Beyond the Light

by Golden Ebony

This is a story about Sora and his fellow friends he meets along the way, on his long journey to see his old friends, Kairi and Riku, again after a terrible encounter with a Heartless. In the end, his friend turns to the dark side, and it's up to him to g

3. Wonderland

Wonderland

Sora and the gang floated down a long, long rabbit hole. Everywhere around them where clocks. Every clock had a different time, making Sora confused. What time was it really? Alli looked down.
"Finally... We can walk." She said with a sigh of relief.
"I thought we would never see the ground again." She said, waiting for the feel of hard flooring to hit her feet. Sora, Alli, and Donald landed ok, while Goofy landed on his stomach, letting out a large "Oof!" Goofy sat up rubbing his head.
"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" A white rabbit that wore a white shirt and a red vest on top ran across the checkered floor. He glanced at his pocket watch intently. Alli followed the rabbit through three large doors, everyone else following behind.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I'm here, I should be there! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The queen will have my head for sure this time!" The rabbit's voice echoed everywhere in the tall, large room. Alli rushed to where the rabbit went, but found he was gone. She glanced around the cute room.
"It's so... pink." Alli said, staring at a teddy bear on a high shelf. She glanced at Sora. He was talking to a doorknob on a very small door.
"How did the rabbit get so small?" Sora asked, looking at the snoring knob. It yawned and looked at Sora.
"No, now, you're simply to big." It said sleepily. It yawned again.
"Wah! It talks!" Sora screamed, scotching away. The door knob was awake now, his eyes opened all the way.
"Must you be so loud, young man? You woke me up." It said angrily.
"Oh, well, Good Morning!" Goofy said waving.
"You mean Good night! I need a bit more sleep." It yawned. Sora asked it a question before it fell asleep again.
"W-wait, wait! What do we have to do to get small?" Sora asked. The doorknob answered quietly.
"Why don't you try drinking the bottle on that table where the young gentle lady is?" It said, falling asleep after its answer. Alli smiled. She looked at the red and green bottles.
"Which one do we drink?" she asked, looking at the labels. One said "small," the other said "large."
"Oh..." She said. She took a sip of the one that said "small." Alli glowed brightley, shrinking to about 3 inches high. She looked up at the gigantic Sora, Goofy, and Donald. She laughed.
"Drink the bottle, this is soo cool!" She laughed. Sora heard her, but just barely. He drank the bottle, and he, too, shrunk. He looked around.

"Cool." Was his only answer. Donald and Goofy drank it, shrinking. They quickly ran towards the knob. They where shrunk know, and should be able to go through the door. Sora sighed, not wanting to interrupt its nap. Alli wanted to test the other drink, and jumped on a large chair. She then jumped on the table and stood on her tippy-toes. She now was able to reach the inside of the bottle.
"Stop, don't!" Sora yelled. He ran towards her, but was to late. Alli drank it and returned to her normal size. She apologized quickly. Goofy looked at a strange bed, and saw Alli sit on it. It disappeared into the wall. Alli fell on her butt.

"Ow... How'd that happen? I didn't do it!" She said, staring at where the bed used to be. She saw a large, black hole in the wall. Donald didn't care what was on the other side of it, and ran through it.
"Gawrsh, wait for me!" Goofy yelled. He ran through it, too. Now Alli and Sora where alone. Allison quickly drank the potion that said "small", and shrank. Alli looked at Sora, and smiled.
"Let's go, Sora! We can't leave our friends alone, can we?" She said. She ran through the hole, Sora following behind her. On the other side, the rabbit from before ran up to some platform thing. He blew in his trumpet, playing a quick melody.
"Court is now in session!" He announced. A young girl with fluffy long blonde hair and a blue dress looked confused.
"I'm on trial? But... why?" She said, waiting for an answer. The rabbit ignored the question.
"Her majesty, the Queen of Hearts!" He again loudly announced. The fat, rude queen wore a long red and black dress, making you dizzy whenever you looked at it. She also had a heart shaped wand thing. She spoke loudly.
"This girl is the culprit, and the reason is..." She paused thinking.
"Because I said so, that's why!" She said, slamming her hands down on her large platform she sat in. The blonde haired girl hesitated to listen to any more non-since.
"That is so unfair!" She said, glaring at the queen. The queen spoke loudly and rudely.
"Well, then, have you anything to say in your defense?" She asked.
"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong. You may be queen, but that doesn't give you the right to be so... so mean!" Alice said. The queen yelled and spoke loudly, her face as red as a lobster.
"Silence! You dare defy me!" She said yelling again. Sora, Goofy, Donald and Alli listened and heard the whole thing.
"Hey guys, we should help her out." Sora whispered. Donald answered him.
"Yeah, but the--" Donald said, Goofy interrupting.
"We're outsiders, so, uh, wouldn't that be muddling?" Goofy asked.
"Meddling!" Donald corrected Goofy quickly. Allison laughed.
"Yeah." She said.
"And, sadly, that's against the rules." Alli sighed, wanting to help. She looked at the angry, mad, and fierce queen.

