Tales Of Light And Blight

by RySenkari

Written for Lumity Week 2020, this is a seven fic anthology that will chronicle the story of the human Luz and the witch Amity as they experience love, strife, and adventure across space and time, from the confines of Amity's secret library room, to their first kiss and first date, to their battles in the future.

6. Fantasy Check

(Author's Note: Tales Of Light And Blight is being written as part of Lumity Week! This story, and all the other stories featured in this work, are part of an anthology, and unlike my other anthology stories, most of these are loosely connected to each other, with 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 able to be enjoyed in sequential order. They're not, however, connected to any of my other Owl House stories. Thanks for reading!)

O-O-O

Day 6 – Reunion ("Fantasy Check")

O-O-O

Luz could feel her heart pounding as she stood on the doorstep of a crumbling old house, the same old house through which she'd entered a portal that had changed her life forever.

It had been almost a year since she'd returned from the Boiling Isles... returned from the greatest adventure of her life, in which she'd met a wonderful and weird witch, explored a land beyond her wildest imagination, saved a realm from tyranny and war... and had found love with a girl named Amity, a girl she'd had to leave behind when it was finally time to come home.

Since her return, a lot had happened... coming back to Earth was a wrenching transition, and for weeks, she'd had nights where she cried herself to sleep, missing the Boiling Isles so terribly. She knew her mom would never believe what had happened, or anyone else for that matter... especially since Eda and Lilith's spell had allowed Luz to go back in time to the moment before she'd been taken away from her world... so while she experienced an entire summer of adventure in the Boiling Isles, when she came back, she was standing at the bus stop, waiting to go to Camp Reality Check. Three months had passed there, but not a second had passed on Earth.

Camp Reality Check had been... well, a major reality check for her, but it had been nothing compared to the lowest of the lows she'd experienced during the war. She'd experienced betrayal, strife, and despair, and helping to overthrow the Emperor (with the help of many, many friends, of course) had prepared her for anything. Then she had to endure her freshman year of high school, and was fortunate to find a few people as weird as her. Still, even her new friends would never have believed her amazing story... and now that it was summer again, she was, at least for a little while, returning to the only people who would believe her.

She remembered Eda's words well: Be at this exact same spot one year from when you left, and I'll come pick you up.

She didn't have long to wait, or to worry. The door to the house began to glow, and Luz reached forward and grabbed the doorknob, her hand trembling.

"Here I come, Eda. Here I come, Amity."

The door opened, and Luz passed through... and was now standing inside the Owl House, which looked just the same as it had always looked, save for a few new magical artifacts and potions strewn about.

And sitting on the couch, Luz could see Eda waiting for her, smiling and holding her staff and looking as laid back as ever.

"Welcome home-" was all Eda could say before Luz wrapped her up in a tight, crushing hug. "Nnnngh! Missed you too kid..."

"Eda... oh man, you wouldn't believe how happy I am to be back! I've missed all of you so much...! Hooty, that goes for you too!"

"My favorite human, hoot hoot!"

"Hooty, you only know one human," said Luz, smirking.

"I was trying to give you a compliment, sheesh!"

"So where's King? Still ruling the underworld with an iron fist?"

"Yeah, and you know how busy he is," said Eda, rolling her eyes. "I told him you'd be here today, but condemning the souls of the damned to their eternal punishments is tough work. I imagine he'll show up tonight, but I gotta warn you, when he does show up, all hell's gonna break loose. Literally."

"Can't wait!" said Luz excitedly. "Hey Eda... I know we've got a lot of catching up to do, and I've really missed you, but-"

"Lemme guess, you wanna see Amity," said Eda with a knowing smirk.

"It's just... I kinda promised her I'd see her right when I came back, and that I wouldn't keep her waiting. I just need to go pick her up, and I'll bring her right back here, okay?"

"Nah, it's okay, take your time," said Eda, playfully waving Luz away. "You two lovebirds go fly around for a while, I've got some stuff to get ready for you anyway. Besides, you keep her waiting too long with nothing to do and she'll spend the whole afternoon not getting into trouble."

Luz snickered, and gave Eda another tight hug.

"I'll be right back!"

From everything Eda knew about how close Luz and Amity had gotten right before Luz left, she knew that wouldn't be the case. Still, it gave her time to take another quick nap before getting things ready for Luz's surprise party, so as much as she missed Luz and wanted to catch up, she hoped the two would stay busy for quite a while.

