A/N: Welcome to this week's edition of "Heart, Soul, amd Mind"! This week, we head on back to meet Sally Stageplay! But uh oh, it seems a certain fleabag has tricks up his sleeve. Stay tuned for the details!

(Liam's POV)

We landed on shore after the boat ride back from Cala's cove. My mind was still racing, seeing what happened. Not only did we fight the Devil himself once more, but Lexie had unlocked her powers. I have to admit, she looks really beautiful with those angel wings.

As we thanked Brineybeard for his help and walked off the boat, I heard Briney call out,"Yar! Liam, can I have a word? Man to man with ye?"

"Oh, uh, sure." I replied. Turning to the group, who looked a bit confused, I assured them. "I'll be quick. I promise."

They nodded and headed to the docks while I boarded his ship again. "What can I do for ya, Captain?" I asked.

"Lad, I have to say, despite what happened, I have to say, you showed a lot of bravery, and heart." Briney mentioned. "I know ye don't have powers like your special lady, but ya kept going. That is the heart of a true sailor."

"Aww, gee. Thanks, Captain." I blushed. "I love Lexie very much, and I know what's been happening has not been easy for her or the others, but I want to show her I care and I want to help in any way I can."

"You really love her. Don't ya, lad?" Briney asked.

"Yeah. She's amazing. We met at a friend's wedding and I'm glad I met her." I sighed. "I wish there was something I could give her to show how much I care for her. I wanted to give her flowers, but I ruined them when I heard she was kidnapped by Dice."

"Hmmmm…say, I think I know just what she would like." He then rushed into his quarters and about a minute later, he came back with something small in his hands.

He then showed me a gold bracelet with what appeared to be a butterfly charm dangling from it. He then took an engraving tool and wrote "L & L" on the band.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" I gasped. "Lexie will love this! Thank you!"

"Aye. Glad ya like it, lad." Briney nodded, as he slipped it in a small sack. He handed it to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"That bracelet is hard to come by. Nearly lost me arm when I was searchin' for it." He informed me. "But know this; word in the ocean says it holds powerful magic, one that can make a defensive line stronger and more stable to handle. Oftentimes, people use offensive abilities to fight, but defense goes a long way."

"Gotcha. That will come in handy for battle." I agreed. "I'll have to figure out a time to give it to her. Maybe once we get everyone together to fight the Devil."

"Whatever ye decide, lad. Now, go off and help Inkwell. That land-lubber Devil won't stay in his hollow casino for long." He informed me.

I nodded, thanked him again and rushed off the boat to find the group. I slipped the sack in my back pocket as I saw everyone near the entrance to the city.

"Hey, sorry about that." I claimed.

"That's okay." Katie replied in understanding. "Captain Briney has been of great help, so we can trust him to have a quick word with you."

"Yeah, no worries." Natty added. "What did Briney want to talk to you about?"

"Oh, uh, nothing important. Just a word of advice." I answered.

"Gotcha. Guys stuff." Cuphead mentioned. "Ok, now that we got that done, we should head out. It's almost sundown and the Phantom Express should be coming into the station. We can meet them there."

We nodded and headed off to the train station.

(Normal P.O.V)

It was hours after the team arrived at the train station to warn the Phantom Express about the Devil and his evil plot. Thankfully, the spirit locomotive was more than happy to help them on their quest to victory. On top of that, they had much luck since they didn't run into any members of the Terrible Trio, so that gave them some breathing room.

Once they thanked the train, the group left the station and made their way back to the city. As much as they wanted to have some time to rest, they needed to get the remaining people on their side as fast as possible. Cuphead mentioned that Sally's theater was close by, so going to her was a wise choice.

They headed over to the theater to see Sally Stageplay in hopes she got the news. They got to her theater and they were in awe.

The building itself was a one story building, painted in a navy blue, with a small statue of theater masks, several posters and a small build board to the side of the entrance and a lumiated sign that read in big lights "THEATER".

"Okay, there's the theater." Liam said. "Wow, it's pretty big."

"Jumpin' jellybeans! It sure is!" Chalice exclaimed.

"Yeah, Sal's motto is "Go Big or Go Home"." Cuphead nodded. "She loves putting plays here each week."

"I hope we're not too late. I owe her a lot for her kindness when she and her husband gave me shelter." Katie mentioned. "She was also the one who had told me about Misterie's shop."

