//------------------------------// // The Lanes Between and Disney Town // Story: Seven Princesses of Light // by TundraStanza //------------------------------// You may use these forbidden pathways To travel between this world and countless others. But, remember that order must be kept. Now go, and fulfill your duty. Chapter 8: The Lanes Between and Disney Town The Princess thought she knew the joy of flight. But nothing quite excited her so much as the fast pace she was feeling now. Is this how Rainbow Dash feels when she flies so fast? she asked her own mind, I feel so alive! For a brief moment, all her dark troubles seemed to melt away. She almost forgot about the Heartless and what they had done to her home. Sadly, this moment didn't last. Reality decided to interrupt her laughing adrenaline rush with a squad of fast, flying enemies. They resembled strange, metal boxes that had ship cannons attached to their sides. Those cannons weren't for show. They started released blasts of red energy that threatened the Princess's flight trajectory. One blast nicked her armored side as she flew above the dark ships. She wasn't going to give the space bugs another chance. Taking an aileron roll motion, she swung her Keyblade down and across the tops of one of the ships. The dark ship exploded just two seconds after contact. After a few more gyro swings, there were no more enemy crafts in her immediate vicinity. A small, rectangular object floated toward the Princess as a light flashed at the end of the 'tunnel'. A new world awaited her arrival. --- Obtained! Disney Town Pass: Allows entry to one guest. --- Princess Celestia landed soundlessly on an orange pavement. Her brass-colored armor seemed to disintegrate in small threads of light, leaving only her royal garments and shoulder pad to cover her. She took in the surroundings with a curious eye as she walked slowly. The buildings around her seemed to have unusual designs that made each one stand out as its own theme. Is this a town center? thought the sun princess as she came to an circular area with an open-ended roofed structure in the middle of it all. Strung to the center and its surroundings were several multicolored banners that resembled pennants. It kind of reminded Celestia of the set up for the old Coltosseum during ancient sporting events. She didn't have long to wander her memories. Another presence came running toward the town center. The princess was taken aback by the sight of a bipedal bull with gloved appendages like a minotaur. At the same time, however, she felt concern for the guy. Why was he in such a hurry that he needed to catch his breath? "Someone... anyone," he panted, "Please help." The day alicorn walked closer to him before asking, "What's wrong?" The bull looked up and replied, "There are some troublesome creatures making a mess of the Fruit Ball court!" "Maybe I could help," offered the sun princess. "That'd be much appreciated," he said after he caught his breath, "It's over here. I can explain the rules of Fruit Ball along the way." --- From what Celestia gathered, Fruit Ball was just a higher stakes, complex version of volleyball. There were really only two differences: the sport was not a hands only sport and scores could be made even with the fruit that was on the ground for less than ten seconds. It was just the princess and her Keyblade against a threesome of Heartless soldiers. A bell rang, nets started swinging back and forth, and giant pieces of fruit started flying from several directions. Needless to say, Celestia felt she was in a bit over her head. A couple set-spike combos let her smack a couple honeydew melons into the air and clear to the opponents' goal. The soldier Heartless even looked stunned. However, this didn't account for the four loose grapes that whizzed past her head into the net behind her. Her current strategy needed a slight change. The sun alicorn felt a new focus forge within herself. She felt like she was full of the love energy that her niece shone in. The brief, blue link through her heart allowed her a temporary agility of her younger years. As apples and pineapples started being served through the air, Celestia began to spin in place. This motion created a huge tornado made from pure light energy. The results were explosive. Not only did the spin wipe out the Heartless, but it also scored three more points for Celestia. So when the bell signaling the end of the event rang, the final score was five to four in favor of the alicorn. She had beaten the darkness that plagued this area. --- "Well, I'll be ground!" said the bull in overalls, "That was some fine Fruit Ball playing!" "First time I've played too," chuckled Celestia. "It was a beautiful display nonetheless," chimed in a new voice. The alicorn and bull turned to face this newcomer. She was dressed up in red and pink linens and a small crown adorned her head. She had large round ears and the relative appearance of a mouse. "It sure was, Queen Minnie," agreed the bull, "I haven't seen moves like that for years." "Oh!" exclaimed Celestia in the presence of fellow royalty, "Where are my manners, your majesty?" She quickly assumed an open-wing bowing motion. "There's no need to be so formal," said the appreciative queen, "Just call me Minnie please." The sun princess lifted herself back into a normal standing position before saying, "My name is Celestia." Minnie nodded her head in acknowledgement before a look of shame took over her face. "It's been difficult looking after the kingdom after King Mickey left," she said, "Sometimes I worry that I haven't done enough." "I know the feeling," empathized Celestia. Minnie