Chapter 20: Steps To Victory Part 2

While the preteens and children were making their pact, they weren't the only ones who wanted to stay and fight. Many of the royals and others were discussing the upcoming confrontation. In the main courtyard, servants were getting various pieces of luggage ready to pack, and the royals were sitting close by on couches and seats.

"This is all so sudden," said Cinderella.

"I agree, it's terrible," said Belle.

"Such a wonderful evening planned, and it was all ruined when that evil wizard came in," said Jasmine.

"If I was given a chance I would have given him what for," said Aladdin with a determined look.

"A good old 1-2 to the jaw would do it," added Genie as he turned into a prizefighter.

"Easy there Al, we barely know what we're dealing with here," advised Eugine.

"Especially how we witnessed him defeat our allies with no trouble at all" added Shang.

"A few well-placed arrows would finish em gud," said Merida.

"He would've seen that coming, his reaction time is highly advanced," said Mulan.

"Maybe if we overwhelmed him then he would've been caught off-guard," suggest Jim Hawkin.

"I don't think so, you saw how he was able to make many of our friends disappear," said Simba.

"But we shouldn't give up, surely he has some kind of weakness," said Hercules.

"I kid, but we should leave it to the wizard, he knows more than anyone," said Philoctetes.

"That is true, but Zen is working with an entire group of dangerous villains, plus he was able to subdue the demon Chernobog, one of the most powerful beings in the Magic Kingdom," said Aurora.

As the group began to discuss and debate amongst each other over what could be done, the discussion was interrupted by a small but clear voice.

"I want to stay and help!"

The conversation immediately stopped, and everyone turned to the source of the voice which belonged to none other than Snow White.

Prince Florian was the first to speak.

"Snow that's awfully brave of you, but you are much too fragile for work in the field."

"I agree Princess, you have no experience in battle or defense and are bound to get seriously hurt." said the dwarf known as Happy.

"It is best that you and the Prince head home where it's safe and-"

"I want to help Mickey and protect my friends!" said Snow White as she stood up.

Everyone was both surprised and confused, but mostly surprised.

"Snow, what has gotten into you?" asked Cinderella.

"We've never seen you act this way before."

"What brought this on?" asked Ariel.

Snow sat back down in her seat. She was nervous because all eyes were on her.

"Well, I've been talking to Merida, Jasmine, and Mulan for a while, about building my confidence and being braver," she said.

Florian looked at the three princesses with a raised eyebrow,

"Did you put her up to this?"

The three gave nervous smiles.

"Well.."

Last year's Christmas/New Years party

Snow White, Merida, Jasmine, and Mulan were all seated at a table in one of the corners of the room.

"Hey Snow, have you ever been angry?" asked Mulan.

Snow was confused by the sudden question.

"Um..no..I have been upset, but never really angry," she said.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, have you ever tried…being brave?" Jasmine asked trying not to sound too condescending.

"Well, I…Never needed to, the dwarves and Florian have always protected me." Snow replied.

"Have ya ever picked up a sword?" asked Merida.

The confused look never left Snow's face.

"Why are you really asking such questions?"

"Well, we've been thinking that, out of many of us here, you seem to be the most…vulnerable," said Jasmine trying not to offend.

Snow White looked worried.

"You really think so?" she asked.

"Let's say this if you were trapped in a dark forest all by yourself, what would you do to protect yourself," asked Mulan.

Flashes of when the huntsman tried to kill her and getting lost in the forest caused her to shake with a little fear.

Mulan noticed that she had frightened the poor girl, and immediately tried to mend it.

"Snow, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Jasmine placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort "you're fine, we're right here."

Snow took a few deep breaths. When finally calmed down, she looked down in sadness.

"I can never be brave like you guys," she wooed.

"I'm just too fragile, scared, and weak."

"Don't say that Snow!" said Merida as she raised her voice startling the others.

"Just because ya have a kind and gentle heart, doesn't mean your weak,"

"Yeah, Snow, that's what makes you strong," added Jasmine.

"Really?" Snow perked up.

"Yes, and it's okay to be afraid, we all have been. Don't feel like you need to be anyone but yourself," said Mulan.

Snow felt comforted by her friend's words, but deep down she wanted to change something about herself.

"Can you girls help me?" she asked.

