Chapter 03: We Got This Together
TWILIGHT TOWN
Morning...
Twilight Town... one of the most largest worlds ever known. Some say that it's located between the Realm of Light, and the Realm of Darkness, the third realm which is known as the Realm Between, where the worlds exist near both light and darkness. Which could explain why it is called Twilight Town. The town is composed of two known districts; the Sunset Terrace, and the Market Street, the latter being the largest area of the entire town, where are many shops along the long steeply-sloped road that leads from the lower to Station Heights, the summit which is home to the many trains of Central Station, and the town's distintive Clock Tower. If you could reach the top of the tower, you can see the whole view of the town from just sitting at the front, even the forest surrounding the town, and the old mansion out back.
At the top of Station Heights, a massive truck in a various set of colors was backing slowly. Apparently, in the front seat sat two young anthropomorphic ducklings. One was Huey, the duckling in the red cap and T-shirt driving the truck. The other was Dewey, the one with the blue casual sweater and his hair sticking a bit up. Behind the truck was Louie, the last duckling with a green hoodie and his hair was curved to the side.
"Back it up! Back it up!" Louie called out as the other two upfront drove the truck slowly in reverse.
"And good!" He called out. "Excellent!"
"Ha!" Huey said. "Perfect parking!"
"Yeah, didn't know you could drive a truck!" Dewey said.
"I am a natural!" Huey said as the ducks gave a chuckle.
"Hey!!!" Another voice called out, one that is more quacky and raspy. Turning their heads, they saw another duck, older and slightly taller than the three. His plumage was white, and with him being a duck he had a yellow coloed bill, and his webbed feet and legs being the same color. He had light blue eyes and a short tuft of feathers on his head, visible under his blue hat, which resembled a beret with zippers over the top to the side. His high-collared jacket was navy blue, with sky blue lining and cuffs. There were three pouches, all were blue with yellow lining along the middle of the jacket. The center pouch is secured by a flap, while the other two use silver zippers. There was also short blue cape that draped over his shoulders, kept in place by a silver strap. Thick gold bangles were on each wrist, and... he wasn't wearing any pants, just like the other ducklings.
Donald Duck was his name, and he was the King's Royal Wizard and assistant so to speak. He is very good with all kinds of magic, ranging from fire, ice, thunder, wind, you name it. But, while he is goodhearted and loyal at times, he is mostly aggressive, and sometimes selfish, because of his short temper and his impatient nature, and greedy too.
Speaking of short temper, he was a bit angry right now, at the three ducklings, who were actually his nephews. The three ducklings would sometimes cause mischief, especially around their Uncle Donald. But they're good spirited.
"What's the big idea?!" Donald asked.
"We're moving the truck." Huey said. "That's what."
"Why are you driving the truck?" Donald asked. "You three aren't old enough to drive!"
"We're not technically driving it." Dewey said. "We're just backing it up slowly."
"Same Thing!" Donald said.
"Well, someone has to help with the decorations!" Louie said. "Without them, the festival won't be a big wonder!"
"Well, ask for an adult!" Donald said.
"The adults are busy!" Huey said.
"Oh by the way, this couldn't fit in the back of the truck!" Dewey said, opening the door to the passenger seat, showing a box in his lap. He then tossed it to Donald, and it crashed into him, making him fall down. The nephews couldn't help but laugh at their uncle's misfortune, who only groaned in irritation.
"Hey, is the decorations here?" A voice spoke. Lifting his head up, he saw a spikey-haired boy with the red and black duds. It was Sora, and he had a happy smile on his face.
Behind him was an anthropomorphic dog with black fur and droopy ears. Two buck teeth were sticking out and three short hairs came out of the top of his head in front of his hat. His hat was orange, save for the blue band in the middle, the top resembling the shape of a tear drop placed on its side. The hat also sported a pair of red goggles at the bottom of the hat, though the lenses were two small for the dog's larger eyes. He wore a green turtleneck sweater with long sleeves that bell out slight with blue arrow-shaped straps on each cuff. White gloves were on his hands with a brown band around each wrist. Over the sweater was a sleeveless, combat vest with grey lining and four pockets of the same color. His pants were yellow, secured by a thick black belt, with large pockets and pouches on each leg with zippers. The legs of his pants have a peculiar style with the dark orange bottom rims being pulled upward by a brown strap. Large brown shoes with steel toes on the outside covered his feet.
This was Goofy, the Captain of the Royal Knights of his king's court. Yet despite his position, he doesn't like using weapons, even sharp swords. Rather, he uses a shield in combat and attempts to avoid fighting unless it's necessary, referring to find peaceful solutions to problems. He is simple-minded and not as intelligent as his name insinuates, but he is the voice of reason among his friends, and amazingly calm and cheerful, keeping his cool when Donald doesn't. He also is selectively perspective, noticing things others would miss. Very steadfast and a reliable friend. Who could not love that?
"Sure looks like it." Goofy said, answering his question. They then glanced down to see Donald on the floor.
"What happened to you?" Sora asked.
"Ask them." Donald hissed, pointing at his nephews.
"Hey Sora!" Huey said. "The decorations are here!"
"And we managed to back up a truck without any problems!" Louie said.
"Wow, good job!" Sora said as he made his way to the back of the truck.
"I wonder how much stuff is in here." Goofy said.
