Chapter
Fifteen: War Over Peace
Vanessa’s heart ached in
her chest. The despair of losing the love of her grandson was too great to bear
as she sat alone at the front steps of Yen Sid’s castle-mansion. Across from
her was the park where Ghost was situated since its earlier landing. The Auda City denizens remained crowded in
front of the spacecraft, all on their knees in worship. The crew split,
with Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb exploring the rest of the city, while Kanan, Hera,
and Chopper stayed in the ship. Penz set out with Chrissy in search of Sierra
and Sienna, following on the lead provided by Terr Essa shortly before her death.
There was at least one bit of good
that came from the group’s arrival to Fantasia: Elsa was finally reunited with
her sister. The second word got out on Ghost’s
appearance in the realm and one of its passengers being “a girl with long
platinum blonde hair,” Anna rushed out of the castle-mansion to greet her
sister with a hug bigger than the love between them. Elsa did not recoil from
it either; she accepted this love after the ordeal nearly costed her life.
And Vanessa knew that, soon enough, this love will show Elsa a different side
to her power that makes it more blessing than curse.
In her lonely moment of sadness, the
sound of heels clicking distracted Vanessa’s thoughts, wondering which female
resident of Auda City wore such noisy footwear. Yet there was distinctness in
this clicking that she recognized, even before a pair of feet adorned
in beige pumps came into her view. Looking up briefly, she saw a short-haired,
thirty-something blonde in tight black leather pants, an owl necklace, a beige
leather jacket, and a dark grey dressy tank top.
“Hey, Marcia.” Vanessa managed to
identity the young woman.
(Biographical Note: "Marcia," another future World of Disney character introduced before her true official introduction in a later installment, is based on/inspired by Marcia Olsen-White. Her character was originally to be accompanied by Jatniel Gonzalez, setting up events that will be depicted in World of Disney 5, which the two characters are featured in alongside Vanessa and Benji. I opted instead to keep Marcia's role in this story solo to avoid over-complicating the timeline between now and WOD5.)
She smiled at the despondent redhead
whilst modeling herself off. “Like the new look? I love it. Way cooler than what I had on when we last saw each other.
Brandy helped pick it out for me.” She moved her hands up and down at her
leather-clad thighs, the sleek texture shrilling beneath her palms like wet fingers
on a balloon. “My only gripe is the pants. Hugs up a bit on the booty. Though I
can’t complain with the one I got in this reincarnation.”
“If you’re trying to cheer me up
with your self-criticism, it’s not working.”
“But they do! Seriously, look!” Marcia turned, her buttocks practically in
Vanessa’s face. “See? See?” She
jokingly wiggled it.
(Authorial Note: Marcia Olsen-White personally noted to me how her overly charismatic and slightly narcissistic character is in no way a genuine representation of her real-life persona. In regards to this scene and her character's action, she stated, "I wasn't very modest. Like bragging and sticking my a** in someone's face. I wouldn't really do that.")
It was hard for Vanessa to resist
the sight of Marcia’s black leather behind. Her young friend was determined to
bring a smile back on her face, and it worked. Vanessa chuckled, pushing Marcia
away. “Alright, alright,” she said. “Ya got me!”
Marcia smiled over her
accomplishment. She then got serious, figuring out why her redheaded companion
was so discouraged. “I take it that you found Benji.”
Vanessa slightly drifted back into
her funk by Marcia’s spot-on guesswork. She was better off keeping her in that
joyous mood she worked so hard to get her into. “Yeah, I did,” she confirmed.
She pointed with her left thumb to the castle-mansion complex behind her.
“Found him in there. I thought I could convince him one last time to come back
with me…but he distrusts me more than he did before.”
Marcia frowned, seeing the tears
that poured from Vanessa’s eyes. She moved to the steps and sat down to her left, hugging her right arm around her. “Hey,” she softly whispered. “Benji
will eventually come around. He’s just still getting used to the idea of the
only grandfather he’s ever known being an entirely different woman. You’re
fortunate to have gotten to help raise him when you were Genevieve.” She gave a
disconsolate sigh. “I never even got to see Brandy grow up into the woman that
she is.”
(Character Note: Her dialogue never outright states the fact, but Marcia is a future incarnation of the Guardian/human hybrid that began with Sean and Natalie. She is in fact Natalie's immediate successor, though this detail is kept from the narrative, due to its importance in a later story. Even any allusion to maintaining a mental/physical connection to Sean Thomas isn't explicitly given in much of her scenes to the ending.)
“If I were to go back and change all
of it, I would.” Vanessa said. “But some things are just too inevitable to
change.”
