Above the Sea
[The scene fades into a shot under the ocean, showing what lies beneath the surface. We are treated to the sight of various fish and sea creatures swimming about the water, along with shots of the coral reefs, anemones, seagrass, shells, seaweed, rocks, and kelp]
[We transition to a shot of Ariel swimming about with Flounder by her side, the motif of "Under the Sea" playing in the background. The redhead is carrying a pearl necklace around her neck]
Ariel: What do you think, Flounder? Does it suit me?
Flounder: Oh, I think you could wear anything and it would fit like a…like a…what's that thing again?
Ariel: Glove?
Flounder: Oh yeah, gloves!
Ariel: Hmmhmm, you know, sometimes I wish you could join me above the surface. Then you could see what life is like on the other side.
Flounder: Easy for you to say, you can transform on a whim, I'm just a little lone fish.
Ariel: I suppose that's true…[sighs]...you know I love spending time with you down here, but up there…life truly is something else.
Flounder: Well, when we're not in danger, that is.
Ariel: Hahaha, oh yeah…I hope I'm not sounding ungrateful or anything.
Flounder: What? No, of course not. I mean…maybe it would be nice, even if just for one day…
[Suddenly, Ariel stops and shivers. Flounder notices this and stops in his tracks, turning back to face his friend]
Flounder: What's wrong, Ariel?
Ariel: I don't know, I just got a chill…
Flounder: Well, I guess it is a bit…cold…
[Flounder's pupils shrink as we cut back to Ariel looking confused while a silhouette becomes more clear behind her]
Ariel: Flounder, what's wrong?
[Flounder wordlessly points behind the mermaid, she turns around and who should greet her, but none other than the sea witch; Ursula. Ariel recovers from her brief shock as she maintains her composure]
Ariel: Ursula…
Ursula: Well, helluuuu, Princess. I couldn't help but overhear something about wishes.
Ariel: I'm not giving my voice again, thank you very much.
Ursula: Oh, as if I need that shrill thing again. BUT, on the contrary, I do believe I've the solution to your little dilemma.
Ariel: Whatever it is, I'm not interested.
Ursula: Is that so…? In that case, I guess you don't want to know about the tunnel.
Ariel: Hold on…what tunnel?
Ursula: What tunnel? …Hohoho, my dear little girl. Surely you know.
Ariel: I don't think I do…I think…
Ursula: Well…I've heard through the seaweed that there's something going on by the location; "Birch Grove." You know the place?
Ariel: I think I've heard of it…why?
Ursula: I mean, not to get your hopes up or anything, haha, but, from what I've heard, if you call a wish into the tunnel, it will come true…
Flounder: [whispering] She's talking tartar sauce, Ariel.
Ursula: This concerns you too, fish sticks, so pipe down. AHEM, as I was saying, it might pique your interest, should you consider.
Ariel: Coming from you, I'm doubtful of the information.
Ursula: But of course, darling, hehe, after all, what do I know…other than the things lurking about in the dark…see for yourself…
[Ursula slyly slips past Ariel as the mermaid is left to contemplate the sea witch's words]
Flounder: You don't really believe what she did, do you, Ariel?
Ariel: Uh, no, of course not. Not at all…
[Ariel and Flounder continue on their way, although the mermaid's expression falters to a look of uncertainty as the scene cuts to above the surface]
[We are shown Hemlock Harbor, currently undergoing reconstruction since the events alluded to in "Soldier of Honor". In line with the previous story, the sky is overcast, foreshadowing the threat of an oncoming storm. Ariel leaps from the water and onto a fishing boat. There, she closes her eyes and transforms back into human form as Flounder pokes his head out of the water]
Flounder: You'll be back tomorrow, won't ya', Ariel?
Ariel: Of course I will, Flounder.
[The moment is cut short as the sound of thunder booms overhead. The two look up to the sky before Ariel looks back at Flounder]
Ariel: Be safe, okay?
Flounder: I'll try, be careful, too.
Ariel: Don't worry, I will. Goodnight, Flounder.
Flounder: Goodnight, Ariel.
