Yeah, so this took me ages to write, and I'm still not the proudest of it. Oh well. I still hope you enjoy!
The only real pairing here is Mike/Nancy, but there are small hints of Noodlemoon too.
Special thanks to Moonie, LC, and TrashMouseMike for helping with details for this :D
Day One
"Come on, you two! Splash Mountain isn't going to ride itself!"
Ash's words are practically swallowed by the clamor of the crowd. Johnny, Meena, and Ash are weaving their way through thick clusters of animals. Huge polar bears and tiny beavers alike are springing out of the way when they see the wild-eyed porcupine heading in their direction.
"Ash, wait up!" Johnny calls. He and Meena have stopped, standing next to a bench while they try to catch their breaths.
"Is the line going to wait up? I don't think so!" Ash protests as she joins them.
Johnny lifts his palm, straightening again. "Jus'… jus' give us a sec, Ash. Please."
"Pfft." Ash crosses her arms and faces away from them, watching countless animals stream past. "Wimps. You just don't wanna ride."
"That's not true!" Meena says. "It's just, y'know, sprinting halfway across the Magic Kingdom is a little bit…"
"… strenuous," Johnny finishes for her.
A few moments later, they're ready to jump back into the constantly moving river of animals. They let it sweep them all the way to the base of Splash Mountain.
This is when Meena's face gets pale. She shrinks back slightly, her ears beginning to cover her face. "O- oh… oh no. I- I don't think I'm ready for that."
The trio stands, watching as a log full of animals teeters at the top of the "mountain" before doing a nosedive down the big drop. Fans of water spray out along the sides of the log, and the three-second fall ends in an enormous splash.
They're close enough to feel a spritz of water. While both Meena and Johnny jump away from the splash zone, Ash leans in and giggles as the wall of mist passes through her like some kind of ghostly aura.
"You guys ready?" she asks, spinning around. Both of her friends open their mouths to protest, but barely have time to take another breath before Ash has grabbed both of their hands and yanked them into the line.
It's early in the morning— or, really, as early as Ash could manage to get up, which is nine a.m.— so the line isn't too bad yet. The three make their way through the queue, and only end up having to wait for five minutes. As they board the front row of a log, twangy banjo music fills their ears.
"Holy crap, I'm so excited!" Ash exclaims. The machinery underneath the running water gives a grunt, then lurches forward to follow the watery path carved between rows of animatronic dancing animals.
As the ride progresses with no sign of any big drops, Johnny and Meena relax somewhat. At one point, he points at a small brown animal that doesn't even resemble a porcupine. Like, not at all! What is he thinking?
"Ay, Ash! Ya didn't tell us you're in this ride," he chuckles.
Ash leans across Meena to give him a harsh shove.
Situated safely in the middle, Meena feels much better. The nervous butterflies in her stomach have settled, the fizzing in her toes has subsided—
Slick as gel, their log melts into a dark portion of the ride before swiftly descending down a small hill. A strangled "eep!" leaves Meena's mouth, but the drop is over so quickly, she really doesn't know how to react to it. Ash is grinning widely to her left, and Johnny's blinking in shock to her right.
"See? The drops aren't so bad," Ash tells them.
"Really?" Johnny asks breathlessly.
Their smaller friend snorts, rolling her eyes as she rests her elbows calmly on the lap bar. "Yes, really. At least the big one isn't in the dark, you scaredy-cats."
The ride goes on while their heart rates gradually slow back down. Before they know it, the log is tilted upward and is climbing a very steep hill. Raw terror fuels every cell in Meena's body. It's reminiscent of the fear she used to feel when standing on a stage in front of countless faces.
Soon, she can't tell whether the loud roar in her ears is from the flowing water below them or from the blood rushing to her brain. The noise becomes more deafening as it's combined with the anticipated murmurs of the riders behind them.
And then the log is at the top. Meena almost feels like she's on a seesaw swaying on the tip of a real mountain, leaning backwards then forwards, backwards then forwards…
Ash yells something, and Johnny screams, and they're falling. Falling, wind whipping past them and shrieking in their ears, just falling, falling, falling. Meena's face in particular flaps as they soar downward. They seem to be tumbling forever, down and down and down into the watery abyss.
