Nothing looked different about Fantasyland today. Nobody even seemed concerned about the incoming rain clouds; just people going about their business as usual. Little kids running around in costumes, parents resting at tables outside, families waiting in line to meet their favorite characters.

In fact, Anna and Elsa were surprised to see that they had a special building just for the princesses. Cinderella and Aurora on one side, Rapunzel and Snow White on the other. Already quite the line had built up for both, but with Mickey accompanying them, they figured it wouldn't be a problem.

"So I take it we're seeing Aurora?" Anna guessed. How nice it would be to see some of her princess friends again.

"For a little while. But really, we need to ask her where her fairy aunts might be right now. They're sure to know how to handle Maleficent better than anybody else," Mickey explained, going to talk to the cast member who was guarding the front doors.

"Oh…of course!" Yes, who would know a fairy better than other fairies? And they had done such a good job fighting against her before. They would be a big help! As the group was led into Princess Aurora's meeting space, she couldn't help but wonder what it might be like to meet a real fairy. Naturally they would have to be really, really nice. How would they sparkle? Like Elsa's sparkle or different?

But word started getting around that Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were in the building. By the time they got there, a large crowd had formed to get their attention, blocking their way in. "Phooey…" Donald grumbled.

Oh, dear. This didn't look good. "Uh, Mickey, how long do you think this will take?" Elsa asked.

"I-I can't really say. Anywhere from ten minutes to an hour." Once the crowds started coming, they never seemed to stop. It was more a matter of when he got a chance to step away for a 'cheese break.' "Why don't you girls go on without us?"

"A-Are you sure?" She tried to remember everything they'd gone over before… Couldn't miss any details for something this important.

"It's no problem at all! We can meet back up around here later." Before he could say anything else, he had about ten autograph books shoved into his face at once and had to get signing.

"Well…all right. Then we'll see you in a little while." Aurora's meeting room was clearly marked, so they had no trouble finding it at all. They awkwardly explained the situation to the guard there and were allowed a short time to talk.

Aurora was still talking to a pair of children when they made it in. "My, my! And who do we have here?" As happy as she was to see her new friends, she knew better than to draw too much attention to them. They weren't supposed to have made their 'official' debut yet, and besides, they wouldn't be used to the attention. So she just treated them as she would any other guests. "Are you enjoying your stay here at the Magic Kingdom?"

"It's been wonderful!" Anna replied happily. "I can't get enough of this place." Oh, right, right. The whole Maleficent thing. Focus, focus! "But…"

Elsa lowered her voice so the other guests couldn't hear. "There's something we need to talk about. Um, in private, preferably."

"Oh…" This was all a bit sudden, but she had been planning on taking her break soon anyway. "Certainly. Here, why don't you come this way?" She told her 'bodyguard' that she'd be taking a short break, and led the duo to her dressing room.

Anna was a little disappointed with what she saw. It was a bit small and cramped…not all that fancy, either. Wouldn't they want to grant better accommodations to a princess? Maybe it was more comfortable when it was just her; trying to fit three people in the room was really pushing it.

"I'm so glad to see you both," Aurora smiled, taking the time backstage to powder her face. "Now then, what is it you wanted to talk about? You're not having any trouble, are you?"

"Well, uh…actually we're having a lot of trouble," Anna admitted. Elsa lightly elbowed her sister. There were more polite ways of putting it…

"But s-she is kind of right," she soon added. "There's a crisis on the way. And we're going to need a lot of help to protect this kingdom."

Aurora paused. Her eyes widened, and the powder puff fell from her hand. No…it couldn't be, not now! "You don't mean…"

Elsa could only gulp and nod in response.

The princess closed her eyes in thought. The very thought of Maleficent… But she had to have courage. Whatever happened, she was going to have to face it regardless of how she felt. True, she wasn't much of a fighter, but maybe she could at least help in more peaceful ways. And if these two wanted to play a more active part in things, then it was only right to assist them.

"I see," she muttered, turning to face them now. "And as for where to find help, I suppose you're looking for my aunts, yes?"

