Tiger Lover 16: Hello again. How've you been. I admit, I'm only half satisfied with this chapter. The first scene I really had trouble writing, it took me forever to get done and I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it, and with all the developments I had to make to get this story rolling it was a really difficult part to write, so I'm sorry if it isn't very good. I do plan to try and edit these first few chapters sometime next year, I promise the story will get better when we reach the massive crossover adventures. I'm much more pleased with the villains scenes in this chapter though, I think they came out really well, and I had a lot of fun writing it. While I'm still a bit dissapointed by some parts, this chapter is VERY important, it contains a lot of vital story points that will affect the plot in the future, so don't skip anything. I'm talking mainly to you mew. Though I hope I get a few more reviews this time. Anyway, I'll save the rest of my points for the end, hope you can enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 3, Darkness rises
Charlie Brown sat in his usual beanbag at home. The spirit of Sparky hovered next to him while his friends, Snoopy and Woodstock, and his sister Sally sat around the room. Violet, Patty and Shermy sat on the couch, Sally and Linus took up a spot on the spare bean bag, and the rest either sat on the floor or chose to stand.
With assistance from the original Guardian of Light, Charlie Brown had just spent the past hour trying to explain everything he knew about his current situation. He told them of the Ancients, Sparky and his sister the Dark Witch, how the Witch had gone bad and was sealed away, that she had escaped and killed Sparky, and now Charlie Brown was the new Guardian of Light. All the while the Peanuts gang stared in awe... and more than a little uncertainty. At the point we come in, Charlie Brown was just rounding up his tale.
"So then Sparky vanished for a moment and I woke up. Then I found all of you gathered behind me, Sparky's spirit appeared again and led us here, and... well, I think that's everything?" Charlie Brown said, thinking hard about any possible details he may have left out.
"You're forgetting how Molly Volley ambushed us and clobbered Lucille on the way here, but that's hardly important" Peppermint Patty piped up.
"I could have taken her, if you hadn't gotten in the way" Shot back an angry Lucy, with her arm in an oversised cast.
Charlie Brown smiled meekly at the slightly volatile Lucy and turned to the rest of the group. He was really nervous about how they would react to this. Of course he thought with Sparky here they weren't likely to laugh and call him an attention-seeking liar, after seeing a floating purple dog spirit you'd believe anything you heard too. But he still had a good feeling they were going to laugh, he was sure none of them would think him capable of saving the whole entire universe, and insist there had been a mistake. And he had been quite certain that Violet, Patty and Lucy were all going to start mocking him and call him a lousy hero, or something along those lines. But for reasons beyond Charlie Brown's understanding, none of them did.
Though the gang's opinions were all obvious on their faces, none of them seemed willing to say much about this whole pradicament. In fact, Violet and Lucy both looked like they were aching to express their views and critisisms, but were trying hard to stop themselves. This left Charlie Brown extremely confused.
For a long moment after Charlie Brown had finished talking the room remained silent. The kids all looked between themselves and questionably at Charlie Brown, none of them able to find the right words to express how they felt. Or at least, they couldn't find words that wouldn't guarantee the boy's feeling would be hurt, which they were all trying not to do right now. All except Sally, who had been left out of that little conversation at the wall and had no problem complaining.
"So, basically what you're saying is my brother's got God-like powers over light, and he's got to go around all these worlds and protect them from some evil witch who wants to cover everything in darkness?" Sally asked Sparky directly.
"Well, I suppose that is the short version of it, yes" Sparky said with a nod.
"ARE YOU NUTS? My brother can't do THAT, he's bound to screw up!" Sally said in an exaggerated panicky voice, the rest of the gang groaned and rolled their eyes while Charlie Brown sighed dejectedly.
"Ah come on Sally, give him some credit" Peppermint Patty said reasonably, even though she too felt she was sort of right.
"Yeah, Charlie Brown would make a great hero" Violet said. This earned her odd looks from everyone, not least from Charlie Brown himself. The girl in the green dress looked quite sheepish as Charlie Brown stared imploringly to her. She had just said that because she wanted to sound supportive for once, even if it was an outright lie. When Charlie Brown failed to look away she sunk back into the couch and hid behind Patty as best she could, to which Charlie Brown looked away. Sally frowned at her odd behaviour, and the looks on her friends' faces.
"What are you two talking about? I mean, sure, my brother has some good qualities, but not a lot. He can't possibly be like a super hero or anything" Sally said. She wasn't trying to be mean, for once in her life she was actually trying to speak logically. And plus, if everything she'd been told was true then she didn't want her brother running around fighting bad guys. He could get killed!
Sensing her thoughts, Sparky floated down closer to Sally and patted her shoulder with his ghostly hand.
"Your brother may have his faults Sally, but he has a good heart. Being Charlie's sister you should know that better than anyone. I understand your concerns, but trust me when I say that your brother will be alright. He'll be supported every step of the way, and I for one am quite certain he is up to the task" Sparky said gently. Sally stared in wonder at him, though still not truly convinced.
"But what if he's not? My brother never wins anything, he's sure to just get himself hurt. Can't it please be someone else?" Sally asked, surprisingly desparate. Sparky shook his head sadly.
