Taking Back the Crown

by JCMorrigan

Mozenrath. Archibald Snatcher. Roman Torchwick. Mad Madam Mim. Yzma. The Huntsman. Wuya. Ayam Aghoul. Their mission: take over the multiverse, or look fabulous trying. Rated M for swearing, steamy implications and VERY bloody battles. Contains slash and het shipping.

62. The Divine Beast

62. The Divine Beast

"Do not hang up the scroll," Vexen asserted, even though Kairi's shaking hand was compelled to press the button that would end that conversation then and there. "The fates of your friends depend on it. If you don't want to listen to what I have to say, then you shall just have to content yourself with losing them and never knowing their fate."

Feeling her heartbeat shake her entire body, Kairi answered in a voice that gave off the impression of much more collectedness than she felt, "What do you want?"

"Are you alone, or with others?" Vexen asked.

"Why should I answer that question?" Kairi snapped.

"Then you aren't alone," Vexen presumed, "and are afraid that informing me of this fact will somehow endanger your current companions. Fear not. I have not yet devised a way to harm people through a scroll connection. I want you to set this device on speaker so that all present may hear me."

It took Kairi a moment to realize that there was no better course of action to take. "Okay," she said, her voice betraying her fear ever so slightly. "I'll do it."

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked worriedly as Kairi set the phone down.

"It's Even," Kairi said breathlessly as her finger tapped the screen, bringing Vexen's voice to the entire room.

"WHAT?" Ienzo cried in anger.

"Oh, when WILL you learn?" Vexen's voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I am henceforth VEXEN, not Even! If a band of murderers, thieves, and conquerors can call me by the correct name, surely YOU can find it within yourselves to do the same!"

"How did you get this number?" Ienzo barked at the scroll. "What do you want?"

"I will get there in due time," Vexen responded. "First, I aim to shed some light on your current situation. By now, you are by no doubt realizing that 'Nikolai and Bridgit Pike' were not who they seemed to be. Both were spies dispatched by the organization informally known as the WHAM ARMY."

"The what army?" Jaune said in confusion.

"You weren't aware?" Vexen replied. "Wuya. Huntsman. Ayam. Mim. Archibald. Roman. Mozenrath. Yzma. Their initials form the acronym."

"So this is Mozenrath again!" Kairi cried.

"You did not realize that from the moment you heard my voice?" Vexen chided. "I constantly realize that I give all of you too much credit in the department of critical reasoning."

"Before this goes further," Jumba broke in, "who are you and what is connection to Radiant Garden contingent?"

"An unfamiliar voice," Vexen remarked. "No doubt one of the newcomers about whom I was briefed. Very well. As you have heard, I formerly answered to the name 'Even.' I once called myself a resident of Radiant Garden and a member of its Restoration Committee. This was, of course, after a much longer and more sordid history, but all you need to know is that I, finding my intelligence wasted upon that festering pit of incompetence, departed to join forces with more like-minded colleagues with whom I could drop the pretense of morality and compassion and instead focus on more productive pursuits. Though I shudder to think of how the Committee has proceeded without my intellect to drive them forward."

Jumba turned to face Ienzo and Leon. "So you had evil genius too," he remarked. "Is not as charismatic as me. Am not approving of this one."

"We're not proud of him," Leon grunted.

"He let us think he was part of our family," Ienzo said through gritted teeth, "before betraying us completely."

"DEFINITELY inferior to self," Jumba concluded.

"Most certainly wrong," Vexen huffed. "If I still had a heart, this is where I would be well and truly offended. As it is, I would like to get back on topic. Unless you would prefer to delay securing the well-being of those you currently call 'family.'"

"Why you – " Donald launched into an unintelligible string of insults.

"Donald," Mickey said softly, "we gotta listen to him."

Once Donald settled down, Vexen continued. "If you are QUITE done, I wish to propose a trade. One of my associates has taken a particular interest in one of yours. Knowing what you know now about the true identity of Bridgit Pike, you may have already concluded whom we have in our clutches. But for those of you who haven't been paying attention, they are as follows: Nora Valkyrie, Yuffie Kisaragi, Sadira, Moana, Lilo Pelekai, and the one simply called 'Pleakley,' which, if I recall, is a Plorgonarian surname."

Giving a cry of horror, Stitch scrambled for the scroll, yelling, "LILO!" He swiped up the scroll into his claws, shaking it desperately. "Give back Lilo! Give back!"

But he only had control of the scroll for a moment before Jumba wrenched it from him. "I know not who you are," he raged at the device, "but you will not DARE harm Pleakley or little girl! YOU WILL NOT DARE!"

"And what will you do if I dare?" Vexen challenged.

"YOU ARE NOT WISHING TO KNOW!" Jumba roared.

"Jumba," Leon said calmly. "We need to hear out his demand."

"Have heard all I need to know," Jumba stated. "Am only interested in making him release Pleakley and little girl by any means necessary."

"You'll find that the means necessary are not at all complex," Vexen stated coolly. "As I said, I wish to perform a trade. Six captives for one."

Jumba set the scroll down hard, letting it drop the last inch and clatter on the counter. "Am listening," he snarled.

"We are interested in Stitch," Vexen stated, "and ONLY Stitch. Send him to us and we will release the captives."

"And what are you planning to do to my little Stitch?" Jumba asked with suspicion.

"Stitch no care!" Stitch insisted. "Stitch trade for Lilo! Make Lilo safe!"

"I am afraid Stitch is not scheduled for such a fortunate fate as our hostages will be once the trade is complete," Vexen answered. "They are worth more to us alive. Stitch is not. I see no reason to hide the truth from you; he will be promptly slain."

"NO!" Kairi cried. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Stitch gasped in horror. But once the dread had settled within him, he announced, "No…is okay. Stitch…will go. Must save Lilo."

"No!" Jaune insisted. "I'm not letting that happen!" He swiped up the scroll into his own hand. "What makes Stitch so special to you? Why does he need to die, damn it?"

"The connection between Stitch and the Huntsman is largely incidental," Vexen replied. "It is a matter of pride more than anything else. I don't expect any of you to understand. Nor did I expect you to be receptive to the idea, even though I feel the proposal is more than reasonable. Send one to die, and six will live. Refuse to sacrifice a single life, and six will perish."

"YOU CAN'T JUST TALK ABOUT LIVES IN NUMBERS LIKE THAT!" Jaune screamed.

"Are you refusing my offer?" Vexen asked. "If so, I will not waste any more time. I hope you have made peace with your missing friends. You won't get another chance."

Ienzo swiped the scroll from Jaune. "We're listening," he said hurriedly. "We'll take your offer."

"Ienzo!" Jaune and Kairi cried in unison.

"Hang on," Mickey warned in a soft voice. "I think he's got a plan."

Ienzo did not, at the moment, have a plan. But he knew that once he heard Vexen's terms, he would be able to come up with one. "What exactly are you requesting of us?" he asked.

"Dispatch Stitch to us," Vexen outlined. "There is a specific location at which we will need to meet him. And be sure to send him alone. If he is accompanied by any other, our deal is null and void."

"You have a deal," Ienzo replied.

"It is good to hear it, Ienzo," Vexen stated. "I should have known I could rely on you to make a decision that required logic to be placed ahead of emotion. You really haven't changed much at all since the days of Oblivion."

Ienzo bit down a rant on all the reasons Vexen was wrong, knowing full well Vexen was trying to bait him. "Where are we to send Stitch?" he asked.

"At a certain place in the restoration site," Vexen replied. "The shorter entrance to the Cavern of Remembrance. You do recall that location, Ienzo, do you not? You will have to share with the others what is hidden there. Inform them of what you have kept secret – "

"We know Xemnas had a testing facility there where he kept data on every member of Organization XIII buried under our noses," Leon broke in. "Ienzo was upfront with us about that from the beginning."

"Now that, I find surprising," Vexen sniffed. "You are aware Ienzo had a hand in its construction? That he was responsible for the collection of most of this data, including that of himself?"

"I haven't run from my past," Ienzo stated. "They know everything."

"Well," Vexen replied, "that is almost a disappointment. However, you now know the proper location at which we are to carry out this trade. My associates and I will await Stitch's arrival. Do be prompt. Take more than three hours for him to arrive and we cannot guarantee the safe delivery of all six hostages. Have I made myself clear?"

"As crystal," Ienzo stated.

"Then I shall relieve myself of having to hear your voice," Vexen concluded. The connection was immediately broken.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said worriedly, "you're not just gonna send Stitch to die, are ya?"

"Of course not," Ienzo said matter-of-factly. "We're all going to follow him to the rendez-vous point and outnumber the WHAM ARMY. We're just going to do so in a way that will fool Ev – Vexen into THINKING Stitch has come alone. We will make ourselves known once we're in a position to ensure the safety of the hostages."

"Lemme at him!" Donald cried. "I'm gonna knock his block off!"

"Not if I am to be getting at him first." Jumba rose from the chair. "I will be doing knocking of blocks."

