Madame Mousey's Poor Unfortunate Souls/Cholena's Transformation

Past the Ship's Graveyard, past the Canyon of Rocks, down, into the ravine filled with purple geysers that spewed noxious gas, a skeleton of a monster long forgotten sat. A pair of jaws large enough to swallow a whale gaped as if frozen in its last dying scream. Cholena stopped right in front thankful that the jaws were so large so there was plenty of room to swim between the dead, but still razor sharp, teeth.

She bit her lip as her heart and courage flutter for a moment.

"This way." Digit and Chula said in unison.

Taking a nervous gulp, she entered the belly of the beast. The hallways were dark, and the two bats led the way, and a nervous Cholena followed them. But as they went in further, she heard a moaning and howling sound as they entered the next hallway. The deeper they were in, the louder it got, as Cholena looked down and noticed something moving along the bottom. She then paled in fright as some light shined in and showed the horrifying polyps. And then suddenly, one of them shot at her, wrapping around her wrist. She struggled, trying to pull it off, until one final tug, she broke free. In fear, she swam fast to two bats' side as they reached their final destination.

It was a room with a huge conch hung from the ceiling, along with a few shelves full of strange concoctions, a vanity mirror, and a cauldron shaped like a closed clawed hand. It was when they entered the room. "Come in. Come in, my child. We mustn't lurk in doorways." Madame Mousey spoke up from the conch.

Cholena nervously came in, and she saw Mousey slithering her way out of the conch and landing on the floor, as she quirking, "It's rude."

An orange seashell necklace hovered around her neck.

Mousey strutted towards a vanity in the corner and her words brought Cholena out of her amazed stupor.

"One MIGHT question your upbringing." she chuckled, sat down examining herself in the mirror.

"Now, then," Mousey said, as one of her long, dark tentacles squirted some foaming hair gel from a shell-shaped bottle. "You're here because you have a thing for this normal mouse. This, er, Jewish mouse boy fellow." She took off her tiara, and her red nails ran through her black hair before she placed her tiara back on her head. "Not that I blame you - he is quite a catch, isn't he?"

"Well, miss mousie," Mousey said. Red lips puckered as she applied lipstick. "the solution to your problem is simple." She finished the phrase with a pop of her lips. "The only way to get what you want - is to become a normal mouse yourself."

Cholena gasped in surprise by that solution. She figured it was impossible to even become a normal mouse; she even knew her father wouldn't allow it with the power of the Trident. But then she looked to Mousey with hope in her eyes. "Can you DO that?" she asked.

Mousey smirked as she turned towards Cholena and said, "My dear, sweet child. That's what I do."

She then swam towards Cholena as she stated, "It's what I live for. To help unfortunate mer-creatures - like yourself."

She then sighed sadly as she cupped Cholena's face with one of her tentacles, causing Cholena to flinch away, "Poor souls with no one else to turn to."

She swam up, and Digit and Chula snaked around their mistress, her husky voice low and almost hypnotizing.

Mousey: *I admit that in the past I've been a nasty*
*They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch*

Digit and Chula laughed as they swirled around Mousey, who also twirled in circles.

Mousey: *But you'll find that nowadays*
*I've mended all my ways*
Repented, seen the light and made a switch

The two bats circled one last time before leaving Mousey with a flourish as she floated back down towards the mesmerized mermouse.

Mousey: *True? Yes*

The two bats returned to circling her again as she strutted over to the claw hand cauldron growing out of the ground.

Mousey: *And I fortunately know a little magic*
*It's a talent that I always have possessed*

With a wave of her arms, the claw opened, and pink steam rose up, and whatever was inside cast an eerie glow on the witch's face.

Mousey: *And here lately, please don't laugh*

She grinned and waggled a finger at the princess who was slowly swimming closer, curiosity over coming her fear.

Mousey: *I use it on behalf*
*Of the miserable, lonely and depressed*
*Pathetic*

Mousey had pulled up two mermice made of the glowing pink steam, and Cholena was too enthralled to hear the last part she had whispered to her laughing servants.

Mousey: *Poor unfortunate souls*
*In pain*
*In need*
*This one longing to be thinner*
*That one wants to get the girl*
*And do I help them?*

A snap of her fingers and the two figures were transformed, the scrawny bow boy mermouse was now a handsome boy mermouse, and the chubby girl mermouse was now a slim girl mermouse, both were the way they wanted to be.

Mousey: *Yes, indeed*

The two embraced each other, and Mousey continued to strut and sing around the cauldron.