"Sure, what do you need help with Snow?" asked Jasmine.

"I want you to help me build my confidence and be brave." Snow replied nervously.

"You don't have to do that Snow," said Merida.

"But I want to! I want to be able to keep myself and others out of harm's way. I want to be stronger and more confident,"

Snow's words surprised the others, the level of determination seemed to come out of nowhere. Jasmine, Merida, and Mulan didn't know how to respond. After staring at each other for a few seconds, Mulan was the first to speak.

"Are you sure about this Snow?" she asked.

"I'm very sure, I care about everyone, and I want to help." Snow replied.

The three others again exchanged looks, but then Jasmine spoke.

"If you want to help Snow, I will help," said Jasmine as she laid a hand on Snow's.

"I will too," added Mulan.

"We all will do this together, and you will feel like uh new person," said Merida.

"Thank you, guys! I won't let you down!" Snow said as she hugged her three friends.

She was interrupted when Dopey one of the dwarves tugged a little at her skirt. Snow turned and bent down to face him.

"Well Hello Dopey, may I help you?"

Dopey offered his sleeved-covered tuxedo hand to Snow for a dance,

"Oh I would love to!" said Snow as she graciously took it.

"I will see you, girls, later!"

Snow waved to the girls before joining the rest of the dance.

"Are we sure about this?" asked Jasmine.

"We can't turn a kitten into a tiger."

"We don't have to, we just need to help build her confidence," said Mulan.

"Who knows, maybe she'll surprise us,"

"I hope yer right, let's see where this goes," said Merida

Present day

"Please don't be mad at them, they were only trying to help," said Snow.

"Regardless Snow, none of us want you to get hurt," said Florian.

"But I couldn't bare to see others get hurt." Snow replied.

"Now princess, you don't need to worry about us," said Doc the Dwarf.

"We..We…WEEEAACHOOO! Can manage well." sniffled Sneezy.

"I'm sorry, but….but my place is here, helping others," said Snow.

"Kn..knowing that you're safe, is a great help enough," said Bashful.

"I love all too much to just stay back, I want to be brave!" Snow raised her voice surprising everyone.

Florian looked desperately to the others for help, but a few of them knew not to get involved in a wife and husband quarrel. Seeing that he would be getting any aid, Forian decided that the best course of action was to postpone the conversation so they could be resolved in private.

"Snow, will discuss this later for now please?"

Snow decided to agree with him because she feared that she had embarrassed him in front of the others.

"Well, if Snow wants to help, then so should I," said Tiana.

"Not you too!" said Naveen.

"Come on Naveen, we should help to, Mickey has done a lot for us. It's time we do the same for him," said Tiana

"I have to agree with Tiana," said Cinderella,

"As much as we do not know what is on the horizon, we should face it together."

"It's worth a try, this is our chance to make a stand to defend our home," added Prince Charming.

"We are stronger as one!" said Tarzan.

"Does that mean we're all doing this together? asked Milo.

"No one should feel pressured into this, safety first," said Pocahontas

"Indeed, we should have the well-being of others in mind," added John Smith.

"Regardless, we should let master Yen Sid know about this," said Belle

"True, it would be wise to let the others know as well," said Adam.

"But how will we do that?" asked Jasmine.

"All we can do is wait," said Jim Hawkins.

"Well, if my party is willing to stay, we might as well have the servants stop packing our things," said Aurora.

"You're not going to war without me," Phillip told her.

"I want to stay, but we need to make sure my father knows and Melody is in good hands," said Ariel.

"Same here, but my family is a wee bit over-protective of me, especially my mother," said Merida.

"What if we were to return here in an hour to see if the Wizard council returns?" suggested Quasimodo.

"That sounds like a great idea!" agreed Phoebus.

"That should give us all plenty of time to rearrange some things if we wish," said Moana.

"So then it's settled then, See yall later!" said Tiana."

With that everyone went to take care of preparations, but a few stayed back for a moment to consider the situation more deeply.

"I don't know about this," said Cassandra.

"Aren't we biting a bit more than we can chew?"

"That is a good point, Cass," said Eugene.

"Come on guys, we've been in situations like this before and we came through," said Rapunzel.

"Sure we have, but this is different and is much worse," said Varen.

