04) Fred vs Nicola

They appeared without warning, a glowing celestial serpent that dominated the early summer sky. Their origins are unknown, but their power was vast. For a time, it consumed all of Lunaria in a blanket of listless calm. Activity that summer ground to a near halt under their silent, overpowering aura.

But their appearance beget something else. A festering of a long disagreement, now boiled over into open confrontation. Two sides pitted against each other over the right to tame the might of the Stars. On the one side was Fred, the Mad Scientist. On the other, his former assistant Nicola.

The ultimate result of this epic butting of heads? That is something none in all of Lunaria could have expected....

The Dragon Stars Appear! Fred speaks.

Hello Everyone! Mad Scientist Fred here!

Have you noticed the new Dragon Stars that appeared this summer? There seems to be a kind of radiant energy coming from them! I believe I can harness this energy to create wonderful new mutations for all the wajas who want them! What do you think? Should we put forth our research to harnessing this energy to create more interesting Wajas?

I'll give you some time to think it over. I'm sure you'll agree that we need more interesting mutations!

The Dragon Stars Appear! Nicola speaks. Hiiii!

Remember me? That's right, I'm Nicola the Genius; I took over from that sad old goat Fred when it became obvious that nobody wanted his ugly old mutations any more.

Do you really want him in charge of all that powerful cosmic radiation? Do you really want him to use the Dragon Stars to inflict wajakind with extra appendages? Of course you don't!

Now, if you were to let me get to work in the lab instead, I could produce all sorts of glorious new markings so that everywaja could be their best and most beautiful selves.

So, how about it?

Fred VS Nicola - the mighty Apollo sets the terms.

Well, it looks as though the resident humans are fighting again, and unfortunately, I'm really not surprised. I know a lot of you are calling for the Scientist and Nicola to work together, but unfortunately that hasn't been an option for several years.

So, it looks as though we have a contest on our hands, and I think the fairest thing would be for you, the players, to help decide. Show your support by joining your favourite team and participating in contests to win team points (and, of course, great prizes!).

If you would like to sign up, you can do so HERE, but remember, please only sign up to one team. Once you've done this, feel free to join one of the chat threads:

The first contest will be going up shortly, so, may the best scientist win!

The Contests:
The Team Logo
Theme Song!
Dressup Elizabeth and Aurum
Constellations
And in between, several quick mini-contests that boosted each team!

But then...something changed. Faded...and then fell silent. For months, the power of the Dragon Stars froze all activity. The epic battle petered into listless squabbles, and even the mighty Lord Apollo found he had little strength to speak to the denizens of his land. It seemed like it would never end. But the stars in the sky do not stay the same. And even the Dragon Stars had to make way.

The Dragon Stars wane....

Throughout the summer nights, the skies of Lunaria have shone with the dancing, mesmerizing light of the Dragon Stars. Nothing in all known creation stands as silent as stars, and this great celestial is no different.

So mesmerizing in its beauty, and yet still only one constellation in a vast ocean of black. It has managed to spread its silence over all who observe it. Those who have sought to understand it have long ceased their speculation. Those who have fought and argued to harness it absorb themselves in their experiments, oblivious for many weeks now of the promises they made to duel to the very end. And those who rallied the world to their cause, who invited all to choose sides, have found even the passage of time itself slipping by.

But now, the summer is fading. As the emerald green of the trees begin to change to red and gold, so too do the stars. Constellations do not remain year around. Even the Dragon must make way for others to shine. And as its light finally begins to wane, so too will come a realization. The time of the Dragon Stars is coming to an end. The silence must break.

Before its light is lost to the winter sky, and the gifts they might grant to the world are gone forever.

Lord Apollo assures Lunaria that the time of dormancy is ending.

...Hello? Can you hear me?

Finally! While we were all aware of the powerful radiation emitted by the Dragon Stars, I don't think any of us knew quite how strong it would turn out to be. Unfortunately, it blocked off almost all communication between Lunaria and Terra for quite some time. Rest assured, though, all is well here, even if very little has changed.

Fred and Nicola are still at loggerheads, sadly, and it doesn't reflect well on either of them. Winnie and I have been discussing it at length - it's breaking the poor girl's heart. The unfortunate thing is that while they continue to argue, Lunaria is moving out from the Dragon Stars' radiation field, and it won't be long before there isn't anything left for them to work with. Winnie still thinks there can be some sort of resolution to this; she's working on it as we speak, and I sincerely hope she is right.

In the meantime, please rest assured that now I am able to speak to the staff again, any prizes owed will be distributed as soon as possible. I'm sorry that you had to wait so long.