"Probably a lot of boxes." Donald said, gettingup from the ground. "Maybe a hundred or so."
"Only one way to find out." Sora said as he grabbed the handle of the truck door. With a pull and push, he opened the door up and glanced in side. The three stood there in shock, seeing lots, and lots, and lots of boxes. Probably at least a thousand.
"Wow... that looks like more than a hundred." Goofy said.
"Yep." Sora said. "This is gonna be a long day."
With what they could carry, the trio made their way to the Tram Common, an large open-market area where there were many shops, including an accessory shop and an armor shop. There is also a synthesis shop run by a Moogle named Elmina, which is used to make new crafts out of rare ores and materials, such as armor, necklaces, magical artifacts, and even weapons! There was also a nice restaurant known as Le Grand Bistrot, a nice place where all sorts of delicious meals and food are made. Circling around the area was a free tram, which is why this part of town was called the Tram Common.
This place also had many citizens around the town talking and working. Because, it was a very important day for everyone. This week was a special celebration known as the Festival of Friendship, a time where everyone gets together and puts on a wonderful celebration, celebrating friendship of course! And it was gonna be a long week too, because everyone was decorating the whole town with ribbons, sparkles, all sorts of things too! And there was a lot of special events and shows, such as carnival games like Pin the Tail on the Mouse, Musical Rush, and of course a music concert consisting of various musical artists.
But the biggest part of the festival was the Struggle Tournament, where friends and rivals gather together to have a playful, yet aggressive fight, where one person must gather the other side's tokens while battling them in sword to sword combat using struggle bats, which are bats that are used for attacking and hitting, but soft like a pillow... sort of. Though the tournament may not sound friendly, but no one gets hurt... badly.
Needless to say, the festival was going to be grand, and everyone was participating and helping out.
"There's so much to do!" Donald said.
"Yeah, but at least we get to do something though, right?" Sora asked.
"I guess so." Donald said.
"I can't believe that there's a festival about Friendship." Goofy said. "It sure sounds exciting." The trio passed the entrance to the sandlot as they left the Market Street, but not before seeing the huge sign at the crossway displaying the title.
Struggle Tournmant: Battle With Friends!
"The Struggle Tournament... doesn't sound friendly." Donald said.
"But it is a friendly competition though." Goofy said. "Say, ya think you're gonna try the Struggle Tournament, Sora?"
"Nah." Sora said. "It's really exciting and all that, but I'd rather stick to the sidelines this time. You know, let someone else have all the glory."
"That's strange, coming from you." Donald said. "Usually you'd always jump into anything that's a competition."
"No I don't." Sora said.
"Of course you do." Donald said.
"He is right." Goofy said. "You remember when we first visited Olympus Coliseum? You were pretty eagered to join the Tournament there."
"Yeah, you got a point there." Sora said. "But Donald was eagered too."
"No I..." Donald spoke, but then he halted on his sentence, remembering how he too was eagered to get into the tournament too, especially declaring that he and the others were heroes. "Oh, yeah..." As they made their way to the Tram Common near Jessie's Accessory Shop, Goofy took a look around, trying to spot someone.
"Say... where's the King and Riku?" Goofy asked.
"Weren't they suppose to be here?" Donald asked.
"Actually, they're at Hollow Bast- I mean Radiant Garden." Sora said. "They're helping the Restoration Committee a bit."
"Gee, I hope they don't miss the Festival." Goofy said.
"They said they'll be back in a bit." Sora said. "Besides, Leon and the others need some help with the construction on the castle."
"Awww, I wish we would've gone with them." Donald said. "It would've been nice to see them again."
"Hey, there's always another time, Donald." Sora said.
"He's right about that." Goofy said.
"Hey, Sora!" The new voice called from behind. Turning around, they saw a boy around Sora's age approaching them with a smile. Like Sora, he had bright blue eyes and his hair was spikey, though is was a golden blonde, with the front concentrates the spikes on the right side of his head as if windswept, while the back is smother and more flaky. His clothes consisted of a black high-collared jacket with a zipper in the form of an X. Over this was another jacket, unzipped and white, with several black block designs and a grey hem on the end of each sleeve. The jacket's color was red and pleated, folded back. His pants were in two colors, with the legs of his pants being beige with several buttons on the hem that attached to the upper part of the pants, which were a darker color. His shoes were colored in shades of grey and black, and had red straps in place of laces. On his left wrist was a wristband with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern, and a black ring on his index finger, and white ring on his middle finger.
This is Roxas, who used to be a member of Organization XIII, and the Nobody of Sora. Nobodies are creatures or beings created when a person with a strong heart has lost his or her heart. This happened when Sora removed his heart to release a friend's heart back to her own body. Since learning of Roxas and the stuff he had been through during his time in the Organization, where they only used him to hunt hearts to recreate Kingdom Hearts, the source of all light, Sora worked hard to help him exist, and with the help of former members of the Organization, who turned good after learning of their leader's true plan, Roxas was given his own body, and is officially his own person.
Behind him was someone else who used to be in the organization too. The girl with the short black hair, wore a sleeveless double buttoned, collar shirt and black belt, with a short white skirt underneath, and black boots that reach halfway to her knees with a beige color to the upper fifth. The girl's name was Xion, one of Roxas's friends during his time in the organization. She was supposedly the fourteenth member, but was created as a replika to replace Roxas. But through Sora, she was able to have an identity of her own, being her own person too.
