B-4. Rotten Cream

This takes place during Chapter 9 of Lights.

Orchid Bay Mall

Facilier parked his car in an open space before he, Wendy, and Carla entered the mall. "Mister Facilier, can we buy some new clothes while we're here?" Wendy asked bubbly.

"How many clothes can you have, Child?" Carla questioned.

"Not just for me, for you!" Wendy grinned. "You need more fashion, Carla!"

"I am not a crazy schoolgirl. I am perfectly fine with my current outfits and nothing-" They walked by a window advertising 'Clothes For Cats.' Carla pressed her paws and face against it. Tiny shirts and shorts, tiny skirts, tiny ties, tiny bikinis, all cute and fit for her size. "My, those look lovely."

"Aha, there they are!" Facilier beamed. "SONNY! DONNA!" He waved.

"WHERE?" the distant twins looked around. They spotted each other next to each other. "SIBLIIING!" They hugged.

Facilier, Wendy, and Carla went to join the twins. "Hey, where's Carla?" Sonny looked around.

"I'm right here." Carla said.

"I don't see her, Sonny!" Donna looked.

"Wow. You really are invisible, Carla." Wendy deduced.

"I wouldn't consider these two proof. Sigh, but if I am, at least you can see me, Child."

"So did you find it?" Facilier asked.

"Yeah, we did!" Sonny danced. "We showed them around! The first guy was like 'Uhhhhh.'"

"The second one was like 'DUUUUUHHH.'" Donna danced.

"Then after about 10 or 12 'Dummy-whats'…"

"WE FOUND IT!" Both excitedly pointed to a second-floor store labeled GOTHICS GALORE.

"Now's the chance to say that's obvious, Charles." Facilier remarked as he led them to the escalator. ("Why do you keep calling me that.")

Gothics Galore reeked of a scent that ruined Wendy and Carla's noses, possibly a perfume goths would wear. The woman running the stand was slim and had brownish-black hair with some colored strands, tied in two balls. She was smoothing her black nails when the group arrived, especially taking notice of the Shadow Man and winged cat. "You guys look the real deal." She put her file down and turned to them. Her nametag read Tasha.

"Good morning, Miss." Facilier grinned coolly and showed his own card. "This child here is a Little Wiz, so we're looking to get hitched up."

Tasha looked at Wendy, and her glare made the girl back up shyly. "She looks like a twerp. Are you sure she's old enough?"

"She turned 11 back in February, she's a registered Hogwarts student! Come on, she knows not to use it, just show us the good stuff!"

"Fine." Making sure no one else was in the store, Tasha opened a compartment under the scalp of a mannequin skull on her desk. She pushed the button, sealing the shop with a garage door. The walls and shelves flipped, revealing undersides with rows and rows of wands, spell books, and magic charms.

Tasha's own glass desk sunk and came up with a collection of wands. "Any wand you could ever ask. Take your pick."

Wendy was highly intrigued. They were all cool-looking wands. She first took a smooth, black one labeled 'Raven's Beak.' She flicked the wand: a storm of hidden fireworks sprouted out of the walls and floors, exploding everywhere and creating colorful clouds. Tasha casually put out the flames with an extinguisher. "Try another one."

Embarrassed, Wendy put it back and picked up a 'Christmas Star,' which had a shiny yellow star on its tip. Wendy tapped it on the desk, making glitters. Jingle bells sounded, as did church bells, snow fell from the ceiling, and a gigantic snowman broke through and started jumping around the five of them, smashing them flat. The snowman flew away, and all that stopped. "Nope. Try again." Tasha said.

Wendy unflattened herself and picked a 'Viola Rose,' which was green with purple petals around the tip. She smiled, having a good feeling about this wand. She gave it a whirl and flicked.

Somewhere in the world, a tremendous explosion burned 500 miles of land into nothing. The smoke cloud rose like a mushroom. "We'll return to Classic American Wars after these messages!" With that, Tasha turned the TV off.

"I wanted to see that part." she said. "Anyway, wrong wand." Wendy had turned Carla into a fish-turkey with her flick. "Pick again."

Wendy looked at them with thought… then noticed a pretty pink wand that glittered like crystal. She picked it up and rubbed her hand along it. "Oh, don't bother with that one." Tasha said. "Lamia Scales don't pick masters easily."

Wendy stared and waved it around softly. There was something entrancing about the Scale. …The wand glowed, and a pink circle of light shone around Wendy. It reflected off Facilier, Carla, and the twins' eyes. They gazed in awe. A kind of light, and a kind of force that established the contract between wizard and wand. The light disappeared, and Wendy stared at the Scale, still speechless. "…OUR EYES HURT FOR SOME REASON!" Sonny and Donna smiled ('guess they didn't actually see it).

"Huh… not bad." Tasha said without interest. "You're like the second person that got a Lamia Scale from this store."

