Chapter 9: Teamwork and Trickery
"Oh, goodness! Could you please slow down?"
Sora ducked beneath the doors of the bizarre room, chewing on a cookie as he rushed into the hall. This time, however, he wasn't alone. As he hurried towards the entrance, he held tightly onto Alice's hand. He'd managed to rescue her while the Queen and her soldiers were off somewhere else, but he couldn't afford to sit still at a time like this! For all he knew, she could be following right behind them. There was no way he'd risk Alice's safety for convenience.
Looking back at Alice, though, he said between chews, "Uh, s'rry! But we've godda— " he paused briefly, swallowing, "We've gotta get outta here! It'll be okay, though! You'll see."
"But what are we running from?" Alice frowned. "Why, that old queen is busy playing croquet with that other boy!"
Sora stopped in his tracks, looking back at Alice with a puzzled expression. "Other boy? What d'you mean?"
"Well," said Alice, placing her pinky to her chin, "a strange boy and his companions tried to stop the trial, but that Queen… oh, it was dreadful! She sent her cards to behead them, but they were far too strong. It was almost like magic!"
Frowning, Sora picked up the pace again, while Alice followed beside him. "But what did he look like?"
Alice raised a brow, tilting her head up in thought. "Well, he had the most peculiar hair… silver, and very long for a boy! Why, he—"
They reached the end of the hall when several green flames emerged from the floor, burning higher and higher with a fierce crackle. Maleficent emerged from the flames with a faint smile on her face. In one hand she held her staff, and she beckoned for Sora and Alice to come closer.
Sora remained perfectly still at first. Silver hair… long silver hair! It had to be Riku, there was no doubt about it. But, wait, did that mean he just missed him? First Kairi, and now this! What was he gonna do? It took a soft tap on the shoulder from Alice to bring him back to reality.
"Here she is." Stepping forward, Sora let go of Alice's hand and smiled. "I rescued her, see? And get this, Maleficent… she says she saw someone with silver hair!" Grinning a little, he closed one hand into a fist and raised it up into the air. "That means that Riku might be here!"
"Riku?" Alice looked to Sora, tilting her head again. "Is he a friend of yours?" Pausing, she looked back to Maleficent and slowly curtsied. "Hello, miss… Maleficent?"
Stepping forward, Maleficent placed a hand on Alice's shoulder and said, "Hello, child." She turned to Sora, adding, "So she encountered one of your dear friends. Oh, what a shame, then, that we have to leave so soon. "
"Leave?" Sora frowned, looking down at the floor. "But if it is Riku, then maybe I can find him, and he can come with us! Then we can find—"
Shaking her head, Maleficent raised her staff into the air. "There's simply no time. If we stay much longer, then the Queen will doubtlessly send reinforcements of the darkest variety. I'm sure you're familiar with the creatures that attacked your home."
Sora gasped, peering up at Maleficent. "You mean those monsters? I… I guess," – he drooped a little—"we can go. But how will I know when he'll turn up next? If that's really him, I mean."
"Worry not," she said. "As a reward for your heroism, I will ensure that you are reunited with your friends in due time."
Alice folded her hands together and frowned. "But where are we going?"
"To a wondrous place," Maleficent said, tapping her staff against the floor. "You shall see very soon, my dear."
Flames burst up from the floor once again, crackling and smoking as they encircled Sora, Alice, and Maleficent. Alice gasped as the fire wrapped itself around her ankles. Sora closed his eyes and frowned while the flames crawled up his legs. Maleficent, on the other hand, continued to smile when the flames swallowed her entire form from the bottom of her cloak to the tip of her horns. Before long the flames covered their entire bodies, slowly beginning to fade as they left the strange and unusual Wonderland to return to Maleficent's stronghold.
x.x.xAlice was nowhere in sight. The only evidence of her escape was the busted cage and the lock beside it. With no witnesses besides the Cat, Riku, Donald, and Goofy quickly returned to the Bizarre Room. It didn't take long to get there, but when they did, they still didn't find any leads. The whole place was completely deserted; no Heartless attacked, and that Doorknob was still fast asleep.
With a groan, Riku climbed onto a chair and crossed his arms. Donald and Goofy followed close behind. Together, they skimmed the room for any unusual signs. Unfortunately, they still didn't find anything. Sure, Alice and the boy could be hiding somewhere, but was it really worth the effort to skim every nook and cranny? They probably left already, and it'd be hard to catch up at this rate.
