Chapter 13 - Beautiful Crime

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" 

Sebastian was with Ben in the weapons vault of Star Command, stuffing things into a bag.

Ben was preparing to travel back to the country of Epcot, paying a visit to Hercules to try and help him find another way into the underworld to pay a visit to Hades. 

"I'm sure Sebastian, I'll be fine." Ben assured him, zipping up the boots on his uniform. 

Ben was wearing the official uniform of the Disney Wizards. It was a white jumpsuit with green highlights. Each highlight represents the type of magic a Wizard specializes in. So in Ben's case, it would be Defensive Magic. 

"Doesn't help to have a little Attack Magic to back you up." Sebastian suggested. 

Ben sighed, stuffing a laser pistol into his gun pouch on his upper right part of his leg. "I'll be fine Sebastian, really. I'm just going to do a quick recon with Hercules and I'll be back before you know it." 

"Then why are you getting so geared up? You said it yourself, Hercules will be there. You'll have a almighty god to protect you!" Sebastian stated. 

"...Can't be too cautious." Ben replied after a pause.

The British boy watched the blonde with confusion as he watched his friend hoist the strap of the bag over his shoulder, walking towards the door.

"Ben, be serious with me bro. Why don't you want me to come?" Sebastian asked.

Ben stood still, sighing as he turned around to face his fellow Wizard. "I just don't want to you to get hurt."

"Get hurt? Mate, have you met me?" Sebastian remarked, rolling his eyes playfully.

"It's just that, if you come, then we'd have to bring Ava along with us." Ben continued.

"Yeah, so? She's got our backs and we've got hers. It's no big deal." Sebastian shrugged. 

Ben sighed again, a bit louder and harsher this time as he rubbed his eyes. "But that's just it Seb. It is a big deal! This isn't like our other missions. This one's different. If the Dark Anomalies are actually coming down from the Underworld, and if Hades is truly behind all of this, we could have a serious problem. If something happened to Avalyn, or you... I don't know what I'd do, man. You're my best friend."

Sebastian's eyes widened slightly, looking like there were signs of him tearing up. He wiped his eyes before walking over to Ben, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The feeling is mutual."

Ben smiled at the British boy, raising a hand as he replied with the same gesture. "But in all seriousness, I can't let you or Ava come with me for that reason. I promise you, at the first sight of trouble, me and Hercule's will book it on out."

"You swear man?" Sebastian raised a brow.

"I swear on Walt Disney's grave." Ben smirked.

He was instantly shushed by the British boy as he looked around cautiously. "Dude! He might hear you!"

Ben laughed at the boy, nearly squishing him in a bro-hug. "Okay, I've got to get going. Can't keep the Mighty Hercules waiting too long." 

"And that's the gospel truth!" Sebastian sang with a tease. 

Ben laughed again as he pulled away from the hug, waving goodbye to his friend as he walked out of the room. Sebastian waved back as he watched his friend leave with a smirk. 

Once the blonde was gone, Sebastian walked over to the side while humming the tune of "The Gospel Truth", as he brought out his communicator, dialing a number as he raised it up to his ear.

"Hey, it's me. Do you happen to know if Belle and Prince Adam are home?-- Perfect! I just need to pop by and visit real quick. There's something I've got take care of." 

******

"Aw, you've got to be kidding me!" 

Me and my cousins were huddled together, hanging out in our grandparents hotel room. The plan was for the family to go to Hollywood Studios today, but after everyone got ready to go, it started to rain!

"Of all the times for it to rain in Orlando, it just HAD to be during our vacation!" Vince pouted, banging his head on the window.

"Careful now, don't hurt yourself." Grandma cautioned from the other end of the room, checking her emails on her iPad.

"I was so looking forward to Star Tours. I heard they upgraded it with new scenarios such the new movie is coming out." Ty slouched against the wall. 

"I'm sure the rain will clear up. This is Orlando remember? Rainfall doesn't usually last long, right?" I recalled.

"I'm not so sure about this one Ava." Poppy spoke up, bringing up the Weather Channel on the television. "It doesn't look like this rain is going to clear up anytime soon."

Me and the rest of cousins all complained with despair as we crowded around our adopted cousin, checking out the forecast for ourselves.

