SUPER DISNEY BROS.

Chapter 40: The Showdown

Exploring the realm of darkness conjured awful feelings. King Mickey and his team traversed over the damp terrain. It shared its grey color with discarded bones. Beyond their narrow path, a hazy abyss beckoned their gaze. The view was an undefined wonder of black and purple vapor. No one knew how far above or below the abyss they traveled.

Tall stone formations creeped along their path. With thin arms, they resembled dead trees with no leaves on their branches. Far away on floating chunks of grey land, enormous mushroom-shaped fauna clustered in trios and pulsed soft blue light. Their trunks trembled and twinkled.

It was an alien world unlike any other. Even Jim and Stitch were uncomfortable. The heroes walked extremely close to each other. Elsa and Anna held each other's hands tightly. Abu tugged Aladdin's vest while Carpet shivered and clung onto his shoulder. Sparrow acted the least bothered. His only concern was having to keep everyone's morale steady. He noticed many cautious faces with the exception of Merida. Her eyes were narrow and focused. She firmly held an arrow up to her bow. She was ready to land a piercing strike upon the treacherous darkness that brought ruin to her kingdom and took away her family.

King Mickey looked onward and saw a distant green glow. It had to be Maleficent. All they needed to do was defeat her and any menacing minions that she would call upon. There was no doubt she would be even more powerful than before. Then again, King Mickey had his team and his Keyblade. He believed they would be enough power to defeat the dark forces. He gave a brave nod and waved back at his team. They continued to stay close and follow his lead.

Maleficent stood on the summit of an elevated piece of terrain. She basked in the glowing black veil of darkness that hovered before her. She expelled her fiery, green magic to awaken its power. It whispered faintly back to her. She hummed and nodded.

"Very well." Maleficent pulled out the black lamp from her gown and rubbed it. In a sluggish stream of smoke, Jafar emerged and wobbled. His wrinkles dipped. His back hunched and ached. He wore a most dreadful frown. The darkness did not reward him with the strength and glory for which he had schemed for so long. It deemed him unworthy. Even for a genie.

"Phenomenal cosmic power...it's time to see how that would look in more...fitting hands." Maleficent cared not for Jafar's raspy breaths. He tried to speak for himself but what little strength he had slowly dwindled.

Without any morsel of mercy, Maleficent tossed the lamp into the veil. It hovered tumultuously. Jafar collapsed and gasped. Burning agony overwhelmed him. He flipped to his back and squirmed. He was less than a husk of his former self. His body turned transparent and shimmered in a weak, red aura. His lamp twisted and folded until it sparked into scarlet dust. Jafar let out one last breath. Desperate. Defeated.

Maleficent smiled with the sense of satisfaction. The lamp served as a well of great magical power for the veil. She could feel the presence of a great and terrible entity.

"Will you honor the exchange?" requested Maleficent.

The veil ignited into a fiery blaze of purple and red. It blasted her back towards the edge of the summit. She straightened herself and dug her staff deep into the ground. A new wicked power seeped into her. Maleficent looked to the veil again that shimmered with an image of a face. Slanted, sinister eyes. Curved, pointed horns. A nasty, beastly grin. It was the face of the true herald of darkness. A demonic monster that had lived only in ancient fables and cautionary tales. Maleficent and King Mickey knew of its name. The Chernabog.

The euphoria of her new power thrilled Maleficent. She turned around when she heard a parade of hasty footsteps. It was King Mickey and his foolish followers. She sneered at their persistence and glanced to the veil. The face of the Chernabog was gone.

Maleficent turned back again and gazed past the summit from where she stood. King Mickey had his team had arrived at a barren, spacious field. It was a fitting view. They were small like ants, lost in a world far from home.

King Mickey spotted Maleficent by the tip of her horns and the familiar toxic shade of green in the air. What separated him from her were the steep platforms, scattered below the summit.

"You can't hide from us, Maleficent! Not even here!" shouted King Mickey. Merida pulled back the string of her bow and aimed high. She figured she could shoot Maleficent once she had a clear shot. The other heroes waited for their signal to strike. The Beast, Simba, and Sulley growled and flexed their claws. Mulan and Aladdin gripped their swords while their little partners, Mushu and Abu, stood on their shoulders.

Captain Jack Sparrow lowered his sword and relaxed. He was confident in Maleficent's ego. Surely, she would have to reply back to King Mickey with yet another lengthy, conceited statement. It was as if she had a constant, insecure urge to remind everyone of how mighty she was.

