Kingdom Hearts Alpha
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters and settings. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.
Chapter 34: Pooh and Pinoke
As Sora and the heroes left Agrabah, Aqua felt a horrible sensation as they were flying back to Traverse Town.
"Aqua, are you okay?" Donald asked.
"I feel something terrible has happened. It's as though millions of voices screamed out for mercy, and then were wiped from existence." Aqua answered solemnly.
"Well, don't worry though. We're almost back at Traverse Town." Donald assured to the mortified Keyblade Master and her concerned ward Sora. "Won't Merlin be happy to hear we got a page back for his book." Entering the world through the save point of the Accessory Shop, the group then saw a wooden figure hiding under the service desk. As they went over, Jiminy popped out, recognizing him immediately.
"Well, as I live and breathe, if it isn't Pinocchio," Jiminy said in relief that he was reunited with his friend.
"Oh, hi, Jiminy," the puppet greeted.
"Guys, I'm Pinocchio's conscience. The Blue Fairy appointed me to help show him right from wrong. But what are you doing all the way out here, with a treasure ball?" Jiminy explained before asking Pinocchio why he had a blue treasure ball with him.
"I found it, while playing hide and seek." Pinocchio answered.
"And here I was, worried sick wherever you were..." Jiminy mumbled to himself before he saw Pinocchio's nose grow long.
"Pinocchio! Now are you telling the truth? You know what happens when you lie. It grows and grows until you get caught, plain as the nose on your face."
"Of course, but if you want something, why wait?" Pinocchio said as he spoke his mind about the treasure ball he got. "Why not just take it?"
"Now where did you hear that?" Jiminy asked. "You need somebody around that can help you behave."
"That's right!" Pinocchio confessed. "I'll behave myself as long as you're around." And with that, Pinocchio's nose shrank back to its regular size.
"On another note, where's Gepetto?"
"I haven't seen father ever since we were separated." Pinocchio answered Jiminy. "You'll find him, right?"
"Of course we will!" Jiminy assured to the confusion of the rest of the group.
"You could've asked us first," Aqua muttered to the cricket as they bid Pinocchio farewell and went off to Merlin's place.
"Ah, it's good to see you all again," Merlin greeted as the group entered. "What can I help you with?"
"We have one of the pages for your book." Sora answered as he showed the page to the wizard who placed it back inside the book and invited the Keybearer to observe it alongside Aqua. With a flash of light, they were pulled inside the book and landed in between its pages as a pathway opened for a space where a log for reflection and solitude sat.
The group then entered the page, and saw a small fluffy yellow bear, sitting on the log, lost in thought.
"Think, think, think..." it mumbled to itself.
"Hello, what are you doing?" Aqua asked.
"Oh, nothing," the bear answered. "Just- thinking."
"About what?" Sora questioned.
"On how to say goodbye to Pooh." the bear replied.
"To Pooh?"
"Yes?"
"Wait a second, so you're Pooh?" Sora asked.
"Yep, my name's Winnie the Pooh, or Pooh, for short."
"I'm Sora." Sora introduced himself.
"And my name is Master Aqua. I think I remember meeting you once years ago."
"Hello, you two. Have you come to say goodbye to Pooh too?" Pooh asked.
"Why would we? We only just met."
"Because everybody else is gone. Me and my friends used to live together in the Hundred-Acre Wood. We'd eat hunny, play Pooh sticks, and even watch the stars together. But now, all of them are gone, my friends, and even my favorite hunny tree too! But who knows? Perhaps I'll be going away somewhere as well. But I wonder, how do I say goodbye to myself?" Pooh explained before thinking out loud to himself again.
"I don't really know." Aqua answered sadly to the bear.
"Ohh, I think I feel my tummy rumbling for some hunny." Pooh said almost absentmindedly, as he set back out for his house.
(World Name: 100 Acre Wood. A group of bees float around in the air as drops of honey form the words '100 Acre Woods' which appear beside a oak tree.)
The two heroes then left the thinking spot and set off for Pooh's house which also showed an Owl perched over by a sign while Pooh was inside searching for jars of hunny.
"Oh, you two are both new here. Welcome to the Hundred Acre Wood. My name is Owl, and if you have any questions, just be sure to ask me. In the meantime, I can also tell you a story about my great uncle Clyde, who didn't give a hoot about tradition." Owl said as he went into a long yarn about the story of a owl who became enamored with a pussycat and lived his life on a boat.
"Uh, thank you, but we need to go see if Pooh found his hunny yet." Sora interrupted as politely as he could as the two heroes went inside Pooh's house.
Jiminy's Journal
* Winnie the Pooh- A little bear living in the Hundred-Acre Wood. His favorite food is honey, but being a bear of very little brain, makes him rather absent-minded. Sometimes he even forgets what he was trying to remember. He warmed up the screen in "Winnie the Pooh and the Hunny Tree" (1966).
* Owl- The wisest resident of the Hundred-Acre Wood. Whenever anyone has a question they can't answer, they ask the Owl... though Owl isn't always right! Owl likes to talk, but sometimes he puts his listeners to sleep. He showed us the wisdom of his ways in "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" (1968).
* Pinocchio- A puppet crafted by the clock-maker Gepetto. The magical Blue Fairy brought him to life to answer Gepetto's prayers for a son. He must learn courage, kindness, and honesty to prove he's worthy of becoming a real boy. It's Jiminy's job to keep Pinocchio out of trouble. There were no strings to hold him down in "Pinocchio" (1940).
And that concludes yet another update. Please remember to review and share this story to help spread awareness and keep it going. See you all next time, and have a Happy New Year!