SUPER DISNEY BROS.

Chapter 41: The Key

Kida would stare at the ocean's horizon where the sun had set hours ago. It had been the same time when King Mickey and the heroes journeyed to Maleficent's island. The bravery in their faces and the light in their hearts left an impression with her. After being kidnapped from her home city of Atlantis, it was miraculous how Moana and Ariel had found each other and then her. They had gone ahead with King Mickey's team to defeat the forces of evil and close the Door to Darkness.

Kida sat on the shore by herself, alone but calm. The beach was gorgeous but she was too uneasy to appreciate it.

How many more times could she pray to her ancestors to help her friends? Could she only wait and dread what kind of danger they were facing? The Heart of Atlantis had not yet recovered from the energy that Maleficent stole. Kida desperately wanted to find a way to quell her heartache.

Wall-E approached her and looked upon her melancholy face with its large, binocular eyes.

"I still owe you a sand castle," said Kida sweetly. She picked herself up from the tall, beach grass and walked to the warmer, dryer area of the beach. Wall-E extended his arm and pulled Kida towards the group of the remaining folks. Kida shyly averted her gaze.

"Well hello! Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier but I am Queen Minnie. How are you doing, dear?"

"I feel fine, I suppose," replied Kida, reluctantly.

"I know it can be a lot to take in, meeting all of us and seeing your friends go," said Queen Minnie.

"Let us know if you need anything, I'm Princess Jasmine," said Jasmine, stepping forward and looking at Kida at her eye level.

"You are very kind. It has been...very." Kida could not finish her sentence. She frantically looked away.

"What's wrong?" asked Belle, worried.

"I'm still trying to getting better after..." said Kida, staring down at the sand.

"After getting turned to stone?" asked Jasmine, sharing a concerning look with Queen Minnie and Belle.

"What? No, how would you think that?" asked Kida incredulously. "Is that what happened to you all?"

"Uh-huh. Belle was telling us how a phantom petrified her and took her away from her castle home," said Queen Minnie.

"How awful," gasped Kida.

"That goes for a lot of us here. Myself, the Queen, and a few of the others who were taken to the ship," said Jasmine. "We're very fortunate that the King came through and saved us."

"Why were you all taken?" asked Kida.

"Mickey said that the villains were collecting strong hearts and stealing their strength to feed the darkness," recalled Queen Minnie.

"I had no idea. They did to you what they did to me," muttered Kida.

"Oh, so they did turn you into stone?" asked Jasmine, confused.

"Or was it something else, dear?" asked Queen Minnie, sweetly.

"We're here for you," added Belle.

Kida took a deep breath and sat down again. The other women sat to listen to her while Wall-E squatted beside her and nuzzled her. When Kuzco approached them to pull Wall-E away for a sand palace project, he could immediately tell there was sensitive tension. He quietly made his exit and took a pleasant stroll to pass the time.

Kida told the story of how she was taken from Atlantis. She could hardly remember how it all happened or how badly destroyed her home was afterwards. She knew she was imprisoned deep underground where she could feel a dark magic stealing the essence of the Heart of Atlantis. She could only explain it to Queen Minnie and the others as a living entity of made of memories and emotions from Atlanteans who lived before her. It possessed a remarkable use for fuel, healing, light, and longevity. It was drained from her body, acting as a host for the Heart of Atlantis, which bestowed the powers of empathy. She could read the kindness and fears from those who had a heart.

Kida went on about how she was rescued by Moana and Ariel who were on the island to find the Door to Darkness. They had put themselves in greater danger to save her.

Without them, Kida knew she would have still stuck in the dungeon and the Heart of Atlantis would have eventually died, leaving her home city to ruin.

"I'm terribly sorry for what you had to go through. But I'm glad to have you here with us where no one can harm you," said Queen Minnie.

"We can all return home once the darkness is defeated at last," said Jasmine.

"It's good that we have many brave friends to help," said Belle.

"Yes, you are right. It is very good. I feel much better now. I must have been holding in all of this pain the whole time I was on the island. Please, tell me about where you're all from."

"Sure!" said Queen Minnie with a charming nod. "Well, King Mickey and I are from-"

"HEEEEEEEY!" yelled Kuzco in the distance. He galloped clumsily on the sand. Kida, Queen Minnie, Jasmine, Belle, and Wall-E leaned and looked at the terrified llama.

"Oh dear! What happened?" asked Queen Minnie.

"You're...gonna freak!" panted Kuzco.

"What? What is it?" asked Jasmine.

"I saw...one of those...creepy-looking things!" exclaimed Kuzco, panicking.

"A Heartless?" asked Kida.

"Yes! Or...whatever they're called." Kuzco pointed a hoof over to the area where he had been strolling. Kida and the others looked and could not see any Heartless. Admittedly, night had fallen and the sky had turned blackish blue, which could have cloaked the creature.

