Heart of an Alchemist
(A/N)
Disclaimer: I own none!T.T
Sorry it took so long to update. My PS2 passed on in a tragic accident recently when someone decided to leave the dishwasher door down (cough,mother,cough) causing a freak accident, so I haven't been able to look at what I needed to for Wonderland. The net is not the best place for this stuff.
Chapter Seven
"Damn it, is that shorty here yet?" Donald asked impatiently. "We've been waiting for a whole hour."
"Come on, Donald. I'm sure he'll be here any second now. Can't we just wait like ten more minutes?"
"No! We've been waiting long enough for this guy!"
"Gawrsh, he's right, Sora," Goofy said, "We really need to go to others world now."
Sora hesitated, and then gave a sigh. "I guess you're right. But I really don't want to leave him behind."
"'Ey, Sora!" someone yelled from behind them. Cid came running from the Accessory shop.
"Hey Cid. What's up?"
"Leon here told me that you guys were headed to other worlds now in some sort o' ship, am I right?"
"Wait a second, a ship? We're going to have a space ship?" Sora asked excitedly.
"Ahyuk, it's not a space ship, it's a Gummi ship," Goofy explained.
"A 'Gummy' ship?"
"Gummi. It's a type o' ship made from colored cubes called Gummi blocks," Cid said.
"So, you know about them too?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, I know a bit. I work a lot with mechanics 'n stuff, so I'm good for it. If you like I could work a bit on it if it gets beat up. Maybe give it 'n upgrade or two. O' course you'd have to fly all the way back here…"
"Yeah! Then we could pick up Ed when we come back. Can we do that please, Donald?" Sora got down on his knees and gave Donald the puppy face. Donald looked at him in disgust.
"Gawrsh, Donald. I think it's the only way he'll agree. Please?" Goofy asked joining in on the puppy face. Donald looked at the two and groaned.
"Oh, fine! Just stop with that stupid face already, I'm goin' to be sick!"
"Yay!" Sora and Goofy jumped to their feet and did a little victory dance. "So when do we get to ride the space ship?" Sora asked.
"It's a Gummi ship, damn it, not a space ship! And I would like to leave now!" Donald said.
"Lead the way, captain!" Sora said energetically.
"Sora," Aerith said running up to him. "Well, in town there are two Dalmatians who's puppies have all disappeared. Leon has been very worried about them so I was wondering if you might--"
"Sure thing, Aerith." Sora gave Leon a little smirk and saw him turn his head away.
"Thank you so much Sora. Have a safe journey." Aerith gave the three a wave as they walked through a large wooden door, leaving Traverse Town behind.
"Ahem," Aerith heard. She turned around to see Leon standing right behind her. "Why did you tell him that?"
"I am just as worried about the puppies as you are Leon. They might have ended up on another world, so I was just asking for a favor."
"Aerith…" he began.
"Oh, hello Edward. Did you have a nice walk?" she said waving to Ed as he walked up to them. Ed replied with a shaky nod. Leon looked at him questionably. 'What's wrong with him? Is he sweating?"
"Has Sora woken up yet?"
"Oh, I'm afraid he, Donald and Goofy just left. But don't worry, they promised to come back and get you as soon as they can."
"Oh, OK." Ed looked down at the ground. Aerith noticed Ed had a somewhat worried expression and the little bit if sweat running down his cheek.
"Ed, are you all right? You look kind of worn out."
"Hmm? Oh, I think I'm just tired. I think I'll head back to the hotel now."
"I think we should all get some rest. It is fairly late," Aerith said. Yuffie gave a big yawn to show she agreed, Leon gave a nod. The four then made their way back to the hotel. Cid waved and said, "Night," as he made his way back to the Accessory shop.
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"Wow this is so cool! What does this button do, and this one, and this one!" Sora jumped around excitedly inside the Gummi ship. There were buttons and other various controls all over the ship.
"Stop it! Don't touch anything or you might make us explode!" Donald ordered with his hands on the steering wheel.
"Uh, but Donald, our Gummi ship wasn't made with a 'self exploit' button. Or was it?" Goofy said.
"That's 'self explode' Goofy, and no it wasn't."
