.:Disneyland ~ Main Street U.S.A.:.
"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past,
and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.
Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America,
with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
~Walt Disney
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"Are we there yet?"
"No. Not yet."
"How much farther?"
"Not that much."
"Have we been there before?"
"Nope."
"How long are we staying?"
"Renesmee," Edward chuckled, "I know you're excited and impatient, but all these questions are going to ruin the surprise. Do you want that?"
"I wouldn't mind," her sweet little voice responded from the backseat.
Carlisle, Esme, and Bella laughed.
"Well, you may not, but sometimes you have to respect the wishes of the people who want to surprise you."
"Remember when you surprised Mommy for her birthday last year?" Esme asked her. "You had so much fun — I bet you wouldn't have wanted the surprise spoiled."
"Nope, I wouldn't." Nessie frowned.
"Which reminds me..." Bella said. "No more birthday parties!" She glared at Edward through the rearview mirror. He only smiled, not promising her anything. Besides, he couldn't control Alice.
It wasn't long before the Cullens reached the Magic Kingdom, as Edward had said. The moment the white tip of Matterhorn Mountain was visible to the freeway, he announced that they had officially arrived.
Renesmee saw the Matterhorn, too, but she still hadn't processed why it looked familiar. Then she remembered it was on one of her sing-a-long videos that Grandpa Charlie had gotten her for Christmas. And, then, she saw the name of the street Edward was exiting onto.
Suddenly, everyone within a fifty mile radius heard:
"DISNEYLAND!"
OoOoOoO
Edward parked the car in the Disneyland lot. Renesmee jumped out with no hesitation, heading for the car her aunts, uncles, and Jacob just pulled up in.
"I'm guessing you liked the surprise, Nessie?" Rosalie said when hopping out of the passenger's seat. Nessie jumped into her aunt's embrace, grinning from ear to ear, eyes sparkling.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Oh, you should have seen her face!" Esme said.
"I wish I could have; I certainly heard her!" Rosalie swung her niece around in a circle.
"I think all of Anaheim heard her," Emmett chuckled.
Jacob stretched as he got out of the car, breathing in a nice lungful of fresh air; he groaned as he did so.
"That was a long, smelly car ride."
"You're telling us," Alice retorted. Her and Jasper were waving their hands in front of their noses to shoo away the werewolf stench. They had had to sit in the backseat with Jacob the whole trip. Sure they were all getting used to the scents of their "natural enemies", but they never had to sit so close together for such a long period of time before.
Snarky, albeit harmless remarks were traded after that, and Bella had to intervene in her usual peace-maker fashion, ushering everyone toward the escalators of the parking structure that lead to the trams. Esme followed silently, finding it amusing that she wasn't the only mother in the house anymore.
"Jasper, are you alright?" Carlisle asked, concerned when noticing his son reluctantly following behind the group.
The southern blonde didn't look alright; he looked uncomfortable.
After a sigh, Jasper answered, "I agreed to this trip for Alice, and Renesmee; I also wanted to come with the family... But there'll be so many humans crowded together here for the entirety of the day, of the weekend. I don't think..." His face fell in shame when he was unable to finish.
"You shouldn't think so much about it," Carlisle said, understanding. "Just concentrate on having fun. It will work."
Jasper wanted to argue against such a naive belief — that if he just stopped thinking about it, the pain in his throat would magically go away—but Carlisle was already walking off. After one final thought on the subject, Jasper decided he might as well try the advice anyway. He really had no other choice.
Luckily, his distractions came immediately.
On their way to the tram that would drop them off in front of Disneyland's main gates, Nessie started asking a million and one questions about her favorite movies, wondering if this is where the characters all lived. This had them all talking about what the most memorable Disney films were for them. For most of them, it was hard to choose just one, but a few were at the top of their lists and, together, they pretty much covered all of their favorites. Bella's included The Little Mermaid, while Edward loved Fantasia — the Sorcerer's Apprentice being his favorite piece. Jacob liked Aladdin best. Emmett's favorites wereHerculese, Peter Pan, and Toy Story. Jasper preferred Pinocchio and Mulan, among many others. Carlisle enjoyed The Lion King, and Esme simply adored most of the princess movies, as well as Tarzan and Dumbo; but, both of their favorite characters were Mickey and Minnie Mouse, above all. As for Rosalie, she loved Sleeping Beauty the most; Renesmee's favorite princess was Belle; and Alice was fond of Cinderella.
