The wind blew through Mia's hair as they rode Figment through the sky, high above the cobblestone roads and multi-generational buildings of Main Street. After her encounter with The Mad Hatter and The March Hare, riding a giant dragon through the sky was no longer so frightening. Now, it was invigorating, and if anything, Mia felt safer way up here where the bad guys couldn't reach her.
Soon, the cityscape gave way to meadows and lush forests. Mia breathed deeply, leaning back against her father's broad chest. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to concentrate on the wind in her hair, the sun on her face, and the sound of Figment's mighty wings flapping loud and rhythmically. She'd become so relaxed that, for a moment, she'd very nearly dozed off until her father's voice alerted her that they were nearing their destination.
"There, Miandra. There it is."
He pointed and Mia followed his finger to a flat-topped mountain which rose up out of the forest. There, on its summit stood Cinderella's castle - the real Cinderella's castle. From here, it looked like a giant alabaster model with lovely blue trim, not so unlike the one in Disney World; though that one was designed as an optical illusion to simply look larger than it was. This castle? It was genuinely immense! Not only that, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Mia had seen the castle through the atrium windows of the Imagination Institute, but then it had been so far away. Now, they were drawing ever closer to it, and its impressive scale was quickly becoming apparent. The topmost spire practically reached to the clouds. Figment had to plunge through a layer of white mist to even reach the castle, set as it was in such a mountainous region.
"Wow," breathed Mia as the clouds parted and they descended towards the outermost courtyard. "It's definitely well-fortified. That's for sure."
To land within the castle walls could be viewed as an attack against the castle, so Blair guided Figment to the front courtyard just outside of the castle gates. Mia and Blair hopped off and Figment reverted back to his natural form. For a moment or so, both Dreamfinder and Figment were a tad wobbly.
"Oh my... Twice in one day. Truthfully, I'm not so sure I could do that a third time."
"Yeah," said Figment, shaking his head. "It's making my head spinny."
Blair took off his top hat and ran a gloved hand through his disheveled hair. From atop the castle wall, two men dressed in uniforms similar to that of the Royal Police, with the addition of short blue capes, called down to them.
"Who goes there?"
"Professor Blarion Mercurial," Blair called back, putting on his hat.
"And Figment!" called Figment.
Blair glanced at his daughter with a smile before calling up again. "And Miandra Mercurial. We seek an audience with the princesses!"
The guards exchanged surprised looks and called to someone on the other side. With a loud creaking and clanking, the front gates were raised, granting them entrance to the castle. Mia followed her father and Figment over the small bridge and into the castle's inner courtyard.
Standing on the other side to greet them was what Mia could only assume was a dwarf, though this man was nothing like the depictions of the dwarves in Disney's Snow White. This particular dwarf was more reminiscent of a dwarf from the tabletop roleplay game, Dungeons & Dragons, or better yet, something from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Short statured, but thick and formidable, and dressed in chain mail and leather armor, Mia could have easily believed this dwarf to be Gimli or Thorin Oakenshield. He had vibrant blue eyes and a long blonde beard tied into three braids. In spite of the deadly axe strapped to his back, the dwarf wore a wide, amiable smile on his face.
"Dreamfinder! Dear friend!" said the dwarf, curling his hand into a first and pounding it against his chest three times.
Blair smiled and returned the greeting, pounding on his own chest in the same manner. "It's been some time, hasn't it, Heptin?"
"Far too long! And friend Figment! You're looking fierce as ever!"
"You bet! I've been working out!" Figment flexed his tiny arms, showing... not a lot.
"I see! I see!" the dwarf laughed. "You'll have to give me some tips, my dragon friend!" His shining blue eyes moved to Mia. His smile slipped and a look of surprise replaced it. "Is this her, Dreamfinder?" he said softly. "Your long-lost daughter finally home where she belongs?"
"Why yes. So, you already know."
Quite the happy dwarf, Heptin gave Blair another wide smile. "Of course! It's hard to keep secrets from a dwarf, after all!"
Mia was tempted to ask why that was, but thought perhaps it might be rude.
Heptin returned his gaze to Mia with a truly joyful smile. "It is wonderful, so wonderful to have you back, my lady." He saluted her with another triple pounding of his chest.
My lady, no less! Mia couldn't help the blush which spread across her cheeks. She was uncertain whether she was expected to respond in a similar fashion to Heptin. As it seemed a rather masculine gesture, she opted for smiling and inclining her head.
"Thank you, Mr. Heptin. That's very kind of you."
"Please, my lady... Do away with the 'Mister.' Just Heptin will be fine. The Dreamfinder's daughter is certainly a friend to the dwarves and needs not be so formal."
"Hmph! Speak for yerself!" said a gruff voice.
Blair and Mia turned to see a burly black-haired dwarf walking towards them from across the courtyard. He carried a large hammer at his hip, one that reminded Mia a little of Thor's Hammer from Norse mythology.
"I, for one, could do with more shows of respect."
Heptin rolled his eyes . "You'll have to excuse Gargrom. I would say that he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morn', but alas, it seems there is no right side for him."
"Har, har, Heptin," said the surly dwarf with a narrowed gaze. "What business do they have here."
Heptin gazed at Gargrom in disbelief. "He's the Dreamfinder! He doesn't need to be here on business!"
"Actually, friends," Blair interjected. "We are here on business. We desperately need to see the princesses. Are they available?"
"Aye," said Gargrom in his gruff voice. "But Princess Cindy is in the midst of a fierce training session with a few of our brothers."
Mia lifted an eyebrow, "Training?"
Training for what?
"Come, come, friends," said Heptin, "We shall take you to them. It shouldn't be a problem."
Heptin and Gargrom led Mia and her father through the inner courtyard. On their way, they passed a beautiful garden, a hedge maze, and a menagerie with all manner of animals contentedly grazing. There were dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, and even some deer and an aviary.
Beyond the gardens, the lawn opened up to a tennis court. There, Mia spied two more dwarves. One with a bushy, graying brown beard stood on the court holding a racket in one hand and rubbing his nose with the other. The second dwarf was sitting on a stone bench beside a young woman who was so beautiful in every way, that Mia would have thought her a statue if not for her gentle admonishments to the dwarf inspecting her arm.
"Really, Doc. I'm fine. Just a little strain is all. I really don't think I've torn a rotator cuff. I wish you'd stop fussing over me." Sensing their presence, the young woman glanced up and leapt to her feet. "Uncle Blair!" she exclaimed.
