The Kingdom of Corona (Part 2)
Despite the peaceful nature the forest gave, it was anything but on the road toward the Kingdom of Corona. More Heartless appeared to stop the group, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy made quick work of them while Gallus kept an eye out for any that tried to attack Rapunzel and Flynn. At least Rapunzel was staying out of the way this time, but refused to turn back whenever Flynn suggested it. Along with the new enemies they encountered, there came a few more new Heartless that appeared to mess up their day.
One of them was a new form of mage Heartless that harnessed Aero magic, creating twisters and gales of wind around it to harm the defenders, which Sora dubbed them as Malachite Boleros. Another was certainly a strange one, though not any stranger than the veteran wielder or his friends have fought in the past. Humanoid in shape, including feminine by gender, these Heartless are tall and dressed like they lived in the Victorian era: purple and white dress with white gloves, a white, wide-brimmed sunhat with a purple feather accenting their headwear, and they carried a white parasol, which fired purple laser beams while its closed and pointed at its targets. Even though they looked lady-like, the "ominously" titled Parasol Beauties were anything but when they shot beams both small and big at a distance. They were able to take several hits as well before finally felling one of them. Luckily, no one was too seriously hurt in any of the scuffles as they continued along their trek through the woods.
While continuing following the arrows leading to the kingdom capital, they arrived at a clearing that appeared to be safe. Nearby, Rapunzel gasped and ran on ahead, running into a field of dandelions, thankfully being the actual weed and not the size of the Chief Puff's fuzzy dandelion afro.
"Look! Dandelions!" she called out, her childlike wonder and optimism taking over as she continued observing and loving the outdoors.
She kneeled down and blew on some of the dandelions, causing the seeds on the stem to blow off and float away on the wind. "At this rate, we're going to miss those lanterns by a week," Flynn muttered under his breath.
"What exactly did you have in that satchel of yours that she took from you?" Gallus questioned.
"Hey, that's none of your business, kid," Flynn warned. "Some personal belongings of mine that no one has the right to take."
While Flynn waved off whatever contents were in his bag, Gallus spotted a poster pinned up on a nearby tree. When he saw the picture, he scowled, walked over to it, then tore it down to get a better look.
"'Personal belongings', huh?" Gallus questioned. Flynn tilted his head at the griffon's accusatory tone, but when he showed Flynn the poster, he grimaced and let out a disturbed grunt. "'Wanted. Dead or Alive.' And this mugshot's got your name on the bottom. You got some priceless jewels in that bag you stole from someone, Mr. Rider?"
Luckily, the others were a bit distracted to hear Gallus's theory about Flynn, Sora making more dandelion seeds fly by using Aero to whisk them away in a magical tornado. Flynn smirked, letting out a little laugh, hoping to get on Gallus's good side and convince him that the poster had the "wrong" image.
"Oh, Gallus, come on. Who are you gonna believe?" he asked, taking the wanted poster and turned it to the griffon, giving him a side-by-side comparison as he made the same smirk as his mugshot. "This looks nothing like me. And they clearly spelled my name wrong."
Gallus blankly shifted his eyes, comparing the drawn image to the real Flynn. The only difference was how terribly the nose on the poster looked, but if Flynn was supposed to be a dangerous thief, he shouldn't be trusted more than the four outsiders of this world. Gallus smirked, coming up with an idea to get under Flynn's skin.
"Nope. That definitely looks like you, nose and all," Gallus pointed out, making Flynn's smirk drop into a scowl.
Grumbling in defeat, Flynn crumpled up the poster and threw it in a nearby bush. "Don't you tell the others about this. Especially Rapunzel. She already doesn't trust me for barging into her tower without her permission, and you and your buddies seem like the goody two-shoe type."
"So what exactly did you steal that made you wanted dead OR alive?" Gallus asked curiously.
"That's up to you for interpretation," Flynn answered vaguely. "Now, swear not to tell."
Gallus sighed with a roll of his eyes. "Fine. But if it's something priceless, I have no part in whatever you stole."
"Like I'd ever share my spoils of wealth," Flynn scoffed, then the two shook hands on their little deal.
They soon joined up with the others, who ran on ahead when Rapunzel spotted a little family of rabbits near some bushes. The critters scurried off after getting a curious look at them, prompting the group to move on and try to avoid getting ambushed by more Heartless. Along the way, Gallus practiced using Cure while he took the rear, though even in such a calm and peaceful environment, he wasn't all that relaxed or one with nature to cast the spell. Instead, it only frustrated him more. He had to be healed twice by Sora and Donald after he got hurt, only adding to his bitter self-loathing for his magical capabilities, but at least he didn't use a single Potion for himself.
They stopped by a nearby pond, much bigger than the one earlier on the road, and Rapunzel decided to have a little splash fight with Sora. While having fun, Gallus tried to do some meditating, hoping the advice Aqua gave him would help him finally cast Cure. Sitting a few feet away from the edge of the water, the griffon tried to focus on the quiet sounds of nature, ignoring the laughing and playful splash fight his mentor and excitable hermit were in the middle of. To him, it was sort of peaceful after finally entering a slight trance, only for it to get ruined when Sora decided to make a huge splash by using his Keyblade. He scooped up a shooting geyser's worth of water, some of it falling back into the pond while the sun's light shimmered against the water to make a rainbow, whereas the rest sloshed right on top of the griffon. Gallus sputtered, fully awake, slightly drenched, and fuming, almost finding that perfect state of Zen.
"Whoops! Sorry, Gallus!" Sora apologized.
Grunting in annoyance, Gallus stood up and shook himself dry. "Meditating just sounds like a fancy way for taking a nap anyway," he mumbled to himself.
They continued onward after the short break. There were some more Heartless that got in their way, and some old, very familiar Heartless in the form of monkeys Sora recognized all too well. Power Wilds appeared in the trees, throwing acorns at the group from the branches while some leapt down to slash at them with their paws. Being able to fly, Gallus zipped through the trees to knock the Power Wilds off their perches. They may be swift and jumpy, but they weren't as fast as a griffon weaving around freely while they were limited by gravity. The Power Wilds that were smacked off by Gallus were picked off by Sora, Donald, and Goofy before they even hit the ground. After taking down the herd of Heartless primates, they continued on their merry way.
They found another opened field after passing through a pair of cliffs sandwiching the path, finding another large, mysterious flower in the middle of the calm glade. Unlike the Chief Puff's disguise, this flower had a blue stem and gray petals, though it wasn't in full bloom just yet. The canopy of the woods in this area was a bit thick, barely letting much sunlight in, yet it was taller than all of them and towered over the flowers surrounding it.
"Ok, that's a bit suspicious," Flynn muttered.
Everyone then looked at Rapunzel, expecting her to run up at this new species of flower out of curiosity. "Don't worry," she assured the guys. "I know to be careful around flowers now."
They all glanced back at the strange plant. Sora couldn't help thinking he'd seen this flower before.
"Maybe it's a rare flower that blooms at night or something," Gallus guessed, deciding to take a closer look to make sure it wasn't as dangerous as the Chief Puff. Gallus leaned closer, taking a whiff if it let out any scent, and gave it a few taps to see if it would react to touch. "Well, I didn't suffer from poisonous pollen, so I guess it's safe."
As Gallus turned around, Sora gasped when he saw the bulb twitch slightly. The others stepped back when they saw the petals "blooming", but instead of revealing the flower it concealed, a flexible, rubbery body snapped out of the flower and formed into a humanoid creature with a hood veiling its face. The flower was actually a Nobody, one of the Reapers he and the others ran into back in Twilight Town after discovering Ansem the Wise's data at the mansion. The moment the Reaper formed its scythe, Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade and ran toward Gallus, startling the griffon.
"Gallus, move!" Sora shouted.
Gallus turned around, letting out a surprised yell as the flower was actually another monster in disguise. Luckily, Sora managed to reach Gallus, blocking a wide swing of the Reaper's scythe that narrowly struck the griffon teen, then shoved Gallus out of the way while rolling away from another horizontal slash from the Nobody. Gallus fell on his back and scrambled away, watching two more Reapers appear alongside he first one as all three of them floated about, ready to hack their scythes into their victims.
"W-What the hay are those things!?" Gallus exclaimed.
"Nobodies," Sora said. "That means the Organization's here. This isn't good."
"Mother said the outside world would be full of ruffians and thugs," Rapunzel said nervously.
"Those aren't ruffians," Donald said. "They're...uhhh..."
While Donald tried to think of an excuse to describe something this world doesn't need to know, Sora tried to come up with a plan. Gallus and the rest of the Young Six have never met any of the lesser Nobodies, nor do they know how much more cunning and coordinated these empty husks can be compared to the Heartless. It could be a coincidence that someone in the Organization could be here at the same time as them, or Luxord must have broken his deal he made to Aqua and told the rest of the Organization about the Young Six. Either way, there was no chance he was going to let Gallus try to fight Nobodies without being properly ready.
"Gallus, get Rapunzel and Flynn as far away from here as you can!" Sora said.
"Huh!?" Gallus squawked.
"We'll handle them while you make a break for it," Sora explained, being quiet enough to keep Rapunzel from hearing the "experienced" griffon warrior being given instructions by one of his "sidekicks". "You aren't ready to handle these Nobodies. We'll catch up with you."
Gallus didn't want to get separated, at least not further out in these woods. He had no idea where to go, and if there were more of these Nobodies out there, pretending to be flowers or whatever to get the jump on them. Taking the opportunity to flee, Flynn jumped in to help convince Rapunzel to flee.
"Our fellow sidekicks have a point!" he said. "Fleeing is my specialty anyway! Let's get out of here, Rapunzel!"
