Sector LN, Part 6: Writer’s Block

NOTE: The main bulk of this chapter is optional reading because I couldn't think of a good direction to take it, so it wasn't very exciting. However, the ending scenes are recommended.

Blytonbury Park

"YAAAAAA!" Akko cheered, stretching her legs to the sky, and then bending her legs back when the swing returned. "WHEEEE!" The swing flew forward again, and up Akko's legs went.

"Honestly, Akko, you don't have to yell like a child every time you swing." Diana told her. The others were at the nearby table, eating sandwiches and cookies.

"Isn't it not safe to swing after you just ate?" Hannah asked. "Especially with the way she wolfed it all down."

"I think that only applies to swimming." Lotte replied.

"When I was little, I always thought swinging would help me get adjusted to the wind, and then it would help me fly better." Akko explained. "My record is 40 minutes, by the way!"

"Great, you'll go down in the books in no time." Barbara remarked. "That reminds me, we have to write what we wanna do for a career, don't we? I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to work in Flora's Steam Gardens. I still don't know what I'm going to do when I get there, exactly."

"Me either." Hannah replied. "I was thinking of working at a film studio and designing outfits."

"I bet that would be pretty fun." Lotte smiled. "I always thought I would just inherit my parents' magic shop. Or be a Spirit Medium."

"You don't wanna be a writer?" Amanda asked. "You write so much fanfiction."

"I'm not good at making original work, though."

"Well, I don't got any future plans. The second school is over, I'm mountin' my broom and surfing the skies. I mean, why does Finnelan expect us to decide what our life will be right now?"

"Either people will have too high expectations or they won't have any." Sucy replied, her sandwich filled with mushrooms. "That's why I'm choosing the simple life of a swamp witch."

"I just wanna become a magic chef and cook food that makes everyone happy." Jasminka replied with her bubbly smile.

"Well, you're on your way." Lotte smiled. "These sandwiches are delicious, Jasminka!"

"Thank you. But I don't think I'm as good as Yuzu from the Earth KND. I tried her food at Field Day and it was amazing."

"Yeah, but she's lucky we didn't let you compete." Amanda remarked, munching a Magma Sandwich. "So, what about you, Try Hard? Still wanna be like Shiny Chariot?"

"You bet! Well, not Shiny Chariot exactly, but with my own style!"

"Still haven't changed a bit." Hannah shook her head. "How about you, Diana? As good as you are, you can go after any job you want."

"Hmmm…" Diana lightly swirled a cup of tea in her hand, staring into it. "I suppose I've… never given thought to what I want to be."

"Really? You could be an archaeologist who reads Dragon Script, a Royal Witch, or at least a professor."

"Finding an appropriate job is one thing, but what kind of job would make me happy? That's my real question. And I can't really decide what job would give me that feeling."

"Then just make something up!" Akko replied, hanging upside-down as she viewed her friends in a swaying, reversed world. "And make up a bunch of bologna for how you're going to work hard and carefully plan it! You can just figure it out later."

"And when later comes, you can never figure out a plan."

"Okay, guys, I'm ready to fly!" Akko faced forward with enthusiasm. The second the swing was at its peak, "YAAAAAY!" her hands let go of the chains and she flew.

"NO, AKKO!!" Diana screamed.

"AAAH!" The witch smashed someone against the ground.

"Ergh! But I didn't think it would happen so soon!" the leader shouted as they ran to help.

"Ohh…" Akko saw that she was sitting on a girl with long blonde hair, white headphones, and a black dress. "I'm sorry. This is the 2nd time I've fallen on someone this week."

"Ow…" The girl faced up. "It's okay. You can get off now."

As Akko helped the girl up, Lotte and Barbara froze with shock at seeing her. "AAAAAAAHHHH!"

"L-L-Lotte!" Barbara weakly raised a finger. "Is that-?!"

"IT'S ANNABEL CRÈME!" Lotte's eyes sparkled.

"Oh, Lotte!" Annabel gave a light smile, seeing her Number One fan. "I didn't expect to run into you here."

Barbara zipped up and grabbed Akko by the ear. "Hey, you just hurt Annabel Crème! Apologize, Kagari!"

"I already did, ouch!"

"Forgive me, but, who exactly is this girl?" Diana asked.

