A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I have a gift for you guys: a very, VERY long chapter about the Schmidt family's trip to Disney World! At first, UCN won out just barely over votes, but the Disney World vacation saw a MAJOR surge in popularity over the second week, so by popular demand, Disney World it is! I've had to narrow down the possible rides and shows by a LOT, and even then this will still probably be quite the lengthy chapter. For those of you who want UCN next, don't you worry, that will absolutely be the next thing I address.
I'm not sure how many chapters I will do for the winter vacation. At minimum, this will be one chapter focusing on Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Depending on how well this chapter is received, I may consider writing another chapter for MGM Studios, in which case this chapter will become Part 1. If you guys REALLY like those two chapters and don't think things are dragging on for too long, I may consider doing one more to round things off…but this theoretical third chapter will NOT be in Disney World. The last location will be a surprise 😊
Guest: I've since realized that Jeremy is likely his own independent character, but unfortunately I came to that realization WAY too late to introduce Jeremy back into this fic without making it feel extremely contrived.
DauntingInferno: That was a very nice bit of writing, and I'm very happy that you were inspired by my fic! While I won't be implementing your idea in my fic (as Shadow Bonnie is one of the very few characters here that will remain mysterious in nature), I do think that you have a very novel idea that could definitely take things in an interesting direction. Also, the Marshalls aren't twins. I picture Alex to be about 2 years older than Meghan.
Chapter 93 – A World of Wonders
When Mike had learned about the Marshalls' upcoming vacation to Disney World and their invitation to the ghost kids, he had been more than happy to accept and wasted no time in coordinating with both Ryan and Stella over the plans for the holidays. After hours of discussion and debate drawing on the past experiences of the Marshalls and excited suggestions from the ghosts, they had established a game plan. The next few weeks seemed to pass by in a blur, the plane trip to Florida seemingly taking no time at all compared to the long drawl of the Korea vacation, and before they knew it Mike and his children were well on their way to enjoying the first and most iconic of Disney World's unique amusement parks.
"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD WE'RE FINALLY HERE!" Cassidy squealed, jumping up and down in the air in excitement as the majestic, dignified entrance to Disney World's Magic Kingdom drew close and closer.
The others rolled their eyes. While they were all excited, Cassidy had taken it to a whole new level by far. "Calm down, Cassidy, we're almost there!" Gabe scolded as the shuttle bus they were in drew to a stop at the station. "If we weren't concealed, everyone would already be running away screaming that Magic Kingdom is haunted by ghost kids."
"Funny you mention that, considering that one of the highlights of Magic Kingdom is a Haunted Mansion," Jeremy pointed out.
"I think that's in the middle of the park, isn't it?" Susie asked. "We probably won't hit that until later, unless we go through some really crazy and convoluted route that doesn't make any sense."
Mike got off the bus and started walking towards the entrance. A closer inspection revealed that the station looked very much like a train station, albeit one that was far larger than any train station that any of them had ever seen before. The Marshalls were already there, standing in front of an unfurled scroll with the words "LET THE MEMORIES BEGIN!" written proudly on it.
"Hey, Mr. Schmidt!" Meghan called out excitedly to him. "You're finally here!"
"Yep!" Mike grinned. "Got here as soon as I can."
"And you brought our friends too!" Alex added eagerly.
"Ahem…" Meghan lightly hit her brother with her elbow. "You know we're not supposed to talk about or to them out loud, right? Unless you want people to think you're crazy."
"Oh," Alex looked sheepish. "Right."
"Great to see you guys!" Liz greeted them cheerfully. "Cassidy has literally been bouncing in the air to finally come here."
"Hey!" Cassidy protested as the other kids snickered.
"Do you mind taking a picture for us?" Stella asked Mike as she handed over her smartphone to him.
"Sure!" Mike agreed. "Everyone, get ready!" The Marshalls rearranged themselves in front of the sign, and the ghosts also took positions around them despite their invisibility. Even though they might not be able to take pictures realistically, it was the spirit of the action that counted. "Say Mickey in one…two…three…"
"MICKEY!" everyone called out as the smartphone camera flashed. Mike returned the smartphone to Stella as the ghosts started talking animatedly to their living friends.
"So what are we doing first?" Jeremy wondered.
"Well, we've got to see the most important building in the entire kingdom first!" Alex pointed out as they walked (or floated) to the entrance. Having bought their tickets beforehand, it was relatively easy for Mike and the Marshalls to pass through, straight into the bustling shopping area of Main Street USA. The kids, especially the ghost ones, were completely blown away by the sheer size, decoration, and beauty of the buildings that surrounded them.
"Oh my God…" Susie breathed. "This is so beautiful! All these buildings…this makes Las Vegas look like a cheap joke!"
"Forget that!" Cassidy pointed, in front of them, hopping up and down excitedly. "Look! LOOK! It's the Disney Castle! It's the DISNEY CASTLE!"
"Let's head over there right now!" Mike suggested. Before the trip, Charlie had included the Marshalls in the mental link, so that they could all communicate without having to speak out loud. Not needing any further encouragement, the ghosts flew towards the castle, the living members of their party following behind. By the time Mike and the Marshalls arrived, the ghosts were flying all around the castle, trying to see as much of the majestic and exotic structure as they possibly could.
"I'm so jealous!" Meghan pouted. "They actually get to fly around and see the entire castle up close!"
"Forget that!" Alex sulked. "They're actually going INSIDE the castle now! They actually get to see the inside of the Disney Castle!"
A few minutes later, the ghosts returned, flying back to their friends and father with awe-filled looks on their faces. "It's so beautiful in there!" Cassidy gushed. "So many colorful windows, and the way the building itself was made…oh my God!"
Even Charlie was showing more excitement than what her normally reserved nature suggested. "The architecture is just so wonderful too!" she complimented enthusiastically. "Everything inside looks just so…so…perfect! It really feels like the perfect home for a Disney Princess!"
"Heck," Fritz added, "I normally don't give a crap about princess stuff, and even I think that castle is amazing!"
"Here, Charlie, why don't you show them?" Liz suggested. The former Marionette nodded, closed her eyes, and sent visions of the inside of the Disney Castle to the Marshalls. Alex and Meghan stared openmouthed in awe as their minds flashed with pictures of beautiful stained glass windows, gorgeous candelabras, walls decorated with shields, and beautifully adorned rooms fit for a king. It was truly a sight straight out of a fairy tale.
"You know what?" Meghan murmured. "I'm not even mad anymore. That was…I don't even know how to describe that."
"We're probably two of the only people to have ever seen this," Alex added softly. "This was a real privilege. Thank you so much for this, guys…"
Gabe smiled. "No problem!" he replied. "Anything for our friends."
"Let's take a picture in front of the castle," Jeremy suggested. "If there's any place to take a picture in this entire park, it has to be here!"
"Great idea!" Stella agreed. She turned to a nearby tourist. "Would you mind taking a picture of us?"