"Who was the first?"

"Some chick with pink hair. I think she's like, a dancer. I have a picture of her somewhere…" She searched her drawers.

"I think we're good." Facilier concluded. "How much do we pay you?"

"Eighty dollars."

"Can't expect the cliché where you're so amazed with her power, you decide to sell for free." Facilier shrugged, pulling the money out of his wallet. "Thank you for the wand."

The five mages (only way to simplify them) left the mall as Wendy studied her wand with sparkling eyes. "Wow, my first wand! I can't believe it!" She waved it around. "I'm finally a full-fledged mage! I can turn water into wine, and lampposts into toads, and make the sky brown, and-"

"All in the comfort and safety of where no one can see us." Facilier reminded her. "You're still underage, Child. Using magic outside o' school gets ya in trouble."

"Oh." Wendy frowned. "But, where would we go?"

After they made it to their car, Facilier quickly gestured the group inside. He sat in the front seat while turning to them, "We probably shouldn't do it anywhere out in the open, 'specially with all these GUN trucks drivin' around. (Government musta tipped them off this is a good place to hide.) So we gonna train you someplace special. IN HERE!" Without warning, Facilier swept the four of them into his hat, then dove in himself.

"UUH!" They landed on a flat, bright-blue, tiled floor that stretched for miles in a dimension under a wavy, fiery-orange sky. The hat landed and bounced as Facilier stretched out. "WELCOME, children, to the hat of Doctor Facilier!"

"WE still can't see CARLA!" Sonny and Donna chorused with silly smiles.

"Now I know you're pulling a sham." she replied with a glare.

"Ain't no one gonna find us, ain't no one gonna know. So wand ready Wendy, are ya ready?" Facilier slipped out a stack of cards from his sleeve.

The blue-haired maiden clutched her wand and looked confidently, "I'm ready!"

"Perfect! Then here, we, GO!" Facilier shuffled the cards around the floor, they grew to human size and began floating on their own. A creepy Joker card approached Wendy. "Simple Blasting Spell, Wendy, just flick your wand and say 'Expelliarmus'!"

Wendy focused on the living card. "EXPELLI-" Wendy flicked the wand—when she threw her arm back, the wand flew behind her, whirling across the air. "AAAH!" She dodged when the Joker blew fire.

"Firm grip, Wendy!" Facilier yelled.

Wendy ran by, grabbed her wand off the floor, and- "Expelli-" She held it by the tip, the wand blasted and sent herself flying backward.

"Remember your arm movements!"

Wendy aimlessly shook her wand, "Incendio! GYAAAAH!" Her wand caught fire, it spread to her hand, she ran around the floor screaming and shaking it.

"Oppotus Lookin!" She cast the spell at a mirror—it struck herself, and Carla nearly puked at the sight of Wendy's insides.

"VENTUS!" Wendy furiously whipped her arm around like a windmill, creating a cyclone that spun her around in midair like a wheel.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHH!" After a failed Snake-Summoning Spell, the slithery creatures were nipping Wendy's legs. She ran around frantically while Carla shook her head in disappointment.

"You're hopeless, Child…"

Border of South and North Dakota

Anyone who is familiar with the tale of Black John Licorice will hear that the Licorice Stalks grow in South Dakota. That was a lie that was told to make the song rhyme. That's not to say nothing can be found between the two states. The Marzipan Pirates landed a few miles off, then walked the rest of the way. The sky became cloudy with a creamy white mist. The very atmosphere made them feel kind of moist. Augustus took a great whiff, smiling at the mountain beyond his sunglasses. "Buttermilk Building."

The mountain of the richest, moistest cream towered high. Augustus could already feel its rich, melty taste. "At its very peak sits the Sun Cream. Which, out of context, sounds like suntan lotion, but it's actually a cream so soft, slippery and warm, it melts all the troubles in your heart."

"So it's like doin' it with a lady wearing sunscreen on the beach." Rallo said.

"Yes, but going mountain hiking in summer won't give me any swimsuits." Stewie complained as they put on their Corn-Clamber Boots. "Perhaps the weapon we'll acquire here will be some kind of Cool—"

"Stewie, Ah SWEAR TO GOD if you say that!" Rallo threatened.

"…Blasting gun." Stewie finished.

"Good."

"Mw-mw." Maggie took out her pacifier, smiled at them, and said, "Cool Hwhip!"

"GOD DAMMIT!" Rallo cursed. (Play "Butter Building" from Smash Bros. Brawl!)

Stage B-4: Buttermilk Building

Mission: Get the Sun Cream!