She dropped her tennis racket and ran towards them across the lawn. Mia tried not to feel jealous as the young woman threw herself into her father's arms. Blair returned the girl's embrace with a soft chuckle.
"Princess Snow! It is so wonderful to see you again!"
"Wait... Princess Snow?" asked Mia, bewildered.
Snow released Blair and turned to Mia. Snow White was not at all what Mia had expected. Certainly, she had hair as black as ebony, lips as red as the rose, and skin as white as... Well, not actually as white as snow, but it was still a pleasing, creamy ivory. She wore a yellow and blue tennis dress and her raven hair was styled in a chic bob.
"Uncle Blair, is this her?" the princess asked, her eyes alight with excitement. "You must be Miandra, right? Right?" Before Mia could answer her, Snow took both her hands in hers and jumped up and down excitedly. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! This is just so awesome! Miandra, home at last!"
"And y-you're Snow White?" asked Mia, astounded, as the young woman practically shook her in her excitement.
The princess laughed. "Just Snow. I mean, I am white, but that's not really my name. I suppose it's a short form of my real name, which is Snow Whitehall. But honestly, imagine, referring to someone by the color of their skin! That'd be like calling you Miandra Tan. But the Grimm Brothers were rather poetic I suppose. I mean, you can't really argue when someone describes you as the fairest in the land, now, can you?"
Mia smiled. "I suppose not."
"It's so wonderful to see you again!" said Snow, this time pulling Mia in for a hug.
Mia blushed. She was being hugged by a princess!
Blair watched happily as Miandra and Snow interacted like old friends. It was somewhat surreal. Snow and Miandra weren't too far removed from one another, age-wise. It seemed impossible, remembering how once upon a time Snow had fought with her older sister over who got to hold baby Miandra. But that was the time difference between Earth and Dizgaia at play. Time moved so much slower here. Thus, Mia aged rather quickly while Snow remained so young. The two could be school mates, from the look of them.
"Hey, hey! What about me?" asked Figment, wanting to share in the love.
"Aww... You too, of course, Figgy," said Snow, placing a kiss on his scaly forehead.
Figment giggled delightedly.
Mia glanced back and forth between her father and Snow. "So, um, you called my father Uncle Blair. Does that mean..."
"Oh, we're not really related," explained Snow, "But he's always been a very close friend of the family. So, hence, Uncle Blair."
"I see," said Mia, rubbing the back of her neck embarrassedly. "I suppose I got excited at the idea of being related to royalty."
"Oh, Miandra, you may as well be. You're practically family. I held you when you were a baby, you know. Anyway, you may not really be royalty, but I could easily give you a title, if you'd like."
"A title?" said Mia, her eyes going wide. "Oh, no. I mean, that's not necessary. I don't need a title."
"Are you sure? I could make you a duchess. Like, I can legit do that, you know. Anyway, we can talk about that later. For now, we should go find my sister."
She motioned for Mia and her father to follow her, stopping once to bestow a kiss on Gargrom's head, saying, "Good morning, grumpy-pants," to which the disgruntled dwarf averted his gaze and mumbled incoherently. She waved at the dwarf on the tennis court who was still rubbing his nose.
"We'll play again later, Sneezy! Don't rub it! You'll only make it worse!"
The dwarf tossed his racket aside. "Thad's nod my na-aw, fuh-get-it." He blew his nose loudly into a handkerchief.
The elder dwarf, whom Snow had referred to as Doc, approached his younger brother. "I told you, Svenier, I have ways of battling these allergies of yours."
Svenier waved him off. "It's owny becad da court's so close to da animals. 'Sides, I'm nod wubbing thad smelly sap and root concogshun on my nose again, Dalnur."
"Not that you could really smell it, anyway," muttered Dalnur.
Mia was rather intrigued by the interactions of the two dwarves that Snow referred to as Sneezy and Doc. It would appear those weren't their real names. These dwarves certainly shared some mannerisms with their Disney movie counterparts; but aside from that, their looks, formidable stature, clothing, and weaponry were entirely different, which Mia found quite interesting.
Blair chuckled as he and Miandra followed Snow, Heptin, and Gargrom. "I see you're all about the same as you've ever been around here."
Heptin laughed and slapped Blair jovially on the back. Blair staggered forward, catching his hat as it toppled off his head and into his hands. The dwarf didn't seem to know his own strength.
"Should we be any different, friend Dreamfinder?"
Snow led them inside the castle, flanked by Heptin and Gargrom. They walked through an antechamber with a high, vaulted ceiling whose architecture was reminiscent of that from the Late Baroque or rococo period. Mia turned slowly in a circle, marveling at the fancy pillars and columns and gilded arches in the ceiling.
"Wow," she murmured, her voice echoing throughout the vestibule. She wanted to snap a picture with her phone, but then she remembered it was still in her backpack, back at the Imagination Institute. Finally, they arrived at a set of large, ornate wooden doors.
"Best keep quiet and stick to the walls," warned Snow. "Sometimes it gets a bit crazy in there."
At first confused by her words, Mia soon discovered their meaning as Heptin and Gargrom pushed open the doors and they entered a large ballroom. But the room was not being used for its namesake. Far from it. Instead, in the center of the room, a young woman was engaged in the heat of battle with two dwarves.
The woman wore a light blue tunic cinched over brown breeches with boots, leather gauntlets, and a metal helmet. Only the curves of her bosom and womanly hips revealed to Mia that this was indeed a woman. Mia watched in fascination as the woman, wielding a single sword, fended off the pair of formidable dwarves, armed with a sword each. They looked much younger than the other dwarves, and for all their lack of height, they were stocky and far more physically imposing than the woman they did battle against. However, this did not seem to be a detriment to the female fighter as she not only held her ground, but even gained the upper hand.
One dwarf had red hair and a closely groomed beard. The other wore a wide grin and had somewhat prominent ears with a mess of brown hair atop his head, and - a very unusual trend for a dwarf - no facial hair at all. If Mia had to guess, this dwarf was the youngest.
The two kept the woman busy while another dwarf stood off to the side, leaning against a column, fast asleep. This dwarf, with his white hair, long white beard and drowsy demeanor, looked like he could well be the oldest dwarf here. Mia stood beside her father and Snow with her back against the wall, watching in fascination. The clanging and clashing of steel echoed throughout the ballroom chamber.
"Ah," said Blair, a smile coming to his face. "Formidable as ever, Cindy is."
