Sophia's Story
A Disney crossover by talking2myself
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable Disney characters. All original characters are my own creations.
CHAPTER 27. A Dry Pocket
"Sophia! What in the name of Disney…." Madam Leota struggled to keep up with Mirror close on her heels.
"Where's the well?" Sophia demanded.
"The what?" Madam Leota asked.
"The well," Sophia cried. "Apparently, that's where my sister went. It will transport me to New York City."
"New York!" Mirror cried happily. "Start spreading the news! I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York! These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray…"
"Mirror pipe down!" Madam Leota snapped. "For goodness sake, your rhyme scheme is AABB not ABCD ABCD. Get a hold of yourself!" Mirror looked down shamefacedly. Madam Leota turned her attention back to Sophia. Now what is it…"
"There!" Sophia cried. Nestled a short distance away from the palace was a large waterfall-like sculpture. Mirror and Leota paused for a moment and stared in awe. Sophia was not moved at all. Instead, she scrambled up onto the edge of the wall. Leota shook herself out of her reverie and snatched Sophia's arm. She yanked Sophia back away from the edge seconds before Sophia jumped. The two of them tumbled backwards nearly colliding into Mirror.
"Now," Madam Leota said as she wobbled to her feet. "Go over this again. SLOWLY."
Sophia jabbed a finger at the wishing well. "That is a portal to this New York City place. My sister is there. According to Edward, she is okay but she thinks she is going to stay there. I need to help her regain her senses."
"By completely losing yours?" Leota snapped. "You don't just go jumping into strange wells. You of all people should know that."
"I jumped into a strange river, totally different," Sophia snapped. "And at any rate, my sister is in there. I haven't heard from her for years. Leota, I have to find her!"
"But the knowing…" Leota repeated.
"Leota please," Sophia pleaded clutching her mentor's hands. "I need to find her."
Madam Leota met her eyes and then finally groaned. "Alright, but you're not going by yourself." Madam Leota lifted up her skirts and climbed up onto the wall besides her. "Mirror, are you in or out?"
"Sophia's going on an adventure? And now so are you?" Mirror asked. He shook his head. "Stand aside! Of course, I'm coming too."
"Thanks," Sophia said. She had to admit. She was more than a bit to relieved that she wouldn't have to face this on her own.
"Now," Leota said, staring at the swirling turquoise waters anxiously. "Do… do you think there's any method to this or do we do just… jump?"
"I think we just jump…" Sophia shrugged.
"Fine," Leota said. "On three…One…" Leota clasped Sophia's hand. "Two…" Mirror clutched her other hand. "Three!"
The three of them leapt into the air before leaping into the well. Sophia screamed as she plummeted down. It seemed like such a long way to fall before they hit the water with a splash. For a few moments, Sophia hung suspended in the water. Then, she caught sight of a strange sparkling shimmer in the water. Seconds later it was followed by another and another. It wasn't long before Sophia's whole body was covered in mysterious shimmering light. She frantically flailed her arms and legs and caught sight of her two companions doing the same. Suddenly there was a vibrant flash of light and Sophia was flung forwards.
Seconds later, Sophia landed roughly on a hard surface, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Sophia gasped for breath and slowly lifted her head. Her curls and her gown were soaked through. She pressed a hand to her aching head and gently adjusted her tiara so it was even on her head. "Is everyone alright?"
Spots were dancing before her eyes, but once they cleared Sophia was able to see that it was dark. Wherever they were, it was nightfall. They lay sprawled on a black paved street of some sort. A short distance away, a manhole cover lay spinning like a top. She looked around at a strange Unreal city skyline. The stars twinkling in the inky blue sky. Sophia looked to her right and caught sight of a pile of wet robes that had to be Mirror. Mirror lifted his head revealing his masked face, though it looked strangely different in a way that Sophia couldn't place. Mirror met Sophia's eyes and he let out a cry of alarm.
"Mirror, what is it?"
"Maybe… Maybe it's the trip or maybe I'm just a bit shook." Mirror swallowed hard, "But… Sophia… you have a different look!"
