Chapter 16: Battle of the Balrog

…Vostok…Antarctica…

"I still don't believe it," said Clawdeen as she, Howleen, Apple, Avery, Ashlynn, Hunter, Clair, Elissabat, Abbey and the nomad Yetis and Sasquatches, made their way away from the geomagnetic South Pole.

"That thing, that Balrog," said Clawdeen, "it can't be Heath, it just can't be him."

"I agree that creature bore little if any resemblance to Heath Burns," said Apple, "but what Obsidian did to Manny Taur, he was barely recognizable too."

"Draculaura had to put Manny's nose ring back on so we could recognize him," said Howleen.

"I doubt we could recognize anyone we know once Obsidian gets their hands on them," said Elissabat.

"Like what Valentine did to Draculaura," said Clare.

"But…that thing can't be Heath," said Clawdeen, "Heath's so awkward and clumsy, and that thing kicked our butts in a heartbeat."

"Balrog is Heath," said Abbey, "and he will be Heath again." She looked at Howleen, "you will make him Heath again."

"I told you already, I can't!" said Howleen irately, "yeah, I cured Manny somehow, but I had the fourth Star Piece then," she padded the pockets of her cold weather gear, "sorry, no mystical diamond."

"You can still try," said Elissabat, "maybe the diamond gave you powers that can only be used in the right circumstances."

"I still don't know how I even cured Manny," said Howleen, "what if we find the Balrog, I mean, Heath. If we find and I try to cure him, what if nothing happens? He'll try to kill me."

"He'll try to kill us all," said Ashlynn, "remember how crazy Manny was on Dino Earth? Whatever Irvin did to Heath, it's brought out the worst in him."

"Hate to see him at his best," muttered Hunter, which earned him an annoyed elbow jab from Ashlynn.

"I think it's clear that Abbey won't leave Antarctica," said Apple, "at least until we find out the truth about that creature."

"I know truth!" insisted Abbey, "it is Heath! I will find and save him, even if I must do it alone!"

"Oh, come on, you're not doing this alone," said Briar.

"I will if have to," said Abbey, "and if you are so…how do you say…unsupportive?"

"She's accusing us of not having her back on this," said Howleen, "and we do," she glared at Clawdeen, "don't we?"

"Well…of course we do," said Clawdeen, "it's just…that thing wiped the floor with us."

"I have to agree," said Avery, "even if the Balrog is Heath, we were soundly trounced by it."

"Oh, we were just surprised by it, that's all," said Hunter, "next time we'll be ready."

"Darn right we will," said Briar, "next time that Balrog shows up, I'm gonna punch its flaming teeth out!"

"NO!" snapped Abbey, "you will not hurt Heath!"

"Excuse me?" asked Briar, "of course I'm gonna hurt him, before he hurts any of us that is."

"We were lucky no one was seriously wounded," said Apple, "plenty of burns and bruises to go around, but nothing life threatening, this time. Next time we may not be so lucky."

"Assuming that Shadow Acolyte gets the Balrog under control," said Clair, "then we'll be so much out of luck, we'll owe luck to someone."

"Heath won't hurt us," said Abbey, "he didn't hurt me."

"I know the creature stopped when it saw you, but…" said Briar, "but…"

"But we just don't know," said Clawdeen.

"He won't hurt us," insisted Abbey.

"Manny didn't want to hurt us," said Ashlynn, "but he had no choice, he…"

"Heath Is Not Manny!" shouted Abbey, causing Ashlynn to flinch and take several steps back.

"Yeah…that part is pretty obvious," said Clawdeen.

"Okay, Abbey, we'll stay," said Avery, "but if we're going to help Heath…"

"If it is Heath," said Clawdeen, "and no guarantee that we won't hurt him."

"We're gonna need help, a lot of help," said Avery as he pulled out his phone.

"Don't bother," said Clair as she held up her phone, "still no signal."

"We need to get farther from the Geomagnetic South Pole," said Elissabat as she held up her phone, "we're on our own until…wait…wait just a moment!" she held her phone up higher.

"What is it?" asked Clair.

"Nothing," said a disappointed Elissabat as she lowered her phone, "I thought I had a bar," she then blinked as she looked at her phone, "there it is again!" she held up her phone and began walking forward, "come on…come on…"

"I'm actually amazed we're getting any kind of signal out here," said Clair as she and the others followed Elissabat.

"Two Bars!" shouted Elissabat after several hundred yards of chasing after a signal, "come on…just one more for good measure!"

"I've got it too," said Clair.

"Mine too," said Avery, "two bars is good enough! Time to call The Steam Vault!"

…Monster High…

"Ah…Edouard's calling," said Irvin as he sat in the headmistress's office, with Valentine and Draculaura sitting across from him, "with good news, I hope."

"He'd better," said Valentine as Irvin answered his phone, "after sending a flaming Balrog, those idiots in Antarctica won't stand a chance."

"We shall see," said Irvin. He then spoke into his phone, "what was that, Edouard? You're not coming in too clearly."

"Of course I'm not coming in clear!" shouted Edouard over a static-filled like, "I'm calling from friggin Antarctica!"

"Then I hope you're calling with good news," said Irvin.

"Uh…not exactly, Mr. Weis," said Edouard nervously, "there…there was a problem with the Balrog."

"What kind of problem?" asked Irvin, "was it not as powerful as Emory promised?"

"He should be punished for making that flaming abomination in the first place!" said Draculaura.

"Quiet!" hissed Irvin, "I'm on long distance!" he then spoke into the phone again, "what problem, Edouard?"

"Well…the creature did perform as promised," said Edouard, "Apple White's protectors were nearly blown away by the Balrog, but that was mostly due to the element of surprise; they weren't expecting a Balrog to drop out of the sky in the middle of Antarctica."

"Who wouldn't?" asked Valentine, only for Irvin to glare irately at him.

