Lavdendarpaw, Catlover, and Alisha Marie, thanks for the reviews. And this is what happens next.

Fairly Oddparents copyright Viacom

Chapter 21: Magic Carpet Ride

Written: 3 Jun 2005-6 Jun 2005

Posted: 6 Jun 2005

Sally stared down at the ground far below with wonder. At all the forested hills and the river they were almost over. She had never thought she would go on a magic carpet ride. And now was directing one under the wise tutelage of A.J. "What keeps it up in the air?" she asked without turning.

"A system to counteract the effects of gravity that I developed myself. I call it it counter-gravity."

She cooed before asking, "What's that river we're now passing over?"

Sally heard the rustling of the map. It was the only thing made of paper they had brought along. "I believe it's the Dimmsdale River."

"All the way out here?" she mused.

"What's this way that you have thought of, Sally?"

"We go where the wind takes us, A.J. I have told you all this before."

"Yes, I know. But what does it mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. We follow the wind."

"You can't be serious!"

Sally looked back at A.J. and smiled. "We have been going downwind ever since we took off. And I haven't you complain until now."

A.J. frowned. "But that's impossible. No wind could remain that steady and blowing in the same direction for that length of time. You must be kidding."

"We're riding on a magic carpet that you created. Don't talk to me about impossible, A.J. Just have faith. We'll get there."

What Sally neglected to tell A.J. was that she had wished Juandissimo would blow a wind to guide their way to that Turner kid. It seemed to be working.

"Okay, we haven't found Timmy in the next two hours, we're turning back."

"Three," Sally countered.

A.J. rolled his eyes but agreed. "Fine then. Three hours then. But that's it. When those three hours are up we head back. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

They flew away from the setting sun.

OOO-

"Where's Wanda?" Cosmo naively asked one of the two guards. Must he go on so? Mama Cosma wondered. He should really that it's all for the best. They were taking a stroll through the underground rose garden. She felt that she needed to say something to him.

It had been the plan to speak to his son about Wanda all along, but she couldn't wait until Wanda was finally banished. She should have known that switching Wanda's and that woman's body wouldn't work, but it didn't. Now they were stuck in this current mess.

"Cosmo darling," she said, "there's something I have to tell you." She winced. That had been no way to begin a frank talk with your son.

But apparently it went over his head. Cosmo asked eagerly, "What is it, Mama?"

"It's Wanda. She isn't coming."

Cosmo looked at her in disbelief. She didn't like it. "What do you mean, Mama?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, honey, but Wanda ran off with that Juandissimo guy. I watched them ride on the back of a white stallion into the sunset." Cosmo would never buy it, Mama Cosma thought. Just before he buried his head in her bosom and started wailing like a baby. Which in same ways he resembled. "That's alright, Cosmo dear, that mean old Wanda witch is suffering for her sins as I speak."

OOO-

Wanda was hardly suffering, despite the water dripping on her forehead. She was looking directly at her brother, who was standing just behind Jorgen's left. And Jorgen had lost his usual take-charge attitude. "It would seem that you are free to go," he said.

"Well, that's good to hear," Wanda noted.

The water stopped dripping, and Fanny appeared and began undoing the binds that held Wanda to the table. "No daughter should be locked up like a criminal," Fanny was muttering.

"Unless I'm grounded that is," Wanda replied.

"Yes, unless you're grounded," Fanny agreed.

But they had to hurry, as the guards were sure to be alerted to their presence by now. Jorgen simply was a shadow of his usual self. There was nothing that could had been done about it. His usual self was quite a handful. Nevertheless, they had to get Wanda and exit the premises before the guards could figure out their exact location or what they were doing there.

Once she was free, Wanda patted Jorgen on the cheek as she passed. "See you later, Jorgey."

Lucas covered Jorgen as the girls left the room. But there would be nothing to do with Jorgen once Lucas had stopped aiming his wand at him. Speed was of the essence. Particularly now that Jorgen was able to sound the alarm.

