I do not own Kingdom Hearts and never will. They belong to their respective owners at Disney, Square Enix, etc. I just own my OC's.
Right to a Fair Trail! Ensuing Insanity!
Everyone had gathered around and Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith stood in front of our heroes (specifically Sora And Bauer) as the middle of the trio began to give them advice for the journey ahead.
"Make sure you've prepared for the journey ahead of you. We don't know how far the Heartless have spread."
"Check out the shops here. They've got some pretty neat stuff!" Yuffie added.
It was Aerith's turn to speak. "This is from all of us." She gave Bauer a small pouch; who then took a look at the contents inside. He pulled out several gold and blue orbs that glistened and sparkled.
"What are these things?"
"Munny; it's a form of currency. Spend it as you see fit. And this is from Leon." She gave him a small yellow, teardrop-like orb. As she did that, Leon quickly turn his head away, as a way of saving his pride. "It's an elixir. It fully restores your powers."
"Good luck!" Yuffie added.
"I hope you find your friends." Aerith added.
"Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up." Leon added as well. With that, he and Aerith left, but Yuffie hopped in front of Bauer and poked him in the chest.
"And you better call me, okay, tiger?" She gave him a quick wink and skipped off. Bauer stood there dumbfounded, until he laughed awkwardly as the other members sniggered.
Man, this is ridiculous… he thought.
It was then that Claire and Barrick stood in front them and everyone became silent. The queen slowly embraced Bauer. "Please be safe, Bauer. Please find my daughter and bring her back, safely." She let him go.
He knelt down, bowing his head lowly. "I wont let you down, Your Majesty. I promise; I'll find her and bring her back." He stood back up, gazing firmly. "Count on it." She smiled and left. Barrick continued gazing at him, while he did the same. Neither moved, until the prince held out his hand. Bauer smiled and clasped it.
"You be careful out there, kiddo."
"Aren't I always?" he joked. With that, he let him go. "So, what will you do now?"
"I figured that I'd join Leon and the others. You know, look after the townspeople who're in trouble and are in need of a place to live, should anyone come here."
He glared at him, deadpanned. "You just want to get close to Aerith, don't you?"
He patted him on the back, shrugging the matter off. "Ah, you know me too well. Well…" He gave him a soft punch. "I'd better get going." He turned and walked away, but stopped at a fair distance. "Oh, and one more thing…"
"Yeah?"
He then threw a small, brown object; which Bauer promptly caught it. He unwrapped the string wrapping around the brown paper and it revealed to be a pair of black, fingerless gloves. "I don't want to be rude, but what's with the gloves?"
"I figured you might want a better grip for your Keyblade. Least I could do for you," he replied as he walked away. Something tells me you'll need all the help you can get… he thought. He smiled to himself. But I think you can handle it.
He gazed at the gloves thoughtfully for a bit. He smiled a bit and took off the wristband on his wrist and donned on the gloves. A perfect fit (by comparison, Sora's gloves made his hands look huge, while Bauer's were pretty much normal sized and skintight. Had it not been for the contribution, he would be the only one of the gang without gloves).
In moments, the boys gave Donald and Goofy their full attention.
"The gummi ship is outside that gate." Donald's head gestured the gate ahead of them. Sora seemed a bit confused.
"The what?"
"That's our ship."
"Wait 'til you see it!" Goofy eagerly added.
"Hold on. Sora, Bauer, this is for you." Donald handed out two small, red orbs. Both of them reached for one, but before they made contact, it went into their hands, then their bodies faintly glowed red and felt a burning, hot sensation.
*OBTAINED*
Fire Element
"Now you both can use magic, too." He turned to the captain. "Goofy, them that other thing."
"What?"
"You know!"
"Oh, yeah." He handed both of them a scroll. They both unrolled and observed the illustrations. Sora's scroll depicted a series of steps involving rolling movements.
~Sora~
*LEARNED*
Dodge Roll
Bauer's scroll depicted a series of steps involving sliding movements.
~Bauer~
*LEARNED*
Slide
"Abilities allow you to do all sorts of things. Guess we should look for'em along the way, huh?"
"Alright. Is that it?" Bauer asked.
"Let's get going!" Sora urged in excitement.
"Not 'til we're ready!" Donald reasoned.
As the gang discussed, Jiminy observed them from afar. "Well, I see big adventures coming their way! Looks like it's up to me to keep track of it all in my journal!"
After restocking on supplies from Huey, Dewy, and Louie's place (much to the surprise of the key bearers when they learned that the trio are Donald's nephews), they left the gate and went down the alley.
"Whoa…" both boys looked in awe at the sight of the ship.
"Ah-Hyuck. Told ya so."
They entered the ship and are given a brief tour (with a little help from Chip and Dale via monitor). After that, our heroes strapped in, with Donald piloting the ship and prepared for the journey ahead. Both boys are feeling a bit anxious about seeing outer space for the first time, yet at the same time, they felt very excited to see what's out there.
"Okay, fellas, take one last look at this place, because here we go!"
"Ah-Hyuck, here comes the best part." Goofy told.
Donald pulled the lever…
*CRASH*
But it reversed into the building behind it.
"Whoops. Hehe, had the silly thing in reverse."(1) He set the controls to the correct setting and the ship slowly floated up in the air.
As for the building…
Inside is a dark-skinned man with a moustache and short, black hair, who is apparently taking a bath… (2)
"What the hell!" The floorboard slowly tipped downward as the bathtub started sliding off. "No, no, no, no, no, no…!"
*CRASH*
"I gotta stop takin' my baths during my short cameo appearances."
Back to our heroes…
The ship hovered above the buildings and Donald pushed the accelerator, thus the ship finally beginning to fly and picking up speed. Just seeing the sight of the town from the height only fueled their excitement. Soon, they reached outer space and they could only watch as the world of Traverse Town began to shrink further and further away.
The eyes from both boys gleamed in awe at the sight of the stars and cosmos (though Sora's a bit more excited).
