The Great Candied Adventure, Part 7: The Emperor of Fear

Chapter 7: The Emperor of Fear

Sunny Day

"WHOOOOOAAA!" Sheila's face was wide and bright. "Blind me sockets, mates! The legendary adventurer herself: Candy Hunter Henrietta!"

"Mrs. Fizzuras!" Haylee beamed. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Mm hm hm hm!" The woman giggled. "I did not know I vas so legendary. All I did vas fly around the world."

"Oh, MORE than that, Heinie! You were part of me mum's crew!!" Sheila exclaimed.

"YOU WERE??" they all screamed.

"Hm hm! Of course I vas! It helped to find rare and legendary candies with a band of scallywags."

"She was part of the Stickybeard Crew at one time." Haylee recalled.

"Unfortunately, they vere all frozen." Heinie said. "Ace got me pregnant with Augustus vhen I vas only 15; neither of us could resist, hehe. I couldn't go on adventures during those 9 months, and I desperately urged to get out there again. Ace felt guilty about impregnating me, so he promised to take care of the boy while I vent out to see the vorld. I decided to join Marine's little crew, and we sailed for a few years. When I finally had my fill, I decided to settle down and return home, then got my son into ze whole adventuring gig." She sighed sadly. "But I guess zat backfired in ze end. Joining the Big Mom Pirates…"

"But why did he join them?" Haylee questioned.

"I do not know. He vanted to fulfill his lust for rare candies, maybe. So many rivals sought them."

"Well, THAT just ain't the way to do it!" Sheila stated.

"But never mind about that." Aurora said. "What's THEIR problem?" She indicated the snoozing Sandy and Jessie, who were tied by Henrietta's licorice ropes.

"Hmmm… Those two vere Sammy and Jessica's kids. They vere First Grade kids during your parents' time."

"Yeah, we remember 'em." Hayl said.

"You see, the Sidney Family; which is vhat Sammy's is, vas always charged with protecting the Sugary Vonder, known as the Easter Bunny. Like all Sugary Wonders, the Easter Bunny had many forms, and vhenever it passed, they desperately tried to find the rabbit who took its form. The most recent form it took vas Mr. Fluffleupagus. He possessed a magical power that could heal all wounds. But his true taste as a Wonder vould be felt once he is dipped into the crater of Mt. Chocobo, and his vonderful magic would be imbued in the purest chocolate that vould take his DNA."

That's horrible!! Who would wanna eat a cute BUNNY? Kirie teared.

"Well… I vould." Heinie replied. "I acquired all this info and broke into Gallagher Elementary for that purpose. It seems Sammy informed his friend, Jessica on his family's purpose, and she knew enough to convince me she vas of the Sidney Family, and guided me through Chocolate Island herself. So Sammy could not be hurt. But zen I ended up falling into the chocolate volcano. But my body vas so adjusted to sweets, I survived, and became ein chocolate monster. Huhuhu." She shuddered. "Never so desperately did I vant meat."

"That still doesn't answer why these kids were trying to off us." Aurora mentioned.

"Zat, I do not know. I know they stowed onto the Big Moms' ship. But vhat they said to convince them of treachery…"

"Probably somethin' to do with, 'You help us, we'll let the bunny go.'" Haylee figured.

"Well, we'll interrogate 'em when they wake up." Chris said. "Speaking of never wanting meat so badly, I'm starvin'. I wish we could've caught that Giant Marlin when we had the-" At that moment, they heard the waves rushing, and looked as the Great Marlin was speeding to them.

"Ahhhh! It's coming to finish the job!" Artie cowered.

The marlin stuck its sword-nose above the deck and dropped a giant fish that it stabbed. Sheila looked over the edge as the marlin's head peeped out. "Hehe! Thank ya, Mate!"

The marlin made a call before diving under the sea.

"Well, crew:" Chris licked his lips. "Tonight is good eatin'!"

Ooooh! What are we having?? Kirie beamed excitedly. Some cupcakes and TEEEA and cookiiiees? Ooh, let's get some for our new fish pet, too! I packed some fishfood for the trip, but I'm not sure ours is big enough, and it could definitely slip through that hole in its body.

"Kirie, I…'m not sure you understand what's going on." Haruka said.

"Yo, Miss Marzi, mind helpin' me cut it?" Chris asked.

"No problem!" Henrietta whipped out her candycane sword and sliced the fish to five pieces in seconds.

…EEEEEK! Kirie's hair stood straight up in horror.

"Grab some of the firewood we packed, Sheila," Chris began as he and Heinie lifted the pieces, "we're having a barbeque."

"I'll get the sodas!" Mason went with Sheila inside the cabin.

… Kirie only fainted.

A fire was lit on the deck as the fish's meat roasted, and they were already dining on one of the pieces (including Kirie, who was over it). The seas were calm as usual, and a clear night sky hung in the heavens. It was a great night for a bonfire. "So Mrs. Fizzuras, are you gonna join us?" Mason asked.

"No, I should bring zese kids back to Sammy and Jessica. Fluffleupagus is already chocolatified and in Big Mom's possession. All they can do is wait for him to be reborn again."

"Well, at least we have three of the other Sugary Wonders." Haylee said. "We'll just have to work harder to find the others. Miss Heinie, weren't the Licorice Stalks up in North Dakota?"

"That's just a silly line to go with the song. Actually, the stalks exist in a savannah on the eastern coast of Africa."

"Wasn't the Blurple Supreme already in Africa?"

"Yes, but they're relatively far apart. But if ever the Licorice Stalks are eaten, a Moon Seed vill appear somewhere in ze world, one that will bring new life to ze Licorice Stalks. It must be planted in the softest soil, watered with blood mixed with soda, all under a full moon. The luscious red of the licorice would stretch to the heavens, but any wrong step, the licorice would become black and flavorless."

"I don't remember the blood part!" Haylee yelled.

"We agreed not to speak about zat 'til you vere ready. Of course, if you ate the Licorice Stalks at all, you vould get Black John's candy curse, until ze stalks were grown again. However, spirits like Kyogre could heal ze curse, as vell as ze Easter Bunny's magic. And mixing ze Easter Bunny in the same recipe as the stalks would keep the succulent taste of both of zem, vhile still evading ze curse."

"They truly thought of everything…"

"Blimey, Miss Marzi, you probly have the Moon Seed!" Sheila exclaimed.

"Well, yes, I did have it… several years ago. I found it vhen I still sailed with your mother. We found it growing in Adabat's ruin… but shortly after…"

15 years ago…

A sunny day over the calm seas as the Raccoon Pirates sailed on their ship, the Sneaky Dinga. The 16-year-old captain, Marine the Raccoon, sat on the raccoon-headed keel like a horse, an eyepatch over her left eye and a captain's hat on her head, as she viewed the distant horizon. Most of the crewmates were Mobian koalas, except for Henrietta. She stared at the Moon Seed wonderingly as Tabby approached her. "'ey, Marine, we ever gonna plant that Moon Seed? I wanna see the big licorice."

"Come on, Tabby, the beauty of an adventure is not knowing these things!"

"Well, it still feels like a waste, waiting to plant it!"

"Well, foine, Tabby. But I suppose you'll be willin' to offer up some blood!"

"Crikey, no!"

"Phaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ahhh, the sea smells great today, aye? Anothuh great day for seeking adventures! I wonder where we'll go today? Climb an impeccably tall mountain, dive thousands of yonks unduh the sea… I'm willing to go for anything! Even being struck by lightning!" At that instant, a cannonball flung over and struck the starboard of the ship. "WHOA!" Marine fell off.

Henrietta watched as she climbed up drenched, and Colonel hurried over. "Oiii! Bad news, Captain! Enemy ship off the starboard bow!" Everyone directed at the tremendous, dark-bluish ship blasting an array of cannons. The Jolly Roger was a skull with slanted eyes and blonde hair, with a dent in the top to look like horns.

"Blimey, who's causin' the ruckus??"

"It's…It's her, Captain!" Kylok stuttered. "That Pirate Emperor, with the scary eyes! GRIM-STARER MANDY!!"

Onboard the vessel, titled the Boogey Coast, there sat Captain of the Boogey Pirates, Mandy on her throne. She wore dark-blue armor with a few bones strapped to it, a sword on her left waist, and her hair very unkempt and droopy. A scythe was also posted on the wall above her. "You idiot." She glared at the demon crewman before her. "I told you to await my signal!"

"I-I'm sorry Captain, b-but I got confused, and those guys looked at me, a-and then-"

Mandy shot him a deadly glare that made him freeze completely. A swarm of psychotic demons emerged from the floorboards, wielding knives as they dashed at the pirate with wide smiles and eerie cackles. "WAAAAAAHHH!" He was met with a storm of endless stabs, blood flinging everywhere as the unbearable pain just wouldn't end.

Mandy stood up and walked past the pirate, leaving him to shudder in fear on the floor due to his nightmare. She walked onto the highest deck of her ship, standing at the railing with Creeper. "Captain: we've confirmed that the Moon Seed is on their ship. The mates already began firing, but uh…"

"Just stick to it, Creeper. And call up our leviathan."

"What should we do, Captain?" Colonel asked Marine.

"Just keep fightin' back, but careful around Mandy. She's a Logia fearbender. The only other one I know is Parallax, and THAT bloke was scary enough."

As the Raccoon Pirates tried to counterattack, one of the Boogey Pirates blew into an echoing horn. A titanic cyclops emerged from the depths, with pinkish-purple skin and Medusa-like tentacle hair. Marine smirked and leaped straight to the eye several meters in the air. Her right fist spun fast as light as she PUNCHED the monster in the eye. The demon toppled back and made a tremendous splash in the sea.

"Well, THAT was short-lived." Mandy's Nightmare crewmate, Katie remarked.

"Just pull us in closer. I'll fight her directly."

The Boogey Coast drew closer to the Dinga as Mandy and Marine stood at the railings, facing each other. "Golden-Fist Marine…"

"Grim-Stare Mandy." Marine smirked. "How's it going not visiting the barber?"

"Can it, Raccoon. I'm saving my money for more important things, and I'm about to get plenty more from the price on your head. And by threatening towns with the licorice I'll get from that seed, my empire will expand. Don't even try to run. You're completely surrounded." Behind her was a fleet of Boogey ships. "You may be strong, but you can't last against the entire Boogey Sea. You're finished!"

"Hehe." Marine grinned and cracked fists. "Don't underestimate a Mobian's speed. 'Cause Ah'll punch you faster than your eyes can blink. And Ah reckon that takes a pretty long time. So come and get me, No-Nose Mandy!"

"It's 'Grim-Stare'…" She glared.

Marine kept her confident smirk as Mandy gritted her teeth and furrowed her eyes. Mandy drew her sword and Marine spun her fist as the two leaped at each other. Both forces struck the other with incredible power.

Current time

"…I von't bore you with the details." Henrietta smiled.

"AWWWWW."

"Anyvay, ve survived the battle and made off with our Moon Seed, and after ve stopped pirating, I kept it in my home. But zen someone broke in, and it vas lost. I assumed Mandy might have taken it. And I did see her ships gathered at Africa's shore, not long ago."

"Then I guess we'll be dealing with her." Aurora said, worried. "I never did like our cousin that much."

"Ahhh, we can take her." Chris said simply. "She's just like any whiny baby cousin."

"Except a lot more whiny."

"Anyway, I'll help guide you kids to Africa vhere the Licorice Lands are." Heinie offered. "I also think I should join you in ze adventure there. But you'll have to do most of the vork yourself. 'Cause after all, you'll never learn if you don't do it yourself." Heinie smirked.

"So you won't tell us how to find the other Wonders?" Haylee asked.

"'Course she won't, Mate!" Sheila perked. "What good's an adventure when someone just TELLS ya all the places to go??"

"Siiiigh. If that's how you wanna do it." Haylee shrugged. "I'm kinda with ya there."

"Actually though, if Mandy is zere, you may need my help in defeating her." Heinie noted. "I've learned Armament Haki, so I can penetrate her Logia defenses."

"But bonkers, Miss Marzi, how did me MUM fight her??" Sheila questioned.

Heinie sparked with remembrance. "Oh, zat's right. She vas a lightbender, vhich is a weakness to Fear. Okay, never mind then." She smiled casually.

"THAT'S CHEAP!" the others screamed.

"Hm hm hm, I'll still help, anyway! Aftervards, I must get back to finding Augustus soon. I am so close."

"I guess we can expect to see you on the way." Aurora knew. "It was good to see you again, Miss Henrietta."

"Now let's eat!" Chris declared. "We got a couple days' worth of sailing to go!" With that, they all continued to feast on their roasted fish.

Big Ma'am

The cannons aimed in the direction of a jagged stone as they fired rapidly, missing each and every shot. "I ALMOST GOT IT, Black John-senpaiiiii!" Sir Knightly screamed, having missed said shots. "One more round, one more and I'll-" Another round of missed shots. "AWWWWW!"

"Ehhhh…" Black John sighed in annoyance. "Why are ye using Japanese terms if yer a knight? Aren't they British or something?"

"Awwww, it's no big deal, Senpai! I can still kick MUCHO culo, MUCHO-" They then looked as Nickel Joe came sailing on his coughdrop ship. "HEEEY! It's Nickel Joe-senpaaaii! Nickel Joooe! NICKEL JOOOE!"

Black John leaped down to his ship, leaving Sir Knightly to shout. "Arrrr… another minute with that guy, I'll blow me brains."

"Oiiii Nickel Joe-senpaaai!"

"Ya learn to live with 'em." Nickel Joe flipped. "So Big Mom wants ta know the status of the search for that there Licorice."

"OIIII Nickel Jooooe!"

"We want ta sail there, ("Nickel JOOOooooe!") but there's too much interference. ("NICK! EL! JOE!") Our lads reported that one of the Pirate Emperors might be stayin' there. You know. Grim-Starer Mandy."

"HEEEY! I'm John-senpai's student! 'eeeey! Bla-ck Joooohn!"

"A bit 'fraid of her now, aren't we? Are ya sure yer just too scared to go back there?" Joe grinned. ("BLACKY John!")

"Of COURSE Ay'm not scared!" ("Black John!") "Ay just don't think it wise to be fightin' one of the Pirate Emperors! ("JOHN! IS! BLACK!") Even Big Mum don't match up to Mandy's fear, and she doesn't even ("Joooohn!") grind her scallywags into a chocolate shake an' eat them. And a human who commands DEMONS has ta be scary enough. You'd expect the same outta Big Mom, but she only commands Nightmares, even though her grandmother was-"

"JOOOOOOOHHHN!"

