Chapter Five
Trouble is Brewing
The throng of people filled up the Disney Town square, all facing the gazebo in the middle. A podium was erected on one end of the plaza, upon which stood King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Captain Goofy, and Donald, flanked by half a dozen magic brooms. Max and his friends stood in front of the podium, eyes locked on the figure standing within the gazebo. They have been there the whole afternoon, observing a trial that took place in regard to the events of the other night. The proceedings had taken place, and all in the plaza awaited to learn what fate had been decided for the man who was now the figurative and literal center of attention.
The defendant was Bradley Uppercrust III, former student of the Disney Castle Royal Knight Academy. He stood facing the podium, staring emotionlessly at his judges. He still wore his armor. He had earned a black eye in the time between his arrest and his trial, a parting gift of one of his former cronies as he was expelled from both the academy and the Gamma Mu Mu club that he had previously led. His wrists were bound by a metal shackle. He refused to even glance at the people who had once thought of him as a friend. They evidently had the same idea, as they gathered to the side, just far enough around that they were out of his peripheral vision.
On either side of him stood a magic broom. Although they did not look like much in terms of security, they could carry great weight with sufficient numbers. They were also implacable, shrugging off any attempt at hindering or destroying them.
This time around, King Mickey was calling order. "Bradley Uppercrust III," he began, managing to make his shy falsetto voice sound imposing, "you have been tried and found guilty of betraying the knight's order, vandalism, assault and battery, and attempted murder. After much deliberation, the court has decided to sentence you to twenty years imprisonment in the pocket of the Cornerstone. Do you have anything to say for yourself before the sentence is carried out?"
Bradley's expression remained unchanged, though Max could swear that there was a slight hint of malice in his gaze.
Mickey returned the stern gaze. "Very well," he decreed. He clenched his fist to keep his hands from visibly trembling. It was, however, still clear to all that he was crushed by the betrayal of such a promising young man. "Take him away."
The magic brooms each grabbed one of Bradley's arms and led him away from the gazebo. The crowd parted as the brooms led him to the door in the white marble wall that served as a barrier around the castle. Donald raised his hand and two normal-sized doors opened in the center of the larger portal, much like in the door to the castle's audience chamber. The convict and his security detail passed through the double doors, followed by some senior knights, and the doors promptly closed.
When all was done, the crowd began to disperse. Max, P.J., Roxanne, and Vicki did not move, though Bobby and Stacey walked off, Bobby beginning to tell a joke, heedless of their comrades' inaction. Max stood, lost in thought. Roxanne and Vicki noticed that P.J. was similarly distracted. He had been like that all morning, and they wondered what was on his mind.
Goofy approached Max and put a hand on his shoulder. Max turned to face his father, who was looking at him, concerned. "You all right, Maxie?" he asked.
Max took a moment to answer. "I… I don't know. I mean, I always hated the guy, and I'm glad to see him get punished for trying to hurt everyone. But…" he paused trying to find the right words, "seeing him get sent off like that… It didn't really give me a good feeling. Do you know what I mean?"
Goofy nodded. "Gawrsh, I know all too well. I've seen a lot of bad people get punished for the bad things they did. And I never felt joy in it. Sometimes I even felt sorry for them." A corner of his mouth curled up to a slight smile. "But it's good that you feel that way, a-hyuck. It shows character, and you don't want to be the kind of guy who enjoys other people getting punished, even if you don't like them. You understand, Max?"
Max smiled and gave him a nod. "Yeah. Thanks, Dad." Then a though occurred to him. "Say, Dad, what exactly is the pocket of the Cornerstone?"
Goofy averted his gaze shamefully before explaining. "Well, you know about how when Pete was sent to a pocket of space for a time out after his outburst at the Million Dreams Festival twelve years ago?" Max nodded. "Maleficent busted him out some time after, with one of her dark portals. So, after King Mickey and Queen Minnie found out about that, they decided to create another prison in a different pocket dimension, this one wrapped in the Cornerstone of Light. Since its light is so bright, not even Maleficent's darkness can touch it, and no one will be able to bust out of it thanks to those dark portals."
