Hope you're ready cause here we go.
Chapter 35: The final incantation:
About an hour later, Alice still hadn't returned to help the boys. Not that they would be able to go with her anyway. Eugene and Varian had spent the better portion of twenty minutes, examining every inch of the cage that kept Varian prisoner. However, no matter how much they looked, they found no way to get Varian out of the cage safely, much less accomplishing that and getting back to the tower without falling. So, they decide to wait for Alice to return, hoping she would have another idea. They exchanged small talk here and there, but the two boys mostly sat in silence, just waiting for the keyblade master to return.
Just when it looked as though Alice would never return, the ground rumbled again. Before either of them could react, Varian's cage was being pulled inside the tower, taking both boys with it. Both of them, immediately knew that Cassandra was bringing them to her.
"Bad, this is bad !"Eugene exclaimed, as they started to get closer to the tower.
"Uh oh ,"Varian said, his eyes widening in fear before turning towards his friend.
"Stay close kid ,"Eugene told him, holding Varian's hold protectively as they entered the tower.
Within moments, both boys were face to face with Cassandra. Rapunzel was stuck on the wall nearby, pinned there with some of the black rocks. Varian gave his friend a questioning look, but she simply shook her head, and he decided to question it later.
"Welcome back boys, let me help you out ,"Cassandra offered, catching Varian's attention once more, and summoning a horde of black rocks.
Before anyone could react, the rocks wrapped themselves around Eugene, restraining him and keeping him from moving a muscle. Cassandra looked from Eugene to Rapunzel before speaking again, her tone malicious.
"You won't fight me, but will you fight for him ?"Cassandra asked, holding Eugene's chin in her hand.
"Cass, leave him alone !"Rapunzel demanded.
"I just realized I forgot to give you my birthday present, Eugene ,"Cassandra said coldly, using the powers of the Moonstone to make the rocks wrap around Eugene ever tighter, crushing him.
"Don't give in to her! Don't do anything she says !"Eugene cried out.
Before anything else could happen, a dark portal opened, causing everyone to turn their attention towards it. A few moments later, Ballora came rushing out of the portal, carrying a small bag of popcorn and clearly out of breath.
"I got here as quick as I could! Have I missed anything, have they started fighting yet!? Oh, this is gonna be good !"she exclaimed, her words coming out in a rush.
"What are you still doing here ?"Cassandra asked.
"I'm here to give you one piece of advice. So, listen to me carefully Cassie... I'm telling you from experience... Let. The Boy. Go !"Ballora told her, stressing her final words, indicating towards Varian.
"Why would I listen to you? You are just... the weaker version of me !"Cassandra told her.
"Alright then, don't say I didn't warn you ,"Ballora told her, sitting down next to Varian and helping herself to the popcorn.
"What are you talking about ?"he asked, raising a brow in question at Ballora's actions.
"Watch this Little Kitten, in three... two... one... ,"Ballora finished, before pointing towards the ceiling, where a large opening lay.
Without warning, a figure leaped down from the opening, landing near Cassandra and almost striking her with a long weapon. A battle cry filled the room as the figure leaped in, and Cassandra was quick to block her attacker, not quite sure who it was, although she had a good guess.
"Release, my brother and my friends !"the person demanded, in a hard but feminine voice.
If Cassandra knew who her attacker was before, the voice all but confirmed who it was. Sure enough, as Cassandra looked at her attacker, she saw it was Alice. A look of pure fury and rage painted on her face, her stance firm and strong.
"Oh great, now both siblings are here. Well, at least you're not singing ,"Cassandra said sarcastically rolling her eyes, and Alice cast a skeptical look over a Varian, who smiled sheepishly.
"I tried to warn you !"Ballora called, as Alice snapped her attention back to the wielder of the Moonstone.
"What is she thinking!? She's going to get herself killed !"Varian exclaimed.
"Oh, I don't know about that... I'm just glad I got here in time, I didn't want to miss a thing! Your sister, Varian, plus Cassandra, add you in distress for good measure, and it equals craziness! Believe me, Cassandra's doomed... Popcorn ?"Ballora offered, holding out the bag for Varian.