With the Clamber Boots strapped tight to their feet, Augustus marched up the slippery white slope with the Baby Trio behind. Giant creamballs rolled down at them from the cliff above, so the four were careful to maneuver around, which was more difficult on this ground. The cliffside was exposed from the cream, and was made of solid, rugged sherbet. "We can walk up this!" Augustus told them, planting the sweet corn spikes against the ice cream. His boots stuck perfectly to the wall, so the adventurer began to stomp up. Creamballs continued to drop from the heavens, the Marzipans stepped left or right to let them pass before continuing. Cream Parabuzzies—Buzzy Beetles with white shells and wings, flapped back-and-forth over parts of the path, forcing the crew to simply wait or walk around. Maggie chose to go collect a Golden Wonka Bar between mirrored Beetles, then the four pirates made it to the ledge up top.

Creamballs still came at them from the left, so the four had to step up strips of sherbet on the wall, high enough so the balls could pass under. Eventually, the crew made it to a small open field above a cliff, where White Cream Chuchu emerged from the moist ground. Augustus used his Candycane Cutlass to slice the blobs in front, and stamped his Corn-Clamber Boots against the ones behind, and Maggie took delight in shooting them in the eyes, viewing the creepy result. Augustus retrieved a Bounce Gum from one of the Chu, looking up the series of pillars that led higher up a peak. "Mags, you're with me." he decided. "You brats take that path." He pointed at a road around the left of the mountainside, which Stewie and Rallo followed.

He put Maggie over his shoulders, then puffed his Bounce Gum to size before making the exciting hops up the slippery pillars. It put a smile on his face when Maggie waved her arms and cheered with her little baby voice. He was wary of candy corn spikes sticking in and out of certain platforms, before the gum popped on the targeted peak. Creamy Goombas appeared from cream mounds, white Goombas with red shoes, and if the humans got headbonked, their bodies would become more slippery for a few seconds. Augustus dodged their attacks as he easily stomped the creatures. With that, they faced another, more distant peak, in which Maggie fired her grappling hook to latch a pillar that stood on it. She detached the rope and tied to a pillar on this peak, letting Augustus climb across. The opposite end was steadily losing grip on the slippery pillar, but just before it fell, Augustus leaped the rest of the way.

The explorer followed a path between parallel trench walls, with a sherbet path leading up along the left. His body shifted sideways as he started the journey up, and Snapdragons popped out of their holes above or below the path in attempt to eat him. This path ended, and Augustus looked right (upward in his vision) to find a sherbet path around a rock kept suspended by two pillars. Augustus jumped and quickly flipped 180 degrees in midair to stick his Corn-Clambers into the sherbet. The path spiraled under the rock and to its right side, letting Augustus kick off onto a path along the right trench wall. After avoiding the Creamy Parabuzzies flapping over the path, Augustus made it to the flat ground above.

Soldiers in black armor and wielding Candycane Cutlasses ambushed him—the Licorice guards known as Blackberries. Seems he was here, after all. Augustus threw his Gobstopper to bounce around their faces, then caught his projectile before running to clash his sword with one. Another guard ran up from the side and swung his blade, Augustus ducked to trick the guard into striking his friend, then the teen jumped up to punch the second one in the face. Augustus threw his Gobstopper around the other three guards, attacking them with his cutlass afterward, but the previous two recovered, forcing Augustus to defend himself before dodging away. "You guys would be easier to beat if I had my Haki. Ugh, I don't need this." Augustus abandoned the fight and dove to his belly, sliding down a slippery cream slope over the peak's edge. He gained speed quickly, then up a ramp, over a gap, before landing on a new field.

Along the left wall was a slope with very small sherbet patches, perfect for the Deadly Babies' feet, so he couldn't journey up and get the Wonka Bar on his own. Augustus ignored the Chuchu in the field and entered a cave with a ceiling of spiky candy corn. There was a hole in the ground, and the next path was through a tunnel on a high perch. Augustus carefully stepped to and peeked into the hole. A familiar football-shaped head and round, fluffy black afro overlooked a pit of melted cream. "Stewie, Rallo! Up here!"

The babies looked up in surprise. Stewie spoke in his communicator, "Augustus, there you are. Is Maggie up there with you?"

"She'll catch up." Augustus replied in his own communicator. "Listen, Tubbs, do that underground boombox thing."

"Only if you promise to find a better way to classify 'that thing.'" Rallo jumped and burrowed underground, using his boombox to shake the ground and cause a geyser to emerge from the pool of cream. Augustus jumped on as it rose up, then jumped into the tunnel before it smashed him against the spikes. The tunnel led to a more expansive cave with many holes and platforms. Augustus threw his Gobstopper to take down the Cream Keese, and Rallo's boombox caused geysers to emerge from all the holes, albeit at different heights. When Augustus looked down into their chamber, it seemed the babies' accessible path was lower than the ground where the geysers were, so Rallo couldn't get closer for a better quake. Augustus walked around to study the room, seeing a Blackberry guard with a shield standing on a platform, in which his Gobstopper couldn't penetrate him.

