Vaati is boiling mad that the original six Disney Princesses were rescued and brought back to normal; thus he had no choice but to come out and take immediate action to crush Game Central Station's heroes' morale...

DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. and Kid Icarus: Uprising are properties of Nintendo. Bomberman is owned by Hudson Soft even though Konami is in charge of all the latter's franchises as of March 2012, whilst Contra and Castlevania belong to Konami themselves either way. Wreck-It Ralph is a property of Disney. All other franchises mentioned (Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Final Fantasy, etc.) are properties of their respective owners. Keyla and Patricia are my online friend JapanAnimeGirl's OCs and are used with permission; the same goes for LovelyTekki's OC, Princess Cherry.

Chapter 7: Penetrating Vaati's dark winds

[Interlude BGM: Bowser's Castle (Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story)]

"D'aaarrgh...stupid snipers...AGH, QUIT SNIPING ME! Can't you see I'm not your main threat?! I knew I should have played Tetris instead of Call of Duty: Black Ops II on my computer!"

Purple Basilisk was making use of his time while Vaati ran the aptly-named Palace of Winds in Disneyland, mainly by playing what the "hardcore gamers" were playing these days on the PC - if not all of them. He had the door to his room in the underworld hideout locked so no one would disturb him, but little did ke know that even a door lock could not keep Vaati out.

"Basilisk! BASILISK!" boomed the all-too-familiar voice.

"SHADDUP, VAATI!"

Geez, you scream everytime you die, said one of the players on Purple Basilisk's headset. We're just here to defeat you fair and square without having to put up with any childish whining. This is exactly why underaged kids shouldn't be playing M-rated games at all.

Yeah, said the other player's voice. I mean, c'mon! Don't you wanna defeat this "stupid sniper" who, I might add, is just that good at owning you?

"BASSY, GET OVER TO MY PALACE NOW!"

"It's my co-worker, you'll have to excuse me..." Then Purple Basilisk took off his headset momentarily and covered the mic so nobody could hear him. "VAATI, DRINK YOUR SHADOW JUICE OR SOMETHING! I'M BUSY!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" The self-proclaimed Wind Mage broke open the locked door with his gusty winds, causing the Internet connection to be terminated, whilst leading the opponents to believe Purple Basilisk could not take losing and disconnected on purpose.

"Sigh...Yes, yes, what is it?!"

"While you were busy procrastinating in this Call of Duty you keep blabbering about lately, a certain group of children had been contributing to Game Central Station's success in crashing my soon-to-be wedding party! They are probably already rescuing the last of the imprisoned Disney Princesses at this very moment! You know full well I can't kidnap a beautiful maiden that catches my fancy if she is not a damsel-in-distress; you saw what Mulan and her dragon pet did to me earlier!"

"Let me guess: it's 9-Volt and three of his troublesome best friends, especially Phoebe. Bah, they're barely even worth our time!"

"Easy for you to say, considering their recent talk about bravery this and bravery that, according to recent reports from our minions! I thought your subordinate Mosquito Bomber did a good job turning the Disney Princesses into damsels-in-distress!"

"So did I, unless..."

Vaati paused for a moment to think this through, and continued, "Her invention must still have bugs for all we know. Such irony for someone who calls herself the Insectoid Queen! And as for those four pesky kids, their sudden bravery reminds me too much of the four insufferable Links to overlook any longer! Your summoned minions have failed to hold on to the Disney Princesses, so I'll have to handle this problem myself! When I'm through, they will beg me to become their true king of Disneyland, or they'll never see their little friends again!"

Then Boxer Bomber showed up to join the conversation, eager enough to bring out a back-up plan of his own despite his loss to Yuffie. "Fear not, Vaati! I've come prepared to deal with those foos who think they can win! Betcha they can't beat us at football, if you know what I mean..."

"Or chess, in my case," interrupted Warlock Bomber, having teleported in with Boxer. "We may have lost the first six Disney Princesses to them, but we still hold the others prisoner...along with Princesses Sofia and Amber and Prince James of Enchancia. My intellect on the ancient game of kings is far beyond the reaches of parasites like the Contras and their friends, for not once have I ever lost to a single soul, let alone a Grandmaster."

