AN: This is the first real piece of writing I've done in a few years and it's the first time I've done something in relation to Kingdom Hearts, despite having been interested in the series since the release of the first game. The idea for this I actually had in a dream that for once I remembered and jotted down some points to work off of. If you like this, then I'm glad and if not, well I suppose everyone has their own tastes, I've certainly seen numerous excellent pieces of writing in different genres that simply didn't click with me. Either way, I hope you've give this a chance and read it. I don't know how long this will be, not that long likely, a few chapters at most if I get a decent response to it and people want to see more of it. So without further blabbing on my part:

Chapter 1

The Stage is Set, the Pieces are Moving

"Sora, your 'Majesty', do not forget. When I've destroyed them all, this castle shall be mine!" Her voice echoing through the stronghold of the doomed Organization, Malificent's intentions for the castle at the time seemed a mere afterthought to stopping Xemnas. Of the six assembled fighters, none had foreseen what would become a long and dark few years following the toppling of Xemnas and the return of Sora, Riku and Kairi to Destiny Islands. While there may have been some time of peace following their return home and the reuniting with their families after two long years of separation, peace couldn't last forever. As long as the Keyblade remained with its bearer, its mission was not yet done. While the light may go on forever and be eternal, so did its polar opposite, the eternal darkness that loomed over the peaceful world of Destiny Islands.

With a flash, the castle hidden in the World That Never Was vanished, only to be replaced by Malificent's face once more. "So far it has merely been child's play Sora. You've proven yourself worthy of my full attention these last few years. I warned you once before though, do you honestly think you can defeat the Mistress of All Evil. I'm coming Sora, and I promise that none shall survive my purge. Your weapon shall lay at my feet and Disney Castle in ruin. It won't be long now Sora, prepare for the end! Hahaha!"

Rising with a start, Sora wiped his sweaty brow as he sat upright in his bed, staring out the window and into the night sky. All the friends he had made through his journeys were still out there and none had been safe as Maleficent waged her grand chess match, playing out battle after battle for dominance of the worlds, and there had been losses on both sides as the darkness in the worlds grew and despair grasped the people, and their hearts fell only to increase the force Maleficent commanded, heartless, nobodies. Their numbers seemed to never end. Despite the Gummi ship provided with warp drive on behalf of the King, Sora had been too late to turn the tide every so often. He would never forget the despair he felt seeing Beast finally overwhelmed by Invisibles and Berserkers, his mighty heart finally stolen from him. Sheer rage had encased the Keyblade Master that it had taken the combined efforts of Riku, Donald and Goofy to force him onto the Gummi Ship as Heartless and Nobodies overran the world and they evacuated Beast's home world with Belle among the refugees. The Nobody borne of the Beast had become a top Lieutenant of Maleficent, leading her fashioned army on charges throughout the worlds.

Rising off the bed and to his feet, Sora opened the window and allowed the cool island breeze to penetrate the room as he tried to clear his thoughts. Beast was far from the only casualty from the last year but his brutal death stood out the most in his mind and Sora had laid tribute to each of his fallen friends at the Secret Place on the play island that had more become Sora's place to grieve rather than any place of childish fun any longer. The maturing that began during his journeys had been brutally completed by the battles over the last years and the eighteen year old felt far older by the day, the weight of the world on his shoulders. The attacks had been increasing lately, now there was usually at least one every week or two, and it usually ended the same, getting word from the king via the transmitter in the Gummi ship and then he and Riku would travel to the world in question, sometimes with Kairi along despite their hate for the idea of losing her, but as the King said, they needed every warrior possible.

That was what left Sora so worried as of late. For the past three weeks there had been no attacks or losses, no sign of heartless at all. Instead there were dreams that he assured himself were only his imagination, but the voice of Maleficent sounded so real and true that it left him wondering if Maificent had found a way to invade his consciousness on the safe haven that was Destiny Islands. King Mickey also shared his fearful outlook, ever since both Twilight Town and Radiant Garden had fallen on the same day and Leon and his crew along with the civilians of Twilight evacuated to Disney Castle, they had be sure Maleficent would press such a major victory and attack either Disney Castle or the Islands directly. King Mickey had the Castle on high alert and all Gummi ships were prepared to depart for battle at any moment. The stars had been vanishing one by one but despite his determination to fight, he had come to accept that they couldn't travel to fight for the survival of every world and leave the major worlds defenseless while they battled for another. Instead, they tried their best to move all they could to Disney Castle where the Cornerstone of Light still shone, albeit dimly.

