Disney's Wish: Reimagined

Chapter 9 - Not All Wishes

Magnifico pushed Star away and rolled his shoulders, noticing how the boy's magic was gradually being sucked into his staff. "Careful now," he sneered. "This thing's hungry..."

Star's eyes widened as he witnessed his fingertips physically fading away, consumed by the encroaching darkness of the king's evil scepter.

Princess Asha sprang into action, invoking basic magic to hurl Magnifico into the wall, prompting several books to cascade from their places on the shelves.

Magnifico's ominous, subdued laughter echoed, heightening the tension in the room. "Asha," he hissed, his eyes sweeping over the wishes above him as he stood. "Stay out of this. You could get hurt." His grip on the staff tightened. "Oh, and I do apologize for the fate of your wish." The confrontation unfolded like an impending storm, each breath thick with the expectation of escalating conflict. "But I'll also require your celestial companion here." Approaching Asha and Star, he extended his arm, signaling for the floor beneath them to rise. "Though you may want to take note of their... condition." Asha's gaze locked onto Star's hands, his missing fingertips bringing worry to her eyes.

Shaking off his words, her response was, "You know you talk a lot, right?"

Magnifico's eye twitched. "How dare you—"

"Like, a lot, a lot," Asha specified. Star, trying to conceal his mocking smile, moved to cover his mouth with one hand, only to realize he didn't have enough hand left for the task.

Rising to a height far greater than the castle's tallest tower, the platform beneath their feet made the city of Rosas appear quite small below them. "That's fine," King Magnifico cleared his throat, raising his staff skyward. "Never was one to underestimate the importance of body language."

With that, he summoned dark gray clouds to blot out the stars above, simultaneously pulling the wishes to the platform with an invisible force. Upon impact, a few cracked, causing Asha and Star to flinch protectively.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Magnifico snickered, aiming his weapon in Asha's direction. He cocked his head to the side, messy strands of silver hair falling ever so slightly. "Time's ticking." He proceeded to crush a random wish beneath his boot, consuming every bit of its limitless power. "What's taking so long? Come at me, Star," he included, uttering Star's name with a disdain that seemed to roll off his tongue.

Star was eager to attack the king, but Asha's outstretched arm restrained him. "He's baiting you," she explained. "If you fight him, that staff will steal your power in a matter of minutes."

Star glared at her.

"Plus, the people are watching. If you attack now, they'll think you're the bad guy. That's what he wants."

The golden boy's eyes softened.

"You have to wait," she insisted, gently grabbing his wrist. "I need you here... with me."

He gave Asha an anxious look before discreetly passing her the wand he'd been hiding.

"You sly dog," she whispered, the sound of Magnifico's voice stealing their instant attention.

"Are you two–? No, is that why–? Your wish was–?" The king doubled over, laughing harder than before. "Are you actually in love with the star? Don't you know how stupid that sounds?" He laughed again.

"Knock it off," the princess demanded. "I know what you're doing. Why else would you bring us up here for all of Rosas to see?"

"Maybe this will help motivate you," Magnifico commented before smashing another wish, his veins glowing with green power as the wish's energy merged with his own.