In which things don't go as planned...

It would seem that Snow White's initial assumption - that Daisy was the princess of this castle or at least a close equivalent to it - had been proven correct with each step through the scene she was led through, weaved straight from the sparkling veins of a fairytale. As they passed various rooms, she could see various creatures of different shapes and sizes flitting in and out, from chipmunks wearing tiny patchwork aprons to a large horse walking on two legs as tall as a pole.

"This place is...different," Snow White remarked, somewhat vaguely, her golden eyes circled as she took in the various sights that passed them by.

Giggling a little, Daisy walked a little more ahead, her violet dress shifting a bit with each (presumably) webbed step. "I'd imagine it would be. I take it you're not from around here?"

"You could say so, no." Snow White answered.

Before long, they reached a wide and white set of double doors; various inscriptions twisted and curved into an array of beautiful patterns, the hallways now emptied of all except for herself and her feathery companion. "Here we are," Daisy smiled.

It was as if whoever was inside knew they were coming, as two silent guards pulled the wide doors open for the pair of them. They were anthropomorphic, much like all the residents of this castle seemed to be, and wore a matching set of what she assumed were some sort of jumpsuits, judging by the rather bagged-up legs; they were sleeveless, sans for the dark silver pauldrons just below their shoulders, and possessed blue and orange pigments as bright as sapphires and squash, and they wore pointed metal shoes, long enough to leave at least a nasty nip at the ankles if you weren't careful.

The throne room they opened the way to reaffirmed the storybook image the castle had presented to her thus far, and for a moment or two, left the girl who had adored Magical Girl shows and anything remotely whimsical excited after a long period of neglect and rust. The floors were of shining spotless pale blue marble, as were the walls which reached even further up to the sky than the castle appeared to have done from the outside, tall shining columns stretching altogether to the rooftop. If the roof weren't even higher, Snow White wondered if she could be able to see her own reflection in it, as she could with the floor. At the far end of the room, the walls diverged into a stony white, forming similar patterns to that of the door, where two peculiar statues stood guard at each side. One was like a duck, similar to Daisy, clothed in mage's robes and its face (aside from its bill) obscured by a large wizard's hat, while the other stood tall and lanky, akin to a dog, wearing what looked like old Greek armour, and also with its face masked, this time by a knight's helmet. The marble sea was broken up by a flowing crimson carpet that lined up the middle of the throne room, trimmed a subtle gold, and leading long up the room, eventually stopping at a blue stage at which a shining golden throne sat by its lonesome, atop of which sat the queen.

The queen was, like everyone in the castle, anthropomorphic, though she was quite obviously a mouse, and not only because of how small she was, reaching Snow White's chest at the maximum; she had black fur and round ears the size of saucers, and soft black eyes that gazed over at her with a certain warmth and kindness, like that of a new friend. She wore a decorated dress of various shades of pink, and a golden crown with a scarlet gem at the forehead. At this moment in time, she happened to be overlooking a large scroll with various scribbles of black ink all over it, taking down some of her own here and there with a feathery quill.

Looking up at the two, the queen spoke in a high, sweet voice; "Ah, Daisy!" she greeted, fondly. "It's good to see you. I see you have a visitor with you,"

With that, she rose from the throne, placing her scroll to the side. The queen smiled still, "It's good to meet you. I am Queen Minnie; I'm currently overseeing Disney Castle. Now, what's your name?" she chirped, hands resting calmly at her sides.

Politely, Snow White bent her knees into a curtsy and briefly bowed her head. "It is good to meet you as well, your highness," she answered, now standing normally. "My name is Snow White. I happen to be looking for someone. They've been causing trouble where I'm from; namely by stealing mana, and hurting several people. I plan to track them down before they hurt anyone else,"

Now when it came to the exteriors of her job, Snow White liked to think she was able to hold onto at least a polite enough demeanour, even if the Magical Kingdom didn't tell you so, even if certain people would tell you differently, she did not wish to be cruel of heart to anyone but those who weren't evil, people like Cranberry, like her former 'mentor', those who used the weak for their own purposes and crushed them under their foot once they were through with them. More than anything else, it was flame that burst up in Snow White's chest whenever she thought of it, and no matter who they were or what powers they held, she would find them and she would bring a stop to them; no matter what she had to do. But those who were good, who only meant the best for what they could do and desired peace, they were those she could genuinely smile at and seek a level of friendliness with. But by now, she also knew she couldn't step too far with that; the closest she could gain were Magical Girls, but even then, it was a stretch - having a title like she did gained you enemies, and that included those that would go for those she cared for, all for the crime of knowing her. Never again would Snow White allow for anyone to protect her and lose their life by the end of it; that was what had befallen Sohta and Ako, La Pucelle and Hardgore Alice, and that had left her heart swearing to never allow the same thing to happen ever again.

