Fantasia Crisis
By Lord Akiyama
Inspired by "Crisis on Infinite Earths" by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
Chapter Two
---
She was happy. Spring was blossoming and she couldn't be even more proud of her work. The grass was green, the waters were flowing, the flower buds growing. Life was running its course, leaving The Spring Sprite with a smile. She bathed in the glowing sun before floating about in her creation, a playful smile upon her face as though she was playing a game of tag with the wind.
She wondered where The Elk might be. A childish grin upon her face, she raced off in search of him. Who better to play with on this glorious day than The Elk.
"Spirit of seasonal spring..."
The Sprite stopped in place. The voice was but a whisper, yet it rang loud and clear in her ears. She turned in the direction she believed to be the origin of the voice. Unsure of whether to be afraid or otherwise, she curiously inched forward in the direction she chose.
"Come forth, Spirit of seasonal spring... the master of masters summons you..."
The voice remained a mystery, but she knew of whom the master of masters was. But why would he call upon her, she thought to herself. She was nothing more than a Spring Sprite. She moved closer to where she believed the voice to be coming from. She then saw a blurred figure standing beneath a tree. The figure's hand was extended out, beckoning her to take it. She was unsure of whether or trust it or not, wondering if the master of masters indeed summoned her. After a moment's thought, curiosity won and she took the figure's hand. In a flash, they were gone.
In the distance upon the mountain, he watched. Eyes scorched with flame, seeing what had transpired. He grinned before retreating within the mountain. His master was to be informed immediately.
---
"Strange wind blowing in the air," Rafiki said. Sitting upon the top of Pride Rock, his eyes narrowed as the king and queen ascended to join him. "It is as though trouble be leering in the distance."
"Is that what's been bothering you, Simba?" Nala asked.
The king sighed. "I'm not sure," he replied. "It's like there's something calling for me. And yet, it's like something bad is on the horizon as well."
"Precisely," Rafiki said. "Hmmm... perhaps if I--"
"King of guilt and triumph..."
They looked about in near shock and horror. The voice was but a whisper, yet rang loud and clear in their ears. Simba stopped for a moment, thinking more about what was spoken. The voice was speaking either about him or to him. Nala and Rafiki caught on and looked at the king.
"I am," Simba said aloud, hoping to retrieve a response.
"Come forth, King of guilt and triumph... the master of masters summons you..."
"The master of masters?" Rafiki said. "Why, I know who that is? But why would he summon you?"
"I don't know," Simba said. "But I think the voice belongs over there." He nodded his head to the direction of a blurred figure standing upon the end of Pride Rock. The very spot where Rafiki revealed him before all of the kingdom as the new prince. The very spot where he roared with his mighty voice, proclaiming his return and taking his place as king.
"Can I trust him, Rafiki?" Simba asked. "Can I trust this master of masters?"
"He is wiser than I," Rafiki said. "I only know of him, but I believe him to be trustworthy."
"Still doesn't ease me," Nala said. "I don't like this, Simba. But if you must, please be careful."
"I'll try," Simba sighed. After a moment's thought, he hopped down the path toward the blurred figure. The figure extended it's hand out to Simba. Simba took a deep breath before slowly extending his paw to take the hand. In a flash, they were gone. Nala gasped as Rafiki held her back. She looked at him before dropping her head to cry. Rafiki nodded and consoled her.
---
"They want to make me Sultan!" Aladdin yelled. "No! They want to make Prince Ali Sultan! Without you, I'm just Aladdin."
"Al," the Genie managed to say, "you won."
"Because of you!" Aladdin lashed back. "The only reason why anybody thinks I'm worth anything is because of you! What if they find out I'm not really a prince? What if Jasmine finds out? I'd lose her. Genie, I can't keep this up on my own. I can't wish you free."
The Genie was hurt. It really pained him. "Fine," he finally muttered. "I understand." He began to shrink into his lamp. "After all, you've lied to everyone else. 'Hey, I was just beginning to feel left out.'" His then began to change into anger. "Now, if you'll excuse--"
"Thief disguised as a prince..."
Aladdin and Genie jumped with Genie wrapping his arms around Aladdin. The voice was but a whisper, yet rang loud and clear in their ears. After a moment, all they could hear was each other's heavy breathing. They looked at another slowly before the Genie released his grip on Aladdin.
"Someone knows," Aladdin whispered in a panic tone. "They even know I'm a thief."
"Are we hearing voices now like Joan of Arc?" Genie whispered back, even more frightened.
"Come forth, Thief disguised as a prince... the master of masters summons you..."
"That doesn't sound good," Aladdin said.
"Master of masters?" Genie said. "I know him. But, why would he want you? Wait. Maybe it's because of what we're doing?"
"Who is this guy, Genie?" Aladdin said.
"The master of masters?" Genie said. "You don't know who the master of masters is? But you're a prince! Wait a minute. You're not a prince."
"I know, I know," Aladdin said in a panic. He was pacing about under the horror of being discovered. Suddenly he stopped. Standing before one of the windows was a blurred figure. "Genie... can I trust this master of masters?"
The Genie thought for a moment. "I think you can, Al," he finally said. "Give it a shot."