"She's the author of Night Fall, of course!" Barbara replied. "120 years old and still perfect!"

"THAT little brat is 120 years old?!" Amanda exclaimed.

"Not exactly." Lotte replied awkwardly. "So, what have you been up to, Annabel?"

"Oh, just out for a walk. To tell you the truth, Lotte… I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block."

"Oh, dear. Is there any way we can help?"

"WAIT, DON'T TELL ME!" Barbara ducked and covered her ears. "I wanna hear nothing that might spoil the next book!!"

"Hehe." Annabel giggled. "I mean, I have a basic idea for what I'm going to do, but it's the stuff in-between I'm having trouble with. Not to give away too much, but it involves bandits."

"OH MY GOSH!!" Lotte beamed. "Don't tell me the Starblaster Bandits actually captured Belle!! Is Edgar finally going to their homeworld?!"

"There's no keeping secrets from you."

"What is this story even about?" the others chorused, turning pale.

Akko's body was the first to regain color as her brain swelled with a thought. "I know the PERFECT way to cure your writer's block!"

"And today's verdict is:" Amanda remarked.

"Let's go to NEW GALAX-!"

"We are NOT going to New Galaxia!" Diana turned her mouth into a zipper. "While it may have become a tourist attraction, much of it is still uncharted, and any KND operatives wishing to go there will need an escort from the Trollian KND. You can't expect the Supreme Leader to give us permission just for this amateur author."

"Please forgive her, Annabel, she's just an outsider!" Barbara said, sweating incredibly.

Akko unzipped her mouth. "Then let's tell him we're going on an exploration mission! We can do another report and help Annabel at the same time!"

"Hmmm… well, I was hoping to pay a visit to that dimension at some point."

"What happened to you, Diana?" Hannah wept.

"YAY! We're going to New Galaxia!" Akko cheered.

"Not, yet! I can't promise that I can persuade the Supreme Leader. But we will have to keep the matter of Annabel a secret. We couldn't just bring a civilian to such a dangerous place."

"Is it really that dangerous?" Annabel asked.

"Not dangerous, from what I hear." Lotte replied. "Just a little… bizarre."

Avalar KND Moonbase

"Hmmm…" Griffin Firecrystal pondered it carefully. The Sector LN members were standing patiently, but Akko's eyes were notably larger with anxious excitement. "All right then." They beamed at his answer. "I'll contact Nebula and see if she can have an escort sent over. To be honest, I'm thrilled that you all want to explore that dimension." He smiled. "We've only spent a brief moment in New Galaxia, when we fought that Thanos creep. It would be nice if one of our sectors had more experience there. That'd put us a step closer to BEATING Chris and his snotty Earth operatives!" He raised a fist, eyes flaming.

"YOU SAID IT!" Amanda cheered.

"The best case scenario is an escort will be here by tomorrow. But just because it's Saturday for us, it might not be for that crazy place."

"Keep your fingers crossed, Barbara!" Lotte said with excitement. "We're going to help Annab—uh, the Avalaran KND!"

"I'll tie my fingers in knots, Lotte!"

"That reminds me," Akko plopped her elbows on the desk, thrusting her face toward Griffin's before pulling back, "any chance we could have an escort who's good at keeping secrets?"

"Akko!" Diana shouted.

"Hey, I just like someone I can converse with in private!"

"That's what we have Constanze for." Amanda remarked.

"Mmmm…" mumbled the mute.

"I'll, uh… see what I can do." Griffin replied.

The next day; Stanship, outside the Great Clock

"OK, NBFs! (New Best Friends!)" declared one of their escorts, a green-haired troll with a red sweater, bat wings, and a Holy Cross necklace. "The name's Yosafire Holior, Numbuh † (Cross), and this is my BFF, Froze, aka my BFFF!"

The girl in question was an angel with a gray dress that had Lego-like designs. "Yosafire insisted on taking this escort job, and I'm here because I know she'll get you lost."

"I can strongly relate to your plight." Diana replied in a similar tone and voice.

"How so, Diana?" Akko curved her head sideways.

"Yeah, Froze, I don't get lost!" Yosafire did the same.

"The resemblance is uncanny." they chorused.

"At any rate, if you're ready, fly the ship directly into that portal." Froze ordered.

"Right." Amanda nodded.