Nodding thoughtfully as she listened to her explain herself, Minnie's thoughts revealed her intentions before she herself could do so; 'My...I feared it could be something bad like that...'

"Oh my, that's awful..." Minnie frowned deeply. "Let me see...there's been unfortunately quite a few incidents here as of late, but a dear friend of ours has put them to rights some time ago. But, I might have a few people who could do something like that..." she trailed off.

"You don't think it could be Maleficent again, do you?" Daisy questioned, her brow furrowed.

"I'd hope not, but she does seem the type..." Minnie replied. "I suppose I should explain a bit. Maleficent is a fairy, and a terribly wicked one at that too. She wants nothing more than power and to reign over others, and though I can't say for sure if it is her...it wouldn't surprise me at all if she took mana from where you came from, and it especially wouldn't shock me if anyone got hurt by her. She truly is ruthless, it's..."

The queen's thoughts quivered and trembled, and Snow White felt safe in the likelihood that she was not being lied to. It was an advantage of a skill like hers, and one she had picked up on her way to becoming the Hunter, an enhancement of what she could already do. Even when people lied out loud, very few could mask their true thoughts, particularly when they knew nothing of them being heard by anyone.

Giving a nod, Snow White answered, "I see. Thank you, that helps. Do you know where I might find this Maleficent woman?"

"You needn't look any further, child."

A foreign voice, smooth and cold as ice, sparked up from behind them, at the far end of the throne room, from where Snow White and Daisy had once entered. Immediately, in turn, Snow White could hear a legion of thoughts fill her mind, as was the nature of her Magical Skill.

'It's her!'

'This can't be happening!'

'We have to hurry, if we don't do something now she might hurt the Queen!'

'What are those terrible people doing back here!? Weren't we only just rid of her and her terrible Heartless sometime ago!?'

A gust of chilled air tore its way through the room at what felt like galeforce speeds, shaking and tearing at the giant red banner that hung from the roof, disrupting everyone's calm thoughts with a start. For a moment or two, those that surrounded Snow White stood frozen on the ground, eyes wide and pleading for the sight that was coming to not emerge before them, even though the likelihood of it grew in each second that ticked by.

There, forming on the cold floor, was a mass of dark purples and blues, akin to some twisted sort of gate which radiated an overall sickly air. As Snow White unveiled her spear, it wafted through the room like incense in an ancient temple, and from the portal emerged two distinctive figures. One stood close behind the other, and was heavy-set and dubbed in blue and red; slow-looking, but likely to deal a large amount of damage in a fight if he got close enough, but also possessing a stupid smirk, one oozing arrogance, a weakness - though Snow White suspected he was a follower more than he was a leader. She wondered from his appearance, what with the black fur and animalistic features, all while standing on two feet, if he had once been from this place, but defected at some point; it wouldn't surprise her if it were to be so, that much she was sure of. The other held a grand presence, a suffocating one that reminded Snow White far too much of somebody else, albeit not physically.

It was a woman, tall and gaunt; she had high cheekbones and pale green skin, and a gaze sharp enough to cut through anyone who couldn't have the same hardness. Two black horns curved out of the top of her head, and night black robes draped down her tall figure, only illuminated slightly by a garish glow that came from a green ball of crystal, perched firmly atop a pale-coloured staff, and the bits of purple that trimmed the edges of her robes. A black raven fluttered and screeched a hawk out that echoed through the room, landing atop the stave, its claws wrapped around the crystal ball. The air around her seemed to freeze up like Winter's unwanted arrival, and the woman stared right through Snow White as if she were translucent, and she was sure the old version of herself, the helpless version of herself, would have been as frozen and terribly transfixed as everyone else in the room was.