"…Damnit!" The growl escaped the brown haired teen's mouth in a harsh whisper as he thrust a fist into the wall near him, leaving a dent in the wood. Haven't he battled long enough. When did he get a break? He was tired of being the Keyblade Master, the leader of the Light and the one everyone looked to and expected to have a plan. He just wanted to be his parent's son, not the son that lied and forced a smile to reassure them that nothing was wrong. How he was just visiting friends instead of fighting off a few hundred heartless, how the rips in his clothes were from tripping or accidents, not from the endless legions of Shadows swarming him and tearing at his body. He wanted to be the older brother to his 9 year old sister that he had been idolized by before leaving and now he felt like a stranger to. He knew his parents had never really understood his role in fate of the worlds, Riku's hadn't either nor Kairi's adoptive parents and the three preferred it that way. They wanted to keep their parent's away from the dark reality that was the brewing storm as long as possible. There would be time to tell his parents the truth, time to be the goofy and loving brother his sister remembered when this was all over, presuming he even could made it through. It was what haunted him every time he fired up the engines of Gummi Ship, the idea that this might be the last time he saw home, that his family might never understand just what was happening or understand what he had been forced to become, why he had dark circles under his eyes and his laugh was now bitter at times.

He considered lying back down and trying to sleep as his clock only read four thirty in the morning, the sun not even rising on the ocean horizon yet. This happened often enough though that he knew it was pointless, sleep would not return to him now, not when such dark thoughts plagued his mind of late. It was with a sad smile that he recalled the days of his first journey, had things really seemed so simple back then?

'This Ship runs on Happy Faces!'

Had it been Donald who said that so long ago, who had made Sora feel like he could find his beloved friends and find his home again, that everything would be okay if he merely put on a happy face and kept trying with each passing day.

'Don't worry! There will always be a door to the Light!'

Riku had said it was his heart and Mickey had said light would always continue to shine, but the present days made it seem hard to imagine. Things just kept getting worse by the day and at times he was scared of his own shadow, fearful of a heartless attack and his wrist twitching and nearly summoning his trusty Keyblade to his side.

Without a word, he hopped out his window and stood on the roofing tile before jumping to the ground. It certainly wasn't a tiny drop, but after some of the falls he'd taken in the past four years, the one story drop was nothing in comparison and he landed on his feet like a cat. A glance back at the second floor brought his gaze to his sister's bedroom, the lights off and the young girl still happily in her dreams of a better world. Melody was the simple version of what he used to be, bright cheerful, optimistic. The only difference was what he had seen had scarred him, his optimism remained but mostly transformed into a determination to free the worlds from the darkness's grasp and from the fear plaguing them.

"I promise Melody…When this is all over, you and I…I'll make it all up to you, I just need you to be patient with me for a little longer okay?"

His only answer was the breeze blowing his spiky hair from his eyes but he took it that his plea had been heard by whatever higher power beyond the worlds that might exist. The worlds certainly owed him a few years of rest and peace once this was all over, as well as a few consecutive days of uninterrupted sleep to say the least. For now though, he just had to keep his chin up and keep fighting this battle out and with Kairi and Riku, the King, Donald and Goofy and all the friends he had made across the worlds, with them at his side, he could just maybe see an end to the evil surrounding all their lives. He certainly hadn't been the only one affected over the years. Kairi had become very quiet and the romance between them that used to seem inevitable had died once the fighting picked up into full war. The new and fragile relationship simply couldn't survive Sora's desire to keep her safe and the losses that weighed on both of their hearts. Despite remaining dear friends, they both knew the emptiness between them kept them from being the same as they once had been. Riku,...Well Riku might have been the best off of all of them in a sense. His time immersed in the darkness had left him prepared mentally for such bloodiness. He had been able to slip back into his role as a cool and confident warrior with ease, able to advise Sora and the King on what Maleficent might be planning next due to his extended time around her. He knew her tendencies and her style. However, Sora also knew the years of being immersed in darkness weighed on the silver haired man he was proud to call his best friend. He could only hope Riku's heart would hold up until this end, he was afraid the boy might break under the strain eventually. He could never forget the fear at the sight of his friend, broken and defeated after the battle with Xemnas, so convinced they were at their end.

