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 2018-02-04. This is the second of two chapters posted today.
Disney/Kingdom Hearts Loops, Chapter Thirty-Three
33.1 (Boohoooo!): [Bambi] / [Inspector Gadget] / [Undertale]
Flower sighed as he awoke as an actual flower for the umpteenth time.
Why are there so many sentient plants in the multiverse? he mused.
Suddenly, a kid walked up to him. Flower checked His loop memories and felt slightly uncomfortable at what this demented flower, apparently named Flowey, did. He should probably see if this kid was loping.
"You feeling loopy?" Flower asked.
"Yes. Based on that question, I'm assuming you are too." The kid replied. Flower nodded.
"I'm Flower! What's your name?" Flower asked.
"I'm Penny. So, you're named Flower… and you looped in as a flower?" Penny answered.
"Yes. Apparently Yggdrasil has a sense of humour." Flower deadpanned. Penny giggled.
"So, I was just going to explore this loop. Want to come with Me?" Penny asked, pulling out a flower pot.
"Sure...but why do you just happen to have a flower pot?" Flower asked.
"That's a funny story really..." Penny began.
And so the adventure began!
33.2 (Custodator Pacis): [Kingdom Hearts] / [Winnie-the-Pooh]
"Come on, Pooh! It's your turn this time!" Sora called Pooh, offering the baseball bat to the Awake yellow bear.
"Are you sure, Sora?" Pooh asked. "I don't think it is a good idea for me to play baseball with you though. It's very unfair if you ask me."
"Don't worry Pooh, I'll go easy on you," the Anchor replied.
Something within Pooh changed, Sora can't tell exactly what. Pooh's posture and his expression didn't changed even in the slightest, but somehow the bear was now exuding a certain menacing aura that he almost can see it with his own eyes. Sora blinked once, the aura was gone like it never had been there when he looked again, but the yellow bear's unfaltering smile was giving him a small chill.
"Please give me the bat, Sora. And try to throw the ball at me," Pooh said.
"Err, yes. Here you are," Sora said uneasily, passing the bat to the yellow bear.
"Thank you. Now, throw the ball at me," Pooh said. "But make sure that you can replace the ball later if needed to."
"What?" Sora asked.
"Just… just watch," Pooh replied, lowering his posture into a ready stance.
Sensing a certain edge from the bear, Sora testing the water by pitched the ball in a lazy arc. The yellow bear's stance was relaxed and calm as it was flying halfway towards the bear.
It was when the ball got within the range of Pooh's swing arc that the bear's stance shifted radically like flipped a switch inside him.
The next moment Sora could only see the ball disappeared as the yellow bear swung the bat. Sora gaped slightly at that. Looked behind him, he see only a small path on the treetop that the ball had cut through branches and leaves.
"I've been getting slower these days," Pooh sighed. "I think I need to get back into shape real soon."
"Do you want to talk about it...?" Sora asked, warily, as now he knew that the bear had got a mean batter swing.
"Home Run Derby loop," Pooh said quietly. "It's not quite as bad as a punishment loop per se. Just very... frustrating."
33.3 (Anon e Mouse Jr.): [The Incredibles]
Bob Parr, also known as Mr. Incredible, was inwardly rolling his eyes and groaning as he listened, yet again, to his boss's rant. Why do I come to work here again every Loop, instead of for an honest employer? he asked himself. Why?
"We're supposed to help our people! Starting with our stockholders, Bob! Who's helping them out, huh?" Mr. Huph was yelling at him. "Bob! Bob, are you even listening to me!?"
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Gilbert Huph? Are you in there?"
Mr. Huph, glowering at Bob, answered the door. "This is Gilbert Huph. Can I help you?"
"My name is Mirage," the white-haired woman at the door replied back. "Mr. Gilbert Huph, on behalf of the law firm of Mull, Moote, Pine and Boyd, you are being served."
The shorter man looked outraged. "Served? On what grounds?"
She handed him a sheet of paper. "This is a class-action lawsuit for breach of contract, due to repeated and unwarranted denials of legitimate insurance claims." Mirage looked quite satisfied as he read the subpoena. "Your court date is in three months. See you then, Mr. Huph."
"I... you..." Sputtering and steaming, Mr. Huph failed to notice as Mirage left, or that Bob had slipped out the door as well, closing it behind them.
"Nice work, ma'm," he told her as they went down the hall.
"Why, thank you, sir." Mirage (who, along with Buddy, had actually found legitimate work this Loop as a paralegal and an honest lawyer, respectively) smiled, and walked away.
Watching her go, Bob resisted the urge to whistle happily as he turned and went back to his cubicle. Oh yeah. That's why I come work here, he thought to himself. To see proper justice done.
33.4 (wildrook): [Gravity Falls] | [South Park - non-Looping setting]
"Time to go to work, work all night. Search for underpants yay! We will not stop 'til we get underpants. Yum tum yummy tum tay!"
Dipper and Mabel had woken up to that, thinking that the gnomes were going to strike again. Unfortunately, they had encountered a different type of gnome instead of the type that tried to seduce Mabel.
"Uh, bro?" Mabel asked him, "are they stealing underwear?"
Dipper face-palmed. "I knew something was off when we Woke Up in Colorado," he muttered.
That caught the gnomes by surprise.
"Oh f**k, they're awake!" one of the Gnomes yelled.
"What the f**k do we do?" another Gnome asked them.
"Don't panic," Dipper muttered. "We come in..."
"I guess we have to kill them," the voice replied.
Dipper was not amused...he really didn't want to convince them otherwise. "Mabel," he said, "Release Restraint Level Five." Mabel gave out a really dangerous smile at that.
"Level wha..." the last Gnome asked him.
What happened next was either way too diabetic or way too gruesome… or in-between. Apparently, the Pines Siblings have had bad experiences with Gnomes.
