Through the City Darkly

**Through the City Darkly** is the second episode of *Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic*. The episode was written by Marv Wolfman.

## Synopsis

In New York City, a criminal named Mel runs with a paper bag in his hand. Nearby, teen rebel Ali skates by, stealing an apple in a paper bag from an unsuspecting civilian. Distracted, she doesn't notice Mel running towards her, and the two collide. Mel grabs the paper bag with the apple by mistake, rushing back to his apartment. Moments later, Jana and Jason appear, having hired Mel to find one of the Starfire Gems. However, when they realize that he had the bag with the apple, Jana goes to kill him, though Jason suggests they wait until Ali uses the gem so they can track her down.

On a monorail, Princess Tenko senses the presence of the Starfire Gem, as Hikita Tenko told her she would. Meanwhile, Ali arrives home to her disappointed father, who believes she's in trouble again. She goes to her room and opens the bag only to find the Opal Gem, which she accidentally uses to destroy her television. Her father rushes in and scolds Ali for destroying it, as he works hard to provide for her. Upset, Ali rips her mother's locket off of her neck and throws it on the ground, causing her father to storm out. Ali then decides to run away, saying goodbye to her goldfish, Rags.

Tenko and her assistants begin to set up for their performance, but Tenko cannot stop thinking about the Starfire Gem she sensed. At Ali's house, Jana and Jason burst in only to find Ali gone. They transform into their dragon form, but Ali's father begs them not to harm his daughter.

The Dark Twins ambush Ali at the Winter Ice Festival, demanding to know where the gem is. Ali tells them she doesn't know what they are talking about. Jason believes her, but Jana doesn't, and the pair argue. This allows Ali to skate away where she bumps into Bolt. Tenko and the others appear, but the dragon causes the roof of the building to collapse. Ali escapes, and Jana and Jason split apart to chase after her. Jason finds Ali and attempts to manipulate her into giving up the gem. He says that she can be part of their family. She agrees to take them to the Opal.

Ali's father leads a Policeman to the area as Tenko pulls herself and the others to safety. He shows the Guardians Ali's locket, and says she's never taken it off until that day. Meanwhile, Ali leads the twins to the gem where Jana immediately snatches it up. With the Opal, she gains the power to transform inanimate objects into living creatures. She turns the ice sculptures into monsters and has them attack the Guardians. While Bolt, Steel, and Hawk battled the Ice Griffons and Ice Minotaurs, Tenko transformed with her Rose Quartz Gem, summoning the Rose Eagle. The eagle grabs Jana, who drops the Opal. As the others race to grab it, Ali catches it first. She is torn between giving it to the Dark Twins or to Tenko, who claims the twins are just using her. She decides to give it to Tenko after the Master Guardian told her that her father still believed she was good. Jana and Jason then fled from the scene.

At Ali's house, Ali's father tells Ali that he has spoken with Tenko, who has agreed to take Ali in as an apprentice. Ali hugs her father, and her father tells her he loves him.

## Appearances

**Featured Characters:**

* Princess Tenko
* Ali
* Bolt
* Hawk
* Steel

**Supporting Characters:**

* Mr. Chambers

**Antagonists:**

* Jana
* Jason
* Mel
* Ice Griffon
* Ice Minotaur

**Other Characters:**

* Rags
* Policeman