"Ahyuk, just making sure you knew." Donald shook his head and looked at the starry space in front of him. He then felt a poke at his shoulder.
"Hey…Donald…can I fly the ship?" Sora asked giving him the puppy eyes again, repeatedly poking at Donald's shoulder.
"Erg, NO! You can't so just sit down and be quite!" Sora sat down, crossed his arms and pouted. The trip lasted about 45 minutes to an hour when Goofy suddenly said, "Hey it's another world." Sora jumped off the floor and looked out the window. He saw the world and thought it looked quite strange.
It was round with a pink and red heart checker pattern on it. Sticking out of it was a castle, a couple of trees, and a green bush balcony cut in the shape of a heart.
"Whoa, what's that place called?"
"Don't know," said Goofy, "But we're goin' to have to go there anyway. Let's go Donald."
Donald pushed a lever jetting the Gummi ship forward towards the new world.
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Ed lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't get to sleep. Not after what that witch, Maleficent, had said to him.
"Alphonse!"
Ed ran forward and set his little brother's head on his knee. "Alphonse, Alphonse! Wake up!"
"I would not think it wise to move him," Maleficent said.
"But how… how is he here?"
"Your transmutation worked. Of course, only on your brother's body." Ed noticed Al's chest rising up and down very quickly. He was taking deep and quick gasps of breath, and there was some sweat rolling down the sides of his face.
"What…what's wrong with him?"
"His soul and heart are very weak. Even after using a tool as powerful as the Philosophers Stone."
Ed was shocked. "You know about that?"
"Yes, and I also know how you committed an unthinkable crime in your world. Human alchemy. You lost your left leg while your brother lost his entire body. You sacrificed your right arm, attaching his soul to a nearby suit of armor." Ed's eyes widened. Every horrific scene from the night he and his brother tried to revive their mother came flooding back to him. "You then joined the military to try and find information on the Philosophers Stone, which you recently did find. You managed to revive your brother's body, but you also got transported to another world in the transmutation. And of course your arm and leg-"
"I don't…I don't care. I don't care about that anymore. All that matters is that Al's body is back to normal."
Maleficent smirked, "So sorry to hear. I was hoping I could help."
Ed looked at her. "What are you saying?" Maleficent pointed the end of her staff at Ed and something happened. He could feel his arm and leg. He felt his coat and glove around his right arm, and his pant leg and boot around his left leg. Ed looked down at his arm. He hesitated, and then pulled of his right glove. Ed gasped. In front of his eyes was a real hand! "H-how did…when…how did you…do this?" Ed asked shakily staring at his right hand as the palm began to feel sweaty. Maleficent put down her staff. Ed suddenly felt his arm and leg growing cold, then felt nothing at all. He blinked and looked at his arm. It had returned to Automail again. Ed stood in shock. He had felt his arm and leg again! He stood thunderstruck for a long while before realizing that Alphonse was still in his lap gasping for breath. 'Oh, no! I have to get him to a doctor!' Ed pulled Al's arm over his shoulder and picked his legs up with the other hand. He stood up and began to walk off.
"If you're thinking of taking him to a doctor, it will not help," Maleficent said stopping Ed in his tracks. "His heart and soul are weak and there is little any doctor could do for that. Of course I could take care of him."
Ed suddenly realized what she was getting at. "Let me guess, there's the issue of equivalent exchange, am I right? What do you want?"
Maleficent gave a smirk.
Ed stared at the ceiling, still shaken up from the conversation. 'What should I do?'
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"All right Donald, I don't think anyone will be able to see the Gummi ship in there," Goofy said coming out of a group of trees. They needed to make sure no one would be able to find it or they might start asking questions. Goofy looked around at a nice garden with trees and flowers and a stream running along to their right. "Where's Sora?" he asked.
"Playing with some cat he found wandering around here," Donald told him. Goofy spotted Sora a couple yards away, sitting in a patch of tall flowers. He was playing with a little brown kitten that had a white stomach and paws. There was also a pink ribbon tied around its neck in the shape of a bow.
Goofy and Donald walked up to him. "Hey Sora, what's going on?" Sora was now peaking through a hole that maybe a medium sized dog could fit through.
