Liberty stared. She knew this man. She had seen his show at least a hundred times. He was an audio animatronic, programmed to say the same things and do the same movements over and over. And here he was walking around and talking to them! Her brain knew this, but her eyes did not want to believe it. He had spoken to them just as calmly as he did in the show, with that easy to identify with voice. It was the narrator from A Christmas Story, wasn't it? No wonder she'd always wanted to hear John say, "It was the dreaded triple dog dare!"

She wasn't frightened, really. At least, not in the same way she had been scared of the tiger and the pirates. With all the running and shrieking they had just done, she was too tired to do any more, and it seemed like the others were as well.

Catching flies? a voice in the back of her mind snapped. Either close your mouth or say something worthwhile. Months of developing great people skills kicked in and she held out a hand and introduced herself. "Hello, John. I'm Liberty Madison. I work at the Hall of Presidents." He felt solid enough. At least she could rule out the possibility that she had gone insane and this was a figment of her imagination.

When the others realized that the Character wasn't about to rip them apart and start eating them alive, they stepped forward and introduced themselves as well.

"Hi. I'm Francine." She quickly added, "Torres. But everyone calls me Frankie. I play Jasmine." Looking around at the distant Characters behind them, her eyes widened in fear. "She isn't here in she? I hope I'm not offending her!"

John chuckled. "I'm sure you're doing a perfect job, dear."

"Hey!" Isaac was next, enthusiastically whipping the man's hand up and down. "Wow! What are you, some kind of new prototype? I heard there were some things going on in the Imagineering labs, but I had no idea it'd be something so life-like!" He grinned. "Would you mind peeling off your skin so I could have a look—"

"Geeze, creepy much there?" Jake gently eased Isaac aside. "Don't go asking weird questions." To John, he greeted, "Hey, I'm Jake Livingston. Has anyone ever told you you look like Jeff Foxworthy?"

"Who? No! Oh boy," he moaned softly. John's optimism was dwindling quicker than Mickey Mouse being mobbed at a meet and greet. These were his saviors? A bunch of Disney fanatic kids? "Do you know why you're here?" he asked hopefully.

"We snuck in to see your show one last time," Liberty answered. "We know it's due to be torn down tomorrow."

That was a little bit of a relief. At least they cared about him. "I think you'd better come with me. Walk this way, please." He headed towards the castle.

Liberty strode behind him, casting curious glances. Isaac, ogling every creature that darted past, had to be nudged occasionally by Frankie to avoid completely wandering away. True to himself, Jake walked in a perfect imitation of John, giggling at his own joke.

In the dark, it was hard to see the gorgeous mosaic murals that adorned the inner walls of Cinderella's castle. Over the years, some little bits of tile had fallen off, leaving gray space. Liberty wondered how many tourists had gone home with a piece of the artwork with them. But, despite those numerous flecks of gray amidst the off white and cerulean blues and golden yellows and vibrant reds, it was still beautiful. In simplistic images, it told the story of Cinderella, starting with showing her toiling under the sneering faces of her stepsisters and the unwavering stare of her stepmother, Lady Tremaine. The following images included her mouse made dress being torn apart, the arrival of the fairy godmother and the transformation from tattered rags to the gorgeous gown, the dance with the prince, the shoe being left on the stair, and the right fit being found.

They took a right but had to stop in front of a great wooden door. John knocked on it. Liberty vaguely recalled that it lead to the dining hall.

"Who is it?" a thick, Southern drawl asked.

John rolled his eyes. In as squeaky and high pitched voice as he could muster, he chirped, "It's Mickey Mouse, ha ha! Oh boy, what fun are we gonna have today kids?"

"Oh, you're evil," said Henry, opening the door.

"If he hates my imitation, may he come here himself and say so."

The bear watched curiously as the five filed in, eyebrow arched. "Are they…them?" he asked skeptically.

"Them who?" asked Liberty.

"Well, there's four, and they're here." John shut the door. "Think they're the ones Leota was talking about, George?"

The aristocrat tilted his head to one side. "It's certainly possible. Which one is which?"

Snow White pointed at Francine's jacket. "We'll she's obviously the Princess. Look, it says so right there on the front: Princess, and it has little sparkling rubies on the letters."

Blushing, the Latina shuffled a foot bashfully. "Those are just plastic. I'm no princess. But you and Cinderella…wow! This is like a dream come true!" She looked like she was resisting the urge to run up to the women and hug them, just like little girls did to her.