When the Great Clock was reconstructed, a massive gap was left open to the Chamber of 20 Keys, exposing the Gate of Time for any and all vessels curious enough to see what existed beyond the blinding vortex. As the Stanship leisurely sailed by, the operatives viewed out the window, seeing a memorial table with pictures of Rachel Uno, Lehcar, Fanny Drilovsky, Mikaela Chariton, and Jagar King. The witches took off their hats in respect, and a mini Annabel was exposed under Lotte's.

Lotte smiled up at her favorite author before casting a quick spell to resize her. "People pay good money to board a cruise ship to New Galaxia, and you're going for free, Annabel!"

"Thank you, Lotte. But I'd hate to make you all go through this much trouble just for me."

"It's okay, it's great to have you along with us!"

"It sure is!" Barbara beamed. "You think we could have a cameo in one of your chapters?!"

"Tone it down, Barb…" Lotte whispered.

"OK, team, we're entering the swirly!" Yosafire cheered as they were zipping through the First Byway. "You remember how it took three whole years to get to our universe? Well, now it only takes-" they came out the other side, "three minutes!"

"You can go a surprisingly long time without finishing a sentence." Froze said.

The witches immediately fell in love with the surreal dimension. Beyond the distance was a planet shaped like a Mobius Strip; a gigantic bird with rainbow wings was soaring over their little vessel; and beneath them, it seemed like they were flying just over a planet's atmosphere, but its distorted, liquidy motion told them that it was a tremendous bubble.

"Woooow…" Annabel's face was glued to the window. "I've never seen anything like it. I didn't think this was how space looked outside Avalar."

"Outside our universe." Lotte corrected. "Annabel, if this place doesn't heal your writer's block, nothing will."

"Just to be clear, I only want to stay here for 3-5 hours, then we head home." Diana stated.

"Man, you're a buzzkill, Diana." Akko whined. "We need at least a YEAR to explore this universe!"

"We only have until Monday to hand in our career papers and I refuse to stay here THAT long. Let's pick a planet and begin our expedition."

"Okay, here's a list of known planets we explored." Yosafire said, bringing up a holographic screen. "What about Dewey G, the Land of Dew and Glass?" She clicked an image of a field of wet grass, a gigantic fishbowl with a town inside, and a sky of swirly blue circles. "Wonderful place to go swimming!"

"Yeah, but Annabel can't transform into a fish." Lotte replied.

"Nyramid is a good planet." Froze said, showing an image of a desert landscape with pyramids and neon lightning in a black sky. "Land of Pyramids and Neon."

"Mmmmmmm!" Constanze was awed by it.

"Eh, I like my deserts with more sun." Amanda said.

"Okay, how 'bout we try—WHOA!" Yosafire yelped and they all fell down when what looked like a comet grazed past their keel.

Akko was the first on her feet, the comet's pink light glimmering in her crimson eyes. "Huuuu! What is THAT?!"

"OMG! It's the Crystal Heart Comet!" Yosafire exclaimed. Indeed, the comet was a gigantic pink heart of solid crystal, leaving a trail of dust.

"The Crystal What Now?" Lotte questioned, fixing her glasses.

"It's an old legend of our world." Froze answered. "Billions of sweeps ago, the Crystal Heart was ripped from the core of its planet and continues roaming the stars in search of it. One would look at it and think it came from Emera, but that isn't the case."

"Then where does it come from?"

"No one knows. Some say it never belonged to a planet at all."

"That's so romantic." Annabel said. "Endlessly drifting the universe to find the one you love… I have to write this down." She grabbed her pen and a notepad.

"Hi, mind if I borrow these?" Barbara asked, swiping the author's headphones. "Ahhhh. No spoilers are reaching this faithful reader's ears."

Where are you… Where are you…

"Huh?" Lotte lightly gasped. "Did anybody… hear that?"

"Hear what?" Diana asked.

"I thought I heard a voice…"

If you're there… please say something… Please hear my voice…

Lotte's mouth stretched into an 'O'. "It's the comet. I think the comet has a spirit. It's calling out to its planet."

"If you can hear it, then maybe you can talk to it." Akko wondered.

"Let's not trouble ourselves with it-" Diana failed to say.

"Amanda, fly after that comet, that's an order!" Akko pointed proudly.

"Aye-aye, Vice-Captain!" Amanda twisted the broom tightly and kicked fire into the gas pipe, boosting after the Crystal Heart at high speed.

