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

A Fitting End

When the two girls were escorted back into the half-demolished castle Mickey crossed his arms and surveyed the crowd. "Well folks, I think I can say that the worst is over." A cheer rose up from the crowd. "I'll send out the notice for those who will be on jury duty for those two girls and the Masked Stranger. Genie, do you think you can repair my castle?"

The blue genie peered thoughtfully up at the crumbling wreck that was Mickey's castle. "I can fix the worst of it, but the magical energy won't let me fix all of it. Lucky for you, I have a part time job as a contractor and can help get this place spick and span in no time."

Mickey smiled. "Hot dog! Fix up the worst of this mess and we'll take care of the small things. If any of you want to help, I'd sure appreciate it. For now I think you should all go home and rest up. You villains, however, will stay behind."

The heroes and heroines of the Kingdom started to troop out the golden gates, chatting easily with one another and feeling the tension being lifted from the air. Genie snapped his fingers and the worst of the damage done to the castle were repaired. The nightmare was over with hardly any casualties; after all, even in a war the purity still won over and not a single good guy was killed in battle. Even the villains caught a break and survived with only injuries.

Mickey easily used his magic to tug back a few villains who tried to slip away. The power that pumped through him felt magnificent. "Hades..."

The Lord of the Dead reluctantly stepped forward and grinned smoothly. "Mick, babe, what's up?"

Mickey tapped his finger against his arm and gestured towards the villains around him. "I believe some of these 'fine' people are back from the dead. Any clue how that happened?"

He was not worried about being ambushed; with his Hat back in his possession he had the utmost confidence that he would be able to take them on. Hades realized this and figured there was no point in making a getaway when the King would just hunt him down. "So I might have bent the rules a little bit. We all do it."

"This," the King cried as he waved his arms around him, "is not bending the rules! It's snapping them into little pieces!"

Hades sighed. "Well, if you want to be dramatic...what do you want me to do? Recall their souls?"

A few gasps of horror followed this enquiry. Mickey pursed his lips in thought and regarded them all critically. "This is really only the first time you've all crossed the line so severely. You knew your place well, and although you caused trouble-it's only to be expected-you knew your limits. I will give you only one warning. The villains who have perished before may get a second chance, but if any of you cause such a stunt like this they will go back to the depths of the Underworld and the rest of you will be banished to the Dark Lands. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal!" the crowd hollered.

Mickey nodded curtly. "Go back to your lands. I expect you all to lie low for a while."

The villains then left, leaving behind only Hades, who knew there was still one more matter to take care of. "Maleficent?" Mickey asked.

Hades shrugged. "Sorry, babe. After the trio of terror hit the castle she just vanished. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"And if she tries to recruit you for another harebrained scheme?" Mickey pressed.

"You'll be the first to know," Hades muttered. Mickey nodded in satisfaction and the immortal being hesitated for a moment. "You know...I didn't bring her back to life. She managed to do it on her own."

"I figured as much. I'll deal with that another time."

Hades cast a glance at the Bandersnatch that lay dead on the ground. "You want me to take care of that for you?"

"Sure. But get a vial of saliva for me first, will ya?"

...

The morning rays peeked through the gauzy curtains. Tracy moaned and turned over in her warm comforters, burying her face into her plump pillows and trying to catch some more winks. She had gotten the shock of her life when the guards brought her not to a dungeon, but instead to one of the guest rooms. With plush carpet, hot showers and fluffy beds, Tracy was in heaven. Of course, there was a guard posted at her door twenty-four seven, but the blonde figured she couldn't blame them.

"Careful, Gus-Gus!"

The small, high-pitched voice caused Tracy to roll over and squint at the wooden dresser through a curtain of tousled blonde hair. She could make out two mice scurrying about and she shoved her hair out of her face. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

Jaq gave a yelp of shock. Gus, who had been peering over the edge of the dresser at her, pitched forwards in surprise. Tracy managed to scramble out of bed in her dazed state of mind and leap across the room, landing on the floor with a heavy thud and catching the mouse before he struck the carpet.

"You saved me!" Gus said in awe. Tracy blinked furiously at him, trying to process what just happened.

"Yeah...are you okay?"

