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Disney Villainous (The Right Path Isnât Always Straight)
INTRO/PROLOGUE
Summary:
For months, the Disney Villains have been suffering under a sudden curse. Some assumed it casted by none other than Mickey Mouse to keep them in line. But others believed it must have been someone else below them to do them in. Their powers are heavily restricted and cannot harm park visitors or others in the park or else they suffer the curseâs punishment if they do. Even their sidekicks have been punished to render them useless to the villains they serve for. One day, a woman stumbles across Oogieâs Lair in the Nightmare Before Christmas part of the park. She discovers the horrible truth that theyâve kept secret and is reluctant to help. Can she undo the curse while helping Oogie at the same time? Stay and read to find out. :)
"The history of villains is much more entertaining than that of heroes, because monsters are not born, they are created. They do not emerge from emptiness or darkness of their own accord, but are shaped by circumstances, by the wounds of the world around them. They reflect the depths of human pain, rejection, loneliness, misunderstanding. A hero is defined by his acts of bravery, but a villain is the result of a heart that was once pure and ended up corrupted. Monsters, in their tragedy, show us what could happen to us all, if the world were to turn its back on us." - A summary on Mary Shelleyâs Frankenstein.
The story begins as an unknown figure (You, dear reader) facing in the first point of view, walking through a drafty, dark and gloomy place. Itâs not any ordinary place that You have known, unfortunately itâs The Underworld. Hadesâ domain that You have accidentally stumbled into and found Your way inside the Godâs palace. As You roam the halls of dark open corridors at every turn, the palace felt like a labyrinth as You walked until You stumbled into a wide open room. A living room.
Despite knowing where You are. The strong crackling blue fire in an onyx stone fireplace seemed peaceful. The Greek styled furniture with some gothic hints decorated the space with luxurious couches, love seats and lounge chairs. A coffin shaped coffee table with a marble black counter with blue cracks was a few feet away from the fireplace in the center of the room. Underneath said coffee table is a large square rug in pomegranate red.
In one of the lounge chairs sat Hades himself, donning his usual chiton as his blue flaming hair flicked calmly with smoke billowing below at his feet and across the smooth cobblestone floor. His posture seems calm as his focus was on a book in one of his hands. And then within a second when You entered the room, his eyes averted at You and he closed the book calmly.
âWell, Iâd never thought to see the day when a mere mortal nonchalantly enters *my* domain as if itâs their own house,â Hades speaks in a calm, polite voice as his attention was now on You. And he seemed rather amused as the God has a soft smile. âNow, butterscotch, tell me how You managed to bypass Cerberus without him treating You like a living chew toy?â
Well, You explain how You got there. Even though You canât hear the sound of Your own vocals speaking as You talked but Hades seemed to hear You. His face shifted from his soft amused look to one of concern and initiative when You finished Your story. And You noticed his hair had small streaks of yellow and orange.
âI see, so You didnât enter through *that* way,â Hades says with slight frustration, his suave tone sounded grumbling. âI keep telling the boys to make sure that they lock any exits from the Underworld, but apparently I have to make them check every exit now to keep any other mortals from entering my domain and making me look unprofessional.â Then lets out a groan of frustration and runs a hand over his face.
âBut hey, while Youâre here, You could just hang out with me for a while,â his smooth talk, polite, can-do attitude returned as he stood up and the book floated over to a bookshelf behind You by the entryway. Putting itself back in its slot.
You spoke again, not hearing the sound of Your own voice but whatever You said seemed to annoy the God further and his hair turned mostly red. âWhat do You mean You want to leave!?!? You just got here and You want to go back!?!?â
He paused as You talked more. His hair turned yellow and Hadesâ pinched the bridge of his nose. âI understand that the surface world is Your home. Iâm not trying to kidnap You or prevent You from leaving. But would it *kill* You mortals to spend time with a lonely deity who just wants some lively company who isnât already, ya know, *dead*?â
You look at Hades, then down at the love seat beside You that was facing towards the God on the other side of the coffee table, then back at Hades. You reluctantly sat on the love seat which made Hades smirk, seeing You have decided to stay as his hair was back to blue.
âSee, itâs not so bad here, isnât it?â Hades asks as he summons a tea set. He handed You a teacup on a coaster with some kind of liquid inside. The cup and coaster has blue flames on a black background with white skulls in the flames. The handle has a gold finish. The teapot sitting on top of a pomegranate red pot holder on the coffee table has the same design as the cups.
âRelax, itâs not poisoned or laced with anything,â Hades reassured You as he takes a sip from his own cup. So You sip from it as well. You could taste the tea flavor with something fruity in it.
You then spoke to the God again, and in return, he gave You a âpoker facedâ annoyed look in return but his flames didnât shift. âOkay, let me just give this to You straight, just because I am evil doesnât mean it defines me as a whole, nor am I evil *all* the time. I can be *nice* if I want to be, including towards mortals on a whim. So *excuse me* for being so hospitable towards You, unless You want me to throw You in the Styx.â
You gave no response in return.
âThatâs what I thought,â Hades says sounding satisfied and resumes drinking his tea. âBut You know, the villainous life isnât always black and white like many want You to believe. That someone who is evil is deemed untrustworthy or a monster, and those who associate themselves with us are also considered as one. Not denying itâs true completely but there are those that are evil who also have a sense of heart. Like me.â Then Hades snapped his fingers as if he had remembered something with a perked up grin on his face.
âWhich reminds me of a story,â Hades continues as he sounds chipper. Summoning a book into his hand. âYou mortals like stories, right?â You eagerly nod. âGood! And itâs even better since this is a *true* story that I was there to witness. Let me tell You a tale of self discovery, tragedy, envy, and deception.â
Hades faces the book towards You, showing You the pages as it starts to glow.
âBut to start, let me take You back in time when the royal four were little children.â
The scene pans in through a glass balcony double door into a large childrenâs bedroom. Inside is a circular room divided into four sections with bookshelves with books and toys and another door made of wood on the opposite side. The walls are a pastel light blue, maybe robin egg blue.
When entering through the door, the top left corner has a bed with vibrant white bed frame, a symbol on the bed frame of a water drop, with ocean blue blankets draped over the mattress. The bookshelf is decorated with marine animal plushies and books of marine biology, oceanography,u and phycology.
The top left also has a bed with a white bed frame with a symbol of a candle fire. The bedâs mattress draped in red blankets and a bookshelf with chunks of obsidian and rubies as well as diamonds and garnets. Books of astronomy, astrophysics, gemology, and mineralogy.
The bottom left also has a bed with a white bed frame with a symbol of a flower. The bedâs mattress draped in green blankets and a bookshelf with potted plants of flowers. Books of botany, horticulture, and ethnobotany.
The bottom right also has a bed with a white bed frame with a symbol of a tornado. The bedâs mattress draped in light blue blankets and a bookshelf with potted plants of flowers. Books of climatology, atmospheric science, aerology, and cloud physics.
Inside the bedroom has four children, but three of them has lively playful energy running through their veins as adrenaline was high.
On the red bed, a little girl with brown hair and eyes wearing purple and red pajamas was reading a book with a relaxed posture: Beauty and the Beast.
The other children were blonde with blue eyes, two girls and one boy. But the boy had a more dirtier blonde color than the other two. The boy wore light blue pajamas with cloud Mickey prints. One of the girls wore grass green glasses with floral print green pajamas. She was sword fighting the boy on her bed, they were both standing on it with wooden swords in their hands. The other girl had blue pajamas with pink sea shell prints. She has a plastic pink and blue trident and joins the âfightâ. The three were laughing while the brunette rolled her eyes unamused while reading her book as the others played.
âTake this! And that!â The girl in glasses exclaimed playfully. âYouâre no match for me, Jamie!â
âAnd youâre no match for me, Rachel!â The boy retorted back. The playful rivalry in their eyes as they bantered back and forth. Then the other girl gently jabs Jamie in the back with her plastic trident.
âTrident attack!â She exclaims and Jamie playfully falls to his defeat. âWell done, Kairi!â Rachel celebrates and the girls gleefully high five.
Then they heard the wooden door open and immediately they fled to their beds while carrying their weapons. Kairi to the blue one while Rachel went to the green and light blue bed.
What entered the room were two elderly men. Both wore blue wizard robes and pointed hats. Yet one was shorter than the other. The short one has white long hair and a beard with small circular spectacles sitting on his face. The otherâs robes were a darker blue with long dark grey hair and a beard. The short wizard came off as a âcool grandpa figureâ while the other a âstern uncleâ figure.
They were Merlin and Yen Sid.
âSettle down, children,â Yenâs voice rumbled with calm authority as his eyes glazed over each of them. âYouâve had an excellent school day and your grades have been on par, therefore, youâve earned your story before bedtime.â
The blondes seemed excited, smiling as they take in a short gasp.
âThe Little Mermaid!â Kairi says eagerly.
âThe Nightmare Before Christmas!â Rachel inputs.
âOr! Or! Aladdin! Or Peter Pan!â Jamie giggles.
As they said their inputs, the brunette had her hand raised the whole time after Yen Sid declared their bedtime story. But she wasnât unacknowledged by the wizards.
âYes, Princess Isabel, what story would you like Merlin to read?â Yen says calmly as she appreciates her patience and politeness even when not in class.
âCan you read us a new story?â The brunette child, Isabel, asks politely as she puts her book away. âIâve heard every story multiple times that they have became memorized.â
âI do know a new story,â Merlin confesses softly yet unsurely. âItâs not relatively new, butâŠâ then he looks at Yen Sid who gives Merlin a reassuring soft nod in acceptance.
âI think theyâre ready for *that* story,â Merlin says with acceptance. âTheyâre ready to know.â
All four kids now looked amused as wonder came over their eyes. Merlin smiles from their wondering curiosity, summoning a chair to sit on to tell his story.
âLet me tell you a true story about The Beginning of the Magic Kingdom and The Beginning of your grandfatherâs legacy,â Merlin begins as the four children gave their attention. âThe story begins of the childhood of The First King of Imagination; Walt Elias Disney.â
He began his tale as Yen Sid dimmed the bedroom lights and Merlin told the story with his magic. The imagery seen looks like it was animated with water paint. Merlin showed a tired schoolboy in ragged clothes with a sketchbook and pencil in hand. The vision was painted in black and white but the sketchbook glows in gold.
âOnce Upon a Time, long ago, in a world similar of our own, there lived a boy who had a dream. A dream of imagination, magic, creativity and laughter,â Merlin starts as the boy was seen drawing in a sketchbook. âHe made cartoons from his young imagination, characters that someday he hoped people will soon love.â
Merlin still showed the same boy but now he was seen getting older as an adult as he drew. Showing the passage of time with a smooth wave of his hand. The black and white started changing to vibrant bright colors.
âAs the boy grew up into a man. His dream was shared and loved everywhere. He became successful in the gift of what he gave to the world; that dreams can become real.â This time, the man was talking to a group of people in a meeting, showing them his cartoons and drawings, telling them his ideas and sharing his creative knowledge. The group of people smiled and applauded from what they saw.
âThen he had a family of his own; a wife, two daughters, and two sons.â
More time was seen passing and the man was seen with an adult female at his side, his Queen. Two little girls standing by their parentsâ legs, standing with a cartoon rabbit in blue shorts and a cartoon mouse in red shorts and white gloves by their sides. They looked happy and were smiling.
âEventually the man decided to build a castle and a village for him, his family and his creations since he is the king of his own successful kingdom.â
Then the passing of time was shown again as the man and woman got older. The two little girls grew up and the rabbit was gone. Time continues showing how successful and famous this man became. Then more familiar faces was seen; Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, before a castle was shown being built up from the grounds.
Time continues passing until it slows down. The bright colors became gloomy and depressed. The woman, the now grown up little girls and the cartoon mouse stood beside a coffin at a funeral. Their heads hung in sadness as they mourned and wept.
âDecades passed and tragic struck, the king sadly passed away,â Merlin continues, looking remorseful at the image included Yen Sid. Then Merlin added himself and Yen Sid to the memory. âAnd his brother took over the kingdom that he built.â Then an image of a new man was seen and comforted his mourning widowed sister-in-law.
The present children saw Merlinâs eyes watering with tears while Yen Sid takes his hat off as to pay respects and retribution towards his deceased king.
âBut from the many tears of fond memories from those that have mourned the king. Either from his family or the fans that have adored his art. A new creation gave light to the kingdoms; seven sparkling magic jewels; The jewels of Arcoiris.â Merlinâs voice cracked but his warmth never caved.
The image changed, the bright colors returning, showing the warmth of love from many hearts combined with the tears of memories from those who knew his name. That magic created seven diamond cut gems, each of the colors of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, cyan, and purple. They sparkled with magic and radiance as they appeared before the Queen and her children. They admired the jewels in awe.
âWith this new gift, the Queen created a parallel Dimension to the parks born from the love of her husband, his creations, and his kingdom. The Dimension we call, Disneytopia.â
The image shows the woman creating a gateway using the loving warmth and memory of her husband. Merlin and Yen smiles seeing their Queen create something wonderful in their tale. The present children believed that their deceased grandmother was very loving, caring and passionate towards her husbandâs creations.
âThe kingâs second born son, the mouse, watched over these jewels to preserve the memory of his father and to make sure that they are protected.â
The mouse was now seen encasing the jewels behind a glass display case in the castle with them well protected from any harm that others will want to use them for their own desires. The mouse sighs in relief with a satisfied expression. Then walks away.
âEverything remained at peace⊠until one dayâŠâ Merlin continues before the colors became eerie. His tone changed as if retelling a ghost story. âThe creations started to rebel! It was The Day of Chaos!â The present children then gasped in fear as Merlin continued. âThe villains uprised against the kingdom, wanting to take the jewels for themselves, as well as to claim the ingdom for themselves.â
The watercolor painting then changed to a detailed drawing. An image of many villains in a circle, reaching out for the jewels far from their grasp: Maleficent, Hades, Jafar, Captain Hook, Scar, Professor Ratigan, Queen Grimhilde, and Ursula. All with looks of determination and spite of wanting such power for themselves.
âIn a desperate act,â Merlin then sounded hopeful, âthe son had no choice but to let the jewels be scattered across the kingdom that his father had built. To protect the legacy of what was left behind and to keep the kingdom safe from the power going into the wrong hands.â
It then shows Mickey in his sorcerer outfit breaking the case and lets the jewels scatter over Disneytopia. The jewels flying through the skies.
âThe villains still rebelled against the kingdom, but the jewels have remained unfound since their scatter. Overtime, as decades passed, the jewels had became lost and forgotten. Hiding within the kingdom in their own protection. Waiting to be found once again and to be reunited once more,â Merlin concludes the story as the magic figures disappear.
âAnd since that faithful day, we have made sure that none of the villains could reach you to use against The Magic Kingdom,â Yen Sid continues. âThatâs why all your studying, your learning, is important to defend yourself against them as future rulers. And as long as you stay within the Orbâs protective boundaries, no villain with the darkest of shadows will reach you.â
Merlin nods as he stood up and the chair disappears. âYes,â he agrees, âyou four are the future faces. The adopted children of King Mickey and Queen Minnie. You will be strong, proud defenders. And when you get older, the Kingdom will rely on you to protect it, and as long as you stay together, the forces of evil will never stand a chance.â
The blonde children seemed in awe and eager for their futures. Whereas Isabel didnât seem so thrilled as her siblings but had a meek smile.
âWeâll make you proud, uncle Yen Sid!â Kairi beams happily.
âWe will never let you down!â Rachel adds.
âAnd weâll work hard for our kingdom!â Jamie cheers.
Isabel was then unsure what to say. So she shrugs. âWhat they said.â
Merlin and Yen Sid were pleased with their responses. âJust donât work too hard, little ones. A steady life must have a steady mind,â Yen Sid advises philosophically. âYou four are still young. Enjoy your youth while you still have it.â
âGoodnight children, tomorrow you have a busy day ahead of you,â Merlin adds and the wizards left. Turning off the lights and the night lights illuminates the room.
âMe too! I canât wait to be strong and powerful to show the sea witch whoâs truly a boss!â Kairi beams happily.
âAnd I want to challenge Jafar to a sorcererâs duel!â Jamie laughs. âHeâll cower and hide in his genie lamp, showing him how untouchable I am and Agrabah isnât his to take.â
âY-yeah,â Isabel says, sounding positive to hide her hesitation. âThereâs no fight we cannot lose to.â
âYouâre right!â Rachel agrees with her. âWeâll never lose! With the four of us together, weâll make mommy and daddy proud.â
âWe need to go to bed first, our dreams will come later,â Kairi then yawns as she gets under her blanket. âGoodnight you three.â
âGoodnight!â The others say and go under their blankets to sleep. But hours passed and Isabel couldnât sleep. Her siblings were soon sound asleep and unaware. Uncertainty gnaws at her belly as a frown was across her face. Isabel then gets out of bed and tip toes to the balcony door, seeing the two bright stars side by side with a bright full moon. She decides to make a wish. Her hands in prayer. She quickly looks at her siblings in hopes theyâre still asleep before wishing her prayer towards the heavens.
âStar light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish I wish tonight,â Isabel whispers. âI wish someday the villains will know true happiness, love, and kindness just like I give my family. I hope someday the heroes and villains will make amends and be happy with each other because no one deserves to be misunderstood or unloved.â
But before she walks to her bed, she swore she saw a shadow on the full moon move across it before disappearing. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. So, she goes back to her bed.
âYears passed,â Hades continues to narrate. âAnd the four children grew up.â
The story changed to show a scene of Rachel as a teenager. She was in Halloween Town with Jack Skellington and Sally. Growing more pumpkins with the gift of Earth.
The scene changed again and teenage Kairi is swimming with Ariel as both of them as a mermaid.
