Last time, while waiting for the next attack of Heartless, Sora witness as Donald helped an innocent out of a tight predicament. Elsewhere, Bloom and Kairi helped Sky and Riku out of a different dilly of a pickle. Meanwhile, The Trix decided to take matters into their hands and lead the final assault personally. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 9: To the Living End
"It's bad enough that they're coming anyway," said Carmen, "But those psychos would at east have the common decency not to keep us waiting."
"They're evil through and through," said Sora, "What else did you expect?"
"Patience isn't really a strong virtue with me," said Carmen, "And as for our friends and allies, they're probably twisting themselves up on the inside waiting."
Sora looked behind past the school gates. He saw Donald and Goofy standing near Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Brandon, Riven, Timmy, Morgan, Elise and just about everyone else. Sora smiled reassuringly and gave the 'thumbs-up.'
"Tell me something," he said to Carmen, "Back at Cloud Tower, when Morgan convinced you that we needed to get out of there, she said something about your dreams for the future. What kind of dreams?"
"The kind of dreams that, while they sound good in one's mind," said Carmen, "and on paper, can never really come true in the real world."
"That's not true," said Sora, "Any dream is possible if you put your mind and heart into it."
"Is it?" Carmen asked. She sighed before continuing, "I grew up on a world on the frontier of The Magical Dimension. Everything seems all peaceful and happy towards the center; Magix, Eraklyon, Solaria, and dozens more of kingdoms where everything is all peachy keen. But out on the edge of civilized space there's lawlessness and corruption.
"It's like a poison, one that's slowly but surely making it's way to all the realms. Oh sure, lots of people already know about it, but nobody really cares, nobody in a position to do anything about it that is. It may take a thousand years or ten-thousand, but eventually this universe will descent into chaos. Unless something is done about it"
"My dream is to stop that somehow; to restore honor and justice to the afflicted worlds. And when I'm finished, when the universe is finally at peace, I'll retire to a small corner of the universe, one that I can call my own."
"That sounds like a really great dream," said Sora.
"It is," said Carmen, "And it's also an impossible dream, because I'm a witch, and witches are natural troublemakers. No one is going to listen to a troublemaking witch."
"You're different from other witches," said Sora, "I know that, and so does everyone else here. So maybe you can convince others that you're different."
"Maybe," said Carmen, "Assuming we get through this. I've got a feeling that this battle is gonna be pretty wild."
"Later on," said Sora, "I should tell you about the time I destroyed a thousand Heartless all by myself. Now that was wild."
"I'll bet it was," remarked Carmen.
Just then the ground began to tremble. The trees in front of the school began to topple, as if something large was pushing them down. Sora and Carmen could only watch as scores upon scores upon scores of Heartless emerged from the forest.
"That's a lot more than a thousand," said Carmen, "I've already lost count."
"It gets worse," said Sora as he and Carmen saw the three Behemoths, and atop the creatures sat The Trix.
"It's now or never," said Carmen. She shouted a spell and shot a bolt of energy into the air. The energy then formed a large glowing symbol, which Carmen translated as 'Parle.'
Sora then saw Icy command the hoards of Heartless to stop. She got up from her throne of darkness and flew down to the ground in front of Sora and Carmen.
"Well, well, well," said Icy in a taunting tone, "Wonders will never cease. And here I thought that you'd never find a boyfriend, Carmen."
"I'm perfectly capable of getting a man," said Carmen as she glared at the frosty witch, "But unlike you and your bitch-sisters, I don't go around sinking my claws into boys whose hearts already belong to someone else."
"Pathetic as always," said Icy.
"And you're delusional as usual," said Carmen, "so, are we gonna trade insults all day? Or are we gonna Parle?"
"You're one to ask," said Icy, "Since you're the one who insisted on this ridiculous custom. Very well then, let's talk: you and all those fools at Alfea must know by now that your position is hopeless."
"No," said Sora.
"'No,' as in you don't know?" Icy asked as she laughed cruelly, "You people really are stupid."
"I mean that there is hope," said Sora defiantly, "I've learned that no matter how dark and desperate things get, there's always hope."
"How naive," said Icy, "I'm gonna enjoy shattering your false hope. Face facts, Keyblade wielder, you and your pathetic friends cannot defeat our awesome power! My sisters and I have The Dragonfire, and we control The Heartless, so you should surrender while I'm in the mood to accept prisoners."
"Are you done?" Carmen asked in an annoyed tone.
Icy was a little taken aback by Carmen's abruptness, "I guess I am."
"Good," said Carmen sternly, "Because it's my turn to shatter your hopes. You and your sisters should be made aware that the only way you're gonna win, is if you kill us all."
"The thought crossed my mind," said Icy as she smiled viciously, "In fact, it would only make my day that much more enjoyable to see all of you beg for mercy, only to be slaughtered anyway, so what's your point?"
"My point," said Carmen, "is that even if you and your sisters do slaughter us all and take Alfea, you'll still lose."
"What are you talking about?" Icy asked.
I'd like to know that myself, Sora thought.
"Let me break it down for you," said Carmen, "We managed to get through the interference spell and send a distress signal to the rest of The Magical Dimension. Over a dozen planets responded. In less than two hours, there'll be nearly 100 warships in orbit."
