Okay – now – let's hope THIS chapter has a BIT more originality then the other two! Pffft…
Level 3- Disney Castle
Now that all five had finally collected their bearings and had thoroughly explained the situation to one another, they were finally off to find King Mickey. Jila, Haru, and Rion did their best to not ogle at the strange and bright halls of the Disney Castle.
"HOLY CRAP!" Haru's cry interrupted their desperate run, and all four fell over from surprise.
"What, what?" Jila asked, still angry at her brother for scaring her.
"Those…those…brooms are moving!" Haru screamed, pointing at the walking brooms. Jila and Rion watched the brooms walk along the Castle walls, pleasantly cleaning.
"Well of course!" Donald stamped his webbed foot impatiently. "How do you think they clean the Castle all day? C'mon, we don't have time!"
The three, still slightly creeped out by the moving brooms, ran after Donald and Goofy, doing their best to not show the paleness of their faces. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the five arrived at the two gigantic lavender doors with golden handles.
"Uhh…" Rion spoke up, doing his best to look to the top of the doors. "How do you open 'em?"
"Watch!" Donald commanded, obviously angered at the children's curiosity and impatience. He took a deep breath. "Ahem!" The small door swung open, and he promptly walked through. The others had to duck as they traveled through the small passageway, but once they raised their heads, they gasped at the magnificent throne room.
The walls were made of bookshelves, packed with more books then the children had ever seen in their lifetime. A single throne with red velvet cushions sat in the middle of it all. Ivory white tiles decorated the floor, and a desk filled with papers and stacked with books was tucked into a corner.
"Your majesty?" Goofy spoke. "A-hyuck, we've got some visitors!"
"Visitors?" The children heard a voice, and looked around the gigantic room for its owner. They finally saw the speaker, sliding down from the tall ladder that led up to the rows of books. He was a small mouse wearing red suspenders and a crown. "Who might they be?"
"Umm…I'm--" Jila started, only to have her back shocked by Donald's rod. "Hey! What was that for!"
"You'll address him as "Your majesty!" Donald exclaimed and Jila stuck out her tongue at him.
"Fine, your majesty," Jila did a dramatic curtsy, only angering Donald more. "We were told you could help us."
"Strange," Mickey smiled. "You look like Sora."
"Uhh…yeah, before we get too complicated, we're his children, and I know that sounds weird but…" Rion started, not wanting to launch into another long winded explanation. "It seems that--"
"Time runs much faster on Destiny Islands than it does here, correct?" Mickey asked and the children blinked.
"Umm…yeah…"
"Just as I figured!" Mickey smiled, clapping his gloved hands. "Another hypothesis, successfully tested!"
"Umm…with all due respect, your majesty," Rion butted in. "We've come to talk to you about a problem we're having."
"What might that be?" Mickey asked, heading over to his throne and sitting down comfortably. "Hmm…speaking of which. If you're Sora's children, then where's Sora?"
"That's just the problem!" Jila exclaimed. "Our dad is missing and our mom was kidnapped! These two," she jerked her thumb at Donald and Goofy, "said you could help!"
"Sora? Missing? How so?" Mickey asked. "How did you all end up here anyway?"
"Well, you see, your majesty," Haru spoke. "This giant black thing came and destroyed our island! Our dad was blown away, and we were too! That's how we ended up here…"
"Darkside?" Mickey asked, his eyes wide. "Hmm…I see. It's as I feared."
"Huh?" Donald and Goofy both questioned at once.
"What do you mean, your majesty?" Donald asked incredulously.
"It's just as I feared Donald, Goofy. Worlds are being destroyed, stars are going out," Mickey looked solemn. "I can only assume that what happened months ago is happening again."
"B-but we defeated Ansem!" Donald exclaimed. "He was the creator of the Heartless, right!"
"Yes," Mickey nodded. "But something tells me that someone has taken control of Ansem's work and formed it to his or her own needs."
"But why would they kidnap our Mom?" Rion asked. "It doesn't make any sense!"
"That is still a mystery to me," Mickey shook his head back and forth. He got up from his throne and started to pace. "Hmmm…well!"
"Well what?" Jila asked, only to be greeted by another shock from Donald. "YOW!"
"Dummy!" Donald snapped. "The King obviously has a plan!"
"Actually Donald, I'm plan-less," Mickey laughed, rubbing the back of his head. Donald fell over, as did Jila. "But, as long as Sora wields the Keyblade, we have nothing to worry about!"
"That's right!" Donald nodded to the three children. "As long as Sora's the Keyblade Master, nothing can defeat him!"
"Umm…about that…" Haru grimaced at the other two.