"Roxas!" Sora said. "It's good to see you again!"
"Good to see you too." Roxas said.
"Hello, Roxas." Goofy and Donald said.
"Hi, Donald, Goofy." Roxas said.
"Hello Sora, Donald, and Goofy." Xion said.
"Hey, Xion." Sora said.
"You guys here for the festival?" Roxas asked.
"Yeah." Sora said. "We're helping out with the decorations."
"Great!" Roxas said. "We can use a couple more helping hands."
"Hey... where's Axel?" Sora asked. "Or... Lea?"
"Oh, he's on his way." Roxas said. "There was a lot of trash that needed to be picked up."
"Hello!" A voice called from behind Roxas and Xion. The group then saw a tall man with long red hair. His attire consisted of a long sleeveless hooded black vest, with a dark gray and red plaid button down shirt that was also sleevless, and a short-sleeve black shirt underneath. His pants were blackish-red and his black boots reached to his calves. His name was Lea, though he used to be Axel as a Nobody, a being who is suppose to be an empty husk when someone with a strong heart and will loses their heart. But he's no longer a nobody. He is Lea. He is also Roxas and Xion's closest friend during their time in the Organization too. He can be cocky, and he has a competitive streak, but he cares deeply for his friends. Got it memorized?
Behind him was another man, with long blue hair and blue eyes. There was a X-shaped scar on his face. How he got it, it is unknown. The man wore a long-sleeved, knee-length high-collar black jacket with black pants. The jacket had a short front zipper on each side, with a column of five buttons on a dark gray flap next to the longer zipper down the middle. There was gray camouflage patterning along his jacket, sleeves and pants. There was also a gold star and crescent moon medallion on the left side of his shirt, and there was black shoes with the same camouflage as well. This was Isa, who used to be known as Saïx when he and Axel were nobodies. He's much more mature, not showing interests on childish matters, but he has a lot of tolerance with Lea, and values their friendship greatly.
"Hey guys!" Sora called out with a wave.
"Sorry we took so long." Lea said as he and Isa approached the group. "We had a lot of garbage to clean up. Who'd knew that bashing them into each other would get it all clean."
"Would've been easier if you just huddle them all together, then bash them." Isa said as Lea rolled his eyes.
"Hey, Sora, Donald, Goofy!" Lea said. "Great to see you guys. I take it you're all here for the festival."
"Sure are." Sora said.
"If it ever gets done." Donald said. "There's still so much to do."
"Oh, come on, Donald." Xion said. "Lighten up a bit. It's the time where everybody gets together and celebrate."
"She's right." Goofy said.
"HEEY!" another voice called from the side lines. The group saw three more friends running up to meet them. The one in front was Hayner, the boy with brown eyes with white skin and blond spikey hair that went more upwards. He wore a white shirt with a black skull on it. He wore baggy jean-like pants. He short sleeveless vest was black with a red-and-plaid design at the bottom, just like his shoes.
Behind him was Pence, a heavy-set boy with brown eyes too, but his black hair was held up with a dark headband, and an orange bandana around his neck. His shirt was black-and-white with a picture of a skeletal dog with bones and the words Dog Street above it. His jeans were black and his shoes were orange.
And the third one was Olette, the girl with bright green eyes and brown hair, sticking out on the sides with two strands draping over her shoulders. Her tank-top is pure black with stitch-like vertical orange lining, and her shorts have a plaid pattern with a red-and-black background with small stripes of orange and blue. She wore black and grey shoes, and a red necklace and bracelet.
"Oh, Hayner, Pence, Olette!" Sora called out as the three joined the group.
"Hey, Sora!" Hayner said with a welcoming wave.
"Hey, what about us?!" Donald asked.
"Good to see you too, Donald and Goofy." Olette replied.
"See, they didn't forget about us." Goofy said to the royal wizard.
"It's so awesome that you made it to the festival!" Hayner said.
"Thanks." Sora said. "And we're helping out too. Figured you guys could use some helping hands."
"That's great!" Pence said. "We just got done putting up the posters for the Struggle Tournament."
"Isn't this amazing?" Olette asked. "The Friendship Festival is one of the most biggest festivals that's ever happened in town. Everyone gets to play games, hold contests, music concerts."
"And free food!" Pence said.
"And last but not least..." Hayner said.
"STRUGGLE TOURNAMENT!" He and Roxas said at the same time.
"How is everyone excited about a tournament where you bash people in the head?" Donald asked.
"It's a friendly competition, Donald." Sora said.
"And who knows." Lea said. "I might actually come out on top."
"Oh please." Isa said. "You would be crushed in a matter of seconds." Hearing that made Lea gasped a bit and blush, while the others couldn't help but give a friendly chuckle.
"Isn't this great?" Xion asked. "All of us are here together having fun."
"You betcha!" Donald said. Goofy and Sora gave a nod.
"Yeah..." Sora said. He then looked up at the sky, seeing the beautiful red and yellow mixing together in orange. Everything was so peaceful, to be lost in his own thoughts, to just think of how so much has changed in the past few months. A lot has changed, especially rescuing and bringing back a lot of people who were suffering a whole lot, yet they made Sora the person he is now.
Reflecting on his previous adventure, he was quite happy everything turned out well. But, he couldn't help but frown, thinking of the great battle that he endured. He couldn't help but think... what if everything didn't turn out ok?