The guards were guaranteed to know that they were intruders now. Lucas silently counted to ten, and ran after his sister and mother.

OOO-

As Timmy made down the slope of the steel-incased tunnel which was curved to the left, he began to notice the smell of rotting eggs. "Why would there be rotting eggs?" he asked.

"With underground facilities like this one," his father replied, "who can tell?"

A fairy could, Timmy thought, but didn't answer aloud. That would have led to many questions he feared. He didn't want to do anything to make him lose his fairy godparents forever. Including blabbing about their existence. To anyone.

An half an hour later, they found that the tunnel ended with a wall that had no visible door. (And the smell of rotten eggs was much stronger now.) Timmy and Mrs. Turner exchanged uncomfortable glances. Getting through such barriers was well in a fairy's abilities, but they didn't want to clue Mr. Turner in on the fact that his wife was a fairy. Mr. Turner began to feel along the wall. "There has to be a door along here somewhere. I mean they wouldn't hide an underground passage in a cave and just stick a wall at the end of it, would they?"

Timmy thought better of the sarcastic reply that was forming on his lips. But Johnny came up with an explanation that sounded reasonably. "Maybe this was just a place where they stored stuff they didn't people to find."

"Then why does it smell like rotten eggs in here, huh?"

Johnny shrugged. "Maybe this was also where they kept their groceries?"

"Maybe there was a hidden door we had missed on our way," Mrs. Turner said. "I'll take the boys to look while you wait here, honey."

"Okay, honey. I'll keep looking here."

Mrs. Turner took the two boys out of Mr. Turner's sight and turned to her fairy form. "I say that we leave him here and I poof us to the other side of that wall."

"Just leave Dad here? All alone?" Timmy inquired. "That doesn't seem right."

"Well, would it be better that he found about Cosmo and Wanda?"

Timmy nodded. "You're right, Mom."

"But how do we know that there's a room behind that room?"

"Oh, there is." Mrs. Turner waved her wand and they were poofed away.

OOO-

Wanda couldn't believe her eyes. "Wanda, it is I, Juandissimo Magnifico, and I have come to rescue you," a little too loudly.

Wanda tried to sush him. The Fairy Squad was hot on their heels. And the last thing that she wanted was to be recaptured because of an ex-boyfriend's bungled attempt to rescue her. "Can't you see that I'm already being rescued?"

Then Juandissimo turned and saw Fanny and Lucas. He drooped. "Oh, I see. Then you don't need my help then."

Wanda hated to see him like this. He had been, after all, only trying to help. "There is something that you can do, Juan," she said. She pointed behind her. "Could you be a dear and keep those guards busy for me?"

"For you? Anything."

"Thank you. I'll make it up to you someday," Wanda promised.

"No payment is required. Unless," Juandissimo wiggled his eyebrow, "you want to go out with me again."

"It will be something else."

Juandissimo shrugged. "You can't say I haven't tried. But I mustn't allow these fiends to get their hands on you ever again." He charged toward the pursuing guards with his wand held high.

"Maybe I did make a mistake in my choice of mate," Wanda asked, already knowing the answer that question. Then she hurried to catch up with the others.

They barged past the door that blocked their way. Only to find…

Timmy, his mom, and some kid being held by members of the Fairy Squad.

"So guys, what are you doing here?" Wanda asked.

OOO-

The mountains beneath them were pocked by many canyons and and the occasional sinkhole. In the moonlight, it ironically looked like a moonscape. Sally raised an eyebrow. This was obviously the place where Timmy was, or at least had been. Now Sally felt silly for thinking that finding this place would be something difficult. Instead it looked simpler than licking a stamp. But then again, she reminded herself, the world was a pretty big place.

Then the wind led straight toward a sinkhole fed by the most wondours waterfall that Sally had ever seen. Of course, Sally hadn't seen all that many waterfalls in her life, but still. "It looks he's down there in that sinkhole. At least that's where the winds is taking us."

A.J. nodded. It had only been two hours since they had reached their agreement so there was still time to look.

They descended into the darkened hole in the ground.