Monsters and Magic

By: DJ Rodriguez

(Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I am back, and ready to deliver another chapter! I am a bit surprised, and a little disappointed, that I have gotten little to no new reviews. I have been getting many views and visitors, according to the Stats Graph view, but no new reviews. I really hope to get some soon, especially from my loyal fans.

In this chapter, you will see the conclusion of the battles! You will see the conclusion of Rodan and Fatima vs. Springy, and also Anguirus and Minos vs. Tightfist! You will also witness the EPIC battle between Godzilla and the pre-teens plus Dopey vs. Shadowsneak! It is going to be something for the ages! At least, in this writer's point of view. You will also witness the outcome of the Kings vs. Maleficent, and also see the answers the legendary Disney ladies have uncovered thanks to the Magic Mirror.

Like I stated before, I have thought up of almost everything for this story once I got started. I will also put in more Hidden Mickeys and such to give tribute to the Disney classics that I have loved ever since I saw them as a kid. I am a huge fan of the Disney cartoons and movies of the 80's and early 90's. Plus some of the 2000 series. And of course, I am a HUGE fan of the Toho series and the Legendary one that made Godzilla of 2014. I really want to do great honor and homage to Disney and Toho with this novel.

I do not own Godzilla or any of the monsters from Toho, nor do I own any of the Disney characters and references. I do own my OC characters, and most of the songs here. Any song that is from another artist and such, I will give him or her their credit and due as is proper.

Now, on with the novel!)


Chapter 30

Things were not looking up for a certain beautiful blonde acrobat as she was being shielded by a large pternodon monster from a frog-like fiend who delivered multiple hard, fiery blows to the winged beast. Fatima was telling Rodan to hold on, to do his best to endure the attacks by Springy, general of Maleficent's army. She pleaded, "Just hold on, Rodan! Just for a few more minutes! The solvent should wear off from both of us!". The former titan of the skies screeched loudly, trying to endure the pain as he was pelted from all sides by Springy. Said minion of the sorceress was cackling loudly, glad that his prey could not fight back as he laid punch after fiery punch on Rodan's body.

The blonde acrobat thought, 'Just a few more minutes… I can already feel that numbness disappearing. It's a bit slow, but its steady. Now, I just have to come up with some sort of plan to get this fiery freak good! He's a good jumper, but like a frog he needs to time his jump just right. And it seems he needs to concentrate to bring up his flames. Come on, Fatima! Think! Think! Thi…! I got it!'. It seemed that her powers of observation were kicking in, and going into overdrive as she now had a plan to hopefully turn the tables on her and Rodan's foe. She looked up to see that Rodan was indeed in pain, but he was holding strong. The agile woman vowed that when this was over, she would do her best to heal the burns of her friend. She soon felt the numbness wear off completely, and also that her energy was back up enough for her to pull off a daring stunt or two.

She whispered, "Perfect! Rodan's wing should be healed as well by now, so… now or never!". She heard Springy's laugh from Rodan's backside, indicating that the frog-like fiend was indeed at the flier's back. She sent Rodan a wink, which puzzled the former titan a little, then she rolled out from out of his protective wings. Fatima gave out a loud whistle, which caught the attention of the fiery humanoid frog. Springy gave the mature but beautiful woman a sinister glare along with a smirk that showed malicious delight. The wife of Minos gave the minion of Maleficent a come and get it gesture with her hands before bounding off towards the rooftops, going to the very center of the area where there was spires and hanging spikes everywhere.

"Hahahaha! You want to play, woman?! Then let's play!" Springy declared before bounding after her, his frog-like webbed feet and legs showing their strength as he chased after her. Rodan felt the numbness was gone from his right wing, giving it some experimental movements and finding that the strange sensation was gone. Of course, he was also covered from wings to body with bad burns. Not as serious as it looked, but the flying dinosaur was still a bit sore from the beat down he was forced to endure to protect his human ally. But, Rodan was NEVER one to back down from a fight! He had learned that from his ally/rival Godzilla some time ago back in his universe, and it still held true now! Giving some mighty flaps from his burned wings, the pternodon took back to the air. He wanted to give that mutated human a lesson in pain, and Rodan was ready to deliver!

Fatima was panting a little as she led Springy to the area where she wanted him and her to fight. She stopped at the base of one of the towering peaks of the fortress-palace, and looked behind her to see if Springy was still on her tail. She got her answer when the former human sprang into sight, his form visible despite the dark clouds that covered the sky. She called out to him, "Hey, frog face! Try and catch me if you can!". She then proceeded to go up the rocky peak of the structure, using the spikes that jutted out from the sides of the peak as hand bars. She was swinging and leaping from the earthen spikes like a true acrobat of a professional entertainment business would, focusing on her form, speed and precision. Springy was mildly impressed, but he just chuckled sinisterly before chasing after her. Near the peak she was ascending was another large spike that protruded from the fortress-palace of his mistress, and he leapt onto the spikes that was jutting out from it.

As she twirled and swung from earthen spike to earthen spike, making her way to the very top, Fatima used her observation skills again to analyze Springy's movements. She saw that while he was a great leaper, it seemed that he relied more on landing and gripping with his feet then using his hands. She thought, 'I thought so! Like a real toad, he relies on his feet more for grip and balance. His hands are only good for grabbing and such, but not by much. The toe pads of his must be sticky in order for him to have a firmer grip. Now, to see if my plan really does work out.'. Once she made it to the spike near the very peak of the structure, she stopped and balanced herself as best she could while gripping the part of the peak point with her right hand. She saw Springy doing the same thing on the nearby spike protrusion, but he was standing perfectly still while folding his arms across his chest.

"Hahahaha! I got you! Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! I believe I am this winner of this game, you little blonde bimbo!" the minion of Maleficent cackled. Fatima mentally bristled at his comment, hearing from many people on her travels with her husband and their entertainment group the Stars of Destiny that blonde women were considered less intelligent due to having said hair. The acrobat was looking forward to taking the frog fiend down a peg… or ten, hopefully. She just shook her head slightly, needing to be focused on the here and now. And on her opponent, who was giving off a smug smirk at her.