"But…that's when things went sour, Mr. Weis," said Edouard, "the creature had one of the Monsters at its mercy and was about to capture her, when…"

"When what?" asked Irvin, "what happened, damn it!"

"It flew away," said Edouard, "and please don't shout at me! I didn't do anything wrong! It's the creature that's defective!"

"It flew away?" asked a confused Irvin, "why?"

"And the slug scientist!" said Edouard, "he made the damn thing."

"I'll go get some salt," said Draculaura, "that'll punish the slimy jerk."

"Either shut up or get out!" snapped Irvin. "Okay, Edouard, where are you now? And where's the creature?"

…Ross Island…Antarctica…

"Right below me," said Edouard as he stood on the rim of an active volcano, "I tracked the creature across the continent to Mt. Erebus. I guess it likes the heat."

…Monster High…

"Not surprising," said Irvin, "Mt. Erebus is the most active volcano in Antarctica."

"What do you want me to do, Mr. Weis?" asked Edouard, "you want me to try and wrangle the damned thing?"

"Not yet," said Irvin, "hang tight while I sort things out here."

"Least I won't freeze to death," said Edouard. With that he hung up.

"Well, this is an interesting twist of fate," said Valentine.

"Save it," said an annoyed Irvin as he got up, "I've a slug to admonish."

Just then Emory slid into the office, "Mr. Weis, I just heard about the debacle in Antarctica, and I would just like to say…"

"That you made a defective monster!?" demanded Irvin.

"I'll get the salt," said Draculaura. She then looked at Emory, "and how did you know what happened?"

"I overheard your phone conference, Mr. Weis," said Emory, "I apologize for eavesdropping, but I had to speak to you; I believe the creature is defective."

"Well, duh!" said Irvin, Draculaura and Valentine at the same time.

"But I know why!" said Emory, "I believe my plasmid, while impressive, has a fundamental flaw that I overlooked, a flaw that allows subconscious memories to override control over the creature."

"Subconscious memories?" asked Valentine.

"Oh, I think I know what happened," said Draculaura coldly, "you took Heath Burns, made him into a Balrog and sent him to Antarctica, where Abbey was hiding. Heath saw Abbey, remembered her and then chickened out. Typical Heath."

"Well, that's just great, a creature that won't fight," said Irvin to Emory, "what the hell am I supposed to do with this, I ask you!"

"The creature will fight!" said Emory as he pulled out a syringe full of a glowing blue fluid, "I just need to give it a little booster shot."

"You're going to Antarctica?" laughed Valentine.

"They make cold weather gear for slugs," said Emory, "so why not? It's my creature, if it's defective, I'll fix it."

"There's still the chance it won't fight, especially if Heath's frosty paramour is in sight," said Irvin.

"It may not have to fight," said Draculaura, "By now Abbey and the rest of those idiots could be back wherever they took Hexiciah Steam's lab." She then smiled with thoughtful deviousness, "but if they have left, then we'll make them come back. Edouard said the Balrog was in an active volcano in Antarctica?"

"Mt. Erebus on Ross Island," said Irvin as he walked over to a large globe and moved it so everyone could see Antarctica.

"What's going on in that diabolical little mind of yours?" asked an intrigued and turned on Valentine.

"I'm about to make my former friends an offer they cannot refuse," said Draculaura, "'cause if they do, then their entire world is doomed!"

…Vostok…Antarctica…a short time later…

"Uh…Robecca?" asked Howleen as she stood in a portable shelter our heroes had set up, "why was this in your father's lab?"

"I honestly don't know," said Robecca, "but I'm glad my father had it."

Having reestablished contact with The Steam Vault, our heroes in Antarctica told the others that Abbey was safe, but wasn't leaving until she had found the Balrog, that and that Abbey was convinced that the Balrog is Heath.

With that, Raven said she was coming over to help. Using the trans-dimensional cell signal to home in on our heroes, Robecca and Ghoulia reopened the wormhole, through which came Raven, Dexter, Maddie, Frankie, Rochelle, Jackson and Robecca herself, the latter two carrying the materials to assemble the shelter.

"Okay, now that we're all toasty warm again," said Robecca after everyone had taken turns clustering around a steam-powered heater and drank their fill of hot chocolate, which, for a surprising change, was made by Maddie, "what's the plan?"

"The plan is find Heath," said Abbey.

"Yes, we know that's what you want, Abbey, dear," said Robecca.

"But how are we going to find him?" asked Rochelle, "he could be anywhere in Antarctica by now? And with Obsidian controlling him, they could have taken him anywhere on Earth. Mon deus, he could be on another world for all we know."

"Heath is still here," said Abbey, "I just know."

"Then mind telling us your brilliant plan on finding him?" asked Clawdeen, "or how we'll turn him back to normal?"

"Howleen will turn him back," insisted Abbey, "she turn Manny back to normal, she can do same for Heath."

"For crying out loud!" snapped Howleen, "I've already told you, I don't know how I did it! I don't know how I restored Manny, and I don't know how I'll restore Heath! So, stop relying on me for something I have no idea about!"

"Can we just focus on finding him first?" asked Raven. She looked at Abbey, "how do you know he's still in Antarctica?"

"I know," said Abbey, she then pointed at her heart, "in here, I know."

"Well, that's good enough for me," said Maddie, "so let's go follow Abbey's heart!"

"And do what? Trudge around the coldest place on Earth and let Abbey's gut be our guide?" asked an annoyed Clawdeen, "no thank you! I rather chew tin foil!"

"Are you alright, Clawdeen?" asked Frankie, "you kinda seem out of it, a bit."

"I'm fine," said Clawdeen as she turned away.

"No you're not!" insisted Howleen, "you've been in a bad mood pretty much since we got here."

"I'm fine!" snapped Clawdeen as she began breathing harder, "I just want to get this mission over with already!"