"Once the decision is made as to who will be the next Guardian, there can be no other choice. It's sounds unfair, but this is the way things are" Sparky said softly. Sally looked past him to look at her equally nervous brother. She sighed sadly and looked away, grabbing the end of Linus's security blanket and rubbing it against her cheek. Linus looked confused and then offended by her actions and yanked the blanket out of her hand.
Charlie Brown continued to gaze at his sister for a moment, contemplating what she had said. Of course it hurt to hear her say she didn't believe he could be a hero, but he knew she wasn't being spiteful. A good brother could always tell how his sister was really feeling, and he knew Sally was just worried about him. And a part of Charlie Brown did appreciate that she was actually voicing her concerns, whereas his friends had thus far refused to give him their honest opinion.
With the mood in the living room still awkward most of the Peanuts gang were unwilling to speak at the moment. Sparky felt he should try and restart the flow of conversation, but waited a bit longer to see if the kids could come up with anything. Eventually Rerun, the youngest of the gang by two years, raised his hand like he would in class with his teacher.
"What sort of powers does Charlie Brown have?" The youngest Van Pelt asked eagerly. Sparky smiled when he saw this perked up the other children.
"Well, he will have many powers. He can manipulate all forms of light and reshape them into whatever he wants. He can blast it out in beams and spheres, create light shields and fly to any height, while also being able to breath in areas without air, like the vacuum of space. And many more amazing abilities" Sparky explained. The Peanuts gang all looked at Charlie Brown in awe, trying to imagine him doing all that. Charlie Brown couldn't help but fantasise himself, it did sound like fun... if you took out the part where he would have to use these powers to battle vile villains who wanted to kill him.
"This all sounds pretty impressive" Linus summarised the general opinion "But is this really the only option. I don't wish to undermine the confidence of my best friend any more than it already has been through years of abuse, but in a logical sense the prospect of sending a thirteen year old boy out to fight a war against a demonic entity of darkness is completely unreasonable. I'm sure these Ancients of which you speak would feel the same way"
"I am certain they do Linus" Sparky nodded, proud to see a boy with such wisdom and common sense "But as I have said, there is nothing we can do. For your comfort I should tell you, that in this universe everything happens for a reason. Charlie Brown's being chosen was no mere coincidence, though there has been no prophecy or similar plot device to tell us so, it was always Charlie Brown's destiny to take my place as Guardian of Light. And while none of you may believe that, even if you politely refuse to say it to avoid hurting your friend, Charlie Brown is meant to fight for the universe. And he will most likely succeed, if only you believe in him. And besides, there are many heroes in other worlds that are even younger than him and face great threats, and they manage to come out alright"
Sparky's words brought some slight sense of relief to a few of the Peanuts, but this was still a pretty bizarre and unbelievable situation. Charlie Brown was surprised by Sparky's comment about his friends not wanting to hurt his feelings. I mean, yeah, most friends would probably do that, but at least one or two of his friends would usually be going off into some sort of rant about him by now. And the magority of them had just suffered a horrible loss at baseball again, even the shock of all this Guardian business shouldn't have been enough to make them forget that. Just why was everybody acting so strange?
"So, what exactly does Charlie Brown need to do now?" Franklin asked what was perhaps the all important question. Sparky's ears drooped, knowing this next bit of information wasn't going to go down well.
"Charlie will have to come with me to the Light palace, a specially constructed fortress within the white space, so that he can be trained to use his abilities. After that, he will have to travel between the many worlds in the realm and unite the greatest heroes the Realm of Light has to offer, to counter any sinister plans my sister may form" Sparky hesitated before saying the surely saddest part of it all "Meaning he will have to leave this world, and all of you behind for perhaps the rest of this journey. Which could possibly take many long years"
Gasps filled the room, jaws hit the floor, the Peanuts gaped in horror and some even fell out of their seats. Charlie Brown was the most devastated.
"I have to leave my friends and family behind!? You never said that!" Charlie Brown screamed frightfully, Sparky sighed apologetically.
"I am truly sorry, but it should have been obvious. I do not intend to-"
"This isn't fair!" Lucy interrupted, looking on the verge of nervous collapse "You can't just take Charlie Brown away like that! We were all about to finally start treating him better, and now you're telling us we might never see him again!? That's not fair! THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR"
"Wait, what?" Charlie Brown said, confused about that middle part.
"I agree with you Lucy, it isn't fair. It is the most unfair part of all this. But though it causes me great inner turmoil to tear apart friendships, the fate of the universe is more important, I'm sure you all agree" Sparky said seriously. The kids all had to admit that sounded right... but that doesn't mean they could accept it.
"But why does he have to leave for years? He can come back here whenever he wants to visit, can't he?" Peppermint asked, desparetely trying for a reasonable solution.
"He probably can, but with my sister's track record of causing chaos it would give us only very rare occasions to do so, unless she chooses to assault this world on a daily basis. Which... I highly doubt" Sparky replied. The Peanuts, for a moment hopeful, grew mournful once more. Everyone stared sadly at Charlie Brown, who was starting to hyperventilate.
"Don't I get a say in this?" Charlie Brown pleaded.
"Of course you do Charlie, you are free to speak as much as you want. This is your fate we are discussing, you don't need to ask to voice your thoughts" Sparky said gently. Charlie Brown took a moment to carefully plan his next words, painfully aware of the worried looks his friends were giving him. it really didn't help that Sally and Snoopy were on the verge of tears.