Glancing up at the sound of water, Sora found that his thoughts had clouded the walk to the beachfront, looking up at the sky that once was littered with stars and now had too few remaining for Sora's tastes. The stars lit up the night sky, providing a measure of light in the darkness. With every single star that died, the looming darkness only seemed a little deeper and more unbearable. No matter what, it had to end, and soon. He had made a promise to himself and all his friends to protect their homes, and with every world that was lost he made another promise to see it restored. The King and Riku had theorized long and hard about Maleficent's new powers and the ability to control such vast numbers of heartless and nobodies. The solution they all agreed upon thought was that her new powers were a direct result of Xemmas's actions. When he opened the power of Kingdom Hearts, the power released was all but blinding. However, Sora, Donald, Goofy, the King, Riku and even Kairi to an extent, had been exposed to the radiance before and the power of the Keyblades shielded them from exposure to such power affecting them. However, Maleficent was not too far off, and certainly not so far that it's power couldn't reach her once Kingdom Hearts was summoned. Without a Keyblade to absorb the power, the King believed that she had absorbed the power and it had magnified her existing powers greatly. Furthermore, it had also mutated her psyche and allowed her to resist the darkness that had destroyed her from within once before. Now that power was being used to further her plans and Maleficent herself had held back from participating in any attacks on the worlds, so no one knew the extent of her powers. Furthermore, the connection in Ansem's lab in Twilight Town had been destroyed early on so they couldn't use it and without Riku able to use the Corridors of Darkness and open a path, they remained unable to directly attack her stronghold in the World That Never Was.

"There just has to be a way to get to her. We can't just sit here and keep fighting one battle at a time; we have to go to the source. We just need to find a way to get there. We beat Xehanort's Heartless, we defeated every member of the Organization, and we managed to stop Xemnas no matter how many times he came back and kept attacking. She can't be unbeatable. There had to be a weakness somewhere, we just have to find it…"

"Wish I could help you or at least do something…" The voice in his ear made Sora jump before the astral form of Roxas appeared next to him. Although the nobody occasionally emerged to speak with him, they usually communicated telepathically as speaking out loud to a ghostlike figure was very hard to explain to families around the Islands. He already got some odd looks whenever his counterpart would say something and he instinctively replied out loud.

Rolling his eyes slightly in exasperation of the conversation that had been had many times over the past years, Sora allowed himself to turn towards the translucent figure and replied: "You know full well you aren't doing nothing. You're a second pair of eyes in battle. You're an encyclopedia on all the nobodies and their weak spots when I forget. If nothing else, you're a bright spot these days. You're someone I can talk to about things without getting judged. If I ever told Kairi or Riku some of the stuff I've talked to you about… Kairi would go off about how I should talk about how depressed I'm feeling and Riku would worry about if I lost it in the heat of battle or something. I can't afford to get coddled now."

"At least you can actually make a difference in the battles though. I just have to hope things turn out well in the end. And Kairi wouldn't act like that. It's been over a year since you guys broke up, don't you think you should…you know, talk about it. Come on man, we share a head. I know you still like her and whenever she comes with you, you stick near her in the battle like bread and butter. I'm pretty sure I've never seen you tail Riku like that in battle and if you do, then maybe you and Riku need to have a long talk about things and give me warning so I can tune out of that interesting chat" The smirk that adorned the blonde's face provoked the first true laugh that Sora had given in quite some time and it was this reaction that made Roxas smile wider, thrilled to actually get a real laugh from Sora. "See man, just lighten up. We'll deal with things, you stay with me and we'll get through all this together. When this all ends, we'll find some way to reverse all the damage. Come on, we're the perfect team."

Wiping the tears of laughter from his face, Sora shook his head in amusement and finally spoke softly, "Yeah, we'll get through it all and everything will be okay. And I guess you're right. Maybe Kairi and I do need to talk about things and at least get some of the awkwardness out of the way. Even Riku can see we're jumpy around each other and when he notices matters of the heart that don't involve light and darkness, then it's obvious. Besides, I know you miss being around Namine." The jab had the desired effect as Roxas let a tiny blush tint his cheeks before Sora continued in a softer tone, if possible "Hey Roxas…thanks for always being there for me" His only answer was a hand on his shoulder and a squeeze before the boy next to him erupted into light and vanished.

A few minutes later and Sora's wide smile had faded back into the half smile that seemed to inhabit his face these days. The one that knew he had to remain positive for all his friends but also had a hard time feeling long term joy due to the tragedy that had been occurring over the past years. While certainly a friend to many throughout the worlds, he had also become an idea, the true Keyblade Master who would fight the darkness with his life no matter how few people needed defending. The wielder who didn't care if he went without rest for days so long as one more person could live to see another day. It was a wearying job, but as the King had said, just as much as the people needed a person to fight for them, they also needed to believe that that savior hadn't lost hope in the fight as well. They needed someone with which to place their dreams upon. Someone to give them hope to carry on just a little longer, to help them keep believing.

