Monsters and Magic

By: DJ Rodriguez

(Author's Notes: Hey everyone! How are you doing? I may not getting as much reviews as I have had hope for, but no worries! I'm still intent with a passion to continue and finish this story! I just hope it is enough for all of you readers out there.

I already have the pairings set up for four of the characters, and I believe I have found some OC's for Melody and Dianne to hook up with later on. Just be patient, please. In any case, it's time to continue! In this chapter, Melody comes clean with her heritage and past. Plus, getting some interesting answers from her friends Sebastian and Flounder. In addition, the parents come together to see if they can coax some answers from their children. And the interrogation of Shadowsneak adds more to the suspense. And finally, Maleficent starts to make her move towards her enemies with her army in tow!

I am seriously considering showing my story to Toho and Disney, hoping and dreaming they turn it into a full-length animated movie! Hand-drawn like classic Disney films, not computer generated. I do not own Toho monsters, Godzilla, the Disney characters and such. I do own the OC characters though.

Now, on with the fanfic!)


Chapter 7

While things seemed to be sunny and perfect for most people, it was not right now in the case of Melody Marcel. The young princess of Ariel and Eric was currently trying to calm the nerves of one terrified fish as the sea creature was scared out of his wits. The reason? He was seeing creatures he believed to exist only in mythical stories, creatures that one would think exist only in nightmares. He was seeing on the beach… monsters! Flounder was wide-eyed and shaking from seeing Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and Anguirus. Melody was trying to calm him down before he reacted hysterically. She was not the only one trying to make the situation not as serious as it seemed. Melody's two new friends, Tracy and Kathrin, were trying to revive a fainted Sebastian and Scuttle, both who had also seen the monsters and had fainted shortly after seeing them. Looking on at the scene in amusement at the scene, but they seemed to be waiting for something.

Melody was stroking Flounder while whispering, "It's okay Flounder, it's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of. Yes, those are real monsters you're seeing. But don't worry! They are good friends of ours.". The yellow and blue fish was now showing surprise upon hearing that his friend was actually friends with these towering monsters. He looked at the four large creatures, but when he stared into Godzilla's face, the green-skinned saurian let out a low growl that caused the fish to shake again.

He looked at Melody and exclaimed loudly, "Melody, are you serious?! You're friends with these guys?!". Before the mentioned princess could reply, a loud yell came from a certain crab as he was revitalized by Tracy and the first thing Sebastian saw was the faces of the monsters. The little musical Jamaican crab had heard what Flounder stated, and the small sea creature was now beside himself with both shock, awe, and worry all rolled up into one.

Sebastian started to rant, his emotions and the serious situation make him temporarily forget about the other children that were present. He started by yelling out, "Melody! Are ya serious, girl?! You're friends with these… these… creatures?! You're friends with these monsters?! Ahhh! I haven't been this much a nervous wreck ever since the time when ya mudder first turned from a mermaid into a human! This is a catastrophe! King Triton was right about something going wrong here! I'm gonna march straight back to Atlantica and…". He would have continued on, but he was scooped up by Melody and the young lady covered his mouth with her free left hand.

The granddaughter of King Triton whispered, "Sebastian, please calm down! I can explain everything!". Said crab was glaring at her and was about to say something when someone beat him to it. It was the sound of Mainard clearing his throat, and beside him were the other royal children, all giving Melody an expected look when she turned around to face them.

Mainard said firmly, "Melody, I think it's time you told us more about yourself. And I believe we have a right to know the truth about you, since you are our friend.". The princess knew she was in a jam, a tight one too. Sebastian was covering his mouth with his claws now, just realizing that he had just spoken out something that should have remained a secret to outsiders. It seemed this temper and aggravation to the whole situation got the better of him. He whispered out an "Oops" sound, knowing that the jig was up for both him and Melody.

The black haired princess sighed and had a look of defeat on her face. She looked at her new friends and pleaded, "Everyone. I'm really sorry about this. But, I promised my grandfather and my folks I wouldn't…". She did not finish her sentence when Kathrin went to her. The young lady gave a gentle smile and took Melody's hands in hers, as sign of friendship. The beautiful princess and daughter of Snow White stated that they would keep her secret, but that Melody really needed to trust them in order to keep said secret. She finished it up by saying that is true friendship is built on; trust of one another, and she needed to trust them as much as they trusted her. Friendship was a two-way street that required action on both parties.

