A Light to Guide

by Nightshadegirl

Eda once said "But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting." Only thing, we never know when a prophecy will take place and who will be involved. Two Prophecies intersect, Two Lights, Two Darks. Will Light succeed and Dark fall? Or will one Light fall and one Dark succeed?

29. Chapter 29

I don't own Disney's The Owl House. I do, however own the Main OC and any other OC's that will appear in the story. Hope you all enjoy my story on this lovely show.

FAIR WARNING:

WHAT I HAVE GIVEN MY CHARACTER IS SOMETHING I EVEN HAVE, AND I DON'T EVEN FULLY UNDERSTAND IT

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Today, the girls are chilling at the owl house. Luz was trying to learn a new glyph. With magnifying glass in hand, Luz has peered inside many a flower and had tried drawing the glyph she saw. Danielle was trying to untangle herself from the vines that were produced from the last attempt.

"Come on! Work this time," said Luz, drawing the plant glyph and activating it to produce a simple flower. "Yes! Check it out, King: my glyph skills are blossoming!"

"Thank goodness," said Danielle, still trying to untangle herself. "Stinkin' vine."

"You think that's impressive? Check this out!" said King, showing a cat video on Luz's cellphone. "Two warriors battling to the death!"

"Ah," said Luz, seeing the portal door open. "I see we're getting enough Wi-Fi through the portal for cat videos."

"Senseless violence," said King, watching the cat video. "Yes, attack! Death is your god!"

"They're being more cute than vicious," said Danielle, leaning over the couch, vines still on her. "Cute cat videos, love them. And dog ones too, especially if they're goldens."

"I regret teaching you about the Internet," said Luz, staring at King.

"It was bound to happen eventually," said Danielle, going back to getting the vines off her. "Ow!"

"Hah! What possible regrets could come from the Internet?" asked King, before seeing an old theory about earth. "Oh! Did you know that the Earth is actually flat?"

"Yep, that's not right," said Luz, grabbing her cellphone back only to get a text from her mom before trying to send a text back only to send an emoji instead. "Good enough."

"Ah, a severed hand!" said King, looking at the text. "Perfect response."

"Ugh! What am I supposed to say?" said Luz, flopping down on the couch and putting a pillow over her face before sitting up. "Hey, Mom, not at camp actually! I'm in the demon realm learning to be a witch! Also, did you know demons and magic are real? She. Will. End me."

"I can already hear my dad yelling at me," said Danielle, her eyes going cloudy while thinking what would happen if confronted by her parents.

"Wait! What!" said Luz, staring at Danielle.

"Er… um…" said Danielle, backing up towards the hallway. "Gotta go."

"She's hiding something," said Luz, staring in the direction Danielle left.

"Nah, she'd be freaked out by our world anyway," said King, staring at Luz. "So actually, by keeping the truth from her, you're doing her a favor!"

"Hm. The demon on my shoulder makes a good point," said Luz, looking at her cellphone.

"Always trust a shoulder demon!" said King, before grabbing the cellphone.

"Hoot hoot, Luz! Hoot hoot, Danielle! Time to fill up those darling little heads of yours with..." said Hooty, opening the door before regurgitating books. "Mm-hmm. Delicious knowledge!"

"Please hurry!" said Gus, looking in through the doorway.

"The more I look at him, the more uncomfortable I get," said Willow, looking in as well.

"On my way," said Danielle, coming out of the hallway with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Hoot hoot!" said Hooty, as Danielle walks pass him.

"A più tardi Hooty," said Danielle, petting Hooty getting a coo in response.

"Hehe," said Luz, pointing finger guns at Willow and Gus before kissing the top of King's skull. "Don't spend all day watching MewTube, 'kay?"

"Don't you mean YouTube?" asked Danielle, looking at Luz.

"Nope," replied Luz, confusing Danielle.

"I forge my own path! What a dum-dum," said King, still watching cat video before being distracted by his own tail wagging and pawing at it. "Ugh. Who has the energy?"

Heading to Hexside, the girls notice a bunch of decorations being put up. Danielle wonders what event was taking place.

"Coming through!" said a Spider Kindergartener Teacher, hanging some more decorations. "Watch your heads!"

"Wait…" said Danielle, noticing a poster. "Could it be this… grom? As in prom?"

"Something's different today," said Luz, staring around the hallway. "Did everyone get a haircut?"

"Oh yeah!" said Willow, looking at Luz. "I forgot you two never been here for the social event of the season."

"Welcome to your first…" said Gus, only for a medic team to come by with a stretcher.

"Oh, my goodness," said Danielle, worried. "Someone isn't hurt, is there?"

"Outta the way!" said a Medic, going over to a bat eared boy that was talking with Skara. "Come with us immediately! Your disease… it's advancing!"

"Is there a cure, doc?" asked the Bat Eared Boy, laying down on the stretcher.

