Chapter Twenty-Four:
Realm Zone – 1977
The sun was warm and bright as it hung in the sky over
the Hundred Acre Wood – it was the warmest and brightest Bella and Michelle had
ever seen a sun before, which was saying quite a bit considering how cloudy it
was most of the time where they lived. One thing that reminded the two young
women much of home was the beautiful countryside they were passing through the
area. It was such a wonderfully exuberant atmosphere that neither of the two
sisters could help but to soak it all in. At one point in their trek through
the land known famous by the Winnie the
Pooh stories, Bella dropped to the soft grass and moved her arms and legs
around, making an angelic figure in the grass.
(Authorial Note: We get a sense of Bella and Michelle's world from this scene with references to a countryside, giving readers the impression that the women come from a low-tech territory. Livingston envisioned their world to be a simple-minded utopia with a close-knit community and none of the world issues that affect society like hunger, illness, finance, or politics.)
“Oh, Michelle! We could stay here forever!” Bella happily
exclaimed, her heart glowing dark blue.
Michelle smiled and giggled, her heart glowing a lighter
shade of blue. “I know, Bella; but you know how Brandy would feel about that.”
Bella stopped making her angel and sat up quickly with an
alarmed expression upon her face. “Oh, no! I totally forgot how she’ll be able
to find us! We’re supposed to be in the Jungle
Book world.”
(Narrative Note: The explanation for Bella and Michelle's arrival in the Winnie the Pooh realm is alluded to in Chapter Twenty when they think of being in the Hundred Acre Wood while wearing their headbands. The headband picks up on brainwaves, as we learned later in the chapter, and therefore can read thoughts. In retrospect, Bella and Michelle mentally commanded Brandy's machine to take them there.)
A nervous hand went to Michelle’s mouth as she made the
same realization. “You’re right! I didn’t think about that! Oh, Bella, what’re
we gonna do?”
Bella stood back up and comforted her nervous little
sister. “It’ll be alright, Michelle. Brandy is one of the most intelligent
girls we’ve ever met. When Sean went missing for days, she was right there
ready and willing to help us out. She knew exactly
where to find him.”
(Narrative Note: The nature of Bella and Michelle's first encounter with Brandy is only slightly explained in this scene but never fully in the story, much in the way Joie and Gina's haven't. It is believed that the four women were brought to the Muppet realm by both Bunsen and Brandy's machines, soon after their respective versions of Sean Thomas vanished from their home realms. However, The Disney Access is set to fill plot holes such as this one.)
“Yeah, but it wasn’t really
him.” Michelle contradicted.
Bella let out a deep sigh, her heart shined a fainted
shade of orange. “I know, but you have to believe our real little brother is out there somewhere.”
Michelle smirked. “I will never forget the day he showed
up at our doorstep, only a few days old. He was so soft and tiny – I couldn’t
stop holding him. I never wanted to put him down.”
(Narrative Note: Michelle's reference to their version of Sean "showing up at [their] doorstep" can be interpreted that he was an abandoned child, but she is ultimately using a figure of speech.)
Bella giggled. “Me, too. I never held a baby as beautiful
as him.”
“When he opened his eyes for the first time, I was the
first person he saw. Me…his second oldest sister.” Tears began to fall from
Michelle’s eyes; her heart shined a light purple hue.
Soon Bella was tearing up as well, an effect of the same
deep reminiscing that Michelle was experiencing. “His first word became my one
and only nickname. That little mouth of his opened when he looked at me and
said, ‘Bell-uh.’” She closed her eyes, letting the tears stream down faster,
and smiled. “Bless his heart. I wish I could see him right now.”
“Me, too.” Michelle quietly uttered.
The two sisters stood together and wept until…
“Hey, you two!”
Their heads turned and spotted Brandy standing a few feet
across from them, her black attire a heavy contrast to the bright, sun-filled
atmosphere of the Hundred Acre Wood. She did not look very happy at the moment
she found the two sisters, although they were quite pleased to see her. Bella
and Michelle practically ran to Brandy and gave her a huge hug, much to
Brandy’s immediate surprise.
“Oh! We’re so glad you found us!!” Michelle joyfully
exclaimed.
“We didn’t think you would ever find us!!” Bella said with just as much zeal as her sister.