33.5 (Masterweaver): [RWBY] / [Gravity Falls]
The multiverse was strange.
Really, that about summed up the situation. Every world had its own unique quirks, history, themes. Elemental bending, or galactic empire. Secret werewolf society, or teenagers experimenting with super-science. Most worlds had the decency to stick to only one or two kinds of weirdness at a time.
And then there were... places like these.
Glynda adjusted her glasses. "So... we have to keep the gnomes from raiding a ghost-infested manor, because if they do your sister might turn into wood, and on top of that a triangular demon unleashed a deranged yandere character from a visual novel early."
"Yeah, we usually don't deal with this all at once, but McGucket kinda left Bill linked to the internet, and..." The young boy shrugged.
"Right. Right." Glynda sighed. "Well, lead the way Dipper."
33.6 (Boohoooo!): [Bar Loop] / [Gremlins] / [Dan Vs.] / [Bambi]
Brain Gremlin drank some beer, drowning the memory from looping into the Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo branch.
"How does that pink-haired girl do it?" he mused.
"Tell me about. That Don Patch jerk turned my car into a salad and made me eat it!" Dan growled.
"You think that's bad? Bambi looped into the Rat-Man branch and met his undead mother." Thumper commented.
The trio turned to look at Bambi, who was whimpering and rocking back and forth.
"Yeah, that pretty much tops our loops in terms of awfulness." Brain Gremlin said.
"Eh, trauma builds character." Dan shrugged.
"You didn't have a very good childhood, huh?" Brain Gremlin drawled.
"No one asked you!" Dan snapped irritably.
Brain Gremlin chuckled and went back to his beer.
"BRAIN GREMLINNNNNNNN!" Dan roared angrily.
"Does he always do that?" Flower whispered to Chris.
"Yes." Chris deadpanned.
"Don't patronize me!" Dan snapped.
33.7 (Anon e Mouse Jr.): [Power Rangers] / [Frozen]
Dr. Tommy Oliver was surprised when he arrived at Reefside High for the first time this Loop.
"Principal... Haig?"
The blonde woman smiled. "Please, call me Elsa. And you must be Dr. Oliver, our new science teacher."
"Yeah. I am." Tommy held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Elsa. And please, call me Tommy."
"The pleasure is all mine."
As they walked down the hall, she continued. "I must admit, I only recently arrived in Reefside myself, and I find myself in need of an Anchor. Preferably someone like my sister's beloved. Do you know where I might find one?"
"I know what you mean. A lot of people get thrown for a Loop when they first arrive here." Tommy smiled, and Pinged. Elsa smiled back, and a moment later Tommy felt a returning Ping.
"You know, I think I still have a few forms you need to fill out, Dr. Oliver. Perhaps we could continue this discussion while you're doing that in my office after classes."
"I look forward to it, Elsa."
That afternoon, once the students had been let out (and Conner, Ethan, Kira and Trent had let him know they were Awake and were going to retrieve the two Dino Gems that Mesogog already had), Tommy arrived in Elsa's office. "Elsa?"
"Tommy. Please, come in." He did, and closed the door. As she handed him a few forms, she gave him a serious look. "I've heard some interesting things about this town... and one some distance away, called Angel Grove. Would you care to enlighten me?"
Tommy nodded as he sat down and began scanning the papers. "Eleven years ago, in 1993, an alien sorceress attacked Angel Grove. In response, the sage Zordon formed a team known as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to fight back. Rita then caught me and turned me into her evil Green Ranger, until my friends freed me and made me the sixth member of the team. And after years of fighting, I was chosen as the Anchor for this universe."
"I see." Elsa smiled. "Well, I suppose my story, in its own way, is just as exciting. I'm Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and before I got control of my powers, I accidentally plunged my country into an eternal winter."
"The Frozen universe?" Tommy nodded. "I've seen your Hub movie. It was really good."
"Thank you." Elsa bowed. "May I presume that a new team of Power Rangers will be active in Reefside soon?"
"Already got their powers," Tommy confirmed. Suddenly, he crinkled his brow.
"What is it?"
"Just... it's kind of odd. Your name, Elsa? One of our three main bad guys in this section of the Loop is also named Elsa, and you're actually in her place."
"Oh." Elsa frowned. "Well, I'm certainly not planning on being a villain this Loop. I had enough of just being misunderstood in my baseline."
"I know. But... well, you have ice and snow powers, and so does one of our team."
"And?"
"And, there was a Loop a while back... where she used them to defeat our Elsa." He shook his head. "It's kind of ironic, now that I think about it."
"I see." She smiled again. "Well, I hope you'll introduce me to this person soon. I don't meet that many people with powers like mine."
"I'd be glad to. She's Awake, so... want to go meet her now?"
"Why not? As soon as we finish our paperwork, we can go."
"Just one last bit to sign, and here." Tommy handed her the papers. "Ready whenever you are."
"Good." Reading over the items he'd signed, she filed them and stood up. "I'm ready."
A short while later, the pair were in Haley's Cyberspace Café, and Elsa and Haley, having been introduced, were happily chatting away. Seeing the younger Rangers come in, Tommy signaled to them, and the five quickly found a quiet booth.
"So, how'd it go?"
Conner held up a case. "Got 'em all right here. Weird thing is, we didn't see Elsa this time. It was Scorpina instead. Didn't she get wiped out or purified or something when... well, the day after Dark Specter died?"
"Honestly, we never found out," Tommy told them. "Guess she survived it this Loop, and since Mesogog couldn't recruit Elsa's Replacement, he went for someone else."
"Yeah, I saw we had a different principal," Kira threw in. "So, who is she?"
"Elsa."
The four teens exchanged looks. "What?" Trent finally asked.
"She's Queen Elsa of Arendelle. The Frozen Loop."