"You've got to be kidding me." I narrowed my eyes with annoyance, followed by the sound of a 'THUD'.

Vince hit his head on the window again. 

"Vince, get away from that. I don't want you getting a concession." Grandma ordered.

I looked over to my right, seeing Jam filming himself by the window with the rain in the background, making the straightest and most boring expression he could possibly make.

"Jam, what are you doing?" I asked him.

"Making a Snapchat video." he answered, pausing it. 

"Why?" I raised a brow at the eldest cousin. 

"It's raining. There's nothing better to do at Disney if it's raining." He replied, typing away on his phone. 

"Of course there is!" Grandpa spoke up as he exited the bathroom. "We'll get something to eat, and look around and see what the hotel has to offer."

"Like what?" Vince asked him. 

"You kids like video games, don't you? They have an arcade just across from the cafeteria. We can take a look in there after breakfast." He suggested. 

"Well," I shrugged. "It's better than staying in our rooms all day." 

"Better than Snapchat, that's for sure." Poppy remarked, rolling her eyes in a teasing manner at Jam. 

"Hey! I gotta keep my fanbase updated on what's going on." He protested. 

"Well, I'm down for anything. Let's bounce." Ty proclaimed. 

"Then let's get going; Your parents are all waiting for us at the cafeteria." Grandma announced. 

As the family began to head out, I felt the pockets of my shorts, noticing that nothing was inside them. 

"I'll catch up, just gotta fetch something in my room!" I called. 

I stepped over to the side, using the inside door of the hotel room to hop on over the room me and my parents were staying in. 

I unzipped one of the pockets of my suitcase, pulling out the Kimunicator as I set it down on the floor, before digging around once more before pulling out my iPhone. But right before I was going to set it in my pocket, I noticed there was a notification on screen. 

It was a Facebook message from Santiago.

"Hey! Hope you're having fun at the most magical place on Earth!" - Santiago. 

At first I smiled at the message, glad to see that he was thinking of me. 

But then my expression fell, the memory of Ben asking me all of those questions last night repeating themselves in my mind. 

Santiago couldn't possibly be a Disney Wizard, could he?

He even told me himself that he's never been to the Disney Parks...

... Since he was a baby.

But he couldn't possibly have been a Disney Wizard when he was a baby!

How would he even remember going to the parks to begin with?

Unless... he lied?

I slapped myself straight in the face after thinking that. There's no way he would do such a thing like that! Santiago is the most sweetest, loyal, honest guy I know! 

"I suppose one quick call couldn't hurt." I murmured. 

I dialed his number, raising the phone to my ear as I waited and waited, hearing the sounds of the ring repeating itself. Then there was the sound of a click, followed by a young adult male voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey Santi, it's me." I replied with a cheap smile.

"Hi, how's the vacation Princess?" He asked, his voice sounding more brighter when he heard my voice.

"It's... quite magical so far." I answered after a short pause. 

"What's the magical plans for today?" He teased.

"Not so magical. It's raining, so we're stuck in the hotel for a while." I groaned. 

"Well that stinks." He replied in disappointment.

"Yeah... My grandpa is trying to keep us motivated and on our toes, but I don't know. Vince seems pretty bummed out." I sighed. 

"I'm sure it will be okay. Besides, there's always tomorrow and the rest of the vacation, right?" Santiago reminded. 

"Yeah, I guess so." I nodded. 

Okay, now that the conversation is rolling, I've warmed up and took a quick breath, preparing myself for the ultimate question. 

"Hey Santiago? Remind me again, when was the last time you went to the Disney Parks?" 

"When I was a baby." He answered.

"And, you've never came back after that?" I pressed on. 

"Not that I can recall, no." He replied blankly.

"Do the names Ben or Sebastian ring any bells?" I spoke up.

"You mean that red crab? Is something wrong Ava?" he asked me with concern. 

He's starting to become self-aware. Did I go too far? 

I slapped myself in the face, groaning as I slouched back on the floor, sitting against the bed. "I'm sorry Santi, I'm just being... stupid, that's all."

"Hey, you're not stupid. You're a princess." He complimented. 

I slowly smiled after hearing that, my cheeks turning red. Santiago did always know how to help cheer me up. 