"So?" Icy said incredulously, "Let them come! We'll show to all of The Magical Dimension that nothing they have can match our power! Any landings on this planet will be overwhelmed by Heartless."
"You misunderstood," said Carmen, "They're not coming to rescue us, they're coming to make sure you and your sisters don't spread your evil to other worlds."
"What do you mean?" Icy asked in a confused tone.
"They're gonna nuke the whole planet," said Carmen, "Unless the approaching armada doesn't hear from Faragonda, Saladin or Griffin by the time they get here, the warships have standing orders to launch their missiles, and from what I heard, each warship is armed with 40 missiles, each equipped with 8, 50-megatone warheads. That's 320 warheads per ship, making 32,000 warheads on their way here, with a grand total of 1,600,000 megatons. You and your sisters will be queens alright, queens of a radioactive slagheap, assuming you survive the initial attack."
"I don't believe you!" Icy said accusingly, "there's no way any world in The Magical Dimension would condone such an act."
"I didn't believe it at first either," said Carmen, "But it's gonna happen, unless we stop you before they get here. That is unless, you care to surrender and save us all a lot of time and effort."
At this Icy laughed cruelly, "And here I thought Morgan was the one making all the jokes. You really do have a sense of humor, Carmen," she then grew serious again, "But nice try. No, you're bluffing, period."
"Damn!" exclaimed Carmen, "How did you know I was bluffing? Damn!! I shouldn't have admitted that I was bluffing!"
"This is why you will always be a loser, Carmen," Icy mocked, "No matter what you say or do, I will always be one step ahead." she looked at Sora, "and you, my Keyblade wielding friend, you and your meddling companions will soon regret interfering with our affairs."
"Not likely," said Sora, "I'm gonna do everything I can to stop you and your sisters from taking Alfea. My friends an I, we'll do everything in our power to make sure you never hurt anyone ever again."
"And as for me," said Carmen defiantly, "If I am fated to die here today, I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure you die with me, Icy."
"Not likely," said Icy. With that she walked back to her waiting sisters and Heartless minions.
"The depths of Hell are infinite, Icy!" Carmen shouted after her, "The more the merrier!"
"Well you tried," said Sora as they headed back to the gates, for they knew that any minute the terms of Parle would expire and the battle would begin.
"I could have tried harder," said Carmen, "I was hoping that I could make her mad enough that she and her ilk-sisters would make a mistake."
"Well you tried your best," said Sora, "No one will say you didn't."
"I wish I had your level of confidence," said Carmen as they crossed the gateway, "You're one point higher than I am." She then put on a more braver, more confident face and spoke to the gathered fairies, witches and specialists, "Well, they won't surrender!"
This earned a round of laughter from the combined students of the three schools. But then everyone grew more serious.
********
"Well, how did it go?" Stormy asked as Icy flew back to her throne.
"The usual crap from Carmen," said Icy as she examined her nails, as if this were just another day.
"Figures," said Darcy, "But what about the Keyblade brat?"
"More of the same," said Icy idly, "oh well, better not keep the losers waiting. Attack."
The first wave of Shadows, Soldiers and Neo Shadows charged toward the school gates. But then the masses of Heartless stopped less than three yards from the gate. The creatures just stood there, looking at each other.
"Now what?!" spat Stormy, "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Attack!!"
As if on cue, the masses of Heartless began attacking each other; slashing, clawing and ripping themselves to pieces.
"What the fck!?!" exclaimed Darcy, "No! Don't attack yourselves! Attack them! Attack Them!!!"
This only made the ranks of Heartless go into a more wild frenzy as they destroyed each other.
********
"I'm seeing it," said a confused Stella, "But I don't know what it means."
"I'm just glad we're not on the receiving end of that," said Brandon.
"Maybe it'll spread to the rest of The Heartless," said Musa "Whatever it is."
"Not likely," said Elise.
"I'm not sure how much longer Mirta can keep it up," said Tecna.
"What are you talking about?" Riven asked.
Sora looked and saw Flora and Morgan standing next to Mirta, who had a look of deeply strained concentration on her face.
"It's working, Mirta!" said Flora, "You're doing it!"
"I don't get it," said Stella.
"I know what she's doing," said Carmen, "Mirta is exceptionally good at casting illusion spells. She's tricking all those Heartless into thinking that there are Nobodies among them."
From the point of view of the out of control Heartless, they saw that their comrades were in fact Dusks, or so Mirta made them believe; an easier feat than it seems since Heartless are creatures of instincts, and their instincts can be fooled.
Unfortunately the effort of maintaining such a widespread illusion was proving to be very taxing to the young witch.
"I don't know how much more I can do this!" said Mirta, her voice cracking with strain
"You're doing great, Mirta!" Flora encourage.
"You've got the bastards by the balls!" said Morgan.
"Now you're just grossing me out!" said Mirta.
It was then that Darcy realized that The Heartless were being tricked. "We'll just see about that!" spat Darcy. She shouted a counter-spell that shattered the illusion. The rampaging Heartless stopped their killing frenzy; nearly 200 were destroyed, but more came forward to replace them.
Mirta gasped in shock as the destruction of her spell sent a mental backlash towards her. She collapsed to the ground.
