DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: I'M HERE IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS - AND I HAVE BROUGHT ALONG CHAPTER 7! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! HIP-HIP-HOORAY!

So, I HOPE you're all still there! After all, THIS Chapter reveals/starts the story of the FIRST Disney-based world. It Also reveals who all the villains on Maleficent's Council are!
So, Please Do NOT Expect Me To Post So Frequently From Here On!

Plus, I Hope you are all enjoying This Story! I spent MONTHS to plan it out! Let me know which parts YOU LIKE THE BEST and what YOU WOULD LIKE to see happen up ahead and in the REST OF THE STORY!

Since I have covered everything I need to say this time too, I'll let you go.
PLEASE ENJOY! PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT - AND REVIEW, TOO!

CHAPTER 7
Villains And A Brand-New World

A good distance away from the town of the Radiant Garden was a deep gorge that lead into a massive valley nicknamed the "Great Maw". A narrow fissure overlooked the Great Maw and a nearby plateau. The entire area was filled with what looked like a thick pouring of dark syrup. In truth, it was a multitude of Heartless crowding in the landscape. Their instinct told them to face the plateau, upon which stood the infamous fortress of Villain's Vale. The powerful Darkness radiating from the building was what had drawn them to it. Most of it was coming from the tallest tower of the structure.

Yet, it was in the tallest tower of the fortress where a handful of individuals had gathered. The circular chamber's walls had what resembled rising water flowing through in the form of bubbles. It was in here where the witch, Maleficent, as well as her number one and most-loyal assistant, Pete, were speaking with a few others.

Among the others was the trio of hooded criminals known as the Beagle Boys, a duck-woman with hypnotic eyes named Cinnamon Teal, and the rival of King Mickey — Mortimer Mouse.

All of them were gathered around a platform showing a hologram of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad aboard Herbie. Sinister grins formed on their faces.

"Yes," Maleficent said as she stroked a raven sitting on her shoulder. "Sora and his friends have started their quest. Unfortunately, they don't know what's in store for them."

"Yeah," Mortimer agreed. "Anyone who helps King Mick and his stupid teacher can't handle everything."

Pete looked startled. "Huh?!" he exclaimed. "Yen Sid ain't that dumb! He's a real powerful sorcerer! I tried to turn him into a Heartless so he'd be the perfect bodyguard for me and do whatever I say."

"Too bad you failed," Cinnamon Teal smirked.

"And got yourself locked outside," one of the Beagle Boys added.

"Maybe you should've asked for help," another added.

"We'd have been there for you, boss!" the third stated.

Pete grumbled under his breath. "Ha cha cha!" Mortimer laughed at the sight. "Maybe this'll teach you to seek them for help. Course, I don't need any."

"Maybe you should learn some things!" Pete struck back.

"Who says?!" Mortimer sneered in reply.

"I do!"

"So what?!"

"Hmph! You should keep your long mouth shut!"

"Make me!"

"Silence!" an irritated and furious Maleficent yelled over the two. Pete and Mortimer stopped their bickering and turned to face her. "I will not tolerate my second-in-commands arguing over such imbecilic matters! We are all on the same team and need to work together."

Cinnamon Teal crossed her arms and nodded at Mortimer. The Beagle Boys all nodded at Pete. The oversized cat and long-snouted mouse both crossed their arms and turned away so their backs were at each other. They continued to scowl.

"Now," Maleficent said, shifting her gaze to Cinnamon Teal. "Has the rest of the Council arrived?"

"Yes," Teal replied. "They're gathered in the meeting hall downstairs. Just as you requested."

"Indeed," Maleficent acknowledged. "Report to the meeting hall at once. We need to plan our next move."

Pete and Mortimer both gulped a little before following the witch out of the room. Cinnamon Teal and the Beagle Boys were directly behind them.

The meeting hall was one of the largest rooms in the forest. However, it was also one of the darkest. The only light came from the torches positioned along the walls at regular intervals. Otherwise, the chamber had the gloominess one would expect to find deep in the Realm of Darkness.

A stone stage was on the end nearest the entrance into the room. Maleficent slowly walked up to a large throne in the middle made of green stone. Pete took a wooden chair to her right and Mortimer took the one on the left. The Beagle Boys plopped down on three stools to Pete's right. Cinnamon Teal took a seat in a wooden chair beside Mortimer. All of them looked out across the room. Their eyes had already adjusted enough to make out a number of individuals chatting amongst themselves before the stage.

One of them was an older man with a wrinkled face, gray hair, and gray eyes. He was wearing dark robes, a purple-and-black-striped hat containing a red ribbon, and shoulder pads bearing red stripes. He also had two rings on each hand; they sported red, green, and blue colored jewels. One look at him, and Pete automatically knew this was Judge Claude Frollo.