The scene changed again and a teenage Jamie is in an aero race with Aladdin on the magic carpet and Peter Pan. His gift of air allows him to fly through the currents.
Finally a teenage Isabel is seen alone amongst a grass field with puffy white dandelions as she lays on her belly across the grass. Unlike her siblings, she didnât smile. She plucks one of the dandelions while feeling solemn, then she began to sing.
âI want much more than this provincial life. I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand. To have someone understand. I want so much more than they've got planned,â as she watched the seeds on the dandelion blow into the wind.
Hades narrative voice chuckled in amusement. âLittle did she know what fate has in store for her.â
I have started this story originally years ago but never finished it due to depression from my stubborn ex, life consuming me and not feeling satisfied with it. But years later, I began rewriting this days ago on Christmas and finished the story today because Iâm bored waiting on a very delayed flight back home. Iâm gonna write the remaining chapters as well, and edit this later, but the remaining chapters wonât release until June so yaâll arenât waiting too long for each chapter individually.
Itâs 10:40 PM as Iâm writing this and my plane has been 5+ hours behind on schedule due to weather conditions. I feel like Iâm playing the worst game of musical chairs waiting for my flight.
Now donât mind me while I go insane from listening Christmas music at an airport. đđ«
The grand opening of Disneyland had drawn crowds from far and wide, and amidst the festivities, the infamous Captain Hook found himself reflecting on the surreal nature of it all. As he stood near the Sleeping Beauty Castle: a beacon of Walt Disney's imagination turned reality, Hook's thoughts were interrupted by the approach of the man himselfâWalt Disney.
"Walt," Hook greeted with a respectful nod, adjusting his hat as he acknowledged the visionary responsible for bringing so much magic to life.
Walt Disney smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling with pride and exhaustion. "Captain Hook," he replied, extending a hand. "Quite a day, isn't it? How are you finding the park?"
Hook hesitated, momentarily taken aback by the genuine interest in Walt's voice, and gently shakes the kingâs hand. "It's... quite something," he admitted gruffly, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowds and meticulously crafted attractions.
Walt chuckled, sensing Hook's mixed feelings. "I imagine it must be strange for you," he remarked, his tone gentle yet probing. "Seeing your world, your story, come to life in such a way."
Hook shifted uncomfortably, the weight of Walt's words sinking in. "Aye, strange indeed," he conceded, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. "To think we villains, born of ink and imagination, now walk among your guests."
Walt nodded thoughtfully. "You're a part of our stories now, Captain Hook," he said earnestly. "And this park is for everyoneâheroes, villains, and everything in between. It's about bringing joy and wonder to all who visit."
Hook glanced down at the pocket watch hanging from his coat, a gift from Walt himself symbolizing their shared commitment to storytelling and imagination. "Thank you, Walt," he murmured sincerely. "For this park, for believing in us villains, and for making dreams a reality."
Walt smiled warmly, his fatigue momentarily lifted by Hook's gratitude. "It's my pleasure, Captain. Disneyland is for dreamers of all kinds, and you, my friend, are most welcome here."
As they stood together, watching families embark on their own adventures through the enchanted lands of Disneyland, Hook felt a sense of belonging he hadn't expected. In that moment, amidst the magic and the memories, he understood that Walt Disney's dream was indeed a powerful oneâone that bridged the gap between fantasy and reality, bringing joy and inspiration to generations to come.
As Captain Hook and Walt Disney continued their conversation amidst the grandeur of Disneyland's opening day, a sudden cough interrupted Walt's silence. Hook, ever observant despite his pirate demeanor, turned to the visionary with concern etched on his face.
"Walt," Hook said gruffly, motioning towards a nearby bench. "Perhaps we should sit down for a moment."
Walt nodded gratefully, accepting Hook's gesture and easing himself onto the bench. His usual vigor seemed momentarily subdued, replaced by a hint of fatigue and vulnerability.
"I'm fine, Hook, Iâm fine," Walt reassured, though his voice betrayed a touch of uncertainty as he rubs his neck. "Just a tickle in my throat. Lillian has been after me to cut back on the smoking."
Hook raised an eyebrow, settling beside Walt with a nod of understanding. "Aye, even kings must heed the concerns of their queens," he remarked, though his tone softened with genuine concern. "You've been pushing yourself hard, Walt. The park, the films, everything."
Walt sighed, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It's all worth it, Hook. To see this dream come true," he replied, gesturing towards the joyful chaos unfolding around them. "But perhaps Lillian is right. I ought to take better care."
Hook nodded in agreement, casting a thoughtful glance at the bustling park. "Aye, Walt. You've created something extraordinary here. Take the time to enjoy it."
Walt chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling with warmth. "You're right, Hook. We should all take a moment to appreciate the magic."
As they sat together, a quiet camaraderie formed between themâtwo men from different worlds, united by a shared vision and a mutual respect for the power of imagination. In that brief respite, amidst the whirlwind of Disneyland's opening day, Hook realized the depth of Walt Disney's passion and the impact of his dream on everyone who crossed its threshold.
And as the sounds of laughter and adventure echoed around them, Hook knew that this day would forever be etched in the annals of historyâa testament to Walt Disney's unwavering belief in the power of dreams and the enduring legacy of Disneyland.
The afternoon sun cast a golden hue over Disneyland, Walt Disney's words carried a weight that Hook couldn't ignore. The conversation had taken a solemn turn, and Hook sensed the gravity of Walt's behavior.
"Hook," Walt began, his voice earnest and tinged with a hint of urgency. "Promise me something."
Hook nodded attentively, his gaze steady as he awaited Walt's words.
"When I'm gone," Walt continued, his eyes searching Hook's face for reassurance, "promise me you'll protect the villains. Maleficent, Queen Grimhilde, all of them. They're part of our stories, our world. Promise me you'll keep them safe."
Hook felt a lump form in his throat, understanding the trust and responsibility Walt was placing upon him. "I promise," Hook replied solemnly, his voice unwavering despite the emotions stirring within him. "With my life, I'll protect them. And the ones I love will guide me in that duty."
Walt nodded, a sense of relief washing over his features. "Thank you, Hook," he said gratefully. "I know I can trust you. You understand what it means to believe in something bigger than yourself."
Hook nodded in agreement, his gaze drifting towards the bustling crowds and the gleaming spires of the park. "Aye, Walt. This place is more than just bricks and mortar. It's a beacon of imagination, of dreams realized."
Walt smiled, a fatherly warmth in his eyes. "And you, Hook, are a part of that magic now. Never forget that."
As they sat in companionable silence, surrounded by the laughter and wonder of Disneyland's first guests, Hook felt a profound sense of purpose settle upon him. Walt Disney's dream had become his responsibilityâa promise to safeguard the villains and preserve the stories that defined them.
And as the day continued to unfold, Hook knew that this pledge would endure long after the crowds had gone and the park lights dimmedâa testament to the enduring power of Walt Disney's vision and the bond forged between a visionary and a pirate.
*Present Time*
Captain Hook walked through the bustling streets of Disneytopia, his steps heavy with emotion as he recalled the memories of Walt and Lillian Disney. Their presence, once so vibrant and inspiring, now lingered in the shadows of the park they had built together. Tears threatened to spill from Hook's eyes, a rare display of emotion from the hardened pirate.
Gently, Hook retrieved the pocket watch from his coat, the familiar weight comforting in his hand. With a flick of his hook, he opened it, revealing two sides of significance. On one side, a locket held a precious picture of Walt and Lillian Disney, captured in a moment of joy and unity. Hook stared at the photograph, memories of their conversations and shared dreams flooding his mind.
"And now they're gone," Hook murmured quietly to himself, his voice betraying a mixture of sadness and reverence. "Their legacy lives on, but they are gone."
Turning the watch over, Hook noted the frozen time: 7:53. A poignant reminder of the moment frozen in time, just as Walt and Lillian would forever remain in the hearts and memories of those they touched.
"The sons carry on," Hook whispered softly, his eyes tracing the engraved initials on the watch; J.H&W.D. "Mickey and Oswald. The legacy of dreams and magic."
As he closed the pocket watch, Hook felt a renewed sense of purpose. His promise to Walt Disney, to protect the villains and uphold the spirit of imagination, burned brighter than ever. With a determined stride, Hook continued through the parkâs mimic, where laughter and joy mingled with the echoes of a timeless dreamâone that had shaped not only a company but a world of enchantment.
And as he walked, the pocket watch nestled close to his heart, Captain Hook knew that Walt and Lillian Disney's legacy would endure, carried forward by the magic they had created and the promise he had made.
Chapter Two release date: August. More information on this AU lore will be explained in the next chapter. Hope you like this segment and hope to see you next month!
Putting together a mood board for this year's art new years reminders (please reblog this version, as it credits the artists) :
PSA @smallestflowtree (got stickers!)/ sorry for @femmeidiot / just start @bismuth-209 / I hope that @evignonita / meme made by anon and posted og on here / god grant me @leclercenjoyer / get weird @mildmayfoxe (they got stickers!) / every time @racketghost / twitter user ChimaAmlaDing / but if @criminalizegolf
If any of the artists/posters would prefer me to remove the post/art please let me know
GOOD NEWS: you just discovered magic. BAD NEWS: you specifically just discovered magic, there's nobody more experienced who can explain how to clean up the mess.
Disney Villainous (The Right Path Isnât Always Straight)
INTRO/PROLOGUE
Summary:
For months, the Disney Villains have been suffering under a sudden curse. Some assumed it casted by none other than Mickey Mouse to keep them in line. But others believed it must have been someone else below them to do them in. Their powers are heavily restricted and cannot harm park visitors or others in the park or else they suffer the curseâs punishment if they do. Even their sidekicks have been punished to render them useless to the villains they serve for. One day, a woman stumbles across Oogieâs Lair in the Nightmare Before Christmas part of the park. She discovers the horrible truth that theyâve kept secret and is reluctant to help. Can she undo the curse while helping Oogie at the same time? Stay and read to find out. :)
"The history of villains is much more entertaining than that of heroes, because monsters are not born, they are created. They do not emerge from emptiness or darkness of their own accord, but are shaped by circumstances, by the wounds of the world around them. They reflect the depths of human pain, rejection, loneliness, misunderstanding. A hero is defined by his acts of bravery, but a villain is the result of a heart that was once pure and ended up corrupted. Monsters, in their tragedy, show us what could happen to us all, if the world were to turn its back on us." - A summary on Mary Shelleyâs Frankenstein.
The story begins as an unknown figure (You, dear reader) facing in the first point of view, walking through a drafty, dark and gloomy place. Itâs not any ordinary place that You have known, unfortunately itâs The Underworld. Hadesâ domain that You have accidentally stumbled into and found Your way inside the Godâs palace. As You roam the halls of dark open corridors at every turn, the palace felt like a labyrinth as You walked until You stumbled into a wide open room. A living room.
Despite knowing where You are. The strong crackling blue fire in an onyx stone fireplace seemed peaceful. The Greek styled furniture with some gothic hints decorated the space with luxurious couches, love seats and lounge chairs. A coffin shaped coffee table with a marble black counter with blue cracks was a few feet away from the fireplace in the center of the room. Underneath said coffee table is a large square rug in pomegranate red.
In one of the lounge chairs sat Hades himself, donning his usual chiton as his blue flaming hair flicked calmly with smoke billowing below at his feet and across the smooth cobblestone floor. His posture seems calm as his focus was on a book in one of his hands. And then within a second when You entered the room, his eyes averted at You and he closed the book calmly.
âWell, Iâd never thought to see the day when a mere mortal nonchalantly enters *my* domain as if itâs their own house,â Hades speaks in a calm, polite voice as his attention was now on You. And he seemed rather amused as the God has a soft smile. âNow, butterscotch, tell me how You managed to bypass Cerberus without him treating You like a living chew toy?â
Well, You explain how You got there. Even though You canât hear the sound of Your own vocals speaking as You talked but Hades seemed to hear You. His face shifted from his soft amused look to one of concern and initiative when You finished Your story. And You noticed his hair had small streaks of yellow and orange.
âI see, so You didnât enter through *that* way,â Hades says with slight frustration, his suave tone sounded grumbling. âI keep telling the boys to make sure that they lock any exits from the Underworld, but apparently I have to make them check every exit now to keep any other mortals from entering my domain and making me look unprofessional.â Then lets out a groan of frustration and runs a hand over his face.
âBut hey, while Youâre here, You could just hang out with me for a while,â his smooth talk, polite, can-do attitude returned as he stood up and the book floated over to a bookshelf behind You by the entryway. Putting itself back in its slot.
You spoke again, not hearing the sound of Your own voice but whatever You said seemed to annoy the God further and his hair turned mostly red. âWhat do You mean You want to leave!?!? You just got here and You want to go back!?!?â
He paused as You talked more. His hair turned yellow and Hadesâ pinched the bridge of his nose. âI understand that the surface world is Your home. Iâm not trying to kidnap You or prevent You from leaving. But would it *kill* You mortals to spend time with a lonely deity who just wants some lively company who isnât already, ya know, *dead*?â
You look at Hades, then down at the love seat beside You that was facing towards the God on the other side of the coffee table, then back at Hades. You reluctantly sat on the love seat which made Hades smirk, seeing You have decided to stay as his hair was back to blue.
âSee, itâs not so bad here, isnât it?â Hades asks as he summons a tea set. He handed You a teacup on a coaster with some kind of liquid inside. The cup and coaster has blue flames on a black background with white skulls in the flames. The handle has a gold finish. The teapot sitting on top of a pomegranate red pot holder on the coffee table has the same design as the cups.
âRelax, itâs not poisoned or laced with anything,â Hades reassured You as he takes a sip from his own cup. So You sip from it as well. You could taste the tea flavor with something fruity in it.
You then spoke to the God again, and in return, he gave You a âpoker facedâ annoyed look in return but his flames didnât shift. âOkay, let me just give this to You straight, just because I am evil doesnât mean it defines me as a whole, nor am I evil *all* the time. I can be *nice* if I want to be, including towards mortals on a whim. So *excuse me* for being so hospitable towards You, unless You want me to throw You in the Styx.â
You gave no response in return.
âThatâs what I thought,â Hades says sounding satisfied and resumes drinking his tea. âBut You know, the villainous life isnât always black and white like many want You to believe. That someone who is evil is deemed untrustworthy or a monster, and those who associate themselves with us are also considered as one. Not denying itâs true completely but there are those that are evil who also have a sense of heart. Like me.â Then Hades snapped his fingers as if he had remembered something with a perked up grin on his face.
âWhich reminds me of a story,â Hades continues as he sounds chipper. Summoning a book into his hand. âYou mortals like stories, right?â You eagerly nod. âGood! And itâs even better since this is a *true* story that I was there to witness. Let me tell You a tale of self discovery, tragedy, envy, and deception.â
Hades faces the book towards You, showing You the pages as it starts to glow.
âBut to start, let me take You back in time when the royal four were little children.â
The scene pans in through a glass balcony double door into a large childrenâs bedroom. Inside is a circular room divided into four sections with bookshelves with books and toys and another door made of wood on the opposite side. The walls are a pastel light blue, maybe robin egg blue.
When entering through the door, the top left corner has a bed with vibrant white bed frame, a symbol on the bed frame of a water drop, with ocean blue blankets draped over the mattress. The bookshelf is decorated with marine animal plushies and books of marine biology, oceanography,u and phycology.
The top left also has a bed with a white bed frame with a symbol of a candle fire. The bedâs mattress draped in red blankets and a bookshelf with chunks of obsidian and rubies as well as diamonds and garnets. Books of astronomy, astrophysics, gemology, and mineralogy.
The bottom left also has a bed with a white bed frame with a symbol of a flower. The bedâs mattress draped in green blankets and a bookshelf with potted plants of flowers. Books of botany, horticulture, and ethnobotany.
The bottom right also has a bed with a white bed frame with a symbol of a tornado. The bedâs mattress draped in light blue blankets and a bookshelf with potted plants of flowers. Books of climatology, atmospheric science, aerology, and cloud physics.
Inside the bedroom has four children, but three of them has lively playful energy running through their veins as adrenaline was high.
On the red bed, a little girl with brown hair and eyes wearing purple and red pajamas was reading a book with a relaxed posture: Beauty and the Beast.
The other children were blonde with blue eyes, two girls and one boy. But the boy had a more dirtier blonde color than the other two. The boy wore light blue pajamas with cloud Mickey prints. One of the girls wore grass green glasses with floral print green pajamas. She was sword fighting the boy on her bed, they were both standing on it with wooden swords in their hands. The other girl had blue pajamas with pink sea shell prints. She has a plastic pink and blue trident and joins the âfightâ. The three were laughing while the brunette rolled her eyes unamused while reading her book as the others played.
âTake this! And that!â The girl in glasses exclaimed playfully. âYouâre no match for me, Jamie!â
âAnd youâre no match for me, Rachel!â The boy retorted back. The playful rivalry in their eyes as they bantered back and forth. Then the other girl gently jabs Jamie in the back with her plastic trident.
âTrident attack!â She exclaims and Jamie playfully falls to his defeat. âWell done, Kairi!â Rachel celebrates and the girls gleefully high five.
Then they heard the wooden door open and immediately they fled to their beds while carrying their weapons. Kairi to the blue one while Rachel went to the green and light blue bed.
What entered the room were two elderly men. Both wore blue wizard robes and pointed hats. Yet one was shorter than the other. The short one has white long hair and a beard with small circular spectacles sitting on his face. The otherâs robes were a darker blue with long dark grey hair and a beard. The short wizard came off as a âcool grandpa figureâ while the other a âstern uncleâ figure.
They were Merlin and Yen Sid.