Aladdin nodded. He turned to the blurred figure and sighed. He walked toward it, watching the figure extend its hand out for him to take it. He raised his hand, for a quick second rethinking about it, before finally taking the hand. In a flash, they were gone. The Genie sighed and looked about. There was no one else about before he retreated into the lamp.
---
Helga grunted as she forced herself to roll over. It took all the energy within her to pull out her flare gun and point it at the balloon up above. "Nothing... personal..." she muttered as she pulled the trigger. She dropped her arms and grunted louder as she watched the balloon explode. She laid there, breathing slowly.
"Woman fighting for a price..."
Helga shook her head. The voice was but a whisper, yet rang loud and clear in her ear. Great, now she was imagining things. Her clenched eyes grew wide at a blurred form in front of her. If this was her imagination, she was more creative than she thought. She winced suddenly as another wave of pain shot through her body. All at once she looked back a the form, a kind of recognition sinking in. She had already realized she probably would not live to see the next few minutes, let alone tomorrow, but still... this... that was, she never really expected...
"Come forth, Woman fighting for a price... the master of masters summons you..."
The form extended a hand. Well, there was little point in arguing with it. Besides, she thought with a glance up at the descending fiery mass, she'd already taken care of the loose ends. Slowly she took the specter's hand and a light brighter than the flaming blimp enveloped them.
---
They were all standing in what looked to be endless black. Vast and empty, it defied logic and reason. The mermaid was suspended in place, floating along with the spirit and just as confused. One of the women gripped her side, often wincing in pain. The men looked with suspicion of the beast, who looked upon them the same way. There was an eerie silence, no one speaking to the other.
"I'm glad you all came," a voice said. It wasn't among them. All twelve turned to the source of the voice. Mickey stood there with a nervous smile, wearing a black cloak and looking upon them. "You are all here because you've been summoned by the master of masters."
"Just who is this master of masters, any way," one of the women said. She was wearing the battle armor of the Chinese army. The others began to mutter in agreement except for the spirit, who didn't say a word. One of them, the woman in pain, began to mutter some choice words that made Mickey even more nervous.
"I am the master of masters," a voice said behind Mickey. Mickey turned and bowed, taking a few steps away for all to see him. "I am Yen Sid, the elder of the eldest and sorcerer of sorcerers." The name was familiar among few of the gathered, yet some still remained confused. "My apprentice has succeeded in his deed, being to gather the twelve.
"A god as mortal as man... Hercules."
"Yeah... yeah, that's me... heh..." Hercules muttered. He tried to chuckle, but it didn't come out.
"A spirit of seasonal spring... Spring Sprite."
The Sprite looked with a mixture of awe and fear, nodding her head nervously as he announced her name.
"A king of guilt and triumph... Simba."
"Could we... you know... not use the first word," Simba said, feeling a little embarrassed and rather ashamed.
"A prince trapped within a creature... Beast."
Beast tried to growl in anger, but was rather in the same tone as that of Simba.
"A princess beneath the sea... Ariel."
"Um, yes... yes, I'm Princess Ariel," she said nervously. "Um... exactly why am I here?"
"A captain of swift and guile... Amelia."
Amelia grinned a little. "Well, I've been called worse," she joked as she kept her attention upon him.
"A warrior both man and woman... Mulan."
"Whoa, uh... I'm not exactly both... heh..." Mulan said, feeling a little embarrassed by all this.
"A creature lost yet found... Stitch."
Stitch said something that only the master and Amelia understood. The latter gave him a dirty look.
"An outlaw for the poor and helpless... Robin Hood."
"And proud of it, if I may say so," Robin said with a grin upon his face. He removed his cap and bowed.
"A thief disguised as a prince... Aladdin."
Aladdin made a nervous chuckle, suspecting the others would think little of him from now on.
"A man of two worlds... Tarzan."
Tarzan grunted like a gorilla, not really caring about the odd glaring he was receiving from the others.
"A woman fighting for a price... Helga."
Helga rolled her eyes and said, "Look can we just cut to the chase? Just why the hell are we all here?"
"The answer to that question I am obliged to offer," Yen Sid spoke. "You twelve have been gathered together to battle a great threat against all our worlds."
---
The Firebird appeared before his master. It's voice shrieking and filled with flame as he made his report. The master listened to him speak and nodded.
"So, Yen Sid has summoned The Spring Sprite," the master said. "This could prove interesting, indeed. We shall continue as planned, my servant. However, I trust we shall call upon the sorceress for council as an act of caution."
The Firebird nodded and disappeared to perform his task. The master turned to a mirror, slowly wave an arm before it. "Speak to me my fortune, great spirit from beyond," he spoke. Clouds fogged the mirror within and a thunder strike could be heard. Soon, the clouds disappeared and a face appeared, floating without a body.
"Thou shalt conquer all if not for twelve," the head within the mirror said. "Twelve band together in true glory, thou shalt fall." The image said nothing more before the clouds returned to take it away.
The master grinned and walked toward his throne. "So, Yen Sid," he muttered, "it is your belief that the twelve is banding together. Only in true glory can you possibly succeed, master of masters. You shall provide me great entertainment before I end you." He began to laugh.
to be continued...
Thanks to GoblinQueeen, who provided the dialogue and some action for Helga.