Boxer was not convinced one bit as he detested the idea of strategizing, preferring to use brawn as a means to crushing his foes. "You're gonna challenge them to that one game where all you do is move these little pieces around on a board?"

Warlock chuckled sinisterly. "Yes...but not in the way anybody would expect..."

[End BGM]

Ralph and his friends had a little trouble getting Snow White back because of the Trix witches that held her prisoner just as Pit predicted, but luckily it didn't take much for them to save her and the rest of Dance Dance Revolution X2 even when Phosphora had to answer 9-Volt's call through the sound of his cloud whistle. Still, Pit had a feeling that the fight against the witches was a bit too easy, as if they wanted him and his allies to think they freed Game Central Station with only Disneyland left to get inside...

An hour had since passed, for all the heroes needed a well-deserved rest in order to be prepped for the final part of their campaign in Disneyland: to penetrate Vaati's Palace of Winds while the Contras return to the real world and uncover a portal to the underworld with the combined help of Penny's technology and Ashley's magic. Yuffie would accompany Aaron, Ami, Bill, Lance, Arctic and Blaze in case they need her White Magic support during their mission to get into Purple Basilisk's hideout, and destroy the cloner to prevent him from summoning anymore boss characters to wreak havoc upon Game Central Station. As for Wario and Mona, they returned Pit's Magnus Club and Ore Club, stating they no longer needed either one since the six Disney Princesses were already rescued. In the meantime, it was all up to Ralph, Vanellope, Felix and Calhoun to lead their group towards Disneyland's freedom from Vaati's cruel grasp. But just moments after their plan went into motion, Vaati appeared out of nowhere and blew a gusty wind at everyone, giving him ample time to kidnap none other than 9-Volt, Phoebe, White and Pink!

[Alert BGM: Vaati's Theme (The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords)]

"Hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh! Surprised to see me? Ah, what do we-OW! OUCH!" Vaati was quickly interrupted by a painful zap to a couple of his tentacles, causing him to wince in agony. He held on to the kidnapped youngsters as tightly as he could while swinging his tentacles around until the source of his pain came off: 9-Volt's Phosphora Bow and Twinbellows Cannon along with his two whistles for calling Phosphora and/or Cherry, and Phoebe's Ball Cannon. "So, I take it their measly toys were enchanted with magic, eh?"

"It's Chi magic," said Cherry, "and evil monsters like you can't touch it!"

"It matters little. Your pint-sized heroes have done enough damage to my wedding ceremony! They're brave enough, but they're still too young to grasp my unstoppable might! You will bring all the original six Disney Princesses to my domain, or you'll never see your precious friends again!"

"GET YOUR BIG SLIMY TENTACLES OFF MY BEST BOUNCING BALL BUDDIES AND THEIR BOMBER-PALS!" yelled Patricia, ready to launch a powerful lightning strike when Vaati deflected it away with a tornado-like shield around his body.

"Your Best Bouncing Ball Buddies? AH, HA HA HA HA! Big talk for a silly child! The deal still stands: give me what's rightfully mine, or say goodbye to 9-Volt, Phoebe, White and Pink!"

[End BGM]

Patricia growled at Vaati's remark as he flew away, but Keyla calmed her down by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let your anger get the best of you, Patricia. I know how awful bad it feels like to lose your friends."

"I know that, but-"

"We'll get them back together, don't worry."

Suddenly, Kat and Ana walked by and picked up 9-Volt's weapons. "We'll come save 9-Volt and his best friends," said Kat, brandishing the Twinbellows Cannon despite its weight.

"I'll hold his Phosphora Bow for him and show what Kat and I can really do as ninjas-in-training," added Ana.

Then came Mona. "I'll hold on to 9-Volt's whistles and Phoebe's Ball Cannon."

