. "And Jade… since when can you fly?!"
Both winced slightly. "Sorry, we'll give you the full explanation later." Will said. "But first things first." She took out the Heart of Kandrakar and shined it around Cornelia. She was engulfed in a green sphere of magic power before she was transformed into her Guardian form once more.
Though a part of her felt good to be in this form again, a part of her still felt a twinge of guilt over a great many things. "Guys, listen I…"
"Talk later!" Jade pointed back onto the street as Wong and his Dark Chi Enforcers had already recovered.
"Attack!" Wong ordered as his warriors brandished their weapons and led the charge.
"Take care of the warriors, I'll deal with Wong." Tohru said as he used the Rabbit Talisman's speed to zoom directly at Wong and deal a super-fast punch to knock the Dark Chi wizard back. Will, Jade, and Cornelia then flew and split up, forcing the Dark Chi Enforcers to separate and run in pursuit of their enemy, leaving Alchemy to watch in amazement from the alleyway.
Finn spun his bladed weapon at Jade and threw it like a shuriken at her, but thanks to the Rooster Talisman, Jade was able to fly high and avoid it. However, it tracked her almost like a homing missile, prompting Jade to use the telekinetic powers of the Rooster Talisman to pull up a garbage can and use it as a makeshift shield to block it, only for the weapon to tear through it and knock Jade back. She was forced on defense again as she attempted to hover and avoid the slashes from Finn as his weapon returned to him.
Will used her enhanced strength as a Guardian to try and block and parry the staff strikes from Chow, after ducking underneath one swing, Will dealt an uppercut to Chow's jaw and knock him into the air, where she flew up to deliver a flying roundhouse kick and knock him down hard onto the street. However, Chow was quick to get back up as his staff converted into a three-section staff, spinning it like a nunchuck, which he attempted to swing at Will, forcing her to fly away.
However, it would seem Cornelia actually had the upper hand against Ratso as she placed her hand on the street, allowing multiple plants and tendrils to shoot out towards Ratso, who tried to bat them away with his hammer. However, one of the plants was able to ensnare Ratso's hammer and pull it away before Ratso was also similarly ensnared. Cornelia turned around to see both Will and Jade appearing to be evenly matched against their respective opponents and got an idea.
"Hey Will! Jade! Heads up!" She motioned for her plants to throw Ratso toward them. Following her lead, Will ducked underneath Chow's staff-strike before she grabbed him by his shirt and threw him over her, using a double kick from her feet, while also hovering, to catapult Chow toward Ratso. While simultaneously, Jade shot over Finn and landed behind him, brandishing the Rooster Talisman to lift Finn telekinetically and likewise throw him in the same direction. All three Dark Chi Enforcers screamed as they collided into each other at high speeds, which was enough to poof and defeat them.
At the same time, Tohru used the speed from the Rabbit Talisman to avoid the many dark chi blasts from Daolon Wong as he sped around him, much to the dark chi wizard's irritation. The sumo suddenly appeared directly behind Daolon Wong and pulled him into a bearhug.
"This ends now, Daolon Wong!" Tohru stated.
However, the evil wizard actually sneered in response. "For once, we agree." With a cast of dark chi magic from his scepter, the ground underneath Tohru liquified, allowing him to sink into it like quicksand. When he was up to his neck, Wong used his magic to solidify the concrete and trap Tohru. "Foolish mortal." Wong mocked. "You cannot hope to defeat my powers with pure strength alone."
Suddenly, Wong was caught by surprise as his body was entangled by multiple plants that shot out from the ground underneath him. "To quote a certain old man… magic must defeat magic." Cornelia hovered above Wong with a smirk as Jade and Will hovered by her side. She the landed and glared at Wong into his eyes. "I want you to give Phobos a message from me. You tell him that I am going to get Elyon back. Even if I have to tear his entire castle to the ground to do it!"
Wong growled back. "Tell him yourself the next time you see him." He then used his scepter to vanish in a puff of dark blue smoke. With the enemy gone, Cornelia used her earth powers to free Tohru from his predicament, allowing him to stand on his two feet once more.
"Thank you, Cornelia." Tohru smiled.
"Hey, now we're even." She smiled back at him before looking to Will and Jade, her smile fading as her guilt began to set in. "Guys, listen I… I'm sorry I…"
Will put a hand on her shoulder before she could speak any further. "Look, I'm sure there's a lot that needs to be said, but right now our friends really need your help. So, let's save the drama until after we help them."