Kathrin said while gesturing to the others and herself, "Please, trust us Melody.". The former mermaid let out a sigh and was in thought for a moment, Sebastian still in her hands. The small red crab was now wondering if his friend would reveal more of her secret heritage to the others, and it showed on his face. After some moments had passed, the daughter of Ariel and Eric let out a sigh and walked towards the others. Godzilla and the other monsters watched on, wanting to see how this went. Even the Twin Fairies remained silent, not wanting to come in unless it was necessary. They too also wanted to hear more about their friend.

Melody looked at them all and started to say, "Okay… I think I can trust you all with this. It is a secret that myself, my family and also the citizens here in this land have kept to ourselves, not wanting anyone outside of this kingdom to know about. Can you please promise not to reveal this to anyone? Please… I need you to promise me this first.". Tracy was the first one to state that she promised to keep Melody's revelation a secret, and the others followed suit with this oath. Even the Twin Fairies, who made themselves known also spoke that they would keep the secret. Sebastian, Scuttle (who had just revived as well), and Flounder were once again floored upon seeing fully-grown human women only a foot high, looking exotic and wearing exotic clothing, and also floating down from the brown worm's head as if by magic.

Edgard was the last to take the oath, and when he made the vow, that is when Melody started to tell about her heritage. She started out saying, "Okay, here is my secret. You see, my mother Ariel was not always a human. She was born a mermaid, youngest of the seven daughters to my grandfather, King Triton who is ruler of the sea and of the kingdom of Atlantica, which is not far from here. My mother loved to see the human world, which my grandfather dislike very much and forbid my mom to go to the surface. But, she went to the surface anyway and one night, she met my father Eric on a ship and she fell in love at first sight. She did save him from a storm that almost killed him, and she longed to be part of the human world. She was soon tricked into striking a bargain with a sea witch, a large octopus named Ursula who had a knack for magic. My mother turned into a human, but gave up her voice in exchange. If she did not kiss my dad in three days after her transformation, she would be turned back into a mermaid and be Ursula's slave.". The entire group was now sitting on the sand, listening to the story that Melody was telling. Scuttle, being the bird brain that he was, sat down in front of Dianne while the Twin Fairies were now in Kathrin's lap.

Melody continued, "After two days, my mom was sure that she would get my dad to kiss her. But on the third day, Ursula tricked my dad into almost marrying her by using magic. However, my mom and her friends, Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle here, managed to prevent the marriage. But, the sun set and my mom's time was up. She changed back into a mermaid in front of everyone that my dad and his servants invited, and the sea witch came to claim my mom. But, my grandfather came to help out by giving up his life for my mom! Ursula then tried to claim the power of the sea through the trident, my grandfather's symbol that has a lot of mystical power. But my mom and dad came together to finally defeat her! It was then my grandfather saw that his daughter really loved the human prince, and that is when he granted her wish to be human for the rest of her life. The rest is… well, you can all guess the rest.". The children were indeed enchanted and amazed that Melody's heritage was linked to mystical creatures that they believed only existed in fairy tales and books.

Sebastian looked at the children, leaping down from his place in Melody's hand and landing softly on the sandy ground. He scuttled over to them and stated, "I can tell you all that all my Melody just said is true. Her mudder Ariel was a mermaid, and Melody here got most of her spirit from her! Like the love of da sea, the love of adventure, and also the love of causing to drive her parents, me and Flounder crazy!". The young ones chuckled/giggled at that, and the moment lasted awhile until Mainard thanked Melody for trusting them with this big secret. The others followed, saying their thanks to the young lady. Melody was relieved to tell about her heritage to her friends, and also relieved that they did not ask on how she knew about heritage. She felt that leaving the part out about her little adventure in the sea as a mermaid was a good decision at the moment. She felt that particular story was meant for a later time.

Scuttle then hopped over to Melody and inquired, "Okay now! We told your friends on who you are, but… mind telling us now what THEY are? And how you are friends with them?". Sebastian turned to Melody and gave her a serious face, Flounder who was floating nearby also wanted to hear this little explanation as well.

