Monsters and Magic Special: Sofia's Imagination

By: DJ Rodriguez

(Author's Notes: Hi everyone! Glad to see those who like my story to review it. The last chapter was a bit of a filler of sort, but otherwise still very grateful that many found it good. Before anything else, I want to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Thank you God for this incredible gift of imagination you gave me, and I hope to continue to putting it to good use in your name. Thank you Jesus also for the wonderful and awesome people, the reviewers, who have helped me out greatly in making my three novels and mini-novel here a reality!

In this chapter, expect to see some darkness and drama here. Along with action, not a lot but hopefully some that will satisfy those who like to see brawls of sort. Cosmina's plan is put into action, so let us see on what develops. Believe me, I have had a tough time trying to figure the fights, negotiations and more out concerning this chapter. So please give props to any and all of the people who write, perform and work out action and dramatic sequences. Plus, I looked over some pics that showed various parts of the Carpathian Mountains and it was difficult to choose which terrain that Sofia and her friends should be in when they meet up with Cosmina.

I want to thank and reply to the reviewers from last chapter. Here it goes:

To Darkness Rissing: Thank you for the kind words, and answering my questions! As always, your honest reviews help me out and I hope to see more of it in the future.

To Kearitona Sjachraelgil: Thank you once again for your passionate and awesome review, my lady love! Keep at it, please! Always a treat to hear from you on any of my chapters!

To LORD DESTRYUK: Thank you for the scenario, as well as for the explanation concerning your OC creations. Although the future outcomes for Sofia and her family is going to be different than the one you showed me in your review, I hope you like what you see here.

To laze jovanov: Thank you for the words, and also for answering my questions! I may not do any works that feature monsters such as King Kong or Gamera, but I will continue to do my best in my writing. To improve, and also make it easier for others to read it.

To DRAGONDAVE45: As always, your reviews and words are very much appreciated! Also, I believe the OC characters you mentioned will be shown here soon! And in a way that I hope you approve of.

To Guest: Not going to put King Ghidorah in this story. I really try to balance out the characters here that come from both Toho and Disney. I will leave the remaining other monsters and characters to those who wish to make a sequel of any kind of my Monsters and Magic trilogy, to see if they can take the series further & better than I can. I wish to see others to try and surpass me, which I believe they can if they put much hard and dedicated work to it!

And finally, to Kaiju Avenger & Gojira Defender: Thank you once again for the words of both kindness and encouragement. I do write some good stories, but I always like to encourage those with their own. And I really like to see if others are working hard to see if they can surpass me, like how a teacher would like for his or her pupils to exceed their expectations. And I am glad you two like that I am putting Christ in my novels. Truth be told, I am very glad to have done so. In the past, I just wrote down whatever I felt was necessary to my other stories. But they soon started to feel and look… hollow, like a certain substance was lacking. And now that I have found it once more, not going to lose it again! I am looking forward to more of your reviews, and hoping to see your reviews in the last four chapters of my Burning Finale novel.

Also to answer Kaiju Avenger's question, my ALL-TIME favorite version of Godzilla will always be the one from Godzilla 1985: The Legend is Reborn! In my view, that is the ultimate Godzilla!

I do not own Godzilla or any of the other monsters/characters that officially belong to Toho. Nor do I own any of the Disney characters or places that officially belong to the Walt Disney Company. I do own my OC creations, but not Solta Runzi or Magric Korastor. Those two belong strictly to LORD DESTRYUK, who has given me permission to use them. I also own most of the music I have used so far in this story. If I use any songs that are by another artist/artists, I will give him/her/them their just dues and credits as it is their right.

Now, on with the mini-novel!)

Trickery & Corruption

The night was crisp and cold, the moon out once more and illuminating the land and sky with its silver brilliancy. The stars twinkled like precious diamonds in the black velvet sky, shining beacons for those awake at this particular time. Right now, Godzilla and his fellow shrunken kaiju companions were making their way across the land swiftly with their bonded in tow. However, they were not running on the land as one would expect. No… Godzilla, Anguirus, King Caesar, and Biolantte were actually gliding a little over the ground! Thanks to Tinkerbell and her fairy friends, who sprinkled the ones who could not fly with pixie dust, they were now hovering in the air. However, Magali instructed them to keep low to the ground instead of flying high in the air.

When asked why, Magali replied, "That Cosmina witch is a crafty one, even I can see that. If we fly high in the air, she might have a very nasty surprise waiting for us that could shoot us out of the sky! We be large targets for her, and we don't have much defense in the air. Well… the monsters do, but not us.". Many saw the wisdom to her words there. Godzilla and the monsters all had a certain amount of toughness to them that made them very resilient against many forms of attack, and those like Mothra & Rodan who had natural flying abilities could defend themselves more in the air.

But the humans did not have such toughness. Elsa had her ice powers that could help them defend, that much was true, but if they were caught off guard… they most likely would be shot down before she could readily activate her powers. And they did not want to take the chance, especially with Sofia in the group.