Mousey: *Those poor unfortunate souls*
*So sad*
*So true*

Phil, Bambi, and Gideon had secretly entered. Shaking with fear, they sneaked past the polyps.

Mousey: *They come flocking to my cauldron*
*Crying, "Spells, Mousey please!"*
*And I help them?*
*Yes, I do*
*Now it's happened once or twice*
*Someone couldn't pay the price*
*And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals*

Her hand clenched into a fist, and the two dissolved in a tornado, scraggly little polyps in their place. Mousey closed her claw hand cauldron, grabbed one of the pink fluorescent curling seaweeds that hung from the ceiling, and began playing with it.

Mousey: *Yes, I've had the odd complaint*
*But on the whole, I've been a saint*
*To those poor unfortunate souls*

She loomed over the other polyps until they all began to quake and cry in fear again. Cholena was distracted by them before Mousey pulled the mermouse closer to her with the seaweed.

"Now, here's the deal," she said. She began pulling her over towards the cauldron, releasing the plant once her surprisingly strong hand had a hold of Cholena's arm, sharp maroon claws biting into the soft flesh. "I will make you a potion that will turn you into a normal mouse for three days."

A distracted look crossed her grimacing face as she tried to brush off a stray tentacle that had wrapped itself across her shoulder and chest.

"Got that?" Mousey repeated, "Three days."

They had arrived at the terrible black claw which had sealed up again, and, leaning over it, Mousey grabbed Cholena's chin with a tentacle as the girl had been unconsciously looking for a way out.

"Now listen, this is important." Mousey said, as she opened her claw hand cauldron again, and three glowing yellow suns floated out between the cracks in the claws.

"Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear old mousie to fall in love with you." Mousey continued.

A crown followed as the suns set and a heart, pulsing and beating red floated up in the center.

"That is, he's got to kiss you." the wicth continued, "Not just any kiss, the kiss of true love."

The heart pulsed, and its shining red glow over powered the gold of the crown.

Bambi, Gideon, and Phil were swimming around the corner, keeping out of sight, and saw what was happening and heard everything. Out of the cauldron then popped a silhouette of Cholena and Fievel together, but this image, Cholena had legs and a mouse tail as Mousey explained, "If he *does* kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain normal mouse permanently,"

Cholena smiled at this outcome, but then frowned as the silhouette changed from her and Fievel together, with her back as a mermouse. She was sucked back down and Mousey's grinning face filled her vision.

"But if he doesn't," Mousey went on, "you turn back into a mermouse, and you belong to me!"

Phil couldn't take it anymore. "No, Cholena!" he yelled. But then he, Bambi, and Gideon were quickly silenced by the two bats, and Mousey once again grabbed her chin bringing her attention back to her. "Have we got a deal?" she asked.

Seeing Phil, Bambi, and Gideon reminded her of home, and an interesting thought crossed her mind that caused her to furrow her brow. "If I become a normal mouse," she said. "I'll never be with my father, friends, or sisters again."

Mousey faked her concern as she nodded, "That's right." But then she smirked and chuckled, "But, you'll have your boyfriend. Life's full of tough choices, innit?" she jeered, lying back on the claw.

At that moment, Mousey thought of something else. "Oh! And there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know."

Oh, that look on her shocked little face! Hmhmhm!

Even though this witch and her magic scared her, a touch of desperation colored her voice at the thought of the chance being taken away.

Cholena tried to explain, "But I don't have any -"

"I'm not asking much. Just a token, really, a trifle." Mousey said, covering the Native American girl mouse's mouth with her hand, You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is... your voice."

The way it came out, the way that red nail insisted on touching her chin again, it felt…sinister. Cholena gingerly touched her throat. "My voice?" she asked.

Mousey nodded. "You've got it, cheesecake. No more talking, singing, ZIP!" She listed off the stipulations on her fingers and ended it with a pop of her lips.

Cholena protested, "But without my voice, how can I -"

But was cut off again by the half-poodle half-octopus, "You'll have your looks! Your pretty face! And don't underestimate the importance of body language! Ha!" Mousey responded in rhythm like she was singing on "body language", she started shaking her bottom and began to sing again.

Mousey: *The boys up there don't like a lot of blabber*
*They think a girl who gossips is a bore*

As she said this, she went to a cupboard and opened it.

Mousey: *Yes, on land it's much preferred*
*For small girls not to say a word*
*And after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?*
*Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation*

She threw five bottles with a few ingredients into a cauldron as Cholena looked on.

