Chapter 57: Failsafe
A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Studios. I also do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher. I do not own Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck Ruffhouse Rat or…virtually any character in this chapter, including those from the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck comic books.
This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way whatsoever.
Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this one out—I've had this particular idea kicking around in my head for a very long time and I am beyond excited to share this all with you.
It's been a long, long road so far, and we've got a ways to go yet, but I am very happy to be writing a story so many of you enjoy. It's definitely been a labor of love.
Oh, and as a special message to my dear reader Mimi, the story has now hit the benchmark of 350,000 words.
Read on!
It had been several days since Roxas and Xion had left Disney Castle and Hayner was still trying to get used to his own new routines. He awoke at the crack of dawn every morning to meet with the musketeers. Several of them had withdrawn from the training, but there were a few still active: the duck called Mallard had dropped out, but there was another duck named Dugan; there were three of the mice left—Monty, Marcus and Melvin; finally, the last of their group was Gilbert Goof, Goofy's nephew.
Every day was the same—up at dawn, then ten laps, then sparring for two hours, then practicing with their muskets. Now that was something that was very weird. Hayner's dad had taken him skeet shooting a few times, but that was very different from firing muskets—or what passed for muskets in Disney Town. Hayner didn't know all that much about guns, but he did remember reading that historically, muskets had to be reloaded after every shot they fired. The muskets could fire nearly continuously from what Hayner could tell. Confusing as it was, the training was worth it. Hayner could feel himself getting stronger already. When he sparred with Commander Ruffhouse, he could last five or six minutes now, which according to Ruffhouse could make a huge difference in a real fight.
"Men!" Commander Ruffhouse shouted. "Gather round, gather round. I've been speaking with Queen Minnie and she thinks it's time that you go forth on a more serious mission."
"It hardly seems appropriate," Gilbert interrupted. "Collectively, our experience in combat cannot even be called middling. The parameters of such seem quite foolhardy. More to the point—"
"That's enough out of you, Goof," Commander Ruffhouse barked. "You will serve Queen Minnie and King Mickey and if they wish you to continue your training, then you will do so. No questions—serve King and Country!"
"Serve King and Country!" Monty, Marcus and Melvin shouted in unison, in their squeaky voices.
Hayner felt his ears begin to burn—technically, he wasn't one of King Mickey and Queen Minnie's subjects. But the urge he felt in his stomach, the driving need to help…he still dreamed about it. He hadn't again dreamed about diving…or flying…or whatever it was that got him his sword. Instead, he dreamed about fighting in Twilight Town and Radiant Garden—fighting Heartless and Nobodies and even that Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.
"Now then," Ruffhouse said. "If you would all follow me, we can begin the next aspect of your training."
With that, he began leading them down the path, away from the barracks, back into town. Hayner had spent some time in Disney Town, mostly walking to and from the castle, so he didn't really know his way around beyond the immediate paths. Everyone else, however, knew this world like the back of their hands.
Down the path, through the musical courtyard, where the three little pigs were singing another one of their little songs. They had a…little wolf with them. While the pigs played a flute, a little violin and a little piano, the little wolf was playing a little kettle drum.
"Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Big Bad Wolf? Big Bad Wolf? Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Certainly not I!"
"Ah," Ruffhouse chuckled. "That never gets old, even after all these decades."
Not for the first time, Hayner wondered just how old everyone was on this world. Decades? Those pigs had been singing their little song for decades? And they still weren't tired of it yet? That was…odd. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad, it was just odd. Hayner wasn't sure there was anything his parents still loved from their childhood. Hayner exhaled slowly as Ruffhouse led them further through through the town. They passed several shops—though more than a few of them were little more than glorified kiosks.
"Stuffed animals!" A very large duck wearing a purple skirt and a straw hat called out. "Plush, felt, and cloth! Stuffed animals here—we have lions, tigers and bears!"
"Oh my…" Dugan Duck said. "That sounds awfully dangerous…ooof!"
Just as he was speaking, Dugan tripped over his own feet, flew into the air, rolled around head over heels, caught a clothesline and dangled…probably thirty feet in the air.
"I'm okay!" Dugan called. "I'm okay! Now…um…hmmm, how do I get down?"
Hayner winced. Dugan was nice enough, but he was more than a bit accident-prone. He reminded him a bit of Donald's cousin Fethry. Beside him, Gilbert rolled his eyes.