However, Magali put in that by flying low and going faster than they would have if they had walked the rest of the way, more likely they could avoid any traps or other deadly surprises that was set up by the sorceress. So that was why the group was keeping low to the ground, with the exception of Jet Jaguar, Mothra, and Rodan. The trio were more maneuverable in the area above the tree line, so they could at least defend themselves better in the open air than the others.

While on their way to the mountains, the humans and pixies had started to really converse with the kaiju. They had asked the monsters from another universe all kinds of questions, which they answered as best they could.

Once they had gone a fair enough distance, Sofia asked, "Okay everyone… what do you think the best plan is to take Cosmina by surprise AND make sure that family is safe?". Indeed, that was an excellent question. The heroes and heroines were going into unknown territory, and knew that the magic-user was a tricky one to deal with. It was evident in the use of her shadow and rock minions.

It was Skyler that answered, "I have a few ideas that I believe could work.". He explained that working in America, he had often overheard many military officers and generals of their victories and strategies that were employed during the infamous Civil War. So while not a soldier himself, he knew some tactics and that was saying something.

The African-American man said, "If this Cosmina is sneaky, than we got to be more so. First thing, we need for her to show us that Sofia's family is still alive. If she does this, and they all are still in one piece, than the next part of my plan should work.". Sofia nodded, very much hoping that her mother, father, brother and sister were still okay.

Aubert inquired, "And what is the next part of your plan, my friend?".

Mr. Truman answered, "When we see that they are alright, that is when we strike! Elsa can blow in snow and ice to blind Cosmina, and while she is distracted… someone can come in to get the family away from her! And also cover Sofia before she can give the amulet to that witch.". The company went over the plan in their heads, and started to see that it was a viable one. Elsa did have long-rang capabilities, along with Mama Odie and Radelle. They could easily cover for the princess and the royal family from a distance, so now was the question on who should save King Roland and the others.

Rapunzel stated, "I volunteer to save Sofia's family! I'm pretty good with my long hair, so I can either lasso them with it. Or swing in to save them!". The long-haired blonde beauty was not the only one to volunteer, as the others also wanted to help in saving the family. After several minutes of talking from each member of the group, Godzilla stopped in mid-flight… and let loose a loud roar that pierced the air! The whole company stopped, both in movement and in talking, as the saurian cut loose with his infamous roar. After letting out the sound, the King of the Monsters looked to see that he had the attention of both monster and human.

He growled, "That is enough! You should let the little one Sofia decide. This is HER mission, her duty! Do not think to instantly take over this from her!". The entire company was stunned by Godzilla's words, and more so when their brains told them that he was right. This was indeed Sofia's quest, that everything was all connected to the little girl who was still riding on Godzilla's shoulder. She opted to not fly, wanting to be on the mighty monster's being.

Sofia looked to her new friend, who gazed right back at her and nodded. The princess let out a soft smile and spoke, "Thank you Godzilla. You're right… this is my fight, so we have to do this my way! I appreciate all of you wanting to help me, but… I think we shall wait until we get close to the mountains that we can pick out who will go in to save my family.".

Ariel replied, "I believe that is a good idea, Sofia. Let's wait until we get close enough to where she dwells, and we shall plan from there.". The brave little lady smiled and thanked the former mermaid. The others followed Ariel's actions, saying that they would support whatever plan that Sofia would come up with when they get to the site.

Seeing that things were now settled once again, Godzilla resumed the trek towards their foe's dwellings. The others followed suit, all focused on the task at hand. Especially Sofia, who was making mental plans and scenarios in her head so she could see which plan would be effective in rescuing her family. As well as keeping the powerful amulet out of Cosmina's reach.

Two hours after their flight from the village, when it was close to 10 o'clock, the company soon the rock that was in the shape of a human skull. Iridessa muttered, "Wow… it's almost like a small version of Skull Rock back in Neverland.". Tinkerbell's friends, on occasions, traveled with the feisty blonde pixie and the King of Neverland, Peter Pan. The duo had led the group to many places around the mystical land, including to Skull Rock which was the place for many a pirate like Captain James Hook to be at due to the ominous atmosphere.

Malak said, "Well, according to Leader Garza, we should head slightly northwest towards the mountains.". In front of them stood the Carpathian Mountains, the tall and imposing natural structure that was now home to Cosmina and her forces of evil. Godzilla and the other kaiju growled as they sensed much of the evil, toxic energy emanating from the place.

Mainard looked up the stars, wanting to find their position and location. Tracy had gotten him hooked on star-gazing, and it was Asce Charming that actually got him to study the stars to locate positions and areas. Finding the necessary stars and their positions, he determined which way to go and pointed the way. "Follow me everyone. Northwest is this way.". He flew in that direction, the others following suit as they got closer and closer to their destination.

~At the castle~

While the humans, pixies and monsters flew towards the mountain range, Cedric was in his personal chamber in the castle tower with the Three Good Fairies, Clover and Mia there as well. Robin had come in shortly after the whole group had entered into Cedric's abode, followed by Wormwood who did not look pleased at all with the whole situation. He had been standing on his perch, while his master was going through some books that had been in his studies.

