Author's note: I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 21: March of the Crimson Knights
In the streets of Igerburg, Disney Union
The many streets and avenues of the capital city were busy as usual. At the city centre, the markets were crawling with customers who were all desperate to buy newly-produced products. Today was a special day, because the slave market was now open. In order to completely humiliate them, the Disneans had accepted a law which made selling and buying slaves legal. Most of these slaves were CGI characters, live-action characters, and characters related to the tsarist rule.
"Come over here, people! These women here enjoyed themselves in the spotlight while you were enduring pain and suffering. Now you have a chance for revenge by making them your slaves!" an anthropomorphic goat named Hammerhead Hannigan called out to the crowds while presenting them to the Cheetah Girls who stood on the stage tied. Most of the crowds threw rotten tomatoes at them.
"Step right in, folks! Today I've got some hefty slaves for you! Here we have none other than Princess Ariel of Atlantica and her husband as well! Buy these two imperial scumbags as your perfect slaves!" a small ogre named Toadwart called out as he showed them the princess and her lover chained half-naked. They were completely bruised by all the harsh treatment they went through.
"Are you tired of doing all the work by yourself? Then do something about it, ladies and gentlemen! Me and my brother here has the right slave for you! We found this thieving CGI-character skulking around Cronoa. Now he's able to settle with his life as a slave!" Jasper Badun presented to the crowd with the help of his brother, Horace Badun. The man whom the Badun-brothers were selling was a young, but handsome man named Flynn Rider.
But the streets and avenues were also perfect for newspaper delivery-boys to do their jobs. Most of the newspaper companies were strictly under state-control, except for one. A young man born with a misshaped form walked through the streets while reading a newspaper from the government-friendly Worker's Daily. As he read it, he knew that he just couldn't accept all that was written on the newspaper. But he knew that he couldn't say that out in the open. Because of the city centre's busy atmosphere, the authorities had deployed members of the Red Guard to make sure everything was kept in check. This worried the young man, because he knew that they were looking for someone.
The young man entered a library. He always found comfort within this building given the fact that he was close friends with the librarian, a young brunette named Belle. This woman was among the nicest and caring Quasimodo had ever met. She didn't fear his appearance and liked him for who he was. But the young man had in the last few years made friends with other people.
"Hello Quasimodo. Nice of you to come visit me" Belle said with a kind-hearted voice.
"Good day, Belle" he said in return.
"Is there anything special you want to read?" she asked.
"No thanks. I just came here to get a little peace and comfort from all that noise going on outside. For some reason, I just can't stand the atmosphere in the market. Do you mind if I stay here for a few minutes?" he asked while taking a brief glance towards the window. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Bell leaned down and gave him a sweet smile.
"Of course you can, Quasimodo. Stay here as long as you want. In the meantime, how about I bring you something to eat? Surely all this uncertainty must've made you hungry" Belle offered, making the young man smiling.
"Yes….thank you very much, Belle! I appriciate it!" he answered and then decided to find a place to sit.
Quasimodo continued in studying at the newspaper. But he was constantly interrupted by all that noise happening outside. The way the mood sounded made him worried. But he remembered what Belle said. He would stay here until things were calmer outside.
"I better head over to Esmeralda and Clopin after staying here" he thought to himself while clenching the paper in his hand.
A few blocks away from Belle's library, the bar called "The Thieving Toad"
This bar was among the best places for the citizens of Igerburg to socialize. But it was also a place for people to do all kinds of nasty things. Inside, life and alcohol dominated the mood.
The bar was owned by the light-hearted yet eccentric J. Thaddeus Toad. But people close to him usually called him Mr. Toad. He was always happy for customers who came to visit, but he also didn't mind when fights between guests occurred. For today, he was about to witness something very unusual.
At a table to the farthest corner, two young men from the Disney Union's more farer and poorer territories were playing cards with four soldiers of the Disnean military. The young men consisted of one with black-hair and a ponytail and another with blonde hair and moustache. Their names were Tulio and Miguel.