But Snow White was not that same person anymore, and she knew she never could be, both if she wanted to be, and that she didn't want to be ever again. And so, she stared straight, unwaveringly back and spun her spear into the hold of her palms, pointing it towards the woman's face.

'So, this child has the courage to point her weapon at me?' the witch thought.

This was Maleficent. She felt it the moment she made her entrance, and the moment she spoke in response to the question that had been for Queen Minnie. Daisy gasped sharply, quickly padding to the queen's side with wide glancing eyes.

"Maleficent! Pete!" Minnie shouted, fists clenched. "What are you doing here!?"

"Such a rude way to treat your visitors. I see you didn't treat this girl here with the same disrespect." Maleficent taunted.

"Because this girl isn't out to hurt anyone! Unlike you!" Daisy cried out, hands on her hips, a level of assertiveness that had previously been absent letting loose from her tongue.

"Oh?" Maleficent smirked to herself. "How can you tell? She just admitted herself that she wished to track someone down. What, pray tell, makes you think there might be mercy involved in such a pursuit?"

"Why should I show mercy to those who would never do the same to others?" Snow White asked, flatly, and yet with tinges that rose and fell uncomfortably, the type that tingled the back of your neck. It was hard to discern from her expression unless you looked deep into the abyss of her eyes, but the compulsion laced in darkness and disdain chimed there within the recesses of her voice.

Those people don't deserve to go unpunished, to go without being faced with justice - that is the way Snow White thought, and the way she had ever since the death game with Cranberry, ever since she had trusted her mentor and paid for it, and realised just what sort of person she was. Whether they be Magical Girl, Mage or just a human with a heart that cared only for its own benefits, Snow White held no sorrow for any one of them. And, as if to cut open the flesh and rub salt in, it was always those people who never held any sort of honour; they almost always pleaded and begged for their lives, and for mercy and care they never gave others. However, she never stained her hands for them, but she sought to it that they be locked up for the rest of their magical lives, as it was what they deserved as far as she saw it.

"I see...it would seem you're of a similar sort to those around here, aren't you, child?" Maleficent inquired. "Even if you like to feign being of a harder sort, you still hold an irritable amount of Light in that heart of yours. I suppose it's fitting for you..." she shook her head. "But now...I must be rid of you. I require a private audience with the King and Queen,"

"No way would we allow that!" Daisy snapped.

"Oh, we know!" Pete chimed in at last. "But we will!"

"Get back." Snow White ordered, with no room for argument.

Minnie and Daisy stood back, as blots of shadow formed around her staff. Webby little monsters appeared, like demons, with golden staring eyes; they had no thoughts, apart from one thing; 'Heart! Heart! Heart!'

"Heartless!?" Daisy shouted, as if in disbelief.

My. How Snow White wondered what they were looking for. There was no clue what it could be. Nothing at all, nothing indicating what they were lacking in - well, asides from subtlety.

The guards burst in, but in one blast of green flame, they were sent tumbling to the floor, their weapons and swords and shields scratching against the ground, desperately trying to scramble to their feet.

"Protect the queen," Snow White requested. The guards that had gotten up by now stayed by the side of Queen Minnie and Daisy, swearing to escort her out.

"But what about Snow White?" Minnie asked, looking over to her.

'She has to be out of her mind! I know she has that spear, but still...could she really face Maleficent?' Daisy thought, and unknowingly shared with Snow White.

'I can't let her get hurt...she's only here because she came to ask for my aid, and now she's being dragged into this awful mess because of me...' Minnie's thoughts told the Magical Girl in white.

Turning her head to look at her, the Magical Girl clad in white offered a smile, not fully devoid of joy; if only because she was warm in her desire to put her mind at peace. After all, the two of them had treated her with nothing but kindness and warmth, despite her being a complete stranger to them. Even now that they were under attack from this old hag, they still clearly worried for her sake, worried she couldn't take on what was waiting. She supposed it made sense - after all, she had designed her costume herself, and she designed it with the image of a pure Magical Girl in mind. Sure, quite a few fought evil, but they sought peaceful methods above all else, and as such, she probably didn't look the sort to be able to tear her enemies to shreds. Logically, a person who looked like her - with a cute face and dressed like a schoolgirl - would almost never be able to. But she was a Magical Girl, and Magical Girls did one thing better than anything else; and that was defying all fashions of human logic. As much as she despised remembering the person who told her that, Snow White would have to confess it was partially true.

