I do not own anything Disney. The OCs Tracy and Serena are mine.

Knight of Renaissance Light: Ecthros, Lord Odotherex and Ted
MysteryGirl: Malovent, Kyra, Adrian, Shawn
Pres1111: Leah
Nightmaster000: Sara

Power Within

Serena followed the shadows into the rural countryside, pausing at the outskirts of a dry, brittle field. Her eyes widened as the triplets were brought inside and soon afterwards Melody and Mowgli were forced into the abandoned confines. Whatever this was, it was much more than she initially thought.

Oh no, no, no.

She crouched behind the drooping corn stalks, biting down on her bottom lip. She could see figureless shadows drifting on the faded red paint of the barn's exterior walls, standing guard. Her magic would easily take care of the shadows, but she knew any attempted rescue would end with Ecthros threatening the children, or worse.

I have to get in there without being spotted. But how? If a shadow spots me, Ecthros will know instantly I'm here.

She focussed on finding a way to stay undetected, raising a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. She froze before she could complete the action because where her hand should have been was now empty space. Mouth falling open in disbelief, she slowly looked down, realizing that her magic had turned her invisible.

"Oh, how I wish I could have done that earlier," she lamented.

She stood up cautiously, afraid to break the spell. She remained invisible as she moved, flying up above the corn stalks. Determination steeling her features, Serena flew towards the barn, where she bypassed the shadows and silently landed on the sill of the window leading to the barn's loft.

Glancing down through the broken, rotted planks, Serena could see the kids below. They were all tied up, shadowy strands pinning their limbs to their bodies and wrapping over their mouths. The triplets were in one corner of the barn, next to Max and Pinocchio. Alice, Lilo, Chip, Melody and Mowgli were directly beneath Serena. Eilonwy, Taran, Arthur, Jenny and Penny were in the middle of the barn.

Ecthros wasn't anywhere in sight. Serena was both relieved and uneased by this. This way she wouldn't have to confront Ecthros immediately and have the chance to get the kids out of the barn. But it also meant that the second she disturbed the shadows Ecthros would come to her, and there was a possibility Odotherex would come with him.

Serena stood in place, waiting to see if shadows would arrive with any more children. Several minutes passed by with nothing happening and Serena decided to make her move. She aimed one hand out of the loft window and the other aimed towards the lower level of the barn. There was a silver burst of light as the magic exploded and the backlash struck the shadows, sending them hissing out of existence.

"I'm getting real tired of being tied up and held against my will!" exploded Huey once the bindings disappeared from his beak.

"Whatever are we here for?" asked Alice nervously, linking hands with Lilo.

"I dunno, but I'm going to kick some major butt!" declared the Hawaiian girl.

"I want to go home," whispered Penny tearfully.

"We will!" encouraged Taran. "I'll bring you home somehow. We'll get out of here."

"Those shadow bindings had to go somewhere," said Max. "And they can only go away with magic. That means—"

"Hey guys!"

"Serena?" Mowgli spun around, unable to see the girl. "Where are you?"

"Currently invisible. Sorry, don't really know how to turn it off. Hold on."

Serena imagined herself to be visible to her friends and Dewey grinned broadly when she appeared in front of them. "Now that's a trick I'd like to have."

"You saved us!" exclaimed Jenny happily, hugging the raven-haired girl.

"I wouldn't go that far," said Serena. "The guy who brought you here knows something is up. He's probably on his way right now. We have to get you guys out of here."

"And go where?" asked Mowgli. "We're just as much in danger out there than we are here."

"Are we going to be okay?" asked Arthur, his face heavy with exhaustion and fear.

"Yes."

The answer left her lips immediately, without her needing to think about it. As tired and scared as she was, she knew that no matter what she and Tracy would save the Kingdom. She grasped Arthur's shaking hand and smiled.

"We will win. But you have to believe it. Okay?"

Arthur took a shaking breath, glanced around at his friends and thought of his subjects back home, knowing they needed him to be strong. He said firmly, "Okay."

Penny rubbed the tears from her cheeks. "What do we do now?"

Serena did not get a chance to respond, for the dimly-lit lightbulb suddenly went out. The darkness began to twist and surge and Serena quickly formed three orbs of light, ordering, "Get behind me."

Alice, Penny and Mowgli took hold of the shining spheres, casting a bright silver glow that caused the shadows to hiss and dissipate. Ecthros stepped from the corner of the barn, the light causing him to flinch.