It's over. When Meena opens her eyes again, she realizes that her arms are raised high, toes nowhere near the safety bar. Johnny and Ash stare at her in awe as their log swings back to the disembark station.
"What?" Meena asks.
Then she notices how both of her friends have their hands clasped tightly around the lap bar.
There's a brief moment where Meena mulls this over and the other two relax their tensed muscles.
Then the elephant laughs. "Wimps," she tells them sweetly before lifting the safety bar and hopping out of the log.
Ash gives a disgruntled sigh from behind her, while Johnny chuckles. "Looks like some o' your sassiness has rubbed off on her!" he teases.
"And she's not the only one," Ash replies pointedly.
Day Two
Eddie isn't exactly sure how he ended up in this situation.
It all started with a simple request, then a bribe, then blackmail. Not a single objection could leave the sheep's mouth before his hand was snatched up by Buster and he was dragged into Hollywood Studios.
At least he isn't the only one looped in to suffer, twisted around a certain koala's powerful finger. Ms. Crawly is tottering along a few paces behind them, her wrinkly face peering through the viewfinder of an ancient Polaroid camera.
As Eddie watches, she twists to the right and aims the camera at a huge Mickey's Philharmagic display. There's a deafening click as the picture is snapped, and with a sigh Eddie turns back to his much shorter companion.
"Buster, I don't see why you need me here. It seems like Ms. Crawly is more than happy to take a million pictures for you on her camera," he says.
Buster barely spares him a glance as he talks. All decked out in the typical tourist outfit— floral print Polo shirt, khaki shorts, and a pair of oversized sunglasses perched on his forehead— his clothes are for once competing closely with Eddie's for mismatched outrageousness. The koala merely shrugs at first. His eyes are fixed on the park map he's holding.
"Look, Eddie, I was the only one who wanted to go to this park today. I wanted another buddy to explore with besides Ms. Crawly." Buster sounds extremely distracted as he says this, and that fact is confirmed when his words abruptly detour to another subject. "Ooh, ooh, would you look at that, Ed!"
Eddie follows the direction his index finger is pointing in. There's a long line snaking around the bend, and Buster runs ahead while prompting the other two to follow him.
"What… is… it?" Eddie pants, careening around the corner. He finds Buster already at the end of the line, bouncing excitedly on the soles of his lime green sneakers.
"It's Mickey Mouse!" Buster squeals.
Sure enough, the famed mouse is standing up front on a podium, posing with an excited young bunny who is taller than he is.
"You do realize that's not the original Mickey, right, Buster? And if the actual Mickey Disney the Third is here today, chances are he's not in this park."
"I don't care," Buster tells him. "At least he still looks like Mickey! Oh, there's so much I have to ask him." He whirls around and motions Ms. Crawly forward. "Ms. Crawly! Wanna take a picture with me and Mickey?"
Eddie grins and crosses his arms, shuffling forward as the line moves. He always preferred Walt Disney over his brother Mickey, who in his opinion is way too overrated. But who is he to argue against what Buster wants?
Day Three
Rosita swings her feet back and forth in the pool, her eyes squinting in the fading sunlight. It's just hit seven p.m., and she feels like a zombie. Her limbs are limp like stretched-out putty. Her shoulders are sagging, and her tongue is practically lolling out of her mouth from the heat.
She spent this entire day chasing after her children. Norman and Gunter helped, of course, but still the piglets don't listen to them as well as they listen to her. Much to her chagrin.
Rosita had split her time between corralling her twenty-five kids into one cluster in the shallow end of the wave pool and slathering fresh layers of sunblock on wriggly pink skin. It was like trying to hit several moving targets with squirts of sunscreen and praying at least some areas got covered.
Even at this later hour, Blizzard Beach is still drowning in crowds. Older kids are splashing around in the pool, and toddlers and babies whine to their parents while sucking on popsicles. Most of the adults are reclining on beach towels or lawn chairs. Norman and Gunter are chasing around a few of the rowdier piglets in a grassy area next to the big waterslide.
Rosita turns around completely, letting her exhausted eyes scan over the tall ride. A group of teenagers shrieks as their inner tube emerges from the gaping mouth of the slide. An idea pops into the mother's head.
She stands wearily and collects her two most daring children, Casper and Hannah, then crouches down in front of them.
"How would you two like to go on that big slide with Mommy?" Rosita asks them as she jerks her snout toward the slide.
