Kingdom Hearts: Final Confrontation
PROLOGUE PART I
It had been six years since the end of the ordeal with the Empire. In those six years, peace and prosperity began to blossom again. Within the Disney Kingdom, King Mickey reigned supreme over his people, leading wisely and compassionately. Unlike many other kings of other realms, who were at times despotic and tyrannical, Mickey was always able to maintain a sense of justice and knew how to contend with the problems his people faced. Unlike most other royals, he was very generous and would go out to the streets to greet the people personally. The people would bow to him in respect rather than fear. The times were good and the kingdom had reached a state of stability.
It was on this particular day that Mickey began to address his subjects, telling them of the good future to come. The people gathered in front of the grand palace to hear their king speak. King Mickey, with his Queen Minnie, head wizard Donald, and Goofy, captain of the palace guards, beside him, stood tall before the crowd. He raised his hands into the air.
"My people," he began, "luck smiles upon our beloved kingdom this fine day. It has been six years since the ordeal we faced when the eminent threat of the Dark Empire was upon us. We seemed so vulnerable and helpless when this great threat was knocking on our doorstep. However, thanks to the efforts of our allies and our friends in other dimensional realms, our combined strengths were able to fend off this cunning scourge. We now gather, six years from that era of chaos, to celebrate the prosperity of the kingdom. For this, I wish you all the best of wishes to you and your family and friends."
"Hail, King Mickey!" the crowd shouted. "Hail, King Mickey! Long Live the King!" The cheering increased, but Mickey only raised his hand, gesturing to the masses to quiet down for he still had much to say to them.
"This day, I declare our independence day!" he continued. "Each and every one of you has contributed for the good of this kingdom. You reaped and sewed the soil you live on. You have shown great support to me. In gratitude, I have always stepped aside and lowered myself of high position to hear of your opinions. How to make this world better, how to make our kingdom better than it ever was before. You should not be thanking me for I have done very little to be given such praise. You should thank yourselves. Thank yourselves for all the achievements you have done to better your own lives as well as the lives of your neighbors! It was because of you that our kingdom has remained untouched for the passed six years. And let us continue to prosper and work for the sake of the kingdom, to keep the kingdom strong and keep it a nice place to live. And let us hope that there will be an everlasting peace for us all in the future to come."
There was a loud roar and the people cheered away at the King. Mickey raised his hands, greeting the people and again there was a great uprising in the praising voices of his subjects.
"That was such a brilliant speech, your majesty." Donald uttered.
"You have done well to keep our kingdom strong." Queen Minnie replied, kissing King Mickey on the cheek. Mickey blushed.
"Ah shucks, Minnie." Mickey uttered.
At the same time, however, another individual was watching the king make his speech as well from a television monitor. This dark individual clicked off the screen and sat there in the dark, slightly chuckling for himself.
"I commend you, King Mickey." he uttered in a sinister and mechanized whisper. "You certainly know how to motivate the people don't you. There is nothing wrong with wishing for everlasting peace, but the fact of the matter remains. Is the universe ready to embrace such an ideal?"
"Then, it would be best if we show them otherwise right, my lord?" said the subordinate next to him. "Soon, the Disney Kingdom will experience a rude awakening, will it not?"
"Yes it will." The figure sipped wine from a golden bauble. "My late master had entrusted me with the radical ideal of changing the face of the universal society structure completely. It is not right that some may live in peace while others are purged into war. What right does King Mickey and his subjects have to live in peace when others are suffering and dying out there? In the realm where the Z team dwells, there are still conflicts against factions of the former Dark Empire. Not only do the factions fight the alliance, but they also do battle against one another as well. Well, that will change in the time of my coronation. Once I have established myself within the Disney Kingdom, I will be able to link to other worlds without the Universal Alliance being the least bit suspicious of my activity. Then, once I have gained enough ground, I will use my full force to destroy the leaders of the battling Imperial factions and unite all the regions of the former Dark Empire. Just as his Excellency, Master Cavendish did before. Then, once the factions are unified under my banner, I will attack the alliance itself and destroy the only other power that stands between me and total domination. Even the Z team will not be able to stop me without the help of the Universal Alliance."
"An excellent plan, my lord." The subordinate uttered. "We will be domineering over these dimensional realms in no time."
"But first thing is first. I must also rid myself of all possible obstacles that may pose a threat to me. Especially…him."-
"Him?"-
"The one who stole my pride those many years ago. I will make sure that he pays."-
"Would it not be best to attack the Disney Kingdom as you had planned?"-
"I intend to do so." The figure uttered again, sipping his wine. "We will first attack the Disney Kingdom and secure that realm in our hands. This way, our enemies do not have a remote place to fall back and regroup. Besides the Disney Kingdom, you know the other targets right?"-
"Yes, my lord." The subordinate unleashed as scroll from his sleeve. "We take over the Disney Kingdom and secure it as our headquarters. Twilight Town and Traverse Town must also be placed under our control."-
"Those are your orders. Carry them out."-
"I will inform our forces right away." The subordinate began to leave.