"You don't look well," said Apple as she rummaged through her first aid kit, pulling out an ear thermometer, "hold still, I want to take your temperature."

"I'm fine!" growled Clawdeen as she swatted away Apple's hand, but found herself restrained by Howleen and Frankie.

"Just let our resident medic check you out," said Frankie as Apple walked over and took Clawdeen's temperature, "we don't want you to get sick or something."

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" snapped Clawdeen.

"I don't think so," said Apple as she read the results, "your temperature's 41.1C," she then frowned with slight confusion, "uh…is that normal for a werewolf?"

"Werewolves and regular wolves have an average body temperature between 38.3 and 39.2C," said Jackson, "so no, it's not normal."

"You've got a bit of a fever, big sis," said Howleen.

"I'm not sick," said Clawdeen, "I've never been sick a day in my life."

"Oh really?" asked an annoyed Howleen as she put her hands on her hips, "oh, and the time you had worms doesn't count? And then there's all the times you had reactions to your rabies boosters, remember how cruddy those made you?"

"So that's why you're always absent for a few days every March," said Frankie, "Lagoona and Cleo thought you were getting a head start on spring break."

"I'm not sick!" barked Clawdeen, but then she stumbled and nearly fell over, only to be caught by Frankie and Howleen again, "that…was deliberate."

"How is getting dizzy and falling deliberate?" asked Dexter, to which Raven shrugged.

"It was not her," said Rochelle as she placed one hand on the floor, "a tremor, I felt a tremor."

"I didn't feel a tremor," said Hunter.

Just then the whole shelter shook for an instant, just enough to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, I felt that one," said Hunter.

"Does Antarctica have earthquakes?" Chad asked nervously.

"They have earthquakes all the time everywhere," said Jackson as he pulled out his laptop and began typing, "you just don't feel them, not the little ones anyway."

Just then a slightly stronger tremor shook the shelter.

"That wasn't so little," said a worried Avery.

"Hang on, I'm connecting with a geological survey system," said Jackson, "there's a lot of them keeping watch on the world's tectonic plates, including Antarctica." He typed and clicked on several links before getting the results he sought, "uh-huh…uh-huh…what we're feeling is coming from the Ross Sea…wait…wait…that's not right."

"What's not right?" asked Apple as she and the others looked more and more concerned.

"The quakes are occurring at sea level," said Jackson.

"Yeah…so?" asked Hunter.

"Earthquakes don't occur at sea level," said Jackson, "not on land or the ocean, or at least they rarely do. I'm talking about kilometers below the surface. But this," he read more, "no…no way! One of the quakes had a negative depth of over a hundred meters."

Just then came another tremor, again stronger than before

"When the ground trembles aboveground," said Maddie, "then the ground isn't trembling on its own."

"I don't need to know Riddlish to understand that," said Briar, "this is manmade."

"But how?" asked Ashlynn.

"More like 'Who?'" said Hunter, "this stinks of Obsidian."

Just then Avery's phone rang, the caller ID saying it was from the Steam Vault, "hello?" he answered as he put the call on speaker.

"Everyone!" said Lagoona on the other end, "our mates at The Base are on conference and they've got big bad news!"

"Oh, it's bad alright," said Cerise on the far, far end of the call, "can you guys hear me?"

"We hear you, Cerise," said Raven, "how's things in Ever After?"

"Forget that!" shouted Madison, "oh boy, are you guys in trouble!"

"We've been monitoring the situation on Earth," said Dorothea, "including conditions in Antarctica."

"Actually, we just picked up the situation in Antarctica," said Cupid, "we got worried about Apple, Avery and the others, so we called The Steam Vault and they said you guys were in Antarctica, and…"

"And we know about the earthquakes that aren't earthquakes," said Tobias, "they are manmade, or rather, Kaijin made."

"Just check a thermal satellite image of the Ross Ice Shelf," said Dorothea.

Jackson did just that, "there's been several massive bursts of heat on the Ross Sea," he said as he read the data, "focusing where the ice shelf meets the continent."

"A volcano?" asked Frankie.

"That's what Ghoulia hypothesized at first," said Gil, at which Ghoulia gave a long, complicated moan.

"The plumes are moving at a steady rate," said Jackson.

"There's some kind of fire Kaijin there doing who knows what," said Madison.

"Or a friend turned into a Balrog," said Avery.

"HEATH!" said Abbey.

"Say what now?" asked Madison.

"Long story," said Elissabat, "but what is Heath doing there?"

"He's breaking the friggin ice shelf off the continent, that's what!" exclaimed Madison.

"She's right!" said Jackson, "see the pattern of heat plumes? They're following the coast of Antarctica!"

"Why?" asked Apple, "what does Irvin hope to accomplish by this?"

"Don't you get it, Apple?" asked Madison, "the ice shelf is breaking free."

"The ice shelf will break free," said Dorothea, "at this rate…"

At that Ghoulia moaned gravely.

"My God!" exclaimed Jackson, "my God! It'll alter the magnetic field of the planet! There'll be a polar shift! It'll destroy the world!"

"Oh, bollocks!" exclaimed Robecca, "that's not what will happen! More likely, it'll cause a massive displacement wave."

"All that heavy ice breaking free will cause worldwide tsunamis," said Dorothea, "which was what I was about to explain before Ghoulia interrupted me."

At that Ghoulia moaned an apology.

"Whatever the disaster," said Avery, "Millions will die."

"Over a billion actually," said Dorothea.

"Unless we stop it, somehow," said Apple.

"Oh, we're gonna stop it," said Raven, "but why is Obsidian doing it in the first place? Doesn't Irvin know that this will wreck the planet?"

"And he's gotta know that we'll stop it," said Dexter, "unless…"

"Unless that's his plan all along," said Avery, "to lure us into a trap."

"Well, if that's true," said Briar, "there's only one thing we can do."

"And what's that?" asked Ashlynn.

