Monsters and Magic

By: DJ Rodriguez

(Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Glad to be getting a bit more reviews in frequency. Just seeing them gives me the power and passion to continue with this novel even more! I just hope, very much hope, that when it is done… I give it to Toho and Disney companies, and they give it the green light. My novel becoming the very first full-length classic animated film that is a crossover between two epic universes! That is what I'm hoping, and dreaming for here! I do say this; I haven't seen the sequels yet of the classics like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. And even with the knowledge of it from people who have told me, I'm still sticking to my story here on how it is.

In this chapter, the Beast is back and this time he's going to go wild with Godzilla and Anguirus! Also, the princess and princes decide to help out too! At the end of the chapter, I will show in detail the special abilities of Shadowsneak, Springy, and Tightfist. On another note, please see the first chapter to find out more about the magical items in Maleficent's possession.

I appreciate any and all of the support that you readers and reviewers have given me. Just to let you know, I have had this story planned out and I know what I am doing. Trust me! I do not own Godzilla or any of the Toho monsters, nor do I own any of the Disney characters. I do own my own OC's, and most of the songs here. Any other that I use that comes from another artist, I will give them his or her due and credit here. Also, the moves the monsters use in this chapter are the techniques they can do in the respective video games, Godzilla: Unleashed and Godzilla: Save the Earth.

Now, on with the fanfic!)

Chapter 25

The humans were looking in awe as they saw one of their own transform. The dwarves were stunned and surprised on what they saw, and even the monsters Godzilla and Anguirus were a little intrigued when they saw one of the human princes turn into a strange beast of sort. King Léandre was no longer human, and it seems that his clothing had also transformed along with his appearance. He had light brown fur on his body, with a line of dark brown on the chest area and around his face. His hands were now shaped to look like that from a lion or bear, but still maintaining their human shape and dexterity. His own face looked to be that of a lion, but without the mane and his chin look to sport a small goatee. On his head were large, dark brown horns like that of a bull. His teeth were sharp and pearly white, all canine-like and four large incisor-shaped teeth. Two on the top, and two on the bottom. His feet had changed to that of a wolf, or perhaps a lion. To complete the transformation was a tail that was similar to that of a wolf. His clothing was also gone, replaced with new threads. He had no shirt on, and around his neck was a royal purple cape with the clasp that Mainard gave to him holding the cloth in place. On the clasp was a shadowy silhouette of the creature's head. His pants were now replaced with blue ones, and they looked to allow the newly transformed king the ability to move without being restricted in any way.

Sebastian, who had been hiding in Melody's hair the entire time, peeked out and saw the transformed king. His eyes widened greatly and he exclaimed, "Jumpin jellyfish! Who, or what, is that?!". No one could blame him for being scared, since Léandre did look rather terrifying and intimidating. The former human burst through the stony cell bars of the small room, allowing himself and Belle to leave it, showing to all that he had rather impressive physical strength.

Belle went to Beast and replied, "He is my husband. Everyone, this is what he looked like when I first met him. He is now become the Beast.". The royal humans were still surprised to see Léandre in such a shape of appearance, but his son and Tracy stated that he looked great! The former human was glad to see that Mainard and the Charming daughter found his appearance to be more then acceptable, fearing that they would be fearful of him in this state. He gave the two kids a grateful nod of the head before turning to Belle, the beauty very much glad to see her beast. For the two of them, despite the years that had passed by while they were together with Léandre being human, it was like they were back in the past when they first met. But this time, the circumstances were different and Belle was more than happy to see her old friend again.

Beast looked at them all and stated, "It is good to be back in this form. Because now… I can get even with those filthy creatures that tormented me and my wife!". He snarled out those last words as he leapt to the front lines, right between Godzilla and Anguirus! All of the heroes and heroines looked in amazement as the former king just leapt into action, and going right between two creatures that were larger and stronger then him! Belle was a little worried, hoping that the saurian and his spiked-shelled friend would consider her furry husband an ally. Her significant other was running on adrenaline now, his pent up anger and frustration over the last several days now having a way out and it was through his animalistic form.

Godzilla looked down at the transformed human, sensing now two spirits inside this vessel but rather then fighting one another… they were working as one, which was rare back in his world as two spirits in a single body would often fight to see who had control. His snout nose also told him that though his scent had changed greatly from a human to this strange beast, his original scent was still there. He then looked at into the creature's eyes, the King of the Monsters brown eyes locked on the blue eyes of the Beast! The two beings did not back down, and it seemed that respect and loyalty were in the brown-furred beings eyes. Godzilla felt the fighting spirit coming from Beast, and one thing that the saurian respected was a being's intense spirit and courage that made it want to fight. For what seemed to be an eternity for the group, which in reality was a moment or two, Godzilla nodded and roared at Beast. It seemed that he approved of him, and that got a sigh of relief from the humans.