Augustus got onto a short platform that a geyser could propel him to, with another platform blocking the Blackberry from his vision. Regardless, he knew he was there, and a flat-bottomed stalactite hung above that middle platform. Augustus chucked his Gobstopper at the 'tite's bottom, it bounced off and hit the Blackberry in his suspecting head. Augustus rode another geyser onto a different platform, then quickly stomped across a sherbet path along the right wall. The path ended beside the Blackberry's pillar, so Augustus jumped off to deal a knock-out punch against the soldier. A large block sat on this platform, which Augustus could push into the hole beneath the platform. In the room below, it didn't land in a cream pool, but rather a slide that slid the block down to Stewie and Rallo's area.

The two used the block as a boost, then Stewie lifted Rallo onto the higher ground, so he could get closer to the cream pools and create higher geysers. Augustus could get onto the highest platform and eat a Fudgepuffsicle. He inflated roundly and drifted upward through a tunnel on the ceiling. Aside from the Spiny Creamy Buzzies floating around, Augustus avoided the big droplets of cream that would weigh him down, and cause him to burp out his Fudgepuff before he made it. Regardless, he avoided the obstacles and burped to normal width at the top of this peak. From here, he overlooked an extremely long, vertical cream wall, which would "U" turn up another, parallel wall. A crystal patch of Rock Candy grew close by. Augustus took a piece and encased himself in the blackish-purple sphere. He smirked with excitement.

At full speed, Augustus rolled down the wall in the Rock Candy, past the "U" bend in a second, and raced several meters up the opposite wall with the momentum. Not too far, of course, but he could thankfully land the Rock Candy on a small path leading further up the mountain. He was surprised the crystal could remain stable in the slipperiness, but he still had to keep balance. He squished Cream Goombas that were in his way, then arrived at another, though more narrow U-slope. He kept his sphere perfectly aligned, rolled down, and launched high enough to land in another U-slope, then once in the air, he had to shift his weight backward to land in the one behind, then that U-slope landed him on the next path.

This road was smaller in width and had creamballs rolling down, requiring Augustus to take cover in the enclosings that were as round as his Rock Candy. Rolling up the slope was a pain for that reason, but worth it in the end when he made it. Augustus stopped his crystal against a stalagmite, then stomped his clamber boot against to break himself free. From here, Augustus marched up the sherbet wall, his vision soon blocked by the creamy clouds. He could already smell it: the Sun Cream, loveliest of all toppings. Beyond these clouds, the golden sun in the blue sky, blessing the cream with eternal warmth. …Clearly the scent was in his head. (End song.)

Because when Augustus made it above the clouds and stepped on right-side-up ground, the scent of rotting cream hit his nose. Augustus crossed the bridge that led to the pool of Sun Cream. It was a dry, brownish color, and smelled as though it had been left sitting out for ages. The lollipop fell from his mouth when Augustus gaped. He bent down for a closer look. The Sun Cream was almost completely decayed. No way this was unnatural. "Why…Why would anyone… do this?"

"Simple, really." Augustus stood up with a start. A woman with a horrid smell, filthy and messy brown hair, flies buzzing around her, and wearing a brown leather suit that hasn't been washed for days, stepped out from behind a decayed pillar. "Lord Licorice wanted it this way."

Augustus clutched his Gobstopper, ready to break some teeth. "Who are you?"

"Lord Licorice's Number Three: Veruca Salt. I ruined the Sun Cream, because he wanted me to. He wanted me to because I'm spoiled rotten. Anything I touch becomes spoiled and rotten. Like the air." Augustus backed away when the stench around her grew stronger.

"Euh. Are you a poisonbender?"

"Hm hm, no." She smiled wryly and shook her head. "I ate the Rot-Rot Fruit. I wanted it, because it was rotten, like me."

"A Devil Fruit? Did you steal those from the Big Mom Pirates?!"

"I don't care where Lord Licorice got them. I wanted one. He doesn't want people getting in his way. He wants me…" Veruca slowly approached him with a menacing smile, "to make you ro-"

Augustus hurled the Gobstopper at her face, knocking her down before it bounced back. He stared at the untainted, shiny red sphere. The sunlight bounced off it, and to his sunglasses. "Unlucky for you, Gobstoppers never go sour. Then again…" He looked at the Sun Cream pool. "Neither should this've."

Veruca got up and growled spitefully at him. They both looked up at the sound of some whirring. Veruca grinned madly at the small aircraft with cinnamon roll propellers. "Ah-ha. I wanted her to show up. I wanted us to capture you together."

"How is that thing flying, the air should be too creamy." Augustus stated.

"Our Cinnamon Ships are protected by their sugary glitter. They're kept sticky and dry. Not like you." Veruca channeled her power and spread the awful smell around the air. Augustus clamped his nose and mouth shut, trying to back away from the spoiled woman. The Cinnamon Ship hovered over him, and a very long and rubber-like woman, with purple skin, hair, and jumpsuit, dropped down, grabbed Augustus's shoulders, and wrapped her body around him like a rubber snake. "Meet Violet Beauregarde. She's very flexible. She ate the Flex-Flex Fruit. We're friends."

