Hey guys. Been awhile, huh? [A long while /shot/] This is the last chapter to have any awesome butt-kicking, good vs. evil drama. The next chapter is the epilogue and the final chapter to this story ;)
Disoria Goes Bye-Bye
The body of the panther shimmered, almost like an evaporating mist. Shepherding the others back, Brick leveled the tip of the sword at the body. The giant cat shrunk, slowly morphing back into the body of Raven. Her face was covered in blood and cuts, and her head was attached to her neck by a thin layer of skin. Black hair was scorched, a creepy smile on her face, dead eyes open.
Bubbles felt something rise in her throat, the smell of death lingering in the air. "That is so nasty."
"Her head..." Buttercup murmured, her eyes trained on the witch. The sight was admittedly disturbing, but equally interesting.
"Why the hell is she smiling at me?" Butch exclaimed disgusted. Using the tip of his boot, he kicked Raven's leg.
The body floundered, melting into a black ooze. It began bubbling, then steamed into a thick black vapor.
"It smells horrible!" Boomer complained, using his shirt to filter the putrid air as he breathed. The smoke began condensing toward the ceiling until it formed a last image of Raven laughing evilly. Then it disappeared.
"Do you think she's really gone?" Blossom murmured, staring up at the ceiling where the black cloud had been. She placed a protective hand on her scabbard, the intricately decorated hilt of her sword reassuring.
"I hope so." Brick muttered back. "That was some brutal hacking."
"Just think how much harder it's going to be to kill Disoria." Buttercup reminded everyone. She inhaled calmly, and a breeze of fresh air washed over the room.
Everyone took a deep breath, enjoying the fresher air. "And that's why I love you." Butch grinned, running a hand through Buttercup's long black hair.
Buttercup jerked away. "Okay, lover-boy, we have some serious things going on right now."
"Yeah. Like an evil sorceress keeping our mother hostage!" Bubbles exclaimed forcefully. A scary image of her mother being tortured with needles and potions beside a bubbling cauldron made her shudder.
"Or the fact that those demon trolls are going to break through that door." Blossom nodded her head toward the large double doors that were trembling from short, stout bodies running into it.
Holding his sword ready in one hand, Brick used the other to form a fire-ball. Winding his arm back, he released the concentrated flames at the wooden frame of the door. Heat magnified and flames burned high up to the ceiling. Smoke billowed, and trolls on the other side jumped back, hollering in surprise.
"Lets get out of here!" Butch coughed, retrieving a fallen spear. The six Splitzers ran hard to the opposite side of the room where the doors hung ajar on hinges. The pounding of the trolls increased as the flames roared.
The doors led from the large room to a concrete hallway with over hangs, just like the first hallway. From a higher balcony, trolls larger than the other ones they had confronted rested on flabby behinds. When they noticed the small group, they began hurtling spears with chilling accuracy.
"Duck!" Bubbles cried out, pushing Butch and Blossom down, which in turn pushed the rest of them flat to the ground. Doing a duck and roll behind an enormous stone pillar, Bubbles nocked an arrow. Pulling the cord to her cheek, she released an arrow that skewered both frog-like creatures. The two masses fell from the balcony toward the unforgiving ground.
"Good reflexes." Buttercup said, pushing herself up off the ground.
"Don't thank me yet," Bubbles answered, helping Brick and Boomer up. "We still have a lot to go through."
"Unfortunately." Blossom scowled, brushing brown grind from her knees.
"Guys...maybe you should check this out." Butch motioned them down the hallway about six yards where he was standing. He was staring out over the side of the railing into an open expanse, his bright green eyes wide.
"What is it now-?" Buttercup stopped short, her face falling when her eyes trained on the horizon. Her stomach made a violent flip when she recognized the symbol of Monshea engraved on the armor of hundreds of foot soldiers marching to meet the oncoming army of Disoria which consisted of zombies and toad trolls. Her hand tightened around the handle of her sword.
"No..." Bubbles mouthed, her crystal blue eyes brimming with tears. How could they stand a chance? It was a ratio of 12:1. Those odds were not pretty.
"How could there be so many?" Blossom's voice trembled as she spoke.
"We need to get to Disoria," Brick said firmly, running a hand down the sleek shaft of his sword's blade. "It's the only way to wipe out the war prematurely."
"He's right; it's the only way." Blossom gripped her hands tightly around the rubbery handle of a spear. She so felt like stabbing something.
"And it sounds like our troll friends are catching up." Boomer yelled at them. He stood with his sword poised near the shaking door.
"Boomer! What are you doing? We're getting out of here!" Butch hefted a boulder easily onto his shoulder, then flung it at the door. Boomer dove forward, the boulder soaring over his head. The door splintered and several trolls were squashed into green goop.
The trolls seemingly to never stop pursuing them was enough to energize the six into a full-blown sprint. "What we're you thinking, moron?" Brick scowled at Butch.
Panting, Butch felt his legs and thighs burning. "I don't know. I thought it would help!"
"You put a hole through the door! You helped them!" Boomer huffed, his blonde hair whiplashing behind him.
"What do you have? Rock for brains?" Buttercup chastised. Her chest rose and fell constantly, but her lungs and ribs felt strained.
Coming to an intersection between two branching hallways, everyone skidded to a stop to catch their breath. The skittering of trolls was faint behind them, but increasing rapidly.
"They just don't give up!" Bubbles jerked a stick out of her hair, ripping several strands.
"What way now?" Butch asked, looking between the hallways.
"The one on the right," Brick advised. "It has older stone work. Disoria would be at the oldest part since she's been here for hundreds of years."
"Okay. That makes sense." Boomer conceded.
"It makes a lot of sense," Blossom agreed. "But don't have time to admire Brick's intelligence. We gotta move."
"Not to be the bearer of bad news, but our froggy friends are almost here." Buttercup stated calmly. Blossom almost wanted to slap the serene look off of her sister's face.
"Let's move!" Brick called over his shoulder as he made a break for the staircase. The ragged breathing and heavy footsteps notified him that his friends/brothers were following not far behind.
"Woah, Boomer! Watch it!" Butch hissed, jumping to the side of the staircase. The winding steps traveled upward for what seemed like forever with stone on either side, torches welded to the wall every so many steps.
Blue electric sparks crackles around Boomer's ghostly blonde hair. "I'm sorry!" He apologized, swatting at the sizzling wisps. "I start to spark when I'm nervous."
"It's cute." Bubbles chirped from behind. The blue sparks looked like the explosive colors she once saw over a city. (In other words, fireworks).
Boomer blushed, the sparks increasing in size and a louder sizzling noise.
Blossom glanced back at where Bubbles and Butch were lagging behind slightly,.her eyes widening. "Bubbles, duck!"