"Really?" Kira's eyes lit up. "I love that movie!"
Tommy smiled. "Well, I'm sure she'll be glad to hear it."
As the teenage singer excused herself to go meet the other woman, Tommy, Conner, Ethan and Trent watched with amusement, Tommy shaking his head. "This is going to be one interesting Loop," he mused.
"No kidding," Conner agreed, and the others nodded.
33.8 (jxz): [Zootopia] / [Sing - non-Looping setting)
"A singing contest?" Nick asked his partner, the bunny showing him a sheet of paper about said contest that fell from the sky.
"Yes, a contest promoted by a koala named Buster Moon." Judy said. "I made some investigations, and the prize money, related to the theatre itself, gives me some sort of uneasiness."
"Are you sure it's not your mind giving you bad ideas from passing too much time helping me with my schemes?" Nick asked, going back to his book about how to scam an entire town, written by that Eddy guy.
"First off, it was only three times, and I've been working with you long enough to know when things are wrong, foxy." Judy retorted, giving him a folio full of papers. "Second, the theatre has never gotten a good show ever since it belonged to its old owner, and it seems it's in the reaches of filing for bankruptcy."
"So you think it's a Mass Scam?" Nick turned to her, smirking. "Are you sure he didn't ask for a mafioso of some kind?"
"Negative, I've asked too, and nobody knows. AND don't ask, you don't wanna know." Judy stopped the fox before he could say anything.
"Eh, fair enough. So, what's the plan?"
"We'll infiltrate the show and investigate. Worse comes to worse, we capture the producer. Otherwise..." She grinned. "Let's see who wins and if I win, no scams for the next three loops."
"Alright, Hopps. But if I win, Plan 'Bellwether in a Chicken Suit' is a go."
"What?! But that one is potentially speciesist!" Judy reclaimed. "C'mon, ask me for some other thing."
"Well..."
33.9 (lord Martiya): [Disney Comics - Duckburg] / [Star Wars]
"What?!" the Separatist Council shouted as one.
"I said get off my property, I've bought you out!" Scrooge replied. "You, the entire Confederation, and the Republic, all of this war! Should have seen Sidious' face when I told him-and after I had to forcibly evict him."
"I took pictures." Donald said helpfully.
33.10 (Luna Gale): [Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir] / [Danny Phantom]
"I'm worried about Adrien," Marinette confessed to Sam and Tucker. The three were cozying up at Sam's underground secret epic entertainment area. Wrapped up in blankets and holding hot cocoa, the three had decided to spend the time together while Danny and Adrien did who knows what.
The two exchanged glances before looking back at her.
"How so?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, it's Christmas, what's there to worry about?"
Sam looked at his pointedly, gesturing her mug at him, "Other than inexplicably evil snowmen."
"THAT WAS ONE TIME, SAM."
Marinette cleared her throat, quieting the two, "I mean, he's usually bad around Christmas. Sadder. I'm just worried about how he's doing is all."
She frowned at her hot cocoa and cuddled deeper in the blankets. There was a long pause between them.
And then Tucker snorted.
"Five bucks says he's brooding with Danny."
Sam snorted as well, "Loser's bet."
Marinette blinked and looked up quickly, "Don't tell me. Danny doesn't like Christmas either."
There was a growing horror building up in her as the two nodded solemnly. Sam pulled out a remote from the couch, "Danny is the worst around Christmas. He used to be okay, but with the Loops and all, that annoyance just turned to flat out hatred. He can't even stand to go to the mall this time of year anymore."
"Definite Scrooge."
Marinette's eyes widened, "Oh."
Tucker snorted, "Yeah, oh. The Scrooge Dudes can ruin Christmas all they want. Just leave me and my cocoa out of it."
Sam flickered on the TV, and said with a shrug, "They'll be fine. They're probably just brooding in Danny's room with his Anti-Christmas shield blaring around them. They'll be fine at New Years."
Despite their assurances, Marinette couldn't help but feel a great dread.
"Hey, Adrien."
"Yeah, Danny?"
"Next time we Loop together, let's be anti-Christmas super villains."
"Okay, but what will that do?"
"We'll conquer the world and make sure Christmas never exists again."
"..."
"..."
"...Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"You're a genius."
The two fist bumped with matching smirks.
33.11 (wildrook): [Zootopia] / [Die Hard] / implied [Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger]
"Out of all the cases we've been through," Nick said to Judy, "not once did I expect a corpse to fall from a building." He shook his head.
Judy gave out a cough. "My parents would have conniption fits if they found out I was doing something this dangerous," she replied, "but this is a lot more serious than disappearing predators. What the hell kind of..."
"WELCOME TO THE PARTY, PALS!" a voice yelled, catching Judy's attention.
Nick blinked as he noticed Judy's ears twitch. "Someone get your attention, Carrots?" he asked her.
"I think I figured out where this scenario came from," Judy muttered. "We might not be dealing with a terrorist plot."
"Ah, you saw that movie, too." He shook his head. "I wonder if that guy is Anchoring."
Sure enough, Judy's communicator was online.
"And judging by you two," the voice from earlier said, "you're not exactly Al. Right now, keep things on the down low, Cottontail. Sly. From what I remember, we've got about thirty hostages and ten hostiles. Worse, I think I may have just p*ssed one off."
Both Nick and Judy blinked. "Anyone Awake?" Judy asked him.
"That's the point of keeping things discreet. All ten of them have itchy trigger fingers. Also, if you're willing to get a name, call me Roy."
Both rabbit and fox knew where this was going. "Now I'm starting to see why there's an elaborate set-up," Nick said to Judy. "We're just lucky that there's two reasonable chiefs in the area."
"I wouldn't call it luck," the rabbit replied. "If we make a move immediately, the 'terrorists' are going to notice and try to bomb us from above."
