Ironically, it was Gabriel and Rachel's group that got back first, with their decided meeting point being at the Partners statue in front of the castle. Soon enough, Adam's group and Silver's group came as well, with Gabriel noticing their new additions as well.
"Brooklyn! Kairi!" the raven shouted, running towards his friends.
Brooklyn laughed, catching the raven and giving him a playful noogie. "You missed us, didn't you Leader?" the gargoyle said.
"It's wonderful for all of us to be together again," Kairi said, hugging Gabriel.
"Missed you guys as well," Lena smiled, joining in on the group hug.
Gabriel looked to his friends, then turned to Sisu. "Oh right! Everyone, this is Sisu, a water dragon and the newest member of our Dream Keeper team!"
"So nice to finally meet all of you guys," Sisu said, curling around them and joining the hug. "Gabriel's told me so many cool stories about all of you!"
Gabriel them looked over to Staghart and Silver. "Oh, did you finally get over Anthony, Silver?"
The boy blushed in response. "It turns out that my two love interests were one in the same."
"Good for you, dude," the raven gave thumb's up.
"Hey, I just noticed something," Kairi stated. "Where's Jasiri?"
The hug broke as Gabriel looked a bit down. "She's… off on her own journey right now," the raven said.
The others cringed, feeling the sadness in his tone. "If it means anything, I know a thing or two about a broken heart," Brooklyn said.
Suddenly the sound of running feet was heard. "Gabriel!" called a voice.
The raven whipped around quickly, only to be tackled to the ground by a very energetic hyena. "Jasiri!?" Gabriel gasped.
She kissed him on the lips and then started talking quickly. "I'm sorry about what I said to you back at Oswald's place. I really wasn't in the right state of mind. Oh, it was so embarrassing! I actually made out with Janja! It was so weird! And then I found out that he also has a crush on my sister- which I'm going to have to talk to them about later! But anyway-"
Gabriel cut her off with another kiss. "It's okay, Jasiri. You remember everything, right?" She nodded. "Then I'm glad that you're back on the team." Everyone cheered as the two lovers were finally, truly reunited. "Now then, how about we use these keys to open the way to Mickey?"
Adam suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh shoot! Guys, we forgot to save Goofy, Daisy, and Minnie! You know, the other mission we were sent on?"
"Funny, I thought we did get them," Soren hummed.
"Indeed, I've been tracking their magic and we've had them back ever since we got the keys," Rachel stated.
Gabriel looked at the keys. "Hey, these ones are different from the others." He held them up for the others to see. "Look, this one has Goofy's head, this one has Daisy's, and this one has Minnie's!"
"So they're… inside the keys?" Jasiri guessed.
"Or the way to free them is by using the keys," Brooklyn suggested.
"But that would mean that Hex has Mickey somewhere else," Kairi pointed out.
"Indeed I do!" Hex said, suddenly appearing over everyone else. "Sorry about the surprise, but I needed more time for my big finale to totally own you losers!"
"He does realize by now that he's literally never bested us, even when he got the drop on us a few times?" Logan asked to no one in particular.
"So For your final challenge before the big boss battle, how about you do one simple thing?" Hex said. The keys floated upwards, opening a portal in front of the castle. "All you have to do is go into this world and make sure it has a happy ending." Suddenly, Cast Bots appeared around the group, slowly closing in. "Oh, and it's couple's night in this world, so only two per group." He laughed as he floated away.
"I really hate that guy," Brooklyn grumbled. "Looks like some of us will have to stay behind and defend the portal." He pulled out his swords, with Maximus, Kairi, Sora, and Riku doing the same.
"Adam, take Melanie with you," Jake said, hopping of his companion's shoulder.
"But what about all the help you gave me?" Adam asked.
Jake smiled. "Mate, the only thing I did was stay by your side as you figured out the adventure. And who's a better adventuring partner than the one you love."
Sisu nodded, pushing Gabriel and Jasiri towards the portal. "Go on, you two! This dragon knows her way around a fight."
"You guys better not lose!" Rachel and Logan said at the same time. "Jinx!"
