With a single downward chop of the Keyblade, Sora slices through Dr. Finkelstein's research subject, the last Heartless in Halloween Town. He grins, glad to have ended the threat before the forces of Darkness could disrupt the strange merriment of this unique world.
Jack isn't so sanguine, however, sitting at the edge of the slab with his skull held in his hands. Sally stands beside him with a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Please Jack, you've got to perk up!" the patchwork girl encourages him. "There's not much time left until Halloween, and there's still a festival to be planned!"
The Pumpkin King sighs, looking up at the girl with sad eye-sockets. "Oh, how can I plan another festival now? My last plan nearly got everyone in town killed! I could have ended Halloween itself! Oh, why didn't I listen to you, Sally?"
"Or me," Azlyn mutters to Sora and Telary. The mage rolls his eyes at her, and Sora shakes his head.
"I forgive you, Jack," Sally says, bringing some hope back to the skeleton man's face. She shakes her head and chuckles. "I know how you can be, how your enthusiasm leads you to make reckless choices." She bends down to look him in the sockets. "But it's also what makes your successful Halloweens so great. You can't lose all that now, just because of one little mistake. In fact, we're going to need that enthusiasm more than ever!"
Jack smiles, perking up in a flash. "Thank you Sally. You always know just how to make me feel better!"
"Oh, Jack!" The patchwork girl smiles and looks away, a recognizable tinge of red coloring her cheeks.
"I just don't understand it," Dr. Finkelstein sighs from his work desk, where he's been frustratedly pouring over his research notes. "I had emotions, I had memory, I put everything I needed into that heart and the confounded thing never worked! It's inconceivable!"
Sora frowns and looks at the doctor inquisitively. "But, Doctor, you told us you made Sally." He gestures to the slab, where Jack and Sally are giving each other soulful looks, seemingly lost in their own world. "And if I had to guess, I'd say she has a heart. Why didn't you just make this heart the way you did Sally's?"
The Doctor frowns and grazes his chin, then unhinges his cranium and gives his brain a good scratch. It's still as gross as it was before. "It's the damndest thing, but do you know I never gave Sally a heart? When I first created her, she was just a soulless automaton, did all my bidding without question. Over time, time with Jack, it seemed she developed a heart of her own. One week she's a useful servant, the next she's a flighty girl who thinks she knows better than her creator!"
"I think the lesson here," Telary posits sagely, "is that when it comes to the heart, you can't rush things. You've just got to let it develop over time."
"Actually," Azlyn chimes in, looking smugly amused, "I think the lesson is 'Don't use creatures of pure Darkness as performers in musical entertainment', personally."
Everyone has a good chuckle at that.
"Sora, Azlyn, Telary," Jack says, extricating himself from Sally's gaze and standing before the trio, "I want to thank you for saving Halloween Town's citizens, and helping me come to my senses." His grin grows more pronounced. "And, I'd like to invite you all on as official members of the Halloween Planning Committee, to help generate new ideas for Halloween. I'd really appreciate your help. Especially you, Azlyn!"
Sora looks bewildered at that. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Jack exclaims, putting a bony hand on the knight's shoulder. She gives it a sneer and he removes it quickly. "The way she moves, how she fights, her feats of acrobatics! C'mon now, I can always recognize a trained dancer when I see one!"
Sora gives the knight a look of pure delight, and Telary smiles softly at her as well. Azlyn looks away, blushing.
"You took dance classes?" Sora guffaws. "What, were you like some kind of ballerina? Did you wear a tutu? Oh, man, this is hilarious!"
The girl scowls at him, but there's not much malice behind it. In a way, she's relieved that this is out in the open. "Well, when I turned nine, I told the King that I wanted to start fighting lessons, that I wanted to be a Royal Guard. He said he'd do his best, but there weren't actually any fighting classes, not even for boys, so I signed up for dance instead. Purely as a tool of combat, you understand. But, it turned out to not be so bad." She puffs up proudly. "I happen to have several medals for it, if you must know!"
Sora smiles at her teasingly. "Well, why don't you give us a little demonstration?"
"Would you please?" Jack pleads, clasping his hands together in prayer. "I'd love to incorporate some more professional moves."
Azlyn sighs, but nods her assent. The group heads out into town square, where a few monsters are milling around. Including, luckily, the singing vampires.
Jack explains the situation to them and they all pull out stringed instruments and begin to play. Azlyn takes position in a clear area, and when the music kicks in, she begins to dance.
She whirls and twirls, pirouetting across the square as graceful as a gazelle, every movement perfectly in time to the beat.
Sora smiles as he watches the display, and thinks of Kairi. Truth be told, Sora has had some dance lessons himself. He and Kairi were eight and the girl had been insistent. Never one to say no to his friend, Sora had agreed to enroll with her. It had only lasted a month, until Riku found out and used it as ammo for merciless teasing, but the Keybearer still remembers every lesson, especially the dances he was partnered with Kairi for.
He pictures it now, the two of them dancing together, not as eight year olds, but as they are now. It brings a tear to his eye, which he quickly and self-consciously wipes away.
Jack has no such qualms, letting the tears dribble from his sockets unchecked as he watches the magnificent performance.
And Telary watches his counterpart as well. He's seen her do this before, had been at every recital to support her when he was younger, but it's been years since the knight has danced publically. Her form is different now, more graceful and elegant than it had been during her younger years.
It's beautiful.
After several minutes the music fades and Azlyn stops, arms raised and feet pointed. The entire square erupts in joyous applause.
No one claps louder than Sora and Telary, though.
The girl gives a gracious bow, then a deep curtsy. Applause still ringing out in the square, she approaches her companions and Jack.
"Ta da," she says, no emotion apparent in her voice. In her heart though, she's glad to have had another chance to wow a crowd with her skills, like she hasn't in years. It reminds her of what it's like to truly be a child again.
"Simply wonderful," Jack gushes, wiping away tears from his skeletal face. "You all simply must stay and help plan Halloween!"
Sora frowns at the Pumpkin King. "I wish we could, but there are things we've got to do. Y'know, other holidays to save!"
Jack nods amiably, leaning down into a bow so low his forehead touches the pavement. He rises again and gives the trio a grin. "Until next time."
"Next time," Sora agrees with a nod. With another wave, he turns and walks for the town's exit. As he goes, the citizens applaud once more for the conquering heroes. Their saviors.
"Now this is more like it," Azlyn comments. "Not a rotten fruit in sight."
Jack watches them go, thinking on Sora's last words. He scratches his bony chin, contemplating. "Other holidays? Hm…"