"I understand this is an enormous responsibility, protecting the whole universe. But... my friends, Sally, Snoopy and Woodstock... everyone I hold dear... I can't just leave them. Without them I'd just be... me. And I'm nothing by myself. I know you keep trying to say I'm a good person, but I'm nothing without my friends, for all the times things have gone wrong between us they're the best part of my life. And I really don't want to leave them. I just-I just couldn't handle it" Charlie Brown said, styfling a sob.
Charlie Brown's friends were left speechless by these words, it was really quite touching. They were amazed to see how much Charlie Brown really did care for them, for all the times they had treated him badly he considered them the best part of his life. This both inspired more shame in the Peanuts who had been at the wall, while also furthering their resolve to be better friends... but how could they do that if Charlie Brown did have to leave for years?
With everyones full attention fixed on the floating dog spirit, Sparky carefully contemplated his next words.
"Though I am proud to see how strong the bonds between you and your loved ones are Charlie... there's not much I can do" Sparky began sadly. Charlie Brown lowered his head remorsefully while his friends gasped in outrage "But do not assume that I am being spiteful. If it were up to me you would all be allowed to come along, I'm quite sure you wouldn't say no to the chance to see other worlds. But what would your parents think?"
This managed to shut the kids up for a moment. They all thought about what their parents would think of all this. First they would probably laugh and say their children have some active imaginations, then after seeing Sparky themselves and realising just what sort of predicament Charlie Brown was in, they probably would not want them hanging around him for fear that they may get hurt in all this. The children all grimaced at this thought.
"Now you see" Sparky said solumnly "With my sister returned and the universe in constant need of protection until the day she can be re-imprisoned, there is not much chance for Charlie to visit. And you couldn't come along for the journey because your parents would never allow it. And they are the ones that have authority over you, nothing I say or do can change that. As much as I would like to accomodate your desire to all be together, one happy group of friends, our situation makes it close to impossible. I am truly sorry"
There was a moment of depressing silence. Charlie Brown stared remoursefully between his friends, their sad faces making him feel downright terrible about all this. For a moment he wondered, did he really have to do this? Sparky did say he had a choice about whether he wanted to act as a Guardian. If he didn't want to abandon his friends he wouldn't have to, he could refuse... but that would be wrong. Charlie Brown had already promised himself he would go through with his promise to Sparky, he knew he was putting himself at risk and he had promised himself to see this through. And that just made him feel even worse about having to abandon his friends and family.
"So, how long until..." Freida began, but trailed off, afraid of the answer she would receive. Sparky had a pretty good idea about what she was asking.
"I will give you all some time to be together, let Charlie sort things out between you all. But the Ancients would only allow us to wait a few days for this. All I can say, is that you should appreciate every last second you all have together with him" The ghostly Guardian said wisely.
This last revelation further upset the Peanuts gang. Sally looked imploringly at her brother, silently begging him not to leave her. Charlie Brown responded with an appologetic look, and Sally cried into Linus's shoulder. The blanket carrier did not resist, and even put his arm around her in comfort. He exchanged his own remorseful glance with Charlie Brown, how was he supposed to cope without his best friend? Snoopy was shaking his head and growling, trying his very best to deny everything that was being said. But it wasn't working, and the beagle was soon crying on the ground as Woodstock hugged him. The other Peanuts found it equally difficult to digest the possibility of losing Charlie Brown, the one who had brought them all together.
If not for what came next, they would have indeed been separated from Charlie Brown. He would have had to leave them behind, and they would not have been allowed to take part on his quest to defend the worlds. But I guess sometimes, the most sinister of developments can have some positive outcomes.
Charlie Brown noticed Marcie stand up and saw her mouth move... but no sound came out. Charlie Brown's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he quickly realised that all sound in the room had been extinguished. But before he could even comprehend this unsettling occurance, he expienced a sudden pain in his head. And this wasn't like a plain old headache or anything, this was complete, excrusiating pain! Charlie Brown screamed out in agony, clutching his head in his hands and collapsing onto his knees as the pain spread, and from his point of view the room became cloaked in a sinister dark haze.
The Peanuts all stared on in shock as Charlie Brown collapsed, apparently having a fit. In their concern for their friends' safety, they completely missed the fact that Sparky was having a similar experience above them.
Peppermint Patty and Linus rushed to Charlie Brown's side. They had no idea what to do to help him, but did their best to try and comfort him. Eventually the pains stopped, and Charlie Brown's vision returned to normal, though he was still very shaken. The kids cautiously approached their downed friend, completely surrounding him. Charlie Brown shook his head and tried to get up, but fell and was caught by Peppermint Patty. The tomboy worked together with Linus to hoist Charlie Brown up and bring him unsteadily to his feet as they supported him.
"What the heck happened?" Shermy asked, bewildered and terrified. Charlie Brown ignored the worries of his friends and looked upwards at Sparky, who returned his terrified stare with a horrified grimace.
"Did you feel it?" Charlie Brown asked. Sparky nodded, and everyone looked up at the dog spirit.
"I did indeed. A great surge of darkness" Sparky replied dramatically "Which means..."