"You really want to do this Angel... after all, you know what this tower is made of ,"Cassandra told the women, that she was currently blocking from attacking her.
"You should have thought of that before you took Varian ,"Alice told her, removing her keyblade and getting into her battle stance.
"Alright, you asked for it ,"Cassandra told her, summoning a swarm of black rocks from the ceiling, rushing towards Alice and trying to crush her.
Alice however, was quick and cartwheeled out of the way, using the rocks around her as leverage to move around the room ever faster. Using the rocks, she swung around to Cassandra and successfully kicked the women in the ribs, pushing her away from Eugene and the others. Alice landed in a crouch after this, right in front of Cassandra. The women merely gritted her teeth as she charged towards Alice, wielding her black rocks sword. Alice blocked Cassandra every time she tried to land an attack on her, but she didn't launch on attack on the women. She knew that as long as Cass was wearing the black rock armor, then she wouldn't even hurt her. No, the best chance to win this battle was to wear the other women down, use her own personally strength or use magic. She was veering more towards the former of the two, because magic could get messy easily with four other people in the room. Three of them trapped and the other being an innocent bystander.
"I got to admit Ballora, I didn't expect to see you here, or to get help from you ,"Alice commented as Cassandra summoned another swarm of black rocks.
Instead of dodging them, Alice used the rocks to gain some height on Cassandra. Once she was high enough, she dived towards the women, Cassandra barely avoiding getting hit in the head with a block from her black rock sword.
"I wanted to watch the show, you can get pretty crazy when you want too ,"Ballora told her, sharing her popcorn with Varian.
"Good point, we've already seen that and that's just when she's not fighting. Also, I don't know about you Ballora, but I'm currently putting my money on Alice ,"Eugene said in a joking tone, as if betting on who would win the fight.
"WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS !"Cassandra exclaimed, in her fury she summoned another cluster of black rocks, which Alice was quick to avoid.
"Well, if you didn't keep my little brother hostage, you wouldn't have to b surrounded by idiots, also... We're not idiots ,"Alice told her.
"Also Cass, if you can't beat them, join them. I have to say, you two ladies are awesome at combat ,"Eugene told them, watching the entire fight with amazement.
"She hasn't even used magic yet, that's when it will get interesting ,"Ballora told him.
"What exactly do you mean when you say 'interesting' ?"Rapunzel asked.
"I mean like, a huge burst of magic !"Ballora exclaimed excitedly.
"And, when you say huge... ?"Varian asked.
"Like, blow up the tower, huge !"Alice yelled over to him, just barely avoiding Cassandra's blade.
"I don't get why you're not casting magic anyway, from what Ballora told me, you want to destroy me, so why not make it quick ?"Cassandra questioned, as if daring her to try it.
"Since when do you listen to Ballora ?"Alice asked teasingly.
"I DON'T, now stop avoiding the question !"Cassandra demanded, managing to get a hit on Alice's right wrist.
A loud snap filled the room, and Alice let out an exclamation of pain, her keyblade vanishing. Alice was quick to leap onto away from Cassandra, if only to inspect her injury and see how bad it was. One thing was obvious though, her keyblade had vanished for a reason.
"Oh no! That was her dominant hand !"Varian exclaimed in realization.
"Which means what exactly ?"Rapunzel asked.
"It means she can't use her keyblade anymore !"Ballora exclaimed.
"So... what are you going to do without that blade of yours !"Cassandra taunted, and Alice sighed.
"Without my blade... oh well... Magic is more fun anyway !"Alice said, shrugging as she summoned some fire balls.
Cassandra merely gritted her teeth again, summoning another cluster of black rocks. Alice maneuvered in and out of the rocks with ease, casting spell after spell. She was able to land a few hits on Cassandra, but the rest just barely missed hitting anyone else.
"Watch where you're casting those things !"Eugene exclaimed, after he almost lost his head for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Give me a break! I'm doing the best I can !"Alice yelled back, just barely avoiding another cluster of black rocks.
"This is your best... being a keyblade master, I expected more ,"Cassandra taunted, rolling her eyes.
"You try fighting with one hand out of commission by dislocation and tell me it's easy ,"Alice told her.
"Wait, dislocation !?"Ballora asked.
