Disclaimer: All Disney works are the property of The Walt Disney Company. All other characters and settings are the property of their respective legal owners.

Author's note: Originally posted by Anon e Mouse Jr. on 2017-11-04. This is the first of two chapters posted today.

Disney/Kingdom Hearts Loops, Chapter Thirteen

13.1 (LordCirce): [The Incredibles]

The Incredible Avengers (Part 1): Curing the Syndrome

Bob yawned as he Awoke, and jerked slightly on the steering wheel of the car he was driving. Luckily, the road around him was empty, and he was able to correct himself, shaking his head to clear it.

"Okay, fancy old car. Unless I was super-nostalgic this Loop, that leaves me as starting out much earlier than normal." He grinned. "Let's make some changes."

Bob flexed as he sat back into his chair. He'd spotted Buddy's hair, so 3, 2, 1...

"Cool! Ready for takeoff!"

Bob snorted internally and faked a jump. "What? Who are you?"

Buddy waved his hands and struck a pose. "Well, I'm Incrediboy."

Bob gave him a flat look. "Uh huh. And does your mother know you're here, Buddy?"

"I'm not Buddy. I'm Incrediboy!"

Bob stifled a sigh. He had forgotten just how stubborn Buddy was at this point. "Okay, Incrediboy, but I would like to talk to Buddy for a moment. Could I do that?" He put on his best fatherly smile.

Buddy paused, then slowly nodded, pulling off the mask. "I'm still Incrediboy."

Bob nodded. "Okay. But again, does your mother know you're here?"

Buddy shook his head, and in a small voice, muttered, "No."

Bob sighed. "Look, Buddy, I would love to have Incrediboy backing me up, but you're still a kid. This isn't like a comic book, where I can take you out, fighting crime, while you're still in school. There are dangerous people out there, who wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, even though you're a kid."

"I'm not a kid! I'm ten!"

Bob had to bite back the laughter that Buddy's outburst provoked. "That's still not old enough for me to take you out. You would need to be eighteen, sixteen at the earliest, and only then with your mother's full consent and permission. Being a superhero doesn't mean that I can do whatever I want with no regard for the law, you know."

Buddy scowled, but finally nodded. "I guess."

"Besides, I wouldn't want to keep you limited as Incrediboy."

Buddy sat up. "What do you mean? You're the greatest hero ever!"

"And you could be even greater, but not if you're stuck in my shadow." Bob nodded, thinking to himself, 'And that is absolutely true. With all his gadgets, Syndrome makes an amazing hero, when I can get him there.'

"Stuck in your shadow?"

Bob shrugged. "If we start you out as Incrediboy, it will be extremely hard to get the public to see you as anyone else. You'll be stuck with the idea of being my sidekick forever, and that's no good." Bob glanced at the clock. He needed to head up to meet Helen soon. "Tell you what, I'm going to give you the number to my personal line. Tell your mother to call me tomorrow, and I will set up a time where we can meet up to plan your training. We can help set it up so that, if you really end up wanting to be a hero full-time, that you will have all the tools you need to accomplish it."

"I already have all the tools. I made them. Like these rocket boots." Buddy lifted up his feet, showing off the rocket boots strapped onto them.

"Awesome. Bring those along when we meet. Even if I can't take you out patrolling, you can still sell gadgets like these. I know a bunch of heroes that could use a quick way to get around, myself included."

Buddy's eyes widened. "Really?"

Bob nodded. "Yep. Now, do you want me to drop you off at home, or do you want to preserve your secret hideout?" A bit manipulative, maybe, Bob thought, as Buddy jumped out of the car and raced off, the card with Bob's number on it clutched in his hand, but hopefully this would get Buddy onto the right path.

Several weeks later, Bob stood in front of the press outside of the court, facing Oliver Sansweet in a neck brace. Bob took great pleasure in saving the ungrateful jerk's life again, and in stopping Bomb Voyage without Buddy getting in the way and causing the train to almost crash. Finding out that Helen was Awake this time around just made things even better.

"Mr. Sansweet didn't ask to be saved. Mr. Sansweet didn't want to be saved. And the injury received from Mr. Incredible's 'actions', so called, cause him daily pain."

Bob pushed past the press man, who was trying to hustle him away, and spoke up. "Well, I just have two questions then. Why have you attempted to ignore the Good Samaritan Laws which are in place specifically against this sort of action, and have been upheld nine times in cases regarding superheroes, and why does Mr. Sansweet still have a neck brace on when I know, for a fact, that Golden Cross healed him the day after the accident, free of charge, at my request and with Mr. Sansweet's permission?"

The panicked look on the face of Mr. Sansweet as the press turned on him like a pack of piranhas was sweet.

Foiling Mr. Sansweet's lawsuit didn't change the course of events, though it did slow them down. Public disapproval of superheroes still rose, especially after a large group of gritty anti-hero types started showing up. Bob and Helen still slipped quietly off, though Bob was much better about hiding his powers and holding his temper, meaning that he was still on job number two (in his defense, his first boss was a big, big jerk).

Bob groaned as he squeezed his way out of his small station wagon. Despite his pleas, his old car was still just a bit too noticeable, and cars just kept getting more and more compact, which didn't do his large frame any favors. Humming softly to himself, Bob strode in through the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!"

"You have a visitor." Helen called back from the living room. Bob followed her voice and grinned at the sight in front of him.

"Buddy!"

Buddy Pine turned from where he was showing Dash something on a small tablet, and grinned. "Bob! How are you doing? It's been a while since I've seen you guys."

Bob chuckled. "I've been pretty good. But I'll say right now, I'm still not coming to work for you."

"Psshhh," Buddy waved his hand. "I'm not here to convince you." He turned to glance over at where Violet was bent over some homework. "I was just trying to convince your lovely daughter to accept an internship with our company. She's obviously brilliant, and those force-fields of hers would be quite useful in a number of applications."

"Nothing dangerous, I'm sure."

Buddy waved his hand at Bob's playfully threatening tone. "No, I still remember your lessons." He grinned down at Jack-Jack a moment, who was currently trying to gnaw on one of Buddy's shoelaces, before Helen scooped him up. "Though, I know I said I wasn't here to convince you, but..."

Bob laughed as he walked through to the dining room, Buddy following. Bob grabbed some plates from the cupboard and began setting the table. "I told you, I'm perfectly happy helping out like I am right now."

Buddy waved his arms. "I know, I get it, save the world through better insurance and all that. This isn't a full job offer, more of, a consulting thing. The military has contracted Synthacore for yet another solution to the hero gap, and you providing some insight would be useful."

Bob scratched his chin. "I don't know. I mean, don't you know all my moves?"

Buddy groaned and covered his face. "I was ten. I figured 'punch them in the face' was all the strategy you needed."

Bob laughed and clapped Buddy on the shoulder, causing him to stagger a bit. "Sure, I'd be happy to answer a few questions. Just let me consult with Helen, because I know that she is going to want to be involved."