"My sister's forces have arrived on this world"
This next scene opens in a far off part of town. In this neighbourhood, the usual quaintness and friendly atmosphere of most of Birchwood was practically nonexistent, replaced by an atmosphere of depression. Any resident who had the displeasure of wandering into this part of town would suddenly feel a chill go up their spine, there was just something really creepy about this place.
It was no secret that the edge of town was a haven for the criminal element. Right under the noses of the police, drug dealing, prostitution and mob dealings took place in this neighbourhood. Most everyone knew this, but the police could never catch anyone in the act. And while most sensible people knew to stay away from here, sadly, business was booming.
There were a few residential houses in this neighbourhood, but most were old and abandoned, and some run down and crumbling to dust. Under the shade of a dilapidated gas station, we find two of Birchwood's most notorious young delinqents, Joe Agate and Thibault.
The two had long made this gas station their hangout, Joe's dad was a big player in the criminal underworld, and had even let his son do a bit of drug dealing for him, so the boys were safe here. It was rather handy when they wanted to discuss scams and bullying tactics without being overheard.
Thibault, having been ordered to spy on the Peanuts by Joe Agate, was telling the green capped boy about how he saw Charlie Brown surrounded by an aura of light, floating off the ground, and how the translucent figure of a purple, white robed dog had appeared above him, declaring Charlie Brown the Guardian of Light and leading the gang away. Needless to say, Joe just cocked a brow and laughed sarcastically.
"Sure 'Bo, whatever you say" Joe snickered, Thibault frowned and gritted his teeth in frustration.
"It's true I tell you, Charlie Brown was glowing and floating in the air!" Thibault roared.
"Suuure" Joe sang "And Freddie Fabulous is a computer geek"
"You think I'd lie about something like this?!" Thibault growled, his anger growing with each passing second "I'm telling you, something freaky is going on with Charlie Brown, and his little Peanuts gang is in on it. They're conspiring to something, I just know it" Thibault said madly. Joe rolled his eyes and chuckled.
"Either you've been drinking your dad's beer again or you've been watching too much Fox news. Either way, you've gone completely mental" Joe commented.
"I'M NOT DRUNK! AND I'M NOT MAD! EVERYTHING I SAY IS TRUE, IT IS!" Thibault screamed in a voice that could contend even with Charlotte Braun's shouting. Joe held his ears for a few seconds afterwards before chortling once more at his friend.
"Get real Thibault. I might actually believe you, if anything you said was plausible. But come on, this isn't a cartoon, or some trashy comic strip, this is reality. No one just floats off the ground and glows, and a talking dog? You know as well as I do that's a retarded idea. And seriously, Charlie Brown, a "Guardian of light"? If nothing else, THAT should be a dead give-away that everything you've tried to explain to me is just a product of your surprisingly wild imagination" Joe Agate explained plainly. Thibault scoffed.
"I know what I saw, and even if it should be impossible it DID happen" Thibault insisted. After a moments thought, he questioned "Aren't you curious about what this all means though? I thought you of all people would be interested in knowing if Charlie Brown's involved in some sort of magical mystery"
Joe turned away from Thibault for a moment, picking up a dart lying on a broken stand and twirling it around in his hand. It was true, despite his refusal to believe Thibault's ludicrous claims, he was secretly suspicious of Charlie Brown's present actions. The bully had harboured a massive grudge on Brown for five years now, after that stay at summer camp where Charlie Brown had actually managed to beat him at a game of marbles. Joe had tried shrugging it off at first, but he never really got over the loss. How could he, when losing to a blockhead like Brown made him the laughing stock of the town for three years afterwards. It had taken many beatings, noogies, wedgies and swirlies to make people stop teasing him over losing to Charlie Brown. And even now that he had secured his place as the number one bully in Birchwood, the loss still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He had tried many times to get back at Charlie Brown for humiliating him. He and a few cohorts had beaten the boy up on several occasions when Peppermint Patty or Linus weren't around to defend him, taken his lunch money, and of course he had fanned the flames of social exclusion, making Brown the undesputed outcast of Birchwood middle school. But it wasn't enough, no matter what he still couldn't wash away the failure. He still couldn't get over his defeat at the hands of the worlds biggest blockhead.
Angered by these thoughts Joe turned to face a wall with a dartboard, in the middle of which a picture of Charlie Brown's face had been pinned up. He threw the dart he was holding, it struck the picture of Brown dead in the eye. Agate breathed deeply and exhaled.
"If Brown were involved in some sort of magic scandal I'd be very interested in knowing about it" Joe confessed, pleasing Thibault. Before the boy added "But it's not happening. There's no way anything your saying is true"
"Au contraire"
The two bullies jumped in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. They turned to the doorway (The door just barely hanging onto it's rusty hinges) to find a man wearing a mostly red jacket and black trousers, who's body was shaped suspisciously like an egg. The man wore blue glasses, had a big pink nose, and a nice mustache, though no hair anywhere else on his head. The boys glared at the man, who sent them a wide and sinister grin.
"Hey, fatso, this is our turf! Get the fudge out!" Thibault spat. The egg man did a double take and glared at Thibault with utmost fury.
