In which the pure-hearted Magical Girl and the wicked fairy do battle...
The first volley of attacks was immediate, only seconds after Snow White had summoned her 4-Dimensional Bag, signalled only for a second by a sickly green glow from the top of Maleficent's staff, and Snow White didn't hesitate to act. The Hunter leapt backwards, her feet skidding against the floor as it began to shatter, as a rush of green flames shot straight for her. Heat instantly flooded her face as she felt its impact come towards her, dodging down and out of its range, pressing carefully forward with each step amidst the assault, the screech of her spear's tip rushing alongside her. Her heart began to slowly pound, pound, pound again, as it had before, but her mind remained relatively tranquil in its thoughts; her magic searched the air for any panicked thoughts, any distress from her opponent, but was met with radio silence, at least for now. This dance of avoidance persisted, with the little white figure rolling and jumping past and underneath each and every attack that was thrown at her, sometimes by a hair, sometimes by more and sometimes by less.
'That would be fine,' Snow White thought to herself, in regards to the lack of thoughts she could hear from her opponent. 'I can make sure that doesn't last,'
Or rather, she would need to, if she wanted to make winning this fight more achievable; it would be one thing if it were only herself at stake. Truthfully, her being at stake alone wasn't of that much importance to her, but that wasn't the case right now - a Magical Girl, a true Magical Girl, protected those who needed her help. Just like Weiss and Sister Nana did, just like Hardgore Alice did, and just like La Pucelle did. Still, she couldn't let herself get cocky - that was a one-way ticket to losing, and that was something she couldn't afford, especially when faced with an enemy she knew nothing of. Besides, while she was sizing up her opponent, she knew the opposite was true; that Maleficent was watching her actions, her speed, her every move, seeing what she was made of.
A smirk tipped across her wicked face, and Maleficent's staff tapped once against the floor; if it wasn't already broken from Snow White's battle with the Heartless she had conjured, then this would surely do the trick. Lightning ripped up from the tiles as if it were a volcano finally bursting with ash and magma, right underneath Snow White's feet; the girl felt herself be tossed upwards, but her eyes focused on what steady ground was available - with one resolved set of movements, she jabbed the tip of her spear and forced it down the way you'd plant a flag in an unknown territory, and her body spun around it, returning control of where she landed back to her, the ripples of lightning cutting against her cheek, yet the girl's golden eyes stared down the throne room, all the way to where Maleficent remained standing.
'So, the child is more capable than she seems...as to be expected from a Magical Girl. To think, that I'd be able to encounter one in the flesh after so long~' Like a wave to a radio, the signals of thought reached Snow White's flowered ears.
Still, Snow White's face remained as cold as her own namesake as she pushed onward, now close enough she could land a blow of her own. Striking her spear forward, Maleficent's figure disappeared in a few glimmers of sickly light, and instinctively Snow White cartwheeled backwards - what looked like a tiny galaxy of green and black swirled at the corner of her eye as she just barely avoided the blast of flame that had been conjured up at the end of her opponent's wand. Indeed, if she weren't facing her directly, she would have assumed the witch to be but a creation made for the shows Snow White indulged in - it was such a classic set-up, she couldn't help but wonder how different she might have turned out if this had been her first battle, as opposed to the death game she ended up barely surviving. Shoving those thoughts to the side, she lunged again, and the same happened once more, with her this time managing to dart a fair way backwards.
Just as Snow White's feet were once again planted on the ground, a rumble emerged abruptly from behind her - bolts of lightning without thunder slashed around her without warning, ripping black the side of her arm as she sidestepped away from the strikes as they came, getting lucky as she avoided being charred; at least for the most part. But still, she hissed and held the pain within, and her eyes narrowed as her thoughts continued to tick - after all, she could now see the pattern in the dark fairy's attacks.
When met with her opponent up close, the witch had fled away from her, using small attacks one after another to force her back, and that told Snow White one thing - while in a ranged fight Maleficent had the upper fight, Snow White simply had to make sure she didn't give her an open field to work with, but rather a small ring. And in turn, such a set-up would do her just fine. Widening her stance for a moment, a slightly laboured breath passed between her lips as Snow White began to move forward once again.
