The Mouse Who Would Be King
By Lynx (of Organization VI)
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. Please don't sue.
Summary: The story of how Mickey Mouse became king of Disney Castle is not the fairy tale it may first seem.
Notes: Confession time again: I looove the gummi ship missions. Not the KH1 gummi ship, which pretty much sucks completely, but I think they improved the gummi ship flights a ton in KH2. I didn't even think much of it until I decided to try the missions on a whim, and it's addictive! I'm not much of a gummi engineer (I have a friend who's tons better at that) but I like to fly them. There needs to be more gummi love in the KH fandom.
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For Mickey Mouse, today was certainly full of all kinds of new discoveries. He had seen the gummy blocks for himself, had stumbled upon the shadow-monsters, and now he was inside the one place in the tower he'd never seen: Yen Sid's private laboratory.
The small laboratory, unlike the rest of the sparse tower, exploded with strange sights and smells. The shelves were crowded with magic books, even older and mustier than the ones in the library. Several glass beakers bubbled with stuff that smelled like chocolate and grass and salt from the deepest parts of the ocean. Star charts, strange writings, and even some old animal hides adorned the walls. On the table sat several of the colorful, gummy blocks.
"Those shadows you saw are connected with the blocks that fell from the sky," Yen Sid began, his voice grave. "Just as I feared. That is why I did not want you to try and investigate the blacks yourself. It invited trouble."
Mickey gave a bit of a chuckle. It wasn't his fault if trouble stopped by his place so often, was it? "But why did the monsters attack me? Was it because I took their blocks?"
"Hardly. You see, after much research, I have determined that these blocks are actually pieces of a world."
He stared at the blocks in wonder, and echoed, "Pieces of a world?" He hadn't thought that bits of a world would look like that.
"Yes. It was after comparing them to samples taken from this world that I learned they were similar."
Mickey took one of the blocks from his pocket and examined it. It still felt a little squishy in his fingers. "But why would pieces of another world land here? Did a chunk of it just break off?"
Yen Sid's face was quite serious. "Far worse. This whole world would have been destroyed...completely gone."
Mickey's heart gave a leap, and his feet soon followed. "Gone? But how?!"
"You see how these blocks bond together so easily?" Yen Sid stated, sticking two of them together to demonstrate. "A world is a great being all of its own; not easily broken. Even now the pieces wish to rejoin. It takes a greatly destructive force to make an entire world disappear...a force of darkness."
"Gosh..." Mickey breathed. He didn't even think he could imagine a darkness so big and bad. Suddenly, and even worse thought sprang to his mind. "Wait! What if it was my world that disappeared?!"
Yen Sid shook his head. "I do not know. Whatever world these pieces came from was not far from this one. I'm not certain how far your world is from mine."
Mickey didn't know what to say. How could either of them know whether or not his world was still there? But he did know one thing: he had to get out of here as soon as he could and find out.
The sorcerer noticed Mickey's worry, but continued. "Such great darkness affecting the world would be carried over, even from the broken pieces. Therefore, it was left-over darkness that attacked you outside. It came with the blocks. Perhaps they were the only people left on that world."
This took a moment to sink in for Mickey. "Waitaminute! You mean those creatures were actually people?"
"At one point they were. No longer. Do not be concerned about harming them: they are not real people, but merely manifestations of the darkness within them. As you saw, they will not listen to reason, and they will not fear force."
There was a long pause, with only the steady bubbling of a small cauldron breaking the silence. Finally, Mickey put on a nervous smile. "But...I could never turn into one of those things, could I?"
Yen Sid's gaze pierced the mouse to his core. "As long as there is even a bit of darkness within you, it is possible."
Mickey swallowed hard. "Then how can I get rid of all the darkness in me?"
"That knowledge is beyond even my understanding. Perhaps it is impossible. But—" he added as Mickey's face began to frown, "You need not fear the darkness as long as you consider those around you. If you always remember to think of others first, it will help you stave off anger, envy, hate, fear, and other things that lead to darkness."