[On that note, Flounder dips below the water as Ariel jumps onto the dock where the recently refitted rail terminus has passengers boarding Rebecca's train; Jessie, James, Meowth, Top Cat, Benny, Choo-Choo, Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Brain, Cinderella, Pooh, Cooler, Lucky, Roxy and Miss Bellum. Ariel walks up to the station just as the train is about to depart]
Ariel: Okay, time for home…well, my other home that is, hehe…probably shouldn't be saying that aloud…
[Ariel steps inside of the carriage to take her seat, and as soon as the guard blows the whistle, Rebecca gives a "toot-toot" of her own whistle and sets off]
[Cut to Rebecca on the mainline as Donald and Douglas pass by in the opposite direction with a goods train. We then cut to Ariel sitting in her compartment as she looks out the window]
[At that moment, the porter comes along with a trolley of food and drinks]
Porter: Is there anything you'd like, ma'm?
Ariel: Huh? Oh, water will be fine, thank you.
Porter: Righto, here you go.
[The porter pours a cup of water before handing it to Ariel]
Ariel: Thank you.
Porter: You're welcome.
[The porter wheels their trolley away as Ariel takes a sip of her water, leaning back into her seat]
Ariel: Haaaaaa…hmmmm…
[At that moment, Ariel feels a jerk as the train suddenly begins to slow down till it comes to a stop in the middle of the line. The other passengers can be heard chattering amongst themselves. Ariel comes out from the carriage to inspect]
Ariel: What happened?
Rebecca: Sorry, rocks on the line.
[The camera pans out to reveal several large stones blocking the tracks]
Rebecca: Shouldn't be too long of a wait…I think.
[Ariel sighs and then looks to her left, there lies the Evergreen Forest. The redhead looks between the forest and the train]
Ariel: …Am I seriously considering…of course I'm not. After all, it came from Ursula…then again, we'll probably be here a while…maybe if I go really quickly…
[Cut to Ariel walking through the Evergreen Forest]
Ariel: I jinxed myself…I have a curious mind, what can I…say…?
[Ariel looks to her right and looks over at an arrow sign titled "Birch Grove"]
Ariel: Oh…I guess I'm going the right way then…
[Ariel takes a right and comes out of the bushes…she gasps as the camera cuts to a single piece of track stretching past a small station, at the far end is a tunnel. Ariel looks from left to right, wincing from the thunder above]
Ariel: …Oooooooh, what am I doing here, this is silly.
?: Is it?
Ariel: [gasps] Who said that?!
?: A friend…an enemy…that's for you to decide…
Ariel: Uhhhh…okay, this is starting to get a bit…creepy here. I think I'm gonna go…
?: Don't you have a request?
Ariel: Um…a request…?
?: A desire…a wish…
Ariel: Uhhhhh…it's a bit personal…
?: There's nothing to hide around here…speak it if you will…
Ariel: I…I…don't know if I should…
?: You have the option not to…if you choose to go forward…remember, there's a price to be paid…
Ariel: Uh…a price, eh…?
[Ariel's eyes dart from left to right as she whispers into her hands]
Ariel: …Iwishfloundercouldproperlyseethesurface!
[On that note, Ariel dashes away from the tunnel as fast as her legs can carry her, rushing through the trees and bushes before finally making it out into the open and back into her compartment]
Ariel: Phhhhhhew! Okay…that happened…never mind…it's just a tunnel, nothing to worry about, hehe, heeeeeh…
[The scene cuts to Rebecca looking back with a raised brow]
Rebecca: …Well, she came back fast.
[The scene pans out to show the line is cleared, courtesy of Harvey with his special bucket fitting in place of his crane arm. Rebecca whistles in gratitude as she sets off once more while Harvey whistles back]
[The scene transitions to Mahogany Station as Rebecca pulls in. Bill and Ben pass by on the opposite platform with empty china clay trucks. Diesel comes to a stop at the opposite platform after the twins have gone to drop off supplies. A boom of thunder overhead catches the attention of the passengers as they depart from the coaches]
[Ariel is one of the last to disembark, quickly taking shelter under the station canopy before walking through the open corridor to the parking lot, making a quick getaway towards the nearby town as the rain begins to fall]
[Cut to Ariel having arrived in her surface level bedroom, decked out in marine decor with an ocean blue paint job on the walls. She listens to the weather outside, the storm having struck by this point]
[Ariel sighs as she closes her eyes and proceeds to drift off to sleep]
[Out at sea, the storm has caused the waves to pick up. A crash of lightning strikes in the background, along with a roar of thunder. Below the ocean, the city of Atlantica is quiet and still, Ariel's sisters are all asleep in their respective shells, while King Triton is asleep on his seashell bed, with Sebastian snoozing on a cushion nearby]
[Transition to Flounder asleep in a little cove, small bubbles coming from his mouth as he gently snores. The tropical fish shifts in his sleep and suddenly wakes up with a start]
Flounder: Huh! Huuuuuuh…
[Flounder looks up, hearing the muffled sounds of the storm above. For one reason or another, he slowly begins to swim up, still a little dazed from being awoken]
Flounder: Ariel…? What time is it…?