Mia could not take her eyes off the swordswoman, even as she questioned her father in disbelief. "Cindy? You mean... that's Cinderella???" Her words echoed throughout the chamber, causing the fighters to pause in their battle.
The old dwarf dozing against the pillar snorted awake. "Wha- Oh! Ahem. Yes. I think that's enough for today, children." He nodded at the three fighters like a satisfied instructor, as though he hadn't just been snoozing.
"Hey, Cindy!" called Snow. "Look who's here!"
The swordswoman lifted off her helmet and shook her head, sending a cascade of long, golden silk to fall about her shoulders and back. A pair of striking blue eyes gazed out at them as she brushed her bangs off her face.
"Let's call it a day, gentlemen," she said in a voice that was huskier than Mia would have expected. It was similar to that of a heroine from a post-apocalyptic action movie she'd once seen but couldn't quite place at the moment.
The two dwarves seemed more than happy to take a breather. The clean-shaven dwarf grinned at the other. "I about had her this time, Barsdaal. Two more moves..." He swung his sword in a mock fight. "...I woulda won!"
The other dwarf rolled his eyes. "The only thing you woulda won, Dufin, was another embarrassing defeat. There's no besting Cindy with the sword."
"Hey, who's the girl?" asked Dufin.
Barsdaal's eyes alighted upon the newcomer in the pretty blue dress with flowers in her hair. His cheeks turned bright pink, clashing horribly with the color of his beard. "W-Wow. She's really... She's really p-p-p-"
"Not again," Dufin groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Uncle Blair," Cinderella greeted as she crossed the room to them. "It's wonderful to see you!" She kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
"As it is you, my dear. I must admit it's been a while."
Then, as though suddenly realizing Blair was not alone, Cindy stepped back from him and gazed, wide-eyed, at Mia. She brought a gauntleted hand to her mouth and gasped.
"M-Miandra?" she said, tears welling in her eyes.
"Y-Yes, uh, your highness," stammered Mia. "It's an honor to meet-" Before Mia could say more, Cinderella pulled her into a tight embrace and began to cry.
"Always so emotional, Cindy," her sister teased. "Come on. Ease up. You reek, and Miandra doesn't want your sweat all over her."
Cindy moved Mia to arms' length and gave her sister an annoyed glare.
"Well, it's true," said Snow.
Cindy ignored her as she gazed between Mia and the Dreamfinder. "When? How?" was all she managed to croak.
"Seriously, sis?" said Snow. "Everyone's been talking about it. Where've you been the past 24 hours?"
Cindy gave her sister a haughty look. "You know I've been fasting and meditating for three days, Snow."
Snow rolled her eyes. "You and this weird new-age craze. I swear."
"She arrived yesterday," Blair replied. "One of my brightest Imagineers rescued her on Earth. Cindy..." The delight in his eyes had gone out and a grim countenance took its place. "The Dark Ones... They've begun to move again."
~~~
Following the Dreamfinder's cryptic news, Cindy and Snow led Mia and her father into a chamber which served as a meeting hall of sorts with a single long table in the center. Cindy sat at the head of the table, Snow to her right. Blair sat at Cindy's left and Mia sat on the other side of her father. On Mia's other side and across from her sat the two dwarves who'd been sparring with Cindy. The rest of the table was similarly filled with the other five dwarves. Although there were many guards and soldiers protecting the castle, it seemed the seven dwarves were the most highly respected, and thus considered a council of sorts to the two princesses.
Mia gazed around, marveling at the sight of 12 people seated at a single table with tapestries hanging off the stone walls behind them. "It's like we're the knights of the round table," she said.
"But Mia," said Figment, who was sitting in her lap, "This table is a rectangle."
"Yes, I know, Figment. What I mean is... Oh, never mind."
"I wish I could say we came to the castle today simply so I could reintroduce Miandra to everyone. But unfortunately, that is not the case," said Blair. "Miandra's return has been plagued with villainous intervention. While an encounter with Gaston had much to do with her return, it goes back even further. This concerns you, specifically, Cindy. Your former foster mother, Lady Tremaine, has been working as an agent for The Dark Ones on Earth in a position of authority at Miandra's college. She was trying to snuff out her spark."
"What?" gasped Cindy. "My stepmother? You're absolutely certain, Blair?"
Blair gave a resolute nod, and Mia and Figment both began to talk at once, describing their encounter with Lady Tremaine on the monorail.
"Woah, woah," said Cindy, holding up a hand. "Slow down, Miandra. Figment, please. Perhaps it would be best if you started from the beginning. Tell me, Miandra, was my stepmother really posing as a professor on Earth?"
Mia nodded and proceeded to tell her about her meeting with 'Professor Tremblay,' her college advisor, and how that awful meeting had resulted in her subsequently dropping out. Then, she recounted the events that took place at Disney World, starting with how 'Professor Tremblay' had sabotaged her internship.
"And then Gaston showed up. I thought he was just some crazy character actor at first. He said something about..." She skewed her face as she tried to remember exactly what it was he'd said. "Well, when I begged him not to hurt me, he said he wouldn't dream of it. He said, 'Today is the day our plans come to fruition,' and that those plans included me and that I was to come with him. Then, Flynn and Tron showed up and-"
"Wait a minute, Miandra," said Cindy. "You said he didn't intend to harm you?"
"That's what he said, anyway," she replied.
"He was just there to kidnap you, then?"
"Seems like it."
Cindy traced her lips with her index finger, looking pensive. "Curious. Do go on."
Mia continued her tale about her arrival on Dizgaia and of meeting her father, concluding with her run-in with the Tremaines and the beating she'd taken at the hands of Cindy's wicked stepsisters.
"Their treatment of you is absolutely abhorrent," said Cindy, bristling with indignation. "And believe me, there is no love lost between me and my foster family. I'm well aware of Anastasia and Drizella's proclivity to violence, and rest assured I will have them punished most severely for that. However, to say that they're working for the Dark Ones... That's a grave accusation. It's not that I don't believe you about Lady Tremaine's presence at your university, and it is admittedly difficult for me to think of any other motive. But you must understand my position. I'm afraid I would need further proof that Lady Tremaine is working as an agent for The Dark Ones before I could act."
"Uncle Blair," said Snow, "Is there anything more you can share with us that would allow Cindy to take further action?"
"There is," said Blair. "This morning, Miandra and I encountered the Tremaines. But they weren't alone. They had none other than Wonderland's most notorious villains watching out for them. The Mad Hatter and The March Hare apertured through an unprotected mirror in Lydia's Boutique."