The waning of the stars did not end the fight, though. The bitterness between Fred and Nicola was something that seemed endless. And their daughter, the much beloved Obsessed Waja Fan Winifred...long has she been caught in the middle of her parents' feud. The stress of it was tearing her soul apart. On the final night of the Dragon Stars' power, she finds herself sitting on a hilltop, lost in grief.

Dragon's Fading Light, Part 1

The last rays of the autumn sun had already given way to the wide expanse of star-filled sky. The golden glow on the horizon was not enough to extinguish the radiance of the great celestial dragon, even as its shine was far less than it had been through the warm summer months. The stars were low in the sky now. The end of its reign was scarce days away. But abdicating the throne of the summer heavens had finally released the land below from its great power and resulting torpor of inactivity. Tasks months overdue were now being completed. The world, both Lunaria and the expanses beyond, bustled with the excitement of times to quickly come.

But there was one task left to be done. And to Olivia Winifred Fredericks, it seemed to be the most difficult of all, if not impossible.

“Peace,” the Chosen Divine said solemnly. A few of the Chosen and Corps stood with her at this place high atop a steep hill. Normally Winnie would be in awe to be in the presence of such proud and legendary Wajas, but tonight her heart pounded in continued worry that no amount of effort could conceal from the eyes of the wisest of the wise. “You have done well; the players have done well. Your parents will see reason.”

“I hope so,” Winnie said softly. She sat down on the soft grass, wrapping her arms around her knees and bowing her head. She felt the warm soft fur of the Chosen Corsie on one side and the soft plush of the Plushie of the Corps on the other as they sat down next to her. Clarine settled a gentle paw on her shoulder.

“You have been very brave, Winnie,” she said soothingly.

“It is difficult to see clearly when there is such strife between the ones you love,” Jill added.

“Feh! Love, hate, peace, strife, winners, losers, balance and sharing...yanno, some may have whined and complained, but nobody can say things weren’t a lot simpler when I ruled. Everything was about me! Focus on me, love for me, everything for me to give back as I pleased. So what if I had to lock a few of the less useful minions in a cage, it still..."

“Miss Vyra, please,” Clarine said, forcing a cold smile. “That really does not help right now.”

The former glitch-Queen was sprawled comfortably a few yards downhill, until that point simply gazing up at the Dragon Stars with a part wistful, part disgusted expression. She had fared no better under the stars’ influence. Her once grand plans to have her own fun amidst the feud had dissolved in a haze of lazy relaxation. Not the worst way to spend the time, but still...so much opportunity wasted. At Clarine’s words she rolled back over and gazed up at them, sweeping back her long arc of mane with a forepaw.

“Why shouldn’t it help?” she asked flatly. “So they’re arguing. It isn’t the end of the world.”

Winnie sat up straight, glaring down at Vyra. Clarine’s paw tightened a little on her shoulder, the Corsie’s fur ruffling. But Winnie shook her head when she started to speak, interrupting her.

“My parents have been fighting for years, for as long as I can remember,” she said, trying to hold back sudden tears. “Always arguing about whose experiments were better, how best to use the laboratory. It never stopped! And then...and then...” Winnie shuttered and pressed her face into her hands. She didn’t even want to think of the chaos around her mother’s takeover of her father’s laboratory. “Nothing good came of it. Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

Winnie jumped. Vyra had risen to her feet while she had her face covered, and now the towering Waja was barely a foot from her. She had a wide grin on her face, but her eyes were sharp and cold. With a casual wave, she brushed Clarine and Jill aside and sat back on her haunches, wrapping her dexterous forelegs around Winnie and crushing her against her chest. Winnie’s eyes bulged in shock as the glitch roughly patted the top of her head.

“So tell me if I am right. Your parents had a big fight, your mother kicked your father out of his lab with the help of my sub...former subjects.” She cleared her throat delicately. “And then your mother focused all of her research on creating pretty colors, while your dad wound up in a shack in a swamp.”

Winnie could only let out a muffled grunt. Vyra’s grip was only a little uncomfortable physically, but the Imp spoke with an exaggerated mocking tone that made her feel both nervous and insulted. Around them, the gathered Chosen and Corps were a mix of confusion and bemusement. Clearly this was behavior of a sort they had not seen in Vyra before.

“And while dear dad was in that swamp, his experiments led to the creation of a portal that not only almost caused the absolute devastation of all Lunaria, it revealed the existence of Lunaria’s sister world, the world in which existed the one thing that was able to end my glorious reign.”

“Y...yes.”