Sora pointed to the hole. "The cat jumped out of my hands and ran into there."
"So what? We need to be looking for the King and I don't think he's goin' to be in a hole!" Donald said. Sora rolled his eyes and went in anyway. "Sora, get out of there! We need to find somebody who can help us."
Goofy looked into the hole. "Hey Donald, I don't see him in there."
"Of course you can't see him, it's a hole." Donald put his head into the hole and yelled, "Hey Sora, get back here." Donald and Goofy waited for a moment, but heard no response from Sora. Donald grumbled. "Come on Goofy, let's pull him out." Donald forced his way into the hole and crawled on all fours, with Goofy squeezing his way in afterwards. "It's like a freaking tunnel," he said crawling down the long passageway. Donald put his hand out and fell forward slightly, he couldn't feel the ground anywhere. "Hold on Goofy- AHHH!" Goofy bumped into Donald, sending the two down a long pit. "Ahh! Goofy!" he exclaimed as they were sent falling to their doom.
"Donald, I can't see anything," Goofy said, much calmer than his little duck friend. "Wait, now I see a light. Down there." Donald looked down to see a light at the bottom of the hole.
"Oh great, that helps a lot! Now at least we know where our bodies will be found!" Donald yelled sarcastically. Goofy and Donald started flipping around and around, falling closer and closer to their doom. Goofy and Donald closed their eyes getting ready for impact, when they stopped.
Donald opened his eyes to find the two of them hanging upside down staring at none other than Sora.
"What took you two so long? I called you like fifteen times," Sora said pulling the two of them down.
"What are you talking about? You didn't say a word," Donald protested.
"Yes I did!"
"No you didn't!"
"Gawrsh Sora, we were probably just too far up to hear you," Goofy suggested.
"Whatever," the two said together.
"Gawrsh, this place sure is strange. Where are we?" Goofy looked around.
They were standing at the end of a long hallway. All over the brown walls were pictures and candles. The floor had a dark red and yellow checker pattern. The hall seemed slanted and the walls looked like they had been pushed down from the top somewhat.
"I don't know, but were going to find out." Sora ran forward, with Goofy and Donald right behind, coming to the end of the hall and saw a door. Sora opened it to find another door that was slightly smaller. He opened that one to find another, and another and another until it finally came to a small opening. The three of them crawled through it to find themselves in a larger room.
This room had a purple and pink, checkered floor pattern. There was a brick chimney on the right, and on the left was a short bed and two chairs. In the middle of the room was a white table and chair, and on the other side of the room was a small door that looked barely big enough for their heads.
Sora walked up to the door and got on his hands and knees. "Hey, check out how tiny this door is."
"It's not that I'm tiny, you're simply too big," spat a voice.
"Ahh! The doorknob it talked!" Sora exclaimed jumping up.
"Needn't be so loud. I've got sleep to catch up on," said the golden doorknob.
Goofy kneeled down next to it. "You can talk?" The doorknob gave a sleepy yawn and a small nod. "Well, how are we supposed to get by?"
"Drink the bottle over on the table and your stature will divide."
"Hmm, this bottle here?" Sora asked. He picked it up and took a sip.
"Feel any different Sora?" Goofy asked.
"Not really, except this stuff tastes like medicine," Sora said sticking his tongue out in disgust. Goofy and Donald looked at him strangely. "Uh, what's wrong you guys? And why are you getting so big?"
"Sora…we're not getting bigger, you're getting smaller!" Goofy exclaimed looking down at his, now, miniature sized friend.
"Wow, it really did shrink me!" Sora ran up to the doorknob and yelled, "All right let me through!"
The doorknob gave another sleepy yawn and said, "Can't. I'm locked." Sora's mouth fell open.
"What do you mean you're locked!"
"I'm locked. You can't open me unless you have my key."
"And you didn't tell me that before because…"
"You didn't ask." Sora hit his fist against his head saying, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
"Oh," Goofy said, "Now we'll never find the King." Donald walked over to the bed on their left and jumped up and down on it.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He yelled. He bounced up into the air and came down, the back of his webbed feet getting caught in between the wall and bedside. His feet pushed the bed away from the wall and he hit the floor. "Ow, effin' bed."
