Chapter 29: A Vow in a Bottle

"Well gang… we may have been captured upon entering, but look on the bright side!" Dakota forced himself to smile as he desperately tried to lighten the mood, "At least we still have each other!"

"How are you so gosh darn optimistic?" Mindy demanded in a panicked frenzy, "We're about to be tortured (and possibly killed) by an underground crime boss, and you're over here talking about the magic of friendship?"

His smile faltered a bit, "We're gonna die?!"

"But the good guys aren't supposed to die in these kinds of stories!" Peter piped up, "That's just not how it's done…I mean, unless they're a mom or dad-"

"-stop it! Nobody is going to die!" Jiminy was almost trying to convince himself, "I mean…what about Disney logic? You know, the most reliable line of reasoning in the entire Dremesphere? Right… Basil?"

When he didn't answer, the weight of the situation started to sink in.

If even the Great Mouse Detective himself couldn't think of a solution to get them out of there, then the circumstances must've been dire. As they turned the corner, the group got their first glimpse at 'The Trap' and was immediately at a loss for words…

It was an ordinary, wooden mousetrap.

Dakota burst into a fit of laughter, "Haha! That's it?! Whoo! For a second I thought we were gonna be drowned in tar, buried alive, or torn apart limb-from-limb, burnt to a crisp, fed to his cat-"

"-now don't give him any ideas!" Jiminy sharply cut him off.

Ratigan tapped his fingertips together as he whirled around to address his henchmen, "Place our dear sweet detective and his chubby friend in the trap…as for the rest, put them in the bottle with the other two." His eyes twinkled with malicious intent, "I'll deal with them later."

Mindy narrowed her eyes as she followed the goons holding her hostage.

Despite how hopeless the situation appeared to be; an immense amount of determination overcame her at that moment.

She refused to think that this was the end of their adventure. There were still so many Disney worlds she had yet to see… so many characters she had yet to meet…so many mysteries and memories she had yet to unravel.

And she was not about to let this predictable loser of a Disney villain take that away from her.

Without hesitation, Mindy wriggled and squirmed in her captor's clutches. She managed to free one of her arms, and punch one of the lackeys square in the jaw. She turned and kneed the other one in the chest, causing him to collapse into a fit of wheezes and coughs. With the two momentarily distracted, she booked it towards the mousetrap as fast as her feet could carry her.

"You blithering imbeciles!" Ratigan exploded as his cheeks glowed crimson, "She's nothing but a child! Uggh, must I always do everything myself?!"

"Basil!" Mindy whispered as she made it to his side, "Can't you see? This is exactly what he wants! He wants you to give in to your insecurities! He wants you to give in to that darkest, most dangerous corner of your mind! But you can't give him that satisfaction! You've gotta snap out of it!" When he refused to even acknowledge her presence, she groaned in vexation, "Couldn't you have chosen a more convenient time to go into dramatics?"

Before she had the chance to continue, Ratigan snaked his arms around her torso and swiftly pulled her into his chest. She let out a startled yelp as he steadily constricted her breath, "Oh, it's no use my dear…he doesn't want to talk. He has spent too much time in that dark and dangerous corner that you spoke of. Basil of Baker Street will soon be dead in both mind and spirit."

"You're…wrong." She managed to gasp out, "I…refuse…to…believe that."

"Oh you princesses and your unrelentingly stubborn nature."

Mindy inhaled as soon as he released her pleading lungs. He restrained her arms with ease as he led her back towards her friends. She gritted her teeth as she continued to thrash around, much to Ratigan's amusement.

"You are too precious." A chuckle rumbled in his throat, "It's as though you think that you have a chance."

"There's always a chance." She immediately retorted, "As long as one can think."

A brief glimmer of recognition flickered in Basil's eyes, but he didn't utter a single word. The professor stared at her for a moment before he curled his lip. He then dragged her towards the bottle, uncorked it, and practically threw her inside. She hissed in pain as she clutched her arm.

She heard the startled cries of her friends as they joined her.

"You're as much of a fool as he is." Ratigan spat as he sealed them in.

Mindy turned around with a haughty smile, "I know that you didn't intend for it to come off that way, but I consider that statement to be (as of right now) the nicest thing a Disney villain has ever said to me." She put a hand to her heart to put salt in the wound, "I'm genuinely flattered my guy."

He growled before whirling around to face his arch nemesis with a dramatic flourish of his cape.

"Mindy?"

She paused as a familiar voice croaked her name.

"Scarlett." Mindy closed her eyes as she spun around...as soon as they fluttered open, tears of relief flooded her vision, "Scarlett!"

The girl nodded with an ecstatic smile.