Beast was glad that the King of the Monsters accepted him, then he turned to face the wide and strong Anguirus. The best friend/ally to Godzilla looked into the eyes of the creature before him, and like his companion, saw the willingness to fight and the loyalty that showed that he would fight WITH them, not against. The mutated Ankylosaurs roared again, approving of Beast just like Godzilla did. The former human was glad for this fortunate turn of developments, and in turn roared as well! Oliver and Hadrian also showed their gratitude, the young pre-teens glad to see that they had another ally on their side. Truth be told, they were stunned when they did see Léandre transform into such a creature, but now they were glad that he retained his humanity, which meant that he could utilize his full power on the side of good!

The demonic horde that was in the entrance/exit way of the dungeon flinched at the roar, and they seemed for the first time nervous about fighting such ferocious monsters. Godzilla and Anguirus quickly turned to decimate the cells that held the other royals; the King of the Monsters destroying the stony bars of Philip and Aurora's cell with his right claw, while the spiked-shelled mutated dinosaur used his powerful feet to deliver a mule kick to the earthen cell bars that held Florian and Snow White, shattering the bars like they were nothing!

The three beings looked at the soldiers, growled loudly before charging in! The demonic horde snapped out of their nervous trances and charged in as well, an epic clash about to begin in this room! Hadrian/Hazael charged in, wielding the scimitar in his right hand and his dagger in the other hand. Oliver/Olujimi charged in as well, swift as the cheetah of his ancestral land with his spear at the ready, focused and ready to fight!

Doc pointed to the exit way they just tunneled from and exclaimed, "Come on, Your Highnesses! You all need to escape now while we move on!". Belle and the others were a bit puzzled by his statement, and that is when Melody told the adults of their plan. She explained to them that their plan was to rescue them, and if they succeeded, send them to a safe place while they go on forward with their bonded monsters and friends… in order to find and defeat Maleficent, to put an end to the witch once and for all! Needless to say, the adults were a bit shocked to hear that their kids were willing to risk it all. Going into serious danger, with a good chance of death or worse! Minos looked at the royal adults and stated that they came to this decision some time ago, to help the kids get where they needed to be in order to put an end to this nightmare.

The strongman stated, "Your children are very brave, and also very aware of the seriousness of the dangers that lie ahead. The adults that are at the grove tried to dissuade them from this endeavor, but they held firm. The monsters have given them their vote of confidence, in a way. All of them understood the risks and the like of going on this mission, but they still came. Tell me that is something you do not respect at least. They have been taught by you that responsibility is something a royal must be aware of, correct?". His words really dug into their minds and hearts. Yes, they had taught their little ones from an early age that one of the burdens of being royalty was to learn responsibility. Especially the task of taking care of the people and land. The mothers and fathers looked to their children, and felt strong pride coursing through their being. Though they really wanted to go with their kids in tow, to take them AWAY from the danger… they felt that the children would resent them for that, and that is something they did not wish to do. With a sigh, the kings and queens went to their young ones.

Eric looked to Melody and asked, "Honey, are you sure that this is what you want to do? Do you know everything that you are risking?". Ariel was behind him, wanting to hear for herself if her daughter really knew what she was doing. The Marcel princess and daughter of Ariel answered that she knew everything of what she was risking, not only to herself but to her friends and people. But she also stated that this needed to be done, for if Maleficent was not stopped here… there would be no future for any of them, be it here or in the others areas of the known world. The other children also gave similar answers to their folks, and Edgard assured Snow White and Florian that Kathrin was in on the plan as well. Seeing the fierce determination in their eyes, the parents saw that they looked similar to the eyes of the monsters when they fought! It seemed that the fighting spirit from the monsters had transferred into their flesh and blood, and for the moment, they saw that it was a good thing. Eric sighed, then smiled a little as he went over and picked up a piece of stalactite that had fallen from one of the cell bars that Godzilla smashed through.

"Then we'll go with your plan… but with us coming with you!" the sea-faring king stated firmly as he held the rocky piece like a club. Ariel did the same thing, now wielding a less thick but otherwise more pointed rock club from the same rubble pile. The kids were a bit surprised, and also glad to see that their parents were now going with them on this very risky venture! One by one, the adults found some pieces of debris from the cell bars that they could use. The royal men used any stalactites or stalagmites they found as clubs, while the queens used smaller versions of them. While smaller, they were more sharpened to the point that they resembled natural spears. It was a strange sight to see Snow White holding such a weapon, but the shy princess knew that this was no time to be timid. Sure, they were all nervous but it was time to force that feeling down and go with their children on this mission!

Asce inspected his natural club and stated, "Now, it's time to give those nightmarish soldiers a little taste of our rage! I know we all have been holding it back since we could not do anything… but that's all changed now!". The kings agreed, and soon stood with their wives and children as they prepared to fight despite the injuries on their still healing bodies.

Fatima looked to the families and stated, "We got to clear the way to the exit! Our plan is to get the kids and monsters to Maleficent so they can deal with her since she's the root of this whole mess!". The adults were a little hesitant on that part, but decided to follow their children's plan. The dwarves backed them with their pick axes, saying that they were going to aid them however they could.

