Chapter Thirty: Realm
Zone – 1940
The Mickey Mouse March continued to resound in Joanie’s
ears, but it had played itself into a whistle as she began to regain
consciousness. She was not certain how she lost consciousness in the first
place. The last thing she remembered was stepping out of the Muppet Theater
before everything went dark. Upon opening her eyes, Joanie discovered herself
lying near what looked like a well, filled to the rim with gallons and gallons
of water. Someone had dumped more water into the well at that moment and
splashed some bits into Joanie’s face, awakening her much further.
(Narrative Note: In both circumstances where we find Joanie following the incident with the Evil Queen, she is coming out of an unconscious state. This symbolizes rebirth for her, as she's becoming a whole new being. Rebirth is also the integral aspect of her life as Guardian of the Disneyverse.)
Wiping the water off her face, Joanie looked across the
well to see a very familiar character
with two sets of iconic round ears; he barely noticed Joanie at all as he
dumped two wooden buckets of water into the well and retreated indoors. As he
left, Joanie seemed to have recognized who he was as she whispered, “Mickey?”
(Editorial Note: World of Disney is the third story Livingston has written the Mickey Mouse character in after The Disney Ghostbusters and a special cameo appearance in one story out of the "Marvelous Muppets" series. After Disney Ghostbusters, he found the task of including Mickey as a primary player in World of Disney to be comforting, since Mickey is such fun to feature in an adventure outside of what audience normally see him in.)
Joanie got to her feet and followed Mickey into a
subterranean area that was dark, but partially lit by some strange activity
that occurred in the center of the room. Stopping halfway in, Joanie
watched along with Mickey, who stood a few feet away from her, as the sorcerer
from Fantasia conjured up
multi-colored smoke out of a skull. The bearded sorcerer brought the smoke
eight feet above his head, which donned a sparkling, pointy blue hat with a crescent moon
and a few stars decorated upon it. The hat appeared to have glowed while the
sorcerer was working his magic, moving his hands in a repeated upward motion to
create an image out of the colorful smoke.
(Disney Note: Yen Sid's action depicted in this scene is the same as when we're first introduced to him in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment from Fantasia.)
The image that the sorcerer created had a mixture of
gray, blue, purple, and lime green colors; it swirled and spun until it became
something that Joanie instantly recognized: the Magic Gateway’s generator or Spaceship Earth as Sean referred it. The
detail on the image proved it was the same geodesic sphere on
Bunsen Honeydew’s blueprints. It seemed to Joanie that it was pure coincidence
that the sorcerer conjured up an identical image of the sphere; however, the
detail was too specific for it to be one. How
does he know of the sphere, Joanie thought.
“I know everything that happens inside and outside of my
world, young lady.” The sorcerer answered her unspoken question, alarming
Joanie greatly. The cloudy image floating above the sorcerer’s head soon
withdrew into the skull; once it had, the sorcerer brought his attention on
Joanie, just as Mickey had at the moment he made her presence known. “I have
been following your progress from the time that the worlds have shattered. Your
interference in one had brought an unsettling end that cannot be removed.”
When she realized that he was making reference to what
happened in Agrabah, Joanie lowered her head and said in shame, “I know…and I
blame myself for it like crazy.”
“Don’t!” The sorcerer exclaimed in a powerful tone. “Do
not blame yourself for something you had no power over…use it to channel a new power for something that will avenge
the lives that were lost.”
(Disney Note: Yen Sid is a powerful sorcerer and teacher of Mickey Mouse, modeled after Walt Disney right down to signature facial features recognizable to the animators. Though he was among the most obscure Disney characters of all time for over 65 years, he has recently become a recurring character, making quite a few appearances in media ranging from video games to Disney Parks attractions, most notably after his introduction into the Kingdom Hearts series. Yen Sid's name, which is "Disney" spelled backwards, was given to him by his animators in tribute to Walt.)
Curiosity grew over Joanie as she asked the sorcerer,
“What do you mean?”
The sorcerer turned his attention to the skull once again
and conjured up another cloudy image that was of her former alter ego, Dawn; the
sight of her spooked Joanie to the point that she was forced to turn away.
Noting her fear, the sorcerer stated, “Never turn away from your past; it is
the one thing that fuels your future.” Joanie mustered the courage to look at
the image of Dawn again, tears streaming from her eyes. “You have gone through
a remarkable metamorphosis upon your journey in this universe. Your time here
has made you something that is on par with beings like me and my apprentice.”
“That’s me!” Mickey said with a happy chuckle.
