B-26. Father

Lunaria

After thousands of years, she has returned home. She remembered the way, and was delighted to set her feet on the planet's soft blue soil. Lapis Lazuli breathed Lunaria's rich scent. After so many years, she feared the smell of salt water would never leave her nose. There were people and children around, and they looked at her. They had blue skin like her own, some had blue hair, some purple, but the elders had white. Lapis stood out with her pair of glowing, watery butterfly wings. She was just the same as the ice-blue, glittering statue of herself in the town park, posing with one leg bent back as fountain water poured from her gem.

"I should've told them how weird that looked." Lapis blushed.

"Look!" A round-headed boy with white hair pointed. "It's the Fairy Princess! It's Princess Lapis!"

"Princess Lapiiiiiis!" A girl with a yellow dress, long blue hair, and no shoes leapt over gently, the planet's low gravity making her light.

"Ha ha ha! Hello, everyone!" Lapis grinned brightly. "It's great to be back!"

"Where did you go, Princess Lapis?" asked a smaller girl with purple hair curved up in points.

"I was on an… extended vacation to Oceana, Earth. So here is some advice regarding that: DO NOT GO TO EARTH."

"Is Earth bad?" the round boy asked.

"YES, and it's UNBEARABLE! Full of annoying sentient sponges, nagging whale gods, and adorable babies that only LOOK sweet and innocent, but turn out to be MONSTERS! Ugh, I NEVER wanna see another Earthling for as long as I-" A ship crashed behind them. Lapis whipped around in fright, as did the other park-goers.

It was a KND S.C.A.M.P.E.R., damaged only slightly from crashing in low-G, and a blonde girl with chocolate-brown eyes stumbled out. "I made iiiiiit, mooooon…" She collapsed.

Cleveland Rooftops

Sector RZ and Wendy's group left the basement emporium through the portal door and exited to the alley where the original emporium was located. Arlon's ship which he had stolen from Zordoom and Sector RZ's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. were parked on the city roofs. "I have been under your father's service for roughly two months." Arlon said to Wendy. "He freed me from my cell in Zordoom for the purpose that I would bring you to Lunaria."

"Oh, that's right, you were one of Viridi's thugs." Lee Andrew remembered. "How do we know you aren't out for revenge?"

"Mistress Viridi has already been foiled. Honestly, even if I lusted for vengeance, I do not have the resources to seek it. I suppose it is rare for you children to encounter such a competent villain of my stature."

"More like a fraidy villain." Leanne retorted.

"Yeah, why did you even agree to help us?" Lee asked.

"For the same reason you will be sworn to secrecy should we arrive there. But I was only requested to serve as escort to Miss Wendy's party. It is your duty to attempt to keep up on that shabby camper."

"It's a school bus."

"A shabby mode of transportation all the same. Now, if we are all prepared, we must make flight for Lunaria."

"Dr. Facilier?" Wendy spoke politely. "Would it be alright if I rode with Lee's friends?"

"I cannot agree to this, Child." Carla said. "It just… looks like a school bus with rockets attached to it. How would it even get beyond the atmosphere?"

"Hey, don't underestimate our 4x4 technology!" Lulu exclaimed. "They're even better than they used to be thanks to GKND's tech. We even have a Warpdrive Key to zip us through hyperspace!"

"Yeah, Carla. And besides, it wouldn't be the first time I rode in one of their ships." Wendy blushed. "At least this time, I won't be piloting it."

"It's alright by me!" Facilier grinned. "More room in there than this smelly old prison ship."

"WE'RE GOING TO SPACE SCHOOL!" Sonny and Donna jumped in the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

"Why must children insist on making matters complicated?" Arlon sighed. "Very well. But I should hope your piloting skills are of the highest quality."

After both ships took off from the atmosphere, Arlon set his to warp through hyperspace. Sector RZ entered the warp gate after him.

Florae Galaxy

They reappeared in a region of space that was unrealistically blue. Everywhere looked like a night sky—the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. dodged right and barely hit a small moon. "The moon shrunk, the moon shrunk!" Donna shouted.

"Or maybe… we're gigantic??" Sonny questioned.

"We're going to step on everybody." They both said with devious smiles.

"On the contrary, children, we are at the edge of the Lunar Field." Arlon said to them through the transmit. "It is a vast field of moons that surround and protect Lunaria."

"How does Galaxia have room for all these planets?" Lee asked.