Max nodded, understanding what his dad was saying and what it meant for people like Bradley. "I gotcha." He noticed P.J. nervously looking at his hand as if he were deep in thought. "Hey, Peej, what's eating you?" he asked. "You've been acting weird all day. Did something happen yesterday? When you were talking with your dad, or something?"
P.J. looked over at Max, then at Goofy. He felt Vicki's hand on his shoulder and realized how concerned everyone was for him. He felt that he should tell them about what happened. "Yeah. While I was talking with him through that crystal ball thing, the image suddenly became foggy, like a fluttering cloth, as if there was some new dark power interfering with the spell. Dad went to check it out, and the signal cut out a minute later."
Goofy scratched his temple with one finger, pondering. "Hmm… Y'know, maybe we should tell King Mickey about it," he suggested. "We can see what's going on, and if it's something we should worry about, the king would certainly like to know."
P.J. was reassured by Goofy's concern and liked the idea. "That sounds good. Thanks," he said.
"After dinner," Vicki interjected, wrapping her arms around P.J.'s shoulders. "You guys have plenty of time to see the king, and I believe he's actually kind of busy at the moment. Besides, I would rather not risk any shocking revelation ruining our appetites, so let's go."
Goofy chuckled. "Well, I guess that's settled. C'mon!"
Behind the castle, outside of the limits of the town, a grassy field stretched out, beyond which was a lake. Night had fallen, and the shimmering reflection of the moonlight shone off of the surface.
Donald Duck and his sweetheart Daisy sat at the edge of the lake, a picnic cloth sitting in front of them, held down by two crumb-covered plates and cups. Donald wore a blue sailor's outfit with white accents, a red bow tie, and a blue beret-style hat. Daisy wore a purple blouse, a pink bow on her head, a light-blue bangle around her left wrist, and a pair of pink high-heeled shoes that somehow fit over her flipper-like feet.
"Oh, Donald. This is just perfect," Daisy complimented, reaching her hand to lay it on top of Donald's. Donald smiled contentedly, glad that she is happy. Daisy had given Donald all sorts of grief for missing their previously-scheduled dates, so Donald made sure to not stand her up this time. Donald hoped that nothing would spoil the moment.
Realizing what he was thinking and where it generally went with him, Donald was not surprised when he heard Mickey, Goofy, Max, and P.J. marching down the field toward them, making a commotion as though they did not realize that they were in the middle of a date.
"Oh, come on!" Daisy screamed, furious. "Am I not allowed to have a nice evening with my husband?" She growled in frustration, scaring everyone, particularly Donald, who was usually the one with the fiery temper.
"Gosh. I'm sorry, Daisy," Mickey apologized, embarrassed. "It's just that we were hoping you could help us with something. You see, P.J. thought there was something funny about when he was talking with Pete, and we thought we should check if there was something to worry about going on with Maleficent."
Hearing this, Daisy began to calm down. She glanced apologetically at P.J. and started to chuckle nervously. "Oh. In that case, we'd be happy to help. Right, Donald?"
Donald nodded, and threw down a smoke bomb that caused his entire body to be surrounded with thick smoke. When the smoke cleared, he had changed into his wizard garb. Daisy conjured a bright pink light from her hands. When the aura died down, she was wearing an ornate, sleeveless, violet ball gown and a golden tiara inset with a sapphire in the front.
"All right," Donald announced. "Let's get going. Let's see, since we're already at the lake and the water seems calm enough, we can just conduct a simple scrying spell. However, the ground is not clear and even enough to set up the runes, but I might be able to work around that…" He took a small, orange festival rocket out of his hat and held it up, imagining the path it should take. He snapped his fingers next to the fuse and cast a small Fire spell to ignite it, and released the rocket right before it went off. The rocket flew all over the place, leaving a trail of sparks that formed an image of runes similar to the ones that Pete had drawn with his communication spell. When the rocket had burned out its fuel, Donald waved his hand and it vanished in a puff of smoke.