Riku looked up at the table when a familiar voice started singing again.
"And, as in uffish thought he stood, the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame…" In the midst of his song, the Cheshire Cat appeared, resting his face in his paws. "Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came!"
Donald sneered at the Cat's singing. "Whaddaya talking about this time?
"Oh, nothing," said the cat, "and everything. That's for you to decide. Either way, I suggest you climb up here, that is, if you wish to enjoy the view."
"What's there to view?" Riku rolled his eyes. "So far, there's been no sign of Alice or anyone else, not even the 'shadows'."
The Cat laughed. "Didn't you know? Shadows just love the light. The brighter the light, the stronger the shadow… Allow me to demonstrate." With a snap of his fingers, the Cheshire Cat summoned a small flame in the palm of his hand, holding it still for a moment. "Now is the time to jump, you know."
Riku rolled his eyes. "So you can make fire, so what? I still don't see any shadows."
"Mmm, not yet, anyway." Lifting his hand, the Cheshire Cat tossed the small flame up at one of the lights on the ceiling. The light flashed, and an enormous shadow appeared on the ground.
The shadow peeled away from the floor, stretching into a tall, lanky shape. It juggled two purple batons with its papery arms, and its hook-like feet scraped the ground as it trudged towards the table. Its head was made up of several faces stacked on top of each other, and its whole body had a black and red motif. It moved slowly and steadily, bobbing up and down with each step. Whatever this thing was, it sure didn't look stable.
At the sight of the Heartless, Riku instantly jumped back, followed by Donald and Goofy. They drew their weapons and turned their attention to the Cheshire cat, who continued to laze about.
"I hope you've prepared for the worst," he said. "If not? Too bad!"
"Why, you…!" Donald pointed his staff at the Cat. "You tricked us, didn't you?"
"Tricked?" The Cat shook his head, repositioning himself so that he stood on his hind legs. "Perhaps, perhaps not, but you know…" he pointed down to Riku, "you might be needing this."
The Heartless continued to approach. It lumbered slowly but persistently, forcing Riku, Donald, and Goofy to move further back. Oddly, it turned away from the trio and stomped over to the stove, juggling with each step. All the while, the Cheshire Cat slid over to the table's edge and leaned down, pointing his paw at Riku. A faint blue light spread from the cat's claw and to Riku's Keyblade, while a cold chill swept around him. Small snowflakes fell from the tip and onto the floor, melting instantly. Both Donald and Goofy leaned over the Keyblade, and Goofy chuckled.
"Gawrsh," he said, "new magic! Guess that feller ain't so bad after all."
Nodding, Donald turned to the Heartless and raised his staff. "Looks like it'll come in handy, too. See for yourselves!"
Flames from the stove ignited the batons, and the Heartless headed back towards the table. Raising its arms, it hurled several fireballs at the trio, forcing them to scurry out of its path. The constant barrage of flames kept them on their toes, forcing them to hide beneath the chairs and within the fireplace to avoid being torched. Ducking below the table, Donald hurled frozen crystals at the baton. As the ice clusters collided with their target, the flames died down.
One of them burned brightly. Though Riku tried to douse its flames with blizzard magic, only fire emerged from the Keyblade's tip. He tried again and again, but each time he flung flames at the Heartless. Then, when it came close enough, it swung its burning baton right at him; he just barely managed to deflect the blow, leaping back to gain some distance.
Why wouldn't the magic work? It'd been a cinch to unleash his fire magic from the get-go. How could blizzard spells be any different? There had to be a trick to it. Some way to toggle spells the way that Donald did so effortlessly. Off to the side, he caught Donald firing more frozen blasts up at the Heartless' chest. Goofy followed it up by hurling his shield at its legs; it bounced off. Groaning, Riku rushed back into the fray.
As he dashed towards the Heartless, he dragged the Keyblade's tip against the floor. Then, when he came close enough, he leaped into the air, driving his weapon against the bottom of its torso. It just barely collided, making the Heartless bob back and forth, flailing its paper thin arms. Then, it bent down and struck Riku's back, sending him flying towards a wall. He managed to land on his feet, crouching before he slipped out of the path of its dangerous flame attacks.
He tried to strike its body again, but the Heartless stomped out of the way; it stood way too tall to get a clear shot. While he tried to nail its loop-shaped legs, striking the knees did absolutely nothing. The Heartless swiped its batons once more, and Riku hopped out of the way. If he was going to nail this thing, he'd need to get up higher or drag it down to his level.