"Wow…" Sora looked in awe.
"So this is what it looks like… Bauer muttered.
After a few minutes in space, Sora got up and went close the window, gazing at the stars. His fingers softly grazed the window.
"I wish Riku and Kairi could see this…"
"I know how you feel."
He turned his head to see Bauer beside him, who had his arms crossed.
"Hard to believe this is all real, huh?"
Sora rested his hands behind his head, laughing. "I guess we have a lot of things in common, don't we?"
He nodded, not breaking his gaze. "Yep. Who would've thought that all those stories about other worlds, turned out to be true?" He smiled a bit. "It all just seems so exciting, you know? Seeing new places, new people, and that's just only half of the adventure. It's something I've always dreamed of…" His face slowly faltered to a look of guilt and remorse. He looked down at his feet. "But…this isn't how I wanted to turn out. If I had known this would happen, all because of my ambitions, I never would've let this happen in the first place." He suddenly slammed his fist on the window, startling Sora. "…And now, Amari's missing because of me."
Sora felt the same emotions of guilt and remorse. "Yeah… If we weren't so stupid following our dreams, then we—"
"Now, now, hold on, you two." Jiminy cut in as he hopped onto Sora's shoulder. "The both of you shouldn't be blaming yourselves for having aspiring dreams. It's good for you both to have something to strive for, whether it's something big or small. As long as you work hard, and care for the people in your life, you're not to blame for anything."
"I guess when you put it that way…" Bauer mused. "Still, if it weren't for the Heartless…"
"The Heartless just don't plain care," he cut in. "The only thing they strive for is getting their hands on other people's hearts and even when they finally get their hands on it, their first instinct is going after another one." He sighed. "And when one loses their heart to those fiends, they lose all their dreams before they could even begin…"
"Well we're not gonna let that happen while we're around!" Sora perked up with confidence.
Jiminy laughed. "That's the spirit!"
"You're one strange kid, you know that?" Bauer quipped, amusedly.
Sora grinned.
"Okay, everyone, were here!" Donald announced.
"We can talk more later." With that, Jiminy hopped inside Sora's jacket.
The two walked near the cockpit and took notice of the new world ahead of them. It is known as Wonderland. On top looked like hedge maze with a castle beside it, while on the bottom looked like a small cottage. It's rather bizarre looking, to say the least.
"Gawrsh, what kind of world is that?" Goofy began.
"Looks kind of…weird." Bauer remarked. "At least it's a start."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sora dashed ahead in excitement, with Bauer following behind.
"Hey, wait up!"
"Boys, hang on!" Donald quacked, with Goofy catching up.
Sora's just about to make the exit, when Donald (who had caught up first) stopped him.
"Wait, we need to talk about the rules first!" he stated as Bauer caught up.
"What rules?"
Donald turned towards Bauer. "The world order; no one must ever know about the others worlds, and we can't interfere with their affairs. We're only here to find our friends. Got that?"
Both boys nodded.
"Good! Now we just need to enter the world without catching attention."
"Hey, fellas, wait for me!" The three turned to Goofy who's just about to catch up when his clumsiness takes over and trips. He had no control on stopping himself and before they knew it…
*WHAM*
He plowed onto our heroes with so much force, the door behind them gave way and all plummeted through a seemingly endless abyss…
"AAAAAHHH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEY!"
At first, they were falling to their impending doom, but after about a while of falling, the rate of their descent decreased to gently floating down and in a rabbit hole; with unusual spatial distortions of the tunnel around them. It was going to be forever, until they finally saw the ground below them (minus Goofy) and with their speed of descent, Sora, Bauer and Donald all turned themselves upright, preparing to land on the ground while Goofy simply lounged about (who doesn't seem to be aware that they're close to the ground). One by one, they all perfectly landed on their feet, while Goofy at the last moment rolled around and landed on his stomach with a loud—
*THUD*
The boys looked a bit worried, while Donald shook his head in embarrassment.
Just as Goofy regained his senses…
"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" A white rabbit in a formal suit, holding a large pocket watch, ran in front of Goofy in an obvious hurry.
Everyone stared at the rabbit as he ran erratically, desperately trying to reach his destination.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I'm here, I should be there. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The queen, she'll have my head for sure!"
…
…
Bauer scratched his head, trying to make sense of the situation. "Um…okay… Either I've already lost it, or was that a talking rabbit just now?"
"Nope." replied Goofy as he got up. "He's talkin' alright, ah-hyuck."
"Something's really screwy here," muttered Donald. "Just what kind of place is this?"
"Only one way to find to out…" Sora ran ahead as the others followed.
Their trail ended when they stopped at a door, which reveal several smaller doors behind it. The gang entered a rather bizarre looking room and caught a glimpse of the rabbit, although who strangely looked smaller than when they first saw him and entered a door ahead of him. Sora walked up to the door and crouched to inspect the strange phenomenon.
"How did he get so small?"
"No, you're simply too big," the doorknob suddenly spoke, surprising everyone.
"It talks!" Donald exclaimed.
"Freaky!" Bauer added.
The doorknob yawned, clearly not liking the loud, wake-up calls. "Must you be so loud? You woke me up."
"Good morning," Goofy greeted with a wave.
"Good night!" he bluntly replied. "I need a bit more sleep."
"Wait, what do we have to do to grow small?" Sora quickly asked.
"Why don't you try the bottle…over there?" As he said so, Sora turn his head behind him, just in time to see a chair and table popping out with two small bottles near the edge.
Bauer grabbed the bottle and inspected the tag. "It says 'Drink Me'. Well, that sounds easy."
After a brief silence, Sora, Bauer and Goofy focused their attention on Donald, who seemed confused.
"Um, what are you—oh no! No way! There's no way I'm gonna—"
"Hold him down!" Bauer ordered. Sora and Goofy quickly held onto the duck's arms, preventing escape.
"Put me down! Put me down!" He struggled, to no avail.