"Spring the trap, of course," said Briar as she smiled boldly.

…off Ross Island…

"This is your plan!?" exclaimed Neffra as she wore a stylish fur coat. She, Irvin, Edouard, Valentine and Draculaura, were all standing on the ice shelf, watching from afar as a widening crack separated the ice shelf from the continent.

"Yes, that's my plan," said Draculaura smugly, "I'm gonna break off the ice shelf and cause worldwide tsunamis."

"And how is killing over a billion people and causing untold damage on every continental coastline going to lure my sister's friends out of hiding?" asked Neffra.

"Oh, Neffra," said Draculaura in a patronizing manner, "you try so hard, but you just don't have the talent for evil schemes."

"No talent for evil?!" demanded Neffra, "I was making my sister miserable and tormenting peasants long before your were a twinkle in your parent's eyes! No talent for evil? I'll show you who has a talent for evil!"

"Later," said Irvin, "I want to know how creating the greatest disaster in world history will solve our little problem."

"It's so simple," said Valentine, "without even thinking about it, Frankie and her friends will rush here to stop the ice shelf from breaking free."

"And we'll be waiting for them," said Draculaura, she then looked at Edouard, "won't we?"

"I've got plenty of tribulating tricks up my sleeves," said Edouard, "assuming big red down there cooperates this time," he pointed at the crack, which widened a bit more as a massive burst of fire shot out, followed by a massive shudder that reverberated across the continent.

"Oh, he'd better obey," said Draculaura, "otherwise, it's salted slug for dinner."

"No, thank you!" said Irvin dryly.

"Alright," said Neffra, "it's an okay plan, but there's just one problem."

"Oh? And what's that?" asked Draculaura.

"Well, a few things, actually," said Neffra, "once the ice shelf does break free and cause the tsunamis, what's to keep us from drowning? And what's to stop the tsunami's from carrying on from the coastline inland to Monster High? The school isn't that far from the beach."

"That's right," said Irvin. He then glared at Draculaura, "I worked very hard to conquer Monster High and I'd rather not have all my hard work washed away with the tide."

"Your hard work?!" demanded Valentine, "you wouldn't even know where to find Monster High if it weren't for Draculaura and I!"

"You'd still be blindly searching for the first Star Piece if I hadn't pointed it out to you!" snapped Irvin, "and as for Draculaura, if I hadn't…"

At that Draculaura rushed up to and glared up into Irvin's face, "I thought we agreed to never mention that again!" she said coldly.

"Mention what?" asked Amanita as she reclined nearby on a lawn chair, wrapped in a heavy fur coat and sipping hot chocolate.

"Nothing!" snapped Draculaura, "and are you just going to sit there or do anything constructive?"

"Why are you here, anyway?" asked Valentine as he looked at Amanita, "I thought you were out having fun."

"Oh, I am having fun," said Amanita, "or, I will once Frankie and her friends get here. I can't wait to tell Frankie how much I appreciate her lending me her car."

"That's the other thing I'm questioning," said Neffra, "how will those loser brats know where to go? What's the bait for the trap?"

"Uh…I thought the earthquakes would be enough," said a slightly nervous Draculaura.

"Antarctica already has earthquakes," said Irvin in a disapproving manner, "how are they to know what's causing them? What, are you planning to post your nefarious scheme online or something?"

"That's not a bad idea," said Draculaura as she pulled out her iCoffin, earning groans of annoyance from the other villains.

"I may have a solution, Mr. Weis," said Edouard, "my colleagues at Monster High, they can set up a protective barrier around the school to keep it safe from the tsunamis."

"I was about to suggest the same thing," said Valentine.

"Liar!" said Edouard.

"Doesn't matter, just do it," said Irvin.

"It's already on its way," said Edouard as he sent out a text, "as for luring the Riders and others, if they're half as smart as we give them credit for, they'll figure out that we're sundering the ice shelf and come here of their own accord."

"That's right," said Draculaura, "there's no way Frankie and those other goody two shoes would let the world get hit by tidal waves, exactly as I planned."

"Liar!" said Edouard, "wait, why am I just standing here!" he then began writing an email, "should have done this hours ago."

"Done what?" asked Irvin.

"Reschedule with my lawyer," said Edouard, who then smiled wickedly, "there's another thing I should have done long ago!" he then finished and sent his email, then began writing another.

"Now what are you doing?" asked Irvin.

"Asking my ex-wife for a sit-down," said Edouard, "I'll have her 'meet' me at a nice little restaurant in Hawaii. She'll come, early of course just to spite me, but then I'll text an excuse, like I'm stuck in traffic or something, all to keep her there. All the while, the ice shelf has broken free and sent out the tsunamis. While my ex is waiting to publicly humiliate me once more, her own wickedness will result in her drowning! That'll show her!"

"Uh…yeah…like, good luck with that," said Amanita as she sat up, "but…uh, what if Frankie and those other losers don't show up?"

"Huh? Oh!" said Edouard as he snapped out of his bout with insanity, "oh, well, if they don't show up after," he checked the time, "after an hour or so, we'll send them an ultimatum on a message board or something. If they don't show up, we'll break free the ice shelf."

"But we're going to do it anyway," said Draculaura, "this isn't a bluff. We're going to murder a billion people."

"NO!" shouted Elissabat as she, Clawdeen, Clair and Frankie, hurried towards the villains, "You can't do that, Draculaura!"

"Oh, Elissabat," said Draculaura as she smiled wickedly, "how nice to see you again," she looked at Clair and Frankie, "and you brought friends, though I thought there'd be more. Oh, Clawdeen, you look terrible."

"Thanks for stating the obvious," said Clawdeen between bouts of chills.

"I told you this was a bad idea," said Clair to Frankie.

"Never mind that," said Elissabat, "Draculaura, you have to stop this now!"

"Yeah, stop it!" said Frankie.