Still, even among the worlds which loved his as the savior, there were also those who doubted his ability as well. After the first few times he was scorned in various worlds as a subpar wielder of the Keyblade, King Mickey had finally told him about the tragic end to the keyblade warriors, of gentle Aqua, noble Terra and kind Ven and how they had been the last of the keybearers. While Mickey didn't know the full story, he was able to shed some light on their tragic fates and how all three had vanished without a trace and hadn't been seen in many years. It had made sense then what Xigbar had said in the World That Never Was, compared to what His Majesty said about Aqua, Ven and Terra, he really was nothing compared to the others. Although King Mickey had assured him that he could succeed and bring honor to the legacy of the Keyblade and to their sacrifices in the defense of the worlds. Still, the memories had stayed with him. During one of the attacks on the Radiant Garden before it fell, Pete had summoned forth an Absent Silhouette of Saix and the stoic nobody's words had struck a chord within Sora that killed the joy of being the Keyblade Master and forced him to realize this was not just a game, but a duty.

Flashback

With a whip of his Claymore, the metal weapon slammed into Sora's side, hurtling him into a wall that crumbled on top of his fallen form. He had already been battling for hours and his powers were spent. He and Riku had been separated in battle and he had heard his friend engaging Pete some time before. While still not a major threat, Pete had also gained a large power boost from the direct exposure to Kingdom Hearts and the clang of their attacks still rang throughout the plains. Pushing up with all of strength, he managed to shove the rubble off of his broken form and begin to rise to his feet. It wasn't his first battle with these Organization shades and they were rarely anything but sheer combat without even a word. However, even as he rose and began reaching into his heart to summon the keyblade again, the Saix imitation spoke softly:

"You're an amazing person, Sora. You and I are not so different."

Gritting his teeth in agony, Sora managed to bite out a barely recognizable reply, "We're nothing alike, you were evil in life and you're evil in death. You serve the darkness."

"Well, to each his own. I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of the different worlds. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?"

The words had slipped out of the Silhouette's mouth so easily Sora had to take a moment just to register the words. That couldn't actually happen could it. At this time the war had only just truly begun and the idea of being scorned by those he couldn't save seemed impossible.

"Because...it's the right thing to do..."

Here's the real truth. There are eighty thousand people in this world alone. Millions of others throughout the other worlds. And those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders. You, me? We're exceptional." A hand on Sora's neck and gripping slightly forced the breath from his lungs as the Keyblade bearer struggled for breath before the Silhouette continued, the voice now changing into a high cold tone, the voice of Maleficent speaking through Saix's form, "I could squash you like a bug right now, but I'm offering you a choice. Give in and accept the powers of darkness. Join Me! Imagine what we could accomplish together... what we could create. Or we could destroy! Cause the deaths of countless innocents in selfish battle again and again and again until we're both dead! Is that what you want?"

With one burst of strength, light erupted from Sora as he managed to enter final form without the aid of anyone and the two keyblades sliced through the chest of the fake Saix and the data began to break apart. However, even as the form left the planes of existence, Maleficent left the young man with one final warning:

"I will come for you and your rodent of a King Sora and when I do I will see you both kneel at my feet before I destroy you. Be prepared Sora, the time of light is over, my rule is neverending."

End Flashback

He had spoken with Mickey after the attack ended and looking back, it was that moment that his despair truly began. How could he save all the worlds when he couldn't even save all of his friends. Mickey had said it was a part of war, that there were always going to be loses on both sides but they couldn't give in. In a moment of self-pity and selfishness Sora had even yelled at His Majesty that they should abandon the Islands and Disney Castle and try to save those who were left and go to a world Maleficent wouldn't find them on, that the worlds deserved better than Sora as a means for salvation. Shaking his head in disappointment Mickey had finally told him the one thing that stuck with him and gave him hope to this day. The Mouse had led Sora to the window and looked out at the children refuges playing near the hedges. It was a young group from Hollow Bastion that Sora had managed to save from a burning orphanage set on fire by a group of Red Nocturnes. After a moment, the mouse had finally started to speak:

Flashback

"They know a hero when they see one. Lord knows, kids like those need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people, setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names and years later they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on a second longer." I believe there´s a hero in all of us that keeps us honest, noble and finally allows us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the things we want the most. Even our dreams."