The angered pirate whipped out a pistol and shot Knightly clear in the pan-protected face, knocking him down. "…Look, Johnny, I understand your fear, but without all Sugary Wonders, how're we gonna make the cake?" Joe asked.

"Well, there's still a chance those Raccoon Blokes survived, so if they're on it, THEY can get skewered by Mandy. Still, we'll send over a group of Bullysaurs, anyway."

"I think I shall venture there myself. Don't hesitate ta come and help out." With that, Nickel Joe geared his ship for sail.

Black John climbed back to Big Ma'am's deck as Knightly recovered. "Heeeehh, what's a lad to do. I don't suppose you have any solutions, Sir Knightly?"

The pirate frantically felt around before pulling out his mirror, studying the dent left by Black John's bullet in his helmet. "My…My covering helmet."

"Don't worry, we'll get ya a new one."

"They BROKE… my COVERING helmet! WHY MY COVERING HELMET! WHYYYYAAAAAHHH!" He started bawling on the ground.

"For CRIKE'S SAKE, Sir Knightly, will ya JUST give it a-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" John felt a chill through the air as all of the crewmen on deck suddenly fainted. He looked at the sea as swarms of fishes, including a sea monster, floated up unconscious. The vice-captain stared at Sir Knightly with amazement.

"Ho! So that's why Augustus picked him! There may be hope for this crew, yet!"

"La la la, poor little Knightly, la la la, so so saaad." sang the ship.

Sunny Day

The crew finished eating most of the big fish as the fire grew smaller, and they continued sailing under the night sky. Mason noticed Carol sitting and looking away from the fire as her head was down in shame. He approached her with a playful smile and said, "So does this mean I don't owe you, anymore?"

"…It was my job to protect that bunny… and I failed."

"Come on, Carol, no one blames you. And forget about the 'me chocolatifying' thing. We're all still alright."

"I just feel… so weak.. in this crew. Maybe I'm not cut out for the Kids Next Door. Maybe I just wanted to join… for the heck of it. Just one of many things I want for no good reason."

"Carol, you've helped us plenty, even though it feels like we're wasting money. I know you're not strong, but… well, none of us are strong, compared to Sheila. I feel kinda weak next to her, 'cause she does all the hard work. But, we still have skills to contribute. And you're pretty fun to have, too."

"Well… I guess…" She made a devious smile and faced him, "You still owe me 200 dollars, though."

"WHAT?! But I already paid you the 11!"

"Don't you know debts get higher as time passes? Even if you're not borrowing. Pretty soon, you'll just have to resort to being my personal slave!"

"I WILL NOT!!"

"Mmmmnnn…" Jessie and Sandy began moaning.

"Hey guys, those kids are waking up!" Haylee yelled. Everyone gathered when Sandy and Jessie had finally come to. They noticed the licorice tying their bodies, and confusedly studied the pirate ship.

"Where are we, Jessie?" Sandy asked.

"I don't know. But looks like… THE PIRATES ARE GOING TO CARVE OUT OUR SKULLS AND TURN THEM INTO MEXICAN CANDY!"

"AAAAAAHHH!"

"SNAP out of it!" Aurora slapped them. "We're not those pirates!"

"Yeh, we're the Raccoon Pirates!" Sheila fist-palmed. "Now tell us why you tried to kill us or we'll ram you right through the keel!"

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

"Iiiii don't think that's what they wanted to hear." Haruka said with disbelief.

"Look, would THIS calm you down?" Carol dropped some money before them.

Their eyes lit up as dollar signs. "Finally! No more scrounging for candy off the streets!" Sandy beamed.

"We can buy Mr. Fluffleupagus an even bigger cage!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Um… Fluffleupagus is dead." Haylee told them.

"…!!" They wore the most miserable frowns. "Mr. Fluffleupagus…"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Sandy cried to the heavens.

"Well, YOU'RE the blimey blokes that kept us from SAVIN' him!" Sheila yelled.

"What are you talking about?!" Jessie yelled.

"Uck, you led us on a phony route with traps and tried to stab us with candycanes!" Haylee recapped.

"W-We didn't do that! We swear!"

"Swearin' at seven years old." Sheila shook her head. "For shame…"

"Please, I've heard my friend Steve use the F-bomb." Jessie stated. "I remember the pirates breaking into school and stealing Mr. Fluffleupagus. We snuck onto their ship, but some football baby caught us, and I don't remember what happened."

"Hmmm… I wonder if they were hypnotized?" Haylee asked.

"Well, we're sorry if we hurt you." Sandy frowned. "If there's anything we can do…"

"Frankly, I couldn't give a f**k, because I'm pretty sure one of them f**king hurt me." Jessie stated.

"!!" They all gasped.

"What? Didn't say I don't cuss, too." he smiled innocently.

"Please don't tell our parents." Sandy spoke with a cute face.

"We won't." some of them chorused.

"Talk about being hypnotized." Harry said, disbelieved.

"Hey, enough o' this hypnotizin' hooey!" Sheila said cheerily. "Let's have a soda party to celebrate Miss Henrietta's bein' here!"

"That reminds me, I recently bought this new Silver Flurp," Mason took out a silver soda can, "and I was gonna try this during the journey. I wonder if it'll taste good…"

"Well, DON'T stand wonderin', Mate, just GO for it!"

"Okay, okay!" Mason cracked it open and took a sip. (Play "Village Harbor" (second part) from One Piece.)

"WOOHOOOO!" Mason's sweater was off, his hair ruffled, and bags were under his eyes as he screamed excitedly. "HEY, EVERYBODY! I'M LOOKIN' GOOD TODAY! YOU ALL FEEL GREAT, TOO?"

"YAAAH! LOOKING GREAT!" Chris screamed, looking just as frantic.

"GOOOOOOD!"

Henrietta and Harry smiled humorously as their friends frantically ran about the deck. "To be young and adventurous, right?" Heinie asked.

"Yeah…"

"HEY, MASON! I BET I CAN FART LOUDER THAN YOU!" Chris yelled.

"OH YEAH? WATCH!" Mason huffed, and released a beam of gas from his rear.

"THAT'S NOTHING! CHECK THIS OUT!" Chris farted a ray of fire.

"You call that FARTING?!" Artie questioned. "This is what REALLY gets ya in a laugh!" With that, he did a classic armpit fart.

"WOOOOO!" They ran around excitedly.

"Hey, guys!! You think my whole mouth can suck up this ocean??" Chris asked.

"It'd have to be a pretty big mouth!" Mason said.

"That's rubbish, you loungin' lot!" Sheila stated from the crow's nest, just as hyped. "I bet me lungs're strong enough to suck in all them clouds! HuuuuUUUUU…" She took a very big breath in attempt to do so. "…Hmmp!" She collapsed to the deck with lack of air.

"HAAAAAA!"

"Hey, boyyyys!" They all looked to the cabin's entrance, seeing Haruka, Carol, and Kirie in one-piece swimsuits.

"HOOOOOO!" The boys' eyes shot open.

"We know it's nighttime, but the air really feels good." Haruka said.

"Aren't we just gooooorgeous?" Carol shook.

"You most certainly are, my queen!" Mason spoke, kneeling before her with googly eyes.

"I will do things for you." Chris said, doing the same with Kirie.

Tee hee ha ha! Oh, Chris, don't be silly!

