A/N: One. Month. As of this day, we are now officially one month away from the glory that is Kingdom Hearts 3! And, to mark such a momentous occasion, I, MCN, bring to you the long awaited fourth chapter of Reconnect! (He says, knowing full well it was a complete coincidence)
Anyway, sorry this took so long, as I said before I took a break from Fan Fiction to try my hand at writing an original novel, but all I ended up doing was hitting some major writers block on that, so I decided to update some of my fics to get the old creative juices flowing again. This'll be Madoka's first foray into a Disney World, so I hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Puella Magi Madoka Magica
A Very Merry Unbirthday
"Wow~!" Madoka gasped in amazement for what felt like the hundredth time as she gazed out the window of the Gummi Ship's cockpit. As soon as they exited the portal Madoka had made, they found themselves in a vast open space, surrounded by beautiful hues of green and blue with twinkling white stars dotting every inch of the horizon in every direction.
"Aye, quite the incredible sight isn't it, even after all these years it never fails to amaze me." Scrooge said with a light chuckle at Madoka's bewilderment.
He called it the Lanes Between, the space between worlds that Madoka had only seen small glimpses of from Sora's memories, and frankly, they didn't do it justice. But as breathtaking as it was, it was even more so in motion, the stars and aether around them changing position as they zoomed through the pathway that Scrooge claimed Madoka had opened up for them. The further they traveled, the more variation they saw; they encountered asteroids and other debris that Scrooge expertly navigated through, even turbulence couldn't slow them down. Scrooge did all of the piloting, so Madoka was free to just relax and enjoy the view.
"It's beautiful! It reminds me of flying in an airplane at night, but more… colorful!" Madoka said with an excited giggle.
"Heh, heh, well I'm glad yer enjoyin' yerself, lass, but we're about to reach our destination." Scrooge informed as he began shifting the controls of the Gummi Ship.
"Really?" Madoka gasped.
"Aye, see for yerself." Scrooge said as he gestured to the window.
Madoka looked passed the small asteroids that still barred their path, and surely enough, there floating in the aether was… Madoka wasn't really sure what it was. It looked somewhat like a planet, but its surface was entirely made of what seemed to be a tapestry of red and pink, checkered squares with hearts drawn inside them. Upon the surface were but a few landmarks; a heart shaped hedge archway along side a strange looking castle on the "top side", and a simple cottage with a single large tree beside it on the "bottom side".
"It looks kind of… small." Madoka commented awkwardly, to which Scrooge just chuckled.
"Heh heh heh, that it does, but I promise ye it's much bigger on the inside." He assured as he brought the Gummi Ship into the world's orbit. "Alright lass, this is where ye get off."
"Huh? Aren't we going to land?" Madoka said quizzically, seeing as the world was still a rather long fall away from the ship.
"Ah, I'm afraid not lass." Scrooge lamented, turning his pilot's chair around to face her. "Ye see, this ship is an old one, she be one of the very first to ever travel the Lanes Between, and unfortunately, Cid never got around to puttin' in a proper dockin' system." He explained, though he could tell that Madoka wasn't really following. "To put it shortly, somebody's gonna have to stay here and keep her afloat while ye go explorin'." Now that Madoka understood, her eyes widening in realization.
"So… I have to go alone?" Madoka nearly trembled at the thought. For all of her protest when Scrooge made the offer to guide her, the truth was she was incredibly relieved to have a companion on this impromptu journey she had set out upon. Not only that, but she knew that Scrooge wasn't a fighter, and to expect him to travel with her through a possibly Heartless infested world was utterly selfish of her, and realizing this did a number on her mood.
"Well, I never said that." Scrooge countered.
"Eh, but you said…"
"Just a moment lass. Now, where did I put that blasted…?" Scrooge grumbled to himself as he began searching his person for something, much to Madoka's confusion. "Aha! There ye are ye rascal!"
Placing a small headset over his ears and with a proud smile on his beak, Scrooge presented Madoka with what seemed to be a small, mechanical version of himself, a robotic little duck dressed in his exact same clothing, though its head being rather disproportionally large compared to its body, and almost cuboidal in shape. With a quick turn of a small key in the little duck's back, it instantly sprang to life, much to Madoka's surprise. The little robot took a quick look at its surroundings before sprouting its mechanical wings and flying over to Madoka. It opened its beak, letting out a small, artificial quack, before Scrooge's voice projected out from it.
"Ehem, testin', testin', can ye hear me alright, lass?" Scrooge said before the little duck circled around Madoka whimsically before landing in her hands.
"Awww! It's so cute!" Madoka cooed as she petted the little device on the head.
"With this here Mini-Scrooge, I'll be right by yer side out in the field, without havin' this old duck slowin' ye down that is." Scrooge quipped, the Mini-Scrooge giving a playful salute, to which Madoka giggled.
"Thank you, Mr. Scrooge." She said with a polite bow.
"Well, I can't have a novice adventurer like yerself go out all on her own without a guide, now can I?" Scrooge replied before returning his attention to the Gummi Ship controls. "Now then, step on over to the warp point if ye will, lass." He instructed as a small circle of light appeared near the back of the cockpit.
"Oh, r-right." Madoka said as she trotted over, Mini-Scrooge perching itself on her shoulder. Before she stepped inside, she took one last look at the rotating world she would soon be exploring, the world that the Keyblade had guided her to in response to her wish to find Sora. Was he really there? Would he really help her if she asked? Even she knew that she would never know until she tried, so she took a deep breath and stepped onto the warp point.
"Alright, off ye go lass!" Scrooge said, and with a push of a button, Madoka was engulfed in a beam of light, and just like that she was gone from the cockpit of the ship.
Once the light faded, Madoka found herself in a dense forest, small beams of sunlight shining through the thick canopy that allowed her just enough light to see. She could hear birds chirping in the distance, smell the sweet scent of flowers in the air, all familiar sights and sounds that told her nothing of the fact that she was in a completely different world than she had ever seen before. It put her mind at ease.
"Wow, what a beautiful forest." She commented.
"Aye, but don't be gettin' too comfortable, lass." Mini-Scrooge warned from his perch on Madoka's shoulder. "Ye never know what dangers may be lurkin' about."
"Like… Heartless?" Madoka suggested.
"Most certainly, but even without the nasty buggers, every world has its own set of threats, so ye best be stayin' on yer toes, lass." Mini-Scrooge advised as he leered around the area, keeping a look out for danger it seemed. Madoka had mixed feelings about the advice, on one hand she appreciated the guidance of the veteran adventurer, but on the other she really regretted losing her sense of comfort. "Now then, we came here lookin' for Sora, ain't that right?" Mini-Scrooge reminded as he fluttered off of Madoka's shoulder to properly face her.
"R-Right! But…" Madoka took a tentative look around the dimly lit forest. "…I'm not exactly sure where to start?" She admitted sheepishly.
"Hmm… normally, the locals would be a good place to start. They'd know the world much better than us, and knowin' the lad, he's probably already gotten himself mixed up in this world's affairs, but…" As Mini-Scrooge struggled to voice his thoughts, Madoka noticed a faint voice echoing in the distance.
"Hey, Mr. Scrooge, do you hear that?" She said, bringing her guide's attention to the noise.
"...Ann… ary Ann~…!" The distant voice said.