"I thought you might be the one disrupting my shadows," he said quietly.

"This is real despicable, abducting children."

"It is regrettable to take an innocent life, but I have no choice. Surrender now and I'll make this quick and easy."

"I don't think so," growled Serena.

"No, I didn't think you would."

Serena launched forwards, sending a blast of magic towards Ecthros. He dodged and grabbed her by the arm, flipping her out of the ring of light her orbs gave off. The shadows wrapped around Serena's limbs and dragged her out of the barn.

"Serena!" cried Louie.

"We can't just stand here," said Lilo. "We have to do something!"

Gripping Excalibur between his hands, Arthur's eyes hardened with determination. He lunged for the shadows that tried to infiltrate their circle, slicing through their forms and causing them to disappear. Taran raised his own sword, Dyrnwyn, and joined Arthur in his fight, the boys forcing their way through the shadows that blocked their path.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Grinning, Lilo removed two flashlights from the bag hanging around her shoulder. She put a small portion of magic in the battery slots, causing the light to flare through the plastic lens. Keeping a flashlight for herself, she handed the other to Jenny. "Let's move!"

Though her hands trembled, Jenny followed after Lilo, swinging her flashlight to sear into the shadows swarming towards her. Alice handed her magic orb to Dewey, who tried to protest. "No, you keep it—"

"I'll stay close to Penny," Alice said. "I'll be fine. But you should have something to protect yourself."

Dewey took the orb into his wings. "Thanks."

"Of course. We're in this together." Alice extended a hand to Penny. "Shall we?"

The redhead gave a shuddering breath before nodding. Linking hands, the two girls ran forwards, their silver light casting a protective glow around them. Mowgli glanced at Max and asked, "Ready?"

"Nope. But let's go anyway."

Huey looked over at his remaining friends, brow furrowed. "What about-?"

"Don't worry." Chip reached into the front of his shirt and removed the Magic Mirror. "I've got my own magic. Belle said I could keep it so I know she's safe."

"Come, Bauble, we can't let Taran have all the fun," called Eilonwy, and a golden sphere flew out of her pocket, shining brightly.

Unclipping the multicoloured beaded necklace, Melody held it out. "It's enchanted to let me turn into a mermaid whenever I enter water. If these shadows can't handle magic, then this should work."

"I was brought to life as a puppet with magic and I was turned into a real boy with magic." Pinocchio boldly stepped forwards and grabbed hold of the shadow that came near him. The dark being writhed in pain, smoke pouring off of the spot where Pinocchio had hold. The boy let go, beaming when the shadow did not move. "As long as I remember I was created with magic and believe we'll be okay, they can't touch me! I was scared before. But not anymore."

"All right gang," declared Louie. "Let's go show these jerks we're not letting them take our Kingdom!"

Outside of the barn, Serena burned the shadows attached to her ankles and stumbled to her feet. She thrust out her hands, eliminating the shadows that tried to surge towards her. She zapped some magic towards Ecthros, but he disappeared and a shadow took his place. Serena whirled around, trying to see where he went, but her line of vision was blocked as several shadows rose up in front of her.

"I'm getting real tired of this!" she cried, creating another blast of magic to get rid of them.

"The option to surrender is still open," said Ecthros, reappearing a distance away from Serena. "You can fight until you wear yourself to death. Or I can eliminate you swiftly right now, with no pain or agony."

"Still an option that sucks, still not taking it," snapped Serena.

She tried to take a shot at Ecthros, but he would not stay in one place long enough for an attack to land. He merged seamlessly with the darkness and the shadows it produced. She was preoccupied with the mass of black figures that surrounded her, making it difficult to pinpoint wherever Ecthros would materialize after he vanished.

Any shadows she eliminated were replaced with twice as many. Serena tried to summon the power she had when she first encountered Ecthros, after he had killed Shawn. But though the remorse was still there, simmering underneath layers of other emotions, of which anger was not present. Serena closed her eyes and slammed her hand to the ground. The magic crackled through the dirt and exploded upwards, but only enough to eliminate the shadows in her immediate vicinity.

Come on, come on, he's kicking your butt and kidnapped the kids! Get angry! Be like Tracy!

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She wasn't like Tracy, she couldn't get mad at the drop of a pin.

