CHAPTER SIX
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – FOREST – NIGHT
A time portal opens up in the air and the group flies out from it. They land and teleport away their brooms. Marnie looks around the place to determine their time and place.
Marnie: Okay, it's the right place. Hopefully it's the right time.
They hear wheels and turn around to see a carriage coming.
Max: Oh, hey! Excuse me! Stop!
Max runs toward the carriage and it stops. Max recognizes the man driving it – the past version of Benny. The others come to their side.
Luke: Benny?
Past Benny: Benjamin C. Deadman at your service!
Marnie: Hey, Benny. Um, can you give us a ride? We're looking for my cousin, Splendora Cromwell.
Past Benny: In truth, you know the Great Lady?
Marnie: Yes, we do!
Sarox: Can you give us a ride, please?
Past Benny: Do I look like some sort of taxi service to you?
Sarox: Not yet, but you will.
Past Benny: Fortune-teller, eh? – Hop in!
Sarox, Marnie, Luke and Marlene hop onto Benny's carriage. PJ conjures up his broomstick and flies off into the air with Max, but stay closely behind them.
Past Benny: What does a skeleton say when he eats? – Bone appetit!
Marnie: A thousand years to work on those jokes and they still stink.
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – CROMWELL CASTLE – NIGHT
The carriage comes to the past version of Witch University, now known as the Cromwell Castle.
Benny: Behold the "Cromwell Castle"!
Max: Cromwell Castle?
PJ: Oh, yeah! Witch University was called the Cromwell Castle a thousand years ago. I read about it in a history lesson when I was still living here.
Max: (Nods) Aha.
They disembark.
Luke: Thanks for the ride, Benny.
Benny: No problem!
They separate from Benny. In the crowded front of the Cromwell Castle, the goblins are being treated like slaves by the ogre-guards. They then notice a young woman playing with some apples.
Young Woman: Hey! Look at this!
Marnie recognizes her as a young self of Professor Periwinkle.
Marnie: Professor Periwinkle?
She stops playing with the apples.
Young Periwinkle: Professor? I have no actual education, but I'm not like any of those wicked pilgrims. I-I can read.
Marnie: I know; you teach Shakespeare.
Young Periwinkle: Who?
Marnie: Oh, yeah! He hasn't been born yet.
Sarox pulls Marnie away.
Sarox: (Whispers) Marnie, what're you doing? You can't talk to someone in the past about the future. We have to make sure we don't mess anything up with the timeline.
Marnie: (Whispers) Sorry!
Sarox: Now, let's ask her if she knows where Splendora is.
Voice: Make way for the future queen of Halloweentown! – Splendora Cromwell!
The pilgrims and denizens of Ancient Halloweentown bow as Splendora comes out, followed by ogres and goblins. For some reason, she looks exactly like Marnie with white hair.
Luke: That's Splendora!
Max: Wow! She looks just like… like…
Marlene: Just like Marnie.
Everyone is shocked by the resemblance. Then, Marnie snaps out of the shock and begins to walk forward to Splendora.
Marnie: Excuse me, Splendora, we need to talk!
The head guard goes to Marnie and thrusts out her hand, and a magical sphere traps her. The other guards go to their side as well.
Sarox: Hey, let her…!
Sarox and Max go to rescue Marnie, but the others stop them.
Marlene: Guys, no!
PJ: We can't risk getting caught.
The head guard examines Marnie. Splendora couldn't hear her and so continues to walk away.
Head Guard: Strange! She has the magic of a witch yet smells like a mortal. To the dungeons with her!
The sphere disappears and two guards wrap around each one of Marnie's arms and take her into the dungeons of the castle.
Marnie: No, wait! Splendora! – Guys! Help!
The head guard turns to where she is calling her friends.
Head Guard: Seize them!
The ogre guards walk closer towards them. Luke begins to walk toward them, but then Max and PJ stop him.
Max: We can't fight them here!
PJ: Let's lure them into the forest. We can take them there and then come back for Marnie later.
Luke wants to fight, but Marlene reasons with him.
Marlene: Luke, if we get caught too, we'll lose our chance. Come on!
They run for their lives with four ogre guards chasing after them.
Marnie: No! Help!
Marnie is pulled into the castle.
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – FOREST – NIGHT
The quartet and Luke continue to run in the forest while the ogre guards chase after them.
PJ: Now, guys!
The quartet stop, turn and draw out their weapons while Luke hides behind the trees. The ogres charge at them with their broadswords. Max throws out his shield; it hits one of the guards and spins to another knocking them both down. PJ points his magic staff up to the air.
