"… Well then you can just try and spy this with your little eye, eh?" Azlyn yells to Telary, performing a very rude gesture with her right hand that nearly sends the wizard into fits.
By Telary's reckoning, it has been approximately an hour since the train departed Twilight Town, which he is just now remembering is about ten years in Azlyn time.
Sora watches his friends with fond bemusement, their antics doing more to keep him entertained during the ride than any game could. He feels much better now, like the strange sadness that was within his heart has decided that it's time to seek greener pastures.
"Where even are we?" Azlyn grumbles, resting both of her knees on the train seat's purple cushion and looking out the star-shaped window. There's nothing below them but a vast field of faintly glowing orange clouds, and nothing above but a dark blue, star-dotted sky. "Is this still Twilight Town? Or are we in another world."
Telary frowns. "How could we be in another world?" he asks. "Remember that Leon said defeating the Heartless like we did would mean there couldn't be any more travel between worlds."
"He said the Gummi ship would be useless," Azlyn points out, not returning her gaze to inside the car for even a moment. "But maybe there's something about this train that makes it, y'know, pass through."
"I guess," Telary relents with a shrug. "Though it could be that we're somewhere above Twilight Town…"
Sora turns away from his friends' discussion to look out his own window, and thus catches a glimpse of what lies not far away.
A small spit of land, perhaps a hundred square feet, floats above the orange clouds, large green coniferous trees obscuring most of the land. What is not obscured however, is a large tower rising into the air, curving in the middle like a partially bent pipe. There are several protrusions jutting from the structure, and a large conical roof of dull sea-green sits atop it, several weather vanes in the shape of stars and crescent moons swaying gently in a breeze.
"Uh guys," Sora says, drawing his friends' attention to his side, "I think we're almost there."
The Ghost Train slides to a smooth stop in a gap between tree clusters, and by the time its door glides open, the trio are ready to immediately disembark.
The tower looks even bigger from this perspective, looming over the eager travelers. At the bottom of the keep, standing on the top step in front of the tower's wooden door, is a large figure in a red and blue jumpsuit, unflatteringly hugging its broad chest and pot belly.
Without hesitation, Azlyn approaches the stranger, and sees that he's peering in through the wooden double doors, body language indicating that he's cautiously waiting for someone or something. Sora follows after her, leaving Telary behind to notice the Ghost Train disappear in a flash of light.
"Well, there goes our ride," he mumbles to himself, swallowing deeply and nervously.
Coming closer, the stranger's jumpsuit is revealed to be more like a red shirt and black pants held up by blue suspenders crossing each other across his back, leading up to blue armored pauldrons on his shoulders. A comically large silver zipper runs from the top of his pants to beneath his groin, continuing up to the pants' front. His head is hidden by the slump of his broad shoulders, but two catlike ears stick up.
"What are you doing?" Azlyn calls up to the stranger, cocking her head as she examines the strange creature. "Come to pick up a date, but she stood you up?"
There's an irritated growl from the creature, deep, gruff, and obviously masculine. "For your information, lassie, I sent my minions in there to see if this tower's master is really as tough as they say," he informs the trio, not turning back to look at them yet. "Y'see, I'm looking for a bodyguard, and I hear he's some kinda hoity toity sorcerer type, real powerful one." A shrug. "But that don't matter to me one bit. After all, once he's a Heartless, he'll have to do what I say!"
The mention of such vile creatures as the Heartless sets the entire trio on edge, shivers starting at the bases of their spines and shooting upwards.
"Whaddya mean 'Heartless', Tubby?" Azlyn demands indignantly.
The stranger's shoulders slump once again, annoyed. "The Heartless are creatures that come outta the Darkness in folk's hearts," he explains with a hint of gloating. "I can control 'em, y'see, on account of my boss Maleficent!"
That name carries its own terror for the trio. During their first journey together, Maleficent had been their chief antagonist, leading a coalition of villains and a hoard of Heartless in a plot to rule the universe with the power of the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts.
But Maleficent had been defeated, Sora's Keyblade having pierced the evil hag's black heart. Obviously this man was laboring under the impression that the dark woman still lived.
