Chapter Thirty-Three:
Dimension B Zone – 2011
The semi-conscious Buzz Lightyear rambled beneath his
cracked helmet for minutes. Joie, Bella, Michelle, Gina, and Robin were
listening closely to what he was saying, and none of it seemed to make much
sense to Bunsen or Beaker, who were listening as well. “Woody…You were
right…I’m not…a real space ranger…just a toy…”
(Narrative Note: The effects of Buzz's head trauma are a result of his timeline within the Toy Story realm catching up with him. It is a reverse of the mental blow he had taken as a toy in realization of the truth of his existence as an action figure.)
“What is he talking about?” Bunsen asked.
“He thinks he’s a toy. Isn’t it obvious?” Joie told
Bunsen.
“Only he’s not a toy…he’s a real space ranger.” Robin stated. “Well, at least in this world he
is; in the other, he’s…well…a child’s play thing.”
“Here or there, he’s still a sad, strange little man.”
Gina said.
Seeing how bad out of shape Buzz was in, Robin shook his
head. “We have to get him to a doctor.”
“Robin, sweetie, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take a
six-foot space ranger to a hospital in a parallel dimension.” Michelle
contradicted.
“Well, he’s badly injured. We can’t just leave him here.
His injuries might get worse than they are.” Robin indicated. “He’s got to go
back to being a toy. He’s got to return to his world.”
(Authorial Note: Livingston paralleled Robin's solution to saving Buzz to that of Danny Madigan saving Jack Slater in Last Action Hero, another situation of which a fictional character sustains serious injury in the real world and must be brought back to his world to heal properly.)
Bunsen could see how distraught the tiny frog was over
the space ranger’s condition, yet he felt utterly helpless to the situation.
Neither he nor Beaker knew what Brandy was up to in the backup generator
underground, and the thought of her tampering with the equipment, especially
after she threatened to destroy the machine, made them quite uneasy. Then there
was the loud roar of the Beast that was contained in the dressing room
upstairs, followed by the sound of him clawing at the door, signifying his
impatience with being confined there. The clawing grew louder and fiercer than
the last time Bunsen and Beaker heard it, which made the Muppet scientists just
as nervous as before.
Joie and the others heard the clawing as well, but only
Bella, Michelle, and Robin were unnerved from the loud, fierce sound of it;
Joie and Gina were bracing themselves for trouble. “Sounds like someone else
wants to go back and real bad,” Joie
notified.
The clawing over the dressing room door continued until
it abruptly stopped. All eyes focused on the door as the room fell silent, save
for Buzz’s ramblings. After a few seconds, the door suddenly exploded to pieces
as the Beast busted out of the dressing room and emerged on the upstairs
landing, snarling at everything in the sight, including the group of strangers
downstairs. Bunsen and Beaker trembled, hiding near the equally terrified Bella
and Michelle, while Joie and Gina stood up and prepare to do battle with the
Beast.
Beaker meeped an observation to Bunsen to which the
Muppet scientist remarked with a hint of sarcasm, “Yes, Beaker, thank you for
reminding me of the Mind Control Spray’s temporary effects at this precise
moment.”
The Beast leaped from the upstairs landing and hit the
floor below with a tremendous thud,
his weight snapping the wooden floorboards beneath him. Snarling more ferocious
than before, the Beast demanded, “Take me back to my castle!”
“Whoa, dude! How ‘bout we work on your people skills
first?” Gina suggested. “Try sayin’ ‘Please
take me back to my castle.’”
RRRRAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!
The Beast bellowed with impatience; his roar practically
shook the room. At first, the group believed that the Beast was so angry that
he would lunge at them; Joie and Gina prepared themselves for if he had done
so. It was when the Beast suddenly calmed down, ceasing any further bellowing and
snarling, when the group witnessed a sudden change in attitude over the
creature. No longer was he an untamed monster; he was simply just calm. The
Beast stared upon the group with emotionless eyes, seeming to be in some
hypnotic state, much like how he was while under the effects of the Mind
Control Spray.