âSettle down, children,â Yenâs voice rumbled with calm authority as his eyes glazed over each of them. âYouâve had an excellent school day and your grades have been on par, therefore, youâve earned your story before bedtime.â
The blondes seemed excited, smiling as they take in a short gasp.
âThe Little Mermaid!â Kairi says eagerly.
âThe Nightmare Before Christmas!â Rachel inputs.
âOr! Or! Aladdin! Or Peter Pan!â Jamie giggles.
As they said their inputs, the brunette had her hand raised the whole time after Yen Sid declared their bedtime story. But she wasnât unacknowledged by the wizards.
âYes, Princess Isabel, what story would you like Merlin to read?â Yen says calmly as she appreciates her patience and politeness even when not in class.
âCan you read us a new story?â The brunette child, Isabel, asks politely as she puts her book away. âIâve heard every story multiple times that they have became memorized.â
âI do know a new story,â Merlin confesses softly yet unsurely. âItâs not relatively new, butâŠâ then he looks at Yen Sid who gives Merlin a reassuring soft nod in acceptance.
âI think theyâre ready for *that* story,â Merlin says with acceptance. âTheyâre ready to know.â
All four kids now looked amused as wonder came over their eyes. Merlin smiles from their wondering curiosity, summoning a chair to sit on to tell his story.
âLet me tell you a true story about The Beginning of the Magic Kingdom and The Beginning of your grandfatherâs legacy,â Merlin begins as the four children gave their attention. âThe story begins of the childhood of The First King of Imagination; Walt Elias Disney.â
He began his tale as Yen Sid dimmed the bedroom lights and Merlin told the story with his magic. The imagery seen looks like it was animated with water paint. Merlin showed a tired schoolboy in ragged clothes with a sketchbook and pencil in hand. The vision was painted in black and white but the sketchbook glows in gold.
âOnce Upon a Time, long ago, in a world similar of our own, there lived a boy who had a dream. A dream of imagination, magic, creativity and laughter,â Merlin starts as the boy was seen drawing in a sketchbook. âHe made cartoons from his young imagination, characters that someday he hoped people will soon love.â
Merlin still showed the same boy but now he was seen getting older as an adult as he drew. Showing the passage of time with a smooth wave of his hand. The black and white started changing to vibrant bright colors.
âAs the boy grew up into a man. His dream was shared and loved everywhere. He became successful in the gift of what he gave to the world; that dreams can become real.â This time, the man was talking to a group of people in a meeting, showing them his cartoons and drawings, telling them his ideas and sharing his creative knowledge. The group of people smiled and applauded from what they saw.
âThen he had a family of his own; a wife, two daughters, and two sons.â
More time was seen passing and the man was seen with an adult female at his side, his Queen. Two little girls standing by their parentsâ legs, standing with a cartoon rabbit in blue shorts and a cartoon mouse in red shorts and white gloves by their sides. They looked happy and were smiling.
âEventually the man decided to build a castle and a village for him, his family and his creations since he is the king of his own successful kingdom.â
Then the passing of time was shown again as the man and woman got older. The two little girls grew up and the rabbit was gone. Time continues showing how successful and famous this man became. Then more familiar faces was seen; Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, before a castle was shown being built up from the grounds.
Time continues passing until it slows down. The bright colors became gloomy and depressed. The woman, the now grown up little girls and the cartoon mouse stood beside a coffin at a funeral. Their heads hung in sadness as they mourned and wept.
âDecades passed and tragic struck, the king sadly passed away,â Merlin continues, looking remorseful at the image included Yen Sid. Then Merlin added himself and Yen Sid to the memory. âAnd his brother took over the kingdom that he built.â Then an image of a new man was seen and comforted his mourning widowed sister-in-law.
The present children saw Merlinâs eyes watering with tears while Yen Sid takes his hat off as to pay respects and retribution towards his deceased king.
âBut from the many tears of fond memories from those that have mourned the king. Either from his family or the fans that have adored his art. A new creation gave light to the kingdoms; seven sparkling magic jewels; The jewels of Arcoiris.â Merlinâs voice cracked but his warmth never caved.
The image changed, the bright colors returning, showing the warmth of love from many hearts combined with the tears of memories from those who knew his name. That magic created seven diamond cut gems, each of the colors of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, cyan, and purple. They sparkled with magic and radiance as they appeared before the Queen and her children. They admired the jewels in awe.
âWith this new gift, the Queen created a parallel Dimension to the parks born from the love of her husband, his creations, and his kingdom. The Dimension we call, Disneytopia.â
The image shows the woman creating a gateway using the loving warmth and memory of her husband. Merlin and Yen smiles seeing their Queen create something wonderful in their tale. The present children believed that their deceased grandmother was very loving, caring and passionate towards her husbandâs creations.
âThe kingâs second born son, the mouse, watched over these jewels to preserve the memory of his father and to make sure that they are protected.â
The mouse was now seen encasing the jewels behind a glass display case in the castle with them well protected from any harm that others will want to use them for their own desires. The mouse sighs in relief with a satisfied expression. Then walks away.
âEverything remained at peace⊠until one dayâŠâ Merlin continues before the colors became eerie. His tone changed as if retelling a ghost story. âThe creations started to rebel! It was The Day of Chaos!â The present children then gasped in fear as Merlin continued. âThe villains uprised against the kingdom, wanting to take the jewels for themselves, as well as to claim the ingdom for themselves.â
The watercolor painting then changed to a detailed drawing. An image of many villains in a circle, reaching out for the jewels far from their grasp: Maleficent, Hades, Jafar, Captain Hook, Scar, Professor Ratigan, Queen Grimhilde, and Ursula. All with looks of determination and spite of wanting such power for themselves.
âIn a desperate act,â Merlin then sounded hopeful, âthe son had no choice but to let the jewels be scattered across the kingdom that his father had built. To protect the legacy of what was left behind and to keep the kingdom safe from the power going into the wrong hands.â
It then shows Mickey in his sorcerer outfit breaking the case and lets the jewels scatter over Disneytopia. The jewels flying through the skies.
âThe villains still rebelled against the kingdom, but the jewels have remained unfound since their scatter. Overtime, as decades passed, the jewels had became lost and forgotten. Hiding within the kingdom in their own protection. Waiting to be found once again and to be reunited once more,â Merlin concludes the story as the magic figures disappear.
âAnd since that faithful day, we have made sure that none of the villains could reach you to use against The Magic Kingdom,â Yen Sid continues. âThatâs why all your studying, your learning, is important to defend yourself against them as future rulers. And as long as you stay within the Orbâs protective boundaries, no villain with the darkest of shadows will reach you.â
Merlin nods as he stood up and the chair disappears. âYes,â he agrees, âyou four are the future faces. The adopted children of King Mickey and Queen Minnie. You will be strong, proud defenders. And when you get older, the Kingdom will rely on you to protect it, and as long as you stay together, the forces of evil will never stand a chance.â
The blonde children seemed in awe and eager for their futures. Whereas Isabel didnât seem so thrilled as her siblings but had a meek smile.
âWeâll make you proud, uncle Yen Sid!â Kairi beams happily.
âWe will never let you down!â Rachel adds.
âAnd weâll work hard for our kingdom!â Jamie cheers.
Isabel was then unsure what to say. So she shrugs. âWhat they said.â
Merlin and Yen Sid were pleased with their responses. âJust donât work too hard, little ones. A steady life must have a steady mind,â Yen Sid advises philosophically. âYou four are still young. Enjoy your youth while you still have it.â
âGoodnight children, tomorrow you have a busy day ahead of you,â Merlin adds and the wizards left. Turning off the lights and the night lights illuminates the room.
âMe too! I canât wait to be strong and powerful to show the sea witch whoâs truly a boss!â Kairi beams happily.
âAnd I want to challenge Jafar to a sorcererâs duel!â Jamie laughs. âHeâll cower and hide in his genie lamp, showing him how untouchable I am and Agrabah isnât his to take.â
âY-yeah,â Isabel says, sounding positive to hide her hesitation. âThereâs no fight we cannot lose to.â
âYouâre right!â Rachel agrees with her. âWeâll never lose! With the four of us together, weâll make mommy and daddy proud.â
âWe need to go to bed first, our dreams will come later,â Kairi then yawns as she gets under her blanket. âGoodnight you three.â
âGoodnight!â The others say and go under their blankets to sleep. But hours passed and Isabel couldnât sleep. Her siblings were soon sound asleep and unaware. Uncertainty gnaws at her belly as a frown was across her face. Isabel then gets out of bed and tip toes to the balcony door, seeing the two bright stars side by side with a bright full moon. She decides to make a wish. Her hands in prayer. She quickly looks at her siblings in hopes theyâre still asleep before wishing her prayer towards the heavens.
âStar light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have this wish I wish tonight,â Isabel whispers. âI wish someday the villains will know true happiness, love, and kindness just like I give my family. I hope someday the heroes and villains will make amends and be happy with each other because no one deserves to be misunderstood or unloved.â
But before she walks to her bed, she swore she saw a shadow on the full moon move across it before disappearing. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. So, she goes back to her bed.
âYears passed,â Hades continues to narrate. âAnd the four children grew up.â
The story changed to show a scene of Rachel as a teenager. She was in Halloween Town with Jack Skellington and Sally. Growing more pumpkins with the gift of Earth.
The scene changed again and teenage Kairi is swimming with Ariel as both of them as a mermaid.
The scene changed again and a teenage Jamie is in an aero race with Aladdin on the magic carpet and Peter Pan. His gift of air allows him to fly through the currents.
Finally a teenage Isabel is seen alone amongst a grass field with puffy white dandelions as she lays on her belly across the grass. Unlike her siblings, she didnât smile. She plucks one of the dandelions while feeling solemn, then she began to sing.
âI want much more than this provincial life. I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand. To have someone understand. I want so much more than they've got planned,â as she watched the seeds on the dandelion blow into the wind.
Hades narrative voice chuckled in amusement. âLittle did she know what fate has in store for her.â
I have started this story originally years ago but never finished it due to depression from my stubborn ex, life consuming me and not feeling satisfied with it. But years later, I began rewriting this days ago on Christmas and finished the story today because Iâm bored waiting on a very delayed flight back home. Iâm gonna write the remaining chapters as well, and edit this later, but the remaining chapters wonât release until June so yaâll arenât waiting too long for each chapter individually.
Itâs 10:40 PM as Iâm writing this and my plane has been 5+ hours behind on schedule due to weather conditions. I feel like Iâm playing the worst game of musical chairs waiting for my flight.
Now donât mind me while I go insane from listening Christmas music at an airport. đđ«
"The history of villains is much more entertaining than that of heroes, because monsters are not born, they are created. They do not emerge from emptiness or darkness of their own accord, but are shaped by circumstances, by the wounds of the world around them. They reflect the depths of human pain, rejection, loneliness, misunderstanding. A hero is defined by his acts of bravery, but a villain is the result of a heart that was once pure and ended up corrupted. Monsters, in their tragedy, show us what could happen to us all, if the world were to turn its back on us." - A summary on Mary Shelleyâs Frankenstein.
The story begins as an unknown figure (You, dear reader) facing in the first point of view, walking through a drafty, dark and gloomy place. Itâs not any ordinary place that You have known, unfortunately itâs The Underworld. Hadesâ domain that You have accidentally stumbled into and found Your way inside the Godâs palace. As You roam the halls, dark open corridors at every turn, the palace felt like a labyrinth as You walked until You stumbled into a wide open room. A living room.
Despite knowing where You are. The strong crackling blue fire in an onyx stone fireplace seemed peaceful. The Greek styled furniture with some gothic hints decorated the space with luxurious couches, love seats and lounge chairs. A coffin shaped coffee table with a marble black counter with blue cracks was a few feet away from the fireplace in the center of the room. Underneath said coffee table is a large square rug in pomegranate red.
In one of the lounge chairs sat Hades himself, donning his usual chiton as his blue flaming hair flicked calmly with smoke billowing below at his feet and across the smooth cobblestone floor. His posture seems calm as his focus was on a book in one of his hands. And then within a second when You entered the room, his eyes averted at You and he closed the book calmly.
âWell, Iâd never thought to see the day when a mere mortal nonchalantly enters *my* domain as if itâs their own house,â Hades speaks in a calm, polite voice as his attention was now on You. And he seemed rather amused as the God has a soft smile. âNow, butterscotch, tell me how You managed to bypass Cerberus without him treating You like a living chew toy?â
Well, you explain how you got there. Even though you canât hear the sound of your own vocals speaking as you talked but Hades seemed to hear you. His face shifted from his soft amused look to one of concern and initiative when you finished your story. And you noticed his hair had small streaks of yellow and orange.
âI see, so you didnât enter through *that* way,â Hades says with slight frustration, his suave tone sounded grumbling. âI keep telling the boys to make sure that they lock any exits from the Underworld, but apparently I have to make them check every exit now to keep any other mortals from entering my domain and making me look unprofessional.â Then lets out a groan of frustration and runs a hand over his face.
âBut hey, while youâre here, you could just hang out with me for a while,â his smooth talk, polite, can-do attitude returned as he stood up and the book floated over to a bookshelf behind you by the entryway. Putting itself back in its slot.
You spoke again, not hearing the sound of your own voice but whatever you said seemed to annoy the God further and his hair turned mostly red. âWhat do you mean you want to leave!?!? You just got here and you want to go back!?!?â
He paused as you talked more. His hair turned yellow and Hadesâ pinched the bridge of his nose. âI understand that the surface world is your home. Iâm not trying to kidnap you or prevent you from leaving. But would it *kill* you mortals to spend time with a lonely deity who just wants some lively company who isnât already, ya know, *dead*?â
You look at Hades, then down at the love seat beside you that was facing towards the God on the other side of the coffee table, then back at Hades. You reluctantly sat on the love seat which made Hades smirk, seeing you have decided to stay as his hair was back to blue.
âSee, itâs not so bad here, isnât it?â Hades asks as he summons a tea set. He handed you a teacup on a coaster with some kind of liquid inside. The cup and coaster has blue flames on a black background with white skulls in the flames. The handle has a gold finish. The teapot sitting on top of a pomegranate red pot holder on the coffee table has the same design as the cups.
âRelax, itâs not poisoned or laced with anything,â Hades reassured you as he takes a sip from his own cup. So you sip from it as well. You could taste the tea flavor with something fruity in it.
You then spoke to the God again, and in return, he gave you a âpoker facedâ annoyed look in return but his flames didnât shift. âOkay, let me just give this to you straight, just because I am evil doesnât mean it defines me as a whole, nor am I evil *all* the time. I can be *nice* if I want to be, including towards mortals on a whim. So *excuse me* for being so hospitable towards you, unless you want me to throw you in the Styx.â
You gave no response in return.
âThatâs what I thought,â Hades says sounding satisfied and resumes drinking his tea. âBut you know, the villainous life isnât always black and white like many want you to believe. That someone who is evil is deemed untrustworthy or a monster, and those who associate themselves with us are also considered as one. Not denying itâs true completely but there are those that are evil who also have a sense of heart. Like me.â Then Hades snapped his fingers as if he had remembered something with a perked up grin on his face.
âWhich reminds me of a story,â Hades continues as he sounds chipper. Summoning a book into his hand. âYou mortals like stories, right?â You eagerly nod. âGood, and itâs even better since this is a *true* story that I was there to witness. Let me tell you a tale of self discovery, tragedy, envy, and deception.â
Hades faces the book towards you, showing you the pages as it starts to glow.
âBut to start, let me take you back in time when the royal four were little children.â
Hello everyone! Hope your Christmas break has been amazing. Iâm finally restarting on a project that has been in development for years. And through so many ideas coming to me as well as going through life with this idea burning in my mind. Itâs time that I actually rewrite it. The finished prologue will come out on Christmas Eve and the remaining chapters will release in June. I want to give you the whole story rather than waiting chapter by chapter for it to start. Love you everyone and hope youâre having a good holiday!
I hope your Christmas is filled with joy, love, and warmth as you celebrate with family and friends.
As we count down the days to 2025, I want to wish each of you a Happy New Year filled with new opportunities, happiness, and success. Thank you for being such an amazing part of my life this yearâIâm so grateful for your support and kindness.
For those that follow me, please follow the tag #heyfollowers_wws so no one misses out on new content in the futureâI would deeply appreciate it.
Hereâs to a wonderful year ahead! Stay safe, and Iâll see you in 2025!
Chapter Two: Meeting Asha and King Magnifico (Part One)
Word Count: 4,833
Character Count: 27,402
Reading Time: 17 minutes 34 seconds
Speaking Time: 26 minutes 51 seconds
The August sun cast a golden sheen over the lush green meadows of the castle grounds, its warmth a welcome embrace as the day began. The air was filled with the rhythmic thud of arrows hitting wooden targets, accompanied by the occasional whiny of horses and hoof beats.
Merida, her fiery hair flowing in the breeze, adjusted her bow with a determined smug. Angus, her loyal steed, stamped his hooves restlessly beneath her. "Alright, Angus, letâs show âem what weâre made of!" she encouraged, drawing her bowstring with a practiced ease.
Nearby, Mulan, dressed in her fatherâs armor with her hair up, expertly guided Khan through a series of precise maneuvers. âRemember, Khan, aim true and steady,â she said, her voice a calm contrast to the intensity of her focus. Khan snorted, nodding as if he understood perfectly.
Belle perched gracefully atop Phillipe, was engaged in a friendly competition with Raya. Instead of her normal white and blue dress, she was dressed in a rose-red archery outfit with yellow trims in the same shade as her princess dress.
âBelle, are you sure Phillipe is up for this?â Raya teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Tuk Tuk, her not-so-horsey companion, rolled beside the brunette.