"I owe Maleficent a debt, y'see, after she got me outta some trouble a long ways back," the stranger continues to explain. "And now as payment, I'm going around to different worlds and roundin' up a whole new army of Heartless! Yessiree, in no time at all we'll have enough of them guys to devour all light everywhere!"
"Well, that doesn't sound very nice at all," Telary comments. "Maybe there's something better you could be doing with your time!"
This seems to give the rotund creature pause, and he turns around to look down at the meddling trio, revealing two more crossed blue suspenders across his chest and the rest of his pants' zipper. The jowls of his large face shake with anger, and his black furred brow is narrowed. There's something of an anthropomorphized catlike quality to his appearance.
Azlyn and Telary let out simultaneous loud gasps, and Sora looks from one to the other for an explanation.
"I can't believe this!" Telary yells aloud, obviously quite stunned.
"It's you!" Azlyn adds with a hint of menace, pointing threateningly at the strange figure.
"Uh, yeah it's me!" the cat-creature growls, waving a hand through the air. It's covered in a purple fingerless glove, a pale purple bump at each knuckle. "Who are you pipsqueaks?"
Azlyn steps forward, fists clenched meaningfully. "We're a knight and wizard of Disney Castle, moron!" she announces, and it's the stranger's turn to look taken aback. "So you'd better believe we know all about you, Pete!"
Sora steps forward, his arms waving to get some attention. "Uh, I don't know all about him!" he reminds his companions. "Who is this guy?"
"A real lowlife," Azlyn replies in a low, disgusted tone. "He spent years at the top of the Mouseburg most wanted list before he got caught."
"As punishment for his crimes, King Mickey banished him to a pocket dimension," Telary adds, still eyeing the villain warily. "He must have escaped somehow…"
"You bet yer britches I did!" Pete gloats, laughing throatily. "Maleficent busted me out, y'see, and now all worlds are gonna belong to yours truly!"
"What makes you say that?" Sora asks with a hint of a threat.
"Why, Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em," Pete replies like it's the most obvious thing in the universe. "She's got power you bird brains couldn't begin to imagine!"
Azlyn snorts. "Oh, we can imagine it alright," she says with a dismissive shrug. "Too bad it's not gonna be any help to you now."
Pete's brow furrows in confusion, his tough sneer replaced by a look of uncertainty. "And just what do you mean by that?"
"Well, the thing about Maleficent, Pete, is that we…" Telary begins to explain.
"That old witch is toast!" Sora interrupts, grinning proudly as he places his hands heroically on his hips. "I got her right through her nasty ol' heart!"
"Last time we saw her she was just a black cloak and a scuff on the floor!" Azlyn adds with satisfaction. "Sorry to ruin your big plans, but you're on your own now!"
Pete's eyes narrow, and his entire body begins to shake with rage. "How dare you disrespect Maleficent like that!" he roars, raising one clenched fist. "You'll pay for what you did! Heartless squad, round up!"
Azlyn snorts again. "I hate to break it to you, but we wasted the Heartless too!"
Telary gulps nervously, his eyes fixed on the base of the tower. "Uh, I hate to break it to you, Azlyn, but that may not be true!"
The knight follows Telary's point to the grass beside to stairs up to the tower, where on either side squat creatures of inky black Darkness rise from the ground, flexing small but sharp claws. Their yellow eyes peer at their surroundings before focusing on the trio. Noiselessly, they begin to march forward.
Sora summons the Keyblade and leaps towards a trio of Shadows, eliminating all of them in a single swing. Another group goes after Azlyn and Telary, but the wizard takes care of them all with a pair of magical lightning bolts.
Shocked to see his minions so easily dispatched, Pete decides to take matters into his own hands. With a loud yell of defiance, he charges down the steps, barreling straight for Azlyn and Telary.
Sora notices with time to intercept, leaping in front of his friends and swinging the Keyblade into Pete's midsection. There's a loud gasp of surprise and pain from the fat cat, and he falls to his side in the grass, rolling a few feet before he comes to a stop. Still scowling, he laboriously rises to his feet.
"Wow," Sora comments to Azlyn with a smirk. "That was almost embarrassingly easy, huh?" The knight nods in agreement.