"Aye, it sounds close." Mini-Scrooge concurred after a quick listen. Their curiosity getting the best of them, the duo followed the voice to a wide, open clearing, where a small house of white stone and red wood stood all by its lonesome, a stone fence surrounding the property. Suddenly, a white rabbit popped his head out from the second floor window, screaming at the top of its lungs into the forest.
"Mary Ann~! Mary Ann~!" The rabbit cried.
"It sounds like he's lookin' for somebody, quite urgently at that." Mini-Scrooge observed, perching himself on the fence.
"Wait a minute… that's…"
Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!
"…The white rabbit that Sora met!" Madoka realized. "Hey Mr. Scrooge, maybe we can ask him if he's seen Sora!" She suggested enthusiastically.
"Mmm… I suppose it couldn't hurt to try…" Mini-Scrooge said, though with some noticeable apprehension in his voice. "But, before we go conversin' with any locals, there's one thing ye need to keep in mind. Ye cannot tell anyone that yer from another world!" He warned, flying up to look Madoka in the eye. "The worlds are separate for a reason, and we must maintain the world order, it be the single most important rule for us world hoppin' adventurers. Ye understand, lass?"
"Yes." Madoka said with a nod. She actually had a vague idea of this rule already, catching glimpses of Scrooge's nephew mentioning such a thing to Sora. It actually made her wonder if she had ever met someone from another world before, back in Mitakihara, and never even knew it. That one paranoid thought alone made her understand why the knowledge of other worlds needed to be kept secret.
"Good, lead the way then." Mini-Scrooge said as he hopped onto the small gate of the fence and pulled it open, giving Madoka passage onto the premises. With a deep breath to steel her nerves, Madoka walked up the stone pathway to the small, rabbit sized doorway, the duo able to hear the White Rabbit scurrying about inside. Madoka gave a tentative knock on the door.
"Um, hello, Mr. Rabbit!" Madoka called as she knocked. For just a moment, the Rabbit's frantic scurrying stopped and she could hear him hopping down steps and to the door, though he still seemed to mumble to himself, loudly enough for her to know he was complaining about the unwanted disturbance it seemed.
"Yes?" The Rabbit demanded as he swung open the door, allowing Madoka to finally get a good look at him. He was short in stature as expected, with pale white fur and a bright red nose. He wore a pair of round glasses on his snout and a uniform, which consisted of a pair of grey pants that just barely contrasted with his white fur, a red shirt, and a large white collar reminiscent of what one would ware in Victorian England. Hanging from the collar was a square piece of white cloth that had a simple red heart emblazoned on it.
"Um, h-hello, I'm sorry to bother you, but I…" Madoka began but was cut off once the rabbit adjusted his glasses and got a good look at her.
"Why, Mary Ann! What are you doing out here!?" The White Rabbit scolded, narrowing his eyes at a very confused Madoka.
"Huh? Mary Ann?"
"Oh no…" Mini-Scrooge sighed as he hovered at Madoka's side.
"Don't just do something, stand there! No, no! Go, go! Go get my gloves, I'm late!" The White Rabbit demanded, quite literally hopping mad as he shoved an over sized pocket watch into Madoka face.
"What? B-But I'm not…" She attempted to protest, only to have the White Rabbit pull out a horn and blow it in her face to silence her.
"Enough chit chat, Mary Ann, there's no time!" The White Rabbit exclaimed as he hopped around behind Madoka and blew the horn again. "My gloves! At once!" He blew his horn again.
With a confused whimper, Madoka ducked into the front door and closed it behind her, giving her a barrier between the rabbit's manic orders and the sound of the horn.
"Oh my, I was fearin' this would happen." Mini-Scrooge sighed, hanging his head dejectedly.
"I don't get it, why did he keep calling me Mary Ann?" Madoka asked.
"My only guess is that he's mistaken ye fer his house maid." Mini-Scrooge offered.
"House maid?" Madoka said quizzically. "So, there's somebody in this world that looks like me, like a doppelganger? Is there somebody like that in every world?" She inquired, remembering Sayaka going on about a comic book or video game with a similar premise.
"It's not outside the realm of possibility, but to be honest, lass, it's more likely that this Mary Ann doesn't even exist in the first place." Mini-Scrooge replied, perching himself on the nearby staircase railing.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Madoka wondered.
"Well, ye see lass, the world ye brought us to, Wonderland be its name, isn't exactly the friendliest to fledglin' adventurers like yerself." Mini-Scrooge explained. "It isn't particularly more perilous than any other world, but it can be quite the chore to explore. Things like up and down, big and small, they have no meanin' here, and it's all made worse by the fact that most everybody from here is a little off their rockers."
"You mean… they're crazy?" Madoka said with obvious apprehension, the point seemingly emphasized by the rabbit outside wailing at "Mary Ann" some more.
"They'd rather ye call them "mad", but… yes." Mini-Scrooge lamented. "I'm sorry, lass. I would have warned ye, but this blasted world keeps changin' so much that I hardly recognize it whenever I come back around, I didn't even know until we disembarked." Madoka shook her head at his apology.
"No, it's ok, you didn't know, and it's not like it would have changed anything." She insisted. She had known from the beginning that she was in way over her head on this journey, but even so she needed to find Sora, for the sake of her friends, and her world. "Still, it's a shame that the locals won't be much help."
"Do not fret lass, it'll take a wee bit more patience, but they'll still tell ye what ye need to know if they know it, it's just a matter of weedin' through the nonsense." Mini-Scrooge reassured her.
"So then, maybe if I play along and get Mr. Rabbit his gloves, he'll let me ask about Sora." Madoka suggested.
"That's the spirit lass, where there's a will, there's a way! Let's get to it then." Mini-Scrooge said as he flew up the stairs, with Madoka following close behind.
There was a single room on the second floor of the house, which acted as the White Rabbit's bedroom. As Madoka took a look around she couldn't help but notice how nearly everything in the room was shaped like a rabbit; picture frames, clocks, mirrors, even drawer handles all had the recognizable rabbit ears incorporated in their design in one way or another. The room itself wasn't very big, at least by human standards, with a low ceiling that Madoka just barely fit under. However, it was fairly roomie for a single rabbit, and the relatively small size would surely make it easier to search.
"Alright then, lass, I'll be searchin' the closet, while ye go ahead and see to the dresser." Mini-Scrooge suggested as he floated over to the small closet built into the corner of the room.
"Ok." Madoka complied. She squatted down to get a better look at the tiny pink dresser placed next to the only window in the room. It had two small drawers in front which Madoka's small, slender fingers were able to search through without any real issue. She found a few scarves and handkerchiefs, but no gloves. She moved to begin searching a small chest at the foot of the rabbit's bed next, but she struggled to open it.
"Locked." Madoka lamented with a sigh. Before she could move on, she recalled Sora opening numerous locked chests and boxes with the Keyblade, and so she summoned the weapon and lightly tapped it on the lid of the chest, causing it to swing open on its own. "Yes!" Madoka cheered before she continued her search.
"HELP! MONSTERS!"
"Huh? Mr. Rabbit?" Madoka said, recognizing the scream. She exchanged a quick, concerned look with Mini-Scrooge before the duo rushed back outside, coming upon the White Rabbit cowering in fear as a quartet of Soldier Heartless loomed over him.