"Did you see the way her little mouse friends made her dress?" Alice was saying animatedly. "And the ball gown the Fairy Godmother came up with was brilliant. Cinderella was going to create her own dress, too, but...oh well. You just know she's a designer at heart, though!"
"That can't be the only reason why you like that movie," Bella said. She couldn't be sure knowing Alice, but she really hoped fashion wasn't everything her sister thought about.
"No. I also love Cinderella's character, you know? She's sweet and innocent and just plain ol' deserving of a happily ever after. She keeps on dreaming no matter what people tell her, and when her Prince Charming didn't come sweep her off her feet, she went over to the palace and got him. Ha-ha!
"And all she wanted to do was go to a ball. I understand her dream for parties." Alice shrugged.
Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't know about that last part, but it is good she got her prince, at least."
Jacob snorted. "Yeah. He fell right in love with her. It's funny how quickly and easily people fall in love in Disney movies."
"It must be imprinting," Emmett shot back with a smirk.
"Shut up!" Jacob growled at him. He glanced nervously at Edward and Rosalie—they usually glared murderously at him whenever that was brought up aloud. However, they were both pretending (very hard) that they didn't hear a thing.
"I'm not sure I'm set on the whole true-love-at-first-sight idea," Jasper said, adding to the conversation, "but when I met Alice, all she had to do was hold out her hand and I took it without question, a stir of emotion happening inside me..."
"That's because she was already in love with you, and, since you're an empath, you felt it without a choice, mistaking her feelings for your own. It was a trick! And, boy, did you fall for it," Emmett sniggered.
"He sure did!" Alice agreed brightly, bringing a priceless expression to Jasper's face.
"What I don't get," Jacob persisted, "is what's so great about Snow White's prince. What'd he ever prove besides, apparently, being a good kisser?"
"To an extent, you have a point," Edward said. "Sleeping Beauty's Prince Phillip had to escape Maleficent's prison, fight his way through a number of obstacles, and slay a dragon before he could get within kissing distance of his princess. I'm fairly confident that Prince Charming, had he been similarly imprisoned, would have simply sat in his cell and sung songs about his lost love."
"Yeah. He tends to do nothing but roam the forest singing love songs."
"Snow White's a bit of a bore herself, so maybe they were made for each other," Emmett teased.
"You boys are terrible," Esme said with a frown. She adored Snow White, and felt Prince Charming was endearing in a silent, subtle way in the film. Maybe it was cliché, but she found it romantic.
"And you are so wrong," Bella added.
"Yeah," Nessie said, sticking her tongue out at them.
"They're just being unnecessarily difficult," Jasper assured the girls.
"Am not," Emmett said (though he was). "All I'm saying is, for Snow White's personality, her Prince Charming kind of fits. So it's all good, right?"
"Not if all he does is sing," Jacob muttered.
"Personally, I very much enjoy Snow White," Carlisle said. "Singing about your love makes sense. Love is a song in itself; a song that never dies."
"That was quite beautiful, Carlisle," Esme said, impressed.
"He stole it from Bambi," Edward said, his lips pressed together in amusement.
Carlisle grinned guiltily, but unashamed. "What can I say? It's a powerful children's movie."
"You're telling me," Emmett said. "Nessie made me sit and watch Bambi with her four times in one day, and, let me tell you, watching Bambi's mother being killed by hunters, and then his father appearing and being all, 'Your mother can't be with you anymore'... I couldn't find it in myself to go hunting for a month afterward!"
"And you got really cranky," Nessie reminded him. Emmett messed up her hair for that. "Hey!"
"Speaking of cranky, Nessie might be that way tomorrow morning when we wake up early," Jacob said to Edward. They watched Nessie chase Emmett to the waiting area for the trams. "So what hotel are we staying at?"
"The Disneyland Hotel."
"Right, but which one? Aren't there like...three?"
"... We're staying at The Disneyland Hotel."
"Yes, I got that, but I want to know the name of the one we're staying at!"
"It's named The Disneyland. Hotel."
"Oh."