Cedric spoke, "So… this Cosmina person actually abducted King Roland, Queen Miranda, Prince James & Princess Amber right in the castle? By using some sort of magical constructed snake that put the guards and servants to sleep?".

Flora answered, "That is correct. Sofia told us everything when she contacted us at the school.".

The sorcerer continued to look through his books while still maintaining the conversation, "I see. And after that, her amulet actually summoned the beings that you showed us some months ago? The ones that were bonded to those… ugh, monsters from another universe?". Truth be told, Cedric was not a really huge fan of monsters like most of the citizens were. He could not fathom why they loved titans that had incredible power, strength and abilities that could very well easily destroy any human civilization with ease. Sure the world he lived in certain had monsters of its own… but ones that were at least manageable, and not the size of the titans of old.

Fauna missed the annoyed tone in the magic-user's voice and replied, "That is right. It brought it all of them, which would be… let me see… ah! That would be thirty-one people in all!". In reality, it would have been thirty-two that would have been summoned to aid the princess. But Lady Airlia, the Time/Space-talented pixie, had actually declined the summons from the amulet. The powerful magical artifact was about to bring her to Sofia with the others, but the potent fairy had actually told the object that she wanted to stay and continue to train her pupil Lillie. The amulet actually understood, and so let her be.

Cedric was impressed by this and it was evident in his tone, "Now that is impressive. I know much about the Amulet of Avalor, but I did not think it was capable of actually bringing so many beings in one try.". He didn't realize that the artifact had a lot of help from above to even manage that kind of feat.

Merryweather concluded, "Yes, and that is what happened. When they left on their quest, that is when we impersonated the royal family. We know it was deceitful, but it was for the best!".

The sorcerer remarked, "Yes, yes. I know, you told me earlier. That it was to make sure that the kingdom didn't go into a panic if they found out. Believe me, I understand that what you did was for the best of the people.". Even though he stated this, in his mind he was already trying to scheme in ways of using this to his advantage. To finally take over the kingdom from King Roland, to bring glory to all of the other magic-users & prove that a sorcerer could effectively run a realm.

Fauna inquired, "Have you found anything yet on this Cosmina person?". They had been in Cedric's room for two hours now, the man saying earlier that he was going to try and find some kind of info on the evil sorceress that was aiming for Sofia and the amulet after they had told him what had occurred in the garden. However, it was going to be difficult since she had been deep under the radar for so long. The Good Fairies were patient, but the animals were getting a bit on the jittery side since they were nervous about Sofia's well-being.

Cedric let out a frustrated sigh as he closed one of his magic books. He growled out, "Argh! This is preposterous! I should have gleaned at least some info on this Cosmina lady! Even my Guide to All Magic-Users isn't helping me, and it always updates itself with info on any current wizards, witches and others who utilize magic!".

Flora inquired, "Have you tried using a spell to get the information?".

Cedric answered, "No… and it wouldn't be of use at all. My guide is one of the most potent magical books, since it always fills itself with any kind of information regarding magic-users of any kind. And if it cannot show us any info on this woman… than I'm sure that no kind of spell would work either. Sigh… I believe that this woman is no doubt both crafty and powerful if she is able to hide herself from my books…". It was a bitter pill for him to swallow, since he did pride himself on knowing & doing magic. Cosmina had taken no chances when plotting her revenge, so she made sure that secrecy was kept at all times. She had used many obscuring spells and potions to make sure that she was masked from any kind of scrying abilities… and also erased from any kind of enchanted objects that would try to give her away.

Clover spoke up, "Hey! If you can't find anything on this witch, how about if you cast a spell that can at least check up on Sofia?! At least we can see if she's okay!". Of course, he was speaking in his native tongue and Cedric did not know the language of animals. He glared at the bunny that seemed to be throwing a hissy fit, in his view at least, and asked one of the fairies on what the rabbit was saying.

Merryweather looked to Clover, who repeated his words to her and the feisty blue-clad woman replied, "He asks if you have a spell that can look in on Sofia. It would be a refreshing to see how she is doing with the company that she summoned.".

Cedric gave it a thought, and realized that it would be logical to see if Sofia was okay. He stated, "Well, I believe that for once Sofia's pet actually came up with a useful idea.". Clover glared, wanting so much for the sorcerer to be shrunk in size so he could teach him a lesson.

The sorcerer took out his wand from his robe, cleared his throat and chanted, "Ahem…This magic spell, I do command to fulfil my wish on my demand. Reveal to us the beloved princess of the land, her name is Sofia with a heart that is grand.". From his wand emerged a wisp of smoke that grew in size and thickness, soon forming a large rectangular screen for all to see. Images started to emerge, and coming clear and sharp for the occupants to see was… Sofia! The Good Fairies, Clover, Mia and Robin let out cheers of delight as they saw that their friend was okay. Cedric was glad to see Sofia too in one piece, secretly relieved that she was okay.

