Last Time found Aiden, Tess and Malcolm taking their leave of Enchancia and traversing through time and space to The Land of Ooo. After underestimating the festering tenacity of the infesting Garbage Heartless terrorizing Ooo, our heroes were reunited with Riku, as well meeting Finn, Jake and the rest. Back in The Realms of Light, Katrina and Darklight finalized their reconciliation and settled on the next world to attack, Deep Jungle. Kairi supervised the activation of the first combat AT units, while The Lich, possessing Sora, continued his insidious tour of the realms. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 2: Libraries and Jungles
…The Land of Ooo…
"Why are we going to the library when there's still so many Heartless running around?" asked Tess as she, Aiden and Malcolm, followed Riku, Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum and Marceline in the late evening towards a crumbling but still standing library, possibly one of the few relatively intact buildings from before The Mushroom War.
With the assistance of Tess, Aiden and Malcolm, Riku and the others had, for the moment, rid Wizard City of Garbage Heartless, allowing the city's many magic users a chance to catch their breath. Now our heroes and allies were catching their breath, by walking to the library. Joining them on their leisurely way were Flame Princess, Cinnamon Bun and Lumpy Space Princess, all of whom eagerly welcomed the three Keyblade Wielders as friends.
"We already talked about this," said Finn, "there's only one way we're gonna stop Marceline's dad and those Lectroid jerks from using The Heartless as weapons; we need to find Ooo's Keyhole."
"And we have no idea where it is," said Marceline, "and believe me, I looked."
"Yeah, you told us you looked for it a long time ago," said Riku, "but what makes you think we can find it now after you spent so long fruitlessly searching?"
"That was back when the world was still settling down from The Mushroom War," said Marceline, "and I was still getting used to being a vamp. But now I've got two things I didn't have then; lots of friends to help me look, and this," she pointed at the library.
"There's a lot of books in there from before and after the war," said Princess Bubblegum, "if there's any clue as to where Ooo's Keyhole is, it'll be in one of those books."
"If it is, it'll have to wait until tomorrow," said Malcolm as he checked his watch, then took one of his anti-blackout pills. "Libraries tend to close at night, you know."
"Yeah, I don't think Turtle Princess will let us spend the night pawing through her books," said Flame Princess, while Cinnamon Bun nodded in agreement.
"Hey, I just washed my paws," said Jake irately.
"Oh, she'll let us in," said Lumpy Space Princess, "me and Turtle Princess are like that!" she then crossed two fingers.
"Somehow I doubt your friendship will help this time," said Flame Princess as she and the others saw Turtle Princess exit the building and was in the process of locking the front doors.
"Oh yeah?!" asked Lumpy Space Princess, "just you watch!" with that she hurried towards the library, with the others following closely.
Turtle Princess then saw the approaching group, "I'm sorry, we're closed for the night," she said, but then smiled as she recognized Lumpy Space Princess, "oh, Hey Gurrrl!" she shouted happily.
"Hey Gurrrl!" Lumpy Space Princess shouted back.
"Good evening, Turtle Princess," said Princess Bubblegum politely, "as one royal to another, we must ask for a favor."
"I'm sure you know about Ooo's latest crisis?" asked Flame Princess, "what with The Heartless running amuck across the land?"
"I read the papers," said Turtle Princess as she eyed Flame Princess cautiously, "so, what do you want? And more importantly, what do you want with my books?"
"Look, we just need to look up something called a Keyhole," said Jake, "then we'll be out of your hair."
"And such lovely hair it is," teased Marceline.
"Oh, well, you know," aid a slightly embarrassed Turtle Princess as she smiled while running her hands through her blond hair.
"It won't take that long," said Aiden, "we are kinda in a hurry."
"You haven't seen how many books are in there," said Jake, "it'll take all night."
"All night!?" exclaimed Turtle Princess, "No! No way are you spending the night in my library!"
"Come on, Turtle Princess," said Finn, "it's an emergency!"
"My dad and a bunch of weirdo aliens are out to seriously gank Ooo and everyone on it!" said Marceline.
"And we need to find Ooo's Keyhole to stop them," said Princess Bubblegum, "I'd consider this a royal favor."
"Come on, Gurrrl!" begged Lumpy Space Princess as she pouted in a pleading manner.
"Oh, alright," said Turtle Princess as she pulled out her keys, "I'll do it for you, Gurrrl!"
"Yes! Thank you so much!" said Marceline as she pumped her fist triumphantly.
"But I'm keeping an eye on you guys," said Turtle Princess as she pointed her key at our heroes admonishingly, then focused on Flame Princess, "especially you! If I find one page burned, one scroll scorched, one whiff of smoke in the air, I'm kicking out all out!"
"I won't even touch your precious books if that'll make you happy," said Flame Princess, she then looked at Cinnamon Bun with adoring eyes, "I've got this big boy to turn the pages for me."
"I'll even wear gloves," said Cinnamon Bun.
"Okay, then," said Turtle Princess as she unlocked the front doors, "I might as well get some coffee going, it's gonna be a long night."
"Seriously, how long can it take?" asked Malcolm as they all walked into the library.
…4:00 AM…
"You just had to ask, didn't you," said Flame Princess in an exhausted tone as she and the other leaned back in the many chairs they'd pulled up around a large table. Around them were stacked the thousands of books Turtle Princess had pulled out from the shelves. After Riku, Aiden, Tess and Malcolm had been awed by the size of the library, they'd quickly realized how intimidating their task would be. Considering the sheer volume of books on magic alone they'd have to examine.
Fortunately, Turtle Princess had an extensively detailed catalog system, which she quickly used to locate the desired books on Keyholes, The Heartless and even a few essays on the nature of Kingdom Hearts. On the other hand, there happened to be quite a few on such subjects, some written by some scientist and rogue magic scholars from before The Mushroom War. Some were penned by the war survivors who became heroes when The Heartless first attacked the young Ooo, some by later magic users, a few by more modern scholars, while the vast majority were written by interdimensional travelers who visited Ooo over the past thousand years. All in all, it was a lot of pages our heroes had to turn.
"Oh, my Glob!" exclaimed Lumpy Space Princess, "my hands are so dry!"
"Well, handling a lot of paper will do that," said Princess Bubblegum as she put down one book and reached for another, "okay, next one."
"Hey! Don't mix your 'already read' books with my 'haven't read yet' pile!" snapped Aiden.
"Well, excuse me!" snapped Princess Bubblegum, "I wouldn't have to if you wouldn't keep your pile so close to me!"
"Dudes! Just chill out!" said Jake.
"Yeah, we're all tired and strung out," said Finn, "let's take a break."