Mousey: *True little boys avoid it from above*
*But they dote and swoon and fawn*
*On a girl who is withdrawn*

Mousey then threw a tongue into the cauldron, causing more smoke.

Mousey: *It's she who holds her tongue who gets her love*
*Come on, you poor unfortunate soul*
*Go ahead!*
*Make your choice!*

As Cholena looked in the smoke, Fievel's face began to form. She absentmindedly gazed into it until she heard Mousey's voice,

Mousey: *I'm a very busy woman*
*And I haven't got all day*
*It won't cost much*
*Just your voice!*

And then Mousey's face shot through the image, scaring Cholena as she finished. She threw a little blue jellyfish right into the pit of her cauldron. It exploded into blue smoke, and I couldn't help feeling a tad twinge of pity for the poor creature.

Mousey: *You poor unfortunate soul*
*It's sad*
*But true*

Mousey then put a hand on Cholena's shoulder and gave her a very, very long golden scroll and a quill. It is a contract that Mousey gives to mer-animals who had to make their deals with her, official.

Mousey: *If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet*
*You've got to pay the toll*
*Take a gulp and take a breath*
*And go ahead and sign the scroll!*

Cholena read the first part, which read, "I hereby grant unto Madame Mousey, the witch of the sea, one voice, in exchange for..." well, the scroll is too long to read, but it ended with "...for all eternity. Signed, X.\_"

Mousey: *Digit, Chula, now I've got her, boys*
*The boss is on a roll*
*This poor...*

A stern look came onto Cholena's face as she looked up.

Mousey: *un...*

Cholena grabbed the pen as Phil, Bambi, and Gideon gasped in shock.

Mousey: *...fortunate soul!*

Cholena then turned her own head away while shutting her eyes and clenching her teeth as she signed "Cholena" on the dotted line. When Cholena finished signing her own name, she opened her eyes and Mousey took the contract scroll. The deal was done! Mousey smiled evilly, spread her hands over her cauldron, chanting a spell, and her cauldron then started glowing blue.

Mousey: *Beluga, Sevruga: Come, winds of the Caspian Sea*

As Mousey chanted this, a blue whirlwind appeared around her and Cholena, who looked extremely nervous.

Mousey: *Larynxes, glossitis, et laryngitis*
***La voce** to me!*

Then two huge green phantom-like hands, symbolizing Mousey's hands appeared. Each was to her left and right, and Mousey looked towards Cholena as she stated, "Now, sing!" She looked at Cholena with an insane look in her eyes and an evil toothy grin.

Without any hesitation, the Native American girl mouse sang out or vocalized, the tune of her song. But as she sang, a small golden sphere glowed in her throat; the small golden glowing sphere in her throat was none other than her voice. The spell was working!

"Keep singing!" Mousey shouted.

As Cholena did so, the hands reached out for her. As one hand reached for her, Cholena flinched a little, but still held her tone. And then, like a viper striking for a mouse and getting it, the hand shot into her mouth and ventured down Cholena's throat. And in a few seconds, it pulled out, along with Cholena's voice as it continued to hold the notes in her song. Cholena saw the golden orb that was her voice, and held her throat, knowing it was lost forever. And then the hands were reeled right into Mousey's shell necklace, which she insanely grinned at as she cackled like a maniac.

Then Mousey began to laugh wickedly as Cholena got trapped in a yellow bubble, and she began to completely change.

Phil shook, and Bambi and Gideon closed their eyes as they watched in complete horror as Cholena was transforming from mermouse to normal mouse.

Cholena felt her fins splitting into three, her lower fish body began to disappear as it started to lose its color and match Cholena's fur color. Her legs emerged, a long, skinny mouse tail appears at the end of her back, and her tail fins become feet, or paws. She was now wearing a yellow bikini bottom, but she was still wearing her yellow tank top and blue crystal bead necklace.

The bubble disappeared, but now Cholena was left unable to breathe underwater, and she couldn’t swim either.

Phil, Bambi, and Gideon darted from their hiding place and went on either side of the now-normal Native American girl mouse and swam to the surface as fast as they could. Mousey cackled evilly as they left her lair. The group kept swimming and swimming until finally managing to get Cholena above water. Cholena took a huge breath of air upon reaching the surface. With that problem solved, everyone guided her to the nearby shore. But will they be able to help their friend, especially in this dire time, and without Cholena's voice? This was now a serious problem for them.