Buddy nodded. "Of course." He then stretched. "Well, I have to get going, I've got a meeting in Berlin tomorrow afternoon, so I have a plane to catch."

"You aren't staying for dinner?"

Buddy turned to shake his head at Helen. "Alas not, my fair lady, though my stomach will be forever lesser by my loss."

Helen smiled at Buddy's dramatic manner. He was still something of a glory hound, even when he wasn't a villain.

"Aww, you're leaving, Uncle Buddy!" Dash and Violet both walked in, before grabbing onto his arms. He laughed and swung them both around once, before pulling his arms free.

"Yeah, sorry kiddos, I've got work to do. I must Bring Wonder to the World!" He struck a dramatic pose as he quoted his company motto. Both of the kids giggled.

"Alright you two. Now, go get cleaned up for dinner." Both of them ran off with a minimum of complaint at Helen's urging, while Bob walked Buddy back towards the front door.

Buddy turned right before the door. "Seriously though, thanks for agreeing to this. This project is looking to be super ambitious, and it's been a hassle dealing with all of the different pieces. I mean, even the name is ridiculous. I'm seriously thinking of firing someone if I find out that the name Ultimate Logistical Tactical Response Oversight Network came from my side of the contract." Buddy shook his head again, before giving Bob a quick handshake and heading out the door.

Bob frowned as he closed the door after Buddy, the name of the project turning over in his head, before the pin dropped. He turned to glance at Helen, and saw that she had caught it too from where she had been listening by the kitchen door. Bob muttered the word they were both thinking.

"Ultron."

Helen sighed as she set the bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. "I'll go call Edna about the suits."

13.2 (LordCirce): [The Incredibles] / [Marvel]

The Incredible Avengers (Part 2): The Dominoes are Set

Helen smiled as she pulled up in front of Violet's school. She and Bob had mentored the kids in responsible and discreet power use, and they had reached the point where Dash was trusted enough to run to school from being dropped off by Violet's school. Neither Dash or Violet had Awakened this Loop, but it didn't matter to either of the older Parrs, as they loved them just the same.

"Ok, you two, now, we might be home a little bit late, which means that if I'm not here to pick you guys up, Violet, you will have to get a ride home with Nat, and Dash," she paused to glance at him, "for today only, you have permission to run home if I'm not here."

Dash let out a whoop and quickly started to fumble with his seatbelt in excitement. Violet nodded. "Got it, Mom."

Helen nodded back. "Good. Now, you both have your phones on you, right? We may need to keep in touch with you during the day."

"Got it." Dash called as he pulled open the door, crouching down on the other side to make sure he was out of sight, then sped off in a blur of motion.

"We've got it, Mom. Don't worry, you guys are just one town over." Violet leaned in for a quick hug through the driver side window, and then pulled away and turned, running up the steps towards the school. "Bye Mom!"

"Bye sweetie!" Helen waved, then sighed as she rolled up her window and discreetly stretched her arm a bit to pull Dash's door closed, as he had forgotten. She then took a deep breath and pulled away.

She reached up as she pulled onto the main street and pulled down the sun visor in front of her, tapping a small discreetly hidden button in the side of the panel, which led to the screen shifting to a view of Bob's face from the perspective of his phone.

"Hey Honey. Did you drop off the kids?"

Helen nodded. "Yes, dear, and I told them about heading home if we're...delayed. Did you get everything from Edna?"

Bob nodded, hoisting up a familiar folded jumpsuit. "Yep, she had them all prepped. I still think we should have done this sooner, just to be on the safe side."

"And then Edna would get on our cases about letting her designs sit in our closets."

Bob chuckled. "Yeah, I know. See you soon."

Helen nodded, then flipped the visor up, ending the conversation.

Violet let out a long breath as she made her way up the steps. Both her parents had been acting a bit weird about the meeting they were going to go have with Uncle Buddy about his latest project, and it was causing her to be a bit jumpy. Her jumpiness manifested itself when one of the classroom doors opened in front of her opened up, letting out a group of people surrounding a figure that made her heart leap painfully in her chest.

"...so I pulled out around him, and of course he can't drive worth beans, so he overcompensates and slides into the ditch. That left just me and the kit car in it, with him pushing at my tail, of course. So I... huh?" The tall, dark haired boy trailed off and glanced down the corridor.

"What is it, Tony?" One of the girls next to him leaned forward, laying her hand on his arm.

Tony shook his head, frowning, then smiled disarmingly. "Nothing, I just thought I saw something for a moment. Anyway, so this guy..." His voice faded as the group moved down the corridor.

Violet peered out from where she had hidden herself behind a row of lockers, heaving a sigh as she did so. That had been close.

"VI!" A throaty, faintly accented voice called out, causing Violet's eyes to widen, just before a red-headed blur slammed into her. The girl who had shouted for her spun around her in a dizzying move that left Violet spun about and somehow placed the redhead hugging her between her and the wall.

Violet sighed as a small smile tugged at her lips. "Hello, Nat." She pulled away and twisted, hugging Nat back with her free arm.

Nat, whose full name was Natasha but she never used it, was a childhood friend of Violet's. Nat's adoptive dad was in the Hero Relocation program just like Violet's parents, and they had ended up living in the same places both times that their families had to relocate, leading to them practically growing up together.

Both of them were unlikely friends, as they were a study in contrasts. Nat was kind of short, with red hair that hung in a loose wave across her shoulders. She was very athletic, and an avid gymnast, and while she could often be just as quiet as Violet, it was the sort of quiet that comes when you simply feel those around you aren't worth talking to. The primary exception was when she was around Violet.

"So, I saw you being all sneaky. Is there someone that you are stalking? A certain dark-haired someone, with the most gorgeous brown eyes, and that dashing cleft chin and..."

"Shut up." Violet elbowed Nat, who spun around the push and ended up on Violet's other side with her arm over Violet's shoulder. "It's just a stupid crush."

Nat just giggled.

Dash slowed to a stop in the bushes next to his school and glanced around. He hadn't spotted anyone, but his mom had continued to drill into his head the importance of being discreet. He didn't see the point, as no-one could catch him even if they did see him, but it was never fun being grounded, so he would do as he was told. He paused near one of the windows to check his reflection, and he patted down a bit of his hair that had gotten swept back by the wind of him running, before swaggering around to the door to the building.

He pushed open the side door with just the right amount of effort to make it swing in, but not to look like he was straining. In other words, the right amount of effort to look coolest. He grinned to himself, shrugged his shoulders like Lucius always did when he was being smooth, and strode into the school.

His perfect entrance was ruined when the spitball hit him right between the eyes. It took him a second to realize what the stinging, wet sensation meant, but then he saw the boy down the hallway lowering his straw and grinning. Dash frowned, before smirking, and with a quick glance to make sure the coast was clear, he blurred into motion. Down the hall, right up behind his shooter. A nudge to the back of the foot, then back down the hall to where he was standing, as the other boy flailed and fell over with a thud and a groan.

"You shouldn't be running in the hall." A soft voice came from the side and Dash groaned.