O-O-O

Amity sat outside the steps of Blight Manor, shaking with excitement. It had been about thirty minutes after she was supposed to arrive in the Boiling Isles, and she'd headed straight home from Hexside (newly rebuilt after the war) to wait for her. As she sat there waiting, she heard two familiar voices, but before she could turn to greet them, a pair of hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who!" cooed Emira, giggling as Amity squirmed around to push her hands away.

"Em! Ed! Seriously!"

"Aww, don't worry Mittens, we're not gonna ruin your alone time with your little girlfriend," said Edric, snickering as he and Emira walked down the steps. "Actually, the two of us have somewhere to be."

"Yeah, but tell Luz we said hi!" said Emira. "And tell her thanks again, if it wasn't for her we'd still be collecting bird poop outside the Emperor's palace."

"You know, I helped Luz turn you both back to normal!" said Amity. "And don't you dare forget it!"

"Yeah yeah, like you haven't reminded us a couple dozen times already," said Edric, rolling his eyes.

The two older Blight siblings laughed as they walked away from the manor and toward the town. Amity took a moment to remember all that had happened in the year since Luz had left... in the year since the rebels had won the war and had overthrown Emperor Bellows. Life had returned to normal, and in many ways, was better than ever without the boot of tyranny on the throats of the people... but even a year of peace and freedom meant nothing without Luz. Amity knew Luz had to go back home, but that didn't stop her from missing her girlfriend... every single day.

Wish you were here to enjoy the peace you helped bring to the Boiling Isles, thought Amity, looking around to see kids giggling and young couples laughing as they passed the manor gates. It was something that never would've been tolerated under the Emperor's rule, when the Blights were a family to be feared and respected. Amity and her family still had their money, but their privileged position in society was gone... not that Amity missed it very much. Her parents now had to get real jobs to maintain the family's wealth, but Amity couldn't care less: she'd always known there were more important things than money. Luz Noceda had just confirmed it. I've missed you so much.

Amity looked toward the manor gates again, and there she was, standing just outside them... dressed in her cat hoodie and looking as beautiful as ever.

"Luz..." said Amity softly, walking over to the gate, then breaking into a run. "Luz!"

"Amity...!"

Luz pushed the unlocked gate open, and started running toward Amity. The two met and embraced each other, then leaned in and locked lips. The sensation of their kiss hadn't lost any luster for either of them in the year they'd been apart... if anything, absence had made their hearts grow fonder.

"Amity, I missed you... I missed everything and everyone here!"

"I've missed you too, how have you been?"

"Well... let me tell you..."

Luz began to tell Amity exactly what had happened after she found herself back on Earth, starting with her trip to Camp Reality Check.

"So you know that camp I told you about? I still had to go... and yeah, it was pretty lame. But... actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Really?"

"I thought it'd be an absolute nightmare, but the camp counselors were actually really nice... they really wanted to help me out, and even though they discouraged me from reading my books at camp, they were understanding and didn't judge me for what I liked either. They just, you know, wanted to make sure I had 'proper life skills' and stuff."

Amity giggled.

"They sound like Lilith," said Amity, as she and Luz began walking from the manor toward the street, holding hands as they had always done before Luz had left.

"How is Lilith, by the way? I didn't ask Eda, I should have but I was too excited to come here and see you..."

"Well... she's had it kind of rough. As head of the Emperor's Coven, she was obviously taken into custody after the war, but... we decided to give her a full pardon. Remember, she did help Eda take down Bellows, and she helped repair a lot of the damage she did, so we decided she'd be more useful on the outside than in jail."

"And what about you...? Did you... forgive her for turning Emira and Edric to stone?"

"It took some time, but... we sat down and talked, and... yeah, I forgave her. Honestly, I don't think I'd have been able to do it on my own, but then I remembered how you forgave me for what I did, and I tried to imagine what you would do."

"Amity, I'm proud of you," said Luz warmly, smiling at her girlfriend and gripping her hand. "Are you two as close as you were before?"

"We're getting there. She's teaching me magic again... and she's really mellowed out since reconciling with Eda. Those two had a lot to work through, but now they're really close again too. Well, I mean, about as close as I am with Ed and Em."