"Do you mind if I measure your thorax?" Artie asked Haru.

"Not until you earn a medical degree. And beyond."

"They start googlin' at them now, they won't be into it when they're teenagers." Harry said.

"It's only the first step." Henrietta said, throwing off her clothes. "HERE is vhat vill get zere blood running." She wore a thin yellow-and-white-striped bikini, and her breasts were notably large.

"HOOOOOOO!" Blood shot from the boys' noses.

"Oh, geez." Harry looked away.

"Feeling okay there, Harry?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah, I'm just-" He looked up to see her in a blue two-piece. "AHHHH, you too?!"

"What, the night chill feels great!"

"Come ooooonnn!" He looked away, blushing.

It truly was a happy night. The seas were calm the whole way, and they've never felt more energetic.

The next day, 7:00pm

The wind was pretty fair during the next day's sail, and the sky was free of too many clouds. A strange mist occupied the sea, but not too high to block their view. They were pretty weary the whole day, having exhausted their strength from the night of endless partying. Almost everyone was conked out as Haylee was boredly steering the ship. Sheila woke up on the deck and viewed around with tired eyes. However, her eyes widened, and her color returned at seeing her favorite thing: "LAAAAND HOOOO!"

Before them was Africa's eastern coast, a vast savannah lain across the distance. Similar to the Sugar Deserts, giant candies lay spread across the lands, the most notable being Licorice Stalks towering high in the sky. "Blimey, look, guys! The Licorice Stalks are already planted!"

"Hm hm, no!" Heinie smiled. "Zose are just ze lesser stalks. Ze real ones appear more blood-red."

"But I think you were right all along, Heinie." Aurora noticed. "The Boogey ships are right there!" Parked by the shore were three small Boogey Bay ships.

"Siiigh. To think I was glad to only see Aunt Mandy on Thanksgiving." Chris sighed.

"Vell, it might not be her." Henrietta said. "Her daughter has taken interest in the piracy business. She is actually quite high up."

"As long as we aren't dealing with Aunt Mandy." Aurora replied. "I prefer to deal with one Pirate Emperor."

"I vonder if Mandy has grown the Stalks herself, yet. I'd like to know whose blood she drew."

"Well, that ain't gonna compare to the amount she'll lose after I beat her!" Sheila cracked her knuckles. "I'll tango with her just like Mom did!"

"'Guess we have a stake in that, too." Chris shrugged.

"It vill be just like the old days." Henrietta smirked, gripping her sword. "Show me if you have vhat it takes to be Raccoon Pirates."

"What about us?" Sandy asked.

"You blokes c'n watch the ship." Sheila said.

"But you BETTER not touch my stuff!" Haylee stated.

"Don't worry! We won't!" Sandy assured. She and her brother snickered quietly. Haylee stared with an untrusting look. (Play "Grassland Groove" from Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.)

Stage 9: Licorice Lands

Mission: Acquire the Licorice Stalks from the Boogey Pirates!

Act 1

For a grassland producing candy plants, it seemed rather populated with natural animals: antelopes eating the tasty candy grass, giraffes eating lollipops off the trees, elephants slurping from the soda rivers, and pandas eating the licorice bamboo. Across the lands, music and chanting could be heard; it dangerously reminded them of a certain movie. While the animals looked happy and carefree, there was something odd about them, not just that they were eating candy.

The Raccoon Pirates first approached the soda river, hopping a group of hippos bathing in the substance. They followed a cleared path between a series of trees where Minkeys threw chocolate rocks at them. Unfortunately, the path led them to a trench, which had a branch from a tree on the other side hanging above the middle. "Any Branchmallows nearby?" Haylee asked.

"Nope!" Henrietta beamed. "Just good old-fashion Licoropes." She pulled out one of her licorice ropes, which unraveled as she jumped off and latched it to the branch, swinging across. "Sorry, but you'll have to find your own! Zere is some hanging from those trees!"

They looked up and saw licorice dangling from the trees, so Kirie began to hop up one and avoided the Minkeys' chocolate. She grabbed 11 Licoropes for each of her friends, but before dropping down, she noticed a Gold Wonka Bar on a farther tree. She used a Licorope to swing the branches and grabbed the candybar, then swung back to her friends. They all grabbed a Licorope ("Hold me, Mason." Carol said. "Uuugh." moaned Mason.) and swung the trench to join Henrietta.

They entered a licorice-bamboo forest, inside an enclosing with many cliffs. Their path led to a dead-end ledge over a chasm, with a narrow route cutting through the licorice stalks. They swung their Licoropes to a slight branch and flipped onto the lowest cliff, and from there jumped up the others. On the highest cliff, a shorter, but taller-than-them Licorice Launch was perched, facing the route over the chasm, but aiming at nothing in particular. Sheila latched her Licorope to the Licorice Launch and flung several feet over the chasm. They were worried she might fall, but a red Rainbow Monkey hung by its tail from a dangling licorice branch and grabbed Sheila's hands. RAINBOW MONKEEEYS! Kirie sign-screamed with joy. I KNEW they were real, I just KNEW it!

A series of Rainbow Monkeys started appearing around the bamboo walls, 'cause Rainbow Monkeys have the power of chameleons for some reason. The monkeys swung Sheila around and around until she let go to fling to another. The others flung over as well and began navigating a maze of monkeys. A Gold Wonka Bar was among the monkeys, as usual, so Kirie made her way to it to collect. They made their way to a part of the bamboo walls that overlooked another region of the savannah, amazed by the view as the sun set in the distance. The chasm was still below, so they kept swinging monkeys until they made it to a pathway along a cliffside.

It seemed like a much safer walk, except cannons appeared to be stationed on the ledge across the chasm, and Licorice Pirates were trying to blast them. Sheila spun her left fist and fired a Light Sphere to flip a cannon backwards, making it blast the pirate. Chris also charged strong flames in his fists and fired as well as they progressed the cliff. The pathway had a dead end, so all they could do was attack the pirates from where they were. When all the pirates were beaten, a group of impossibly tall giraffes emerged from the chasm, Fruit Roll-Ups dangling from their mouths.

"WOOHOOOO!" Henrietta rode atop one of the giraffes' heads. "Sorry for running ahead! Just had to find some old friends! Come on, let's go!" She hopped across. The Raccoon Pirates swung the Roll-Ups hanging from their mouths, but the giraffes shifted left and right, and up and down. They managed to swing them okay, but Haruka noticed something odd: the giraffes' heads were stuffed, posted atop very long sticks. No one else seemed to notice, though…

Once across the chasm, a clear, wide road through the savannah lay in their wake. A few Spitballosaurs roamed the field and pelted spitballs at them, but Sheila dodged and ran to knock out the first one, then Chris spun in a fireball and shot at another. Dillon dodged behind the third one so the sun was behind him, using his extended shadow to catch the bully and make him shoot spitballs at all the others.

Hm… Zey are not bad. Henrietta observed. Just like zere parents at a young age. I still vonder if what Rachel told me vas true, it seems a little farfetched. Oh vell… perhaps when ze time comes, zey vill be ready.

Henrietta walked ahead of the crew as they came to a wide gorge, stretching miles in the distance. They climbed down the gorge's wall and approached its center, viewing around curiously. The gorge almost looked like it was carved by something, like earthbenders, and they felt intimidated by its sheer size and emptiness. "Zis gorge is vhere the wildebeest usually roam." Henrietta explained. "Zey use this to migrate between plains, but I don't zink they're scheduled, yet." (End song.)