The mouse apprentice twisted his toe around, feeling a bit sheepish. "Huh. I guess I haven't been very good about that, have I?"
A hint of a smile returned to Yen Sid's face. "Well I don't know how you treated others on your home world, but you could stand to respect your elders more. Stubbornness and curiosity, while often an invitation for trouble, and not necessarily born of darkness."
This eased Mickey's fears a little. "Then I'll be sure to work extra-hard at it!" he said with a grin.
"Glad to hear it," Yen Sid responded.
"So now what to do we do with all these blocks?" Mickey asked.
Yen Sid shook his head, and picked up one of the blocks to carefully meld it between his fingers. "For that world, there is little we can do. It would take years of study for me to determine how a destroyed world could be restored."
"I'll help you!" Mickey offered.
"I appreciate the thought, but I do not think you'd want to stay with me that long," Yen Sid reminded him. "What you can do is help me carry the remaining blocks inside. I believe it would be safe to do so now."
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Mickey did help his master bring in the remaining blocks, although there were three or four outside that were too bulky for them to even fit through the door. For the next week or so, the magic lessons continued, but Mickey took it upon himself to train in other ways: fighting with a weapon. He asked Yen Sid to enchant the broom so that it would spar with him, and the trick worked well. He tried all kinds of weapons when fighting: a staff, a shield, a spear, an axe. But he found himself most comfortable with a small sword. He could lunge and parry so easily he felt it was part of his blood, although he was still prone to making the occasional mistake. Part of him wondered, just a little, if he would ever see that flash of the gold key again. But it never reappeared. The stories he read about the Keyblade must have affected him more than he thought; that was all.
But throughout the continued training, Mickey still worried more than ever about his home. He had always just assumed that when he returned, everyone and everything would be exactly the way it always was. But if things had changed so much for him and for this world, who's to say it didn't happen to his home world, too?
Such thoughts distracted him from even reading his book collection. Instead, he idled up and down the tower stairs, fiddling with one of the smaller gummy blocks. It took lots of effort to mold the thing since it was so solid, but after pressing and pressing and pressing it so much, he had almost squished it flat.
How could he possibly make sure his friends were okay? Yen Sid's crystal balls couldn't find them. Despite all of the magic he'd learned, there was no spell he could use to zap himself back home. Heck, he couldn't even get on the train to go to the main town of this world. And there was no way a new air-plane could survive the space between worlds. After all he'd learned and done, he was still stuck in this tower.
In his frustration, Mickey threw the gummy piece. It didn't drop like a normal rock, but its weight and shape made it spiral down slowly like a feather. Almost like it wished it could fly...
That was it!
Mickey felt the same as when he'd first thought of the air-plane on Pete's steamboat. It seemed like a whole lifetime ago now. But that didn't matter: the gummy blocks had brought darkness to the tower, but they also had a way for him to get home.
The mouse apprentice nearly tripped over his robes as he ran up the stairs. He burst into Yen Sid's study without even bothering to knock.
"Master Yen Sid! I know how I can get back home!" he exclaimed.
The old sorcerer turned around slowly. "I do hope this plan includes remembering to knock in the future."
"Sorry," Mickey apologized, but quickly moved on to his idea. "I can make a new air-plane out of the gummy blocks. They're light enough to fly, see? And since they're pieces of another world they'll be okay in space!"
It was clear that Yen Sid was worried about this, but had trouble actually finding a suitable reason for that worry. "I am not sure how wise that is. Should any part of your vehicle break, you would be killed instantly. And how would you propel it? How would you steer it?"
"Aw, I'll figure that out as I go," Mickey said with supreme confidence. "I've gotta get a bunch of blocks together so I can start building it right away!"
"Do not rush this, Mickey Mouse. I cannot help you on where your world even is. Hurrying off when you are not prepared is foolish."
Mickey's excitement dropped a little. "I know. But I just gotta make sure my friends are okay."