Luz giggled, knowing exactly what Amity meant by that, and also imagining that her two older siblings may have gotten some payback on Lilith for being turned into statues. The two girls made their way toward Bonesborough proper, and Luz, who'd been too busy running through town toward Amity's manor to notice before, could now see how nice the town looked after a year of peace. It was still as weird and scary as ever, but people were smiling more, and there were a lot more booths and displays that would've been banned the year before. People weren't afraid to be themselves and to show off their true colors, and the enormous variety of signs and banners and wares for sale was testament to this. Amity smiled at Luz as she admired the town, and gripped her hand again as if to say "this is all because of you".

"So Luz, you were telling me about that camp?"

"Oh yeah! They taught me lots of things, like how to perform CPR, and how to organize my room, and how to balance a checkbook..."

"You know, that actually doesn't sound so bad," said Amity with a smirk. "Sounds like they taught you some responsibility."

"Oh, you would say that, wouldn't you?"

"Maybe if I ever visited Earth, I should check out this camp."

"Yeah, you'd have a lot of fun there talking about studying and responsibility and hard work," said Luz, laughing as she rolled her eyes. "Then I went back to school... high school, I mean. It wasn't as fun as Hexside, but I managed to focus enough to get my grades up, and I didn't scare any of my teachers! Well, maybe one or two of my teachers, but not enough to get in trouble with the principal! I even got to take drama class, and they actually put up with my shenanigans there!"

Amity couldn't help but smile as Luz explained high school and how much fun she'd had. She was glad that Luz was happy, even after leaving the Boiling Isles... and didn't feel so guilty anymore for having fun herself while Luz was gone.

"I even made some friends, friends who like The Good Witch Azura and writing fan fiction and playing video games and staying up late into the night binge watching serialized cartoons! I still got bullied some, and it wasn't all unicorns and sunshine, but I managed to keep from going crazy, or looking crazy..."

"I'm glad you found some people like you, Luz," said Amity. "As for me, I went back to Hexside... after they rebuilt it, anyway. I was Top Student, of course... even though the coven system's been reformed so that everyone can use any kind of magic, there's still covens and tracks and things like that. I'm still on the abominations track, but now I'm learning some other types of magic too... so I can be as strong as Azura. Even though the Emperor's Coven has been disbanded, the Boiling Isles still needs witches who can protect it, and I'm going to work my hardest to be one of those witches and keep people from getting hurt."

Luz loved to see the determination in Amity's eyes and to hear it in her voice, and was filled with a familiar warmth and pride that she hadn't felt since she'd fought alongside Amity during the war. Once she'd broken away from Lilith and the coven, Amity had fought more bravely than perhaps any other witch, determined to redeem herself and save the realm. The way she moved, the way she spoke, the way she cast spells... Luz couldn't help but see Azura in Amity, and had fallen even deeper in love with her... a love that never faded, even with the passage of time. As the two entered the town square, Luz stopped for a moment and turned to face Amity, unable to hold back her feelings any longer.

"Amity... even though I was meeting new friends and doing new things... I never forgot about you. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about you... wishing you were there with me. I knew you'd be okay here without me, but I missed you... even though I knew I'd see you again, I'd count the days, wishing they'd get here faster. Wondering what you were doing... wishing I could see you sooner..."

Amity sniffled as Luz bared her soul, and when she finished, she leaned in and kissed Luz tenderly on the lips again, gripping her hands tightly as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Every day, I'd think about you, Luz. Remembering how bravely you fought to protect me, even though you didn't have my magic. Hoping you were happy, wherever you were... I... I even asked Eda to bring you back early!"

"Really?"

"I made it like, two months before I couldn't take it anymore and I asked her to bring you back! She told me no, and I got all upset...! I feel like a jerk about it now, but hearing about you being in that stupid camp, I wanted to, I dunno, bust in there and pull you out! I know it's stupid and reckless... like something you would've done..."

"Yeah, probably!" said Luz with a giggle.

"It wasn't the only time either," said Amity with a sigh. "I don't know how Eda put up with all my whining."

"Aww, I know how," said Luz, patting Amity on the cheek. "She knows how much you care about me! Besides, I'm pretty sure Eda likes you. After you came back to the rebellion, I'd hear her talking all the time about how powerful and strong you are, and how she's glad you were looking out for me. I hope you've been keeping her company!"

"I mean, I try to visit her sometimes, but she's always doing weird stuff! Weird spells, or weird rituals... and she's always opening up portals to hell to talk to your demon king friend! I like Eda, but that stuff freaks me out!"

Luz practically cackled as Amity shivered in fear recalling Eda's meetings with King.