"Hey!" Jake cried, pushing aside his trepidation and striding right up to the table. "Jose! Give me some wing, dude!" He held his hand up, palm out and the parrot slapped it. "You know, once you stop fleeing in terror, these guys are pretty cool."

"This one must be a hologram," Isaac mused, putting his hand in and out of the Ghost Host's head.

George turned, getting four fingers through his eyes. "I am not a hologram…Will you decease your insipid game?"

Isaac dropped his arm by his side. "Sorry," he apologized, dejected. Then he brightened. "Ha! I get it! You're a Pepper's ghost! Like the old magic trick!"

Scowling, Master Gracey fumed, "No, I'm a George's ghost!" Almost instantly, his demeanor changed and he smiled pleasantly. "Master George Gracey, your ghost host. Uh, I'm guessing by your spectacles, you're our Scholar."

"Scholar?" Isaac dug his fingers through his mud colored hair and scratched his head. "Nah!" he scoffed. "I'm just a tech wiz." Thumb against his chest, he bragged, "I can program or hack into just about any system. It's how we got into the park."

Annoyed, the redhead demanded, "What're you…" It was then that she really noticed the ornate chamber and the serious looking batch of Characters seated at the table. "My god. You guys have a...government!"

She blinked a few times and shook her head.

"Wait!" Liberty finally got out the words she'd been trying to say. "Why did he bring us here?" She gestured to John. "Who—What are all of you? And what's this about a princess and a—a scholar?" Fearing she'd been too quick tempered, she exhaled and evenly added, "Please."

Cinderella thoughtfully examined the newcomers: The quick thinker, the bold adventurer, the sweet princess, and the technology savvy nerd. She wasn't surprised. As a fairy tale veteran, she knew there were rules that had to be followed when it came to these sorts of things. Everything always fell into place.

"We," the blond princess began with a sweep of her hand to the assembled and suddenly silent group, "are the Representatives of the Magic Kingdom. It is our responsibility to oversee the Disney denizens who call this park home. This is Master George Gracey of Liberty Square…"

"Welcome foolish mortals," he grinned, cerulean eyes gleaming.

"Henry Bear of Frontierland."

"Howdy!" He waved.

"Princess Snow White: Fantasyland and Toon Town Fair."

She giggled. "Hello everyone!"

"Jose, Adventureland."

"Hola!"

"John's our rep for Tomorrowland."

He nodded.

"And myself, Princess Cinderella, overseer of the kingdom. We are the voice of our people, Disney's Characters."

Crossing his arms, John huffed, "Well, we used to be anyway. Back when our opinion mattered."

"You mean," Liberty paused, "management actually took the thoughts of the…" Faltering, she wondered what term to use. Never for a second had she been worried about offending cartoons or robots. Recalling what Cinderella had said, she added. "Characters into consideration?"

"Oh yes indeed." Gracey's voice sounded hushed and ominous. "Right in this very room, we met with the Imagineers. As the years passed, we lost one…then two…" Sighing softly, he stared off into some distant memory, eyes glazed as he recalled the faces of the men and women he lovingly dubbed parents. Still gazing into the distance, he continued, "Those still alive would show up, but then the intervals between the conferences grew greater and greater until one day they just didn't come at all." He blinked and slowly turned his head to look at the four mortals.

"We understand how these things work, I assure you. Not all of the new…additions are going to follow the old ways. Nor will they always be able to make time for what must seem like idle chitchat. All we ask for is respect."

"But you're not getting it," said Liberty.

Jose nodded, taking the conversation. "We also understand that sometimes things become outdated."

"You mean unmarketable," the redhead scoffed. "It doesn't matter that people loved Toad. Pooh sells more plushies."

Grinning, John barked, "I like her!"

"I've been around longer than any of you," Snow White spoke up, without a trace of pretension in her high voice. "And I can say for a fact, this isn't how things would have been run back in Walt's day, or even a decade after Walt's day. It's frightening to think that we're just about all that's left of the original creations, and we have to fear for our very existence."

"But," Francine slunk down into her chair, afraid of retaliation for interrupting the princess' tirade, "what does this have to do with us? We're just cast members. Do you want us to protest or march to the head office, or something?"

Cinderella smiled. "It'll be more than that, I'm afraid. We were told you were the chosen four. The Scholar, the Adventurer, the Princess, and the Wizard. You will be the ones to not only save the Carousel of Progress, but all of Disney World from a horrible fate."

Liberty and Francine stared at her, mouths open. Jake's eye twitched.

Isaac jumped up and pumped his fists in the air. "I so told you! Oh, this awesome! What do we do? Do we get some wicked powers or weapons?"

