The Ocean Between Worlds
For as long as humans could remember, we have reached out towards the stars. We have gravitated from imagining them as the homes of gods and lost ones to a new frontier to explore. We have studied everything from the twinkling stars in our backyard to the universes beyond ours. Yet we still know very little about the cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky. Few had seen such as sight as the stars around them, yet this was what Dani was looking at now.
"Wow…if only Riku and Kairi could see this…" Sora breathed.
Dani nodded, although she had no idea who Riku and Kairi were, much less what they would do if they saw it. She was instead thinking of her family back on Earth, who were who knows where now. Her mother, her other friends at school, her brother…
"Hey! Watch yourselves!" A high-pitched voice squeaked at her.
Sora and Dani looked around, trying to find the source of the complaint.
"Down here!" Another voice, no less high pitched, spoke up.
Somebody threw a rag at Dani's face. She was too stunned to take it off herself, and it fell to the floor with the grace of a ballerina in zero-gravity.
Dani willed herself to look down. At her feet were two chipmunks dressed in cute aprons and scrubbing furiously at the floor with tiny brooms. It would have been a perfect viral video material if they weren't angry.
"We're doin' our best to keep this place clean!" One squeaked.
"Yeah! At least take off your shoes when you enter the cockpit!" The other added.
"Don't mind them." Donald said, turning around in the pilot's chair to face them. "They're Chip and Dale. They're our mechanics."
Another towel was flung at his face. It bounced off his beak as it tumbled.
"The ship is run by squirrels." Penny said.
"Honestly, Penny, they're chipmunks." Katie said, completely seriously.
"Our destination's coming up ahead!"
Dani turned her attention back to the window. A new planet! How many people got to see a new planet up close and personal! And it had sentient life! NASA would love her for this!
A pale pink dot came into view. As they hovered in closer, Dani could make more details out. A checkerboard like design along the surface, castles resembling chess pieces and buildings resembling those of Traverse Town poking out from the ground, and lush forests of plants Dani barely recognized.
It was also really about the size of her hand.
"That's the planet?" Penny asked, skeptically.
"Yuh-huh! It's Wonderland!" Goofy said.
Hanna looked at him. Then back to the planet. Then back at him.
"It's a planet for ants." She settled on.
"Yeah, our minor satellites are bigger than that thing." Penny said.
"I think its buildings are bigger than that thing." Katie said.
"Are you sure we can all fit on there?" Hanna asked.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course we—"
That was all the encouragement Sora needed. He rushed out towards the door, and Dani would have joined him if she hadn't seen Donald grab him by the collar up and knew she would have ended up the same way.
"Don't be too hasty!" The duck said. "This is dangerous work, and all of you need to be on your best behavior."
Did he pause to look at her specifically, or was he just giving all of them the side-eye?
"That's right!" Goofy said. "We have to be careful."
He walked out and opened the Gummi Ship doors.
"Look both ways before you leave the ship." Goofy said.
"That's right!"
The two knights looked towards the left. They looked towards the right. They took a few steps out of the ship-
"Do you think you should look down first?" Sora asked.
-and plummeted to their untimely doom.
It took a while for Goofy's screams to die out. That's when Dani got worried.
"Do you think they're dead?" She asked.
"Hope not. I don't know how to drive this thing." Penny asked.
Hanna wandered to the ship's consoles cautiously. She sat down with so much care it looked like she was sitting on a puppy. After a few seconds of studying the control panel, she reached out towards the panel with a shaky hand and hit a button. The windshield wipers turned on.
"Why does the space ship even have wipers?" Penny asked.
"Space rain?" Katie offered.
"Well, aren't you going to go after then?"
Though the voice was small, it was clear. And it was clear that no one had heard that voice before. Finally, Dani found the source on the dashboard of the ship. A small cricket, dressed impeccably.
"Hi there! I don't think I've introduced myself yet!" The cricket chirped and tipped his hat. "The name's Jiminy, Jiminy Cricket! I was sent by the Queen to record your journey!"
"Is this a petting zoo with wings?" Penny mumbled.
Jiminy made a face, but didn't say anything else on that.
"Now, aren't you going to go after them?" He asked instead.
"How? We can't just jump down there!" Hanna said.
"Hmmm…I'm not sure. But I do know that they would do the same for you." Jiminy said.
They paused to think.
"You're very compelling, Mr. the Cricket." Katie said.
"I'm a professional Conscious, you know." Jiminy said, looking proud.
"Alright, how do you expect us to get down there, then?" Penny asked.
"Isn't that obvious?" Sora asked.
He jumped.
