Disclaimer: I don't own any copyrighted material in this episode. This episode of Guardians of the Disney Kingdom is dedicated in memory of the staff that worked tirelessly to develop Sleeping Beauty. This movie is arguably considered the last Walt Disney fairy tale adaptation for some time until 1989 with the release of the Little Mermaid. This was due to its mixed reception and failure to turn a profit in the box office during its initial run. This movie became one of the few movies that was never re-released until the 1970s when it became a sleeper hit. In 2019, sixty years after its initial release, Sleeping Beauty was selected for preservation in the prestigious National Film Registry for being deemed as a culturally, aesthetically and historically significant. I also do not own the copyright to the song Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground from the four .hack/games. Without further ado, enjoy this new episode made possible by Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty.
Episode X (10): The Dark Mistress of All Evil, Maleficent
Omar continued driving through the portal leading to the Enchanted Dominion of the Sleeping Beauty!
The van continued speeding up to the light at the end!
When Omar saw a stylized forest, he stopped the van!
The heroes unfastened their seatbelts as they stepped out of the van. Zander was turned into a the black and white European badger and Bianca was turned into a rabbit.
Natius looked around and he asked Toboé, "How come you guys didn't turn into animals?"
Toboé answered, "Vandela, Anakin, and I have been wandering around the Disney Kingdom longer than you guys."
Anakin took out the newly earned Mirror of Recollections and he asked, "How did I get sent to the Disney Kingdom?"
The Mirror of Recollections began to project a small of from the boy's perspective.
(Play Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground by Chikayo Fukuda)
Anakin was awakened by a wailing vocalizing in the air and when he closed the window, only for him to be greeted by a toon anthropomorphic cat with grey fur and golden eyes. She was wearing clothes suitable for a tomboy peasant and a small hat belonging to a wizard.
She grabbed the boy's wrists and she smiled, "I found you!"
Anakin was forcefully dragged off his bed, only for him to feel very tired as he felt his eyes closing without his control and the last thing that he heard was his older sister yelling out the name Arthur! The next thing he knew that he was in the Forbidden Castle, the domain of the four Dark Masters!
Anakin's hand felt numb as he was beginning to remember the abuse that he endured at the hands of the Dark Masters. After the mirror faded back into the glass it was.
Anakin asked, "Who am I?"
Nausicaä answered, "I have a feeling that you might be Artorius Bowen Marshall or as he would prefer the name Arthur, my brother that I have been searching for over the past two long and brutal months."
Anakin had no idea what to tell her about this. He began to think to himself, "Is Arthur Marshall my real name?"
He started to hear a voice in the wind and he asked, "Is that the voice of a rabbit sprite?"
Bianca stated, "You're talking about my ancestress, Aurora Rosamund. The only child of King Stefan and matriarch of my mother's side of the family, and one of her great grandchildren was my maternal great grandfather, Stefan Briar Rosamund XIV. He was a sergeant who experienced combat in World War I, but he decided to be the drill instructor for Fort Jackson for World War II he was Adalric Roseraven's instructor and he also instructed Satoshi Takahasi as well as Naveen Prince of Maldonia not to mention my paternal great grandfather Bastian Flitzherbert during basic training at Fort Jackson. When he heard the news about Adalric's death in Hürtgen Forest, he was crushed and was upset to hear that Satoshi was sent home. Five years after the war ended, he retired from the Army. During the Vietnam Conflict, his son and my maternal grandfather Eyvind Rosamund was drafted into the Army at sixteen years old and he became a changed man after years of brutal warfare, he would tell me stories about how he lost some of his classmates when they were killed in action. I would suggest that you to not call her a rabbit, Skywalker."
Anakin yelled, "Oi! For a descendant of the Princess Aurora, you are very cheeky! Another thing Princess, I have no ties to the Skywalker family in any way, shape, or form. Even if I were related to those guys, I would still call you cheeky regardless."
Bianca was annoyed and she remarked, "Says the boy who carries a lightsaber sword."
Figaro yelled, "Enough! Fighting against each other will get us nowhere! We need to follow the voice. By the way, the voice is from the last Walt Maiden."
The heroes began to follow the voice and it lead them to a maiden who was sixteen years old.
The maiden had long flowing golden hair like Bianca's and violet eyes dressed in clothes that would suit a peasant woman.
She was singing to a group of animals that were disguising themselves as a prince of her dreams.
As she continued to dance in the forest, a man grabbed the animals and surprised her with his singing to her.
The girl looked at the handsome slender man who looked no older than nineteen to twenty years old.