"You brats just wait!" Pete rages, bent over and breathing heavily, but looking at the trio with fire blazing in his eyes. "Nobody, and I mean it when I say nobody, messes with the mighty Pete, y'hear?"
"Yeah, yeah," Azlyn says dismissively, rolling her eyes.
"I am curious, though," Sora chimes in, crossing his arms and looking at Pete inquisitively. "Who lives in this tower anyway?"
Pete looks for a moment like he can't believe what he just heard, but soon that turns into a smirk. "Oh, you don't know, eh?" he chuckles throatily, straightening out his back to rise to his full height, a few inches taller than Telary. "This tower is the home of ol' Yen Sid. 'Course, by now he probably…"
"Did you say Yen Sid?" Telary asks, sounding frantic as he takes a step toward Pete. "The sorcerer Yen Sid is the person who lives here in this tower?"
"Uh, yeah," Pete replies.
"Oh my goodness!" Telary exclaims, practically leaping into the air with joy. He turns and makes a beeline to the tower's doors "I can't believe… I never thought… I mean…" Pushing the doors open, the wizard barrels inside.
"What was that about?" Sora asks Azlyn with a raised eyebrow.
"Yen Sid is the guy who taught the king to use magic," she explains. "He trained Master Donald some too, and Telary basically thinks he's the biggest thing ever. He's got a poster and everything, it's embarrassing."
"Still, if he trained the king and royal wizard of your castle, he must be pretty powerful," Sora notes. "Maybe he has information on the king too."
Azlyn nods. "Yeah. Plus, we really should make sure Telary doesn't embarrass himself too much in front of his idol."
"Agreed."
The pair take off after their companion, pushing the doors even wider and entering the tower's foyer. Pete watches the whole thing, mouth agape. Realizing he's been relegated to a non-priority, he clenches his teeth and shakes his fists, grunting and raging all the while.
"Oh, it can't be true, what they said," the fat cat mutters nervously to himself, once he's calmed down. "Maleficent was… Maleficent is the most powerful lady in the universe! No way could those low brow brats beat her!" He crosses his arms over his barrel chest and nods once, confidently. "Right?"
A loud caw echoes above, and Pete looks up to see a black raven fly through the air, its wings beating slowly as it makes its way across the sky. It turns and circles twice, looks down and Pete, and flies up to land at a high tower window.
Pete frowns at the bird, the sight of which has sent something spinning around in his head, something Maleficent said a long time ago…
After a laborious few seconds, the thought lands, and Pete's face lights up in a satisfied grin. Rubbing his hands together and chuckling, he opens a swirling portal of Darkness.
Back in the tower, Azlyn and Sora finally catch up to their wizardly companion on a flight of stairs floating high in the air. A portal down in the tower's foyer had lead them to the bottom of a vast space, far too vast to exist within the tower. From there they'd ran from staircase to staircase, defeating a few Heartless leftover by Pete from time to time, until they'd finally found Telary.
"I'm a mess!" the wizard laments upon seeing them, nervously running his hands through his hair. "I mean, here I am about to meet the Yen Sid, and I haven't had a second to…" He looks at Azlyn pleadingly. "Tell me you have something to fix me up!"
The knight shoots her counterpart a perturbed frown. "What makes you think I have anything for you to groom yourself with?"
He shrugs. "Well, you had that hair tie, so…"
"Well Telary, I'm afraid I left the rest of the salon in my other jacket, sorry."
"Guys," Sora says, interrupting his companions' powwow. They turn to look at the Keybearer. "What's with this giant space in here? I mean, the tower was big, but…"
"Yen Sid is the most powerful sorcerer in all worlds, Sora," Telary explains, his tone reminding Sora of his elementary school teachers. "Perhaps only Genie has more power than he does. It would honestly be a simple matter for him to magically construct a space that is larger inside than out. Universal laws don't matter much to such a powerful practitioner of the mystic arts."
"Speaking of laws," Azlyn breaks in, "What's with Pete being able to call up so many Heartless? I thought we beat those guys when we closed to Door to Darkness."
Telary shrugs. "Maybe we didn't put the worlds at as much peace as we thought."