[Briefing BGM: Beware the Forest's Mushrooms (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)]

At first she was against the idea of Kat and Ana fighting Vaati's forces, but remembering the times they had tangled with some demons at Diamond Dojo in the past, she decided to let them tag along on one condition: that she supervise them as they help Wario, Ralph, Vanellope, Felix and Calhoun defeat Vaati, while everyone else focuses on freeing all the citizens of Disneyland who, according to the princesses, had been stoned by Warlock Bomber's Black Magic. The Contras were also told of what happened; thus they gave Ralph's group an entire supply of about 50 Gold Needles, which may not be enough to free everyone but at least increase the chances of purifying Disneyland of Vaati's dark forces.

"I'll accompany Pit and Phosphora while you save my son," 5-Volt told Mona. "Don't forget to call me if you're in trouble."

The redhead nodded with a reassuring smile. "Will do, ma'am. With all the original six Disney Princesses back to normal, we've got Vaati right where we want him!"

Then Calhoun instructed Pit and Phosphora, "Like Blaze Bomber said before he left with his fellow Contras, despite losing the Personalterfier, we were lucky its damsel-in-distress curse wasn't very powerful. Now, while we escort Ariel, Aurora and Belle in our mission to save Sofia, James and Amber of Enchancia along with 9-Volt, Phoebe, White and Pink of planets Earth and Bomber, you two will need to lead the others and find the four heroes of Alien vs. Predator as well as fellow S.T.A.A.R. members Lieutenant Stephanie Grant and Sergeant Major Marcus Bradley from Area 51. I'm sure they'll offer support once you un-stone them with these Gold Needles, but just to be on the safe side, tell them I sent you!"

"You mean you know these guys?" asked Pit.

"Of course I do. It's a rare sight to see what these light gun games before mine were like back in the day, for me at least."

"Isn't Alien vs. Predator a beat-'em-up?"

Phosphora answered for Calhoun, "It is, but more importantly, we have our orders. We'll meet Calhoun's group at the castle throne if we can. Kat, Ana, be real careful and save 9-Volt for us. That goes double for his best pals, 'kay?"

Kat and Ana saluted the Lightning Flash, acknowledging simultaneously, "Yes, ma'am!"

Pit, however, had something else in mind. "Oh, by the way, our Contra buddies told me to give you these before they returned to the real world to find Purple Basilisk's underworld hideout." He handed over four golden bracelets, each bearing a familiar symbol from the Zelda games. "Penny sent these Goron's Bracelets here after she heard we'd freed all the original six Disney Princesses and thought 9-Volt, Phoebe, White and Pink could make use of them because they're young...but then Vaati just HAD to ruin our moment, so you're gonna have to take over from here. Anyways...who's gonna wear the Goron's Bracelets?"

"How about me and Cool Black?" suggested Acrobat Aqua.

"No. I want you with me and Phosphora because we'll need support from your Bomberman-ish powers and stuff."

"Awww..."

"Hey, no fret, Aqua," chirped Cool Black. "We'll all have saved everyone before you know it."

Belle stepped in for the two Bomber-kids. "I think you should just give Black and Aqua these bracelets anyway. Kat and Ana can wear the other two."

"Hooray!" cheered Aqua.

Pit shrugged, but obliged with Belle's request anyway and gave the Goron's Bracelets to the young Bombermen, whereas Kat and Ana put on the other two themselves. "Just a quick question: why aren't you three gonna accompany Snow White, Cinderella and Jasmine?"

"Because my husband and daughter, along with Belle and Aurora's loved ones, were turned to stone at the throne room in the Sleeping Beauty Castle," explained Ariel. "My father and my friends, including Scuttle, are safe back in Atlantica, but who knows for how long? That's why Belle, Aurora and I are going with Ralph instead. After all, I am 9-Volt's favorite Disney Princess, right?"

Pit blushed at the thought. "Heh. Good point."

"And besides, I have a pair of Power Bracelets to wear whenever I'm not in my mermaid form. That way, I still possess my Atlantean strength and endurance even on land."

Phosphora giggled. "I see why 9-Volt prefers you as his favorite above all others. You're like a power princess!"