and the bull looked at Celestia in confusion. "I'm in charge of a monarchy as well," the princess explained, "Every pony depends on me and all I want is the best for them, but there are times when I second guess myself. There are times when I ask, 'Have I done the right thing? Am I making the right choice?' But, no matter what, I'll keep trying my best." "That's a very moving statement," commented the bull, "In fact, after your performance today, I might just give you my vote for the Million Dreams Award." "Looks like Horace has grown rather fond of you," giggled Minnie. "Million Dreams Award?" echoed Celestia. "Every year, the people of Disney Town votes for the citizen they thinks exemplifies the spirit of helping one other and supporting each other," explained the queen. "Well then," the sun princess rubbed her neck with a hoof before saying, "I'll do my best." --- Everyone had gathered at the town center, near the large stage. "Well, this is an exciting result in a long time!" announced Queen Minnie, "This year we have multiple winners." The crowd hushed in anticipation. "The Million Dreams Award goes to..." The suspense was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. "...Cadance, Celestia, and Luna. All three of you." The crowd turned to face Celestia and cheered, clapped, and hollered in congratulations. "Luna and Cadance? They were here too?" asked the sun princess in delight. She made her way on stage next to the queen. She looked around in hope for a few seconds. Sadly, the other two princesses were nowhere to be seen. "Oh dear," said Minnie, "It looks like the other winners couldn't make it." "They must have already come and gone," sighed Celestia in disappointment. "Perhaps you'd like to accept the reward on their behalf," offered the queen. To this, Celestia made a polite nod of acceptance. "To commemorate your success today, we have an additional prize," continued Minnie "An ice cream flavor just for you." At this cue, the anthro duck that was called Princess Daisy held up a glass cup filled with a scoop that looked like a partly cloudy sky. "Sunburst Sweetcake!" declared Minnie. With the queen's permission, Celestia accepted the cup with her golden magical glow and gave the ice cream a small nibble. "What do you think?" asked the queen. The sun alicorn swallowed before saying, "This is delicious. I daresay this is the best thing I've ever tasted." "I'm glad you're enjoying it," smiled Minnie, "And with that, this year's award ceremony is concluded." The crowd cheered again with slightly more gusto. I want this cake. I want it, thought Celestia as she battled inside to avoid gobbling the entire dessert in a giant gulp. To her fortune, no one was watching that closely as she quickly devoured her treat. --- Time and space do not always matter... ...only truths. --- Princess Luna appeared on a grassy hillside. Her blue armor seemed to shatter into energy particles. This left her with nothing to wear but her royal garments and the new plate on her shoulder. Though in retrospect, she didn't take much notice to this. What she did notice was the long fencing that was downhill from her. The fence itself spread out for yards, as did the dirt road behind it. What is that path? the night princess pondered. She walked downhill with her gaze not faltering from the wooden construction before her. She did, however, look up in time to see some very sinister looking vehicles with a slightly familiar insignia on their front bumpers. "Heartless!" cried Luna as the horseless carriages zoomed by her. She hopped over the fence with ease, summoning her Keyblade in the process. She took a few galloping steps in the fleeing Heartless' direction before she realized that she wouldn't be able to catch them on hoof. She sighed in disappointment as she let her Keyblade disappear again. "Watch out!" shouted a voice from behind her. She turned around to see three winged carriages in the primary colors of light: red, green, and blue. But she didn't have time to make sense of the situation as she quickly leaped over the fence to avoid being run over. Her day was just getting more and more sporadic. --- "What were you thinking running onto the race track like that?" squeaked a slightly irritated chipmunk. "Yeah, that was just crazy!" agreed the chipmunk next to him. "But, the Heartless,..." started Luna. "I'm afraid Chip and Dale are right," interrupted a gentle yet firm voice, "There are rules that must be followed." The conversationalists turned to the newcomer. Luna took note that it was a bipedal mouse of sorts wearing a fancy, pink and red dress and what looked like a small crown on its head. She had a pretty good idea that this being was female. "Queen Minnie!" acknowledged the two chipmunks, whom Luna guessed were Chip and Dale based on the newcomer's earlier statement. "And who might you be?" asked the implied queen. "My name is Luna," said the night alicorn, "I shall respect the established rules, but I must defeat the Heartless." "Hm...," thought the queen out loud, "Well, why don't you sign up as a racer?" "What?" said the princess out of surprise, "Me in a race?" "Uh-huh," affirmed Minnie. Luna rubbed a hoof against her chin before saying, "Very well, then. I shall sign up." A strange vision entered Luna's mind for a split-second. It resembled an armored bipedal man. He tossed his Keyblade in a diagonally vertical direction. It then spun around before transforming into a large flying mechanical platform that could support his weight. As quickly as it came, the vision vanished. Luna knew what she had to do. --- Seeing the vision and actually riding her Keyblade were two very