Sora's shoulders droop, the picture he had in his mind of running along warm sands with his best friends fading out. "Great, another obstacle in getting home."
"Aw, cheer up Sora!" Telary says with an encouraging clap on the younger boy's shoulder. "Let's wait and see what Yen Sid has to say, huh?"
The trio continue on up a few floating stairways, finally reaching one with a door at the end, a yellow cone glowing at eye height. Telary opens it and the trio enter a large, circular room, book shelves to either side. In the middle of the room sits a large oak desk, a skull sitting on its edge, melted wax from a lit candle obscuring most of its details.
Behind the desk in a high-backed chair sits a man in a blue robe, a long grey beard flowing down from his chin to his chest. His face is lightly wrinkled beneath a large conical hat of purple cloth, yellow stars and moons glowing upon it. It reminds Sora of the hat he had seen in Disney Castle's High Tower, which had controlled the castle's enchanted mop servants.
Telary falls immediately to his hands and knees before the sorcerer, gaze fixed on the green carpet beneath him. Azlyn sighs and rolls her eyes at the obsequious display.
"Oh great and powerful Master Sorcerer Yen Sid," he says in a tone of awe and reverence, "We humbly and respectfully greet thee…"
"Nice hat you got there," Sora says flippantly. Without even looking, Telary sends his leg back to lightly knock the Keybearer on the shin. Sora yelps in pain and surprise, drawing laughter from Azlyn.
"I am trying to have a moment here, guys!" Telary snaps at his companions before standing up to look at Yen Sid. "I apologize for my colleagues, sir. You see, they…"
Yen Sid only chuckles and shakes his head. "It is quite alright, Telary. I am glad to see Sora, and you two as well."
That his biggest hero in all the worlds knows his name nearly sends Telary back to the floor, but he manages to keep composed.
"Now, have you seen the king yet?" the wizened old man asks gently.
"Well, kind of sir," Telary answers with a shrug. "But it was only very briefly. He told us to get on the train to see you and then he ran off."
"Is he on some kind of mission from you?" Azlyn asks.
"No, I have not given him any direct instructions in many years," Yen Sid answers with a hint of an amused chuckle. "But nonetheless, His Majesty has been very busy of late. Which means the task of preparing you for your next journey falls to me."
Sora frowns at the sorcerer's words. Hasn't he done enough questing for a lifetime already? "But Master Yen Sid, I was actually looking forward to going back home to my islands," he says, a bit pouty. "Once I find my friend Riku, of course."
Yen Sid gives the Keybearer a paternal smile. "Yes, I know that you miss your home, and your friend as well. But in the end, all things are connected, even this quest you must face. And you are the key to it all."
Sora holds his hand up parallel to the floor, and in a flash the Keyblade appears in his grip. "The key," he repeats thoughtfully.
"Yen Sid, Master," Azlyn breaks in, shouldering Sora aside to stand before the sorcerer, "Why are there still so many Heartless around. I thought we defeated them by closing the Door to Darkness."
"Your previous effort managed to prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the Dark Realm," Yen Sid explains. "If the Door to Darkness had remained unsealed, it surely would have been a fatal blow to the Realm of Light." He sighs deeply and scratches his beard. "But Heartless are creatures of pure Darkness, and thus as long as Darkness exists in a single heart, their elimination is all but impossible."
"Bummer," Azlyn mutters lowly to herself.
"The only way the Heartless can know final defeat is if all hearts were filled with naught but Light."
"Like Kairi's," Telary says. "And the other six Princesses of Heart." The thought of his sister, long unknown to him, fills the wizard with a deep sense of longing. Sora shares the sentiment, though in a different way.
"But the Heartless may not be your greatest threat," Yen Sid says, shocking the trio back to attention. The sorcerer waves his hand, and in a circle of light appears a three-dimensional image of one of the odd being that had attacked them in the plaza. "This," he announces, "is a Nobody. A creature of Nothing."
"What do you mean?" Azlyn asks, eyeing the projection warily. "How can something be made of nothing?"
"You are aware of the process that produces a Heartless, yes?" Yen Sid asks.
"When someone lets their heart fall to Darkness, and is consumed by it, a Heartless is created," Telary rattles off like a fact he learned in kindergarten.