"I don't know if it's safe for you to come along," Ienzo informed Jumba. "From what I've seen, you're unarmed. Everyone else here can fight."

"I know how to operate blaster," Jumba pointed out. "If there is spare around, can and will wield it."

"Stitch have blaster," Stitch volunteered, "but…is Stitch-sized."

"Actually," Ienzo realized, "come to think of it, we just might have something you can work with. Everyone else, go find the others and gather as many of us as you can here in this lab. We only have three hours to assemble."

"On it!" Kairi cried as she turned and bolted from the lab. Jaune followed soon after, and Leon was third to sprint forth.

"Come with me," Ienzo invited Jumba. "I almost can't believe I'm about to dig this up. But I said I wasn't running from the past, and I meant it."

Within a few moments, Jumba found himself in the castle armory, looking at an array of spears and swords hung up on the wall. Stitch had come along to observe, and was turning the walls into an obstacle course as he crawled over each deadly implement. Ienzo crossed the room to a wooden cabinet, which he flung open to reveal a unique pair of weapons. "Do you wield with one hand or two?" Ienzo asked.

"Am perfectly capable of wielding two," Jumba responded.

Ienzo lifted both arrowguns out of their cabinet, holding them outward. They were heavier than he had expected, but Jumba, upon taking them, was able to handle them like they were nothing.

Stitch crawled down to the floor to get a better look at the arrowguns, admiring them with an "Ooooooh!"

Jumba tested the grip; his fingers were just able to fit around the triggers. "These will do," he announced.

"Good," Ienzo said with a nod. "They're better off in your hands than where they used to be."

Jumba was curious about that statement, but decided to let it go in favor of voicing a concern. "Is something bothering me about whole situation," he admitted.

"What's wrong?" Ienzo asked.

"Your former evil genius obviously is expecting more than just Stitch to come," he pointed out. "In fact, is setting up something that requires us all. Why else separate little girl from Stitch in first place? WHAM ARMY went out of way to do so. If had not kept Stitch back from trip of shopping, would be no need for trade. Furthermore, gave Stitch three hours, not one. Three hours is adequate time to put together plan and arm soldiers. If had to guess, would say plan was to assemble all of us in one place, but set up plan so if Stitch DID come alone, could slay him as promised without interference and obtain minor victory. Think of it as consolation prize. MAJOR victory comes from defeating all of us in one blow."

"You do have a mind for evil schemes after all," Ienzo realized. "Your observation does seem to make sense. The problem is that I don't see how to circumvent it. Because you are correct. If we do send Stitch alone, we will lose him, and there is a good chance they won't keep their word about the other hostages. If we don't go at all, the hostages are already lost. What we are preparing to do is the only thing we CAN do. We just have to hope in the end, we are smarter and stronger than the WHAM ARMY."

"Is very true," Jumba agreed. "Must have hope. Is all we can do."

Ienzo strode quickly from the room to return to the computer room. Jumba took that moment to remind Stitch, "KNEW traitor's accent was fake."

Stitch gave a nod of confirmation before they followed Ienzo.

...

Mim swirled a bottle in her hand as she slid into bed next to Aghoul. "One drink of this draught should send us both off to dreamland," she announced. "And once we go, we'll be sitting ducks…or so Pitch will think!"

"You're sure we can best him there?" Aghoul asked.

"So long as we have these." She held up a wrist wrapped in a bracelet charm. "I do so hope the Huntsman minds us borrowing them. I certainly don't intend to give mine back. It's the LEAST he deserves."

"He'll have to sever my hand to get it back from me," Aghoul added. "Of course, he could actually do that without any consequences…ah, well, let's not waste any more time."

Mim uncorked the small bottle, taking a sip that consisted of half the contents. She then passed it to Aghoul, who downed the rest and set the bottle on the nightstand next to the bed. The pair lay back, closing their eyes as they rested on their pillows. In almost no time, slumber washed over them both like a slow-rolling wave.

...

Thanks to the charm around his wrist, Aghoul was aware he was dreaming. That explained why he was suddenly alone, standing in Jafar's laboratory in the palace of Agrabah. The Eye of Gazeem, the glittering purple gemstone that activated a portal between the realm of the living and the Netherworld, was sitting out on display, which was an oddity; it was usually kept hidden behind a secret panel in the wall.

Aghoul glanced around the lab, wondering exactly what in this room was supposed to be so scary. The Eye of Gazeem posed a threat, but it wasn't as though he was going to use it so long as he stood in the living realm.

When the door to the lab slammed open and Aladdin skidded into the room, it suddenly clicked; Aghoul knew what was going to happen. "You're not getting away with it this time, Aghoul!" Aladdin cried confidently.

"That's what YOU think!" Aghoul barked, diving for the Eye.

Aladdin was faster, knocking Aghoul back across the room as he rushed to the gem. "It's back to the Netherworld for you!" the young prince cried, laying a hand on the stone.

Don't panic, Aghoul told himself. It's only a nightmare, and it was crafted to get a rise out of you. It's only the Netherworld.

Still, his skin prickled as the portal opened, sucking him backward into the far less physical realm. This time, however, something was different. Instead of merely being incorporeal on a parallel plane, still able to haunt the palace, the Netherworld was entirely dark, as though another world entirely, one made of eternal blackness that obscured sight as far as the eye could see. The only landmark was the portal back; Aghoul could faintly see the laboratory through it as he flew further and further away.

His back slammed into something hard; his limbs were boxed in by confining walls. It took only a bit of feeling around for Aghoul to realize he had landed in a coffin. Once again, he was at a loss as to how that was supposed to be frightening, as he had always enjoyed the aesthetic of coffins.

The light from the portal was gone with a heavy thud. Aghoul pressed his hands forward to feel the hard resistance. Now it made sense. He enjoyed the aesthetic of coffins so long as they were not nailed shut around him.

Within his claustrophobic box, closed away like any ordinary corpse, Aghoul tried to summon various magics – a skull bomb, his scythe. Nothing worked. The nightmare relied on him having limitations that wouldn't allow him to escape the coffin. But it also relied on him not knowing it was a dream at all. Mim had promised that as long as he was lucid, he would have power over his environment.

Then again, there was a small chance Mim had said that so she could laugh at him having suffered later while she sussed out the Boogeyman alone.

He decided to trust in her, foolish as that was, and really concentrate on the charm that encircled his wrist. Sparks of magic crackled in both of his hands, the palms of which were pressed flat against the coffin lid. He pushed hard; the magic surged, and the lid exploded into splinters.

The portal was now a pinprick. Mim had advised Aghoul when they undertook this mission to find the nightmare's core and blast it to kingdom come. Only one item in this entire dreamscape seemed like a possible linchpin for the horrors.

Aghoul conjured up a skull bomb – a much easier task now that he had faith in his magic once more – and hurled it across the void. It sailed through the portal, colliding hard with the Eye of Gazeem, where it exploded.

Immediately, Aghoul's gaze was adazzle with light. The beams surrounded him, transporting him out of the darkness. If he wasn't careful, he would wake up.

He grasped the charm, choosing instead to create a portal that allowed him to slip into the dream next door. His sandals sank into soft grass, giving him the first sign of what was wrong. Taking a look around, he realized he could be nowhere but in Mim's nightmare; it was exactly as he suspected it would be.

The sun blazed brilliantly against a backdrop of a baby-blue sky. Puffy white clouds, some formed into the shapes of such things as kittens or ice cream cones, floated past, never quite obscuring the sunshine from above. The grass below was bright green, with not a single bald patch in sight. The flowers that sprouted from it were enormous, with multicolored petals that stretched out into majestic fans. Each flower had a tiny face, which allowed it to contribute to the all-too-cheery song they were singing in chorus to accentuate the bright surroundings. Here and there, a tree was visible, each bearing its own face to provide the bass section for the song. The plants weren't the only things growing up from the ground; for no explainable reason, peppermint candy canes were also sprouting. The landscape rolled into hills and valleys, making it impossible to see too far into the horizon.

Aghoul located a road paved in dark bricks and stepped onto it, following it as it snaked over the uneven landscape and hoping it would lead to Mim. The drab color of the road seemed out of place considering its surroundings until Aghoul realized it was made of chocolate. He reached down to break off a piece and eat it. This was a mistake; he coughed it right out. It was simply too sweet.

On his journey, Aghoul noticed several other fixtures of the hellish dreamscape he had entered. For one, it seemed to be overrun with rabbits. Small ones, too. Aghoul loaded up another skull into his hands, tossing it at a stray rabbit; the small creature was faster than his weapon, bounding effortlessly out of the way to avoid the explosion – which, instead of a blast that could be likened to gunpowder, was a mere smoke bomb. A pink smoke bomb that smelled of bubble gum.

The landscape dropped off into a valley that contained a sparkling, clear lake. A short figure was clearly visible, storming angrily across the grass and leaving burn marks in her wake, only for the grass to bound right back to a healthy green the moment her feet left it. Aghoul picked up the pace, rushing down the hill to reunite with Mim.