"Really? That's cool." Nat smiled. "Ya know, seeing the theater makes me think back to my days in high school doing a ton of plays then…"

"I was almost cast into a school play, but they canceled it for some reason so I never made it." Lexie sadly sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lex, that must be hard." Cuphead claimed. "To be honest, Mugsy tries to audition but because of his stage fright he bails at the last second."

"I have stage fright myself." Katie admitted, looking a bit embarrassed. "I practically freeze in terror in front of a huge crowd where people could see me and… judge my every word and movement…"

"It can be nerve racking to be on stage in front of people, but sometimes I find keeping focused on the lines or whatever it is I'm doing helps ease it." Natty mentioned. "Just pretend you're by yourself and you're in good shape."

"Easier said than done…" Katie sighed heavily.

"But you know, the nice thing is theater isn't for everyone." Liam reminded Kate, rubbing her arm gently. " It's cool to go and watch the productions and have some fun."

"Yeah, and the costumes are silly sometimes!" Matt giggled.

"Sounds awesome." Kaichi commented. "Wonder what kind of plays she and her crew do?"

"She did a few productions of when Mugsy and I defeated the Devil." Cuphead replied. "The guy who played Dice was super funny."

"Oh yeah! He was so goofy, pretending to be 'Mr. All-that'." Chalice smiled.

"Oh man, that I gotta see!" Lexie laughed.

"It was so funny! He had a huge southern accent and said 'y'all' like thirty times!" Cuphead laughed.

"Okay, now I really wanna see it." Natty giggled.

They all had a good laugh. Seeing someone play as King Dice did sound funny, especially when they mocked his tone and his life.

After a second, Liam sighed happily. "Okay, we should probably head in and find Sally."

The group then headed inside. There, they were welcomed by a large theatrical stage, consisting of several rows of red cushioned chairs, and a few viewing boxes. Lights hung from the ceiling and some were placed on the stage.

"Sally? Sal? Ya home?" Cuphead called out.

"Sally?" Katie chimed in concern. "It's me Katie!"

"Sally?" Chalice called out.

Just then, they heard one of the stage doors open and Sally came out, holding a few papers and folders in her hands. When she saw Katie, she beamed, placed the supplies down and scurried over.

"Oh, Katie! Oh so good to see you! And these must be your friends!" She smiled.

"It's good to see you again, too, Sally." Kate replied, giving Sally a hug. Motioning to Kaichi, she announced. "This is Kaichi. He's a Sprigon. As in, like a sprite dragon."

"Awwww, he's so cute!" Sally giggles, rubbing his head. That caused Kaichi to blush, like he did when Bon Bon rubbed his head like that.

"And these are Lexie and Natty. And the sweet little kitty here is Aya." Katie introduced.

"Hi." Nat replied as Aya gave a sweet mew.

"Nice to meet ya, Sally!" Lexie smiled.

Katie then motions to Chalice as she said, "This here is Ms. Chalice."

"Nice to see ya, Sal!" Chalice replied. "I'm friends with Cuphead."

"Ah! I see! Well, so glad to finally meet you." Sally mentioned. "Cuphead told me all about your adventures in the DLC Isle."

"And this is Liam and his kid brother, Matt." Katie finished as she introduced the brothers.

"Hi, pleased to meet you." Liam stated, shaking her hand.

"Hi, Miss Sally." Matt shyly replied.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm glad Kaite was able to find you and get you away from the Devil." Sally mentioned.

"Whew, same here. You wouldn't believe the craziness back there." Lexie shuddered, recalling the terrifying time at the Casino, especially encountering the Devil who was bigger than the Empire State Building.

"Did you get the headlines warning you and the remaining debtors about the Devil's plans to take your souls by force?" Katie asked, hopefully.

"As a matter of fact, I did and I'm happy to tell you that I am willing to join you." Sally announced, holding up The InkWell Blotter with a photo of the group and their message about the Devil's scam.

"Really?! Oh, that's awesome, Sal. Thanks!" Cuphead beamed.

"That's great, Sally! We could use all the help we can get right now." Lexie pointed out.

"Thank you, Sally. You have no idea how much this means to us." Katie smiled gently. "And I promised that I would somehow repay you for your kindness when you gave me shelter after finding me unconscious, and I have every intention of keeping that promise by making sure neither the Devil nor his goons will get you."

""I'm sure my husband and I would be more than happy to help you have done so much for inkwell." Sally replied.

"Good to know!" Kaichi claimed.

While it was thrilling to hear about Sally's acceptance to join, Lexie still had some doubt in her mind. She recalled the last few days, recalling the many people they have lost and who was left.