"Totally!" Hannah agrees.
"Yeah!" Casper pumps a tiny fist. "Let's go!"
Rosita leads them over to the line, and they wait for twenty minutes before finally climbing onto an inner tube.
"Ready?" she asks.
"Ready!" the kids reply.
The cast member gives them a little push, and then they go zooming down. Water laps at their feet and elbows, splashing up at every twist and turn of the slide. Rosita's heart warms at the sight of her two kids hugging each other and screaming in delight. They had spent almost the entire day fighting and now, just like that, they're brought together by one silly water slide.
Too soon, the ride is over and the three swim over to the edge of the pool, depositing the inner tube onto a pile. Rosita leans down for just a moment to set down the tube, and then she straightens, turning back around.
Casper is gone. Rosita frowns, scouring the masses of adults and children. "Honey, where's your brother?"
"I dunno." Hannah shrugs.
For the millionth time today, a sigh rolls off Rosita's tongue. She glances down at her daughter, who's shaking some water out of one ear, and grins. "How about we go find him, then."
Hannah offers a gap-toothed smile back up at her. "Okay!" she chirps.
And they set off, diving back into the swarms of waterpark guests.
Day Four
"Mikey, are you sure you want to do this?"
Nancy's concerned question is met with a scoff and enormous eye roll from Mike. "Pffft. Sweetie, please. You really think I can't handle a silly ol' ride?"
His girlfriend hesitates, looking over their surroundings. The queue for Mission: Space in EPCOT is full of big, tough animals. A group of bears almost stampeded right over the two mice when they first entered. Now they're dodging hooves and feet in a forest of legs.
"This seems more like an attraction for, um, how do I put this… animals of a… different stature," Nancy explains gently.
Mike stands with his chest puffed out and arms crossed. Even in the Florida heat, he has on his signature purple suit. His fedora was left in the hotel room, however, and according to him, this is his "casual" outfit.
Nancy can't blame him. Long sleeves are, admittedly, more comfortable in the gift shops that blast air conditioning.
"Different stature? What are you trying to say?" he demands, arching a brow.
Just then, the line moves forward again, and they're at the front. The cast member is clearly stifling a giggle through his smile as he greets them.
"Welcome to Mission: Space! Would you two like to be on the Green Team or the Orange Team?"
Mike opens his mouth, but suddenly a burly wolf standing behind them speaks up. He leans down close to the smaller animals as he talks.
"Little baby mice only get to go on the Green Team," the stranger says tauntingly into Mike's ear. "Sorry!"
Nancy winces, watching as her boyfriend's face morphs from one of contentment to one of rage. He spins around, stomping his foot and raising a fist at the wolf's puffing black nose.
"Do we look like babies to you, sir?" Mike spits. "Oh, that's right, we don't. I'm thirty-nine years young, and because gentlemen like myself tend to take the high road, I'll go ahead and forgive you for your little statement. Oh, and by the way, do you even realize who's park you're in? Walt freakin' Disney's park, that's who. Who was Walt? A mouse. And who are Mickey and Minnie? Mice. You can look high and low all around this entire complex, and you'll be lucky if you find more than five wolves around here. So how about you go insult somebody your own size, buddy?"
Nancy's heart soars, and she has to resist the urge to plant a huge kiss right on his triumphant smirk. The wolf is staring at him, dumbfounded; then, without a word, he rises and turns to leave.
Mike is breathless at the end of his rant, but he doesn't let that deter him one bit. He marches right up to the cast member.
"Two for the Orange Team, please," he tells the guy.
The antelope gulps, blinking a few times silently, then he sighs and directs them to the correct line. Mike's grin is stretching from one cheek to the other as he lets Nancy grab the crook of his arm.
"Ready, baby?" he asks.
She giggles. "Of course!"
Ten minutes later, the couple steps out of the building. Mike stumbles, then grabs onto a lamp post.
"Mike? Are you okay?" Nancy asks worriedly, rushing to his side.
"I'm… I'm fine, darling," he assures her. "Just a little…"— his cheeks inflate like two balloons, and his eyes grow wide. He gulps, then finishes— "… dizzy."
Nancy clings onto his arm. "How about we go to a gift shop and buy matching Mickey and Minnie hats? They'll fit us perfectly!"