Mia knew immediately by the dwarves' reactions and the exchanged glances between Cindy and Snow that this was a serious situation indeed.
"Wonderlanders?" said the dwarves, aghast. "Here in Cerenopia?!"
"That's never happened!"
"It's unheard of! The Hatter and The Hare coming here!"
"It's true," said Blair. "And since Lady Tremaine knew their cover had been exposed, The Hatter and The Hare helped them escape through the mirror."
Cindy's face had taken on a sickly pallor. "God help us," she murmured. "I would imagine there were other witnesses aside from the three of you?"
"The shop owner, Lydia, and many other customers saw them," said Mia. "And I overheard them. They were planning to run away. In fact, when they spotted me, just before The Hatter and The Hare came through the mirror, Lady Tremaine said I was coming with them. I don't know why."
"Not only that," added Blair, "The March Hare attempted to capture Miandra as well. I put a stop to that, but I couldn't stop The Hatter from helping the Tremaines escape."
Cindy's expression was grim. "I see. Gargrom," she said, turning to the surly dwarf. "Issue an edict to the citizens of Cerenopia that Lady Tremaine and her daughters are henceforth enemies of state. If they are seen, the Royal Police are to be summoned at once. Though I doubt we'll be seeing them any time soon."
"Sure thing, Princess," said Gargrom. "Oooh... That wench, Tremaine. I knew I smelled a foulness about her and her brood."
"Surprise, surprise, Cindy," droned Snow. "Your foster mother's evil. No one saw that coming."
"You're one to talk, Snow."
"I spoke, afterwards, with Special Agent Royo of the AMPA," said Blair. "He's investigating the mirror situation in Lydia's shop. With this most recent event, I have no doubt you'll be hearing from them. They're now on high alert. As for us, we all know The Dark Ones have been quiet for some time. However, it seems my daughter..." He looked at Miandra with a remorseful frown. "... has drawn their attention."
"Indeed, that is what interests me," said Cindy. "This progression of their attacks on Miandra. We remember all too well Maleficent's attack on your family years ago. At the time, you said her intention had been to kill Miandra. But recently, Gaston was sent to Earth merely to kidnap her. Gaston is a formidable hunter and one of Maleficent's best assassins. I would assume if she wanted Miandra dead, Gaston would have gotten the job done before Flynn ever interfered. Miandra herself attested that he had no intentions of hurting her."
"And with what Lady Tremaine said, and with The Hare's attempts at kidnapping her, I have to wonder why Maleficent hasn't simply ordered her to be killed," said Snow.
"Which makes me wonder exactly what it is that Maleficent wants with Miandra," said Cindy.
"I guess that's supposed to make me feel a little better?" Mia asked weakly, not feeling much better at all. Either killed or kidnapped for some unknown purpose, it was all the same to her.
Cindy gave her a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry. I do not mean to speak so casually about it. I'm sure this all must be very frightening and confusing for you. But rest assured, Miandra, that we will do everything we can to make sure you are safe within Cerenopia's boundaries."
Dufin, the youngest and least hairy of the dwarves, took it upon himself to break up the foreboding atmosphere with a bit of levity.
"Yeah, Miss!" he said, "You can't find better protection! Not with Barsdaal by your side."
Barsdaal, who'd been quiet for the entire meeting and had the misfortune of sitting next to the Dreamfinder's pretty daughter, went wide-eyed. "Wh-What?" He turned his gaze to Mia and his face turned pink. "W-Well, I... I, um..."
"Yeah," Dufin continued, grinning widely. "Barsdaal could be your personal bodyguard!"
"Wha-what?! I, um, that is..." Barsdaal gulped and rubbed the back of his neck, trying hard not to look at Mia.
"Aww, what's wrong, Bashful?" asked Snow, joining in on the fun. "Don't you want to protect Miandra?" She feigned a frown. "Don't you like her? I mean, look at that pretty face of hers. She's just so sweet and young and helpless."
Mia wasn't sure she felt comfortable with this, but she still found it comical. She had to chew her lip to keep from smiling too much, which only seemed to make matters worse for Barsdaal. Perhaps it was a coyer look than she'd intended.
Cindy shot Snow a reproving glance. "Must you always antagonize him?"
"What? I'm not antagonizing him. I'm teasing him. There's a difference, right?" she said, turning to Dufin for affirmation.
"Absolutely! And if Princess Snow says it, then it must be true!"
Barsdaal lifted an eyebrow as a ghost of a smirk crossed his face. "Sure... Princess Snow's always spot on... right, Dopey?"
"Hey! Only Snow gets to call me Dopey!" he shouted, lunging across the table after Barsdaal. But Heptin grabbed him before he could get more than halfway across.
"Settle down, lad! Settle down!"
"Sorry," said Snow, smiling sheepishly. "See, I had wanted to give everyone nicknames. And because Dufin is always so silly and playing pranks and cracking jokes, I wanted to give him a name like Silly or Funny or something. But I'd already given everyone else nicknames that started with the same letter of their actual name and I didn't want to break the alliteration cycle. So, I started calling Dufin Dopey." She gave Dufin an apologetic look. "I regret it now, but unfortunately, it's sort of stuck with the other dwarves, who like to tease him about it."
Barsdaal spoke through clenched teeth. "I only tease him about it when he teases me about my... about my..."
"Bashfulness," Dufin finished for him, grinning again.
Barsdaal glared at Dufin.
"Barsdaal is hopeless around attractive women," Dufin told Mia. "He used to be the same with Cindy and Snow, but we've known them for so long, he's been desensitized to 'em."
"Well, I'm flattered to know I qualify," said Mia with a friendly smile to Barsdaal, who went three shades of pink and buried his face in his arms.
Dalnur, whom Snow had referred to as Doc on the tennis court, cleared his throat loudly. "All fun aside, children, this matter with the Dark Ones is most serious. If I may, Cynthia, I would suggest we reach out to the other kingdoms and find out if any other sort of... unsavory activity has occurred."
Blair nodded to the grandfatherly Dalnur. "A wise course of action! With the other kingdoms on high alert and the AMPA keeping their eyes open, we can at least breathe a bit easier."
Cindy, or Cynthia, as her real name apparently was, nodded. "That's a very good point, Dalnur. More activity involving The Dark Ones is something that concerns all of Dizgaia. I will dispatch an emissary to the nine other kingdoms who will convey the news of this most recent activity."