"I'll be fine." she assured, before turning back around to face her enemies. "I can handle it. All of it. Now, go!"

The small audience of Heartless stood before her - they jumped at her, arms open and claws ready for the death of their enemy - and though death did come, it was not to Snow White. In one swift slash of her spear, the blade tore through the guts of the Heartless, leaving drops of what looked almost like black ink on the floor, and little more, all gone in mere seconds.

Maleficent stared at her for a moment, and conjured more, as if to test her somehow; these were larger, a bit taller than she was, thin and slick and with long weak arms, and stringy antennae that spiked here and there. The seven of them rushed her, their thoughts seeking her heart apparently, one raised its massive hand to scratch at her, but Snow White's feet were nimble and quickly stepped out of its reach, one leg kicking up high into its stomach, before her arm curved and sliced into its head. A splatter of black matter split away from it as it faded into nothing, but Snow White knew she was not through yet. She could feel another two coming up behind her, both of which jumped high into the air and spun its sharp arms in a circle, launching themselves straight towards her. Delicately twisting her body, and with it her spear, she turned it upright - just as one was about to land atop her, impaling itself. With a swing, it fell from the weapon and began to fade to ashes, its companion bumping into it. Rising once again from the floor, it let out a guttural growl and came for her once more; it sunk into the floor, forming a black circle that danced and weaved left and right, but Snow White could keep an eye for it, though between it she had to somersault her way out of the slicing motion of another of its 'friends', booting her attacker right in the place that could be considered its jaw. Her heart thumped, but not with fear.

Rising up from its place on the floor, Snow White saw her opening, waiting there for it; and once it leapt out, though it managed to scratch across her shoulder, making her hiss out for a moment, it still gave her the opportunity she needed. Swinging her spear, she pierced its side and then sliced to the right, crumbling the large Heartless into limp dust that fell across her like broken chalk.

Four left now.

They seemed to shift, as if agreeing to change their strategy; for a few seconds, Snow White waited, feeling Maleficent's eyes upon her, glowering at her. Shadows rose at her ankles, and she quickly stomped them away or pierced their topsides with her lance. Eventually, the next phase of the fight began - shadowy portals formed all across the floor, and she watched them carefully. At random, those that remained suddenly revealed themselves, jumping out and slashing at her. Using the moment they had on the ground, she sliced at the feet of one and pierced it through its heartless chest, leaving three to go, though a member of the trio managed a cut across her back on its way into hiding. But that was fine - for a Magical Girl, this sort of cut was almost nothing.

'So, it seems this girl isn't unlike those brats Sora and Riku...' Maleficent's thoughts observed. 'Let us see what she is truly capable of then.'

Now that Snow White understood what was coming, she knew what to do once she saw the Heartless jump out from the portals; she copied their approach, hopping up high into the air - not unlike how she had when she had been gushing about becoming a Magical Girl for the first time (and unceremoniously crashed into her roof, though fortunately, the castle throne room's rooftop stood much higher) - and with a stabbing motion, she dived into the ground once her opponents appeared, taking out another of them. Five down, two more left.

The first of the shadowy monsters wandered almost aimlessly, and Snow White tested to see what its ally would do; stepping forward to follow it down, her gold eyes caught a glimpse of shadows near her ankles, which suddenly gave a sharp tug at her leg, holding it like a vice. She was stuck - but not helpless, never helpless. Seeing the Heartless running towards her, it leapt up high, its sharp claws ready to stab right through her chest. Or at least, it would have - had she not jolted her lance upwards, catching it in midair. To finish it off, she stomped her foot hard enough that she could hear an audible crack in the marble floor, sweeping it back as it forced the Heartless up from its perch. Now that its remaining ally had turned to dust, she tore through its torso in a quick movement. Taking a breath, her eyes fell upon Minnie, Daisy and their entourage of guards, who had reached a large door at the side of the room, hidden in one of the columns. Unfortunately however, Pete seemed to be clamouring just as quickly after them.