Another was a slender man with a long black ponytail, scar under his left eye, and a thick unibrow. He was dressed in what seemed to be a blue-colored lab-coat with a black belt and matching collar, black boots, and black gloves. His hands were rather small and he had pale, light-blue skin. Mortimer grinned towards him, recognizing Doctor Drakken.

Close by was a slender, anthropomorphic red wolf possessing a cream muzzle, bushy tail, both black nose and claws, sharp white fangs, ochre circles surrounding his eyes, and thick black eyebrows. His left ear was damaged and he was wearing a blue Napoleon-style coat with a gold lining on its high collar, white pants, a crimson sash, black boots, and a large true-pirate-styled sword. The Beagle Boys gulped, remembering this was the infamous air pirate captain, Don Karnage.

Nearby was a slender woman with fair skin, red-polished fingernails, huge eyes that appeared to be bulging, and hair that was black on her right and white on the left. Her appearance was similar to a skeleton. Her outfit consisted of a short tank dress, red gloves, and a giant cream-colored fur coat with a red interior. Cinnamon Teal smiled at her, recalling this as Cruella De Vil.

Next to her was an older man with a careworn face, balding brown hair, a hooked-nose, black eyes, and brown eyebrows. He was wearing a gray riding jacket, dark gray bandanna facing backwards, cream long-sleeved shirt with two buttons running vertically to his neckline, a brown vest, brown boots, and dark-grey pants with brown suspenders attached. He had an Indiana Jones-like hat with a dark brown band around on its brim, white teeth on the front, and a golden eagle feather. Mortimer wanted to give him a high-five, for this was Percival McLeach.

There was also a tall, slender, muscular man with gray skin, sharp teeth, yellow eyes, and blue flames in place of hair. His clothing was simple, consisting of only a black robe with a skull design, which included the clip. Pete didn't have to give him a second look, having already met this one; Hades.

Close to Hades was a tall, soldier-like man with a scar on his right eye and a black mustache. He was wearing a blue uniform from what someone might identify as belonging to the Foreign Legion and yellow epaulets. On his head was a white cloth secured by a piece of rope; it strongly-resembled the head-gear worn by nomads in the desert. The Beagle Boys started feel more uncomfortable, recognizing Lieutenant Colonel Staquait.

There was also an anthropomorphic duck with wild, blue hair, an orange bill, and honey-yellow eyes. She was wearing a green turtle-neck shirt, light-blue skirt, and very dark-green trench-coat with rolled-up sleeves and matching shoes that seemed similar in design to slippers. Cinnamon Teal shook her head, recalling this was Camille Chameleon.

Beside her was a slender, young woman with dark skin, long blonde hair, and cyan eyes. She was wearing what anyone could have assumed was tribal clothing including gold bracelets and anklets. She was also barefoot and holding a golden staff that reminded Pete of Jafar's snake staff; this one, however, turned out to be a leopard's head. Pete remembered learning from Maleficent this was Queen La.

In addition, there was a very slender woman who seemed extremely old. Her physical body was shriveled like a skeleton. She was also completely bald with pale lavender skin, a wrinkled face, red lips, white eyes with small black pupils, purple eyelids, long black eyelashes, thin black eyebrows, light gray circles under her eyes, and red-polished fingernails and toenails. She was dressed in a black dress that stretched down to the floor and sported a feathery-like collar with a giant feather stretching out from behind her neck and curving over her head like a leaf. On her feet were a pair of black sandals. To Pete and Mortimer, she looked hideous beyond their imaginations; not even Maleficent could top her. This was Yzma.

Close by was a small, slender young woman sporting fair tan skin, wavy, thick, auburn hair, and amber eyes. She was dressed like a pirate with a standard sailor-like outfit. What stood out the most was her wings, which seemed to resemble a fairy. The Beagle Boys shrugged, not certain why Zarina wanted to join the group in the first place.

Between Yzma and Zarina stood a slender man with a white wig. He was wearing elegant, Georgian clothing along with a black, three-cornered hat. From the stage, Cinnamon Teal eyed him. He smiled very politely back to her. She smiled, knowing this was Lord Cutler Beckett.

There was also a tall, slender man with black curly hair, a handlebar mustache and goatee, and blue eyes. He was dressed entirely in black clothing and a matching cape. Even with his top hat, he seemed to resemble a magician. Mortimer smiled at him, having come to like the methods of this man; Doctor Terminus.

Nearby was a tall, slender man with dark-black hair and blue eyes. Although he was wearing a nice, black suit, his constant glare was making Pete feel really nervous. It didn't help that this particular individual had a metal claw in place of his left hand. Pete gulped some more when he remembered this man's name was Sanford "Claw" Scolex.