"Typical," Gilbert muttered. "It would come to pass that those of us who do not have circumstances manipulated into our favor would have to suffer unjustly. And of course then it comes upon those of us who have the good sense to avoid such pitfalls are thus endangered having to bring them back to safety."
Hayner grit his teeth. Gilbert could be a real know-it-all, which Hayner was actually used to, after all the years with Pence and his computers. But this was beyond the pale—it wasn't like Dugan had gotten himself stuck up there by being stupid.
"Look buddy," Hayner whispered. "I don't care how smart you think you are. Dugan's not a bad guy and he's working with us, so you're going to respect him. Or I'll tell Goofy on you."
"I am not afraid of my uncle's discipline," Gilbert said. "Goodness knows that as charming as he is, he's hardly what one would call strict."
"Shut up," Hayner muttered. "Commander Ruffhouse, how are we going to get Dugan down from there?"
"Well, the first thing to do is make sure we have a clear landing," Ruffhouse said, rolling up his sleeves. "It won't do any good to get to him and wind up with two compromised musketeers."
"Gah!" Dugan cried as a gust of wind began to blow. His grip on the clothesline slipped, and he was only holding on by one hand. "I'm still okay…I think!"
"We have to hurry," Hayner shouted. "Commander Ruffhouse, I've seen Keybearers climb up walls as if gravity meant nothing to them. Is that something you can do too?"
"That's beyond my abilities," Ruffhouse said. "We're wasting time, talking. We need to move, now!"
"Gaaaaaahhhh!"
Hayner gasped. The wind was picking up again and Dugan was desperately trying to maintain his grip. He looked really young.
"A musketeer recruit, stuck on the line? Looks like it's Captain Justice's time to shine!"
Around the bend, a very large cat…bear…man came running up. He wore a white suit adorned with yellow and orange lightning bolts. Hayner grinned. He hadn't seen Captain Justice running around since he had been fixing up all the stuff the triplet ducklings had smashed. Captain Justice leapt up, far higher than it looked like he should have been able to, given his size. He only made it about ten feet in the air before he landed and jumped up again…this time he made it twenty feet. And then…
"And here we go!" Captain Justice called out as he grabbed Dugan around the waist and lowered him back to the ground. "You are safe now…er…Captain Justice says so!"
Oh yeah, Hayner had forgotten that Captain Justice was always trying to speak in rhyme. Either way, he had managed to get Dugan down before anyone else did.
"You alright, Dugan?"
"Yeah…I think so," Dugan said. "Er…sorry, I didn't realize Hayner had two twin brothers."
Twin brothers? Hayner cuffed Dugan upside the head. The duck shook his head rapidly and nodded.
"Oh…that's better. Thanks," Dugan said. "And thank you, Captain Justice—wait, where you going?"
"Er…" Captain Justice said, as he took a few steps back. "I'm…I hear another call for help—I really must be going…"
Without another word, Captain Justice set off, running as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Darned tragedy," Ruffhouse muttered. "He's so worried about people judging him for his father's actions, he doesn't stick around long enough for anyone to actually judge him for him."
Haryner grimaced as Ruffhouse continued to lead them down the path. In due time, they reached the castle, but rather than lead them to the throne room, or even the Hall of the Cornerstone, Ruffhouse led them to a room filled with some of the strangest looking computers Hayner had ever seen. Oddly, Pence was nowhere to be seen. That was too bad. He would have loved this.
"Men," Ruffhouse said. "This is the next step in your training. McDuck!"
"Down here, m'boy," Scrooge McDuck called. He was crouched over a keyboard. "I swear, Gyro's never around when I actually need him. This sort of thing is far closer to his line of work, it is. But nooooo, he had to go and get himself stuck—I have told him six hundred and eighty one times that Fethry is a Code Yellow at minimum, and that the orders from the King and Queen take priority…blast it all…"
"Hi, Unca Scrooge!" Dugan called.
"Yes, hello Dugan," Scrooge said, nodding politely. "And another thing, Ruffhouse, you can tell King Mickey that I will be expecting a tidy—"
"Enough!" Ruffhouse snapped. "You want my cousins to pay your weight in gold—I know. Everybody knows, McDuck. You're the richest duck in the world."
"In any world," Scrooge interrupted. "I have businesses on a dozen worlds and have established mines in several locations through my Gummi travels. Which got you the hard metals you needed to support these computers, I might add!"