He seems out of it as he staggers forward. "Sure, hon…"
Day Five
"Just one more! I promise!" Ash calls over her shoulder.
Meena and Johnny race after her, and luckily this time she is easy to catch up to. The porcupine stumbles to a halt, her eyes bugging out of her head.
Johnny frowns, his forehead crinkling like tissue paper. "Ash… you okay?"
"Yeah!" She coughs, plastering on a smile which is quickly shattered by another cough. Soon the coughing turns into retching, and then she's hurling into some bushes behind a bench. Meena and Johnny rush forward to cover her from the view of any curious passerby.
Ash finishes, then wipes her mouth and takes a swig from Johnny's water bottle. She flashes them a beam brighter than a camera flash and says cheerfully, "C'mon, let's find another!"
"But you just threw up!" Meena argues.
"Who cares, let's go," Ash says as she pulls on her arm. "Before the line gets even longer!"
Realizing that there's no point in arguing with her any more, the gorilla and elephant allow themselves to follow the adrenaline junkie across a few more crowded blocks to the next attraction on her to-do list.
"Wait…" Johnny's jaw drops open as they reach the building. "This is the one ya saved fer last, Ash?"
She nods exuberantly like a bobble head. "Yup! Doesn't it look beautiful?"
"Beautiful," Meena repeats quietly. "Sure… sure. Beautiful is one way to put it."
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster looms before them, proud and tall. Ash doesn't even think twice before running inside. Meena and Johnny share an amused glance as they follow her.
It's dark inside, and Meena recognizes that too-familiar sensation in her stomach. Despite having been on at least seven different coasters with her friends this trip, she still gets an odd feeling whenever she encounters a new one for the first time.
While they're waiting in line, Johnny is glued to his phone. He scrolls through anxiously, fearful face illuminated in the screen's glow. "Didja know this ride can reach max speeds of fifty-seven miles per hour?" The words are practically squeaked out of him. Meena has to suppress a chuckle at him.
"Awesome!" Ash responds.
"Aaaash," he whines. "Y'know, there's always that Toy Story ride—"
The porcupine shakes her head. "Nope. You've got this, big boy. You survived Everest. You can survive this one."
Johnny holds his aching head and sighs. "If I don't make it, tell my dad I love 'im."
Meena snorts and pats him on the back. "You'll be fine," she comforts him. "Just fine."
Fifteen minutes later, they're strapped into the coaster and almost immediately are launched into a speedy whirlwind. Meena screams her head off, Ash wails various profanities, and Johnny groans.
The rock music blasting in their ears, combined with the rocky, bumpy sharp turns of the coaster, is exhilarating. It's like in these short few minutes during the ride, Meena can feel every nerve in her body bouncing under her skin. She's aware of every pulsing vein, every throb of her heart against her ribcage.
She is still riding on an adrenaline high when they get off. Johnny looks a little green, but is otherwise unharmed. Ash is still mumbling the lyrics to whatever Aeroshrimp song had been playing. When Meena looks over at Johnny, she gives his hand a brief squeeze then lets go.
"It wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Nah," Johnny shudders and forces a smile. "Not at all."
Day Six
On their last day at Disney World, the group spends the day at Magic Kingdom. Close to dinnertime, however, Meena, Rosita, and the rest of the pig family vote to go to Disney Springs. They refuse to admit it, but it's obvious the reason they leave is so they can escape Ash and Mike's nonstop bickering.
"So you're telling me," Ash says as they enter the Be Our Guest restaurant, "you're telling me that you rode the Dumbo ride just to look like a 'nice guy'?"
"Yes," Mike answers pompously. "Is there a problem with that?"
Ash pretends to think hard for a moment, then tells him, "Umm… well, yeah. First, whatever happened to the bad boy image you've been putting up? Oh, and second, Dumbo is a ride for little kids."
The mouse scowls at her. "I swear, Spikes, why don't you go and shove that complaint of yours right up your—"
"Guys!" Buster interrupts, swooping to the rescue in the nick of time. He steps between them, holding a large menu in between their nose-to-nose deadly glaring contest. "Please, just stop fighting for one minute. For me?"
The two fall silent, and Ash takes the menu from him to look it over. "Fine. Sorry, Moon."
Mike clears his throat and smooths out his jacket, turning away from her to talk with Nancy.