Between the two men was yet another man of about middle age man with blond hair. He was dressed in what seemed to be a faded blue suit with sunglasses. He also had an interesting-looking pipe in his pocket. He was paying close attention with a straight face; he looked to the Beagle Boys like a man on the job. This was Ian Howe.

There was also one trio of figures. They were rats with large noses, two had red noses while the third had a black nose. One was large and reddish-orange. Another was light-grey with a slender body, and the third was also slender with darker-brown fur. The Beagle Boys rolled their eyes, having had enough to do with The Pack Rats.

Plus, there was a young woman with reddish-orange hair consisting of three strands hanging from the top over her face, blue eyes, very pale skin, pointed ears, black eyebrows, and pinkish lips. Her outfit was a complex one; the upper part seemed to be a dress with dark-green color, the middle was a small purple skirt secured by pink vines around her waist, the lower part was what appeared to be pants in the same design as the top, and had a leaf-like design. The sides of her dark-green clothing had light-green lines that seemed to have been splotched on. Her feet were covered by a pair of pinkish-purple elf-like shoes, and she had a purple-colored hairband with a tiny, green wine wrapped around it nestled in her hair. A golden-colored vine was wrapped around her right wrist like a bracelet and she had a strawberry-designed tattoo on her right shoulder. What also stood out about her appearance was a set of transparent wings that seemed to be shaped like leaves. Overall, she seemed to significantly-resemble a fairy. Pete and Mortimer both shook their heads, not knowing why Thistle was a member of their group.

"My Council," Maleficent called from the stage, drawing everyone's attention. "The time has come for us to search for the 'Tome of Prophecies'. Sora and his friends have started their quest to keep us from achieving our goal."

A series of loud "Boos" and "No way"(s) filled the air. Maleficent raised her hands for silence. "Fortunately for us, we have the advantage. Sora is still unaware of what we're searching for. He'll be so busy trying to maintain his precious 'world order', no one will be able to stand in our way for long."

"Now is the time to act!" Mortimer declared.

"Let's get that runt with the Keyblade!" Pete added.

"He shall not find the magical book first," Cinnamon Teal agreed.

"Let's do it!" the Beagle Boys called in turn.

Loud shouts and cheers from the villains below echoed through the fortress. Maleficent gave an evil smile as she gently petted her raven. "Yes," she muttered to no one in particular. "Soon every world will be mine — ours — for the taking."

She waved her wand slightly and a patch of Darkness suddenly appeared in the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch as the shape of figure formed before their eyes. The clump of Darkness finally transformed into a tall, slender man with pale-blonde hair. He was wearing a black suit with a bowtie, cape, gloves, black shoes, a white dress shirt, and yellow-tinted spectacles.

Everyone stared at the man in surprise. "Well, well, well," Maleficent said with a sinister grin. "What have we here?"

"I am Judge Doom," the man said in a British accent. "And I want my revenge against all Toons — especially Roger Rabbit and his friends."

"And you shall have it," the witch called from above. "But, you will first have to join our cause."

Judge Doom snorted at her. "And what 'cause' is that?"

"We're looking for the 'Tome of Prophecies'," Maleficent informed him. "It can alter anyone's story — including yours. It also has the power to bring to life an entire world and its residents from either the past or the future."

Judge Doom gave a creepy smile. "And that is an excellent way to being down all Toons! Tell me more."

"Yes," Maleficent nodded. "As you wish."

She felt pleased. She knew all too well that, despite this man's return being an accident, she could use it to her advantage.

The Radiant Garden was long out of sight. Herbie flew along gracefully even with Launchpad at the controls. No Heartless ships were in sight which meant there was no need for the cannons and lasers on board.

Sora gazed out the window at the countless stars. H smiled, recalling how he'd seen them in a similar manner when he had set out on his first quest to save the worlds. Along the way, he had made many new friends and explored lots of different places he had never dreamed he would ever have seen. Now that he had visited so many unique worlds, it felt like nothing would ever surprise him again.

Of course, he knew that wasn't going to be the case. After all, he had explored a completely new realm less than a year ago and seen a handful of lands he hadn't heard of before then. He made many new friends — including Rapunzel, Sam Flynn, Wart… Arthur that is, Crystal, and Shelly to name a few. He'd also met Pooh's friend, Christopher Robin. He even got to talk with Tinker Bell in a special region of the island of Never Land and meet some of her fellow fairies. In addition, he had made friends with the Cybersquad who were from a whole different universe. To top it off, he'd even gotten to see Pinocchio and Jiminy's home world as well as the world Merlin was from, meet King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as Musketeers, and travel into the worlds inside musical scores. He gave a smile, knowing so much had happened lately and it was just the beginning.

Sora continued to look out the window until he heard a loud SNORT! He spun around. "Huh?!"

He turned his attention toward Donald and Launchpad. The former was watching an episode of an older black-and-white T.V. show. Another loud SNORT filled the air. "What was that?" Sora asked.