"Very good, Telary," Yen Sid says with an air of congratulations, which makes the young wizard's heart actually flutter for a moment. "However, there is more to it. You see, when someone with a strong will, whether they be evil or good, is turned into a Heartless, the shell they leave behind begins to act on its own. Their spirits persist even as their bodies fade. You see, Nobodies do not even truly exist. They are devoid of all feeling, cold as stone."
"No feelings," Sora mumbles to himself. Somehow that statement rings false to him, like an alarm quietly going off in the back of his head. But if a sorcerer as great as Yen Sid says it is so, it must be. Right?
"These are Dusks," Yen Sid continues, gesturing again to the white creatures. "The most common form of Nobodies, though by no means the only. There are others, larger and more powerful than these. But by the far the worst form a Nobody can take… Is this!"
The image fades out in a flash, replaced with a new projection: A tall figure in a black coat, hood up to conceal its face. Something about the outfit stirs in Sora, a twinge of fear and familiarity…
"These are Organization XIII," Yen Sid announces, looking grimly at the image. "The most powerful Nobodies of all, they have managed to retain their human forms."
"So they're actual people?" Sora asks, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Yen Sid shakes his head. "Nobodies such as they may sometimes seem to have feelings, yes," he says. "But this is naught but a ruse. Nobodies lack hearts, and therefore the ability to truly emote like real people. You must never forget this, as they will do their level best to deceive you."
Telary frowns. "Master, when we saw the king, he was wearing one of these coats," he says nervously, turning to face the sorcerer. "Why would he do that?"
Yen Sid leans back in his chair and clasps his hands together. "Nobodies are not like the Heartless in nature. The Heartless act only on instinct, unless directed by another. But Nobodies are capable of vastly more planning. Organization XIII seeks completion of some terrible goal, though we do not know what that may be."
"So the king is wearing that robe to infiltrate them right?" Azlyn asks, thinking on how cool it is that King Mickey is engaged in a spy thriller plot.
"Mickey is dedicated to solving the riddle of Organization XIII, yes," Yen Sid replies. "We must be able to learn what their master plan is if we are going to defeat it."
"So we've gotta find the king, huh?" Sora says, perking up a bit. "And he must know where Riku is, because they were together behind the Door to Darkness when I sealed it."
"It seems you have set your goals for this new journey," Yen Sid says with a pleased expression. His eyes rove over Sora for a moment, and he frowns. "Though it seems that you will need more… suitable garments for your travels."
Sora looks down at his attire, ignoring Azlyn's unsubtle snickering as best he can. The garments are a little on the tight side, and inspecting his jacket he even notices a tear along his right sleeve, where the material must have stretched too tightly during combat.
"Yeah, I guess I could use a new look," he admits sheepishly.
Yen Sid smiles and waves to his right. There's a flash of light, and suddenly a large green door appears in the wall. "This is the wardrobe," he explains. "Inside you will find three good fairies who I am sure will happily assist you."
With a quick round of Telary-prompted thanks, the trio sets out through the door, walking along a short hallway.
"Can you believe we're probably gonna to have to save the universe again?" Azlyn sighs as they go.
"Hey, no worries," Sora reassures his companion, shrugging confidently. "Me, you guys, Riku and the king, all working together. There's no way we can lose with the six of us."
Telary frowns. "Uh, Sora," he sheepishly brings up. "You only said five names."
The Keybearer frowns back at the wizard, realizing his mistake. "Oh yeah. Weird."
"Just what we need," Azlyn says with a sigh, pushing open the double doors at the hall's end. "A brain-damaged Keyblade master."
The room they enter is small, made even more cramped by the presence of six mirrors of various sizes, all covered in sheets. High above is a star-shaped window, and another tall window runs up the back wall, giving a glimpse of the murky starlight above the tower.
By the window stand three short, plump ladies in capes, hats, and dressed identical in every way but color stand huddled around, whispering something amongst themselves. Tiny wings poke out from each lady's back.
Hearing the new arrivals, the three fairies turn around. Upon seeing Sora, grins burst out on each of their faces.