"And this thing isn't exactly set with a good high speed. And judging by the corpse… it may be a mix of Predator and Prey, if the blueberries are any indication." He blinked. "Why is it that the terrorists in this world are more equal than the actual citizens of Zootopia?"
Judy gave out a stare. "Better not tell Gazelle that," she muttered before noticing the chief roll in… or rather, the one resembling a wolf. "And it seems like Doggie's here, too."
Nick blinked. "Huh, guess they must have stepped up their game," he said, before noticing his military-grade communicator show up, speaking in the closest thing to German. "If this guy has a brother, we may have to ask for a transfer to wherever 'Roy' was originally stationed. Just in case they're asking us for help." Judy got the idea. Whatever the gang is, they might be dealing with thieves instead of terrorists, if what Nick is speculating is correct.
And they're going to need to work quickly or else things are going to explode. And not in the good way.
33.12 (Shimmer712): [RWBY] / [Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir]
"...Wait a minute..." Blake muttered, recognizing where she was.
"Ooh! We're back in the Ladybug loops!" Ruby chirped. "I can recharge from cookies again!"
"Why am I the Ladybug girl?" Blake asked. "I mean, the Plagg thing made sense. I mean, black cat spirit-god-thing, but the Ladybug girl? What the heck? And how am I supposed to use a yoyo to fight?"
Ruby shrugged. "Pretend it's a smaller, lighter Gambol Shroud?"
"...What?"
"Well, you do tend to swing around like a yoyo..."
"...I guess if we ever have a yoyo contest, I'm gonna win, huh?"
"I'll be sure to bet on you."
33.13 (lord Martiya): [W.I.T.C.H.] / [Winx Club] (also compiled in Winx Club Loops as Loop 26.3)
"Let me get this straight, Flora." Cornelia said to the visiting Anchor. "You told your Unactivated sister about the Loops, she asked you to get into your pocket to stay with you because she was under the impression the final Miele would have not been her, and you couldn't tell her no?"
"Pretty much." Flora admitted bashfully.
"In another situation I would have been in doubt between courage and foolishness, but not this time: this was the stupidest thing you've ever done."
"Maybe, but-"
"No maybes or buts. I have a little sister too - an adorable little pest - and sometimes I tell her about the Loops, but I would have never done that - after all, just like your sister, her appearance in the Hub proves she's still the same. No matter how Yggdrasil interprets them at time, under that they are the same, and will always be."
With that Cornelia hugged her fellow Looper, both to console her and help herself ignore the voice in her head suggesting that, maybe, the thing about Lilian being the same was a lie she was telling herself to cover her cowardice.
33.14 (Anon e Mouse Jr.): [Gargoyles]
Goliath sat atop one of the towers of Castle Wyvern, looking out over the city and contemplating, in a pose rather reminiscent of the one he had spent a thousand years in.
Behind him, someone cleared their throat to get his attention. "Father?"
"Angela." Goliath turned to his daughter, who had only recently begun Looping, and smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm doing well, thank you." The younger gargoyle climbed onto one of the parapets nearby. "Father... I have to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Do you think Mother will ever Loop?"
For a moment, Goliath froze, then turned to look his daughter in the eye. "I have asked myself that same question many times," he said quietly. "And every time, the answer is that I simply do not know."
He paused to gather his thoughts, then began speaking. "Demona is... complicated. Even in our baseline, she knows she herself is responsible for much of the tragedy in her life, but is unwilling to admit it to herself. And she has been shaped by over a thousand years of negative experiences, driven by grief, anger and hatred." The lavender gargoyle sighed. "Even with our baseline though, and what I felt for a time before these Loops began, I do not believe she is beyond redemption. From what I have learned, both through my own interactions with her and what I have read when I Loop into the Hub, I think that, under the right circumstances, she could well finally see the error of her ways, but it would be very, very hard for her, and it could very well drive her to madness and back."
Angela bowed her head. "I see. And have you... ever told her about the Loops?"
"Sometimes. Her reaction to this varies. Sometimes, she does not believe me at all. Others, I think I have gotten through to her, at least somewhat, enough that she gives up on destroying humanity as a whole, though she has never given up her grudge against some humans, like the Quarrymen." He furrowed his brow. "In such matters, I cannot entirely blame her, for in moments of anger, I too have come close to killing those who harmed my loved ones, though as a rule I prefer to restrain myself."
Angela placed a hand on her father's shoulder. "I understand."
Goliath smiled at her. "Thank you, Angela."
"You're welcome."
Turning to gaze out at the city, Goliath sighed again. "I love Elisa now, but even so, some part of me still cares for your mother. And I hope, someday, that she may indeed find redemption for herself. And, Admins-willing, if she ever does... maybe then she'll start to Loop."
Angela gazed at him fondly. "Thank you father." Suddenly, a sound from behind caught her attention, and her eyes widened. "Look out!"
Goliath looked around in time to see what was coming, but not fast enough to avoid it.
SPLAT
"Hah!" a familiar voice shouted. "Creamed ya again, gargoyle!"
Wiping the pie off his face, Goliath groaned and looked up at the hot-air balloon that was passing by the tower. "Good night, Vinnie!"
The former security guard just laughed, tossed his bazooka to Goliath, and quickly flew the balloon away. Catching the weapon, Goliath sighed.
Angela blinked as she watched him go, then looked at Goliath. "How often did you say he does that?"
"Normally, at least once a Loop," Goliath told her. "But this time around, he's shot me with that pie gun at least once a month."
"Why?"
"I honestly do not know, Angela. I think he gets some sort of... catharsis out of it."
"Oh. Well, at least he isn't hurting anyone this way."
"That, Angela, is one of the reasons I just let bygones be bygones whenever it happens."