"Relax, Donald. It'll only take a sec," Bauer nonchalantly reassured. Donald shut his beak tight. "Oh, so that's how you want to play?" Bauer thought for a moment, and then stomped on his webbed foot so hard, the duck had no choice but to open his beak; but before any sound could escape, he shoved the bottle in his throat, forcing to drink the contents. Everyone quickly backed away, but he glared at Bauer with blazing fury.
He brought out his staff. "Why you little—"
But then, he suddenly shrunk in size and landed on the table. He examined himself and then threw one of his 'infamous' temper tantrums (though he sounded a bit high-pitched).
"Gawrsh, he shrunk," Goofy said
"So that's what it does," Sora mused.
"Well, bottoms up." With that, Bauer drank next and felt the same effects. Once he landed on the table, he immediately ran to get away from Donald's fury.
He shot a few fireballs. "Oh, when I get my hands on you…!"
"I'm sorry!" he apologized as he evaded the Fire magic. "We needed someone to take it. It could've been poisoned, for all we know."
He stopped. "But why me?"
He laughed. "You look like you could be the scapegoat."
The comment infuriated Donald and charged at Bauer, but he slid out of the way, which made Donald run off the table. He comically flapped his arms like the bird he is, to no avail and fell to the ground (while strangely yelling out the 'holler that bears the name of a certain captain').
*THUD*
Stars swirled around his head.
Bauer laughed sheepishly (where by now, Sora and Goofy shrunk in size). "Oops, sorry."
After much apologizing, Donald did forgive him (though he secretly planned for revenge, but for a later time) and the gang decided to explore the area (while encountering Shadows, Soldiers and a new type called Red Nocturnes who can absorb and expel fire). After that, Goofy discovered something.
"Hey, fellas!"
"What is it?" Sora asked.
"Hmm, looks like somethin's behind that bed."
"But what is it?" asked Donald.
"Looks like an entrance, but where does it go?" Bauer wondered.
"Well let's push it!" Sora urged, but Donald stopped him.
"It's too big, Sora."
"And even with all of us together at this height, it wont even budge," Bauer remarked.
"Now what do we do?" Donald muttered as he tapped his foot.
Bauer thought of something, "Hold on, did any of you notice another bottle?" They nodded. "Well, what if it worked the opposite way; one bottle makes us shrink, while the other—"
"Makes us big!" Goofy finished.
"Now we just need someone to get big again, and push the bed aside." Donald threw in.
"Oh, I'll do it!" Sora volunteered.
He ran back up to the table and drank the growth bottle (though he had a bit difficulty as the bottle itself is bigger than Sora). Once he returned back to his height, he pushed the bed, which just disappeared into the wall, fully revealing the secret entrance. He drank the shrink bottle and returned to his friends with him naturally leading the way.
Our heroes have arrived just in time to witness of what looked like a trial taking place. Many numerous card soldiers (who resemble like playing cards; red hearts and black spades who carry spears and axes, respectively) presented a young, blue-eyed girl with long, thick, blond hair, which is tied in a black bow. She wears a blue dress with a pinafore, white stockings and black Mary Jane shoes.
On the judges table is a rather large woman in regal attire, with a small wand with a red heart at the tip.
The white rabbit ran up the steps, horn in hand as our heroes walked in closer for a better look. After catching his breath, the rabbit blew the horn.
"Court is now in session!"
"I'm on trial? But why?" the girl wondered.
"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!" He bowed and cued the woman who looked liked she was deep in thought. She finally opened her eyes.
"This girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it. And the reason is…because I say so, that's why!"
"That is so unfair!" she protested.
"Well, have you anything to say in your defense?" the queen queried
"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong!" she insisted, defiantly. The rabbit looked on in shock at her defiance as the queen scowled. "You may be queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so…so mean!"
"Silence!" she yelled, frightening the girl. She continued on as she slammed her fists, almost on the verge of losing her temper. "You dare defy me?"
Our heroes had observed the situation with Sora the first to open up. "Hey, guys, we should help her out."
Donald glanced at him. "Yeah, but the—"
Goofy interjected. "We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?"
"Meddling!" Donald chided.
"Oh, yeah. And that's against the rules."
"Like that even matters…" Bauer muttered.
"The court finds the defendant…guilty as charged!" the queen declared. The young girl looked in shock and horror. "For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart…"
Sora tensed.
"Off with her head!" At that, her guards readied for the execution, while the girl desperately pleaded to reconsider.
"No! No! Oh, please!"
"Hold it right there!" Sora boldly cried as he and the others charged in.
The queen glared at the group, suspiciously. "Who are you? How dare you interfere with my court?"
"Excuse me. But we know who the real culprit is!"
Goofy nodded. "Uh-huh. It's the Heartle—" but he quickly covered his mouth as Bauer subtly elbowed him, preventing him from breaking the world order.
"Ix-nay on the Eartless-hay…" he muttered.
Sora continued. "Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for."
"That's nonsense," she scoffed, tapping her finger. "Have you any proof?"
"Um, yeah, about that…" Bauer hesitantly replied…
*SLAM*
One of the guards slammed the cage door, thus in some way, saving the girl's life for the time being.
"Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence! Fail, and it's off with all your heads! Gather as much or little evidence as you please. Report back here once you're ready."
The gang rushed towards the girl (now named Alice) and hopefully tried to get some information, without breaking the rules.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sora."
"Bauer."
"I'm Goofy, and that there's Donald."
"Pleased to meet you, though I do wish it were under better circumstances. I'm sorry you got mixed up in this nonsense."
Bauer shrugged. "That's alright. It would've come down to this anyway."
"Why are you on trial in the first place?" Sora asked.
"I should like to know the very same thing!" Alice huffed. "Apparently I was guilty from the moment I took the stand!"
"That's crazy!"
"That would be an understatement, considering that whack-job of a queen," Bauer quipped disdainfully. He knew that his own queen was way, far more competent than her. "So, where you from before?"