"Oh, would you look at that, girls!" says the fairy in blue. "Master Yen Sid has sent us a project!"
"Oh, it has been so long since we've had a chance to do any designing," the green fairy practically coos.
"Now, now girls, let us introduce ourselves," the red fairy commands, looking sternly at her cohorts. She turns back to the heroic trio with a smile. "My name is Flora."
"I'm Fauna," says the green fairy.
"Merryweather," the blue fairy says already stepping forward. With the hem of her dress falling so low, it seems as if she glides across the wardrobe's wooden floor to Sora.
Merryweather and the other fairies all reach Sora and grab various parts of him, pulling him forward away from his slightly amused friends.
"Ow!" the Keybearer cries as he feels a pressure across his posterior. "What was that for?"
"Oh, sorry, just checking measurements, dear," Merryweather, the apparent wiseacre of the group, claims. Sora barely hears the apology over Azlyn's uproarious laughter. "We wouldn't want your pants falling down out there, now would we?"
With Sora finally situated in the middle of the room, the fairies gather once more, facing him with tiny golden wands out and ready.
"Oh, we are going to make you the finest garments ever to travel the worlds, my boy!" Flora declares confidently.
"I'm doing the designing!" Fauna says chipperly, waving her wand and sending a blast of sparkling green energy over to Sora.
The spell hits, but the only thing that happens is his outfit changes color, all pieces becoming forest green. Azlyn's laughter resumes.
"Oh, that will never do!" Merryweather chides her sister, head shaking as she steps forward, wand at the ready. "I'll make it blue!"
Another sparkly blast hits, and when this one fades, Sora's clothes are still too small, and now much too blue as well.
"What kind of…? It should be pink, Merryweather!" Flora declares, waving her wand and transforming Sora's clothes to the aforementioned color. Merryweather doesn't like that one bit, and in a flash Sora is blue again, which gets Fauna started and makes his outfit green.
From there it becomes something of a free for all, the fairies seeming to barely notice anything but what color Sora's clothes are not. One burst of blue energy even hits Telary, dying his clothes a new shade. Telary gapes down at his changed outfit, horrified that there might have been a split second in which that spell had made him naked.
Up above, perched just outside the star-shaped window, the black raven watches as the color war rages.
Due to what's happening to Sora and Telary, Azlyn's laughter has reached a pitch that probably only dogs could hear, the knight doubled over from laughing so hard, her face nearly red. That's just as well, because a stray blast from Flora makes the rest of her outfit a matching shade.
"Alright that's enough!" the knight declares, striding up to Sora's side and peering intently down at the fairies, who at this point are all cowering a bit. "Now you three oversized Tinker Bells better put me together a decent outfit, or I'll come over there and stuff those wands where I know you do not want them to be stuffed. Understood?"
There's a beat of sheer silence, the fairies trading nervous glances with one another. Finally, Flora turns to face the enraged knight.
"Very well then," the pink fairy says. "I suppose it would be for the best if we all would work together, hm."
Azlyn nods. "It sure would. Telary, step up here!" The wizard follows his counterpart's instructions swiftly.
"Now, all together dears!" Flora commands. As one, the three fairies rear back their wands, gathering energy at their golden tips, and then wave them forward, sending a twisting swirl of magic at the trio. It hits Sora and spreads out, enveloping all three in white light.
When the light fades, all three have new, matching traveling clothes.
Instead of a single red jumpsuit, Sora now wears a navy blue shirt with a red patch at the bottom and shorts, mostly black but with an area around his crotch a shade or two lighter. The shorts' hems thankfully fall further below the knee than his jumpsuit had even when it fit him perfectly, landing about halfway up the ankle. His hooded jacket is black with white lining, silver metal pieces at each shoulder. His fingerless gloves are black with a white X across the back of his hands, and a yellow band near his wrists. Two yellow belts cross in another X below his navy blue belt, and a red pouch with a black X on it sits on each hip. His shoes are black with yellow high-tops, their soles silver. His silver crown pendant remains around his neck.
