(1) Ink Distortion (BATIM/EPICMICKEY)

1- Trouble In The Mines

            ((Authors Note: Hey, remember when I said I revised this chapter a little bit? Well I decided it wasn't good enough and I changed it completely. Why? Well, some of my ideas were heavily inspired by other peoples creations, and now that I'm older, I don't approve of being so heavily influenced by other people. A little is okay, but the old version of this chapter was too much. Anyway, I'm extremely proud of the new turnout! One last thing! I usually don't write authors notes, so this isn't a regular thing, but this information is important. Ugh, now I have to write disclaimers.))

*DISCLAIMER: Lenient Bad Language*

          "I told Oswald I ain't cut out for guardin' this stupid mine!" A certain short and stout gremlin, who went by the name of Ralph, growled under his breath, as he followed the sound of teenage giggling.

"YOU KIDS SHOULD KNOW IT AIN'T SAFE DOWN 'ERE!" Ralph bellowed into the dusty, dimly lit mine shaft.

Poor Ralph hated his job as a guard for the abandoned mine shaft, but Oswald, the King of Wasteland, persisted in convincing Ralph to stay.

"You have to keep the people safe from this super dangerous abandoned mine shaft we refuse to seal," Ralph mocked Oswald's voice, as he hobbled his way down the mine.

Loud laughter, and screeching came from below.

"Stupid kids think they're so entitled." The guard mumbled, hopping down old, rocking stairs, that should've collapsed under his weight.

And then the laughter, and screeching, turned into screams.

'Their fun will stop as soon as I'm down there.' Ralph thought smugly, as he listened to what he perceived as just silly screaming.

That was, until he realized the screaming hasn't stopped. Hairs began to prickle on the back of the gremlin's neck.

Something was wrong.

Panic settled in Ralph's stomach, as he picked up his pace. Words were becoming coherent, the closer he got to the source of the sound.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!!"

"PLEASE-AAAUUUUGH!!"

"HAAAAAAAAGH!!"

The desperate shrieks turned into the worst screaming Ralph had ever heard. The gremlin fumbled with the walkie-talkie on his belt, and found himself running to the sound, faster than he had in 30 years

"H-HANG ON!" Ralph yelled between breaths. He nearly dropped his walkie-talkie, as he switched it on.

"This is Ralph! There's a code red in the mines! Something-" The whole mine shaft shuddered, and Ralph was thrown into a rickety wood beam. He heard a concerning snapping sound, as ash and dust clouded his view.

"Ugh.." Ralph groaned at the dull pain in his ribs. He managed to lift his head up, to see that he, in fact, couldn't see the lower half of his body. He couldn't feel it either. A wooden beam pinned the guard to the ground.

"Son of a bitch." Ralph winced at the pain that had begun prickling through his daze.

"Hello----Ralp----Wha---," The walkie-talkie crackled. Ralph breathed a sigh of relief, and he extended his arm towards the static.

"I-----Er-------jus----," Ralph grunted, and he reached further, swiping at thin air, as if that would bring the walkie-talkie any closer to him.

"--Ral------mine----kch---kshh--,"

"Come on! Come on!"

"--ju---ksh----Ch----,"

"Almost...there..."

The gremlin strained his arm and neck, and his heart skipped a beat when the tip of his finger touched the nearly-broken machine.

"---th----kchhh------ja--kchh---,"

Ralph felt as if his brain was floating inside his skull. Stars sparkled at the corners of his eyes, threatening to creep closer. Sound began to muffle itself, and Ralph felt a sudden, inviting urge to lay his throbbing head down onto the dirty ground.

"I-I..." Ralph struggled to fight the inclosing darkness.

And then he lost.

• • •

The whole city of Wasteland shook before Oswald's eyes, from the window of his castle. The Lucky Rabbit watched in horror, as his desk, and the little trinkets and paintings in his office, began to shudder.

'Normal earthquakes don't spread like this, do they?' Oswald thought, and found himself clinging onto his windowsill, to keep from falling.

BANG!!

The door to Oswald's office swung open, so hard, in fact, that the rabbit found himself looking for a dent in the wall.

"Oswald, s-sir!" It was Gus, one of Oswald's most trusted advisor, and close friend.

"Careful! If you don't hang onto something, you're gonna fall!" Oswald gestured to the stumbling gremlin. Gus almost tripped over himself, reaching for the edge of Ozzie's desk.

"The earthquake was caused by something in the mines!" Gus yelled, over the noise of the shaking castle.

"In the mines-? You don't mean the abandoned mines, do you?" Oswald yelled back.

"Precisely!"

"Oh dear Disney," Oswald's ears flattened against his head. "Is anyone hurt?!"

"We received part of a radio transmission from the Ralph, the guard!"

"What did he say?!"

"He said there was a code red!"

"What?!" The noise around them was getting louder, and the shaking intenser.

"I SAID, HE SAID THERE WAS A CODE. RED." Gus yelled, almost comically.

There was a booming noise, that came from the heart of the city of Wasteland, and the shaking subsided. Everything was still, and silent.

"That can't be good." Oswald muttered, loud enough for Gus to hear. The King of Wasteland didn't wait a minute for Gus's response, and flew out the door.

He ran down the halls of the Dark Beauty Castle, which was littered with broken picture frames, and crushed columns. Oswald sloppily helped up a few of the maids who worked in the castle, but his adrenaline and morals were too busy fighting each other to do anything else.

Gus, who was previously hot on Oswald's tail, caught up to his friend.

"What, hah- are you doing?" Gus panted.

"Mean Street!" Oswald yelled at a projector screen, sporting his brother and good pal, Mickey Mouse's face.

"...Oh." Was the only thing poor, unprepared Gus could utter out, before he flew face-first into the portal-like magical projector screen.