"Awww c'mon, King's harmless! I mean, not to wayward souls, or to small animals, but to you? Perfectly harmless!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Amity, calming down and smiling. Luz always did have a way of reassuring her, and she'd learned to trust Luz's judgment, as crazy as that sometimes seemed.

The two finally started walking again, making their way out of the town and toward the Owl House, which stood somewhat closer to town than it had been before the war. Eda was no longer a wanted criminal... in fact, she was now one of the Boiling Isles' greatest heroes, though she tended to scare admirers away whenever they crowded her too much, and by this time had learned to keep their distance.

"Sorry if I seemed a little bit... judgmental back there," said Amity, blushing a bit. "I like Eda, but I still get weirded out at some of the stuff she does sometimes, you know?"

"Hey, I'm glad you haven't completely changed," replied Luz. "What you said before, about Camp Reality Check? I like that you're still hardworking and practical. I still have trouble keeping focused, even after all the boring stuff I learned at camp! Whenever I have trouble studying, or I procrastinate on a big test, I think about you and how you always buckle down and get stuff done, and it inspires me to do the same! I think you're the reason my grades went up so much last year, actually... I wanted to make you proud of me."

"Really?" asked Amity, blushing again. "But... I'm not your mom, I don't look at your report card every semester and I certainly wouldn't ground you if you flunked out... but... I guess you're right, I am proud of you for succeeding."

Amity put her hand to her heart, feeling it start to beat a bit faster.

Imagine... me caring that much about how Luz does in her home world's studies. Imagine... her caring that much about how I think she does. Is our connection really that deep? I know I love her, but I think about her constantly, and she just told me she does the same. This isn't just about the Boiling Isles anymore... maybe... maybe we should take the next step. Am I ready for that, though?

"Amity? Are you okay?" asked Luz, as the two stopped just before stepping on the road toward the Owl House. "I'm glad you're proud of me... I... I really like being able to impress you. The first time I impressed you with a spell, I've never felt prouder! Honestly, only my mom has that kind of effect on me... not that I'm comparing you to my mom or anything! It's just, you two are both really practical and focused, and-"

"Luz, I was just wondering," Amity interrupted, taking Luz's hand. "Do you think, when you go back to your world, that I could come with you?"

"Really...?" asked Luz, gripping Amity's hands tightly.

"I want to see what your world's like. I want to meet your mom, and your friends... you'll be able to tell them about this place if they see that I'm real. ...would... that be okay?"

"Amity, I'd love to have you come visit Earth... more than you know, but I'm not sure," said Luz. "Eda's never gone through the portal herself, she's only sent Owlbert through. She says it's possible that people from the Boiling Isles can go to Earth, but she's not sure if they can come back."

"Well, we sent giraffes through, right?"

"Giraffes don't have magic though," said Luz, putting her finger to her chin. "I'll have to ask Eda if it'd be safe for you to go to my world. If you go, you might not ever be able to come back here."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," said Amity, though her hands were trembling as she imagined the prospect of never being able to come back to the Boiling Isles again... never being able to see her parents, or Edric and Emira, or Lilith, or Willow again... but she would have Luz, and, at least in this moment, believed that would be enough. "I just... I just want to see what your world's like. I want to spend more time with you than just a few weeks this time. I want to be able to visit you every day! ...if... if that's okay with you."

"I told you, I'd love to, but if you couldn't come back..." Luz lifted Amity's hands up to her lips, kissing them softly. "I love you, and I couldn't live with myself if I knew you were trapped on Earth because of me. I'd be there for you, always, but I know how much you'd miss this place, and every time I saw you sad, it would kill me."

Amity gripped Luz's hands and looked into her eyes. Tears were starting to fall down both girls' cheeks, and Amity felt like she was ready to explode, not wanting to hide the truth she was feeling any longer.

"I've been sad for a whole year without you, Luz," said Amity, pulling Luz's hands toward her face as she wiped a tear away. "Even with it being so good here now, even with Ed and Em being back to normal, and reconciling with Lilith, and everything that's happened... I've missed you every single day, and I don't want to be apart for this long again. Luz... let me take this chance, please. You've changed my life in so many ways, it would take me days to explain... I want more time with you than just these few weeks. I won't force you to take me back with you... but I just... I just don't want you to feel bad about anything that happens to me."

"Oh, Amity... you know I can't do that," Luz replied, crying just as much as Amity was. "If something bad happened to you, I..."