"This is not Galaxia." Arlon said in aggravation. "The Florae Galaxy is close to Galaxia's borders, however, and it is here where Lunaria floats. Stay close to me or you shall be lost among the Maze of Moons."

"A Maze of Moons?" Denny repeated. "This would be the most amazing thing in the universe if I wasn't so darned confused! Why in the world would Diwata think to come here? And how would she even know how to solve this maze?"

"It's just a bunch of moons." Lee said doubtingly. "We're basically looking for the most gihugic one out here, right?"

"Unless Lunaria is super-duper tiny." Leanne replied.

"Squash it." The Climbers hit their hammers together.

"Yes, it may seem like a simple maze to navigate," Arlon said contrarily, "but there is a spell in effect, wherein you must navigate a specific path, lest you be lost forever. We Lunarians instinctively know the correct path, and the illusion of being lost does not work for us."

"Wendy, are you sure you wouldn't rather ride in the other ship?" Carla asked.

"Carla, there's nothing to worry about. Mr. Arlon will guide us across." Wendy smiled with faith. "We'll find Diwata… and we'll find my dad, too." (Play "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 7!)

Stage B-22: Lunaria

Mission: Get to Lunaria (even though it's the stage name :P).

Act 1: The Lunar Field

The ships flew over a large moon and under two smaller moons before Arlon listed slightly to the left, then right, passing two more big moons. They entered a field where moons moved around and bumped into each other like pool balls. Arlon turned his ship sideways and slipped between two moons on a collision course, and Sector RZ quickly boosted their ship to squeeze between them. "Apologies, children, some moons are rather impatient!" Arlon yelled.

"You're leading us through here to try and kill us!" Lee shouted.

Arlon was flying close to the bottom of a large moon, and the kids watched as he performed a somersault all the way around the moon before flying straight up. The operatives mimicked the action and entered a greater sea of moons, where they had to quickly turn left, diagonal right, do an overhead loop around a small moon, and then boost through five pairs of moons that would bounce against each other. The next region had three columns of moons, the other two drifting up while the center one's moons moved down. Following Arlon's example, the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. slowed down through the first column, boosted through the second, and swerved left around the third.

They entered a cluster of moons, where they had to turn their ships sideways to go through a canyon, upside-down when the canyon became horizontal, turned further clockwise through another vertical canyon, and when they could revert to rightside-up, they flew upward. "Even if space did have directions, it certainly doesn't in this mess." Leanne said.

"What if each of these moons had its own gravity?" Denny asked. "I'm gonna be sick."

"Uuuuuh… awwwwww…" Wendy's face was unnaturally blue.

"WENDY!" Lee exclaimed. "YOU'RE a Lunarian?!"

"I don't believe that is the case…" Carla said.

Arlon's ship was flying toward a bigger moon that was raining little comets at them. He performed numerous barrel-rolls to bounce the comets away, so when the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. was forced to mimic, Wendy's sickness only increased. "Child, this spacecraft has a stationary gravity." Carla told her. "If it's the sights that are dizzying you, please close your eyes."

"No, Carla… it's pretty."

"Just remember who's gonna have to clean up." Lee stated.

They flew through a ring of small moons before reaching the big moon, and they had to speed around it three times, still avoiding its comets before they rocketed further skyward. They were soaring over the Sea of Moons, an endless field of glimmering blue. The stars sparkled in the indigo sky, creating many a constellation – a five-point star, a flower, a fish, a waving hand, the Triforce. "Oh, no, those aren't stars creating the constellations. They are moons." Arlon said. "We must fly into that one there."

The constellation in question was a smiling crescent moon. Arlon turned his ship diagonal to fly through the group of small moons, and when the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. flew through, a gigantic blue moon seemed to materialize several miles away. "Well, children, I am almost surprised you were able to follow my directions. You have technically won the right to land upon my home planet: Lunaria."

They were minutes from entering the atmosphere of the great blue orb, and it was getting close surprisingly fast, given its size and distance… wait a minute. "Just kidding." Arlon flew around the ordinary moon, so the kids followed. "THAT is my home planet, Lunaria." The real planet was, unmistakably, a greater distance away, and had various tones of blue that represented land, sea, and mountains. "You wouldn't believe how many hapless visitors crashed on that other one."

"It's one way to single them out…" Lee commented. They closed in on the planet with very transfixed expressions, and could only imagine what beauty lay on the actual surface. Their ships did not even burn upon entering the atmosphere, nor did the sky change any different from how it looked in space. It was like they were simply landing on a huge rock in space. (End song.)

