Paper lights floated into the night sky, illuminating the shadow that darkened the majestic kingdom. Goofy stared mesmerized at the reflection in the water, tuning out most of the bickering as he was well accustomed to.
"…you'll just end up setting the whole thing on fire!" Sora was saying.
"Hmph. Look who's talking! You're the one who is not used to their new powers! You'll end up freezing it or something!" Donald retaliated.
"Why don't we use a match?" Goofy questioned optimistically.
"We don't have matches!" Donald said, stomping his foot.
"Are ya sure?" Goofy said, holding up a matchstick with a triumphant smile. "I bought these with the lantern!" Goofy knew his friends well, and matches had been displayed on the counters of the festival stands so folks wouldn't forget. Sora and Donald muttered their agreement disappointedly, fierce competitors regardless of how insignificant the reward. Sora held the lantern and Goofy lit the match. "All righty, all together now, on the count of three!" He held the beacon out for Donald, who reluctantly accepted.
"One.. two… three!" They said in unison, throwing the lantern into the air. It was quiet for once as they watched in a daze as their token floated off the pier and over the water to join its brothers and sisters. The darkened night sky was rudely awakened by the intrusion of the brilliant light. No magic had been needed for the event, and yet the result was pure enchantment.
"I hope Rapunzel is having a good birthday," Sora said after some time.
"Aw, I'm sure she's having the time of her life!" Replied Goofy.
"Yea, and I'm sure being around Flynn doesn't hurt, either!" Donald said. Goofy watched Sora and waited for the faithful blush, but it never came. People applauded and cheered in the town center, only distantly audible over the gentle crashing of waves against the docks.
"Hopefully she won't have to go back tomorrow," Sora said quietly, staring at Rapunzel and Finn's boat in the distance.
"Everybody's gotta go home sometime," said Goofy.
"Yea, I suppose," said Sora, the corner of his mouth curling up tightly. "Do you think her mother will allow him to visit?"
"I don't see why not. Eugene's a great guy!" Goofy replied.
"Yea, and a criminal," Donald noted cynically.
"Oh, uh, right," Goofy replied, at a loss.
"Well, at least she got her dream," Sora concluded. Donald and Goofy continued looking up at the sky as Sora gazed across the gleaming lake. "We should give them some time to themselves. Come on."
With that, they turned, following the cobblestone avenue straight up into the marketplace, passing the clinging couples, both young and old, and the dazzled children on their parents' shoulders, pointing and chattering happily, their eyes wide and wistful. They came upon a food stand where they purchased some grilled skewers and fresh apple juice before finding a spot to sit on the ground near the fountain, their view of the spectacle above unobstructed in the open plaza.
"We should do this at home," Sora said amidst the low murmur of the audience, soft acoustic music playing somewhere nearby, "people on the island would love it."
"Maybe you could bring it up to your friends," Goofy suggested, "I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to pull off."
"Hm," Sora smiled contemplatively, "someday."
"I bet Kairi would find this romantic," Donald hinted with a smug look. Sora didn't take the bait, however, and simply continued to beam upward in his pensive state.
The boy appeared to be doing better lately, to Goofy's great relief. Of course, there were always dips in his mood, especially while traveling in-between worlds and left with only uncertain farewells and lingering threats from vile Organization members. Sora had every right to his emotions, Goofy believed. So long as he didn't let those bad feelings swallow him whole, he would be all right. He was still the same ol' Sora while befriending new people, he just needed a little bit of fun or a boost of encouragement every now and then. Goofy never wanted to step over any boundaries, Sora was always sort of tight-lipped about what made him most vulnerable, only absentmindedly letting things slip. Still, Goofy wished he could be of more help to this young fellow he cared for immensely. Seeing Sora contended, even for a moment, brought light into an old dog's heart amidst such turbulent times.
Golden hazes that lit the streets faded as the lanterns gathered out of sight somewhere off in the lake. The celebration was as lovely as it was fleeting. Many of the citizens dispersed, either returning to their festivities in taverns or retiring to their quaint, cozy homes to put the children to bed.
"Should we go check on Rapunzel and Flynn?" Donald asked.
"I don't know, should we?" Sora responded with a smirk.
"What?" Quacked Donald.
"Just kidding. Let's go."
They returned to shore the way they came, the same buzzing, glowing street now quiet and dim as lamplighters extinguished the street lights one by one. Upon reaching the docks, however, the mood shifted when they found a panicked Maximus waiting for them. The horse tried desperately to communicate, neighing and trotting around in circles and throwing his head about.
"Easy there, boy!" Sora soothed. He grabbed the reigns and looked into his eyes, reassuringly stroking his mane. "What's the matter?" Maximus gestured towards the water.
Barely visible on the opposite shore, five palace guardsmen on horseback were arresting the burly twins who had been accomplices of Eugene. The boat that Rapunzel and Eugene had sailed off in lay abandoned in the sand.
"What's going on?" Sora asked. Maximus rose up on two feet and whined loudly before taking off towards the gates. "Wait! Maximus!"
They followed Maximus as he galloped over the bridge, sprinting as fast as they were capable to keep up with the militant mammal. Goofy was also a militant mammal, but Maximus made him feel rather green. Reaching the dirt path on the opposite end, the horse went left and vanished into the trees. The trio halted to catch their breath only halfway down the lengthy overpass.
"It looks like he's headed towards the Ugly Duckling!" Sora shouted.
"Sora! We gotta find Rapunzel! Marluxia could be after her!" Goofy reminded urgently.
"Miss me?" Marluxia's voice rang out before his body materialized from behind. "Sure, the frivolous boy may be hanged upon the morrow, but don't worry, your little golden friend is safe with her mother," He snapped his fingers, summoning an army of nobodies that crowded the forest, "for now." The enemies emerged from ghostly shells, vacantly, ready to fight mindlessly upon command. "We'll just have to see how strong her heart really is." Sora charged forward, but Marluxia had been anticipating that and vanished just as Sora swung, the keyblade slicing through the open air.
Unspoken fears over the Princesses had plagued Goofy, as he was sure it did Sora and Donald. Larxene had escaped without Anna in tow but remained at large. Marluxia had said nothing about the seven, though Sora had discussed Rapunzel's distinct light with Goofy earlier that very day. The heartless and nobodies did seem to be drawn to her. There was no way to be certain without outside help. Regardless, an innocent girl was in danger, and that was exactly the sort of thing that Goofy and his buddies were there for.
"Come on! We gotta hurry!" Sora said, easily slashing through a dusk that had gotten the jump on him.
"Wait! What about Flynn?" Donald asked, casting magnega and then thundaga to deal with their immediate surroundings. The three exchanged worried glances. It was too great a judgment to make.
"If the Organization gets the Princesses…" Sora started, "But if Eugene…" he folded a hand over his mouth in thought, "…no. We can't let either happen." Sora threw his hand down and stood alert, Goofy followed the motion.
"What are we gonna do?" Goofy asked, saluting. Sora considered.
"He won't be tried until tomorrow. We have a little time." Sora faced the forest, and Goofy watched his eyes as he rediscovered the strength and determination within as he had many times before. Gray, lifeless beings were springing up by the dozen and peeking out through the trees, taunting, provoking a fight. "Not much time, but when do we ever?"
