Heroes of Disney #1: Rise of the Firebird

Ch. 20: Winnie the Pooh

Dodger and I spent the next couple of hours just walking around New York City. Obviously since it was so big we couldn't really get far. But we got far enough.

We made our way back to the mansion, where we found Winston, Jenny, Hercules, Tiana, Oliver and Georgette all lounging in the living room. The four humans were playing some sort of Disney trivia game. Not one I've ever seen before, but a trivia game all the same.

"What Disney movie came out in 1989, and signaled the beginning of the Disney Renaissance, as well as introduced the fourth Disney princess, and the first one to not be human?" Jenny asked Hercules as we walked in.

"The Little Mermaid." I answered before Hercules could. "That was easy. Do you have anything a bit more challenging?"

Hercules glared in my direction. "THAT question was actually one of the more difficult ones. And would have gotten it right too."

I shrugged. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"How was New York?" Tiana asked me. I noticed she had a bandage wrapped around her head. So did Hercules.

"It was fine. We beat up some mean dogs." I told them.

At first, the four looked confused, but when I explained to them the story, things started clearing up a bit more, but like me, they still had questions as to who was exactly behind this ordeal.

"It has to be a powerful Disney Villain. One that receives a lot of respect, and probably has some sort of magical capabilities as well." I said. "Maleficent would be my first choice. Jafar and Chernabog come as close seconds. But I still don't think evern THEIR magical capabilities would be able to destroy powerful realms, like the Pride Lands. According to Zazu, that required fire."

Everyone was deep in thought. No one could really come up with a definite answer. All we could do was speculate. But apparently that wasn't enough for Hercules.

He stood straight up, scaring the living bejeebes out of Oliver, who was sitting on his lap. Oliver fell to the floor. "Well, we're not getting anywhere by sitting here thinking about who or what it might be. We've got to move. We've already wasted so much daylight here in New York. If we don't leave now, there's no way we'll make it to the Hundred Acre Woods before nightfall."

Tiana nodded still deep in thought. "Hercules is right. We've got to get moving. Let's round up Buck and Perry and get going."

"I'll get them." Hercules walked out of the living room and soon we could hear the familiar sound of a door opening and closing, the sound ricocheting off the vast space in the building.

Soon, we were ready to go. We were all outside. Hercules was straddling Pegasus, Tiana was riding Buck, and I was about to climb into Perry's hovercraft when Jenny came up to me. She was holding Oliver, and was being trailed by Dodger. Winston and Georgette had remained inside.

"Jamie, I hope you manage to succeed. It'd be terrible if the Disney villains somehow win this war." She told me.

I smiled. "Don't worry, Jenny. Everything will turn out fine."

She grinned. "Well, I still feel like you could use some extra protection. So I'm letting you take Dodger with you."

I blinked. "What?"

"Dodger's coming with you." Then she turned to the dog standing next to her. "Aren't you boy?"

Dodger smiled and barked a sound of pure canine delight.

I looked over at Perry, who was sitting in the front seat if his vehicle, waiting patiently.

"Do you think you could fit one more passenger?"

Agent P smiled and said "GGGRRRRGGG."

No matter what Dodger said, I will never understand the language of the platypus. Every word sounded like GGGRRRGGG. It was way too confusing.

Dodger and I climbed aboard Perry's vessel, and with one last wave goodbye to Jenny and Oliver, we lifted up into the air, and following the path of Pegasus and Buck, flew off into the skies of New York City.

It actually didn't take long to get to the Hundred Acre Woods. Only about an hour. An hour and a half tops.

We all stopped at a wooded entrance that wasn't very big, honestly. Then again, the characters that live in this realm aren't very big either.

Parking his vehicle, Perry, Dodger and I climbed out and surveyed the area.

Hercules, Tiana and Buck stood near a sign. As I walked closer I was able to read what the sign said:

Welcum 2 the 100 aker woodz!

All I could really do was laugh at that. This was the traditional writing technique and style used by any member of this forest of a home.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was actually my favorite Disney movie when I was kid. I'm sure it was most people's favorite as children. Pooh was sort of the childish symbol of Disney. He represented something that little kids could enjoy. Something that children could understand, and be able to laugh at, and with. Pooh was, in a way, more sensational than Mickey was. And all he was was just a bear of very little brain.

And that's really one of the main reasons people like him.

I looked at my friends. They looked uncertain, hesitant. We don't know WHAT we were expecting to see behind these shaded trees. We were told that the Hundred Acre Woods had been one of the first realms that were destroyed. None of us have ever stepped foot inside a ruined realm before. And we were not all that excited to find out what it looked like. What the Hundred Acre Woods had been reduced to.

But if we were to continue on with this mission, we needed to walk in.

"Alright." I told to no one in particular. "Let's go."

And go we did.

I wished we hadn't gone.

What we witnessed was horrible.

Inside the woods, there was a huge meadow, with trees spread out everywhere, making tiny forests within the big one. From my vantage point, I could see many familiar spots. Or least, they WERE familiar spots.

For one thing, the grass, or what was left of it, was badly burned. Seared black. Few of it was actually the healthy green color it was supposed to be.

Trees were knocked over. Bushes were shriveled. Plants were destroyed.

But the worst part about it was the homes that the characters had lived in.

Piglet's house, which looked like a huge thick tree with a small door implanted into the middle of it, was practically destroyed. The tree was plain black, the door was gone, and inside I could see nothing but mess. Tables and chairs were in pieces, the bed little Piglet slept on was cut in half. Any dishes were shattered into tiny fragments.

I only found half of Piglet's sign. The one that said "Trespasser's Will."

I only found "Tresp Wil."

I also found Pooh and Piglet's Corner. Where Eeyore's house was supposed to be located.

All I found were ashes.

Tiana was next ot me the entire time. Her hand was covered with her mouth, and it looked like she was trying hard not to cry.

"What vile creature could have done this? To THIS realm?"

"I don't know, Tiana." I barely muttered a whisper. "I really don't know."