Maleficent leaned out, exposing her head. She cackled with a echo so loud, it startled the heroes. It was as if she had multiplied and shouted straight into their ears.

"Hide? Not this time. I invite you all. Behold...your DOOM!" Maleficent flung up her staff and summoned a whirlwind of purple fumes. It dove down the slope and flew directly into King Mickey. He tried to protect everyone by standing guard. The raging winds engulfed him and blew his teammates away from each other. Everyone fell into a disoriented state of panic.

"ELSA! Where are you?" cried Anna.

"I'm here! I don't see you!" cried Elsa in a heart-racing scare.

"Your Majesty!" hollered Donald. He could feel a heavy draft lift him into the air.

"Donald! I got ya!" Goofy hopped and snagged Donald's webbed foot. He held Donald tight. They could only see a blurry haze of purple race across their eyes. The heroes shouted for each other. Simba for Aladdin. Skellington for Merida. Stitch for Jim Hawkins. Donald swung his head and found King Mickey.

"Your Majesty? What do we do?" cried Donald in despair. King Mickey did not answer or move. Donald broke out of Goofy's arms. He ran even when the whirlwind whipped under his feet. He hobbled back up and rushed towards King Mickey. His clothes did not flap or fold as the gust blew mercilessly. Donald endured and grabbed into King Mickey's shoulders. They were rigid and course. His face was still. Petrified.

"NOOOOO!" screamed Donald. He turned to his teammates who began to notice their own bodies turning to stone. Mulan and Mushu. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Mike and Sulley. Hiro and Baymax. Moana and Ariel. Sparrow and Skellington. One by one, they slowly lost their ability to move. Their faces emitted utter terror, either at their own bodies or their beloved friends. They stood petrified. Elsa and Anna had at least found each other. Their embrace was captured and they were locked into each other. Not in ice but in stone.

Donald could feel his own body stiffen. Goofy tried to reach for him but he failed. His best friend was a stone statue again. Donald heard the hideous cackle from high above. He tried to cast a spell to free everyone but his fingers and hands were stuck in stone. As were his feet. His legs. His neck. Donald shot an angry glare to Maleficent. She took immense pleasure in her sweet victory.

"The fools of light have fallen! Your hearts are ours. Your worlds are ours. Everything...now belongs to us!"

FWOOOOOOSH!

A gigantic pair of sharp wings flexed from beyond the summit. A massive, monstrous torso manifested from below. The horned head was humongous. Its ugly face glowered. In a demonic display of power, the Chernabog stretched its enormous, ebony arms.

"Have at them!" shouted Maleficent in gruesome glee. "Destroy what's left of them!"

"Shut yer gobber, ya witless witch!" jeered a brave voice. An arrow flew sharply and blindly through the darkness. Maleficent barely caught the gleam from its tip before it struck deep into her shoulder. She screamed and curled forward. A mortal weapon should not have caused such pain. Maybe it was magical. But how? Who? WHO?!

Maleficent glared down the slope and searched through the menagerie of statues.

One hero survived. The red-headed archer. The princess of Dunbroch. Merida.

Even with the Chernabog looming behind Maleficent, Merida stood without any morsel of fear. She reached behind her neck and removed her pendant, glowing bright blue.

"A simple talisman won't save you or your friends!" mocked Maleficent.

"Ye know what really protected me from yer nasty tricks?! It be not some spell or trinket. It's me heart that keeps me alive. It's the hearts of everyone everywhere who won't stop beatin' and fightin'! That be the only kind of magic we can always trust!" Merida ran past the petrified heroes and approached King Mickey. She placed her bear pendant over his ears.

Maleficent was beyond baffled. Even the Chernabog was stunned by how anyone could have withstood their dark powers. A few seconds passed until the bear pendant released a pulse of light. The stone layer disintegrated. King Mickey was restored.

The Chernabog let out a thunderous roar. Maleficent snarled and grasped the arrow. She hissed as she pulled it out and tossed it aside. When she looked out again, she witnessed an outrageous disaster. King Mickey used his Keyblade with Merida's pendant to cast countless golden ribbons of light. They wrapped around each hero and shined. One by one, they were restored with their hearts reinvigorated.

"I don't understand...this cannot be!" yelled Maleficent in confusion.