Flora looked to the picture and noticed that something was strange. She peered at the image before them and stated, "That is odd. According to what I see, it seems that Sofia is… is… riding on top of something. Can your spell enlarge the picture so we can see more?". Cedric nodded and flicked his wand again, sending a mental command to enlarge the picture magically.

The image seemed to zoom out from Sofia… and the entire group's mouths, including Wormwood's beak, fell down when they saw that Sofia was riding on the shoulder of the formerly deceased Godzilla, the King of the Monsters! And the image continued to expand until they saw the other legendary heroes and heroines come into the picture, and with them were the other Toho monsters! And they were gliding above the land, not flying high but gliding with a strange kind of dust all over each member.

Everyone in the room was just stunned silly, as they were witnessing something that they could not have imagined even in their wildest dreams. Clover pointed at the image and stuttered, "Who… when… how… what is going on?! How is this even possible?!". Indeed, this was something that went far beyond their understanding, both by nature and by magic.

Mia replied in a stunned voice, "I… I guess that there is something more at work here. I'm guessing that Sofia also has help from above! And I mean literally!". Wormwood was about to make a very sarcastic remark on that, but what was playing in front of them all could not be ignored. Animals were very much in tune with nature, and what they were witnessing was bordering on supernatural… something that far exceeded even magic.

It would be awhile until their higher functions kicked back in, and they would all start to go over on what to do next.

~Near the Carpathian Mountains~

It was close to midnight, about 11:50 p.m. to be precise, when Sofia's group came to the edge of the forest. They had emerged from the forest, and had come to a rocky part of the mountain chain area where there was a shallow but wide river that cut through the land and was underneath the imposing rocky formation. Said river was frozen over due to the cold, a thin layer of ice covering the surface. Jasmine turned to the princess and inquired, "I believe that this is going to be trickier than we believed, right Sofia?".

The royal one of Enchancia answered, "Yes, you're right. This is going to make Skyler's plans a bit more difficult to do". She looked all around, analyzing the land before her. The trees did not provide much cover, since they had shed much of their foliage in this part of the area. The full moon was glowing bright, so trying to hide in the shadows of the trees was also out of the question. And while there were large rocks scattered about, they were merely long in width and did not provide for much cover unless you were fairly small. So all in all, this was a tricky terrain that really would test one mental mettle when it came to ambush scenarios.

Mama Odie landed on the ground, the others doing the same. Upon touching the terrain, the pixie dust vanished indicating that was all used up. The Voodoo apprentice looked to the princess and asked, "Well suga, got any ideas on how to do this? Only a little time left.".

Sofia was set down on the ground by Godzilla, and the little lady had a look of intense concentration on. The others gathered around her to see on what she would do or say. After some moments, Sofia came up with an idea. She looked to her companions and said, "Okay! I think I have an idea on how to put Skyler's plan to use here.".

She walked towards the frozen river, looking at it for a while before turning to Elsa and asking, "Queen Elsa, can you make some ice boulders around here? Close to the size and shape of the rocks here?".

The Snow Queen answered, "Yes I can, Sofia. But may I ask why?". She answered that her plan was to hide some of them from Cosmina when she would emerge. The ice rocks would provide cover, and also blend in with the landscape to hopefully throw off suspicion from their enemy. The company believed that was a sound plan, Elsa smiling at the little lady's idea before starting to summon up her ice powers to create some large enough solid ice boulders.

Sofia looked to the pixies and asked, "Do you have any pixie dust left? Even a little bit?".

Vidia answered that they did, but only enough to make some of them fly. Rosetta inquired, "What is it you got planned, honey?".

The princess answered, "I would like all of you to sprinkle all of your remaining dust on King Caesar and Anguirus, to make them float for just a little bit longer. See those bulging land parts on the mountain? I want for you, along with them, to hide behind them and wait until the opportunity comes along to emerge.". The group now understood this particular part of the plan, for the fairies and two kaiju to be part of an ambush/surprise attack!

King Caesar spoke, "That is truly an idea worthy of a leader, little one! You would have made my past retainers back home proud.". Sofia blushed from the praise coming from the furry hybrid monster, feeling a bit more confident now about the ideas coming into her head.

Tinkerbell smiled at the princess and said, "I like the way you're thinking, Sofia! Okay girls, let's do this!". The seven fairies nodded, and flew over Anguirus and King Caesar once more, sprinkling them with the last remaining pixie dust they had on their being. The duo from Japan grumbled a little as they still had not gotten used to flying in such a manner. Iridessa and Fawn giggled from their grumbling, and Zarina instructed them to follow her. The former pirate pixie flew towards the mountain part that had the bulging parts, and split the team into two. Tinkerbell, Silvermist and Iridessa would be with King Caesar, while the rest would go with Anguirus.

The two teams soon hid on the side of the parts, floating in place and ready to strike. Also, Elsa was finished making creating the necessary ice rocks that would be the hiding places for a majority of the group. She had managed to create the ice boulders to have a certain thickness to them, enough that it would not give away their reflections. The moonlight from above would have shined down on them, and thus giving away their reflections since ice was more or less like natural mirrors. However, Elsa solved that particular problem by making the frozen water thick enough in a way to conceal their reflections from the light.