She tapped her chin in thought. "Hmm, curious. I can't quite remember. You see, I found this mysterious rabbit hole. When I tried to peak inside, I tumbled in head over heels… And found myself here."
"So you're from another world!" Sora guessed in surprise.
"That's funny. Maybe you don't need a ship, then," Goofy remarked.
"I don't get." Donald muttered.
"What do you mean 'another world'?" she wondered
"Enough! The defendant will be silent!" The guard next to the cage shouted.
"Just sit tight, okay? We'll find the evidence and hopefully, clear your name." Bauer assured.
"Oh, please do be careful."
The guard banged on the cage. "No more talking!"
The boys left and entered the woods. As they take in the surroundings, out of nowhere, a disembodied head of a cat with a permanent grin suddenly appeared, freaking out the gang (especially Donald). The head kept appearing and disappearing until it reappeared on a tree stump nearby with a pink and purple striped body…with it's standing on the head. It grabbed the head and properly placed it back on the body.
"Who are you?" Donald freaked out by the display as Bauer glared at the cat with much distaste.
"Who, indeed? Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!"
"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" Sora demanded.
"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers—but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness." He then vanished.
"Wait!"
"They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all," his voice echoed around the forest.
"Should we trust him?" Donald asked, who had calmed down.
The Cheshire Cat reappeared again. "To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!" He then vanished once more.
Bauer crossed his arms as he snorted irritably. "I say we don't trust him…"
"Gawrsh, why's that?" Goofy scratched his head.
"Because cat's are nothing but trouble!" he snapped. They all looked at him as he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "I had a bad experience with cats when I was younger, and I've hated them ever since."
"How come?" Sora asked.
"Imagine yourself carrying fresh salmon, take a shortcut through the alley, and then find yourself surrounded by very hungry cats; you do the math."
Donald let out a snicker at the possible outcomes (though he was probably showing some slight contempt after what happened earlier), which earned him a dirty look.
After a while of exploring through the forest, they had managed to find the pieces of the evidence—as the Cheshire Cat said, it was 'a cinch to find' (while fighting some of the Heartless along the way). The fourth and last piece was the only one that's missing. They all searched the forest more until they found out that some of the flowers had very unique abilities, one of which would allow one to grow bigger. Sora volunteered again (at the cost of a Potion) to grow into a giant. While at this state, he manipulated much of the forest to his advantage, from pressing on the stump that acted like a switch, to moving a large tree in a different direction. A rather unusual nut fell on the ground and he ate it, which shrunk him back to normal. Then all went on a different entrance, which leads them back to the Bizarre Room…on top of a faucet high up. They finally discovered and found the last piece of the evidence nearby.
The cat reappeared. "Well, look what you've found. Nice going."
"Now we can save Alice," Sora said confidently.
"Don't be so sure! She may be innocent, but what about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Forget it, Sora. That crazy fur-ball's just messing with our heads," Bauer remarked. He glared at the cat. "Just what are you up to, you fleabag?"
"I wont tell. But I'll give you something." He grabbed two, blue stones from behind and tossed them at the boys, which they absorbed into their bodies and they faintly glowed blue and felt a cold sensation.
*OBTAINED*
Blizzard Element
The Cheshire Cat vanished.
Bauer shivered. "Brr, that's cold."
"Oh, can it. We've got other problems," Donald brought up.
"Like what?" Goofy wondered.
The duck looked down, which is a fair way's down below the ground. "How are we gonna get down!"
Both Sora and Bauer jumped down with Donald and Goofy respectively and landed safely and unharmed (though it could be the fact that the Keyblade has granted the boys certain abilities that could be considered superhuman).
They reentered the court and ran back to ask Alice (the guard was asleep). It turned out that the Cheshire Cat was responsible for leading her to the Queen of Hearts in the first place, leading to her 'arrest'—again, much to Bauer's displeasure for stating that 'cats are nothing but trouble.' With the evidence in hand, our heroes readied themselves as they battle for Alice's freedom, with Sora taking the stand.
"Now, show me what you have found," The queen demanded.
One by one, he laid down the boxes containing the evidence.
"Well, that's certainly a lot of evidence, but I'm still not impressed. Cards! Bring forth my evidence!"
They did as instructed and brought forth the evidence…however one was mysteriously added to the others.
"Hmm, checking all five would only be a waste of time. All right, then. Choose the one you wish to present. I'll decide who's guilty based on that evidence."
"What? After all the trouble of collecting it?" Sora griped.
"You dare object?" she snapped, almost losing her temper. "Then you will lose your head! Now, choose! One box!"
Sora thought long and hard on what piece he should pick. If he gets it right, Alice goes free; but if he gets it wrong, it's off with all their heads…
"He'd better pick the right one or we're sunk!" Donald muttered.
"Gawrsh, his guess is as good as mine," Goofy threw in.
"Let's just hope for the best, and that the stupid cat hasn't lead us on a wild goose chase for nothing," Bauer added.
After much careful thought, Sora pointed to one particular box.
"Now we shall see who the real culprit is."
The box opened itself and it revealed…a Soldier Heartless.
"What in the world was that?" the queen demanded.
"There's your evidence. Alice is innocent," Sora stated.
"Rrrrrrrgh…" She slammed her fist in outrage. "Silence! I'm the law here! Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty!"
"That's crazy!" Donald jumped in protest.
"This trial's a complete farce!" Bauer cried indignantly.
"Seize them at once!"
Everything from the stands, to the topiary hedges sunk and vanished into the ground. A crank tower appeared in the center of the area. A guard ran nearby and pulled the crank, hoisting Alice's cage high and out of reach. By the wave of the queen's wand, her many card soldiers turned and attacked our heroes.
"Guys, head for the tower and break it down!" Sora called to his friends. They all began to head for the tower.
"Cards! If they touch the tower, you lose your heads!" the queen shouted.
The gang separated and took on the soldiers.
