I do not own Disney anything. I only own my OCs. Shawn belongs to MysteryGirl.

The Fight for Freedom

Tracy slouched against the cold stone wall of the wine cellar, which had become a popular hangout for the revived villains. She wanted to be anywhere but the villains headquarters, but Shawn had had enough of her and ditched her in the broken down, gloomy castle to be babysat by a bunch of jerks who had alcohol breath.

"...no one believed that I would be able to take on such a mighty animal, but I showed them. When I brought the magnificent wolf back to the village, everyone was amazed by my greatness. I said, and LeFou can quote me on this, 'no one slaughters deadly beasts like Gaston!'"

The blonde felt her right eye twitch and she slowly turned her attention back to the idiotic brute that was Gaston. He discovered that she was the only one who would listen to his boastings without threatening to smite him after five minutes. LeFou was constantly carting mugs back and forth, as Gaston chugged them faster than the plump minion could prepare. Occasionally he would shoot Tracy a sympathetic look and Tracy decided to strike up a conversation with him if she got the chance.

The minions were hardly as bad as their masters.

Gaston slammed another empty mug on the scratched wooden table and bellowed, "LeFou! Hurry up with my drinks, will you? I don't like waiting."

"Coming Gaston!" LeFou hastily hurried forward, balancing a couple of mugs as he ran. His foot struck a piece of stone that jutted out from the floor and he pitched forwards. Not wanting a scene (no one got angry like Gaston) Tracy jumped up and quickly caught the airborne mugs with only a little splashing onto her dress.

She set them down in front of Gaston and LeFou let out a sigh of relief. The three of them were the only people in the cellar at the moment (Tracy wasn't fooled by 'wine' cellar; there was a heck of a lot more than just wine down there) and Tracy wondered how soon she would be able to get away.

The blonde never would have set foot into the musty cellar if Gaston hadn't basically carted her down himself.

Tracy jumped as a sudden onslaught of yelling came from the floor above. LeFou whistled softly. "I guess Shawn's back...poor guy doesn't stand a chance if he messed up this time."

Hoping beyond hope that Serena triumphed again, Tracy took this opportunity to hurry up the rotted wooden stairs. She followed the sounds of Hades' shouts until she found him, Shawn and a few other villains in the main room. She pressed against the doorframe and watched the scene play out before her.

"It's not my fault!" Shawn shouted. "I can't beat her with daggers when she has a freeze ray and that stupid watch!"

"She shouldn't have gotten either of those things to begin with!" Hades hollered. "You should have just taken care of her when she was defenseless. But that was too much for you, wasn't it?"

Shawn bristled. "I don't know why you're telling me off for failing when all the villains you sent failed as well!"

Hades shot a glare at Facilier and Frollo, who quickly took a few steps back and scowled at the floor. "I'm aware, kid. They've been taken care of." His gaze slid to Pain and Panic, who shrunk against the cracked stone wall in fear. "My two bumbling idiots, however, will be dealt with later."

"How could you forget about the mirror?" Panic hissed to his companion, heart pounding fearfully at the punishment they were inevitably going to get. Immortal they may be, but pain was not a foreign concept to them.

Pain scowled at him. "Shut up and let's see if we can hide somewhere."

Knowing Hades would find them eventually (he always did) Panic nodded reluctantly and the two hurried from the chamber.

"And you know what kid? Green-Eyes managed to discover our secret location thanks to a flea bitten bird!" He whirled around and glared at Jafar. "Is anyone even trying to stop that chick from screwing everything up?"

Jafar gripped his snake staff tightly. "I had forgotten about that disgusting excuse for a minion. I didn't think he would ever remember where this place was. Furthermore, I didn't think Miss Lockhart would be bright enough to deduce where we reside."

"You should know by now not to underestimate that kid." Hades pressed a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I sincerely doubt she'll make it out of here alive. Shawn, this is your very last chance to prove you're actually an asset to this team. If you'll excuse me, I have two morons to hunt down and incinerate."

Tracy quickly ducked behind a rusted suit of armour as Hades stormed out of the room. Shawn was immediately ragged on by the remaining villains but Tracy hardly noticed. Biting her lip nervous, she glanced out the grimy window and wondered what Serena was up to.