"I haven't the foggiest idea!" Launchpad announced in reply.

Donald sighed. "It must be Goofy… "

Sora turned his seat towards the knight. Just like Donald had said, Goofy was sound asleep. A paperback comic book was lying open in his lap while his arms where lying on top of it. A third loud SNORT came out of Goofy. "Wake him up — now!" Donald snapped, turning up the volume on the screen before him.

"Give me a chance!" Sora countered.

He put his hands on Goofy's shoulders and rapidly shook him. The knight's eyes started to open, but as Sora stopped shaking him, Goofy fell back into his slumber. When a fourth loud SNORT echoed about the cockpit, Donald yelled, "That does it!"

The magician paused his show and moved closer to the sleeping Goofy. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "Wake up!"

Goofy was so startled, he leaped into the air and bonked his head on the roof. The incident had been loud enough to distract Launchpad. Goofy slowly opened his eyes to see Sora, Donald, and Launchpad staring at him. Donald looked like a time bomb that was about to explode any second. The knight sat up, stretched, and yawned before speaking.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "Does the world owe me a livin'?"

Donald scowled at him, "You were snoring in your sleep!"

Goofy looked like he was in a total daze. "I was?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I sure don't remember sleepin'… "

"Just stay awake!" Donald shouted.

Sora placed his hands in the direction of the two as he said, "Okay! We get the hint!"

Jiminy Cricket hopped out of Sora's pocket and scolded, "You two should get along better than that! You only live in the same castle!"

Goofy nodded while Donald crossed his arms. A loud banging sound filled the air. Everyone switched their focus toward the back. Sora leaned against the seat. The sound seemed to echo. "It's coming from inside," he concluded.

Goofy shrugged. "May-bee it's a ghost?"

Donald's anger returned within moments. "Shut-up!" he snarled. "Stop being so stupid!"

"That's not nice," Launchpad spoke up. "I may be dumber than he is, but I'm not stupid!"

This only made Donald all the more furious. "I was able to handle him before you joined our team," he retorted. "Now it's too much! If I have to deal with two, I want out!"

The magician's outburst resulted in complete silence. Despite this, Donald finished, "From now on, I'm not fighting alongside Goofy or Launchpad! This is the last straw!"

To say Sora was startled to the point of being entirely speechless would be considered an understatement. On top of shocked, he was saddened, confused, and discouraged. He let out a deep sigh before turning his eyes to gaze out the cockpit. A large, blue star up ahead grabbed his attention.

"Look!" Sora called.

Everyone else stared straight ahead. Sure enough, the star was getting brighter and larger. In seconds, Herbie was being pulled in by the star's gravity. The Gummi Ship zoomed into the planet's atmosphere and ended up hovering over a massive ocean.

"Whoa!" Sora marveled. "Where are we?"

Goofy looked around. "This place sure ain't Atlantica. A-Hyuck!"

Donald scowled at him. Sora had to sigh once more.

"Let's go for a splash-landing!" Launchpad declared. He grabbed the controls!"

"NO!" everyone else shouted.

Herbie remained frozen in mid-air. No matter how hard Launchpad tried to steer the ship towards the water below, nothing happened. "Say, something's wrong with this thing," he observed. "We're not moving an inch!"

"Herbie doesn't want to crash," Donald informed the others. "Let's use the teleportation device."

Goofy looked puzzled. "What's a 'telephone-station' device?"

Sora shook his head, even as Donald scolded the knight. The former reached at the dashboard and pulled a green lever. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go."

The next thing Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad knew, they were walking on the deck of what appeared to be an enormous military ship. Donald was walking to Sora's left since Launchpad and Goofy were to Sora's right. Sora sighed and looked around as the group proceeded across the deck. "What a weird place… "

"Yeah," Goofy confirmed, noting the emptiness. "Feels like we're nothin' but sitting ducks."

Donald glared at Goofy for a second before turning away. Jiminy hopped back out of Sora's pocket. He scanned the deck before saying, "Hmm… perhaps everyone's inside."

Sora paused in consideration. After a few moments, he opened his mouth to speak. At the same time, a loud voice boomed out from an intercom, "Attention! All hands to the Launch Bay! To whoever took the 'L' from the Motor Pool sign — Ha, Ha. We are all very amused… "

"Waak!" Donald screamed in alarm, jumping high into the air and landing onto Sora's back. "What was that?!"

"Donald," Sora gasped as the duck's hands clenched his neck and started squeezing as tightly as they could. "You're choking me!"

In a complete state of shock and realization, Donald released his grip on Sora's throat.

"Sorry, Sora," Donald admitted with a hint of embarrassment. He hopped off Sora's back. Instead of setting foot on the deck, the magician landed on the foot of a figure that had been standing behind the group. A shower of dirt fell from above and covered Donald. "What's the big idea?!"