Sora dodge rolled out of an incoming axe slash and cast Fire, sending that soldier back. He parried a spear lunge and knocked it aside, giving him the chance to knock the soldier out. He ran to the tower and dealt a few hits, until the tip of the spear had lodge in close to where the boy would be standing. He rolled aside and found himself against two axe wielders and a spear holder. After knocking out one of them, he gathered energy and unleashed it in a large burst (a move called Stun Impact; the same move that Bauer had performed before) stunning them for the moment.
Donald ran for dear life as two axe bearers tried to take a piece of the duck. One slashed at the ankles, but he jumped over it. The other tried to cut his head off, but he ducked down, with the axe cutting the air between his hat and head. A spear soldier joined in and thrust the spear up his—
"WAAAAAAAAK!"
The poor duck clutched his feathery behind as he comically jumped high and landed behind the soldiers, who are trying to turn around for a second wave. He glared at the soldiers with fury and shot two Fire spells at the outer two. The spear holder thrust it again, but by some miracle, he landed on the broadside of the tip, grinded down the pole, readying his staff like a baseball bat and—
"Take that!"
*WHACK*
He took a glance at the fallen soldier and blew a raspberry.
Goofy dealt a few hits to the crank tower, but ran as he noticed several card soldiers closing in on him. He saw another one just, feet in front of him and blocked an incoming slash. Goofy took the opening and shot a powered up charge attack (aptly named Charge), sliding him forward passed the fallen soldier, only to find himself with more of them. He comically swayed and dodged the axe swipes as if he were a rubber band. A heart soldier tried to thrust his spear in the captain's abdomen, but he comically grabbed his groin as he pulled himself upwards.
He took a quick glance at the viewer/readers. "Ah-hyuck, stretchy."
Bauer clashed an axe with his Keyblade and jumped back, then cast Blizzard. He saw a spear incoming and quickly slid out of the way, but he still received a cut on the shoulder (it wasn't too painful, but quite irritating for a few seconds). He ran to the tower and dealt a few hits, destroying one of the cranks.
"Get them, you fools!" the queen ordered.
Bauer glared at the queen disdainfully. "Oh, shut up!"
He shot a Fire spell at her, causing her to fall backwards, comically showing her knickers. Some of her soldiers quivered in fear for her safety, while others glared at him angrily (if they had eyes), which made him look alarmed and gulped.
"Uh, maybe I shouldn't have done that…"
They ran towards him in retaliation, but he ran away. Another one was standing, several feet ahead and ready to attack, but he covered the distance by using the Keyblade to propel and quickly slid forward to attack (called Sliding Dash). He ran, and somehow stood, back-to-back with Goofy as the cards surrounded them.
"Gawrsh, how are we gonna get out of this mess?" Goofy wondered as he blocked incoming spear lunges.
"Don't know, Goofy." He clashed and parried an axe, aiming for him and cast Fire. "I've got no clue. All I can say is that I'm never playing 'Go Fish' again."
Goofy's ear perked up. "Did you say 'fish'? Ah-hyuck, I got my lucky fishin' rod right here." He pulled out a fishing rod seemingly out of nowhere. Bauer face palmed.
"That's not what I—" But then, he had a thought. "Hey, how strong is that?"
"Can pull up to 300lbs, ah-hyuck." He chuckled. "Why you ask?"
A smirk tugged against the corner of his lips. "You just gave me an idea." He grabbed the hook and hooked it on the collar of his jacket.
"What're you doin'?" he wondered.
"When I tell you, pull." He then ran a nearby solder as Goofy stood in place. He dealt a hit just as line snapped tight. "Now!"
He reeled in, spinning in place, with the twine wrapping around him, whisking Bauer just in time from possible decapitation. He planted his feet on the ground as he was close, and with momentum, he pulled the line and gave Goofy the torque to spin around like a tornado (or more like a whipping top; an old-fashioned top that involves a small rope that gives it the spin) as the twine unwrapped him.
"AAAAAHHH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEY!"
He knocked the soldiers out of the way during this state as several articles flew from his pockets such as papers, pocket change, acorns, and…squirrels?
They landed, unharmed and scurried along their way, completely unnoticed by the cards and even the queen. However, the squirrels we're heading towards her, unaware of their approach.
"Quit fooling around!"
The little woodland critters climbed up the desk and that's when she took notice. "Ugh, get these vermin off!" She tried to swat them off, but they were too nimble. The squirrels climbed on her and scurried around. "Aah, get them off me!" That's when they both got behind and climbed inside her dress. She began twitch around, desperately trying to remove them and screamed. She hopped off her seat and continued to twitch.
From afar, two street performers (who had been wondering around the maze and stumbled onto the scene), one in a green beanie and another in an orange cap dance to the beat (how they appeared in Wonderland in the first place is a mystery). (3)
"Now somebody, anybody, everybody scream!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" She hopped near the performers, jumping and twitching around, with the performers taken aback by her sudden approach. "There are squirrels in my pants!"
"That girl's got some serious squirrels in her pants," the first performer remarked.
"There are squirrels in my pants!"
Tell me what's making you jump like that…
(S-I-M-P, Squirrels in my pants)
She hopped madly in place as she (inadvertently) followed the beat.
Ain't got no chickens, Ain't got no rats…
(S-I-M-P)
Squirrels in my pants! / "Squirrels in my pants!"
S to the I to the M to the P
Then maybe you can be moving like me...
During the next couple lines, the queen held on and whirled her leg around, stomping to the beat, while several of her soldiers quivered in anxiety and then followed her actions.
Step right over and watch me put it down...
"Squirrels! Squirrels!" / (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it...
(S to the I to the M to the P)
Who you got back home, watering your plants...
(S-I-M-P, Squirrels in my Pants)
She continued to flail around, while two of her soldiers are actually dancing to the beat at that.
How can I qualify for government grants?
(S-I-M-P, Squirrels in my Pants)
Yeah... Hypnotize me, put me in a trance...