Her curly mass of hair was unkempt and stringy in some areas, but it was still the same midnight ebony as Mindy remembered. Her make-up was splotchy and her winged-liner had been washed away from silent tears, but her ruby-red lipstick had remained (though her lips were still a bit chapped). She wore a white tank top, a black-and-white flannel skirt, and a pair of black vans.

Mindy wiped her eyes, rushed towards her, and swept her into an embrace…Scarlett stood stock-still for a few unending seconds before she returned the gesture. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Bloom and Gloom!" Dakota's voice broke as a strangled sob escaped him, "You're okay! I mean, I knew you would be! I want you to know that I never lost hope for a single second!"

Scarlett let out a disbelieving laugh as she turned to face him, "Get in here Davendork!"

He happily threw his arms around the both of them, and buried the crook of his neck into their shoulders…

"Aw would you look at that?" Jiminy gushed, "The gang's all together again!"

"Hey there, sorry." Peter cut in, "Hate to interrupt a touching heartfelt reunion, but shouldn't we pay attention to the kid?"

The three friends detangled themselves and shifted their gazes towards Olivia.

"Oh thank the lord almighty that you're okay!" Dakota swooped down and scooped her into his arms, "Everyone was so worried about you! You're not hurt or anything right?"

The little girl's eyes grew wide in bewilderment, "No… no! I'm alright…um, who are you again?"

His face fell, "Well…I guess that's understandable seeing as we've only spent one day with you. But you seriously don't remember us? Mediocrity at its Finest?"

Scarlett tilted her head, "What?"

"It's sort of a long, complicated story." Mindy rubbed the back of her neck as a blush rose to her cheeks, "I'll explain later, I promise."

Peter bent down to the little girl's level, "Mindy and I tried to save you back at the toy store?"

"Oh…" The lightbulb lit up over her head as she turned to face the princess, "That's right! You're the one who used magic to grab the bat's foot!"

"Guilty as charged." Mindy confirmed as she placed a hand on the kid's shoulder, "I couldn't hold him Olivia… it's my fault that you were taken, and I'm so sorry that you ended up here."

"It's alright." The little girl's mouth curved into a soft smile, "You did your best, and that is all that matters… but at least I got to see my daddy again!"

She couldn't help but giggle a bit, "Yeah… that's at least one good thing that came out of this isn't it?"

A deafening mechanical sound reverberated throughout the room, causing everyone to simultaneously whip their heads towards the events unfurling outside of the bottle.

Basil and Dawson had been tied to the base of the mousetrap. Several of the villain's henchmen were now pushing the metal bar across from them. Their faces dripped with sweat as they struggled to keep it from snapping back onto the duo before their boss gave the order.

"You don't know what a delightful dilemma it was." Ratigan tapped his chin in thought, "Trying to decide the most appropriate method for your demise."

Fidget the bat carefully set the trigger, and flinched as the mechanism wiggled threateningly. To his relief, the mousetrap didn't kill the two.

"I had so many ingenious ideas, I didn't know which to choose!" The professor continued with a wistful laugh… he then leaned down to get eye-level with the detective as he clasped his hands together with a delightful smile, "So I decided…to use them all!"

Collective gasps of horror erupted from the residents of the bottle, as the rat's arms spread out to reveal a plethora of human-sized weapons surrounding them. There was an axe, a pistol, a crossbow, and an anvil all aimed directly at the tiny mousetrap, glinting dangerously in the dim candlelight.

"Marvelous isn't it?" The villain crouched down to readdress Basil, and waved his hands with childish glee, "Haha but here…let me show you how it works! Picture this!"

"First, a sprightly tune I've recorded especially for you!" Ratigan gestured to a human-sized record player with a rope tied to the needle. Fidget was positioned beside it and bowed towards the spectators with a twisted grin, "As the song plays, the cord tightens." The bat demonstrated this by pushing the needle slightly to the right, "And when the song ends, the metal ball is released."

Their attention shifted towards a glass vial that was positioned high above the mousetrap on top of a wooden barrel which contained the ball the professor was talking about. The only thing that was keeping it balanced was a cork which was connected to the rope attached to the record player. A winding set of chutes were positioned underneath the vial, and stopped right above Basil and Dawson's heads.

"Rolling along its merry way until…" The villain slapped his hands, "Snap!" followed by a finger gun, "Boom!" then he spread his arms out, "Twang!" he slammed his fist down on his palm, "Thunk!" he paused for dramatic effect before darting his arms out, "SPLAT!"

Dawson shut his eyes with terror as he visualized the bloodbath he was describing.

Ratigan removed his top hat and placed it over his chest, "And so ends the short, undistinguished career of Basil of Baker Street!"

"You're…despicable!" The doctor spat in disgust.

