For a brief moment, we had the final piece of the World's Treasure. We would finally be done with this insane adventure. I could finally have the one thing I forgot I had, my fairies. But our time with the final piece did not last long, because Father Darkness teleported everyone back to the hero team's ship. Well, everyone but Turner. Unsurprisingly, his girlfriend Tootie was the first one to notice, saying "Where's Timmy?" That's when the rest of us noticed that he was indeed missing. While everyone else was wondering where he was, I was still thinking about that final piece. Before the adventure, I too would have worried about Turner's safety. Odd, I know, given my history with him. But by this point, Father Darkness's lies had warped my mind to not care about Turner.
Eventually, Neutron's friend Libby said "I think Father Darkness left him in the castle."
This seemed like the perfect time to chime in with "We need to get inside."
That's when Gary said "Crocker's right. Let's go in save Tim." Everybody else agreed. Despite what my conscience was trying to tell me, I had no interest in saving Turner. All that mattered to me at that moment was that stupid treasure.
So instead of agreeing, I said "Save Turner? No, I was talking about getting the treasure." I could tell everyone was disappointed with me.
Actually, Gary was mad, saying "How can you be so selfish?" I couldn't answer him honestly.
Instead, my answer was "Because it's Turner. He'll be fine."
"Even Turner has his limits." Professor Calamitous said.
"So, you only care about the treasure?" Jorgen said.
"You know what, yes. I just want the treasure. What happens to Turner is not my concern." I said.
"Why? Because he got your fairies years after you lost them?" he said.
"Yes. He stole Cosmo and Wanda from me. If it wasn't for Father Darkness, I would never know that fairies exist." I said.
"You still believe Father Darkness after all the lies he's said to you." he said.
"It was the only thing he was ever honest about." I said.
"Let me guess, he showed you a picture with you, Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda, right?" he said.
"Yes, this one." I said before pulling out the photo Father Darkness had given me. Looking back, I'm not sure why I thought this would sway Jorgen to my side. But at the time, I really thought he was going to understand.
Instead, he said "What did Father Darkness tell you when he gave you this?"
"He told me everything. About how Turner traveled back in time to ruin my life. He revealed the existence of fairies, put the blame on me, then made it so he got my fairies." I said. I thought I had Jorgen on my side, finally. Thing is, I clearly forgot whose side he was on.
He laughed, then said "I'm sure he forgot to mention the fact that the photo was cropped." Then poof, another photo appeared in my hands. At first, it looked like the photo I had before. Turner, myself, and my fairies in retro clothing. But then, I noticed that there was indeed more in the photo. I could see more of the stage, where I saw another version of my fairies dressed in modern clothes. I was at a loss for words. Despite evidence to the contrary, I still wanted to believe Father Darkness's lie.
So, I said "This doesn't change the fact that he doesn't deserve fairies. Sure, maybe Vicky was mean, but life is always tough." I expected Jorgen to go into some long-winded rant about how good he was.
Instead, Cosmo said "You have no idea what Timmy has been through. You know how your mother barely saw you growing up? Timmy's parents barely know he exists. Like you, he had a babysitter that made his life a living nightmare. Other kids at school mocked him for things out of his control. Before Wanda and I came along, he was a sad, lonely boy who couldn't turn to anyone. That's why we were assigned to him. He needed us, just like you needed us." In the brief time I knew Cosmo as an adult, he didn't strike me as being intelligent. But I guess there were times when he really used his brain. I'm sure if I was thinking even a little bit, I would have accepted what he said. But I wasn't thinking.
Instead, I said "You're serious?" This infuriated Jorgen to the point he picked me up by my neck and pinned me against the wall.
He then pointed his giant wand at me and said "Your ignorance ends now!" Then, a flash of white light. In that moment, I thought I was dead. But when I opened my eyes, I saw that I was at the Turner's house. I saw Butch and Mary open the door.
As they walked out, Mary said "Okay Timmy, we're leaving you alone now." The door closed, and I expected Turner to come right in with my fairies. I instead saw a younger, distressed Turner run in.
The young Turner yelled "Wait, come back." On the door was a flyer. When he took it off the door, I could see that it was an advertisement for Vicky's babysitting services. That's when I figured I had gone back in time. As he walked over to the phone, I started to wonder if he could see me. I also saw that his parents were hiding in their bushes. One short phone call later, Vicky was in the house. She seemed as nice as I remembered her. His parents came back in and paid her for her services. I figured that things were going to be fine. But as soon as his parents left, all that kindness disappeared.