"Oh, shut up, Bruce. No-one saw, and Clint shot me first." The newly-labeled Clint sprung up from where he had been lying and ran over, much slower than Dash could manage.

"I could almost see you move that time. I swear, one of these days, I'm going to spin around and pow, knock you down right when you think you got me."

Dash smirked back at him. "Sure. You just keep telling yourself that." Clint just pushed the tinted glasses he always wore up on his nose, while next to them, Bruce let out a faint noise that was half of a chuckle and half of a sigh. Bruce was a hero's kid, like Dash, and he had known him for a while. Bruce was pretty shy, so he tended to just follow Dash around, which suited Dash just fine, because Bruce was also a nerd, so he could always help Dash out with his homework. Clint was just a normal kid that Dash had met on his first day at this school. He had seen Dash speeding off after school that first day, and had agreed to keep it a secret. Now, they were pranking buddies.

"Did you get the goods?" Dash asked, eagerly. Clint smirked.

"Yep. It's sitting in my lunch box, waiting for it. You want to do it before or after class?"

"After. If we do it later, we won't have to deal with her when she's mad, and we can set up an alibi." Both Clint and Dash turned to look at Bruce expectantly, who groaned, before nodding. Bruce was such a teacher's pet, that if he told them Dash and Clint were with him the whole time, all the teachers would believe him.

"So, how's little Bruce doing?" Violet ducked slightly as they stepped out of their classroom and headed for lunch. "I know he's been hanging around with Dash, but I don't think he's been rubbing off."

Nat yawned and stretched. "Well, Dash isn't rubbing off on him either. He's still so quiet. Dad and I are kind of worried that he's going to be following in your footsteps."

Violet huffed. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Nat grinned. "Oh, you know. Quiet, hiding in corners, pining for forbidden romance in the back of a shining car." Nat held her hand over heart in a solemnly dramatic fashion, while Violet just rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop it? I told you, it's just a crush."

"Okay, okay. So, if we can't discuss the hunky car monkey, how about the hunky quarterback? I heard the team is all upset, because Steve was too sick to go to practice yesterday. Again. Honestly, he's built like a brick outhouse, but a feather knocks him over."

"Nat!" Violet frowned at her friend, who smiled back cheekily. "How do you find out all of this stuff? It's not like you hang around any of the gossip girls, considering you're pestering me all the time."

Nat grinned, bouncing on her heels as they stepped through the swinging doors into the cafeteria. "I'm just that sneaky."

Bob shifted, adjusting his tie as he and Helen strode into the lobby of Synthacore Industries. The receptionist, Glen, nodded to both of them and held out their guest passes. Buddy had offered to make them both permanent access cards, but Bob felt that would just encourage him to up the job offers.

"Ah, there you two are." Speaking of Buddy, the elevator they were heading to opened to reveal him standing there. "I was just about to go ask Glen if she had seen you two. Are you two ready to get busy?"

Bob snorted at the familiar, yet out-of-context comment, and Helen shot him a quelling look. Bob shook it off, and nodded to Buddy, who just grinned back. The three of them stepped into the elevator, which Bob was glad was built with larger bodies in mind, and Buddy pressed a button on one of the higher floors.

"So, the project itself is down in one of the basement levels, but for now, we are just going to be meeting in one of the conference rooms. I've brought in Frozone and Gazerbeam today, and Plasmabolt and Universal Man came in last week."

"Oh, how is Janet doing?" Helen smiled as she leaned forward. "I haven't seen her since the Bombshells anniversary party three years ago."

Buddy shrugged. "She seemed to be doing okay. She was a lot more help than U.M. He wasn't much help, just kept criticizing the project and its goals."

Bob nodded and jumped on the opportunity presented. "So, what exactly are the goals of the project. I mean, you told us it was designed to fill in the Super Gap, but not much more."

Buddy slapped his forehead. "Right, doi. Sorry, I've given the elevator story for this project so many times, I'm forgetting who I told about it and who I haven't. The basic idea is that the Network is designed to be an oversight system that can be used to coordinate robotic drones from a centralized location. The primary setup is for use in disaster relief, but it could eventually expand into other areas, such as police work."

The elevator chimed and the three of them stepped out and began walking down the hallway. "So, the thing that makes this system so special is that the drones aren't controlled individually. Instead, each of them have a limited intelligence, and the network itself can coordinate them to achieve objectives. The central location will just have to do things like assign a group of drones to put out that fire or clear that debris, and the drones will work together to accomplish the task." Buddy sighed and shrugged. "The biggest problem right now is that the drones and network are dumb, with a capital D. So, we're bringing in heroes to discuss various disaster scenarios and go over how you would react. What methods you would use to put out a fire, how you would prioritize different tasks, stuff like that. We already talked to some groups like firefighters and rescue workers, but unfortunately, a lot of the advice they gave contradicted other groups. So, I figured, Supers were on the front lines doing it all for so long, so we would be best served by getting you guys to come in and share how you did it."

Bob nodded, grinning despite himself. Buddy's energy and enthusiasm were contagious, despite Bob's misgivings about the system itself. "Sounds like a swell idea."

"Yep, and now it's time for us to make it Super!" Buddy laughed at his own joke as he led them into the conference room.

13.3 (LordCirce): [The Incredibles] / [Marvel]

The Incredible Avengers (Part 3): The Strings are Cut

In a shadowed room, a figure stood, staring down at a flickering computer screen. Hands typed, carefully and deliberately, windows opening and closing as the figure sought out its prize.

"There you are. You thought you could hide, but I've got you in the end. Revenge… will be mine!"

Dark laughter filled the room as numbers scrolled across the screen in front of the figure.

BAHNA-BAH-BHANA-BWAN! BAHNA-BAH-BHANA-NAH-BWOM! "VICTORY! IN THE OUTCAST! KINGS! FALL!"

"Woohoo!" Nat cheered at the lanky, blonde kid, wailing away on his electric guitar next to the school. Her and Violet had heard the impromptu rock concert begin, and Nat had dragged Violet over to watch before the teachers arrived to break it up.

"Ugh, I don't know how you can stand this music." Violet muttered. "Is it even music? None of the lyrics even make sense."

"WHAT?" Nat shouted over the banging chords the guitarist was now playing.

Violet rolled her eyes. "I said, HOW CAN YOU STAND THIS MUSIC?" Of course, at the exact moment that she shouted, the figure paused in his playing to take a breath. Everyone who had gathered in the courtyard turned to stare at Violet, who turned bright crimson and almost went invisible out of reflex. She immediately grabbed Nat's arm and dragged her towards the nearest door.

"I still love you Thor!" Nat shouted as she was dragged away. Violet pulled her through into the school, and down two different corridors, before sinking down to slump on the base of one of the school staircases.

"Great, just great, now I'm going to be even more of a social outcast than I already was."

Nat grinned at Violet. "Don't worry. At least Tony wasn't out there."

Violet just sighed, before leaning her head against the wall. "Whatever."

Nat looked like she was about to say something else, when she suddenly stopped and tilted her head. Violet looked up at her friend as she slowly leaned back towards the nearby corner, and began creeping down towards.