Donald and Daisy traded a glance and nodded to each other. "Noivilbo," they chanted. The surface of the water lit up, and the aquatic life beneath began to glow with an entrancing luminescence. Everyone present thought of the location they wanted to see, including Max and P.J., who had to be told what the fortress was called ahead of time by Mickey.
Villains' Vale… Villains' Vale…
An image of a ravine surrounded by mountains of blue stone and soil appeared on the water's surface, stretched out away from the observers so that they could all clearly see what the spell was showing them. Standing in the ravine was a fortress consisting of several small buildings and seven rusted, spindly, broken-down towers, the front of which is marked with the Heartless emblem. The projection zoomed in on the middle tower, squeezed past the rusted cogs and set itself in front of a balcony. The party squeezed together to see what was happening inside. They saw Maleficent and Pete standing side-by-side. Pete wore blue and purple armor over a red short-sleeved shirt, navy-blue and white sneakers, and blue overall-type pants adorned with enormous rectangular pockets and a comically-large zipper that wrapped down and around his crotch area. This being their first time seeing Pete in his current outfit, Max and P.J. struggled to contain their laughter. The two villains were talking to an unfamiliar human-like character. Due to the way the image was positioned, the man had his back to the observers.
"Huh. I wonder who that is," Goofy inquired. Minnie shushed him, wanting to hear what they were saying.
"Well, the hothead tried to have his mutt eat me, but he eventually came around. He seems to be willing to help us," Pete said.
"As is the trickster. He claims to have an army as well as intentions of his own, but agreed to join us to see if he can get what he wants," Maleficent added.
Mickey raised his eyebrow while Donald groaned. It seemed as though Maleficent was restoring the council that she had allied herself with during her first wave of attacks on the realm of light. And one of their member already had an army at the ready? As if the Heartless weren't enough trouble.
Donald and Daisy were also able to notice that the image appeared foggy, much like the interference P.J. described. In fact, the area focusing around the mysterious human appeared to be the fuzziest. Perhaps he was the source? It would make sense. Maybe he had dark power that came from a different source than simply the darkness in his heart, or inherent magic. It was quite intriguing.
"So, I've been wondering… What exactly are we going after?" Pete inquired. You said they were on every world, which just adds to the mystery. I mean, if there was one of these things everywhere, you'd think we'd have heard about them somewhere down the line."
"I will give you an idea when the alliance has been fully assembled," the mystery man answered ominously.
"Why?" Pete asked.
There was a brief pause before the stranger answered. "It would be dramatically appropriate." Pete raised an eyebrow in confusion at that. Watching the exchange, Max and P.J. snickered at the awkward delivery. "How many times would you prefer I explain it to you?"
Maleficent and Pete seemed to see the point, and the cat ceased to ask any more questions.
"Erm, I'll go talk to the clown guy," Pete announced. He clapped his hands and a blob of dark energy rose up behind him, forming a black and purple doorway that cascaded in on itself.
"And I shall seek out he who is called the 'Shadow Man'." Maleficent did the same, and they each left through their respective Corridors of Darkness.
The fireworks runes dissipated, and the image faded as well. The observers turned to face each other, contemplating what they just witnessed. Even though Daisy, Max and P.J. had a scarce understanding of what Maleficent and Pete had been up to previously, they knew enough to understand that they were up to something wicked. The others had come to the same conclusion, despite their questions as to the nature of whatever the fiends were after.
"We should warn Leon, and consult Master Yen Sid," Goofy suggested.
Donald, however, shook his head in disagreement. "But Leon and the others can't take on Maleficent on their own. They wouldn't even be able to get to the Vale."
"Donald's right," Minnie said despondently. "We must be able to gauge the situation and be prepared to intervene before it escalates, if at all possible."
"Something tells me it's not going to be that simple," Goofy commented. "Here we go again. At least it's not Ansem, er, Xemnas? Um…"
"Xehanort!" Donald clarified.