"Are you sure it wasn't...like a really big crab?" guessed Jasmine.

"Yes, I'm sure! It tried to mug me!" fussed Kuzco. He stepped forward and tried to spot the alleged Heartless himself. Kida and the ladies gasped. Even Wall-E jumped and hid behind Kida.

"There it is!" cried Belle.

"See? I told you...so where do you see it?" Kuzco stretched his neck and searched along the shore.

"It's behind you!" shrieked Queen Minnie.

"It's on you! Left flank!" specified Jasmine.

"My left what? Ohhh, you mean my-" Kuzco looked back and yelped. A little Shadow Heartless nibbles and hung onto his llama fur.

"Get it off! GET IT OFF!" Kuzco flailed and hopped. Kida rushed forward and tugged the Shadow away. Kuzco collapsed on the sand and hyperventilated. Kida flung the Shadow in the opposite direction. She hurried back to her group, standing tightly next to one another. Wall-E peeked around Queen Minnie's dress. They watched in terror as the Shadow climbed back to its hind legs and waved its claws. It trudged towards them and leaped. Wall-E knew that his strong, brave friends were gone and no one else was going to save them.

He angrily squeaked and drove in front of everyone.

"Wall-E, watch out!" cried Kida. Queen Minnie, Jasmine, and Belle did not know what to expect. Right as the Shadow was about to land and slash its target, Wall-E flashed a scorching hot, super-thin laser beam across its body. For one whole second, it split in half, down the middle. The next second, it disintegrated into dust and disappeared.

"That was close!" said Queen Minnie in relief.

"Thank you. You are full of surprises, aren't you?" said Kida.

Wall-E squeaked with pride and closed its eyes, hinting at a smile.

"Is it gone?" hollered Kuzco in the distance.

"Yeah, it's gone. But where did it come from? Who summoned it?" wondered Jasmine.

"I don't know. Maleficent and Jafar are on the island. The other villains were defeated," said Queen Minnie.

"Are you sure we're not missing anyone?" asked Kuzco.

"Maybe it's a stray?" guessed Belle.

"Maybe there are others. We need to know where it came from," said Jasmine.

Kida looked up to the haunting darkness in the night sky where a few stars flickered. She was very confused with what she was seeing. One star seemed to vanish. She thought she was miscounting the stars until another one dimmed and disappeared. A toxic ache returned and swelled in her stomach. It was unforgivably familiar.

"The darkness...it's here," muttered Kida.

"What? You don't mean..." Jasmine looked to the rising waves, slamming the sand. Belle listened to the cold wind, rustling the beach grass. Queen Minnie concealed her worst fears and kept her eye on everyone in sight.

"The Door to Darkness. It's getting stronger," said Queen Minnie.

"But that's far, far away from here, right?" asked Kuzco.

"The Door to Darkness is what stands between our world and the world of the Heartless. If it's not sealed, it's going to bring both worlds together. The Heartless...will be everywhere," said Queen Minnie with a tragic tone in her voice.

"No...no, no, no, AHHH!" Kuzco screamed when a puddle of darkness bubbled from the shore. Up to five Shadow Heartless crawled onto the sandy surface. Four more appeared from another growing puddle. All nine Shadows wobbled and hurried to make their first attack.

"Stay close, everyone!" Queen Minnie glanced at her pearl ring, an enchanted gift from King Mickey for her protection. She had used it before long ago at the castle arena when the Heartless had first made their horrifying arrival.

Queen Minnie lifted her hand and cast a shining white barrier, curving into a perfect circle around her friends. Kuzco was thin enough to fit inside the barrier's radius. Wall-E trembled. Jasmine guarded both Belle and Kida. The Heartless were repelled from the barrier but persisted in passing through. Queen Minnie knew well enough what they hungered for: the precious light inside their hearts. They wanted to recover what was taken from them.

If Queen Minnie's barrier had a time limit, then they would have no other means of defense other than to fend for themselves. Even if Kida still had her staff, she could not slay all of them on her own. The Heart of Atlantis overwhelmed her. It drew power from both the kindness of her friends and the darkness from the Heartless.

Kida looked to the horizon, now murky with streams of black and purple. The Door to Darkness was doing something awful. Kida prayed once more for her friends to return safely.

"Oh Mickey! Please hurry," wished Queen Minnie.

King Mickey and EVE raced through the nightmarish landscape. They had reached an incredibly high plane in the world of darkness. The air was thin and cold. There were fewer places for King Mickey on which to walk and run. His impressive jumping ability allowed him to land in tricky area and clear long, deathly gaps in the hollow abyss. EVE was attentive enough to lend a hand when the gaps were far too great.

Together, King Mickey and EVE followed the passing purple gases towards a swirling storm. The base resembled a cauldron, overflowing with the most wretched kind of darkness to exist across all worlds and beyond. It also served as their primary source of light. Everything else that dispelled the darkness was the golden Keyblade and EVE's bright blue eyes.