"What are you...?"

Nat held out her hand to stop Violet's question and pressed one of her fingers to her lips. Violet complied, getting up and following Nat to the corner of the intersection.

"...excuse is not going to last forever. It's pretty obvious to anyone that something ain't right. Honestly, you should just quit the team if you're having this much trouble."

"I can't do that to the guys. I'll get this under control, it just takes practice. So, will you help me after school?"

"I..." the first voice trailed off as the two speaking figures came walking around the corner. It took Violet a second to recognize them. One was a fairly skinny black kid, wearing a super puffy sweater and a pair of loose khaki pants. The other was a tall, broad white kid with messy blonde hair, who Violet suddenly recognized as Steve the Sickly Quarterback. She vaguely recognized the other kid from her chemistry class, Samuel or something like that. Both of the boys had stopped talking upon seeing the girls standing there, and now all four were looking at each other awkwardly. Or, at least, Violet felt awkward, and Steve looked awkward. Samuel was just looking at the two of them suspiciously, and Nat was grinning broadly at Steve.

Samuel broke the silence. "What are you two doing? Were you..." His questioning was broken off when Steve started the most vigorous, and most fake-sounding, fit of coughing Violet had ever heard. All three of the others stared at him as he sounded like he was valiantly trying to hack up a lung, before his coughs slowly died off. Slowly, Samuel brought his hand up to his face and began to massage his forehead.

"Never mind. Just, never mind."

Nat grinned even wider, and Violet quickly yanked her back and up the stairs before she could get Violet into any more embarrassing situations. Plus, they were going to be late for the Yearbook Committee Meeting.

"Eagle One, this is Alpha Blur, I am in position, over."

"Alpha Blur, this is Eagle One, I have eyes on target. Target is moving towards the drop zone on schedule, over."

"You two are standing right next to each other."

"Shhh!"/"Quiet!" Dash and Clint both shushed Bruce as he stared at the two of them as moved around in an empty second floor classroom. Clint was staring out one of the windows on the classroom, while Dash was crouched next to the door of the classroom, with a paper sack clutched in his hands. The target they were watching was the mean Miss Bulltrunch, their math teacher. She took great pleasure in flunking students and embarrassing those who weren't paying attention (or who were paying too much attention, or who looked a bit too happy, etc.), and Clint and Dash had decided to get some good, old-fashioned payback. Inside the sack was a moldy tomato that Clint had been saving up all week. The plan was that Clint would watch for Miss Bulltrunch to be heading to the spot along the side of the school where she took her morning and afternoon smoking breaks. He would wait until the right moment, then signal Dash to run out, down the corridor to the window they had left cracked open, where he would dump out the tomato and then rush back down the corridor to the classroom they were set up in, where Clint would have been waving to several kids down on the playground. That way, they would have a foolproof alibi if they were suspected (which they probably would be).

"And… go!" Clint waved his arm as he finished counting off the seconds since Miss Bulltrunch had turned the corner at the edge of the building.

Dash took off running, around the corner and down the corridor, only to pause and back pedal as he spotted the janitor standing next to the open window, mopping. The janitor hadn't noticed him, but there was no way he would be able to dump the tomato out fast enough to not be seen. He sped back around the corner to head into the classroom and *CRASH*

Dash fell over backwards as he collided with Bruce, who had been walking out of the classroom after Dash to try and watch his run. Dash groaned a little as he sat up, shaking his head, then glanced over at Bruce, who was staring down at his shirt. Dash blinked.

Rancid tomato guts were coating Bruce's chest and arms from where the tomato had burst out of the bag on impact. Bruce slowly turned to look at Dash, but he seemed to be looking through him instead of at him.

"...this was my favorite shirt."

Dash's eyes met Clint's, who was peering over the desks in the room at his two fallen friends. Both of their eyes widened in worry at Bruce's words, which were echoed a second later in a much louder tone.

"That was my favorite shirt!"

"Uh-oh." Dash scrambled to his feet and sprinted away, skidding a little at the nearest corner as he tried to maintain his balance. Behind him, Bruce raced after him with a cry of frustration, seeming to swell up in rage as he slammed into a trash can and changed directions, following Dash down the long corridor, and leaving a nice dent in the side of the metal container.

Clint peered out from around the edge of the classroom door. "Oh, that's not good."

"...so, to summarize, first priority, securing a perimeter, second priority, making sure there are no civilians in the perimeter, and third, dealing with the bad guys inside of the perimeter." Buddy glanced around the table, and all of the gathered heroes nodded. Buddy clapped his hands. "Great. Now, I think this is actually a good stopping point for now. This should give us some good directions to take with the programming algorithms, and we can hopefully test those some more and then see about bringing you all back with any questions we have. The last few things I wanted to do was give you a tour of the operation center, show you a few of the drones so you can see for yourself what we are working with, and then Mirage has baked up some of her cinnamon cookies for each of you."

Bob grinned at the mention of Buddy's assistant and, in this Loop, wife. They apparently met in college, where Mirage had been studying chemical engineering, and Buddy had been studying both mechanical engineering and computer programming. Buddy had gone on to earn several more degrees, while Mirage had stopped at one and had instead taken over the general running of Buddy's company, while he dealt with the big ideas. She had become a dear friend, though Bob still didn't know her name this Loop, as she had apparently dropped her birth name in favor of her new chosen name.

Lucius laughed while clapping Bob on the shoulder. "Well, I ain't going to say no to those." Bob nodded in agreement, and Helen just shook her head, muttering a soft "Boys".

The groups quickly made their way down to the elevator, engaging in a bit of small talk. Lucius was regaling Buddy with a tale about his recent trip to the Bahamas with his wife, something about mutant laser-sharks. Helen was tapping away on her phone, no doubt getting updates from the kids. Bob slid over next to Gazerbeam.

"So, Simon, how's life been treating you?"

"Good, pretty good, but I actually go by Scott now."

Bob nodded. "Got it. Super Relocation Act?"

Scott nodded. "Yep."

Bob paused as a thought occurred to him, then cleared his throat. "Right, well, it isn't easy being an EX-hero. There's a lot of baggage to leave behind."

"A lot of good times too." Scott sighed. "Still, I have got a pretty good job now. I'm working as a lawyer, actually, specializing in criminal prosecution. I may not be able to help bring them in, but I can still work to keep criminals off the streets."

"Good for you." Bob clapped Scott on the shoulder, causing Scott to wince. Internally, Bob sighed, as it didn't seem like Scott had reacted to Bob's hint, so he probably wasn't Awake. He had hoped maybe Scott had simply missed their first ping or something, given the only other Awake Looper they had found, but it seemed like it was just a coincidence.

The elevator dinged as the group exited into the basement level. They made their way down yet another corridor, this one lined with metal, and into the control room. A large bank of monitors took up one side of the room and a set of windows overlooking a large hangar like room took up the other, with several smaller monitoring stations arrayed around the room in a series of semi-circles. Several of the stations were occupied, with a thin man in a military uniform and bearing a large grey mustache standing over them, barking orders over their shoulders. The man looked up as the group entered.