"Then let's go! CHARGE!" Tracy exclaimed, surprising all even her parents as she surged forward, very much ready to fight. The stunned group quickly shook their heads and charged right behind her, all of them ready to rumble with the demonic soldiers of evil! Even Sebastian was pumped up, the little crab just running on adrenaline now as his fear was left behind to go with the people he cared about most in his life! He came out to be on Melody's right shoulder, prepared to act as a second set of eyes for her.

Godzilla and his allies were dishing out some serious damage to their foes. While small in size, the humanoid demonic minions more then made up for it with their tenacity and wild spirit. The saurian slammed into them with his massive bulk, embedding several of the crazed soldiers into the rocky wall. He growled and lunged at some who were trying to impale his body with their spears, finding out the hard way that his skin was quite resilient to the weapons. The King of the Monsters swiped at some with his claws, barreling several soldiers through their allies like they were bowling pins. One of the humanoid demons, a large pig-like soldier, charged in and swing his axe at Godzilla! The beast from Tokyo, Japan swung his tail out, catching the creature off guard and sending it into some of his companions. The green-skinned titan showed that he was quicker then his frame let on. Godzilla looked to see some of the creature launching themselves at him, their compatriots using their hands like springboards to send the solders flying to the saurian. The King of the Monsters roared and caught one of the airborne foes with his teeth, chomping down hard on it and the demonic lizard soldier screeching in pain! Godzilla flung the creature away hard towards the other foes down below, spitting out some green-black blood from his maw. Apparently, evil minions tasted awful and the mutated dinosaur was hoping for some extra meat later on so he could wash away the taste. Godzilla then shot a glare at several of the creatures, the minions of Maleficent cowering in fear, before firing off his famous blue radiation death breath at them! The ten-foot tall behemoth roared loudly, seeing his fire scorching and blasting the annoying pests away, many who had survived the attack fleeing for their lives. He pressed on and showing to all why he was considered the King of the Monsters in his world!

Anguirus was holding his own too, gnashing his powerful teeth at the demonic soldiers that tried to pin him down with their spears. While his skin was not as resilient as his friend Godzilla's, it was still tough enough to withstand the pointed metal spears. The spiked-shelled monster roared as he charged on through the group, scattering the soldiers like bowling pins! He lashed out his spiked tail at the multiple enemies, striking them and sending the minions hard into the earthen wall. Anguirus saw three humanoid boar-demon soldiers coming towards him, large in both height and girth, and wielding wicked looking double-bladed axes. The mutated Ankylosaurs growled, then turned around and delivered a powerful mule-like kick to send the surprised soldiers of Maleficent flying! It seemed that Godzilla's best friend was more quick then his size seemed to show. The minions were stunned that their strong brethren were defeated easily, but that only lasted for a moment as the smaller fighters came in. They were slightly smaller then the royal children, but what they lacked in size and strength they made up for in quantity and quality with weapons. The horde screeched as they fired multiple arrows at Anguirus, each one true to their aim. It would work on most foes, but Anguirus was no ordinary monster. He turned around, showing his shell to his enemies. His ultra-hard carapace deflected the arrows like they were nothing, even though the demonic archers kept up the attack. After a few moments, the spike-shelled beast had enough! Using his powerful legs, he jumped backwards and flew straight through the horde! The demonic minions were now quickly facing a flying spiked wall of sort, and panicked as they tried to dive or jump out of the way. Most were not quick enough to react to this move, and were quickly sent to the walls, injuries very much apparent on their beings. Anguirus saw his work, and was momentarily pleased with his small victory before turning around to face the soldiers. This kind of battle he actually missed, and like his friend Godzilla, he was enjoying it!

Beast was no slouch either, as he was tearing through the demonic ranks like a hot knife through butter! He used his great strength to lift the soldiers up, smashing them into their companions before tossing them away like trash before going to pound another armored minion. The former human was venting out any and all rage that he been holding in since their imprisonment, and that immense anger now had a channel to go through. Beast roared as he grabbed a sword from a bird-like demon soldier, yanked it out from its hands, and stabbed the blade right through a lizard demon that tried to sneak up on the massive furry brute from behind! The demonic soldier clutched its left shoulder where the sword was now embedded in it, and the last thing it saw was a furry claw swiping it away like it was a fly. Beast was on a roll, and he was not to be stopped! A boar-demon soldier wielding one of the huge double-bladed axes came in and took a swing at the former human, but he missed as his blow struck earthen floor where Beast formerly stood. The soldiers were surprised to see a creature so agile, and the husband of Belle used this to his advantage. He was clinging to the earthen ceiling, his claws digging into the rocky material and acting like anchors of sort. He exclaimed, "I'm not that easy to kill, spawns of the Underworld!". He then released himself from the wall, and with quick thinking and reflexes, pushed off from said wall and launched himself like a missile at the soldiers! The scared demons scattered like bowling pins as the furry creature struck, and Beast bellowed loudly! He was just getting warmed up!