"Yeah, my wrist is just dislocated, it'll take something strong to pop it back into place though !"Alice confirmed, before s black rock came up from under her feet, knocking her onto her back.
"Like that for instance ,"Alice said, her voice slightly weak.
"ALICE !"Varian yelled in shock.
Luckily for Alice, the fall had popped her wrist back into place. Unfortunately, she was dazed and losing strength because of her extensive use of magic, and Cassandra was right on top of her, trying to pin the women to the ground using her sword.
"I DON'T THINK I CAN HOLD HER OFF... MUCH... LONGER !"Alice exclaimed, summoning her keyblade to block Cassandra.
Alice was able to block the attack, however with her current position on the floor, and with no strength to fix her position, Alice couldn't do anything more than block the attack. Cassandra however, kept pushing with her sword, and so both women came to a stand still.
"They're both evenly matched, there's got to be some way we can end this, right Varian ,"Ballora nudged, giving the boy a skeptical look.
Varian's eyes widen, he knew exactly what she meant and he nodded before turning towards Rapunzel, rifling through his bag as he did so.
"Rapunzel! I have the final incantation, you have to use it ,"he told her, holding out the piece of parchment that had the incantation written on it.
Pascal, who had been sitting on Rapunzel's shoulder, used his tongue to grab the parchment, holding it up for Rapunzel to read. Cassandra, upon hearing what Varian said, looked over at them in confusion, lifting her sword off of Alice just a tiny bit.
"Final incantation? What is he talking about ?"she asked.
Seeing that Cassandra was distracted, Alice took the opportunity to kick her in the stomach, getting out from underneath her. However, as soon as she was on her feet, Cassandra recovered and used to black rocks to try and incase the keyblade master. Alice let out a gasp of surprise as she was nearly detained in the rocks, her eyes and Varian's meeting for a brief moment as she dodged the black rocks. Varian turned back to Rapunzel, his tone desperate.
"Rapunzel! Use it ,"he begged, Cassandra summoning more rocks that creped up around them.
Rapunzel gave a little sigh before looking towards the parchment. Rapunzel quickly read the words memorizing them. Alice looked over at her friend as she did this, managing to get away from the rocks, but more were coming, so if Rapunzel was going to do something, now was the time to do it.
"Power of the sun, gift me with your light, shine into the dark, restore our fading sight. Rise into the dawn, blazing stars so bright, burn away the strife, let my hope ignite, let hope ignite ,"Rapunzel recited, her hair and eyes glowing a beautiful yellow-golden color.
The rocks that had restrained the princess broke away, and the woman hovered at least six inches off of the ground. She floated over towards Cassandra, and even though her eyes were filled with golden light, there was no mistaking the look of anger in her eyes.
"Let him go, Cassandra !"Rapunzel demanded, everyone knowing that she was referring to Eugene.
"I. DON'T. FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS ANYMORE !"Cassandra exclaimed, sending a cluster of black rocks towards Rapunzel.
"I said, LET HIM GO !"Rapunzel demanded, spreading her arms apart.
Still under the influence of the final incantation, the black rocks were destroyed in a burst of golden light. This didn't deter Cassandra in the slightest. She merely sent one round of black rocks after another towards her former friend, Rapunzel destroying every rock that was thrown her way.
"This is getting interesting ,"Ballora said, still watching the battle before her.
"You can say that again. Are you two okay, did I hit either of you ?"Alice asked, joining her brother and former friend in watching the battle between Rapunzel and Cassandra.
"No, we're fine Al, thanks to Varian's quick thinking ,"Ballora told her.
"Only because you hinted at what I should do ,"Varian told her, and Ballora gave a tiny chuckle before her eyes caught sight of something behind Cassandra.
"A-A-Allison ,"She stuttered.
"Yeah Ballora, what's wrong ?"Alice asked, noticing the expression of fear on the other woman's face.
Ballora said nothing. Merely pointing at where she was looking. Confused, Varian and Alice followed the other woman's gaze and their eyes landed on a purple portal, opening just above Cassandra's throne, a small figure disappearing into it.
"What in the world was that ?"Alice asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"It looked like one of my portals... but only stronger ,"Ballora said, tilting her head.
