Maleficent situated herself on the stone throne bearing the image of a large bat spreading its wings. She enjoyed being back in the Forbidden Mountains. Though she'd come a long way since the days when she called this castle her home, it had a certain nostalgia to it that she had to admit pleased her. Hades, on the other hand, seemed far less impressed as he studied a broken column.
"See, when you said we were headin' back to your old place, I was expectin' something a lil' bit more... put together," Hades said. "Y'know if ya needed some cash to fix up the place, you could just ask."
"There'll be no need for that," Maleficent replied. "It is here to serve our purposes for the time being, nothing more."
"If you say so," Hades shrugged. "So we've got some time to kill until bird-brain and the kid check in. Wanna do somethin' fun just the two of us?"
"What, pray tell, did you have in mind?" Maleficent inquired.
"Glad you asked," Hades said with a devilish grin.
Hades waved his arms dramatically, and, from a flash of blue fire, an elaborate obstacle course appeared encompassing Maleficent's throne room.
"FIRE TAG!" Hades announced. "A little game me and the Furies used to play back in the day."
"This seems juvenile and beneath us," Maleficent said as she raised her eyebrow.
"Wuh-oh, sounds like someone's scared she'll lose!" Hades taunted.
Maleficent glared intensely at Hades. "... You shall know the bitter taste of defeat!"
"That's the spirit!" Hades said with a laugh. "PAIN! PANIC!"
Hades's pair of imps appeared before the Overtakers and bowed before them.
"What can we do for you, your malevolentnesses?" Pain asked.
"Boys, explain the rules of Fire Tag to Mally here," Hades said.
"Yes sir!" Panic said with a salute. "Fire Tag is a game of speed, finesse, and... well... fire. Within the obstacle course, there are five different colored torches that must be absorbed and captured."
"Opponents start the game on opposite ends of the obstacle course," Pain continued. "There are two torches closer to each entrance than the other. The fifth torch is dead center, so it's the one that's the biggest competition to get."
"The obstacle course is filled with traps and obstacles to get in your way and slow you down," Panic explained. "All magic except teleportation is legal to bypass the obstacles. As such, it's recommended and encouraged that you use your magic to create even MORE obstacles to slow your opponent down."
"First villain to collect the fires of three torches wins!" Pain finished off.
"Very well, I understand," Maleficent said.
Maleficent allowed fire to wash over her body and transform her clothes into something more sensible for the competition. In place of her usual ensemble was a purple and magenta palette swap of her usual dress. This dress, however, was securely held in place by a belt at her waist, and the skirt was trainless and loose enough to allow easier movement. In place of her high heels, she donned a pair of black boots.
"Smart call, babe, but you're still goin' down," Hades teased. "And, hey, believe me, I know down!"
Pain and Panic escorted the two villains to the opposite entrances to the obstacle course. Hades and Maleficent readied themselves for the competition.
"On your marks," Pain called out.
"Get set," Panic added.
"GO!" they yelled in unison.
The two villains immediately took off into the obstacle course. Hades may have summoned up the course, but he didn't know what was in store. In order to be fair, he'd designed the course to generate its own obstacles so that he couldn't be any more prepared than Maleficent. The first flame that Hades came across was bright orange, and it sat in the center of a fountain of water that fired jets of water into the air around the flame.
"Water, huh? Small potatoes," Hades remarked. "Water smells kinda funky... familiar, but I just can't remember where I've smelled it before... Wait. Can't remember? Oy vey, it's Lethe water! This, this could be a problem."
Water from the Pool of Forgetfulness wouldn't kill Hades, but it'd give him a nasty case of amnesia until he sweat the water out of his system. He'd never be able to beat Maleficent if he forgot who he was in the process. Hades channeled his fires through the stone floor to create a large pool of hot lava. With a gesture, Hades beckoned for the lava to coat the fountain. The water quickly hardened the lava into solid stone that paved a clear pathway to the flame. Hades ran up to the torch and absorbed the orange fire, turning his hair the same bright shade of orange.