Gus nodded, still staring. Slightly uncomfortable, the blonde looked up at the other mouse. "Do you need help getting down?"

Jaq frowned at her suspiciously for a moment before nodding slowly. Tracy reached up and gently picked the mouse of the dresser and set him down on the floor. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted ta see you," Gus answered simply. "You're not a monster like everyone says you are, though."

"Gus-Gus!" Jaq cried, slapping his face with the palm of his hand. "That's mean!"

"That's the truth," Tracy corrected, climbing to her bare feet and stumbling back to bed. "I did act pretty beastly when I got here, and I understand if no one believes that I was actually helping out Serena the whole time."

Jaq rocked back on his heels and stared way up at her. "I believe you."

"You didn't a few minutes ago!" Gus said in confusion. Jaq glared at his companion and Tracy giggled.

"Well, I appreciate it." Noticing the breakfast tray on the wooden nightstand beside her bed she gestured towards the pieces of cheese, warm eggs and buttered toast. "You guys want some of my breakfast?"

"Yay!" Gus cheered and hurriedly climbed up the scratched leg of the table and jumped into the cheese gleefully.

"Aren't ya hungry?" Jaq asked curiously. Tracy yawned and shook her head.

"Nope. I'm too nervous to be hungry." Tracy's stomach contradicted her by growling insistently. Jaq frowned and joined Gus on the breakfast tray and pointed to a piece of toast.

"It'll make ya feel better," Jaq persuaded.

Deciding that the growling was becoming a nuisance, Tracy slopped some egg onto a piece of toast and shoved it in her mouth. "Happy?" she asked thickly before swallowing.

A sudden whispered shouting match erupted outside of Tracy's door and the two mice jumped up in surprise. Tracy slid out of bed and padded across the plush white carpet and ran a hand through her tangled blonde hair. She wrenched the door open to see Serena arguing with the guard posted outside her door. "What's up?"

"Oh good, you're awake." Serena cast a glare at the guard holding her good arm. "Come on, I'll only be a few minutes!"

"The King specifically said for the two of you to stay away from each other until the trial. If you have something you want to tell her, do it right now."

Serena let out a huff of exasperation. The arm the Bandersnatch had scratched was wrapped up in bandages after being treated by the saliva (gross) and the evaporating skills of the Cheshire Cat. Her hands were also wrapped tight in bandages and she was finally able to move her fingers.

"How come you're already dressed?" Tracy asked. She was still in the purple silk pyjamas that had been provided for her while Serena was dressed in jeans and a green tank top.

"It's ten-thirty in the morning," Serena informed her friend. "I have something important to tell you and since this guy won't leave me alone with you then I'll guess we'll have to talk here. Genie came and informed me that it was a unanimous decision by everyone that Shawn be banished to the Dark Lands."

Tracy tightened her grip on the doorknob. "Will...he be able to come back?"

"I don't think so. Genie said that once you get banished to the Dark Lands you can't come back." Serena shrugged. "I'd hate to see what that place is like."

Gulping, Tracy managed a nod. Serena caught her sudden panic and quickly said, "You totally won't be sent there!"

"How do you know?" Tracy asked.

"I just have a feeling. I think we'll be fine."

"You'll be fine," the blonde corrected. "Everyone seems to like you and hate me."

"We like you!" Gus and Jaq hollered from inside the room. Serena peered over Tracy's shoulder and spotted the two mice.

"Aw, how cute!" Serena gushed. Tracy rolled her blue eyes and was about to say something when Queen Minnie and Mistress Daisy rounded the corner. The guard immediately stooped into a bow and the two girls hastily copied him.

"Good morning," Minnie greeted.

"Sneaking a visit?" Daisy questioned with a knowing look on her face.

"Trying to," Serena said with a shrug.

"Well, if you want to spend time with each other so badly then perhaps you can do so while you help with the minor repairs around her," Minnie suggested. "I'm sure Mickey won't mind."

Tracy hurriedly got dressed in black leggings, a purple skirt and white sweater and rushed out of the room with the two mice in her hands. Minnie smiled at them. "Hello Gus, Jaq. It's very nice to see you again."