My bag!

The realization came fast and her blue eyes widened. Of course! That was the only thing worth coming for, especially if the Excalibur was in the hands of the villains. Pursing her lips, she settled back against the wall and thought hard.

Was anything ever going to go her way?

...

Ariel's heart pounded in her chest as she paced up and down the vast drawing room, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Eric stood stiff by the window, his hand occasionally running through his black hair.

"I don't understand," Ariel whispered. She halted in the middle of her pacing and wrung her hands together. "Melody knows she's not supposed to go outside of the castle alone until those two girls are caught. What could have possibly made her go against our orders like this?"

Eric moved away from the high glass window and moved towards his wife. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he only sighed. "I wish your father hadn't given her that necklace. I knew Melody wouldn't be able to handle the temptation."

"He meant well." Ariel pushed a strand of red hair out of her blue eyes. "I suppose we'll have to wait until either father catches her or she comes back. I wish she would grow out of this rebellion streak."

Eric grinned at her. "Did you?"

Ariel pursed her lips. "I'm much more responsible now than I was when I was sixteen."

"Of course you are."

Before the princess could retort there was a tapping on the window. Scuttle hovered in front of the glass and Ariel quickly ran and swung the window open. "Scuttle! Did you see her?"

"I did, sweetie. But you're not going to like who she was with."

Swallowing, Ariel asked, "Who was she with?"

"That girl everyone in the Kingdom is looking for." Scuttle said bitterly. "I would have pecked her if they hadn't ducked under water the moment I spotted them."

Ariel pressed a shaking hand to her forehead and managed to ask, "Which girl was it?"

"The dark-haired one," Scuttle said. "I'm sure of it."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she leaned heavily against the window ledge. "For a moment there, I was worried it was the blonde one."

"Aren't they both nasty?" Scuttle asked curiously.

"King Mickey released the details to select lands. The dark haired one is Serena and the blonde one is Tracy. Belle told King Mickey their names after Serena introduced herself and asked the mirror where her friend was in front of them."

"How come they don't use the mirror to find them now?"

"Serena stole it." Eric frowned and shook his head. "She actually had the audacity to promise that she would bring it back."

"We can't assume that she won't," Ariel chided. "Tracy willingly went to work with the villains-don't go spreading that around Scuttle, I trust you-and Serena refused. She's actually trying to stop them."

"And what does she think she can do?" Eric demanded. "What can she do that we can't?"

"I think we can safely assume that Tracy and Serena have skills that no one else have. That's obviously why the villains want them. So if Tracy is going to try and steal the Hat for the villains then Serena is going to try and steal it for us," Ariel explained. "At least, that's what King Mickey has concluded."

Scuttle clicked his beak. "And you actually think we can trust her?"

"She saved my daughter. I'm willing to give her the benefit of doubt," Ariel said firmly. "Scuttle, Flounder should be somewhere around the castle waiting for news. Can you ask him to warn my father the Serena is here?"

Scuttle arched an eyebrow. "What happened to the benefit of doubt?"

"I may be willing to give her a chance, but I'm still a princess with duties to the King." She cast a glance out the window. "That doesn't mean I'm hoping she'll get caught."

...

"Whoa..." Melody breathed after Serena explained everything that had happened to her up until this point. "I can't believe all that happened to you!"

Serena shrugged, her long raven hair flowing around her. "It was weird. I never dreamed any of this could happen."

"Do you miss your parents?" Melody asked, not being able to fathom being apart from her family for so long. "You've been here a long time."

"I don't have parents," Serena said as she gave her tail a flick to propel her forward. "They died in a car crash seven years ago."

"I'm sorry," Melody whispered. "That must have been hard for you."

"I miss them, yeah. But then I met Tracy at the orphanage. She never knew her parents and she had it pretty rough," Serena explained. "We really hated it at the orphanage. We were basically the oldest ones there and no one wanted to adopt us. We were the ones who did all the chores, watched the bratty kids and got in trouble for every little thing that went wrong. I suppose that's why we started conning people. We just wanted to escape and we needed the money." Serena paused for a moment before twirling in the water and looking at Melody curiously. "How long have we been here, anyway?"