A few miles away, Nickel Joe grinned slyly as he stared at the horde of grazing wildebeest. "Ah, ta be unintelligent and carefree. So sad I have ta interrupt for my personal ambition. But such is life." And with a careful aim of his coin, he flicked it directly behind the herd. The explosion quickly startled the wildebeest and made them charge into the canyon.

The ground quaked below the pirates' feet as they searched around worriedly. "Um… You guys hear something?" Haylee asked.

Chris's eyes widened, viewing the distant plain. "Uh, guys? I think I just remembered what movie this reminded me of!"

It looked as though a huge cloud of smoke was coming their way. But anyone who was aware of a similar scenario would know it was hundreds of wildebeest. Hundreds of wildebeest that threatened to trample them flat. The 12 exchanged frantic glances and rushed across the plain. (Play "To Die For" from The Lion King Game (SNES).)

Like any other machspeed section, each member ran their own path, having to jump rocks in the way. Wildebeest also ran at each of them from behind, intending to jump, so the kids had to duck when they did so. Some of the wildebeest ran zigzaggy, making it unclear which member would have to duck. For this reason, a wildebeest bounced over and kicked Haruka, making her trip. "Waaaah!"

"Haru!" Mason slowed to a halt and ran to help his sister up, quickly ducking the many stampeding wildebeest. The others looked back with frantic expressions, knowing if they stopped, they could be trampled to death, but they had to help their friends. "Keep running!" Chris yelled, quickly stopping and erupting a huge fire to make some wildebeest run around.

"Haaaaa!" Sir Knightly slid down the gorge and stood in the pirates' way. "You ain't goin' any farther past here, you-yooooouuu! Iiii'm gonna stop you! I'M gonna-"

Henrietta and the kids merely pushed him around as they ran past him. "Ouch! What the-…?" He noticed the swarm of wildebeest running toward him. "WAAAAAHH!" The terrified animals toppled him down and trampled him mercilessly. Sir Knightly hadn't the strength to stand, for every second, a wildebeest stomped his protected body, knocking him all around like a lifeless dummy.

Henrietta lashed her Licorope at a small ledge upon the wall and flew up, skimming the swarm for Chris, Mason, and Haru. To her relief, the Uno boy leapt atop one of the wildebeest with both siblings in his arms. They both recovered and swung the canyon walls using Licoropes, and Henrietta joined them.

Nickel Joe ran along the top of the canyon with a bird's-eye view of the wildebeest. "Eh?"

"YA-HAAAAAA!" Sir Knightly was suddenly thrown above the horde and bounced all around, via their heads. He finally sat firmly atop one and rode it like a bull. "Senpaiii! Look! I'm at the rodeo!" He was coming to a leaning tree-branch. "I'M at the- WHOA!" His head smashed against the branch, knocking him back. "Uhhh…" He sat back up. "WHOA!" A series of branches lay in his wake, and his head bashed every one. Also, when he fell back, his head bumped the horns of the wildebeest behind him. It was amazing how much his helmet could withstand.

"I thought he was with Licorice…" Joe recalled. "How'd he get here so fast? Is John here, I wonder?"

As the pirates kept running, Bullysaurs pushed rocks from above the walls and tried to block them, but Heinie whipped out her sword and cut through with Armament Haki. Sheila also spun her fists to shoot Light Spheres at boulders, but it took a lot of breath while running at the same time. She glanced back at the pursuing wildebeest, quickly spinning another Light Sphere and throwing it back to punch one in the face. It fell over, causing many others to trip.

"WHOOOA!" Sir Knightly went flying off his as a result, and all the other wildebeest started trampling him like a dummy.

The pirates were approaching a narrow, dark cave, the ceiling set at the wildebeests' height, but felt it too dangerous to enter. Henrietta noticed a route to their left over a chasm, but several branches hanging on the walls. "This vay!" She swung across with her Licoropes, and the others followed. They were about to land on a path below, but the wildebeest dashed by, forcing them to keep swinging. They swung across another chasm and made it above the next path, where the wildebeest kept running.

They swung to a Springmallow which bounced them across a series, bringing them back on the path in front of the wildebeest. "Don't vorry, we'll be safe soon." Henrietta assured. A stairway led up the wall on their left, so they quickly dashed that way and hurried up, safely above the wildebeests' wrath. They watched calmly as the herd dashed across the rest of the plain.

"Siiiigh… That's a heart-stopper." Mason sighed.

"Well, it coulda been worse." Chris said. Everyone looked down and noticed a dead lion on the plain.

They passed the narrow route at the top of the stairs as the earth became grayer, and the sky darkened. The sun had likely set all the way. "The Moonrise Platform should be a few miles avay now." Heinie mentioned. "Ve just have to cut through ze Candy Graveyard." (Play "Be Prepared" from The Lion King Game (SNES).)

Act 2: Candy Graveyard

They entered a bleak, flavorless plain of withered candies, black licorice, and just as well, animal bones that have become black licorice. Some of the bones rose and formed licorice hyenas, with glowing ravenous eyes and drooling teeth (even though they couldn't drool). A hyena leapt at Chris and tried to snack him, but he pushed it away and set fire to the licorice. Sheila punched Light Spheres to break hyenas, and Haylee kept another back by shoving her wrench against its mouth. She kicked it away before snatching its licorice nose and eating it. Black licorice really wasn't that bad.

They were secluded in a low enclosing, so they jumped up a few bone-made platforms to get to a higher ground, where they jumped the remains of a black-licorice elephant to reach a new path. They followed a route between walls as demon pirates hurried over to strike them with swords. They recognized them as Boogey Pirates. Chris countered one's sword with flame fists and kicked fire at him, and Aurora flipped behind another to set his butt on fire, making him run around screaming. Two more were trying to tame Licorice Hyenas, but the undead animals tackled the monsters and feasted on their flesh, which only tasted like licorice. With that, the hyenas lunged at the kids, but Henrietta slashed her sword and sliced their tasteless bodies.

The route was fairly straightforward, though rugged with bones as they nearly slipped into a few pitfalls. The path ended at a ledge over a field of spiky licorice. Several animals had clearly fallen, as the spikes pierced their bones. A monkey seemed to have one through its eye. On their left was a shred of color as pink gum seemed to puff from the wall. Henrietta plucked it out as it shrunk, and another gum grew in its place. "Zis is Bounce Gum. You chew it and blow to make a sooper bouncy ball."

"PLEASE don't tell me we swallow it, and blow out the other end." Haylee said.

"Nope! It's a suppository!" Heinie beamed.

"HULP!" Chris's cheeks puffed.

"Ha ha ha! Just kidding! Just chew and blow it out vhen it's ready!" She chewed her gum and blew it to a reasonable size. She pulled it out and sat on it like a sit-n-bounce, beginning to bounce freely across the spike field. "It is very fuuuun! Just try it!"

Sheila was already quick to chew a gum and blow a bounce ball, and the others followed as she bounced across the spikes. They bounced surprisingly high despite being made of gum, and across spikes. But Kirie didn't join them yet, as she noticed a high ledge somewhere above the previous path and reached it using the Bounce Gum. Once again, she collected a Gold Wonka Bar and bounced back to her friends. The spike field had a few miscellaneous platforms with the Gold Caramel side-collectables, but their main path was another narrow route between canyon walls.