"This is it, Miguel! If we win this round, the money's ours!" Tulio whispered to his partner who followed closely. He nodded his head with excitement.
"Something's not right here!" the short-sized soldier named Yao said determined while grumbling in anger. "Why do you keep winning every round!?" he added with a question.
"Yeah, you're probably cheating, that's it!" Yao's scrawny partner Ling joined in while glaring at Julio and Miguel.
"Oh really, and what proof do you guys have? We two are professionals in this. You're all just jealous of us because you suck at cards!" Tulio hit back while eyeing the other pair they were playing against.
"Watch your tongue, ye gibberin' mook! We have already played eight rounds until now! And you have won in all of them!" the black-haired soldier named Ben said in a Scottish accent.
"Either of you must be cheating! I can see it by looking at you!" Ben's partner Lon said while eyeing both the young men and the soldiers simultaneously. Yao took an issue with this.
"Are you calling us cheaters, chickenlips? Say that to my face!" Yao retorted to Lon.
"Shut up, ye blasted, good-for-nothin' dwarf! Or else I will shove ye misshapen face into this empty mug!" Ben rose up from his seat while holding a mug in his hand. Yao rose up from his seat.
"You wanna fight!? Oh, I'll let you taste a knuckle-sandwich!" Yao retorted back and began approaching Ben. "Come at me, you big dope!" he taunted.
"Ye asked for it, ye stinking bastard! I will knock yer brain out of that fat-headed face ye have!" Ben said and the two soldiers began fighting across the table. Both Ling and Lon joined in to support their respective partners. As the fight progressed everyone else in the bar noticed the fight and decided to start a bar fight.
"BAR FIGHT!" a drunken customer suddenly shouted and he threw a mug of beer at another customer. He reacted angrily.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH, THAT HURT!" the other customer retorted and began charging against him.
Mr. Toad eyed the whole scene with a worried look on his face. He couldn't stand customers starting a ruckus.
"Why me?" he said lowly while resting his face on his palm.
While all this commotion ensued, Tulio and Miguel snuck away from it in secrecy and exited the bar. Once outside, they both cheered and danced happily while holding a bag of money. Apparently, they had used the altercation between Yao and Ben to run away with the money rather than playing the final round.
"Hah! Those suckers! They totally left themselves wide open!" Tulio exclaimed while laughing.
"Yeah, they won't notice a thing or two until two hours have passed!" Miguel remarked while smiling cheerfully. "So, what do we do now?" he added with a question. Tulio immediately leaned his body against his shoulder and positioned his face right next to Miguel's.
"Simple. Now that we have money, we'll use it to give ourselves transportation to Mouseton. Once we're there, we'll set up our own brothel where chicks will be vying for us! Doesn't that sound good?" he explained his idea to Miguel, who smiled in return.
"That sounds great, but how are we gonna convince any girls to come work at us? It might not be easy" Miguel asked. Tulio was about to answer when he and his partner could hear a loud clock sound throughout the area. They both paused to listen what it was.
"This sound…is that from…" Tulio said.
"Yes…it's from the Magic Square…but what's happening over there?" Miguel wondered.
"I don't know…but let's get moving! For some reason I don't feel like standing here isn't safe" Tulio suggested and Miguel agreed.
But as they were about to leave, they could hear the sound of marching troops in the streets. They could notice that the other people here were worried and some even ran away. As the sound neared the duo, Tulio and Miguel soon realised what it was.
"Shit…the Red Guards are here!" Tulio shouted in fear. "They are probably looking for looters, scammers and enemies of the state!" he added.
"Then what are we waiting for!? We have to run away!" Miguel asked.
The duo ran to the nearest ally in order to flee the area. In a moment, soldiers of the Red Guards stood outside The Thieving Toad while positioning themselves for their leader. A captain of the Red Guards, Phoebus de Chateaupers walked between his men and eyed each direction.
"Well, nothing tricky to report here, for now" he said while observing.
"Comrade Captain, shall we enter this bar? There could be someone hiding inside it" a soldier suddenly asked his superior, but he raised his hand.