She replied, "That remains to be seen, fool! Now, how about you and I take things to the air again? I really want to see if any and all of your fancy footwork that you've been doing so far is really that good.". Fatima smirked at him, and made another come and get me gesture, causing Springy to growl a little and leap at her! The mature blonde beauty once again analyzed the situation, more seriously than before. She saw that her opponent had to crouch and really put a good amount of strength in his leg muscles before launching off. Fatima had done that kind of maneuver many times during her rookie days as an acrobat, but now she had learned to minimize the look of preparing herself. In short, she could put the muscle and power in her legs to perform her leaps but without making it so obvious. Once her observation was done, she saw that Springy was heading towards her fast and free! She waited until the last moment when he was about a few feet away from her, then she jumped off the spike she was standing on! To be more accurate, she simply took a step back and dropped, letting gravity do the work while she just reached out and grabbed the platform she was standing on.

Springy grabbed only air, his arrogance at believing he was going to get Fatima sizzling out like a raindrop on a hot cobbled stone path. He flew past the towering spike where the acrobat had climbed up at, and he was going down fast! The former human thought quick and used his tongue to grab onto a ledge of a window sill, and propelled himself back up like a spring! Fatima saw this, and calculated that his reaction time was about a minute or so. While it would be considered quick to most people, with trained acrobats like Fatima, the reaction time was mediocre at best. He landed on one of the rooftop, a very ticked off expression on his face. He glared at her and the mature beauty taunted, "What? You expected me to just LET you catch me? Wow… when Maleficent changed you to what you are now, she also changed your brain to be like that of a simple frog or toad.". The minion of Maleficent roared in aggravation and leapt after her, his temper getting the better of him. He had faced many opponents when he was human, and all lost to him. And now that his abilities had increased, his arrogance increased along with it. Fatima just smirked and leapt off the platform that she was on, the one she landed on shortly after letting go of the previous spike that she hung onto after Springy missed her.

The frog-like fiend chased after Fatima, his hands and feet blazing in red hot fury! He punched the spot where the acrobat was standing on, only for the blonde beauty to evade at the last minute and taunt him. He tried to deliver flaming stomps to her, but she twirled around him and yet again avoided a death blow. "ARGH! STAND STILL AND FIGHT, COWARD!" he exclaimed, his temper really getting the better of him after five minutes of fast-paced chasing and failed attacks. Fatima just smirked and winked at the former human, taunting him even further as he chased after her. The experienced beauty looked behind to see that the flames on Springy's fists and feet were flickering rapidly, telling her that his flame powers were ebbing away due to overuse. This was the chance she had been waiting for! She was not a coward, but a patient, agile lady who used her brains more then just simply brute force and such. She led Springy once more up the spike formation on the palace-fortress, and this time her eyes narrowed and a serious look was on her face as she stood on her right leg on the very peak of the spike structure. Her arms folded across her ample chest as she awaited Springy, who was below her as he was standing on a jutted spike formation.

"Pant… pant… got you now… woman! Pant…pant… prepare… to be… defeated! A mere… pant… stain on… pant… the roof!" he declared through pants, Fatima seeing that fatigue was now showing on the transformed bandit. Of course, she was tired too but was able to hide it more. Springy tried to ignite his hands again, but this time… nothing happened. He looked down and was shocked to see that his left and right fists were not engulfed in flames! They were not even looking red! He concentrated hard, and Fatima held back a smirk as it looked he was trying to strain his very brain. Still, nothing happened. The confused mutant then tried to ignite his feet, but again nothing occurred. The heroine was very glad to see that her foe had burned out his own ignition, not having the energy to bring up even a spark or ember.

After a few moments of failed attempts, the frog-like fiend glared at his serious-looking opponent. He then let out a scream of frustration and anger as he leapt at her in blind fury! Fatima's serious face then transformed into a triumphant smirk as she did a sort of backflip-kick! She leapt off the peak spike like an expert, doing a cartwheel-like kick that had her right foot connecting hard to Springy's jaw! It would appear that even though he looked and acted tough, he had a glass jaw as his yell of anger transformed into a yelp of serious pain as he was hurtled into the sky in a tumble! The servant of evil would have fallen in a tumble… had not a certain ticked off monster flew in to grab him!

Fatima looked up in surprise, and a little bit of satisfaction, as she saw Rodan just come out of nowhere fast! She didn't even hear the monster come in, and said flying beast grabbed her foe. She thought, 'Rodan must have been testing his flight abilities after that numbing solvent wore off on his wing. I have to give it to the beast… he is really more smart then others back at his own home world are lead to believe.'. She shook out of her own thoughts and saw that now was the time for some action. She was standing on one of the jutted spikes on the large structure formation, looking up to see Rodan work!

Said beast had Springy tight in his claws, the foolish little mutant monster struggling in trying to free himself. Rodan would not allow this! He was now back in action after working out his wing to see if everything was back to normal, and had also seen his human ally give their mutual foe a little workout. The pteranodon saw that his female human ally was indeed skilled, and getting the fool angry was a good tactic. When he saw Fatima do a graceful backflip kick that sent the minion of Maleficent high into the air, he took the opportunity to strike! He swooped down with speed and silence, and that is when he grabbed his prey! Now, he and said prey were going HIGH into the air!

Rodan was slicing through the dark clouds, aiming to break on through so they could be above these unnatural formations. Springy ceased his struggling as he realized that the monster's grip was extraordinarily strong. He glared at Rodan and exclaimed, "Let go of me, you dumb beast! And I mean NOW!". He shot his tongue out at Rodan, aiming for his head. However, the pteranodon was much quicker as he lifted his head back, the tongue missing completely! However, Rodan saw another opportunity and lowered his head down fast to grab Springy's tongue with his beak! The transformed bandit's eyes shot up in pain and he started to squeal loudly in pain as the former titan of the skies now had his slimy appendage like a bird would do on a worm! Only the tip of the tongue held the numbing solvent agent, while most of the tongue was just plain sticky. Rodan gripped the appendage tight with his beak as he continued to fly up!

In a matter of moments, they broke through the clouds and emerged above them! Greeting them was clear sky, with a sun greeting them. It had seemed that Maleficent's clouds were so thick below that it blotted out the warm light of the heavens. Springy had to shield his eyes, the light not agreeing with him. He yelled out, "AHHHH! THE LIGHT!". Rodan, however, soaked up the heavenly rays as his body enjoyed the sensation. Little did he or any living soul at the moment know that his reunion with the massive orb of light triggered another reaction to his DNA and such that would change him later on in the future. The pteranodon screeched loudly, as if greeting the sun before diving back down fast and hard! He pulled his wings back, which decreased wind resistance and increased the speed of their downward drop! Springy was now yelling in fright and in pain, his eyes bugging out and feeling like he was on a roller coaster… a true Tower of Terror, so to speak! They were dropping so fast that Rodan felt like his old self again, wanting to go so fast to create his infamous sonic boom burst! The two beings soon emerged from the dark clouds, with the ground coming up fast! Springy screamed again, but Rodan paid him little heed. When he saw that they were over the palace-fortress… he let go and banked off to the right! The minion of Maleficent was now in a freefall, and there was nothing he could do about it!

