26. The Spoils of the Sky
Once Mozenrath, the Huntsman, Yzma, Ravess, and Snipe had returned to the warship, Vexen, pleased to see the haul they'd brought home, set about hooking the crystal up to the engine and tinkering with the onboard weapons systems while the aforementioned traded stories with Wuya, Roman, and Snatcher, comparing who had taken on the more fearsome opponent. After a while, conversation tapered off, and the group waited impatiently for Vexen to finish his work.
Mozenrath separated himself from the crowd, leaning against a wall with one foot propped against it, staring up at the ceiling. The Huntsman could tell there was something wrong with him from his posture and his utterly disgusted expression. He crossed the room toward the young sorcerer; "Are you not satisfied with the day's victory?"
"Don't act like you don't think I should have stayed and fought Sora into submission," Mozenrath snapped, refusing to meet the Huntsman's gaze. "I know perfectly well I made the wrong move."
"I saw it as a tactical retreat," the Huntsman told Mozenrath. "The act of which is often necessary to self-preservation."
"We could have been rid of them once and for all," Mozenrath growled. "Why didn't I give the order to DESTROY them?"
"To keep us all from being killed or falling into enemy custody," the Huntsman told him. "What would have become of our plans with that many of us out of commission?"
"THEY ARE NOT STRONGER THAN US."
Mozenrath and the Huntsman both knew that wasn't true. But Mozenrath was having a hard time accepting the truth, even though it had echoed plain as day to him when he had been faced with the choice of taking the crystal and running or remaining to finish the fight. The Huntsman found himself at a loss for words; he could either lie or start a fight with Mozenrath, and neither choice seemed particularly appetizing.
"One day," Mozenrath vowed, "we'll destroy them all. We just need the right power."
"I trust in you to find that power," the Huntsman stated, and this was honesty.
Mozenrath forced himself to breathe deeply. "Right now, they don't matter. They are low-priority. We have the crystal. That puts us that much closer to the Aurora Stone shards, which we should be able to easily take by storm, if you'll pardon the pun. And, to top it all off, we finally live in a base where we all have separate bathrooms. All in all…this trip has been a success." He lowered his gaze, now giving the Huntsman a sly smirk. "And you didn't want to go."
"I now see I spoke in error," the Huntsman relented. "Provided, of course, that no one has taken possession of the Twilight Town manor and undone all of the work we've put in so far."
"You actually pulled more than your share of the weight on this trip," Mozenrath went on. "Color me impressed. You really do take your loyalty seriously, don't you?"
The Huntsman merely bowed his head once.
"Don't think it goes unappreciated," Mozenrath stated. Speaking with the Huntsman had made him feel a little better already.
Vexen returned from the basements covered in a slight layer of grime. "The engine is running," he stated, "and all weapons systems should be online. We can begin moving in on the location of the Aurora Stone whenever you're ready."
"Well, then…" Mozenrath stepped forward, gesturing to the controls, feeling both confidence and a little bit of trepidation in his next statement. "Roman Torchwick, would you like to do the honors?"
"Are you sure that's a good – " Yzma began.
"Why, thank you!" Roman interrupted, striding toward the control panel. "As a matter of fact, I'd LOVE to! Though there are an awful lot of buttons and levers here for just one man. Archie? Mind giving me a hand here?"
Snatcher stepped alongside Roman at the control panel. "I would be honored, Torchwick."
"Mozenrath," the Huntsman stated, an edge of uncertainty creeping into his voice. "I've heard tales of their misadventures driving a simple car in Knightdock. Letting those two pilot our entire base may be a grave mistake."
"An airship is not a car," Mozenrath reminded the Huntsman. "Those two have experience piloting larger things from their homeworlds, and they're the best we've got for the job. Besides, at this point, we're not playing the subtlety angle anymore." He crossed the room, passing the pair of increasingly giddy pilots, and bade them "Do your worst."
Snatcher threw one of the levers, and the engine roared to life; the entire warship hummed. Roman activated a panel, and a holographic feed of the ship's surroundings flickered into view as a dashboard window of sorts.
"And here we go," Roman muttered.
"Before we take off," Vexen stated, "I have a little…gift for whoever chooses to man the four turret guns. There are currently guns placed at twelve o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, and nine o'clock." He opened his hand to reveal a quartet of tiny gadgets. "These earpieces will allow you to converse with each other."
"One question," Yzma replied.
"Yes?"
"What does 'twelve o'clock' mean?"
"Imagine we're in the center of a clock," Wuya told Yzma.