“And now, his continued experiments have created a small but stable link to that sister world that allows continued communication as the Artemis creature awaits the creation of a new so-called Pear Tree, without needing to risk another trip through my code. Isn’t that right?”

“Vyra, is there a point to all this?” Delos, African of the Corps, said gruffly.

“There is a point to everything I do,” Vyra replied delicately, continuing to stroke the top of Winnie’s head. “I am right, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” Zarek confirmed solemnly.

“And in the meanwhile, your mother has not only delighted many a denizen of Lunaria with her creations, she also assisted yours truly in the creation of the wonderful gifts she bestowed upon her beloved subjects during her reign.”

“She did?” Winnie blinked in shock. She had not known her mother had a hand in the new process allowed Wajas to dye their fur with brilliant textures.

Vyra chuckled.

“Well, maybe assisted isn’t the right word. Coerced is probably better. Under the threat of the two people she loved being tossed into the darkest abyss of my labyrinth code for all time.”

Vyra suddenly released her grip, and Winnie fell back onto the grass.

“I’m not going to say that I understand what you went through, or that I even particularly care,” she said dryly. “But what I do understand is ambition. Those who strive for glory as much as your parents have done will never stop wanting more. They’ll reach to the very stars to get it. Do you honestly believe that they will not find at least one way to come to an accord?”

Winnie sat up and considered Vyra’s words. Of course she believed her parents could find a way to come together! That was what she had been working towards these last several weeks. And this news about Vyra recruiting Winnie’s mother to create the textures! They had brought something new to Lunaria--not just in the beautiful new patterns that could affect a Wajas coat, but they could span mutations as well. Never before had a Waja's horns or wings been able to shine with the colors of rainbow or chrome.

Winnie’s father loved to experiment with mutations. And her mother knew how to bring new colors to them. The gears were turning in Winnie’s head. The power of the Dragon Stars was waning now, but her parents were both eager to make the best of use of them and perhaps together they could capture one last burst to bring something truly exciting to Lunaria.

"I definitely believe they can,” Winnie said, standing. “And I need to talk to both of them.”

To be concluded....

And with the winner declared....TEAM FRED....the answer is finally found.

Dragon's Fading Light, Part 2

Low in the night sky, the Dragon Stars maintained a dominant presence. Above the treetops rustling in the gentle breeze, they seemed perched like a heavenly sentinel. Their time was nearing an end, their final tendrils of power waning, but they were not giving up their celestial throne easily. The beast glared down at the joyful populations below. Daring a claimant to step forward and take the long-awaited prize.

A celebration was being organized in one of the largest meadows. The denizens of Lunaria were ready to find out who would become the master of the Dragon Stars, and eager to see the wonderful creations that were to come. But the guests of honor were nowhere near the meadow. They were standing in the light spilling out from the front door of Nicola’s laboratory. There was a very uneasy silence for the moment, as Nicola seemed to be struggling to keep quiet as the Mad Scientist cast glances behind him at the building that had once been his haven. Of course, his rebuilt home in the Murky Swamp wasn’t all that bad—the warm humid environment actually served many of his experiments quite well—the memory of all of his first creations formulated here, the place he had planned and built brick by brick with his own hands…

A slight ruffling of papers turned all eyes over and downward. Bill was lowering a stack of recorded results, his normally calm expression slightly troubled. He glanced between Artemis and Apollo, who sat on either side of him. Then he cleared his throat.

“The winning team is Team Fred.”

The Mad Scientist let out a single loud whoop of victory, clearly unable to contain himself. He immediately calmed when he saw Nicola’s fierce glare, and the stoic cold eyes of the reigning Waja deities.

“My, ah, apologies,” he said. “I mean, thank you very much. Of course, I knew all along…”

“Both of your supporting teams did their very best,” Apollo said calmly. He glanced down at the papers at Bill’s feet. “A margin of only fifty-two points. There has been no closer tally.”

“Of course, of course,” the Mad Scientist said, gesturing to Nicola. “And I congratulate Nicola and her team as well. It was…actually, the entire competition has been rather fun. Being able to see for myself how many have enjoyed and appreciated our various creations has been both enlightening and welcoming.”

He gestured to Nicola, who was now giving him a slightly surprised look. But then the Mad Scientist cleared his throat and straightened his coat.

“But the competition is over now, and it is time for me to get to work! Little time left!” He was practically vibrating with excitement. “And I have a perfect idea! I shall…”

“Oh, grow up, Frederick!” Nicola barked loudly. “Can’t you, for once in your life, just accept your victory with dignity and then walk away? You never change! You simply just…”

Her exact words were drowned out as the Mad Scientist retorted, and both descended once more into a shouting bickering match. Almost as one, Apollo and Bill sighed. Artemis growled and rolled her eyes.