"Mr. Rabbit!" Madoka exclaimed before summoning the Keyblade and rushing to his aid. She slashed through the closest Soldier with ease and managed to defeat another that tried to advance on her, proving herself enough of a threat for the remaining two to back off. "Are you ok, Mr. Rabbit?" She asked as she took a protective stance between him and the Heartless.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…" The White Rabbit mumbled to himself as he continued to cower.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with the monsters." Madoka assured, turning her attention back to the remaining Soldiers.
They both came at her with spinning kicks, Madoka rolling forward causing them to collide with each other. As they staggered in place, Madoka landed a downward slash on one of them, sending it falling forward and giving Madoka a chance to stab the Keyblade straight through the chest of the other, defeating it. She tried to land a spinning slash on the prone Soldier, but the blade was caught in the creature's blood red claws and deflected to the side, allowing it to get back on its feet and lunge at Madoka. However, she stood her ground and shot a Blizzard spell at the Soldier, mysteriously freezing it in midair and allowing Madoka to leap up and finish it with one last slash.
Unable to take even a moments rest, Madoka quickly turned back around when she heard the familiar sound of more Heartless popping into existence. She was taken aback slightly at the appearance of two Red Nocturnes, as well as a new Heartless that she had yet to see before. It was much bigger than most garden variety Heartless, with a large, rotund body with massive arms hanging off of the side of it and long yet stubby feet that Madoka had a hard time believing could properly hold it up right. Its Heartless emblem was emblazoned on its chest, just under its tiny, black head with the signature beady yellow eyes.
"Careful there, lass, that Large Body can only be harmed from the back!" Mini-Scrooge warned, riding in Madoka's hood as she fought.
Before she could properly reply, the Large Body patted its own belly before charging forward to ram Madoka. She rolled away from the attack, giving her a clear shot at the creature's back, taking aim with a Blizzard spell as the Heartless stumbled to a stop.
"On yer left!" Mini-Scrooge warned, giving Madoka just enough time to see one of the Red Nocturnes charge at her with its body lit aflame. She guarded against the attack and retaliated with an upward slash, sending the Nocturne flying back, which allowed Madoka to finish it off with a blast of ice, then immediately fire another shot at the other Nocturne, defeating it as well. She then turned her attention back to the Large Body, which had stomped over and began swinging at her with its massive arms. She ducked under the swings, but when she moved to retaliate, she struck it in the gut, the Keyblade harmlessly bouncing off and the recoil sending Madoka stumbling back. The Large Body noticed the opening and struck Madoka with its large belly, sending her flying right into the side of the house.
"Madoka!" Mini-Scrooge cried in concern as she fell to the ground. "Are ye alright, lass?"
"I…I'm fine." Madoka replied as she got back to her feet, and returned to her fighting stance.
"Remember, from the back!" Mini-Scrooge reminded before retreating back into her hood.
"Got it." Madoka complied before charging forward again. Madoka made her way around the Large Body, the Heartless itself trying its best to clumsily turn to cover its weak point. However, it wasn't quick enough and Madoka managed to land two powerful swings on the Large Body's rounded back and then knock it off its feet with a blast of Blizzard.
"Now go fer the head to finish it!" Mini-Scrooge instructed. Madoka immediately obeyed and trotted around the Heartless as it tried to get back on its feet. Just as it was beginning to regain its footing, Madoka leaped up and landed a downward slash on its head, tearing right threw it, resulting in the Heartless' defeat.
"Mr. Rabbit!" Madoka said, dismissing the Keyblade and returning her attention to the White Rabbit, who seemed to still be cowering by the front door of the house.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, this is terrible, this is horrible…!" The White Rabbit rambled to himself, curled up with his hands on his head.
"It's ok, the Heartless are all gone now, see?" Madoka said, presenting the now empty yard.
"It's gone, it's gone, it's where, it should be here…"
"Gone? What's gone?"
"Oh Mary Ann, it's just awful, those horrible, horrible monsters stole my favorite watch!" The White Rabbit cried, looking up at Madoka with tears running down his face.
"Your watch?" Madoka said quizzically, recalling the oversized trinket that the rabbit was always lugging around in Sora's memories. "The Heartless took it? But I thought the Heartless only stole hearts?" She pondered, to which Mini-Scrooge popped out of her hoodie to address.
"Well, of course all Heartless have the instinct to steal hearts and make them into more Heartless, but it is not unheard of for Heartless to cause general mischief by takin' treasured belongings as well, though it is highly unusual." He explained, perched on Madoka's shoulder.
"Oh, what am I to do? How will I know when I'm late? How will I know when I'm early? Oh dear, just what am I to do?" The White Rabbit whimpered in despair. Madoka frowned as she watched the White Rabbit cry in his gloved hands.
'Those Heartless, they came because I used the Keyblade in the house, didn't they? It's my fault that Mr. Rabbit lost his watch.' She thought to herself. She knew that everybody had been telling her not to blame herself for everything, but old habits died hard. 'Maybe I should go look for it. But then what about Sora, the longer I take to find him, the longer I leave my friends at the mercy of Homura-chan. But it's my fault that Mr. Rabbit was attacked… so…'
"Pssst, Madoka." Mini-Scrooge whispered into Madoka's ear, gaining her attention. "Ye know, it may not be such a bad idea to go out lookin' fer them Heartless that swiped that watch."
"R-Really!?" Madoka exclaimed as softly as she could.
"Think about it, lass, if the Heartless were attracted to yer Keyblade, it stands to reason they'll be drawn to any other Keyblades in this world too, if ye catch my drift."
"Other Keyblades… Sora!" Madoka gasped in realization.
"Aye, follow the Heartless, and we're sure to find a Keyblade, and perhaps a stolen watch along the way. Two birds with one stone, as they say." Mini-Scrooge concluded with a knowing wink. Madoka could hardly hide her relief and gratitude, giving Scrooge a bright smile and appreciative nod.
"Don't worry Mr. Rabbit, we'll help you find your watch." Madoka said, kneeling down to address the sobbing rabbit.
"*sniff* Y-You will?" The White Rabbit replied, wiping away his tears before taking Madoka's hand and shaking it fervently. "Oh thank you! Thank you so much, Mary Ann! I know I ask so much of you already, but this truly means the world to me."
"Um… you're welcome, though I'm not Mary Ann." Madoka awkwardly tried to correct, but the rabbit's lack of a response told her that it was pointless.
"Now then, would ye kindly tell us where the dirty thieves ran off to?" Mini-Scrooge questioned.
"Oh, yes, yes, right away." The White Rabbit happily obliged. "Let's see now, uh… oh, that's right, they went that way, east into the forest! Here, I'll show you."
"That's ok Mr. Rabbit, you don't have to…" Madoka protested, but the rabbit wouldn't have any of it.
"Now, now, Mary Ann, you know that the forest is a very dangerous place. You can get lost if you are not careful." He scolded Madoka, wagging a finger in her face.
"Well, yes, but…"
"Give it a rest, lass, it's best to just let these folks do as they please." Mini-Scrooge advised, Madoka sighing in defeat as she followed the White Rabbit into the forest.