The villain tapped his fingers together with a fiendish smile, "Yes…"

Fidget cackled as he hobbled to his master's side. He was now dressed in an elegant red-and-yellow leotard with a poofy white collar, and a hat that resembled Mary Poppins's.

Ratigan bent down to address him, "Everything's ready Fidget?"

"All set boss!"

The rat skipped over to a mysterious white package with an elaborate pink bow tied to the front. He lifted the lid and peeked inside as his eyes lit up with excitement, "Oh this is wicked…so delightfully wicked!"

"Mr. Flaversham!" With a couple of graceful strides, he made his way over to a mouse with rectangular spectacles, and a dusty brown apron who was tied and gagged beside the bottle, "Let me congratulate you on a superb piece of craftsmanship!" He then tapped on the glass right above little Olivia's head in order to emphasize his next statement, "See what you can do with the proper motivation?"

Ratigan laughed maniacally as he pinched the mouse's cheek.

He turned towards a handful of thugs dressed in traditional guard uniforms as they climbed aboard his pet cat, "Now you all know the plan?"

The lackeys saluted, "Right Professor!"

With that, the tubby sandy-brown kitty turned and strutted out of the room.

Ratigan trailed a finger up the ropes binding the mice to the trap, and flicked Basil's chin playfully, "It was my fond hope to stay and witness your final scene, but you were fifteen minutes late hmmm." He scolded as he withdrew his pocket watch to check the time. He then snapped it shut and placed it back in his vest pocket, "And I do have an important engagement at uh, Buckingham Palace."

Dr. Dawson raised an eyebrow…

"Now, you will remember to smile for the camera won't you?" Ratigan gestured to a nineteenth century antique in front of the mousetrap, "Hm? Say cheese."

He turned towards Basil to catch his reaction, only to discover that his left arm was trembling sporadically, "Well, well…what do we have here?" Curious, he forced his fingers to unfold and an Earth-shattering laugh exploded from his chest as he dangled the Amulet of Illusions, "Hahahahaha! Oh, isn't this just deliciously amusing?! She-she entrusted you with the most powerful trinket in the entire Dremesphere! Oh that is too rich!"

"Fatigan!" Mindy's eyes darkened as she pounded her fists against the glass, "That… that doesn't belong to you."

"It doesn't belong to him either." Ratigan pocketed the artifact with an indifferent shrug, "And yet…here we are."

Her jaw clenched, "Give. It. Back."

He chuckled, "Well with that kind of attitude, I'd rather not."

"So what? You're just gonna keep it?" She tried to hide the desperate tone in her voice to no avail, "You aren't even magical so it's not like you can use it!"

"I am well aware of that." The villain dismissed her with ease, "That is precisely why I must insist on keeping it from you." His eyes sparkled as a revelation dawned upon him, "Oh… how silly of me… I almost forgot to collect the most essential piece of my plan."

Mindy slumped with an over exaggerated groan, "And what might that be?"

Ratigan stalked back towards the bottle, "Why you of course."

Dakota stepped in front of her protectively, "She's not going anywhere with you, you…you…."

He looked to Scarlett for support to which she snapped, "You chunky-legged turd nugget!"

"What she said!"

"This has nothing to do with you miserable cretins, I'm-"

"-It's pronounced cree-tins, not cretins." Scarlett interrupted, "If you're gonna insult us, you might as well do it properly."

The professor ignored her and turned his attention back to Mindy with a sickening grin in order to conceal the rage threatening to bubble to the surface, "I'm afraid this is not a discussion… you will be coming with me whether you want to or not…now, please don't make this difficult."

She let out a shriek of outrage as he popped the cork and tried to forcefully yank her out of the bottle. Dakota and Scarlett sprang into action and grabbed ahold of her other arm. However, because of Ratigan's stature, he effortlessly pulled her into the neck of the bottle. Mindy's breath caught in her throat as Jiminy, Peter, and Olivia took hold of her legs to prevent her from going any further.

Dakota grunted as he tugged with all his might, "Let her go you…you…sweet cheese and crackers, Scar help me out here!"

"Pie-eating Fuzz bucket!"

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome!"

"Guys!" Mindy squeezed her eyes shut in discomfort, "I appreciate the effort…but that effort could very well end with both of my arms being popped out of their sockets, so…one side needs to let go, and I have a feeling that it isn't gonna be Fuzz Bucket's."

"You forgot the pie-eating part!"

"Does it matter?!"

"I would listen to her if I were you." Ratigan chided, "It would be a shame if she arrived at The Kingdom that Ceased to Be with her arms incapacitated."

"Then you'll be the one who'll be responsible for it!" Jiminy pointed out, "You're the one deliverin' her, so you'll be the victim of The Projectionist's wrath."