"Oh no, oh no," thought Danielle, worried for the Bat Eared Boy not noticing some boys coming her way with flowers in hand, one of them being Mattholomule.

"Only one... finding the perfect date to Grom!" said the Medic, staring at the Bat Eared Boy.

"Huh?" said Danielle, flabbergasted.

"If that's the cure... then," said the Bat Eared Boy, holding an actual beating heart with grom? written on it. "Skara, will you go to Grom with me?"

"Ahhhhh! Of course, I will, or whatever!" replied Skara, happy and hugging the Bat Eared Boy.

"That's sweet," said Danielle, staring at Skara and the Bat Eared Boy. "A little creepy with the actual heart but sweet."

"You guys have a weird version of prom on the Boiling Isles? I was kicked out of my last school dance for dressing like an otter," said Luz, striking a pose. "But maybe here, I could be your Grom Queen!"

"That's, uh, not something people usually sign up for," said Willow, confusing the girls.

"Watch it, nitwit!" said Amity, not watching where she was going and bumping into Luz, dropping a note in the process. "Oh. Hi, Luz... and co. Sorry about that."

"No problem, let me help you!" said Luz, picking up some books and the note. "Here, your note. Man, you got some quick grabbers."

"It's just, it's... private," said Amity, before seeing some boys fighting behind Danielle.

"Attention Hexside students," said Principal Bump, speaking through the intercom. "This is your principal speaking."

"Oh, man, this is it!" said Gus, staring at the speaker.

"He's announcing who'll be this year's Grom royalty," said Willow, staring at the speaker as well.

"This year, I have the privilege to bestow our highest Grom honor to... Amity Blight!" said Principal Bump, everyone looking Amity's way. "Our Grom Queen!"

"Amity…" said Danielle, concerned when seeing Amity looking uneasy.

"Whoo! Amity, get it, queen!" said Luz, cheering and raising her hand for a high-five only for Amity to run away. "Don't leave me hangin'!

"Something's not right," said Danielle, concerned for Amity.

"You might want to give her some space," said Willow, placing a hand on Luz's shoulder. "Being Grom Queen is a tough job. Even for Amity."

Walking towards the school gym, the girls see even more decorations. Principal Bump was overlooking the final preparations.

"Very good. Lower the streamers, fill the punch bowl, and…" said Principal Bump, looking up at Snaggleback with sparkles on his shell and hanging upside down holding a rope. "How's my disco ball?"

"Nauseous," replied Snaggleback, getting a little green in the face.

"Great. Just keep it up for 36 more hours," said Principal Bump, leaving the gym as the girls enter.

"Snaggleback?" said Danielle, seeing Snaggleback not looking so good. "You don't look so good. Why not come down here?"

"Can't," replied Snaggleback, spinning in place a little. "Need to keep going for 36 more hours."

"Cosa?" said Danielle, not liking what she heard.

"Ah. My first school dance experience on the Boiling Isles. I can't wait to get overdressed, take awkward photos, push all the buttons… wait, what?" said Luz, noticing a unique stand with a red button. "Well, hello. Don't mind if I do. Woah!"

"What's with the weapons?" asked Danielle, seeing two walls pop up after seeing the gym floor open up.

"Medieval torture seems like a strange theme for Grom, but hey…" said Luz, looking at the weapons.

"They're not for decoration," said Amity, sitting on the bleachers before walking towards the girls. "This arena's where I'll make my debut as Grom Queen."

"Right," said Luz, staring at Amity. "Why don't you seem excited?"

"Because this isn't just some dance party," said Amity, grabbing a sword and looking at some black sludge moving about below the gym floor before casting a spell showing Grom's story. "That's Grom. Short for Grometheus, the Fear-Bringer. It's a monster that lives under the school. Every year it tries to break out, and a student has to defeat it before it invades the town. Ever the optimist, Bump holds a party and calls it tradition. The worst thing is that Grom can read minds and shape-shift into your worst fear. And mine... is very embarrassing."

"Even more reason not to go," thought Danielle, backing away from the opened gym floor. "I-I-I-I don't want to confront a certain fear."

"If it worries you so much, then why don't you tell Principal Bump you want out of this death match biz?" asked Luz, before gasping. "Unless talking to Bump is your greatest fear."

"No, but that's a good idea," said Amity, chuckling slightly. "Thanks Luz."

"Hm," said Luz, wondering how to help Amity.

"Put down a tarp, I'm gonna puke!" shouted Snaggleback, even greener than before.

Luz grabs Danielle and hightails it out of the gym. After school was over, the girls head back to the owl house. Walking on up to Eda's room, the girls see Eda dressed up in a brown suit.

"We're home!" said Luz, about to enter Eda's room.

"Ow!" shouted Eda, being pricked by a needle.

"Is everything okay?" asked Danielle, seeing King wearing a green apron.