"Here again?" Madoka whimpered in frustration. Soon after leaving the White Rabbit's home, the path the trio had taken split into numerous directions, with signs nailed to various trees that all had different and contradictory directions written on them. Signs that said "Up" pointed downward, a crossroads was labeled as simply "this way" and "that way", there were even some signs that insisted they "go back" or "turn around". This was now the fourth time the group would pass this junction, every path they took eventually leading them back here without fail.
"Hold on now Mary Ann, give me a moment to catch my bearings." The White Rabbit insisted as he examined the signs as if they would actually tell him anything useful. Madoka let out a sigh; the scatterbrained rabbit had been leading them in circles the whole day, with only the consistent appearance of the Heartless telling her that they were on the right track. "Let's see now, we are here, we need to be there… ah, yes, this way!" The rabbit insisted before hopping down a path that Madoka wasn't even certain if they had taken before or not.
"Mr. Scrooge…" Madoka turned to the mechanical bird at her side.
"Hang in there, lass, it's all par fer the course here in Wonderland." Mini-Scrooge encouraged, insisting that they would get where they needed to go eventually. Madoka sighed again, following the White Rabbit down yet another path. She really couldn't bother to remain alert for Heartless as she had been told to, but she suddenly snapped back to attention when she heard a familiar sounding "click", accompanied by a flash of light back the way they came.
"What was that?" Madoka wondered, turning around and immediately finding the source. Standing at the junction was a lone figure, a girl, with her back turned to them, lazily holding a familiar looking camera in her hand. Madoka's eyes widened in shock and confusion, instantly recognizing the figure.
"S-Sayaka…chan?" Madoka breathed in disbelief, frozen in place as she waited for a response. The blue head of a hair slightly turned at the name, not enough to reveal her face, but certainly enough to show she had heard. "Sayaka-chan!" Madoka cried before dashing back to the junction, Scrooge and the White Rabbit following in confusion.
The girl in question didn't respond, rather she walked deeper into the forest, out of Madoka's line of sight.
"Wait, Sayaka-chan, it's me, Madoka!" She pleaded to her friend, but by the time she reached the junction, she was nowhere to be seen. "Sayaka-chan? Sayaka-chan?" Madoka called out into the forest.
She stopped her searching once she felt her foot kick something on the ground. She looked down to see the digital camera that Sayaka had borrowed from her mother discarded on the ground. She picked it up, dusted it off, and looked to the saved photos, finding the photo that was just taken of the various signs of the junction. This wasn't the only picture she had taken in Wonderland it seemed, finding scenes of giant mushrooms and clear blue rivers, until eventually she came upon the picture of the Shadow Heartless in the alleyway of Mitakihara, followed still by a selfie Madoka had taken with Sayaka and Kyoko at the arcade.
"What's the matter, lass, who was that?" Mini-Scrooge asked as he caught up with her.
"Sayaka-chan… my friend from Mitakihara." Madoka replied, clutching the camera to her chest.
"Yer friend ye say?" Mini-Scrooge said.
"Why, I had no idea you were expecting company, Mary Ann." The White Rabbit interrupted.
"Oh, uh, no actually, I… I wasn't expecting her at all." Madoka replied, remembering that she couldn't break the world order by explaining any further, not that the White Rabbit would have understood anyway. She herself was positively baffled, Madoka wasn't even sure how she herself managed to get out of Mitakihara, so how in the world did Sayaka manage not only to escape the clutches of Homura, but also make it all the way to Wonderland.
"…Sayaka-chan~! Where are you? Sayaka-chan~!" Madoka shouted into the forest. If Sayaka really was there in the Heartless infested forest, then she was in danger, and she needed to find her soon.
"Looking for something~?" A voice responded right into Madoka's ear.
She turned to see a pair of blinking yellow eyes floating above a wide, toothy grin floating right next to her. Madoka gasped, jolting back and knocking the White Rabbit off of his feet, though she hardly noticed as she watched the disembodied face suddenly become the disembodied head of a pink furred cat.
"Oh, pardon me, one moment please, it seems my head isn't on straight." The cat said, smirk ever present, as its head floated into the trees and attached itself to its rotund, purple striped body. "Ahh~, that's better."
"Bah! I knew it was only a matter of time before we ran into ye, ye silver-tongued feline." Mini-Scrooge spat with clear indignation.
The Cheshire Cat has all the answers, but doesn't always tell.
"You're the Cheshire Cat." Madoka recalled, which seemed to please the feline.
"Guilty as charged." The Cheshire Cat said, removing his ears and tipping them like a hat.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! We have no time for the likes of that wretched beast!" The White Rabbit said as he attempted to push Madoka back down the path.
"Eh? B-But maybe he can help us." Madoka argued, resisting the rabbit's push as best she could.
"Oh, he'll help ye alright, but only to delight himself in the trouble it'll get ye into." Mini-Scrooge informed her.
"He's a no good troublemaker, that's what he is! W-Why, the queen would have had his head ages ago were it not already detached!" The White Rabbit added adamantly. "You must not associate with the likes of him, Mary Ann."
"But Mr. Rabbit, we've passed this same junction four times already, at this rate we'll never find your watch." Madoka said.
"Oh is that what you're looking for?" The Cheshire Cat cooed as he appeared on a nearby branch, reclining against the tree with his arms behind his head. "And here I thought you were looking for that young lady that just ran by. Poor girl was in such a hurry she dropped her camera."
"You saw her?" Madoka said, looking up at the cat hopefully. "Where did she go?"
"Well, that's hardly your concern now is it? After all, you're looking for a watch, not a girl."
"Well, yes, but…"
"And before that it was a pair of gloves, was it not?"
"That's because Mr. Rabbit..."
"And before that it was a boy from your dreams." The Cheshire Cat wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, much to Madoka's embarrassment. "That's the trouble with looking for lost things; the longer you look for something, the more likely it is you'll find something else entirely, and before you know it, you've forgotten what it was you were looking for in the first place." The Cheshire Cat let out a whimsical chuckle, in great contrast to Madoka's sinking mood.
"Ye see what I mean now, lass? It's nothin' but riddles and tom foolery with this one." Mini-Scrooge said as the cat continued to laugh to itself.
"Best we get going, Mary Ann." The White Rabbit insisted, taking Madoka by the hand leading her away, to which Madoka offered no resistance this time.
"However, if I were looking for a missing watch…" The Cheshire Cat stated, grabbing their attention again. "I'd go in that direction." He pointed down one of the paths they had yet to travel down.
"Oh, why thank you, sir." The White Rabbit said before guiding Madoka down the new path.
"Eh? B-But I thought we weren't supposed to trust him!" Madoka clamored.
"Trust or don't trust? That is entirely up to you~." The Cheshire Cat said before slowly fading out of existence, leaving only his smile for a moment, but that soon went to.
"Wait, what about Sayaka-chan!?" Madoka cried back, desperate for an answer.
"Fret not, lass, I'm sure if we keep an eye out we'll find yer friend, and Sora." Mini-Scrooge encouraged her.
"And my watch, don't you forget." The White Rabbit reminded.
Madoka sighed in defeat, slowly coming to understand that in Wonderland, it is best to just go with the flow.
