||Episode 1 - Part VI: The Letter||

*It Began with a Letter*...[Disney Castle]

Donald,

Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's trouble brewin'.

Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all, but I've gotta go check into it.

There's someone with a "key"- the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find 'em, and stick with 'em. Got it?

We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction.

P.S. Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal.

...

The library was silent. Queen Minnie was hardly able to hide how concerned she was upon reading her dearest husband's letter addressed to Donald. She had a deep frown on her face and fought back the tears threatening to leak from her eyes. All that she really did know was that the King was out there, somewhere, all alone. It was a profoundly important mission he was on. And, by the looks of it, it was going to be a dangerous one.

Daisy looked to the queen, then back to the letter. She was equally concerned by the lack of detail shared by His Majesty. But, could she really say it wasn't like him to just run off when something serious came up? Perhaps she wasn't all that worried about him. When it came to the safety of the king, he was more than capable of protecting himself. Daisy mentally nodded to herself and prepared to lay a supporting hand on Minnie's shoulder, but then her mind blanked. She hadn't the words to speak, except...

"Oh, dear... What could this mean?" Daisy said, finally breaking the silence. She sighed sadly and wandered over to Pluto's bed, where the dog slumbered peacefully. At least someone could get a decent wink of sleep during a time like this, was what she had running through her mind. Daisy placed a bone into his bowl, then leaned her side against the oak table.

"It means we'll just have to put out trust in King Mickey," Queen Minnie stated confidently, refining her faith in her beloved. The queen placed the letter on the desk, next to a stack of books detailing all there was to be known about the world and the light within it. "But... I do worry for his safety."

"Gwarsh, I sure hope he's all right," Goofy tugged nervously at his lip.

"Your Highness," Donald stepped forward with his hand over his heart. Goofy's words resonated with the royal magician. Of course, it gave him the courage necessary to boldly take on this task that the King was leaving on his shoulders. "Don't worry. We'll find King Mickey and this key."

"Thank you, both of you." Queen Minnie turned to face her trusted friends and defenders.

"Daisy, can you take care of-"

"Of course!" Daisy cut Donald off, seemingly already knowing what it was he needed to burden her with. "You be careful, now, you two."

"Oh, and to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you," the queen said, gesturing to someone standing at the table.

Donald searched the table and everywhere around it. There was no person standing there, just some books and a container of ink. Laughing sheepishly, Donald scratched his head and pretended to see who the queen was referring to. It wasn't until he saw a tiny figure jumping up and down when Donald realized who their guest was. He sighed in relief. He wasn't losing his mind or anything at all.

"Over here!" the fancily dressed cricket stopped jumping and removed his hat politely when they noticed him. Clearing his throat, he adjusted his ascot and grinned. "Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service!"

"We hope for your safe return. Please help the king," Queen Minnie spoke once more to Donald and Goofy. Donald saluted the queen and Daisy as he prepared to set off for Traverse Town. The queen, Daisy, and- Donald paused a moment in annoyance. Goofy was standing there as if he wasn't being called to embark on a journey.

"Hey!" Donald quacked loudly at his accomplice. "You aren't avoiding your duties. You're coming, too!"

間

Donald and Goofy traveled back to the gardens with Jiminy riding along on Goofy's helmet. They wandered through a hidden passage way and descended a spiraling staircase to the lower grounds. Silence seemed to be their worst enemy, or it was mainly Goofy's. The shield knight struck conversation with the chronicler, inquiring about his life and adventures. According to Queen Minnie, it was only recently when Jiminy Cricket showed up to the castle with the King.

And what a great and terrible tale it was coming from Jiminy. Losing track of all his friends and others he knew. The last thing Mr. Cricket saw of his world was a great deal of darkness ruining everything. Goofy gasped at every thrilling part of the story, he could barely stand to listen anymore.

"Gwarsh, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?" he questioned at the end of Jiminy's story.

"It was terrible!" Jiminy said, nodding his head. Every step Goofy took down the stairs made him bounce up and down. Nonetheless, he was able to continue on with what he had to say about the matter. "We were all scattered when the darkness came into the picture. As far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle."

"Goofy..." Donald grumbled, looking back over his shoulder. "Did you forget?"

"Oh, right... I gotcha!" Goofy nodded in understanding. "Ya mean, while we're in other worlds, we can't let on where we're from, huh? We've gotta protect the world border."

"Order!" Donald corrected him.

"Right! World order," Goofy said in correction. "I guess we'll need new duds when we get there."

"I already packed our stuff in the gummi ship," Donald told him as they entered the gummi garage. They walked in during the prime production time. Giant hands were maneuvered over their heads to different points in the garage for a variety of work. The royal magician made his way to the communication phone to speak with the engineers in charge of the place. "Hello up there? Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you're ready."

"Yes, sir!"

Chip saluted, and rushed over to a lever to get them boarded onto the gummi ship. Dale, a fellow engineer apart of the crew, pressed some buttons to move the hands over to Donald and the others. One by one, they were loaded onto the ship unceremoniously. And, to the surprise of Donald, Pluto came running into the garage and jumped right into the cockpit with him and Goofy.

The gates opened, and the gummi ship fired up its engines. Queen Minnie and Daisy came in time to see them off, and Donald gave his signature wink to the ladies before signaling for the launch. "Blast off!"

Unexpectedly, however, a big red arrow pointed downward and confused the trio. A gate directly below the gummi ship opened up and the engines cut off, dropping them down through a secret tunnel. It happened to drop them right into the vast void of space, also known as the ocean of stars. The gummi ship did as it was supposed to this time, blasting off for Traverse Town.