Belle smiled, drawing another arrow. âPhillipeâs more than capable. Itâs me you should worry about!â
Isabel, riding Gladiator, joined the banter with a laugh. âYou all talk a good game, but Iâm about to show you how itâs done!â She aimed and released an arrow with a confident flick of her wrist.
At that moment, Esmeralda rode into view, astride Achilles, Phoebusâs trusty steed. She offered a radiant smile as she expertly drew her bow, her normal attire replaced by an outfit similar to Belleâs but purple instead of green. âSorry, Iâm late, everyone. Achilles and I had to get in a bit of practice ourselves.â
The arrows whizzed through the air, each princess displaying their unique skills with each bow snapping. The sun-drenched morning was alive with a friendly rivalry. As each arrow struck its mark, laughter filled the air, mingling with the cheerful sounds of the kingdom waking up to a new day.
While the princesses continued their archery practice on horseback, a sudden burst of excitement and a shimmering flash of color drew their attention skyward. Princess Jasmine soared into view, standing effortlessly on the magic carpet, a mischievous grin on her face.
With a flourish, Jasmine produced a set of gleaming knives and began hurling them toward the wooden targets with precision. Each blade struck its mark with a satisfying thud, eliciting gasps of awe and a few chuckles from the other princesses.
Merida raised an eyebrow, her free hand resting on her hip. âWell, isnât someone fancy? You do know weâre practicing archery, right?â
Jasmine laughed, twirling a knife in the air before catching it deftly. âI thought Iâd add a little flair to the morning! Besides, itâs not like you all are using magic carpets. Try doing archery from up here!â
Mulan shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. âI think weâll pass. I donât see any carpets in the stables, after all.â
Belle joined in, a teasing glint in her eye. âYouâre just trying to show off, Jasmine. We all know your real talent lies in making an entrance.â
Esmeralda, riding Achilles, chuckled as she observed Jasmineâs performance. âWell, Jasmine, if you keep this up, we might have to start calling you âThe Queen of Aerial Arts.â Iâd love to see anyone else top this!â
Jasmineâs eyes sparkled with amusement. âWell, if you think youâre up for the challenge, Iâd love to see you try archery on a magic carpet. Until then, Iâll keep my showmanship to myself.â
Isabel nudged Gladiator and laughed. âI donât think any of us are brave enough to take you up on that. But for now, keep those knives coming. Itâs not every day we get a front-row seat to your aerial acrobatics!â
With that, Jasmine executed a graceful spin, her magic carpet swirling beneath her as she continued her impressive display. The other princesses couldnât help but cheer her on, their earlier competition forgotten in the face of such spectacular showmanship.
After a good hour of practice, the princesses guided their steeds into the stables, exchanging laughs and friendly jabs about who had the best aim. Jasmine's magic carpet hovered beside her as the group walked back to the castle.
âI see that your archery skills are getting better, Belle,â Raya compliments her as the group walks. Belle feels appreciated and a little bashful.
âWell, I do have the best teachers,â Belle compliments Raya. âYou and Ms.-hero-of-China here.â Which causes laughter between the two. âBut mostly I wonder what Tiana, Cinderella, and Aurora are cooking up for lunch,â Belle mused, wiping sweat from her brow. âAfter all, this practice sure works up an appetite.â
âMaybe something with a bit of spice,â Esmeralda suggested, âconsidering Tianaâs knack for amazing dishes.â
As they rounded a corner, a sudden swirl of dark smoke materialized in front of them, revealing Hades, the god of the underworld. He clapped his hands together in exaggerated applause, a sly grin spreading across his face.
âBravo, ladies! Bravo! I have to say, Iâve never seen archery quite like that,â Hades said, his fiery head flames flickering with amusement.
âWell, thatâs a surprise,â Mulan said, raising an eyebrow. âWhat brings you here, Hades?â
Hades shrugged nonchalantly, his grin widening. âOh, just thought Iâd check out the local entertainment. The underworldâs running itself, so I had a bit of free time. And letâs be honest, watching you all was way more fun than managing the endless torments.â
Isabel, feeling a tinge of embarrassment, stepped forward. âWhy were you specifically watching us? And donât you have an underworld to run?â
Hades flicked a hand dismissively. âLike I said, the underworld mostly runs itself, you know. I came to see how our newest recruit was faring.â His gaze rested on Isabel. âI noticed you werenât in the villainâs lair this morning. Thought Iâd see whatâs going on.â
Isabel looked puzzled by Hadesâs comment. âRecruitment? But Iâm not evil like the rest of you,â she says honestly to clarify. âSure I helped save you and the other villains from being under a curse for so long as well as saved the Disneyverse and reality from the destruction of two witches, not single-handedly of course. Both you and Maleficent even offered me a place to sleep in the lair so I didnât have to stay in the Haunted Mansion anymore.â
Hades chuckled, the flames on his head crackling. âWell, Isabel, the villainâs league has a very flexible definition of what makes someone part of their team. Itâs not all about being wicked. Sometimes, itâs just about finding people who can bring a bit of unexpected flair. And you, my dear, have certainly brought that.â
Esmeralda nudged Isabel gently. âLooks like youâve made quite the impression after all these months.â
Isabel gave a wry smile. âI guess so,â she shrugs. âThough I must admit, itâs a bit strange having you all so interested in me even though Iâm Mickey and Minnieâs adopted daughter.â She says towards the God.
Hades gave a theatrical bow. âAll part of the fun! And donât worry, we know to keep an eye out for you for Merlinâs worried sake. After all, who knows when you might be needed to shake things up a bit?â
âAll I have been doing is cooking breakfast and making tea for the villains as well as keeping the place clean,â Isabel admits. âAlso I wasnât expecting you to come watch us, I didnât want you to see me all sweaty and oily from practice today.â
âFirst off, greatly appreciated. Second, you already know why. Third, youâre mortal. Iâm not gonna judge you or be disgusted by your sweat, itâs a normal thing for mortal skin.â Hades says in a casual nonchalant tone. âBesides that, hello ladies. Itâs been a long time since we truly saw each other face to face since the good olâ House of Mouse days.â Referred to Belle, Mulan, Esmeralda, and Jasmine before turning to the two new princesses.
âMerida, I presume? Pixarâs Princess,â Hades says to the Scottish redhead. Merida slightly blushes but keeps a bold attitude.
âAye, thatâs me!â She says proudly with a cute little curtsy. âItâs nice to meet you, youâre, um⊠godliness?!?!â Sounding unsure how to title the Greek god. But she received an amused chuckle from him.
âLord Hades,â the god politely corrects her and turns his attention to Raya. âAnd youâre the new princess in the lineup, right? Raya? I saw you during the Once Upon a Studio bit.â
âYes, Iâm Princess Raya,â she says politely, but it is quite awkward how to talk to a deity. âNice to meet you, Hades. And youâre quite taller than I imagined you to be when Meg talked about you.â The other girls snicker in amusement, even Hades was amused as well.
âOh really?! Iâm glad Ms. Nutmeg still talks about me after all these years,â Hades chuckles with a smile, but decides to not get sidetracked. âAlso isnât there another new princess with an âMâ? Wow, the company is killing it with the âMâ names.â
âThat would be Moana. And we now have a new princess, Asha, sheâs not official yet but hopefully, someday she will be,â Belle informs Hades.
âAnd we will welcome her just like the others, official or not,â Jasmine says sweetly.
âThen would it be okay if I tagged along to meet them?â Hades asks curiously. âItâs not every day where a villain hangs out with a group of princesses.â
The princesses didnât know whether or not to let him or if it was okay since heroes and villains usually stay separated. Back then they would mingle, but as time passed with new movies and characters, they had grown distant.
Looked around at each other of who should say something for determination. But Isabel shrugs. âI see why not, and if Merlin or Yen Sid have a problem with it, they can bite me for all I care. Besides, itâs not like youâre doing anything wrong, youâre just joining us to hang out and talk.â
âTrue,â Hades agrees. âAnd Iâll be a good âwiddle villainâ if it keeps those two from getting a knot in their beards for me just being there.â
âBut what about the other villains? Would they be okay with it too?â Jasmine asks Hades curiously, to which the god also shrugs. âThey can bite me too.â Which caused the girls to lightly laugh.
âAlright, you can come hang with us as long as thereâs no funny business,â Mulan says nicely. âIâm sure the other princesses have missed seeing you too.â
âMostly I hope Meg is there. Itâs been a while since I have seen her when she started dating Hercules,â Hades admits. âIt would be nice if we could catch up.â
*Meanwhile*
In a mini castle secluded from Disneytopiaâs main one. The Disney Princesses would be in there to hang out with each other including the non-officials. Currently, in a room secluded from the othersâ activities in the main room, Asha was being mentored by Elsa and Elena. Sheâs also being mentored by The Fairy Godmother since she is one in training, but she was away helping Yen Sid.
Currently, the two older females are helping Asha to learn how to use magic. A stool stood a few feet away from them with a red apple on a plate sitting on top of it. As Asha held her wand firmly, she patiently took her time taking calm, patient measured breaths with her eyes shut. Then Asha opened her eyes, pointing and aiming her wand at the apple.
âMake it green!â She declared. A burst of magic left her wand and hit the apple⊠only to turn it into a lime much to Ashaâs disappointment. Asha sighs in exasperation. âWell, at least you somewhat got it,â Elena says to try to encourage her.
âBut I wanted the apple to turn green, not into a different fruit,â Asha explains then gently puts her free hand on her face. âThis magic stuff is so hard.â
âAnd it is,â Elsa agrees with her, comforting her as well with reassurance. âSometimes magic isnât an easy start for some people.â
âOh really?â Asha asks with slight skepticism, moving her hand to look at Fifth Spirit. âArenât you the one that made an ice castle under one musical number?â Making Elena giggle because Asha just called Elsa out.
âUm, well, about that,â Elsa says nervously but the door to the room entered and Mirabel came in abruptly.
âI apologize for interrupting anything but Princess Tiana says that breakfast will be ready soon,â the Colombian âprincessâ politely informs the three. But she notices Asha looking distressed and upset. Mirabel then becomes worried, her sisterly instincts kick in and she enters the room. âAre you okay, Asha?â She asks her in concern.
âYes and no,â Asha admits with an undertone of frustration. âJust having issues learning magic, itâs harder than it looks.â Then directs toward the apple-turned-lime, sounding a little frantic. âI canât even change a fruitâs color without it changing entirely.â
âOkay, deep breaths Asha,â Mirabel says sweetly and calmly holds Ashaâs free hand. âHereâs some advice from someone in her family who isnât magically gifted,â Mirabel tells her as she comforts Asha with a calming voice. âYou need to let your mind and emotions relax and have patience with yourself and your pacing. Youâre putting too much pressure on yourself mentally by worrying and straining your thoughts if youâre doing something right or not.â
Then Mirabel began the story. âWhen me and my sister Luisa were little, my mama told us the time when Isabela was young and learning how to use her gift. She was so impatient and stressed herself so much that she accidentally created a floral overgrowth in Encanto. She got so worried that Abuela and my mother would be so mad,â Mirabel could see that her story was cheering Asha up.
âThankfully they were both understanding,â Mirabel continued her story. âMom was comforting and Abuela says that Isabela made Encanto a lot more colorful that day. But my mama gave my sister some wisdom of her own: like a plant, she must give her blessing time and patience to be neutered and grow. And just like when a rose grows, she will blossom like her blessing and will create wonderful things with it.â
âSo, from your story, I must allow my magic to be controlled naturally rather than force. With patience rather than straining myself and putting too much pressure on myself from my expectations?â Asha asks the Colombian.
âYes, thatâs one way to put it,â Mirabel says and picks up the lime. âEventually youâll get the hang of it. Accidents come with learning, eventually, youâll figure out your flow with magic.â
Asha smiles, then points and aims her wand at the lime. Magic shoots out and turns the lime back into an apple, a green one. The girls erupt into a cheer for Asha, a moment of celebration she got it right.
But then the apple multiplies itself into many which causes Mirabel to hurriedly try to collect the fallen fruit. So Asha, Elena, and Elsa pick up the fruit on the ground. âI did not intend for this to happen. I wanted the apple to cut itself into slices, not multiply itself.â
âItâs okay, Asha. Besides, you can do a lot of things with apples,â Elena reassured her nicely.
âSometimes accidents have their silver lining,â Elsa adds to Elenaâs statement. âIncluding in magic.â
âWell, at least we have enough apples to make an apple pie,â Asha says as she looks at the brighter side. âTiana will be thrilled.â Then she looks around the room and sees a vase, using her wand, she turns it into a basket to put the apples into, hoping that the vase isnât an expensive one.
âIâll take this to the kitchen,â Mirabel says as she takes the full basket from Asha. âTianaâs going to have a field day with these.â Then she leaves the room. Asha carefully tucks away her wand in a pocket hidden inside her sleeve.
âSo Elsa, you havenât answered my question,â Asha gently prods the snow queen.
âI blame the Disney executives for making my powers look easy,â Elsa explains casually. Elena chuckles humorously before adding her input. âMakes sense, if you had more time like a TV show to develop your powers rather than a few hours, they wouldnât have to âMary Sueâ you a bit to make the plot go by faster.â
âThatâs true,â Asha admits, sounding reasoned by their responses, before pondering. âMakes me wonder how Wish would have turned out if it was a TV show too instead of a movie.â
Then they heard a startled scream and immediately they left the room. What they saw was every princess/queen, except Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana, and Mirabel, looking at the entryway in shock. Princess Eilonwy, Vanellope, and Sofia alongside Alice huddled close to Kida as the Atlantean Queen protected them.
In the entryway stood Hades alongside Belle, Isabel, Merida, Esmeralda, Jasmine, Raya, and Mulan.
âRelax Eilonwy, Iâm not gonna take you to the lich if thatâs what youâre worried about,â Hades says in annoyance from her scream. âHonestly heâs not a fan of me either so I donât bother with that guy.â
They couldnât help but hear ex-Princess Giselle from Andalasia ask Isabel if Hades being here was a good idea. Isabel says she allows it but if Merlin or Yen Sid found out, she didnât care.
âWho is that?â Asha whispered to Elsa in concern as she leaned a bit toward her, but before the Fifth Spirit answered, the God approached them.
âAnd you must be Asha!â He says politely. âThe nameâs Hades, lord of the underworld,â he introduced himself as he held out his hand, to which Asha politely shook it.
âNice to meet you too but how do you know my name and who I am?â She asks the God in curiosity.
âI saw your film, and I want to give my condolences on your box office failure. The company seems to be slacking on effort and not making good movies like they used to,â Hades tells her. âTake my movie for example, I had many people auditioning to voice me with the same idea in mind: dark, deep, and rumbling. But it took one guy, one different voice that changed everything; my character design, my personality, as well as flipping the script on its head. And I have to admit, watching your movie made me cringe so hard that I wanted to throw it in the deepest darkest parts of Tartarus.â
Then recollection came over Asha, remembering his face now as she sheepishly tucked a strand of her cornrow hair behind her ear from just talking to him. âOh right, I remember you, Once Upon a Studio. But yes, I donât blame you, for a movie that was supposed to be a celebration of one hundred years, it fell quite hard on its face,â she admits in embarrassment.
âIt could be worse. At least your movie doesnât have a direct-to-DVD sequel, a TV show, and/or a live-action remake,â Snow pipes up with a slight tinge of annoyance. Hades groans in frustration as he looks at the first princess. âDid you have to bring that one up, Snow?â He asks her before summoning a Greek-styled couch and sitting on it.
The room itself was spacious enough for the couch, despite there already having furniture, designed exactly like the princessâs dressing room from Ralph Breaks the Internet but much larger and with windows as well as hot pink curtains.
âI wouldnât have to if such things didnât exist in the first place. Yet sadly they do,â Snow says in honesty, still sounding annoyed.
âI know what you mean, eight years after my filmâs release, Iâm getting both a sequel and a live-action adaptation,â Moana agrees with Snow White.
Asha looked confused. This is understandable since sheâs only eight months into her existence since her movie debut. âWhat do you mean by that, Snow?â She then asks the fairest princess.
âWell, in the early 90âs. Disney was struggling with competition in the movie industry. With the success of the Winnie the Pooh TV series along with The Little Mermaid and its TV series with Aladdinâs success. They made the first straight-to-DVD movie; Aladdin: Return of Jafar.â Snow explained. âA cheaper movie made which became successful and started a long series of these kinds of movies for over a decade.â
âYeah, I remember Hook being pissed off about them. Although he was happy that he got one and it was released in theaters, it still didnât stop his complaining that Michael Eisner was poisoning the company,â Hades chuckles, remembering what happened in the early 2000s.
âHe was happy when Princess and the Frog came out but started to become stingy with the CGI. Then when the live-action remakes started coming out along with Frozen 2 and other sequel films planned, the company had relit the fuse to his rage that was snuffed out long ago. And now his anger has resurfaced, saying things like âhas this company had learned nothing from Eisnerâ and âif the king was still alive, he would have had none of thisâ. He said the last bit in the past but itâs still funny that he held that grudge.â
âHe was always protective of the kingâs vision before his passing. Sadly the company doesnât seem to care about Waltâs choice of the no sequel rule. Nor the people that helped shape it since numbers of animators are being let go left and right,â Snow says sympathetically. âNor do they care about us, weâre nothing but marketing tools for them instead of just people.â
Then Snow starts crying a little, she was the first character the king accidentally brought to life in the real world. And the first to be close to the king himself. It was sad that the kingdom that was originally built for joy, fun and entertainment was now a money monarchy compared to the vision that Walt truly wanted kids and adults to have.
Before anything else was said, the door to the kitchen was opened by Mirabel. Out came Cinderella holding three waiter trays with many plates and bowls on top of them. One tray on top of each hand and one on top of her head.