Sora, Goofy, and Launchpad all spun around. Jiminy Cricket hopped over to Goofy's shoulder as Sora got his first look at the stranger. It was a short man who seemed to be well-overweight with a shaven face and wearing an enormous, grey overcoat. His head was shrouded by a headset with a lamp on it. His eyes were covered by goggles that had the ability to change focus and zoom rapidly. Unfortunately, his eyes seemed to be glaring through the goggles and straight at Donald. With a deep, French-accented voice, the man snapped, "Look what you've done!"

He gestured at the dirt that had landed onto Donald's bill. He continued, "All the dirt I've gathered from Mammoth Cave — the largest cave system in the world — is on you!"

"Hey," Sora shouted at the man. "Leave him alone! It's not his fault!"

"Why are ya carrying dirt around?" Goofy asked,

"Yeah," Launchpad added. "There's no islands in sight."

Sora shrugged. "Must be a collector of dirt."

The man shifted his glared to the brown-haired young man. "You ask too many questions! Who are you? Where are you from? Speak up!"

"Well," Sora hesitated. "I'm—"

"Bleh," the man interrupted. "I will know soon enough!"

The man rapidly reached out and grabbed Sora left wrist. Goofy jumped back a few inches as the seventeen-year-old was yanked forward. All Sora could say was, "Hey! Let me go!"

"Aw, don't be such a cry-baby," the man retaliated as he held Sora's left hand up to his eyes. He pulled out a pair of tweezers and plucked off a grain of dirt from one of the young man's fingernails. He released his grip with an excited cry of, "Aha! Here it is!"

Sora clutched his hand. He started rubbing it because of the pain. The man flipped on his head lamp and focused his goggles in on the grain of dirt. He said, "Now tell me your story, my little friend. Let's see… sand from a tropical island… dust from a town made of wood… bubble residue from water… sea spray mixed with salt indicating the ocean… you have a friend with auburn hair showing signs of a mature girl… you have a sister and mother with sand-colored hair… a pet goldfish and a cat with black-and-white fur… "

The man quickly flipped off his head lamp and stared at Sora. "These are the markings of a heroic teenager from an island," he concluded. "And a very naïve one."

Sora was either amazed or perplexed. He barely managed to say, "You knew all that just by looking at one piece of dirt?"

Instead of responding to Sora's question, the man exclaimed, "This is an outrage! You must get away at once!"

Sora stepped back a step with Donald, only to bump into someone else. He glanced up with the magician to see a tall, muscular, bald man with darker skin. The man took one look at Donald and the dirt that had gathered upon him. "Uh-oh!" he said. "Got covered in the dirt, didn't you?"

"Moliére," The new arrival glared at the other man. "Now what have I told you about playing nice with the other kids?"

The man pulled out a bar of soap and held it up at Moliére. "Get back," he warned. "I've got soap and I'm not afraid to use it!"

In a state of panic and fury, Moliére ran off with a cry of, "Fine! You can have it!"

As Moliére left, Sora simply said, "Man… "

He looked back up at the stranger and said, "You're good! What's your name?"

"Name's Sweet — Joshua Sweet," the man affirmed, revealing the bag in his right hand. "I'm the Medical Officer."

"I'm Sora," Sora introduced. He indicated his companions, "This is Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad."

"Sora, haven't you forgotten someone?" Jiminy asked as he hopped over to Sora's shoulder from Goofy.

"Oh!" Sora acknowledged. He turned back to Sweet, "And this is Jiminy Cricket."

"Yup! He sure looks like a cricket," Sweet stated. He looked at the others. "And they look like ducks and dogs."

"A dog," Goofy contemplated. "Gawrsh! I never really looked at it that way before."

"Since when do you ever look at something a different way?" Donald demanded to know.

"Hmm," Goofy said in thought. "Good question… "

"Say now," Sweet continued. "Are you all among the new recruits for the expedition?"

"Huh?" Sora inquired. "What 'expedition'?"

"Oh! So you are among the new recruits," Sweet presumed. "No problem! Helga can arrange everything for you."

"Well… can we have a minute to think about it?" Sora asked.

"Sure!" Sweet replied. "Just don't take too long. The sub's preparing for departure as we speak."

Sora turned to Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad. Jiminy sat on Sora's shoulder as the Keyblade wielder said, "I would really like to go on this expedition. How about you guys?"

Everyone else appeared to be showing signs on uneasiness. Goofy said, "Well, I don't know… "

"Me either," Launchpad agreed. "I don't know whatever Goofy doesn't."

"Sora, have you forgotten?" Jiminy questioned. "You need to think before acting!"

"Yeah," Donald agreed. "How do we know this expedition isn't made-up? It might be a trap."

