“Hi there!” chirped Mickey Mouse cheerfully.  “I recognize you, Dia, Donna and Duncan Faulkner.”

Duncan smiled at the animatronic figure.  “Does that mean I can skip the interrogation?”

“You can.  Your guest cannot.”  Mickey’s playful expression turned regretful.  “Sorry, I can’t break the rules.”

“That’s fine,” replied Gwen.  “Hit me.”

“What is your name?”

“Gwen Haywood.”

Mickey studied her crystalline body for a moment.  “Just the one name?  Very well.  What is your quest?”

“To keep Donna from going crazy.  Crazier.”

“A worthy goal.  And now, for the most difficult question of all...”  Mickey paused dramatically.  “What is your favourite colour?”

“Oh of course she gets the easy one,” groused Duncan.

Gwen laughed.  “It’s not all that easy.  I love all the colours of the rainbow.  The way light shimmers off of crystal, that’s the best.  Can I answer that?”

“Is it true?” asked Mickey.

“Yes.”

“Then you may pass.  Have a happy visit!”

“No teasing about traps this time?” asked Duncan.

“Nah, you already know the deal.”

They waved to Mickey as they entered the elevator room, and were soon in Walt’s library.  The Ben Franklin animatronic smiled to see them.  “Ah, visitors.  How lovely.  You’re not going to try to get at the books this time, I trust?”

“Of course not.  I’d hate to be a rude guest.”

Ben raised an eyebrow at Duncan.  “And last time was?”

“Panic and desperate need.  This is a social call, though if you happened to have any suggestions about freeing Walt’s son from the tower enchantments, that’d be lovely.”

“Sorry, that’s privileged.”

Duncan waved it off.  “No matter, I’ll figure something out.  Not in any rush tonight, and the Moon hasn’t even risen that far west.  How have you been?”

Ben chuckled warmly.  “I am well supplied with reading material, as always.  News of the world would not go amiss.”

“We have been somewhat busy since we last spoke.  We found the Worldstone, only to have it destroyed while we watched.”

“While you were distracted analyzing it, you mean,” chided Gwen.

“It was so beautiful and complex,” gushed Duncan.

“Could I trouble you to record your memory of it?” asked Ben.  “The information we have on it is ancient and cryptic.  If future generations need to rebuild it, better books would help.”

Duncan smiled ar Gwen.  “You tell him.”

“We already rebuilt it.  Helped save the world in the process.  Bigger and sturdier this time, it should last longer than the old one.”

“And that one lasted tens of thousands of years,” added Duncan.  “Layers and layer of changes to adapt to the demons’ new designs, one per turning.  Not an issue now.  We wiped out their world.”

“Omnicide seems an extreme measure,” noted Ben primly.

“They started it.  Tried to kill all of us.  We had to remove the threat.”  Duncan stared Ben down until he looked away.

“I see.  You’re sure?”

“Certain.  We still see no other way.”

“I hear regret in your voice.  If there was truly no other course, regret is unwarranted.  Have faith in your judgement.”

Duncan chuckled ruefully.  “If only it were so easy.”

“Nothing worth doing is ever easy.  Do not let that stop you from doing what must be done.”

Duncan smiled at Ben.  “Thanks.  Perhaps we can talk of less portentous things for a time.”

*** *** ***

Donna and Gwen soared over Disneyland.  “The damage doesn’t look too bad from up here.  Doesn’t look very busy, though.”

“Considering the nuke and everything else, they’re doing well to be open at all,” replied Gwen.

“People need magic.  Especially now, after so much tragedy.”

“Planning to put on a show?”

Donna giggled.  “That would be fun.  We should ask the Master of the Tower first.  He probably has plans of his own.”

This time there was no shild to stop them.  Donna approached the tower cautiously even so.  “Hello?”

Elias Disney’s assistant pushed open the window.  “Thanks for coming by.  Do you really think you can free him from the enchantments?”

Donna and Gwen grew to fairy-size and flitted through the window.  “Hey Lilith.  How have you two been?”

Lilith smiled at the fluttering fairies.  “Much better, honestly.  Despite the chaos.  Being able to be a little more open about magic has helped with recruitment.”

“Are you offering transformations as a job perk?”

Elias’ crystal flared as he chuckled.  “We did try that.  The time limitations make it difficult to transform our performers for their shifts.  Some are willing to change full time, but most would like to keep their original forms.”

Gwen grinned.  “Have we got an idea for you...”  She went on to explain the Blue Vixen’s stash of headband-controlled bodies, and Donna produced a Mickey body and matching headband on the spot.  While Elias studied the enchantment, Lilith tried it on.  Lacking the matching crystal, it did nothing for her.  Setting the headband on Elias’ crystal allowed him to control Mickey’s body.

“So if we turn people into crystals...  I don’t see that working, no.  Pity.”

“We just put a little crystal in their head, tie it in to the nervous system.  You’d have to have people willing to have a little bit of tinkering done.”

“That might play,” mused Elias.  “Is there no way to use your magic engineering to produce something like a Virtual Reality rig, that an unmodified human can use?”