Boogey Blasters sat on platforms and tried to pop their gum, but Chris shot flames into the cannons to blow up their powder. Henrietta also evaded and bounced to the cannons to slice them, but as they neared the ending ledge, Kargaroks swooped down to snack on them. To keep them from pecking them off their gum, Carol threw money onto the spikes to distract them, letting the vultures fight over the currency. The gumballs popped once they safely made it to the foothold, and before them was a long, snaky slide of a giant black-licorice spine. Sheila slid down first, feeling the usual rush of excitement. The slide started very high up, allowing them a great view of the boney canyon. The silhouette of a building was in the misty sky ahead, with blue torches, sails, and flags.

The slide landed them on a platform over a lake of black ooze, likely java that went bad. The licorice bones of elephants rose from the ooze and sunk again, so while they were raised, the pirates hopped them, but they crumbled away shortly after. There was no safe ground after the skulls, so they swung a dead branch using their Licoropes, but the branch crumbled shortly after. They landed on a foothold with a Licorice Launch, which was black as usual, so when Sheila pulled it down to launch away, the licorice crumbled. Another one grew in its place, and this time Heinie went first, only pulling it a short way before launching.

The others followed, but fell directly to the ooze, so they had to keep swinging dead branches until they arrived at a safe foothold. They now faced another trench, and a bushel of Ringtrots that would allow them to run the left wall. Like before, Sheila ran the wall herself with her Mobian speed, sidestepping black spikes in the way. The others followed and had more of a struggle since they kept the Ringtrots in their mouths. They ran to a row of Springmallows that bounced them to the right wall, where they kept running until the path turned upward, making them drift right.

At the top of the wall, a Springmallow sent them flying high, and it looked as though they would touch the moon. A lion's shadow appeared on the moon and looked to be singing, while a band of hyenas' shadows rose on the wall behind them.

They finally took land and jumped a series of platforms before reaching the building, which was a giant pirate ship that belonged to the Boogey Pirates. Two Boogey Buffs guarded the entrance as Sheila ran to punch the first one, but he stood his ground. Mason and Haruka threw a toxic cloud over the monsters, but they jumped out of it and punched down at the siblings. Henrietta struck one with an Armament slice, then Chris kicked him upside the head to push him into the black java. The other Buff tried to grab Kirie, but she swiftly flipped around and punched in many parts of his body, eventually chi-blocking him as he fell motionless.

The crew crossed a plank and entered the ship that was stationed on a java lake. The cabin was dimly lit, only by blue torches, but Chris and Aurora gave more light from their flames. They passed a dark hallway where Boogey Cutlasses ran at them from the opposite end, but Chris and Aurora quickly kicked flames to knock them down. They entered a shaft that led up with many floors, going up the many flights of stairs as classic barrels rolled down to roll them over. They bounced fairly high when they jumped on the barrels, so Kirie used this to grab a Gold Wonka Bar above the stairwell.

At the end of the stairs, they entered a cabin where two Cutlasses ran to slice them, but Heinie blocked both their swords with her own, letting Dillon pull one in a Shadow Veil, and Harry flip the other upside-down and kick its face. They hurried up another staircase to an empty, flat room where a pirate waited at the other side, wielding two machineguns. He was asleep, so Sheila walked in first, but the second her foot touched the floor, the pirate awakened. "AAAAAAAAHHH!" He fired his machinegun all around the room, and the kids quickly retreated back. When the pirate stopped to look around, he went back to sleep.

"Hokay, no sneaking past him." Dillon whispered.

"Can't you Shadow Veil him?" Aurora asked.

"He's way too big to beat."

I know I'M not gonna risk it. Kirie stated.

"I could probably give 'em a good punch from behind." Sheila figured.

"I have some spare Shrink Sweets and Growth Gum." Heinie mentioned, pulling said candy out. Sheila stuffed a gum in her pocket and ate one of the Shrink Sweets to minimize, and was able to walk across the creaky floor undetected. She snuck under the pirate's legs and ate the Growth Gum to puff back. She spun a Light Sphere and punched the sleepy swabbie, pushing him to the creaky floor and causing him to fall through. The others regrouped with her and went up another stairway, getting to the deck of the ship.

Several Boogey Pirates ran at them, as did Licorice Hyenas. Chris grabbed pirates and hurled them over the edge, while Dillon pulled them in Shadow Veil, then carried and threw them over. Five hyenas lunged at Henrietta, but she did a spin attack and sliced them to pieces. The bones recovered and fused into three, distorted hyenas. Sheila ran at one with a Light Punch, but the bones stayed active and attempted to strangle her. Haylee rescued her captain by eating the black licorice, and when the other hyenas directed attention at her, Haylee fearlessly ate them all. "BUUUURP." She released a stream of black smoke, then sighed.

Carol distracted the last three pirates with money while Harry, Artie, and Kirie knocked them out from behind. They searched around the deck for a way to go, and noticed a zipline going from the crow's nest a few yards over the boneyard. On the back of the deck was a table of Fudgepuffsicles, so some of them ate one and puffed while their friends rode on them. Kargaroks flew down from the sails and aimed to pop them, so Kirie and Carol kept the vultures back with their fans and parasol. The group deflated once at the top of the sails, then climbed a few ladder ropes to the crow's nest.

They grabbed the zipline and slid over the boneyard to a platform. They jumped another set of platforms before reaching a road that took them out of the graveyard. The mist was gone, and the peaceful night sky hung above them, as did its huge full moon. A few more Boogey Bays sat around the levitated ground known as Moonrise Platform. The pirates hurried over to see what was up. Possibly, licorice. (End song.)

"HEHEHEHEhe." Ed the Hyena laughed his last as he was cut dead. A little girl with messy orange hair, blue armor, and no nose glared mercilessly as she spread the blood onto a red seed with her sword. She looked at Shenzi, panting angrily, and standing by the corpse of Banzai.

"Well, it's not my fault." the girl spoke in a calm, sadistic tone. "I could've used demon blood, but demon blood doesn't work. So you were the next closest thing, so it's your fault for being alive. And I only needed one of you, but since you're going to attack me like this, it's just your fault again."

And Shenzi was slashed across the chest, now dead as well. Cindy put the bloodied seed in a hole in the center of the platform and watered it with a soda can. "There… Now let the moon work its magic and see if this licorice is really any good."

"Daaaah!" Cindy turned and saw her crewmen being flung up through the air. In seconds, the 11 Raccoon Pirates hopped up onto the platform. "STOP right there, Mandy!" Sheila declared.

"Hey, that's not Mandy." Aurora said. "That's…"

"Cousin Cindy?!" Chris exclaimed.

Boogey Pirates Undead Animal Division

CINDY CORTIX

"Don't tell me… Mandy's daughter?" Dillon asked.

"YES, Mandy's my mom!" Cindy shouted. "But she's away right now. So I had to do all this myself. Well, she didn't think I could, but I'm about to show her!! I'll grow the Licorice Stalks and force-feed it to all the animals in this field! I'll create an army of undead animals that'll make Mom whimper!"

"Well, sorry to foil your evil plan," Aurora began, "but we need the Licorice Stalks for something else."

