Race 12: Storybook Land
"And we're back everybody!" Mickey announced, him and Lightning McQueen behind the commentator's booth once more. "With the Herbert situation resolved, we're back on track for the final race!"
"A special one at that," Lightning said. "This is a special track that Mickey and friends put together as a celebration of the many stories told in the Magical World over the years. Hope you guys are ready for the grand finale!"
[***]
"So, is there a reason this race is starting in a backlot shed?" Beth asked.
"This is actually an augmented reality simulation chamber," Adam corrected. "Think of it like having a movie screen on all sides."
"Like the terrible Fast and Furious ride at Universal?" Logan asked.
"Hey, let's not bring them into the equation here," Adam said, leaning on the fourth wall. "But yeah, kind of like that. By my guess this is just the holding bay for us until the race starts."
"At the very least it's given me time to learn the reversal for the transformation spell!" Aline announced.
"You could have warned me before using it, though," Logan said, rubbing his butt. "You put too much power behind the spell, and I can still feel the stinging in my non-existent tailfeathers."
"And that's why she'll be part of some special training when this is all done," Rachel said.
"Really?" Aline said in shock.
Rachel nodded. "Yes, Gabriel and I were discussing how some of our friends have a greater potential that could be unlocked with some more training. So then, Aline, how you like to be trained to become an actual Dream Keeper?"
"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" Aline shouted excitedly.
"Can there even be more than one Dream Keeper, though?" Toren asked.
"There's more than one Spider-Man, so there surely can be more than one Dream Keeper," Aline said. "Plus, Gabriel had to get the title from someone, right?"
"All I know is after this, I'm going back to my place for some rest and relaxation with Staghart," Silver said with a big sigh. "We can just curl up on the couch and watch romance movies together."
"Sounds like the dream, dude," Logan gave a thumbs up. "Summer is here, and Destiny and I have a lot we want to do as well."
"I think I'd want to try out the Dream Keeper training with you, Aline," Toren said.
"Could I join you guys?" Beth asked. "I want to get stronger too! Especially if my brother ever shows up."
"Your brother?" Rachel questioned.
Beth gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, my brother and I were both training to be magicians, but he went to the dark side and made a deal with Bill Cipher. So if I want reach out to him, I need to get as strong as him!"
"That sounds like a whole other story to deal with," Adam shook his head. "Melanie and I will be content with some more adventures. It could be some time before I see you all again."
"But either way, we'll all have the Magical World to meet back up in," Silver said, the others giving smiles and nods of approval.
"Sounds like you guys all have plans," Gabriel said, walking into the room with his team. "But for now, let's focus on the race ahead. I've got the map all set up. Hit the lights, Figment!"
The imagination dragon poofed into existence, giving a laugh before clapping his hands twice. The room around them fell away, and the teams were in awe at the sight of a spectacular nighttime fireworks show, with the buildings of Main Street all lit up with hundreds of lights.
"Everyone, welcome to the final race, Storybook Land!" Gabriel announced.
"Like the town from Once Upon a Time?" Silver asked.
"That's Storybrooke, Silver," Aline corrected.
"Yes, this is a special racetrack Mickey and friends made with some help from Figment," Gabriel explained. "We'll be driving through a bunch of iconic Disney locations, so let's get ready for a superstar final race!"
Everyone had the biggest grins on their faces as they went to their vehicles. Poe opened the door for Rachel to get into Sweet Vision, Bruno and Vanellope having already buckled their seatbelts. Beth turned the key on the Toon Buggy as Eda and Bonkers tried to settle Stitch down. "Save the energy for the race!" Eda said to the little blue alien.
Logan shared a firm handshake with his teammates, Della adjusting the rear-view mirror on the Gracious Bird as Ant-Man and Dastan set up their defenses. Toren honked the horn on Heart of a Jaquin, Nico and King laughing as Agent P rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. Aline shared a high-five with Molly, did a fist bump with Sprig, and finally shared a secret handshake with Luz before starting the engine of the Hex Rider. "Time to burn some rubber!" Sprig shouted.
Silver shared a nod with Elsa, Cinderella, and Aurora as he got into the Blue Royale. Melanie gave Adam a kiss for good luck as Iron Man and Athena ran a last minute diagnostics check on the SEA Racer.
"You guys ready?" Rocket asked, hopping into his seat. "The weapon systems are up and running hot."
"May the Force be with us, always," Lop said, fastening her seatbelt.
"You know that we'll do our best!" Jasiri cheered, giving Gabriel a lick on the cheek.
"Then let's not hesitate anymore," Gabriel said. The Dream Keeper closed his eyes, necklace glowing as he assumed his dragon form, talons gripped firmly on the Concerto Comet's steering wheel. "I'm not holding back this time, as in the end you have to go big or go home!"