All were in agreement and the meeting was about to adjourn when Mia piped up. "Wait a sec. I'm still a little confused. Why are the Mad Hatter and March Hare evil? Why are Wonderlanders spoken of with such fear?"
She looked to her father, addressing him specifically. "You've told me all about the 10 Kingdoms and their guardians, but you haven't gone into detail about the Dark Ones. All I know about them is what the Disney films and their prior source material says about them, and I'm already learning very quickly that not everything is the way I expect it to be."
Mia's words were received with eleven uncomfortable expressions, and her father suddenly looked rather pale, as though he wished he'd never promised to tell her more.
"Please," she begged. "I have to know sometime."
"You're right, of course," Blair sighed. "Perhaps it is time you learned. I only wish you could live in this world peacefully and free of the terrors that Dizgaia's villains can inflict, but that would seem to be a luxury I cannot afford you, dear."
Everyone at the table waited with baited breath. No one wanted to do the honor of telling Mia these things, but neither would they stop Blair from telling his daughter what needed to be told.
"As you know from Earth, the stories from Disney and their literary counterparts all share tales of wonderful adventures full of wonderful heroes. But those heroes wouldn't have had adventures were there not villains to oppose them. In this world, there is a large continent, a landmass that is, for all intents and purposes, a living nightmare. We call it The Dark Continent. It is there where this world's evils originate."
The soft baritone of her father's voice, combined with an accent reminiscent of 1800s English was perfect for storytelling, as evidenced by the fact that not just Mia, but the entire group, for whom none of this was news, listened with rapt attention. Even Sliryn, the oldest dwarf, awoke from his doze to listen.
"Long ago, long before the 10 Kingdoms stood together, a great evil sought to claim this world as his own. From a netherrealm known as Tytla, the demon lord, Chernabog, desired to extend his reach all over Dizgaia. Chernabog possessed immense power, and there were those who were attracted to that sort of power. The most notable, of course, is the evil fairy sorceress, Maleficent."
"Chernabog?" asked Mia, tilting her head quizzically.
The name sounded vaguely familiar. Suddenly, flashes of memories of an orchestral movie shot through her head - a giant, demonic, winged creature looming over a mountain, smiting the feeble mortals below him. Mia's faced paled, her eyes growing ever wider.
"You mean that... that thing from Disney's Fantasia? That giant, devil-looking... demon thing? That thing is real?"
Everyone else at the table was silent and still as the grave. Some even turned their gazes away. After all, the Dreamfinder was speaking of the most powerful evil that Dizgaia had ever known.
"Indeed, he is, Miandra," said Blair gravely. "And he wished to spread his evil influence all across the world. However, to do that, he needed an army. Maleficent became his chosen commander, residing in her black castle built into the side of Bald Mountain. She's orchestrated all of Chernabog's desires for a long time. She's also responsible for bringing the Dark Ones together to ensure Chernabog gained the armies he desired. You're likely already familiar with those under the influence of the demon lord."
"Well, yeah. The Disney villains, right? Jafar, Hades, Captain Hook, et cetera. But where does Wonderland fit into all this? I mean, in the films and even in Lewis Carrol's book, Wonderland was a crazy place, granted, but it was meant to be whimsical. My personal feelings on it aside, I don't think that was ever the intention. And the Mad Hatter and March Hare were crazy... but evil?" She shook her head, bewildered.
"Oooh, I wish we didn't have to talk about them," said Figment. "Wonderlanders are some of the scariest people there are!"
"And for good reason, Figment. Wonderland is the land that surrounds the base of Bald Mountain. It is a place of unhinged madness, which makes it the perfect barricade to any potential invading forces who wish to wage war on Maleficent. Wonderland is where the oddest assortment of Chernabog's minions run amok. Very few outsiders who step foot into Wonderland have the opportunity to return with their mental faculties intact."
Mia tried unsuccessfully to suppress a shiver. "So, Chernabog's like the devil who rules over all the Dark Ones. His second in command and enforcer of his will is Maleficent. And I suppose if Wonderland makes up much of this Dark Continent, then the Queen of Hearts would be third in command?"
"Wrong on two accounts, Miandra," said Snow with none of her usual warmth and childlike glee. "The ruler of Wonderland is fourth in command. Hades comes after Maleficent in the Dark Ones' hierarchy."
"God of the Underworld," Mia murmured. "I suppose that makes sense. So, what's the other thing I got wrong?"
Snow shifted uncomfortably in her chair and exchanged a glance with Cindy, who shook her head, unable to speak. It would seem that Cindy was overcome with emotion again, though this time it was quite the opposite of the emotion she'd shown in the ballroom.
"See, Miandra, it's like this," said Snow, casting nervous glances at the others. "You have to understand no one likes to talk about this. In fact, it would be best if you refrained from referencing anything to do with Wonderland all together. Here in Dizgaia, that's sort of like swearing. It's just not a conversation one has in proper company. But you need to know, so..."
Snow took a deep breath and plunged on. "The Queen of Hearts used to be in command of Wonderland. But after she committed the crime of developing a conscience, Maleficent sought someone to usurp her. For this, she chose a little girl."
"Alice?" Mia exclaimed. "You mean Alice rules Wonderland and is fourth in the Dark One's hierarchy?"
"It's true, dear," said Blair with a sorrowful sigh. "Many years ago, Alice Tenniel, the daughter of a Paridonian aristocratic family followed a strange little rabbit down a hole and ended up discovering a rift that led directly into Wonderland. Somehow, the child escaped, but she wasn't the same after that. She came back deeply disturbed. It was said that young Alice slept very little and claimed to hear voices no one else heard. And whereas she used to be a happy, loving child, she soon took solace and comfort only by gazing longingly into a mirror which had somehow come into the family's possession. Eventually, the voices called to Alice one last time, and Alice followed them... through the looking glass."
"Dear God," said Mia, covering her mouth. "That's horrible. How old was she?"
"Eleven," said Cindy, her voice a hoarse croak. "Truly just a little girl."
"Still is, as a matter of fact," said Snow. "Wonderland is no Neverland. Actually, it's sort of the antithesis of Neverland, but one thing they share is that whoever resides there never ages. But while it's sort of a whimsical side effect of being on Neverland, it has a more sinister feel in Wonderland. Everything does."
"That poor little girl," said Mia.
"She was," said Cindy. "Now, though..."