Perhaps a little too quickly; he tripped over his own foot and soon found himself rolling head over heels down the slope of the hill. He finally slowed down and came to a halt in a tangle of limbs before Mim.

"Please tell me that hurt," she seethed. "I need to know there's SOME suffering in this world."

"It was more like a tickle," Aghoul confessed, working on standing back up.

"Oh, it's awful!" Mim moaned. "Absolutely awful! You haven't seen the worst of it! I've been wandering around looking for you, and on my way, I passed through a village. The houses were made out of gingerbread and held together with marshmallow paste, there was a kitten sitting on every rooftop, and worst of all, there were people of all sorts getting along and laughing together without a single bad apple in the bunch! I asked out of curiosity, but I should have known the answer. They said all evil had been eliminated from the world and there was only peace and joy left! So I did the only thing I could do. I set the village on fire. And do you know what happened?"

"Based on what I've seen," Aghoul said as he finally straightened up, "I would say nothing happened."

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" Mim screamed. "The people walked right through the flames without burning, the kittens were momentarily woken up just enough to do that cutesy little thing where they stretch out their paws and yawn before going back to sleep, and the houses all remained right where they were before the flames burned themselves out! The ONLY mark it left was that it toasted the marshmallows and made the village smell DELICIOUS! I had to get out of there, Ghoulie. I could feel myself wasting away just by being around so much good and happiness. Those singing flowers are out for my soul, I tell you! I can't stay here any longer! I hate it! HATE IT! HATE HATE HAAAAAATE!"

"So get us out of it," Aghoul told her. "Find the core of this dream and snuff it out."

"There's really only one thing all this joy could be coming from," Mim growled. "The one thing I hate above all else." She pointed upward at the sun. "RIGHT THERE!"

"On three!" Aghoul decided, gathering a bomb in each hand. "One – "

"THREE!" Mim screeched, sending a lightning-esque blast of energy rocketing through the sky with a loud crack.

Aghoul just let the bombs drop and fizzle out. Obviously, this was personal for Mim. It was best he not get involved, lest he get a lightning bolt to his own chest.

Once the bolt hit the sun, it cracked like a lightbulb, and in a similar vein, flickered before going out. As soon as it had winked into darkness, the entire saccharine world surrounding Aghoul and Mim disappeared, from the grass to the lake to the trees. They were left standing in a gray, cylindrical room that was barely illuminated; the broken bulb still hung overhead.

"Better," Mim panted. "Much better." It felt as though someone had just unwrapped her from being tied up in a thick and oppressive blanket.

A prim chuckle echoed throughout the room; Aghoul and Mim's eyes searched the walls, trying to pinpoint its source. "I knew you would be difficult," the chuckle's owner stated in a lilting tone. "I even suspected you would find a way to break the spell. But it was worth it just to feel your fear for the brief moment you let it show."

He was a shadow on the wall and nothing more, but Aghoul and Mim could both tell it was him; the shadow was tall, shaped vaguely like a human, and moving ever so slightly along with his dialogue.

"I'd know that voice anywhere," Mim accused, "Pitch Black. So it WAS you."

"Mad Madam Mim," Pitch responded. "How…lovely to see you again."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Mim screeched.

"Of course I know it's never lovely to see you," Pitch corrected, amused. "Nor is it to see Ayam Aghoul. But to think I would see you both in the same place…this truly is a momentous occasion."

"Enough sweet-talk!" Mim huffed. "Out with already! What are you doing?"

"Was it not obvious?" Pitch replied. "Searching your hearts for your deepest fears and bringing them to light."

"Yes, yes, we knew that part!" Mim said with a stamp of her foot. "But why us? Why grown-ups?"

"A question I don't feel the need to answer in our current state," Pitch replied. "After all, there is still much for you to fear. Your friends can't remain awake forever, and the tricks you used will be useless in their hands."

"We know how to chase you out," Aghoul threatened.

"I don't doubt you do," Pitch sighed. "It will be such a disappointment when this is over. But it hasn't truly ended yet. I might have more to say once you've actually ended the chase."

Now Aghoul was able to call his scythe to hand. "I think it's time to put you out of our misery," he announced as he embedded the scythe's tip in the wall.

Even though the blade cut right through the shadow, it was still merely a shadow, and Pitch's laugh echoed loudly through the chamber after that feeble attempt to disarm him.

"That's no use here!" Mim scolded. "He's all-powerful here! We've got to get him in the WAKING world if we want him out!" She seized Aghoul's upper arm. "Come on!"

"Give me one last challenge," Pitch dared.

"Oh, you'll get more than that," Mim promised.

She and Aghoul disappeared in a shower of sparkles; they'd woken up. Pitch decided to take his leave from the chamber as well, and once no one was around to necessitate it existing, the room simply stopped doing so.

...

Muffled voices. The sound of rushing water. Darkness slowly becoming the light of somewhere very white and blue.

Sadira's eyes were easing open as she lay on her stomach on the cold marble floor. The most basic sensations of where she was were the first to make themselves known. Remembrance of how she'd gotten there came after. And when it did, her heart kickstarted.

She scrambled to her feet, taking a look around herself. She was in a low-walled circular room of silver-white walls with an identically colored floor; a computer terminal rested at the room's center. Where the walls ended, there was no ceiling; instead, impossibly high walls of water fell toward the sky, which was visible above as a bright blue shimmer. Behind Sadira, a stairway led up above the walls to some sort of feature, perhaps a wall or door, that was covered in a thick chunk of ice. Before her and behind the terminal, another patch of ice, tall as the wall and several feet wide, glistened.

Perhaps the oddest fixture of the room was the thirteen structures that stood atop the walls. Of a dimension that suggested they were doors, they showed only blue light beyond, marked with a shadowy symbol that was different for each. Sadira needed to look at them twice over before realizing she recognized some: Vexen's shield, Dilan's lance, a club that looked like something Aeleus might wield, a pair of crossed Keyblades.

It appeared Sadira had been the last to awaken; Nora, Yuffie, Moana, Pleakley, and Lilo were gathered near the ice patch behind the terminal. "Sadira!" Moana cried once she saw the last of their number moving.

Pleakley immediately screamed "SADIRA!" and rushed toward her, seizing her by the upper arms. "Tell me you're all right! You remember who I am, right? And all of them? Do you remember who YOU are? What world are we on?"

"I'm fine," Sadira said with a slight laugh; not that Pleakley's concern was a laughing matter, but he was going a little overkill with it. She appreciated being worried about all the same. "I'm Sadira, you're Pleakley, we're on Radiant Garden, and I don't think I hit my head THAT hard." She frowned. "I also remember why we got knocked out in the first place." Her eyes drifted down to her arm, where the cuff the Huntsman had placed on her was still locked tightly. "Give me just a second."

Pleakley backed off as Sadira tried to pry her fingers under the cuff.

"That won't work," Yuffie warned her. "I've seen those before. It's a magic-blocking cuff. You need someone else to take it off for you. I think I remember how!"

She surged over to Sadira's side; Sadira eagerly held out her arm and let Yuffie fiddle with the cuff until it was detached. Yuffie tossed the cuff to the floor; Sadira flexed her arm. "That's better," she remarked. "Thanks. Now if I just had my sand to work with – "

"You mean this sand?" Lilo held up a bag that was unmistakably the purse Sadira had been using to carry her supply of sand around.

Sadira approached, shouldering the bag and drawing a thin line of sand up out of it, curling that line in a spiral in the air. "Why would they let me keep this?" she wondered out loud.

"That's the question," Nora agreed. "We were all wondering the same thing. Well, not about your sand. The real question is…why would they let me keep THIS?"

She hefted Magnhild up over her shoulder.

"I've got all my shuriken, too," Yuffie added, fanning them out in her fingers.

"They must be new at this whole 'hostage' thing," Pleakley figured.

"Too bad it doesn't do us any good in here," Nora groaned. "If not for lack of trying."

"What's that mean?" Sadira asked.

"You see that ice?" Nora pointed out. "It's covering a door. We could all just see it on the other side. The PROBLEM is…everyone, stand back!"

The others scuffled out of the way as Nora drew back Magnhild. With a forceful swing, Nora connected the hammer's head to the ice wall. It merely bounced off.

"Even was NOT playing around when he put that there," Nora announced. "I've hit it about ten times now and not even a dent!"

"The ice on the other side is probably covering another door," Moana explained. "We thought maybe we could get out through the water, but there's a lot of it. We probably couldn't hold our breaths long enough to make it to the surface. I've tried to speak to the Ocean from here, but I don't think that's where this water comes from."

"So, in conclusion…" Pleakley stated, "WE'RE TRAPPED! IMPOSSIBLY TRAPPED! NO WAY OUT FOR US!"

"Okay, calm down," Sadira urged. "There has to be some way out of here. Have we tried those glowing doors on top of the wall?"

"We were discussing that next," Moana informed her.