Whooooooooooosh!

The storm howled and accelerated its windy vortex. King Mickey firmly planted his Keyblade and pressed his feet into the ground. EVE tugged onto his jacket. Both were pulled vigorously and continuously by the growing cyclone of darkness.

The ground crumbled. Stability was lost.

King Mickey cried out as he was lifted beyond his control. EVE was not strong enough to save King Mickey nor herself. King Mickey shouted in horror as EVE's blue eyes shrunk away and dimmed.

"I can do this...I can do this!"

As his body turned, he caught a new pair of eyes. Large, red, and sharp. One second the appeared, the next, they were gone. They reappeared as King Mickey was spiraling around in the vortex. King Mickey clutched his Keyblade, slowly slipping from his hands.

"I can't lose this," grumbled King Mickey. He tried to channel the strength of his heart through his prized weapon. He could not overpower the darkness, squeezing him in a blinding horror.

BAAAAM!

A concussive force, like a massive hand, smacked King Mickey into the depths. He waved his both of his hands helplessly. His Keyblade was gone.

King Mickey later opened his eyes and gasped. It was all but a pitch, black void that engulfed him. Not even the colors of his clothes were visible. King Mickey could not tell whether he was falling or just hovering. Was he lying on his back? Where was up and where was down? Was he even still alive? Was this how it felt to succumb to darkness?

King Mickey felt his whole body burdened by guilt and failure. His friends were too far away to find him. He could only imagine them and their ongoing battle against the most savage Heartless. They had no guarantee of returning home. King Mickey had no plan to even save himself.

"H...hello?" asked King Mickey. His words echoed. "Helloooo? Anyone out there?!"

No answer.

"I don't understand. Was everything we did...for nothing?" asked King Mickey in dismay. His heart dimmed. His body was drained.

"I guess we gave it our best shot. I'm still proud of my friends. We put up one heck of a fight, didn't we?"

No answer.

"What would Minnie even say to me if she knew we failed? Hmmm, I think...she would still believe in me."

King Mickey formed a smile when he replayed every memory he had of her. He remembered the first time they wrote a song together. It was a royal ballad in his honor. He hummed the melody as if she were right beside him.

"Hm-hm-hm, hm-hm-hm, hm, hm-hm, hm-hm!" King Mickey let out a tender laugh. It felt oddly good despite his abysmal predicament. Still, he continued to hum, finding peace however he could in a place where hope would not normally exist. King Mickey did not care. His memory of Queen Minnie was strong enough to keep him afloat in the darkness. It could not snuff the light from his heart.

"M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!" Another voice followed the melody with the right lyrics.

"Huh? Who's there?" asked King Mickey. His eyes shot open. He could see his own clothes again. He wiggled his body forward and floated upright.

"C'mon you don't recognize my voice? It hasn't been that long, has it?" teased the voice of a young man.

"Oh my gosh, you're here too?" asked King Mickey, frantically looking up, down, behind, and every corner in his view.

"Well, no. You once told me that true friends will always be together when it matters. Turns out I can help you even when you're in...well...here...of all places."

"So that means," King Mickey glanced at his chest and tapped where his heart was still beating.

"Eee-yup! Neat little trick, huh?"

"Gosh! You're really something special," said King Mickey.

"Wouldn't know it without meeting you." The young voice let out a humble laugh.

"Well, hot dog! Can you help a friend out?"

"Sure, Your Majesty! Let me just..." The friendly and familiar voice gently grumbled. King Mickey giggled. His fingers glittered and his Keyblade returned. It gleamed with its silver handle and its golden body.

"Hey, it's back!" cried King Mickey in euphoria.

"That's awesome! But...that's not what I was trying to do."

"Huh? Then what were you," King Mickey gasped in confusion. His other hand glittered. A blinding flash sparked before his eyes.

Another item slipped into his grip. He looked down and his jaw dropped.

"But this is yours!" cried King Mickey in sheer awe.

"I'm letting you borrow it. You need it more than I do right now. It's what friends do," offered the young voice.

"But how is this even possible?"

"Hmm, I'm still not sure. I think it's about sharing the light from my heart to yours. My strength is your strength. Anyways, you still got a fight to win."

"Right!" King Mickey took a deep breath and studied his new weapon.

It was another Keyblade, one with a golden handle and a silver body, opposite of his own Keyblade.

King Mickey could feel a new power rise from his heart. He extended both Keyblades and ribbons of golden light shot out from the tips. They joined together and wrapped around King Mickey. His body lifted. King Mickey looked up with determination shining in his eyes. He bolted up like a rocket, soaring through the void. The light of the Keyblades shined immensely and tore apart the dark dimension.

"Thank you...Sora."