Both ships landed in an open space within some hills. "BLEEEEHHH!" Wendy finally puked after stepping off the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

"AAAH!" Arlon freaked. "We've been here for merely two seconds and you've already defiled my planet's soil!"

"Oh, get a grip on yourself!" Lee shouted. "Don't act like no one on Lunaria gets sick!"

"THEY DON'T!"

Facilier helped wipe Wendy's mouth. "I'm sorry…" she said humbly.

"At least you didn't soil my ship." Leanne patted her back. "I'm proud of you, Wendy."

"Sigh, let's just move on, shall we?" Arlon sighed. "The village where Master Red Eye promised to meet us is up ahead."

Lee was first to follow him- "Whooooaaa!" he felt his feet lift off the ground, floating for a second before plopping on his front.

"Yes, the gravity is a little… lacking, compared to how you are familiar with it on Earth. You may need some time to adjust."

"Wheeeeee!" Lulu leapt several feet high. "I jump higher than Weegeeeee!"

"Weegee?" The Luigi mutant peeped from behind a rock.

"No, Weegee, back in your hole."

"Weegee?" He came out more.

"No, Weegee."

"Weegee!"

"I SAID NO!"

"Weeeeegeeeee." Weegee sunk down in depression.

"He was in Firstborn, by the way." Donna told the readers.

Lulu, Denny, and the Climbers embraced in the low gravity by jumping carefreely, while the others tried to keep their selves steady while following Arlon. The butler guided them to a cliff over a great river of blue, still water. Across the river were a series of tall islands that all formed a village. There were houses with gardens of blue, pretty grass, lamp posts shaped like moon phases, and some people were laying on lawn chairs and getting "moontans."

Arlon waved his hands and seemed to catch the mystic blue light, forming stairwell platforms. "Watch your step, if you please." He leapt up the stairs gracefully. His guests followed, but kept their eyes down to see the floating see-through steps. "On Lunaria, we practice the art of moonbending. To outsiders, it may sound like our powers are merely limited to the surface of the moon, but in actuality, a moon is more than just a spherical rock above a planet's atmosphere. An ethereal energy flows from the moon, touches all that it shines upon. The moonbenders are able to harness and control that energy."

"An ethereal energy that shines on all…" Wendy spoke lowly. "Mr. Arlon… are you talking about magic?"

"A most educated presumption. You see, the moons are the primary gateways to a realm called the Netherverse, which is concentrated with powerful Space Chi. The moons regulate that chi, keep it from leaking too destructively. And the output that has resulted is what we call Moon Chi. From Moon Chi, we are able to construct shapes, manipulate gravity… We have thought as moonbending as a sub-form of spacebending, a supernatural sub-form at that. And over centuries, other cultures have developed the form called 'magic.' The moons were a primary source of magic energy, the stars even. However, Moon Chi and magic… are used in very different ways."

"Ohhhhh I'm confuuuuused." Wendy held her head.

Their pathway took them over the village and provided a lovely view of it. Lunarian children were pointing and looking up at the strangers. Like Arlon, they were blue-skinned humanoids, but with various colors of hair, like purple and blue. Wendy stroked a few strands of her hair. Perhaps… she was Lunarian? "Mr. Arlon… how did you say my father got here?"

"He had his methods… As a reminder, you children must be sworn to secrecy."

"Secrecy to what?!" Lee exclaimed. "How to get here? Because I won't remember that specific path!"

"Patience, young man. You will learn momentarily."

They set foot on an island with no houses, and a pointed hill that was more like a small mountain. A figure was floating above the point, turned away in a position they assumed was cross-legged. The being had silver hair and a flowing black cape. A breeze that they hadn't felt before began to blow gently.

The kids slowly stepped up the hill, with Wendy and Carla going first. The breeze seemed to pick up. The others stayed behind and watched Wendy go on her own. She stopped a few steps from the tip of the peak. The man sensed her presence behind him. His white hand reached into a pocket and came out with a purple locket.

"This planet is a wonderful place… isn't it." He spoke with a deep voice. "It's so wonderful that you wonder why it must be secluded from the outside. It was a decision of this planet's founders, so many ages ago. To protect it from the evils of outside. The people and children play and live happily… and yet, their freedom cannot be shared with the outside. But that does not matter… The air of this planet is too fragrant for words. Why not embrace in its beauty? I knew it was the place for us to meet."