Oliver/Olujimi was showing his skills in combat, using the lessons his parents had taught him and putting them to full use in a real life-or-death battle. He was always on the move, not staying in one spot for long and bounding here and there with his strong legs. He was like a certain baboon/mandrill character from his ancestral homeland, always moving about and never letting the enemy pin him down! He used his spear to great use, poking and impaling the soldiers with the tip and bashing them on any part of their bodies like a club. When an armed bird-demon soldier attacked him with a sword, and a shield on its left hand as a defense, Olujimi deftly dodged the swinging and stabbing techniques. The dark-skinned lad stated firmly, "I have been taught the ways of my ancestors from my parents, creature! I will not be taken down that easily!". Indeed, he was swift and quick like the animals in Africa! He waited until the demon soldier lost its cool, and did a wild arc swing that opened up a window of opportunity, which Olujimi seized! He got through the bird demons defense, and before the minion could bring to bear his shield… Olujimi stabbed his spear through the left shoulder of the creature, causing the fool to screech loudly in pain before the African pre-teen took his weapon out from it and bashed the soldier to its companions, where they fell in a heap. The crush of Melody had his eyes focused on the enemy before him, and he was ready to strike once more! Demonic archers came into the fray, and started to shoot their arrows at him. The ebony-skinned warrior narrowed his eyes as he did his best to evade the projectiles. He used his spear, twirling it around as such to catch some of the arrows in it while also deflecting some. He also used his feet and legs to show some impressive dodging ability, always moving and flowing like water! However, some arrows did manage to nick or cut the skin, making him wince at the momentary pain that shot through his body. But, he was saved by Godzilla who swiped the archers away with his tail!

Olujimi gave the saurian a tired smile and stated, "Thank you for the help, my friend!". He was a bit winded from all the jumping and dodging about, but he just needed a moment to catch his breath. Once he regained his second wind, he jumped right back into action!

Hadrian/Hazael was having his own fights with the soldiers that came at them, and he was holding his own pretty well. He remembered the teachings of his parents, and he let his body move and flow like the deserts of the Middle East. His family scimitar and dagger were slicing through the ranks of the evil minions, and making sure to use his enemies to his advantage. Hazael was hopping on the helmets of the soldiers, using them like stepping stones and confounding the hordes with his swift movements and unique evasive techniques. His weapons parried the swords and spears of many of the demonic fighters of Maleficent, and he also was able to sneak past the defenses of the humanoid beings to deliver some critical blows through their armor. The Arabian pre-teen lad laughed as he made his way through the group of soldiers that tried to surround him, exclaiming as he springboard off one of the demon lizard's helmet, "You all take your job too seriously! You need to lighten up!". Once he landed, he taunted and teased the now enraged horde to follow him. His mother and father taught him to use his head and resources more then just brute strength and weapons, and he was going to utilize what he had. He got them to chase him… right to Anguirus! The monster had just caught one of the demon soldiers in his strong jaws, crushed it and tossed the minion away like it was a rag doll before he turned to see the human boy running towards him, with about eight or so soldiers gaining on him.

"Anguirus, care to lend a hand to me please?!" he called out before he did a sliding run like one would do on a baseball game, sliding right underneath the mutated Ankylosaurs! Anguirus did not fully understood what the human stated, and was a little curious on why he slid under him, but he paid that little mind when he saw the enemies charging at him. The demonic horde's rage turned to panic when they saw that they had been duped, that their prey led them to this beast on purpose and they were only seeing this now! Anguirus roared at them before curling into his ball form and rolled towards the group! The soldiers screeched in fright before turning right around to retreat, but they did not get far as the monster's spiky ball form rolled over them, flattening them to the ground or sending them flying like bowling pins! The spiked-shelled beast soon unrolled from his technique, seeing that the enemy was no more. He turned to see Hazael waving at him in thanks, before returning to the battle. The monster saw that this particular human had a unique sense of fighting, always moving and not overwhelming his opponent with strength but with speed. Anguirus thought that even though it was strange, the young human had a courageous side in battle and he respected that.

The forces of good were pushing Maleficent's minions back, but the swarm of demonic soldiers kept on pouring in! It was like they were fighting a tidal wave of bad guys that seemed never-ending. Godzilla swiped some foes away with his right claw strike, but one of the evil-smelling soldiers got through and was about to deliver a spear strike to his hand, but two rock projectiles came out of nowhere behind him and struck it in the head, causing the foolish soldier to halt his strike. And just in time because Godzilla grabbed it, and gave the soldier a hard squeeze before throwing it away hard! The saurian turned around to see that the one who threw the rock was his bonded humans, Tracy and Melody! Godzilla saw his bonded charging at the fight, and also that they were not alone. The other humans, along with the smaller ones they called dwarves, were charging straight into the battlefield! He was slightly surprised to see such spirit from his two female human, but otherwise proud and respectful to them for showing such fighting fierceness.