"Hey," Sora yelled jumping up and down on the floor, "There's a hole right here we can use." He pointed out a hole that had been blocked by the bed. "You guys drink that potion stuff and let's go through it."
"Alrighty then, ahyuk." Donald and Goofy drank the potion, shrunk and followed Sora into the hole.
"Dang, I can't see anything," Sora said sticking his hands out in front of him to make sure he wouldn't collide with a wall. There was no light that they could see of in the tunnel at all. "This sure is taking a long time. Are you sure this is the right way, Donald?"
"Me? This was your idea to go this- Wahh!" Donald yelled. Sora and Goofy heard a loud thump from Donald and assumed he tripped and fell.
"You OK Donald?"
"Oh, my fur and whiskers!" came another voice. "I'm late, I'm late!" The group heard someone's feet start to patter off away from them.
"Hey, who are you?" Sora said running in the direction he heard the feet running off to. Donald and Goofy started after them as fast as they could without bumping into anything. They finally came to the end of the tunnel and looked round. Sora saw a short white rabbit wearing a red coat and gray shorts, holding a gold trumpet, hopping off.
"Hey you! Can you-"
I'm late, I'm late! No time to say 'Hello' 'Goodbye', I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" the rabbit exclaimed hopping into a group of very tall flowers. Sora, Goofy and Donald ran into the flowers after him.
"Oi, where'd he go?" Sora asked looking around. There were flowers everywhere but no rabbit to be seen.
"Who, my dear, are you looking for?" said a woman's voice. Sora turned around, but saw no one.
"Did you guys here that?"
"Gawrsh, I think the flower said it."
"Goofy that's nonsense," Donald said. "Flowers can't talk."
"But of course we can," replied the voice. He group looked around to see a red rose. "But it's not like there's anyone worth talking to."
"Or about, teehee," added a yellow daisy.
"And we sing too," proclaimed a patch of colorful pansies.
"Really?" Goofy asked.
"Oh, how would you like to hear Tell it to the Tulips?" one flower said.
"What, that old thing? They wouldn't want to hear that. What about The Lovely Lily at the Valley?" asked another. Suddenly all the flowers started yelling out song suggestions and arguing about which one they should sing.
"Hey, hey, hey. Quiet down!" Sora yelled, but the flowers still continued to argue.
"Grr, BE QUIET!" Donald yelled and the flowers all went silent.
"Listen ladies, we only need to know if any of you have seen a white rabbit running by."
"Oh! A white rabbit! I saw one, I saw one!"
"Oh, hush up! We all saw it. He went that way," The rose said pointing in the opposite direction Sora was facing.
"I heard he was going to a trial. You remember the weed girl, that came by earlier. They say she's done a terrible crime."
"Yes. Hmm, you know, your petals look an awful lot like the weed girls did," said a tulip looking at Sora's clothes.
"What? These aren't petals they're-"
"And such scrawny stems. They look like you could fall over any minute. Just what sort of flowers are you three?"
"We're not flowers!"
"Hmph, as I suspected. These three are nothing more than the common Mobile Vulgaris!" All the flowers gasped then went quiet.
"Uh, what's that?" Goofy asked.
"To put it bluntly, a weed! Just like the girl!"
"But we're not weeds!" Sora argued.
"Well you wouldn't expect them to admit it," said a tulip. "Shoo!" It said pushing the three away with her petals. The group fell into the group of pansies and got pushed away again.
"We don't want weeds in our bed!" Suddenly all the flowers began pushing them around until they finally got shoved out of the flower patch entirely.
"That was a waste of time," Sora said. "We'll never find that rabbit now."
"Actually Sora, he's over there!" Goofy said looking through a patch of grass. Sora and Donald looked through and saw him hopping along a red road.
"Let's follow him," Donald said. Sora nodded and the three chased after the rabbit. After a few minutes of listening to the rabbit whine about being late, they finally reached the end of the road.
"Hmm, looks like a get-together," Goofy said. "What's the occasion?"
"Actually Goofy, I think this is the trial the flowers were talking about," Sora suggested.