As the group continued their trek through the forest, Madoka began to worry that the Cheshire Cat had deceived them. However, before long, the path led them to another house deep in the woods, one that was much more poorly constructed than the Rabbit's. The whole thing was tilted to the right, but while the door went along with the crooked positioning, the large window on the second floor was straight, its bottom edge parallel to the ground as it should have been. The roof seemed to be made of bright, golden hay, and out from the top of it was a chimney, tilted in the opposite direction from the rest of the house.
While the house itself was a peculiar sight, what really caught the trio's attention was the festive whistling that was coming from behind, in the garden that was separated from the rest of the forest by a large, uneven hedge fence.
"Whistling?" Madoka said quizzically as they approached the house.
"Aye, I suppose it's just about tea time." Mini-Scrooge suggested.
"Tea time?"
"Oh dear, is it really tea time already?" The White Rabbit fretted, instinctually reaching for his watch only to despair when it was nowhere to be found. "Oh goodness gracious, my life is falling apart at the seams without my watch!"
"Well, maybe somebody here knows where it is." Madoka proposed, making her way to the back garden where she figured the residence of this home were out playing the whistles.
As she passed through the small wooden gate that lead to the garden, she was met with a rather peculiar sight. She now understood why Scrooge had equated the whistling to tea time, for in the backyard, spread out across a long table, was a myriad of various colorful tea pots, all whistling steam out of their snouts despite not being on any sort of stove. Each one whistled at a different pitch, smaller and thinner pots were higher, short and stouter pots were deeper, and they seemed to be tooting all of their own accord, hopping around in place as if dancing to their own music.
The steam from the pots filled the air of the garden, making it difficult to see properly, but beyond the steam she could make out two figures. One was a brown rabbit, or perhaps a hare from what Madoka could tell, with a head of bright yellow hair where two long brown ears sprouted. The second was a short man, no taller than the hare, with rosy, almost pink skin, and a tall, green top hat on his head. She also could see the silhouette of a third person, but all of the steam made it almost impossible for her to see them clearly.
As Madoka approached the procession, peaking behind a large red chair at the head of the table, the two figures began to sing while pouring copious amounts of tea into various cups.
"A~ very merry unbirthday to me!"
"To who?"
"To me!"
"Oh you!"
"A very merry unbirthday to you!"
"Who me?"
"Yes you!"
"Oh me!"
"Let's all congratulate us with another cup of tea! A very, merry, unbirthday, tooooooo~ yooouuuuu~!" The Hare sang as the Hatter produced a cake seemingly out of nowhere and placed it on the table before the third figure, completely obscuring them even as the steam cleared.
"Unbirthday?" Madoka said quizzically.
"Aye, it's exactly what it sounds like." Was all the explanation that Mini-Scrooge offered. "Go on now, Madoka, before they start makin' merry again." He urged her.
Madoka complied, coming out from behind the chair and began to approach them. She felt a little awkward about interrupting their party, but the White Rabbit's soft, mournful sobs urged her on.
"Um, excuse..."
"Wow! What a big cake!" A familiar voice squealed, stopping Madoka in her tracks. "Please tell me this is a cheesecake!"
"Cheese…?"
"Why of course it is!" The Hare assured their guest. "A seven cheese cheesecake to be precise."
"Let's see, we have Gouda, Feta, Cheddar, Swiss…" The Hatter began listing off the cheeses that comprised the cake, the guest cooing at each one.
Madoka took a few hesitant steps forward, her heart pounding in her chest as she finally managed to get a clear view of the third party guest, her eyes widening in bewilderment at the sight of a familiar head of long white hair and a pair orange and yellow eyes.
"Nagisa…chan?" Madoka breathed, finally gaining the trio's attention. Her eyes met with Nagisa for a moment, the shocked look on her face almost perfectly matching Madoka's.
"Madoka-nee-cha…"
"NO ROOM!" The Hare and Hatter exclaimed in unison, loudly repeating it as they frantically gathered up the various cups of tea they had been pouring, stacking them up and hiding them behind their backs.
"Oh… I-I'm sorry for interrupting your party, I just wanted…" Madoka attempted to apologize.
"Well I certainly hope you are." The Hare interrupted, wagging a disapproving finger in her face. "It is very rude to come to a party without being invited."
"I'll say it's rude! It's very, very, rude indeed!" The Hatter added with a disappointed huff.
"I know, a-and I'm very sorry, but I just…" Madoka struggled under the duo's impatient glares, her mind racing a mile a minute trying to recall what it was exactly she was going to ask.
'Should I ask about the watch? Or maybe Sora? Maybe they've seen Sayaka-chan, or the Heartless? Or maybe…'
"Now, now, no need to gang up on the poor lass." Mini-Scrooge said as he flew out of Madoka's hood and perched himself on a nearby chair. "I see ye lot are still as tea crazy as when I left ye, March Hare, Mad Hatter."
"Ebenezer!" They both said in delight at the sight of Mini-Scrooge.
"Huh? Ebe-knees…?" Madoka struggled to recall the strange name; apparently she wasn't the only one that couldn't get the residence to acknowledge her proper name.
"Why, it's so good to see you again, Ebenezer." The March Hare said as he enthusiastically shook Mini-Scrooge's little wing. "I say, have you lost weight, I remember you being much bigger the last time I saw you."
"And your feathers are so pristine and shiny, though a bit on the stiff side if I must say." The Mad Hatter added. Scrooge simply laughed off their comments with them, opting not to waste the effort to try and explain his current condition to his mad acquaintances.
"Madoka-nee-chan!" Nagisa cried as she hopped off of her seat and nearly tackled Madoka, embracing her in a tight hug.
"Nagisa-chan!" Madoka returned the hug with equal fervor, lifting the younger girl off the ground for a moment. "I can't believe you're here!"
"I can't believe I found you so soon!" Nagisa replied as they separated, their hands still intertwined.
"What are you doing here?" They asked in unison, creating a pause in their reunion to allow the Mad Hatter and March Hare to chime in.
"Who is this now, Alice?" The Hare asked, peering at Madoka over Nagisa's shoulder.
"Yes, Alice, do you know this rude, rude girl?" The Hatter added, peering over the other shoulder.
"Alice?" Madoka was beginning to see a pattern here.
"Of course, she's the friend I was telling you about." Nagisa said, stepping aside and presenting Madoka to the duo. "Today's actually her unbirthday too!"
"Huh?"
"It is?" The Hare, Hatter, and White Rabbit cooed in unison.
"Uh, well… my birthday is October 3rd…"
"And today isn't October 3rd, so it's your unbirthday!" Nagisa explained, though it still made little sense to Madoka.
"Well why didn't you say so?" The Mad Hatter said, his animosity completely disappearing.
"Yes, Mary Ann, I wouldn't have troubled you so if I had known you were due for an unbirthday party." The White Rabbit stated in remorse.
"But, why would you have a party for…?" Madoka attempted to ask, but was interrupted by the March Hare and Mad Hatter pushing her into a seat and carrying her to the head of the table, where Nagisa joined her before the cake.
"A~ very merry unbirthday…!" The March Hare began to sing.
"…To me?" Madoka finished the line hesitantly.
"To you!" The Mad Hatter replied.
"A very merry unbirthday…!"
"To me."
"Yes ye!" Mini-Scrooge sang, he and the White Rabbit sitting themselves at the table with them.
"Now blow the candle out my dear and make your wish come true!" The Mad Hatter insisted, placing a second lit candle on the top of the cake, right next to the one meant for Nagisa.
