Just Like Magic: A Suite Life/Waverly Place Crossover

Part 8:

A hour later…

Alex's mystical orb is seen, like a balled up ray of light in the vast darkness. Alex's face faces the orb. And reflected from within…is Alexa.

Fairly nervously, Alex checks, "you're sure you're going to be ok?" Thinking to the contest, Alexa figures, "yeah. I sure won't miss it. But…how about you?"

Already kind of knowing the answer, Alex wonders, "umm…what do you mean?" Alexa slightly howls, "come on, Alex. This is me you're talking to."

Alex admits outright, "yeah. Slight nervous chuckle. You know? That's starting to get annoying real fast."

Lightly seriously, Alexa points out, "well, at least I care." Alex bittersweetly reflects, "so did Harper. Before… Sniffle. Before she realized why I was suspended."

In the orb, in a muddled dream of a tale…

Flashes of a flooded hallway go by. A hallway in a place called Tribeca Prep. A mess of pale book pages, wizard sea chimps of green and pink, tossed over desks…and graded papers soaking in the depths. The graded papers in waterlogged teachers's desks, crumpling to dust long after.

The dust gives way to a storm of new test photocopies for the Quarter. Fogged out halls echo anger and refueled test shakiness. Alex's best friend Harper sighs into her hands, a storm cloud raining down on her head.

Alex comes running for the school, struggling to make her way past crowds of students rushing in. Alex calls out, "Harper!" The school bell rings. The dark blue doors close shut.

Alex tries to open them with the wave of a wand, "doors can be bores, doors can be chores…but all but one backdoor has what it takes." But…the doors just turn into two giant wands.

The fog closes in. And between the two wands, Harper shouts angrily, "exactly! It's all about you and your "easy magic", isn't it Alex?! Never mind how much I used to like you. You're just as bad as Gigi!"

The two giant wands spin around like spinning tops. Teary eyed, Alex calls out, "Harper, please! Sob! It…was never… Cough!"

The floating name of Kelbo Russo spelled out in wizard sea chimp like magic wands soars past. Alex calls out, "Harper!" Sparks of stardust go off, covering Alex in the stuff.

Harper sadly says, "I'm sorry, Alex. But…it's for your own good."

Alex cries out, "no!" She fades in the stardust…even as she is still crying out to Harper.

Back to the present, with Alex...

Alexa somewhat assures her, "well… However it went… I'm sure you meant well." Alex slightly chuckles nervously, "thanks."

Trying to be assuring, Alexa voices, "and it's not going to be like that here. Got it?" Alex slightly nods solemnly, "yeah. I sure hope so."

Alexa says solemnly, "see you on the other side." Alex slightly smiles back, "well, someone's got to conjure up enchanted biscuits."

The image of Alex fades…as she and Zack together walk through the doors to River Hell.

Not long after…

The darkness bends backwards against River Hell's might. A nightly glow reflects off the sloping down and coming about river. There be no stars, and there be no moon. Burned away tree branches come and go as they please.

ZapperWitch23, WhoistheMasterNow, StrawberryPrincess312, Legend DarkRocker, RoadWiz34… They're all here. Scattered, yes. But, here nonetheless: On rafts of tree trunks.

From the depths of darkness, Archim's voice echoes, "whoever gets to the other side gets the most points. Simple, right? Slight sigh. Not so much. Magic doesn't work on the river. But, stardust wands have been placed along your way to give you more spell castings. So…make of that what you will."

Kind of crankily, Zack mutters, "yeah: Too bad magic doesn't work on the river, smart guy!"

Alex chuckles mischievously, "well…think again." Zack implies, "and I sure like the way you think."

Rushingly, Alex says, "kay. Like me over there." Zack steps back, kind of confused. ZapperWitch23 is furiously paddling her way against the current, batches of branches in hand.

She shouts, "RoadWiz!" She hurls all her branches at Alex's face. Zack spell casts, "tiedadon clothedadon!" ZapperWitch23's leather wear gets tangled up in itself, setting off some of her aim.

Alex falls back, covering her face from what's left. But…she falls back too far. Worriedly, Zack calls out, "Alex!"

Flashes of Tribeca Prep and soaking graded papers splash over her. On pure determination…she grabs the edge of Zack's raft. It's gaining a speed curve on the river. Her wand falls down the river.

A soaked Alex coughs water, faintly holding herself together from the current. Zack acts quickly, "take my hand!" He reaches out to Alex. With one hand losing grip…she's reaching out to Zack.