"Sure!" the tourist replied. Stella moved to join her children, then quickly beckoned for Ryan and Mike to come over. The two adults stood at each side of the Marshalls while the ghosts floated around them, and all of them grinned at the tourist. "MICKEY!" they all shouted as the tourist took several pictures.
"I took a lot of pictures just to be safe," the man said as he gave the smartphone back to Stella.
"Thank you!" everyone gratefully replied as he left to rejoin his family. The Marshalls and Schmidts looked fondly at the picture.
"Is it just me…" Alex muttered, "…or can I see the faint outlines of you guys in the background?"
"I dunno if it's the light playing tricks or you guys actually showing up for a bit, but I'm glad you're taking the picture with us," Meghan commented with a smile.
"Don't worry!" Susie replied cheerfully. "It's still fun to pretend!"
"It's the thought that counts," Gabe answered with a smile of his own.
"So what do we do now?" Alex wondered. "There are so many possibilities, I don't know where to begin!"
"Well," Charlie began as Mike took out a map of Magic Kingdom, "we know that Magic Kingdom is divided into a lot of different sections. From what we can tell, AdventureLand is just to the right over here, and it's got a few cool things we can do."
"What about TomorrowLand?" Jeremy wondered. "It's just to the left, and it seems like it has a ton of cool things for us to do."
"Save the best for last, Jeremy," Mike replied with a smirk. "Save the best for last."
"Good point," the former Bonnie inhabitant conceded.
"Then let's get going!" Cassidy exclaimed. "The more we wait around here, the less time we have!"
AdventureLand
"Oh my God, that treehouse was GIGANTIC!" Susie exclaimed as the group left the towering wooden structure behind them. "You're telling me that somebody actually made something that huge from scratch? HOW?"
"I know, right?" Alex agreed. "Heck, that treehouse looks a lot better than our house, and pretty much every other house in our entire state outside of giant mansions like Mr. Schmidt's."
"Pfft," Mike snorted, "Speak for yourself, I'd rather live in the treehouse. The only issue ismoving around if you're older or have a disability, but that would be a problem for future me."
"I don't think we could ever make something like that," Jeremy muttered. "Even with all the time in the world, I wouldn't know where to start!"
"There's also the slight problem that there's no way we could make something like that without everyone knowing something really weird was up," Mike pointed out. "Also, there's no trees in my backyard."
"Oh yeah."
"Where are we going now?" Cassidy wondered.
Mike looked at the map. "Well, we've done the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, I'm still cringing from the puns on the Jungle Cruise, so that leaves…"
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Now it was Fritz's turn to be bobbing up and down in the air uncontrollably, pointing excitedly at a building in front of them. "That one, that one, that one!"
The families looked up to see where Fritz was pointing…and rolled their eyes when they saw the words PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN on a pirate flag hanging from a mast in front of a palm tree. "Of course…" Gabe deadpanned. "Why would I expect anything else?"
"Well, I think is the last big thing here anyway, so we might as well satisfy Fritz's pirate feti…I mean, his obsession," Mike remarked, quickly changing the last word when he saw the glare Charlie was giving him.
"What was the word you were going to say?" Liz wondered.
"NOTHING," Mike interrupted quickly as they walked into the depths of the Pirates of the Caribbean building. As they made their way through the line, they marveled at how this first part of the building had been structured so that it was as if they were walking into a port, complete with barrels, crates, ropes, and even a small cannon.
"Oh wow, this is a water ride?" Fritz stared in awe. "Those are boats over there!"
"Eh…not exactly a true water ride," Ryan answered. "Not like a water park or anything like that. But yeah, water's involved."
"Oh this is going to be so cool!" the former Foxy inhabitant crowed happily as they got on the boats. The Marshalls and Mike all crowded into a boat, which slowly began to crawl forward after a pirate-themed introduction. The kids watched with bated breath as they left the stone dock-like waiting area behind, entering into a dark, creepy cavern with towering stalactites and stalactites, the only illumination coming from faint blue light. A voice growled pirate-themed utterances from all around them, which they could only just hear over the sound of rushing water in the distance.
"Look!" Meghan pointed to their left. All heads turned to see a sandy beach, the first landmark of the ride. Various objects were scattered about haphazardly with the mast of a ship hanging in the far corner, but the things that immediately caught the attention of the group were the pirate flag laid out in the center of the beach…and the two pirate hat-wearing skeletons. One of them was lying down on the sand as if relaxing, while the other was propped up against the cave wall.
"Well these guys look very, VERY dead," Jeremy drawled. "Deader than us."
"Wonder what happened to them," Susie wondered.
"I don't think I want to know," Alex muttered.
Whatever thoughts they had were soon diverted by the sound of a raging storm to their right, and the kids turned to see the broken ruins of a shipwreck, a skeleton hanging out in front of it with a rag blowing about its head like hair as lightning and thunder flashed in the background.
"Arrrr matey!" Fritz pumped his fist in the air with pure joy. "This be a REAL pirate adventure! WHOO!"
Alex and Meghan looked at him with bemusement. "Is he always like this?" Meghan asked in a dry tone.
"He used to be worse," Charlie deadpanned back as the boat crawled forward. In front of them hung a scarlet pirate flag with a skull wearing a pirate hat hanging from it. But unlike the others they had seen, this one was very much alive, with glowing red lights burning from its sockets as it uttered a menacing invitation from its mouth.
"Do you guys hear something?" Cassidy asked. "Like the sound of rushing water getting louder?"
"Aww, crap. Get ready, guys!" Meghan warned them. The boat sailed past the red flag…and immediately tilted downward. "Wheeeee!" the kids all cried out, the ghosts having anchored themselves to the boat beforehand, as the boat plunged downward into both the darkness and the depths.
"Hell yeah!" Fritz cheered as the boat fell to a stop at the bottom of the artificial river. "I love this ride!"
"It's only just getting started," Ryan informed him as the boat started moving forwards again. Almost immediately, the group was treated to the intense scene of a pirate ship with fiery, hellish light glowing from the windows, viciously firing a barrage of cannonballs as Captain Barbossa taunted Jack Sparrow and demanded his surrender.
"I think Barbossa's one of my favorite characters from Pirates of the Caribbean," Alex commented.
"You should have seen Fritz's face when we showed him Pirates of the Caribbean," Liz giggled. "He had this huge shit-eating grin for the whole day afterwards!"
"Hey!" Fritz protested, the others chuckling as they approached what appeared to be a town made of stone buildings. Townspeople were scattered about, watching the spectacle of what appeared to be a prisoner being shoved into a well over and over again. While the riders couldn't really tell what was going on, it seemed as though the officer in charge was demanding the location of Jack Sparrow.
"There he is!" Cassidy pointed to the left of the town, next to a pile of arrows. There stood Captain Jack Sparrow, sandwiched in between two dresses, hiding from the ones who sought to capture him and bring him to justice.
Fritz raised his hands to his forehead in a salute. "All hail Captain Jack Sparrow, greatest of the pirates!"