Ariel grinned in response. "Yep! You learn a lot growing up in Atlantica from not only Scuttle for his knowledge of human objects, but also some newer princesses throughout Disneyland like Rapunzel. I have to be able to protect my family too, ever since the time I helped Prince Eric by holding off Ursula the Sea Witch to the best of my abilities long enough for him to defeat her. This may surprise you, but he actually used the splintered tip of a shipwreck as a spear! In short, we saved each other and...well, you could say we not only make a good couple, but also a good team."

"Like father, like daughter, that's for sure."

Then Pit wondered, "Wait, so if you're married to Prince Eric, doesn't that make him a king and you a queen? Then again, I only watched The Little Mermaid once, so..."

Ariel nodded. "Naturally, but I'm still classified as a Disney Princess for traditional reasons. So, Tammy, are we all set to go?"

"You bet we are," confirmed the sergeant. "Alright, ladies, the kitten whispers and tickle fights stop now. Let's head on to the Palace of Winds and kick Vaati out!"

But meanwhile, Rancis was worried that he and his fellow Sugar Rush racers might be next to get kidnapped as part of the ransom. "What if Vaati comes back while you're out?"

"We won't let him destroy our sugary world," assured Candlehead. "I'll stay with you the entire time for Vanellope's sake, even if Vaati snatches me away."

[End BGM]

Mission 5: Palace of Winds
The original six Disney Princesses were free at last, which just leaves everyone else in Disneyland to save. But to do that, Ralph must lead Vanellope, Felix, Calhoun, Wario, Mona, Kat and Ana in to Vaati's fortress while Pit and Phosphora's group do their part to keep the outer defenses busy. In the meantime, the Contras are doing their part to save Game Central Station and Disneyland by finding a way to get into Purple Basilisk's underworld hideout, at least before it's too late.
Aside from the four young heroes of Diamond City, Vaati also imprisoned Sofia, James and Amber of Enchancia somewhere in the castle.
November 11, 20XX
4:00 PM

[Intro BGM: Welcome to Hell (Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth)]

All set to go first, Ralph and his cohorts marched their way into the overtaken Disneyland to face Vaati's minions...

[End BGM]
[Stage BGM: Reincarnated Soul (Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth)]

"Here we go, fellas!" whooped Vanellope. "Let's wreck 'em up!"

"Wait a second..." Mona wondered, eyeing the presence of shadowy creatures. "Is it me, or did Purple Basilisk also summon the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts?"

Wario noticed some familiar monsters from the Legend of Zelda series. "There's also Moblins, Stalfos, Lizalfos, fire-breathing Dinolfos, Wizzrobes, ReDeads, Gibdos and Darknuts - all just itchin' to be smashed by good ol' Wario!"

But before the heroes could attack, the ReDeads paralyzed them with ear-piercing, bone-chilling shrieks, allowing the Gibdos to grab hold of them. They were quick to break free before the Gibdos could choke them to death, and Kat retaliated by using 9-Volt's Twinbellows Cannon (which, thanks to the Goron's Bracelet, was now easier for her to wield) to burn the thin, white cloth they were wrapped in, similar to their real-life mummified counterparts, revealing them as the ReDeads like in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Then Wario did his trademark body slam to mow down the undead creatures, followed by Mona crushing their remains with a well-timed charged shot from Phoebe's Ball Cannon.

"Ha ha! Right in the kisser!" boasted Wario. "Men fight with fists, and women fight with cannonballs! Though I did expect an explosion or two..."

"The Ball Cannon's charged shots are non-explosive unlike all the other cannons in Kid Icarus: Uprising," explained Mona, "but like Phoebe said, they can smash the enemies like bowling pins!"

"Oh well. I bet you gonna strike Siren Bomber really good the next time we see her!"

"My thoughts exactly, Wario. If she tries anything to hurt 9-Volt and Phoebe, she's asking for a big cannonball to the face."

But then Ralph interrupted, "Hate to ruin your moment, but we've got more monsters incoming!"

"Yeah, and my cherry bombs can only blast so much of them at once!" shouted Vanellope.

"Not to worry, kiddo!" assured Wario. "It's wrecking time for those jerks! Kat, Ana, you know what to do!"