That set Donna and Gwen to talking rapidly among themselves, so rapidly it sounded more like chittering, until it went fully supersonic and finally electromagnetic.  After only a few moments to the outside world, they’d hammered out a design for a VR pod.  As an additional flourish, the pod had a socket for a headband, so any headband body was compatible with it.

“We’re going to need a bunch of these back home, too,” announced Gwen once the silvery pod had materialized in the office.  It was ovoid in shape, with an open area in the front big enough for a human to step through, and soft white padding inside.  “But for now, if you’d be so kind as to demonstrate, Lilith?”

The one natural human in the room nodded.  She backed into the pod, then shook her head.  “I’ll fall over once I lose focus on myself.  It needs to recline at least a little.”

“The lining expands to hold you in place, but if you’d be more comfortable...”  The pod tilted back slightly onto a newly formed base.  “Better?”

“Much.”   The padding swelled to hold her in place and Lilith purred.  “Ooh, can I get a bed like this?  It’s like being hugged all over.  Might be a wee bit too intimate for some, but I can work with this.”

“We’ll duplicate a bunch, you can have one in your office if you like.”

“Oh, so I could keep an eye on the park from one of the player bodies?  That’d be great.”

“Or from a bird, if you’d like.”

“Even better.  Now... how do I take control of the body?”

Gwen took the headband from Elias’ desk and tucked it into the headband-shaped depression on the side of the pod.  “Now all you need to do is close your eyes and think ‘Activate’.”

Mickey’s eyes blinked open.  “Hiya!  Hey, this is cool!”  Mickey ran his paws down his sides.  “I feel like I’m really in this body.  If we had a bunch of these, we’d have no trouble... oooh, new idea.”

“Yes dear?” asked Elias.

“We need a bunch of these for VIP guests, too.  The ‘Be a Princess’ option just got way more interesting.  We could let people be mermaids, or toys...  The toys!”

Dunan chuckled warmly.  “Do you need a hand with the duplication effort, Elias, or can you manage?”

“There’s something you’re doing to fuse magic and mundane matter when making these things, and... they’re permanent?”

Duncan nodded.  “There’s a trick to it, takes a goodly bit of power.  Gwen figured out how to make it efficient.  Is there a storeroom somewhere that we can put a bunch of the pods?  You’ve already got a bunch of animatronic bodies you could adapt to headbands pretty easily.”

A minute later, there was a room full of dozens of the pods, and a few dozen headbands were set up as well.  “We do need to get going, I have an appointment at the Royal Jubilee Hospital I’d rather not miss.”

“Ah, one little thing,” admitted Elias.  “Can you free me from this spell?  I’d rather not be stuck in this tower for the rest of existence.”

Duncan studied the spellwork for a long subjective time.  “It’s not that easy,” he reported.  “Everything ties in to the man in the middle of the web.  All the park security ties back in to you, and uses your judgement to make thousands of decisions.  Do you even notice them?”

“A little, they flicker at my consciousness like figments of a dream.  You get used to it.  I recall it being a little overwhelming at first.  I don’t mind that part, I just want to hug Lilith.”

Donna took over the body with a broad smile.  “That, we can manage.”  A copy of Elias’ body appeared beside his desk, and a headband settled over Elias’ crystal.  “There.  You can go anywhere in that body, and do anything.  It’s synthetic, but one of our best designs, you’d need a detailed medical examination to see the differences.  Well, that or start poking holes in it - it won’t bleed.”

Lilith smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.  “And other... fluids?”

Duncan smirked back.  “It is... fully functional.”

Lilith giggled.  “Wrong franchise.  But point taken.  And... thank you.  So, so much.”

“We’ll be in touch.”  A small crystal appeared on Elias’ desk.  “Comm crystal.  Ping it with a bit of magic to get our attention.”

They flitted back into the night, then impishly traced a bow of sparkles over the castle before darting off to the north.

*** *** ***

Donna appeared next to Doctor O’Brien.  “Evening.  I hope I’m not too late.”

Colin grinned at her.  “Oh, not at all.  We’re ready any time.  How are you doing?”

“So much better, thanks.  This will help.  So eager to...”  She frowned.  “The hallway outside is packed.  What’s going on?”

“They know.  Everyone knows.  We are packed to the gills with people hoping, praying for a miracle.”

Dia chimed softly.  “We feel it.  This may be... difficult.”

“Difficult?” asked Colin.  “How?”

Donna’s body started to glow with the power leaking from it.  “We may not have a choice in how we present ourselves.  A goddess walks these halls tonight.”

Colin stared at her open-mouthed.  “My... word.  This is not going to make things any less busy, that’s for sure.  We may need to find a bigger facility.  Are you ready?”

“Always.  Are you?”

Colin tried to school his awed expression.  “To do rounds accompanied by a goddess openly displaying her powers?  I’ve been ready all my life.”

Donna smiled, and gestured to the door.  It opened, and their radiance spilled into the crowded hallway.  Murmuring and awe accompanied it, as their aura spread through the building.  Before they’d moved into the hallway, everyone in it was already healed.  Before they’d made it halfway along the crowded hallway, everyone in the building had been healed.