The group charged in, and were very much impressed on how their five friends had been holding up the front lines. Along the way, the kings dropped their rocky clubs and grabbed swords that the enemy lost in their scuffle against their allies while the queens grabbed shields and stuff. They were more defensive then offensive, but they planned to use the round shields as weapons as best they could. The children also picked up what they could, be it swords, spears, or shields. Fatima had decided to use her agility and speed like Hadrian and Oliver were using, taking to the air however instead of staying on the ground. Her husband Minos grabbed a pair of metal gauntlets from one of the fallen demonic soldiers, fitting them into his large hands. Though they were a little snug, they fit just right and now had some extra protection and punch to his fists! The seven dwarves came out swinging with their pick axes, ready to help Snow White and her friends! The group charged right in, the royal adults now in the heat of battle! Florian exclaimed, "Everyone, we got to make a path for the kids and monsters! Cut right through these things to the exit!". The message loud and clear, the entire team started to make their way to the exit that was still held by enemy forces.

Minos had grabbed one of the minions, the pig-humanoid soldier squealing just like its normal brethren before the strongman punched it hard in the face before using it has a sort of bat! "Hahahaha! Come on, vile scum! Is this the best you can do?!" he exclaimed as he used the soldier to bat away its own kind, the pig-like creature seeing stars for quite some time before being tossed aside. Minos saw Beast tearing through the ranks, and decided to aid his new ally. He ran towards him, and punched a soldier that tried to get a cheap shot at the furry fighter from behind. Beast saw this, and the two were back to back, looking at the foes surrounding them. He thanked the strongman for his assistance, but stated that he was more then capable of holding his own.

"I'm well aware of that, Your Highness! But we have no time to mess with small insects like these! We need to clear a path to the exit, so that we can go out and up… to take out the REAL problem, Maleficent!" Minos stated firmly before punching more of the enemies away when they tried for a strong charge on all sides. The performer was indeed strong as a healthy ox, his strength almost on par with Beast's! Almost. The furry king realized that Minos was right, that they had to get out of here to take care of the real threat. They looked at one another, nodded and started to work together to take out the armed trash around them! They showed impressive teamwork, having each other's back while delivering some strong offensive techniques on their foes! Minos looked up to see that his wife was in the air, hopping on the heads of the demonic soldiers and using some excellent acrobatic agility and coordination to evade and avoid the enemies attacks. He smiled, very much glad that his woman was safe and handling herself pretty well. In his view, she was exactly like a bird in the air, swift and precise with a grace that was unrivaled.

The entire team managed to get through to the exit, many of the soldiers now retreating when they saw that sheer numbers were not cutting it. The royal men sliced right Maleficent's minions with their own weapons, their significant others defending themselves with their own shields. Ariel and her fellow queens used the round shields to not only defend, but to attack by bashing the soldiers on either their heads or any other part of their bodies that was vulnerable. The royal ladies worked pretty well as a team, as they demonstrated. The young ones were also doing what they could, distracting the humanoid demons by bashing certain parts of their bodies with the weapons. The sudden jolt of pain was all that it took for the minions to be distracted, and then quickly slain or slammed hard by the adults or monsters. Melody and her royal friends were incredible, holding their own and also holding their lunches in when they saw sights that no pre-teen or child should see in a battle like this.

The seven dwarves were also on a roll, the enchanted pick axes penetrating right through the armor and delivering such damage to the soldiers. Of course, Dopey tried to help out but kept getting in the way. His bravery was also tested, being chased by several of the armed foes when he was saved by Godzilla's swiping tail. He ducked in time so that he was not swept away.

With screeches and squeals filling the air, the entire horde retreated into the depths of the palace-fortress. The heroes and heroines were glad to finally be out of that fight, though Godzilla and Anguirus looked to want to fight more. Eric was now leading the way, looking to the left and right. He turned to the path on the right and stated, "This way, down here. Maleficent and her goons often took me and the other princes down this path towards the torture room. We saw many other paths that lead to it, and I'm willing to wager that one of those paths lead directly to her.". The children and women flinched a little when the torture room came into play, but they fought it down. Now was not the time to think of such grisly images. King Eric Marcel led the way, the others following him. It was again a tight fit for both Godzilla and Anguirus, but they managed to keep up with the group. Any demon solider that was on duty that saw them tried to halt their progress, but were swatted aside like flies.

~Near the entrance/exit of the palace-fortress~

Inside and in front of the entrance/exit way were the Three Generals; Shadowsneak, Tightfist and Springy. They were seeing off one hundred of their humanoid troops, the company of evil heading directly towards the woodland that was unaffected by the poisonous magic that was in the air and ground. The three former humans looked to their left to see Biolantte and Megalon heading in the same direction, towards the colors that were in said forest. Once that their forces were well a distance away, Shadowsneak turned to his comrades and stated, "I believe that we shall have company soon, and they are on their way here. This is where we lay the trap.". He explained to the two former Monster bandit members that the ones who broke into the formidable abode would not simply settle for a rescue mission for the prisoners, the royal families. He assumed that they came with the intent on getting to Maleficent, to defeat their mistress and end their fun. Tightfist and Springy did not like anyone to spoil their fun, especially this time since they were more powerful and formidable then they were as humans.