"What!? But what if they need help!?" Rapunzel asked, refusing to leave her new friends to face these rubbery ruffians.
Flynn tensed up, disliking Rapunzel's stubbornness, but used it as a dramatic flair as he let out a sigh. "I know you want to help. If I could, I would slug it out, but our sidekicks have got this covered."
"Yup!" Goofy agreed, wielding his shield while Donald held out his staff.
"A frying pan won't be enough to take down these guys!" Donald added.
Quickly getting back up, Gallus hovered next to Rapunzel, helping Flynn usher her away from the fight. "Y-Yeah, they're...uhh, much tougher than those yellow-eyed freaks! They've got this with their eyes closed! Besides, we both promised you to get to the kingdom safely, so we'll leave them to some of the tough stuff!"
Seemingly convinced, Rapunzel nodded, but turned to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Sora, you guys be careful, ok?"
Sora gave her a nod and a reassuring grin, then faced the Reapers. Rapunzel, Flynn, and Gallus ran down the road, getting the attention of one of the Reapers. Before it could float down and slash at them, Sora distracted it with Firaga, the explosion kicking up dust to veil the escaping trio. After exiting the field, they managed to get out right as a magical barrier trapped Sora, Donald, and Goofy with the Reapers. Gallus heard the magical field appear and turn around, gawking at the briefly flashing barrier trap before it seemed to disappear.
"Whoa..." Gallus cautiously approached the area where the barrier appeared, lifting a claw and reaching out tentatively to touch it. He expected it to shock him upon contact, but it was just a smooth invisible wall, which trapped his superiors as they fought the swift-flying Nobodies, attacking with their scythes or transforming into their flower forms and releasing a sprinkle of magic rose petals. "These things are Nobodies? Didn't Master Aqua say that Luxord pony was a Nobody?"
"Hey, Gallus!" Flynn called out urgently. "Admire our sidekicks' talents later! When we am-scray, we need to AM-SCRAY!"
Gallus looked back at Flynn, then to Sora. "Right. They know what they're doing. T-They're not so tough." As he turned to catch up with Flynn and Rapunzel, more Nobodies warped in front of the griffon, though thankfully, they were Dusks, not Reapers. Gallus leapt back in surprise, quickly summoning his Keyblade to defend himself. If he thought the Reapers were menacing with their scythes, the Dusks' bearing their fangs underneath their zipped open hoods were far more intimidating despite being far lesser than the flowery Nobodies. "Me and my big beak!"
The Dusks slithered toward Gallus, who began to panic having no clue how to fight these creatures. "There's more!?" Rapunzel exclaimed.
"Oh, this day just can't get any worse for us," Flynn grumbled.
Gallus began to back away, only to now realize that he could fly. Flapping his wings, he shot up in the air, avoiding the Dusks as they looked up at him.
"Ha! Try and get me now!" Gallus taunted. It wasn't a good idea when they began slithering, practically flying like a snake gliding across the surface of the water toward their target. "Oh, come on!" Getting fed up failing trying to outsmart the much smarter foes, Gallus smacked the small group away from him, then swooped down to regroup with Flynn and Rapunzel. "Let's get the hay out of here!"
"Couldn't agree with you more, kid!" Flynn said.
"Wait, those things look different from the ones pretending to be flowers," Rapunzel noted. "Aren't you-?"
"Look, now's not the time for questions!" Gallus interrupted, gathering up whatever hair of Rapunzel's was dragging behind her and forcing the girl to carry the bundle of her own locks. "We're getting away from those things! No ifs, ands, or buts!"
The Dusks swiftly recovered and began chasing after the trio. Left with no other option, Rapunzel nodded as they quickly made a break for it in the woods. Despite being the only one of them capable of harming the Nobodies, Gallus was not going to risk getting himself hurt trying his hardest to fend them off. It may have been the coward's way out of a battle, but against an enemy he knows nothing about, nor learned much of aside from the Heartless, fleeing was the best-case scenario, even at the cost of his own pride.
As they came upon a dreary section of the woods, more Dusks warped in front of their path, causing Flynn and Rapunzel to skid to a halt. They were luckily at a crossroads, so they headed down the other path, Gallus flying overhead to make sure they were at least safe. The Dusks gave chase, a line of gray, slithering, rubber serpents on the road hunting down their prey. Up in the trees branches, none of them noticed there were Heartless hanging from their perches. The Flutterings, hidden in the shadows behind their wings, awoke, then swooped down and attacked Gallus. He didn't see them until they dove and scratched at his back, making him yell and fall to the ground. Flynn and Rapunzel stopped and turned around when they heard Gallus fall, watching the hoard of Flutterings swarming the griffon teen.
"Gallus!" Rapunzel cried out in horror.
Gallus slashed away the Flutterings, scrambling back up as he smacked the ones he didn't kill away with his Keyblade. "Great. These things can also look like bats," he grumbled to himself. The remaining bat-like Heartless dove at him again, but he sliced through them with ease, being just as easy to slay as the Puffballs. "Nice try, you squeaky little-!"
While he gloated, Gallus completely forgot the most important lesson he was taught from his first encounter with his enemies: don't lose focus of your surroundings. The Dusks caught up with them, some of them wrapping and constricting around Gallus, squeezing the life out of him while the rest whipped at any exposed parts of his body that weren't covered by stretchy gray masses. He tried to squirm away while yelling out from the endless whipping, even resorting to biting at the Dusks on him to inflict some sort of pain with his arms being immobilized.
"We have to help him!" Rapunzel exclaimed.
"Uhh, I'm not sure if there's anything we can-" Before Flynn would consider to Rapunzel just to leave Gallus to his fate, she was having none of it. She plopped her hair in his arms, startling him before she ran up to help the surrounded griffon with her trusty frying pan at the ready. "And there she goes again. This was a mistake taking her offer just to get back-"
As Rapunzel reached the swarm of flailing gray bodies, she yelled and swung her frying pan with all her might at one of the Dusk's heads. Surprisingly, she was able to strike it, and flung it across the road, leaving it in a daze. The other Nobodies stopped and faced Rapunzel, only to get whacked and knocked for a loop. Flynn stared in astonishment, dropping Rapunzel's hair as she watched her, with a simple cooking utensil, was able to beat up a bunch of mysterious monsters that appeared out of nowhere. After Rapunzel beat away the surrounding Dusks, she faced the ones binding Gallus up.
"Get your filthy hands off of him!" she shouted before giving a few good blows against the Dusks' heads. They fell limp to the ground around Gallus, who winced in pain as he was helped by Rapunzel away from the unconscious Nobodies. "Are you ok, Gallus?"
"Ugh. I should be...humiliated by being rescued by a girl...but thanks," he said. Gallus looked back, wondering if he should slay the Dusks while they were out cold. He probably wouldn't have any time to do so, especially after he just got ganged up by both Heartless and Nobodies. Gallus dug into his bag, risking using one of his Potions to heal himself, only to pause when he saw rose petals floating around them. Rapunzel and Flynn noticed too, being wary of mysterious, glittering pink petals gently falling to the ground. Gallus quickly looked up when he heard something rustle the leaves. Diving down toward them was a Reaper, its scythe poised to strike the maiden below it. "Get down!"
Gallus pushed Rapunzel out of the way, but unlike how Sora rescued him, he was too slow to react in time to protect himself. He misjudged the Reaper's downward slash, getting struck painfully in the side. Gallus winced, feeling his side stinging in agony as the painful cut went from his back down to his belly. It didn't cut deep, but the power in that swing nearly made him collapse. Adrenaline kicked in as he turned to glare at the Nobody, throwing away all logic for him to run and kill the creature that nearly hacked him in two.
"Gallus!" Rapunzel gasped, seeing the damage done to his side.
Letting out a low, lion-like growl, startling Rapunzel and Flynn, Gallus then roared as he lunged at the Nobody. The Reaper dropped down to the ground in its flower form, blooming the bulb and unleashing a few thorny vine-like tendrils within. Gallus dove down after it, casting Fire in his fury to burn the plant-like husk. While it reverted back to its normal state as the fiery blast stunned it, Gallus landed on the Nobody, then continued blasting it point-blank with Fire spells. It writhed in agony as it was incinerated, and to add insult to injury, Gallus held his Keyblade in his beak, then began tearing it apart with his own talons. He was fed up with running, and he was going to tear apart these heartless husks limb from flexible limb until they learned not to mess with him.
After destroying the Reaper with his own two hands, Gallus panted heavily as he dismissed his Keyblade, staring down at the Nobody and where it rested after if disappeared in a flash of light and harmless rose petals. Having calmed down slightly, the pain in his side flared up, making him grimace and clutch at his wound. It didn't feel serious, but this pain was going to distract him from fighting if it didn't get healed soon.
"Oh no, the other ones are waking up from their nap!" Flynn pointed out.
Gallus looked up to where the Dusks laid scattered, no longer unconscious as they turned their sights on the trio. "I-I just need to-"
"You proved your point, kiddo! You got the bigger baddie!" Flynn quickly said. He helped Rapunzel back on her feet, then grabbed Gallus and yanked him in the opposite direction of the Nobodies. "No time to rest! We'll get you fixed up when we're out of these woods!"
Gallus winced as he moved, one arm still clutching his side as he hovered after them. At least that Reaper didn't cut at his back or one of his wings, otherwise he'd be a grounded griffon for the rest of his life. Little did he realize that, as they ran further through the forest to escape the Dusks, neither of them noticed Gallus's own sling bag laid on the dirt road. The Dusks slithered over the bag, the sliced strap splaying out and the bag opening slightly, the nudge rolling out a couple of Potions that were inside.