"That's one for Hades!" he boasted loudly. "Iiiiit's a dead world aaaafter aaaaall!"
Maleficent wandered through the course until she found a narrow hallway with large pendulum blades swinging back and forth. At the end of the hall burned a torch with vibrant purple flames.
"How quaint," Maleficent said with a chuckle.
The blades were designed to slice the corporeal into ribbons, so the obvious solution was to be incorporeal. Maleficent transformed herself into an orb of green light and flew past the swinging blades without acquiring a single scratch. Maleficent returned to her true form and absorbed the purple fire. The orb atop her staff became engulfed in the violet flames.
"Simply child's play for the Mistress of All Evil," Maleficent boasted.
The two villains proceeded deeper into the maze. Now with a flame in hand each, the two set their own powers to block their opponent's path. Hades's next flame was a brilliant blue one, and the only thing that stood in his way was a ferocious manticore.
"Yeesh, a face only a mother could love," Hades remarked, earning the ire of the beast.
The manticore lashed out at Hades with its scorpion-like stinger, but Hades managed to spin out of the way. The stinger crashed harmlessly into the floor, wedging its venomous point between the cobblestones. With a lash of fire, Hades severed the stinger from the tail. The manticore roared in pain and swiped at Hades with its claws. However, the beast's paws passed right through Hades's body as if he were nothing but smoke.
"Three strikes, you're OUT!" Hades declared.
Hades's arms extended into jets of fire that engulfed the manticore. The beast howled and ran around frantically, trying in vain to put out the fires singeing its fur.
"Hope you're paid up on the fire insurance," Hades quipped.
Hades turned his attention back towards the torch. He proceeded towards it, but stopped suddenly when a swirling purple cloud took shape overhead.
"Ooh, Maleficent, you naughty girl!" Hades said. "Now it's gettin' interesting!"
The dark cloud unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck out towards Hades. He only just barely managed to evade the bolt.
"Oy, why do all of my problems come down to thunder and lightning?" Hades asked.
Hades snapped his fingers and a pole of stygian iron protruded from the ground. The pole acted as a lightning rod, drawing the lightning away from Hades enough to where he could absorb the blue fires. His orange flaming hair developed streaks of blue.
"Y'know, I just love the duo-tone effect," Hades remarked. "Always a stylish choice!"
Maleficent, meanwhile, located her second torch, one of green flames. The torch was situated directly behind a sphinx. If the myths could be trusted, bypassing this obstacle would be a simple task for Maleficent. However, as the evil fairy approached the fire's guardian, Cerberus emerged from a dark portal to block her path. Hades's three headed hellhound roared and growled to intimidate Maleficent.
"ENOUGH!" Maleficent shouted as two claps of thunder roared around her.
Cerberus immediately hunkered down and whimpered at the sound of thunder, just as much as slave to his canine weaknesses as any dog.
"Stay!" Maleficent ordered, and Cerberus was of no mind to disobey.
Maleficent walked around Hades's dog and approached the sphinx. The creature had the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a woman. The sphinx locked eyes with Maleficent.
"I trust you know how this works," the sphinx said.
"Yes," Maleficent nodded. "Give me your riddle. Quickly!"
"The more of me that you take," the sphinx began, "the more of me that you leave behind. What am I?"
Maleficent thought for a moment. What could one take while still leaving behind? The very nature of the riddle seemed contradictory. Yet Maleficent knew that that same contradiction would point her towards the answer. She simply had to think through the wording step by... Maleficent smiled when she realized that she knew the answer.
"Footsteps," Maleficent answered confidently.
The sphinx nodded and stepped out of the way. Maleficent dipped the head of her staff into the torch and absorbed the green fires into the orb. The purple and green flames together created a beautiful combination of colors that Maleficent had always found attractive.
"Now only one remains," Maleficent said with a grin.