"Mirta!" exclaimed both Morgan and Flora.
"I'm alright," said Mirta as she was helped up. She sounded very tired and her nose was bleeding a little. "I tried."
"You did your best," said Morgan.
"Now quit dicking around and destroy them!!" shouted Icy. With that the ranks of Heartless, now fortified with Large Bodies and Fat Bandits, and flocks of Gargoyles and Wyverns, advanced on the school.
Fortunately, Faragonda and Griffin had cast a spell that projected a bright green energy barrier around the school that blocked the diving Gargoyles and Wyverns. The flying Heartless were destroyed as soon as they came in contact with the shield.
"Oh that's so cute and pathetic," laughed Stormy, "Do they really think their barrier can stop us?!" She then sent down several bolts of dark lighting that shattered the shield.
"Now that's just unfair!" shouted Stella.
"You evil witches have got it coming!" shouted Musa.
Flora then cast a spell that would have ensnared Stormy in thorny vines, but the psychotic witch caught the spell, "What's this, a party favor?" and flicked it away.
"Now that is definitely unfair!" shouted Flora.
The combined spells of the defenders, plus various energy blasters from the specialists, destroyed a large number of Heartless before they reached the school perimeter, so only a handful of creatures made in inside the walls. These were soon dispatched by Sora, Donald and Goofy. Yet despite the losses inflicted on the enemy, more and more Heartless appeared to replace their fallen.
"We can't hold them for much longer!" shouted Stella as she blasted a Large Body with her sun staff, "what's going to happen!?"
"Quit complaining and keep fighting!" exclaimed Morgan as she sliced several Soldiers to pieces.
Icy stood up, laughing, but then a look of shock dawned on her face.
From out of nowhere came a wall of fire that incinerated several Heartless by the scores before they made it to the wall.
"Now what?" Morgan asked.
"That's what!!" shouted Stella happily. There above the battlefield was Bloom, her dragon aura blazing like a second sun. She had already dropped Sky, Riku and Kairi onto the school grounds.
"Good to see you guys again," said Brandon.
"Sorry we took so long," said Kairi.
"You got here just in time," said Sora.
"Mind if I join in?" Bloom asked as she incinerated another twenty Heartless.
"You!!" spat an enraged and dumbfounded Icy, "It's not possible! You…and…and the wings! And the flying! How the hell did you get your powers back!?!"
"I never lost them in the first place!" said Bloom, "You thought you were rid of me, Icy, well you thought wrong!!" Bloom shot three streams of fire at the Behemoths, hitting each in its horn, which was very lucky since the horn of a Behemoth is its weak spot. The gargantuan Heartless self-destructed.
Unfortunately, Icy and her sisters had taken flight, "You think you're so special, Bloom!" spat Icy, "But you seem to have forgotten that you're not the only one who possesses the power of The Dragonfire!!"
"I'm not even gonna argue with your delusions, Icy!" said Bloom defiantly, "So I'm just gonna kick your skanky ass!"
"And this time!" said Flora as she, Musa, Tecna and Stella joined her in the air, "Bloom's not alone!"
"I don't know how you do it, Bloom," said Icy, "But you and your friends always know how push my buttons!" she shot a stream of frozen darts at the fairies, which Bloom countered with a flamethrower spell.
"I won't let you hurt my friends any more, Icy!" shouted Bloom as she threw another fireball, "I'm gonna finish you once and for all!!"
"Catch me if you can!!" shouted Icy as she dodged the fireball, then flew farther away, drawing Bloom after her. They traded spells as they got further and further away from the school, leaving Flora, Musa, Tecna and Stella to face Darcy and Stormy.
"Oh no you don't, Icy!" spat Carmen, "You're not getting away!" with that she chased after Bloom and Icy.
"Oh for crying out loud!!" exclaimed Kairi, "They're all gonna get themselves killed!" with that she chassed after Carmen.
"Get going!!" Riku shouted to Sora, "Help them!"
"We'll be fine!" said Donald, while Goofy nodded in agreement.
"Right!" said Sora. He then ran after Kairi and Carmen. It didn't take him long to catch up.
"Why are you running?" Kairi asked.
"To help you," said Sora, "Why are you running?"
"To help Bloom," Kairi answered, "Why is she running?"
"I can't fly," said Carmen, "But I can sure as hell run!" with that she pulled ahead of Sora and Kairi.
"She certainly is reckless," remarked Kairi as she and Sora ran faster to catch up with Carmen.
********
It was then that Riku saw that Sky and Riven were fighting back to back. "What kept you and Bloom so much?" Riven asked.
"Our ride broke down," answered Sky. He paused as they both sliced through half a dozen Soldiers, "And then we went for a walk!"
"So?" Riven asked, "How did it go?"
"Well we wanted to be alone," said Sky as he slashed and destroyed a Neo Shadow, "which wasn't easy since Riku and Kairi were with us," he then sliced through three Soldiers, "so that kind of defeated the point. Unfortunately we all were alone; the city is a total ghost town."
"The Trix have outdone themselves this time," said Riven as he decapitated a diving Gargoyle.
"Yeah," said Sky as he stabbed a Large Body, "I think Bloom has just about had it with them."