"So you guys don't want to help?" asked Rapunzel.

"Woah! we aren't saying that Punzy," said Eugene with his hands raised.

"We're just saying that we need to be careful," assured Cass.

"We don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

"But we have to support each other no matter what, so we're in," said Varen.

"Aww, thanks guys, I knew I could count on you to help!" said Rapunzel.

As the others made preparations, Florian led Snow and the others aside to talk.

"Now Snow, I know you want to stay and help, but it's far too dangerous," said Florian.

"Yes, but I couldn't bare the thought of anyone getting hurt and me just standing by letting it happen," replied Snow.

"Princess, please listen to us, you'll be much safer home at our kingdom." reasoned Happy the dwarf.

"I'm going to help and that is my decision!" Snow said putting her foot down and giving a stern look,

The small outburst caused many who were nearby to look at the startled group with surprise. It was very rare for Snow White to raise her voice in such a matter.

Florian was a little shocked, but mostly impressed with Snow's determination. He turned to the dwarfs who were also surprised. Not knowing what to do, he told Snow to have a seat while he ushered the dwarves a short distance away to speak.

Snow was a bit nervous, she could hear them bicker amongst themselves over the situation. After a short few minutes, they returned back to her. Florian and the dwarves had mixed looks of concern, eagerness, and …..Confidence?

Florian sighed "I don't know where this newfound stubbornness has come from, but are you sure there is nothing we can say that will change your mind?"

Snow nodded slowly.

With another sigh, Florian finally relented.

"Alright then, I'll allow it."

Snow's face lit up with a smile.

"Really!? Oh, Thank you. Thank you so muc-"

Florian raised his hand.

"On one condition. Only if Everyone agrees and we watch over you and step in when it's necessary."

"Of course dear," Snow White kissed Forian on the cheek then kneeled down to hug the dwarves.

"Please let us help you with any training," said Doc.

"Yeah well "Yawn." we will make sure you…zzzzz." Sleepy dosed off before he could finish his sentence.

Annoyed, Grumpy spoke up. "What he's trying to say is that we'll make sure you learn the best to offer,"

"Thank you, your support means so much to me," said Snow on the verge of tears.

"We should meet with Master Yen Sid before we take any action," said Doc.

"I agree, for now, we should get ourselves sorted," added Florian.

"Are we all sure about this?" asked Elsa.

Anna took her sister's hand.

"Don't worry, we'll look after each other, no matter what happens."

"I feel like I can't convince you otherwise, so I better stay as well if just to keep you out of danger," said Elsa which made Anna pout.

"Don't worry, that's what this guy is here for," Anna pulled Kristoff next to her.

"Easy there, we're not going off to war just yet," said Kristoff.

"I'll go check on the servants, Just promise to keep her safe or you'll end up as an ice sculpture in the garden," Elsa smirked.

Kristoff laughed nervously.

"She's joking right?"

Anna let out a cheeky laugh which made Kristoff feel even more nervous.

"Right?"

In the north wing of the castle, the Pixie Hollow fairies were getting ready to leave with Peter and the others.

"Wow, it seems like we just got here, and are already leaving," said Silvermist.

"We did just get here dear," said Rosetta as she sorted out some of her dresses

"It's a real shame we can't stay longer," said Iridessa.

"Seemed a little boring to me," said Vida.

"You say that every year." Periwinkle pointed.

"And every time you still end up having a good time."

Vida just rolled her eyes much to the other's amusement.

"TINKERBELL!" called a voice.

Tinkerbell's ears perked up, and she stopped what she was doing.

"Sounds like Peter is calling me, I'll be right back guys,"

As Tinkerbell flew off, Vida used the opportunity to bad-mouth Peter.

"Now, now Vida, Peter is a nice boy, and he always looks after Tinkerbell as much as she looks after him," said Rosetta.

"Oh really? Like the time he banished her, or the time he let her get captured?" Vida retorted.

"Actually, didn't Tinkerbell do that to herself tho? She and weren't exactly on good terms back then." Fawn said reluctantly trying not to insult Tinkerbell in Peter's defense.

Vida was about to say something, but once she thought about it, her friends had a point.

"Fair point, Tinkerbell is almost always overprotective of him."

The other fairies sighed, but some of the winter fairies were curious.