The area they were in now had walls that looked like a cardboard box that had been painted sky blue with clouds. On the other side of the room from where Sora, Donald Goofy stood, was a tall desk, and right next to it was a stairway leading to a little platform. The rabbit ran up the stairs and blew his horn loudly.
"Court is now in session," the little rabbit proclaimed. "Alice, do you understand the charges placed against you?"
"Of course not," said a girl. She had medium-length blonde hair with a black ribbon in it, and her eyes were blue. She wore a long blue dress with white apron in the front. She had white stockings and also black dress shoes. "I've done absolutely nothing wrong!" Alice turned to speak to the woman in front of her.
She was a large woman with black hair that was pulled into a tight bun, settled upon her head and a gold crown. She wore a red and black dress that had a large collar and she wore white stockings and red shoes.
"I don't know whether or not you're a true queen but I've never seen anyone so selfish and mean!"
The queen slammed her fist on the table. "Silence! I will hear no more of this. I find the defendant, Alice, guilty as charged! You are guilty of attempted theft of my heart!" Sora suddenly knew Alice didn't do it. He took a step forward when Donald grabbed his leg.
"What's wrong? We need to help her; it had to have been a Heartless."
"But Sora, it's against the rules," Goofy said.
"We're not aloud to meddle in the affairs of this world."
"Off with her head!" Yelled the queen. A group of giant playing cards with heads, arms and feet ran up to Alice and grabbed her arms. Sora ran up to them.
"Let her go!" he yelled. The queen threw a disgusted look at Sora.
"Who are you, scum? You dare to interfere with the proceedings of my court?" she yelled.
"Sorry," he said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice, "But we know who the real culprit is."
"Hogwash!" she yelled. "Have you any evidence?"
"Well, I, uh, I'm working on that…" The queen gave the cards holding Alice a nod and "Hmph," and they locked her in a cage with red drapes around it.
"Grr, very well. I shall humor your pathetic claim and let you gather evidence. If you don't prove she is guilty then it's off with all your heads! Until then, this court is now adjourned!"
Sora walked over to Alice and said, "Don't worry, we'll find out who the real culprit is."
"If you need help, the Cheshire Cat does reside in yonder wood. Seek him and ask for where this evidence might be," Alice told Sora. A card soldier walked up to Sora and pushed him away.
"Visiting hours are over. Get lost."
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"Dang, Donald why can't we just tell them the heartless did it, eh?"
"Because, each world is defined by its particular boundaries, within some realities of truth are born. Two truths cannot coexist. When foreign bodies are introduced, chaos and conflict are spawned. And that's why."
"Say what?"
Hnn, you speak the truth," came a voice. "I pose that the untruth of this truth upon truths holds truer." Sora, Donald and Goofy looked up to see a large pink and purple striped cat. "The Cheshire Cat knows all yet finds no contradiction nor chaos."
"Wait did you say? The Cheshire Cat? Listen we need a favor, this girl, Alice-" The Cheshire Cat threw a pink box down at Sora before he could finish. "What's this?"
"In that box lies the truth you seek, or the truth lies not. To trust or not to trust, I trust you'll decide," The cat said as his stripes disappeared one by one until he vanished completely.
"That was weird." Sora looked down at the box and lifted the top off. Out of the box popped a Heartless with long fingers and a metal helmet. The Heartless ran off into the courtroom as Sora, Donald and Goofy chased after it.
"What in the world is that thing!" exclaimed the queen. The Heartless jumped up ready to attack the queen when Sora came up and slashed it in two.
"There was your evidence. Are you satisfied now?" Sora asked. Goofy ran over to the cage and pulled away the curtain to find no one in the cage.
"Hey Sora, Alice is gone!"
"WHAT?" yelled the queen. She slammed her fists on her desk and glared at Sora. "The culprit is still at large! Offer a bounty for her immediate capture! Should you fail it's off with all your heads!" The card soldiers scrambled around nervously, while Sora, Donald and Goofy ran off.
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"Wow, she is just completely nutzo!" Sora said as they walked around the flower garden, making sure to avoid any flowers.