"Sora?" The familiar voice made Sora turn his head. Standing there before him was a girl at his age. She had long dark red hair that reached slightly to her shoulders. Her eyes were beautiful violet-blue, and a silver bead necklace around her neck. Her outfit was a unique hooded pink and black dress, with the hood possessing two small black cat ears. There were black ruffles on one side of her skirt and plaid on the other. On her wrists were white bracelets on the left, and a thick wristband on her right. Her bots were thick belted black. She looked at him with a curious smile.
"Kairi… Oh, Kairi!" Sora said, realizing that she was right there in front of her. "You're here."
"Well, of course I'm here." She said. "You brought me along, remember?" The boy began thinking through his head, and then gasped.
"Oh, right." Sora said, showing a nervous smile. "Almost forgot about that..." The girl tilted her head a bit.
"What's the matter?" She asked. "Are you ok?"
"Uh... yeah." Sora said. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you look pretty distracted." Kairi said. "You were just staring at the sky."
"Oh... well..." He said. "It's just... we have a lot do to do today. There's so much to do. Lots of decorations, posters to put up, food needs to be cooked and baked. I just don't know if we'll get it done in time."
"That's what I was saying!" Donald said.
"You were?" Goofy asked, only for the duck to roll his eyes. The girl couldn't help but give a playful giggle.
"That's what you're so worked up about?" She asked, leaning in closer toward Sora, making him blush a bit.
"Um... yeah." Sora said.
"Aww..." She said, leaning forward to hug him close. "You're so cute when you're lost in thought." Feeling her hug him so closely made the boy blush even more. That's because Sora has had feelings for Kairi since they were little, though he didn't know why though. He still had a lot to learn about love, but his previous adventure has made him have a better understanding of the concept. He still gets a bit awkward whenever she hugs him in that way, especially if everyone's watching.
"Kairi, everyone's looking at us." He said, but the girl didn't break away. In fact, she moved his head to look right at her.
"Let them watch." She said. In fact, everyone was watching, and they couldn't help but smile.
"When is he gonna kiss her yet?" Lea asked.
"Hey, let's not rush them." Roxas said.
"Don't worry, fellas." Goofy said as he and Donald moved in and hugged the two. "We'll get everything ready in time."
"And you got us!" Donald asked, referring to himself and everyone. Looking at his friends, Sora formed a smile of assurance. Donald and Goofy were right. If they work together, they can get everything ready for the festival in time.
"Yeah, you're right." Sora said, showing a smile on his face. "We can get this festival ready in time. As long as we work together, we got this!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Goofy asked, as the music began to kick in.
It's time to show 'em what you've got
It's time to go and get things done
But you don't have to do it on your own
'Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun
Pretty soon, Goofy and Donald pulled the entire group into a massive hug.
We got this,
You got this
We got this together
With all their cheerful might, they lifted Sora off the ground and up into the air, as he flew up with a smile on his face. He is then caught by Lea.
Sometimes the pressure gets you down
And the clouds are dark and grey
Just kick them off and let the sun shine through
With his chakram, he throws it into the sky, where it cuts through one of the clouds above, allowing the sun to pierce through and shine down on him and Sora.
And scary as it seems, more help is on the way
'Cause friends have friends that wanna help out, too
Around the two, a couple of the town's citizens begin to circle and dance around them.
We got this, you got this
We got this together
As the crowd continues to sing, Sora, Donald and Goofy make their way through the town, as everyone continues to decorate, buy items, and sing.
It's the Festival of Friendship
And we can get it done
A festival that they won't forget
The trio are approached by a photographer, and they pose as he takes their picture.
A party to be proud of
A day of games and fun
Just you wait and see
A magic day in perfect harmony
Everything shifts to Xion, who is helping the elderly woman with the birds and cats.
You got this
We Got This
We got this together
Back at the Bistro, Roxas, along with a couple of waiters, help deliver the dishes of food to the waiting customers.
With friends and family, you are never alone
If you need help, we've got your back
He gives a pat to Sora and Donald, with the latter nearly giving a cough and quack, bringing a smile to the two.
You can be honest, let your problems be known
'Cause you got us to pick up the slack
We got this
We got this together
As the waiters and customers continued to sing and dine, Scrooge McDuck was taking a fine look at the jewelry at Jessie's shop, with the three nephews helping decorating the room.
Pay attention to the details
Every gem even-spaced
Make the colors perfect
Takin' one or two to taste
Inside and out, beautiful throughout
Generosity is what we're all about
You got this, laddies!
You got this
We got this together
A little bit later, Sora makes his way to the top of the wall, the wall that covers the entire town, bordering it from the woods. He sees the old abandoned mansion from afar. He walks along the side and sings.
Today needs to be perfect
it all comes down to me
I don't know if I'm ready
For all the things they need me to be
My heart has always been my guiding key
But that is more than what they see
It's a promise to bring people together
And never let anyone down
He then summons his keyblade, and uses it to swing back down the wall, and slide his way to Donald and Goofy, who are working on making a very delicious cake. Donald is almost stressing out carrying some boxes of fireworks, while Goofy is happily taking his time mixing with a giant mixer.
We've got an awful lot to bake
Everybody needs a piece of cake
Oh, wait! There's something better we can do
We're gonna need some more supplies
To make a really big surprise
They'll be so shocked—they're sure to love it, too!