"Cinderelly let us come along," Gus said cheerfully.

"That reminds me. Some jury members that are staying here until the trial seem to be missing some important items." She shot a pointed look at Serena and Tracy, who flushed and quickly promised that all items would be returned.

Serena rushed to her room and Tracy stood awkwardly beside the guard that was posted by her door. The raven-haired girl emerged seconds later lugging two backpacks. Jaq and Gus perched on Tracy's shoulders while the two rummaged through them.

"I already gave back the music shell and necklace...and the Excalibur." Serena stared at the remaining items scattered on the marble floor. "So we still need to give back Lilo's necklace, Mushu's gong, Rafiki's staff, Rapunzel's tiara, Adam's mirror, the Resizing items...are we missing anything?"

"Hercules' medallion." Tracy held up the glistening golden piece of jewellery. "Um...there's also Peter's dagger. You gave back the bow and arrows, and the watch and freeze ray are busted."

Serena whistled. "Geez, we acquired a lot more stuff than I thought we would."

"So who's here, anyway?"

Jaq ticked the names off of his fingers. "Cinderelly, Snow White, Aurora, Hercules, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Iago, Phil, Mushu, Merlin...who else, Gus-Gus?"

"Duh, Yen-Sid, Rafiki and Sebastian," Gus finished.

Tracy and Serena both yelped in panic. "Okay! You take the staff back to Rafiki!" Serena shoved the wooden staff to Tracy. "He might sic Simba on me."

"Then you can take this back to Hercules." Tracy tossed the medallion at Serena. "While you're at it, take the gong back to Mushu. Er...and the dagger back to Peter."

"Are you going to return anything?" Serena asked in annoyance.

"I told you I'd bring the staff to Rafiki."

Serena handed Tracy Peter Pan's dagger. "You can return this. I'll return the rest. And...We'll airmail the other items."

"I like this plan." Relieved that she wouldn't be bopped one by Phil or Mushu, Tracy picked up the two items and Serena collected hers before kicking the bags into her room. The two split up and Tracy was almost to the end of the corridor when she heard a worried voice call out, "Gus? Jaq?"

"Cinderelly!" both mice shouted happily.

A fair-haired beauty rounded the corner and she stopped upon seeing her two friends riding on Tracy's shoulders. Jaq and Gus hopped down and skittered across the floor towards her, where she picked them up and put them in her skirt pocket.

Cinderella eyed the girl curiously before her. The blonde was nervously shuffling her feet and grinning weakly. "Hi."

"Thank you for looking after my friends. They like to explore. Tracy, right?"

"Yeah...it's nice to meet you." Tracy glanced down at the items in her hands. "Uh...would you happen to know where Peter Pan and Rafiki are currently residing?"

"Peter is the first door to the right up the stairs and Rafiki is three doors down from there," Cinderella directed. Tracy thanked her and jogged up the sparkling tiled steps.

"Are you gonna banish her to the Dark Lands?" Gus asked worriedly. "Cause she's really nice."

Cinderella sighed. "No, I think she's learned her lesson and is really trying to clean up her act. But it's not just up to me, you know."

Tracy approached the first door and knocked on it. A minute later it swung open to reveal an old blue baboon. Grinning sheepishly, she held out his staff. "Er...I think an apology is in order, so I am very sorry to being such a jerk."

Rafiki yanked the staff from her hands and twirled it around, making a huffing noise. Then he reared back and knocked her on the head with the end of his precious staff. Tracy flinched and rubbed the sore spot. "Ouch..."

"Ya deserve more dan one bonk, but consider dis you're lucky day," Rafiki said sternly. "Don' be stupid anymore, ya hear?"

"I hear," Tracy said quickly. "I'll smarten up."

"Good." And he bonked her on the head again.

"You said only once!" Tracy accused, backing up a few steps.

"Dat one was for your friend." Rafiki grinned. "Make sure she gets de message."

...

Serena knocked on one of the doors she had been directed to and sighed with relief when Hercules opened it. The man looked at her in surprise. "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Alright, considering what almost happened to me." Serena held out his medallion. "We're really sorry for being such jerks."

