The Impossible Dream

    Written by Zelda

 

 

                Nosedive yawned lazily as he brought the thick

blankets around his shoulders, and snuggled down into

them. The whole team was settling into their respective

places in their sleeping quarters after a long day.

After a 3 hour midmorning practice, Dive had spent his

day rollerblading, and hanging out with Thrash and Mook

at Captain Comics. They didn't have a game, and

Dragaunus hadn't so much as made a peep. Still, it had

been a long day. Listening to Zelda pipe lazily and

softly away on her favorite wind flute, he drowsily

closed his eyes, and drifted off.

 

                The last echoing, dreamy trills of the wind

flute were suddenly shattered with Drake One's blaring

alarm. It must have been the middle of the night!

Wildwing sat up violently, just avoiding banging his

head on the bunk above him. As the rest of the team

awoke quickly, he checked his com. "Dragaunus is

breaking into the Pond!" he yelled, dismayed and shaken.

The team quickly ran out of their sleeping quarters,

and up, into the elevator tube that would lead them to

the rink above.

 

 

                The cold, misty ice rink was shadowed and gaping

in foreboding darkness. The team stepped warily through

their entrance gate, and slid cautiously out onto the

ice. Zelda flew up into the rafters, creeping along the

dusty steel beams. Suddenly, she saw something green,

glowing in a darkened recess of the area below a balcony.

                "Look out!" she cried. A hail of red lasers came

streaming out from the shadows, melting and splitting

the ice at Grin's feet. He leapt back, surprised, as the

team aimed their weaponry at the spot where the fire had

just come from. Suddenly, a huge, searing explosion

ripped up from behind them. A fireball had blasted a

smoking, black crater in the ice, already beginning to

ooze with the melting chunks. The team backed up for

security, as Zelda landed beside them. Suddenly, the

Chameleon appeared in front of her, blasting at her.

The team backed up, turning to face him. Suddenly,

Tanya yelled out as she felt a wave of sickening cold

envelop her, and a huge, green light wrapped around her,

clouding her vision. Turning in alarm, the team saw that

the Saurians had activated a transport window, and Tanya

had backed into it! Duke leapt out to catch her, but he

was too late. Tanya had disappeared into the ominous

circle of swirling green light. Suddenly, the transport

gateway disappeared.

                "What are you up to!?" snarled Wildwing, aimlessly into the blackness. Wraith loomed

out of the shadows, high in the stands.

                "Oh, don't  worry about your friend. You'll be joining her in no  time!" he laughed, and raised a fireball in his claws.  As Grin turned to look at him, he suddenly felt an  incredible force squeezing him around the middle, and  lifting him up of the ground. In a feat of immense  strength, Siege had crept up behind Grin, grabbed him,  and lifted him up. As the others turned to see, the  huge green window loomed up again. Siege leaned back,  about to throw Grin into the empty green space. Zelda  launched off of the ice, and flew at him. Siege agilely  dodged her, and, failing to skid to a halt on the  slippery ice, Zelda slid into the window as well, just  before it collapsed again.

                "Guess I gave her the slip."  laughed Siege, turning to face them again. The Chameleon

suddenly started firing on Wildwing. He raised his

shield for protection, and prepared to fire back, when

he suddenly felt himself sliding backwards, and into

the wreath of cold and green. In the midst of green

nothingness, he felt his footing disappear, and fell

downwards uncontrollably.

 

                Wildwing caught the faint, blurry glimpse of

burning red, and then slammed violently against the

floor. Standing up warily, he saw that he was inside the

Raptor! Off to his right, he saw Zelda and Grin coming

towards him, While Tanya stood just to his left.

                "You  guys okay?" he asked, rubbing his arm.              

                "Never better."  answered Grin. Suddenly, the great green gap opened  again, spitting Mallory and Duke onto the floor,  followed by Nosedive seconds later.

                "Well, at least  we're all here." sighed Tanya.                

                "Not all of us!" laughed  a hideous voice from a shadowed corner.

                "Dragaunus!" growled Duke.

                "Indeed." he smiled, stepping out from his

shadowed recess, flanked by his henchmen.

                "Now, this  place could use an air freshener....roast duck scent should suit the atmosphere just fine!" growled Wraith,  drawing out his staff again. The team backed off, as the  henchmen advanced slowly. From behind them, a huge line of a green shadow reared up, fading away to reveal about

10 hunter drones.