"Sorry Santi... I.. probably just ate a little too many sweets. Weird stuff in the brain, you know?" 

"It's okay. I'd probably go a bit crazy after eating a lot of candy myself." He admitted. 

There was a sudden noise in the background as the boy seized his speech, gasping a little. 

"Hey, I've got to get going now. My brothers are trying to watch Family Guy... again." 

"Okay, um... talk to you later?" I suggested. 

"Sure." he agreed. "I'll call you later. Bye."

"Bye." I replied, hearing the noise of the line being cut. 

I turned off my phone, taking a look outside the window as the rain continued to fall. 

"What was I thinking?" I thought, pulling a sweater out of my suitcase as I slipped it on, before shoving the Kimunicator into its pocket and exiting the room. 

*******

Hovering in his green orb, Ben flew through the skies of the World of Disney. 

He flew through the wide cities of Epcot, finally spotting the plains of Greece. Upon arriving at the spot of the once Shrine of the Underworld, the only way of ever actually reaching said world, he levitated down to the ground, disabling the orb. 

He stretched his arms and legs, stiffening them.

"Next time, I'm taking Soarin'." he moaned. 

"Hey Ben!" A voice called. 

Ben raised his head, looking up to see a robust figure waving at him. The figure was wearing a gladiator uniform, he had light ginger hair with blue eyes, and strong muscles. 

"Hercules!" Ben waved back as he ran over to him. 

"About time you got here. I was wondering if you weren't going to show up." The hero replied.

"And miss out on possibly going to the Underworld? Fat chance." Ben grinned.

"So it's just you today?" He asked the blonde.

"Yep, just me." Ben nodded in confirmation. 

"Alright, let's go exploring." Hercules smiled as he lead the way towards the destroyed shrine.

The Shrine of The Underworld served as a gateway to the undead universe. As far as anyone knows, it's the only method of even reaching the Underworld. 

"I did a quick scouting while I waited for you." Hercules explained. "It doesn't look like there's anything left."

"Hmm..." Ben cupped his chin, looking around. His eyes suddenly widened, his brain going off like a light bulb flashing to life. He set his bag down on the ground next to him, unzipping it as he pulled out a strange looking compass. 

"What's that?" Hercules asked him.

"It was a birthday gift Captain Jack Sparrow. I've never found the chance to use it... until now." He grinned. 

He pressed the button in the middle and the compass came to life. The arrow pointed forward as Ben followed its direction, heading towards the statue. 

"What's it doing?" Hercules asked him, following the blonde.

"It's leading me towards the thing I want most." I answered.

"And that is, what exactly?" Hercules asked him with confusion.

"The Underworld." The blonde answered.

Ben followed the direction of the compass, standing in front of the destroyed shrine. The compass started to flash repeatedly, indicating that he was where he wanted to be. The blonde raised his hand up in the air, placing it on the flat surface of the shrine. Upon doing so, the surface around his hand started to glow a bright purple aura. 

"What is that?" He gasped. 

Then it flashed again, blinding the boy as something began pulling him through the surface of the shrine!

"Ben!" Hercules exclaimed as he sprinted forward, catching the boy as he wrapped his arms around the boys stomach.

He pulled back, facing off in a game of tug of war with whoever was on the other side. 

But then there was a sudden jolt as Ben was snapped out of the god's grasp and pulled right through the portal, just as the shrine came crumbling down. 

"BEN!" Hercules cried out. 

******

The last thing Ben remembered was falling down a pitch black hole and tumbling to the ground. He couldn't see anything in the dark as he stood up. 

The sounds of cackling alerted him as he looked around frantically, pairs of red beading eyes appearing all around him. 

"The Dark Anomalies..." he spoke. "It's you!"

He was suddenly struck hard to the side. He yelped as he went soaring through the air, striking a wall as he collapsed to the ground. 

The cackling grew louder as they advanced towards him, blood trickling down the side of his forehead.

"This is how it ends?" He thought. 

His vision was starting to fade, but the last thing he saw was a random burst of blue flames appearing from the side, extinguishing the Dark Anomalies as they faded away with a shriek. 

And a grey colour skinned hand lowered itself down towards the boy.

******

Sebastian rode a dark horse, galloping through the busy town of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. 