Hercules took his medallion and grinned. "I thought it was Tracy who took it. That's what Phil said before he was knocked out by her."

"And that's exactly why she doesn't want to return it." Serena laughed.

"Who's at the door, Herc? Is it the blonde brat who knocked me one?" Phil stuck his head around Hercules and spotted Serena. "Where's your pal?"

"Running scared," Serena giggled. "She does apologize, though. She's just too nervous to say so to you in person."

Phil snorted, but looked pleased that he actually intimidated the girl who took on an insane boy with obsession with power. "I'll catch up to her eventually. Right now, I'm starving. How do you order room service in this joint?"

"It's not a hotel, Phil," Hercules sighed. "You actually have to go down to the kitchen and get something."

"I'm not climbing down five sets of stairs to get an apple. Hey, kid, you wanna go get me an apple?"

"Phil!"

Serena laughed. "Sure, I'll bring it up in a few minutes. I'll see you later."

She headed to the next door and rapped on it. The raven-haired girl was surprised to see Mulan on the other side instead of Mushu. "Hi. Is, uh, Mushu here?"

"He's somewhere...probably destroying something I'll have to pay for." Mulan rolled her dark eyes and motioned the girl inside. Serena waited by the luxurious silk-covered bed and the little red dragon hurried into the room when Mulan called for him.

"You!" he cried out when he spotted her.

"Me," she agreed. "And I'm sorry for being a pain in the butt." She held out his gong, which the dragon snatched out of her hands.

"Man, I was missing this! Although the break from the other guardians was real nice...maybe I'll prolong it for a while. Hey, where's your blonde friend? I wanna smack her one."

"Mushu!" Mulan rebuked. "That's no way for a guardian to act."

"I ain't a normal guardian, am I?"

"No...I've never seen a lizard as a guardian before you," Mulan teased and laughed when Mushu glared at her.

"Okay, how times do we have to have this 'I ain't no lizard' conversation, girl?"

As the dragon went off on a rant Serena waved goodbye and hurried out before she was dragged into it.

...

Peter was about to slam the door in Tracy's face when the girl held out his dagger. "I really am sorry for taking it. It was a mean, nasty and cruel thing to do and I totally don't blame you if you send Tinkerbell after me."

A slight smile curled across his face and he took his dagger back. "Well...thanks for giving it back. Did you know that you have a really hard kick?"

Tracy flushed. "Yeah...sorry about that too. I'm trying to be less violent in my actions."

"How's it going?"

"I haven't punched anyone today," Tracy said optimistically. "Well...at least not yet. I gotta get going. I guess I'll see you later."

She hurried down the corridor and accidently slammed into Serena. "How'd it go?"

Serena picked herself up from the ground. "Pretty well. Both Phil and Mushu want to smack you one, so be prepared."

Tracy winced. "Great. Oh, Rafiki has a message for you." She reached up and cuffed Serena across the head. "There. That was it."

"Well, that's just dandy." Serena rubbed the back of her head. "I guess we'll mail the rest of the stuff back to their rightful owners. Come on, we have repairs to help out with."

"Fantastic. You know how great I am with a hammer."

"...okay, you can stay away from me if you have any tools in your possession or else I'm asking for a reassignment."

"Smart move."

...

The trial arrived faster than Tracy wanted it to. Both girls were standing outside the castle courtroom, hands twisting nervously in front of them. "We'll be fine," Serena whispered. "And if the worst happens, we still have each other."

The guard motioned for them to go inside and they pushed open the heavy oak doors. The room was wide and domed, with a long purple carpet leading to the four glossy wooden jury stands and the High Chair which King Mickey sat upon, his golden crown glistening in the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows.

Serena and Tracy walked to the front of the room and stood still. Mickey stared at them for a moment before speaking. "From the time you arrived you've been causing trouble across my Kingdom. You trespassed into people's homes, stolen their most treasured items, assaulted others and disrupted the peace. However, when it was truly important, you showed your loyalty to me and my people. When everyone thought Tracy worked for the villains, you were really planning to steal the Hat to keep it safe from them. Both of these actions-the good and the bad-must be taken into account. Shawn has been banished to the Dark Lands. Now your fate will be decided."