"You said it!" Cruz called from the sidelines. "And as a special rule for this race, all item boxes have been replaced with Super Star Powerups, so be prepared for a lot of special attacks all the time, racers!"
Figment came down to the middle of the track, holding a traffic light in order to signal the start of the race.
3…
2…
1…
Let's Race!
Figment did an spin, shooting off fireworks as the teams all raced down the track. Main Street was soon behind them as the track transformed to take them into an enchanted forest, where Bambi and friends could be seen watching from the sidelines. "As the racers pass the Seven Dwarfs' cottage, it's the Toon Buggy that takes the lead, followed by Gracious Bird in second and Heart of a Jaquin in Third!" Mickey announced.
"This track is like a medley of Disney locations!" Beth said in awe as they exited the forest into the countryside, passing the houses of the Three Little Pigs.
"We got superstar items up ahead!" Bonkers pointed out. The normal item boxes had been replaced with wishing stars from the Blue Fairy, giving each team a random special item to use. Stitch laughed as he powered up his blasters, using rapid fire to attack Logan's team. When the smoke cleared, however, Logan had used his special to summon his Keyblade, Owl Buster, to cast Reflect, nullifying the damage.
"Bet you guys forgot I had one of these, huh?" Logan said, dissipating the weapon after use.
"I think Donald mentioned one his friends using a weapon like that," Della mused.
The Reflect spell had also blocked an attack from the back cast by Nico's special. Gabriel called on Fantasia to catch up to Logan and Beth at the front of the pack, while Rachel relied on Bruno's visions to navigate around all the specials flying around. This let them dodge a Fire Glyph set off by Luz, whose team was in turn attacked by Cinderella's pumpkin bomb special, as well as an electric shock from Adam.
"You know, if it wasn't for Cinderella throwing an actual pumpkin at us, I would swear Silver secretly had Green Goblin on his team," Aline said.
The racers soon drove around Rapunzel's tower, into a nearby marshland and through the Old Mill from the classic "Silly Symphony" short. Gabriel hummed to the tune of the old cartoon as the race transitioned from the marshlands to the seashore, the next superstar items up ahead as Prince Eric's castle came into view.
"Let's make sure we keep our position, kid," Eda said, transforming into her harpy form and boosting the Toon Buggy forward.
"Keep us on track, Della!" Logan cheered as the pilot duck took control of the vehicle with her special.
"Nothing personal, Gabriel!" Rachel called as she used her sword slash to knock the Concerto Comet out of first place.
"There's nothing to be sorry for, if we return the favor in full," Rocket said. He activated his own special, tossing out mines that knocked both Rachel and Toren's teams together.
"Hey, watch it!" King shouted, using his special to blow Sweet Vision away.
"Sweet gumdrops, we can't catch a break here!" Vanellope said. The race went behind the seaside palace and into Pastoral Symphony, where pegasus, fauns, and other mythological creatures frolicked in the fields. You could even catch some of the Greek Gods from Olympus hanging out to spectate the race.
"At least it can't get any morse," Bruno said, only to immediately regret his words as Athena shot one of her time bombs at them, slowing them down.
"Yooouuuu juuuuusssst hhhaaaaddd toooo saaaaay sommmeethhhhiiinnng, diiiidn't yooooou?" Vanellope said, her voice distorted by the bomb.
Behind them, Aurora used her boost power to zoom ahead, only to be stopped by Sprig and his trusty slingshot. "Yeah, take that!" the frog laughed, giving a high five to his teammate. "Let's move on ahead, team! Just watch out for speeding toads."
"Sprig, you shouldn't judge people based on their species," Aline chided.
"No, I really mean, look out for speeding toads!" Sprig warned, pointing out Mr. Toad as he sped by in his own car as the race went past Toad Hall.
"You'd think he would have learned his lesson the last time he went out for a joyride," Gabriel chuckled.
The air started to turn dark and spooky as the racers entered an old town, Bald Mountain towering over them as Chernabog and his demons leered over them. Avoiding the ghosts that would suddenly pop out on the track, the next set of superstar items appeared, acting as a beacon of light in this dark part of the race.
"Race you to the finish line, Logan!" Beth called as Bonkers pulled out an oversized firework to use as a boost.
"You're on!" Logan shouted back as Ant-Man used Pym Particles to grow their own firework for a boost.
"Come on guys, don't forget to have fun with this!" Gabriel laughed as Lop made the Concerto Comet jump ahead to catch up to the two.
Behind the frontrunners, Agent P pulled out his grappling hook and latched onto the Concerto Comet, pulling Heart of a Jaquin forward as well. "Wow, that line must be really strong to withstand all the force," Toren said, impressed.