"I just wish we could've done more...we're losing people every second…" Lexie thought, as she rubbed her arms.

Sally, who seemed to catch the look on Lexie's face, assured her "Oh, Lexie. I know things are a bit crazy and the Devil is prowling around. But know that you, and everyone here is doing their very best to help. That's all we're asking."

"I know Sal...it's just that with the amount of people we're losing to the Devil is disheartening for all of us." Lexie sighed heavily. "I wish we could've helped them."

"Don't worry, Lexie. We'll get them back. All of them." Kate assured her, placing her hand gently on her shoulder.

After a second, Lexie smiled. "You're right Kate..thanks."

Kate gave a friendly smile and nodded. She knew they were all facing a lot of danger and stress, but as long as they stayed together, they could win.

"And know this even though The Devil has some people, he might be scared knowing you're coming soon." Sally mentioned. "He may be the Devil, feared by all, but deep down, he knows he's up against powerful people and might get frustrated."

"He should be very afraid...cause we're gonna make him pay for what he's done." Lexie sternly replied.

"And there's NO we're going to let him get away with this!" Katie declared in determination.

Kaichi gave a confident nod, as Liam added. "That's right, and know that we got your back all the way."

Aya mewed in agreement as Natty rubbed her back gently.

"Well, now that we've discussed that, how about I make you all something to eat." Sally suggested. "You must be very tired from your traveling and could use something to eat."

Before anyone could say anything, suddenly, they all heard a loud and low growl. They looked around, trying to figure out whose stomach did that…when they looked over at Kaichi, whose face turned red. They had to admit, Kaichi's stomach growled surprisingly loud for his size.

"Sorry…" He mumbled, hanging his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, no worries and it does sound like someone is hungry." Sally laughed.

"Oh, Sal, we wouldn't want to give you any trouble." Natty replied.

"Nonsense, I love helping out." Sally insisted.

"Thank you, Sally. Your kindness is very much appreciated." Katie said in gratitude.

"Yeah, thanks so much." Lexie agreed.

"No trouble at all!" Sally beamed. "Come, my kitchen is this way. Follow me."

They followed Sally up the stairwell of the stage, went back stage and saw there was a doo that had a sign that was labeled 'Kitchen.'

Sal grabbed the knob and opened the door, but when they looked inside, they were in complete shock to see Anubis in there, sitting at the table with a lit candelabra in the middle and some fancy silverware at each end of the table. They could have sworn they heard romantic violin music playing in the background and saw a terrible grin on his face, while he held a red rose in his hand.

"YOU!" Katie seethed.

"Oh, come on…" Natty groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"Oh, not that guy…" Kaichi deadpanned.

"Not him again!" Chalice exclaimed in dismay.

"Ahhh, bienvenidos, amigos! I hope you don't mind, I was planning on having some dinner with mi amor after I take Ms. Stageplay's soul." Anubis sneered.

"Dude, seriously?! You can't just break into someone's house and rummage through their food!" Lexie shouted. "Also, you're not getting her soul!"

Sally looked a bit confused as she asked "Uh, let me guess; one of the Devil's minions?"

"Yeah, a real pain." Liam mentioned. "Not as much as a pain as King Dice, but still, a pain. More like a cold sore that can't take a hint!"

"Yeah, and thanks for the offer, but I'll pass, because well, I really despise you and wish you'd jump off a cliff." Natty bluntly told Anubis.

He gave a fake pout as he crooned, "Ayyyy, mi corazon, you hurt me."

"Here, I'm gonna hurt ya more right now!" Lexie shouted, as she proceeded to blast light magic at him.

"AY Caramba!" He gasped, as he nearly avoided that.

"Oh, I'm sorry...did 'El Jefe' forget to tell ya I can whoop your butt with your OPPOSITE element now? Whoopies." Lexie sneered, as she fake pouted back.

Nat gave a laugh. "Nice one, Lex."

The group did find that funny, as they laughed and giggled.

"Muchas gracias, amigos." Lexie giggled, taking a small bow.

Anubis glared and growled, not finding it the slightest bit funny.

"Hey, it's your own stupid fault." Liam shrugged at Anubis.

"Yeah! You brought this upon yourself, you slobbery, mangy, stupid poacher!" Kaichi called out

"That's right!" Chalice added. "So, why don't you make like a rug and beat it?!"