Cornelia understood as she nodded with a serious expression. "Got it."
"Hey, speaking of friends, what about her?" Jade pointed back toward the alleyway toward Alchemy who saw the entire fight and couldn't find the words as her face contorted an expression that seemed to mix surprise and amazement.
With a sigh, Cornelia quickly walked over to her friend. "Alchemy, I'm guessing you have a lot of questions for me right now."
"That doesn't even begin to cover it." Alchemy replied.
"Right." Cornelia said with a wince. "Like I said, I promise I'm going to tell you everything. But right now, I have to take care of something. You trust me, right?"
Despite the enormous surprise that pretty much blew up in the girl's face, Alchemy was still able to give a reassuring smile. "Of course, I trust you, Cornelia. You're one of my best friends. That's why I wanna come with you."
"Wait… what?!" Cornelia was more than a little shocked. "But we…"
"We don't have time to argue! We gotta go, just bring her with us!" Will stated.
"Right." Cornelia nodded as there was no time to waste. She picked up Alchemy as she flew alongside Will and Jade, with Tohru running after them with the speed of the Rabbit Talisman.
Back at the construction site, the mother Mudslug proved to be an enormous challenge for the remaining heroes just to keep at bay. They all tried to use long-ranged attacks with Jackie's fire blasts with the Dragon Talisman, Caleb's heat beam eyes from the Pig Talisman, Uncle's chi-blasts, as well as Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin's respective elemental attacks. But no matter what they did, it only seemed to just dent the skin from the monster as it lashed out its tentacles at them. The three Guardians had an easier time avoiding it with their flight, as did Jackie and Caleb with their own agility, but Uncle was not so fortunate as he was ensared by one tentacle.
"Aiya!" Uncle screamed as he was pulled up by the mother Mudslug.
"Uncle!" Jackie exclaimed as he leapt on top of a small building and leapt from there to climb up the mother Mudslug's body. The creature tried to shake him off, but Hay Lin flew in front of its face, or what appeared to be its face, and blew a gust of wind to try and distract it. This appeared to work as Jackie was close enough to use the Dragon Talisman to blast the tentacle that had Uncle in its grip, forcing it to release the elder chi-wizard, where Taranee flew in to grab him before he could fall as Irma flew in to grab Jackie as well.
As they all regrouped, they appeared almost helpless as the mother Mudslug loomed over them.
"We can barely keep it contained!" Jackie stated.
"Where's Cornelia when you really need her?" Caleb said with a gulp.
"You called?" The aforementioned blonde said as she landed dramatically, with Will and Jade by her side. Tohru also zoomed along, after placing Alchemy gently down on the street away from the site as she could only look up in shock at the sight of the enormous mother Mudslug.
"Cornelia! You came back!" Hay Lin exclaimed with a smile as Caleb, Taranee, Irma, and even Jackie smiled at seeing her again, though Uncle remained stoic as ever.
"Of course, I couldn't let my friends down, could I?" She gave them a brief wink as she already got to work, placing both her hands on the ground and channeling as much control over earth as she could into the ground around the enormous mother Mudslug. A large circular crevice carved itself into the ground around the creature.
"She needs time! Distract it!" Will exclaimed as the group moved around the mother Mudslug to attack and divert its attention away from Cornelia.
"Hey mama-slug!" Jade flew right into its face and blew raspberries at it. The creature growled as it tried to lash its tentacles at her, but Jade was quick and agile enough to avoid most of them. However, when it looked like she was about to be overwhelmed, Taranee flew in and threw a fireball directly at the monster's face.
"Hey! Over here!" Caleb waved his hands to get the mother Mudslug's attention as he blasted its side with heat-beam eyes from the Pig Talisman and was quick to avoid a tentacle being lashed in his direction.
Tohru used the Rabbit Talisman's super speed to rush around the monster, while also giving Uncle a piggy-back ride as he blasted chi-magic at it, scoring multiple direct hits as Tohru's speed made it impossible for the mother Mudslug to fight back. Will and Jackie also opted a similar strategy as she carried Jackie up by his shirt, using her super strength while Jackie blasted the mother slug's head-area with fire from the Dragon Talisman.
Hay Lin and Irma flew alongside each other and joined hands, combining their respective elements to generate a surging sphere of water and wind, practically creating a storm in their hands, which they lashed out at the mother Mudslug from above, pinning it to the ground.
