Well... at least they now know Piper still has a family.

Hey don't look at them. Whenever they mentioned "family", the elf would stay silent, and sometimes gaze at the sky.

Mr. Alcove and Mrs. Wistermina Elvanestri were nice elves.

But they also sounded worrisome.

As it turns out they were even more over-protective than Mrs. Goldenbraid;

At such a young age, Piper was always the...clumsiest among her and her four other siblings. She would often get herself, and others, into trouble. Because of that, her parents decided she wasn't ready to take part in the family business; The Elven Brothers Circus.

That was a low blow on Piper.

She loves her family's circus.

Ever since she was little she always wanted to swing on the trapeze, tame the flying monkeys, and do many other crazy, exciting things. She dreams of the day she would perform an act so grand, the crowd would smile non-stop for a week, unable to forget the unforgettable sight they had just witnessed.

Imagine her sad, disappointed face when her parents broke the news to her.

She eventually understood her parents' intentions and just watched the show from a safe distance. This made her parents happy.

Then that day came...

Whenever one of the animals got wild, or one of the performers got injured,a masked elf would suddenly appear out of nowhere and save the day, even putting an impressive show for the crowd.

The Elvanestris' wish to see the true face of this mysterious performer came true...in the worst possible way.

And that's how Piper Willowbrook ran away to the Undercity.

And now here they are; The Mysticons aiding the Elvanestris, including Piper's two brothers and two sisters, in searching for their daughter, following a humanoid fox who managed to catch a whiff of her scent.

"She stills smells like firecrackers and wildflowers." Axis remarked as he continues to sniff the ground, "With a hint of, extra fire power. And... Feathers?"

Axis shrugged it off as he continued sniffing for Piper.

"So Truffle," Arkayna grinned widely, and so did Zarya, Em, and their beasts, "you and Piper must be really close friends."

"Well we have known each other since we were kids." Truffle replied as he pushed his glasses up.

"Since you were kids." Zarya echoed teasingly while Em giggled.

"You and Axis seam to get along." Truffle pointed out.

Zarya looked away, "Whaaaat? He's a total show-off. Look at him leading the way with that cute nose of his."

"Cute, huh?" Truffle echoed, earning more giggles from Arkayna and Em. And the babies.

Zarya decided it was time to change the subject, "So you're part of the circus too?"

"Sort off." The elf shrugged, "Someone has to take care of the animals. Even the feisty ones."

The group kept following Axis until they came across a grove of trees.

"I know this place." Truffle rushed ahead of the others and stopped when he found the tree Piper was on along with Miss Paisley.

"Pyperia!" Wistermina cried upon seeing her daughter.

Truffle stopped her from going to her daughter, "No offense Ringmistress, but I think you need to calm down for a moment before you approach Pipes."

"Truffle, we haven't seen Pipes for years." Alcove reasoned, "She's scared half to death."

"I wouldn't say that..." Zarya tried to cut in.

"Yes. But maybe you could be more, gentle?" Truffle reasoned, "So that she won't run off again?"

The Elvanestris just stared at him in confusion.

He sighs, "Just let me get her down."


Even after all these years, her parents are still the same.

After what she did, even after she came back, she doubts her parents would let her join the family circus. Even after she did those amazing tricks and stunts when she was masquerading as the masked performer.

She looked at her book, wondering if they'll even accept...

"Now that's planning."

Piper transformed into her Striker form and grabbed her would-be attacker by the collar.

"Oh my goblin! I'm so sorry!" Piper apologized as she let go of Truffle and transformed back into her civilian form.

Truffle picked up the book she dropped and flipped through its pages, "Wow. You're really serious about your mission."

"How did you guys found me?" Piper asked.

"Your scent never changed." Truffle replied, "Plus this is where you usually run off to every time you want to get away from you-know-who's. Except for...last time."

Piper stared glumly at the ground as if she was wondering if she should jump or not.

"Look;" Truffle closed the book, "They missed you. They won't admit it, but they're happy that you're Mysticon Striker."

Piper didn't leave her sight off the ground, "Was that after, or before they found out?"

Truffle knew the answer to that question. Instead, he replied, "Just, come down will you? You have 20 seconds before they hyperventilate. If it makes you feel any better; I think you're a great hero."