"You're telling me," agreed Donald. They reached the hole and began walking forward threw it blindly. They reached the room with the doorknob and jumped onto the checkered floor. "Why's this place so dark?"
"Here, here," came a familiar voice.
"Is that the Cheshire Cat?" Goofy asked.
"Indeed. Have you heard that where there is the brightest of lights, there are the darkest of shadows?" he asked snapping his fingers. The lights flickered on to reveal a giant Heartless standing next to the Cheshire Cat. The Heartless was thin. It had five black and red faces stacked on top of each other apparently as one head. Erupting from two armor-like shoulder guards were long papery arms, holding onto two maraca-shaped items that were lit on fire. It had long thin armor covered legs that were split in the middle and met at the feet, creating the illusion that there were fours legs. It looked to be about as tall as Sora was normal sized, which didn't help them considering that they about a centimeter tall!
"You've prepared your hearts for the worst, haven't you? If not, too bad."
"You…" Donald began but was cut short when the Heartless attacked thrusting down its burning weapons. Fire caught onto Donald and Goofy's pants and they hopped around trying to put it out. 'Oh no, what am I supposed to do now?' Sora thought. The Cheshire Cat looked at Sora and snapped, sending a cool sensation over him.
"What was that?" Sora suddenly felt words come into his head. 'Ice? No, Blizzard…Blizzard.' Sora looked to Donald and Goofy and pointed the Keyblade at them. "Here goes nothin'! Blizzard!" he yelled. A chilling blast flew from the end of the Keyblade and hit Donald and Goofy, setting out the fire.
"Sora did you just use magic?" Donald asked.
"I…I think so. Hmph, now we can beat this Heartless." Sora, Donald and Goofy got into a fighting stance. "Blizzard!" Sora yelled as another cold wind came and surrounded the Heartless. The Heartless stood still for a moment, then whipped at the wind with its flaming weapons and attacked the group. Sora dodged its attack and stumbled. "Why didn't it work?"
"Sora!" Donald said. "If you're going to use magic then you need to concentrate completely on that spell. Imagine the enemy freezing. You can do it, just put your heart into it!" Sora looked at him.
'All right, got to concentrate, imagine the enemy frozen.' Sora painted a mental picture of the Heartless freezing. Then he was ready.
"BLIZZARD!" He yelled. A strong whirlpool of wind and snow came and spun the Heartless, putting out its flaming weapons and sending it smashing into the ground.
"Yay, Sora. You did it!" Goofy said. The group heard a yawn from behind them.
"Please, what's a doorknob got to do to get some sleep around here?" The doorknob said, opening his mouth for another yawn. Sora looked at it. From inside his mouth he could see a little sparkle. He took a step forward and looked in its mouth. The shape of a keyhole was in it. Suddenly the Keyblade started to shake vigorously and pulled itself up to where it pointed at the doorknob. A light beam shot from its end and hit the inside of the doorknob's throat.
Click.
"What was that? It sounded like something was being locked," said Donald.
"Ahyuk, Donald I found a Gummi block. 'Cept this ones different than the others."
"Let me see Goofy." Donald took the Gummi block from Goofy and examined it. "Hmm, you're right Goofy."
"Anyway, let's get out of this place. It's starting to give me the heebie-jeebies," said Sora.
"Right."
"Hmph, that damned cat helped them too much. I knew we should have disposed of him the minute we saw him!" yelled a woman as she watched the hologram projecting from the table.
"Silence," came a man's voice. "We need not trouble ourselves with such things. Our main import is of the boy's progress. He found the keyhole much quicker than we intentionally planned."
"Do not fret," Maleficent said entering the room. "The other keyholes will not be quite so easy to find. And besides…" she said pushing the blonde haired girl, Alice, into the room. "The pieces we seek have begun to fall into place."
(A/N)
Alrighty then! First princess down 6 to go, why Alice is one of them is beyond me. Yes I did make Wonderland a little larger than in the game, it wasn't crazy enough(from a movie point of view) so I added the flowers. I wanted the Mad Hatter but I just got so lazy.
Oh and I might not be updating in a bit cause I'm going on a trip soon so don't come checking every two days for an update(who does that?).
Review!