"You think my dad and those Lectroid jerks are taking a break?" asked Marceline as she yawned, "though I could use a pick me up, anyone have anything red they don't mind turning gray? I used up all the apples."
"We noticed," said Aiden as he looked at a basket of gray apples Marceline had drained of pigment.
Everyone stood up and stretched, then settled down to relax for a while. It wasn't long before Tess and Riku found themselves alone off in the bookshelves.
"I'm sorry I went off on you earlier," said Tess.
"Me too," said Riku, "we've both been through a lot. I mean, you fought a war against Titans, Raztonians, demons, a rogue Alchemist and a psychopath in charge of an industrial nation that wanted to destroy a peaceful magical kingdom."
"You think that's crazy?" asked Tess, "what about Ooo? A world of candy people, living fire and…and whatever Lumpy Space Princess is, now that's weird. And talk about crazy, what about Finn?"
"Yeah, about Finn," said Riku, "he's the last living human on this world, and all he cares about is having adventures and helping people. I don't know what I'd do if I lived with the fact that I was the last of my species."
"Yeah, I'd probably go crazy if I had to endure that kind of loneliness," said Tess, "but Finn…he's…"
"Special," said Riku, "not just because of his many friends, he's…well…special."
"Hey, you two!" said Turtle Princess as she saw Tess and Riku, "no smooching in the library!"
"We're just talking!" said Riku irately, "what, I can't talk to my girlfriend whom I haven't seen is so long?"
"Yeah, this isn't smooching," said Tess," she then smiled mischievously and grabbed Riku, "now this is smooching!" with that she passionately kissed him on the lips. Before either Riku or Turtle Princess could react, Marceline's shout of triumph startled them back to reality.
"I GOT IT!" exclaimed Marceline as she held up a book.
"You know where the Keyhole is?!" asked Aiden as he and the others clustered around Marceline.
"No," said Marceline, "but I know who does," she then opened the book, "being a vampire comes in handy sometimes," she then rapidly flipped through the pages, "you learn how to read really, really fast."
"So who knows where the Keyhole is?" asked Flame Princess.
"That's kinda complicated," said Marceline, "you'll understand in a bit," she flipped back to the first page in the book and began reading out loud, "'My name is Simon Petrikov; let these words be my final testimony of sanity.'"
"Simon? This is Ice King's book?" asked Finn.
"Yep," said Marceline as she looked up, tears of remorse forming in her eyes as she remembered her long lost father figure turned insane magic user, "after he left me, Simon wrote his last clear thoughts down, before the crown completely drove him off the reservation."
"So Ice King knows where The Keyhole is?" asked a distraught Cinnamon Bun.
"Oh, well, that's just lumping great," complained Lumpy Space Princess, "now we'll never find it!"
"I take it this Ice King isn't very cooperative," said Malcolm.
"He's freaking crazy, that's what!" said Flame Princess.
"He's still our friend!" snapped Marceline, "yeah, Simon's not all there, but he's still good inside, mostly. Anyway, he doesn't know but knows who does."
"And the book says who does?" asked Riku.
"Sort of," said Marceline, "the first pages of the book, more like the first fifty or so, he keeps going on how sorry he feels about leaving me alone, his regrets for never finding Betty and how afraid he is about losing his mind to the crown.
"But then he writes about meeting a friend from before the war. 'Today I saw a familiar face; a face I thought was lost forever when the bombs fell and destroyed everything! Solaris Pretorius!'"
"Solaris Pretorius?!" exclaimed Tess, while Riku, Aiden and Malcolm looked equally surprised.
"You know her?" asked Marceline.
"Kinda," said Riku.
"It's a long story," said Malcolm.
"I'll bet," said Marceline, "anyway, Simon writes how he and Solaris were fellow scholars of the supernatural. But whereas Simon was an antiquarian with a fascination for superstitions and mythology, Solaris was a true believer in metaphysics and parapsychology.
"She told Simon she was within a mile of ground zero of The Mushroom Bomb and was exposed to the mutagenic effect of the blast, and survived relatively unharmed, except it turned her skin orange and blue. It also gave her magic, making her among Ooo's first true magic users.
"Solaris then asked Simon to travel with her, 'to explore this brave new world of ours.' Simon admitted that he was tempted but knew that his dwindling sanity would make him a liability, so he declined.
"Solaris understood, so she and Simon parted ways, but not before warning him about The Heartless and to keep an eye out for The Keyhole." She sighed with sorrow as she closed the book, "that was the last of Simon's sane thoughts. After that it's all crazed and chaotic ramblings. Simon went away and The Ice King took his place." She sniffed as she wiped away a few tears.
"Marceline," said Finn, "I…"
"No, I'm alright," said Marceline, "so, we have a lead."
"A slim one," said Princess Bubblegum, "there's no way to know if Ice King remembers this Solaris Pretorius, or even if she's still alive."
"Well, let's ask him," said Aiden, "I mean, how crazy can he be?"
…The Ice Kingdom…a few hours later…
"Well, ask a silly question, you get a silly answer," said Aiden as he and the others stood in the chamber Ice King had dedicated to Fionna and Cake, complete with statues, drawings and mountains of books full of fanfiction.
Riku, Aiden, Tess, Malcolm, Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Flame Princess, Cinnamon Bun, Lumpy Space Princess, as well as Lady Rainicorn and Peppermint Butler, had journeyed across Ooo to the frozen wastes of The Ice Kingdom and up to the front door of The Ice Castle. Gunter the penguin met them and showed them in, leading our heroes and allies to where Ice King was happily sitting on the floor, writing in a notebook.
"I've heard of Rule 63, but this is ridiculous," said a somewhat uncomfortable Riku as he looked at a drawing of Fionna and Cake, then at Finn and Jake, then back to the drawing.
"Let's just get this over with," sighed Princess Bubblegum as she averted her eyes from several drawings of Prince Gumball.
"Yeah, this is kinda taking it too far," said Marceline as she put down a statuette of Marshal Lee. She then hovered next to Ice King, "Hey, Simon?"
"Not now, Marceline," said Ice King as he continued to write, "I'm at a critical juncture in my latest Fionna and Cake story. I'm right at the point where Marshall Lee is talking to The Ice Queen."
"Uh…about what?" asked Marceline, unsure of she wanted to know what imaginings were tumbling through her friend's head.
"About asking Ice Queen to help find her sorcerer friend from before the war, duh!" said Ice King as he put his pen down and glared at Marceline, "so he can help Fionna, Cake and their friends from another world, The Keyring Holders. They need to find The Doorknob of the world so they can stop The Uncaring and defeat Marshall Lee's mom and her Blue Rectroid cohorts! Big twist when I wrote that, huh?"