"No. That won't be necessary. Our orders were only to search the streets for anything suspicious. But all we see here are normal and hardworking people. So we won't have any change of plans here" he said and began slowly walking away. "Besides, what good are a bunch of drunkards, anyway? I mean, is it really necessary for us to search for some dissenters among them? That's ridiculous!" he suddenly added, thus convincing the soldier.
"Yes, you are right. We should continue searching then" the soldier said and Phoebus led his men to continue their orders.
As they marched through the streets, Phoebus thought about the atmosphere descending upon the city. He didn't seem confident, more troubled.
"Things have gotten more troubling lately. I don't how long I can continue living like this. If only citizens across the country knew what was happening in the Palace of Stars and Dreams…" he thought.
Palace of Stars and Dreams, Igerburg
What most of Disney's citizens didn't realize was the fact that Pete had completely changed his style of leadership similar to that of the tsars of old. Inside the palace, crimson banners, flags and carpets dominated every room. A throne room had been built which served as the gathering of every party members and officials. No one dared to speak against him, as they knew that Pete was not to be taken lightly with. He had begun wearing a red cape, as well as a suit similar to that of the tsar, the slight difference being that it was replaced by communist accessories.
Sitting in his throne, Pete was currently hosting leaders from other communist regimes. Zapp Brannigan of Foxtrot, Madeline Fenton of Nickleguard and Drew Saturday of Cartoonoath sat on three seats in front of the Disnean leader on his throne. They had all received invitations to visit Pete. Surrounding them were guards, party members and advisors.
"So glad you three could come to my palace, comrades. I admire how you have managed to set up a regime for the people in your countries" Pete applauded them.
"Why thank you, Comrade Pete! It's an honour to meet you in person. Oh yeah" Zapp exclaimed his pleasure and confidence.
"Our leaderships are meant to serve the people" Drew stated her opinion.
"Is there any reason for why we have been summoned, Pete?" Madeline asked.
Pete rose up from his throne and walked slowly around his visitors. They followed their host's steps carefully. He was without a doubt, planning something for them, politically or physically.
"What I am seeking….is for you to return the favour I gave each of you. You know very well what I am talking about, right?" he asked while eyeing the three. They all widened at his question.
"I couldn't quite catch what you were saying, comrade. How about you explain it more specific?" Drew asked Pete. His smile turned upside down.
"Don't be so ignorant, young lady. What our people want is for Cartoonoath to allow itself to be dominated by the UDPR economically. And that goes for your nations as well, Madeline Fenton and Zapp Brannigan" he explained strictly while eyeing the three communist leaders.
"You want our people's republics to submit our economy to the Disney Union?" Madeline asked, making Pete chuckle.
"That's right, pumpkin! All of your economies are to be controlled by us, the Communist Party of the Disney Union. You wouldn't mind that, would you?" Pete asked them while resting his arms behind his back. His visitors' eyes widened with uneasiness and shock. Zapp suddenly rose up from his seat and pointed an accusing finger at the premier.
"Who the hell do you think you are, ordering us like we are chickens!? We may have been assisted by you in creating our people's republics, but that doesn't mean we will allow you and your goons to take control in the affairs of our countries!" Zapp barked while fixing an angry look on his face. Surprisingly, Drew and Madeline rose up from their seats and fixed similar faces towards Pete. But the premier was still staring at them unfazed.
"Comrade Brannigan speaks the truth! Have you forgotten what Phantom Blot used to say? He meant that those who overthrew the old and oppressing tyranny should never imitate them as long as they were in power!" Drew said with a similar voice. The bodyguards of the three leaders stood by their side armed with weapons. Pete didn't seem at least surprised by their words or the bodyguards' behaviour.
The three leaders were staring at Pete, wondering why he remained so calm despite all of this. Suddenly, his face soon changed and he began laughing at them, as well as their bodyguards' threats. But he wasn't alone. Everyone in the room began laughing. But the premier's was even louder for the three leaders to hear. He stopped laughing and gave them all a smirk.
