Dear Readers, 😊
I'm starting a new episode for you today!
And, yes, it is the beginning of a two-episode pair!
A major turning point is on the horizon.
There is excitement ahead,
There are heartwarming moments to come.
There will be laughter.
There will be tears.
But first, let's consider where the story has led us so far.
Season Six:
Episode 53: On The Plain of Heroes: Journeys begin.
Episode 54: Just Friends Ship: Eerie whispers, a disturbed ocean, troubled hearts.
Episode 55: Sleeping Arrangements: Preparations for adventure and a return.
Episode 56: Throne Room: Kingdom in ruins, king and queen, a warning, and a storm.
Episode 57: Missing Peace: Tense decisions, and a strange homecoming.
Episode 58: Peace Zone: Princesses and soldiers meet, a mission, a shocking discovery.
Episode 59: Good Will Tour: Failing magic, partings, and gathering.
Episode 60: Cry For Etheria: The beacon is lit, and princesses respond.
Episode 61: Stay Close: Science explains the danger, and an emergency sleepover.
Episode 62: Chance For The Future, Ghosts From The Past: A plan to save the world, and facing painful memories.
Episode 63: Welcome . . .: Dangerous landing as princesses prepare.
Episode 64: Where There Is Light: Light from a dream and hope against the odds.
Episode 65: Shutdown Part 1: Time running short, and a desperate venture.
Episode 66: Shutdown Part 2: Finally united, Etheria saved, but . . . at a cost.
Season Seven:
Episode 67: Light In The Mourning: Regrouping, recovering, researching.
Episode 68: The Beginnings Of Magic: Past and present meet. An intruder arrives.
Episode 69: Things Everywhere, All At Once: Risking, and trusting each other.
Episode 70: To Seek the Heart of Magic: Faithful friends and dealing with trouble.
Episode 71: To Find the Heart of Magic: Answers from science and sorcery.
Episode 72: Waking To Trouble: A new plan amidst secrets and doubts.
Episode 73: Nearer the Heart: Showdown, sorrow, and surprising reveals!
Now, I would like to dedicate this first chapter of Episode 74 to a favorite friend here, Constellation ( @JellyfishConstellation ) as well as to a friend I have been missing, Lila ( @BeanieAndTheDucks )!
Thank you both for being the wonderful people you are, and I hope you enjoy!
Although this is a short chapter, I hope you will like this little introduction to greater events that will shortly follow! 😁
EPISODE 74: Open Heart Part 1
There is darkness and a soft, . . . pulsing . . . buzz.
In a slow, regular beat, the walls of the large, open chamber glow faintly . . . then dim.
Glow . . . and then dim.
Glow . . . and then dim.
With each pulse, the darkness is transected by thousands of flowing lines, glowing into life, rushing like molten silver along delicate, threadlike channels that have been meticulously etched into walls of midnight onyx. They fade into nothing within the fraction of a breath, then shimmer along their courses before fading again.
In the dead-space between pulses, the darkness draws closer than a primal womb, and the silence deafens.
Within a few moments, a quiet murmuring may be heard, sounding mournfully from all directions, like a persistent echo.
Voice: [plaintively] Maint- . . . Maint- . . . Maint-
A diffuse pool of orange light grows into visibility, emanating from a portion of the wall of the chamber. It shifts restlessly, rising and falling slowly, in an erratic patten.
At last, the pool of light strengthens, and the shape of a triangular archway begins to assert itself, defining edges for the nebulous light pool.
All at once, the light resolves into a focused lamp, which enters the room at head height for a diminutive princess. It brushes over a wide horizontal surface at the center of the open space.
The angle of light shifts, sweeping over a structure of fantastically twining vertical extrusions of milky white. These reach upward toward a ceiling high overhead.
Beneath the lamp, Entrapta smiles nostalgically, her wide eyes taking in the magnificently alien beauty of the First Ones control console.
The disembodied voice murmurs louder, a tone of urgency entering the words.
Voice: [struggling] Maint- . . . Maint- !
Entrapta rushes forward, laying her hands on the console, her hair splaying over the edges, gripping it like a reassuring maternal hug.
Entrapta: I’m here, Matilda!
At Entrapta’s touch, the console panels begin to glow with a soft white light. The light spreads, flowing through the twisted shapes reaching upwards from the console, and the walls of the chamber brighten with the shine from the First Ones writing as it steadies and intensifies. Soon the entire room is illuminated by light like a full moon amidst a field of stars!
Entrapta takes a few steps back, and Wink joins her by her side, both gazing upward with a sense of awe and wonder at the beautiful brilliance. The voice speaks strongly now, its confidence restored.
Matilda: [with even calm] Maintengineer detected. Entrapta! You have returned.
Entrapta reaches up to her forehead and removes the small lamp attached to her helmet, switching it off. In the bright glow from all around her, her expression of longing and relief is evident. She smiles warmly.
Entrapta: Yes! We’ve come back! [nearly breathless with anticipation] We’re here to restart the system!
When the ancient artificial intelligence replies, there is evident satisfaction in her voice.
Matilda: Then let it begin.
