KINGDOM HEARTS III: Final Mix
Disclaimer: I do not own the story or characters featured in this story. They are the sole creation of the Walt Disney Co., PIXAR, Marvel Comics, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy.
WARNING! Contains story spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III, so read with caution if you haven't played the game yet.
Chapter 21: Crashing the Wedding
Meanwhile, back at the Castle of Dreams, Riku, Mickey and Aqua were finishing a surveillance over the town and up to the ports for any sign of Lady Tremaine or the Heartless and Unversed, per the King's orders. Collectively, the group breathed a sigh of relief that the perimeter was clear, and they decided to return to the castle.
"I think we owe it to Cinderella and the Prince to stick around for their wedding," Riku told the others. "After all, we did help them reunite with each other."
The team began their approach back to the Castle, when they were stopped by a carriage careening through, nearly running them over.
"Hey, are you trying to kill us, you reckless driver?" Mickey shouted, only for his eyes to widen as he realized the carriage was in fact an Unversed, being driven by a portly greasy-looking man.
"Hey, doesn't that driver look a lot like the cat we fought?" Aqua observed, as the group then came to the realization that Cinderella might be in trouble again. "Cinderella!"
"We've got to get going!" Riku shouted.
"Wait," Aqua told Riku. "There's something I need to do first."
"What do you mean wait? That thing's getting away!" Riku argued.
"Exactly, which is why you'll need a way to get to it faster. Now tap the piece on your shoulder," Aqua instructed to the young teenager, who then reached towards his left shoulder blade and felt a piece of armor not unlike what was part of Aqua's ensemble. Tapping the center of the piece with his fingers, he was adorned with a full suit of Keyblade armor following a flash of light. Observing the suit, Riku was surprised to find the armor was based off a medieval knight with armor plates colored a mix of a smooth silver and ebony black, his helmet curved into the shape similar to a raven's beak, making it almost akin to the look of a plague doctor's mask.
"This is incredible," Riku murmured in awe, before he summoned his Keyblade Braveheart, which morphed into wings that resembled a fallen angel's as he flew off after the Unversed. After patrolling the skies, he eventually caught up to the Unversed and found that Cinderella managed to escape with Jaq before he swooped down and caught the human version of Lucifer, who growled and whined while trapped in Riku's grip.
"You've been a bad kitty," Riku told the slimy cat-man, before dropping him into the pond below. "Have a nice soak, scum!" When he landed, he saw Aqua and Mickey had caught up with Cinderella and Jaq while the carriage Unversed continued to barrel forward towards Riku. Unflinchingly, Riku summoned his Keyblade and used a series of 8 heavy slices to cut through the monster like butter, leaving it to collapse to the ground and disappate in chunks. Relieved that the threat was disposed of, Riku rushed over towards Cinderella and the others.
"Cinderella, what happened? I thought you would be at the wedding already," Aqua asked.
"My stepmother pulled another trick," Cinderella explained. "She got the wand back, and she disguised Anastasia to look just like me, so the Prince couldn't tell he's marrying a fake."
"So he doesn't know the truth?" Mickey asked.
"That's why she sent us away, and turned ol' Lucifer human to try an' kill us!" Jaq added.
"That's crazy!" Riku exclaimed, as he activated his Keyblade armor wings once more and picked up the princess and her mouse friend before taking off for the castle and Aqua and Mickey rode off on Aqua's Keyblade Glider after Riku. "Hang on, you two! We've got a wedding to stop... again!"
Back at the castle, the wedding was already underway, as the King and the disguised Anastasia were walking down the aisle towards the Prince.
"I'll say this much, Cinderella, this has certainly been eventful in more ways than one, but my wife and I always dreamed that this day would come: when our son would find his true love," the King told her.
"So, you just know if it's love or not when your hands meet, or so I've heard?" Anastasia asked.
"Ah, of course; at least that's what my wife and I always believed," he answered as the ceremony officially began and eventually it came time to exchange vows.