The two jump up to the ground and join Sora in a spinning circle.
You got this!
We Got This!
We got this together!
Pretty soon, everyone comes together in the final chorus, all of them moving rhythmically to the beat and singing with all their hearts.
It's the Festival of Friendship
Together we are one
A day we will never forget
And now everything is ready
So when the day is done
The weather
The banquet
The style
And music
All will be in perfect harmony!
-BOOM-
The explosion from the bakery came with a bang, sending lots of delicious cakes and pastries into the sky, hurling right to Sora's position, who looked up with surprise as they were ready to crash down upon.
He moved quickly, and held out his arms, catching every piece of delicious desserts that he could, catching all of them without trouble!
"Got 'em!" Sora said, and the crowd cheered. Then suddenly, a cake falls on Donald's head, soaking him with frosting and cake.
"Awwww..." Donald spoke, as Goofy scooped some of the frosting with his finger and gave it a taste.
"Mmmm... Vanilla." He said with a chuckle, as did everyone else, while the royal wizard only tapped his foot in irritation.
A little while has passed since the decorations continued and everyone sang their hearts out. The trio continued to walk by and see people placing up strings and ribbons all over.
"You know, I gotta say, this place seems to be looking pretty nice." Goofy said.
"Yeah, and they got us to thank for it!" Donald said, finally clean of frosting and cake.
"Yeah, but I don't think we deserve all the credit." Sora said. "Because, everyone else helped out too."
"Yeah, but we did most of the heavy lifting." Donald said.
"Aww, c'mon Donald." Goofy said. "It wasn't really that heavy."
"Yes it was." Donald said.
"Hmmm... maybe because you're smaller than the rest of us." Goofy said, making Donald's eyes widen with shock and sudden aggression.
"Oh, I'm smaller?!" Donald asked. "I'll show you small!" As Donald let his mouth run off while Goofy was trying to calm him, Sora couldn't help but smile, seeing his friends just being themselves. That's what he loved about them. They had always stuck by his side on every adventure they've been on. He wouldn't know what to do without them.
Without them...
Without them... he thought. He turned his head, thinking of the time when they were forced to leave him behind a couple years ago because of their duty to their king. That time when he was alone... he felt hurt. He didn't blame them though, because it was their duty. But... it wasn't as bad as... the road to the Final Battle. He closed his eyes, and the image of his friends being swallowed by the swarm of shadows jumped into his mind. He felt shakey for a second... very shakey.
"Sora?"
"Sora?!"
He opened his eyes, seeing that he was still in Twilight Town. Turning his head, he saw Donald and Goofy, looking at him.
"Sora?" Goofy asked.
"Huh?" Sora asked. "What is it?"
"Are you ok?" Donald asked.
"Um... yeah, I'm fine." Sora said, putting on a happy face, though Donald and Goofy looked at him carefully.
"Are you sure?" Goofy asked. "You were pretty quiet for a few seconds."
"Oh... I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." Sora said.
"About what?" Donald asked. He was about to speak, but he froze, trying to think of what to say. He couldn't help but think of the nightmares he's been having for quite some time now. How could he explain it to them? Could they understand how uneasy these strange dreams and thoughts have been making him feel? He shook his head. He needs to stop thinking about it, that's all.
"Just today." Sora said, giving a fake smile. "I mean, preparing the festival is fun, but it is kinda… um."
"Kinda stressful?" Goofy asked.
"Something like that." Sora said.
"Awww, don't worry about it, Sora." Donald said. "We all know how preparing a festival is tiring."
"Yeah, but as long as we work together, it'll be the best festival that's ever been put on." Goofy said. Seeing the two happy made the boy even feel more happy. Just being with them made him feel more relieved.
"You're right." Sora said. "I guess I just need to stop thinking too much."
"And stop sleeping too!" Donald said.
"Hey, that's irrelevant!" Sora said, but then started thinking. "Come to think of it, I have been sleeping a lot more lately." Suddenly, he found the urge to laugh at the funny remark, and the other two joined in the friendly chuckle.
"Alright, let's get ready for the festival." Goofy said.
"Yeah, this is going to be the bomb!" Sora said.
"Bomb?" Donald asked.
"You know, exciting, and epic!" Sora said.
"Well, it does sound exciting." Goofy said.
"Exactly!" Sora said with a smile, glancing up at the sky. "Look out, worlds! We're gonna throw the biggest festival ever!"
"My return... is inevitable...!!!"
-GASP-
Sora's eyes widened greatly as he gasped, freezing stiff as a statue, hearing that sinister voice out of nowhere.
"Sora?" Donald asked. "Sora?!" The boy blinked, pulled out of his trance.
"Huh?" Sora asked, glancing at Donald and Goofy, who both looked very concerned.
"Sora, are you alright?" Goofy asked.
"Y...yeah." Sora said. "I think so... but..." He looked around, seeing if anyone else was around. But there was no one else around, except for the couple of civilians talking to each other.
"Didn't you hear something?" Sora asked. Goofy raised an eyebrow.
"Hear what?" Goofy asked.
"It was a voice..." Sora said. "It sounded so... sinister."
"I didn't hear anything." Donald said. Sora turned his head, looking around. Was he just being paranoid? That couldn't be. He just heard that voice a second ago.
"Something's... really wrong." He spoke.
"AAHHHHHH!!!!"