The girl was about to leave, but there was something familiar about that boy.
The two began dancing in the forest and just as the girl was about to introduce herself, she realized that she had to return to the cottage at the glen.
The heroes were following her from behind to see where she was going to.
Bianca asked Figaro, "Why is Aurora considered the last Walt Maiden?"
Danyal stated, "I would like for you to come with me to a quieter part of the forest. I will answer your question about Sleeping Beauty."
Bianca followed the girl and she asked, "What do you want to say about Sleeping Beauty?"
Danyal answered, "The reason why Aurora is considered the last Walt Maiden because her movie was a failure in the box office and the critics were in my opinion not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but it would become a sleeper hit in the 1970s."
Bianca asked, "Are you saying that I'm useless?"
Danyal replied, "No. You are not useless at all, we just need to find your weapon and my speculation is that it's in the castle of King Stefan Rosamund, the patriarch of your mother's side of the family."
The girl and rabbit entered the cottage and to their surprise, they came during a time that quickly turned from bliss into heartbreak as the Three Good Fairies began to escort Princess Aurora to the castle.
The heroes began to follow the quartet.
The Good Fairies brought Aurora to one of the castle's chambers, hoping to keep her safe there until sunset. The Good Fairies were happy for Aurora, for now she could be the princess she was. Aurora, however, was still heartbroken, for she knew this meant never seeing the young man she danced with again, even after promising him they would meet again.
The Good Fairies stepped out of the room to give Aurora time to herself.
Natius caught up with the fairies and he asked, "Can you please explain to us what the hell is going on here?"
"Shh!" Flora hissed. "Keep your voice down, please. We don't want Rose to be discovered right now."
Natius replied, "Sorry, but what I meant to say was what is going on right now? I was told that my hamster is in the castle."
"We need to keep Rose safe until sunset," Fauna answered.
Being a rabbit, Bianca's hearing was keen. She listened as she stood by the door, but didn't hear Aurora crying. "I don't hear her in there."
Flora told everyone to be quiet. She heard an ominous sound and knew what it was. "Maleficent!" She and the others opened the door and saw Aurora following a green light in a trance.
Natius cried, "Oh crap! Let's go guys!"
Bianca started to hop after Rose, but to her surprise the fireplace was sealed and Zander ran to the same place as he tried to use his paws to feel for any secret passage!
Flora used her magic to create an opening. Everyone searched the area, calling out the name Rose. But the only response they got was the echo of their voices.
Aurora followed the light to the top of a tower. The light turned into a black spinning wheel and spindle, enveloped with the same glow. As Aurora approached the spinning wheel with her hand reaching towards it, she heard Merryweather's voice, pleading, "Rose, don't touch anything!"
Aurora pulled her hand back, then she heard another voice. "Touch the spindle. Touch it, I say." Aurora obeyed and pricked her finger on the spindle.
By the time everyone arrived, they were too late. To their horror, Maleficent was standing before them.
Maleficent smiled wickedly at Danyal. "Magpie, at last, we meet."
Danyal asked, "Were you the one who turned us into animals?"
"No," Maleficent answered. "You should understand that if I wanted to do something humiliating to you and your friends, it would be something better than turning you into simple animals."
"I suppose," Danyal replied. But if Maleficent wasn't the one who turned the heroes into animals, who was?
"Besides, I don't find anything amusing about a tactic like that," continued Maleficent.
Danyal commented, "Wicked Witch of the West emailed me, she wants her make up back!"
Bianca began laughing at the insult!
Mahad asked Maleficent, "Where's my sister, Dragon Lady?!"
"Your insolence will get you nowhere," Maleficent replied.
Oliver was already irritated with Maleficent for throwing his world into darkness as he took out a gun from Nausicaä's holster and fired the gun!
Maleficent protected herself with her magic. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you," she warned. "Remember, the younger girl is at my mercy. Try anything and she will suffer dearly."
Mahad raised his voice and asked again, "Where's my sister?!"
Danyal asked, "More importantly, where the hell is Mr. Virgil?!"
"That man is no longer your concern," said Maleficent. "He's now an unwilling servant to the Dark Masters," she looked at Toboé and Vandela and added, "just as we planned to make you into."
Vandela stepped back in fear, not wanting to go back to that evil castle.
Bianca looked at Vandela with concern and she asked, "Are you okay?"
Wizard began barking!
Vandela got on her knees. "I won't go back there. I won't," she whimpered.
Toboé agreed. "You're not taking us back to that castle!"