                "Split up!" cried Mallory, as the  team fled from a hail of laser fire that erupted from

the hall.

                "Relax." assured Dragaunus, as the Ducks ran

their separate ways, down the great archways of the

Raptor. "They won't get far. This whole system of halls

and rooms is a giant maze, through which our Saurian

instincts can guide us, but through which the Ducks will

be left a hapless flock!" The four reared back in a fit

of evil laughter, as they each stalked off separately,

down the empty corridors.

 

                Mallory skidded to a stop in front of a blazing

red wall. A dead end! Turning back, She ducked to avoid

the fire from two hunter drones that were chasing her.

Turning away, she ran back through the doorway,

blasting a drone as she ran. She had to find the others.

 

                Wildwing backed warily away as Siege advanced

towards him, laughing. He held his shield defensively

out in front of him, prepared for anything. Grin was

not to far off, presently presiding over a drone, which

he had just rammed into a wall. Now, Grin turned back

to Siege, and approached him from the side slowly.

Siege glanced around, not quite knowing what to do. He

grinned and ran towards Wildwing suddenly. As Wing

braced himself and prepared to fire, he suddenly saw

Siege whip around, sending his club-tail flying. It

caught Grin right across the side, as he ran in to help,

and sent him flying backwards. He landed with a thud on

his back, sliding to a stop on the metal floor, and

slowly started to stagger up. Wildwing tried to advance

over and help him, but Siege had begun to fire on him,

backing him away, down, through another archway.

 

                Tanya snarled in effort as she shoved a drone

away from her. Three had chased her and Zelda when they

ran, and now they were proving hard to deal with. Zelda

leapt up onto one, scrambling up the back, and tore at

the wiring in the back of the neck with her claws. As

the second drone fell into a heap of scrap metal, it

exploded, and Zelda was sent flying into a corner. As

Tanya was about to go to her, a great green shadow

sprang up in her path. The Chameleon loomed out in front

of her, shooting with his laser gun. Tanya fell down

beneath the blasts, in a searing hail of fire.

 

                Nosedive and Duke backed together for

protection, as three hunter drones circled them,

looked on by Wraith. Duke brought his saber forth

to one of them, creating a gap in the circle, through

which he leapt, to take Wraith on alone.

                "So, silly  duck, care to spar?" laughed Wraith nonchalantly. Duke  charged, but was met powerfully with Wrath's blocking  blow. He pressed forwards, shoving Wraith with all his  might. But Wraith reared back, and sent a fireball  hurtling into the space between them. Duke fell  backwards in the searing explosion, collapsing to the  floor.

 

                Zelda scampered back, trying to distract the

drones from Tanya. She led the remaining one around the

twisting bends, then slapped it into a wall powerfully

with her tail, destroying it. Suddenly, she heard a deep growling. She knew exactly who it was, and scampered back through the archways, trying to get back to Tanya. But she soon found herself hopelessly lost in the maze of passages and dead ends. Finally, she skidded to a stop in a large, dead end, square room.

                "Afraid to face me alone, dragon?" laughed a voice from the air. Dragaunus, emerging from his cloaked state, stalked into the room.

                "You!" she snarled. "How could I refuse!" she leapt at him in savage fury, while he dodged and recloaked. Zelda landed on the ground, skidding to a stop and swiveling around. "Coward!" she sneered. "You couldn't face me alone!" Suddenly, she felt a searing pain tear down her left shoulder. Zelda screamed in pain, and stumbled away. Dragaunus uncloaked, grinning, with blood dripping from his right claws.

                "We'll see about that." he smiled, admiring the glossy red as it slid down his claws. Zelda stood against the wall, gripping her shoulder, feeling the blood flow between her claws. She pretended to start to limp away, then  bounded off of the wall, and leapt onto Dragaunus, knocking him over. She slammed him hard on his back, landing precariously on his stomach. Digging her claws in, she bit the bony crest atop his head, set her teeth, and ripped her head violently from side to side. Roaring in frustration, Dragaunus picked her up and heaved her against a far wall. She sank to the floor, gasping for breath, as he slowly got up. As he crouched, he lunged at her in seething rage. Zelda leapt to the side and slapped him with the full of her tail, right across his back. He fell to the floor, but lashed out at her with his left claws, and caught her across the right flank. As his claws sheared through her flesh yet again, Zelda roared in pain.