"You can banter all you want later," said Riku as he vivisected a Neo Shadow, then blasted a dozen Gargoyles out of the air with his Dark Aura. But then three Large Bodies closed in on Riku. He got behind and destroyed the first one, but overbalanced and tripped.
Fortunately Brandon took out the second Large Body, while Timmy blasted the third.
"Just thought we'd give you guys a hand!" said Brandon. Yet he failed to see the six Wyverns diving for him.
Fortunately Donald destroyed five of them with a Thunder spell, while Goofy bashed the last one.
"Pay attention already!" said Donald.
"Is he always such a grouch?" Timmy asked.
"Not always," said Goofy, "You'll get used to him.
********
Sora, Kairi and Carmen had caught up with Bloom and Icy, who were circling each other in the air, Bloom's body emitting an bright orange aura, while Icy's radiated with cold blue.
Bloom shot a stream of fire that was shaped like a dragon, but Icy froze it before it made contact. Icy then shot a stream of freezing magic that chased after Bloom. She barely dodged the sub-zero spell as it pursued her through the air before finally hitting a tree.
Bloom then teleported back in front of Icy. "Look's like your aim could use some improvement," Bloom taunted.
Outraged, Icy shot forth several shards of razor-sharp ice, but Bloom countered with a pulse of heat, melting the shards before they reached her.
"You're really starting to get on my nerves!" spat Icy.
"And you're nuttier than a fruitcake!" said Bloom.
********
Riku happened to look up to see Flora, Musa, Tecna and Stella facing off against Darcy and Stormy. "It's your move," said Stella.
That apparently was the wrong thing to say. Darcy cast a spell that produced three exact copies of her, so now there was four Darcy's, two on either side of Stormy. The Darcy on Stormy's immediate right, the real one apparently, and Stormy, combined their dark powers to creature a black tornado that was charged with purple lighting.
Tecna projected a green force-shield that blocked the tornado as it headed for the girls, eventually forcing the tornado to dissipate. Stella then shot a bolt of pure sunlight at the witches, blinding them and destroying the Darcy copies.
Flora shot a stream of energy that had flower patterns, forcing Darcy and Stormy to back away.
"Let's add a touch of music to this," said Musa as she called forth a spell that nearly deafened Darcy and Stormy.
"That's enough!" spat Stormy. She canceled out Musa's spell with several bolts of dark lighting, then shot more lighting at Stella and the others.
********
From the ground, Sora, Kairi and Carmen saw Bloom and Icy staring down each other.
"Alright," said Icy, "Let's see you get out of this!!" she then conjured up several sheets of ice that merged around Bloom, encasing her in a frozen spiked ball, which fell and shattered onto the ground.
But then Bloom appeared behind Icy, apparently alright, "You'll have to do better than that!" Bloom laughed, then blasted Icy at point-blank range. The mad witch fell screaming into he lake below.
But then, according to what Sora and the others saw, a giant hand made out of water reached up and grabbed Bloom before she could get out of the way, dragging her into the lake.
Icy then few out of the water, wetter and madder than a wet hen. She then froze the entire lake over.
"Oh my god!" exclaimed Kairi.
"We've got to help Bloom!" said Sora.
"You two help her," said Carmen as she glared daggers at the laughing Icy above, "I'm gonna finish this!" her body was pulsing with dark blue energy.
"You okay?" Sora asked hesitantly.
"I won't let her win!" said Carmen viciously as the pulsing grew more rapid and brighter in sync with her anger, "I won't let the bitch win! I won't! I Won't!!" just like that, (insert finger snapping sound) she shot into the air.
"I thought she said she couldn't fly!" said a surprised Kairi.
"Me to," said Sora.
Icy was so unfocused at her apparent 'victory,' she didn't realize that Carmen was behind her until just before Carmen threw a pair of dark spheres. Unfortunately Icy dodged the attack at the last second.
"Well look who finally got off the ground!" spat Icy.
"It was easy enough," said Carmen, "Now that I have a very good reason for flying!"
"Oh?" Icy asked, "And what would that be?"
"Killing you of course!!" shouted Carmen. The two rival witches traded spells; ice against dark, with no clear winner in sight. That is, until Icy got behind Carmen and blasted her. Carmen managed to block the worst of the frozen spell, but the force of the attack knocked her off balance and sent her crashing to the ground.
Sora and Kairi meanwhile had reached the edge of the frozen lake and were about to try and find Bloom, when the ice in the middle began to crack, then shatter, as a very angry Bloom, her body radiating with pure Dragonfire, flew up to face Icy again.
"You!" exclaimed Icy, "Why can't I get rid of you?!"
"I guess I'm like a bad penny!" said Bloom.
"She'll be fine," said Sora, "We've got to help Carmen."
"What is it with you and her?" Kairi asked, "going steady?"
"Huh?" Sora asked, unaware that Kairi was teasing him. "We're just friends."
"Sure you are," Kairi teased again.
********
"This is getting ridiculous!" said Sky as he threw an energy boomerang at a Fat Bandit. Said weapon merely bounced off the oversized Heartless.
"Let me show you how it's done!" said Riven as he threw two energy boomerangs at the back of the creature, destroying it.
