Upon reaching the other side of the portal into Snow Queen's domain, the Dream Students shivered as the cold wind ripped through them. Thinking quickly, Gabriel and Belos put up a shield to block off the wind from reaching them.
"W-why are you shivering?" Aline asked Toren.
"I'm part jungle cat, not snow leopard!" the Jaquin exclaimed.
"If anyone has a heat-producing spell, bring it out so we can cast an enchantment over us," Gabriel instructed. Aline and Belos used fire glyphs, Toren and Joy used Angry memories to produce flames, and Beth and Double D used energetic music to heat their bodies up. Gabriel then mixed in some Fantasia, and soon the party was feeling a lot warmer than before. "There, now we don't have to worry about the cold. I would still like to avoid facing the Snow Queen if we can, however."
"Yeah, if Elsa can just casually turn summer into winter, then I'd hate to think what an evil version of her could do," Gadget nodded.
The gang trudged through the snow, walking past frozen trees as the only sound they could hear was the howling of the wind. Occasionally, animals could be seen in the forest, from deer made of ice to strange mythical creatures that liked the cold weather. Aline could have sworn she even saw a Yeti at one point. Eventually a castle came into view, looking a lot like Elsa's Ice Palace but with a more sinister tone. On the highest floor purple lightning could be seen, indicating where the final mirror shard was being held.
"So, before we go in, I feel like I should state the obvious," Mittens said, jumping in front of the group. "Every time we've gone after one of these shards, the Trio have sent one of their Fractured to try and stop us. Apparently they've also been evil versions of your friends in the Magical World, so is there anyone that we should be worried about running into here?"
"By process of elimination, our next opponent will probably be Silver," Beth said. "But he's mostly a pacifist, so I don't think there's much to worry about."
"Isn't he a big Princess fan, through?" Double D pointed out. "What if the Fractured version of him has all of their powers and uses them for evil. Then we'd have to deal with woodland critters attacking us, a capable sword fighter, ice magic, and a bunch of other skills I might be missing."
"Yeah, Silver might actually be a problem if his Fractured shows up," Gabriel nodded. "But, if that does happen, I want you all to focus on getting the mirror shard above all else. Aline, I want you and Mittens to take charge on this one."
"Me?" the girl gasped.
"Yes. Mittens has stealth-based skills, and you have the invisibility glyph that will let you sneak around," Gabriel explained. "Everyone else will divert the castle guards to other parts of the castle, while you two sneak up there and get the mirror shard." He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "And if the Snow Queen or Fractured Silver show up, remember that you were in the running for Dream Keeper like I was. Just show them what we can do, okay?"
Aline gave a small smile and nodded. The team then entered the castle, with Aline and Mittens going invisible while the others started running around and making a ruckus of the place. Soon guards made of ice started to chase them, with the heroes laughing as they used their powers to knock the ice men around. Aline kept to the walls, occasionally reapplying the glyph whenever she had to breathe, until her and Mittens made it to the throne room where the mirror shard was.
"Okay, this has been too easy so far," Mittens said.
"Think the shard has been booby trapped?" Aline asked.
"Probably," Mittens shrugged. The cat used her powers to quickly go over to the throne. "Yep, if we try to take the mirror shard off of the throne, it'll freeze whoever touches it."
"Then… Oh, let's just toss the throne out the window!" Aline said.
"What?" Mittens tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, if the throne is made of ice, then tossing it out the window will break it apart, thus knocking the mirror shard off and deactivating the trap!" Aline explained.
"That's not a bad plan, but also not one I expected from you," Mittens said.
"I think I've been hanging around Logan too much. It's more his style," Aline giggled.
Before the two could execute their plan, the doors to the room were flung open by a man in silver armor with dark magic pulsing beneath. Behind him were the captured forms of the other heroes, held in a magical grip. Beside the knight was the Snow Queen, with her dark blue dress and ornate crown that made her especially intimidating.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here," the Snow Queen said. "A little thief and her cat, trying to take our shard. Silver dear, take care of her for me."
"Wait!" Aline shouted, holding out her hands. "Aren't you going to explain your backstory first? All the other Fractured did."
"Oh, Silver's story is quite simple," The Snow Queen said. "In his world, he was more a fan of the Disney Villains than the Princesses, and thus became their dark knight to terrorize the Dream Keepers as their rival."
"That's… pretty tame, compared to the others," Mittens said.
"We thought that too," Double D said. "But he's crazy powerful and caught us all off guard!"
"I'm sad to say that he's got us caught as long as we're in his trap," Gabriel sighed. "But Aline, I know you can do this!"
"C-can I?" she doubted, backing up as Fractured Silver lumbered towards her, calling on a dark sword to fight with. She pulled out her glyphs and started using them all at once, but Silver simply shrugged them off with no effort. Aline jumped behind the throne, Silver's sword bouncing off it as he attacked her. "This is crazy! I've never had to fight anyone with this kind of dark power before! Heck, I haven't really had to fight that much at all!"