"Oh, General, I didn't know you would all be here. Setting up for the demonstration tomorrow?" Buddy strode forward, his face a pinched mix between friendly and irritated.

"Yep. Just making sure all of the resources we need will be up and fully functional."

Buddy nodded, before turning back towards the group. "Everyone, this is General Ross, he is the military liaison with our project. There is going to be a small-scale demonstration tomorrow for some of the Congressmen backing the project, and a couple of the private investors, to give them a sense of what we are accomplishing here. We hope to use your input during the demonstration."

"Yep, should be quite a show." Ross nodded, before turning back towards the monitor bank. Behind him, Buddy frowned, leaning sideways to get a clear view of the screen of one of the techs, and his mouth dropped.

"Who authorized the usage of 50 drones for this test? This is supposed to be a small scale, internal demonstration."

Ross snorted. "I did. Washington is waffling about this project, so we need a good, strong demonstration, and I can't do that with three measly floating beach balls and a single human drone."

Buddy glowered, his tone dark. "Even still, the network itself isn't ready for that sort of..." Buddy trailed off as he pushed the technician aside and began scrolling through the code on the machine. "What happened to the safeguards? There should be limits here and here..."

"We know you haven't got all of the levels worked out yet, so we'll put all of the drones on a single level. We can shut some down for fine level work. My personal science liaison assures me that it should work."

Buddy looked up, his mouth falling open. "Your personal science liaison? Is he the hack who ripped apart half of the code in here to set up your demonstration?"

Ross grit his teeth and snapped back. "Henry Pym is a highly trusted scientist and a true patriot. He has..."

"HENRY PYM? You let Henry Bloody Pym into my systems, to mess with my code! That man couldn't code his way out of a paper sack. You're as likely to have a coordinated collision between every drone rather than a..." Buddy's furious rant and the typing he had been doing slowed to a halt as he stared at the screen in shock. "This can't..."

"WARNING, WARNING, EMERGENCY DETECTED"

Down in the hangar, lights came on, illuminating several rows of robotic drones. There were several round orbs, laying in short rows near the glass, with rows of humanoid robots farther back, and then several large spider-like tanks that reminded Bob of the Omnidroids lined up against the back wall. As the group watched, all of the drones in the hanger began to stir, with lights flickering on and joints whirring. Several of the orbs rose into the air, pivoting slowly in place. Back in the control room, the large bank of monitors flickered, then lit up a brilliant red, illuminating two words.

ULTRON ONLINE

Violet sighed as she stepped out into the sunshine in front of the school, yawning slightly. She really enjoyed being on the Yearbook Committee, but Mrs. Harper, their liaison, was one of the most boring teachers in the school, and she had spent almost the entire meeting droning on about dignity in Yearbook Photos, as if the Yearbook staff had any control over the photos themselves.

"Well, that was an hour of my life I'll never get back." Nat snarked behind her as she followed Violet out the door. She took a quick step forward, then slid into a cartwheel down the front step banister, sticking the landing on the sidewalk at the bottom. Violet clapped and whistled.

"Bravo, bravo." Her voice was slightly mocking, but Nat simply smiled and waved, bowing to an invisible audience. Violet slowly made her way down, laughing at Nat's antics.

*BWEEP BWEEP BWEEP BWEEP*

Violet jumped as her phone started wailing in her pocket the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, and she quickly pulled it out, her heart freezing as she spotted the familiar logo on the front screen. Her dad's logo.

"What's that noise?" Nat skipped over, peering over her shoulder. "Hey, isn't that...?"

"It's a distress call. It means Mom and Dad are caught in something dangerous." Violet's mind was awhirl with panic. What could possibly have happened? Was there some explosion at the company? Did a villain attack? Her body started trembling, just as, in a blur, Dash came skidding into the front of the school, leaving a pair of skid marks in the grass. His phone was clutched in his hand, the same alarm and logo blaring on it.

"Violet, Violet, did you see?"

"Uh huh." Violet answered, her mind still reeling. She dazedly noticed that there was a message attached to the alert. She quickly pulled it open, and read it.

'V. Robots may be attacking the city. Dad and I will be trying to stop them. Take Dash and find a safe place to fortify.'

"Robots?!" Dash's voice was excited as he bounced in place. "Cool!"

"No, not cool!" Violet snapped, pushing her panic to one side. "Mom and Dad wouldn't use the signal unless it was a real emergency. This is dangerous, and Mom told us to hide."

"I don't want to hide. This is my chance to do something awesome. Something heroic." Dash's face was set into a stubborn scowl.

Nat, who had been reading the message over Violet's shoulder, reached over. "There's more if you scroll down. 'If you don't hear from us in an hour, contact Nick.' Does she mean...?"

"Me."

Nick Fury stood next to a rather beat-up car as he smiled, or rather smirked, at the three kids. They all spun around to face the source of the voice, and Nat immediately raced forward with a cry of "Daddy!", throwing her arms around Nick and hugging him tight. He returned the hug, but his eyes were fixed on Violet and Dash. They followed Nat over.

"Mr. Fury, what does this mean?" Violet gestured helplessly at her phone, which was still displaying the obnoxious alarm.

Nick sighed. "It means that something your parents and I were afraid of has, in fact, happened." Nick had Awoken to this Loop several years after it began, as the retired hero Private Eye. He had got in contact with the Parrs, who had helped him in raising his adopted daughter and son. He had been rather bemused to find himself as the father to the Black Widow and the Hulk, but he had come to separate the two kids he had raised here from the heroes he knew them as elsewhere. There were similarities, to be sure, but also differences. Nick glanced back at his car, where Bruce and his friend, this world's version of Clint Barton, were currently buckled in. He had been picking them and Dash up from detention, at the request of Clint's mother and Helen, when Dash had gotten the alert and sped away. Turning back to fully face Violet and Dash, he knelt down.

"Your parents are great heroes, and I know that they will be..." His reassurance died in his throat as both of the alerts died at the same moment. Both Dash and Violet stared down at their phones in shock.

"The distress beacons...they shouldn't cut off like that unless..."

Nick cut Violet off. "Unless they were being jammed in some way. As I said, your parents are great heroes, and I know that they will be fine. For now, we need to get you to safety."

"And what if they're not fine. I mean, they're retired, they're out of shape. If something surprised them, they could..."

Nick gave a sharp whistle, causing both of the Parr children to jump, while Natasha simply pulled her fingers out of her ears, having recognized what her dad was about to do. "If something did happen to them, then I will do what I promised and keep you safe." He paused, internally grinning, as it wasn't often that he found a way to use this line in a valid context. "And then, I swear, if necessary I will help you Avenge them."