"Not bad," said Riku as he used his Dark Shield to block a Large Body, then got behind it to eliminate it.
He then saw Faragonda, Griffin and Saladin cast a combined spell that destroyed several Gargoyles and Wyverns.
"I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!" said Griffin.
"The strength of these creatures is linked to The Trix!" said Faragonda, "The power required to maintain control over all these Heartless must be nearly exhausting them. As their power drains, so will the number of Heartless."
"Well there's two of them right there!" said Saladin as he pointed up to where Stella, Flora, Musa and Tecna were still battling Stormy and Darcy.
"But where is Bloom and Icy?" Faragonda asked.
Riku then saw Tecna tackling Stormy. He then saw Darcy call cast a spiral spell that forced Musa, Stella and Flora back. But then Musa flew behind Darcy and blasted Darcy with a sonic pulse.
********
Sora and Kairi found Carmen struggling to stand back up. "What kept you?" Carmen asked as Kairi and Sora helped her to her feet, "You stop for takeout or something?"
"Very funny," said Kairi, "Now hold still, I'll see what's wrong with you."
"I think my ankle is broken," said Carmen, "I can't stand on that leg."
"It's not broke," said Kairi as she carefully felt Carmen's injured ankle, "just twisted." Not really sure how she did it, Kairi sent a pulse of healing magic into Carmen, repairing whatever damage done to her ankle.
"How'd you do that?" Sora asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kairi.
"Just what the healer ordered," said Carmen as she stood up, "Now what's happening with Bloom and Icy?"
"It's not good," said Sora as he watched Icy and Bloom circle each other again.
"That's it!!" exclaimed Icy, "I'm sick of toying with you!!" Before Bloom could dodge it, she was encased in a pillar of ice.
********
Riku then saw Stormy call forth a huge tornado that threatened to destroy the whole school, if it weren't already chasing after Flora, Stella, Tecna and Musa. But then Stella and the other Winx combined their magic to cancel out the tornado.
"This is getting out of hand!" said Saladin, "we need to end this quickly!"
Riku had taken aim with his hand, intending to blast either Darcy or Stormy out of the air with his Dark Aura, whichever he hit first. However, the fighting in the air was too hectic; Flora, Musa, Stella and Tecna were in his line of fire, and Riku had no desire to hurt any of them. So he waited for a clear shot.
"What are you waiting for?!" Riven asked as, "Darcy and Stormy are wide open! Blast them!"
"Don't!" said Brandon, "you might hit Stella or the others!"
"I won't," said Riku as he lowered his arm, "I won't risk hurting the girls. If only I could get closer, then I'd give Stormy and Darcy a piece of my mind."
He then saw Knut finishing off a bunch of Soldiers. Riku grabbed the ogre's attention, "hey, Knut! Toss me!!"
"Huh?" Knut asked, clearly confused.
"I can't jump that high!" said Riku, pointing up at the airborne fighting, "You'll have to toss me!"
"Oh," said Knut, now understanding, "Okay." he then picked up Riku and prepared to throw him.
"Wait a second," said Riku. He then spoke to Brandon and the others, "Not one word of this to Sora and Kairi, you understand?"
"Our lips are sealed," said Riven.
"Okay," said Riku, "Do it!"
Knut threw Riku into the air, stopping for an instant in mid air level with Darcy and Stormy.
"In your faces!!" shouted Riku as he shot a twin blast of Dark Aura at Darcy and Stormy. The twin beams of dark energy hit the witches at point-blank range, knocking them out of the air.
Riku landed without any injury at roughly the same time Darcy and Stormy crashed. But then the two insane witches got back up, still in fighting condition.
"You'll have to do better than that!" said Darcy, "Stormy, let's eviscerate this meddling brat once and for all!!"
"My pleasure!!" exclaimed Stormy. She aimed to blast Riku with a bolt of dark lighting at point blank range. As it turned out, Stormy's aim was a bit off from the combined Dark Aura blast and crash landing. She shot the bolt of dark lighting, which went past Riku and hit Donald in the tail feathers.
Donald shouted in surprise and pain from the dark lighting, jumping nearly ten feet in the air before landing on his rear. He was fine, but boy was he angry.
"Hey! What's the big idea!?" exclaimed Donald, "Who did that?!"
"I did!" Stormy said boldly, "And I'd do it again in a minute!"
""Why I oughta!!" exclaimed Donald, "I'll show you a thing or two!!"
"Not if I show you first!" spat Darcy as she sent a sphere of negative energy at Donald, which Goofy blocked with his shield.
"You'll have to do better than that!" said Goofy.
"Gladly!" said Stormy in a vicious tone as she and Darcy got ready to attack, "We'll put you freaks in your place."
"Who you calling a freak!?" exclaimed Donald. He then cast a Stop spell on the two insane witches, immobilizing both Stormy and Darcy just as they cast their spells, the dark magic frozen in place in front of them.
"Fascinating," said Elise as she examined the immobilized witches, "They're completely frozen in time."
"How long will they stay like that?" Tecna asked as she, Stella, Flora and Musa landed.
"Not much longer," said Timmy . Already the spell was beginning to wear off, the curses Darcy and Stormy cast were beginning to move again, very slowly, but still moving.