Shadowsneak continued, "So, we lay our trap. We shall divide their forces up, and take them out in our own style. Springy, I leave the first choice to you. Choose the path you want them to follow so it can lead directly to you.". The frog-like monster cackled in glee, and took a moment to pick out the path that he wanted the heroes to follow. He chose the second path to the left, which lead upward to the western side of the fortress-palace. It was a long, winding path that had narrow stairways that if one should slip off of… it was to be a long drop to the bottom, and said bottom had small but plentiful rocky spikes on it. On a request from Shadowsneak himself, Maleficent had turned much of her new abode into a deadly set of mazes and traps, should any heroic fool try to gain entry. There were only a select few paths and areas that were safe. If the group should get through the narrow staircase, it would put the poor souls in a place high in the air where there would be no roof or protective covering of any kind. Springy would then leap onto the rocky platforms and other small areas that only the most agile and coordinated of acrobats could land and use. It was there that Springy could play with them, like a cat would a cornered mouse, before finishing them off. Shadowsneak told his mutated comrade to leave his mark on the path, which he did. Springy slammed his left foot into the stone ground, leaving a deep frog-like footprint there, making it look like he was walking on the path. The footprint was designed to be an arrow marker of sort, telling anyone who was a decent tracker that they were in that direction. The footprint burned as if the stone path was branded with something hot.

"Good work, Springy. Now go, and be prepared to greet our guests." Shadowsneak commanded, the general cackling like mad before bounding away on the path he had chosen. The leader of the lot shook his head in amusement before turning to Tightfist. He told his strong ally to do the same, to pick a path that would lead to him and the good rescuers demise. The lizard-like former human growled as he looked at his options, then chose the path in the middle, a path that went over another and directly to the middle of the structure. The path led to a place that was wide, but along the sides were spiked rock formations that shot at intruders. Maleficent had enchanted the room to shoot anyone that did not have her magical signature on them, so any minions of hers that strayed into this area were kept free from harm. Should the rescue group get past this trap, they would arrive at the very heart of the palace-fortress! However, it is there that Tightfist would be waiting for them. He would utilize his strength and abilities to his full advantage, and show the intruders the meaning of fear. Tightfist left his mark, a large reptilian footprint on his selected path, before stomping away to await the foolish intruders at the final destination.

Once he was gone, Shadowsneak knew which path he wanted the others to take. It was the path on the far right, one twisted and turned up and led to three chambers near the Throne Room. He thought, 'If the intruders are who I am assume they are… then this will be interesting. And if my assumption proves correct, I will finally have my revenge on those that injured me greatly in the first place before my transformation!'. He left his mark on the selected path, a deep human footprint but with a deep blackness to it just like the one that covered his entire being. As he walked on the path, it took him a little bit of time before he came to the first test that was to await the intruders. The room he was going by was filled with large gargoyle statues, and should someone that did not bear Maleficent's magical signature… these gargoyles would come to life, and relentlessly attack the invader! The sorceress had imbedded deep into each statue, twelve in all, with an amber-colored Life Stone, that would allow the gargoyles to move about and regenerate any appendage they lost somehow. So that would be making the passage through the room more difficult. While most of the gargoyles were male, there was one that Maleficent herself made. It was a female gargoyle, and she truly looked like a demon of the night. Shadowsneak was passing it, this particular statue lying in wait at the door. He sometimes wondered how twisted his mistress's mind was when she created this gargoyle with her magic.

He soon arrived at another crossroads, the path splitting into four narrow paths. One went to the left, leading to Maleficent's chambers where she slept. The one in the middle lead to her Magical Arsenal chamber, where she had stored and kept the magical artifacts including the trident she took from Triton. He thought, 'I've only been in there once, and even then I felt the immense power coming from each magical object.'. The former human had seen the Dwarves Tear, a diamond that now had some unusual brown energy flowing through it. He also saw the Poseidon's Seahorse, a sapphire that also held royal blue energy in it. Shadowsneak had also seen the Emerald Oak, the oak tree shaped emerald now glowing with a golden energy inside of it. And finally, he saw the Eagle King platinum gem piece that was swirling with red energy. According to his mistress, these gems had allowed her to bring into this world the monsters plus controlling the ones she had now. He was tempted to ask more, but Maleficent stated that was all he needed to know. Shadowsneak knew that these gems would give him an edge should the witch try anything on him that he did not want to happen. Sadly for him, Maleficent had put some loyalty spells on her Three Generals during their transformation, so he could not do anything against her even if he wanted to. It also held the Magic Mirror, the object that held the clairvoyant spirit.