"Very well!" Ruffhouse scowled and turned back to Hayner and the other recruits. "Now, these computers are designed to help us simulate combat scenarios. It allows for a bit more of a diverse training than sparring alone, especially since none of you is adept at casting magic."
He pressed a few buttons and there was a flash of light. A Shadow Heartless arose from the ground. Hayner snarled and summoned his Dream Sword—he still hadn't really come up with a decent name for it. But that didn't matter—there were Heartless in the Castle. He slashed out his sword and it caught the Heartless in the throat. The monster exploded…with a flash of light. Wait a second…Hayner had fought a fair few Heartless now and then—but they had never exploded like that…
"Excellent reflexes, my boy," Ruffhouse said. "Go in fast and strike at a weak spot. Well done!"
"It's just a simulation?" Hayner asked. "This is the next step…I get it."
"Yes," Ruffhouse said. "It is—simulations that will allow you to fight against enemies before facing the real…augh!"
Another Heartless, like a giant floating balloon with teeth and horns, emerged. It bared its teeth and glided towards Ruffhouse. He slammed his left fist into what would have been its jaw. Hayner finished it off with a swipe from his sword.
"I get the idea," Hayner said. "But yah think you could hold off on the practice until we're all ready? Or is that the idea—you never know when you'll need to be ready?"
"That kind wasn't in the programming, boyo," Scrooge said. He gripped his cane and the tip began to glow. "Something's gone very wrong indeed…"
oooo
Deep in the archives, Olette and Ienzo were pouring over a star atlas. Ienzo had circled a half dozen stars that were actually worlds—among them were Destiny Islands, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town and Disney Castle.
"These four worlds in particular are all on a near exact timeline. Regardless of the differences in technology or the anatomy of the inhabitants." Ienoz scratched his chin. "The most curious thing about this is the inclusion of Twilight Town."
"You said that Twilight Town is in the Realm of In Between," Olette said. "And that means that it's between the Realms of Light and Darkness. I don't understand how that works…"
"Well, the Realm of In Between is just that," Ienzo said. "It's where…let's say aberrations exist. When Nobodies are created, the Realm of In Between is where they awaken, so to speak. Twilight Town is the exact center of the Realm of In Between and it is where Roxas awoke. And Castle Oblivion—or rather, the Land of Departure—is where Naminé awoke. There are other differences and distinctions of course—the day and night cycle in Twilight Town, for instance."
"Yeah…" Olette said. "It's still a little weird, looking out a window and seeing blue skies instead of orange ones, but at the same time…there's something familiar about it."
"Yes," Ienzo said. "I think I understand. Now…one other thing to note is that when one of the worlds of that Realm is that they cannot fall to darkness. Despite ample opportunity, neither Twilight Town nor Traverse Town nor Castle Oblivion fell to darkness. Not even the World That Never Was was taken by the Heartless."
"Does that matter?" Olette asked. "I'm still new to all this…mostly…"
"It could be. The last time that Maleficent sought conquest, and was actively pursuing it," Ienzo said. "She saw dozens upon dozens of worlds fall. But this time…she hasn't been particularly successful. Roxas and Xion have either thwarted her machinations from occurring or else arrived in time to alleviate them—and the end result is the same, as the worlds are protected. Something's changed…"
"But…didn't you say earlier that she's been back for a long time?" Olette asked. "Like right after Sora and Donald and Goofy all woke up?"
"Yes, and in that time, the Organization opposed her as much as Sora did," Ienzo ran a hand through his hair. "But what's the significance?"
"Well…" Olette said. "Maleficent could be trying to find ways that make her live forever. That way, she doesn't have to worry about it if Roxas and Xion fight her and beat her, because she can't die?"
The thought of that was terrifying, to say the least. Olette let go a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It was scary…trying to think of what people like that were planning. She placed a hand over her own heart. Master Yen Sid said that she was one of the Princesses of Heart…that her heart was free from darkness. Olette had felt uneasy about that before and she still didn't like the sounds of that.
My heart can't truly be pure…no heart is pure…I'm not special because my heart is pure…
"Yes, a quest for immortality—that much is apparent, but what villain hasn't sought a way to either ensure their immortality or else their legacy continued forever more?" Ienzo shook his head. "I…Olette, are you alright?"