The scream quickly took the trio by surprise.
"I've heard that though." Goofy said.
"Run! They're after us!"
"Where did they come from?"
"Let's just get out of here!"
The three turned around to see a few children running away from the entrance of the Underground Concourse. As the the kids ran, something emerged from the conduit they were running from. Moving from the alley was a huge black slithering mass of Shadows, in a twister formation, spinning rapidly while chasing the kids. This monster was a Demon Tower, a formation of shadows that resemble a tall pole or tower. For those who don' know, Shadows are a species of monsters known as Heartless, creatures of darkness that go and feed on people's hearts, drawn to the darkness and negativity that some harbers within. And this bad boy is usually native in the Realm of Darkness. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped as they saw the monster.
"Heartless!" Donald shouted.
"What are they doing here?!" Goofy asked. The creature continued to slither forward as the kids continued to run.
"I told you going in there was a bad idea!" the boy shouted.
"Forget about it! Run!" The girl shouted. The screaming kids then ran pass Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
"Go!" Sora called to the kids, then turned around to face the swarm. "We got this!" Then he summoned his keyblade, while Donald pulled out his staff, and Goofy his shield, ready to fight against the Demon Tower, which recoiled back and pushed forward to strike. With a mighty swing, Sora swat the heartless back.
"STRIKE RAID!" He called out, and swung his keyblade, making it spin forward like a fan and boomerang, slicing through the heartless and making a clean return trip. He managed to leap out of the way as the tower dived into the position he was in.
"Sora, My Shield's Ready!" Goofy said.
"Ok then!" Sora called out as he jumped up, and landed on Goofy's shield, raised in the air. With a mighty push, Goofy and Sora launched up into the air, with Sora leaping off the shield and pulling Goofy in for a spin, before throwing him shield first into the Tower, bashing it to the ground. But it was not limping away. It then spun around and charged forward to attack.
"Look Out!" Donald shouted as he jumped into the air and used his staff to bash the creature away, though that only made it angrier. It then turned it's attention toward Goofy, and hurled right toward him. With his shield, Goofy was able to block the tower, while it continued to jab.
"Incoming!" Sora shouted as he jumped up and swung down, slicing some of the tower off and disintergrating the Shadows. The tower then pulled back, while the trio stood their ground.
"Garsh, I think we made it mad." Goofy said.
"You think?" Sora asked.
"Alright, time for some magic!" Donald called out, as he stepped forward a bit.
"Now... THUNDAGA!" He called out, his staff pointed into the air. The staff began to glow and then...
-BFFF-
The staff gave off a tiny spark... and nothing happened.
"Quack?!" Donald spoke in surprise. The spell didn't work.
"Uhhh, Donald?" Sora asked.
"Hold on... THUNDAGA!" He called out again. Still nothing.
"Donald?" Goofy asked.
"Um... BLIZZAGA!... FIRAGA!" Donald shouted. "Uhhhh... Water?" Nothing was happening. No magic. No spell. Nothing!
"Hey, my magic isn't working!" Donald shouted. Sora then began to think. This felt a bit similar.
"Hold on, I'll try!" Sora said as he stepped forward himself. He then pointed his keyblade at the sky.
"TORNADO!" He called out. The keyblade began to glow a greenish color, ready to ignitiating the spell. But then, the color disappeared, and nothing happened either.
"Huh?" Sora asked, and then pointed his keyblade at the Demon Tower.
"Uhhh... Firaga Burst?" Sora spoke. But nothing happened.
"Um... fellas?" Goofy asked. "What's goin' on?"
"That's weird." Sora said. "My magic isn't working either!"
"Wha??...." Donald asked, but then suddenly, he began to feel dizzy, his head was suddenly spinning. And for some reason, he felt like he was losing the strength to stand.
"Donald?" Sora and Goofy asked.
"Guys... I don't feel sooo... good..." He weakly quacked, dropping his staff to the ground and leaned forward slowly, dropping front first to the ground. Sora himself froze, and his eyes widened. Seeing his friend fall like that, brought back the memory when Donald used that powerful attack against one of Xehanort's followers, and lost the strength to stand up, before he was swallowed by the swarm of shadows.
Back to reality, Donald fell unconcious to the ground, not responding.
"Donald!" Goofy shouted as he ran toward the royal wizard, kneeling down beside him and shook his shoulders, trying to get him up.
"Donald! Donald, are you alright?" Goofy asked. The royal wizard didn't respond. "Sora, what do we do?! Sora?" Sora however, only stood there, frozen stiff. Sweat began to run down his head, his breathing was suddenly shortening up, and the world around him began to get blurry and fuzzy. Everything around him began to shift to the horrific scene he saw at the Keyblade Graveyard, where all his friends were being swallowed up by the shadows. Looking up at the demon storm before him, his eyes widened with horror.
"It... can't be...." He spoke, his hand opening up, making him drop his keyblade.
"Sora! Sora! Sora!"
His eyes opened up again, seeing Xion and Roxas right in front of him.
"Sora!" Roxas said. "Sora, snap out of it!"
"Huh?" Sora asked, coming back to reality, and seeing the massive tower approaching them.
"WHOAAAAAOO!" He shouted as he, Roxas, Xion, Roxas, and Goofy with Donald in his arms kept running as the tower kept coming.