She said "Okay twerp, get to work!" Work, what could she possibly be talking about? That's when I finally saw what Timmy had been living through. In almost a living montage, he was forced to scrub the toilet, the floors, and fridge. All of this while Vicky hovered, laughing. With every room, I was teleported to each room. Once we reached the point where she was eating his food while he watched, I was horrified.
I yelled "Share the food you demented witch!" But there was no response from her. Eventually, his parents came home, and she left. When he tried to tell his parents what happened, they wouldn't listen.
His idiot father said "That's impossible. No one as nice as Vicky would ever do that." I couldn't believe it. They might as well have called him a liar.
I yelled again, saying "No! That's not true! She's a monster!" Again, there was no response. I wondered out loud "Why can't anyone here me?"
As Turner begged for his parents to believe him, Jorgen appeared next to me and said "Because you aren't real. Not to them, at least."
"I don't understand." I said.
"Think of this as a movie you get to walk through. You can look, but you can't touch." he said. That's when we moved to his bedroom, where I saw as his parents grounded him for "lying" about Vicky. I already thought it was bad enough seeing him get punished for something that wasn't his fault. But seeing him standing there, confused and crying, my heart broke. It was gut wrenching to see what this poor child was going through. That's when it occurred to me that I added to this problem. In this moment, I grew to hate myself for all the pain I had caused him. I wanted to comfort him, tell him that it wasn't his fault. But instead, I had to stare at a poor suffering child, and I couldn't bear it anymore.
"I've seen enough." I said.
"Not quite." Jorgen said. Another flash, and we were back to the day I lost my fairies. There I was, my body being deformed from constant exposure to past Jorgen's memory eraser. That's when I saw a slightly older Turner, hidden in the bushes with his versions of Cosmo and Wanda. He was also holding my fairy DNA tracker, which made me wonder why he had it in the first place. That's when I saw him pull one of Cosmo's hairs and put it in the tracker, he then wrote something on it before running away with his Cosmo and Wanda. Before I could get a good look at the tracker, my younger self ran into the bush to get away from the angry mob. Once my younger self picked up the tracker, I could see what Turner wrote.
It said "Fairy Godparents exist." So, Father Darkness took credit for something Turner did. If that wasn't bad enough, I was suddenly next to him again.
This is when I heard "Now that I know what ruined Crocker's life, I can go back to the 14th, and try again." Before he could do that, both the Jorgen of my past and this Turner's present sent him back to his time. It then finally clicked. Timmy didn't go back in time to ruin my life. He wanted to help me. All this time, I took my petty revenge out on the wrong person. If I didn't hate myself before, I certainly did at that moment.
So, I said "Are we done?"
"Almost." Jorgen said. Then, in a quick flash of sound and vision, I saw Timmy nearly lose his fairies countless times. Pixies, Vicky, Anti-Fairies, a genie named Norm, even Turner himself. But then, I was back in his room.
He was holding a Magic 9-Ball, when he asked "When will my parents get home?" He shakes the ball, and the answer must have been unpleasant. That was clear when he said "'Titanic: Director's Cut.' They're going to be gone for hours. Man, this stinks." He then tossed the ball, breaking it. Except, it wasn't because Timmy threw it. It was because Cosmo and Wanda came out of it. After Cosmo and Wanda introduced themselves, he said "I'm calling the cops." I don't entirely blame him. Still, Cosmo and Wanda tried to tell him about Da Rules. That's when Vicky came in and almost changed the course of history. But instead, Turner was able to learn about wishing, and it was great seeing him mess with Vicky.
That's when Jorgen said "Now, do you understand?"
With tears in my eyes, I said "Yes." One more flash, and we were back in the present and on the ship. Jorgen then put me down.
I must have been crying, because Vicky said "Are you okay?" For a moment, I wanted to attack. Then I remembered how the Vicky I saw was under the influence of pure evil.
Instead, I said "Yes. I saw horrible things I never knew were happening. I don't care about the treasure anymore. At least, not like before."
"Then, what are you saying?" Jimmy said.
"Simple, let's get into that castle and save Timmy." I said. Why did I suddenly refer to him by his first name? Because he was no longer my enemy. It was time to save my ally and the world.
There I was, holding the last piece of the World's Treasure in my hand. But before I could put it away, Father Darkness poofed the rest of the massive joint team away, then knocked me out with what I assume was some kind of sleeping gas. When I woke up, all I could see was darkness. This was because I was blindfolded. I knew that because I could feel it on my face. I could also tell that my hands were tied behind my back. On top of that, I was cold, and I felt like I was sandwiched between two slabs of frozen meat. There was no gag in my mouth, but I had a feeling screaming wouldn't help me. As I tried to guess where I was, I heard a heavy door open. This was followed closely by equally heavy footsteps. Right when the footsteps stopped, my blindfold was taken off suddenly. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw that I was in a meat freezer. I then saw Father Darkness standing over me, the blindfold in his hand. As he looked down at me, he said "Good to see your awake Mr. Turner."