"Yes," Yzma hissed, "but what is a CLOCK?"
"I was wondering the same thing," Mozenrath admitted.
"You've never seen a CLOCK before?" Wuya's jaw dropped. "All right. We're starting over. Imagine a compass. One of the turret guns points North – "
"How does a COMPASS show you which way is North?" Mozenrath asked, even more baffled.
"Not the sort for drawing," Snatcher told him. "The sort that…well, it resembles a circle with four points."
"You're all impossible!" Vexen huffed. "The point is that there are FOUR turret guns located on the main tower, and all are at equidistant points from each other!"
There was a pause of understanding and a shared "Ohhhhhhhhhh." Then Yzma, Wuya, Snipe, and Ravess all yelled "DIBS!" and made a break for the upper floors to find said turret guns.
"Okay, are we ready NOW?" Roman sighed after waiting.
"Twelve o'clock, reporting in." Wuya's voice came through a speaker on the dashboard.
"Three o'clock, reporting in," Ravess echoed.
"Hey, I'm three o'clock!" Snipe snapped.
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT ANY OF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!" Yzma hissed. "But I am seated at the gun and ready to shoot things."
"And here we go for real." Roman's grin spread from ear to ear.
"From here on out," Mozenrath remarked, "it's going to be smooth – "
The battleship shot upward and outward at such a velocity that Mozenrath, Vexen, and the Huntsman were flung against the back wall of the chamber.
"I already have regrets," Mozenrath muttered.
The warship careened through the air until the first Terra came into sight on the holographic display. "If it isn't that overbearingly charming amusement park," Snatcher remarked.
"You take us down and I'll take us over," Roman commanded. "You hear that, snipers? Soon as you see something you can fire at, fire."
"Ohhhhhhhh, I like that idea," Yzma cackled.
The residents of Terra Neon were traumatized to once again see the Cyclonian warship looming high over their skies, then plummeting to crash into the rollercoasters they'd only just built to replace the ones that had been lost in the last attack. Yzma, Wuya, Ravess, and Snipe set off a barrage of elemental ammunition, raining fiery chaos down upon every carnival game and food stand.
"Great work, team!" Roman congratulated. "But we're just getting this party started."
The next Terra to come in sight was Terra Gale, a very small landmass with only a few buildings to speak of. "Oh, this is almost too pathetic to even bother," Roman sighed. "Still…let's see what THIS button does."
An external cannon obliterated much of the civilization of Terra Gale in one shot.
"Well destroyed, Torchwick!" Snatcher congratulated gleefully.
A change in course sent Mozenrath, Vexen, and the Huntsman rocketing into a different wall.
"Hey, Archie," Roman said as Terra Saharr loomed on the horizon. "Do me a favor and find out what THAT lever does." He pointed to a particularly tantalizing implement on the dashboard.
Once the warship was in place over Terra Saharr, Snatcher threw the lever. Several bombs dropped from the base of the warship, colliding hard and exploding in a great radius over the Terra as its civilians rushed for cover.
Roman let out a great whoop of joy as Snatcher laughed loudly. The two continued to press buttons and pull levers as they went from Terra to Terra, and the four turret gunners continued their work as well, letting out the occasional "YEAH!" over the intercom.
"I admit it," Vexen grunted as he finally regained his footing and stormed up to Snatcher. "I see what it is that draws you to HIM."
"You've finally figured out his worth?" Snatcher replied as he threw another lever to send the ship crashing into Terra Glockenchime, destroying the Timepulse that rested within its tower.
"NO!" Vexen barked. "I only see what YOU see in him! Because as much as you put up a front of being civilized and rational, the truth is, you're EXACTLY AS INSANE AS HIM!"
The next surge forward sent Vexen colliding with yet another wall. "Hand must've slipped!" Snatcher called back to him.
Mozenrath finally conjured a sphere in the air that kept himself, the Huntsman, and Vexen fixed in place in the center of the chamber.
Depth charges were unleased into Terra Aquanos. Terra Nord's frozen climate was set on fire. Yzma made a game out of fixing her sight on tiny animal targets on Terra Fauna and seeing how accurately she could gun them down. Finally, the prime target was visible.
"Terra Atmosia," Mozenrath announced. "Obliterate as much as you want around the edges, but leave the tower standing. Vexen, Huntsman…prepare to deploy."
"Almost a shame we haven't left any sign of our identity," Snatcher remarked as he brought the warship down to Terra Atmosia's level. "Seems we'd want them to know who exactly brought this much destruction upon them. Become feared and thereby respected."