"Here's the problem," Yuffie continued. "I think this is a place Ienzo told us about. Some dusty old research facility Xemnas used to use. He might have left traps or something to guard whatever it is he was researching down here. We didn't want to just go poking around while you were still out of it."

"It's safer for us to go together," Nora clarified, "and really not safe for you to be left alone at all."

"And DEFINITELY not safe to be bringing Lilo around," Pleakley asserted.

"Which is exactly why I wanna check out those doors!" Lilo said with a wide smile.

"Okay," Sadira confirmed. "The doors are our next move."

"That Even guy was pretty thorough," Pleakley pointed out. "You really think he just left us a way out?"

"We have to try SOMETHING!" Sadira cried. "Ugh, I can't believe he managed to knock us all out like that!"

"I can't believe Bridgit and Nikolai TRICKED us!" Moana added. "Those aren't even their real names, but I don't know what else to even call them, besides lying, slimy sons of – "

"AH-AHEM," Pleakley interrupted.

"…You know what I mean," Moana concluded.

"Well, that's the other reason we need to figure out how to get out of here," Yuffie said somberly. "So we can go back and warn the others about them before they do whatever they're planning to do to everyone else."

"It has to involve us," Moana stated. "We figured that much out while you were still out. Why else would we still be alive? They're trying to use us as bait for something."

"That makes sense," Sadira agreed. "I'm guessing these aren't the type who couldn't bring themselves to do us in for guilt reasons."

"That one guy in the helmet looked like he's already slaughtered hundreds," Lilo affirmed, "and wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of blood in his wake!"

"Didn't Ruby and the others talk about a guy with a skull helmet?" Nora recalled. "Because if he's who I think he is, that description isn't too far off."

"Let's just focus on getting out of here!" Yuffie insisted. She set her sights on the portals above. "So…which door?"

"Hmm." Sadira gave the room a once-over. "I feel like the symbols mean something."

"So let's pick the least dangerous one," Lilo suggested.

"The book looks pretty harmless," Nora suggested.

"You've never accidentally opened a book of Dark magic, have you?" Yuffie retorted. "Books aren't as harmless as you'd think. It might be some kind of forbidden library."

"That one's just a rectangle," Moana pointed out. "Maybe that one is safe?"

"If we don't know what kind of rectangle it is," Nora rebutted, "we can't say it's safe."

"Well, we're not picking the one with Even's shield," Sadira decided. "It's probably his lab or something, and I bet it has some kind of nasty surprise for anyone who tries to go in."

"What about that one?" Pleakley suggested, pointing to a door. "Does that look like a ukulele to you?"

"More like a guitar," Nora observed.

"It's a pretty weird-shaped guitar," Yuffie added, "but now that you've said it, I can't see anything else."

"It's too short to be an oud," Sadira mused. "Maybe it's a saz?"

"Ukuleles are safe!" Lilo pointed out. "Guitars are safe! Sazes are safe!"

"I wouldn't necessarily assume anything in this place is SAFE," Pleakley corrected, "but it sure beats our other options."

"Let's check it out," Sadira suggested.

The group used the stairway to ascend to the wall's top, then walked around to the blue door – shaped almost like a keyhole, now that they got a better look at it – marked with the musical instrument's silhouette. "Everyone ready?" Sadira asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Nora said as she hoisted Magnhild high.

"I am absolutely not ready," Pleakley stated, "but I'm going in there anyway."

Sadira lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine," she told him, looking directly into his eye. "You have all of us to protect you and Lilo. We're not letting anything bad happen to you."

"That…actually does make me feel a little better," Pleakley admitted.

"Come on," Sadira encouraged. "We might even have some fun while we're at it." She was the first to vanish into the blue.

"Now, THAT I doubt," Pleakley huffed as he followed her.

After proceeding through the door, the group found themselves in a locale that was strange by nature of its familiarity. It seemed they had all been transported to an outdoor arena, the ground tiled with blue and soft green in an area surrounded by high rock walls.

"The castle gate?" Yuffie wondered out loud. "Are we outside?"

"WE MADE IT!" Moana cried, turning to run toward the castle from that area. As soon as she reached the edge of the arena, she slammed hard into a transparent wall that sent her stumbling back. "I'm okay!" she called down.

Yuffie darted to the other end of the gate area, tapping a transparent wall at the other side. "We're fenced in."

"Maybe we're not really outside," Pleakley theorized. "Maybe this is some kind of advanced simulation."

"I really wish that didn't make sense," Yuffie sighed as she trudged back to the group.

"Why would Xemnas need to make a simulation of the castle gate?" Nora wondered out loud.

"Well – " Lilo began, about to volunteer a theory.

The entire group was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a cluster of numbers that shimmered into the air up until the point of forming a human silhouette. The numbers settled, giving way to natural skin and hair tones, clothing of black leather.

Moana tried taking a step toward the person who had seemed to appear. "Hello?" she attempted.

The response of the data projection of Demyx was to produce a Sitar, strum it, and send a cluster of forceful geysers up beneath the entire contingent, knocking them all off kilter and scattering them over the ground.

As soon as she hit the ground, sitting up quickly despite her aching body, Lilo cried, "Not safe! That musical instrument is NOT SAFE!"

"Stay back!" Nora told her, holding out a hand to insist that Lilo not move from her current position. "We've got this!" She rushed at data Demyx with Magnhild swinging.

Data Demyx gave a yell of "Dance, water, dance!" that sounded pre-recorded by some strange machine; his fingers danced over the strings of the sitar and strummed up a host of watery forms that converged upon Nora. She swung again and again, bursting them all one by one, then two by two.

Yuffie ran in from the side, throwing an arc of shuriken; each small disc was intercepted by a bubble of water. She kept running, drawing Demyx's attention to behind where he had been standing. More shuriken flew and were intercepted. Sadira, feeling this was an adequate diversion, tossed all of the sand in her purse to roll in a ball toward data Demyx's legs, where it unfolded and reformed into a shackle that enveloped both of his ankles. Without making a sound, data Demyx stumbled and tipped.

By that time, Moana had gotten close enough to him from the other side to deck him in the face. He hit the ground, giving his opponents a sense of triumph up until he played another set of notes that sent geysers rocketing into each of Moana, Nora, Yuffie, and Sadira's chests, knocking them all back.

Sadira skidded to where Pleakley and Lilo were crowded by the rear invisible wall. Before she could charge back into the fray, she heard Lilo cry, "It's the strings!"

"What about the strings?" Sadira asked.

"He's controlling the water with that instrument!" Lilo pointed out. "If you cut the strings, then he can't play anymore!"

"He can't!" Sadira realized. As she surged forth, she screamed, "YUFFIE!"

Yuffie had flipped back up onto her feet from the other side of the battlefield. "WHAT?" she yelled back.

"CUT THE STRINGS!" Sadira yelled, calling her sand back to her.

Data Demyx took that opportunity to stand, spinning so that his sitar's base was on a course to hit Sadira's head; it was blocked by a defensive wall of sand. The sand reforged itself into a blade, sailing toward the sitar; data Demyx conjured a stream of water that knocked it directly down to splat against the ground as wet mush. After that came a new wave of water forms that covered the battlefield, swinging out to strike whatever blows they could.

Sadira kicked one into droplets, aiming a punch at another one. Nora brought them down by the quintet using Magnhild; Yuffie expertly planted shurikens in each of the remaining forms. By that time, Moana had gotten close enough to data Demyx to leap onto his back, using her limbs to pin his arms to his sides. As he struggled, the water forms were dissipated, and Yuffie called the big shuriken to hand.

With a flick of her wrist, the massive star sailed through the air, arcing around to collide with the sitar. With a discordant noise, it cut through every single string. Data Demyx lost all balance then, toppling backward onto Moana. His hand scrambled to play more notes, but the broken strings yielded only emptiness.

Moana struggled out from beneath data Demyx as Nora stood over him. "You think this guy's just a simulation too?" she asked.

"I mean, we DID see him show up as a pile of numbers," Yuffie said with a shrug.

Nora lifted Magnhild high. "Good enough for me!"

When she brought it down over data Demyx's chest, data Demyx dissipated back into a series of numbers, then vanished in a bright light.

Another light simultaneously flashed into view: the keyhole shape that delineated the door leading from this area to the main cavern. "Should we go back?" Sadira wondered out loud.

"There's nowhere else TO go," Yuffie reminded her. "It's just a projection."

Feeling somewhat defeated despite their victory over data Demyx, the group shuffled back into the main cavern. Sadira, however, took the time to tell Lilo, "Great job thinking of the strings. That saved us a lot of trouble."

"Thanks!" Lilo replied. "Broken strings are really the bane of musicians everywhere."

"So I think I get it," Yuffie realized as they all climbed back down into the low-walled room. "There are thirteen portals, and thirteen members of Organization XIII. That was one of them, and that guitar thing was his weapon. Even's shield is his weapon, and that's on another door. I think each of these doors might lead to a different data projection of an Organization XIII member."

"That makes me really glad we didn't pick Even after all," Moana sighed.