"Idiot," Rosalie snickered.
Jacob glared. "How was I supposed to know? You'd think Disney would come up with something more creative than that."
Bella could tell he was about to end with a smart remark, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Charlie took me here once for my thirteenth birthday. Did I ever tell you? The memory is blurry, but I can tell this place has really changed since then... I can't imagine how it must look to you," she said, speaking to Carlisle and Esme.
"It has certainly expanded," Esme said, observing her surroundings.
"And modernized, for the most part," Carlisle added. For the first time in days, his face was relaxed and content. The presence of family and togetherness that resided in all-things Disney was already encasing the doctor in its aura. "It looks good."
"I can't wait to see the inside," Esme continued. "To see Main Street, and It's A Small World, and the Rivers of America. And the castle!"
"You sound more excited to be here than Renesmee," Jasper chuckled.
Nessie popped her head up at the sound of her name. "Not possible," she said. Then she asked if there was really a real castle, just like it showed in her videos.
"Yes. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is right in the heart of Disneyland," Edward answered her.
This made the little girl ever more eager to get inside the park. She bounced on her toes as they waited for the tram to come. Finally, it did.
"Please wait behind the yellow line until the tram comes to a complete stop," a woman said through the loudspeakers of the vehicle as it pulled up.
Renesmee looked down at her feet. Her toes were sticking past the yellow line the announcer just addressed. She shuffled back a little, determined to follow the rules perfectly. The tram squealed to a standstill, and the Cullen family filed into two of the benches. Nessie wanted to sit on the end, but Bella said she was too small and, by human appearances, too fragile.
Arriving at Downtown Disney, the family made their way past it, through the simple security check, and finally, just beyond the ticket booths, was Disneyland. The tune to Be Our Guest was playing from speakers hidden in the scenery.
Nessie was trying to keep from literally bouncing up and down. Emmett gasped dramatically when he saw the park entrance—one long, continuous breath, as if he was about to squeal like an excited little boy. Then he suddenly went monotone.
"Well, that's Disneyland. Let's go home now." He started walking away.
"No!" Nessie cried, running after him and pulling him back.
The others chuckled.
"OK, does everyone have their ticket?" Esme checked. There was a chorus of yes's. "Good. Now— "
"Wait!" Jacob shouted suddenly, changing his mind as he started frantically digging deeper in his pocket. "Where's mine— Oh, I got it." He relaxed into a smile as he pulled his ticket out.
Esme shook her head fondly.
"Now, who's ready for some magic?" Esme asked, smiling specifically at her granddaughter.
"THE CULLENS!" Nessie yelled happily. "Oh, and Jake."
"Thanks a lot, Ness."
She giggled.
They got in line and handed their tickets over to the man collecting them, one-by-one. He wished them a magical time, and Nessie loved that, to emphasize his words, the sound of pixie dust sounded whenever someone walked through the turnstiles into the park.
Just entering the park was magical!
The first thing the Cullens saw were beautiful flowers arranged in the shape of Mickey Mouse. One of the cast members offered to take a picture of the whole family together by it, and the family accepted.
"I love Mickey Mouse," Nessie told the employee, who smiled back and told her she'd love it here then.
"I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of Mickey Mouse around here," Edward said when they were done.
"Why?" Nessie asked. She didn't think Mickey could be everywhere at once.
"Well, throughout the park there are 'Hidden Mickeys', or representations of Mickey Mouse's head inserted subtly into the design of attractions and environmental decor. It's fun to search for them."
"Cool! I'm gonna look for one."
Bella leaned into Edward and whispered, "How do you know all this stuff if you've never been here before?"
"Love, when I plan a trip I am very thorough," he replied with his crooked smile. "Besides, there are families all around here that are Annual Pass holders — I can read their thoughts." He shrugged.
"Oh. More power to you then." Edward was certainly going to help make this trip spectacular if he could hear all the secrets about the park.
The Cullens followed the crowd into the park, filled with excitement they hadn't felt when the trip was first mentioned. The train, Disney Limited, whistled above them as they walked under the arch that supported the train tracks. When they came out the other side they found themselves in an old-fashioned, American town of the early 20th century.