CLANG! The force of Goofy's shield sent the Heartless down on its knees, and it sat motionless for a few short moments. In that time, he and Donald lashed out at its torso with magic and fierce combos. It was wide open, ready for attacks… No way he'd miss his chance. When Riku neared the helpless Heartless he spun around, driving the Keyblade right into its chest. Then, he shoved it forward. The Heartless fell backwards, but then it sprung back to its feet and slammed both its weapons into the ground.
A blazing shockwave knocked Riku flat against one of the chairs. Flames danced around his shirt, and he had no choice but to stop, drop, and roll. He took a deep breath and got back on his feet, watching the Heartless trudge closer and closer. Up above, he heard someone whistle.
"Hey, Riku!"
Riku looked up, eying Donald, who motioned him over with the wave of his hand. He stood on top of the table and fired away with his icy spells.
"Up here, hurry!"
Nodding, Riku made a made a mad dash for the table. When he reached the top, he stood by Donald's side and watched the Heartless carefully. Taking a quick glance at his Keyblade, he tried to fire a blizzard spell again; just like before, he shot flames. It still didn't make sense! If he could just get the spell down…
Donald tapped him on the shoulder. "Riku, focus!" He pointed his staff at the Heartless and blasted it with another spell. The ice crystals wrapped around the Heartless' torso, freezing it for a split second. "Blizzard magic's a lot tougher to use. You've gotta really picture the ice freezing your enemies."
"You make it sound so easy." Focus… Riku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. So he'd have to picture the spell overtaking the Heartless. It wasn't a matter of flinging his weapon around. In the back of his mind, he pictured ice crystals overwhelming his enemy, stopping it dead in his tracks.
"Now's your chance!"
The Heartless raised both its batons, ready to pound them into the table. That's when Riku rushed over to the edge and slammed the Keyblade against its chest. A white glow at the tip spread all around its body, coiling around its shoulders and reaching for its arms. Large chunks of ice formed in place of the glow, freezing the Heartless in place. Then, he sent it toppling backwards with a powerful swing.
Goofy hurried over, as the Heartless fell to its knees once more. Riku and Donald soon joined him on the floor. Together, they furiously struck, hammered, slashed, and bashed the Heartless with all their might. Donald clobbered its face with his staff, while Goofy slid behind it and delivered a spinning blow. Eventually, the ice broke, and the Heartless got back on its feet. Luckily, its movements slowed tremendously; it was probably running out of steam.
Slowly and steadily, the Heartless approached the stove, lighting its batons ablaze. Donald reached over to Riku's arm, dragging him down to eye level. He pointed his staff at the Heartless.
"Let's get 'em! If we both use our magic, that oughta finish it off."
Riku nodded. It was worth a shot. Even if he couldn't stand Donald, he was a powerful magician. If the two combined their power, they'd probably turn it into a giant icicle. Smirking, Riku readied his weapon, focusing hard on his magic once more. The Heartless turned away from the stove and headed their way. That's when they both unleashed a whirlwind of ice and snow that flew forward and engulfed the Heartless from head to toe.
Its body froze completely. Icicles crept down its limbs, while frost coated its many faces. The Heartless stiffly wobbled back and forth, and then it fell forward, shattering into a million pieces as it hit the ground. Each of its remaining pieces melted away into a black, bubbling ooze. A glowing heart flew through the air and vanished. Finally, they'd trashed the Trickmaster.
"We did it!" Goofy hopped up and down with an enormous smile on his face. "Y'know, we really make a great team once we start workin' together like this!"
Donald nodded, stepping closer to the table. "I hate to admit it," he said, "but you're right." Stopping for a moment, he looked back at Riku with a small smile on his beak. "Not bad for a first time! If you keep at it, you'll be usin' Blizzaga in no time! But…" His smile waned, and his expression shifted into a sneer. "You better get your act together, Riku. We could've gotten in big trouble, you know!"
Riku groaned, joining Donald by the table. "But we didn't." He climbed up onto the chair, then to the tabletop. "Anyway, looks like Alice is gone, Cat. Now what do you—"
He looked around, but the Cat was nowhere to be found. Not even his toothy grin appeared, and he sure wasn't singing Jabberwocky any more. Frowning, Riku stepped over to the 'Drink Me' bottle and surveyed the area. Donald and Goofy joined him. No matter where they looked, they found no sign of the Cheshire Cat. Once again, they were on their own.