"So there's no way out," Pleakley mourned, walking to the lower ice patch behind the computer terminal and leaning against it in defeat. "We're trapped in here until we learn the hard way about the horrible, painful fate our captors have for us."

"It is looking pretty grim," Sadira sighed, leaning against the same wall.

"Hey, wait," Yuffie realized, approaching the computer terminal. "Nobody's messed with this yet!" She struck a key, hoping to find some sort of revelation about the machine.

Meanwhile, Moana was alerted to a sound. The background noise of the rushing waters, flowing continuously upward, was still there, masking many minor sounds. All the same, she could hear a small drip, a splattering sound. Her eyes sought out the source of the noise.

"Okay, so our situation might have gone from bad to worse," Yuffie announced.

"Why?" Nora asked, moving in to stand beside her.

She immediately saw why. The computer screen displayed a timer that was ticking down second by second.

"Are we gonna blow up when that timer reaches zero?" Lilo asked, having gotten a good look herself. "That's how the villains always set it up in the movies. But the heroes disable it at the last second."

"I didn't see anything around here that looked like a bomb," Yuffie mused, "but that doesn't mean there ISN'T one…"

"Uhh, everyone?" Moana said loudly enough to get the attention in all of the room. "You're gonna wanna take a look at this."

She was staring directly at Sadira and Pleakley: more accurately, toward their midsections, where their hands hung casually at their sides, brushing the wall of ice. "What's wrong now?" Pleakley asked, panic rising.

"Your hands!" Moana said as Nora, Yuffie, and Lilo hurried to her side. "They're melting the ice!"

Sadira and Pleakley both looked down in astonishment. The places where their hands touched the ice wall were indeed now sources of running water, slowly but surely melting away a layer of the ice. "What's happening?" Pleakley said in shock.

"I don't – " Sadira began, but then stopped herself, a realization overcoming her. "Wait. I DO know. It's our bracelets! They're built with Blizzard resistance, remember?"

"So that means…" Pleakley turned around to face the ice wall, stripping off both his bracelet and his necklace to press them to the ice. Where they made contact, the melting was faster, the water running more freely. "If we use all our jewelry, we might be able to melt our way out!"

"YES!" Sadira cried, adding her bracelet, necklace, and earrings to the mix.

"So you mean to tell me," Nora said, stunned, "that your shopping spree actually GOT US A WAY TO ESCAPE?"

"You bet it did!" Sadira affirmed, just a little bit smug.

"One problem," Yuffie said. "I don't think that's going to be fast enough to beat the timer."

"But it might get that ice thin enough that I can finally smash it down," Nora pointed out. "Keep it up, then lemme have a crack at it!"

"You got it!" Sadira replied.

She turned and gave Pleakley a victorious smile. Upon catching her glance, he returned it.

...

Though the sun shone down brightly upon Hyrule Castle, the barrier of Darkness still held firm around its front gate. This was quite obvious to Wuya, Mozenrath, Yzma, Roman, Zevon, Irmaplotz, Demyx, and Hans, who stood in a row before that exact location.

"Are we SURE this is a good idea?" Demyx asked nervously. "I mean, this is the guy who set up all the spirits to give us the hard time they did. He's not gonna be easy to take down."

"Don't worry," Wuya said with a grin. "This is going to be fun."

Demyx didn't like the way she'd said that.

She withdrew another dao from the air, passing it to Hans. "Don't break this one," she warned. "I can't just make those for you forever."

"So I got unlucky!" Hans groaned. "It's not going to be a recurring thing!"

"Technically, you can make swords for him forever," Mozenrath pointed out.

"You're right," Wuya affirmed. "It's just that I refuse to. Now, does anyone have any other objections?"

"I have plenty," Demyx stated, "but they're not going to be listened to."

"I should also take this time to remembind you all that I'm out of potions," Zevon stated. "Technically speaking, I'm now inoperationive."

"Just stay out of the fray," Wuya told him, "and leave the big fish to us."

"Perhaps you should wait outside," Yzma suggested, suddenly shivering from a worry.

"I'm not missing the kerscuffle!" Zevon insisted.

"You all remember the plan?" Wuya asked. "A red firework is the signal."

"So long as she's there," Roman confirmed, "there's no way this will go wrong."

"Good," Wuya replied, the smirk now overtaking her face. "And with that out of the way…"

She leapt into the air, turning a full 360 degrees in flight. Her foot extended, colliding with the Dark barrier.

A great crack appeared where she had kicked, traveling all the way up the shield's surface and rending it before it burst into a thousand tiny shards or more, fading into smoky wisps and leaving the castle undefended.

"Let's go," Wuya commanded, leading the way inside.

Within the cathedral-like structure atop the castle that housed the throne room, Ganondorf sat upon the throne while Ursula and Cinder flanked him. The changes Hyrule had undergone had not gone unnoticed by them. As they had noticed more and more of the land become restored to Light, they had conferred about who must have been responsible, and they came to one conclusion: Link (or, as Ursula referred to him, "the little swordfish") and Zelda had discovered a way to thwart the villains' plans.

"And now they've broken the barrier," Cinder observed.

"Good," Ganondorf said smugly.

"HOW is this good?" Cinder asked through gritted teeth. "They've undone all we did, and now they're coming for us!"

"Forgive her," Ursula told Ganondorf. "She's still new at the overtaking game. Listen, angelfish, we couldn't ask for a better setup than them walking right up to us and thinking they could beat us at our game. They're swimming right into our net."

"If you say so," Cinder replied in a low tone. Flames sprung up to encircle her eyes, winging outward away from her face.

"Someone's been playing a few too many rounds of poker with Hades," Ursula remarked.

"It will take them time to progress through the castle." Ganondorf slowly rose, drawing his sword. "If they wish to find us, that is exactly what they will get."

Within moments, the sound of footsteps became audible coming up the stairway to the throne room.

"Come in, come in, little swordfish," Ursula murmured. "Judging by the sounds of the footsteps, he's picked up some friends – "

Her words caught in her throat as Wuya came striding confidently into the throne room with her seven compatriots in tow.

"Hello, Ganny," she greeted.

"WHAT?" Cinder yelled. "THEM? HERE?"

"You got it, bitch queen," Roman said with a smile.

"Well, this is unexpected," Ursula commented. She then shrugged; "But I can work with it." She fixed her gaze directly upon Mozenrath; "We have been meaning to wipe you off the map for a while now."

"Maybe if you wish upon a star, it'll come true someday!" Mozenrath said in a mockingly eager tone.

Ganondorf's expression remained passive as he stared directly into Wuya's eyes: eyes he had long ago found a spark in that lit a fire beneath his cold heart up until the day he had frozen the works for his own good. "So you've returned," he stated in a tone just as icy. "The years have been good to you."

"Too bad I can't say the same for you," Wuya replied. Though that was quite a lie; Ganondorf looked as good as ever, and she hated it. She had hoped he would have been dealt some unkindness that would make it apparent she had come away from their relationship the victor.

"You've come to destroy me," Ganondorf asked, "haven't you?"

"You were sitting here waiting for me to come be destroyed BY you, weren't you?" Wuya retaliated.

"We were expecting someone else," Ganondorf admitted. "However, I think I will enjoy this more."

"Ahem," Yzma broke in. "This sounds oddly like flirting. You two don't still…?"

"Well?" Wuya asked Ganondorf. "Do we have a snowball's chance in Death Mountain?"

"I would never waste my time so again," Ganondorf stated calmly. "Would that I could get back what I already spent."

"You know," Wuya realized, "you really bore me." She tossed a quick glance to Yzma; "So that's a no."

"You two had a thing?" Ursula realized. "Well, there's no accounting for taste."

"There isn't," Ganondorf agreed, "is there?"

"Well then," Wuya proposed, "for old times' sake, should we settle this once and for all?" She crossed her arms, then flung them apart, wielding a dao in each.

"Ending you may be the most pleasure you can give me," Ganondorf replied.

Without further warning, she flew at him, and he bolted toward her.

Ursula summoned a column of dark smog to surround her at the same time Cinder became edged by an aura of flame. Their opponents were ready for this; Demyx, Roman, and Hans rushed toward Cinder, weapons in hand, while Mozenrath, Irmaplotz, and Yzma headed off Ursula. Zevon flattened himself against the wall, hoping to look inconspicuous.

Both of Wuya's swords crashed against Ganondorf's blade. He drew back for another blow; she spun and ducked underneath it, stabbing for his legs. Ganondorf took two great steps back to evade her before aiming a kick directly at her stomach. She took it, somersaulting backward and losing the swords in the process – though her grip on them hadn't been that tight; they had mostly been for show. She could work more freely without them. She immediately sprang to her feet, spinning a kick at Ganondorf. He attempted to use the opening to slice off the offending foot, but she was faster, her heel slamming into his chest. He felt it then: the might of the Triforce of Power bolstering Wuya's every move. The kick sent him sliding back a few inches and left a sore spot. He responded by drawing back his free fist, flinging it at Wuya's face. She seized his wrist in both hands, used it as a springboard to flip up over his head, and came down planting both of her feet into his back. He quickly whirled to slice his blade at her; she leaned back impossibly far, letting the sword pass over her face. One of Wuya's legs jackknifed into Ganondorf's solar plexus, dealing him a decent amount of pain.

