Dragul vs Devil Part XI

Part XI: Inner Strength

   "I will see you soon," the mouse could hear in his head.
   Slowly and painfully Mickey opened his eyes as he stared into the pit of a lovely, blazing orange fire. Mickey sat up as the flames cricked and crackled in the air. Mickey looked at himself to see that he was wearing a traditional Chinese gee, and under the white clothe he wrapped in goz, and that he wore Oswald's power gloves. The gloves soon helped Mickey remember what had happened: he had let Pete overcome him, and he and the wolf man escaped with Mina and Oswald. The pain was not coming from all of Mickey's bruises.
   "Good morning being of the earth," a strange, silly, kind voice greeted.
   Mickey looked up across the flames to see an old man with a puffy white beard, red rosy cheeks, a round nose, and wore a white top hat and tuxedo. He almost looked like Santa, but Mickey could tell right away that it was not Saint Nick.
   "Where am I?" Mickey asked, "And who are you?"
   "Oh, forgive me," the man said as he cooked in a pot over the fire, "My name is Nigel Dreamer, but some people call me Dreamfinder. Actually, most prefer to call me the Dreamfinder. I travel the world in my flying machines and collect used ideas and turn them into new. It's a fun journey, and I bring those ideas back here to the Imagination Caves."
   Mickey looked around and saw that he was indeed in a cave, but no like any cave he ever saw before. For one thing, there was a waterfall, and the cave walls looked as though they were made of crystal. And they were. Plus, in the distance, a forest seemed to grow out of nowhere. And to make everything stranger, Mickey and the Dreamfinder were sitting on grass.
   "It's beautiful," Mickey said.
   "Thank you," Dreamfinder said as he poured Mickey a bowl of whatever he was cooking. Mickey cautiously accepted it then began to hork it down. "Like it?"
   "Love it," the hungry vampire replied as he took a break from eating, "what is this stuff?"
   "I like to call it oatmeal," Dreamfinder said, "Mankind won't learn to enjoy it until a few years. The future holds many strange things."
   "You, have been to the future?" Mickey asked, trying to hold back how impressed he was.
   "Have I?"
   "What do you mean?" Mickey asked through mouthfuls of oatmeal.
   "The future depends entirely on our actions young vampire. If we do something right, our future will be prosperous and plateful. If we do something wrong, however, our futures will end up dark and cold. The future is a mysterious thing, Mickey. Your great-great grandfather, would he have known of your fait, would had made a different decision. Yet, had he not made that decision, you and I would not be eating oatmeal right now, would we?"
   Now Mickey was weirded out. How had this strange man knew so much about him, and the ordeal that he was currently in?
   "You're probably wondering how I knew all this?" Dreamfinder asked.
   "Okay, now you're creeping me out," Mickey said.
   "There is no need to be creped out, I have come to help you earn you bright future. But first, you must trust me."
   "And if I don't?"
   "Would you rather take your chances with the devil?"
   Mickey thought about this for a second, then considered the fact that he had no choice. He did not know how to get out of the caves anyhow.
   "No"
   Then, from behind Mickey, came a small purple dragon, about a head smaller than Mickey, with a pink belly, large yellow eyes, a crocodile mouth, goat horns, and orange wings.
   "Hi there," the dragon said to Mickey.
   "This is a creation of my imagination, Figment. He will help us in your quest to find your Inner Strength."
   "Inner strength?" Mickey asked as he set his empty bowl aside.
   "Yeah, it's great!" Figment said happily.
   "Yes, indeed," Dreamfinder added, "Tell me, how long have you used your so called 'dark magic'?"
   "All my life."
   "That is because ye does not know the power within himself."
   "Inner Strength?"
   "Woo hoo, you got it!" Figment chirped, "You just won the experience to be taught under the wise Dreamfinder! You lucky dog you!"
   "No Figment, I shall not be teaching him," Dreamfinder corrected.