âLet me help you out with that,â Anna says politely and gently takes the tray from on top of Cinderellaâs head.
âThank you, Anna. Be careful, the contents are hot and the plates are heavy,â Cinderella informs her. Then the two placed the trays on the coffee table as Aurora and Tiana carried two trays in each of their hands but Tiana had a third tray on her head as well. But this time, Elsa takes it instead of her sister.
âI donât know how you and Cinderella can do that without knocking the tray over,â Elsa says in astonishment.
âWhen youâre living the hard knock life, you got to learn skills to do things that you couldnât do before. Besides, it strengthens the muscles in the neck and you learn how to balance with patience,â Tiana tells the ice queen.
The princesses took their breakfast dishes from each tray and sat on the furniture to eat. And Anna was reluctant to help Tiana collect the carrying trays. The remaining plates that werenât taken had Tianaâs stuffed beignets with either fruit or hazelnut chocolate spread or pudding.
âHello Hades,â Cinderella says politely as she now acknowledges the God in the room with Aurora and Tiana following suit. âWhatâre you doing here?â
âI came to see the new princesses, somewhat using it as an excuse to not go back to my job even if the underworld runs itself,â Hades explains nonchalantly.
âThen do you want me to make you something? You can help yourself to some of the beignets Iâve made?â Tiana politely asks.
âOh, you donât have to, princess,â Hades insists nicely. âIâll gladly take the beignets.â
The moment was peaceful as she and the other princesses ate together with Hades. As she smiled on the inside while filling her mouth, Isabel felt happy to make Hades feel welcome in the most unexpected places heâd never thought he would be.
Hades summoned a metal plate and a pair of reusable chopsticks. He saw Mulan use her chopsticks to grab a beignet and place it on top of her bowl of congee, so he decided to do the same. Sure, levitation is an option but for once he decided to do something humane and normal.
âSo, Hades, have you and the others met King Magnifico?â Asha asks curiously.
âNot yet,â Hades says casually, leaning back on the furniture comfortably before taking a bite of beignet.
âThey have been putting it off for a while,â Isabel adds as she gets comfortable sitting between Ariel and Rapunzel. âWith the reconstruction of the Villainâs Lair that got destroyed, and Hook being Hook, they havenât gotten around to it.â Asha then gives Isabel a confused look at the last bit, so Isabel explains.
âHeâs protective of the kingdom that Walt build as we mentioned prior. The day that we watched your film, aside from how bad we cringed and with Hookâs banter, he seemed worried about King Magnifico. Sitting on the fence, believing every man deserves a chance but at the same time, King Magnifico is different than the others. He is royalty with sorcery, and a human.â
âAnd?â Asha says as she doesnât understand what the deal was. âWhatâs wrong with that?â
âWhat Isabel is saying that none of us had a life like King Magnificoâs,â Hades explains as she now takes over for Isabel. âThose of us gifted with powers or not, like moi, were often shunned from society and treated as an outcast or a demonic evil figure. And those that do have magic arenât human, or arenât human anymore in Jafarâs case. So to see a normal human man wielding magic and ruling a kingdom while being beloved by his own society, then immediately going crazy because of you, Asha, and try to regain control over the kingdom by force. It raised a lot of red flags for us, because none of the recent CGI villains had gave us any issues until we saw him.â
âSo, youâre afraid that he might do the same to you guys?â Asha then asks curiously.
Hades lightly chuckles. âNot afraid, just avoiding unnecessary casualties. But today is the day that we finally introduce King Magnifico to our ranks. We have decided that it would be best to get it over with rather than it never happening and making him feel outcasted from us like he doesnât belong.â
âJust be careful and donât do what I did,â Asha confesses. âIf I had known what he would be capable of after opening myself to him, I wouldnât have told him anything just to protect my family.â
âThanks for the advice but weâre not very touchy-feely like that. Sure we developed a sense of trust within our group and to be open to each other, but not like this,â Hades confesses as he gestures to the many females in the room. âWeâre not that open to the new people.â
Which Isabel nodded in confirmation. The villains arenât very mushy with their feelings compared to the Princesses. They prefer to be open to those that they trust and are close with but they do keep their privacy of thoughts and feelings until they decide to share.
After breakfast, Isabel took a shower and changed into regular clothes. As she and Hades were about to walk out, Isabelâs foster siblings, Rachel and Kairi, entered. They were surprised to see Hades with the princesses.
âIsabel J. Mouse!â Rachel exclaims which Isabel smiles in response.
âHey Rachel! Hi Kairi! We were just leaving, bye!â Isabel says hurriedly, giving her foster siblings a hug before they left.
âSheâs a nutcase,â Kairi laughs which Rachel just nods.
Hey everyone, this story took a longer time to produce. A previous project had taken up a lot of my time which made me have to rethink my story plans if I donât want to exhaust myself and give myself writerâs block faster. đ«Ł
But I have more stories planned for September and October. I just hope work, procrastination and life doesnât kick my ass about it. Because I want Part Two to be longer and include the villains.
Chapter Two: Meeting Asha and King Magnifico (Unfinished)
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The August sun cast a golden sheen over the lush green meadows of the castle grounds, its warmth a welcome embrace as the day began. The air was filled with the rhythmic thud of arrows hitting wooden targets, accompanied by the occasional whinny of horses and hoof beats.
Merida, her fiery hair flowing in the breeze, adjusted her bow with a determined smug. Angus, her loyal steed, stamped his hooves restlessly beneath her. "Alright, Angus, letâs show âem what weâre made of!" she encouraged, drawing her bowstring with a practiced ease.
Nearby, Mulan, dressed in her fatherâs armor with her hair up, expertly guided Khan through a series of precise maneuvers. âRemember, Khan, aim true and steady,â she said, her voice a calm contrast to the intensity of her focus. Khan snorted, nodding as if he understood perfectly.
Belle, perched gracefully atop Phillipe, was engaged in a friendly competition with Raya. Instead of her normal white and blue dress, she was dressed in a rose red archery outfit with yellow trims in the same shade of her princess dress.
âBelle, are you sure Phillipe is up for this?â Raya teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Tuk Tuk, her not-so-horsey companion, rolled beside the brunette.
Belle smiled, drawing another arrow. âPhillipeâs more than capable. Itâs me you should worry about!â
Isabel, riding Gladiator, joined the banter with a laugh. âYou all talk a good game, but Iâm about to show you how itâs done!â She aimed and released an arrow with a confident flick of her wrist.
At that moment, Esmeralda rode into view, astride Achilles, Phoebusâs trusty steed. She offered a radiant smile as she expertly drew her bow, her normal attire replaced by an outfit similar to Belleâs but purple instead of green. âSorry Iâm late, everyone. Achilles and I had to get in a bit of practice ourselves.â
The arrows whizzed through the air, each princess displaying their unique skills with each bow snapping. The sun-drenched morning was alive with friendly rivalry. As each arrow struck its mark, laughter filled the air, mingling with the cheerful sounds of the kingdom waking up to a new day.
While the princesses continued their archery practice on horseback, a sudden burst of excitement and a shimmering flash of color drew their attention skyward. Princess Jasmine soared into view, standing effortlessly on the magic carpet, a mischievous grin on her face.
With a flourish, Jasmine produced a set of gleaming knives and began hurling them toward the wooden targets with precision. Each blade struck its mark with a satisfying thud, eliciting gasps of awe and a few chuckles from the other princesses.
Merida raised an eyebrow, her free hand resting on her hip. âWell, isnât someone fancy. You do know weâre practicing archery, right?â
Jasmine laughed, twirling a knife in the air before catching it deftly. âI thought Iâd add a little flair to the morning! Besides, itâs not like you all are using magic carpets. Try doing archery from up here!â
Mulan shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. âI think weâll pass. I donât see any carpets in the stables, after all.â
Belle joined in, a teasing glint in her eye. âYouâre just trying to show off, Jasmine. We all know your real talent lies in making an entrance.â
Esmeralda, riding Achilles, chuckled as she observed Jasmineâs performance. âWell, Jasmine, if you keep this up, we might have to start calling you âThe Queen of Aerial Arts.â Iâd love to see anyone else top this!â
Jasmineâs eyes sparkled with amusement. âWell, if you think youâre up for the challenge, Iâd love to see you try archery from a magic carpet. Until then, Iâll keep my showmanship to myself.â
Isabel nudged Gladiator and laughed. âI donât think any of us are brave enough to take you up on that. But for now, keep those knives coming. Itâs not every day we get a front-row seat to your aerial acrobatics!â
With that, Jasmine executed a graceful spin, her magic carpet swirling beneath her as she continued her impressive display. The other princesses couldnât help but cheer her on, their earlier competition forgotten in the face of such spectacular showmanship.
After a good hour of practice, the princesses guided their steeds into the stables, exchanging laughs and friendly jabs about who had the best aim. Jasmine's magic carpet hovered beside her as the group walked back to the castle.
âI see that your archery skills are getting better, Belle,â Raya compliments her as the group walks. Which Belle feels appreciated and a little bashful.
âWell, I do have the best teachers,â Belle compliments Raya. âYou and Ms-hero-of-China here.â Which causes laughter between the two. âBut mostly I wonder what Tiana, Cinderella, and Aurora are cooking up for lunch,â Belle mused, wiping sweat from her brow. âAfter all, this practice sure works up an appetite.â
âMaybe something with a bit of spice,â Esmeralda suggested, âconsidering Tianaâs knack for amazing dishes.â
As they rounded a corner, a sudden swirl of dark smoke materialized in front of them, revealing Hades, the god of the underworld. He clapped his hands together in exaggerated applause, a sly grin spreading across his face.
âBravo, ladies! Bravo! I have to say, Iâve never seen archery quite like that,â Hades said, his fiery head flames flickering with amusement.
âWell, thatâs a surprise,â Mulan said, raising an eyebrow. âWhat brings you here, Hades?â
Hades shrugged nonchalantly, his grin widening. âOh, just thought Iâd check out the local entertainment. The underworldâs running itself, so I had a bit of free time. And letâs be honest, watching you all was way more fun than managing the endless torments.â
Isabel, feeling a tinge of embarrassment, stepped forward. âWhy were you specifically watching us? And donât you have an underworld to run?â
Hades flicked a hand dismissively. âLike I said, the underworld mostly runs itself, you know. I came to see how our newest recruit was faring.â His gaze rested on Isabel. âI noticed you werenât in the villainâs lair this morning. Thought Iâd see whatâs going on.â
Isabel looked puzzled from Hadesâs comment. âRecruitment? But Iâm not evil like the rest of you,â she says honestly to clarify. âSure I helped save you and the other villains from being under a curse for so long as well as saved the Disneyverse and reality from destruction of two witches, not single handedly of course. Both you and Maleficent even offered me a place to sleep in the lair so I didnât have to stay in the Haunted Mansion anymore.â
Hades chuckled, the flames on his head crackling. âWell, Isabel, the villainsâ league has a very flexible definition of what makes someone part of their team. Itâs not all about being wicked. Sometimes, itâs just about finding people who can bring a bit of unexpected flair. And you, my dear, have certainly brought that.â
Esmeralda nudged Isabel gently. âLooks like youâve made quite the impression after all these months.â
Isabel gave a wry smile. âI guess so,â she shrugs. âThough, I must admit, itâs a bit strange having you all so interested in me even though Iâm Mickey and Minnieâs adopted daughter.â She says towards the God.
Hades gave a theatrical bow. âAll part of the fun! And donât worry, we know to keep an eye out for you for Merlinâs worried sake. After all, who knows when you might be needed to shake things up a bit?â
âAll I have been doing is cooking breakfast and making tea for the villains as well as keeping the place clean,â Isabel admits. âAlso I wasnât expecting you to come watch us, I didnât want you to see me all sweaty and oily from practice today.â
âFirst off, greatly appreciated. Second, you already know why. Third, youâre mortal. Iâm not gonna judge you or be disgusted by your sweat, itâs a normal thing for mortal skin.â Hades says in a casual nonchalant tone. âBesides that, hello ladies. Itâs been a long time we truly saw each other face to face since the good olâ House of Mouse days.â Referring to Belle, Mulan, Esmeralda and Jasmine before turning to the two new princess.
âMerida, I presume? Pixarâs Princess,â Hades says to the Scottish red head. Merida slightly blushes but keeps a bold attitude.
âAye, thatâs me!â She says proudly with a little curtsy. âItâs nice to meet you, youâre, um⊠godliness?!?!â Sounding unsure how to title the Greek god. But she received an amused chuckle from him.
âLord Hades,â the god politely corrects her and turns his attention to Raya. âAnd youâre the new princess in the lineup, right? Raya? I saw you during the Once Upon a Studio bit.â
âYes, Iâm princess Raya,â she says politely, but was quite awkward how to talk to a deity. âNice to meet you, Hades. And youâre quite taller than I imagined you to be when Meg talked about you.â The other girls snickers in amusement, even Hades was amused as well.
âOh really?! Iâm glad Ms. Nutmeg still talks about me after all these years,â Hades chuckles with a smile, but decides to not get sidetracked. âAlso isnât there another new princess with an âMâ? Wow, the company is really killing it with the âMâ names.â
âThat would be Moana. And we now have a new princess, Asha, sheâs not official yet but hopefully someday she will be,â Belle informs Hades.
âAnd we will welcome her just like the others, official or not,â Jasmine says sweetly.
âThen would it be okay I tagged along to meet them?â Hades asks curiously. âItâs not everyday where a villain hangs out with a group of princesses.â
The princesses didnât know whether or not to let him nor if it was okay since heroes and villains usually stay separated. Looking around at each other of who should say something for determination. But Isabel shrugs. âI see why not, and if Merlin or Yen Sid have a problem with it, they can bite me for all I care. Besides, itâs not like youâre doing anything wrong, youâre just joining us to hang out and talk.â
âTrue,â Hades agrees. âAnd Iâll be a good widdle vwillain if it keeps those two from getting a knot in their beards for me just being there.â
âBut what about the other villains? Would they be okay with it too?â Jasmine asks Hades, to which the god also shrugs. âThey can bite me too.â Which caused the girls to lightly laugh.
âAlright, you can come hang with us as long as thereâs no funny business,â Mulan says nicely. âIâm sure the other princesses have missed seeing you too.â
âMostly I hope Meg is there. Itâs been a while since I have seen her since she started dating Hercules,â Hades admits. âIt would be nice if we could catch up.â
*Meanwhile*
In a mini castle secluded from Disneytopiaâs main one. The Disney Princesses would be in there to hang out with each other including the non-officials. Currently in a room secluded from the othersâ activities in the main room, Asha was being mentored by Elsa and Elena. Sheâs also being mentored by The Fairy Godmother since she is one in training, but she was away helping Yen Sid.
Currently the two older females were helping Asha to learn how to use magic. A stool stood a few feet away from them with a red apple on a plate sitting on top of it. As Asha held her wand firmly, she patiently took her time taking calm, patient measured breaths with her eyes shut. Then Asha opened her eyes, pointing and aiming her wand onto the apple.
âMake it green!â She declared. A burst of magic left her wand and hit the apple⊠only to turn it into a lime much to Ashaâs disappointment. Asha sighs in exasperation. âWell, at least you somewhat got it,â Elena says to try to encourage her.
âBut I wanted the apple to turn green, not into a different fruit,â Asha explains then gently puts her free hand on her face. âThis magic stuff is so hard.â
âAnd it is,â Elsa agrees with her, comforting her as well with reassurance. âSometimes magic isnât an easy start for some people.â
âOh really?â Asha asks with slight skepticism, moving her hand to look at Fifth Spirit. âArenât you the one that made an ice castle under one musical number?â Making Elena giggle because Asha just called Elsa out.
âUm, well, about that,â Elsa says nervously but the door to the room entered and Mirabel came in abruptly.
âI apologize for interrupting anything but Princess Tiana says that breakfast will be ready soon,â the Colombian âprincessâ politely informs the three. But she notices Asha looking distressed and upset. Mirabel then becomes worried and her sisterly instincts kick in and she enters the room. âAre you okay, Asha?â She asks her in concern.
âYes and no,â Asha admits. âJust having issues learning magic, itâs harder than it looks.â Then directs towards the apple turned lime, sounding a little frantic. âI canât even change a fruitâs color without it changing entirely.â
âOkay, deep breaths Asha,â Mirabel says and calmly holds Ashaâs free hand. âHereâs some advice from someone in her family who isnât magically gifted,â Mirabel tells her as she comforts Asha with a calming voice. âYou need to let your mind and emotions relax and have patience with yourself and your pacing. Youâre putting too much pressure on yourself mentally by worrying and straining your thoughts if youâre doing something right or not.â
Then Mirabel began the story. âWhen me and my sister Luisa were little, my mama told us the time when Isabela was young and learning how to use her gift. She was so impatient and stressed herself so much that she accidentally created a floral overgrowth in Encanto. She got so worried that Abuela and my mother would be so mad,â Mirabel could see that her story was cheering Asha up.
âThankfully they were both understanding,â Mirabel continued her story. âMom was comforting and Abuela says that Isabela made Encanto a lot more colorful that day. But my mama gave my sister some wisdom of her own: like a plant, she must give her blessing time and patience to be neutered and grow. And just like when a rose grows, she will blossom like her blessing and will create wonderful things with it.â
âSo, from your story, I must allow my magic to be controlled naturally rather than force. With patience rather than straining myself and putting too much pressure on myself from my expectations?â Asha asks the Colombian.
âYes, thatâs one way to put it,â Mirabel says and picks up the lime. âEventually youâll get the hang of it. Accidents come with learning, eventually youâll figure out your flow with magic.â
Asha smiles, then points and aims her wand at the lime. Magic shoots out and turns the lime back into an apple, a green one. The girls erupt into cheer for Asha, a moment of celebration she got it right.