"Uh…yeah," said Tess. She then whispered to her friends, "This guy should be locked up and the key thrown away!"
"That's what I've always said," whispered Jake, earning an admonishing 'shush' from Finn.
"Simon," said Marceline cautiously, "you wouldn't happen to remember Solaris Pretorius, would you?"
"Solaris Pretorius," said Ice King thoughtfully as he stood up and hovered via his flapping beard, "now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time, a long time."
"Then you know her?" asked Riku.
"Of course I know her," said Ice King, "she's me! Ha! Just kidding! No, seriously, I know Solaris Pretorius."
"You really do, Simon?" asked Marceline impatiently. Despite her friendship for Ice King, she was in no mood for his nonsense. Marceline flexed one hand, ready to smack Ice King silly if he turned out to be playing around.
"Yeah, she owes me money," said Ice King, "Last time we met, she asked for a loan, and she never paid me back! Every time we meet she asks for money and she never pays me back, the cheapskate!"
"You've met her more than once?" asked Aiden.
"Oh, we run into each other every couple of years or so," said Ice King, "and every time I end up giving her money."
"Why did she keep asking you for money?" asked Flame Princess.
"And why do you keep giving it to her?" asked an annoyed Marceline.
"I don't know, I just do," said Ice King.
"Must be her persuasive charms," whispered Cinnamon Bun to Flame Princess, whom shrugged her shoulders in a 'maybe' manner.
"Never mind that!" said Princess Bubblegum urgently, "do you know where she is?"
"Do I know where she is, she asks," said Ice King in a sarcastic manner, "of course I know where she is!"
There was a tense moment of silence as our heroes and allies glared at Ice King.
"Oh, you want me to tell you," said Ice King, "okay…umm…let me go get my address book. I know it's around here somewhere," he then began riffling through his volumes of fanfiction notebooks, "I could have sworn I had it the other day."
"Man, this is a total time squelcher!" said Jake irately.
"I agree," said Tess, "the longer we sit around while that lunatic," she pointed at Ice King, whom was now randomly throwing notebooks about, "the stronger our enemies get!" at that Aiden and Malcolm nodded in agreement
"Yeah, who knows what the bad guys are gonna throw at Ooo next!?" asked Jake, "I say we open a portal to The Nightosphere, kick some Lectroid but and tear Marceline's dad a new one!"
"'Are you crazy!?'" shouted Lady Rainicorn in Korean, while Marceline and Peppermint Butler shouted the same but in English.
"Jake, don't you remember how many demons were in line when we last went to The Nightosphere?" asked Finn.
"The whole realm is crawling with demons," said Marceline.
"We've faced hordes of demons before," said Aiden.
"None like the ones you've faced," said Marceline, "and don't forget my dad."
"What about your dad?" asked Tess.
"He's deathless for one," said Marceline, "you can't kill him. But even if he wasn't, my dad would have the home field advantage."
"I'm forced to agree," said Riku, "an all-out assault on The Nightosphere would be suicide."
"Oh, like hopeless situations have ever stopped us before," said Tess.
"This one can," said Riku.
"Oh, where is it!?" exclaimed Ice King ha he overed over to our heroes, "where's that darn address book!? That does it! I'm gonna have to tear this whole castle apart! Gunter! Goonter! Gunther! Günter! Goonther! Guntalina! Gunter with Flower! Get the tearing apart tools! We've got work to do!"
But then Gunter waddled over, holding a little black book under one wing. "Wenk, wenk!" said Gunter as he pulled on the hem of Ice King's robe.
"Not now, Gunter!" said Ice King annoyingly, "daddy's looking for his address book! Go get your tools, now, that's a good boy."
"Wenk Wenk!" said Gunter more urgently as he pulled harder on the robe.
"I said not now, Gunter!" snapped Ice King as he glared down at the little penguin, "I'm in no mood to play!"
"WENK WENK WENK!" shouted Gunter as he held up the little black book.
"Oh, Gunter, sweetie!" said Ice King joyfully as he picked the penguin up and held him lovingly in his arms, "you found my address book!" he then patted Gunter on the back, to which Gunter let out an annoyed belch.
"Now there's one smart penguin," said Aiden as Ice King set Gunter down, then began flipping through the address book.
"Yeah, but I'd keep my distance if I were you," said Finn, "Gunter's not so cute and cuddly as he looks."
"How bad could he be?" asked Malcolm.
"Well, aside from being obsessed with breaking glass bottles," said Princess Bubblegum, "he's also…"
"A creepy alien god who wants to eat everything," said Jake.
"Say what?" asked Malcolm.
"It's okay, he's got amnesia or something," said Finn.
"Oh," said Malcolm, "that's okay, I guess, one less thing to worry about."
"Well, this could be a problem," said Ice King, "Solaris has three houses in Ooo."
"Three houses?" asked Riku as he looked over Ice King's shoulder at the address book.
"And yet she still asks you for money," said Lumpy Space Princess, "some girls just don't get it."
"This coming from someone who lives like an animal in the woods?" teased Marceline.
"At least I'm free of my lumping parents!" said Lumpy Space Princess irately as she turned away and crossed her arms.
"Okay, so, we'll look at each house for Solaris," said Princess Bubblegum, "this isn't the end of the world.
"Not yet anyway," said Flame Princess as our heroes and allies left the room and headed for the front door.
"Gunter, you're in charge while daddy's out saving the world!" called Ice King, just as the front door closed.
Gunter looked around, waddled out of the room and found a secret compartment in the wall. He opened it, revealing a hidden supply of glass bottles. He carried some up to Ice King's balcony and began tossing them over one by one, the sound of breaking glass pleasing to the devious little penguin who was so much more than a penguin.
...Outside…
"Okay, do you all want to do this?" asked Riku, "do we split up and go to each house at the same time? Or do we take each one at a time together?"
"According to Simon's address book," said Marceline, "Solaris Pretorius has three homes in Ooo; a cottage in a swamp near The Slime Kingdom, an apartment in Wizard City and another apartment in The Candy Kingdom, so it makes sense to split up."
"New plan, everyone!" said Princess Bubblegum, "I'll return to The Candy Kingdom with Pepbut and Lady. Phoebe, you, Cinnamon Bun and LSP check out the apartment in Wizard City. Finn, you and the others head to the swamp."
"No probs, PB," said Finn.
At that Lumpy Space Princess gave an annoyed huff, "why do I have to go to boring old Wizard City?"
"Would you rather go to the swamp?" asked Flame Princess.
"Hey, I'll trade places with you, Lumpy Space Princess," said Ice Kingdom.
