Disclaimer: This is a retooling of my first fan fiction, The Many Adventures of Natius and Friends Season I: Final Mix. I do not own the copyrights to any of the titles or anything featured in this story not even the songs. This story is dedicated to a former principal from my high school and anyone in my family who had passed away throughout the ages and the classic Disney stories. This chapter has been edited as of June 19, 2023
Prologue: The Legend of the Shrine of the Firebird
Everything always started with a beginning.
There are some people that have wondered on how they built these structures, such as the Pyramids of Egypt, an example of wondrous structure. This story in particular begins in 1955, when Disneyland opened for the first time. A person was discovered within the Redwood Forest, a place that was said to have a creature of fire within it.
1955, Redwood Forest
Avery Huston, an old man was hiking in the forest with his Rottweiler, was enjoying the beauty of nature. He was looking at the trees that were high above him into the sun's warm light. The Rottweiler, however, caught a strange scent. He dashed through the woods dragging Avery with him until he stopped at the source.
Avery looked on in astonishment. He saw what appeared to be a structure that looked as if it was a shrine of some sort. Avery, out of curiosity, decided to look and see what was beyond the wooden doors. He opened one of the doors and was amazed. The Shrine looked as if it was a church and he saw a statue of an eagle that looked as if it was made of fire. Sunlight shown on the stained-glass windows depicting three princesses, lighting up the room with an array of a rainbow.
To his surprise, he saw on the floor a circle with two more round circles as if it was ears of a mouse. It looked like that character from a Walt Disney shows that he watched as a younger man… Mickey Mouse if he was correct.
Just as he was about to proceed, he stepped on a switch, and heard a clicking noise. He turned and saw a pendulum shooting out from the wall, ready to cut him down. The man quickly avoided it by stepping back into the entrance way.
As soon as he left the shrine with his dog he reported it to the police. When he lead them to the place he had found, it was gone without a trace.
One of the officers started to laugh at him thinking it was a joke, "You discovered a shrine?"
The other officer stated, "You need to get your head out of the clouds."
Avery looked to where the missing shrine was and felt disappointment. No one would believe his story except for himself! Everyone would think that he was looking for attention, or worse, they'd think he was insane!
Even though it was considered a joke amongst realists, there are some things that can occur in unforeseen ways. Fifty years later, they found a young boy unconscious in the forest. No one knew how he ended up that way in the forest. Overtime, the shrine became an urban legend. Some parents passed it off as a story to help their children before going to bed. Yet, there are certain people that believe in this gateway to another world…
1982, Mt. Achilleus Disney Dark Age, Disney Domain
Mt. Achilleus was a powerful volcano that had been in dormant for thousands of years since Achilleus a Greek warrior was transformed into a mountain as punishment for trying to abuse the powers of a mythical bird in hopes to keep himself alive, but failed. It was said that very bird was the guardian of the mountain. One young prince was bound to find out what would happen if requested its help.
Prince Harald was a young man with brown hair and piercing blue eyes wearing blue clothing suitable for a prince from 1550s Germany. He climbed to look at the peak of the mountain hoping to see a bird that was said to be the guardian of the volcano.
Suddenly a powerful giant volcanic eagle rose from the volcano. The bird noticed a man standing at the peak of his mountain.
He asked, "What brings you to my domain, Hero of Devotion?"
Prince Harald begged, "I came here because I have been insulted about how useless I have become over the many years that I have been around. So I was considering asking that if you would be my animal spirit. Please?"
The Firebird replied, "Be warned that my powers are not for the faint of heart. You will also risk the future of your bloodline and your friendship with two other Walt Princes."
Prince Harald replied, "I know, but I am tired of the insults that I have been receiving for nearly five decades."
The Firebird liked the idea of being the guardian spirit, but he asked, "Are you certain that you want my powers?"
Harald replied, "Yes."
The Firebird came out of the volcano in the form of a majestic eagle with magical fire surrounding his body.
When Prince Harald returned to the Solar Castle of King Mickey, the other two Disney princes were looking at him in disappointment and Harald asked, "Why are you guys looking at me like that?!"