The Twin Fairies walked over to Scuttle and Sebastian and said as one, "If you please, Sebastian-san and Scuttle-san, we would like to explain everything that has happened her to you. The children can add in their parts along the way.". The three sea life could only nod dumbly, still a bit in shock and awe at seeing twin humans that were very small in front of them. They were a bit confused on the –san suffix that was used after their names, and it showed on their faces too. Dianne asked on why they used –san after their names, and Mora answered that it was a custom mainly used in Japan. Lora lifted up her hand when the children wanted a bit more information, and the fairy stated that they would explain suffixes later on. When the royal kids nodded, the Twin Fairies then started to explain everything to the musical genius of Atlantica and his colleagues.

It was going to be one heck of a later afternoon for everyone on the beach…


~Back at the castle~

While the children and Fairies explained their story to Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder, Melody's parents were explaining their situation on the children and their involvement with the Monster bandits. Eric explained to them what they found in the forest during their little excursion, with Asce and Léandre filling in on what they found on their little hunt. The ones that did not partake in the investigation were shocked on what they discovered, more specifically the way the bandits were when they were caught. When they explained the tracks and such that they found, Eric concluded that their children were involved in something big. Something that caused them to keep the identity of the ones who aided them against the forest bandits a secret. Philip asked, "Eric, my friend. Do you think we should confront the kids about this? I mean, if this is as big as you assume it is…".

The seafaring king held up his right hand a little, causing Philip to end his question prematurely. Eric answered, "I do not think we should confront them directly, Philip. If we did so, more likely it would end up making the situation more dire then it is right now. What I suggest we do is coax them to reveal the identity of the ones who helped them out.". Ariel put in that they would need to be subtle, sneaky about it. She put in that forcing the kids to speak up would put them, the adults in a negative light and they would most certainly not reveal who saved them from the bandits.

Cinderella put in, "I believe you two are right. We need to ask them subtle questions, try to be clever on letting them reveal to us who or what their saviors are. It won't be easy, but it needs to be done.". The royal couples thought it over, and agreed with her on that. The fathers were not known to be subtle when it came to trying to get their kids to speak on anything that was grand, so they would need the assistance of their significant others to try and get the answer. The adults started to trade and bounce ideas and suggestions off one another, and it lasted for some time until Captain Mario came in. The talking stopped as the captain approached them. He bowed slightly to the royal people before him, then he gestured with his head for Eric to follow him to a more private setting where he can tell him about what he learned from the prisoner. He nodded, but he asked his fellow kings to follow so they could hear. They agreed, and the menfolk left the women as they saw their significant others off.

Once in a private room, the guard closed the doors and made sure that no one was in the room or would be able to eavesdrop. Once Mario saw that the room was secure enough, he turned to the kings who had taken some chairs as seats. He bowed to them as one and looked to Eric as he started to say, "Your Highness, I have just come from my interrogation of the prisoner Shadowsneak. Not only through him, but from the other prisoners as well, I had learned about what happened last night. Apparently… he was run off by the children. The children who had… monsters with them.". That got their attention good, as the all of the eyes of the kings widened significantly. Eric pressed his captain to continue on with the explanation, which he did.

Captain Mario continued, "Shadowsneak stated that he did indeed send his men off to retrieve the children once he had seen them. He waited for them to return at the crater, but he did not expect the kids to return… with help, as it were. Behind the children were creatures he had never seen before. A large green dinosaur with strange-shaped dorsal spines, a large brown flying dinosaur, a large brown unusual turtle with an unusual shaped head and sharp spikes on its shell, and a large brown worm with sapphire-colored eyes. And from what he claimed to have seen were two fully-grown women on the worm's head, but they were only a foot high. And dressed in exotic wear he had never seen before.".

Florian commented, "This all sounds too fantastic to be even remotely true. I believe that Shadowsneak probably had some strong wine before embarking into the forest.". Philip agreed with him, but not Asce and Léandre shook their heads in negative.

Asce stated, "As farfetched as that sounds, that would explain the strange tracks we saw. The tracks we saw could not have come from any normal animal, here or anywhere else for that matter.".