"Wait one moment though." the figure said. "Also, make sure that our conspirator is ready to take down our two significant foes."
"He informs me that he has hired a new man to help Archibald and him to carry out with their mission. A former Imperial I think he is."
"Well done." The figure stood up from his chair. "Now get going."
"Yes, my lord." The subordinate left the room, leaving his lord alone in the dark. The figure sipped from his cup again.
"Soon, my dream will be fulfilled along with my vengeance." He uttered to himself. "We will see which one of us is worthy to bear that same name."
It wasn't long before the day of celebration in the Disney Kingdom had grown sour. In the midst of their celebration, the people's joys were shattered when exploding shells began to rain down upon the streets of the city. King Mickey could only watch in horror as he saw the shells bursting upon his people.
"Your majesty!" Goofy cried. "We gotta get you out of here!"
"Hurry!" Donald added.
"But my people…" Mickey said. "I can't leave them to this slaughter…"
"Please my dear." Queen Minnie uttered. "The people would be disheartened if you were killed…"
"I suppose you are right."-
Mickey and the others withdrew into the safety of the castle. At the same time, the armies of the kingdom rushed forth to defend the inhabitants from further annihilation. However, their efforts were in vain as the hordes of enemy troops began to swarm into the streets, overwhelming any resistance that dared to stand in their way. The thin lines of loyalist troops easily fell to the oncoming threat. Thousands of civilians rushed into the walls of the palace, many being shot in the back by attacking forces. The loyalist armies fought as best they could, but the oncoming horde of enemy soldiers proved to great. It wasn't long before the invading armies had demolished much of the city and were now upon breeching the gates of the castle.
"It's hopeless!" Donald cried. "Our forces are no match for such overwhelming numbers!"
"There's still a little bit of hope left." Mickey uttered. He turned to Donald and Goofy. "I want you to take the gummi and head to Oceansburg. Inform the Universal Alliance of our dire need of aid."
"But what about you, your majesty?"-
"I will stay here and support my people. The last thing that I want them to see is their king deserting them when they need me the most."-
"But your majesty…"-
"Do as I say, Donald! We haven't much time!"-
"I understand…" Donald turned to Goofy. "Well, let's go, Goofy…"
"Alright…" Goofy turned to Mickey. "I hope you'll be alright, your majesty."
"I'll be fine." Mickey looked at his frightened queen next to him. "Minnie, I want you and Daisy to accompany Donald and Goofy to Oceansburg. You will be safe there."
"No…" Minnie replied. "I will not leave you!"
"You will do as I say! I don't want anything to happen to you!"-
"I will not run away! I will stay by your side!"-
"I will too!" Daisy added. "We can't just abandon you, your majesty!"
"I will not be defied!" Mickey shouted.
"Please, Mickey!" Minnie cried, tears running down her eyes as she grasped firmly onto Mickey's arm. Mickey only smiled and placed his hand on her face.
"Very well…" he uttered with a sigh. "You may stay here and support me."
"Thank you…"-
"We will stay by your side, your majesty." Daisy said.
Mickey then turned to Donald and Goofy.
"Well, get going." Mickey said. "Time's growing short for us."
"We will return." Donald implied. "We will come back to help you!" he turned to Goofy. "Let's go!"
"Right behind ya!" Goofy chuckled. The two bounded for the gummi ship.
At the same time, the thundering sound of pounding shells began to lash at the wall. The sound of battle continued as the loyalist fought off the forces of the invaders. Slowly, the walls began to crumble brick by brick and the eminent danger began to draw nearer.
Donald and Goofy reached the launch pad where a gummi sat waiting for them. Donald jumped in and ignited the rockets. In the meantime, Goofy looked over the railing to see masses of enemy troops pounding against the wall of the castle.
"Hurry up, Goofy!" Donald ordered. "Stop gawking and let's get going!"
"But Donald…" Goofy uttered.
"The more time we waste standing around, the more time is lost for our chances to rescue the king and this kingdom!"-
"Looky there!" Goofy pointed towards the banners of the hordes. Donald joined him and gazed at the insignia of the enemy.
"But that's…" upon the crest of the fluttering banners, was the familiar shape of a cross. The Imperial Cross of Conquest, which was the symbol of the late Dark Empire. And silhouetting behind that symbol was the familiar shape of the Heartless insignia. Donald and Goofy cold only fear what the meaning behind the banner and the purpose of the attack was. "Could it be that…the Dark Empire and the Heartless have finally combined to form one great power?"