Marcia put on a hopeful, confident
smirk. “And there are some things that need
change…except me, of course.”
Vanessa smiled, shaking her head at
Marcia. There may have been some self-centeredness in this reincarnated being,
but her heart was always in the right place. Even though there was the question
of how she got to find her in Fantasia, she was glad to have her there all the
same.
A sudden clap of thunder diverted
their attention overhead. The sky was dark and cloudy, yet that was normal
weather for Fantasia and not the type to evoke a thunderstorm. Small children
all around cried and screamed at the noise, their parents doing what they could
to calm them, although they were frightened themselves.
The screams and cries intensified
between adults and children as all eyes focused toward the clouds, which parted
to reveal the eerie display of both the Death Star and the Sphere looming
menacingly outside the planet’s atmosphere, flanked by an Imperial armada.
Vanessa and Marcia stood from the steps; mouths gaped in awe and terror. “Oh,
no,” the former whispered. “They’ve found us. The Empire’s found Fantasia.”
Marcia swallowed hard. “This is it,
isn’t it? This is the beginning of the end? The nightmare we’ve lived for so
many centuries.”
They almost did not catch the flash
of dark red light near them, bringing their attention away from the image above
the clouds to the street corner below. Standing there and emitting a wave of
negative energy was Yve Ette. She kept a weakened Yen Sid standing upright for
a time before roughly tossing him at their feet. They were
quick to tend to him, while Yve Ette roared a message.
“The Emperor has granted you thirty
minutes to decide whether to surrender the planet…or die!”
It was the only warning she gave prior to vanishing in a dark red mist.
Vanessa rested Yen Sid’s head upon
her lap. She turned to Marcia and urgently ordered, “Go get everyone now!”
Marcia’s feet moved before the
command was given.
----------------------------
There were not a lot of men who
could manage to look any amount of decent in a pair of leggings, especially a
pair made for a woman. Yet, somehow, from Christina’s perspective, her husband
was a notable exception. As he stood bed side with their sleeping newborn baby
girl in his big masculine arms, Christina got more of a view of his backside
than she wanted when it faced her direction. The sight of his well-structured
buttocks practically outlined through the tight gray fabric was as alluring as it
was hilarious.
(Authorial Note: This chapter contains the most "butt jokes" I've ever incorporated, particularly back-to-back with Marcia in the previous scene.)
She tried her best to refrain from
giggling, but some of the snickers escaped her mouth, even as she covered it.
Sean turned his head to her, frowning.
“What?”
“It’s your butt!” She exclaimed,
bursting with laughter. “It’s so…out
there! Way more than mine ever was!”
He chuckled himself, finding similar
amusement. “Have you seen the booty
on my other half? I mean, sheesh!”
“I heard that.”
Natalie – her incorporeal form –
spoke close enough to him that his ear tickled at the sound of her voice. He
looked to his right, seeing her standing with him near the bed and smiling at
Brandy.
“Are they uncomfortable on you?”
Christina asked him, redirecting his attention back to her.
He shrugged with his answer. “They
were at first. But I’ve strangely grown accustomed to them…with a little help
from Natalie.” He caught his “other half” smiling.
“Now I get why so few guys wear these things.”
Christina’s amusement dissipated
into melancholy. “She wanted to be part of Brandy’s
birth.”
“Who?” Sean asked.
“Natalie.” Christina uttered. “I
refused to let her rob you of that miracle.”
Hearing this, Sean glimpsed to
Natalie, who he caught shamefully staring down at the floor. His heart felt for
her – it was her heart as well. He
could sense the guilt she felt from Christina’s words. There was enough to give
him that sense of respect he spoke for her with.
“She isn’t as bad as we think,” he
said, drawing a look of surprise from his Native American counterpart. “She
really cares about you and Brandy, just as much as I do. In fact, I should be
thankful she allowed me to be here for the both of you.”
He felt a tear escape from his left
tear duct. He was crying. There was a feeling in him – one of immense gratitude
and love. He looked to Natalie, who was in full-on tears, his words having a
profound effect.
“Are you O.K.?” Christina questioned
him in concern. “You’re crying.”
“It’s her, not me.” He clarified.
“She’s just really happy.”
Natalie teasingly giggled, drying
her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Too much of a
man to admit that it’s you?”
“It’s you!” He snapped, only appeasing Natalie’s playful delight further.
To see him shouting at thin air drew
more concern from Christina. “Um…who ya talkin’ to, babe?”