"I've got an idea!" said Morgan eagerly, a mischievous grin on her face, "This is gonna rock!" Using her magic, Morgan caused the time-frozen bodies of Darcy and Stormy to turn so that they were facing each other, as well as the two curses. Less than ten seconds later the Stop spell wore off, allowing time to resume for Darcy, Stormy and their respective curses, which instead of hitting one of the defenders, ended up blasting each other. Completely caught off guard, the two insane witches were knocked out cold.
"Now!" said Faragonda. She and Griffin then immobilized the two disabled witches by encasing them in a magic-proof sphere. Cut off from their master's control, two-thirds of the attacking Heartless vanished, while the number of arriving fresh Heartless were greatly reduced.
Exhausted, Stella and the other Winx collapsed to the ground.
********
"Try breaking free of that, miss goody-fairy!" laughed Icy. The sight and sound of the psychotic witch laughing at the disabled Bloom really got Sora and Kairi riled, but their anger was eclipsed by the wrath Carmen was experiencing.
"You bitch!!" shouted Carmen, "You vicious, soulless, goat-sucking whore!!" she shot into the air again and tackled Icy. They both fell into the trees below.
"You help Bloom," said Sora, "I'll help Carmen."
"Right!" said Kairi as she ran towards the pillar of ice, while Sora hurried to where he thought Carmen and Icy were. He saw Carmen laying face down on the ground.
"I really got to work on my landings," said Carmen as Sora helped her up. She was a little out of it, but other than a few cuts and scrapes, Carmen was unharmed.
"Where's Icy?" Sora asked.
"Right behind you, Keyblade brat!!" exclaimed Icy. Sora pulled Carmen out of the way to avoid a freezing spell with barely a second to spare.
Making sure Carmen was alright and out of hams way, Sora aimed his Keyblade at Icy and shot several fireballs at her.
The mad witch merely flicked her hand at the incoming fireballs, freezing them before they got close.
"Is that all you got, brat?!" taunted Icy.
"My name is Sora! Remember it!" He aimed his Keyblade again, if fire wouldn't work, then he'd would try a different approach, "Deep Freeze!!"
The Blizzard spell hit Icy, but she was more mad than hurt, "How dare you use my element against me!!" the mad witch then shot hundreds of ice shards at Sora.
He blocked most of them with his Keyblade, but a few got past his defenses, cutting Sora several times. Then one ice shard hit him hard in the right shoulder, while another cut him above his left knee.
Icy then shot a large ball of ice at Sora, which knocked his Keyblade out of his hands.
"Time to finish you off, brat!" said Icy triumphantly as she shot another freezing spell at him. Fortunately, Sora called back his Keyblade and blocked the spell. But by now he was nearly exhausted, and was out of potions and ethers.
"This is the end of you," said Icy, "No more dicking around, so die!"
"You still have me to deal with, bitch!!" shouted Carmen. She used both hands to shoot a beam of dark energy at Icy, who countered it with a beam of freezing magic. The two beams met and tried to force each other back. Initially Icy had the advantage, forcing Carmen's beam nearly back to the caster.
But then Carmen strained forward. Sora could tell that Carmen was giving this her all, using up every last bit of power she had. Little by little Icy's beam was forced back, but it still wasn't enough.
"You can't beat me, Carmen!" shouted Icy, "The Dragonfire is mine to command!"
"Go to Hell!!" exclaimed Carmen. She then shouted a spell that doubled the power of her beam, forcing Icy's back towards her at an astounding rate. Carmen's beam hit Icy and knocked her to the ground. Carmen then collapsed, having totally exhausted her magic, but her efforts were for naught, or so it seemed.
"Pathetic," said Icy as she got back up. She didn't look hurt, but Sora could see that all the fighting was talking its toll on the mad witch, who looked like she had just run a marathon.
"You're sweating, Icy," said Carmen as she grinned, "That can mean only one thing; you've finally lost."
"What are you talking about?!" Icy asked.
"I know what's happened," said Sora, "You've used up all the energy you stole from Bloom."
"Impossible!!" raged Icy, "I have the Dragonfire! A power that has no limits!"
"Keep saying that to yourself," said Carmen, "But the truth is as clear as the stars. You've exhausted the power you stole, so now you're back to your normal magic. Even more so, you're beginning to feel the strain of controlling all those Heartless. All the energy you normally use is being diverted to maintaining your hold on The Heartless. I can see it in your face, the effort of keeping those creatures bound to your will.
"And to make matters worse, you're doing it alone. By now your sisters are dead, or at least out of commission. So it's only a matter of time before you lose control over The Heartless. Admit it, Icy; you've lost!"
"I still have enough power to finish you losers off!" spat Icy, "Starting with you, Carmen! Now it's your turn to admit it; you've lost! You could never beat me, and now you never will!"
"I have to agree with you on that," Carmen said reluctantly, "You've always been one step ahead of me in class. You've always been the stronger. I confess, I can't beat you, not as I am now." She then looked upward, a smile dawning on her face, "But I know who can!"
********
Kairi had reached the pillar of ice and was about to start hacking into hit to free Bloom, when Bloom's dragon aura encircled the ice and shattered it, freeing Bloom, her entire body glowing with pure Dragonfire.