Captain Mario put in, "The men under Shadowsneak's command all started to rant and rave, putting in what they saw these creatures do. According to the one that were with the strong man Tightfist, the worm shot silk webbing at them. It is what attached them to the rocks. And one claimed to see the green dinosaurs's spines flashing and glowing blue before shooting forth a blue-white pillar of fire from its mouth. According to the bandit, this flame did not spread out like normal fire, but rather it was concentrated and intense like a pillar. It shot the flame at Tightfist, who after that was burned badly but surprisingly alive.". Now Eric saw that this was true, given how they found both Tightfist and his allies earlier on.

The captain continued, "The ones who were with another group, they claimed to have been attacked by the strange turtle-like creature and the flying dinosaur. When they tried to lasso the turtle's head, it flung the bandit was great strength. When their leader of the group, Spring as they called him, tried to anchor the beast down to a tree, the spiked-shelled monster rolled and curled into a ball, and managed to get free by rolling. Springy and his comrade were chased into a large rock, and thought they would be crushed… only for the dinosaur to uncurl at the last moment before impact. He swiped at the low-ranked bandit into the rock, where he was knocked out cold. Springy, however, was sent into the air as this creature lowered his head and rammed the bandit into the sky where he was caught by the flying dinosaur, then flung into the forest.". Asce put in that they did indeed found Springy, messed up seriously but still alive.

Philip said, "There is something… odd here. Normally, monsters would have eaten them after defeating them. But they didn't. And if these monsters are the same that Shadowsneak saw, then… these monsters helped our kids out.". The royal rulers saw that this was indeed odd behavior, as far as they are concerned. Léandre was a bit perplexed as well, but did believe more then his fellow kings that perhaps these monsters were once like him. Beasts that had human emotions, monsters that had human hearts. It was a possibility. A really far out one, but one still there nevertheless.

Eric spoke up, "I really believe that we need to talk to our kids as soon as they get back from their little excursion. But remember, we need to coax it out of them, even if its bit by bit. We need to confirm that their story follows or matches to the one that Shadowsneak and his men stated. They all nodded their heads, and Eric thanked his captain for the report. Mario bowed and soon left the room, going to resume his duties as captain such as training his men. It seems that things were going to get pretty interesting around the palace, and not just with Melody's upcoming birthday party.


~Back at the beach~

Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle were just amazed on what they had heard. While the adults had talked, the Twin Fairies had been explaining to them on how they came to be in this world. The crab, fish and seagull were just floored upon hearing that these monsters and their tiny human fairies came from another universe! Of course, the three sea creatures were still a bit gob smacked upon seeing tiny humans, and that they were apparently fairies that were retainers for the worm they called Mothra. Flounder spoke up, "Wow! So all of you are from a different universe?! Now that is something!". He was glad that his children were not here to see this, nor to hear it. Not physically there due to the giant flying dinosaur now known to him as Rodan, fearing that his guppies would be eaten by said monster. And not hearing this information because they would ask so many questions, that he and the others would probably never hear the end of them.

Scuttle asked, "So, you all come from another place that is really different from our world here? You are monsters with great powers? And you don't have any idea how or why you were brought here?". When the Twin Fairies shook their heads in a negative, the feathered friend of the Marcel's put in, "Man, that has to be rough.".

Moll said, "We do not know the fates of the others monsters that came with us, or if they are even here in this world.". Sebastian really much prayed that the other four monsters they talked about earlier were NOT in this world. The small crab turned to Melody, who was looking back down at him with a hopeful face. She hoped that her small friend would accept the situation and not tell her grandfather about her new friends. The Jamaican crab gestured with his head to the side, and scuttle to said location. Melody followed, a little perplexed by her friend's gesture and action. Luckily for them, the others were talking to Scuttle and Flounder, apparently still a little in awe at talking to creatures they believed held no higher intelligence or function such as talking. When the two were away from the group, Sebastian gestured for his friend to lower her head so he could speak with her.

When Melody lowered her head, kneeling down on the sand, Sebastian whispered to her, "Melody, this is most dire den I thought! It seems that what King Triton's trident sensed was true!". He then explained to the events prior to his coming to see her; the trident glowing, Triton explaining on how there were other artifacts of great magical power that were in league with the trident itself, and that he was sent here to investigate plus to make sure that all was well here.