Piper gave him a small smile before jumping off the branch and landing on top of Miss Paisley. They waited until Truffle joined them and landed in front of the search party.

Most importantly, Piper's parents.

"Piper! You know it's not safe to..." Wistermina stopped when she noticed the cold look her daughter was giving her.

She and her husband weren't the only ones intimidated. The other Mysticons never saw their happy and spirited teammate like this before.

Their separation must have really been intense.

With a heavy sigh, Piper finally addressed her parents ans siblings, "Mom. Dad. Harmonia. Soprano. Reed. Fluentia."

After her siblings awkwardly waved at her, she continues, "I'm...sorry I left."

"Sweetie," Wistermina spoke gently, "we just wanted to keep you safe."

"Yeah." Piper remarked sarcastically, "So I'm not allowed to play with the tiger-foxes, to swing on the trapeze, eat popcorn, or even say hi to my friends. My friends. And you let them in the family circus."

Alcove wanted to tell his daughter that he was proud of her. That he was happy that she was a Mysticon.

Instead,

"You shouldn't have scared us like that." Alcove scolded, "We were going to let you join, eventually."

"When, Dad?" Piper asked, "When? When I'm a thousand years old? Ever since I left, I've been through some crazy stuff, and still survived; I rode a griffin, I turned into a mermaid, I battled stargoyles, and kicked skeleton butt! No offense, Reggie."

The former skeleton shrugged.

"Point is;" Piper continued, "I know you guys are worried because you love me, but I'm not a baby anymore. And if you guys watched me in action on our next mission, you won't have to worry about me ever again."

The Elvanestris looked at each other, unsure and worried. But when they saw their youngest daughter's big, pleading eyes, they gave her their (reluctant) approval by slightly nodding their heads.

Piper squealed in delight as she tightly embraced her parents, "I promise to be the best mommy ever!"

The Elvanestris eyes widened in shock.

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

"You'll get used to it." Darius and Malachite simultaneously spoke.

Yeah. They still haven't gotten over theirs. But they did stop hugging each other with tears in their eyes.

Now they just cry internally.


After being scolded by her friends for misleading them into thinking her family was, gone, Piper led the group to wherever the phoenix egg was hidden. The more they travelled, the more they marveled at the abundance of nature around them;

The mighty towering trees, the sweet melody of the songbirds, the alluring smell of Love's Breaths...

The group had to ride the griffins and fly/levitate away from the Love's Breaths.

Piper pouted. Even if she was immune to the flowers, she really wished she could join her friends up there in the sky. But no. Griffin feathers are very "itchy" and full of "germs".

At least she got to enjoy nature walking alongside her family.

Now if only they'd just let her pick one, small, harmless flower...

Even from above, Zarya could see her friend's irritation. And she never saw Piper that irritated before. And did they just push her away from a daffodil like it was about to turn into a monster?

Once they were sure they were far away from the Love's Breaths, (actually, Gandobi and Quazala got infected somehow, but they managed to snap them out of it) the group rejoined the Elvenastris.

The closer they got to the egg, the more they realized that Piper wasn't over-exaggerating when she said her parents were over-protective;

When the group stopped by a lake to refresh themselves, Proxima offered some lake water for Piper to drink, only for Wistermina to slap it out of her hands and gave Piper safe, clean, bottled water.

The group stopped again under a tree. Choko climbed a tree to pick one of its fruits and tossed it to Piper. Alcove caught it instead and threw it away because of the germs.

When the group had to cross a narrow wooden bridge, Alcove had to carry Piper on his back while Wistermina followed them from behind to prevent her from falling.

When Piper came across a baby bird that fell from her nest, she tried to help it, but her parents pushed her away from the wild animal. Doug offered to help her instead, after which Wistermina forced him to properly wash and sanitize his hands.

Feeling bored, the baby Beasts decided to play a game of tag by jumping on the group's heads. Everyone found this amusing. But when Gemstone was about to jump on Piper's head, her parents pulled her out of the way. Gemstone would have crashed on a rock if Bane hadn't save him on time.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I owe Piper an apology." Zarya remarked as the Elvanestris kept over-protecting Piper.

Sure she can be a little bit clueless and clumsy now and then, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know how to protect herself.

Arkayna suddenly gasped, "Oh my goblin!"

"The Alphamancers?" Em made a fighting stance.