Olette felt her earns burn. She wasn't sure just how badly her concern showed on her face, but she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself. Ienzo seemed to understand this, since he patted her gently on the shoulder before turning back to the star charts.
"Now, Maleficent has made attempts to strike at these three worlds…" Ienzo said. "But none of them are in close proximity to one another in terms of the expanse of time. A lot of world travelers don't realize that time actually passes differently between individual worlds—as I understand it, in this particular world—Sleepy Hollow—the time is much more expedient outside its borders."
Olette pinched her nose. This talk of other worlds and other times…it was even more confusing than the idea that there were other worlds to begin with. She inhaled deeply.
Dong! Dong! Dong! Don—
"What…was that?" Ienzo asked, rising from his seat slowly. "Did…you hear something?"
"It sounded…like an alarm," Olette said. "But…if it was an alarm, why did it stop? The fire drills we have at school have the alarms go for five minutes."
"That doesn't sound like a fire drill…" Ienzo said. "We should probably stay here. This particular nook of the castle is out of the way and any interlopers would likely pay it little mind. We are safe here."
"But…somebody might be in trouble," Olette said, wringing her hands. "We can't just stay put while others might be in trouble."
Horrible images flashed through her mind—Xion, broken and bleeding on the ground, with Sephiroth looming over her prone body; Roxas struggling with a hooded figure that gripped him by both arms, his Keyblades broken on the ground; King Mickey overrun by Heartless; Father Forthill dragged from his church and…she shook her head. She couldn't bear the thought of that.
"Please, Ienzo," Olette whispered. "Can't we go?"
It wasn't a fair question and Olette knew it. She couldn't fight. She'd never been good at fighting. She wasn't even that good at running away. Ienzo glanced at her and then at the door. There was a loud bang somewhere far away…and then, Olette was sure she could hear people screaming.
"We're safer here…" Ienzo said, but there was a quiver in his voice. Almost as if he didn't believe it. He reached for a very large tome that Olette didn't recognize. "But…"
He trailed off, not finishing what he had been about to say. If anything, Ienzo looked almost distracted.
"It's happening again…" Ienzo whispered. "Just like before…with the Garden…I…it cannot be so…he's gone."
There was a bang at the door. And then another…and then another…someone was trying to break in.
"Raaah!"
The door was wrenched away and Olette screamed. Standing in the doorway was a tall…goat-man. Olette's stomach leapt into her throat.
"At last, I've found you!" The goat-man cackled, jabbing a finger towards Olette. "I like what I keep, I keep what I like. I like my stuff! You are a princess, with a heart most fine. You'll be my stuff, I'll keep you, you're mine!"
"Another rhymester?" Ienzo scowled, stepping in front of Olette. "You'll have to get through me, to get to her!"
"Hmm…I don't like you, I don't want you!" The goat-man snapped. "I keep what I like, I like what I keep. Get in my way? I'll put you to sleep!"
The goat-man was taller than Olette, but not quite as tall as Ienzo. So when Ienzo seized his book and threw it, it hit the goat-man squarely in the nose.
"Yaaah!" The goat-man wailed and he collapsed to the floor. "My nose! It hurts, it does! I do not like this, I do not want to keep! I want what I want. I want that girl. That's what I was told. I was told to get the girl…"
"I knew we couldn't count on ya."
A new figure stepped into the doorway. He was much, much larger than the goat-man was. He was almost as tall as Axel and much, much wider. Olette wasn't even sure that he could fit through the doorframe.
"Pete?"
"Pete? Pah!" The cat…bear…man said. "I ain't Pete. I'm his twin cousin, Zeke!"
Twin cousins? That wasn't…well, technically it was possible, if the parents themselves had been two sets of twins…but Olette doubted that was what Zeke meant.
"This stupid old billy goat was never any good at fighting!" Zeke said. "But me…well, I ain't no slouchy slouch!"
He marched forward and shoved himself through the doorway. There would be very little room to be able to fight.
"Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Zeke cackled. "The easy way is ya come along with me so Missie Maleficent can do wit' you what she pleases. The hard way is ya fight me, I beat ya senseless and then I bring ya to Missie Maleficent."
"Gladio!" Olette cried, holding up her hand. A beam of light, shaped like a small sword, shot out of her palm and struck Zeke squarely in the belly.
"Yeee-owww!" Zeke wailed as he fell over backwards…on top of the goat-man's horns. "Yaaaaaaaa-iiieeeee!"