"AHHHHH! SOMEONE, HELP ME!" Springy exclaimed, his body very sore from both Rodan's grab, and the immense pressure that was on his body due to the speed said monster flew at before letting him go. His tongue was of no use either, dangling like a limp noodle due to Rodan squeezing the life out of it earlier. He managed to look down and saw that the earthen roof right below and he was on a collision course with it! Before he blacked out due to falling so fast, he managed to get a glimpse of a yellow and dark pink blue running towards him. It was Fatima!

The blonde acrobat had witnessed the entire event, and was impressed on how Rodan was coming back down fast and then banking off quickly. She was, however, a little bit shocked however when she saw that her ally had released Springy and the former human was now coming down fast like a brick towards the roof! "I guess Rodan was ticked off enough to do something like this to that frog fiend. Oh well… hope the fool appreciates on what I'm about to do." she said to herself before streaking towards the spot where Springy was falling at. It was a bit of a ways from her position, which was in the middle of the structure. The foolish servant of Maleficent was to the far left of her, near the edge where the ocean was at! The extraordinary acrobatic beauty was running fast and hard the moment she hit the rooftop, her legs working overtime to be sure that her plan went off at the right time. She did some quick mental calculations in her head, and when she was a good distance towards Springy, she leapt fast and furious like an arrow that was released from the legendary archer of all time, Robin Hood! She did a flip and had her feet facing forward, stretched out and ram-rod straight as she braced herself. She mustered up enough concentration and focus as she could, for this was going to be hard for her legs. Just before the minion of Maleficent struck hard earth… Fatima's feet struck his stomach area hard! That was her plan; to intercept and actually prevent the foolish frog fiend from going SPLAT on the roof! Though she really disliked the sadistic former human, she did not want to see his remains splattered all over the area. Her stomach would not be able to take it.

Springy let out a small "Oof!" from his person before he was sent hard from the roof, and now falling towards the sea below! Fatima landed on the ground, wincing due to the impact her legs had on her foe. She was sure that she would not be able to use her legs to full strength again after some rest… and a massage or two. She managed to wobble over and look over the roof to see Springy falling into the ocean, and landing with a loud SPLASH! The water area where he landed on was sizzling, and bobbing up like a cork was Springy. The humanoid frog was out cold completely, at the mercy of the salt water which was now playing havoc with his magical anatomy. The water around him was sizzling due to the fire that was inside of him, and the fire was slowly going out. Fatima shook her head, then plopped on the ground. She was exhausted completely, and she just wanted to rest for the moment. But, a smile was on her face because it was over… she and Rodan had won this battle! She looked up to see said monster coming towards her, flapping his wings as he got near to her and landing in front of her. He screeched loudly, flaring his wings out wide to show that he was indeed glad and proud that their foe was utterly defeated!

Fatima merely chuckled and said, "You did good, Rodan. Granted you went a tiny bit overkill on how you wanted to beat Springy, but I'm not complaining that much.". The monster just looked at the grinning female human, and saw that she was tired. Normally, he would leave her to go and find some more worthy opponents to fight. But, the time he spent with his bonded human twins Dianne and Edgard made him a bit more… soft, so to speak. Not too much to lose his edge, but enough to see that being soft was not necessarily a bad thing. He walked towards the fallen female and kept a sort of vigil on her as she rested up to regain her strength. Alas, it was not meant to last that long as from the ocean a distance from their position… Titanosaurus rose up, roaring in anger and apparently very ticked off! Fatima and Rodan turned to look at the rising titan, and the blonde beauty groaned. She was wondering on what she did in a previous life to warrant this kind of action this soon after defeating a tough opponent. Rodan screeched and took to the skies again, his flight path taking him directly to the red titan that had just emerged from the sea!


~With Anguirus and Minos~

While Fatima and Rodan were dealing with yet another problem after defeating Springy, Minos and Anguirus were having their hands full against Tightfist. The lizard-like human was still putting up a fight against the best friend of Godzilla, and Minos was quickly putting together a plan he had hatched at the last moment. When Tightfist repelled Anguirus yet again with his defensive skin, the strongman put his plan into action! He just sent a silent prayer to the Heavens that this idea of his would work. He turned to the minion of Maleficent and declared, "Is that all you got, fool? Just standing there and taking a beating like that? Ha! And you call yourself the strongest…". He let the words hang in the air, and that is when Tightfist turned to glare at the human. The humanoid lizard stomped towards Minos, his footsteps heavy and loud. The strongman kept his cool, however, a smug smirk on his face even though inside he was a little nervous. He knew that if all that weight came crashing down on him, that would be the end of him.

Tightfist responded hotly, "What are you talking about, weakling?! I AM the strongest! I have taken the best you and that overgrown spiked turtle there have taken so far, and I'm still standing and kicking!". Anguirus rose up after he was deflected away earlier, very much angry at being referred to as a turtle.

The husband of Fatima just shrugged his shoulders and stated, "Yeah, you have. But you haven't budged an inch on where you last moved, and only deflected our attacks. You haven't shown us your strength, only that you can take a hit with that metallic scale cloak you wear. How about you turn off that defense of yours and show us how strong you really are, like a REAL man would?". He was goading the former human in dropping his defensive scales, for Tightfist to return back to normal so they could be on even ground. Minos was banking that even though Tightfist was strong and sure, that he was not that strong in the mind.

The lizard-like being growled loudly, his strength being questioned for the first time. Even before when he was a human, his great strength was never put into question! He had defeated groups of men that had tried to best him in hand-to-hand combat, and all fell to his might! And after his transformation, his strength was greater than ever! And this human dare to put his strength to question? His physical might was his only source of pride, as he left the thinking and such to others like Springy and Shadowsneak. However, even though he was not intelligent in many area, he was not dumb either. Tightfist then gestured for Minos to come to him and stated, "How about you come over to me then? Let's have a test of strength, right here and now!". The strongman just shook his head, a little disappointed that his plan to have his foe turn off his defensive protection immediately failed. But, he had a back-up.