33.15 (Hvulpes): [Frozen]
Anna began, "So Elsa, when you went into the mountains and made your Ice palace, you somehow turned your clothes into a dress made of ice?"
Else said, "Yes, Anna. You know that, why are you bring it up?"
"Just checking... all of your clothes are made of ice?"
"Yes, Anna."
"So the first thing you did when you embraced your powers was to get naked and run around?"
"Get naked? Where did you get that thought?"
"Your clothes are made of ice! If I were to get naked and spray myself with water claiming it was a water dress, would I be naked? Cause isn't that kinda what you did?"
Anna smiled as her sister realized the fact, embarrassment followed, and vengeance for the prank Elsa did a few loops back was gained.
33.16 (Awesomedude17): [Disney]
"Mickey."
"Yes, Minnie?"
"Why's there so much Spam everywhere?"
"Because Spam, Minnie. Yggdrasil will latch a seemingly random thing and put it into a Branch."
"Oh... but why Spam of all things?"
"That, I'm wondering too."
33.17 (Boohoooo!): [Spongebob Squarepants] / [Dragonball] / [Bambi]
So, two talking sea creatures, a midget with immense power and a deer get stuck in elevator. No, this isn't the punchline to a corny joke.
"SpongeBob, how's it going up there?" Squidward asked, having given SpongeBob a lift to the top of the elevator.
"Not good! We're definitely jammed!" SpongeBob exclaimed.
"This is just great. I should've taken the stairs." Krillin muttered.
Bambi gulped and looked around. "Y-You guys hear that moaning?"
"Look, Bambi, I get you're traumatized from that Rat-Man loop, but-" Squidward began. He was promptly interrupted by a decayed hand breaking through the floor to grab him.
"AHHHH! KILL IT! KILL IT!" Bambi screamed. Krillin fired a Ki Blast at the hand. But more kept coming!
"Noooo! I have a wife and a kid!" Krillin exclaimed, getting overwhelmed.
"What's going on- OH BARNACLE!" SpongeBob exclaimed, looking into the elevator.
"Whyyyyyyyyy?" Bambi exclaimed, getting dragged down.
The remaining three continued to fight off the zombies.
"I hate zombie apocalypse variants!" Squidward whined.
"Who doesn't?!" Krillin exclaimed.
And so the trio fought for dear life.
33.18 (Vinylshadow): [Kingdom Hearts]
Kairi looked around with a frown before tugging on Riku's shirt.
"We've lost Sora in the crowd."
Riku looked around, easily taller than most of the people in the crowd and he frowned at the lack of spiky brown hair.
"Alright, I have a plan," he said before clearing his throat and standing straight. Taking a deep breath, he bellowed.
"I'M GIVING IN TO THE POWER OF DARKNESS!"
From somewhere, a panicked voice shouted back.
"Riku, no!"
Riku grinned and pointed. "That way."
33.19 (Harry Leferts): [Frozen] / [Kantai Collection]
Walking into the room, Anna blinked for a moment and then paused as she listened to the song being played. There were no words to it, but it was purely instrumental. But it wasn't hard for her to know what she was listening to. "... Are the two of you really listening to 'Let It Go'?"
A smile on her face, Elsa just chuckled before sipping her drink. "Actually, Fubuki suggested it and... I quite like this version."
Blushing, Fubuki rubbed the back of her head before freezing the juice in her own glass to a slush. "Well... I found it once in another Hub loop, and I liked it." If anything, her blush grew at the slight smirk on Elsa's face. "What?"
Softly chuckling, Elsa shook her head. "You have ice powers as I do, and yet you use them for the most mundane of things at times."
With a blink, Fubuki eventually shrugged. "Well... it's one of my favorite powers."
Raising an eyebrow, Anna leaned across the sofa. "But making juice into a slushy?"
Fubuki though only gave a weak grin. "Um... it's frozen lemonade?" She then took a sip before clearing her throat. "Though I really do enjoy having the ice powers. it kind of suits me since I'm named 'Blizzard' after all."
Slowly nodding, Elsa leaned back. "It certainly does, I suppose."
Her head tilted to the side, Anna frowned slightly. "Wait a moment... this version of your song doesn't sound like the others in some places."
Just sharing a look with Fubuki, Elsa nodded some. "It certainly doesn't. These... Piano Guys took my song and merged it with a song by Vivaldi's piece, 'Winter'. I find it rather refreshing and nice."
Tilting her head back and forth, Anna slowly nodded. "You know... we could probably have some people in our Loop play this."
After a few moments, Elsa slowly nodded as she sipped her own drink, just enjoying the peace.
33.20 (Vinylshadow): [Disney] / [Kingdom Hearts]
Aqua and Mickey were walking through the Realm of Darkness, having just defeated a horde of Heartless.
"Once we're out of here, what do you plan to do?" Mickey asked.
"Not gonna lie, as much as I want to find Terra and Ven… I desperately need a bath," Aqua said, toying with a lock of her hair. "I haven't had one in over a decade."
33.21 (Vinylshadow): [Kingdom Hearts]
"Gimme."
"Aqua, no."
"Give me the cat ears, Terra."
"Only when you give me back my pants."
"You first."
"Guys, what are you doing?"
"Ven, Terra's being a meanie."
"...You're threatening to set his entire parachute pants collection on fire over a pair of cat ears?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"No reason."
"Ven, don't leave me!"
"Sorry Terra, but I know a lost cause when I see one."
33.22 (Vinylshadow): [Kingdom Hearts]
Sora walked into his Station of Awakening and clapped his hands.
"Alright, everyone living in my heart, listen up! Xehanort, stop conspiring with your twelve other selves, Sephiroth, stop strangling Cloud, Cid, stop trying to rewire my nervous system, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, stop trying to kill Xehanort and by all that is sacred, could someone give Xion and Roxas a hug?"