"Guys?" said Luz, staring at Eda and King.

"Careful with those pins," said Eda, glaring at King.

"Why am I doing this?" asked King, staring at Eda. "I don't even wear clothes!"

"Hey, sweet duds, Owl Lady! What's the haps?" asked Luz, sitting on Eda's nest while Danielle stood nearby.

"I'm chaperoning Grom tonight," said Eda, brushing her hair back. "So, I have to look sharp."

"And Gus asked me to co-emcee the fight!" said King, holding up a poster of him and Gus. "We're going to turn this blood-bath into a fun-bath!"

"I can handle a few hours alone at best," thought Danielle, looking at the poster.

"Ooh, have they announced the victim yet?" asked Eda, staring at the girls.

"Yup," replied Danielle, still concerned for Amity.

"Yeah. It's Amity. She's kinda freaking out though," said Luz, scratching near her upper lip. "I wish I could, like, take her place or something."

"A great joke, Luz!" said King, laughing alongside Eda.

"Being hurtful here," said Danielle, rubbing her arm.

"Ah, listen, kid. That's a noble sentiment, but Grom is a little above your pay-grade," said Eda, staring at Luz who was getting red in the face with anger. "You're a human. You're... fragile."

"Hey! I've been learning lots of new spells!" said Luz, marching over to Eda. "I could totally handle it."

"Aaah!" squeaked Danielle, noticing a large spider in Luz's hair. "Luz…"

"There's a horrifying spider in your hair," said Eda, seeing the spider in Luz's hair while smirking.

"Nope. I'm not as fragile as you think, Eda. And I can't be so easily fooled, either," said Luz, leaving the room.

"Luz, wait…" said Danielle, only for Eda to stop her.

"Let her figure it out on her own," said Eda, before grabbing Danielle's bag and fishing around for something.

"Uh, maybe you were too hard on her," said King, staring at Eda. "Her and Danielle saved you from multiple monsters, remember?

"Facing Grom means facing your worst fear, King. And I don't think Luz knows what that means yet," said Eda, still fishing around in Danielle's bag "Now, to find you a dress."

"Oh, I'm not going," said Danielle, looking at Eda and King. "You guys have your fun."

"Nice try," said Eda, fishing out a dress. "But if the whole house is going, so are you."

"Okay…" said Danielle, backing up towards the door. "Vantaggio di cinque minuti."

"Did she just…" said King, seeing Danielle run out the door.

"The chase is on," said Eda, hightailing it after Danielle. "Run as fast as you can but I'll will catch you."

"Unless you have a master ball," shouted Danielle, turning a corner. "It won't happen."

As Luz left the house, she headed towards the forest. It was getting dark outside.

"Fragile. Eda doesn't know me! I-I'm brave! I'm a bad boy!" said Luz, holding a branch before hearing footsteps nearby. "Ominous footsteps, creepy woods. This is no problem. Luz chop! Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

"Ow," said Amity, unknowingly being hit by Luz and falling down.

"Oh my gosh, Amity!" said Luz, helping Amity up. "I'm so sorry!"

"And here I thought this day... Oop!" said Amity, sliding a little while Luz pulled her in close before sitting on a stump. "Couldn't get any worse."

"Did you talk to Bump?" asked Luz, plopping herself in the mud. "Was it as terrifying as you imagined?"

"He said no. I'm Grom Queen, unless I can find a replacement," said Amity, curling in on herself. "And who'd want to switch with me?"

"I would," said Luz, her face brightening.

"What?" said Amity, staring at Luz.

"Amity Blight, I'll do it. I'll take your place and face Grom in the arena. I'll be your fearless champion!" said Luz, standing up before the spider on the back of her head crawled forward onto her face, startling her into faceplanting into the mud. "Fearless... champion..."

Back at the owl house, the chase was still on. Danielle kept trying to dodge Eda and King. Danielle had to a few times tickle King off her. Right now, Danielle was hiding within Luz's bed. Luz had returned and was rummaging through a chest of clothes.

"Hmmm..." said Luz, holding a black dress before looking at an otter suit. "Hmm!"

"Huh?" said Danielle, peeking out from the comforter and seeing Luz sad after seeing a text from her mom then looking at the outfits she had out. "I'd go with the black dress."

"Huh?" said Luz, seeing Danielle in her bed. "What are you doing?"

"Hiding, so…" said Danielle, putting her index finger to her lips. "Shhhh."

"Oh, Luz!" said Hooty, coming through the window. "You have a guest!"

"Eep!" said Danielle, covering herself with the comforter while holding Luz's long cat toy.

"Hooty! No touching!" said Luz, shooing Hooty away before seeing Amity at her door. "Amity!"

"Not Eda," said Danielle, pulling the comforter down. "Or King."