"Duck?" Bubbles repeated surprised. She began looking around frantically for a duck.
"Get down, pigtails!" Butch tackled the blonde to the side as Blossom lunged down the stairs. The three pursuing trolls barely had enough time to think as Blossom impaled one of them with the spear and Brick hacked at the other two with his sword.
"Bubbles? Are you too serious?" Buttercup reached down and pulled her sister back to her feet. Then she helped Butch back up.
Bubbles shrugged, fixing her quarrel of arrows across her back. "Hey, there could have been a duck flying at my head or something."
"Now's not the time, Bubbles." Blossom grunted. Taking a firm grip of Bubbles' collar, Blossom dragged the blue girl up the stone stairwell.
"Careful!" Bubbles yelped softly, shuffling up the stairs as fast as she could in the awkward position that she was in. Taking the cue, Blossom released her hold on Bubbles' shirt. Stumbling back a step, Bubbles righted her footing and continued up the stairwell.
"Won't these stairs ever end?" Butch grumbled. He was traveling at the rear of the group, glancing back ever few steps to make sure they weren't being followed.
"We'll get there when we get there." Brick snapped back, holding his sword level with the winding stairs. He stayed tense and alert, listening for any enemies that may be approaching from in front of them.
"Besides, isn't it better that we're not there yet?" Boomer suggested. The sparks popping around his head had decreased as he got more winded. "Like, I don't want to fight a witch."
"I don't want to fight a witch." Buttercup clarified. Out of the six of them, Buttercup was in some of the best shape and was barely phased by the steep stairs. She had a shortened breath, but nothing to cause discomfort. "I wanna kill a witch."
"Sounds good." Blossom agreed. Holding off Sedusa and Raven had been bad enough, but Disoria was probably in a category all her own.
"I just hope we're getting closer to the top. These steps are getting even steeper." Brick muttered strenuously.
Bubbles huffed loudly jerking the strap of the quarrel on her back so that it no longer rested on strands of her hair. "After this, no more stairs for me."
"Good luck with that resolution." Butch murmured under his breath.
"The hallway is starting to widen." Blossom noticed the way the walls were beginning to slope outwards, adding more space to place a foot on the stairs. Logically, the walls should keep expanding until they reached the next landing.
"What good is that?" Boomer asked while awkwardly massaging his side.
"We're almost there, stupid!" Butch spat back harshly. Boomer rolled his eyes with a sour face, grateful that Butch was behind him and couldn't see his expression.
The stairwell continued to widen, eventually opening up into a small landing. Similar to the other landings, this one had a stone overhang which would protect anything inside the room from the harsh elements even though there wasn't as walls. Safety rails were lacking on the edge of the room, creating an unprotected drop over the side.
Panting and huffing, Buttercup collapsed onto her knees in the center of the room. The last ten minutes of climbing the stairs had taken a toll on her durability. Her and her heart pounded a million miles an hour. "Those stairs are crazy."
All around her, her friends were doubled over and breathing heavy.
"They're enchanted..." Brick scowled. He was crouching near the top of the stairs they had come from. His index and middle fingers rested on the cold stone.
Boomer wiped his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes hazy. "Enchanted how?"
Brick shook his head frustrated. "I don't know. It's out of my element. I can just sense it."
"If it's stone, then Butch should be able to tell." Blossom reminded everyone. She sat on the floor with her legs outstretched, her chest rising and falling more evenly now. "His element is Earth, which includes stone."
"Yeah." Buttercup and Bubbles synchronized.
Butch was leaning over with his hands on his knees. Making sure that the room wasn't spinning, Butch walked over to Brick. He placed a weary hand on the stone then pulled it back quickly. "Woah! That's a lot of magic!"
Boomer jumped back in surprise. "What?"
Butch shook his head while he massaged his palm. "It didn't hurt. The enchantment drains energy. That's probably why everyone was winded pretty quickly."
"Well that's just wonderful." Brick muttered spitefully. It was going to be difficult to get to the higher towers if there was a stupid energy draining spell on the stairs.
"Guys. The fighting has started." Blossom mumbled. Her eyes felt like they were going to glaze over from what she was looking at. The guards with the symbols of Monshea were colliding with the trolls and zombies. Spears soared, swords clashed, and shields reflected attacks. A troll was impaled. A zombie wa decapitated. A guard was sliced across the chest by razor-sharp claws and slumped to the earth. Waves of red spilled across the ground.
Bubbles touched her forefinger to her lip in shock. Could that really be going on right now? "Somebody please tell me that is an illusion?" It came off as more of a question than a command.
"Its real..." Buttercup grumbled. She rubbed her temples with both hands, strands of black hair falling into her face. "Is that really the same army that I was giving a pep talk the other day?"
Blossom placed a comforting hand on BUttercup's shoulder, who looked about ready to break down into tears. "Don't worry. We can do this."
"You should be telling them that..." Butch muttered to himself as he watched two guards fall by swords through their sides. He probably wasnt helping, but he could feel his confidence slipping. Maybe they should give up and crawl under a rock? Or was the energy draining spell sapping away his hope too?
You're lucky that Buttercup didn't hear that. She would've slapped you upside the head. Brick conveyed to Butch. Sometimes that guy didn't think things out before he spoke.
Sorry. It slipped. And yeah, she would've maimed me for that one. Butch thought back.
I'd suggest keeping your mental shield up. Disoria might be able to sense our minds if we're speaking telepathically. Brick's eyes narrowed as he stared out at the battlefield with the others. Bubbles was taking the scene really hard, considering the fact that Boomer was rocking her back and forth in his arms while mumbling sweet words into her ears.
Now you're freaking me out. Butch's answer came. Then he put up his barrier. If there was even the slightest possibility that an egotistical wizard could listen in on his mental conversations, he wanted no part in that creepy shit.
"That's the point." Brick said aloud to Butch in response to creeping him out. Butch took a sidestep to the right. Brick gave a slight grin before it faded. Wrapping a soothing arm around Blossom's waist, the red boy pressed his lips close to her ear. "We need to go."
Blossom nodded weakly, a thin layer of tears racing down her cheeks. As fast as she could, she wiped the tears away hoping that no one had noticed them. "Yeah. Lead the way."
Cupping a hand under her chin, Brick tilted her head upwards so that her pink eyes were looking up into his crimson ones. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"
"I think so," she replied with a soft voice, another tear rolling down her cheek. She heard mild sniffling from behind her and had a feeling Bubbles had finally lost it.
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Okay." Leaning down, Brick planted a small and sweet kiss on Blossom's lips. "What rotten luck that we were the heroes, huh?"
A light chuckle escaped Blossom, her expression brightening mildly. "I know right. The world's out to get us i think."