“Yet you are unique in a great way.” The sorcerer
gestured his hands to remove the image of Dawn, transfixing it into one of
Joanie wearing the sorcerer’s signature hat. “You are now the link between our
worlds. It shall be in your duty to maintain order and remove chaos.”
(Narrative Note: Yen Sid's role in the World of Disney series bears strong resemblance to his role in the Kingdom Hearts saga, being knowledgeable of "other worlds" based on Disney movies and shows and upholding the balance between them.)
Joanie’s eyes lit up from the inspiring image that the
sorcerer displayed for her, yet she was a little confused. “Wait. You mean…I’m
some sort of enforcer?”
“It is a duty that requires complete focus, my dear.” The
sorcerer stated. “Your mind must always be open to both the possible and
impossible.”
The sorcerer’s words were like rhymes to Joanie, who
tried desperately to keep up with all of which she was being told. “Are you
saying that I’ll have to let go of the life I’m living outside of this one?
No…that’s out of the question! I just found out today that I’m going to have
four groovy kids – including a great
son! And my mother…” She stopped and let out a deep sigh. “No, man…I can’t go through with it.”
(Narrative Note: Joanie's choice to let go of her life outside the Disneyverse is a crucial plot point in Tales of the Disneyverse, which bridges the events of World of Disney to those in The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2, when she ultimately succumbs to her first reincarnation.)
Joanie turned away from the sorcerer
and began to make her way out of the room; however, something strange occurred
that prevented her from leaving. The young woman suddenly froze in place, and
her eyes closed shut. The sorcerer had gestured his hands toward Joanie,
causing the strange, sudden incident to occur. Mickey approached the frozen
Joanie and gazed upon her face, wondering if she was aware of what was
happening. All of the sudden, Joanie’s eyes snapped open, except they were not
the normal blue that they always were; her eyes were completely white and
glowing, displaying a very daunting image.
(Character Note: "Glowing eyes" are a signature trait in the physiology of the Guardian. It corresponds with her emotions, particularly anger, and signifies an immense surge in energy before a certain ability is unleashed.)
“W-What are you doing to her,
M-Master Yen Sid?” Mickey inquired.
“I’m allowing her to understand what
she must to save us all from Queen Grimhilde’s wrath. This girl is the one true
hope that we have…without her…we are all
doomed.”
“Dimension B” Zone –
2011
Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker stepped out of the lab just as
Brandy, Michelle, Bella, Gina, and Joie crossed their path. Upon seeing them,
Bunsen and Beaker were relieved that they were still in the real world. “Oh!
Miss Brandy! Thank goodness you and our parallel universe friends are still
here!”
“Are you alright, Bunsen?” Michelle asked in great
concern.
“Never mind Lemon-Head and Carrot Top.” Gina harshly
said. “When are we getting out of here? We’ve still gotta find our brother.”
Listening to the impatient Gina, Bella started to become
a little frustrated; her heart was glowing red as a result. “You know, I’ve
just about had it with your rudeness. You think your brother is the only one who is missing? Our brother is missing as well, so I believe you should show a
little respect to those around you.”
(Narrative Note: This is the first and only case in the story that we see Bella and Michelle's species display anger and see the color that connects with it from their hearts.)
Gina’s eyes had turned red as she glared upon Bella.
“Joie, hold me back, girl…because I’m about to deliver a beat-down on E.T.
here.” Gina advanced on Bella, who flinched and let out a petrified squeal,
resorting back to her timid nature.
“Knock it off!!” Brandy yelled, growing annoyed with the
bickering. “We have more important things going on like finding Joanie and
Sean!”
Upon hearing Brandy, Bunsen questioned, “They’re missing?
Where did they go?”
“Joanie vanished without a trace and Sean wandered off to
another version of Anaheim, California that your
machine transported us to, Bunsen.” Brandy sounded slightly frustrated with the
Muppet while delivering the last part of her information.
Shock registered on the faces of Bunsen and Beaker. “My machine did that?!” Beaker meeped a
question to his boss, and Bunsen responded, “Yes, it is indeed a massive
breakthrough, Beaker. The earlier incident must’ve triggered a ‘reverse switch’
in the machine’s functionality that resulted in doing the opposite of what it
normally does. Rather than transporting us to a parallel Disney universe, it
was transported us to a universe parallel to the real world!”
(Narrative Note: "Dimension B" is the first cross-dimensional trip the Sphere has made in the series before its others in the Marvel Universe and Star Wars galaxy.)
“Yeah, not a big surprise to me, considering such
technology exists in the future that I come from.” Brandy’s tone signified just
how unimpressed she was with the discovery.