In the meantime, Cinder hurled fireball after fireball directly at Roman's face. She was struck with shock when Demyx plucked at the strings of his sitar and summoned up a bubble of water to match each salvo she fired. He struck a ringing chord, and an utter tidal wave washed over Cinder, dousing her fiery aura. She called another flame to hand; Demyx immediately doused it with a thick jet of water.

"Oh, now that's just too bad!" Roman laughed. "Take away your Maiden powers, and what are you?"

"A warrior," Cinder replied, twirling violently; when she completed her spin, she held in her hands a pair of jet-black swords.

"Dishwater," Roman commanded, "do your thing."

Demyx made a dramatic leap before bringing his hand down hard on the sitar's strings; "DANCE, WATER, DANCE!"

A crowd of watery forms sprang up before Cinder. She sliced through them one by one with her blades, each dissipating in a spray. While Cinder was diverted, Roman took aim with the Cudgel.

And was immediately set off course when Cinder's sword locked with the Cudgel's shaft, making the shot go wild and hit the ceiling so that bits of stone rained down. Now Cinder and Roman were locked in a spar, Roman parrying every blow Cinder attempted upon him.

Hans rushed at Cinder with his own blade, but she was ready; she held off Roman with one hand while blocking Hans' sword with the other. All the while, she knew she was still a target. Without warning, she sped into the sky just as Demyx set up another blow; Roman and Hans were both knocked back by the fountains he conjured up from the ground.

"ANY TIME, EYELINER!" Roman yelled.

Simultaneously, Ursula soared over Mozenrath and Irmaplotz, dropping bombs of Darkness upon them rapidly. Mozenrath swatted each attack aside with his right hand, aglow with magic; Irmaplotz simply punched the Dark attacks into exploding. At her whim, electricity shot out of thin air toward the two mages; Mozenrath collected it in a bright blue disc-shaped shield, then flung the energy-charged disc back at Ursula. As she attempted to catch it, it exploded, soaring around her and coming back at her in fragments.

Fragments that she simply let bounce off a larger, spherical deflection shield that surrounded her.

"I mean, points for presentation," Irmaplotz commented.

She followed that up by hurling a beam of green magic directly at Ursula; Ursula met it with a beam of her own, one composed of crimson heat. Ursula's beam overwhelmed Irmaplotz's, striking the princess and effectively charring her.

"I'm okay," Irmaplotz coughed, smoke trailing from her mouth.

Ursula twisted her hands in the air, summoning up a new pattern. A ring of lightning surrounded Irmaplotz, trails of electricity whipping inward and shocking her before the whole ring collapsed on her and sent jolts of pain through her entire body.

"I am less okay," she said weakly before collapsing forward onto her stomach.

Another ring of lightning surrounded Mozenrath; he quickly covered himself with a dome-shaped deflection shield, which the ring squeezed as though it were rubber. Ursula casually tossed a handful of smog down at the shield's top; there was a crack in the dome upon impact. After the second one put Mozenrath's shield that much closer to splitting in half, he began to sweat.

All the while, Yzma, practically cackling to herself that she had been forgotten about in comparison to the mages, took aim with her atlatl, ready to launch a dart directly at Ursula.

"You take me for a fool," Ganondorf accused as he dealt Wuya a punch that sent her flying back through the air several feet.

Before she could make impact with the wall, Wuya caught herself in midair, zooming forward to land a punch of her own on Ganondorf's stomach and toppling him onto his behind. "You're the one underestimating me," she retorted, "as per usual."

Ganondorf struck outward with his sword; as Wuya sailed higher to evade it, he scrambled to his feet. "Power alone will not save you," he told her. "Strength will only aid you in a battle of strength."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Wuya asked as she jackknifed down behind him, striking him in the back with her heel.

He remembered the way Yzma had looked at her when she had asked if Wuya and Ganondorf still felt sparks. It was perhaps too brief of an interaction from which to draw a conclusion, but he felt sure in his conjecture. As Wuya took her fallen swords back into hand and jammed them both at Ganondorf, he became immaterial Darkness, letting the blades pierce empty air. He flowed past Wuya, surging toward Yzma as the purple-clad woman lined up her shot against Ursula.

"NO!" Wuya screamed.

Before Yzma could fully register what was happening, the Darkness that was Ganondorf had flowed into her, absorbed by her skin. Her atlatl fell to the floor, bouncing with a metallic ring before settling down. Her eyes shut as she reeled woozily.

"YZMA!" Wuya cried, though she knew it was in vain. She was well aware of what Ganondorf had just done.

When Yzma's eyes opened, they no longer belonged to Yzma. Ganondorf's soul was piloting her body. With a smug smile, Ganondorf-as-Yzma rose into the air, floating toward Wuya with a victorious air.

Wuya then knew she wouldn't be sending up the signal for the plan anytime soon.

Ganondorf forged a ball of red-hot energy between Yzma's hands, launching it toward Wuya.

From her position in the air, Cinder dodged shot after shot from the Cudgel; the ceiling looked ever the worse for wear. Demyx's fountains also failed to hit their mark. Cinder's swords became a bow, strung up with three arrows that she sent rocketing toward Hans. One well-timed shot from Roman blasted through the shafts of all three at once, breaking the arrows down before they could hit their mark.

"You get to lay the fuck off the insults for a while for that one!" Roman yelled at Hans.

"Okay, that was a nice shot," Hans admitted. "Demyx, can you get me up high? I want to try and strike at her."

"Going up!" Demyx declared, playing the notes that sent a fountain up under Hans.

After winning the struggle of keeping his balance on highly pressurized water, Hans swung his blade at Cinder's back. Cinder retaliated by quickly swapping her bow out for the twin swords once more, slamming them hard into Hans' blade.

What happened next was only the inevitable.

As Wuya batted aside the first attack from Yzma-Ganondorf, the metal shards from Hans' blade rained down over her. "STOP BREAKING THOSE!" she snapped.

The fountain was let down, and Hans stumbled onto the ground. "Okay, it's all you," he declared.

Cinder spread her arms wide, letting fire rain from above.

"YIPE!" Demyx cried, putting up a shield of water over himself, Hans, and Roman as the fragments of flame rained down. They could hear each attack sizzling against the dome.

"Any TIME, EYELINER!" Roman reiterated.

The dome over Mozenrath cracked completely in half; the shield split apart and crumbled to pieces. The ring of electricity immediately snapped onto Mozenrath, sending painful volts charging through his flesh. As he fell onto his back, he was somewhat amazed he wasn't dead. He was just aware enough of his surroundings to notice Ursula hovering over him and a bright red light emitting from her hands: another beam of heat, ready to sear him alive.

Irmaplotz quickly stepped into the beam's path, catching it in both of her magic-covered hands. "Stay…off…my…FRIEND!" she grunted, doing her best to push back with her own energy.

Mozenrath didn't have the time to overanalyze the label she had placed on him, even though, despite the general status of the WHAM ARMY as friends, Mozenrath had been doubtful of his bond with Irmaplotz. Instead of thinking on it, he hurried to a standing position, throwing his own right hand in the path of the beam and adding his magic to Irmaplotz's. Together, they were finally able to force the heat all the way back up to Ursula, who cried out as it backfired on her.

"That's it!" Ursula resolved. "You've bitten off more than you can chew!" She lowered herself to Irmaplotz and Mozenrath's level, hurling ball after ball of the Dark smog at them. Green and blue darts of energy zipped through the air, taking them down one by one, though it was clear that Ursula was gaining ground; Mozenrath and Irmaplotz were both tiring.

Yzma-Ganondorf launched another ball at Wuya; Wuya flipped into the air and over it, landing neatly on her feet with catlike grace. "I was right," Ganondorf said through Yzma's mouth, using her voice (and, in Wuya's view, absolutely polluting it). "You wouldn't hurt this body. You really have gone soft."

A plan began to form in Wuya's mind. "You're nothing in that body," she reminded Ganondorf. "I could kill you in one blow."

"You could kill this body in one blow," Ganondorf corrected, lobbing another orb. "I would exit it unharmed."

"But it would still hurt like heck," Wuya pointed out, batting the projectile aside.

"It doesn't matter," Ganondorf told her. "You would never do it."

"Wouldn't I?" Wuya challenged. "I told you. You keep underestimating me."

She clapped her hands together, her entire body surrounded by a lime-colored aura that burst into flame.

To Ganondorf, it seemed like the perfect crime. The fact that Wuya was actually willing to kill her ally to oust Ganondorf was all too delicious. He knew the only move to make was to exit Yzma at the last second, letting Wuya know that what she had killed was purely Yzma. He did not know of the depth of the connection the two women had, but he knew it would cause Wuya some discomfort, even if only an inconvenience at having sacrificed an ally.