 

                Wildwing panted, as the last drone was finally put in it's place. Siege had retreated to who knew where, and he and Grin were able to catch a moment's rest.

                "We've got to get to the others." said Grin. Wildwing reached for his com. "Team! Everyone okay?"               "Depends on your definition of 'okay'." replied Duke, over the crackle of explosions.

                "Fine here, but I got separated from Zelda." reported Tanya, also a little short of breath.

                "Tanya! I can see you, I'll be with ya in a sec." said Mallory.

                "Okay team, stay where you are. We need to regroup. I'll find you with the Mask." ended Wildwing, and pressed his hands to the Mask. He and Grin ran out of the empty corridor, towards Duke and Nosedive.

 

                Zelda landed hard on her side, skidding to a stop on the red metal floor. She got up, claws stained with Saurian blood. Dragaunus leaned against a wall on the other side of the room, with a long gash in his right arm.

                "Tired already?" panted Zelda, rearing up.    

                "Foolish lizard. You're going to die in this place." Zelda's eyes blazed.

                "Then you're coming with me!" she growled, and charged again. Dragaunus suddenly swiped at her, and dealt her a raking blow across the face, sending her flying. Zelda's vision was stained red from the blood flowing from her snout, as she staggered up yet again. In a defensive attempt, she raised her wings and flapped them hard, hoping to detect Dragaunus from the fluctuation in the wind currents. Suddenly, the claws tore through her left wing, shredding them to ribbons. She screamed, and leapt blindly in the direction of the blow. Her claws dug deeply into Dragaunus's side, as he roared in fury and pain. As Zelda's sight was returning, she saw some thing flare up before her, seconds before a powerful wave of intense heat blew her back against a wall. He came forth again, smoke curling from his mouth, growling in the most unearthly noise.

 

                The team met Mallory and Tanya, standing idly in the corridor.

                "So you have no idea where Zelda went?" asked Wildwing.

                "I've been whistling her for the longest time, and she hasn't come yet." began Mallory, worried.

                "She could be lost." suggested Nosedive. Suddenly, a faint echo of a drawn out, distorted roar came bouncing from down the halls.

                "Or worse!" yelped Grin.

                "Come on!" yelled Wildwing, and the team ran off.

 

                The team searched for any clue as to Zelda's location, but found nothing. No more sounds helped hone them in. Finally, they approached a corridor, which led off into a room full of thin, wavering smoke.

                "She must be in there! Come on!" said Duke, as the team ran for the room.

                "Be careful, this could be a trap...." cautioned Wildwing, as the team stepped warily in. The room was clouded with a slowly dispersing smoke, and they couldn't see much. Out of the corner of his eye, Wildwing spotted something lying in a far corner, off to the right. Seeing it was reddish in color, and could be Dragaunus or a hunter drone scrap pile, he raised his launcher in caution. But it didn't move.

                "Zelda?" asked Tanya carefully, slowly approaching the creature. It seemed to be breathing... Suddenly, the team realized that it was Zelda, and rushed to her. Zelda lay on her right side, with her back to the team. Streaked in red, they could see she was bleeding badly from several places, crimped up with intense pain.

                "Zelda!" said Mallory, in fear and amazement. Wildwing kneeled down at her side, and slowly lifted her torn head. Zelda made little response, but squinted her eyes tighter shut, and snarled, revealing her bloodstained teeth.

                "We have to get her out of here..." started Wildwing, alarmed. Slowly, Zelda opened her eyes, and stared up at the team in a glazed over, delirious gaze. Wildwing looked at her, and saw that the vibrant blue was gone from her eyes, replaced by a deep, misty gray*. Looking into the desperate, painful stare, he knew there was no hope for her. They were too late.

 

                Out of her terrible stupor of pain, Zelda stared up at her team, blurry, yet somehow so prominent an image. She could feel the cold, damp mists swirling about her, unfolding her wings. She felt light, airy, as the undefined winds lifted her essence from the earth, and took her up, into the swirling vapors. She shivered. Through all of this pain and blood, too weak to move, or speak, she could only hold her dimming eyes open for as long as she could, to say what she never could in words: a good-bye.