"Impossible!!" exclaimed Icy as she took off, but Bloom teleported in front of her.
"Get away from me!!" shouted Icy, a look of sheer terror on her face. She threw a multitude of ice-based spells at Bloom, all of them evaporating before they got even close.
Bloom didn't say anything, she just blasted Icy with a wall of fire. Only the mad witch's sub-zero disposition saved her from being incinerated. As it was, she was completely knocked out and fell to the ground.
********
Back at Alfea, everyone was at first confused as the hoards of Heartless suddenly stopped fighting. No longer controlled by a human master, the creatures then vanished back to the darkness from whence they came, all of them.
"I don't understand," said Flora, "Why are they leaving?"
"I have a feeling that Bloom is behind this," said Saladin as the last bunch of Heartless vanished.
"Then is it over?" Brandon asked as he held Stella's hand, while Timmy and Tecna stood together, and Riven and Musa also held hands.
"How's that for an answer," said Riku as he pointed up. The dark clouds were breaking up, allowing large shafts of sunlight through onto Alfea for the first time in days.
********
"You two alright?" Bloom asked as she landed.
"Couldn't be better," said Sora, while Carmen nodded in agreement, even though they both were on the verge of passing out.
Just then Kairi came running over, "Bloom! That was awesome! You were like, stuck in the ice, and you broke out and you totally creamed Icy!"
"Speaking of the devil," said Carmen, "our frosty friend is still alive." Icy was still among the living, unconscious, but very much alive.
"What should we do with her?" Kairi asked.
"I'd be very happy riding the universe of her," said Carmen, "But then I'd be doing Icy a favor, and that's something I have absolutely no desire to do."
It was then that Kairi got a good look at Sora, "You look terrible."
"I feel terrible," Sora said honestly. If there's one thing Sora could never do, it's lie to Kairi.
"You don't look so good either," Kairi said to Carmen. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two vials, "my last two potions, enjoy," she tossed the potions to Carmen and Sora.
"Down the hatch," said Carmen as she and Sora drank the potions. Immediately they both felt fully energized. Just then a shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds above them. Carmen winced at the sudden brightness.
"The light," she said as she pulled out a pair of wrap-around sunglasses, "It huts my eyes sometimes." she put the glasses on, "Much better. Now, let's get Icy back to Alfea; we can turn her over to the cops later."
"Good idea," said Bloom as she and Carmen picked Icy's still unconscious body up, draping her arms over their shoulders. She then spoke to Sora and Kairi, "You two gonna be alright?"
"We'll walk back to Alfea," said Sora, "You go on ahead."
"Play nice now," said Carmen in a teasing tone.
"Oh," said Bloom as she and Carmen took to the air, "I never picked up your name."
"I never dropped it; my name is Carmen."
"I'm Bloom."
"Those two are gonna be really good friends," said Kairi as they watched Carmen and Bloom carry Icy back to Alfea.
"You're probably right," said Sora as they started back to the school, "So what's this about you having healing magic?"
"Huh?" Kairi asked, "Oh, I don't know. I found out I could do it while on Domino. I'm not really sure how I'm able to use healing magic."
"Maybe The King will know how you can do it," said Sora.
"I hope so," said Kairi, "It's cool I now have this power, but it's kind of scary."
"I'm sure it is," said Sora, "But I'm sure we'll figure it out together."
"Just hearing you say that makes me feel better," said Kairi as she smiled, while Sora smiled back.
It didn't take them long to get back to Alfea. Sora and Kairi had just crossed the gate, when they saw Bloom and Sky kissing for the first time.
"Was this part of the mission?" Sora asked.
"If it wasn't," Kairi said happily, "It should have been."
A short time later, Sora saw Faragonda and Griffin talking, "My students and I must return to Cloud Tower, Faragonda," said Griffin, "We have much to do; it will take time for things to return to normal for us."
"What about The Trix?" Faragonda asked.
"They seemed to have woken up from a bad dream," said Griffin, "As if their lust for power was what drove them mad in the first place. I for one don't believe them; it's clear that they were mad to begin with."
"True," said Faragonda, "The Dragonfire belongs to Bloom and only her; she is the only one who has any right to control it."
"Trying to take it from Bloom was both insane and dangerous," said Griffin, "As well as just plain irresponsible. I can assure everyone that they will be punished for their crimes. They are to be sent to Light Rock Monastery for purification treatment."
It was then that Saladin came over with news that the majority if the citizens of Magix were alive and well. They had taken shelter when The Heartless first appeared, and were now enjoying their first breath of peace in many days.
"That's wonderful," Faragonda said happily.
Riku then saw Knut nervously ask Faragonda to stay at Alfea. Naturally Faragonda agreed to hiring Knut as the new janitor.
"He'll be fine," Stella said as everyone watch Knut eagerly sweeping up the courtyard.
Kairi then heard from Flora that Mirta would be staying at Alfea as well, to get more in touch with her fairy side.
It was as the witches were preparing to return to Cloud Tower; everyone was saying goodbye.
"You sure you won't stay for the celebrations tonight?" Faragonda asked.
"We have our own ways to celebrate," said Griffin, "And usually its us witches who tend to ruin parties. But not this time, so consider yourselves fortunate."