"If that bird-tube ever talks to me again, I'm going to destroy it," said Amity, brushing feathers out of her hair. "You ready to train?"

"Train?" said Danielle, looking at Luz.

"Which should I wear to Grom?" asked Luz, holding up the outfits. "This one says, witch with a dark side. But this one says, I'm an otter... with a dark side."

"You already got my opinion," said Danielle, righting herself into a leaning position.

"Luz, you need to take this seriously," said Amity, staring at Luz. "If you can't defeat Grom, everyone on the island will have to live out their worst nightmare."

"What?" said Danielle, standing up and looking at Luz. "You're taking on Grom?!"

"You wanna hear my worst nightmare?" asked Hooty, putting his face up against Amity before she started to attack him. "Hooty-hoot! Hoot, hoot!"

"Hooty! Amity, stop… no fighting," said Danielle, trying to stop Amity. "No dessert tonight Hooty."

"Ah man," said Hooty, still being attacked by Amity.

"Stop, stop! Amity, Amity, wai—Amity, stop!" shouted Luz, holding Amity back.

"Good, that's over," said Danielle, wiping her forehead before being grabbed by a magical hand and pulled out the room. "Aiutami!"

Not wanting any part of what's happening to Danielle, Luz and Amity head outside. Emira and Edric waited outside for the two. Luz patched Hooty up with an eyepatch and some bandages.

"Grom will transform into your darkest fears," said Amity, pacing around before pointing at Luz. "What are you afraid of, Luz?"

"Wanna say our greatest fears? On three. One, two..." said Edric, before staring at Amity. "Being alone forever!"

"Being stuck with you forever," said Emira, only for Edric to groan.

"In preparation, I've made a list!" said Luz, handing a list to Amity before hearing noises and crashes from Eda's room. "What is going on up there?"

"No! Eda, stop!" shouted Danielle, laughing while struggling against Eda's grip while being undressed. "I won't wear it!"

"Stop squirming around," said Eda, laughing as well.

"Stay still," said King, placing a choker around Danielle's neck.

"Aah! No!" screamed Danielle, lightning coming off her and going throughout the owl house.

"Uuuuh," said Eda and King, laying on the floor as Danielle escape out the door.

"Something tells me we should have followed," said Luz, wondering what was going on in the house while Amity conjured her fears that she wrote down. "Jerks online who wanna debate! AH!"

"Huh…" said Danielle, opening the front door and seeing human faced cats. "Those are Luz's fears?"

"Human souls trapped in cat bodies!" said Luz, before a glass appeared in her hand and milk being added. "No! I'm lactose intolerant!"

"Those are some unique fears," said Danielle, walking over.

"Not enough," said Amity, walking over and making the illusions go away. "The reason I can't face Grom—it goes deeper than things that just gross me out. What's your real fear, Luz?"

"My real fear... is that Eda thinks I'm too fragile to do this!" said Luz, staring up at Eda's room then Amity. "And if she's right, I'll never be a real witch!"

"Don't you think that's a little too big?" asked Danielle, seeing Edric and Emira conjure a giant Eda.

"You're inadequate," said the Illusion Eda, conjuring a high chair with Luz in it and wearing a bib.

As for Eda and King, they were looking around the owl house for Danielle. Looking here and there before hearing Luz wailing. Heading outside, Eda sees the giant illusion of herself.

"Is that supposed to be me?" asked Eda, seeing her illusion smile down at her. "Dang, I look great. Wait a sec. You're training to be Grom Queen!"

"So, what if I am?" asked Luz, falling down before the high chair disappeared while Danielle helped her up.

"You think training will help against Grom?" asked Eda, walking over to Luz. "Luz, you always go overboard and I end up bailing you out. Now, what's the fun in watching a kid get eaten by a monster if it's my kid?"

"Well, maybe you'll have fun watching me defeat Grom!" said Luz, karate chopping one of the human faced cats.

"Luz, I don't think you're ready, but we're literally out of time," said Amity, putting a hand on Luz's shoulder.

"Make the time," said Eda, before seeing Danielle tiptoeing away. "Not so fast."

"Noo!" said Danielle, magically floating in the air curtsey of Eda. "I won't go! You can't make me!"

"Who wants to help me get Danielle in a dress?" asked Eda, walking back towards the house.

"Noohoohoo," whined Danielle, before looking at Edric. "Uh-uh, no way. I am not comfortable with a guy seeing me get dressed and such."

"I'll head home then," said Edric, waving bye. "See you later."

As Eda, Luz and the Blight sisters got Danielle dressed with a lot of hassle. Though not without some laughs and giggles in the process. Danielle now wore a sleeveless dress that stopped above the knees. The dress was white at the top and transitioning to dark blue the further it went down. There were star designs from the waist down. There was an attached sash around the middle with a decorative star with some pearl like beads nearby. Danielle still wore her Mamma's necklace instead of the choker King tried to put back on. Wore sandal like light brown dress shoes with a star design. Eda had styled Danielle' hair, half down with the other half pulled into a bun with a band with stars attached. Emira was able to get a nice light pink lipstick on Danielle that complimented her. Danielle ended up backing away when eyeliner was brought out.