"Hey, don't let her bother you," his girlfriend soothes him. "She's just teasing." When Mike doesn't reply, she adds, "Hey! I know something that will cheer you up. After dinner, we can go on that teacups ride! I always loved that one as a little girl."
Mike slowly uncrosses his arms and lets out a whistle. "Ohhh… sure, honey. Whatever you want." He tries not to think about what a spinning ride like that will do to a full stomach.
A few feet behind them, Ash lets out a whisper-yell: "Lame!"
Johnny scolds her and pulls her farther away from the conversing couple.
When they get seated, the waitress watches Mike struggle to get up onto a chair for a moment before asking if he would like a highchair.
Everyone in the group either cringes or buries their face in their hands, waiting for the unintentional bomb the waitress just planted to detonate.
"Excuse me!" Mike snaps. "I am perfectly capable of getting on this chair. It just takes a little strength…"— he heaves himself up onto the seat— "… and determination."
The entire dinner is spent with Buster chattering like a starling and showing off his collection of signatures from all the characters. Everyone else nods and only occasionally gets a word in edgewise. Ash pretends to be interested, but really she's looking at her phone under the table.
Meena is keeping her entertained with a steady supply of selfies from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Disney Springs. First there's Meena with face mask on, then with cucumber slices over her eyes. Soon Rosita joins her, both of them wearing towels wrapped over their heads. It's a funny sight, and Ash has to keep her hand over her mouth in order to seal in her laughter.
After dinner, Buster and Eddie walk out a bit behind the others. Ash and Mike are already fighting again, fur flying and fists clenched.
Buster shakes his head, ears drooping. "All I ask is for them to get along. For just one day."
"Even if they were the same height, those two would never see eye-to-eye," Eddie sighs. His thoughtful frown turns into a chuckle, but Buster remains silent. The sheep looks down at his taller companion. "You alright?"
"I was just… I was thinking about something you said a few days ago, at Hollywood Studios."
"Yeah?"
"You said… 'Aren't you a little too old for meet and greets, Buster?'" Buster says, adopting a low, monotone voice when he repeats Eddie's question.
Eddie scrunches up his nose. "I do not sound like that, man."
When Buster gives him a stare pointier than Ash's quills, Eddie raises his hooves in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. You were saying?"
"Well, I was thinking about my answer to your question," Buster mumbles, kicking a pebble under his shoe. "And I finally realized why I love this so much." He lifts his head again to lock gazes. "Did you ever wonder why I chose Disney World as the theater family's reward trip after last concert?"
"Because it was cheap?" Eddie guesses.
"No!" Buster says. "I wanted to come here because… I've dreamed of it ever since I was a small kid. Walt Disney was always one of my idols growing up. He's made so many magnificent movies that are now considered classics! From a young age, I knew I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be somebody who put himself out there in front of an audience. Walt worked behind the scenes and his works delighted millions. And his brother Mickey dared to put himself on stages and now he's the face of Disney World."
"Wow," Eddie mutters. "Yeah, I… I guess they were some pretty cool guys."
"'Cool'? Eddie, 'cool' is just the start of it!" There's a wistful, faraway look in Buster's eyes. "I've wanted to come here for so long because I never had the chance to visit as a kid. My dad was always so busy trying to buy the theater, so he never was able to come here either. Man, I wish he could see it. I feel like coming here is almost… like… making up for it. I'm trying to experience everything as much as I can, with the excitement of two people instead of just one." Buster stops, letting the rest of the group move onward. "Does that make sense?"
Eddie dips his head. "It makes sense to me. I think it's… really sweet of you to think of him like that, Buster."
Eddie almost swears Buster sniffles a little. "Yeah. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him."
Then, out of nowhere, the misty look is wiped from his face. Eddie is already glancing upward when Buster points. "Ed! Look!"
"I see," Eddie nods.
"Come on. It's our last night here." Buster grabs onto his old friend's arm, tugging on it like it's a rope. "Will you please be in this picture with me?"
Eddie gazes into those eager blue eyes, and already knows that he's lost this battle before it even began. "Sure," he agrees. "I'll do it."
Buster grins and leads him over to Donald Duck— who is totally the original Donald, without a doubt. Yet, even if he's not the original, Eddie doesn't mind one bit.