Using his thumb, Brick wiped away the moistness on her cheeks. "It looks really bad now, but it will get better. I promise."
The haunting words of oracle slapped Blossom in the face, nearly knocking her over. Would everything really be better? Wasn't there still that chance that she would have to die in order for them to win? Brave face, she told herself. "Okay."
"Are you guys ready?" Boomer asked them in a hushed voice from across the room. Bubbles eyes were red and her face was damp, but she was no longer crying. Buttercup and Butch stood side-by-side, hands entwined as they silently watched the fighting.
"Yeah." Brick answered, scooping Blossom's calloused hand into his. "Butch, can you tell if the other staircase is enchanted too?"
Butch blinked once, then twice. Breaking his hand away from Buttercup, he approached the base of the stairs that led further into the castle. He tentatively placed his fingertips on the stone and was surprised by how cold they were. "They're not enchanted at all. Regular stairs, but defiantly ancient. It's hard to describe."
"Perfect." Bubbles mumbled to herself.
"At least we won't have energy depleting spell weighing on us," Buttercup pointed out. Narrowing her eyes at the field of gore several miles away, she turned her lime green eyes away. There was a hard gleam in her eyes.
"Solid point there." Boomer said trying for a smile. Talk about a bunch of Negative Nancy's. They could at least be optimistic about their almost sure demise. Face it head on like, 'guys, we're about to be poofed into pixie dust! Cool huh?'
"It seems to easy if there isn't a spell there." Blossom said.
"They might not have expected anyone to get this far." Bubbles suggested softly. She absent-mindedly plucked at the string of her bow.
"Or expected a sane person to turn back." Butch added in.
"Except it's the point of no return." Brick answered. Her stood by the staircase that had led them to the room. A pink, shimmering sheet had formed, shielding any escape back the way they came.
"Well that's terrific." Bubbles scowled. She stomped a foot and pulled on the bow-string a bit harder in her fit of rage.
"Lets just get out of here before I lose my slight grasp to my sanity." Buttercup growled, shouldering past Boomer and Blossom. Without waiting for anyone to follow or stop her, she mounted the new flight of stairs and started the new ascension.
"I don't blame her." Bubbles wiped at her nose with her wrist before tightening her grip on her quiver of arrows and followed after Buttercup.
"Right behind you." Blossom slipped her hand out of Brick's, squeezed the spear shaft that was in her hand, and quickly made her way up the stairs.
"Eager, no?" Boomer let out a low whistle.
"Of course they're eager, you idiot!" Butch retorted.
Boomer's eyes lowered slightly. "And he calls me the moron?" he whispered to himself.
"Nows not the time guys." Brick asserted. "We'd better catch up with them." He disappeared around the corner of the staircase.
Boomer and Butch shared a look before hurrying after them. Unlike before, Boomer climbed the stairs with little trouble. He hadn't noticed how taxing the other stairs had been until he felt how much easier it was to walk these new stairs. "At least the stairs are easier to walk up this time, right guys?"
Buttercup, Blossom, and Butch glanced back at Boomer with a Boomer-you're-such-an-idiot-life-isn't-going-to-get-better-because-the-stairs-are-less-steep looks. Boomer clicked his tongue as they kept walking. "Everyone's a critic."
Bubbles slowed down her pace, falling into step beside Boomer. "Hi," she whispered sweetly as she slipped her hand into his. "I agree."
Boomer blinked twice, his face heating up with a blush. "Agree with what?"
Bubbles giggled, pushing into him gently with her shoulder. "Everyone's a critic. And the stairs are a lot easier this time."
"Oh. Right." Boomer mentally slapped himself for being an idiot.
"Where do you think this will lead us?" Bubbles asked softly, turning her face forward. Once again, they were falling at the back of the group.
Boomer shrugged half heartedly. "I couldn't tell ya. But it can't get any worse than it is now."
"I wish you were right." Buttercup's voice answered from up ahead.
Boomer and Bubbles exchanged alarmed looks before pushing ahead. "What is it?" Bubbles wondered. Her eyes widened when she saw the problem.
"Exactly," Blossom frowned with hands on her hips.
"This adventure keeps getting more and more fun!" Butch complained with mock enthusiasm. It was official that the universe was out to get them.
"Being negative won't solve any problems." Brick snapped back. He studied the fork in the path. The staircase opened up into another room, significantly smaller than the previous one. Three different hallways branched off in the room; one to the left; one to the right; and one straight ahead.
The path to the left had a red silk carpet leading into the stone hallway, wavering firefight illuminating the way. Portraits of past heroes were hung on the walls, but the paintings had been edited so that the heroes were portrayed to be missing limbs or in pain.
The path to the right slanted downwards, though it wasn't a staircase. The concrete floor was flawless with no faults or cracks. The ceiling was low and the walls had carvings in the stone. As the hallway continued, it seemed like the floor and hallway were going to collide.
The path straight ahead had a dusty, faded black carpet and maroon tapestries with cobwebs hung from the walls. The fabric was old, visibly decaying and it stank with putrid odors. Aside from that, metal torches were welded to the wall, though no light was visible from further down the hall.
"I don't think any of them look very inviting..." Boomer said after a few minutes of staring
"Well of course none of them are going to look inviting." Blossom stated matter of factly. "We're dealing with a creepy old wizardress who kills people for the heck of it."
"I think the one with the paintings is bad news." Brick said.
"Yeah. That one is definitely the creepiest." Bubbles croaked out in agreement.
Buttercup stood at the edge of the hallway that veered to the left, cautiously studying the closest picture. It was a portrait of a young girl with light brown hair that curled at the bottoms and bright green eyes. The problem was her face, or whatever she was looking at. Her eyes were scrunched in horror and her mouth was agape, as if she was frozen while she was screaming in horror. "Yeah. Whatever happened to a good old fashioned mustache? This is just sickening."
"The one to the right looks like it might eventually run together. Like the ceiling and the floor will form a wall or something." Brick observed, leaning halfway into the hallway.
"So straight ahead?" Butch verified, unsheathing his sword.
"Straight ahead." Brick affirmed, removing his own sword from its sheath.
"Wonderful." Boomer murmured.
The group started through the new hallway, senses fiercely alert. The floor creaked mildly, and dust plumed up from the carpet each time they stepped. Large, hairy spiders were spotted in webs big enough to trap a small dog.
"These spiders are messing up my vibe." Buttercup stuttered out, her bottom lip quivering. Of all things, why spiders?
"You scared, BC?" Bubbles asked from behind. When Buttercup hesitated for a moment, Bubbles realized that she had hit the nail straight on the head.
"No," Buttercup shot back violently. "They're just creepy." Her face paled slightly as she gulped. "I mean, nothing with eight legs...hairy bodies...eyes on all sides of their heads...It's not natural."