"What did you call me you little-" The man stopped himself, remembering his orders and trying hard not to lose his temper, as he so often did. With a deep breath, and a hateful look at the short teen, the mystery man stood up straight in a dignified position and said "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr Eggman, I come here from the distant planet of Mobius. I'm here on a mission to track down a certain someone, and I couldn't help but overhear your most intriging conversation from three blocks away"
Joe and Thibault exchanged uncertain looks. This guy was an alien? Sure, he looked like a complete weirdo, but they couldn't trust the word of anyone who they met at the edge of town.
"And what is so interesting about what we're saying?" Joe asked. He thought he might as well hear more of what this doctor said before labeling him a complete wackjob.
Eggman smiled devilishly. He wandered around the crumbling gas station, taking in the unruly sights and smells, and sat down on an old lawnchair Thibault had brought in a few weeks ago.
"Well, let's just say from what I've heard, this, Charlie Brown, is it? He sounds like he may be just the guy I'm looking for" Eggman replied. The boys' eyebrow's reached the tops of their heads, now officially curious.
"So, you believe me that Brown was glowing and floating in the air?" Thibault asked hopefully, he would be pleased to know that someone believed him.
"Yes, but it was the part about the translucent purple dog that really sold me" Eggman answered, extracting a bottle of some green liquid and taking a sip from it.
Thibault grinned deviously, poked Joe's nose and cheered "HA!" Joe Agate merely punched him in the face, sending him down to the ground, and eyed Eggman suspisciously.
"So you actually believe all that?"
"My boy, I've seen things a MILLION times weirder than what your friend has witnessed" Eggman said jovially, placing the bottle of green liquid down on the cracked counter "Yes, I believe him. Because that purple dog is exactly the reason I'm here"
Thibault got up and laughed over how he was right, while Joe just gave Eggman a look that said he'd better start explaining himself.
"I can see you're still sceptical boy, so allow me to explain. Firstly, I am a renowned evil scientist back on my own world. For the past five years now I've been trying to conquer the planet of Mobius with my army of robots, but all my attempts have been thwarted by that pesky blue hedgehog Sonic" Eggman clenched his fist and gritted his teeth at the mention of his rival "Oh how I loathe him, that blue blur has messed up every one of my plans since he was ten years old! That speedy little pest never lets me win. I AM A GENIUS, my I.Q is 300, the highest of any man in the world, I have an army of loyal drones, and I've constantly summoned mystical evils to aid my goals. HOW DO I KEEP LOSING TO HIM!?"
Joe and Thibault stared strangely as the mad scientist rambled on about how Sonic kept messing up his plans. Joe quickly grew annoyed and shouted "Can we get to the point sometime this century!?"
Eggman was briefly stunned by Joe's outburst, and though furious at having been interrupted he grudgingly agreed to save his rant for later.
"Well, anyway, during my most recent attempt to defeat Sonic and take over the world I used a time travelling mechanism called the Time Eater, to distabilise time in my world and bring back a past version of myself to help defeat Sonic. But with the aid of his own past self, Sonic beat me again" Eggman said, looking quite bitter "As a result of the Time Eater's destruction, I was hurled into a realm that exists between time and space, with no one but my whiny past self for company"
Joe and Thibault nodded as the scientist went along. There were a lot of things they were uncertain of, such as how something as small as a hedgehog could defeat an army of robots Eggman supposedly commanded, and this whole time business sounded like something out of a cartoon. But they still listened to what the man had to say.
"Undoubted by my failure, and not wanting to sit around bickering with classic me for the rest of eternity, I set off to explore the strange dimension I'd been trapped in. Considering I'm in a relative hurry, I'll skip most of the details and say I ended up releasing an extremely powerful Dark Witch. Her brother, the dog you saw young man, was the Guardian of Light and tried to seal her away again... but she killed him. But unfortunately he escaped from our clutches, and his powers were sent off to be granted to a chosen hero, who would become the new Guardian of Light. Are you still following me?"
Joe and Thibault's utterly bewildered expressions told Eggman they hadn't really understood most of that, but considering the threats the Witch had made if he failed at his task he decided to continue regardless.
"Anyway, The Witch sent me, her greatest desciple here because she could sense her brother's power in this world. I have been granted the task of finding the new Guardian of Light, the greatest threat to the Dark Witch's goal of universal domination. So, tell me. Who is the new Guardian of Light?" Eggman asked. Joe and Thibault were still a tad lost on the finer details of the scientists story, but they had gotten the gist of it.
"Charlie Brown? A Guardian of Light? What does that even mean anyway?" Joe asked furiously.
"It means he will have extraordinary powers over the light. His strength and abilities will be near on-par with the Gods. Which is why I need to find him and make sure he does not get in the way of our plans. But first, I need to know just what I'm up against, so tell me about this Charlie Brown" Eggman said, leaning back casually in the armchair "What species is he? Hedgehog, Fox, do you have more than one echidna here?"
Joe and Thibault exchanged odd looks, the latter spun a finger around his head to indicate Eggman was crazy.
"He's human" Joe replied dryly. Eggman raised an... oh wait, he didn't have eyebrows, but he does have lines over his eyes where his eyebrows should have been. How do I say that though? Oops, I'm writing my thoughts into the story aren't I? Sorry folks, back to the plot.
"Ah right, this world doesn't have anthropomorphic talking animals" Eggman said to himself, remembering a conversation he'd had with the Witch about this world "Ok then, so what's this Charlie like? Is he a great hero?" The evil scientist was surprised when the two boys broke out in hysterical laughter.