"Now she's a demon in a little girl's body," Snow finished. "The return trip through the looking glass to Wonderland finally broke her. She went more than crazy. She went bad. Very bad. With the help of The Mad Hatter and The March Hare, Alice killed the Queen of Hearts and instated herself as ruler of Wonderland... all according to Maleficent's plan."
Sliryn, the eldest and sleepiest dwarf, no longer looked very tired as he added his piece. "That child... She's bloodthirsty. And with her Vorpal Sword, she can cut the soul right out of you in one swipe. Send it straight to Hades, it would."
Figment shivered and lowered his head at the edge of the table. "Now you know, Miandra, why everyone is so scared when you say..." He gulped. "Down the rabbit hole."
"Wonderland," said Blair, "is quite possibly the most dreadful place in this entire world. Most regular citizens prefer to pretend it doesn't exist. Unfortunately, today we received a stark reminder that it most certainly does."
Mia suppressed a shiver. It was certainly an intriguing story, though Mia wished that was all it was; a scary story told by friends around a campfire. But this wasn't the case. Somewhere out there in this world in which she now found herself, was a hellscape called Wonderland and a bloodthirsty little girl with a Vorpal sword, whose friends were those like the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.
"And the mirrors?" she ventured.
"All tied into the first mirror that mysteriously came into the Tenniel family's possession," said Snow. "Obviously, the mirror was confiscated after the event. In fact, with the help of your father and the other brilliant minds at the Imagination Institute, the mirror was repurposed into Dreamports, giving us a way to travel instantaneously from each of the 10 Kingdoms. However, while the Dreamports are safe, Wonderlanders have perfected the art of spying through other mirrors and even using them as conduits to leap from their side to ours."
"Yes," said Cindy. "Though heavy enchantments have been placed over Cerenopia as well as the other nine kingdoms to prevent that from happening."
"But enchantments can grow old and become outdated and less effective with time," said Snow.
"Like antivirus software on a computer," said Mia, nodding.
"Exactly," said Snow. "And when people fail to update their mirror protection enchantments..."
"Certain Wonderlanders have a knack for finding weaknesses in the enchantments and exploiting that," finished Cindy.
"Like the Mad Hacker," said Mia.
Everyone gazed at her, confused.
"The Mad Hatter," Mia explained, blushing a bit embarrassedly, for she'd thought it a good joke. "That's my nickname for him, since he's like a computer hacker, only with mirrors."
"Ah. I get it," said Snow, though she didn't seem particularly amused. "Anyway, that's what the AMPA is for - making sure everyone is up-to-date with their mirror protection and issuing citations and performing updates for those who don't."
Everything was starting to click together. It all made sense now. However...
"I have another question," said Mia.
Gargrom groaned. Figment covered his eyes as though this would help him not hear whatever scary question she might have.
"Sorry," she said, "But this Chernabog... If he's so dangerous and mighty, how is it that... Well, how is it that we're not all dead? I mean, that thing was huge in the movie. And you yourselves attested he's a demon. It seems nothing less than a miracle that we're all alive and that Dizgaia itself hasn't fallen completely under his control."
"That, Miandra," said Blair, "is something I'd actually be happy to tell you about. You see, a long, long time ago, Chernabog was sealed away, trapped in the demon realm of Tytla by a powerful enchantment placed by the Order of Yen Sid."
"There's that name again," said Mia. "Yen Sid. Who is that exactly?"
"You would have seen him the same place you saw Chernabog, Miandra - in Disney's orchestral film, Fantasia."
Mia furrowed her brow in thought. She certainly wished she had a working phone on hand and access to Disney's Wiki page right about now.
"Think Mickey Mouse," said Snow.
"Fantasia... Mickey Mouse... The Sorcerer's Apprentice? Wait, you mean that wizard guy?"
"Bingo."
"Yen Sid is a very powerful, benevolent wizard responsible for the instruction of some of Dizgaia's most talented magic users," said Blair. "Those who studied directly beneath him became what we call The Order of Yen Sid."
"You mean like Elsa or Mary Poppins?"
"Mary Poppins did not study under Yen Sid, nor is she a part of the Order; though she is a dear, talented friend, and her powers of illusion and telekinesis are something to behold. Still, they're not quite up to par with what those of us in the order can do. And it is unclear how Elsa came by her powers, but neither is she a member of the order. She is, after all, a neutral party. The order is made up of the seven most powerful magic users across the 10 Allied Kingdoms."
"Who are they?"
"Well, there's Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather, of course," said Blair.
"And Freya, who you would know as The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio," added Snow.
"And The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella," said Cindy with a knowing smile. "Whose real name is Adora."
"All women," Mia said with a grin. "It's like Yen Sid's Angels."
Cindy and Snow exchanged a confused glance. Blair, too, looked befuddled.
"Sorry?"
"Like Charlie's Angels. You know, the old crime drama? Oh... No, I suppose you wouldn't know."
"In either case, Miandra, most of Yen Sid's students may happen to be women, but it's not all women," said Cindy. "There's one more very important person who belongs to the Order."
"And who's that?"
"Your father," said Cindy with a smile.
"You?" asked Mia, turning to Blair in surprise. "You're part of a magical order of wizards and fairies?"
"Well," said Blair, blushing, "I don't like to brag, but-"
"Oh, brag away, Uncle Blair," said Snow. "You have every right to."
"Well, I-"
"Your father is amazing, Miandra," said Snow, leaning across the table towards her, eyes sparkling. "He's up there with some of Dizgaia's top magic users. He's more powerful than he lets on."
"But you work at the Imagination Institute," Mia said to her father, confused. "Why do that when you could-"
"I am a scientist at heart, Miandra," Blair explained with a soft smile. "The adventure of discovery is what appeals to me most. Besides, magical abilities manifest themselves in different ways. I may be powerful, but my magic is different than that of my peers. I came across my abilities quite by accident. But that is a story for another time, I think."
"Oh, all right," sighed Mia. She really wanted to know more, but in the interest of time, she narrowed her focus to the relevant topic at hand. "So you, Yen Sid, and the others all sealed Chernabog away?"
"Yes. The seven of us sealed him inside Bald Mountain, which is the gateway to Tytla. We've ensured that the gateway will not be opened again."
"Are you sure? Didn't you say Maleficent's castle is on Bald Mountain?"