The crab then suggested, "I believe whoever has those things of great power summoned those monsters here! And even if da other monsters are here or not, the ones here are posing a serious threat to both da sea and land! I have to tell your grandfather, and you need to tell your parents and…!". His mouth was closed by Melody, who shushed him to be quiet. Luckily for them, the other monsters were being distracted by Scuttle, who was flying over and inspecting the creatures. In their view, however… Scuttle was the equivalant of an annoying flying pest.

When Melody looked up to see that they were not heard by the others, she looked down at her small friend and slowly took her hand off his mouth. The princess pleaded, "Sebastian, just wait a minute! These guys are not a danger to us. Sure, they look different and all, but they are really good beings. Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, the Twin Fairies… and of course Godzilla. Just trust me on this, please. I plan to have everyone see them, but only when the time is right and in a way that doesn't freak the people out.". Sebastian was very skeptical at this part. He knew that any being, human or otherwise, would see these creatures, they would certainly go crazy and would very much freak out.

Melody continued, "I just need to wait until things are a bit more settled, perhaps after the party. But please Sebastian, don't tell grandfather or my parents! They would probably say I have to let them go or get rid of them.".

Sebastian retorted, "Well, that would be a good idea! Look Melody, these creatures here don't belong to this world in the first place! Now, we need to…". He was once again stopped by Melody's hand covering his mouth, and the little crab was getting a bit annoyed at it. When she removed it, the young princess pleaded with him to just a little while longer. She was pleading with him to also trust in her, and in her royal friends. The crab was sorely tempted to just say no and go back to Atlantica, but… seeing Melody's face, the same expression Ariel used on him long ago when she first became human.

The little musical genius shook his head and said, "I just need to just wait a little while longer. Alright, alright. I'll not tell your father and mudder, nor the king. I'm really trusting you on this, young lady.". Melody gave off a brilliant smile and kissed Sebastian on the cheek, putting him down and patting him on the head.

The crab muttered that he was getting too soft, and also too old for this kind of nonsense. But, he knew better then to say no to a beautiful lady, especially one that was showing him a pleading face he knew he could not refuse. The two then walked over back to the group, and were amused greatly when they saw Rodan swatting Scuttle out from his face with his wing and the sea bird landing with a loud SPLASH in the ocean! The humans giggled at seeing Scuttle scrambling out of the water, some seaweed stuck on his body. Tracy looked to her right, and saw that Sebastian and Melody's talk was over. The young lady went to them and asked, "So, is everything okay now? Did you two talk about what to do now?". Melody answered that for right now, their monster friends had some confidants that would not reveal them to the world.

Tracy smiled and replied, "That is great news! Thanks for helping our new friends out, Melody. And thank you for trusting us with your secret heritage.". The former mermaid answered that it was no problem, and the two looked to stare at the ocean. Sebastian scuttled to the sea to tell Flounder what their next move was, or more accurately what they would NOT be doing. As the two young princesses stared into the majestic blue, the waves gently rising and falling with the tide, they heard some soft movements behind them and turned to see that it was Godzilla now hovering over them. It seemed that the behemoth wanted to stare out at the sea as well. As they both gazed off into the vast ocean, Tracy stated that she was not so surprised by the talking animals like the others were. When Melody gave her a quizzical look, Tracy answered as she continued to look out at the sea.

The daughter of Cinderella answered, "Like you, I have some secrets. But, I trust you enough with this little information. My mom and I, we live in a special place where magic is strong. Strong enough that the animals there are intelligent enough to speak human language and such. We both can understand and talk to the animals, or more specifically the mice that live in our palace.". Seeing the surprise on her friend's face, Tracy explained that her mother did not have much human friends due to her stepmother, Lady Tremaine and her step-sisters Drizella and Anastasia, treatment of her little more like a slave. Despite that, Cinderella maintained her kind and gentle nature, which surprised Melody because she assumed that anyone treated as such would be very hard and bitter. Tracy continued on with her little story, saying that due to her kind nature, the animals from around her old home grew to love her and started to help her. The mice in particular, especially when her mother made clothing for each of them.

Tracy finished it up by saying, "With my mom's gentle love and nature still within her during that rough time in her life, I guess a special kind of magic was with her that made the animals go to her. And that, as some would say, is that.". Melody was thoughtful for a few moments, wondering if the magic at Tracy's homeland was the same that was here in her home. She would have contemplated more on it when they heard a loud voice coming from the forest. One that was familiar.