Gina, believing that her assertive approach worked over
the Beast, smiled and said, “Now that’s much better…looks like we’re finally
gettin’ somewhere with this thing.”
A calm female voice soon spoke out from behind the Beast
and revealed, “Sorry, Gina. It wasn’t you. It was me.” The group could not see
whom the voice belonged, due to the Beast’s large form concealing her
appearance. Soon the speaker revealed herself, stepping around the Beast and showing
herself to the group. Robin gasped over the sight of the woman standing before
them, his eyes growing wide with mixed emotions.
Then a name escaped Robin’s lips as he whispered,
“Joanie?”
(Authorial Note: Beast's reemergence was originally planned to play out much later in the chapter, at the end of the climax. Livingston had chosen for it to happen here, in order to set up Joanie's "cool" reintroduction.)
Realm Zone – 1937
Rematerializing amidst a forest, Sean arrived in the Snow White realm to a scene of utter
chaos. Several woodland creatures were scouring for cover, a massive gust of
wind was blowing hard and fast through the area, and the sky was looking the
exact same way it did in the Aladdin
realm. The horrifying display came as an immediate sign to Sean that the Disney
world he had arrived in was coming to an end. He remembered Brandy’s warning
about too many real world subjects being in one world leading to catastrophic
circumstances. It made him wonder just how many subjects were in the realm,
other than himself and his grandmother.
“Hey, sonny! Watch where you’re standin’!” He heard
someone in a grumpy tone of voice
shout out to him.
Sean looked around to see where the voice came from, but
he saw no one. Another voice soon spoke out to him, sounding happy compared with the previous one.
“Down here.” He looked down and spotted seven dwarfs – the seven dwarfs – walking past him.
“Wh-What are you doing here, son? There’s a dorm, I-I
mean, there’s a storm brewing!” Doc warned. “Y-You’ve got to get out of it
before you end up hurt or horse, I-I mean, worse!”
(Authorial Note: Much like with all pre-established characters, Livingston had fun in writing dialogue that he was all too familiar with, such as that of the seven different dwarfs - particularly Doc, having grown up watching many of the films and shows referenced.)
“I’ve got to find the Queen’s castle,” Sean said.
“There’s someone there that I need to get out.”
“The Queen?!” The dwarfs exclaimed in shock.
Grumpy waved Sean off with a scoff. “Well, good luck to
ya. No one’s ever made it out of that witch’s castle alive, I tell ya.”
“The Queen isn’t there anymore.” Sean revealed to the
dwarfs. “I can’t explain it because it won’t make any sense to any of you, but
she’s not the same woman you know her as here.” The dwarfs stared at him with
befuddled expressions, leading Sean to shaking his head and admitting, “I’m
wasting my time. I need to find that castle.”
Sean ran in the opposite direction that the dwarfs were moving
in, not knowing exactly where he was going. They watched him leave with mixed
emotions – whereas Doc, Bashful, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Dopey showed some pity
for him in foolishly searching for the Queen’s castle, Grumpy would rather mind
his business and continue on their path. Of course, Grumpy was outnumbered by
one to six on the sudden decision to assist Sean in his foolhardy mission,
choosing not to let the stranger get involved in something that he could not
get himself out from.
“Wait! You’re going the wrong way!” Doc shouted as he and
the other five helpful dwarfs caught up with Sean.
Watching the other Dwarfs chase after Sean, Grumpy grew
even grumpier and yelled in a total fit of anger, “Ya gotta be pullin’ my
beard!” He then stormed after them, wondering to himself what made him and the
other dwarfs want to get involved with such a reckless stranger.
Dimension B Zone – 2011
Queen Grimhilde stood before the glistening generator
machine within the sphere beneath the Muppet Theater; she was truly impressed
by its grand design, bearing witness to nothing like it in her entire life. The
glowing, spinning mini-sphere within the glass cylinder reflected in the eyes
of the woman whose body Grimhilde had possessed. “It truly is beautiful,” she
softly said, “The key to endless worlds…within my very reach.”