Calling it a draw, Emira and Amity head back home to get ready. Luz ends up getting dressed in an outfit different from what she pulled out earlier. After finally being prepared, everyone heads to Hexside for Grom. When they get there, Willow and Gus compliment the girls on the attire. Unfortunately, Danielle had to dodge quite a few boys that looked her way after a bit. While everyone was distracted by the dance, Danielle slowly crept to the open door and hid behind it.

"Why so twitchy, witchy?" asked King, staring at Eda. "Trying to remember if I've ever seen you this worried before."

"Well, of course I'm worried! I'm going to have to save Luz from a nightmare monster!" said Eda, before leaning against a flower arch. "Ugh, so much for Mama's fun night out."

"Ladies, gentlemen, and assorted demons!" said Gus, as the lights dimmed while the spotlight hit him on stage. "It's almost time for our main Grom event. Please, please, take a seat, and be aware that the first three rows are designated splash zones."

"Wow, Gus is really good at this," said King, watching Gus. "They're hanging on his every word!"

"I see we've got Principal Bump in the house!" said Gus, getting the spotlight on Principal Bump who made raising-the-roof motion with his hands and smiles. "Now, sir, I hope you won't throw us in detention because, uh, we're going to raise the roof."

"Whoo, I, uh, hope my material's up to snuff. Whoah!" said King, dropping his notecards. "What do you think will go better with the youths, close-up magic or impressions?"

"Oh, King. Teenagers are brutal," said Eda, grabbing King by his scruff. "They'll boo anyone, and that kind of public humiliation can stick with you for life."

"Aaahh!" screamed King, nerves settling in more.

Meanwhile at the doorway, Amity steps out of the gym and looks around, then down at her note from this morning before smoothing it down. Danielle peeks around the corner of the door as Luz enters the hallway.

"I'm not sure if it's nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk, but something's making my stomach squirm," said Luz, her hands over her stomach.

"Uh, you look nice. Strange, but... nice," said Amity, putting her hands on Luz's shoulders. "And, thank you, Luz. Honestly, I'm kind of amazed with how fearless you are. You've done things I could never do."

"Hah! Yeah right! You goin' soft on me, Blight?" asked Luz, staring at Amity.

"In your dreams," said Amity, laughing.

"Danielle?" said Luz, spotting Danielle behind the door. "Why are you hiding behind the door?"

"The boys were getting annoying," said Danielle, coming out from hiding. "That…and… I'm not particularly found of dances. They're cool but not my thing."

"Oh," said Luz, before hearing Gus resume his speech.

"Now, introducing our Grom Queen. You know her, you love her... you've at least heard of her," said Gus, as the spotlight heads to Luz.

"Wish me luck!" said Luz, walking out into the gym.

"Luck," said Amity, quietly as Danielle leans against the doorframe.

"I hope you come out victorious Luz," said Danielle, watching Luz grab a flail as the gym floor opens before everyone.

"There you are, Gromarama. Not too scary," said Luz, seeing Grom take the form of human faced cats walking towards her. "Ugh, so weird."

"And there she goes, folks! Using that characteristic human magic to keep Grom at bay!" said Gus, seeing Luz put an ice glyph on the flail and swinging it at Grom before gesturing to King standing near him. "And now, to hand things over to my co-emcee: King!"

"Hel-LO, Hexside! So..." said King, getting nervous and dropping his notecards. "Oh, oh gosh. Um... whoo. Wow, these lights are warm. Observe! Luz, is um... she's down there, all right. And, uh, yes, she is! There she goes! Folks, she's battling the thing, and uh..."

"Oh King," said Danielle, seeing King getting more nervous on stage.

"You will clap for me! Please?" said King, before throwing his mic down and running off stage.

"King!" shouted Gus, running after King before seeing Danielle about to run after him. "Don't worry. I got him."

"Okay," said Danielle, watching Gus run after King before looking back at Luz.

"You're not coming from a place of intellectual honesty, so debating you would be pointless!" said Luz, slamming an ice glyph down which creates a sharp shard of ice that pierces the illusion and makes it disappear.

"Luz has lasted surprisingly long. But what form will Grom take next?" said Principal Bump, emceeing while Gus handled King.

"Let's finish this! Human-style!" said Luz, seeing Grom take on Eda's form before reaching out to her head, making her eyes glow for a couple seconds. "Huh?"

"Mija?" said Grom's new form, taking on the form of the portal before opening and a woman walking out.

"Mom!" said Luz, staring at what form Grom took on. "What are you doing here?"

"Camila?" said Danielle, stepping forward slightly.