Maleficent asked, "Who says that I will be taking you?"
Toboé was confused. "You mean you didn't come looking for us to take us back?"
"I have no further use for you," said Maleficent. "I have a new target."
Mahad asked, "Who is the new target this time?"
A wicked smile crossed Maleficent's face. "I could capture you and you could be reunited with your sister. But I'm more interested in your magpie friend," she said, gesturing to Danyal.
"Danyal? Why?" Natius asked.
Danyal took out an arrow and hid it behind her back and she asked, "Of all the potential victims? Why pick me?"
"Why should I explain myself to you?" Maleficent asked.
Natius drew his dagger. "Because if you don't, you'll suffer a fate worse than death."
"You children have no power over me in my realm," she retorted. "But perhaps you would like to see for yourselves why I am a Dark Master?"
Danyal drew an arrow and she commented, "Maybe the power of Christ will compel you!"
She fired the arrow and a doe spirit began sprinting at the speed of the arrow! Wizard continued barking!
Maleficent used a spell to disintegrate the arrow!
Maleficent commented, "If you want to know, then I have been hearing that the magpie weakened the seal on Bald Mountain."
Danyal asked, "What?!"
Maleficent replied, "In 2010, my colleagues found that the seal on Bald Mountain was weakened. Plus I have heard about what occurred in the Warner Domain."
Natius asked, "What does that have to do with Danyal?"
"You don't know, do you?" Maleficent asked. "The magpie has ancestors from the Warner Domain as well as this domain."
Bianca asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean it was no coincidence that Danyal stumbled into the Warner Domain," Maleficent was saying. "The girl was fated to enter the land of her ancestors."
"You're not even answering our questions," Natius snapped. "Give us a straight answer."
Maleficent replied, "Her ancestors were Thomas and Nakoma from the Disney Domain and Dorothy Gale was also her ancestor."
Bianca stated, "I thought Dorothy Gale was introduced by MGM."
Danyal commented, "In 1998, the owners of the rights to the Wizard of Oz sold the rights to Warner Bros and she is considered to be a legend among the Warner Domain."
Maleficent commented, "Thus allowing Dorothy Gale and her travelling companions to gain the status of legendary heroes. You Magpie are coming with me."
Danyal asked, "What?!"
Wizard began to snarl bearing out his teeth and he started barking!
Maleficent was getting annoyed. "Control your pet if you know what's good for you," she ordered Danyal.
Danyal commanded, "Wizard! Enough!"
The dog reminded silent and he ran towards Danyal's side.
Danyal looked back at Maleficent and she stated, "You are just like Eris the goddess of Discord because both you and Eris interrupted a celebration. Eris was uninvited because Zeus failed to invite her. You on the other hand, weren't wanted and I doubt that King Stefan had any intention to invite you."
Natius stated, "You bring up a good point."
"It doesn't matter," said Maleficent. "I'm aware that King Stefan intentionally refused to invite me to Princess Aurora's christening."
"So why not curse the king instead?" Natius asked.
"The idea was to hurt him by causing him to lose what he loved most," she answered. "That's why I bestowed my special gift to the princess."
Bianca commented, "At least you didn't throw a golden apple into the christening."
Maleficent told Danyal, "You and your mutt are coming with me."
"The hell she is," Mahad cried.
Danyal cried as she fired an arrow, "The Power of Christ compels you!"
Maleficent used her staff to destroy the arrow and she asked, "Is that the best you can do, magpie?"
"In case you haven't noticed, witch, you're outnumbered," Natius told Maleficent.
Danyal commented, "Whatever you did with Mr. Virgil, you will be facing King Minos and he would find a suitable circle of Hell that suits you."
"Fools," Maleficent said. "Perhaps I should teach you why I am a Dark Master as well as Mistress of all evil!"
Danyal asked Maleficent, "Where is Mr. Virgil? Why was acting strange in that shrine?"
"I told you, he serves the Dark Masters," Maleficent said again.
Natius asked, "What did he do to deserve to become your little puppet?!"
"He chose to join us at his own free will," the evil fairy lied.
Natius wasn't convinced. "Don't give me that. You tricked him."
Mahad commented, "Knowing you, I have a speculation that you might have hypnotized him over the weekend."
"Hypnosis isn't one of my specialties," said Maleficent.
Mahad corrected himself. "Right. That's Jafar's tactic."
Bianca concluded, "So that Snake hypnotized Mr. Virgil! Tell him to snap Mr. Virgil out of it and send him home!"