"It's like in the great stories Sora, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the ending because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stay with you, that meant something, even if you were too little to understand why. The people in those stories had chances to turn back but they kept going, because they were holding onto something..."

His eyes looking at the dim sun, Sora managed to croak out"What are we holding onto King Mickey..."

Without missing a beat, the mouse jumped onto the windowsill and grabbed the boy's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes "That there's still some good left in the worlds Sora...and it's worth fighting for!"

End Flashback

A twitch of the wrist and a thought later, the gleaming blade of the Keyblade emerged in his hand, no keychains attached, it's golden handle glittering in the sunlight as it began to rise on the Horizon over the play island. It had all began when he was given this weapon because of Riku's acceptance of the darkness over the light and it would all end when the weapon decided it was no longer needed, returning to its resting place until the next time its power was necessary. "You and I, we're going to have to be ready. Something's got to happen. This calm can't last forever after all." Talking to a sword, some would calm him insane, but Sora was sure this sword was as intelligent as he was and, as Riku would likely say, probably smarter.

Such thoughts though were interrupted by a sudden burst of wind in his face that blew all the palm trees nearly into right angles from the surge. Alarmed, Sora instinctively sunk into a battle stance, ready for some sort of aerial attack only to see a Gummi Ship bearing the emblem of Disney Castle on the side approaching at rapid speeds. At first, he thought the ship about to crash, but finally the landing gear deployed and the ship landed, very dangerously, but without crashing. Although Sora was sure the landing had to have awakened some of the residents who lived closer to the beach. The Gummi Ship he used for transport was kept on the play island under a cloaking Gummi for a reason to prevent detection and when the King traveled to the Islands he made sure to land there to avoid alarming the citizens of the Islands. While the code for maintaining world order had been heavily…lessened to facilitate defense, the King did still maintain the attitude of not revealing anymore than was absolutely required to do what was necessary.

Dismissing the Keyblade without a though, Sora approached the door to the ship as the craft door opened and a platform extended, only for a mouse in red battle garb to descend in a rush. Although, the rush was far from the most out of place detail. His clothes were ripped and torn and he was bloody in part.

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?"

"Sora! Good you're already here! I was afraid I'd have to come find you and there's just no time now. She struck." The King blurted out before Sora could say anymore and while he contemplated what world could have been taken, the mouse continued. "She just overpowered the Cornerstone, I didn't think so many heartless could even exist Sora. They just kept coming and she even came as well. The Castle fell, we evacuated all we could and headed here, she also hit many other worlds tonight. Agrabah fell as well, but we got Aladdin and Jasmine out in time, Donald barely got there first. And Goofy managed to get to the Coliseum and get to Hercules, but Meg and Phil we couldn't save. We didn't get to Atlantis at all, they're all gone. Jack was already at Disney Castle preparing evacuation of Halloweentown but the rest of that world fell as well. There aren't too many major worlds left and all signs point that she'll come here next to hit you while we're on the run." Taking a deep breath after rushing all that out, Sora couldn't help but feel as if he'd been punched in the gut. The brilliant white castle that he'd met the Queen at, gone? She'd taken what they'd see as the one place that couldn't fall, and now she'd be coming here. With Sora and Riku out of the way, Mickey alone wouldn't pose a threat and she'd be able to take total control.

"How bad was it King Mickey?" He could barely get the worlds out.

The old mouse merely closed his eyes in weariness, the years of battling and the exposure to darkness having weighed on him. He had long been hoping to choose an heir and even eyed Goofy's son Max for a possibility. The boy was young and headstrong, but he had a strong heart and was true to himself and his friends. However, the boy had joined the royal guard like his father and had fallen in the defense of Hollow Bastion.

Flashback

"Get the spell casters onto the roof and get them to start casting spells to hold the heartless back! Get me Leon, have his groups try to make a path to the Gummi Hangar for evacuation! I want everyone out as soon as possible!" Screaming at the top of his lungs from the main entryway, Mickey barely paused to think as he sliced through a large body in rage. This was his home! It had been entrusted to him by his father and been built by his ancestors. Darkness had never touched it, the cornerstone remaining strong. Save for the one moment three years back, it had never failed them. He would not let the Castle fall! This was his legacy, his hope and he would never watch it fall! A single leap and the nimble King sliced through three Invisibles at once, releasing all their hearts with his Reverse Keyblade.

"King Mickey!" Dale's squeaky voice was in a panic as he dodged shadows and soldiers and dusks and crawlers to reach his Lord. "Donald just reported in, he got to Agrabah in time, but Atlantis is gone! He's heading for the Islands like you said! Leon, Yuffie and Aerith got their groups to the hangar and Chip is loading them onto the ships now, they should have the first one's taking off any second!"