PJ: Fireball!
Fireballs fall down on their heads and knock them out cold.
In the meantime, another ogre guard attacks Marlene, but she holds out her Keyblade and forms a reflective force field. The guard hits the shield and results in a powerful blast and sends him flying backward.
Sarox fights off the last guard.
Sarox: Wind!
A powerful gust of wind appears from his Keyblade and blows the guard into a tree.
With all the guards taken care of, Luke comes to their side.
Luke: Are you okay?
Sarox: Yeah! – Now let's get Marnie.
Luke: Um, but how'll we get past the guards that watch the castle dungeon?
PJ: Just leave it to me. Magic is my thing.
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – CROMWELL CASTLE FRONT GATES – NIGHT
Sarox, Luke, Marlene, Max and PJ hide behind a wall.
Sarox: Okay, PJ. Do your thing.
PJ takes out a lock of hair he took from one of the fallen ogres and waves his staff around it.
PJ: Magic forces, hear my call. Give me the form of the one I brought to fall! This face I want will be mine, so let me have it till I say it's time!
A magic sphere appears around him and turns him into a gigantic ogre guard. He turns to his friends and points his staff at them, and then handcuffing chains appear around their arms, trapping them.
Sarox: Okay, here goes nothing.
Ogre-PJ takes his handcuffed friends to the dungeon entrance.
Ogre-PJ: The head guard told me to bring them into the dungeons.
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – CASTLE DUNGEON – NIGHT
The guard opens the door and they walk in.
Max: Now that was easy.
Sarox: Be careful, we're not safe yet.
Marlene: Now, how will we find Marnie?
Sarox: If I know this worldwell enough, they would probably lock her up in some place where she can't practice magic.
Max: How do you figure?
Luke: Didn't you hear the head guard? They could tell that she was a witch. And they have magic-proof cages even since this time.
Max: Okay, but that still leaves the location.
They come across the ogre guards.
Ogre-PJ: Hey! I'm taking them to the magic-proof dungeon, but I can't remember the place. Could you show me the location?
One of the ogres points to his right side.
Ogre-PJ: Thanks.
They head towards the pointed direction. The guards just look at them awkwardly.
Finally, they come to the magic-proof dungeon and find Marnie trapped in cage.
Marnie: Guys!
Luke and Sarox: Marnie!
They could hear worries coming from her voice. Ogre-PJ snaps his fingers and teleports away their handcuffs. Sarox then conjures up his Keyblade and points it at the lock on Marnie's cage. It shoots out a beam from its tip and into the keyhole, unlocking it. Marnie comes out.
Max: Now let's skedaddle.
Marnie: Now, we can't. Not yet. I have to ask Splendora how to open the box first. It's what I came here to do.
They all take Marnie's suggestion to consideration.
Sarox: (Agrees) Well, we've come all this far.
Marlene: We can't exactly turn back now.
Luke: Okay, but do we know where she is?
Young Periwinkle: (Off-screen) At the highest tower of the castle. The queen has locked herself up in her bedroom and ordered everyone to leave her alone until the coronation.
Sarox: Coronation? As in the coronation to make her queen?
Young Periwinkle nods.
Marnie: Can you take us there, Ms Periwinkle?
Young Periwinkle: Of course, I know a way.
She flips her arm and produces her magic.
Young Periwinkle: Aviatis!
The group disappears in a flash of green light, leaving only behind the young Persimmon Periwinkle.
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – CROMWELL CASTLE – CORRIDOR – NIGHT
Our heroes' teleporting force bounces off by a force field outside Splendora's chambers bounces off an invisible force and sends it to the wall and turn back into their original forms. Marnie is the only person missing among them.
Marlene: Ouch!
Sarox: What was that?
PJ: Some sort of magical force field. We can't get into that room.
Luke: (Looks around) Where's Marnie?
They look around the corridor but Marnie is nowhere to be seen.
1000 YEARS IN THE PAST – SPLENDORA'S CHAMBER – NIGHT
Marnie appears in the middle of the Splendora's chamber.
Marnie: Wow! Splendora's chamber is my dorm. I wonder they give you when you're sophomore.
Marnie sees the silver box on the desk and goes to grab it. She feels the weight and realizes it's lighter than she remembers. She then sees the key next to it and uses it to open the box. Inside, the box is empty.
Marnie: It's empty. Splendora must still have the Gift.
Splendora: (Off-screen) Whether she wants it or not.
Frightened, Marnie turns around to face her ancestor.