"Oh, so you're Frankie," said Amanita, "thanks for letting me borrow your car, you really have great taste in automobiles."

"Wait…what are you talking about?" asked Frankie, "wait…you have my car? You have Hector?!"

"I'm only borrowing it," said Amanita as she pulled out a keyring with Hector's keys on it and twirled it on her finger, "though after enjoying it for so long, I think I'll keep it."

"Give me back my car!" snapped Frankie as she glared hatefully at Amanita, her neck bolts sparking with unbridled rage, "give back Hector!"

"Not now, Frankie!" said Clawdeen as she regained her balance, "we've got to stop them from destroying the world!"

"Oh, right," said Frankie. She then sent one more glare at Amanita, "this isn't over!" she then looked at Draculaura with pleading eyes, "The Draculaura I know wouldn't ever dream of such a horrible thing as causing global tidal waves! My ghoul, Draculaura, you can't do it!"

"I can and will!" said Draculaura, "and the Draculaura you know no longer exists! I'm the only Draculaura there is!"

"Darn right she is," said Valentine as he walked over too and embraced Draculaura, "I made sure of it."

At that Elissabat glared hatefully at Valentine, "you bastard! I should…"

"You'll do no such thing but listen!" said Irvin, "it is within my power to stop the Balrog from finishing the job."

"But not for much longer," said Edouard as he checked his phone, "the Balrog is rapidly approaching the point of no return in melting the ice. It won't be long before the sheer weight of the ice shelf will break itself free from the continent."

"All that weight adrift in the ocean," said Valentine, "all that displaced water, I can only imagine the damage it'll cause on every shoreline in the world."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" said Frankie.

"Draculaura, please!" begged Elissabat, "stop this now before you do something too terrible to forgive!"

"And murdering a billion people is too terrible to forgive?" asked Draculaura, "makes you wonder how much I can get away with and still be forgiven. Maybe next time. For now, you're all going to watch as Valentine and I…"

"And me," insisted Edouard.

"And me," said Neffra.

"And me," said Amanita.

"And me," said Irvin.

"As we," said an irate Draculaura, "as we commit the greatest act of murder the world has ever seen!"

"Over my dead body, you will," said Clair.

At that Draculaura laughed cruelly, "as if you can stop it. Edouard? Be a dear and have the creature finish the job, will you?"

"It'd be my pleasure," said Edouard, "you hear me, you burning beast?! Break the ice shelf free!"

At that a massive burst of flame gushed up from the crack, widening it further.

"Any second now," said a viciously grinning Edouard, "any second now, the crack will be wide enough that the ice shelf's own weight will break it free!"

"Surf's up, world!" said Valentine, "it's tsunami time!"

But nothing happened, save for the flames dying out.

"Any second now," said Edouard, "there'll be an earsplitting cracking sound as the ice shelf breaks free! Any second now."

But the only sound heard was the wind moaning across the snow and ice.

"Wow, that thing's really on there," said Amanita.

"Shut up!" snapped Edouard, "something's wrong!" with that he teleported out…

…and in down at the bottom of the fissure where he saw The Balrog, staring at Abbey.

"You!" snapped Edouard at Abbey, "how dare you stand in the creature's way!" He glared at the Balrog, "kill the frozen waif! Now!"

"He will not!" said Abbey defiantly, "Heath will not obey you!"

"It has no choice but to obey!" snapped Edouard. "Now, you stupid Hell spawn! KILL HER!"

"A…a…Abbey!" cried the Balrog. It then roared with mental anguish as it took flight out of the fissure.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU!" exclaimed Edouard as he teleported after the Balrog.

"It actually worked," said Hunter as he, Ashlynn, and Jackson Briar emerged from hiding.

"No matter what those creeps did to Heath, he's still himself somewhere in there," said Ashlynn.

"Affairs of the heart cannot be swayed so easily," said Brair.

Just then they all heard an enormous cracking sound.

"The Ice Shelf!" exclaimed Jackson, "It's breaking free!"

"Not today or ever!" said Abbey. She then shouted something in her native tongue. At that the nomad Sasquatches used their combined strength to hold the ice shelf in place, while the Yetis used their powers to reattach the ice shelf to the continent.

"Well," said a relieved Hunter, "that's one problem solved.

It was then that they heard a deafening explosion from the surface, a blast with such force it shook the ice shelf, creating smaller cracks that threatened to break it free again.

"Go!" shouted Abbey as she added her ice powers to that of her relatives and comrades, "Stop bad guys!"

"Come on, let's go!" shouted Jackson. He, Hunter, Ashlynn and Briar all looked around in confusion, "oh, how do we get out of here anyway? And while we're at it, how'd we get down here in the first place?"

Up on the surface it was pure chaos as the Balrog rampaged in the snow and ice.

"I thought you said you could control that thing!" exclaimed Irvin at Edouard as they, Valentine, Draculaura, Neffra and Amanita took cover behind an ice boulder, while the infernal creature spewed fireballs in all directions.

"I was in control!" snapped Edouard, "it's that accursed Yeti! She put some kind of love whammy on the beast or something!"

"Either that or Emory's booster shot wasn't as cracked up as he says it was," said Neffra, "I'm going back to Monster High to find out why," with that she summoned a shimmering gray door and dashed through, narrowly missing a fireball.

"Us too," said Draculaura as she and Valentine dashed through the shimmering gray door.

"After you, Ms. Nightshade," said Irvin.

"As much as I appreciate your chivalry, Mr. Weis," said Amanita, "I'm not going anywhere so long as that hellish thing is running wild."

"Elissabat Ikuze! Gabult!"

A rising and falling whistle could be heard as the stained-glass patters appeared on Clair. "Henshin!" she said as she clicked the golden bat form of Elissabat into place on her belt. Rippling metal covered her body, solidifying and shattering to reveal Kiva. She then dashed at The Balrog, which roared and lunged at her.