Telary's outfit isn't too much different, black pants with yellow cuffs at the bottom, shoes nigh-identical to Sora's. Above his pants' yellow belt is a dark navy blue long-sleeved shirt, a sleeveless black hoodie with a yellow zipper over it. On his hands are black fingerless gloves like Sora's. Looking down the wizard notices that fixed in a yellow loop is his magician's staff, same as he had known it in Disney Castle. He smiles down at it, glad to have his weapon back.
Azlyn's skirt is now black with yellow lining, white tights stretching down to her ankles beneath it. She wears a navy blue sleeveless shirt, a hooded short-sleeved jacket over it. The jacket's yellow zipper is situated to the right, bringing the jacket's left side over most of her chest. Her fingerless black gloves reach her elbow, three horizontal strips of metal across the back of her hands, with a third running down most of her forearms. Like Telary, her blue Disney Castle shield, emblazoned with the three black circles of King Mickey's house emblem, rests connected to a magnetic sheath on her jacket's back.
The trio spend considerable time focused on the new duds, looking both themselves and the others over thoroughly, almost too impressed for words. After they're done gawking, the trio draw their weapons and face the three good fairies.
"Oh, don't you all look so magnificent!" Fauna coos proudly, her glittering smile shining on her face.
"So dashing!" Merryweather concurs.
"Now, these clothes have many new and exciting properties," Flora informs the trio. She waves her wand and a yellow orb appears before Sora, who looks at it cautiously. "Don't be afraid dear, just take the orb."
Sora reaches out and brushes the floating sphere. It glows for a second, then seems to absorb into his body. For a moment, nothing happens.
"What the heck was that?" Azlyn asks, stepping forward and brushing against the Keybearer.
Sora feels a sudden strange surge throughout his body, like he'd been jolted by lightning. He sees a brief flash of white and suddenly memories he's made with Azlyn seem to fly through his mind.
He looks down to see that his outfit has gone red, white, and black, with a fleur-de-lis on each pant leg and jacket sleeve. In his right hand he holds the Kingdom Key, but in his left is Oathkeeper, the silver Keyblade created by connecting Kairi's thalassa shell charm to it.
"Two Keyblades!" Telary exclaims. "Azlyn, do you see…?" Looking to his left, the wizard sees that his counterpart is gone. "Ah! What happened to…?"
"That's how the clothes work, dear," Merryweather explains. "To access the new forms and powers these garments can provide, you'll need to temporarily call upon the hearts of your friends."
"But where did she go?" Sora asks, both Keyblades' chains shaking as he shrugs. "And how can I get back…"
There's another flash and suddenly Azlyn returns, looking dazed and confused.
"Azlyn, are you okay?" Telary asks, rushing to the knight's side and looking into her eyes, which she rolls at him.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she declares, only a tad shakily. "I had kind of an out-of-body experience for a second there, but I could still tell what was going on, y'know, out here."
"You'll need all of these powers if you're going to survive this journey," Fauna says with a knowing nod. "And you shall discover even more throughout your travels."
"Well, believe me when I say I owe you," Sora earnestly tells the trio of fairies, who all giggle and blush. "Seriously, thank you so much."
"Same from me," Telary agrees.
"And me," Azlyn declares. "Though you could've skipped that whole flying colors thing…"
"We're only just glad to be of service, my dears," Flora says, and each of the fairies give a curtsy. "Now you run along back to Yen Sid, children. He has one last gift for you!"
After more thanks, the trio return to Yen Sid's main chamber to find the sorcerer standing by a large moon-shaped window that Sora is sure had not been there before. For a moment there is nothing but the abyss below the tower's island, but suddenly the familiar orange and yellow form of the Gummi ship, the vessel that allows interworld travel to occur, rises into view.
"Baby!" Telary cries out in ecstasy, rushing to the window and peering out at the vessel, his nose pressed to the window's glass. Yen Sid laughs at his antics, and he backs up, his cheeks enflamed.
"Wow, it's nice to have the Gummi ship back," Sora says, thinking of how the trio had left it in Hollow Bastion while they used a portal created by the Princesses of Heart to reach the End of Worlds, stronghold of the Heartless and entrance to the Realm of Darkness. "But what good is it going to do? The walls between the worlds went up when I sealed the Door to Darkness. How will we get anywhere?"