The trio continued fleeing, passing a tavern that seemed to teem with the sound of some vagabonds and troublemakers either having a good time or instigating a bar brawl. There was no chance the Nobodies would stop hunting them down, leaving their chances to hide out with a bunch of ruffians, as Rapunzel was told to avoid by her mother at all times, very slim with the smarter creatures. The path continued leading them down to a dam, where the wooden wall containing the water was close to bursting and cause a flood from lack of neglect and water weathering down the wooden structure for decades.
"They're just gonna keep chasing us," Gallus uttered as he looked back, finding more Dusks coming after them, even a Reaper or two joining the Nobody Hoard. "There's no way I can fight them all on my own..."
Rapunzel and Flynn looked down in the chasm until Flynn spotted a cave down on the other end where the dam was. "Maybe we could lose them down there!" Flynn pointed out. Spotting a nearby ladder, where some workers have seemed to abandon trying to repair or divert the water from the dam safely to other parts of the area. Flynn and Rapunzel climbed down into the chasm, Gallus following down by hovering down, only to wince as the pain suddenly made him unsteady. He nearly collapsed as he landed, Rapunzel helping the griffon stand when they reached the bottom after him. Suddenly, they heard what sounded like hooves echoing beside the base of the dam. The clopping noises got louder as they looked to the cave, where the owner of said hooves stepped out. To their surprise, along with Flynn's disdain, they ran into a white stallion, though this was no pony from Equestria: this was a horse from this world. A white stallion with matching hair wearing a saddle and a bridle met their gaze, letting out a startled noise before snorting angrily and leering directly at Flynn. "...Ok, I'd rather take my chances with the flying rubber monsters instead."
"You know this...giant pony?" Gallus questioned, getting the horse's attention as it let out a confused grunt at the notion.
"First of all, that ain't no pony; that's a crazy horse," Flynn stated, which made the horse very bitter, taking offense to the insult. "And second, he's out to get me. Don't ask why."
"I can think of a few reasons," Gallus muttered under his breath, knowing Flynn was actually a thief and not a charismatic adventurer.
The horse was about to charge them, only to be stopped when Dusks landed between them, startling the equine as he stepped away from the mysterious monsters. Gallus summoned his Keyblade, backing up as the trio approached the edge. Looking behind her, Rapunzel had an idea to help them get down safely. Grabbing her hair, she gave it an expert toss, sending it flying across, latching itself around an unfinished sluiceway connected to the dam. After giving it a good tug to make sure it was taut, she pulled Flynn and Gallus toward her.
"Hang on to me!" she instructed.
They did as she asked, and without warning, Rapunzel leapt off with both boys hanging onto the girl, swinging down from the cliff's edge and down safely to the bottom of the chasm. The stallion, no longer disturbed by the strange creatures, barreled through the Dusks watching them, leaping down the lower ledges to give chase. Gallus glanced back, watching a Reaper float by the support beams holding up the damn. The Dusks disappeared once they got back up before the Reaper slashed at the beam, causing it to slide off and weaken the structure of the dam. Water began to spill out as the wood began to creak and strain under the escaping pressure, causing the dam to crumble apart and unleash a massive tidal wave of water into the chasm.
"Why is this happening!? Of all days, why!?" Gallus exclaimed to the heavens.
"This way!" Flynn said, leading Rapunzel and Gallus into the cavern. When Gallus realized where they were running toward, he gasped and skid to a halt, stopping at the entrance to the dark, enclosed cavern. His mind quickly thought of flying up to avoid having a panic attack and getting washed away by the rushing water coming toward them, but his physical exhaustion and his recent injury made it difficult for him to unfurl his wings. Flynn noticed the griffon hesitating, letting out a frustrated growl before running over to drag him inside. "Come on kid, you want to drown to death!?"
"W-Wait, I-I-I can't-" Gallus yelped, given barely any time to explain before being yanked roughly by the thief, practically being thrown in the cavern. Flynn managed to force Gallus inside just in time as he and Rapunzel watched the stallion get snatched up by the water right before the cavern got sealed up by debris. They heard the tidal wave slam into the cliffside, water slowly seeping through the cave-in and began to fill up with water. Panic immediately began to set in for Gallus, hyperventilating as he looked around the dark, small room, feeling it getting smaller and smaller and closing in around him. His reaction began to make Rapunzel and Flynn worry as Gallus suddenly whimpered, pupils wide and scrambling all over to find an exit, even helplessly clawing at their blocked entrance. "We're gonna die! I-I can't breathe! I can't-I can't...!"
"Kid, relax," Flynn said, though a bit irritably instead of calmly. "You're eating up more oxygen the more you keep breathing."
"Somebody get me out of here!" Gallus screamed, splashing around and flailing about in a vain effort to find an exit and back out into open space. He never once broke down in tears around any griffon in Griffonstone, believing crying and sobbing would only make him weaker than the other griffons or any other creature beyond his home kingdom. He felt like the walls were crushing him and his was dying, terrified of the fact that he was going to suffocate and drown at the same time. Gallus broke down in front of Rapunzel and Flynn, his sobbing and fear-stricken face telling the long-haired girl that the tough griffon was not as tough as he made himself out to be. "I-I can't breathe! I-I don't want to die! I can't-!"
"Gallus," Rapunzel calmly called out, reaching her hands out to the terrified griffon. He screeched and flailed at her touch, but she didn't let go, feeling so sorry for him as he was about to give himself a heart attack. She held him, trying to help calm him down with very little success, hearing him continuously whimper and pant and wheeze rapidly. With the situation they were in, she blamed herself for putting Flynn and Gallus's lives in this much peril, even getting Gallus hurt. "I-I'm so sorry...Mother was right....I never should have done this..."
Rapunzel sobbed, wracked with guilt for disobeying her mother and making all three of their fates end by drowning in a cave. Gallus's breathing slowed, but his anxiety was still present as he looked at her. Flynn felt just as responsible, considering he was the one who started all this, from running off with his prize to agreeing to escort Rapunzel with Gallus to the kingdom and having them run into the Heartless and Nobodies. The cave was almost submerged in water, getting closer and closer to filling up to a watery grave.
"...Eugene," Flynn said after a small moment of nothing but quiet sobs from the claustrophobic griffon and guilt-ridden girl. The two glanced at Flynn quizzically before he sighed in defeat. "My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. Thought you two might want to know since...we might not make it."
Seeing how Flynn's bringing out some truths, Gallus gulped, trying not to focus on the enclosed space getting smaller and smaller from the rising water. "...I'm actually the sidekick," he admitted to Rapunzel. "S-Sora's...He's actually...m-my teacher...This is my first time b-being outside where I live...I'm j-just a r-rookie in t-training..."
"I have magic hair that glows when I sing," Rapunzel said, adding to the pot of hidden secrets neither of the trio knew about each other. Gallus and Flynn did a double-take, confused by what she meant when Rapunzel realized what she said. "I have...magic hair that glows when I sing!"
"W-What are you-?" Gallus yelped as the water reached his neck, forcing himself to swim out of Rapunzel's hold as they stayed as close to the slowly fading air pocket they had.
"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine~," Rapunzel quickly sang before sucking in a deep breath.
Gallus and Flynn did the same, but the griffon wasn't sure how long he was going to last when his heart was beating a million miles a second and still felt confined and trapped in the cave. He clenched his eyes to try to avoid looking at the flooded cave, only for a mysterious yellow glow to get him to open his eyes in curiosity. Both Flynn and Gallus nearly gasped in shock when they saw Rapunzel's long hair began to glow from the roots down to the end of the several yards length. Keeping their breaths held, they watched Rapunzel's hair float until it seemed like it was being sucked over to a sizable crack in the wall big enough for all three of them to squeeze through. Following their possible escape route, they hurriedly swam through the cave, struggling with all their might to hold their breath until they finally found themselves swimming up into a pond.
Gallus, Flynn, and Rapunzel gasped for air as soon as they breached the surface, even Pascal, all of them completely forgetting about the little chameleon as they swam to the nearest shore. They all coughed and panted as they gulped in lungfuls of air, Gallus especially as he crawled out of the water, onto dry land, then flopped onto his back as he stared at the sunset sky through the trees while panting heavily. He should feel a bit devastated that someone knew about his claustrophobia, and a little bit nervous of the repercussions for lying about his status as a warrior, but what he and Flynn just witnessed about Rapunzel's hair left him in shock.
"Her hair glows," Flynn muttered, speaking for Gallus and his thoughts while Rapunzel cheered for the fact they were alive. "It actually glows...Why does it glow!?"
Hearing Flynn freaking out, Rapunzel ceased her excited prancing, glancing over at Gallus. "...It doesn't just glow."
The sun had already set as Flynn set up camp for him, Gallus, and Rapunzel. While Rapunzel was drying out her long hair, the two guys had no idea what else Rapunzel meant when she claimed it didn't just glow. Gallus still clutched his side as he calmed down from his panic attack, sitting by himself as he winced in pain and exhaustion.
"Some first day out in a new world," he muttered to himself. He glanced at his claw, smeared slightly with his own blood, even after they were submerged underwater. "Hope these Potions can keep it from getting infect-" As Gallus reached down to grab a Potion, his claw grasped at nothing. Looking down, he finally realized that he lost his sling, his beak dropping in horror. "Oh no! No no no no no! What happened to my bag!?" He looked around, hoping either Rapunzel or Flynn might have taken it off of him, but he didn't recall anyone coming near his belongings. As he retraced his steps, he slowly looked down at his cut made by the Reaper, slashing him right where the sling was wrapped around his body. Shock turned to dread and fury, growling angrily. "Those stupid Nobodies. That thing cut the strap and...AGH! I lost all those Potions, AND the bag Miss Rarity made for me!