"No one makes a fool of me!" Anubis growled. Just then, he started attacking the group with shadows, forcing them to quickly exit the kitchen.

"Jeeze!" Lex gasped.

"Look out!" Natty shouted.

The group got their weapons out and began to deflect the shadows that charged at them. Lexie continued to blast the shadows with light beams like Starfire from Teen Titans.

"We need to take this someplace where there's more room!" Katie cried.

"The stage maybe?!" Lexie suggested while dodging another shadow.

Katie nodded before she and the girls all ran onto the stage. All three of them readied their Keyblades before Katie looked over to Sally.

"Sally! Go with your husband and find a safe place to take cover!" She called . "Don't come out until we're done with this Grim Creeper over here!"

"Right!" Sally nodded and rushed offstage to find her husband.

Once Sally found her husband, the couple hid while the heroes were continuing to fight Anubis, who was obviously sniffing around for Sally.

He was like a wolf, sniffing out his prey, hoping to catch on to her scent.

Lexie had enough and shouted "HEY! Over here, lobo estupido!"

"I'M A JACKAL!" Anubis snapped back, glaring at her.

"Liam, you, Matt, Kaichi and Aya better guard her! Cuphead, the girls and I will handle this overgrown hyena!" Kate instructed.

"Right!" Liam nodded.

Turning to Matt, he instructed, "Come on, Matt. Let's go help Sally!"

"Okay!" Matt replied.

"I'm a jackal...not a wolf, not a hyena, a JACKAL!" Anubis shouted.

"Yeah, and where's the part we CARE?!" Lexie asked, as she defeated another shadow.

"Would you settle to be called a coyote… Wile?" Katie smirked.

"Ohhhh, snap!" Lexie snickered.

The others busted out laughing, understanding he is very similar to the comical Wile E. Coyote from Looney Toons, as he failed to capture the fast RoadRunner and ends up getting blown up by one of his inventions, or falls off a large cliff.

Anubis, once more, didn't find that funny at all. Sheesh, the dude is so serious. Have a laugh once and a while.

"Awww, what's the matter? Wittle wolfy all upset?" Natty taunted. That caused Lexie to laugh harder, making her wheeze.

"You gonna huff and puff and blow the house down, Wolfy boy?" Lexie laughed. That made them laugh even harder and made Anubis more angrier.

Finally, having enough, he takes his blade, throws it above them, and hits one of the stage props that looked like a lightning bolt, and it was about to hit Katie.

Natty saw that and panicked.

"KATE! LOOK OUT!" She screamed.

She bolted over, shoved Katie out of the way, and then-

*SMACK!*

The stage prop hit her in the face so hard, it caused her to get flung back and fall on her back, landing on the ground, unconscious.

"Natty! NO!" Lexie shouted in horror.

Katie sat up, rubbing her head and gasped before she screamed, "NAT!"

"NATTY!" Cuphead and Chalice cried.

It was at that moment Anubis knew...he messed up. He remembered how the Devil nearly killed King Dice in his throne room, after he unintentionally almost got Lexie killed in Isle one. He knew if his boss finds out that he hurt his youngest child, he would have his head for that.

However, the Devil wasn't the only one whose wrath Anubis dreads to deal with when a horrified Katie suddenly became enraged as she glared over at his way, a draconic growl erupting from her throat and her pupils dilating to furious slits.

Lexie also suddenly got Super Saiyan angry as she turned to Anubis with murderous rage, growling like a feral animal.

"Oh, you're so DEAD!" Lexie roared. Just then, her body began glowing piercing yellow, and she was ticked.

"You… MONSTER!" Katie roared.

Anubis knew that roar would only mean one thing; she was about to transform into her dragon form and he was in for a whirlwind of pain.

"Aaaaaand I'm gonna go now. Adios!" He frantically replied.

But before he could teleport out, Katie transformed into her dragon form and lunged at Anubis. She tackled him to the floor, pinning him down as she snarled into his terrified face.

And he had every right to be scared. When you mess with one or all members of the group, you will regret it, especially with the amount of power Katie packs.

"Ayyy!" Anubis screamed in terror.

Katie then pulled him up and threw him into the air. She leapt up and grabbed him before she began to beat him up. Holding Anubis, she spun like spun around before she slammed him to the ground with a loud

*CRASH!*

It made a large mark on the stage and he was banged up pretty bad. He however did not have time to react because Katie then spun like a tornado, pulling Anubis in while he got pummeled with some debris before she threw him towards Lexie.

"He's all yours, Lex!" Katie called.