Wuya let the flames fly in a direct line speeding toward Yzma-Ganondorf.

As Darkness, Ganondorf rose out of Yzma's body, reforming into his Gerudo shape some distance away. Yzma blinked and shook her head, trying to make sense of what was happening before her. The flames were mere inches away from striking her down –

They curved, forming a path around Yzma before burning out.

"Didn't I tell you that you underestimated me?" Wuya called over to Ganondorf. "I can't believe you didn't see that fakeout coming." She, of course, had known Ganondorf's intent to leave Yzma's body for her to destroy the moment she made her threat clear.

"What just happened?" Yzma wondered out loud.

"Don't worry about it," Wuya reassured her. She turned her attention to Ganondorf. Locking eyes with him, she threw one hand high in the air, letting a bright red burst explode from it.

"Was that just the signal?" Demyx said in a panic.

"You bet your ass it was!" Roman affirmed. "Drop the shield!"

"But – "

"DROP THE SHIELD!"

Demyx let the water fall away, and as planned, he, Roman, and Hans took off running, making sure to stay in a group. This, of course, meant dodging Cinder's rain of flames; one of Roman's sleeves and Hans' pant leg both ignited, requiring Demyx to quickly douse the fire. Cinder switched to her bow, shooting arrows of obsidian after the running targets; Roman, knowing that was coming, turned quickly enough to block the arrows, their tips sticking into the Cudgel's shaft.

Determined, Cinder gave chase, flying after the trio with flames abound. In order to properly carry the sitar, Demyx had slung the bulk of it onto Hans; the pair held it aloft while Demyx played, sending jets of water back at Cinder. Cinder dodged left and right, gaining on her targets in distance and very nearly catching them before a fountain of water slammed her backward, starting her from square one, where she took to throwing fireballs once more only to be thwarted by Demyx's playing. The trio made a veritable loop of the perimeter of the throne room on their way to where Ursula continued her assault on Mozenrath and Irmaplotz.

Both of whom she had managed to bowl over with Dark smog. She floated over them, pinching both of their cheeks and saying in a syrupy tone, "Leave this gig to the professionals next time."

"What are you going to do now?" Mozenrath asked. "Destroy me?"

"Well, that depends," Ursula admitted. "Would it be more satisfying to kill you, or to start by making you watch your little girlfriend die?"

"Girlfriend?" Irmaplotz repeated. "Ew. That's not – we do NOT have that kind of relationship. He's, like, twenty-seven."

"I'M TWENTY-FIVE," Mozenrath reiterated.

"Always a pity when they die young," Ursula commented.

That was when Roman, Hans, and Demyx came barreling by. "We'll take THAT!" Hans declared as he let go of the sitar to reach down and seize Mozenrath's upper arm. Demyx stumbled with the sitar before dismissing it outright, pulling Irmaplotz to her feet as Hans did the same for Mozenrath. Mozenrath and Irmaplotz flicked their hands back at Ursula as they made their getaway; chains sprouted up from the floor and wrapped around Ursula, holding her down. As she struggled, the two mages took care of Cinder in the same manner.

Seeing the plan almost fully realized, Wuya retrieved her swords once more, looking Ganondorf dead in the eye. Once more, they charged each other, but before they could clash, Wuya launched high into the air, bringing herself down hard so that her feet slammed into Ganondorf's back and shoved him toward the far wall. Yzma charged past his stumble, following Wuya.

Where Zevon was already waiting, Mozenrath, Irmaplotz, Demyx, Roman, Hans, Yzma, and Wuya crowded, pressing against the wall. By that time, Ursula and Cinder had both seared through their chains with just a bit of red-hot magic. As they shook off their bindings, Ganondorf regained his balance. "Look at them cower," Cinder remarked.

"Even with the Triforce of Power," Ganondorf stated, "they are no match for our might."

"Pity Maleficent isn't here to – " Ursula began. She then noticed, as Cinder and Ganondorf noticed, that all eight of their targets were cheekily waving them goodbye. "What are they doing THAT for?"

During the chase around the room, none had been paying explicit attention to Roman. Therefore, none had noticed him tossing all the bombs he had in his bag to the far corners of the room. And none had realized that Cinder, passing by them with her aura aglow, had lit every single fuse.

They all realized far too late that they were standing amongst the cluster of bombs while the WHAM ARMY was just out of range.

The explosion was tremendous and terrible. The rear half of the throne room collapsed entirely, the ceiling giving way for complete visibility of the sky as stone bricks rained down. Cinder and Ursula were singed and battered, stumbling back through the collapsing room as their burns pierced.

Ursula knew when to cut her losses. "This isn't over," she vowed as she conjured a Corridor of Darkness back to base; she and Cinder both backed into it.

The eight of the WHAM ARMY watched the rear half of the room become little more than an enormous dust cloud that blocked out visibility. "You know," Mozenrath remarked, "it was my plan, and I still can't believe they fell for it."

"And whose bombs made the whole thing work?" Roman insisted.

"Anyone could have carried and thrown those bombs," Hans groaned.

"It is rather odd that Maleficent herself wasn't here," Yzma pointed out.

"It isn't an odditery at all!" Zevon proclaimed, stepping out front of the crowd, his back to the still-swirling dust cloud. "Obviousmently, Maleficent is too much of a coward to show up herself! She knows by now she can't actually defanquish us!" He stepped back to put himself even more in the view of the others, putting himself closer to the shadow that was beginning to loom out of the dust. "I think it's finally sinking in that we're a force to be reckonated with!"

"ZEVON!" Yzma and Wuya cried, knowing what was about to happen just a second too late.

Ganondorf finally emerged from the dust, showing only a few bruises for wear. He seized Zevon from behind, wrapping one hand tightly over Zevon's face and bolting the other arm over his chest. Zevon gave a sharp cry and began to struggle, but he didn't have long to do so.

Ganondorf twisted: one sharp motion.

The crack was muffled, but to the other seven of the WHAM ARMY, it was as though it had echoed throughout the entirety of what had been the throne room.

Zevon's lifeless body slumped to the floor.

"No," Yzma muttered, eyes wide and glued to the corpse of her son. "No…no, no, NO!"

The others gaped in surprise, silent. All but Wuya. She locked eyes with Ganondorf, growling, "You're going to pay for that." Her aura sprang into green flames that roared toward the half of the ceiling still supported in place.

Ganondorf responded by first appearing to collapse, falling forward onto his hands and knees. His position of apparent weakness was soon revealed to be far more sinister. His entire body melted into Darkness, expanding and growing. He shifted into something much, much larger, standing on all fours – now no longer on hands and knees, but supported on four clawed feet. His shape began to gel into something solid, displaying colors. Dark fur blanketed his body, save for the bright red mane that cascaded back from his snouted face. A pair of pointed tusks protruded forward, gleaming in the sunlight. In the form of a great boar, the divine beast Ganon towered over the now seven living challengers from the WHAM ARMY.

"What now?" Mozenrath asked, slightly nervous; Wuya had never mentioned this.

"Run," Wuya said calmly.

Ganon barged straight at the seven; all but Wuya scattered, finding refuge in the rest of the throne room, some clambering up onto the fallen pile of ceiling in the back. Wuya seized Ganon's tusks head-on, wrestling with him until he dissipated into Darkness once more.

"All that buildup just for that?" Demyx remarked. "That wasn't very – "

Ganon emerged from thin air directly behind Demyx; the latter's fast reflexes saved him, and he somersaulted away from the boar's great claws before he could be trampled.

Ganon then made a beeline for Mozenrath, who made a flying dive out of the way; the boar was gone again, only to reappear right in front of Roman, who sidestepped him by a hair. His rampage took him toward Yzma, who cartwheeled out of the way, and a disappearing and reappearing act put him in Hans' way just before Mozenrath fired a spell that teleported Hans across the room.

As Ganon barreled toward Irmaplotz, he suddenly felt himself hindered. Irmaplotz had attempted to chain him to the floor. A simple tug snapped the chain, and Ganon was free to rampage once more. Mozenrath, catching on, linked a chain of his own around Ganon's neck. The beast shook this one with a little more difficulty.

Yzma had scooped up her atlatl at that point, letting a dart fly at Ganon. It stuck into his side, where it had absolutely no effect. Yzma's face fell as Wuya, still surging with fire, floated to her side, informing her, "He's too powerful to be defeated by mere potions! We need something stronger!"

"HE KILLED MY SON!" Yzma reminded Wuya. "I want him DEAD!"

"Believe me," Wuya seethed, "so do I. Well, actually, before, I wanted him dead. Now that he's killed Zevon, I want him to suffer excruciating torment."

"So what do we do?" Yzma asked.

Wuya watched Ganon break through another chain Mozenrath had attempted to lay. "Hmm…that might not be a bad idea…" She snapped her fingers. "We need everyone back together!"

"EVERYONE!" Yzma yelled, sprinting across the room to stand by Mozenrath's side. "TO ME!"