"Come on, Buttercup. You could just squish 'em." Butch imitated stepping on a spider.
"What if it's the size of a poodle?" Brick asked him.
"Poodle?" Buttercup repeated, her face going slack. She almost would have fallen over in a frenzied daze if Boomer didn't steady her.
"Guys, come on. Be professional." Boomer scolded. He and Bubbles righted Buttercup onto her feet.
Feeling a little panicked, Buttercup rubbed a hand against her forehead. "It's cool. I'm cool."
"She's cool." Blossom said.
"She's cool." Bubbles agreed.
"It's cool." Buttercup mumbled again.
"We're all cool." Brick grinned.
"So cool." Boomer cracked a smile. Something about the situation was just laughable.
"Butch is cool." Butch kidded.
"Uh, no." Buttercup smiled at the look Butch gave her. "Come on, Mr Hair." She teased, taking Butch's hand in hers. She had to pull him after her a little bit to get him moving since he was so stubborn.
"Spiders." Blossom said aloud thoughtfully when Butch and Buttercup were farther ahead.
"Spiders." Brick nodded with affirmation.
"Not this again!" Bubbles exclaimed. She hands over her ears then charged after Butch and Buttercup down the hallway.
"Brick!" Butch yelled from up ahead. "We have another problem!"
"What is it now!?" Blossom screamed silently, yanking at a handful of her hair.
"One way to find out," Brick responded in an annoyed tone.
"Come on guys. It can't be that bad!" Boomer said cheerfully, linking an arm with Brick and Blossom.
"Stop being cheerful..." Brick muttered, fighting an urge to slap his blonde brother across the face. When they caught up with the girls, each dropped their jaw in turn.
Buttercup stared at the fork in the hallway, her heart pounding in fear and confusion. She hoped her that the hand that Butch was holding wasn't sweating. The castle was turning out to be like a maze, and there was a chance that they would never get out. "How did this happen?"
"Theres no way we could've gone in a circle." Bubbles stated boldly, though her expression suggested otherwise.
"Or could we?" Blossom voiced the dark thought that everyone had been thinking. The three paths looked identical to the first fork they had encountered, right down to the dusty tapestries, slanting floors and ceilings, and the portraits of decapitated warriors. The only logical explanation was that they had backtracked.
"Which path now?" Butch asked. If push came to shove, he would suggest doing rock, paper, scissors to choose the next hall.
"What if they all lead us back here?" Boomer wondered.
"But what if they don't?" Bubbles countered.
"What if each hallway leads to a different room every time?" Brick chimed in. Everyone gave him an irritated glare.
"That only makes things more difficult." Butch barked roughly.
"Then take into consideration all the trial and error." Buttercup reminded him.
"And it's not exactly like we have time to spare. There are people out there dying as of right now." Bubbles added sadly.
"Okay. Should we split up?" Boomer blurted out. Bubbles took a sidestep closer to him, like if she didn't then someone else might partner up with him.
"No ones splitting up." Brick advised in steely tone, red eyes daring someone to object. No one did. "Splitting up could cost more time than trial and error. No matter what, stick together."
"Good point." Buttercup hadn't taken into consideration how much time could be wasted just to find each other. If Brick was right, and the hallways led to a different room each time then it would take a significant amount of time to find each other again. If they could find each other again.
"I say we go right." Blossom announced, taking an early lead toward the hallway with the slanted floors.
Following suit, the others followed her through the hallway. Not as long as the first, the hall extended for a few yards before becoming a dead end as previously thought. Doubling back, they arrived at a different set of two paths that they hadn't passed the first time, which they found strange. Using Butch's judgement based on his reading of the stone walls and chose the left path.
From there, the path led to a narrow shelf that overlooked a crumbling stone courtyard several yards below. Pressing the front of their bodies against the wall, Butch led them across the shelf and Brick held up the rear. Upon reaching the exact same intersection, the group took the hall with creepy pictures. Bubbles had been nearly positive that they were watching her, going as far as having Blossom tie a sash around her eyes and have Boomer lead her down the hall until the pictures had stopped showing up.
The next intersection showcased up to six different paths. After almost 20 minutes of arguing between Blossom, Brick, and Butch, the green-eyed boy chose the tunnel fourth from the left. The new hall was much more narrow, making it so that the group had to walk in a single file line. Most of the whining had come from Buttercup when they had to squirm through a small opening to make it to the next room, although everyone got in at least one complaint.
Bubbles fell on all fours, palms slapping against the stone as she tumbled to the ground after squeezing through the hole. A second later Boomer had scooped up her arms and hefted her to her feet. "This isn't making any sense!"
"How is it we traveled so far, in so many directions and still ended up back here?" Buttercup screamed, her shouts echoing off the walls. The sickening sight of the same three tunnels for the fourth time distributed a wave of nausea.
"It has to be enchanted." Boomer pleaded, blue energy crackling gently around the spiky wisps of his blonde hair.
"It's like some kind of maze." Blossom guessed, twirling piece of hair around her finger as she stared intently at the corridors. There had to be something they're missing, but what?
"A maze? That has to be the understatement of the year." Brick grunted. He ignored the glare that Blossom sent in his direction.
"We have to be over analyzing something." Butch said, draping an arm around Buttercup's shoulder. She tensed in alarm for a moment before recognizing his strong grip, then relaxed into the side of his body.
"There's not much you can over analyze when all you're doing is choosing a cave at random." Bubbles pointed out. She slipped her hand into Boomer's and the faint crackling increased momentarily.
"But it's not at random." Butch reminded her, waving his free arm for emphasis. "I was following a faint trail. I don't know what it was."
"But didn't you say they weren't enchanted?" Buttercup asked. She twisted in his grasp so she could see his face.
Butch's features went slack. "Yes. But that doesn't make sense!"
"Have we been walking in circles?" Boomer demanded in an annoyed tone.
"No dip, Sherlock!" Brick said.
"Someone's feeling moody." Bubbles cooed with a straight face.
Brick rolled his eyes in irritation. "It's just frustrating."
"What if this intersection is supposed to act as a dead end?" Blossom proposed after some time. "We couldn't go back once we crossed into that one large room. We never tried doubling back from here."
Butch and Brick shared intrigued looks, like they were swayed by the idea. "It's worth a shot..." Butch mused.
"It's not like we have many options either." Brick agreed. "Lead the way."
"With pleasure." Blossom smiled. She performed a fancy twirl of her metal rod, then slapped the tip against the ground. A strained clang issued from the contact. "Let's go girls. And guys."
She started down the hallway by which they had come from with Buttercup at her heels, and Bubbles dragging Boomer behind. Butch and Brick moved with a brisk from behind.