"Well, that's better," said Amanita as she stood up and brushed snow and ice from her coat, "now we can go back and…"

That's as far as she got before a furious Frankie rushed up to and tackled Amanita to the ground.

"Give me back Hector, you parasite!" exclaimed Frankie as she gripped Amanita by the shoulders, her eyes glowing with enraged lightning as her neck bolts discharged furiously. But then she had to release Amanita as a massive fireball landed nearby.

"Oh, this is bad," said Kiva as the Balrog summoned an enormous burning sword in one hand and a flaming whip in the other. She then pulled out the blue whistle.

"Good thinking, Clair!" said Elissabat. Kiva then put the whistle into Elissabat's mouth, whom blew it, producing the high whistling sound, "Garuru Saber!"

But nothing happened.

"Clawdeen!" shouted Elissabat, "you're up! Clawdeen! Clawdeen?"

Both Kiva and Elissabat looked and saw an unconscious Clawdeen lying in the snow.

"She really is sick," said Kiva, only to barely dodge a blazing whip strike from the Balrog. The creature then saw the unmoving Clawdeen and, recognizing a vulnerable target, rushed at the ill werewolf.

"NO! Leave her alone!" shouted Frankie as she got up and ran at the Balrog, delivering an electric punch that nearly knocked the creature over.

"That's it!" said Elissabat, "They say fight fire with fire, but I say fight power with power! Clair, use the third whistle!"

"Right!" said Kiva as she pulled out the purple whistle and placed it in Elissabat's mouth.

"Dogga Hammer!" shouted Elissabat as she blew the whistle, producing a deep, resounding horn blast.

"OH, MY GHOUL!" exclaimed Frankie as her body was surrounded by a green aura and she rose into the air, transforming her into a fist-like sledgehammer. Kiva grabbed the hammer in both hands as ghostly chains wrapped around her arms, shoulders and chest plate, materializing into massive green armor. Elissabat's eyes flashed green, while the eye ports on Kiva's helmet turned green as Frankie's spirit merged with her.

"Whoa!" said Hunter as he, Jackson, Ashlynn and Briar got out of the fissure and saw Kiva, slowly walking towards the Balrog while dragging the head of the hammer on the ground. With an inhuman cry of fury, Kiva grasped the hammer in both hands and rushed at the Balrog.

The infernal creature launched fireball after fireball at Kiva, who allowed the blazing missiles to hit her, yet each blast left little if any damage, nor did they slow down her charge. With a hellish bellow, the Balrog hefted its burning sword and brought it down on Kiva, who blocked it with the handle of her hammer, then pushed back with a titanic effort, nearly knocking the creature off its feet.

The Balrog regained its balance and swing its sword at Kiva, who blocked and countered with her hammer, each time the two weapons met they produced gouts of flame and bursts of lightning.

But then the creature swung its flame whip and snared Kiva's feet, tripping and knocking her to the ground. The Balrog raised its sword high for a killing blow.

"Get him, Clair!" shouted Elissabat, "hit him where it hurts!"

With a furious cry, Elissabat slammed the head of the hammer in the Balrog's solar plexus, knocking a hellish wind out of it and forcing it to drop its weapons onto the snow, producing double bursts of steam.

"Now Clair! Now!" shouted Elissabat. Kiva brought the handle of the hammer to Elissabat, who bit it, "DOGGA BITE!" charging the weapon with energy.

The sky darkened and a mirage of a lunar eclipse appeared in the sky, accompanied with flashes of green lightning.

The Balrog regained its breath and, with a near deafening roar, charged headlong at Kiva, who stood the hammer on its end. The fist head of the hammer opened up, revealing a large eye on the palm, an eye shaped and colored like Frankie's green eye, one that emitted waves of energy.

Said energy made contact with and froze the Balrog in place. Kiva hefted the hammer as the fist closed again, while a second fist, one large and composed of green lightning, appeared above the hammer. Kiva swung the hammer above her head several times, charging up the electric fist more and more, until she brought the hammer down while the electric fist slammed into the head of the Balrog with a deafening crash, knocking the creature off its feet.

"Oh, I'm in so much trouble," said Edouard as he backed into the shimmering gray door.

"Hey! Wait for me!" said Amanita as she dashed through the door, which vanished after her.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Abbey as she climbed out of the fissure, just as Elissabat detached from Kiva's belt, causing her, Clair and Frankie to return to their normal selves.

"I said save Heath! Not kill him!" exclaimed Abbey as she ran towards the downed Balrog.

"No! Don't!" shouted Jackson, "he could still be dangerous!"

"Forget him! What about Clawdeen!?" exclaimed Frankie as she ran towards her unconscious friend.

"Frankie," moaned Clawdeen as she regained her senses, "I think I'm really sick."

"Oh, you're sick alright," said an annoyed but caring Frankie.

At that they all heard the Balrog groaning in pain.

"Oh man, it still wants to fight!" said Hunter as he readied his Henshin Grip, while Briar readied her Henshin Brace, both of their Zecters hovering above their heads, ready for action.

"Uh…oh…my head," said the Balrog in a deep, resonating voice, "what…what happened?"

"HEATH!" exclaimed Abbey as she rushed past Jackson and Ashlynn, stopping a few feet from the creature, "are you…is you…?"

"A…Abbey?" asked the Balrog as it sat up, "what happened? Where are we? Why is it so cold here?" it, he, Heath, looked down at his enormous infernal hands, "and what happened to me?"

"I don't know for sure, cousin," said Jackson as he walked up to Heath, "the enemy, they mutated you with some form of twisted science."

"I'm a mutant now?" asked Heath as he stood up, "that is so COOL!" he raised his fists triumphantly and flared up his fire aura, "I'M A MUTANT MONSTER!"

"He's Heath again, alright," said Clair as she and the others backed away from the raging blaze.

"I guess conking him on the noggin restored his memories," said Elissabat.