"Is there a story behind this?" asked Sled.

"I don't remember hearing about it," added Gliss.

"We don't talk about it when Tinkerbell is around," said Terence.

"Mrs. Bell gets all embarrassed when it's mentioned around her." Clank pointed out.

"Not one of her "best moments," she described," said Bubble

"Come on, she's not here now, spill the beans," said Spike.

Tinkerbell's friends looked at each other and were hesitant at first, but they eventually relented.

"Just promise not to bring it up." said Periwinkle.

Tinkerbell saw Peter waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She flew down to him and gestured in a way that said "What do you need?"

"Tinkerbell, I need a favor," said Peter.

"I need some barrow pixie dust."

Tinkerbell looked a bit confused, she had been with Peter for a long time as a sort of guardian and had been by his side for a long time, all the while juggling her work in Pixie Hollow. Tinkerbell was especially confused because she was with him almost constantly and there was no need for pixie dust.

In her own way, Tinkerbell asked Peter why he need pixie dust.

"It's for something important." Peter insisted.

Tinkerbell put her hands on her hips, shook her head, then gave Peter a stubborn look. Seeing that Tinkerbell wouldn't change her mind without an explanation, Peter told her his pan.

"I need it to fly back here after I see everyone off, I'm planning to stay and help Mickey,"

Tinkerbell took a second to process what was said. Once she realized what Peter was going to do, she immediately objected, flying to his face and telling him no.

"Sorry Tink, but I made my choice. I need to protect Wendy, John, Michael, and the others," said Peter.

Tinkerbell turned away from Peter and flew to the nearby window. She sat on the window sill with her arms across her chest and breathed a sad sigh. Peter noticed this and set his arms on the window sill next to Tinkerbell.

"Now Tink, I know you're worried about me, but I'm doing this for the safety of everyone," said Peter.

"I talked to Wendy about it, and she agreed to help make sure everyone else got home safe."

Tinkerbell scoffed.

"Of course, she wouldn't know anything about safety." she thought to herself.

"Tinkerbell, I know this is a bit sudden, but I've been through worse. You have to trust me, I'll be back," said Peter,

Tinkerbell knew she couldn't change Peter's mind, she almost hated his stubbornness. She was also sure that the chances of Peter coming out of this alive without her were very few. Countless times, it was Tinkerbell's Pixie Dust that saved Peter's life. With such a limited supply, Peter would be in serious danger. Tinkerbell couldn't help but be mad with Wendy for not being persistent in stopping Peter.

After taking a moment to think about everything, Tinkerbell came up with her own solution.

"Peter I'm staying with you," Tink said to Peter.

Peter tried to say otherwise

"Now Tink, as much as I-"

"Either I stay with you, or I won't give you any Pixie dust!" Tinkerbell decided to use her own stubbornness against him.

"But Tink whose going to look after the Lost Boys, Jake, Izzy, and Cubby?" asked Peter trying to counter.

"They're your responsibility to Peter! But you choose to run off to another adventure, then face responsibility." Tinkerbell shot back.

"Tink, I'm doing this not for myself, but for the protection of everyone!" said Peter in defense.

"Either I stay with you, or you won't get my Pixie dust and I tell everyone else." Tink put her foot down.

Tinkerbell had backed Peter into a corner. He knew that if the Neverland crew found out, they wouldn't leave. With no other choice, Peter finally gave into Tinkerbell's demand.

"Okay, fine…Fine." Peter sighed "just don't tell anyone else okay?"

Tinkerbell nodded in promise.

"My plan is to leave after midnight when everyone is asleep, Wendy agreed to cover for me and make sure the ship gets home," said Peter.

"It's a bit of a flyback, but with a good wind we should be back soon with our speed."

Tinkerbell nodded again.

"So I'll see you later."

Before the two parted ways, Peter said one more thing.

"Tink, you can still change your mind at any time," he said.

Tink gave him a "Yeah no." look then returned to her friends.

"And that's the story," Fawn finished.

The group had just wrapped up telling the story of Tinkerbell's rivalry with Wendy to the Winter fairies.

The Winter fairies had a look of disbelief on their faces.

"Wow," said Gliss.

"That is so unlike Tink." Spike pointed.

"Really strange man." added Slush.