There was a train station (obviously), a firehouse, city hall, a double-decker bus, shops of all kinds of things, varying from jewelry to toys; there was an ice cream parlor and an arcade, a movie theater, a Disney art gallery, a bakery and a refreshment corner. Sweet, delicious smells wafted through the air, emitting from items such as cotton candy and popcorn.
"Now this smell I can get used to," Jacob murmured to Renesmee. She nodded vigorously.
There was a band playing in Town Square. Alice danced with Jasper to the fun tune, twirling as they passed. Nessie tried to mimic their movements with Jacob, but, to everyone's amusement, they weren't as graceful. Edward made a note to teach Jacob a thing or two if he was going to end up being his little girl's dance partner.
After Jacob twirled her again, Nessie spotted something from the corner of her eye. She turned, and then audibly gasped. Straight north from where she stood was Sleeping Beauty's Castle, sparkling in all its glory.
"There it is," Jacob said.
Nessie smiled so big it hurt her face.
"Daddy, Momma, look!" She searched Edward and Bella out, then pointed down the street at the castle. She couldn't believe it was actually there, right in front of her, all big and pretty.
"Why don't we catch the horse-drawn trolley down to see it up close?" Bella suggested. "It's about to stop right here."
"Yeah!" Nessie yanked Jacob back to the rest of the family.
When the carriage arrived a moment later, they boarded. The horse clopped away, and the Cullens excitedly chattered, pointing out interesting things they saw as they headed for the castle riding right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
"My, this looks familiar," Esme sighed as she watched the old-fashioned buildings go by.
"In more ways than one," Carlisle agreed with a laugh.
Nessie pointed out the large candy shop as they rode past it. Inside, she spotted a round, rainbow lollypop that was almost bigger than her face. She fell instantly in love with it. Emmett commented that the falling-in-love-with-your-food thing must've been a trait she got from her father. He was ignored, of course, but Edward did tell Renesmee she could get the lollypop later in the day, after she'd eaten a real meal.
The trolley came to a stop at the end of Main Street, in the Central Plaza where the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse sat. Edward took Nessie over to it, saying, "Look, this is Walt Disney. He's the man who dreamed up this park and made it happen, for adults and children alike. In the words of Walt himself: adults are just kids grown up, anyway."
"Just look at your Uncle Emmett," Bella said. Nessie giggled; but she wasn't as interested in this statue as she was with the castle.
Edward, hearing her thoughts, chuckled and told her she had to take a picture first. Rosalie snapped a shot of Renesmee between Bella and Edward by the "Partners" statue. The moment the little Cullen heard the camera click, she spun and darted for the castle with no hesitation. She stopped right in front of it and looked up, amazed.
Sleeping Beauty's Castle soared extravagantly into the sky, its pink and blue, gold-plated spires glittering despite the overcast day. Intricate ornamentation and gargoyles were integrated on its stone towers. A moat surrounded the castle, as well as colorful gardens and willow trees. A stone walkway lead up to the drawbridge, and swans swam peacefully in the water, adding to the enchantment. The Disney family crest rested just above the drawbridge.
"Oooo, sign me up for one of these," Alice said, coming up to admire the fairytale palace, too.
"How beautiful," Esme marveled with them. "Better than I remember, and that's saying something."
Edward got another Disney cast member to take a picture of the entire family in front of the magnificent home. Esme chastised Emmett when they got the camera back and saw that it would have been a perfect, smiling picture if it weren't for him making a face.
"I add personality," he defended. Then added quickly, "I'll smile in the next one," when she glared at him.
Carlisle knelt down beside his granddaughter. "So, young lady, what are you up for? A daring adventure? A journey to the future, perhaps? A trip into a fairytale dream land?"
"You can do all of that here?" Nessie asked, awed.
"Of course, sweetie. Anything is possible at Disneyland."
Nessie looked around. She didn't want to do anything her family didn't want to, but her eyes kept landing back on the castle. She's always wanted to be a princess...
"You know," Edward began thoughtfully, "I have in mind just the place we should visit first."
OoOoOoO
"The magic is as wide as a smile and as narrow as a wink, loud as laughter and quiet as a tear, tall as a tale and deep as emotion.
So strong, it can lift the spirit. So gentle, it can touch the heart. It is the magic that begins the happily ever after."
~an Imagineer