"Cut the formality Darkness." I said.
"Oh, someone's an irritable little gerbil today." he said before picking me up and hanging me on one of the empty meat hooks. To my surprise, he hung me on the hook by the back of my suit. Lucky for me, the suit was strong enough to hold my weight. Once I was secured to the hook, he said "That's better. Now I can finally see how empty your head really is."
"So, we finally meet face to face, Father Darkness." I said.
"Yes, and I again congratulate you for failing to destroy the World's Treasure." he said sarcastically. I wanted to smack him so badly.
"What makes you so sure we failed?" I said. I admit, I walked into this one.
"Boy, you really are as dumb as you look." he said. He must have had fun insulting me. "I have all the pieces. The World's Treasure is mine. Now all I have to do is crown myself galactic leader, and my plan will be complete."
"Plan? What plan? Admit it, you got lucky." I said.
Father Darkness then said "Oh no, I had plans for everything. I knew every misstep that could and did happen. You see Turner, the so-called villains you're used to fighting are stunted man children, magical creatures that don't know which end is smellier, and actual children. You've never had to deal with someone like me, someone so powerful. And don't compare me to that overrated dust cloud I happen to share a name with."
"Well, if you're so powerful, why did you even a crew of our enemies? I mean, you were able to teleport my crew away with no effort. Why build a team that includes my high school teacher and childhood babysitter?" I said.
"Because, based on your reputation from the fairy/pixie war, I thought you were secretly a brilliant general with knowledge beyond your years. But I was wrong about you, you're no general or hero. No, you turned out to be a scared child. And no matter how many years pass, you'll still be the same scared eight-year-old boy crying for the attention of a mommy and daddy who don't care about your existence. The same selfish brat pining for the love of a girl who saw you as an empty bus seat." he said. That last line, which was clearly about Trixie, really stood out. That's because it made it clear that Father Darkness was trying to break me. Well, I wasn't going to let him do that.
I said "What are you talking about? Tootie's never called me that."
"I know you. You don't love Tootie, you love Trixie. You're settling, don't deny it." he said. It was at that moment that I felt something in my back pocket. It was the switchblade Gary had given me back on the ship. I was lucky to have it with me. All I had to do was wait for the right time to use it. So, I decided to play against Father Darkness's little mind games.
"You don't know jack about me. That was the old me." I said.
"Sorry Turner, old dogs can't learn new tricks." he said.
"Maybe if they're as old as you." I said. It was clear that his games were not working.
Because, annoyed, he said "Enough. Enjoy your icy death, Captain." He then walked out of the freezer, closing the door behind him. This was the perfect time to free myself. I cut the ropes around my hands, then pulled myself up off the hook. Once I was free, I let go of the hook and landed on my feet. I made sure to put the blade back in my pocket, just to keep it safe. I went over to the door to see it was locked. When I tried to open the door, I noticed it was indeed locked. I wasn't surprised, but still disappointed. I needed to find a way out and prevent turning myself into a Timsicle. That's when I noticed an air vent opening in the ceiling. I also saw a very sturdy metal shelving unit holding hundreds of pounds of unknown meats. I threw off as much meat as I could off the shelves while climbing up the unit. Once I could comfortably reach the vent, I used the knife as an impromptu screwdriver. Once the screws for the grate were off, I let it fall to the ground. Now the only issue was how I was going to enter the vents. That was quickly solved by simply tipping the unit over and climbing up again.
Before I got in, I made sure to put the knife away. After I put it in my back pocket, I entered the vents. Once inside, I started crawling my way out of the room. For many minutes, I crawled with no end in sight. With every inch I moved, I was starting to feel the warm air flowing throughout the vent. It wasn't hot enough to burn, but hot enough to notice it. The worst part of the whole thing was the sweating. Just when it was starting to get unbearable, I was able to find an exit. It was a grate in the ceiling of the kitchen. In order to get out, I crawled passed the opening leading to said grate. With a little effort, I was able to turn myself around and place my legs in the opening. I then used as much force as I could with my legs to get the grate open. I knew it was open when it hit the ground. I slowly slid my way down the opening. Once my legs were dangling through the opening, I supported my arms on each side.