"Oh, I see. Wanna eat 'em yourself, huh? That's good, 'cause then you'll be cursed. And you can be my mom's slaves instead. Or better yet my slaves. 'Cause I'm the one who did all this, so I should have the reward. And you're all trying to steal it! But I WON'T let that happen. I won't, I won't, I WAAAAAAH!" She erupted a Fear Scream that made the 11 fall to their knees. (Play "And at the End of Fear" from Batman: Arkham Asylum.)

Boss fight: Cindy Cortix

Aurora awoke in a battle-scarred wasteland with many bloodied weapons lain across the field. She worriedly took a few steps forward, and gasped when she found a gravestone labeled R.I.P. Vanellope. A glitchy ghost emerged from the grave, and Vanellope moaned eerily. "You're the leader. Why didn't you…" She reached out to touch her. Aurora frantically jumped back, feeling her hair blow as the region was swallowed in a vortex. Aurora shuddered with horror as Cindy's tremendous form rose up from behind a building.

Carol woke up someplace else, a rather shabby apartment with bugs crawling, broken windows, and an uncomfortable bed. "Hu!!" She gasped, finding herself in brown, raggedy clothes, dirty hair, and no shoes. "W-Where am I?!" She peeked out the window, finding herself in a crumbling city neighborhood, and stormy skies. She frantically searched her pockets, but tiny lint and beetles were in the place of millions of buck. "AAAAAHH!" The shabby apartment rumbled as the ceiling came off, and Carol gaped at a titanic Cindy, with gritted teeth, and yellow, venomous eyes.

"Uhhh… hnnn?!" Sheila awoke to find herself strapped to her bed in her room. She grabbed the rope with her teeth to pull it off, but it brimmed with a magical force and remained strapped. "Nnn-let… me go! I gotta… have more adventures! Nnnn-huh?" A vision appeared on the wall beside her. Mason sat alone in a room, glumly plucking petals off a flower.

"Siiigh… what's the point. If Sheila doesn't wanna go on adventures anymore… life really is meaningless."

"NOOO! That's not true! I DO wanna go on adventures, Mason! What conked your head and made ya think THAT?? 'EY, LET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"Nnnnn…" Harry woke up in a lab room with lots of equipment. Artie and Haylee were hard at work constructing machines, and did just fine. "Hey, Harry, grab me the protoplasmic cartigator." Artie told him. The older triplet searched around, seeing hundreds of various equipment among the tables. He had no idea what Artie was talking about… or was sure if it even existed.

Aurora dodged behind a ruined wall to avoid Cindy's murderous glare. She squeezed tighter behind the ruin as Cindy peeked over. Lightning alit, showing the ravenous skeleton under Cindy's flesh. Aurora crawled around the ruin's corner, and suddenly found herself many miles above the ground. The cyclone lifted all of the ruins to let them float, and Cindy levitated in their center. Her eyes brimmed like searchlights as she skimmed for her terrified cousin. Aurora kept going forward while hiding from the giant, but she gasped at seeing Mason's dead body, his throat slit. Hearing the gasp, Cindy peered over, so Aurora curled in a ball and hid tight behind a wall, shuddering with the greatest fear.

Carol ran down the apartment's hall, but the dirt under her feet was just unbearable, and every bug she stepped on made her stop with disgust. Having absolutely no money, no stylish clothes, living in such filth, she couldn't imagine anything worse. "WAAAH!" She dodged before Cindy could stab her through the wall. Carol crawled and hid behind the ruined wall as the hall led outside over the endless vortex. She found a pool with a cage dangling in the water, and Haruka Dimalanta floating helpless and still inside. "Haruka!" She was about to dive in, but noticed the group of sharks circling her hungrily. Carol wanted to throw money in and distract the sharks, but her pockets were empty. A counter was ticking down, signaling when the cage would open and allow the sharks to feast.

"Come oooon, where is it…" Harry searched desperately for the protoplasm whatever, but it seemed more and more tools started appearing. Before he knew it, he was swallowed by the sea of tools, and Cindy's face appeared from the depths.

"Come on, Harry. It's right here. Come and GET IT." She blasted him with heat vision.

"Huh?! Where am I?" Dillon asked, frantically searching around a dark region. "Waah!!" He jumped back when an undead Vanellope doll floated behind him, her eyes angry and soulless.

"You didn't protect me EITHER, Dillon. What kind of brother ARE you?"

"I tried, I just… eyaaaahh!" He cowered down the endless hall, and the soulless ghost followed.

"Uuuu-uuu-uuuuhh! Let me ouuuut!" Sheila desperately tried to shake from her ropes as Mason neared the last petal. She bit harder and harder, and her teeth ached with every tug.

"Huff, huff!" Aurora ran tirelessly across the path, trying to avoid Cindy's stare.

"Aurora!" She saw Chris behind her, but the brother ended up chopped in half by Cindy's sword.

"CHRIS!!"

"Aurora, I'm here!" Artie hurried over from ahead, but Cindy beheaded him.

"Hu-!!" Aurora cupped a hand over her mouth to hold the scream. She sunk to her knees and grabbed her head in agony. She saw Sheila choking, Haruka drowning, and Vanellope's ghost. All around her, friends dying, and nothing she could do. "…It's not real." she told herself. "My cousin's a fearbender… my mom warned me about this. She knew my cousin would be pulling stuff like this."

"SO WHY did you FALL for it?" yelled Rachel's image. "It's no wonder my son became a better leader than you! Heck, I would've asked SHEILA to be a daughter. I bet SHE isn't as scared right now. You're a failure!"

"No… I know I'm not as great as you two… but I'm still leader of Sector V. I still have faith in my team. And I… will… protect them!" The vision vanished as Aurora unleashed a cyclone of flames to the sky.

"Nnn, nnn, nnn!" Harry couldn't find the equipment, but Artie and Haylee's progress didn't impede.

"Ehhh, I didn't really need that thing, anyway." Artie said. "I just wanted to let Harry feel useful."

"Nnnn…" Harry closed his eyes. "I'm useless… I can't help them… I'm just not as smart. –You know what, I'm COOL with that. I dunno any of this junk! I just wanna listen to mah tunes." He placed earbuds in his ears, connected to an mp3, and nodded his head to tunes as his siblings danced to it as well.

Meanwhile, Carol still felt helpless, unable to get Haruka out of the water. She had no money… she didn't know what to do. Money was all she had. All she knew. But then, she noticed a Fudgepuffsicle sticking from the wall. She would call for Mason, but… even she knew he was nowhere around. Not here to hold her this time. She grabbed the Puffsicle and inflated herself, floating to the foothold across the water. She released the air by releasing a loud fart, taking safe land. "Grooooss."

She climbed a set of huge stairs to reach the top, quickly turning the gears that would lift the cage up. Haruka was soon safely out of the water, and the counter finished as the cage opened, letting Haruka fall onto Carol's platform. "Plueh, pleh!" Haruka coughed water out before looking up at Carol. "Carol!" She got to her feet.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you. I owe you a lot, Carol."

"Hm hm, work on that with Mason." Carol smirked.

"By the way, why the outfit change?"

"Nnnn!" Carol shielded her body.

Dillon kept running as Vanellope's ghost chased, taking cover behind a doorway to let the ghost pass. He sighed in relief, but- "Nnn!" Vanellope emerged before him.