"Ugh! And get covered in swamp water? I don't lumping think so!" said Lumpy Space Princess.
"I'd rather not have Ice King tempted by all that magic," said Riku, "wherever he's going, I'm keeping an eye on him."
"And where you go, I go," said Tess, "I'm not letting you out of my sight again!"
"I wouldn't mind going back to Wizard City," said Malcolm, "any chance to learn from other magic users, even if it's only for a short visit."
"Guess I get the tour of The Candy Kingdom," said Aiden.
With that our heroes and allies split up into the three groups.
"So, Marceline," said Tess as she, Riku, Finn, Jake, Marceline and Ice King, approached the border of The Ice Kingdom in the general direction of The Slime Kingdom, "what's the deal with your father? Why does he want to destroy Ooo?"
"Oh, he's not out to destroy Ooo," said Marceline, then irately through gritted teeth, "it'd be simpler if he was."
"Marceline's dad only made the deal with The Red Lectroids," said Finn, "and they just want to take all of Ooo's magic so they can leave the planet and restart their war with The Red Lectroids of Planet 10."
"Well, that's just stupid!" said Tess, "just who'd be stupid and evil enough to sell an entire planet to a bunch of magic-stealing aliens? Not even Phobos would be that evil and stupid. Well, he'd be evil to do that, but he'd find a way to swindle the other party and keep it all for himself."
"We don't know who did it," said Finn, "but whoever did is gonna get his chops busted!"
"First thing's first," said Riku, "finding Ooo's Keyhole." He then looked at Ice King, "you sure Solaris knows where it is?"
"Huh? Knows where what is?" asked Ice King, "and who are you talking about?"
"Your friend Solaris," said Marceline, "we're going to ask her about Ooo's Keyhole!" she then held up Simon's last journal, "are you sure you don't remember meeting her long ago?"
"Remember what?" asked Ice King, "and what were we talking about again?"
"The Keyhole, damn it!" smapped Tess, "the gateway to a world's heart! If the Heartless get into it, they'll devour Ooo's heart and the world will crumble and fade away!"
"This is why we need to find and lock it before our enemies summon more Heartless than we can handle," said Riku, "and a flood of Heartless isn't something you want to deal with."
"How about just one big one?" asked Jake.
"A boss Heartless?" asked Riku, "they're tougher but always have a weakness."
"What about that one?" asked Jake as a large Heartless marched towards them. It resembled a Guard Armor, save for the large sword and shield it carried in its hands. The armor pieces were colored in various shades of yellow, while steam occasionally burst from its joints.
"Oh, this thing again," said Riku, "Sora fought and beat it so many times, it's not even funny anymore."
"It's not like the ones Sora fought!" shouted Tess as the yellow Guard Armor charged towards our heroes and allies. It brought its sword down at Riku. He barely dodged the strike, then was nearly knocked over from the force of impact as the sword buried itself partly in the ground.
"Dang, that thing's strong!" said Finn as he drew his sword, then had to get out of the way as the yellow Guard Heartless wrenched its sword from the ground, tearing up large chunks of snow and earth that rained down on the area.
"Ah, it ain't too tough!" said Jake as he stretched into a large, armored shape that matched the Guard Heartless in proportions, then stretched his forepaws into a sword and shield, "Put 'em up!" he shouted at the Guard Heartless.
In response, the yellow Guard heartless slammed its shield in Jake's face, forcing him to stumble and trip, falling flat on his back. "Oww!" said Jake, only for the yellow Guard Heartless to rush in and slam its shield into his face again and again, causing Jake, his face bruised and bloodied, to shrink down to his normal size and shape.
"JAKE!" shouted Finn as he rushed in and grabbed Jake, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow of another shield strike.
"Jake! Say something!" shouted Finn as he held his battered brother in his arms.
Jake tried to speak, but instead let out a rather lout belch, then a soft yet pained chuckle.
"Yeah, you're fine," said Finn as he carefully placed Jake in his backpack, then gripped his sword in both hands, "but this metal jerk isn't!" Letting out a bellowing war cry, Finn rushed at the creature, only to be forced back by a furious salvo of sword and shield attacks.
"That thing's way too fast!" shouted Tess as she tried to move in to attack yet was forced back.
"And too tough!" shouted Marceline after she managed to fly behind the creature and swing her axe at it, only for her weapon to bounce off the thick armor.
"It still has a weakness!" said Riku, "wait until the armor pieces separate!"
"Does it look like they're separating?!" shouted Marceline. She then blocked a sword strike with her axe, only to be knocked into the ground by the sheer force of impact.
"MARCY!" exclaimed Ice King. He then glared hatefully at the yellow Guard Armor, "alright, you metal meanie! You're gonna get it! Take this! ZAP!" he then aimed his hands and shot several bolts of freezing magic at the creature, only for its shield to block the bolts and sending them wildly in all directions, and accidentally freezing Riku in the process.
"YOU IDIOT!" shouted Tess as she tried to pull the frozen-solid Riku out of the way as the yellow Guard Armor stomped towards them. Marceline flew in and helped get Riku out of harm's way.
But then, by an ironic twist of fate, the yellow Guard Armor slipped and fell on a patch of fresh ice created by one of the blocked bolts.
"Let's get it!" shouted Marceline as she rushed in and began hacking with her axe. Tess and Finn joined the attack, while Jake, having recovered his senses, rushed in and loaned his enlarged fists to the onslaught, while stretching the rest of his body to restrain the Guard Armor from getting back up, all the while Ice King shot more freezing bolts at the creature.
It took several minutes but our heroes and allies inflicted enough damage to destroy the creature. It dissolved into a cloud of smoke, from which rose a large crystal heart that vanished into the air.
"G-g-good j-job, ev-ev-everyone," shivered Riku as he thawed out.
"Yeah, but that one almost cleaned our clocks for good," said Marceline.
"Hey, we won, what else do you want?" asked Ice King.
"Yeah, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt," said Jake as he stretched his bruised face into a t-shirt shape, then winced as his face returned to normal.
"We were just plain lucky," said Tess as she hugged Riku to share body warmth, "next time could be worse."
"Hey, if that's the best Marceline's dad and those Lectroid loonnies can come up with," said Finn, "how worse can it get?"
…The Nightosphere…
"Oh, it's going to get a lot worse, you wretched little human!" said John Smallberries as he, Hunson Abadeer and the other Red Lectroids, watched our heroes and allies via the viewing spell. "Next time you won't win so easily."
"You consider this a victory for them?" asked John Ready to Fly, "I call it sheer dumb luck!"