Yen Sid's face finally softened. "Then I will help you."
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Mickey Mouse had tried all sorts of things in his lifetime, as he was always eager to discover something new. However, those ventures often ended in failure. His concert to entertain orphans had not gone well, his stint at bull-fighting resulted in bumps and bruises, and his ghost-hunting business with Donald and Goofy had been rather disastrous on their first job.
But if there was one thing Mickey was good at, it was building things. Transforming his ideas from a thought to something tangible always seemed to come naturally to him. It was a good thing this was the case, as the ship he would build became the basis for all other gummi ships ever used.
Mickey put together his contraption out on the grass, as there was plenty of room to work outside. While building, he always kept an eye out for the shadow-creatures, but they never returned.
It wasn't always easy work. He took all of the best-looking colorful lumps he could find and hammered, pounded, pulled and cut them into the desired shapes. Just shaping the blocks alone took days! But once that was done, he faced an even more difficult task: he couldn't put together the ship until he knew how to propel it. He couldn't use a propeller like on his old plane, because there was no air in space to push it. So he had to find some way to push the ship from the inside.
Yen Sid was able to help him there. After much testing, he found several special blocks that conducted certain kinds of magic. If a powerful fire spell was cast along the conductor block, it would launch the whole ship forward like a shooting star. A pair of rods tied together also served as crude controls to steer the wings and tail. Yen Sid even made him a special glass dome he could see out of, since none of the normal blocks were see-through.
Once the engine and cockpit were in place, putting it together came relatively easy. Mickey had learned from his first attempt with the air-plane, and knew how to give the vehicle better balance. Even better, unlike his old boxes and ropes, these blocks fit together neatly and stayed on without any glue.
It took Mickey many long and tiresome weeks to finish the ship, especially in-between doing magic lessons, fighting lessons, reading and chores. But at long last, his invention sat ready on the lawn. It was completely mis-matched in colors, with a red nose, purple tail, spotted body and orange and yellow wings. But despite its almost comical appearance, it seemed ready to fly.
It wasn't until the contraption was completely put together that Mickey realized his predicament. He had been so caught up in building it that the ramifications completely escaped his mind. How would he be able to find his home world in all that vast space? He didn't even know where to begin looking. And worst of all, he would have to leave his new home and new friend behind. Sure, the tower could be boring at times, but a place was only as boring as you made it. And he had learned so much here! How would he be able to learn more magic and fighting if he went home, where nobody did such things? What if he flew all the way back and no one even believed his story? What if the tower and Yen Sid and the monsters and the brilliant colors all became forgotten?
Or worst of all, what if he flew around in space forever, never finding his world because it was already gone?
These endless questions battered at Mickey's brain, and sent him wandering in a wide circle around his ship. Perhaps it was just a way to delay the actual departure, as people often do when given difficult decisions. But Mickey wandered around the lawns and tower for two days after finishing the ship. He'd probably still be wandering today if Yen Sid hadn't stopped him in the library.
"And here I thought you were eager to leave as soon as possible," Yen Sid interrupted his pacing.
"Oh!" Mickey snapped out of his thoughts, then appeared embarrassed. "I am. I just...am waiting for the right time. Yeah, that's it."
Yen Sid's expression took on a knowing smile. "I see. Well, the skies are clear, with no sign of poor weather. Your ship is ready. It seems now is as good a time as any."
"Sure it is. I only wish I knew where to go." Mickey's uncertainty finally came out.
"The space between worlds is vast, but your heart is the best guide you have. If you follow it, it will lead you back to your home," his master said.
Mickey felt a bit skeptical. "You really think my heart can take me aaaaaall the way there?"
"It brought you this far." The old sorcerer's eyes bored into his apprentice. "You wished fervently to find a new world, and it brought you to this one, even without a ship. I believe that if you wish for it hard enough, it will take you to your home, too."
Mickey could barely comprehend such a thought. "Gosh, the heart's a lot more powerful than I thought."