(S-I-M-P, Squirrels in my Pants)
Got an Aunt Florence living in France…
(She can't see the—)
"Squirrels in my Pants!"
Step right over and watch me put it down...
"Squirrels! Squirrels!" / (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it...
(S to the I to the M to the P)
If you wanna know how I'm doin' this dance…
(S-I-M-P, Squirrels in my pants)
There's somethin' in my trousers; you know it ain't ants!
(S-I-M-P, Squirrels in my Pants)
During that last line, she twirled her hips around (viewers/readers, you might want to sanitize your eyes after this).
Yeah... Proletariat, bourgeoisie!
(Baby, you don't need an academic degree!)
Everybody's smellin' my potpourri!
(S to the I to the M to the P)
During the latter third line, the first performer and Goofy appeared, with the latter holding a bag with dried, fragrant flower petals.
Step right over and watch me put it down...
"Squirrels! Squirrels!" / (S to the I to the M to the P)
Step right over and watch me put it...
Down, down, on the ground...
'Cause you know I got it goin' on!
During the latter, two lines, the second performer lay down on the ground and slid back during the beat.
(S...) S to the I to the M to the P!
(I...) S to the I to the M to the P!
(M...) S to the I to the M to the P!
During that part, the queen twirled her hips again.
If your pockets are empty, get a cash advance!
"Squirrels! Squirrels!" / (S to the I to the M to the P)
During that line, one of the soldiers just looked at him, strangely as the first performer pulled out his empty pockets…
If you're losin' your hair, get yourself implants! / (S...) S to the I to the M to the P!
During that line, the second performer pointed at one guard, and then the other, grinning guard (who strangely, have balding hair…)
If you're wrestlin' a bear, then you ain't got a chance! / (I…) S to the I to the M to the P!
During that line, one guard tried to lift a strange bear-like creature, to obviously avail. The creature simply stood there, looking visibly annoyed, so he shoved him aside like he was nothing.
Old Uncle Freddy just rages and rants! / (M...) S to the I to the M to the P!
During that line, an elderly guard, with a walker and a grumpy look slowly walked toward the first performer.
Ain't about love! Ain't about romance!
I got squirrels in my pants!
"AAAAAHHH!" She fell on her back, legs high in the air. The squirrels finally emerged from her leggings and jumped off. Both performers stood beside her, amazed that she—literally, had squirrels in her pants (though technically, they were knickers).
"Wow. She had actual squirrels in her pants."
The second performer took a glance at his partner. "Dude, even here, we keep gettin' served."
"Yeah, let's get going." With that, the performers entered the maze…and vanished…
The cards carried the queen back to the judge's table as our heroes stood near the tower, completely dumbfounded (though not as much as for Goofy) having watched the entire performance.
Sora blinked "…What was that?" he finally spoke.
"I have no idea…" Bauer replied, flabbergasted.
"Gawrsh…" Goofy added.
"Um…" Donald let out, completely befuddled.
After brief pause, Sora shook his head. "Guys, the tower!"
The others snapped out of their thoughts and attacked the tower. Donald continuously whacked the tower and then unleashed a barrage of Fire and Blizzard alternately until a portion of the tower got taken down. Goofy shot a Rocket and dealt few good blows. Bauer swiftly struck until he finished with an uppercut. Sora delivered a few good hits until the tower looked close to collapsing. He finished it off by closing the distance with one spinning slash (Vortex).
With the crank destroyed, the cage fell back down to the ground. Once done so, Sora snapped his head in the direction of the cage. The queen (who had recovered from that little number) leaned close in anticipation, wondering what become of Alice during the fight/musical number. The curtain began to turn as Sora ran close to the cage, but once it fully unveiled…
Alice had vanished…
"She must've gotten kidnapped while we were fighting," Donald pointed out as the others rejoined him.
"You fools!" the queen shouted to her cards as she slammed her fist. They awaited her command. "Find the one who's behind this! I don't care how!" The soldiers frantically scattered around the maze looking for the girl. She then glanced at our heroes. "Well, what are you waiting for? Quit dawdling around and find her!"
The gang saluted and ran back into the forest.
As they entered, a flower sneezed a giant boulder nearby. The Cheshire Cat reappeared, head in his arms, while his legs acted like shrugging arms.
"Have you seen Alice?" Sora asked as the others approached.
"Alice, no. Shadows, yes!"
"Where did they go?" Goofy asked.
"This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows! Step deeper into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find the shadows in the upside-down room!" With that, he vanished once more.
Bauer sighed in irritation. "And I thought I hated cats now…"
They traveled deeper into the forest (as such, encountering more Heartless, with another new type called Large Bodies; hence the name, they are large and invulnerable to frontal attacks; but the back is their one blind spot.)
After a while, our heroes have walked upon the Tea Party Garden, where the Mad Hatter and March Hare are the hosts (and strangely, imprisoned in a portrait). Their reason is to celebrate their 'un-birthday'. Imagine just having to celebrate only one birthday every year, when you can celebrate your un-birthday for the next 364 (or 365 in a Leap Year) days. And as luck would have it (though not really), it is all of our heroes 'un-birthdays' today. One by one, they all sat in the chairs provided, which provided with the needed restoration of their powers…but some of the chairs are actually booby traps with Heartless hidden, which they beat. After obtaining the presents, they entered a small cottage, but they actually returned back to the Bizarre Room…except that they're on the ceiling and somehow shrunk small again…
As they observed their surroundings, the Cheshire reappeared, the ever-present grin plastered on his face. "They're hiding somewhere. And the momeraths outgrabe. Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the light." And once again, he vanished…
After a quick look around, the gang noticed two ceiling lights. The gang jumped on one, with Sora lighting one. The cat appeared on the other lamp. "It's too dim. Make it brighter."
"What next?" asked Donald.
"One more lamp that you need to light." He disappeared again.