"The court finds the defendant guilty as charged, for the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart!" The queen yelled loudly and scared everyone.
"Off with her head, now!" She screamed. She pointed at Alice. The guards, in whom where playing cards, rushed towards Alice.
"No, no! Oh, please, no!" She pleaded. She looked down. Sora rushed in the garden.
"Hold it right there!" Sora said, everyone following behind. The queen questioned Sora, puzzled.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere with my court!"
"Excuse me, but... we know who the real culprit is." Donald said.
"Uh-huh! It's the, ah, um... the Heartle--" Goofy covered his mouth before revealing the culprit. Sora rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, she's not the one your looking for." Sora said, looking at Alice. The queen roared.
"That's nonsense! Have you any proof at all, young man!" She asked.
"U-uh, um..." Sora, of course, had not one bit of proof. The queen pointed towards Alice. The guards rushed towards her and locked her away in a nearby cage, which hung near the queen. The queen spoke.
"Once you find proof, we'll continue trial. Hurry, now, before I make up my mind!" She roared. Sora looked for somewhere to run. Goofy and Donald both pointed to a dark spot in the grass.
"There!" They shouted together. They looked at each other oddly. Everyone ran to where Donald and Goofy pointed. They ran in so fast, they barely knew it even happened. Sora looked around, and Alli screeched at the site of a large cat head floating around. Alli smiled and ran towards it.

"What the--" Sora asked, seeing the face, too. It disappeared every time Alli tried petting the purple an pink-stripped cat. It appeared on a tree stump near Donald. It danced on it's head, and put it back on. Allison "awed" at the "cute" cat. Alli thought it was cute, while every one else was freaked out by it's large grin.
"It's the cutest thing I've ever saw! How adorable!" Alli said, talking cutely. Sora butted in.
"It's the ugliest thing I've ever saw!" Sora said.
"Who are you, freaky looking cat!" He asked, wanting to run away, and never wanting to see it's grin again. The stripped cat stood up tall. Alli ran towards it, trying to pet it again. It disappeared, and then appeared again. Alli looked down.
"Who, indeed. Poor Alice, soon to lo--" It stopped, letting Allison talk.
"You mean, 'Poor Allison!' I can't even pet you! Wahh!" She cried. The freaky, yet "cute" cat, disappeared and appeared on Alli's shoulder. She quickly smiled and pet the "cute" cat. It spoke again.
"Poor Alice, soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing." It said, purring every time Alli stroked it's purple and pink back. Alli smiled again, laughing.
"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" Sora asked, desperately wanting an answer. The cat spoke.
"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers- but doesn't always tell." It said. Alli spoke to the Cheshire Cat.
"So your called the 'Cheshire Cat?' How cute! Cheshire, Cheshire, Cheshire Cat!" She said, dancing with the so called "cute" cat on her shoulder. She stopped and smiled again.
"The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness." It said. The Cheshire Cat purred. And then, it slowly faded away on Alli's shoulder.

"But, wait! I'm not done petting you yet!" Alli said, crying.
"It was so cute, and now it's gone!"
"Sorry, but we have to find proof that Alice is not the culprit." The Cheshire Cat's voice was quiet, but everyone heard it.
"They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit, though. There are 4 pieces of evidence in all. 3 are a cinch to find, but the 4th is tricky. Big reward if you find them all!" It said. Alli sighed.
"Should we trust him?" Sora asked. A weird noise caught everyone's attention. The Cheshire Cat appeared on Alli's shoulder again.
"To trust, or not to trust. I trust you'll decide!" It said, and disappeared again.
"Shoot! Why does he go away every time I see him? Wahh!" Alli cried. Goofy calmed her down, and they all went to search for evidence.

