Mickey's Halfway House

This Wish

Over a round of Kronk's liquid concoctions, King Magnifico of Rosas told his story. Maleficent listened as the king spoke of his childhood in the lush countryside not too far from the sea; how greedy thieves had plundered his homeland and burned it to the ground, killing his entire family ("Ah, I remember collecting those souls," Hades said). After, Magnifico had travelled south to learn magic and eventually meet his future wife Amaya. They founded the kingdom of Rosas together, and refugees from all over began to pour in. King Magnifico and Queen Amaya welcomed them all with open arms and the king used his hard-earned magical powers to protect his citizens from outside danger. 

As the king continued his tale, the villains in the café - many had then gathered by the booth to listen - were aghast to learn how the king spoiled his people ("How did you manage without taxes from the poor?" Prince John wondered aloud), granting their wishes and even singing a beautiful duet with the girl who summoned a demonic sky entity to rob the king ("Should have taken her head!" the Queen of Hearts declared). But Magnifico only shook his before continuing to how he succumbed to his paranoia and opened a book of Cursed magic that eventually entombed him in its power. When he got to the part about his queen leaving him, the blue eyes once again welled and the king began to tremble.

"Oh, dear," Cruella muttered.

"We're just going to have to put up with this for a while," Hades said.

But it was Maleficent who said what most of the gathered villains were thinking: "So you really have this power to grant wishes?"

"Hmph." Magnifico coughed. "I did it as a privilege for my people," he said. "But - " He took a deep breath to sober himself. "I am not a genie. I'm under no obligation to grant anyone's wish."

He'd answered the question none of the villains had asked aloud. Yet Maleficent leaned in closer to him and said, "But you still could, can you not?"

Still avoiding eye contact, Magnifico replied, "Yes - if I wanted to."

Maleficent nodded. "Tell me, king, why should any of us - " The Evil fairy motioned at the gathered villains. " - Be so unworthy of wishes?"

Magnifico tapped his fingers along the scorched parts of the table. "I never said that," he muttered.

The Evil fairy smirked. "No, you didn't. And you know - " She stood in the booth, now the one looming over the other. "You could use the allies here."

The others nodded and muttered their assents. They inched closer to the king.

Maleficent felt Hades' bony hands on hers. "Look, Mal," he whispered. "Getting our wishes granted would be great and all, but do you really want to risk giving him another panic attack? I mean, you know what that does to my hair - "

The Evil fairy shoved off his hands and leaned closer to Magnifico. Her armor sizzled and a sly grin spread on her face.

"Or, you know, just ignore me completely, that works too," Hades muttered.

Maleficent looked over her shoulder at the god. "We now know what he's capable of, so we can deal with him. And it's not like he's the first to ever freak out - remember yourself upon your arrival, dear?"

Hades grimaced. "Well, at least I didn't cause briny water damage like that crazy sister of Ursula's."

"Or tonight's newbie," Cruella grumbled.

"You know, I'm right here and can hear every word you're saying," Magnifico said.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes at him but refrained from giving him more Evil visions. "You will grant our wishes, magic king, and in return, you shall receive all of our loyalties."

"I never agreed to that!" Cruella protested. A few other villains voiced their agreements with the cruel fashionista.

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "Oh, very well," she said. "Grant my wish, and you will receive my complete and total loyalty." Her eyes flared with the intensity of a fire dragon's. "Trust me - that will be more than enough."

The Evil fairy wasn't giving Magnifico an offer - she was giving him a warning.

🍎

Magnifico couldn't look into those yellow eyes again.

He hardly remembered what happened when the attack occurred. There had been a renewed sense of terror coursing through his body, then the suffocation from the Cursed magic's claws. When he regained awareness, he found himself still in the dreaded café. Jiminy Cricket's books described the café as a place for hope and redemption, but all it had done for Magnifico was trap him in his own worst nightmares and mistakes.

He was in Hell - and his company didn't prove him otherwise.

Even Maleficent's very skin reeked of sulfur. The king crouched as close to the wall as he could to escape it. "Wishes aren't going to do any good in here," he said.

"On the contrary," the Evil fairy countered. "You see, you not only bring us your magic - you've brought Cursed magic. And with wishes, we may have control over the outside even from in here." Maleficent crawled into the seat beside the king. "And perhaps I will return the favor. I might just wish for those rotten little rabbles of Rosas to be taught a lesson on how they should have repaid their . . . . Benevolent king."

Magnifico couldn't respond; he was holding his breath to keep from inhaling the Evil fairy's stench. He didn't want to be triggered again. He didn't want to grant any of their wishes. He wanted to go home. He wanted his kingdom back. He wanted his queen. He wanted to weep and pull his hair and gnash his teeth!

Maleficent now whispered into the king's ear: "After all, you are a good man, are you not?"

The king trembled.

"You won't last in here without my aid," Maleficent continued. She placed her burning hand on the king's.

Magnifico's eyes flashed with a fire of their own, and he finally turned them up to meet the Evil fairy with his own scorching glare.

"Go away," he growled.

Maleficent hissed. Losing her composure, she shouted, "Never! You rotten little king, I wish you'd obey me like the others do!"

Magnifico seized his opportunity; he reached out to the Evil fairy and when he made contact with her black cloak, he took hold of the desire she'd uttered.

Maleficent fell silent as Magnifico pulled back, holding in his hand a blue orb with the Evil fairy's scowling likeness on it.

🍎