"That was the plan," Elsa confirmed. "But I know they must keep busy. If there's anyone else you know…"

"Too busy to help against Maleficent? Certainly not." Looking back, it was amazing just how much effort they were willing to put in to undermine her power. Even giving up magic for so many years? She couldn't imagine herself in their place. "Well, I'm not sure where they might be now. But I know they'll be in the parade this afternoon. If you go see them during rehearsal, I'm sure they'll be happy to lend a hand…or a wand."

The parade? That wouldn't be for another few hours. But rehearsal was sure to start earlier…maybe in about an hour from now, they could check? Any time wasted waiting was a bit scary, but at least it wasn't even more. "Then let's try that first," Anna decided.

Elsa nodded in agreement. "Thank you very much for your help, Aurora. If there's anything we can do for you…" And she had the feeling she was going to need it. If Maleficent still enjoyed tormenting Aurora so much…

"Don't worry about that right now. You must focus on defending the kingdom." And if she happened to get wrapped up in it…she would figure it out when it came to that. No reason to put even more on their plate. "I wish you…well, I believe the theater saying is, 'break a leg.' But you know what I'm trying to say. Stay safe, both of you."

"We'll try our best," the queen answered with a smile…though did Anna sense some doubt in her voice? They had managed to tackle every threat before this. Surely this wouldn't be any different, right? She set a hand on her sister's shoulder, but it seemed to do little to comfort her…

Elsa tried to snap out of it. There wasn't time to get lost in her thoughts. They had to get moving! "I hope we see one another again, Aurora." Wait, that came out kind of morbid. Never mind. She knew what she meant.

"As do I. See you later, Anna, Elsa." And with that, she stepped back out to greet the waiting children. The sisters made their exit back into the hallway.

"Where did Mickey say to meet up again?" Anna asked.

"Um…" He didn't really specify, did he? "I think he just said to meet up here."

"But did he mean in here or outside?" She looked all around; no sign of a mouse anywhere. "You think he left without us?"

"No, he's not that kind of person." Elsa thought; where would a good meeting place around here be? Something that wasn't too crowded, as well… "Let's try the flying elephant ride first."

"Really? That one?" Well…it seemed about as likely as any other place. "Uh, sure. Sounds good to me."

And that was exactly where they headed. The crowds were a bit heavier outside, so it might've been hard to spot someone not even half the size of most of the people around… But still, they had no luck seeing him around here.

If things kept going at this rate, they'd never be able to arrange anything in time. Anna wondered if maybe they should ask somebody. …Wait a minute! "Look! Over there!"

Coincidences of coincidences! There were Mickey and Donald now, grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby kiosk. "Mickey! Mickey!" Anna shouted, waving her hands over the mess of people that separated them. Mickey smiled and waved back, heading toward them both.

For once, Donald was the quieter one, too occupied with his tasty popcorn snack to say much of anything. "Hah…sorry we took so long, girls," Mickey said with a sheepish smile. "Donald got hungry after that long meet and greet, and…well, I kinda wanted something, too…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. You still need to take care of yourselves…" Anna reassured him.

Really? Getting popcorn in the middle of all this? Elsa was frustrated, but…on the other hand, she didn't know how long it had been since either of them ate. She remembered how Anna would always nag at her for forgetting to eat, she was so wrapped up in her work all day…

Donald finally became aware enough of the conversation that he spoke up. "So what's the plan so far?"

Right. The plan. "The fairies are going to take part in the parade this afternoon. We're going to try and have a discussion while they're rehearsing," Elsa explained. Admittedly, she'd hoped they would have more of a plan than that this late into the afternoon, but they'd have to make do.

"Perfect! We're both scheduled to join the rehearsal anyway." The mouse checked a wristwatch that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and vanish just as quickly. "We've got half an hour until then. You two sure you aren't hungry? Food's on me."

That popcorn smelled amazing… "Actually, yeah! I could go for a little something," Anna agreed. "Oh, do they have ice cream? I love the ice cream here!"