"Can everybody please stop talking about me like I'm carry-on luggage?!" Mindy burst out, "Okay! Okay! I'll go with you!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Dakota yelled, "We are a team, and we're never gonna split off to who-knows-where ever again!"

"He's right." Scarlett nodded, "I let you go once, and I am not gonna make that mistake a second time!"

"I'll be fine." She insisted, "He's a pint-sized rodent so I doubt he'll even be able to make it off this island let alone to The Projectionist's Domain."

Ratigan gasped in mock offense, "For a princess, I expected you to have better manners."

"Wait…what…You're a Princess?" Scarlett inquired in disbelief.

Mindy laughed, "Again, it's a long story."

"Don't do this." Dakota begged, "Please…I…we…we can't risk losing you."

She twisted her head to face him and her gaze softened, "Hey…hey… you're not gonna lose me. I won't let that happen…I promise."

"I want to believe you but…" He was physically struggling to hold back the frightened tears welling up in his eyes, "What if…what if you never come back? What if we never see you again? What if you-"

"-You worry too much." Mindy teased, "Everything is gonna be okay."

"You sound so optimistic." Scarlett narrowed her eyes, "Too optimistic…who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"It's not optimism." She clarified, "It's blind faith…there's a difference look… I promise that I'll do whatever it takes to find my way back to you… there's no way I'm gonna give up on our quest this early in the game. Please…you guys have to let me go now."

They hesitated at first…then one-by-one they all released her limbs with the last two being Dakota and Scarlett.

All too soon she was thrusted out of the bottle and whisked into Ratigan's arms. Once he was certain that she wouldn't make a fuss, he tied her hands behind her back and led her away from the group.

"Take one last look at your companions, princess." He hissed into her ear, "For this is the-"

"-Last I'll ever see of them?"

"You're astute I'll give you that."

"You might as well let me go." Mindy snapped, "I'm not gonna run."

"Nice try." Ratigan squeezed her arms tighter as he dragged her towards the record player, "However, I just finished hearing you promise your little friends that you would do whatever it takes to make it back to them. Despite what you may believe my intellect far surpasses your dear detective."

"So you think."

"You misunderstand…I don't simply think so." She scowled as he snatched her chin, "I know so."

Ratigan cackled as he shoved her away.

Mindy landed back-first onto the grimy stone-floor. She growled in frustration as she flopped around like a beached whale whilst the professor laughed at her pitiful attempts to regain her footing.

"You fiend!" Dr. Dawson cried from the trap.

"Sorry chubby." Ratigan climbed up a step ladder and set the needle on the record, "You should have chosen your friends more carefully."

"You know, I dubbed you Fatigan for a reason." Mindy remarked.

She felt an abnormal rush of satisfaction as she caught him rolling his eyes.

The professor climbed down and gathered her into his arms as an unfittingly cheerful tune emanated from the speaker. Just then, she heard Ratigan's voice as he sang his parting words to the soon to be deceased detective:

"Goodbye…so soon… and isn't this a crime? We know by now that time knows how to fly…"

Mindy watched in fascination as a purple-and-pink dirigible with an R painted on it flew in from an opened barrel, and made its way towards them. She noticed with dread that Fidget was positioned in the back peddling it forward with an almost demonic smile plastered on his face. Ratigan threw her onto his shoulder as he climbed up the rope ladder, and into the basket of the contraption.

He carelessly dumped her onto the floor like a sack of potatoes before he turned to bid his nemesis farewell, "Adieu! Auf Wiedersehen! Arrivederci!" He chuckled to himself as he waved, "Bye, bye, Basil…"

As much as Mindy tried to prevent her thoughts from spinning out of control, they did anyway against her will: Why the hell am I so terrible at keeping promises? I promised Peter I would never forget him, I promised Yen Sid that I would never take off the Amulet of Illusions, and I promised Dakota that I'd never go off on my own again. But…but what was I meant to do? Ratigan wouldn't've given me up so easily. He probably would've started shooting inside the bottle if I hadn't agreed to go with him… but I…I could've fought harder, I could've tried harder to summon something and-and I should never have given my amulet to Basil in the first place….OH MY GOD WHAT AM I DOING?!She bolted upright as she watched the lair grow further and further away and the hysteria reached its peak, I should be there helping them figure out a way to escape before the trap kills them! That's what a responsible leader would do, but no! I'm headed off to god-knows-where with a criminal mastermind, and have no idea how I'll even make it back to them! Ughh! Why can't I learn to think things through beforehand instead of jumping into situations blindly?! I'm such an idiot!

Mindy struggled to breathe properly as they ascended out of the sewers and into the polluted London sky, The Projectionist was right about me after all…