Sofia looked to Ariel, Anna, Melody, Rapunzel, Kathrin, Edgard, Cinderella, and Tracy. She stated, "I need you all to stay with me with the monsters. I want Cosmina to see that I brought in some protection, while thinking the others stayed in the village to help them out. Hopefully, we can throw her off like that and that would give us an advantage.". Truly the others saw that Sofia's plan was brilliant and gave the little lady some well-deserved praise.

Rodan spoke, "This human girl is quite clever and smart! You have my respect, little one!". Edgard agreed with him before hopping on Rodan's back, the pteranodon letting out a small screech before flapping his large wings and taking to the air. Mothra & the Twin Fairies also gave due credit to Sofia, Kathrin going on her back and the large insect taking to the air.

Rapunzel got near Biolantte, who was shivering only slightly due to the cold and digging her roots & tentacles into the earth to gain some of the natural warmth from underground. Cinderella, Tracy, Ariel, Melody and Anna got near the saurian whose body heat helped them all endure the cold. Godzilla looked down to his new bonded and spoke with firm authority, "You are indeed worthy of not just the others respect, little one. But of mine as well. You have formed a good plan despite the natural land's properties, and also have hope in saving your family. You will make a good ruler for your people when the time comes for you to receive your full title.".

Sofia was blushing up a storm from the praises she was receiving. She had often been giving credit for her courage, for her heart, and for her actions that had won over many people and animals too. Now being congratulated for coming up with a decent battle plan despite poor terrain conditions, it was really filling her heart up with pride.

Suddenly, Jet Jaguar spoke up, "Everyone, my scanners are picking something coming this way from the mountain! It could be Cosmina!". All of their eyes widened, and Sofia told the rest to hide. And so they did, behind the ice formations that Elsa had made while making sure that no part of them was sticking out for their enemy to see. The pixies, Anguirus and King Caesar also became still and hugged the side of the mountain so they could not be seen as well.

Sofia gathered her courage and bravery as best she could, straighting up and putting on a determined look on her face. The others with her did the same, while Kathrin and Edgard remained in the air above them on their flying monsters. Godzilla growled softly, a fierce look on his face that showed to all why he was best known as the King of the Monsters. Biolantte was also getting herself prepared, her vines at the ready underground just in case.

One of the rock faces on the mountain they were facing slowly opened, showing it was a secret entrance that could only be opened by magical means. Stepping out into the chilling air… was Cosmina herself.

The humans, pixies and monsters who caught a glance at her, shivered at the sight of the woman. She was alluring and beautiful, in an outfit that showed off her physical features in a stunning way that would have many a man run over themselves to be close to her. However… this was off-set by the coldness and blackness that was in her heart and soul. A kind of evil aura that would make others flinch slightly, Aurora who was peeking out from behind one of the ice rocks feeling that what she was seeing was like a miniature version of the witch Maleficent.

The alluring but deadly magical foe looked to Sofia from across the frozen water and called out, "Ah, so you did manage to make it in time despite the little… delays. I have to say, you are one resourceful little girl.". The princess shivered a little from hearing that. It was one thing to hear praise from your friend's lips… but quite another when it came from your enemy.

Cosmina looked at the forms of Godzilla and Biolantte, than saw the shadows on the ground and looked upward to see Rodan and Mothra. The sorceress spoke just enough for all to hear, "Not to mention quite a powerful one, bringing in creatures from another plane of reality. They look so powerful and… fierce! Oooh, it sends a shiver up my spine to see such beasts!". The monsters growled in a threating manner, their sixth senses working into overtime in telling them that this human before them was bad news in so many ways. Cosmina looked around the area and inquired to where the others were.

Sofia answered, "They're back in Razorwood, repairing it and making sure you don't send any of those rock monsters & shadow monsters to it again!". Cosmina's right eyebrow rose slightly in hearing that answer, almost believing the princess's story.

Ariel spoke up, "Cosmina, do you have Sofia's family with you or not? We would like to see if they alive and well.". Said woman looked to Ariel, and saw that despite the age to the mature woman, she held a kind of royal air that was to be respected.

She answered, "But of course. After all, I only want the amulet. The royal family is… excess baggage. Hehehe…". The way Cosmina answered it made the forces of Good look at her in disgust, and for some wary. The sorceress snapped her fingers, and coming out from the entrance/exit behind her were King Roland, Queen Miranda, Prince James and Princess Amber. Sofia gasped upon seeing the sight of her family, wearing still only the robes and/or pajamas they wore just a few nights ago. The clothing was very dirty and torn in some places, and the royals faces seemed to be caked in grimy dirt. Their hairs were an awful mess, and they seemed to be a bit malnourished.

Sofia cried out, "Mom! Dad! James! Amber! Are you okay?!". The four did not reply back, looking tired and very worn out. Anguirus and King Caesar growled softly, each telling the pixies that they were with that something was not right. Their sense of smell, and also their sixth sense, told them that something was off about the humans that were with Cosmina. Tinkerbell and Vidia, however, pleaded with them to not emerge yet until the time was right.