"It is true that Maleficent took up residence there after we sealed him. I do not doubt she wishes to unleash him, but she has not the ability."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Well, Miandra, it took seven of Dizgaia's most powerful magic users of light to seal him away," Blair explained. "It would take an equal number of dark magic users to unleash him. While Maleficent certainly has her entourage of magical villains, her arsenal in that area is a little short. And while she herself is the most powerful dark magic user, Yen Sid is the most powerful magic user of light. In fact, he may be the most powerful magic user in all of Dizgaia."
"More powerful than Maleficent?"
"I believe so."
"Well, thank God for that," said Mia with a relieved laugh. "In that case, we can just let Yen Sid know that the Dark Ones are up to something and call on him for help."
"Actually, I'm afraid it's not that simple, Miandra," said Blair.
"Why not?"
"Yen Sid is sort of like a god in this world," Cindy explained. "Not quite like the unseen, omnipotent entity the people of your Earth refer to as God, but he is still rarely seen. Oftentimes, even contacting him proves a near impossible task, but he always seems to show up when he's most needed."
"While it's always wonderful to see the great Yen Sid," said Snow, "If he does show up, you can bet the worst has happened and things are at their absolute most dire."
"Oh," said Mia. It would seem that for now, they must face this current threat without Yen Sid's help and hope that things would not get bad enough to need him.
"If there are no more questions and everyone is satisfied with the current plan of action," said Cindy, "I call this meeting adjourned."
Everyone rose from their seats. Blair tipped his hat to the princesses in farewell, but Cindy stopped him, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"Uncle Blair, won't you and Miandra stay for dinner? It would be our honor to have you. I'd hate for us to part ways on such a somber and foreboding note. Besides, it would give Snow and I a chance to get to know you better, Miandra. After all, when we last saw you, you were only a baby."
"That's right," said Snow. "And now you're about my age, if I were to venture a guess. I can already tell we're going to be great friends! Please say you'll stay for dinner! Pleeeaaase..."
Mia glanced at her father, smiling hopefully. "Could we?"
"Might as well. Let's get you ladies properly acquainted, shall we?"
~~~
Blair and Mia were ushered into an expansive dining hall. There was a single, long table, far larger than the one in the council room, adorned with a beautiful white table cloth with gold trim. Above them hung a gorgeous crystal chandelier, and behind them was a huge window that took up nearly half the wall, overlooking the castle grounds.
After cleaning herself up, Cindy rejoined them, now adorned in a beautiful blue evening gown and looking very much like the princess she truly was. Servants eagerly and graciously attended them. The princesses talked and laughed with those who served them like they were all dear friends. Mia was impressed by their casualness and kindness. They never behaved like they thought they were better than everyone else just because they were princesses, not even a lowly servant. Mia was quickly coming to love them both.
Throughout dinner, Cindy and Snow grilled Mia about her life on Earth. She told them everything - except, of course, of her artistry and her dreams of becoming a novelist. She feared they'd ask to see a sample. It was one thing to show her art to Blair, her father, but an entirely different thing letting two esteemed royals such as the princesses see it. Besides, she'd not even let her father read her writings as of yet. Mia almost feared Blair would bring it up, but he seemed to sense her discomfort and did not overstep his boundaries.
Cindy and Snow enjoyed hearing Mia regale them with her preconceived ideas of them from the fairy tales, and subsequently enjoyed correcting her on everything that Disney and the Grimm Brothers got wrong. Mia already knew from Naveen that Queen Grimhilde poisoned Cindy and Snow's father, King Elias, and sent Cindy to live with the Tremaines. And she had quickly come to realize that the seven dwarves were not so aptly named as Disney's Snow White would have everyone believe, even if Snow did bestow those nicknames on them.
Talking with the princesses over dinner, Mia further learned that Snow White was only 10 when she ran away from her stepmother and was taken in and raised by the dwarves. She was, indeed, later poisoned with an apple given to her by Queen Grimhilde in disguise, but it wasn't a prince who'd awakened her from her death-like sleep. Instead, it was the combined love of her seven adopted fathers that awoke her. When she was 16, she met the prince who, at the same time, was courting her 19-year-old sister, whom she knew nothing about.
Meanwhile, Cindy, who's stepsisters called her Cinderella in a mocking combination of her first and middle names, Cynthia Eleanor, had long since run away with the prince and was living in a castle in some far-off, distant land. Cynthia and the alleged Prince Charming were engaged to be married when he went off to seduce her younger sister as part of a plot by Queen Grimhilde. The prince intended to seduce both princesses and gradually take them out of the picture so that Queen Grimhilde could rule Cerenopia, thus claiming it as territory for Maleficent and the Order of Chernabog.
Adora, or The Fairy Godmother, as she was called by the Brothers Grimm, had discovered this treachery, and so attended Cindy's bridal shower with the gift of a single glass slipper.
"There was only ever one slipper to begin with," said Cindy.
The glass slipper was apparently enchanted, and looking into it, Cindy was able to see the prince's treachery and what the evil queen was up to. She quickly cancelled her engagement, rescued Snow from the prince's clutches, and the two sisters, with help from Adora and the dwarves, ousted Queen Grimhilde and took their rightful place as rulers of Cerenopia.
Both Cindy and Snow had a few choice words to describe Prince Charming, words that Mia never expected to hear from a princess' mouth, and ones which made Blair blush from the tip of his nose to the tops of his ears.
"He apparently goes by several different names and identities. We're not even sure he's a real prince," said Cindy scathingly.
After dinner, they retired to the courtyard. The princesses showed Mia their menagerie. She got to play with all manner of animals. Even the deer took sugar cubes right from her hand, and the birds were so used to people that they landed on any outstretched finger and tweeted and cooed cheerfully. Next, Mia received a tour of the gardens, for which the unfortunate Svenier and Barsdaal were her guides. Svenier kept sneezing as he was allergic to most of the flowers, and Barsdaal could barely get a sentence out as he kept blushing and stammering every time he looked at Mia.
Cindy and Blair trailed behind. Mia tried not to feel jealous as Cindy walked arm and arm with her father. She understood that Cindy and Snow thought of her father as family, like an uncle of sorts. Mia knew she shouldn't be selfish, but the idea of sharing him so soon after finally meeting him wasn't overly appealing to her. Nonetheless, she allowed it, for she did very much like Cindy.
After their walk through the gardens, Snow convinced Mia to play a game of tennis with her.
"Careful, Miandra," warned Cindy. "Snow's just looking for another victim. She's currently the reigning champion of Kingstone Garden Party in Paridon. I'm surprised you didn't see her trophies in the grand hall. She's usually just itching to show off."
