In a flash that seemed to last mere seconds I found myself pulling my way from the very darkness
that had once swallowed me whole and using it to my own advantage. I had apparently come to
a new world, one that had yet to been sealed, but this one was so different than the last. It looked
old, rural, and dark, not a very pleasant place but what place could be pleasant after your own world
had been technically destroyed or swallowed.
Standing up I had found myself to be in a forest at night, it wasn't exactly where I'd like to be
but you can't always get what you want. Walking in the direction of some faint lights in the
distance I tried to find a near by town, but the forest gave off a very eerie vibe as I walked through
as if the forest itself was watching my moves and it was on my every nerve. In the distance I
could see a small town with a few candle lights on in the lanterns over the various door ways of
the small homes, but there was a man resting in what appeared to be a look out. "Who goes
there?" he shouted to me as I came closer, I yelled back "I'm Kevin..I'm sort've lost!" I kept
walking towards him but his face grew pale and wide as if stunned. But then I found out why
as I hear galloping behind me, fast and fierce, I turned to see a massive figure riding on a black
horse wearing torn black clothes and armor, but what struck me the most is that the rider had
no head.
Almost too scared to move, I force myself, I roll out of the way of the headless horsemen and
my keyblade appears in my hand as if sensing a battle. Standing back up I try to take a strike
at the horsemen but he evades my every swing and disappears into the forest again, I walk backwards
my sword still ready as I head for the look out post. The man just sat there dumb founded holding
a rifle and a blank look on his face, as he looked at me I asked him "what on earth was that!" I
waited for any kind of answer as he slowly came out his frozen scared state. "That!..that was
the headless horsemen..the most horrendous thing around these parts!..or any parts!" he said
scared stiff yet shaking like a scared child, I kept on my way there was things that needed to
be done.
The town was old, like the pilgrim days of my home world. The night wasn't my favorite time it
was creepy and lonely, but there always felt like a part of me enjoyed it, the shadows the darkness.
Coming upon a church I thought it'd be the best place to hold up a night, I knocked on the door to
receive no answer, I then proceeded to pull it open and go inside, I called out "hello? anyone?" and
waited as I sat in the front row pew. The priest came out slowly and sleepily as he looked over at
me and said "what is it my son?", I glanced up at him and grinned "just came into town, thought the
church would be a place I could stay for a night while waiting to continue on my journey.." I finished
as he came closer and nodded his head.
So I stayed there over night, to get ready for tomorrow, I knew some how this world's seal and
heartless had to be some how bound to the headless horsemen. And as I feel asleep the darkness
inside me was more awake than I, for as I fell into darkness I saw him, or me, or it. It looked just like
me but different, it was an echo, black and white tv special from the fifties gone wrong, it looked
crazed and dangerous, wild yet mysterious. I stood and watched it, it didn't move, but then it
launched at me fast, what do I do? It hit me and went through me, was I the echo? Shooting up
from where I had fallen asleep, it was morning and it was time to find the seal of this world and shut
it.
Leaving the church, the town was bright now but still had a heavy darkness over it, a thick blanket
of a mist. Stepping off the creaky steps of the church, I planted my feet in the solid cold dirt of
the ground and looked around to see anything unusual, I did however see a lanky goofy looking man
talking to his horse, that was sort've weird but people always talk to their pets.
The tall lanky and somewhat egotistical man bragged to his horse of how he was going to get
Katrina, the daughter of the most wealthy and powerful man in town. "Oh oh, I must be off..I have
a class to teach!" he said as he left his horse and headed for the small school house, but as he
walked up the stairs a voice shouted out "watch your step Crane!" as then the goofy looking guy
turned and kept walking and tripped over his own large feet and stumbled down the stairs rolling
around several times before coming to a shaking halt. A small group of men laughed, one
particular dashing and arrogant man in the middle who called out to him, that man was
Brom Bones the dashing man who also fought for the love of Katrina.
Walking over part of me knew to help this man up, but another part of me just wanted to laugh
along with the other guys. "Here let me help you.." I said as I helped him up onto his feet, he
dusted himself off "I'm fine, I'm fine" he said as he brushed back his hair abit and made sure
he was fixed "thanks for you help stranger, but I'm just fine, a man of my stature needs no
assistance" he said reassuring himself. "Some people these days just have no manners.."
he said looking over at the group of chuckling men, "who are you stranger?" he asked me
and I told him "I'm Kevin, and you are?".