"Eh, once we're famous for bringing the rest of the worlds to their knees, they'll figure it out," Roman pointed out.
The warship loomed in close to the tower that spiked upward from the center of the Terra. Most of the peacekeeping forces present had rushed to the outer ridges of the kingdom, where weapons of mass destruction had set homes and businesses ablaze, but guards still remained in the tower, suspecting this was somehow related to the Aurora Stone.
Mozenrath cast the Corridor as soon as a clear spot of ground was visible, stepping out in front of the tower doors with the Huntsman and Vexen at his sides.
"HALT!" Two guards crossed pollaxes in front of the doors. "State your business!"
"My business?" Mozenrath replied, putting on an innocent face. "It's none of yours."
He waved a hand, and both guards rocketed in opposite directions, propelled by blue forcefields of magic. The Huntsman slashed open the door, and once the trio passed through, Vexen sealed the archway behind them with a thick layer of ice that spiked outward.
At the top of the tower, the shards rested upon a pillar, gleaming with an almost unearthly luminescence. Mozenrath called them into his palm, seizing them, clasping the gauntlet's fingers over the sharp edges. As soon as the shards were removed from the pillar, a distinct difference came over the Terra. The previously clear blue skies darkened to nearly navy.
"A much preferable aesthetic to the previous garish colors of this world," Vexen remarked.
"Almost makes me want to set up base right here," Mozenrath added. "Almost."
"Will we be able to safely use a Corridor to get back to the base if Torchwick and Snatcher have kept it moving?" the Huntsman wondered out loud.
Mozenrath looked out the window at the warship, which was impossible to miss, filling up half the view as it dropped weapon upon weapon. "I have a good enough idea of where the central chamber of it is," he stated.
In very little time, a Corridor opened up in the center of the room where Snatcher and Roman were still laughing it up over the destruction they were leaving in their wake. Mozenrath, Vexen, and the Huntsman strode proudly inside, the former presenting the shards in his outstretched hand. "We have what we came for," he informed his pilots. "Now take us up and out."
"Sorry to burst your bubble," Roman told him, "but once we get out of the atmosphere, there isn't going to be any, y'know, air. Which we're going to kind of need. Well, except Corpsey, but he can't show up to the party if none of us are left alive to invite him."
"Just take us up and out," Mozenrath repeated. "I have a plan."
"A real plan, or an Yzma plan?"
"I can hear you, you know!" Yzma barked over the intercom.
"Up and out," Mozenrath said firmly.
The warship zoomed upward, to the relief of the Terra Atmosians, piercing the clouds and speeding into the depths of the sky. As it ascended, Mozenrath cast a wave of magic that radiated over the entire craft, surrounding it in an aura of breathable air that would never deplete. Insured by this, the ship plunged into the fathoms of space, leaving all of Atmos far behind.
"And with that," Mozenrath stated, "we have what we – "
A sharp pain in his right shoulder and a sudden weakness in his knees forced him to the floor. The shards of the Aurora Stone sparkled as they scattered out of his hand. Casting a spell of the magnitude of granting air to the entirety of what had once been Terra Cyclonia had taken a lot out of him, and the gauntlet was taking its payment, ripping flesh from bone at a slightly faster rate than normal.
Upon Mozenrath's collapse, the Huntsman dropped immediately to his knees, attempting to look the sorcerer in the eye. "Mozenrath! Are you all right?"
"I'm…fine," Mozenrath answered between ragged breaths, his eyes casting over the Aurora shards on the floor. He rode out a wave of dizziness until he felt comfortable lifting his head to meet the Huntsman's gaze. He was immediately struck with surprise by just how worried the man seemed to be, even discernible from beneath his headgear. Looking around, he noticed that Snatcher, Roman, and even Vexen were regarding him with expressions of genuine concern. "I mean it," Mozenrath asserted sternly, wasting no time in standing back up, overcome with sudden embarrassment over his lapse. "There is NOTHING wrong." He extended his right palm, flexed his fingers experimentally, then called the Aurora shards back into that hand, taking the use of magic slowly until he was sure he could expend energy in that manner again. He let a smile travel over his lips. "In fact, I'd say everything went exactly as we wanted it to."
His recovery and subsequent relaxation drove the concern from his peers. The Huntsman stood as well, acting as though he had no reason to have dropped. "Shall we recover the others?" he asked.