"CHILDREN! CHILDREN! WHERE ARE YOU?!" was the voice of Godfred that sounded out in the distance, within the forest. The kids and the sea animals gulped in nervousness, knowing that things would get hectic if the two guards found them with the monsters. Godzilla, Rodan and Anguirus turned and got ready to fight, believing that whatever was in the forest was an enemy that wanted to fight. Thankfully, the royal kids were able to go to their respective monster friends and told them to calm down. The Twin Fairies got back on Mothra's head while Scuttle took to the air. Sebastian opted to scuttle behind Melody, while Flounder dove back into the deep water.

"This is not good! If those two see us with the monsters, we're all sunk!" Mainard stated, everyone agreeing with him. The kids then urged the monsters to go into hiding places, somewhere in the area before the guards came in on the scene. Godzilla was not one to run away from a fight, but Melody and Tracy pleading with him got him to grudgingly go back to the ocean. Anguirus lumbered after him, also going into the sea. Rodan took to the air, getting Scuttle again in his powerful wake as he flew off. Mothra and the Twin Fairies crawled back into the forest, where they would remain still and hopefully be seen as a large log to any prying eyes.

Dianne looked to the fairies and said, "We'll see if we can come back to this spot later on! If we can't come back at around the time the moon comes out, then you'll have to find some food on your own. Sorry about this, but…". The mystical beings nodded their heads, saying that they understood the situation. They would rely the message to the other monsters later on, only after the coast was clear. Melody quickly went behind a rock to change back into her normal clothing, putting her swimsuit into the bag she brought it in. Once she was in her regular clothing, she picked up Sebastian and put him in her pocket.

The kids sent a grateful look and nod to the twins, then set on their way back to the carriage. However, they only got halfway to the area where the carriage was at when they ran into the two royal guards. Godfred and Nicholas were panting a little, relief very much evident on their faces. "There you kids are! We shut our eyes for only a moment, and when we wake up… you're not where you were supposed to be! You got us all worried!" Nicholas declared. The kids knew for a fact that they did not shut their eyes for a moment, as the guard stated. The two were out cold, and stayed that way for a while. They wondered what made them wake up in the first place. Godfred added in that they heard a loud squawking in the distance, and that was what woke them up. Melody and the others cringed a little, knowing that the squawking belonged to Scuttle. Said bird was nearby, and he winced when he heard that part. It seemed that he REALLY needed to tone down his call in the future, especially in situations like this.

Melody replied, "Sorry about that! After you two fell asleep, we went exploring for a bit in the woods. We then came upon a beach, and from there… we just had a little fun!". The guards inspected them, and indeed the children were quite moist and had sand clinging to them in various places. Sebastian was keeping quiet, and small as possible inside Melody's left side pocket. When they inspected the children a little more closely, they saw that they had no injuries on them, which made them breathe a sigh of relief.

Godfred stated, "Well, you all seem okay. I'm just glad that this is so. Otherwise, Prince Eric would have had our heads…". The two guards imagined the prince holding a sword above their heads, ready bring it down upon their necks. The two quickly shook the image that was about to follow after that, again thankful that the children were alright. Nicholas turned to them and said that now since it was late-midday, it was time to head back to the castle to get some lunch. The children were about to say something, when their stomachs growled. Apparently, they were famished too. They had breakfast some hours ago, and they had been quite active since leaving the castle. The little chase around in the village, plus playing with the monsters on the beach had drained them of their energy.

Edgard said, "Yeah… some lunch would be nice about now. Melody, what do you think?". The beautiful princess agreed with him, as did the rest. So the guards started to escort the young ones back to the carriage, all of them quite famished and in need of some food in their bellies. The princes and princesses turned back now and then to see if the monsters were still hiding, which they were. Melody was hoping that Flounder would not tell her grandfather about this event, or about the monsters.

Dianne then whispered to them, "I hope we can come back to the beach soon. I want to ask the fairies if they could tell us more about those suffixes they used on Scuttle and Sebastian.". It seemed that the princess wanted to know about the mystical fairies and their customs from their world. The others nodded at her, wanting to know more about the fairies and their monster friends, wanting to know more intimate and deep info on them. It would appear that the otherworldly visitors were very popular with the royal little ones.