"We should at least know where we'll be heading," Jiminy finished. "Other worlds still need our help."

Sora took a moment to take all this information in. If the expedition was a trap, then their destination wouldn't exist. Then again, the Heartless could have already arrived in this world, in which case, the world itself would be in extreme danger. "Okay," Sora said at last. "I'll ask."

Sora turned to Sweet and said, "So, do you know where this expedition will be going?"

Sweet responded, "The only one who knows that is the linguist, Milo Thatch. If you want to meet him, you'll probably want to sign up."

Sora glanced back at the others. Everyone nodded, although Donald looked unsure. Sora answered, "Sure! We're game."

Sweet nodded and gestured towards a doorway leading into the ship. "You'll find Helga in there. She's the lieutenant. Talk to her and I'll bet she can get you signed up immediately."

Sora nodded as Sweet walked away. Jiminy hopped back into Sora's pocket as the Keyblade wielder led the group through the open doorway and into a large, open room filled with all kinds of trucks, cranes, and welding machines. The first thing Sora did was awe in amazement. Donald was speechless while Goofy and Launchpad looked all around. The pilot said, "Looks like one of Mister McDee's automobile plants on a typical day… "

"Gawrsh," Goofy commented. "Never seen so many trucks in all muh life."

"I want this one!" Donald exclaimed as he ran to the nearest truck. It had a large, barrel-shaped contraption situated directly behind the cab.

"Donald!" Sora called out, pursuing his friend. Goofy and Launchpad quickly followed.

Donald clambered into the cab and reached for steering wheel. A voice snapped, "Get out of that vehicle! You are not authorized!"

Sora reached the truck just ahead of Goofy and Launchpad. At the sound of the voice, they all turned to their right. A tall, slender woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes was standing before them with her arms crossed. She was wearing a green trench coat over a black-colored outfit.

At first glance, Goofy gulped. "Gawrsh," he stammered. "A lady!"

"Gee, I don't know who she is," Launchpad chuckled. "But she sure looks lovely."

The woman marched up to the pilot. With a lack of amusement in her voice, she said, "And just who might you be?"

"The name's Launchpad McQuack," Launchpad introduced. "'If it's got wings, I can crash it', ma'am!"

"My name's Lieutenant Helga Sinclair — not 'ma'am'," the woman corrected. "If you're among the new recruits, I recommend you four don't join."

"Why not?" Donald asked as he climbed out of the truck.

Helga turned to them all. "You four don't know an artifact from an antique. You'd be nothing but a waste of space."

"H-hey!" Sora blurted. "How can you be so sure? You should at least give us a chance!"

Helga thought for what felt to Sora like hours instead of minutes. She finally turned back to him and said, "In that case, I might have an opening for you. Are you interested?"

She held out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. Sora took the clipboard with a feeling of uneasiness. "Uhh… sure."

When he realized that the piece of paper was a roster of the expedition's crew, Sora asked Donald for a pencil. When the magician shrugged, Sora asked Goofy. Goofy reached into his pockets and pulled out a pencil — only snapped in half with the eraser end on one piece and the sharp, lead-point on the other. He held it out for Sora, who grabbed the pointed half and carefully wrote his name onto the roster. "There!" the spikey-headed youth proclaimed.

He passed it along to Donald, who wrote his own name before tossing the board into the air. Goofy had to jump to catch the flying clipboard. The knight clung onto it as he scribbled his own name on the paper. He handed the clipboard to Launchpad, who swiftly wrote his own name. The pilot gave the clipboard back to Sora. The latter passed it along back to Helga.

The lieutenant read the names back to them. Her eyes widened in the process. "Sora… Donald Duck… Goofy… Lunchpand McSquash?!" she asked. "What are your real names?"

"Sora," Sora instantly responded.

"Donald," Donald said.

"Name's Goofy," Goofy added.

"I already stated my name!" Launchpad told her.

Helga looked at them all with a hint of suspicion. She was about to speak when a voice snapped, "Blondie?! I've got a bone to pick with you!"

The group watched as a crane lowered a crate in their direction. Kneeling within the crate was a short, elderly man with a white beard and white eyebrows. He was wearing a pair of blue overalls, a white shirt, and a brown hat. Helga sighed as the crate approached them. She turned to the man as Donald glared at Launchpad. "Can't you spell your own name?!"

"I never knew I could spell!" Launchpad joked, even though the only other one who thought it was funny turned out to be Goofy.

"Same here, A-Hyuck!" the knight chuckled.

Sora sighed miserably before saying, "Let's just figure out where we need to go. We'll find that linguist in no time."

Goofy looked perplexed. "Uhh… I thought the one we needed ta find was some feller named Milo Scratch."

"Ya big palooka," Donald hollered in a state of rage. "It's Milo Thatch!"

