Taking Fantasia : A Disney Fanfiction

Chapter 101: Poor Unfortunate Soul

Chapter 101: Poor Unfortunate Soul

The sun bled in a ruby sky. The pirate ship burned black as coal against the red waves.

Something was happening. Something was happening on the ship.

"Jim! Don't!" Ariel ran over the snow, tearing the beach with her feet. She skid into the ocean, Mr. Smee's threat turning over her mind like an endless tidal wave.Captain Hook's tricked the boy with Billy Bone's map to do his bidding! So long as the boy thinks the little mermaid is in danger!

"Jim!" Ariel dragged her legs deeper into the icy ocean. "Jim! JIM!"

The ship ducked behind a wave. It emerged sparkling in golden glitter. Pixie dust.

"Jim!"

Two figures, swallowed by the setting sun, spiraled from the ship and into the air. A chain tethered them to the ship, but bizarrely the ship heaved from the ocean in pursuit. Peter and Wendy.

"Jim!" Ariel screamed, ripping through the waves. "JIM! DON'T! I'M HERE! I'M RIGHT HERE! DON'T LISTEN! DON'T GIVE IN TO EVIL! JIM! IT'S ME! I'M HERE! I'M RIGHT – "

Ariel staggered back. She threw up her arms as an electric green line cut from the ship and through the sky. It sliced across the setting sun like an arrow, shooting into the heavens a d throbbing like a heartbeat.

Ariel lowered her arms. Symbols, numbers, grids, words sparked from the green line like fireflies, disappearing and reappearing with each beat. Ariel followed the green line, her deep blue eyes tracing the path from the ship and to...

"…the Wishing Star." A wave hit Ariel. She staggered back, staring as the pirate ship, captives, and green coordinates faded into the sky. "The green arrow…it's the map. Jim…They've forced Jim to lead them to the…Wishing Star…"

The ocean melted several degrees as Ariel's anger boiled through her salty blood. "No…no! JIM! JIM! JIM!"

Ariel screamed louder than she had ever screamed…or ever wanted to scream. Nothing could compare. Not when Lana disowned her from the mermaids. Not when her father forbade her to see Jim. Not when her mother died.

Desperately and savagely, she screamed at the disappearing ship. "DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! I AM HERE! JIM I AM RIGHT HERE! I'M...I'm…..Jim…I'm…"

"…right here. Right where we want you."

Ariel stopped. She felt them before she saw them. Coarse, grainy, slimy snake tails slithering deafly across her legs. Like bubbles, popping against your skin.

Holes sucked opened in the water. One by one, eyes black and smiles dripping, Ariel watched her cousins leak from the ocean. And when she was surrounded, one final head emerged before her.

"Lana."

Lana grinned. Mascara bled down her white cheeks. "Hello Dearie." Eyes gleaming, she glanced at the pirate ship. "Too late to save the day?"

Ariel lunged. The mermaids hissed as Lana swerved, splashing Ariel with water.

"Where is my trident?" Ariel clawed through the water. Fingernails slipped over her skin and snarled into her hair as she chased Lana. Fighting her cousins, Ariel growled at Lana. "You backstabbing bitch! Give me the trident!"

"Or what? "cooed Lana, pushing a cheek innocently into her shoulder. "What are you going to do, little mermaid? Hmmm? What are you going to – "

"—GIVE IT TO ME!"

The mermaids jumped. Startled by Ariel's ferociousness, they forced themselves to giggle nervously as she snarled at Lana.

Lana waited. For a moment, fear flashed in her beautiful almond eyes. For a moment, she just watched as Ariel leaned into the icy water, feet digging into the frozen sand and red hair pooling like blood in the black ocean.

"All for a boy, Ariel? A worthless boy?" Shrieking with laughter, Lana pointed to the flying ship. "So like you. Heart on your sleeve without knowing whether or not he feels the same for you. Tell me, dearie cousin of mine…did he ever – even once – say that he loves you?"

Ariel paused. Lana grinned. She knew her cousin. She knew how Ariel's mind was built. And she knew how to take it apart like jigsaw puzzle . "No?" Clearing a path for turbulent water, she swept an arm wide. "I wonder why not."

Ariel looked up. Oily, blackness seeped through the water around her, but she stared at Lana.

"Lana…" Ariel finally whispered as black spray prickled her cheeks. "…I don't care if he loves me. I. love. him. "

"Oh my…" said a deep melodious voice. "…you poor unfortunate soul."

The water parted. And from the ocean, eight tentacles squirting ink and writhing like a bag of worms around her trident, was a sea witch.

Ariel stepped back. But her cousins pushed her down, in homage to the sea witch. Ice slid down Ariel's shirt. She gasped, back bending and chin skimming the water.

The sea witch smiled, extending a long, black tentacle.

"Oh well isn't this precious…" Ariel squirmed. The tentacle was pushing so hard against her chin, Ariel thought her teeth would break. The sea witch rolled forward, tentacles swimming over two moray eels with glowing eyes. Lowering the trident, she inspected Ariel's face in the golden light. "….look at this little angelfish. Look at that pucker! Oh it's enough to make me sick – one shade red lighter and she's the spitting image of her mother."

Ariel bucked, jerking her chin from the seawitch. "Don't talk about my mother! You monster!"

The seawitch's eyes glowed. "Why not angelfish? After all…I killed her. And in't sweet, because…." the trident gleamed as the seawitch raised the shaft over her head. "…my mermaids and I, Ursula Empress of Fantasian Seas…are going to kill you. Right to the tune of taking Fantasia."

Ariel struggled. Ursula wagged the trident, conducting the mermaid's laughter.

"Kill me!" Ariel spat, face red in the setting sun. She saw the ship from the corner of her eye. It was so far away. A speck. A tiny pin prick in the sky.

She returned to the sea witch. "Go ahead and kill me! You will never break the Wishing Star! And you will never take fantasia! I know you think Jim will betray, Peter will cave, and Wendy will be afraid but I know them! I've seen their strengths, I've seen what they can do! And I know that you will never, EVER TAKE FANTASIA! But even if you think you can – " Ariel lunged, fighting with all her strength. " – I am going to die stopping you!"

Ursula's eyes pulsed. The opal centers throbbed with uncertainty before hiding behind deep, throaty laughter. Aiming the trident teeth she stabbed at Ariel's beautiful deep blue eyes. "HOW?"

Ariel closed her eyes. She waited for the blow.

But then…something happened.

All at once, the world changed, folding into a single pivotal moment.

The sun set on the third day.

The magical wall around Fantasia School for the Magically Skewed fell.

The sky turned black as a shadow.

The pirate ship tumbled out of the sky.

And the Wishing Star…exactly as Dr. Doppler had described it…

…broke.

Ariel stared. Then, she screamed at the falling ship. "JIM!" she screamed, oblivious to the three brightly colored fish and three sharks skipping over the ocean and calling her name. Manically, she screamed into the sky. "JIM! JIM! JIM!"

"SILENCE!"

Ariel did not know what happened next.

For as the world turned black, Ursula sliced the trident at Ariel's throat.

Ariel curled back, body undulating in a graceful arch as the trident's magic glimmered through her vocal cords.

And when it was over, Fantasia was screaming…

…and Ariel…

...clutching her throat...

…could not.