AN: This story is a sequel to "Living in the Magical World" as well as "Challenge of the Sorcerer's Arena." While you don't have to read those stories, I highly recommend you do to see where our characters have been before the start of this story.
The Magical World, where dreams come true for all that live in it and come to visit it. Protected by the heroes from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and in-between, there's just as much adventure as there is fun. Sometimes, even the Guests to the park become major figures, and none of them are quite as well known as the Dream Keeper.
The Dream Keeper, known to his friends as Gabriel, is a raven with a talent for the music-based magic of Fantasia. Along with his faithful partner, the hyena queen Jasiri of the Outlands, Gabriel has helped many people, gained many friends (and a few enemies), as well as sung many a musical number. In fact, today was the day that Gabriel and his friends were leading a parade with one such number.
Standing out in front, Gabriel smiled as he let his magic bring about music to the crowd.
This is the anthem
Here's what you came for
This is the moment
Magic was made for
As the Fantasia magic flowed, magic copies of Gabriel and followed his movements through the song.
Come one, come all
Let's light up the sky now
You feel the magic happening right now...
As the music changed, the magic doubles faded away and Gabriel's friends descended from the sky via magic. There was Jasiri, who gave Gabriel a quick lick on the cheek; Lena, the teenage duck sorceress; Brooklyn, the loyal gargoyle warrior; and Kairi, the budding Keyblade wielder in training. The five friends all shared a high-five before they all sang and danced together.
Calling all dreamers!
Time to let your mind run free
To believe in make-believe
To be who you wanna be
Soon other dancers came in behind them, leading the rest of the parade as they all danced and sang.
Calling all dreamers!
A celebration in the street
And the sights you're gonna see
Far beyond your wild west dreams 'cause...
The crowd cheered as they went on, with the Cast Bots keeping the two groups separated as to let the play go on.
You don't need wings to take flight
Magic don't stop- at midnight
So hold on tight, enjoy the ride!
Lena used her magic to float some the dancers, while Kairi and Brooklyn shot out daytime fireworks to wow the crowd.
'Cause you can reach for the stars in broad daylight
Heart, the spark
You just can't fight
You wish you may
You wish you might
Then- magic happens!
Gabriel and Jasiri danced together, their own magic creating colorful birds to fly over the crowd before bursting into magic sparkles.
Dreams were made to make come true
Waiting for someone like you
Some Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
Then- magic happens!
The dancers took over as Gabriel sang along with the song.
(That's when) That's when
(Magic) Magic
(Happens) Happens
Whoa...
The crowd was going wild, getting into the song as well.
(That's when) That's when!
(Magic) Magic!
(Happens) Happens!
Whoa...
Coming behind them in the first float was Mickey Mouse and his friends, all of them wearing special costumes for the parade.
Simple wish, it just takes
A true love's kiss, and spells break
A shoot star to catch your eye, yeah!
Mickey waved to the crowd, with Minnie at his side doing the same. Donald and Daisy looked at each other lovingly, while Goofy accidentally slipped but recovered quickly from the fall.
You don't need wings to take flight
Magic don't stop- at midnight
So hold on tight, enjoy the ride!
Mickey used his own magic to send out sparks, making the crowd cheer even more.
'Cause you can reach for the stars in broad daylight
Heart, the spark
You just can't fight
You wish you may
You wish you might
Then- magic happens!
As the parade went on, people failed to notice some of the Cast Bots acting strange, with their friendly blue eyes glitching to a more sinister red.
Dreams were made to make come true
Waiting for someone like you
Some Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
Then- magic happens!
Gabriel continued to sing, with Jasiri by his side as they came to the end of Main Street.
(That's when) That's when
(Magic) Magic
(Happens) Happens
Whoa...
One of the Cast Bots led the others to the front of the parade, making a blockade to stop the celebration in its tracks.
(That's when) That's when!
(Magic) Magic!
(Happens) Happens!
Whoa...
The music suddenly stopped, with everyone looking in confusion as the robots refused to move. "Is something wrong here, fellas?" Mickey asked from the float.
One of the robots stepped forward, this one glitching the most. "Everything is fine, Mickey Mouse," the robot said, it's voice turning to static. "Everyone is right where I want them."
Suddenly, the robot burst like a balloon, turning into red cubes that surged out and wrapped around Mickey and his friends. The Fab Five were helpless to the surprise attack as they were swept away.
"We've got trouble," Brooklyn growled, activating his gauntlets into fiery fists.
"This reminds me of the Heartless, or the data world King Mickey told be about," Kairi noted.
"We need to figure out who's doing this," Lena said. She shot out some magic, only for the attack to not do anything. "What the heck?"
Everyone else tried to do something too, only for nothing to happen as the cubes surrounded them and spread out into the Magic Kingdom. "You can try all you want, but I've studied your data for a long time," the voice from before said.