The floating man turned around. The right half of his white face was concealed by a mask, only showing his left red eye. He set his sandaled feet on the ground. He clicked open the locket. Inside was a picture of a sleeping, adorable baby with blue hair. "I missed you… my child."

A storm of emotions flowed through Wendy's mind. She just couldn't comprehend, couldn't understand this being true. His face and hair bared no resemblance to Wendy, but his red eye and pointed ears looked strikingly similar, and his smile was warm and inviting. Carla looked between him and her master—the silence was tense for all of them.

"…Dad…" Tears flowing from her eyes, Wendy ran up and grabbed him in a hug, which he returned. Red Eye held the child close, filled with joy over his daughter's happiness. They had both been awaiting this for a long time. Dr. Facilier, Sector RZ, and the Ice Climbers felt a warmth in their hearts. Wendy has finally met the father she never knew and always wanted to know.

Lee examined the dark-cloaked man. There was something familiar about him. "WAIT A SECOND, I know you, you're that… GUY! That GUY that… worked for Ganondorf! Wh-What's his name—VAATI!!"

Wendy pulled away and stared at him. "Vaati? I've heard of you. Mr. Ezlo talked about you."

"So, you met my old master? Then… you must know a great deal about me already."

"I think lots of people do." Carla stepped forward and told him. "Your alias appears frequently on the wanted posters. And the Government has drawn connections between you and Wendy."

Vaati was a tad startled by her voice—he looked around and saw that it belonged to a winged cat. "Oh-ho, excuse me." He blushed. "I did not see you there. You…?"

"Carla. And according to Wendy, I'm an 'Exceed' or something."

"That would be the first time I've heard of that. But you are correct. I made myself an enemy of the world for following my philosophy. It is a fate I chose. But never one that I desired for you, Wendy." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I left you at that orphanage so that your fate would not be bound by your parents'. You would know freedom. But it seems those fools at the World Government sought to detain you, anyway. I have endangered you, Child."

"I don't care about that!" Wendy embraced him again. "All I wanted was a family! Somewhere to call home, where I would be accepted."

"And now you do." Vaati hugged her. "Now that you are here, I want to teach you everything I know."

"Everything?"

"Yes. Airbending, magic, how to battle, and my dreams. I entrusted Dr. Facilier with teaching you only a small portion, so that you would be prepared. I would love you… to be my student. Will you?"

"Yes, of course!" Wendy said excitedly. "I want to learn EVERYTHING from you! I waited for you for so long, I don't wanna disappoint you!"

"Excuse me." Both turned to Carla. She bore a very inquiring glare. "But if you're Wendy's father… perhaps you may tell us who her mother is?"

"Yeah, yeah! Who IS Wendy's mom?" Lee exclaimed. "Someone we know too, I bet!"

"Well, Mr. Vaati?" repeated Carla.

"Hmph…" Vaati smirked, his eye closed. "Your mother's name… is Annie Wilconson."

"CALLED IT!!!" Denny screamed.

"Annie, huh?" said Carla.

"Wonderful woman. Delightful. Heheh, she really had that fangirl about her back in the day." Vaati chuckled at the memory. "They made a show about the Kids Next Door's exploits, and boy was your mother obsessed with it. Even wrote fanfictions."

"Master Vaati." Arlon spoke seriously. "As heartwarming as this reunion is, we had another matter to discuss. Where is Master Crest?"

"Oh!" Vaati's white cheeks reddened. "Yes, well, it seems Crest grew a little antsy when we arrived. So I… took him to a diner."

New Moon Dining

"NOM NOM GOBBLE GLOP, GLOOP!" There were tall stacks of bowls and plates standing on one table, where a blue fat impish creature with a crescent-shaped head gobbled up a bowl of large blueberries. "OHH, they only grow 'em right here! HEY LADY, WHERE'S MY MOON PIE?!"

"Almost ready, Master Crest!" a chubby yellow-haired waitress said frantically.

"NOOO, what have you done?!" Arlon shouted, running to lift the moonberries out of Crest's grasp. "The Young Lord's appetite is RUINED! If he weren't able to change his own body shape, this would be a DISASTER! Master, just how much have you eaten?"

"Bleventy…hundred… and one." Crest moaned sickly. He perked when he realized: "Wait a minute… that doesn't end in zero. It's not perfectly round! NOOOOOOO!" The creature cried and rolled around the restaurant floor on his chubby belly. "Why why why whyyyyy…"

"Soooo… what is this again?" Lee Andrew asked.