Iron Man used his overcharged boost to get SEA Racer ahead as they exited Bald Mountain, drifting into some sand dunes and right into the Cave of Wonders. "Don't even think about taking any of the treasure, Adam," Melanie said, holding his hand as he leaned over the side of the car.
"Sorry, but all the gold is tempting to say the least," the cyborg replied.
"Scratch, you really shouldn't be touching this stuff," Molly warned as her ghost friend greedily picked out bits of treasure.
"Please, I'm already a ghost, what's the worst that can happen?" Scratch retorted.
"Famous last words," Vanellope called as she glitched ahead, just as the cave started to fall apart. Scratch sighed, using his power to get the Hex Rider out of the cave safely. Elsa used her ice magic to freeze the lava just as everyone got out, now in a snowy forest as Beast's Castle loomed in the distance.
The race continued through the snow before the sun came out, spring melting into view as a city of green stood on the outskirts. "Is that the Emerald City?" Aline asked.
"Yeah, from Return to Oz, the unofficial sequel that Disney made back in the day," Gabriel explained. "Think of it as our tribute to the Great Movie Ride. Now then, follow the yellow brick road, everyone!"
As the teams looked around at all the sights in the Emerald City, the final set of superstar items came up. "Come to me, my animal friends!" Silver called, using his powers to summon the flying monkeys to guide them through the city.
"These guys are kind of cute when they're not attacking innocent little girls," Aurora said.
Aline came up behind Silver and used her power, turning the Blue Royale into a Blue Russian cat before speeding off. "Sorry Silver, but I gotta try my best to win!" Aline called.
Melanie used her power to temporarily turn the entire SEA Racer invisible, letting them slip around the others without issue. "It's been a pleasure racing with you all," Adam said.
"How about a different kind of spell this time?" Poe said as he activated his special. The shadow of the Sweet Vision suddenly came alive, dragging the actual vehicle up the wall as the sorcerer used his magic to manipulate where they could drive. "My sister isn't the only one well versed in shadow magic," the duck chuckled.
"Let the power of joy give us a burst to victory!" Toren called. His crystal magic came out in full force, sending Heart of a Jaquin barreling forward in burst of speed and right through Gracious Bird.
As Logan's team was sent spinning through the air, Dastan activated the Dagger of Time, reversing the race back a few seconds so Logan could dodge out of the way of Toren's attack. "Just the right moment," Dastan nodded as Logan used his driving skills to keep ahead in the race.
"Time for our victory song!" Beth called, using her special to musically boost ahead.
"Jasiri, now it's your turn!" Gabriel called. The hyena nodded, using her magic as the Dream Keeper took the car offroad for a shortcut as the race looped back around to Main Street.
"The race for first is cutting it close!" Lightning called. "It's Beth, then Logan, now Gabriel! Toren is cutting in there, but Silver surprisingly is catching up too! Rachel and Adam battle neck and neck, while Aline isn't giving up either. It'll come down the photo finish, race fans!"
Everyone gave it all they got as they raced past the finish line in a blur, skidding to a stop as their fans all came out to congratulate them. No matter who won the race, everyone was excited by the event they had just seen.
"The results are in!" Mickey called. "And the winner of the final race is… Beth and the Toon Buggy!"
Bethe jumped in the air whooping wildly, with Stitch and Bonkers giving her a hug while Eda simply gave a thumbs up to her teammates. "We did it! We won the final race!" Beth cheered.
"It seems you guys are already in a happy mood," Daisy said as she came up for her interview.
"What can I say? The kid earned this one," Eda said with a shrug and a smile.
"Stitch say "Hi" to Ohana back home!" Sitch said to the camera. "Be back soon!"
"I just want to thank everyone that believed in me," Bonkers said, pulling out a handkerchief and comically blowing his nose as he cried tears of joy.
"Thanks to all the people that cheered us on," Beth said.
"And that's the end of the Magical World Grand Prix!" Cruz announced. "The final results and afterparty will be held soon, so stay tuned, race fans!"
Total Points
Gabriel (58)
Rachel (57)
Logan (55)
Toren (55)
Aline (47)
Beth (44)
Adam (43)
Silver (39)
Author's Note
And the final race is over! The next chapter will be the aftermath, along with a surprise announcement. I have the next Magical World story planned, and it involves the training that Aline, Toren, and Beth were talking about at the beginning with Rachel. Another adventure is always around the corner!
This racetrack is based on the Storybook Land attraction, combining scenes from both the original Disneyland version and the one found in Disneyland Paris. I hope you enjoyed all the different locations as a nice send-off to the story. Think of this as the "Rainbow Road" of the Magical World Grand Prix.
Next Time: everyone celebrates another exciting adventure!