Splendora: You must be of my family. I put a protective enchantment upon this room and everything that is in it. Only a Cromwell would be allowed to come inside.
Marnie: My name is Marnie. I am a Cromwell.
Splendora: Indeed you are.
She walks closer toward Marnie.
Splendora: How is it we have never met?
Marnie: I'm… from the future.
Splendora: Oh, indeed. – That would explain the clothes.
Marnie: Well, we can't all have a royal dresser.
Someone knocks on the door.
Guard: Your Highness! Is everything in safety? We heard a loud crash coming from this corridor.
Splendora: Everything is as the way they are. Leave me!
After a moment, Marnie and Splendora continue their conversation.
Marnie: Splendora, I've come all this way from the future, because I need whatever it is you're about to lock in that box.
Splendora points to the red gem necklace around her neck.
Splendora: Do you speak of this?
Marnie: That's the Gift?
Splendora: This amulet was handed down to me by my mother, and her mother before her, and so back to the beginning of time. The Cromwell who wears this is indeed gifted with a very special old power, a power I wouldn't wish on anyone else. A power I would not wish upon anyone.
Marnie: You can still wish it on me.
Splendora: Do you understand what this great power is?
Marnie: No, not really.
Splendora: Mark this; in this amulet is the power of absolute control. With it, I can control hearts and minds to make anyone do anything. This gift is a curse that can even tempt a good witch to dark deeds.
Marnie: If it can tempt a good witch to become bad, then why are you wearing it?
Splendora: There are seven witches called the Dominion who wish to crown me as their queen of Halloweentown and use my Gift to turn all magical creatures into slaves and rule the whole world.
Marnie: Oh my God. Ethan was telling the truth.
Splendora: If they succeed, they will be able to use the same power upon anyone else in other worlds and rule them as one.
Heard Guard: (Off-screen) Splendora! It is time! Come out, now!
Splendora: I have made my decision. Tonight, I will locked away this terrible power forever.
Head Guard: (Off-screen) Splendora, we must prepare you for your coronation!
Marnie: Why don't you just destroy the amulet?
Splendora: I cannot, three Cromwells created the amulet.
Splendora sits on an armchair.
Splendora: And only the power of three Cromwells will destroy it.
The head guard knocks hard on the door.
Head Guard: (Off-screen) Splendora Agatha Cromwell! – Come out immediately!
Marnie: Did she just say Agatha?
Splendora: It is my middle name. I loathe this Splendora part. When all of this is over, I will just be claimed "Aggie Cromwell".
Marnie: You're Aggie Cromwell?
Splendora nods.
Marnie: You do have a future. You'll be a very good witch, and a great person, and… a beloved grandmother.
Splendora: Grandmother? Who's grandmother?
Marnie: Mine.
Splendora: Well, if you are my granddaughter, then my future is bright indeed.
The head guard knocks even harder.
Head Guard: (Off-screen) Urgh! Insolent girl! Guards! Guards!
The guard goes away.
"Aggie" quickly goes to the silver box on the desk and places her necklace in it. She locks it up and looks at the key.
"Aggie": There is only one safe place to hide this key. The future.
She hands Marnie the key.
Marnie: But I thought you said the Gift can turn even a good witch bad.
"Aggie": I trust you, Marnie. After all, I'm going to train you myself. Besides, there is a legend saying that only the proper Cromwell will be able to wield the Gift's full power. Perhaps you will be the one.
Marnie and "Aggie" share a tender smile together. Then, they hear another knock on the door.
Luke: (Off-screen) Marnie! Are you in there?
Marnie: Luke. They're my friends. Grandma, can you please reverse the spell and let them in?
"Aggie" nods, then waves her hand and lifts the protection spell. Then, Marnie goes to open the door to the others.
Marnie: Come on in, quick.
They all come into the chamber and greet "Aggie".
Sarox: Glad to make your aquantaince, Splendora.
Max: Nice to meet you.
Marlene talks to Marnie.
Marlene: Marnie, the head guard is sending people up here. We don't have much time.
PJ: We have to find a portal that would take us back to the future.
"Aggie": Do you speak of "this"?
She snaps her fingers. Her closet opens and reveals a wooden door. It opens and reveals a time line pointed to the future. PJ and Marnie hold out their broomsticks and let the passengers embark.
Marnie gives "Aggie" one last shot.
Marnie: See you in a thousand years, Grandma.
"Aggie": I'll be waiting for that.
The others look confused at them. Then, Marnie and the others fly into the time line towards the future.