Without saying a word to acknowledge Wario's instructions, Kat and Ana went in and timed their charged shots from 9-Volt's Twinbellows Cannon and Phosphora Bow, followed by their cross-slash technique via the katanas to mow down hordes of monsters, all the while destroying the Darknuts' suits of armor to reveal their under-armor chain mail, weakening them in the process. But true to the Twilight Princess incarnations, the Darknuts grew faster to compensate for the loss of their armor, thus requiring the girls to make use of spin attacks and back slices, thereafter killing them. The Heartless, Lizalfos and Dinolfos joined the fight to avenge the fallen Darknuts only for Ralph and Vanellope to make short work of them.

The Stalfos and Wizzrobes took advantage of the battle at hand by going for the three Disney Princesses. Ariel, however, was ready for it as she pulled out a rapier and chipped in to defend Aurora and Belle, having picked it out from her treasure grotto in Atlantica ahead of time. Apparently Scuttle, her seagull friend, forewarned her of Vaati's eventual appearance in Disneyland, similar to the time he warned her about Ursula being disguised as a human female named "Vanessa." Despite all that, Ariel and the other Disney Princesses were unprepared for Mosquito Bomber's Personalterfier and fell under the damsel-in-distress curse until they were rescued. The Stalfos cackled at Ariel's attempt to fight them in a dress and high heels, even brushing off her rapier, but not a moment too soon did they eat their words when she utilized swordplay to block their strikes and cut them to piles of bones when they dropped their guard, indicating to the Core Four and their non-Disney allies that she knew swordplay when she was a mermaid. The Wizzrobes fired magical bolts of energy from their hands as a retaliation effort, hurting Ariel a bit but not bad compared to the stronger spells they were about to cast next. Calhoun quickly took note of this and blew the Wizzrobes to bits with her assault rifle's built-in grenade launcher as its secondary fire, followed by Felix repairing Ariel's damaged rapier with his magic hammer.

[End BGM]
[Fight BGM: Mini-Boss Battle (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask)]

Now outgunned, the Moblins fled the battle in panic, their morale having decreased sharply since the heroes showed them what for. All of a sudden, they reappeared aboard a pirate ship on a vast lake near the Palace of Winds, assisting a group of Stalfos in manning the cannons while a lone Darknut took the role of the ship's captain, thus regaining their opportunity to attack again by blasting Ralph's group with exploding cannonballs, inflicting considerable damage.

"OUCH!" winced Kat. "That hurts, y'know!"

"Ariel, Aurora, Belle, your dresses!" panicked Ana.

The Disney Princesses, however, weren't too worried. "Don't worry, Ana," said Belle, "we can always get them cleaned up with Tinker Bell's pixie dust, if we do rescue her at all."

Ariel had an idea. "We'll just have to beat these monsters at their own game. My longtime friend Scuttle taught me lots of human words, like ratsnmasher and feeny-meeny, in order to beat the pirates that kidnapped Sebastian one time, and that was long before I even met Prince Eric in person."

"Vaati's Palace of Winds isn't complete as of yet, therefore we still have a chance to get there by ship before it rises to the skies."

At that point, Wario predicted a song in order that typically spoke of the current situation. "Yeah yeah, no need to bust out a song or two like many Disney Princess movies do."

"Wario, don't be rude," snapped Mona. "If they want to sing about it as we move along, then let them do the singing."

"Aye, basura...okay, okay, they can sing while we help them take the blasted ship, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna love every bits and pieces of it!"

On board the pirate ship, one of the Moblins was berating his cohorts in between the cannon fire. "Ohh, you idiots! We not supposed to bomb Disney Princesses! Vaati get mad if he see them dirty!"

"Well, what were we supposed to do about it?!" complained one of the Stalfos. "They're not scared anymore!"

"Blow up interlopers, but do princesses no harm!"

"Too late, sire! They've already boarded the ship!"

"D'oh! Now we gotta protect our captain, so listen: set up all cannons and fire away! If they on ship that way, they get blown up!"

The Stalfos knew the counter-response would run the risk of destroying the pirate ship, but he acknowledged the order regardless. "Understood. Okay, maties, load the cannons and fire on my mark!" Just as the monsters were ready to light the fuses, Kat and Ana fired some charged shots inside the cannons to detonate the explosive balls prematurely, killing the Moblins and Stalfos within range.