There was no question how much of a
mental case he looked in front of his wife. Thankfully, he had an
understandable excuse: “It’s her…Natalie, I mean,” he elucidated.
Christina lit with surprise. “You
mean…you can physically talk to her?”
Her beautiful blue oval-shaped eyes scouted the entire bedroom. “Is she like
invisible or something?”
“Something like that, yeah.” Sean
said. “I can only see and hear her. She’s like a physical manifestation of the
mind and soul that we share in my body.”
(Authorial Note: The concept of Natalie's "incorporeal form" began in the eleventh chapter of Marvel Mayhem, shortly after her transformation back into Sean Thomas during the confrontation with Loki. The idea came about when I wanted some way of them interacting that wasn't just a disembodied voice in their heads, depicted through italicized text. For this idea, I was inspired by Fight Club, with the exchanges between "Bob" and Tyler Durden.)
“Yeah, and he hogs up all the space,” Natalie joked, despite Sean being her
only audience and none too impressed by the jest.
Christina sighed with a hint of
guilt. “Tell her that I’m sorry for treating her so poorly.” She then added
with a smile, “Truth be told, she really does bring out the best in you.” Soon
after she made this request, she noticed more tears escaping from her husband’s
eyes. Giggling at the display, she noted, “Guess the message got through.”
There was a loud noise from outside
that drew their eyes to the closed bedroom door. More commotion followed,
sparking Sean’s interest. He went to the door and peeked through to see most of
those present in the castle-mansion helping a weakened Yen Sid into his
workshop.
Natalie also peeped just below Sean,
sharing the distress. “Oh, man,” she whispered. “This doesn’t look good.” He detected her urgency in checking up on the situation.
He quickly carried Brandy back to
her mother, gently handing her over. “I’ll be right back,” he told Christina.
She frowned at his hurry. “What’s
wrong? What’s going on out there?”
“That’s what we’re…I’m going to find out.” Sean said. “Just
stay here with our little girl.”
He rushed out of the bedroom.
Christina called out to him several times in his departure, yet he was too
focused on finding out about Yen Sid to hear her.
-------------------------------
Though unnecessary, Yen Sid was
highly thankful in the care of those around him. Vanessa and Marcia, two women
he had never met before, helped him into the chair at his worktable. There was
a wide assortment of characters standing around him – too many faces, both old
and new, to count.
Chrissy was there with Penz. “Is
this the one Adrienne mentioned to me about having the answers to my condition?”
She asked her in a whisper, trying not to make her presence there obvious in
the otherwise quiet, crowded atmosphere.
(Narrative Note: Chrissy references the meeting that first occurred between her and Adrienne on Coruscant, shortly before their capture by the Empire, in the World of Disney 3 prelude mini-story, "Another Part of Me.")
Penz gave an affirmative nod. “He is
indeed.”
“Wow.” Chrissy remarked with a
smile. “There’s so much I want to ask him. Not just about me, but my daughters
as well. I know now’s not the time for it. I just hope he’ll be able to help
me.”
“He will.” Penz reassured.
Joanie conjured up a small golden
chalice filled with fresh water for Yen Sid to drink. After taking a long, refreshing
gulp, he vocally expressed his gratitude: “Thank you, all of you. The torture inflicted on me was more mental than physical.”
“The Empire?” Joanie reacted with
shock and slight amusement over the thought of the supposedly fictional evil
regime holding her master captive. “That explains how the Death Star popped up
in orbit all of the sudden.”
“Yve Ette said that they’ve given us
thirty minutes to decide whether or not to surrender Fantasia over to them.”
Vanessa relayed.
“Why on earth does the Empire want
Fantasia?” Joanie questioned.
“It is not only Fantasia that they
desire, but all of the Disneyverse itself.” Yen Sid stated. “Fantasia is merely
the whole connecting all the realms that bind it.”
The very idea of this terrified
Joanie to her core. She had seen Star
Wars enough times to know what the Empire was capable of, even in their universe.
“There are still a few of our allies
they have captive,” Yen Sid disclosed, “including Mickey and Adrienne.”
“Me?” There spoke the soft voice of
a young woman within the crowd that Yen Sid was not been able to see until Hercules and Kristoff parted to reveal her. To the master sorcerer’s
immediate surprise, it was a much younger Adrienne, dressed differently (and
more provocatively) than the elder still remaining on the Death Star.
“How can I be captured when I’m right here?”
Yen Sid grimaced at her presence.
“How did you get here?” He then directed the same glower to Joanie, who
continued to stand right beside him at the worktable. “For that matter, how did
you come to be here, Joanie? What
force brought the both of you out of your timelines and into Fantasia?”