But then the apple multiplies itself into many which caused Mirabel to hurriedly try to collect the fallen fruit. So Asha, Elena and Elsa pick up the fruit on the ground. âI did not intend for this to happen. I wanted the apple to cut itself into slices, not multiply itself.â
âItâs okay, Asha. Besides, you can do a lot of things with apples,â Elena reassured her.
âSometimes accidents have their own silver lining,â Elsa adds to Elenaâs statement. âIncluding in magic.â
âWell, at least we have enough apples to make an apple pie,â Asha says as she looks at the brighter side. âTiana will definitely be thrilled.â Then she looks around the room and sees a vase, using her wand, she turns it into a basket to put the apples into. While hoping that vase isnât an expensive one.
âIâll take this to the kitchen,â Mirabel says as she takes the full basket from Asha. âTianaâs going to have a field day with these.â Then she leaves the room. Asha carefully tucks away her wand in a pocket hidden inside her sleeve.
âSo Elsa, you havenât answered my question,â Asha gently prods the snow queen.
âI blame the Disney executives for making my powers look easy,â Elsa explains casually. Elena chuckles humorously before adding her input. âMakes sense, if you had more time like a tv show to develop your powers rather than a few hours, they wouldnât have to âMary Sueâ you a bit to make the plot go by faster.â
âThatâs true,â Asha admits, sounding reasoned by their responses, before pondering. âMakes me wonder how Wish would have turned out if it was a tv show too instead of a movie.â
Then they hear a startled scream and immediately they left the room. What they saw was every princess/queen, except Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana and Mirabel, looking at the entryway in shock. Princess Eilonwy, Vanellope and Sofia alongside Alice huddled close to Kida as the Atlantean Queen protects them.
In the entryway stood Hades alongside Belle, Isabel, Merida, Esmeralda, Jasmine, Raya and Mulan.
âRelax Eilonwy, Iâm not gonna take you to the lich if thatâs what youâre worried about,â Hades says in annoyance from her scream. âHonestly heâs not a fan of me either so I donât bother with that guy.â
They couldnât help but hear ex-Princess Giselle from Andalasia ask Isabel if Hades being here was a good idea. Isabel says she allows it but if Merlin or Yen Sid found out, she didnât care.
âWho is that?â Asha whispered to Elsa in concern as she leans a bit to her, but before the Fifth Spirit answered, the God approached them.
âAnd you must be Asha!â He says politely. âThe nameâs Hades, lord of the underworld,â he introduces himself as he held out his hand, to which Asha politely shook it.
âNice to meet you too but how do you know my name and who I am?â She asks the God in curiosity.
âI saw your film, and I want to give my condolences on your box office failure. The company seems to be slacking on effort and not making good movies like they used to,â Hades tells her. âTake my movie for example, I had many people auditioning to voice me with the same idea in mind: dark, deep and rumbling. But it took one guy, one different voice that changed everything; my character design, my personality, as well as flipping the script on its head. And I have to admit, watching your movie made me cringe so hard that I wanted to throw it in the deepest darkest parts of Tartarus.â
Then recollection came over Asha, remembering his face now as she sheepishly tucked a strand of her cornrow hair behind her ear from just talking to him. âOh right, I remember you, Once Upon a Studio. But yes, I donât blame you, for a movie that was supposed to be a celebration of one hundred years, it fell quite hard on its face,â she admits in embarrassment.
âIt could be worse. At least your movie doesnât have a direct to dvd sequel, a tv show and/or a live action remake,â Snow pipes up with a slight tinge of annoyance. Hades groans in frustration as he looks at the first princess. âDid you really have to bring that one up, Snow?â He asks her before summoning a Greek styled couch and sat on it.
The room itself was spacious enough for the couch, despite there already having furniture, designed exactly like the princessâs dressing room from Ralph Breaks the Internet but much larger and with windows as well as hot pink curtains.
âI wouldnât have to if such things didnât exist in the first place. Yet sadly they do,â Snow says in honesty, still sounding annoyed.
âI know what you mean, eight years after my filmâs release, Iâm getting both a sequel and a live action adaptation,â Moana agrees with Snow White.
Asha looked confused. Which is understandable since sheâs only eight months into her existence since her movie debut. âWhat do you mean by that, Snow?â She then asks the fairest princess.
âWell, in the early 90âs. Disney was struggling with competition in the movie industry. With the success of the Winnie the Pooh tv series along with The Little Mermaid and its tv series with Aladdinâs success. They made the first straight to dvd movie; Aladdin: Return of Jafar.â Snow explained. âA cheaper movie made which became successful and started a long series of these kinds of movies for over a decade.â
âYeah, I remember Hook being pissed off about them. Although he was happy that he got one and it was released in theaters, it still didnât stop his complaining that Michael Eisner was poisoning the company,â Hades chuckles, remembering what happened in the early 2000âs. âHe was happy when Princess and the Frog came out but started to become stingy with the CGI. Then when the live action remakes started coming out along with Frozen 2 and other sequel films planned, the company had relit the fuse to his rage that was snuffed out long ago. And now is anger has resurfaced, saying things like âhas this company had learned nothing from Eisnerâ and âif the king was still alive, he would have had none of thisâ. He said the last bit before in the past but itâs still funny that he held that grudge.â
âHe was always protective of the kingâs vision before his passing. Sadly the company doesnât seem to care about Waltâs choice of the no sequel rule. Nor the people that helped shape it since numbers of animators are being let go left and right,â Snow says sympathetically. âNor do they care about us, weâre nothing but marketing tools for them instead of just people.â
Then Snow starts crying a little, she was the first character the king accidentally brought to life in the real world. It was sad that the kingdom that was built was now being a money monarchy compared to the fun and entertainment that Walt truly wanted kids and adults to have.
Before anything else was said, the door to the kitchen was opened by Mirabel. Out came Cinderella holding three waiter trays with many plates and bowls on top of them. One tray on top of each hand and one on top of her head.
âLet me help you out with that,â Anna says politely and gently takes the tray from on top of Cinderellaâs head.
âThank you, Anna. Be careful, the contents are hot and the plates are heavy,â Cinderella informs her. Then the two placed the trays on the coffee table as Aurora and Tiana carried in two trays in each of their hands but Tiana also had a third tray on her head as well. But this time, Elsa takes it instead of her sister.
âI donât know how you and Cinderella can do that without knocking the tray over,â Elsa says in astonishment.
âWhen youâre living the hard knock life, you got to learn skills that you couldnât do before. Besides, it strengthens the muscles in the neck and you learn how to balance with patience,â Tiana tells the ice queen.
The princesses took their breakfast dishes from each tray and sat on the furniture to eat. And Anna was reluctant to help Tiana collect the carrying trays. The remaining plates that werenât taken had Tianaâs stuffed beignets with either fruit or hazelnut-chocolate spread or pudding.
âHello Hades,â Cinderella says politely as she now acknowledges the God in the room with Aurora and Tiana following suit. âWhatâre you doing here?â
âI came to see the new princesses, somewhat using it as an excuse to not go back to my job even if the underworld runs itself,â Hades explains.
âThen do you want me to make you something? You can help yourself to some of the beignets Iâve made?â Tiana politely asks.
âOh, you donât have to, princess,â Hades insists nicely. âIâll gladly take the beignets.â
Iâm sorry for those that have been waiting for this story. I recently been suffering under art block and my life has gotten to me. đą
I hate breaking hopes and shattering promises. It makes me feel bad for providing people something when I couldnât do it. So hopefully youâll see the finished product sometime in September. đ€
For now, I need to get over art block and continue writing. Hope you guys have a good weekend.
Dive into a world of creativity on my Tumblr! Discover fanfiction, original stories, and more, all crafted with passion. Follow along for regular updates and a peek into my imaginative world.
Chapter Two: Meeting Asha and King Magnifico (Unfinished)
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The August sun cast a golden sheen over the lush green meadows of the castle grounds, its warmth a welcome embrace as the day began. The air was filled with the rhythmic thud of arrows hitting wooden targets, accompanied by the occasional whinny of horses and hoof beats.
Merida, her fiery hair flowing in the breeze, adjusted her bow with a determined smug. Angus, her loyal steed, stamped his hooves restlessly beneath her. "Alright, Angus, letâs show âem what weâre made of!" she encouraged, drawing her bowstring with a practiced ease.
Nearby, Mulan, dressed in her fatherâs armor with her hair up, expertly guided Khan through a series of precise maneuvers. âRemember, Khan, aim true and steady,â she said, her voice a calm contrast to the intensity of her focus. Khan snorted, nodding as if he understood perfectly.
Belle, perched gracefully atop Phillipe, was engaged in a friendly competition with Raya. Instead of her normal white and blue dress, she was dressed in a rose red archery outfit with yellow trims in the same shade of her princess dress.
âBelle, are you sure Phillipe is up for this?â Raya teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Tuk Tuk, her not-so-horsey companion, rolled beside the brunette.
Belle smiled, drawing another arrow. âPhillipeâs more than capable. Itâs me you should worry about!â
Isabel, riding Gladiator, joined the banter with a laugh. âYou all talk a good game, but Iâm about to show you how itâs done!â She aimed and released an arrow with a confident flick of her wrist.
At that moment, Esmeralda rode into view, astride Achilles, Phoebusâs trusty steed. She offered a radiant smile as she expertly drew her bow, her normal attire replaced by an outfit similar to Belleâs but purple instead of green. âSorry Iâm late, everyone. Achilles and I had to get in a bit of practice ourselves.â
The arrows whizzed through the air, each princess displaying their unique skills with each bow snapping. The sun-drenched morning was alive with friendly rivalry. As each arrow struck its mark, laughter filled the air, mingling with the cheerful sounds of the kingdom waking up to a new day.
While the princesses continued their archery practice on horseback, a sudden burst of excitement and a shimmering flash of color drew their attention skyward. Princess Jasmine soared into view, standing effortlessly on the magic carpet, a mischievous grin on her face.
With a flourish, Jasmine produced a set of gleaming knives and began hurling them toward the wooden targets with precision. Each blade struck its mark with a satisfying thud, eliciting gasps of awe and a few chuckles from the other princesses.
Merida raised an eyebrow, her free hand resting on her hip. âWell, isnât someone fancy. You do know weâre practicing archery, right?â
Jasmine laughed, twirling a knife in the air before catching it deftly. âI thought Iâd add a little flair to the morning! Besides, itâs not like you all are using magic carpets. Try doing archery from up here!â
Mulan shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. âI think weâll pass. I donât see any carpets in the stables, after all.â
Belle joined in, a teasing glint in her eye. âYouâre just trying to show off, Jasmine. We all know your real talent lies in making an entrance.â
Esmeralda, riding Achilles, chuckled as she observed Jasmineâs performance. âWell, Jasmine, if you keep this up, we might have to start calling you âThe Queen of Aerial Arts.â Iâd love to see anyone else top this!â
Jasmineâs eyes sparkled with amusement. âWell, if you think youâre up for the challenge, Iâd love to see you try archery from a magic carpet. Until then, Iâll keep my showmanship to myself.â
Isabel nudged Gladiator and laughed. âI donât think any of us are brave enough to take you up on that. But for now, keep those knives coming. Itâs not every day we get a front-row seat to your aerial acrobatics!â
With that, Jasmine executed a graceful spin, her magic carpet swirling beneath her as she continued her impressive display. The other princesses couldnât help but cheer her on, their earlier competition forgotten in the face of such spectacular showmanship.
After a good hour of practice, the princesses guided their steeds into the stables, exchanging laughs and friendly jabs about who had the best aim. Jasmine's magic carpet hovered beside her as the group walked back to the castle.
âI see that your archery skills are getting better, Belle,â Raya compliments her as the group walks. Which Belle feels appreciated and a little bashful.
âWell, I do have the best teachers,â Belle compliments Raya. âYou and Ms-hero-of-China here.â Which causes laughter between the two. âBut mostly I wonder what Tiana, Cinderella, and Aurora are cooking up for lunch,â Belle mused, wiping sweat from her brow. âAfter all, this practice sure works up an appetite.â
âMaybe something with a bit of spice,â Esmeralda suggested, âconsidering Tianaâs knack for amazing dishes.â
As they rounded a corner, a sudden swirl of dark smoke materialized in front of them, revealing Hades, the god of the underworld. He clapped his hands together in exaggerated applause, a sly grin spreading across his face.
âBravo, ladies! Bravo! I have to say, Iâve never seen archery quite like that,â Hades said, his fiery head flames flickering with amusement.
âWell, thatâs a surprise,â Mulan said, raising an eyebrow. âWhat brings you here, Hades?â
Hades shrugged nonchalantly, his grin widening. âOh, just thought Iâd check out the local entertainment. The underworldâs running itself, so I had a bit of free time. And letâs be honest, watching you all was way more fun than managing the endless torments.â
Isabel, feeling a tinge of embarrassment, stepped forward. âWhy were you specifically watching us? And donât you have an underworld to run?â
Hades flicked a hand dismissively. âLike I said, the underworld mostly runs itself, you know. I came to see how our newest recruit was faring.â His gaze rested on Isabel. âI noticed you werenât in the villainâs lair this morning. Thought Iâd see whatâs going on.â
Isabel looked puzzled from Hadesâs comment. âRecruitment? But Iâm not evil like the rest of you,â she says honestly to clarify. âSure I helped save you and the other villains from being under a curse for so long as well as saved the Disneyverse and reality from destruction of two witches, not single handedly of course. Both you and Maleficent even offered me a place to sleep in the lair so I didnât have to stay in the Haunted Mansion anymore.â
Hades chuckled, the flames on his head crackling. âWell, Isabel, the villainsâ league has a very flexible definition of what makes someone part of their team. Itâs not all about being wicked. Sometimes, itâs just about finding people who can bring a bit of unexpected flair. And you, my dear, have certainly brought that.â
Esmeralda nudged Isabel gently. âLooks like youâve made quite the impression after all these months.â
Isabel gave a wry smile. âI guess so,â she shrugs. âThough, I must admit, itâs a bit strange having you all so interested in me even though Iâm Mickey and Minnieâs adopted daughter.â She says towards the God.
Hades gave a theatrical bow. âAll part of the fun! And donât worry, we know to keep an eye out for you for Merlinâs worried sake. After all, who knows when you might be needed to shake things up a bit?â
âAll I have been doing is cooking breakfast and making tea for the villains as well as keeping the place clean,â Isabel admits. âAlso I wasnât expecting you to come watch us, I didnât want you to see me all sweaty and oily from practice today.â
âFirst off, greatly appreciated. Second, you already know why. Third, youâre mortal. Iâm not gonna judge you or be disgusted by your sweat, itâs a normal thing for mortal skin.â Hades says in a casual nonchalant tone. âBesides that, hello ladies. Itâs been a long time we truly saw each other face to face since the good olâ House of Mouse days.â Referring to Belle, Mulan, Esmeralda and Jasmine before turning to the two new princess.
âMerida, I presume? Pixarâs Princess,â Hades says to the Scottish red head. Merida slightly blushes but keeps a bold attitude.
âAye, thatâs me!â She says proudly with a little curtsy. âItâs nice to meet you, youâre, um⊠godliness?!?!â Sounding unsure how to title the Greek god. But she received an amused chuckle from him.
âLord Hades,â the god politely corrects her and turns his attention to Raya. âAnd youâre the new princess in the lineup, right? Raya? I saw you during the Once Upon a Studio bit.â
âYes, Iâm princess Raya,â she says politely, but was quite awkward how to talk to a deity. âNice to meet you, Hades. And youâre quite taller than I imagined you to be when Meg talked about you.â The other girls snickers in amusement, even Hades was amused as well.
âOh really?! Iâm glad Ms. Nutmeg still talks about me after all these years,â Hades chuckles with a smile, but decides to not get sidetracked. âAlso isnât there another new princess with an âMâ? Wow, the company is really killing it with the âMâ names.â
âThat would be Moana. And we now have a new princess, Asha, sheâs not official yet but hopefully someday she will be,â Belle informs Hades.
âAnd we will welcome her just like the others, official or not,â Jasmine says sweetly.
âThen would it be okay I tagged along to meet them?â Hades asks curiously. âItâs not everyday where a villain hangs out with a group of princesses.â
The princesses didnât know whether or not to let him nor if it was okay since heroes and villains usually stay separated. Looking around at each other of who should say something for determination. But Isabel shrugs. âI see why not, and if Merlin or Yen Sid have a problem with it, they can bite me for all I care. Besides, itâs not like youâre doing anything wrong, youâre just joining us to hang out and talk.â
âTrue,â Hades agrees. âAnd Iâll be a good widdle vwillain if it keeps those two from getting a knot in their beards for me just being there.â
âBut what about the other villains? Would they be okay with it too?â Jasmine asks Hades, to which the god also shrugs. âThey can bite me too.â Which caused the girls to lightly laugh.
âAlright, you can come hang with us as long as thereâs no funny business,â Mulan says nicely. âIâm sure the other princesses have missed seeing you too.â
âMostly I hope Meg is there. Itâs been a while since I have seen her since she started dating Hercules,â Hades admits. âIt would be nice if we could catch up.â
*Meanwhile*
In a mini castle secluded from Disneytopiaâs main one. The Disney Princesses would be in there to hang out with each other including the non-officials. Currently in a room secluded from the othersâ activities in the main room, Asha was being mentored by Elsa and Elena. Sheâs also being mentored by The Fairy Godmother since she is one in training, but she was away helping Yen Sid.
Currently the two older females were helping Asha to learn how to use magic. A stool stood a few feet away from them with a red apple on a plate sitting on top of it. As Asha held her wand firmly, she patiently took her time taking calm, patient measured breaths with her eyes shut. Then Asha opened her eyes, pointing and aiming her wand onto the apple.