   "Then, who will?" Mickey asked, confused.
    "Meditate with me, and you'll see," Dreamfinder said as he crossed his legs and held out his arms. As his eyes clothes, Mickey copied the old man's exact position and concentrated. Five minutes passed, and Mickey felt nothing. Ten more minutes passed, and still the vampire felt nothing. Finally fifteen minutes had passed before Mickey became annoyed.
   "This is a waste of time!" Mickey yelled, "I need to save my wife and friend now!"
   "You will die!" Dreamfinder yelled, "You are not ready to face the devil, not yet anyway. You must trust me young vampire."
   "Why, why on earth should I trust you?" Mickey blurted out angrily, "So far, it seems as though I can trust no one, so why, in this time of desperate help, should I trust and old man and a chirp full dragon? Tell me why!"
   "Because I knew your mother," Dreamfinder said. This shut Mickey up.
   "How?"
   "She came to me one night, many sun rises before you were born. She needed my help, she was lost and confused. I took her under my wing until she was a young adult. She soon married your father and had you. When the Fantasian Wars began, I tried ever so desperately to help your parents, but I was too weak. Now that I am older, I have become wiser and weaker, and I cannot help your friends. Only YOU can save your friends, YOU have the power to turn your life around! So choose, right now: Go out there and get killed unprepared, or be patient and find the power within yourself. Choose."
   Silence fell in the air. Mickey was not sure what to do. But soon he decided to stay with the old man and meditate some more. More minutes have passed by, and to Mickey they felt like hours. But soon, he felt his arms and leg tingle, as the world around the vampire slowed, and soon it seemed like Mickey was all alone in the Dream Cave, which now looked as though it was an unfilled coloring book.
   "You have grown so much," came a voice that sounded like angels.
   Mickey turned around to come face to face with a lion with kind blue eyes and glistening clean golden fur. She smiled at Mickey as Mickey dropped to his rump, afraid.
   "Who are you?" Mickey asked.
   Before his eyes, the lion transformed before Mickey's eyes into a tall, curvy female mouse with flowing golden locks that ran all the way down to her ankles, that wore a silvery white nightgown that danced in the breeze.
   "Hello my child," the mouse said, outstretching her arms. She then wrapped them around Mickey, and right away Mickey could tell that this was his mother. His real mother, and not the white tiger that had been haunting him for days.
   "Why didn't you come rescue me sooner?" Mickey said as he cried.
   "You had to find me first," his mother explained, whipping away the tears as she turned back into a lion, "I just wished you would have tried to find me sooner. Oh, my cub, those wounds look awful."
   "Nothing I can't shake off," Mickey replied.
   "He gets that from me," came a booming voice. Mickey and his mother turned to look as a big, strong, majestic male lion appeared from the forest. He was strong and bold, with paws that shook the Earth and a reddish brown mane that sent fear into the hearts of all. Yet, the female lion showed no fear as she went up to him and started rubbing herself along his side, like normal cats would do. This was obviously Mickey's father.
   "Hello my creation," the lion said.
   "Hello father," Mickey said.
   "Your mother speaks the truth. You have grown. Maybe not so much in size, but in strength and courage. Yet, it seems you have not grown in mind."
   "What?" Mickey asked angrily.
   "For your entire life, you blasted people away by using only the dark."
   "I got that from you!"
   "Yet you only used it when your mother and I were terminated? Why is that so."
   "Because, I didn't want to end up as cruel as you."
   "That may be a reason," his father explained, "but it is not THE reason. There is more power in you than any Dragul in our family. You let your Inner Strength overpower your darkness for all those years, and now, somehow, you must get it to overcome you once again."
   "And, how may I ask, do we do that?" Mickey asked.
   Suddenly, from out of nowhere came the white tiger, now twice the size she was before. Using her might paw, she flung Mickey's mother and father into the river in the distance. This angered Mickey, he leaped off the ground and swung his fist in the tiger's face, but the tiger felt nothing. She simply flung Mickey onto the side of the rocky walls. Mickey fell with a thud and a moan.