"Charlie Brown? A hero? Bwa ha ha!" Thibault guffawed.
"That blockhead is the exact OPPOSITE of a hero! He's weak, he's meek, he's pathetic, he's bald, he's stupid, he's a complete loser and can't do a SINGLE THING RIGHT. He's a complete and utter failure!" Joe said savagely. Eggman looked stunned.
"Seriously?" Eggman said thoughtfully "Yeesh, you'd think the Guardian of Light would have higher stands in choosing a successor. But I can't complain, this just makes things a lot easier for me"
Thibault and Joe finally stopped laughing over Charlie Brown's pathetic nature and continued to look uncertainly at Eggman.
"So, basically you're here to kill Charlie Brown, right?" Joe asked, quite hopefully.
"Oh heavens no! I don't kill people, oh no. I may be a mad scientist, but even I have my morals" Eggman said defensively. The two bullies "Awww"'ed in dissapointment "Besides, if I did kill him it would release his power and a new guardian would be chosen, which could result in even MORE problems for The Witch and myself. No, I am merely here to capture him and take him to my mistress, so she can deal with him herself. Which brings me to my next question, where can I find this Charlie Brown?"
"Well, his house is in the Pinetree Corners district, number 07" Thibault replied. Eggman smiled and shot to his feet.
"Very good" Eggman said. He then practically hopped in the direction of the door, startling the two bullies "Well, thank you gentlemen for all your help, I'll just be-"
"Aren't you forgetting something, Ivo?!"
The bullies and mad scientist all jumped at the voice, which was high, cold and hazy. Eggman came to a very sudden stop, shivering with fright. While Joe and Thibault were looking around urgently for the source of the voice, the mad scientist reached into his coat and pulled out a black, sinisterly styled mirror.
"Yes, dear Witch?" Eggman said nervously into the mirror. Joe and Thibault stopped looking around and turned their attention to the mirror in Eggman's hand, realizing that the voice must have come from there.
"You've forgotten, haven't you" The voice spoke again, now in an accusing tone to Eggman "You forgot to find a suitable warrior to weild my power. A warrior to strike down my brother's chosen one, and bring him to me" The voice paused for a short while as Eggman looked down in utmost fear at the mirror "... Or perhaps you thought to defy me? Perhaps you thought you'd use my powers yourself, like I demanded you not do?"
"Of course not, my master" Eggman said quickly, suddenly short on breath "I-it's just that-I thought, maybe... maybe, since this boy sounds so weak and vulnerable, I could-"
"You thought you could defeat him yourself with one of your robots" The voice finished. Eggman nooded weakly, and Joe and Thibault heard a scoff come from the mirror "Foolish mortal! It does not matter if this Charlie Brown is a pathetic, worthless failure. He still has my brother's power, and although no one of his description could ever be capable of utilising it to it's full potential, he would still be more than powerful enough to defeat you! No, you must find me a dark warrior!"
"But, my dear Witch... who?" Eggman implored "From what information I've gathered, the people of this world are both primitive and relatively powerless. And there's precious little time to scour any other worlds for a prime warrior of darkness. Where can I find someone?"
"Try looking directly in front of you" The Witch's voice stubbornly commanded. Eggman looked over the mirror at Joe Agate and Thibault, still staring at him in wonder and looking surprisingly innocent for people of their character. Eggman facefaulted and looked incredulously at the mirror.
"You mean shrimp boy over there?" Eggman asked, to which Thibault made a noise like an angry bull.
"NO! NOT SARGENT CHAUVANIST! The other boy..." The Witch elaborated. Eggman gave another look at Joe Agate, who shot him a nasty glare in return. Eggman hummed and scratched his chin, as though thoughtful. But he was also highly sceptical. "Show me the boy" The evil voice commanded. Eggman knew he had to comply and turned the mirror around so the two bullies could see the reflection in it... but no, it was not their reflection, but the shadowy face of the Dark Witch!
Thibault jumped back in shock and fell on his rear at the sight of the Witch in the mirror, but Joe Agate refused to show fear and merely stared at the mirror with a grim expression. The Dark Witch stared back at him through the looking glass, her ruby eyes twinkling malevolently.
"Yes" The Witch's voice echoed, her hideous purple mouth opened in a wide grin as she looked into Joe's eyes, into his very soul "So... nasty. So... manipulative. Such hatred, such loathing, such cunning, brutality and desire for true power... so much potential for darkness"
As the Witch's reflection spoke Thibault and Eggman both looked at Joe in a most cautious manner. Joe for one was starting to feel quite weird. He could feel something not quite right in his head, and he got the feeling that whatever this Dark Witch was, she was reading his mind. This thought quickly gained the ire of the bully.
"Get out of my head you creep!" Joe screamed, covering his forehead and glaring viciously at the Witch's image. Eggman shuddered and frantically motioned for him to stop. But the Witch's face simply split into an even wider, more disgusting grin.
"And he can resist my mind reading powers too" The Witch cackled jovially "If that's not a sign of an iron will, I don't know what is! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha"
Thibault shook his head and stared uncertainly between Joe and the Witch's face in the mirror. Eggman started fiddling with the fingers in his free hand. He had a good idea where the Witch was going, but couldn't quite see her reasoning. Joe for his part was still trying to figure out what the Dark Witch was getting at.