"Look?" Sophia removed her shiny tiara and gazed at herself in its shimmery surface. She let out a cry of surprise and fell back on her skirts. She did look different! She looked Unreal, like Will or Jack. She still had red curls, now limp from the drenching, but she looked so different. Another thought occurred to her, "Leota?"
"UGH!" Leota groaned as she sat up. Both Mirror and Sophia let out a yelp and jumped backwards. "What?" Leota demanded, pressing a hand to her aching head. "What is it?"
"You're… you're Animated," she cried.
"I'm what?" Madame Leota demanded. Sophia sheepishly handed her the tiara and Madam Leota let out a yelp of surprise. Her eyes were wide and vibrant, her hair wildly surrounded her head in a halo of curls.
Madam Leota shrieked and hurriedly muttered a spell under her breath. Nothing happened. Madam Leota scowled and repeated the spell again. Still nothing, Madam Leota let out a groan of frustration. "Of course, your sister would manage to fall into a dry pocket!"
"A dry pocket?" Sophia asked. "What is that?"
Madam Leota yanked the hood of her cloak over her head, hiding her face. "I can feel it in the air. Or more to the point, I can't feel it in the air. We're in one of the rare corners of The Kingdom that is almost completely devoid of magic." Leota scowled and muttered the spell again. "Curses! It's practically the Other World."
"Other World?" Sophia asked.
"Walt Disney's home world," Madam Leota said. She wobbled to her feet. "There was a transportation spell of some sort in that well. A strong one too. Heck, I don't think anyone in this city has even seen an Animated person before. If an Annie gets inside the city, they're probably transformed by a spell of some sort. I was already Unreal so now…" she gestured at her transformed body.
Sophia frowned. She had spent most of her existence in Andalasia. It was for the most part populated by other Animated people or "Annies", however, it was on a coast so she did see Unreal people in the markets and docks on occasion. She had seen even more during her travels, she was quite close to Will and Jack now. There were very few places in The Kingdom that were completely devoid of them, but now she was surrounded.
"Well, maybe a break from magic isn't too awful," Sophia thought hopefully. She wouldn't have to worry about being transformed into anything unnatural here. It had been ages since she had that feeling.
"You're going to have to go on without me," Madam Leota said.
"Without you?" Sophia cried. "You're the one who insisted on coming."
"I know and it kills me," Madam Leota said crossing her arms. "But there's no way you can find your sister with me looking like this." She gestured at her face. "We'll terrify the natives. They'll probably throw us in a prison somewhere."
"So you're just going to leave me alone?" Sophia cried, sounding more pathetic than she had intended.
"Of course not," Madam Leota said. "Mirror!" she cried. Mirror bolted to his feet and threw a smart salute. "Don't let Sophia out of your sight!" She looked around anxiously. "I don't know what to make of this city."
"My sister is here somewhere. I have to find her," she said.
Madam Leota nodded. "But you need to hurry, you don't have much time before The Knowing hits. I'm going to return to Andalasia. You can still contact me through magic water. Mirror is Unreal too so you shouldn't draw any attention." Madam Leota stopped and looks Mirror up and down. "Well… you won't draw quite as much attention." Madam Leota drew a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Be careful."
"I will," Sophia promised. "I know this is a bad time to mention it, but I really appreciate all that you've done for me." She smiled feebly. "You were a wonderful teacher."
"Yeah, well you were one heck of a student," Madam Leota said with a rueful smile. She wrapped her arms around Sophia and hugged her tightly. "Now go find your sister." Finally, she released Sophia and slowly made her way back towards the manhole. She turned towards the pair of them. "Mirror!" she said. "If something happens to Sophia and you come back to the manor we'll finally have an even 1,000 haunts."
Mirror let out a squeak of alarm before nodding enthusiastically. "Though we face dangers and toils and horrors and strife…" he pressed a hand to his heart. "I solemnly swear to protect miss Sophia with my life."
"See that you do," she said. She nodded at both of them. "Good luck you two," she said. With that, she stepped into the manhole and vanished into the night.