"Best friends!" Violet grinned.

"Knock him out, Violet. I want Lord Licorice to see him blacker than blackberry."

"Okay, Friend!" Violet stretched her head in front of his, and despite the boy's struggling, his world went black with a headbash.

"Augustus?" Rallo yelled into his communicator. "'ey, Augustus, where are you? O Captain, my captain!"

"Those clouds shouldn't be blocking our com links." Stewie said, looking up the mountain he saw Augustus venture up. "Maggie, do you see anything?"

The girl zoomed her vision closer to the clouds, but they were much too thick to see through. However, she spotted brown, glittery dust raining from above a patch of clouds, steadily moving forward. "Mw-mw!"

"What is it?" Rallo asked, looking up as well.

"Perhaps we should return to the Ace Flyer." Stewie said with concern. "Quick, let's go!"

The Cinnamon Ship was flying to another such vessel, of incomprehensible size and cinnamon roll propellers that could hypnotize people. A shadowed figure stood in the control room window. Any person that saw this ship, and saw this figure, flying toward them, their hearts would chill like ice cream in the back of the freezer. Lord Tyrone Licorice.

Orchid Bay Park

Wendy finished putting the last tiny Band-Aid over a snake bite. Her body was partly covered with the little bandages, one on her right cheek, a few on her arms, on her left foot… of course, there were other magic maladies that Facilier fixed himself. She stared at her reflection in the fountain water, sitting on its edge. Looking at her own sad face. Her first magic lesson was a flop. And she was so sure of herself. She pulled out her Lamia Scale wand to stare at it. It looked pretty next to the fountain. Shiny. She felt its mystic power the moment she picked it up, but why didn't it work for her? Unless she was just bad at using it. Dr. Facilier taught her that the wand chooses the wizard, but she wondered if it could change its mind. She would feel so pathetic if it up and did that.

She heard a light flapping of wings, and saw Carla's reflection look over beside her own. "You're still new at it, so don't let it get to you."

"Carla, I told you I wanted to be alone."

"I left you alone for a good half-hour. That should be more than enough time to cool down."

"No it isn't…" She propped her elbow on her leg, resting her head in her hand.

"Wendy, if it's any consolation, you're a very good airbender. You probably didn't start off so great in your younger years."

"All I've really been good at is running away. And I always run away because I make trouble for everyone."

"I haven't often seen you without your Stabilizers, but it's hard to imagine you making trouble for anyone, the way you mess up and apologize for everything."

Wendy blushed, smiling sheepishly at her. "If you met me a little before I met Dr. Facilier, you would see why everyone hated me."

"At the very least, I can imagine people being annoyed with you if you blew wind all the time. There's a difference between 'annoyance' and 'hate.'"

"Heheh… Thanks, I guess. …" She looked at the park's clock. 12:05. "Only an hour until June shows up. …I think I'll rest."

"May I join you?"

"Okay."

Wendy and Carla went under a tree, shaded by its rustling leaves. Wendy pulled off her shoes and took off her contacts. "Wanna hold these for me?" she asked Carla.

The cat stared at her red eyes for a minute. Wendy noticed how Carla's narrowed eyes inched more open. "…Why do you always give me that look when you see my eyes?"

Carla shook her head after this was pointed out. "What look?"

"That, what you just did. Carla, do my real eyes creep you out?"

"Of course not, they're just… unusual, Child. You have to admit that."

"You're calling me unusual, go back and look in that fountain!"

Carla felt a tug in her heart. She turned away. "W-Wait, Carla, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry!"

"No, you're right… It was wrong of me to point out your eyes when nothing in this town is natural. Perhaps you do need more time for yourself." She walked away toward a different tree.

Wendy sighed and laid down on the grass, folding her hands under her head as she faced her own tree. She lay there for a long time, but couldn't force herself to sleep. She felt bad about what she said to Carla, one of the few and longer-lasting friends she had, the last thing she wanted was to make bad tensions. But she also thought about her eyes. Facilier made her wear contacts so she didn't draw attention, or make people connect her with her unnamed father. But her blue hair drew more attention, it was more recognizable in the posters, why not cover that up? Was Facilier secretly afraid of her eyes? Carla, too, why else would she make that look? Lee Andrew told her that she shouldn't have to hide them, but he seemed to be one of few people that would say that. People seem to like her better with brown eyes. And normal ears.

"Wendy! There you are!" She heard footsteps running over and looked back. June and Monroe were coming.

"Oh! Is it 1:00 already?" Wendy stood up and put on her strap-on shoes.