"I was afraid that was the answer." Hanna said.
?
Charlie woke up slowly, and groaned as he did. He could feel the cold pavement hitting his face, and his butt on open air. Great, just great.
He pulled himself up, trying to look for his chair or anyone who could help him get to it. He found neither. He did not find much of anything, really. It looked like he was in the middle of the ocean. Waves cascaded around him, pooling below him in a sea that never seemed to get any fuller. A series of jagged boulders that hovered in the air created a path forward, but he had no idea how to move himself to get there.
Charlie hated feeling this helpless. Usually, whenever he was out of his chair for some reason, he had his sisters to help him along, but his sisters—
His sisters! They had all been together last he remembered. Where were they? Were they safe?
He didn't have any choice, now. He had to find his sisters.
"Um, hello?" He called. "Is anyone there? I don't know where I am, and I can't move…"
He could see a figure move against the shadows.
"How long do you think we've been falling?" Penny asked.
"Dunno. An hour?" Hanna said. She had long ago turned to one of the books in her bag and leafed through it idly, never quite absorbing the information due to how much the wind blew pages around.
"Feels longer. Kinda stopped being scary."
"FLOOR HO!" Katie announced.
They collided with tiled flooring.
Wonderland
They had fallen into someone's kitchen.
"Took your time." Donald grumbled.
"That was a very long fall." Katie said. "Trying to find a way through that door?"
Penny looked down closer at the wall they were staring at. That door? But that door was tiny. A mouse probably couldn't fit through it.
"He says he won't let us in." Goofy said.
"You've gendered the door?" Katie asked.
"The door was talking?" Penny asked.
"You're all too big!"
The door was talking. The door. Was talking.
"Alright, I'm not sure what I expected from this trip, but it wasn't this." Penny sighed.
"Why don't you try the potion on the table?" The door said and yawned. "That other girl already has."
All eyes turned to the table, though Donald was the first to reach for it. He unscrewed the cap, and smells filled the air.
"Cherry tart…custard…pineapple…roast turkey…toffee…burned toast…" He said. "This is a Shrinking Potion!"
"But is it safe?" Katie asked.
"As safe as any of my magic!" Donald said.
"Your magic sets things on fire." Hanna said.
"So will you try it or not?"
"Alright, worth a shot." Sora said.
He took the bottle and took a sip.
"That wasn't too ba—"
In the blink of an eye, Sora was gone.
It took Penny a minute to find him again. Barely a foot tall, the boy sat comfortably on the armrest of the chair.
"I'm big enough to fit in the door now!" Sora said.
"But is it safe?" Penny asked.
"Well, if you don't drink it with the rest of us, we'll just leave you behind." Katie said. She took a long swig from the bottle, and shrunk.
"Alright, fine."
It took a moment for each person to take their share of the bottle. As they stepped through the door, they found themselves in the middle of a garden.
"ORDER IN THE COURT!"
The booming voice was probably audible through the entire planet, although that was not saying much. The seven wandered through the garden towards its general direction. The hedges led them towards a courtyard in session.
"COURT IS NOW IN SESSION!" The judge announced. "This girl definitely did it. And do you know why? BECAUSE I SAID SO!"
"That's completely unfair!" The defendant said. She looked young, not even ten, but dressed and held herself in a way that made her look more formal than she had any business being. "You may be the queen, but that doesn't give you the right to be so...so mean!"
A hush fell over the court. The girl seemed to realize that wasn't the thing she should have said and shrunk back into herself.
"GUILTY! GUILTY AS CHARGED!" The queen shrieked.
"We have to help her!" Sora said.
"It's none of our business." Donald said.
"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
"They'll kill her if we don't!" Dani said.
"And that's not our problem!" Donald said. "Listen, if you're going to be the Key, you need to learn something about world order. Whatever happens on this planet, happens. Our concern is to stop the Heartless!"
"FOR THE CRIME OF TRYING TO STEAL MY HEART!"
Donald's eyes widened.
"You were saying?" Hanna asked.
Dani did not wait for anymore permission. She rushed forward, pointing her finger forward like she had watched defense lawyers in video games do.
"OBJECTION!"
"WHO ARE YOU!?" The Queen shouted. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO INTERFERE WITH MY COURTROOM!"
"But we know who the real culprit is!" Sora said, rushing to join her.
"Oh? AND DO YOU HAVE ANY PROOF?"
Dani and Sora looked at each other as they both tried to figure out what to say.
Penny fought the urge to bury her head in a hand. Instead, she busied herself with trying to memorize all of the court-cases she had seen her mother both present and prepare for. It was clear the Queen wasn't going to listen to the right answer without a good reason to, so Penny would just have to stall for time.