With no time to think, I lifted my arms as high as I could and let gravity do the work. This wasn't the best idea, since the landing was rough. I landed right on my butt. I didn't get seriously hurt, but I felt that landing. After a second to process what happened, I stood up and started heading towards the exit. That's when my stomach grumbled. I couldn't believe I was hungry. Then I realized I had no idea how long I was unconscious. So, I decided to run to the fridge to see what was inside. I opened the freezer and saw a turkey in there. I also saw that there were ice cream bars. I know, ice cream in Anti-Fairy World, how was that possible? Actually, you probably weren't questioning it until now. Sorry. But yeah, there were ice cream bars, and they were peanut butter. Not my favorite flavor, but it was a better option than trying to cook a turkey for the first time. I grabbed a bar, then closed the freezer door, where I was greeted by the imposing presence of Father Darkness. He leaned into me and said "How did you escape?"
"The Masked Magian never tells." I said. He didn't like my response.
With a cold gaze, he said "Looks like I'll have to kill you the old-fashioned way." Before he had a chance to raise his hand, I slammed the freezer door in his body. I put the unopened ice cream bar in my mouth while I grabbed the turkey. I may not have known how to cook it, but I knew how to turn it into a weapon. I threw the turkey at him, and it barley did a thing. It was very clear that the best idea was to run away. But, before I could make any escape, Father Darkness grabbed me. "Where do you think you're going pipsqueak?" he said, as he picked me up. If he expected fear, he was getting it. "Did you really think a dead bird would stop me?"
"Oh no, I'm the one that's going to stop you. The turkey was only supposed to slow you down." I said.
"How can you be so obnoxious?" he said. This response pleased me. Because I knew I was getting to him, and it's the only time I would ever truly enjoy annoying anyone.
"Hey, that's a Vicky question. And you got it wrong. You forgot to say twerp." I said.
"Silence!" he yelled. He then pulled me closer. "Listen close, you dumb child. I'm only telling you once. I'm gathering an army to take over Fairy World. Once we take over, your friends won't know what hit them."
"What makes you think I won't warn them?" I said.
"Because I'm going to put you through pain. I'll hurt you so badly, you'll beg for death, and you'll never get it." he said.
"Funny, I think I said the same thing to you." I said. Those were my last words before getting knocked out again. When I woke up, I saw that I was in a nightmarish version of my ship. Black dust stained the walls in a trail leading straight to the bridge. When I entered the bridge, the entire room was covered in that dust. Sitting in the captain's chair was Father Darkness, his armor also covered in dust.
He stared right at me and said "Mr. Turner, welcome to your greatest fear."
"What are you talking about?" I said.
"This dust isn't just any dust." he said. "It's the charred remains of everyone you hold dear. Your friends, your fairies, and that annoying little girlfriend of yours. All dead because of you." I tried to attack him, but he punched me so hard, I flew across the room and smashed into one of the consoles. When I landed on the floor, he said "You're pathetic. No, wait, you're pathetic and stupid. Now you're here, trapped in your mind, forever suffering." So this was all in my head? Father Darkness was somehow in my head? I needed to get out this nightmare. But I needed to distract him.
So, as I struggled to stand, all I said was "Why?"
"Why? Did you really ask why?" he said.
"Yeah, what could I have done to deserve this?" I said.
"Where do I begin? Ah yes, Trixie Tang. I fail to see what you liked about her. I mean, you erased humanity just to talk to her. Which only revealed how fragile her ego was. She only missed the attention of her friends, not her friends themselves. All she wanted was for people to say she was pretty." As he ranted, I slowly made my way towards him.
I even responded with "It was a side effect of the wish. If she was actually alone with me, she wouldn't have been so insane."
"Maybe, but we both know your desperation knows no limit. After all, Timantha wouldn't exist if you weren't so obsessed with Trixie." he said.
"That wish was a technicality, not a request." I said.
"If you say so." he said. This conversation was starting to drag. It didn't help that I was limping over to him.
Wanting to speed things up, I said "Can you get to the point? You're losing me."
He said "You've broken Tootie's heart countless times, made and broke Chester's baseball career, and lied to your parents more than they ever did to you. You're the reason Remy lost his fairy, why Poof was almost wiped from existence, and even the reason Mr. Crocker is the way he is." I guess he missed the point of getting to the point. "Face it, you're a selfish, stupid child who cares for no one. And you'll die alone and bitter, like you deserve." I was now face to face with him. I'm sure you expect some kind of witty comeback. Something to write about in the history books.
But instead, all I said was "No."
"I'm sorry, what?" he said.
"I said 'No.'" I said.