"Not so fast, your highness!" Pete called out, that smirk not leaving his face as his big frame blocked their exit. Something about the way he spoke Minnie's title implied to her that she had once worked with him, adding to her theory that Pete had once been her subject, but had turned against her in favour of Maleficent. Whatever had caused it,

With light steps, Snow White turned her back to the throne room's entrance as she sprinted in the direction of Minnie and the guards; only for a tall, imposing figure to abruptly teleport before her, knocking her to the floor, nearly sending her hybrid-blade clattering out of reach, but she caught it firmly in her hands in the nick of time.

"I must say, Snow White, I wasn't expecting someone such as you to be able to take on the Heartless without getting herself torn to pieces. Indeed...I have not dealt with your kind for a long time. You might say I'm almost impressed. But this game is over - for now, you deal with me, the Mistress of all Evil!" Maleficent cackled, dark magic swarming all around her. That sort had a scent, and Snow White knew it from a mile away.

"How pretentious." Snow White sighed. "Calling yourself that." she chided, dully, lacking any sort of impression; at least when it came to the expression she made at this moment.

"It would do you well not to derogate those with powers you don't understand, Snow White. Especially," Maleficent sneered, but the silent disdain she held for being insulted by someone who looked so small and sweet by comparison was thick and most definitely felt.

"The forces of hell...!"

A bolt of lightning struck from her staff, just burning the tips of Snow White's feet, but she skidded her way to the side, reaching the column. "What is it you want?" she questioned.

"I want what all of us do; power, and the means to claim it where I can. If you do not have the means to guard that which is supposed to be important, then you do not deserve to keep it, and it is no concern of mine if those who oppose me meet their ends," Maleficent continued. "It is quite fortunate that he spoke of that flowing resource. I claimed it so easily, and now I am met with an age-old phenomenon in return..."

Snow White's eyes narrowed, her stomach beginning to turn. "And what would that be?"

"Why..." Maleficent smirked, her eyes glimmering with some strain of madness, or something awfully close. "One of you weak humans, dosed in the light of magic. Whether it be through training, or through blessings of some sort. I'm not certain as to what they call you now, or how beings like you have been shielded from these worlds for so long...but I'm sure the results will be more than fruitful in the end,"

Snow White had heard more than enough by then; she knew with most certainty that the believed 'rogue Magical Girl' was no Magical Girl at all, not even a Mage, but something completely different entirely, possibly a creation of this world, or at least a resident of it. The fact that the Magical Kingdom had likely hidden some truths of how much it knew of this one didn't shock her; if she were to bother asking them why, they would probably rattle off that it was not necessary for her to know to complete her mission. And really? The tiredness with them rested deep enough within her system that it hardly even gave her the energies of anger or disappointment, just their bare remains. She knew of both terms that she spoke of - the former, likely referring to Mages, humans who were trained in the art of magic, and held all the fallible weaknesses that humans did, yet still pressed forward; she knew Ripple worked with one, or at least knew of her, by the name of Mana. And of course, 'blessings' referred to Magical Girls.

'Yes, because me and the others were all blessed, weren't we?!' Snow White thought sarcastically, bitterness lacing every crease of it as it passed through her mind, sharp and nearing hatefulness.

The old Snow White might have thought so, no, she had once done with all of her heart and spread that same misguided belief to the people who surrounded her and were willing to listen to her, and perhaps a small part of her viewed the chance of becoming a Magical Girl as one; but the way it had befallen her and the other fourteen in Cranberry's test were far from blessed. For them, it likely would have been better if they had never become Magical Girls at all. Perhaps then, they would still be living out their lives as normal.

Maybe Weiss and Sister Nana could have remained together.

Maybe Sohta wouldn't have died, and could still be enjoying the rest of his life, all of which had still been ahead of him.

Maybe Alice wouldn't have been killed on her way to school, and all because she wanted to help Snow White, all because she wanted to help her.

Something about those thoughts made Snow White grow tired of asking any further, made her decide she had heard enough; and in one lunge of her lance, her next battle - and her passion for it, to win it in turn - had freshly renewed.