different experiences as the Princess of the Night soon discovered. She was a bit shaky at first edging toward the starting line, but managed to find an appropriate stationary balance. It seemed the vehicle was respondent to her thoughts. So when she calmed herself, the balance was easier. With a silent count to three, a high-pitched foghorn sounded and the race had begun. Luna willed her Keyblade glider forward and the racers were off. She staggered in last place for a while. She really had to focus her thoughts in order to gain acceleration on the straightaway. Soon, she had passed the red, green, and blue 'planes' as she had heard them called. Her true targets, however, were still ahead. Braking was slightly less demanding of her focus. Though, the first time she tried it, Luna narrowly avoided hitting the boundary fence line. This was a much different hovering than her natural flight with her wings. But she didn't have time to waste. The Heartless carriages were getting away. On the next straightaway, she resumed her focus on accelerating. As she gained on the Heartless in the third place position, she tried summoning her Keyblade... only to remember that she was currently riding her weapon. How do I attack? the night alicorn asked herself. To her surprise, the glider seemed to respond to her thoughts and swung in a lashing motion at the nearest carriage. That Heartless reacted in a flinching manner. This might work, thought Luna. The Heartless that she was closest too decided to hit its gas pedal and sped away. Another one, however, started slowing down and was now within Luna's range. Her glider resumed its pattern of lashing motions. This was either a pitiful strategy of attack or these Heartless were quite formidable. It took Luna twenty strikes before one Heartless disintegrated releasing its captive valentine to the sky. At this rate, the race will be over before I can even slightly puncture them, worried the princess. After the next turn, the finish line was just a few yards away. If only I were stronger, she thought. This time, her prayers were answered from an internal blue light. The alicorn wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but she was willing to try anything at this point. In that moment, Luna felt like her entire being was filled with the power of a thousand suns. Her body and blade started zigzagging in a pattern at speeds nearing light itself. The motions cut through the Heartless carriages and before she knew it, her glider leaped into the sky and slammed straight to the ground. The impact destroyed both of the remaining Heartless. Didst that just happen? Luna asked herself. A few buzzing noises behind her quickly reminded her of the fact that she was in a race. Immediately, she returned her attention to accelerating. Her glider was the first vehicle to cross the finish line. --- "Wowie!" exclaimed Dale, "Now that was some great racing." "Yeah, what he said!" agreed Chip. "That was an excellent performance," stated Minnie in a more hushed voice. "And I didn't have to break any rules to accomplish my goal," commented Luna. "Indeed," agreed the queen. "You've got Dale's and my vote, Luna," piped in Chip. "Vote?" echoed the night alicorn. "They're talking about the Million Dreams Award," explained Minnie, "Each year, everyone in town votes for who they believe is the most exemplary citizen. At the end, we count up the votes and the one who gets the most, wins the award." "Well in that case," said Luna with a smile, "I'm flattered to receive nomination." --- Everybody gathered at town center near the large stage. Their full attention was on Queen Minnie who was just about to announce the winner... or winners. "Cadance, Celestia, and Luna. All three of you." The crowd looked at Luna and cheered in congratulations and applause of approval. "Celestia and Cadance?" asked the night alicorn in awe, "They were here?" "Would our three winners step forward to claim their prize?" asked the queen politely. Luna trotted on stage in a combination of anxiousness and hope. But as she looked around, it was apparent that neither her sister nor her niece were in the vicinity. "Oh dear," said Minnie, "It looks like the other winners couldn't make it." "Hast thou already moved on, dear sister and niece?" asked the Princess of the Night in rhetorical quietness. "Perhaps you'd like to accept the award on their behalf," offered the queen. Turning to face her, Luna nodded her head half accepting, half solemn. "In recognition of your success today, we have an additional prize," Minnie added, "An ice cream flavor just for you." As if on cue, the anthro duck known as Princess Daisy lifted a waffle cone filled with what looked like a scoop of essence of a night sky. "Midnight Swizzleberry!" declared Minnie. With the queen's permission, Luna accepted the cone and its contents in her blue magical aura. She took a delicate nibble as if biting the thing would ruin it. "What do you think?" inquired the queen. "Mmm," sighed the princess, "This is fantastic! We take great delight in this customized sweet." She slipped into her royal 'we' briefly. "I'm glad you're enjoying it," smiled Queen Minnie as she turned back to the crowd, "And with that, this year's award ceremony is complete." The crowd cheered one more time. It's too bad I forgot my royal napkin, thought Luna as she continued to slowly consume her ice cream. --- Time is an illusion... ...as it is relative. --- Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stepped forth from her landing zone. The red armor flashed in a burst of small lights practically disappearing. What it left behind was her tiara, her