"Oh, lay off, Cindy," said Snow.
In an effort to be fair, Snow gave herself a handicap by taking Svenier as a teammate, who kept sneezing because the tennis courts were so close to the princesses' pet menagerie. To Mia, she gave Dufin, who was pretty decent player. In a further show of sportsmanship, since Mia could not play in her new dress heels, Snow doffed her tennis shoes and the two girls played barefoot.
"It does me good to see you smile again, Uncle Blair," said Cindy as they watched Mia and Snow play.
"She looks so much like her mother," said Blair, not once taking his eyes off his daughter.
"She looks a lot like you, too," said Cindy. "The color of her hair, her eyes... But more than that. It's her mind, her intellect, and her spark."
"Oh, what a spark, indeed!" said Blair. "It's more wonderful than I'd imagined. When she was just a baby, it was certainly bright. But now it's ever so much brighter."
"She's going to do great things, Uncle Blair."
"Yes, I think so, too."
"Which reminds me," said Cindy. "I want to do something special for Miandra, and for you, to celebrate her return. I'm thinking a kingdom-wide celebration is in order. Perhaps a Main Street style parade, put on by your brightest Imagineers from the institute."
"Why, that's a marvelous idea!"
"I'll put the word out post haste, and in a week's time, we'll have ourselves a real celebration."
The tennis game was brought to a halt when the princess' dog, Bruno, made off with the ball. Dufin chased him around the courtyard, with both laughter and cheers of encouragement from Mia and Snow as he playfully wrestled the dog to the ground. Meanwhile, Svenier sneezed himself into a stupor and was escorted away by Dalnur, with promises that the sap and root concoction would truly work wonders on his allergies.
Blair gazed up at the slowly descending sun as it set the blue sky afire with its red light. Soon, the sky would turn purple and dusk would fall. As much fun as they were having, the idea of flying an imaginarily exhausted Figment back to Epcot after nightfall was not a pleasing one. It was time to consider heading back.
"I'm very glad to have had this time together, princesses. But I think it's best that Miandra, Figment, and myself were on our way."
"Aww... But we were having so much fun," whined Figment, who was now wielding a tennis racket himself and getting ready to serve a very slobbery ball to Dufin.
But Blair was resolute in his decision to depart. Mia, however, looked like she was getting up the gumption to say something.
"Something on your mind, Miandra?" her father asked.
"Yeah, um, about that... I meant to bring this up sooner, but I wasn't able to find the right time. I guess now is as good a time as any." Taking a deep breath and locking eyes with her father, she said, "I think we should go home. Like, to our for-real home. As in, the house on Tomorrow Hill."
Blair's smile fell. "How do you know about-"
"Naveen told me last night," she explained.
"Miandra, going back to Tomorrow Hill... I-I don't know about that. I mean, in that house, there's just so much..."
It was obvious that the idea of returning to their old home weighed heavily on her father. The house held a lot of memories. Many of them painful. After all, it was the last place they'd been a real family before her mother took her and left him.
"I know," said Mia. "I know it's hard for you. I know there are painful memories tied to that place, but there are also good ones, right? Besides, it's not healthy for you to live at the Imagination Institute all day and night, especially now that I'm here. You can't sleep hunched over your desk every night. And I... I want to see my old house. Our old house."
"She's right, Uncle Blair," said Snow.
Cindy placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's time," she said. "After all, your daughter has returned to you. I know..." She hesitated, averting her gaze and biting her lip before plunging on. "I know Beverly is gone, and I know that must hurt. But you have Miandra, and you deserve to live like a normal family again."
Cindy's gentle reasoning and the look on Snow's face, like she very well might pout about it for the rest of her life if he said no, were only small encouragements. It was the look on Miandra's face, the look of a young woman who just longed to go home, that made him truly consider it for the first time in a long time.
"You all feel this way?"
Mia nodded, smiling sweetly at him. "We can make new memories," she told him. "Together. What do you say? Please?"
Blair was almost speechless. "Miandra, I..." His mouth moved a few times, but no words came. The memories, they were just so strong. So painful. But then his gaze fell upon the small dragon that hovered at Miandra's side, his big yellow eyes gazing sadly at him.
"Dreamfinder... I wanna go home."
Blair's eyes seemed to be watering as though the glare of the setting sun were putting a strain on them, but Mia recognized it for what it truly was. She waited with baited breath for his reply. She knew he was filled with conflicting thoughts and turbulent emotions. She could see them flickering across his face. It was hard for him. Painful, even. But she just knew if she could convince him, the return would do him good. He could be happy there again, with her.
"All right," he said. "We'll all go home... together."
Smiling, Mia threw herself into his arms and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "You won't be disappointed! I just know it's going to be great! You, me, and Figment together in our own house! It'll be awesome! I promise."
Blair had to admit, seeing his daughter light up like this, it made his heart fly. Miandra's happiness was really all he wanted. If she didn't have a good head on her shoulders and a pure heart, she could easily walk all over him, if she wished it.
Figment did a little twirl in the air, pumping his small fist upwards. Then, he flew over to Snow and gave her a delighted hug. "Yaaay! We're going home! We're going home!"
"Well, I for one, can rest assured that you'll be taken care of now that Miandra's home, Uncle Blair," said Cindy with a warm smile.
Mia bid a fond farewell to the princesses as well as the dwarves. At Snow's insistence, Mia even gave Barsdaal a kiss on the cheek, to which he turned three shades of pink and lost all ability to speak.
"Stop teasing the poor man!" Cindy admonished them both.
Mia turned to Figment and Blair, grinning excitedly. "Whaddya' say we bibbidi-bobbidi-boo Figment back into a noble steed and take to the skies?"
"We'll do just that," said Blair. "Though we'll have to make a quick stop at the Institute along the way to pick up a few things."
He crouched down in front of Figment who was already standing on the ground, waiting for the transformation. "Figment, old friend... Making such a phenomenal transformation three times in one day... We've never done that before. Do you think you're up to the task?"
"We're finally going home! I'll do anything to get us there!"
Blair nodded. Concentrating on the Imaginergy flowing between them, a glow of iridescent light swirled around them and Figment made the transformation once more. Soon, Mia and Blair were sitting astride a large, majestic dragon and waving down at the princesses from above the castle walls. Excited to be going home, Figment shot off like a rocket towards the Imagination Institute, Mia and her father laughing along the way.