Lexie grinned and formed a baseball bat with my light magic. Getting into position, she called out

"Hey, batta batta!"

Once he got close…

SMACK!

"SWING, BATTA!"

The hit sent Anubis flying out of one of the theater's windows, all the way back to the Casino.

"AYYYYYYYY!" He screamed until he was out of sight.

"Well that takes care of him." Cuphead stated.

"Good riddance!" Chalice scoffed in agreement.

As Katie took a sigh and a huff, a thought suddenly came to her. "Natty!"

"Oh, shoot! Nat!" Lexie gasped.

They ran over to Natty and Katie gently felt around Natty, trying to see if there was anything broken.

"Is she okay?" Lexie asked in concern.

Natty gave a small groan as Liam, and Matt came back to the stage.

"Hey what's-oh no! Nat!" Liam gasped.

"What happened?!" Matt asked, worried. "Is she okay?!

"It's okay, she's just unconscious, but she still needs to see if nothing is broken." Katie said in concern.

"I have a mattress backstage! You can use that!" Sally offered. "I can also call a doctor to examine her."

Lexie pondered something for a second before claiming. "Hmm hang on, lemme try something."

Taking a deep breath, she focused on her magic and held out her hand. A light came out from it which allowed everyone to see Natty's bones.

"Whoooooaaaa…." Liam gasped.

"Cool!" Matt beamed, his eyes wide with awe.

"Ah, sweet! I can manipulate UV lights now!" Lexie smiled.

"Wow…!" Kaichi exclaimed.

After a second of Lexie examining Natty's bones, Cuphead asked "Sooo, how is she?"

"I must say, these girls are full of surprises every minute." Chalice replied.

"Seems everything's normal...a bruise on her head but otherwise fine." Lexie concluded.

The team gave a sigh of relief.

"Whew, that's good to hear." Liam sighed.

"Still… I think we'd better let her get some rest." Katie suggested. "I'm sure there's nothing an ice pack can't fix."

"Agreed." Lexie nodded.

"I'll run and get some ice." Sally informed them. "You make sure you get Natty to the mattress backstage."

They nodded. Liam, being the strongest and a good pal of Natty, carried her in his arms and carefully placed her on the mattress. Sally came in and gently placed a small sack of ice on her head. She flinched a bit, but still didn't wake up.

"How long do you think she'll be knocked out?" Chalice asked.

"Not sure. As much as I want to go out and find the remaining debtors, we need to keep an eye on her." Cuphead replied. "We need everyone with us if we're to move on."

Katie looked over Natty in concern and guilt, feeling like it was her fault she had gotten hurt.

Lexie saw that look and quickly stated "No, no, Kate. I know what you're thinking. It wasn't your fault, we didn't know who it was going to hit and no one thought he was gonna do that."

"Lexie's right. Besides, Nat didn't want anything to happen to you." Liam added.

"I know, but… how much longer will this nightmare go on?" Katie asked. "How many more innocent people is the Devil willing to threaten and hurt until he gets his hands on us? How much more so many innocent souls will suffer until he breaks us?"

There was a long silence with the group as Katie felt a tear slip down her face. They have been facing so much since they first arrived here;

Being separated, captured, threatened, barely escaping, losing Mugman's soul, finding out they had powers, traveling, battling, losing more souls, stressing, and worrying for their own and everyone's safety.

It was hard to look at the good in all of this, especially since the Devil is throwing everything at them to break them and make them submit to his very will. The very thought about ruling by his side made Katie tense up. It was bad enough he gave her creepy pet names and made her feel really uncomfortable.

Not to mention that Dice and Anubis have sights for Lexie and Natty, and were determined to have them at any cost. No matter who they had to hurt or even kill.

Finally, Cuphead replied. "I'm not sure how much longer this is gonna go on and believe me, when Mugsy and I went on our first journey, we had to race against time to save our souls. But I know this; I won't stop fighting for you and with you on this adventure. I'm not gonna let some demonic freak and his useless lackeys get away with you or anyone else. They want you as a trophy, and have no love in them of any kind."

Katie wiped away her tears with a light sniffle before she gave Cuphead a tearful and grateful smile.

"Thanks, Cuphead. You're a real pal."

"No problem." He smiled. "We'll beat him. I know we will. But since we have a victory, we should probably get some rest. Nat needs to recover and I could use a break after that."

They all agreed and stayed in the theater for the night. They had two more people before confronting the Devil and while that was relieving, it was still frightening to go back.