"I gots yo four basic food groups!" the older man from the crate yelled at Helga. Sora and his teammates spun their attention over to them two. The man counted on his fingers. "Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard!"

Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad shifted their eyes to Sora. The seventeen-year-old Keyblader only shrugged. He didn't understand any of the things the man had said. Furthermore, he also knew those were not any of the food groups.

A buzzing signal filled the air. "Pack it up, cowboy!" Helga stated at the man. "We're shoving off!"

The echoing sound of an intercom filled the air. "Attention! All hands to the Launch Bay! Final loading in progress."

Without warning, the entire room began shifting as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad came to realize they were standing on a gigantic elevator. The platform slowly descended deeper and deeper into the ship.

As soon as the elevator came to a halt, the group spotted an enormous, brown-painted, metallic submarine in the middle of the room. The front of the sub contained a spherical-shaped cockpit with orange windows. The name "Ulysses" was painted on its side. Groups of workers and vehicles milled about the areas around the sub. The sounds of a million footsteps echoed about.

Sora awed in amazement at the mere sight of the vehicle. He heard Goofy say, "Gawrsh, we're going in that?"

"Yeah," Sora affirmed. "That's our ticket on this adventure."

"I don't know," Donald muttered under his breath. He looked a little unsteady. "The last time I was in a submarine, I was court-martialed… "

Sora led the group across the deck to the sub's entry ramp. As they did, Goofy accidentally rammed into someone. The stranger turned out to be a tall, slender man with black, flat-topped hair, a thick mustache, gray gloves, and a black coat. He spoke to them in an Italian accent, "Hey, if you kids are looking for the pony rides, they're not here."

The man continued walking past. Goofy handed Sora a red cylinder with a piece of black rope sticking out the top. "He dropped that there thingy," the knight said.

Sora called out, "Hey! You forgot your… "

His voice trailed off when it occurred to him that the item was an explosive. "…d-d-dynamite?!"

The man spun around and strode up to them. He accepted the stick of dynamite. Sora questioned, "Who are you?"

"Oh, eh… Vincenzo Santorini, but you can me Vinny," the man said. "I'm a demolition expert."

"What kinda of stuff do you carry?" a curious Goofy wondered aloud.

Vinny shrugged. "Well, eh… firecrackers, nitro-glycerin, notepads, fuses, wicks, glue, and… paperclips — big ones. You know — just office supplies."

Sora crossed his arms in doubt at the sound of this difficult-to-believe explanation. He shrugged the thought aside when a voice called out, "Milo! Where've you been?"

His ears perked up at the very mention of the name. Sora spun his attention towards a trio of people standing nearby. One was a medium-height, elderly man with white hair and wearing a blue sailor uniform.

The second figure in the group was a tall, muscular man with grey hair, brown eyes, and dressed in a soldier uniform.

The third stranger was a tall, slender young man with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a green trench coat over a white shirt and tan pants. On his face was a pair of wireframe eyeglasses.

Sora led Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad straight over to them. The first man saw them and said, "Well now, who do we have here?"

Sora said, "I'm Sora."

"I'm Donald." Donald said.

"Name's Goofy." Goofy added.

"The name's Launchpad McQuack," Launchpad said. "'If it's got wings, I can crash it!'"

"You've said that intro too many times," Donald snapped at the pilot. "Try changing it — for once!"

"Aw shucks, it don't matter," the man said in reaction to this display. "You must be among the new recruits Helga just informed me about."

"Uhh… sure." Sora stammered.

The man extended his hand. "Preston Whitmore — funder of this-here dang-fool expedition."

Whitmore gestured at the soldier behind him. "And this is Commander Rourke."

"Pleasure to meet you all," Rourke acknowledged. "Don't know how he did it, but Whitmore has hired the best of the best."

Sora nodded. "So, where might we be heading?"

"I can answer that," perked up the younger man. "My name is Milo Thatch. I'm a linguist."

He reached out and shook hands with Sora. Afterward, Milo explained, "We're searching for the lost continent of Atlantis."

Sora was speechless. He had already heard of Atlantis from Riku, but had always been told that it never was real. As far as he knew, that entire story was meant to be a complete myth. He asked, "But, how will we be able to discover a lost civilization that no one else could?"

"Simple," Milo said, pulling a book with a brown cover out of his shoulder bag and holding it up for the others to see. "We'll be following the directions that have been inscribed in this book. It's called 'The Shepherd's Journal'. It's supposed to contain a first-hand account of Atlantis and its exact whereabouts."

"Cool," Sora exclaimed. "I've always wondered what Atlantis looked like."

Milo smiled. "Boy, when Mr. Whitmore settles a bet, he really settles a bet."

Whitmore nodded. "Well, Milo's grandfather always did believe that you could never put a price on the pursuit of knowledge."