Madoka gave Nagisa an apprehensive look, receiving an encouraging smile from the younger girl in return. With a deep breath each, they both blew out their respective candles, only for the tips to begin sparkling. Suddenly, the whole cake flew off of the platter into the air.
"A very, merry, unbirthday, to yooouuuuu~!" The whole party sang as the cake reached the top of its trajectory and burst into an array of fireworks. Madoka looked up in awe at the beautiful colors the explosion left behind, but Nagisa only looked distressed.
"Wahhh! The cheesecake…" She lamented, hanging her head in disappointment.
Madoka couldn't help but giggle in amusement at Nagisa's reaction, it was just like her to mourn the cheese rather than enjoy the fireworks. It was strange, it couldn't have been longer than a day since she had last seen her young friend, and yet seeing her here, in this strange world that she couldn't make heads or tails of, she realized just how much she had missed her. It almost made her forget the curious question of how she actually managed to get to Wonderland in the first place.
Almost
"Aw, chin up lass, there's still plenty of tea to enjoy instead." Mini-Scrooge said as he took a teapot the size of his own body and somehow managed to pour two cups of tea from it. He served the colorful cups to Madoka and Nagisa, pushing them on their saucers over to the girls.
"Oh, thank you, Mr. Ebe-knees…" Nagisa struggled to say the difficult name, much to the old duck's amusement.
"Heh, heh, don't ye fret about the "Ebenezer" business, lass. The name's Scrooge McDuck, pleasure to make yer acquaintance." He introduced himself with a playful bow.
"I'm Momoe Nagisa, the pleasure's all mine." Nagisa replied with a small bow of her own and a friendly smile.
"Mr. Scrooge has been helping me a lot since I… well, left Mitakihara." Madoka explained, choosing her words carefully as to not tip off Wonderland's residents.
"Really?"
"Aye, that I have." Mini-Scrooge confirmed. "Madoka's a bit of a… er, sensitive lass," Madoka giggled awkwardly at the polite critique. "But, she's got herself a good heart, and with the right guidance I'm sure she'll become a top rate adventurer in no time!" He proudly asserted.
"…Adventurer." Nagisa said under her breath, her expression falling into a pensive one. Madoka's embarrassment over the praise only lasted long enough for her to just catch the change in Nagisa's demeanor, before her carefree smile returned to her face. "…Well, thank you for looking after her. And here I thought Madoka-nee-chan would be wandering around this crazy place all on her own." She admitted with clear concern, and gratitude that her suspicion was false.
"…Um, Nagisa-chan." Madoka said, gaining the girl's attention as she took a sip of her tea. "This might sound like a weird question, but… have you seen Sayaka-chan around here?" She asked hesitantly. However, Nagisa's face lit up at the mention of their mutual friend.
"Of course, we came here together!"
"Eh? R-Really!?" Madoka gasped. Despite the physical evidence tucked away in her pocket, she had not been entirely sure if Sayaka had even truly been there, not with all of the other madness she had to endure recently. As such, hearing a confirmation from a reliable source, who also just so happened to be a welcomed sight all by herself, Madoka's spirits were immediately lifted higher than they have been in a while.
"Mm hm, we came here looking for you, but we split up to try and cover more ground." Nagisa explained. "It's not just us either, Mami-nee-chan and Kyoko-nee-chan are helping too."
"Mami-san? Kyoko-chan? Everyone's here!?" Madoka exclaimed in utter shock.
"Well, no, they are…" Nagisa glanced over at the trio of Wonderland natives that were happily pouring and sipping their tea. "…Somewhere else, if you know what I mean." Madoka did know, her eyes widening in realization.
'They're… in another world… looking for me?'
"Well I'll be, it sounds like ye have a few rather devoted friends there, lass." Mini-Scrooge said with a pleased smile on his mechanical beak.
"Yeah… but…" Madoka began nervously, her uneasy expression not going unmissed by her friends. "Nagisa-chan, how did you even get here? I don't even know how I left Mitakihara, and this isn't even where I ended up when I did, Mr. Scrooge brought me here." She expressed her confusion. "And… And what about Homura-chan, how did you all escape from her?"
This of course was the most pressing question on Madoka's mind; considering the number Homura had done on her own heart, even while somehow being protected by Sora, she could only imagine what she could do to others.
"Huh… escape?" Nagisa said, her head tilting in confusion as if she didn't understand the question. "What do you mean…?" Suddenly, Nagisa was cut off by the sound of the March Hare slamming a mallet repeatedly onto the table.
"I have an excellent idea! Let's change the subject." He suggested before, without warning, hitting the Mad Hatter over the head with the mallet. The Hatter sat up at attention and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" He asked the assembly.
"Huh? …Raven?" Madoka said quizzically.
"It's a riddle, lass. But don't bother, knowing these two it's most likely not to even have an answer." Mini-Scrooge informed them.
"Oh, no, no. No time for riddles I'm afraid. No time at all without my watch." The White Rabbit said as he put down his tea and got off of his chair. "Hello. Goodbye. Enjoy your unbirthday with your friend, Mary Ann." He hastily called back as he hopped his way over to the garden gate.
"What? Wait, Mr. Rabbit, you can't go alone!" Madoka cried before chasing after him.
"Now don't be silly, Mary Ann, I am perfectly capable of taking care of my…" The White Rabbit paused as he opened the gate, coming face to face with the grins of three twisted looking girls that stared at him curiously. He let out a surprised shriek, quickly turning tail and hiding behind Madoka, the children pointing and giggling in amusement.
"Clara Dolls!?" Madoka gasped at the sight of the demented looking children.
However, before Madoka could summon the Keyblade in self-defense, the Clara Dolls all noticed her presence and began laughing and cheering, dancing around as if in celebration.
"Madoka, do you know these… lasses?" Mini-Scrooge inquired as he flew over and perched onto Madoka's shoulder.
"Uh, well…" Madoka wasn't sure how to answer, she couldn't say for sure who they were, or even what they were, but she knew whom they served, and if they were here…
"Oh good, you're back!" Nagisa spoke as she approached, the Clara Dolls suddenly ceasing their cheering and fell into line like a small platoon of soldiers. "See, I told you we'd have a better chance of finding her if we split up." She told the creatures, each one giving a nod in confirmation. Madoka was stunned, a pit opening up in her stomach as she began to connect the dots in her head.
"Nagisa-chan, did you… come here with the Clara Dolls?"
"Of course, they're the one's who brought us here after all." Nagisa casually revealed, the Clara Dolls all looking proud at the credit they were given.
"But… But Nagisa-chan, they're…"
"Ahh! It was them!" The White Rabbit suddenly shouted. "Yes, yes, them! They are the monsters who stole my watch!"
"Huh? The Clara Dolls did?" Madoka said in confusion. "It wasn't the Heartless?"
"Is that true, did you steal something from him?" Nagisa sternly asked the Clara Dolls, their answer coming in the form of the trio putting on guilty faces and fidgeting uncomfortably. "Well, give it back then." She ordered them, the Clara Dolls looking displeased, but nodded in compliance.
