Ice Age

one

"We'll take care of the monsters!" Called Musa from the air. "You deal with the portal!"

On a silent agreement, Tecna, Bloom, Aisha, and the wizard, Taboc ran together up to the giant glowing portal that threatened to destroy Andros.

"Let's stop here." Taboc warned, holding up his hand. "It's too risky to get any closer."

"Taboc, what's wrong?" Aisha asked.

Taboc took a deep breath before speaking. "I...I am partially to blame for this. A long time ago, I helped to build this portal. In order to make it escape proof, we decided so that it could not be opened or closed. It was to be a fail safe defense against the greatest of evils. But, obviously...we underestimated Valtor's power."

"Well then, Taboc, why don't we forget about closing the portal and try destroying it instead?" Bloom suggested.

"These magic scrolls contain enough magic to do just that, bit I'll also need your help." Taboc said, holding up said scroll.

"What do you want us to do, Taboc?" Aisha asked.

"I need you to converge all of your magic onto the scrolls."

"All of our magic?" Tecna inquired. "Okay, we'll do it."

"It is our one and only hope."

The girls stepped back and joined hands while Taboc turned and held up his scroll.

"...created by the great wizards of the first triumvirate of Andros, this portal will be no more. By the power of Nedak, the highest wizard in the realm of--" Taboc was cut off as the wind began to get stronger and stronger, tearing at his robes and ripping the scroll from his hands. The girls fell backwards as the negative energy knocked them off their feet.

"The scrolls...no!" Taboc shouted, watching as the wind tore them away.

Aisha got to her feet and launched into the air, trying desperately to catch the scroll, but it was useless. Tecna got up too and called, "Aisha! Come back down here, Aisha!"

Aisha slowly touched back down on the ground. Bloom turned to Taboc, who looked very distraught.

"The scrolls are gone. Taboc, what do you we do now?"

Just then, there was a sound like an earthquake happening below their feet. All four of them gaped at the portal.

"The funnel is growing stronger," Taboc observed. "We must leave the planet immediately."

"What? We can't leave now!" Aisha objected.

"There's got to be something else we can do!" Tecna shouted.

Taboc sighed. "I'm afraid the portal is completely out of control. The only way to close it now is from the inside. To achieve that would require more courage and power than anyone has. Our only real option is to leave the planet."

"I'm not going to let another planet be destroyed." Bloom said. "I couldn't do anything about Domino, but I can surely try to save Andros."

"Bloom, it's my responsibility to save my world." Aisha tried.

"Well then, we'll do it together." Bloom joined hands with Aisha and approached the portal, but were quickly forced backwards by the force of its magic. Tecna slid backward, the heels of her boots skidding over the rock. She looked around and noticed she was the only one still on her feet.

"Wait, I can do it." She clenched her fists and approached it by herself.

"Tecna, what are you doing?" She vaguely heard Flora call from above.

"Tecna!" Bloom yelled from behind her.

"No, she cannot risk her life for my planet!" Aisha shouted. "Tecna, no!"

"You are needed here, Aisha, to help rebuild." Taboc reasoned with her. "What Tecna is doing takes great courage. We must allow her to live out her destiny."

Tecna cautiously stopped in front of the portal, and put her hand on the edge of it. After a moment, the energy dragged her into the center of the funnel.

Musa, at the sight of her best friend in such a state, flew up beside the portal, trying desperately to save her. "Tecna!"

As the portal's influence on her became stronger, Tecna felt something inside her shift. She felt much more powerful than before. When she opened her eyes again, she was different.

Enchantix...she had earned her Enchantix.

With this realization came another. If fairy dust could be used to reverse the effects of dark spells, then it could also help her to seal the portal. She reached out and took the small bottle from the choker on her neck, and tipped it over, allowing the magical substance to work its magic. "Fairy dust, close the portal!"

"Tecna, what are you trying to do?" Musa yelled over the sound of the wind coming from the portal. Tecna heard her, but did not acknowledge her. Instead, she forced her way out of the funnel, and began pushing down on it, forcing it to seal itself shut.

As she got closer and closer to the bottom of the portal, the force of it grew nearly unbearable. By the time the funnel had totally dispersed, Tecna's energy was spent. She didn't have the strength to fly away from the rapidly closing hole in the rocks, and was sucked down into the dark and cold dimension of Omega.