"It should be something a little more filling than that. We have a long day ahead of us." As much as Elsa hated to admit it, she had been hungry ever since docking, and she knew she was going to need a lot more than just popcorn. "But we do have to keep it fast. What was it you had here with the cheese? Uh, pizza, right?"

"Pizza?!" Donald suddenly butted in. "Sounds great!"

"Donald, you still have half your popcorn left!" Mickey pointed out.

"Easy for you to say, you didn't have to swim across half a lagoon!" He couldn't help being so hungry. They'd just have to deal with it.

"I like the sound of that, too!" Mmm…Italian food. She never got to eat that at home. "They have some at the German looking restaurant across from the carousel, right? Let's get going!"

Anna rushed down the Fantasyland plaza, leaving the rest of the group to catch up with her. "H-Hey! Wait!" Elsa knew leaving Anna alone for too long in a big place like this would definitely result in her getting lost. Had to keep close by to make sure they were navigating correctly. Their friends followed not too far behind.

As the day went on, the dark clouds over the park became more and more apparent. Merryweather was the first to notice something off. She'd seen this before, and it didn't mean anything good… "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked her dear sisters.

Flora had the same suspicion for just a moment, but…no, it couldn't be. Could it? "Oh, nonsense. Those are just rain clouds. Still, what a shame. In this weather, the parade may very well be canceled."

"I don't know about that," Fauna argued with a soft smile. "They've still gone through with it in weather worse than this."

"Well, well. It'll come to that when it comes to that. In the meantime, rehearsal stops for nothing." And just as she knew would be the case, everything was going on as routine when they stepped inside. Workers just finishing up assembling the floats, dancers getting into costume, actors putting the last touches on their makeup.

In their perfect little V-formation, the fairies met up with the princesses, having something of a lively conversation before work started in full. But just as it seemed everything was ready for the performance…

"Look! I've never seen them around here before," Fauna remarked, noticing a couple of young women entering the area.

"They're the new princesses, aren't they?" Flora recalled. "Then they must be here to see how the parade is set up. Let's be on our best performance, ladies." They all got into position, Flora using her wand like a conductor's baton. "A one, and a two, and…"

"Er, pardon us, ma'am," Elsa interrupted. She hoped she wasn't interrupting something too important. "I don't mean to be a bother, but we have something rather urgent to ask of you."

Something urgent? Sounded unusual, especially out of the blue. But anything to help a couple of friends. "Well, of course, dears." Flora gently floated down from her post. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Oh, boy. Uh…how to explain it without making them worry too much? Anna knew blurting anything out usually led to disaster. So she had to think over her words carefully. "Well…let's say, hypothetically, if Maleficent were to attack the Magic Kingdom today, what would be the best way to handle that? Hypothetically speaking, of course."

There was a long, awkward silence as they tried to process what she said. Flora cleared her throat. "Yes, erm, why do you ask? Did something happen?"

Sheesh, was it that obvious? "Uh…kind of. See, I think she's after my sister? And we got word that she's probably gonna try to catch her today?" But what time? They really had no idea, did they? She could show up right now and they wouldn't have figured out a thing. "So it'd be a good idea to do something in the next hour or so."

"Oh, my!" Fauna gasped. "That really is terrible!"

Merryweather folded her arms. "I knew it from the start! But neither of you listened!"

"Now, now, girls. Let's focus here." Now, what would be the best course of action to take? Normally if Maleficent had pinned down a victim, she wouldn't advise them to do anything but hide for the sake of their safety. But wait, she remembered something about this queen having magical powers of some sort. "I hate to ask it, but do you have any experience fighting, your majesty?"

Fighting. Her calm expression immediately faltered. "A-A bit, but only against conventional weaponry." And even then, it wasn't entirely willingly. She was desperate, hadn't been thinking straight for days… She nearly killed several people. What might she accidentally do in the heat of the moment against a threat like this?

"Ah, yes, I see," she nodded. Not the most experienced of magicians, but there wasn't much that could change that at this stage. "And what sorts of things can you do?"