Suddenly the mass of shadows swarmed forwards, her magic only cutting down the front layer. She threw up her hands as they crashed down on her, suffocating her in the darkness. She couldn't breath, couldn't move, panic consumed her chest—

"Leave her alone!"

Serena could feel the grip on her body loosening, feel the weight being removed from her chest. The blackness disappeared from her vision and the red-tinged sky was visible. Serena hastily sat up, looking around wildly.

Taran and Arthur were hacking away at the shadows with their swords. Melody's enchanted necklace emitted a golden glow and the shadows were cut when the girl struck them with it like a whip. Lilo and Jenny aimed their magic-powered flashlights at the sea of blackness, causing them to shrivel and smoke. Huey, Dewey, Louie, Max, Mowgli, Alice and Penny charged into the thick of battle with Serena's magic orbs, the silver light washing the darkness away. Pinocchio bravely charged right at the shadows, his body causing them to burn by touch as the magic used to create him surged into the core of his being. Eilonwy used her magic bauble to carve a path through the shadows. Chip brandished the Magic Mirror like a weapon, slamming the back of it into the shadows that jumped towards him.

They were children. Children who were scared, but were fighting. For her, for their homes, for their Kingdom.

Believe.

That was what Serena had told them. They just needed to believe in themselves, in the Kingdom, in the magic, and everything would be okay. But she hadn't taken her own advice. She had to believe in herself. They were counting on her.

Eyes narrowing into slits, Serena floated up into the air. Ecthros was not within her sight and the shadows were multiplying rapidly. Melody let out a cry of panic as two shadows grabbed onto her legs and started to consume her.

Aiming her palms downwards, she felt her magic pulse within her and she channeled it. There was a brilliant flash of white light and magic charged over the field, causing every shadow to evaporate. When Ecthros did not show himself, Serena said, "Fine. I'll smoke you out."

She slammed her foot into the ground and this time magic cracked throughout the hard ground, swirling like glittery snakes into crevices. Her magic forced Ecthros out of his hiding spot and he created a mass of shadows churning towards her. Serena threw out her arms, a pulse of magic eliminating the darkness and striking Ecthros.

He let out a hiss of pain and went to disappear. But wave after wave of magic hit him, not giving him a second to act. Her magic grew more powerful with each attack and Ecthros felt a flare of panic. This was much more intense than her flare of magic in the Dark Lands. That had been accidental, impulsive. This was controlled.

Ecthros threw up a wall of shadows to block the next attack but silver ropes shot up from the ground and wrapped tightly around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. It stung his skin and singed his cloak. Serena appeared before him, emerald eyes hard. "I have no choice but to kick your butt. And it's not regrettable."

A vicious charge zapped through Ecthros' being and the last thought he had before he fell unconscious was how Odotherex's wrath would be nothing compared to this.

Leaving Ecthros' limp body, Serena let out a sigh of relief and turned to face the kids, who rushed towards her. "That was awesome!" cheered Lilo.

"You were great!" exclaimed Penny.

"What do we do now?" asked Max.

"Now I take you guys home," replied Serena.

"What about him?" asked Huey, gesturing towards Ecthros.

"I think Odotherex should see his minion defeated," returned Serena. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

…

Using his swords, Adrian blocked the lasers from Sara's gun. Kyra was handling Leah, who was much faster and harder to keep restrained than she initially thought. Ignoring the fighting happening behind her, Tracy focussed on the glass canister in front of her. She slammed the diamond onto the crack repeated, tiny chips spraying into the grass with each strike.

A wide grin split Tracy's face when she finally broke through. The essences started to curl towards the opening and she pressed the opening of the Purifier over the crack. She flipped the switch into reverse mode and the machine sucked the essences into it's small container.

"No, no, no!" cried Sara, red eyes widening when her invention sputtered to a stop, it's power source removed.

"This isn't good," said Leah, and she yelped when Kyra landed a punch to her stomach, rendering her winded.

Sara stared to storm towards Tracy but Adrian moved to block her. "Get out of my way!" she screamed.

She dove under the swords that cut towards her and rolled. As she passed by Adrian, she jammed the nozzle of her gun into his side and fired.

There was a flash of red light and Adrian stilled. He swayed in place, face paling and blood pooling from the gash, and fell to the ground.

Kyra froze, horrified eyes locking onto her boyfriend. "Adrian!"