His eager grin was met with awkward silence. Henry, Jose, John, Cinderella, and Snow White turned and looked at George.

"Uh…" For once, the Ghost Host was at a loss for words. "Well, Madame Leota didn't exactly specify…"

The door suddenly opened, startling the group. In the shadows, the first thing to appear was a pair of bright green eyes. As the dark figure strode forward, its form became clearer. It was a woman, tall and elegant, with her long chin tilted up haughtily. She wore an old style maroon dress, with rounded shoulders, and thin long sleeves. On her right hand, she had a ring with a great, turquoise stone. A similar broach rested on her chest and matching earrings dangled from her lobes. Atop her head, her gray hair was piled, three streaks of silver snaking up from the forehead and temples. Her right palm rested on the head of a thin black cane.

"Stepmother," Cinderella breathed. "To what do we owe the…" She bit her tongue. Pleasure?"

"I was passing by," Lady Tremaine explained pleasantly, "and I couldn't help but overhear the commotion." She strode further into the room. "It is hard sometimes, living in this castle and not catching snippets of the debates that go on in here. Usually, I keep my nose out of the business of others, but I must say this current topic has piqued my interest. I know some information that may help you."

"Help?" Francine snapped, shocking everyone. "You're a villain! Why would you want to help?"

Lady Tremaine simply waved away the insult. "Tut tut, dear. My quest for power ended the day Cinderella married her prince charming." Eyes narrowed, she glowered, "I know when I'm beaten. Besides, if this destruction of John's ride will, as you say, destroy our world, what would I get out of that?"

She waited, and was answered with a few eye rolls and quiet grumbles. No matter how much time had passed or how much logic was in the argument, it was hard for any hero to trust a villain. But, for some reason, they always did anyway.

Smiling, she raised an eyebrow smugly. "Right." Passing by the table, she walked to a beautiful tapestry hanging on the stone wall. The four cast members had completely missed it. It was a detailed map of the Walt Disney World resort, with the greatest detail placed on the four theme parks. "Cinderella dear, you really should pay more attention to the decorations here." Lifting up the tapestry, she showed the black back of it. Gold lettering was embroidered on the back. She read it out loud:

"When the masters have gone,
Leaving the skeptics in their place,
Only the four can save the world,
From vanishing without a trace.

The magic of the masters,
Forgotten and unattended,
Must be renewed with life,
For it to be healed and mended.

To fight a new, great evil
Some weapons are required.
Hidden within the kingdoms,
To each hero are squired

Scroll of knowledge for the Scholar,

Adventurer's sword for combat,
The royal crown of the Princess,
And power of a Wizard's hat.

These forces may all be unearthed,
Within this enchanted realm.
Possess all four tools of power,
And truth will be at the helm."

There was a lengthy pause before someone dared to speak.

"So, we're not dealing with some suits," Liberty mused. "This is some kind of evil force that's been unleashed."

Lady Tremaine nodded. "And you four have been chosen to vanquish it. Unfortunately, the location of the items isn't included. I think you'll have to figure that out yourselves."

Francine examined the tapestry. "So who's who?"

"Well," Jake thumbed his chest, "it's obvious I'm the adventurer. Frankie, you've got to be the princess. It says it right there on your hoodie. Liberty's the scholar. She's the smartest person I know! And that leaves Isaac…the wizard."

"Sweet!" Isaac squealed. "This is just like playing D&D! Only it's real!" He paused. "And I'm not alone in my room."

"All righty, Scholar." Jake put a hand on Liberty's shoulder. "What do you say? Are you up for this? I'll follow your lead." Isaac and Francine nodded agreement.

Every face in the room was turned hopefully to her. But it was John who had the most pleading expression. She wanted with all her heart to help him and the other Characters. Yes, she had grown more cynical over the years about Disney. Many of its decisions had angered her. But perhaps she could help put it back on the right track. She could save the magic. For once, she could take some action that would actually accomplish something! No brochures, no Internet petitions, no whiny protests!

"Yeah," she grinned. "I'm up for this!"

The Representatives stood up and cheered. John shook the hands of the four mortals. "Thank you! Thank you!" he cried. "You have no idea how much this means."

Unheard over the words of encouragement from the Characters, Jake hissed into Liberty's ear, "Do you have any idea of where to start?"

"Not a clue. I figured we'd wander around until we stumbled upon it," she whispered back.

"Sounds like a plan. Besides, this is Disney World. It'll be somewhere really obvious and ironic. I guarantee it."