They jumped across the other lamp and Bauer lit one. The Cheshire Cat appeared once more. "All the lights are on. You'll see the shadows soon. They'll arise in this room, but somewhere else. The shadows might go after that doorknob, too." He vanished again…
Bauer raised and eyebrow. "Now, why would they want to go after the doorknob? All it does is sleep."
Goofy scratched his head. "Hmm, maybe there's somethin' special behind that there door."
"But what could it be?" Donald wondered out loud, tapping his foot.
"Let's go!" Sora jumped down and ran ahead, with the others following.
After a while of traveling, they made it back to the Bizarre Room (right-side up, of course), and caught a glimpse of the cat sitting on the table. "You'll have a better view from higher up."
They all climbed up on the table with Bauer and Donald glaring at the cat suspiciously.
"All right, Fluffy, spill it. We've been running around the place, getting lost, and we still haven't found Alice. Can you please just give us a straight answer, for once?"
"Yeah, what's the big idea?" Donald demanded.
The cat began to stand up. "The shadows should be here soon." He then pointed up the ceiling as he continued. "Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!"
They looked up just in time to see a figure jump from the ceiling and jump over the table, surprising our heroes. Once it landed, they can now identify the culprit: a Heartless.
This one was incredibly tall, and red-violet and lavender with spindly legs that resemble like scissor jacks and yellow feet. Its arms unfolded themselves (which they look and sound like they were paper) and the head had several segments each with its own face with the same yellow eyes and jagged mouth. It brought out its black and white batons and juggled them around.
The Trickmaster…
The Heartless strolled along its merry way, not a care in the world. The boys jumped off the table and chased after it to attack, only to realize that they can't because it's too tall and out of reach.
The Trickmaster swiped the gang with its batons, landing a few hits; particularly to Goofy which one hit sent him flying, while Sora didn't get to counter back.
It then strolled around and slammed its batons hard on the ground, causing the table to sink into the ground.
Donald shot a few blasts of Fire…only for it to intercept and block them, causing the batons to ignite. And to make things worse, the Trickmaster strolled towards Donald.
He gulped. "Uh-oh." He ran off, hoping to get away, but the Trickmaster readied one of its flaming batons and swiped towards him. Donald would've been hit and burned…if Bauer hadn't jumped in and pushed him out of the way in time.
Bauer helped him up. "You okay, Donald?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He then sniffed the air. "Hey, you smell something burning?"
It was then he looked alarmed. "Uh, Donald…"
Donald turned to the source of the smell…and noticed that his tail's on fire!
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" He ran around in a circle, in a state of panic. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get—"
But he was interrupted when he suddenly felt something cold on his tail. Bauer had cast blizzard to put out the flames. The poor duck examined the now singed, yet frozen tail…or at least what's left of it. He softly petted it. "Aw…"
Sora stood face to face with the Heartless. It swung its flaming batons at him. He managed to avoid the oncoming swings, ducking one under, giving him the chance leap up and dealt few good hits to the chest area, which seems to be the one weak spot.
As soon as the Trickmaster rose up, the flames on the batons died out. It then marched towards the stove and reignited its batons, ready to deliver more punishment to the gang. It crossed its batons together and shot a big fire. Fortunately, they all duck or jumped out of the way…except for Goofy who had to run, fireball hot on his tail.
"Aah-hoo-hooey!" The distance between Goofy's behind and the fireball were actually very close and they strangely maintained their speeds. Still running, Goofy quickly tapped the fireball, leaving a slightly scorched fingertip (he's not hurt, though). "Gawrsh, that thing's hot!" (4)
The moment he finished the sentence, Goofy tripped and fell forward with the fireball zipping just above his hat, barely leaving a scorched mark on it. He looked at his hat and then glanced towards the viewers. "Ah-Hyuck, it missed."
The fireball suddenly stopped and actually looked back. Alarmed that it missed the target, it backtracked, regaining momentum until it could catch up with Goofy. (5)
Goofy took notice and immediately bolted off, the fireball closing in on him. Just as the fireball's ready to make its mark…Goofy's natural sense of clumsiness kicked in, and he tripped again, once again, the fireball zipping past his hat. He looked at the viewers again. "Ah-Hyuck, co-inky-dink."
Before the fireball had a chance to turn around, Sora whacked it like a baseball, sending it back to the Trickmaster. If one had good ears, they'd hear it cursing gibberish…
The Trickmaster didn't get the chance to intercept and landed square in the chest. Shrugging it off, it strolled around its merry way. By now, the gang regrouped in the fireplace for safety, while trying to think of some kind of plan.
"Okay, what do we do, now?" Donald asked.
"We can't attack it 'cause it's too high," Goofy noted.
"And if we shoot fire at it, it'll just block it," Sora said.
"So, our best option is to attack it head-on, while trying not become the next home-run ball knocked out of the park," Bauer said, rubbing his chin in thought. He sighed. "If only…"
"What?" Sora wondered.
His eyes narrowed, Bauer examined the spot where the table once stood. "If only the table popped back up, because it's probably the best vantage point; it's roughly around the same height as the Heartless."
"But we can't get more than a few hits with that thing movin' around all the time," Donald remarked.
Scratching his head, Goofy had a thought. "Hmm, if only we could find someway to i-moby-lize it, it'll be easier."
"That's immobilize, ya ninny!" Donald chided.
Bauer's eyes widened, as if coming to a realization. He snapped his fingers. "You're right; we have to find someway to stop it—long enough for us to take it down, for good."
"Guys!" Sora called pointing in a direction. "The table's just popped back up!" True enough, the table resurfaced.
Bauer smirked. "Nice. Now, the next part is how to stop the Heartless in its tracks. What we need is a distraction. Any volunteers?"
"Oh, no, I'm not going out there; not after what it did to my tail!" Donald interjected, pointing his tail.
Bauer glared. "What's wrong, Donald? I thought you were a duck, not a chicken," he taunted.
He scowled. "Hey, I'm not chicken!"