With a nod of agreement, Gabriel, Jasiri, Logan, Destiny, Rachel, Poe, Silver, Staghart, Adam, Melanie, Soren, and Marian all hopped into the portal. Brooklyn gave a battle cry, and the final battle for the Magical World raged on.
[***]
Dropping to the ground, the group found themselves standing outside of a castle, clearly in the medieval era. "Huh, I wonder what world this is," Jasiri asked.
"It's Sword in the Stone," Gabriel answered immediately. "I recognize King Arthur's castle."
The hyena giggled. "I missed that big brain full of facts."
"So, all we have to do is make sure a happy ending occurs here?" Soren stated. "Sounds easy to me. I mean, I can see from here that Arthur already has the sword from the stone. Hex gave us another freebee to buy time, didn't he?"
Rachel shook her head. "But Soren, King Arthur's story continues after he pulls the sword, and it doesn't end well for him."
"How bad are we talking?" Logan asked.
"Pretty bad," Silver said. "Let's just say that love triangles ruin everything, even back in the times of sword and sorcery."
"Then I know how to fix this one," Adam said. "All we have to do is make sure Arthur doesn't fall in love with Guinevere. Harsh, but that would mean the love triangle with Lancelot won't go down, and thus Camelot won't fall!"
"But where are we going to find someone for Arthur to fall in love with on such a short notice?" Rachel asked.
"Why don't we just find that squirrel that has a crush on him and have her do it?" Gabriel laughed. He did so for a while, until he noticed the others didn't laugh as well. "Wait, are you guys seriously considering that idea? I just said it as a joke!"
"It makes sense to me," Jasiri said.
"Yeah, I second that!" Destiny cheered.
"I can just cast a transformation spell to turn the squirrel human. Simple as that," Poe nodded.
"A tale of two lovers, that despite their species, find a way to reunite in love," Marian mused.
"It's like Romeo and Juliet, except they don't die at the end," Staghart said.
"And unusual couples is kind of our thing around here," Melanie giggled.
Gabriel held up a hand to respond but put it down quickly. "Okay, fair point. So then, who wants to go on a squirrel hunt?"
[***]
After an hour of searching the nearby forest (an a bit of luck with Soren's dice), the gang managed to find the squirrel in question, and a bit of magic from Poe turned her into a girl with red hair and a matching red dress fitting for the time period. After some explaining to the squirrel what was going on, Gabriel told her that they were going to unite her with her crush from long ago, who she was delighted to meet again.
"By the way, what's your name?" Logan asked.
"I don't have one," she replied.
"Why don't call you Hazel?" Gabriel suggested. "That's what most of the fans online call you."
"Hazel… I like it!" the squirrel turned human said.
"Great! Then let's go meet your future king," Jasiri said.
The group made their way to the castle, where conveniently enough a royal ball was being held. Arthur was there, along with Merlin and even young versions of who would become the Knights of the Round Table. After a quick costume change into fancy ballroom clothes (tuxedos for the men, dresses for the girls), everyone paired off with their respective partners, with the exception of Soren, who was to stay with Hazel until they could get her an audience with Arthur.
"Check out that girl over near Arthur," Poe pointed out.
"Yep, that's Guinevere," Rachel sighed. "But look over there, a young Lancelot! Maybe we can pair them off together. That would leave Hazel an opening to be with Arthur!"
"It's going to be hard," Jasiri said. "That girl doesn't look like she's going to be leaving Arthur alone any time soon."
"Leave that to me," Soren chuckled. "Time to put some well-placed pranks to the test."
Gabriel waltzed through the ball with Jasiri, moving over to where Merlin was. "Hey Merlin, it's been a while."
"Ah, Dream Keeper! So nice to see you," Merlin greeted. "What brings you and your friends here to Camelot?"
"We have to make sure that Arthur has a happy ending," Gabriel explained. "You see that girl with Soren? That's the squirrel from back when you were teaching Arthur."
"Ah, I remember that," Archimedes, Merlin's owl, said. "Young love. A much better and more loyal choice than Lady Guinevere, if you ask me."