(Narrative Note: The mini-sphere in the Sphere's main generator plays a vital role in The Disney Access. It is essentially a "baby version" of the Sphere itself, possessing the same design and functions. It cannot be handled by regular hands, only those connected to it like the Guardians of the Disneyverse.)
Still pinned down to the floor just behind Grimhilde was
Brandy, who tried desperately to move her arms to gain access to her wristband;
unfortunately, with her arms pinned at her sides, such an action was
practically impossible. Moaning with aggravation, Brandy used her only weapon
against the Evil Queen – her words. “That ain’t gonna happen, Your Majesty. You don’t belong in this
world or any other, except for the one you escaped from.”
Grimhilde turned to Brandy, laughing and smiling
wickedly. “How are you so sure? What
part do you play in all of this, if I
may inquire? Who are you?”
Brandy frowned. “I’m no one. I don’t even exist yet…and I
probably never will after all that has happened or will happen.” She chuckled amusingly and added, “I assured the guy
who built all of this that I would destroy it once I’ve corrected everything,
but I didn’t take into consideration how much that would mess up the order of
time. For all I know, destroying this machine could very well prevent my own
conception.”
(Narrative Note: There is also a dilemma that disrupts the plans intended by the one whose goal it is to destroy the Sphere, mostly centering on the possible chance that someone or something could be wiped out because of it. So far in the series, no one has accomplished their mission.)
Listening to Brandy, Grimhilde was completely puzzled by
what she was talking about; at one point in her ramblings, it seemed that she
was talking more to herself than the Queen. Grimhilde made her best deduction
of Brandy’s dilemma: “Sounds as if you are unsure of your own destiny. If that
be the case, perhaps you were never meant to exist; therefore, you have no
purpose in stopping me in my goal.”
The Queen turned to face the machine again until Brandy
spoke up once again. “Maybe…but if I cease to exist after the moment you take
control of this machine, there will someone else to stop you.”
Grimhilde’s smile grew over Tracy’s face. “Like who?”
“Like me!”
A third voice spoke out within the confides of the
sphere; Grimhilde looked all about for it and finally spotted a shimmering
figure floating just above the walkway that she and Brandy were on. The face
of the intruder was visible enough for Grimhilde to recognize; it was the face
of Joanie Navarro, the very woman who she believed to have ended moments ago.
Joanie bore the hat of the sorcerer, Yen Sid, and the red robe that was
normally seen on his apprentice; both pieces of cloth practically glowed on
her, overwhelming even the light of the mini-sphere within the generator
mechanism. The most daunting part of Joanie’s unearthly appearance was her
eyes, which lacked the usual blue iris and pupil center, consumed entirely in
white.
(Narrative Note: This is the first moment of the story we see Joanie in her signature Guardian regalia. At this moment and the time this scene was written, she has not yet earned the title of "Guardian" and merely an apprentice of Yen Sid. It wasn't until Chapter Ten of The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2 that the "Guardian" title was ever officially mentioned in the series. Joanie finally earns the title in A World of Disney Christmas soon after completing her apprenticeship.)
Grimhilde displayed genuine fear upon witnessing the
unexpected arrival of Joanie. “Fair one?! How can it be?! How do you continue
to live?!”
“Clearly you’re not very good at getting rid of anybody.”
Joanie bantered while lowering herself down to the walkway, landing just beside
Brandy, who was equally surprised to see her. “I’m only going to say this once,
Grimhilde…leave my granddaughter alone!”
Turning her attention to Brandy, Joanie waved a single
hand over her pinned-down body. The next thing Brandy knew, she regained usage
of her limbs, no longer feeling herself being held down; she stood back up on
her feet and leaned against the walkway’s railing, staring up at her
grandmother with thankful, teary eyes. “I’m sorry, Grandmama. I’ve let you
down. I’ve let everybody down.”
Joanie shook her head. “No, you haven’t, sweetheart.”
“Of course she has!” Grimhilde exclaimed. “She hasn’t
stopped me from…” The mouth of the Evil Queen suddenly went shut, and her
entire body froze in place. It did not take much guessing for Grimhilde to
realize that Joanie was using her sorcery on her.