"Which brings up the bigger question," said Frankie, "how do we fix the rest of him?"

…Monster High…

"YOU MORONS!" exclaimed Irvin at Draculaura, Valentine, Amanita and Edouard, "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

"It's not our fault that Kiva was able to knock out the Balrog!" said Valentine, "blame the slimy one for making such a defective abomination."

"Not to mention the defective booster shot," said Draculaura.

"My creation wasn't defective!" snapped Emory as he slid over, followed by a reluctant Neffra, who looked as if she had better things to do than defend her ex-boyfriend. "Neither was the booster! The Balrog was as perfect as possible!"

"Oh yeah? Then how come it lost?" asked Draculaura.

"Ask him!" said Emory as he pointed at Edouard, "he's the one directing the creature!"

"You did say you had things under control, Edouard," said Irvin, "well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I…it's not my fault, Mr. Weis!" said a nervously sweating Edouard, "it's all those meddling brats! Especially that yeti whore! If she hadn't…"

"I don't want to hear it!" spat Irvin, "you've failed, Edouard, and for that you shall be punished. Now, what would be a fitting punishment for such a travesty as today's?"

"If I may," said Neffra. She then whispered something into Irvin's ear.

"Really?" asked an intrigued Irvin, "I knew you were devious, Ms. De Nile, but this is utterly wicked of you."

"I try, Irvin darling," said Neffra coyly.

"What? What is it?!" asked Edouard in a terrified manner.

"It's clear that you were distracted today, Edouard," said Irvin, "your impending divorce prevented you from focusing on your task."

"Yeah, well, it's all my wife's fault!" snapped Edouard, "she's the one dragging the divorce out, not me! The sooner I'm rid of her, the better. Let her have all my stuff, I don't care! As long as I never get to see the bitch again, I'll be happy, though why does she need both my cars?!"

"Oh, I'm afraid your troubles are just getting started, Edouard," said Irvin. He then aimed his hand and cast a curse on Edouard.

"What…what was that?" asked Edouard, "wait…No! NO! How'd you get here, Charlene?! Go away! No! Stop nagging me! STOP NAGGING ME!"

"What'd you do to him?" asked Valentine as Edouard collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony and holding his hands to his ears.

"He allowed his personal problems to interfere with his obligations to Obsidian," said Irvin as a pair of Orphnochs dragged Edouard out of the room, "so now he's free to deal with them, in his mind."

"Let the punishment fit the crime," said Neffra, "now nothing will stand in the way of him and his wife."

"Speaking of standing in the way," said Irvin, "once again Frankie Stein and her cadre of miscreant Monsters and mortals have once again made fools of us. This cannot continue," he glared at Valentine, Draculaura, Neffra, Amanita and Emory, "or you'll all envy Edouard's mental prison."

They all then heard a knock at the door, standing there was Dr. Ulfberht, "is this a bad time, Mr. Weis?" asked the scientist from Foundation X.

"Not at all, I'm in the mood for a boring technical distraction," said Irvin.

"Oh, this won't be boring at all, Mr. Weis," said Dr. Ulfberht, "I have good news. Permit me to introduce you to the newest and quite possibly the most powerful Dark Rider since Shadowmoon!"

She stood aside and allowed a boy of about 17 with jet black hair and coal black eyes, wearing a black leather jacket and pants and boots, to walk in. he had an all too serious attitude about him, her underneath his calm, collected exterior pulsed a heart of darkness.

"Meet Richter Ives," said Dr. Ulfberht, "otherwise known as Kamen Rider Kaiza."

"A Dark Rider, you say?" asked Irvin as he looked at the boy, "is he up to the task? Is he ready to fulfill Obsidian's demands?"

"I am ready, willing and able to do whatever Obsidian asks of me," said Richter Ives, "show me your enemies and they're as good as dead."

"A bold statement," said Irvin.

"I'm not impressed," said Valentine as he walked up to Richter, "if you ask me, he's just another Normie nobody who…" he then gasped in horror and backed away from Richter.

"What? What is it?" asked a worried Draculaura.

"His eyes! Don't look in his eyes!" exclaimed a horrified Valentine.

"Ah, yes, his special ability," said Dr. Ulfberht, "Richter is gifted, or cursed, what you will, with the power to make you see your deepest fears, your darkest nightmares. This, and a near psychopathic desire for murder, elevated him above all other Dark Rider candidates."

"Has he ever actually killed anyone?" asked Emory.

"Not directly," said Richter, "not with my bare hands, but I can scare someone to death, would you like a demonstration?"

"Uh…no thanks," said Emory nervously as he averted his eyestalks, "I've…gotta get back to my lab; Plasmids don't make themselves you know." With that he slid out of the room as fast as his sluggish body could move.

"You have an impressive power, young man," said Irvin, "yet you lack real world experience, specifically in the battle of darkness over light."

"Then test me, Mr. Weis," said Richter, "show me your enemies and I'll destroy them, one way or another!"

"Another bold statement," said Irvin, "yes, yes, a test is in order, we just need the right circumstances to perform the test."

"Whatever the test," said Dr. Ulfberht, "you'll need this," she handed Richter a metal briefcase, "The Kaiza Gear."

"Thank you, Dr. Ulfberht," said Richter as he took the briefcase, "I will not fail you," he looked at Irvin, "nor will I fail you or Obsidian. Whoever you send me against, the hands of fate have their doom."

…The Steam Vault…

"Okay, Howleen," said Frankie, "do your stuff."

Having made sure that the ice shelf was secured and saying goodbye to the nomad Yetis and Sasquashes, our heroes returned to The Steam Vault with Abbey and the mutated Heath. Fortunately, he was able to squeeze through the wormhole and was able to sit in the middle of the lab, while most of our heroes had to stand well away from the intense heat radiating from his altered body.

"I don't know what to do," said Howleen.