"I would hope Mim, Aghoul, and Neo would be back at the Twilight Town manor by now," Mozenrath mused. "I suppose I'll take it upon myself to let them know we have a new base of operations…and some new allies. Vexen, Huntsman, draw a new pattern on the floor, and place these accordingly." He passed the shards to the Huntsman. "I'll bring back the rest. Torchwick, don't move the ship until I can get back and establish a recall point. Snatcher, don't let him move the ship until I can get back and establish a recall point. And tell our four turret gun enthusiasts that they can start getting settled into our new home."
He turned away, looking at a blank wall, pausing for a moment, wondering if he was still too weakened from the excessive magic he'd used on the base to cast a Corridor without it rebounding. After brief pause, he shook away the fear and summoned the Corridor, striding through almost hurriedly.
"Okay, did he seem OFF to you guys?" Roman asked once the Corridor had closed.
"I wasn't the only one who noticed," Vexen sniffed.
"It's that gauntlet of his," the Huntsman theorized. "Making this craft hospitable in a space with no atmosphere would take a fair amount of magic, and we all know by this point what price he pays to pull off stunts like that."
"You…don't suppose he's at his limit in that regard?" Snatcher wondered, speaking gingerly.
"I shouldn't think so," the Huntsman stated. "He was able to get back to his feet and cast the Corridor. Though I suspect it will take him some time before he is able to muster up the magic to fix a recall point for the Darkness within this base."
"Well, whatever you do," Snatcher warned, "don't bring it up to him."
"Only a fool would," Vexen huffed.
"Back to business?" Roman suggested.
"Back to business," the Huntsman affirmed, already beginning to press the huntstaff against the floor and sear the required pattern for the conquest spell into the tile.
...
After the retreat of Maleficent, Cyclonis, and the Dark Ace, the Nightcrawlers that had overrun Terra Valhalla were easily sent packing. Even so, Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, Stork, and Piper stayed to survey the Terra for a while, making sure all was well. It also became apparent that Piper had yet to learn of her other comrade's survival, and so she was brought to the room where Finn still lay confined to his bed, accompanied by Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, and Stork.
"FINN!" Piper practically squealed. "You're okay!"
"And everyone's still surprised?" Finn teased.
"Though 'okay' might be a bit of an overstatement," Stork, still fluttering about in the shape of a tiny bat, pointed out.
"Well, everything hurts a little less than it did last time you checked in," Finn pointed out. "But it's real good to see you too, Piper."
"At least three of us made it out of that explosion," Piper mused. "I wonder."
"Everyone's been wondering about that," Ruby pointed out.
"HAVEN'T I BEEN SAYING THEY ALL SURVIVED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING?" Papyrus added. "I'VE BEEN PROVEN HALF RIGHT ALREADY!"
"At the very least, someone should go out and look to see if we can't be absolutely SURE what happened to Aerrow, Junko, and Radarr," Piper stated. "And I think that someone should be me."
"If anyone could find them, it'd be you," Finn told her. "You or Stork. But seeing as Stork is too tiny and adorable for that right now – "
"Really?" Stork sighed.
"Aw, come on!" Finn teased. "You're adorable and you know it!"
"You are kinda cute like that," Ruby added.
"Well, I'm probably stuck as a bat forever, so I might as well get used to it," Stork groaned.
"Actually, I think I might know who can fix you," Sora brought up. "You and Huginnmuninn, too. I'm sure if we just asked Merlin nicely, he'd be happy to. I should probably check back in at Radiant Garden anyway. He could come back here and turn you both back to normal!"
"Actually…" Stork replied, "I've been thinking it over, aaaaaaand…"
"You wanna go with them, don't you?" Piper asked with a smile.
"No offense," Stork told her.
"Hey, none taken," Piper replied. "I was just thinking it would be better if we split up anyway. I'll take care of looking for Aerrow, Junko, and Radarr, and you can go help figure out what's going on with all those villains that attacked us."
"So there are two different groups working against us," Ruby mused.
"I knew the 'Seven Deserts' sounded familiar," Sora realized. "Agrabah is part of the Seven Deserts! I have a friend who'll know exactly what this Mozenrath guy is all about! Okay. So first, we'll go back to Radiant Garden to talk to Merlin and get Stork turned back to normal. Then we can go to Agrabah to talk to Aladdin about what we're dealing with."
"THIS SOUNDS LIKE A PERFECT PLAN!" Papyrus commented. "IT'S FILLED WITH MANY ADVENTURES, SO IT MUST BE GOOD!"
"Sorry you can't drive yet," Ruby told Stork, lightly poking him.
"So long as we survive this trip," Stork replied. He then looked at Piper. "You're SURE you're okay with this."