"What are you talking about?" he said.
"I'm not letting you win. You want me dead, and you won't get it. You love bringing up every bad wish I made but ignore that I always learn from my mistakes. I always pick myself up. I'm not afraid of you. You're nothing." I said.
"You dare insult me?" he said.
"Yes, and I'll do it again." I said. He tried to hit me, but I dodged it. I then hit him in his stomach, causing him to fall to his knees. I then punched him in the face, causing him to hit the floor. Before he could get up, I pulled out my laser and shot. Instead of killing him, I ended up waking up in the kitchen, still being held in the air by Father Darkness.
"How did you break free? No human has ever done that on their own?" he said.
"Vicky was better at torture than you." I said to annoy him one more time.
Before he could respond, Anti-Poof floated in and said "Father Darkness, the safe is on ship." He then saw me and said "What are we doing with Turner?"
"Killing him." Father Darkness said. Then bang, there was a giant hole in the kitchen wall. My entire team walked right in, armed with lasers.
With his laser aimed at Father Darkness, Jorgen said "Put the boy down Darkness!" Father Darkness put me down, then pushed me towards my crew.
After Sheen caught me, Father Darkness said "Jorgen, it's been a long time. How have you been brother?"
"Brother?" I said. That's when Father Darkness took off his helmet, revealing that he looked just like Jorgen, only blue.
"Surprised?" he said. "How do you think I was able to possess Jorgen so easily? Why are there two Anti-Jorgens? Why do you think he never mentioned my true identity? Because all this time, it was his brother. A brother he'd rather abandon than associate with."
"Things weren't that simple Axel." Jorgen said. Oh my God, Father Darkness was Axel von Strangle? I couldn't believe it. Actually, wait, yes, I could.
"Don't call me that!" Father Darkness screamed. He continued calmly, "Axel died a long time ago. Born from the ashes of his pain was a better form. One who could do everything he couldn't. One who could show all the fairies that put him down growing up what real power is. They laughed, but now it's my turn to laugh. Goodbye brother, I can't wait to put my boot down your throat first." Before anyone could grab him, he put his helmet on and disappeared. Anti-Poof, however, was still there.
He looked at his watch-less wrist and said "Oh, look at the time. I think it's leave o'clock. Bye!" before flying away. Why he didn't poof anyway is anybody's guess. It didn't take long for Poof to catch him. Poof dragged his anti-fairy counterpart to us, then handed the anti-wand to his mom.
Poof then yelled "Where's Father Darkness going?"
"Oh, I'm so scared" Anti-Poof said with full sarcasm.
Sensing how little time there was, Poof looked at me and said "He's all yours bro." As Poof floated away, I grabbed Anti-Poof by his collar.
I then dragged him close and said in my deepest, scariest voice "Tell us where Father Darkness is going."
"You really think a deep voice is going to scare me? I'm not telling you anything." Anti-Poof said. This lack of seriousness left me with only one option.
So, I said "I think it's time you met Sheen." I handed Anti-Poof to Sheen, and he looked as unimpressed as he did when I held him.
That was, until Sheen said "I've always wondered if a square peg really can fit in a round hole. Tell us where Father Darkness is, or we'll find out together."
Nervous, Anti-Poof said "You wouldn't!"
Without hesitation, Sheen said "A new opponent has entered the dojo of stupidity. Let's find a round hole." Sheen then started walking, so we followed. This led us to one of the many bathrooms in the castle, where Sheen stopped in front of the toilet. He then said "Last chance Square Poof! Where is Father Darkness going?"
"Okay, I'll tell you." Anti-Poof said. He must have known Sheen's reputation for keeping his word. "He's going to Mount von Strangle to reassemble the World's Treasure. He's also sending an army of anti-fairies to the Chambers of the Fairy Council. That's all I know, I promise." Anti-Poof said.
"Thanks." Sheen said as he let go of Anti-Poof. Just then, Anti-Poof let out an evil laugh. Sheen responded with "What's so funny?"
"That you think you'll win against Father Darkness." Anti-Poof said, before more evil laughing. Sheen looked at the window and noticed it was round. So, without warning, Sheen pushed Anti-Poof out it. Anti-Poof was lucky he was so stretchy. Though as soon as he was out the window, he was poofed away. Seconds later, his wand went too. I guess Father Darkness needed him.
Sheen then said "I guess square pegs do fit in round holes." Now that we knew where Father Darkness was going, all we had to do was get to him before he enslaved everyone. Before we did that, we grabbed the replica of the World's Treasure. We then got on our ship and headed off to Fairy World.