"Just what do you want you... whatever you are?" Joe asked grudgingly. The Dark Witch's hands came into the mirrors frame, and she intertwined them in a calculating manner.
"What I want is complete and utter universal domination" The Witch said plainly "I want to shroud the entire realm of light in my own darkness, I want to free the people of yours and all other worlds of their retched consciousness. But to do that, this Charlie Brown of yours must first be killed. And my dear boy, I want you to do it"
Joe raised an eyebrow, and then smirked.
"Go on" He said with a friendly wave. The Witch grinned wider, it was working.
"I have seen your heart Joe Agate... and I like what I see. You have a great darkness in you my boy, the kind that needs to be nurtured and encouraged to bloom. You are not meant to reside here, in this acursed Realm of Light. Dear Joe, I can offer you everything your heart desires" The Witch said craftily, Joe Agate hanging on to her every word "I can give you the power to control darkness itself. I can teach you to crush mountains, destroy worlds, slay all who wrong you. And in exchange for aiding me in my plans, I can make you an heir. Second in command of my Dark Empire, and secondary ruler of the entire universe! And all you have to do is live your greatest desire, and exact revenge on the boy who wronged you. I ask you to defeat Charlie Brown, bring him to me so I may seal away his powers, and then, I will allow you to be the one who ends the boy's life"
At this point Thibault and Eggman were both overcome with chills over the downright evilness of the Witch's request. As for Joe, the bully smiled widely at the prospects.
"What do you say then?" The Witch asked, already knowing the answer from the look on the boy's face.
"What do I say?" Joe repeated humourously "I say you got yourself a done deal Witch"
The Dark Witch's cackles echoed throughout the old gas station, her laugh was so horrifying and creepy it could scare all the hair off a cat. Thibault was staring in absolute bewilderment at Joe and the mirror, feeling quite bitter and jealous of his partner in delinquency. And as for Eggman...
"Are you mad woman!" The Doctor yelled into the mirror, forgetting for a moment who he was talking too "You won't let me inherit your power, but you'll have me give it to some punk kid? That makes absolutely no sense, it's crazy! He'll never pull it off!" The reflection of the Witch scowled evily at Eggman, who suddenly regained his sense of self and held the mirror as far back from him as he could "I'm sorry, dear Witch, I meant-"
"I know, I know!" The Witch groaned "Maybe it does seem foolish to your mortal mind. But look at him Ivo, his heart is filled to the brim with darkness. He is crafty, manipulative and downright dangerous if given the power to do some real damage. And best of all, he already has a reason to want to kill the new guardian. A better choice we'll not likely find on this world, and you said yourself that we have no time to scour other worlds for a warrior. Give him the sphere of darkness"
Not wanting to bring about the Witch's full wraph when he returned to her realm Eggman nervously nodded and reached into his jacket. The young bullies watched closely as he extracted a medium sized wooden box that, in all logical sense, should not have fit into his coat. Joe gave the Witch a curious look, to which she responded with a look that plainly said "Wait and see"
After extracting a key from the same pocket he had pulled the box out from, Eggman open the box to reveal... an orb of pure, swirling darkness!
"... 'The hell!" Thibault gasped, not believing what he was seeing. hovering just above the box in Eggman's hand was a sphere the size of a basketball made up of pure darkness. To his poor mind, that was just WAY too weird for him to fully comprehend.
"You want power, Joe Agate? You want the chance to take revenge on Charlie Brown, the chance to put your feelings of inadiquacy to rest?" The Dark Witch's reflection began craftily "Then reach out and accept half of my own great power! Reach out and accept YOUR DESTINY!"
"A little melodramatic, but oh well" Eggman muttered under his breath so no one would hear him. But...
"I am not melodramatic you oval swine!" The Dark Witch snarled, making Eggman do a double take and mentally slap himself, since he no longer had a free hand to do so physically.
Joe ignored the blundering of the evil scientist and stared at the ball of darkness in contemplation. For a moment his rational mind tried to steer him clear of the path he was being asked to take. He didn't know if he could really trust these freaks for starters, and he had never stooped so low as to actually try and murder someone before. But then again... it was Charlie Brown he was supposed to kill. And the Witch was probably right in saying it would help him finally get over his humiliating defeat, and put his greatest enemy in his well deserved tomb.
With a dark smile Joe began to reach out his hand to-
"Hey, wait a minute!" Thibault suddenly screamed, gaining everyones attention "I want in on this whole bad guy, darkness whatever business too. Don't I get any powers!?"
The Witch's face moved in a manner suggesting she was raising an eyebrow, and then she burst out laughing. But no a mirthful lauth, a dry and grim laugh.
"And why should I squander my powers on a pathetic, sexist little short ass like you?" The Dark Witch asked rudely. Thibault's face turned red and he looked ready to fire back a retort before Joe elbowed him in the gut and told him to be quiet.
"He's a thoughtless, stupid little blockhead, but he is resourseful. I'm sure he'd be of some use to you" Joe told the Witch in the mirror. The Dark Witch stared contemplatively at Thibault for a moment, then stuck her tongue out and groaned.