"I'm happy you found some new friends," Piper said with a smile. "I'd go with you too, but for all we know, the rest of the Storm Hawks are out there and need someone to find them."
"I'll catch up to one of you soon enough," Finn vowed. "Soon as the casts come off."
"That…Maleficent that blew the Condor up is still out there," Stork muttered. "Oh, she's powerful, all right, but we'll find a way to make her pay for what she did."
"Yeah!" Sora agreed.
Papyrus wasn't so sure that was the best way to go about things, but he kept silent. He knew Stork's mind was made up.
"Speaking of the Condor," Ruby brought up, "I wonder if they're done with your ship."
"About THAT," Stork replied, and it took him a while to be able to spit out the next words: "Piper should take it."
"What?" Piper was taken aback. "But the Condor – "
"Won't be built for traveling between worlds," Stork reminded her. "Yeah, I'll miss her. Take good care of her for me, will you? She'll be brand new, so be gentle with her on her first time out."
Piper nodded. "She'll be right here waiting for you when you come home."
"The things and people that are most important to us always stay in our hearts, even when we're far away," Sora added. "Even if you're not WITH the Condor, you'll always be with the Condor!"
And even though it didn't seem to make sense on the surface, Stork found that was enough for him.
"There's just…one thing," Sora admitted. "I told Maleficent I knew where the Book of Prophecies was so that she would leave this world alone. That might make me a target, and being targeted by Maleficent is dangerous. If any of you want to stay back or go home, I wouldn't blame you."
"Are you KIDDING?" Ruby replied. "I'm with you all the way! Bring it on!"
"IF IT'S TRULY THAT DANGEROUS, THEN YOU'LL NEED US TO HELP PROTECT YOU!" Papyrus said gleefully.
"And I was still looking for her anyway," Stork reminded Sora.
Sora put out a hand, palm down. "Together?"
Ruby and Papyrus each put a hand over his, and Stork contributed a wing. "Together!" they agreed.
...
After Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, and Stork had left to make their way to Radiant Garden, Piper located the garage where the new Condor was being built. There, she found Ocula and Capercaillie waiting for her, along with a man she recognized as King Petrel of Terra Lumina.
"Piper!" Capercaillie greeted. "I wish we had better news to greet you with…"
"What happened?" Piper asked.
"Petrel brings grave tidings," Ocula stated.
"I have heard that this Terra suffered a recent attack," Petrel explained. "Terra Lumina has suffered a similar attack by the same people, including Master Cyclonis."
"Good to know," Piper said with a nod.
"Are you going to get to the bottom of this?" Ocula asked.
"I'm going at it from one direction," Piper answered, "and someone I trust is going at it from another. We're gonna put things right."
"Piper!" an engineer greeted. "You're just in time! We've finished up specifications on the ship that Stork ordered!"
Piper was led to an exact copy of the Condor that had been destroyed. Piper ran her fingers over the hull, thinking that if nothing else, this was proof that the Condor itself had survived the attack, even if it had to get destroyed and rebuilt. Even though all of the parts were completely new, Piper could tell it still had the soul of the old Condor, and she knew Stork would agree.
"Where is Stork, anyway?" the engineer asked.
"He said I should take the ship out," Piper replied. "He found a ship that I think he's gonna have a little bit more fun playing with in the long run."
"Good luck on your journey, Piper," Capercaillie bade.
"Good luck to you, too," Piper told him.
She entered the new ship, crossing the cockpit to the steering wheel. The ceiling of the garage was opened up so she could initiate liftoff.
"I know you're out there," she muttered, thinking of Aerrow, Junko, and Radarr. "And I'm gonna find you."
The Condor sped away into the skies, and neither its pilot nor the passengers of the Gummi ship that had departed but moments earlier had any inkling of the waste laid to the other side of Atmos.
...
The royal Enchancian court gathered for a most special occasion. Sofia had been returned to the castle safely, and the search for her called off; she regaled anyone who would listen with the tale of how she had been abducted by the infamous Morgana le Fay and subsequently rescued by Cedric. This tale was met with disbelief at first; how could Cedric possibly have done something that required such bravery and skill? But Sofia was not known as a liar, and she insisted it was Cedric who get the credit for her rescue.
And so King Roland and Queen Miranda called a ceremony to award Cedric with high honors for his deed. Cedric stood before the royals in the throne room while the rest of the Enchancian court gathered round to watch; Cedric's heart began beating erratically. He wasn't used to this sort of praise.