"If it weren't for that ice idiot, the new Heartless would have pulled those pathetic peons to pieces!" said John Many Jars, "technically, my brothers, this was a victory for us."
"I won't consider it a victory until our foes lay dead!" said John Careful Walker, "every second we delay in the harvesting of magic is another second we have to spend on this miserable flyspeck of a planet! I want to go home to Planet 10 and destroy our true foes!"
"We all want to return home and destroy The Black Lectroids once and for all," said John Smallberries, "yet we cannot risk continuing the magic harvesting so long as our foes are a threat."
"Then we are agreed that the new breed of Heartless should be put into mass production, brothers?" asked John Many Jars.
"Indeed," said John Smallberries, he then looked at Hunson Abadeer, "assuming our guest remains cooperative. The new breed of Heartless requires a steady stream of negative emotions."
It was then that Hunson Abadeer and the John's heard a scream echoing through the halls of the building, a scream that resounded with intense mental anguish.
"Oh, he'll cooperate," said Hunson Abadeer, "I've got plenty of ways to keep someone miserable. Not to worry, dear friends, our guest's private pain will supply you with all the supped-up Heartless you can ever want."
At that another anguished scream echoed through the building.
…Radiant Garden…
Kairi lay on a sofa in her castle chambers. The enormous four-post bed in the domicile was simply too big, too soft and just too much for her. She missed her old bed back at Destiny Islands. Yes, she was the ruler of an entire planet now and was expected to enjoy some royal luxuries, but how was she expected to rule when she couldn't even get a good night's sleep?
Then again, Kairi's sleeping patterns for the past several weeks have been anything but good, especially tonight since she had, according to her, barely gotten comfortable on the sofa, when Selphie burst into the room.
"KAIRI!" shouted Selphie breathlessly, "KAIRI GET UP!"
"You know, Selphie," said Kairi groggily as she sat up, "I could order your head cut off for just about anything. I'll regret it later and it won't do my popularity any good, but I can do it."
"You can cut my head off later," said Selphie, "we've got trouble! Columbina and Darklight are attacking another world!"
At that Kairi came wide-awake, leapt to her feet, changed clothes in record time and was ready for action, "Let's go!" With that, she hurried out of the room with Selphie right behind.
They met up with Quistis, Leon and Ansem in Kairi's office where a hologram of Deep Jungle was projected over the desk.
"What's the situation?" asked Kairi.
"SeeD Teem Tau-11 picked up a Dark Corridor on Deep Jungle," said Quistis, "Columbina and her gang of thugs are trying to reach the Keyhole," she smiled, "but this time we're ready for them."
"The new A.T. units?" asked Kairi, "are they ready for battle?"
"A few," said Leon, "Tidus is in charge of the first squad of six and they're loading theirs up for combat."
"And we have another advantage this time," said Quistis, "Team Tau-11 has a secret weapon; an environmental empath."
"A what now?" asked Yuffie as she hurried into the room, "sorry, I was sharpening my shuriken."
"You must go through a lot of polish," teased Selphie.
"Never mind that," said Kairi, "what about Team Tau-11 and their secret weapon?"
"Let's just say that this particular operative is most suited for outdoors combat," said Quistis, "you'll see when we get there."
…Deep Jungle…A short time later…
"Okay, we're here," said Kairi as she, Quistis, Leon, Selphie, Yuffie and several bodyguards, beamed down from a Gummy Ship in orbit. "So, what am I supposed to see?"
At that our heroes heard a scream of outraged frustration coming from the forest.
"Sounds like Felicity's working her mojo," said an eagerly smiling Quistis, "come on!" with that they trekked through the forest towards the source of the scream, eventually reaching a clearing where two SeeD operatives were standing with Tarzan and Jane. Also with them was a girl in her late teens with caramel skin and long brown hair. She was kneeling knelt with her hands on the ground, sending out waves of green magic.
Kairi then looked up and saw several large vines rapidly growing from the trees, ensnaring in their living cables Darklight, Dio Brando, Gaston and Lady Tremaine.
"Commander Trepe!" said one of the SeeD operatives, "we've got them!"
"More like our magical friend Felicity has them," said Jane.
"I don't know how she did it," said an impressed Tarzan, "but that girl, she can command the very forest."
"I wouldn't call it commanding," said the girl, Felicity as she stood up and looked at our heroes, "I just politely asked the forest to help and she was more than happy to oblige." Felicity then noticed Kairi staring at her oddly, "is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong," said Kairi hastily, "it's just…you remind me of someone." Indeed, Felicity bore an uncanny resemblance to Flora, Fairy of Nature. Of course, by now Kairi was used to meeting alternate versions of people. She made a mental note to head to The Magical Dimension when things calmed down and check in on Bloom and the rest of The Winx.
"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE, YOU INSOLENT IDIOTS!" shouted Lady Tremaine as she, Gaston, Dio Brando and Darklight, struggled to free themselves from the vines, which only constricted tighter.
"Oh, just calm down, woman!" snapped Dio Brando, "you'll only make it worse."
"I will not calm down!" snapped Lady Tremaine as she struggled harder, "I refuse to submit to this outrageous treatment! I am…"
"You're a sadistic bitch who's finally getting what's coming to her!" said Yuffie. She then pulled down one eyelid while sticking her tongue out at the vile stepmother.
"And they can't escape?" asked Kairi asked Felicity.
"Not until I let them go," said Felicity.
"Then could you bring that one down a bit?" asked Kairi as she pointed at Darklight. Felicity nodded and touched the ground again, sending another pulse of magic at the vines, which lowered Darklight closer to the ground.
"Careful, your majesty!" said Leon protectively, "you know how powerful she is."
"I know," said Kairi, "I just want to talk," with that she walked towards Darklight, "hello, Bethany, it's been a while."
At that Darklight spat in Kairi's face, "that's not my name and you know it! Bethany Greenhill is dead! She's dead! Just like you will be when I get out of this!"
"You're the one who's gonna die, you creep!" shouted Selphie as she used a handkerchief to wipe Kairi's face, "after you tell us where Columbina is!"
Just then Katrina zapped herself into the area, "wouldn't you like to know!" she said venomously.
"Who are you?" asked Selphie as she, Yuffie and the bodyguards stood in front of Kairi protectively, whom then pushed them aside.
"Oh, sorry, you never saw me without the mask and costume," said Katrina, "It's me, Columbina, but my real name is Katrina Spellman."
"So, this is the real you," said Kairi, "but why reveal yourself?"
"It's a long story," said Katrina, "and I won't waste time telling it. LESLIE!"