"Luz, what is this terrible place? Espérate un momento, this isn't camp. Have you been here, all these weeks?" asked Grom-Camila, staring around the place then gasping when seeing the flail in Luz's hands. "And is that a weapon?"

"Ah!" said Luz, dropping the flail. "I can explain!"

"Mija, have you been lying to me?!" said Grom-Camila, swirling into its actual form with the fake Camila on top, towering over Luz, Danielle gasping as she steps back in fear.

Meanwhile as Luz was dealing with Grom, Gus searched around for King. Peering into the hallway, Gus spots King sitting next to the lockers.

"What's going on, little dude?" asked Gus, walking over before sitting down next to King.

"Nothing! Leave me be!" replied King, laying down.

"The thing is, you're sitting in my personal chit-chat zone, which means you gotta talk," said Gus, pointing at King.

"Well if that's the rule..." said King, sitting up. "Oh, how can this be? I get stage fright! Me! The King of Demons!"

"Well, sometimes, you just have to…" said Gus, staring at King.

"I know, I know," said King, staring to the side. "Imagine everyone in their underwear."

"Gross!" said Gus, blushing. "Why would you do that?"

"I dunno. I always do that," replied King, chuckling. " I am a little weirdo."

"No, King. Sometimes you just have to face your fear, like Luz is doing right now," said Gus, only to hear and see Luz slide in the hallway, Danielle right behind her.

"I can't do it!" said Luz, running past Gus and King. "I can't face my fear!"

"Why'd it zero in on me too?" said Danielle, a little further ahead of Luz. "I don't want to face a fear tonight."

"Why are you running, Luz?" asked Grom-Camila, chasing the girls.

"Grom has escaped," said Principal Bump, coming out in the hallway with some students.

"King, now's your chance," said Gus, seeing the mic in Principal Bump's hand.

"Gimme! King of Demons, you got this," said King, grabbing the mic and taking a breath. "Well, folks, looks like our show literally just took off! Weh?"

"You gotta pander," said Gus, looking at King.

"Uh, took off just like your local sports team would take off when they're about to make a goal?" said King, getting the students to cheer. "Yeah, that's right, so let's follow them and see what happens next."

As Grom-Camila was chasing the girls after they left school grounds, they decided to split hoping that Grom-Camila would stop chasing them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as it split in two and went after them both.

"I don't wanna be Grom Queen anymore! I give up the throne!" said Luz, before coming towards a cliff.

"Why can't you face me, Luz? Why can't you face your own mother?" said Grom-Camila, staring at Luz.

"You're not really my mom!" said Luz, turning away.

"How could you say that, cariño?! You're breaking my heart!" said Grom-Camila, about to attack Luz.

"Spicy Toss!" shouted Eda, flying in on her staff and throwing a fireball at Grom-Camila. "Hands off my humans, you misshapen excuse for a monster!"

"Eda! You're right!" said Luz, staring at Eda. "I'm not ready!"

"That's okay, I got this one," said Eda, before hearing a noise. "Huh?"

"Stay away from her!" shouted Amity, jumping out of the trees and placing herself between Luz and Grom. "I'm sorry, Luz. I should have fought my own battle. I…"

"Amity! No, your fear!" said Luz, seeing Grom grab Amity and reading her mind before Grom took on a humanoid appearance and taking a note out of Amity's pocket and tearing it. "Who is that? You were afraid of getting rejected. Amity, it's okay. What if I went to Grom with you instead?"

"Really?" said Amity, smiling while taking Luz's offered hand.

"That's what friends do," said Luz, smiling before Grom rises and towers above them roaring.

Amity holds out her hand to Luz. Luz grins and takes it. They come close to dance, the moon shining brightly behind them. They dance. Luz spins Amity, and Amity casts a spell with her feet, forming a giant abomination below them. They rise up on it. Luz fans out her plant glyph cards. Amity dips Luz, and she slaps a glyph onto the abomination. They jump off, and the abomination goes into Grom's mouth. Green light moves within it, and then plants start to bloom through it. Luz lands, then catches Amity, spinning her around several times before putting her on her feet. As they finish, holding hands, looking at each other, Grom explodes behind them. A giant tree is in its place. The last remnants of Grom slink off towards where Danielle is. Luz and Amity look up as a tiara appears on both of their heads. They smile at each other.

"So... who did you wanna ask out?" asked Luz, staring at Amity.

"Oh, it's... it's not important," replied Amity, tossing the crumbled note away, only for it to open and reveal Luz's name.

"And there you have it, folks. A happy ending for this year's Grom," said King, jumping near Luz and Amity. "Let's give a big hand to our Grom Queens, Luz and Amity!"

"You did it, buddy!" said Gus, staring at King as Luz and Amity are picked up by students that saw the whole ordeal.