Arlon caught the Young Lord and lifted him for the tourists to see. "Ahem, may I introduce you to Lord Crest. The Firstborn of Moon."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! FIRSTBORN?!"

"The Tenth Firstborn, as a matter of fact."

"TENTH FIRSTBORN?!" the operatives screamed.

"All right, this is COMPLETELY messed up!" Leanne shouted. "We grew up knowing there were Eight Firstborn. EIGHT… FREAKING… FIRSTBORN! Then Sector V tells us about a random MUSIC Firstborn, NOW WE HAVE THIS RANDOM MOON THING?! I mean… WHERE did he come from?!"

"It happened two years ago." Vaati explained. "One of my subordinates, Mikaela Chariton, had to take her daughter to the hospital on Mother's Day. Her daughter had attempted to show her proficiency in psychicbending by creating an Imaginary Friend. When Mika returned to the hospital room… she found Crest and brought him to me, thinking he spawned from Sunni's Imagination. It was a while before I realized… his powers and anatomy matched that of a Firstborn. And I was astonished to think that an undeveloped psychicbender's powers could create such a creature."

"After Sir Vaati freed me from my prison, I declined his request to take his daughter to Lunaria." Arlon followed. "But then he showed me to Master Crest… so I was forced to obey."

"I had no intention of harming Crest, and I followed Arlon's wishes to protect him. A Firstborn is not born in the universe every other week. If word got out that a new one just appeared, the universe would descend into chaos, people will jump at the chance to seize him, research him, harness his power! Just like Dimentia once did to Jirachi. The Firstborn are the most powerful beings in the universe."

"And you let him just casually come to a diner and casually eat food like… a fat rich person." Lee commented.

"BUUUUURRRP." Crest deflated like a balloon, returning to a slimmer stature.

"If only I could do that." Lulu frowned at her chubby body.

"Oh, I can help you!" Crest floated over and touched Lulu with a blue twinkle on his finger, and she went from round to slender in seconds.

"AAAAAAAHH! I'm so tiny!!"

"You're just skinny, silly!" Lee laughed.

"YOU'RE A SAINT, Lord Crest!!" Lulu grabbed and hugged the Firstborn. "No more exercising or gym for me!"

"As impressive as that is, that can't be all he can do." Leanne said. "I mean… he's a Firstborn! He must have phenomenal cosmic… moonbending or something!"

"Indeed, Master Crest is brimming with potential." Arlon replied. "But a Firstborn must not use its power rashly. We must wait for Crest's Guardian, whoever he or she may be."

"A bender must not conceal itself." Vaati said. "A bender must be free to exert its power, express itself. I kept Crest a secret for this long, but you must allow him freedom on his own planet."

"I will decide when he is ready for that." Arlon picked Crest back up. "He is not my child, but he is certainly not yours. Why don't you attend to your own daughter?"

"Yes… perhaps I shall." Vaati said with slight resentment for him. He turned to Wendy with a welcoming smile, "Shall we go someplace to talk in private?"

"I would love to! But, Dad, one of Lee's friends went missing and we think she came to this planet. So, I wanted to help them-"

Facilier touched her shoulder. "You leave finding Diwata to me, sweetie. Y'all just spend time with yo' dad. I know you've both been looking forward to this."

"Yeah, Wendy, don't worry about us." Lee grinned. "Go bond with daddy!"

"Hehe… Well, if you say so." Wendy grinned.

They went outside the restaurant as Vaati helped Wendy onto his shoulders. "Hold on tight." Fast as the wind, Vaati dashed across the indigo fields, dodging rock after rock, cliff after cliff, over the mountains, and was gone. The joy and energy Wendy felt was unparalleled.

Dr. Facilier held up his cane and called, "Point Me Diwata Uno!" The stick whipped in a certain direction. "This way, kids!" He led the way for Sector RZ.

Before Arlon had a chance to follow them, the restaurant waitress cornered him, smiling bubbly. "And will you be paying for Master Crest's meal?"

"Uh-…" Arlon looked behind the waitress. DUN DUN DUUUUN! A huge Lunarian with giant arms punched his palm, glaring murderously at Arlon. His shirt read Lunarian Resources. "Y…Yes. Let me fetch my checkbook."

On a moonlit hill

From here, one could see the ocean as it stretched for miles, reflecting the light of the planet's hundreds of moons. Vaati marched up the hill with Wendy still clinging to his back. "I know I sound too excited, Dad, but I just have so many questions to ask you!"