"Show yourself! We're not afraid of you!" Jasiri shouted.
Some of the cubes broke off, forming into a black bow with jagged edges and an angry red face on it. "Greetings, Dream Keeper, and friends, I am Hacker Extraordinaire X-treme, but you can call me Hex."
"Wait, I know you," Gabriel recognized. "You're not even a big-time villain, just a one-off villain from a video game!"
"You think I don't already know that?" Hex rolled his eyes. "But I was tired of rotting in the Wasteland, so when that Hamada kid started working with the old Cast Bot designs, I hitched a ride back here to the Magical World and started to see all the changes that had been made while I was gone, starting with the new Dream Keeper."
"Then you should know that we won the Sorcerer's Tournament and not to mess with us," Brooklyn boasted.
"Then you should know that I analyzed all of your moves and skills to make my latest plan completely foolproof!" Hex retorted. "So, now that I've neutralized all of your powers, I'll just be banishing you all into nothingness now. Goodbye!"
In a flash, Kari, Brooklyn, and Lena were all swept away by the cubes, with Gabriel and Jasiri holding onto each other as they came for them next. "Guys!" Gabriel called out.
"We've gotta get moving," Jasiri said. She looked around and noticed the fire station. "Gabriel, in there!"
The two ran, dodging the cubes and getting inside. Quickly, Gabriel found an old TV behind the counter and turned it on. "Oswald, if you can hear me, we need a portal, now!" he called.
The screen flashed, and an old Mickey Mouse cartoon came on. Gabriel and Jasiri gave each other a look and ran at the screen, only for Hex to burst in and grab Jasiri. "Yoink!" the villain cackled, holding the hyena in his clutches. "I can't have my loose ends getting free this early on."
"Jasiri!" Gabriel called, turning to go back, only for a hand to come out of the TV and pull him through.
Hex shrugged, going outside to watch as the entire Magical World became distorted by his hacking. "Oh well, the Dream Keeper is dead meat once he comes back. This entire world is mine now! And no one can stop me, because Hex rules all!"
[***]
Gabriel gasped as he fell out of a projector screen, the image turning off as he stood back up. "Jasiri…" he said in a small voice.
"Gabriel!" Oswald said, coming over to the raven. "That was a close one. I was watching the parade on the TV when I got your message. What's going on up there?"
"The same thing that happened to us, I'm guessing," said a familiar voice.
Gabriel looked over to see some of his other friends were present in the room as well. The one that spoke was Rachel, a tall girl with long brown hair and a fashion style that mixed comfy shirts and pants with a cape, boots, and gloves. She was a sword mage by trade, though her last sword was broken in a previous tournament match with Gabriel.
"What are you guys doing here?" Gabriel asked.
"After I heard you, I sent out projectors to grab as many of your friends as I could find on such a short notice," Oswald explained. "I couldn't get all of them, though, so they're stuck out there facing that cube monster."
"It was that Hex guy for sure," Logan said, shaking his head. "Boy is he a blast from the past." Logan was a young man with a budding goatee and a passion for snazzy baseball caps. He was never without his sketchbook, which could draw up any solution with the right creativity.
"And we were this close to our next clue about the DreamFinder as well," Adam sighed. Adam was a cyborg with the spirit of adventure, which made up for his sometimes-lacking social skills. Nevertheless, if you were going somewhere, Adam had the skills to get you both into and out of dangers.
"Wait, where's Melanie? you're never without her," Gabriel asked.
"Alas, she was taking by those cubes," Adam sighed.
Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, I feel that. Hex took my friends as well."
"At least this isn't as bad as that time you took me on a double date, Adam," Silver quipped. He had curly black hair and the best fashion sense out of all the guys. Silver was a big princess fan and loyal to his friends, though he also tended to get dragged into situations out of his control.
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Adam defended.
"You got my boyfriend turned into a frog!" Silver responded. "And now he wants to 'take things slow,' so I might never get another chance with him!"
Adam looked bashful. "In my defense, I didn't know Trader Sam could do actual magic. But next time we're on the Jungle Cruise, I'll bring that up with him."
"I heard that he's moving to the Wasteland, actually," Oswald said. "I'll see if I can get in contact with him."
"Guys, what about Hex!" Soren asked. He was a Jaquin, a jaguar/macaw hybrid with topaz fur and turquoise spots. Soren is a bit of a prankster, but his mischief is useful in distracting his enemies and giving his friends a change to make things right. His optimism is always welcomed as well. In addition, the Jaquin seemed to have grown a bit since Gabriel last saw him as well, not as big as Skylar but around what a teenage Jaquin would be.
"Yeah, that is a big problem," Gabriel said. He took a deep breath. "Okay, so an old villain is back, and he's presumably taking over the Magical World as we speak. Plus he has data on all of us so that our powers will be easily countered."