~Back at the palace~

While the children were now on their way back to the palace, the adults were preparing lunch. Chef Louie was making some food, very certain that the little ones were going to be hungry when they returned from their little excursion outside of the royal grounds. He was making sandwiches and some light meals that would be able to hold the children over until dinner time later in the evening. He was also preparing some food for the royal couples, said group making some plans to coax some information from the kids. Louie sighed as he said to himself, "Tricking those kids into telling something big will NOT be easy. It's usually the other way around, the kids tricking the little ones.". In a way, it was true. Nevertheless, he continued to make lunch while hoping that his royal highnesses would be able to get some information from the little ones.

In the living room, Eric and his wife were going over some ideas on how to gain the information they needed from their offspring with their royal guests when Carlotta came on the scene. She pointed out the window and exclaimed, "The children are almost here! I can see the carriage coming up to the castle!". Seeing that it was time to put their plan into action, the adults all got ready to greet their little ones, in addition to seeing if they could get them to cooperate with them albeit sneakily. When the carriage was close enough to the castle, the kids climbed out and started to make their way to the door. However, the adults beat them to it and opened said door, coming out to hug and greet their children. Melody was now in the warm, gentle embrace of her mother while her father looked on in amusement and pride. After some time in their parents embrace, Melody broke the hug and asked on how their day had been.

Ariel replied, "It was good. A little dull without you kids around to liven the place up, but good. We also managed to take care of a few things.". She did not want her daughter to know both about the preparations for the party, and the interrogation of the bandits down below.

Eric saw his daughter's state and asked, "Melody, have you been swimming? You look a little wet and I can see some sand sticking on you.". The princess looked to him and nodded her head, answering that she and her friends have been at the beach shortly after their little trip to the village. Melody omitted on which beach they were on, wanting to keep the monster's little temporary sanctuary a secret. To come up with the perfect distraction for them, Melody reached into her pocket and pulled out Sebastian, who had mildly surprised the royal couple.

"Sebastian! Hello there! It's good to see you again!" Ariel stated gladly as she took the little crab from Melody, now holding onto him.

The musical genius of Atlantica replied, "Good to see you again, Ariel! You too, King Eric! Sorry if it has been a long time, but the kingdom is abuzz all on the party of a certain someone close to da king's heart.". Ariel giggled at that, knowing well that her father would really want to make a spectacular day of his granddaughter's birthday.

"I see. Well, I know that it will be something to see when it's time for him to show Melody his gift to her. Come inside with us, we're about to have some lunch." Ariel stated. The mention of food was good for the small crab, and answered that he would be glad to join… as long as HE wasn't on the menu. The three royal beings chuckled at that, knowing full well that Sebastian was not fond of being on the receiving end of a utensil, the incident with Chef Louie some years ago still etched in the crab's brain. The entire group went inside to eat, already the food prepared and the enticing aroma grabbing their attention. However, Carlotta saw the physical state of the children, all moist and covered in various places with sand.

She stated firmly, "Hold on, young ones. I cannot allow you to eat lunch in such a state! You all go upstairs, wash up and dressed in nice, clean clothes. Then, you can eat lunch.". The parents backed up the maid, agreeing that their kids needed to be cleaned up before eating. The young ones groaned a little at the announcement, but they were scooted up the stairs and to some washrooms to wash and clean themselves up. When the last of the children's forms vanished, Ariel turned to Sebastian and asked if everything was okay in Atlantica. The crab was a bit torn between his promise to Melody, and his obligation to his friend Ariel and King Triton.

Sebastian answered, "Everything is okay in da kingdom, Ariel. You father and sisters are doing alright, just preparing for Melody's birthday surprise and celebration. But, you know how da king is, always wanting to make sure that his granddaughter and the rest of the family be safe and sound.". Ariel could not help but chuckle a little at that statement, for indeed her father was VERY protective of his family. And it seemed that Sebastian managed to keep both his word to Melody in a way that would not break it. The adults were soon at the table, which was loaded with all kinds of light dishes and such prepared by the French chef.