"Wait, you guys don't know !?"Varian asked in surprise.
"No... It's strange though, that figure that entered the portal... they almost looked like...,"Alice started, just before an explosion of light, coming from the direction of Rapunzel and Cassandra, cut her off.
The explosion completely destroyed the room they were in, the ceiling and walls shattering into pieces, only leaving the floor and the base of the tower. Strong winds came from the area that was bursting with golden and blue light, from Rapunzel and Cassandra respectively. With nothing but open air around them, and being so high off the ground, it wasn't the most safest place to be. Without warning, both Ballora and Alice flew backwards, unable to get a grip on anything because of the strong winds, and both girls fell off of the tower.
"Alice, Ballora !"Varian exclaimed, watching as the girls flew away.
Varian watched as Eugene was set free as well, and he called out to him. However, a few moments later, the bars of his cage began to crack, before full on breaking, leaving him with no time to grab onto anything, and flying off of the tower just like the girls had.
"Varian !"Eugene exclaimed, Varian hearing it just before he fell.
Varian started screaming as he fell off of the tower. He saw Ballora and his sister below him, both of them screaming as well. Ballora's eyes caught his for a moment, before she turned her head away. A portal opened beneath the women and she fell into it. Varian stared in shock, completely astounded by the fact that after all they talked about, that she would just leave both him and his sister for dead. Suddenly, another portal opened just below Alice, and she fell into it. Within a few moments, Varian felt something wrap around his torso. He looked and saw Alice with her arms around him.
"Sis, what are you doing !?"he yelled.
"I told you I'd always be there for you, I'm not stopping now !"Alice yelled, maneuvering in midair so that she was underneath her little brother.
Varian realized exactly what she meant in that moment. She was trying to use her body to shelter his fall, in one last attempt to make sure that he lived, even if she didn't. Realizing this, he struggled in his sister's hold, not wanting her to make such a sacrifice for him.
"Sis, no, NO! You can't !"Varian exclaimed.
Alice just held her brother close and closed her eyes as both her and Varian started screaming again. She knew that if she was going to die, she would die knowing that she protected her little brother until the very end. Just as Alice was saying her final goodbyes to the world, and silently begging Varian for forgiveness, she felt herself land in a pair of strong arms. Alice looked up and realized that she had landed safely, right into Lance's open arms. She looked towards Varian, who had slipped from her hold upon their landing, and saw him in Lance's other arm, his goggles slightly tilted. Alice let out a giggle at this, looking towards Kiera, Catalina and Max, who were standing nearby. Alice was happy to be alive, but even more happy to see her little brother safe.
"Lance !"Varian exclaimed, fixing his goggles and hugging the older man.
"Varian, Alice! See, here they are, and I lead us right to them ,"Lance said, causing Kiera to slam her face into her hand, which caused Alice to laugh again.
Alice stopped laughing after a few moments as Lance put both her and Varian down. Suddenly, a small portal opened above their heads, and out fell a single ballerina slipper, the matching one to the one that Alice had found earlier. Alice picked up the shoe and held it between her hands.
"She... she knew you were here... She knew you would catch us... that's why she...,"Alice started, looking out towards the horizone.
"Alice... are you going to be okay ?"Varian asked, noticing the look of sadness in his sister's eyes.
"I should be asking you that ,"Alice said, snapping herself out of her thoughts, and looking towards her friends.
"Anyway, let's get out of here, I doubt we'll have to wait long before Rapunzel, Eugene and Pascal catch up with us ,"Alice said.
Everyone nodded and turned to make their way down the steps of the tower. Before she joined them, Alice turned back around and held the ballerina slipper close to her heart. She knew Ballora had helped them, and she couldn't help but reminisce about how this was just like their school days. As Alice remembered the good times, she looked up at the stars shining in the night sky.
"Thank you Ballora... thank you ,"she whispered softly.
"Sis, are you coming !"Varian called.
"Yeah, I'm coming Vary... let's go home ,"Alice said, and they all walked back down the steps of the tower, ready to go home.
Well, that was fun. And, it looks like those girls can get along after all. Anyway I'll see you all next week.
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