"Excuse me Your Honor and/or Majesty." Penny said. "This court case cannot continue any further until the defendant has proper legal consultation, especially if two witnesses to the event want to testify."
"Sure!" Dani said.
"Very well." The Queen pouted and leaned back in her chair.
From above, a human-sized gold birdcage dropped around the defendant, shutting her in.
"COURT IS ADJOURNED FOR A BRIEF RECESS! And if you can't prove that she's innocent, THEN IT'S OFF WITH ALL OF YOUR HEADS!"
The gavel smacked down on the podium, and Penny felt herself breathe again. It wasn't like it mattered. Her neck was still on the line.
"Well now you've done it." Donald said as he approached them. "How do you expect to prove her innocent?"
"It shouldn't be too hard." Katie said. "We already know who did it."
"You're right." Goofy said. "All we have to do is find the Heartless."
"Um, excuse me." The girl spoke up. "The Cheshire Cat in the forest may know something if you're looking for evidence. But do be careful. Things really do make no sense around here."
The forest didn't appear to be very big to the untrained eye. The problem was that Sora was the size of a mouse when he entered, so everything looked big. Blades of grass rose above him. Mushrooms rose like trees, touching the sky. Sora was sure if he had been his usual height, he could have traverse the entire forest in one step.
"Can't we just tell the Queen the Heartless are responsible?" Sora asked as he swung his arms behind his head.
"We have to consider the world border." Goofy said.
"Order." Donald said. "We're already interfering enough as is. Other worlds should be kept as they are."
"Well, that may or may not be true."
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. Sora spun his head around, trying to find a source, and stopped when he saw a smile floating over a mushroom. The space around the mushroom grew pink and purple, and soon, a creature that resembled a cat had filled the area.
"After all, this is a world of wonder and nonsense. What's the point of keeping a secret?" It asked.
Sora was the one that got over the stupor first.
"You wouldn't happen to be the Cheshire Cat, would you?" He asked.
"Well, the only me is me," The cat said and lazily inspected his claws. "Are you sure the only you is you?"
Sora didn't quite know what it was asking, so he decided to continue anyway.
"Alice is in trouble. We're looking for the evidence to clear her, and she said you would be of some help."
"Ah yes." The cat tossed his paw outward. A pink box landed at Sora's feet. "I wouldn't open that just yet if I were you. It would make a great party favor."
"What's the big idea!?" Donald said.
"Why Donald, I'm hurt." The cat said. "After all the time we've spent together, do you really not trust me?"
They had only been talking for a minute!
"Well, I suppose that is your role. But do try to keep in mind if you're not...forgetting anything."
The Cheshire Cat began to fade again. Only his smile remained, and only for a second.
"I wonder what that was about." Goofy said.
"Never mind him." Donald said. "Let's see what's inside."
Sora opened the lid.
"SALE! END OF WONDERLAND SALE! EVERYTHING MUST GO!"
Hanna was not sure when they had wandered into the shop. But if someone was shouting about the end of the world, then it was probably a good lead.
"End of Wonderland sale!" The shopkeeping sheep answered. "Feel free to look to either side of you, Feather."
"Why do you think the world's ending?" Dani asked.
"Haven't you heard? The Red King is going to wake up soon!" The sheep said. "When he does, Wonderland is going to go out-bang!-like a candle!"
"What makes you think that?" Hanna said.
"You really don't know much, do you Feather? We're all a part of his dream! You, me, the boats, everything!"
Dani and Hanna looked at each other.
"That doesn't sound like Heartless." Dani said.
"No, but still worrying." Hanna finished. "Let's see if we can't pass this on to the others once we finished up this court business."
"ORDER IN THE COURT!" The Queen of Hearts bellowed. "If you can't produce the evidence you need in the next three seconds, then IT'S OFF WITH ALL OF YOUR HEADS!"
In the next two seconds, a Heartless ran up. Instinctively, Penny summoned her Keyblade to knock it away from them. A crystalline, semi-translucent heart floated up into the sky and out of sight.
"There's your evidence, Your Majesty!" Sora exclaimed as he, Goofy and Donald rushed into the court garden. "Don't you see Alice is innocent?"
With a blast of his magic, Donald knocked the cage holding Alice down. It clattered and rattled as it collided with the ground. That certainly wasn't safe for a 9 year old girl. It was a good thing then that nobody was inside.
"Alice? WHERE IS ALICE?"