"Now guys, don't mention this to Tinkerbell, she's still sensitive about the whole thing," said Rosetta.

The fairies nodded.

Tinkerbell had returned to her friends with a look of distraught on her face, she tried to hide it, but the others had taken notice.

"Tink, what's wrong?" asked Periwinkle.

"Oh it's nothing," Tink answered quickly.

Everyone looked at her with worry,

"Tink, if there's something up between you and Peter you should tell us you know," said Vida.

Everyone gave Vida a frown.

"Hey, I'm just saying," Vida said in defense.

Turning their attention back to Tink, they pressed on.

"I don't feel like talking about it now," said Tink.

"Are you sure?" asked Silvermist.

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Tink with a sigh.

While the group decided not to pester Tinkerbell with questions, the concern they had over their friend didn't leave.

It was a while later when Yen Sid emerged from his chambers, as he made his way back to the main room when he noticed a few royal servants had either stopped packing or unpacking. A frown crossed Yen Sid's face, and he approached the servants with clenched fists.

"What do you think you are doing!?" he demanded.

"Sorry sir, but we were told to stop packing and unpack." said one of the servants.

"And who gave you such order?" Yen Sid asked with a bit of calm.

"By the royals sir." said another servant

Confusion now filled the wizard's face, he had ordered everyone to return back to their respective kingdoms. Why would they reverse this? He needed to sort this out right away, can't afford any unnecessary distractions.

"Well, you can start packing them back up and get them ready for departure," he ordered.

"But sir, what about the-"

"I...Will handle it, now back to work!" Yen Sid said in a commanding tone, which startled the workers into getting back to the task.

Yen Sid didn't know who gave such orders, but he will find out. After a minute of walking, he made it to the main room where many people were gathered. Clearing his throat, he gained the attention of the entire room.

"Would any of you like to tell me who told the servants to stop packing?"

There was a small silence before a few decided to speak.

"We all kind of did," said Cinderella.

"It was more or less a group decision," added Jasmine.

Yen Sid sighed and pinched his nose.

"I instructed all of you to return home, it's too dangerous to stay here," said Yen Sid.

"We know, but after talking for a while, we all made a decision," said Belle.

"And that is?" asked Yen Sid.

"We want to stay and help you," said Tarzan.

Yen Sid's eyes widened.

"Now hold on just a minute. You can't even begin to know how powerful Zen is."

"But you defeated him before, how strong can he be." Shang pointed out.

"I was merely lucky last time, Zen has gotten much more powerful over the years, I could just barely hold out against him the other night." Yen Sid said.

"All the more reason for us to stay and fight," said Adam.

"We're all involved in this if what you said is true," added Moana.

"If he is getting help from the villains, you'll need all the help you can get," said Hercules.

While Yen Sid continued to protest, other wizards and royals came over to see what was going on.

"What is going on?" asked The Fairy Godmother.

Yen Sid turned to face her.

"They want to stay and get themselves killed," Yen said with sarcasm much to Fairy Godmother's disapproval.

"What is really going on," asked Merlin.

"We want to help you in the conflict against Zen," said John Smith.

"If our homes are in danger, then we should stick together," suggested Quasimodo.

Fergus and Elenor approached Merida.

"Is this true Merida?" asked Elenor.

Merida gave her parents a slightly sad nod.

Fergus was about to praise their daughter but stopped when Elenor shot him a stern look.

"Now lass, we appreciate your determination, but going to war?"

"But daaad." Merida protested.

Merida wasn't the only one having Parental issues. King Triton looked at his daughter Ariel and son-in-law with confusion.

"Were you planning on staying as well?" he asked.

"Now father, please understand, this is for the sake of our home." reasoned Ariel.

King Triton looked at Eric with a raised eyebrow,

"Did you convince her?" he asked.

Eric was just about to answer before Ariel interjected.

"Father, we decided together,"

King Triton leaned close

"I almost lost you, and my granddaughter once, I don't want to lose you again."

"Dad," Ariel took his hand in hers. "I'm a grown woman now, and I want to do my part, to support our friends and family."

"It's dangerous," he said.

"I'll protector her with my life," Eric assured.

Triton gave Eric a stern look

"See that you do young man."

While many talked with their parents and parental figures, the wizard council was trying to comprehend the situation.