Brandy did not return their hugs; she simply just stood
stiffly and factually muttered, “You two have only been here for five minutes.”
Of course, this fact completely went over the two girls’ heads, so Brandy
pretended as if she said nothing on the subject. “Guess if there’s one good
thing to come from this it’s that the headbands can enable subjects to
transport to another realm just from thinking
of one.”
(Character Note: Brandy's stiff motion at the embrace of Bella and Michelle is a testament to her characteristics as a woman who thinks more with her brain than with her heart, not one to show much affection to others.)
“We were being chased by Shere Khan.” Michelle informed.
“We both thought the best place to be was here in the Hundred Acre Wood.”
Looking around at the cheery atmosphere, Brandy nodded
and said, “Excellent choice. But we can’t stay here, ladies. I have some people
to save and a timeline to protect.”
Bella curiously looked upon Brandy, seeing a bit of
anxiety on her face. “Have you yet to tell Sean that he’s your…?”
“No!” Brandy hastily said. “And neither of you are going
to tell him either.”
Michelle shook her head negatively. “But it’s not fair
for him to not to know…”
“I’m not going to risk altering the past and ruining my future like that, Michelle!” Brandy
retorted. “Now, seriously, can we please stop talking about this and go find…”
She stopped talking when something small, yellow, and
obese fell right near them in some large bushes. It
completely took the three women by surprise, and Michelle opened up the bushes
to reveal a familiar bear that was “stuffed with fluff” and often described as
being “a bear of very little brain,” tangled in branches and looking very
distraught – even a little lost in thought. Bella and Michelle instantly let
out one long “Aww” upon discovering the
Winnie the Pooh in the bushes. Brandy rolled her eyes and moved her fingers
through her long black hair in frustration.
Looks like we’re
going to be here a lot longer, she despairingly thought.
Realm Zone – 1992
Sean rolled his eyes and moved his fingers through his
short black hair in frustration while standing in Aladdin’s home, where Aladdin
was practically flirting with Jasmine, who still carried the mask of his
sister. He tried not to look at them too much as they sat by the gaping hole in
his home that revealed a gorgeous view of the Sultan’s palace. Both Aladdin and
Jasmine were reenacting the very conversation they had during their first time
together in the film – the only notable difference was Aladdin being enthralled
by Ciciley’s appearance and not Jasmine’s. The thought of it all truly bugged
Sean, and this was pretty clear to Joie as she approached him.
(Narrative Note: The action depicted in the opening of this scene deliberately mirrors that of the closing in the last one to provide readers with yet another clue to Brandy's identity and role.)
“Dude, are you okay?” She asked.
His back facing Aladdin and Jasmine, he whispered to
Joie, “No, I’m not. That’s my sister he’s ogling over.”
Joie seemed a little confused from his comment. “Can we
still say ‘ogling’ in a cartoon environment? ‘Cause there is a few ‘PG’ words
I’ve been wantin’ to say since we got here, man.”
(Editorial Note: On FanFiction.net, World of Disney is rated "K" - the site's equivalent to a G-rating. By example, it is the only story written by Sean Livingston to feature a character inspired by and based on Joie Parent to fall under such a family-friendly rating. Their other collaboration, Disney's Ghostbusters: The Dead End, was rated "T" - the equivalent to a PG-13 rating - giving Livingston the opportunity in writing Joie as a character as fierce as her true life personality.)
Not listening much to Joie, Sean muttered his thoughts
out loud, “Where is Brandy?! She’s
the only one who can fix this problem.”
“Maybe she ran into traffic?” Joie sarcastically
presumed, which only got her a cold stare from Sean. Joie innocently raise her
hands up and said, “I’m just tryin’ to cheer you up, bro. I can still call you ‘bro,’ right?”
Sean sighed and answered, “Yeah, sure…whatever.”
Joie nodded and smiled. “Look, I’m sure this isn’t as
serious as you’re makin’ it out to be. I mean, he’s just a cartoon character.
He’s not real.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that, considering how I
was almost killed by the Beast from Beauty
and the Beast, nearly eaten by Kaa in The
Jungle Book, got sand in my shoes while walking on a beach for hours in The Little Mermaid, and almost got my
throat cut here in Aladdin.”
Hearing his long, harsh remark, Joie was almost at a lost
for words until she said, “Well, at least you’ve still got your health.”
