Secret Wings

Nina's Choice

"NINA?!"

Blaze and AJ immediately went into defense mode as soon as the evil fairy was spotted. The others were shocked but followed after their friends, all except Crusher, who was still in the middle of an existential crisis, and Pickle, who was still helping the other out with his crisis, and Diana, who looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"N-Nina...?"

"Hello, Mother." Nina growled, her glare similar to Crusher's earlier. "Or should I say, traitor!"

"Nina, please," Diana drove over to her youngest with sad eyes. "You've heard the tale. Please, PLEASE, just listen to me—"

"I have heard ENOUGH!" Nina roared out with a snarl. "I cannot believe YOU WOULD DO THIS! HIDE MY CHILD AND LIE TO HIM! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!"

"YOU KILLED YOUR HUSBAND, NINA!" Diana yelled out. "WE WERE JUST BEING CAUTIOUS! WHAT IF YOU KILLED INAZUMA TOO?!"

"You couldn't TRUST me?!" Nina hissed, eyes gleaming dark purple in rage. "I MADE ONE LITTLE MISTAKE, AND YOU TAKE AWAY MY CHILD, MY HAPPINESS, MY WORLD! I WANTED A KINGDOM FOR HIM! A PLACE FOR HIM TO RULE AFTER EVEN WHEN I'M GONE! HOW IS THAT SO

WRONG?! I WAS GOING TO GIVE HIM EVERYTHING HE HAD EVER WANTED!"

Crusher stiffened at that. How... HOW DARE SHE tell HIM WHAT HE HAD EVER WANTED?! SHE HADN'T RAISED HIM, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! How would SHE have known what HE wanted?!

Though if he was being honest, yes, he had always wanted to be a king of a kingdom and be rich and etc. But if he had to choose between being raised by his parents and having a kingdom, he'd rather be with the former.

"Nina, please, PLEASE listen—"

"Grammy, stop." Crusher spoke, voice equally cold and angry as his parent as he glared up at both of them. "Whatever you've got to say will NOT help, so please, PLEASE stop." He then turned to the evil fairy and growled. "And YOU. How DARE you say that having a kingdom is EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE EVER WANTED?! HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHEN A) I WAS A BABY! AND B) YOU NEVER RAISED ME!"

Nina was taken back by her son's outburst. "I-Inazuma..."

"THAT IS NOT WHO I AM!" Crusher yelled out. "I AM CRUSHER! I AM A CHEATER! AN ORPHAN! SOMEONE UNWANTED BY ANYONE AND EVERYONE! I AM NOT INAZUMA, AND I NEVER WILL BE!"

With that, he zoomed out of the treehouse, wings flapping out in an icy blue flash. Pickle drove and flew off to follow after him, knowing fully well that an angry Crusher with powers is NOT a good combination for anyone in the city.

Nina was left stunned by the outburst, her eyes returning back to normal. Diana looked hurt but holding it in while everyone else glanced at each other before looking at the mother and daughter. Silence hung between the group as the others blinked at the duo, a cautious expression at Nina and a concerned expression at Diana.

"Um..." Blaze cleared his throat as he slowly drove forward to the lavender truck fairy. "Grammy, maybe we should... you know, with Crusher—"

"No," Diana shook her head. "He needs time to process all this. His whole life had been a lie, so it is not easy to accept a big truth like this. He needs time," She then let out a sigh and turned to her youngest daughter. "Nina, sweetheart—"

"Is... Is that how it feels...?"

Diana stopped mid-sentence as she blinked at her youngest. "What... What do you mean?"

"Is that... Is that how it feels... to be hated by your own child...?" Nina let out a shaky breath as she turned to her and the others, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. "M-Mother... I..."

"Oh, Nina..." Diana frowned and slowly approached her daughter.

Everyone glanced unsurely at Blaze and AJ, who held their breaths and were prepared in case of any attack from the evil fairy. Fortunately, no attack came as the lavender truck took her daughter into her tires. Diana knew that she was taking a risk, but allowed the daughter she hadn't held or seen in years to cry and breakdown into her tires.

"Oh, Nina, sweetheart..." Diana soothed the other gently. "I'm so sorry for what Zilina and I had to do, but we had to hide out Inazuma, for his safety,"

"But now... now he hates me..." Nina sniffled her tears and held onto her mother. "Mother, what did I do wrong...?"

"Many things, daughter dearest," Diana sighed. "but many have done worst. He... He just needs time..."

"Time won't work," Nina shook her head and let out a sigh. "Time never worked for me. What else for him?"

"Talking from experience, Nina's right," Stripes said. "Crusher doesn't, uh, take things well, even with time,"

"Yeah..." Starla agreed with a nod. "I mean, even as time went by, he still wouldn't stop cheatin' at races and stuff like that,"

"I... I need to do something," Nina looked up at her mother. "Don't I?"

"Well... yes, it seems that way," Diana nodded. "And so do I. We all do,"

"Even Zilina," Nina chuckled darkly. "And I always thought she'd be the perfect one. Guess she had more flaws than I had imagined,"

"Well, she DID keep the fact that she already knew of Crusher's identity..." Blaze said with a sigh.

"Yes, I heard," Nina snorted. "I was following you all the whole time,"

"And you didn't attack us?" AJ narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?"

"Because I needed to find out the truth as much as you all did," Nina sighed. "I... I had not seen my son for years. Had not held him for years. I... I wanted to make sure that I wasn't making another mistake. That Inazuma... er, Crusher really was my child,"

"Now that he is, what are you going to do about it?" Gabby asked.

"I..." Nina gulped and let out a shaky sigh. "In all honesty, I don't know. He... He won't forgive that easily, for years of absence just because of my claims for trying to give him a better future,"

"He won't forgive either of us, I know that well enough," Diana offered her daughter a small smile. "But I know that there are small steps to take to help with that. It won't let him forgive us easily, but... it will help help shape you to be a better mother for him,"

Nina nodded and straightened up. "I'll do whatever it takes to get my child back,"

"Good," Diana's smile widened. "Now come, we must all head back to the palace for a little reunion,"