Goofy nodded, thanking him for helping him remember. "Yeah. At least we're not facing him again."
"Though, how different the situation is has yet to be determined," Minnie lamented. "We know nothing of this man, where he comes from, what he wants, and what he is capable of."
"But Goofy is still right about one thing," Mickey affirmed. "This may be more than a simple scouting mission and fight. We could be in for another quest to protect the worlds from the forces of darkness. And if that's the case, we're going to need all the help we can get. All the friends we can count on."
Donald and Goofy perked up at the declaration. "You mean—" they both cheered, excited at the prospect of what he was suggesting.
"You're right, fellas. We'll have to call on Sora. And Riku, too."
Donald and Goofy laughed and cheered together until they noticed Daisy, Max, and P.J. looking sad, and went to comfort their loved ones.
"Don't worry, Maxie," Goofy assured. "We'll get this over with as fast as we can, and then I'll be right back here with ya, a-hyuck."
Max smiled with little mirth. "You just got back. And here I was, thinking I'd be glad to get a break from your goofiness." He chuckled ironically. "And the guys were glad to have you back as their captain."
Goofy chuckled. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Maxie." He glanced at P.J. to include him in the conversation. "And you two can take care of yourselves. As for the knights, they're in good hands. They can keep things steady while we're out."
Donald held hands with Daisy, looking at her apologetically. "Daisy, I'm sorry I have to leave again. I promise I won't keep you waiting for a year like last time."
Daisy gave a slight smile. "Oh, Donald. I wish you didn't have to go. But, I guess we all have our duties to attend to, and this is yours." She sighed. "Well, I'm glad we at least got to finish dinner this time." She gave Donald a kiss, then a playfully stern glare. "Just be back before our anniversary, got it?" Donald nodded quickly.
Mickey locked eyes with his closest friends and knew that they were all at an agreement. "All right. Then it's settled. Max, P.J., can you tell Chip and Dale to prep the Gummi Ship?"
Max and P.J. met each other's gaze and nodded affirmative. "Roger, your Majesty," Max saluted. "But, uh, what will you be doing?"
Mickey gave them a knowing smirk. "Well, I gotta make sure Sora and Riku have a heads-up. I heard that there are some kinds of message that always reach their destination."
By dawn, Mickey had finished writing his letter, rolled it up, and wrapped it with a seal marked with his insignia. He slipped it into a bottle and closed the bottle with a cork. He turned off the lamp and left the library, followed by Minnie and ever-faithful Pluto.
As he marched out of the castle, Donald and Goofy stepped into line behind him. The entourage walked past the gateway through castle's external walls and tromped down the field to the lake where they had gathered the previous night. They stopped at the water's edge.
Mickey stepped into the water, continuing until the water was up to his knees. Judging that the water was deep enough for the current to carry the bottle away, Mickey checked the cork to make sure it was secure. He rattled the glass with his fingers, muttering "Find our friends, Sora and Riku." A silvery-blue glow shone over the glass for a split second, and Mickey knew that the magic would work.
Generally, when sending a message in a bottle, in order to ensure that the message would reach its destination, it must be addressed with the name of its recipient (or recipients, if more than one is targeted), and it must be subtly blessed with immense faith. It would also help if the intended receiver stayed in one place, in which case it would take only a few hours to make its trip, or until it could catch the person near a body of water larger than a bathtub; if the addressee moved about the worlds, the message would try to navigate the sea between worlds until it could catch up with him and appear where he could find it. When Kairi had sent her letter to Sora, she did not write his name directly, instead writing a sentence at the end that referenced his name after she had regained the memory of that particular detail about her friend, and when it set out to find him, he had gotten to traveling the worlds again and was rarely near a sufficient body of water for long enough (faith-driven bottles tend to avoid the River Styx, and ironically, nobody paid enough attention to see it at Port Royal; it also refused to appear in Atlantica because it did not want to risk the message getting opened underwater or above water then soaked anyway), until it finally reached him and Riku in the Realm of Darkness. Mickey was vaguely aware of this kind of magic, but was not entirely sure how to get it to work, so he decided to take extra care in telling his message where to go.