"Well believe me," Milo added. "This venture is going to be small change compared to the value of what we're going to learn on this trip."

"Yes," Rourke reflected. "This should be enriching for all of us."

Although the commander appeared to be friendly, Sora had a strange feeling that it would be best to proceed with caution.

"Attention, all personnel," the voice on the intercom boomed overhead. "Launch will commence in fifteen minutes."

Rourke saluted to Whitmore as he started up a ramp just before the group. Milo followed Sora and the others as they walked up next. Milo called back, "Bye, Mr. Whitmore!"

As an enormous, iron door came down to seal off the entrance, Whitmore shouted back, "Make us proud, boy!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad quickly followed Milo and Rourke into the cockpit. Several walkways and platforms were scattered about the room with various people walking about. Sora looked around as he noticed numerous sailors relay the message of, "Rig ship for dive!"

On a higher platform, Rourke declared, "Lieutenant, take her down."

The lieutenant, Helga Sinclair, proclaimed, "Diving officers, submerge the ship. Make the depth 1-5-0 feet."

As the message was relayed onward, a warning siren started to beep. Sora instantly realized it was meant for anyone outside to be a safe distance away. He turned back to the window and he spotted Milo to his right. The young linguist was peering out to watch the launch up close. Sora followed Milo's eyes and noticed that Whitmore was watching them from the outside.

A final warning bell sounded as the cranes holding the submarine released their grip and the entire vehicle landed gently into the open hatch of water below. Sora caught one more glance at Whitmore before the submarine dipped below the surface. The man was giving a thumbs-up with his other hand behind his back. If Sora had been behind him, he would've noticed Whitmore's fingers were crossed.

Within seconds, the Ulysses was descending into the depths of the sea. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad had arrived in the world of Ancient Empire.

A/N: WHOA! WHAT A START FOR A WORLD'S STORY!

So, I am certain it is clear. The world of Ancient Empire is based on Disney's "ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (2001)".
Personally, that is one Disney Movie I can DEFINITELY see coming into play in "Kingdom Hearts 3".

For those of you who remember my earlier, deleted story, "Kingdom Hearts - The Phantom Threat", you probably recognized much of this from before. I decided to make This Story a revival of that "Late" one. So, you might see more similarities coming up. Fortunately, they will NOT last long!

In addition, "Ulysses" IS the name of the submarine. I looked it up on Disney Wikia.

Plus, I wonder how many of you noticed Donald's outburst. It was quite significant, wasn't it? Keep that in mind! This story's NOT over yet!

So, NOW it is Time To REVEAL where each of these Disney Villains came from - IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE IN THIS STORY, TOO!
Maleficent is from "Sleeping Beauty (1959)".
[Peg-Leg] Pete is from various Disney Cartoons starting as early as 1925.
The Beagle Boys are from "Mickey, Donald, Goofy - The Three Musketeers (2004)".
Mortimer Mouse is from "Mickey's Rival (1936)".
Cinnamon Teal is from "DuckTales -T.V. Series-".
Judge Claude Frollo is from Disney's "The Hunchback of Notré Dame (1996)".
Dr. Drakken is from "Kim Possible -T.V. Series-".
Don Karnage originated in "TaleSpin -T.V. Series-".
Cruella De Vil first appeared in "101 Dalmatians (1961)".
Percival McLeach is from "The Rescuer's Down Under (1990)".
Hades originated from "Hercules (1997)".
Lieutenant Colonel Staquait is from "The Legend of Tarzan -T.V. Series-".
Camille Chameleon is from "Darkwing Duck -T.V. Series-".
Queen La is from "The Legend of Tarzan -T.V. Series-".
Yzma came from "The Emperor's New Groove (2000)".
Zarina is from "The Pirate Fairy (2014)".
Lord Cutler Beckett appeared in "Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)".
Doctor Terminus appeared in "Pete's Dragon (1977)".
Sanford Scolex (Dr. Claw) is from "Inspector Gadget (1999)".
Ian Howe came from "National Treasure (2004)".
The Pack Rats came from "The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh -T.V. Series-".
Thistle is from the Disney Fairies Graphic Novel [#4]: "Tinker Bell To The Rescue".

...And Judge Doom is from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)".
I apologize if Judge Doom seems out-of-character. I have only seen "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" once as far as I can recall. The rest I determined through a little research and some recollections.

So, did you manage to figure out ALL or MOST of these villains? I understand there were A LOT to determine - 23 TO BE EXACT! Yet, that just shows Not ALL of them will be Directly involved in This Story! Several shall ALSO show up in the SEQUEL - PROVIDED ENOUGH REVIEWS ARE RECEIVED!

So, Since I Have Run Out Of Things To Say, I'll See You Next Time!
To put it simple, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!

REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!

This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" Plus, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"