"About WHAT!" Donald fumed; he was obviously very annoyed at the vagueness of the children.
"Umm…Sora…our dad…doesn't have the Keyblade anymore," Jila admitted.
"WHAT!" Donald screamed and started to run around in panicked circles. "How could he have lost the Keyblade!"
"He's the Keyblade Master, gwarsh; it seems odd he'd lose it!" Goofy frowned.
"If Sora doesn't have it, who does?" Mickey asked and the three children sighed.
"We do," Rion said and the three drew their keyblades with a soft "chink" and light. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey looked at them with wide eyes.
"YOU! I KNEW IT, YOU STOLE IT FROM SORA!" Donald readied his wand. "C'mon, let's fight 'em Goofy!"
"Gwarsh, but they say they're his kids! A-hyuck!"
"Wait, both of you," Mickey stepped forward and looked at the three children's blades. "No doubt about it, these are genuine. Obviously, Sora left you guys his power."
"B-but that means that Sora's defenseless!" Donald exclaimed, nearly tearing out his head feathers.
"Not necessarily," Mickey pointed out. "Perhaps the reason that these three have been given the Keyblade is so that Sora can wield another power."
"So we're just fill-me-ins!" Jila asked, obviously annoyed by the King's hypothesis.
"That's not what I'm saying," Mickey shook his head. "Obviously, you three have some part in the Keyblade Prophecy."
"Keyblade…?" Rion started.
"Prophecy?" Haru finished.
"Yes! Something tells me that you three are meant to find out what's happening with the Worlds!" Mickey explained. "So, we must send you off immediately!"
"Hold on!" Rion exclaimed. "We only came here to find our dad and our mom, not to get caught up in some dumb prophecy!"
"Yeah! We need to find Dad and Mom before we go saving "The Worlds" or whatever crud you're babbling about!" Jila insisted.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Mickey told them. "My hypothesis…"
"Not again."
"My hypothesis is that Sora has once again been transported to Traverse Town. This is only a guess, mind you, but a good one. Go there, and you might find Sora!"
"Traverse Town?" Haru asked. "Dad talked about that, remember?"
"Yeah…" Jila nodded. "You might be right, your majesty!"
"JUST HOLD ON A MINUTE!" Donald stamped his feet, demanding attention. "How in the Worlds can Darkside be back! We defeated him!"
"That's another mystery Donald," Mickey nodded. "Someone, or something, is utilizing Ansem's research and using it for their own devices. But if he or she can do that, who knows what else they can do."
"Well, we've got to get to Traverse Town and find our Dad!" Rion exclaimed. "B-but how can we get there?"
"The Gummi Ship!" Donald exclaimed. "We'll take you to the Launch Pad!"
"Awesome!" Haru cheered.
"Thanks King Mickey!" Jila waved and all five of them ran out of the doors, ready to head to the launch pad.
"So, we just fly this…what did you call it again?"
"Gummi Ship!"
"Yeah, right! Gummi Ship to…what was that place again?"
"Traverse Town!"
"Yeah, that place! We fly the Gummi Ship to Traverse Town, find our Dad, have him rescue Mom, and then we go home?" Haru asked, outlining the plan as the three ran through the halls.
"But remember that huge thing that attacked the island?" Jila reminded him. "We may not have a home to go back to!"
"Once we get this mess sorted out, everything will be back to normal!" Donald stated, then whispered under his breath, "I hope…"
"It's got to go back to normal," Rion assured his siblings. "Remember Dad's stories? Once we find him, I'm sure he can help fix things."
"What about our Keyblades?" Jila asked, pulling out hers. "Should we give them back to Dad?"
"It's not as if we know how to use them…" Haru scratched his head, pulling out his own red handled one. "But it's not every day you get graced with a legendary weapon."
"This isn't a game, Haru," Rion reminded him. "We need to give these blades to whoever can wield them properly."
"Well, we do pretty well!" Jila smiled, slashing her blade. "Why can't we wield them?"
"I…I guess…" Rion stumbled. "But still!"
"Stop lagging behind!" Donald called to them and the three children ran to catch up with the feisty mage. "The King probably has already alerted Chip and Dale to ready the ship! We can't keep them waiting!"
"Coming!" They called simultaneously, and ran through the halls with new speed to catch up with the impertinent wizard.
"A-hyuck, Chip, Dale, they're here," Goofy pointed to the Gummi Launch Pad door as Donald and the three children came skidding into the room.
"Are…are those things supposed to be some kind of humanoid?" Haru asked pointing to the two feisty chipmunks saluting to them.