“Maybe it would be what they deserve for the Dragon Stars to just pass them by,” she grumbled.

“We cannot solve all the problems of this world,” Apollo said. “Some must find their own conclusions without our involvement.”

Artemis glanced sideways at him.

“Do we have an eternity?” She rolled her eyes. “Still, their poor kid…how long has she had to deal with all this?”

“Far longer than she ever deserved,” Apollo replied quietly. “I…”

He paused, and he, Artemis and Bill turned at the sound of approaching footsteps. Winnie was jogging towards them, flanked by the members of the Corps and Chosen they had sent out earlier in the evening to find her and offer comfort. It was to their surprise that they saw Vyra bringing up the rear. The sounds of argument abruptly died as the Mad Scientist and Nicola noticed their daughter’s approach. The rest of the Corps and Chosen assembled quietly at their leaders’ flanks, Bill fading back to join them, but Vyra boldly slid around the small crowd of Wajas to sit at the forefront. She only offered a bored shrug when Artemis glared at her in suspicion, but her eyes were twinkling with expectation.

“Mom, Dad, this has to stop,” Winnie said angrily, staring daggers at her parents. “I’ve had enough, all of Lunaria has had enough, and you’re about to waste the biggest opportunity of your lives screaming at each other.”

“Winnie, get away from her!” Nicola cried. She lunged forward, grabbing Winnie’s arms and dragging her away from Vyra. “She’s dangerous.”

Vyra gave a huff and rolled her eyes.

“Such an overreaction,” she said, feigning insult. “I only threatened you a little bit.” She rolled her eyes again at Apollo and Artemis’ looks. “Before.”

“Mom, Vyra’s the reason I’m here,” Winnie retorted, pulling herself out of Nicola’s grip. “She’s the only one making sense tonight.”

Delos and Zarek were already whispering in Artemis and Apollo’s ears, retelling what they had witnessed. Vyra preened herself, clearly enjoying the developing looks of shock.

“Oh my, what a find!” she said coyly. “The Lady Vyra has a heart!” She flipped her long mane again. “I’ve changed my mind. I’ve done enough here, and now I’m bored. Come find me when you realize who is actually worthy of the Dragon Stars.”

The Glitch Queen turned and strode away into the darkness, giving the looming celestial beast one more regretful sigh before vanishing from sight. There was a long beat of silence as everyone watched her leave. Then the Mad Scientist cleared his throat.

“Well, I won the right to the Dragon Stars,” he said, turning to grin at Winnie. His grin faltered when he was met with a seething glare. “I…well…it…”

“Stop,” Winnie snapped. “Just stop. BOTH of you.” She gave her mother the same glare when she opened her mouth to speak. “I’m starting to wish now that the Dragon Stars pass by and leave you both in the dark. It’ll be the least you deserve.” Her expression softened, unable to hold back her sadness. “You’ve done nothing but fight for years. Fight over me, your experiments, this laboratory, your theories…was there ever a time in your lives when you were truly happy together?”

Nicola and the Mad Scientist glanced at each other.

“W…well, of course,” the Mad Scientist stammered. “I mean, Winnie, dear. Regardless of what lies between me and your mother now, you have always been our greatest achievement.”

“You care for so many Wajas,” Nicola added gently. “We are so proud of the work you do.”

“We are all proud,” Apollo agreed, nodding solemnly. There was a general murmur of agreement from the rest of the gathered.

Winnie smiled very slightly.

“I’m not your only one,” she said. “Vyra reminded me of that. Think of all the amazing things you two have done over the years. All of the things you created, all of the changes you made.”

“All of the near-catastrophic invasions of otherworld termites I caused,” the Mad Scientist said under his breath, mopping his forehead with a handkerchief.

“And ended,” Nicola added, bringing a look of shock to his face. “The Isopteron plague wouldn’t have been able to be stopped without your help.”

“And Mom, remember your creation of fur textures,” Winnie added quickly, now grinning. “Vyra just told me that she made you create them by threatening the TWO people who meant the most to you.”

Nicola blushed scarlet. The Mad Scientist blinked several times, clearly at a loss for words.

“T…two?” he finally managed.

“Well…of course!” Nicola huffed, crossing her arms. “Frederick, I have never wanted to see you get hurt, no matter what I might have said to you in the heat of an argument. I was petrified when you wound up in the Murky Swamp until Lord Apollo assured me you would be safe there.”