"You're still a Dream Defender, Aline!" Beth called. "You have your own skills, and we believe in you!"
"Yeah girl, you're the cat's meow, in more ways than one!" Double D added. "Give this knight a taste of your power!"
"You're my best friend, Aline, and I know you can win this!" Toren said. "Believe in yourself!"
"Aline, I know that you have a lot of doubt in yourself, and don't think you're worthy of being a Dream Keeper, but I've seen you grow beyond wanting the approval of everyone," Gabriel stated. "You just have to dig deep and find your true potential. Show them the magic that you have and thaw the ice in your heart with a brilliant inferno!"
"Nice words, but ultimately pointless," the Snow Queen tisked. "Nothing can stop my Silver."
Aline heard her friend's words, closing her eyes and letting them sink in. Suddenly, a soft melody could be heard, slowing building up as flickers of pink magic started to float around her. "Woah kid, what's this?" Mittens asked.
"It's my inner magic," Aline said, looking at it. She grinned, then stood up and faced Fractured Silver. "I'm ready to show you what I've got! And I know that the best way to beat the cold is to bring on the heat!"
"Hey, isn't that magic around her familiar?" Toren noted.
Gabriel had a huge grin on his face. "Heh, I know that she was in the running for position of Dream Keeper, but I don't think even Yen Sid knew how similar we were after all…"
"What do you mean by that?" Beth asked.
"I think you should just watch," Belos said.
Aline took a deep breath, the music continuing to build as Sliver brought his sword up. As he swung down, the world seemed to slow down as the pink magic swirled around Aline, and soon she opened her mouth and started to sing as the magic made a spotlight for her shine under.
We, we don't have to worry 'bout nothing
'Cause we got the fire, and we're burning one swell of a something
As Aline sang, the pink fragments swirled around her, moving with her body as she smoothly dodged Silver's attack.
They, they're gonna see us from outer space, outer space
Light it up, like we're the stars of the human race, human race
Aline raised her hands up, letting the magic flow out and cover the ceiling in array of magic sparks that started to rain down light in the room, making the Snow Queen hiss at the bright warmth they gave off.
When the light started out, they don't know what they heard
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
Silver raised a hand to try and absorb the light, but Aline combined this new magic with a fire glyph, burning his hand and stopping the attack.
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
Yeah, we got the fire, fire, fire
Striking a pose, Aline and Mittens started dancing together, the pink magic twirling around them as they dodged attacks.
And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
"Wait… is this Fantasia!?" Double D exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, but it's Aline's version of it," Gabriel said. "She just had to be true to her inner self and unlock that potential!"
Gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
With a spin, Aline turned into her cat form, running with Mittens around Silver as he tried to attack them.
We don't wanna leave, no, we just wanna be right now, right, ri-ri-right now
And what we see is everybody's on the floor acting crazy, getting loco 'til the lights out
Using this new version of Fantasia, Aline hopped over the Snow Queen and blasted the grip that was on the other heroes, freeing them from their trap.
Music's on, I'm waking up, we fight the fire, then we burn it up
And it's over now, we got the love, there's no sleeping now, no sleeping now
The others joined in the song, with Gabriel transforming into his full raven form and mixing in his own Fantasia to give Aline a boost, while still letting his student take the lead.
When the light started out, they don't know what they heard
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
Toren and Joy used the emotion of Love to give the song an extra boost, with the positive emotions making the Snow Queen weaker, the blizzard outside dying down as she lost power.
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
Yeah, we got the fire, fire, fire
Double D and Ben turned to face Silver, the alligator raising his sword to duel the dark knight while Double D used some dance moves to distract their Fractured opponent.
And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, bun
Gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
Aline and Gabriel danced together, using their magic to levitate the throne and drag it out of the room. "What you fools doing!?" the Snow Queen shouted.
When the light started out, they don't know what they heard
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
"This!" Gabriel shouted, using some magic to shove the throne out the window.
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn
Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn
The Dream Defenders took their leave then, jumping out the window and using magic to safely fall to the ground without any risk of injury.
We can light it up, up, up
So, they can't put it out, out, out
We can light it up, up, up
So, they can't put it out, out, out
Aline continued to the song, looking down as the Snow Queen's guards started to swarm the courtyard. She turned back into her human form, then looked to Belos with a nod.
We can light it up, up, up
So, they can't put it out, out, out
We can light it up, up, up
So, they can't put it out, out, out
The two danced as one, using their feet to draw an elaborate glyph circle around the team while their friends battled the guards.
When the light started out, they don't know what they heard
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
Yeah, we got the fire, fire, fire
"Don't just stand there, get them!" the Snow Queen shouted at Fractured Silver. He jumped off the balcony into the courtyard. As Silver faced Aline, she smirked and placed her hands on the glyph that she and Belos finished drawing.
