CHAPTER TEN
"So this is your castle." Sora said. "Must be nice to be home, huh?"
Donald and Goofy looked around. They seemed troubled.
"Ya know, somethin' just don't feel quite right..." Goofy said.
"Yeah." Donald said, crossing his arms.
"You're back!" a squeaky voice cried.
We turned to see two little chipmunks dressed in yellow aprons with tools scamper over to us.
"Move it! Let's go!" the second chipmunk's voice sounded like a teenage boy going through puberty.
"Queen Minnie needs to see you!" the first chipmunk said.
"The castle's in danger! Hurry! To the library!"
Heartless littered the courtyard. Every step we took led to an ambush of Soldiers, Shadows, and Minute Bombs. We ran down the Colonnade, fought off a never-ending stream of Shadows. I noticed a giant door in the middle of the hallway protected by a light pink barrier. We entered the library where Queen Minnie was with some Magic Brooms running around.
"Your Majesty! Queen Minnie! We're back!" Donald said, standing at attention and saluting.
Queen Minnie turned around and smiled.
"You're here!" she said.
Goofy saluted. "Your Royal Highness, did ya happen to summon us?"
"Yes."
Sora and I walked next to Donald and Goofy. Sora ruffled their heads.
"Where's the King?" Sora said.
"Sora, show some respect!" I whispered.
Queen Minnie stared at us.
"Excuse him. These are our friends Sora and Hallie." Donald said.
"Oh, yes! The King told me all about you two in his letters." Queen Minnie said. "Sora, he told me that you're a very brave young man." Sora wore a smug smile.
"And Hallie, he told me that you are very, very special." I gave her a flabbergasting look.
"So, do you know where he is?" Sora asked.
Minnie shook her head. We sighed.
"Your Majesty, what are Heartless doing in your castle?" Donald said.
"Oh my... So those are the Heartless." Minnie said.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of 'em!" Sora said.
"I know I can't count on you." Minnie said. "Now, there's something I'd like all of you to come and see. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy saluted while standing at attention.
"Sure." I said, rolling my eyes. Queen Minnie gasped.
"I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle about the danger!" she cried. "We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!"
"Okay, we'll go tell them." Sora said.
"The whole castle?!" Donald said.
"We just gotta split up, Donald." Goofy said.
"I'll make sure that everyone knows what's going on." Sora said.
"No, Sora, you'll just get lost!" Donald said.
"Donald, Goofy, you guys go and warn everyone. Sora, you and I will stay with the Queen." I said.
"All righty then." Goofy said. "See ya later!"
Donald and Goofy turned around and ran out.
"Um, the audience chamber, right, ma'am?" Sora said.
"Yes, Sora. Let's be on our way." Minnie said.
We made our way across the hallway, fighting off Shadows and protecting Minnie. We approached the large door covered in the barrier.
"Just one moment." Minnie said. She turned towards the door and held up her hand. "As soon as the trouble started, I made sure to seal this room."
The pink barrier faded. The large doors didn't open, but a smaller section of the door opened before us.
"Now then... shall we?" Minnie said. We nodded.
We entered the audience chamber, and it was very big and spacious. A red carpet with gold corners ran down from the door all the way to the throne at the end of the room. Giant pillars stood on the sides of the walls. Suddenly, Bolt Towers came down from the ceiling. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades.
Queen Minnie gasped. "Not here, too!"
"We'll take care of them." I said.
We fought the Bolt Towers while slowly moving down the room to the throne. When we arrived, more Bolt Towers approached us.
"Come on, gimme a break!" Sora said.
Queen Minnie approached the throne. She examined it for a moment then touched the bottom of one of the arm rests. The entire throne area moved to the left. As it did, the room was consumed with light. We covered our eyes, and when we opened them, the Heartless were gone.
"Whoa..." Sora and I said.
"The room below is called the 'Hall of the Cornerstone.' Our castle has always been safe from worlds that are evil thanks to the Cornerstone of Light which we keep down there." Queen Minnie said.
"The Cornerstone... of Light?" Sora said.
We followed Minnie down the stairs into the Hall of the Cornerstone. The area was covered with large dark vines with jagged thorns. In the center of the room was a giant glass orb with a shimmering green light in the middle, seated on a white pedestal.
"This is the castle's cherished Cornerstone." Minnie said. "But look. The thorns... They must be the work of someone very evil. I wonder what this could mean..."
We walked beside Minnie. Suddenly, a green fire ignited in front of the Cornerstone and the image of a woman dressed in a long black and purple cloak and a black horned headdress. She had a green tint to her skin and she held a staff with a green orb on the end.
"Maleficent!" Donald cried.
"No way!" Sora said. "She's supposed to be..."
Maleficent turned around and smirked at us.