It was similar to the game, only this time, if they fail, there's no do-overs.

Meanwhile at the Casino, Dice was passing by the throne room doors with Pirouletta, Chips and the Tipsy Troop, discussing over the next plan for the upcoming events…when they were all startled by the sound of the Devil roaring.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"

"Goodness! What could be going on?!" Pirouletta asked, startled.

"Sounds like the boss is ticked off at someone." Chips mentioned. "Who that is, I have no clue."

"I think I have an idea…" Dice trailed off. Turning to the group, he instructed "Wait for me in my office. We'll discuss more later. I need to see what's biting at the boss."

They nodded and quickly scurried away. Adjusting his coat and taking a deep breath, he entered the throne room. Before he could ask what the issue was, he yelped and ducked as he nearly avoided a fireball hitting him.

"Whoa!" He yelped. "Erm, Boss, is there an issue-?"

"OF COURSE THERE'S AN ISSUE!" The Devil roared, as he glared down at a trembling Anubis. "Not only did he fail to get me Sally Stageplay's soul, but he got Natty hurt in the process!"

"But-But, Senor Diablo. I didn't mean to hurt mi amor." Anubis claimed, his voice shaking. "I-I didn't think she would do that-"

"And let my bride get hurt!?" The Devil snapped. "I warned you both that if ANYTHING were to happen to my future queen, I would have your heads!"

"And you have made yourself very clear on that, Boss." Dice quickly stated. "But, regarding that little talk we had about Lexie, I think he gets the point."

The Devil let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he spoke, "Let me make this very, very, simple. I need the three of them ALIVE for my plan to work. ALL THREE of them."

He suddenly burst into flames as he roared out, "WORK WITH ME PEOPLE! WORK WITH ME!"

Dice and Anubis backed away with terrified and nervous looks on their faces as the Devil roared in frustration for quite a while. Eventually, his rage subsided as he sighed.

"As much as she's just as annoying as Lexie, she's also an important part of my plan!" The Devil reminded them, sitting on his throne in a huff. "Even if I had just two of them, she could have an advantage."

There was a short pause before groaning. "Just get out of my sight and wait for further instructions. I will let you know when we are moving out to bring my girls home."

The two nodded, bowed and left quickly. Once they were gone and out of earshot, Dice smirked. "Not so funny now is it?"

"Que?" Anubis asked.

"Well, you thought it was very humorous when I nearly got roasted, and now you got a taste of your own medicine." Dice explained. "While that was nerve-wracking, I did find it amusing."

"Of course you would." Anubis grumbled, as he looked at the rose he wanted to give to Natty.

While they were thrilled to know the three of them have unlocked their powers, they seem to use it as an advantage, having more power and ability to fight off them. It began to frustrate the Devil and was making it difficult to come up with a plan to get them.

If they defeated him, they would return home and his reputation would be ruined.

Again.

"I am not going to let a few little girls get in el jefe's way to victory." Anubis claimed. "And I will have mi amor as my bride, even if I have to drag her back kicking and screaming."

"Good to know." Dice nodded. "Come on, let's go get something to drink. I think you could use one after that."

Anubis nodded and followed the manager to get a beverage.

While his minions left, the Devil growled, gripping the armrests of the throne. He knew these two could handle things, but from the looks of things, they were making more mistakes on this.

He snapped his fingers, and his looking glass appeared. Once the reflection changed, he saw that the group was keeping an eye on Natty, who was knocked out cold and lying on a mattress in the theater.

"Well, she's fine, from the looks of things…" He muttered, twisting his pitchfork a bit. He thought long and hard about the final phase of his plan, but while he discussed it with his minions, something was missing.

He needed them to bend at his very will, but they were all stubborn and wouldn't be persuaded easily. He desired them to obey him at every command not hesitating for a second. It was similar to how Natty would not hesitate to cast spells…

Suddenly a terrible, sickening grin appeared on his face.

"Of course, why didn't I think of this sooner?" He snickered. "While Little Natty is younger than my bride and eldest daughter, she's powerful. Powerful enough to create spells. I think I finally found a way to get my children and bride under my control."

He lifted his pitchfork and it began to turn purple, and grinned wickedly at the reflection of Natty. He wanted to send her a personal message.

And he wanted to make sure she heard him loud and clear.

A/N: Uh oh, seems ol' Scratch Butt's planning something, this time with Natty! And will she recover from head injury? Find out next time on "Heart, Soul, and Mind"!