Chapter 6: Trinity of Awesomeness

Po was given the Dragon Scroll, an artifact Shifu claimed had the power to stop Tai Lung. One has to wonder that a scroll of that status was bound to reach the ears of not just the rampaging leopard that's hunger-set to reach them right this second. What would happen… if Sora used it?

Would he have the strength to fight the darkness?

The panda rolled the ornate gold and red manuscript with emerald seals in wonder and giddy excitement like a child with a new toy. The same could be said for everyone else in the room. The Furious Five were standing by watching the spectacle happen before their very eyes in awe. Stories were told to them about the mystical properties of the Dragon Scroll and how it could give the reader the ability to feel the motion of the universe, to hear a butterfly's wings beat, and to see light in the darkest of caves. This was an opportune moment that doesn't just come and go.

This…

This was history in the making.

Further behind them was Sora, Donald, and Goofy with one of them in particular looking perhaps a little further than the rest. Their gaze was settled on the floor but that changed when they noticed their hands. They brought them up to see them more clearly:

They were shaking.

Why were Sora's hands shaking?

And that feeling he had days earlier returned too… a feeling of unease. It was the same feeling he had when he met the giant monster that swallowed his planet. How those haunting yellow eyes seemed to look at him as nothing more than an appetizer. Another obstacle to push aside. A simple pest to squash.

And all he had was a giant key to protect himself with.

He was-

"Sora."

He blinked as he found the eyes of Shifu staring up at him with worry. When he quickly looked around him, he found everybody in the room had left; The Furious Five and Po were gone except his master in front of him and his two friends. The room was suddenly a lot darker than before.

Wh- how long did he…

"Sora, are you well?" Shifu asked, as he made his way behind him and towards the door.

He stammered as he tried to collect himself, "I'm fine Master."

As he and his friends followed suit. Goofy patted his back in a comforting gesture as he passed by. Sora tried to give him a reassuring smile, but deep down…

"Remember, you and your friends will tend to Tai Lung's army. He will avoid you and head straight for the palace. You mustn't let them know that the villagers have already evacuated. Alright?"

Sora nodded as he stepped out of the building, Donald and Goofy had already begun making their way down the steps without him. He turned to Shifu and a look of uncertainty couldn't help but sneak its way onto his face,

"And what happens next?"

Shifu frowned as he laid his hands on the door. His eyes slowly closed and he let out a sigh, the type of sigh that wasn't made out of exhaustion but of solemn acceptance. When he did open his eyes again he had that same stern and calm face as he always had since the day he met Sora.

But Sora had a knack to know someone's true emotions.

He had to thank a certain silver-haired friend for that.

Shifu spoke with a quiet whisper, "Then you run, as far away from the village and never look back."

Sora felt a twist in his heart, and he gulped down the jitters before nodding. When he turned towards the stairs he heard the door creak just a bit;

"It was a pleasure to meet you…, Sora."

He looked and offered a smile to which Shifu traded back as he closed the door. The keyblade wielder stood there for a few seconds as the sounds echoed in his head before he shook it off.

There was no time to waste.

He ran down the stairs to meet up with his squad.

It wasn't long before he took his place in between Donald and Goofy as the three stood shoulder to shoulder at the base of the steps of the Jade Palace. They surveyed the town in front of them as the uplifting and carefree attitude that was usually present between the three of them was nowhere to be found. The last cart of Po and Mr. Ping trail away behind a group of civilians as they left an empty village of peace.

It was just them…

A single raindrop fell onto Sora's cheek causing the boy to look up. That single raindrop turned to two and then three before it started to softly sprinkle onto the village. A cool breeze passed by but no one dared to show it and gray clouds above started to make their way to cover the sky in its soft blanket. Nightfall approached and made the landscape ever darker.