"Zapp Brannigan, are you referring to my comrades as goons?" Pete suddenly asked him. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you" he added with a dark voice. Zapp felt as if his heart had been stung.
"What…d-do you mean…b-by that!?" he asked very uncomfortable. Pete grinned and suddenly snapped his fingers.
Before everyone knew it, all of Brannigan's bodyguards were turned into crystal and they eventually shattered into many pieces. An old red-haired lady used her Molchaniye to appear beside Pete. It was Madame Medusa. She did that attack to Brannigan's men. She smiled at the immediately shocked and dim-witted leader.
"Oh I am sorry, did I overdo my attack on them?" Medusa asked while chuckling lightly to herself.
In just a brief moment, the bodyguards of Madeline were engulfed by shadow. They all fell into it. Soon, a shadow formed beside Pete and Medusa and up from it came the corpses of Madeline's bodyguards, as well as Facilier. He took off his hat in respect.
"Did someone call for a doctor? Well, I have answered!" Facilier mockingly said while eying Madeline who stood there gasping in fear.
Before Drew could even notice it, all of her bodyguards were shot down, one by one in cold blood. They had all been shot by a shooter who now stood beside Pete and his allies. It was the First Secretary of the Youth League: Cecil Clayton. He smiled while blowing off the smoke of his double-barred rifle.
"Now that was a splendid shooting. Thank you for being such perfect targets!" Clayton remarked while staring at Drew, who was now beaming with anger and sorrow over the death of her bodyguards. She drew out her sword and began charging at Pete and his gang.
"BASTARDS!" she shouted furiously, but before she could realize this, someone had used his Molchaniye at such a fast rate and appeared behind her. It was Scroop, who had his daggers positioned closely to Drew's throat and stomach. Her whole body immediately stopped and her heart began pounding faster. Scroop grinned and moved his face closer to the white-haired woman's ear.
"If you move an inch of your body, I will stab you right where you stand. And don't even think about trying to resist me. It's useless!" Scroop whispered to her ear, while her eyes never shifted directions.
Pete chuckled loudly and began slowly approaching the white-haired lady while Madeline and Zapp were still standing in fear, not even bothering trying something stupid. Surprisingly, he walked past Drew and the assassin she had behind her back and focused his attention to Zapp. He eyed the leader of Foxtrot with a smirk on his face.
"Do you regret saying that my comrades were goons? They took out your bodyguards as if they were easy prey. They are my pride and joy. They are the Krasnyye Rystari" Pete stated coldly, much to the fear of Zapp. "Anyway, as I was saying, all of your nations' economies will be controlled by us and us alone! And there I something you should know before you go. The Disney Union takes what it wants!" he declared.
Later, in a dark underground chamber, underneath the Magic Square
Beneath the surface, Pete had decided to spend time in an underground chamber which was located right beside the prison. He walked through the corridors and soon opened a large door which contained the face of a gargoyle on it. The moment he stepped inside, the whole mood changed. In this area, large amounts of weapons were produced. The stench of lava, steel and iron was all around him. Furthermore, many prisoners spent mining gold and ore which was something only the government knew. In fact, this whole underground compound was only known to those loyal to Pete.
In the control room, Pete had a brief meeting with Bill Sykes, Shan Yu, Percival C. McLeach and Cruella De Ville. Like the ones who had taken out the bodyguards in the palace, they were also members of the Krasnyye Rystari. It was in the control room where those who were responsible for the operations going on in the underground hung out. Sykes was the de facto man in charge of this industrialization. They spoke as the sounds of machines and fire cried outside the windows.
"Is there any news from Karnage and Slim yet, Cruella?" Pete asked the woman with her white-furred coat.
"Sir, the North Express runs smoothly, but they both have doubts in Silver's confidence and loyalty. I fear that our speculations are beginning to become a reality, Pete" Cruella answered.
"I understand. He sent me a letter informing me of this. But I'm afraid something else has been a nuisance for us in the last days" Pete explained.