Sean scoffed at her words. “And you want to know what the
worst part of it all is?” He turned, faced her, and added, “I’m still trying to
figure out how you fit in.”
Joie squinted in confusion at his words and tried to ask
what he meant by it, until her opportunity was taken by Bean, who looked out the
large hole in Aladdin’s home and shouted, “Hey, it’s Princess Jasmine…or, uh,
the real Princess Jasmine, I think?”
Everyone looked out the window along with Bean and saw
the figure that resembled the Sultan’s daughter strolling down the street and
wearing a cloak to hide her identity. To Sean, Joie, Bean, and Bobo, she looked
like she was repeating the part of the story in which she escaped from her
father’s palace; to Kermit, Scooter, Gonzo, Robin, and Fozzie, she was a total
stranger; to Aladdin, she was just as much as a sight to behold as the other Jasmine; to the other Jasmine, she was an imposter
brought upon by dark magic.
(Authorial Note: To come up with the difference in perspectives for this scene was a fun and simple task for Livingston, picturing each individual character to have views that depended on how they were/are first introduced to Ciciley/Jasmine. The easiest ones were those from Aladdin himself and Jasmine as Ciciley.)
Whomever or whatever she was, Sean was curious enough to
know that he rushed out of Aladdin’s home immediately. Within seconds, he was
on the street and face-to-face with the young woman. At the moment she saw him
she smiled and joyously said, “Sean!”
He took a step back, alarmed that she even knew his name,
considering how they had never met – not counting the cast members at Walt Disney World.
(Disney Note: "Cast members" are employees that work at the Disney Parks, carrying various jobs such as watching over security, tending to rides and attractions, and playing Disney characters. The term originated from Walt Disney himself, using theatrical terms for park operations.)
Seeing how shocked he was, the young woman who looked like Princess Jasmine stated,
“It’s me, Ciciley.”
Sean should have been even more confused at that point,
but her statement made a ton of sense to him. He suddenly realized that Jasmine
and Ciciley had in fact switched bodies – a possible form of reanimation. The
only reason that theory came to mind was how he witnessed it firsthand in the
realm of The Little Mermaid with his
mother and Ariel. If Brandy was there to witness it, she would say how much of
an “amazing breakthrough” it was; of course, she was not there, leaving Sean with quite a mess on his hands.
Before Sean could ask what happened to his sister, she
rushed right to him and quickly said, “Let’s not start worrying about what
happened to me and instead worry about what’s happening to our mother.”
Sean did not like the sound of what she was telling him.
“What do you mean? Where’s Joanie?”
Ciciley nodded her head toward the palace. “In there…but,
Sean…she’s not herself at the moment.
She’s taken on this whole new personality – thinks she’s this sorceress named
‘Dawn’. And she’s going to marry Jafar tomorrow.”
“What?!” Sean yelled in shock.
“Who’s Dawn?” A voice said from behind them, and they
turned to see Aladdin coming out of his home with Jasmine, Joie, and the
Muppets.
Jasmine stormed towards Ciciley and angrily said to her,
“A better question is who you are and
why you have taken my body?!”
Ciciley was slightly taken aback of the fact that she was
staring at her own angry face; it had to be just as bizarre for Jasmine to
stare at hers as well. She stammered for a reasonable explanation to the
Princess of Agrabah, but all that came out was total gibberish. While Ciciley
was having difficulty talking to Jasmine, Sean looked to the sky and noticed
how much more violent the storm was becoming. The sky was literally exploding
with fire; it was no longer plagued with lightning.
“You see it, too?” Joie said, standing beside him and
looking to the sky as well. “What is
goin’ on up in here?”
“I don’t know, but we’ve gotta fix Cici and Jasmine and get
out of here before…” He stopped once he looked down the street, not very far
from where all of them were standing, and spotted a dark figure dressed in
burgundy accompanied by a large group of palace guards. They were staring
directly at the group with devilish grins upon each of their faces.
Seeing them, Joie knew the group was in trouble, yet she
still bothered to ask in curiosity. “Who’s the chick?” She was clearly
referring to the sinister-looking redhead dressed in burgundy, leading the pack
of guards.
“I wish I really knew right now.” Sean responded.
(UP NEXT: The Unseen Hero!)
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