"12:40, but I got done early. (By telling Ray Ray I would give him my allowance.) …Wendy, what's with all those bandages?"

"Oh." Wendy just remembered. "Um… some monsters tried to eat me, so I had to fight them."

"Really? Why didn't my bracelet go off?" June stared at her brown wristband with a purple emblem.

"Great McGregor's Ghost! What's with your eyes?" Monroe exclaimed.

Wendy started. She put her contacts in her own bag after Carla left, and hadn't put them on. "Uuuum… This is how I actually look." She confessed. "I wear contacts so that… so I don't scare people."

"Oh…" June frowned, noting Wendy's downtrodden expression. She must've been sensitive about this topic. "You know, why don't I teach you how to fight later? How 'bout we just hang out?" She spoke with an open smile. "Both of us seem pretty tired."

Wendy looked up and smiled. "That would be fun, sure!"

"Uuuugh. Then I guess I brought Art of Te Xuan Ze, Volume 2 for nothing." Monroe sighed in annoyance, closing his book. "Ay hope you girls don't expect ME to join you on your shopping spree?"

Wendy looked at the other tree, where Carla was still sitting and turned away. "Mr. Montagail-"

"Monroe."

"Sorry- Do you think you could talk to my friend, Carla over there? It would be nice if she had another talking animal to talk to."

"I dunno, Wendy, dogs kinda hate cats either way." June smiled unsurely.

"Ahh, poppycock. Ay'm not your everyday mongrel, ya know." Monroe told her gruffly, walking toward Carla. "Ay can reason with a simple housecat. (That's not to say Mittens can make a good excuse why we can't share the fire hydrant. Ay-ay-ay…)"

Downtown; Lucy's Alley

Juniper and Wendy went for a walk down a secret road that non-magic beings couldn't find, populated by harmless demons, and a good place to hide from the G.U.N.. Both girls bought a protein shake at a stand, slurping the sweets while Wendy continued her story. "Then out of nowhere, Dr. Facilier and his wife, Rouge showed up. They told me I was a wizard and I'd been accepted to Hogwarts. I've never been happier before that moment." Wendy smiled at the memory. "I felt like I was closer to learning who I was."

"I still don't understand the part about that wind curse." June mentioned. "If it's so bad, why does the air feel fine now?"

"Because Dr. Facilier gave me these." Wendy lifted the right of her shirt, showing the white, rectangle sticker with Japanese symbols. "They're Chi Stabilizers that keep my airbending from going crazy. If I took them off, this town would be really windy."

"And your wind would attract a storm?" June asked. Wendy nodded. "Wow. That would seem like a bad thing to have."

"Yeah." Wendy looked down. "That's why the orphanage kicked me out. And why I couldn't stay in one town for too long, and why those Government people are trying to capture me." Though she didn't tell (nor understand) the whole reason behind that last. "Because I blow people's stuff around and almost get them hurt and ruin their day."

"Hey, quit feeling sad!" June perked up and punched her shoulder. "You don't have to worry about it now, do you?"

"Yeah, I guess not." Wendy passed her a soft smile. "So, tell me about yourself, June. What's it like fighting monsters every day?"

June frowned just then. She stared at her half-empty protein shake. "The thing is, Wendy, I'm under a curse, too."

"You… are?"

Juniper was leading Wendy to the edge of town as she told the story. "The whole tradition of the Te Xuan Ze started nearly 1500 years ago. The job usually gets passed to the newest descendant of my family. Ah-Mah was the last one, but the power skipped my dad and went to me. I'm actually the youngest in my family history."

"What about Ray Ray?"

"Heh heh. There's a funny story behind that." June smirked. "Anyway, it was my ancestors that created the Veil over this town, but the ancient Magic Council wanted to ensure that we would always control the bad demons coming in. So an inherited curse gets passed on to the next Te Xuan Ze."

They arrived at a sign over the road that said, Now leaving Orchid Bay. Ignore anything you might've seen. "This is the edge of the Veil. Walk through."

Curious, Wendy calmly walked forward. She saw some strange lizard monsters clutching the cliff wall on the right. The world blurred for a minute, those monsters disappeared, as Wendy was through the Veil. She turned back to June with a confused look. "Now watch." June walked toward her—the Veil pushed her back.

Wendy gasped. As June put her hand against the Veil, the former reached an arm back through. Wendy felt nothing. "You see? The Te Xuan Ze can never leave Orchid Bay." June spoke with regret. "Until I have a child, and the Mark of Te Xuan Ze appears on them," she noted the dark-pink strip on her hair, "…I'm stuck here. Every summer, my friends go on holidays with their families, and I'm not allowed to go because I have to stay and fight monsters! And even while they're here, I'm always putting them off because I gotta fight monsters. Wendy, I'm sorry for all the bad things that happened to you, but…but you get to run anywhere you want to. Heh, I'm kind of jealous." June smiled at the irony.