"I see… a coward then, not wanting to really test yourself against me. If that is how you wish to do this game… Anguirus, can you please do that roar of yours again?" Minos asked his ally before covering his ears as tight as he could. Anguirus, who had lumbered over to the duo during their talk heard the request. He could not truly understand it, but if his ally wanted to do his roar again… well, he didn't mind. Tightfist turned to see the spiked shelled beast, and winced when Anguirus reared up, took a deep breath… and let out another Sonic Roar that really shook the entire room! The roar also reverberated throughout the entire palace-fortress, like one huge echo. Tightfist covered his ears as well, but it was a bit too late. The monster's roar was strong, especially since he was closer now then before. The servant of Maleficent was cringing and trying his best to endure, but it was of little use. Since his defense measure was on at the moment, the sound was rattling his metallic-like scales, which actually increased the sound a little as it went through his entire body! Tightfist could only endure this for a few minutes, then he let out a scream of agony before his scales burst from his body!

Minos and Angurius, after he stopped his famous attack technique, were a bit stunned to see that the metallic-like scales on Tightfist just burst from his body. Similar to how champagne shoots out after being shaken and the cork top popping out. The servant of evil was now back in his normal, green-scaled self. The lizard-like human was panting, and wincing every time he made a little move with his body. Apparently, he was not built to withstand that kind of attack. His ears was still ringing, but still intact. He was stumbling a bit, very much dizzy and hurt from being close to such a loud roar like that. Minos regained his wits, and after uncovering his ears… dealt a blow to the stumbling fool! Tightfist was sent flying, right into Anguirus who grabbed him by the waist with his jaws and crunched down hard! The humanoid lizard screeched in pain before being tossed to the wall by the spiked-shelled monster! Minos looked to Anguirus and gave his ally a nod of approval. It seemed that his plan had worked, though seeing Tightfist's armor scales being blown off like that was unexpected.

Tightfist rose up from the ground, his body aching all over. His head was still ringing from the sonic roar, and now his jaw was aching due to the punch from his opponent. His waist was aching badly now as well, along with his back thanks to Anguirus. It was due to his scales that his body was saved from being punctured by the sharp teeth of the spiked-shelled monster. Still, the teeth wounds were pretty deep and had indenture marks to show of it. The minion of Maleficent got back on his feet slowly, glared at his opponents before letting out a loud screech that filled the room! Not as loud as Anguirus's roar, but close enough to make Minos flinch. Not his ally though, since Anguirus was still fired up as ever to fight! Tightfist said in an ominous tone, "You all want to test me so badly? Well… YOU WANT IT, YOU GOT IT!". He then charged at the duo, his muscles flexing and his tail waving wildly behind him! The strongman and his monster ally braced themselves, for the fight was REALLY going to start!

Tightfist rushed at Minos, his clawed hands ready to slice open the dark bronze-skinned human. However, Minos also had a little bit of quick reflexes just like his lovely wife, and dodged to the right and delivered a solid right cross to Tightfist's head! The blow sent the lizard-like being stumbling for a bit, he retaliated with a tail whip that sent the strong man away a bit. Tightfist was about to capitalize on Mino's fall, but he was caught off guard by a claw swipe from Anguirus! The brute was sent skidding across the stone floor a little, and looked up to see the best friend of Godzilla leaping down at him! The strong arm of Maleficent rolled away quick, barely escaping a stomp that would have seriously damaged him. Tightfist got up and dealt a blow to the unprotected side of the monster's face. Now while that did sting a little, compared to the punch Anguirus received from the brute when he had his metallic scales on, that was nothing! The spiked-shelled beast growled at the annoyance before him and went for a bite attack, but Tightfist leapt out of the way. He sent a smug smirk at the monster, but he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around only to see Mino's top head crashing into his own! The strongman had just delivered a punishing head-butt blow to Maleficent's minion, and even though he staggered a little from his own attack, the humanoid lizard was recoiling more from the blow.

"You may have strength and defense on your side, fool! But we got something more that you'll never have!" Minos exclaimed as he came in fast and delivered swift body blows and head punches to Tightfist! The lizard brute screeched in pain from the blows he was receiving, and when he tried to counter those shots, Minos evaded them all effectively before resuming his attack. He delivered an uppercut that sent Tightfist staggering back a little, and straight into Anguirus who delivered a mule-kick to him! The battered and bruised foe was sent flying into the stone wall of the room, and he was seeing stars. His stamina was almost on empty, and he was doing his best to remain conscious. He staggered back up, and sluggishly went over to Minos to try and land a punch or claw swipe on him. However, the professional strongman merely side-stepped the swipe and delivered a stomach blow that caused Tightfist to tuck his stomach in, clutching it due to the pain. When his head was just at the right level, Minos cracked his knuckles… and delivered an uppercut that sent the fiend straight into the air! It was only by a few feet, but it was indeed powerful as Tightfist figured out the hard way. The brute landed on his feet, and it looked to be ready for a round… until his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the ground with a loud THUD sound.

They had done it! Minos and Anguirus had won against what seemed to be an indestructible foe!

The strongman panted a little, exhaustion seeping into his body. The fight had taken its toll on the elderly man, but he admitted that this was a fight worthy of the ages. He went over to one of the walls and slumped down, taking a breather after all that energy he used up. Anguirus gave his human ally some respect, standing before the man and giving Minos a look of acknowledgement. The strongman chuckled weakly and petted the snout of the monster. Normally, only one human could get away with doing something like that to Anguirus, and that was his bonded human Mainard. However, the monster made an exception and allowed his human ally to pet him on the snout. Minos stated softly, "That was so fight, eh boy? I bet you're itching to fight some more, I bet.". That was true, for Anguirus's fighting spirit was high and he really wanted to fight some more. Minos saw the gleam in the monster's eyes and said that as soon as he got his wind back, they would leave this place and go look for the others. The strongman was hoping that there was another path somewhere around the place that could lead them to their allies…


~With Maleficent and the kings~

Just as Minos and Anguirus were finishing their fight with Tightfist, the adult royal men were still testing the waters, so to speak, against Maleficent herself! The sorceress was indeed a formidable foe, and the kings could see on why. They had tried various tactics to try and find a weakness in her fighting style, or at least an opening. Maleficent maybe arrogant, but she was anything other than foolish. She tossed around dark magic orbs, lighting bolts, and some black fire whenever they tried to get too close to her. The witch saw through their tactics to try and find an opening, and always seemed to evade or dodge at the proper time to unleash a magical counter blow! Fortunately for the kings, their reflexes were still sharp despite their age and were able to avoid some serious damage from her offensive magical spells. The bottom bad news was that the royal men were running out of steam fast, fatigue and exhaustion starting to show while Maleficent was barely breaking a sweat.