"Obviously not," Rion said, sighing. "Things sure are weird here…"
"Anyway!" Donald interrupted, running forward. "Chip, Dale, ready the Gummi Ship for a trip to Traverse Town! There's no time to lose in recovering Sora!"
The two chipmunks nodded and ran quickly to the configuration room, adjusting their rubber gloves as they skidded along. "I'll go help 'em out, gwarsh," Goofy laughed.
"Goofy, don't break anything!" Donald snapped, then returned to the three children. "Anyway, do you know how to fly it?"
"Ummm…not exactly," Jila scratched her head.
"Fine!" Donald sighed impatiently, then pointed to Rion. "You! You're the designated flyer!"
"Huh?" Rion asked, pointing to himself. "M-me? I don't know how to fly this thing!"
"I'll teach you!" Donald smiled. "It's really quite simple, come with me."
"No fair, I want to fly too!" Jila insisted. "I've never gotten to fly a spaceship before!"
"Eldest brother gets responsibility," Rion smirked to his younger siblings as Donald led him down to the ship which was already situated on the launching site.
Jila and Haru watched Donald open up the ship and help Rion inside, then shut the door behind him. The two sighed, still put out that they hadn't been given the chance to fly the ship like their older brother.
"Hmm…" Goofy scratched his ear.
"What's wrong, Goofy?" Haru asked as he and Jila walked into the Configuration room where Chip and Dale were frantically skipping about, pulling levers and pressing buttons.
"Seems we've got a problem," Goofy sighed. "Chip and Dale say that the ship won't fire up!"
"Huh?" Jila asked, peering at the controls. "Why not?"
"Dunno," Goofy shrugged. "Just won't. Maybe there's something blocking it, gwarsh."
"Goofy!" Donald called from the gummy ship, poking his bill out. "Fire up the ship! I'm going to give Rion a test run!"
"Gwarsh, sorry Donald," Goofy scratched his ear. "But it won't fire up. Something's blocking the system!"
"Whaaat!" Donald asked, falling out of the ship, flattening his face on the platform. The three couldn't help but stifle fits of laughter as Donald stumbled to his feet and ran to the control panel. "Hmm…this is odd. Something's blocking off the Gummi Ship's power source!"
"What do you think it is Donald?" Goofy asked, dumbfounded.
"Hmm…" Donald stroked his feathered chin, putting his hand on his hip and pacing throughout the small control room. "Not sure."
"Uncle Donald!" Huey panted, running into the room. "We've got a problem!"
"Yes, I know that!" Donald stomped his feet up and down. "Why must you remind me?"
"It's Heartless!"
The three children's eyes widened and they immediately sprinted for the door, Rion jumping out of the ship with little difficulty. Donald was quick to run in front of them. "Now hold it right there!" He blocked the door, shielding himself over the front of it. "You're not going anywhere!"
Huey walked over to Donald to explain the situation. "There are loads out there!" he told him. "They're storming the castle!"
"Could they be after us?" Jila asked her two brothers.
"Why would they? They can't use our keyblades," Haru reminded her. "It seems pointless."
"Maybe we pose a threat to them," Rion suggested and his younger siblings nodded. "What do you think Donald?"
"That's most likely what they're here for…" Donald nodded. "That's why you've got to get out of here as soon as possible!"
"We can't just go!" Jila insisted. "We have to defeat them! You can't do it alone!"
"Don't underestimate us!" Donald told her. "You forget that the King possesses a Keyblade as well! He'll defeat these heartless in no time!"
"Gwarsh, Donald, we got another problem."
"WHAT IS IT GOOFY?" Donald shouted, exasperated.
"I think the Heartless are the ones blocking the power to the ship!" Goofy told him.
"Huh?" Donald's eyes widened. "What makes you say that?"
"Cause they're right here in the control room," Goofy pointed to the room which was now covered with glowing-eyed shadows.
"Oh no!" Jila cried, and the three pulled out their keyblades. "Let's go guys!"
"C'mon Goofy!" Donald told him, taking out his wand. "Let's get 'em and get these three out of here!"
"HYAH!" The three children all ran towards the shadows; the shadows reacting to their aggression with a head on attack.
"Eat this!" Jila slashed two shadows, making them fly off against the walls. They sunk into the ground, obviously defeated. Jila turned around to see her brothers and Donald and Goofy taking care of their own batch of Heartless.
Soon, all the creatures had retreated into the ground, leaving the five alone. The three children took their opportunity to run to the doors and throw them open.
Outside, hundreds of Heartless were storming the halls and gardens, marching towards the King's Throne Room. "Oh no!" Jila cried. "We can't beat all those Heartless!"
"What other choice do we have?" Rion asked, running outside and engaging a Heartless wearing a metal head piece. "C'mon guys! Pick 'em off!"