13.4 (Mr. Egret): [Disney] / [Robin Hood] / [Beauty and the Beast] / [Lion King] / [Cinderella] / [The Little Mermaid] / [Hercules] / [The Princess and the Frog] / [Mulan]

In the Tragic Kingdom, the land where nightmares came true, and happy endings were nothing but a cruel lie, a rumor was spreading. From the shattered cliffs and precipices of Hyena Rock to the trenches and grottoes of the Damnable Depths, from the smog-choked streets of Old London Town to the soaring pagodas of Hun-controlled China, a rumor was spreading. The rulers of the Tragic Kingdom, the Apostates, did everything in their power to silence the rumor, but no matter how many heads the Queen of Hearts chopped off, or how many souls were unjustly sent to Tartarus by Hades, the rumor refused to die. The people would meet in secret to discuss new developments in the rumors. No matter what wild exaggerations or official disinformation was bandied about, there was one generally agreed-upon part of the rumors.

The Twisted Princess were gathering in one place. All of them. Big names such as the Beast's Thrall and the Cheshire Girl, local legends like the Outlaw Maid and the Last Lioness, and even a few newcomers such as the Frog Shaman and the Glitching Warrior; they were all moving towards one point: The Castle of Fantasia Lost. Once upon a time, when there was still wonder in the world, it was known as Cinderella's Castle.

Why they were gathering there, of all places was a mystery, and open to wild speculation. Some claimed that a grand Tournament was being held by powers unknown, in which the Twisted Princesses would fight to the death for the title of Princess Apostate, and join the ranks of their dark rulers. Others insisted that the Princesses all knew each other, and met in secret to exchange information, towards a singular unknown purpose. A rare few held onto the belief that they were convening as part of a single grand ritual, meant to break the grip of Darkness and Evil on the land.

It was a shame that not many people listened to this last group, since they were more correct than even they would have guessed.

Maid Marian, the Outlaw Maid, Awoke as she prowled through the crumbling balustrades of the Castle of Fantasia Lost. She nearly dropped the bow she was carrying, but kept a firm grip on it, nocking an arrow and looking around suspiciously. "Heavens. This place really went downhill when I was gone," she mused. "It's too bad that Robin's gone; I could use his company right about now."

She heard footsteps coming up behind her, and whirled around, aiming the arrow right at the interloper's head. "Who's there? Show yourself!" she demanded, as she pulled the bow back.

"At ease, Maid Marian. I am a friend."

Maid Marian lowered the bow in surprise. "Beast? Is that you? Are you Awake?"

Beast inclined his head, the noose around his neck swinging a little in the breeze. "Indeed. This place has taken a toll on both the Unawake Belle and myself, but we adapted as best we can."

Maid Marian looked around confusedly. "Speaking of Belle, where is she? Normally, you two are inseparable..."

She heard a polite cough and turned to find a pale Belle in a ragged version of her ball gown standing behind her. "Oh, hello Belle. I didn't hear you," Maid Marian said.

Belle nodded politely and opened her mouth to speak, only for nothing to come out. After a moment of surprise, she turned and gave Beast a deadpan look. Beast stared back confusedly, before suddenly slapping his forehead in realization. "Blast! I knew I forgot to do something. Hold on a moment, Belle."

He concentrated, and his eyes glowed a baleful yellow. "Princess Belle, as your Benefactor, I grant you permission to speak."

Belle's eyes briefly flashed yellow, and she sighed. "That's a relief. Beast, didn't I tell you to undo that command the instant we came to the castle?"

Beast fiddled nervously with his noose. "I was about to do so, before we encountered the Maid Marian. To be honest, I was not expecting to see her here."

Maid Marian tilted her head quizzically. "How come?"

Beast withdrew a claw from his cloak, holding a battered old letter. "We had received this letter, bearing a seal we did not recognize, instructing us to come to the Castle of Fantasia Lost, and to bring a large diamond with us when we did so. There was no mention of us meeting any other of the Twisted Princesses in the process."

Maid Marian's eyes widened in surprise, as memories came flooding back to her, and she pulled out a similar letter. "Ah! Now I remember! I had received a similar letter sent to us via arrow, telling me to bring a diamond to the Castle of Fantasia Lost!"

She then pulled out the diamond in question. "Apparently, I had a real rough time swiping this from Richard Lion-Heart's Tomb. The Merry Men had to destroy one of King John's strongholds just to buy me enough time to escape the country undetected! I hope they're all right..."

Belle pulled out a diamond similar to Maid Marian's in cut. "We didn't have to go to quite as much trouble. It turned out that Beast had been collecting an exorbitant amount of tribute from the nobles and peasantry around his castle, and sending the transformed servants to rough them up if they didn't pay. We just needed to take this from the Royal Treasury."

"Do you suppose the same person wrote these letters to lure us all here?" Maid Marian asked, as the three started walking towards what remained of the Throne Room. "This is starting to smell like a trap."

"Yes, it does seem a bit contrived," Belle agreed. "Still, we're all been around more than a few times, so we could probably fight our way out if it comes to that."

She smiled a little. "Besides, I'm curious. Who would go to all of this trouble, given the appalling state of the land right now? If the person or people behind this has a good reason for summoning us, we should at least listen to them."

The trio walked into the ruined Throne Room to see that nearly every Twisted Princess in the Tragic Kingdom had answered the summons of the letters along with their consorts, and most of them had Awoken over the trip. They were chatting with each other, and generally catching up on their progress in the Loops, while the few Unawake Twisted Princesses looked at the others suspiciously. There was a sense of anticipation, like an audience seating themselves and talking amongst themselves before a concert began.

Maid Marian saw Nala talking to Timon and Pumbaa, and said her goodbyes to Beast and Belle, before going over to talk to her. "Hello Nala. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Nala looked up and smiled at her fellow nonhuman Princess. "Marian! Sorry I didn't see you coming in; I would have come over and said hello. Any idea who gave us these letters?"

"Sadly, no," Maid Marian replied. "You got one too, I take it?"

"Yep!" Timon piped up, holding up the letter in question. "We lucked out, and found a diamond mine while hiding out from those stinkin' hyenas, so that's our side of the bargain kept."

"Where's the diamond now?" Maid Marian asked curiously. "Are you keeping it in a subspace pocket?"

Pumbaa opened his mouth, and stuck out his tongue, revealing the diamond in question. "I'm keepin' it thor sathekeepin for now," he lisped. "Thure ith thricky talking with it, though."

Maid Marian giggled demurely. "Don't worry, Mr. Pumbaa. I don't think you'll have to keep it there for long. Look!"

She pointed towards where the Thrones were situated, where something very strange indeed was happening. A tall, angular door with a crown design appeared in front of the King's Throne, and a large pumpkin had sprouted out of the ground in front of the Queen's Throne. The Twisted Princesses, both Awake and Unawake, waited to see what would happen next.

First, the pumpkin abruptly burst open, and Cinderella, here known as the Raggedy Princesses, stepped out as elegantly as one could step out from the remains from a pumpkin. After curtsying to everyone present, she set about cleaning pumpkin goo off her dress as best she could, occasionally fussing with the strings that kept her patchwork body together. "Thank you for gathering here, everyone," she said in a raspy voice. "Before you ask, no I didn't write the letters. That would be the doing of my guest. She'll be along any moment now."