"Ask me anything, Dear." Vaati chuckled.

"Okay well first, what about my hair, why is my hair blue, I know I have your red eyes, but your hair isn't blue, is my mom's hair blue, or did your hair turn white from old age, not that being old is bad, but-"

"Calm yourself, Child! Neither me or Annie have blue hair. Before we found out she was pregnant, I treated her to a wine called Ocean's Marvel. It was very intoxicating." He chuckled. "We think it resulted in your hair turning blue. It's a beautiful color, isn't it? It goes great with this landscape."

"It does, I agree." Wendy stroked her hair. "So, Mr. Vaat- I mean… Dad." Wendy would have to get used to that word. "There's so much I want to ask. Like… where do you come from; who were your parents?"

"A very good question. My parents abandoned me too, Wendy. Left me in the care of my master, Ezlo."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I do not know their reason; Ezlo claimed to have found me on his doorstep, but because they left me, I had taken the first step to knowing freedom. True, Ezlo became a father figure of sorts. Taught me much of what I know about magic. As to where I come from, like many Minish, I was born and raised in the Tree of Beginning. In time, I would convert to a human size to better pursue my goals, and even Ezlo came to do so."

"A Minish? That means… I'm half-Minish." Wendy figured. "And I'm also half-"

"Nimbi—I mean, human, yes. Keh, sorry." He flushed red. "My mind races around so much, my tongue begins to jump, it's really an odd habit."

"Ha ha ha! I get that way, too! We really have a lot in common, Dad."

"I know, and I'm very proud of how you've grown, Wendy. I have clearly missed my chance to give you a piggyback ride…"

Wendy just remembered she had been riding him all this time. "Dad, if I'm too heavy for you, I can walk on my own."

"I wish I could disagree, but…" Vaati was shaking, "you weigh a lot more than I anticipated." Wendy blushed. "I feel like I might fall apart! Heh-!" He fell over and broke into dust.

"DAD!!" Wendy panicked.

But then the dust swirled into a center, recreating Vaati's body in the form of wind. "Logia airbending." He leaped over his daughter, reforming his physical body. "It's very handy."

Vaati shot to the sky as fast as wind, and Wendy gaped as his body dispersed into such. As a long gust of wind, he soared around and around, far across the field and coming back to breeze past Wendy. She whipped around as he soared miles over the cliff, that gust splitting into three, forming cool shapes, before coming back together. Wendy smiled admiringly as Vaati's upper half reformed above her, his lower half remaining a whirlwind. "When you're a Logia, Wendy, you know all the greatest power your element brings. For us airbenders, it truly means knowing breath." He reformed his feet and landed before her. "I bet you're a great airbender. I hope you will join me on the wind in a few years."

That brought up another question in Wendy's mind. "Mr. V-Dad, who was the first Logia? I mean, I read his name's Acnologia, and he was a mage, but I still don't…"

"Hm hm. So full of questions, as expected of you. Acnologia was a moonbender."

"A moonbender? So he was Lunarian?"

"No, according to ancient scripts, Acnologia was human. In fact, he was not even a bender. He was a wizard who loved magic, desired to learn all he could on magic, and moonbending became a very favored subject of his. He found Lunaria and, using ancient magic only known in his time, he detached his soul from his body, absorbed the spiritual energies of this world, and in time his very soul would be one with Moon Chi. He strengthened his own soul, transferred it to his physical body, and applied it to his magic. With this much power in his veins, he was not only the first mortal to gain bending of his own accord, but the first to actually take the form of his element. One with the essence of nature and the universe, he was a legend to the gods."

"Woooow!" Wendy's red eyes were shining. "That sounds so amazing! So did other Logia benders learn from him?"

"Hm hm, he sure inspired me. It would sound like Acnologia became a role-model for all benders… but he was dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"He was absorbed in Dark Arts and absorbed in power. He destroyed many, many landscapes with his unmatched power. In the end, he was still mortal, so the gods had to destroy him, sever his ultimate energy. Eventually, mortals discovered ways of achieving this level, having been deemed as 'Mortal Gods', but later to be called Logias when compared to the first one. The gods grew concerned having given the mortals more power than they imagined, but passed this off. It showed how generations could pass and things develop.

"As destructive as he was, Acnologia was one of my idols. I think he loved magic as much as I do, and all he desired was the freedom to grow with his power. Tell me, Wendy, when you first laid your hands on your wand and began summoning spells to your whim, how did you feel?"