"How many are left at last count! They have to end sometime!" As if burned by the King's words, Dale ran to a window and looked out, shivering at the endless sea of black covering the once green grounds, the hedges burning. Then, as if to be worse, at the gates came the evil laugh. The gates that Aerith and Merlin personally enchanted to hold back the heartless and nobodies, the strongest light spells they knew. The gates blew away and Maleficent strode through, her gaze triumphant as she aimed her staff at the flag of the castle and it caught fire, the symbol of the king landing on the ground and smoldering and she stepped on the tapestry. "King Mickey! There's too many, you have to go, Cid has your personal ship at the emergency bunker ready. Go now! There's not much time!"

"I will not leave Dale until everyone else is out. I'll fight her until I lie on the ground dead! She will not take this castle!" The king snarled in anger, his normally kind face marred with disgust at the idea of abandoning the palace before the rodent replied in just as much anger, "Sora and Riku will need you!" With that, the King finally sighed in resignation and sliced the last of the Samurai nobodies in the entry into nothingness and cast the strongest sealing spell he could on the doors before running for the emergency bunker where Cid and Minnie would be waiting, Dale giving a sad salute to his dear friend and then trying to head back to the hangar to help with departures. However, right as he reached the door to the hangar with his short legs, the sealed grand doors burst open and high pitched laughed filled the entry before Dale looked up to see the face of pure evil. It was all Mickey could do to keep running as he saw this through a security camera in the bunker before boarding the ship. He would make sure his friend was avenged. As they took off, the screen was frozen on the sight of a dead dale on the floor, his heart not taken and merely murdered by the Dark Witch…

End Flashback

"It was bad Sora; let's just leave it at that for now okay." The dismissal was evident as well as the warning and Sora tried to be gentle with the next question "how many does she have coming here do you think?" Already, he could see other Gummi Ships emerging from Gummi Space and warp drive and slowly descending towards the play island and the beach. So it was true, not just a cruel joke, this was all that was left. Perhaps 150 survivors if the number of ships were an indication and some would just be civilians from worlds, not even fighters that could really help.

"Best guess? If she brought her full force, we're looking at probably upwards of a million heartless and nobodies of all types possibly upwards of a that still"

A million heartless? Was it even possible? They couldn't defeat that many. He and Riku could certainly make a good fight, but during the second journey, he'd been winded after 1 thousand, to do 1 thousand times that amount now. Even with backup, the sheer magnitude of numbers would make it nearly impossible. "Your majesty…With all due respect, there's simply no way we can hold off that many."

With that, a small shadow of the King's old smile appeared, haunted by what he had seen that day, but a small smile none the less. "Well you didn't think I'd brought all your old friends to the Castle for a vacation did you? I thought something like this might happen, I just thought we might have longer before she was so bold as to storm the castle. In addition, all 7 princesses are here so that's one advantage to us. We managed to save the six and Kairi is still safe. Plus, I'm not sure if you've forgotten, but you've collected one hell of a lot of favors throughout the years and those people are willing to help you. You may be the Keyblade Master but even the Worlds understand you need help sometimes. There's a reason on every world, one person knows the concept of the Keyblade, as you saw, there was Triton in Atlantica and most of Radiant Garden knew it as well. In every world, it was known about to some extent and when the world order was created, my ancestor, the first King Mickey distributed a device which, in an emergency could send word to each world saying where to send aid to. I broadcasted all who would be willing to come here with all haste. Those who knew of the key also knew of a Gummi Ship given to each world to aid with the travel. So in the end, hopefully, we'll get some help at the very least. If not, we'll give one good fight and we'll go down as warriors of the Keyblade and Warriors of the light."

Even as he tried to wrap his mind around such a concept, Sora couldn't help but see the ships on the horizon moving, and even more were still coming. Could they possibly at least have some amount of a fighting chance? As the sun rose over Destiny Islands and as the horizon grew dark for the light, Sora could see what might be, a fighting chase.

"Alright then your majesty…If Maleficent wants to come here for a war…we'll give her one King Mickey."

AN: Well that's it for the first installment. Like I said, love it or hate it, I do hope you'll take a minute to review because your opinions mean everything to how I do my writing. However, whether or not you decide to review this, I do hope you enjoyed it.

AN2: I changed this chapter in places as of October 10, 2010 to fit Revelations from Birth By Sleep and 358/2 days. I hope you'll enjoy the changes