"Runey is about to say his first word!" Arkayna excitedly corrected, holding her baby dragon up.

Everyone crowded around Runeford, spellpads ready to record the momentous moment.

Runeford scrunches up his face... Then blows large green flames on everyone.

Piper barely had the time to look back because her parents had pinned her down to the ground for her own safety.

Runeford stopped. The smoke cleared and the dust settled, revealing almost everyone with soot on their faces and their disarrayed hairs blown backwards.

"Maybe next time." Arkayna stated while Choko coughed out a puff of smoke.

Alcove approached Arkayna, "With all due respect your highness; What were you thinking raising that BEAST?!"

Runeford's eyes began to tear up at the harsh words.

"Dad!" Piper scolded.

"Our daughter would have been incinerated because of that MONSTER!" Wistermina turned to her daughter, "Piper, you can't be seriously thinking about taking care of these, things . They will kill you!"

At that moment, Runeford began to cry as Arkayna attempted to calm him down.

"Mom! He's just a baby!" Piper snapped back, "When I was a baby, did you just stand around while everyone called me a monster?!"

"You're not a monster, you're our daughter." Alcove grabbed Piper's hand, "We're taking you home."

He began to leave, but found himself unable to move even farther even if he took a step further.

He turned around, only to find Piper staring at the opposite direction as if she was in a trance. She let go and began heading to the opposite direction, forcing the others to follow her, much to her family's dismay.

"Never seen her this upset before?" Axis asked Zarya.

"It's surprising, sad, and creepy." Zarya remarked.

"Yeah. That's how parents are." Axis spoke back, "Well... Some parents. Don't tell anyone this, but, (whispers) I'm glad she ran away."

"What?" Zarya whispered back with a glare. Howlette mirrored her expression by growling at the fox.

"Hey don't get me wrong." Axis holds his hands up in innocence, "I got mad when she left. I said if she ever comes home, I'd let her sleep with the monkeys. Not that it would help. Those guys love her. Then I realized; She needed to be free. She needed, some sort of adventure in her life. One more day outside the circus and she'd... you know."

He and Zarya turned to the Elvanestri couple who repeatedly called for their daughter to know avail.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Zarya whispered back, "She's lucky she wasn't taken away from her family."

Piper finally snapped out of her trance and found herself in a field full of many kinds of beautiful flowers.

Aw Yuna. That was sweet of her to leave an unhatched phoenix in a beautiful hiding spot.

Piper happily ran and skipped her way through the flower field, putting aside her irritations. She suddenly stopped, spotting a large, undeveloped, red, orange, and yellow bud in the middle of the field.

The bud was larger than any of the other flowers. The perfect hiding spot for an egg.

The group managed to find Piper heading for the large bud in the middle.

As soon as the Striker was an inch away from the bud, the flowers around the bud began to spread glowing pollen.

The pollen landed on the bud, causing it to bloom, revealing, the phoenix egg.

A cornucopia of emotions was swirling inside of Piper; Glee, pride, hope, nervousness, eagerness, etc.

She just couldn't wait to meet her Lucifire!

She reached a hand towards the egg... only to be blasted down.

"Congratulations, Mysticon Striker!" Tazma mocked as she grabbed the egg.

The Baby Beasts growled at her as their mommies transformed and they transformed into their adult Mystical Beast forms.

Piper knew she had to help. What kind of mommy would she be otherwise?

So she transformed into her Mysticon form, and beat down any Alphamancer with her hoops, unmindful of her worried parents.

While her fellow Alphamancers were keeping the Mysticons at bay, Tazma plans to leave with the phoenix egg, but was knocked down by all 3 Striker hoops, making her release the egg which landed in Piper's arms.

"It's okay Lucifire." She cooed as she affectionately embraced the egg, "Mommy's here."

More Alphamancers attacked her, but were stopped by her fellow Mysticons and their Beasts.

The Alphamancers tried to attack once again, but they were intimidated by the piercing glares of the Mystical Beasts.

They had no choice but to summon a smoke screen in order to escape.

When the smoke dispersed, the Mysticons no longer saw a single hair of their enemies.

"That's right!" Piper mocked, "That'll teach you not to mess with a mommy and her...?!"

To her complete shock and horror, she was no longer holding her phoenix egg.