"Can't argue with that," Susie admitted. Pirate fan or not, all of them could admit that Jack Sparrow had a certain charm and charisma that made him a joy to watch. As the boat floated forward, the group was treated to the sight of a beautifully recreated Caribbean port town, filled with the hustle and bustle of townsfolk and sailors singing and running about their business. One particularly memorable (and amusing) scene was when they passed by a drunken sailor sitting on a pile of crates, holding a golden key and boasting about how he would soon claim a great treasure…as Jack Sparrow's head poked out of a barrel next to him.
"So how long do you think it's going to take before that key goes bye-bye?" Jeremy drawled.
"I give it like, I dunno…10 seconds?" Gabe suggested.
"I give it 5," Fritz commented, "but only because he's Jack Sparrow."
The next scene featured several pirates and sailors cheerfully singing "A Pirate's Life for Me"…as flames raged and burned in the windows of the buildings behind them.
"Talk about mood dissonance," Mike commented dryly.
Before anyone could answer, Fritz joined in their song, having finally found something that truly resonated with the pirate lover within him. Though there was less action than there had been at the Sinbad ride at Lotte World, Fritz felt even more at home here, for the pirates here were closer in nature to what he recognized as a pirate, and to his favorite animatronic.
"You're just so happy to be here, aren't you?" Charlie asked him with an exasperated smile on her face.
"Aye, matey!" Fritz replied cheerfully as the boat passed underneath the bridge and past several jail cells with captured pirates reaching out from behind bars. The final scene of the ride was the triumph of Jack Sparrow, lounging lazily upon piles of gold and treasures with a bottle of rum in his hand. In his own way, he appeared almost kingly in his victory, and certainly would have more than enough treasures to live as he desired for the rest of his life. "All hail Captain Jack Sparrow, the true king of the pirates!" Fritz declared, raising his hand in another salute as they passed the triumphant Jack Sparrow and the ride came to an end.
"Wow, that was a great way to start our vacation off!" Alex commented as they got off the boat. "Something exciting and iconic, but not too crazy."
"You know, as fun as it was, I do wish they updated it a bit," Charlie remarked thoughtfully. "Like, they should have used Barbossa more than just in the beginning, and I think the ride would have been so much cooler if they brought in Davy Jones."
"This is a REALLY old ride," Ryan pointed out. "It's aged pretty well all things considered, but I don't think they're going to be making any major updates to it any time soon."
"Who cares?" Fritz shrugged. "It was fun, it was about pirates, and that's what matters."
"Glad you had fun," Mike said with a genuine smile, before addressing everyone there. "Now then, we don't want to spend too much time in one place, so let's get a move on. According to the map, the closest place is…
FrontierLand
"Sorry you guys couldn't really experience Splash Mountain the right way," Alex apologized sheepishly. "Since you can't really feel water and all that."
"I mean, we could have if we all semi-possessed you guys," Gabe admitted. "But that would seriously tire him out, and it wouldn't be fair to do that to him, let alone to you."
"It was still cool, though!" Cassidy assured them. "Brer Rabbit tricking the fox into throwing him into the briar patch was genius! And that big drop at the end was really fun, water or no water!"
"If you think about it," Stella added thoughtfully, "this is probably one of the first times kids could get introduced to the concept of reverse psychology. You know, the idea of tricking someone into doing something you want by pretending you don't want it, or want the opposite."
"Huh…that's pretty interesting actually," Charlie remarked as they approached the other main attraction of Frontierland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The lines were beginning to grow around this time, but thanks to the magic of Fastpasses and Mike's practically unlimited budget, he was able to easily secure Fastpasses for every single living person in their group.
"How were you even able to get these?" Alex asked in awe as they zoomed through the building, which had been designed in the fashion of a Wild Western Mining station. At his smirk, Alex facepalmed. "Oh, right…" he muttered. "You're rich."
"Yep!" the man blithely replied as they climbed into the ride cart, which was fashioned in the shape of a train cart. "Get ready, kids!"
The kids let out cheers of delight as the train moved forward. The train surged forward into the darkness, causing them to chitter excitedly as the light finally emerged a few seconds later. Susie was the first to notice the cave to their right, filled with an entire array of stalagmites and stalactites, and the kids briefly wondered if the intricate geometry of the cavern was the work of nature or carved out entirely by artificial means.
"Here we go!" Liz called out excitedly as the train began to climb upward, underneath a water tank with water pouring out of it on either side and out of the cavern into the light. The train chugged forward…and let loose.
"WHOOOO!" everyone screamed as the roller coaster ride truly began. The train zoomed and weaved narrowly through the rock formation, giving the impression as though they were riding on a fast-moving train through a western canyon, complete with railroad tracks to add to the illusion. In many ways, it reminded the ghosts of the vacation they had taken to the Grand Canyon, only the walls of the "canyon" were closed in around them and they were moving far faster in the racing train cart than when they had simply floated around while exploring.
"This is SO COOL!" Cassidy whooped as the train passed by a small saloon and into mines and caves, exposing them to the light one second and plunging them into darkness the next. As they passed underneath a wooden structure, a mechanism on the tracks caught the train and began lifting it up towards the next part of the ride. With the ride slowed down for the time being, the kids were able to get their first real glimpse of their surroundings, and all of them marveled at the grandeur, detail, and scope that had gone into creating the rock formations. The rock formations had been so beautifully crafted that they looked as though they could have been lifted straight out of the canyon. To their right, the cliff face fell away to reveal a massive gorge, reminding the ghost kids even further of the Grand Canyon they had visited months earlier.
"How did they make all of this?" Fritz breathed out in wonder. "Like, oh my God, all of this looks so real!"
"Whoever designed this deserves an A+," Gabe agreed. "No questions asked."
"Hey, I can see a ram up there!" Liz pointed at the animal standing on one of the distant rock faces. This time, there was no mistaking that it was an artificial creature, but it was a still nice touch that she and the others could appreciate.
"Hold on, everyone!" Ryan called out as the train charged down into the canyon again, treating the kids to another delightful round of chaotic and exhilarating fun through the rocky formations. This time, the train didn't slow down again until it entered into a deep cavern even longer than the one that they had passed through before the first stage of the ride. Wooden scaffolding quickly transitioned into natural stone, the depths of the cavern illuminated only by scattered lanterns that gave off a red-orange light. To the riders, the glow of the light off the rocks gave them a distinctly fiery glow. Possibly even hellish.
"Maybe it's because we've seen Nightmare and actual demons before, but this cave is giving me the creeps," Charlie thought as they passed through. She didn't broadcast her thoughts to the others around her, however, not wanting to scare either her siblings or the Marshalls with talk of demons and Hell. She did breath a sigh of relief as they left the cave behind, and joined her siblings in cheering as they rode through the last segment of the ride, passing through a horned skull and a Wild West themed train station as their train cart slowed to a stop at the waiting station where they had started.
"Aww, it's over already?" Fritz groaned. "That was so fun though!"