"No, we mustn't!" Froze said as everyone was thrown off their feet from the momentum. "Any vessel that follows the comet was said to have been lost forev-"

"Let's see if I can speak to it from here!" Lotte said, getting to her seat and casting "Sonorus!" at her speaker. This caused a giant magic megaphone to emerge from the front of the Stanship. "La la la la laaaa… laaaa la la, la, laaa…"

A soft pink glow enveloped their ship as a spirit revealed itself. She was an angel with long bangs that surfed like waves, her arms and legs invisible in her ghostly dress. Her blank, heart-shaped eyes dripped tears. "These poor souls are lost, too."

"No, Spirit, we're not lost." Lotte replied with a smile. "We just wanted to talk to you."

"You may join me if you wish. You may know loneliness with me."

"I'm not sure if we're on the same page here."

"We will always remain lonely… searching for the ones we love."

"Hey!" Amanda yelled. "I can't steer the ship, there's some kind of gravity field!"

"Great, look what you've done NOW, Akko!" Diana shouted.

"It wasn't me! What did the spirit say, Lotte?!"

"I-It wants us to join her."

"For dinner?! I hope she has apples!" Yosafire cheered.

"We're going to die." Froze replied.

The comet began to emit a blinding light, turning everything into pink and slowly evolving to white. "Spirit, please, we were just visiting! We won't bother you, please let us go! Spirit!"

…

…

Lotte felt tiny, gentle droplets touching her face, waking to a sky of golden clouds. The sun was pounding her nearsighted eyes, so she had to feel around for her glasses, thankfully finding them. Taking a moment to clear her vision, Lotte saw that she was on an isle of white sand and magenta trees, shiny droplets tickling and warming her skin. She searched around and saw an unconscious girl in the sand. "Annabel!" she gasped, rushing to her aid.

Annabel came to as well, her deep purple eyes meeting with Lotte's spectacles. "Lotte? What happened to us?"

"I'm not sure. We seem to have crashed on one of the planets."

"Hmm…" Annabel stood, studying the marvelous ocean. This planet nicely complimented her eyes and hair, but contrasted with her black dress. It was truly beautiful, and yet Annabel felt a vast emptiness in her heart. "Lotte, I don't think I wanna stay here any longer. I want to go home."

"So do I." Lotte replied worriedly. "But we have to find the others. AKKOOOO! Dianaaaaaa! Can anybody hear me?!"

"They will not hear you." Taken aback by the angelic voice, Lotte faced up at the heavens: the Crystal Heart Comet loomed in the sky, the sun shining through it and creating a ray. "The souls of your friends have been scattered across the universe. No other soul, alive or dead, will be able to see you. You will be lost, searching for the ones you love for all eternity."

"F-For all eternity?!" Lotte choked, horrified by the thought. How could she go all eternity, never speaking to another soul. "…!" Lotte glanced to Annabel and gasped in realization. "B-But Annabel is right here! We just spoke to each other."

"Just as you spoke to me… It seems that you carry a more special voice. One that soothes the hearts of spirits. It matters not… for you will still search hopelessly for your loved ones, forever."

"Please, Spirit!" Lotte folded her hands. "Please bring us back together! Why would you do this to us?! Are you angry with us mortals?!"

"I feel only sadness and longing. You will never find your friends… as I will never find my home." And the comet resumed its journey across the stars.

"What did it say, Lotte?" Annabel asked. Lotte recapped it for her. "Oh, no… Lotte, I'm so sorry. It's my fault you decided to come here."

"Don't worry, Annabel!" Lotte spoke determinedly. "If I can still talk to you, then I can be the light that brings all our friends back together!"

"But how? Without our escorts, we have no way of navigating this universe."

Lotte reached into her pocket and retrieved her wand. "Even objects have spirits, including this wand. Can you hear me?" The wand morphed into a ghost, blinking its beady eyes. "Thank goodness. Can you still use magic while in this state?" It nodded. "Perfect! Point Me to the Stanship." Her wand pulled her arm toward the comet's trail. "It's still following the comet, huh? Annabel, get on my broom." She grabbed her broom off the sand and sat on.

"Lotte, didn't the comet say your friends were scattered?" Annabel asked, seated behind her. "They wouldn't be on the Stanship."