"Well, well, well. What have we here...? If it isn't the wretched Keyblade holder, and his pitiful lackeys!" Maleficent said. She looked directly at me. "I see you've found yet another Keyblade holder to join you on your 'quest'."
"What?! Now you're gonna deal with me!" Donald cried. He ran towards Maleficent and lunged, but he phased right through her and crashed into the Cornerstone.
"All in good time. I promise you'll be able to partake of my vengeance. But you must be patient." Maleficent said.
"Just what are you doing here, Maleficent!?" Minnie said.
"Ah, Queen Minnie. Radiant, as always." Maleficent bowed. "I'm here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own. However, it's a bit too "bright" for what I have in mind. I suppose I'll just have to fill every room with my personal touch of darkness."
Maleficent turned around and tried to touch the Cornerstone, but she was shocked back by its light. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades and struck our battle stances.
"You'd better stop right now if you know what's good for you!" Minnie said.
"There's no way you're getting this castle! Not on our watch!" I said.
"Ooh, how frightening. Very well, I'll stop..." Maleficent said. "Just as soon as the castle belongs to me!"
Maleficent disappeared in a blaze of green fire. Her maniacal cackle lingered in the room after she left.
"What a hag." Sora mumbled.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before." Minnie said. "I looked through all the records in the library, but I couldn't find a single clue."
"Ohhh! We should go ask somebody who knows lotsa stuff that ain't in any book!" Goofy said.
"Merlin the Wizard!" Donald cried.
"Yes! That's perfect!" Queen Minnie said. "Merlin just might know something about this mess. Let's ask his advice!"
"Let's head back to Hollow Bastion." Sora said.
I huffed a frustrated breath that disrupted the hair on my forehead. It's been a while since I've seen the Hollow Bastion Committee of Crazy.
"Merlin!" Donald cried when we entered his home.
"Anybody home?" Sora called.
"The castle's in danger!" Goofy called.
There was a poof behind us. We turned to see Merlin.
"What is all that racket?" Merlin said. "Ho-ho! I thought- oh, it's you! It looks like you've learned a bit since the last time I saw you."
"Really?!" Sora said.
Donald cried out. "Wait a minute! Let's talk about the problem! It's Maleficent! She's back!"
"Where? Inside the castle?!" Merlin said.
"There's a whole bunch of Heartless too!" I said.
"Oh, dear..."
Donald rambled on about the problem. There was a poof. We looked around and we were back at Disney Castle.
"Perhaps, I'd better just see for myself." Merlin said. Donald crossed his arms. Merlin examined the Cornerstone. "Mmm-hmm... interesting..."
"What's happening, Merlin?" Minnie said.
"This is not good. In fact, I'm afraid it's quite serious." Merlin said.
He turned around and cleared his throat. He waved his hands in the air. There was a poof and a silver door appeared.
"What's that?" Sora asked.
"My boy, that is a gateway to a special world. Someone in that world is responsible for what's going on in this castle. Of that, I'm certain." Merlin said.
"We knew we could count on you, Merlin!" Goofy said.
Sora approached the door. "Then we should go get him!"
"Wait a moment! The perpetrators must be stopped, of course. But there's something else to do first. Somewhere in that world, there should be another door that's identical to this one. I believe our enemies are utilizing that door. As long as it remains open, the castle will be in grave danger." Merlin said. "Hallie, Sora, listen carefully. You must find that door. And when you do- lock it with your Keyblades."
"Got it." Sora said.
"You can count on us." I said.
"Now, one more thing. You're heading into a very special world." Merlin said. "While you're there, the nature of that world may tempt you to do something dark. You must resist that temptation at all costs!"
We looked at each other, confused.
"What do you mean?" Sora said.
"You'll know soon enough. I have faith in you, my lads and lass!" Merlin said.
"You guys ready?" Sora asked us.
We nodded. Sora opened the door and we stepped inside.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Upon returning to their home world, Donald and Goofy sense something wrong in Disney Castle. They barely take three steps outside before the gang is ambushed by what seems like a never-ending wave of Heartless! They fight their way to the Castle's library, where they meet Queen Minnie and report to her what's happening. While Donald and Goofy go to warn the others in the castle, Sora and Hallie escort Minnie to the Audience Chamber, where it is also overflowing with Heartless despite the protection magic cast over it. Queen Minnie leads everyone into the Hall of the Cornerstone, where the source of the world's light, the Cornerstone, is in danger by Maleficent, who seeks to claim the castle as her own. Hallie and the others race to Hollow Bastion to alert Merlin the Wizard about Disney Castle, and he summons a door that leads to a special world, where someone is unleashing Heartless through there and it's effecting Disney Castle. Merlin and Minnie send the gang into the special world, where Sora and Hallie's mission is to find the other door in that world and lock it away.
Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!