"I mean, it might not have been as crazy as some of the other rides we've been on, but it was definitely a really cool look for a roller coaster!" Jeremy agreed. "What with all those rock formations and caves and everything! I don't think I've seen anything like it yet!"
"Yeah, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is definitely one of the highlights of this part of Magic Kingdom," Meghan agreed. "That and Splash Mountain."
"Is there anything else we need to do here, Dad?" Alex asked his father.
Ryan consulted the map. "Hmm…we can take a visit to Tom Sawyer Island, but that seems to be it."
"Eh, I think we can fit it in," Mike replied dismissively. "The next spot is Liberty Square, right?" he asked.
"I…think?" Liz answered uncertainly.
The man grinned, then his look turned thoughtful. "I was going to suggest a ride that I think would be PERFECT for you guys, but I think it would make more sense for us to ride it at night. So let's just skip that for now. We can visit the Hall of Presidents and ride on a boat there, but otherwise there's not much worth noting," he decided. "So instead, let's move on right over…here…"
Fantasy Land
"Wow…" Cassidy murmured as they left the concert hall of Mickey's Philharmagic Orchestra behind them. "I've always loved Disney songs, but watching that show really made me feel like I was a part of the song, right in the middle of it!"
"Right?" Meghan agreed enthusiastically. "I remember the first time we were here, we ended up watching that show three times in the same day just because we loved it so much!"
Charlie gave Mike a regretful look. "Sorry about possessing you like that, dad," she apologized sheepishly. "There wasn't any way we could see the 3D part of that show unless we possessed you."
Mike brushed it off. "Don't worry about it," he blithely replied to the ghost girl's relief. "At this point we've done it enough times that I can handle it just fine."
Alex smirked. "Gotta say, though, Donald Duck really shit the bed on that one, didn't he?" he asked dryly.
"You're telling me," Gabe answered as he and the others struggled to contain their laughter at the iconic duck's misfortune.
"So what's next?" Susie asked. "We've ridden the other roller coaster here and seen the Philharmagic show."
"There's one iconic, unique ride in this part of the park that you guys just have to see!" Stella answered, pointing up ahead, "and there it is!"
Everyone looked to see a large building in front of them that had the outline of a castle in the background, but had decorations and colored curtains similar to that of a circus in front. The words "IT'S A SMALL WORLD" were blazoned proudly on a banner above the entrance. "You can't say you've been to Disney World's Magic Kingdom unless you've ridden this at least once in your life," Stella added.
"Oh, I remember this one!" Meghan gushed. "It's such a beautiful ride with so many different things to see! And the song is amazing!"
Alex didn't look so enthusiastic, however. "I dunno…" he muttered skeptically. "That song gets annoying once you hear it over and over again. And the dolls kinda look a bit creepy in a way…"
"What are you guys talking about?" Liz wondered.
"You'll see," Mike promised as they passed through the curtains and into the building. The ghost kids' jaws dropped in awe as they saw the background of a beautiful gold and white clockwork castle, with one of the most striking decorations being a smiling clock that spun back and forth. Below them, they could see a small canal on which several boats floated lazily by.
"This is a water ride?" Fritz asked.
"Only in the most technical sense," Ryan answered. "You're not going to get wet if that's what you're asking."
The Marshalls and Mike crowded into one of the boats as the ghosts anchored themselves to it. The boat moved forward gently on the canal and under the arch of a castle-like decoration with a welcoming banner on it, bringing its passengers to the first stage of the ride. The ghost children were instantly overwhelmed by the sight of many colorful buildings and dancing dolls on platforms, each of which was decorated in a different and unique way. The dolls themselves wore clothing that was just as diverse as their surroundings, attire that ranged from soldiers to formal dress clothes, many of which were spinning and dancing or playing an instrument of some kind.
"Oh my God…" Susie breathed. "This is…this is so pretty!"
"How did they even make something like this?" Gabe asked incredulously. "This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!"
"Amazing what you can do with a lot of time and imagination on your hands," Mike replied pensively as the boat advanced. Though they had had very little exposure to other cultures even after beginning their new life with Mike, the ghosts could recognize a few things like Irish tap dancers and giant windmills suggesting a Netherlandish origin. As they approached the last thing in the room, Switzerland yodeler dolls on cuckoo clocks, Jeremy turned to his father.
"Is this meant to be Europe?" he wondered.
Mike nodded. "Correct!" he answered. "Each room in this ride is meant to represent a different continent. Can you guess what the next one is?"
The next chamber was just as decorative as the last, though the nature of the decorations themselves were very different. This time, the children had an easier time recognizing some of the background buildings, as they could immediately point out the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall, and a Pagoda.
"It's Asia!" Liz declared, and she grinned when Mike confirmed her answer.
Jeremy, meanwhile, was looking around the room. "I'm trying to find something Korean," he remarked, "but I can't find anything!"
"Yeah, I don't think there's as much of a Korean influence here," Mike admitted. "I think there might be some dolls in Korean dresses, but other than that it's mostly Japanese and Chinese influence I think."
"Awww…" Susie sighed, "…that's kind of disappointing."
Charlie shrugged. "It is what it is, I guess," she answered as they passed by two bowing dolls and underneath an Oriental gate. The next chamber was drastically different from the last, as the locale had transformed from buildings to a dense forest with many trees. If this shift in the environment wasn't enough to clue the children in on where they were now, the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx on their left was more than enough to convince them that they were in Africa.
"We went from Europe to Asia and Africa in just a few minutes?" Alex joked. "Dang, this is a fast cruise!"
"I wish real life travel worked like that," Meghan commented dryly as they passed by some more dancing dolls. There were also many more animals than before, and the boat floated past a zebra pounding on the drums with a silly grin on its face as monkeys swung on vines above them, and an elephant gently swayed its head side to side over the entrance to the next segment of the ride.
"Is it just me or do the hyenas over there sound like Ripper Roo?" Fritz wondered.
"…you know, I can actually kind of hear it!" Gabe agreed after a few seconds of listening.
"Huh, I don't remember that the last time I was here," Alex remarked as the boat moved to the next part of the ride.
"I liked those animals," Susie commented. "They were silly and cute!" She looked over to the left. "Just like those penguins over there!"
And indeed, to their left was an ice-themed area where several penguins were spinning and dancing. This particularly theme didn't last long, however, as the scene quickly shifted to a very different locale. The buildings had returned, but they seemed older and more traditional in appearance, and the fruits being displayed around one of them suggested that it was a market of some kind. The sun also seemed to be a prevalent theme, as they passed by a shield engraved with a sun and there was another smiling sun hanging from the wall further down, though the style was different to anything they had seen before. The left wall also seemed to be more natural or rural, as it portrayed a simple countryside with only the carousel with spinning dolls dancing about. The big giveaway, however, was the dancing dolls farthest away, and the sombreros that they were wearing.
"South America!" Jeremy declared.
"And Central America," Mike added, "but you're basically correct."
"I've been hearing the same tune throughout this ride, but the words sound different," Cassidy pointed out, tilting her head curiously. "Are they singing the same song though?"