"I know, but their bodies will be." Lotte said, raising off the ground. "Before my grandmother died, she told me…"

"Your voice can't call souls back from the dead, Lotte, but that does not mean they cannot hear you. When I am gone, promise you'll come to visit me. I would love to keep hearing you sing to me…"

"I think she meant that if I spoke to a person's deceased body, their soul could hear me in the Spirit World. I don't believe any of us are actually dead, but I would like to hope the same rule applies!"

Soaring away from the planet, the comet thought to herself: There are ones that the lost souls value above others. They will be able to see these loved ones… but the loved ones will not see them. And so, they will continue to pursue them hopelessly.

Land of Brains and Fire

"Man, I wanted a fire planet, but this place is disgusting." Amanda said, trudging across a gigantic, mushy brain, floating over a pit of fire. "I hope everyone else is okay."

"Amanda!" Jasminka shouted, trying to grab her arm, but the chubby witch phased through her like a ghost. "Amanda, can't you hear me?! It's me, Jasminka!"

"This place is disgusting." Amanda said, ignoring her and walking forward. Jasminka frowned with concern. "I wonder if these are actually Solaran brains?"

"Amanda!" Jasminka kept desperately trying to get her attention.

Land of Caves and Silence

Diana Cavendish found herself stranded in an indigo desert. Miles across the valley were hundreds of caves along cliffs or sand dunes, possibly creating a complex underground labyrinth. "Ugh, I can't believe Atsuko ended up getting us stranded like this. That's it, the second we make it back to Avalar, we are NOT going along with her ideas, anymore. I need to give her a strict reminder who is the leader of our-…"

Speaking of the daredevil, Diana saw Akko prancing just a few yards away. "Oh, right on schedule. AKKO!" Diana raced after her. "Akko, I'm over here! Are you listening to me?!"

"Hooooh…" Akko slowed to a halt, gasping for breath and hunching over. "That's the last time we follow a stupid comet. Where the heck is everyone?" She looked around. "No way we could've landed that far apart. Oh, I can always try flying!" She grabbed her broom from her Infi-Satchel and mounted it. "Tia Freyre!" Nothing happened. "What?! Not even a little? Well, there's always the alternative." She got her Shiny Rod and declared, "Shiny BALAI! …" She blinked in surprise. "This doesn't work either?!"

"Akko!" Diana finally caught up. "What are you, deaf or something? You shouldn't just go running aimlessly on a planet like-" She reached to grab her ear. "Hu-?!" Her hand phased through it like air. Diana reached through Akko's chest and flapped her hand, confirming that she was untouchable. "A-Akko…Akko, can you see me?!" Diana walked straight through and in front of her friend.

"Siiiigh… 'guess I'll just keep looking." Akko decided, unknowingly running through Diana.

"She…She can't see or hear me." Diana said with utmost horror. "But I…I couldn't be dead. Hu-?!" It was then she realized Akko left no footprints in her trail. The heiress raced after her, a mix of fear and curiosity boiling in her heart.

Akko spotted an alien centipede crawl out of the sand and into a save. Her curiosity becoming her, the Asian witch followed it. "Akko, don't!" Diana cried.

"YAAAAAHHHH!" Akko screamed when a tremendous eel erupted out of the cave and ensnared the centipede, along with herself. Diana was frozen with horror, believing this to be the end of Akko's journey… until the eel retracted and left Akko with nary a scratch. The witch examined herself, royally muddled. "I-I-It went right through me!"

"Akko…" It was then Diana confirmed the same had become of her.

Akko looked down behind her. "This feels like sand, but I haven't left any footprints! And I can't use my magic. Am I…" The realization struck her like a fatal blow. "Am I dead?"

Diana wanted to call to her again, but felt the act would be pointless. Remaining completely unaware to her leader's presence, Akko clasped her head. "No, I can't be dead. It couldn't end like this! I still haven't graduated, I still haven't become a great witch! What about my friends?! LOTTE! SUCY! DIANA! PLEASE ANSWER ME!"

"I'm right here, Akko! !" Diana spilled tears as she bellowed. "Why don't you hear me?! How can I see you, but you can't see me?!"