"Yen may we have a word?" asked The Blue Fairy.

They gathered into a small circle for a short meeting.

"What brought this on?" asked Merryweather.

"Perhaps it was the events of last night." Flora pointed out.

"The real question is should we permit them?" asked Merlin.

"Of course not!" Protested Yen Sid. "There is no need for anyone to get in the way,"

The Fairy Godmother gave Yen Sid a frown.

"But aren't you planning to train your apprentice in forbidden magic?"

Yen Sid's eyes were wide while everyone in the circle was also shocked. Yen Sid never told anyone about his plan, he was going to, but when the time was right.

"How did you kno-"

"Is this true?" asked Fauna.

"That is different." Yen Sid defended.

"Is it really?" asked Cedric

Yen started to get a little frustrated, but held his composure and turned back to the topic.

"Yes, but we'll discuss this later. Back to the topic at hand."

"Well I know it is risky, but if Zen truly is working alongside the villains, then having an army of protagonists on our side would be in our best interest," said Merlin.

"True, but not everyone here is a warrior or has experience in battle, we can't just send them to the frontlines." The Blue Fairy replied.

"Perhaps, with time and training, we can have them at least somewhat prepared," suggested Flora.

"I don't know about that," said Merryweather. "We don't have much time as it is. We also don't have a strategy."

"I say we let them aid us, they are our friends, and they're doing this for the sake of their homes," said Fauna.

"We shouldn't, Zen is my problem." Yen replied with a sigh.

"Yen, this is no longer just your mistake, we're looking at a full-scale war. They have a right to defend themselves, everyone is involved like it or not," said Merlin.

Yen was about to object, but he stopped himself. Maybe it was the right thing to do, this was bigger than just him. If things had to change for them to have a chance, then so be it.

Yen Sid made his decision.

"Very well, I'll allow it, but it would be wise to start as soon as possible. The clock is ticking."

The Wizards turned back to the large group, and then Yen Sid raised his voice.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" he shouted.

The room went silent and turned to him.

"Alright, after a little consideration, we will allow you to aid us in this conflict."

Everyone cheered, but Yen Sid interrupted them.

"I'M NOT FINISHED!"

Silence filled the room once again.

"However, a few of you have little-to-no experience in battle, so we need to help one another in preparation."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I suggest those who still plan to head back home, feel free."

"For now, everyone else takes some time to recuperate and say goodbye, as soon as you're ready, use the castle grounds as a place to prepare and make ready. When I obtain more information, I will make it known. You all are dismissed." Yen Sid finished.

While everyone else scattered, Yen Sid turned back to the council. From a small pouch on the side of his robes, he pulled out an old key.

"Here, take this key. In my study on the far right wall, you'll find a small cupboard, inside is a book with various enchantments for armor and weapons. There are plenty of blacksmiths around the village, you could even ask the dwarves for help."

Cedric took the key and looked puzzled.

"What exactly will these enchantments do?" he asked.

"Everything you need to know is in that book, right now I need to make sure my apprentice is ready. I will check on you all later." Yen said as he started walking off.

"And Yen," said The Blue Fairy.

Yen stopped for a moment and turned around.

"While we understand the circumstances, we still need to talk about this forbidden magic," she said as the others nodded in agreement.

Yen sighed.

"We will, you have my word."

Seeing his fellow cohorts satisfied with his response, Yen Sid went back on his way. Once Yen was gone, the group turned to each other.

"Well friends, it seems we have a lot of work to do," said Flora.

"Indeed we do. let us not waste time," said Cedric.

END OF CHAPTER 20 PART 2

A/N

Sheesh, that was a long write. Anyway, thanks once again for your continued patience with this story, and sorry if the wait was long. I wanted to add more to this chapter, but I figured it was quite long enough. I know some characters are a bit OOC, but I tried to make it fit. Also, 20 CHAPTERS! When I first started this story, I originally thought it was going to be around 25 chapters, but there is still going to be more to come. I'm still trying to find a job, but in the meantime, in addition to writing, I've been improving my art skills, and hope to have them posted on my Deviantart by the time I post the next few chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please let me know of any improvements or advice you have for me. Next time we will check in on Mickey and his friends, as well as Zen's Master plan. Until next time!

I only own this story and my OC's. All other is property of Disney.