Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.
Season Three Episode Twelve: "Acid Test" Chapter One
Earth. Saturday night. The Brown residence. Elyon and her adoptive parents were enjoying something that was rare these days: A normal night at home together, like the ones they had spent together so many times back before the Queen had learned the truth about herself. Elyon, seated in a large overstuffed chair, looked up from her sketchpad to see Alborn and Miriabelle reclined in each other's arms on the sofa. She smiled and just watched for several minutes, until her mother noticed. "Aren't you going to tell us to 'get a room' dear?"
"Nah. It's much too late for that." Elyon said with a laugh.
"Okay. But it's not us you're sketching there is it? I'd hate an image of myself to end up in the royal archives looking as dressed down as I do right now."
"No it's not you. Hay Lin asked me to help her with designing bridesmaid gowns for the wedding. I still can't believe Will turned down that beautiful dress her mom found just because she'd have to be in Guardian mode to wear it."
Just then, the landline phone began ringing. Alborn got up and answered it. He spoke with the person on the other end for several minutes then ended with the words "I'll let Elyon know. I'm sure the girls will all be right there." After hanging up he turned to the Queen. "Elyon, that was Cassidy. Something's happened at her apartment. It looks like Queen Neera sent soldiers there. They took Miranda."
Varthan. Miranda came to laying face down on a hard, dark, vaguely organic surface. The air was hot and stank of something she couldn't quite identify and which she suspected she probably didn't want to identify. As she rose to her feet she held her head. "Oh, what happened?" the girl mumbled to herself. Then she remembered the attack.
Miranda looked around. She saw several objects which she didn't recognize. They were about her height, with heavy black carapaces covering what looked disturbingly similar to large brains. Somehow Miranda suspected these entities were alive and conscious of her presence. These were in fact Neera's Mindquavers, the living tools with which the Dark Queen had previously manipulated Susan Vandom.
Before Miranda could investigate further, Neera herself appeared, walking out of the shadows and approaching the young shapeshifter. The girl, having seen Prince Garix, knew who this had to be. She struck into a defensive posture, but did not change forms. "Queen Neera I presume." She said, "Why am I here?"
At Cassidy's apartment the scene was chaos. Furniture was overturned and destroyed all through the living room, kitchen, and Miranda's bedroom. Everything was soaking wet from the former Water Guardian's attempt to protect her younger charge. Cassidy was sitting on a chair she had righted, head in her hands, when with a flash all six Guardians appeared across the room from her.
Cassidy quickly stood up and ran to them. "Thank God. We've got to hurry, there's no telling what they're doing to her."
Will said, "Don't worry Cass. We're hurrying. Point of fact is the only reason we stopped here first was to collect you. Elyon kinda figured you'd want in on this mission."
"You're darn right I do." Cassidy answered. "I've gotten to care about that girl in the last couple months. There's no way we're losing her now. Get us to Varthan Will."
Taranee said, "Not Varthan yet. We've got a stop to make in Meridian first. It's strategy time. I'll tell you about it on the way."
Will used the Heart to open a fold to Elyon's palace on Meridian. Cassidy, Elyon, and Cornelia went through, while Will and the rest of the Guardians remained on earth to collect Matt and the regents.
Elsewhere in Heatherfield, Judas and Sandra met up with Uriah and the Grumper sisters. "So what are we doing tonight?" Uriah asked.
"You'll see." Judas said. "It's gonna be fun." The group walked to a nearby department store, UberMart. Inside, they spent the first half hour simply wandering about not doing anything of importance. They ended up in the women's accessories area. Courtney Grumper picked out a scarf she liked. "We'll keep watch. Go for it." Judas said.
A confused Uriah asked, "Keep watch for what?" Then he figured it out. Turned to look at Courtney just in time to see her stuffing the scarf into her purse. "Are you guys crazy?" he demanded, "We're gonna go to jail for somethin' like that!"
Judas laughed. "What's the matter Uriah? Chicken? Scared?"
"When it comes to prison, heck yeah. You should be too!"
"Chill dude. For one thing we're minors. It wouldn't be a real prison. Besides we won't get caught. No one saw." With that Judas walked away, and the girls followed.
Uriah ran to catch up. "No one saw, but what about security cameras?"
"What about them?" Sandra replied. "Judas and I scouted the store earlier. There are no cameras pointed at that spot."
Uriah's jaw dropped. "You guys planned this in advance? I gotta admit that's cool. But I'm still worried. We've all got a lot to lose if we did get caught." Bess and Courtney began making clucking noises until Uriah shut up. After a few minutes of silence during which they exited the store and headed west, Uriah finally said "I don't get it Courtney. Why swipe something as minor as that scarf? If you're gonna steal shouldn't you go big?"
"I intend to." She answered. "This was just a warm-up. Pretty soon, I'll have whatever I want. And what I want is everything."
"Wow. That's kind of greedy."
Before Uriah realized what was happening, the instant the 'greedy' line was out of his mouth, an angry Bess had grabbed him and with surprising strength flung him into the wall of the building they were walking past. She was angrier than Uriah had ever seen anyone, angry to a degree totally out of proportion to what he had said. So angry he almost shrieked in fear. "Don't you ever insult my sister again." she spat out at him.
In shock, Uriah could only nod agreement. Bess let him go and he sank to the ground as the other four teens stood over him laughing at how frightened he had been.
Varthan. "Why have you bought me here?" Miranda demanded again.
"My my, such fiery passion." Neera said. "You will do well. I have bought you here to make you an offer. I will bestow upon you a measure of my own power as the Heart of Varthan. You need only serve me."
"Serve you. You mean betray my friends. Forget it. I'm not turning my back on what's right again."
"Why not? You're already a traitor. Look at you, free and helping those who defeated Phobos and Cedric."
Miranda said, "That's different. Those two didn't care about anyone but themselves. They were only ever using me. Elyon and the Guardians are my friends."
"You are such a fool Miranda." Neera said. "Friendship, Love, Hope? They are the lies you always thought. Elyon is just using you, the same as her brother. The same in fact as I will be. I'm not trying to trick you into thinking that no one else cares but I do. I admit to you right here that I don't care one iota about you either. But at least I would give you some power to work with."
"That is not true. You might as well just have me killed, because I am not your servant and I never will be."
At this, the Dark Queen gestured to the Mindquavers scattered about the room. "My creations disagree with you dear. You will serve my purposes…" As Neera spoke this last word, the Mindquavers powered up. They directed their power at Miranda, who fell to the ground, with thoughts of loneliness, despair, and hopelessness bombarding her mind…