"Indeed."
And his heart suddenly gave a leap at the reminder of leaving this world. "What about you? What if I never see you again? How will I learn more magic and fighting?"
Yen Sid gave a bit of a chuckle. "Well, if you can fly to your world, I see no reason why you can't fly back. The space between worlds is not a one-way street, after all."
"Haha, I guess you're right!"
"Besides, there is something of mine that you can take with you," the sorcerer added.
Mickey's eyes widened. "There is?"
"Yes." Yen Sid gestured to the library. "The books. Take as many as you can fit on your ship."
Mickey gazed around at all the bound volumes: tales of pirates, monsters, princesses, thieves, fortresses and friends...all his! It just didn't seem right. "But Master Yen Sid, these books are yours!"
"A story is not a story unless it is shared with others," he said, his voice almost commanding. "Take the books, and share them with your friends. You may discover you'll need their magic when you least expect it."
"Gosh..." Any further words escaped Mickey as he began to scoop up his favorite volumes. There wasn't much free space in the primitive spaceship, but at least enough for both mouse and sorcerer to make two trips with their arms full.
And while they were up and about, they gathered the rest of the provisions needed: food and water that would last awhile, clothes, blankets, and a few of Mickey's training weapons. As they loaded up the gummy block ship, Mickey felt the excitement in him grow in proportion to his nervousness. He had never known going home could be such an adventure!
When the ship was finally loaded, Mickey hoped it would still fly. After all, it would be carrying much more than himself now. But there was no turning back now, after so much work, so he had to trust that these strange world-pieces would hold together better than rope and wood.
He now faced his master with hands clasped behind his back. In a way, this was almost harder than being zapped away from his friends unexpectedly. How did he say goodbye to a good friend? Someone he may not see again for a long time, if ever? He just wasn't used to this whole "goodbye" business.
"Master Yen Sid, I, uh..." he twisted his shoe in the sparkling grass." You've done so much for me, and now that I'm leaving I don't know what I can do for you."
The sorcerer did not have to think long. "There is one thing you can do for me."
"What's that?" Mickey asked.
"Just for you to remember." Yen Sid's voice took on that tone that Mickey knew meant this thing was very important. "Remember that when you were alone and had done wrong, that someone took you in and believed in you. Remember that, because you must do the same."
Mickey didn't quite understand, and it showed in his face. Yen Sid continued, "In the future, you may cross paths with a person who is alone and friendless, steeped in darkness. Remember that even great darkness can be overcome if the person's heart thinks of others. Be their friend. Guide them as you were guided, and you may save more than one life. If you pass on what you've been taught, it is the most that you can do for me."
Well, that certainly wasn't the request he'd been expecting. He pondered over this, but couldn't quite imagine a person of darkness who would listen to him. He supposed he'd know such a person when he saw them. "Okay, I'll do it!"
Yen Sid smiled. "Good. You'd best be off, then."
So this was goodbye. Mickey gave his best smile, although it was full of those I'm-gonna-miss-you wrinkles. "I'll visit you soon!"
With that, he climbed inside the teeny cockpit and settled himself onto the squishy blanket-covered seat. The glass dome settled over the top, sealing him inside. With the sorcerer giving him plenty of room, he turned around and created a fire spell on the end of the conductor block.
K-FWOOOOOM! The spark turned into a great burst of flame, propelling the ship forward. Mickey's head plastered against his seat at the burst of speed – he had never gone this fast before! (Not intentionally, anyway.) With no real wheels, the ship skidded across the grass until it sailed off the edge of the floating island and up, up, up into the twilight sky. Mickey kept expecting it to eventually tip over and plunge to the nonexistent ground, but unlike his old plane, it kept climbing upwards. Past the edges of the colorful island, past the clouds, and finally past an invisible wall that looked like a rush of see-through liquid.
Yen Sid watched the ship until it was no more than a twinkle in the sky. Mickey Mouse was gone...but not returning to the world he knew.
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