"That was kind of cliché if you ask me." Buttercup told Blossom. The corridor seemed different than when they had traveled down it the first time to the fork. It seemed darker now; more ancient.
"Good thing no one asked you then, huh?" Blossom quipped back sharply, a stitch forming in her side. Already the hallway had nearly doubled in width. It had to open up into a larger room.
"It's widening." Bubbles observed as if reading Blossom's thoughts. "We should be on the right track!"
"I hope you're r-" Buttercup's sentence was cut short by her scream of terror. By advancing two ahead of Blossom, Buttercup landed on a false stone block. Her screams intensified as she fell out of sight into the dark chute.
"Buttercup!" Blossom screamed. She tried to skid to a halt, but much. Twisting an ankle with a sickening crunch, the ginger first into the same hole Buttercup had fallen. Her own screams mingled with the echoes of Buttercup.
Bubbles slammed on her breaks, halting directly two inches from the gap in the ground. "Girls!" Boomer kept a firm grip on her hand to keep her distance from the hole.
"Blossom! Buttercup!" Butch and Brick dove at the same, too late to do anything.
Brick fell to his knees, pounding his fists against the ground. Butch growled loudly, punching a sizable hole into the wall that only revealed more walls.
"Girls, no!" Bubbles exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. hand on her shoulder made Bubbles insides feel more wretched. Ripping free of the hold, she flung herself into gap.
The horrific screams that escaped Boomer followed Bubbles as she free-fell into pure darkness. Wind kissed her face as it whisked past her, the sound whistling in her ears like lightning. She felt her hair flying upwards and drool seeped from her mouth. Tears leaked from her eyes.
The cries of Butch, Brick, and Boomer rang in her ears along with the wind, giving a strong sense that they had jumped down after them.
The fall ended quicker than Bubbles had expected. The never-ending darkness gave way to a small box of light. As she descended, the box increased in size until she dropped through the square of luminance and onto a hard surface with a thick fabric with a scratchy texture over it. Landing sharply on her right side, Bubbles yelped then rolled over onto her side to avoid getting crushed by the screaming boys overhead.
"Bubbles?" came a weak groan from somewhere off to her left.
"Over here." Bubbles croaked back weakly. Her back felt sore, and she couldn't feel her right arm at all. A throbbing pain was beating in the side of her forehead.
Blossom's head poked up over the lump of scratchy fabric with Buttercup a second behind. Both of their faces looked tear-stained and mildly cut up. Buttercup's eyes looked mildly foggy while Blossom was favoring her left leg. "where does it hurt most?" Blossom whispered. Her orange hair seeped out of it's binds, washing over her shoulders as she kneeled beside her sister. "What hurts most?"
"My right arm," Bubbles forced herself to say, the taste of blood coating her mouth.
"They're coming." Buttercup crowed lamely, her voice strained.
Arm hovering over Bubbles' injured arm, Blossom murmured a few ancient phrases. "I hope it helps."
Bubbles tried moving her fingers, slow movements in response. Her hands and body ached from the simple body commands, still she pushed herself upwards. Forcing a slightly pained smile, Bubbles looked at Blossom and Buttercup gratefully. "I feel much better."
The screaming overhead increased as the boys fell through the square of light. Boomer flopped onto his stomach on top of the scratchy fabric. Brick fell on top of him a second later, with Butch landing on top of both of them.
"Oy," Boomer gasped out of breath. Fingers spread wide out in front of him, the lightning Splitzer struggled and wriggled in order to crawl out from under his two heavy brothers.
Brick pushed Butch off of him, then rolled onto his back. His breaths were deep and ragged. Crimson red eyes were trained on the ceiling. Blossom knelt beside him, gingerly taking one of his arms into her hands. "Does anything feel broken?"
"You mean aside from my pride?" Butch questioned. Buttercup had pulled him to his feet.
"We're fine." Boomer grunted as he brushed fibers from the fabric off of his pants and shirt.
Blossom pulled Brick to his feet. "How far did we drop?"
Brick rubbed the back of his neck tenderly, eyes focusing on the opening in the ceiling. "It was at least a fifteen foot drop."
"I think the real question is," Buttercup cut in, "is where are we now?"
The room wasn't overly large, about the size of a gymnasium. The walls were stone like always, and windows that arched from the ceiling down to two feet above the floor were constructed into the perimeter of the room. Warring armies were seen through the window; the ranks of Monshea had fallen back into the hills and clefts, using catapults to take out as many foes as possible.
Aside from the looming windows that showcased brutal murder, the room seemed relatively clean and homey. A white plush carpet covered the floor. Cotton white couches and chairs were placed elegantly around a glass table that held a big, cream-colored orb. On one of the couches rested a woman with wavy, shoulder length hair the color of midnight. Her eyes were closed. Three roses lay on across her chest, one pink, blue, and green, but nothing about her expression looked peaceful. She looked like she was trapped in a nightmare.
"This is freaking me out on so many levels." Boomer muttered timidly. Beside him, Bubbles unsheathed her Sword of Light, an uneasy look on her face.
"Is that our mom?" Blossom voiced the unnerving thought.
"Finally!" a warm, cheerful voice greeted. "You have come!"
Buttercup slipped a knife out of her boot as she slowly turned to face the speaker. She was taken aback when she saw the speaker. The woman was surprisingly beautiful, with silky blonde hair draping in long curls around her shoulders. Piercing green eyes stared out from under her golden bangs, and a she was adorned in a flowy white gown.
"You can't be," Butch began stuttering, dark green eyes popping out of his head. Buttercup elbowed him in the side roughly before he could finish his sentence.
"Disoria?" The woman asked in a tone suggesting that she'd had this conversation before. "Yes, I am dear."
"But you're not old and scary." Boomer blurted out.
Disoria laughed, raising a gentle hand to her lips. "No, no. Of course I could understand where you would get that idea."
"Okay. What kind of trick is this?" Brick demanded. Keeping his eyes trained on Disoria, he eased his hand towards the hilt of his sword at his waist.
Disoria clicked her tongue. "Straight to the point with this one." White dress flowing around her ankles, she glided over to Brick and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Brick visibly tensed from the touch. "I was hoping you'd make it to me."
"Brick?" Blossom spat at Disoria, clearly jealous. "I already got dibs on him, lady."
Butch, Buttercup, and Boomer fought back laughs at the sour face that Blossom was making at Disoria. Even Brick had a fight back a smile.
"Oh, you misunderstood." Disoria responded sweetly. Removing her arm from around Brick's neck, Disoria walked over to one of the large windows that overlooked the battle grounds. "I've been hoping that you would make it here before the war. I have hoped that you would join me."