Hades and Maleficent proceeded towards the final flame, each finding a myriad of Heartless blocking their path. Though they were able to easily destroy the dark creatures with a bolt of lightning or a well aimed fireball, disposing of the Heartless took time. By the time Maleficent reached the red flamed torch in the center of the course, Hades had arrived as well.
"You got two; I got two," Hades announced. "One more to go."
"For me at least," Maleficent replied.
"Sorry Malef, but this victory belongs to HADES!" he declared.
"Is that so?" Maleficent asked with a sly smirk. "Seize him at once!"
Three of Maleficent's goblins appeared from a flurry of chartreuse flame and charged towards Hades with their weapons drawn.
"Really, babe? The minions? Against ME?" Hades asked with a roll of his eyes. "I think it's time to remind you who's the LORD OF THE DEAD!"
With a swipe of his claw, jets of fire struck the goons. They howled in pain and fled from Hades's attack. Hades grinned and fluffed his collar.
"And that's how ya do it," he boasted. "Hades sty-"
But Hades found himself quickly overwhelmed by Maleficent unleashing a barrage of lightning bolts on him. Hades put up his arms to block the bolts, but their power was too great. When the smoke cleared, there was naught but a smoldering crater in the spot where Hades once stood. Maleficent smirked and proceeded towards the flame to claim her victory. However, Maleficent stumbled backwards when Hades burst out of the ground in front of her.
"SURPRISE!" Hades yelled.
"WHAT?" Maleficent shrieked as she felt herself levitating off the ground.
She quickly noticed that Hades's smoke was holding her aloft. With only a gesture, Hades telekinetically threw Maleficent backwards away from the torch. Hades rubbed his hands together greedily and ran towards the torch.
"NO!" Maleficent called out as she summoned a wall of thorns between Hades and the flame.
"Foliage ain't gonna stop me, Mal!" Hades said as he summoned a fireball to his hand.
As Hades started to burn away the thorns, Maleficent summoned black iron chains to wrap around Hades and restrain his arms. She then beckoned for the thorns to wrap around Hades as if they were a woven basket. She quickly dashed towards the torch to get there before Hades could escape. Flickers of flame seeped through the holes in the trap until it exploded outward, freeing Hades.
"OKAY. NOW I'M ANGRY!" Hades declared.
But before Hades could turn his attention back towards Maleficent, something dive-bombed him from up above. Hades ducked and turned to see what it was just in time to see Diablo swooping down to claw at his face again. Hades dodged again and resisted the urge to fry the bird.
"Hey, Malef, your bird's back," Hades announced. "I think we better-"
But that was when he noticed Maleficent absorbing the final torch, adding the red fires to her purple and green flames.
"Hey! No fair! Interference!" Hades whined. "I was distracted!"
The obstacle course around them vanished. Maleficent cackled with glee at her victory.
"I have defeated you utterly!" Maleficent boasted intensely. "You shall never again rise from the ashes of your humiliation to challenge the MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL!"
Hades crossed his arms and scoffed.
"Well, that was quite enjoyable," Maleficent said in a pleasant tone.
Diablo cawed to signify that he brought news. Maleficent held out her hand, and Diablo landed there to give his report. As Maleficent listened, Kieran entered through a Corridor of Darkness.
"Hey hey! There's lover boy!" Hades declared. "How's the princess?"
"I hate her," Kieran answered. "I don't know why you people want her. She's a spoiled vacuous brat. I'd be more than happy to slit her throat whenever you'd like."
"Love the enthusiasm, babe, but no dice," Hades replied. "She's a lot more valuable than you realize. We're gonna need you to keep doin' exactly what you're doin'."
Kieran scowled but didn't argue further.
"Any chinks in her armor?" Hades asked.
"She's used to getting her way," Kieran answered. "I don't think she's ever been told the word 'no.' If we can make it so the only way to get her way is through us, we can get her under control. No sweat."
"Excellent work," Maleficent said as Diablo flew up into the rafters. "And Diablo has just discovered exactly what we need to make that happen. It appears dear Prince Benjamin is in love with another."