[However, as Flounder is distracted by his drowsy state, he's suddenly picked up under the current as a wave crashes down. Flounder, now feeling more awake, tries to fight against the current, but it instead pulls him onward]
Flounder: BEH! HE-!
[Flounder's cries are drowned out by the waves as they pull him closer to shore. The tropical fish's course leads him right to Mahogany, with a splash, Flounder lands onto the pier, flipping and flopping on the concrete. The yellow and blue fish sees a plastic container filled with water out in the open and leaps towards it, plopping right into it]
Flounder: BUH! Huh! Huuuuuuh…ooooooh…
[Flounder pushes himself under a bench to shelter himself and the container from the wind and rain. He cowers under the boom of thunder above]
[The scene transitions to the next morning as the storm has done its damage. Ariel is shown carefully making her way down the path leading to Mahogany Beach, twigs and branches have littered the ground she walks on]
Ariel: My, my…what a mess…
[Ariel looks off to the ocean, a few bits of debris are floating around in the water closest to the shore]
Ariel: I just hope everyone's alright down there…
Flounder: [off-screen] Ariel? Ariel!
Ariel: Huh?
[Ariel turns around and then looks from left to right]
Ariel: Flounder?
Flounder: [off-screen] Down here!
[Ariel looks down and gasps when she sees what's under one of the benches. She rushes over and picks up the container holding Flounder in it]
Ariel: Oh my goodness, Flounder! What happened to you?
Flounder: I don't know, for some reason, I went up to the surface and I got caught in the storm, and I got beached and…Ariel?
[Flounder notices the rather anxious expression on Ariel's face as she looks straight ahead…her mind slips back to the previous night]
"You have the option not to…if you choose to go forward…remember, there's a price to be paid…"
?: …Ariel? Ariel?
Ariel: [blinks] What? Huh?
Flounder: Are you alright?
Ariel: Um…yes, I think so…
[Ariel looks over to the ocean, and then looks back at Flounder]
Ariel: Okay, this might be a really awkward question, but…do you still want to do it?
Flounder: Pardon?
Ariel: Remember what I said yesterday, about wanting you to see more of the surface world?
Flounder: Um…yes?
Ariel: Well, I wasn't sure if you still wanted to go through with it.
Flounder: Oh…well…I mean…it's not really comfortable sitting in this thing…but, I've not seen much of this world in a while.
Ariel: Oh…in that case, maybe I can carry you for a bit.
Flounder: How are you gonna do that?
Ariel: Hmmmm…I think I have an idea.
[The scene cuts to Ariel riding a bike through the streets of Mahogany, Flounder in his container riding in the basket, passing by Secret Squirrel, Mordecai and Rigby on opposite sides]
Ariel: So did you stay there all night?
Flounder: I was too far away, the waves were choppy and I guess I fell asleep after a while.
Ariel: I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you…even if that sounds rhetorical.
Flounder: Awww, don't worry about me, we've been through worse.
Ariel: Haha, yeah, we have…what do you think so far?
Flounder: Huh…I've never seen the surface world like this before…is it always this messy?
Ariel: Well, whenever there's a big storm at least. Most of the time…[sighs]...it's beautiful. As if you're walking through a painting, like the ones I had in my cove…
Flounder: Oh yeah…um, Ariel?
Ariel: Yes, Flounder?
Flounder: Uh…never mind, it's not important.
Ariel: Is there something you wanted to say?
Flounder: I don't know if I should…
Ariel: It's okay, you can tell me.
Flounder: Well…I was just wondering…if you had the option…would you stay on land, or stay in the sea?
[Ariel pauses for a moment…she looks down, thinking hard over the question]
Ariel: Well…perhaps…oh…that is a difficult question…
Flounder: It's okay, you don't have to give a straight answer.