"In your conquest of destroying everything and everyone?" Boomer asked. Disoria flashed her a reproachful look. Boomer cowered back a few steps, his knuckles nearly white from the death grip he held onto his sword with.
"You're looking at it all wrong, sweetie." Disoria cooed softly. "Don't look at it as a conquest of destruction. More of - how do I put this?- the new beginnings of a new empire."
"You're empire is wack." Butch mumbled under his breath.
"Wack?" Disoria repeated, mildly offended. "Far from wack, Butch. For an empire or any kingdom to prosper, sacrifices must be made. It's inevitable. Sometimes to secure a better world, sacrifices and certain casualties are necessary."
"I don't quite follow your logic on that one." Blossom's glare was hard and cold.
"Come over here darling." Disoria ordered in a startlingly calm voice. When Blossom hesitated, Disoria tapped her cheek and an invisible force pushed Blossom toward the window. "Take a look outside and tell me what you see."
Blossom tried to look away, avert her attention to the crumbling stone pillars that held the ceiling up. Her legs felt glued to the floor. Curiosity got the better of her, and she cautiously looked out the window.
The battle ground was a nightmare. Soldiers fleeing into the hills, catapults being launched. Blood stained the trampled grass and rocks. Dead bodies lay sprawled in random places. Trolls the liberty of their fang teeth, biting into the soft flesh of soldiers.
"Why don't you join us?" Disoria gracefully waved her right arm in a circular motion, and Brick, Buttercup, and Boomer were pushed toward Blossom and Disoria on the right side. A wave of her left hand brought Bubbles and Butch up alongside the window on the left. "What is going on out there? You?"
Bubbles stiffened when she realized that Disoria was staring at her with a hard look. Heart race doubling in speed, the blue girl opened her mouth to respond, hoping that she wouldn't sound like an idiot. "Fighting?"
"Very good." Disoria smiled, but her eyes showed disdain and annoyance. "But who is fighting my dear?"
"Your trolls?"
"Come, come now. Be mature. Who is fighting?"
Bubbles resisted making a run for it, not that she'd be able to go anywhere. After all, they were in a confined room with no visible doors. The only way out would be a hundred foot drop out the window. That and the fact that she felt glued down to the floor. "Soldiers?" It came off as more of a question than confident statement.
"Very good!" Disoria praised in agreement. She appeared disturbingly pleasant as she watched out the window. "Now, why are they fighting? Buttercup, you've been awfully quiet. Tell me. Why are your people at war?"
"Because they believe that they are fighting for a just cause." Buttercup remarked. Strength backed her words. Her eyes didn't even twitch.
"You're telling me that they are willing to die for what they believe in?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure they ain't fighting over coupons." Buttercup snapped back sarcastically. Blossom, Butch, and Brick shared an amused look, forcing themselves to not explode in laughter. It seemed peculiar that someone as evil as Disoria was tolerating their smart-alecness. Why hadn't she struck them down yet?
Disoria laughed dryly. "Very observative, but this is no laughing matter. Your people fight on your command. They fight because they think that you six know what's best for the world. And that is to destroy me. But then there is my own perspective. Without a firm discipline the continent is begging for trouble. I represent that discipline. With our clashing opinions, we have reached an impasse."
"It sure appears that way doesn't it?" Brick stated in a matter-of-fact way. His eyes were narrowed, and thick strong arms were folded across his chest.
"Undeniably." Disoria agreed. "One side will prove victorious. Almost certainly it will be my side. But not without the expenses of thousands of deaths and casualties. But it must be done at this point."
"You speak of casualties and sacrifice in a different pretense." Blossom pointed out. Regaining her ability to move, she opened and closed her hand several times.
Disoria regarded her with ice cold eyes. "I do, do I?"
Blossom debated within herself whether or not she should risk pushing her luck. It was a miracle that they hadn't been struck down yet. Mustering a spurt of gut wrenching courage, the red haired defied the wizardress once more. And it probably wouldn't be the last time that day. "Yes, you do. You repeatedly bring up the term sacrifice and that in order for peace to ensue, sacrifices must be made. In this case death."
"Have I not made myself clear?" Her bitter tone suggested that she would no longer accept nonsense without issuing consequences. Sweeping her gown to the side, Disoria stalked gracefully to a throne. The seat was a brown leather. Long branches snaked around the back of the throne and along the arms, so snug that the chair itself looked woven out of trees. Sharp, triangular thistles jitter outward from every area that the branches covered. Plopping down, Disoria appeared slightly discomforted by the throne.
Beside the chair was the sofa where the sleeping woman rested. How could Blossom forgotten about her in the meantime? She looked worse than when they had first seen her, pale skin whiter than milk. Her face was losing its glow when baggy, wrinkled skin weighed down her eye sockets. Shriveled hands trembled violently, bluer than ice.
Trying to recollect her thoughts, Blossom broke her attention away from the person who undoubtedly was her mother. Drawing attention may put Mira in more danger. Coughing dramatically into her fist, Blossom resumed her original monologue. "In the sense that sacrifices and casualties are made, you are correct. How else are wars to be won? But you missed one thing."
Disoria smirked smugly. "What would that be?"
"The sacrifices that our people make are their own choice. They chose this path, in hopes of ending your tyranny. You sacrifice other people and put them through horrible things while preaching safety." Blossom hadn't intended for it to happen, but her voice had steadily rose in volume until she was practically screaming.
"I planned to extend the hand of friendship, but this is ridicule. How dare you!" Disoria jumped to her feet, bolts of red electricity forming around the tips of her blonde hair. After talk of ruling the world together had failed to turn them, the sorceress reverted to more violent tactics.
"Extend the hand of friendship? You're joking." Butch spat back.
"How would you free yourself from your prison unless we're dead? You're cursed to be bound to the castle until all Splitzers are dead." Boomer pointed out, blue eyes hard.
Disoria fumed, her eyes changing to a glowing green. No iris or pupil were shown. Just solid green. Her hair swarmed around her head like snakes. "Mere complications!" She growled in a venomous hiss. "Too stout of heart you six be."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Buttercup smiled through the side of her mouth.
"What does that even mean?" Bubbles snatched for an arrow jutting out from the quiver on her back, notching it into place quicker than light. Boomer held the tip of Bubbles' sword of light level.
"Now's not the time, Bubbles." Brick responded, unsheathing his own sword, though it was not nearly as impressive as the blade Boomer wielded. On either side of him his family produced their own weapon, not willing to go down without a fight. "You've caused enough grief. It's over."
"Surrender or die." Butch gracefully held his sword over his shoulder as if he was going to swing it like a baseball bat. He probably looked badass.
In a chaotic blur, glass containers and heavy objects in the room began sailing toward them. Buttercup dodged a round table and slashed a few vases from the air. Around her, the others were cutting objects from the air. How we're they going to win?