Just then The Lord of Illusions appeared, armed with an RPG launcher aimed up. The vile trickster fired the projectile into the air, then hastily tapped a blue crystal to his forehead, encasing his body in a blue energy field.
The grenade exploded high up, releasing an orange gas.
Kairi then heard Felicity cry out in fear and pain, falling to her knees as the gas spread throughout the forest.
"PAIN!" shouted Felicity, "pain! Agony!"
"What's happening?!" asked Kairi. She then glared at The Lord of Illusions, "what did you do to her?!"
"It's not her!" shouted Tarzan, "it's the forest! It's dying!"
To the shock and horror of Kairi, she saw the gas dissolving the trees and vines.
"You son of a bitch!" shouted Quistis as she frantically searched her pockets, "you're using Agent Orange!" she then pulled out several barrier crystals and handed them out to Kairi and the others, hastily protecting themselves from the toxic effects of the gas as it settled towards the ground.
"Hey! What about us?!" demanded Gaston as the gas killed the vines holding him, Lady Tremaine, Darklight and Dio Brando, the four of them coughing as they fell to the ground.
"You don't have to worry," said Katrina as she used a spell to protect herself from the gas, "your powers should be protection enough."
"Oh, right, I'm a semi-vampire," said Dio Brando as he stood up, while Gaston and Lady Tremaine's vile abilities shielded themselves, as did Darklight's.
"You monsters!" shouted Jane as more and more of the forest was killed, "do you have any idea what you've done? What you're doing to her!?" she then knelt beside and comforted Felicity, whom was trembling in terror and pain as her empathic power forced her to share in the suffering of the jungle.
"It's her own fault for getting involved," said Katrina coldly.
"And what's a few dead trees?" asked The lord of Illusions, "when your whole world is about to die. I think you should be more worried about your pathetic lives."
"Why you?!" snapped Tarzan as he started towards the vile trickster, but was stopped by Kairi.
"No, don't do it," said Kairi, "I need you and Jane for something else. Get Felicity away from her."
"The gas is dissipating," said Leon, "but she needs to get away from the affected area fast."
"Beam her up to our ship," said Quistis, "that'll make her feel better in a flash."
"And beam up as many gorillas and other animals as you can," said Kairi, "just in case."
"But…" said Tarzan, wanting to fight.
"Do it!" insisted Kairi.
"You'd better do it, she's the queen, you know," said Yuffie.
"Alright, we'll go," said Tarzan.
"We'll take care of her," said Jane as she and Tarzan helped Felicity up. A few seconds later they were transported up to the Gummy Ship in orbit.
"Oh, why'd you do that?" asked Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, "no innocent bystanders to attack." He then cried out in surprise as King Mickey jumped onto his head, then jumped off to stand next to Kairi.
"Without any innocents for you to hurt, there's less we have to worry about," said King Mickey. He then looked up at Kairi, "sorry I'm late, your majesty."
"You're just in time, your majesty," said Kairi as she smiled down at her fellow monarch. The two of them then summoned their Keyblades, "Let's go, Bethany!"
"Don't call me that!" shouted Darklight as she summoned her black Keyblade, "you wanna rematch! You got it!"
"Oh, don't make me laugh," said Katrina as she irately crossed her arms and glared at Kairi and King Mickey, "you really think you have a chance? Don't even bother! Darklight! Ignore these rabble rousers! We've a Keyhole to crack after all."
Instead, Darklight issued a screech of fury and rushed at King Mickey and Kairi, whom also rushed at her. The three met in a clash of Keyblades light and dark.
"Why, you impudent, ungrateful little brat!" shouted Katrina as she and the others watched the furious Keyblade duel, "after I graciously welcomed you back to the fold! I should have scrapped you when I had the chance and started over with another potential Princess of Heart!"
"I don't think she can hear you," said The Lord of Illusions, "she's got bigger fish to fry."
"Shut up, Leslie!" snapped Katrina. She then sighed with frustration as she glared at the battling Darklight, "fine then! You play with the rabble! I'll secure The Keyhole by myself!"
"I don't think so!" said Selphie as she readied her nunchucks, while Leon, Quistis and the others got ready too.
"There's no way we're letting you near that Keyhole!" shouted Leon as he finished loading his Gunblade.
"You want it, you'll have to go through us!" said Quistis as she cracked her chain whip.
"Oh, I don't have to go through you," said a wickedly smiling Katrina, "I've got others to do that for me!"
Just then Quistis, Selphie and Leon heard the bodyguards cry out in terror, then let out wet gurgling death rattles. They looked and saw all of the bodyguards dead, their throats cut. Standing next to them was Dio Brando, licking blood off a pair of knives.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," said Dio Brando.
"I knew giving them red shirts was a bad idea," said Quistis. But then she, Leon and Selphie cried out in agony as Lady Tremaine's torment beam hit them.
"Yes! Suffer!" exclaimed the wicked stepmother as her three victims fell to the ground, writhing in indescribable pain, "suffer till your weak little hearts surrender!"
But then came a burst of high caliber cannon. An explosive shell detonated behind Lady Tremaine, knocking the vile woman off her feet and canceling her torment beam, earning sighs of relief from the weakened Selphie, Leon and Quistis.
"Where'd that come from?!" shouted Dio Brando as he looked around. From the ruined trees emerged an AT unit armed with a shoulder-mounted howitzer and a large caliber machinegun.
"Leave my friends alone, you evil woman!" shouted Tidus from within his AT unit as he aimed and fired another explosive shell. Lady Tremaine barely dodged the blast and was knocked off her feet again.
"What…what are you doing?!" shouted Quistis as she struggled to get back up, "you're supposed to be guarding The Keyhole!"
"Sorry, I couldn't stay away!" said Tidus.
"And impressive tin can," said Dio Brando as he readied his knives, "but I doubt it'll stand up to me!" but then he was kicked in the head by Yuffie.
"You wanna fight someone?! Fight me!" shouted Yuffie.
"Oh, it's so on!" shouted Dio Brando. With that he and Yuffie began a high-speed battle, ninja vs Stand User, a battle so fast it was beyond normal vision.
"Not going according to plan, is it?" asked The Lord of Illusions.
"Shut up, Leslie!" snapped Katrina. She then glared at Gaston, "You! Destroy that hulking annoyance and kill the other interlopers!"
"It'd be my pleasure," said Gaston, only to be hit by several machinegun bullets. He then had to dodge another burst of machinegun fire.
"I'm not letting you near my friends!" shouted Tidus as he maneuvered his AT unit in front of the recovering Quistis, Selphie and Leon, "'cause you see, this part of the story, it's all mine! It'll go the way I want it, or I'll end it right here!" But then he had to dodge a destruction beam from Gaston, then dodged another.
