"Music? What kind of music? Does it have lyrics or is it just with instruments? They usually have the area music playing," Alice asked as she looked at the mirror, tugging on a strand of her now neon blue hair. Giselle headed towards the open double door, where she could hear the sounds.
"…elcome! Welcome, Welcome, welcome!" She could faintly hear, accompanied by the sound of bells.
"I hear Welcome being repeated over and over…" Giselle called, turning back to look at Alice. Alice's scowl of annoyance turned to one of surprise and she spun away from the mirror.
"What! It's starting already!" Alice yelped.
"What's starting?" Giselle asked. Alice ignored her question and ran over, grabbing to Giselle's arm.
"It's almost time for the park to open! Hurry! We have to go!" Alice yelped, pulling on her arm.
"…the castle is the entranceway, to seven lands and more. Step inside our storybook, imagine what's in store! The most magical place on Earth, is here!" Bright cheerful voices echoed down the street towards them as they ran to the entrance. A crowd was gathered in a large group around a huge flagpole, all listening to the song.
"Hiya Alice. Hiya, new person. You're just in time for the park opening!" Someone said as he walked up. Giselle stared; the person had long black floppy ears similar to a dog and was wearing an orange vest and green hat.
"Hi, Goofy. Goofy, this is Giselle. Giselle, Goofy. Where's Max?" Alice asked.
"Max? Oh, he got in trouble over in Tomorrowland. He couldn't come," Goofy replied, shaking his head.
"Was he skateboarding on the TTA track again?" Alice asked.
"Ayup. I just can't understand why he likes skating on that ride," Goofy replied.
"Alice, why is everyone up here?" Giselle asked.
"Oh, the park's opening. I suppose you haven't told her yet," Goofy said before he noticed someone in the crowd and walked off to say hello.
"Well, I am pretty sure I told you that we are here during the night. When the park opens, we all go into a…slumber, I guess you would say," Alice explained before two short individuals leapt from the crowd to stand in front of them.
"Oh, hello there Alice! Why is your hair so funny?" One, a brown hare wearing a worn crimson coat and holding a cup of cold tea, asked as the other burst into laughter.
"Mad Hatter, March Hare," Alice growled. The two burst into laughter again, spilling tea all over themselves in their glee.
"Go on, you two. Don't you have something better to do?" Alice asked in annoyance, crossing her arms.
"Er, not really! How about some tea?" The Mad Hatter said, swinging the teapot he was holding around for emphasis.
"I would love half a cup! It is, after all, my unbirthday!" The March Hare shouted, dumping the tea he had in his china tea cup onto the ground and pulling out a cup. It was, to Giselle's surprise, cut in half in a manner that could not possible hold tea.
"What's a unbirth…" Giselle started to ask before Alice shot a venomous glance at her and turned to the cackling duo.
"Better watch out, I think I see the Queen…" She said. In an instant, the two vanished and all that was left to prove they had been there was a puddle of cold brown tea.
"Who are they?" Giselle asked, hoping she wasn't going to get another glare.
"That was the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. They are, from what you can see, insane. I try my best to avoid them. Now, we need to talk about tomorrow before the park opens. Do you want me to come get you from the Castle Courtyard, where we first met, or do you want to meet in Fantasyland?" Alice said.
"I'll meet you in Fantasyland," Giselle replied. Then, underneath the music, she could hear the tinkling of bells.
"Here comes Tinkerbell," Someone shouted over the crowd. The crowd became silent and turned to face the road behind them. Giselle turned and she saw a ball of yellow light come zooming towards them.
"That's Tinkerbell, she's a fairy and she is doing one last check before the park opens," Alice explained as the fairy flew above them. Golden dust trickled down from where she flew, landing on the road. With a few spins, she flew up the flagpole and landed daintily on the top.
"Is she making sure everything is ready?" Giselle asked when suddenly Tinkerbell vanished in a trickle of sparkles.
"It's time," Someone else murmured and everyone in the crowd began glowing.
"Alice!" Giselle asked worriedly.
"It's okay, Giselle. Sweet dreams. I'll see you tomorrow," Alice tried to reassure her. Giselle felt a funny feeling and looked at her hands, they were dissipating into golden sparkles. A warm sleepy feeling overcame her and Giselle allowed her eyes to droop.
Alice watched Giselle, Goofy, and all the others implode into the sparkles with a faint smile.
"Five…"
She felt a laugh burble at the back of her throat as she heard the countdown being shouted outside of the park.
"Four…"
Men, women, and children were waiting outside, believing in magic and fairies and everything that Alice is surrounded with every night. she wished she could exist when they entered, that she could see their smiling faces and hear their excited laughter.
"Three…"
Sparkles of warm white light came from the middle of the flagpole, dissipating in air before they touched the ground.
"Two…"
A bright platinum key shone. Alice withheld a grin as she saw one of the seven Keys to the Kingdom. She didn't know what door the Keys unlocked, or what they were created for, but she knew there was one in each section of the park and they were forbidden to be touched.
"One!"
Alice heard the final call and the roar of laguhter and excited yells as finally fatigue overcame her and she accepted the warm embraces of sleep.
