Goofy and Donald bowed and Minnie just stood there blinking at me and Morgan.
"Excuse them, these are our friends Tristan and Morgan," Donald said.
Wow Donald considers us his friend.
"Oh, Tristan! The King told me all about you in his letters. He said you're a very brave young man," Minnie said.
"So do you know where he is?" I asked her.
She shook her head sadly.
"Now there's something I would like you all to see. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?" she asked
We nodded.
"Oh, I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle about the danger! We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!" Minnie said.
"Okay we'll go tell them," I said.
"The whole castle!?" Donald asked.
"We just gotta split up Donald," Goofy said.
"I'll make sure everyone knows what's going on," Morgan said.
"No Morgan, you'll just get lost," Donald said.
"Okay, then we'll stay with the Queen," I said.
"Good," Donald said.
"All righty then, see ya later!" Goofy said.
Goofy and Donald turned and ran.
"Um, the audience chamber, right ma'am?" I asked Minnie.
"Yes, Tristan. Let's be on our way." Morgan said.
"Genie take the rest back into the hedge castle."
We walked towards the white walls to a ramp that led to an outside hallway. A bid red door stood shrouded with shadows.
Minnie said, "Tristan touch Excalibur to the door."
As I did a jolt sent us a foot back and the black shadows turned to pink glitter with a purple mouse head about leg high.
"Just one moment," Minnie said holding out her hand.
"As soon as the trouble started, I made sure to seal this room."
A bright pink light shone and the glitter disappeared. And a little door opened at the bottom.
"Now then… shall we?" she asked.
Morgan and I nodded. And we walked in.
The audience chamber was a huge white room with a long red carpet and one golden thrones. I just noticed everything was like Kingdom Hearts, animation wise. The little dark goons began to appear and Excalibur appeared at my side. Morgan started shooting orbs out of her hand and when we defeated them all more appeared.
"Give me a break," Morgan said.
Minnie pressed a button and the pedestal the thrones sat on moved and a immense bright light shone and destroyed the goons.
"Whoa," Morgan and I said looking at each other.
A big hole was where the pedestal was and a staircase led to a dark doorway deep at the bottom of the steps.
"The room below is called 'The Hall Of The Cornerstone'," Minnie said.
"Our castle has always been safe from worlds that are evil…thanks to the Cornerstone Of Light which we keep down there," Minnie said walking nearer to the staircase.
Morgan shot out an orb of light and stared amazed.
"The Cornerstone has given you many powers," Minnie said.
"The Cornerstone… Of Light?" Morgan said as Minnie started walking down the stairs.
"Genie told me and I told you remember?" I asked.
"Oh yeah," she said running after Minnie.
I ran up to her and opened the door for Minnie.
-000-
We walked into a room covered in thick black thorns much like the ones from Sleeping Beauty. You know, the ones surrounding Aurora's castle. On an enormous white pedestal a giant crystal ball sat. It had festering darkness inside and a green molecule looking thing. The once white room was shrouded in dark. Goofy and Donald walked in behind us and were examining the thorns.
"This is the castle's cherished Cornerstone," Minnie said walking up to it, "Ohh but look. The thorns… They must be the work of someone very evil."
I turned to Morgan who mouthed the name of a Disney Villain I knew very well. I nodded.
"I wonder what this could mean…" Minnie said.
As I walked up to her green fire arose in front of the Cornerstone forming into a transparent Maleficent. She had her back turned to us.
"Maleficent!" Donald cried as she turned around.
"No way!" I said.
She looked us over and grinned manically. "Well, well, well. What have we here…? If it isn't the wretched Excalibur holder, and his pitiful lackeys!"
"What!?" Donald cried charging towards Maleficent, "Now you're gonna deal with me!"
"All in good time," Maleficent said as Donald charged right through her slamming into the pedestal.
"I promise you'll be able to partake of my vengeance. But you must be patient," Maleficent said.
"Just what are you doing here, Maleficent?" Queen Minnie asked.
"Ah, Queen Minnie. Radiant, as always," Maleficent said bowing, "I'm here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own. However, it's a bit too "bright" for what I have in mind. I suppose I'll just have to fill every room with my personal touch of darkness," she said reaching out to touch The Cornerstone of Light but was shocked or repelled.
"You'd better stop right now if you know what's good for you," Minnie said.
I pulled out Excalibur and Morgan held out her hand.
"Ooh, how frightening," Maleficent said sarcastically, "Very well. I'll stop… Just as soon as the castle belongs to me!" she said disappearing into fire and laughing evilly.
"What a hag," I said.
"But I still love her" I thought to myself.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before. I looked through all the records in the library, but I couldn't find a single clue," Minnie said.
"Ohhh!" Goofy shouted, "We should go ask somebody who know lotsa stuff that ain't in any book!"
"Merlin the Wizard!" Donald shouted.
"Yes! That's perfect!" Minnie said, "Merlin just might know something about this mess. Let's ask his advice!"
"We saw him in town yesterday, right?" Goofy asked Donald.
"Yeah, let's go," Donald said.
-000-
We walked into Merlin's cluttered little cottage.
"Anybody home?" Morgan called.
"Merlin!" Donald screamed.
"The castle's in danger!" Goofy shouted.
Merlin appeared behind us in a puff of blue smoke.
"What is all that racket?" he asked.
"Ho-ho! I thought-oh, it's you! It looks like you've learned a bit since the last time I saw you," He asked.
"Really!?" I asked.
Donald let out a cry.
"Wait a minute! Let's talk about the problem! It's Maleficent! She's back!" Donald screamed.
"Where? Inside the castle!?" Merlin asked.
"Yep! And thorns, too," Goofy said.
"Oh, dear…" Merlin said.
"Maleficent wants to take over the whole Enchanted Kingdom, and make it evil. She filled the Hall of the Cornerstone with giant thorns and all this shadow," Donald said.
-000-
Queen Minnie stood in the dark Hall of The Cornerstone alone looking at the Cornerstone when she heard Donald say, "There's shadows in every part of the castle!"
Then, Donald, Goofy, Morgan, Merlin, and I appeared.
"What?" he said realizing where he was.
"Perhaps, I'd better just see for myself," said Merlin walking towards the cornerstone of light.
"Mm-hmm…interesting…" Merlin said.
"What's happening Merlin?" Minnie asked.
"This is not good. In fact, I'm afraid, it's quite serious," Merlin said.
He turned to face us and cleared his throat.
"Look into the Cornerstone, what do you see?" he asked Morgan and I.
"I think I see a door," Morgan said.
"Barley," I said.
"Think more evil," Merlin said.
I took a deep breath and let the darkness in the room come flooding in. I could see the door clearly now and so could Morgan. It opened up for us.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A doorway to the Garden Of Good And Evil," Merlin said, "Someone in that world is responsible for what's going on in this castle. Of that I'm certain," Merlin said.
"You have no idea," Morgan and I said.
"Now, one more thing. You're heading into a very special world. While you're there the nature of that world may tempt you to do something very dark. You must resist that temptation at all costs!" Merlin explained.
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked.
"You'll know soon enough. I have faith in you my friends!" Merlin said.
Minnie gasped as Morgan and I slipped through the glass easily and into the Garden.