All the evidence Sora could find was in his pocket. Now everyone was talking to the queen, saying they've found evidence. The queen roared, and told the cards that the trial could continue. Sora laid his evidence on the ground, and then the queen laid down hers. The guards put each one in a pink box, and mixed them around. Sora now was to pick a box. If his evidence was in it, then they proved that Alice is innocent. But if it's the queen's, then Alice is guilty. Sora picked up a box and opened it. A shadow came out and disappeared.
"What in the world was that?" The queen asked, major angry. Sora smiled.
"It's proof that Alice is innocent. Now, let her go!" Sora yelled.
"Grrr... guards, cut they're heads off!" The queen said, her platform lowering down to the ground. Sora lifted his keyblade, Goofy picked up his shield, Donald raised his magic wand, and Alli took out her kendo sword. Just then, a large crank tower popped out of the ground, and everything (well, just about everything) disappeared. A guard ran towards it and spun one of the wheels on the tower. It lifted Alice's cage off the ground, and high up in the air. The queen roared, and Alli dropped her kendo sword. She ran towards the queen and punched her hard. She fell backwards on to her head. Sora was shocked and stepped back. The shock numbed his senses.
"Whoa, she's a real broad women!" Sora said, now a little frightened of her.
"Uhh, what's 'broad' mean?" Goofy asked.
"A 'broad' is a woman who can throw a mean punch, such as Allison." Sora answered. He ran towards the crank tower and hit the wheel the guards spun. It dropped Alice just a little, and Sora would have to break the wheel if he where to set her cage back on the ground. Sora beat on the wheel, and smacked it harshly. Allison ran towards the wheel on the other side of the tower and hit it, helping Sora drop the cage. Goofy and Donald smacked the guards and the queen, in which shocked the cards. They would run towards her and help her, giving Sora time to hit the wheel.

"Get them, you fools!" She said, pointing towards the gang. They all worked hard and hit the wheel. Goofy fell on the ground, and was to hurt to get back up. Alli ran towards him and dragged him to a safer spot. Then she ran towards the tower and smacked it with all her might. Sweat ran down her head, and she growled. She smacked it, finally dropping Alice's cage to the floor. Alli and Sora both sighed with relief.
"Finally..." Allison whispered. The queen glanced at the cage. Everyone gasped. Alice was gone! Donald ran to the cage and checked everywhere.
"Someone must have took her during the fight." Donald answered. The Queen of Hearts made a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval.
"Find Alice this instant and bring her to me, now! You, young man, will return her!" She growled sharply, making every word as clear as clear can get. Allison was startled and scared of the queen. She ran towards the dark hole again, leading her to the forest, called Lotus forest. Sora ran after her, and so did Donald and Goofy. Sora saw the same floating face as before. He snarled.
"It's that stupid cat again that won't stop grinning..." Sora said, turning away. The cat appeared quickly on Alli's shoulder (again). She pet him on the head, and listened to his purring. Allison then remembered that Alice was missing.

"Have you seen Alice?" She asked, worried. The Cheshire Cat spoke in riddles again, grinning.
"Alice, no, Shadows, yes!" He said.
"Well, dur, where did they go?" Goofy asked stupidly. The Cheshire Cat hissed at Goofy, and Goofy stepped back, scared.
"This way, that way, does it matter?" The cat said.

"Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows! Deeper into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find shadows in the upside-down room!" He grinned brightly and disappeared. Alli looked around.
"Look, there's another dark spot thingy..." Alli said, pointing towards a dark spot. She ran into it and the others followed behind. The Cheshire Cat disappeared before Alli stepped into a large garden with a small house near bye and a tea table in the middle. She then turned to Sora. "Where are we?" She asked. Sora turned his head to the side. "No clue... Not one..." He answered. Donald and Goofy stepped in the garden-type place first. Goofy explored and Donald went to go sit in a large pink chair that was at the table. Once he sat in it, the chair threw itself backwards, knocking Donald off it. When it threw itself back up in it's original position, there was money and treasure boxes on the tea table. Alli and Sora ran through the gate and quickly collected it all before it disappeared. Allison looked up and sighed. "This place just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser." She said, shaking her head sadly. The Cheshire Cat appeared again on Alli's shoulder. He grinned, and talked in riddles once more. "In a very pink room lays a table in the middle. Meet me there in three minutes and you will be rewarded. Big reward if you come earlier." It said, grinning larger. The cat then began to vanish, starting with it's tail and ending with its grin. Sora sighed and everyone wondered if they should trust him or not. Alli said yes, of course, because the cat was so "cute." It wouldn't lie, she says. Everyone then agreed to find the Cheshire Cat.