Tracy swallowed hard. Snow White cleared her throat daintily before she spoke, her soft voice ringing throughout the silent room. "You both have done some awful things...but you tried to correct you mistakes when you realized which side you belonged to."

Aurora peered at them both thoughtfully. "Whenever I think about what could have happened if Maleficent really did get the Hat, it makes me shudder from the sheer horror of it. So I do thank the both of you for attempting to stop the evil. However, you should be punished for your misdeeds."

Cinderella nodded. "I agree, but nothing too severe. They seem to regret their actions and are attempting to clean up their act."

"It'll take a lot of cleaning up," Phil muttered. Mushu poked him in the side and the satyr coughed hastily. "I still think you're a bunch of brats, but you saved our butts. I think a good training session will eliminate the rest of those con instincts you got."

"Dey should be ashamed of demselves for all de awful stunts they pulled..." Sebastian said firmly. "But dey can prove dere truly sorry after a few punishments."

"I agree with the crustacean." Mushu crossed his arms. "And I think I should be able to knock the blonde a good one."

Tracy paled. Iago snorted. "You have fun with that. Aw...I guess the snot-nosed punks learned their lesson by almost getting killed. But I don't think they should be let off so easily, either."

"You never want anyone to get off easy, Iago." Aladdin rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately I happen to agree with my feathered comrade. I appreciate your apologies and attempt to make things right, but it seems only fair that they do the time since they did the crime."

Hercules and Peter Pan chimed in with their agreements. Yen-Sid eyed both girls critically before speaking. "They've learned their lesson. I see no reason to send them to the Dark Lands or throw them in the dungeon."

"They see the error of their ways and are going to turn themselves around," Merlin said cheerfully. "That's how it should be."

Rafiki glanced at Serena, who smiled sheepishly. "Habits are hard to break, but I think dey will pull through."

Mickey listened intently to all of these opinions and nodded. "I agree that they do not deserve a severe punishment after trying so hard to fix what they broke. I propose that they make up for their mistakes by returning the rest of the stolen items and completing a punishment issued by each land in the Kingdom."

Serena frantically calculated and grimaced when she realized that there were over fifty punishments for them to complete. Oh well...it was what they deserved, and they were lucky it wasn't anything worse.

"Do you have anything you would like to say before we take a vote?" Mickey questioned.

Tracy took a deep breath. "I...know I've been the worst out of the two of us. And I really am sorry for the pain I caused everyone. I was an idiot, and no one deserved the treatment I gave them."

"We were using the only skills we ever learned to survive. And it wasn't until we got here that we realized that we've been wronging so many people, and whether they deserved it or not it was an awful thing for us to do," Serena added.

Mickey nodded and signalled for the Princess Jury to give their vote on whether the punishment he proposed was suitable or see if they had a different one.

"I think that's an appropriate punishment," Cinderella agreed. Soon the other members of the four juries echoed her sentiments and it was with great relief to Tracy that they were not being banished to the Dark Lands.

"Thank you," she breathed.

"Yeah. I don't think I can fight for my life any longer," Serena said gratefully.

"Now there is the issue about where you will live after your punishments are completed."

Serena and Tracy glanced at each other nervously. Would they be sent home?

"We don't have a way to send you to your own world," Mickey said thoughtfully. "The lands in my Kingdom have more or less forgiven you, and I believe that you really are good girls. So, how would you like to live here, at the castle, permanently?"

"Are you serious?" Tracy asked shakily, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes. Although I will expect you to follow the laws of the Kingdom and the laws of any lands you visit. The important ones are no trespassing and respecting others possessions."

"We will!" both girls said eagerly.

Mickey gave them a grin. "Good. Now I suggest you spend the next couple of days relaxing. You have a long while ahead of you with all the work you'll have to do for the other lands."

The two girls burst from the courtroom, excited squeals leaving their throats only when they were far enough away. They cartwheeled and danced and whooped and hollered.

Tracy was especially happy. For the first time in her life, in a place not even in her wildest dreams, she found a home with her very best friend.

It was paradise.

Be sure to check out the sequel, Pros of Being Disney Guardians.

Until next time,

AnimationNut out.

Peace!