Charlie nodded. "I believe so, though I can't say for sure," she answered. "I'm assuming that the language being used depends on which part of the world we're in."
"You're right," Stella confirmed. "And North America is being saved for last. I believe we have one more room before that, though," she finished as they passed by a column decorated in a South American style and several birds relaxing in trees underneath pink umbrellas. The next room was one of the more difficult for the ghosts to identify, as there seemed to be a variety of themes that were hard to group together. The children could see hula dancers, some weird animals with duck bills, a kangaroo, and large structures engraved with tribal masks.
"Uh…since this is the only one left…Australia?" Liz guessed.
"It's a bit vaguer than that," Mike admitted. "According to the map I saw, it's actually the South Pacific as a whole. I'm not surprised you didn't get it completely correct, since Hawaii and Australia aren't typically grouped together."
"I'll take the partial credit, I guess," Liz replied with a shrug.
"Funnily enough, Australia is easily one of the most dangerous continents in the world," Alex pointed out. "There's a reason why Australia is has a reputation for Everything Trying to Kill You."
"Okay then…" Gabe shuddered slightly. "Maybe we should give that one a pass."
"Yeah, I'm not exactly looking for a vacation to Australia anytime soon," Mike deadpanned. "This part of the ride is still just as beautiful as any other though."
"I can agree to that!" Susie said happily as their boat entered the final part of the ride. The passengers found themselves in another colorful environment very similar to that of an amusement park, with a roller coaster, a carousel, tree swings, and a ferris wheel. There was also an element of the entrance in this chamber, as the ghosts could see a castle in the background with sparkling lights. Instead of a singular style, the dolls in this last part of the ride seemed to have adopted different costume designs from all the other parts combined, creating the theme of unity and harmony in what the ghosts, by process of elimination, identified as the North American section.
And now, the ghosts could finally understand the words of the song, for it was now spoken in English for all of them to understand.
"It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world."
"Aww…" Susie gushed. "This is such a beautiful song!"
"Definitely!" Cassidy added happily. "I don't see what's creepy about this song or the dolls at all! They're so cute!"
Alex shrugged. "Now that I'm seeing it again, yeah, I was probably thinking too much about it," he conceded. "It's just that creepy dolls show up a lot in horror movies and I watched one about a week ago, so that might've screwed with my head a bit."
"Yeah, I don't have a problem with this ride at all, I have no idea why people find it creepy or annoying," Gabe commented. A small smirk appeared on his lips. "Though I do think that joke with Scar and this song was funny."
Liz giggled. "Oh yeah, I remember that."
As the boat passed under the final arch, they entered a small tunnel with the words "Good Bye" written in many different languages. Jeremy immediately recognized the Korean phrase for "Good Bye" on one of the flowers and pointed it out to the rest of the group as they finally arrived back at the clockwork castle, signaling the end of the ride.
"Thanks for bringing us on this ride, guys," Jeremy commented as they left the building behind. "It was really worth the wait. There's something about this one that really makes you feel warm and fuzzy."
"It's a message of peace and unity," Mike answered with a sincere smile. "And yeah, reality isn't nearly as pleasant or happy, but the hope and the dream will never die."
"The dream will never die," Charlie repeated wistfully, still thinking about the message of It's a Small World and the possibility that one day it could become reality.
"FantasyLand gave us more than our fair share of wholesome," Mike continued, his smile breaking out into a full-blown grin. "But now it's time for some ACTION! Tomorrow Land is next, and if you ask me, this is probably my most favorite part of Magic Kingdom."
"Really?" Fritz asked excitedly. "Why? Are the best rides there or something?"
Mike's grin widened. "You'll see."
Tomorrow Land
"Holy crap! Space Mountain might be the coolest thing in this entire park so far!" Gabe exclaimed, still feeling the rush from the roller coaster he and his siblings had anchored themselves to only seconds before. "A roller coaster that's completely in the dark? That was freaking awesome!"
"Oh yeah," Jeremy agreed. "I think I it was even more fun than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! I really liked the whole space theme that was going on too!"
"Thank God Mr. Schmidt had those FastPasses," Alex remarked. "Can you imagine how long we would've had to wait if he didn't have those?"
"The joys of being rich," Mike blithely replied, causing everyone to laugh.
Meghan frowned slightly. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ride that right back to back with the Astro Orbiter though," she admitted, feeling her stomach rumble slightly. "Think that might've messed with my stomach a bit."
"Meh," Alex shrugged, "it's probably fine. You've been through worse."
"Well, luckily the next ride we're about to go on isn't really about high speed thrills," Ryan assured his daughter. "You don't need to move fast in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, you just need to shoot fast and shoot well."
Alex grinned. "Ooh, we're going to that one now?" he asked excitedly. "Sweet! I think this might be one of the coolest rides out of all of them!"
This immediately caught the ghost kids' attention. "Really?" Fritz asked curiously.
"Yeah…err…well, it is for us at least," Alex shuffled sheepishly. "It's a ride where we get to shoot targets and try to score points with guns attached to the carts. But you won't be able to do it unless you possess one of us or cause a mass panic in the park about haunted laser guns."
"Don't worry about it," Charlie quickly replied, not wanting to ruin her friend's excitement with the fact that she and her siblings would be left out. "We can spectate and cheer you guys on!"
"Normally, I'd be okay with you guys possessing me for this, but only one of you'd be able to actually play the game at a time through me, and there's no way we have the time to ride this thing seven times," Mike answered the question before anyone could ask it. "Besides," he admitted, "I actually want to try my hand at this myself and see how well I can score."
Considering the incredible amount of generosity that Mike had given his children since they had first met, none of the ghosts had any problems with allowing their father this brief instance of selfishness. "I don't know who to root for!" Cassidy said as they entered the building quickly thanks to Mike's FastPasses. Out of all the foyers and ride antechambers that they had visited so far, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was easily one of the most intense, portraying a vast space station preparing for battle, complete with a towering statue of Buzz Lightyear giving orders to those under his command.
"Ooh, this is going to be exciting!" Fritz exclaimed as the Marshalls and Mike climbed into one of the small space pods. The pod slowly advanced into a dark tunnel…and right into what was easily the most chaotic scene they had witnessed in the entire Magic Kingdom thus far. The children found themselves in a dark chamber filled with hostile robots, each looking as though they were about to attack the pods.
"Start shooting, start shooting!" Alex shouted. Immediately, he, his sister, and the adults all began firing at the small circular targets scattered throughout the bodies of the robots, each with an electric Z inscribed upon them.
"You can do it!" the ghosts cheered their friends on. "Kick their ass!"
"I'm trying!" Meghan groaned. "I suck at this!" Gritting her teeth, she continued to fire at the targets, spinning the pod to keep her vision on the robots as it slowly moved forward and away from the battle zone. The next chamber was even more intense, as the robots had been replaced by hideous aliens that looked like grotesque caricatures of animals and creatures on Earth that somehow seemed even more menacing than the robots had been.