"Darkness can only do so much when it's only working for one person," stated King Mickey. His teammates had gained a brilliant boost in bravery. They all had a righteous, gleaming glare in their eyes. Not even the Chernabog's hellish appearance could cast fear into their luminous hearts.

"The light can be dim when it thinks it's alone...and it thinks there's no one else around. But it's always there to remind us that we're all connected. Our hearts are our guiding key. That's the true strength that you will never have!"

When King Mickey finished speaking his truth, his friends behind him shouted and cheered.

"Enough! Let us see how your friends fare against us!" Maleficent turned to the Chernabog who curled its long fingers. It summoned up to seven Darkside Heartless. They were black giants with tangled, wormy strands of hair with a heart-shaped hole in their chests. King Mickey remembered fighting just one back at the castle stadium.

The Chernabog lifted another hand and called forth another legion of Heartless. They were sword-wielding, winged devils that descended from out of nowhere. They rushed in to slash the heroes but King Mickey deflected them all with a blast of light, acting as a barrier. He turned his focus up to Maleficent. The Chernabog had departed with the belief that he could let Maleficent and his minions defeat the heroes of light.

"Your Majesty! Go after her!" shouted Goofy.

"Yeah. We'll handle the Heartless!" Donald squawked and blasted a large fireball at a Darkside.

"Thanks, you guys!" King Mickey sprinted forward and hopped towards the scattered edges of the cliffside. Although the edges were tiny, they were strong enough for King Mickey to step off and grab hold. The flying devils tried to come for him down but Eve zoomed up and blasted them back. Before they could pursue King Mickey again, Aladdin and Peter Pan swerved from behind and sliced their wings. King Mickey was grateful for their help. He wanted to check on the others who impressively held a strong fight against the colossal Heartless. The Beast and Sulley brawled against a Darkside after Mike had been thrown to its head. He pulled its tendril like hair to deter its attacks. Mulan and Mushu attacked with blazing fire. Merida fired arrows into the eyes of multiple Darksides to blind them. When the arm of another Darkside reached over to squash her, Anna climbed up an ice ramp of stairs, courtesy of her sister, and slashed it off.

"Nice!" said Elsa. Looking up, King Mickey had scaled the cliffside, where he fought Maleficent on his own.

"Go on, Elsa. I'll be fine." Anna could tell exactly what Elsa wanted to do.

"Okay. Be safe," pleaded Elsa.

"I promise." Anna smiled before scampering to join Moana, Ariel, and Simba who had all succeeded in tripping a Darkside. As Elsa made her way towards the cliffside, she aided the other heroes. She created a barrier to block a Darkside from smacking Sparrow and fired icicles at a flying devil that was chasing Peter Pan.

Once Elsa came close enough to the base of the cliff side, she created a staircase out of solid ice. Two flying devils tried to ambush her but Stitch and Jim shot them down. A lone Darkside surprised Elsa and reached out to grab her. Hiro and Baymax flew just in time to deliver a powerful punch to its face.

Elsa successfully reached summit where Maleficent demonstrated her terrifying abilities. She lifted King Mickey with her thorny vines and slammed him against the ground. She waved her staff, causing the vines to pull King Mickey from his wrists and ankles. He could feel the thorns digging deep.

Elsa cast a gust of white magic, covering the vines in frost. She clenched her hand, turning the vines cold and brittle. King Mickey pulled in his arms and legs, causing the vines to shatter into icy dust. Maleficent was furious but her attention was briefly taken away. She, King Mickey and Elsa looked off towards a distant twister of stormy clouds. The silhouette of the Chernabog appeared beside it, far beyond a thin trail of land.

"The Chernabog. That's the real source of all this terrible darkness," revealed King Mickey.

"Go after it then," advised Elsa. "We'll catch up to you"

"Right. But we can't forget about her." King Mickey pointed his Keyblade at Maleficent.

"I can settle her. I promise," said Elsa, with confidence.

"You can settle me?" repeated Maleficent, offended. "How dare you!"

"Go, now!" warned Elsa. King Mickey hesitated but ran off towards the path that stretched towards where the Chernabog resided. Eve flew in from above and joined King Mickey. Together, they left to confront the Chernabog.

"So...you think you can defeat me? The Mistress of all Evil?" asked Maleficent in a deep, echoing voice.

Elsa stood silent with her glittering hands, flurrying with her unrivaled ice magic.

"Very well," said Maleficent, suddenly surrounded by smoke and crackling green embers. "You alone shall deal with me, Your Majesty...and all the powers of HELL!"

