Mind Games

Mind Games is the fifth volume of The Vampire Diaries Digital Comic and the eighth issue in the series.^[1]

Summary

After bringing Jeremy back to life, Bonnie joined her closest relatives on the Other Side. When she wasn't visiting her boyfriend in Mystic Falls, she was learning more about her family's powers...sometimes up close, and with devastating results!

Plot

Bonnie joins Sheila and Emily on the Other Side in a garden for tea. Three generations. Beyond the veil, their magic can create their beautiful reunion. However, for how long they can sustain it, they don't know. Bonnie jokes that it must be fun for Emily. She's both the youngest and oldest at the same time. Sheila muses that it's nice to feel like a spring chicken, but Bonnie compliments her regardless. She's gorgeous inside and out. Emily, however, doesn't respond. She's dazed and lost in her own memories and yells out for Sarah to run. Emily continues to yell out, Sarah means no harm. To leave her alone. Emily drops her tea and the garden-scape fades as Bonnie and Sheila rush to her side. The environment changes to a bedroom. Emily's unconscious and Bonnie asks her Grams what's wrong with Emily. She keeps repeating the same thing over and over. Sheila believes she's reliving the same terrifying memory in a constant loop. Bonnie wants to help. Sheila explains that she isn't a strong enough witch to force herself out of it, but Bonnie is. Sheila continues. Bonnie must enter Emily's memory and move her past this traumatic event, but instructs her not to alter it. For changing her memory, you change the past. When the warning is given, Bonnie and Sheila cast a spell and Bonnie's spirit is sent into Emily's memory - her past. As her spirit enters Emily, Sheila gives her another piece of advice. Once she helps her come to terms, then Bonnie will be brought back to them, but to tread lightly in the past. Sheila lets go of Bonnie's spirit as they exchange "I love yous". In Emily's past, Bonnie relieves Emily's worst moment. Emily's friend, Sarah is being taken away from her by a mob of people. They plan to burn the witch. They believe that burning her will save their town from her wicked ways. Emily's frightened and conflicted with her own being. If she helps Sarah, they'll know she's a witch and burn her too. Bonnie watches on as Emily cowers as they burn Sarah alive. Emily believes she's a coward for not stepping in and apologies to Sarah as she's consumed in the flames. Bonnie believes she has to stop it and doesn't care about the consequences. No witch deserves to die like this and decides to show the townspeople just what fire is. Bonnie, as Emily, stands before the townspeople and unleashes her magic - Encarte Favraate! The townspeople flee as the town itself is consumed in fire. In the hysteria, Sarah and Bonnie escape. Bonnie believes she should be back now, but isn't. She shouldn't still be there. Sarah, however, is amazed. She's never seen Emily do anything that powerful before. Sarah reminds her that they would hide out in the secret place where she'd practice magic. Bonnie, as Emily, remembers Emily's secret spot and rationalizes that their memories must have melded when she changed the past and saved Sarah. Sarah and Bonnie make their way to Emily's secret cabin. Bonnie's decided that as long as she's here, she's going to teach Sarah how to control her magic, then once she moves to a new town, she can keep it a secret. Sarah doesn't want to leave. She comes from one of the oldest families in Mystic Falls. The town is hers. Bonnie tells her to get used to it. Some people aren't ready for their kind and she's sure that she doesn't want to burn at the stake. It's decided, they'll begin training tomorrow. As time passes, Bonnie's grown proud of Sarah's advancements. She's a quick study and even tells her that she's more powerful than she was at her age. Sarah, however, has her own agenda. She vows to be more powerful than any witch, including her friend and mentor, Emily. As she continues to progress in her training, particularly with her fire spells, Sarah attacks a beehive. The fireball explodes, engulfing the beehive and the tree branch. Bonnie scolds Sarah. They don't hurt those who don't deserve it. Sarah however retorts with her own opinions, if she's ever felt the sharp point of the stinger. A bee only cares for its own home and honey. With Bonnie's guard down, Sarah sets out for Mystic Falls, determined for revenge. A man wakes to fire around him. Startled, he questions if the witch has returned. The man confronts Sarah but in the town square as the homes burn. Sarah exclaims that this is her home and she deserves to live here. Bonnie, however, manages to arrive in time before Sarah strikes the man down. She tells Sarah that despite these people having hurt her, this isn't the way to teach them, to be accepted. Sarah doesn't care. These people will never accept her or their kind. They need to pay for what they have done to them. Sarah doesn't agree with Bonnie and grows prideful in her own abilities. Emily herself has proclaimed that she's a very powerful witch and doesn't believe that she could stop her. She simply isn't strong enough. Bonnie makes her own confession. She's not Emily. Bonnie casts a spell - Varaci Don Tare Icilette! But Sarah lashes back. Whoever she is - Emily or Bonnie - she doesn't care. She knew she was an imposter. She notices Emily's change in personality. Bonnie questions if she knew why she didn't kill her sooner. Sarah confesses she needed a teacher. A powerful one at that. She couldn't resist learning her trick and unleashing them back at her and the townspeople. Bonnie tells her that Emily would never have wanted this. Sarah knows that Emily would never stand up for herself. She wouldn't have fought the townspeople. Bonnie tries to reason with Sarah, Emily was her only friend. Sarah believes it wasn't her fault, she just wasn't strong enough and believes that Bonnie killed her and attacks, throwing Bonnie into a brick wall. Sarah doesn't understand the whole story. Emily however pleads out to Bonnie. She wants Bonnie to let her in - to give her back control. Bonnie tells her that she can't. Sarah's too strong and for her to stay with her Grams. Sarah believes that Bonnie took Emily away and she now deserves to die just like all of the townspeople. Before Sarah can strike her down, Emily regains control and the town is covered in ice - everything, except for her and Sarah, frozen. Sarah's shocked to realize it's Emily. Emily questions her friend for what she's done. Sarah explains that another witch took over her body and they, the townspeople, were going to kill her. Emily thinks to herself. She was so desperate for Sarah to live that she cast a spell to take her back, to change her destiny, but something went wrong. Bonnie tried to save her, for her, but it didn't work. Sarah, however, has over exerted her magic and her nose begins to bleed. She's killed herself with her own magic. Emily holds her dying friend. She tells Emily that it's okay. This death is the death she's chosen for herself. Not in fire and fear, but with her only true friend by her side. She can rest in peace. Bonnie has returned to Sheila's side as Emily wakes. Sheila tells Emily that Sarah is free now, and so is she.

Characters

Trivia

Credits

• Pencils: Heather Nuhfer
• Inks: Jason Gorder
• Colored by: Garry Henderson
• Cover by: Alan Quah
• Page Count: 23
• Age Rating: 15+ Only

Gallery

References

See also