Penny exchanged a look with Katie. Nobody could have been up there without any of them noticing, not even a Heartless. Alice had made no sound since this sham of a trial started, and there was no way she could escape even if she hadn't been holstered up in the air. Where could she have gone?
"YOU!" The Queen pointed towards a set of card soldiers. "Go find Alice! I DON'T CARE HOW JUST DO IT!"
They scurried off.
"As for the rest of you..." The Queen started "OFF-"
The ground rumbled. Penny glanced around, looking for the source. The two twins were sprinting back to the courtyard. Something followed behind them.
It was a Heartless, no doubt. It was very thin and appeared to be made from red and blue blocks, some with faces, some not. Its arms and legs were made of a material that looked like crushed ribbon, and in its hands it tossed about two juggler's clubs. But its height…even if Penny had never taken that stupid potion, it would still probably eclipse her. In her current state, if everyone present stood on each other's shoulders, they might not reach the top.
Donald and Goofy knocked the Card Soldiers pursuing them out of the way. They fell and flopped to the ground like the paper they were. The Heartless set their sights on them. It tossed one of its juggling clubs into the air, and exhaled jets of fire through the garden.
Donald's tailfeathers had ignited in the blast, in a sight that would have been hilarious if it also wasn't extremely dangerous.
"Oh dear." A voice near Penny's ear said. "This really has gotten out of hand hasn't it? I should have brought some snacks."
Penny snapped her head to the source. A purple and pink cat was perched near her shoulder. She could feel no weight on her shoulder nor feel any fur or whiskers, and she certainly did not remember inviting him along.
"You!" Sora exclaimed as he tried his best to dodge the incoming attacks. "You tricked us!"
"Why Sora, I'm hurt." The cat said in a way that certainly didn't sound like he was. "Do you really have that little faith in me?"
Sora couldn't respond do to the fact that he was on fire.
"Well, allow me to make up for it." The cat said.
Penny's Keyblade ran cold. Instinctively, she held it away from herself, and saw a blast of ice collide with Donald's butt, extinguishing the fire.
"A Keyblade Master should be able to use a little bit of magic, right?" The cat asked. "Even if you're not."
Penny was just about to ask just what he meant by that when the Heartless set its sights on her. She jumped out of the way, bashing away the juggling clubs that followed her with her Keyblade. As she landed, she held out her Keyblade again. Nothing happened.
Donald sent a Cure spell towards Sora and turned his attention towards Penny.
"In order to use magic, you need to concentrate!" He said. "Accumulate power with you Keyblade! Imagine the enemy freezing!"
She didn't want to use magic at all!
The fireballs cascading in her direction made her change her mind. Penny shifted and held her Keyblade out in front of her. Still, nothing was happening.
"That sounds easy!" Dani said. She jumped between Penny and the Heartless and pointed her Keyblade. Two icy blasts shot from the tip. They collided with the Heartless, knocking out two of its block body-pieces.
Sora followed suit. Two more heads of the Heartless popped off. Katie jumped from her place as Defense to the Judge's chair. She waited until the Heartless got close enough before she leaped on it. She swung her Keyblade, slicing its head block off. The rest of the body crumbled to the ground.
Penny helped Katie back onto her feet after she collided with the ground. Once she was sure she was safe, she set her sights on the cat.
"Just what are you?" She asked.
"Oh, you can't be too sure here." The cat said. "Perhaps I am just a cat, or perhaps I am just a memory. But if it's a name you want, I'm the Cheshire Cat."
"Well, thank you Mr. Cat, for giving us magic." Katie said.
"But of course! The Cheshire Cat always helps those in need!"
"And the benefit of sending a giant Heartless on us?" Dani asked.
"Why, you needed to level up, of course." The Cheshire Cat said it so quickly and with so much conviction that Penny honestly believed it to be true for just a moment.
"Come on guys, let's go look for Alice." Penny said.
"I'm afraid you're not going to find her here." The Cheshire Cat said. He left Penny's shoulder to appear on the scorched hedges and stretched. "She's gone."
"Gone?" Sora asked. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Why don't you tell me, if you're so keen on preserving world order?" The cat asked. "Have you found the answer to my question yet, by the way?"
"Huh?"
"The only me is me. Are you sure the only you is you?"
They were back in the kitchen. How were they back in the kitchen? Penny barely had time to blink…
"Oh. You're back." The door said. He yawned.
A light shot past all seven of them, landing into the Door's open knob. A click! echoed through the kitchen. Penny turned back to the source and saw Sora, holding his Keyblade in front of him and looking as confused as she was.
SORA obtained: Lady Luck
HANNA obtained: Ace of Hearts
A well-rounded keyblade that increases the user's magic