"Ugh, these things are so ugly!" Susie muttered. "Shoot them and put them out of my misery, please!"
"Don't you mean their misery?" Jeremy asked Meghan fired repeatedly at one of the targets on the body of a crab-like alien.
"I know what I said!" Susie insisted as the pod moved forward. Alex turned his gun towards a target on the head of an orange alien with an insectoid head and a worm-like body, fired…and gasped.
"Oh my God!" Alex exclaimed. "I just got 50,000 points from that!"
"Wait, WHAT?" Meghan spun around to look at her brother. "How?"
"That alien!" Alex pointed at it. "Shoot it, quickly!"
Meghan pointed her gun at the same creature, fired, and whooped in delight as she too scored 50000 points. "Woo hoo!" she cheered.
"Nice going!" Gabe praised. "That was a great shot!"
"I'd happily bring you on as part of my pirate crew any day!" Fritz lauded as the pod moved through a chamber filled with batteries and onto the battle with Zurg. The ghosts marveled at the menacing presence of the evil space emperor and the massive spider-like battle robot that he was piloting as Alex and Meghan fired at as many targets. Both of them were able to score a decent amount of points from their shots as the pods progressed into another tunnel, this one with its walls and ceiling animated with a battle scene in space as Zurg's robot repeatedly tried to attack them.
"Shoot it!" Liz insisted.
"Ugh…I can't!" Alex protested. "It's moving around too much!"
"I liked it better when the targets weren't moving very much," Meghan agreed in frustration. Neither she nor her brother were able to land a hit on the robot as they passed into the next room. It was similar to the last in that it featured Zurg and his spider-like battle robot, but this time the legs were being pulled apart by Little Green Men and Buzz Lightyear was standing on the other side, firing his own laser at it. Not wasting any time, Alex and Meghan fired their lasers at as many targets as possible, their ghostly friends cheering them on.
"You can do this!" Cassidy urged them.
"Kick that giant robot's ass!" Fritz declared.
"I believe in you guys!" Charlie cheered.
The two Marshalls managed to rack up their last few points as the pod moved on to the last room, this one featuring a giant Buzz Lightyear praising the riders for a job well done as a giant claw shook Zurg in the air, who was shaking his fist in futile rage and defeat. The ghosts cheered at the victory over Zurg as the pod moved back to the starting point and everyone got off.
"I got 150,500 points!" Meghan declared as they made their way to the store and the photo booth that showed both them and their point values.
Alex grinned. "Not bad, sis, but I got 205,000 points!" he boasted. "Beat your score by more than 50K!"
Ryan and Stella shook their heads in exasperated amusement. "I don't know how you two do it," Ryan mumbled. "I barely broke 2000 and your mom only hit 5K.
Jeremy grinned. "Kids rule!" he declared, with the other ghosts expressing their support of the former Bonnie inhabitant's statement in various ways.
"What about you, dad?" Liz wondered.
Mike didn't say anything in reply. He merely smirked and wordlessly pointed to his picture. All eyes followed his finger…and everyone's jaw dropped at his score: 999,999.
"Wh…wh…what the fu…?" Alex spluttered.
"Th…that's Galactic Hero!" Meghan was a little more coherent than her brother, but she was just as shocked. "The…the highest rank possible! How…how did you…"
"Jesus Christ, Mike!" Even Ryan was amazed. "How many times have you ridden this before? There's no way this is only your second time when you get the best possible score in the game!"
Gabe whooped. "Aww hell yeah!" he cheered. "Dad's the best!"
"Man, I completely forgot he was playing," Jeremy admitted, "but he absolutely wrecked you guys!"
"How?" Susie asked in awe. "How did you get such an amazing score?"
Mike's smirk widened. "Let's just say I did a little research," he answered with a wink as they passed a large jail cell with a statue of Zurg trapped behind it and exited the building. His already good mood elevated even further when he realized that night had fallen, the brilliant lights of the park blending beautifully with the night sky. "And I see that night has already fallen. Excellent! It's time."
Pairs of curious and confused eyes followed him. "Time for what?" Cassidy wondered.
Mike grinned. "The one ride in this Magic Kingdom that couldn't be more fitting for a family of ghost kids."
Liberty Square
The ghosts stared up a the foreboding mansion that towered over the rest of Liberty Square, and the ancient-appearing gate loomed menacingly above them. "You're kidding," Fritz said numbly. "There's actually a haunted mansion in this park? And it's THIS big?"
"Well, I don't know how much of the building is just for show," Ryan answered with a knowing smile. "But I can tell you right now that it's what's INSIDE the building that's really impressive."
"They really went all out with the directions on this one," Mike agreed. To the ghosts' surprise, he didn't opt to go through the Fastpass lane and directly into the building, but rather took the normal route that passed by a small yard. In the yard were several tombstones, each with a different name. "Like those tombstones, for example."
"There's actually a story behind them, I think," Ryan mused. "Something about a family that killed each other out of greed?"
Mike snorted. "Amazing just how many people are willing to fuck up their own families just for the sake of money," he scoffed.
Liz resisted the urge to shudder. "I can think of worse reasons," she thought glumly as the group entered the building, making sure she didn't broadcast this particular thought to the others. They found themselves in an elaborate foyer that was decorated as though it were straight from a Victorian mansion, complete with candelabras on the walls, chandeliers, and several pictures of elderly figures. Creepy music was playing in the background, but so far none of the Schmidts seemed all that impressed.
"Huh…" Gabe muttered. "I would've thought this would've been a little more…spooky."
"Yeah…I don't see anything all that scary about this house," Fritz agreed skeptically.
"Wait for it…" Alex promised as they approached a door that was sealed shut, with a circular picture of a man to the left surrounded by curtains. A creepy voice welcomed into the hotel, and the kids watched as the man in the picture started to glow with a sickly green light and slowly transformed into a skeletal, ghastly visage of himself.
"Okay, I take it back," Fritz admitted. "That's a little creepy."
"Told you," Alex smirked as the doors in front of them swung open. Everyone in the area piled into the next room, an octagonal chamber with candelabras holding two candles at each corner. The upper half of the room displayed four large paintings: one depicted a beautiful young woman wearing formal attire, one depicted an older woman wearing a black funeral dress, and two depicting Victorian gentlemen.
"What's going on?" Cassidy asked a bit nervously.
"You'll see," Stella answered with a smirk as the room darkened and the Ghost Host started to mockingly taunt them, questioning if the haunted room was stretching, and challenging them to find a way out. As the room stretched further, it exposed more of the paintings, revealing that the situations they depicted were not nearly as innocent as they initially seemed. The young woman was balanced precariously on a tightrope over an alligator's mouth, one of the men was sitting on a dynamite barrel mere seconds away from exploding, the other was stacked on top of two other men, all of whom were slowly sinking into a pile of quicksand, and the older woman was sitting on a tombstone with the bust of a man with an axe in his skull, implying that she had been the one to end his life.