Maleficent ignited an explosive pop of fire and bolted into the air. She grew tall and cloaked herself in darkness. Elsa stomped the ground and ascended over her own platform of ice. The platform grew into a fifteen-foot tall pillar. Still, she looked up and faced Maleficent whose gown had morphed into a scaly body with wings, claws, fangs, and even longer horns. This was her darkest form. A ferocious black dragon.

Maleficent opened her jaw and spat infernal green fire. Elsa shot a freezing cold beam of ice.

FWOSSSSSH-KZZZZZZZZ!

The phenomenal fusion of ice and fire released a blazing, glittering blast. Elsa pushed her ice beam with greater intensity. As a dragon, Maleficent exhaled more wicked green flames. Both sought to overpower the other. Maleficent stretched her wings and flapped. It was a sudden rush of wind that weakened Elsa's balance. Her ice beam faltered. For a moment, all she could see was green. All she could feel was cruel, merciless heat. She slammed her hand onto her pillar and improvised an icy barrier. It absorbed the impact from the dragon fire. Elsa's hands could feel the melted ice from below. Maleficent swerved her gigantic body and slammed Elsa's pillar with her tail.

The pillar broke in half, dropping Elsa. She cast a wintery mist underneath herself. Maleficent waited for the mist to clear. A clump of snow had cushioned Elsa's fall. Elsa spotted the flames, growling through Maleficent's sharp teeth. She flung her arms up and created a tall, wide wall of ice.

KSSSSSH!

Maleficent spewed green fire to destroy Elsa's wall. Elsa had to move away and think of a new plan. She looked at her glassy ice wall and saw her reflection. She got an idea.

Maleficent roared, alerting all the heroes on the lowest level. Anna turned and muttered Elsa's name. She looked to Ariel and Moana who had just finished knocking over a Darkside. They escorted Anna towards the staircase of ice that Elsa had left behind. Anna hurried upwards but a winged devil tried to attack her. Anna ducked in time but slipped on one of the stair steps.

FWOOP!

Anna had fallen backwards but out of nowhere, someone lifted her and carried her to the summit.

"Going to save your sister?" asked Peter Pan.

"Uh Huh," said Anna.

"Here we goooo!" Peter Pan and Anna flew high but allowed safe distance between themselves and the field of flickering green fire. Neither could miss the sight of a terrifying dragon.

"Elsa!" cried Anna. Maleficent flung her head towards their direction.

KSSSSSH! The green flames streamed after them. Peter Pan carried Anna away but they could still feel the wicked heat.

"Whoa! That was a close one!" said Peter Pan.

"Elsa's in there! She needs our help!" said Anna.

"Yeah but how are gonna get in without getting cooked like a campfire?" asked Peter Pan. Anna knew he had a point. She would have followed her sister into fire if she had to. Peter Pan flew around the summit and searched for Elsa. He spotted her figure behind the smoke and winced when he saw Maleficent squash her with her dragon claws.

"ELSA!" screamed Anna, fighting her tears.

Maleficent sneered and pointed her long, reptilian jaws down. The icy mist faded and she found pieces of an ice statue. The head was shaped perfectly to resemble Elsa and her single braid.

"A decoy?" guessed Peter Pan.

KRZZZZZZZ!

Maleficent was struck in the back by a sharp beam of white and blue light. She whipped her tail back. Elsa ducked and slid underneath it in time. She cast another curved barrier around her path. She ran to gain distance but Maleficent flapped her wings to clear the mist and smoke. She found Elsa and blasted her with fire. Elsa gasped and threw her arms down to create a massive heap of thick, white snow. It was melted in a manner of seconds. Elsa wobbled as the air got hotter. She wondered if she had overestimated her powers.

"Winter is over," mocked Maleficent. She slammed both of her front claws onto the ground. The sudden tremor knocked Elsa off her feet.

"Elsa, no! Get up!" cried Anna. Maleficent turned with eager embers, flickering from her fangs. Peter Pan swiftly pulled her out of harm's way. Maleficent inhaled and blew a scorching stream of fire. She dragged her fire along their path, making it tricky to escape.

"Anna, no!" cried Elsa.

"Elsa! Don't give up! You got this!" cheered Anna.

"Yeah! We believe in you Elsa!" cried Peter Pan. He helped Anna to safety in the air but the flying devils pursued them. Peter Pan could not fly nimbly like he normally could. He retreated towards the massive group fight where the other heroes could aid him. Anna waved for Elsa before disappearing below the summit.

