Disney's Wondrous Secrets

Duck Billed!

"Everything will be explained, children."

"First it was Stitch... H-How can we trust you?"

"I am afraid the only proof I have is my words," Robin replied after a heavy sigh of defeat.

The two were practically cornered and were left with precious little choice. "I-I get it, okay? All of you, whoever, whatever you are... a-are real. Okay, I can deal with that... But I need to find my friend. Jackie. Th-that's all I want...."

Robin was prone to laughing. It was at the fact that history was repeating itself. When Jackie was mentioned though, things took an entirely different turn.

"You are her friends?"

"Y-you know her? I was looking for her...but then..."

The shaken blonde girl did not say a single word. After all that was going on, it wasn't much help when there was a great sound coming straight from the front gates, before a terrible rumble of unnatural thunder broke through the swirling clouds up above them. Talking like this was hard to come by lately, and Robin found himself in another predicament. He had to herd the girls to go with him inside the mountain, following the sled track up the stairway. Inside, it was devastatingly dark. "You know where she is!" Kate kept poking at him.

Instead of responding to her outright, he swung and pushed the two against the wall when more shuffling was heard. Without spitting out a word, Robin harshly told them to keep their mouths shut. Mickey began to run, making his way around the castle to the back end of Fantasyland before he was struck by someone else.

"MICKEY, LOOK OUT!!" came an all too familiar quack!

It was Donald, in an attempt to spare his friend from getting hit by Jafar's evil spell. The poor Duck was hit by it, much to Mickey's horror.

"DONALD!!" Mickey's voice broke at its highest.

The Duck's sailor garb and hat laid in a heap until something pure white with a beak poked out of the collar, quacking non-stop. A living white farm duck pulled, kicked and flapped out of the transformed pile of clothes. Mickey gasped, his heart healed at the sight that his friend was alive... As quick as could be, he swept the panicked duck into his arms and dove through the Matterhorn gates. Jafar was trying to change him back into a living animal... but it was Donald now, having to go through with it... Of course, Donald seemed to be pretty aware and started nipping at Mickey's nose and ears, now only able to gabble, unable to talk. Hearing the Villain come even closer, Mickey had to hold his beak tightly shut.

"I know you're here, RAT." Jafar angrily hissed as he passed by the gate. His looming shadow seemed to go over the two. "No use hiding."

Donald blinked and started to shake his head out of Mickey's glove, tempted to blare out. Jafar spotted the abandoned white and blue sailor costume right by the gate, noting that he missed his target, but he hit somebody with the Transformation Spell. Donald, with his mind still intact for the moment, pecked Mickey's ear until he got his attention. Only then did he point his head towards a nearby Cast Member door. As soon as Jafar was far enough away from earshot, Mickey silently went the door and magically unlocked it with his wand. Throwing the bird in, to be quick, Mickey softly shut the door behind him. They were in a maintenance area. Donald shook his tail feathers and flapped his wings.

"Oh my gosh, Donald! Why did you do that? Now look at ya —" Mickey grieved. "At this rate, Disneyland's never gonna be the same again... We can't let 'em get near Jackie. Not even Bing Bong. I'm the rat they want. Not any of you. We gotta get a chance to get to them without bein' chased."

Donald waddled around, obviously flustered that his wings were not as they were, as his arms and hands. He let out a familiar gabble, one he would usually let out in a usual fit of rage.

"Now I know it's you, Donald." Mickey smiled at him, doubly sure now.

Unfortunately, the two of them heard in the distant hall that they were certainly not alone. Mickey readied his wand. First thing was first was that he had to be mindful. A great number of innocent people were trapped and were trying to hide. Returning Donald to normal was vital and the Mouse bravely scoped it out, shining a light into the dark hallway. There was no one.

"If we've learned anything, Donald, anything is possible. It is possible that we'll reunite with the troupe. Before it's too late... Now, ya gotta hold still, Donald..."

Perhaps this was a risky move but they were in privacy and there was no one about, yet. So this had to be a quick spell. As a mere speechless bird away from his natural advantages as a Toon, Donald was practically powerless, trapped in the real world's limitations and mortality. It was an awful existence for Mickey. A constant feeling of weakness and instinct... and losing memories, there was no way his friends were going to suffer the same. Careful with his thoughts, he aimed his wand at the duck who walked his way closer. Pure blue energy erupted from the tip of the wand and encircled the bird. In a flash, from the frantic quacking came Donald's flustered ramblings and from a burst of white feathers, he was back to his Toony self, falling flat on his stomach...entirely without his sailor garb though. Donald's blue eyes were stunned and wide trying to take all that had happened in.

"Thanks Mickey! That felt awful... Aw what the— WAH!" the Duck suddenly realized he was practically naked.

Mickey lightly laughed, happy that his spell worked. "Aw, here ya go, pal..." he gave Donald a stray cast member shirt to suffice. "Don't know what I'd do without the Blue Fairy's lesson. I'm glad you're okay!"

"Now I know how it feels!"

"You pushed me out of the way..."

"Aw, yeah~ enough with the mushy stuff, we got kids stuck in here..." Donald went on.

"Jafar is nearby, so we gotta be quiet. Who knows where else he might turn up."

Someone did witness the Duck be returned to normal though and that he had been hiding like a coward ever since Sarah ran for Fantasyland. With Mickey here, how could he even show his face? He was literally labeled as a villain... so perhaps it was only the natural way of things? The Mouse knew his magic, so he had to be very stealthy if he wished to get away. Gammy tried his very best to pass by the room they were in but he was caught by an angry duck in a Cast Member shop costume that was obviously too big for him.

"SO!"

"Gammy??" Mickey's voice was riddled with worry. "What are you doing in here?"

"Ah, me? I was just uh... ya know, just — uh..."

"You're hiding." Donald accused. "You were supposed to be with our Jackie."

Mickey gasped.

"She made it there okay! Don't be pointing fingers at me... Somethin' was out there all right."

"You left her alone?" Mickey sounded a bit angry.

"No! There was someone there with her. One of the Dwarfs... He took her there. I saw it, you can ask anybody!"

"Ya gotta be more careful now. Disneyland isn't safe. It's just as bad here as it was at home... Jafar's about... planning to change all of us into live animals."

"And probably plans to take us all to Maleficent!" Donald broke in.

"There's a stair that leads to the roof of this ride. Gammy, ya have to tell us the truth... Are there others hiding in this mountain with us?" Mickey asked the Weasel, worriedly.

"I- uh..." the Weasel stammered, eyes darting to and fro.

Donald crossed his arms, steaming and blabbering under his breath.

"Gammy, please..." Mickey was in no mood to be wasting time, otherwise, they would have to just leave the Weasel behind and find those lost inside by themselves. Donald was easily running out of patience.

"Why you~" the Duck was prone to smacking Gammy one but he started talking.

"Yes, yes, there are others here! Also one of us~ Robin Hood... He found two kids."

"Oh! Where are they?" Mickey brightened up. "Take us to 'em!"