Aurora looked at Ariel and asked, "So Ariel, do you think the kids will want to spend the rest of the day here? Or do you think they would want to go back outside, to the village perhaps?". The redheaded beauty answered that she did not know, and that they would have to see. Ariel was hoping that the kids would stick around the palace for the rest of the day, so that they could try to get some kind of information out of them. She really disliked being this sneaky, especially to children and her own daughter. However, she did feel that more was at stake here. She felt it in her soul; that something was about to happen soon that would perhaps change their lives. For the better or for the worst, she could not tell or say.


~Back at the Forbidden Mountain area~

Maleficent was in a good mood. She had seen the construction of the vessel that would take her and her forces to the sea was going along well, ahead of schedule in fact. Due to the testing of the monster's powers, her forces of demon humanoid minions had managed to secure more lumber for the creation of the craft. And even though NONE of them were good at ship-building, they did manage to create the craft that would hold and be water-tight for the trip. In addition, after witnessing the power of her new monster allies, she was quite confident that she would not only have her revenge against Aurora and Philip, but also be able to acquire entire kingdoms with these creatures! She was imagining such a thing; her forces sweeping forth across the other kingdoms and nations, destroying all who defied her force, and gathering more objects of power like the four magical gems that she used to summon the monsters here in the first place.

The witch was in her chambers now, going over plans and such on how first she would get her revenge on the ones that killed her original self. Though she was thinking of the far future, she was now planning for the near future. Let it be said that Maleficent was foolhardy or reckless. She did everything was precision, patience and planning. She studied her first plan, which was to set up a new home. "The mountains here are quite lovely and spacious, plus given that almost no ones dares to trespass here. But, I believe a change of scenery is in order. So when the time comes to put my revenge in play, a new home is in order." she told herself. The powerful sorceress was looking at a map that she produced with her magic, one that was quite accurate and up-to-date with the rest of the world. She saw that her enemies were situated in a new land called Britain, and by fortune were near the sea.

"My new palace crafted by the sea… I believe that should be the first order. I do wonder what the natives are like there, on that large island called Britain. I hope they are excellent in working and serving their soon-to-be ruler. Hahahaha…" she laughed softly, thinking on how her new empire would start in a glorious way. Maleficent closed the magical map and went over to a corner of her room, where she brought out the Magic Mirror and summoned up the spirit within said mirror again. She inquired on what she should expect in the realm of Britain, in the place where she was going to land at.

The spirit answered, "The lands of this kingdom is unknown to me, but this much I do know. That a certain magic is forming where the sea meets the land, and it steadily it grows. People of great power and importance lie within the castle walls that is situated near the sea. To capture them is to control their respectable kingdoms, so says me. But take heed of this warning, this I pass down to you. That great powers lie within the ocean, deep in the waters so blue. It will protect the ones in the castle, the power truly a sight to behold. So take precautions, Maleficent. Never be too bold!". Maleficent took note of the spirits words, and indeed would proceed with caution and care. Going too boldly into unknown territory was not her style. Also, a great power within the ocean… this intrigued her. Maleficent then shrank the mirror back down and put it back in her pocket.

'Hmmm… a great power in the sea, and also people of great importance in the castle walls. It seems that things will be interesting to say the least when I arrive there.' Maleficent thought as she went out of her quarters and towards the base of the mountain to check on her monstrous allies. Little did she know that two great powers laid in the sea near Ariel and Eric's home. One great power was King Triton and the power of his mighty trident, which could control the ocean and storms. While it was a formidable power, one even greater was now exploring the sea near the area. And this power was living, breathing and very much now protective of the ones that lay inside the castle walls. The name of this great force…

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!


(Author's Notes: Well, I'll end this here for now. I hope to get more inspiration and creativity for the next chapter, which should be coming out next week. In any case, hope you liked it!

In the next chapter, the parents of the children try to get some information out from the kids, who do their best to try and either mislead or misdirect them. Let us hope that Scuttle doesn't try to 'help' them… oh boy. Also, Shadowsneak devises a plan to try and exit the dungeons, and taking what is left of his bandit group with them. And finally, Godzilla and his allies try to see if they can survive in this new world. Since Godzilla feasted on nuclear and radioactive energy, and with none abound, it seemed he will need to a new source of food. Luckily for him, Melody and Tracy provided.

I am seriously believing that I should show this story to Toho and Disney! And who knows? It MAY have the potential to be a full-length movie on the big screen! At least, that's what I dream about…

R&R, no flames, enjoy and leave long reviews!)