Phillip asked, "Do you have any idea of what you have just done?! You made a pact with a force of nature! You also have sealed the fate of your own bloodline and for what?! A phoenix that has enough power to incinerate-"
King Mickey cut him off as he reassured, "Let me handle this, Phillip. Besides, you have just risen to a rank that not many protagonists posses."
He looked at Harald with concern and he stated, "The Firebird is not a creature to be taken lightly. You could end up abusing that power and suffer a fate worse than death."
He felt sadness overwhelming his tone, "I have heard that the first one who wielded that was turned into a statue for trying to abuse the bird's powers, and I don't want this to happen to you. Especially if you are the first feature length Walt Warrior and Prince of Devotion. Please, don't turn your back on us."
Harald answered back, "You have no idea of the humiliation and ridicule that I endured by the lesser toons that walk past me! One of them called me Prince Buckethead "
Mickey replied, "Harald, I understand what you're going through, but understand that times have changed. That name is not even canon and it's from a comic published in the 1940s."
William who was understandably infuriated by Harald's actions, "You are so full of it, Harry! You just had to go out to a dangerous volcano and now you are a host to a monstrous bird! What about your children, they'll have to be possessed by a spirit known to bring destruction in his wake! What in the name of Saint Michael the Archangel were you thinking?! I don't understand why you had to go to that forbidden volcanic area to get something to gloat about! Don't you even care that this world is going through a Dark Age?! Ever since the creator died and the animal duo failed to give the public a thought provoking story, you became bitter towards younger toons. I have specifically asked you not to do anything stupid. In the end, you have done that!"
Phillip agreed, "I hate to say this, but I agree with him on that one."
Harald replied, "Your story failed in the box office, I think that you also endured similar issues as mine!"
Phillip was annoyed by the technicality that his story faced and it almost threw him into a Wasteland where any characters from stories that failed to impress the public go to as punishment for their failure. However his story was fortunate to become a sleeper hit.
Phillip replied, "Hey! Not my fault that the box office was a joke, but the difference between me and you is that I had a re-release to prove to the public that I'm worth something and I defeated a dragon, but I do not go to a forbidden volcano and sell my life to a monstrous bird that would incinerate unworthy souls! Especially if the soul has no courage in his heart! You on the other hand, have had numerous re-releases, you still received criticism."
Harald yelled, "I didn't sell my soul! I would've been dead without it!"
Mickey had enough with the three bickering and he ordered, "Enough."
He turned to Harald and he stated, "It's hard for me to say this, you have really messed up. Though consider yourself lucky that you are still arguably the first prince, but you have so much pride in yourself that is weaving within your heart. I'm sorry to say this, but to quote a passage from an old book, "Pride goes before the fall." That spirit is known to possess hot blooded and prideful warriors in the past. Achilles was one of them. Do me a favor, only use this bird for the right reasons."
Harald protested, "I'm not prideful or hot-blooded!"
Phillip answered back, "He has a valid point. Keep that attitude of yours in check. Ever since the creator passed away, you became increasingly prideful of your status as the first Disney protagonist!"
Harald replied, "I am not being prideful. I will prove the bird spirit that I'm a true warrior of Devotion."
Mickey cried, "Enough. Harald, you should tell Snow White what you have done. I'm sorry to do this, but you have lost the element of Devotion."
Prince Harald asked in a tone with disbelief, "What?!"
Mickey answered, "Your dagger was retrieved from Hürtgen Forest in 1944 and I was planning to give it to you, but now I see that you have lost the element's power and you can't use the dagger!"
Prince Harald noticed a medallion that was awaiting a for a fire spirit to seek an inhabitant!
He saw the Firebird shrinking from the size of a majestic eagle to a much smaller size and it was sealed away into the medallion!
Prince Harald asked Mickey, "What did you do?!"
Mickey answered, "I sealed away the Firebird and it can only be used by a person who has a courageous and devoted heart."
Harald replied, "This is insane."
Mickey answered back, "No. The insanity is that we are in a Dark Age! The insanity is that our world is changing for the worst. Now thanks to the failure of Fox and the Hound, we have to find someone else to correct that and lead us out of the Dark Age. This meeting has been adjourned."
Mickey gave Harald the medallion that had the Firebird sealed away.
Harald returned to his world, and he noticed his wife Snow White was looking at him with concern.