Goofy stood straight as opposed to his usually slouched and… goofy self, this was but the few moments where Sora saw him actually being serious. Donald began to shift a little and his eyes found no concrete focus point as he bit the ends of his feathered fingers. Sora... didn't know what he felt. It was a strange numbness, his knees felt weak, his shoulders heavy, and his throat dry.

He shut his eyes for a second before finally realizing what that was.

…

…

He… he was afraid.

"Bad Guys!"

His eyes shot open to the sight in front of them.

Ten…

No… twenty?

No…

Sora took a step back whether or not it was intentional.

All of them were of different sizes; some flew and others stood proudly on their feet. There were those that were fat and bulky or slim and fit. They had claws sharp as razors, fists the size of boulders, or the wingspan to put birds to shame.

There were too many yellow eyes tracking them.

Observing them.

Acknowledging them.

Donald summoned his staff, Goofy brought up his shield, and Sora called forth his keyblade.

As if on cue, the Heartless all cried out in unison that echoed through the valley before charging at the trio.

The Trinity Trio took no time to try and dwindle their numbers but each attack they gave out a dozen more were given to them.

Goofy spun with his shield outward to smack anything that would dare near his Goofy Tornado. Donald stood a bit back as he slung his fireballs and electricity at the ones that flew overhead as they dissipated into flames or sparks. And Sora was in charge of the ground units that got too close to Donald during his spellcasting. Sometimes, Donald or Goofy would be near Sora to lend their support for a bit before being split apart by the horde again. Their supplies of potions and other related items became scarce to the point where they had to change tactics with Donald stopping his offense and opted to support his two allies.

Even then their pools of magic were not endless.

They were tossed and turned by the crowd as they did their dance.

Sora rolled to the side as Goofy passed him at full speed into another group of heartless like bowling balls to pins before lifting his keyblade to swing at one that tried to sneak up on him. When another one tried its luck for a sneak attack, Sora gave it a mighty kick into a cluster of heartless. He stepped backwards and bumped into Donald and Goofy as they began to get surrounded. The Keyblade Wielder gritted his teeth as he gripped the sword in his hands tighter, leveling it with his enemies as a bead of sweat fell across his face. The three each gave each other a nod before they pushed forward, the light drizzle now turned to a heavy storm.

.

..

…

Sora was exhausted and he was sure that his buddies were too. He had his hands to his knees and tried to focus regaining his breath.

Boom!

He turned his head towards the Jade Palace, a lighting strike outlining its shape as well as the few remaining Heartless that were now moving towards it. He clenched his jaw as he pushed himself back up, his body groaning in protest but he ignored it as he made his way towards the stairs. That was until he noticed that his two friends weren't by his side and his heart sank as he looked right behind him.

Goofy was on his knees as he cradled Donald's unconscious body in his arms. Sora sprinted towards them, almost tripping over himself before falling to his knees as well. He placed a hand on Donald's chest with worry.

"Goofy! I-is he alright?!" He choked.

A solemn nod was his reply as Goofy studied the bruises on his buddy's form.

Boom!

Another lightning strike brought Sora back into reality.

"I-I need to get to the palace. Something is not right; will you be okay?"

Goofy nodded again.

Sora gritted his teeth as he kept the rising anger within him at bay at the sight of his beaten friend. With the strength of will itself, he managed to stand up and run towards the palace with the keyblade slung over his shoulder.

"Where is the Dragon Scroll!?"

A slam shook the earth.

"Where is it?!?" Snarled the voice.

A dark leopard gripped Master Shifu's throat as he was pinned to the floor in a vice-like grip. The marble underneath them was cracked and a few of the pillars of the hall were too, some were even broken. There was a fractured hole in the ceiling that rain poured in through. A growl echoed through the hall as the leopard brought a hand up, unsheathing his claws to catch the glint of the light. Master Shifu could only stare at his attacker before shutting his eyes tightly, waiting…

"Hey!"

Both looked towards the opening as a lone figure stood out in the rain.