Wendy softly waved her hand around the Veil, entranced by its blurry appearance, but feeling nothing still. June had a point. While Wendy always wished for a home or a place to stay, the feeling of running with the wind was lovely. She felt free. Well, she would, if not for her own curse. It was kind of funny when she thought about it. Wendy was homeless, but free to go wherever, June had a home, but could go nowhere else. "I'm sorry to hear that, Juniper. But what if the Veil got taken down? Could you leave?"

"Yeah, but you can't just take it down!" she exclaimed logically. "Then there would be worse chaos than what's already happening! Sigh… I really don't like it, either, but it's the way it has to be." She shrugged. "I wouldn't know how to begin tearing it down."

Wendy looked sympathetically. June was right, the people here are so used to the Veil, if all these demons suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then it wouldn't look good. She really wished there was a way around this for her friend. "…" She glared confidently and balled her fists, "June, I wanna learn how to fight now."

Minutes later

"Show me how hard you can punch!" June yelled at Wendy vigorously, her own hands positioned in defense. The two ventured into the nearby forest to train, and Wendy was rapidly thrusting her fists against June's hands. The Te Xuan Ze already noted her speed, but, "Not the strongest I've felt. Show me your kicks." Wendy began kicking her legs up at the girl's chest, June blocking each kick with her fists, but the Te Xuan Ze was pushed back a little. "Okay, now I'll do you, try to block me!" June swung her fists, Wendy tried to block with her hands, but June easily maneuvered around for "soft" punches against Wendy's chest, afterwards kicking the airbender several feet. "You'll have to work faster than that."

Wendy recovered, "I'm afraid of hurting you. That's why."

June smiled coolly and- "HUAH!" punched a dent into a tree. "Trust me, you won't. Let's try something different, like…like your airbending! Let's see how tough you are with that!"

Wendy got back into fighting gear, inhaled a breath, and blasted a Cyclone Roar. June withstood the wind and dashed forward, surprising Wendy when she whipped behind and wrapped arms around the blue-haired girl. "Is that all? I've felt fans that blew harder than you!"

Wendy jumped and kicked against June, blowing herself away. June smirked as Wendy ran far away though the forest. She was coming back at full speed with a fist held back, so June kicked off a tree, flew at Wendy like a rocket, and both their fists made contact. "Ow ow ow!" Wendy shook her hand from the pain.

"Tell ya what. You can have the next punch for free." June offered.

Wendy glared at her. She took several quick steps back and started spinning her right arm, forming a wind circle. Wendy sidestepped behind a distant tree, slowing her arm and focusing the wind to spiral around her fist. She pulled out the Lamia Scale under her shorts, taking a breath. "Please work for me this time."

In April, Dr. Facilier showed Wendy and Carla an ordinary rubber ball. He dropped, it made the first bounce, when it returned to its highest, "Repiti!" a quick spell, the ball bounced and bounced at the same height every time.

"Why isn't it slowing down?" Carla questioned.

"The Repeating Spell makes any motion repeat itself over and over. Unless they get too far away, only the wizard can stop it."

Wendy tried to catch the ball in her hand, it simply bounced from there, up to the ceiling. It was a minor spell, but it sure was fun.

With an aura of confidence, Wendy whirled her wand and aimed at the still-spinning whirlwind around her fist. "Repiti!" The wand glowed, and even though she wasn't forcing the wind to spiral with her bending, it continued spinning. With a bright smile, Wendy ran far away again, dashing straight back at June, who would keep her promise and let Wendy have this blow. "Sky Dragon CLAW!" To both of their surprise, June whirled like a windmill as she flew backward, into a distant tree.

"WHOA! How'd you do that?!"

"It's a secret." Wendy winked. She ran at June, leapt, and threw the Cyclone Fist against her opponent's fist. June spun around at the impact, sinking to the ground, but kicked directly up to send Wendy above the branches. She grabbed one in her Cyclone Fist, she swung around the branch, then flew down at Juniper with a kick.

The park

Carla heard Wendy and June talking behind her, but still didn't pay mind. She waited expectantly as Monroe approached her. "Ahhh, good afternoon." The pug greeted her. "Miss Charla, was it?"

"It's Carla. And might I inquire when was the last time you've taken a bath? You smell like you were coughed up by a dung iguana."

"Well, you're just PLEASANT to be around, aren'tcha?" Monroe walked around to her front. "And just how old are you? Seven-thousand? Seventy-five-thousand??"

"Three months."

"Ya've got quite the attitude for a WEE kitten."

"And what's your age, dare I ask?"

"Ay'm 650 years old. Raised to serve the Te Xuan Ze, I am trained to know the identity and purpose of every magical item, creature, or spell."

"Okay, Sir Montague, just what kind of creature am I?"

Monroe walked around to study her. "Hmmm. A cat, talks, has wings… Where did you say you came from?"