He shook his head to get out of his brief trip down memory and looked to the other paths. One on the upper right led to the Throne Room area on top of this palace-fortress. The lower right path led to his area, which he was walking towards now. Shadowsneak smiled wickedly, very much glad that Maleficent had designed this room specifically for him and his unique abilities that he discovered some days ago. He soon arrived at his trap, opening the door and finding himself in a large room that was decorated to be fit for royalty. However, the villain did not mind the décor around the room… it was the long shadows each item casted about. He closed the door to this special room, and sat down a nearby armchair. He said to himself, "Ooooh, this is going to be wicked! Should the foolish heroes and their allies come here… they are in for such a surprise! Hehehehe…".

~Back at the Crossroads~

It took about half an hour or so, but the heroes and heroines had made it to the entrance/exit way of the large fortress-palace. They stopped in front of the open gate, the humans and dwarves catching their breaths. The adults, children and miners were covered in scratches, bruises, and cuts from their fighting with Maleficent's minions. Godzilla and Anguirus were not winded that much, and were still eager to fight. The battle damage they got during the tussles with the demonic hordes were slowly healing, Godzilla's healing ability slightly faster then his ally's ability.

Though they had defeated the vast amount of soldiers in the dungeon area, they had to go through many through the corridors and paths as they traveled upward. King Eric did lead them to the Torture Room area, and from there they took a guess and went down a path that led upwards. Along the way, they met with some strong resistance but fortunately for them, Godzilla and Anguirus helped clear the way a bit more easily. Now, they had found the Crossroads. Happy looked at the gate and exclaimed, "Ho! Look at that! We came to the exit of this place! Now we can leave!". However, Grumpy burst his bubble by starting in his own way that they were not leaving until they put the finishing blow on the witch. Dianne was the first to recover, standing up straight as she looked around to see what to do next. She looked over, going past her parents Aurora and Philip, and her eyes fell downward. That is when she saw the footprint mark of Springy, then looked to another part of the ground to find Tightfist's footprint, then to the far right to see Shadowsneak's footprint. She stated, "Ummm… everyone. I think I found a clue here.". The group turned and saw what she saw, and some mental gears started to grind through all of their heads.

Ariel said, "I don't think that these were left here on accident. I believe someone… or something is trying to lead us somewhere. Look, there is only one footprint here, like a mark. There are no other deep imprints that come next.". Oliver leaned down and checked the mark of Springy, and saw that she was correct. Other then the deep imprint before them, no other mark was left behind. He agreed with her and suggested that this could be a trap to lure them to certain doom. They all agreed on this, but they looked at the other paths and saw that they twisted and turned like crazy into the deep bowels of the structure.

Eric said, "Well, I don't know where else to go. I didn't think there was going to be this many paths, so… I think we need to split up.". While the group debated on what to do next, some not agreeing with Eric's plane, Godzilla and Anguirus let their instincts guide them. In the past, and in their world, their sixth sense instincts never let them down before. The saurian looked at the path Shadowsneak took, and he growled low in his throat. Though the scent was different now, the path still had traces of the human that gave his bonded much trouble. Not to mention that this human injured him some time ago. He wanted to settle the score now with this foolish human! He stomped and walked on the path to the far right, the one that bore Shadowsneak's mark. The others looked from their little group meeting and saw the King of the Monsters heading down the marked path. Melody and Tracy were about to call out to him, when they heard Anguirus growling and saw him go down Tightfist's path.

"Hey, wait a minute! Godzilla, Anguirus! Hold on!" Tracy called out, but the monsters did not pay heed to them.

Hadrian said, "They probably sense something strong in that direction, and they are going over there to fight. I believe that we may need to take the marked paths.". The group looked at the Arabian lad as if he were crazy, which Grumpy declared that he probably was. Hadrian explained that if they followed these marked paths, it would give them a clue on how to reach Maleficent. It was a long shot guess at best, and a risky one, but going blindly onto any of the paths would most likely yield no results or even worse. The group wanted to discuss this more, but time was running out and also the two monsters were going further down the paths they took, almost out of sight.

Minos sighed and stated, "I believe that any of argument or discussion is moot at this point. I will go with Anguirus on the path he is taking.". However, Fatima had her own plans. She went to her husband and said that she would take the other marked path, which was the one Springy was on. The strongman was puzzled, wondering on why she wanted to separate from him. The blonde beauty explained to her husband that if they split up, they could cover more ground. In addition, she felt that the path Anguirus was did not feel right to her. The path she chosen, then one that bore Springy's mark, felt more right and that she wanted to take it. Minos was not too keen on letting his wife go by herself, especially in a place like this. However, he knew long ago that she could take care of herself and that he trusted her judgment very much.

"Alright, I'll trust your judgment in this. Just be careful, and don't take any unnecessary risks." he told her. Fatima smirked and made a little crack that they already made one in coming to this place with the kids. The strong performer just chuckled and hugged his wife, giving her a kiss before letting her go on the path she chose. Fatima waved goodbye to everyone before going on the path marked by Springy. Minos watched her go, sending a silent prayer to God to keep his wife safe. He then looked at Anguirus's spiked-shelled behind, and ran to catch up with the monster. Mainard wanted to go, but Beast stopped him. He told him to just put his trust in Anguirus, just like Minos put his faith and trust in his wife.