"That we will," said Faragonda.
Elsewhere, Morgan was saying goodbye to Mirta and Flora, "You sure you want to do this, Mirta?" Morgan asked, "Stay at Alfea."
"I'm barely able to get by as a witch," said Mirta, "Maybe as a fairy I'll really come into my own."
"Well do everything we can to help her," said Flora.
"I'm sure you will," said Morgan, "just don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That's probably the smartest thing I've ever heard you say, Morgan," said Mirta, "And that's something."
"I resemble that!" exclaimed Morgan.
"She sure does," said Flora.
Tecna, Timmy and Elise were saying goodbye into heir own manner, speaking in words that Sora had no understanding at all. It was then that he saw Bloom, Sky and Carmen saying goodbye.
"Out respective sides," said Carmen, "Witches and fairies, we still have our separate agendas, but what we've done here has helped both sides take the first important step towards living together in peace."
"Maybe we cant take the next step together," said Bloom hopefully.
"Maybe," said Carmen. She then looked at both Bloom and Sky, "You two take good care of each other. If I find out that one of you has hurt the other in any way, I'll come over and skin you both alive."
"She's joking, right?" Sky nervously asked.
"I'm not sure," said Bloom.
Carmen then walked over to Sora, "Well this is it then," she said. "Sora, it has been an honor, a privilege and a pleasure destroying Heartless with you."
"It was fun," said Sora, "Maybe we can work together again someday. Anyway, I hope you realize your dreams someday."
"Likewise," said Carmen. They then shook hands.
Griffin had opened a portal back to Cloud Tower, but the witches waited before going through, for there was something that everyone had to see.
The Trix had been placed in straightjackets; glowing blue metal bands were secured on their foreheads which neutralized their powers. The three mad witches were being lead by armed guards into a different portal. Stormy was spitting obscenities, while Darcy tired to bite one of the escorts, so she had been gagged. Icy just glared venom at anyone who looked at her
"As for these three troublemakers," said Griffin, "They're in dire need of a purification retreat."
"Therapy isn't exactly what I'd prescribe for them, headmistress," said Elise.
"Several decades of hard labor ought to mellow them out," said Morgan, "But that's just my opinion.
Icy was the last one to be taken through the portal, "This is not over!" she shouted, "We'll be back, stronger than ever!" she then glared at Bloom, "And I'll especially enjoy taking my revenge on you, Bloom! You and your friends; you'll all suffer my vengeance!"
"Tell it to the shrinks, bitch," said Carmen, while Stella waved goodbye in a playful manner.
Icy glared at everyone contemptuously one last time before her escorts dragged her through the portal, which closed up after them.
It was then that Sora, Riku and Kairi's Keyblades appeared in their hands and began pulling their owners towards the main building of the school.
"Now what?" Brandon asked.
As if to answer, a large, glowing blue outline of something appeared in front of the main door of the main building.
"Is that…?" Goofy asked.
"A Keyhole!" said Donald.
"It's a big one," said Sora. He then looked at Riku and Kairi, "Looks like it'll take all three of us to close it."
"Right," said Riku as he stood to Sora's left.
"I'm ready," said Kairi as she stood to Sora's right.
The three Keyblade wielders aimed their Keyblades at the Keyhole, the tips of their blades glowing brightly as they shot beams of blue magic at the Keyhole. After about five seconds the Keyhole pulsed with blue light, then disappeared with a loud 'Click!'
"That's that then," said Sora.
"Will someone tell me what just happened?" Stella asked.
"We sealed this world's Keyhole," said Riku, "The Heartless won't be coming back here in such numbers again."
"And at the same time," said Kairi, "We've made use that the heart of this world can never be threatened by the darkness."
"The heart of Magix?" Musa asked.
"Makes sense," said Elise, "Of the three schools, Alfea was founded first."
Just then another portal appeared near Sora, Riku and Kairi.
"Now what?" Riven asked.
"That," said Riku, "Is our ticket home."
"You have to leave now?" Bloom asked.
"Looks that way," said Kairi, "but I'm sure we'll see each other again."
"You can count on that," said Bloom. With that they embraced, while Sky and Riku shook hands.
"I don't know if we could have won without you guys," said Sky.
"I'm sure you would have done your best," said Riku.
As everyone was saying goodbye to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, Flora gave Donald something to take back home.
"I think this is what you wre looking for, Donald," said Flora as she handed Donald a small, elaborately carved wooden box, "Good luck with Daisy."
"Thank you so much," said Donald.
"What's that?" Goofy asked.
"It's a surprise," said Donald.
Carmen had only this to say to Sora, "You'd better stay alive, Keyblade wieldier, or else."
"We never did see who could slay the most Heartless," said Sora, "don't worry, someday we'll settle the score."
"You all come back here sometime," said Morgan.
"We will," said Kairi, "You take care of yourselves, and each other." With that they entered the portal: first Riku, then Goofy, then Donald, then Kairi, with Sora giving a farewell wave before entering the portal, which closed up after him.
The end of chapter 9. Next chapter, our heroes report back to The King and Queen, and then learn that everything that has happened before, and I mean everything, was only just the tip of the iceberg, no pun intended. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!