It would seem Cornelia was finally ready as she used her power over earth to actually lift the chunk of the ground that she severed, along with the mother Mudslug itself. Will, Jackie, Irma, Tohru, Uncle, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Caleb all looked in complete and utter surprise at Cornelia's power. Even Alchemy fell on her rear in amazement as her eyes wavered.
"Whoa…" Jade breathed.
However, it appeared Cornelia was having a hard time as the mother Mudslug struggled and began to knock away chucks of the rock it was trapped in, causing Cornelia to lose some form of control as this act was already strenuous enough for her. However, she also felt a second force grab onto the rock as well as the mother Mudslug itself and keep it from falling apart. She looked to her side in surprise to see the hovering Jade, using the telekinetic powers of the Rooster Talisman to provide some assistance.
"Hey… need some help…?" Jade asked with a smirk, despite the strain she was feeling herself in lifting something so large.
Though surprised, Cornelia soon smiled as she and Jade used their respective abilities to throw the trapped Mudslug straight into the portal. Once that was done, Cornelia was about to fall as her fatigue caught up to her, though Jade was able to catch her, she began to lose control over the levitation powers of the Rooster Talisman as well as due to her own fatigue.
Though Jade was still able to get herself and Cornelia to land safely on the ground, where all their friends were waiting for them. Caleb caught Cornelia and let her fall safely in her arms. Will acted quickly to use the Heart's power and seal the portal before joining everyone else.
"Jade… thanks." Cornelia smiled.
"No problem." Jade smiled back before it faded, and she rubbed the back of her head. "Listen I… I'm sorry I called you shallow…"
"No, I deserved it." Cornelia said as Caleb helped her stand on her feet. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry, to both of you." She spoke to Will and Jade directly. "I really wasn't mad at you guys, I was… more so mad at myself. Elyon was my best friend and I couldn't protect her. I was just lashing out you. It was unfair of me to do it, and I was wrong. I'm really, really sorry." She soon felt a familiar smack on her forehead. "OW!"
"Your actions placed all Guardians in danger!" Uncle chastised. "Guardians must remain united despite hardships or else they all suffer!"
"Uncle…" Jackie tried to speak.
"It's alright Jackie, I deserved that to." Cornelia accepted. "I'm really sorry. Forgive me?"
Will and Jade both looked towards each other with joking smiles. "Yeah, I think we'll let this one slide." Jade joked.
"Yeah, we're good." Will said as well. "As long as you can forgive me for not being a perfect leader."
"Well, I'd say you're pretty good at it." Cornelia smiled back as she pulled both Will and Jade into a hug, which was soon joined in by Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin, even Caleb put a hand on her shoulder. Cornelia looked towards Jackie and Tohru, both smiled and nodded in approval. Even Uncle had his own smile.
"Oh man…" All eyes turned to see Alchemy who had a wide smile on her face. "THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED! I mean… you were all flying… and shooting stuff… and lifting that giant monster! Are you guys superheroes?! Oh, this is so cool! My best friends are freaking SUPERHEORES!" She fell on her back with a smile on her face. "I love my life."
Most of the group winced with nervous chuckles. "Looks like we got a new supporting member for J-WITCH." Hay Lin commented.
"Yeah. I guess we… OW!" Cornelia felt another dope-slap from Uncle. "What now?"
"Identities as Guardians is to be kept secret! You can't tell friends willy-nilly!" Uncle chastised once more.
"Okay, I am sorry for being such a jerk earlier, but I'm not sorry with trying to protect my friend!" Cornelia stated as she glared at Uncle. "I did what I thought was right, and she had already saw the bad guys! So… take this!" She delivered her own dope-slap to Uncle's forehead.
"OW!" Uncle felt his forehead as the entire group looked in surprise.
"Did Cornelia just slap Uncle back?" Irma asked.
"Hmmm, mmm." Taranee nodded in conversation.
Jade snickered, however as she knew what was going to come next. "This should be good."
"Oooh, you will pay for that!" Uncle said as he dope-slapped Cornelia again.
"Ow!" Cornelia retaliated with her own dope-slap back at Uncle.
"Ow!" Uncle returned a dope-slap to Cornelia, who returned with one of her own, and so-on, and so-forth.
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
Despite this continuing non-stop, the group couldn't help but get a good laugh out of this as Blunk pulled himself out of the hole he was hiding in to watch as well with a laugh of his own.