As soon as the words left her mouth, several Princesses flinched back as a bright light began to seep from the cracks between the door and the frame. It slowly eased open, and a figure nearly everyone present recognized one way or another stepped out of the corridor that laid beyond and stood before them all, proud and unafraid.

Minnie Mouse had seen better days. Her face was pale and drawn, there were noticeable bags under her eyes, and her hair hung down limply, like curtains. She was dressed in the ragged remains of a red dress that was only barely recognizable as Mickey's apprentice robes. Her gloves were ripped in places, and she wasn't even bothering with shoes anymore. A faded, battered copy of Yen Sid's hat sat on her head, with only the faintest traces of the mighty magical power it once held showing through to those Princesses that could detect such things. In short, she presented the picture of a woman who had been on the run all of her life, and was rapidly approaching the end of her rope.

Except for her eyes.

Despite all of the terrible things her Unawake self had suffered, despite hiding from the Apostates for goodness only knew how long, despite the perversion of everything both she and her love stood for, her eyes were filled with a steady, resolute determination. If she had shed any tears, they had long since dried, and now the only thing that the Princesses could see was the steely gaze of someone who would see justice done.

There was a noticeable murmuring among the Princesses that quickly died down when Minnie raised her hands.

"Thank you all for coming, everyone. I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here today," she began.

"Does it have something to do with these diamonds you told us to bring in your letters?" Ariel asked, after raising her dinglehopper-hand.

"Exactly, Ariel," Minnie answered. "As you are no doubt aware, everyone's respective stories have been completely and utterly derailed, with the villains triumphing and becoming the Apostates, and the various and sundry heroes either dead, or missing."

The Princesses looked around each other sadly. They had all lost someone, whether they were Awake or not.

Minnie pulled the brim of her hat over her eyes. "There's a good reason for the changes, as I had discovered a few years ago. It's Chernabog."

Another bout of murmuring started up among the Princesses at the name. They all knew Chernabog, and not in a good way. If he was playing a major role in a Loop, things were bound to get worse before they got better.

Minnie nodded. "Yes, I thought that might get your attention. Chernabog's making another attempt to take over the Magic Kingdom, and he's actually being clever about it, this time. He's trying to completely ruin the stories on which the Kingdom is based, to make it similar enough to his prison on Bald Mountain for him to leave. He's even cut a deal with Hades to make sure that any hero that dies does not get brought back to life."

"I knew that jerk was up to something," Megara grumbled, as she fiddled with the string that was keeping the Eye of the Fates firmly sealed in her socket. Hercules, being a zombie, couldn't speak, but he sympathetically patted her hand.

"However," Minnie continued, "he wasn't quite a thorough as he would have liked. Remember the Last Stand?"

The Princesses nodded, or answered in the affirmative. The Last Stand was an event that had happened several years prior to the Rise of the Apostates. According to the legend, Mickey Mouse had fought against Chernabog's physical form, in a titanic battle that took on a metaphorical aspect as the struggle between Good and Evil. Unfortunately, Chernabog had won, incinerating Mickey in a raging inferno of hellfire that reduced every single inch of land within ten miles of Bald Mountain to ashes. The legend stated that before he perished, Mickey swore that he would return, and set things right, no matter how long it took.

"Well, I figured out what Mickey's last words meant. Before he went out to fact Chernabog, he prepared a soul jar. No matter what happened to his body, as long as it remained safe, he would not be trapped in the Underworld."

"And where is this soul jar, if I may be so bold?" Tiana asked, as he idly played with the set of Tarot cards she had "acquired" from the late Dr. Facilier.

Minnie reached up and took of the hat, holding it up before the assembled Princesses. "Right here! He turned this Loop's version of the Sorcerer's Hat into a soul jar, since it was the only thing he had that could survive Chernabog's assault, and remain undetected by the Apostates for so long. That's why there's so little magical power coming off of this hat: it's all tied keeping my Mickey's soul on this plane!"

"And don't tell me," Mushu said sarcastically from his perch on Mulan's shoulder. "You had us bring the diamonds as part of a ritual to bring him back from the dead, so he can lead us to victory against the Apostates, right?"

Minnie smiled for the first time. "Exactly! See, he Woke Up while he was still bound to the hat, and we came up with a plan to fix all of this. We needed your help to make it happen, which is why I went with the letters asking you all to come here instead of simply taking the diamonds myself."

She indicated the floor in front of her. "Incidentally, could everyone please bring their diamonds, and just pile them up right here? I'd like to get the ritual started as soon as possible."

The Princesses headed over to the indicated spot, and placed their diamonds down. Some laid them down carefully, while others artlessly tossed them onto the pile. The diamonds were as varied as the Princesses that brought them. Some were carved with expert precision by the most accomplished jewelers in the Kingdom, while others were as rough and uncut as they were the day they were mined. Some were even encrusted in stone after having been roughly ripped out of the cave walls in which they were found.

Minnie nodded in approval at the resulting pile, then carefully laid the hat upon it. "Okay. Let's get to it," she muttered, pulling out her Holy Symbol of Yggdrasil. Holding it out in front of her, she closed her eyes and began to pray.

As she chanted her prayers to the World Tree, the more magically inclined Princesses felt something about the atmosphere change. While the Throne Room was normally a sad and foreboding place, like a long-abandoned churchyard, there was something else now. A soft light began to form around the pile of diamonds and the hat, as they floated into the air. Beams of sunlight reminiscent of the coming dawn shined through the broken windows, as Minnie's prayer increased in forcefulness and passion. Several of the less reverent Princesses pulled out video cameras, smartphones, and other recording devices and began filming the spectacle for later viewing.

Maid Marian leaned over towards Nala and whispered, "Is it just me, or can you hear singing?"

"I hear it too," Nala whispered back. "It sounds like the singers in that Broadway musical version of our home Loop."

"Huh. I think it sounds like that choir that Friar Tuck directed once, only more in tune. Maybe everyone hears something different?"

The chanting reached its crescendo, and the diamonds were now shining like stars, surrounding the hat in a rapidly spinning ring, while magic crackled on the air. Minnie opened her eyes, which were now glowing white, and held her holy symbol high. "Mickey Mouse, though you had departed from the land of the living, you have yet to travel to the World Below. And so, in Yggdrasil's name, I bid you return to your friends and loved ones that you may fulfill the promise you made so many years ago! TRUE RESURRECTION!"

The light became almost blinding in intensity, and the singing everyone could hear swelled triumphantly, before the diamonds shattered, and were reduced to dust. When the light returned to normal levels, everyone in the Throne Room beheld the effects of Minnie's spell.

Mickey Mouse, in full sorcerer's garb, was standing there in the middle of the room, brushing diamond dust off of his robes. The Sorcerer's Hat, restored to its former glory, sat proudly on his head. "Man, that's a relief!" he said. "That hat was kinda stuffy."