Hearing no reply from any of her friends, Akko could only accept defeat. She fell on the sand and buried her eyes in her hands. "Please, I need you. I can't get out of this by myself." Sniffle. "I don't wanna die, yet. Please, one of you must know a way. D-Diana. Diana, please tell me you can help me. You always know a way to help me."

All Diana could do was sit beside her friend and hold her. She desperately wished for Akko to feel her warmth, but their souls were hollow to each other. "I don't know everything, Akko. I don't know how to help you. I don't know why you can't see me. …I will not leave you by yourself. I wish you could just know…" Her tears fell past Akko and hit the sand, "that I'm here for you. And you're not alone. We're not alone…"

For the next few minutes, there was no sound except for Akko's sobs. Diana had never seen her in this much despair. And this time, she could do nothing to help her friend, only sit and listen. It truly did feel like the end had come, to both of them.

Then, to Diana's surprise, Akko stood up to full height, brushing the last tears away with her arm. "Ah, it feels good to empty the tear ducts once in a while." she said as she did a few stretches. "Wellp, I guess since I'm dead now, I'll just have to learn magic all over again! But first I should find the ghosts of my dead friends, then we'll head up to the Spirit World and go to GHOST Witch School! YAY!" Filled with positive spirits once again, the young witch began to skip across the desert.

"A-Akko!" Diana ran after her.

"Wait a second!" Akko stopped. "If I'm a ghost, then that means I should be able to fly." With that, she jumped in the air and began to swim upward. "I-I am flying! I'm really flying! YAAAAAAHHH!" She swam in perfect circles and twisted her body in all sorts of directions.

Diana decided to try this and flew up as well. "Ahh…" She smiled not just from the feeling, but from seeing the Muggle-born in such bliss. "Wait until Diana sees me! Pretty soon, I'll be flying faster than her!" Diana giggled at her simple desire.

"Hello, my friends. My name is Lotte." A most gentle voice echoed in their ears. "I hope you all can hear me. If you can… please follow the sound of my voice."

"L…Lotte." Akko spoke.

"I hope that we're not too far apart." At the same time, Amanda and Jasminka heard this from a gigantic brain. "I don't know if you can truly hear me." Hannah and Barbara heard this from a mountain of Little Cubes and Tea. "But this is the best I can do." Yosafire was trying to yell for Froze to see her, when the two heard this voice on the Land of Crypts and Helium. "So, please… follow the sound of my voice. I will keep singing for the rest of eternity until my friends are reunited."

"Whuh?!" Akko gaped when her own wand became a spirit. "My wand! Wait, do you know where Lotte is? Whoa!" It immediately forced her arm in that direction.

Diana took out her own broom as it became a ghost. "Akko, I believe our brooms will help us move faster."

"Come on, Shiny Rod!" Akko raised the spirit of her prized possession. "Become the Shiny Balai and carry me to freedom!" The rod flashed and became a shining broom, whisking Akko out of the atmosphere.

"WAIT FOR ME!" Diana held tight to her own broom and tried to keep up.

Constanze flew away from the Land of Heat and Clockwork, while Sucy escaped from Tombs and Krypton. Putting faith in their brooms and their wands, they flew austerely in the direction of Lotte's voice. As Annabel watched her sing, she could do nothing but pray that her voice would reach their ears. It was odd that Akko and Diana's bodies had cried for a moment, but the tears were starting to dry up.

For the young author, this entire journey had been incredibly… romantic. She could imagine Belle in Lotte's place, and all her friends were Edgar. Lost within the depths of space, with only the voice of the one he loves most to show him the way. Indeed, it would make such an amazing story. But unless they could return home, no one would ever get to read it.

Many of them could not see the comet at first, though with the speed their brooms were flying, it felt like it would appear any moment. However, it seemed that Diana was more firm keeping her eyes on Akko. Her Shiny Balai was flying so fast that she was slowly shrinking in the distance. Diana had already vowed not to leave her alone, so she flew ever faster to keep up with her, to continue following her light.

"Oh! There it is!" Akko beamed, seeing the Crystal Heart Comet in sight. With nothing else to stir their path, she and Diana flew directly toward the heart, and the Stanship that sailed its trail of dust.

All the witches, Yosafire, and Froze arrived within moments, and Lotte breathed the most heartfelt gasp. "You made it!"

"I sure did!" most of them chorused. "But where are the others?"