"Everyone, get back!" Lea called out as he stepped between the group and the tower, with his red/silver Chakrams, a wheel like weapon with a cross-shaped handle in the middle for the wielder to carry, with additional circles and spikes. He stood, facing the tower that was approaching him.
"Get ready for a little... FIRETOOTH!" He called out as his chakrams began to glow with energy. He then threw them forward as they were ignited with fire, only for the fire to suddenly reduce to smoke. The attack connected, but the fire magic was not active.
"What the?" Lea asked as his chakrams returned to his hand. "Where'd the flames go?" Looking up, he saw the Demon Tower plunging in the strike. Swiftly, he jumped out the way as it smashed into the ground.
"What now?" Sora asked, with Goofy looking around, and noticed boxes of fireworks that were discarded since there was already a lot of them.
"Quick, the fireworks!" He called out.
"Oh, ok!" Sora shouted as he moved toward the box. He then picked up two stones next to the box and began grinding them together, creating sparks that landed onto the fuses, igniting them.
"Sora, look out!" Goofy called out. Lifting his head up, he saw the tower moving in to strike. In a haste, he quickly jumped away as the beast landed next to the fireworks, which began to light up.
"Everyone, get back!" Sora called out. The group then ran from the area as the tower struggled to get up, only just as the fireworks began to fire.
-BOOOOM-
The box exploded as multiple fireworks began to fire in and out, most of them directly at the Demon Tower, causing it to crumble down and disappear, leaving a lonely Shadow heartless to run amuck. But with a mighty slash, the shadow was slain by the blade of Sora's keyblade. After that swing, the boy nearly slumped, trying to catch his breath, while Roxas went over to help Lea up.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah." Lea said. "I'm good. It's gonna take more than a little twister to take me down."
"Awww...." The sound of Donald's voice made Goofy turn to see the duck in his arms, finally regaining conciousness. "What happened?"
"Donald!" Goofy said. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine, Goofy." Donald said, only to realize that he was in Goofy's arms. "Wh...Why am I in your arms?"
"You passed out." Goofy said.
"Ooohhh... Ok." Donald said. "Well, Put Me Down!"
"Oops... Sorry." Goofy said as he placed the royal wizard back onto the ground, with the latter finally getting his balance back. But both their attention shifted toward Sora, who only stood there, looking at the ground.
"Sora?" Donald asked.
"Sora, are you alright?" Goofy asked. The boy flinched a bit before turning back at the two.
"Oh... yeah, I'm fine." Sora said. "I'm fine." The two looked at him, knowing that there was a deal of worry... and fear on his face.
"Are you sure?" Donald asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said as he walked away.
"Well, you looked a bit pale back there a minute ago-" Goofy said.
"I Said I'm Fine, Alright!" Sora shouted back at the two, surprising them, as well as Roxas, Xion, and Lea. The boy then stopped himself and turned away, trying to calm down. "Sorry..."
"Hey, it's ok." Roxas said. "That heartless just showed up unexpectedly. It happens."
"Yeah." Sora said, though he realized that the magic wasn't working during the fight. "But... our magic wasn't working."
"No kidding." Lea said. "My chakrams couldn't produce their flame power."
"Neither did my lightning." Donald said, with Goofy nodding in agreement.
"Something is wrong..." Sora said. "How come our magic isn't working."
"SORA!" the voice of Olette got his attention. Turning his head, he saw Olette running up to the group.
"Olette?" Sora asked. "What's wrong?"
"Sora... I'm so sorry." She said.
"What, what happened?" Sora asked. The girl lifted her head up, showing a face of concern.
"Kairi's hurt." She said. The boy almost gasped in shock.
"W...What?" Sora asked.
"C'mon." Olette said, pulling Sora with her. Following the girl, the group made their way back to the Bistro, seeing Hayner and Pence, and Kairi, her knees on the ground, and her hand covering her left arm. She looked pale, which brought surprise to Sora.
"Kairi?!" Sora asked, as the red haired girl lifted her head up.
"Sora...." She spoke, her voice sounding weak. She then felt dizzy, falling face first to the ground, horrifying everyone.
"Kairi!" Sora called out as she ran toward her, and lifted her with his arms, trying to help her stay awake. "Kairi, are you ok?"
"Sora..." She spoke, looking up at him.
"What happened?" He asked.
"One of those shadows... popped out of nowhere... and it scratched me..." She said. Then she grunted in pain and nearly collapsed.
"Kairi!" Sora said, then glanced down at her arm, seeing a strange claw mark on her. There was some bits of blood, but the mark itself was in a strange glowing purple, and the skin around it looked like it was infected.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Garsh, that don't look good." Goofy said. "I've never seen a scratch like that."
"Pence, got get a med kit!" Hayner said.
"Got it!" Pence said as he ran off to get medical supplies.
"Kairi, you're gonna be ok." Sora said, trying to wake her up, but she couldn't. The boy felt even more worried. His friend got hurt... and he wasn't there to help her. He only lowered his head.
"Now... Sora..."
He opened his eyes and saw that the world around him disappeared. All he could see what the night, and a large brown ancient platform that was surrounded by a huge maze. He then glanced up, and saw a large and tall pillar, and up at the top, was an old elderly man. The man was bald, though he had thin eyebrows and a curled silver goatee. His ears were pointed and his eyes were yellow. His attire is composed of a white and black coat with red inner lining, which is worn over a white shirt with two thin black belts, as well as white gloves and calf-high black boots. It was Master Xehanort! But... but how. Sora defeated him! Neverless, the boy saw the old man, with a black long keyblade in his hand.