"Sounds like a bad match up, even if we all work together," Rachel said.
"But there has to be something we can do!" Logan insisted. "We can't just wait in the Wasteland forever!"
"I mean, we can, but that won't help anyone, especially Melanie," Adam shrugged.
Oswald gave a cough to get everyone's attention. "If I may, Mickey and I have been working on a few plans just in case some of the villains escaped the Wasteland. Follow me." The six friends followed the rabbit out of the main room of Dark Beauty Castle (newly rebuilt) and into a side room that was full of treasures. "Welcome to the Magical Artifact Room, where we keep copies of all the most powerful items for the staff here in the Wasteland to use to fight off the Blot or and other villains that cause trouble."
"This is so cool!" Soren cheered, diving into a pile Scrooge McDuck style and looking around the room.
"I see," Silver hummed. "If we can't use our usual abilities, then we'll combine them with some new ones to defeat Hex and save the Magical World!"
Oswald smiled. "You got it, Silver! Now then, just close your eyes and hold out your hand. The magical item for you will come to you naturally."
The six friends all closed their eyes, and soon enough they each summoned an item from the vault. Gabriel got a glowing blue gem, Rachel got an unusual key-shaped sword with a dragon motif, Logan got a golden pendant, Adam got a fancy golden-covered book, Silver got a paintbrush and a cartoony remote, and Soren got a glowing dice-like object. When they opened their eyes, Gabriel instantly recognized the objects they each now possessed.
"Oh cool!" the raven exclaimed. "Soren, you got the Infinity-Sided Dice. Whenever you roll it, the effects that happen are all up to chance."
"Sounds risky, but fun all the same," the jaquin nodded. He was about to roll the dice, but Oswald stopped him.
"Hold on kid, you shouldn't use that here. I just got the castle fixed up from the last crisis," Oswald warned.
Logan looked at Rachel's item and was visibly upset. "Aw man, you got a Keyblade? I wanted one of those."
"Do you even know how to use a sword?" Rachel asked. Looking at her Keyblade, it was mostly black with a skeletal dragon head as the "teeth" of the blade and a spooky trophy as the keychain. "I don't think I've seen this one before, though. Not the most familiar with Kingdom Hearts."
"That's Fatal Crest," Logan explained. "It's one of the Keyblades from the Olympus world."
"It fits Rachel's dragon slayer persona, that's for sure," Adam nodded. He looked at the book he had received. Opening the book, the adventurer thumbed through the pages to see what was inside. "Huh, there's maps of almost every Disney world ever in here."
"That's the Golden Atlas," Gabriel explained. "It's a magical book that can transport you anywhere within it's pages. Although this should be with Xandra, Goddess of Adventure."
"This is a replica," Oswald pointed out. "Xandra still has the real book." Silver looked at the paintbrush and remote he had, gaining the rabbit's attention. "Hey, that's my remote control! You can use that to give your enemies a real shock, and the paintbrush is like the one my brother Mickey uses when he comes down here."
"Alright," Sliver nodded, sliding both objects into his pockets for later.
Logan was still confused about his pendant. "Okay, what is this thing?"
"It doesn't actually have a name, but it was a gift for Cleopatra," Gabriel said. "A villain from Kim Possible used it to summon the powers of Anubis, God of Mummification… for wrestling of all things."
"Sometimes you forgot how odd things from your childhood are," Rachel mused.
Logan still just stared at the pendant. "So it gives you god powers?"
"And makes you a good wrestler, I guess," Gabriel shrugged.
"I can roll with that," Logan said. He flexed his arms with a grin. "I'm a fan of wrestling myself, so look out for me in the ring!"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Right, Logan, you keep dreaming… Though I guess in the Magical World that dream can come true. Do we have an underground wrestling scene I don't know about?"
"You'd be surprise what you can find with a little digging," Adam stated.
"Either way, I think we're all ready," Gabriel said. He looked to his friends, with the five of them smiling with determined expressions. "Okay team, it's time to save not just the Magical World, but the entire Disney Universe! Oswald, where do we go first?"
Author's Note
I'm back with the final part of the Magical World trilogy! If you couldn't tell by this first chapter, this story will have the most adventure aspect, with Gabriel having to rely on friends old and new to save the day from the villainous Hex. As a side note, Hex comes from the video game "Disney Universe" if you were wondering. We'll get more into their actual mission next chapter, but this was just a fun way to set up the story and get into the action.
Now then, allow me to give thanks to the creators of the characters that will be joining Gabriel on this wild new adventure:
Rachel belongs to Princess Gakoshi
Logan belongs to Logan Jindrak X
Adam belongs to JOHNHAMMOND1993
Silver belongs to Super Wolfie Star
Soren belongs to AvalorianJaquin
Next Time: our team of heroes meet some new allies and embark on their quest!