"Yes, yes, please do! It belongs to me, not you! Now, give it back, at once!" The White Rabbit demanded, stepping out from behind Madoka and holding his hands out for the watch. One of the Clara Dolls reached into its back pocket, rummaging through it before pulling out a giant, colorful lollipop and placing it in the White Rabbit's outstretched hands.
"…No, no, NO! This is not what you took from me!" He declared as he threw the candy over his shoulder, nearly hitting Madoka before it landed in an open pot of tea. "Please, I want my watch back!" The Clara Dolls considered his request for a moment before another one of them pulled out a potted flower and offered it to him.
"That's not it!" The Rabbit denied, smashing the pot on the ground. The third Clara Doll offered a giant white knight chess piece.
"Not that either!" The Rabbit said as he took the chess piece and tossed it, the Mad Hatter catching it in his hat before placing it back on his head. The first Clara Doll then offered him a large, brass pocket watch.
"No, not that… Ahh! Yes, that's it, that's my watch!" The White Rabbit realized just after he tossed it away.
"I've got it! I've got it!" The March Hare said as he held up a full pot of tea to catch it in.
"Over here, easy now!" The Mad Hatter said as he did the same.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…!" The White Rabbit whimpered, covering his eyes, as he couldn't bear to see his precious watch get dunked into the sticky brown liquid.
However, just before the trinket could land in the March Hare's pot, Madoka rushed over and caught it in the air, its hanging chain just barely managing to stay dry as she held it just above the pot. She, Scrooge, and Nagisa all let out a collective sigh of relief, while the Hatter and the Hare simply lidded their teapots and refilled their cups.
"Thank goodness." Madoka breathed as she hopped off of the chair that she was precariously standing on. She took a moment to admire the rabbit's watch, despite surely being carried everywhere he went it was in terrific condition, its lid and back shining almost like gold, with nary a smudge or scratch to be seen. She could tell that the White Rabbit had taken such good care of it, and was happy she was able to give it back to him.
"It's ok Mr. Rabbit, look." Madoka said as she approached the whimpering rabbit and presented the watch to him. He peaked one eye through his fingers, gasping at the sight of his treasured trinket.
"My watch!" He cheered as he happily took it from Madoka. He planted a few kisses to its cover before hugging it to his chest protectively. "Oh, I thought I'd never see it again! Thank you, oh thank you Mary Ann!" He cried as he took Madoka's hand and shook it enthusiastically, a grateful smile on his face.
"Uehihi~, you're welcome Mr. Rabbit." Madoka replied, offering a friendly smile of her own.
However, as Madoka accepted the White Rabbit's thanks, Nagisa was confronting the Clara Dolls.
"You three were supposed to be looking for Madoka-nee-chan out there! Why would you steal all of this stuff?" She demanded, the Clara Dolls kneeling down, sitting on their heels guiltily. They all explained their reasoning in a mess of incoherent giggles and whispers, though somehow Nagisa could understand all of it.
"Protecting them? Protecting them from what?" Nagisa asked quizzically.
"Oh my fur and whiskers! Look at the time, I'm late!" The White Rabbit exclaimed once he finally took a peak at the watch. "Oh, not good, not good, the queen, she'll have my head for sure!" He cried, frantically attempting to hook his watch's chain onto his shirt, hopping around in preparation to sprint to wherever it was he needed to go.
"Wait, Mr. Rabbit, there's still something I need to ask…" Madoka pleaded.
"Oh, no, no time for chit chat Mary Ann, I'm late!" He replied as he finally managed to secure his watch and booked it to the gate.
"But… But…" Madoka desperately tried to regain his attention.
"Look out, lass!" Mini-Scrooge shouted, alerting her to the cloud of darkness that was propelling towards her.
With a surprised gasp, she ducked, the ball of mist just barely missing her before it floated high above them all, a pair of beady yellow eyes and a jagged red mouth forming its face as it gazed down at them.
"A Heartless!" Madoka warned, the Mad Hatter and March Hare sinking down into their seats to hide.
"That's a rather dangerous one, Madoka. Destroy it, quickly!" Mini-Scrooge urged her, much to Madoka's concern.
In that moment of hesitation, the Heartless turned its gaze to the White Rabbit, or more accurately, the watch that he carried. The second Madoka returned her attention to the Heartless it had already descended on the White Rabbit, who frantically attempted to unlock the gate. The ball of dark mist flew into the trinket, transforming it from a shiny brass to a dark purple, the chain growing in size and with a will of its own. Just as the rabbit managed to get the lock open, the chain of his watch wrapped all around him, ensnaring him with his back up against the watch.
"Wah! W-What in the name of… GYAH!" The Rabbit choked on the chain around his neck as the watch began moving around on its own, its body growing so that it was equal in size to the rabbit himself.
Suddenly, the ticking of the clock inside grew louder, faster, more violent as the watch vibrated from the rapidly spinning gears inside. Suddenly, a twisted looking face consisting of two yellow swirls for eyes and a jagged red mouth appeared on the watch's cover in a puff of darkness. A moment later, a pair of arms popped out the sides, consisting of a bunch of hastily put together pieces of broken gears, pins, and springs, ending in sharp metal claws. Below it, a single spring on a gear popped out, allowing the possessed trinket to stand on its own.
"W-What is that?" Madoka asked, clearly disturbed by the creepy enemy.
"That there would be a Possessor Heartless, it fights by takin' control of inanimate objects. A rather nasty bugger I must say." Mini-Scrooge explained, the Heartless letting out an ugly cry as if to prove the point.
"Mad watch! Mad watch!" The March Hare shouted upon seeing the twisted new form of the watch.
"Save the tea!" The Mad Hatter said as he began collecting all of the teapots into his hat.
"There's only one way to stop a mad watch!" The March Hare declared, wielding his over sized mallet.
"Hey, wait, it's dangerous!" Madoka warned as the March Hare charged forward with his mallet raised, only for the Mad Watch to leap out of the way of his swing and land on the table.
It turned to face them as six gears rolled out of its body and into its claws. It gave out another shriek before throwing the projectiles at them, three of them aimed directly at the Clara Dolls, forcing them to dodge. The remaining three were flung at Madoka, who quickly summoned the Keyblade and blocked the first two that flew at her face. She knocked the third one back at the Mad Watch, hitting it right in the face and stunning it.
"Madoka-nee-chan!" Nagisa cried in a worried voice.
"Everyone stay back, I'll handle this!" Madoka assured her friends, lowering into her fighting stance. Hoping to take full advantage of the stun, she charged forward, jumping onto the table and raising her weapon for an overhead slash. However, the Mad Watch recovered from its daze just in time to turn on its spring, the captive White Rabbit screaming at the sight of Madoka about to bring the Keyblade down on him.
Madoka immediately halted her attack, leaving her wide open for the Mad Watch to spin back around and slash Madoka off the table with its claw. Nagisa gasped on the sidelines at her friend's fall, Madoka quickly recovering with a shoulder roll. The Mad Watch then jumped off the table and clawed at Madoka, sparks flying off the Keyblade as she brought it up to defend. It tried for a second slash with its other claw, but Madoka met the attack with a swing of her own, the impact causing the Heartless to stagger back, giving Madoka the prefect opportunity to cast Blizzard. However, the Mad Watch seemed to predict this, turning once again to put the White Rabbit in between itself and the tip of Madoka's blade, forcing Madoka to cancel the spell, the ice accumulating on the tip dissipating.