The people lining the hallways watched the procession quietly, with many bowing their heads.  The quiet was broken after the first turn, where a mother was weeping over her pale and sickly looking son.  His lost hair was testament to his losing fight against cancer.  “Why won’t you heal him?” she pleaded.

Donna paused, and glanced at Colin.  “Did you not tell them to remove all silver?”

“Of course we did, that’s been standard since the beginning.”

Donna pointed to the chain around the boy’s neck.  “Silver prevents magic’s touch.  Remove it and we will be able to heal him.”

“But it’s his medallion of St. Jude,” protested the sick boy’s mother.  “He needs it to keep him safe.”

“And presently it is keeping him safe from being healed.  We will not ask again.”

The woman hesitated, and Donna moved along down the hallway.  They did not look back, but they felt it when the silver left the boy’s body, and he was swiftly restored to health.

“What was that about?” whispered Colin.  “Ye could have been nicer about it.”

“Her faith is strong.  To linger would shake it.  We do not wish to turn people aside from their faith.  There were many faithless in the world, that have turned to us on the evidence of their eyes, not their hearts.  They will suffice.”

“I dinna think it’ll be that simple,” replied Colin, turning to look at the woman who was still staring after them in awe.  “I think you have another convert.”

Donna sighed.  “Probably more than a few.  And once word of this spreads...  You’re right, we’ll need a larger venue.  Shall we carry on?”

Colin glanced around at all of the people rising from wheelchairs, or hugging their loved ones.  “Haven’t you already healed everyone, even in the ICU?”

“Yes.  Routine is still good, and there were a few puzzles we should like to discuss with you.  We do not know everything, after all.”

Colin chuckled.  “Fair enough.  What could possibly puzzle you, though?”

“One of your patients has really weird genetics.  A couple others have really weird self-images and...”

Colin flipped through his charts.  “Right.  XXY is unusual.  That’s not why they’re here.  You don’t need to...”  He sighed, and followed Donna into the room.

“Why were you fighting?” asked Donna.

The willowy man in the bed looked away.  “The usual.  Assholes who think I look effeminate and...  Does it matter?”

“You’re not happy.  But I can’t tell what it is that you truly want.  I could turn you into anything, but... you don’t want that.”

“I just want people to accept me as I am.  Is that so much to ask?”

Donna smiled at him brilliantly.  “No.  It isn’t.  But perhaps you’ve been looking in the wrong places.  Come visit us at the Blue Vixen sometime.  I think you’ll find the crowd there a little more... accepting.”

He looked more than a little dazed, and nodded slowly.  “As you will it.”

Donna winced, and did their best to withdraw the dazzling.  “Sorry.  Just...  Find new friends, okay?”

“Yes’m.”

Donna sighed and moved on to the next curiosity.  “This one... does not want to be human.”

The girl lying in the bed with bandaged wrists stared at Donna.  “You can see?”

“You very nearly died.  We cannot allow you to continue on your self-destructive path.  How many of your friends and family would cry at your funeral?”

The girl looked away.  “Nobod...  What are you doing?  I can’t...”

“Tell the truth.”

“All of them,” the girl whispered.  “Mom has some idea, but... I think it hit her even harder.  She’s so scared.  I just...”  She started sobbing, great racking gasps.  “I can’t.  I can’t I can’t I can’t.  I’m so sorry.  I just can’t.”

“You’re still here.  That appears to have been either luck or watchfulness, you did a thorough job on your wrists.”

“Mom knew.  Had tourniquet kits ready.  They say I might lose one arm.”

“Not any more.”  Donna touched each wrist, easing away the pain.  The bandages vanished, replaced by golden metal bands over the wrists.

“You know those won’t stop me.”

“You’ll think of them when you contemplate your next attempt.  Call the number engraved on them.  Arwen can help you understand what you need.”

“And if I need a different body?”

Donna drew up to their full height and aura.  “You will have it.”

The girl’s eyes went very wide indeed.  “You!  You’re...”

“Yes.  We will be watching.  We are very curious as to what you will become.  You hate this body, but you have given no thought about where to go.  Consider that ere we meet again.”

“Yes, Goddess.”

Donna smiled at the girl serenely, then turned and walked away.

The other mystery patient wasn’t suicidal, at least, and took a card for Doctor Sakurai gratefully.

“That was... different,” mused Colin.

“They will both be challenging, each in their own way.  Nor will they be the last such, especially now.”

“You’re going to keep Doctor Sakurai very busy indeed.  Thanks for all the help.  I’ve got a truly monumental pile of paperwork to deal with, and fortunately a staff to help out on it.  We’re going to have to scale up even further next month.  Are you okay?”

Donna’s gaze had gone distant.  “Yes.  We were just... there’s so much love here.  So much joy.”

“Yep, definitely one of the good days.  Keep the memory well, against the bad ones, hm?”

“We shall.”

Donna flickered away, and a moment later they appeared outside the Blue Vixen, Gwen a moment behind.

Donna stared open-mouthed at the assembled throng.  It flooded out of the Blue Vixen, through the entire parking lot, and overflowed into the streets and the cratered properties beyond.

“I thought you said this was going to be a small show?”

“Word got out.”