"Then, why don't you go out there to buy us some time, huh?"
"Why don't you do it?" Donald sneered, pointing at the blonde.
"Because I'm the one that made the plan," Bauer countered, pointing at himself. "You can't just send the guy who made the plan out to the battlefield—not if you're willing to go out, fighting blind after that."
Donald's scowl grew. "I think I can live with that."
"Oh, yeah? Like you could think of anything?" Bauer challenged.
It was then Donald had a devious glint in his eye. "Hey, I got an idea…"
"What?" the others asked.
"How 'bout we Roshambo?"
So, that's how you wanna do it, huh? Well, two can play at that game! Bauer thought to himself. Putting on a convincing ruse, he arched an eyebrow. "Roshambo? What's that?"
"Here's how it works: we both kick each other as hard as we can, and keep going back and forth 'til one of us falls down; last one standing wins. The loser has to go outside."
"Okay, Donald." Bauer offered his hand to him. "Deal". With that, he and Donald shook hands.
"Okay." Donald pulled his leg back. "1… 2…"
But Bauer beat him to it. "Roshambo!" At that, he kicked him…below the belt.
…
…
…
"WAAAAAAAAK!" The poor duck howled in agony as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his feathered groin. Sora and Goofy burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching their sides.
"Ha!" Bauer exclaimed. "Thought I was stupid, huh? Well, you thought wrong, because I—" but then, he suddenly paused. After a few brief moments, a smirk began to cross his face. "Guys, I think I just found the solution…"
A little while later…
The Trickmaster continued strolling, twirling and juggling its batons, and wanting to "play" with the gang.
"Hey, you!"
The Trickmaster turned to the source of the voice, and found Sora waving at it. He pulled a funny, taunting face. "Bet you can't catch me!"
The Heartless chased after Sora…completely unable to notice three other figures climb up on the table.
"Hey, ugly!"
The Trickmaster turned to see Bauer, Donald and Goofy on the table. The latter of the animal duo pulled out a helmet, seemingly out of nowhere and donned it on. He looked at the audience. "Ah-Hyuck, safety first." With that, he fell into the arms of Bauer and Donald, becoming of what looked like a living battering ram. Both of them charged at full speed, jumped off the table, and…
"Roshambo!"
*WHAM*
They whammed it square in the chest. The force of the impact was so intense; the Trickmaster collapsed and fell to its knees.
"Now's our chance!" Sora exclaimed. The gang climbed back on the table and unleashed individual attacks as they jumped off.
Donald unleashed a bout of Fire and Blizzard magic before whacking it with his staff.
Bauer jumped off, delivering a few good blows.
Just as it was about to get up, Goofy threw his shield like a Frisbee above it, jumping off and comically flipping back (imagine like a wheel), before finally slamming it down on its head.
Right when it full stood up, it saw a shadow looming above it. Before the Heartless could even react…
*SLASH*
Sora slashed right through it. The instant he landed on his feet, he ran off in case the Heartless were to fall on top of him.
The Trickmaster's arms drooped, dropping its batons and its segmented head hung low as it fell to its knees. It slowly tried to rise up, but the heads suddenly shot up and…
*BOOM*
…It fell back with a hard thud as its arms flail around. Its torso began to glow as its arms helplessly fall to the ground. A glowing, blue heart emerged and floated away just as the arms finally made contact with the ground; the body then vanished into nothingness…
A loud yawn erupted from afar, causing the gang to turn to Doorknob, who had slept through the whole battle and has now awoken from its slumber.
"What a racket," he complained. "How's a doorknob to get any sleep." With that, he yawned loud and wide…and at that moment, a faint light radiated from its mouth; and from the shape of the light, it looked like…
…A keyhole.
The boys inspected closer just as the light intensified. Suddenly, Sora's Keyblade reacted with glowing and it moved with a mind of its own; a beam of light shooting out and entered the keyhole. It then clicked just as the light died down, and with that, the Doorknob returned to sleep…
"What was that?" Donald began.
"You hear that?" Sora said. "Sounded like something closed."
At that moment, a small round block bounced near the boys. It looked strange…
"This gummi ain't like the others," Goofy mused. "No, sir."
"Okay, I'll hold on to it," Donald volunteered.
*OBTAINED*
Navi-G Piece
It was then the Cheshire Cat appeared on the table. "Splendid. You're quite the hero," he congratulated. The gang turned to the cat, with Bauer glaring at it incredulously.
"Where the heck have you been, you mangy furball?" he griped. "Talk about bad timing."
The cat barely acknowledged him. "If you're looking for Alice, she's not here. She's gone! Off with the shadows, into the darkness." The gang took in the revelation in shock as the Cheshire Cat vanished for what would be the last time…
"No…" Sora muttered.
"Let's go back to our gummi ship," Donald said. "We might find her in another world."
"We've gotta go to a save point to return to our ship," Goofy added.
Realizing that there isn't much that can be done here, the gang had returned from where they entered before, and returned to the ship. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions: where is Alice? How could she have disappeared? And perhaps this is the most puzzling question: why? Why would the unknown force take Alice? She's just an ordinary girl; she's not too special…
…Or is she?
(1) That's a reference to the Daffy Duck cartoon "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century". I don't own it; it belongs to Warner Bros. and whatever else it goes with, too.
(2)That one is one of my favorites and I just couldn't resist; not mine though. That scene belongs to the awesomeness that is Seth MacFarlane and Family Guy too.
(3) I had to put that scene in there too. I get such a laugh every time I read that. "S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)" is not mine; it belongs to Phineas and Ferb which in turn, is owned by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh. They also rule.
(4) Watch the Mickey Mouse version of "Prince and the Pauper" and you'll see what I mean. That belongs to Disney and Mark Twain.
(5) Watch "Daffy and the Dinosaur" and you'll get it. Also belongs to Warner Bros.
I keep getting so distracted, it's not funny. I've worked on this one little by little for months, but I made it super long to make up for the time.