"It is true that the worlds have returned to their previous, disconnected states due to your past endeavor," Yen Sid admits. "But they have also prepared new paths between them, paths that you need only use the Keyblade to unlock."
"So, like the Keyholes," Azlyn says, earning a sagely nod.
"When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi ship," the sorcerer instructs. "And beware, for the Heartless and Nobodies may attempt to corrupt these paths by linking them to the corridors of darkness they use to travel the worlds."
"It's always something, huh?" Sora deadpans.
"Indeed." Yen Sid reaches into his sleeve and produces a small device with two buttons on it. He hands it off to Telary, who examines it in his hand. "I have taken the liberty of installing a device on your ship that will allow you to instantaneously travel from your vessel to the surface of a world, eliminating the need to make landfall."
"A teleporter!" Azlyn exclaims. "That's awesome! Thank you Master Yen Sid."
The sorcerer nods in reply, then looks over the trio once more, a serious expression on his face. Noticing this, Telary straightens up to stand at attention, coughing suggestively to his companions to follow suit. They do, and all three stand ramrod straight before Yen Sid.
"You must never forget, my children, that just as the worlds are connected, so too are our hearts," he says sagely. "You must remember this, and rely on the strength of those connections to see you through." He smiles. "That is all the information I can give you now. Go forth, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary. Everyone is waiting."
"Thank you once again for everything, Master," Sora says, and the trio simultaneously snap off a quick salute to the sorcerer before Telary reaches presses the main button on the teleportation receiver, vanishing the group in a flash of light.
KH-KH-KH
Something flashes past the window, catching Merryweather by surprise and nearly sending her stumbling back into Fauna, who is doing a bit of fixing up around the wardrobe.
"Oh, excuse me Merryweather," the green fairy apologizes. Noticing the baffled look on her fellow fairy's face, she decides to ask her about it. "Are you alright, dear? You look like you've just seen a…"
Cawwww caw!
The window flies open, its glass panes billowing outward. Through it flies a jet black raven clutching a black cloak with purple trim in its talons. With another fearful cry, it hovers into the room and drops the cloak on the floor before the trio of fairies.
"That cloak!" Flora cries, dropping the basket of sewing she had been attending to. "Oh no, it can't be…"
Suddenly memories begin to flood the minds of the trio, memories of a dark figure whose existence has haunted their dreams since they could ever remember. Jade skin, cruel horns, a wicked laugh…
The memories, wrapped in the ambient magic that Yen Sid's tower is full of, begin to take on a life of their own, gaining solidity and hold in reality. As they do, the black cloak seems to fill itself, rising from the floor propelled by some large mass hidden beneath its fabric.
"What should we do, Flora?" Merryweather desperately pleads to the pink fairy, taking several cautious steps back from the slowly rising cloak.
Flora thinks for the briefest of moments before finding a solution. "We have to tell Master Yen Sid. He'll know what to do about… about her!"
Agreeing that it's a good idea, the fairies flee through the wardrobe's open door. Merryweather holds up the rear, and as she scrambles out, she hears the opening notes of a chillingly familiar, terrifying laugh.
Unable to help herself, she turns to see that the cloak is now filled by a green skinned woman with long purple fingernails. In her left hand she clutches a long, thin staff topped with a green orb. Black horns jut from her head.
"Why, hello my dear little fairy," the woman says with an air of smug superiority. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"M-Ma-Mali-…" Merryweather stammers, backing up slowly. "Maleficent!" Turning, the blue fairy flees.
Maleficent, mistress of all evil, laughs as her pet lands upon her shoulder, the sound of sheer madness filling the air.
The really great thing about KHII is that there isn't so much scene setting before you get to the actual juicy world travelling bits (If you skip the Roxas prologue that is).
I wanted Azlyn and Telary to have new outfits on this journey as well, just because it seemed better that the trio match color schemes. the costumes went through quite a few changes throughout development, and I have some really crappy sketches to show for it (No, you'll never see them).
Next stop is Hollow Bastion, and I'm sure a lot of Disney/Final Fantasy fans will be surprised by a few of the additional characters I'm throwing in.
Please review if you feel the inclination, I'd really appreciate your thoughts! Until next time!