golden shoes, and her shoulder pad. Though, this wasn't what struck her fancy at the time. What did catch her attention was the peculiar device in front of a stage. It looked like a bizarre cross between a piano and a dance mat. Next to it were three creatures that looked like they were puzzled about something. The creatures resembled anthro ducks clothed in T-shirts and baseball caps. Red, green, and blue were the colors worn by each duckling. While Cadance wasn't one to make interruptions, she did feel a curiosity toward the scene in front of her. "What's going on?" she asked. The duckling trio turned to face her. "We're trying to use the use the new musical ice cream maker," said the duckling in red. "We wanted to make a special flavor for Queen Minnie," said the duckling in green. "Problem is this machine is difficult to use," added the duckling in blue, "You gotta dance to the music you play just right or all you end up with is a giant mess." Hmm, dance and music huh? thought the dawn princess. "Maybe I could get it to work," she commented, "I'm pretty good with rhythms. My name is Cadance after all." "All right," said the red dressed, "You can give it a shot." He then turned to the other two, "Dewey, Louie, get in position! We've got some ice cream to make." --- Princess Cadance stood on the dance mat which was suspiciously shaped for a quadruped. Keyblade in muzzle, she stood ready to play music and dance to it too. An example melody started playing for her to follow. The foot motions were basic enough. She just had to step one hoof after the other in a clockwise fashion. The real challenge came in aiming the device. In order to 'play' the piano, Cadance had to adjust her pattern of swings to match melody one second and harmony the next. Sometimes it felt more like she was trying to be a drummer with one drumstick. Luckily for her, the machine didn't have an expert mode for it to switch. As she played the music and danced the beat, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were shaking their bodies to the music as well. They held cones that caught ice cream shots as they were launched from the musical ice cream maker. It seemed they needed to clap to the rhythms as well. Cadance wasn't sure why, but now was not the time to think about that. She had to keep her motions in sync with the melody and beats. By some illogical coincidence, the ice cream scoops were stacking up by the meters. They stacked up even more when a loud whistling noise cued Cadance to beat her hooves and fire the machine rapidly for the finale. By the time the song ended, she and the ducklings were exhausted. Something welled up inside of the princess. It was as if the moon and stars were focusing on her all at once. She lifted her Keyblade toward the heavens and fired a volley of light darts. They created a display of improvised fireworks. It was a sight to behold. --- "What a wonderful treat," commented a pleased Queen Minnie, "Thank you... uh... oh... oh dear." "Oh," realized the dawn alicorn, "I'm Mi Amore Cadenza. Cadance is fine, though." "Well, thank you, Cadance," finished the queen. "I see what we were doing wrong," commented Louie, "We had to point that thingamajig in time with the other whatchamacallit." "New machines are tough to figure out," said Dewey, "But it became fun in the end." "Way to go, Cadance!" complimented Huey, "Hey, keep this up and you might win the Million Dreams Award." "What's the Million Dreams award?" asked Cadance. "That's one of the Dream Festival events," answered Minnie, "Everyone votes for the person they think is the most exemplary citizen." "And if you win the award," exclaimed Huey, "You get a really cool prize!" "It's just a small token of appreciation, really," insisted the queen, "The spirit of the award is in how we all look out for each other every day." "Hm," hummed Cadance while rubbing her chin with a hoof, "That sounds nice." --- "Cadance, Celestia, and Luna. All three of you." All the crowd cheered and hollered as they looked at Cadance with favor. "Celestia and Luna were here too?" asked the dawn alicorn as she looked back and forth expectantly. "Would our three winners please step forward to claim their prize?" pushed the queen gently. Cadance quickly trotted on stage next to her. After scanning the crowd for a few seconds, she realized that she couldn't find either of her aunts. "Oh dear," said Minnie, "It looks like the other winners couldn't make it." "I must have just missed them," sighed Cadance in disappointment. "Perhaps you'd like to accept the award on their behalf," offered the queen. Without hesitation, Cadance nodded in her affirmation. "Additionally, we'd like to present to you an additional prize," said Minnie, "An ice cream flavor just for you." At this statement, the anthro duck known as Princess Daisy lifted up a small bowl that held a scoop of what looked like the swirls of sunrise. "Melody Mulberry!" declared Minnie. With the queen's permission, Cadance accepted the ice cream creation in her light blue magical aura. She took a small bite that barely disturbed the dessert's viscosity. "What do you think?" inquired Minnie. "This is a terrific flavor," replied Cadance, "I love, love, love it!" "I'm glad you're enjoying it," smiled the queen. She turned to the crowd before saying, "And that concludes this year's Dream Festival award ceremony." The crowd whooped and cheered some more. Oh, Shining Armor, thought the dawn princess, I wish I could share this with you. Her thoughts were both sad and happy simultaneously. --- Time is a resource that must be used to its fullest. It can be shared just as easily as it can be lost. ---