Florian managed to barely avoid a black fireball that was about the size of a cantaloupe, panting as he was beside Eric and Philip on one end of the rectangular room. Asce and Beast were on the opposite side of the wall, with Maleficent right in the middle. The Rhoda king muttered angrily but also tiredly, "This is getting us nowhere fast, my friend. If we do not find a way to break through her defenses soon, I fear that this will be our last fight.". The Valentin and Marcel kings knew that their friend was right, that they HAD to find a weakness in their opponent, otherwise… it would truly be game over for not only them, but for everyone within the palace-fortress. The three looked to their allies on the far side of the wall, hoping that they would have the answers. Alas, it seemed that Beast and Asce were also at a loss on what to do next. The transformed Léandre had singed fur here and there on his person, but nothing serious. Asce was the same, having some sore spots on his own body thanks to some stray lightning bolts that did strike him. The witch in the middle of the room laughed at them, the men getting quite tired of hearing that.

"Come on, your Majesties! Is that the best you can do? For such royal men, you sure fight like insignificant peasants!" Maleficent cackled, very much delighting in that she had the upper-hand the entire time. Beast growled, wanting no more then to tear the witch's throat out, but he reigned it in. His human heart was doing its best to keep the primal instincts of the enraged animal at bay, because it knew that going wild at this time was not the answer.

Asce muttered, "Okay, we need to find something… ANYTHING to get this witch off balance. So, I'm open to suggestions Beast. What do you recommend?". The transformed king looked at his ally, his blue eyes still blazing with anger at Maleficent. He then looked around the room and saw a large piece of stone nearby. While the room itself regenerated to repair itself from the sorceress's magical blasts that hit the stone wall, floor or ceiling, chunks of stone littered the battlefield. The Beast got an idea forming in his head, and he needed to act quickly before his foe could even get a hunch on what his plan was. He grunted as he grabbed the chunk of stone and charged right at Maleficent, roaring as he ran at his top speed towards the witch! The other kings were stunned by this maneuver, and also Maleficent looked at scene in amusement.

"You really think to take me on with such a primitive shield? How droll." she stated before blasting at the rocky shield with her staff, sending bolts of lightning at it. The chunk of rock miraculously stayed in one piece, but it had a long crack that was in the middle. This was what Beast was hoping for! He tore the rock in two with his strength, made easy thanks to the magical lighting blast that caused it to get a crack in the first place. He threw one of the pieces hard at the witch, who was slightly surprised by this tactic and blasted the rock away with a ball of black fire. Beast threw the other rock quickly at her, and this time she was not ready for such a projectile that fast. She moved her body, but part of it got her left leg! She winced, her eyes closed tight at the pain which she was unaccustomed to. The witch was more used to dishing out pain rather then taking it. The transformed king roared as he lunged at her, aiming to take her down in a tackle! Maleficent sent out a wave of magic on instinct, catching the furry hero off guard and sending him hard into the wall! Beast slumped down, in pain but still alive.

Maleficent rose up, her eyes blazing in fury as she yelled out, "YOU DARE TO HARM ME?! ME, THE MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL?!". She powered up, wanting to reduce Léandre to nothing but ash. But her explosion of anger was the fatal mistake! As she was powering up, she was made vulnerable. Asce exclaimed, "Everyone! Attack now while she's focusing her magic!". The three other princes gave out a shout and charged in, Maleficent looking around now to see the four remaining royal men coming to her from various sides! She tried to focus her magic to protect herself, but it was of little use. Since she had been focusing her magic to unleash on Beast, the momentary lapse in losing concentration made her lose control of her magic for the moment! Eric came in swinging with his double-edge sword, which was blocked by the sorceress's staff. She blocked his blow, but was not able to do much else. Asce came in with a rock in his fist, his own weapon blown off some time ago by Maleficent. He managed to land two punches to her body, before she flared up her aura to drive the two kings back. She was now VERY mad, cursing the royal who dared mare her body! The sorceress would have struck them with any of her elemental attacks, but Philip and Florian engaged her! Philip missed with his double-edged broadsword when she moved her midsection to escape a swipe, but Florian actually hit her in the face with his morningstar mace!

Maleficent was driven back, staggering as she felt the blow hit her beautiful, in her own opinion, face. She clutched her face, and saw red blood seeping from her left cheek. She looked down at the hand that was now red with her own blood, and she was furious! Her aura was flaring out, and her own dark eyes were alit with green flames of fury and anger! The kings backed off a little, edgy now since it seemed they pushed the witch close to the brink. The sorceress proclaimed, "You dare to strike me… to draw blood from my body… well… HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INVOKE MY WRATH!". She slammed her staff to the stone floor hard, and Diablo her pet raven flew out fast. Even the devilish creature would not stick around when his mistress was this ticked off. The entire room soon changed, the walls lined with spikes of stone while the ground floor had three large slabs of rock pop up like daisies with one side having small but extremely sharp spikes on them! The floor turned into a moving conveyor belt of sort, with the slabs of stone now circling around the witch like sharks.

Beast, who had recovered somewhat was by his friend's side, looked at the spike wall they were near and his eyes widened as his fur stood on end. His animal instincts warned him that trouble was coming! He yelled out, "EVERYONE, SCATTER!". The royal men did so in the nick of time, as the spikes from the walls shot out like mini-torpedoes! The kings ducked and dodged the rocky projectiles as best they could, but some managed to either slice at their skin or nick any of their joints to slow them down some. What was shot out, the wall seemed to replace quickly. But it seemed that the new spikes would need a few minutes or so to get ready to be fired again. And the slabs of stone that encircled around Maleficent like protective sharks slowed down as well, and said witch's aura was fading some. It seemed that Maleficent had used up a great deal of energy in her moment of explosive fury and temper, and now she was cooling down some to regain her bearings. The kings needed another plan quick, or else the witch would resume to turn the room back into a deadly moving obstacle course.