"Gawrsh… I hope not…" Goofy uttered.
"We have no time for this right now. We have to get going. The fate of our nation depends upon us."-
"I gotcha!"-
Goofy and Donald hesitated no further and jumped into the gummi ship. The rockets ignited and the little vessel lifted off at light speed.
In the meantime, the walls of the palace had finally collapsed and the hordes of enemies began to pour into the castle grounds. Queen Minnie and Daisy escorted the people into the safety of the palace halls. At the same time, Mickey took personal charge of the royal guards and prepared to battle. Using the power of his new keyblade, the 'Garion Concorte Noria,' he prepared to strike down all enemies who dared to stand in his way. Forming the Gatotsu stance, Mickey led his troops into battle."
"Today, we fight to the bitter end!" Mickey shouted. "For your families, for your homes, and for your country, we fight! We fend off the second invasion of our nation!" Mickey rushed forward, his guards swarming behind him in hordes. They met the face of the enemy and fighting began to ensue on the castle grounds. But the royal guards, despite their gallantry and their dedication to king and country, could not gain even a toehold in the fight. They fought as best they could. Mickey, who was in the fray of the fight, took down a hundred, or more enemy troops, but to fight against so many minions. The small force of royal guards, numbering only up to seven hundred had to confront a force that was fifty times larger. To add, the bombardment of the castle did not stop. Slowly, but surely, defeat was eminent. Though the enemy took more casualties against the veteran royal guards, their number were easily replaced by reserves. The guards themselves, however, could not contend with even one loss on their side. But still, despite being outmatched and outnumbered, they continued to fight, slowly being pushed back to the castle itself. Fighting slowly mellowed down though as one guard after another fell, but not before taking out ten to thirty times his, or her figure. The sound of battle died out completely, when Mickey and his guards found themselves completely surrounded by an angry horde of invaders. They clustered together in a tight circle, their weapons drawn out against their foes. But by this time, the battle had ended and no one man or woman dared to attack.
"You have fought bravely." A voice suddenly uttered amidst the enemy horde. "But you must realize by now that continuing to resist would be a futile effort. There is no need for you to needlessly throw your lives away for the sake of a cause you know is already lost. Your kingdom is in shambles and your lands are firmly under my control. What would be the point of you dying here, when there is no chance for you? Certainly, you may die honorably, but is that really how you want your lives to end? And what of your families? Do you want them to feel the pain in losing you? I think that would be the last thing that you want for your loved ones. To have them suffer more than they already have." It was then that the invaders split to form a long corridor. From their masses, a man dressed in grey and black came forth. Upon his head was a masked helmet, black and gothic, with glass eyeholes that reflected the glimmer of the sun.
"Who are you?" Mickey asked.
"I am the one responsible for leading the attack on this kingdom." He subtly replied. "And you must be the venerable King Mickey that I have heard so much about."
"What is it that you want from me? Why have you attacked us?"-
"For the sake of universal domination as well as to plunge this world back into darkness."-
Mickey then saw the familiar insignia on the man's shoulder. It was the crest of the Empire and the crest of the Heartless intertwining with one another, almost mixing with one another to make a single symbol. He gazed about to see that same symbol inscribed upon the banners of the horde.
"Are you of the Dark Empire, or of the Heartless?" Mickey asked.
"You may say that I am half and half." The figure uttered, "Fulfilling the wishes of my late master as well as fulfilling my own wishes and desires. This day, I will create a new era for my ambition. I will create a new era for the sake of his late Excellency, Master Cavendish, and for my late master!"
"Who is your late master?"-
"That little matters to you." The figure stepped forward. "Here are my terms. If you and your men lay down your arms and grant me your unconditional surrender, I will see to it that their lives, as well as the lives of you and your people are spared. However, should you refuse to do so, I will see to it that each any every one of you are executed. Every man, woman, and child." Mickey could only sneer, but he was in no position to resist.
"Lay down you arms…" he uttered in shame. The guards hesitated for a minute before laying down their arms and placing their hands behind their heads.
"King Mickey. If you would care to join me," The man uttered, "I would like to take a look at the palace." Mickey walked by his side, head down. The man went with a handful of his soldiers, up the stairs, to the grand gates of the palace itself. In the meantime, the remaining of the royal guards were escorted out of the palace grounds and placed in an area, deep behind enemy lines, where they could be of no use for aid, should an uprising occur.
The party entered the grand hall of the palace, the people still there, watching with fear and hatred in their eyes at this villain who had so ruthlessly attacked their kingdom.
"Escort these people out." The man said. "Have them placed in our internment camps. And if there is to be any resistance, kill those in rebellion and a hundred others to make an example."