"Yes comrade. Edgar was no match for the likes of Amos Slade, despite the blessing he went through. I didn't expect him to appear in the first place. Why does he show up now?" Shan Yu asked.
"Impossible to say, but I have a feeling that he might be trying to take control of the expedition now that Rourke's gone. We all know that Pleakley's no match for him. And what about those kids from Prydain? Surely they know who the enemy here is" McLeach remarked while answering Shan Yu's question.
"Didn't Amos impose self-exile on himself? How could've he had come back with such strength after what happened four years ago? Someone must've helped him!" Sykes stated his opinion. Pete slowly rose up from his seat and went over to the windows. He gazed through it while thinking.
"I don't see this as much of a surprise, my comrades. More like a nuisance. But for now, it appears that we have three men who will become big threats to our plan unless they are stopped. And they are not the Dreampixans. No, they are Disneans" Pete explained while staring through the window.
"Yes. First we have Amos Slade re-appearing for us amidst this war, and then we have John Silver who has grown more reluctant to follow our orders, and then there is Dr Jumba Jookiba. There is no doubt that fat-headed alien will switch over to Amos's cause and so will Silver" Cruella remarked, knowing what Pete was talking about.
"But lucky for us we managed to pick out a scientist to replace Jumba's position, a guy who had previously worked with him as a partner and assistant" McLeach said.
Suddenly an electric door opened and out from it came a small hamster-like creature dressed in a scientist's suit. He grinned as he approached the group.
"Ah, so glad you came to visit us, Dr Jacques von Hämsterviel!" Sykes greeted him. The scientist greeted back in respect.
"Good news, everyone. We in the science department have discovered the whereabouts of Amos Slade and the followers he has with him" Hämsterviel revealed to them, catching everyone's attention. Pete slowly walks over to the small scientist.
"Where are they heading to?" the premier asked him. Hämsterviel smiled gleefully.
"Apparently they are heading towards the mountainous border. It's the same direction the Dreampixans are headed towards" he answered. Pete was satisfied with what he was given.
"Very well. Let's go then!" he suddenly said.
"Go where?" Cruella asked, making Pete chuckle.
"Isn't it obvious? To Arendelle! Now that our enemies are all at the same spot, it will be a perfect opportunity to begin our plan! We will start in Arendelle and then move across the border towards Dreampix!" he declared and walked towards his quarters. "Notify all members of the Krasnyye Rystari! We go into battle!" he added.
The Inner Sanctum
Pete walked to his own quarters in the underground, which he himself had called the Inner Sanctum. Similar to the Palace of Stars and Dreams, the Inner Sanctum had also a throne which Pete used to sit on. It was much larger and yet impressive. He sat on it while starting to close his eyes. But he was not sleeping. Rather he was in deep thought while lowly communicating with someone. He did that inside his head.
"Be patient….in time…everything will be alright" Pete thought inside his head.
While he did that all members of the Krasnyye Rystari appeared before him. Bill Sykes, Shan Yu, Cruella De Ville, Percival C. McLeach, Madame Medusa, Cecil Clayton, Gaston LeGume, Facillier, Scroop, Taurus Bulba, Magica De Spell, Sigmund Igthorn, Claude Frollo, John Ratcliffe, Madame Mim, Gantu, Yzma and many other members approached their leader while dressed for combat. They all knelt before him. Pete rose up from his seat and eyed his personal army with satisfaction. He then made his proclamation.
"Krasnyye Rystari! It is time for us to depart to Arendelle. We will rendezvous with Karnage and Slim. Also we will expect the arrival of Rourke and his team to Arendelle as well. We shall paint our enemies red with their blood. The march of the Krasnyye Rystari begins now!" he said to his loyalists and they all cheered for him in return. They raised their fists against Pete and chanted his name with honour and respect.
On-board the airship Flint's Throne, in the occupied kingdom of Arendelle
After a stop at Arendelle, the North Express continued running on its track to the snow-covered mountains. And of course, Flint's Throne followed it while acting like a hawk stalking it's pray. The weather was normal, but it was very cold outside. They were now entering the mountainous region of Arendelle.