"Oh fine. But I ain't sharing any of my powers with him! If he wants power, he can have whatever power he wants from some other world" The Witch replied. Thibault looked torn between gleeful and furious at Joe's rude method of standing up for him.
And so, without further ado, Joe Agate reached out his hand and touched the sphere of darkness.
The effect was almost instant. The darkness comprising the orb ceased swirling in a complete circle and began circling around Joe's hand, moving up his arm before coating his entire body in darkness. Thibault gasped in shock while Eggman merely stood back and took cover behind the run down counter, just to be safe. The darkness continued to circle Joe's body for a full minute, before finally it began to sink in through his skin...
A long moment of silence followed. Joe stood limp on the spot, his head lowered so neither Thibault nor Eggman could see his face. The lesser bully and mad scientist leaned closer for a better look, the latter worrying something might have gone wrong.
Then suddenly Joe's head snapped up, an evil grin plastered across his face and his eyes quickly turning from black beads to ruby red. Without warning Joe raised his hand and shot a beam of dark energy from his palm, creating a massive hole in the ceiling. Thibault ducked under the counter with Eggman to avoid the falling debris, and both watched on in horror as the Agate boy floated ten feet into the air, laughing maniacally, and shot bolts of black lightning from all ten fingertips. The dark lighting obliterated the walls, ceiling and everything else it touched. In less than a moment, Joe had reduced the gas station and everything in it to dust, leaving only Thibault and Eggman untouched.
The two cowards shuddered on the floor as Joe Agate maliciously examined his handiwork. The young teen stared down at his hands, both covered in darkness, grinning like a psychopath as he imagined all the "Wonderful" things he could do with this unimaginable power.
From within the mirror still in Eggman's hand, the Dark Witch smiled. Victory had almost been achieved.
"You like this power, Joe?" The Witch asked kindly. Joe laughed.
"Like it? I love it!" Joe cheered, blasting a foreclosed home nearby with a beam of darkness, so that it collapsed upon itself. The Witch cackled with him.
"Yes, destroying things is fun isn't it. And I assure you, you'll have plenty more things to destroy. After you bring me Charlie Brown" The Witch said importantly.
"No sweat" Joe said, quite cocky "I'll go get him now. You might have to wait a little while though, I might take the time to rough him up a bit"
"Not yet" The Witch said plainly. Joe Agate stared at her reflection in shock, and outrage.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT NOW? I WANNA KILL BROWN"
"And you will, after bringing him to me first of course. But for now you must come meet me in my world, the Realm of Darkness. For as worthless and weak as Charlie Brown may be, you still require a few training sessions before I can let you battle anyone. But don't worry, it won't take long. And when we're done I promise you'll be able to do whatever you want to ol' Charlie Brown" The Witch replied deviously. Joe Agate's creepy grin returned in full force, and he nodded in acceptance.
"Right, if everythings sorted, time for lesson number one: Opening dark portals" The Witch announced. Joe stared questioningly at her and she explained "Hold both your arms in front of you, and mentally command a portal of darkness to appear and, also mentally, state exactly where you want it to lead to. For this first test you can just open it to anywhere in the Realm of Darkness, I'll find you easily. Ivo, make sure you follow him. And you too kid, since you insist on joining us"
Joe grinned at this prospect and did as he was instructed. He held out his hands, and a vortex of black and purple energy opened up before the three villains.
"I must confess, the boy is a natural" Eggman admitted to the Witch's reflection. The Dark Witch grinned boastfully.
"Of course he is, I'm never wrong" The Witch snidely commented.
Thibault examined the portal cautiously as Joe Agate stood behind him. Feeling pretty scared but not willing to admit it, he turned around and told his friend "You first" In a pleasant tone. Joe responded by pushing him by the head into the portal, his screams echoing across the street for a brief moment before he vanished into darkness. Unphased by his own actions Joe stepped into the portal next. Eggman hesitated for a brief moment. Despite all his uncertainty though, he was wearing a most confident smirk as he too entered the portal with the mirror. The vortex vanished seconds afterwards, leaving behind nothing but the smouldering remains of the gas station.
Tiger Lover 16: Alright, that's a rap. I'm still not pleased with the first half of the chapter, I couldn't write properly for SOOOO many characters at once so most of them don't have a lot of lines, which is a real pitty because Peanuts has such a colourful and fun cast. They'll have more to do in the next chapter though. I've made another change to this opening arc. Because the training scenes are proving to take more time than I expected I've decided to do another chapter for those scenes before moving on to the climax of this opening arc. Plus, I wanted to update at least one story this month incase Christmas got in the way of my writing, so it all works out. I must say the scene with the villains was definitely my favourite part to write, a lot more jokes than in previous chapters and it's fun to sometimes focus on the characters that aren't so likeable. Joe Agate will be the co-main villain of this story, serving the Dark Witch as her most loyal soldier, gathering up villains from across the many franchises and battling Charlie Brown. Thibault and several other more minor Peanuts characters will appear as recurring villains too, mostly Thibault, but most of their roles will not be nearly as big as Joe's. I'm glad to finally have a little cross-series interaction with that scene between Eggman and the bullies, personally I don't know if I did a good or a terrible job at writing Eggman here, but I still had lots of fun writing him. Ok, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, only two more to go until the plot really kicks off!