"Darkness and Light's final clash." He spoke, as the clouds above him began to open up, revealing a gold colored heart shaped moon in the sky. Sora's eyes widened once more. With a wave of his hand, Master Xehanort summoned Kairi, who was floating unconciously, right over the edge of the pillar.
"Kairi!" Sora called out as he summoned his keyblade and ran forward.
"You require motivation..." Master Xehanort spoke, who gripped his own keyblade. Sora leapt onto the side of the pillar and ran up to save her. But then, raising his keyblade high into the sky, the old Keyblade Master swung down, stabbing the girl, and in a flash of light, the girl's body shattered into a million pieces. The boy running up gasped in horror.
"KAIRI!" He called out before he jumped up high and swung his keyblade, only for the old Master to guard it.
"WHY HER?!" Sora asked, as tears fell from his eyes.
"How sad..." The old man said, but then suddenly before the boy, the old man's body glowed, shifting to a figure wearing a black coat, but with the same color eyes as Master Xehanort. The man had hair on his head, which both slightly spikes and falls past his shoulders, with four bangs framing his face, with the back two thicker than the front two, and two backward spikes on the sides are present. This man was also Xehanort, his younger self so to speak.
"You couldn't save her... like you couldn't save everyone." He spoke. With a swing, he pushed Sora away, making the boy fall, screaming into a black abyss.
"SORA!"
He gasped, and blinked his eyes, seeing that he was still in Twilight Town. Turning his head, he saw Donald and Goofy, looking at him.
"Donald... Goofy..." He said.
"Are you ok?" Donald asked. Before he could answer, he took a look around, seeing nobody else but himself and them.
"Wh...what happened?" He asked. "Where did the others go?"
"Oh, they went to take Kairi to the medical ward." Goofy said. "You were just kneeling there in silence for almost an hour." The boy turned his head, and remembered. The Demon Tower, the magic not working, the hallucination, the fireworks, and Kairi... He took a sigh.
"Right." Sora said, with the two approaching him with concern.
"Garsh, I've never seen Sora this way before..." Goofy said, whispering to the duck next to him.
"What'd you expect?" Donald whispered back. "A heartless tower attacked us without warning, and our magic isn't working right."
(RING, RING, RING)
The sound of a midi-melody began to ring, making Sora turn to his pocket. He reached in and pulled out a strange looking device. It was a rectangular shaped device that had a Lucky Emblem symbol at the bottom, and the top part was shaped like a crown, like Sora's necklace. The device was a Gummiphone, a phone made up of gummi-blocks! He pressed the green answer symbol on it, and held it to his ear.
"Hello?" Sora asked.
"Sora, are you there?" A voice that Sora knew well asked.
"Riku?" Sora asked. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me." Riku said. "Where are you?"
"In Twilight Town." Sora said. "Where are you?"
"I'm at Radiant Garden, helping the Restoration Committee." Riku spoke. "I told you that, remember?"
"Oh, right." Sora said, showing a nervous smile. Hearing the boy talking to his friend, Donald and Goofy got up from their spots and leaned in.
"Is the King and Leon with him?" Donald asked.
"Shhh!" Sora said, hushing the duck.
"Riku, something's going on." Sora said. "A swarm of heartless showed up. We managed to fight them off, but our magic isn't working right."
"Really?" Riku asked. "So it's not just us."
"Huh?" Sora asked, thinking that his friend knows something.
"There was some heartless trouble here in Radiant Garden." Riku said. "But when we were fighting them, I couldn't get magic to work either. We were able to get rid of the heartless thanks to the town's defense system, but all Elemental spells are no longer working."
"Hmmm..." Sora said.
"Listen, we just got word from Master Yen Sid." Riku said. "He wants us to report to his tower right away. It's very important."
"Ok." Sora said. "You think he knows what's going on?"
"I think so." Riku said. "But he also mentioned something... something about... Equestria?" Sora's eyes widened, this time in surprise.
"E...Equestria?" Sora asked, familiar with the name. He defintiely remembers that. But what does Equestria have to do with this? Could the world be in some sort of danger?
"Sora?" Riku asked.
"Uh, sorry." Sora said. "I'll meet you there." Hanging up the phone, a lot of thoughts were going through Sora's mind. The magic wasn't working, and now, something's come up about Equestria? Does this mean Equestria is in danger, and is the magic not working somehow related to it?
"Sora?" Donald asked, getting the boy's attention.
"Huh?" He asked.
"Did Riku say anything?" Goofy asked.
"Is the King alright?!" Donald asked.
"Oh, yeah." Sora said. "He said that Master Yen Sid needs to see us right away." The two gave a nod, as the boy glanced up at the sky, seeing the sun slowly disappearing over the horizon.
"Equestria is in danger?" He thought. "I hope Twilight is ok..." But something caught his eye. In the sky he saw six glowing stars in the sky. The orange, blue, white, yellow, pink, and lavender one. Though, the lavender one was still glowing too weak. Those colors, the boy thought. Those are the same colors as Twilight and her friends. Are they somehow connected to those stars? Whatever it was, he knew what to do. He and the others had to report to Master Yen Sid at once. Maybe he knows what's going on.