"I can make ice and snow," the queen explained. "In just about any shape. Snowflakes, sculptures. Icicles of any size. And I can move my creations around at will."

Snow! That sounded simply beautiful. But snow up against fire… That put her at an extreme disadvantage. This changed everything. If Elsa even attempted to fight back, the results could be devastating. "Is that all?" she asked, just to make sure.

"Unfortunately, yes." Thinking back to her previous days here, she'd been impressed by just how diverse magic could be. It did leave her somewhat lacking, didn't it? Was she even capable of learning techniques outside of the power she was born with?

"Then…it would be best to avoid confronting her." It came out sounding like she underestimated Elsa's power, she was well aware of it, but against Maleficent, everything had to be called into question. "You could stay in the Utilidors, underground, until she's left. You're sure to be safe there."

"All right." It probably was the wisest choice, but it still didn't sit well with her. She felt like a coward, hiding away while the rest of the kingdom was out in the open, at full risk of getting hurt. "But what about everyone else? Will they be safe?"

"Leave that for the cast members to figure out. They'll know exactly what to do." As long as the spell over the place was still strong as ever, there was nothing to worry about, anyway.

"Well…" That was true. They did usually know how to handle a situation better than either she or her sister did. "Then I suppose I'll have to be satisfied with that plan. Thank you very much for your help." Or, well, she supposed anyone could've told her to run and hide. But it was the thought that counted. "Where exactly are these Utilidors, anyway?"

Merryweather began to fly across the hallway. "There's a door that leads to them somewhere around here…" It should've been easy to find. Every place had several "cast only" doors. But with this chaos they called a parade… Ah! There it was. Right at the back of the line. She was kind enough to open the door for the queen. "Right this way, now."

"Oh, thank you!" She took her steps down the first couple stairs. Wait, she was forgetting something… Right, of course! Anna was lagging behind. That was unusual. "Anna, are you coming?" she called to her.

"Hm?" She hadn't realized they were both supposed to go down there. She hated to leave this beautiful kingdom for some dull underground catacombs… "Oh, uh, there's just something I want to ask them before we go."

Something to ask? Like what? She thought they'd covered just about everything. But if Anna really felt it was that important… "All right. Then I'll be waiting for you at the bottom of the staircase." And she made her way down, Merryweather returning to her original post around the float.

So, how was she going to ask about this? She knew just what she wanted in her head, but putting it into words proved more difficult than she thought it would be. "Actually, you guys, I was wondering…"

"Yes?" Fauna asked, eager to help out in any way possible.

"You see…uhh…" What if they laughed at her? Everybody else seemed to. Or at least not take her seriously. "I kinda wanna help protect my sister."

"My! How admirable." Though the sentiment was nice, putting it to practical use had the potential to become complicated. Prince Phillip had trained with swords and other weapons all his life, but princesses didn't traditionally participate in such things. "Well, first of all, how good are you with a sword?"

Wonderful. They had to start with that question. "I've never gotten the chance to try one," she admitted sheepishly. "But I can learn!"

"There's no time to learn!" Merryweather insisted. "Maleficent could arrive at any moment!"

"But it doesn't have to be too hard," Fauna retorted. "Maybe if we can guide her along a bit…" She waved her wand to show what she was getting at.

"Ah, of course! The self-guiding type of sword." Hadn't the fair folk of Prydain made something like that a few years back? Or was it a few decades? Time was so hard to grasp when you were a fairy. Thus, Flora, waved her wand, and the others followed in suit. Instantly, a new, perfectly polished sword appeared in Anna's hands.

"Wow!" She tried to be careful with the important item, at the same time looking at it from every angle. It really was a thing of beauty! "I've always wanted something like this!" she practically squealed.

"Now, now, your highness. Focus on the task at hand," Flora reminded her.

She paused. "Right. Focus!" She had this to protect Elsa. Nothing in the world mattered more than protecting Elsa! Come to think of it…wasn't she missing something? In terms of attack she was all set, but she could only defend herself so well with just a sword. And Elsa's ice shields would melt easily under the witch's power. "Can I have a shield?" she asked bluntly.