"How could he not be with a betrothed like that?" Kieran added.
"Then all we've gotta do is push princey-poo into following his heart," Hades said with a grin. "Oh, we've got this!"
"Indeed," Maleficent said as the eerie green glow from her staff reflected off her face. "And I can be very persuasive."
"I did not think to ever see you again, Loki," Karnilla said as she toiled away over the bubbling cauldron. "After your escape from the Hall of Nastrond, I had thought you clever enough to stay away from Asgard."
Loki perused Karnilla's shelves of potions, prophecies, and ancient magics known only to the Norns. His sorcerous craft was impressive, even in comparison to the myriad of sorcerers in the Overtakers, yet Karnilla's power was always in a league of her own.
"I had thought you cleverer than that," Loki replied. "Loki shall never be kept from the throne that is his by right!"
"Your base vanity has long been your undoing," Karnilla taunted. "And what of these other-worldly allies I've heard whisper of?"
"No longer a concern of mine," Loki answered. "I am as I always have been: alone."
"Yes, your company is certainly unpleasant," Karnilla agreed.
Loki scowled. "Are you going to continue to waste my time or will your spell be completed within this century?"
"Calm yourself, Laufeyson," Karnilla said as she filled two vials with the azure liquid. "The spell is complete."
"And it will do as I have specified?" Loki asked.
"Yes," Karnilla nodded as she handed Loki the potions. "When ingested, the potion will make your victims totally devoted to you. They will develop an over-powering fondness for you and a desire to obey your every whim. But be forewarned: this is no mind control spell. A strong enough will can resist your commands, and though the spell creates devotion, devotion can be lost if you abuse your victims."
"But it will allow me to use Thor to usurp Odin and place me on the throne?" Loki asked as he admired the liquid.
"Yes, the potion will make him believe you to be the rightful king and worthy of his protection," Karnilla replied. "But be wary of excessive cruelty. Thor will ever be Thor. Nobility runs through his veins as surely as blood. If you commit disdainful atrocities with him or in his presence, he will almost certainly break free of the spell."
"No matter," Loki said with a devilish grin. "A master of deception such as I can ensure that Thor only sees of me what I want him to see."
"Do not forget," Karnilla said. "My aid does not come free. Once Asgard is yours, I will be expecting Balder to be given to me as my reward."
"And so he shall be," Loki agreed.
After he has served my purposes, Loki added to himself.
Loki twirled his cape dramatically and exited the Norn Queen's lair. With Thor and Balder under his thrall, Asgard would fall before him. True, he'd attempted similar schemes in the past, but this time he'd apply the lessons learned from his past mistakes. There would be no follies this time around.
A Corridor of Darkness emerged at the nexus point in Mephisto's Hell, and from it emerged Winnie and Davy Jones, followed soon after by Sarah, and, finally, Jafar and Hook bringing up the rear. Winnie summoned her spellbook to her hands and struggled a bit under its size and weight. Davy immediately came to her aid and helped hold up and balance the book. Jafar stroked his beard in contemplation at the gesture.
"Thank you," Winnie replied. "Ahem-hem. Now then, to find our dear Enchantress... let's see, what does the book say... locating magical artifacts, no, locating precious metals, no, locating souls in the mortal plain, no... A-HA! Here we are! Locating souls in Hell. By the roads of damnation, and demons most foul, give me guidance on my dark and deadly prowl! May the roads be clear and my sight keen, may the subject become one who I will have seen! Oh fires of Hell light my way, lead me to the one whose name I do say! Amora the Enchantress!"
A beacon of orange light shot straight into the air from the pages of the spellbook, vanishing into the blackness of the skies above. The light seemed to attach to something invisible up above, and it began to move. The light seemed to be a searchlight of sorts, rolling over the broken roads in search of the target. The light progressively grew smaller and smaller on the horizon. After a few minutes, the light found its target miles away, becoming little more than a pin-prick of light.