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but we're going to go down this path." Doc stated as he pointed to a non-marked path, on that went down and to the left a bit where Anguirus and Minos took. Snow White went to her friends, hugging each one of them and wishing them luck. Dopey was the last one to be hugged, and the young dwarf showed he REALLY enjoyed being in the embrace of the princess. Grumpy snorted and replied that they knew what they were doing, and also to see if they could find something that could give them the edge against Maleficent. Before they went down the stony path, Ariel asked them if they could also keep an eye out for three other humans. She told them about Carlotta, Grimsby, and Louie, and requested that if they managed to spot them, to help them out and escape from the fortress-palace.

"Yeah, we'll keep an eye out for these servants of yours! Little chance to spot them though, in a place this big." Doc stated. The Marcel queen replied that it was a long shot, but she hoped that they would spot them. Saying their goodbyes, and the children thanking them immensely for the help they had given them, the seven dwarves started on down the path! Watching them go, the others decided to follow Godzilla on the rocky path that led to Shadowsneak.

Edgard looked at his folks and whispered, "I hope we all know what we are doing.". Philip and Aurora answered that everything would be alright. However, they felt doubt creeping into their minds but they pushed it down. Right now was not the time for second guessing. They were hoping that this path led to Maleficent, towards a final showdown that would decide the outcome of everything. Tracy and Melody ran up to catch up with their bonded, the two princesses seeing Godzilla in the zone and focused very much on meeting the challenge that lay before them all.

(Author's Notes: So, what do you think? I hope this pleased you all who wanted to see some action from the heroes and heroines. The kings and queens stayed to help their kids, despite the physical condition they were in, and also it seems that each of them contributed to the fight in a most unique way. Let us hope the good guys and girls can handle whatever the Generals have in store for them! Here is a little sneak preview on whom is going to battle whom in the future chapters:

Fatima and Rodan vs. Springy

Minos and Anguirus vs. Tightfist

Godzilla and Royal Kids vs. Shadowsneak {plus surprise helper}

Kings vs. Maleficent

I got something special planned for the royal ladies! Any guess on where they will be? Also, here is a show of the abilities that Springy, Tightfist, and Shadowsneak have that they discovered shortly after their transformations.

Springy: After his transformation, Springy's leaping abilities are like that of a toad. He can leap around with great ease, and also his hands and feet can stick to any solid surface thanks to a sticky substance he can secret on his hands or feet. His tongue can shoot out like a chameleon's though, and the sticky end of it has a solvent that can cause five minutes of numbness in whatever it hits. Finally, Springy can generate intense heat! While he cannot shoot flame or fireballs like a dragon or other fire-breathing creatures, he can give his punches and/or kicks increased power by channeling the heat to them. However, his body is not as durable as Tightfist, meaning that he is vulnerable as he was as a regular human to hits.

Tightfist: After his transformation, he now has the abilities of certain reptiles in the animal kingdom. He can climb walls with his hands and feet, but he does not have the ability of a gecko lizard. The sharp claws on his appendages dig into the surface of what he is climbing, allowing him to cling to surfaces like a gecko. His strength has increased greatly, and his skin can be hardened to be as resilient like steel. His tail is also prehensile, meaning it can wrap around and grip objects like a third hand. However, once he does increase his defense, his mobility is cut down due to his body being weighed down by his denseness.

Shadowsneak: After his transformation, he has the ability of a living shadow. While his body is not durable like his companions are, it does not matter since he can traverse through any area by simply jumping into the shadow of anything and reappearing in another area of his choosing almost instantly. He has to consciously activate his ability, otherwise the ability will not activate, and the place he wants to appear to has to have a shadow. Also, his bone blades that are attached to his arms are as dense like Tightfist's scales when he hardens them, but not as heavy, giving Shadowsneak the ability to cut through any material. The final touch is that the bone blades secret a powerful venom that can hinder healing, cause great pain for the victim, and also dull the senses for about ten minutes or so.

And there you have it! What do you think of these strengths and weaknesses? And also, who will win in the match ups I have just laid out for you all? And why would they win it? Also, the gargoyles in the first test room that is on Shadowsneak's path, they are from the cartoon Disney series Gargoyles! They are not modeled after the heroes, but the villains. The male gargoyles look like the gargoyle suit David Xanatos wears in the Disney cartoon series. The female gargoyle is modeled after Demona, the female villain who gave the heroes and heroines of the series great headaches with her schemes. How is this for a Hidden Mickey? Expect to see more Hidden Mickeys, so to speak, in this novel!

Next chapter, prepare to see some action in the woods and in the sea! The ones on land do what they can in order to buy Mothra more time for her to finish her transformation! The skills and spirits of the defenders are put to the test, so be prepared! Also, King Triton and his fellow sea friends are going to show their smarts when they take on both Titanosaurus and Ebriah in the ocean! They won't go far in distance that the mind control that Maleficent will weaken, but you will still be surprised on what happens, that I promise you!

R&R, no flames, enjoy and leave long reviews!)