Once everyone was at the real... pink room, they met the Cheshire Cat on a little white table in the middle. He grinned when he seen Allison and her black sword in her hand. "Good, you made it here early. As I said, you get a big reward." It said, swooshing it's hand in the air, summoning another humongous heartless. This one was called the "Trickmaster," it was red with black stripes, and had three heads stacked on top of one another, and it juggled constantly with sticks that had fire on the ends. Alli sighed along with everyone else.

"Here we go again..." She said, holding her kendo sword out. Everyone else followed her actions and got their weapons out, too. Once they where prepared, they all jumped down from the table and attacked the large monster. It swung it's sticks of fire and kicked its folded, zig-zaggy legs at the gang, but he couldn't reach Allison for some reason. Lucky for her, she was the one that smacked him so hard he got dizzy and knelt over.

Everyone then ran towards the Trickmaster and attacked him at once. Nothing. When Allison attacked it, though, it's HP lowered greatly, and it stood back up. Sora sighed angrily. "Great, we're really a lot of help to Alli..." Sora said. Just then the Cheshire Cat appeared on Sora's head, and it grinned so large that Sora was blinded by it's shiny teeth. The Cheshire Cat laughed in a freaky way and Sora screamed out loud when it did. The Cheshire Cat was really distracting Sora, and he did a good job of it, too. The Trickmaster swung his flaming hot wand and watched as Sora was thrown to the nearby wall. Sora gasped desperately for clean air as he inhaled the smoke from the fire on his pants. Sora then turned his deadweight body around, clenching his teeth from the pain and rolled on the hard ground. Once the fire was out, Sora brought his aching body up to see the Cheshire Cat's big grin

"Ah! Get out of my face, or tell me how to beat this guy!" Shouted Sora.

"You don't have to be so mean!" Said the Cheshire Cat.

"Tell me how to beat this Heartless, you kitty cat!" Shouted Sora now ready to tear the cat's head off.

"Why, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have gotten burned!" Said Sora.

"I'm ever so sorry, but you cant possibly defeat the Trickmaster. Only Allison can." Said the cat.

"What! Only Alli can beat that... thing! Why's that!" Said Sora

"You are simply to mad! Plus, you called me ugly, so I gave Allison's sword the power to defeat him!" Said the Cheshire Cat as he disappeared. Sora then got up onto his burnt legs. He grasped the keyblade and ran towards the Trickmaster.

"Come on Goofy and Donald! Lets get down to business, and defeat the Trickmaster!" Shouted Sora as he held the Keyblade up into the air.

"Fire!" shouted Sora as a huge feathery flame came flying out of the tip of the blade heralding towards the giant Heartless. The Trickmaster then knelt down onto his knees. Allison lifted her black sword high up into the air and plunged her sword down into the back of the Trickmaster. It slammed into the ground and it's HP just about hit zero. With only one attack left to go, Allison was real angry that not one person was helping but the Cheshire Cat, in whom was slicing the Trickmaster to pieces with his claws, hissing every time he scratched the dark monster. Alli was happy she had at least one partner, but what the heck about the others who are just... watching, doing nothing? Some help they where...Once the Trickmaster had enough, he vanished away into the air, and so did the Cheshire Cat. Allison growled and turned towards her friends.

"What the heck! What do you think you where doing, you-- er, what where you doing!" She screamed. Sora crossed his arms angrily and stared at the cat who appeared to be waving at him in the sky.

"It was his fault, the stinkin' stupid thing..." Sora said pointing towards the cat. Alli and the others looked at the head floating in the air, it stripes making the others dizzy.

"Oh, um, thanks for the help, kitty! Oh, Sora, by the way, I know the Cheshire Kitty-Cat wouldn't do anything to make you guys not fight, now would he? Stop joking around and let's go. I'm getting Kinda tired of this non-sense." She said, heading out the door. Sora wanted to leave, but he couldn't leave Alice alone... wherever she was...

"What about Alice?" Sora asked. Alli stopped at the Gummi Ship and turned to Sora, smiling.

"Don't worry about it! She's not here anyway. I'm guessing she's in another world... We'll find her, I promise, okay? Now, then, as I said before... Let's go!" Allison said, hopping into the ship. The Cheshire Cat disappeared and quickly got in the ship before everyone closed it's doors. The cat was in the ship, and invisible, too. So, does anyone care he's in there? Let's find out... Turn the Page.