Melody frowned at the sudden change in topic but went with it. "About two weeks, I guess."

Serena's green eyes widened. "Geez...it seems a heck of a lot longer than that."

"Well, I suppose it would if you keep getting caught and hunted down," Melody pointed out with a small smile.

"It sucks, too. I haven't slept or had a decent meal since I got here." Serena rubbed her growling stomach and scowled. "Are we almost to Crystal Cove?"

Melody pointed towards a clump of rocks that were covered in moss. "The entrance is underneath a curtain of moss."

Serena felt around and felt an empty space where there was supposed to be rock. She pushed aside the moss and swam inside, admiring the colourful crystals that cast a brilliant light around the dark cave. "This is amazing!" she whispered. She plucked a coloured crystal from the soft mud and stuck it in her bag. "You want one?"

Melody chose a glowing pink crystal and attached it to her necklace. "I wish I knew how to get to this secret hideout. But this is basically it." She gestured around the empty grotto.

Serena looked around thoughtfully. Her green eyes studied every rock and she swam up to the cave ceiling. She pushed around using her fingers and Melody followed her move by testing the cave walls. A rock moved slightly underneath Melody's fingers and she gasped in excitement. "I think I found something!"

Serena swam over and pushed at the rock. It shifted under her fingers. She pulled out the mirror and asked, "I'd like to see Hades' crystal ball."

Melody watched in fascination as the mirror glowed green before a picture showed in the glass. Serena let out a sigh of relief when it showed a slumbering Jasper and Horace by the glass ball, which showed her and Melody. "Alright lucky streak, keep on flowing."

The two girls pried the rock away to reveal a narrow opening. Serena stuck the mirror in her bag and smiled gratefully at Melody. "Thanks for this. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Now let's go kick some villain butt!"

Serena looked at her in surprise. "You want to come with me?"

Melody nodded eagerly. "It'll be easier if you have someone help you."

"Well...if you're sure." The two squeezed into the narrow passage, elbows knocking against the jagged rock. The passage seemed to go on forever, with many twists and turns. Melody grunted as they started to climb upwards, tails struggling to move in the tight space.

"Are we almost there?" she complained and her hands stung from the continuous climbing.

"Yeah," Serena panted. She gripped the edges of the opening and hauled herself over; collapsing on the rough, rocky island they emerged on. She helped Melody out and their tails disappeared.

"There it is!" Melody gasped, pointing at the shadowy outline of a crumbling castle. "This is a swishing secret hideout."

Serena snorted and cracked her back. "Okay, I am so not walking that distance. We'll teleport there and then I'll turn us invisible for a short amount of time." She pulled out her mirror and checked it again. "Sweet, we still have the element of surprise."

Melody grabbed on to Serena's arm and she teleported them closer to the castle. Serena then turned them invisible and whispered, "Keep hold of my arm and be as quiet as possible."

The two entered the gloomy castle. Serena kept her eyes alert and she was expecting Shawn to jump out at her at any moment. Melody stared at the ugly gargoyle statues and rusted suits of armour in awe. Spiders hung from the ceiling and mice and roaches skittered past their feet. Melody bit her lip hard to keep from squealing.

Serena removed the mirror and asked for it to show her the bag. It had been removed from the crystal ball room was now under heavy guard in the basement...by Hades' Cerberus. "Aw, man!"

"What?" Melody asked anxiously, eyes darting around.

"Let's just say that getting the bag won't be as easy as I thought."

The two crept past rooms occupied by various villains. They carefully entered the basement and Melody nearly screamed at the sight of the monstrous beast standing over Tracy's backpack. Serena motioned for her to be quiet and they started down the stairs. The watch gave a loud beep before falling silent. Serena blinked as the Cerberus growling menacingly at her, all three heads baring teeth. "Huh."

"What happened?" Melody squeaked.

"Well...we're visible. It seems that this watch is solar powered...and we're in a place that seems allergic to sunlight." Serena put her hands on her hips and regarded the snarling beast. "Okay, you use the freeze ray and I'll get the bag."