Sora shook his head. "Good grief, when they said my heart was connected to everyone I met, I didn't think they meant it literally. Perhaps I should start charging rent..."
33.23 (Boohoooo!): [We Bare Bears] / [Frozen]
Ice Bear looked down at himself, having looped in as Elsa.
"Ice Bear find being girl surprisingly not too uncomfortable. Ice Bear also like Ice powers." He mused, firing an ice blast... that hit a servant, freezing him.
Ice Bear stood there for a moment before awkwardly shuffling off.
33.24 (wildrook): [Kingdom Hearts] / [Lion King]
"Hey, Sora," Riku muttered, "Xehanort's on the move again, so we might need to..." He then noticed the layout of the Gummi Ship and blinked. "Okay, there weren't as many lions as there were last time, were there?"
"Hey, Riku," Simba said to them. "You're meeting the former Outlanders and my daughter's boyfriend, Kovu." Kovu waved as he looked at the new arrival.
Sora then chuckled. "Turns out that Zira kind of contracted Heartless and caused the world to end," he muttered, "so they decided to hitch a ride. Oh, and so did the Hyenas, too."
"Nice place," Shenzi replied. "Had we known you guys would have been loaded, we'd have stowed away years ago."
Vitani shook her head. "Is this what it feels like to be surrounded by idiots?" she asked herself. She then looked at Riku. "That your friend?" Sora nodded. "I wonder what he would look like as a lion."
Riku face-palmed. 'I think being hit on by a lion is rather tame in comparison to what we've endured,' he thought.
Zazu just looked around. "Well," he muttered, "I can see why you've never mentioned the whole world traveler thing. I will admit, that you're going to need help trying to adjust, and I'm a little outside my element, but I can manage. I've dealt with Mufasa and Scar's reign, and I can certainly handle yours, Kovu."
"I think the crazy part is that I'm well-aware of how Scar's reign on the Pride Lands led to ruin," Kovu replied. "Now I understand why other Loopers call it the Cult of Scar-O." If one would pay attention to Zazu, he gave out a chuckle.
"I don't get it," Banzai muttered.
"Let's just say that Zazu has a bit of a wry sense of humor," Nala answered, then looked at Timon and Pumbaa. "You two going to be okay?"
Timon gave her a small look. "We'll be fine once we're done mourning the family I was raised under," he muttered. "It might take a while in order to regain Hakuna Matata, though, what with all the things that have been happening."
"That's understandable," Kiara replied, knowing that look. "It's like Dad whenever he gets nightmares about Grandpa Mufasa's death."
"Kind of wish we met the guy in person before that happened," Pumbaa added. "But yeah, it never tells you how to deal with grief."
Riku then remembered something about Pumbaa that gave him concern. "Sora," he muttered, "I think you're going to need to drop these guys off at Traverse Town... or somewhere."
"Yeah, I know," Sora said, remembering Pumbaa's... gas. "But keep in mind that I'm not leaving them hanging... or throwing Pumbaa out the airlock." He then noticed Ed making a move. "Or Ed, for that matter."
Ed gave out a nervous grin. How did he notice that he was attempting to pounce.
"You're good," Banzai muttered. "I'm pretty sure you'd make a better king than Scar."
"I think anyone would be a better king than Taka," Shenzi commented. "Heck, even the Meerkat could head the Pride Lands."
"Eh, trust me on this one," Timon said, accepting the fact that they might be stuck together. "You don't want me in charge of a kingdom. Or anything."
Somehow, Simba did not want to know what happened during the first few years he was taking care of Kiara.
Sora then blinked. "So, what was that about Xehanort?" he asked Riku.
Riku looked at him. "I think we can wait until after we get the entirety of the Pride Lands to safety," he muttered. "And no, we can't keep them."
"I'm tempted to ask why not," Timon muttered, "but I have the feeling we might know the answer already."
"Probably because even though there have been cases of lions as domesticated animals, I'm pretty sure an entire pride would be overkill." He then noticed the looks on their faces. "I tend to do a lot of research on animals in my spare time. Some of them may not be up to standard, but I'm pretty sure your diets would cause havoc on Destiny Island's ecosystem."
Sora nodded. "Right," he muttered. "Traverse Town it is. Or Radiant Garden."
"So," Shenzi said, curiosity taking over, "who's Xehanort?"
33.25 (Anon e Mouse Jr.): [Beauty and the Beast] / [The Little Mermaid]
It was a cold, windy night, and Belle shivered as she wrapped her cloak around her, reflecting on how she had come to be in the middle of a forest this late: she had kept her father company on his journey to the fair where he would show off his new invention, making sure he would get there safely, and had then gone off on her own journey to the Beast's castle. She hadn't seen any sign of him being Awake this Loop yet, but hopefully she'd find out for sure when she arrived at the castle.
Finally, she reached the castle's entrance, making her way through the gates and crossing the drawbridge to the main door. Opening it, she peered inside. Seeing nobody about, she entered, closing the door behind her.
"Hello?" Belle called as she made her way through the main hall. "Is anyone here?"
"Belle!" another, familiar voice excitedly called from the top of the stairs at the far end of the room. "It's so good to see you! Come on up!"
"Ariel!" Belle smiled and hurried forward and up the stairs to embrace her friend. "What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story." Ariel blushed. "I only Woke Up a short while ago, and apparently, I'm... sort of Replacing your prince."
"Replacing..." Belle's eyes widened. "Do we..."
"No, we don't have to fall in love... it looks like that aspect of the spell skipped us again." Ariel blushed deeper. "Come on, I'll explain in the library."
The two princesses were soon settled in, and Ariel, once she was sure her guest was comfortable, began explaining what she knew. "Apparently, my dear aunt Ursula took a cue from the Dresden Loop's wizards this go-round."