Out of the corner of her eye, Bubbles noticed Disoria's glowing green eyes and the way she used her arms- mainly her right -carry out commands. Training her arrow on the witch's hand, she let it fly.
The arrow speared through the air straight through the fabric of Disoria's right sleeve. Flying backwards, Disoria's eyes momentarily ceased their violent glowing. A sickening crunch was heard when she hit the back wall, her sleeve successfully pinned to the stone wall.
Using the daze to his advantage, Butch raised his arms above his head. Words flew off his tongue, and a circular section in the floor rose up out of the reach of the distracted tables and glass vials.
"How do we kill her?" Blossom asked, looking down. They were easily eight feet off the ground. Already Disoria was coming out of the initial shock, looking even more angry.
"NEVER!" The sorceress screamed, blonde hair sizzling.
Buttercup flew backwards off of the plateau of rock. Landing sharply on her back, Buttercup ached all over. She couldn't move! Was she paralyzed?
"BUTTERBUTT!" Butch leapt over the edge, landing roughly on his legs before gaining his balance and running to her aid. He knelt beside her, eyes a cross between worry and anger. "Where's it hurt?"
Buttercup opened her lips to speak but it hurt enough breathing. "Back," was all she could get out.
"Blossom!?" Butch screamed in horror. He needed Buttercup to be alright!
"Watch out!" Brick yelled. Disoria had clawed the arrow from the wall and snapped it in half. With her arm free, her powers were stronger again. With an angry huff, she swept her arm to one side and Bubbles flew backward off of the rock column.
Boomer screamed something in nonsense, slowing Bubbles fall. After a moment, she landed lightly on her feet. Riding a wave of invisible force, Boomer he landed on the ground with Blossom and Brick behind them.
"I don't think lifting us 10 feet off the ground was very helpful, Butch!" Boomer scolded with his eyes knitted together.
Blossom knelt beside Buttercup, trying to block out the others' voices. "Well it had seemed like a good idea at the time!" Butch fired back.
"Watch out!" Bubbles hollered over the bickering. Disoria had silently made her way to the center of the room looking elegant as ever. Two slabs of glass, table tops, sailed in their direction.
"Not again!" Buttercup's voice was strained as she sat up. Butch made a move to give her a hug, but her widened eyes at the airborne glass stopped him.
Boomer yelled defiantly, whipping one arm to the left. The glass sheet on the right changed course, colliding with the sheet on the left effectively causing the glass to shatter against the wall.
"Aye yi yi!?" Blossom exclaimed as she dodged a stray fragment of glass wisking toward her torso.
"What do we do Brick?" Bubbles notched three arrows at once and released them. One hit a vase on a shelf, knocking shards of clay onto Disoria's head. The second missing completely, lodged deeply into one of the couches. The third snapped a weak chain that had been holding a filthy chandelier by meer threads.
Disoria screamed as dust and metal crashed on her head. Brick glanced over at Bubbles. "I'd suggest don't die. It's hard enough as it is."
"I'll say." Buttercup harrumped with arms crossed.
"Here she comes." Blossom warned, holding her sword ready.
The ground began to hum. Red streaks of light escape the pile of rubble. Bursts of golden dust covered metal sailed in every direction.
"Mira!" The thought clicked in Bubbles mind instantly. Running with a newfound speed, she used larger pieces of furniture as shields until she vaulted onto the sofa where she covered her mother's body with her with her own.
"Where are you going now, sweetheart?" Disoria flung and orb at Bubbles, the angle so violent it would be impossible for her to dodge or deflect the orb. She tightened her grip on her mom, squeezing her eyes shut. It took her a moment to process that she was alive when Blossom appeared at her side.
"Are you okay?" She was whispering violently. In the background, Buttercup's dust devil was running out of momentum, flinging the orb into one of the walls. She resisted looking back when a loud crash was heard and the unanimous cries of her family.
Bubbles rolled over so that she was facing her sister. Mira was still out cold. "Yeah. I'm fine. What are we doing to do about mom?" She could taste dirt on her tongue and other small parcels. She desperately hoped that there weren't any bugs.
"I'm not sure yet." Blossom replied while biting her bottom lip.
From across the room, Disoria huffed indignantly, as if someone had insulted the dinner she had spent hours preparing. Silver blood leaked from slices on her upper arms and face. Her hair was matted, though the red crackles had yet to cease. Her green eyes raged.
"Watch out!" Boomer dove to one side as glass shards speared past him, only to lodge into some of the thick drapes on the back wall.
"That's all we have been doing!" Buttercup shot back hoarsly. Summoning such a large dust devil had been taxing, even with her fear and anger fueling the small tornado. She felt fatigued but not weak.
Without warning, Disoria's palm erupted into flames. Charred dress fluttering wildly, she whipped the ball of fire at Brick. She laughed vehemently.
Brick crossed his forearms, bracing himself for the impact. In the moment of chaos, Blossom forgot that Brick was immune to fire and found herself in frantic tears while screaming his name.
Arms a blaze, Brick cocked his head to one side. He grinned at the flabbergasted Disoria who stood in shock. "Is it hot it in here or is it just me?" Channeling his energy, fire sprung in perfect circles in the folds of Disoria's dress. She yelped as she went to snuff out the flames.
"How did you do that?" Butch demanded, hefting a large clay vase over his head. It taken him a moment to realize, but Brick had called fire without forming a fire ball in his hand. It had manifested where he had wanted it to go.
Brick shrugged, snatching hold of Buttercup's wrist to pull her out her out of the path of a wave of electricity. "I don't know! I just visualized where I wanted the fire to go and it did!"
"Then do it again!" Bubbles exclaimed back, striking the nearest serpent with her booted foot. Snakes had slithered out of the witch's shadow making a beeline for Blossom and Bubbles who were still defending Mira.
"Yeah! It's not like snakes fear fire or anything." Blossom added a little uneasily. The nearest cobra had its hood flared and revealed teeth sharp enough to shatter bone. Purple and blue flecks peppered the scales of the serpents- signs pointing to the snakes being poisonous. She stabbed at it a few times with a ice spear before chopping the sucker's head off with her sword.
Brick imagined the ends of Disoria's blonde hair, then visualized the golden locks burning by fire. Flustered screams rewarded his actions.
"Good job Brick!" Blossom cheered from where she stood, eyes never leaving the never ending pile of snakes. Together, she and Bubbles fell into a pattern of stabbing and slashing.
"Very impressive!" Boomer agreed. Taking Disoria's distraction as an advantage, he spoke feeble words quickly, then clapped loudly in Disoria's direction. Streaks of blue, crackling electricity streaked out of his body and zapped her until she was smoldering.