"There! That is our destination!" Winnie declared. "Stay close to me! The perils of Hell art... well, perilous! Thine safety rests in my hands!"
"How comforting," Hook said sarcastically.
"You'll not speak in such a manner, boy," Davy growled. "I did not raise ye to hide behind yer wicked tongue."
"Hmph!" Winnie snorted as she beckoned for the procession to follow.
Jafar and Hook hung back from the other three, intentionally keeping a wide gap between them and the rest of their travelling party.
"There is an attraction between your father and Winifred Sanderson," Jafar whispered to Hook so that the others would not hear. "Can't you see it?"
"Bloody hell. I should count myself thankful that I did not inherit his poor taste in lovers," Hook replied with a sneer.
"Tell that lie to one who is ignorant to your past with Emma Swan," Jafar said with a playful smirk.
"Very well, I've dreadful tastes in lovers," Hook acquiesced. "Especially considering that I'm courting a gentleman who cannot take a compliment without bringing up my previous slag."
"Focus on the matter at hand," Jafar said. "We know of their affections, and thus we can use them to our advantage."
"I heard from Mary that Winnie has always had a jealous streak," Hook shared. "Her last lover, Billy the Butcher's Son, sported with her sister Sarah, and... well, let's just say things got a bit messy. Seems to be a trend with cowardly evil sorcerers. They drive their own lovers away, and murder them in cold blood for attempting to find happiness with another..."
"Are you done projecting your traumatic memories onto others?" Jafar asked. "Or should I arrange for a violinist to follow your around?"
"Humorous, but not my point," Hook replied. "Torment is the goal, is it not? I think history repeating itself would most certainly achieve that goal. And if we were to cause it to happen? Well that'd be all the better."
"And if your father perishes in the process, it will not be at our hands," Jafar pointed out. "Maleficent could hardly blame us for the actions of that madwoman."
"I do believe we have our heading, Jafar," Hook said with a grin.
Random destruction had never been Solomon Grundy's modus operandi, even after becoming a disgusting swamp zombie. He'd always believed in organized crime the old fashioned way: a code of honor with organization and structure. Being a gangster wasn't noble work by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a pillar of order and tradition. Now all of that had gone straight out the window. Gotham went over to the freaks, Grundy's own body followed, and now he was worlds away in a city of magic that was being torn apart by a vindictive vampire's vengeance. To say things were different now was to state the obvious.
Grundy never wanted this world of freaks and magic. He didn't care about the political machinations of Steve Newlin on the television set, nor Russell's longings for anarchy. All of his so-called friends in the prison all wanted to prove themselves to be as mighty and evil as the Overtakers. They believed in the Undertakers in a way that Grundy simply didn't. In truth, Grundy was only there for one reason: loyalty to Fish Mooney. He didn't hold his imprisonment or his uncomfortable surroundings against Fish. She'd only done what she thought was best, and if Grundy was worse off because of it? Well, that was just the risk you had to accept when you believed in someone the way Grundy did in Fish.
As the swamp zombie strolled down the streets, ignoring the chaos and destruction around him, he had only one thought: getting back to Fish's side.
"Butch!"
Grundy flinched at hearing his old name, but he'd know that voice anywhere. He turned around to see her running over to him. A feeling of pride and joy swelled inside of his decaying heart.
"FISH!" Grundy called out as he ran to meet her half-way.
"Oh, baby, are you okay?' Fish asked. "I'm so sorry for everything! I wanted to come for you, but I just couldn't! I mean-"
"It's okay, Fish, I forgive you," Grundy interrupted as he hugged his dear friend.
Fish gave him a loving pat on the back as they pulled out of their embrace.
"As much as Russell's actions are a pain in my ass, I'm grateful for the chance to see you again," Fish said with a smile.
"Me too," he said with a smile. "The unstoppable duo, together again."
"And not a moment too soon either," Fish quipped. "These other fools are driving me up the wall."