"Uh, you're all right… n-never mind." Lotte had trouble understanding the rules of this curse. "Let's see if we can get in our bodies." They all nodded, bending over their sleeping forms and reaching into their hearts. The spirits glowed as they were absorbed into their bodies.

The girls finally awoke, feeling groggy due to the awkward positions they were in. Gasping awake, Akko jumped to her feet and felt around. "I-I'm alive! At least, I think I am. Quick, somebody hit me! YOW!" Constanze kicked her in the shin. "That hurt! YAHOOOO!"

"Yeah, but I still can't steer the ship away!" Amanda yelled.

"HMPH!" Constanze raised her finger above a button labeled 'Spring Beam,' pressing it powerfully and holding it down as energy charged in their cannon.

"Oh, just going to smash it to bits, are you?" the pilot smirked.

"It won't work!" Froze said. "It absorbs energy attacks and sends them right back."

"HRR!" Constanze released the button, firing a massive laser shaped like a spring with a red top. It was absorbed into the comet, and they watched as it was refracted and redirected back at them! The force of the spring blew the Stanship straight back, the vessel spinning as the girls were thrown off-balance.

"You did it, Constanze!" Akko beamed.

"Not yet. We're still in its gravity!" Amanda said.

"Amanda, use every ounce of firebending you have to boost us away!" Diana ordered.

"Aye-aye!" Amanda went Fire Fury and channeled all of her chi to her right foot, blasting a raging flame directly into the pipe.

"Let me help, too!" Yosafire crouched beside it, took a deep breath, and blew emerald and red flames in the pipe as well. The engine burned bigger than the Stanship, ensuring freedom for the girls as they blasted away from the Heart Comet.

"WE'RE FREEEEE!" Akko screamed for all the stars to hear. "F*** you, Heart Comet!"

"I wholeheartedly agree." Diana replied. "The comet can go frick off."

"Close enough, but yes." Amanda said. "I don't know what the heck that was all about, but you sure saved our skins, Lotte."

"To be honest, you're probably right." Lotte blushed. "That curse was supposed to prevent us from seeing or hearing one-another, but I think I was able to bypass this rule being a Ghost Whisperer. I hate to think what would happen if I weren't."

"Hehe, you're the best friend we could ever ask for, Lotte!" Akko squeezed her in a hug.

"Hehe, that's kind of you to say. So, where are we off to now?"

"I'll tell you exactly where we're going!" Diana began in anger. "We're turning this ship around, going straight back through the portal, and back to Avalar! We were clearly unprepared in coming to this dangerous place, and we endangered a civilian because of our negligence."

"But we just got here!" Amanda argued. "We need to look at at least ONE planet. Don't ya think so, Akko?"

"Forget it, I'm with Diana." Akko sighed, slouching in her seat. "That was more stress than I bargained for."

"That's two leaders in agreement." Diana folded her arms haughtily.

"Sigh… Alright, back home it is." The pilot silently admitted defeat and turned the ship.

"Aw, man." Yosafire moaned. "I was looking forward to giving my first tour."

"We apologize for wasting your time." Diana said honestly.

"It's alright." Froze replied. "Even we're still getting used to our own universe."

"On the bright side," Annabel began with a small smile, "this has given me tons of inspiration for my next book. After all, nothing cures writer's block like almost dying."

"Oh gosh, did we just witness the birth of a new Annabel quote?!" Barbara exclaimed. "This has been the BEST adventure ever!"

"Not even in the Top 10." Hannah remarked.

Luna Nova; Akko's Room

By the time Sector LN returned to Avalar, Diana wrote a report to the Supreme Leader, effectively warning all Kids Next Doors about the dangers of the Heart Comet. The first thing Akko did was climb into her bed, hugging her pillow and facing the wall. Clearly, she was trying to sleep the trauma away, that much was obvious to Diana. And yet, that same trauma was preventing her from resting peacefully. "Akko."

"I know, Diana." Akko swayed her feet up in the air and propped her chin on the pillow. "It's my fault we ended up in that mess and you wanna punish me."

Diana's first instinct was to tell her that she was with her on that planet… but it was obvious that neither of them wanted to talk about such a tender moment. "No, it was my fault… and yours. As leader of this team, it's my duty to make rational decisions that will ensure our safety and victory. You've been on a lucky streak, but that luck was bound to run out. I should have anticipated that."