Melody yelped in protest when the ray was shoved in her hands. Serena darted for the beast and one head went down to snap at her. Melody pressed the trigger and let out a sigh of relief when its mouth was covered in ice.

Serena dodged snapping teeth and mighty paws. Melody was freezing the dog as fast as she could, and Serena knew that the racket they were making would attract someone soon enough. She dove to the ground to avoid a piercing fang and scrambled across the dirt floor. She seized the bag with one hand and booked it for Melody. By now all three heads were frozen and two paws were stuck to the floor.

"Good job!"

Melody gulped. "T-Thanks!"

The two girls hurried up the stairs. The door was thrown open and Serena stumbled back into Melody.

"Well well, my dears. You've gotten yourselves into a bit of a mess, haven't you?"

Serena craned her neck back and scowled at the large, muscular man in front of them. Clayton was what she considered to be Gaston's smoother and more sinister counterpart. Eyeing the tranquilizer gun he held lazily in his hands, she took a step back. "Nothing I can't get myself out of."

Clayton sneered at her. "I don't know how an insolent brat like you managed to make it this far, but it doesn't matter. Your little mission ends here, and little princess Melody will never become Queen of the sea and its disgusting population."

Melody's eyes flashed and she whipped out the freeze ray from behind her back. "And you will never hunt again, you lowlife jerk!"

Serena grinned as Clayton was encased in ice before he could shoot his first dart. "Nice one. A common trait in every villain is that they talk too much."

They raced out the door and down the long twisting hallways. Shouts echoed all around them as villains tried to find them before they escaped.

"AARRGGHH!" Melody yelped as a tentacle wrapped around her waist and jerked her backwards. The freeze ray clattered to the floor and the young princess tried frantically to keep herself from being pulled away. Serena tried to grab her but was pulled back.

It took everything Melody had not to scream when she came face-to-face with a fat purple octopus with a seashell necklace. Melody bit her lip as she realized she was meeting her mother's nemesis and Morgana's sister, someone who should have been dead.

"So you're the pretty little fish that Ariel treasures," Ursula purred, putting a finger under her chin and inspecting her. "You've got your father's features...but I would bet you have your mother's pretty voice."

Melody shivered as the tentacle tightened around her waist, making it hard to breathe. "I think I ought to finish what my dear sister couldn't." Ursula smirked cruelly, her lips ruby red. "And don't worry; your mother will follow your fate soon enough."

Serena was having her own difficulties. Her arms pinned to her sides, she couldn't move. The raven-haired girl gulped as she faced Ratigan.

Where's Basil when you need him?

"You, my dear, will never again see the light of day," Ratigan said silkily. "That second-class detective Basil is going to meet his demise, and I will not be stopped again."

The bulky rat grabbed her throat and Serena found herself struggling to breathe. Aware that her next move might mean certain death, she managed to choke out, "Lousy sewer rat."

The strangulation stopped and she was hauled up by the front of her shirt. Furious red eyes met her cool green ones and a fist formed by his side. "You have upset me. Terrible things happen to those who upset me."

"I'm sure," she muttered before swinging her foot back and nailing him in his large gut. Ratigan wheezed and crumpled to the floor, clutching his stomach. Serena raced across the floor and grabbed the freeze ray. She hurried forwards and bit down on the tentacle holding Melody (gross!) and Melody collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Serena ducked as other tentacles shot out at her and froze as many as she could. Ursula let out a bellow of rage when she found all her tentacles frozen to the floor and the two girls took off.

"Thanks for saving my life," Melody said as they flew down hallways.

"No problem." Serena grinned. The two yelped as they spotted a crowd of villains storming towards them. "Split up and reunite!"

Melody caught the freeze ray as Serena tossed it to her and the two separated. Serena pounded down the hallways and stumbled to a halt when she came across Cruella De Vil. The skinny as a pole lady took a drag from her cigarette and Serena rocked back on her heels. Was this lady for real?

"Well dahrling, it seems there's nowhere else to run," Cruella crooned, her large fur coat swishing around her thin body.

"Look! A Dalmatian!" Serena exclaimed, pointing behind the woman.