"Excellent-a!" cheered Wario, punching some other monsters away. "Now that's demolition derby, only it's on a pirate ship."

As soon as the battle aboard the pirate ship erupted, the Darknut captain literally jumped into action to attack Felix and Calhoun who were in front of the three Disney Princesses. Vanellope, on the other hand, thought she saw something crawling inside the ship through an open cabin door, and glitched herself in with Ralph behind her. Perhaps that something is holding a prisoner or two below deck, they thought.

"Tammy, we're surrounded!" worried Felix.

"I know, but stay behind me!" Calhoun unloaded a few grenades at the Moblins and Stalfos until she ran out, prompting her to switch back to her rifle's primary fire. "Good Mod, they just keep bringing in reinforcements! Mona, do something about these monster generators near the cabin door! Ariel, see if you can find a pile of cannonballs for that ratsnmasher or whatever you and Scuttle call it!"

"Say no more, Sarge!" The two redheads moved into position and awaited the signal from Calhoun. When she counted up to 3 with her fingers, Ariel wasted not a second giving Mona a clear shot at the monster generators by shoving the cannonballs forward. "As my friends on the surface would say, LET'S BOWL!" Then she went for the other two piles and did the same, forcing the monsters to run away from Aurora and Belle as they got bowled over. The Darknut captain, now viewing Ariel as a threat, rushed in for the kill only to have his large sword swatted away by her hands, indicating again her Atlantean strength. He bellowed like a Norse god and lifted his shield to use as a hammer, but Aurora got out a magic wand that one of her "aunts", the Three Good Fairies, gave her sometime ago and cast a magic spell, stripping the Darknut of his armor by breaking it into pieces instantly. Now in his chain mail, he tossed the shield aside and unsheathed a small sword to finish the fight. Ariel took note of Aurora's assistance and parried the Darknut's attacks in time for the titular Sleeping Beauty to stun him with a different spell. Finally, she grabbed the monster by the arm and threw him overboard, decreasing the Moblins and Stalfos' morale sharply once again.

[End BGM]

After thanking Aurora for helping out a fellow Disney Princess, Ariel put her rapier back in its scabbard and picked up a cannonball from the floor, holding it underneath her shoulder. "That big ball might make a great addition to my treasure grotto."

"You're weird, Ariel, you know that?" retorted Wario. "What 9-Volt sees in you, I'll never understand."

"It's because he likes her for her curiosity and interest in human objects, Wario," said Mona, "so that along with her adventurous personality makes her his favorite Disney Princess. You've seen how curious I was with your microgames and treasure-hunting, remember?"

"But still-"

"If she wants to bring something back to her grotto in Atlantica, let her do so. Besides, I don't hear you complaining when I tagged along on some of your adventures."

"I agree with Mona," said Aurora. "Just let me cast a quick spell to remove all the gunpowder, so it doesn't explode on anyone." The pink princess did so with her magic wand, and Ariel thanked her again.

"Guess it's safe to say this ship is ours to use," commented Belle. "That is, if Ralph and Vanellope come back alive..."

[Alert BGM: Encounter with Vile (Mega Man Maverick Hunter X)]

Somewhere below deck, Ralph and Vanellope found their way around by using the lit fuse on the racer's cherry bomb as a torch. She wore a Peace Ring on her index finger, the very same ring from The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, to keep it and any other toon bombs shaped perfectly like a ball (big or small) from exploding in her hands. Sooner or later, they saw a large mechanical spider nestling itself next to a pair of crystallized prisons.

"Giant spiders..." mumbled Ralph. "Why'd it have to be giant spiders?"

[End BGM]
[Boss BGM: Vile Battle (Mega Man Maverick Hunter X)]

That spider, known in Mega Man X as Bospider, woke up and crawled through one of the four metal rails to the ceiling. It released mini spider robots and created a random path down its rails to attack the father-and-daughter duo. Vanellope used the light from her cherry bomb's fuse to spot Bospider's movement and glitched herself and Ralph out of the way, crushing the mini spider robots in the process. As soon as Bospider landed on the floor, the red core on its abdomen opened up, leaving it vulnerable for about two seconds. Since neither one had its weakness, the Shotgun Ice, Ralph punched the red core as hard as possible while Vanellope did a powerful stomp, followed by pelting Bospider with her cherry bombs until it closed its weak spot and crawled up the rails again.