"Holy shit…" Jeremy breathed. "This is starting to creep me out."
"And of course," the Ghost Host continued mockingly, "…there's always my way." There was a scream and a flash of thunder, causing the ghost kids to jolt in shock at the skeletal corpse hanging from the ceiling high above them.
"Ack!" Susie squealed. "Oh God, that's horrifying!"
Cassidy shuddered. "That's messed up. Did this guy…hang himself?" she asked nervously.
"Don't think about it too much," Mike answered soothingly. Fortunately, the lights came back on, revealing that it had been nothing more than an illusion. Still, the ghosts were more than happy to move on to the next room, which was refreshingly familiar to the relatively mundane parlor that they had first visited before the creepiness had begun. The kids could see several dark grey pods moving through the loading area, all of them moving one after another to a dark, unknown location.
"Hop on, kids," Ryan instructed. The Marshalls piled into one of the pods and Mike into the other, with the ghost kids surrounding him. The pods passed a red curtain and underneath a stairwell as the creepy music and the Ghost Host's voice returned, recreating the spooky ambience that had permeated the atmosphere in the Stretching Room.
"This guy really doesn't have anything better to do than creep out the guests?" Liz asked dryly.
Jeremy shrugged. "Apparently not. Don't know how, considering that we have plenty of things we can do just in Dad's house," he replied as the pod slid down a hallway filled with pictures. Lightning flashed every few seconds, turning the portraits into ghastly, monstrous versions of themselves. Cassidy let out a small "eep" as a picture of a colonial horseman transformed into a skeletal horse and rider, and the picture of a stern young woman transformed into a hideous gorgon.
"Okay, I can definitely see why this is called the Haunted Mansion now," Charlie conceded as they advanced into a library filled with books. Apart from the enormous number of books that filled with the shelves, the room itself seemed relatively normal, causing the ghosts to breathe a sigh of relief.
"You should get a library like this, dad!" Liz suggested to Mike.
Mike snorted. "For what, though?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "People barely read books anymore. Nowadays, for better or for worse, it's all technology."
"It would you look really cool and sophisticated though!" Fritz pointed out.
Mike looked at the former Foxy inhabitant with a raised eyebrow. "YOU'RE the one talking about sophistication?" he asked incredulously, causing Fritz to pout as the other ghosts giggled. The humor quickly faded away, however, as the pod entered a dark room with a piano playing a spooky musical cadence all by itself, the only light coming from the many-headed candelabra stationed on top of the piano and the artificial moonlight from a window.
"We should get a piano!" Gabe suggested. "That way, whenever somebody tries to break into the house again, we could turn invisible and play the piano by ourselves to creep out any burglars!"
Susie giggled. "I'd learn how to play the piano just for that!"
Mike rolled his eyes. "As funny as that would be, that really wouldn't work out," he shot down the idea. "Not just because of the risk of you guys revealing yourselves, but also because I don't have any spot in my house where I can put a piano, I don't feel like putting in the time to maintain one, and I don't want to hear loud piano music around my house every other day."
"Yeah, that's fair enough," Jeremy conceded as the pod moved on. The chamber they entered next was by far the most chaotic out of all the ones in the mansion so far, with numerous staircases stretching in scattered directions, some of them upside-down, creating a bizarre and nonsensical maze that was impossible to geometrically figure comprehend as spooky piano music continued to play in the background.
Liz grinned. "Hey, Charlie!" she suggested. "You should play around with the rooms and stairs in Dad's house to make something like this!"
This brought out a laugh from all the other ghosts. "Yeah!" Cassidy agreed eagerly. "It would be so hilarious."
"Oh, fuck the HELL NO!" Mike retorted, his attempts to suppress a chuckle causing the ghosts to snicker harder. "I'm not dealing with this unholy clusterfuck every day. You pull this shit in my house, I'm evicting your sorry asses."
Jeremy grinned at him. "No, you won't," he called Mike's bluff.
"No, I won't," Mike agreed with a smirk, "but do you really want to deal with me in a bad mood every day?"
The smiles faded from the ghosts, having seen the results of Mike in a "bad mood." "No thanks!" Charlie quickly denied. "I like happy fun Dad a lot more!"
"So do I, Charlie," Mike happily agreed as they traversed a dark hallway with many eyes glowing from the shadows. "So do I."
"These eyes are giving me the creeps," Susie shuddered. The older ghosts, however, didn't seem nearly as affected as she was.
"After the Final Round of that Trivia Murder Party game Dad played in his mind, this is a joke," Gabe replied as the pod entered another dark chamber. This room was similar to the one with the haunted piano, except this time the room featured a coffin that was surrounded by flowers and wreathes. A decayed hand tried and failed to lift the coffin's lid from within, the depths of the sarcophagus emitting a sickly green glow with each attempt.
"Creepy…" Jeremy muttered as the corpse inside the coffin let out an unearthly groan. The fact that the pictures lining the pathway now portrayed screaming skeletal and ghoulish heads didn't help him feel better in the slightest. And neither did the next hallway, which was lined with doors that unseen beings banged on violently from behind.
"What's behind those doors?" Liz questioned, half curious to know and half terrified to discover the answer.
"I don't think I want to know," Fritz muttered. His eyes fell upon a clock, which he pointed out to his family. "That clock is all messed up!" he pointed out. "Look, it says 13 o'clock and the hands are moving backwards like crazy!"
"Is this what a haunting's supposed to be like?" Cassidy asked. "Wow, we've been really dropping the ball!"
"Don't even think about it," Mike deadpanned, earning another giggle from the ghosts as they entered a room that was nearly pitch-black. This time, however, the shadows were juxtaposed by brightly colored and animated instruments that were flying around the room, playing chaotic tunes as a spiritual medium in a crystal ball uttered spells and invocations to the spirits of the mansion to come to life.
"Who's that medium in the crystal ball?" Jeremy wondered.
"Oh, that's Madame Leota," Mike identified the crystal ball medium. "She's one of the most iconic characters of the Haunted Mansion. Flying instruments and calling the ghosts is her thing."
"And she lives in a crystal ball?" Charlie asked. She gave the ball a pitying look. "That…actually kinda sucks, if you think about it. Being trapped in a ball all the time."
Mike shrugged. "She seems happy with it," he replied. "Don't mess with what works, I guess."
"Hey guys?" Susie interrupted the conversation. "Do you hear something?" The family turned their attention back towards the front, where the pod was about to enter a large ballroom chamber. This was easily one of the most decorative and one of the liveliest rooms in the entire mansion, as the ballroom chamber was filled with ghosts in formal attire dancing and dining together as lightning flashed outside. The music had also changed, transforming from a purely spooky cadence to a traditional dancing theme more suited to such formal occasions in that time period. It was less spooky and more fun, something that the ghosts could relax around and enjoy more.
"Hey, do you think we could go down there and join in the dances and stuff?" Fritz asked jokingly. "Maybe even go visible for a bit and try to trick people into thinking we're part of the attraction."