"Of all the rotten..." While seething with anger, Flynn and Rapunzel overheard him as they looked at him talking to himself. Gallus grumbled, but then realized he did have a backup plan to heal his wounds. Assuming it'll work for him. Taking a few deep breaths, he held out his hand and summoned Griffon's Pride. "Ok. Just do what Master Aqua instructed. Feel the nature around me...Calm and focused...Aaaand...Cure." He raised his Keyblade up to the sky, wincing slightly while his eyes were shut to be in a calm, clear-headed state to cast the spell. Flynn and Rapunzel looked at each other, curious to see what he was up to, but quickly looked back at him when he let out a disgruntled yell. "Come on. Heal me!" Gallus shouted, thrusting his blade into the sky again. Getting more frustrated, he continued stabbing the air as he continued repeatedly casting the spell. "Regenerate! Rejuvenate! Revive! Fix! Flower power!"
"Uhh...what is he doing?" Flynn questioned. "Is he going...loopy?"
Rapunzel gave Flynn, or "Eugene", a dirty look for his comment. Gallus panted after multiple failed attempts, his hand beginning to tremble in anger as he growled, disappointed in himself.
"WHY CAN'T I GET IT TO WORK!?" he shouted, throwing his Keyblade across the grass as it clattered noisily to the ground. Gallus panted angrily, letting out a grunt as he watched his Keyblade disappear, then reappear in his claw without him commanding it to. "I didn't tell you to come back to me, you stupid sword!" He threw it again, a bit farther this time, but it came right back to him, to his chagrin. Gallus continued doing this a few more times, his breathing heavy and shuddering as he struggled not to lose control of his emotions and cry in front of Flynn and Rapunzel again. Griffon's Pride reappeared in his claw once more, but the griffon gave up as he glared at his weapon. "You can just pop back up in my hand with your own free will, but you can't let me cast Cure...How pathetic am I?"
Dismissing his weapon in a flash of light, Gallus grimaced as another wave of pain struck his side, but he didn't care anymore. He buried his face in his hands, questioning to himself why he agreed to be a Keyblade wielder if he was only going to fail Aqua. He got hurt, he lost the Potions she loaned him, lost the bag he was given to store his curatives, and freaked out when he so much as sets foot in a harmless cavern or cave-like passage. He didn't hear Rapunzel approach him, gently reaching out to grab his shoulder.
"Gallus, are you ok?" she asked, both with concern for his mental state and his physical injury. He peeked through his fingers to look at her, but said nothing, his silence clearly giving her his answer. Gently grasping his arm, Rapunzel helped the griffon stand up. "Here, come over by the fire," she ushered. Sighing, Gallus followed Rapunzel, then was set down on the log next to the small campfire Flynn made. He winced again as another wave of pain shot his body, giving Rapunzel a good time as any to elaborate on what she meant by her statement about her hair's power earlier. "Hold still for me."
Gallus grunted in response as Rapunzel grabbed the end of her long hair. She then wrapped her hair around the griffon, his mood changing slightly when he watched her wrap his midsection up like a bandage, confusing both Gallus and Flynn.
"Uhh, Rapunzel, I might not be a doctor, but...hair isn't exactly a suitable substitute for a bandage," Flynn stated. "And your hair's gonna get...messy."
Rapunzel ignored Flynn while Gallus noticed Pascal on the stump beside him with a smug look on his face. Once Rapunzel was done "bandaging" Gallus, leaving it loose enough for him to easily untie while it still made contact with his fur, he wanted to ask what she was doing, but remained silent.
"Promise me the two of you won't freak out," Rapunzel begged.
"Like how I didn't freak out about your hair glowing when you sing?" Flynn questioned.
"Just promise," Rapunzel repeated, this time more firmly with a serious expression.
Flynn let out a huff, silently nodding. She then looked back at Gallus, giving him a pleading gaze asking him to trust her. She did reach out to him after he had his panic attack while they were trapped in that cave. Where he expected to be mocked or made fun of, especially from Flynn, neither of them made the situation worse for him and make him feel weaker than he had been before. Rapunzel even tried to help comfort him and assure him that he wasn't alone, understanding his fear and help him cope as they were about to drown. Rapunzel definitely reminds him of Silverstream: wild and energetic with a fascination for everything, but she had a good heart and was willing to help, no matter what the issue a friend was facing. He was afraid to imagine how she would react if he told everyone of his phobia, and he didn't want to feel embarrassed or humiliated upon the reveal.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Gallus looked at Rapunzel and gave her a small nod. Rapunzel sighed as well, closed her eyes, and then began to sing.
As both Gallus and Flynn heard more of the lyrics to the song, or rather, the incantation, they both stared in awe as Rapunzel's hair glowed. It started from the roots on her scalp and slowly flowed out, trailing along her laid out hair, lighting up the woods they were in much more than the fire did. Flynn's jaw dropped, hopping away as the glowing light reached a bit of her hair his foot was close to. Gallus, however, watched in fascination, practically feeling something healing from the words Rapunzel sang in this spell. Rapunzel's words were soothing, calming, like a mother shushing their child as she patches up a scrape or cut with tender loving care on its own. The thought...depressed him, wondering what brought his mind to that comparison.
Looking back at the light slowly approaching him, he noticed Pascal, still wearing that smug expression on his reptilian face, pointing to his side, gesturing to Gallus's injury. It was like he knew exactly was going to happen, and he was waiting for the reaction of seeing it for the first time. Gallus glanced down at his abdomen when the glowing light finally touched him, letting out a gasp at the surprisingly warm feeling radiating around his torso. It was pleasant, comforting, and the pain and fatigue in his body was ebbing away, like he never got into a fight and ran several miles from a dangerous threat. Gallus glanced back up at Rapunzel as she finished her song, interpreting the first part of the "lyrics" talking about turning back time, but the second was about saving and healing what was supposed to be precious to them.
Rapunzel's hair stopped glowing as her incantation ended, opening her eyes to see how the griffon sitting in front of her would react. Gallus was still taken aback by what happened, taking a moment to process the strange feeling from Rapunzel's hair before looked down at himself again. Slowly, he gently grasped the hair and unwrapped his "dressings". After removing the magical hair, his eyes widened in shock; the deep cut in his side was gone, fully healed, not even leaving behind a scar, and he felt so much more energized than he had since the start of his day. He carefully touched a digit to where his wound was, feeling no pain and smooth fur and untouched skin underneath where his injury used to be.
"...By King Grover's beak," Gallus uttered. He glanced back at Rapunzel, who was biting her lower lip anxiously to hear what his thoughts were on such an incredible discovery. Flynn walked around, his jaw still hung open in shock, getting a better look at Gallus's now fully healed side, pointing at it while only able to let out weak grunts and squeaks, trying to express his thoughts about this in words while trying not to freak out. "...Your hair has...healing powers?"
Rapunzel nodded sheepishly. "Yes...It's been able to do that since I was a baby," she said. "That's what mother told me. But...what were you trying to do earlier? I saw you using magic before, but...I don't think griffons could use magic from what I've read hundreds of times in fantasy stories."
Gallus knew there wasn't much to hide, especially when Sora and Donald also performed magic spells in front of Rapunzel and Flynn to fight off the Heartless. "...I was...trying to use a healing spell on myself," he admitted, though with a bit of a scowl. "I just started learning it today, and I can't seem to get it down right, no matter how hard I tried."
"Wait, you BOTH have healing powers?" Flynn questioned.
"At the moment, I don't," Gallus corrected. Running his palm against his side, the griffon grinned as his shock turned to excitement. "But maybe I can..." He glanced at Rapunzel, then down to the bit of hair that was wrapped around his body. "Say, you don't mind if I maybe just take a lock of your hair for myself, do you?"
"W-What?" Rapunzel asked nervously.
"I mean, it sounds really lame having to sing that song just to let the healing spell work, but it's better for me than nothing," Gallus continued, ignorant to the look of fear on the girl's face. Gallus stood up, stretching out his back, feeling good as new. "I feel so much better, and it doesn't seem to use up any mana pool stuff I was taught, so it's a win-win if I ever run into trouble again. Maybe some of your hair can be enough of a bonus for getting you to the kingdom in one piece."
"Take some of my hair!? No!" Rapunzel denied firmly, which didn't sit well with the griffon.
"Come on, it's just hair. It'll grow back," Gallus tried to reason, his selfishness shocking even Flynn as the griffon got a bit more irate. "You've got plenty of it to spare anyway."
"Uhh, Gallus, maybe that's the reason why she questioned us about taking her hair when we barged into her tower?" Flynn stated.
"It's just a small strand. That's all I need." Rapunzel yanked her hair away from the greedy griffon, bundling and holding it close to her. Gallus did not take that well as he snarled at the girl. "Quit being stingy and just give me some of your stupid hair!"
"You can't cut off my hair!" Rapunzel tried to say. Gallus lunged at her, terrifying her as she reached down to grab her frying pan. She smacked the griffon hard in the face, making him yell and fall to the ground. Before he could get back up and try to take her hair for himself, Flynn grabbed Gallus, holding him back as he flailed about, trying to break free from his tight grapple. "Gallus, stop! You can't just take it!"
"You've got this magical hair, and yet you're too selfish to even give someone who helped save your life just a small clip of it as a reward!" Gallus shouted.
"Cut it out, kid!" Flynn grunted, trying to avoid Gallus's sharp claws and beak as he continued fighting with him.