Cosmina laughed in an aristocratic way before remarking, "Oh, so sorry. I tried to be a good host, but it seems that my supplies were a bit low. After all, I live here all by myself with my creations to keep me company. So all I could offer them was barely decent bread and water. I really need to do some grocery shopping soon. Hahahaha…". Many that were hidden from view really wanted to go over and deck Cosmina good, some like Malak and Magali actually wanted to throttle her until she would turn blue in the face.

All traces of levity quickly vanished from the sorceress's face and demeanor as she spoke, "Now than… the Amulet of Avalor if you please.".

Sofia looked to her precious gemstone, the magical artifact sparkling in the light as she gently lifted it slightly to see it better. She thought, 'The amulet… it is too powerful to let it fall into the hands of someone like her! Who knows what kind of bad things she will do with it! But… my family is more important to me. Besides… my friends will help me to keep it safe, while also getting my parents and siblings out of her clutches.'. She looked to Cinderella, Ariel, Anna, Melody and Tracy who all nodded to her. Sofia quickly looked towards Elsa, who also gave her a tiny nod as to not give away her position.

The princess sighed and stated, "First, bring my family forward. We'll exchange right in the middle of the frozen river.". Cosmina looked hard at the little lady, who stood firm and did not back down. After a moment or two, she consented and used her magic to turn the slope that was underneath her into a pebbled stairway of sort. She walked slowly and gracefully down the pathway, King Roland and the others following behind her in the same place.

Sofia straightened herself a bit more, gathering the courage that was needed to make the walk towards Cosmina. She started forward, slowly and carefully going onto the ice. Godzilla followed, with Anna and Melody beside him. Ariel kept looking at the royals, and noticed that indeed something was a bit odd. She looked to Cinderella and whispered, "Look… there's no rope on any of them. They are not bound for some reason. Why…?". It was logical, at least to her, that captives would be held bound by either rope, irons, anything that would prevent them from fleeing or doing an action of any kind.

Mrs. Charming replied, "I don't know. And why is the entranceway into the mountain still open?". Something was nagging in the back of their minds, but they couldn't quite put their fingers on it yet.

In a few minutes, Sofia and Cosmina were in the middle of the frozen river. The sorceress looked at Godzilla, who glared at her with such ferocity that it took her breath away. She whispered, "What a magnificent beast… truly this beast would be a perfect tool of destruction and devastation!". The saurian snarled at her, Anna and Melody glaring at her and so wanting to tell her off.

Sofia remarked, "HE has a name, and it's Godzilla! Now, release my parents, brother and sister to me. And I will give you the amulet.". She took off her precious possession, feeling already a slight loss since she had kept it on for the longest of times.

Godzilla growled as his eyes bore into the four captive humans and stated, "Hold on Sofia! These beings… they are not human!". He had sniffed them, and immediately noticed that they did not smell human. Rather… they reeked of evil magic, the kind he had faced earlier against the ebony beasts and the stone monsters! His sixth senses were now going into overdrive, telling him to slay the magic-user and the imposters on sight! Sofia's eyes widened, and she looked to see that her 'family' now sported wicked smiles… the kind that did not belong on their faces at all!

Cosmina grinned and stated, "Oh, I was so hoping that you would not notice until it was too late… TAKE THEM NOW!". The royals' forms soon melted away, to reveal that the four were really Shadow Soldiers! Godzilla roared loudly and charged in, using his bulk to slam into the two wolves and eagle-hybrids, knocking them away from Sofia.

The sorceress laughed in wicked delight, and made a backward leap using both her muscles and her magic! She landed back on the shoreline where her entrance was at, and with a wave of her staff… many more ebony beings emerged from the entrance en masse! Anna and Melody quickly went to Sofia, getting her away from the area while the monsters charged in! Rodan and Mothra dive-bombed some of the enemies that were swarming out, while Biolantte shot up her living vines from beneath to ensnare and crush three soldiers into nothingness.

Elsa called out, "EVERYONE, LET'S GO!". She and the others leapt out from their hiding places, Cosmina actually grinning more when she saw the rest emerging from behind the ice rocks. Anguirus let out a loud roar, along with King Caesar as the duo plus the pixies flew away and revealed themselves to their foes.

Godzilla was quickly being swarmed by many Shadow Soldiers, roaring as the magical creations dug their claws, teeth and talons into his body. He tried to shake them off, but for everyone that he shook off, two more jumped to replace them. He considered using his Radiation Death Breath on them, but the chances of hitting an ally… or worse, bonded were too high so he dare not risk it. He cried out, "COME ON, YOU UN-NATURAL FOOLS! TRY TO TAKE ME DOWN!". He threw his weight around, smashed his enemies with his arms, and whacked away many with his powerful tail. If he was going to go down… he was going to go down fighting!