~With Godzilla and the others~

While the princes were using their brains to try and take the powerful villainess down, Godzilla was using his sheer, pure brute strength against Shadowsneak! The pre-teens and Dopey steered as far away from the action as possible, and Sebastian and the mice were staying put in their hiding places in the pockets of their friends. This had been going on for several minutes, Godzilla was using his legendary strength and stamina against the top General of Maleficent's army! The King of the Monsters was back in his natural element, battling to survive and showing his foe that he was NOT one to be taken lightly! Shadowsneak was also testing his new body and strength against the saurian, engaging him in body grapples and grabbing techniques. The two were throwing each other around the room like ragdolls! Godzilla had delivered a crushing tail swipe to the black-skinned fiend, sending him across the floor hard. However, the former human countered by using the momentum and his legs to push off against a pillar and come back to deliver a vicious right hook to Godzilla's jaw! The saurian stumbled a bit, but did not fall. He was hit again in the jaw by a left hook, but he grabbed Shadowsneak's fist when he tried to strike again and flung the shadowy being far! Once he saw his opponent go through so many furniture and such during his flight, Godzilla charged to meet him once again in close combat!

Hadrian whispered in awe at Tracy and Melody, "That friend of yours… he is unbelievable! I can see why he has been given the title King of the Monsters! His sheer strength and ferocity… and he just won't quit!". The two princesses had to admit that this was indeed a sight to see, and the other members of the group were in the same boat. They were now seeing a side of Godzilla that was common in the world he had come from, they were witnessing on why he was given the title to be the king of all of the monsters in his realm!

Dianne questioned, "There is something I do not get yet. Why is Shadowsneak trying to match brute strength against Godzilla? I mean, doesn't he know that he doesn't match him in that area? And he hasn't used that shadow move of his at all when he started to fight against Godzilla.". Now that was something for the pre-teen heroes and heroine to think on, and Dopey adopted a funny expression as he tried to think on the situation. Melody was also thinking on it as well. She and the others saw firsthand that the former human usually matched wits against his opponents, and left fighting to his fellow bandits. And even though he was good with weapons, he did not have the brute strength like his fellow bandits.

The Marcel princess thought, 'Dianne is right! There is something I'm not getting here. Shadowsneak is no fool, even if he is a bad guy. So why…?'. She, and the others, got their answer when Shadowsneak got up after Godzilla sent him flying with a tail slam attack. The brute was bruised, cut, and bleeding in some areas. There were two things that were strange to the heroes/heroines. One was that the blood that was trickling down from Shadowsneak's various bite and claw wounds were light black, contrasting a little on his deep-black body. The other thing was that the former human was laughing, and it was not a quiet chuckle or normal laugh… it was a laugh that sounded like it belonged to a maniac or complete psychopath. The humans and young dwarf flinched and backed away a step or two, the laugh sending chills down their spines. However, Godzilla was not flinching nor retreating. He was looking at his foe curiously, wondering on what was causing the shadowy being to make sure a sound. Shadowsneak turned to the human/dwarf group and smirked, his eyes blazing with sick amusement.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You all think your ally has had the upper-hand this whole time? I have been saving the best for last. My Shadow Teleport technique is just one of many talents given to me by my Mistress of Evil. Observe." the twisted minion stated casually, then held up his left arm and did a little motion with it. Springing out were two bone-white blades of sort, the like that Melody and the others had never seen before. Oliver/Olujimi thought that they resembled tusks on an elephant, a mighty creature back in Africa, but he saw that the bone blades were definetly more different then tusks. Godzilla saw this and was just mildly curious on his foe's new weapon, but he simply growled at Shadowsneak when the minion of evil taunted him with a smirk and gestured for the King of the Monsters to come at him. The former titan snarled and charged in, ready for another grapple move! The shadowy being then got in close swiftly and delivered an upward slash to Godzilla's chest, drawing blood and causing the green-skinned beast to roar in pain and actually back off a little! The pre-teen royals, the local heroes and the young dwarf were very much stunned to see their foe drive Godzilla off like that.

Shadowsneak merely chuckled evilly and stated, "Hehehe… these are special bones, much like my friend Tightfist's scales when he hardens them. Though, they are not quite so heavy and can allow me to slice through any kind of material! In addition, it does something interesting to those that have healing properties.". He gestured with his head to the saurian, and the others looked to see that Godzilla was clutching his long slash wound and the beast snarled in pain. The King of the Monsters felt that something was immediately wrong when he felt his healing power being stifled. It was still there, but he felt that something was hindering it… blocking it! And a pain that was similar to when he got sprayed by his half-sister Biolantte's acidic sap was shooting throughout his body! But also, he felt his sight getting fuzzy and disoriented. His sense of smell was going off and on, and even his hearing was going crazy as various sounds filtered in and out, causing him a great headache. Even his sixth sense was fading, and the once proud beast was now stumbling around like a drunk. The humans, especially Melody and Tracy, were now shocked and wondering what was happening to their friend.

The minion of Maleficent laughed loudly again, and held up his bone protrusions, which secreted a green ooze of sort at the tips. The brute stated sadistically, "Hahahahaha! It seems my venom is now taking effect. In addition to being able to slice through any thick material, such as skin, I am able to inject a venom that can hinder healing, cause great pain, and also cause the victim to have their senses dulled!". He did not let it slip that the effect was only temporary, ten minutes was the max limit and the victim would regain his or her healing and senses though it would be a slow process. Melody and the others were now very concerned, looking back to Godzilla to see that the he was drunk on his feet somewhat… but not giving up! He roared weakly and slashed at anything that was nearby, trying to find his foe but just hitting air. He was indeed at a disadvantage, but he would go down swinging if need be. Shadowsneak looked pleased with his work, gazing at the monster that cost him much before his transformation. He was about to go over to him and deliver more blows, when a stray silver tray that was still intact despite all of the fighting they had been doing came in fast and got him in the head! The former human shook his head a little, annoyed at just what happened and turned to see that the one who threw it was Mainard, the prince glad that his throwing ability was still good as ever.