"But you fixed Manny," said a recovering Clawdeen as she lay on a couch, while Apple stood nearby monitoring her vitals.

"Because I was holding The Star Piece we found on Dino World!" said Howleen, "and even then, I don't know how I did it!"

"You can at least try something," said Lagoona as she and Gil doused themselves with ice water, "we can't just leave Heath like this."

"Already his heat is taxing The Steam Vault's coolant systems," said Robecca, "and I'm starting to overheat myself."

At that Ghoulia moaned something while pointing at the computers.

"Yes, we know computers don't work when they're too hot," said Robecca, "all machines stop working when they're too hot."

"Please, try," said begged Abbey.

"Yeah, please try," said Heath, "seriously, even I'm starting to get too hot, and I was a Fire Monster to begin with!"

"But I still don't know what I did!" said Howleen.

"Trust yourself for starters," said Avery as he handed the diamond to Howleen, "for as my grandmother one said," he then pointed at the brightest light in the room, "'if you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?'"

At that Howleen sighed, "alright, I'll try, but don't hate me if nothing happens."

"As if we could hate you, little sis," said Clawdia.

"Alright, here I go," said Howleen. She then walked towards Heath but then had to back away from the infernal heat, "I'm, sorry, I can't! It's too hot!"

"Is okay, I'm here," said Abbey as she stood next to Howleen, "I will help keep cool."

"Thanks," said Howleen as Abbey's snowflake charm extended its cooling aura around her. With that they walked up to Heath.

"I honestly don't know if anything'll happen," said Howleen, "so…"

"Just do it!" said Heath, "and hurry, I'm starting to get uncomfortable here!"

"Alright already!" said an annoyed Howleen. With that she touched Heath with both hands, but nothing happened.

"See? I told you all nothing would happen!" said Howleen.

"That's because you're not doing it right," said Maddie, "right, Raven?"

"Yeah," said Raven, "Try thinking or wishing, Howleen. And if that doesn't work, we'll think of something else."

"Well, okay," said Howleen. She placed her hands on Heath again, "please, get better."

With that her hands glowed white and sent pulses of magic into Heath.

"Hey, something's happening!" exclaimed Heath as his fire died down and steam gushed across his body. Before our hero's eyes, he slowly returned to normal.

"Wow, I feel so much better!" said Heath, only to be tackled by Abbey as she smothered him with kisses. He returned the kisses with fiery passion as his usual fire power flared up, while her ice aura cooled out, flooding the room with more steam.

"Aww, love conquers all," said Ashlynn

"Yeah, we're all glad Heath's back to normal," said Frankie irately, whom apparently had been pacing back and forth ever since our heroes returned from Antarctica.

"For goodness' sake," said Robecca, "you're wearing a hole in the carpet."

"Frankie, calm down!" said Lagoona, "you're working yourself into a tizzy."

"This isn't me in a tizzy, Lagoona," said Frankie, "I'm way beyond a tizzy! When I get my hands on that horrible Amanita, I'll make her pay! Oh, she'll pay for taking Hector from me."

"For crying out loud, ghoulfriend, it's just a car!" said Clawdeen, "yeah, I'd be upset if my car was stolen, but…

"It wasn't your car that was stolen, Clawdeen!" said Frankie, "it's my car! My Cadillac! My Hector! If there's one thing that's true among Normies and Monsters, it's that you never mess with one's Caddy!"

"Then we'll get you another Cadillac," said Jackson.

"Yeah, we'll all chip in and buy you a new one," said Clair, "Elissabat, I'm looking at you."

"Why me?" asked Elissabat.

"Because you're a filthy rich movie star, that's why," said Clair.

"I may be a movie star, but I'm far from rich," said a slightly exasperated Elissabat.

"What?" asked Clair, "after hundreds of years of acting, you don't have a massive fortune squirrelled away somewhere?"

"I give most of my money to charity," said Elissabat, "what can I say? I don't like the lifestyle of the rich and famous."

"You guys would really buy me a new car?" asked Frankie, "that's so sweet of you." She smiled disarmingly, calming everyone down.

Frankie then surprised everyone by grabbing one of Hexiciah Steam's many gadgets and smashing it on the ground.

"HEY!" exclaimed a horrified and outraged Robecca as Frankie smashed more gadgets, "those are my father's! Stop that!"

"No, let her have it out," said Avery as Frankie grabbed a steel rod and smashed even more gadgets, "she needs this."

"How is destroying my father's inventions important to her!?" Robecca demanded.

"If there's one thing I've learned in the hero business," said Avery, "is that now and then one needs to 'blow off steam.'"

"If you're expecting me to laugh, you're gravely disappointed," said Robecca as she crossed her arms."

that is, if he or she wishes to avoid going insane with stress."

"It makes sense to me," said Clair as she and the others backed away from Frankie as she smashed more gadgets, "if this keeps her from going insane with stress and using that steel rod on us, then let her vent."

"I WANT MY CADDY BACK!" screamed Frankie as she smashed a particularly large gadget, "STUPID, STINKING WEED!" she then tossed the rod in the air, sighed with relief and walked away.

"Feeling better, are we?" Lagoona asked cautiously.

"Yeah, much better," said Frankie, "I still want Hector back, and I'll rip Amanita apart if she doesn't give him back."

It was then that the computers beeped with a message.

"I'm afraid your vengeance is going to have to wait, Frankie," said Avery as he and Apple read the message over Ghoulia's shoulder.

"We've got trouble back in Ever After," said Apple.

"What is it?" asked Raven as he walked over, "Obsidian?"

"Worse, Raven," said Apple, "Headmaster Grimm, he's been discharged from the hospital, apparently no worse for wear, and he's asking for you."

"Why would he want to see Raven?" asked Hunter.

"Why else?" asked a worried and angry Raven, "to make me fulfill my destiny, of course."

…The End Is Just The Beginning…