"Gawrsh, looks like that Cat feller left. He didn't even say goodbye!"
"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Groaning, Riku turned to face the golden box next to the bottle. The cookies inside it said "Eat Me". So if drinking the bottle made them small, maybe a cookie would bring them back to their regular sizes. If that was the case… Riku leaned over the edge of the box and scooped up a cookie.
"Anyway, we might as well get going, and I think…" He stumbled a bit, dropping the cookie on the table's surface, "This cookie might just get us back to the right size."
Kneeling down, Goofy reached for the cookie and ripped off a small chunk. "I guess it's worth a try!" He slipped the chunk into his mouth, making a pleased noise as he chewed. "Gawrf, it tafstes greaff!"
As soon as he swallowed, Goofy rapidly started growing. He let out a loud yelp as he grew, stumbling down from the table and collapsing on the floor. There he kept growing until he finally reached his regular size. With a soft moan, he stood up, and his eyes whirled around in dizziness. Both Riku and Donald tore off their own cookie chunks and gobbled them down. Like Goofy, they returned to their original sizes in a heartbeat.
And it was then that the Doorknob spoke again.
"I'll say," he said, "can't you keep it down? I'm having a difficult time sleeping with all that racket out there."
The trio turned their attention to the Doorknob, which let out another yawn. His mouth opened wide, revealing a keyhole inside. Before he knew it, Riku felt himself being jerked towards the Keyhole as a bright, white light formed around the Keyblade's tip. Stars floated all around it, and a beam of flew right into the Doorknob's mouth. Following the sound of a soft click, the light began to fade, and the Keyhole vanished completely. Then, the Doorknob shut its mouth and drifted back into sleep.
Holding out the Keyblade, Riku said, "What was that about?" It didn't make sense. Sure, his weapon was a key and all, but what was that light, and why did that Keyhole just… disappear? Frowning, he looked over to Donald and Goofy, who both shrugged.
"Beats me," said Donald, stepping away from the door, "but I'm guessin' it's got something to do with what the King said. The Key to our Survival… maybe we can ask Leon the next time we see him. He'd know!"
"Yeah…" Riku began to walk towards the room's entrance, dismissing the Keyblade. He continued to frown as he neared the exit, but not because of the Doorknob. Not even close. Cracking the door open just a smidge, he said, "You know, I wonder who that boy was. The one they kept talking about. It wasn't just the cat… the Doorknob said something about him, too."
"Probably one of the bad guys." Goofy followed Riku to the door, and Donald trailed close behind him. "Sounds to me like he captured that poor Alice girl! And that Cat did say somethin' about them shadows…"
"Anyway, let's get goin'. We've still got a lot of worlds to see, and the King's counting on us!"
x.x.xWhen Maleficent led Sora back into the chapel, he quickly discovered that they weren't alone. A big, round table sat at the center of the room, covered by a purple cloth. And that's not all! Several different people sat around it. They weren't like anything he'd ever seen before! As Sora crept closer to the table, he looked all around, gasping at the strange and especially cool people all around him.
First he spotted what looked like a pirate captain. He wore a huge, feathered hat on his head and a bright red coat. In fact, his whole outfit was a mix of reds and whites. The pirate wore one of those funny scarf things around his neck, and his black hair reached down to his shoulders. What really stood out about him, though, was the razor-sharp hook replacing his left hand.
A really skinny man stood right next to him. He wore a big, black turban on his head, a cape that reached down to his feet, and a black and red robe. Oh, and his shoes were curled at the toes. Compared to the pirate, he looked almost scary with his beady little eyes and twisted looking beard. He sneered as Sora approached, clutching his golden, cobra staff tightly in hand.
As he came closer, Sora spotted two very strange people. One of them looked like he was made out of a potato sack! His huge, round body was held up by two stubby little legs, and his arms looked pretty stubby, too. His eyes were empty holes, and his lips looked like they had stitching all over them. Next to him sat a plump woman with purple skin and short, white hair. She wore a shell around her neck and red lipstick, but what really stood out about her were the tentacles. It looked like she was part squid! Or maybe octopus.