"Of course, I did it! I'm the King of Demons and I've never had stage fright in my life!" said King, before being picked up by the students as well. "They love me!"

"Noooooooo!" shouted Danielle, from the area where the other half of Grom chased her.

"I completely forgot about Danielle," said Eda, gesturing to Luz and King to follow her as the students go back to the school while Willow, Gus, and Amity follow close behind.

Meanwhile as Luz and Amity dealt with their Grom, Danielle was not doing so good with hers. At the crossroads, Aster was dangling his feet from a stone slab. Wondering how Danielle was doing, a cube floats in his direction before projecting him from the light of the moon in the area where Danielle. Aster sees Danielle running from Grom in the woods. Slipping on some mud, Danielle slips and falls to the ground. Grom grabs her foot and reads her mind before forming into a young girl around Aster's age. Midback length russet hair, hazel green eyes, and fair skin. Wore denim overall dress with a flutter sleeve pink shirt underneath, pink socks with white lace, and split toe sandals. Wore bifocal glasses. The young girl was on the ground holding her bloody left foot, a rusty pitchfork through the top part of her foot, tears coming from her eyes.

"N-N-Nicole," said Danielle, choking up a little.

"Why sis?" asked Grom-Nicole, staring up at Danielle. "Why'd we have to pass through Zia Janet's lot? Because of that, I…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I didn't know," said Danielle, getting a little teary eyed before Grom shifted into another form and slapped her across the face. "Aah!... Dad?"

Danielle's dad was tall, early fifties and six foot tall. Short gray white hair, brown eyes, and fair skin with a construction tan. Wore an orange Harley Davidson short sleeve shirt, denim jeans that have seen better days, and tan wolverine work boots.

"What I say about speaking full on Italian around me?" shouted Grom-Dad, hand raised.

"But… I'm not even speaking Italian right now," said Danielle, only to be slapped again. "Aah!"

"What?" thought Aster, seeing Grom putting Danielle through her fears. "Danielle…"

Grom had taken on another form. A lady in her mid-fifties. Shoulder length russet brown hair with some grey on the sides, hazel green eyes, and light olive skin. A little on the heavy side. Wore white capris with a red/green floral design, a light pink capped sleeve blouse, the same necklace Danielle was currently wearing, and flat green shoes.

"Mamma," said Danielle, looking up at the lady.

"Danielle, what is this place? Is this…" said Grom-Mamma, staring around the place before giving a disappointed look at Danielle. "After all the stories I told you about when my parents were in Europe and stuff that I've seen, you're here of all places."

"Please, let me explain," said Danielle, holding her cheek.

"No, you knew better," said Grom-Mamma, pointing at Danielle. "You're dabbling in things that should not be touched."

"Please… understand… no no-no-no," said Danielle, seeing Grom-Mamma disappear into ash. "No no no-no-no.

"Hey there crybaby," said the newest form Grom took on, peering down over Danielle.

"Ooono," said Danielle, backing away from Grom's newest form. "Not you. Not… Carlos."

Carlos was an eighteen-year-old boy, about five foot eleven inches. Short auburn hair that framed around his face, gray eyes, and olive skin. Wore a short sleeve black shirt with a red sleeveless buttoned up vest, purple pants, and brown dress shoes.

"Ah man, really think it's going to be any different, freak," said Grom-Carlos, pushing Danielle down and grabbing her hair. "It's always so much fun putting you in your place."

After that, Grom-Carlos became many other people that circled around Danielle. All pointing, all belittling, all bullying and teasing at Danielle. Curling in on herself, tears were flowing from Danielle's eyes, covering her ears to drown out their awful words.

"Danielle…" said Aster, floating closer to Danielle and wanting to give her a hug.

"Stai zitto, stai zitto, stai zitto…" shouted Danielle, a little surge of magic coming off her. "Noooooooo!"

Danielle's scream was loud enough for Eda, Luz, King and others to hear. They run in the direction and appear not long after Grom had formed into Luz. Aster had hidden in Danielle's shadow before they completely approached

"Oh, Carlos was right," said Grom-Luz, bending and looking at a disheveled Danielle. "Who'd want to be friends with you? Someone with Down Syndrome?"

"What?" said Luz, hearing what Grom-Luz said.

"Please, don't…" said Danielle, staring at the ground.

"What's the matter, can't understand what I'm saying," said Grom-Luz, staring at Danielle. "Anything in that dumb head that can comprehend what I'm saying."

"Just stop," said Danielle, choking up before seeing Grom take on Eda's form.

"What a waste, you're not learning fast enough what I teach. How many times did I have to repeat that last potion lesson to you?" asked Grom-Eda, poking at Danielle's head. "Is anything sinking in?"

"This…" said Eda, seeing Grom about to take another form. "Is not good."