"If you cut it off, then the magic in it disappears forever!" Rapunzel shouted. Gallus stopped flailing, panting heavily as he leered at the girl for her excuse. Flynn kept a firm grip on the griffon, but he wondered what Rapunzel meant. Trying to calm her breathing with her frying pan ready to smack Gallus away if he got anywhere near her again, she lifted the hair over her right ear. To both males' surprise, there was a small strand of brown hair that laid hidden underneath the long and overwhelming amount of blonde. "When I was a baby, a thief snuck inside when they found out about what my hair could do. He snipped off some hair, but the power in it faded the moment he cut it off. That's why mother forced me to stay in that tower and warned me about bandits whoever found out about my hair's healing powers. You take away my hair, you get nothing."
After Rapunzel's explanation, Gallus's breathing slowed, his expression slowly melting from anger, to shock, then guilt. Flynn noticed the griffon relaxing, slowly letting him go, but kept an eye on him in case he decided to attack Rapunzel again. Gallus thought he found himself an easy out for using healing magic, but the look on Rapunzel's face and the bombshell of information about her hair made him realize just what he resorted to do; exactly what Rapunzel feared. He sat on his haunches, terror etched on his face, acting out just like his own kind when they wanted something so valuable that they'd resort to swindling or stealing just to keep it for themselves. He lifted his claws, staring at them, his heart sinking as he degraded himself to being what he despised about his species and his kingdom. And now, Rapunzel doesn't trust him anymore after being so selfish and shallow after all she did to help him: both helping calm him in the now underwater cave and healing him.
"...What is wrong with me?" Gallus uttered under his breath. His hands shook, gritting his beak, feeling angry toward himself. "What is WRONG with me!?" he repeated, this time aloud, startling Flynn and Rapunzel as he shouted. Rapunzel could see the guilt in his eyes, even though he couldn't look at her, ashamed by what he attempted to do to her. Gallus brought his hands to his head, clutching his skull as he breathed heavily. "I was going to steal...her hair...By force...W-Why did I-?"
"Gallus?" Rapunzel called out softly. "I-It's ok. You didn't-"
"NO! It's not ok!" Gallus screeched. "I was going to just...take a part of you! Without even thinking! All I cared about was...taking what...what was so valuable to you that...that I..." He couldn't bear himself to finish his sentence. He didn't care about Rapunzel's hair at first until he and Flynn discovered it was magical, and was able to heal one's injuries. He didn't care about taking a few strands or scalping the poor girl, only caring about the magical healing it can do with a simple spell. He was just a greedy griffon who was willing to take Rapunzel's hair without her permission or consent, only caring about himself and keeping something of someone else's just to feel richer than them. "...I'm just as bad as my kind..."
"...What...does that mean?" Flynn questioned.
Rapunzel tried to reach out to him, promising that she wasn't mad at him and he just didn't know what would have happened if she lost her hair. Before she even got close enough, Gallus let out a frustrated yell, then shot up into the air, flying away from the campsite. He didn't turn back when Flynn and Rapunzel called out to him. He just kept flying through the trees, going anywhere to avoid being around two people who entrusted him in their safety when he himself was a threat to them. Especially Rapunzel.
Gallus didn't know how far he flew, but he finally stopped around another glade, perching himself on a wide branch of one of the many trees in the woods. It was hard to see where he ended up in the dark, but he didn't care anymore. All that mattered to him was how much of a true griffon of Griffonstone he really was: selfishly greedy, being petty, and taking more than he should, whether it was a legal deal or just plain thievery. He leaned back against the tree as he collapsed on his rump, staring off into the dark woods.
"...Some heroic warrior of light in training I am," he mumbled. He dreaded to know how Sora, Donald, and Goofy would react if they found Flynn and Rapunzel and they told him what he tried to do. He felt guilty for letting Master Aqua down for letting his own greed and search for the power to use a healing spell make her decision to make him an apprentice a truly terrible decision. He could already see the disappointment in his new friends' faces for letting them all down that even Smolder would make a harsh comment saying even SHE wouldn't have been all that greedy for stealing magical hair. And Silverstream, she would probably never look at him the same way ever again. She would think he would try to take her necklace holding a piece of her kingdom's magic pearl that allows her to transform from a hippogriff to a seapony and sell it for bits. Sighing sadly, Gallus laid down on the branch, not caring how uncomfortable he rested his belly on the thick limb. "...Why did I have potential...when I'm no worse than a Heartless...?"
Earlier...
Sora grunted, flipping away from a Reaper's scythe as it chased him down. He retaliated with a few slashes of his own, knocking the Nobody back to give him some space. He looked down the road Gallus, Flynn, and Rapunzel ran down, he watched them run, hopefully to somewhere safe.
"Sora, heads up!" Donald warned.
Looking up, Sora leapt back as a Reaper dove toward him, dodging another wide scythe slash. "This has to be the worst possible timing!" he exclaimed.
The attacking Reaper focused on Sora again, spinning rapidly with its scythe out and headed toward him like a bladed top. The other two Reapers above them scattered flower petals onto the trio while the third targeted them while continuously spinning. Luckily, Goofy's shield was able to block the dangerous petals while Donald and Sora picked the Reapers off with Fire spells. While they were stunned, Sora and Donald glanced at each other, nodded, then leapt up as they combined their magic.
"Duck Flare!" they both shouted as they spun about, creating several colorful magic rockets from the tips of their weapons that homed in on the Nobodies.
The many fireworks split up, targeting their own Reaper, then blew up on contact in a flashy, colorful explosion of sparks. They were left staggering from each blast until they were all destroyed in a puff of fading rose petals. Sora and Donald landed, the former brushing the back of his hand against his nose with an unamused grunt.
"These Nobodies need to step up their game," Sora said.
"Don't tempt them, Sora," Donald scolded.
"No, by all means, please do." Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped as they heard a voice. A portal of darkness suddenly appeared in front of them, revealing the pink-haired, scythe-wielding Nobody, Marluxia. The trio got back in their fighting stances, prepared to fight the smirking assassin. "Or do you want a repeat of our last encounter, Sora? You won't get the assistance of the Nobody who betrayed the Organization this time."
"He's still got us!" Goofy said.
"And I'm far stronger than the last time," Sora added. "You and Xigbar are at the top of my list for threatening a bunch of kids. Especially when you were going to kill Scootaloo after I was going to come along willingly when you proved a point. Want to see if you can prove you're right about me again?"
Marluxia shook his head, still bearing a cocky grin, which irked Sora even more. "Not likely. I'd rather save my strength for the inevitable final battle between both sides," he said. "You are lucky that Master Xehanort has lowered you down as our top priority at this time."
"Oh, good for me," Sora said sarcastically. "Tell your boss he should have kept coming after me. Assuming you make it out alive."
"I did not come here to fight," Marluxia assured the frustrated wielder. "Instead, I am asking for...a favor from you."
"A favor?" Donald questioned. "We're not going to make deals with the Organization! You can't be trusted!"
"Then, at the very least, hear me out. It doesn't have to be a personal favor." Sora growled, but whatever Marluxia was going to say, he was going to disregard it as bait or a false lead. He gave the Nobody a silent nod, prompting Marluxia to give his foes some information. "The maiden you were with, Rapunzel, you might have noticed something about her...Or, perhaps not."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped in surprise. "Rapunzel? What about her?" Sora questioned.
"So you haven't noticed after all," Marluxia said with a small, mocking laugh, making Sora growl and crouch his legs, ready to pounce the Nobody. "She is the light of this world. I would see you guard her from its dark horrors."
"Starting with you, right!?" Sora exclaimed.
"You all misunderstand what the Organization is all about," Marluxia said. "Our ultimate objective is not to clash with the light; we seek to complement the light. Balance among the worlds."
"By destroying everything and create the same outcome as the last Keyblade War!" Sora corrected the Nobody, then quickly rushed forward to strike Marluxia.
Marluxia faded away as a portal of darkness appeared around him. Sora just missed him as the portal disappeared along with the Nobody. Huffing bitterly, Sora stared at the spot Marluxia stood, dismissing his Keyblade with a sneer.
"Well, this is a huge predicament." Jiminy hopped onto Sora's shoulder while the wielder tried to relax. "This could be another trap."
"Whatever it is they've got planned in this world, we'll stop them," Sora said.
"Do you think the Organization even knows about the Young Six?" Goofy asked.
"I hope not," Donald said, then quacked in surprise as a thought came to him. "What if they wanted us to split up from Flynn, Rapunzel, and Gallus!?"
"Ah, crab apples!" Sora cursed as he turned toward the path Flynn, Rapunzel, and Gallus ran down to avoid the Reapers. "...You don't think the Organization already knows they're Keyblade wielders, do they?"
"Let's hope not, otherwise they're going to be kept from exploring the worlds and getting more experience combating the darkness," Jiminy said before hopping back in Sora's jacket pocket.
Without a moment to spare, Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran down the road, hoping to catch up to their new friends and their young charge. Sprinting down the dirt path, they came to a stop at a crossroads, where one road led to a decent path while the other took them into a creepy, misty-filled marshland leading to who knows where.
"Which way did they go?" Donald wondered aloud.
Looking down at the ground, they couldn't find any footprints belonging to Flynn or Rapunzel. And with Rapunzel being barefoot, her actual feet should have given them an indication to where they ran. Gallus must have flown, so there weren't any lion or talon imprints in the mud. While looking down the paths, they were unaware of a robed figure watching them curiously from behind the trees.
"Maybe the Galactic Map in Equestria can give us a clue," Sora pondered, then reached a hand to access his crystal communicator. "Aqua, this is Sora. Are you at the castle?"
"Yes, and I've been checking the geological layout of the map you guys are mapping out," Aqua said, surprising Sora. "I'm amazed the map is able to form out the paths and environment when anyone explores an inch of the area around them."