Buttercup came between Boomer and Brick. Relaxing her shoulders, Buttercup inhaled deeply and slowly, becoming one with the air around her. Before Disoria could cast her next command, wind in the room picked up drastically. Tables, chunks of stone, and other fragments in the room whipped Disoria in the head and arms violently.
"Show offs." Butch grumbled, walking over to Bubbles and Blossom with the clay vase under one arm. "Can you believe those guys?" He said upon approaching the girls, casually dodging the fangs of the striking cobras.
"Why are you just standing there? Help us!" Bubbles demanded, skewering three snakes at once. Fortunately, the snakes had stopped multiplying and only about a dozen remained.
"Sure." Butch effortlessly dropped the vase onto the vast pile of snakes, crushing all of them into scales and blood.
"Now was that so hard?" Blossom shot at him, her eyes clearly indicating that she was irritated with him. Butch shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
"Ow!" Boomer groaned from behind them.
Bubbles, Blossom, and Butch whip around to see Boomer slumped against the far wall while they watched Buttercup and Brick sail backwards through the air. At the last moment, their fall slows down. Eyes nearly popping out of her eye-sockets, Bubbles runs over to Boomer at top speed regardless of the shards of glass and furniture that's crunching under her feet.
"Are you okay? Boomer?" Bubbles whispers, trying to sit him upwards. His body is stiff, his face pale and his golden hair is singed in several places. Blue sparks no longer crackle around his neck. Tears run down Bubbles cheeks in alarmed fear. "Boomie? Boomer! Sweetheart? I love you." she cried into his arm. Explosions, screaming, objects being shattered, and pants of exhaustion echoed behind her, but there was no point to looking up.
Suddenly, Boomer's chest began rising in regular breaths and his nose twitched. Tears still drooling down her face, Bubbles sat back on her heels watching intently. Scruffy hair covering most of his face, Boomer sat up slowly in puzzlement. He certainly didn't remember the long gash on his arm or the bump on his head. "Bub-?"
Bubbles cut him off with crashing her lips against his, arms cradling his head. Boomer was surprised by her eagerness but failed to protest. A large boom and Brick and Blossom slamming into the wall a few feet away brought them back to their senses.
Blossom's hair was smoldering and her eyes were glowing with fury. Cuts and bruises littered her arms and legs. Large portions of fabric were missing from her pant legs and blood stained her top. She was missing a shoe.
Brick didn't look any better off. His hair had been horribly cut just below the neckline, looking much to short on him. His cap was missing the bill and was black from fire some places. His arms blared in flame, eyes red like freshly spilled blood.
Butch and Buttercup fought like a team on the other side of the room, synchronizing slashes of swords, throwing small objects, dodging magical attacks, and counterattacking all while effectively keeping Disoria's attention away from Mira.
Bubbles gently hauled Boomer too his feet before the two made a dash for their leaders. "Are you okay?" Bubbles asked worriedly, helping Blossom up.
"We're fine. Are you guys okay?" The flames on Brick's arms died down. "That was a hard smash against the wall."
Boomer ran a hand through his hair, rubbing his scalp tenderly. The impact from hitting the wall had left him breathless and his head had throbbed violently, but he tried to hide it. "I'm fine."
"Butter-!" Bubbles exclamation was cut short when Buttercup flung backwards, colliding with Bubbles and knocking them both over. Butch crashed into Blossom, sending the two of them sprawling.
Disoria's now ripped, tattered, singed, and bloodied gown clung to her arms and legs with perspiration. Her bottom lip was busted and silver liquid drenched her arms and legs.
"Well, well." Buttercup spat, pushing herself up off the ground. "The great sorceress is still human after all."
"You'll never be able to destroy me!" Disoria hissed back in a wavering voice.
"Kind of a cliché if you ask me." Blossom muttered as Butch hauled her to her feet.
"It's over, Disoria!" Brick called to her firmly. "Surrender or die!"
"That was a cliché too." Blossom murmured again.
A movement out of the corner of her eye brought the empress' attention to Mira, relentlessly fighting a nightmare. "If I am to go, then I'll take her with me!" She commanded a club of wood to sail in the direction of Mira, but before it could lethally cracked her on the head, the wood exploded into a ball of fire and was reduced to a pile of ashes in moments.
Disoria bellowed in frustration, raising her hands for a new incantation.
Bubbles eyes furrowed, her jaw hardening. Wrist flicking slightly to the right, a fountain of water erupted beneath the feet of the sorceress. Water sprayed while Disoria thrashed to get away. "Buttercup." She called as the water began to settle.
Nodding, Buttercup filled her lungs with fresh air. Channeling the calm of the air, Buttercup spread her arms on either side, violent winds forcing the spring water to splash up against Disoria. Hair swirling around her face, she called Blossom's name gently.
Blossom's nosed twitched in anger. Taking a fearless step forward, she extended forth both of her palms. Ice and snow shot out of her hands, freezing the water into Ice with Disoria in it. Only her head stuck out. "Butch!"
With an arrogant smirk despite being beaten to a bloody pulp, Butch forced the earth to rise several feet into the air. Fire danced along the top of the new mesa and pained cries echoed. Blue electricity cracked before the top of the mesa was zapped, searing the entire first 5 feet off.
Rock crumbled down the mesa. Fires spread between the tall drapes of the windows. Buttercup felt sick, her head foggy from something. Her eyes searched the scene, trying to grasp what she could. Out the window, thousands of trolls and zombies flopped to the ground unanimously. Brick had Mira in his arms and he and Blossom were running towards them. Bubbles, Butch, and Boomer crouched in front of her, their eyes bloodshot and coughing in pained gasps.
Buttercup felt something drip down her eyelids as she blinked before she was heaved over someone's shoulder. The sudden change in position left her feeling nauseated before she slipped into unconsciousness.
THEN WE'LL DANCE ALL NIGHT TO THE BEST SONG EVER
Naw, I'm just playing.
Sorry it took so long to post. I know what you're all thinking, "Pinkfangurl, where have you been?! It's been six fricken months since the last update! Whats your problem? Do you find enjoyment in our suffering?"
In response to all the questions that are more or less floating around in that mind of yours:
• I've been at home.
•I know it's been six months. But the truth is, I started this Chapter back in February and have been working on it since. I wanted to make it a really good chapter, but compared to how long I made you guys wait, it's probably horrible.
• I have alot of problems but that would be 10,000 words in itself. (Oh yeah, this chapter is the longest I have ever written at like 10,428 words!)
• no. I don't enjoy your suffering. In fact, it greatly makes me sad.
Anyways, despite my absence I hope it amounts to your satisfaction. Please review. One chapter left guys! Should be short and up shortly.
~Pinkfangurl~