"A shield! That must've been what I was forgetting!" Flora kept so busy these days. It got tough to remember everything. Maybe she should set time aside for a long nap after this was all over. "Now let's see. What sort of design would suit you…?" Just one look at the girl's outfit, her expressive face and friendly eyes, and she came up with the perfect design. In Anna's empty arm, a bright pink shield shaped like a heart appeared.

"Ooh! I like this, too!" The princess held the shield over her head, forgetting she also had to hold her sword. It fell to the floor with a clank. "Whoops! Sorry about that…" she said, picking it back up.

Merryweather's face showed concern. But Flora flashed her a reassuring smile. Everything will be fine. Her heart is in the right place. "Is that everything, your highness?"

"Uh, I think so." Really, it would be great if she had a whole arsenal at her disposal, but she could only hold so much at once. This would be just perfect for now. "Thank you so much, you guys! I-I can't tell you how happy I am."

"Anything for a friend," she replied with a kind smile. "Now you better get down there before your sister wanders off without you!"

Anna chuckled. No, there was no way Elsa would do that. Although if it were the other way around… "Haha, yeah. Gotta hurry!" She ran down the stairs maybe a little faster than she should've. "See you later!"

As she expected, Elsa remained at the base of the stairs, faithfully awaiting her sister's return. The queen took a good look at the new, unfamiliar environment. The Utilidors had a completely different atmosphere from the kingdom above. Not magical, but…mysterious, in a way. Like finding a hidden passageway in her own castle. What sorts of things might go on down here? The typical changing of costumes, conducting of business…or something more? Maybe they would get the chance to find out while they were hidden away.

"Elsa! Elsa!" Anna exclaimed happily as she made her way down the staircase.

"Anna! I take it you had a good time up there." Considering the conversation they'd just had, she didn't expect her to be this happy. Hold on now. What was that she was holding? "What, what is that?" Her eyes widened at the sight of such a sharp blade, but Anna swung it around without even the slightest concern.

"Pretty cool, huh? It's a magic sword! This'll come in handy for sure!" And in the middle of her fun, she nearly hit herself in the face, only for the sword to take control and push itself away. "Whoa! That was close…"

A magic sword? What on earth did that mean? Never mind. A sword was still a sword. "D-Don't wave it around like that!" Elsa scolded, half-panicked. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Elsa, I won't hurt myself. Besides, I have a shield, too." Hm, it was kinda tough to use both at the same time. But she would get the hang of it with some more practice. Hopefully.

Okay, that was true. She had seen it practically fly away from her as soon as it got too close to any skin. The fairies had done a good job of accounting for every possibility. Still, magic almost never worked perfectly. "Just…be more careful with it," she relented, conflicted between the desires to protect her sister and to not offend her by being too doting. "And no more running with it, either!"

"Aww…" And she had been having so much fun prancing around with it, too. Maybe she couldn't run, but she could still march! Yeah, like a soldier! March she did, sword held firmly by her side and other arm wrapped around her shield. "So what is there to do around here, Elsa?"

"Actually…I'm not sure." She'd been so focused on keeping safe, she hadn't even begun to think about how they would pass the time. They hadn't been given a map or anything of the sort, either. It sure seemed easy to get lost down here. Then again, they had the whole afternoon to themselves, didn't they? "I guess we can do some exploring first. Maybe we'll find something to amuse ourselves with," she suggested.

How did Elsa know how much she loved exploring? "Sounds perfect!" Immediately she marched forward, with her sister following close behind. Nobody had expected the day to take this strange turn, but who knew? Maybe it would be the most unforgettable experience yet. And Elsa hoped that would be in the good way, and not in the frightening way…

Suddenly she stopped. Had she just seen something out of the corner of her eye? Like a shadow or… No, it was only a cast member walking by. She was letting her imagination scare her silly.

"What are you doing, slowpoke?" Anna's voice echoed from the other end of the hall.

Had to get going. They couldn't afford to get separated in here. "Coming!" she shouted back, carefully making her way over at a quicker pace.