"Huh. That's weird," Sora uttered. "Helpful, but weird."
"Although, since the two lights I see come from you and Gallus, you two seemed to be...split up," Aqua mentioned. Sora grimaced, avoiding the curious glances from Donald and Goofy since they have no way of communicating with anyone like the wielders can. "Sora, what happened?"
"Uhhh...Heheh...Funny story," Sora nervously said. "We...ran into some trouble...Made some new friends, and then, all of a sudden...Nobodies appeared, I told Gallus to flee with our new friends to safety, and Marluxia from Organization XIII is here in this world as well."
Sora grew nervous after Aqua went silent for a moment until he finally heard her let out a long, exasperated sigh. "...This is the. Worst. Possible. Thing," she mumbled. "...Well, at least you told him to run away. Neither of the Young Six have had any true combat experience, and facing Nobodies is the last thing I want them to do...Did Marluxia try to come after you again?"
"No, but I won't trust that guy after what he did to me last time," Sora said. The figure watching them began to lose interest and started to walk away. "But, he did mention something...odd, but I'm not gonna believe a word he says."
"What did he say?" Aqua asked.
"One of the friends we were with, Rapunzel, he mentioned her being...the light of this world," Sora phrased. The figure suddenly stopped and turned around after hearing Rapunzel's name, quickly hiding back behind the trees to listen a bit closely. "Do you think...he means what I think he means?"
"That this Rapunzel might be a new Princess of Light?" Aqua hummed in thought for a moment before responding again. "As much as the Organization shouldn't be taken lightly, Luxord gave us a lot of information to help us stop them. And I doubt they know the Young Six are wielders, too. It's a bit hard to believe, but Luxord seems like the kind of guy who would keep his promises in a deal. Plus, Lea mentioned Marluxia was one of Xehanort's former Organization XIII members who planned on betraying the group by using you in Castle Oblivion."
"If only I could remember what happened there," Sora grumbled.
"Regardless, try to keep this girl safe if she is a new Princess of Heart," Aqua said. "And find Gallus right away. I think he's on the move, and still going. He seemed to have gone down the path that's on your right, assuming you're standing still, Sora."
"Got it. Thanks for the heads-up." After disconnecting his contact with Aqua, Sora looked to Donald and Goofy and pointed down the right path. "Aqua said they went down that way."
"But what about the other path?" Donald asked. "You think that'll be a shortcut to catch up with them?"
"I'm not sure," Sora uttered.
"Excuse me!" The trio quickly turned to someone calling out to them. From behind the tree, the person spying on them came out and moved down the hood of her black cloak. Gothel approached them with a small, worried grin, relieved to find them. "Fair travelers, do you know Rapunzel?"
"Uhh...Sorta," Goofy answered.
"Who are you?" Donald asked curiously.
"My apologies. I'm Rapunzel's mother," Gothel said. "The poor child left home without a word, and I've just been worried sick. Please, tell me where my dear, sweet girl is?"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other, baffled by Gothel's worried claim. Rapunzel may have left without her mother's permission, but they wondered where this woman was at the tower if she was Rapunzel's mother.
"...Well, we kind of...lost her," Sora said. He already lost Gothel's interest as her feigned, worried expression turned into a disappointed frown. "But we're looking for her right now. She's with a friend of ours. He's a-"
"You lost her." Gothel scoffed, brushing the travelers she hoped would help her off and began walking away. "You three are of no use to me. I'll find her myself..."
The trio found the woman's behavior highly suspicious, just flip-flopping her request for help over one small thing that she didn't like to hear. "...Well, that was...weird," Donald uttered. "Was Rapunzel planning to run away from home?"
"Hmm. Maybe Marluxia might be onto something," Goofy said.
"I highly doubt it...but...does he know if Rapunzel's a Princess of Heart?" Sora questioned.
"If that's true, then we need to find her and keep her safe from whatever darkness is after her," Goofy said.
"Right. And we need to find Gallus, too." Sora glanced between the two different paths. He had no idea which of the paths led to, but the one Gallus went down from what Aqua told him was definitely mapped out with his light as a wielder. There could be more passages, or more threats, on the other path, and if innocent passersby were to run into any Heartless, there could be more numbers added to the Heartless already invading this world. "Donald, Goofy, take the path Gallus took. I'll explore the marsh."
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Donald asked. "Marluxia could appear again and catch you off guard."
"Better to get more ground," Sora said. "And if I need a guide, I'll let Aqua know and help me find my way back to you guys."
"Well, just be careful, Sora," Goofy advised.
Sora nodded in response, then ran off into the marshlands. Donald and Goofy began making their way down the other road, hoping Gallus didn't get too far ahead of them. There weren't any signs of Heartless or Nobodies on this road. If Gallus managed to fend them off while protecting Flynn and Rapunzel, they hoped those Heartless were weak enough for his level of training. A little ways up ahead, they spotted something lying in the middle of the road.
"Huh? What's that?" Donald asked. The two walked up to a lost bag, but upon closer inspection, along with the contents that spilled out from the opening, they gasped as they recognized the bag and the bottles of green liquid. "It's Gallus's bag!"
"The strap seemed to have gotten cut," Goofy noted. "Uh oh. Ya think he got hurt?"
"Something attacked him. We gotta find him, and fast!" Donald exclaimed. He picked up the bag, placing the Potion that rolled out inside it, then quickly ran down the road with Goofy alongside him. They ran down the road for about a mile, panting heavily in exhaustion while pondering how long this road was. They passed a tavern and followed a river, only to skid to a halt as the road ended with a dam that had ruptured and a wide lake of water. They saw debris from the broken dam, along with some building materials that were used for whatever construction was being done. "Wow. What happened here?"
They heard neighing and splashing on the other side of the "lake", spotting a white stallion treading water as it tried to climb up on dry land. "Looks like a horse got caught in the flood. Let's help the poor thing out," Goofy said.
Donald nodded as they approached the edge of the lake. Donald pulled out his wand and cast Blizzard, creating a path of ice across the way to reach the struggling equine. After crossing to the other side of the flooded chasm, Goofy with his longer, lankier arms reached out to grab onto the reigns. Donald dropped Gallus's bag and wrapped his arms around Goofy's torso, and the two pulled hard with all their might, helping the heavier creature up to get his hooves back onto dry land. After a good few minutes, they got the stallion out, who let out an exhausted whinny after crawling up to safety. Donald and Goofy sighed in relief, only to yelp as the horse sputtered and shook itself dry, getting them drenched in the process.
"You're welcome," Donald grumbled.
"There ya go, big fellah," Goofy said as he pat the horse's side as it laid down to rest a bit. "Wonder who owns you?" Goofy looked at the saddle and bridle, finding a name etched on the side of the leather straps on the left side of the horse's bridle. "'Maximus'? Guess that must be his name."
The horse snorted slightly, giving a nod to Goofy to confirm his guess. "Well, it's too bad he can't talk like the ponies in Equestria," Donald said. "I doubt he knew where Gallus, Rapunzel, and Flynn are."
Maximus let out a startled grunt, then looked at Donald at the mention of Flynn. He let out a sniff, then looked at the bag the duck mage was holding. He inched his muzzle closer to the bag, taking a curious whiff, then backed his head away, recalling a similar scent from something he definitely ran into earlier.
"He does seem pretty smart, Donald," Goofy mentioned. "Maybe might know where they are if he gets Gallus's scent." Maximus gave Goofy a deadpanned stare. He found it offensive that he was made in comparison to a blood hound by the guard captain. "Say, Maximus, you haven't seen a creature that's not natural around, have ya? He's a bit on the small side, blue fur and feathers, head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion?" Maximus scrunched his muzzle in thought, then gave the two a hefty nod, recalling seeing such a creature who was with the criminal he was chasing after all day. "He has! A-hyuck! Attaboy! Where is he!?"
Maximus nickered, slowly glancing to the water. Confused, Donald and Goofy looked at the flooded chasm, then back to the horse. Maximus mimed with his hooves to better communicate, creating an imaginary cave in the chasm, him chasing after the trio, them entering that cave as the dam broke and flooded, and from what he saw before he got swept up by the water, part of the cliff crumbling and caving in, sealing up the cavern they escaped through. Both Donald and Goofy's jaws dropped, followed by nervous gulps as they looked back at the water.
"Uh oh..." Donald muttered.
Running through the marsh, Sora might not have run into a trap, but there were Flutterings hiding in the branches he passed, lying in wait for its victims to swoop down and attack. They were easily dealt with via several swift flicks of his Keyblade, only considered a slightly bigger nuisance than a Shadow with them being able to fly. There were even a few groups of Nobodies that got in his way, but like the Flutterings, they were only Dusks and fell faster than they could snap their elastic tendril-like hands.
After exploring the dreary marsh, he found a cave at the end of the path. Inside, it appeared to be a dead end with nothing but stalagmites and stalactites littering the floor and ceiling. There was an opening leading up to what appeared to be the top of the cliff the cave was connected to when he looked up. Just as he was about to run up the smooth wall, Powerwilds appeared, clinging to the walls and threw nuts at Sora.
"Ah! Seriously!? How can these things climb on rock walls!?" Sora questioned aloud.
Getting sick of being pelted by acorns, Sora leapt up and sprinted up the wall to deal with these Heartless apes fist to blade. He smacked away the incoming projectiles, knocking some of them back at the Heartless in retaliation. A couple got knocked in the face, sending them plummeting to the ground as they were left in a daze, but Sora "caught" them with a quick slash of his Keyblade, destroying them and releasing the hearts within them. As he got closer to the other Powerwilds, Sora pushed himself off the wall to avoid their claws, then bounded off the other wall to counter them. Back then, they gave him, Donald, and Goofy so much trouble from all the bouncing around they did, but nowadays, they were much easier to hit with how much he's improved since his first year as a wielder.