He straightened his collar and dusted himself some more before standing up straight and proudly
saying "I am professor Ichabod Crane, well respected teacher of Sleepy Hollow!", I just paused
mainly because I wanted to laugh at him again. Rolling my eyes and my head I looked at him and
asked "have you seen anything strange around here lately?", he paused and looked at me and then
looked around and said "people speak of the horsemen, but I've seen other things in my forest rides
weird creatures..strange beings..". I knew what he spoke of and knew where ever the heartless
are the seal couldn't be too far, I asked Ichabod "do you think you could show me this place where
you saw these creatures later on?" he went silent and scared but shook his head yes before
entering the school house.
Turning from the school house doors, the group of men stood not too far away. When I went to
walk away and scope out the town, a voice yelled to me "hanging out with that clown makes
you just as big a joke as him" I turned around with a grin and said "do you wish to see how funny
I can be?" I was never one to taunt a fight but part of me wanted a piece of him. He just looked
at me and laughed and walked away, I knew he was more afraid of a fight than he was confident.
I strolled through town to kill some time before the school let out for the day, there wasn't anything
interesting in this town, but come night fall I bet you the horsemen makes his existence known.
Then as I came around again I saw the school doors open, I jumped the stairs and looked inside
and saw it was empty the air dead and laughter and jokes of school children gone. "Dammit!"
I said to myself as I stormed out and noticed that Ichabod's horse was gone as well, looking over
at an old woman I asked "where'd Ichabod go!" and she looked blankly at me "ol broom boy? hehe"
she laughed as I shook her abit "where!" yelling at her she answered me "into the forest! That way!".
Running in the direction the woman had given me I had to catch up I didn't want to be stuck in Sleepy
Hollow, I had to find the keyhole and seal it and find my friends. Running through the forest I could see
the rotting trees, the blanket of fog, the lack of animal life, and just the atmosphere alone made me want
to turn back or choke. In the distance I could see Ichabod picking flowers with his horse beside him, I
ran for awhile longer before catching upto him. "You didn't wait for me Ichabod!" I shouted as he turned
scared, "oh my no, I had to pick some flowers for my dearest Katrina" he answered me as I just looked at
him and it made me think of Mel abit. "So where did you see these creatures Ichabod?" I tried getting
an answer out of him that wasn't involving Katrina, and he finally gave me one "just around here..strange
looking things, all black creepy yellow eyes that glow like fire", I knew the surrounding area is where
they must be, but where to start it is a big forest.
As if on key, the blurs appeared and out of them came dog like heartless, the growled at me and surrounded
me as Ichabod continued to pick flowers not noticing. My keyblade knows it's time to fight and appears in
my hand, I never liked to fight before but now I thirsted for it with my soul and raised my weapon as I
drove it into the darkened flesh of the heartless creatures and massacred them. While my back was turned
one managed to jump me but I didn't let it phase me I rammed my keyblade into and struck it down along
with the others. Ichabod stood up with a goofy smile "I got all I need!" as he looked at me and saw me
breathing deeply and smoke fading, "oh my" he said.
Leaving the forest the sun began to set and the galloping of a horse could be heard in the distance behind us
and when night falls in Sleepy Hollow no one is safe in the forest. Ichabod climbed on the top of his horse and
I yelled at them to go and they took off, but as I awaited for the horsemen to come at me he turned and was
heading objectively for Ichabod, but why? "ICHABOD!" I yelled as I ran after them unable to chase them down
while they're on horseback, Ichabod turned and noticed the horsemen and screamed and tried to go faster.
There was something different about the horsemen now, he had what looked like a flaming pumpkin on his
head and actually laughed.
Pulling his pumpkin head off he threw it at Ichabod Crane, knocking him off of his horse and throwing him to
the ground where he cried like a girl and screamed "please don't take my head mr.horsemen!". The laughing
grew louder as a few of the men from town came out from the forest and the horsemen opened his coat, he
was actually Brom Bones in disguise to scare Ichabod, "stay way from Katrina, Crane!" he shouted as they
started to laugh again and walked away back to town.
Helping Ichabod back up on his feet he kept his head low even though I lifted him up, he just wept to himself
the love of his life he could not have because another did not want to give her up. "Ichabod..don't let him get
to you..fight for Katrina" I told him as he stood up more, "it's useless..Brom is bigger, better, and more liked
than me it's sad to say..but it's true" he said in such an out of character tone. I patted his shoulder and said to
him "listen Ichabod, love is something you can't give up on..never, if it wasn't for love there'd be no light..Brom
isn't the problem, you are, you really have to believe in yourself!", he looked up at me and smiled his smug
smile, I could tell Ichabod was back to his normal self..as normal as can be anyway.