Elsa was grateful for them. Her beloved, brave sister and her funny, flying friend had inspired her. She stood firmly and glared back at Maleficent.

"You will not hurt my sister," said Elsa, boldly. Maleficent reared her massive head back and opened her jaws wide.

"You will not hurt my friends!" shouted Elsa. The ground beneath her fear froze into a thick layer of ice and spread. Long icicles emerged and formed a barricade. A harsh blizzard blew and whipped her cape. The ferocious frost flew viciously throughout the air. Maleficent intended to breath more green fire but the back of her throat stung from the cold. The blizzard was severe enough to turn her claws numb and her wings rigid. Maleficent snarled and lunged at Elsa.

Elsa shouted as she slapped her hands together. A mighty pulse of freezing cold wind slammed Maleficent. Even as a terrifying dragon, Maleficent flinched from the drastic drop in temperature.

KZZZZZZZ!

A single twenty-foot long icicle impaled Maleficent. She panicked as the layer of frost spread and cloaked her scales. The ice grew thick and clenched her joints. Her breath turned weak and misty. Maleficent shivered and wailed from the icicle's sting. The cold was severe. It was beyond her even her own twisted imaginations.

All was still and calm. Having spotted a whirling blizzard, Anna and Peter Pan returned to the summit to check on Elsa. Both Anna and Peter Pan were speechless. Even Peter Pan lowered himself in utter amazement. His feet touched the icy surface of the ground.

Maleficent was nothing more than a frozen dragon, transformed into pure ice. Elsa ambled towards the Mistress of All Evil and tapped her beastly belly.

A loud crack killed the silence. Maleficent's dragon jaw snapped and dropped. As it shattered, the rest of her frozen body fell and cracked into pieces. From chunks of ice to crumbles of snow, Maleficent had been defeated.

"Elsa!" Anna sprinted after Elsa, who wobbled after exhausting so much strength. Peter Pan caught Elsa before falling to the icy floor.

"Heeeey! You doing okay?" asked Peter Pan.

"I'm... I'm fine," mumbled Elsa.

"You were amazing!" proclaimed Anna.

"Yeah, you were like fwoosh, and psh-psh! And the fire was like all over the place! You totally slayed the dragon! I'm kinda jealous!"

"Where...where is King Mickey?" asked Anna, wrapping her arm behind Elsa.

"The little guy with the big key? Wasn't her up here earlier?" asked Peter Pan, scratching his head.

"I saw him go onward. To fight the monster," said Elsa.

"All by himself? Peter Pan, go see who can leave and follow him," said Anna.

"It's okay, Anna. Someone else went with him. We should go back and help the others down there," said Elsa.

"Right. Peter Pan will help out. You're staying here," asserted Anna. She grabbed Elsa's arm and took her from Peter Pan, hovering beside them.

"But-" Elsa stumbled forward but Anna had the reflexes to keep her up.

"Nope. Not gonna happen. You need to stay here and recover," argued Anna.

"Yeah, she's right. Give yourself a breather, kay?" said Peter Pan with a friendly wave as he headed towards the edge of the summit.

"Let us know if anything happens!" requested Anna. Peter Pan turned, gave a thumbs up, and flew down to join the ongoing battle.

"Thank you." Elsa wiggled her hand and created a chair of ice.

"Lay off the magic for a bit. I'll stay with you until you're feeling better," said Anna.

"Fine but I'm going back to fight again soon," insisted Elsa.

"I know. I can't stop you," said Anna with a little laugh.

"We're too stubborn for our own good," chuckled Elsa.

"Don't remind me," teased Anna.

The sky bellowed with wind and clouds that swirled and streamed towards the twister in the distance. It was the place where King Mickey and Eve had gone to pursue the Chernabog. The twister lit up with a hideous, violet glow.

"I hope he's all right," said Elsa.

"I do too," said Anna, giving her older sister a sweet hug.

"I don't know much of what's going to happen…but I have faith in him." Elsa and Anna wrapped their arms around each other. In this wicked world without the light of the sun or the gleam of the ocean, it was a foreign and frightening place. The sisters of Arendelle were fortunate to have each other. Soon, they would return to help their new friends in their heated clash against the Heartless. Elsa gazed at the stormy void where King Mickey was last seen. She sighed and remembered. King Mickey was not alone.