With a few more slashes and a Thundaga spell to eradicate the last of them, Sora continued his ascent up the wall and up to the top. The pit he climbed out of led to a path surrounded by rocky cliffs, making it much harder to tell where in the forest he was at. Seeking a better vantage point, Sora bounded up to the top of the mountainous-looking hills using the lower ledges. Looking around, he saw an endless expanse of trees down below, a glimpse of some of the roads scattered about between the floral canopy. Out in the distance in the direction they had been heading, Sora saw a tall castle spanning a few miles down.
"That must be where the kingdom's at," he pondered, then looked behind him, where he was just wandering through the marshy section of the woods below the peak he stood on. "There's the marshland. And beyond that was where Rapunzel's tower was." His eyes focused on the other path Donald and Goofy went down, the same path where Gallus, Rapunzel, and Flynn ran down while getting to safety. Jiminy hopped out to take a look at the view, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun with his hand to peer out over the land. "This place could give the Everfree Forest a run for its Munny in size."
"If only we had a pair of binoculars to see further out there," Jiminy said.
Sora had an idea, reaching into his pockets. "Maybe the Gummiphone can be a good substitute," he figured as he pulled out the wide tablet, then accessed the camera function. "Might not have as much distance as a real pair of binoculars, but it could zoom in enough from here." Sora zoomed the Gummiphone's camera lens as he aimed the tablet at the road, scanning for Donald and Goofy. He and Jiminy watched the screen for any sign of them, at least from how far the zoom function on the camera was able to get. As Sora slowly shifted his aim along the road and from what he could see between the trees, something in the distance caught his eye. He saw something like ice going across a body of water and the ice freezing a surface trail and aimed the Gummiphone in that direction. They saw Donald and Goofy running across what they could see as a huge lake on the ice path Donald made, where they went to the rescue of a horse who seemed to have fallen in the water. "There they are."
"Hmm? What's Donald holding on to?" Jiminy pointed out as Donald dropped the object he carried in one of his arms before helping out the water-treading equine.
Sora gasped, recognizing the sling bag. "Gallus's bag...Oh no. This is not good." Worried for the griffon teen's safety, Sora stuffed the Gummiphone back in his pocket. Jiminy held onto Sora's jacket collar tightly as the wielder leapt down from the cliff, bounding his way down to the forest floor, and ran off toward his two friends. After a bit of running, he finally arrived at the edge of the lake where Donald and Goofy stared out at the water and the horse they saved was lying down, resting from his "swim". "Guys! What's going on!?" he exclaimed, startling his two companions. "You found Gallus's bag, but where is he!?"
Donald and Goofy stammered as they looked at each other nervously. "What's with the stalling?" Jiminy asked.
"Uhhhhhh," Donald uttered.
"Well...Our new friend, Maximus,-" Goofy gestured to the horse, who was staring awkwardly after hearing Jiminy talk. "-he found Gallus and the others, but he said they ran into a cave when the dam broke, and some rocks sealed the entrance up."
"What!? They're trapped in there!?" Sora exclaimed. Fearing the worst, Sora picked up Jiminy and placed him in Goofy's hands. "I'm going in!"
He sprinted off and dove into the water to save the trapped trio. Swimming down, Sora looked around to find any fallen debris sealing up an entrance somewhere around the lake. He discovered that this wasn't actually a lake before with some of the support beams and pieces of the sluiceway floating around or sunk to the bottom along with the pieces of the broken dam. He finally found something resembling a huge chunk of earth that seemed to have fallen in front of an entrance with wooden frames peaking out behind the blockade. It must have been used for excavating or creating a tunnel, or whatever this water-filled chasm was meant to be for.
Summoning his Keyblade, Sora swam toward the entrance, then sliced his blade through the tough earth. Once it was in thinner pieces, he pushed the rubble aside, though where he expected some of the water to get sucked into the cave after cutting up the seal, but it seemed like water had already been seeping through for a while. After clearing the entrance, Sora swiftly swam inside to help get Gallus, Rapunzel, and Flynn out, but when he got inside the small cavern, he found no sign of them, to his relief. He couldn't see too well from the reflection of the setting sunlight through the water, but if they managed to find a way out, then he couldn't see where they found their exit.
Swimming back out, he resurfaced with a gasp of air, then leapt out of the water and landed in front of Donald and Goofy. "Did you find them!?" Donald asked.
"No sign of them, which is the good news," Sora said, wringing out some of his clothing while he drip-dried. "It looked closed off, but they must have found some kind of passage out of there before it flooded." Donald and Goofy sighed in relief, but they did wonder where they wound up if they escaped their watery grave. Sora was way ahead of them as he pressed a finger to his communicator. "Hey, Aqua. You still monitoring the map?"
"Searching for Gallus?" she asked, making Sora giggle sheepishly in response. It probably would have been better to ask Aqua what happened to Gallus if she didn't freak out when she saw a light on the map fade out of existence. "Well, you guys seemed to have missed him. He's about a quarter mile from where you're at, Sora. And so far, he's safe. No signs of Heartless, although I'm gonna see if I can keep working on this map to pinpoint Nobodies and Unversed in the area, too...Perhaps if I use my Keyblade and showing this map detailed visions of a specific Nobody..."
Sora left Aqua to her brainstormed mumblings, then addressed his friends and the curious stallion watching them. "Well, Aqua says Gallus is not far from here, so him, Rapunzel, and Flynn are safe."
"That's good to hear," Goofy said. "But where did they end up?"
"Uhhh...Aqua got distracted figuring out how to update the map before I got a general direction," Sora said, scratching his cheek with a nervous grin. "I'm just gonna leave her to that until she gives up. Or succeeds."
"Hopefully succeeds, because those Nobodies could be anywhere," Donald said.
Sora and Goofy nodded in agreement, then Sora looked up, seeing how late it was getting. "It's about to get dark soon. We might as well set up a camp, then search for the others in the morning," Sora said. Donald and Goofy couldn't agree more, knowing they'll easily lose track of where they are in the forest in the middle of the night. Sora glanced over at Maximus, who was eyeing him curiously as he approached the stallion. "Hey, boy. You're not too hurt, are ya?" Maximus shook his head, showing the outsiders he was just fine as he stood up and trotted in place for a few seconds. "That's good. But it's a bit dangerous around here right now. You might as well stick with us until morning."
Maximus was about to shake his head, but after seeing the strange creatures before the dam broke earlier, he wasn't sure if there were more of them elsewhere in the woods. Letting out an annoyed sputter, Maximus snorted and laid back down, needing all the rest he can to continue pursuing Flynn.
Jiminy hopped back to Sora while Donald and Goofy searched for some firewood to build a campfire. Sora dug into his pockets and pulled out a small orb that held a yellow tent inside it. Giving it a light toss in front of him, the orb shattered, and in a puff of blue smoke, a similar tent of a much bigger size sprang up from the magic smoke. Maximus let out a bewildered, dumbfounded whinny, his jaw hanging open at the strange magic display.
"I'm surprised you still have some of those Tents on hand," Jiminy said.
"I've been used to doing some actual camping with Applejack, Rainbow, and the Crusaders, I wish I packed some real camping gear," Sora said. "Too bad the trail's not gonna lead us to rainbow waterfalls."
Maximus punched himself in the face, still in disbelief that he wasn't dreaming. Sadly he wasn't as Sora opened the tent and looked inside, which meant the griffon teen and the gray creatures he ran into were definitely real. Already having gone through a crazy day searching for Flynn, Maximus lowered his head against his hooves and tried to sleep, tuning out these mysterious travelers' conversation when Donald and Goofy came back and the campfire was built.
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Well, this is getting interesting.
Also a big question to ask who”s gonna come with sora to the Caribbean?
awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter
Awesome chapter! Looking forward to the next one.
You know, for whatever reason, I can see Ocellus being the one going with Sora to the Frozen world. I can see her talking to Elisa and connecting to her.
I like reading this. I am also hoping for something for Gen 5.
Another one come and gone and that was great. Awesome work there. Keep up the great work and man that moment of Gallus healing might have brought up some thoughts into him. Awesome job there. Keep up the great work
10834823
I think it's gonna be Silverstream, she would work well with the water environments and deep-sea swimming you get up to in that world.
It also amazes me how Sora can hold his breath for so long in that game, same with Donald and Goofy.
10835243
I mean to be honest Sora and do were talking under water, probably they learned how to breath under water due to their amount of time spent in Atlantica
Ok, this is becoming one of the best story arcs in this fic, and here's why.
I love this moment where Rapunzel joins the fight, and maybe later Eugene and helps out. I love this idea because realistically (Something never really explains in-game) that these characters cannot harm heartless, but it seems they can harm creatures such as Unversed and Nobodies. Besides, it's awesome to see rapunzel in action.
I'll be honest, this line didn't make much sense to me, since Gallus lives in the same village where someone like Gilda lives.
Not gonna lie, this moment made me kind of sad, was hoping to see the Pub Thugs here, unlike in the game. But it's no big deal, since Sora and Co. kind of fit that role.
Ok, now I'm going to go over how Awesome Gallus is in this chapter, and how his arc can continue in this current story.
I love how you emphasized his Claustrophia in this chapter, and how it was foreshadowed in part 1. This gives him more insight into his flaws and how he's really anxious deep down.