 

                That blind, yet so guided stare lasted for only about three seconds. Slowly, Zelda's eyes closed. She shuddered, and sank back. She was dead. Duke lowered his head, squinting his eyes tightly shut. Tanya did the same, while Grin sighed from the back of the group.

                "We all dreaded that this moment would come. And it's ironic, that only Zelda will know if it has come all too soon." He stepped back, and sighed shakily, also lowering his head. Mallory leaned into Nosedive's shoulder and cried softly. Wildwing slowly lowered Zelda's head back to the cold floor. This hit him like a freight train. First Canard, and now this. She had died slowly, alone, and in pain. Shakily, he put his beak in his blood-stained hands, and sighed.

 

                From the shadows, Dragaunus watched the dim procession. Bleeding badly from several places, and leaning heavily on Siege, he limped, unnoticed, past the doorway, and out of sight.

 

                The team stood drearily outside of the Migrator, in front of the Pond, in the dim moonlight. The fog crept up around them as they stood for a moment, exhausted and mournful.

                "You know...it's weird." started Duke. "It almost feels like she's still here...still with us." Slowly, a soft voice wavered through the air.

                "Perhaps it's because I am, dear friend." the team looked up in surprise to see Zelda lying on the roof of the Migrator. But it wasn't Zelda. It was a translucent version, much like a living mosaic of the little dancing droplets of fog that swirled about her. Her eyes glowed a clear blue, like that of a lake. Slowly she stood, and raised her wings, revealing the gleaming golden linings of her wings, in two shining rays of light.

                "Zelda?" began Tanya. "But you're...you're.."              

                "Dead?" she answered, smiling. "Partially, yes. The part that was flesh and blood, that belonged to this earth, is gone from me. What remains now is the inextinguishable inner light, my spirit. It is this fog that gives me leave here, that is my home now."          "Zelda...we're sorry...we tried to..." started Wildwing.

                "Oh, don't feel sorry." pleaded Zelda, leaping down among them. Nosedive tried to pet her, but swept through her like the fog itself. "Please. This was my own doing." she assured. "I don't want you to feel sorry for me. Know that I have no regrets from knowing you, or fighting with you. You are some of the most precious comrades I have ever had. My only loss is that I am now rendered a bystander. I can no longer help you in this world, friends. I wish I could do more." She leapt back atop the Migrator, and stared at the moon. "I died trying to take Dragaunus down with me, and I came very close." she turned back to the Ducks. "My friends, my enemy is at the most weakened state I have ever beheld. He must be taken from this earth as well, and I have failed to do it." Slowly the fog crept away, and Zelda started to fade into the air. "I must depart now, my friends. Know that I will return, because I live on inside you. I will help you in any way I can, though I cannot list them at the moment. Time comes for me to depart for now. Dear friends, I bid you good night." As she said this, the very wind swept her, and her voice, slowly away, until there was nothing left.

 

                The team stared in awe and silence for a moment. Slowly, Wildwing turned, and went back towards the Pond, the glass doors swishing open, as a breath of icy air enveloped them.....

 

                Suddenly, Nosedive felt something shaking him. His eyes flew open to reveal a blurry, blue-gray haze about him. He started up in alarm, when a hand reached out to steady him. Slowly, he realized it was Mallory.   

"Come on, slowpoke, you don't wanna be late for practice, now do you?" She turned and walked slowly out of the living quarters. Nosedive scrambled up, and followed her into the Ready Room. Through all the haste, he saw Zelda scampering back and forth on the floor. He stared, unbelievingly, and rubbed his eyes.

                "Oh, you're up. Morning Dive." she said warmly, coming over to greet him. Still blinking, he reached down, and was able to pet her.

                "What's a matter, Dive? Looks like you saw a ghost." remarked Duke, as he passed by, handing him his helmet.

                "Oh, no, just had a weird dream." he replied quickly, snapping back to his normal self. Weird indeed! He yawned and stretched, walking to a corner of the Ready Room. "Yipes, what a dream. I just hope there's no chance of it becoming reality." he thought, walking away.

 

The End

 

Mighty Ducks-The Animated Series, including all logos and characters (except mine) are copyright and property of Disney. You may copy, print, or whatever with this document, so long as it is not altered and I (Zelda) am credited. Thanks!