Maleficent gave a wry grin. "Do you children ever get tired of jumping to the wrong conclusions? My comrades and I did nothing. And you've all wasted enough of my time. I'm taking the magpie."
Maleficent grabbed Danyal's wrist, but she felt a sharp pain as Danyal stabbed Maleficent's wrist with a hidden arrow!
Wizard was too afraid to go near Malevolent as he was at Danyal's heels.
Wizard was too afraid to go near Maleficent as he was at Danyal's heels backing away in fear.
Maleficent pulled out the arrow and she says began to heal the wound as if it never happened.
Maleficent pulled out the arrow and the wound began to heal itself to ththe point that it was as if the wound never happened.
There was no denying it. Maleficent wasn't like any of the other villains. Of course, that was because the villains the heroes fought before didn't have any magic powers. In addition, Maleficent was a Dark Master.
"Have you children finally come to realize what you're up against?" she asked.
Natius answered, "Yeah, we're dealing with a Wicked Witch of the West wannabe!"
Maleficent had enough with the insults and she unleashed some magic that paralyzed the heroes and the woman disappeared taking Danyal and Wizard with her!
Natius awoke and he realized that Danyal and Wizard were gone!
Bianca noticed a small chest and when she opened it up with Zander's assistance and to her surprise, she spinning wheel shaped shurikens and when she picked up one, she changed back into the human girl that she was and the Three Good Fairies were amazed at the miracle they witnessed.
Flora noticed that Bianca almost resembled Aurora, but with green eyes.
Natius asked with concern in his tone, "Do you know anything about what happened to a man named Simeon Virgil? He's our history teacher who might have been kidnapped and possibly being tortured."
The first fairy, Merryweather, spoke up. "As a matter of fact-,"
"Merryweather," Flora interrupted with a harsh tone. She faced Natius and said, "All we can tell you is he is a prisoner to Maleficent and her cohorts."
Natius asked, "Can you at least tell us where he is being held?"
"In a terrible place known as the Forbidden Castle," Flora answered.
"That's the castle we escaped from," said Vandela.
Toboé realizing that Prince Philip was riding into a trap and he stated, "I'm going to get to Phillip before he suffers a similar fate."
Omar stated, "I'm going with you because you're below the age of eighteen years old."
"Don't do that," Natius cried.
"Why not?" Toboé asked.
"Because Maleficent doesn't plan on taking him to the Dark Masters' castle," he was saying. "But her own castle in the Forbidden Mountain."
Bianca asked, "Is that where Danyal is being held?"
"I don't know," Natius answered. "All I know is Phillip doesn't realize that Briar Rose and Princess Aurora are one and the same."
"He also doesn't realize the trap Maleficent has laid out for him," Toboé said again.
"That doesn't help us find out where Maleficent is keeping Danyal or my sister," said Mahad. "We have to figure out what we're going to do."
Bianca took out a total of 36 shurikens and Flora stated, "Each of us will bless one dozen with a single power."
Toboé commented, "I don't plan to return to the castle."
Bianca asked as she noticed Vandela on her knees shaking, "What's wrong with you and Vandela?"
"The Dark Masters did cruel experiments on us," he answered.
Bianca was shocked to hear that and she asked, "You were kidnapped by the Dark Masters as well?"
"Us and some other children," he answered. "We were able to escape, but for all we know-,"
"Other children?" Mahad asked. He was worried that his sister could also be a prisoner to the Dark Masters. So he asked, "Did you see a girl with dark skin like mine and brown hair? Please, I need to know."
But Vandela and Toboé vaguely remembered what most of the other children looked like.
Mahad was bummed out by the answer.
Natius asked Flora, "What kind of power are you going to bless your dozen?"
Flora blessed one dozen with the power to summon vines of thorns to not only attack enemies, but to pierce their skin if they should lie. Fauna blessed another dozen with the power to call on animals for help. Merryweather blessed the last dozen with a spell that would put enemies to sleep.
Bianca stated, "We need to think of a plan."
Natius asked, "Who will guard the princess until we get Phillip?"
Mahad stated, "We need to figure out where Danyal and my sister are being held."
The Good Fairies agreed to be the ones to protect the princess.
Natius asked, "Now that the fairies will be guarding Aurora, we need to figure out which castle Danyal and Mana are being held."
Flora asked, "Are you a descendant of the Fairest One that befriended seven dwarfs?"
Natius answered, "My mother's side of the family are descended from the very same maiden who not only befriended the seven dwarfs, but also was the Walt Maiden of Kindness. Are Aurora and Snow White connected with one another?"