"Run!"
Olette and Ienzo took off as fast as they could—Zeke tried to reach out an arm to grab Olette around the ankle, but he missed. And Ienzo reared back and kicked him in the nose.
"Yooooowwwwww!"
"We need to get away…as fast as we can," Ienzo shouted, gripping Olette's arm as they ran. "Do you remember where the others are?"
"Hayner's with the musketeers, remember?" Olette answered. "And Pence…well, actually I'm not sure where Pence is…"
Where was Pence? Olette hadn't seen him since…it'd been what, three or four days now? She felt her stomach leap back into her throat. Behind her, she could hear Zeke and the goat-man roaring their outrage as they ran after them.
oooo
Hayner wasn't sure where in the castle they were now. He knew his way around the town, but the castle was another story. He was fairly certain that, in addition to the magical brooms that
"Create a simulation that utilizes Heartless—what imbecilic dunderheaded obtuse Nimord—"
"Goof!" Ruffhouse snapped. "That's quite enough! That's not going to solve our problem, so leave it be."
"I swear, nobody appreciates my—"
"Shut up!" Hayner shouted. "We've fought probably fifty Heartless, and by we, I mean me and the Commander. I haven't seen you do anything but whine about it!"
"Do you know who I am?" Gilbert spat. "I have the highest intelligence quotient out of anyone in this world. I hold three Masters' degrees. I—"
"You're a stuck-up, self-righteous know-it-all," Hayner interrupted. "I've fought beside people with none of that worth a hundred of you!"
SMASH!
"Hold up! Hold up!" Monty said, stepping in between Hayner and Gilbert. "We know the Heartless are coming, right? And that means that the Cornerstone must be under attack again. So it seems to me, that the thing that makes the most sense is to try and find a way "
"I don't believe the Cornerstone is under threat," Gilbert said. "Rest assured, tighter security measures would have been put in place to prevent its fracturing from over-zealous Keybearers lacking in self-restraint."
Hayner lunged for Gilbert, aiming to get his hands around the little jackass's throat, but Dugan got there first.
Pow!
"Enough!" Dugan shouted. "You think that just because you have a bunch of fancy certificates that makes you better than anyone else?"
"Dho!" Gilbert said, clutching his nose. "But I doo dnow how to fid dis."
Hayner grimaced and fished through his pockets for a Potion. Ice-cream stick with the word "Winner" printed on it—oh, that was worth a freebie…old picture of him and Pence and Olette on the last day of school…a paper airplane…ah, a Hi-Potion, even better. He'd get this mission settled…and then as soon as it was over, he'd pound Gilbert into the ground from insulting Xion. Or tell on him to Roxas and then watch the show.
"Danks," Gilbert muttered, taking the Hi-Potion. He downed it in a single gulp and gagged. "Blech. It is most unfortunate that there is no way to sweeten this without compromising the healing effects but no matter. I know what to do. The computerized defense systems that King Mickey set up with Ansem the Wise should be online, albeit in a passive state. But if we set them to active, we should be able to eliminate any Heartless threat immediately."
"That sounds very reasonable," Ruffhouse said. "But know this—you are on thin ice, Goof. I will not tolerate any more insults, directed at anyone. Is that clear?"
"Yes," Gilbert answered through gritted teeth. "It is clear."
"Very good," Ruffhouse said. "And in the meantime—gaaack…"
Ruffhouse dropped like a stone. A glowing beam of purple energy burned on his chest. He didn't get up. Bile rose in Hayner's throat.
"Another one bites the dust!"
Hayner turned around and looked up. Standing against a podium was a tall man holding a…blaster? Some sort of arrow gun? And wearing a black robe?
"Who the heck are you?" Hayner snapped. "Ansem?"
"Ansem?! As if!" The man scoffed. "The name's Xigbar. Got it memorized? Now, hold still…"
He blasted his arrow gun again and Hayner dove to the side. The bolt hit a wall, blasting a hole the size of a dinner plate into the brick. Hayner leapt to his feet, gripping his sword with both hands. He tried not to tremble. He had to focus. Commander Ruffhouse was down…probably for good. But he could stand against this guy…
Wait a second, what was he even doing here? That was an Organization cloak…but Sora had beaten them all. Axel and Isa still had their robes…but…no, there couldn't be any others…
"I object, interloper!" Gilbert said, stepping forward. "You have no business here!"