He dropped the bottle into the water. It bobbed for a few seconds, before being pulled down, caught in a small whirlpool under the surface. When it reached the center, a small portal opened up and the bottle fell through. When that happened, the portal pinched shut, releasing a single bubble which popped after reaching the surface.
"Gawrsh, do you think it will get to them?" Goofy asked. Donald looked at him and shrugged.
But Mickey was more confident. "Don't worry. It will. Now come on. We should go pack up and get ready to go."
So, they returned to the castle. Donald gathered a stash of Potions, Ethers and Elixirs. He selected a few of his backup staffs, some of which resembling hammers and one of which having what appeared to be a yellow dragon head on top, and dismissed them to the pocket realm where he and the knights send their weapons. Jiminy pulled a fresh journal from the bookshelf in the library, with which to chronicle this new adventure, and hopped onto Mickey's shoulder to signal he was ready to go. Goofy and the chipmunks made sure to fill up the Gummi Ship's refrigerator and pantry with necessary foods and drinks. Chip and Dale finished their check-up on the Gummi Ship, having successfully put it back together after the Teeny Ship incident from the other day. They had let Donald off with a warning and gave him permission to act as pilot once again.
Once everything was ready, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy prepared to board the Gummi Ship and begin their journey. Minnie, Daisy, Max, and Pluto were at the door to the Gummi Garage to see them off.
"You are about to begin what is likely to be a long and arduous journey," Minnie began formally. "We wish you luck and we hope for your safe return. Please, do all that you can to safeguard the worlds."
"Say hello to your nephews for me, Donald," Daisy requested.
Goofy and Max shared a warm embrace. "Look sharp," Max said.
Pluto woofed. Mickey petted him on the head. "I'll see you real soon, boy!" the mouse promised.
After all good-byes were said, Mickey spoke into the megaphone-shaped speaker on the platform. "Mickey Mouse to launch crew: anytime you're ready, oh-ho!" he announced, relaying the go-ahead to Chip and Dale up in the operator's booth.
Dale pressed a few buttons and Chip flipped a switch. As they did so, a robotic arm with an enormous white glove attached floated over the group and grabbed Mickey. Another grabbed Donald, but for some reason it pinched his rear end, causing him to flip upside down when it raised him up. The arms carried them over and dropped them in the open hatch of the Gummi Ship.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy took their seats. Since Mickey had not flown the Gummi Ship in so long, he took the pilot's seat. Donald had no problem with that and gladly sat in the copilot's chair, while Goofy sat in the gunner's chair, ready to fire at any obstacles or Heartless ships they blocked their path. Donald and Goofy noticed the eight new passenger seats installed around the sides of the cockpit, four against either wall. It seemed as though Chip and Dale had gotten to act on Donald's work order that he put in after remembering that Kairi was left standing without anything to secure her as they were bounding through hyperspace when fleeing from Hollow Bastion the first time they were there, and he wanted to be considerate to any future passengers. Hopefully, this would mean that they also added bunks for all of the potential passengers, rather than just a single bunk in each of the three sleeping quarters.
The three crew members waved good-bye to their loved ones before Mickey closed down the cockpit hatch. He set the ship into gear and got ready to launch. Runway lights lit up down a tunnel shaped like a Hidden Mickey right in front of the ship, and Mickey was pumped to get to launch.
"Uh, your Majesty," Donald interrupted nervously, "there's something about the launch sequence that I should probably remind you of…"
A giant red arrow appeared, pointing downward. Mickey's eyes widened, first in confusion then in shock as he remembered the hatch leading through the core of the world out through the opposite end. "Huh. I forgot about—"
He did not get to finish the sentence as the ship dropped through the real launch tunnel, the trio struggling to keep their bearings even though they had their seatbelts buckled as the ship tumbled through the passage.
"Whoa-whoa!"
"WAAAAAAAAAK!"
"WA-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOIE!"