"For bringing my daughter safely back to me," Roland stated, holding out a gold medallion on a long blue ribbon, "I hereby present you with this medal of honor. I cannot express enough how happy I am that Sofia is safe, Cedric."
Cedric bowed his head in what was for once honest respect, and Roland placed the medal over his shoulders.
"Henceforth, you shall be known as Cedric the Bold," Roland decided.
"Actually," Cedric interrupted, "I rather prefer a…different title."
"Oh?"
"Some have taken to calling me Cedric the Sensational…"
"Well, I would say you certainly deserve that!" Roland decreed. "Cedric the Sensational it is!"
As the room burst into applause, Cedric exchanged glances with Sofia. The princess gave him a wink, and he returned it. The medal was no Amulet of Avalor, but it would certainly do for now. He could always find another way to conquer the kingdom later. Much later. When he actually felt like it.
...
Back in the Radiant Garden library, Riku's motley team gathered to tally up the consequences of their bittersweet victory. Riku held his hand outward, trying to bid the Keyblade to come back to him, but it refused to appear. "They're keeping it hostage with magic," he sighed.
Kairi tried the same, with similar results. "I didn't even know it was POSSIBLE to steal a Keyblade."
"They have our wands, too," Nick reminded everyone.
Jaune, Nora, and Ren kept silent. They all knew their weapons were easily rebuilt. The others had lost irreplaceable objects.
"That doesn't matter," Madison asserted. "Necrolai and Leelee are safe now, and so is the whole Crystal Empire. We can figure out how to get our wands and the Keyblades back later."
"It's just too bad we never found that Even guy," Chip brought up, and there was a moment of silence. Many feared the worst: that they'd simply been too late.
Only Riku was suspicious. He still had vivid memories of Vexen tormenting him in the halls of Castle Oblivion. He wondered if anyone, including the other former members of the Organization, really remembered how cruel Vexen had been once upon a time. What if Hades had spoken the truth? What if Even had never fallen into the clutches of Maleficent's band, and he had simply left of his own volition?
He hoped that this was not the case. After hearing the news, Lea had been thrown into a haze of moping, and the rest of the Restoration Committee was occupied reassuring him that whatever had happened to Even, it wasn't his fault.
"We'll find some way to save him," Kairi resolved. "We have to."
"Were you close?" Riku asked.
"Hm?"
"You would have grown up around him," Riku realized. "Were you close to him?"
"I…wish I could remember," Kairi admitted. "I remember him being there. But not much else. I was just so young. I think I was closer to Ienzo, really. But even if I don't remember Even that much, that doesn't mean he wasn't important to me back then. And he's important to our friends now."
"I just hope he'll be there to save when we figure out how," Riku muttered quietly.
Luna turned to the five Mystic Rangers. "I suppose you wish to go to your homeworld now, Rangers. Cadance and I must make a trip back to our own, and we would be happy to bring you back."
"I don't know about everyone else, but…" Vida looked around at her companions.
"We can't just go home and leave this whole Maleficent thing alone," Nick added.
"Especially when we know so many other worlds might need us," Chip piped in.
"I think we should stay with Riku," Vida asserted.
"Me too," Madison agreed.
"Outside of us losing our wands, he hasn't led us wrong so far," Xander stated.
"Well, I DON'T want to stay here," Leelee said firmly. "I spent way too much time in the dungeon of an evil witch! I want to go back home!"
"And I'm not sure I'm cut out for all this adventurin'," Phineas pointed out. "Leelee's safe, and that's what's important."
"If my daughter and her love wish to return home," Necrolai stated, "then I wish to go there as well and watch over them. And besides that…there is someone else waiting for me."
"Then we shall take you three home before we bring the Crystal Heart to the Empire and return here," Luna decided. "The others shall stay."
"Will you tell Udonna, Leanbow, Daggeron, and Clare we say hi, and that we'll be a little later coming home than we thought?" Madison asked.
"I will," Leelee promised, and Phineas and Necrolai nodded.
"I will also let Toby know you can't make it to your shifts at the Rockporium for the time being," Necrolai added.
"Aw, man!" Leelee sighed. "This means I'm going to have to pick up all your slack and work overtime!"
"Wait." Riku picked up on something Luna had said. "Luna. You and Cadance are coming back here after you save the Empire?"
"We don't want to leave the evils that are plaguing these worlds unattended either," Cadance told him. "Something big is happening. Darkness is growing on all the worlds, and you seem like the best people to be with to stop it."