Sara leapt to her feet and started for Tracy, firing her laser gun. Tracy threw up a shield to block the attacks, a scowl on her features. "Now you've officially made me mad." She was about to send a magic blast Sara's way when an odd, growling noise drew her attention elsewhere. "Looks like you've officially made her mad too."

Kyra's eyes glowed red, her lips twisted into a snarl. "None of those wretched berries in the Kingdom," the demon whispered. "Now it's time to play."

She swung on her heel, reaching for Leah. Her nails had grown into black talons, sharp as a dagger. Leah froze, fear seizing her legs in place. Tracy sent her silver shield towards the pair, where it rested in front of Leah and blocked the attack.

"What the heck is going on?" cried Sara.

"Some Dark Creature named Kendra lives inside her. I think she's a demon, I don't know. Serena didn't fill me in on all the details. But she's here and it's all your fault, so thanks a lot."

Kyra charged towards Adrian and Tracy intercepted her, throwing up another shield. She wasn't sure how much of an impact her magic would have and she didn't want to kill Kyra by accident. "You need to relax," she snapped, flinging out her arms. The shield surged forwards, sending Kyra soaring across the grass. Tracy knelt down and placed one of her hands over Adrian's wound. "Magic is supposed to have healing proprieties," she muttered, mentally crossing her fingers.

A warmth spread from her palm and there was a faded white aura. Tracy removed her hand and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that she had managed to stop the bleeding. She turned to see where Kyra had ended up. For a second, she didn't see her. Then Kyra suddenly appeared before her and struck her hard across the face, sending Tracy flying to the side. She managed to form a shield around Adrian before Kyra could sink her nails into him.

"Not cool," she rasped, spitting blood. She fired a small magic orb at Kyra, striking her in the arm. She hissed and recoiled, clutching the burn that formed.

"You will not get rid of me that easy," she snarled.

Tracy created a barrier, a wall of magic to keep Kyra contained. "Whatever."

She looked around wildly, aware that the Purifier had flown from her grip during the confrontation. She spotted it a distance away and hurried towards it.

A screech caused her to turn her head. Her eyes widened at the sight of the Fanged Hawk swooping just above her. She dove to the ground to avoid getting clawed and her eyes tripled in size when the Dark Creature grabbed hold of the Purifier and took off into the air.

"You have got to be kidding me."

A guttural cry rang out as Kyra slammed her body through the barrier. Burns coated her flesh and smoke wafted from her clothes, but she did not show any other signs of being affected as she charged forwards. Tracy raised her hands again, but the magic blast that struck the ground, sending Kyra reeling backwards, was not hers.

"Go!" hollered Serena, floating down from the sky and landing beside her.

"What are you doing—?"

"No time to explain. Just go after that Fanged Hawk and get those essences back!"

Not needing to be told twice, Tracy flew into the air and went in the direction the Dark Creature had gone. Serena kept her eyes on Kyra, who snarled at her.

"Come on Kyra, we don't have to do this the hard way." She then teleported herself out of the way as Kyra launched herself at her, talons aimed for her throat. "Yeah. Didn't think it'd be that easy."

…

Malovent lay amongst the shattered trunks and smoldering leaves. His cloak was torn to pieces and blood matted his face and hands. The forest that had been the scene of their battle was completely destroyed, nothing but splinters and smoke.

Odotherex hovered above him. "You are a fool to have ever thought you could defeat me."

Malovent panted heavily, each breath causing a pain to tear through his chest. "This Kingdom should be mine! It is my plan that allowed us to cross over!"

"I know. That is why I waited for your minions to complete the machine. Why exert myself when others will do it for me?"

Odotherex raised his hand to deliver the final blow to Malovent. But then something seared through his being, causing him to hiss and hunch over. By the time the sensation ended and he straightened, Malovent was gone, having used the remains of his energy to vanish to safety.

Eyes narrowing into slits, Odotherex transported himself towards Ecthros' location. When he appeared in the fields, to see Ecthros restrained with magic and unconscious. "Useless!" roared Odotherex, fury coursing through his veins at his minion's utter defeat.

Ecthros had been unable to kill Serena not once but twice. These girls were far more troublesome than he expected them to be. Enough was enough. He had bided enough time, played enough games. The Kingdom would fall before him, to their very knees.

He raised his arms in the air and the world began to shake.