(Authorial Note: The idea of the sorcery from Joanie's magically-altered blood being limitless in the nature has been a source of conflict with Livingston during many instances throughout the World of Disney series when writing her, her reincarnations, or Sean and his reincarnations. One of these conflicts involves establishing a real physical threat to them, since they are virtually invulnerable to "ordinary" adversaries. For this purpose, Livingston has amped up certain classic villains in Disney to pose a legitimate threat.)
Joanie glared to the Queen, with her arm outstretched to
her, and stated, “If you don’t mind, this is family business. I’ll deal with you in a bit.” She then returned
her attention back to Brandy, her façade quickly changing from intimidating to
comforting in a matter of seconds. “I understand your fears, but you mustn’t
focus so much on the past. You must focus on your future. It’s what Sean would
want you to do.”
Tears streamed down from Brandy’s eyes. “I’m not sure if
I even have a future left anymore.”
With her other hand, Joanie gently touched Brandy’s face;
its warmth brought serenity over the stressed young woman – a feeling she had
not felt for as long as she could remember. Joanie’s soothing voice was just as
comforting as she told her, “You do, Brandy…and you can go back to it now…and
remember nothing of your time in the past.”
Unbeknownst to Brandy, her face began to glow in the same
way that Joanie’s form had. It was not before long when her entire body glowed
brighter and brighter until she was only a beacon of light that had soon
extinguished before Joanie’s eyes, which weld up with tears. Grimhilde, in her
frozen state, witnessed the scene with mixed feelings of trepidation and
confusion, wondering just what Joanie had done to Brandy. After a moment of
silence, Joanie turned her attention to Grimhilde, the generator towering
behind her.
(Authorial Note: Because of Joanie's transformation, World of Disney had the biggest deus ex machina-type climaxes of the series. The term "deus ex machina," meaning "God of the Machine," is a Greek term that has evolved into a plot device in which a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. In most cases, it is established when the writer has painted himself or herself into a corner with their story and sees no other way out.)
Without saying another word to her, Joanie lifted before
of her arms high and closed her eyes. Grimhilde felt the hold over come loose,
regaining her speech again. “You wench! What have you…?” The Evil Queen stopped
once a loud whistling sound came through the area, forcing her to cover her
eyes from it. It was such a distracting noise that Grimhilde’s concentration
had been disrupted, dropping to her knees and screaming in agony.
Everything within the sphere from the walkway to the
walls began to vibrate violently. The mini-sphere in the generator mechanism
spun so fast that it became a blur, yet it also changed a rainbow of colors in
the process. The sphere’s chrome structure soon mimicked the mini-sphere’s
color changes; there were enough of them to boggle anyone’s vision. All of the
chaos seemed to have resulted from Joanie, who used her immense powers to make
it all happen; she was in total control of the enormous machine.
(Narrative Note: Rainbow colors have become a common association with the Guardians of the Disneyverse. During their moments in reincarnating, they take the form of white dust that sparkles in rainbow colors, as well as gold.)
In the midst of the chaos, Queen Grimhilde underwent
a transformation of her own; the form that she had taken, being that of Tracy
Belcher, began to “melt” away and expose her true form. The Evil Queen looked
upon herself and witnessed the forced transformation as it occurred, becoming
mortified that such sorcery – which she had no control over – had overpowered
her so. All she could do in reaction was scream, “No…no…NO!”
Realm Zone – 1937
Everyone watched in shock as the form of Queen Grimhilde
“melted” off of Tracy, leaving only her real form out in the open. After the
transformation had passed, Tracy went to the Magic Mirror and smiled with great
joy from seeing her real face again. “Hey! I’m me again!”
“Uh…yeah.” Kimberly said, inundated by what she saw
happen to her cousin. “You apparently are.”
“But how?” Diana curiously questioned.
Touching her face, Tracy responded, “I don’t know. I
didn’t use any spells from the Queen’s book. Maybe it was…”
KURACK-BOOM!