The Ice Queen also started things off by letting loose blasts of ice that ensnared many of the soldiers, the hybrids now looking like living statues. Jet Jaguar rushed to them and smashed them to ice cubes with his martial arts techniques, but more of the soldiers just kept on pouring in! He looked to Elsa and exclaimed, "This feels more different and difficult than last time we fought them! They are much more aggressive than last time, and they seem to be coming out like rushing ants!".

Elsa replied, "I know! Just keep at it Jet Jaguar until we can get Sofia out of here! I should have known that witch would try something underhanded!". She was focused on the enemies in front of her, she did not see two wolf-hybrid shadow monsters streaking towards her from the back. They were about to attack… when a spiked ball ran into them, like a bowling ball would do to bowling pins! The beasts let out short yelps before dissolving into black dust. Elsa turned around to see the spiked ball, who uncurled itself to reveal Anguirus!

The monster spoke, "Now's not the time to let down your guard, Ice Woman! Don't let the enemy get you from behind!". The Snow Queen realized that the spiked dinosaur must have stopped some of the soldiers who were coming from behind her. Saying a quick thank you to Anguirus, Elsa stepped up her attacks.

The whole area was once again a battlefield, the icy river breaking apart quickly as the weight of the monsters and humans was on it. Every hero and heroine were doing their best to destroy the Shadow Soldiers, but they were pouring forth like a rapid river stream! Sofia, still being protected by Anna and Melody, looked to see that the tide of battle was slowly going in favor of Cosmina. The princess looked about the chaos, and noticed that something was once again off. She exclaimed, "Wait… where is she?! Where's Cosmina?!". The two young ladies looked around, and indeed the sorceress seemed to have disappeared.

That is when a soft voice from behind spoke, "I'm right here, ladies.". The trio's eyes went wide as they turned around, to see a smirking sorceress staring back at them. Anna and Melody were about to charge at her to defend their friend, but Cosmina merely thrust her staff forward and let loose a pulse of evil magic that sent the two flying hard through the air! They were slammed hard into some trees, a sickening SMACK sound filling the air as they struck the objects. Anna and Melody slumped down to the ground, hurt but thankfully it was not serious or critical.

Sofia cried out to them, and was about to go to the duo when a blue-colored glowing staff tip stopped her in her tracks. Cosmina said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk… did you really think I would be so foolish or naïve to make a fair trade? Though I must admit, you certainly do have a devious mind if you were planning to ambush me like you were planning to. I have to give you credit for that.". The princess said nothing in return, quickly taking out her staff which made the evil woman raise yet another eyebrow at her. If one was versed in World Wrestling Entertainment, they would have thought she was imitating Dwayne The Rock Johnson.

Cosmina continued, "A staff? I must admit this, you are unique if you are using a staff instead of a wand like most silly magic-users do. You must be quite powerful magic-wise to be using it.". Sofia again said nothing, aiming her staff at the woman who had caused her much pain inside of her heart. The staff's beryl gem glowing a deep red as it was eager to be at the call of its new master.

The sorceress's face took on a serious look now and spoke with again an aristocratic air, "If you wish to persist in this foolishness princess, just remember that it is your family on the line. In fact… look behind you. Look to the top of the peek.". Sofia had a look of confusion on her face, but turned behind her and looked to the spot that Cosmina pointed to with her face.

On the peak was her family… her REAL family as they were bound up and gagged, looking like the imposters did. Each of them was being held tight by a Shadow Soldier. Sofia looked to be lost for a moment, before turning to glare at her foe. Cosmina chuckled and explained, "I had a feeling you would try something, so I turned three of my shadowy creations into exact replicas of each of the royal family members. But make no mistake, THEY are the real deal and I believe that I now hold all of the cards here.". The princess had realized that she was correct, that Cosmina had tricked them in a false ploy of sort. The sorceress had forced them to release their trap early, and thus now it was useless. All of her friends were now preoccupied with a tsunami wave of minions that was overpowering them by sheer numbers now.

She extended her hand out and demanded, "Now… if you please. Otherwise, your dear parents and step-siblings will make a rather lovely red stains on the ground.". Sofia cried softly, feeling very helpless now. She looked at the outstretched hand, than to her amulet. Slowly, she took off the amulet completely from her neck and dropped it in the left hand of Cosmina.

The evil magic-user grinned, feeling that there was no curse now upon her from the gemstone. Sofia had, in a way, willingly give up the amulet to her so there was no adverse effects. She cackled and lifted up the magical artifact and declared, "I HAVE DONE IT! I HAVE THE AMULET OF AVALOR AT LAST!". The shadow monsters quickly stopped their attacks, the heroes and heroines doing the same as they looked towards Cosmina. The beasts howled/screeched in delight at their mistress's victory, while the rest looked on in shock. Sofia didn't know what to do at this point, tears coming from her eyes as she was defeated.

Cosmina looked at the purple gemstone and stated, "Purple is not quite my color when it comes to magical artifacts… ah! Let's try this!". She then started to pump much of her evil magic into the amulet, corrupting it to the core with her own heart and soul! Sofia backed away more, crying even harder as she saw the treasured gift her father gave to her when she first became an official princess of Enchancia… becoming now an object of evil.