   "I could use a little help here!" Mickey proclaimed as he attacked the lion again. And again, the Mickey hit the wall.
   Suddenly, soaked but not out, came Mickey's mother at full stride toward the tiger. She slashed the white imposter with her mighty claws, staining the tiger's face a crimson red. The cat quickly recovered, then knocked the wind out of the vampire's mother. Mickey watched helplessly as his mother fell to the soft grass below her.
   Mickey's dad was up next, but he did not immediately run toward the tiger, but instead at Mickey. He pushed Mickey back in, forcing the mouse to fight. As Mickey struggled to dodge more of the blows, he asked his father, "What is the point of all this?"
   "You must find your Inner Strength!" his father coached from the sidelines.
   "Whatever the heck that means!" The tiger nearly came close to knocking Mickey's head off.
   "You must find the strength inside our heart and mind to overcome your enemies. Use the power of your emotions to overcome life's many obstacles. How else do you suppose you and Mina wound up together? Fait, my boy, had nothing to do with it!"
   Mickey then thought about this as he dodged more blows. He was supposed to use his mind and heart? How would that help him? Then, he thought about it. He cleared his mind, and thought of something good and pure about his life. He thought of Mina, the only girl that ever loved him, Oswald, the merciful vampire hunter, he thought of Emily, and Pluto, and Goofy, and all of his friends who had stuck by him through the years. He had a wonderful life, and he wasn't planning on loosing it.
   The vampire than felt his arms and legs tingle as his white gloves glowed bright yellow, and his eyes did the same.
   His Inner Strength had emerged from his heart and mind.
   The tiger growled, then flung her claws at Mickey, who know easily dodged the blow and kicked the angry beast in the face. The vampire now felt stronger, faster, and wiser, as he quickly gained the upper hand on the one who had tortured him for so long.
   Mickey punched and jabbed at the tiger, as his glowing hands punctured beaming holes throughout the cat. Mom and dad watched from the sidelines, his father's face showing no expression as his mother's face showed her pride in her son.
   The vampire took a good, long look back at his parents, smiled, then finally slashed the tiger square in the face. The tiger roared painfully, then her light fur became gray, her once lively eyes became dull, and she passed out to the floor in front of Mickey. His inner demon would haunt him no longer.
   The glowing in Mickey's hand stopped as Mickey's mother rushed to him and overwhelmed him with yet another hug. Mickey, while still hugging his mother, look to see his dad approach, his face now showing his own pride in his son.
   "Well done," his father said, "I always knew there was greatness in you. Your mother and I both did, from the first moment we lay eye upon you, you had made us feel like the luckiest parents in the world. Now, you are going to prove that our investment in you has finally paid off. You are going to sleigh Chernabog."
   "Who?" Mickey said as he and his mother stopped hugging.
   "The devil, my sweet," his mother explained, "That's what his name is: Chernabog."
   "I thought dad destroyed him."
   "No, unfortunately I failed in doing so," Vlad said, "I had only locked him on the top of Bald Mountain for 443 years. Tonight, he will rise to bring forth his undead army to seek his final revenge on man kind. And your friends will be the first to go."
   "Not if I can help it," Mickey said.
   "That's what I like to hear," his parents agreed. Suddenly, the two lions turned into spirits as they became one with Mickey. Soon, the vampire found himself sitting in front of Dreamfinder and Figment.
   "So, what's the plan?" Dreamfinder asked, in a "I so told you so' kind of voice. By now, Mickey was now using the cunning wit of his father, and the resourcefulness of his mother to come up with a plan.
   After some intense thinking, Mickey finally answered, "I'm going to need a means of transportation, Oswald's gloves, a bit of luck… and Figment."
   "Say what?" the dragon asked nervously.