Outside of the castle, Riku and the others somehow managed to make it past the guards and arrived the cathedral room right as it came time for Anastasia to give her vow.
"Now, Cinderella, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, for as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked as the woman silently contemplated, her gaze briefly turning towards Lady Tremaine and Drizella, who were hiding behind a large cloth banner out of sight from everyone else.
"Just say 'I do'," Tremaine whispered. "What are you waiting for?" she seethed.
"I..." the disguised Anastasia began, just as Riku and the real Cinderella entered the large room. "I don't."
Everyone was shocked as Riku and Cinderella stepped forward and Lady Tremaine made her way out from her hiding spot.
"You ungrateful child; I gave you everything you could ever want, and yet you ask for more?" Tremaine growled angrily, an aura of darkness starting to overtake her as she let the illusion spell she cast wear off on Anastasia.
"But I want somebody to love me for who I really am," Anastasia told her mother.
"Leave her alone, haven't you done enough?" Riku asked in frustration.
"Silence, boy! I'll show you all what happens when you dare to cross someone like myself!" she bellowed as she cast a spell on the guards who were poised to attack, turning them all into different animals. She then turned her attention towards Riku, Anastasia and the recently arriving Aqua and Mickey. "And now, for you four."
"Ooh, turn them into toads, mother!" Drizella giggled sinisterly, as Tremaine raised her wand up ready to strike, when Cinderella leapt in front of the others.
"No more! You've gone too far this time!" Cinderella called Tremaine out.
"Ah, even better," Tremaine spoke with a grin on her face. "Bippidy Boppidy Boo!"
"Cinderella!" the Prince cried out as he deflected the blast of magic by the wand as it hit back at Tremaine and Drizella; the two of them became shrouded by darkness as the smoke disappeared and revealed a Heartless wearing Tremaine's garments with Drizella transformed into a feral cat Heartless.
"They fell to darkness after all," Aqua observed. "There's only one thing to do now."
"Wait, isn't there another way to save them?" the step-sister asked.
"I'm sorry," Riku told her. "But when someone falls that deep into darkness, it's impossible to pull them back out. This is the most merciful thing we can do for them now." Riku and Aqua then teamed up to take down the Heartless by reflecting back the spells it fired and struck at the two Heartless bosses, eventually cutting them down.
"Is everyone all right?" Anastasia asked as the chaos died down, then she looked at the King and Duke.
"My nerves can't take much more of this," the King groaned, before he took notice of Anastasia stepping forward, returning the sea shell he gave her earlier.
"I'm sorry for everything, your Majesty," she apologized. "I don't deserve this gift." She was then surprised to find him closing her palm shut to keep the shell. "I don't understand."
"Everyone deserves a chance for a happy ending, dear," he told her warmly. Cinderella and the others looked onward, knowing Anastasia had finally broken free and found a way to carve out her own path.
"Well, all's well that ends well, huh?" Mickey asked the others, before he and Riku noticed Aqua was beginning to fade away. "Aqua! What's happening?"
"You both already know I don't belong in this world. The real me is still out there somewhere, but you taught me something important. Before today, I was taught that people who spent their lives living in darkness could never be able to turn things around; that thoseven surrounded by darkness should be destroyed... but there's still always that one glimmer of light that never goes out, no matter what. Thank you for showing me that: Riku, Mickey, and especially you, Anastasia. Someday, I think we'll meet again, for real. Goodbye." After telling the group her message of gratitude, she disappeared into particles of light, leaving Riku and Mickey lost in thought.
"Do the two of you have to go so soon?" Cinderella asked.
"I'm afraid so, but sometime the two of us will return with our friends to visit you, Cinderelly," Riku said with a smile as everyone briefly shared a laugh.
"Goodbye, you guys!" Jaq told the others as they summoned a portal outside and started to walk down to return over by the building is made to change if they were ever looking for her. The two of them bid farewell to the others and continued their journey to find those whose hearts were joined to Sora.
And that finishes this another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this little update, and please remember to leave a review! See you all next time, and may your heart be your guiding key.