"R-right!" the other two nodded and ran to face their own batches of Heartless.
"THUNDAGA!" Donald ran outside and cast the spell, sending a dozen or so Heartless reeling backwards from the impact. "C'mon Goofy!"
"Gwarsh! Right!" Goofy nodded and started to attack a few shadows with his shield, Donald still sending out powerful elemental spells.
"HAH!" Haru smashed another Heartless soldier, making it explode into a heart and black smoke. "Guys! They're moving toward the King! We've got to stop them!"
"We'll never catch them!" Jila cried, seeing the marching Heartless army speeding up towards the giant purple doors. "What are we gonna do?"
"We're not giving up yet!" Donald assured her, shuffling around his sleeve until he finally found what he was looking for. It was a small silver whistle. Donald raised it to his bill, took a deep breath, and blew into the whistle.
The resounding sound made the children cover their ears from shock and pain. "Hey! What's that for?" Haru asked.
"Just watch!" Donald assured them.
"Watch…" but Rion didn't finish his sentence as the ground began to shake beneath their feet. It seemed like an earthquake, the entire room was shaking. Obviously, the Heartless had noticed it too, as they stopped in their tracks and looked around for possible enemies.
But from around every corner and every door came marching brooms, ready for combat against the Heartless. They made two lines, blocking the Heartless in. One broom stepped forward; the children assumed it was the leader, and pointed towards the Heartless. The brooms raised their mops and pans in a triumphant cry and rushed into combat!
"Hah!" Jila laughed. "They're making a blockade for us! Come on guys, let's go!" Jila pointed her keyblade towards the battle and the others nodded, rushing forward.
"What's all that noise?" Mickey asked, feeling the ground shake beneath him as he sat in his throne reading a book. Mickey shut the book, a frown on his face, and walked over to his large doors.
"I wouldn't open the door if I were you, Your Majesty."
Mickey stopped dead in his tracks as the lights in the room shut off the curtains closed quickly. He stumbled around. "Wh-who's there?"
"Don't overreact," the voice laughed. "I must say, that Heartless invasion provided the perfect distraction for me to sneak in here unnoticed."
"Show yourself!" Mickey drew his golden Keyblade and commanded the voice. "Who are you?"
"I'm just here for your chain."
"M-my what?" Mickey asked, dumbfounded. "Y-you…you know about the Keychains?"
"Of course!" the voice laughed haughtily. "Now give me yours and I'll leave quietly."
"Never!" Mickey shook his head. "The keychains were never meant to be collected! They were to stay with the person of whom they were given to! Surely you must know this if you know the legend of the Keychains!"
"Of course I do," the voice spoke. "Do you think something as ridiculous as that is going to stop me? Now, I'm not going to ask nicely again…" the voice turned angry. "Hand – it – over."
"Never!" Mickey cried, running forward towards the voice.
But in an instant, Mickey fell back as a long object was plunged through his chest. He didn't bleed, but he dropped his blade and his eyes went blank. The object was pulled out and Mickey remained unscathed, even if he still had not regained conscious. When the object was pulled up, on the bottom of it was a tiny castle attached to a chain. Under the castle was a miniature golden heart. Mickey's mysterious attacker smiled widely and put the chain into his or her fingers, feeling it in his or her palm. The person smiled and plucked the chain of the end of the pole, attaching it to the top instead.
"One down…"
And with that, the lights flickered back on, but only the unconscious Mickey remained in the room.
"Yes!" Jila laughed, wiping her brow. "We defeated them all!" Jila was right; every Heartless had been defeated thanks to the combined forces of the five fighters and the legion of brooms.
"Thank you soldiers!" Donald saluted to the brooms and they saluted back. "Back to your posts!"
The brooms milled off back around the corners and through the doors they had come out from. The children smiled as they watched them go.
"We'd better report to the King!" Donald reminded them, running towards the doors. "I'm surprised he didn't hear the attack!" Donald pushed open the doors, the others following him through the high archways.
"It is weird…" Rion nodded. "When those brooms marched out it felt like an earthquake. Don't you think the King would have heard it?"
"Maybe he was sleeping," Haru offered jokingly.
"Perhaps," said Jila, shrugging.
"Oh no! Your Majesty!"
The three children looked up from their conversation to see Donald running frantically towards the huddle form of an unconscious Mickey on the ground. "Your Majesty! Gwarsh, are you all right?" Goofy joined Donald, the three children rushing after the two.
"Is he…all right?" Jila asked and Donald didn't answer.
Rion bent down and felt Mickey's chest. "He's still breathing…but…he's unconscious, that's for sure."