In a mixed sense of accomplishment…ZapperWitch23 suddenly realizes she has no branches or arms free to paddle with. And as her own raft gains speed…she falls into the water: By a randomly sticking out tree branch from the dark. Hummer jumps in after her to try to bring her back up. But, they both fall away from River Hell…only to wash up on one of Magic Medieval Quest's many great lakes.

Alex takes Zack's hand. From the sudden shift in the current…they both fall back: Catching their breath on the raft.

Meanwhile…

StrawberryPrincess312 calls forth, "umm…I could use some help!" She's firing a ring of water blasts from her wand…one freezing after the next. Rock Heeled Princess is riding on a mostly gold cymbal bat like stardust creature, snatching a sparkly gold stardust wand of bright sparkles from the water back a ways. Rock Heeled Princess calls back, "ok, ok!"

The floating green comfy chair with StrawberryPrincess312's cougar like cat Mian vanishes into the dark: Uneasily away from the battle by her own front paws. WhoistheMasterNow is riding his Wyrmling Colban…who's freezing the water blasts as they come.

WhoistheMasterNow calls forth, "stop trying to freeze her and freeze her, you bloody dragon!" Colbane huffs and puffs mist like smoke in contempt. Yet, a glaring Colbane charges on.

With the stardust wand, Rock Heeled Princess spell casts, "ocearu leveru risru!" The stardust wand dissipates away. The whole river rises from the depths. StrawberryPrincess312, nervously shaky, is down to her last water blast. The ice breath though is cut off by the resurging current…turning into a iceberg smashing on impact.

StrawberryPrincess312 ducks from the fallout, screaming reactively. WhoistheMasterNow jumps off a taken out Colbane, reaching out for a spell created other him and other Colbane in slowed time. All before a stunned Rock Heeled Princess. She comments, "umm…you see him too, right?" StrawberryPrincess312 starts to say politely, "you sure you haven't already…? Ohh, dear."

The other WhoistheMasterNow and Colbane vanish. But, not before the first WhoistheMasterNow spell casts, "freezdu armzdo!" StrawberryPrincess312 finds her arms frozen to her gown. She tries to cast something to fix this. But, her hand doesn't move either. And, losing all sense of calm…she sobs.

Not long after…

Still on her side, Alex whispers, "thanks." Zack adds, "you're welcome." Alex mutters lowly, "sure. But, shush!"

Keeping his voice down, Zack questions, "o…k. Why are we whispering?" Alex implies, "and stay down. Just…trust me."

She thinks to herself, "Harper…if you're out there… Deep sigh. Maybe I'll finally do right by you. Slight chuckle. Even after you're gone…you're still my conscience." The raft travels on, onwards through River Hell.

And flying overhead is the other Colbane…still in slowed time. Blurs of Colbane and his rider come together as one…as a time loop spell starts coming full circle. The sinking Colbane becomes a conscious Colbane again. The other WhoistheMasterNow blurs into the other. And, no one but him is the wiser.

On her cymbal bat like stardust creature, Rock Heeled Princess dives back after her raft. She calls out to StrawberryPrincess312, "I hear you! Just…! Moderate sigh. Calm down!" StrawberryPrincess312 voices shakily, "easy for you to say. Just please…hurry!" The raft slopes sharply down, with StrawberryPrincess312 trying desperately to keep her balance with just two legs.

WhoistheMasterNow laughs to himself, "how considerate. The "princess of Demlins" and the "princess of wolves" finished each other off for me." He flies off with Colbane, leaving Alex and Zack's raft far behind. But, Alex and Zack were just playing dead. And with their health bars blurred out by River Hell's own waters…they played WhoistheMasterNow for a sucker.

Their raft goes right past Rock Heeled Princess, who is too busy bringing Mian's floating green comfy chair back around to notice them. The floating chair catches a quite relieved StrawberryPrincess312's fall…just over the river bend.

And before anyone else can catch on to Alex's plan… The raft speeds off to the bottom of River Hell…like a spinning top of a water slide. It hits the blackish rock face hard. The darkness starts to fully come over River Hell. But, the raft remains in one piece.

Dizzily, Zack says, "did we… Did we do it?" With her two hands gently over his, Alex slightly chuckles, "what do you think? Rest, my knight of the bomb. Rest." Zack smiles back, as he closes his eyes.

As all goes dark… Alex thinks to herself, "I did good. But…dang it! I'm really going to miss my…! Ohh… Hard chuckle. Who am I kidding? He can always get me another wand."