I like to think Griffin culture views these feelings of anxiety and fear as a major weakness, and shouldn't be expressed because as a griffin, you are meant to be strong and proud, and I think this could apply to this situation right here with Gallus trying his best to act confident and cool, but gets frustrated when things don't go the way he thinks should, and panics when in closed spaces because he's extremely claustrophobic and never got the support he needed.
I love these two together, and honestly, they fit perfectly together. Think about it, Gallus' culture is all about pride and riches, and looking you for one's self most of all. Gallus and Eugene have much in common in those aspects. They both grew up as orphans, and mostly looked after themselves, and mostly surrounded him with the idea of riches over true connections.
They both can be really great friends, and while Flynn might not understand Gallus' in his personal issues, they can both understand and relate to one another with how they are mostly engulfed with riches and looking out only for themselves, and this culminates at this moment right here.
Gallus is ashamed of being a griffin, and this makes a lot of sense. He grew up not knowing concepts such as friendship and be emotionally there for people, it's why he's mostly dismissive of his own feelings and pretends to be this "cool dude," because he doesn't want to express something his culture would deem as weak and pathetic. And now he's in a school, with creatures who actually care about him, enjoy their time around him. It's unreal and makes him rethink his culture, and species as a whole, to the point of being ashamed of it. This is some serious character development that I absolutely love and cannot wait to see more of.
This is also exemplified by the idea that he cannot use Cure, because he is not in a peaceful state of mind, because of his internalized feelings he's trying his best to repress. But now he has someone else to possibly help him out on.
Rapunzel is able to perform very similar magic with her hair and is a very empathetic person towards Gallus. She's cheerful, but would be there for you and trying to see the best in everyone. She would help Gallus out and tell him that he has no shame to express these inner emotions, like how she did with the entire Pub in the movie.
Allow me to say, this is pure genius writing. You introduce a conflict with a character, whose culture involving riches and looking out for one's self, having issues with healing magic, and now befriending a thief and woman with similar abilities. I have no idea if this was intentional or not, but this was a great chapter to read with too much potential.
With what would happen next, I can definitely see Gallus and the Tangled gang meeting up with Sora again. Sora notices Gallus feeling a bit down, and tries to help out, but Gallus doesn't want to talk to him, because of how ashamed he was over his actions towards Rapunzel, but then during the Journey, maybe finally reaching the Town, Eugene talks to Gallus and knows how he feels. Remember that Eugene named himself Flynn Rider after a character he loved in a book, so in a sense, he was also pretending to be someone he really wasn't. He gets a talk with Rapunzel later on about how everything is going to be alright, and she forgives him. Besides, Gallus is a still teenager, he still has much to learn, and Rapunzel knows this.
These three can form quite a strong bond, as the two helped Gallus overcome this step, and is now on a proper path of learning to let go of this shame, and not be afraid of being open with these emotions.
I really don't want Sora to be the one to help, because we've seen that too many times at this point, and this gives the Other World characters a proper role rather than being "Look Disney Characters!" Sora needs to take a backseat in this story for now, as his main focus should be defending them from Maluxria and the stronger Nobodies.
The next scenes are obviously him trying to help Eugene out with his feelings towards Rapunzel, and then comes the famous Lanterns scene. And this is when stuff gets interesting.
Have Eugene AND GALLUS be captured. As said earlier, Sora and co. take over the roles of the Pub Thugs, then that means Gallus would be the one to get Eugene out of there, as a huge thanks for helping Gallus out when he emotionally needed it. The two meet up with Maximus alongside Sora and Co. helping them to break out. Sora might be a little hesitant with Eugene, as he learns that the infamous thief, but trusts Gallus' judgment.
The story plays out as usual. (Imagine the sheer terror Gallus will feel upon seeing Eugene bleeding to death) A really wholesome scene would be Rapunzel singing the song to save him, Gallus desperately trying to, only to hold hands with Rapunzel, singing the song, and with his key blade in hand.
They both heal and revive Eugene, with her song and Gallus now capable of using Cure. This is would be such an emotional and great climax for Gallus' character arc. and I cannot wait to see how this goes! Again, props to you for setting up such a grand start for this journey.
This is pretty funny for Malurxia. I can imagine Sora and him believing Rapunzel is a princess of heart.
after the fight against Mother Gothel becoming heartless, Malurxia takes Rapunzel, since he has now an opportunity. Only to then realize (I'm going to guess that they have the ability to see people's hearts) that Rapunzel is NOT a princess of heart, since she is canonically capable of using dark magic, seen [here].
imagine how embarrassed and angry Malurxia would be when he basically waste his time in this world, and Sora would just laugh and take this opportunity to humiliate him.
This was a fantastic chapter, a great build-up to something great, but also an interesting take on the character of Gallus.
I cannot wait to read more.
Shine on!
10836945
On your final paragraph thing that is actually pretty much exactly what Malurxia told Sora in the game. Honestly the game itself never really gave any kind of pay off that I could find to this (never says whether new Princesses of Heart are coming to being though no Princess of Heart other than Kairi was completely pure). Honestly when it comes to the game I don't know whether it is not caring about the writing, whether things got cut from the game, or what else since they seriously dropped the ball on the story of Kingdom Hearts 3 that made them never explain what the hell that was about. Seriously the base game was basically a jumble of random worlds with absolutely no threads holding them together.
10843293
My take on it always was that to be a Princess of heart means for a being's heart to be entirely made up light. It's like a one in a million chance for a princess of heart to be born since a heart needs to have a balanced light and darkness, with the princesses' hearts, they are made of pure light. This doesn't mean necessarily they are always morally good or pure, it just means they are incapable of tapping into the literal power of darkness or being influenced by it.
KH3 establishes that the Seven lights have moved into other hosts (except Kairi), meaning the other princess' hearts must have darkness in them now, since they are no longer of pure light. In a previous chapter, it established that Flurry Heart is among these princesses
10844635
I don't know about that. Then again the games really don't give out too much to the point where they are just infuriatingly unwilling to make anything less clear than the water of a PS1 swamp. Even going by this stories added canon I think you are stretching it a bit.
10844656
Well, it's just my theory, or headcanon to be more accurate. Nomura is not the best writer, I still love the games, I think the chaotic mess of the writing is part of its charm at this point. It makes no sense, but I still love it.
10844973
It was the charm of the game series, but it has gone too far. There are so many loose threads and nonsense that it doesn't feel like anything really matters or is even actually canon. It wouldn't be so bad of the third game had actually accomplished anything at all at any type of explanation of anything and if the mobile game had absolutely nothing to do with canon.
10850219
The two IDW comic arcs I'm referring to, were published prior the Crystal Empire chapters for this story, specifically the Spring to Summer of 2014 & the Fall to Winter of 2015. So no, this chapter and parts 2 & 3 of the Crystal Empire arc doesn't predate the comics I mentioned, they come after them, but I need reiterate something, when I was reading this story I was confusing information from another story I read, but when I did a quick relook I don't think this story involves elements from the IDW comics - and if it does I must be missing something or the author wasn't specifically showing it.
Other than that, that comment from before was only trying to explain why I found so confusing why Luna was the one who had a fling with Sombra - from a fan and reader's perspective - and not Celestia who had multiple reasons to be in a relationship with this Sombra. Though I need to remind myself this is an AU story, so any elements - from either canon or IDW - will NOT stay the same. That and I should probably ask the author if this story involves using the IDW comics at all because so far I don't think it does.
10850256
The IDW comics are not really part of this story. Just the show and most of the movies from Equestria Girls and the MLP movie. I don't consider the comics as canon aside from the ones that involve the MLP movie as backstory mentions within those parts. However, some bits from the comics I will integrate just from a few characters, like Nightmare Rarity in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils", though that seems to be the only one from what I can recall in this long series. I never read any of the comics until a couple years ago, and in a strange way, I wanted to see some of them in animated form. Especially the ones around Sombra.
10850716
Ah, thanks for answering that question, this has been bothering me a lot ever since Nightmare Rarity was in this story, so I was confused whether the IDW comics were part of the story or not.
10851865
I thought I might have answered a similar question someone else asked in the past, but if there was, I have no idea when. Or if it was in a PM, then I don't know where, either.
10852177
Heads Up! A video in one of the chapters is dead.
10864400
Not sure which chapter you're mentioning, but I know a lot of my earlier chapters up to a certain points once had links to KH songs that I thought seemed fitting as ambience for certain scenes, and those links had dead videos. I've mentioned in the summary at the end to ignore them as taking them off would be quite a bit of a chore since there's probably around hundred or so other chapters with dead links, and I don't want to accidentally delete parts of the sentences or paragraphs in this story after working on it for so long.
10865160
Okay.
It's Sora Faces His Darkness.
I really like that music.
10880941
...Really? Is that what what happens in Union X? I've been trying to get to the end of that long story (currently in wreck it ralph while being an OCD completionist by nabbing all three star ranks for each chapter for pointless bonuses that I might not need anymore), but with some of the surprise encounters practically decimating me within that one hit even as I try to upgrade my medals and Keyblades, or even against Heartless with those stupid color coded counters that deal back damage I dish out to overkill me, I'm gonna wind up getting stuck at some point and just go watch the rest of the more important non-disney cutscenes on youtube.
If that's the case, then maybe it's a coincidence. I'm not really sure when the story updated when I made that chapter, but if my idea of bringing Sombra back as a Dream Eater was an actual possible thing that happened in union cross (despite me only using mostly the knowledge granted through just the events leading to the Keyblade War and nothing else after), then I need to stop making wild guesses about certain things in this story. I kind of did that with Aqua's little moment in this story and being emotionally and mentally attacked by a reflection of herself like with the double in "A Fragmentary Passage 0.8", even though I made Torrent a sort of Vanitas double with her personality, which I wish I could have changed before getting this far in this long story.