"Unconscious? No…" Donald shook his head. "His heart's been stolen!"
"Wh-what?" Jila asked, stepping back. All three children looked at one another in disbelief. "H-how could his heart have been stolen?"
"I don't know…" Donald shook his head. "Oh this is just horrible…"
"But why?" Jila asked about a half an hour later. All five and the Queen, Queen Minnie, were circled around King Mickey who was lying in bed, still in the same state that he was before. "Why would anyone want to steal the King's heart?"
"I'm not sure…" Donald shook his head, looking extremely worried. "The King would never lose to an ordinary or even strong Heartless! I don't know what happened!"
"Oh dear…" Minnie shook her head, obviously holding back her worry and fear. "What will happen to the King?"
"I'm not sure Your Majesty…" Donald shook his head. "But we've got to find his heart and return it to him! That much is obvious."
"Where can we start looking?" Rion asked and Donald turned to him. "We'll help look with you. Where could it be?"
"I have no idea…" Donald admitted, then looked up with great conviction. "Goofy, we're going on the ship to find the King's heart!"
"But Donald, we've only got one ship," Goofy reminded him. "And weren't Jila, Rion and Haru going to use that one to go to Traverse Town?"
"That doesn't matter right now!" Donald insisted, jumping up and down in frustration. "The King is much more important!"
"Hey! Says who?" Haru asked and Jila nodded. "Our Dad is in trouble too! You promised us that we could use that ship!"
"Haru, Jila, stop." The two younger siblings turned to face their older brother who was shaking his head. Rion looked at Donald. "How about this? If you'll accept our terms that is…"
"What are you proposing?" Donald asked.
"We find our Dad and still look for the King's heart," Rion offered. "After all, you said that there are other Worlds out there. I doubt the thief would stick around here."
Donald looked at Rion, obviously thinking over his proposal. "Well…Sora might be in danger as well. It only makes sense that we should hit two dodo birds with one stone."
"So you'll let us use the ship?" Jila asked, smiling widely and Donald nodded.
"Yes, I will."
"Yes!" Jila smiled widely, giving Donald a squeezing hug around the neck.
"Ack! A-air! Can't breathe!"
"C'mon guys!" Jila called to her brothers. "Let's get going!"
"Gwarsh, ready you three?" Goofy called from the control room and Rion nodded. The three had crammed themselves into the Gummi ship, Rion and Haru sitting in front (Rion at the controls) and Jila in the back.
"Starting power!" Donald commanded and Dale pulled a switch. "Boosting engines!" Chip pushed a button. Donald took a deep breath and yelled as loud as he could: "LAAAAUNNNCH!"
With a resounding "bing!" an arrow pointing upward appeared in front of the three, and they all looked extremely confused.
"Eject!" Donald shouted, and before the three knew what had happened, a spring board ejecting under them and they flew through an opening in the ceiling, out into space.
"I knew that was better then letting them just fall like last time!" Donald said proudly, then returned to his work: "And finally!" he shouted. "Give 'em a boost!"
The ship's engines started to roar loudly. "Wh-what's that?" Jila asked, grabbing onto her two brothers' seats.
"Don't ask me, I'm just driving this thing!" Rion snapped.
But, the three didn't have much more time to ask questions, as the engines emitted a loud roar and a boost of rocket power, sending the small ship out into the unknown reaches of the other worlds…
"Gwarsh, think we'll see 'em again?" Goofy asked.
"Of course we will you dummy!" Donald snapped. "After all, I'm putting Chip and Dale in charge of building a second ship for you and me! We're not letting them find the King's Heart alone! They're just kids! For all we know they could screw up."
"Gwarsh, but that might take awhile," Goofy pointed out.
"Shaddap!" Donald commanded and Goofy laughed loudly. Chip and Dale looked at each other, shook their heads, and jogged off towards the Gummi Ship exit doors.
"Where to now?" Haru asked Rion, peering at a small display which acted as a navigation device. Rion was busy maneuvering around space, avoiding small asteroids or other obstructions.
"Traverse Town," Rion told him, pointing to a label that read "Traverse Town". "That's where the King told us to go."
"So now we have to find Dad, rescue Mom, and find the King's lost heart," Jila counted the tasks on her fingers. "Man, our chore list just keeps getting longer and longer…"
"You can say that again," Haru sighed, reclining in his chair. "Hey Rion, pick up the pace!"
"Hey, no back-seat piloting," Rion snapped.
"But I'm in the front seat."
"This trip is going to take longer then I thought it would…"
The End of the third chapter! Did you enjoy it? I know I did! Please review! And thank you all for your support!
-Sammy