"Merlin, you know what happens in the future, right?" Rachel asked. "Is it okay for us to change this part of the King Arthur story?"
Merlin stroked his beard. "I say, this is most unprecedented. However, I bet you wouldn't come here and do so without a reason. But I must warn you, to change the story so drastically will need a lot of magic, and not the kind that I use."
"Isn't this the part where you sing a song and magically fix our problems?" Jasiri jokingly said to Gabriel.
Merlin shook his head. "It will take more than even Fantasia to do this job. If I had to guess, a bit of light, and bit of dark, with the right music, could cause a new spark!"
"You didn't have to rhyme that," Archimedes sighed.
"Light and dark, that sounds like us," Poe said, holding out a hand to Rachel.
The girl looked at it, but shook her head. "Poe, like I said back in Paris, I just… don't think I'm ready for love."
"But this isn't about us!" Poe stated.
"Getting too close to you might cause me to do something I regret," Rachel sighed.
Jasiri leaned over to Gabriel. "I think these two need some music to set the right mood."
With a nod, Gabriel tapped into Fantasia. 'I don't think just one song will do it, so how about a mashup?' he though. The music poured out, filling the room with a melodic piano. In a flash, Rachel and Poe were practically the center of the party, as the song swirled around them and compelled them to voice their thoughts.
Rachel:
If there's a prize for rotten judgement
I guess I've already won that
Rachel tried to move away from the spotlight, but Poe took her hand into his.
Poe:
All those days, chasing down a daydream…
Rachel quickly dropped it.
Rachel:
That's ancient history; been there, done that
Gabriel and Jasiri, seeing where this was going, started to sing along, with Marian and Soren joining them like a Greek chorus.
Dream Keepers (with Rachel):
Who do you think you kidding?
He's the earth in heaven
'Til you try to keep it hidden
Honey we can see right through ya (Oh no!)
Rachel tried to leave, but the other Dream Keepers kept her conveniently near Poe as the awkwardly danced around each other.
Girl, you can't conceal it
We know how you're feeling
Who you're thinking of
(Oh-oh)
Rachel shook her head, while Staghart sang loving to Silver in the background.
Rachel (with Staghart):
(Let it go, Let it go) No chance, no way, I won't say it, no-no
Jasiri pushed Rachel and Poe into holding hands.
Dream Keepers (with Staghart):
(Can't hold it back anymore) You swoon, you sigh, why deny it, oh-oh
Rachel scoffed, pushing away from the sorcerer.
Rachel:
It's too cliché
I won't say I'm in love
As the attention was drawn away from Arthur, Soren used this time to strike. He placed himself so that Guinevere would 'accidentally' trip over him. The lady almost fell on her face, but Lancelot was there to catch her.
"Be careful there, fair lady," Lancelot said, looking into her eyes. "Sir Lancelot of Camelot."
"Lady Guinevere," she replied, taking his hand for a dance.
"Yes!" Soren silently cheered.
Rachel:
I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
Poe held out a hand to her once more.
Rachel (with Poe):
(You'll be there someday) My head is scream, "Get a grip, girl!"
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out
The gang sang out to make Rachel admit to her true feelings, while Destiny sang her own tangent off to the side, doing some silly Kung Fu poses as part of her dance with Logan.
Dream Keepers (with Destiny):
You keep on denying
Who you are and how you're feeling (I'll)
(Make a man) Baby we're not buying
(Out of you) Hon, we saw you hit the ceiling
Rachel and Poe kept their not-dance up, still moving together as their light and dark magic mixed into a colorful display around them.
Dream Keepers (with Rachel):
(Oh no!) Face it like a grown-up
When you gonna own up that you
Got, got, got it bad
(Oh-oh)
Marian sighed, standing off to the side as she wished her Robin Hood was here to share a dance with.
Rachel (with Marian):
(Wishing. I'm wishing) No chance, no way, I won't say it, no-no
Silver leaned into Staghart's arms as the danced closer together.
Dream Keepers (with Silver):
(So this is love) Give up, give in
Check the grin, you're in love
Rachel turned away from her friends.