Once Cornelia and Uncle were pulled apart, they and everyone else explained to Alchemy the whole story. They told her how Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin had been chosen as Guardians of the Veil to protect the Earth from the Forces of Darkness, while Jackie explained how he and his family had previous experience fighting evil as well. They also went into details about their current conflict against Phobos in Meridian, in which Caleb is the leader of the rebellion, and Elyon is in fact the true heir to Meridian's throne as Phobos' younger sister. Needless to say, it was all quite a surprise for her, but she promised she wouldn't tell anyone what she knows and even promised to help in getting Elyon back. Though they appreciated her willing to assist, they told that without magic abilities, there wasn't much she could do. However, Cornelia was able to convince Jackie to at least let Alchemy in on their Kung Fu lessons with him just in case she's accidentally pulled into another fight like with Daolon Wong, she can at least defend herself, which Jackie found acceptable.
The next day
Will was getting the stuff out of her locker, when Cornelia approached from behind. "Hey Will, listen…"
"If it's another apology, forget it." Will assured her. "I already told you, you don't have to worry."
"No, it's not that." Cornelia said. "It's just… well… Jade told me about what your so-called friends did to you at your old school before coming here to Heatherfield."
Will looked in surprise. "Oh, did she?" She wasn't exactly happy about the idea of Jade revealing something that personal to her, but since it was someone within their own social group, she might be willing to let that slide. "Well, don't worry about it. I know you wouldn't do anything like that, if that's what you're implying."
"Oh, I know." Cornelia replied. "I just wanted to say that if anybody here at Sheffield tries to give you a hard time, you just let me know." She smirked at her friend. "I'll humiliate them so hard, they'll never come within even five feet of you."
Though Will was quite surprised, she was also touched by how much Cornelia was willing to defend her. She smiled at someone she knew she could consider a friend. "Thanks."
"Guess what girls?!" Uriah suddenly appeared. "We're cutting open frogs today! Slimy, stretchy frogs!" He said with a laugh.
"Oooooh!" An ominous voice echoed through the area. "Whhhhyyyy?" Uriah turned around to look in complete horror at the sight of what appeared to be a hovering frog in the air. "Why did you dissect me Uriah…? Why? Whhhhyyyy?!"
Uriah screamed like a little girl. "GHOST FROG! GHOST FROG!" He screamed as he bolted down the hallway.
The ominous voice turned into a duet of laughter as Jade and Alchemy turned visible and the frog, revealed to be a stuffed animal, fell into their hands. "Did you see the look on his face?!" Alchemy said in-between laughs.
"Yeah…!" Jade laughed as well. "Pretty sure we just traumatized him for life!"
"I'm not complaining!" Alchemy laughed.
"Jade?!" Will questioned in surprise.
"Alchemy?!" Cornelia was equally surprised. "What did you just…?"
"Snake Talisman for invisibility." Jade brandished the aforementioned Talisman as Alchemy also held the Rooster Talisman.
"And hovering Rooster for extra special effects." Alchemy said with a chuckle.
"You stole those from Section 13?" Will questioned.
"Borrowed." Jade corrected. "And we'll give them back…"
"After we mess with the Grumpers later." Alchemy added with a smirk as she and Jade shared a high-five.
"Well, seems like these two are gonna get along just fine." Will said to Cornelia with her own smirk.
Despite Cornelia chuckling, she couldn't help but shake her head. "Oh god help us all." The four of them shared a laugh as they walked to their next class together.
Done.
So, what did you guys think of this chapter? There are two important things to note from this.
*Unlike in the cannon series, Elyon is not going to believe her friends are straight-up evil, rather that they are being controlled and corrupted by the Heart of Kandrakar (similar to the One Ring from "Lord of the Rings"). This feels easier to believe than simply thinking your friends have just turned evil.
*Also, Alchemy is now aware of her friends' identities as J-WITCH and is going to have a more active role in this series going forward. She was supposed to gain such a role in the cannon Season 3 of WITCH, but since the show was cancelled, it never happened, but I plan to change that. Don't expect her to show up in EVERY single adventure with our heroes as she has no magic powers or anything, but she is going to help her friends in her own special way.
Up next, I've got a special chapter planed based off a certain episode from Jackie Chan Adventures and after that, I've got two more JCA episodes planned where we are introduced to a new antagonist. I'm sure you can already guess who it is. I'll see you soon with the next update, until then, stay safe and stay healthy.