"No," Mike deadpanned. "Just, no. First off, you're not dressed in the right clothes, and second of all, revealing yourself in public is a stupid idea no matter what the circumstances are."
"Stop trying to make trouble, Fritz," Charlie scolded gently.
"Hey!" he protested. "I wasn't even the one who suggested making the staircases all crazy before! That was Liz!"
"Don't put this on me!" Liz retorted.
"All right, all right guys, relax…" Mike smirked as they passed through the final part of the ballroom. "I'm just messing around." The next room was a dark chamber that was ornately decorated with numerous ornaments, gifts, and flowers, as if to prepare for a wedding. There was even a stage for a bride and groom to stand on, yet the entire celebration seemed to have been prematurely and haphazardly abandoned. The only ghost there was a spectral woman in a white wedding dress who was speaking her wedding vows to an empty audience save for the riders. There was something…sinister about the woman, her cruel smirk and the way she spoke the words almost mockingly, that made the ghosts instantly wary.
"Something's not right about that bride…" Gabe muttered.
"You're right," Charlie agreed dubiously. "I don't trust her."
Mike gave them an approving look. "Good instincts," he praised. At the pleased but confused looks, he explained. "This version of the bride married many husbands and killed them all for money. Remember that painting of the woman sitting on a tombstone with a guy with an axe on his head? That's the same woman."
"Eeeesshhh…" Susie muttered. Suddenly, the bride looked much more menacing than she had been seconds earlier. "That's actually terrifying."
"Yeah, this woman is one nasty piece of work," Mike agreed. "At least this iteration of the bride is. I think there are other brides in different versions of this ride in different locations that are more tragic in nature. But don't worry about her." He grinned and pointed ahead of him. "Now we're getting to the fun part!"
The pod advanced to "outside" of the mansion (but still within the actual building itself), revealing a huge cemetery-like yard filled with tombstones. This graveyard was easily, and perhaps ironically, the most chaotic and energized part of the mansion, with ghosts flying about without a care in the world, and animated corpses in different uniforms all singing the same song together. And while the song might have been somewhat creepy, the overall mood was much for joyful and carefree, allowing both the ghosts and the riders themselves to enjoy themselves and have a good time.
"When the crypt doors creak
And the tombstones quake
Spooks come out for a singing wake
Happy haunts materialize
And begin to vocalize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!
Now don't close your eyes
And don't try to hide
Or a silly spook may sit by your side
Shrouded in a daft disguise
They pretend to terrorize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!"
Fitting the lyrics of the song, the ghost kids themselves were grinning with delight at the catchy tune, more than one of them even trying (and failing) to follow the song. "This is so cool!" Cassidy cheered. "I love this song!"
Susie pointed at some of the animated skeletons, each of them wearing different attire of some kind and either playing instruments or singing. "Look at them, they're having so much fun!" she gushed.
"I really want to join in now!" Fritz exclaimed, and this time neither Charlie nor Liz said anything against him, for they were enjoying the song just as much.
"Calm down, kids," Mike brought them back to reality. "You can fly around if you want, but don't lose sight of my pod, and DON'T reveal yourselves in any way!"
The ghosts' grins widened. "Thanks, dad!" Gabe cheered as the ghosts flew out from around Mike and explored as much of the graveyard as they could. While they managed to see as many of the different tombstones as possible for a few seconds, they eventually realized that Mike's pod was beginning to slip away and returned just in time to see five stone busts singing the same song as before, only this time with much more clarity so that it was easier for the kids to actually understand the lyrics.
"There's something about those statues that really amuses me for some reason," Mike commented with an amused smirk as they entered the final part of the ride. There were three skeletons pointing to the left with their thumbs: a tall, thin man, a dwarf, and a hunchback who managed to retain an average height despite his deformity. The pod passed through a hallway of mirrors, where ghosts pretended to "play with the souls" of the riders, reaching down and pulling at their spirits before letting them back into their bodies.
"Wait, does that actually work?" Jeremy asked as he reached down into Mike's head. He pulled his hand upward…revealing nothing but empty air. "Aww, man!" he groaned.
The ghosts giggled as Mike gave him an unamused look. "I'm not impressed," he drawled as the ride passed underneath a stone shelf with a vase and back into the loading area. Mike got out of the pod with the ghosts following behind, and they quickly reunited with the Marshalls.
"I honestly think this might actually be my favorite ride out of all of them!" Susie exclaimed as they made their way out of the mansion and back into the night in Magic Kingdom.
"I know, right?" Gabe agreed enthusiastically. "It was kinda spooky at first, but it became really fun after a few minutes! I had such a good time!"
"This might actually be my favorite ride out of all of them," Charlie admitted. "Especially seeing just how over the top the ghosts went with the mansion. And I thought I was good with magic!"
"Again," Mike repeated dryly, "I'm not giving you my permission to turn my house into a giant clusterfuck like that mansion."
The ghosts laughed. "Don't worry, dad, we'll behave," Gabe promised, before his expression turned a bit morose. "We wouldn't really do anything to make your life harder."
Mike smiled. "I know you won't, Gabe." His eyes followed his son, seeing through him and to the watch on Ryan's hand, and his expression turned panicky. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed. "We've only got a few minutes to the fireworks show! Quickly, to the Disney Castle!"
"Let's go, let's go!" Alex urged them on as the Schmidts and Marshalls rushed to the most important building in all of Disney World as fast as possible. The group only just barely managed to arrive on time, where a crowd was starting to gather.
"Fireworks show?" Cassidy repeated once they had secured a place in the courtyard in front of the castle. "What do you mean by fireworks show?"
"The thing that's about to happen right about now," Meghan replied with a huge grin on her face, her eyes filled with anticipation. She looked at her smartphone clock. "In 3…2…1…!"
A huge volley of fireworks blasted off into the air above the Disney castle, an opening salvo that made most firework show finales look like cheap sparks in the air. As the sky above exploded in a dazzling array of colors and a chorus began to sing a celebratory song to complete the celebratory atmosphere, the two Marshall parents put their hands gently on the shoulders of their children, all four of them smiling as they watched the display above them. At the same time, the ghostly children wrapped their arms around Mike in a tight hug, all of them grinning with delight as they looked up at the sky with awestruck eyes. No words were spoken by either family, for none needed to be said.
It was truly a Merry Christmas, and though the holiday season might not have ended yet, this second Christmas had proven itself to be even more incredible than the first.
/
A/N: I somehow managed to write this monstrosity in just a few days. Maybe I should have split it into two chapters, but considering that this is Christmas I thought it would be more appropriate to have all of Magic Kingdom in one sitting. More fun and happiness for the ghost kids, am I right?
As I mentioned in the beginning, if the Magic Kingdom chapter is well received and people ask for more, I will write one or possibly 2 more chapters for the winter vacation arc, one for MGM Studios and the other being the surprise. I will see what I can do about having the next chapter be released next week, but I make no promises or guarantees.
Merry Christmas and have a Happy Holidays, everyone!