Hans, Irmaplotz, and Roman rushed immediately to Yzma and Mozenrath. Demyx hesitated, then figured he was better off following the group than chancing it alone in a room with a rampaging monster. Wuya finally settled in before the others, facing Ganon down.

Wuya thrust out her hands; stronger chains than those Mozenrath or Irmaplotz could conjure sprouted from the floor and looped around Ganon's neck. "KEEP CHAINING HIM!" she cried.

Mozenrath and Irmaplotz summoned chains to snake up around each of Ganon's paws; he was able to break them easily, but the three mages kept the chains coming, forging three more for every one Ganon snapped. Finally, a web of chains held him somewhat in place.

"Now hit him with EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!" Wuya yelled, shooting the green of her aura forward as a rush of energy. After it connected, she called up the plethora of weapons she reserved for her toughest foes into the air, planting swords, axes, and pikes all around Ganon.

Mozenrath launched a sphere of blue that burst into shards, each shard flying to a different part of Ganon's body and sizzling the skin there. Irmaplotz hurled an onslaught of green bolts while Roman fired again and again from the Cudgel. Demyx surrounded Ganon with a throng of watery forms that struck out at him from all sides before hitting his face with a barrage of bubbles. Yzma and Hans knew there was nothing they could do, but they watched in awe as Ganon began to falter. Wuya then commanded the weapons to strike their marks; the clash of metal fell together across Ganon's body, leaving deep wounds.

Only divine weapons could kill Ganon or any iteration of him. This Wuya knew, and she had nothing of the sort upon her, nor did any of her allies. But Ganon could still be wounded and winded, and as he slumped within his chains, it seemed the WHAM ARMY had succeeded in doing exactly that. He collapsed to the floor, heaving his breaths.

That was when Wuya, in a fit of creativity, dropped an entire elevator onto his head.

After that blow, Ganon's body shivered, losing its form. He shrank back down into the shape of a man; Ganondorf struggled to draw breath, shaking off the chains that bound him.

A Corridor of Darkness appeared behind him. "Cut your losses, angelfish," Ursula's voice beckoned.

Giving the WHAM ARMY a glare that was almost enough to kill, Ganondorf built up enough energy to rush into the Corridor, which immediately snapped shut.

Wuya stumbled onto her knees then, out of breath herself. "What's wrong?" Yzma asked in concern as the others leaned over her.

Wuya raised her hand; the Triforce mark was rapidly fading. "The power he lent the others depended on him being in a radius of a couple worlds or less," she explained. "Without him, no Triforce of Power. Except the one he always has."

Now knowing Wuya was otherwise all right, Yzma scurried to hover over Zevon's body. "No," she said plaintively as she lowered herself to her knees and placed her hands over the corpse, "no, no, no, it CAN'T be…"

"Um," Mozenrath tried to interrupt, "Yzma?"

"Not NOW, Mozenrath!" Yzma snapped, glaring at him over her shoulder. "Can't you see I'm grieving?"

Irmaplotz made her way to stand over Zevon. "He really wasn't a bad guy," she said mournfully. "He might've been one of my best friends here."

"He actually liked me," Demyx added, joining her. "There really aren't many people that like me. And now there's one less of them alive."

"Listen, I didn't know him," Hans added, "so maybe I shouldn't talk. But he had an infectious positive attitude. That's…gonna be hard to lose."

"I was actually getting attached to him," Roman sighed, moving into place with the others.

Wuya simply placed a hand on Yzma's shoulder.

"You realize you're all making too much of a scene about this," Mozenrath pointed out.

"Mozenrath," Wuya growled, "I know you're hardly the empathetic sort, but could you at least PRETEND to have a heart? I know he meant something to you too!"

Mozenrath just rolled his eyes before flicking his gauntlet at the empty air next to him.

With a shimmer, Zevon, outfitted in a new body and clothes identical to those he'd worn upon his deathbed, appeared fully resurrected beside Mozenrath.

Everyone simultaneously realized why Mozenrath had been unfazed by his death.

"That was harrowling," Zevon remarked. "I almost thought I was deadceased for a moment. I even had a dream that I went into the light and was depositoried at the Under…" His eyes traveled over his own corpse. "…world…"

"I'm so used to making new bodies for my resurrections," Mozenrath stated, "it's more second nature to do that than to just put the soul back in the old one."

"YOU MEAN I ACTUALLY PERISHABLED?" Zevon cried in horror.

Everyone else smiled at him. "It's good to have you back!" Yzma insisted as she approached him, arms wide – then drawn back; she wasn't used to hugging others, and while it seemed the correct gesture to give one's newly resurrected son, she wasn't sure if it applied.

"Maybe hold off on the embraceling," Zevon suggested.

Yzma sighed in relief; she was off the hook.

Wuya smiled, glad to see both Yzma and Zevon alive and emotionally sound. It then occurred to her that perhaps Ganondorf had been right about her being soft. She was of no mind to pay any attention to anything he said, but she still steeled herself and turned away from the sight. "We have bigger fish to fry," she stated. "Now that Ganondorf is taken care of – "

"You mean Ganny?" Demyx teased.

"Watch it," Wuya growled, "or I might take advantage of the fact that among us, death is cheap."

"Noted," Demyx said with a tremulous voice.

"Now that Ganondorf is taken care of," Wuya went on, "we have a certain Twilight princess to find."

Mozenrath strode past her, out the door of the throne room to the outdoor stairway and the balcony below it. "As long as we're here and technically in control of this castle," he said, "we might as well enjoy the view."

The eight gathered up on the balcony, looking out over Castle Town and Hyrule beyond. "It's all Light again now," Irmaplotz observed.

"I'm glad Mim isn't here to see this," Yzma commented.

"Is anyone else tired?" Demyx asked. "Like, dead tired. Playing that much took a lot out of me."

"You're always tired," Mozenrath reminded him. Then, after a sigh, "but that was pretty magically draining. It might be in our best interest to recuperate before chasing after the princess."

"It was pretty hard on those of us without magic, too," Roman offered up.

"I feel fine," Zevon stated.

"Of course you feel fine!" Yzma groaned. "You just came back from the dead!"

"I think we should just kick it here," Irmaplotz suggested. "We do have the whole castle to ourselves, after all. And by the way, keeping these glasses on has made everything SO much better." She swept her gaze over the view below. "I can see EVERYTHING. The buildings, the people running at full tilt down the main road toward the castle gates, the lake in the distance, the forest – "

"THE WHAT?" the others chorused at her.

"The forest?" Irmaplotz repeated.

"Before that!" Yzma urged.

"Oh," Irmaplotz realized. "The lake. You can see it just on the edge of the horizon if you – "

"BEFORE. THAT," Mozenrath growled.

"You mean the people running at full tilt down the main…" Irmaplotz trailed off as actual realization set in. "Oh. Yeah, I see how that could be a problem."

Everyone's gazes were drawn to the road Irmaplotz had drawn attention to. Wuya conjured up handheld telescopes for everyone to look through. The first thing she noticed was Sora taking the lead. "Great," she sighed. "The idiot with the giant key is here. As if we needed HIM right now."

"Okay," Roman brought up, "is it just me, or does that one chick look like the people we fought in the Twilight Realm?"

Zevon consulted the compass. "The needle is directionated at her. She must be the Twilight princess!"

"Ohhhhh, this is too perfect," Yzma remarked.

"Or it would be," Hans reminded her, "if we weren't all dead tired."

Mozenrath suddenly threw down his telescope, shattering it against the stone floor. "No," he growled. "NO. How…did HE…find us HERE?"

"That's the thing about Sora," Demyx replied. "He tends to show up exactly where you don't want – "

"NOT HIM," Mozenrath roared. "I'M TALKING ABOUT ALADDIN!"

"Wait, which one is he?" Yzma asked. "The really handsome one in the vest?"

"He is pretty hot," Irmaplotz agreed.

"HE IS NOT HANDSOME!" Mozenrath screamed. "I'LL DESTROY HIM!" Then, suddenly calm: "…I can destroy him. He's walking right into my territory. This could work out better than expected."

"Are you in any shape to fight him?" Yzma asked.

"I'll answer for him," Wuya volunteered. "No. He is absolutely not. And do you know why? Because he is accompanied by the people who have routinely made mockeries of us AS WELL AS the Twili bearing the Fused Shadow. And that Fused Shadow has the ability to turn her into something potentially worse to deal with than Ganon. It will take all eight of us working together to face her alone, not taking any of the others into account. And that's what we need to do first: separate her from the others and take her on ALONE."

"I let you take on your enemy," Mozenrath seethed. "Let me destroy mine."

"Maybe," Wuya told him, "IF we can extract the Fused Shadow from the princess. Or you can go against all common sense and run into a death trap. We can't bring YOU back from the dead, after all."

Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll do this your way. How do you want to get the princess alone?"

"Brute force won't work here," Wuya mused. "We'll have to start with some sort of deception."

"Actually," Hans said as he focused his telescope on Zelda, "I might have just the way to do it."