()-()-()
A searing pain in Mulan's lower region makes her stumble a bit as she lands on the hard ground, but she ignores it and sprints along the top of the guard wall to get behind a wide post. The baby mews from beneath the basket cover.
"Shh," she whispers, slipping a finger beneath the lid for her to grasp. The baby hiccups and stops whimpering.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Mushu asks. "I mean, other than climbin' out a window and droppin' y'self on this wall to see what's going on. 'Cause that wasn't a very good plan."
"I don't know," Mulan says, "I'm sort of making it up-"
"As you go along, I get it," he cuts off, crossing his arms. "Girl, that ain't the first time I've heard that one. Would it kill ya to ever have a plan?"
"It worked last time!" she protests. Mulan peers out from the post and surveys the court. Bodies dressed in Mongolian uniforms litter the plaza and people are cheering and singing. She spots a handful of men in Chinese armor, thanks to Chien-Po's massive stature.
"Mushu, I don't see Shang with the group," Mulan says fretfully. Mushu looks unfazed.
"Yeah," he returns, "he probably went inside to look for your baby-birthin' butt."
"You're right," she realizes. "But we don't have time to find him, we have to warn the others!"
"Mulan, I don't think the others'll be able to face all them Mongols," Mushu predicts. "What we need is another avalanche!"
Mulan looks out into the distance at the shadows on the mountain. No, another avalanche wouldn't do any good. Then her eyes fall onto something else. The dam.
"I have an idea," she announces.
They turn the corner on the wall and Mulan leans over the rail, now facing the plaza head-on.
"Hey! Up here!" she shouts. "Citizens! Look here! Hey!"
People gradually notice her and start to point, getting the attention of others. Somebody yells, 'It's Li Mulan!', resulting in a thunderous cheer. She motions her arms for them to quiet down, irritated a little because of their lack of time. The noise diminishes.
"Be prepared to fight! More Mongols are coming! They're on the mountain, I see them!" she hollers, pointing to the hills behind the Imperial City.
Mulan doesn't remain on the wall long enough to see how they react. She unties her sash and slides down a red post, landing on the ground outside of the gates. Tied to a corral a few yards away, is her childhood friend she thought she'd never see again.
"Kahn!" she exclaims. Mulan wraps her arms around the horse's neck with a wide grin.
"Don't worry," Mushu jeers, "we've been keepin' your cow warm for ya."
She mounts and places the basket carefully in the saddlebag. "Aiya!" she jolts the horse forward.
A rickety horse ride is definitely not something a brand new baby could be used to, especially one that's spent the majority of her life inside of a dark container. She starts to wail from inside the saddlebag.
"Mushu, can you get in the basket and try to calm her down?" Mulan suggests. Then she hears a loud sniffle.
"Are you crying?" she asks.
Mushu sniffles again. "Naw, I just got some dust in my- YES I'm crying, girl whatchu think? My li'l baby's all grown up and- and has a baby! And I ain't thought about it like that 'till now what with all the drama!"
She laughs. "Oh, Mushu."
"I done told ya dragons are emotional creatures!" He slips underneath the lid, Cri-Kee chirping behind him. "Ow!" he yipes, "This one's got a grip!"
They pass an explosives shop and Mulan comes to a halt. "Mushu!" she calls. "We're gonna need your little fireworks show again!"
"I'm already on it!"
()-()-()
With a burlap sack filled entirely of the most explosive TNT, Mulan urges Kahn forward up the hill to the gorge.
"The Mongols are going to be crossing the valley below the dam," she explains. "We need to blow up the dam just as all the troops are traveling below, so the water floods out and drowns them. It's the only way we're going to kill the dozens of companies before they reach the Imperial City."
"Nice, usin' a giant body of precipitation to your advantage once again. I like it!" Mushu adds.
"Now," Mulan starts, "we're going to have to string the explosives together and dangle them over the edge so that the middle gives away. Otherwise, it won't be effective. Then we can take the fireworks and shoot it at the dam from a distance, so the dynamite's set off without us getting blown up."
"That sounds like a plan to me!" he replies.
They dismount Kahn and she dumps the content of the sack onto the grass. "We have to hurry," she says, "they'll start across any minute."
So they begin stringing the sticks of dynamite together, tying the ignition strings together with knots, and soon enough they have a long, lethal rope.
"I'll go across the dam and attach this," Mulan decides. "You stay here and get the fireworks ready."
"Alright," Mushu agrees, as she sprints across the top of the dam with the string of TNT trailing behind her. The Mongols are very visible now. They stampede down the mountain like a herd of wild bulls, almost reaching the wide valley below the dam.
"Cri-Kee!" he calls. "We gotta set this up fast, man, c'mon!"
He pulls out the stand for the large firework cannon, entitled 'Chinese Fireball', and the cricket tries to help him aim it.
"Is this good?" he asks. Cri-Kee can't really tell due to his height, but nods with a squeak.
Mushu inspects the bottom of the firework, confused. "Hey, how'd this get all wet? Dang it, it won't work if the ignition's wet!" He blows on it and tries to fan the beads of water off of the bottom. It's only moments later when he realizes by doing this, his breath set the ignition string on fire.
"Oh n-"
BOOM! The fireworks burst off into the black sky, trailing upwards and nowhere near the dam wall. There's a loud crackle as it bursts into an array of colors, shimmering.
Mulan stops in place coming back across the dam. She immediately turns to Mushu with a furious scowl and places her hands on her hips.
"I did not mean for that to happen!" he wails, pulling his ears over his eyes in dismay. Mulan sprints back over to the spot, snatches him up, and heads back across the dam.
"Ah!" he screams. "Mulan! We're gonna die doin' this!"
"Then maybe you shouldn't have set off our only firework!" she retorts angrily.
The Mongols are now heading across the dirt valley, some of them stopped in surprise wondering where the giant firework came from. Mulan and Mushu get to the rope and she looks below at the edge of the mountain.
"That's the last of them!" she cries. "Now, Mushu!"
She yanks his tail like she did when setting off the avalanche. Once it's lit, she takes off right away, running as fast as her body can carry her. They're almost to the grass when the first deafening explosion goes off. Mulan is thrown from the stone walkway and lands on the ground again, her ears ringing and her vision dancing. Kahn reels up at the sound and starts to take off, but she manages to grab his rein through her dizzy state. She leaps up on the saddle and he practically flies away from the scene, down the hill and back into the countryside as the explosions become less and less loud. The infant screams from inside of the basket.
Mulan, still unable to catch her breath, slows the horse to a steady gallop and steers him up a tall hill far enough away that the explosions are a little audible. She slides off the saddle and pulls the poor howling thing out of the saddlebag.
"I'm so sorry," she whispers, rocking the child against her chest. "I love you so much! I am the world's worst mother!" The baby still wails but not as loudly because her throat is most likely raw and her little lungs are probably wore out.
"I'm so sorry!" Mulan whispers again. She feels horrible. Newborns should never be exposed to noises that loud, especially that close. Why didn't she listen to Mushu? She would've been fine if she'd just left her there!
Mulan cradles the child delicately and wanders up the slope to the edge of the cliff, where she can see the now-flooded valley in the distance. Some sticks still go off and explode into miniature fireworks, which look lovely above the gushing water in the dark night. As they view the scene before them, the sound of a horse's hooves start out almost indistinguishable but eventually both Mulan and Mushu notice it and they turn around, prepared to fight.
The white stallion stops with a jolt. "Mulan!"
()-()-()