The momentary pause gave the Mad Watch the chance to retaliate, extending its arms and spinning to continuously claw at Madoka. The girl just barely managed to guard against the attack, but the frequency of the hits forced her even further back.
"I can't attack while Mr. Rabbit is attached to it!" Madoka griped as she fell into a defensive stance.
"Hang in there, lass, if ye can't attack the body, just focus on takin' out the limbs!" Mini-Scrooge instructed from her shoulder.
But before she could put this advice into practice, the Mad Watch changed tactics. It placed its hands on the ground and loaded the springs on all three of its limbs, releasing them into one powerful jump that made it soar high above Madoka. The gear on its leg began spinning with dark energy as it came down on Madoka, the girl rolling out of the way and just missing the blast zone created from the landing.
However, Madoka had rolled right next to the table, the vibrations from the landing making one of the teapots fall off and nearly hit Madoka in the head. She managed to notice just in time to slide away, but this put her in the perfect position for the Mad Watch to hop over and claw at Madoka, who brought up the Keyblade in a clumsy attempt to defend herself. But just before the claw could meet the blade of the weapon, Madoka felt herself be pulled out of harms way, the piercing sound the claw made as it slashed through air the only indicator that the attack occurred at all.
"What…?" Madoka gasped in surprise. She looked up and her shock doubled once she saw that it was in fact Nagisa that had pulled her to safety, a determined look on her face that contrasted greatly with the girl that always clung to Mami like a scared child.
"Nagisa-chan?" The girl didn't reply, stepping forward challengingly before holding up her left hand, presenting her ring as it glowed with a white light. The light took shape a moment later, becoming a strange looking black trumpet, though the handle allowed her to hold it more similarly to a firearm or a megaphone. The horn was adorned with red polka dots with a ring of yellow around rim, with two ear-like protrusions on either side.
The Mad Watch sensed her killing intent and quickly turned to reveal the White Rabbit, shaking and whimpering in fear. However, Nagisa just smirked, taking a deep breath before blowing into the mouthpiece, a barrage of glowing bubbles shooting out of the trumpet. The White Rabbit screamed as he closed his eyes in anticipation for the attack, but with a quick push of one of the piston valves the bubbles changed direction, flying passed the rabbit and hitting the face of the Mad Watch from "behind". The Heartless turned back around trying to wipe away the water that the bubbles had splashed on its face.
"Now!" Nagisa commanded, the Clara Dolls leaping out from behind her. They each summoned a shadowy spear and chucked them at the Mad Watch, pinning each of its limbs in place to immobilize it. "Now's your chance!"
"Uh… r-right!" Madoka stammered, snapping out of her surprised daze. She charged forward, brandishing the Keyblade, before leaping up and bringing down the weapon onto the Heartless in a jumping overhead slash.
Unfortunately, the moment Madoka was in the air, the cover popped open, revealing the watch face and firing a wave of magic at Madoka as the separate hands on the watch all spun in different directions. When Madoka came into contact with the spell, her descent was slowed to a crawl, the Keyblade coming down millimeters at a time as she hung unnaturally long in the air.
"Nee-chan!" Nagisa shouted in concern at this strange occurrence. Madoka's slowed speed gave the Mad Watch the chance to free itself from its restraints, breaking the spears before attempting to claw at Madoka's unprotected body.
However, its claw was instead met with the spear of one of the Clara Dolls, which leaped into the attack to protect Madoka. The other two Clara Dolls summoned new spears and thrusted them at the Mad Watch, only for it to jump away onto the table. It took a brief look at its surroundings, and most likely realizing that it was out numbered, it made a hasty retreat, hopping away over the hedge fence while avoiding more spears thrown by the Clara Dolls.
"…Well, that's one way of stopping a mad watch." The March Hare said as he and the Mad Hatter came out from their hiding spot under the table.
"Out of sight, out of mind." The Hatter agreed as he poured himself yet another cup of tea, fully intending on pretending the whole incident didn't happen.
It was then that Madoka regained her speed, a look of confusion appearing on her face once she saw the Keyblade hit nothing but open air.
"Huh? Where did it go?" Madoka asked, looking around for the Heartless.
"What do you mean "where"? We chased it away." Nagisa replied, dismissing her weapon back into her ring.
"Is that what happened?" Mini-Scrooge said quizzically. "I could hardly tell with how fast it was movin'."
"It wasn't moving fast, you two were moving ever so slowly." The Mad Hatter interjected as he poured the March Hare some tea.
"At a snails pace I'd wager." The Hare added before taking a swig of his drink.
"We were?" Madoka asked, Nagisa nodding in confirmation.
"Ah, of course, the rapscallion casted a Slow Spell on us!" Mini-Scrooge realized. "Not surprisin', considerin' the Heartless is dwellin' inside a watch."
"Well, the important thing is that we're all safe, right?" Nagisa asserted with a smile.
"All… safe? But, wait, what about the White Rabbit!?" Madoka recalled with great concern. "He's still in danger, we have to go after him!" She said, Mini-Scrooge giving an agreeing nod.
"Leaving so soon?" The March Hare spoke up.
"What a pity, it's been ages since we've had so many guests, both old and new." The Mad Hatter lamented.
"I'm sorry. Thank you for the party, but we really need to go. Bye-bye!" Madoka said as she waved goodbye to the odd duo. They waved back, and Madoka turned and rushed to leave the garden.
Only for two Clara Dolls to cross their spears at the gate to block her path.
"Huh?" Madoka gasped in confusion, the wide smiles on the Clara Dolls faces suddenly looking much more sinister to her.
"It's ok, Madoka-nee-chan." Nagisa said, Madoka turning to see a calm, almost comforting smile on her face. "You don't have to fight anymore."
"Nagisa-chan?" Madoka said in confusion. "But… but Mr. Rabbit…"
"If you're really that concerned about him, Sayaka-nee-chan and I can handle it." Nagisa casually offered, as if they weren't talking about a person whose life was in danger. "But you should really go home, Homura-nee-chan is really worried about you."
Madoka's heart stopped, a cold chill running up her spine as she heard the name. She took a reflexive step back, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at Nagisa's kind, oblivious smile… she was almost able to see Homura's own twisted grin behind her, pulling her strings.
"Homura… chan…?"
A/N: Well, there you guys have it, my last chapter update of 2018. So yeah, since the precious chapters have been getting pretty long, I decided to split the Disney Worlds into two chapters each, to hopefully keep the individual chapters to a more manageable length. Don't worry, I won't leave you guys hanging for too long, the next update you see from me will be the conclusion of the Wonderland visit, hopefully I can get it out before the Promised Day (KINGDOM HEARTS 3 IS ALMOST HERE!).
Fun fact, originally I wasn't going to have Scrooge follow Madoka down into the Disney Worlds at all, but after some consideration, and hashing out some ideas with a reviewer by the name of Variable Zero, I settled on this "Mini-Scrooge" thing, which if you didn't pick up on is essentially a Scrooge Funko Pop! figure that can move. Madoka picking up Sayaka's camera was also and idea given to me by a reviewer, OrionGold; thanks for all of the help you two, and I hope you enjoyed this long awaited chapter. Well, until next year, the year of Kingdom Hearts 3, I'll see you all next time. Bye.