The leopard let go of Shifu's throat as he stood up to his full height. He wore an expression of disbelief, curiosity, and then a hint of amusement at the small form who dared to interrupt him. He began swagger forward as a chuckle escaped his lips.

"And who are you?"

Sora glared at the man who inched closer, "The one that will stop you!" He claimed defiantly.

This made Tai Lung stop in his tracks as his eyes widened in surprise, then he erupted into a cackling fit. Sora wasn't amused.

"Training children again, are we Shifu?" Tai Lung raised a mocking eyebrow down at him.

"When will you learn?" He spat, then he turned towards the keyblade wielder. "Do you know why I'm here?" He slowly made his way over again.

Sora didn't answer; instead, he got into his battle stance.

"Because of him, I'm here."

He took another step.

"Because of him. I was denied of my destiny!"

He got closer.

"Because of him…," he looked almost sad at the floor for a split second before looking back up with an evil cold grin.

"You."

He cracked his neck, back, and knuckles.

"Will."

A black, almost purple, mist shrouded him.

"Suffer."

His eyes began to glow yellow.

Tai Lung leaped forward but Sora rolled underneath the attack just in the nick of time.

"Show me what that old man has taught you!" The Dragon Imposter roared as he swiped at the keyblade wielder.

His punches hit like freight trains. His speed was unmatched. And when Sora tried to land one hit, his reflexes were even faster. Sora gave it his all but even then he knew he would soon bite the dust. The fight was making him stand on shaking legs as he deflected another blow… and Tai Lung knew this. He began to laugh as he didn't let up on the assault and one final strong kick sent Sora flying backwards.

He landed harshly on the cold hard floor and he gasped and coughed for the air that was forced out of his lungs. His vision was blurry and he was sure something dripped over his eye but that didn't stop him from crawling towards his keyblade. Slowly but surely, he inched closer and closer and when he was close enough to reach for the handle…

A black paw reached for it first.

Then all Sora knew was that he was being pulled by the hood of his sweater.

There came a weakened cry from the base of the pool of water.

"Please Tai Lung, don't hurt him!"

"You had your chance Shifu, all you had to do was give me the scroll and now…, look at what you made me do."

Sora was thrown onto the steps right underneath the golden dragon statue. It's eyes looking straight into his. He could almost see his reflection off the gold were it not for unconsciousness licking its lips for him.

"Then I'll tell you where it is! Just leave him alone!"

Tai Lung's eyes widened in surprise, but he only shook his head at him. That evil grin re-emerging on his muzzle.

"Too late." He raised the keyblade above his head.

Sora didn't move from his spot, continuing to stare upwards. Thunder and lighting raged outside in a never ending crescendo.

He knew he wasn't strong enough. He let everyone down…

If only he could-

"Now!"

Four arms wrapped around Tai Lung's chest as he was pulled back sharply away. He stumbled and fumbled but he kept his footing as two figures made their presence known on his back.

"What the-," Before the black leopard could speak any more he was given a solid whack to the head by Goofy. He then howled in pain when Donald bit his arm and pulled on his tail. The sight of his two friends caused something to stir in Sora and he gritted his teeth as he began to slowly push himself upwards. His body was fighting against him and he snapped his eyes shut as he thought of one more thing he could do…

Tai Lung spun around in a frantic fit to throw off his attackers but they simply clinged on even harder. They smacked him, punched him, and even poked his eyes as they threw battle etiquette out the window.

This… was personal.

Tai Lung had enough of this and simply pulled them off with his free hand. Donald was thrown against a wall and Goofy was slammed into a pillar. When he thought the little distraction was taken care of he didn't have time to react when the sword in his paws disappeared in a flash of white.

"What the-"

Another flash of light appeared right behind him.

In an instant the keyblade reappeared back into Sora's hand and with one final push he threw himself up as he slashed upward in one skyward strike, knocking The Dragon Imposter off his feet.