Joanie was the only of the two willing to explain. However, her opportunity was taken by Anne-Marie,
who brashly spoke out. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, appearing to be much
focused. “Let’s deal with the threat here and now. I propose that we defend
Fantasia from the Empire.”
Victoria shot a daunted glare to
Anne-Marie, who failed to take notice in the young Englishwoman’s reaction.
Not too long ago, the both of them spoke on the matter of Fantasia’s destruction
– how a massive war would fatefully destroy all of what they held dear to
cinder, and there would be nothing they could do. Now, knowing the exact
outcome of this event, why had she taken it upon herself to cause it?
“Are ya daft, woman?” Scrooge bellowed
the very question Victoria wanted to ask Anne-Marie. “We should negotiate a
peace treaty with this ‘Empire’ for the sake of everyone here!”
Joanie scoffed at McDuck’s idea.
“You can’t negotiate with these people. The Empire’s not about peace. They’re
all about corruption. This will end badly whether we surrender or not. Look, I
know it sounds silly, but my expertise on Star
Wars can come in real handy here. I know the characters. I know how they’ll
act.”
(Narrative Note: Joanie's love for Star Wars was alluded many times in the very first World of Disney installment, going as far as influencing her journey through the Disneyverse, when she subconsciously took the form of a Princess Leia doll in the realm of Toy Story. The presence of Star Wars, as well as Joanie herself, in this story and the upcoming Tales from the Battlefront spin-off tale brings things full circle.)
“So what do you propose that we do?” Anne-Marie queried.
“Start building an army.” Joanie
answered with a fully confident grin. “Whatever resources out of Fantasia we
can gather to fight for this realm, starting with anyone here in Auda City.”
Hercules cleared his throat, letting
his presence be known to everyone. With a base of heroism in his voice, he
proclaimed, “I’ll be honored to offer my services to this forthcoming battle.”
“As will I,” said Elsa, who stepped
forward beside the Greek god, raising her left hand to emphasize her
volunteering.
(Narrative Note: Though previous World of Disney stories have depicted Disney Heroes teaming together to battle enemies of the main protagonists, this is the beginning of the team that will make up the titular Defenders of the Disneyverse in next year's spin-off story. Other members will include Rapunzel and Flynn Rider - returning from The Marvelous World: World of Disney; Aladdin, Abu, and Jafar; Baymax, Hiro, and the other members of Big Hero 6; and Gaston.)
“Elsa, no!” Anna cried in protest.
“We shouldn’t even be here! We should be back in Arendelle to save it from—”
“I am saving Arendelle, Anna.” Elsa said. “Right now, it is in far
greater danger than what I’ve done to
it. The only way I can make it right is to protect it from this corrupt group
that could claim it in their name. I have
to do this.”
Anna could see the determination in
her face. There was no talking her out.
“Hey,” Dewey exclaimed, “I know
who’d really help us out – the Dragon
of White Mountain!”
“Yeah!” Huey cheered.
“She’s worth a whole army itself!”
Louie indicated.
“Aren’t you boys forgettin’ that dragon
harbors a grudge after that dunderhead Katie messed with her not so long ago?”
Scrooge recollected.
(Narrative Note: Though never fully depicted in narrative, this mishap was mentioned in the second tale of Tales of the Disneyverse during the introduction of Katie near the end.)
Genevieve stepped out of the crowd
with Benji, showing themselves for all to see as she declared, “I’ll go and try
to convince her to join with us. And I’ll take Benji there with me.” She added
with a self-assured smile, “I think she’ll change her mind once she meets him.”
Vanessa scowled in jealousy at
Genevieve’s undertaking of her task with
their grandson. Marcia took notice in her reaction, prompted to place a comforting hand on her friend’s left shoulder.
“You all have structured helpful
tasks that will assist us in this dire time.” Yen Sid proclaimed. “I myself
will offer my services by permitting all women and children into the safe haven
of the catacombs beneath my residence. There will be plenty of room to satisfy all the denizens of Auda City.”
Joanie raised her hand to be
recognized once more. “One last thing,” she said with a cocky smile that
never seemed to have left her face. “I want to personally visit the Emperor on
the Death Star.”
Her request was met with confusion
and alarm from the others.
“And just what will that accomplish?” Scrooge asked.
“It will buy everyone enough time to
gather their forces. Plus, I just want to see the look on his face when I tell
him that it’s the Empire that strikes out
this time.”
(UP NEXT: Introducing Deborah, the Dragon of White Mountain!)
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