Belle winced. "It's that variant of your past again?"
"Yes. Both she and Morgana were Father's sisters this time." Ariel shuddered. "From what I found out, they used to be normal mermaids, but changed themselves into cecaelia later on. They were both banished for practicing evil magic long before I was born, but when I went to ask Ursula for help... I didn't realize how evil she was. Or that she and Morgana were on better terms than in baseline, at least enough to work together from time to time."
Belle reached out a hand and laid it on Ariel's shoulder. "It's okay," she said reassuringly. "You can't blame yourself for mistakes made when you weren't Awake."
Ariel smiled, and continued her story. "According to my memories, my baseline events went almost the same as usual, but when Eric ran her through, Ursula cast her Death Curse at me. She told us that I'd have seven more days with Eric, and then I'd spend a lifetime trapped in a place far from Eric and my father's kingdoms and the people who lived there. That curse is why I've been trapped in this castle for almost thirteen years."
Belle looked at her and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Ariel told her with a smile. "Besides, Father did what he could to help me. He couldn't get rid of the curse entirely, since she took precautions against that. Apparently, to make a spell long-lasting, she could anchor it to a blood relation like Morgana, and that's exactly what she did with this one. But Father did think of a way out for me." She smiled. "After he cast his own spell on me, he wrote down a part of it, and said it would tell me what I needed to do to leave here." Removing a scroll from her dress pocket, she unfurled it, cleared her throat, and began to read aloud.
"Past darkest wood, a lady fair Sings from her heart of a great wide somewhere
Her touch alone unbinds one door A mermaid's wisdom breaks down one more
In hidden depths, the final key Awaits a heart of land and sea."
When she had finished, she rolled up the scroll again and looked at Belle with a smile. "I know our Hub movies, and the song you sang. You're the one we needed to open the first door. Now we need to find the second so I can open it."
"And what about the third?" Belle asked.
"I'm pretty sure I know who it has to be." Ariel's smile grew. "Ursula's curse didn't take everything into account... it couldn't affect someone who'd never lived in either of our kingdoms when she cast it, because they hadn't even been conceived yet."
Belle's eyes widened. "Melody?"
"Born almost nine months after I came here," Ariel confirmed. "She's the only company I've had until you arrived, and she Woke Up about the same time I did."
"So where is she?"
"I sent her off to bed a little while ago. And speaking of which, let me show you to one of the guest rooms." She stood up, and Belle followed her.
As they headed through the halls, Belle smiled. "You are so lucky, getting to be a mother in your baseline."
Ariel smiled back. "Thank you. You'll get the same chance one day, I'm sure of it. After the Loops end."
"Technically, I already have some experience," Belle reminded her. "That Descendants variant."
"Right, I almost forgot." Ariel looked around. "As soon as Melody's up, we can start looking for that door I'm supposed to unlock. I have the feeling it didn't appear, or at least wouldn't have unlocked, until you arrived."
"That would make sense."
The next morning, after the two women had awoken and spent some time making small talk in the library, a yawning figure in a white outfit wandered in to join them. "Morning, Mom. Morning, Aunt Belle," she said sleepily. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. "Aunt Belle?!"
Laughing, Belle held her arms out. "Good morning, Melody."
Melody grinned and jumped into her honorary aunt's arms. "I can't believe you're here!" she said excitedly. Then she turned to her mother. "Does this mean..."
"Yes," Ariel confirmed. "The first door is open. The curse is starting to break."
"So we can see Dad and Grandfather again soon?" Melody beamed. "Oh Mom..."
"I know, sweetie," Ariel told her. "I can't wait to see them again either."
Belle watched the interaction between the two and smiled. Ariel was one of her closest friends, and seeing she and her daughter together always made the other Anchor very happy.
A few minutes later, the trio were wandering the halls. "You know, the layout of this place changes from Loop to Loop," Belle told them as they explored. "Some rooms are always there, but they're not always in the same place."
Ariel nodded. "It's the same in my castle, and I've heard Jasmine has the same issue with her father's palace."
"So, where do you think this door might be?" Belle asked.
"Probably somewhere in the dungeons," Ariel told her. "Or..." her eyes narrowed. "Maybe his room."
"His?" Belle looked at her. "Was there someone else in here?"
"Not this Loop, but a previous one. And his room is here again this Loop - I recognized the door. It was locked though, and I didn't want to go in, just in case he was in there this time."
Belle's eyes widened. "Oh... him."
Melody looked at them curiously. "Mom? Aunt Belle? Who are you talking about?"
Belle's eyes closed sorrowfully. "There's a variant where... well, there's one member of Beast's staff who doesn't live to become human again. Forte used to be the castle's music conductor, but after being enchanted and becoming a pipe organ, he liked his new form better and was willing to do anything to stay that way. He even tried to destroy the entire castle to keep Beast and I from falling in love and breaking the spell, but he wound up destroying himself when he pulled himself out of the wall."
"Oh." Melody looked sad at the thought. "I'm sorry."
"So am I," Belle told her. "He may not have been the best person in the world, but he still deserved better."
"And we'd better check his room, just to be on the safe side," Ariel added. "It's in the West Wing." Taking the lead, she guided them to that hall, and pointed at the door. "There it is."
Belle nodded. Reaching out, she tried the door, and just as she expected, it was locked. "How do we get in?"
"Let me think." Ariel reached out to lean against the door... and quickly withdrew it, gasping in surprise as the door began to dissolve.
"You did it, Mom!" Melody looked at her happily. "You unlocked the second door!"
"And now there's just one more key," Ariel told her. "It's all up to you now."
Melody nodded and, a determined look on her face, walked into the room.
Across the room, where Forte would have been, was instead a staircase leading down, surrounded by smooth stone walls. With Melody in front, the three began descending, Melody muttering something under her breath.