"Our world is still plunged into chaos," Luna pointed out, "but there are many heroes yet there who can hold it at bay if only for a short time, and my sister has proven herself adept at filling my horseshoes in the past. We want to do whatever we can to help Radiant Garden and every other world that has been affected. Including our own world, Remnant, and Briarwood."
"We are NEVER going to be able to make a team name acronym," Nora sighed. "Oh, well! The more, the merrier!"
"Thank you all," Riku said, "but I don't even know what our next move is going to be."
"We trust in you to figure something out," Luna told him confidently. "And we will be here to help you at every turn."
"Can we just go home already?" Leelee groaned. "I actually miss that dump of a town!"
"We shouldn't keep the Empire waiting, either," Cadance pointed out.
Luna cast a Corridor. "We shall meet again shortly," she promised. She, Cadance, Leelee, Phineas, and Necrolai entered, bearing the Crystal Heart.
Once the Corridor closed, Jaune asked, "So…what now?"
"Now," Riku suggested, "we have to figure out how to get our weapons back and find Even. But I wouldn't blame anybody if they wanted to take a break first. This might be the only time we have for a while where we're safe. After all…if we can invade Maleficent's castle, she can invade ours right back."
...
When Maleficent's faction regrouped, almost no one had good news to bring to the table. Maleficent, Cyclonis, the Dark Ace, Jafar, and Cinder reported that the Cyclonian warship had been lost to Mozenrath and his band of upstarts. Pete had no Amulet of Avalor to turn over, a loss yet again attributed to Mozenrath. And while Cruella, Grimhilde, Hades, and Ursula hadn't tangled with Mozenrath or any of his allies, they had still lost their hostages and the Crystal Heart. However, it was not all bad news. Maleficent had identified Sora as a new lead to the location of the Book of Prophecies, and even more importantly, Ursula had turned in the five mystic wands and two Keyblades.
That didn't stop Cruella from going off on a rant. "This is an outrage!" she roared. "An utter outrage! I'll have that Mozenrath turned into a dog and then skinned! I'll have his associates turned into kittens and, after that, into MITTENS! Why, if I had my associates on the job, we'd be rid of them once and for all within a week!"
"Of what 'associates' do you speak?" Maleficent asked, her interest piqued.
"A series of connections I've made throughout the worlds ever since you gave me the means to move between them," Cruella replied. "Like-minded people who have a way with weapons. And a few who are all but useless, but they do what they're told without question, and that somewhat makes up for it. The only problem is very few of them are versed in magic, but this can be worked around."
"I want you to contact these associates as soon as you are able and bring them into the fold," Maleficent commanded. "We shall see if they are worth the praise you give them."
"At once!" Cruella resolved energetically.
"In the meantime, we must determine how best to divulge the location of the Book of Prophecies from the young Keybearer," Maleficent mused. "Only the perfect bargaining chip must be obtained. Doubtless if we merely take an acquaintance of his hostage and arrange a trade, he will find a way to cheat us the way he did that fool Xemnas when the young princess was on the line. Besides…I have reason to believe she is no longer the most important person to him. And finally, there is the matter of Ursula's conquest. The weapons from Remnant mean very little to me; do with them what you see fit. The mystic wands are far more valuable. But the Keyblades we now have detained intrigue me most of all. I believe they could be put to good use."
"But none of us can wield a Keyblade," Pete pointed out.
He was silenced by a fiery glare from Maleficent, giving an audible gulp.
"There is a tale," Maleficent told the group at large, "some would say a mere children's story to be read to them in their beds, of a mighty and powerful wizard who wielded a Keyblade. He grew tired of his blade, and absorbed it into his very being, increasing his own magical power tenfold. Such a spell seems impossible, but I believe it is real, and I intend to discover it…especially since I have not one but two Keyblades. If I were to integrate them into my being…"
"Whoa, babe, you'd be unstoppable!" Hades finished.
"And for this, I commend Ursula," Maleficent continued. "If I didn't know better, I would say you arranged for our hostage situation to lead to an invasion purely to place the Keyblades into our hands."
"Who's to say I didn't?" Ursula chuckled.
"And how are you going to go about uncovering this mysterious spell?" Jafar asked.
"By seeking it in places that contain magical lore," Maleficent answered. "And I believe I know just where to begin."
Hades elbowed Cyclonis in the forearm. "Welcome to the club, kid."
Cyclonis grinned widely. "It seems this is exactly where I was meant to be."
...