Shadowsneak mildly glared at the humans and inquired, "Interesting choice of tactics. You really wish to die, don't you?". He held up his arms once again, showing off his proud bone blades. The humans just glared right back, fear evident in their eyes but they were not going to back down! It seemed that a little bit of Godzilla had rubbed off on them, even Dopey who got into a boxing stance of sort and punched the air a few times. The young dwarf looked ready to battle, just like his friends! Sebastian and the mice got out from Tracy and Melody's pockets, and they too showed that they were not going to back down. The servant of evil was amused to see that his enemies were all ready to fight… and in his opinion, all ready to die.

Oliver exclaimed, "We are NOT going to die here, monster! Least of all by your hand. You underestimate us, just like last time, and you will fall again because of it!". The shadowy being frowned, very much annoyed when the African lad brought up the past. Indeed, last time he and his men went up against the royals and the local heroes, they were defeated. And Shadowsneak looked at his shoulder blade areas, which surprisingly held the teeth marks that Melody and Tracy put on him when he was human, the day he tried to mortally wound Godzilla on the Marcel princess's party. The brute then lightly skipped into a shadow of a downed coffee table, and vanished into it. The heroes and heroines eyes widened as they looked around the room, their senses on high alert as they slowly separated from one another. They knew that if he caught them together as a group, their chance for survival was low indeed. A loud chuckle filled the room from every angle, and the humans, dwarf and animals were on edge now more than ever. Edgard and Dianne unconsciously moved towards a desk that was miraculously still intact from the fight, and that is when Shadowsneak appeared behind them!

"You know, you brats are in need of discipline. How about I show it to you?!" he declared the last part out loud, the two royals looking behind them to see the fiend appear with his arms and protrusions raised high! He brought it down to cleave the prince and princess in two, but a shiny object hurled his way! He looked to see a flash that momentarily disoriented him, and the object crashed into his head! He stumbled a little, which gave Edgard and Dianne the window of opportunity to escape from the dangerous enemy's attack range. Shadowsneak shook his head to recover from the blow, and looked down to see that what struck him was a diamond the size of a baseball. He turned and looked at the direction it was thrown from, and glared at Dopey who was tossing his remaining diamond up and down in his right palm. The glare from the candle light the three beings were near at got caught in the diamond, and caused the flash that did momentarily blinded the former human. He growled at Dopey, whose expression turned from determination to fear and ran when Shadowsneak chased after him! As the young dwarf led the shadowy minion on a humorous chase, the others assessed the situation.

Hadrian went to Dianne and asked if she was okay, and the young lady answered that she was, but a bit shaken from being caught off guard like that. Edgard stated, "That shadow teleport of his is a bother, and also those bone blades on his arms are also a problem. We need to find some weakness in this fool!". Nearby, Oliver was with Melody, Tracy and Mainard. Sebastian, Jaq, Deline, Gus and Rosette were hiding under a desk that was also intact despite the rough-housing that Godzilla and Shadowsneak had earlier. The African pre-teen saw what happened when the diamond struck Shadowsneak, and was doing some quick thinking in his head.

He thought, 'Shadowsneak… he could have avoided the diamond by using his shadow teleporting move. But he didn't… it caught him by surprise. And… that's it! He has to CONSCIOUSLY use his technique, he has to will the ability to jump or move into the shadows! If he loses concentration or focus, he can't do it!'. The spear-wielding hero quickly formulated a plan and went to his companions, and royal crush Princess Melody, and told them of his strategy. After a few moments, the royals agreed that his plan was sound… and also that it was the only reasonable one they had right now. They nodded their heads at one another, then Oliver and Mainard ran towards the fiend chasing Dopey while Melody and Tracy went to their other friends to tell them of Oliver's plan.

Shadowsneak was upon the dwarf when he finally caught up to him, his arms raised high to slice the young one down the middle! However, he sensed someone coming his way and turned to see Oliver coming towards him with his spear held high, ready to bring forward a downward strike! The monster of evil chuckled and shook his head, allowing Dopey to escape. He stated, "Young man, are you serious?" and got his answer when the African pre-teen hero jumped high with his spear ready to stab into the fiend's chest area. The sly monster shook his head and was about to walk into a shadow of a pillar when a sharp pain went through his left leg! He looked down to see that it was a large shard of broken glass, and it was now embedded in his left ankle. He looked where the projectile came from, and growled when it saw that it was thrown by Mainard! Oliver's plan was for him to be both a distraction and decoy, while the Célestin prince did his part to make sure that Oxen lad's theory was correct. And it looked that Oliver/Olujimi was correct that Shadowsneak needed to use his shadow teleporting ability consciously and with focus, otherwise it would not work. The minion of Maleficent was standing in the shadow, but not vanishing anywhere!

The fiend reached down and pulled out the shard, wincing when it draw a little blood. Shadowsneak knew that his magical regeneration, which was part of the transformation, would kick in once he stepped into the Shadow Realm. Said realm is the place where he went to in order to use his Shadow Teleport technique, going into a dark realm and emerging back in the real world through the shadow of his choosing. However, he remembered the hero coming at him and looked up… only to get nailed in the left chest area by Oliver's spear! The ivory tip did not fully penetrate through the tough hide, but it was enough to cause some amount of pain coursing through Shadowsneak's body! The villain screamed loudly in both pain and anger, anger at both himself for being caught off guard by pre-teens and also at Oliver who delivered the blow. Said local hero quickly pulled his spear back out, and retreated just in time before the ebony monster could grab him in a bear hug hold. Oliver was now using his quick feet and reflexes to avoid a very now ticked off strong servant of evil.

Meanwhile, Melody and Tracy were showing the others on what occurred. Even Sebastian and his furry friends came out to observe on what happened. Hadrian whispered, "I see! That mistake of nature needs to have control and focus in order to go into the shadows! That is a weakness that we can exploit! But, how can we defeat him when we do not have much weapons?". Melody replied that they did not have to defeat Shadowsneak, but to give Godzilla the time he needed to recover from the toxin that was in his system. Said monster was still on his feet, trying to find his opponent but was still having difficulty. Edgard did not feel so confident about this, especially after seeing the King of the Monsters fumble around like a drunken brawler of some kind.