I know, Luz, thought Amity, as the two girls smiled at each other through their tears. That's what love is.

Luz lost her words for a moment, and Amity took advantage, leaning in and sharing a fierce, passionate kiss with her, the most passionate kiss the two had ever shared. Their lips pressed tightly together, and the two embraced with all the strength they had, holding each other tight and not letting go.

"I've missed you so much..." Luz whispered as soon as her lips were free.

"Same here," replied Amity, before kissing Luz again. The two shared one more kiss, nearly losing their breath before parting, and deciding that now wouldn't be the best time to discuss Amity's plans further. They took the last steps down the road toward the Owl House, and had their arms around each other as Luz reached for the doorknob.

"It's going to be a surprise party, isn't it?" said Luz, a mischievous smile on her face as she looked over at Amity. Amity shrugged, shook her head, and had a 'don't look at me!' expression on her face as the door swung open.

"SURPRISE! WELCOME BACK, LUZ!"

All of Luz's old friends from the Boiling Isles were there. Willow, Gus, Edric, Emira, among so, so many others... Eda and Lilith were standing together in the center of the room, staffs glowing as they lit up the entire house with bright colors and decorations. And of course, King was there... he'd even changed back into the form Luz remembered him as most, that adorable little creature with the skull on his head, causing Luz to shriek with joy and run over to him, picking him up in a tight hug.

"Hey, hey, hey, I sentenced 11,000 immortal souls to eternal damnation today, do I look like a hugger?!" King shouted, making Luz just hug him even tighter.

"¿Quién es un pequeño demonio adorable? ¡Usted está! ¡Usted está!" Luz cooed, nuzzling her cheek against King's and continuing to speak baby talk to him.

"So, how many times did you guys make out on the way here?" asked Emira, pinching Amity's cheek.

"I dunno, but good luck making out with Ichabod tomorrow night," said Amity with a smirk, tracing a circle in the air and causing Emira's mouth to transform into a closed zipper.

"...!" Emira's eyes went wide with shock for a moment, then she smirked and traced her own spell circle, replacing Amity's top with a t-shirt that said "I (heart symbol) (Luz's face)"

"What the...?" Amity barely had time to cover herself up before Luz noticed her new outfit and let out a loud squeal, running over to admire it. "Uh, Luz...!"

"Did you make that shirt just for me?" asked Luz, smiling and blushing intensely. Amity looked over at Emira, who just gave her little sister a thumbs up before innocently walking away.

"Uh... yeah, I did!" Amity fibbed, pulling Luz in close. "Welcome back, Luz."

"Here here!" shouted Eda, pulling Lilith in close and holding up a large beverage. "Luz is back, so let's all party!"

Lilith, remembering how crazy Eda's parties got back in high school, could only smile nervously, hoping her sister had mellowed out over the last few decades (but strongly suspecting just the opposite).

And as the party began, and as Luz caught up with everyone she'd missed over the past year, Amity worried less about coming back to Earth with Luz and more about having a good time... something Luz had taught her quite a lot about in the few short months they'd spent together. After a few hours, she didn't worry at all. Her love for Luz was as strong as ever, and Luz's love for her was just as strong. Time and space couldn't diminish that, and whether or not Amity could come back with Luz, she'd never stop loving her.

And even as Luz spent time with all of her old friends... Willow, Gus, Hooty, King, and especially Eda, who she loved almost as much as her real mother... she stayed close to Amity, and enjoyed every second of time they had together.

Amity had changed Luz for the better... in the most beautiful of ironies, a girl right out of Luz's perfect fantasy had enabled her to face reality. Their love had grown so strong that even when Amity wasn't there, she was... right there, every moment of Luz's life, and she always would be.

And after the party died down, and everyone else went back home, Amity stayed at the Owl House with Luz, and even after Eda had said good night, Amity was still there, next to Luz on the couch, as the two leaned on each other and held each other's hand.

"If you want to come back to Earth with me, I'll bring you," said Luz, nuzzling Amity's face with her own. "I promise."

"And if I can't ever come back home?"

"If you want to come back here, I'll get you back. I prom-"

Amity interrupted Luz with a kiss. After they parted, Luz sighed, smiling but also looking a bit guilty.

"I know... don't make a promise I can't keep."

"I know you can keep it," said Amity. "You can do anything, Luz. That's why I love you."

"And you believe in me..." replied Luz, before kissing Amity once more. And that makes me the happiest girl in the world.