And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
Gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
In a flash of power, the magic burst out, sending a wave of light and fire that melted the area around them, turning it into spring. The ice guards were melted away, with Silver gaining serious injury as the Fantasia and glyph magic bypassed his own dark defenses.
When the light started out, they don't know what they heard
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
Yeah, we got the fire, fire, fire
And we gonna let it burn
With her song finished, Aline went over and picked up the mirror shard, handing it to Gabriel. "I think that counts as a win for us."
"Indeed it does," the raven nodded. He turned to Fractured Silver, who was laid out on the ground. "I knew you could defeat him, Aline. And congratulations on gaining some control over Fantasia! I was wondering when one of my friends would be able to use it."
"Guess I'll be doing some training with Yen Sid when we get home," Aline chuckled.
"This isn't over!" the Snow Queen shouted.
"Actually, I think it is," Toren said. "Your knight is defeated, your kingdom of Eternal Winter is now Spring, and we have the mirror shard. That sound like a win to me."
"So, we can just go back to Mean Street and put this in the machine, right?" Beth said.
"Yep!" Gabriel nodded happily. "With these shards, we'll locate your brother and then use the power of the mirror to separate him from the Trio, restore the Stellar Mirror, and save the world."
"Yeah!" The Dream Students cheered.
Belos went to open a portal for them to get back, but as soon as he did so, a shot rang out that made everyone stop dead in their tracks. Gabriel flinched, then looked down to see a green glow emanating from his torso. The raven couldn't even say anything as dark magic ripped through his body, making the Dream Keeper vanish into thin air.
"GABRIEL!" the others shouted.
"Relax, he's not dead, yet," Bill Cipher said, stepping out of the portal alongside Fractured Rachel. "You guys should really make sure your enemies are dead, though. I had this one come crawling back to me after you dropped her off a cliff!"
"Classic human error," Night said. "And now it's cost you your leader."
"And look what we got!" The Collector sang, holding out the device with the Mirror Shards in them. "We found out where you were hiding these, and now we can complete our plans!"
"What did you do to Gabriel!" Belos demanded, stepping in front of the team.
"He's not dead, yet at least," Bill said. "We just put him somewhere where he can't help you."
"If you want him back, you'll have to come play our game," The Collector taunted. "It's called: Heroes Versus Villains! But this time, the bad guys are gonna win!"
"Just step through this portal and we will begin," Night explained as they walked through. "Good luck without your precious leader, through."
The team looked at each other with some concern. "Gabriel… Even if he is fine, can we really do this without him?" Beth asked.
"Come on, Beth, we can't let the bad guys win now!" Gadget said.
"Indeed, we must march on, for Gabriel's sake," Ben nodded.
"Yeah, and we've all grown so much that I think we might be able to do this!" Double D added.
"Let's keep thinking positively, and I'm sure we'll make it through," Joy said.
"Plus, don't forget that Aline has Fantasia too," Mittens pointed out.
"If you think about it, it was silly for them to take the mirror shards with them, since that means we can turn them to our side," Toren said.
"Indeed, we'll just have to make due with our situation and push on ahead with the plan," Belos nodded.
Aline looked at the others, then summoned her Fantasia and looked to the portal. "Right, it's time for the final battle. We'll get Gabriel back, save Beth's brother, and send the Trio back where they belong!"
[***]
Gabriel awoke inside a strange room, the floor covered in gold and other treasures. "Where is this, Scrooge's Money Bin?" he asked himself. The raven looked around, taking note of the old, dilapidated architecture of the building. "Wait, I've seen this before… Right, I'm still in the Wasteland! This must be the Dragon's Tower in the Beastly Kingdom!"
"Indeed it is," said a familiar voice. Smoke rose from the gold and formed into the shape of a bird-like being in dark robes with ghost-like patterns on it.
"Are you… me?" Gabriel asked before sighing. "Of course the Trio made a Fractured version of myself."
"Yes, and let's just say that things are about to get out of hand," Fractured Gabriel chuckled, his eyes glowing yellow as he rushed at his good counterpart.
Author's Note
Oh boy, the finale is getting closer! Aline gets her moment, finally overcoming her doubts and unlocking her inner Fantasia! I made her use pink magic since it contrasts with Gabriel using purple. Her song is "Burn" by Ellie Goulding, which was actually featured in the "Fantasia: Music Evolved" video game. I think it fits as Aline opening up and to battle against the cold of the Snow Queen.
But oh boy, looks like the Dream Students will have to fight the Trio alone. I know they can do it, but it'll be one heck of a fight to the end to save the world. Fractured Rachel is a lot tougher than she looks, and she'll be assisting in the battle as well. Let's hope that they can all hold on while Gabriel faces his Fractured self in the Beastly Kingdom.
Next Time: the students face the Trio, Gabriel faces himself, and the fate of the Mirrorverse hangs in the balance…