Finally, next to the… sack stood one final addition to the group. He was a tall and pale man with flames for hair! His skin was kind of blue, and his eyes a bright yellow. For clothes, he wore a black toga with a single skull emblem by his right shoulder. He stood with his arms crossed as Sora and Maleficent finally reached the table.
"Whoa!" Sora gasped and grinned at the people all around him. "So these are your friends, Maleficent?"
"Friends?" The strange sack laughed, dropping both a pair dice on the table as he watched Sora with a grin. "You think I'd be friends with these—"
The man in the turban quickly turned to the sack, stepping up to him with a sneer. "Silence," he said in a quiet whisper. "Surely you recall what Maleficent told us earlier." The bag groaned, while the man in the turban turned to face Sora, a twisted smile lining his face. "Yes, we are… friends of Maleficent, and you must be the boy. She spoke so fondly of you."
"Really?"
"Of course," said the purple woman, lacing her fingers together. "Why, it sounds like you're quite the hero, short stuff."
Sora laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I dunno about that…"
Smiling, Maleficent stepped past Sora, stopping behind the others at the table. She raised a hand into the air, gesturing towards all the people around her.
"The beings you see are not unlike yourself. At one point or another, they were dignified heroes of their worlds, each with their own goals and ambitions…" She quickly looked back at the group, watching as some, like the fire-headed man gave her irritated looks. In return, the pressed a finger to her lips and returned her attention to Sora. "Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending, nor does every hero triumph over evil. Take this man—" – she motioned towards the pirate—"for example. Once a proud, pirate captain, he lost his hand thanks to the antics of a cruel child by the name of Peter Pan."
Gasping, Sora immediately turned to the pirate. "Is that really true?"
Instantly the pirate slammed his hand on the table. "Every last word! That blasted Pan didn't just take me hand, he feed it to a crocodile that's hunted me ever since!"
Sora frowned, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry…"
Meanwhile, Maleficent continued. "As for this woman…" She pointed to the purple woman, who smiled in return. "At one point in time, she was the proud ruler of a land called Atlantica. However, she was banished by the cruel tyrant known as King Triton, who stole the crown."
"You've got that right!" Frowning, the woman pushed herself away from the table. "And why, you ask? Old Triton was afraid, when all I did was help those poor, unfortunate souls in the kingdom!"
"That's so not fair!" Looking up, Sora continued glared at no one in particular, and he crossed his arms with a huff. "You guys don't seem that bad! Maybe a little different, but you're so cool!" He stepped closer to the table, pointing to the pirate. "I never thought I'd actually see a pirate for real, and you…" Turning away from the pirate, he faced the man with the flaming hair. "Your hair's awesome! Is that real fire?"
Chuckling, the man said, "Well, what can I say? When you're hot, you're hot."
Stepping away from the table, Maleficent approached Sora with a smile. "Each of us share a common goal; we wish to create a miracle, one that will affect all worlds. To do this…" Pausing, she turned back to the table, as a dim, green light appeared on the center. The light revealed an image of Alice, and Sora quietly frowned. "We desperately need your help."
Sora peered up at Maleficent, bringing a hand to his chest. "But what about Riku and Kairi? You said that if I saved Alice—"
"Fear not, my dear child. We will gladly reunite you with your friends once we uncover their location." Maleficent shook her head, pointing at image on the table. "Consider this a mere request, a favor, if you will… And besides, in doing so, you will become an even greater hero than you are now."
For a moment, Sora remained silent, gazing down at the floor. This was all so weird. All these strangers wanted him to save the world? Real heroes that got the short end of the stick… were they really counting on him? What could he do that they couldn't?
On the other hand, he really enjoyed his adventures in Wonderland, even if it was kind of a bumpy ride. He got to see a new world, meet all kinds of new people, and he saved the life of a girl who could've lost her head thanks to that mean Queen. If helping these guys meant seeing even more worlds, it'd probably be a lot of fun. And if Alice saw Riku in Wonderland, maybe he'd bump into him, too! This really seemed like a win-win situation. He'd help out some heroes, explore new places, and be a hero. A real hero!
It took a moment, but he soon turned back to Maleficent with a huge grin.
"I'll do it."
TO BE CONTINUED
End Note: It just keeps getting worse for poor ol' Sora, eh? Riku, meanwhile, is totally clueless. Next up, I'm covering Olympus Coliseum, which was… honestly? The hardest world to change up. The differences there will be more subtle, since the world itself is small and has only a few characters. Eh, what can ya do?