âMake it green!â She declared. A burst of magic left her wand and hit the apple⊠only to turn it into a lime much to Ashaâs disappointment. Asha sighs in exasperation. âWell, at least you somewhat got it,â Elena says to try to encourage her.
âBut I wanted the apple to turn green, not into a different fruit,â Asha explains then gently puts her free hand on her face. âThis magic stuff is so hard.â
âAnd it is,â Elsa agrees with her, comforting her as well with reassurance. âSometimes magic isnât an easy start for some people.â
âOh really?â Asha asks with slight skepticism, moving her hand to look at Fifth Spirit. âArenât you the one that made an ice castle under one musical number?â Making Elena giggle because Asha just called Elsa out.
âUm, well, about that,â Elsa says nervously but the door to the room entered and Mirabel came in abruptly.
âI apologize for interrupting anything but Princess Tiana says that breakfast will be ready soon,â the Colombian âprincessâ politely informs the three. But she notices Asha looking distressed and upset. Mirabel then becomes worried and her sisterly instincts kick in and she enters the room. âAre you okay, Asha?â She asks her in concern.
âYes and no,â Asha admits. âJust having issues learning magic, itâs harder than it looks.â Then directs towards the apple turned lime, sounding a little frantic. âI canât even change a fruitâs color without it changing entirely.â
âOkay, deep breaths Asha,â Mirabel says and calmly holds Ashaâs free hand. âHereâs some advice from someone in her family who isnât magically gifted,â Mirabel tells her as she comforts Asha with a calming voice. âYou need to let your mind and emotions relax and have patience with yourself and your pacing. Youâre putting too much pressure on yourself mentally by worrying and straining your thoughts if youâre doing something right or not.â
Then Mirabel began the story. âWhen me and my sister Luisa were little, my mama told us the time when Isabela was young and learning how to use her gift. She was so impatient and stressed herself so much that she accidentally created a floral overgrowth in Encanto. She got so worried that Abuela and my mother would be so mad,â Mirabel could see that her story was cheering Asha up.
âThankfully they were both understanding,â Mirabel continued her story. âMom was comforting and Abuela says that Isabela made Encanto a lot more colorful that day. But my mama gave my sister some wisdom of her own: like a plant, she must give her blessing time and patience to be neutered and grow. And just like when a rose grows, she will blossom like her blessing and will create wonderful things with it.â
âSo, from your story, I must allow my magic to be controlled naturally rather than force. With patience rather than straining myself and putting too much pressure on myself from my expectations?â Asha asks the Colombian.
âYes, thatâs one way to put it,â Mirabel says and picks up the lime. âEventually youâll get the hang of it. Accidents come with learning, eventually youâll figure out your flow with magic.â
Asha smiles, then points and aims her wand at the lime. Magic shoots out and turns the lime back into an apple, a green one. The girls erupt into cheer for Asha, a moment of celebration she got it right.
But then the apple multiplies itself into many which caused Mirabel to hurriedly try to collect the fallen fruit. So Asha, Elena and Elsa pick up the fruit on the ground. âI did not intend for this to happen. I wanted the apple to cut itself into slices, not multiply itself.â
âItâs okay, Asha. Besides, you can do a lot of things with apples,â Elena reassured her.
âSometimes accidents have their own silver lining,â Elsa adds to Elenaâs statement. âIncluding in magic.â
âWell, at least we have enough apples to make an apple pie,â Asha says as she looks at the brighter side. âTiana will definitely be thrilled.â Then she looks around the room and sees a vase, using her wand, she turns it into a basket to put the apples into. While hoping that vase isnât an expensive one.
âIâll take this to the kitchen,â Mirabel says as she takes the full basket from Asha. âTianaâs going to have a field day with these.â Then she leaves the room. Asha carefully tucks away her wand in a pocket hidden inside her sleeve.
âSo Elsa, you havenât answered my question,â Asha gently prods the snow queen.
âI blame the Disney executives for making my powers look easy,â Elsa explains casually. Elena chuckles humorously before adding her input. âMakes sense, if you had more time like a tv show to develop your powers rather than a few hours, they wouldnât have to âMary Sueâ you a bit to make the plot go by faster.â
âThatâs true,â Asha admits, sounding reasoned by their responses, before pondering. âMakes me wonder how Wish would have turned out if it was a tv show too instead of a movie.â
Then they hear a startled scream and immediately they left the room. What they saw was every princess/queen, except Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana and Mirabel, looking at the entryway in shock. Princess Eilonwy, Vanellope and Sofia alongside Alice huddled close to Kida as the Atlantean Queen protects them.
In the entryway stood Hades alongside Belle, Isabel, Merida, Esmeralda, Jasmine, Raya and Mulan.
âRelax Eilonwy, Iâm not gonna take you to the lich if thatâs what youâre worried about,â Hades says in annoyance from her scream. âHonestly heâs not a fan of me either so I donât bother with that guy.â
They couldnât help but hear ex-Princess Giselle from Andalasia ask Isabel if Hades being here was a good idea. Isabel says she allows it but if Merlin or Yen Sid found out, she didnât care.
âWho is that?â Asha whispered to Elsa in concern as she leans a bit to her, but before the Fifth Spirit answered, the God approached them.
âAnd you must be Asha!â He says politely. âThe nameâs Hades, lord of the underworld,â he introduces himself as he held out his hand, to which Asha politely shook it.
âNice to meet you too but how do you know my name and who I am?â She asks the God in curiosity.
âI saw your film, and I want to give my condolences on your box office failure. The company seems to be slacking on effort and not making good movies like they used to,â Hades tells her. âTake my movie for example, I had many people auditioning to voice me with the same idea in mind: dark, deep and rumbling. But it took one guy, one different voice that changed everything; my character design, my personality, as well as flipping the script on its head. And I have to admit, watching your movie made me cringe so hard that I wanted to throw it in the deepest darkest parts of Tartarus.â
Then recollection came over Asha, remembering his face now as she sheepishly tucked a strand of her cornrow hair behind her ear from just talking to him. âOh right, I remember you, Once Upon a Studio. But yes, I donât blame you, for a movie that was supposed to be a celebration of one hundred years, it fell quite hard on its face,â she admits in embarrassment.
âIt could be worse. At least your movie doesnât have a direct to dvd sequel, a tv show and/or a live action remake,â Snow pipes up with a slight tinge of annoyance. Hades groans in frustration as he looks at the first princess. âDid you really have to bring that one up, Snow?â He asks her before summoning a Greek styled couch and sat on it.
The room itself was spacious enough for the couch, despite there already having furniture, designed exactly like the princessâs dressing room from Ralph Breaks the Internet but much larger and with windows as well as hot pink curtains.
âI wouldnât have to if such things didnât exist in the first place. Yet sadly they do,â Snow says in honesty, still sounding annoyed.
âI know what you mean, eight years after my filmâs release, Iâm getting both a sequel and a live action adaptation,â Moana agrees with Snow White.
Asha looked confused. Which is understandable since sheâs only eight months into her existence since her movie debut. âWhat do you mean by that, Snow?â She then asks the fairest princess.
âWell, in the early 90âs. Disney was struggling with competition in the movie industry. With the success of the Winnie the Pooh tv series along with The Little Mermaid and its tv series with Aladdinâs success. They made the first straight to dvd movie; Aladdin: Return of Jafar.â Snow explained. âA cheaper movie made which became successful and started a long series of these kinds of movies for over a decade.â
âYeah, I remember Hook being pissed off about them. Although he was happy that he got one and it was released in theaters, it still didnât stop his complaining that Michael Eisner was poisoning the company,â Hades chuckles, remembering what happened in the early 2000âs. âHe was happy when Princess and the Frog came out but started to become stingy with the CGI. Then when the live action remakes started coming out along with Frozen 2 and other sequel films planned, the company had relit the fuse to his rage that was snuffed out long ago. And now is anger has resurfaced, saying things like âhas this company had learned nothing from Eisnerâ and âif the king was still alive, he would have had none of thisâ. He said the last bit before in the past but itâs still funny that he held that grudge.â
âHe was always protective of the kingâs vision before his passing. Sadly the company doesnât seem to care about Waltâs choice of the no sequel rule. Nor the people that helped shape it since numbers of animators are being let go left and right,â Snow says sympathetically. âNor do they care about us, weâre nothing but marketing tools for them instead of just people.â
Then Snow starts crying a little, she was the first character the king accidentally brought to life in the real world. It was sad that the kingdom that was built was now being a money monarchy compared to the fun and entertainment that Walt truly wanted kids and adults to have.
Before anything else was said, the door to the kitchen was opened by Mirabel. Out came Cinderella holding three waiter trays with many plates and bowls on top of them. One tray on top of each hand and one on top of her head.
âLet me help you out with that,â Anna says politely and gently takes the tray from on top of Cinderellaâs head.
âThank you, Anna. Be careful, the contents are hot and the plates are heavy,â Cinderella informs her. Then the two placed the trays on the coffee table as Aurora and Tiana carried in two trays in each of their hands but Tiana also had a third tray on her head as well. But this time, Elsa takes it instead of her sister.
âI donât know how you and Cinderella can do that without knocking the tray over,â Elsa says in astonishment.
âWhen youâre living the hard knock life, you got to learn skills that you couldnât do before. Besides, it strengthens the muscles in the neck and you learn how to balance with patience,â Tiana tells the ice queen.
The princesses took their breakfast dishes from each tray and sat on the furniture to eat. And Anna was reluctant to help Tiana collect the carrying trays. The remaining plates that werenât taken had Tianaâs stuffed beignets with either fruit or hazelnut-chocolate spread or pudding.
âHello Hades,â Cinderella says politely as she now acknowledges the God in the room with Aurora and Tiana following suit. âWhatâre you doing here?â
âI came to see the new princesses, somewhat using it as an excuse to not go back to my job even if the underworld runs itself,â Hades explains.
âThen do you want me to make you something? You can help yourself to some of the beignets Iâve made?â Tiana politely asks.
âOh, you donât have to, princess,â Hades insists nicely. âIâll gladly take the beignets.â
The August sun cast a golden sheen over the lush green meadows of the castle grounds, its warmth a welcome embrace as the day began. The air was filled with the rhythmic thud of arrows hitting wooden targets, accompanied by the occasional whinny of horses and hoof beats.
Merida, her fiery hair flowing in the breeze, adjusted her bow with a determined smug. Angus, her loyal steed, stamped his hooves restlessly beneath her. "Alright, Angus, letâs show âem what weâre made of!" she encouraged, drawing her bowstring with a practiced ease.
Nearby, Mulan, dressed in her fatherâs armor with her hair up, expertly guided Khan through a series of precise maneuvers. âRemember, Khan, aim true and steady,â she said, her voice a calm contrast to the intensity of her focus. Khan snorted, nodding as if he understood perfectly.
Belle, perched gracefully atop Phillipe, was engaged in a friendly competition with Raya. Instead of her normal white and blue dress, she was dressed in a rose red archery outfit with yellow trims in the same shade of her princess dress.
âBelle, are you sure Phillipe is up for this?â Raya teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Tuk Tuk, her not-so-horsey companion, rolled beside the brunette.
Belle smiled, drawing another arrow. âPhillipeâs more than capable. Itâs me you should worry about!â
Isabel, riding Gladiator, joined the banter with a laugh. âYou all talk a good game, but Iâm about to show you how itâs done!â She aimed and released an arrow with a confident flick of her wrist.
At that moment, Esmeralda rode into view, astride Achilles, Phoebusâs trusty steed. She offered a radiant smile as she expertly drew her bow, her normal attire replaced by an outfit similar to Belleâs but purple instead of green. âSorry Iâm late, everyone. Achilles and I had to get in a bit of practice ourselves.â
The arrows whizzed through the air, each princess displaying their unique skills with each bow snapping. The sun-drenched morning was alive with friendly rivalry. As each arrow struck its mark, laughter filled the air, mingling with the cheerful sounds of the kingdom waking up to a new day.
While the princesses continued their archery practice on horseback, a sudden burst of excitement and a shimmering flash of color drew their attention skyward. Princess Jasmine soared into view, standing effortlessly on the magic carpet, a mischievous grin on her face.
With a flourish, Jasmine produced a set of gleaming knives and began hurling them toward the wooden targets with precision. Each blade struck its mark with a satisfying thud, eliciting gasps of awe and a few chuckles from the other princesses.
Merida raised an eyebrow, her free hand resting on her hip. âWell, isnât someone fancy. You do know weâre practicing archery, right?â
Jasmine laughed, twirling a knife in the air before catching it deftly. âI thought Iâd add a little flair to the morning! Besides, itâs not like you all are using magic carpets. Try doing archery from up here!â
Mulan shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. âI think weâll pass. I donât see any carpets in the stables, after all.â
Belle joined in, a teasing glint in her eye. âYouâre just trying to show off, Jasmine. We all know your real talent lies in making an entrance.â
Esmeralda, riding Achilles, chuckled as she observed Jasmineâs performance. âWell, Jasmine, if you keep this up, we might have to start calling you âThe Queen of Aerial Arts.â Iâd love to see anyone else top this!â
Jasmineâs eyes sparkled with amusement. âWell, if you think youâre up for the challenge, Iâd love to see you try archery from a magic carpet. Until then, Iâll keep my showmanship to myself.â
Isabel nudged Gladiator and laughed. âI donât think any of us are brave enough to take you up on that. But for now, keep those knives coming. Itâs not every day we get a front-row seat to your aerial acrobatics!â
With that, Jasmine executed a graceful spin, her magic carpet swirling beneath her as she continued her impressive display. The other princesses couldnât help but cheer her on, their earlier competition forgotten in the face of such spectacular showmanship.
After a good hour of practice, the princesses guided their steeds into the stables, exchanging laughs and friendly jabs about who had the best aim. Jasmine's magic carpet hovered beside her as the group walked back to the castle.
âI see that your archery skills are getting better, Belle,â Raya compliments her as the group walks. Which Belle feels appreciated and a little bashful.
âWell, I do have the best teachers,â Belle compliments Raya. âYou and Ms-hero-of-China here.â Which causes laughter between the two. âBut mostly I wonder what Tiana, Cinderella, and Aurora are cooking up for lunch,â Belle mused, wiping sweat from her brow. âAfter all, this practice sure works up an appetite.â
âMaybe something with a bit of spice,â Esmeralda suggested, âconsidering Tianaâs knack for amazing dishes.â
As they rounded a corner, a sudden swirl of dark smoke materialized in front of them, revealing Hades, the god of the underworld. He clapped his hands together in exaggerated applause, a sly grin spreading across his face.
âBravo, ladies! Bravo! I have to say, Iâve never seen archery quite like that,â Hades said, his fiery head flames flickering with amusement.
âWell, thatâs a surprise,â Mulan said, raising an eyebrow. âWhat brings you here, Hades?â
Hades shrugged nonchalantly, his grin widening. âOh, just thought Iâd check out the local entertainment. The underworldâs running itself, so I had a bit of free time. And letâs be honest, watching you all was way more fun than managing the endless torments.â
Isabel, feeling a tinge of embarrassment, stepped forward. âWhy were you specifically watching us? And donât you have an underworld to run?â
Hades flicked a hand dismissively. âLike I said, the underworld mostly runs itself, you know. I came to see how our newest recruit was faring.â His gaze rested on Isabel. âI noticed you werenât in the villainâs lair this morning. Thought Iâd see whatâs going on.â
Isabel looked puzzled from Hadesâs comment. âRecruitment? But Iâm not evil like the rest of you,â she says honestly to clarify. âSure I helped save you and the other villains from being under a curse for so long as well as saved the Disneyverse and reality from destruction of two witches, not single handedly of course. Both you and Maleficent even offered me a place to sleep in the lair so I didnât have to stay in the Haunted Mansion anymore.â
Hades chuckled, the flames on his head crackling. âWell, Isabel, the villainsâ league has a very flexible definition of what makes someone part of their team. Itâs not all about being wicked. Sometimes, itâs just about finding people who can bring a bit of unexpected flair. And you, my dear, have certainly brought that.â
Esmeralda nudged Isabel gently. âLooks like youâve made quite the impression after all these months.â
Isabel gave a wry smile. âI guess so,â she shrugs. âThough, I must admit, itâs a bit strange having you all so interested in me even though Iâm Mickey and Minnieâs adopted daughter.â She says towards the God.
Hades gave a theatrical bow. âAll part of the fun! And donât worry, we know to keep an eye out for you for Merlinâs worried sake. After all, who knows when you might be needed to shake things up a bit?â
âAll I have been doing is cooking breakfast and making tea for the villains as well as keeping the place clean,â Isabel admits. âAlso I wasnât expecting you to come watch us, I didnât want you to see me all sweaty and oily from practice today.â
âFirst off, greatly appreciated. Second, you already know why. Third, youâre mortal. Iâm not gonna judge you or be disgusted by your sweat, itâs a normal thing for mortal skin.â Hades says in a casual nonchalant tone. âBesides that, hello ladies. Itâs been a long time we truly saw each other face to face since the good olâ House of Mouse days.â Referring to Belle, Mulan, Esmeralda and Jasmine before turning to the two new princess.
âMerida, I presume? Pixarâs Princess,â Hades says to the Scottish red head. Merida slightly blushes but keeps a bold attitude.
âAye, thatâs me!â She says proudly with a little curtsy. âItâs nice to meet you, youâre, um⊠godliness?!?!â Sounding unsure how to title the Greek god. But she received an amused chuckle from him.