Wendy pulled out her Lamia Scale. "It felt amazing! It felt like my heart was closed, but it finally opened up to a whole new world! I was beginning to learn who I was!"

"That's how I always feel as I practice and research magic. It is a wonderful power, and I would like others to view it the way I do. But much of Earth's society fears magic, and magic communities are forced to hide. If those rules did not exist and mages could express their selves freely, there would be no fear. Don't you agree, Wendy?"

"Of course I do." Wendy smiled. "I mean, it's one thing if wizards use their magic to bully people, but they shouldn't be persecuted just for being wizards."

"Exactly! Throughout history, it was shown that rules create limitations and create havoc because of these limitations." Vaati paced back and forth as he stressed his argument. "Atrocities like slavery, events like World War II, have all happened because of power-hungry world leaders who were ignorant to the ideals of freedom. Growing up, I read more than my share of stories, detailing the exploits of these leaders. They disgusted me to no end." Vaati gritted his teeth. A darkness loomed in his red eye. "It makes me wonder what the world would be like… if we just didn't have them."

"Father?"

"…" Vaati turned to her, smiling. "Sorry, I kind of just started rambling. But the truth is, Wendy, that I wanted you to know freedom, too. I did not just abandon you to protect you… I wanted you to grow up without the binds of parentage, without you feeling burdened or indebted to your parents. I know that life has been hard for you… but I only desired the best for you, Dear."

"But, Dad… all I wanted was to know you. I didn't care about having freedom or feeling burdened… and for a long time, I thought that you didn't want to bother with me. I don't think I ever felt free… I just felt like a waste. I felt like nothing I did mattered and no one would ever care about me."

"Wendy… you were more important to me than anything else. I never felt more happy… than the day you were born. You were never a waste… and I'm sorry that I made you feel that way."

"I don't care about that, anymore." Tears welled up in her eyes again. "I'm just glad you're here now… I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Wendy."

They hugged warmly. The father and daughter that have been apart for so long… Wendy felt like nothing could go wrong and she would be happy from this moment forward. Why wouldn't she feel this way… At long last, she had her father.

"…Wait a minute!" Wendy spoke up. "How did I weigh you down in this low gravity?"

"You must be heavier than you think!" Vaati laughed.

"Daaaaad!" Wendy turned red and wiggled embarrassingly. But then the two engaged in laughter.

From a safe distance, Carla was hiding behind stalagmites. Call it instinct, but she didn't like the look of this man.

From a distance behind, Carla was hiding behind stalagmites. Call it instinct, but she didn't like the look of this man.

Twinkle Park

Dr. Facilier's Point Me spell led the kids to a town park. In its center was an ice-blue fountain statue of a girl with butterfly wings, pouring water from its back. "Master Crest, as the Firstborn of Moon, you must learn to take responsibility!" Arlon told him scoldingly. "In the future, you cannot rely on your caretakers to pay your food bills, and you certainly cannot eat like a farm animal for the rest of your life."

"Man, and I thought being a baby god would be more fun and games." Lee said.

"It's fun for me!" Lulu did a twirl. "I feel so skinny, I can stand still and hide in plain sight, just like a paper!" And just then, she inflated to her chubby self. "WHAT THE HECK?!"

"Ohhhhhh yeah, forgot to mention, that wears off." Crest noted. "So uh, no hiding for you!"

"AWWWW!"

"It should go without saying you must not abuse your power for senseless purposes." Arlon said.

As they trekked up a hill, a Lunarian with watery butterfly wings emerged from the other side. She gasped at seeing Arlon. "DAD!"

"Lapis!" Arlon exclaimed.

The fairy girl swooped down and grabbed her father in a hug, twirling him. "I missed you so much! I would've come back sooner, but Kyogre made me stay in Oceana, and this stupid sponge thing came and… Wait…" She noticed the creature in Arlon's arm. "Is that…"

"The Firstborn, Crest."

"You mean he's finally come?!"

"Hey, who're you?" Lee asked rudely. "You look like that statue over there."

Lapis turned to them. "Oh… some more humans." She said with resent. "By any chance, you wouldn't be acquainted with the one who arrived earlier?"

"What do you mean?" Leanne asked.

"After I finally made it home, this ship crash-landed in the park and a human girl came out of it. She had blonde hair and a green shirt."

"DIWATA!"

"KIDS, OVER HERE!" Facilier called from atop the hill. "I think I just found her!"