Gilbert still had his empty Hi-Potion bottle gripped in his hand and squeezed. It shattered as he did so and then he threw the glass at Xigbar.
"Yaaaah! My other eye!" Xigbar snarled. "You little bastard!"
Xigbar reached low, aiming his arrow gun directly at Gilbert. Hayner shut his eyes and charged, holding his Dream Sword out as far as he could. He felt something press hard against it and then heard Xigbar gasp.
"You're…tougher than…you look…" Xigbar choked. "But there's worse than me…"
Bits and pieces of black floated up, Xigbar began to cough…and then he faded away. Hayner felt as if his legs were about to collapse.
"Hayner!" Monty grabbed his arm. "We need to leave! Now! We need to finish the mission."
oooo
"Is that all of them?" Pence asked, as he sent another jet of ice at a Heartless. He knew very little practical magic when it came to fighting. But Merlin was amazing—Pence had never realized the old wizard could shapeshift himself. As any animal he wanted to. Pence watched as Merlin transformed himself into a small blue goat and began heat-butting the Heartless away. He knocked three Shadows away into nothingness, but then the Heartless began to swarm him—and Merlin turned into a walrus and squashed several of them flat.
"I'm afraid not, dear boy," Merlin said, hopping forward, pushing more of the Heartless out of the way. "We need to regroup and find your friends."
"Hayner…Olette…" Pence said. "Where are they?"
"Pence!"
Pence whipped around. Olette was running towards him. One of her braids had been ripped off, her hair in disarray. Right behind her was Ienzo, holding up a very large book…that was covered in something red.
"Are you the real Pence?" Olette begged. "We've seen so many monsters, I'm not sure what's real anymore."
"It's alright…" Pence said weakly, patting her arm. "I'm…I'm real."
"Careful now," Merlin said, flopping forward. "We're not alone."
"Why is the walrus…oh, right…Merlin…sir, what's going on?"
"What's going on," Melin said, as he returned to his human form, "I fear…this world is under attack. The Keyhole is in grave danger…and if it falls…"
"The entire world will disappear…" Olette whispered. "That's what happened to Sora's islands…"
"They were restored," Pence said. "They…they came back…when Sora beat Ansem…the other Ansem."
"But how…" Olette shook her head. "I don't have a Keyblade. Nobody but King Mickey has a Keyblade in this world…"
"Pence! Olette!"
Pence whipped around. Hayner was charging towards them, dragging two mice and a dog behind him.
"Thank God!" Hayner groaned. "We've gotten lost five times—and the Heartless…they just keep coming…and I think the creeps from the Organization are back…and…Commander Ruffhouse is…gone. So are Dugan and Monty…"
"Awww…" Pence moaned. "I'm so sorry…"
"We can grieve later," The dog interrupted. "Master Merlin, can you transport us with your magic so that I may activate the failsafes. The defensive measures should allow…gah!"
An enormous ball of darkness barreled through a window and exploded in the corridor. Pence turned his head. Standing in the courtyard was the tallest Heartless he had ever seen. It had to be nearly forty feet tall and shaped almost like a man. Or a man's shadow. The worst part of it was that it had friends…there had to be five or six of them…
"Good Lord!" Merlin shouted. "We must flee, we must flee…your Majesty!"
A tiny figure was leaping from one giant Heartless to the next, sending beams of light out of his Keyblade. One after another, the giants fell…but the remaining three regrouped…and then…they began to merge into a Heartless that had to be sixty feet tall…
"King Mickey!" Hayner shouted. He summoned his sword, just like it was a Keyblade, and charged in. He wasn't nearly as good a swordsman as King Mickey though and the giant Heartless batted him aside as if he were a fly. Hayner got back up and charged only for the giant Heartless to stamp on him with a massive fist.
"Hayner!" Olette shouted. "Hayner, you gotta get up!"
Hayner didn't move. Before Pence could move to check on him, King Mickey leapt up into the stairway.
"You all gotta run! Things have gone wrong!" King Mickey called. "You all need to—gah!"
Pence stared as the largest ball of darkness he had ever seen came barreling down at them. He turned to run, but then the ground began to shake and he fell to his knees…and then…all he knew was pain.
oooo
Hayner jerked awake, clutching at his side. First a wave of terror hit him, then nausea, and then confusion…and finally a mix of everything. He heaved a few times but his stomach was empty. The nausea slowly faded into dizziness.
