The Final Battle

As Blue Astra finished casting the spell, she too fell on the floor and returned to human size. Through her fading powers, she knew why--the potion which had turned her into a Blue Faerie was unstable. If human mages didn't understand the Blue, how could one make a potion to transform someone into a Blue Faerie? She struggled to hold onto the magic which was leaving her, but to no avail. She, too, fell unconscious.

Astra Blue was the first to rise. The crackling energy surrounding her skin was growing more and more powerful. She drew Lord Fred's sword out of his scabbard and prepared to behead Blue Astra. But then she hesitated. What if Blue Astra had been right? Astra Blue rehearsed the same reasons which she'd shielded herself with for this past year--she was acting for the common good, she had tried every other way possible, the lives she had taken weren't even one one-hundredth of those which had been taken by the DragonMage. And now, after she had almost finished, was not the time to hesitate. But the fact remained--she had taken innocent lives, knowing fully what she was doing. So for a moment, she still hesistated.

And that moment was enough for Blue Astra to come to. She punched Astra Blue in the face, sending her falling to the floor. As Astra Blue's skin touched Blue Astra's, there was a noiseless burst of blue energy. Fred's sword shattered in Astra Blue's hand. The sparks of Blue that crackled off her fists swirled and coalesced into the shape of butterflies.

To Blue Astra's surprise, Astra Blue didn't react at all. "You're right," she said. Her voice was suddenly sad and very, very tired. "If I had taken your life while you were unconscious, that would have been wrong. But, if you gave up your life willingly, then I would have the power to slay the DragonMage and I would not have to commit murder."

Blue Astra hesitated. "Why didn't you ask any of the hundreds of others of us who you murdered?"

"Becuase I know you. I am you. I know that you would refuse to believe that I was telling the truth that out of a misguided sense of duty you would believe whatever problems you were facing on this world to be more important than the total destruction of mine. But now you have looked into my soul, and seen what my world truly faces. Will you help me in this? Or will you refuse so you can claim the moral high ground and let my world die?"

"No!" screamed Blue Astra, overcome with rage. The entire chamber briefly flashed blue. "I am not you! I would never become a murderer! If you killed me and took my power, you would become even worse than the DragonMage! And--" Blue Astra knew there was another reason, something that she had been absolutely certain of only a few minutes ago. But she could no longer remember it.

Astra Blue was suddenly gripped by fear, fear of losing everything, of everything she'd done in spite of hating it being all for nothing. It was the same fear that had made her threaten to kill Fred, even though she had found it utterly abhorrent. She reached out into the air and, somehow, the water vapor froze into a sword made out of ice. The sword began to glow blue and became harder and more solid than steel. Astra Blue swung the sword toward Blue Astra's neck.

Blue Astra felt every thought and impulse of her enemy. Their minds were locked together like wounded animals in combat. As Astra Blue formed a sword, Blue Astra formed a shield and a sword of her own, and raised her shield in defense. She screamed an ancient battle-cry of Aqualaria, and Astra Blue screamed another in defiance, changing to a thrust in mid-stroke as Blue Astra raised her shield, only for Astra Blue to immediately fall down and kick it out of her hand. They fought at lightning speed, stroke meeting stroke, attack meeting attack. Each knew in her heart that she could not defeat the other yet, consumed by rage, refused to surrender.

Unknown to both, slowly, Fred began to stir.

1. Fred, recognizing suboncsiously his own Astra, attacks Astra Blue from behind, tipping the battle in Blue Astra's favor.
2. Fred's awakening distracts Blue Astra, giving Astra Blue the advantage.

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