"Melody? What are you doing?" Ariel asked.
"Counting the stairs." Melody shrugged. "It's something to do."
Ariel and Belle glanced at one another, then continued following her.
Five hundred steps from the top, the staircase ended. Fifteen paces ahead, the corridor ahead turned, and a soft, silvery glow could be seen. Peering around the corner, Melody gasped in surprise, then ran ahead, her mother and Belle hurriedly following after her, then stopping to stare at the source of the glow.
It was a solid crystal trident, effectively an exact replica of King Triton's save for the color, floating in midair.
"I think we've found our way out," Melody said quietly. "Mom, Aunt Belle? You may want to hold onto me."
The two women nodded, and Ariel wrapped an arm around one of her daughter's. Belle took the other, and carefully, Melody reached out and, with both hands, took hold of the trident.
Instantly, its soft light brightened, and the room began to shake, with a fierce drumming sound coming from under the floor.
Then there was a whirl of motion.
And in an instant, all three were gone.
Ariel opened her eyes, and immediately recognized her surroundings as the stairs leading from Eric's castle to the beach below.
"We're back..." she whispered. "We're really back! We did it!"
Melody, still clutching the crystal trident, whooped happily, as Ariel flung her arms around her friend and daughter. "Thank you both..." she whispered. "So much."
Belle hugged her back. "You're welcome."
"Ariel?" another voice suddenly interrupted. "Melody!"
"Dad!" Melody shrieked happily. Pulling out of her mother's arms and rushing forward, she threw her arms around him, with Ariel not far behind. "It's so good to finally see you!"
"It's good to have you here too," Eric told her happily. "You and your mom both. And Belle!" he added, seeing her for the first time. "You helped them break the spell, didn't you?"
"I certainly did," Belle told him with a smile. At Ariel's gesture, she joined the family's group hug.
When they finally parted, Eric smiled. "I had a feeling you'd be back soon," he told his wife. "I've been waiting for this ever since I Awoke a few days ago."
"So have I," Ariel told him, before she pulled him into a liplock.
Turning away with an amused look, Melody exchanged glances with Belle. "Let's give them a little space, okay?"
Belle nodded, and took Melody's hand, the two walking into the palace together, Melody still holding the trident.
A few hours later, the entire group was gathered on the beach, including King Triton, an unAwake Sebastian (who was looking quite exasperated) and, thanks to Melody teleporting them to France and back again with her trident, Maurice.
"I must say," the elderly man commented, "I wasn't expecting this when I let Belle go off on her own yesterday."
"I quite agree," Triton told him. "But our daughters do appear to be very good friends. Why, Ariel seems closer to her than to any of my other daughters."
Maurice smiled. "My one regret with Belle was that I was never able to give her any brothers or sisters. It looks like your daughter has remedied that."
"She certainly has," Triton agreed, a proud smile on his own face.
"Now, if you don't mind my asking," Maurice asked him. "I saw your granddaughter pull her trident out of thin air when she and Belle came to get me, and hide it away again when we arrived here. How, exactly, did she do that?"
"It's something all merfolk and part-merfolk can do," Triton replied. "And one human, since I gave Eric the ability as well."
This wasn't exactly the truth, but it was as much as he was willing to say.
Maurice nodded. "Of course." He smiled. "Well, given Belle doesn't seem to want to leave, and I'm certainly not going back to France without her... I must say, this certainly looks like a very pleasant place to spend my retirement."
"I'm quite sure you'll enjoy yourself here, my friend." Triton looked at his daughter, her family and Belle, and smiled. "No question about it."
33.1: A skunk, and Inspector Gadget's niece... this should be interesting.
33.2: Even Pooh has Loops he doesn't care for.
33.3: I don't know if this kind of lawsuit would stand a chance in real life… but it was fun to write about anyway, because Huph deserves to get the unabridged dictionary thrown at him for his actions in baseline. (And just because it needs to be said, neither Syndrome nor Mirage are Looping, here or at all as of this writing. Bob just likes the variants where they're nicer.) (Also by the way, the law firm here shares part of its name with one from the John Bellairs/Brad Strickland book The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge - I just added Syndrome's surname to it.)
33.4: Yeah, not a setting you ever want to awaken in.
33.5: The multiverse is strange, indeed.
33.6: Trading stories.
33.7: Elsa's surname this Loop comes from her Once Upon a Time actress Georgina Haig.
33.8: They run into some interesting things at times.
33.9: You go, Scrooge.
33.10: The origin of the Christmas War.
33.11: More adventures from these two.
33.12: They can be surprisingly effective.
33.13: Yeah. This is part of a bigger storyline over in Winx, and it's an interesting one.
33.14: I'm not surprised Angela would wonder about this… but no, I wasn't aiming to get Demona Looping. Yet. It's always a possibility if she reforms first.
33.15: Fridge logic! (Though I seem to recall that she actually just covered her existing clothes in a layer of ice, rather than outright replacing them.)
33.16: Another gag loop.
33.17: I don't blame you, guys.
33.18: Simple, but effective.
33.19: Mundane Utility in action, people.
33.20: Quoting Vinylshadow: "Sure, time doesn't flow in the RoD, but it's still funny to think about."
33.21: Ah, those three...
33.22: This made me laugh.
33.23: Ice Bear needs to work on his aim. And control.
33.24: Given matters, I think they could easily get some interesting allies out of this.
33.25: I was inspired to write this after skimming the novelization of the live-action Beauty and the Beast film from 2017. Also included: references to the direct-to-video midquel Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, which I've only seen bits of but enough to understand, and the second Little Mermaid movie (for some reason I really like Ariel and Melody). On a related note, Triton is Loop-Aware, but not a Looper himself. And Melody's keeping the Crystal Trident.