Observing the discussion, Michelle interjected and asked,
“Well, Brandy, wouldn’t that technology of yours be impossible if it weren’t
for what’s happened here and now?”
Michelle’s hypothesis intrigued Brandy, who stopped for a
moment and thought of the possibility. Her thoughts were soon interrupted as
soon as the sound of wood snapping overhead caught everyone’s attention; as
they looked up to it, something suddenly fell and landed hard near them. It was
soon revealed to be Buzz Lightyear who had crashed to the floor; his wings were
heavily damaged, as was his helmet, which had a large crack in it. Seeing the
damaged space ranger, the eyes of those who stood near him grew wide with a
mixture of surprise and bewilderment.
“Buzz!” Bella exclaimed as she and Michelle went to the
space ranger’s aid. “Are you alright?”
Beneath the cracked helmet, Buzz appeared a little dazed,
but he was seemingly unharmed. “Buzz? Who’s Buzz? My name’s Mrs. Nesbit!” His
eyes were slightly crossed, and his head was spinning around.
(Disney Note: In Toy Story, "Mrs. Nesbit" is the temporary name Buzz is assigned by Hannah Phillips, the sister of the film's main antagonist Sid, after Lightyear learns the truth about being a toy and is found by Hannah to become an addition to her doll collection. How Buzz gets the name in this circumstance, being a real space ranger, factors in with the genuine head trauma his human form has received.)
“Yeah, that dude is toe up.” Joie observed.
“What did this to him?” Brandy wondered aloud.
“It was the Evil Queen.”
A small voice spoke from behind the group, and all heads
turned to see Robin emerging from a clothing rack, which he hid in since
escaping from Grimhilde. The tiny frog appeared visibly scared, his small form
quivering. “She made his suit backfire on him.”
“Robin, are you alright?” Brandy asked.
“I guess so.” Robin answered. “I-Is the Evil Queen gone?
She’s not still around here is she?”
“No, sweetie, it’s just us now.” Brandy assured. “There’s
nothing to be afraid of.”
Robin swallowed hard and said, “Yes…there is. As long as
she’s around and inhabiting Tracy’s body, we’ll never be safe.”
Seeing the fear on Robin’s face made Brandy more
frustrated than she had already been and placed a great deal of resolve over
her. She turned her attention to Bunsen and said, “My computer detected a large
machine beneath the theater – that’s the Magic Gateway’s generator?”
(Character Note: After confessing to Sean of who she really is, Brandy begins to show more compassion in these scenes than readers have seen of her in previous chapters. This change of heart can be contributed to her inability to accept herself as a Thomas and a hero, which she sees her father as both at this point, rather than simply an inventor and a scientist.)
Bunsen nodded. “Yes, it houses the second gateway
mechanism.”
“Then that’s what we’ll use to fix all of this once and
for all. We’re getting our friends and family back, and we’re getting Buzz,
Beast, and Her Majesty back in their proper dimensions as well.” Brandy boldly
declared.
“It’ll be impossible to reach the generator now that
we’re in a different dimension, Miss Brandy.” Bunsen indicated. “The only
access to it was a system built by the DHARMA Initiative; unfortunately, it
does not exist here in this universe.”
“My wristband enables me to teleport between dimensions,
remember?” Brandy clarified. “All I need is to reprogram it to teleport between
dimensions within the same space and time, and I’ll be within the boundaries of
the generator in no time.”
Bunsen nodded in agreement with her plan, but he was
still worried about one issue. “What about Beaker and me? You will be able to
teleport there, but we are still stuck here.”
“You two aren’t
coming with me.”
Beaker meeped in a rather angry tone, which Bunsen
acknowledged in the same manner. “I agree, Beaker. I must object to your idea of going alone in a machine that we designed, Miss Brandy.”
“I’ve studied your machine for years, Bunsen. It is how
I’ve come to develop the technology I have that matches with it.” Brandy
indicated her wristband device as evidence to back up her claim. “Although it
is considered a marvelous relic from where I come from, I consider it a curse
to humanity. As soon as I have solved all of the problems it has caused, I’m
going to destroy it for good.”
Before Bunsen or Beaker could have a say on her decision,
Brandy activated her wristband and instantly vanished from the eyes of everyone
in the room. Watching her departure, the Muppet scientists felt very uneasy
with what she had declared. The nervousness was clear on their faces, and Joie
decided to make light of the situation by jokingly asking them, “Um, dude…you
think she was serious?”
(UP NEXT: It's a not-so-small world after all.)
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