"So what's our game plan with all this?" Grundy asked.
"We're taking the castle by any means necessary," Fish said. "Ursula and Steve have Russell contained, and Kingpin is working to rally the escapees under our control. We know that punk ass kid Sora's in the city, but we've yet to find him."
"Spiky hair and a giant key, right? I saw him a little less than an hour ago," Grundy chimed in. "He went after the Sinister Six. Looked like he was headin' across the aqueducts."
"What could that sextet be up to?" Fish wondered out loud.
"I dunno," Grundy answered. "I saw Edgington talking to Toomes before I left. He must've given them a job to do."
Fish ran her tongue along the backside of her teeth in contemplation.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
All power in Radiant Garden was generated by a large reactor in the shadow of the castle. A blue plexiglass protected the main reactor from the elements, and various smoke stacks adorned the edge of the area to release the airborne byproducts of the reactions. Sora had never thought too hard about Radiant Garden's power system, and thus didn't recognize the reactor for what it was when followed Electro, Rhino, and the Vulture there. To him, it appeared to be just another area to battle villains. When Sora arrived he found only Electro leaning up against an exposed pipe.
"Well, well, ya finally made it to the party," Electro said with a smug grin. "Was beginnin' to think you weren't gonna show."
Sora summoned the Keyblade to his hand. "Heh, some party! No cake? No ice cream?"
"Don't knock it just yet, kid," Electro warned. "This party's gonna be killer!"
With a rumble following every footstep, Rhino stomped in behind Sora and used his bulk to block the exit.
"You might even say it's gonna be a smashin' success!" Rhino added, punching his fist into his hand to make his meaning plain.
Vulture soared overhead and descended down onto the reactor next to Electro. "And you're the guest of honor, Key Cretin!"
"That's Sora," the Key bearer insisted. "And you guys are Spider-Man's reject villains, right? How'd three lowlifes like you get in with the Overtakers?"
"Yo, Adrian, the kid said three," Electro said with a devilish grin.
"Yes, I heard him," Vulture replied. "What unfortunately misplaced optimism."
"Well, y'know what they say," Electro began, "three's a crowd."
"But four's company," Scorpion said as he leaped out from below the reactor.
Scorpion lashed out with his tail towards Sora, and Sora only barely managed to dodge roll out of the way. The sound of a gunshot echoed around the area. Sora realized that a bullet had just barely missed him. He looked up to where the shot had been fired from to see Madame Medusa standing on the roof of a nearby control room.
"Five is fabulous!" Medusa announced. "That was a warning shot, by the way!"
Medusa's Crocodiles, Brutus and Nero crawled into view and began to circle Sora hungrily. Rhino stepped to the side to allow McLeach to stroll in the arena. Sora gasped when he saw the poacher brandishing Leon's gunblade. McLeach wore a positively devilish smile at Sora's expression.
"And six is a party!" McLeach quipped. "I see ya admirin' my new toy I picked up."
"That belongs to my friend!" Sora yelled.
"Well, finders keepers, losers weepers," McLeach teased. "I may have only made it through third grade, but even I learned that much, kid!"
"What have you done with Leon?" Sora asked.
"Last we saw him, he was goin' toe-to-toe with the Nemean Lion," Scorpion answered. "After he dropped his toy, we thought it best not to interfere."
Sora's blood ran cold at the thought of Leon trying to battle against one of Hades's monsters without a weapon. He knew Leon was resourceful, but his chances were slim. Sora hoped against hope that Leon would somehow be alright.
"You should prob'ly be worried more 'bout yourself!" Rhino warned.
By now, all five of the villains on the ground and both crocodiles were circling Sora menacingly. Sora tried to keep his eyes on his opponents, but concentrating on only one was next to impossible. He'd faced worse odds than this before, but that didn't make things any easier.
"We are the Sinister Six," Vulture announced with a laugh. "And tonight we shall be your executioners!"
Sora took a deep breath and strengthened his resolve.
"Bring it on!"