"Why didn't you HELP me, Dillon? I wanted to explore the human world. I only had a few months. You let me break, Dillon. YOU let them TAKE me. I thought I was your sister… I thought you were going to protect me. Why didn't you, Dillon? Why…"

Dillon looked down and spoke with a calmer tone. "I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together. But it wasn't my fault. And I know you're still alive. You're far away right now, but still alive. And we're going to find you again. We'll find you and Sector V will be back together. Carol may be a good friend… but she could never replace you. So don't worry, Vanel, we'll find you."

Her soulless form changed back to her adorable one as she spoke, "Sheesh, you coulda just SAID so, Dillon. Yeesh…" She faded away.

"Nnnnnnnnn!" Sheila tugged the rope harder and harder, feeling her teeth would break any minute. But she didn't let go and kept pulling. Her teeth proved the stronger force, as the magical rope weakened. "YEH!" She broke free and jumped to her feet, running for the gloomy Mason. "Hrrrrrr!" She spun her fist and faced him with anger as Mason looked up. "You DRONGOOOO!" In a flash, Mason changed into Cindy, and Sheila PUNCHED her in the noseless face. (End song.)

Cindy went flying back as blood flung from her mouth. Sheila turned as all her friends began waking up. "AAaahh, Amish…" Artie mumbled.

"SUGAR-free candy." said Haylee.

Dead Rainbow Monkeys! Kirie freaked.

"APOCALYPSE Ponies!" Chris exclaimed.

"AAH Sheila don't punch… Huh?" Mason looked confused.

Everyone faced forward and gaped. Cindy was knocked out after flying back… but someone grabbed her. A slim woman with blonde messy hair, dressed in armor. Mandy McKenzie looked up and glared at the kids. "A-AUNT MANDY!" Chris cried.

"There they are!" yelled one of Nickel Joe's henchmen as a band of Big Mom Pirates climbed to the platform. "Grab them and take the seed!"

"Wait… is that-"

Mandy's eyes brimmed as a storm of Fear Spheres erupted from her body, encasing all the pirates and trapping them in nightmares. "Pirate Emperor Mandy- AAAAHH!"

Henrietta ran at Mandy and clashed her Armament sword against her own, both pushing at equal force. As they glared at each other, Mandy activated her Scare Stare, giving Henrietta the vision of herself as a male. This caused her to release her grip, and Mandy readied to slice her. However, she heard someone stomp the ground firmly, feeling them looking at her fearlessly. Mandy turned, seeing none other than Sheila cracking her knuckles. Mandy faced her and glared, sword ready, and Sheila started spinning her right fist, ready for a punch.

"YAAAH! CAPTAIN MANDYYY!" cheered the demon pirates. Sheila's friends, however, stared at her worriedly.

Mandy focused her glare, but Sheila didn't falter. She was probably the second person Mandy knew that didn't shudder from her stare. She was just like…

Sheila's Light Fist increased as she ran forward and leaped. Mandy sensed her focus, and knew her only wish was to punch her.

Marine's powerful fist punched Mandy dead in the stomach as she smashed against a wall in her throne room. As she lay weakened on the floor, a picture fell from her shelf as the frame broke. It was of none other than Billy as a child, the big-nosed boy as goofy as ever. She stared at it thoughtfully before looking back at Marine, who glared as her fist was balled with a light. Henrietta and Katie were fighting behind her, but they noticed the picture as well. It put an idea in their heads, Marine's as well. An idea that filled them with remorse.

"You ever get the feeling… something's missing in your life?" Marine asked.

"…" Mandy glared, "Not really."

Sheila PUNCHED Mandy dead in the face as she went sliding several meters. Her face was dangerously bruised as blood shot from her broken teeth. There wasn't much blood since she didn't have a nose. Needless to say, the surrounding demons fell utterly speechless as they looked at their unconscious captain, and the proud, victorious Sheila Frantic. "She…She took out Grim-Stare Mandy!" a demon stuttered. "Grim-Stare Mandy, who became a Pirate Emperor at just 13 years old… WAS JUST DEFEATED BY SUN-FIST SHEILA!!"

"AAAAAAHHH!" The demons didn't wanna stick around for another example of Sheila's sheer power. But even the Raccoon Pirates thought this too weird to be true. Mandy's form lay bloody and unconscious… all thanks to one hit by Sheila's fist.

Chris and Aurora approached their fallen aunt for that reason. As they looked over her, Mandy cracked open her eyes. "How is… Rachel?"

"Oh, she's good." Aurora answered.

"And… her son? The… leader?"

"You mean Cheren?" Chris asked. "Yeah, he's pretty tough, too."

"…That's good." She fainted.

"…" Henrietta helped herself up and approached the baffled kids. "Vell, that vent better than expected. Time for us to go, kids."

"But what about the Licorice Stalks?" Chris asked.

"The stalks actually take a few days to grow completely. I vill vatch over them after bringing Sandy and Jessie home. I'll come back for Mandy later too, so let's go."

The team bypassed the terrified demons and dropped off the platform. On the way back, they noticed a group of animals approaching them, such as the stick-necked giraffe. "Hey… what is-" Chris noticed strange tiki creatures holding the stick-giraffes. It was then they also noticed the wooden bodies of the pandas, hippos, even monkeys.

"Hm hm hm! Zey aren't REAL animals!" Heinie said. "Zey are the Hérshi Tribe. Zey cast a spell zat makes all the candy here seem like real savannah to ze real animals, and zey wear those disguises. You didn't think zese candy-loving animals vere REAL, right?"

Everyone exchanged a chorus of 'No's and 'Of course not's. "Even the wildebeest?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, zose were real. Zey were probably heading to the other savannah, just next door." They looked a few meters ahead at the Pride Lands, where Rafiki waved at them from the border.

"Well, I think I've had about enough references." Aurora said. "Let's just go."

Mandy and Cindy shortly recovered as they rested on one of the Boogey Bays. "Cindy, I told you I abandoned this plan. That's why I let Henrietta keep it."

"Well, how come?? You could've beaten them, what were you afraid of?!"

"…How you would get into this. I made you Division Commander because of your skill, but you're too out of control with your emotions. I wanna hold off on plans like this until you're a little more mature."

"That doesn't answer me, why didn't you just do it?!"

Mandy closed her eyes. "Well… 'cause I felt like I was missing something."

"What??"

"Never mind. Come on, let's go recruit some of the skeletons. Lord knows those bozos can't do it." She entered the ship.

Sunny Day

The Hérshi guided them across the savannah as one of them spoke to Henrietta in a foreign language. "You understand?" Chris asked.

"Hm-hm, I do." Heinie smiled. "A few years ago, they saw another human walk to the other savannah. He found ze dead remains of a lion and took it with him. Zey don't know vhat he planned to do with it."

"Check all the museums, I guess."

They made it back to the Sunny Day and entered the cabin, gasping at the mess Sandy and Jessie caused. Soda was spilled everywhere, Harry's CDs were scattered on the floor, and the children were reading Haylee's diary. "'Dear Diary.'" Sandy read. "'I, like, have such a HUUUGE crush on-"

"RAAAAHH!" Haylee, Artie, and Mason furiously tried to catch them as the duo ran around and giggled.

"Come back heeeere!"

Azultown

A burglar frantically ran down the nighttime streets, taking cover in a dark, dead-end alley. The ravenous growling was heard behind him, and he fearfully turned as the shadowed lion glared with piercing green eyes. "AAAAAAAHH!…" His screams echoed through the night as the lion feasted.