"Hold still, you brat!" snapped Gaston as his bullet wounds regenerated, then fired more destruction beams at the AT unit, but it was too fast, too agile, all the while Tidus shot more machinegun bullets, some hitting Gaston, yet the wounds kept healing.
But then Tidus's luck ran out as one leg of his AT unit was grazed by a destruction beam, damaging the limb and slowing the unit down.
Gaston then concentrated his destruction beams on the damaged leg, further damaging it until it completely broke, leaving Tidus helpless as the unit lost balance and fell down.
"Now to crack you like an egg, little boy!" shouted Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, then aimed his hands at the disabled AT unit.
"GEREONIMOOOOOO!"
Out of nowhere came Zell Dincht, delivering a flying kick to Gaston's head and knocking the bullying brute to the ground.
"Zell!" shouted Selphie joyfully as she got back up and ran over to Zell Dincht.
"Hey, Selph," said Zell as he and Selphie hugged, "long time no see."
"Darn right it's been a long time!" said Selphie, "Squall! Quistis! Zell's back!"
"Yeah, nice to see you," muttered Leon as Quistis helped him up.
"Is that all you've got to say to me after so long?" asked Zell, "after all we've been through, man?" He then had to dodge a destruction beam from an irate Gaston, "oh, sorry, party's back on!" with that he rushed at Gaston, punching the brute in the face. Gaston took the blow and threw a punch at the martial artist, but Zell dodged it and delivered another punch.
"Hold still, you fool!" shouted Gaston as he threw a punch and missed, he was then hit in the face again yet endured the blow.
"Just fall down already!" shouted Zell as he dodged another blow.
"Zell's faster than that big bully," said Selphie, "but the other guy keeps taking hits! He's indestructible!"
"Of course he's indestructible, the oaf!" snapped Lady Tremaine as she walked back towards Selphie, Leon and Quistis, the three of them backing away in fear, "as am I! Thanks to that goggled maniac, we are utterly invincible!"
But then came a high-powered rifle shot, followed by a bullet entering Lady Tremaine's left ear and exiting through her right. She fell to the ground, dead as dead can be.
"Invincible my eye," said Irvine as he deactivated a cloaking belt.
"So you guys do have a weakness," said Zell as he eyed Gaston. He then threw a punch that hit Gaston in the left ear, earning a cry of pain from the brute as he stumbled about.
"OHH YEAHHH!" shouted Zell as he delivered another punch to Gaston's ear, then another and another, until Gaston fell to the ground. Zell then unleashed a fury of punches that reduced Gaston's head to a bloody mess, leaving the brute just as dead as Lady Tremaine.
"And that's that," said Zell as he stood up and raised his blood, brains and bone-covered hand at Leon, "Hi Five!"
"Not with those hands!" said a nauseated Leon.
"Seriously, Zell, go wash your hands," said an equally disgusted Quistis, while Selphie held one hand over her mouth and the other on her stomach.
"Ugh! You just can't find good help these days!" snapped Katrina, she then glared at The Lord of Illusions, "and don't say a word, Leslie!"
"I wasn't going to," muttered The Lord of Illusions. He then smiled, "but today may not be a total loss."
Katrina then saw Darklight facing off against Kairi and King Mickey, the latter two bruised, bleeding and breathless, with King Mickey's left arm hang broken. Yet Darklight seemed barely winded.
"I don't know why I accepted your challenge if this is the best you can do," said a disappointed Darklight as she walked towards King Mickey and Kairi.
"Kairi," gasped King Mickey, "I think…we need to…"
"No! We're not running away!" shouted Kairi as she hefted her Keyblade.
"She's too strong, Kairi!" shouted King Mickey.
"Listen to your little friend, Kairi," mocked Regina as she and Young Xehanort walked up to and stood next to Katrina, "you should cut your losses and run while you still can!"
"And let them come back again? I don't think so!" said Katrina, "better to finish them here and now," she then glared at Regina and Young Xehanort, "and where the hell have you been?"
"Would you hold it against us if we said we got lost in the forest?" asked Young Xehanort.
"Yes," said Katrina contemptuously. She then shouted at Darklight, "Finish them!"
"Gladly," said Darklight as she readied her black Keyblade. She then glared at Kairi, "time to die. And after I'm done with you and cracking this world's Keyhole, I'm gonna do the same to yours."
"You'll never win!" shouted Kairi, "you can kill me if you want, but you'll never break my spirit! Just as you'll never break the spirit of Radiant Garden! We've been through too much, my world and I, to just lay down and die!"
"Whatever," said Darklight offhandidly as she raised her black Keyblade for a finishing blow. She brought it down, but Kairi blocked it, just as the diadem of Radiant Garden appeared on Kairi's head.
"Is that…?!" shouted Katrina.
"Her crown," said The Lord of Illusions as the diadem glowed and filled Kairi with a white aura, healing her wounds and restoring her strength. The sight of the white aura caused Darklight to back away in terror.
"It must be one of the diadem's powers," said King Mickey as Quistis rushed over and handed him a Hyper Potion.
"Don't just stand there!" snapped Katrina at Darklight, "she's just a girl! Kill her!"
Gritting her teeth, Darklight rushed at Kairi and attacked, yet Kairi blocked the black Keyblade again, and again and again.
Kairi then went on the offensive and forced Darklight back. Kairi's face remained calm and peaceful as she delivered one Keyblade strike after another. Darklight blocked each one but was forced back further and further.
"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Katrina, "just kill her already!"
"You still don't understand," said Regina, "hell, I barely understand what's going on."
"That diadem is enhancing Kairi's inner light," said Young Xehanort, "and considering her pure heart, that's a lot of light."
"In other words, Darklight just can't compete," said The Lord of Illusions, only for Katrina to slap him in the face.
"I told you to shut up, Leslie!" snapped Katrina. She then facepalmed, "what am I doing? I'm a witch for crying out loud!" she then shot a killing spell at the vile trickster, disintegrating the current doppelganger.
"I'll kill you myself, Kairi!" shouted Katrina as she pointed her finger at Kairi and shot another killing spell, only for King Mickey to block the vile magic with his Keyblade.
"It's over Katrina!" said King Mickey, just as Kairi forced Darklight off balance. The corrupted princess of heart fell on her back, her black Keyblade vanishing as her concentration broke.
"No! Don't kill me!" shouted a terrified Darklight as Kairi held the point of her Keyblade over Darklight's heart.
"I don't want to kill you," said Kairi, "I want to help you," she then vanished her Keyblade and held out her hand, "I can help you, Bethany. I can bring you back if you let me."