"Huh… no… Don't you dare!" shouted Danielle, seeing Grom about to take Aster's form and forming a light spell around Grom, encasing it in a sphere before slamming it to the ground. "I-I won't be able to handle anymore. I-I-I won't be able to handle his words to me."

"Danielle…" said Aster, trying to reach his hand out to Danielle before seeing Grom take on the form of multiple stone slabs.

"Are those…" said King, recognizing the stone slabs as tombstones.

"No no no-no-no-no-no!" said Danielle, getting hysteric seeing the names of her family members on it. "Nonna, Dad, Nicole… everyone, please don't… Mamma, please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone!"

"I've had enough with Grom," said Eda, encaging Grom with her magic as she and the others run over to Danielle. "Hey, it's okay."

"No no no-no," said Danielle, sliding away from everyone. "Please… don't…"

"It's okay," said Luz, seeing Danielle push King off her lap and pulling her legs in. "Everything's okay."

"No non lo è," said Danielle, placing her hand on her forehead. "Non volevo che questo si sapesse."

"Calm down, calm down," said Eda, Danielle flinching away when she was about to stroke the girl's hair. "We're not going anywhere."

"So, you…" said Luz, bending down. "Have Down Syndrome?"

"I don't want to hear it," said Danielle, letting her hair cover her eyes.

"Hear what?" asked King, looking at Danielle.

"Can she do this, can she do that," said Danielle, staring at Eda, Luz, and King. "Mamma already told me two relatives thought that not long after I was diagnosed. I don't want to hear that here."

"I think we're calling it a night," said Eda, able to stroke Danielle's hair this time.

"But what about the dance?" asked Danielle, staring at Eda, Luz, and King. "And the pictures you guys wanted to take? I don't want to ruin your guy's fun."

"This is more important," replied Luz, looking at Danielle and extending her hand.

"But…" said Danielle, only to feel Aster's hand on her hand, flinching a little before rubbing Aster's hand.

"It's okay," said Aster, whispering in Danielle's ear.

"Alright, upsie-daisy," said Eda, lifting Danielle up into a standing position. "Now, let's get you home."

"Can we…" asked Danielle, taking a deep breath. "Can we at least go back long enough for some pictures? I… at least want to do that."

"You sure?" asked King, looking at Danielle. "You look like you could use some nice hot choco smilk."

"Yes… please," said Danielle, rubbing her arm. "I can power through it long enough for some pictures at least."

"Alright," said Eda, Danielle clinging to her hand. "If that's want you want."

Heading back to the dance for a bit, Eda and Luz were able to help Danielle fix up a bit. Fixing Danielle's hair, getting any mud off. After doing that and calming down a bit, photos were taken. One of Luz, one of Danielle, one with the girls alongside Eda and King and somehow Aster appearing in the photo, one with the girls alongside Amity, Willow and Gus, and some other photos. After that was done and Luz explaining to Willow, Amity and Gus that she'd explain later about Danielle's condition, they headed back to the owl house.

"Whoo! What a night," said Eda, stretching. "I'll get some hot choco smilk ready."

"You don't have to do that," said Danielle, breathing calmly. "I just want to shower and hit the hay."

"Thanks, but... I'm gonna go to bed," said Luz, tossing the tiara to the ground.

"Now I am king and queen!" said King, grabbing the tiara and placing it on his head. "Best of both things!"

The girls head upstairs. Danielle did what she said and showered before heading to her room. King came by and handed Danielle some hot choco smilk which she happily thanked him before seeing him head towards Luz's room. The only thing about her room, the fairy lights she had up were arranged differently and Aster was projected in her room.

"Aster?" said Danielle, placing her hot choco smilk down on the armoire. "What are you…"

"You can do this and you can do that," said Aster, spreading his arms and getting some of the fairy lights to sparkle. "I don't know which relatives of yours said that but it was wrong to say. You've done so much since I've met you. All the things you've done with your magic, some of which I never thought up, are amazing and incredible."

"But…" said Danielle, looking at Aster while rubbing her arm. "Aren't you mad I never mentioned it?"

"No," replied Aster, sitting Indian style. "I have wondered why you acted like you did but… I guess you were scared."

"Very scared," said Danielle, brushing her hair back then looking at Aster. "Want to leave tonight?"

"Yeah," replied Aster, moving over to her toys. "But I think you need to rest after what happened. See, Lakota wants you to smile."

"Hehe," giggled Danielle, bending down and placing a hand on Aster's head. "Alright."

As for Luz, she was still in her Grom attire sitting on the windowsill. Looking out at the boiling sea, Luz looks at her cellphone.

"In the end, I couldn't face my mom. Neither could Danielle with her fears. Maybe we're fragile," thought Luz, before texting her mom. "I won't lie. Today was kinda hard. And I don't always feel like I'm supposed to be here. But when things get tough, my friends help me out. I think you'd like them. Te extraño también, Mami. One day, I'll tell you all about this."