Tracy stated firmly, "Look! Godzilla is our only hope! I KNOW and BELIEVE that he can deal with that poison soon! He's too tough and strong to let something like that keep him down for long! All we need to do is buy him the time he needs to recover, that's all.". Melody and Tracy kept a firm belief in their friend, just like the other royals kids kept a firm belief and trust in their bonded monsters. Sebastian stated that he would do what he could, and the mice did the same. Gus rubbed his nose and put up his dukes, his wife Rosette surprisingly doing the same! These two were ready to show the fiend what they were made of! The humans had to admire the couple's tenacity. So, all together with Dopey who had joined them shortly, they quickly started to form a plan that would keep Shadowsneak focused on them, exploiting his weakness and making sure his ire was on them and not on Godzilla.


~With the queens~

While the other heroes and heroines were exercising both mind and muscle against their foes, the queens were putting their mental muscles to good use as well. Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle were asking the Magic Mirror many questions in the Magical Arsenal chamber. The legendary ladies had inquired on what the spirit meant that Maleficent was a copy, and the slave in the mirror answered that the one they were facing right now was a magical construct created by the original years ago. Aurora was shocked to learn that the greatest enemy of her land before marrying Philip had indeed gone and thought that far ahead. Ariel inquired, "Why is she doing this? If she is only a copy while the original is dead, then shouldn't she follow her own heart?". This was a good question, since many would wonder why a copy, or clone, would follow the orders of the original if they ceased to exist some time ago. The spirit answered that the copy retained the memories and exact likeness of the original, and thus wanted to make sure that her enemies suffered. Snow White asked if Maleficent could do the spell again, but all were relieved when the magical being told them that what the original did could only be done once. If the copy was killed… that was that, end of story.

Cinderella asked, "Mr. Spirit, tell us… how did Maleficent bring the monsters here? How did she even know how to find them?".

The slave in the mirror answered, "Maleficent wanted to gain revenge against the family that slew her original form, but the monsters in this realm had only her scorn. The witch wanted stronger beings, more formidable then any hero could face. So, she had me scour many universes to bring the monsters from another place.". The queens now realized that it was the mirror that found the monsters, but now they were wondering on how it was possible for Maleficent to bring them here. Belle asked the question, and the magical spirit answered that it was the four gemstones that the sorceress had found some time ago that had incredible magical properties. He gestured to the table, and told the names of the magical items to the girls. That cleared up on mystery for them, and now they needed to more answers to clear up more of them.

Ariel asked, "Why is that that we are drawn to these magical items? Do they still contain magic or something more?". The queens were curious on why earlier, they were drawn to the gemstones but specifically to one of them.

The Magic Mirror answered, "Maleficent has not asked me that question, so she does not know. The objects within contain great power untold! The magical energies from each one should have been drained empty from the summoning spell, but mysteriously they were filled with unknown power. That is all I can tell.". The pieces started to come together now! The legendary ladies had heard from the Twin Fairies on what happened on their end, when they used their magic to cut free from the summoning spell. It was one piece of the puzzle, and now they had discovered the missing piece! They realized now on why they were drawn to the gemstones earlier… they contained not magic, but the energy and strength of the monsters! Godzilla's energy was in Poseidon's Seahorse, Mothra's energy inside the Emerald Oak, Rodan's was in the Eagle King, and Anguirus's energy was in the Dwarves Tear!

Snow White asked quickly, "Oh! Mr. Spirit, can you tell us how we can get the power out of these gems? And also how to defeat that evil witch?".

The Magic Mirror answered, "To release the powers, you must make the gems break. But take heed this warning, for you and your families sake. The power would go back to their original owners, this much be true. But when they do… what will become of you?". The queens caught the message, and they knew what the spirit meant. The power and energy would go back to the monsters, and they would return to their original size and strength! But… would they be true to them and their families, or would they revert back to the monsters they were before coming to this place? That was a question knawing on their minds, and doubt was creeping in. Ariel looked at the warped trident that was nearby and asked on what could be done to restore it to normal. The spirit inside the mirror answered that a member of the royal mermaid family could restore it to its original self… but only if the spirit and will of the member was strong.

The face inside the mirror stated, "Maleficent used her will and magic to corrupt the trident, though limited its own power. To restore what was lost and tainted, your heart and mind must be strong and sure like an iron tower. Your spirit must battle against the evil poison magic of the witch, and only when you have succeeded does the trident do back switch.". Ariel understood now; as a member of the royal family of mermaids, even though she was human, only she could set right the trident! Only she could bring it back to its original brilliance and full power! She looked at the tainted object nearby, gathered up her courage and let out a sigh.

She looked to the others and stated, "All of you… find what you can and use it to smash the gems to pieces. I'm going to reclaim what is rightfully belongs to my father.". Her voice was resolved, her spirit steeled for what she was about to do. The others looked at her nervously, all hoping that Ariel knew what she was doing. The former mermaid now stood a foot or so from the trident, her face steeled like stone as she prepared to grab the tainted magical object of the sea. Taking a deep breath… she closed her eyes and grabbed it! The trident responded immediately, the black and green magic of Maleficent striking her and covering her in an evil aura that was similar to Maleficent's own! Ariel let loose a scream of pain as her heart and mind were under attack! The queens gasped and went to help their friend, but Ariel shook her head hard at them!

"I'm… okay! Just… break… those… gems! Free the others… help our friends!" she managed to yell out before her eyes went blank, her mind and will now battling with the magic of Maleficent! The royal ladies were worried, but they saw that they had little choice in the matter. They looked around to see what they could use to break the magical gemstones… to free the power that belonged to the heroic monsters!


(Author's Notes: And… cut! That is a wrap for this chapter, my friends! I'm still a bit hurt that only two people reviewed my previous chapter. Oh well… I just hope to get more reviewers soon after this.

I hope I did both Toho and Disney honor with the battles and such I placed here. I have to say, writing battles and such is hard work. I REALLY have to give new respect to those that have to come up with fighting sequences and such like this. In the next chapter, it's about the fight between Godzilla and Shadowsneak with some help from the humans, Dopey, and the animals! Also, you will see more action in the grove. And also, you see something amazing that will hopefully blow you all away! Like I said, I had this idea in my head for a good long awhile, and I'm glad it's all coming together like this!

So here are the questions: What do you think of the battles? If you were any of the heroes or heroines, how would you finish off the villains you were fighting? What do you think of the tactics the princes used on Maleficent? What are the odds are for the royals, local heroes, Dopey and the animals in keeping Shadowsneak occupied long enough for Godzilla to come around? And finally… what do you think is happening inside the soul of Ariel, who is now dueling against the evil magic of Maleficent? Any advice you wish to give her and the other legendary Disney ladies?

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