He rode across a bridge that led into the mountains, riding along a long trail before finally spotting the tall castle at the end of the trail.

The castle of Belle and Prince Adam. 

The Beast.

The metal gates opened upon his arrival. He slowed the horse down as it trotted its way in, coming up at the front steps. He stepped off, petting the horse as he commanded it to stay put. 

He made his way up the stairs, knocking on the large wooden doors. 

The doors were already open, as they moved upon his knock. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him as he spotted a tall male figure waiting in the middle of the main room.

He had long light brown hair with blue eyes, wore a blue and yellow royal uniform with black leather boots.

"Prince Adam, thanks for letting me come on such short notice." Sebastian thanked, walking towards the Prince.

"Not a problem Sebastian." Adam replied, shaking hands with the Wizard. "Follow me to the West Wing."

Sebastian followed the Prince through the castle, looking around the fascinating, decorated halls. They reached the end of the hallway, Prince Adam pushing open the white doors. 

"It's all yours."

"Thanks." Sebastian smiled as he began walking forward.

Just before he was about to enter the room, Adam placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can't keep doing this for you, you know that? Belle is starting to ask questions. She's a member of the Wizard council. If she discovers what you've been doing you can get into serious trouble." 

"So?" Sebastian raised a brow. 

"This is the last time you can do this Seb. All I'm saying is for you to make this count. Make sure you're able to reach him. We need him." Adam replied. He moved his hand away from the boy as he walked away from him. 

Sebastian turned his head, watching the Prince leave before entering the room. "I know..." He whispered.

The West Wing has started to be given new light again. It's not as scary and spooky as it is in the movie. 

Sebastian walked to the end of the room, where the caged up window balcony was located. On the little table, instead of the rose, it was the silver mirror that allowed Beast to see what was happening in the outside world. 

"Please, please, please, answer..." Sebastian whispered as he picked up the mirror in his hand. "Show me the one I seek." He spoke up. 

The mirror began to glow, the green and pink swirls of smoke circling around it. Right as the image of a dark haired male was about to take shape in the mirror, a loud ring startled Sebastian, causing him to drop the mirror back on the table. 

"Ah! Oh, are you bloody kidding me!" He cursed. 

I reached his hand into his pocket, bringing out his communicator as he turned it on. 

"I'm in the middle of something here---!" 

"Sebastian, it's a emergency!" Mickey exclaimed. "Where are you?!"

"Uh... Fantasyland, why?" Sebastian asked him. 

"We just received an S.O.S. from Hercules in Greece. Ben has been kidnapped and taken to the Underworld." Mickey answered. 

"What?!" Sebastian shrieked. "But I thought the portal was destroyed?"

"So did I, but it appeared to have enough power for one more jump, because according to Hercules, right after Ben was pulled through, the Shrine collapsed." Mickey explained. "Now there's no way of getting to the Underworld... or saving Ben."

Sebastian could feel tears sparking in his eyes, just threatening to come out. He closed them shut, shoving those feelings aside. 

"No, I refuse to believe it." He stated. 

"But there's no other way of reaching the Underworld." Mickey protested. 

"... I may know of one option. Let me try to go after Ben, please!" Sebastian begged.

"Sebastian, if this is truly the work of the Dark Anomalies, you know what the possibly outcome could happen. Wizards can die from them. We fear Ben's time has already gone out." Mickey spoke with grief.

"Just let me go look for him and find out! We won't know if he's truly dead or not if we don't try and see for ourselves!" Sebastian pleaded. "Please, let me look for him!" 

After looking into his pleading eyes, Mickey sighed in defeat, shaking his head. "Oh... alright. But don't do anything drastic."

Mickey ended the call as Sebastian shoved his communicator back into his pocket. Just as he was turning around, he froze, looking back at the mirror. 

He hadn't even gotten the chance to speak with him. 

And he was so close too!

Prince Adam did say that he wouldn't be able to help him anymore. 

"Well... maybe it's about time that I helped myself." he spoke quietly. 

He turned around, picking up the mirror in his hand again. Sebastian took a good long look at it before stuffing the mirror in his inside jacket pocket before turning back around and storming out of the room. 

Right now, his best friend was in trouble, and he was going to need all the help he could get to bring him back.



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