Snow White asked Harald, "Are you mad? What happened to you?"
Harald tried to find a way to lie, but he knew it would not work. He had to figure out how to explain that he had made a pact with a bird made from fire.
He confessed, "I made a pact with a bird to become my guardian spirit."
Snow White was shocked and she asked, "What happened to your dagger?"
Harald answered with sadness in his voice, "Mickey got it back from a forest and I can't use it anymore. I failed the element of Devotion."
Snow White cried, "You have sealed the fate of our bloodline. The oldest shall receive a power they would have no control over."
Harald begged, "I can teach him to control the bird's power."
Snow White argued, "That bird is a destructive force of nature. You should know that."
Harald was at a loss of words, and he knew that she was right.
Redwood Forest, 2005
Beneath the tall and large trees of Redwood Forest, a small American family was exploring along the legal trails.
There was a nine-year-old boy who had short jet-black hair and hazel eyes wearing a red shirt depicting the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, black jeans, and black boot-like shoes. His name was Ignatius Quinton Takahashi, but he preferred to be called Natius.
He was enjoying the beauty of the nature in the Redwood Forest with his parents. Little did he know that two villains were lurking in the same forest.
As Natius was looking around the mist-covered woods, he spotted an old woman who appeared to be lost. Something about the old woman seemed odd to Natius. Suddenly he noticed a black blur and he looked in astonishment at the sight of a toon anthropomorphic mouse dressed like a sorcerer.
Natius asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Get out of here, quick!" the mouse cried.
Natius asked, "Why should I?"
The mouse answered, "I have no time to explain, but that woman is terrible news."
The woman tried to lie her way around, "Don't listen to that mouse. He is as deceptive as a rat."
Natius decided to listen to Mickey and run away.
"Maleficent!" The old woman shouted.
Natius noticed that a dark black liquid was surrounding him, and he began screaming for help!
He suddenly lost consciousness as a brilliant light stopped the sensation.
Mickey was lucky to cast a sphere of light that disintegrated the darkness that tried to consume the boy.
He asked Grimhilde, "Why are you here, Grimhilde? Give me one good reason why I should not banish you to the Vault of Darkness."
The Evil Queen cackled. "I came here looking to retrieve a special object. The boy happened to be in the way."
Mickey wasn't convinced. He knew Grimhilde wouldn't just attack any random individual she came across.
"Tell me the truth," he ordered her.
Grimhilde confessed, "I have heard that Snow White had a descendant located here. I believe his family possess a dagger that was once the dagger of devotion after it was recovered in 1944."
Mickey asked, "Did you forget that Pinocchio was able to get to it and blinded your faithful servant?"
The Evil Queen snarled.
"I want you and Maleficent to leave this place and return to your castle," Mickey ordered. "Refuse and I will banish the both of you to the Vault of Darkness."
Grimhilde stated, "As you command."
Maleficent asked, "What about that boy?"
"Leave him," she answered. But she promised herself that there would come another time when her comrades would see Natius again. Maleficent sighed and followed Grimhilde.
The boy wasn't hurt; just unconscious. However, another child was nearby and coming this way. The sound of the commotion must have gotten her attention. Mickey distanced himself. From the shadows of the trees, he saw a girl who resembled Cinderella. Her name was Jeanette Cendrillon. As she saw Natius lying unconscious, she began calling for help.
Masahiro and his wife began to hear the little girl's screams.
Not too far away, Jeanette's father, Marc Cendrillon also heard the sound of her screams and came to see what was going on.
Marc ran to see Jeanette standing where Natius was lying.
Natius' parents were relieved that their son was found.
The parents of the children immediately called for an ambulance.
Half an hour later, the paramedics arrived at the scene.
One of the medics stayed behind to question the father and child. Two more were strapping the unconscious boy to the stretcher.
"This is the place where you found the child?"
The men nodded. His daughter Jeanette stated with worry in her tone and eyes, "I don't even know his name."
"Ignatius." said the boy on the stretcher, "My name is Ignatius."
Author's Notes: The story has begun. Tune in next episode which will take some time because as I said before I have a life. Until then, positive feedback and constructive criticism is welcome. By the way, what family names would suit Snow White and Cinderella? Please leave suggestions in the review box.