Cruella whipped around and Serena skipped up and pinched that nerve spot on her neck. The lady crumpled to the ground, fast asleep. "Cruella De Vil's one weak spot; that would be Dalmatian puppies. She's insane."

Serena hurried past her and swung around the corner. She managed to throw herself to the ground before a dagger took off her head. "We really need to stop meeting like this," she commented, propping her chin in her hands and glancing up at Shawn.

"This. Ends. Now," Shawn snarled and charged forwards. Serena sprang up and removed the dagger from her bag. She tried to knock his dagger out of his hand but if it was one thing Shawn was skilled in, it was sword fighting. The dagger flew from her hand and Shawn pressed her up against the wall, the blade against her neck.

"You're useless," he whispered. "You've only gotten this far by sheer luck and that watch of yours. But there's no escape now, is there?" The blade trailed across her neck and Serena felt her heart pound violently against her chest. She could feel the blood trickle down her neck from the cut Shawn cleanly made. Panic rose in her throat as Serena realized that Shawn was finally going to kill her. All cockiness she felt was replaced by desperation.

"Goodbye, Serena Lockhart. You were a worthy foe." Shawn grinned wickedly and raised his dagger. Serena let out a shriek of fear and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the painful blow.

...nothing happened.

Slowly, Serena opened her eyes and stared in shock. Shawn was once more encased in ice, and he was absolutely furious. Serena pried his frozen fingers off of her neck and stepped gingerly around him. Melody stood at the end of the hall, ray gripped tightly between her fingers. "Are you okay?" she asked frantically.

Serena massaged her throat and nodded. "Yeah...thanks for saving my life."

"Just returning the favour," Melody said with a grin. "Let's go."

They hurried down the hall and Serena noticed her bloody knuckles. "Geez, what happened to you?"

"I ran into your friend and I kinda panicked," Melody said sheepishly. "So I punched her in the face."

Serena burst out in laughter and immediately tried to muffle it. "Tracy won't be happy about that."

"So you're the little brat that has Hades in a fit."

The two girls halted as Jafar appeared before them. Melody went to freeze him but with a simple wave of his hand the freeze ray was wrenched out of her hands and across the hall. Serena scowled. "Okay, that was so cheap."

Jafar arched an eyebrow. "What do you expect from villains?"

"Good point."

"It's been amusing, I'll admit, watching you make fools out of heroes and villains alike. But your fun must come to an end." Jafar raised his staff and a brilliant blast of light shot out from it before either girl was prepared. Melody yelped in shock but instead of the spell striking her, it rebounded off of the crystal and soared back to Jafar. The man ducked and the spell exploded behind him.

The light was so bright that it actually made the watch around Serena's wrist power up.

"Keep the luck flowing!" Serena cheered. "Melody, cover me."

Serena raced down the hall towards the freeze ray. Melody ran behind her, blocking the spells with the crystal attached to her necklace. Serena scooped up the ray and latched onto Melody's arm. There should be enough power left...

And with a flash of white light, the girls were gone.

...

"You are all a bunch of losers," Hades said flatly.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Ratigan asked indigently.

"I was busy throttling those morons," Hades hissed, glowering at Cruella's henchmen.

"Dahrling, I told you that they weren't the proper men for the job," Cruella drawled, a cloud of smoke rising above her head. Jasper and Horace scowled at her, but quailed under Hades' fiery gaze.

"And what happened to you?" Hades snapped as Tracy stumbled into the room, holding her bleeding nose.

"The princess has one heck of a right hook," Tracy said in admiration. "I run around the corner and bam! Right in the nose."

Hades rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. "Well, I hope you're happy. Green-Eyes took the bag. Maleficent is going to kill me."

Tracy tried not to look too happy upon hearing that Serena had succeeded.

...

Melody and Serena appeared on the beaches near Eric's castle. The two girls looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"That was awesome!" Melody giggled, holding her sides.

"We almost died, but that's what makes it fun." Serena shook out her raven hair and tied it back up in a ponytail. "I'll have to remember to stay in sunny places. I was wondering why Phineas never gave me a charger."

"I think it's so cool you went to another world," Melody sighed dreamily.

"It was nice," Serena agreed. She dug around Tracy's bag and pulled out the music shell and necklace. "Here you go."