Ariel: To be honest…there's so much to both worlds that I love…under the sea, where I was born, where I spent my childhood, where I met you…
[Flounder blushes modestly as we transition to a flashback of Ariel under the sea, swimming in the middle of her sisters]
Ariel: And then above the sea…where I gained legs, where I married a prince…and made a family of my own…
[We transition to a flashback of Ariel and Eric looking over the balcony before turning around to see their daughter, Melody, join them as they survey the village below]
[We transition back to Ariel coming out of her daydream as she looks down at Flounder]
Ariel: I guess…I'm just happy that I got to experience both worlds…
Flounder: Yeah…it is nice above the surface…though, I'll personally stick with the ocean.
Ariel: Of course. Whatever makes you feel right at home.
[The scene transitions back to Mahogany as Ariel bikes along the pier, passing by Dexter, Bloo, Witch Hazel, and the Wicked Witch of the West walking in the opposite direction. Ariel looks over at the ocean where she can see King Triton blasting away some of the debris in the water with his trident while Sebastian watches on to give his usual brownnosing commentary]
Triton: Dooooooh, blasted surface level trinkets. They always end up here, don't they?
Sebastian: I couldn't agree more, your majesty. It's so messy up here and so clean down there.
Ariel: [off-screen] And hello to you too, father.
[Triton looks towards the pier to see his daughter having propped up the bicycle and now standing behind the railing with Flounder in hand. His expression immediately softens]
Triton: Now there's what I needed to see.
Ariel: Enjoying the clean-up operation?
Triton: Puh! As much as someone can, though I suppose I can bite my tongue around you.
Sebastian: AHEM! I hope you're not forgetting a certain someone, princess.
Ariel: Hohoho, how could I forget my favorite cranky crab?
Sebastian: Hmmhmm, indeed, it's hard to forget-EH!
[Triton tries to stifle a chuckle while Sebastian snorts]
Sebastian: Das not funny…
Triton: I hope to see you this evening, Sebastian's arranged a concert by the Rainbow Reef.
Sebastian: I would say it is one of my finest compositions.
Ariel: Well, you know how I love music, so I reckon I'll make an appearance.
[At that moment, Scuttle suddenly drops down on the railing and just barely keeps on his feet]
Scuttle: WOO! Hooooo…okay, stuck the landin' as per usual. Oh, hey, Ariel, who's your new pet?
Flounder: You know it's me, Scuttle.
Scuttle: Well, what are ya' doin' in that doo-hickey, whatta ya' call it, uhhhhhh, boxy space!
Ariel: Hmmhmm, don't worry, Flounder, I'll let you back in.
[Ariel leans the container over the railing and Flounder pops into the water before resurfacing]
Flounder: Aaaaaaah, that's much better. Comin', Ariel?
Ariel: You guys go on, I'll catch up with you in a bit.
Sebastian: Rememba', dis is important to me, so please don't be late, princess.
Triton: I imagine she won't, isn't that right, Ariel?
Ariel: Of course, daddy.
[Ariel winks as her father smiles. Triton, Sebastian, and Flounder go back into the sea while Ariel leans on the railing with a sigh]
Scuttle: Somethin' on your mind, princess?
Ariel: Oh, nothing much, just content with things, I suppose…
[Even as Ariel says this, her mind briefly goes back to the night before, could the events have led to what happened to Flounder?]
Ariel: …What am I thinking, it's just a coincidence.
[We transition to later in the evening as the sea creatures have gathered in the reef to listen to Sebastian's orchestra. Ariel is sat at the front with her father, sisters, and Flounder. The music seems to take her mind off things…at least, that's what it appears as the camera cuts back to the surface with a pan-out shot of Mahogany]
Character Guide:
Ariel, Flounder, Ursula, Triton, Sebastian, Scuttle, Eric, Melody - The Little Mermaid (1989) / Return to the Sea (2000)
Rebecca, Donald, Douglas, Bill, Ben, Diesel, Harvey - Thomas and Friends
Bloo - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Cinderella - Cinderella (1950)
Cooler - Pound Puppies (1986)
Dexter - Dexter's Laboratory
Jessie, James, Meowth - Pokemon
Lucky - Pound Puppies (2010)
Mordecai, Rigby - Regular Show
Roxy - Winx Club
Sara Bellum - Powerpuff Girls
Secret Squirrel - Secret Squirrel
Top Cat, Benny, Choo-Choo, Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Brain - Top Cat
Wicked Witch of the West - The Wizard of Oz
Winnie the Pooh - Winnie the Pooh
Witch Hazel - Looney Tunes