He was…back in the labs of Disney Castle…what the? But that wasn't anywhere close to where he'd been before. It was…morning? Morning? How could it be morning? It'd been nearly sunset when the Keyhole had gotten corrupted…but the sky was as blue as could be. Which was weird enough, but that was how it was supposed to be. Had it all been a dream? Hayner groaned—the dizziness and pain in his side felt a lot more real than just a dream.
"Hayner…are you alright?"
"What…your Majesty?"
King Mickey was looking up at him, his eyes huge. Behind him were Goofy and Donald and Donald's cousin Fethry…oh, and Ansem the Wise, who was helping Ienzo stand up. Commander Ruffhouse was there too—no sign of the other recruits, but the Commander looked perfectly healthy.
As Hayner's vision began to clear, he could see Pence and Olette. They were both resting on what looked like cots…only fancier.
"I'm so, so, sorry this happened for as long as it did," King Mickey said. "I'm truly sorry."
"What do you mean?" Hayner said. "You were amazing. I…well, I didn't do very good…darn it."
Still useless in a real fight. Even now, after getting a sword, after getting training, Hayner wasn't good at protecting the people that mattered to him.
"You did more than anyone could have asked," King Mickey said. "It was amazing, the way you held on against the darkness. You killed more than a hundred Heartless in that simulation."
"I'm…I'm confused," Pence said. "The last thing I remember is Merlin telling me that we were going to take a step forward in simulated training exercises. And then it all went to…it went badly. "
"And you did," King Mickey said. "You agreed to it this morning—that this entire day would be a simulation for all of you—Gilbert and Dugan and the other recruits included. And it was intended to be a worst-case scenario simulation. Every singe conflict, upon its being settled, would give rise to a bigger and scarier conflict, until you were…struck down."
"That's why Pete's cousin Zeke showed up after Ienzo knocked out ol' Billy Horns," Goofy explained. "And why the Heartless just kept getting bigger and meaner…"
"But why did we react so harshly?" Pence said, putting a hand to his head. "I…I remember the stimulated training…Merlin mentioned it…but…I thought this was all real."
"The four of you aren't from this world," King Mickey said. "The way magic works for you here is different than it is for people from Disney Town…basically, you forgot that it was just an exercise as soon as it started…"
"But Ruffhouse told us the simulation was a part of training!" Hayner exclaimed. "The mock Heartlesses! Was that just part of the simulation too? Is this all a simulation?"
"No…no, this is real. I assure you, you are all awake," Ansem the Wise said, patting Ienzo on the back. "I put in failsafes to ensure that you would be able to determine the differences between the simulations and the real world. Are you alright?"
"Yeah…" Hayner said quietly. He looked down at his hand and inhaled slowly. With a flash of light, his sword reappeared. It was warm in his hand. Comfortable. Familiar. Real. "I think so."
Olette didn't say anything. She raised herself up and placed a hand over her heart. She walked to King Mickey.
"Is there anything you need us to do now, your Majesty?"
"Er…no," King Mickey said. "You've done enough for the day…for a couple of days, I'd say…you all need to rest."
Hayner and Pence nodded and followed Olette out of the room. He thought he could hear Ansem and King Mickey talking—it didn't quite sound like arguing—as they left. Olette was trembling as she walked five paces ahead of them. Hayner glanced at Pence, jerked a finger towards Olette and nodded. Pence took several big steps to catch up with Olette. A moment later, Pence took her hand.
Hayner's head throbbed and he still had a stitch in his side, but…yeah, if those two were alright, and Roxas and Xion were alright, then it all balanced out. At least a bit…
But if things had gone that badly in just a training exercise…what would happen when the threat did become real?
A/N: Hello again, my dearest readers!
Yes, this was inspired by the Young Justice episode "Failsafe." A simulation goes terribly wrong.
I didn't explore as much as I probably could have here, but I wanted to focus on the overall disaster of the situation. Given that several of the characters—Dugan, Gilbert and Ruffhouse—are based primarily in the European comics and to my knowledge have never appeared in Western Animation, I didn't have very much to work with to begin with.
Either way, I am happy with how things turned out. I enjoyed writing this and I hope you all enjoyed reading this as well.
Take care, my dearest readers. Please, leave a comment if you're so inclined. I appreciate each and every one of you!