When we got back to town Ichabod had readjusted himself and dusted himself off, little did I know is that there
was a small gathering of townsfolk for a small party near the church, that's why Ichabod got the flowers for
Katrina. Walking over we could easily see Brom trying to impress Katrina with his masculinity, it more appeared
like stupidity, I pushed Ichabod forward towards her and he stumbled closer nervously to her. Taping her shoulder
Katrina turned to him, "well hello Ichabod" she smiled as he tried to speak just mumbling and fumbling words as
he held out the flowers to her, Brom in the back giving a dirty look. "For me? Thank you Ichabod, that's so sweet
of you" Katrina blushed as Ichabod grinned nodding his head as the two walked arm and arm where they walked
to the dancing area where several other couples were dancing to the sounds of violins. Brom frowned angrily.
The party was going well, but why did I care? Why was I bothering to help Ichabod! I should be looking
for the seal, who cares about these people! Why was I thinking so selfishly?
Music came to a halt as everything peaceful was broken by a loud scream of a girl who came running, a
heartless chasing after her wildly, and others followed after it. Brom Bones quickly grabbed a rifle and ran at
them "don't worry my lady I'll protect you!" he said shooting the heartless with little or no effect. The keyblade
appeared again and I grinned looking at the heartless as I engaged them in battle, slicing them apart and watching
them explode into smoke, but the last one I put my keyblade away and tore it apart with my bare hands in
anger. It was time to go into the forest, I was sick of the heartless and I needed to seal this world and find
my friends.
"I'm going into the forest, I'm going to stop this evil and stop the horsemen" I shouted to the townsfolk who
gasped as Brom stepped forward with his rifle and demanded coming into the forest to dispatch the horsemen
himself to prove something to Katrina. Then something unexpected, "I'll go with you!" Ichabod stammered as
he stepped forward, I knew he had some courage in him some where just needed some inspiration. Really
I didn't care if they followed me or not, as long as they didn't get in my way, the three of us headed into the
forest.
It was dark, the ground was moist from the fog, but I think it was moist with the fear of my two followers. But
then again I wasn't exactly not afraid. Through the darkness we could hear rustling in the leaves around us, was
it the wind or the heartless, we proceeded through the forest, it was nearly as dark as the heartless. But then
we knew we were where we had to be, we could then hear the tormented scream of the headless horsemen,
and it was horrifying, it sent chills down my skin and through my bones and made me want to drop dead myself
the poor soul tormented and driven through insanity and back again he wasn't headless he was heartless.
He came riding out of a strange tree, the horsemen now corrupted by the heartless, and now bared their emblem
on his armor, he headed for us and raised his sword. Ichabod screamed like a school girl and fell to the ground the
sword passing over him as he cowered in the dirt, Brom grunted and idiotically ran at the horsemen firing his rifle
only to be hit by him when he passed by with his horse and thrown back on the ground. Brom jumped up and fired
again, but when trying to reload his old fashioned rifle he was slammed into a tree by the horsemen and knocked
out, the rifle landed beside the feet of Ichabod Crane. Using my keyblade I whipped it into the legs of his horse trying
to make the horse fall over but it didn't work, then I tried jumping and attacking him and I was able to strike his chest
revealing his dark saddened and chaotic heart but before I could strike his heart he threw me down nearly stomping
me with his horse.
As I tried to pull myself up without getting stomped, and Brom lay unconscious, Ichabod eyed the rifle and picked
it up uncertain of what he was doing as he loaded it up and tried to hold it properly "oh what do I do! what!..ah!" he
pointed it at the horsemen and closed his and took a big gulp and pulled his reluctant finger down on the trigger, as
the large bullet came soaring out of the barrel and Ichabod went flying back arms and legs swinging as he hit a tree.
Even though Ichabod fell down, the bullet continued on and threw itself straight into the horsemen's chaotic and
shriveled heart, and as it pierced it the whaling screams stopped and he fell of his horse and faded away as so did
his horse. Standing up I looked over at Ichabod with a smile, he had finally proven himself, and in the corner of my
eye I saw a glimmer on a large deformed tree in which the horsemen came from. Stepping over to the tree I raised
my keyblade and in a flash the keyhole sealed and I turned to Ichabod and said "take care of Katrina, tell her how
you destroyed the horsemen and saved the day!" and then the darkness consumed me and I disappeared.
Another world down, countless more to go. Hopefully the next one will have Mel, or someone. I just want to see
a familiar face to feel like I'm home even if it's just for a few minutes, who knows what's coming up next.