"Same old tactics...!" Maleficent chided, apparently not detecting the irony, though Snow White had detected it partially through her special magical ability, so she supposed that wouldn't be quite fair to say.
Calling to her all the speed that she had learned to channel within her more powerful magical shell, Snow White became an ivory bolt that darted through the throne room, one that seemed to curve under anything that tried to hit it, almost replacing the very lightning that had previously struck her. Eventually, the white line became whole again; and bowled straight into Maleficent. Her feet forced their way against her chest, and her enemy stumbled, just managing to disperse before she could fall to the ground. Not wasting a single moment, Snow White's spear screeched as she propelled herself across the small distance Maleficent had tried to form, striking for the side of the chest, left, right, up, down, her experience utterly shining at this moment.
Yet, Maleficent seemed not to falter despite the quick slices and jabs she had to avoid; on the contrary, her smile seemed to play stronger against her lips, her figure once again disappearing into a ball of green flame - it shot swiftly upwards, and then back down - slamming against Snow White, forcing her into the air. Extending her hand, she conjured the sickly scent of the dark magic she was accustomed to, and cut right to the girl, prompting a small shout from her as her silhouette hurled through the air, something briefly appearing and disappearing at the girl's side as it blurred, smashing into a nearby pillar. It crumpled like paper at the impact, and broke forward, forcing Snow White to roll to the side just to avoid being crushed by it. And yet, the girl rose once more, her pale pink hair drooping downward and obscuring her face for a moment - her expression still hadn't changed, in spite of the free hand that clutched slightly at where her previous attack had landed, a laboured breath escaping her - her side now empty.
Chuckling as a killer would their crawling victim, Maleficent approached slowly. "You still rise, even now? Your foolishness will be what marks your end, and the darkness' consumption of you!" she taunted.
"I want to know - how you know about us." Snow White stated, her eyelids lowering as she refused to break eye contact with the wicked fairy.
"Oh, making demands now, are we? Snow White?" Maleficent inquired, the air of sarcasm she wore laid thick on display. "As much as I would savour telling you, I think you'd be best asking those of the Magical Kingdom~ Though I suppose that hardly matters since your world is one you shall never see again-"
Snow White huffed, almost on the verge of rolling her eyes. "The Magical Kingdom hiding things isn't something that surprises me. You'll have to try and say more than that if you want anything out of me," she added, standing upright now.
Beep. Beep beep!
The 4-Dimensional Bag had spilt open; and a tiny device, no bigger than a human hand, careened right for Maleficent's back. Black, and rounded, and now beeping incessantly - that was all Maleficent could make of it, before it utterly burst. A cloud of red and orange bled out of it in a painful mass of heat and destruction, tearing through the tiles and smashing right into the Mistress of All Evil, large and consuming, Snow White's magic only picking up a 'What!?' rattled with shock, even as her ears rang from the explosion she stood so close to. A thick layer of smoke licked the pillars and the scene that surrounded it, leaving all onlookers blinded to the result of the sudden attack. Minnie, Daisy and their guards peered outward after dispelling the Heartless that neared them, eyes wide and mouths slacked with awe at what had transpired. Whatever device Snow White had in that bag, it was like a burst of the strongest fire magic they had ever seen, if not even more; and all from something so tiny, and in a bag that seemed to hold an abyss. An endless supply, even? Nobody knew but Snow White herself, and they couldn't help but stare all the while.
For the moment, Snow White took but a second to catch her breath. Her strategy had worked out; moments before being hurled through the air and into the pillar, she had called upon the 4-Dimensional Bag. Initially, she'd almost had a half mind to use the extinguisher she had tucked away within its endless store - it had worked out with Flamey Flamey just fine after all, even with her fire being born from her own magic - but she had decided against it. Even if she had generally come to understand how her opponent battled, Snow White still knew full well that this world's rules weren't exactly ones she was truly familiar with, and so, testing the waters in such a way wouldn't exactly be an ideal action in these circumstances. As the smoke cleared and Snow White collected her well-used Magical Item, the Magical Girl in white stood, like a shining beacon, and Minnie and Daisy's thoughts seemed to calm, even if just a little.
"Boss!" Pete's voice rang out, eyes wide as saucers as he looked over at her, about to fumble his way over. "Are ye-"
"Silence, you fool!"