The operatives ran up beside him and saw the backside of a familiar blonde girl sitting in a shimmering, moon-shaped pool. "It's really her!" Lee beamed. "Diwata!"

The four kids rushed down to greet her. She turned around, "HEY, guys!" showing her deep blue face with round, white eyes.

"AAAAAAAH!" They screamed with the biggest shock they have ever experienced, so big their hearts almost jumped out. "D-D-Diwata?" Denny stuttered. "Are you stuck in mid-throw-up?"

"No, silly!" She shook her head. "I'm a Lunarian!"

"You…You are?!" Leanne couldn't process this quick enough.

"Um, I wanna say half-Lunarian, but my mom is half-Lunarian, which I guess makes me half of half-Lunarian! What? Didn't you guys know? Like, I turn blue every time we go swim at the pool! Well, I turn partly blue, but only because we never go night-swimmin', hee hee hee! Hey… are you guys okay? You look like Time just halted to a standstill. …Hello?"

The amount of plot twists they experienced tonight froze them speechless. Lulu fell and rolled into the water.

Gravity Falls; Portal Chamber

Mabel, Grenda, and Candy had fallen asleep after hours of Dimension Fishing. Dipper, being the night owl he was, had to be drugged with a dose of harmless Death Chi. With the four operatives out, Medusa and Thanatos could make their selves known. "You like to get in, get out without a trace, don't you?" Nerehc queried.

"It's not like I wanted to be scarce, it's just this dimension is more heavily watched." The goddess shrugged. "Except this room, for some reason. I brought the next two candidates for our mission."

Atnort and Annaira Eerfnud came behind her. Medusa approached one of the connecting devices, which contained the blue glowing cube known as the Tesseract. "So, this is the device Bill Cipher used to help power the portal. But it isn't from this world, either." She took the Tesseract out of its station and held it before the scanner.

"Original counterpart detected. Changing destination to: Dimension Marvel-199999." The arrow pointed at a symbol of a slanted "A" with a circle around it.

Under Medusa's instruction, Nerehc played the Ocarina of Time, and Fi set it to transport seven years in the past. Atnort and Annaira stood before the spiraling portal as it shone blue. "In this universe, you will be searching for one of the most powerful Darknesses. A born conqueror, a true challenger of the gods… the Mad Titan, Thanos."

Outside Lunaria's atmosphere

A fleet of ships had cleared the Lunar Field and were closing in on the Moon Planet. These ships were marked with a huge red "R". "We will arrive on Lunaria's surface in twenty minutes, Master Giovanni." Butch reported.

"It is even more marvelous up close." Giovanni smirked. "A planet rich with supernatural chi. A terrific source of power, and hiding place of the Tenth Firstborn."

"Those Lunarian dweebs have no idea that WE knew about the Tenth Firstborn all along!" Meowth announced. "And now Team Rocket's gonna be da first bunch o' baddies to capture him!"

"It is a shame that Mew was taken by that wretched girl." Plank 20x40 spoke. The face of his cyborg body, Johnny, made his most frightening grin. "But the amount of power this Newborn Firstborn will grant us will make us unstoppable! Especially with you on our side…" the cyborg turned around, "Acnologia."

The shirtless man with long, spiky white hair, and tan, torn-up skin with blue tattoos, was knelt on a platform. He tried to rush forward- "OOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRGH!" He was bound to the platform and encased inside a force field. Furthermore, John-Plank had a remote control to zap him into submission.

"You'd best behave yourself in my presence, Mr. Logia." said Giovanni. "I did not rescue you from that burning sanctum so you would run rampant like the beast you were. I will seize the Ten Firstborn and rule the universe. I brought you back from the dead so you would guide me to Lunaria… but if you mind your manners, I will be happy to grant you a place in my army."

"OOOAAAAAARRRRGH!" He was shocked again in his attempt to resist.

Jessie and James were holding each other and shuddering. "You know, maybe you should be a little nicer to him." Jessie said.

"After all, a Logia moonbender is practically an endangered species." James followed.

"The microbots I had planted inside him will keep him under control." Plank assured. "He will be a valuable asset to us."

"And his power will be nothing to that which Crest can give us." Giovanni said, facing the approaching planet. "The first target I will set my eyes on is Gozaburo Kaiba. His precious Duel Monsters will be wiped out in one fell swoop!"

Acnologia fell to his hand and knees. He looked up, snarling like a beast as he bared his fangs. The glow of Lunaria glinted off his blue eyes, his pupils shrinking.