Silver however, was not feeling normal these days. He was in deep thought while sitting on his seat at the airship's bridge. With his and his crew's lives on the line, it wouldn't be long until something bad would happen. But so far, neither Karnage nor General Slim had made any move against them. But that was actually good for Silver and his crew. Because they could be given more time to plan what they should do.
The brothers Dewey and Louie Duck were fixing something on the airship's controls. Jessica and Holli were engaged in a conversation with Arrow. And of course Hercules and Aladdin were being toughened by Silver's headstrong second-in-command, Amelia Smollet. She could actually see her superior feeling a little bit down for some reason. She knew what trouble they were in with the authorities.
"Admiral, are you alright?" Vice-Admiral Amelia asked him with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, lass. It's just that I haven't been able to be positive in these days. Who knows what kind of danger Karnage or Slim has in store for us?" he replied to Amelia's question.
"I….I don't know, sir. I am just as much confused as you are" she responded.
"But we will always stand by your side, Silver. No matter what the premier says" Arrow suddenly joined in the conversation, making the cyborg smile in return.
"Perhaps I am a lucky fellow to be the leader of such loyal lads such as you, Arrow" he remarked while chuckling a little.
Suddenly, Kenai appeared before Silver and his associates and bowed to them in respect. Silver smiled, knowing that if there was someone who could lift his spirits, it was Kenai. But this time, Kenai was panting due to the fact that he had run.
"I hate to interrupt, Silver, but you must turn the course of the airship immediately! We are about to be attacked!" he added much to everyone at the bridge's horror and shock. "I have just received a radio message from the CSS UDPR! They know of my defection! They have dispatched planes to attack us!" he added.
"What? They have sent planes at us?!" Silver said in distress. Suddenly a hologram appeared in the middle of the bridge. It was none other than Don Karnage himself. He smirked while holding his blade to the ground.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our dear Admiral of the Air Fleet himself, John Silver. What that stupid yokel of a friend you have there just said is true. You are about to be attacked. You see I have just ordered a battalion of war planes to dispose of your precious airship. You will all be sent down to your deaths" he revealed it to Silver who glared at him angrily in return.
"Bloody hell, what's the meaning of this!?" Silver asked outraged.
"You ask what? Don't be ridiculous, cyborg! We both know why you and your crew have been given such fate. All who stand against the premier will suffer the consequences. To put it another way: you have no place among us!" Karnage responded.
"Karnage you damned fool! Do you have any idea what Pete will lead us to!? He will destroy our world!" Silver retorted back, much to Karnage's annoyance.
"Will he? Your travels must have made you too soft to be of Disnean blood, Silver! What he has done to our society is the restoration of Disnean supremacy! We take what we want in this world!" Karnage said sternly and coldly.
Silver didn't bother say anything. He only stood still while lowering his head. But he soon returned his gaze to Karnage, who was still unfazed by the cyborg's determination.
"Well, then in that case, I might as well choose to fight against you bastards! Why don't you come up here and fight me face to face!?" Silver demanded, much to the laughter of his adversary.
"You shouldn't waste your last words, Silver. My planes will dispose of you in the blink of an eye" Karnage suggested, receiving a slight smirk from Silver.
"Who said they would be going to catch me? Amelia, Arrow, activate the airship's smokescreen now!" he suddenly ordered his two trusted associates and they pulled two different levers.
Flint's Throne began shooting out large puffs of smoke around itself, thus covering it with smoke that was impossible to see through for those on the train. Silver smiled with confidence. He and Kenai stood with the controls of the airship.
"Alright, now it's time for us to get out of this hellhole! Kenai, activate the hyperdrive!" he ordered the young man, and Kenai slammed his hand on the large red button. The whole airship began loading its speed. "We better find us some allies who might be able to give us help in deposing Pete!" Silver added while making sure everyone on his crew was notified.
To be continued…
Author's note: That was chapter 21. Hope you liked it. I will get back to Jim and his friends in the next chapter. Also, there is a possibility that I could write about what had happened to Shrek and his comrades.