The Crystal Heart was lowered into place on its pedestal. The moment it was returned, it glowed with a bright light, spinning faster and faster. The ponies watching were still largely on edge; the Plunderseeds were still working their twisted magic on most of Equestria. However, the return of the Crystal Heart put a great magical defense back in place around the Crystal Empire, and seeing it brought home safely caused a collective sigh of relief. This was enough to react with the gem, spewing an aurora of positive energy into the starry Equestrian skies.
"You're really going to go back?" Twilight asked Luna as they watched the multicolored lights.
"I am," Luna confirmed. "You will be all right without Cadance and myself. But if evil forces are rising that threaten all the worlds, we must join forces with our new friends to stop them."
"I'm not worried about us needing you," Twilight admitted. "I'm worried about you and the rest of the worlds needing us. We – I – should be out there too."
"This world needs you first and foremost," Luna insisted. "Have you yet found a way to combat the Plunderseeds?"
"…No," Twilight admitted. "All we can do is cut them down. They grow back."
"You will find the answer," Luna told Twilight. "I know it. And the time may come when we will need you on our adventure. When that time comes, Cadance and I will return for you."
"Thank you," Twilight said sincerely.
"For now," Luna told Twilight, "let us enjoy the sight of the heart's aurora. It is perhaps the biggest beacon of hope we have."
They watched the colors spread across the stars in silence.
...
Mozenrath arrived in the foyer of the Twilight Town mansion to find everything exactly as he'd left it. The moment he appeared, Xerxes came speeding around the corner, nearly colliding with him. "MOZENRATH!" he cried happily. "You're back!"
"Xerxes!" Mozenrath greeted. "I knew I was forgetting SOMETHING. Are Mim, Aghoul, and Neo back from whatever it was they were doing?"
Xerxes nodded. "Playing cards," he confirmed, pointing at the door to the lounge with the large table. "Brought home a new girl!"
"A new girl?" Mozenrath repeated.
He entered the room to see Mim, Aghoul, Neo, and Irmaplotz seated around the table, engaged in a lively game of euchre. As soon as he entered, Mim, Aghoul, and Irmaplotz's gazes turned up to view him. Neo's eyes flicked over to Aghoul's cards.
"Who are you?" Mozenrath asked Irmaplotz.
"Princess Irmaplotz," the girl replied. "Who are YOU?"
"I am Mozenrath," Mozenrath told her, "and if these three did what they should have, you should know all about me by now."
"I…expected you to be older," Irmaplotz admitted.
"Everyone does," Mozenrath sighed. "So how did you pick this one up?"
"Summoned by a magical amulet in time to defeat a minor nemesis," Mim explained.
"A MINOR nemesis?" Mozenrath repeated. "Odd choice of words."
"You had to be there," Aghoul told him.
"So I take it you accomplished…whatever it was you set out to do," Mozenrath stated.
Mim dangled the Amulet of Avalor in front of him. "Why don't you ask Morgana le Fay?"
"Who?"
"Exactly."
Mozenrath shook it off. "We'll get introductions out of the way later. My half of the team picked up a couple of warriors you'd be interested to meet, too. But, more importantly…you can say goodbye to this dump of a lair."
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Aghoul asked, already smiling.
"It means we now have a floating kingdom-sized warship with more onboard weaponry than you can count and enough bedrooms that Mim and Neo won't have to share anymore," Mozenrath stated.
"We weren't planning on sharing anyway," Mim explained. "She and Aghoul traded spots."
"You and Aghoul…" Mozenrath tried to put the pieces together.
"Will be sharing a room in the new base too," Aghoul clarified, putting an arm around Mim and planting a kiss on her cheek. She turned to meet his lips with hers, and they lingered there for a while.
"I do NOT need to see that," Mozenrath grumbled. "You do what you want. But you'd better have your things packed, because this mansion is obsolete as of now."
"Hang on!" Irmaplotz rushed to the bookshelves. "I thought I saw some poetry books in here, and I am NOT leaving those behind. NOT when there might be absolutely terrible gems I haven't found yet." She plucked several thick and rather dusty volumes from the shelves and stacked them in her arms.
Mim snapped her fingers, materializing her purse in her hand. "Ready to go!"
Aghoul snapped his fingers, and a briefcase stuffed full of bones appeared at his side. "Ready!"
Neo thought it over, looked at the parasol blade that leaned against the table, and nodded her assent.
Irmaplotz thudded the stack of heavy books onto the table. "Okay, I have everything."
"Just give me a few minutes to gather the elements we've collected for our spell so far, and I think that makes everyone good to go," Mozenrath concluded. As he turned away to walk back into the foyer, he muttered to himself, "Actually, the more I think about it, things have been pretty good."