âLord Hades,â the god politely corrects her and turns his attention to Raya. âAnd youâre the new princess in the lineup, right? Raya? I saw you during the Once Upon a Studio bit.â
âYes, Iâm princess Raya,â she says politely, but was quite awkward how to talk to a deity. âNice to meet you, Hades. And youâre quite taller than I imagined you to be when Meg talked about you.â The other girls snickers in amusement, even Hades was amused as well.
âOh really?! Iâm glad Ms. Nutmeg still talks about me after all these years,â Hades chuckles with a smile, but decides to not get sidetracked. âAlso isnât there another new princess with an âMâ? Wow, the company is really killing it with the âMâ names.â
âThat would be Moana. And we now have a new princess, Asha, sheâs not official yet but hopefully someday she will be,â Belle informs Hades.
âAnd we will welcome her just like the others, official or not,â Jasmine says sweetly.
âThen would it be okay I tagged along to meet them?â Hades asks curiously. âItâs not everyday where a villain hangs out with a group of princesses.â
The princesses didnât know whether or not to let him nor if it was okay since heroes and villains usually stay separated. Looking around at each other of who should say something for determination. But Isabel shrugs. âI see why not, and if Merlin or Yen Sid have a problem with it, they can bite me for all I care. Besides, itâs not like youâre doing anything wrong, youâre just joining us to hang out and talk.â
âTrue,â Hades agrees. âAnd Iâll be a good widdle vwillain if it keeps those two from getting a knot in their beards for me just being there.â
âBut what about the other villains? Would they be okay with it too?â Jasmine asks Hades, to which the god also shrugs. âThey can bite me too.â Which caused the girls to lightly laugh.
âAlright, you can come hang with us as long as thereâs no funny business,â Mulan says nicely. âIâm sure the other princesses have missed seeing you too.â
âMostly I hope Meg is there. Itâs been a while since I have seen her since she started dating Hercules,â Hades admits. âIt would be nice if we could catch up.â
*Meanwhile*
In a mini castle secluded from Disneytopiaâs main one. The Disney Princesses would be in there to hang out with each other including the non-officials. Currently in a room secluded from the othersâ activities in the main room, Asha was being mentored by Elsa and Elena. Sheâs also being mentored by The Fairy Godmother since she is one in training, but she was away helping Yen Sid.
Currently the two older females were helping Asha to learn how to use magic. A stool stood a few feet away from them with a red apple on a plate sitting on top of it. As Asha held her wand firmly, she patiently took her time taking calm, patient measured breaths with her eyes shut. Then Asha opened her eyes, pointing and aiming her wand onto the apple.
âMake it green!â She declared. A burst of magic left her wand and hit the apple⊠only to turn it into a lime much to Ashaâs disappointment. Asha sighs in exasperation. âWell, at least you somewhat got it,â Elena says to try to encourage her.
âBut I wanted the apple to turn green, not into a different fruit,â Asha explains then gently puts her free hand on her face. âThis magic stuff is so hard.â
âAnd it is,â Elsa agrees with her, comforting her as well with reassurance. âSometimes magic isnât an easy start for some people.â
âOh really?â Asha asks with slight skepticism, moving her hand to look at Fifth Spirit. âArenât you the one that made an ice castle under one musical number?â Making Elena giggle because Asha just called Elsa out.
âUm, well, about that,â Elsa says nervously but the door to the room entered and Mirabel came in abruptly.
âI apologize for interrupting anything but Princess Tiana says that breakfast will be ready soon,â the Colombian âprincessâ politely informs the three. But she notices Asha looking distressed and upset. Mirabel then becomes worried and her sisterly instincts kick in and she enters the room. âAre you okay, Asha?â She asks her in concern.
âYes and no,â Asha admits. âJust having issues learning magic, itâs harder than it looks.â Then directs towards the apple turned lime, sounding a little frantic. âI canât even change a fruitâs color without it changing entirely.â
âOkay, deep breaths Asha,â Mirabel says and calmly holds Ashaâs free hand. âHereâs some advice from someone in her family who isnât magically gifted,â Mirabel tells her as she comforts Asha with a calming voice. âYou need to let your mind and emotions relax and have patience with yourself and your pacing. Youâre putting too much pressure on yourself mentally by worrying and straining your thoughts if youâre doing something right or not.â
Then Mirabel began the story. âWhen me and my sister Luisa were little, my mama told us the time when Isabela was young and learning how to use her gift. She was so impatient and stressed herself so much that she accidentally created a floral overgrowth in Encanto. She got so worried that Abuela and my mother would be so mad,â Mirabel could see that her story was cheering Asha up.
âThankfully they were both understanding,â Mirabel continued her story. âMom was comforting and Abuela says that Isabela made Encanto a lot more colorful that day. But my mama gave my sister some wisdom of her own: like a plant, she must give her blessing time and patience to be neutered and grow. And just like when a rose grows, she will blossom like her blessing and will create wonderful things with it.â
âSo, from your story, I must allow my magic to be controlled naturally rather than force. With patience rather than straining myself and putting too much pressure on myself from my expectations?â Asha asks the Colombian.
âYes, thatâs one way to put it,â Mirabel says and picks up the lime. âEventually youâll get the hang of it. Accidents come with learning, eventually youâll figure out your flow with magic.â
Asha smiles, then points and aims her wand at the lime. Magic shoots out and turns the lime back into an apple, a green one. The girls erupt into cheer for Asha, a moment of celebration she got it right.
But then the apple multiplies itself into many which caused Mirabel to hurriedly try to collect the fallen fruit. So Asha, Elena and Elsa pick up the fruit on the ground. âI did not intend for this to happen. I wanted the apple to cut itself into slices, not multiply itself.â
âItâs okay, Asha. Besides, you can do a lot of things with apples,â Elena reassured her.
âSometimes accidents have their own silver lining,â Elsa adds to Elenaâs statement. âIncluding in magic.â
âWell, at least we have enough apples to make an apple pie,â Asha says as she looks at the brighter side. âTiana will definitely be thrilled.â Then she looks around the room and sees a vase, using her wand, she turns it into a basket to put the apples into. While hoping that vase isnât an expensive one.
âIâll take this to the kitchen,â Mirabel says as she takes the full basket from Asha. âTianaâs going to have a field day with these.â Then she leaves the room. Asha carefully tucks away her wand in a pocket hidden inside her sleeve.
âSo Elsa, you havenât answered my question,â Asha gently prods the snow queen.
âI blame the Disney executives for making my powers look easy,â Elsa explains casually. Elena chuckles humorously before adding her input. âMakes sense, if you had more time like a tv show to develop your powers rather than a few hours, they wouldnât have to âMary Sueâ you a bit to make the plot go by faster.â
âThatâs true,â Asha admits, sounding reasoned by their responses, before pondering. âMakes me wonder how Wish would have turned out if it was a tv show too instead of a movie.â
Then they hear a startled scream and immediately they left the room. What they saw was every princess/queen, except Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana and Mirabel, looking at the entryway in shock. Princess Eilonwy, Vanellope and Sofia alongside Alice huddled close to Kida as the Atlantean Queen protects them.
In the entryway stood Hades alongside Belle, Isabel, Merida, Esmeralda, Jasmine, Raya and Mulan.
âRelax Eilonwy, Iâm not gonna take you to the lich if thatâs what youâre worried about,â Hades says in annoyance from her scream. âHonestly heâs not a fan of me either so I donât bother with that guy.â
They couldnât help but hear ex-Princess Giselle from Andalasia ask Isabel if Hades being here was a good idea. Isabel says she allows it but if Merlin or Yen Sid found out, she didnât care.
âWho is that?â Asha whispered to Elsa in concern as she leans a bit to her, but before the Fifth Spirit answered, the God approached them.
âAnd you must be Asha!â He says politely. âThe nameâs Hades, lord of the underworld,â he introduces himself as he held out his hand, to which Asha politely shook it.
âNice to meet you too but how do you know my name and who I am?â She asks the God in curiosity.
âI saw your film, and I want to give my condolences on your box office failure. The company seems to be slacking on effort and not making good movies like they used to,â Hades tells her. âTake my movie for example, I had many people auditioning to voice me with the same idea in mind: dark, deep and rumbling. But it took one guy, one different voice that changed everything; my character design, my personality, as well as flipping the script on its head. And I have to admit, watching your movie made me cringe so hard that I wanted to throw it in the deepest darkest parts of Tartarus.â
Then recollection came over Asha, remembering his face now as she sheepishly tucked a strand of her cornrow hair behind her ear from just talking to him. âOh right, I remember you, Once Upon a Studio. But yes, I donât blame you, for a movie that was supposed to be a celebration of one hundred years, it fell quite hard on its face,â she admits in embarrassment.
âIt could be worse. At least your movie doesnât have a direct to dvd sequel, a tv show and/or a live action remake,â Snow pipes up with a slight tinge of annoyance. Hades groans in frustration as he looks at the first princess. âDid you really have to bring that one up, Snow?â He asks her before summoning a Greek styled couch and sat on it.
The room itself was spacious enough for the couch, despite there already having furniture, designed exactly like the princessâs dressing room from Ralph Breaks the Internet but much larger and with windows as well as hot pink curtains.
âI wouldnât have to if such things didnât exist in the first place. Yet sadly they do,â Snow says in honesty, still sounding annoyed.
âI know what you mean, eight years after my filmâs release, Iâm getting both a sequel and a live action adaptation,â Moana agrees with Snow White.
Asha looked confused. Which is understandable since sheâs only eight months into her existence since her movie debut. âWhat do you mean by that, Snow?â She then asks the fairest princess.
âWell, in the early 90âs. Disney was struggling with competition in the movie industry. With the success of the Winnie the Pooh tv series along with The Little Mermaid and its tv series with Aladdinâs success. They made the first straight to dvd movie; Aladdin: Return of Jafar.â Snow explained. âA cheaper movie made which became successful and started a long series of these kinds of movies for over a decade.â
âYeah, I remember Hook being pissed off about them. Although he was happy that he got one and it was released in theaters, it still didnât stop his complaining that Michael Eisner was poisoning the company,â Hades chuckles, remembering what happened in the early 2000âs. âHe was happy when Princess and the Frog came out but started to become stingy with the CGI. Then when the live action remakes started coming out along with Frozen 2 and other sequel films planned, the company had relit the fuse to his rage that was snuffed out long ago. And now is anger has resurfaced, saying things like âhas this company had learned nothing from Eisnerâ and âif the king was still alive, he would have had none of thisâ. He said the last bit before in the past but itâs still funny that he held that grudge.â
âHe was always protective of the kingâs vision before his passing. Sadly the company doesnât seem to care about Waltâs choice of the no sequel rule. Nor the people that helped shape it since numbers of animators are being let go left and right,â Snow says sympathetically. âNor do they care about us, weâre nothing but marketing tools for them instead of just people.â
Then Snow starts crying, she was the first character the king accidentally brought to life in the real world. It was sad that the kingdom that was built was now being a money monarchy compared to the fun and entertainment that Walt truly wanted kids and adults to have.
The August sun cast a golden sheen over the lush green meadows of the castle grounds, its warmth a welcome embrace as the day began. The air was filled with the rhythmic thud of arrows hitting wooden targets, accompanied by the occasional whinny of horses and hoof beats.
Merida, her fiery hair flowing in the breeze, adjusted her bow with a determined smug. Angus, her loyal steed, stamped his hooves restlessly beneath her. "Alright, Angus, letâs show âem what weâre made of!" she encouraged, drawing her bowstring with a practiced ease.
Nearby, Mulan, dressed in her fatherâs armor with her hair up, expertly guided Khan through a series of precise maneuvers. âRemember, Khan, aim true and steady,â she said, her voice a calm contrast to the intensity of her focus. Khan snorted, nodding as if he understood perfectly.
Belle, perched gracefully atop Phillipe, was engaged in a friendly competition with Raya. Instead of her normal white and blue dress, she was dressed in a rose red archery outfit with yellow trims in the same shade of her princess dress.
âBelle, are you sure Phillipe is up for this?â Raya teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Tuk Tuk, her not-so-horsey companion, rolled beside the brunette.
Belle smiled, drawing another arrow. âPhillipeâs more than capable. Itâs me you should worry about!â
Isabel, riding Gladiator, joined the banter with a laugh. âYou all talk a good game, but Iâm about to show you how itâs done!â She aimed and released an arrow with a confident flick of her wrist.
At that moment, Esmeralda rode into view, astride Achilles, Phoebusâs trusty steed. She offered a radiant smile as she expertly drew her bow, her normal attire replaced by an outfit similar to Belleâs but purple instead of green. âSorry Iâm late, everyone. Achilles and I had to get in a bit of practice ourselves.â
The arrows whizzed through the air, each princess displaying their unique skills with each bow snapping. The sun-drenched morning was alive with friendly rivalry. As each arrow struck its mark, laughter filled the air, mingling with the cheerful sounds of the kingdom waking up to a new day.
While the princesses continued their archery practice, a sudden burst of excitement and a shimmering flash of color drew their attention skyward. Princess Jasmine soared into view, standing effortlessly on the magic carpet, a mischievous grin on her face.
With a flourish, Jasmine produced a set of gleaming knives and began hurling them toward the wooden targets with precision. Each blade struck its mark with a satisfying thud, eliciting gasps of awe and a few chuckles from the other princesses.
Merida raised an eyebrow, her free hand resting on her hip. âWell, isnât someone fancy. You do know weâre practicing archery, right?â
Jasmine laughed, twirling a knife in the air before catching it deftly. âI thought Iâd add a little flair to the morning! Besides, itâs not like you all are using magic carpets. Try doing archery from up here!â
Mulan shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. âI think weâll pass. I donât see any carpets in the stables, after all.â
Belle joined in, a teasing glint in her eye. âYouâre just trying to show off, Jasmine. We all know your real talent lies in making an entrance.â
Esmeralda, riding Achilles, chuckled as she observed Jasmineâs performance. âWell, Jasmine, if you keep this up, we might have to start calling you âThe Queen of Aerial Arts.â Iâd love to see anyone else top this!â
Jasmineâs eyes sparkled with amusement. âWell, if you think youâre up for the challenge, Iâd love to see you try archery from a magic carpet. Until then, Iâll keep my showmanship to myself.â
Isabel nudged Gladiator and laughed. âI donât think any of us are brave enough to take you up on that. But for now, keep those knives coming. Itâs not every day we get a front-row seat to your aerial acrobatics!â
With that, Jasmine executed a graceful spin, her magic carpet swirling beneath her as she continued her impressive display. The other princesses couldnât help but cheer her on, their earlier competition forgotten in the face of such spectacular showmanship.
After a good hour of practice, the princesses guided their steeds into the stables, exchanging laughs and friendly jabs about who had the best aim. Jasmine's magic carpet hovered beside her as the group walked back to the castle.
âI see that your archery skills are getting better, Belle,â Raya compliments her as the group walks. Which Belle feels appreciated and a little bashful.
âWell, I do have the best teachers,â Belle compliments Raya. âYou and Ms-hero-of-China here.â Which causes laughter between the two. âBut mostly I wonder what Tiana, Cinderella, and Aurora are cooking up for lunch,â Belle mused, wiping sweat from her brow. âAfter all, this practice sure works up an appetite.â
âMaybe something with a bit of spice,â Esmeralda suggested, âconsidering Tianaâs knack for amazing dishes.â
As they rounded a corner, a sudden swirl of dark smoke materialized in front of them, revealing Hades, the god of the underworld. He clapped his hands together in exaggerated applause, a sly grin spreading across his face.
âBravo, ladies! Bravo! I have to say, Iâve never seen archery quite like that,â Hades said, his fiery head flames flickering with amusement.
âWell, thatâs a surprise,â Mulan said, raising an eyebrow. âWhat brings you here, Hades?â
Hades shrugged nonchalantly, his grin widening. âOh, just thought Iâd check out the local entertainment. The underworldâs running itself, so I had a bit of free time. And letâs be honest, watching you all was way more fun than managing the endless torments.â
Isabel, feeling a tinge of embarrassment, stepped forward. âWhy were you specifically watching us? And donât you have an underworld to run?â
Hades flicked a hand dismissively. âThe underworld mostly runs itself, you know. I came to see how our newest recruit was faring.â His gaze rested on Isabel. âI noticed you werenât in the villainâs lair this morning. Thought Iâd see whatâs going on.â
Isabel looked puzzled. âRecruitment? But Iâm not evil like the rest of you,â she says honestly. âSure I helped save you and the other villains from being under a curse for so long, saved the Disneyverse and reality from destruction of two witches, not single handedly. Both you and Maleficent even offered me a place to sleep in the lair so I didnât have to stay in the Haunted Mansion anymore.â
Hades chuckled, the flames on his head crackling with amusement. âWell, Isabel, the villainsâ league has a very flexible definition of what makes someone part of their team. Itâs not all about being wicked. Sometimes, itâs just about finding people who can bring a bit of unexpected flair. And you, my dear, have certainly brought that.â
Esmeralda nudged Isabel gently. âLooks like youâve made quite the impression after all these months.â
Isabel gave a wry smile. âI guess so. Though, I must admit, itâs a bit strange having you all so interested in me even though Iâm Mickey and Minnieâs adopted daughter.â
Hades gave a theatrical bow. âAll part of the fun! And donât worry, we know to keep an eye out for you for Merlinâs worried sake. After all, who knows when you might be needed to shake things up a bit?â
âAll I have been doing is cooking breakfast and making tea for the villains as well as keeping the place clean,â Isabel admits. âAlso I wasnât expecting you to come watch us, I didnât want you to see me all sweaty from practice today.â
âFirst off, greatly appreciated. Second, you already know why. Third, youâre mortal. Iâm not gonna be disgusted by your sweat,â Hades says in a casual tone. âItâs a normal thing for mortal skin.â