"Bethany's dead!" snapped Darklight as she slapped Kairi's hand away. But then something caught her eye. She looked and her eyes widened in shock and confusion, "Sora?"
"Sora?" asked a confused Kairi. She then looked and saw Sora walking towards her from the ruined forest, "SORA!"
"Sora?!" shouted heroes and villains alike.
"Sora! I knew you weren't dead!" said Tidus as he exited his damaged AT unit.
"Get over here and give us a hug!" shouted Selphie as she rushed towards Sora.
The Lich then spoke a single word: "Stop!"
All light and sound seemed to go out of the world for an instant as heroes and villains alike were frozen in place, unable to move, yet remained away of everything as The Lich walked among them. The Lich paused in front of each individual, experiencing Sora's memories and emotions, displeased by the positive feelings associated with Sora's friends. The Lich was especially repulsed by the intense feelings of love at the sight of Kairi.
But then The Litch walked around Katrina and, to his intrigue, felt no memory or emotional association. "You, I do not know."
It then walked around the other villains, "them, I know," it stopped in front of Regina, feeling Sora's confusion as to who's side Regina is on, "whereas you, you're quite intriguing."
The Lich then unfroze the villains, earning gasps of shock from them. Darklight scrambled to her feet and hurried away from the still frozen Kairi, while Regina looked at The Lich with puzzled eyes, "you're not Sora, are you."
"No, I am not," said The Lich.
"Then who are you?" asked Katrina.
"I am…complicated," said The Lich.
"Well, alright then, not Sora," said a confused and slightly unnerved Katrina, "what is it you want?"
"To observe you and your mission," said The Lich, "you interest me," it then looked at Darklight, "you may proceed to The Keyhole," it looked at the still frozen Kairi, "she and her companions will not impede you."
"Uh, thanks, I guess," said Darklight. She then summoned her black Keyblade and dashed off towards the waterfall cliffs.
"How do we know this isn't some kind of trick?" asked Dio Brando, "how do we know you're not trying to bamboozle us, Sora?"
"Since when has Sora ever had the power to freeze an individual in place with just a word and no Keyblade?" asked Regina.
"He is and is not Sora," said Young Xehanort, "I sense an incredible darkness in him, a darkness with a mind of its own."
"And a really sick smell to boot," said Dio Brando as he frowned at The Lich, "you smelled like something died."
"I am dead," said The Lich, "yet I live to bring death and unlife wherever I go."
"A necromancer," said an interested Katrina, "possessing Sora. Wherever Sora wound up must have been hell on Earth to have run into you."
"Again, it's complicated," said The Lich. It then walked over to the remains of Gaston and vanished the body before proceeding to the remains of Lady Tremaine.
"What do you want with them?" asked Dio Brando, "we'll just bring them back as clones."
"I have my reasons," said The Lich after vanishing the body of Lady Tremaine, just as they heard the distant sound of machinegun fire and cannon blasts, as well as missile blasts and laser cannons.
"Sounds like Darklight's running into some resistance," said another Doppelganger of The Lord of Illusions as he appeared next to Katrina.
"She has this," said Katrina, just as first one, then several more explosions could be heard, the sound of exploding AT units.
"Won't be long now," said Regina. She then glared at the still frozen Kairi, "so let's finish her and the others off before the darkness flood begins!"
"No," said The Lich, "not yet," it then walked up to Kairi. Though she was still unable to move, The Lich could sense Kairi's fear from his close proximity, "I have a plan for them."
Just then the villains felt the ground shake violently, followed by a geyser of darkness spouting from the direction of the waterfall cliffs.
"It's done!" said Darklight as she dashed back into the area. She then looked at the still frozen Kairi, "want me to take finish her off while she's helpless."
"No, leave her and the others be for now," said Katrina, "I have a feeling their suffering is just beginning." She then summoned a Dark Corridor, "shall we?" she asked as she looked at The Lich.
"After you," said The Lich as he looked towards the approaching flood of Heartless, "I'd like to watch for a moment."
"Suit yourself," said Dio Brando as he, Katrina, The Lord of Illusions and Young Xehanort entered the Dark Corridor.
Regina was about to leave, when she saw The Litch bending down to touch the ground, whispering something she couldn't understand. She eyed The Lich suspiciously before stepping through the Dark Corridor.
"We will meet again," said The Lich to Kairi, "and all you know, all you care for, all you love, shall meet with death." With that it stepped through the Dark Corridor, which closed up after it.
Instantly, Kairi and the others unfroze. They looked around in confusion, then all began shouting at once, save for Kairi and King Mickey.
But then King Mickey got everyone's attention with a loud whistle, "I think we've got a bigger problem, everybody!" he then pointed to the approaching flood of Heartless.
"Get us out of here, now!" shouted Quistis into a communicator. Our heroes were beamed aboard the Gummy Ship in orbit, mere seconds before the tide of darkness swept them away.
"What the hell was that?!" shouted Zell as he and the others hurried to the viewports. Already looking out was Tarzan and Jake, the two struck dumb at the sight of their world flooded with darkness.
"Squall, what the hell just happened, man?!" demanded Zell.
"I'll tell you what happened," said an outraged Leon, "we've been betrayed! That's what!"
"I don't believe it," said Selphie, while Tidus shook his head in denial, "I just can't believe it! Sora, he…he…"
"He's gone over to the darkness," said Quistis, "face it, Sora's an enemy now. Whatever Columbina…I mean…Katrina…whatever she did when she sent Sora away, it turned him."
"But he's our friend," said Selphie.
"A friend who's now evil," said Yuffie irately as she sat down and began sharpening her shuriken again, "I'm gonna kill him! After I finish fighting that Dio jerk, I'm gonna kill Sora!"
"No, I'm gonna kill him!" said Zell, "that guy totally messed us up!"
"We'll all kill him," said Quistis, "together. Things may be much more complicated now that Sora's gone dark, but we can still win."
"You try telling that to Sora," said Tidus, "where'd he get that kind of power to just freeze us like that?"
"It's not Sora," said Kairi as she walked up to our heroes, having been to the infirmary to check on Felicity, "didn't you hear what that creature said, what Katrina said? It's not Sora. He's possessed."
"Uh…I must have missed that part," said a shocked and slightly ashamed Yuffie, while Quistis and the others looked just as shocked.
"But possessed by what?" asked King Mickey.
"Evil in its purest form," said Kairi with grim conviction, though deep within her heart she wished, she prayed, it were otherwise.
The End of Chapter 2.
Next chapter finds our heroes on Ooo searching for Solaris Pretorius, while back in The Realms of light, our heroes there struggle to come to terms with the latest dramatic twist. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!