He clutched his head in agony as the darkness surrounding him dissipated like smoke off a fire.

"You'll pay for that, you insignificant little brat!" He roared.

But that didn't phase Sora as he held a stern and determined look. He simply brought the keyblade in between him without saying a word, letting the light bounce off the silver of his blade as newfound energy coursed through his veins. This just further enraged Tai Lung and he charged at Sora with claws that scraped the floor, igniting sparks. But before he could reach Sora another yell caught them both off guard.

"Hey! Looking for something?"

Their eyes looked towards the door frame.

A rotund figure stood confidently as they held a scroll in their paws.

Tai Lung's eyes widened at the sacred object and he quickly wasted no time in lunging after the panda. They didn't even exchange pleasantries before colliding and tumbling down the steps as the sounds of their battle drew further away from the palace. When silence overtook the halls, Sora crumbled down to the ground. His keyblade vanished leaving the boy to gasp for air. The sounds of webbed feet against the ground rushed over as Donald came to his side with tears in his eyes.

"Sora?! Sora! Are you okay?! Oh, it's all my fault!" He sniffed.

A chuckle from the boy made Donald choke on his tears, confused to see him with a smile on his face.

"That… was awesome!"

Donald choked, "Sora…, I- I… I… I understand if you don't want to come with us anymore. W-We can take you back to Traverse T-"

"Are you kidding," Sora groaned as he sat up, his entire body hurting as he moved, "That was the most fun I had since I left the Island!"

He let out another weak chuckle before gritting his teeth in pain, slumping flat on his back again, ''Besides, I need to save my friends and I can't let you and Goofy save the worlds without me."

"Wait… Goofy!" Donald quacked as he ran over towards the Royal Guard but he was stopped midway in shock as a snore escaped the dog's lips.

"Is he… is he sleeping!" Donald fumed.

Sora erupted into soft laughter. Donald on the other hand was crossed beyond belief and he had the utmost desire to kick the sleeping gaurd in the shins but… a smile found its way to his bill before he laughed along too.

A soft voice came above them, "Well done Sora."

Sora twisted his head to see who was speaking and he mentally slapped himself when he forgot the other person in the room.

"Master Shifu! Are you alright?!" Worried the keyblade wielder.

The Master of Kung-Fu laid on his back at the top of the stairs. His eyes were closed and his hands were on his slow but rising chest. Like Sora, he was bruised and scarred from head to foot and probably couldn't move his body that much either. Shifu inhaled slowly before opening his mouth to speak.

"It's… a lot to take in… but I'm fine." Was all he said.

The four of them decided to lay on the floor in collective peace. Taking cue from the master right beside them, Donald and Sora rested their eyes for a moment as light of the morning sun began to gently cover them in warm light. A content sigh left Sora's lips as he let his body soak up the almost healing rays, feeling his body relax.

Their peace didn't last long when a distant but loud distorted warbling sound came from outside that shook the entire building. Sora heard Master Shifu chuckle softly.

"The Wuxi Finger Hold…"

The Wooshi finger what?

"Guys? Guys?! Guys!" Po burst through the doors skidding to a halt as he looked in horror at the bodies on the floor.

"We're fine Po." Sora weakly responded, giving a shaky thumbs up for emphasis, "Did you… did you stop Tai Lung?"

Po put a hand to his chest as he let out a sigh of relief, possibly out of breath too, "Yeah, I did the Wuxi Finger Hold and it was super cool and everyone called me Master- wait. Master Shifu!" He rushed to his master's side at the sight of his unmoving body as he began to choke up again.

"No… no! You can't be dead!"

"I'm not dead, you idiot! I mean… Dragon Warrior." Shifu snapped at him before quickly regaining his composure before smiling up at his student, "It is as Oogway foretold. You are the Dragon Warrior. You have brought peace to the valley and peace… to me. I am merely at peace."

"Sorry we couldn't be there to help with the rest of the fight Po." Came the apology from Sora on the floor.