Rachel:
This scene won't play
I won't say I'm in love
They grinned as they teased the sword mage.
Dream Keepers:
You're doing flips, read our lips, you're in love
Rachel sighed as Soren jumped in for a quick line.
Rachel (with Soren):
You're way off base, I won't say it
(Almost there) Get off my case, I won't say it
With some nudging, Hazel finally went over to Arthur, taking a place at his side. "Uh… h-hello," she greeted nervously.
Meanwhile, Poe took Rachel's hand one more time as he sang, with Jasiri backing him up.
Poe (with Jasiri):
Girl, don't be proud
It's okay…
But if I know you
I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once (There may be something there that wasn't there before)
Adam and Melanie came in with their own part in a stunning, haunting yet beautiful duet.
Poe (with Adam & Melanie):
Wish that I had…
(A whole new world) I know every mile
(With new horizons to pursue) Will be worth my while
I will go most anywhere (I'll chase them anywhere. There's time to spare)
To feel (Let me share this)
Like I (Whole new world)
Gabriel sang his own part, pushing the magic to its fullest as Arthur and Hazel started to enjoy each other's company. Rachel let her guard down more as well, starting to let her feelings come out. Logan sang his own side-part as well.
Gabriel (with Logan):
Maybe love is the reason why
(If I go there's just no telling how far…) For the first time we're seeing it eye to eye
(I'll go)
Rachel closed her eyes, before looking up into Poe's.
Rachel:
Oh-oh-oh
At least out loud
I won't say I'm in…
Hazel gave a peck on Arthur's cheek, making him blush as she giggled.
Dream Keepers:
Sha-la, sha-la, sha-la, sha-la
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My oh my…
Rachel wrapped her arms around Poe's neck, laying a head on his should as she sang the final line.
Rachel:
Love…
With a hand on Poe's chest, Rachel gave his a quick kiss on the beak, making the sorcerer blush as she smiled at him. "So, does this mean that we're together now?" Poe asked.
"I'm still going to focus on becoming the best sword mage I can be," Rachel replied. "But, I also need to be more open with my heart and be honest with my feelings. So yes, Poe de Spell, we can be together now."
Poe laughed joyfully. "And it looks like we're not the only budding romance around here." He pointed to Arthur and Hazel, the two of them dancing together on the ballroom floor.
"So, mission complete, right?" Jasiri asked Gabriel.
The raven nodded. "Yes, but let's finish this dance before we leave. It's been a while since we just got to enjoy our time together."
And so, each of the lovely couples shared one final dance before returning to the Magic Kingdom, ready to face Hex for the last time.
Author's Note
Wow this was a long one! First things first, I'll be honest with you guys: I had a total goldfish moment and forgot about saving Goofy, Daisy, and Minnie when I was writing last week's chapters. Luckily, I came up with the idea of them being trapped in the keys, so that's been resolved without a big plothole!
And Gabriel's entire team is back together! While this is the last story in the "Magical World" trilogy, I am open to the idea of doing shorter one-shots of the Dream Keepers in the future. But don't expect anything on that front until at least spring or summer of next year. I think I might of got a bit of Disney burnout writing this trilogy, so I need to refresh those magical writing juices when all is said and done.
For Rachel's big moment, I knew it had to be her confession to Poe and her understanding that she doesn't have to focus on her power and physical strength. She should be allowed to express her feelings as well. The song this time is a mashup based around "I Won't Say I'm in Love." This is a real mashup created by the very talented Thomas Sanders, so go check it out on YouTube!
I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I really like "The Sword in the Stone." I think it could make for a good TV series, with the adventures of a young King Arthur learning more about the world from Merlin and maybe even retelling some of the classic Camelot stories. And of course, you can't talk about Sword in the Stone without mentioning the infamous squirrel scene, so the girl squirrel/Hazel gets the chance to be with her love this time, thanks to the Dream Keepers! Don't lie, you felt a bit bad for her when Arthur was turned back into a human in the movie.
Next Time, we save the rest of the Fab 5 and go after Hex!