"An egg Wendy found on the beach."

"Ay have no idea." Carla fell on her side like an unbalanced book. "Look, Lass, let's not get off on the wrong boat. It's not everyday ya meet another talking animal who helps an 11-year-old girl with powers." Monroe slipped out of the satchel wrapped around him, crawled inside, and pulled out a purple magnifying glass with red and blue lens on either side, with red triangle-shaped eyelashes and a triangle in the center—the whole thing looked like an eye. "So how about Monroe educates you? This item, for example-"

"A Lens of Truth, which can see invisible objects or see through illusions." Carla replied knowledgeably. "Specifically, the lenses only see matter for what it is. The red lens, taken from Falcon's Eye specs, ordinarily serve as X-rays, while blue lenses cloak objects depending on size and strength, ergo the two of them together will view only the existent matter."

"Um… right." Monroe switched the lens for a small, Y-shaped antenna with balls on its tips. "This object-"

"A Replicator Wand, one antenna scans the matter of the target, transfers its structure to the other antenna, which alter and mend the molecules in the air to create a solid replica."

"Merlin's False Teeth, woman, how do ya know all this?!"

"Facilier showed them to me and Wendy. The latter has a hard time understanding, but their use is pretty clear to me. Excluding the fact that all the 'magic' behind it is ludicrous."

"Ludicrous, but real. Could ya tell me the workings behind this Infinity Satchel?"

Carla looked at the bag and casually explained, "The spell in place is one that alters dimensions, and the area inside the bag has a different dimension than outside. The spell continuously expands the dimension inside while the outside was never touched. But, again, ludicrous."

"Call it whatcha want, you're a smart kitty!" Monroe beamed. "Honestly, I'd like ya to stay and help me teach Ray Ray."

"Hmm. At the risk of shaming my own kind, I already have an owner. Albeit, we're kind of… awkward at the moment."

"Eh, she'll get over it, it's not easy for humans to admit that animals are smarter than they are. Like badger-moles, even. Speakin' of which, get a load of this device!" Monroe pulled a thin, metal rod that looked like a golf tee, with a pointed tip and ball on its top. He stuck it in the ground. "A portable Seismic Sensor that can feel vibrations from any distance. Perfect against enemies who're trying to sneak up on you. You could set it to 3 feet, for example." Monroe inputted that distance, stamping the ground with his paw as the rod shook slightly. Carla stared with a meagerly interested look. "Or 100 miles!" Monroe typed in that distance. "You could feel an army comin' hours before they do."

… Woggle-woggle. The Sensor wobbled left-and-right forcefully. It did it again. Carla raised a brow. "What's it doing?"

A small monitor showed the estimated mass of what made the vibrations. "Ohhhh, that's not good…"

Back in the forest, Wendy had whirlwinds spinning around both fists as she dashed at June for a double-punch. The Te Xuan Ze grabbed Wendy's fists tight, standing her own ground, but Wendy had spun upside-down into the air, swinging her foot down on June's head. They broke free as Wendy was back on her feet, both ready to attack again. Woh-woh-woh-woh- June looked at her wristband when it started beeping. Wendy stared curious at the look June was making. "Hey, Wendy… what does this look like to you?"

Wendy looked at the bracelet's jewel. "It's… some kind of tower?"

Several miles within the backwoods…

"Three more minutes, kids, then we have to go back." Facilier told the twins. They stood a few feet outside the Veil's barrier.

"OKAY!" Sonny and Donna cheered. Facilier turned around, crouched, and the skull on his hat covered his face, he began juggling colorful energy puffballs, and small colorful firecrackers flew around behind him. The twins backed into the Veil, "We see nothing." They walked forward, "WE SEE IT!" Backed up, "We see nothing." Forward, "WHOOOAA!"

Shadow Facilier felt a rumbling. "What is it, Shadow?" The shadow pointed upward excitedly, so Facilier climbed a tree. "…What is that?"

A tremendous tower composed of green metal stomped across the forest with huge, metal crab legs. A laser cannon was implanted within the top, aimed directly at the Veiled City. The commander of such a structure was a witch in a black dress, purple scarf, and artificial body. Her boney, pointy skull head cackled inside its glass container. "Orchid Bay, the Veiled City! Blind to magic, what a pity. That they will never see this coming. Cauldron Keep's mobile gunning! Once I sap the energy from this land, Grunty will live! And this place sand! CAH, HAHAHAhahahahaaaaa!"

"I see it, Sonny!" Donna exclaimed, sitting on a tree that was halfway in the Veil.

Sonny used his rope to pull the treetop toward him, in the Veil. "How 'bout now?"

"Nope!" Donna smiled. Sonny released, so the tree began flapping back-and-forth, in and out of the Veil. "I SEE it, I don't, I see it, I don't, I see it!…"