Po looked down at him with a sincere and reassuring grin, "Don't worry about it, you guys took out an army! Wish I was there to see that!"

"Really would've helped if we used the scroll though."

"What? The scroll was useless, well figuratively, Sora, weren't you there when we opened it?"

A light chuckle escaped Sora as looked away bashfully, "Must have dozed off I guess?"

Po retrieved the Dragon Scroll from his pocket, unfurling it before showing Sora the golden reflective paper.

Time seemed to slow down and the world blurred away leaving the Dragon Scroll and the keyblade wielder left in a void. A beam of light emitted out from the scroll and shattered the darkness. Within that tear bled through a keyhole, massive in scale and shined with an otherworldly power. The keyblade flashed into Sora's hands and he lifted it in wonder at the sudden reaction. When he saw the keyhole behind his weapon, something clicked inside his head as he pointed the key upwards. Energy built up into the tip of his sword and a beam shot into the keyhole. It began to shine in such intensity that Sora had to close his eyes.

Then he heard a door lock shut.

When he reopened his eyes again he found himself back at the palace on the floor.

"It's rather difficult to find peace with talking, my students."

"Sorry Master," Po gave an apology before laying flat on his back with everyone else on the floor. Seconds went by and no one said a word. Everything felt… well... at peace.

…

…

…

"You guys want something to eat?"

…

…

…

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"Yes, please."

Three individuals can be seen walking through a forest made of bamboo. The dirt underneath their feet paved away as a gust of wind tumbled throughout them, one of them began to shiver, the chilly atmosphere seemingly getting to them. These individuals walked with a dark brown lion in the lead, a crown pendant that hung around his neck, bobbed to the rhythm of the boy's steps and a sheepish smile was plastered on his face while his hands rubbed against one another to warm himself up. The three walked towards a contraption of multicolored blocks that resembles a ship.

"We at least took out a hundred Heartless! Maybe we can fight a thousand! Ooh! How about, next time, we take on a million!"

His companions, an overgrown anthropomorphic dog, took in the scenery for one last time with the same awe and excitement he had when they first arrived here.

"A'hyuck! Gwarsh Sora, we can take on just 'bout anything if we work together! But I just hope that the next place we go to has some food, I'm starvin'!"

The polar opposite of the two and the final member of the trio was a short white-feathered duck who quacked out mumbled curses while he folded his wings in front of him.

"Didn't you just eat, yah big palooka! And Sora, no, we are never doing that again."

Sora chuckled as they made their way inside the ship. And as if on instinct, he made his way to the captain's chair. With his hand laying on the armrest, he smiled as he brought the same hand to the back of his head to scratch it. His eyes found Donald's and then he looked towards the floor in shame. Donald sighed before placing his hand on Sora's side, he had a small smile.

"Well, you're bound to learn somehow."

Sora's face lit up and soon Donald was being embraced by the boy. Donald rolled his eyes as he patted his back. A chortle came from behind them and sure enough, another pair of hands wrapped around the two.

Sora sat and strapped himself in the pilot's seat. Goofy and Donald doing likewise within chairs located on both sides. Gripping the controls with enthusiasm, his signature smile was on his face as he piloted the ship through the planet's atmosphere and into space. He turned to Goofy, who gave him a thumbs up, and then to Donald.

"So…, you think we'll make it?"

Donald just shrugged his shoulders. "Doubt it… but with you two… I think we'll go far." He ended with an encouraging grin.

Sora's smile only got bigger and with a push of a button, the ship blasted off into their next adventure…

AN: And that's that, for those that came for only the story and not my ramblings can exit this story if you want. But I just wanted to say thanks for giving me a chance to (hopefully) entertain you, I always wanted to write and this was my excuse to do so. I'll come back to this to refine it and add some things here and there at a later point where I (hopefully) am more competent at writing. But either way, thanks and see you next story!