Melody's eyes lit up as she took the items. She slipped the necklace around her neck and then tackled Serena into a hug.

"Geez!" Serena exclaimed. "What's that for?"

Melody sat back and beamed at her. "For proving that I put my trust in the right person."

Serena flushed. "Thanks. I really appreciate the second chance." Her gaze wandered towards the other items in the bag. "I suppose I ought to return this stuff too...unless you want to do it for me."

"Nope. I think it would be good if you did it."

"I was afraid you would say that." Serena stood up and shouldered Tracy's bag along with own. "I ought to get going. Thanks for helping me out."

Melody waved and Serena disappeared. Grinning, the princess stood up and raced for the castle, eager to tell her parents everything that happened.

...

Serena appeared in front of King Arthur's castle. Gulping nervously, she shuffled up to the door and rapped on it.

You're insane.

"I am not!" she hissed just as the door creaked open. Merlin and his bushy white beard peered out at her. She braced herself for the call for the guards but only got a knowing smile. He crooked a finger at her and she followed him inside.

"Who was at the door Merlin?" a young voice asked curiously. Arthur entered the wide entry chamber and stared at her with wide eyes.

Serena waved. "Um...hi."

"You mad old coot!" Archimedes hollered as he flew into the room. "She'll rob us blind! Get rid of her!"

Serena huffed. "Rude!"

Archimedes puffed out his feathers and flew down until he was in front of her face. "You're in no position to tell me I'm rude, girl. Have you come to steal the crown?"

"No. I've come to stuff an owl."

The smart owl spluttered and Serena brushed by him. She reached into Tracy's backpack and removed the Excalibur. She extended it out towards the King and muttered, "I think this is yours."

Arthur looked at her in surprise. Merlin, however, beamed. Archimedes started yelling, "Don't take it! It's a trick! It'll turn you into a toad!"

"For heaven's sake, I'll turn you into a toad Archimedes if you don't quiet down," Merlin snapped, giving his familiar a stern glare. Archimedes bristled but perched himself on a suit of armour, watching her intently.

"Thank you," Arthur said as he took the sword from her. "This is very important to me."

"I really don't need your thanks," Serena said awkwardly. "It shouldn't have been taken in the first place."

Merlin smiled kindly at her. "You brought it back, that's what matters. Go on now, shoo. I believe you have something very important to do."

Serena smiled gratefully at him before bowing to Arthur quickly and hurrying from the castle Arthur looked at Merlin in amazement. "You were right! My sword was returned to me. Although it took more than a few days."

Merlin waved his hand in the air. "Tiny details, my lad. Come along, we have a war to prepare for."

Arthur gulped nervously but obeyed. Both ignored Archimedes shocked sputtering. "You let her go? You let her go?"

"Now, Archimedes, whenever have I steered you wrong?" Merlin asked. Archimedes gave him a look and Merlin shooed him away. "Hmm...Perhaps that wasn't such a good question to ask."

...

Tracy was lounging on the cracked balcony when the green mist swirled into the sky. Gulping nervously, she knew exactly what it was.

"Come on Blondie. It's time," Shawn whispered tensely from behind her. Tracy jumped slightly before hurrying after him. The villains were gathering around Hades, who said Maleficent was done wasting time.

"We storm the castle," Hades said stiffly. "The others will meet us there. Take out as many as you can."

Shawn watched with steely yellow eyes. This was it. This was his golden opportunity.

And he was not going to waste it.

...

Serena stared at the green sky and took a deep breath. It was time. Eyes set she transported herself to King Mickey's castle.

It was time to kick some butt.

...

King Mickey narrowed his dark eyes at the ominous sky. Minnie stood beside him, trembling slightly. "Oh, Mickey!"

"It's time," he said grimly. He knew every available military personnel were on their way. All they could do now was wait for the inevitable.

"You and Daisy stay in the castle where it's safe," Mickey ordered. "I'm not taking the Hat out there. I can't risk it."

Minnie hugged him tightly. "Please me careful."

"I will," Mickey promised. Minnie hurried off to find Daisy and Mickey stared out at the darkening lands.

He would defend his Kingdom with everything he had.