Bospider grew faster as its life energy was taken off by half, spitting out more mini spider robots and rushing down its randomly-created paths, catching Ralph and Vanellope off guard a few times. Fortunately, they caught on to the increased speed of its attack path and finished it off with a synchronized hip drop. When the robot's life energy was gone, it rolled over onto its back and tucked its legs to its body before shining brightly, signaling an impending explosion. That's when Ralph and Vanellope realized a little too late that they were inside the powder room all along; they panicked and grabbed the big crystals, but were unable to get out in time as Bospider exploded, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed the entire pirate ship.

[End BGM]

In spite of the massive explosion, the heroes were sent flying and crash-landed inside the Palace of Winds. Miraculously, they were unharmed along with the 9-Volt and Phoebe's Skyworld-enchanted weapons, and Ariel's cannonball. The moment they recovered, they saw the crystallized prisons cracking like glass upon hitting the ground and broke open, revealing Princess Amber and Prince James.

[Victory BGM: Zelda's Theme (The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures)]

"Oooh...where are we now?" asked the groggy twins. Amber and James shook their heads to regain consciousness and took note of the successful rescue.

Felix replied with his own question, "Amber? James? What happened to you when Vaati took over?"

"That egotistical creep put me and James inside these crystal prisons and shoved us below the pirate ship where that big ugly spider was, that's what happened!"

"Whoa, whoa, there!" chastised Wario. "Slow down, girl! In case you haven't noticed, we just heroically saved your lives!"

"If there's one thing I hate more than frogs, failure and even messy things that happen upon my dresses, it's giant spiders and ghosts!"

"You'll have to excuse Amber," said James. "She's been through a lot lately ever since Vaati ruined our first meeting with Mickey Mouse and friends, but she's not bad once you get to know her. You have to help us free Sofia! We've just overheard a sudden change in Vaati's plans: he wants to make her his bride instead, claiming her radiance brings him back memories of some other princess named...uh, what did he call her again? Zelda?"

"He'll kidnap any beautiful maiden, young or grown-up, that catches his fancy," Kat muttered in disgust.

"And now he took poor 9-Volt and our three best pals, all because we rescued the Disney Princesses and turned them back to normal!" whined Ana. "The nerve of that big jerk, stealing OUR 9-Volt just for expressing his bravery! Can you believe that, James?"

"Sorry to hear what he did to your friends. Maybe they're in his throne room or something, but Amber and I do know this: some purple guy with a snake-like head-"

"Purple Basilisk!" Ralph interrupted.

James nodded and continued, "That's his name - he's recently arranged for his followers to challenge you guys to duel in their own styles of combat!"

Amber warned also, "Boxer Bomber's going to trash you at this American football, while Warlock Bomber and Siren Bomber want to end your quest in chess. I usually don't tell anyone this, but James and I care too much about Sofia to let anything bad happen to her!"

"Not to worry, fellas!" chirped Vanellope. "We won't let them destroy our buds while we still live!"

[End BGM]

With the first leg of their path to Vaati's throne cleared, Ralph and co. move on to the next section of the Palace of Winds.

TO BE CONTINUED...

As a side note, I looked up the Disney wiki site to see some of Ariel and Aurora's abilities to get an idea on how helpful they can be in my story, now that Ralph and his pals brought them back to normal. From what I read, Aurora was actually given a magic wand from Merryweather (one of the Three Good Fairies) to use in Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams and wielded its magical powers, whereas Ariel had shown signs of Atlantean strength and endurance from time to time - in addition to her swordplay - as seen in the Little Mermaid series. It was, however, debatable as to whether she retained her superhuman strength and endurance when she became human, so I thought why not give her a pair of Power Bracelets from the Zelda series to emulate these abilities.