“Neither would I!” the Mad Scientist protested. “Surely you know that I would never wish you harm, or even failure in your experiments. That’s why I left most of my equipment here when I departed for the swamp. Having my entire setup might have made my initial studies easier, true, but it would have eventually fettered away in all that moisture.”

Apollo and Artemis exchanged another glance. They could see in each other’s eyes that a level of hope was rekindling. Clarine was openly beaming, her smile almost luminescent in its radiance. Delos was the only one that didn’t seem yet convinced.

“Now that you remember everything you have done, think about this,” Winnie continued. “All the great things you’ve done recently, you’ve done alone. What do you think you could be capable of if you worked together? Imagine all of the things you could create, not just with the Dragon Stars, but with everything you’ve learned and experimented on and researched.” She raised her hands, stopping her parents’ responses. “I’m not asking you two to make us a family again. All I’m asking is that you consider some sort of cooperation. Think of something, anything, that you could make together that you could never make alone. You’ve done it before, haven’t you? You can do it again!”

A sudden chilly breeze ghosted around them, sending a cascade of bronze and orange leaves falling from the branches of the nearest tree. They could hear music in the distance now. The party to celebrate the winning team and the end of the Dragon Stars’ reign was getting ready to begin.

“I would recommend a decision now, before we venture to the celebrations” Zarek said, glancing at the stars. “This may very well be the last night the Dragon Stars will be accessible.”

“Yes…yes, of course.” The Mad Scientist scratched his chin. “Hmm…” He shifted his hand to scratch the side of his head.

Nicola smirked.

“You haven’t finished planning out what you were going to do with the Stars’ power, have you?” she asked slyly.

“Of course! My idea was a grand extension!” He raised his arms to his sides, but immediately dropped them, his mind clearly working in overdrive. “However, if I went a bit more…conservative. Smaller, perhaps. There might be enough left over…”

“Dad?” Winnie asked, unable to keep the hope out of her voice. “What are you thinking?”

The Mad Scientist did not respond for a long moment, clearly deep in thought. Then, his head jerked up, and he smiled widely.

“Nicola! Remember your very first experiments with dyes? How you thought feathers would be easier to practice on than fur?”

“Of course,” Nicola replied, shaking her head. “But it took forever to find the proper ingredient ratios, and even longer to perfect the carryover. You know the peripherals don’t take to color easily.”

“But it worked in the end! We still have our research notes. Perhaps the power of the Dragon Stars will be all that we need to perfect the process at last.”

“The process of what?” Winnie asked.

“Formulating dyes that can appear on the peripherals of Wajas,” Nicola explained. “The various mutations. Bird Wing Tips is the only one so far that has ever worked, but I was never able to master them on fur.”

“But your textures work on fur,” the Mad Scientist declared. “Your work there, my knowledge of mutations, our old experiment, and a bit of extra power for a good hard spark!” He let out a loud bark of laughter. “We can do it! I know we can. It will be more than simple.” He swung his arm around Winnie’s shoulders, gesturing grandly. “Think of it, my dear. Black and white stripes on manes, galactic spots on tails! If we can figure out the base formula, there’s no end to what we can create!”

“Wajas all over Lunaria will love it!” Winnie squealed.

“But what of your original idea, Frederick?” Nicola asked. She had pulled out a pen and a notebook seemingly from thin air and was rapidly scribbling down calculations. “This will take some time to complete. We shouldn’t let the rest of the power go to waste.”

“We will not,” the Mad Scientist declared. “Consider this…”

He leaned over and whispered in Nicola’s ear. After a moment she grinned.

“If you want to pull that off, we need to get to work!” she laughed.

“Do what?” Winnie asked.

“You will soon see, my dear!” The Mad Scientist was already running through the front doors of the laboratory, Nicola at his heels. “Go to the celebration in our stead. Thank our loyal team members for us. I promise, soon all of Lunaria will be blessed with something glorious!” He glanced around, practically spinning on his heels. “Nicola, do you still have my…?”

“It’s right where you left it,” Nicola replied, pointing.

The laboratory doors swung closed, blocking any further conversation. But there was more than enough noise outside to make up for it. Winnie was jumping up and down, both cheering and sobbing in overwhelmed delight. The rest of the gathered were applauding or laughing—except for Delos, who simply patted his front paws together a few times, clearly still not convinced. Even Artemis had a genuine smile on her face.

“Come,” Apollo finally said. “We have a party we must not be late for, and now, all the more reason to celebrate!”

To be further concluded....

So the story ends, with the Dragon Stars' power promise of something amazing to come. But to tide Lunaria over until that time, a special prize: Dragon Mutations