"You might say in a sense, the two are friends," said Fauna.
Flora told them the real truth. "They are two of the three Walt Maidens."
Bianca asked, "Who was the third?"
Jeanette answered "Cinderella was the one you're thinking about."
Anakin asked Flora, "What did Prince Adam Ashman meant when he told me that my mind and soul are imprisoned in the Disney Kingdom?"
Anakin looked at Flora with concern in his eyes.
Flora sighed, thinking she was going to regret telling him, but she also felt he deserved to know the truth. "He meant as he said. You did not come to this world in the same sentient form as your friends and sister."'
"What?" Anakin asked.
"There was a terrible accident," continued Flora. "Because your body was so weak, only your spirit was able to come here. Your body remains in your home world."
But Anakin was having a hard time remembering. "What kind of accident was I in?"
Flora answered, "A cat like figure touched you using an ability to separate the soul from the physical body leaving it comatose."
Anakin asked, "So then, I have to find my physical body?"
"Before you can return to your body, you and your friends must work together as you try to find your way home," said Fauna.
"Who was this cat-like figure?" Bianca asked. "Is it a servant to the Dark Masters?"
Flora answered, "The cat-like figure is a notorious servant of the Dark Masters. No one knows of her identity yet."
Mahad asked, "Which castle should we take?"
Natius made a decision. "We'll go to the Forbidden Mountain. We don't know how to get to the Dark Masters' castle, anyway."
Mahad asked, "Do you think Danyal and Mana are being held there?"
Natius wasn't sure. "I don't know, but right now, that place is our best bet."
Toboé asked, "What do we do about Prince Phillip?"
Anakin got an idea. "He's going to the cottage to meet Aurora, but Maleficent plans to capture him. Maybe instead of stopping the capture, we get captured with him and she'll take us all to her castle."
Bianca was against the idea. "That is a stupid idea," she snapped. "If we get captured, what if we end up going someplace where Danyal isn't?"
Anakin commented, "Oh. That's right."
Mahad was getting tired of waiting. "We need a plan now. I don't think Danyal and my sister can wait for us any longer."
Natius commented, "Now if we had Sora or Terra, Ven, and Aqua among us."
Mahad replied, "I think those guys are busy with their own problems."
"That means we're on our own," said Anakin.
Figaro commented, "You still have me."
Oliver came out from the shadows and he placed a cage down on the floor and he opened the cage door releasing a small hamster from the cage and Yuki scurried into Natius's pocket.
Natius asked Oliver, "What happened to her?"
Oliver answered, "Maleficent took her into the Disney Kingdom and hoped to create a potential monster."
"But she wasn't able to perform her experiment because her crow Diaval was always chasing her," Figaro explained.
"I went to the Forbidden Castle and found Yuki scurrying in fright and was able to rescue her," Oliver added.
Bianca asked, "Did you see any humans in that castle?"
Oliver nodded. "Yes, there were human chidren. There was a small girl with dark skin and brown hair."
Mahad listened to the description and cried, "That's got to be my sister!"
Bianca commented, "We still don't know where the Forbidden Castle is."
Having been there before, Oliver knew how to get there. "I can take you there," he offered.
"But if we go there, doesn't that mean we'll have to face the other Dark Masters?" Bianca asked.
Oliver answered, "I can guarantee that you are going to be dealing with more than just Maleficent."
Bianca began thinking about what Danyal told her about the reception of Sleeping Beauty and she began to feel like she was having second thoughts about the whole situation.
Oliver asked, "What's bugging you, bunny girl?"
Zander joined in and asked, "Yeah, you're not afraid of the Dark Masters, are you?"
Bianca answered, "No. Danyal told me that Sleeping Beauty was a box office failure. She also said that the movie became a sleeper hit in the 1970s."
"We've got more important things to worry about than a stupid technicality," Natius told her. "Let's just follow Oliver and rescue our friends."
Bianca pulled herself together. "You're right. Let's do this."
Vandela was terrified of the Forbidden Castle and she confessed, "Anakin, Toboé and I were prisoners of that demonic castle."
"We sort of figured that out during our encounter with Maleficent and how you told her you didn't want to go back with her," said Natius.
Bianca commented, "Those guys are going to pay for what they did to you."
Oliver led the way and the heroes followed him to the castle, ready to rescue their friends.
Author's notes: What dangers will await the heroes? Will they be able to rescue their friends? Tune in next episode.I would like to give special thanks to MillenniumPrincess for some help with the episode.