"You're completely right. And you know what, I'm never going to that dimension again."

"Hmm… then I guess I'm not, either." Diana brushed a hair back.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I'm going to be a lot less lenient with you. I'll be keeping a much closer eye to make sure you stay out of trouble, and I expect you to take me more seriously as your leader."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya." Akko lay her head on its side again.

"Sigh… so, if you don't mind, I have a paper to finish." Diana made herself comfy on their desk and began to write. "And once you are finished with your nap, I expect you to do the same."

"I got it, Boss."

After that experience, it must have been solace for Diana to continue scolding her. After any mission to any far-away planet, home was the greatest place you can imagine. Akko's favorite place was her bed, just as Diana's favorite place was a writing desk. It made them so thankful that they were alive, hearing each other's voices. And so, Diana's own writer's block had been lifted.

Finnelan's Office

After the students handed in their career papers, Professor Finnelan began to look them over. She rolled her eyes at Akko's paper, having heard her desire to become a magician a few dozen times before, but at least it was more than what Amanda wrote… which was nothing. Constanze planned to head to Coruscant and "help their machinery evolve with magitech," in which she drew herself as a general in a tank. Wangari also planned to move to Coruscant and work for Intergalactic News.

"Hm?" That's when Finnelan came upon Diana's paper. "Well, this one should be promising." She smiled and began to read it.

"What would I like to be when I grow up?" A question that was repeated over and over during my childhood. As the future Head of Cavendish and the pride of Luna Nova, it is no exaggeration that I can be anything I want to be. I can be a Royal Mage. I can be an Auror. I can become Headmistress of Luna Nova. So what do I, Diana Cavendish, desire from a career? After much thought and careful consideration… I decided that I want a career—a life, in which I can truly be happy. I can only think of one thing in this entire world that fills me with true happiness.

"…" Finnelan's smile became a frown as she read the rest. "Well, that's not what I expected. I hope you know what you're doing, Miss Cavendish."

Somewhere on the ocean

Unbeknownst to the Nine Witches, during their brief journey to New Galaxia, chaos was transpiring along the sea. Cargo ships were crumbling under the force of hundreds of jawbreakers. The crewmen scrambled to fight back, but the invading candy pirates proved to be too powerful for them to handle. These pirates happened to be people in circus attire, juggling spiked balls that they chucked at crewmen, kicked them overboard with long legs, and used elephants to squash them into paste.

The captain of this crew – a pink-haired man with a slender, muscular body, a heart and diamond on his sleeveless shirt, and a teardrop and star below his eyes – had finished slicing the helmsman's throat. "My, Appleton has such poor security. And all this just so some rich girl will marry Jaune Pringle. Sigh…if this Cavendish girl doesn't surrender after this much destruction, then I pretty much wasted my time."

Big Mom Pirates Dinner Division General

Carnian Linlin descendant

HISOKA MOROW

"Master Hisoka!" shouted a juggler on a large ball. "Reinforcements have arrived! They have giant mouse ears!"

"Excuse me?" Hisoka approached the window, seeing a fleet of black ships with large, round ears looming over them. The ships began to bombard the candy ships with magic lasers, forcing the pirates to launch up to them with trapezes and break into the cockpits. "Those can only be Disney ships. …Well, this creates a hole in our plan."

Appleton Palace; meeting room

"Ever since those candy pirates appeared, we've been suffering a terrible decline in trade relations." spoke the King of Appleton, walking off his throne. His ministers were gathered, including Paul Hanbridge, Minister of State, and his son, Andrew Hanbridge. "But with your help, our people may yet see a bright new age. I am ever so thankful to you, King Mickey."

"Don't mention it!" Mickey replied with a friendly smile. "It's my pleasure to help people in need. Besides, I needed some way to thank Akko and her friend for starring in my commercial. I think helping their home nation is just the way to do that!"

"I knew it!" Andrew spoke up in bright spirits. "Your Majesty, that girl in your commercial was Atsuko Kagari?!"

"Andrew, mind yourself!" his father ordered.

"Oh?" Mickey turned to them. "Wait a sec, are you a friend of Akko?"

Andrew's father gave a disgruntled sigh. "My son is… acquainted with the young witch, yes."

"Really? …Well, isn't that lucky!" The tiniest twinkle gleamed in Mickey's eye.