Another massive tremor took apart a section of the wall
in the Queen’s private chamber, leaving the group staring upon the horrifying
view of a once-enchanted land plagued by total anarchy. As the fiery sky loomed
over the land, more immense tremors cracked the earth apart, knocking over
several trees and putting many woodland creatures in severe danger. A huge gust
of wind blew through the private chamber, knocking over bits of furniture,
including the Magic Mirror, which shattered upon hitting the floor. The door to
the chamber soon came off its hinges, but it was not because of the chaotic
situation at hand.
Sean and the seven dwarfs arrived inside the private
chamber, discovering the endangered group of people there. Upon entering,
Sean’s eyes locked immediately with Diana’s, both meeting for the first time.
Seeing his grandmother brought an astounding feeling over Sean; he barely knew
that his sisters, Tracy, and the Muppets were in the room as well. A large
smile emerged on Sean’s face as he moved toward his grandmother; if there was
one thing he wanted to do before the world came to end around them, it was
having a chance to hug her.
Just as he took a step…
BOOM!
An enormous tremor shook the room much fiercer than the
previous ones did, causing chunks of the stone ceiling to break away and
violently land upon Sean. Watching him go down, his friends and family all
cried out in horror, “SEAN!” He was barely conscious as he was pinned to the
floor with many scrapes and bruises.
The dwarfs immediately got to work on removing the debris
off Sean, using their mining skills to get it done fast and properly. They soon
received help from the Queen’s guard, as well as Fozzie and Bobo, getting the job
finished much sooner than expected. As soon as all the debris was away, Diana
went to Sean’s aid, gently lifting his upper body and resting it upon her
lap. Diana touched her future grandson’s face, which made him open
his eyes slowly, looking up at her face amassed by tears. “Stay with
me, sweetie,” Diana softly told him, “you’re gonna be okay.”
Sean weakly smiled and whispered, “I’ve…f-f-found…y-you…”
It was the last words he had said before his eyes went
shut once more, and his head went limp. Diana realized to her instant terror
that her grandson was gone, passing away right in her arms. The sight of her
brother’s passing horrified Meagan as she clung to his lifeless body,
repeatedly crying out his name. Ciciley and Kimberly burst out in tears as
well, as did Tracy and the Muppets. The Queen’s guard and the seven dwarfs
removed their hats and lowered their heads in mourning of the brave young man,
who they wished to have known much longer than the people around him – a
feeling that was mutual with Diana, who wept over her fallen grandson.
(Authorial Note: The death of Sean Thomas was written on the spot by Livingston, who felt the scene needed more of an effect on Diana, being one of the "past day" characters that will remember the events that transpired in the story. There have been hints in subsequent World of Disney stories that has led readers to believe Sean's death in this scene to be the kick-start of his reincarnation cycle, making the version of himself in the alternate future that followed this story to be the technical "first" reincarnation.)
In the corner of Diana’s eye, an intense light shined
through the hole that had formed in the wall. Even though she did not want to
take her eyes off her grandson, Diana somehow brought herself to see what the
light was. To her surprise, something much brighter than a sun had broken
through the fiery, dark gray clouds. Having no knowledge or interest of what it
was, Diana returned her focus on Sean…only to discover that he was no longer in
her arms and lap.
“What the…?!” She heard Gonzo exclaimed, leading her to
looking up and discovering that Kimberly, Ciciley, Meagan, Tracy, Rizzo, Pepe,
Bobo, Bean, and Clifford had vanished as well.
“W…Where did they go?!” Kermit frantically asked.
Diana realized that she, Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and
Scooter were the only ones left within the Queen’s private chamber, along with
the guard and seven dwarfs. Completely perplexed of what was happening, Diana
returned her gaze to the mysterious light that had emerged in the sky, as it
appeared to be glowing brighter each second. It reached a point that Diana was
forced to shield her eyes while everything and everyone was consumed by the
light. The chaos that had ensued over the world ceased and all went quiet…and
totally white.
(UP NEXT: The end?)
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