The amulet did try to fight the power, but slowly it started to lose ground and weaken. The purple color was slowly being overcome by a blackness that was like thick ooze, and in a few moments… the amulet was completely black. The corruption was complete!

Cosmina let out a loud laugh of triumph, and Sofia turned around to see her friends and companions. In flashes of light, each of them vanished from the area! Sofia thought, 'They're… they're being sent back to their own places! With the amulet now corrupted, the magic that brought them here had ended!'. It was true, even for the pixies who had vanished and were now sent back to Neverland. In a way, Sofia was relieved since her friends would not be tainted by the evil magic that now inhabited the amulet.

But her relief was quickly short-lived as Cosmina now had her sights on the monsters. Godzilla and his fellow kaiju roared loudly at the vile sorceress, all advancing towards her… to end her reign and power. The woman smirked at the attempts by the Toho titans and stated, "Ah, ah, ah… is that anyway to treat your future queen?". She waved her staff at them, and a magical energy wave struck them! She looked up quickly and repeated the action at Rodan and Mothra who tried to attack from the air. The wave of evil energy paralyzed them, forcing them to remain where they were. Even the flying monsters seemed to be frozen in mid-air!

Cosmina, with the added power of the amulet, tried to bend the beings to her will. However… she received a surprise when she hit a mental wall! She frowned, seeing and feeling that the wills of the monsters were strong. Especially Godzilla's will, which was not about to bend or break to her at all. She mused, "Hmmmm… all of you have such strong wills. Especially you, King of the Monsters. However, it will not do to simply knock you out. So…". With some intricate twists of her staff, the monsters seemed to curl or fold up, and were forced into a kind of deep sleep. Cosmina had put them in a stasis lock of sort, freezing them magically until she could find a way to bend them to her will.

Sofia cried out, "What have you done?! What did you do?!". She went over to Godzilla and tried to wake him up, but the saurian did not respond at all to her cries and poundings.

Cosmina laughed lightly, soaking in the horror and panic that was in Sofia's actions and voice. She answered, "They are alive, little princess. But they are in a deep sleep, and will awaken ONLY when they are completely mine to command.". She made a slight gesture of her head to one of her minions, a wolf-hybrid who went to Sofia and grabbed her tight with its claws. The princess tried to struggle, but it was in vain as the shadow minion's grip was tight and starting to hurt her slightly.

The sorceress spoke in a tone, "Do not damage her, fool! I do not wish to have damaged trophies. Hehehe…". The hybrid whimpered from the scolding, and lightened its grip of the human if only slightly. Cosmina looked up to her loyal creations who still had the royal family in tow, and shouted to them to return them back to their cells. The eight beings soon vanished back into the mountains.

Cosmina took Sofia's staff from her and examined it. She stated, "Quite an unusual staff, but it its interesting. I will have to keep it as a trophy, along with you and your family. Hehehehe…". The princess was still crying, seeing that everything was going doing the wrong way… and there was nothing she could do about it. The magic-user chuckled lightly, seeing the very pained and defeated look on Sofia's face just wonderful to her.

She announced, "Come everyone! Back to the base! I have a new power at my disposal, creations to breathe life into… and a kingdom to destroy! Hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!". Her Shadow Soldiers howled/screeched along with their mistress's laughter, which was very painful to the ears of Sofia. The princess was soon hauled back towards the mountain entrance, looking to see Godzilla and the other monsters vanish into another entranceway that was nearby. It was large enough to send all seven Toho beings into the rocky structure.

It would appear that evil had won a victory in this battle!

(Author's Notes: And… cut! That is the end of this chapter! Whew… this was a very difficult chapter to make. Thank you God for helping me out with this one. This really tested my capabilities very much, so again I thank Jesus for helping me out with this chapter.

Believe me, I do not wish to see evil win in any way. And I really do not wish harm to children, but this was necessary for the story to move forward. But rest assured, some light will come to Sofia and her family. In a way that I hope surprises and pleases all of you who want to see Good triumph!

So Sofia's plan had been forced to be played early, and Cosmina had set up a kind of double-layered trap to checkmate her. The amulet is now corrupted, and the forces of Good either scattered back to their homelands… or now under the grip of Cosmina. It really does seem very bad for the heroes and heroines… but even in darkness and despair, there is hope and light. You will see that next chapter!

Now for the questions:

After hearing Godzilla's declaration that it would Sofia's decision on what should happen in the rescue attempt, what would you say about that?

What kind of plan/trap would you liked to set up against Cosmina, given the terrain and conditions?

If you were with Sofia, what kind of negotiation plan would you use or say to Cosmina?

Like the monsters, if your sixth sense was telling you that something was not right about the whole thing, would you listen to it or no?

What kind of team-up would you do with any of the following heroes/heroines or monsters in the skirmish between yourselves and the Shadow Soldiers?

And finally… what would you reaction be in seeing Cosmina corrupt the Amulet of Avalor?

R&R, no flames, enjoy and leave long reviews!)