Before she knew it, Snow White realised that Maleficent's silhouette was no longer behind her - but rather in front of her.
No, that wasn't right either; Maleficent wasn't in front of her. She was behind Minnie and Daisy, and far too close for their comfort. Her eyes shattered into wide circles as she instinctively rushed forward, just as fast if not quicker than the white bolt she had become moments before, only for a suffocating haze to squeeze at her chest; a cloud of green dust floated in the air like poison, just as she rose to stand guard.
One second. Her eyelids fluttered and tumbled like an avalanche down a flight of stairs.
Two seconds. Her body began to sway slightly, her legs becoming broken sticks as she stumbled, her fingers finding the grasp of her staff too strenuous.
Three seconds. Her body fell forward as heavy as a stone - and she ultimately collapsed with a thud, like that of a single droplet into a pond as opposed to a pillar hitting the earth. Minnie gasped quietly to herself, and if Snow White were still conscious to read her thoughts, they would have been a swirling storm; 'Oh no, Snow White! Oh dear, this is all my fault...she only ended up involved in battling Maleficent because of me...'
It was clear now - despite her efforts, and despite how things had appeared only a minute or so prior, Snow White had been beaten. Yet, even as Pete took hold of the prisoners, smashing the guards aside like they were made of paper and prepared to lock them away until 'his highness' King Mickey appeared - with her using the crown atop Minnie's head as the proof - she still couldn't help but find her thoughts trailing outward. Diavolo cawed a little as he flew in through a cracked window, tilting his head with almost a smirk as he settled on her gaunt hand.
"I have to say, for a soft-hearted little brat, she held out far better than I expected. Perhaps I should attempt to find more of her sort; those of a more...hardened heart..." the wicked fairy trailed off, bearing an expression like turning cogs.
"Say, what d'you want me to do with this twerp here, Maleficent?" Pete questioned.
"Lock her away with the queen's attendant," Maleficent ordered, her back facing him. "I will learn more of her companions once we have finished here,"
"Now wait just a second!" Minnie's voice piped up, tugging herself forward a little, ultimately failing to break free of Pete's grasp. "Don't you dare lay a finger on that girl! It's not her you're after, is it?"
Maleficent let out a chuckle, one that sent a good few shivers rushing down Minnie's spine. "Not necessarily - initially, all I sought for was the mana that her world had to offer. Imagine it, a whole kingdom pushed to the brim with magical power. How could I not take advantage of it?" she began. "But, seeing little Snow White's abilities leaves me curious about just what others like her would be capable of...I'll refrain from going into too much detail, but...I'm quite sure you can imagine the possibilities of such power in such a high quantity as well as I, can't you?"
The affability in her voice did little to obscure the cruelty constantly ripping its head to the surface from underneath, and it tugged at the fear that lay within the hearts of all present, fear that was felt even as all parties were dragged off to the palace's dungeons.
A/N: Yes, contrary to popular belief, I am indeed alive! ^^ Eep...I can't believe it's been almost 4 whole ass months since the last update, but writer's block and university stress in tandem is a wicked combination. Still, it would seem that the anniversary has reignited my spark for writing Kingdom Hearts! Happy 20th anniversary, Kingdom Hearts, we love you. And holy shite, that Kingdom Hearts IV trailer? THAT was the burst of hope I've been needing these past few months. Anyways, first things first, apologies that this chapter's a tad shorter than the usual, the notes from my outline were somewhat shorter compared to some of the others, and I didn't want to add content that served no purpose, y'know?
Second of all, thanks to those who've still been keeping up with and waiting for new chapters! I really appreciate your patience a lot, and I hope that this was a nice surprise for you! Special shout out to Tsuuji and Captain Imaginat. To answer your question, I'm actually still thinking about how to take the new info from the KH4 trailer and apply it to Cosmogyral - it shouldn't affect anything in the immediate, but anything I do after Cosmogyral could very well be a different story. Ah well, that's the gamble you play when you write for franchises that are still ongoing. ^^
Lastly, thanks once again for reading Cosmogyral, and I'll see you in the next chapter! ...That hopefully won't take as long as this one did, RIP. Next time, we'll be going to the Grid!