He looked up just in time to get swept up in Minnie's embrace, and covered in kisses. There was a large amount of applause, whistling, and even a few "aww"s from the audience. Eventually, Mickey was able to disentangle himself from Minnie, and smiled rather dazedly. "It's good to see you too, Minnie. The plan worked, I take it?"

"Like a charm, Mickey! We're all ready to get started!"

"Great! Thanks, Minnie!''

Mickey turned to the gathered Princesses. "Okay, everyone! I'm sure Minnie filled everyone in on what's been going on, so I'll keep it short and sweet. We're going to go to Tartarus, rescue our friends, overthrow the Apostates, and end this nightmare once and for all. Now, I'm not gonna lie to you: it won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination. There's a good chance we might not even make it through the Loop in one piece. If you want to sit this one out and look after your friends and family, then I won't stop you. Still, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could lend a hand, and I'll be certain to make it up to you once the Loop's over and done with. So, fellas, what do you say?"

If the great roar of approval that went up from the crowd was any indication, they didn't mind the danger one iota. Mickey grinned, and held his wife close. It was good to be back.

Many years later, in the newly restored Magic Kingdom, the citizens would remember the day Mickey was resurrected as the Day of Hope, the day when the Apostates began to fall, and the rightful kings and queens reclaimed their thrones and began putting everything back to rights again. Many miracles were said to have happened on that day, from the shattering of Queen Grimhilde's Looking-Glass and the Great Tartarus Jailbreak, to the shadows of the citizens of Old London Town returning from Neverland to their rightful owners, and the Cave of Wonders returning to its former splendor. Nobody knows for sure if the mere act of his resurrection brought about these miracles, or he simply did them during his later travels to bring hope to the people and rally them across the Apostates, but there was one thing that everyone could agree upon when it came to hope returning to the Kingdom: It was all started by a mouse.

13.5 (Crossoverpairinglover): [Kingdom Hearts] / [Gurren Lagann]

Sora just stared at the sight before him, a average visit to the 100 Acre Wood would be one for the books.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to drill to the heavens today," The oddest fusion yet commented in the same dull tone he normally had, but with the glasses and words of someone completely different.

This, was the loop of Kamina Eeyore.

13.6 (Mr. Egret): [Disney]

"Hey, Mickey!"

Mickey looked up from his newspaper at the sound of his brother's voice coming from the attic. "What is it, Os?"

"I found something weird in this old photo album! Can you take a look?"

Setting aside the newspaper, Mickey got up out of his armchair, and walked over to the ladder leading up to the attic. Ever since Oswald and Ortensia had moved into Mickey and Minnie's house out in Toontown, Oswald had been poking around in the attic, digging up pieces of the Unawake Mickey's past. Every so often, he would find something interesting that even Mickey had forgotten he had.

The attic looked like many other attics of its kind in Toontown: lots of boxes, cases and chests, all scattered among piles of old clothes to form a nearly impenetrable maze for all but the attic's owner. Thanks to Minnie and Ortensia, it was significantly less dusty than most other attics, and it was well-lit by numerous lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Mickey eventually found Oswald sitting cross-legged next to an open trunk, a large photo album laying open in front of him. Mickey instantly recognized some of the figures depicted in the photographs within the album. "I see you found the ol' family album," he remarked casually, sitting down next to Oswald.

"From the looks of it, yeah," Oswald replied. "Though to be honest, I don't recognize any of these people."

"I'm not surprised," Mickey said, as he looked at the photograph. "I don't think they existed when I first met you, and they tend to come and go, anyway."

He reached over, and removed one of the photographs from the album, holding it up for Oswald to see. "In fact, aside from you, I think these are the most consistent blood relatives I've had over the Loops."

Oswald looked at the photograph with interest. It was one of those Polaroid ones, with the grainy color, and it showed Mickey and a female mouse he didn't recognize sitting at a park bench, watching and laughing as two young mice were playing fetch with Pluto. "Okay, I sorta recognize the two boys down in front... Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, right?"

Mickey nodded. "Yep! They're my nephews. Good kids, the both of them, but a competitive streak like you wouldn't believe. They'll never back down from a challenge from each other, but they always stick up for each other, too."

Oswald smirked. "Guess it runs in the family."

Mickey laughed. "Yeah, I guess so!"

Oswald then pointed at the female mouse in the photo. "And let me guess: this is their mom?"

Mickey smiled, though a bit more wistfully than before. "That's right. That, Oswald, is Amelia Felicity Fieldmouse. My sister."

Oswald's eyebrows shot up. "Really? I didn't know you had a sister. What's she like?"

Mickey closed his eyes to think, and remember. "Well, it varies from Loop to Loop. Most of the time, she's actually pretty good company, even if she's a bit of a "soccer mom." Sometimes, she's actually a lot older than me, and essentially uses me for free babysitting. And sometimes..."

Mickey's sentence trailed off, and he heaved a sigh, as if reliving some painful memories. Oswald sympathetically patted him on the back. "It's bad, I take it?"

"Yeah," Mickey said quietly. "Luckily, Minnie and I usually wind up winning custody, so at least we can give the twins a decent upbringing, if it comes to that."

Oswald nodded. "I see. Well, if you run into that variant again, and I'm in the Loop, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do to help."

Mickey smiled again. "Thank, Os."

"Anytime, bro."

Oswald considered the photograph for a few seconds. "Though now that I think about it… have you considered trying to get them Looping?"

Mickey started in surprise. "Wait, what?"

"I'm serious! Think about it: you got me to start Looping after spending a couple of years helping me and Ortensia rebuild the Wasteland, and you've probably known them for a lot longer. Heck, I'm surprised that they aren't already Looping!"

Mickey sighed and rubbed his head. "That's the thing, Os. Despite everything, I've never really been able to form a real close bond with Amelia, even during a baseline run. She prefers her nice, normal lifestyle as a journalist, while I'm always getting myself into some grand adventure, even when I'm not even trying! Besides, it could get... awkward if we get a Loop where the twins are my biological sons or something."

Oswald gave him a deadpan look. "Mickey. We've had loops where Goofy was your biological son, and you've coped just fine."

Mickey stuck out his tongue. "Bleah. Don't remind me. Okay, so you've got a point. Still, I think this is going to take a lot of work if we're gonna make this happen."

Oswald grinned, and clapped Mickey on the shoulder. "Hey, we're Loopers! If there's one thing we've got, it's time!"

Just then, a growling sound echoed throughout the attic, and Oswald looked at his stomach sheepishly. "But first, let's get something to eat," he added. "I'm famished!"

Mickey looked at his watch. "Yeah, it's about time for lunch anyway. Hey, bring that album; there's a few other members of the Mouse family I'd like to show you."

The two brothers got up from their position on the floor, and started making their way out of the labyrinthine attic, while eagerly discussing their future plans.

13.1-13.3: A very interesting story that was regrettably never continued, since the author has since left the Loops. However, it was too good not to archive. I like to think it would have had a happy ending afterward.

13.4: Gives new meaning to "The Magic Comes Back".

13.5: Classic. (smiles)

13.6: Ah, family...